Virginia stood outside of the building that spelled out in large letters "STARK SATELLITES". It seemed like a normal enough office building, and she walked up to the door. She hesitated before opening it. She had gotten an email from Stark yesterday with some information on the company. It seemed to be not only a legit package, but a respectable career move from being a low-level accountant at a tax firm. She should have been running into the office and agreeing to whatever terms she was given. But it wasn't every day you interview for a job with a one night stand. She spent a few more moments weighing the pros and cons of her situation, before looking at her watch and realizing she was a lot closer to being late than she thought. She finally opened the door and Virginia was greeted with the sight of a small foyer, and an entry way to her immediate right. "No going back now," she thought to herself. Entering the main office, Virginia walked straight to the desk in the middle and addressed the older looking woman sitting there.

"May I help you?" the woman asked with a slight attitude over her glasses.

"I have an appointment with Mr. Stark," Virginia stated clearly.

"Hold on," the woman said picking up the receiver. While she dialed a few numbers, Virginia looked around the rest of the main room. It was spacious, sparsely furnished with a few desks geometrically placed throughout the room. There were a few doors off to the left, probably the offices.

"Mr. Stark will see you now," the secretary spoke up, snapping Virginia out of her trance. She looked at the secretary and noticed she was pointing to a door behind her to her right, with 'T. STARK' on it in gold letters. Virginia thanked the woman and walked over to Stark's door, knocking lightly before entering. The office was much smaller than she imagined, which she took note of as Stark, suit and tie clad, shuffled around his desk to shake her hand.

"I've been expecting you. Did you find the place okay?" he asked, sounding more concerned than he looked.

"Yes. I've been to this area before, but never in this neighborhood."

He smirked. "Well, now that you're here, let's get down and dirty." He took his seat and gestured to the seat on the other side of his desk. "So Pepper, what do you know about Stark Satellites?"

Virginia reached into her bag as she made her reply. "About as much as you know about me, I'm afraid. My name is Virginia. Virginia Potts."

"Seriously?"

"Completely," she said, handing him her resume. "The proof's right there."

"Dammit, you're right. Well of course you are, you should know your own name," he said with a hint of accusation, scanning over her document.

"I'd like to think so."

He stopped talking then, looking over her resume in earnest. He gave a few appreciative hums as he flipped the pages. Virginia tried not to feel awkward, but her brain in that moment connected his noises with the ones he was making a few nights ago. She was thankful he was looking down, because she could feel herself blushing. She composed herself with a few deep breaths, and managed to look slightly normal by the time Stark looked back up at her.

"Well Virginia. Virginia? I don't like that. Do you like that name?"

She raised her eyebrows, but answered him anyway. "My friends call me Gin."

"Hmm…Gin…Gin-ger….I don't like that either. I'm gonna keep calling you Pepper."

Was this guy for real? "What?" she replied lamely. This was not standard conversation for a job interview.

"Yeah I like that better. Pepper fits you, and you are spicy," he said, the last three words spoken with a deeper inflection, paired with what Virginia could only describe as 'bedroom eyes'. "Pepper it is!"

"Uh, shouldn't I have a say in this?" Virginia asked, not knowing what else to say.

"You did the other night remember? When we danced! So technically you came up with it." Stark smiled at her, a big grin that stretched his face out and made him look like a little boy, and Virginia could only stare.

"So, Pepper, back to the interview."

Oh yeah. Suddenly Virginia was thinking she may have made a mistake. "Yeah, about the job, listen-"

"I'd like you to start right away, and we'll salary you starting at say…40k? It's not much to start, but I figure you could use it."

He talked so fast that by the time Virginia's brain had finished processing '40k' and 'salary' and realized she'd been insulted, Stark was already on his next point.

"So let me give you a little information about Stark Satellites. Of course, you know about Stark Industries, weapons manufacturers. That's my father's company. We're a branch of SI, but we're more specialized in intent. For every missile that Stark Industries creates that requires radar technology, we secure and manage the operation of its satellite. We work with NASA and SI to make sure that everything goes according to plan, in addition to handling the financial side of satellite rental. We're working with some big numbers, as you've seen. This also means that we can't afford to have anyone fucking up our books with careless mistakes. You've already shown me that you have exceptional accounting skills, and your resume backs it up. You're going to have your work cut out for you Potts, I hope you're ready for it."

Virginia sat speechless. This was a good job, and she knew it, but this situation was beyond weird. And why was Stark talking like she was his employee already? "Who says I'm accepting the job?"

"Oh, you're accepting the job. Or do you really want to work at Jackson-Hewitt the rest of your life?" Stark gave her a look that exuded confidence in his claim. He was kind of an asshole, she realized. A good looking one, too. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but he was right, and though she didn't want to give him the satisfaction, she didn't want him to change his mind either.

"Okay, I'll accept the job."

"Excellent, I'll have your contract drawn up in about two business days," he said extending a hand towards her to shake. She accepted it, with her thanks. Still holding on to her hand, he began to talk again.

"So Pepper, now that we've gotten that out of the way, how about we celebrate with a little lunch?" He took her hand to his lips and kissed it. "On me, of course, unless you'd prefer to be on me."

Virginia rolled her eyes and gently took her hand away. "I don't prefer to mix business with pleasure," she said, gathering her things and reaching for the door handle. "But you can buy me lunch, and we can talk…positions after hours." She swiftly exited the office, not having to turn around to know that Stark was following her.

"You know, hot Peppers are my favorite kind," Stark whispered to her, making her laugh on the way to his car.