Fandom:
Iron Man (movieverse)
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Tony/Pepper
Summary: Tony takes advantage of serendipity.
Disclaimer: Most of the characters and situations in this story belong
to Marvel Comics, Fairview Entertainment, Dark Blades Films, and other
entities, and I do not have permission to borrow them. No infringement
is intended in any way, and this story is not for profit. All others
belong to me, particularly Cedric, and if you want to borrow them, you
have to ask me first.
Any errors are mine, all mine, no you can't have any.
Angst, huh? Okay, you got it.
*********
The party was about what he expected--another working event, after a
fashion. Jack Roberts’ fiftieth birthday was
ostensibly a celebration, but it was also a venue for informal deals,
schmoozing, and gossip, and Tony slid into it easily, conscious of the
bright pride of having his fianceé on his arm--for real this
time.
Pepper looked especially lovely in a silk concoction almost the same
shade as the ice-blue satin she’d worn months before at the
firefighters’ benefit. This time, however, the back
was not quite as low, and Tony had had the privilege of putting on
Pepper’s stockings for her, rolling them slowly up her legs
and fastening the garters with unashamed pleasure.
He’d insisted.
Their host and celebrant was quick to find them when they entered the
big Roberts mansion--twice the size of Tony’s home and much
more traditional. The tall silver-haired man beamed at the
sight of them. “Tony, Virginia, glad you could make
it!”
He leaned over to press a kiss to Pepper’s cheek, which she
accepted with calm demureness, and shook Tony’s
hand. “Happy birthday, Jack,” Tony said
cordially. “There’s life in the old dog
yet, huh?”
Roberts regarded him with acid humor, the glint in his eye recognizing
their eternal rivalry. “Plenty of it.
Virginia, my dear, are you sure you don’t want to put your
talents to better use? It’s a crime to let your
intelligence go to waste on such a less than fulfilling position...and
whatever Tony pays you, I assure you I can do
better.”
Tony stiffened at the blatant insult; Roberts was usually much subtler,
and Tony realized that on some level the man must be pissed off at
their engagement. But before he could speak,
Pepper’s hand tightened on his arm.
“It’s a generous offer, Jack, but actually I think
I’d be bored,” she said sweetly, delicately
conveying both knowledge of the affront and unconcern at the
attempt. “Let me wish you many happy returns of the
day, though.”
Before Roberts could answer, she guided Tony away, and glancing back
over his shoulder, Tony saw Roberts’ attention drawn by other
new arrivals. “Nice,” he told Pepper in a
low voice.
She sighed. “I think he’s had too much
champagne. Usually he’s a lot more
subtle.”
“Still, I’ll have to kick his ass later at squash
or something,” Tony said, still stung.
“That’s just wrong.”
Pepper laughed. “Tony, you hate
squash.”
“Yeah, but I’m good at it.” He
grinned, his mood softening. She is mine, Jacky.
Choke on it. “Hand-eye coordination and all that
jazz.”
His fianceé sniffed in gentle disdain.
“Some other time, Mr. Stark. It’s
considered rude to challenge your host to single
combat.”
“Even to defend my lady’s
honor?” Tony snagged two flutes of champagne from a
passing waiter and handed her one with a flourish.
Pepper dimpled. “Actually, I think it was your
honor he was impugning. Let it go, Tony.”
“Only if you promise to dance with me later.
Lots.” He watched her over the rim of his
glass. This was the first party they had attended since the
discovery of their “engagement”, and Tony figured
Pepper’s excuse of appearances no longer applied--if it ever
really had.
And he wanted to dance. In public. Showing her
off. It was atavistic, he knew, but that didn’t
change his desire to display.
Pepper smiled. “It’s a party. I
think that’s what you do.”
“Good.” Tony tucked her free arm through
his, content. “And nobody gets to cut in, either,
on pain of my extreme displeasure.”
She snickered, and they moved deeper into the house, heading for the
big ballroom that held most of the party.
Tony had to admit that it was a pretty good shindig, despite
Roberts’ overindulgence; the atmosphere was great, the food
was amazing, and the music, once it began, was definitely
high-quality. And you can’t exactly throw stones,
he reminded himself; Tony couldn’t actually remember throwing
a party that didn’t end--or start--with him in some state of
intoxication.
Roberts seemed to steady as the evening continued, from what Tony could
see, and anyway Pepper managed to keep them apart with her usual subtle
skill. They nibbled finger food and drank more champagne, and
talked and laughed and bantered; when Tony stopped to discuss new
patents in medical devices with the head of Johnson & Johnson,
Pepper hovered quietly at his elbow, almost as invisible as if she had
been dressed in one of her business suits, but ready to take
notes.
She did garner one or two uncertain looks, but not enough for Tony to
take issue with, and he realized slowly that they made an even better
team now that the one barrier between them had been
eliminated.
They didn’t stay together the whole time, of course; they
both knew many of the guests, and Pepper often drifted off a ways to
talk with someone. Tony would sip champagne and watch her out
of the corner of his eye, little restoring glances of her beauty in the
blue silk--laughing with another woman, smiling patiently at a
perspiring little man, gesturing animatedly as she spoke with a group
of three or four people.
It wasn’t possessiveness, exactly; it was enjoyment, pleasure
replacing the slow-growing longing that had taken so long to penetrate
his careless consciousness. Tony talked to friends, bantered
with peers, even flirted lightly with various women--nothing serious,
just the casual charm he used with females he wasn’t
specifically targeting--but a portion of his attention was always on
Pepper.
Sometime after the nibbles, when they’d just finished a long
conversation with a U.S. senator, Pepper squeezed Tony’s
hand. “I need to visit the ladies’
room,” she said in a low voice.
He was feeling too mellow to make a crude joke, so Tony just
nodded. “Tell you what, I’ll meet you on
the terrace.” He pointed with his chin towards the
double doors across the ballroom. “I could use a
little fresh air.”
Pepper smiled and left him, and Tony found more champagne and drifted
across to the open doors. The wide porch beyond was empty at
the moment, dim with night; what little light there was came from the
doors and windows looking out. Tony was a little surprised
that no one else was out enjoying the evening, but he didn’t
mind. He crossed to the waist-height wall to look out over
the admittedly magnificent ocean view, where the moon made a path
across the water.
Mine’s better, though.
It was the perfect environment for a cigar, but he’d given up
the occasional habit because they reminded him too much of
Obadiah. Just the fleeting memory made him wince, and he
lifted a hand to his chest where the implant lay hidden beneath
undershirt and shirt and tie.
“Tony?”
The voice was low and rich and unmistakably female, and not
Pepper. Tony turned, his gaze automatically finding the
figure standing between him and the doors. Color was hard to
make out in the twilight, but her hair was light and her dress
dark--red, he thought.
The woman stepped forward into the moonlight, and he could see that she
was smiling. “It is you. What are you
doing out here alone?”
Tony squinted at her, and then memory stirred. Julia Beyer
was a socialite and a wealthy woman, and very enthusiastic in bed, and
they’d shared a wild week before he’d gotten
bored. “Julia. Nice to see you
again.”
He kept his tone flat and unencouraging. Even before
Afghanistan, he had never done repeats, and Julia had taken a while to
accept that. But then she’d jetted off to the Far
East for rejuvenation or some such, and disappeared from his
radar.
And then he’d been gone.
“Why, thank you, Tony. You’re looking
very well, I must say.” Her tone was throaty and
seductive, and she kept walking, coming right up to him.
“Rumor had it that you’d gone off the deep
end.”
Tony looked down at her--and it was down despite her heels; Julia
barely topped five-foot-two. Her hair was a fashionable honey
blonde and her makeup perfect, and her long smoky eyes were gazing up
at him with an expression that made his spine crinkle with obscure
uneasiness. He spun his flute in his fingers.
“Oh, I’ve always been crazy. But you know
what they say--I’m rich enough to afford
it.”
Julia laughed, a sound as cultivated as the rest of her, and placed a
confiding hand on his arm. “Crazy in all the right
ways, I’d say.” When Tony
didn’t reply, she raised a brow. “I
promise you, I’ve been denying the rumors whenever I hear
them.”
“Thank you,” Tony said, trying to sound
bored. The truth was, he had no desire to talk to Julia, let
alone flirt with her, but the responsibility that he’d
accepted on coming out as Iron Man required a fair bit of PR, and he
could no longer be quite as rude as he had been in the past.
Julia laughed again and plucked the flute from his fingers, sipping
from it and watching him over the rim. It was supposed to be
seductive, but he only found it annoying.
“Well,” she said, lowering the glass.
“It’s a pity to waste this
moonlight.” She stepped even closer, until her body
was mere inches from his. “Care to do something
about that, darling?”
Looking down at her, Tony realized two things--one, the memory that
Julia was one of the few women among his conquests that Pepper had had
difficulty in removing from his home, and two, that he was in real
trouble.
Letting his gaze go cold, Tony stepped back a deliberate
pace. “I’m engaged, Julia. In
case you hadn’t heard.”
She laughed again, and set the flute on the wall.
“Oh, I heard. You can’t think anyone
takes it seriously, do you? Tony Stark and commitment
don’t go in the same sentence.” Her smile
was wicked. “I’m sure whatever
arrangement you have with your fianceé will accommodate me
just fine.”
She moved fast, and he wasn’t fast enough. Tony
found himself with his arms full of Julia, her hand dragging his head
down to her and her mouth landing squarely on his.
It was by no means the first time he’d been jumped, as it
were, but this time Tony felt no desire, only a quick hot
anger. He reached for her wrists, raising his head enough to
break the kiss, and movement beyond Julia caught his eye.
And rage crumbled into ash at the sight of Pepper standing a few feet
away, staring at them both.
Tony almost choked on the sudden rush of horror and shame.
Pepper’s eyes were huge, and she was standing very, very
still, and he had absolutely no idea how to explain how he came to be
kissing an old lover the minute Pepper had turned her back.
After a second, Julia turned too. Tony couldn’t see
her expression, but the possessive hand on his midriff and the triumph
in her voice were plenty in themselves. “Oh, hello,
Ms. Potts. So sorry, but Tony’s a little busy at
the moment. Could he get back to--”
Her last word was cut off as Tony shoved her away. He took
two stumbling steps forward and stopped, frozen at the vision of all
his newfound happiness collapsing into scorn and ruin.
“Pepper--it’s not--I--”
But words failed him. He stared at Pepper helplessly, waiting
for the anger, the contempt, the hurt.
She was ice-pale and her lips were tight, but she didn’t
scream at him, or burst into tears. Instead she swept forward
and took Julia’s arm in a grip that made the shorter woman
wince.
“Mr. Stark is no longer available,” she said in a
voice terrible in its gentleness, steering Julia towards the doors to
the ballroom. “And that includes in any capacity
you can think of.”
She looked like an angel, Tony thought through the fog of terror--tall,
eerily beautiful, and definitely avenging. Julia sputtered,
but Pepper was inexorable, and as she reached the doors whatever she
said into Julia’s ear seemed to strip the smaller woman of
defiance. Pepper bundled her briskly out, and shut the doors
firmly behind her.
Tony found that he couldn’t meet Pepper’s eyes as
she turned back. He let his gaze fall to her feet, watching
as they approached, and when they stopped in front of him Tony felt his
knees give way.
He sank down until the stone terrace was cold against his shins, and
only then did he force his head to tilt back, making his gaze travel up
and up to her face, looking down at him.
“I didn’t, Pepper,” he
whispered. “She--I
didn’t.”
He didn’t know how to explain. How could he repair
that fragile, precious trust? Pepper knew him, she knew
practically every intimate detail of his life, and her words about
fidelity came back to sear through his brain.
Why the hell should she even listen to you?
One cool hand cupped his chin, and he searched her face for judgment,
but her expression was as serene and remote as the moon, and his heart
seemed to fail.
And then she knelt too, in a graceful billow of skirts.
“Stop it,” she told him, quiet and just a little
chiding. “I believe you.”
His pulse hiccuped. “You do?”
Her smile was soft and rueful, and her thumb crossed his lips in a
gentle caress. “Of course I do. I trust
you.”
The simple faith in her statement robbed him of breath, bringing a
flood of hope and relief. He blinked stinging eyes and leaned
into her hand. “I don’t see
how.”
She breathed a laugh, and her thumb returned, wiping away what he
presumed was lipstick. “Tony, you told me you loved
me. You may not always keep your promises, but you never,
ever betray the people you love. I know you that
well.”
His throat swelled, the tears still threatening. “I
don’t deserve you.”
“Maybe not, but you’re working on
it.” Her lips replaced her thumb, scouring away the
memory of Julia’s mouth.
Her kiss was as gentle as her words, and as healing. Tony
didn’t move; he just let his eyes close and accepted her
gratefully, humbled by her trust.
I will be damned if I ever betray it.
It wasn’t a vow; it was a fact.
Then Pepper’s hands were in his and she was drawing him to
his feet. “Come on, Mr. Stark. I believe
I owe you a dance.”
He resisted her tug back towards the ballroom. “Can
we just go home?”
She swung back around, startled, and Tony met her eyes. What
he really wanted to do was take her back to the house and make love to
her all night, to drown both of them in touch and sensation until all
his doubts and fears were gone.
Pepper’s mouth curved, and Tony knew that she understood what
he wanted, even if she didn’t know what drove the
desire. But she tucked his arm through hers and shook her
head. “Not yet. We have something to
prove.”
Tony sighed, knowing she was right. If anyone had seen him
with Julia, disappearing would give rise to some nasty
rumors. Better to go in and be publicly together, and in
accord. He let her lead him back into the house.
“All right. One dance.”
That made her laugh. “I thought you wanted
lots.”
As the musicians started a new number, Tony smirked and took her into
his arms, reveling in her easy acquiescence. “Yeah,
well, I’m not thinking exactly vertical at the
moment.”
Perhaps fortunately, no one tried to cut in. They moved
slowly across the dance floor, one couple in many, enclosed in the
dance’s illusory bubble of privacy, and Tony let himself
enjoy it. He knew there were eyes on them, seeking proof of
their relationship, but that was a small matter compared to the
litheness of Pepper as she matched his steps, the happy smile she
wore--quite the contrast to their last dance. Another time he
might have teased her, bantered to make her blush or huff at him, but
now Tony was too caught up in sheer enjoyment.
He spotted Jack Roberts during one of their slow circles, chatting with
two other men, and caught the glitter of Roberts’ eyes as he
glanced their way, but Roberts looked back at his guests before Tony
could so much as raise a brow.
Of Julia Beyer, he saw nothing.
One dance turned into three, punctuated by a conversation or two, but
finally they took their leave among a small group of other
guests. Technically, Tony supposed, it was rude to leave
without bidding farewell to their host; but Roberts was nowhere in
sight and Tony didn’t feel like trying to hunt him
up.
“I’ll send him a note tomorrow,” Pepper
murmured as they descended the front steps and bid farewell to the
other guests. Tony had chosen to drive them, rather than use
the limousine, so they had to wait for the valet to bring the little
car around.
Tony helped Pepper into her seat, waiting until she had her dress
tucked safely inside, then closed the door and went around to the
driver’s seat, absently handing the valet a tip. As
the woman thanked him, the car’s roof folded back and away,
and Pepper smiled up at him.
“It’s a lovely night,” she said, reaching
for her seat belt. “Let’s enjoy
it.”
The drive wasn’t long, but despite his growing arousal Tony
was in no hurry to finish it. He took the coastal road, and
the lowering moon spilled down silver on them and gleamed up from the
sea, frosting Pepper’s hair as it rippled in the
wind. Cool fresh air poured over them, and while Pepper
wouldn’t let him take a hand off the wheel, her own rested on
his thigh, not so much a tease as a promise.
In a way, he wanted it to last forever.
When he pulled the car into its space in the garage and cut the engine,
the silence was a little startling. Tony let out a breath,
searching for words; he knew Pepper didn’t blame him for
Julia, but he still felt guilty.
But before he could think of what to say, Pepper leaned over and kissed
him, and guilt was overwhelmed by lust. Tony dragged her as
close as the gear shift would allow, until she broke away
laughing. “I don’t mind car sex, Tony,
but it really requires a little more space.”
He couldn’t stop staring at her, enchanted with her flushed
skin and her tumbled hair, and the gleam of love and excitement in her
eyes. “What do you want, Pepper? Tell
me.”
She bit her lip, glancing around, then pointed.
“There.”
“Excellent choice.” Tony lifted himself
up out of the car, not bothering to open the door, but Pepper was on
her feet before he could get around to her side.
They managed to lose half their clothing between the car and the couch,
too busy with kisses and caresses to walk quickly. When they
finally reached the battered sofa, Tony let himself fall backwards down
onto it, pulling Pepper laughing with him, and kissed her
dizzy.
“I wouldn’t cheat on you,” he mumbled
against her mouth, needing to say it. “Not
ever.”
She laid a chain of tiny kisses from his lips down to the sensitive
spot in front of his ear, raising more than just goosebumps.
“I know,” Pepper whispered, her breath tickling
delightfully.
Tony captured her head in both hands, tugging her up so he could see
her eyes. “Tell me.”
As he expected--craved--she knew what he meant. “I
love you,” she told him, and he could feel the truth of it,
absorbing into his skin like a healing
elixir.
Tony’s throat closed, and he couldn’t
speak. But there was more than one way to answer her, and he
did.
All night long.
Tony was the first to admit that he knew nothing about wedding planning
besides how to throw a really amazing bachelor party, and when he
offered his help to Pepper she merely kissed him and told him she had
it all under control.
But the third night in one week that she was still working on her
laptop when he came up to go to bed--past midnight--and then was up
before him in the morning, made Tony decide that a little executive
action was in order. So when they arrived at Stark Industries
that morning, he bided his time until Pepper left for a lunch meeting
on another floor, and then leaned out through his office
door.
“Yo. Cedric.” He pointed one
finger at Pepper’s assistant. “Come
here.”
The slender man’s eyes widened, but he rose quickly and
followed Tony into his office, closing the doors behind himself at
Tony’s gesture. Tony wandered to the window, hands
in his pockets, and looked out at the view.
“Cedric, do I pay you enough?”
He heard Cedric swallow before he spoke. “Yes, Mr.
Stark.”
Tony turned. Cedric, who was no taller than Tony and bony
rather than muscular, looked slightly alarmed, but Tony ignored
that. He had, in fact, looked up Cedric’s salary
that morning, and knew that the man was well-paid, but then that was
true for all of Stark Industries’ employees--one of the
factors that contributed to the company's success, Howard Stark had always
claimed. Tony cocked his head.
“Good. Here’s the thing.
I’m about to pay you half again as much--a permanent
raise--because I’m going to assign you some temporary
duties. We clear so far?”
Cedric looked even more alarmed, but he straightened, his chin going up
in a gesture that reminded Tony of Pepper. “Yes,
Mr. Stark.”
Tony gave him an assessing look. “I’m
sure you’re aware that Ms. Potts’ time is at a
premium these days. And I’m sure you do what you
can to make things easier for her.”
Cedric’s expression eased slightly, and he nodded.
Tony went on. “Good. But I need you to do
better. I need you to take over as much of her work here as
you can, and--here’s the hard part--do it without her
catching on. If that means staying late or coming in early,
then that’s what you do. If it means working
through lunch and dinner, or giving up your weekend, then you do that
too. Pepper’s a perceptive woman,
but--” He raised a brow. “--if
there’s one thing I’ve noticed about personal
assistants, it’s that the best ones are experts at getting
around their bosses.”
Cedric’s mouth curved, a small and confident expression, and
Tony knew he had the man. “Yes, sir, we
are.”
Tony nodded. “Thought so. So--are we
good?”
Pepper’s assistant let out a breath.
“Yes, Mr. Stark.” His eyes were gleaming,
and Tony held back a grin--here too was someone who thrived on
overwork. With Cedric’s help and a little luck,
Pepper’s burden would be eased and she might start getting
enough sleep at night. Tony figured Pepper would catch on
eventually, but either way they would all be better off.
“Excellent.” Tony stuck out a hand, and
after a second’s hesitation Cedric shook it, his grip light
but dry. His nervousness was all but gone, and he met
Tony’s eyes without flinching. Tony gave him an
austere smile. “You start now.”
Cedric nodded once more, turned, and was gone with his usual
unobtrusive speed. Tony smirked, and poured himself a
celebratory drink.
One thing Tony hadn’t anticipated when he’d asked
Pepper to move in was the difficulty in keeping anything secret from
her. She handled his schedule and Happy’s, and she
was already prone to wandering into his space at random moments, either
to tell him something, get him to sign something...or just to kiss him,
which latter item he favored deeply.
It did complicate things slightly, though. Jarvis was far
faster than even Tony’s reflexes, so Pepper coming up behind
him didn’t actually see anything, but he knew she suspected
him of something. The first time Jarvis had blanked his
screen, Pepper had blushed, then stammered through half a speech of how
she didn’t mind if Tony still looked at porn before
he’d gathered wits enough to yank her off her feet and
explain, deeply and repeatedly, that he didn’t any
longer.
He might have done so eventually, out of habit if nothing else, but it
had been clear even to him that Pepper had been lying through her
teeth.
It would have been easier to tell her that he was working on something
private, but--
What fun is a surprise you know is coming?
Finally Tony gave up, and told Pepper to schedule him a day for him to
stay home and work on the suit. And asked--not ordered--her
to attend a budget meeting for him.
And as soon as Happy reported she was safely at Stark Industries, Tony
climbed into his Audi and took off.
Frascatti’s had several things to recommend it. It
was extremely high-end, very discreet, and carried gorgeous
pieces. And its diamonds were certified as conflict-free by
the meticulous owner--a distinction that Tony had recently come to
appreciate in a very personal way.
The main floor of the jeweler’s was open to anyone with
enough money to dare to step inside, but the upstairs showrooms were by
appointment only. Tony parked in the little gated garage and
slipped up the back stairs, grateful for the privacy.
Normally he wouldn’t care if the press got wind of his
visit--but he didn’t want Pepper to know.
Yet.
The owner met Tony at the head of the stairs. Ashima
Venkatasian was calm, elegant, and about fifteen years Tony’s
elder, and barely came to his chin even in heels. But her
aura of serene authority had nothing to do with her height.
Tony enfolded her tiny hand gently in his, returning her
smile. “Hello, Ashima. It’s
good to see you.”
“And you, Tony. It’s been quite some
time.” She drew him into the plush-carpeted room,
and one of her assistants swung the door closed behind him.
The heavy click spoke of security.
“Yeah, I’ve had a lot on my
mind.” He’d been in the habit of dropping
by Frascatti’s to purchase a bauble or two for his latest
paramour, but it had been almost a year now since he’d had a
need for jewelry.
“Indeed.” Ashima led him to a pair of
plush chairs arranged next to a small table, and gestured him into
one. She evinced no curiosity about Tony’s changes,
and while he would expect the courtesy from her anyway, he got the
feeling that she really didn’t care.
Ashima’s focus was gems, and the exquisite presentation
thereof. “What are you looking for
today?”
Tony leaned back a little, and let the grin take over.
“Everything.”
Ashima’s cool smile warmed. “As you
should be for so lovely a bride.”
He nodded. “She’s allergic to
silver.”
“And will require delicacy, elegance--heavy pieces would
overwhelm.” Ashima nodded back and gestured to the
discreetly hovering assistant, a tall slender young man. He
bent, and she spoke quietly to him before waving him off.
Tony wasn’t surprised that Ashima remembered Pepper so
precisely. Not only had his PA accompanied him on more than
one visit, she had sometimes come alone at his request to select
something for one of his paramours or pick up a piece. Plus,
there were those earrings two years ago. Usually Tony told
Pepper to pick out her own Christmas gift, but the diamond studs had
caught his eye.
Of course, he’d only seen her wear them once, but he had to
admit they weren’t everyday jewelry.
As the assistant busied himself at the long display cases at the back
of the small room, another one wheeled forward a cart.
“Tea?” Ashima inquired politely.
Tony accepted, as he always did, knowing she would only make him drink
one cup. It was part of the ritual, and he could appreciate
that; the fragile vessel she handed him was always filled with
something that smelled sweet and tasted smoky, and he had never been
able to place the flavor.
“What does Ms. Potts wear on special occasions?”
Ashima asked.
Tony frowned in thought; in the past, he hadn’t paid
attention to such details, too taken up by the overall
package. “To tell you the truth, I’m not
really sure.” He swirled the tea gently.
“Never anything flashy, though.”
And that was one of the reasons he’d come to
Frascatti’s instead of going through his mother’s
jewels. Maria Stark’s strong coloring and vivid
features had lent themselves to bolder pieces than Pepper could wear;
and she had favored garnets and rubies, which would not suit his
fianceé at all.
The jeweler nodded again. “So we will start with
the ring. An heirloom, I understand?”
Pepper had released details of the ring to the press early on, knowing
how the game was played, and according to Jarvis had started a minor
run on opals. “It belonged to my great-grandmother,
but it could be older. I haven’t looked up the
provenance.”
“Late Victorian at least. Very
good.” Ashima set her own cup aside as the
assistant brought over another cart, this one laden with velvet
boxes.
“That reminds me, I need to look into wedding rings
too.” His parents’ rings still sat in the
safe deposit box, but somehow they didn’t feel appropriate to
Tony. I want...I want something that’s ours
alone.
Ashima raised an elegant brow. “A word to the wise,
Tony--such decisions are best made by consensus.”
He smiled into his cup. “I’ll keep that
in mind.”
They settled to business. The assistant handed box after box
to Ashima, who would open it, consider the contents, and either close
it and hand it back or remove the jewelry and lay it out on the little
table for Tony to examine. Earrings, bracelets, necklaces,
rings, a few watches and hair ornaments--there was even a tiara,
delicate curlicues of gold accented with tiny diamonds, but as much as
he admired it Tony couldn’t think of a plausible way to get
Pepper to actually wear the thing. He passed it up with a
sigh, tucking the notion away for later possibilities.
In the end, he restrained himself. No rings--though it
occurred to him that it would be fun to bring Pepper in and let her
choose something for herself--but a slender golden thread of an anklet
that raised his pulse at just the imagining of it encircling her leg;
two bracelets, one with diamonds and sapphires and one with diamonds
alone; and a whimsical hairpin done in emeralds that, when one looked
closely, took the form of a bell pepper.
He took more time over the necklaces. A diamond and sapphire
solitaire on a thin chain, a black-opal pendant in vivid blue-green, a
twisted rope of white and yellow gold. Earrings to
match. And the most magnificent piece of all, clearly chosen
to compliment Pepper’s ring--a heavy pendant of malachite and
misty opal, wrapped round in fluid gold.
“Yes,” Tony stated when he saw it, enchanted with
the vision of it glowing against Pepper’s skin.
“Perfect.”
Ashima’s smile was demurely proud. “I
thought so.”
Tony left Frascatti’s with a discreet bag, weighted with gold
and velvet, and was halfway home before he smacked the steering wheel
with one frustrated hand. “Fuck,” he said
out loud.
I always forget to ask. Just who the hell is
Frascatti?
He could hardly wait for Pepper to get home. Tony laid out
the boxes on the low table in the living room, opening them so the
sunlight could flash and gleam on the contents, and tried to contain
his impatience. Her words about generosity kept
running through his head, and Tony imagined her face lighting at the
sight of the jewels. Pepper appreciated things of good taste,
and gems from Frascatti’s were always in the best of
taste.
So when she came in the door, he was waiting to meet her, and she
laughed at his enthusiastic kiss. “I’m
glad to see you too, Tony.”
“Come here.” He tugged her towards the
living room, and Pepper followed.
“What is it? Did you order lunch
or--”
Her words squeaked off at the sight of the boxes, and she
faltered. Tony steered her to the table and gestured
proudly. “I went shopping
today.”
Pepper stared, apparently without words, and Tony sat down on the
couch, pulling her down to sit next to him. When she still
didn’t say anything, he picked up the nearest box impatiently
and handed it to her. It happened to be the black opal
pendant.
Her fingers closed around the box slowly, and she looked down at it,
eyes wide. Finally she swallowed, and reached to touch the
opal with the tip of one finger.
Tony sat back, pleased. She looked absolutely
stunned.
Pepper licked her lips, straightened, and lifted her head.
“Tony, I--I can’t accept
these.”
His stomach lurched in shock. “What? Why
the hell not?”
She blinked rapidly, her cheeks pale.
“It--it’s too much. These
are--they’re too much, Tony, they’re way
too--”
“Don’t say it,” he interrupted
sharply. Bewildered hurt was welling up like poison in his
chest, and it was making him feel sick. “Cost
doesn’t matter, Pepper, you--”
“No--” She snapped the box shut and
returned it hastily to the table, as if afraid to touch it.
“I can’t.”
Anger joined the pain, a nauseating mix that seemed to make his skin
pull taut. “Why not? You’re
going to be my wife, Pepper. Can’t I give my wife
jewelry?”
Pepper pressed her hands to her lips, eyes still huge, and spoke around
her fingers, her voice trembling. “It’s
not appropriate, Tony. It’s--”
“‘Appropriate’ is whatever the fuck we
decide it is.” The anger pushed Tony to his
feet. “You know what? If you
don’t want ‘em, fine. Whatever.
Do what you like.”
Unable to bear another instant of her rejection, he spun and strode to
the workshop stairs, half-running down them and leaving the whole mess
behind.
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