Chapter 6
Tiffany took a final look at herself and headed downstairs for her first day of school. She dreaded it but she didn’t want to sit home with Tony.
“Let me look at you” Tony said when she entered the kitchen.
She looked at him with a miserable expression.
“You look beautiful. Let me take your picture” he said as he snapped one from his phone.
“Can I go now?” she asked.
“Yes. Have a great day. Happy is going to drive you to school. Here is money for lunch” he said handing her a fifty dollar bill.
“If you need anything while you’re at school just call me or text me” Pepper said.
“Ok thanks” she said as she went outside and slid into the back of the car.
“Come on we need to get going too. I’ll drive” Tony said as he pulled Pepper after him.
“We should just hop in with Happy and have him drop us off along the way” Pepper suggested.
“No” Tony said hopping into the driver seat.
Pepper got into the passenger side reluctantly and put her seatbelt on.
Tiffany arrived at school and she felt very vulnerable as everyone was staring at her. Her legal name was now Maria Tiffany Stark and if anyone were to look her up they would only find information about Tony’s mother. This way she was still able to go by Tiffany and no one would could get any info about her. She sat down in the back of her first class and didn’t look at anyone. She was very sad. Her mother was going to be buried in two days and she wanted something special to wear.
Tony approached the podium for the press conference he called. There were tons of journalists anticipating his official announcement. Pepper watched from the side and he gave her a smile.
Pepper was his rock and his steady calm. She was always the quiet after the storm that he needed. He needed her in ways he couldn’t even explain.
“Thank you all for being here. I called this press conference today to get ahead of a situation before rumors start. I have a daughter that will now be living with me. I’ve always known about her but the circumstances have changed since her mother is now deceased. She is sixteen years old. I ask that you respect her privacy and mine at this time” Tony said right from the cards.
All the reporters in the room’s hands shot up as soon as the words left his mouth.
Tony pointed to one of them to take a question.
“Who’s her mother?” a man in the back asked.
“I am not releasing her name at this time.She’s deceased please don’t disrespect her” Tony said pointing to a blonde in the front row.
“How did you keep her hidden for so long?” she asked.
“She was never hidden. She just didn’t live with me and I’ve visited with her many times. You just weren’t looking closely enough” he said pointing to one more person.
“Your parents never mentioned a grandchild. Are you leaving your company to her?”
“Because I was young and it was a private family matter. Everything I have is hers if it’s what she wants. No more questions” Tony said walking over to Pepper and right out the front door.
They fought their way through the press until they got to the car.
“This is why we should have had Happy drive us” Pepper exclaimed.
“Let’s take the day. We can grab Tiffany after school and go to the beach” Tony suggested.
He was in a great mood. What he really wanted to do was take Pepper in his arms and kiss her again but there were more important things he had to do.
“Don’t you think that’s something the two of you should do together without me? Spend some time bonding” she suggested.
“I need you there Pep” he said as he smiled at her.
“Tony I have work to do” she said not being able to not smile back.
“No you don’t. Not today. Besides who else will I oogle at the beach? I’ll swing by your place and you grab your bikini and then I’ll get my swim trunks and we can pick her up and go to the beach” Tony said.
“Tony I don’t have a suit for her and there are plenty of willing girls that you can oogle” Pepper said.
“But none of them will look as good as you in a bikini. Go get your suit and we’ll go to the store” he said as he pulled up in front of Pepper’s condo.
Tony got out quickly and rushed around to open the door for Pepper but she beat him to it and unlocked her door and went inside. Tony was completely fascinated by Pepper’s house. He looked around at the pictures on her walls and the plants all around. The decor was very different than his style. He started poking his head in every room and doorway.
“I can’t believe I’ve never been to your home” he exclaimed.
“Why would you come here?” she asked as she headed into her bedroom.
“You’ve never invited me here” he said sounding hurt.
“Tony why would I invite you here? You have everything you need and more at your house. This place doesn’t have anything of interest to you” she said as she opened her bag.
“Sure it does. The decor and set up says a lot about you. It gives me a glimpse of who you are” Tony said.
“Who am I Tony?” she asked as she headed into her bedroom with him following.
“You’re a strong, smart, sophisticated woman. You’re very beautiful and you’re girly but you have a wild side. You don’t need a man to take care of you but like one to every now and then” he said.
I nailed it. I left her speechless instead.
Pepper didn’t know what to say. She just grabbed her bikini and cover up out of her drawer and put it in a bag.
Dammit Tony. He can always read me so well but I can never read him.
Then she went into the bathroom to grab some sunscreen and she didn’t realize that her black lace bra had fallen off the drying rack and she turned around and it was in Tony’s hand. She could feel her face burning as she grabbed it from him.
“That is so my taste” Tony exclaimed as he imagined what Pepper looked like in it.
She tossed the bra back onto the drying rack and headed towards the front door.
Tony just followed. He got into the driver’s seat and couldn’t get the image he had of Pepper in that bra out of his mind. He imagined she had it under a white button down blouse and the buttons were unbuttoned low enough for him to see the bra as she leans over his desk and says “Will that be all Mr. Stark?”
“Tony?” Pepper asked.
“What?” he asked suddenly snapping out of it.
“Are you going to drive? We’re just sitting here” she exclaimed.
“Yeah sorry. That black lace bra got my wheels turning” he said as he headed into town.
Pepper just shook her head.Pepper made him stop at Everything But Water swimsuit shop. She got out and he followed.Pepper scanned the racks quickly and found a cute two piece bathing suit that would be age appropriate for Tiffany.
“What is this?” he said picking it up.
“It’s a bathing suit for Tiffany”she exclaimed.
“My daughter is not wearing a two piece so gross men could oogle her” he said taking it out of Pepper’s hands.
“Gross men like you” Pepper said.
“I would never oogle my own daughter” he snapped back.
“Of course not Tony but every woman you do oogle is someone’s daughter” she said trying to put it in perspective.
“The women I oogle are of age” he said since he had no other defense.
“Tony this is perfect for her size and shape and not too revealing. Don’t you trust me?” she asked.
Tony let go of it and handed it to Pepper.
“It’s almost time for her to be done with school. Let’s go back and get dressed. Happy will be dropping her off soon” Pepper said as they got into the car.
Tony drove eighty-five miles the whole way home and Pepper nearly had a heart attack.
“Are you going to drive like this with Tiffany in the car?” she said.
“No of course not” Tony said.
Pepper went into the house and went into the bathroom. And suddenly she wished she grabbed a pair of shorts. She didn’t want to wear just a cover up. She untucked her shirt from her skirt and she unbuttoned her shirt quickly. She folded each piece up after she changed into her bikini. She put the cover up on and she decided to put her work skirt on over the bikini bottoms.
When she opened the door Tony was sitting on his kitchen counter in only his swim trunks and sunglasses. He had a tank top in his hand. He was about to comment on her skirt when Tiffany walked through the door.
“How was your first day?” Tony asked.
“Horrible. I ate lunch alone” she said.
“Well guess what? We’re going to blow the rest of the day off and go to the beach” Tony exclaimed.
“I don’t have a suit” she said.
“We stopped to get you one” he said handing her the bag.
Tiffany peeked in the bag and smiled.
“I’m going to change” she said.
Tony whipped into a parking space and shut the car off quickly. Pepper got out and took her flip flops off. She was glad she had a spare pair of flips flops in her car for her pedicure appointments. She carried them along with her purse and watched as Tony walked along with Tiffany. After they got to a spot near the water that Tony liked he stopped to turn around and look at Pepper.
“Why are you wearing your skirt with a cover up? You look ridiculous Potts?” she asked.
“Because I forgot to grab shorts” she exclaimed.
“Why do you need shorts? We’re at the beach?” Tony asked as he put his chair down in the sand.
Tiffany ran off towards the water.
“Because I look so good in this bikini that I might take the attention away from you and bruise your ego” she teased.
“NEVER it’ll be a tie. You’re as hot as me” he said as smiled at her.
“Fine” she said as she unzipped her skirt and shimmied it off.
She knew Tony wanted to ogle her and she was going to give him what he wanted. She pulled the cover up over her head and she had on a white string bikini. Tony’s jaw literally dropped. Pepper pretended not to notice and grabbed her sunscreen from her bag and began putting it on her legs and arms and neck. She knew Tony was still there watching her and she refused to look up.
“If you do my back I’ll do yours” he suggested.
“Ok sure” she said as she lifted her hair off her shoulders and turned her back to him.
She felt Tony’s soft fingertips run along her spine and then back up in between her shoulders and everywhere else. She never felt his hands on that part of her skin and the touch made her tingle inside. He was so soft and gentle. And she could only imagine what he was like in the bedroom.
When he was done she turned around and took the sunscreen out of his hand and he turned around. Pepper rubbed the lotion on Tony’s back in circles and she dragged her hand all the way down to his waist band.
Tony felt a chill go up and the feeling of Pepper’s soft hands on his skin. She knew exactly what she was doing.
She dropped the bottle of lotion and headed towards the water. She was going to stop worrying and have fun for once. She was really hoping her and Tony would talk about what happened between them at some point. She knew how complicated he was and she felt that if she brought it up he would feel that it was pressure so she was leaving it up to him. They reached the water’s edge and Tony lifted Pepper up and dunked her down under the cold water.
“Tony I’m going to kill you” Pepper said when she surfaced.
She chased after him and he caught up with Tiffany and hid behind her.
“If you try and splash me you’ll get Tiffany” he warned with a laugh.
“Gee thanks Tony” Tiffany said.
“I’m sorry your first day didn’t go well. I had a hard time in school too” he confessed.
“I know Pepper just took me shopping for clothes and everything but I want to wear something special to mom’s funeral” she said catching Tony off guard.
Oh no. I don’t know how I’m going to break her heart, he thought.
He hadn’t even thought about it. It would be a really bad idea to be seen at the funeral. Tiffany would be exposed and whoever was after them may be there waiting for her to show up.
“You can get whatever you want but we can’t go to the funeral until I find these guys trying to kill you. We can drive up but we have to stay in the car. If anyone sees you there you are compromised” he said gently.
“I can’t even go and bury my mom” she argued.
“It’s not safe. I promise after I get to the bottom of this I will take you to her gravesite so we can both pay our respects” Tony said.
Tiffany just stormed out of the water and ran back to the beach blanket.
“Am I doing the right thing? It’s too dangerous” Tony asked Pepper as he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her.
She pulled the towel down to her waist to tie it and looked at Tony whose wet hair was twisted and hanging down his forehead. And the water droplets were glistening all over his chest. She was momentarily distracted by exactly how beautiful he was.
“No Tony I think you’re doing the right thing” Pepper said handing him the other towel.
He used it to dry his hair and threw it over his shoulders as they walked back.
“I was really hoping we could stay longer but now she’s angry with me” Tony said.
“She’s not angry with you. She’s grieving her mother and taking it out on you” Pepper explained as they walked.
“I’m the one helping her” Tony said getting defensive.
“Tony she’s sixteen and her whole life got turned upside down. She had to leave her whole life behind. Try to understand what she’s feeling. Remember how you felt when you lost your parents?” Pepper asked him.
“I will never forget the pain of losing my mother. Thank you for that painful reminder” Tony said.
“I’m sorry Tony I know how close you two were. Maybe try and talk to Tiffany about it. You’ve both lost your parents it’s common ground ” Pepper said.
They finished packing their things and they could see Tiffany in the car in the backseat with earbuds in.
It was six-thirty and Tiffany had been in her room pretty much since they got home. She was sitting on her bed leafing through the pictures of her mother that Tony had given her. She tried to imagine them as a couple and she just couldn’t picture it. Tony was Iron Man and it was hard to picture him as anything else. She felt that he hasn’t even attempted to spend any time getting to know her since she arrived and had no interest in being her father. She felt like more of an obligation or a debt to her mother and he was always too distracted by Pepper.
She heard a knock on her door and she ignored it. She heard another knock and ignored that too.
“Can I come in?” Tony said through the door.
“Does it really matter? It’s your house you’re going to come in whether I want you to or not” Tiffany said as she looked out the window at the beautiful Malibu scenery.
“It’s not just my house anymore, it’s your house too. I want you to feel comfortable here. I just wanted to see if you wanted dinner. Pepper and I ordered a ton of takeout” he said.
“I just want you to leave me alone” she said back.
“You know I lost my mother too at a young age if you ever want to talk about it. I’m grieving your mother’s death too” Tony said softly and he looked to Pepper for her approval.
Pepper smiled and motioned for Tony leave her be.
“That was very sweet. Just let her know you’re available to her and she will come around” Pepper reassured him.
Tony grabbed a bottle of Pepper’s favorite wine and two glasses and met her on the couch. The Chinese takeout was spread out all over the coffee table.
“What’s this?” Pepper asked as he handed her a glass of wine.
“I’ve been saving it because I know it’s your favorite but I just wanted to show you how much I appreciate you” he said.
“Tony I don’t need anything from you. My salary is more than enough” she said.
“And I definitely make you earn it. That’s why I got you something as a thank you for all you do” he said handing her a box.
“Tony what’s this?” she said as she felt a panic rise in her chest.
She was taken completely by surprise. Pepper opened the box and gasped. There was a beautiful princess cut diamond bracelet inside and she knew it was worth at least triple her salary.
“Tony I can’t accept this. This is something a husband gives to his wife” Pepper said even though she was touched.
“Well you’re my work wife so it’s kind of the same thing” Tony said as he was staring into her deeply.
“This is so beautiful. No one has ever gotten me anything like this before” Pepper said.
What on earth is Tony doing? The bracelet is beautiful but it’s too much. What is he trying to say?, she thought.
Tiffany entered the kitchen she had decided to talk to her father after all and neither one of them noticed she was even there. She stood there waiting for them to notice her.
“You deserve it. I know I can be difficult sometimes” he said as he brushes a hair off her face.
Pepper felt her face get hot from the contact of her hand against her skin.
Tony was staring at her and she felt super uncomfortable. She finished her wine and poured another glass. He poured himself one too.
“Here try these” Tony said taking Pepper’s fork and pinching one of his shrimps to feed her.
Pepper bit it gently and he just watched. Her poured himself his third glass of wine.
“Now try mine” she said pinching a dumpling with his fork and bringing it to his lips.
Tiffany continued to stand there unnoticed and she felt like it was hopeless. He was too distracted by Pepper. She went back up to her room.
He doesn’t care about me at all, she thought.
Tony sat up straight and got closer to Pepper.
“I know another way I could have a taste” Tony said as he leaned in until he could feel Pepper’s lips.
Pepper pulled away shocked and angry. And Tony was even more shocked. He sat there for a moment shocked.
“We kissed at the reunion and then you went totally cold on me. And now you think you can just kiss me again? You can’t just kiss me whenever you want. One minute you’re so into me and the next you keep me at arm’s length and don’t tell me anything. I thought we were getting close. I am done with this Tony. I’m going home” Pepper said as she headed for the door.
I should have known better. Why did I let myself get so wrapped up in him? she thought.
“I always want to kiss you” he said trying to process why Pepper was mad.
“Tony I am not here for you to kiss whenever you feel like it. I’m not part of your little black book. I work for you and I admit we have a bit of an unconventional relationship for a boss and an employee and we’ve grown very close over the years but we need to establish some kind of boundaries” she said.
Tony stared at her and he didn’t understand why she was so upset.
“Why are you so upset? Do you not like the bracelet?” Tony asked.
Dammit Pepper. What did I do wrong? We were on a date when I kissed you. I don’t tell you things because I get stressed and I work better if no one knows. It’s not to shut you out, he thought.
“You’ve made it crystal clear how clueless you are . Goodnight Tony” Pepper said handing him the box with the bracelet in it and leaving.
He was feeling his buzz heavily and he followed her to the door like a lost puppy.
“Pepper please wait” he muttered.
Once he saw her car drive away he headed back into the living room and threw his whiskey glass at the wall.
“Dum-e, You I need all of this put away and all this stuff cleaned up” he barked to his robots.
He went upstairs to change and dialed Happy’s number.
“I’m going to get a girl for the night. I need you to stay here with Tiffany” Tony said into the phone.
He didn’t know Tiffany was standing in the doorway.
“It’d be easier if you just tell Pepper how you feel” she said interrupting him.
“I’m sorry were you eavesdropping?” he asked angrily.
“I was downstairs in the kitchen. I came down to talk to you and you were too busy playing with Pepper. You didn’t even know I was there. I saw the whole thing with the bracelet and you guys feeding each other” Tiffany said.
“I’m sorry you felt ignored. I admit Pepper is a distraction to me, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t interrupt me” Tony said trying to soften his anger with the situation.
“Are you in love with her?” Tiffany asked as she sized Tony up. She heard the rumors about him and that seemed to be the only logical piece to the puzzle.
“Pepper and I’s relationship is none of your business” he said angrily.
“What relationship? No wonder she doesn’t want you. You’re a total jerk and I don’t know what my mom ever saw in you” she said as she turned on her heel.
Happy was at the door and Tony tried to storm passed him but Happy stopped him.
“Tony you’re drunk. I can’t let you drive”
“I want some company tonight” he mumbled.
“You’re drunk you’re not even going to be able to do anything” Happy said.
“I don’t care. I want one here. Call a service” he said trying to blink back tears he didn’t know he was about to have.
“Ok boss” Happy said finding a local escort service.
He was going to get a girl and he didn’t care what Pepper thought.