There Goes My Life

Chapter 7

Pepper walked into the Stark Mansion after talking herself out of quitting for the last two hours. She realized that she let herself get too close and too playful with Tony and it was her fault that she was having feelings for him. She knows how he is with girls and she shouldn't have thought it'd be any different with her. It was going to be difficult but she was going back to keeping things strictly professional between them. She opened the door and a woman came down the stairs and Pepper felt knots in her stomach. Crystal clear, she thought. Tony was never going to be what she hoped he would be.

"Where's Tony? I need to get paid" the woman said rather abrasively.

"Paid?" Pepper asked.

She was confused for a moment. Tony was hiding in the other room so he could see if he got a reaction out of Pepper.

"Yeah for services" she said.

"Riiiight. You're an escort. This is a first for Mr. Stark. How much?" Pepper asked.

She was trying to push down a fury inside of her whose flames were threatening to come out.

"That'll be one thousand three hundred and twenty dollars" the woman said.

"Just a moment" Pepper said heading into the other room where Tony kept his safe. She opened it and counted out the bills to pay the woman and locked it up behind her.

She headed back out into the living room and paid the woman. She waited until the woman left to head downstairs to find Tony when he walked out of the other room.

"Pepper be prepared to stay tonight" he said.

Pepper was completely thrown off. He was pretending as if nothing happened last night.

"What?" Pepper asked.

"We have to leave at four am. We're going to Massachusetts for the funeral" Tony said.

"Ok I'll stop home later to get some things" Pepper said as she went to find a place to work.

She was so angry she could feel her blood pressure rising. She needed a vacation.

Tony sat down on the couch in the same room with Pepper.

"Jarvis I need everything you can find on Richard Alcott" he said.

He was determined to investigate Rachel's husband and try and find out who killed him, so he could keep Tiffany safe.

Pepper looked up at him and her heart was breaking even though she was still mad. She could only imagine what was going through his head at any given moment. She wished she could shut her feelings for him off but they were too strong and too deep. She watched and listened while he talked to Jarvis to get to the bottom of what business Rachel's husband was in.

Tiffany came down the stairs and headed into the kitchen.

"Oh good you still work here" Tiffany said to Pepper as she passed.

Pepper didn't say anything. She was actually afraid of what would come out of her mouth if she spoke without being asked a question. She had a mouthful for Tony but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction that she was angry at him. And she didn't want to say something he might mistake for flirting so silence was better.

"Pep?" Tony asked.

"What can I do for you Mr. Stark?" she asked as she looked up.

"Nothing. You just haven't said a word since you got here" Tony stated as he eyed her up. He was trying to read her.

"I have nothing to talk to you about unless you need something" she said.

"I don't need anything. I just thought-