Chapter Three

Vail was a working vacation. Tony managed to ski and schmooze at the same time; Rhodey came out for a few days as well, and the two of them fell into their old competitive ways up on the slopes for a while. Pepper was glad to see Tony a bit more relaxed. She stayed in back at the Mountain Lodge penthouse suite most of the time, working on her laptop and making sure that the various dinners and meetings ran smoothly. In the afternoons she went shopping and treated herself to the joys of the spa.

But new Pierre Montaillier shoes and pedicures couldn’t quite keep her mind off the offer she’d made to Tony. The fact that he hadn’t said a word more about it both relieved and irked Pepper. She tried to keep her focus on work, but at odd moments of the day: drinking peppermint tea, or laying out Tony’s evening wardrobe, the memory would rise up, and Pepper would feel her pulse jump.

“I’m going to assume you’ve been spanked once or twice before.”

Oh yes, Pepper nodded to herself.

She had.

1997. Rome. Glorious, beautiful Rome. Pepper had loved the cathedrals, the museums, the history that steeped the very hills and walls of the city.

And Enzo.

Ah! Enzo of the dark curls and scent of sandalwood. Handsome, patient, kind. He was her guide during her internship, and her lover in the afternoons, an extraordinary teacher on all levels.

“You are the flame that I, a poor moth am drawn to, ‘Ginia, Bella,” he teased her. “So beautiful, so, so appassionato!”

And she was. Enzo taught her more about her own body than she’d known all her life; about her ticklish places and erotic ones, about which kisses made her shiver, and what made her cry out in pleasure. In gratitude, she made it a point to return the favor, and took to heart the beauty of a man’s passions.

She’d learned a lot in Rome, oh yes.

.And so when Enzo gently introduced her to some darkly erotic play, she went willingly along, eager to learn.

Pinches. Bites. Scratches. And--

“Spanking—sculacciare—this can be so very nice, Bella mia. The anticipation, the sting—” he purred in her little shell ear. “A quick pain that burns into pleasure.”

He was right. The mere memory of being over his lap; of feeling the hard snap of his hand, or the wooden spoon across her ass still made her nipples harden even now. He knew how to draw out the moment between smacks, and how to strike and send an uncontrollable quiver between her legs and make her come even as the tears ran down her face and dripped off her chin.

Pepper sighed. She’d left Rome, and Enzo, who had kissed her goodbye at the airport before reporting back to Redemptoris Mater Seminary and his studies. She knew he was now fully ordained, a dedicated priest with his own church somewhere in Sardinia.

“I will be a good priest, ‘Ginia, because I will know the heart of human love, even if it is never to be mine again after I am consecrated to God. For this I thank you and Him, Bella mia.”

She hadn’t had many lovers since then; certainly none who evoked enough trust to share the darker delights she’d learned in Rome.

But now . . . the thought of Mr. Stark; of Tony, beautiful and melancholy in his need . . .

Pepper gave another, more frustrated sigh. It seemed unfair that she’d never realized the bare truth; that part of what had attracted her to him all this time had been the unrealized needs between them.

I need to be needed. Even if it’s by a egotistical, brilliant, stubborn idiot.

What she also needed, Pepper realized, was a catalyst; a way to make her offer the only logical choice. She drew in a quick breath, realizing the simplicity of her conclusion.

He needs a reason.

Pepper smiled.

They should have returned home from Vail refreshed and energized; normally Tony came away from the annual Colorado trek with extra drive, but not this year. He was pale and preoccupied; caught up between Avenger politics and delays on the manufacturing sector of Stark Industries. Pepper worked to keep things on an even keel, but it wasn’t easy for her either. Consequently, on the first Monday after their return, both she and Tony were short-tempered and impatient, coming close to snapping at each other several times.

Matters worsened after lunch, which Tony skipped in favor of arguing with the steel suppliers from China. The late session with R&D ate up the rest of the evening, and by the time he and Pepper were in the limo heading back to the mansion just after ten thirty at night, they were barely speaking. Happy wisely said nothing, dropping them off and heading out again with a quick sense of self-preservation.

Tony stormed up the steps, snapping out quick orders. “Jarvis, I want all my calls filtered; anything from China is to be put through immediately.”

“Very good. Your massage has been cancelled as per your instructions.”

He scowled. “I didn’t cancel anything; I didn’t even know I was scheduled for one, though it sounds like a damned good idea. Potts?”

Pepper followed him up, her concentration on her BlackBerry, her pulse speeding up a bit. She’d deliberately set up the appointment and cancelled it, relaying the info to Jarvis. As she reached the living room, Tony had already peeled off his jacket and was working his fingers into the knot of his tie, still pacing angrily as he did so. “Damn it, I could have used a massage tonight. Set one up.”

“Mr. Stark, I can’t,” Pepper murmured, her tone firm. “It’s nearly eleven o’clock at night.”

He looked at her, brows drawing together cynically as he threw his tie across the back of the sofa. “I’m a fucking billionaire, Potts. I can get anything I want at any hour I want.”

She swallowed and looked Tony in the eye. “Yes, most of the time that’s true, but not this one. If I call and set something up, it’s going to take at least an hour for the masseuse to show up, and by then you’ll be asleep or drunk.”

Tony stared at her, his mouth thinning out into a hard line. He took a step towards her, and his eyes glittered. “Your job Ms. Potts, is to give me anything I want, without the advice. If that’s too difficult for you, let me know and I’ll be glad to promote someone else to the position who can handle the job.”

Pepper folded her arms and waited a beat before speaking with soft intensity. “Yes, you could have used a massage tonight. I screwed up. When I realized you were going to be with R&D for another hour I went ahead and cancelled. Clearly I made a mistake; a big one--”

“Yes,” Tony agreed, gritting his teeth a bit. He was stalking past her towards the bar when her next words caught him by surprise.

“—and I deserve to be spanked for it.”

He spun, gracefully, startled. Pepper was looking at him with absolutely no amusement on her face, arms still crossed. Tony’s mouth opened, but he couldn’t quite make himself say anything for a second.

Pepper held his gaze, and although he noted a flaring of her elegant nostrils, she was perfectly still.

Tony managed to find his voice. “You do.”

He meant it as a question, but somehow it came out with complete conviction, and the sound of his words galvanized them both.

For a long pulse beat they stood just on the inside of each other’s auras, feeling the surge of intimate desire brushing against them both. Pepper shifted her gaze to the floor, but otherwise didn’t move, and Tony stepped closer to her, moving into her personal space, his hot breath stirring her bangs. “Follow me. Now.”

She did, her steps slightly wobbly, but a giddiness welling up inside her stomach. It was like standing on the top edge of a rollercoaster’s drop; that moment of commitment to the rush about to happen. Pepper heard her shoes on the stone floor, lightly tapping.

Tony moved to the fireplace, and twisted the knob of the tool stand; there was a click, and a small door opened on the side of the fireplace. It was a cunning little wall safe that Pepper hadn’t even known was there.

He reached in and pulled out the paddle.

In the low light it was as beautiful as before, the satiny wood gleaming. Tony held it lightly; easily. He took a deep breath and turned to Pepper, noting again the flush along her cheekbones and the glitter in her eyes. In that moment, he felt a hot, hard rush of tenderness well up inside him, and he nearly smiled before he caught himself.

Keeping his voice level, he lifted his head, boring into her with his gaze as he spoke, his voice huskier than usual. “Miss Potts, are you ready to be disciplined?”

Pepper’s eyelashes fluttered a bit, and she gave a deliberate nod, not trusting herself to speak. Her senses were becoming hyper acute now; her skin going hot and cold. She felt as if the moment were magnified all around her.

Tony drank her in for the moment, simply savoring her beautiful, perfect tension. Then he moved slowly to the large boulder on the right side of the fireplace and spoke again, musingly. “Very well. Options . . . certainly I could simply make you place your pretty hands here on the stone and bend over, knees straight of course . . . that would be a lovely sight, and well worth paddling. But it lacks the personal touch . . . and I do want this to be something you’ll remember, Miss Potts.”

“Yes, Mr. S,” she replied, her voice a whisper. Tony reached out with the paddle and lightly lifted her chin with the end of it, bringing her gaze back up to meet his.

“I think,” he murmured slowly, “I’d rather have you over my lap, Miss Potts. That would be much more effective in delivering the punishment you so richly deserve. Don’t you agree?”

Pepper tried not to gasp; she squirmed ever so slightly, the tension ratcheting up another degree as she swallowed hard. Realizing Tony was waiting for a reply; some agreement to his suggestion, she nodded.

“All right. You need to bare your bottom, Miss Potts, and quickly, since you know I’m not a patient man right now,” Tony muttered thickly. He dropped himself onto the boulder with careless grace, still toying with the paddle.

Pepper closed her eyes. Her breathing was still quick, but a lovely lassitude now flowed in her; the awareness mingled with a sense of relief as well. Carefully she reached for the hem of her skirt, sliding her hands up under it from behind, and let her fingers tug on her panties.

They slid down, over her thigh-high stockings, and dropped like a tiny silk cloud at her feet, pearly in the low light. Tony bit back a little moan, but barely; the sound carried in the space between them.

“So pretty, and so small,” he marveled. “Barely enough to cover anything, Miss Potts.”

Pepper preened for a moment, pink at the compliment.

“Step out of them and come here.”

Trembling, she did, moving forward slowly, showcasing her legs. Tony watched her, feeling a fierce delight in her gentle acquiescence. The sight of her small panties on the stone floor delighted him as well, and he dimly decided to keep them; a prize of sorts.

When Pepper was within a few steps of him, Tony set the paddle down and smiled. It was his slow, gentle smile, and didn’t quite match the heat in his dark eyes. “Your scent is delicious, Miss Potts. Are you afraid yet?”

“Y-yes,” she whispered, dry-mouthed. It wasn’t fear precisely; she knew what to expect in terms of pain, but the overwhelming realization that it was Tony delivering it . . .

“Give me your hand, Miss Potts,” Tony ordered, his voice gentle. Pepper extended her hand, and he took it, his warm fingers wrapping around hers. He began to reel her down towards him, guiding her across his thighs with infinite slowness. Pepper let herself be draped against his legs, one of her own hands braced against the cool rock of the boulder, the other gripping his knee. The contrast of the chill and heat left her dizzy.

Tony felt Pepper’s slight weight rest on him, and bit back a groan. The sweet pressure combined with Pepper’s perfume and pheromones was sending him into the zone, and he fought the hunger of his body, letting it absorb all the sensory delights of the moment. One hand skimmed down her long back, feeling each knob of her spine on the slow trip, and the other stroked her pretty hair.

“Damn it, you’re beautiful, Miss Potts. Even at your most defiant, you still move me,” he whispered to her. On his lap, she quivered.

It would be too easy to keep her lying there, and Tony knew that was unfair, so carefully, he tugged the hem of Pepper’s skirt up, making the fabric slide higher to reveal the long pale backs of her thighs, and the rounded, taut curves of her bare ass. He noted with a throb of pleasure how muscled and toned they were; how utterly tempting.

Pepper hung on the edge, caught between humiliation and bliss; a remembered sensation given added urgency now that Tony’s hand slid across her ass. His touch was so gentle, and slow; the mark of experience, and she felt herself growing damp.

Her breathing came shallowly, and Pepper was glad her long hair hung down, obscuring her face as she waited, poised across his thighs.

Please—

“Seven,” Tony announced softly, his tone a seductive croon, “because you are a B-A-D-G-I-R-L and that’s precisely seven letters long, Miss Potts. You’re certainly going to feel it.”

“Y-y-yessir,” Pepper moaned, her fingers clenching the uneven surface of the boulder. Tony shifted a little, trying to keep her steady on his lap without rubbing his aching cock too much; this was about the Scene and not the sex.

The pair of them made a lovely reflection in the dark glass of the window, he noted. “No paddle. I think my hand will sufficiently sting.”

Under him, Pepper tensed, and Tony did too, in reaction. Moving quickly, he cocked his hand back and brought it down, hard, making swift, stinging contact with the sweet mounds of her ass. The crack of it was loud, and carried in the living room; Pepper gave a yelp, and flexed in quick response.

“B,” Tony murmured in a soft, happy voice. The flare of heat in his hand felt good; right. He looked down at the red imprint of his hand along Pepper’s satiny cheeks and fought a shudder of his own. He braced his free arm along the small of her back to steady her.

Lightly came the second smack. “A.”

The scent of her wound through his senses; that hot vanilla. He’d smelled it on her whenever Pepper was afraid, but at the moment it held the added spice of citrus; her fierce arousal. The combination was heady, and Tony wondered if he was going to make it through the rest of the spanking.

Pepper tightened her grip on the cool stone, her entire body clenching in a tight squeeze of humiliated delight as she let herself sink into the sensations coursing through her. Heat, pain, roughness, smoothness, and pulsing in a demanding beat under it all, desire singing in her veins.

Tony’s hand stung against her already sensitive skin again and again; she whimpered, feeling the renewed burn. The warmth seeped deeper into the muscle, driven in by his repeated blows. Pepper wriggled, grinding herself along his thighs, losing focus on everything but the heat and pressure building on both sides of her body. Already her nipples were tight and aching, and her stomach quivered against Tony’s lap when his blow for the letter ‘I’ landed hard just above the tops of her thighs.

OhGggggodI’m . . . she thought in a quick joyous flash, and then her body shuddered as Pepper surrendered to the roiling pleasure flaring between her thighs, her orgasm radiating hot and hard through her slender frame. The suddenness sucked the breath from her, and Pepper gasped, her fingers scrabbling against the stone.

She never felt the last two smacks, but when Tony gasped, Pepper muzzily sensed pulses of wet heat seeping against her skirt, and his hands, burning and strong slipping around her, pulling her—

They tumbled loosely to the floor together, dropping in a heap against the cool stone, neither one of them moving once they landed. For a long time both Tony and Pepper lay sprawled, unable to do much more than let their breathing slow down.

Finally, after a long, quiet while, Tony rolled over to face her, his gaze wide and unflinching. He reached out a hand--the hand, and touched her shoulder. “Pep? Pepper?” came his hoarse whisper.

She lifted her cheek from the coolness of the floor, hair cascading along her shoulder as she gazed back at him. “Th-thank you, sir.”

It wasn’t what she meant to say, but something rich and comforting in her tone made Tony scrabble to her, and pull Pepper up into his arms, cradling her against his shoulder as he buried his face in her hair.

Tony rocked her in his arms, murmuring quiet, wordless sounds that told her everything she needed to know. Pepper held him just as close, sighing gently every now and then.

They didn’t speak for a long time. Tony picked her up and carried her to the master bathroom, drawing water in the tub and adding cupfuls of spa minerals into it. When it was ready he gently undressed her and then himself, settling them both into the foamy water.

He washed Pepper with slow, sensual diligence, starting at her shoulders and moving down each limb and around her torso, ending up at her red, pretty cheeks, each of which he kissed lovingly. She watched him, her eyes never leaving Tony’s every gentle move, and when the water cooled, he lifted her out of it, and wrapped her in a thick, heated towel.

“You don’t have to do this,” Pepper murmured quietly.

He picked her up again, his expression dark and intense as his slow steps carried them to the bedroom. “I need to do this,” Tony told her. “Exactly this. Let me do this.”

Part of her did understand; that need to be needed was an imperative that Pepper was all too familiar with, although she’d never before realized her boss had it within himself as well.

He set her down on the bed and helped her under the covers, tucking her in sweetly and safely. Pepper felt his kiss at her hairline, and it was only when Tony moved away that she realized he was leaving.

She sat up. “No, stay. Please.”

Tony turned, half in and half out of the shadows, his arc reactor glowing softly. “Tell me why.”

Pepper gaze at his face, melancholy and still in the dim lighting. “Stay . . . because I need you, Tony.”

From one heartbeat to the next, nothing moved.

A gentle sigh escaped him, and the slow sloughing of tension from his shoulders made her eyes prickle. Tony stepped back to her, touching for the light control panel. The room went dark, and Pepper reached for him, pulling Tony’s body to hers, undoing the towel around his waist. He slid into bed, warm and damp; shivering from something other than the chill of the sheets.

Pepper brushed her cheek against his, moving slowly and carefully; trying hard not to startle him. With care, she rolled Tony on his back and draped herself along his side, holding him as they both relaxed by degrees.

Tony wasn’t sure what time it was, or how much of it had passed; the dreamy unreality of the moment had no defining edges. All he knew was that he was at peace, and that Pepper had given him that peace. Her hands were on him, her leg resting over his, and Tony understood that she was the one anchoring him down.

For the first time in years, soul-deep relaxation unlocked all the tension within him. Tony turned his head, hungry for the sight of her, and moved his lips. “Pepper---”

“Yes,” she told him in a soft whisper. “I know.”

And finally, he smiled.

Pepper woke just before dawn, rising up through layers of sleep, amazingly warm and relaxed. The heat of Tony’s body as he spooned around hers held comfort, and she let herself drift, grateful for the snug fit of the two of them together.

By degrees, she became aware that Tony was awake as well; the shift in his breathing, and the gentle slide of his arm over her hip made Pepper rub back against him, lightly at first, and then more deliberately. She felt Tony groan against the back of her neck, and the blatant push of his shaft against her ass made her smirk.

She shifted, rolling over to face him, and the smile he gave her held a hint of wonder to it. Pepper tipped her face and let her lips brush his gently.

“It’s time. I’m going to make love to you,” she breathed, not so much asking as telling, and his mouth opened under hers in a welcoming kiss.

“Please,” Tony sighed, pulling her over his body with easy strength, settling Pepper in a straddle over his hips.

Slowly, Pepper impaled herself on his cock, drawing out the pleasure in the quiet warmth between them. Her hair hung down around her face, and she moaned sweetly as she moved over Tony, matching his quickening thrusts in an urgent rhythm, her palms on either side of the arc reactor for leverage.

Higher, harder, the intensity of their naked bodies working hungrily together was too good to draw out, and Pepper clenched around him, her delighted cry echoing in the room in a crescendo of erotic bliss. She shuddered, arching tightly, and Tony gave a low, ecstatic howl of his own, his hips driving upward, lifting them both off the mattress in a series of hard climactic thrusts.

They folded together, clinging to each other, kissing an a joyous frenzy for a moment before settling together in peace, still joined as the predawn light began to glow through the windows.

End