Checkmate

Sequel to "The Ball is in Your Court, Ms. Potts". Pepper makes a choice; Tony reacts. Mainly Pepper's POV.

A/N: A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed my last story. I'm still over the moon by the positive feedback :) I actually had no idea how I was going to continue, then I read the wikipedia entry on Iron Man where RDJ talks a little bit about the sequel and the fact that maybe Pepper's dating someone else. That sure sparked my interest and gave me this idea. Hope you enjoy this one too.

Pepper Potts had been introduced by a mutual friend to Gregg Rogers and tonight she was planning to officially see him on a date.

Gregg was nice, she mused to herself while making lunch. At the dinner party where they'd met, he had shown himself to be thoughtful, considerate of her needs and he had a great sense of humour. They'd discovered that they shared many of the same interests. Her friend, Marianne, had hinted none too subtly that Gregg was ideal marriage material.

And Marianne was right on the money.

He more than passed in the looks department. He was a solid 6 foot, well toned by years of competitive swimming and stunning green eyes that crinkled at the corners when he smiled. More importantly he was respectful around her, no sarcastic jokes, no impossible tasks, no brooding stares or heartfelt speeches, and especially no suicidal hobbies.

Pepper shook her head to rid herself of those particular thoughts. She was going on a date and she was happy, she told herself firmly. She was focused on the future, not on past mistakes. And there was no reason for her thoughts to be constantly straying to her boss. Since that particular speech a couple of weeks ago, he hadn't made another overture at her. Not one. For one, he'd been pretty busy as Iron Man and she was so worried, it was getting to the point where she was considering making Jarvis tell her before Tony left, so she could at least prepare herself. For another thing, she avoided him like the plague if she didn't have to see him. Okay, so it wasn't exactly a foolproof strategy; or a long-term plan.

Of course, the inappropriate jokes continued, but he was Tony Stark, that much could be expected. Pepper varied between being disappointed (bitterly but she would never admit that to anyone else) and relieved that he'd never forced her to make a decision rightaway.

But…there were times when the tension between the two of them would skyrocket. The conversation would be innocuous, then a look, an overheld gaze, or scorching stares from Tony at odd moments would carry them back there, to that moment.

But she was not going back there. She had already decided she spent way too much time involved in Tony Stark's affairs. There were personal assistants, then there was Pepper. And she needed a life. She needed space. And in her more honest moments, she admitted that she really needed to get away from those probing stares before she did something stupid again.

The man in question interrupted her thoughts, padding behind her and snatching a piece of the chicken she was cutting up for the chicken salad. He popped it in his mouth. "Hmmn, good," he said. Opening the fridge, he rooted around for a soda, popped the can and sat on the kitchen countertop, taking up another couple of slices from Pepper's cutting board. "What's for supper, Potts?"

"At the rate you're going, nothing will be left," she observed dryly.

"I'm a growing boy," he declared with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Emphasis on boy."

"You wound me, Potts." His tone deepened. "I can guarantee you though I'm all man." It was one of several suggestive comments he'd tended to say to her since she was working for him, and it shouldn't have affected her like it did. Unfortunately, her body clearly remembered that he was all man. The slight tingles in places she did not want to acknowledge were downright nerve-wracking.

"Hey, why don't I go out and grab a bottle of wine and we make a real meal out of it?"

"I can't, I'm sorry. I have plans," she said, glancing down as he grabbed another piece of chicken. She felt rather than saw his sudden spark of interest.

"Really. Plans." He studied the way she was avoiding her eyes. She knew he hated it when she had plans, but this looked different…"It's a date, isn't it? Anyone I know?" he asked casually.

"No and you're not meeting him either." Damn. She'd forgotten how good he was at reading her. She walked over to the fridge to take out the salad dressing.

"Oh come on Potts. I can behave. I won't bring up anything I shouldn't. I'll be good, I promise." He held up three fingers.

"Since when were you a scout?" Pepper asked in mild interest.

"Since when it suits me. So listen, I'd really like to meet Dave…"

"His name's Gregg, actually," she said absently, still rooting around in the fridge – didn't they have Italian dressing? – then could have bitten her tongue. She should know by now how he worked. She did not have to look back to see that he was smiling triumphantly. Right then, Pepper's phone rang. Before she could get to it, Tony picked it up.

"Hey Potts, is your date blonde? Dear God, his name has 3 g's. What kind of man has three g's in his name? Is he compensating for a lack of…"

She cut him off by grabbing the phone and moving out of earshot, eyes telling him to butt out. He followed her, grabbing another couple of chicken slices, and sprawled on the couch, eyes watching her every move.

"Hi, Gregg," Pepper answered smiling. She mouthed furiously to Tony to go away, making shooing gestures with her hand. He on the other hand pretended ignorance, signalling to her that he didn't understand what she was telling him.

"Uh, yes, 8 o'clock on the dot. Haven't forgotten," Pepper said into the phone. "Okay, thanks. No, I'll meet you there. Bye."

"Not a word," she said in a warning tone to Tony, whose innocent face denied any intention of doing so.

A date. She had raised the stakes in their little game. Point to Ms. Potts. He had to admire her tenacity. Of course it only made him more determined to win. He had even played the role of gentleman, though that was hard as hell to do. He sighed. That wasn't the only hard thing knocking around these days. Only serious self-discipline – and the fact that she'd probably quit – stopped him from outright seducing her back into his bed.

Faint heart never won fair maiden, or something like that. He would have to change his strategy a bit, and reassess the situation first hand to see how much of a threat this guy was.

When she came downstairs the next morning, Tony looked up from the desk where he was sitting and observed her carefully with a glint in his eye. "Hmmn, no post-coital glow. Had a good date, Potts?" he asked innocently.

"Not all of us have your impeccable standards."

"Was that supposed to be a dig at me and if so I haven't the slightest idea what you mean," he frowned.

"I'm sure you don't." She pulled out her Blackberry. "Now there are a couple of meetings you have…"

"So where did you go on your date with Dave?" Tony was currently typing in some figures into one of the monitors, pausing every now and then to make some adjustments.

Pepper shot him a look. "It's Gregg…"

"With three g's."

"…and it's none of your business."

He turned to give her his full attention. "Where you're concerned Virginia Potts, everything is my business," he observed gravely. She found herself getting lost in his dark stare, oddly touched. Only Tony Stark could make a blatantly obnoxious statement sound so caring.

She quickly lowered her gaze to the Blackberry and started on her list.

"Hasbro called. They want to make an Iron Man action figure. They want to set up a meeting to discuss rights, release date and get a recording of your voice."

Tony's head shot up from the monitor. Pepper saw the grin and knew what it meant. "A doll after me? Cool. Save that one for later."

"Obadiah Stane's family is threatening a class action suit and the board wants a meeting urgently to thrash out the company's direction…"

"Class action suit? The man almost killed me – and you," Tony muttered in annoyance. "The board will have to wait until I'm finished with this prototype, and you can tell Stane's lawyers to kiss my iron…"

"Tony," Pepper said in warning. "You need to deal with the board." The two stared off for a few seconds, each challenging the other's position.

"You've got 30 seconds. Let me hear it," Tony said.

"The company is in a slight tailspin. The employees don't know what's going on. You're still CEO. At least send an email to staff so they feel connected to the company. Meet with the board. The stock went down another 30 per cent when Obadiah died and it hasn't really recovered, especially after the Colombia incident. Investors are worried," Pepper finished softly.

Tony looked at her, then nodded. "Alright. Write an email to the staff, assuring them their jobs and benefits are safe. I'll meet with them later as to the specific direction of the company. As for the bunch of jackasses on the board, I'll see them in two months."

"One."

"One and a half."

"I'll pencil in the meeting in another 4 weeks then, and I will not be rescheduling. Make yourself available," Pepper said in a no-nonsense tone.

Tony looked slightly aggrieved. "Hey, who's the boss here, Potts?"

"You. of course, Mr. Stark."

"First the tools, now you. If I didn't know better, I'd say there was a mutiny onboard," he muttered. "But for the record," he flashed a half-grin, "I like you bossy. It's kind of a turn on."

When Pepper would have opened her mouth to talk about other matters, he hastily stood. "Ah, ah, ah. I have work to do – real work. I'll see you later."

"Wait, you're leaving?"

"Uh huh.

"But the meetings today…" She was already talking to his back.

"Reschedule them," he shouted over his shoulder, heading over to the Iron Man launch pad. Only now did she realise the robots were on hand ready to suit him up. "I'll be back in maybe 2 hours. Hey Potts, if you're going out with Dave later, don't do anything I would."

Pepper's only response was an eye roll.