Happy Birthday Strangevisitor7!
Happy Birthday strangevisitor7, I hope you have a wonderful one filled with everything you could wish for. So, Casey requested a sequel to Old Tricks, New Friends, so here it is, I hope you enjoy it hon. :)
Big thank you to aeron_lanart for the beta. None of it's mine, I'm just trying to amuse.
In the Morning Light
Amanda woke late the next morning in Tony’s bed, sans Tony. She sat up and spotted a large rectangular parcel, wrapped with a bow, propped against the wall that faced her. Gracefully, she slipped from the sheets and across the room to examine the gift. She already knew what it was, but she still tore a little hole in the paper to confirm that it was the Degas.
There was a little card attached, which she pulled off to read the inscription:
Amanda smiled and replaced the card under the ribbon. She could feel the warm sun on her skin and turned to look out the expansive window. The view out to sea was breathtaking. The sky was a perfect blue and the rolling Pacific Ocean stretched out to meet it at the horizon. She’d forgotten how much she loved California.
She located her clothes in a crumpled heap on the floor and decided to eschew them, instead venturing inside Tony’s labyrinthine closet, where she picked out a pale salmon, button-down shirt and put it on. She then discovered her boots under the bed and pulled them on before heading downstairs to the kitchen in search of coffee.
The kitchen was already occupied by a young red-head, dressed in an immaculate suit, who was pouring coffee into a cup while monitoring the stockmarket via the muted television on the wall.
“Morning,” Amanda said, making the red-head turn. Amanda smiled warmly. “Any going spare?” she asked, indicating the coffee cup.
“Sure,” red answered, pointing to the half-full coffee pot. Amanda nodded in thanks and then helped herself. “Cream and sugar are on the side there.”
“Thanks, I prefer it black. I’m Amanda Montrose, by the way. Mr. Stark hired me last night,” Amanda answered. The woman quirked an eyebrow at this.
“Pepper Potts. He hired you?”
“As a consultant to Stark Securtech. We didn’t thrash out all the details last night, but we were discussing it until late, so Mr. Stark kindly gave me his bed,” Amanda explained. The corner of Pepper’s mouth quirked in amusement.
“I can see that,” she replied. Amanda grinned before taking a sip of her coffee. It was good.
“Blue Mountain?”
“Naturally. Now, would you like me to have your clothes dry cleaned, or would you prefer me to get you new ones?” Pepper said. Before Amanda could answer, they were interrupted by Tony entering the room.
“Miss Potts I…oh, good morning, Amanda, I see you two have met. Pepper, do I have that bio-fuel thing today? And could you get legal to draw up a contract for Miss Montrose here? Thanks,” he said. Pepper passed him a cup of coffee, which he took and drank in one shot as though it were an espresso rather than a mug.
“Yes, the bio-fuel meeting is at two. I’ll get right on to legal. And don’t forget, you have a conference call with New York in one hour,” she replied. Tony nodded as he handed her back the cup.
“Better yet, prep one of the jets and tell New York I’ll be there in person in two hours. I’m going to show Miss Montrose the Securtech offices,” Tony replied. Pepper sighed but she was already pressing a button on her Bluetooth headset to make the call and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Tony and Amanda alone.
Amanda watched the entire exchange with amusement. The two of them were obviously in love; it was like watching a Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn movie. It was also painfully obvious that neither one of them was ever going to say anything about it. It truly amazed her that mortals could waste the precious little time they have. She preferred a more direct approach.
“So, we’re going to New York?” Amanda asked. Tony nodded and smiled. “Before we go, may I see the suit?”
Tony laughed.
“Miss Montrose. Here I was thinking you wanted me for my paintings, and all along you wanted me for my toys.”
“What can I say? I’m a sucker for anything shiny and gold,” Amanda replied.
“I can live with that.”
*-*
One hour later, and thirty thousand feet above the Earth, Amanda was sat in the most comfortable seat she’d ever sat in on a plane. She had just sampled the delights of a superb meal, and was now enjoying a very fine cognac. Tony was sat opposite her and she took a moment to study her travelling companion and new employer.
There was no denying that he was even more handsome in person than on television, the fine cut of his tailoring hinting at well-defined musculature that Amanda had seen first-hand the night before.
He kept his goatee neat, but not fastidiously so, and he generally had the air of a man who had higher concerns than appearances, which, of course, only made him even more attractive. Throw in the multi-billion fortune and the whole superhero thing, and it was no wonder that Tony Stark was currently the most eligible bachelor on the planet.
Amanda had loved the Iron Man armour, in all its red and gold glory. Tony had been only too happy to show her how it worked, even letting her try on a gauntlet. But it didn’t escape her attention that he didn’t reveal any technical details about the technology. As his new security advisor, she was impressed that he had considered she might be some kind of corporate spy.
It was a strange scenario she had found herself in; being caught red-handed in a burglary but instead of being arrested, she was employed. It looked like she’d finally found someone as impulsive as herself. And as for Tony’s generosity, she need only look across the plane to where the Degas was currently positioned to remind herself of that.
“Mr. Stark, first that,” she pointed to the Degas. “Now this,” she continued, waving her arms to indicate the plane. “Are you trying to woo me?”
“Woo you, Miss Montrose? Why the thought hadn’t entered my mind. Besides, isn’t that a little redundant at this point?” Tony replied with a grin before he sipped at his scotch.
Amanda sat straighter in the chair, serious for a moment. Tony continued to slouch in his chair, and the casual way he draped his frame across the furniture reminded Amanda of Methos.
“So, Stark Securtech is based in New York? I assume you’ll need me to relocate,”
“Not a problem, I hope? Do you have somewhere in the city? Because I own several apartments,” Tony replied and took another drink of scotch. Amanda shook her head.
“I own an apartment. It’s being let at the moment, but the tenant is… a friend, I’m sure it will be fine,” she answered. Tony looked disappointed at the news.
Amanda was letting Nick stay in her apartment; he was working with Meyers on a protection detail for the UN. But she knew that job would be over in a month, and a thought occurred to her.
“So, I’ll be a consultant, offering advice and testing your new technologies, right?” she asked. Tony nodded. “Then I’d like an assistant, and I know the perfect guy for the job.”
Big thank you to aeron_lanart for the beta. None of it's mine, I'm just trying to amuse.
In the Morning Light
Amanda woke late the next morning in Tony’s bed, sans Tony. She sat up and spotted a large rectangular parcel, wrapped with a bow, propped against the wall that faced her. Gracefully, she slipped from the sheets and across the room to examine the gift. She already knew what it was, but she still tore a little hole in the paper to confirm that it was the Degas.
There was a little card attached, which she pulled off to read the inscription:
Amanda smiled and replaced the card under the ribbon. She could feel the warm sun on her skin and turned to look out the expansive window. The view out to sea was breathtaking. The sky was a perfect blue and the rolling Pacific Ocean stretched out to meet it at the horizon. She’d forgotten how much she loved California.
She located her clothes in a crumpled heap on the floor and decided to eschew them, instead venturing inside Tony’s labyrinthine closet, where she picked out a pale salmon, button-down shirt and put it on. She then discovered her boots under the bed and pulled them on before heading downstairs to the kitchen in search of coffee.
The kitchen was already occupied by a young red-head, dressed in an immaculate suit, who was pouring coffee into a cup while monitoring the stockmarket via the muted television on the wall.
“Morning,” Amanda said, making the red-head turn. Amanda smiled warmly. “Any going spare?” she asked, indicating the coffee cup.
“Sure,” red answered, pointing to the half-full coffee pot. Amanda nodded in thanks and then helped herself. “Cream and sugar are on the side there.”
“Thanks, I prefer it black. I’m Amanda Montrose, by the way. Mr. Stark hired me last night,” Amanda answered. The woman quirked an eyebrow at this.
“Pepper Potts. He hired you?”
“As a consultant to Stark Securtech. We didn’t thrash out all the details last night, but we were discussing it until late, so Mr. Stark kindly gave me his bed,” Amanda explained. The corner of Pepper’s mouth quirked in amusement.
“I can see that,” she replied. Amanda grinned before taking a sip of her coffee. It was good.
“Blue Mountain?”
“Naturally. Now, would you like me to have your clothes dry cleaned, or would you prefer me to get you new ones?” Pepper said. Before Amanda could answer, they were interrupted by Tony entering the room.
“Miss Potts I…oh, good morning, Amanda, I see you two have met. Pepper, do I have that bio-fuel thing today? And could you get legal to draw up a contract for Miss Montrose here? Thanks,” he said. Pepper passed him a cup of coffee, which he took and drank in one shot as though it were an espresso rather than a mug.
“Yes, the bio-fuel meeting is at two. I’ll get right on to legal. And don’t forget, you have a conference call with New York in one hour,” she replied. Tony nodded as he handed her back the cup.
“Better yet, prep one of the jets and tell New York I’ll be there in person in two hours. I’m going to show Miss Montrose the Securtech offices,” Tony replied. Pepper sighed but she was already pressing a button on her Bluetooth headset to make the call and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Tony and Amanda alone.
Amanda watched the entire exchange with amusement. The two of them were obviously in love; it was like watching a Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn movie. It was also painfully obvious that neither one of them was ever going to say anything about it. It truly amazed her that mortals could waste the precious little time they have. She preferred a more direct approach.
“So, we’re going to New York?” Amanda asked. Tony nodded and smiled. “Before we go, may I see the suit?”
Tony laughed.
“Miss Montrose. Here I was thinking you wanted me for my paintings, and all along you wanted me for my toys.”
“What can I say? I’m a sucker for anything shiny and gold,” Amanda replied.
“I can live with that.”
*-*
One hour later, and thirty thousand feet above the Earth, Amanda was sat in the most comfortable seat she’d ever sat in on a plane. She had just sampled the delights of a superb meal, and was now enjoying a very fine cognac. Tony was sat opposite her and she took a moment to study her travelling companion and new employer.
There was no denying that he was even more handsome in person than on television, the fine cut of his tailoring hinting at well-defined musculature that Amanda had seen first-hand the night before.
He kept his goatee neat, but not fastidiously so, and he generally had the air of a man who had higher concerns than appearances, which, of course, only made him even more attractive. Throw in the multi-billion fortune and the whole superhero thing, and it was no wonder that Tony Stark was currently the most eligible bachelor on the planet.
Amanda had loved the Iron Man armour, in all its red and gold glory. Tony had been only too happy to show her how it worked, even letting her try on a gauntlet. But it didn’t escape her attention that he didn’t reveal any technical details about the technology. As his new security advisor, she was impressed that he had considered she might be some kind of corporate spy.
It was a strange scenario she had found herself in; being caught red-handed in a burglary but instead of being arrested, she was employed. It looked like she’d finally found someone as impulsive as herself. And as for Tony’s generosity, she need only look across the plane to where the Degas was currently positioned to remind herself of that.
“Mr. Stark, first that,” she pointed to the Degas. “Now this,” she continued, waving her arms to indicate the plane. “Are you trying to woo me?”
“Woo you, Miss Montrose? Why the thought hadn’t entered my mind. Besides, isn’t that a little redundant at this point?” Tony replied with a grin before he sipped at his scotch.
Amanda sat straighter in the chair, serious for a moment. Tony continued to slouch in his chair, and the casual way he draped his frame across the furniture reminded Amanda of Methos.
“So, Stark Securtech is based in New York? I assume you’ll need me to relocate,”
“Not a problem, I hope? Do you have somewhere in the city? Because I own several apartments,” Tony replied and took another drink of scotch. Amanda shook her head.
“I own an apartment. It’s being let at the moment, but the tenant is… a friend, I’m sure it will be fine,” she answered. Tony looked disappointed at the news.
Amanda was letting Nick stay in her apartment; he was working with Meyers on a protection detail for the UN. But she knew that job would be over in a month, and a thought occurred to her.
“So, I’ll be a consultant, offering advice and testing your new technologies, right?” she asked. Tony nodded. “Then I’d like an assistant, and I know the perfect guy for the job.”