Proof Tony Stark Has A Heart (February 1987)

Tony shifted his hands up to Pepper’s face. “I know,” He said as he gently touched her cheeks. He felt terrible that he did not love her back but he couldn’t summon feelings he never had. He cared about Pepper a great deal, wanted to sleep with her many times, wanted to be close to her but he didn’t love her. Not like...what? He was about to say, ‘Not like Isabella’ and suddenly it just clicked in him. He did love Isabella and he had left her like a fool. “But you know where that would lead Pepper, we can not be together,” he said softly. “Not like you want,” he said. “In any case I can’t deal with this right now. Obediah is trying to take the company and I need to do something about those weapons,” he said as he looked at her. “Will you help me?” He asked her.

Pepper felt her heart shattering in her chest. She tried desperately to hold herself together. She had just put herself out there and had gotten turned down and now Tony wanted her help?

“No, I won’t help you,” she said as she looked at him. “Get Isabella to do it. I quit Tony.”

She didn’t let him respond. She just turned and walked away.

Isabella continued to stand outside the building. There was a line to get a taxi and she was waiting for her turn. The longer she stood there the more upset she became.

As Tony stepped back inside James approached him. “I saw Isabella standing outside waiting to get a cab. Is everything alright?”

“Fuck!” Tony exclaimed as he dashed toward the front of the party. He hurried outside, looked around and saw her down near the curb. He nearly fell on the stairs as he hurried down them. “Isabella!” He said loudly but with the din of all those people he doubted she’d hear him. He saw cabs lined up and she was near the front of the gaggle of people who waited for them. Just as she got inside and the valet shut her door for her Tony got in on the other side and shut his door. The cab took off. “Uh, where to?” The driver asked. “Leaving so soon? You don’t like champagne and caviar?” Tony asked to try and lighten the mood. He could see the hurt in her eyes and how she was on the verge of breaking down.

Isabella got into the cab and just before she gave the driver her address she looked over to see Tony get in on the other side. She didn’t understand why he was there. She looked away from him as tears came to her eyes.

“I’m such an idiot. I got wrapped up in the flowers and kisses and looks from you and I honestly thought that you...I sacrificed my job at the CIA and my relationship with Frank for you. I have nothing left now except this damn dress that I bought because I knew you liked the color red.” She wipes away a few tears that slipped down her cheeks. “I always fall for men where there is no future and I get hurt. Well I’m not doing that again. Please don’t call me or send me any more flowers. Besides, I’m sure Pepper wouldn’t like it.”

Tony thought for a moment about that and obviously Isabella saw Pepper and himself together. He cringed inwardly at what she must think but the realization of how he felt for her had him on cloud 9 right then and even her tears and her words did not phase him. He wanted to say that she had done all of that on her own but as he thought on that he had to take some of the blame for her predicament. He had chased her hard with all the looks and the words and the flowers...and the kisses. He had given her a reason to give her life up for him so he could not think she had done it just on a whim. It was loyalty and honor. Part of the reason he loved her so much. Isabella was an old soul with values, morals and a strong sense of duty.

“Hmm, I don’t think I’ve ever sent Pepper flowers. I don’t feel for her as I feel for you,” he said cryptically. He was looking out of his window when he said that. Half of his mind was still wondering how in the hell he was going to fix everything. Obediah, the weapons, his company. Ideas were exploding like fireworks in his head and at the same time Isabella was there in his mind as well and the knowledge that he could not lose her was there like a concrete slab that made up the foundations of his future. He did not want a future where Isabella was not in it.

Isabella heard what Tony said and she turned her head to look at him. He was decidedly not looking at her, but was looking out he window. The cab driver was just randomly driving around at this point since neither of them had given him an address. It didn't matter to him because the meter was running and he would get paid no matter what.

"Tony, I'm in love with you," she finally told him.

Tony said nothing nor did he turn to face her. He only shifted his hand over to hers and laced his fingers into her own. ‘Well you’re in the kettle now!’ He thought. To keep her now, anything less from himself he doubted she’d accept but he really wasn’t certain what love was to be able to use it to properly explain how he felt about Isabella.

“Pepper quit so you can guess what likely happened,” he said and turned to face her. “Everything I’ve built...everything my father built is crumbling around me Isabella. It might have been better for you if you hadn’t said that,” he said truthfully. “I think I’ve done enough damage to you as it is,” he said but his hand held tightly to hers and he felt hers holding onto his just as tightly. ‘God she was beautiful’ he thought just the same. ‘She was beautiful and he wanted her more now than he ever had before’. ‘Needed her now. Needed to feel her warm body against his.’ The cab driver decidedly kept his eyes on the road and he had his radio playing softly. He knew who Tony was but had never seen the woman before in his life.

Isabella felt Tony take her hand and lace his fingers through hers. As he tightened his hand around his she tightened hers on his. She reached over with her other hand and turned his face to look at hers. She looked into his eyes. Without him saying it she knew he loved her just as she loved him.

“We’ve been through a lot together Tony. If I haven’t left by now then I’m not leaving. We can pick up those pieces and make a new, better life....together.”

Tony’s eyes looked deeply into hers. And then his gaze became warm, very warm. “Take us to 420 West 22nd Street,” Tony said not breaking his gaze from hers. It was her address he had given the cab driver and what he hadn’t said was that tonight was ‘the’ night.

Nothing else was said between them as the cab driver took them to her apartment. They kept their fingers laced together though as feelings of hot, passionate desire and love built up between them. They soon reached her apartment and she stepped out while Tony paid the driver. She waited for him and then he took her hand again as they headed upstairs.

Tony closed the door behind him. “What do you have to dri…” He began but the sudden push of her body up against him and her lips on his forced those unsaid words to flee out of his mind. Before he could even blink his belt was unbuckled as if Isabella was all hands. “How did you..” He said but the short pause was not long enough and before he knew it her hand was around him and he had to heel off his shoes or likely trip with his pants down around his ankles if she pulled him toward the bedroom and with what she held he knew she wasn’t going to let go...willingly. The zipper of her dress was smooth and nearly silent. As soon as it was all the way down Isabella had to let him go though her gaze shifted down to his hardness. Tony’s stature was not the large, muscled frame that Frank had but what the buzz about his other favorable attributes were not wrong at all. Isabella took a step back from him and smoothly slid her dress down. Soft, olive skin was suddenly revealed and as she stepped out of the hem of her dress he noticed that she wore not a stitch besides her heels. When she bent to remove her heels Tony spoke up. “No no, leave those on,” he said and just tossed his half unbuttoned shirt over his head.

As he stepped up to her his hand went immediately between her legs as their lips met. He felt her moan in their kiss and once more she took hold of him as if claiming it as hers for all time. She had a very strong grip, Tony thought. When she pulled back from their kiss she turned and towed him along with her as she led him to her bedroom. Her heels made her legs look magnificent and she had a decidedly confident walk, her hips and butt swayed sensually with each step.

Isabella felt as if her body was on fire. The only other man that had ever made her feel this way was Frank. She wanted...no, needed Tony as much as he needed her. She wanted to experience the physical act of their love and secure her place in his heart. They had both waited too long for this, but she wanted to make it last as long as possible.

She led Tony down the hallway to her bedroom. Her apartment wasn’t large, but her bedroom had a queen sized bed with soft, white bedding that made it look like a cloud. She continued to leave her heels on as she led Tony over to her bed. She laid down and pulled him down on top of her as she began to kiss him again.

Isabella’s kisses were hungry and passionate and he could feel how badly her body wanted his. He bent his neck to attack her breasts, her dark nipples slid into his mouth and he felt her legs spread open as she pressed his hand down between her legs. His fingers slipped easily inside of her as he deftly teased her more sensitive spot with the ball of his thumb. And then his mouth was on her spot and he felt her hands pull at his hair as her orgasm came in udulent waves that forced her body to convulse with each pang of pleasure. Even before it was over though he shifted back on top of her and then he was inside of her...all of him and her hands moved to grip his wrists hard as he began to move.

He was surprised at how flexible Isabella was. He had her legs bent back and held by his arms and they were just the right height to be able to still kiss as he rammed her hard and fast. Her red heeled shoes were up in the air as he made love to her and their bodies were pressed together and she held his face to hers as she felt him thicken and knew he was going to explode inside of her at any moment.

Isabella’s back arched as another orgasm hit her. She felt Tony grip her hips hard and pull them back up to meet his as he came. Neither of them had thought about protection but at the moment Isabella didn’t care. She felt...wonderful and she collapsed back onto her bed. She breaths came in short gasps and her heart felt like it might explode from her chest.

Tony was laying beside her and she turned half over towards him and kissed him gently a few times. It had been everything she had hoped for and so much more.

Few experiences in Tony’s life made as much of an impression as making love to Isabella had. His body felt as if it were on fire and he knew that soon he would want her again. Maybe more than once. He felt her kisses and felt her eyes on him as she pressed her warm body against his. “So you know, tying yourself to me isn’t exactly the safest thing right now. The trouble is I doubt I could stay away from you even if I wanted to,” he said softly as he stroked her arm. His arc reactor brought a pale, blue light to the darkness and he felt her fingers trace along it’s edges and surfaces. He shifted onto his side so he could address her more directly.

“I want to make you CEO of the Stark Foundation. I need someone I trust for that and right now I don't trust anyone but you,” he said. “I’m going to separate Stark Industries from that as much as possible so there is no chance for it to go down with the ship if it happens,” Tony said. Isabella would know what he meant. She would be in a secure position and in charge of the Foundation that was funded by Tech companies and donors all over the world. It could exist without Stark Industries if it and Tony folded. “I know its a huge responsibility but I need you there Isabella, please say that you’ll do it?” he asked. An odd subject for pillow talk but Tony knew that time was working against him now. “If you need more convincing…” he said as he pressed her nipple between his fingers.

Isabella was fascinated by the mini arc reactor in Tony’s chest. She had seen it before, but she had never really looked at it. She lightly ran her fingers over it. She was truly thankful for it because without it she wouldn’t have Tony. She knew that by associating herself with Tony right now that she was putting herself into this mess he was in but she didn’t care. He was stuck with her now.

Her attention was pulled away though by what Tony said. At first she wasn’t sure she heard him correctly. He wanted her to be the CEO of The Stark Foundation? The fact that she was the only person he trusted spoke volumes to her and she was overwhelmed by his faith in her. She gasped slightly as he pressed one of her nipples between his fingers.

“Yes...I’ll do it.”

Tony’s eyebrows drew up. “Wow, that was easy, I had planned on having to do alot more convincing then tha…” he began but then Isabella shifted atop him and she wiggled until Tony was right where she wanted him to be. “Ok, your version of negotiation tactics is better than mine,” Tony groaned. Talking about business while making love was well within Tony’s skillset and Isabella did not make it easy for him to speak either. She would make $225k a year plus full benefits. She’d have access to her own personal jet, the yacht which she had already seen, a luxury apartment in Manhattan New York, an apartment in Flushing Meadows New York near the Expo center and a massive office in the admin building of the Expo center as well as any assistants she thought she needed. She’d have access to Stark Industries properties, all of them including all of Tony’s personal residences and offices all over the world. When she came again on top of him he wasn’t certain if it was everything she was getting or him but he suspected it was him. At least he hoped it was.

Isabella and Tony made love long into the night. They were finally completely spent around 3 am and she fell asleep in his arms. Rays of sunlight filtering in through the blinds is what awoke her. She slowly shifted and quickly realized that Tony was nowhere to be seen. At first, a deep fear gripped her that he had used her and left, but then she heard something coming from the kitchen. She put on her robe and walked out there to find Tony in the kitchen making breakfast. She smiled softly at him.

“I didn’t realize you could cook.”

In the pan she saw what ‘could’ be an omelet except that it was badly burned and also hardly cooked in places at the same time. When he saw her expression he sighed. “It took me an hour and a half to make this,” he said disappointedly. Obviously Tony couldn’t cook but he had tried. “I made coffee at least...I know how to make that,” he said. “We...could just go out for brunch?” he said as he put the pan in the sink.

Tony waited for Isabella to get showered and dressed then they called a car and they went to his place so he could show and put on some decent clothes as well. It was almost 1 o’clock when they arrived at the restaurant which was an exclusive Italian bistro. Impossible to get into without calling ahead a couple weeks but Tony had them bounding to accommodate him though some people that had been waiting looked at them annoyedly as they just stepped past everyone to their table.

“You like a mimosa?” he asked. When she nodded he nodded to the waitress who dashed off. Isabella heard people at other tables talking about them but Tony seemed oblivious to it all and he held her hand above the white table cloth.

“So Isabella, how do we proceed from here? This is a first for me so you’ll have to guide me a little, he said. He didn’t know exactly how she was feeling either. In less than 24 hours he had completely changed her life and acted as if nothing had happened except he was holding her hand and looking into her eyes instead of looking at her breasts...though she noticed that he just did look at her breasts for a moment.

Isabella’s mind was desperately trying to comprehend everything that had taken place in the last 24 hours. It seemed like a dream, but it wasn’t. It was real...very real. Isabella wasn’t scared though of the changes that were happening. These were wonderful changes and she couldn’t have been happier.

By the time they got to the restaurant she was starving. She hadn’t eaten anything since the day before and neither of them had eaten anything at the event. She sat down across from Tony and was surprised when he took her hand into his. She saw several people looking at them but she ignored them and looked at Tony.

“Well, we go out together on dates and generally just spend time together. We can go to dinner, the movies, the theater, or just spend time together at your place or my place.”

Tony lightly rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb just as the waitress came up to them. “So then, when do I get to see you in a red bikini by the pool?” Tony asked softly. “Or the ocean, I do like Bora Bora this time of year,” he said and his smile suggested that he wanted her again and soon which he truly did. Isabella made him feel wonderful and alive and he knew he could grow addicted to that, to her if she let him. The waitress blushed profusely and deposited the momosa’s. “May i take your orders?” she said in a strained voice. “Ill take a double whiskey sour, hold the sour,” Tony said and deposited a fifty on her tray. “What would you like miss?” She asked. ‘I want you’ Tony mouthed to Isabella when her eyes fluttered up from her menu to look at him and then he smiled when spots of color appeared on her cheeks. When she finally gave her order the waitress asked Tony what he wanted. “Oh, I’ll have a little something later, the drink will be fine for now,” He said and the woman moved away hurriedly. ‘Red bikini’ Tony mouthed again silently. He was serious about Bora Bora but she knew they both had alot to do.

Isabella wanted desperately to give in and agree to go to Bora Bora with him, but they just couldn’t leave. Tony had this whole situation with Obediah to clear up and she was now the CEO of the Stark Foundation and she already had plans and ideas swirling around in her head.

She saw what Tony mouthed to her and she gave him a smile. She wanted him too, but she wanted food more at the moment. She watched as the embarrassed waitress left and she looked at Tony and became more serious.

“So, what are we going to do about Obediah?”