Iron lady
Story: Iron Lady
Author: saichick
Challenge: Pepperony 100
Theme: 007 Gray
Rating: G
Timeline: early IM2 (spoilers)
Preview: Pepper changes her look.
Note: A character study. A Pepperony one-shot.
Pepper scanned her attire and nodded with approval. The soft grey Versace suit accentuated her curves and looked feminine without being too sexy. Today would be her first day on the job as the new CEO of Stark Industries and she desperately wanted to create the right impression.
Pepper knew all too well that clothes make the man or, in this case, the woman. For the past 10 years, her signature black pencil skirts and conservatively cut suit jackets had been chosen to send a clear message to both her charming boss and also to the people who forever circled in his orbit that Pepper was a woman to be taken seriously. Since her job required her to be in constant close, almost intimate contact with her boss (often in his very home), Pepper had had to come up with a way of signaling the world that she was there to serve, but not service. Nuns wore black. So did widows and funeral home directors. For the past 10 years, Pepper Potts had wrapped her body in black to send a clear message to the womanizing Tony Stark “u can’t touch this.”
Now, however, Tony had promoted her not only to a higher position, but to actually replace him as CEO. Technically, she was now her bosses’ boss. Pepper wished to send a clear signal that she was to be taken seriously as a legitimate businesswoman and not simply some floozy her eccentric boss had promoted as a sexual favor. Although Pepper had essentially been running Tony’s company on his behalf for many years, often standing in for him at board meetings and making most of the day-to-day decisions, today would be her first board meeting as the official CEO. Whereas before she had been seen as the mouthpiece of Tony Stark, today she was representing nobody but herself.
Pepper liked clothing. As an avid art historian, Pepper felt very strongly that a businesswoman should dress attractively and professionally, not like a man, but she wasn't sure how that translated into an appropriate signature look for her. For the past several days, she had been driving Tony crazy fretting about what she would wear for her first Board meeting. She had purchased, than returned, countless suits as she searched for the right look. Agonizing at the designer shops on Rodeo drive, she had finally ended up purchasing a double-armload of potential candidates (the saleswomen wanted to throttle her by the time she made her purchases) and brought them back to her former boss to help her choose her new “look.” He did, after all, have as much of a vested interest in how she would be received by his employees and the Board as she did.
Tony was, of course, his usual "helpful" self. She thought he would have become bored with her angsty little fashion show after a few minutes, but he was unusually attentive and incredibly patient while she tried on and vascillated between outfits. Although he had impeccable taste, he also liked to tease, so of course there had been much joking (at her expense). She had immediately rejected anything which caused him to leer or make sexual innuendos. If he thought it made her look too sexy, than so would the employees and other members of the Board. She had also rejected any look which he rejected out-of-hand as unsuitable. Although he didn’t follow woman’s fashion, Tony Stark had been born a “prince” and from birth had been taught how to dress the part. He knew a thing or two about dressing like a CEO.
Finally, she had narrowed things down to three finalists and had to choose. Pepper liked predictability and order, so the “look” she picked today would be the “look” she wore for her entire tenure as CEO. She had to get it right. Lifting one designer suit after another and looking at her reflection in the glass, Pepper was drawn to the gray Versace. Glancing at Tony, who was sitting on the sofa regarding her with a mixture of amusement and … something else, she noticed the soft gray suit she favored matched the glow of the arc reactor glowing in his chest and keeping him alive. To her, that soft silver-blue color had come to symbolize reliability, a guarantee that Tony would survive and never leave her again. It was a fitting symbol for the CEO of the company which bore his name.
“I think I like this one,” she had said, holding the gray Versace up and modelling a little twirl. “It sends a good message.”
“I like it,” he had said, smiling. “A nice steel gray suit for my iron lady.”
“It is not steel gray,” Pepper had corrected. “It’s more silver. And I am not your iron lady!”
“I like it. Buy it! You need it!” he had ordered, which is what he always said when he made a decision and wished her to carry out his wishes. “Besides, it matches my arc reactor.”
Pepper had blushed. She hadn’t expected him to notice that small detail. Tony was staring at her with that intense look again, a combination of the sultry look he had given her the night they had danced and … pride? She smiled and covered by saying, “I’ll return the others and buy more suitable attire.”
“Pepper, you look great. You’ll do great,” he had stated softly, his gaze intensifying. “Champagne?”
“Thank you, I’d love some,” she had replied, sitting next to him on the couch.
“A toast, to my new CEO and boss, Pepper Potts,” he had proposed, leaning in to clink glasses and look intently into her eyes.
Sitting that close to him was a big mistake, she had belatedly realized. A nearly uncontrollable urge to lean in and kiss him overtook her just as it had that night at the opera hall, but this time she was aware the urge existed and managed to retreat to arms-length before she lost control. Just because he was no longer technically her boss didn’t mean she could indulge her base impulses and complicate her new job with a one-night-stand. Pepper had lifted the soft gray suit and placed it between them like a chaperone, toasting, “and to my new signature look!”
Tony Stark wasn’t the only one who liked to wear armor!
Read the whole story at: http://saichick.livejournal.com
Author: saichick
Challenge: Pepperony 100
Theme: 007 Gray
Rating: G
Timeline: early IM2 (spoilers)
Preview: Pepper changes her look.
Note: A character study. A Pepperony one-shot.
Pepper scanned her attire and nodded with approval. The soft grey Versace suit accentuated her curves and looked feminine without being too sexy. Today would be her first day on the job as the new CEO of Stark Industries and she desperately wanted to create the right impression.
Pepper knew all too well that clothes make the man or, in this case, the woman. For the past 10 years, her signature black pencil skirts and conservatively cut suit jackets had been chosen to send a clear message to both her charming boss and also to the people who forever circled in his orbit that Pepper was a woman to be taken seriously. Since her job required her to be in constant close, almost intimate contact with her boss (often in his very home), Pepper had had to come up with a way of signaling the world that she was there to serve, but not service. Nuns wore black. So did widows and funeral home directors. For the past 10 years, Pepper Potts had wrapped her body in black to send a clear message to the womanizing Tony Stark “u can’t touch this.”
Now, however, Tony had promoted her not only to a higher position, but to actually replace him as CEO. Technically, she was now her bosses’ boss. Pepper wished to send a clear signal that she was to be taken seriously as a legitimate businesswoman and not simply some floozy her eccentric boss had promoted as a sexual favor. Although Pepper had essentially been running Tony’s company on his behalf for many years, often standing in for him at board meetings and making most of the day-to-day decisions, today would be her first board meeting as the official CEO. Whereas before she had been seen as the mouthpiece of Tony Stark, today she was representing nobody but herself.
Pepper liked clothing. As an avid art historian, Pepper felt very strongly that a businesswoman should dress attractively and professionally, not like a man, but she wasn't sure how that translated into an appropriate signature look for her. For the past several days, she had been driving Tony crazy fretting about what she would wear for her first Board meeting. She had purchased, than returned, countless suits as she searched for the right look. Agonizing at the designer shops on Rodeo drive, she had finally ended up purchasing a double-armload of potential candidates (the saleswomen wanted to throttle her by the time she made her purchases) and brought them back to her former boss to help her choose her new “look.” He did, after all, have as much of a vested interest in how she would be received by his employees and the Board as she did.
Tony was, of course, his usual "helpful" self. She thought he would have become bored with her angsty little fashion show after a few minutes, but he was unusually attentive and incredibly patient while she tried on and vascillated between outfits. Although he had impeccable taste, he also liked to tease, so of course there had been much joking (at her expense). She had immediately rejected anything which caused him to leer or make sexual innuendos. If he thought it made her look too sexy, than so would the employees and other members of the Board. She had also rejected any look which he rejected out-of-hand as unsuitable. Although he didn’t follow woman’s fashion, Tony Stark had been born a “prince” and from birth had been taught how to dress the part. He knew a thing or two about dressing like a CEO.
Finally, she had narrowed things down to three finalists and had to choose. Pepper liked predictability and order, so the “look” she picked today would be the “look” she wore for her entire tenure as CEO. She had to get it right. Lifting one designer suit after another and looking at her reflection in the glass, Pepper was drawn to the gray Versace. Glancing at Tony, who was sitting on the sofa regarding her with a mixture of amusement and … something else, she noticed the soft gray suit she favored matched the glow of the arc reactor glowing in his chest and keeping him alive. To her, that soft silver-blue color had come to symbolize reliability, a guarantee that Tony would survive and never leave her again. It was a fitting symbol for the CEO of the company which bore his name.
“I think I like this one,” she had said, holding the gray Versace up and modelling a little twirl. “It sends a good message.”
“I like it,” he had said, smiling. “A nice steel gray suit for my iron lady.”
“It is not steel gray,” Pepper had corrected. “It’s more silver. And I am not your iron lady!”
“I like it. Buy it! You need it!” he had ordered, which is what he always said when he made a decision and wished her to carry out his wishes. “Besides, it matches my arc reactor.”
Pepper had blushed. She hadn’t expected him to notice that small detail. Tony was staring at her with that intense look again, a combination of the sultry look he had given her the night they had danced and … pride? She smiled and covered by saying, “I’ll return the others and buy more suitable attire.”
“Pepper, you look great. You’ll do great,” he had stated softly, his gaze intensifying. “Champagne?”
“Thank you, I’d love some,” she had replied, sitting next to him on the couch.
“A toast, to my new CEO and boss, Pepper Potts,” he had proposed, leaning in to clink glasses and look intently into her eyes.
Sitting that close to him was a big mistake, she had belatedly realized. A nearly uncontrollable urge to lean in and kiss him overtook her just as it had that night at the opera hall, but this time she was aware the urge existed and managed to retreat to arms-length before she lost control. Just because he was no longer technically her boss didn’t mean she could indulge her base impulses and complicate her new job with a one-night-stand. Pepper had lifted the soft gray suit and placed it between them like a chaperone, toasting, “and to my new signature look!”
Tony Stark wasn’t the only one who liked to wear armor!
Read the whole story at: http://saichick.livejournal.com