This couldn't be happening. Sarah stared at Tony Stark who looked so relaxed, so nonchalant. He had no way of knowing that he may as well have single-handedly ruined her life. At least that's what it felt like. She had been mentally preparing herself all day to meet Pepper Potts. The idea of having someone she'd never met in her studio for the first time was hard enough now she learns that the person she'd been gearing up to speak with was the wrong person entirely. Patricia "Pepper" Potts and Anthony Edward Stark were two very different people and she was not ready for this. She had barely been ready for Pepper.
"Hey, you okay?" His voice pulled her from her thoughts and she let out and breath that she didn't know she was holding.
"I'm fine." She snapped more harshly the necessary as she pushed away from her desk and moved a few paces away from the millionaire. She needed to breathe she needed to put some distance between the them. A sigh escaped her as she pretended to sort through some photo's while she tried to get herself under control. "So what can I do for you, Mr Stark?"
"Call me Tony. Pepper didn't tell you?"
"Nothing specific." This had already gone on for far too long.
"You know this will be a Commercial job, right?"
"Yes." She responded, obviously exasperated. This wasn't her first time around the block. "The new Stark Resilient message of green energy and making a better tomorrow. All that."
"Right." Tony agreed. That was a bit of a simplification but he'd let it slide for now. "Starting with our repulsor energy powered car."
"Sounds easy enough. Location?"
"Stark Resilient." She could hear the implied 'duh'.
"This binder contains the head shots of every model I would recommend... take look an-"
"Right, yeah. These are good." Tony said, flipping through the first few pages. "Some of them are great girls," Sarah forced herself not to react. "But I've already go someone in mind."
Sarah froze. Someone else. She hated working with new models. "Oh yeah? Who's that?"
Stark placed a hand on his chest partially blocking the glow from the Arc Reactor coming through his suit. "Me."
Suddenly the tension seemed to leave her body all at once and her anxiety dissipated. Her stance changed from defensive to aggressive. If he hadn't been watching her closely the whole time Tony would have missed the transformation completely.
"No." She said dismissively, pulling her binder from his hands and moving to place it back on the table.
"No?" Tony said, disbelief clear in his voice as he followed close behind her. "Why not?"
Sarah rounded on him and fixed him with a hard gaze. "I don't work with amateurs."
Tony gave a laugh of pure disbelief, this is not the reaction he was accustomed to. "I am not an ame-"
"Having you're picture taken does not make you a model Mr. Stark."
"Tony." She ignored him.
"I. Do not. Work. With Amateurs."
He looked down at her, arms folded over his chest. She was tall, nearly matching his 6'1" at 5'10", thin, small hips and chest. Willowy was the best way to describe it. The pure definition of an ectomorphic body type if there ever was one. Her long ash brown hair was pulled into a tight high ponytail and she carried a surprising tan for someone rumored to rarely leave her studio.
This wasn't over yet. Tony flashed her a confident smirk, "You're sure there's nothing I can do to," reached out to pull her closer. "Change you're- mind..." He faltered when she jerked out of his reached.
Once again she held up the binder. "You can pick a professional."
He pushed it back to her. "That's not going to happen."
"Well then, we're done here Mr. Stark."
"Tony."
"We are done here, Mister. Stark" She repeated for forcefully. She threw the binder back into a drawer in her desk and stalked over to the door. The message was clear as she held it upon. It was time for him to leave. For a moment she though he was going to protest but complied after a moment of thought. He offered her a good-bye and left her studio.
Sarah exhaled deeply and fell back against the door. That had been exhausting. She would not be doing that again for a while.
The moment he stepped out of the studio his phone went off. Tony didn't have to check to know it was Pepper. There was no way her meeting, formerly his, was over yet so they must have been taking a break.
"Hey, Pep." He greeted. "How's the meeting."
"Tell me you got her." Pepper started in immediately. She clearly didn't trust him to get this done and so far she was right.
"Not yet." He said casually.
"Not yet!? Tony, what did you do?" Pepper asked in dismay. "Do you have any idea how long it took me to get that meeting? She doesn't do meetings, Tony!"
"Don't worry, Pep. I've got it under control."
Oddly enough this didn't seem to do much to calm the woman's nerves. "No. You don't do anything else. I will handle it when I get b-"
"Pepper. Pep. Calm down. I'll handle it." He glanced up at the calendar the receptionist had hanging above her desk. His eyes locked on the circled date. "I have a plan."