Arranged Affair

CH 20: First Date...Perfecto

Part Twenty

Pepper couldn't decide what to wear because her closet was half full with business suits. There were a few formal dresses and two informal ones. She decided on a black knee-length polka-dotted dress because it was tight and hugged her curves pretty nicely. She chose a black pair of flats and a simple make-up. On her way towards her bathroom she spotted her favorite bottle of perfume standing on a shelf.

After two hours she was finally ready for her dinner with Tony.

Tony, on the other hand began to tap his fingers on the steering wheel of his Audi. He glanced at his watch, irritated. Another traffic light. Great. If he didn't manage to arrive in fifteen minutes Pepper would arrive there before him.

"Come on!" He began to shout to the driver in front of him, who apparently hadn't seen that the traffic light changed to green.

After what seemed an eternity he pulled his car in the restaurant's parking lot and got out hurriedly. Before entering the restaurant he glanced upwards at the dark sky. Apparently it was going to rain. As he made his way towards the receptionist he saw someone he didn't expect to see there.

Harvey Ross. What the fuck is he doing here?

He kept his eyes glued to the bar in front of him as he passed by Pepper's soon to be ex-husband.

The back of his neck began to get sweaty as he realized that Pepper was supposed to arrive any minute.

He tried to act casual and breathe normally, but when he noticed Pepper in a stunning polka-dotted dress his jaw simply dropped.

She didn't see him as she made her way towards Tony. She just smiled a little and simply entered a separate room after Tony.

"Pepper, don't look behind you now." He warned silently while he helped her get seated.

"Why?" She whispered back at him.

"Your husband's here."

"What?!" Pepper shrieked and covered her mouth. "Tony... I told you he would suspect something." She wailed.

"Calm down. He probably has a date or something."

"Calm down? Calm down?! Tony, he might know, and we might end up in the tabloids and on every news channels, and you act like it's nothing?!"

Tony sighed in exasperation and grabbed her hand. Pepper instantly shivered as his warm hand enveloped hers in a strong, comforting grip.

"If he suspects anything, we'll tell everyone this was a business meeting. Anyway, you're the CEO of my company, Potts, and I'm your biggest share-holder. We can discuss business, right?"

"Yes, we can, but not like this. Not in a restaurant. And don't think I have missed this." She said as she looked around herself.

The entire room was empty. They were alone in there.

"Isn't this what you wanted?" He asked softly and looked down at their hands.

Pepper seemed to know what Tony was thinking right then, so she squeezed his hand a little tighter.

"No, you're right. This is what I wanted, but I didn't think he would be here."

"Neither did I." Tony murmured and stroked his thumb in a little circle over her delicate skin of her hand.

There was an awkward silence for a few minutes until Tony spoke.

"You look gorgeous." The billionaire said with a shy smile.

Pepper blushed a little and tried to hide it, but Tony noticed it.

"Thank you, Tony. You're handsome as always."