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The Struggle for Power (Sumi & Alan23)

While Iris was quite patient when it came to Alice, only because she would feel amazingly guilty to make this bubbly person frown or cry, the brunette couldn't help but notice how annoying she was turning to be. Sure, it was all cute and nice of her to even bring coffee, but it was so obvious why she was visiting them every five or ten minutes. And while Iris didn't like how Alice seemed to try and flirt with Jak with every chance, what really bothered her the most was the fact that she couldn't get her job done, and she still had to meet that person to sign an important contract. All this blondie was doing was just to mess up her schedule.

Honestly, she couldn't care less about the glares she was getting from her. Ironically, if there was one person who could make her shiver with one glare would probably be the one next to her. Maybe not so easily, but she was aware that if he would ever look at her with real hateful eyes, she'd probably cower away a little bit. But Alice? No way.

When an hour had passed and Alice showed up again, Iris couldn't help but suddenly snap, standing up on her feet, startling the blondie.

"If you enter this office one more time, one single time today, I'll rip your throat! I have a meeting in half an hour and I didn't manage to explain even half of this shit! I'm running late, and if this company won't get this contract, I'll make sure you'll regret the day you were born!" she suddenly shouted, obviously not intending to kill her for real, but she was close to that. The very informal way of talking in front of her assistant was a clear sign she was going nuts. Normally, she would always speak in a formal way even to her employees. This time, however, she reached her limit.

Alice shuddered slightly. The demon was just unleashed. Iris rarely got mad in front of others, but when she would, it would be Hell on Earth.

"Get out! Get out and-" Iris ordered before she felt something strange going over in her mind. If Alice was scared a moment ago, she was now puzzled as she looked at her boss.

Iris had frozen in place, eyes suddenly averting from Alice to the ground, hiding her face a little as the redness crept to her cheeks. Alice was shocked and scared. She figured that Iris was so angry she just caused her to feel sick. "Miss Iris?... Is she alright?" she questioned, looking over to Jak, while the brunette's arms seemed to wrap around herself to hide her body.
 
Just for a second, Jak didn't know how to react. The tableau before him was quite shocking - iris had reverted back to the shy girl he'd ordered her to become every time she grew angry. She had wrapped her arms around herself, as if she'd suddenly realized her dress was too tight, as if had had suddenly shrunk and became a second skin, immodestly outlining every curve of her body. Alice, meanwhile, was standing, staring at her, too shocked to move. Jak's best move would have been to put her under the influence again, tell to forget what had happened - but he was still finding his feet, and didn't think fast enough. And besides, he had no wish for Iris to know about his talent!

Suddenly he pulled himself together, and acted. Turning to Alice first, he said:

"Alice would you do something for me, honey?"

At being called "honey", and asked for a favor, Alice again went several shades of red, and bit her lip. "Of c-course, Jak. Anything," she replied, a husky tone in her normally high voice.

Jak took her aside and whispered a few things in her ear, while shepherding her gently from the office with a "request" - which he made in terms that he knew she could not help but take as an order - not to come back in until he or Iris sent for her. She went off, still patting at her blond locks, even her neck red from blushing. It was a wonder, Jak thought, she hadn't turned and blown him a kiss.

Jak then turned his attention to iris, who was still hugging herself, covering her boobs with her hands, as if she were naked. her face was as red as Alice's had been, though for a different reason.

Without knowing what he was really doing, acting on instinct, he walked over to her. Softly, he wrapped his arms around her, as if to aid her modesty and comfort her. He knew what had happened - her getting angry had caused his post-hypnotic suggestion to kick in. She had the same expression on her face as she's had the night before, total humiliation as if being caught naked in public. This time, however, her subconscious had supplied a different rationale. Last time, it had been her thinking her shorts were too revealing. This time, her mind had taken on board his earlier suggestion - that the dress was prone to static cling - and used it to "explain" just why her appearance now was so immodest.

"It's OK, Iris," he said, a soft tone in his voice. "You look fine, really. Here, let me help." He began pulling at the dress, as if loosening it, pulling it away from her body. Despite himself, the combination of circumstances - sitting so close to Iris all morning, her in the sexy dress, her helplessness and total dependency on him, her blush - were combining to make him feel quite horny. There was a need in him to help and protect her, that had again flared into his mind. A need to make her feel better about herself.

"Yeah, you look great Iris," he continued. "The dress isn't too tight at all. It was just stuck to you in the air conditioner a little. In fact... "

And then he said it, without thinking. And it was only after he'd said it that he remembered - that afterwards, she'd remember everything that had happened, even while she was under the hypnotic influence!

"In fact you look totally beautiful!"
 
Iris was so embarrassed to the point where she couldn't even pay attention to what was going on around her. Just like her anger, she had an overdose of humiliation kicking in. She could feel some inexistent stares, getting brighter and brighter with every second. The meeting was long forgotten already, her job didn't have an ounce of importance in her mind right now. What mattered now was that she felt like she was totally naked.

For some reason, his tone seemed to make her just a little bit better, yet she couldn't look him in the eyes, gray orbs stuck on the papers on the desk only to avoid seeing what would be his stare.

"But..." she meekly mumbled, before he continued, telling her she looked great. She slowly moved away her arms, only to clutch the dress with her hands, still looking down, listening to his voice at least. The only thing soothing her was his voice, that caring tone and the way he wrapped his arms around her for a couple of moments. She felt awfully good for some unknown reason.

The last sentence, however, totally got her. She slowly turned around so her body would face him in spite of the fact that she couldn't look up at him. The blush seemed to get more intense as she finally averted her gaze, meeting his eyes. "...You... you r-really think so?" she inquired in a lower and shaky voice, even though her hands returned to their initial place, hiding her body again. She was too self-conscious to actually refrain from trying to cover herself in vain.
 
Jak looked around the room for inspiration. The awards and abstract pictures on the wall, the businesslike executive furniture, the large picture window behind Iris' desk. The strong light, and the fact that Iris had opened the venetian blind, meant that he saw their reflection, fuzzy and indistinct. Just for a second, vanity kicked in, and he found himself regarding his own appearance. The dark hair with the slight natural wave, his brown eyes, the slightly overlarge nose, his mouth, perhaps too wide for absolute perfection but with (he'd been told often enough) kissable lips. The white teeth. He admired his own broad shoulders, the business suit squaring them off at the top. His narrow waist, long legs, large feet.

And Iris' back. Her slim form, in the black dress, her hands wrapped around her, making her own cocoon. It was, he thought, like a scene from one of those old rom-coms in the fifties. The moment when the plain librarian takes off her glasses and her hair cascades down, and the male lead says "Why, Miss Blingstock, you're BEAUTIFUL!"

And that, he thought wryly, was what had just happened.

And from here, after his indiscreet utterance, there was only one way to go. He could hardly say "No, it was a joke. You're an ugly bitch", now could he? No matter how much you hated a person, no matter how pathetic she was, no matter what she'd done to him. Leaving a guy battered and bleeding after a fight on the streets was one thing. This was different entirely.

He brushed at her dark mane of hair, pushing it back over her eyes, noting that her still crimson forehead was slippery with sweat. "Well, I'd hardly say it if I didn't mean it, now would I?" he smiled, noting that her already dilated pupils widened even more at his compliment. "Surely you know I can't take my eyes off you. I couldn't at school, even though I had to pretend not to like you. And you're even sexier now." He touched his finger to her lips.

"Why the fuck am I doing this?" he admonished himself. "Why? Why? Why?"

Yet he was still raving on - as if it was something he'd always thought, and had banked up, and now the floodgates had opened, and he could do nothing about it.

"You're one of the most stunning women I ever saw. It's an honor to help such a lovely woman fix her dress."

And then, suddenly deciding he'd stop himself before he gave even more away, he stepped back, and snapped his fingers.

"Are you OK, Iris," he asked, adopting a look of concern. "You sort of blacked out for a minute."
 
Iris seemed to be mesmerized as he admitted he considered this beautiful. As hazy as her mind was, she couldn't really understand everything except the fact that he was complimenting her. When his finger came in contact with her lips, something seemed to change a little in her mind. The mere gesture and the way he said she was even sexier now somehow aroused her.

Even, so she was quiet, unable to say something or beg for something as he kept complimenting her and made her confidence grow little by little.

When he did snap his fingers, however, she suddenly woke up from the trance and blinked repeatedly as she realized her posture. Somewhat embarrassed with her unusual way of holding her arms around her body, she then went back to her usual self. Or at least that's what she intended to do as she brought her hand to her forehead to notice she was sweating.

She could clearly remember what happened a couple of moments ago. Or better yet, what he said. She wasn't sure if it was a dream or anything. But it surely didn't feel like it. Why would she actually be up on her feet if she blacked out?

Iris turned her head and looked at him, the expression something that said 'I did hear what you just said'. She was pretty sure he did compliment her. She couldn't understand her own behavior earlier, but that didn't matter anymore. Not after what she heard.

"Oh my God! The meeting!" she suddenly exclaimed as she remembered an essential thing, hurrying to the drawer to take out some documents and her mobile. "Damn it." she muttered and then stopped trying to figure out what to do first. "Alright, sit down and pay attention. I'll be quick about this, but it's pretty simple when you get the hang of it. The rest I'll leave to Alice to explain it." she suddenly went back to her business mode, motioning to him to take his seat.
 
All in all, Jak felt he'd got away with his mistake pretty well. He hadn't meant to call her beautiful, and he still had no idea why he'd done it. It had sort of jumped out of his mouth. It had just felt good to give her what she obviously needed at the time. But, he thought, she obviously had no memory of it. Or, if she did, she'd managed to slip back into business mode pretty quickly. He watched as she sashayed away, her tight bottom undulating under the clinging skirt, and was forced to face the fact. He'd meant what he had said. She was beautiful.

Jak didn't know it, but he was discovering a fact that people who have been in power over others for a long time know for a certainty. That having power over someone, in a sense, gives them power over you. You come to rely upon their submission, to the extent that you crave it like a drug, and often you develop, at a subconscious level, a high regard and affection for them. The fact that Iris obviously needed him didn't give him the sense of power and authority that he'd thought it would. Instead, he was feeling sorry for her, as if he wanted to help her, make her feel better. He even wanted to do his work well, to please her. He had to shake his head, and deliberately remember some of the bitchy things she'd said to him, to shake that feeling off.

Iris had been gone about an hour when Alice came in again. She looked carefully around the room, a slightly scared expression on her face, as if frightened that Iris was still there, and relaxed visibly when Jak told her she'd gone to her meeting.

"Oh, she's got you doing the summaries," Alice said, looking sympathetically at him. "That's such a slog. Here, let me help."

She sat down next to him, and began working at a sheet of paper with a red pen, skillfully underlining various paragraphs and crossing out others. Jak noticed that though the desk at which he was sitting was quite wide enough to enable them to sit a few feet apart, she'd nonetheless deliberately placed her chair right next to his, so that her leg would keep touching his whenever either of them moved. And that the blush he'd noticed before had come back onto her face.
 
Iris was overly happy and that could be seen on her rosy lips curling into a smile as she arrived back to the company, all of a sudden feeling like she had regained her real confidence. She had the contract and a promise that they might even get some funds for a new project. Overall, it was a complete success, and maybe even more than she expected. Surely her skills of persuading and the years she had worked in the company were useful enough.

Even the employees seemed to be surprised as they saw her this happy for once. Not that they minded it. If anything, they expected a good day given that the demon-like boss was now in a good mood.

When she did open the door to her office and spotted Alice so close to him, however, it took a little bit of effort to refrain from keeping that happy expression. Sure, she did expect for her to help him out given that she didn't finish explaining everything out, but for the Lord's sake, why did she have to stay so close to him? Not even she, herself, didn't resort to something like having her leg touch him that way while they worked. Was she just plainly flirting with him?

No, never mind that. She would not ruin her mood because of this blondie. Though, she wouldn't thank her for messing up her plans earlier, disturbing her work. "Well, well, well... Quite the workers here." she remarked, before she walked over behind the two, taking advantage of the fact that they weren't facing her, to glare down at her daring leg. Swiftly putting on a smile, she looked over the papers, before she spotted a mistake. Bending forward a little, to slip her arm between them and point out the mistake, she then tapped her finger down. "You forgot this and this. In your place, Alice, I'd actually pay more attention to my tasks instead of fluttering my eyelashes around and throwing glares at miss Iris." she said in a warning tone, while the last two words were spoken in the same fashion the blondie would call her. "You can call yourself lucky that I arrived in time for the meeting. Else you wouldn't be here right now." she added with a sweet smile that showed she was actually nowhere happy about how Alice seemed to step on her tail and flirt with her man. Weird how, even though he just humiliated her so many times already, right now, she was thinking something like this.

Straightening up, she elegantly made her way to the shelves on the right to place away the sheet of paper that was in fact a copy of the contract just to have it in case she needed it again. "You can go now. But Jak will stay a little bit more. I have some things to discuss with him." she suddenly said, turning around to face them again, arms crossed under her chest.
 
Jak noticed that Alice visibly reddened when Iris admonished her in front of him. In fact, just for a second, she pouted in anger, opened her mouth as if to defend herself, then obviously thought better of it. She stood up, and with a "Very good, Miss Iris," that meant it was obviously anything but, gave a sharp tug to her jacket and matched out of the room, slamming the door as she left.

Jak had missed nothing. He'd seen the look on Iris' face, the way she'd had to fight to keep her smile in place when she'd seen the two of them together. How she'd deliberately found a mistake, then made an effort to interpose herself between them. The way she'd deliberately asserted her authority, to keep Alice in her place. Iris had been in a good mood before she'd seen them, and though now she obviously wasn't quite angry enough for the post hypnotic suggestion to trigger, it was obviously that her good mood had dissipated, and she'd only managed to recover it by sending Alice packing. Even the way she was standing now, with her arms crossed defensively across her body as if defending herself from some threat, told a story.

Here was a woman in the throes of extreme jealousy.

He'd never quite believed it up until now. Sure, he knew she'd probably worn the black dress to look good for him. And probably left off her ridiculous Spanx for the same reason. And he knew that Alice now had the hots for him. But he'd half thought that Iris' annoyance at the blondie's constant interruptions had been simply that she was distracting him from his work. But he could see now, beyond doubt, that Iris was feeling truly insecure, that she felt another woman was moving on on her man, and that she didn't feel totally equal to the threat!

Just for a second he fancied he could see the old Iris, as a schoolgirl, her frightened eyes and downcast face, after yet another teasing by her more confident schooldays - superimposed over her new, confident features.

And he knew that the slightly scared, not quite sure of herself Iris Augustine was the real Iris - that the other was just a pose. It wasn't really his hypnotic skill that had made her this way - though that had brought it to the surface. Iris really was a scared, frightened, insecure little girl.

"Yes, Iris," he said, respectfully, and using the phrase Alice had tipped him off was the best way to respond to any of Iris' requests. "How may I help you."
 
Iris noticed how irritated was the blondie. She would have gotten angry about her attitude given that she even dared to slam the door as if she was some kid angry after a fight with a parent. Nevertheless, seeing how she was this annoyed and angry, the better it was. After all, she didn't want to make Alice feel any better after she just bluntly tried to flirt with Jak, right under her nose. On the other hand, she did seem to be bothered by the fact that Alice was neglecting her work too. The company worked like a clock system, and if one little piece wasn't working, the whole thing would be screwed up. If Alice continued to make mistakes, she'd have to fire her whether she flirted around or not.

Returning her attention to Jak, she raised an eyebrow at that overly familiar phrase. She shook her head with a smile. "Did she teach you how to speak too? You seem to enjoy Alice's company. It's probably fun to have someone to play around with. Especially because it's so obvious she's head over heels with someone in particular." she remarked, walking over to him and taking the spot Alice was in earlier, her actual directorial chair. Unlike the blondie, she kept a little bit of distance between themselves. Somewhere between intimately close, yet far enough to feel comfortable and avoid any awkwardness.

"But, leaving the blondie aside... let's talk about something else." she started, legs crossed and finger twirling around a curl, while the other hand rested leisurely on the arms of the chair. A smile was planted on her lips.

"Tell me, Jak... How come I blacked out and yet I was still up on my feet?" she questioned, before she chuckled darkly.

"You know, I might have been embarrassed with myself right now for how weird I acted right then, but the embarrassment seemed to fade away. Do you know why?" she asked rhetorically.

"Totally beautiful. I'll keep that in mind. Though, I have to admit it, I never thought you'd ever say such things. Or was this your way of catching me off guard?" she inquired playfully, tilting her head at him. "Your face. It was priceless, Jak." she pointed out with a smirk.
 
"Yeah. Yeah she told me that was the right... urm, the correct thing to say" answered Jak. "And yeah, she has been pretty helpful teaching me how to do stuff. She knows how you like stuff done, the way to present it. And you did tell me to listen to her, right?" He could almost smell Iris' jealousy, right now. He decided neither to feed it, nor to dampen it. He'd watch carefully, see what was his best course. Apart from anything else, he had no wish to get Alice into trouble - after all, she'd done him no harm.

When she asked about blacking out, while still standing, Jak was genuinely mystified. Why the fuck would she think he'd have the answer to that one. Of course, he could have told her, but why she thought he could was a mystery indeed. "Iris, I ain't no doctor. I've got no idea why. I've seen it before, usually when someone's gone without sleep for too long, maybe you've been working too hard, like too late in the night or something, I don't know. Like I guess you just had a short power nap, or whatever."

"But I can't see how you can be embarrassed," he continued in response to her next question. "I mean, everybody knows that stuff you say when you're blacked out doesn't count. It's not as if you were in control. It's like dreaming you murder someone and then having to go to prison for it. It's not like it's real."

He thought, at that point, that he was on top of the situation. But then, her next question, about his saying she was beautiful, came close to flooring him. He recovered, but not quite quickly enough. He knew she'd seen his momentary confusion.

"Yeah, well," he mumbled. "Like, well, I didn't know thinking your boss was beautiful was a sacking offense. Like you more or less asked me what I thought, and I'm supposed to do what you tell me, so I answered your question." He wondered if he should deny it, try to make her think she'd dreamed it. Or even say he'd been lying - but as an experienced liar, he knew not to try it when he wouldn't be believed. "Like it's not fair, Iris," he blurted out. "What was I supposed to say?" Suddenly, a phrase from one of the documents he had been summarizing came to mind. "It is ax-i-omatic that feedback is of not practical value unless said feedback is honest," he said, proud of being able tor remember it. "But OK, if you don't like me saying it I won't do it again."

And then, a way in which he might gain the upper hand again struck him, though he suspected it was too late.

"Urm, can I go now Iris? Only Alice said she wanted to take me to that coffee shop in Foster's Lane, and I think she's waiting."
 
Iris looked pretty bored at his answer, talking about how Alice is so helpful and saying in return that she herself told him to go listen to Alice. She did tell him that she'd be helping him and he should be listening. But actually saying nothing and just staying there, letting that woman getting closer to him irritated her. She quickly pushed that thought aside, waiting eagerly for his answer to the real matter.

"Short power nap which lasted about fifteen minutes? So, I just stood there, sleeping for fifteen minutes? You're hilarious." she mumbled, but let him continue, the smile unable to be erased now.

It was funny to see him struggling to lie and act as nothing happened. However, this time, she caught him. And she would not let him get away without a scratch so to speak. Besides, it was about time she would show him she could have the upper hand too.

Her eyebrows raised, Iris was totally amused as he started to mumble, seeming a little taken aback by what she said. The little pause gave him away. Lying was indeed hard when there would be some unexpected questions or points.

She shook her head, mocking him with an expression that showed 'her utter regret' for making things unfair. Though, at the explanation, she couldn't help but stifle a laugh. Where did he learn those phrases, she wondered.

His attempt of escape was too obvious.

"She can wait a little more. Besides, from what I recall, her working hours aren't over. And I still didn't finish with you." she spoke with a sweet smile, before her expression turned a little bit more serious.

"Jak... how stupid do you think I am? I mean, seriously. You were mocking me yesterday so mercilessly as if you were the boss here instead of me, and now, all of a sudden you're as meek as a sheep. You already gave yourself away." she stated, for once being confident in front of him, genuinely confident.

"You almost fooled me this morning. I could've sworn I dreamed that. Coincidentally, just after that 'incident' in which you left so abruptly, you suddenly decided to play the perfect employee. Strange, isn't it? Honestly, I have no idea what's going on with me, but I'm sure of one thing. You do love to take advantage of the situations. No, maybe I'm wrong. It was just the other night you took advantage. Today, it was something else entirely."

"Today I heard something I never heard even in all those years of high school. What would you be afraid of, Jak? Why would you feel forced to compliment me to that extent?" she inquired, the playful smile showing how much she enjoyed this.
 
"And just how stupid do you think *I* am?" Jak countered. "Sure I was taking the piss out of you yesterday - and no more than you deserved, since you were acting like a prime bitch, treating me like some fucking handbag you'd bought at Saks instead of a person. There's no way I'm going to crawl up your ass just 'cos you've got money. But you stopped that, and started treating me with respect, and all the time you do that, you'll get the same from me. Weirdly enough, I'd as sooner make this thing be a success and stay out of jail, if I can. So I'm doing the work you give me as well as I can do it. If you think that's taking advantage of the situation - well, why wouldn't I?

"And I've no fucking idea why you blacked out. Maybe you had a stroke or something? I guess you'd need a doctor or a psychiatrist for that. All I know is, you suddenly started mumbling and saying weird stuff. So I sent Alice out, 'cos she was making things worse, gaping at you. I was trying to do the right thing. Then I helped you as well as I could. I dunno why you're talking like it was my fault." He spread his arms. "What, you think I'm a... a warlock or wizard or something, that can make you go mental whenever I like?"

There were two huge weaknesses in his argument, and he knew it. The first was that his impassioned defense had made no mention of the night before - that was a thing he'd sooner not keep on the surface of this discussion right now. The second was that, stupidly and misguidedly, he'd called her beautiful. A plan briefly ran through his mind of hypnotizing her again, making her forget that, but the whole idea was too complex, laying suggestion upon suggestion like an onion skin. Far too much to go wrong.

No, a change of battlefield to a more advantageous terrain was in order here.

"So what makes you think I was forced to compliment you anyway? You asked me a question, I answered. If you'd said 'is the sky blue' I'd have said 'yes'. If you'd said... er... 'is it hot in the Arctic'... I'd have said 'no'. I gave you a truthful answer. What do you want me to say if you go all feral and ask me again then? That you're an ugly, warty old witch? That the freaking Fifth Amendment won't let me answer? For fuck's sake Iris, give me a chance here."
 
Iris felt a little internal sting as he talked like that. She hated it whenever he would speak in those kind of terms as if he held no more respect for her. After all, a man wouldn't talk like that to a woman right? But, there was something in his answers again, something which pointed out that he was focusing on only one thing, leaving the real matter aside.

"Would you stop playing the victim?" she questioned with a slight frown, crossing her arms against her chest, shaking her head at him.

"Look, Jak. You don't seem to quite understand what I'm trying to say here." she started, the frown fading slowly away. "I didn't exactly blame you for my state right then. I just pointed it out to prove you that I did hear everything you said right then. Though, if you do feel guilty, who am I to say you're not?" she added with a smirk. "I was merely curious as to why would you compliment me out of all the persons out there, even in those circumstances. And if I recall, you did seem like you meant every little word. Then again, if this subject bothers you so much, we'll leave it aside. Besides, what my real focus was, was the previous night. For which you seem to have no answer."

Taking a sip of the cold coffee left from the morning, she then placed the cup back on the desk and looked over at him, seeming all so innocent.

"I'll always get the same from you? Mhm... I wouldn't say that. Or did I anger you so much that you just couldn't help the other night but take advantage of the situation and make me please you?" she questioned, tapping her fingers on the desk, waiting for an answer.
 
Jak felt his stomach sink. OK. He could keep ducking and weaving, keep shifting ground. Hand the advantage to her totally, and fight a long retreat. But she'd know he was lying, and the very fact that he was gave her a moral advantage that he couldn't tolerate. He was, in a sense, back to square one, save the small ray of light that he'd showed her he wouldn't be messed with. Like, maybe, a wounded animal who snaps at a predatory wolf, encouraging it to move on to easier prey.

And then it came to him - perhaps all was not as lost as he'd thought. But the tactics he used were different from those he'd planned. Quite simply - he'd tell, some at least, of the truth.

"OK, then," he sighed. "Let's get this out of the way, then you can have your little laugh. I called you beautiful because I do think you're beautiful. I thought you were hot back in school but there was no way I was going to let you know that. You were just some little rich girl, and all your friends used to lead guys on till they were panting and then drop them, and I thought that's all you wanted to do. So I told you to take a hike.

"And after this, now you're my boss - like, I'm gonna start praising your looks out in the open? All you'd do was think I was smarming up to you. But it's not easy to keep it back when you think a woman's attractive, and so... sure, I let it out, like getting it out of my system, at a time when I didn't think you'd remember it. Like people sometimes write a letter telling their thoughts then destroy it before they send it, you know. If I thought you were going to remember it, I'd have kept my fucking mouth shut, but it's too late now.

"So go ahead. Have your good laugh. The guy what rejected you back at school regrets it totally, and thinks you're hot! And you know it." He shrugged. "Enjoy your victory. But don't ask me next time you black out, 'cos I'll tell you to go fuck yourself. I'd sooner go back to jail than say it again."
 
Iris was torn between being disappointed with how he admitted how he thought she was beautiful without much of a fight, and being satisfied with finally having her beauty acknowledged, by nobody else but the one she had longed for in her high school years and even up until now. However, seeing how he even offered to explain why he kept ignoring her at that time when they were still in school, she decided that maybe she shouldn't be such a bitch about it. Though, now that she knew the reason for his constant ignorance towards her, Iris kind of wished she was more outgoing back at that time. Else, there wouldn't be this misunderstanding. Not that it would solve everything, because their different social status was still there. Still, the way he said it... it gave her some hope.

Then again, Jak had a way of ruining her mood whenever she would go against her own will and think of being nice to him. He was regretting the fact that he said it, as if she didn't deserve this compliment anymore. And then he went the other way and admitted that he regretted the fact that he rejected her. If she had to be honest, Iris was a little bit confused as to whether he thought of her as a completely crazy bitch, or the hot girl he regretted to have pushed away. Well, it was probably both, given how appearances and personality traits were two completely different things.

Nevertheless, his stubbornness and overall, his tone and the way he said that he would not ever call her beautiful again, but instead curse her, made the brunette frown slightly, obviously a little bit irritated as she picked up the cup of coffee and sipped on it. Or better said, she was just disappointed with the answer. And for some reason he once again avoided the important question. She honestly didn't care right now about how weird she was acting lately, and her sudden crazy cravings, but what really made her curious was whether Jak simply wanted to make her pay for her attitude towards him, or he simply had some feelings for her that he wanted to hide. Or was it just her body that he wanted? The thought caused her to swallow the last drop of coffee and yet feel just as empty as the cup she placed back on the glass desk.

Unlike what he expected, she didn't laugh at him, the frown being replaced with a blank expression. "You're free to go." she pointed out, before she looked at him. "Alice was waiting for you at that coffee shop, right? You wouldn't want to make her wait now, would you?" she questioned, waiting to see his response, to see what he would choose. "I can help you out with the rest of the work now, or you can go and meet Alice and do the work alone later. You're free to choose whatever you prefer." she explained, obviously testing him to see what he'd rather choose. Or rather, who he'd rather choose.
 
Jak knew that unless he was totally convincing now, he'd lost. She'd know how much he had the hots for her, and from then on, his life would be a total misery. Everything inside him screamed out that he wanted to stay with Iris. But there was no way he was going to admit that. No way in the world!

"So, what do you think?" he asked, almost spitting out the words. "Just because you've bought me doesn't mean I want to spend any more time in your company than I'm forced to. Even slaves get time off for meals, right?"

He marched out of the office, before she could reply.

* * * * *

In fact, having coffee with Alice was more than an ordeal than anything. Having snared his company, she seemed to regard them as an item, even though he gave her no encouragement. She kept "Accidentally" touching his hand when she reached out for the sugar, bringing the future into the conversation under the guise of asking him questions "Have you ever been to Southern California? I'd love to go there, sometime." "Do you find the price of apartments hugely expensive too? I guess when your stint here's over, you'll be looking for a place. Me, I find my own place much too big for one." "We really should see that new Tarantino movie,"...

In fact, the only time she left off trying to reassure herself they were a couple was to badmouth Iris, in a subtle way, but which left no doubts. She was forcing him to compare the two. It was obvious Alice already regarded Jak as her man, and was defending her territory!

She fished for compliments continually, asking him how he liked her hair the way it was (And since he could hardly insult her, he told her it looked good, whereupon she blushed bright pink and giggled), or what he thought of her lipstick (providing him with the unwanted information that it was kiss-proof), and when they had to go back to the office, she gripped his hand and wouldn't let it go until they were back at the entrance.

* * * * *

As he entered Iris' office, he carefully composed his features into a satisfied look, as if the lunch (and company) had been the best he'd ever had in his life. He actually felt like throwing himself in Iris' arms and begging her to warn Alice off, but there was no way he was going to do that.

It struck him that he and Iris probably had the weirdest employer / employee relationship that had ever existed. He had the hots for his boss, and had to pretend he didn't, and had the hots for a woman she loathed. It was like the plot of a bad novel!
 
In spite of her attempt to be ignorant, Iris found herself frowning once again as he chose Alice over her, and even talked to her the way he did. Oh, how would she love to get rid of that blondie! If only that woman wasn't useful to the company, she would have fired her in a blink. Still, she couldn't fire someone who did nothing wrong in terms of work. There goes her luck. With a sigh, she watched him close the door behind him as he left, and then shook her head with yet another desperate sigh.

Now, since he was gone, she could just focus on her work, right? A perfect time to get most of her work done and be the responsible woman she was before he suddenly showed up in her life again. That, if she could concentrate. Biting down on the end of the pencil in her hand as she struggled to read a sentence over and over as if she couldn't understand it, she then groaned and leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes and crossing her arms against her chest.

Various scenarios ran through her mind. What if that blondie would flirt with him right at the very moment, snatching Jak away from her? Or even worse. What if she tried to talk bad about her and make Jak think she was the worst woman? No. Wait. He already knew she could be a total bitch. He probably knew that the best. But, what if he found that bubbly woman much better than her?

"God, damn it!" she mumbled under her breath and opened her eyes again. Thankfully for her, she wasn't angry enough to stir the hypnosis, but it was enough to make her a little bit irritated. Alright, she had to calm down. Think of something pleasant and get the job done. She closed her eyes. Yes. Something pleasant. Like getting along with him and being complimented on how beautiful she was, and maybe even how much of a great woman she was. She nodded to herself, as if to approve of the images formed in her head.

And before she knew it, Iris was engaged in this day dreaming, to the point where she thought of an entire scenario, slowly building up the romance and the mushy things you would see in a typical romantic movie with a happy ending. However, it wasn't the best idea.

While her imagination was something innocent at the beginning, somewhere along the way, the thoughts turned into something else, until she felt a spark inside of her. The moment he opened the door, her eyes snapped open, seeing the man she needed the most right now. Her cheeks flushed and her breath slightly heavier, her own gray eyes reflecting the sudden need inside of her.

At the same time, there was something at the back of her mind that made her feel embarrassed too, given that she was caught fantasizing by him. She wasn't really caught doing something improper, but the mere fact that he showed up just as she was thinking of him in the lewdest way possible made her a little shyer. And at the same time, she craved his attention.

Getting up from her chair, she made her way towards him, the very moment she got close to him, her fingers clutching on his shirt. "Jak... I need you..." she whispered, between the short deep breaths, looking up at him with a pleading expression, waiting for even the smallest sign of affection from him, or at least, for the smallest order from him.
 
Alice was totally unable to concentrate on her work. Her mind was ablaze. But it was switching up and down like a roller-coaster.

On the one hand, she had plenty to celebrate. She had got Jak to take her to lunch. And while they were there, she'd got to hold his hand. And he'd held hers all the way back. And he'd complimented her on her hair, and her make up. (Alice's mind was deliberately repressing that she'd had to manoeuvrings the compliments out of him, or that he could hardly have let go of her hand without causing a scene - her mind could just not handle that orwellian double-think!).. . Yes, they were an item, she and Jak. And that was fantastic.

But there was something that wasn't quite as joyful in her mind too.

Sure, Jak had gone to lunch with her. But that bitch Ms Augustine had him for the rest of the day, and every day, And, after work, he'd go home with her. Iris Augustine, with her dark good looks, and her perfect figure, and her money. Her money!!! Alice knew that if it came down to it, her hold on her love wasn't nearly as secure as she could have wished. Iris had the hots for Jak, the evil, man-stealing bitch. And as Iris' employee, Alice was helpless to defend her rights. Somehow, she had to find a way to make herself look better, more sophisticated that Iris, make Iris look ridiculous. But there just seemed no way she -

"Delivery. Delivery for Ms Iris Augustine!"

The harsh voice of the delivery boy broke into Alice's reverie. She had to sign for the package. As she did so, wondering how long before she might have to develop a new signature, with a different surname, she found herself wondering what might be in the package. Unlike others, which were obviously paper, this one felt soft and yielding to her touch.

Examining the markings on the outside, she suddenly remembered. Iris kept a change or two of clothes in the office, everything from shoes to underwear. And from time to time these outfits were sent out for dry-cleaning, or washing. And as this thought struck her, so did another. A totally daring one, yet one which made her smile in happiness.

She'd suddenly thought of the perfect way to make Iris look small!

* * * * *

"Jak. I need you!"

Jak's first reaction as Iris grabbed his shirt was one of shock and surprise. He knew she had the hots for him, but hadn't realized she'd ever have admitted it quite so blatantly. Was it a trick, to draw out that he felt the same way about her? She could deny having said anything after the event.

And yet, there had been something about her as he'd entered. A dreamy look, as if contemplating a happy future. And it hadn't faded when she'd looked at him. In fact, quite the reverse. And he'd had girls fake affection before, and it was obvious this was the real thing!

And so, before he could even think things through, he found himself acting. Bringing his face close to hers, feeling her tremble, shutting his eyes, smiling, preparing for what might well be the most significant kiss either of them had ever experienced in their lives. Once he kissed her, there could be no turning back.

And this was the moment. Their lips touched, softly, preparatory to becoming a full-blown, irrevocable statement that she was his, and he was hers. This was -

"Honestly, Ms Augustine," came Alice's high voice, as she strode into the office. Jak, not sure if Iris wanted Alice to know what went on behind the closed door, stepped back. Iris could do the same, or continue with the kiss and dismiss Alice, depending on how she wanted to play it.

"Honestly, Ms Augustine, we've got to do something about that laundry. They're just nowhere near up to scratch. Look at this... "

First, she held up a jacket, with a noticeable ink-stain on it. She'd put the stain there herself, just to give herself an excuse to enter. "Look, that stain's as bad as ever. It's the same with this blouse, look, they've ripped the stitching- " (which again, Alice had ripped herself)... "And just look at these. The gussets all stained, they haven;t washed them anywhere near thoroughly enough!"

And, with an innocent and anguished expression on her face, which masked her inner glee at how it would make Iris feel, she held up Iris' largest and most embarrassing pair of Spanx, more of an old-style panty girdle really, that she only wore with her very sleekest skirts. The girdle was pale pink in color, with gripper bands at the legs to keep her pantyhose tight and stop it riding up, and these bands were decorated with lace - the kind of garment that (except for Iris) only women of late middle aged wore, and even then they;d keep quiet about it. Nothing could have been calculated to make Iris appear more ridiculous.

"Just look at them," she continued, holding them up by the waistband, fully extended, making sure Jak got a good look at them too. "It's disgraceful. They did the flesh-colored ones all right, but the blue ones, you know, with the power-band at the tummy, they're just as bad as this one!"

The other two pairs were purely inventions of Alice's, the description being hastily obtained on-line from a site catering to older women - but given the pair she was already displaying, she knew Jak couldn't help but believe in the imaginary pairs as well. Nothing destroys a woman's image of sophistication, she knew, so much as revealing she wore ridiculous underwear!
 
Iris wasn't sure whether she was acting weird again for being this blunt, or just simply wanted him so badly that she would be able to step on her pride. However, as soon as he moved forward, his face inching closer to hers, she could barely contain her happiness and excitement. The kiss she has longed for in all those miserable years of high school was now going to be hers. Just like a schoolgirl kissing her crush for the first time, the brunette closed her eyes as well, waiting until their lips would meet. And then just as they touched, feeling the softness of his lips against hers, and just as she thought she stepped into heaven, the devil from the hell walked into her office with the usual annoying high pitched voice.

She would have gave Alice a full blown death stare for disrupting the moment, only to see the stupid excuse she came up with to show up in her office.

"Alice, I don't care-" she spoke, before she was cut off by the talkative blondie, who suddenly showed her favorite jacket stained with ink, her blouse which had suffered damage too, and then, the final blow.

Iris froze in place as Alice held up the pair of spanx. She was going to kill her. Oh, she was going to make her life a living hell! But first, she would have to get over the embarrassment. No, wait... Why would she be embarrassed? He already knew about her wearing spanx. Still the fact that she showed the worst pair out there, didn't make it any better.

Face flushed with embarrassment, Iris walked to her and grabbed the clothes from her. "Would you at least stop blatantly lying in front of me?" she muttered in her face, taking a deep breath as she felt her teeth gritting involuntarily.

Showing a sarcastic smile, she closed the door of her office as well, as to not have someone peaking in. Besides, nobody else dared to enter her office without knocking. Except for the two by her side right now. Her naughtiest employees. "I don't have a blue pair, you little..." she spoke and stopped herself before she would curse her. She could strangle her right there and then. She was doing it on purpose. It was obvious enough.

But Jak was still there. And if he saw her acting all bitchy towards Alice, what would he think? She mentally cursed the situation.

"I'll make sure you pay for this. Either by cutting your wage down, or by teaching you a lesson with my own hands." she muttered in a lower voice as she stood close to Alice.

"You can go now. And make sure you get this jacket clean and have the blouse back as it was, whether you have to buy a new one or not. That is, if you don't want to have someone replace you." Iris warned, obviously pissed off at this point, as she handed her the jacket and the blouse. "I'll keep these." she mumbled slightly redder, as she kept the spanx in her clutch and then motioned to the blondie to move out of her office, while she quickly hid the spanx into one of the drawers in her office.

But there was still an embarrassing part... She could almost hear Jak laughing as soon as Alice would be gone. Hell, they would probably laugh about it when they would be alone. That little bitch had to be taught a lesson.
 
If Jak had not already known Iris wore Spanx, Alice's revelation of her underwear would have amazed him. Iris was not, you'd think, they type of woman to wear such things. However, given the situation between the two women, he could see exactly what was going on. He didn't pick Alice's lie about the imaginary panties, but the rest of it he got pretty right. It was kind of flattering, really - to have two women competing for him.

The day before, he might have laughed himself silly, teased Iris about the incident until she was screaming with rage. But the thought struck him that he didn't want to do that, any more. It was strange, how she'd worked her way under his skin. He felt angry at her behalf, and on Iris' behalf. And this shocked him.

The problem was that even if he wanted to reassure Iris he was, for once, totally helpless. He could hardly diplomatically pretend not to have seen them - after all, Alice had held them up in full view. Nor could he laugh the situation off - Iris' obvious mortification, the way she rushed to hide the offending things in her desk drawer, her bright red blush. And just what could he say to improve the situation. "It's OK, I already knew you wore Spanx," wouldn't work - it might only increase her humiliation. Some rubbish about it not mattering would be equally ineffective, and sound patronizing. He toyed with the idea of telling her he actually found antique underwear sexy, but knew she'd never fall for that!

Suddenly, a way occurred for him to at least lessen her embarrassment. Iris had her back to him, probably to hide her consternation, as she stuffed the pants in the drawer, and he walked up behind her and put his arms around her, gently nuzzling the nape of her neck with his lips.

"Funny how all the supermodels are wearing stuff like that, these days," he said, as if just passing a mild observation, as if the situation was no big deal. "There was this vid on youtube a few days ago, of Gisele Bundchen's dress blowing up, and she was wearing pants just like those. And did you see that pic of Miranda Kerr? She had one on too." By Iris' refusal to turn and look at him, he knew it wasn't working. He tried changing tack. "Anyway, you're really pretty, whether you're wearing your Spanx or not," he said, but he knew that was no good either...
 
Iris tensed and blushed even harder as she felt a pair of arms wrapping around her, shortly after, feeling his lips against the back of her neck, obviously giving her the goosebumps.

She was about to push his arms away if it wasn't for his voice ringing near her ear. Was he trying to make her feel better? No, she couldn't trust him. He was laughing at her a day ago about her spanx, why would he suddenly try to comfort her? Then again, she could only wonder about what he was really planning. Was he looking for a weakness? Not that he didn't find enough already. Either way, it was almost unbelievable to hear him try to shake away her embarrassment.

But she couldn't face him. Not when these gestures and his acting only made it more difficult for her to make the redness fade away from her face.

"W-why? You said you'd never say this again... compliment me..." she pointed out, attempting to keep her voice straight, though, it came out more like in a weaker tone.

"Besides, she's much nicer to you. She has a nice body, she is popular with everyone in the company and doesn't yell at anyone. You most likely prefer her over me!" she blurted out, somewhat annoyed as she remembered the blondie and suddenly turned around, taking a step back only to be stopped from going any farther due to the desk behind her.

She couldn't look him in the eyes. Instead, she found herself looking down at the floor, cheeks as red as before, if not even redder, frowning slightly.

"It's always her, but not me! Any other woman is better than Iris, because she's a cold hearted bitch, but Alice is always the nicest person around! Yet, who's the one to work until later every damn single day just to make this company prosper and make every employee happy by giving them the best wages possible? Sure, it's Iris, but no one gives a damn about it! They'd rather thank Alice for serving them coffee and flashing a smile at them. Of course they would not thank their own employer who actually scolds them with a good reason, whenever there's a mistake, so they can learn and do better!" she started to speak, probably sounding a little bit crazy for speaking of herself in the third person. But this was just the beginning.

"I didn't mind it until now, I honestly didn't care! She could have all the attention she wanted for all I cared! But this is honestly driving me crazy!" she suddenly raised her voice a little bit higher, curling her fingers into fists. "Getting so close to you as if she were some kind of leech, purposely making me look bad and stealing all of your attention... I hate it!" she admitted, before she realized how desperate she sounded, how much jealousy she kept inside and ended up even more embarrassed than before. She simply stood there, trembling with what seemed like shame and anger at the same time, until she turned around once again, facing the other way to hide her horrible expression. She couldn't say another single word. She knew that if she talked now, it would barely come out as a whisper.
 
Jak could sense Iris' mistrust, and frankly he couldn't blame her. After teasing her to the point of utter mortification about her underwear the day before, he could hardly expect her to believe he was trying to comfort her now. Though, ironically enough, it was the truth, he couldn't expect her to credit it. He could try to distract her, telling her she was beautiful, but he knew that having suffered being made to look a total fool in front of the man she desired, she'd hardly be in the mood to accept compliments, however well meant.

But what she'd just said removed any doubt as to what was growing between them. If she'd had herself under control, she'd have criticized Alice's lack of respect, her lack of commitment, her disloyalty. Not - and this was significant - lamented how good looking the blondie was, and how she had tried to come between iris and himself.

In short, she had declared herself, removed any doubt. And nothing between them could ever be the same again. He could, right now, plunge her into a depth of self-doubt from which she might never recover. All he had to do was agree with her, tell her how ridiculous she'd looked, how right she was in calling herself a cold-hearted bitch, how true it was that lice was so much better than her.

And she'd deliberately set out to humiliate him - by buying him, as if he were an object. He had, he knew, every right to do it.

And yet...

There are many events in a male's life that could be said to be rites of passage. His first fight. His first alcoholic beverage. His first fuck. Learning to drive. Moving out of home. All of these things, in their own way, change a male from being a "boy" into a "man". But there is another definition of a man, too. Sometimes, the difference between remaining a boy and becoming truly a man comes down to a single choice. A man is, when it comes down to it, the sum not of his abilities but his choices.

And, at that second, Jak chose to be a man.

He turned her around, knowing she was not strong enough to resist, though she did her best bu looking down at the floor, to hide the expression on her face. He leaned forward and kissed her gently.

"Yeah, well, if she wanted to make you look bad, she failed," he said, calmly and clearly. "All she did was come over as a stupid, jealous bitch. She thought that just because you work hard to make this company run right, everyone would just dismiss you as a bossy bitch, but some of us know better. Some of us know that you care about your employees, and that's why you work so hard to get them to do things properly. Shit, I got it wrong as much as anyone, I admit. I put you down as someone callous and uncaring. I thought you'd bought me just to get revenge... and that was 'cos I didn;t realize how much I hurt you back in school."

He smiled down at her.

"So, I guess I should say some stuff that's overdue. First, thank you for saving me from going to jail. Whatever else you got from buying me, you did that, well and truly. Second, thank you for putting up with me when I was so rude to you. I should have given you a chance, and I'm sorry. And while we're talking sorry, I'm also sorry the way I treated you in school. Really, I am, Iris."

He gently touched her lips with a finger.

"Now, you probably won't believe any of that, and fair enough if you don't. But it's true anyway. And it's also true that you're an amazingly hot woman, the prettiest girl on this office... but I guess I'm biased about that, since I'm in love with you."

He let his words hang in the air. Either she'd mock what he said, or break into a rage, suspecting him of lying.

Or...
 
Iris flinched as she was forced to turn around and face him, even so, hiding her face until the very moment he leaned towards her and kissed her, obviously taking her by surprise. In fact, she was pretty much shocked with what was going on. Jak, the same man who a day ago was mocking her in the worst ways possible, doing everything to piss her off, was now, all of a sudden... gentle. Besides, if she could recall it correctly, he himself, admitted some hours ago that he didn't want to spend any more time than needed by her side. If she had to be honest, she was torn between believing him and doubting him.

He could probably just play an act to make fun of her later on, or simply to catch her unprepared and then slowly destroy her reputation just to get his revenge. On the other hand, given how much she waited for this, something inside her screamed that she wanted to trust him. Because, as much as she had her pride, Iris had her times when she thought she would actually toss it aside just to have him. The one and only person she couldn't have in her grasps all these years. Besides, her pride didn't seem to help that much anyway.

Slowly raising her head to look at him, she attempted to stop the blushing even if it was in vain, being completely fooled by his words, because that's what she truly wanted to hear, even if most of the things he said were probably provoked by her own little angry speech. She longed for those praises, especially if they were from his part.

The mere sight of his smile made Iris feel like melting. She swore something was wrong with her head, because this surely wasn't like her. She wasn't the type to easily fall for some mushy words and be happy just by seeing a man smiling at her. She was the type to stand up straight and hold her head high like the confident and great woman that she was. Or... was it the other way around?

Needless to say that by the time he even thanked her, she felt like she couldn't even look him in the eyes anymore, because of the sudden embarrassment, flustered like a schoolgirl in love. And by the time he told her she loved her, Iris had lost it. Lost it, as in, she felt like her head was suddenly emptied and instead her stomach was filled with those butterflies people talked about when they would start liking someone. Though, in her case, she couldn't say she just started to like him. Hell, she would rather say she was infatuated with him. If only it wasn't for that annoying attitude of his at times, maybe she would have given up on her pride sooner. But, life just had to make the two of them just as stubborn and prideful as each other. Or at least somewhat similar, seeing how Iris seemed to be doomed to breaking down pretty often, while she couldn't even remember if she ever had him truly under her foot.

The office went silent as the brunette was late to give an answer. She couldn't make up her mind. Trust him or doubt him?

Glancing up at his eyes, she gave up. She couldn't rely on her voice because she figured it turn out to be shaky, so instead her hands reach up to his collar, pulling it towards her as she closed her eyes and pressed her lips on his, wishing that the slow yet passionate kiss would be enough to show him how much she cared about him.
 
Alice was feeling pretty pleased with herself as she exited Iris' office. The brunette's threats didn't worry her overmuch. After all, the only other person in the office that knew Iris' embarrassing secret was Jak - if Iris took any reprisals, Alice could spread it all over he office, that Iris Augustine, Miss Dignity herself, wore a ridiculous MILF-style girdle.

Oh yes, it had been a good day. She'd had lunch with Jak, and more or less confirmed that they were now together. She'd made Iris look a total idiot, thus eliminating any rival claim the brunette might make. She squirmed with delight at the thought. She, a mere underling, had stolen Iris' man right out from under her snobby little nose. Iris had lost any moral ascendency she might have had. Alice was the winner, and she was now in control. From now on, she could flaunt possession of Jak right in front of Iris, who'd just have to suck up the fact that, for once, she'd lost!

So ecstatic was she, that she couldn't resist another peep at the man she so desired. She was sure that at this very moment, Jak was making fun of Iris, teasing her, making her feel six inches high. Sure, he'd tell her about it afterwards, in bed in her apartment maybe (for surely Iris wouldn't be taking him home tonight, or any night in the future), but that wasn't quite the same as hearing it for herself.

So she crept to the door, wishing her phone had sound recording facilities. And listened. The silence that met her was puzzling - surely she should hear Iris' voice raised in screaming anger. Cautiously, she put her eye to the keyhole, and what she saw made her mouth drop open in shock and horror.

There were Iris and Jak, kissing, locked in a fervent embrace, their arms around each other, their passion obvious.

Her eyes already brimming, she ran to the washroom, agony suffusing her mind, ignoring the enquiries as to "Hey, Alice, what's up?" from well-meaning colleagues.

And, once locked behind the privacy of a cubicle door, she fought to get herself together. There was no way she was letting this man go. Iris Augustine was about to learn that you don;t steal another woman's man and get away with it.

And after an hour's tearful wracking of her brains, the answer came to her.
 
It was certainly unusual how some moments ago she was embarrassed to no end with herself, barely being able to look him in the eyes (not that she even had her eyes open right now), just to suddenly turn the situation the other way around. What seemed to have been Alice's plan to make Iris look like an idiot in front of Jak worked in the opposite order. Not even Iris herself, couldn't believe she was doing this.

However, she felt no regret. Not even a single drop. It felt much too amazing to think of anything or anyone else as she tasted his lips, loving the feeling of being wrapped in his arms, just like she too, circled his waist with her arms, hands resting gently on his back. Indeed, she was probably just as red as before, but if she had to be honest, she didn't even care at this point. Even if it was embarrassing and maybe somewhat humiliating too, to suddenly give in to him after everything he's done to her, she couldn't go back now.

Iris has always dreamed of this. Or at least, she always dreamed of this day in her high school years, every single night. In spite of how she was obviously ignored and had no chances of approaching him without being laughed at even harder by her friends and having him reject most likely, the brunette imagined how it would be to receive a kiss from the boy she crushed on. In other words, Iris, in spite of what she was today, the very capable, skillful and confident woman who had the job meant for a man in most cases, was once in fact a hopeless romantic. If it wasn't for her father who pushed her forward to take over the company, maybe now she would even crawl up to Jak for attention, for his love. The years they spent apart did help her realize how pathetic she was, though, she couldn't deny that those years also made her much more eager to become his woman.

Of course, just like any other fantasy of hers, it couldn't be compared with the reality. It was surely something else to feel his warmth, his body glued to hers, his breath mixed with hers. She almost feared it wouldn't be just one of her dreams and wake up alone once again, her hands clutching on his jacket momentarily, at the thought. By the time she reminded herself that she still had to breathe, she pulled back her head just enough to get some air, obviously breathing harder. "I... too... love you." she managed to whisper, as if she feared that if she said it any louder it would be a mistake. But she wasn't exactly secure yet, able to trust him completely. Or was she?
 
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