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The Struggle for Power (Sumi & Alan23)

It wasn't such a surprise either, that as soon as she noticed his nakedness, Iris obviously turned redder. "For God's sake, at least wear some pants, would you? What if Maria would have showed up with tea, or something?" she was quick to scold, reluctantly entering the room, only to have her eyes averted anywhere else as long as she wouldn't stare at him. Unlikes the first night he spent at her house, Iris was this time dressed a little bit more proper.

In a way, it was sort of surprising how the more she was aware of him, the more she felt like being the same high school girl she was once. The anger and the cockiness seemed to be something so far away from her now, and all of a sudden she was again too self-conscious. So self-conscious that even under her soft white blouse she still wore a bra (something which was unusual, given she was in her own house and she was supposed to make herself more comfortable), the shorts she wore right now weren't as 'short' as the previous ones, and definitely not as tight (this one being probably because of her previous experience with the skirt), covering her posterior just enough to seem decent.

And yet, Jak didn't cease to surprise her. Here she was flustered at the thought that her high school crush was sleeping in her house, and he was so carefree as to even lay around naked. Whether this was some sort of plan of his to seduce him or not, she decided that it was better not to think too much of it, because she wasn't sure how much she would be able to cope with being neglected. Physically neglected, that is.

"I just wanted to tell you that I might have some ideas of how to get back my place. So, I don't want you to help me out in any way." she started, before realizing she sounded so confident that he would do anything for her, even though she wasn't even sure what kind of relationship they had in the end. "I-I mean, not that I expected help. E-either way... I want to do this on my own. So, I'm just warning you to leave everything to me. Understood?" she questioned, finally looking at him, only to blush harder, due to the realization that he just took a bath, and her imagination was suddenly running wild. "I'll be in my r-room if you need something. Good night." she quickly mumbled, mentally cursing herself for stuttering, before moving back towards the door to get out.
 
On the ride to work the next day, Jak made no mention of what had happened the night before. He hadn't missed Iris' reaction, and though it had done his ego no harm, it is perhaps to his credit that he did not press the point. He could, had he wanted, have either mocked her or persuaded her to stay... and it was from genuine sympathy that he let her go without any reaction.

Her orders - not to interfere - fitted in perfectly with his plans, though he had no intention of obeying them.

He did, however, pretend to slight confusion as the limo took them to the office. And, in truth, he had been wondering about certain things. Was he still to sleep at Iris' place? Was Iris still his boss, or was Alice? For that matter, was the "experiment" now over, so that he'd have to return to jail. Would the probation board even consider he'd done enough, and consider him to have "passed". Surprisingly, though that possibility should have delighted him, it didn't. He felt he'd miss Iris too much!

Once they arrived at work, and without waiting for Iris' orders, he began dismantling her office, moving Iris' personal belongings to the drawers of the new desk (selected by Alice as the one with the least status, right next to the photocopy room) and then sat at Iris' computers, punching keys. He applied passwords to all of Iris' files, to prevent Alice having a good trawl through them at her leisure. He was careful to apply different passwords to each really important file, using a special system of his own to remember the correct one to each. Thus, Alice would not be able to make a move without his assistance. He planned to pretend that Iris had applied them, and would pretend to "crack" each password by experimentation, if he felt Alice could be allowed to see it.

It struck him that at that point, he was probably the most powerful person in the whole company - not bad for a guy that had been in jail a week before!
 
While Jak was busy with moving all her things, Iris was busy with discussing some last things with Alice. Merely some details and some advices on what Alice would have to do every morning. The usual paper reading, locks checking and all that boring stuff. It was quite of a words exchange which held no emotion to it. Or rather, Iris was too stubborn to show some sort of weakness by looking devastated by this replacement. Besides, she was positive that soon enough she would be back in her luxurious office, the one she so delightfully designed and decorated. A pity, since she was now to move to the worst place in the building.

Iris mentally swore that once she would be the boss again, she would move Alice in the exact place she has to stay in at the moment, because the blondie seemed to forget what is like to be grateful. Even though Iris had given her a good spot in the company, it seemed like everything she did for the blondie's sake was now erased from her mind.

"Quite eager to help me move my things, huh? Or are you that eager to have Alice as your new boss?" the brunette questioned when she finally showed up just as he was typing something on her computer. "You probably are. After all, if I recall correctly, you did like Alice at first and you even pointed out that you'd rather be around her instead of someone so cruel like me." she added, as a matter of fact, though, it was more like a way to tease him.

"Well, now we'll see how much you'll enjoy staying all day long by Alice's side." she mumbled with a little bit of a triumphant smile, checking to see if everything was there and mentally making a list of what would be missing from her new office.
 
"So she really thinks that?" Jak was genuinely amazed. Had Iris totally forgotten what they'd shared?

"I got a job to do," he replied, crisply if ungrammatically. "Alice told me I had to move your stuff, and get you settled into your new desk, so that's what I did."

He was careful neither to deny nor confirm her accusation. He was carrying a pile of clothing from her office wardrobe - they'd be no need to keep so many changes of clothing at the office in her new, menial position. He wondered if she'd even notice that though Alice had stacked the stuff with the underwear on top, Jak had deliberately rearranged everything so that the spare pair of Spanx that had been among the clothing was hidden by the other garments. he was doing his best to save her from embarrassment.

He wondered, too, if she knew that when curious people had asked him, around the water-cooler, what Iris' expulsion from her office had been all about, he'd dropped hints that it was at iris' request, a carefully controlled and revolutionary experiment to test Alice's fitness for more extensive duties. He was still doing his best to help Iris' image, though he guessed he was now, officially, Alice's PA, not Iris'.

HE was a tad offended she was so snappy, given what they'd shared, but he put it out of his mind. Soon, as she had ordered, he was standing before Alice, in one of the expensive suits Iris had supplied, his hair carefully combed, giving his new boss his most winsome look.

The situation, after all, could turn out to be interesting.
 
Iris raised an eyebrow and averted her gray eyes towards him with a rather shocked expression. That was all? No protest? No denying? He was simply doing his job? Wait, wait, this was too much for her. The other side of Iris seemed to take over at this kind of response from his part, reverting to the needy woman she was in the beginning.

"Y-you know I was just joking, right? Jak?" she stuttered out, though in a lower voice as he left.

This is how Iris Augustine turned out to be a total helpless woman, wearing a pair of eyeglasses as she checked the dozens of new emails and frowning at the tiring bright screen. Certainly, Alice did have her good points. While her job was something hard for someone like Alice, neither was Alice's job any easier for Iris, because both of the women were used to something else entirely. It was almost like switching some opposite jobs. But, really, Iris's biggest problem was working with a computer. Staying that long in front of a bright screen was like sending her to hell, given her 'relationship' with anything eye-straining.

However, her expression changed as soon as she spotted a familiar name. An email she waited for so long. "This can't be..." she muttered to herself, checking the sender's name twice. A fine deal was in for her. She had sent the CEO an email some weeks ago, but she never expected to reply again after waiting an entire week for a reply. But then, something else made her curse under her breath. She wasn't the boss anymore. Even if the email stated clearly that it was for a certain Iris Augustine, the CEO of the company, Alice was now the real boss.

A loud growl of anger could be heard throughout the area, at which a couple of other employees were almost scared.

"Miss Iris? Some coffee? I figured you'll need it." one of the female employees showed up, probably because she pitied Iris more than anything else.

And what was she to do, anyway? "Thank you... I guess." the brunette said with a nod, mentally thanking God for having some employees that still thought of her. Even if they pitied her.

Sipping on her coffee, she frowned again. She had ordered new clothes for one of the upcoming meetings, yet again, she wasn't the one to go to those meetings. Oh, well, she could just take them and keep them for later. She wouldn't let the blondie take everything. And especially, not her clothes. Taking a last sip, she raised from her sit and decided to reluctantly go and tell Alice about the email. After all, it was her new job to tell her boss about the meetings she would have. Hopefully, Alice wouldn't screw this meeting too. Or would it actually be a good idea if the blondie failed? A slight smirk showed on Iris's face at the thought of it.

Knocking on the door of her ex-office, she entered 'meekly'. "Alice, there's an upcoming meeting with Mark's Company planned for this evening. Are you going to attend it, or should I postpone it? There are still some things I should tell you before anyway." she quickly spoke, hoping that she would somehow postpone it, at least until they would switch sides again.
 
Alice stood before Jak, a bright smirk on her face. Though she was obviously making an effort to appear calm, it was obvious she was squirming with excitement.

"Well, Jak," she said, in a friendly voice. "All little misunderstandings are over, now, yes? Don't worry, I forgive you for pretending you preferred that brunette bitch to me. I know you had to, as she was your boss, and you needed her to keep you out of jail. But you and me have always been friends, and I won't hold anything over your head. I've already written your interim report, and I'll send it to the prison authorities today, as soon as you've read it. I think you'll agree it's an excellent reference. I don't want us to be enemies, you see. I want us to be... " And she gave a bright, ravishing smile "Friends".

She tugged at the jacket of her expensive emerald-green suit, and straightened the tight, knee-length skirt.

"Now, Jak," she said, "Obviously you and I have a special relationship. When we're in public, obviously we have to keep things professional. But this is a difficult, taxing job, and I need my way of relaxing from it. So feel fre to, erm..." she blushed "demonstrate your affection when we're in private."

She strode towards him, flung her arms around him.

"I'm so glad everything turned out all right, aren't you?" she said, but there was an edge of pleading in her voice that Jak's street-instinct picked up immediately.

And as Alice rained kisses upon him, the door opened, and there stood Iris, blabbering about some upcoming meeting.
 
At first, Iris seemed to be sort of oblivious of what was the conversation about, her focus being on the upcoming meeting, instead of the fact that she had the opportunity to listen in to every little thing the blondie was saying to Jak. When she did open her eyes to reality and stopped blabbering on about the appointment, Iris raised an eyebrow. A rather calm expression in spite of what was going in her mind. To be more exactly, she was shocked with the sight and completely boiled inside.

On a second thought, didn't she hear Alice mentioning the word 'bitch' earlier? A sarcastic and quite sly smile showed on her face. Was she trying to make her look bad in front of Jak again? This damned woman was stepping on the line of her limits.

She wanted to take over her company? Fine. She wanted to humiliate her? Let her be. But going to the point where she was seducing Jak too?

That was war.

"So, I'm the bitch, but you're not, because... you obviously appeal to pity and your fake acts of goodness. Can you go even lower than this?" the brunette finally spoke, louder this time, just enough to get the blondie's attention. Iris smiled and crossed her arms against her chest as she pushed the door closed behind her, using only her foot. "Always acting like the goodie two shoes, while you're actually backstabbing others. Impressive. I'm actually the type to stab you plainly, but I like your way of working as well. I should probably learn from you, Alice." she added, at which Alice stepped away from Jak to face Iris with the same smile.

"Unhappy with your own fail? Why put the blame on the others when it's obvious it's your own fault you made a fool out of yourself? I bet those people who attended that meeting will have a good laughing subject for a good while from now on. Don't you think so too, Iris? Too bad I wasn't there to see that." the blondie replied, just as confident. Iris's smile faded momentarily.

"Quite proud about that, aren't you? I'd love to see how you'd cope with the next meeting. Of course, it's not as important as the one I failed to complete with a good ending, but I'm sure you'll do fine." Iris suggested.

"So, you're plainly admitting that you're going to set me up next."

"Maybe I am. At least I'm warning you. You should be thankful about that." she added, before she saw Alice smile again.

"Then, maybe I should warn you as well. Or rather, just let you know. Jak will move in one of the company's apartments. Therefore, you can kiss bye bye to torturing others. I wonder what will little Iris do with nothing else to do but work like a workaholic to make up for the failed meeting."

Iris froze. Not over the fact that she would turn out to be a workaholic. She was already a workaholic given that she worked even at home. No, what shocked her was that Alice arranged so that Jak would not leave with her anymore.

"Who the hell do you think you are? This is my father's company! You barely know how to work as a CEO, and you're already deciding things like these! This was entirely my own right to decide whether he stays with me or somewhere else!"

Alice chuckled, certainly amused at how Iris was acting at the mere mention that she'd take Jak away from her. "You're right. It's your father's company. Not yours. And since I'm the one in charge to lead right now, I have all the rights to do whatever I want. I can even fire you if I want, with a flick of my fingers." Of course, Alice was aware that she couldn't fire Iris even if she wanted, given that Mr Augustine would never treat his beloved daughter so cruelly. In fact, it was surprising enough that he did something so drastic as to make Iris switch places with her. Nevertheless, the blondie just wanted to enjoy the priceless expression on Iris's face.

"Why don't you give up, Iris? Can't you see you always ruin the mood? You're always bossing everyone around like you're some sort of princess, or something, asking your daddy to give you everything. You suddenly see a man, and poof, you're so obsessed with him that you're keeping him all to yourself like you're afraid that someone will steal him from you. It's because of that reason that you're driving people away."

Iris was sure a vein was going to pop any minute. She couldn't cope with this. Even if this blondie had no idea for how long she had crushed on Jak (something which she'd never fully admit to anyone else anyway), Iris couldn't forgive her for being so annoying. And on another note, wasn't Alice the one who was trying to keep Jak away from her right now?

"You don't have even the slightest idea of what's like to fall in love with somebody, anyway." Alice completed, blushing slightly at the fact that Jak would hear her. Yet, in spite of her embarrassment she kept on, as if to prove her point. "All you want is to possess everything and anyone you want, just to look like you're the best. You're like some snobby rich girl who has never found out what's life really like." While Iris could understand where the 'snobby rich girl' part came from, the brunette still wanted to slap this woman for calling her a stupid one.

"Would you stop talking nonsense? All I hear is a description of yourself instead of myself." Iris pointed out, before Alice gave her a sharp glare.

"What do you know about love, you virgin?" Bull's eye. It only took that much to have Iris get bright red with embarrassment and humiliation. She wouldn't have been that embarrassed if only she wasn't aware of Jak's presence. And given the reasons she was still a virgin even until now, it only furthered her shame.

"Not that powerful and prideful anymore, are you, Iris? Why don't you go and cry to your daddy to have your position back? I'm sure he'll forgive you if you play the good little daughter of his." Alice continued. However, Iris couldn't take more than that. Ashamed with herself, she turned around, and walked out of the office, not even daring to give Jak a last glance, in fear that she might look even worse.

A smiling and happy Alice turned around as well, to face Jak. "I'm sorry you had to witness that. It's just that she always gets on my nerves. Always being that proud and snobby woman makes me sick." she spoke and shook her head like it was a mere nothing, before she returned to Iris's previous desk, taking a sit in the chair the brunette used to sit in and give orders. "Now that I settled things with Iris, we shall get back to business, right?" she suggested, motioning for him to sit on the chair next to her.

---------

It was almost amazing how things could turn into the worst and in a matter of hours, Iris was in Alice's place. Maybe even more so humiliated as she locked herself into one of the stalls of the ladies' restroom. Silent hiccups could be picked up upon on if one would pay attention to the every little sound resounding. Everything else would have been so better if only she didn't have Jak witness everything. And that devil of a blondie was sure to make her life a hell if she didn't act fast.

Blinking repeatedly, she tried to stop her tears, in spite of the fact that her makeup was probably already ruined. She was a complete mess. She wanted to show that bitch a lesson, but at the same time, she started to doubt herself. What if Alice was right about some things? What if she was just a spoiled rich princess?
 
Throughout the exchange between the two women, Jak had gone over to the window and stared out of it, as if the city skyline were the most fascinating thing in the history of the universe. Flattered that the two women were really fighting over him, rather than their places in the company hierarchy, he nonetheless felt rather sad. After all, it had been his fault that this mess had happened. If he'd kept his hypnotic powers to himself, none of it might have taken place.

Part of his, though, was following the fight with detached interest. At first, iris seemed to be holding her own, doing pretty well considering Alice now had the upper hand. But within a very short time, the stand-off... so much like two males on the street, flexing their muscles... was decided. Just as nine times out of ten the weaker will back down, with no bloodshed taking place, so this conflict resolved itself very quickly.

Alice had, in her arsenal, one killer weapon. And when she unleashed her taunt, accusing Iris of being a virgin, Jak expected an immediate denial from the brunette. After all, how could a woman of her age, in the circles in which she moved, still be a virgin?

Looking at Iris through his peripheral vision, however, he saw that Alice's shaft had well and truly hit home. Suddenly, all fight went out of her. Her eyes were cast down towards the floor, her face went bright scarlet, and shame seemed to suffuse her whole being. She slunk from the office, leaving the triumphant Alice in possession of the field.

"Alice 1 Iris 0," he thought.

When Iris had left, Alice turned to him, making her apology and asking him to sit. He did so, the wheels in his head spinning.

Just how was he to react? What side (if any) should he take. Should he make up to Alice (who, to be fair, had certainly treated him fairly from day one) or Iris (to whom he had made certain promises)?

Well, Alice had never. at least, prohibited him from speaking to Iris, anyway. At lunch, he approached her desk. Her eyes were still red from a few hours before, and she'd obviously re-done her make up.

"Can we talk?" he asked her.
 
Once Iris had finally calmed down, the brunette meekly made her way towards her so called new office, slumping down on her uncomfortable chair to get back to her work. It was a miracle how she managed to get out of the stall without being spotted by anyone. And it was even more of a miracle that she wasn't seen with her makeup ruined and tears running down her red cheeks.

Nevertheless, Alice did deliver a heavy blow, and even if she still had her plans to show her a lesson regarding who really is in charge of the company, Iris still had some things bothering her. And after so many unexpected changes of situation in the last couple of days, she certainly felt like taking a break from everything. But at the same time, she didn't want to slip and lose control more than she already did.

Jak's voice only managed to startle her, the blush spreading over her face in less than a minute once she recalled the conversation back in Alice's office. She wasn't sure whether to be ashamed because she was still a virgin and the main reason for that was the man standing behind her and waiting for some sort of answer, or to be ashamed at how she lost the argument with Alice after seeing the blondie being all over Jak with her kisses. In spite of her attempt to show that bitch a lesson, she only made a fool out of herself, even as she told him she would be fine on her own the previous night.

In a desperate attempt to hide her face, thankful that he wasn't standing in front of her, she quickly put her glasses on, pretending to check some emails again, leaving the papers aside. She almost looked funny as she tried to look at the computer screen and at the same time lower her head to hide her face.

"I'm quite busy... Why? What's wrong?" she spoke, obviously trying to act as nothing happened and just as obviously, trying to keep the talking short so she would be able to avoid some certain subjects that would surely put her in a bad position.
 
For a few seconds, Jak said nothing. He stood behind Iris and put his hands on the back of her neck. He began to massage her gently, lovingly, attempting to soothe her tension. He knew this was a losing battle - she was so strung up, her muscles felt like steel, and he was no expert masseur anyway - but he hoped she'd appreciate the gesture. iris was wearing a dress in a sort of neutral, biscuit color, with tiny sleeves that only just covered her shoulder, and her bra-strap had slipped down. He replaced it, tucking it neatly away.

"It's OK, beautiful one," he said, whispering into her ear. "Don't feel bad. I'm sure she was lying - there's obviously no way you're a - " He stopped. Iris' reaction had left no doubt that Alice's taunt had been true. His denying it could only humiliate her more. "Well, anyway, if you are, it's nothing to be ashamed about. Some girls are... well, look, I'm sure it's not because no-one wanted you. You were probably just too busy with work to have a social life, you being so dedicated and all. And, anyway, I won't tell anyone. promise."

Still standing behind her, he stroked her hair, where it had fallen over her forehead. "Listen, you still get a coffee break, right? Feel like coming to the lunch room and getting a brew?"
 
Iris almost flinched when she suddenly felt a pair of hands on the back of her neck. For some stupid reason, everything seemed to gather into her mind at once, confusing her and giving her all sorts of funny feelings. Any touch of his fingers across her skin only caused her to force herself into refraining from any slight shudder. Nevertheless, she was given away by the goosebumps on her bare arms, pointing out just how 'sensitive' she could be at the moment.

And just as he tried to soothe her with his usual compliments and sweet words, he brought up the one subject she wanted to avoid the most. Her face was obviously flushed by the time he stopped in the middle of the sentence. Then, the argument inside her head started, even if in both cases she'd probably accuse Jak of something. After all, didn't he just insinuate that she looks like the type of woman who has slept with other men before? Then again, it was true she didn't have the presence of a virgin, given her social status, her outward appearance and confidence, as well as the fact that she was most of the times surrounded by businessmen. On the other hand, it almost sounded like he was pitying her because she was a virgin.

"I'm not a virgin." she finally concluded, something she'd decided to say after a quick thinking. A big fat lie, but enough to see what he'd have to say in response to that. If she had to be honest, she wished she could tell him all the things she'd refrained from because of him, how much she thought of him during her high school years, and even about the few times she'd remember him during the last years she worked as a businesswoman. It was embarrassing indeed, but lately she felt like she was easily going back in time. Having her crush around, having some bitch to mock her, unable to spat back at her because of the situation and so on. The only difference was, that this time, Jak was paying attention. Or rather, he was paying attention to her in a good way. The mere thought that the classmate and her only crush who used to ignore her was now this man who treated her so sweetly was almost unbelievable.

Either way, whether she was a virgin or not at this point, he was bound to be confused, so all the better for her. After all, she had the looks, and certainly the right 'package' too, to have had some rich boyfriend at least in the last years he wasn't there, but there was also the possibility she would be a virgin given her obvious reactions to each and every touch of his as if she was still inexperienced.

Showing up in the lunch room wasn't Iris's idea of how to spend her break time. Especially because she knew there would be some chances for Alice to appear there. And she still had some other things to do before Alice first meeting. Something to pay that blondie a lesson. Besides, there was another one thing that bothered her. And it actually made her upset even now as she reminded herself. While she didn't hear everything, she heard enough to make her mad and at the same time insecure. That time when she entered Alice's office, even if the blondie was all wrapped around him, showering him with kisses, he just stood there and did nothing. He didn't pull away, he never said something to her, nothing.

Taking a hold of his wrist, she pulled his hand away from her hair, finally turning to look at him. There was no sign of willing to cry. Instead, Iris seemed almost emotionless. The usual habit that occurred every time she was angry, hiding it all away with a serene expression. "I have to prepare Alice's clothes for the meeting and organize her papers." With those words, she held the eye contact a couple more seconds, before letting of his wrist and turning to face the computer screen once again, fixing the eyeglasses on the bridge of her nose.
 
At Iris' assertion that she wasn't a virgin, Jak did a quick double take. He would have been ready to swear that she was. After less than a second's thought, he realized that she was no telling the truth. Her humiliated reaction to Alice's insult left him in no doubt. Alice's shaft had pierced well and truly under the brunette's skin - and she had not even attempted a denial. For that matter, recent memories showed that even in the manner of petting and kissing, Iris was far from experienced.

He was, however, more than a little hurt at her reaction. He'd risked the displeasure of his new boss, just to try and bring a word of comfort to Iris. He'd gone out of his way to show support for her, even when there was no way he needed to, for she no longer had control over his destiny. Her obvious rejection of his overtures were painful.

He bit off the "Well, fuck you, then, virgin!" that sprung to his lips. But his silence, perhaps, was even more eloquent, as, without any word, he jerked his wrist free and walked away, not looking back.

He returned to the office just as Alice was preparing to leave for lunch, and was fixing her hair in front of the mirror that had previously been of such use to Iris in the old days. Going up behind his new boss, he gently turned her head around, and rubbed his finger over the blondie's white teeth, removing a small lipstick smudge, fluffed up her hair, then tugged down the hem of her jacket where it had ridden up on her hips.

"There - now you're perfect, as well as beautiful," he said to her, smiling.

He knew how weak he was. How he had, in a sense, insulted Iris. But Jak was, despite his recent experiences, a child of the streets. From a world where insults were not swallowed, where they were not allowed to pass. There were rules to this game and Iris, in his mind, had broken them.

He took his lunch alone that day, and when returning to the office, passed Iris' desk without a word, without even looking in her direction.
 
Gray eyes averted from the computer screen down to the papers in front of her on the desk, speechless, ironically, at his own silence. The way he pulled away his hand and left with no other word brought an awkward smile to her face. He was still the one angry? She mentally gave a curse. They were back to the beginning. Couldn't he see that it bothered her? In fact, it was a miracle how until now she only got mad at Alice but never said a thing to him. Was there even a time he told Alice off? Just who's side was he on, so to speak?

An irritated sigh escaped her lips as she glanced down at the box next to her desk. It was time to stir some trouble.

It was obvious he was just as upset on her. Why else would he pass by her desk looking only forward as if he didn't want to see her. However, she would soon settle this. First, she had to 'take care' of the blondie. Thus, as she took the small box in which were the clothes for Alice, she got up from her desk and walked towards her ex-office, doing the same as him, and passing him in a slight hurry, yet keeping the usual grace as she stepped.


"These are the clothes for the meeting. I also finished with this morning's papers. The things you'll need to know and the reports from last year are inside the box." Iris pointed after greeting the blondie with a simple nod.

"I see. Though, I'm sure you might have missed some papers. There were-"

"I decided that taking a break was meaningless when I could finish them earlier. So no, all the papers are done. I already called for a car to take you to the meeting place. Don't forget to be ready in an hour." the brunette added, before turning around to walk away, giving Jak a last glance as she passed by.

"Have fun at the meeting." she quickly whispered with a slight smile and exited the office. The look on Iris's face showed clearly that something was up. However, what she had up her sleeves would confuse Alice.

The blondie who sat down behind the desk frowned slightly as she noticed the little exchange of glances. "I bet she's trying something." she mumbled, hands moving to unpack the clothes and check them thoroughly. The perfect size, totally clean and yet, Iris looked like something was going to happen. Alice was aware that Iris would try to take her revenge, but maybe she wouldn't do so. Not so soon at least. Then again, Iris wasn't going to start with the ugly pranks yet. She would just play pranks with Alice's mind at first, and then do the dirty ones.

Leaving the clothes aside with a shrug, the blondie turned to look at Jak with a smile.

"You know, Jak... You don't have to stay by yourself at lunch. Even if it's like this, you can still treat me as your friend. So, feel free to take lunch with me. Besides, it's not like I have that much work." she suggested playfully.
 
"Attractive as that might be, Miss Alice," replied Jak, I did have a prior engagement, today. With Laurence and Sam, from accounts. We sort of got talking about football yesterday, and Sam suggested we go down to that bar in Severn Street that serves oysters."

He clicked a key on his computer keyboard.

"I've done all the stuff you set me, and I've just emailed it to you. And now, I suppose you want me to go and find something to do outside the office while you change. I mean... well, I assume that. Iris used to kick me out when she changed clothes." He lowered his voice to a joking whisper, and winked. "I think she was a bit troubled about me seeing her Spanx," he mouthed. "Of course, if a zipper sticks or something, be free to call me. My mobile's on your desk phone."
 
Alice barely kept away a frown at his so called prior engagement. She wasn't sure whether it was on purpose or not, but it somehow bothered her. Then again, she couldn't constantly stick to him. At least, not anymore. It almost seemed like such a drag right now that she had to be the CEO, given that she couldn't follow him around. Now she had mountains of papers waiting for her, emails to which she had to respond accordingly, and important meetings to attend. On a second thought, Iris' job was pretty hard to keep up with unless you focused on everything. But, no way she was going to back down or fail. No way she would make a fool out of herself in front of that bitch of a woman.

Returning to reality, she nodded to Jak, more or less mindlessly, without really digesting the information. As soon as he left the office, she looked down at the clothes in the box which was brought by Iris.

A frown followed by standing up and crossing her arms against her chest. Could she trust her? What if that woman played the same prank on her? Better to be cautious. "Well, they certainly are my size if I go by the ticket." she mumbled to herself before shrugging and deciding to dress up. Everything seemed fine. Nothing too fit, too tight, or too loose. The pale blue dress was a perfect fit for her slim yet curvy enough body, and the white jacket that went with it showed no signs of being strange.

But it still smelled fishy. That knowing look in Iris' eyes earlier made it all clear that she planned something. But, the clothes were fine! What else could she have done? She shook her head. Whatever it was, she'd be fine and proud as always. Besides, she wasn't going to show Iris any sign of weakness. She was Alice. And she wasn't a sore loser. It was time she rocked those clothes and made Jak fall in love in her, just like she was supposed to. Why would he love Iris, anyway? Well, he didn't say exactly that he did love Iris, but who else could he have feelings for? He probably liked her looks or something and how rich she was. But she doubted he loved her personality. And that would be Alice's advantage.

Once she was out of her office, she quickly went to find Jak and tell him that they should leave for the meeting. But really, what made her smile was when she purposely passed by Iris' desk.

Yet, here was the horror.

"Good luck, Alice. Take these as well. You'll need them." Iris informed with a smile, handing her some papers with some things she could talk about. She could barely refrain from laughing at her own little plan. But only because even if she was easy to break her morals or torment her, Alice wasn't any tougher. She had went through many things in her past years and she did have some little tricks she learned working with women. Men were still a curiosity for her and a mystery, but women? No chances.

Alice felt this was damn suspicious. She was hiding something, this sore loser. The clothes, and now the papers. The smile was giving her away.

"Thank you, Iris. Go and buy champagne. We'll celebrate this after we're back." the blondie returned the same smile, obviously trying to make Iris feel bad that the new CEO would get this contract while the real daughter of the Augustine's would be a failure. With that, she turned around and walked towards the exit of the building.

"Oh, I wouldn't bet on that." Iris murmured, though Alice wouldn't be able to hear her. Revenge could be tasted on her lips already. And it felt so freaking sweet.


She would have lied if she said she wasn't worried. And it could be seen from the way she was tapping her fingers on the papers which rested in her lap. Hopefully, the drive to the said company with which she had to discuss about the contract would be a long one.

"I know she's up to something. She'll try to bring me down because she's envious of my new position in the company." she murmured, at the same time trying to appeal to Jak's kind side. After all, it wouldn't hurt to get him to sympathize with her and maybe even comfort her a little. There was no harm in it, right? And making Iris look like the villain here was just perfect.
 
At first, Jak thought Alice was simply murmuring to herself, but she had certainly spoken out loud. Now, perhaps, was the time to continue with the tentative plan he'd made.

"Oh no, Miss Alice," he said, openly and feigning innocence. "I don't think it's for that reason. Well, mostly not, anyway."

He looked ahead, and pretended slight embarrassment, as if he'd said something he didn't mean to say. When she pressed him, he waffled, taking refuge in "I shouldn't insult a colleague, not in front of her boss," and "I shouldn't be unprofessional..." eventually, however, he "allowed" himself to be persuaded to explain.

"It's just - well, I think she resents being demoted a little bit, of course, I mean, who wouldn't. But obviously her being envious of you didn't start there. Ah, I guess you can't admit you know what I mean, like... I mean, it'd sound, well... "

And eventually, he blurted it out, as if saying it against his will.

"Well, OK, please don't tell her I said this, 'cos she did hire me and keep me out of the pen, and it's not her fault but... well, you know, she's a bit... like, plain, isn't she... you know, she isn't exactly hot. Whereas you, well.. . I guess I shouldn't say this, but, well, you know, you being so pretty, naturally she doesn't like you. I mean, she'd give anything to look gorgeous like you, it's obvious."
 
Alice subtly pouted as he took Iris' part again, saying that she wouldn't seek revenge for that. Though, as he fiddled on and seemed to know something she didn't, she only took more interest in the subject, curious as to what he might now, what secret laid behind Iris.

She nodded, approvingly, given how it was an obvious reason to be resenting something like being demoted. However, she frowned slightly when he said the envy didn't start from there. Why else would Iris Augustine be envious of her? After all, Iris had everything she wanted at her feet. Not her. If anything, she was the one to be envious. Though, she wouldn't ever admit that, not even to Jak.

She was silent, listening and almost encouraging him to go on with talking by using her curious expression.

Shock and surprise could be read on her face. Jak believed that Iris was plain, and she was... pretty? No, actually, that was a statement? She couldn't be sure about whether this was the truth, or just what Jak thought of her. But... it did visibly boost her ego and all of a sudden she felt so much better. She, being better than Iris. This was like saying that she finally managed to put Iris in the shadows and instead make herself shine in the spotlights.

A slight blush colored her cheeks, but maybe it was just what she wanted to believed, as she tried to feign being somewhat embarrassed and modest. "Thank you, Jak, but I don't think I'm really that pretty..." she said, playfully yet shyly tucking a blonde lock behind her ear as the blue orbs glanced at him from the corners of her eyes. "But, really, thank you... that sort of made me feel a little more confident and lose the worries." she added with a little smile.
 
"Oh, come on," Jak replied, pressing his advantage. "You mean you didn't notice?"

He took her silence as in invitation to continue.

"The first day I saw you, when you showed me around, I had the total hots for you. I tried to hide it, and I guess I succeeded... but, you know, a guy on his first day in the job, especially when he needs to keep in with his boss, he can hardly start saying such things, can he? And anyway, it was obvious that a girl who looks like you would have a choice of boyfriends, so... I guess I just decided to keep my mouth shut."

He'd noticed her subtle blush, and knew he was getting through.

"i mean, a new guy can hardly go telling his boss' assistant that she's got stunning legs, and gorgeous eyes, and the most kissable mouth in the world, can he? Or admit that the first night after he'd seen her, he dreamed about her? I mean... you know, you can't go saying stuff like that right? especially to a girl who's obviously heard it all before..."

He reached across, and rubbed his finger across her teeth.

"Mind you, we have to get rid of that lipstick smudge... " he grinned.
 
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