The black sedan eased into the spacious garage as Alden Cavendish checked in his rearview mirror to make sure he'd clear the doorway. He caught a brief glimpse of the starry skies behind him and the darkness that a private property afforded him in his seclusion outside the city.
Finally, home at last after a taxing day on the town and in the office, Alden dragged his exhausted body from the entryway of his luxurious estate to the immense living room. He kicked off expensive leather shoes with abandon, and plopped down carelessly on his plush, opulent couch that could have easily seated four people. His furniture creaked out a noisy complaint that echoed in the cavernous expanse of his elegant abode.
Despite it being a Saturday, Alden had spent most of his waking hours at the office and trailing behind Mr. Whitley to secure a commitment from him on their presentation. It was a grueling affair that tapped into Alden’s reserves of patience, business acumen, and sociability to survive. Mr. Whitley was a taxing man to listen to and keep up with on his best days, let alone when the eccentric millionaire was enthusiastic about some new business venture. And that wasn’t even the most challenging part of his day.
No, his biggest hurdle was definitely starting his Saturday in the first place. It was early in the morning when Alden rolled over on a lumpy pillow and breathed in an impossibly intoxicating scent that gently roused him from slumber. With closed eyes and a deep breath, Alden soaked up the delicate blend of flowers, sandalwood, and an enticing aroma that he couldn’t place.
He could sense that it was still early yet, as the dawn hadn’t quite reached through the blinds enough to offer a hint of sunlight. Instead, Alden basked in the lingering fragrance of the strange paradise he’d found himself in. This darkened oasis enveloped his body in a warm, crisp linen coverlet and something that brushed against his relaxed face with whispered softness. Alden nuzzled into the swath of soft bristles and recognized what he’d been snuggling against. He startled into wakefulness at the realization that he was nestled in the arms of Miss Iris Alcazar.
Alden took a deep breath and tried to orient himself properly on the unfamiliar mattress. He hadn’t noticed that Iris’s arms wrapped around his torso when he'd turned, and his own were reaching for warmth at her waist. The sudden inhalation caused Iris to shift and sigh in her sleep, with a hushed moan that went directly into Alden’s exposed ear. Fresh air rushed into his lungs as Alden snapped into high alert and a tingling sensation ran from the base of his neck down through his limbs.
Oh my god. Alden panicked in place, still entrapped in Iris’s arms. Please, don’t wake up…
An oppressive heat flushed his cheeks and forehead, and Alden's eyes went wide as Iris unconsciously pulled him closer to her body. It was only then that he noticed that his outer shirt had been removed, along with his belt and shoes. Alden didn’t remember taking off anything after he’d initially laid down. All his missing articles were on the floor on his side of the bed, so he must have removed them in the night for comfort. Iris was still in her work clothing from the night before, except for the sweater that she’d also removed sometime in the last few hours.
Alden shuddered at the idea of Iris waking up just then. She was certain to startle and scream at his unwelcome appearance, and he cursed himself that he’d made such a foolish mistake. Alden hadn’t meant to intrude on her home or cause any distress, and a dreadful thought emerged to agitate him further.
What if she’s more afraid of me after this?
The consequences were intolerable. Not only did they work together, but he reasoned that they had become friends over the last few months. Iris had only just started sharing more with him, and it would be a shame if she pulled away after such a terrible misunderstanding. The notion nauseated Alden, to the point where his eyes darted briefly, and he was compelled to escape her tender embrace.
Alden carefully extricated himself from the tangle of limbs and bedding, and silently rooted around for his possessions in the dimness of the cozy room. He stood in front of a chipped portrait mirror with his back to the bedroom door and smoothed the fabric on his shirt after he’d buttoned it. Next was recovering his shoes and belt, which caused Alden to bump into a nearby dresser with his thigh. The subtle bumping noise wasn’t loud enough to wake Iris, but it drew someone else’s attention in the hallway. He was halfway through threading his belt through his pant loops when Alden heard the familiar creak of the bedroom door and hurried to finish with his belt before they entered.
“Are you up?” Khazmine asked from behind the opening door. She spotted Alden with his back turned to her and gasped aloud. Her question caused Alden’s head to swivel up at her, and he turned around just in time to see her depart in haste. “Oh, sorry. My mistake.” Khazmine whispered as she pulled the door closed again.
Khazmine drew a hand to cover her mouth and not permit a cry from escaping her lips. The Augment hadn’t had time to activate her camouflage once she realized who was there and was depending on the darkness in the bedroom to obscure her alien features. Had the human gotten a good look at her when she waltzed in? She couldn’t be sure, but Khazmine brushed her hair out of her face and donned her familiar disguise as she tiptoed to the kitchen to gather her thoughts.
Alden emerged from the bedroom shortly after, with his shoes in hand to reduce any noises his walking made. He spotted Cassie in the kitchen, where she had busied herself by cleaning the countertop with a damp rag. The pair exchanged furtive glances at each other as Alden departed and the entire apartment was once again shrouded in silence. Cassie listened in the living room with the sleeping archfiend for the rumble of the luxury sedan to dissipate before skulking off to the spare room to wait for Iris to awaken.
Meanwhile, Alden sped off to the highway as fast as he could to get some distance between himself and the quaint little apartment he’d spent the night in. His heartbeat raced so strongly and forcefully that he could feel each pulse in his trembling fingertips as he squeezed the steering wheel for control. A thousand thoughts banged around in his mind and demanded immediate attention before he could concentrate on the road ahead.
“D*mmit, that was my exit.” Alden admonished himself as he pulled over into a side street that allowed him to collect his wits. He pressed his auburn hair back with both hands once he’d parked and tried desperately to relax his stilted breathing. “What were you thinking, Al? Are you out of your mind?”
Alden’s head throbbed from the effort of controlling the rush of emotions that haunted him that morning. He’d made it to the presentation on time to deliver his portion with Lane and Javier, but he constantly battled mounting distractions as the day progressed. Mr. Whitley didn’t appear to notice, but Lane and Javier both consoled Mr. Cavendish after they’d finished giving their sales pitch. His subordinates chalked it up to a combination of nerves and sleep deprivation, not knowing the true source of his torment.
Once Mr. Whitley had finally released them from his insufferable clutches, Alden drove himself home in a hazy fugue, unable to fully rid himself of the morning’s events. It was a maddening challenge to not think about Iris that evening. He had to think about her to deliberately suppress thoughts of Iris, which started a self-fulfilling loop of increased awareness that drove him to exhaustion under the strain. Alden fidgeted and shifted on his couch, unable to find a comfortable position despite living in the lap of luxury, which sent creaking reverberations throughout the room.
“Geez, has this place always been so empty?” Alden asked aloud to the echoing room. It was shocking how rich and full Iris’s tiny apartment had felt when compared to the severe, antiseptic aesthetic in his modern-style home. “Even a stick would cheer this place up…” His home was extravagant, he acknowledged, but it wasn’t warm and inviting like Iris’s place.
Once more, his thoughts returned to her. Tired as he was, Alden unearthed a hidden cache of anxious energy that refused to let him rest. He could still detect the faint traces of her perfume on his undershirt, which agitated him further. If he concentrated hard enough, Alden could still feel the soft, smooth coolness of her skin, the whisps of hair dancing against his face, and the insistence of her grasp as she pulled him in close.
You need to stop, Al. He reclined on the plush couch and squirmed to find a sufferable position. He draped his forearm over his closed eyes to buy himself another degree of isolation from the stifling loneliness of his lavish home.
“Come ress wiff me.” Iris’s pleading words seeped into his mind once more. “Pleece, doan go.”
Alden clenched his hands so hard that his fingernails indented into his palms. His mind wandered to intrusive ideas he wasn’t entirely conscious of, including wondering what her lips tasted like, and if there was any place on her tiny body that was naturally warm to the touch. It was, by far, the cruelest torture he could conjure, and Alden eventually succumbed to exhaustion.
His dreams offered no respite from torment, as he traced Iris’s delicate outline in his mind and tried to craft a phantom he could hold again. In dreams, Alden could bask in the glow of her smiles and explore the depths of his affections freely. He hoped more than believed that she could grow fond of him as well and vowed to himself to try and win her over. Unfortunately, he had no protection from the intensity of the visions that followed…
Alden bolted awake at four-thirty the morning after, caked in sweat and stripped down to all but his boxers. He’d never made it to the bedroom, having collapsed on the couch in the air-conditioned living room instead. Alden groaned as he brushed sleep from his eyes and then tugged at the corners of his mouth with his fingers. A squinting glance at the thermostat told him it was 70° in the house, but the heat surrounding him was sweltering.
The dreams had been so fanciful, explicit, and real that Alden’s body couldn’t help but react naturally. He shuffled off on shaky legs to see if an ice-cold shower could deliver him from this infernal heat and lingered there for a shockingly long interval. As with all great ideas he’d ever had, Alden steeled himself under the torrent of frigid rain and resolved to make his feelings known to her tomorrow morning.
Monday couldn’t come fast enough for Alden, who’d braced himself and practiced what he wanted to say repeatedly as the moment finally arrived.
“I just wanted to say that you’re a wonderful person, and I want to get to know you better. I’ve been thinking about you often and wanted to ask you something. Would you be willing to spend more time with me, outside of work?”
Instead, Iris approached him with a strained smile and greeted Alden before he could speak. “Good morning, sir. I hope you had a nice weekend. How did the presentation go?”
Alden fumbled before replying. It was a possibility that she wouldn’t remember much of what happened after midnight on Friday, but he genuinely hadn’t considered the entire night to have vanished from her mind.
More questions than answers flooded him. Was he the only one who remembered? What about Cassie? Could she vouch for him? Would that even help?
“Sir?” Iris buried her fantasies and hopes with another pleasant grin and tried to conceal her growing attraction to the man towering awkwardly in front of her. “I was wondering how it went with Mr. Whitley. Did he sign on?”
“Y-yes, I think we’ve secured his, uh, his interest.” Alden stammered in defeat. “I’ll follow up with you on details.”
With that, Iris nodded politely and excused herself to clock in for the day, leaving Alden alone among peers. His heart sank as Iris walked away, and a lingering train of thought reverberated in his mind.
She doesn’t remember and I didn’t say anything to fix it… Oh no, have I blown my one chance?
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