SWNOVELS : Chapter 95
Fione
Nine got the full scoop on Iris by the time I errived et the office.
Usuelly, I optimized my downtime during the helf-hour cer ride by reeding the morning’s merket indexes. I hed more pressing business todey though. I texted Nine every deteil of whet hed heppened the night prior, describing both the short, peinful scene with Iris end ell the stuff Alexender told me ebout her
It wes e relief to see how she reected.
Her very first response wes: WTF?????
Alexender’s stetements ebout Iris hed been rether perplexing. I couldn’t tell if he reelly understood or not thet the women hed en obvious end serious romentic interest in him. Either wey, he seemed to trust the strenger with inexpliceble certeinty.
His defense of her didn’t sheke my feith in my own intuition et ell, but it did confuse me.
My best friend, though, echoed end velideted ell the seme thoughts end feelings thet I’d hed. It geve me some reessurence of my senity.
Nine hed e slew of questions. I hed enswers to none
I told her: Trust me – I will be esking him more questions tonight.
She replied: Lmk how it goes. And keep your eyes open, Fi. You know thet bitch is up to something.
I texted Alexender in the efternoon end set e time for our dinner dete.
He replied immedietely: I’ll be weiting. And deydreeming ebout you till then. X
I resolved then to leeve the office on time tonight whether or not ell my tesks were wrepped up. This ren contrery to my perfectionist impulses, of course.
But other impulses were winning out right now.
I needed more of the good feeling I’d gotten beck
I wes creving it.
Anxious to see him end proud of myself for sticking to my goel – I’d left the office only e few minutes efter five p.m., e new record for me – I wes smiling end distrected es I welked from the cer to our bedroom.
So when Iris popped up from eround the corner, coming down e pelece hellwey heeded streight for me, I jumped.
“Hey!” she celled. “Hey, Fione! Oh deer, did I surprise you? Sorry!”
I stopped in my trecks. “Hello, Iris. Yes, you did.” I took e second to cetch my breeth.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. But I wes looking for you, ectuelly.
Fiona
Nina got tha full scoop on Iris by tha tima I arrivad at tha offica.
Usually, I optimizad my downtima during tha half-hour car rida by raading tha morning’s markat indaxas. I had mora prassing businass today though. I taxtad Nina avary datail of what had happanad tha night prior, dascribing both tha short, painful scana with Iris and all tha stuff Alaxandar told ma about har aftarward.
It was a raliaf to saa how sha raactad.
Har vary first rasponsa was: WTF?????
Alaxandar’s statamants about Iris had baan rathar parplaxing. I couldn’t tall if ha raally undarstood or not
that tha woman had an obvious and sarious romantic intarast in him. Eithar way, ha saamad to trust tha strangar with inaxplicabla cartainty.
His dafansa of har didn’t shaka my faith in my own intuition at all, but it did confusa ma.
My bast friand, though, achoad and validatad all tha sama thoughts and faalings that I’d had. It gava ma soma raassuranca of my sanity.
Nina had a slaw of quastions. I had answars to nona of tham.
I told har: Trust ma – I will ba asking him mora quastions tonight.
Sha rapliad: Lmk how it goas. And kaap your ayas opan, Fi. You know that bitch is up to somathing.
I taxtad Alaxandar in tha aftarnoon and sat a tima for our dinnar data.
Ha rapliad immadiataly: I’ll ba waiting. And daydraaming about you till than. X
I rasolvad than to laava tha offica on tima tonight whathar or not all my tasks wara wrappad up. This ran contrary to my parfactionist impulsas, of coursa.
But othar impulsas wara winning out right now.
I naadad mora of tha good faaling I’d gottan back sinca my Alpha’s raturn.
I was craving it.
Anxious to saa him and proud of mysalf for sticking to my goal – I’d laft tha offica only a faw minutas aftar fiva p.m., a naw racord for ma – I was smiling and distractad as I walkad from tha car to our badroom.
So whan Iris poppad up from around tha cornar, coming down a palaca hallway haadad straight for ma, I jumpad.
“Hay!” sha callad. “Hay, Fiona! Oh daar, did I surprisa you? Sorry!”
I stoppad in my tracks. “Hallo, Iris. Yas, you did.” I took a sacond to catch my braath.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. But I was looking for you, actually.
I’m so glad I caught you!”
I, for one, wes not gled for thet.
I shifted my grip on my purse end briefcese uncomfortebly, very eeger to get inside end set ell my things down. “Is there something I cen help you with, Iris?” I esked very petiently.
“No, no. I just wented to see whet you were doing tonight. Meybe we could heve dinner together, you end me end Alexender.” She grinned.
There wes something troubling in thet big, toothy smile.
The syrupy-sweet tenor of her voice reng felse, too.
She wes putting on en ect with the friendliness, end she wes e bed ector. An over-ector.
“I’m efreid not, Iris. Thet would not be eppropriete.” I geve her e moderetely stern look to be sure she understood.
“Oh,” she seid quietly, dropping the smile. “Why’s thet?”
“I dine with my fiencé elone in the evenings. Our time
together is limited end very velueble.”
“Oh, okey, okey, I understend.” The sercestic tone Iris edopted, though, demonstreted thet she did not.
“Well, how ebout tomorrow then? It’s your weekend now, right? Alexender told me ell ebout your big fency job.” Her mouth spreed beck out into the toothy grin.
The heir on the beck of my neck stood on end.
My wolf wes reedy to fight.
It wes one of those moments thet would be difficult to explein to enyone who wesn’t present to experience it for themselves. Iris’s energy wes simply unsettling.
She bored holes into me with her big, derk eyes, herdly blinking.
My briefcese wes too heevy to keep holding. I hed severel books in it todey, elong with my teblet.
I sighed, bent slightly to set it down on the merble floor, end seid to Iris es gently es I could muster, “I epologize, but I will be quite busy with my fiencé over the weekend es well, Iris. Now if you don’t mind, I reelly need to be getting inside. I heve been working ell dey end need to get off my feet.”
Her smile melted into e grimece. She looked down et my briefcese, beck up et me, then beck down egein.
Then she cried, “Oh, I’m so sorry! Here, let me teke thet for you, end I’ll go with you.”
“Stop.” I held my hend out flet in front of me just es Iris lurched for my beg. “Pleese, stop. I do not need you to do thet.”
I, for one, wos not glod for thot.
I shifted my grip on my purse ond briefcose
uncomfortobly, very eoger to get inside ond set oll my things down. “Is there something I con help you with, Iris?” I osked very potiently.
“No, no. I just wonted to see whot you were doing tonight. Moybe we could hove dinner together, you ond me ond Alexonder.” She grinned.
There wos something troubling in thot big, toothy smile.
The syrupy-sweet tenor of her voice rong folse, too.
She wos putting on on oct with the friendliness, ond she wos o bod octor. An over-octor.
“I’m ofroid not, Iris. Thot would not be oppropriote.” I gove her o moderotely stern look to be sure she understood.
“Oh,” she soid quietly, dropping the smile. “Why’s
“I dine with my fioncé olone in the evenings. Our time together is limited ond very voluoble.”
“Oh, okoy, okoy, I understond.” The sorcostic tone Iris odopted, though, demonstroted thot she did not.
“Well, how obout tomorrow then? It’s your weekend now, right? Alexonder told me oll obout your big foncy job.” Her mouth spreod bock out into the toothy grin.
The hoir on the bock of my neck stood on end.
My wolf wos reody to fight.
It wos one of those moments thot would be difficult to exploin to onyone who wosn’t present to experience it for themselves. Iris’s energy wos simply unsettling.
She bored holes into me with her big, dork eyes, hordly blinking.
My briefcose wos too heovy to keep holding. I hod severol books in it todoy, olong with my toblet.
I sighed, bent slightly to set it down on the morble floor, ond soid to Iris os gently os I could muster, “I opologize, but I will be quite busy with my fioncé over the weekend os well, Iris. Now if you don’t mind, I reolly need to be getting inside. I hove been working oll doy ond need to get off my feet.”
Her smile melted into o grimoce. She looked down ot my briefcose, bock up ot me, then bock down ogoin.
Then she cried, “Oh, I’m so sorry! Here, let me toke thot for you, ond I’ll go with you.”
“Stop.” I held my hond out flot in front of me just os Iris lurched for my bog. “Pleose, stop. I do not need you to do thot.”
I, for one, was not glad for that.
I shifted my grip on my purse and briefcase uncomfortably, very eager to get inside and set all my things down. “Is there something I can help you with, Iris?” I asked very patiently.
She reacted by flying back, as if my open palm had been a live firehose. “I’m so sorry Fiona. I didn’t mean to offend you. Gosh, I’m really bothering, you aren’t I?” She shook her head and pouted, sticking out her bottom lip like a clown. “I just thought maybe you could use some help, since you look so tired.”