Page 15 of Iris
Chapter Five
The alarm blares to life. My head feels like it's about to split open. I had way too much to drink last night. My hand smacks down on the adorable alarm clock to shut it up as I roll over to go back to sleep.
“You have to get up. GGEEETTT UUPPP!” Igor’s shout sounds like it is coming from the kitchen. “Not a day offff!! You have wwooorrkkkk. You’re a slacker!”
She is enjoying my pain way too much.
“Leave me in peace, Igor! I won’t get the candied flies from Buttercup! I’ll tell her you hated them!”
Blessed silence fills the house. I'm just sinking back into sleep when I sit upright, flinging my blanket off. That had been really mean.
“Igor! I’m sorry!” My fuzzy unicorn slippers have me sliding into the kitchen. Igor is sitting still. “Igor?”
Not even a twitch of her leaves.
“Come on. I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry.” I think hard how to make it up to her. The silent treatment from her means I’ve actually hurt her feelings. “What if you come with me today in the afternoon to city hall?”
She stirs. I knew that would work. She doesn’t usually get to go out with me because she tends to cause trouble. She enjoys messing with the humans way too much.
“Fine.” Her tone is defiant but that’s just Igor. “I’ll go with you. It’s not like you do well on your own. Always getting side tracked,” she grumbles.
“Yup. What would I do without you?” I pat the top of her head, avoiding her snapping mouth, and go back into the room to get dressed for work.
Looking at the time, I curse and send a quick text to Buttercup that I won’t be able to pick up the pastries this morning. Her reply takes a few minutes but I laugh out loud. Apparently, I'm not the only one suffering from a hangover. No pastries today.
Even running late, I manage to get the shop open on time. I do forget to change out of my slippers, but it isn’t like I need to go around the counter. I have everything out back, or worst case scenario, I can go bare feet if I have to help someone in the shop.
The knowledge that I'm going to get to see Dorian in a few hours seems to make the day move slowly.
Igor and I are in the middle of the chorus for ‘99 Bottles’ when the clock chimes four in the afternoon. Dorian walks into the shop confidently. Today, he is wearing an all-white suit. Man, if he was hot in black, he is gorgeous in white.
“Woah there, snowman,” Igor greets him. “You’re a few months late for winter. There’s no snow to prance around in.”
I have to hide my snort behind my hand. Dorian’s eyes meet mine and they crinkle when he smiles. My heart totally skips a beat.
“Duly noted, Lady Igor.” He tips an imaginary top hat towards her as he passes her to stand in front of the counter. “Iris.” His tongue licks his bottom lip, smirking as I zero in on the motion.
“Playing dirty already?” That comes out more breathless than I mean it to.
“I haven’t even begun.” He lays his hands flat on the counter. He leans forward to capture my lips in a searing kiss that makes my knees weak.
He stops much too soon. He holds my chin in his hand after he pulls back to look down at me. “Are you ready to go?”
“Um.” Words. Words are good. “Let me change?”
His grin is wicked. “Do I get to watch?”
“Hold it there, pervert!” Igor demands. Dorian looks over at her with his eyebrows quirked. “You don’t ask a lady that!” Her leaves rustle. “Go change, Iris. I’ll watch this scallywag!”
Not being able to contain it anymore, I start to giggle. I love Igor, even if she is a pain in the ass most days.
“You heard her, Dorian. I’ll be right back.”
Striding into the back to the door to my home, Dorian snickers softly behind me. Looking over my shoulder, his eyes dance.
“Fuzzy unicorn slippers?”
Instead of blushing, I cock my hip out with my hand on it. “Yeah. Fuzzy slippers. I have tons of them.”
