Black Iris

Their talk.

Iris

I laid in wait.

I was sitting in an armchair by the elevator, nervously watching and waiting. My hands were draped gently across my bare skin, interrupted only by the silky touch of my satin nightgown. The warm summer sun shone down on me through the tall glass windows of the apartment.

I was beginning to get almost bored sitting there. I had expected Blake to come home hours ago, but he was late, and I was beginning to wonder if I should just abandon my efforts.

But no. I needed the distraction. I needed him to want me, to prove to myself that I was still worth something to him.

The elevator let out a quiet ding, and I quickly refocused, watching as the doors slid open.

Blake's voice echoed out of the lift.

"No, I'm not going to give you a raise. You should be ashamed to even ask." He spat, stepping out, his phone at his ear.

He glanced across at me but didn't make any indication that he was surprised or even the least bit interested. My heart dropped.

"She's a seventeen-year-old girl, Jarred, there are no stakes involved." He spat, and my disappointment was almost immediately replaced with interest. He was talking about Ophelia.

"I hired you to keep tabs on her, Jarred, but if you're not willing to do as I tell you, I am more than happy to find your replacement," Blake said, his voice dark. "So what will it be?"

Silence, then Blake snapped, "Good, then shut up and do your job."

With that, he hung up. I waited for him to turn to me and speak, but instead, he stalked past me into the kitchen, pursing his lips.

I quickly stood up and followed him. He pulled an apple from the fridge and cursed, turning to me.

"I don't understand why people can't keep their heads down and do what they're told. It would make my life a whole lot easier if they did."

I cleared my throat. "What did he say?"

"Aside from the obvious?" He said sarcastically. I silently nodded, and he shook his head. "She broke up with the girl. Georgia? Jayden? Whatever her name is."

"Jordan," I said quietly.

"Yeah, that's right." He said, looking up. He then let out a sigh and looked back down. "He was quick to offer his opinion about the breakup, but nothing relevant."

"What do you mean? What did he say?" I asked.

He pursed his lips, shaking his head. I gave him a pointed look and he shrugged. "He said that the breakup was messy. She did it in a food court and left pretty quickly after, didn't even say goodbye. Jarred seemed to think that it was unplanned. He said he tried to follow her out of the mall but she was gone before he even got out there."

"She's hurting," I said, quietly. My heart was aching in my chest, knowing that hers probably was too.

"Yeah, well, we are too. A hell of a lot more than she is right now, at least in the tides of the public opinion. Did you read the article I sent you today?" He said.

I shook my head wordlessly, crossing my arms across my chest to hide my bare skin, of which he hadn't even noticed. "You know I stopped keeping tabs on the news. It upsets me to see them talk about you and her like you're nothing but puzzles that need to be pieced together."

"Yeah, well this puzzle just got a whole lot more complicated. They're going after the girl from Vail. The one in the bathroom."

"What bathroom?" I said, confused. Blake rolled his eyes.