Iris

Stifling a yawn, Iris closed the computer down and picked up the sheets of paper off the printer that she had printed off earlier. She now had her directions to the city centre office block where she would be starting work tomorrow and the train timetable so that she wouldn’t be late on her first day. It had been nearly two years since she had last worked and she felt nervous at the prospect of returning to the workplace, especially when this job was as a PA to the head of the company.

Pushing away from her desk in the corner of her lounge she headed into the small kitchen to make herself a drink of tea before going to bed. She hoped that the herbal tea would relax the nerves in her stomach and enable her to get a good night’s sleep, preferably dreamless ones! A flush stained her cheeks as she thought of the highly erotic dreams that she had been having for the past six months. She didn’t know how she had started to have them. All she knew was that most evenings, when she went to bed, she had the most erotic dreams she had ever imagined with a very sexy man. She had never had dreams like those even when … She paused in the brewing of her tea, her face paling at the still painful memory.

Shaking her head, she finished brewing her drink and went back through the lounge and out into the small hallway, turning the lights off as she moved through the rooms. Walking into the bedroom, she placed her drink on the bedside table before checking that her alarm clock was set early enough for the morning so that she would have plenty of time to get ready. Her pencil grey suit was hanging on the outside of the wardrobe alongside a simple lace camisole. New, lace underwear sat on top of the chest of drawers next to her make up kit. Everything was prepared for the morning – all she had to do was get up, get ready and go to work.

Go to work. Three little words that meant such a huge change in her life. Climbing into the queen size bed she sipped slowly at the herbal tea, staring into the darkened recesses of her room. Three years ago she had been a successful office administrator who had just been promoted to personal assistant to the department head. She had also been a newly wed looking forward to a long and happy marriage with her childhood sweetheart. She had everything to look forward for … and everything to lose.

Her eyes fell on the photograph by the side of the bed. A man stood laughing on the river bank as he held a small fish up that he had obviously just caught. He had bragged all day about the huge fish that he normally caught so that when he caught the little one she had to take a picture of him with it. Life had been so perfect back then. Perhaps too perfect. Who was to know that the migraines he had suffered from had been the symptoms of something more sinister? Something that would slowly destroy the man she had known and loved. For two years she had nursed the man she loved, watched as he slowly changed from a highly intelligent, fun loving man into a person unable to think or do anything for himself other than lie in his bed staring at nothing. Whilst his death had been a release for them both it had also robbed her of her purpose, her reason for being. She had felt like a boat, stranded in the water without a rudder or sail to guide her.

Taking a last swallow of her drink she placed the cup on the table, turned off the light and snuggled down into the bed. This job was her attempt to get her life back on track. After Mark’s death she had retreated from everyone that they had known as a couple. She had sold their house and furniture and bought the flat with some new furniture. Very little of her old life had been kept so that the memories would be kept locked away, unable to hurt her anymore. This job had been the first one that she had applied for since deciding to return to work. On a whim she had sent her CV to the recruitment agency when she had seen the advertisement for a PA, not expecting to get an interview and certainly not expecting to be offered the job! Whilst the company head had not been around to interview her, his second in command had assured her that she was just what his boss needed to keep his life running smoothly. She could only hope that his expectations of her were not too difficult to live up to.

The comforting fingers of sleep slowly reached out and enfolded themselves around her, drawing her down into the welcoming darkness, away from the painful memories of the past.


A gentle breeze lightly caressing her cheek brought her slowly awake. As she moved in the bed she instinctively knew that she was no longer in her queen size bed yet she was not afraid. The large four poster bed with its comfortable mattress had become as familiar to her as her own bed.

Without even opening her eyes she sensed when he came near the bed, felt the dip in the mattress as he sat on the side looking at her. She waited, her breath caught in her throat, for the touch that she knew was coming. Her heart leapt, pounding in her chest as fingers lightly caressed her cheek. Heat spread along her veins like liquid fire, searing her wherever his fingers touched her. Desire flooded her like never before as she slowly surrendered to the molten fire of his touch. Opening her eyes, she stared into swirling blue eyes of her mystery lover, wishing that the night would never end …


The angry blaring of her alarm intruded forcefully into the foggy recesses of her mind, driving away the tendrils of sleep and bringing the morning loudly to her attention. She knew that she was back in her own bed, no sign of her dream lover from the night before. Stretching beneath the covers she felt a familiar, delicious ache in her lower body. She should be exhausted yet she only ever awoke feeling rested as though she had only dreamed the events of the night before. She had only dreamed those wonderful hours yet they felt so real. Every touch, every kiss…

Shaking her head, she opened her eyes and flung back the covers, turning the alarm off as she sat up in bed. Real or not she had to get ready for her first day at work and she wasn’t going to risk losing it before she even started it. She had a shower to take, hair to dry, make up to do, clothes to wear …. So much to do and so little time.

An hour later she stood in front of the mirror by the front door giving herself one final check over. Her wheat blond hair had been tied into a neat chignon at the nape of her neck. A couple of grips secured any loose strands that might escape from the ribbon. Her make up was light, subtly enhancing the natural beauty of her pale complexion. The pencil grey twin suit flowed over her slender figure, still slightly too large for she had not yet regained the weight that she had lost following Mark’s death. She hoped that she looked professional and capable of doing the job that she had been hired for.

For once the train was on time and she was soon walking through the front doors of the Constantine Group and heading towards the reception desk. Her stomach was full of knots but her face revealed none of her inner torment as she smiled at the clerk seated behind the desk.

         
“Hi, I’m here to meet Mandy Jensen for a nine o’clock appointment,” she said, her voice soft and calm.

“Just one moment and I’ll check that she’s available.” The clerk checked something on the computer before lifting the telephone receiver. “What name is it, please?” he asked as he tapped out the relevant extension number.

“Iris Williams.” She waited whilst he spoke with someone on the other end of the phone, obviously verifying her appointment.

After a few seconds he hung up and smiled at her. “Take the elevator to the tenth floor. Mrs Jensen will meet you there.”

Iris smiled her thanks and walked over to the elevator. At the tenth floor she was met by an older woman who introduced herself as Amanda Jensen, or Mandy to her friends. She spent a couple of hours going through the duties of the job that was to be hers. Iris found herself warming to Mandy, finding her easygoing manner soon putting her at ease and ridding her of the doubts that she would be capable of being the PA to the head of the company.

“Mr Constantine is a good boss to work for,” Mandy said after she had finished going through the computerised diary system that they used to keep track of appointments and contacts. “The only down side to working for him is the hours. He can often work late into the evening or even start very early which is why we asked if you had any family commitments. One or two of the previous PAs thought that they could handle the hours but when it intruded too much on their home life they soon gave it up.”

“I – I have no one at home,” Iris replied, her voice a little shaky. Even though Mark had been dead for six months she still found it hard to admit to herself that she was alone.

“Well, hopefully it won’t impact too much on your life. Just shout if you find it causes you problems. The other women never gave me any chance to come up with alternatives to try and make things easier, they just upped and quit. I think their partners weren’t happy with them spending so much time with Mr Constantine. He’s …”

The ringing of the phone on the desk broke into whatever Mandy was trying to tell her. Iris waited whilst she spoke quickly to whoever was on the other end of the line. She had been surprised that Mr Constantine had not interviewed her himself but she had been told that he was out of the country on business and had asked that Mandy arrange to have a new PA ready for him for when he returned.

“Well, that’s good news,” Mandy said as she put the telephone down. “Mr Constantine’s meeting finished early so he can see you now.” With a smile she led Iris over to the connecting double doors and knocked once before briskly opening them. “Mr Constantine, your new Personal Assistant is here, ready to try and organise your busy life. Iris Williams, meet Dante Constantine, head of the Constantine Group.” She stood to one side to allow Iris entry into the large office which housed the unknown man she was about to start working for.

Iris entered the large office, her nerves having returned tenfold. Now that the actual moment of meeting her new employer had come she wasn’t sure that she was ready for a job that would be so demanding of her life. She took a deep breath and forced down her nerves as she stepped towards the large oak desk. A man stood with his back to her, looking out of the plate glass window to the city below. His tall, muscular frame seemed vaguely familiar to her, tugging at something deep within her yet she was certain she had never seen him before.

“Mr Constantine, my name’s Iris Williams. I’m very pleased to meet you,” she said, a faint tremor in her voice hinting at her nervousness.

“As am I, Miss Williams, as am I,” the deep, slightly accented voice flowed smoothly around her, strumming her nerve endings like a musician with a finely tuned instrument.

She watched as he slowly turned and faced her. Her eyes widened with shock as she found herself staring into the swirling blue eyes of her mystery dream lover! She stared at him, unable to comprehend that he was a real man, not some figment of her overactive imagination. It was too much for her stressed mind to accept all at once. The luxury office started spinning wildly around her and she heard him curse to himself as the thick, white carpet seemed to leap up to her. Her last memory was of Mandy Jensen gasping with shock as thick, strong arms enfolded themselves around her, keeping her from falling to the floor in an ungainly heap.