Jake readily complied with Iris' orders. He bundled himself and went with her bodyguards to a top-notch hospital in the city. They did all sorts of tests on him, from cardio to bone health to scans he never knew existed.
"Relax, we will draw a little blood from you," the nurses and doctors deceived him on several counts as they abused him with needles. Why did he lie on a urologist's table for a prostate check? How was that going to benefit the Amery company?
Then there was the fitness test. That, he thought was useful because of the laps he normally took around the office to serve everyone's coffee. Then there were others he wish he could wipe out of memory.
After days of being kneaded and touched and tossed around, Jake was given a day off to rest. That did not cut it, because living with his current roommate was a full-time job. After their last argument, Mitch got a plumber to fix the pipes. A shabby one at that!
Everything was running smoothly till something exploded in the kitchen. Jake dashed to the scene, welcomed by a flooding kitchen and living room. He lost the rest of the night trying to salvage the situation and prevent electrocution from taking place. All thanks to the many wires leading to Mitch's room.
That was the last straw.
Jake sat in his cubicle at work with a set of baggy eyes. Everyone kept shouting for their fix of coffee but the only speed he could conjure was that of a sloth. Any more and he would make bad mistakes.
"You look like shit, are you sick?" Larry was kind enough to grab a doughnut for Jake, seeing that he forgot to step out for lunch.
"You have no idea, man. I could have died last night, thanks to my roommate. The dude is a douchebag. Haa, I have to find a new place by next Monday but I don't know where to start. That apartment is a deathtrap."
"Well...if you're in such a tight spot, how about you crash at my place?"
"Are you serious? I mean, I wouldn't want to inconvenience you in any way."
"No problem at all. I have enough room to spare and it gets boring. You can move a few of your things for a week, see if you like the place, and then later we can discuss the rent."
"Geez, thanks man," Jake jumped out of his seat and hugged Larry. "Hold on... No offence but, you're not a game freak who hoards trash, are you?"
"Pfft! No, I'm not!"
"Oh, thank God. And thank you, Larry, you're a lifesaver," Jake suddenly felt light.
"You're welcome. If you're not doing anything special after work, then we can move right after. I can take you myself."
"Alright," that bit of news was heaven to Jake. He had not seen Larry's apartment but he bet any place would be better than his. Jake was able to lift a smile thanks to that.
After work, Larry waited for him. They walked into the parking lot where the former pressed a small buttoned remote. "You have a car?" Jake gaped at the said automobile. "That's a nice ride," he added as they drew closer.
"This was a gift from my old man, for graduating. Hop in," Larry said.
Together they drove to Jake's studio apartment. Larry waited as the former doubled up to back a few clothes. From there they were on their way to a gated community on the sweet side of town.
Jake kept his mouth shut when they entered a condo. He didn't want to sound like a bum who's never seen a beautiful house. "So, this is my living area, that's the master bedroom. There are two more guest rooms there and that's the kitchen."
"Larry this is... Thanks for the offer but I don't think I can afford the rent."
"Pfft! You haven't even heard about the rent yet. Forget it Jake, feel at home and help yourself to anything you need. Tomorrow we can discuss it, okay man?" Larry tapped Jake on the shoulder as he passed by. Jake spun around in the living room, speechless. One thing is for sure, Miss Iris Amery would not have a problem with this place.
**
The sun was long gone when Iris came out of her office. She released her secretary three hours earlier, so she had to rely on the guards to carry her baggage.
"Evening Ma'am," George, the chauffeur tipped his hat as he opened the car door. The lady reciprocates with a nod and slides into the vehicle.
Iris kicks back in her seat, swinging her neck to assuage the tension which had built up over the hours. She leaned back and turned to the streets.
One advice her old man often hammered on was to never ignore the streets in any part of this god-forsaken planet. 'That is where wisdom lives,' he said.
But Iris saw no wisdom. Just people going about their daily lives with struggle and ease. She envied those who walked through it with gigantic smiles on their faces. Those who crossed the roads with their heads ticking towards their watch, she often laughed at. They would toil their whole lives, chasing after something they will never be content with.
Then there were the bugs with headphones, their hands plumped in their pockets as they look on both sides of the road like lost puppies. Iris looked harder at those. They were the ones with the ability to dream impossible dreams. The younger ones. She had one waiting at home.
There was a long lineup of servants when the car came to a halt in the driveway. "Welcome Madam Iris," they bowed low. The bodyguards would leave whatever file, bag or accessory in their hands and wait for the boss to dismiss them.
Iris walked into her white castle, sighing to a bore. "Bring me some cookies and a cup of tea in thirty minutes," she said as she climbed the staircase.
As the servants arranged her bag in the closet, she took off her shoes and turned her back to them.
"Unzip me."
"Yes, Ma'am," one of the servants pulled down the zipper while the other brought a bathrobe. The tap was in motion, filling up the tub. Without further delay, Iris went into the bathroom for a warm dip.
Tea was served afterwards. She sat and ate with a tablet on her lap.
"Iris, you're late again!" A young lady peeped through her door without knocking.
"Sorry Abi, there was a lot to do," Iris was more indulged in her tablet than the light snack she opted for.
"What are you doing with that?" The girl dipped her hand in the cookies.
"Just...stuff. How was school?"
"Normal. I got called to the Principal's office again. Ross called, he said you've been ignoring his texts."
"Huh, is that so?" Iris lifted her eyes.
"Pfft! I don't blame you for doing it on purpose. He is overbearing...Oh, I see you re-hired that intern."
"Yes, isn't that what you wanted?" Iris ignored the tablet for once, sharing in her sister's curiosity.
"Yes, thank you so much," Abigail tiptoed over to hug Iris, staining her cheeks with cookie crumbs.
"That's enough Abi, let me finish my work. I'm sure you also have assignments."
"Yeah, see yah!" Abigail snatched the rest of the cookies into the pocket of her hoodie.
"Should I be worried about the Principal?" Iris pitched as the youngest reached the door.
"Naaah, just send Roberto, he'll handle it," Abigail said.
With the door shut, Iris resumed her so-called work. She scratched her chin, going over the data on the screen. "O-negative...cancer free," she mumbled under her breath. The hospital wired her Jake's test results. For one who lacked, Jake was as healthy as a bull. His vitals were good for the job ahead. Now to the next phase: reaching an agreement with the possible donor...
They say the universe always provides, and that a good name is often better than riches. Jake was starting to believe it. Some god or cosmic power must be looking out for him. How else would he explain the present chain of events?By some miracle, he landed in his dream company as an intern. The CEO promised him a job in the future, and he was finally away from his disgusting roommate and anything that had to do with his old apartment. And the rent?"Two hundred bucks a month. I will add mine so we can pay the cleaning lady.""What?" Jake google-eyed. "Two hundred dollars? You can't be serious, Larry."Larry pushed his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. "I was going to say a hundred, but you kept going on about wanting to pay, I figured you'd be happy with this.""...""Look Jake, I do not need the cash for any reason. I have the space and lack friends who truly give a shit. You seem like a real guy, so I wanted to help take some weight off your shoulder.""This is too much, yo
Apollo was downstairs when Iris flew by, tying down her jacket. "Going somewhere, Miss?" He let his hand slide down to his side respectfully. "Yes, get me the keys to the Benz; I have to be somewhere." "Somewhere, by yourself?" Apollo was surprised. Iris did not go out late at night, yet here she was- answering as if it was unimportant. "Club 45. It seems my donor is out there letting loose. We can't have that, can we?" Her gaze was piercing. "I'll take you," Apollo said. "I didn't ask. Stay and watch Charlotte." "Your sister is not going anywhere. Forgive me, Miss Iris, but I insist on coming." Iris stared at his father's loyal guard, crinkling up a mocking grin. "You have twenty minutes to get me there." Getting a reaction out of him was uncommon. It was best to enjoy it while it lasted. At Club 45 'Drink! Drink! Drink!' The group chanted wildly. One of the guys held Jake's nose as his mouth suffered the abuse. For nearly thirty minutes, Jake guzzled down any liqu
Apollo drank from a tiny metal flask just before the door opened. Earlier on, Iris made him leave the room; something about Jake feeling cornered by his presence.Being alone gave him time to sort out his thoughts. And right now, he was more troubled to see the pest leave the building. Apollo went in with a billion reasons why Jake was not fit for the job."He said no." Iris broke the news after listening to his complaints. Apollo instantly shut up, too shocked to admit that it was unbelievable. "It's probably for the best," he said."No." Iris pushed herself out of her seat. She approached the balcony, calming her mind with the view. "My mother always said that if one was patient enough, one could dissect an ant and harvest its organs without damaging them.""This man is a nobody." Apollo pointed out. "Everybody is nobody, Apollo." Iris checked her wrist for the time. "I asked your men to dig up information about him. Is there something I can use?""...""Apollo." Iris did not appr
Jake's endurance was tested. Never in all his years did he imagine falling into his present state. He looked back. Sure enough, there was no one coming. "Ma'am, what are you doing?" Jake lowered his voice. "What does it look like?" Iris blinked. "Isn't this your term and condition to what I proposed? You will only make babies the natural way. So, I'm going with it," she said. Jake's shoulders slumped. He cursed under his breath, slapping a hand across his face in exasperation. "This is not what I mean," he wanted to explain himself. "There's no point going back and forth. It is a simple sacrifice compared to getting needled now and then for procedures that have failed me in the past." "Needled?... Christ," Jake gasped. After beating himself down about it, he straightened up and took a much-needed breath. Iris' expression was robotic when the young man walked up to her. She did not flinch or show signs of repugnance. 'He's going to do it?' Her words were sealed in her head. J
"Larry, the fax is here!" "I'm on it!" Larry doubled up to retrieve the document from the fax machine. The department was on the hunt for the next big talents out there; for advertisement purposes. After Jake's overnight transfer, Larry became a much-preferred candidate for errands. It wasn't done to punish him; Larry was just that good at handling pressure.That, however, did not stop everyone from asking about his friend and fellow housemate. His answers, of course, were puzzling. Larry knew how to read a situation; telling his colleagues that the CEO and President of Amery came to his house to have a mano-a-mano with Jake was totally uncalled for. He imagined the rumours that could spark.When the chance opened up, Larry hid in the kitchen to enjoy a cup of coffee. "Haa, this sucks. Jake's coffee tastes way better." He sipped slowly.That privilege did not last when the supervisor walked in. "Shouldn't you be filing the report for the add company?" "Come on, Drizella, I'm gonna d
"I can explain." Jake tucked his prick in his pants. "I'm not interested in the details." Iris walked away from the crime scene, shutting her ears. "But I am!" Gale waved excitedly at Jake. "I'm deeply sorry, Miss Gale.""What for? It is a natural phenomenon. I'd be worried if you weren't getting it up like this when no one is around. Don't be shy; I liked what I saw," Gale said. Jake was forced to smile, finding the accident amusingly embarrassing. Gale made him less nervous, but Iris must think he is a wayward man with odd fetishes."Relax and enjoy yourself. I'll handle my friend." Gale winked and twirled towards Iris' door. Iris flung her hat on the mattress as she undressed in front of the mirror. Gale fell on the bed, swinging her arms like a snow angel. "Did you see that? He is huge!" How could she keep quiet about Jake's private areas? "Come on, let me have him just once. I promise I won't hurt him." "Not now, Gale. And I don't appreciate my resting place looking like
She gave him a smooch on the mouth, but he frowned. "What is it?" Iris had fulfilled her part of the bargain and did not appreciate that childish reaction. You'd think that Jake would come to his senses, but he remained a fool to this newfound fixations. "That's not how you kissed me yesterday," he said. "A kiss is a kiss," Iris replied. Yesterday didn't happen to begin with. How does she compete with a mirage of herself that only existed in his fantasy? But Jake would disagree and reference that it didn't count if the kiss wasn't as intense as he imagined. A part of Iris had stopped moving, following how weird it felt to be in this position. "How did I do it then?" Iris said out of impatience. Jake sat up, maintaining his grip on her. "Like this." Their nose touched as his tongue broke through her mouth. It was a slow siege. For a minute, Iris could hear the illicit sounds of their unholy contact. "Huff! That's enough!" She pulled out of the liplock. Jake took one look at her f
"No." Iris did not want to waste good muscles on a frown. But she was furious. "The job will grant me the means to contribute, so I can stay relevant as a parent. I want to be in the life of the child." Jake pleaded his case. "If I wanted any of that drama, a contract would not exist," Iris said. "Don't get me wrong. If I'm going to help anyone bring a child into this wild, I must be responsible for them. I know what it feels like to grow up without a father- without parents. I can give them love and support." "Are you saying I'm incapable of loving what I create?" "That's not what I meant..." "They will need nothing!" Iris was this close to stabbing Jake with a table knife. But she kept her hands to herself, staying civilized. "The fact that you were cast aside like a vermin does not give you the right to insert yourself in the lives of any child I make with your sperm. That's not how the real world works." "..." Jake felt the irritation in her words. "I will hear nothing