IRIS
It’s been a whole week since I stepped outside my room. I soak myself in my bed like it’s going to help me forget that stranger. Hell, it gets worse every time I remember that I never got his name.
The only time I roll out of bed is when I want to wash up or fix my Afro hair. Other than that, my mind keeps reeling over and over the scene from that night.
Eyes stuck to the ceiling, I realize I’ve been staring at it for the past ten minutes. Flicking the pillow over my head, I bury my face into the mattress.
"No, no, no! Get OUTTTT of my head." I drawl out, frustrated, then suddenly perk up when an aroma invades my nostrils.
I sniff once. Then again. "What..." My brows draw together, my gaze locking onto the door as I slip into my flip flops and grab a flower vase before stepping out cautiously.
It smells like... pancakes? As I get closer, I begin to hear muffled music in the background. When I step into the kitchen, I see Victor, and a long sigh leaves me as I tilt my head slightly.
He turns around just as I get closer. Removing the earbuds from his ears and pausing whatever he’s listening to, he screams, "Bitchhhh."
"You dumbass, what are you doing here?" I ask, matching his tone, the insult coming out as naturally as affection between us.
"Uh, four years ago, we scouted for this apartment together and you gave me a spare key," he says like I’ve suddenly lost brain cells. "Just like you’ve got mine."
I facepalm and drag myself to sit on a stool by the kitchen island. "No, I mean, why are you here? You could have called."
He immediately drops what he’s doing and points a finger at me. "Girl, I’ve been calling you for days. You’ve been acting like you wanna drink anything but cum... and die."
My face scrunches in irritation as I roll my eyes at him. "I just need space."
He places a bowl of pancakes in front of me, and I help myself with honey syrup while he starts preparing green tea in a mug.
He flicks his fingers as he speaks. "I know this isn’t about your dad. It’s something else, babe. You need to start talking to me so I can help you." Of course he just had to add that last part.
I love Victor for his healthy masculinity. He’s the most secure man I’ve ever seen in my life, in all of his grace. He hits the gym, so his body is thick with fat glutes, yet he’s comfortable shifting between his masculine and feminine sides without hesitation.
"You know your Mexican ass isn’t gonna help me fix my problem." I glare at him when I see the amount of sugar he’s scooping into the tea. "That isn’t even healthy anymore. It’s green tea for a reason."
"Uh, your Black ass isn’t gonna tell me how I like my tea. And oh Lord, I love 'em sweet, just like my men." He slams his hands on the table to grab my attention and stare into my soul. I don’t even try to resist that look. "Now, speak."
I play with my food as I grab one of my wavy strands and roll it around my finger, pressing my lips into a thin line. I don’t even need to look up to know Victor isn’t shifting his gaze away from me anytime soon.
I exhale loudly out of nowhere, the words spilling before I can rethink them. "We should do some STD tests. You know, like HIV, Hepatitis, and the likes."
Victor freezes instantly. "Did you f**k someone other than Charles?" With my silence and my eyes dropping to the table, he gasps. "When? Where? How?"
"I was at the club."
"Good Lord, you were?" His eyes widen, his jaw practically dropping, his hands flying to his head, his entire body reacting like I just confessed a crime. He’s exaggerating this so badly that it's high time I begged the ground to just open and swallow me whole.
I shut my eyes, bracing myself. "I got drunk. He was too. One thing led to another and we had s*x. I hate that it feels like the best I’ve ever had, and I can’t stop thinking about it. And now he’s emailing me, and I don’t even know how he got that. We didn’t exchange any contact. I don’t even know his name. I can’t even remember how I left his car and got back home." I inhale sharply, trying to gather myself. "I’m a mess, Victor."
Victor drops dramatically to the floor, his eyes bulging as if he’s choking, before he bursts into a mix of laughter and disbelief. "I swear I did not raise you like this. Where did the wild Iris Bellaire come from?"
"I was mad at Charles, at everything, at how I’m losing it all."
Victor wraps his arms around me from behind, and for a second, I think we’re done with the conversation, until he suddenly hums thoughtfully. "Wait... did you say he sent you emails, and you didn’t respond?"
I barely finish nodding before he rushes to my room, brings out my laptop, and powers it on. He quickly opens my mail, saying, "That’s how we can know who he is."
The sender reads:
kaizenmontclair@gmail.com
Victor and I gasp at the same time, a lump forming in my throat as realization sinks in.
Kaizen Montclair. The billionaire who claims he’s a millionaire. One of those tryna-be-humble nepo babies who act like they struggled when in reality their assets are worth billions. The owner of Zenryx Holdings, a multi-sector empire specializing in AgriTech, food systems, and logistics.
Wait... The stranger is Japanese too. It definitely has to be him.
My bright brown eyes lock onto Victor’s hazel ones. "This is unreal."
"You need to reply him," he insists, but I shake my head. We go back and forth for nearly thirty minutes before I finally give in, mostly because Victor refuses to drop it.
Really, what are the chances that you’d have a one night stand with someone like that?
I type my reply slowly:
Please, don’t email me anymore. What happened between us was a mistake, and it must never repeat itself. I know who you are, and you probably know who I am. We’re not in the same class. Thank you for understanding.
Victor grits his teeth the moment he reads it. "You’re so boring." With that, he goes back to eating his pancakes.
We fall into silence, the kind that lingers a little too long, until my phone suddenly rings, making both of us react instantly. Unknown number.
"Hello?" I say cautiously.
"Good thing is, I was close to your neighborhood. Meet me in the parking space."
Without even realizing it, adrenaline shoots through my body, my breathing turning uneven. "Who’s this?"
"Oh, sweet peach, I think you do."
I lower the phone slowly. "He said I should come to the parking space downstairs."
"Wait—that’s him?" Victor nearly chokes on his food. "Then go!"
I don’t even know why I’m moving, but somehow, I am. Step by step, I make my way down to the parking space, my heart pounding louder the closer I get.
The moment I arrive, my eyes scan the area frantically, until the sound of his footsteps pulls my attention toward him.
"I’m about to do something crazy. Scream now if you want me to stop," he says as he approaches, his presence already overwhelming.
Before I can react, his lips crash into mine, stealing the air from my lungs. He spanks my ass, and when I gasp, his tongue slips into my mouth, deep and demanding.
"What’re you doing?" I breathe out, my face burning, my body reacting in ways I can’t control as my thighs press together.
"It was never a one-time thing. I haven’t stopped thinking about you. And when you keep starving me, I become feral," he says, his voice thick with hunger, his eyes just as breathless as mine.
His hair is messy from my grip, his arms marked faintly from my nails, and the sight alone makes my pulse spike.
"I really want you so badly, sweet peach."
"Iris Bellaire—that’s my name. Do you even know it?" I don’t know why I suddenly need that confirmation, but I do.
He lets out a low chuckle as he turns me around, pressing me firmly against his car.
The same car from that night.
"I know who you are, Miss Bellaire. I know..."
My words die in my throat the moment his fingers slide under my nightgown, rubbing against my c**t. A broken moan escapes me, and he quickly covers my mouth, holding me in place.
With one swift motion, he tears open a small lube packet, slicks his member, and thrusts into me.
This time, it isn’t rushed. It’s steady. Controlled. Each stroke deliberate, building heat slowly until it becomes overwhelming. My stomach tightens, my ass spatting against his thighs with every movement, chasing the rhythm he sets. The slapping sound intensifies as my juice slides down my thighs.
It feels unreal, like something I’ve only ever imagined but never thought I’d actually live through. Heat floods through me, deeper and stronger, until my walls begin to tighten again, that same maddeningly sweet sensation.
"f**k, I’m getting close," he groans against my ear, his pace increasing just enough to tip me over the edge. His thighs slam harder against me, my body reacting helplessly as his hands grip my breasts tightly.
Right as he cums, I shatter with him, my entire body giving in to the intensity as he holds me steady, keeping me from collapsing.
When I open my eyes, reality crashes back in all at once.
"Get away from me. Who the f**k are you?" I snap, pulling myself together as quickly as I can.
"Kaizen Montclair."
"I know that, but who are you? I don’t even know you, yet we’ve... what are we doing?" My voice shakes despite my effort to stay composed as I fix my dress and try to steady my breathing.
"I want you. That’s what matters. You stay on my mind."
I slap his hand away the moment he tries to touch me again, even though my body betrays me, craving more of him.
"I’m sorry, but I can’t let you go. And I don’t think you want that either," he adds calmly.
I swallow hard, wrapping my arms around myself as if that would somehow ground me. "I swear, with everything I hold dear, I don’t ever want to see you again, Mr Montclair."
As I walk away quickly, almost running at this point, he calls after me, his voice steady and certain, "I don’t think you mean that, Miss Bellaire. And I’m known for not respecting decisions, especially when they don’t favor me."
"f**k off!" I yell just before I disappear inside, my heart still racing.
God, I hate whatever this is. I really do.
But the way my body still burns says otherwise. Am I an uncontrollable horny b***h now?