Her Deal with the Devil

Chapter 3: Naked

Iris 

    Coming up the hill, I saw a truck that sure as hell shouldn’t be on my property. If Mr. Elliot had driven himself out to my house in some weird gentlemanly gesture, I was going to let him have it. 

    Whipping into my driveway sharper than expected, I slammed the brakes to avoid crashing into the truck. Fiona wasn’t made to turn on a dime and the whining sound that emanated from her after I slammed my brakes was not promising. I patted Fiona’s dashboard affectionately.

    “Come on girl. Don’t cuss me too bad. I’m sorry.”

    Getting out of the car but leaving my door open, I called out.

    “Hello? Whoever is out here on my property better get the hell out!”

    Nothing. Just the wind blowing through the trees. Fall was really setting in, and the wind made me shiver. Finally, from the side of the house I heard rhythmic banging. I grabbed my trusty bat--I really oughta name this sucker...Bruiser?  Bruiser. I grabbed Bruiser, and headed to the side of the house. Grandma did a lot of things, but she ain’t raise no punk. Rounding the corner I saw a bent figure, hammering away at something. I couldn’t tell what it was because the person was right in the way. The person, was definitely male. And he was huge. And shirtless. And ripped. The way the muscles in his back rippled and tensed had me thinking completely different ideas from when I first rounded the corner. One thing for sure, this wasn’t Jason Elliot. 

    I cleared my throat, the blood rushing everywhere but my brain.

    “Excuse me.”

    Nothing.

    “I said ‘excuse me’ sir!”

    I was getting real tired of being ignored. Taking Bruiser, I tapped the man on his well-defined back and stepped backwards, bat ready.

    The man jerked, and snatched a headphone out of his ear that I hadn’t noticed earlier. When he stood up to full height, I almost dropped my bat and took up mountain climbing. Did I mention this man is huge? He had to be at least 6’4”, easily. His beautiful brown skin showcased the body of a man who was not afraid of physical labor. Too bad he was about to get this bat across one of his kneecaps.

    “I’m sorry. Have we met?” he asked, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes at me.

    I looked back at him in shock. Something like recognition crossed his face, and he dropped the hammer and dusted off his hands, extending the least dirty one.

    “I apologize Miss. You must be Iris. Your grandmother Marian told me a little about you, but she also mentioned that I would probably never meet you. I’m Tristan. I am the maintenance man/groundskeeper for your grandmother’s--I mean--your estate.”

    The smile this man gave me made it seem as if he had swallowed the sun, truly dazzling. His pearly whites were even, and the lips he licked nervously made my temperature rise.

    I took his hand, shaking it gruffly. The callouses I felt made me wonder how they might feel anywhere else. Shaking my head quickly, I focused in on Tristan.

    “It’s nice to meet you. We may have to discuss that arrangement actually. I am planning on selling the house. But before we get to that, do you mind telling me what brought you over? As you can see, I don’t take too kindly to strangers.”

    He laughed, the sound washing over me, sending little sparks along my body.

    “Well, I am here for a couple of reasons. First, I came out here to winterize the house. I know we’re creeping into fall, but this is an old house. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Second, I came because I noticed a stray black cat that would sometimes make an appearance around the property. Used to be I would see it maybe once a season if that. More recently, it seems to be sticking close to the house. I didn’t know if you were a cat person or not, so I decided to build it a shelter outside for when the weather got worse.”

    Sure enough, when he stepped to the side, there was a cute little outdoor shelter.

    “Yeah I still want to paint it and put some type of heating mechanism into it, but at this point, it will at least block the wind.”

    The way he talked about his work, I could tell that he was passionate. He took joy in what he did. While it was sweet, it also brought back memories I would prefer to forget, so I quickly changed the subject.

    I gave Tristan a wry smile. “That is very sweet. Although it may be all for nothing. I don’t think that cat likes me to be honest. He probably won’t stay long once he realizes I will be here for a good minute.”

    Speak of the devil. Just as I finished talking, the cat appeared. He was winding his way through Tristan’s legs, purring and meowing as hard as he could. Each time we made eye contact the cat glared at me, as if I were a nuisance that needed to leave. The cat then examined the shelter, purring and kneading the small pillow Tristan had left there.

    Tristan looked at the cat and smiled, then turned to me. 

    “So it’s settled. The cat is staying, and so are you.”

    The cat yowled suddenly, charging at me before running off. Even though I wasn’t necessarily an animal person, I had never been intensely hated by one before. It kind of hurt. Straightening my face, I turned to Tristan and smiled.

    “Maybe not. But I do apologize for planning to take out your kneecap though. That would have been a horrible misunderstanding.”

    Tristan mockingly threw his hand over his heart.

    “Yeah that would have been horrible. My business would have suffered greatly. You look like you can hit a homerun.”

    I laughed loudly.

    “Would you like to come inside? I can get you a drink and a snack, to repay you for the cat shelter. I doubt it will be used much.”

    He smiled and checked his phone. 

    “Actually I have to get home, it’s almost 6.”

    “Ah. I see. The missus cooking dinner?”

    Tristan’s lips curled upwards slightly as he made eye contact with me, the fire I saw there warming me all over.

    “Actually I’m a bachelor. I haven’t been involved with anyone for the past 3 years.”

    Why did that make my heart and my stomach do backflips?

    “Oh wow. Wait. Did you say 6?”

    “Yeah. Matter of fact, its 5:58.”

    I began to panic. I couldn’t let Jason Elliot think I am a flake. Otherwise he might not help me. I rushed to the front of the house, waving goodbye to Tristan as I went. Bursting through the front door I rushed to my bedroom and quickly began to lay out some clothes. Nothing fancy, but also something that didn't scream destitute. I yanked off my shirt and shucked off my pants. I was just about to take off my bra when I heard a throat clear behind me. 

    “What the hell?!”

    Grabbing a towel I turned to face Tristan, who had his eyes covered with both hands.

    “I am so sorry Iris. You rushed off so fast I was worried something was wrong. You left the door open so that gave me more cause for alarm. I know this is the country but it’s dangerous out here.”

    “Well as you can see I am perfectly fine” I spluttered.

    Peeking through his hands he nodded.

    “Yeah, I can see.”

    I threw a shoe at him, which he was able to dodge easily.

    “Well Ms. Iris, I will leave and I will lock your front door behind me. I believe you left me just enough room to make my escape, so I will see you next time.” 

    He began walking away, humming some old tune. Then he called out just before he shut the door.

    “I took the liberty of leaving my number on the counter. I hope you find a couple of reasons to use it.”

    Smiling to myself, I hurriedly started my shower. The pressure in the shower was amazing, and the walls of the shower kept the heat in very well. While I was bathing, I noticed that the hot water was well, hot. As if someone had cranked the water heater to hell and left it there. I tried to turn the handle to cooler water but it broke off in my hand. At this point, I reached for the shower door to push it open but it was jammed somehow. I kept knocking myself into it, but all I was doing was giving myself a sore shoulder because I didn’t have enough force to make a difference.

    I decided to risk a scalding to gather enough momentum to ram the door, and it suddenly came unstuck, and I was falling, screaming in pain from  the water, out of the shower and on a one-way collision course with the marble bathroom sink.

                                                                                ***

Tristan

    Closing Iris’ front door, I smiled to myself. That girl was something else. Her body was amazing, and I could tell that she was a firecracker. I could only hope that she decided to use my number before my next scheduled trip out here. As I turned to leave, I came face to face with the cat. I leaned down, intent on patting the creature before i left. As soon as I got close the cat hissed, taking a swipe at me. I jerked my hand away and stood up.

    “Alright now feline. I’ve been good to you.”

    The cat decided to go after my feet, backing me up against the door. Just as I was about to make a break for it, I heard thumping coming from inside the house. I raced back inside to Iris’ bedroom and listened for the noise again. It was coming from her bathroom! I wrenched the door open just in time to see Iris falling out of the shower, and was able to catch her before she split her skull open.

    She looked up at me, obviously in shock, and said, “I’m naked,” before she passed out. Crap, she was naked. And wet. And pressed up against my bare chest. Good lord. Behind me, I heard the cat hiss again, and turned to see him giving me a disapproving glare, before walking back towards the bedroom. I followed, grabbing Iris’ towel as I went. When I got to the bed, I pulled back her covers, laid her towel down, and then her. I tried my best to touch her as little as possible, not because she wasn’t attractive, but that’s inappropriate. As soon as I tucked her into the covers, the cat leapt up on the bed and laid next to her, purring softly. After making sure she was comfortable, I went to inspect the shower. The water was still running, and it was boiling. The knob was on the floor of the shower. The door looked like Iris had put all her weight behind it, but for the life of me I couldn’t figure out what it could have stuck on. 

    I went out to the truck and grabbed my tools, intent on having this fixed by the time she woke up. First I removed the door, because I couldn’t see her wanting one for a while. I then shut off the shower, and looked at the knob. It looked perfectly normal, but I didn’t want to risk it. I usually keep spare odds and ends in my truck, since you never know what you may need or when you may need it. After finding and attaching a handle shower knob, I wrote a note and put it on her nightstand letting her know I had to get home and let my animals out. I mentioned that she should call me as soon as she wakes up so I can check in on her. The cat, who before seemed like he hated Iris, refused to leave her side. Locking up as I left, I prayed that she would contact me.

                                                                        ***

Jason 

    I checked my watch for the third time since I got to this little diner. It was 7:30 and still no Iris. I didn’t even have her cell phone number so I couldn’t call her. Wait, her grandmother always kept a landline because she felt that cellphones were just a distraction from all the important things in life. Grabbing my phone I scrolled through my contacts until I found Marian’s name. The phone rang at least seven times before Iris picked up.

    “Hello?” 

    Iris’ voice on the other end of the call sounded weak and weary, as if something had drained her of all her energy.

    “Miss Hamilton. It’s Jason. Jason Elliot? I was calling because I have never been stood up for a business meeting before. Or a friendly date.”

    I chuckled to let her know I was only teasing.

    “Mr. Elliot I do apologize. I had an accident in my shower and injured myself. I didn’t have your number so I was going to stop by the office tomorrow and explain.”

    My joking mood immediately became concerned.

    “Are you alright? Do I need to stop by? Do you need anything?”

    “Not at the moment. I do appreciate the concern.”

    I sighed.

    “Would you be able to do lunch tomorrow? We can make it at the same diner if you like?”

    “That would be great. See you tomorrow.”

    “See you.”

    As soon as we hung up, the waitress came up to my table.

    “Can I get you anything, hun?”

    I ordered something small, just enough to tide me over for the night. My appetite was ruined for the first time, for a couple of reasons. And all of them had to do with Iris Hamilton.

                                                                    ***

Iris

    Hanging up the phone I sighed. Jason sounded disappointed that I was cancelling dinner, but he also seemed a little worried about me. I appreciated it a bit more than I expected to. I felt horrible. I woke up naked in bed, under covers that were slightly damp. My head was pounding and the left side of my body felt raw, a consequence of the boiling water I had to rush through to get free. I would never shower again. At least until I could get the door removed somehow. I vaguely remember Tristan being the reason I hadn’t smashed my head on the sink, but he was nowhere to be found. I went back in the bathroom to inspect my shower, and ran into a pleasant surprise. My shower door was gone, replaced by a shower rod and cream colored curtain. Looking inside the shower, the round knob had been replaced by one with a handle. Back in the bedroom, I finally noticed the note on my nightstand. 

     Hey pretty lady, the note began. I had to head home and let my dogs out, but I plan to be back around 8:30 tonight with some pain meds and food. I figure you might not be too keen on doing much. Call me when you wake up, I want to make sure you’re ok.

    This man was amazing. But I couldn’t let myself get too attached. That would end badly. For everyone.