The Contracted Stripper

Weeks passed, and Iris continued to isolate herself, only coming out of her room when Ryan had left for work. Ryan was finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate.

His thoughts were constantly drifting back to Iris and the hurt he had caused. His friend Luca noticed the change in him.

One morning, Ryan got up early, determined to confront Iris. Dressed in a blue tux he headed to her room, standing at the door uncertain about what to do.

He wanted to see her face so badly, that the cold treatment was unbearable. He stretched his hand to knock but stopped halfway, hanging his hand in the air. Frustrated, he turned and left, passing the dining room where his breakfast had been served.

He headed to the car, where his chauffeur opened the door for him. Ryan sank into the seat, lost in thought as they drove to the office.

Upon arriving, Luca walked up to him. “Morning, Ryan,” he greeted.”Morning. What’s my schedule for today?” Ryan asked, trying to focus on work.

“Well, you have a board meeting at 10 AM, a meeting at 2 PM with Beth Fashion’s manager, some proposals to review, and a meeting with our new investors at 4 PM. And that’s all for today,” Luca replied.

All right,” Ryan responded, his mind elsewhere.

Luca hesitated before speaking again. “Ryan, are you sure you’re fine? You haven’t been yourself these days.

Is everything fine at home?”

“I’m fine, Luca. Just going through some stuff. I’ll be fine,” Ryan replied, trying to brush off Luca’s concern.

“Can I ask you something, Luca?”

“Yes, go ahead. What is it?” Luca said, leaning in.

“Is it possible for a stripper to be a virgin?” Ryan asked.

Luca burst into uncontrollable laughter, causing Ryan to feel like he had said something stupid. “I know, it’s funny, right? I thought so too,” Ryan said.

Luca paused, his expression serious. “Wait, are you being serious right now?”

“Yes, man. Iris is a virgin,” Ryan whispered.”A what? A virgin? Who told you this?” Luca asked, his eyes wide in shock.

“No one did. I found out myself,” Ryan replied.”Wait, don’t tell me all this while you haven’t touched her,” Luca asked incredulously.Property © NôvelDrama.Org.

“Well, not until some weeks ago,” Ryan said, shrugging.”No way! What took you so long?” Luca asked.

“I wasn’t attracted to her, and that night was a mistake because I was drunk. I had my way with her only to find bloodstains on my bed the next morning.

And since then, she’s been giving me the cold shoulder. She doesn’t even want to see me anymore,” Ryan explained.

“Are you bothered?” Luca asked, his tone serious.

“Well, yes. I mean, no. No, I’m not. It’s just that…” Ryan stammered.

“No way, no fucking way. Don’t tell me you’re in love with Iris?” Luca said, incredulous.”What? Hell no. I mean, you know I don’t do love. So, what are you talking about? I’m just curious and surprised that she was still a virgin,” Ryan replied defensively.

“Never mind, man. Let’s get to the business of the day,” Ryan said, trying to change the subject.

He engrossed himself in work, trying to escape from the thoughts of Iris that kept bothering him.

He worked until it was 8 PM, then packed up and set to go home. Instead of heading straight home, he drove to a bar and soaked himself in alcohol.

Unable to drive himself home, he called Luca, who brought him back. As they entered the mansion, Iris had just left her room when she heard voices from downstairs. She hesitated but slowly walked to the top of the stairs, peeking down.

She saw Luca struggling to get a very drunk Ryan upstairs to his room.”Ryan, you need to stop doing this to yourself,” Luca said, exasperated as he helped Ryan up the stairs.

Ryan mumbled incoherently, his eyes glazed from the alcohol. “I can’t stop thinking about her, Luca. She’s in my head all the time.”

“I know, buddy. But this isn’t helping anyone, especially not you,” Luca replied, his tone gentle but firm.

Iris stood at the top of the stairs, her heart pounding. She had never seen Ryan like this, so vulnerable and broken.

It confused her, but she also felt a strange pull to comfort him, despite everything that had happened.

Without thinking, she rushed down the stairs to help. “Luca, let me help you,” she said, taking Ryan’s other arm.

“Thanks, Iris,” Luca said, relief evident in his voice. Together, they managed to get Ryan to his room, every step feeling like a thousand steps for Ryan. His head was spinning, and his whole body reeked of alcohol.

They laid him on the bed, and Iris thanked Luca as he left. She looked down at Ryan, her mind swirling with a mix of frustration, anger, and pity.

What had she done to deserve this? She began to take off his shoes, then his shirt and vest. As she was about to remove his wristwatch, Ryan suddenly vomited a pool of alcohol all over her.

Hot tears streamed down her face as frustration and pain consumed her. Was this really what marriage was supposed to be? Was Ryan deliberately hurting her, making her suffer?

She stood up and headed to the bathroom, stripping off her soiled clothes and wrapping a white towel around her body.

She filled a bowl with warm water and grabbed a small towel. Returning to Ryan, she began cleaning him up, her movements gentle despite her anger.

When she finished, she noticed he was running a fever. She changed the water and used the towel to clean his body again, especially his head until his temperature returned to normal.

“I think I’m gonna pass out soon so my Dad can know that I tried all my best” Ryan mumbled incoherently about family and his troubles before finally drifting into a deep sleep.

Iris cleaned up the mess he had made, her thoughts racing. As she headed out of the room, something caught her eye.

A neatly wrapped package on the table. Curiosity piqued, she walked slowly to the table and opened it. Her eyes widened in shock. “Hard drugs?” she whispered, disbelief coloring her voice