A/N: Finally an update. I'll try to be better about posting updates I've already posted elsewhere. Enjoy!
*Many thanks to sendtherain for beta'ing.
Chapter 10 -
The next morning Barry stepped out of the bathroom after showering, barely able to stand. With one towel around his waist and the other in his hand drying his hair, he made his way to the kitchen to down several gulps of milk straight from the gallon.
Sammy, his two-year-old golden retriever, whined as she followed him halfway there.
"What?" he asked, wiping his mouth on his arm. "I'm just recuperating."
She whined some more and sat down.
He put the cap back on and stuck the milk in the fridge.
"When a man is without a woman, he has to take matters into his own hands."
She laid down, looking absolutely miserable.
"Yes, last night and this morning," he confided, then looked away. "Sorry you had to see that…last night, I mean." The retriever looked away. "But you refused to stay outside, and at least I was covered up!"
Sammy moaned.
"You're right. Next time, I'll go in the bathroom. Okay?"
The dog looked up at him with hopeless puppy eyes.
"Oh, shit, right." Barry got out the dog food and poured a bunch into her food bowl, as well as refilling the water bowl. "There you go, Sammy girl."
The dog got up right away and started chomping away. He patted her head and went into his bedroom to get ready for the work day.
He sighed and leaned against the door frame when he arrived at the open doorway.
Getting ready for work wasn't going to be a problem. Working was going to be a problem. He was not going to be able to concentrate worth a damn after making out with Iris West last night and needing two doses of jerking himself off to try to get her out of his system.
Of course, it didn't work. Fantasizing about the beautiful vixen wasn't going to do a damn thing until he had her for himself. The real her.
But he got ready for work anyway and was out the door in no time. The auto shop wasn't far from his house, and he was even the first to get there. He hoped the opportunity would be there to get into character of how he'd acted every day before this one, but something told him he would not be so lucky.
It worked on Felicity when she arrived shortly after him and said hello. It did not, however, work on Oliver when he arrived at the start of his shift half an hour later.
"Something's up with you."
Barry tried very hard not to snicker. If only he knew.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, trying not to sound amused and failing.
"Did you have sex last night?"
Barry nearly choked on his own spit.
"What? No!"
"Why are you so defensive?"
"I'm not."
"You did have sex," he said, starting to grin. "It's about damn time. You know a man can only go so long before-"
"I did not have sex. Not every…positive mood immediately equals sex."
Oliver looked at him suspiciously for a while before… "It was with Iris, wasn't it?"
Barry snorted. "She wishes," he muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" Oliver leaned in.
Barry's head snapped up.
"I didn't have sex with Iris. I didn't have sex with anyone."
"Then what happened, and where did you get it?"
Barry laughed. "Wasn't drugs either, Oliver."
The older man studied him closely.
"You're not going to tell me, are you?"
"Nope."
He moved away from him to start working on his first car of the day when he heard someone calling him from up front.
"I have got to go," Barry said, grinning as he set the wrench down in his hand. "Felicity is calling me."
Oliver shook his head as he watched him go, still positive he'd had sex and annoyed that he had no real confirmation.
"Hey, Felicity, what's uhhh-" He stopped suddenly, brought face to face with his make out partner from the night before.
In her seat beside him, Felicity cleared her throat.
"Iris here would like to know if the parts that have come in yet for her car."
Barry frowned immediately and narrowed his eyebrows.
"I said it would take about a week," he said.
"So?"
"So, it's only day two, and we just opened up."
"So they might come in later today."
"They won't."
"You don't know that for sure."
"Why so eager to get out of town? Something…scaring you?"
She stiffened. "Nothing's scaring me, Barry. Least of all you."
Felicity's eyes bulged.
"Then what?"
"I have a life I need to get back to!" Her voice rose.
"A life that doesn't include me, is that it?"
Felicity's eyes widened, and she looked up at Barry, but he paid no attention to her. She looked at Iris, but the beauty was focused entirely on Barry with fire in her eyes.
"I hate you," she spat.
"The feeling's mutual," he returned.
Her fists clenched at her sides and Felicity quickly stood up.
"I think what Barry is trying to say is that the parts are not in yet. We're sorry for the delay, but we will call you as soon as they arrive."
"That's not what I-"
Felicity plastered her hand over his mouth.
Iris was annoyed but also amused, so she nodded shortly.
"Well, I appreciate your customer service…" She glanced down at her nametag. "Felicity, but I think I'll just come by every day…to say hello…and see if my parts are in."
Felicity's hand dropped from Barry's face as she slumped over.
"Bye." She wiggled her fingers in a wave to the two of them then walked across the street, likely in the direction of Linda's shop.
Felicity turned around and glared up at Barry as hard as she could in her black-rimmed glasses, tight ponytail and short height, her heels doing little to elevate her.
"What was that?"
"What was what? Nothing! Geez, between you and Oliver-"
"Did you sleep together?" she demanded.
"What?! No! Why does everybod-"
"Are you sure?"
He glared. "I think I would remember."
She sighed and sat down. "Fine. Go back to work."
He nodded and started heading back.
"Don't sleep with her," she ordered. "It'll only make things more complicated."
"What's complicated?" he asked to no one and shrugged off the encounter, heading back to work.
"What was that about?" Oliver asked as soon as he returned.
"Shut up."
Oliver frowned. "I didn't-"
Barry shot him a glare, and he shut his mouth, keeping any further thoughts on the subject of Iris and sex to himself. At least for the moment.
…
Iris' heart was pounding by the time she reached Linda's shop. She couldn't believe she had just done that, and that Barry had said that. She'd had every intention of avoiding Barry as much as possible for the rest of her stay there. She'd go to the festival with Linda and say next to nothing to him when he came over for dinner each night. Either that or she'd start having dinner with Linda and have her bring her home later. It was a sound plan to her.
But then she thought about never kissing him again, and her body ached for his touch. And then she thought about how he still despised her when he wasn't kissing her, and that made her mad too. Not that she didn't also despise him, but how could one hate one so badly and need them just as much at the same time? It didn't make sense.
She figured she'd test it out by checking on her parts. That was as good of an excuse as any. Nothing had changed, though. They still annoyed the crap out of each other. But there was a different kind of tension there too, and she knew Felicity had sensed it.
He still wanted her physically. At least, she thought so. There was no real proof obviously, but if he did, well then maybe she should-
No.
She had to get a hold of herself. She was not going to have a fling with the country boy who everybody loved but who despised her and she despised him. It didn't make any sense. And if they didn't hate each other and had a fling, what then? What would happen when it was time for her to leave? Could she just forget like it ever happened and return to her socialite lifestyle back in Central City.
"Easily," she said to herself, and let herself into the shop.
Linda was checking out a customer, but as soon as they left she lit up when she saw Iris.
"Hey, girl, I was hoping you'd come in today."
Iris huffed. "Yeah, thanks. I was…I'm just really glad to see you."
"Oh, no. What happened?"
"What do you mean?"
"You seem…edgy."
"Oh, it's nothing." She turned around to flip through the clothes near the window. "I just had to talk to Barry at the auto shop. He was unhelpful, as usual."
"Was he mean?"
Iris thought about it.
"His…tone was mean," she said, realizing he hadn't said anything insulting and just asked questions in a demeaning way. He had admitted to hating her, but only after she'd said the words first. Did that count?
"Is that all?"
"Isn't that enough?"
"Hmm." She rounded the counter and started walking towards Iris. "Did something happen between you two?"
Involuntarily, Iris lifted her hand to her lips and brushed it with her fingers.
"Like what?"
"Oh, my God, you hooked up."
Iris' eyes widened, and she spun around.
"What makes you say that?" she screeched.
Linda laughed. "Your tone, your body language, you going out of your way to visit Barry when you probably knew it was going to end up with a war of words between you two. And you – you can't look me in the eye when I talk about it."
Iris deliberately looked her in the eye, but she could only hold it for a few seconds.
"Aha! I knew it!"
Iris rolled her eyes. "You don't know anything."
"Oh, yeah? How's that?"
"Barry and I did not have sex. Ew. Gross." She wrinkled her nose.
"The most faked cringe I've seen in my life," Linda said.
Iris frowned. How did this woman see through her so easily?
"Tell me what happened – if you didn't have sex."
Iris scoffed. "We didn't."
"Then what did you do?"
Iris hesitated.
"Come on, I won't tell a soul. Who else do you have to confide in but me?" She raised her eyebrows, and Iris realized she had a point.
"We kissed," she finally admitted.
Linda smirked. "I knew I was on track."
Iris looked so ashamed.
"Please, there are worse things. I knew there was some intense sexual tension between you two. I just never saw it manifested in such a malicious way with Barry before, but it was obvious it was there."
"Yes, well, now I'm confused."
"About what?"
"Yeah, about what?"
The girls turned around to find Barry standing in the doorway.
"Why do you keep sneaking up on us like that?" Iris demanded, sour.
Barry grinned. "Why do you keep talking about me when you think I'm not here?"
Linda stifled a laugh. "He has a point there, Iris."
Iris groaned. "Can you just go? What do you want?"
"You."
Her stomach dropped. Even Linda was shocked by his bluntness.
"To talk to you," he clarified. "May I?"
"How polite," Linda said, immensely amused. "There's a room in back if you two don't want to go outside."
"Linda!" Iris exclaimed, outraged.
"Sounds like an excellent idea!" Barry declared.
Iris' jaw dropped.
"After you." He smirked and gestured for Iris to walk first.
She grumbled and started walking. "Where is this stupid room anyway?"
"Right across from the bathroom on your right!" Linda called, then spun around as another customer came in. She greeted them and Barry and Iris went quietly into the room where Linda had said.
Barry closed the door behind them.
"Okay, you have me. What do you want to talk about?"
Barry smiled and turned around slowly. His eyes were full of heat, just as they were the night before. Iris barely stifled her gasp.
"Who said I wanted to talk?"
"No," she said immediately.
He laughed. "No, what?"
"No, we are not doing this. You are not- I am not- Nope. Linda!"
She made to get to the door, but Barry was blocking it. Even before she could try to get to the handle, he pinned her to the wall just a few inches away and lowered his lips so that they hovered over hers.
Her legs felt like jelly.
"Please…don't."
"Why not?" he asked smoothly.
"Because I don't like you," she said.
"So? I don't like you, either."
She held back a moan. He was so close. She switched gears quickly.
"Shouldn't you be working?"
"I'm on a break."
"Breaks aren't this lon-"
He cut her off with a deep kiss, and she'd come to regret it, but she kissed him back.
"I knew you wanted me," he said into her mouth.
"Damn, you."
He chuckled hotly, then traced his fingers down her neck.
"The feeling's mutual."
He intertwined their fingers and pinned them above her head to the wall, then felt her succumb to his kisses and knew that he had won.
