Wow, I'm just little Miss Update today.

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Chapter 7

Iris sat up first and reached for her clothes, slowly pulling them on as she felt his eyes boring into her from behind. She was absolutely speechless.

She stood slowly and stiffly when she felt the bed shifting and turned around to face him as she took a deep calming breath. Until she noticed he was standing there still nude.

"For Merlin's sake! Cover yourself." She admonished hotly as she tried to not to stare. I would do it again right now. What's wrong with me, she raged internally.

Severus reached for a robe and tied it before he started talking. "Iris I..." He began.

"Listen, I have an appointment I forgot all about. I really need to be going." She interrupted wanting nothing more than to flee.

Severus rolled his eyes walked swiftly over to her side of the room and grabbed her wrist firmly.

"You do not. I know that and you know that so lets not pretend shall we? We need to talk. This can't be put off any longer no matter how much you want to avoid it." He said as he unconsciously stroked the inside of her wrist.

"I'm not the only one avoiding it!" She said angrily as she tried to tug her wrist free. "Let me go."

"No." He said simply.

"Let me go!" She said more forcefully.

"You'll bolt." He argued.

"Severus, please." She begged as tears of frustration welled up and trailed down her cheeks.

Now he was at a loss. He hated crying women and had no idea what to do with her.

He looked around urgently for an idea and his eyes came to rest upon the chair sitting in his room.

"Accio wand." He commanded and waited with his hand outstretched for his wand to come then he conjured a second chair.

"Iris please don't do that. Tell me what the problem is and we'll go from there." He said softly as he pressed her gently down into the chair and then took the one opposite her.

"I don't want a relationship." She said as she got a hold of herself and looked at him defiantly.

"I don't either." He answered. Though he should feel relieved at her words, he didn't.

"Good. Then we agree." She continued as she felt a pang of something she couldn't name. Relief. That's what it is, she thought but not thoroughly convinced.

"Absolutely." He concurred.

"Ok then. We shall be professional from now on." She insisted.

"Or..." He dangled at her.

"Or what?" She asked suspiciously.

"Or we do this another way. My way. A way that works out for both of us."

"And what way is that Severus?" She inquired in exasperation.

"We can have a strictly....physical relationship." He offered.

Iris' eyes widened in shock at first at his audacity then by the appeal of his idea.

"I can't deny that I find you very sexy." She reasoned aloud.

"And I want you." He answered.

"We can keep this discreet of course?" She continued.

"Of course."

She stared at him, anxiously awaiting her response and felt an unfamiliar tug in her chest.

"All right. Agreed. We have a strictly physical partnership." She conceded, careful not to use the word relationship. No relationships here.

"Excellent. I do think we should come up with some rules though." He said.

"Such as?" She prompted.

"Like if one of us starts....falling for the other the deal is off. For our own protection of course." He said.

"Love is for sappy fools Severus, and I am not a sappy fool." She said.

"I agree entirely." He answered.

"I do have one of my own rules though. This ends when we finish the potions. Agree?" She asked.

"Agree." He answered as he sealed it with a kiss and drug her back to the bed.

Don't Severus and Iris know these kinds of deals always come back to bite you in the ass? Eh, what can you do? :)