Claiming the Scientist

IRIS:

"Well shit." I whispered the words to myself in dismay, my body twisted at a weird angle, staring at the tips of my fingers barely visible through the glass.

All I wanted was the pack of donuts, dammit! I tried to wriggle my arm again, but that somehow lodged the flap pressing into my arm deeper, getting more stuck than I was before.

If you haven't figured it out yet, then let me spell it out for you. I was caught in a vending machine. My arm was shoved all the way in through the bottom, fingertips just barely not able to reach the snack that had gotten stuck in the spiral mechanism. Not that it wouldn't have mattered if I was able to reach it, since my arm was. Fucking. Stuck!!

The fact that it was about 4 am and I was the only person in the lab was both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, there was no one here to witness the embarrassing position I was in; arm stuck up to my shoulder, in a squat position that had caused my pencil skirt to ride up my thighs to just under my butt. Since my other hand was currently bandaged up to my elbow (the result of an experiment that had gone wrong thanks to an idiot co-worker), I couldn't use it to help get my arm out. Basically, I was fucked over.

Because that was the bad part of being the only one here- there was no one around to help me. I shifted, whimpering at the ache in my arm and the cramp in my legs. I knew people weren't going to start showing up for another few hours, and if I couldn't figure out a way to get out myself, then I was going to be sitting like this for a while.

I was a scientist with multiple degrees at just the age of 27. I had to be able to figure out a way to get out of a stupid vending machine! I maneuvered my legs around so that I was kneeling instead of squatting, and that helped alleviate some of the pain. Of course, now my body was bent at the kind of angle where my back was bowed, ass up in the air so that I wouldn't dislodge my shoulder from this position.

I had my free arm propped up on the front of the machine to help balance me, but I had to be careful to not hurt the arm worse.

"Just my luck," I grumbled out loud, leaning my forehead against the glass and closing my eyes with frustration. "All I wanted to do was finish logging information on my new idea, and now I'm stuck here until I figure a way out."

"Maybe I can help?"

The deep voice scared the shit out of me, and I couldn't help my body automatically jumping. It pulled on my arm and I cried out in pain and surprise.

"Fuck, I didn't mean to scare you." I looked in the glass to catch his reflection since it was too hard to turn, and I noticed the worry on his face as he stepped closer. Something about him looked familiar, but I couldn't concentrate on figuring it out now that my arm was throbbing from being jerked when I jumped. That and the embarrassment flooding through me now that there was a witness to my predicament.

"It's fine," I said with clenched teeth.

"It's not, really. Maybe I should've walked louder? Meowed?"

I couldn't help the snort from escaping. "I prefer quacking like a duck, actually."

"Hmm. Noted for next time."

I raised my eyebrow, still staring at his reflection. "I'm hoping that there isn't a 'next time' in this case."

He chuckled. "Valid point. But really, do you need help?"

Being as close to the glass as I was, I had a front row seat to watch how red my cheeks went. I nodded and said, "Yes, please. I was trying to get those damn things out of here and I misjudged my capabilities." I was pointing at the offending donuts with my bandaged hand and glaring at them, trying to ignore the way my body responded to his scent as he moved closer.

I'd never smelled anyone so good in my life. It was like he'd just stepped off the beach, a scent like sunshine and ocean and sand. But it wasn't like he'd sprayed cologne; I'm pretty sure it was just his natural scent. Which, honestly, was a little annoying.

He knelt down right behind me and his body heat enveloped my back. I slowly sucked in my breath, trying to get a hold of myself. There were more important things than how much I liked how he smelled and how he felt behind me. And what other kinds of things we could do in this particular position.

He reached around and put his hand up in the door, feeling around to figure out what had me stuck. He shuffled closer and moved his hand in deeper, moving along my arm and pressing his front completely against my back. I was now completely aware of the way he felt, his scent even stronger now, and my nipples pebbled while my pussy started to get wet.

"Ah, I see what's going on here," he murmured. His mouth was right next to my ear, and his breath feathered over my skin causing me to shiver slightly in reaction. "I'm going to move quickly to get you out, so I just need you to relax."

I took a deep breath. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Alright. On three. One... Two... Three!"

I let my body go liquid and he twisted my arm while pushing the door flap thing away, and suddenly we were both flying backwards. He let out a grunt as he landed on his back and I fell backwards right into his lap.

JESSE:

Her head was in my lap. That was the only thing going through my mind right now. The moment I'd caught sight of her on her knees, perky ass barely covered by her skirt while muttering to herself, my cock had been standing at attention. And the fact that she'd been able to joke around with me even while stuck in a vending machine made her that much more intriguing.

I'd needed to get closer in order to help her, but I'd underestimated just how damn good she'd feel in my arms. I'd tried to keep my hips away from her ass because I didn't need to be scaring her off with a stranger pressing his erection into her.

Besides, I wouldn't want her to file some kind of harassment claim against the owner of the company. I hadn't officially met her yet, but I liked to be involved with my employess and their work. Most of the people working here knew who I was, and I knew their names and faces.

This particular woman was a fairly new hire. Iris Romero. I'd been incredibly impressed with her resume; two masters degrees and working on a third all while working full time as a paid intern at a well-known lab, and then applying here when she finished her work there. I'd immediately approved her hire after seeing her list of awards and accomplishments. Anyone who turned her down for a job was an idiot.

But coming across her with her arm stuck inside a vending machine and needing help was not something I'd planned on seeing at any point, much less this early in the morning. Did she even leave last night, or was she just in incredibly early?

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Her voice was panicked and husky, and that combined with her wriggling in my lap on the ground made me bite back a groan. She twisted around to face me and shuffled backwards, her lab coat gaping open to reveal the scooped neck of her shirt hanging low. I swallowed hard at the glimpse of dark green lace cupping her tanned skin.

I snapped out of it and got to my knees and leaned forward to grab her elbow to help her up. Unfortunately, it startled her and instead for pulling her up with me, she somehow ended up face planting right into my crotch as I stood up. Instantly, she tried to jerk back but as she did she let out a cry of pain. I grabbed her shoulders to hold her still, praying that she wouldn't notice my cock pressed against my suit pants right in front of her nose. Taking a deep breath to steel myself, I looked down and immediately saw the problem.

"Your hair is caught in my belt buckle," I said in a tight voice.

"Oh my god..." Her mortified whisper was loud enough for me to hear, and I had to work hard to swallow down the laughter piling up in my throat.

"Today really isn't your day, is it?"

A loud sigh escaped her, and I felt the heat of her breath sear through my pants. Gritting my teeth I tilted my head back and prayed to the heavens to give me strength to get through this.

"Can you just get my hair untangled, please?" The way her voice sounded, it seemed like her teeth were clenched as well.

"Yeah, sorry. Give me a sec," I said and removed my hands from her shoulders. Hesitating for a moment, I pushed my fingers into her hair, moving back the free hair to get a better view of how her strands were tangled in my belt. She turned her head to the side slightly, enough that I was able to make eye contact with her.

The air seemed to heat up a few degrees when our eyes met, electricity almost palpable on my skin. We were frozen like that until she slowly turned her head back down, breaking the tension enough to where I could get back to getting her untangled.

It took me a minute, but I eventually got her hair free, and I took a step back to let her know it was done. I held out a hand to her, and biting her lip she accepted the help up. She stretched her arms and brushed the bit of dirt off her clothes. We stood there awkwardly, avoiding each others' eyes.

"Uh, thanks for your help," she said shyly finally breaking the silence.

"Of course," I said with a shrug. Glancing over to the vending machine, I noticed that the donuts that had been stuck were gone. I moved to it, sticking my hand into the bottom and pulling out the packet, holding them out to her.

She growled lightly at them before taking them from me, and I let out a little chuckle. After a moment she started to laugh too, and after catching her breath she began to introduce herself.

"I'm Iris," she said holding out her hand to shake.

"I know," I replied, taking her hand in mine and marveling at how soft her skin was. "Iris Romero, aged 27, a new hire here at Clark Labs. Two Masters degrees, one in engineering and another in Life Sciences. Working on a Bachelors degree in, interestingly enough, classic literature. Several awards and accomplishments, and currently heading a project on white noise machines programmed by the intended's own body chemistry."

Her hand was limp in mine, chocolate eyes wide with astonishment. "How do you know all that."

Stepping closer to her, I tightened my grip on her hand slightly and brought it up to my mouth to kiss the back.

"I'm Jesse Clark." A split second later her eyes widened even more in recognition at the name, her body going ramrod straight and hand squeezing the life out of mine. "It's nice to finally meet you, Iris."

IRIS:

HOLY FUCK. This was the owner of the company I worked for, and he'd walked up on me with an arm inside a vending machine, my skirt barely covering me. And that was before I landed in his lap. And then got my hair caught in his belt buckle where I'd come face to face with the most impressive erection I'd ever seen.

I felt all the blood drain out of my face at the realization that despite my achievements he'd listed off a minute ago, this was our first official meeting. I knew that he liked to meet all his employees and keep up with them, but this sure as shit was not how I'd imagined our first meeting going. Also, no one had warned me that he was going to be the most gorgeous man I'd ever seen. Not to mention the way his scent called to something primal inside me. I was two seconds away from grabbing his face for a wild kiss despite all of my embarrassment.

His small kiss on the back of my hand burned like he'd imprinted the feeling of his lips on my skin. His light blue eyes were full of humor (which I suppose was a good thing) and his dark brown hair had enough length on top to curl naturally, begging me to run my hands through it to feel the softness. I cataloged every feature of his in my head, from the way he stood tall above me and how sharp his jawline was with a bit of dark scruff, to the way his suit was obviously tailored to his fit body. That whole time, I stood there completely silent, my hand still in his. I saw a grin start to form on his face and that shook me out of my stupor.

"Oh uh, it's nice to meet you too Mr. Clark. Sorry again about the uh..." I pulled my hand from his and waved around, awkwardly indicating the whole situation.

He laughed warmly. "Don't worry about it. This vending machine is an asshole. We can always blame what just happened on that."

A surprised laugh burst out of me at that. "I'm okay with that."

We fell quiet and as it usually did, my mind started to drift. I'd never talked to anyone as hot as Jesse. I stared off into nothing as I started to run through the list of people I'd tried and failed to befriend or date. I didn't think I was unattractive or mean, but I tended to get lost in my own mind a lot and it made it hard to find friends, much less a boyfriend. No one wanted to hang out with or date a space cadet, as I'd been told multiple times.

I'm not sure how long we stood there like that, but a soft throat clearing brought me back to the present. I focused back on Jesse and saw that he was watching me with a small smile on his face.

"Where did you go just now?"

"I was just thinking about... Well it really doesn't matter. Sorry, I have a habit of going off on tangents in my mind right in the middle of conversations. I should probably get back to work," I said and started to back away.

"You don't have to go," he protested while stepping closer to me. I immediately got flustered, and began to panic.

"No, I really should. I probably left something on back at my lab and I don't want to burn this place down in the first month I started here, plus I need to track the development of the microbes and compare them to last week's so that I can accurately adjust measurements for the final product if needed." During my run-on speech I'd continued to back away, skin tingling in awareness as she watched my every move like a hawk tracking its prey. Something in his eyes frazzled me, a look that I couldn't identify but something primal in me recognized and warned me to be careful of.

I didn't wait for a goodbye or acknowledgement of my departure before I turned and took off at slight run. I heard him let out a quiet, short laugh behind me and the sound followed me all the way back to the lab, echoing in my mind and teasing me.

"Why are you so weird, Iris?" I sat on my stool and muttered to myself. This was just my luck. I meet the hottest man of my life and I look like an idiot who can't have a normal conversation. Maybe I'd get lucky and not run into him again anytime soon.

JESSE:

I was a bastard. In the week since I'd first met Iris, I'd taken every opportunity possible to run into her. I could see how flustered and embarrassed she got every time I was around, but it didn't stop me. I just couldn't help myself; I loved the way she stammered and ran her sentences on, the way her cheeks turned pink when I got near enough, and the way she looked at me with those liquid eyes of hers.

She had no idea how tempting she was. I could see it in the way she interacted with the others. She was kind, but tended to keep her distance a little. I could see that she was reserved, and it made me want to know what was going on in that brilliant head of hers.

After a weekend of staying away from the lab to give her a break if she went in, I was basically salivating at the thought of seeing her again. I knew this was the Monday that would change things. She had a presentation scheduled today for the board to demonstrate her latest invention, and I'd made sure to get myself in on today's committee. Sure, I'd have to sit through a few other projects before I got to her, but I already felt like I'd waited my whole life for her. I could wait a few more hours.

I stood and stretched behind my chair as my employees packed up their presentation to take it back to the lab for adjustments. It was the seventh one, and I was antsy to get to Iris's. Thankfully, hers was the next and last one.

The rest of the board and I mingled, grabbing some water and whatnot before Iris and her team came in for their appointment. I was sitting in my chair again, staring intently at the door when the team began to file in. Iris was the last to come in, and my cock jumped in my pants at the sight of her blushing furiously as our eyes met.

She jerked her eyes away almost immediately and I missed their chocolate temptation. She joined her three other team members standing in front of us, cheeks still tinged pink and avoiding my gaze. I hid my grin and waited for them to begin.

"What we would like to present to the board today is a line of breath strips." The man speaking smiled as he paused for effect, continuing after a moment. "Our breath strip is like no other- it has a dual purpose. Yes, it freshens breath with flavors like wintermint, spearmint, watermelon, and strawberry. However, it also serves as a natural aphrodisiac."

I sat up straighter in my chair, intrigued. Some quiet murmurs from my colleagues told me they were interested as well.

Another man from the team spoke up. "If you're on a date and you need fresher breath after dinner as well as a little help to get the motor started, then our Breathe Love strips can do that."

"What kind of testing have you done for this?" My voice rang out through the room, and the four team members' eyes turned to me. Including Iris's. I stared directly at her and she stared back as she answered.

"We have tried a couple different methods. Pure numbers, data, and research; which not only showed that the product had potential, but an audience that wanted to buy it. From new, nervous lovers to older couples needing a little extra boost, there are many people who have expressed interest in the product.

"As for physical testing, we have tried it on a variety of human subjects. We monitored their physical reactions and asked a series of questions to determine the effect and/or any after effects."

"And what results did you receive?" Another board member asked that question and the team turned to her. Iris held my gaze for a few seconds longer while a team member answered. When she finally looked away, I wanted nothing but to get her attention again. Forever, preferably.

"...and we would also like to leave each of you with a sample of the product to try out for yourselves. It is hypoallergenic and completely natural, so there shouldn't be any adverse effects. But if you have any further questions about what's in the product, feel free to ask and we would be happy to answer."

I'd tuned back into the presentation and a wicked grin filled my face at the thought of using this in the very near future. I liked doing experiments of my own after all.

Looking up I saw Iris was already staring at me, a look on her face I couldn't read. I winked at her and noticed her lips twitch with a hidden smile before she bit her lip, her teeth pulling her full bottom lip into her mouth and teasing me with thoughts of doing the same thing.

And I knew just who I was going to try this out with, I thought to myself as I looked down at the little packet I'd been given. I tuned out the last few minutes of the presentation as I came up with a plan. An idea lit in my mind, and I waited until they were shaking hands with the board members before going for it.

Iris followed her team down the line, leaving me for last. Perfect.

"Iris, right?" I said the words like I wasn't sure, even though I'd thought of nothing else but her for the last week.

"Yes, sir." Her voice was confident, but trembled slightly. If I were anyone else, I wouldn't have caught it. But I was so focused on her that I noticed everything.

"I have a couple other questions on the development of the Breath Love strips. That was your area of expertise, correct?"

"Yes, it was. What can I answer for you?" She seemed to relax slightly that I was asking about the product and nothing else. I smothered a laugh at that; she had no idea what was on my mind.