Minefield of Mirrors

-10-

The elevator doors opened in front of Iris and she walked out of the little shiny space, into the big hallway that led towards the bar of the hotel. Her eyes glanced quickly at the big clock that was hanging on one of the walls and she noticed that she was five minutes late for her drinks with Mick. What a great impression...

She slid her hand along the fabric of the skirt of her black dress and she knew she should be glad that she put a nice dress in her suitcase just in case she had fancy dinners with the team, but somewhere she felt a bit uneased. Although dresses and skirts were literally the best inventions whenever you felt bloated or were having your period, there was something that didn't make Iris feel at ease. Maybe it was because she couldn't find her perfume inside her suitcase. She could've sworn she had put it in there yesterday, but somehow it was nowhere to be found. It was one of the more expensive ones she owned and that always gave her a little confidence boost, just because she knew it was a strong and sensual smell.

Yet her uncomfortable feeling could also be explained by the fact that she hadn't picked out this dress on her own. Her colleague, and good friend, Judy was there when she was packing her suitcase last night, and she decided to put this particular black dress into her suitcase. The dress did put more emphasis on her breasts, which she didn't feel weird about at all, but the dress was way shorter than she ever wore. It even felt a bit unprofessional to wear it to the team dinner later this evening. But Judy had forbidden her to bring one of her fancy jumpsuits or black pants. Even though Iris knew she should be grateful for a friend who would drag her out of her comfort zone whenever she needed to, she also hated her for it. Deep down, Iris knew that Judy was right, but how could she ever have the same confidence as her?

Quickly Iris shook her head when she realized she was standing still in the middle of the hallway. 'It will be fine...' She whispered to herself.

Her black leather boots clicked on the wooden floor of the restaurant as she walked towards the bar. A little relief shot through her body when she noticed a blonde guy sitting on one of the bar stools with a drink in front of him. The silver watch on his wrist gave it away that it had to be Mick. With firm steps, she walked towards the Haas driver and she gently tapped his shoulder as soon as she had reached him.

'Ah, there you are! For a moment I was afraid you had stood me up.' He said while turning around.

'Oh come on, I'm only five minutes late.' Iris chuckled.

Mick got up from his bar stool and wanted to hug her, but his eyes went over her body, making her conscious about every inch of her skin that the dress emphasized. 'Wow... You look... You look really beautiful.'

A blush shot to Iris' cheeks and she tried to avoid Mick's eyes. 'Uhm... Thanks...?'

'Don't make it sound like a question. You truly look amazing tonight!'

When Iris didn't know what to say, Mick stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her for a "hello"-hug. As soon as he let her go, the blush only intensified on her cheeks.

'It's great to see you again, Iris.' He said while creating a bigger gap between them. 'Where would you like to sit down? Here at the bar or a table somewhere in the back?'

Uncomfortably Iris scanned the surroundings with her eyes and made the choice quite easily. 'I think a table would be a bit easier if we would like to talk to each other, wouldn't it?'

He raised his hands a little defensively in the air. 'It's completely up to you, so a table it is.'

After ordering a drink, Mick took both drinks in his hands and started walking towards an empty table in the back of the restaurant, leading the way for Iris. She walked closely behind him, scared that someone would look too long at her and realize that she didn't fit in with these surroundings. Next, he put the drinks easily on the table and smiled towards Iris. 'Is this table okay for you?'