I lean back. “Two months. You’re not quite there yet.”
“Compared to the last four years and change, two months is almost the end.” She considers me. “Is staying on an option?”
I blink. Tink hates Hades. Actively loathes him. I can’t imagine she would be content to work for him unless under duress. “Do you want to stay on?”
“I don’t know yet.” She shrugs. “I’m exploring my options.”
If I were a better person, I’d guide her out the doors and tell her never to look back. Tink was meant for greater things than working as a combination assistant manager, costumer designer, submissive, and general fire-put-outer.
I’m not a better person. She’s worth her weight in gold, and I’d be a fool to let her go. “Of course. You’ll always have a place here.”
“Oh. Okay, then.” She nods a little too fast. “My shift starts at eight, but I’m going to give this dude a run-down at seven.”
“Does he know that?”
“He’s staying in the building.”
I’m not expecting that, though I should. Tink also lives here, courtesy of the terms of her deal. Of course this new toy for Hades will be under our roof. “I’ll talk to him now.”
“Thanks.” She turns and disappears through the door.
I stare blindly at my office. I’ve put this room together over the years. It’s the one place in the Underworld that’s mine. That I earned through actions and time and trust from my employees. I indulged myself with the pretty teal color on the walls, the one that makes me think of the trip Hades and I took to the Maldives on our first anniversary. I don’t like clutter overmuch, so all the important information is filed away in the classy cabinets that have locks on each door. I keep my desk clear, which isn’t a positive right now, because my hands itch to fiddle with something and there’s nothing but my computer marring the smooth mahogany surface.
There’s no help for it. I’m not going to be able to focus until I’ve gotten to the bottom of this particular mystery. I could ask Hades directly, but I can’t guarantee he’ll tell me the truth. Beyond that, I’m curious.
Sure. That’s it. It’s simple curiosity.
As I push to my feet, I take a moment to be honest with myself. I’m a little jealous, too. It doesn’t make sense, and it’s not something I’ll ever admit, but I like there only being Tink and me in here as permanent deal-related employees. As Tink said, she’s up in two months. I can’t imagine what that would be like. Mine is a lifetime contract. There’s no end in sight, and I made my peace with that a long time ago.
No use thinking about it now.
I make sure to lock my office door before I head down the back stairs to the employee floor. It houses a dozen apartments, though only five were in use until today. I step through the door to find Allecto leaning against the wall.
She raises a dark brow and pushes her long black braids over her shoulder. “That didn’t take you long.” She’s a beauty like all Hades’s Furies are—me, Allecto, and Tisiphone. Her dark brown skin is flawless, and she wears a sports bra and high-waisted workout pants. Obviously she’s on her way to the gym.
I could play it cool, but she and Tis are as close to sisters as I’ve ever had. I lean around her to look down the empty hallway. “Don’t act like you’re not curious too.”
Allecto gives me a sly smile. “You should go introduce yourself. He’s in number six.”
Near-sister or not, I don’t trust that look on her face. “What do you know?”
“Nothing much.” She bypasses me and heads down the stairs to where the gym is located. “More than you.”
I wait a full three seconds and then stalk down the hallway to the door with the stylized six on it. I raise my hand and then reconsider. Something about this whole situation sends warning bells tolling through my mind. It doesn’t make any sense.
Surely I have nothing to be afraid of?
I knock briskly before I can stall longer. I listen to the heavy footsteps approach from the other side and find myself holding my breath. And then the door opens and the very last person I expect to see stands there, his blond hair a little messy like he’s been running his fingers through it, his blue eyes going wide at the sight of me, his mouth curving into a smile. “Meg.”
“I… Hercules?”
He barely seems to register my shock, grabbing my hands and towing me into the apartment. It’s decorated like all the unoccupied ones are—tasteful neutrals and welcoming furniture that’s just as comfortable as it looks. Hercules releases me almost instantly, but I can still feel the imprint of his hands on mine. More than that. I can still feel his tongue rolling over my clit. His cock filling me. His strong hold keeping me in place as he fucks me just like I commanded him to.
He looks at me like I’m the greatest gift he’s ever been given. “He followed through on his promise. I honestly wasn’t sure he would.”
Surely I’m misunderstanding this. Surely Hades didn’t do what I’m beginning to suspect he did. “His promise?”
“Your freedom.”
I stare. He looks so incredibly proud of himself, a golden retriever expecting to be praised for his good behavior. Did I really think this guy might be a good one? I really should know better by now. I take a careful step back and cross my arms over my chest. “Let me see if I have this straight. You decided to bargain yourself away for a woman you just met—”
“Yes—”
“—without talking to her first and figuring out what she wanted.”
He’s starting to realize he might have misjudged things. Hercules flushes. “I saw the way you were with him. You both admitted what he made you do with me. I had to do the right thing.”
The right thing.
The right thing.
I shake my head slowly. “You are an idiot.”
Hercules’s blue eyes go stormy. “Don’t talk to me like I’m a stupid teenager.”
“Then stop acting like one!” I have to turn away to regain control of my tone. Screaming at him might feel good for a few moments, but he truly doesn’t understand. In the end, it’s like kicking a puppy, and I’ll feel worse for doing it. I press the heels of my hands to my eyes. “How long?”
“What?”
“How long did you give him? A year? Three? Five? Seven?”
His silence gains weight. I turn back to find him staring at me as if he’s never seen me before. “I gave him forever, Meg. A full trade. Me for you.”
My breath leaves me in a whoosh. A lifetime. Who is this guy that Hades was willing to lay out those terms? I don’t know. There was a time when he would have told me his plans, would have sketched them out in all their intricacy and filled me with wonder at how devious his mind was. No longer. The distance between us is too great these days, both of us moving about our lives separately with deliciously painful clashes that hurt more than they help. Even with that, I thought we were still partners. Dysfunctional ones, yes, but equals in our own way. Silly me. I should know better than to trust anyone at this point. Even him. Especially him. “You should have talked to me first,” I say weakly. “You don’t understand.”