Page 19 of Flowers Near Me

“You could walk out, Persephone. But you won’t.” He drew a slow breath in. “Because if you do, I’ll take what’s owed. And not just from you.” He stepped away from the counter, rolling his shoulders, standing tall. He didn’t want her fear, but he needed her compliance. “I never quit. And I can always go lower.”

Persephone grimaced. “And as part of this agreement, I’mforcedto live in your apartment?”

Hades gestured towards the middle of the large room. “You just said it’s a beautiful home.”

She scoffed. “We’re thirteen floors underground.”

“You’re not stuck here all hours of the day. You’re only expected to spend your nights here. That’s it.” He lowered his voice, as he pressed his fingers to his chest. “And you’ll have me for company.”

Her pretty face scrunched in a scowl. “That’s another part that concerns me. We don’t know each other and a roommatesituationshipis a bad thing to mix with a business deal.”

He relaxed, leaning his hip on the counter. “You’re too focused on what could go wrong.”

“You’re not focused enough on the risks. Fates… I bet your COO is on anti-psychotics.”

“Hecate’s my COO and she makes her own potions.” He smirked and chuckled to himself when she rolled her eyes. “Anyway, Eurydice is exceptional and deserves to have the best team in her corner to launch this. You’d have to know this given the app’s capabilities. There’s a lot to love about it.”

Her face paled in defeat.

He asked, “Are you upset that I’ve commandeered her IP for my company?”

She moved towards him. “Wouldn’t you be?” He loved that she wasn’t backing down.

“It’s why I had to have it.”So I could get you.

“When did you first learn about Eurydice’s app?” Persephone asked.

He met her eyes. “Through Aphrodite and Hermes about five weeks ago.”

“Hermes? My assistant, Hermes?”

“One and the same. To be fair, he didn’t know he’d given me the information. I asked Aphrodite to seduce him and find out your social calendar. You’d been awfully quiet after Demeter introduced you to Olympus, and I was curious about you. So when he told Aphrodite about your current projects and how excited he was for his friend, Eurydice, to meet with you, I started looking into the developer as well. Then I loaned a large sum of money to her parents with the contingency that I’d own the app once she secured you as the spokesperson. Oh… and they signed an NDA so you wouldn’t hear about it.”

“Seems like a lot of effort to secure a pawn if you ask me.”

Did she think she was a pawn and not the prize? “No one would ever mistake you for a pawn.”

The kettle on the stove whistled and Hades made quick work of two pour-over coffees.

He shot her a slanted smile. “Cream? Sugar? Some alternative dairy-free milk substitute?”

“Black is fine.” Her eyes wandered around the main living area and landed on the backlit slag glass wall near the hallway to the guest rooms.

“That’s how I take it too.” Hades ushered Persephone towards the sofas in the middle of the penthouse’s largest living space, two mugs balanced on his palm.

As she sat down, Hades noticed her studying a small bundle of books stacked next to his favorite oversized leather chair. “This is as much your home as it is mine. Make a list of things you need that aren’t here. I’m not too picky with the interior, but tell me first if you want to get rid of something.”

He sat at the other end of the couch and set her coffee on the low, smooth stone table in front of her.

“Thank you.” Her voice sounded lost as if still in shock.

“So tell me what questions you still have. I’d imagine this is overwhelming.”

She scoffed. “Well, let’s see if I’m understanding. We’re going to pretend to be a couple to drum up buzz around the app. Once your team finishes the campaign’s plan, I’ll fill in wherever a brand rep is needed. And I’ll be living here,with you,for the next six months, so it looks like we’re seeing each other.”

Sipping his coffee, he hummed. “You’ve got it.”

“Okay, then what about my actual job? I’ll need to go into the office or at least participate in meetings with my team. I’m not keen on using your internet to do work, no offense, and I have responsibilities I can’t shirk. This rep agreement was never a full-time thing, but given that you’ve taken me straight here while the ink dries, I’m worried about my availability.”

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