Page 34 of Flowers Near Me

Persephone crossed her arms and gripped her biceps until her fingertips bit into her skin. So thiswasa game to him. She was the pawn, too distracted by a business opportunity to spot the danger lurking nearby. Her skin heated in anger. Even a few deep breaths did nothing to dampen the simmering rage. If he was a viable partner, maybe she could understand his desire to lay claim to her. But this wasHadesand there was no future to be had between the two of them after this contract ended.

Trying to keep her tone even, she sat taller in her seat. “Should I piss a circle around you, then? Make it impossible for others to approach you without fear of repercussions? If what you say about my power is true, then it should be no problem for me to enact my will on any admirersyouhave.”

His features tightened into a deep frown. “Would you have preferred Poseidon wooing you?”

Persephone leaned in, her chair scraping the floor as she closed the space between them. Her whisper came out strained. “Don’t you think you’ve put me on his radar in the worst possible way? He might try to break your new toy,Hades. I didn’t want to be a fixture in society, and I was equally determined to not become one of its victims. You’re looking to stir up drama, and who better to do that with than your rival’s daughter?”

His full lips parted, and eyes lifted. “You think I want to harm you?”

“You took my chance to meet the rest of the gods and goddesses on my own terms. I think you want to embarrass me and my mom so everyone will talk about your app while they’re laughing at Demeter’s mindless daughter.” She knew better than to bait him like this, but after the weight of her new reality began to settle, it was too much to keep inside. He admitted that he wanted to keep others from her so that he could get to know her. But it seemed to her it was more about him getting to call dibs before she got to choose who she wanted to get to know.

Hades’ eyes widened. “Why would I embarrass you? You’re representing one of my products. That wouldn’t bode well for business.”

Scoffing, she replied, “All press is good press, right? You’ve got your image as the top villain, so wouldn’t the perfect plan be to destroy the new kid in town?”

He stilled. “How would I go about destroying you? Tarnishing your reputation?”

The confession spilled out. “Making me look like a lovesick idiot, then getting ‘caught’ with someone else.” She’d seen it before with the other gods and now it looked like he was going to do the same to her.

He sucked in a long breath. “Persephone, I would never do that to you.”

“Oh? Change of heart?” she sneered, arms still crossed, her face a mask of disgust. Yet, beneath it all, her chest felt achy and raw.

He straightened in his chair, leaning back with hands on the edge of the table. “You speak as if this is how I do business. I’ve never pulled a stunt like that.”

Throwing an exasperated look his way, she stared off, lost in frustration. Regardless of the truth of his true intentions with their arrangement, what control did she have in the situation? Her goal for the next six months was to protect herself, so why did he have to play with her like this? Make it seem like he was genuinely interested just so their inevitable break-up would be even more dramatic. And why did this bother her? She shouldn’t care.

“Tell me specifically what you’re worried about.” His pleading tone gave her pause.

She knew he was no different than the other gods. Growing up around these deities gave her a front row seat to their ever-changing romantic whims. Even Demeter had suitors one day who would disappear the next and her mom was one of the more reasonable, grounded gods. Persephone wanted someone to share her life with, not some fake boyfriend who’d forget her name as soon as their contract ended.

The best move was to keep quiet, but she couldn’t. Her future dangled in his grasp, and maybe a touch of honesty would soften him enough to end the charade. Her confession spilled out like seeds onto a garden bed.

“I don’t want to be seen as ‘Hades’ ex’ after this is over. I’ve just completed one of my best launches and it’s already clouded by this nonsense. Nothing will change for you. And unlike you and the gods, I intend to be loyal to my beloved and not hop around warming beds or having a rotation warm mine. That thought makes me sad.” Oh, how she wished she was immune to these feelings. It had only been a few days, and she was already bracing herself for disappointment and hurt after their arrangement ended. Howridiculous.

Hades shook his head. “I won’t embarrass you. Ever. And maybe Charon skipped this detail when reviewing the contracts, but there’s an infidelity clause.”

It offered some protection, sure, but could she trust him to honor it? “Charon said it was like a pre-nup.”

“Almost identical,” he replied. “Protects both of us in case you break my heart.”

“Please stop.” She rubbed her temples, eyes closed, until a horrible thought struck her. Her fingers froze, and her eyes flew open. “We’re not married, right? You didn’t sneak something like that into our contract, did you?”

He chuckled, slipping his phone back in his pocket. “Not yet.”

Her mouth tightened as his slid into a slanted smile.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

A GODDESS IN THE MAKING

PERSEPHONE

The Underworld Unlimited business floors were strikingly similar to Demeter’s Bounty’s. Both buildings boasted sprawling square footage with private offices lining the walls, conference rooms in a range of sizes, and open workspaces next to water and coffee stations. Most importantly, both wereaboveground, high in the mid to upper floors of their respective skyscrapers.

“Here’s your executive suite.” Charon pushed a set of frosted glass double doors open, revealing a spacious workspace that was twice the size of Persephone’s office back at DB.

Charon pointed towards the kitchenette. “Stocked mini pantry and espresso station over there.” Tapping a screen on the wall, she instructed, “You can control everything from the room’s temperature, to the lighting, and even the shade level of your windows on this panel here.” Charon swiped an on-screen lever and the floor-to-ceiling windows dimmed.

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