Page 71 of Oh No! There's an Incubus in my Hot Spring
“At my place, people won’t have to. We’ll take responsibility when something goes missing, and we won’t be the culprits of that theft, either.”
His jovial expression falls away and he steps closer as his voice drops. “You’re already stealing though, aren’t you?”
What the fuck does he mean?
“Yourdemon, he steals from everyone around him. You should be careful, Ms. Arazolla. He will trick you.”
“If you see my notebook, Mr.Torrin, let me know,” I say, mimicking his likely purposeful mispronunciation of my name. “I have a particularly spicy Reylo fan fiction in the first thirty pages and really want that back.”
He scoffs and rolls his eyes. “Do you take nothing seriously?”
“I’m done with serious. Later, Turdator.” I shoulder my way around him and throw a peace sign as I blast through the lobby doors. I get in the RAV and try to repeat everything I remember to my phone memo app on the way home. I even throw in a few details from Mark. Having more information isn’t bad, right?
What did he mean that Apollo will trick me? Of course I already know everything. He can’t fall in love with me. There’s only one mate for him out there and he needs to be free to find them. But could there be something more I’m not seeing?
No.
Apollo wouldn’t lie to me.
Right?
nineteen
Pesky Persistence
Apollo helps me hang the new blinds for the two windows in the lobby. They’re all wood, like the floor and the ceiling in the entry before leading into the mountain. We replace the front of the lobby entirely with fresh pine, and I give it all a sealing coat. The pungent smell of the lacquer peels back the layers of my thoughts.
What did Mark mean? Could Apollo be hiding more from me?
It doesn’t even matter if he is. He is atemporarypart of my life. We have an agreement and we’re well on our way to fulfilling it. With every upgrade to the springs, my own power grows. I have good control of the wind, and it seems I’ve developed Apollo’s knack for healing. Something about the water and the heat, he says.
With a few more weeks of orgasms, pancakes, and lots of carpentry, the place is looking top tier. What I thought wouldtake several months has only taken six weeks. There are handrails on the stairs and sealed wood walkways to all the pools in the outdoor areas.
Printed signs areeverywherestating that customers need to use handrails and watch their step because it’s slick. There are signs in the locker room requesting guests dry themselves before they leave to prevent injury, and we have shampooandconditioner dispensers in the showers, as well as hair dryers.
The sitting room in the lobby is woodsy, warm, and colorful. I want to bring in plants and make them grow here. I want to add the crystals I know are scattered throughout the mountain, and I want them to glow. I want every facet of the springs to beenchanted.
I want to take their breath away.
But even if I have the looks and the pools to make people speechless, I need the press to make sure people actually show up.
Apollo tugs me against his side on the couch as we watch an old dystopian romance flick and I pull out my phone to text Irene. She’s been working ten hours a week for me, and it’s been phenomenal. I love being able to bounce ideas off her, and she loves being able to cut back on her diner hours to spend more time with her father.
Sylvia:There’s untapped avenues out there we’re not taking advantage of. I think we need to get on Instaframe and Facepost to do a giveaway or something. I want to reach out to the local paper, and some of the bigger ones from Denver, too. I need to launch with a bang.
Of course, her dots appear almost instantly.
Irene:Do you ever quit?
I smirk, quoting one of my favorite superhero spoofs from the early 2000s.
Sylvia:Someone ripped the Q’s out of my dictionary.
Two big “rofl” emojis appear next.
Irene:Alright girl, when do you want to get together?
Sylvia:I think we can keep it digital. If you can figure out who I need to ping to get some local coverage not controlled by the Turd, that would be great. And then I really need to have a unified theme for the launch. I know we plan on doing a rotating theme, but I want there to be an underlying theme, one that says, “Enchanted Hot Springs.” It should be hypnotizing, relaxing, private, affordable…the virtues that I want to build this business on.
