Page 77 of Oh No! There's an Incubus in my Hot Spring
We draw back from the door and watch her head to her car.
“She likes you,” he says, and I can’t read the emotion in his voice.
“Yeah, I like her, too.”
He rubs my arms. “Let’s finish up.”
I nod, turning back to the lobby.
We place display stands with business cards on the reception stand, put magazine holders in the corner beside the plush, green couches, and stock the little bookshelf with some of my favorites—non-explicit, of course. We put mints in the bowls and fold towels on the racks leading to the pools. There are full water dispensers everywhere with little recyclable steel cups beside them and signage that reminds people to stay hydrated.
An emergency button that calls the front desk has been placed in every room and they all tested perfectly. Camera systems watch the halls and the outdoor baths, where clothing is mandatory. The private baths are optional, so no cameras in there.
We’ve got the legal paperwork in order, and a waiver for everyone to sign when they make a reservation. The POS system is ready to go with the same waiver on checkout, new bank accounts primed and connected, and the merch station will be filled tomorrow with hats, T-shirts, sweaters, water bottles, and key chains. We decided to start small for the initial launch, with only our best three designs.
Everything is in order. Everything is ready.
Except I have no staff.
There’s three weeks to go and I have no staff.
My stomach plummets and I struggle to pull in air. I stare down at the towel return hamper in the hall outside the locker rooms, wondering how I’ve actually made it this far in life. How could I have failed soepically?
“Sylvia,” Apollo hums as he grabs me from behind. “I have you.”
I touch his hands softly. “I know, but…who’s going to run our front desk? Who’s going to clean the locker rooms? Or the pools? Who’s going to handle customer complaints, emails, questions, scheduling?”
He holds me tighter. “You’ve made friends in town, yes? Reach out?”
“I have. Irene is here, right out there,” I say, gesturing to the door beyond the lobby. “She won’t step foot in this place. She’s scared of it.”
Apollo grumbles. “We could help her to not be scared, if you want to reveal me to her.”
“How would that help?” I ask.
“I didn’t know who she was until I saw her, but I may have frightened her and the man she was with a few years ago—not on purpose, of course. I just wanted to get a little closer to their energy so I could become corporeal. I may have accidentally started to take shape in the mist while they were pleasuring one another.”
I look over my shoulder at him with a glare. “You’ve seen my friend naked.”
He shrugs. “I have seen many people naked. They have bathed in me. I assume I will see and touch many more naked and partially clothed people in the coming time.”
My jaw is tight and my eyes narrow. Jealousy swirls around my stomach, turning my bile and making the back of my throat sour.
Apollo’s gaze softens and he touches my chin. “That’s what it felt like when you talked about Jason.”
The words hit me like a bucket of cold water. I have no right to be jealous of what’s happened in the past, and of course, Apolloisthis mountain, this hot spring. There’s no way for him to not experience the people coming and going, but he’s choosing to stay in this form, and stay near me.
I flop my head against his chest. “Sorry.”
He strokes my hair and massages my neck. “There’s nothing to be sorry for. In fact, I think I like it when you want me all to yourself.”
I chuckle. I do want him all to myself.
“Do you really think telling her is the best idea?” I ask again, looking out the window and seeing her distorted image moving around the trees.
“Not telling her holds more risks, in my opinion,” he says.
I could pay her more than she’s making at the diner to be full-time with me, which is incentive enough, I’m sure. She’s a fucking grinder. She doesn’t quit and she’s loyal. I need that.
