Page 15 of 12 Days

She’s beautiful, yes, but it’s also something more than that. There’s an aura about Alyssa. She is totally fucking captivating.

Alyssa turns to look at the three of us. “I know the rules. I won't break them.”

I place my code into the security system to open the door. As it slides to the right, I wonder for a moment if this is a good idea.

There’s just something about her that leads me to trust her, though. I hope I don’t come to regret that.

Theo steps away for a moment to speak to one of the laboratory techs while I lead this tour. Owen’s to Alyssa’s right, while I stay on her left. The only difference is that I’ve nonchalantly placed my hand on the small of her back. When Alyssa looks over and smiles, I know that I’m not overstepping my limits.

“This is where all the magic happens. I like this part of the job the most, but then again, I am more of the nerd around here," I say, smiling gently to her.

When Alyssa reacts with laughter to the nerd comment, I know she at least has a little bit of a sense of humor.

“I can assure you, Ty, you don't look like any nerd I have ever seen,” she says, still laughing about the description.

Owen slips in between us, his voice filled with amusement. “Oh, he is. You should see the collection of pocket protectors and the old man reading glasses he wears.”

The mood lightens between us, but I still put in my two cents into the conversation. “You know what they say about us nerds!”

I leave it at that. Or I try to, but Theo seems to have found his way back over to us. “What, that nerds can't get laid?”

The back-and-forth banter is stopped for a moment when one of the technicians puts a finger to his lips, shushing us. Alyssa seems to have lowered her guard, or so I hope. It's in all our best interest to get this woman on our side.

I turn to Alyssa, my eyes taking in her expression for any sign of reluctance. “So, as you can see, there are no bells or whistles in here. No magic cast on this perfume. It's all just science. And we’ve created something spectacular, but you won't find anything that could be harmful to women.”

Theo is being unusually quiet. He checks his watch. “You know…we could spill a little secret, but I’m not sure if we should. What do you think, Owen? Ty?”

I raise a brow curiously, but in reality, we all planned this to gain her trust. “Yeah, maybe. Although that would mean that we would need to take Alyssa to the…other room.”

Owen, who is now leaning back on a sterile white counter smirks. “You mean the tester room, right? Yeah, I guess we could take her in there. But you do know that some secrets can't be shared with others, right, Miss Morrow?”

Alyssa looks at the three of us like we just offered her keys to the candy shop. Her eyes widen as she nods her head.

“Of course, but I am here for a reason. I do want to know that True Love is not something that will harm women, or make them lose any sense of control.”

I take my hand from her back, smiling as we all walk towards the door. “Well, you’ll be assured that there is nothing here that will do anything to make anyone act against their will. I can promise you that.”

The one thing she needs to know is that we would never make anyone do things that are not already present inside of them.

Just like her masturbating. She did that all on her own.

We all exit the room and walk down the stark white hallway. Quiet small talk is briefly exchanged about the weather and the upcoming plans for the holidays.

We finally stop in front of the doors to the tester room. She seems a little more nervous now, due to the air of mystery we surrounded it with, but still just as excited about viewing what’s inside. If I were looking for problems, I guess that would be my reaction as well.

Before keying in the security code, I explain to her that she won’t be taking anything with her.

“This is the tester room that contains not only True Love, but a few more samples that are in the works. Please sample them, but nothing can be taken with you. Everything in the room must remain in the room, understood?”

“I understand. I only want to see the perfume. I won’t take a sample with me.”

Alyssa seems sincere, but then again, you can't be too careful. I push the code into to security pad.

The door opens to reveal the latest samples, including the one she’s after.

Owen is at her side, smiling, “Feel free to try out anything you’d like. If you have questions for us, we’re more than happy to answer them.”

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