Page 32 of 12 Days

I'm suddenly thankful for the table, though I've rarely felt the need to hide my erection. Especially here, at my own company!

I'm drawn back into the moment as she looks right at me, but she soon looks around the room at the four of us, locking eyes with each of us for an instant.

Not being able to stand long under the weight of our returned gaze, she looks down to the floor. Then, taking a deep breath, she steels her resolve and starts speaking.

“It's this new scent of yours.” She swallows, hard, and then dives in. “It's the new scent, the lust enhancer. You can't release it. It's not...it's just not right.”

The four of us let the silence drag on, knowing that she will be unable to leave it alone. She will have to say more, compelled to fill the void. It doesn't take long.

“You can't release this new scent. It's immoral, and it's wrong! You’re going to ruin people's lives!”

“What lives?” I glance over at Nico as he speaks. He’s usually not one to jump the gun, but he can't stand accusations. I can tell when he relaxes the muscles in his face that he realizes she wasn’t speaking of anyone in particular, just people in general.

Alyssa, unfamiliar with his facial expressions, can only look at him for a second before returning her eyes to the floor in front of her and speaking again. “Think about the people who have...who have these feelings, and they don’t act on them because it would...cause problems for them.”

Emboldened by her statement, she risks looking up to meet our eyes again.

“What about them, huh? What about a woman who has a husband and kids, who catches the eye of some guy and...has a little fantasy about him, that would've gone nowhere, but now...she takes the fantasy a little too far?”

She is almost whispering when she finishes.

Angry and perhaps embarrassed that she barely got that last bit out, she looks at us each in turn. “What about her? Say her husband finds out, or her kids? Your scent is going to ruin her! She won't be able to stop herself, and she could lose everything!”

This was it. She was guilty. Our little angel, Alyssa, has some secrets to her story.

It doesn't matter as much to me what those secrets are than the fact that she has them.

Everyone has secrets, and yet, we all think that we are the only ones. We all think that it would be the end of the world if anyone else were to find out about them.

I can help her with this. But for now, I have a job to do.

“Then she should thank us.”

Alyssa is beside herself, hearing what I just said. “Thank you, Ford? She should thank you? For ruining her life, you think she should thank you?”

“I will entertain this hypothetical scenario with you, if only to illustrate a point.”

“Fine. And what is that?”

“That this is what she truly wanted.” My response gives her pause. “And yes, to answer your questions, she should thank us for helping her realize the kind of life that will truly make her happy, for helping her find her True Love. Alyssa, we need you to understand that the lust enhancer is not mind control. You’ve tried it yourself. Did it make you do anything against your will?”

Nico smiles slightly, remembering what it did make her do. Tristan is flat out grinning at her. Tate just watches her, giving no outward sign of judgement or feeling on the matter one way or another.

Alyssa, on the other hand, is quite embarrassed remembering her actions, as is indicated by the deep shade of red blooming on her face. But still, perhaps without even realizing it, she lightly fingers the lapel of her blouse with her hand.

Her other hand slowly, gently traces the curve of her upper thigh through her skirt. She realizes what she is doing and stops.

“I can assure you that I have never done anything like that before! What kind of woman do you think I am?”

And now I know the truth of it. Her guilt doesn't come from wronging somebody in the past; it comes from wanting something that she thinks she shouldn't want.

It comes from acting on those desires?and enjoying, instead of hating herself for it. It comes from her not feeling like what she did was wrong.

I don't want to make her too upset that she stops listening. She's at a fragile point right now. I have to bring her back into this conversation comfortably.

Fortunately, flattery will get you everywhere.

“What kind of woman do I think you are? A fascinating one, who I am very attracted to, and who I wish would hear me out.” It has the desired effect. She calms visibly.

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