Page 137 of Soul Mates: Hercules Valentine and I

Tell the goddamn truth, Paisley Grove.

She leans her head back and then turns it. Now I’m looking into her sexy eyes. “Are you my boyfriend?”

I put a tender kiss on her lips. “Is that what you want?”

“Yes,” she says with a whimper.

Something tells me she’s afraid that can’t happen. “Will you betray me?” I ask.

Her eyebrows pull in just a little when she says, “Never.”

I believe her, and that’s why I slip my tongue into the space between her ripe lips.

Chapter Forty-Six

Me And The Brain

Paisley Grove

Iwear a black cocktail dress, no bra or panties. I won’t need those. At some point in the night, Hercules will need access to my lady parts, which have seen far too much action recently. The overabundance of sex has made me sore all over, but the aching feels so good.

I dot the perfume Treasure gave me on both sides of my neck. I think the pheromones worked. I put on my long black trench coat. At eight o’clock on the dot, I receive a call from Hercules’s driver to come on down.

I’m pretty sure I’m meeting Hercules at the venue since his driver called. I’m so stupid for agreeing to this. At least with Lake’s show, no media was allowed, and there was no taking photos. Tonight, anyone can snap a picture with me and Hercules. It’ll be a big deal if we’re seen out in public. I have to tell him the truth before the end of the night.

When I make it to the car, I’m disappointed to not be surprised by Hercules. It would have been so fun to do it in the back seat after he learned that I’m not wearing panties. Also, what’s strange is that the venue is not far from our building. I could have walked here.

The car stops in front of The H Hotel. I immediately search the portico and beyond into the lobby to see if Hercules is near—and that’s when I spot him behind the glass. And I recognize the person he’s talking to.

Is that…? It is.

My heart is beating a mile a minute. My head hurts, and my soul feels as if it’s taking a nosedive straight to hell. I open my door, and the driver cautions me that it’s not time. Too late—I’m out.

What the hell is Eden doing here? And the guy she’s with looks like Hercules’s cousin Nero.

I’ve made it to the sidewalk, not sure what to do next. I suspect Max is the reason why Eden and Nero are at the dinner tonight. He said I had until the end of the day, and when I didn’t deliver, he decided to blow up my utopia.

“Screw you, Max,” I curse at the wind.

My face is extra cold because it’s wet with tears. There will be no escaping him unless I get that code. After that, my brother can shove his assignments where the sun doesn’t shine.

I end up in the lobby of the VTI building. Fortunately, I’ve brought my badge. I don’t know why I put it in my little cocktail purse, but I’m glad I did. The night gatekeeper has never seen me, so he sends me up in the regular elevator. There’s no wait to ride up.

I feel sick on the ride to our floor. I can throw up, but I close my eyes and take deep breaths in an effort to control my gag reflex.

Ding.The doors open.

The lights in the hallway are dim. That means they haven’t detected any activity. I step out of the elevator, and the lights turn bright as I race to our pod. We all left at the same time tonight, so there should be no one at their desk, working later than the extra hour we all stayed.

When I open the door, I’m relieved to find that I was right. Quickly, I get to my computer. It’s not difficult to break into the brain and do a search. I stare at the doors, afraid someone will catch me. After I secure the code, I’ll go back to the dinner and find Hercules, without letting Eden see me—and tell him the truth. I’m praying he’ll forgive me.

The brain’s search module comes up, and I put in the portion of the code I remembered by heart. The computer grunts, letting me know it can’t find those elements in the system. I try another part of the code, and the same thing happens.

“I don’t think it’s here,” I say.

“What isn’t here?”

I quickly turn around. Hercules is behind me with a burly guard standing next to him.