Page 9 of Sugar & Dragon Act I: Temptation

She was about to give him a pitying look when she realized that she didn’t know the answer.

“See?” Midais asked, his voice triumphant. “You don’t know either!”

“I know it’s moreenjoyable when you like the other person.”

His lips curved into a cheeky smile. “Undress and spread your legs so we can check if it really is as unenjoyable as you fear.”

A hot wave swept through her body. No one had ever spoken to her like this. Oddly enough, instead of annoying her, it made her curious. Could the man really give her pleasure matching his self-confidence?

As Hera stood up, the smile on his face widened. When a moment later her arm transformed into a wing of fire, it vanished.

“If you try to Charm me again, I’ll evaporate all the water in your pool,” she said.

Dago relaxed and his pupils returned to normal. “There’s no need to act like a gorgon, Galenos. I didn’t force you to do anything, did I?”

Hera couldn’t disagree. She’d been paying attention to his words and her own reactions, but she didn’t feel Captivated even once.

When she gave him a sulking look in response, a roguish smile returned to his lips. “My Charm only makes unconscious desires surface. You didn’t feel anything that wasn’t already inside you.” He patted the seat next to him. “Sit and tell me about your worries. I’ll try to remedy them.”

To give herself time to cool down, Hera focused on her flaming wing and unhurriedly transformed it back into a hand. Her realization that the physical attraction she felt wasn’t fueled by magic, but by her own desires, horrified her so much she almost turned into a phoenix and broke through the roof. The only thing that stopped her was that this reaction would have confirmed his suspicions and contributed to the growth of his already enormous ego. Until she admitted it out loud, he could only guess, which gave her more room to maneuver.

When she finally looked at Dago, he was watching her intently.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” he asked.

Feeling that her emotions might spiral out of control, Hera crossed her arms, trying to box them off. “Too late to ask that, don’t you think?”

“I should’ve started with it,” he agreed, ignoring her sarcastic tone. “So do you have a boyfriend or not?”

“No,” she said as calmly as she could, even though inside she was raring to fly.

Dago was silent for a moment, his eyes searching her face. “Are you a virgin?”

“No.”

Her voice trembled almost inaudibly, but Dago, experienced at eliciting information from other people, must have noticed, because his eyes narrowed slightly.

“You don’t like men, or you don’t like sex?”

Hera tightened her grip on her arms. His insight was nightmarish.

“Sex doesn’t bring me pleasure.” Taking advantage of his puzzlement, she added, “That’s why I think your idea is down the tube. We have different needs. We won’t put up with each other for long. Think of something else.”

“How many lovers did you have?” he asked, ignoring the second part of her statement. “One? Two?”

“Why do you need to know?”

“I’m trying to get to know my future wife. Is that wrong?”

“I haven’t agreed to your plan. Why do you assume I’ll marry you?”

“Because you’re still here.”

“So when I leave, you’ll finally start thinking of a new plan?”

Dago threw up his hands. “Galenos, you know how nasty I am, and you can cope with that. It’s almost like destiny. Our marriage has only advantages. I know you can see that. Why do you resist? I thought you liked logicalsolutions.”

When he stood up, Hera stepped back instinctively, then blushed, embarrassed by her sudden skittishness and bemused by the concentration with which Midais was watching her.

---