Sugar & Dragon Act I: Temptation (Sugar & Dragon #1)

X Hera

Hera’s mind had difficulty coming back to reality. When Dago suggested that they go to the living room, she agreed, hoping that the change of scenery would help her regain clarity of thought, but as she descended the stairs, she realized that it might not be enough. She barely registered her surroundings. Instead of watching her step, she moved her gaze over the figure of the man walking in front of her, unable to believe that a moment ago his arms were embracing her tightly. And his fingers…

Hera took a deep breath, trying to wall her thoughts off the wetness between her thighs. She needed to remember who she was dealing with. It was Dago Midais. An arrogant businessman who cared primarily about personal gain. An unpredictable schemer who was ready to get married just to secure a promotion. An incurable womanizer…

“If my wife will satisfy my needs, why should I seek contact with other women?”

Hera swallowed, trying to reconcile her contradictory thoughts. The memory of care with which the man had treated her simultaneously jarred and fitted in with the memory of the hardness rubbing against her buttocks, but both were unanimously opposed to her beliefs about Dago…

When the man came down the stairs, Hera tore her gaze away from his naked skin and moved it to his face, trying not to look guilty.

“The living room is here,” he said, gesturing to the door nearby. “If you need to use a bathroom, you will find it at the end of the corridor on the right.”

Caramel dream, how does he do it? she thought, admiring the cool composure painted on his face. How can he be so calm after—

Her train of thought was broken by a sudden realization. It wasn’t the first time for him.

For him, it was a transaction.

“I’ll take the opportunity,” she said and started in the direction he’d pointed.

She tried not to look like she was in a hurry, though the longer she walked down the seemingly endless corridor, the harder it became. She felt as if the dragon sculptures along the walls were mocking her.

What are you looking for here? they seemed to ask, baring their teeth in predatory smiles. Not tenderness, right?

When she finally saw the bathroom, Hera struggled with the urge to run toward it. Her heart stung and her cheeks were burning.

Something was wrong with her. Midais’s calculation should have repulsed her, not wake in her some strange, primitive excitement…

She pulled the doorknob, but instead of turning, it detached from the door. Noticing a lump of sugar in her hand, she hurriedly put it back, changing her left hand to her right. By some miracle, the doorknob became a golden whole and Hera rushed inside the spacious bathroom.

Another one? she thought, stunned, staring at the enormous white fountain with a four-headed dragon that served as a bathtub. Does he have any other interests than strange bathrooms and golden doorknobs?

Okay, he collected books.

And he liked sex…

Hera shook her head and walked over to the mirror, beneath which was a golden faucet in the shape of a cobra. Stopping herself at the last moment from touching it with her left hand, she performed a hastened but extended ablution. She only used cold water.

By the end, her cheeks weren’t as flushed and the area between her thighs wasn’t as sensitive. She splashed some water on the floor and mirror, but one flap of her fiery wing was enough to restore the original order.

Now she was ready to start negotiations.

***

It turned out that there wasn’t anything to negotiate. When she entered the living room—which, apart from the black of the furniture, looked strangely normal for its owner’s taste—a papyrus scroll waited for her on the round table in the middle, next to lemon cookies laid out on a snow-white plate and a cup of tea. Sitting directly across from it, Dago gestured for her to read it, and she accepted his invitation nobly, determined not to show that she found his silence and the attention he paid to her intimidatingly exciting. One glance was enough to tell that she had a marriage contract in front of her. One sentence—to be sure that it was prepared with alarming scrupulousness.

After reading the whole thing, Hera realized that she had fallen straight into the trap set for her.

There wasn’t a single point she wanted to argue with. True, emphasis was placed on the duration of the contract—three years—but it was also highlighted that the effort required to execute it should be mutual.

The spouses pledge that during the duration of the contract, they will do everything in their power to make their marital life satisfactory for both parties.

That was the most categorical sentence. The rest sounded gentler—Hera suspected it was intentional—because they mostly spoke about mutual communication.

Both parties will tell each other the truth.

Before making a decision that may affect the other party, one should talk to them about it.

Any disputes will be resolved through verbal communication.

And so on, until it became a list of rules that people generally knew about and often attempted to follow, but were not forced into…

At the end there were several business clauses regarding assets (each spouse had the right to exclusive property) and allotment (it was allowed but not necessary to share), which contained multiple references to the communication rules mentioned above. “Communication” was the keyword, the quintessence, the rule, and the privilege. Everything was based on it, and the possibilities it offered seemed endless…

“Until we publicly announce our engagement, consider contract negotiations open,” Dago said, apparently noticing her staring into space. “You can take the draft contract home. Or you can leave it here and think about it while we fly to the coast—provided that you want to go with me, of course.”

When she didn’t answer right away, he added, “I’m thinking three days. Two on the road and one to find koralion. Not too long, but longer than we’ve ever spent together. Enough to imagine the future. But you will have your own bedroom and unlimited access to the library. I have several books about transmutation I haven’t read myself. Even if you do not find my company pleasing, I think the time you spend here will be advantageous for you.”

Hera lowered her gaze to the papyrus before her. She would have to learn to do without this trick, but for now, the emotions she was feeling were too strange for her to simply ignore. She couldn’t look at Midais indifferently, knowing that the tingling sensation she felt on her skin wasn’t the result of his Charm.

He’d thought about so many things. Her comfort. That the time of the journey was not only optimal but also advantageous. About keeping her interested.

He even concocted a plot with the imp to intrigue her with his books and tempt her to go with him.

So many preparations… only for her to agree to be his wife.

In her entire life, Hera had never felt so wanted .

But what kind of object of desire was she?

“You aren’t planning to convince me to produce gold from sugar for you, are you?” she asked lightly, raising her gaze.

For a split second, so brief that it could be considered an illusion, the man’s eyelid twitched.

Hera leaned back in the chair and crossed her arms. “I’m not going to break the law, Midais, and I won’t marry someone who does.”

“The law doesn’t forbid producing gold from sugar,” he said.

Hera surveyed him carefully. Since he didn’t hedge, it probably meant he really intended to be honest with her, but the time it took him to answer—which could be called a tactful pause—suggested the man had been prepared for the question.

Both parties will tell each other the truth.

This was one of the main clauses of the marriage contract… but nowhere did it mention that certain information couldn’t be temporarily withheld.

“So you won’t tell me the whole truth until I ask the right question?”

After a second, Dago smiled. “I have many plans. It’s difficult to think about them all at one moment. But I do intend to be honest with you, I assure you.”

Against her better judgment, Hera smiled back.

“When do you want to fly?” she asked, masking her chaotic feelings with irony.

The corners of his lips tipped up even more. “When will your schedule allow it?”

She considered the question. She had several appointments scheduled with patients and shifts at the hospital…

“In two weeks,” she said eventually.

Dago reached for a tea cup and lifted it as if he was going to make a toast.

“We’ll leave as soon as you arrive.”