I walked up and cleared my throat. “Mr. Nelson… I was given your card, and I need your help. I want this guy to tell me how he really feels.”
He didn’t say anything, just gave me a look that felt like it could read through skin.
“For how long?” he asked finally.
“Four days,” I blurted. “I just need to know if he really likes me or if he’s ashamed because I’m… different. I think he sees me as just a geek, and he doesn’t want to admit he’s attracted to me because it might mess up his image. He owns nightclubs. He has this whole ‘cool guy’ thing going on, and Lord, I’m rambling. I just… need something.”
He nodded slowly. “I’m gonna give you two things. One’s a pill and it will last three days. It’ll make him truthful; if he already is, it might make him even more blunt.”
He turned and reached beneath the counter.
“But I’m also giving you this,” he added, placing a small bottle on the counter. “A potion. Sometimes, the only way someone learns to respect you… is to live as you. This will last four days.”
The bottle had a faded label and glowed faintly under the low light.Mirror Me.He held it up, and I watched the liquid inside swirl into a deep, shifting purple.
“This one’s special,” Nelson said, his voice low and gritty. “Let him see life through your eyes. But be careful. Some mirrors don’t like what they show back.”
I figured I wouldn’t even have to use the potion, not if the pill worked like Old Man Nelson said.
Kase was already slick with the mouth, so if that truth serum kicked in? I’d get my answers loud and clear.
I paid Old Man with cash for eight hundred dollars before leaving. Since I knew Kase had a sweet tooth, I made a quick stop at his favorite bakery and picked up a box of those double-fudge cookies he swore were better than sex, and considering how much he loved sleeping with women, that made things complicated. It was a peace offering, a trap, and a test all in one. He wouldn’t think twice about it, since I’d brought treats around before. But what he didn’t know was that I’d crushed the pill and mixed it right into the powdered sugar dusted on top of the brownie. One bite, and it was game on. That truth was about to hit harder than the chocolate.
Knowing Kase, he was probably in his office barking orders, talking slick, and acting like the club would fall apart without him. His assistant, Porcha, short, red pixie cut, and an attitude like she woke up choosing violence, glanced up as I walked in.
“He’s busy,” she said flatly.
“Tell him it’s Blyss.”
She gave me a look that screamedhe ain’t gonna like this,but she went anyway. A few seconds later, I heard that deep voice from the back.
“Let her in.”
I exhaled and stepped into the lion’s den.
Kase was at his desk, sleeves rolled up, head bent over event flyers and notes. Even when he looked tired, he was still fine. It was irritating.
“Blyss?” he said, glancing up. “You lose your library card or somethin’?”
“Uh, no.” I gave a weak smile. “I, uh… came to see if there were any hard feelings. I hope you and your brother didn’t fall out because of me. I was just upset the other night about how you acted when that woman walked up, so I vented to Tuesday. Who might’ve told Jace?”
Kase didn’t flinch. “My brother don’t run shit over here, so I wasn’t trippin’. What’s in the box?”
I stepped forward, holding it up like a peace treaty. “Double-fudge cookies. Your favorite. A peace offering.”
His eyes flicked from the box to me, lips twitching with amusement. “You tryna bribe me after talkin’ about me like a dog to anybody who’d listen?”
“No,” I said, lying with a straight face.
He cracked the box open like it was treasure. “You know how I feel about these.”
“I know,” I smiled.
“You want one?” he asked out of habit.
“Nope. I’m staying off sweets.”
He grinned. “Cool. More for me.”
