Word Count: 96,002
Summary of Events:
Esperanza watched the rain while letting the bruises Zeus had inflicted on her heal and thought about his last visit and plans of escape — hoping he didn't suspect them. Riel inspected the rather worn apartment he'd agreed to rent in Mar del Plata so that he wasn't driving ten hours every day to investigate Esperanza's disappearance and decided it was at least good enough for sleeping in. Esperanza was visited by Ana-Maria and Selene, and they discussed how they should reconnect once they were all back home — and Esperanza and Ana-Maria learned that Selene's real name was Catalina. Riel went to dinner at the restaurant which was part of the resort Esperanza had worked at and a waitress caught his eye that he decided he needed to talk to, not that he was sure why. Esperanza decided to practise sneaking around the house to help with their plans of escape and even tried to sneak into the computer room . . . where she discovered Hercules.
Excerpt of the Day:
""What are you doing here Aphrodite?" he asked.
Esperanza said nothing, she had no reason, she wanted to run away, but she didn't want to arouse his suspicions or make him angry.
"Come in," he said, a softness and gentleness to his expression that made Esperanza feel somewhat dubious.
Being as she didn't want to upset him she stepped forward to enter the room, releasing the knob without worrying about how much noise it made.
"Close the door," Hercules said, gesturing with his chin.
Esperanza did as she was told, again not bothering to be quiet.
Hercules rose from his seat, the sight of him full making Esperanza wish she would've slipped away before he'd noticed her. It was exactly as she'd feared.
"I am sure the original Aphrodite must've looked like you," Hercules whispered. "And it's a shame that she wasn't actually Hercules' love interested. He was too busy being manipulated, I'm pretty sure."
Esperanza didn't really know what he meant, but she stayed where she was and let Hercules approach her. She didn't dare run.
He settled his hands on her shoulders gently and looked into her eyes with a longing and a hunger that Esperanza couldn't call malicious. He wasn't hungry. It almost looked like Sebastian, when he'd gazed at her so tenderly and convinced her to believe that he actually loved her. She wondered if Hercules was trying to do the same thing, or if it was the real thing this time instead.
"From the moment I first saw you I thought you were something special," Hercules said quietly. "The boss did too, but I was the one who asked to see you first. I've never seen a more beautiful woman in my life. I still remember the way you walked toward me; spirited, saucy, virile, the fulfillment of my deepest dreams."
Esperanza thought his words sounded pretty genuine, but she wasn't sure. Sebastian had seemed pretty genuine too.
"I have to admit, I would actually have preferred to have given you a ring that cost as much as I paid for you, and given you a white dress, and made you mine and mine alone, instead of having to let you be shared," Hercules whispered, sliding his hands up her neck softly. "Even though you've beaten me up, I still can't shake it. And it doesn't seem that you can either, if you've come to me like this."
Esperanza wasn't sure she would've wanted to have married him. It would've been a way out of the Compound, but she wasn't entirely sure.
His hands cradled either side of the base of her head gently and slowly he lowered his face, his nose softly sliding alongside hers until his lips made contact.
The passion in his kiss left Esperanza breathless. She felt her heart rate take off. She may well have actually decided to let him marry her if he would've put up the offer. She had a feeling this was the real thing, and it was absolutely incredible beyond belief."
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