Merritt's Story P2Ch26 Excerpt! (Patreon)

The next chapter of Merritt's Story has been shipped off to my wonderful beta readers at last!  The chapter is scheduled for August 20.  After this, there will be only one more installment for book 2!  I haven't decided where to throw the chapter break yet, so there will either be 27 or 28 total chapters, but either way, everything after this chapter is coming in one chunk.

Since the chapter's going out a little later than I'd hoped, I wanted to give y'all an excerpt to help get you through until then. ^_^  See, I promise the remainder of book 2 isn't just 100% misery!  We're still gonna have a little tiny bit of fun!

So, here's the excerpt!  - disclaimer: this is pre-final-edit, so please excuse any lack of refinement :) -

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“You get off on the power, huh? You get off on manipulating me? Manipulating Merritt? You enjoy watching us bow down to you?” Belmont rose to his feet, tossed the card to the ground, and stepped on it. “Well, King Damen Mercury,” he said as he unbuttoned his shirt, “I’m about to turn your wet dream into a nightmare.”

*   *   *

Archer held Merritt’s file at her side as if it were any mundane piece of paperwork, her eyes straight ahead as she walked the halls of headquarters. Her poker face was unyielding, her poise flawless. Her tie was knotted clean and tight, and her hair was swept perfectly into place. Neutral mouth, relaxed shoulders, soft knuckles. She would give no hint that this day was unlike any other.

It was just past five o’clock. At any moment, herds of headquarters workers would start filing out of their offices and into the hallways, but for now the crowd on this floor was sparse. As she neared the elevator, a tall figure carrying a messenger bag stalked off in front of her from the adjacent hallway. A tall, naked figure.

Belmont.

He swished past a pair of guards, pursued only by their stunned, wide eyes. Two servants and two IT workers also faltered as he crossed their paths. “What?” he asked the last guy, raising an eyebrow as he continued walking. Archer turned her still-neutral gaze to the guards, then to Belmont’s bare backside as he headed confidently for the elevator.

Mercury hadn’t breathed a word to Archer about his meeting with Belmont, but she was sure he’d confiscated Belmont’s tie. However, he apparently hadn’t told his guards to restrict Belmont’s movements, and Belmont knew how to exploit any loophole to its fullest. An undressed person didn’t have to wear their sphere identifier, and Belmont was just powerful enough to get away with sauntering through headquarters naked.

Belmont boarded the elevator, then did something he’d never done before: he held the door for Archer.

She knew he’d only done it to force her to ride in discomfort with him, but there was no smooth way to decline the offer. Maintaining her polite, neutral smile, she got on beside him. “Garage?” he asked as he pressed the button, squinting at her as if searching for a break in her poker face.

That had been Archer’s plan—a discreet exit through the private garage at the bottom floor. But instead, she reached across Belmont and pressed the button for the first floor. Belmont flashed a split-second scowl as if he suspected she’d changed her plans on purpose, but he said nothing.

They rode down in silence.

The elevator doors opened to a crowd of blue-tie civilians milling about at the base of the grand stairway. They dropped their poker faces and fell silent, gaping and then glancing around at each other, stunned and unsure of how to react upon seeing the King’s right hand naked in front of them.

Belmont waited for Archer to step out onto the first floor. She didn’t.

The doors closed, then the elevator descended one more floor before opening into the garage. Belmont shot Archer a hateful glare before stalking off toward his motorcycle.