Reaper of Hearts

Chapter Two

Love Limited was situated at the corner of Starcrossed Street and Lover's Lane. Cassidy had always felt it was a little on the nose, but no one tells Aphrodite or Venus how to run a business. By the size of the building business was good. Which again begged the question as to why a merger between the two companies was necessary.

What did Hades stand to gain by merging his business with Love Limited?

Cassidy sighed heavily as she made her way up the street. The subway was disgusting, as per usual. She could feel the soles of her sneakers sticking to the concrete as she walked. You'd think the afterlife would be a little cleaner, but people were people wherever you went. That included the next plane of existence. She was sure she would never get the image of the demonic orgy out of her head. Who wanted so many tentacles groping them in the first place? Cthulu would have been seriously disappointed in his progeny.

The building was garish. Gaudy glittering pink shone in the rare peek of sunshine that managed to break through the fog of the city. It was like the architect had passed a pepto bottle on the mortal plane and had decided that was it, that was the color of love.

She paused at the revolving door into the building, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, gathering her courage. The last cupid she had met had been a bit much. Overbearing, overly eager, and too happy to spread her legs for just about anything. She had been at a hospital mortal-side, reaping a young mother that had died giving birth. The cupid had been there, aiming her pink arrows at the grieving husband and the sweet nurse. It had caused an insane amount of paperwork, since the woman's soul had gone full poltergeist at the complete disrespect.

"New recruit?"

Cassidy jumped at the soft voice. Her eyes fluttered open and she nearly swallowed her tongue. The man was gorgeous. Dark hair curled wildly over his brow, his green eyes bright in his sun-kissed face. His full lips were pulled into a half-smile that promised to fan the flames of her long-dead libido. He was walking s*x. Her mouth was too dry to form a word and she nodded dumbly.

"Ladies first then." He waved her onward, and she practically tripped through the door. She hadn't felt any form of s****l desire since death. In fact, she hadn't even felt the need to blow off steam with an old-fashioned fingering. She had thought it was due to dying, every human need she had experienced was just gone. A side-effect of no longer being mortal. But here she was, panties damp over a strong jaw and pretty eyes.

He followed her across the marble floor and up to the front desk. The receptionist was the typical cupid female. Blonde hair cascaded in ringlets haloed around a heart-shaped face. Big bright blue eyes set above a pert nose and full lips. Perfection. Ideal s*x-appeal. Cassidy was plain by comparison, kitted out in a hoodie and jeans. A wild smile split the woman's face, toothy and feral, and she felt distinctly uncomfortable.

"Lindie, new recruit." The man purred from behind her, "Make sure she gets to the right department. Wouldn't want a lost kitten finding her way into R-and-D."

"Of course, Sir!" Lindie practically pissed herself in her excitement. "I'll take her there myself!" The woman stood, white wings jutting proudly behind her. She was dressed in a low cut backless dress that was the same pink as the building. The skirt was so indecently high she had to have been wearing matching panties. Cassidy sincerely hoped it wasn't a uniform. She stepped around the desk and grabbed Cassidy by the hand, dragging her to a set of elevators across the lobby.

Cassidy threw a look over her shoulder at the man. He leaned against the reception desk and winked. She wasn't sure she would survive working as a cupid if the men were going to make her want to dry-hump their legs like a b***h in heat. She didn't remember ever feeling so turned on in her life. She was thankful she had thrown on the hoodie this morning, otherwise her n*****s would be announcing her interest before her mouth could. It was like she was drowning in lust.

"You'll get used to it." Lindie smirked at her as the elevator doors closed. "The boss is best in small doses until you get your wings."

"The boss?" Cassidy asked dumbly.

"Don't you know anything, newbie?" Lindie huffed a laugh. "That was Eros. Y'know, Aphrodite's son? Lust on legs. You did better than most. The last one stripped herself naked before she made it through the doors."

"And the wings give us common sense?" Cassidy made a mental note not to run into Eros until she had some form of protection.

"No, the wings just make stripping harder. But they do dampen his power a little. Not by much, but enough to carry on a conversation." Lindie pressed a number on the keypad. "Now to get you up with the rest of the recruits. They'll get you squared away and into orientation in a flash. So where'd they find you?" She gave Cassidy a curious once-over.

"Intern from the Afterlife Agency."

"Oh! You're one of those reapers. This is going to be a weird adventure for you." Lindie laughed. "I hope they don't assign you to the seventh dimension. s*x is a competition sport there, and you wouldn't believe the sheer amount of p*****s on display, or on one form. Also, the females have p*****s. It's all penises."

"But how do they--"

"Don't ask, newbie. Seriously." She shuddered, giving Cassidy a haunted look. "It isn't something you will ever be able to forget." The elevator gave a soft chime and the door slid open. "Good luck, newbie. You'll probably need it. Or not. Love is weird, right?"