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was there and sounded overjoyed to hear from me. Yes, yes, of course he could get more. He was so glad I'd liked it. Giving me the address of a coffee shop he'd be at, he told me to stop by right after work.

I showed up there five minutes after my shift ended. The coffee shop was perfectly ordinary, nothing dark or sinister. Hardly the stereotypical rendezvous for a drug transaction. I spotted Alec sitting at a table in the back, but someone was with him. Not wanting to interrupt, I stood in line to order a mocha.

Alec's companion was a young man, younger than him even. Eighteen, if I had to guess. And he was beautiful. He had swept his thick, dark-blond hair into a short ponytail at the nape of his neck, and his face was all clean, strong lines. When he smiled at some comment of Alec's, perfect white teeth showed against the tanned skin. I expected to see this guy in an Abercrombie & Fitch ad soon.

Or maybe not, since he too was apparently wasting his life away. Alec reached into his pocket and gave the guy one of the telltale bags. Happiness and relief shone on the golden boy's face, making him look - if possible - even more attractive. He left. Angrily gripping my drink, I took his chair and forced a cheerful attitude.

"Hey," said Alec in greeting, clearly in a good mood. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you. You look hot, as always. "

"Thanks. How's it going?"

"Awesome, now." He grinned broadly. "Fabulous day." He leaned toward me. "So? What did you think?"

I set my cup down heavily and acquired some little-girl wonder. "You were right...it was amazing. It was like I was..." I decided a lack of words was better than trying to describe something I hadn't experienced. He was only too happy to help fill in the blanks.

"Better than ever? Who you were meant to be?"

"Yes," I said breathlessly. "You - you've got to give me more."

"Can do." His hand reached into the magic pocket. One of the lethal bags appeared, and that ugly feeling snaked down my spine. He held the crystals teasingly out of my reach. "You know, they get better the more you do it. You up for that?"

I stared at the bag longingly, then up at him. "Don't you have more than this? I mean, I want that one...but it's not going to be enough. I need a lot of this."

"Slow down. You don't want to take more than one bag."

"I know that, but this is good for what, a day or two?"

His eyes glinted. "Big plans already, huh? Most people don't get quite so fired up this fast."

I chewed on my lower lip, not wanting to raise any alarms. Assessing my self-inventory, I tried to think of something nonsexual the ambrosia would have affected. Alec's earlier visitor gave me the answer.

"It's weird. I know this guy at a modeling agency, and he always gives me the runaround. But I saw him yesterday when I took this...and it was like, I don't know. He couldn't get enough of me. He wants me to come back for some major shoots." I gripped Alec's arm. "I don't get how this could be doing it...maybe it's coincidence. I don't know. But I want more. I think I need it to make this gig work out. You've got to help me. Or take me to wherever you get this. I'll pay. I'll do anything."

His face told me I had said exactly the right thing.

"It's not coincidence," he told me smugly. "And I'll get you more."

I exhaled with palpable relief. "Promise? Like a big supply?"

"I promise. Here, take this one."

"What do I owe you?"

"Nothing."

"Come on! They can't all be free." My hold on his hand changed to something softer and more suggestive. "I told you before...I'm happy to pay...however you want..."

He sighed, regarding me wistfully as he briefly ran his fingers over my hand and then pulled away. "I know. You want a big batch of it? That you'll have to pay for. I'll take you to the guy who gets it for me, and you can pay him."

"What'll it cost? How much am I going to need?"

Something unreadable flashed in his eyes. "You've already got exactly what you need. Can you meet me tomorrow night?"

I hesitated. Carter had said we needed some prep time before I faced the supplier, time in which I had been told to