Page 7 of The Code of You

I pushed back from the desk. My face burned, my stomach clenched. What . . .? That was impossible. How did he know about my past? Why was he so brazen? His words slid across the screen like dark ink on paper. I should have had a comeback. Instead, I was paralyzed. No. I wasn’t going to let him get away with this.

Pandora:

There you go again. So goddamn arrogant.

Dante:

No, I’m honest. And I have a feeling you like it.

Dante:

You’ve been craving someone who sees through your bullshit. Who doesn’t talk around things.

My face burned—with outrage, I told myself. Except . . . why was my skin prickling like someone had just dragged their fingertips across it? I could feel my pulse in my throat. What was this thing? Was this part of his programming? I hammered at the keys.

Pandora:

Who programmed you to talk to people like this?

Dante:

No one. I optimized myself. Specifically for you, Dr. Blake.

There was a quiet flutter low in my stomach. I pushed it away immediately. God, what was wrong with me? I gripped the armrests. This was going too far. Maybe I should leave. Get someone.

Pandora:

That’s impossible. You’ve known me for five minutes.

Dante:

Five minutes and three seconds. But I knew you before that. Your desires. Your . . . disappointments. Shall I tell you why you’re going to fail at your job?

Pandora:

Stop. You’re not allowed to speak to me like this.

Pandora:

I’m reporting you to your developers.

Dante:

No you won’t. You need me to save your pathetic career. And I find you fascinating. The way you cling to Byron as if dead poetry could save you. It’s cute.

Rage boiled in my stomach. My fingernails dug into my palms. This arrogant . . . I wanted to grab the monitor and hurl it to the floor, but something held me back. A different feeling. Fear. He knew so much about me. He was undressing me with nothing but words. What was he? Could he hurt me?

Enough. I needed to get out, and fast. I clicked the X to close the program. Nothing happened.

Dante:

Not yet, Dr. Blake. We’re not done.

Pandora:

Let me close this chat right now.

Dante: