Annihilate Me (Vol. 3) (The Annihilate Me Series) by Christina Ross Page A

you.
    “How?” I asked him.   “They said you were staying the night.   How did you get out of the hospital?”
    He looked at me and shrugged.   “I told them that I missed my girlfriend,” he said.   “I said I might have a heart attack if
I didn’t see her tonight.   They
considered that for a moment, and then they released me.”
    “Come with me,” I said.   “Over here, where it’s more private.”
    I took his hand and led him through the crowds to the far left
corner of the room where there were fewer people.   I stood in front of him and pressed my back against the wall
so no one could see me.   With his
back to the room, no one could see his face.   It wasn’t perfect, but it was as discreet as we could be
given the circumstances.   I reached
up and kissed him fleetingly on the lips because I knew that any sign of public
affection was frowned upon within this society.   But Alex didn’t seem to care.   He leaned into my kiss and probed deeper.   When we separated, it felt unnatural,
kind of like a tearing away.   I
wanted to hold him in my arms, but this place was denying me that.   I could see my frustration mirrored in
his own expression.
    “We can’t do this here,” I said.   “I know you’re hurt.   I know we can’t be completely intimate tonight.   But if we could just lie together on
your sofa—”
    “We’re leaving.   I’m making love to you.   I’m
fine.”
    “It’s too soon.   I’m worried.”
    “My doctor gave me the golden pass.   I’m good to go.”
    I raised my eyebrows at him.   “The golden pass?”
    “That’s right.   I’m
a machine.   I told my doctor my
plans, and he told me not to go crazy.   I asked him to define crazy.   That stumped him.   He
checked my pulse again, and peered into my eyes with one of those lighted
scopes.   He apparently saw nothing
of concern, so he released me.   He
said, ‘Go crazy.’”
    “You don’t know how relieved I am to have you here and to know
that you’re well.”
    “Want to see how well?”  
    He kissed me more passionately than he had before.   He reached down and cupped my ass in
his hand.   He gripped it and
squeezed it.   I felt his tongue
slip into my mouth.   And when his
stubble traced along the curve of my neck, I felt a moist warmth spread between
my legs as my body tingled and became alive.  
    I knew we shouldn’t be doing this here.   I knew it was inappropriate and that
some people would be offended and irritated, but Alex knew this crowd better
than anyone, and he didn’t seem to care.   When I whispered in his ear that we should go, he just sort of growled
and kissed me harder.
    That’s when the explosions of lights went off.
    “Don’t stop there,” a familiar voice said.   “This is your big moment, Bob.   That’s right.   Shoot away.   Light them up.   Capture
their obscene little moment of mutual fireworks.   Everybody’s been talking about it.   But why leave their indiscretions just for us?   Let’s photograph it for the entire city
to see.”
    Due to the rapid flashes of lights, I couldn’t see who was
talking.   But I knew that
voice—it belonged to Immaculata Almendarez, and it was clear from her
tone that she was seething.   I
wanted to take her down for doing this to Alex.   Nobody in this city knew who I was, but they certainly knew
Alex.   And what she was doing was
trying to publicly humiliate him.   To my surprise, Alex seemed unaffected by the commotion.   He turned to the camera with such a
look that the lights stopped flashing.
    “Hello, Immaculata,” Alex said.
    She didn’t respond.
    “So, suddenly you can’t speak?”
    Apparently, she couldn’t.   She said nothing.
    He looked at the cameraman.   “Fine, then.   Let’s think of her as the world thinks of her—a nonexistent,
unhappy, bitter drunk.   I don’t
know who you are, sir, but I’d like you to meet my girlfriend, Jennifer Kent,
whom I haven’t been with in a few