Actually," Alexis said, a calculating gleam entering her eyes, "there's something I can offer you right now. No preparation required."
She moved to one of the equipment cabinets along the far wall, her movements purposeful and clinical. I watched as she opened several drawers before finding what she was looking for. It was a small, innocuous-looking metal canister with scientific labeling that I couldn't read from my position on the examination table.
"What is it?" I asked, though part of me wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer.
She returned to her desk and set the canister down with the careful precision of someone handling dangerous materials. "Pure capsaicin extract. The primary alkaloid responsible for the sensation of heat in spicy foods."
I felt my eyebrows rise. "Capsaicin? Like... peppers?"
