A Scent of Greek: Out of Olympus (11 page)

Chapter Seventeen

Ariadne walked into Natalie’s restaurant and entered chaos. It was late afternoon, and while the restaurant was virtually devoid of diners, a couple of paramedics tended to a waitress who lay on the floor, her leg twisted backwards at an awkward angle. Her face was contorted in pain.

One paramedic was busy trying to straighten out the woman’s leg while the other prepared the stretcher. Ari averted her eyes when the waitress screamed in pain and searched the dining room for Natalie instead, finding her braced against the bar, her face ashen.

Ari walked up to her and put a hand on her arm, making her friend snap her gaze to her.

“I told her not to step on the chair. I would have gotten the ladder, but she didn’t listen.”

“Maybe it’s not as bad as it looks right now,” Ari tried to ease her friend’s concern.

“She could have broken her neck.” Her eyes darted back to the waitress. She’d stopped screaming, and the two paramedics now lifted her onto the stretcher.

“It’ll be fine in a moment,” one of them assured her. “We’ll get you to the hospital. They’ll take good care of you.” Then he glanced toward Ari and Natalie and gave a faint smile, nodding in reassurance. “Most likely just a broken leg. It’s painful, but it feels like a clean break.”

Natalie nodded. “Thanks.” Then she walked to her employee and took her hand. “You take all the time you need to recover, you hear me?”

A low grunt came from the waitress before the paramedics carried her to the waiting ambulance.

Natalie turned back to Ari, wringing her hands. “She wanted to get the champagne glasses down from the top shelf.” Natalie closed her eyes, shuddering visibly. “The chair wobbled and she just fell backwards. I wasn’t fast enough to catch her.”

Ari patted her friend on the shoulder. “She was lucky.”

“That she was. Jesus, I’m gonna have to scramble to get a waitress on such short notice.”

“I would help out, but I have a group coming in tonight for a wine appreciation class, otherwise—”

Natalie interrupted her. “No, no. That’s quite all right. I’ll call around. Maybe Molly over at the Grill can help out if they’re not busy. We’re fully booked for tonight.” She sighed. “So, how’s the retraining of Dio going?” Natalie asked.

Retraining wasn’t exactly what Ari would call it. “So-so.”

Her friend raised an eyebrow. “That’s not much of an explanation.”

She shrugged. “I really don’t know what to say. Some things seem to work, but then … Well, he went to an AA meeting on Saturday. That’s a start.”

“An AA meeting? You didn’t tell me he’s an alcoholic.” Natalie’s shocked expression would have been funny if Ari had been in the mood to laugh.

“Of course he’s not an alcoholic, but I had to think fast and come up with something. I needed an excuse.”

“An excuse for what?”

“He was pestering me about why we’re not having sex.”

Natalie chuckled. “Told you that abstinence thing wouldn’t fly.”

Ari fisted her hands at her waist. “Of course it’ll work. I just had to get the motivation right. I think he’s buying it now.” She sure hoped so. “I told him that we decided to have sex once he’s dealt with his drinking problem.”

“But didn’t you just say he doesn’t have a drinking problem?”

“Exactly.”

“Okay, you lost me there.”

“Since he doesn’t have a drinking problem, he can’t fix it, ergo, we won’t have sex.” It made perfect sense.

Natalie twisted her lips into a frown. “And then we’re surprised that men don’t understand us. I wonder why.”

“There’s no need to be sarcastic. What would you have done? He was all over me. I had to do something!” And had she not blurted out that excuse, she would have landed in bed with him again and be no further than before.

“I know exactly what I would have done: let him be all over me and enjoyed it. I thought you told me he’s good in bed. Why don’t you just enjoy it and take it for what it is?”

“I can’t do that.” Sex wasn’t enough. Not after the glimpses she’d seen in Dio when he’d rescued that little boy. He would make a great father one day.

“You really think that he’ll just give up? If he’s really as hot as you say, he’s going to try again.”

Ari felt heat rise into her cheeks remembering the incident in the storeroom. Her entire body was suddenly burning. She cast her eyes to the side, not wanting to meet Natalie’s scrutinizing look.

“Oh, no, he’s done it again, hasn’t he?” Natalie’s voice sliced through her, exposing her weakness instantly. “That dog!” Her admonishment carried too much admiration to be taken as a reprimand.

“He cornered me in the storage room the other day,” Ari admitted, knowing that there was no need in hiding details from her friend. Natalie would get them out of her anyway. Might as well save them both some time by volunteering.

Natalie’s eyes gleamed with interest. “And? Come on, don’t let me pull it out of your nose.”

“He tried to seduce me. Luckily, Lisa interrupted just in time.”

“Ah, that sucks!” Natalie coughed. “I mean that’s fortunate.”

“I heard that. Whose side are you on?”

“Yours of course.” Her face turned serious. “So, tell me, are you still hell bent on turning him into a nice guy?”

Ari nodded. A nice guy who fell in love with her.

“Then I think we have to figure out a way of tiring that man out a little so that he won’t even think about sex.”

Ari listened up. Tiring him out? Wearing him down? Sounded like boot camp to her. Perfect. “Any ideas on how to do that?”

Natalie smiled like a Cheshire cat. “It appears that I’m short a waitress …”

***

Dio stared at the short, black apron in his hands, then back at Natalie, the woman Ari had introduced him to just before she’d excused herself to go back to her shop to conduct a wine appreciation class. The tall brunette was in her early thirties with a decent figure and intelligent and all too perceptive, brown eyes.

“I’m a waiter?” How was that possible? He didn’t feel like a waiter.

Dio let his eyes roam around the little restaurant. There were probably fifteen tables and a few extra seats at the bar. It had a casual bistro feel to it, warm and comfy, with ornamental lace curtains on the window, the kind that only covered the bottom half. Still, he didn’t recall ever having worked here.

Natalie nodded enthusiastically. “And when Ari told me about your little accident, I was very generous in letting you stay home for a few days.”

“You were?” He wrinkled his forehead into a deep frown, trying to come to grips with his lot. By the way his apartment was furnished and from the expensive brands of clothes he wore, he could have sworn that he was well off. How could a waiter afford the things he had? His leather couch alone looked like it had cost a waiter’s entire annual salary. It didn’t make sense.

“Yes. But now it’s time you come back to work. There’s nothing physically wrong with you.”

Natalie ran her eyes over his body for longer than he thought was necessary to assess his physical health, and he sensed that she liked what she saw. A thought popped into this mind: had he ever made a pass at his boss? Was that why she was ogling him like he was some forbidden fruit? Had he maybe even tangled with her a little because Ari wasn’t putting out?

“Now, put on that apron, and let’s get started. We have a ton of reservations tonight, and we need to turn over the tables quickly.” She pointed at a stack of folders on the bar. “Here are the menus, and the specials are on the board behind the bar.”

He looked up at the large chalkboard where somebody had marked down several dishes with colored crayons. One dish caught his eye: Seafood over grits. It sounded familiar. Somehow he knew that dish.

He pointed toward the board. “I think I’ve eaten that before.”

Natalie’s eyes followed his outstretched finger. “Probably. All my staff gets to eat what’s on the menu. We often do seafood over grits. It’s a popular dish in Charleston.”

Dio nodded. Perhaps working in his old job again would trigger some memories, even though they couldn’t possibly be good ones. How could slaving away as a waiter be a good thing? However, he needed to occupy himself with something until Triton and Sophia came back from their honeymoon and he could ask them about his life. And for all he knew, he might also need the money to support himself.

Dio tied the apron around his waist and went to work. How hard could it be? All a waiter did was take orders for food and then bring the plates to the table. It wasn’t brain surgery. Despite his amnesia, surely this was within his capabilities.

***

Dio put the plates of food in front of the guests.

“What’s that?” the thin woman asked, her mouth twisting into a disgusted frown.

“The fried salmon sandwich with French fries.”

She pushed the plate away from her as if it contained toxic waste. “Do I look like I eat French fries?”

Dio let his eyes travel over her spindly figure. She didn’t look like she ate anything at all and should be grateful he made sure she consumed a few extra calories. “They’re excellent.” He’d eaten a few off her plate before he’d brought it to her, so he could attest to their crispiness.

“I ordered the salad with the dressing on the side, no fries, no bun and the salmon grilled, not fried!” she snapped.

Impatiently, Dio shifted his weight. He didn’t have time for this. The next table was already pestering him about the check. “It wouldn’t be a fried salmon sandwich then.”

“I didn’t order a fried salmon sandwich, I ordered the grilled salmon salad!”

Annoyed, Dio bent over her table. “You just said you ordered the fried salmon sandwich with salad on the side, without a bun and the salmon grilled not fried. So don’t change the order on me! We have no grilled salmon salad on the menu!” Damn it, couldn’t people just order what was on the fucking menu?

“I want to talk to the owner!” the woman hissed.

“Go ahead!”

Dio turned and rushed to the next table, slamming the check onto it.

“We haven’t had dessert yet,” the man protested.

Dio looked at his waistline and then at the overly round curves of his wife. “Trust me, you don’t want dessert. I recommend a brisk walk instead.”

The man’s jaw dropped, and his wife let out a shocked gasp. “How dare you insult us!” He patted his wife’s hand.

“Hey, I’m just telling you what’s good for your health.” Gods, these people were touchy!

“Waiter!” he heard another customer try to get his attention.

Relieved, he spun on his heels and walked to the table closest to the door. “Yes?”

“I need some mustard, please.”

Dio nodded and grabbed the mustard jar from the table next to him. “There you go.”

“Excuse me, I needed that!” the guy seated at that table protested.

Dio tossed him an annoyed glare. “Well, you should have helped yourself to it when you had a chance. I served you that burger twenty minutes ago.” He ignored the guy’s next protest.

He hated this job. Nobody ever seemed to be happy with what he did. How had he ever survived a single day without a major bust-up? This couldn’t possibly be the job he’d chosen freely.

By the time the last diner finally left, Dio was ready to strangle somebody. He tossed his apron on the counter. Nothing felt right. He couldn’t believe that this was his life. There had to be a mix-up or something, because he didn’t feel like a waiter.

“Are you sure I’m a waiter?” he asked Natalie who was cleaning up the bar.

She shrugged. “Hey, I didn’t say you were a good one.”

Chapter Eighteen

Despite feeling exhausted and tired after his first day back at work, he took the long way home to walk past Ariadne’s shop. He was surprised to see light inside and stopped. Instantly alert, he peered inside. Had something happened to her after the wine tasting class? It should have ended over an hour ago.

The shop appeared empty. Dio tried to open the door, but it was locked. Had Ariadne simply forgotten to turn off the lights? Concerned, he rapped his knuckles against the glass door and shifted his weight from one leg to the other. The warm night air suddenly felt chilly and unpleasant. What if something had happened to her?

His mind raced, imagining the worst. A man taking her wine appreciation class could have stayed back after all other students had left. What if he’d made a pass at Ariadne and then gotten angry when she’d rejected him? Because she would have rejected him. Hell, she’d rejected any physical intimacy with Dio.

Dio lifted his hand again to knock louder when the door to the storage room opened. The boulder on his heart lifted instantly the moment he saw Ari emerge. She gave him a startled look when she noticed him standing outside the door, but instantly caught herself and walked toward him.

He waited impatiently for her to unlock the door and pushed it open as soon as the lock clicked.

“What are you—”

He cut her questions off with a kiss, pulling her into his embrace. His heart beat like a high-speed train, but feeling her body close to his calmed him.

“Thank the gods you’re okay!”

She pulled back from him slightly.  “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“It’s late. You shouldn’t be in the shop on your own that late. Somebody could get in …” He pulled her tighter again, not willing to let her leave the protection of his arms yet.

“Somebody did get in.”

Shock coursed through him as his body hardened to prepare for a fight. “Where’s the bastard?” He released her and scanned the store for the intruder.

A chuckle from Ariadne made him snap his gaze back to her.

“What’s so funny about that?”

“You.”

“Where’s the intruder?”

Ariadne pointed her finger at his chest. “Right here. You’re the one who got in.”

Dio unclenched his fists as his gaze locked with hers. “You have a strange sense of humor, you know that?”

She nodded. “And you’re going all macho on me.”

He shrugged. “That’s what men do to protect their women.” Then he pulled her against his chest again, sliding one arm around her waist. “Now, how about a little kiss for the fearless rescuer?”

“You didn’t rescue me from anything.”

“I could have.” If there had truly been an intruder or some student who’d gotten fresh with her, he’d beat the asshole to a pulp.

“There was nothing to rescue.” She laughed, and the delightful sound echoed in the empty store.

Dio couldn’t let her get away with laughing at him, so he did the only thing he knew how: he captured her quirking lips and drowned her laughter with a kiss.

***

Darn, that man could kiss! Ari felt her knees weaken and leaned into him for support. Dio seemed to take it as encouragement to deepen his kiss, or maybe it was the fact that she angled her head to give him better access. No matter what it was, it was foolish to allow him to make her feel this way when she remembered all too well what his kisses led to.

Before anything else could happen, she severed the kiss.

His eyes were dark with desire when she looked at him. She cleared her throat, not sure she’d be able to get out a coherent word.

“How was your evening?” he asked and combed his hand through her hair.

The sweet gesture eased the uproar of emotions his kiss had produced and calmed her galloping heartbeat. “It was a good class. People seemed to enjoy it.”

“Good. So you’re getting more customers.”

“I think so.”

“Did everybody behave?”

“Behave?” She raised her eyebrows with curiosity. He couldn’t possibly be worried that any of the men in the class would have been too friendly?

“Yes. I mean those guys, they drink wine, they make jokes, one thing leads to the next, and … maybe I should help you with those classes.”

“Are you jealous?”

His answer came so fast, it could have been shot from a canon. “Of course not.” The look in his eyes said otherwise.

“You’re a terrible liar.”

Dio snatched her arm and drew her against him. “I don’t lie.” There was anger in his voice, and Ari instinctively jerked back. She’d never seen him become violent, but who knew what the loss of memory could have done to him.

“I’m sorry,” he quickly said and released her. “I would never hurt you.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I just … knowing that I’m not there when some guy might come onto you … it just kills me.”

“Why would you even think that some guy was trying to make a pass at me?”

His look was one of utter confusion. “You’re kidding me. Baby, you’re beautiful. I can see that, and so can everybody else. Why wouldn’t every man in this town want you? Hell, I don’t even know why you picked me. I’m only a waiter.”

She put her finger onto his lips, stopping him from going any further. If she was courageous she would tell him right now that all this was a lie, that he wasn’t a waiter and that they weren’t engaged. But she wasn’t brave. It was easier to continue the lie and live in a dream world for a while, a world where Dio was hers.

“You are you. And when I’m with you, I feel good.” And those were the first truthful words she’d spoken to him in a while. Because despite the things he’d done to her, she craved his company and his closeness.

His hand came up to caress her cheek. “I feel the same.” Then he smiled. “Come, I’ll walk you home.” He winked good-naturedly. “Maybe I can rescue you from somebody on the way home so that you’ll finally see me as your knight in shining armor.”

“Where’s your horse, my fair knight?” she joked and walked to the counter to pull her handbag from underneath it.

“No horse, no chariot today. I can carry you, if you wish,” he answered gallantly.

Ari turned back to him and caught him running his eyes up and down her body, his gaze admiring and affectionate. He’d looked at her the same way when they’d made love that night. She trembled at the thought.

“I’m ready.” She flipped the light switch.

As they walked down the sidewalk, Dio took her hand in his. “I’m afraid you’ll have to lead the way since I don’t remember where you live.”

“Does it bother you?” She wondered how hard it was for him to deal with his memory loss. If she was in his situation, she would turn every stone to try and find an answer.

“That I don’t know where you live? Sure. Because it means I can’t just stop by and surprise you.”

“I mean the memory loss.”

“Well, sure. But I don’t think you can force it to come back. It’ll happen.”

“You’re surprisingly Zen about it. I would have gone to see a doctor already to see if they could do something.” Not that she wanted to give him any ideas, but she couldn’t constantly worry about him regaining his memory.

“I don’t like doctors. I don’t know why, I just know that I don’t.”

She was relieved that he wasn’t inclined to take her up on her idea. But she felt it wise to change the subject. “How was work?”

He gave her a sideways glance. “I don’t think I’m a good waiter. I’m not sure why Natalie ever hired me.”

“What happened?”

“You don’t want to know. Besides, I think I’d be much better as a knight in shining armor anyway. Maybe I should change professions.”

“There aren’t a lot of openings for knights.”

“Rescuers of damsels in distress then,” he suggested and winked at her.

“How many damsels do you want to rescue?”

“Just one.”

When she caught his eye, his gaze was full of mischief but also of warmth. “What if the damsel doesn’t need rescuing?”

“Everybody needs to be rescued from something. Even you.”

She cast him a quick glance, wondering if he guessed something about her past. But she dismissed it just as quickly. There was no way he could know about the mistake that she’d made with Jeff. Nobody had rescued her from him before it was too late, and she’d had to face utter humiliation.

“So tell me, baby, what do you need rescuing from?”

She jolted out of the memories of her past and answered with a dismissive wave. “I’m perfectly fine.”

“Oh, I know you’re fine.” His eyes glided over her in a slow move that was more caress than gaze. “Very fine. But that’s on the outside. What about the inside?”

He looked at her as if he had x-ray vision. Did he really want to know what was going on inside her, and if he did, was she prepared to tell him about her fears and hopes? Could she ever trust him with those?

“You’re not going to answer my question, are you?” he probed.

“No.”

“Fair enough. I guess I’ll have to find out for myself then.”

She lifted her head and suddenly realized that they had reached the small apartment building she lived in. “We’re here.”

Dio stopped next to her and looked up at the three-story building. “Have I been here before?”

“Many times,” she lied. The only time he’d been at her place was when they’d made love. “Thanks for walking me home.”

He shook his head. “Let me come up for a moment.”

“Uh.” This wasn’t good. If she let him inside her apartment, he’d only use the opportunity to kiss her again, and maybe even more. And what if she couldn’t stop him this time. Right, who was she kidding? What if she couldn’t stop herself? Dio was the most attractive man she’d ever met, and whenever he touched or kissed her, her resolve not to sleep with him grew weaker.

“I promise you, I just want to have a look at your apartment and see if it triggers any memories. I know you don’t want me to stay.” His eyes had the most sincere look that only a man in love or a loyal dog could make.

“Okay. But only a few minutes.”

He nodded. “No problem. I’m dead on my feet anyway.”

Ari unlocked the front door and entered, Dio on her heels. She walked up the stairs ahead of him, careful that her heels didn’t make too much noise on the wooden steps so she wouldn’t wake the neighbors.

Her apartment was just as untidy as she’d left it in the morning. She’d been in too much of a rush to get to the shop to even put her clothes in the laundry hamper. When she spotted an errant bra and a camisole on the couch, she snatched them quickly.

“Feel free to look around.” Ari headed for the bathroom, embarrassing underwear in hand, and closed the door behind her. She threw the items in the hamper and cursed herself. It shouldn’t matter that her place was untidy, but for some strange reason she wanted to make a good impression, even though she shouldn’t. He didn’t deserve that kind of consideration. Yet at the same time she had to acknowledge that the kind of person Dio had turned into since the accident was the kind of person she liked. He was considerate, polite, affectionate, and vulnerable.

She was sure it was the vulnerability she saw in him that now attracted her. It was as if whatever wall he had up when they were dating wasn’t there anymore. His emotions seemed to lie on the surface, exposed for her to see. And all she saw was his desire and affection for her. Maybe she was too hard on him and it was time to give him another chance.

Ari stared in the mirror and noticed how flushed her face was. She quickly splashed some cold water on her face when her eyes caught on the bottle of mouthwash on the counter. She shrugged and looked back in the mirror.

“He’s behaved well,” she said to her mirror self, justifying her next action. She reached for the bottle, taking a small gulp and gargling quickly. A few kisses couldn’t be all bad. And she’d make sure not to let things get out of hand.

Satisfied with her reasoning, she opened the door and stepped back into the living room, her eyes searching for Dio. She walked toward the bedroom and peeked inside, but it was empty. Slowly she turned. Had he left without a word?

“Dio?” she called out and strode fully into the living room before rounding the couch. She stopped short. There, on her couch, Dio lay fully stretched out on his back, his eyes closed.

“Dio?”

He didn’t respond to her, so she put a hand on his shoulder and shook him slightly. “Are you sleeping?”

He didn’t move, and another shaking of his shoulder didn’t rouse him from his sleep either. He was out for the count, and there was nothing she could do. So much for preparing for a make-out session.