A Scent of Greek: Out of Olympus (15 page)

Shaking with need, she felt the wetness between her legs and knew what she really needed, knew what Dio was able to give her. She had never felt such sexual satisfaction as with him, and she knew he could do it again. He could again make her feel amazing and drive her over the edge.

When she took hold of his hand and pried it off her breast, he protested with a loud rumble against her other breast but didn’t stop sucking her nipple. Ari ignored his protest and led his hand down her body and onto her thigh. He seemed to understand what she needed and moved down her leg until he reached the seam of her skirt. There, he reversed his travels and slid underneath it.

Ari let out a relieved sigh. “Yes,” she whispered and pressed herself closer to him. She felt a hardness against her outer thigh and knew what it was. Dio was getting as turned on as she was. His erection now pressed hard and heavy against her. Her mouth watered with the knowledge of what he could do to her with his cock. How he could fill her, how he would ride her and drive her wild.

A moment later, Dio’s fingers brushed against her panties—her very wet panties. A moan dislodged from his throat and bounced against her breast. Then his fingers rubbed against the fabric barrier, shooting a wave of urgent desire through her. She needed him now. She didn’t want to wait. And couldn’t.

When his fingers slid upwards where fabric met skin, she knew she would get what she wanted. One finger dipped between skin and panties, diving through her moist curls. Then a second finger joined the first and both slid lower. Her breath hitched, and her body stiffened in anticipation.

Dio released her nipple and lifted his head from her breast. At the same time, he withdrew his hand from her panties. “We’d better eat our dessert before it spoils.”

Disappointment spread like wildfire. “No, don’t stop.”

He put his finger on her lips. “You were right, Ari. It’s better if we wait until we’re married. Imagine how amazing our wedding night will be.” Then he gave her a chaste peck on the cheek. “I can’t wait.”

Disbelief joined disappointment as misery spread. Dio had rejected her when she’d offered herself to him. Why had she ever told him that they’d agreed to wait? It was the most stupid idea she’d ever had.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Dionysus had spent a near sleepless night tossing and turning after he’d escorted Ariadne home. Not taking her to his bed when she’d been practically begging him had been the hardest thing he’d ever done in his entire life. But this was part of his plan. He would reduce her to a puddle of need and make her fall in love with him, and then, only then, he’d reveal to her that he knew about her deception. He would humiliate her like she had humiliated him. Then they’d be even.

The only problem with his brilliant plan was that not only was he having a hard time stopping himself from making love to her, he felt like a total sack of shit for treating her that way, for leading her on. As if he’d developed scruples. Or maybe it was simply the fact that he couldn’t contain his desire for her, because no matter her deception and the games she’d played with him, it did nothing to quell the need to have her in his arms, to kiss her, touch her, and make love to her. Now that he remembered the one night they’d spent together in each other’s arms, he knew how good it would be with her. And he wanted it again.

He wanted to feel her writhing against him. He wanted to sense her heartbeat and feel her breath bounce against his lips. And tasting her again, by the gods, he needed that too. No wonder he’d thought himself in love with her during his amnesia. His body must have remembered what it was like with her and had yearned for more of it. Or was it more than just sense memory? Was he truly feeling things he’d previously thought himself incapable of? What if everything she’d made him believe in had turned into reality?

Dio took a deep breath. Her scent still permeated throughout his apartment. He doubted that it would ever completely vanish no matter how much time passed. His own hands still retained her scent. It drove him insane, making it impossible to ban her from his mind. Not even after he’d masturbated in the shower, imagining she was with him, had he been able to let go of her image.

He could only hope that once he’d executed his plan, he would finally be over his infatuation with Ari. Because that was what it had to be: an infatuation, nothing more serious.

It was almost sunrise when he finally fell asleep. The door bell ringing in the downstairs apartment jolted him from his sleep. When he turned his head and glanced at his watch, he reared up. Shit! He would be late for work.

He bolted from his bed, took the quickest shower in his life and resorted to his godly powers for the rest: one flick of his fingers dried him without a towel, another combed his hair, and a last one put a set of clothes on his naked body. Knowing his delay was already bad enough, he teleported to the alley behind the restaurant and used the entrance through the kitchen to get into the restaurant.

Luis, the Latino chef who was as wide as he was tall, tossed him an annoyed look. “Where the fuck have you been?”

“Hey, you’re not the boss of me!” Dio snarled back. If the idiot pissed him off any further, he’d turn him into a toad.

“No, but I am!” The curt tone in Natalie’s voice didn’t leave any doubt as to her mood.

He turned slowly and pasted an apologetic smile on his face. “So sorry, Natalie, but I walked Ariadne home after our dinner, and then I still had to clean up the kitchen.” Not entirely true since his servants had taken care of that by the time he’d returned home. But he figured the more he made it sound like it was all because he wanted to please Ari, the less grief Natalie would give him.

Warring emotions skidded over Natalie’s face until she finally nodded. “Fine, fine. It’s just bad timing. The dining room is full. I have no idea where all these people suddenly came from. They’re not even our regulars. There must be a convention of cover models in town, or something.”

Dionysus walked past her. “Don’t worry. I’ve got it covered.” Through the round glass in the door, he peered out into the restaurant. “Ah, shit!” he cursed.

Natalie pressed an apron into his hand, and he absentmindedly tied it around his waist. “See, what did I tell you? And they’re all ready to order.”

As if that was the problem! He would have happily served the entire population of Charleston, but the guests that occupied the tables right now were an entirely different cup of tea.

“What are you waiting for? Go.”

A shove from Natalie catapulted him into the lion’s den. Like wolves, they would devour him, and like hyenas they’d laugh at his expense. Because if the gods knew about one thing it was this: how to delight in another god’s humiliation.

Every table in the small dining room was occupied by a face he knew. Three nymphs sat in a corner, Orion shared a table with Aphrodite while Helius, Apollo and Ares had banded together at another. The goddesses Eos and Selene had taken seats at the bar, and his friends Eros and Hermes sat by a table at the door. At least he had two allies in the pack of wolves who had come to gloat.

Dio figured he should be grateful that neither Zeus nor Hera had shown up, even though he was sure that his evil stepmother knew full well that he was relegated to being a waiter. Sure, he could ditch the job right now, but that would also mean giving up his plan of getting his revenge with Ariadne, and he wasn’t prepared to trade for that.

“Waiter, we’re still waiting.” An impatient voice made him snap his head toward Orion, the god of hunters and Triton’s half-brother. But just because Dio was best friends with Triton didn’t mean he got on with Orion. Hell, not even Triton did.

Dio’s lips pressed into a thin line as he forced a snide remark back. He pulled in a deep breath and walked to Orion’s table. “Yes?”

Both Aphrodite and Orion chuckled, even though at least the goddess of beauty had the good graces to look somewhat embarrassed.

Orion met Dio’s stern stare. “Two glasses of your house Merlot, and I’ll have the steak, medium rare.”

Aphrodite pointed at the spot on the menu. “I’ll take the seafood salad.”

Dio shook his head. If they wanted to annoy him at his restaurant and make things difficult for him, he’d make the rules. “The steak’s tough. And the seafood salad is bland. I’ll bring you both seafood over grits.”

Orion opened his mouth and raised his hand in protest, but Dio cut him off. “It’s either that or you get out. Now.”

The standoff took a few seconds until Aphrodite put her hand on Orion’s arm and graced Dio with a warm smile. “Seafood over grits sounds perfectly delicious.”

Then Dio walked over to his friends and let himself fall onto the empty chair. Eros grinned. “Fancy seeing you work. Imagine my surprise when I heard—”

“Shut it, Eros, or I’ll deck you right here.”

“He means it,” Hermes added.

Eros crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Nobody is any fun anymore these days.”

Dio ignored him and instead glared at Hermes. “Can nobody keep a secret anymore? Not even my best friends?”

Hermes’ mock-innocent look would have gotten any actor fired. “You should have specified that you didn’t want this to be made known.”

Dio grabbed hold of the front of Hermes’ t-shirt and pulled him close. “I thought that went without saying. Maybe I should find other friends,” he hissed.

Hermes shook off his hold and straightened. “Eros is right, you’re no fun anymore. And besides, why do you always suspect me? If I remember correctly, our dear stepmother had a hand in this. She could have spread the news around.”

Dio’s eyebrows snapped together. Hermes was probably right. Hera was a bitch, and whichever way she could humiliate him, she would do it.

“So I hear this is all about a woman,” Eros interrupted.

Dio glanced at Eros as he casually leaned back in his chair and stretched his legs. “What’s it to you?”

“As the god of love, I have certain responsibilities. So if this is about—”

“It’s not about love. Not part of your territory. So, off you go.” Dio stood and made a shooing movement.

“Well, since I’m already here …” He glanced at the menu in front of him. “What’s good?”

“Seafood over grits,” Dio said automatically.

“I’ll take it.”

“Two,” Hermes added. “And some wine. What do you recommend?”

Remembering that Orion had ordered the house Merlot, Dio decided that everybody would get the same. At least that way he couldn’t possibly mix up the orders and embarrass himself. “The house Merlot is excellent. I’ll bring you two glasses.”

A whistle made him spin on his heels and face the offending party. Ares grinned at him. “Garçon, we’re getting impatient here.”

With two strides, he was at Ares’ table. “I’m not your Garçon!” Dio growled.

Ares exchanged a grin with Helius and Apollo. “But you are our servant today, are you not? So serve us.”

“I’m nobody’s servant!”

Ares looked pointedly at Dio’s apron. “You must be, because you’re wearing the apron.”

He and his table mates broke out in roaring laughter. The sound grated on Dio’s nerves. Fine, if they wanted to be served, he’d serve them—his way.

“The special today is seafood over grits,” he yelled over their laughter, shutting them up instantly.

“Sounds delicious,” Helius commented.

“I’ll have that,” Apollo said.

Ares nodded. “That’ll be all, boy.”

Dio’s hand clenched into a fist and the cords in his neck bulged, but he kept his temper in check. After taking the order for the Nymphs’ table, the two goddesses at the bar, and the other three tables also occupied by gods, he charged into the kitchen and placed the orders.

“Seafood over grits for everybody.”

Natalie raised an eyebrow. “Everybody? They all want the same? What are they, some group traveling together?”

“Something like that.” As the chef started the orders, Dio looked back at Natalie. “And a glass of house Merlot for everybody.”

“Well, that’s easy.”

Dio followed Natalie to the bar where he watched her pour the wine. Within five minutes, each guest had their wine and was patiently waiting for their food. Dio tried not to listen to their conversations, but his superior hearing made it nearly impossible not to. It appeared that the news about his humiliation at the hands of a mortal woman would have made the front page of the Olympus Enquirer if the gods actually had a newspaper. As it was, no such medium was necessary to spread the news. It was easier to tell one gossipmonger and within minutes, all of Olympus and beyond would be in the know.

Dio stalked into the kitchen and collected the first plates. He made a point of serving Ares and his friends last. As he balanced all three plates on his hands, a devilish thought crossed his mind. He carefully placed one plate in front of Helius and the other in front of Apollo before he affected a stumble.

With a quick flick of his wrist, Dio tipped the plate and lurched toward Ares, letting the steaming hot food drop into the war god's lap while he held onto the plate.

Ares shouted out in pain and jumped up, trying to get the hot, sticky stuff off his groin where it was probably singeing the family jewels. “What the fuck!”

Dio suppressed his grin. “So sorry! Let me help you cool that down.” He grabbed Ares’ half-full wine glass and tossed its contents at the front of Ares’ jeans.

Chuckles from the other tables already rippled through the restaurant.

Ares glared at him, his face read with rage. “You idiot!”

Dio smirked. “You wanted me to serve you. I’m afraid I forgot to mention that I’m not a very good waiter.”

The laughter from the other gods followed him as he retreated into the kitchen. Now the heat was off him, and Ares would be the butt of their jokes for the next hour.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Dio strolled along the shore and kicked another pebble into the water. He was at a loss as to how to proceed with Ariadne. He felt like an ass for how he’d behaved the other night, seducing her after the dinner and then leaving her hanging high and dry—and himself to—when she was about to surrender, when really what he wanted was to take her into his arms and tell her that he knew the truth.

But he couldn’t do that.

Ari had deceived him, manipulated him like the best of them, and now he had to get even. Besides, he couldn’t trust her. What kind of woman would send two goons to beat up the man she cared for? That, he couldn’t condone.

“I’ve never seen you so buried in your own thoughts that you don’t even sense another god approaching.”

Dio spun on his heels and faced his father. Today, Zeus was dressed in shorts and a simple polo shirt, and he made even that outfit look like coming straight from a fashion shoot.

“Zeus, what a surprise.” And not necessarily a good one. “What is it this time? Have you gotten bored up on Olympus, and gone looking for some bootie down here?” Might as well call it by its name.

“My dear son—”

“I don’t like the sound of that.” Whenever his father started with that phrase, a lecture wasn’t far behind. “Why don’t you go bother one of your other sons?”

Dio increased his speed, intent on leaving Zeus behind.

Zeus simply chuckled and easily adjusted to Dio’s half-jog. “We are so alike, yet so different.”

Different? No, he was a carbon copy of his father. No wonder he hated himself. “And in what way are we different, Zeus?” He hated calling him father, always had. “Maybe in the way we treat women? You screw them first, and I screw them later? Huh? Tell me!” he spat. “Or maybe you think we’re different because you litter this world with your offspring and I don’t?”

Dio had never gotten a woman pregnant. He couldn’t imagine making a child and then  leaving it and its mother to their own devices like his father had done so many times.

Zeus nodded. “I see you’re very angry right now. Could it have anything to do with that woman? What’s her name? Oh yes, Ariadne.”

Dio’s body tensed. “Leave her out of this and get to the point!”

“But she
is
the point.”

Dio stopped and turned to him. “What do you want? To fuck her too? Is that why you’re here? Don’t you think I’ve screwed her over enough on my own?” His stomach knotted.

When Zeus put his hand on Dio’s shoulder, he almost jumped out of his skin, surprised at the unexpected gesture.

“Son, I’m afraid Hera has interfered again.”

“You’re only just catching onto that?” Dio barked. The mere mention of her name made his blood boil. “She robbed me of my memory!”

“And I helped you gain it back,” Zeus claimed.

Dio jerked his shoulder from his grip. “You didn’t. I helped myself.”

Zeus tsked. “Who do you think sent that invitation your way so you’d find Triton?”

Dio’s mouth dropped open. His father had never helped him before. Why now?

“That’s right. I had to pull that card out of recycling and make sure you found it.”

Recovering from his shock, Dio rolled his shoulders. “Why not just come down and tell me?”

“I couldn’t be so obvious and alert Hera. Luckily, I managed to get her off my back for a short while to talk to you. You’re lucky she’s not aware yet that you’ve regained your memory, but she’ll find out sooner or later. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep her off your tail.” He made a face. “You have no idea about the sacrifices I had to make to keep her occupied so she couldn’t spy on you every minute of the day.”

Sacrifices? His father couldn’t possibly be talking about … “Eww!”

“Now, now. She’s not always as bad; you just have to figure out how to make her purr like a kitten.”

Dio raised his hand. He’d heard more than he ever wanted to know. “Please! I don’t need to know the details.” Just the image of Zeus and Hera, their bodies … eww, he couldn’t even complete the thought.

“Anyway,” Zeus continued. “Hera has been using your pretty little woman to get back at you.”

Furious at the thought that Hera was hurting Ari, he glared at his father. “I’m going to take Hera’s head off!” He clenched and unclenched his fist. “What has she done to Ari?”

“It’s more how has she manipulated Ari into taking revenge on you. You didn’t really think that your sweet girl actually came up with the whole charade herself, did you?”

“But she sent those guys after me to beat me up!”

Zeus arched an eyebrow. “You seem awfully sure about that.”

“Well, all evidence—”

Zeus made a dismissive hand movement. “—can be deceptive.”

Could he have gotten it wrong? “But those guys admitted as much …” Could they have lied? He had to find those guys, question them. “I need to—”

“All in good time. But our conversation isn’t over yet.”

“You don’t understand. If she’s not behind the beating, then I’ve done her wrong.”

Zeus chuckled. “Oh, you’ve done her wrong, all right. But not just about that. You hurt her before that.”

It was true, but Dio didn’t like hearing it from his father. “That’s rich coming from you. When have you ever
not
hurt a woman? So how can I help it? I’m your son!”

“It’s been a convenient excuse over the years, hasn’t it?”

Dio narrowed his eyes, not liking the direction the conversation was going in. “What are you saying? That I did it on purpose, that I acted out?”

“I’m saying that you’re scared.”

Before he knew what he was doing, Dio pounced on Zeus. They crashed into the sand. “Jerk!” Dio pulled his fist back to strike, but his father caught it in his palm and held him at bay.

“So much like your mother, all hotheaded and full of passion.”

“I’m nothing like my mother!” Semele had been weak. She’d loved Zeus, and it had destroyed her. No, he was nothing like his mother. He wouldn’t allow his emotions to destroy him.

Zeus looked past him into the distance. “Her love was so rich, so all encompassing, and more than I could take. Her heart was too big, and she didn’t know how to shield it from pain.” Then his gaze drifted back to meet Dio’s stare. “Yes, you’re very much like her: the same big heart, the same passion. Only you learned to hide those things.”

Dio jumped up, not wanting to hear any more. “That’s a crock of shit!”

Zeus rose and brushed the sand off his clothes. “Is it? Then why did you make all those rules for yourself?”

“What rules?”

“Your famous one-night-only rule. I get why you had to put that in place.”

Dio snorted. “I’m going to have to disappoint you, but there’s no particular reason behind that rule. I invented it to give the guys a laugh.”

Zeus shook his head. “Stop lying to yourself. You invented that rule so you would never experience love, so your heart would never warm to anyone.” He jabbed his finger into Dio’s chest. “Because you’re scared shitless that you’ll love the way your mother loved: body and soul, no reservations. And it scares you that you could fall in love with a woman who might not feel the same way about you.”

Dio stumbled back a few steps, his stomach lurching, his knees buckling. “No … no …” His breath deserted him. “You’re wrong.”

“I know you better than anybody. You’re my son, but you’re not like me. Yes, you’ve got your charm from me, but your heart, that’s your mother’s. It’s time you owned up to it.”

“I’m a womanizer. I’m unfaithful … I’m not good for any woman … Ari, she’s better off without me.” It’s what he’d believed all his life. He was what he was. “I’ll hurt her, just like you hurt those women in your life.”

Zeus smiled and put his arm around Dio’s shoulders. “Let me tell you something about that. Everybody believes that I left all those women after I’d had my fill and was tired of them. Truth is there were a few who gave me the boot. I just don’t go around advertising it.”

Stunned, Dio gaped at his father.

“And if you ever breathe a word of this to anybody, I’ll strike you down.”

“But you’re a philanderer.”

“Yeah, sure, I’ve got a problem with being faithful, but that’s simply because Hera is not the love of my life. We married because it was an important alliance to make, but if I’d had a choice, I would have married for love.”

“Are you trying to tell me that you think you’d be capable of being faithful if you’d married the right woman?”

He nodded. “I know that I am.”

The words stunned Dio into silence. This changed everything. He wasn’t predestined to follow in his father’s footsteps. Being Zeus’ son didn’t mean that women were better off without him, it didn’t mean that he would automatically hurt them.

Dio blinked. “I can love Ari.” And he could be faithful to her. He was capable of that. But would she love him? He’d made so many mistakes. “But what if she doesn’t love me?”

“That’s the risk we all take. But unless you open your heart and expose your feelings, you’ll never know.”

Then a disturbing thought surfaced out of nowhere. “Is Ariadne still under Hera’s influence?”

“On and off. I try to keep Hera distracted as much as I can, but even I need a breather occasionally.”

“Then how will I know who the true Ari is and which of her actions are because of Hera’s influence?”

“You have to appeal to Ari’s true self, to strengthen her trust in you so Hera’s influence will wane.”

Dio sighed. “Trust? If I tell her that I gained my memory back and know she’s been lying to me, I’ll destroy the confidence she has in me now.” He remembered the moment after he’d rescued that boy in the park and Ari had looked at him with admiration and affection. He realized that if he made her face her deception now, she would pull back. He had to make her fall in love with him first before he could reveal the truth. “She’ll be horrified at being caught lying to me, even though Hera manipulated her.”

“Then don’t tell her the truth yet. A few more days won’t matter.”

He hoped Zeus was right.

***

Dio finally found the two jerks in the same bar they’d been in the night they’d beaten him up. Once and for all, he needed to find out what had made Ari send those two goons after him. It had bothered him ever since he’d gained his memory back. But after his talk with Zeus, he knew he couldn’t delay this meeting any longer. Subconsciously he’d refrained from looking for them afraid of what they would confirm: that Ari had indeed sent them after him. As long as he didn’t know for sure he could continue in the hope that it had all been a misunderstanding and that she wasn’t vicious. But once his suspicions were confirmed—he shuddered at the thought.

All evidence pointed at Ari being the instigator of that fight. Hell, the two guys had said as much that night.

The two men occupied a corner table, and by the time they recognized Dio, he’d already blocked their escape route.

Dio leaned over the table. “Hello, boys. Let’s have a civilized chat, shall we?”

“What do you want?” The taller one was brave enough not to cower, but the other guy couldn’t stop his flinch in time.

Dio raised his hand. “I’m not in the mood to fight, not right now anyway.” A sign of relief washed over the two men, their shoulders visibly relaxing. “I have a few questions though.”

The shorter one seemed to have regained some courage. “ ‘bout what?”

“Ariadne.”

Two pairs of eyebrows snapped together. “Leave her alone. She doesn’t need somebody like you.”

Dio glared back at the taller one who’d spoken. “Is that what she told you?”

The guy leaned halfway over the table. “She doesn’t need to. It’s pretty obvious.”

“And you know that because you’re her best friend?” Dio fished.

The man deflated somewhat and pulled back a few inches. “We’re her best customers. And when she’s upset, we’re upset.”

“Customers? At her wine shop?”

Both nodded.

“So what did she pay you for it? A free case of wine?” Was that how little he was worth to her? A case of wine to beat the crap out of him?

“Pay us? We buy wine from her.” Confusion darkened their faces.

Clearly the two weren’t the sharpest tools in the shed. “For beating me up. What did she pay you for it?”

The two exchanged a look, then the taller one stared straight at Dio. “She didn’t pay us. We—”

“Ah, I see, you guys owed her a favor. Same difference.” Disappointment spread in his chest. If she had sent those two after him, then Ari didn’t care about  him.

“Are you daft, man? Why would Ari pay us? She doesn’t even know we beat you up.”

Dio jolted backwards. Ari hadn’t hired the two goons? She wasn’t responsible after all? Dio couldn’t stop a grin from forming on his lips. “Ari didn’t ask you to hurt me.” It wasn’t a question. “She didn’t tell you to beat me up.” Suddenly he felt all weight lifted from his shoulders. “But … but, why then? I didn’t provoke you that night.”

“We overheard your conversation.” He scratched his head. “But—” He exchanged a look with his partner. “Hell, we’re not really sure why we did it.”

The second guy nodded. “It just came over us. Maybe we had a little too much to drink.”

Dio had a suspicion what had come over the two guys: Hera. She had manipulated them just like she had manipulated Ari, his Ari wouldn’t hurt a fly and certainly not him. She was too sweet and kind. And she still felt something for him. And there was only one way to find out how deep those feelings ran.

Because now that he knew Ari hadn’t tried to hurt him, he could allow those feelings he’d suppressed to emerge. He could allow his heart to speak for him.