A Taste of Greek (Out of Olympus #3) (7 page)

But first, he’d have to deal with one other minor annoyance: Zeus.

After having seen the state the underworld was in, because the workers were on strike to bargain for better benefits and more money, his anger at Zeus only grew. The river was clogged to the point of overflowing, with more and more souls trying to cross it on their own, not wanting to wait until the ferry service was reinstated.

The last thing Zeus should be doing right now was running off for some romantic dalliance in New York City, instead of taking care of his business in the underworld where he was needed. It was time Zeus, as well as Hades, took responsibility for this. Without using him as a punching bag in the middle! It was time Hermes went on strike. Only then would those two stubborn idiots work out their differences.

Having made up his mind, Hermes dialed the new cell phone he’d given Zeus. Of course, the line just rang and rang, mushrooming Hermes’ anger into a nuclear cloud. He waited for the beep, then left a message, his jaw stiff, his teeth clenched.

“Father, I delivered your contract. Hades had a fit over the details, refused to sign, and threw me into the Styx. This situation will not be resolved until you come down here personally and negotiate with Hades. Until then, I’m out of it. In fact, consider me on vacation until further notice. In other words, find yourself another messenger boy!” He disconnected the line, feeling strangely relieved and curiously free, as if unshackled for the first time in a century after not even being aware he’d been bound.

He looked at the miserable souls passing him by, the dark gothic castle in the distance, turned his back on it all, and walked away.

***

Penny hadn’t been sleeping well. When she wasn’t tossing and turning over the prospect of losing her job, she was worried about her dad and what he wanted from them. And she had to find a way to tell her grandmother about his visit.

Now she stood in the kitchen of Grams’ bungalow over the stove, making breakfast and feeling on edge. What was she going to say to her grandmother? She’d lived here with her ever since her father had gone to prison, and her mother, unable to face the gossipmongers in this close-knit community, had run away. It wasn’t just that her dad had stolen a car, but he had gotten drunk and, while joy riding in the stolen car, killed another family. Grand theft auto, driving while under the influence, and two counts of manslaughter. Twelve years. Two destroyed families, and damage that could never be undone.

And now the no-good crook was back in her life.

He needed her help, and she was feeling guilty for sending him away. Ridiculous. Where had he been when she’d needed him? When her mother had needed him? When the other kids had been tormenting her at school? He’d been in prison. She sighed and flipped the bacon.

She’d been wondering for many years what she would say to him when he finally showed up. Wondering if she would ever be able to forgive him enough to form a relationship with a man she didn’t even know, and barely remembered.

Now he was back.

Wanting her help. Wanting a place to live. When in a few months Penny and her grandmother would lose everything if Penny lost her job.

She placed the bacon on the plate, broke two eggs into the pan, and while they cooked, buttered the toast and poured the juice. Then she slipped the eggs onto the plate and carried the tray into her grandmother’s room.

“Good morning, Grams,” she said cheerfully as she walked into the dimly lit bedroom. She placed the tray on the bedside table, then opened the blinds, letting in the sunshine. “How are you feeling this morning?”

“Good. I feel really good.” Her grandmother smiled at her, and shifted in her hospital bed. She pressed a button lifting the back of the bed so that she was in a sitting position.

Penny placed the tray table in front of her then took a seat in the chair next to the bed. She couldn’t stand the idea of keeping her dad’s visit from her. Her grandmother had longed to see him, even making excuses for his poor behavior over the years. Penny should tell her, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. To see the hope in her grandmother’s eyes, knowing he’d sweep in and hurt her all over again. Knowing if he truly cared, he would have been here years ago when he’d first gotten out.

“Tell me, how is it going at work?” her grandmother asked, taking a sip from her juice.

“Oh, fine,” Penny lied, but she shouldn’t have bothered.

“I know that look.” Her grandmother’s bright blue eyes locked onto Penny’s face. Grams always read her so well. While her grandmother knew that she ultimately wanted to get tenure at the university, Penny couldn’t confide in her what was at stake now. There was no use in worrying her.

“I just have to spend more time on my research in the next few weeks and think up something new to impress the tenure committee. Otherwise, Kenton has a good shot at beating me.” More like an unfair advantage.

Her grandmother smiled. “You will do it. I have faith in you.”

“More faith than I have in myself,” Penny muttered.

“You should put all that out of your mind and get out more. You spend too much time here taking care of me. You need to find yourself a nice man and settle down. Raise a family.”

Images of dark hair and even darker brown eyes flashed through Penny’s mind, making her heart skip and thud in her chest.

“What’s that smile about?” Grams asked. “You’ve already met someone, haven’t you? Details. Give me details.” Her eyes were absolutely sparkling now.

Heat rose in Penny’s cheeks, although she wasn’t sure if it was from her grandmother’s astute attention, or from the images of warm hands and even warmer lips flashing through her mind.

“Well, spill!”

Penny laughed. “You know me too well.”

“Of course I do. I watched you grow up, didn’t I? You can’t hide anything from me. So who is he?”

“I just met him so I don’t know too much, other than he’s drop-dead gorgeous, a great kiss—er—dresser. And very much a gentleman,” she added for her grandmother’s sake. Though Penny really hoped he wasn’t too much of a gentleman. “We’re going out again for lunch today.”

“Wonderful.”

“You don’t mind, do you?” Penny asked when she saw Grams’ smile fade.

“Mind? Of course, not. Not at all.”

“I know I’ve been working a lot, and I really don’t have time for dating. As soon as I get this article written, I’ll be able to be home more.”

“Don’t be silly, Penny. You’re young. You need to be out with people your own age, not tied to this house, babysitting me.”

“Babysitting you? I don’t babysit you anymore than you babysat me. We’re family, we take care of each other.”

“I know, but it’s high time you lived your own life. You don’t need an old woman hanging like a log around your neck.”

Penny stared at her, suddenly getting a bad taste in her mouth.

“In fact, I had a visitor last night,” Grams said, her words spreading a chill through Penny.

Her father
. He had already come here first before coming to her office. The bastard. That was how he’d known how to find her.

“Your father came to see me. He wants to come home.”

Penny’s head started to swing left and right.

“Penny, be reasonable. With more help, there’s no reason for you to have to spend so much of your life taking care of me, and Rose won’t have to spend so many hours here.”

“I thought you liked Rose,” Penny protested.

“I do like Rose. She’s a wonderful nurse. But she’s expensive, and with your father here, helping us, money won’t be as tight. Isn’t that wonderful?”

“But Grams—” Her father would only be a drain on their already tight resources, rather than contribute to their living expenses.

“No buts. I’ve already invited him to stay. He’s coming later today.”

Penny jumped to her feet, her mouth opening in outrage.

“I want him here, Penelope. He’s my son. I want to spend time with him, but more than that, I’m tired of feeling like a burden to you. I want you to live a life of your own. I want you to be happy.”

Penny stared at her in shocked disbelief. Happy? Who the hell said she wasn’t happy?

8

Hermes arrived at the restaurant at the same time as Penny. She looked fetching in black linen slacks and a snug cashmere sweater in a Mediterranean blue that set off her eyes, making them appear more blue than green. He watched her for a moment. She seemed upset about something. He could see it in the tension of her stance and the pinch around her eyes.

Luckily, he knew exactly how to fix that.

“Good afternoon, Penny,” he said, leaning in to kiss her cheek. She smelled faintly of gardenias, reminding him of Hera’s extensive gardens on Olympus.

She smiled at him, even though her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “How are you?” she asked somewhat stiffly.

He left his hand on her back and lightly stroked it up and down, until he felt her physically relax. Her gaze dropped to his shoes, her eyebrows knitting. He put his hand under her chin and lifted gently, pulling her gaze back to his face.

“I hope you’re hungry. They make a mean pasta carbonara here.”

“Famished,” she said smiling.

“Tough day at work?”

She nodded. “You could say that. Tough day all around.”

“Well, we’re not going to think about that. In fact, while you’re here, while you’re with me, consider yourself on a mini-vacation from all things that ail you.”

She laughed out loud at that, as if the idea was too outlandish to even contemplate.

“As of right now,” he insisted and leaned in to kiss her cheek again. He was pleased to feel her nuzzle into his kiss.

The hostess called them and led them to a booth by a large window, from which they could watch the people strolling by in the popular tourist district.

Hermes ordered two glasses of wine, a large plate of pasta to share, and two salads. “How does that sound?” he asked her.

A dazed look of surprise spread over her face. “Perfect. How do you always know exactly what I want?”

He grinned. Somehow he felt attuned to her and her wishes. It was an odd kind of feeling, but not at all unpleasant. “It’s a gift.”

Hermes leaned across the table, running his fingers up her arm. “If you could go anywhere in the world right this minute, where would you go?” He knew his own answer only too well: to bed—with Penny.

“Greece,” she said without hesitation.

He laughed. He had to admit, of all the places, Greece would be the last on his list. He much preferred Greece the way it used to be, before automobiles, airplanes, and the death of Alexander the Great. “And why is that?”

“The history, the mythology, the architecture. The islands, the shopping, the beaches. What can I say? I’ve always been fascinated.”

“I can see that. Your eyes light up when you talk about it. I can see your excitement.”

“What about you? Where would you go?” she asked.

He suppressed what he really wanted to say and answered with his second choice. “Italy. I love the food,” he said, grinning as the waitress placed the pasta between them.

He picked up his fork and spoon and spun a forkful of spaghetti until it was wrapped tightly around the tines, then he lifted it to Penny’s lips. She took the pasta in her mouth, then closed her eyes with a look of pure pleasure.

“Yum. You were so right. This pasta is truly heavenly,” she said smiling.

“I thought you would like it.”

“You thought right.”

He felt himself growing warm, his cock thickening as he watched her eat, as he watched each expression of delight that crossed her face. The sparkle in her eyes, the low throaty moans of pleasure. She was a passionate woman, and he longed to throw her down on the table and make love to her right there amidst the pasta and warm rolls. But he restrained himself. They weren’t on Olympus, where the gods thought nothing of the occasional fornication in public.

Under the table, his leg made contact with hers. He had to touch her. To taste her lips once again. He wished he weren’t sitting across from her, but instead next to her. If he were, he would be able to feel her heat, to place his hand on her thigh, to stroke her ever so softly, tempting her to the point where she would grab his hand and place it over her sweet spot, knowing the pleasure he could give her.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” He hadn’t heard a word of her one-sided conversation. How could he concentrate on her words, when the mouth her words were pouring from was so tempting? Plump, moist.
Hot
.

“I was talking about Greek mythology. Do you think there are still people out there who believe in the Greek gods?”

He stared at her for a moment, his mind trying to switch gears.

“Why do you ask?” he said, suddenly on guard. Why would she bring up the Greek gods? What had prompted this question?

Her back straightened, as she seemed to perceive his change. She appeared very attuned to him, and perhaps a touch too perceptive. Instinctively he realized that he needed to watch his words with her.

“I need to find a new angle for an article I’m trying to get published.”

“An article you say?” he fished.

“Yes.”

“What about?”

“My field, Greek studies. More precisely, about Greek mythology.”

“And this article, is it important?”

She nodded. “Immensely. I need something to impress the tenure committee at the university.”

“And this tenure is important to you.”

Again she nodded, her face turning solemn all of a sudden. “Critically so.”

“And you think you can write something about current-day believers?”

She shrugged. “Why not? It’s a new angle.”

“If you can find people who believe.” He took a bite of his salad focusing on a spear of asparagus. Only now he noticed that the salad was practically chock-full of aphrodisiac foods.

“How is that any different than believing in aliens from outer space?”

Hermes had to smile. What mortals called aliens weren’t really aliens. They were randy little fuckers who’d been expelled from Hades’ Underworld for causing too much trouble, like wanting to probe other souls and experiment on them. At some point, Hades had had enough of them and catapulted them into outer space.