Athena's Daughter (7 page)

“Athena.” Paul’s quiet voice came from behind
her. “We’ll pay you six thousand dollars.”

She froze, not believing what she’d heard.
Turning on legs that felt like cooked pasta, she faced them
again.

“Six thousand dollars?” she whispered. “Are
you insane? That’s half a year’s salary.”

“It’s not an easy job, darling.” Paul looked
a little sheepish. “You have to be on call for us twenty-four hours
a day, you have to get us whatever we want or need since we can’t
go out and get it ourselves…”

“And some of those things are, er…not easily
obtainable,” Simon interrupted. “Then there’s making sure their
hotel rooms are stocked correctly, laundry to keep up with, running
interference with fans backstage, and a lot more aggravation.
They’ll keep you on your toes, so we pay accordingly.”

Athena’s vocal chords thawed. “But six
thousand dollars? That’s crazy, Simon. Can you afford that?”

Paul cast a questioning glance at Simon who
just shrugged. “Well, yes. It’s just money.”

“Just…” Speechless again, Athena could only
shake her head.

“C’mon, Athena, be a love and do it,” Paul
pleaded. “The minute we saw you, we knew you were the one we
wanted.”

“We?” She arched a brow.

“Oh. Well, Derek doesn’t actually know about
it yet, but I’m sure he’ll come round.”

“Mm-hm. You keep telling yourself that.”

Simon stepped forward and took her hands in
his. “We need you, Athena. I don’t want to hire just anyone; I want
someone who knows the lads, and someone they know and trust. It’s
only four weeks. Can’t you make some sort of arrangements for your
daughter?”

To her irritation she found herself actually
considering it, and gave herself a stern mental shake. “Not on such
short notice, no. Besides, I don’t think I could stand being away
from her that long.” A thought occurred to her and she narrowed her
eyes. “And why should any of you trust me? Who says I haven’t
changed? For all you know I’ve turned into a terrible person since
you last saw me.”

A quiet snort of amusement came from Paul’s
direction. “Oh, yes, you’re a master criminal now.” He held up his
hands at the glare she tossed his way. “Come on, love; we watched
you today during all that mad rush. You’re still the same
organized, conscientious, honest girl we knew. Some things might
have changed, sure, but deep down you’re still the same. Just like
we are.”

“Think about it,” Simon urged, giving her
hands a squeeze. “I’ll speak to your boss so your job will still be
here when you get back. Look, we’ll be here until Monday, all
right? We’re at the Holiday Inn near the airport, and I’m in room
215. Ring and let me know, okay?”

“Simon, this isn’t…”

“Think about it,” he repeated. “Let me know
something by tomorrow night, and we’ll go from there. We need you,
Athena,” he added. “And you’re the one we want.”

London, June 19, 1967

Thick, dark clouds and ominous growls of
thunder greeted Derek and Athena when they arrived at Picadilly
Station. Athena could smell rain on the strengthening breeze that
blew her hair over her shoulder, and she cast an apprehensive
glance at the sky.

“If we hurry, we might make it before it
pours,” Derek told her. He took her hand. “Up for a bit of a
run?”

A nervous laugh escaped her, and she nodded.
“Lead the way.”

With a quick grin over his shoulder, he
pulled her out of the station and down the sidewalk. Athena’s
laughter lost its nervous edge and changed to giggles as they
dodged surprised pedestrians, and even jogged in the road for a
brief spell. Just as the first spatters of rain hit the sidewalk,
Derek darted into a doorway, dragging Athena after him.

A clap of thunder punctuated the end of their
mad dash, and Athena pulled the door shut behind them. Breathless
and laughing, she turned to Derek.

Excitement made his eyes even bluer, and his
smile echoed the wild abandon coursing through her own bloodstream.
Mussed from the wind, his hair stood in spikes and whorls, and
without conscious thought she ran her fingers through it to smooth
it.

At her touch, his smile faded and his eyes
glowed with a different kind of excitement. Every molecule in
Athena’s body responded to it, and she rose on tiptoe to press a
kiss on those tempting lips.

Derek’s hands slid over her hips and pulled
her close as the kiss deepened and intensified, becoming as wild
and untamed as the storm that raged just beyond the door. Athena
had never been kissed like that before; even the kiss they’d shared
in the park earlier that ignited such hunger in her paled in
comparison. The feel of his mouth on hers sent lightning flashes of
raw, urgent need sizzling through her bloodstream, the resultant
thunder of passion shaking her very core. Her trembling fingers
laced through his hair to pull his head closer, and her body melted
into his, seeking total contact. The feel of his arousal against
her belly brought a low, animalistic growl from deep in her throat.
Derek’s answering moan flashed through her like quicksilver. She
made him sound like that. She with her fumbling desire and
untrained touch brought that low, sexy, urgent sound from him.

More. The word pounded through her brain.
More!

It was almost as if he heard it since he
broke the kiss, grasped her hand and led her up the stairs. At the
end of a short hallway made dim by the stormy light coming through
a small window set high in the wall, he unlocked the door to his
flat and pulled her inside.

Nervous now, she let her eyes dart around the
front room as he locked the door behind them. Used to total slobs
like her brother Donnie and his friends, she was surprised at the
tidiness of Derek’s flat. The furniture was unremarkable, and there
were few personal touches, but what there was occupied the room in
an orderly manner. She had time to notice the faint scent of bacon
in the air, a memory of the food he’d cooked for their picnic,
before the touch of his hands on her shoulders brought her back to
an awareness of why she was there.

Shaking, she let him turn her around to face
him. The hunger in those blue eyes made her breath stop and brought
her arms up around his neck to pull his lips down to hers. Warmed
by his kisses, she forgot to be awkward. Until he started edging
toward what she realized must be the bedroom.

Derek must have sensed her hesitation because
he gently broke the kiss and cupped his hands on her cheeks.

“What’s the matter?” he whispered.

To her relief, she saw no condemnation or
impatience in his eyes, just a gentle question.

“I haven’t done this very much,” she admitted
as heat flamed in her cheeks.

One side of his mouth lifted in that smile
she had already come to love, but this time it was tinged with a
hint of embarrassment.

“I haven’t done this very much, either.” His
thumbs stroked her skin. “But I know I want you more than I’ve ever
wanted anyone.”

An incredulous joy suffused her, and her lips
trembled with an answering smile. “Me, too.”

He bent his head and placed a hot, quick kiss
on her lips before he led her into what was, indeed, his
bedroom.

Athena stood lost at the foot of the bed as
he turned back the spread. Voices of generations of her ancestors
seemed to huff, “In broad daylight!” and she had to admit they
might have a point. This was so different from the pitch darkness
of the back of her prom date’s 1963 Rambler station wagon. Though
it was still storming, there was plenty of light in the room, and
she had to repress the urge to flee when she realized Derek was
going to be able to see every inch of her. Naked.

Finished with the bed, he turned to face her,
and her insecurities got the better of her.

“I don’t know what to do,” she blurted. “No,
wait. I know what to do, but…No, I really don’t.”

Derek laughed under his breath and put the
tips of his fingers over her lips. “It’s okay. Do whatever you want
to me. I’m certain I’ll like it.” He shrugged out of his vest and
pulled off his shirt.

“Oh,” Athena breathed. She had never seen
anything more beautiful than Derek standing before her with his
hair tousled and his smooth bare chest just begging to be explored.
There was no way she could resist touching him, and her hands
skimmed up his arms to slip over his shoulders. She let her
fingertips trail over his collarbone, delighting in the warmth of
his skin against the coolness of hers. Placing her palms flat, she
ran them down his chest. When she slid them over his taut nipples,
he drew in his breath with a hiss, and she pulled her hands back,
afraid she’d done something wrong.

“No, keep touching me there,” he urged, his
voice breathless. “I like that.”

“My hands are cold.”

His laugh was more like a low, throaty growl.
“I know.”

Athena put her palms back over his nipples
and traced circles with her hands over his skin. A soft, quick moan
brought her gaze back to his face. His eyes were closed and his
head was cocked to one side, soft dark hair spilling onto his
shoulder. Emboldened, she used her thumbs to tease his sensitive
flesh, and was rewarded by another louder moan as his head fell
back, bringing the tempting lines of his neck into full view.

With a quick, indrawn breath of delight,
Athena put her lips to that lovely expanse of skin and nibbled her
way up to his ear. Her hands explored further, slipping down across
his abdomen and over the indentation of his navel. One fingertip
traced the light line of hair that ran down to the waistband of his
jeans, and Derek’s shudder caused her heart to race with
excitement. Still, she didn’t have the courage to take it further,
and slid her hands up the smooth planes of his back.

Derek turned his head and captured her lips
with his in a hot, scorching kiss that turned her muscles to molten
honey. A rush of cooler air on her back made her aware that Derek
was pulling up her shirt, and he broke the kiss long enough to draw
it over her head and toss it to one side before resuming his
thorough exploration of her mouth.

So captivated by the feel of his lips and
tongue, she didn’t know he’d opened the hook of her bra until the
band pulled away from her body. Before she had time to be
embarrassed, Derek wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to
his chest. His lips left hers to leave a trail of fire along her
jaw and neck, and up to her ear.

“I want you so much, angel.” His soft
declaration made her moan in reply, just as he slid her bra from
her.

Athena clamped her eyes shut, and was
horrified to feel the slow burn of a blush make its way up her
body. Her hands opened and closed into fists at her side while she
stood there mortified at the first time a man had seen her bare
breasts.

“Athena.” Derek’s gentle finger under her
chin brought her face up to his, and she cracked her eyes open a
reluctant slit. His smile was gentle and warm, and some of the
tension drained from her shoulders. “You are so incredibly
beautiful,” he breathed. “Don’t be ashamed, angel.”

Those hot blue eyes held hers captive as he
slid gentle hands down her body. The touch of his fingers on her
breasts made her shudder with a pleasure that made her blush rise
higher. His touch continued down her body to her waist, and she
jumped as he unsnapped her jeans and lowered the zipper.

Without breaking eye contact, he moved his
hands to his own jeans, opened them and slipped them down over his
hips. He seemed to know she needed a moment, and he looked down as
he pulled the jeans off his legs and feet.

At the sight of his body fully revealed, a
tingle zapped through her like wildfire. She wanted to be naked
with this man, with no reservations. One look at his magnificent
erection and she wanted it inside her.

When Derek looked up at her again, her lips
curved into a slow smile. “You’re incredibly beautiful yourself,”
she told him.

A dimple appeared in his left cheek and his
look turned scorching. His hands found the waistband of her jeans
again, and he pushed them down, holding her by the waist as she
shimmied out of them and kicked them aside.

With a gentle hand on the back of her neck,
he urged her down onto the bed beside him, and then wrapped his
arms around her to pull her close.

Athena lay quietly, reveling in the
skin-on-skin contact, and breathing in the light scent of
sandalwood that seemed to come from his hair and neck. The heat
trapped between them burned on her belly, and she squirmed to bring
it closer. Her body responded to that hot hardness, opening and
aching for it, though she had no idea how to tell him that without
dying of humiliation.

Derek rolled over on his back and cupped her
cheek in his palm. “I really want you to touch me. If you want to.”
The sight of his teeth in a gentle bite on his lower lip was her
undoing.

“I want to,” she whispered, all thoughts of
humiliation vanished. She laid her head on his chest and let her
hand trail down his body, tracing the curve of his hip and the lean
muscles in his upper thighs. For a moment she hesitated, unsure how
to proceed. But her desire to touch him was stronger, and she put
her hand on him, gasping at the heat and strength against her
palm.

Derek’s breath released in a long, slow sigh,
but Athena could feel a fine tremor under his skin. Again, she was
incredulous that her awkward caresses could affect him that way.
Growing bolder, she wrapped her fingers around him and let them
slide upward. His reaction was immediate, a groan that sounded like
it was wrenched from deep in his soul. To Athena’s amazement, the
flesh she held moved, twitching and growing. She had no idea it
would do that, and that slight movement brought an answering quiver
between her legs.