Auto stood staring out the windows with his back to us. When the door closed, he turned and captivated us with his sapphire eyes, dazzling smile, and impeccable gray Italian wool suit, clearly custom tailored to fit his tall, slender frame.
“Romi, what a pleasure to see you again, my dear.” Despite the good twenty feet between us, he crossed the room in two long strides and embraced me. “It’s been too long. How are you?”
Auto had a warm, welcoming demeanor and a way of making everyone feel like his best friend, and although I knew it was utter and complete bullshit, I wasn’t immune. A smile tugged at my own lips. “Busy. It’s good to see you.”
“And who do we have here?” he asked, looking over my companions.
“Demarco, son of Hephaestus, and Tweety, a—”
“Griffin.” Auto clasped both of their hands, extending his welcome. “I haven’t seen a griffin in ages. What a pleasant surprise.”
I could sense Demarco’s unease as his gaze kept drifting to the man in the glass box. Apparently Auto could as well, because he said, “Don’t feel bad for Senator Nehls, Demarco. He has an unhealthy obsession with children, and I’m rewiring his brain so he’ll stop downloading those awful videos before someone finds out.”
Auto pranced to the glass wall and studied Nehls with a look of undisguised love and adoration. “I’ve put a lot of time and money into this one and, as I would one of my own children, I must discipline him when he misbehaves. This undesirable craving of his could undo all the good we’ve accomplished together, and we can’t have that, can we, Senator?”
Nehls continued to stare straight ahead, making no indication he’d heard.
“You’ll thank me for taking this away.” Auto nodded to himself and turned back to face us. “Mike told me of your video. It just so happens I’ve been trying to make a deal with Congressman Oliver for some time. Perhaps your video will provide him with a little motivation to work with me. Now tell me what you want in exchange.”
It was go time. I had one shot to convince Auto to take on Eris, and it would require plenty of fluffing, ass-kissing, and goading, all of which I was prepared to do. I sucked in a breath and got started.
“I have a client who wishes to reinvent herself in order to acquire a respectable number of followers and a measure of power. She’s… difficult, but nothing you can’t handle, of course.”
“Of course.” His eyes sparkled with amusement. He was on to me, but like most gods, Auto enjoyed the ass-kissing. “So you want me to reinvent your difficult client, put her in a political position, and keep her out of trouble?”
Yes, exactly. I wanted Eris to believe she was galloping toward her dreams while someone else seized the reins. And a whip. Quite possibly spurs, too. I just needed to play on Auto’s vast ego and formidable abilities to get him to agree to be that sort of cowboy. “It’s what you do,” I said.
“That it is.” He grinned. “Romi, your unabashed flattery is enchanting. Please do keep it up. Who is this client?”
“Eris.”
“The goddess of chaos?” He sounded stunned. I’d managed to shock Auto, which was no small feat. “She’s looking to go into American politics?”
“Not exactly. She’s looking for followers. Politics was my idea.”
Auto laughed. The music of it sounded like lyre notes. “Dear child, you are amusing,” he said. “You’re offering a video and requesting the world in exchange. So few people would have the tenacity to even approach me with such a petition. What makes you think I will do this for you?”
I considered the question as I scanned his office, searching for a clue of what would motivate him to help me. His office seemed perfect and pristine, and everything about him led me to believe his life was equally flawless. He even had his wayward senator under control. What could my deal possibly offer him that he didn’t already have?
“You’re bored,” Demarco replied, surprising me.
Auto arched an eyebrow at Demarco.
But the blacksmith was right. Auto had to be bored. He’d been running politics for so long, it was second nature. Not even humiliating naughty politicians brought him joy anymore.
“He’s right, Auto. You need a challenge. You’ve got the government dialed in. You’re dealing with child-porn junkies and greedy congressmen who make deals on the sly. Child’s play to you. When was the last time you had a real challenge?”
“You think Eris would challenge me?”
“For a minute.” I nodded and leaned against the back of a chair. “But I’m confident you could get her under control. And then think of what you could do with all her chaos and discord at your disposal. You’ll give her the following she craves, and she’ll give you a brief challenge followed by unmeasurable possibilities.”
Auto paced the floor a couple of times before stopping to stare out the window again. Curious as to what he was looking at, I approached the window and followed his gaze. City lights greeted me in an impressive view. Auto grabbed my arm, and the city disappeared. The window now held an open view of the oval office, as if it was live streaming straight to Auto’s window. The president and a few members of her staff sat on the sofas, discussing some sort of bill. I briefly wondered if the president was in Auto’s pocket before deciding I didn’t want to know.
Auto released me, and the image disappeared. I shook my head, wondering why he’d shown it to me.
“I am a very busy man, Romi,” he said.
“Busy, yet bored,” I replied. “Don’t act like Eris’ll be the most difficult client you’ve had. I know what you’re capable of, and you and I both know you’re already looking forward to the challenge.”
“It will take time to put things into motion,” he replied.
No it wouldn’t. It couldn’t. “I have five days to present the contract. I’d like to pick it up sooner.”
He spun on his heel to face me again. “What do you think I am, a miracle worker?”
“Yes. Yes I do.”
He chuckled and went back to staring out the window. “Well, I do have a mayor who is about to get caught in a compromising position with one of my dancers downstairs. When he resigns, I’ll need to meet with the council to discuss a suitable replacement. I already had one in mind, but I suppose I could find a different position for him.”
“A mayor?” Demarco asked.
His tone echoed the fear and uncertainty I felt. Eris a mayor? Gods help us. It was possible (probable) I was making another huge mistake, but I didn’t see a way around it. We’d need her help to get to Ares.
“Auto, she’ll need to understand the importance of behaving herself so she can keep the position,” I said.
Auto’s eyebrows rose. “Are you telling me how to do my job?” he asked.
“No, just reassuring my companions.” And myself. “I know you can handle it. You’re the best.”
He flicked imaginary lint from his jacket. “Yes, I suppose I am. And you’re right, I’m past due for a good challenge. If Eris agrees to my terms, I will make her a mayor.”
I let out a deep breath and handed him the thumb drive, hoping we were doing the right thing.
BY THE TIME we got home from traipsing all over the globe to retrieve wine, buy IDs, and meet with Auto, it was one in the morning and we were tired and hungry. We fired up Demarco’s grill and cooked the last of his frozen burgers, and then Tweety said goodnight, shifted, and flew up to what appeared to be his favorite tree branch to sleep in. Demarco and I headed back to his shop and the cozy king-sized bed waiting for us.
Although the blacksmith and I were sleeping in the same bed, we had yet to do anything beyond cuddling in it. His choice, not mine, and if I had my way I’d wear down his willpower and explore every inch of his impressive body. Not tonight, though. Tonight, I didn’t care how tired we were, Mr. Blacksmith and I needed to have a conversation. I leaned against the wall and watched him sit on the bed.
“You’re upset,” Demarco said as he pulled off his boots.
He dropped his boots and went to his dresser to pull out a pair of pajama bottoms. “It’s a long story, Romi.”
I crossed my arms and stared him down. “Any guesses how I feel about that lame excuse?”
He chuckled, shaking his head as he walked to the bathroom. I’d seen the man naked—hell, we even had a kid together—yet he never fully undressed in front of me. At least not that I remember. Even though I kind of wanted to smack him upside his head with a blunt object, I’d still love to see him in all his naked glory without the influence of Aphrodite’s private label Love Potion #9. But since we were closer to a good smack-down than we were to—as Tweety put it—“getting it on,” I stripped down to my panties and tugged one of Demarco’s clean T-shirts over my head.
He emerged from the bathroom bare-chested with flannel pajama pants riding low on his waist. My gaze went straight to the happy trail on his stomach and lingered there for a moment before drifting up to take in the sights of his well-defined abs, pecs, and biceps. Seriously, if Demarco stood outside of a gym with his shirt off, their membership would skyrocket, because men would want to look like him and women would want to look at him.
Then I remembered he could read my thoughts and I forced myself to look away and stop mentally drooling over his body. “So how long have you been able to read and control minds?” I asked, sounding a little more miffed than intended, but seriously… how had this not come up? Hi, my name’s Demarco and I can force you to do my will. Didn’t he think that was something I needed to know?
“I can’t read minds,” he replied, pulling back the covers. “And I don’t control them either.”
“Could have fooled me.”
He climbed into bed and patted the spot beside him. “Are you coming to bed?”
I wanted to. My eyelids felt heavy and my legs felt rubbery, but my I needed answers first. “Not yet. First I need to know how you knew Auto was bored. And how you know I’m angry. And what you did to those thugs outside of Bob’s place.”
“Trust me, Romi, even a blind and deaf man would know when you’re angry.” Demarco collapsed onto his back and stared at the ceiling, running a hand down his face.
“You’re not helping your case here, bucko.”
He sighed. “When I was maybe thirteen or fourteen, I got sick of doing all the school work Mom wanted me to do. I’d already passed the high school equivalency, and I didn’t see any reason to do more online classes. I think Mom was just bored and didn’t know what to do with herself if she wasn’t tutoring me, though, so she kept ordering courses.”
Thankful he was opening up to me, I sat on the bed and leaned against the footrest.
“I remember one day she asked if I’d completed the French course she wanted me to take.” He shook his head, chuckling. “French. Can you believe that shit? It was just me and Mom, trapped in a bubble. I’d already completed two courses of Spanish for no reason whatsoever, and now she wanted me to take French. Who did she think I was going to speak to? It was stupid and I didn’t want to do it, so I lied and told her I had. She didn’t believe me, but I really wanted her to, so I… I don’t know what I did. I put a little more emotion behind the lie. Mom bought it. But it was weird, Romi. Like I felt the moment her disbelief turned to belief. That’s when I realized I always knew how she felt.”
“How she felt?” I asked. “Not what she was thinking?”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “I have no idea what you’re thinking, but I feel what you’re feeling.”
An ability like that would be so invasive, I didn’t want to believe him. “Prove it. What am I feeling right now?”
“Fear. Distrust. Those are your common go-tos, though.”
I crossed my arms and glared at him. “You think I’m always afraid?” Like I was some sort of chicken?
He nodded. “Yes. Gods have our son, and you’re afraid for him.”
Okay, admittedly thinking about Doreán with the gods terrified me, but that was a no-brainer. “Easy guess.”
“When I came out of the bathroom, you felt lust and frustration.”
“Feelings are supposed to be personal.” My cheeks heated and I looked away. “But yeah, I checked you out, and it’s not exactly a secret that I’m attracted to you. You’re half-naked and built like…” My eyes roamed back down to his chest and all thoughts vanished from my brain.
“Want me to put on a shirt?” he asked.
“Only if you want me to cut it off of you.”
He chuckled and looked into my eyes. “Romi, I’m answering your questions and I’m not lying to you. When are you gonna trust me?”
I sighed. This was the part of our relationship I always struggled with. Demarco was everything I’d hoped and dreamed he’d be and more. He’d never given me any reason not to trust him. He was almost too good to be true, and some twisted, screwed up part of me was waiting for the other shoe to drop. I feared that the second I gave him my heart, his flesh would tear away and some bloodsucking monster would emerge. This whole thing would end up being another of Shade’s whackadoodle trainings and unlike the others, I’d never recover.
“What happened with your mom?” I asked, trying to steer the conversation away from my issues and back on to his.
He let out a deep breath and returned his gaze to the ceiling. “I discovered that not only could I get her to believe me, I could get her to do things she wouldn’t normally do. Like feed me candy for dinner and put an ATV on the list so I could race up the beach.”
“So you Jedi mind-tricked your mom?”
He nodded. “For a while. But I could still feel her emotions. Confusion. Frustration. Anger at herself for giving in to my demands. I’m sure she knew something was going on, and it started messing her up. Made her feel like she was going crazy. I hated myself for doing it and, weird as it sounds, I even missed her telling me no. I’d changed her to get what I wanted, but then hated what she became.”
“So what did you do?” I asked.
“I stopped.”
“What do you mean, you stopped?”
“I didn’t make any more demands. I stopped lying. I was careful not to put emotions into my requests. I stopped. And I took the damn French course.”
At thirteen or fourteen, Demarco had tasted unchecked power over his mother and had chosen to give it up because of the way it affected her. I wanted to believe him, but I couldn’t. Nobody was that ethical. Especially nobody with godblood coursing through their veins.
“Romi.” He shook his head. “It’s been more than a decade since I’ve so much as lied to anyone. I wasn’t even sure I could still make people believe me until we ran across those thugs today. They had guns and I didn’t want anything to happen to you and Tweety. I had to try it.”
He seemed honest, but I couldn’t tell for sure. What I wouldn’t do for Tweety’s knack for sniffing out a lie.
“Que puis-je dire pour vous convaincre?” he asked.
“I don’t speak French.”
“What more can I say to convince you?”
I chewed on my lip, wondering the same exact thing. He was right, I did need to trust him. And I wanted to.
“Promise me you will never manipulate me or do whatever it was you did to those thugs today,” I said.
He sat up, grabbed my hands, and looked deep into my eyes. “Romi, I promise I will never manipulate you or force you to do anything against your will. You can trust me.”
Magic tingled against my skin as his words sealed another verbal contract.
“Thank you.” Feeling much better, I leaned forward and kissed him.
He scooted me onto his lap and pressed me against him, deepening the kiss. Warmth and longing washed over me as my hands explored the muscles of his back. I couldn’t help but wonder what emotions I was giving off as I pressed his sho
ulders to the bed and lay on top of him. As we continued to make out, I could feel how much Demarco wanted me by the hard length of him, stabbing me in the stomach.
“We shouldn’t do this,” Demarco breathed against my cheek.
My entire body hummed with need as my kisses drifted across his jawline and down his neck. I paused long enough to ask, “Why not?”
Demarco hesitated.
It was all the opening I needed. “You told Tweety people should have some sort of commitment before sex. What commitment do you want from me?” I scooted back up to stare into his eyes. “Demarco, there is nobody else. There never was.”
The confession made me feel exposed. Needing to know that his acceptance and desire matched mine, I straddled him and tugged off my borrowed shirt. His gaze locked on to my exposed breasts and he grabbed my shoulders, holding me at an arm’s length so he could continue to stare.
Hands calloused from hammering weapons lightly caressed my collarbone before wandering south to my sensitive nipples. He played and pinched and sucked until I thought I would explode. Then he rolled me onto my back and continued the torture.
“Are you on birth control?” he asked between hot kisses against my neck.
The question pulled me from my lust-induced fog. “No.” Why would I be on birth control? Shade had pretty much locked me down since I’d gotten pregnant. And birth control wasn’t something you could buy at a drugstore. “Do you have any condoms?”
He pulled away from me and turned over on his back, running a hand over his face. “No.”
“Of course not. Where would you have gotten condoms? Sorry. Stupid question.”
He chuckled. “Don’t get me wrong, I wish I did have them.”
“I can get dressed and go pick some up,” I suggested, sounding way too desperate.
“No. Stay here. We’ll get condoms tomorrow. For now, I’ll just have to give us both some release without possibly getting you pregnant.”
“Huh?”
In answer, Demarco climbed back on top of me and resumed the exploration his lips were making of my body.
And oh hell yes, he made sure I got release.
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