Pandora's Pain

by A. K. Koonce

  Back to my room? That meant more time with Alex and less time with sexy men who actually liked me.

  “It’s not that late,” I protested.

  “No, but I have another show tomorrow. These two need to work, too.” He gestured vaguely towards his friends.

  I didn’t look away from his eyes, though, I didn’t want to miss the emotions lingering there. Admiration, desire, and something else I couldn’t name shone through.

  No way was I going to be able to lock this man in my box. Not in a million years. Now, I just had to work out how to stop that from happening while Alex watched over me like a hawk.

  I needed a plan.

  “All right, but I hope you’ll let me see you again soon,” I said without meaning to. I did want to see him again, but I didn’t want it to be sooner than I had a way to keep him safe.

  “You could come to the show tomorrow?”

  “I’d love to.” I gave him a slow smile. I knew I shouldn’t, but I wanted to see him perform again. To see him get so lost in his art again.

  I should be worried that I was the one getting lost in him.

  I wasn’t.

  Chapter Eleven

  “We need to talk,” Alex stated.

  “Oh, you’re talking aloud to me today?” I asked, not looking up from the orange I was peeling. If he wanted to interrupt my breakfast, then good luck to him. I wasn’t going to play ball.

  “I can hardly talk aloud when your targets are in the room.”

  I froze at his words. Targets. It’s such a cold word. Such a god like word. It was almost like they saw us humans as play things. Like we were just on Earth for their own perverse enjoyment.

  What was I on about, it being like that? I knew it was that. I’d met Zeus. I’d been a part of his twisted, fucked up games. I knew they only created us on a whim. They were just that way out. Made working for them more than a little difficult.

  “Don’t use that word,” I hissed.

  “What? Targets? What’s wrong with it?”

  “They’re not targets. They’re people.”

  “You’re being ridiculous, Dora. If you look at them like people, then you’re never going to be able to go through with what you need to.”

  I hated him. I hated every stupid word coming out of his mouth. How could he be so cruel? So flippant with lives.

  “That’s where you and I differ,” I said, dropping my orange and scraping my chair back.

  I stormed past him to the bathroom, slamming the door shut before locking it tightly. No way was he getting in here, too. I didn’t want to face what he was saying. Nor the slight truth lingering in the back of my mind.

  I slid down the door. The comforting sturdiness was all I needed between myself and Alex. I sighed. I came here for a reason. Earth, not the bathroom. Though I supposed I did come here for a reason too. A highly understandable one at that.

  “You didn’t think you’d be rid of me that easily, did you?”

  An involuntary scream escaped from me. My blood began to pump, and the hairs on the back of my neck prickled. Until I realized it was just Alex perched against the side of the bath.

  I clutched a hand to my chest and made a conscious effort to slow my breathing. “How did you get in here?”

  “I’m a god, Dora. Do you seriously think a door would be able to stop me?”

  “I thought common courtesy might,” I muttered.

  Alex chuckled.

  I needed to remember he not only had good hearing but could see into my thoughts an undetermined amount. Which was a bit of a nuisance, if anyone asked me.

  “There’s no such thing as common courtesy when you’re on a mission from the gods.” He sounded so flippant it made my blood boil.

  I rose to my feet, anger coursing through me and making me see red. Quite literally actually. It was almost like the gold specks I’d seen before, just a different color.

  “Get out,” I demanded through gritted teeth.

  “You don’t get to tell me what to do, Dora.”

  How I hated him calling me that. It was my full name or nothing, particularly to asshole gods.

  “I can, and I will. I have been degraded and shamed for far too long to put up with your shit, now,” I half-shouted. “So, get out of the fucking bathroom.”

  He stared at me, probably taken aback by how angry I was. To be honest, I was a little surprised, too. I’d learned to make myself small and unnoticeable while enduring my punishment. Maybe that was the problem. I’d suppressed my anger for so long it came bursting to the front now.

  Oh, well. There was no feeling guilty about it. He really was being ridiculous.

  Without saying a word, he disappeared, leaving me alone again. Good, I could deal with alone. Especially when I was avoiding the real problem at hand. Alex was going to expect me to actually do something about locking people away in the box, whether I wanted to or not.

  And I was already doubting I could do that to Ashton. Zavier and Brock didn’t seem all that bad either.

  Maybe my best bet was to not go for them at all. Theoretically, someone like Kiki Riker would also work. If men counted as sin, then surely women did too? We were just as capable after all.

  Though that meant we were just as capable at doing good too.

  Why did this have to be so damned complicated?

  If only there was some way of convincing Hades just to give me a couple of sinners. Unfortunately, not an option. I’d pissed him off well before I opened my box. He was even less likely to help me than Zeus was, and that said a lot.

  So, I was in need of a plan. And it had better be a good one. Could I use one of the men to lure women like Kiki? No, that wouldn’t work. Or if it did, there were too many risks involved. Like them falling for Kiki and me accidentally murdering her and stuffing her into the box out of pure jealousy…

  That took a slight turn for the worse.

  Maybe I should find someone who was too good. If I tried to lock them in the box, then it’d fail, right?

  Grunting in frustration, I grabbed strands of my hair and tugged sharply. The pain was welcome, mostly to ground me. If I did the things I was thinking of, or even what I’d been sent here for, then I was really no better than the gods themselves.

  Was that really how I wanted my legend to end? Pandora, releaser of miseries and torturer of souls. Not quite the reputation I was going for.

  Not the worst title I could have, but definitely not something I’d put at the top of my resume either.

  I groaned, stretching the skin of my face beneath my fingers. It was probably highly unattractive to watch. At least no one could see me. As long as Alex actually received the message.

  Switching on the shower, I let the steam fill the room before stripping myself. A scalding shower was all I needed to wash away the shame and sin. At least, that was the idea.

  The water ran down my skin, refreshing it and giving it the healthy glow it had been missing for centuries. I could say what I wanted about the gods, but I was grateful for their demand for physical perfection. Without it, I’d be skinnier than I’d like. Before I’d left imprisonment, I’d been able to count my ribs, and my nails had already turned black.

  I’d been a mess. And now I wasn’t. Which might very well have been a curse, given the circumstances.

  But no, the gods had said something about giving me the ability to attract sin. Which almost sounded like magic to me, though I’d never been that kind. But how did that work? I sighed, leaning my head back under the water and letting the drops beat down on my shoulders. I supposed my only option was going to be asking Alex. For obvious reasons, I didn’t really want to do that. I just hoped he’d actually be forthcoming and not his normal self. Was it something I’d be able to choose to wield? Or was it just my natural appearance? Kiki hadn’t seemed too impressed with my looks, so maybe not.

  Thoughts of my body led to thoughts of Ashton’s body. The idea of his piercing skimmed through my mind, filling my head with dirty
and overly descriptive details of his length and thickness.

  Where would the piercing even go?

  I waited on a hopeful breath for some insight from the gods, but it seemed they had more important things than pierced cocks to worry about.

  My thighs shifted at the thought of it. My fingers traced the water droplets on my abdomen, down my navel and across my hips, skimming over my wet skin. Just when my index finger rolled across my clit, a harsh banging sound shook through the room.

  A gasp tore from my lips and I jerked my hand away. I paused, listening intently for the source of the noise. But nothing else happened. Frustration built within me. It pressed against my chest with annoyance.

  When I couldn’t delay leaving the bathroom any longer, no matter how hard I tried, I turned off the water and stepped out of the bathtub. I wrapped myself in a bath sheet before opening the door. Goosebumps erupted on my arms when the surprisingly cold air hit my skin.

  When I opened the door, Alex stood waiting. His gaze skimmed down my bare shoulders and across the curve of my chest that was covered entirely by my towel.

  “Are you okay?” My question was carefully asked.

  I didn’t know what the noise was, but I knew it was him.

  Was he… eavesdropping on me?

  Watching me like the creepy little god that he was?

  A thought drifted through my mind and I blanketed it with other thoughts. I worked hard to cover the traitorous thought with anything I could before he could catch a glimpse of it.

  A wave of god gifted knowledge flooded my mind with a my own confusion trailing after it..

  Cat videos, anime, Marvel versus DC, what would I do for a Klondike bar, does a bear shit in the woods, rimming.

  Entertainment had definitely changed since I was last here ...

  Thousands of bizarre and confusing things streamed through my mind and I knew it was working as a line creased his brow.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

  A half smile flickered across my face. “Just tired.” The words were so robotic even I could hear how ridiculous I sounded.

  He kept his wary gaze locked in place for another moment before nodding and backing away.

  And it was then that I pounced.

  I dropped the towel, letting it skim against my calves before it hit the ground. My arms stretched high above my head and I arched my back because I knew what my best asset was.

  And. So. Did. Alex.

  His gaze drifted to my round breasts and lingered there for a moment. The tension in his jaw became tighter as he quickly looked away.

  A smirk curved my lips.

  I was winning.

  I would win. Whatever this game was that the gods were playing, I was going to win.

  My hips swayed as I made my way to the soft bed. I crawled up on it on all fours, keeping my ass held high in the air as I tore back the blankets. The cool sheets surrounded me as I settled in.

  His attention was held on me. The innocent little mortal with zero false intentions.

  “Night, Alex.” His name was a whispered sound against my lips.

  His eyes narrowed on me once more and he flipped out the lights without wishing me sweet dreams. I listened intently as the springs of the couch protested from his solid body.

  When he was nice and settled in I made my next move.

  “Alex.” My voice caressed the darkness. Not a hint of moonlight shone through the thick curtains.

  “What?” His voice wasn’t nearly as delicate and sweet as mine.

  It’s speculative. Assessing. Untrusting. Just as it should have been.

  “Would you help me with something if I—needed it?” I pushed so much hidden meaning into that word that I knew he had to know.

  He had to, right?

  Silence settled in between us before he finally spoke again. “Needed what?”

  My eyes rolled in the darkness. Men.

  “Will you… come sleep with me?” My voice was careful, poised, and honestly… too breathy.

  I couldn’t seem to find my breath for what I was asking.

  “Why?” His question surprised me.

  Perhaps the god was a little smarter than I gave him credit for. This was harder than I thought it was going to be.

  I let my mind wander. I let it drift to show him what I needed.

  Once again, the way Ashton held me against him skimmed through my mind. I let my thoughts stray to what he felt like between my legs. My thighs shifted as I considered what he would have felt like hard. I wondered if I could feel a tongue ring against my--

  “Would you fucking stop? It’s not a guaranteed get off. There’s a reason some guys need the extra equipment to get shit done. Most don't need shiny accessories to fuck a woman.”

  Alex’s angry rant went right where I’d hoped it would. He fell right into my trap.

  My reply was premeditated. “Do you?”

  A strangled sound left him. It was a mixed sound of a coughing and a choking.

  Did I just kill my guide?

  “No. I don’t.”

  “Anyone can say that. It’s easy to judge when you don’t have the balls to prove it, Alex.”

  His steps stormed through the room, shaking the small lamp next to my bed.

  “Stop fucking with my head.” His demanding voice was so close, I could feel his breath on my neck. It kissed my skin and sent a tingle all through me.

  “Stop fucking with my life then,” I hissed back.

  We were both playing games. Trying to push each other to see who would fall.

  My heart hammered hard in my chest. It was going to be Alex.

  I leaned forward and slammed my mouth against his. A tingling feeling spread all through me the moment our lips touched. I rose to my knees, my palms settling on the smooth span of his shoulders. For several seconds he was still beneath my touch. Then his head tilted, and his tongue parted my lips, tasting me slowly.

  With hesitation his big palms skimmed down my ribcage before pushing low on the small of my back. Not a breath of space separated my body from his as he pushed my hips against his hard body.

  I’d like to believe I started this to find the upper hand. To manipulate him. To gain control over my spiraling life. But suddenly I wasn’t so sure.

  “Pandora,” His words are rasping, spoken on a heavy breath that fanned against my swollen lips. I was faintly aware that he said my full name for once. It caused a strangely intimate feeling within me. “You know, I’m not a fucking idiot.” His tone was nothing more than a rumbling growl, but his anger didn’t stop him from kissing me slowly once more.

  “Of course not,” I said with a bit too much mocking enthusiasm.

  He pulled fully back from me, his fingertips still lightly held on my hips. Cool air skimmed across my nipples, making my spine arch to close that terrible distance between his body and mine.

  “I’m serious. You think I’m fuckwit? You think I don’t know what you’re hiding in that messy mind of yours? You can’t manipulate me. I’m not a little mortal misery for you to toy with. I. Am. A. God.”

  He said it as if he was a thing to worship. And yet he held my body in his hands like I was a modern marvel.

  I shifted closer to the edge of the bed, letting his palms settle heavier on my bare hips. I wished I could see him.

  I wished he could see me.

  “If you know me so well, why did you kiss me back, Alex?” I let my whisper clip out in a harsh and pointed tone.

  Darkness was all that surrounded us. I couldn’t see him, and he couldn’t see me.

  And the silence spanned on for so long I wonder if he’d ever answer.

  His thumbs started to trail back and forth against my skin, sending a shiver all through me. “Because you felt good,” he said, so quietly I barely heard the confession. “Because you touched me like you wanted me. Even if I knew that wasn’t true.”

  My fingers brushed lightly over his jaw, holding his head in my hands as his wor
ds repeated in my mind with a sinking feeling of guilt laying like lead in my stomach.

  How much freedom does this god really have? I guess I never paused to consider if he was any different than the others. I never even wondered if he was as screwed up as I was.

  “I’m sorry.” I shouldn’t have tried to use him. It was a low thing to do to anyone.

  He’d confessed. I’d confessed.

  And yet there we were, still cradling each other in the dark.

  “Scoot over.” His tense words were quiet but demanding.

  I paused for only moment before shifting back. The mattress dipped, the bed creaking in protest as he settled in on my pillow. I kneeled there over him. Shadows of movements were all I could make out.

  “Lie down.”

  It took a moment for me to follow through with his request.

  The cool covers fell across my legs as I shifted down into the bed. The sheets separated my body from his and to say I was disappointed was a bit of understatement.

  Without explanation, he pushed his palm across my abdomen, making my thighs rub together from his closeness. His hard chest melded against my back and I settled into his strength.

  The anger and stress and fear I’d carried all my life fell away as I found comfort in his arms.

  If only for that one night.

  Chapter Twelve

  When I awoke, I was alone. It was as if that moment of compassion and—gods forbid—friendship was only a dream.

  Alex’s hard gaze was held on the bustling city life below us. The morning sunlight struck across his perfect features as he watched the mortals below. A god among men. A line creased his brows.

  What was he thinking?

  His bronze skin was still on display as he leaned there in nothing but his tight jeans. The carved lines of muscle tone along his back drew my attention. Minutes ticked by, and I never said a word. I simply appraised him from my spot tucked beneath the thick, white blankets. Two dimples kissed the narrow span of his lower back, just above his firm ass.

  Was everything about him perfectly made? My thoughts instantly went south. What other perfect things have I not gotten a glimpse of yet?