by Marie Medina
Eros knew he wasn’t going to get anything else out of Hermes. “Well, thanks anyway.”
“No problem.” Hermes turned at the next hallway and left Eros standing alone.
Eros shook his head. “Whatever.”
He felt arms wrap around his waist and a gentle kiss on his neck. “Hey there, sweet cheeks.”
He turned to see Hera standing behind him. He would almost prefer being called Cupid. “Hera. Been eavesdropping?”
She kissed his cheek. “It’s my palace.”
“You’re absolutely right, so just go ahead and spit it out.”
“Spit what out?” She ran her fingers down his chest. “There’s nothing in my mouth at the moment.”
“You must have an opinion about me and your messenger.”
“Hmmm. Never thought about it much before, seeing as how you didn’t even know she existed.” She continued to run her hands over his chest.
He tried to focus on his own words, not her hands. He had enough trouble with Zeus without sleeping with Hera, no matter how much he wanted to. He tried teasing her. “You trying to distract me away from her?”
Hera folded her arms over her chest. “No. Simply pointing out an interesting fact. Sorry for the wandering hands. Old habit.”
Eros sighed. “Well, the lady has pointed it out already. She seems to resent me for never noticing her before.”
She smiled, mischief gleaming in her eyes. “That will only make things more interesting.”
“Maybe, but how about you stay out of it?”
“Fine. I’m interested, but I can behave. I won’t speak for your mother.”
“Yeah, well, that’s never wise anyway. I don’t care what she thinks. I suppose you already know what she did? She wanted to make me feel guilty, so she tricked me.”
Hera held up a finger. “Maybe she was trying to teach you something important. She only has your best interests at heart.”
Eros decided to catch Hera off guard and try one more time. “She’s not thinking of me. She’s with my father right now.”
“Really? How do you know?”
Eros glared. “How do you keep secrets straight in that head of yours?”
She laughed. “It’s hard, but I manage. I happen to know that she’s with Ares right now. That’s no surprise. Why do you care?”
“I don’t, but someday I want to know the truth.”
She put her arms around his neck and brought her lips to his. “One way to find out…”
She kissed him heatedly, and he became aroused because her nearness was hard to ignore. He pushed her away slowly. “Problem is, you probably wouldn’t tell me. Not worth the risk of ending up in a cow pasture again.”
She pretended to pout. “Do something especially pleasing to the gods and perhaps we will tell you.”
“That’s quite a task. I’ll keep trying the trickery.”
“Suit yourself. Now get out of here. You have things to do.”
He started to speak, but before he could he found himself in his own bedroom. His body was still responding to Hera’s touch, so he was grateful she hadn’t zapped him back to Iris. He rubbed his cock. Thinking of Iris only made things worse. He went into the bathroom. A long, cold shower would have to do, as he couldn’t yet have what he wanted.
Iris set Hermes’ tea down and took a seat at his table in the back of the restaurant. “I’m overrun with visitors lately. I think I know who to blame.”
Hermes stirred his tea and took a sip. She had always been amazed at how calm he always seemed, considering he was the fastest being on the planet.
“You have something to convey?”
“Eros came and asked me about you a few days ago.”
Iris hadn’t been expecting that. “So you don’t have a message for me? You just wanted to tell me that?”
He nodded. “He must be very curious. He usually avoids me as much as I avoid him.”
“I know. It certainly proves his interest.” She folded her hands. “We’ve had this discussion about Eros before, but you don’t like him—”
“Because he is arrogant and annoying. You’ve always agreed, despite your feelings.”
“And you’ve never said right out that you disapprove of my feelings.”
“It’s not my concern.”
“Would it be if he were your son?”
“His mother handles him quite well.”
Iris looked around the restaurant, then back at Hermes. “She does. No doubt about that. You know what she’s planning?”
“Another match.” He met her gaze. “She is always planning another match.”
“Perhaps she should make one for herself.” Iris gave him such a hard time because she desperately wanted to see a crack in that hard exterior. Thus far, it seemed Aphrodite was the only one who had ever penetrated it.
“It wouldn’t be with me.”
“Why not?”
Hermes remained silent for a moment. “You care for some reason?”
She decided to be blunt. “You are a god, and you are miserable and unbelievably boring. She would liven you up. She even got Hephaestus to come out of the underworld for a few months.”
Hermes looked down at the ground. “No one’s ever said anything like that to me before.”
“You’re the messenger of Zeus. Everyone’s scared of you. You mean Hera’s never suggested it? She wants everyone bonking away like rabbits.”
“Hera leaves me alone. She knows it’s pointless to try to tell me what to do.”
Iris sighed. “Fine. I’ll stop. You came here because you care about this.”
“I don’t have to wear my feelings on my shoulder to show that they do in fact exist. I thought you should know.”
“Thank you very much then. I will make sure my heart and sanity are well guarded.”
He shrugged. “Eros is arrogant, but you love him.”
“That news seems to be traveling fast.”
He stood up. “Don’t blame me. Hera and Aphrodite handle that department.”
“I know. It’s hard to forget. They kept my secrets, at least until last week.”
He hesitated and then added, “Just be careful.”
She watched him walk away. “I will.” She hoped she’d be able to keep that promise.
Chapter Three
Eros scanned the customers in The Iris. He waited until he was sure there were no Olympians around before he sat down. He chose a booth instead of his normal table. He wanted to surprise Iris and maybe catch her off guard. He’d avoided the restaurant for almost two weeks. Maybe she wouldn’t be expecting him to come back at all.
“Trying to make a change in your life?”
He looked up and saw Iris peering at him over the back of the booth. Her hair was powder blue, and she wore a dark blue dress. Her eyes appeared clearer than usual, reflecting the color of the dress.
He shrugged. “Just wanted to sit here today.”
She just looked down at him. “What do you want?”
“Just a light beer for now.”
She narrowed her eyes and then walked off.
He watched her walk away. She obviously hadn’t wanted to take his order; she wanted to know what he was up to. Her question had given him the perfect opportunity to deliver a flattering line, but she’d seen him do that before. She would have been expecting it, and she would have shut him down immediately. She wouldn’t take his attention seriously if he started off the way he always did.
The problem was he didn’t know any other way of getting a woman’s attention. He knew lots of methods, but that was just it: they were all methods. They didn’t work on goddesses. Gods and mortal men alike usually had to wait until the goddess in question decided she wanted them.
Iris set his beer down on the table. “Anything else?”
He looked up at her, wishing he’d thought more about what to say. “No. I’m fine for now. Thank you.”
She walked away and he sighed. It had occurred to him that his lack of flirting an
d cute lines might make her even more suspicious. After all, he’d insulted her and been kicked out the last time they spoke, so his good behavior probably indicated he wanted something.
Great.
“Why so sad, baby?”
He looked across the table at his mother. Her blonde hair was curly and long again, flowing down her back. She wore a flattering white sundress.
“You just wanted to hurt my feelings, didn’t you?”
“What do you mean?” She reached down and picked up a cup of frothy coffee that had appeared at the same time she had.
“You planned it all out. You wanted me to go see Abigail on Valentine’s Day when you knew she wouldn’t be alone.”
“Did I make you have a fight with Zeus? Did I bring you here and make you fight with Iris? Or make her come to me? It was all the Fates.” She smirked at him. “Come to think of it, you could have gone to bed and gone to see Abigail the next day. Who knew you’d do what you were told so quickly? Unless you wanted to see her pining away over you on the holiday of lovers.”
“No, I didn’t. I had no idea she had ever done that at all until Iris pointed it out.”
“A fine lesson, then. At least you’ll take one thing away from this incident. Three hundred and fifty days until another Valentine’s day.”
“I haven’t forgotten, but that’s not a major concern right now.”
“Come to make up? That’s sweet.”
“Best not to have any goddess mad at me. They have such long memories.”
“We do. I agree. And on that note, why did you decide to talk to Hermes?”
He hadn’t been expecting that. “He’s Zeus’ messenger. I thought he could tell me something, and I knew he wouldn’t run and tell anyone else I had asked.”
Aphrodite raised her eyebrows. “You thought so? He surprises everyone now and then.”
His mother seemed to be going somewhere, but she might just be teasing him. He took a long swig of beer. “And?”
She sighed. “Why didn’t you come to me?”
“I can’t say I trust you much right now. You’re plotting something, and you’ll do anything to get your way.”
“I always get my way.” She looked around the restaurant, but obviously no one present interested her because she looked back to him quickly. “Maybe it has nothing to do with me. I might be here for Iris. Isn’t it possible I don’t want you doing to her what you’ve done to so many others?”
“I have never deliberately hurt anyone!”
“You have been careless and thoughtless and self-absorbed. The pain of others is just as strong, regardless of your motives.”
“I doubt I could hurt Iris.”
Aphrodite nodded. “If you say so. Perhaps I’m here for you, then.”
Eros thought about this, but he didn’t buy it. “She’s not going to hurt me. She couldn’t.”
“Are you so sure? You’ve never had to fight for a woman before. As I recall, Psyche did all the work fighting for you.”
He did not want to talk about his ex. He had no idea why everyone brought her up so casually, as if they thought he had no feelings at all.
“I don’t want to talk about Psyche. I am not in love with Iris, and she is not in love with me. This is very different.”
The goddess leaned forward, very serious. “How do you know that?”
“Know what?”
“That neither of you is in love, that neither of you will fall in love? You can’t read her mind. She’s a goddess. You’ve never been with a true goddess before, so what makes you think you can so easily seduce one? Especially one who isn’t looking for either love or sex?”
“How do you know she’s not?” He had no idea what Iris might or might not be looking for, but he doubted his mother did either. “You know I want her, so you’re determined to put a stop to it.”
“You’re wrong. I simply want you to think. And feel. Pay attention to those feelings you are supposed to know so much about.”
He sat back. He’d expected his mother to become furious. He didn’t know what to do with her when she was both calm and serious.
“Okay. I will. Iris can take care of herself, and so can I. Don’t worry about it.”
She smiled. “I’m not worried. Just expressing my thoughts and hoping you will consider them.” She looked at the clock. “Later, sweetheart.”
She disappeared. He looked around, but as usual no one had noticed her leaving. He looked back to Iris’ office door, which he could just see from where he sat. He wasn’t so sure what to do. He hadn’t really come in with a plan, but now he felt even more confused.
Iris left her office and looked at Eros. If he had something to say, she was going to make him say it. She wasn’t sure what his mother had said, but she felt certain it had pushed him in the direction she and Hera wanted him to go.
“Anything else?” She walked over and sat down.
Eros looked up. “Well, I was hoping you would let me prove to you I’m not such a bad guy.”
She didn’t even try to stop herself from laughing at him. “That is the dumbest, most unoriginal way of asking me out.”
“How do you know I’m asking you out?”
“What else could you be doing?”
“I mean I literally just want to prove to you I’m not a bad guy. Spend some time with me. Let me show you what other women see.”
Iris thought quickly. Her problem with him had always been that she didn’t see what other women saw. When she looked at Eros, she saw past the looks and charm. She saw his potential. He was so good at making others happy because he liked doing it. She also saw how lonely he truly was. She knew she wasn’t fooling herself on that point.
She finally asked, “What do you have in mind?”
He paused, and she wondered if he’d expected her to flat out say no.
“Well, maybe a walk on the beach? Nothing formal like dinner. Just spend some time together.”
“All right. When?”
“Tonight?”
“Okay. Come and get me at midnight.” She got up and walked back to her office. Walk on the beach, huh? And perhaps a bit of frolicking in the waves? He was going to have to do better than this.
Eros made sure he showed up exactly on time. Being early would make him look anxious, and being late would be inconsiderate and irresponsible. She most likely expected him to be late, given her opinion of him, so he planned to be on his best behavior.
He appeared outside her office and knocked lightly before walking in.
She stood and picked up her sweater. “Are we ready to go?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I’m ready if you are.”
She nodded and walked out of the office. She waited for him to follow her out and then locked the door. She waved to the girl cleaning up behind the bar before they left.
“Are we driving?” she asked.
Normally he would show off one of his cars, which he changed depending on his mood, but after a moment’s thought he decided against it. “We can just go there. Much quicker.”
He snapped his fingers and they found themselves on a deserted beach. She smirked, but then coughed to hide it, and he knew she was laughing because he’d snapped his fingers. His mother and Hera did that all the time, but most of the other gods never did. He had no idea why he’d done it. For all he knew, his mother had implanted the idea deep in his subconscious. He took a breath and decided to try to forget about it. Iris would never think he was a good guy who deserved a chance if he started pouting because she’d laughed at him.
She looked out over the water. “I know where we are.” She pointed to the opposite shore. “Layla’s cottage is over there. We’re right above one of Poseidon’s lairs.”
Eros sat down to take off his shoes and roll up his pants. He tried not to imagine Iris down there with Poseidon. He didn’t want to think about her having ever been with Poseidon at all. Everyone knew about his taste for bondage and other erotic games, so his playroom was no secret. Er
os simply didn’t like the idea of the other god making love to Iris.
Iris put one foot up on a rock and undid her sandal, kicked it off, and then did the same with the other. “It’s a nice evening.”
“Yeah, it is.” Small talk! We’re making small talk! He tried to think of something to say to spark a conversation, but he drew a blank.
She took a deep breath as he stood up and they walked across the sand. He expected her to say something, but she just walked by his side. She obviously meant for him to do all the work. She was giving him the chance he wanted, but her standards had been set pretty high. Or so it seemed to him. Her silence made him nervous, so he was probably just paranoid.
“So…do you like the sea? It seems like you would.”
She nodded. “I do. I didn’t for a long time. My father is a sea god, my mother an ocean nymph, and my aunt Amphitrite was married to Poseidon at one point. I hardly knew life away from the sea. I jumped at the chance to be Hera’s messenger. She said I would be perfect. Rainbows connect the sea and the land, the water and the air. They show every color and even look like bridges. I became their messenger to the mortal world. That’s why I live here. I’m not as busy as I once was, but that’s fine. I don’t mind.”
“You don’t care that mortals are forgetting us?”
She thought about this. “Mortal belief has never been one of my concerns.”
“I guess not. I probably put too much value on it.”
“No. Human relationships are your business. It makes sense you should care so much.”
He shrugged. “Maybe it’s just my pride. Why should I care about mortals?”
“Don’t say that. You genuinely care about mortals. You want them to be happy.”
Eros was shocked by her reaction. Was this the same woman who had leveled so many accusations at him? “So that’s why I love ’em and leave ’em?”
She looked at him seriously. “Those are personal mistakes. You’re different when you’re making a match.”
“How do you know?”
“I didn’t just settle in London and decide to open a restaurant a week ago. I’ve been in this business a very long time. I’ve lived all over the world and owned all kinds of places, not just restaurants. I’ve seen your work and seen you doing it.”