Greek God

by Flora Ferrari

  Suddenly I’m lifted and spun and I feel my ass hit a cold cabinet, threatening to bring me back to reality.

  I brush the hair from my face and open my eyes just in time to see him shoot cum halfway across the kitchen as his body hunches over and he falls to his knees.

  He’s breathing hard as I watch his back rise and fall as he’s down on all fours.

  He turns to look at me and our eyes lock.

  That was the dirtiest most animalistic thing I’ve ever done by far…and I can’t wait to do it again.

  CHAPTER 8

  Jackie

  “Good morning, sunshine,” he says.

  “Morning,” I say.

  “Do you like your eggs scrambled, hard boiled, or fried?”

  “Scrambled please,” I say as I wipe the sleep from my eyes. “I smelled the coffee.”

  “Do you drink coffee?”

  “Definitely. Especially when it smells incredible like it does,”

  “Creamer, sugar, and everything you might need is on the table,” he says as he pours me a cup. “Or we can make cups in the Nespresso machine or fire up the cappuccino machine.”

  “You have a cappuccino machine?”

  “You didn’t hear the cups rattle last evening?”

  I smile. “I didn’t hear much. I was kind of…how do you say…in the zone?”

  “As was I. As was I,” he says.

  I instinctively look down at the floor.

  “Don’t worry, I cleaned it all up. No evidence of what went down?”

  “I’m so sorry,” I say. “I didn’t mean to look down like that. It’s just that my mind reliving the visuals and everything. I guess subconsciously I had to take a look.”

  “No harm at all,” he says. “Your eggs.” He slides a plate of eggs in front of me. “I mixed in some Greek goat’s cheese. It’s delicious.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever tried it.”

  “You’re not allowed to leave the country until you’re officially hooked.”

  I look at the spread he has laid out. This is unbelievable. There is a bowl with sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. A pitcher of orange juice. A small fruit plate. And…sliced avocado. My favorite!

  “I haven’t even tried it and I think I already am. Sliced avocado by the way. How did you know it was my favorite?”

  “Isn’t it everyone’s?” He winks at me.

  Oh my god, is this guy perfect or what?

  “Bon appétit,” he says as he sits down across from me with a plate of eggs for himself.

  “Bon appétit,” I say. I dig in and put the first bite in my mouth. Immediate foodgasm. I’ve never tasted something like this. Goat’s cheese…who knew? There’s not exactly a Whole Foods or Trader Joes in my town so I don’t have access to some of these types of things unless I’m willing to drive quite a ways…and have the cash, which is about never.

  “Is Sophia up?”

  “Already up and off to her holiday play program. She spends the day with other children, which frees me up to spend the day with you and show you the city…if you wish.”

  “I do wish. How can I say no?”

  “Perfect. Because I’ve got a great day planned out for us.”

  I’m still not sure what’s happened since I got off that plane, but I’m not about to pinch myself and wake up.

  CHAPTER 9

  Jackie

  “We have something very special planned for you this evening,” he says.

  I almost want to laugh at the irony because it’s so strong. Everything that’s already happened since I’ve arrived has been beyond special.

  We arrived at The Acropolis around lunchtime. It was amazing to see and walk around such an incredibly significant global and historical landmark. Nick was so kind, holding my hand when I had to climb over rocks and high steps and even serving as my personal photographer for the day. Everywhere we went he knew where I should stand for the best photos. It was so much fun and from what I saw of the camera I’m going to have a lot of great digital memories.

  But I also took some selfies of the two of us. Who knows what’s going to happen between us, but I always want to remember my time here and this incredible person who I met who took me in and shared such an incredible world with me.

  After The Acropolis we drove out of town and strolled through The National Garden where we had lunch. Athens is normally about fifty degrees this time of year, but we got extremely lucky and the temperatures were in the high seventies most of the day. The restaurant even opened the outside dining.

  After The National Garden we headed to The Parthenon Museum where Sophia and one of her friends met up with us. We toured the museum together and thanks to the guide Nick hired we learned more than I could have ever imagined, and certainly more than I could have just walking it by myself.

  The best part was all three of these activities were on the to do list I made on the airplane. I was frantically scribbling notes while watching one of the in-flight TV stations as the host took a tour through the city. Thanks to Nick I took a tour that was equal to or better than the one fit for TV.

  “I don’t know what to say,” I say. “Everything has been so special already. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You’ve been an absolute miracle in the flesh.”

  “It is my pleasure,” he says. “And in regards to what to say…please just say that you accept.”

  “I accept,” I say.

  “Great,” he says. “We’re off in fifteen minutes. Do you have a dress you can wear?”

  “I do!” I say. Wow, I get to put that dress I bought to good use.

  CHAPTER 10

  Nick

  The outdoor theater that is part of the slope of The Acropolis was built in 161 AD. It’s known as the Odeon of Herodes Atticus and it normally only operates in the summer, but tonight there is a special performance and it gives me the chance to provide an incredible evening to our guest.

  But after this short but very meaningful time with us it’s getting much harder to think of Jackie as our guest. I never thought of her as such, but sometimes the idea that she’s only here for ten days comes into the front of my mind. I usually don’t even think about it as we’re having so much fun together that the idea that she’ll ever go doesn’t seem like a reality.

  Greek literature is famous for tragedies, but that literature is old. I’m hoping times have changed and it’s outdated. More importantly I’m trying to think of a way how I can write my own story without the tragic ending.

  Bringing others around Sophia is part of my parenting. I want her to meet a lot of people from many cultures and backgrounds when she is young and her mind is learning. I want her to understand that not everyone is as fortunate as we are, and as Greek storytelling has also taught me it’s better to show than to tell.

  Sophia may be used to a lot of people coming in and out of the house, but I’ve noticed she’s taken a particular interest in Jackie. I haven’t quite put my finger on it yet, but I’m guessing it’s for similar reasons that attracted me first. She’s kind, warm, and adventurous. And that doesn’t even include another word I’d use to describe her. Explosive, as in what happened last night.

  I’ve never just lost myself like that. A part of me wanted to apologize this morning for what happened. It was truly never my intention, but I know that wouldn’t do justice to what happened between us. I wouldn’t trade what happened between us last night for a lifetime of mediocre sex, as the saying goes. It’s a crass way to think, but it makes sense in this case.

  Nothing with her is mediocre. Everything is one hundred percent or even more. As crazy as it sounds I can almost imagine the two of us together. I just need to work out the how if I’m to convince her, although I still need to convince myself that I’m not crazy.

  At least convince her to extend her stay. I need to show her what the woman by my side can expect. And when I think of the woman by my side, I mean my equal. I never thought a young woman of such an early age could stand side by side w
ith me, but life is what happens when you least expect it and she’s injecting more life into me than I already knew I had. And I have a lot.

  I work out daily, I run, I run a business and I chase around my little girl and it’s all in a day’s work.

  But all work and no play makes Nick a dull boy, and tonight I’ll show her how well I can play when it comes to the arts.

  The Greek National Opera takes the stage. I look over to my left and see Sophia’s eyes open and her mouth drop. I look over to my right and see the same from Jackie. The costumes are incredible and I know their performance over the next ninety minutes will match.

  A perfect match. Just like I’ve seemingly found out of nowhere.

  I switch seats so the girls can sit together. I watch as the show begins and they turn to each other with ‘wow’ faces. They’re like sisters, yet still Sophia looks up to Jackie. It’s like I’ve got the best of both worlds, but I need to make sure this lasts before Jackie returns to her own world one quarter of the way around the globe.

  CHAPTER 11

  Jackie

  I slide out from underneath Nick’s arm on the couch and make my way up to the bedroom he’s provided me. I’m careful not to wake him nor Sophia, who’s asleep on his other side and laid out across his neck.

  We started watching a movie when we got home but I think all the excitement and energy we spent during the day wore us all out. The jet lag has kicked in a little and I want to get up even though I hate leaving my place by Nick’s side.

  I got up because I had to. I need some time to myself to process what’s happening here. This is absolutely bonkers!

  Part of me just wants to write it off as a lucky holiday experience, but part of me knows it’s much more than that. If I was back in Washington now and I met Nick and Sophia I would pursue this relationship in a heartbeat.

  But I’m not in America, and as much as I love it there I almost feel like this lifestyle is better. Greek has banking problems, debt, and a whole host of other problems. I don’t want to be naive but I also know there are problems everywhere. But rarely are there solutions like Nick.

  I’m far from a gold digger, but it’s becoming apparent that he is a man of means. He did have to take a few business calls during the day although he said he had tried to pass everything off to his managers so we could enjoy the day. I didn’t want to be nosey so I didn’t ask him what he does. But if this is going to go anywhere maybe I need to do just that. Maybe I need to ask him some questions and also encourage him to ask me questions.

  I roll over on my side. This is crazy! What am I talking about? And I’m not even talking. I’m talking to myself!

  And that doesn’t even address the biggest question mark…Sophia.

  She’s a young girl who’s forming her opinions, beliefs, and everything else about life. How can I just come in now and jump right into her life? It just doesn’t seem right…no matter how cute she is and how much fun we have.

  I’m so conflicted inside. I just don’t know what to think and it’s starting to drive me crazy. To make matters worse there’s that ticking clock reminding me that I have to go home at some point. I have to leave all this to return back home so I can sit in my pajamas all day and write clickbait articles for popular culture websites. How did my life come to this? More importantly what was I going to do now?

  I had friends in Boston, Chicago and Dallas. I could move to any of those cities and get an entry-level job in accounting or other clerical tasks. The pay wouldn’t be great, but I could surely move up the food chain with hard work and persistence. But now the question is why?

  Why do all that when I can try something here with him…if he feels the same way.

  I could continue my online work from here. It really doesn’t matter where in the world I live, right? It’s not like I have a guy back home waiting on me. My family…I’d miss them for sure, but imagine inviting them to visit the Greek Islands in the summer?

  I take a deep breath and remind myself that I’m getting way ahead of myself. Maybe he’s just an amazing host who was kind enough to show me around. Maybe he’ll have to get back to his work tomorrow. Maybe I was just a pleasant distraction for a day. And maybe Sophia sees me as a threat or even competition but just doesn’t say anything because she knows I’ll be gone soon.

  This whole thing is so incredible and so frustrating at the same time. Why can’t life be easy for once?

  Maybe because if it was easy it wouldn’t be worth doing…worth fighting for…worth making the hard decisions for.

  I have a feeling that’s exactly what this is going to become.

  CHAPTER 12

  Jackie

  Day 7 of 10 in Greece

  Nick slides the key into the lock and opens the door to our room.

  This day has been absolutely incredible and I can’t wait to see what the night has in store.

  We took the fifty-minute flight from Athens to Santorini this morning. We’ve spent the entire day exploring the island. When we arrived we left our bags at the reception. We didn’t even properly check in because we didn’t want to waste a single minute of our ‘one week anniversary’ as we’re calling it for fun.

  We finished dinner about three hours ago. I’m usually not much of a fish person, but when it’s fresh caught and prepared the way it was tonight I might be a new convert. And of course there was plenty of dessert and also a bottle of wine.

  Over the last week I’ve come to understand Nick’s business. He’s a wine and olive oil representative who often visits different parts of the world in order to export the flavors of Greece. The olive oil made sense. The wine I had no idea. It seemed like a strange combination at first, but when he explained it to me it made a lot of sense. Plus a lot of the big hotel chains he services need both products so he’s happy to double the business.

  And business is good from what I’ve seen. Almost too good. He started his own business last year and is handling everything himself…the travel, the calls, the paperwork, the hotel bookings, the meetings with suppliers, the meetings with the buyers. It seems like he’s got a lot on his plate and could definitely use a hand.

  But tonight I want those hands all over me.

  We enter the room, but don’t turn on the lights…we don’t need to.

  There are candles throughout the room providing just enough light to see the rose petals which are strewn out across the bed and floor. It’s absolute romance overload.

  He takes my hand and walks me over to the window. We look out across the moonlit Aegean Sea as the ocean breeze tickles our shoulders and provides the perfect compliment to the lightly scented candles.

  I turn and look up at him. “Why are you doing all of this?”

  He looks down at me and smiles before placing his thumb on my cheek and moving back a locket of hair. “I’ve been very fortunate in life but have also been working very hard. Now I want to enjoy life more.”

  “But why me? Why with me?”

  “It’s not just for you. It’s for us. Everything I have means nothing if the joy of building my business doesn’t bring joy to my life and those in it.”

  “But there are so many women you could choose.”

  “There are so many women I could choose, yes. But there’s only one woman who was chosen for me. Only one woman I want and want to enjoy these moments with. Only one woman who Sophia has grown very fond of and speaks about every day. Only one woman who can be an angel all day, but know when to be a devil at night.”

  I smile. He certainly has brought out a wild side of me I didn’t even know I had.

  “But tonight there will be no devil. Tonight we will take our time and enjoy each other.”

  He runs his hands over my collarbone and hooks his finger underneath my spaghetti strap.

  “And tonight starts now,” he says.

  Nick’s other hand comes up to my other shoulder and slides off the other strap causing my dress to fall to the floor. I’m completely nude standing in the moonli
ght. I never knew I could feel so beautiful.

  Nick takes a step back and slowly undresses, never removing his eyes from mine. He takes his time, absolutely without a care in the world and definitely not in a rush.

  After he removes his last piece of clothing he moves in closer to me and runs his finger back over my cheek. I can only imagine how we look from the other side of the doorway. We’re like the perfect couple in silhouette with the Greek architecture behind us which opens out in the night and the sea.