A Scent of Greek: Out of Olympus (4 page)

“So, that’s a no then. That kind of answers my next question. He didn’t say the ‘L’ word, did he?”

Ari felt heat rise into her cheeks. She hated it when Natalie drilled down to the essentials so quickly and dug up stuff Ari felt uncomfortable about. “Guys don’t say that immediately. You know that as well as I do!”

“Okay, I grant you that.” Yet that admission didn’t shut her friend up. “Has he called you yet?”

“It’s nine thirty in the morning! Of course, he hasn’t called me yet. Don’t you think that would be a little desperate?” Actually, if Dio called now, she’d find it very sweet. More than that, she’d find it utterly endearing.

“Desperate,
schmesperate
,” Natalie said. “It would be the right thing to do. After all, you guys had sex last night. The least he could do is leave you a note on the pillow or call you first thing in the morning. Just saying.”

There had been no note, at least Ari hadn’t seen any. And she
had
searched for it. Just on the off chance that he had left her a little message. Maybe he’d been in too much of a hurry to get to work.

“I’m sure he’ll call later this afternoon.”

“He’d better.”

“Listen, I’ve gotta go. We’ve got a big shipment coming in, and I still have to make space in the storeroom.”

“Okay, but call me as soon as you hear from him.”

“Sure.” Ari put the phone down and smoothed back her hair. Fifteen minutes ago, she’d felt like walking on Cloud Nine, and now she had doubts. She felt like a sixteen-year-old school girl wondering if the high school quarterback would ask her out again. With an impatient gesture, she tried to rid herself of the stupid thought. Of course, Dio would call. They’d made love last night, and she’d seen the sincerity in his eyes. There was nothing to worry about.

Chapter Five

Ariadne let out a deep breath when she inspected her answering machine. Dio hadn’t called all day, not at the store, not on her cell phone and not at home. A quick sweep of the apartment confirmed that she hadn’t overlooked any note from him either.

There was no word from him.

The doubts that had started bubbling up after her conversation with Natalie now nagged even more. Uneasiness skidded over her skin, making goose bumps appear despite the sweltering heat. She couldn’t just sit around and wait for him to contact her. It felt too pathetic. No, she had to do something. Maybe there was a perfectly good reason why he hadn’t called.

Determined not to let this get her down, Ari turned back to the entrance door of her apartment and left. She could simply go to the few bars that she knew were Dio’s favorite hangouts and see whether he was there. It would be innocent enough. Calling his cell would be too desperate. Besides, a couple of those bars were her customers, and she could pretend to stop by to inform them of the new delivery she’d received.

Excuse in hand, she stalked outside. At the first bar, there was no sign of Dio, and according to the bartender, he hadn’t been in all day. Maybe she should find it odd that many of the bartenders in the city knew him, but for a wine connoisseur like Dio to frequent the bars with the best wine was probably normal.

It was one of the things that had first made her notice him when he’d entered her shop: his knowledge about wine was extensive, yet he was entirely unpretentious about it. They’d talked about the various grapes and their pros and cons, and about the different winemaking methods. But she would be lying if she said that his knowledge about wine had attracted her to him. No, it had been his eyes, the way they sparkled blue like the morning sky. But there was more to him that just his eyes.

Dio had a presence, an aura that spoke of power and strength, of determination and decisiveness. He knew what he wanted, and whenever he looked at her, she knew he wanted her. It was the most powerful turn-on she’d ever felt.

Ariadne walked into the
Vat Bar
where the Happy Hour mob was crowding around the bar. The background music was low, making this place a little easier on the ears than the first bar she’d been to. As she scanned the room with its high tables and barstools and its booths, which lined the outside walls, her heart almost stopped when she saw Dio leaning against one of the tables, drinking from a glass and talking to two girls sitting on the bar stools.

At the table right behind them, she recognized two middle aged guys conversing over their wine as two of her regular customers. With slightly shaking knees, Ari walked toward Dio, her heart pounding in her chest like a locomotive thundering down a steep mountain. Maybe the two girls were old friends of his, or maybe he worked with them and they were just out for a friendly drink after work.

The fact that the girls laughed at something Dio said didn’t have to mean that he was flirting with them. Maybe he’d just told them a joke. It could all be very innocent. But the closer she stepped, the more her throat constricted with the knowledge that something wasn’t right.

Why hadn’t he called? Why would he instead be in a bar, drinking with two entirely too pretty girls who were probably ten years younger and twenty pounds lighter than she? She glanced at their fresh faces. Were they even old enough to drink?

When Ari was only a couple of feet away from the table, Dio turned his head and stared straight at her. His eyes went wide, and his jaw seemed to stiffen, the laughter instantly wiped off his face. He made no motion to embrace or kiss her.

Ari felt a cold chill creep up her spine as their gazes locked. A cold clamminess spread on her palms.

“Oh, hi. I didn’t expect to see you here,” he said no more warmly than if they were mere acquaintances.

Ari swallowed away the lump in her throat. “You didn’t call.”

His gaze skidded away. “I didn’t say I would.” Dio took a large sip from his glass.

“I ... uh ... Do you think we could talk in private?”

His eyebrows pulled together. “Hmm, listen, Ariadne … maybe …” His words faltered, nervousness disturbing his usual suave attitude. She’d never seen him so uneasy.

“If this is not a good time,” she started. “Maybe you want to come by my place later ...”

He cleared his throat. “I wasn’t planning on … I can’t. Really, I just can’t.” He pressed his lips together.

Ari stared at him, noticing how his face was suddenly a mask of ice, his eyes mimicking the cold blue of a frozen lake. She tore her gaze away and looked past him, catching the looks of her two customers who were clearly listening in on their conversation.

“But, last night ...” Her voice trailed off. How could she explain to him what she really wanted to say? That she believed that they had something special and that she wanted to be alone with him? This wasn’t the right place to discuss things like that, things so private and intimate.

“Last night was great. But, it’s not … It won’t go anywhere.” His brutal words felt like a slap in the face.

Disbelief careened through her. How could he be the same man as last night? The man facing her now was nothing like the tender lover who’d made her scream with pleasure and gazed at her like he loved her. Had she misread him so completely? How could she have been so wrong?

The room suddenly seemed to spin as if she’d stepped onto a carrousel. Her eyes flitted away from him toward the table behind him where her customers had risen from their chairs. She spun her head toward the door, her gaze briefly locking onto the bar and the person behind it. Gabrielle, the owner was watching her, but Ari barely recognized her, the tears forming in her eyes making her vision swim.

When Gabrielle moved out from behind the bar, Ari took a few tentative steps and would have fallen, had Gabrielle not reached for her in time.

“Let’s go to my office. I think you need to sit down.” She allowed herself to be pulled toward the door that said ‘Private’, intent on escaping Dio’s presence before she broke down completely.

***

Dio had never felt this low. But he hadn’t been prepared to face Ariadne. He’d felt like shit ever since he’d hightailed it out of her bed the night before. Again, he’d taken the easy way out and dismissed her because he was a coward who couldn’t admit that maybe, just maybe, there could be something between them. Because the thought that he was capable of emotions deeper than the superficial feelings he doled out to everybody scared him shitless. And why? Because he didn’t want to be at the mercy of his feelings. He’d seen his mother Semele pine for Zeus after he’d lost interest in her, and the heartache he’d felt rolling off her had pained him. He didn’t want to love a woman the way his mother had loved his father—an emotion that had not been reciprocated.

Mortals believed in the rumor that Semele had died after seeing Zeus in his godly form. It was far from the truth, but maybe it would have been better that way, rather than watching her waste away because of unrequited love.

His mother had been miserable for years, hoping against all hope that Zeus would come back. But his jerk of a father had already moved on many times.

What if Dio was just like him? What if he wasn’t capable of love? Just like his father wasn’t. Wouldn’t that mean that the woman who fell for him was doomed to a broken heart? And while Dio had never much cared whether he broke a heart or two, for some reason, he couldn’t stomach the thought of that heart belonging to Ariadne.

It was better if he finished things now, when they’d barely begun. Ari couldn’t possibly be in love with him yet, and would get over him in a heartbeat. And the infatuation he had with her? He was sure it was only temporary and nothing to worry about. A few glasses of wine and some flirting with some willing mortals would hasten its disappearance along.

Dio trained his gaze back onto the two girls he’d been talking to but couldn’t get his spirit back. He didn’t want to flirt with the two silly girls who had dirt for brains and were ogling him like he was their next meal ticket. Had they not understood anything from his conversation with Ari? Had they still not realized what a cad he was? That he couldn’t be trusted?

“Excuse me,” he said and turned away.

His eyes scanned the bar, but Ariadne was gone. He should try to talk to her and explain his reasoning. She was a smart woman. She would understand why they couldn’t continue their relationship. If he could only make her understand that he was no good for her, then maybe she wouldn’t hate him. Why that mattered to him, he wasn’t sure. For Hades’ sake, he wasn’t sure about anything lately.

Only one thing was certain: he owed Adiadne an explanation, and she’d get one, tonight. And if she was still hurt after he’d made it clear to her that she was better off without an asshole like him, he’d wipe her memory.

Dio headed for the bathroom, wanting to dowse his head with cold water. Before he could push the door to the restroom open, two guys grabbed him from behind and shoved him out the back exit, into the parking lot.

“What the fuck!” Dio shook off their hold and swiveled on his heels.

He stared at the two thugs as they glared at him. They weren’t the usual kind of guys he got into bar fights with. For starters, they were older, not the young kids who couldn’t hold their liquor and subsequently started an argument. The two were well dressed and seemed fairly sober. He recognized them. They’d occupied the table next to him. And he was absolutely sure that he hadn’t insulted them in any way.

“I think we’ll teach you some manners, asshole,” one of the men announced.

“Get the fuck off me. I’ve not given you any reason to attack me.” With an impatient movement, Dio made an attempt to turn, but the second guy suddenly pounced on him.

“You jerk, you hurt Ari. That means you’ll have to deal with us. She’s a nice girl. Nobody hurts Ari and gets away with it.”

Ah, shit! How had Ariadne managed to send her friends after him so quickly? And why would she do that? He’d never expected her to be devious. A strange sense of disappointment sliced through him. Not that he didn’t deserve a good beating. And maybe it was just what he needed.

Dio motioned his arms toward the bigger of the two. “Do your worst then.”

Within seconds, fists went flying as Dio engaged Ari’s friend in a fight, dealing blows and kicks as fast as he was receiving them. But the guy couldn’t do much damage to him thanks to Dio’s godly powers and superior strength. It really wasn’t a fair fight.

“Don’t you wanna help your friend?” Dio taunted the other guy. “Looks like he’s about had enough.” He flashed the man a grin, but he didn’t take the bait.

“Two on one isn’t fair,” he responded and kept out of the fight.

It appeared that he had to bring in the big guns to make the guy join in the fight. As Dio dealt his opponent another uppercut to the chin, he continued, “Ari got exactly what she deserved. She wanted to be fucked, so I fucked her. You should have heard her scream out her pleasure.” Gods, he felt like an ass saying something that heartless.

The second man’s eyes finally flashed with anger. A moment later, he lunged at Dio and smashed his clenched fist into his face. Dio’s head snapped to the side, and he heard a cracking sound. Blood filled his nostrils and cascaded down his face. Shit, it hurt, but at least the feeling was better than what he’d felt before: guilt about dumping Ariadne and pain about hurting her.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Dio wiped the blood off his chin and nose and unleashed a mocking grin.

In response, the two guys pounced once more, aiming their hooks at him.

Mortals! They were so easily provoked.

“Asshole!” one of them spouted and landed a hard punch in Dio’s gut, temporarily knocking the wind out of him. The other one took the occasion and planted his foot in the hollow behind Dio’s knee, knocking him off balance. Dio landed on his ass. Before he could roll to the side and jump up, the bigger of the two assailants landed hard on his stomach, pinning him to the ground. The second guy instantly came down to their level and pummeled Dio’s face with his fists.

The taste of blood in his nose and mouth was nauseating, and the pressure in his head built. “Fucking assholes!” This wasn’t funny anymore.

With his last ounce of strength, Dio sent a blast of energy toward them, tossing them both further out into the parking lot. As they sat up, they exchanged a quick glance before jumping up. “Shit! Let’s get outta here!”

And then the wimps ran down the dark alley. “Weak sissies!” Dio yelled after them as he sat up. His head spun, and he halted in his movement. “Ah, shit! I feel like crap now!”

“Perfect, ‘cause you look like it, too!” a female voice commented.

Dionysus spun his head and found Hera standing just a few feet away from him. She was dressed in mortal clothes—very tight fitting leather pants and a lacy bustier to be exact—rather than her usual flowing tunic.

“Enjoying the view?” he grumbled.

“As a matter of fact, I do. The sight of your mangled face does something to me here.” She pressed her hand against her solar plexus and gave him a sugary sweet smile.

“I suppose it’s not compassion.”

Hera gave a very ungoddess-like snort. “Don’t take me for a fool. We have to talk.”

“Since when do you and I have anything to talk about?”

“Since yesterday.” She pursed her lips. “I saw what you did last night.”

Anger instantly rose in his stomach. He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “Haven’t the gods just recently agreed to stay out of each other’s bedrooms when it doesn’t concern them personally?”

The thought that Hera had watched his intimate encounter with Ariadne burned. What they’d had was private, something he didn’t want to share with anybody, something to cherish. Hell, how had he screwed up so badly with Ariadne? He had to fix this, and quick, before things got any worse.

Hera lifted her hand as if to inspect her fingernails. “Ah, that. Yes, I believe my philandering husband issued such a decree. But of course it won’t apply to me. And besides, this concerns me personally.”