Suddenly Beautiful (Entangled Covet) (18 page)

She gave a dainty snort. “Like Ares cares. Never once has he claimed any of his bastards.”

Tor nodded. “Until Nikki. Did you know he and my mother are actually planning our wedding on Mount Olympus?” He shrugged. “Doesn’t sound like a disinterested father to me. And I’d bet Narcissus won’t be willing to champion his favorite niece against the god of war. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Ares has a bit of a temper.”

The color drained from Demetria’s face. “I don’t believe you.”

Tor stood and walked around the desk, stopping mere inches from her. “You don’t have to believe me. You can ask him yourself at the gala.”

She swallowed hard. “Ares is coming to the launch?”

“Of course. Like I said, all he wants is his baby girl’s happiness.”

Demetria took a step backward. Her gaze scanned the room as if searching for the right retort.

“Save it.” Tor walked to the door and gripped the handle, turning back to her. “I want you out by Monday.”

With a stiffening of her spine, Demetria spun and marched to the door, stopping just beyond the entrance. She pivoted and arched a single brow. “This is not over.”

“Yes, Demetria, it is.” He slammed the door in her face. “Damn, that felt good.”

Tor walked back to his desk and opened the top drawer, pulling out the glass case that held the diamond ring. Now it was time to prove to Nikki that he wanted her to be his wife, no matter what the cost.

Chapter Sixteen

Flashes of lights burst around Nikki. Numbness stole through her body as people pawed at her arms when she passed, as if by touching her some of the magic would rub off on them. The horde of models she talked to before her photo shoot swarmed her, each of them chattering at once.

“I’m so happy for you,” Apollomae said.

The gorgeous blonde, Hestia, Nikki thought she’d called herself, grabbed Nikki’s arm. “Will he be here tonight?”

A pang of jealousy shot through her. “Yes, Tor will be doing the presenting.”

“Not Tor.” Hestia leaned in. “Ares.”

The group of women squealed, grabbing on to each other as if they’d faint at just the mention of her father.

“Ares? That’s who you’ve been hoping to see?”

“We’re his biggest fans.” Artemis raised her hand. “I’m the president of the Ares Fan Club.”

“Please, please, please tell us he’s going to be here,” said a tall redhead, whose name Nikki couldn’t remember.

Would he be here? This certainly didn’t seem like an event the god of war would attend. “I don’t know.” The women’s expressions fell, making Nikki feel bad for bursting their groupie bubble. “But if he is, I’ll send him over.”

They squealed again and began jumping around. Nikki extricated herself from the group and began weaving her way toward the front of the arena. A heaviness had settled in her chest since she’d left Tor speechless in his office.

More people pawed her, spewing congratulations and what a magical night this was. If only they knew how unmagical her life had become. The urge to flee had overwhelmed her, but other people besides Tor depended on her, and she couldn’t let them down.

There was no fairy-tale ending or knight in shining armor. Even if he did really love her, the truth had been tainted by the very idea of his mother bribing him to marry her, and now with a baby on the way, his reaction was sure to be one of resentment. For her, the baby was the one good thing that had come out of this whole mess. She gently touched her stomach, sending loving thoughts to her child.

Nikki approached the red ropes that blocked off the VIP area. Two hulking men with skin the color of charcoal, black sunglasses, and more gold around their necks than any ancient king of England stood guard at the entrance. Charles and Daryl, she recognized them from other events she’d planned. “Evening, gentlemen. Has my mother arrived?”

“Inside.” Charles unhooked the rope, his gaze continuing to track across the crowd. “Talking with Ms. Stephanos last I saw.”

“Uh-oh.” She grimaced. “Thank you. You’re doing a great job.”

They both gave her a single nod, and she had to wonder if the two behemoths were demigods as well. It was so tough to tell anymore. She’d have to remember to ask Tor—. She stopped. No, she probably wouldn’t be asking Tor much of anything. A tight ache clenched her heart. For six years she’d tried to keep her business and personal life separate. Then she’d lost her mind and dived in with both feet. Now she’d probably have to quit her job. If they ended things, then being around Tor every day would be too painful to bear.

Azzura Li Fonti and Ms. Stephanos stood together, flanked by Ares. Nikki stopped, surprised to see her father here. Perhaps it was all the emotional trauma from earlier, but tears burned at the back of her eyes. She blinked them back and continued forward.

Ares was stunning. Tall, coppery skin, with a presence that dominated the space around him. And he was wearing a tuxedo. As she approached, she couldn’t help but be amazed at how beautiful the three of them were. Though her mother was human, she was an appropriate match for the god of war—or any god.

She closed the distance, unsure what the mood of the group would be. “Mother?”

Azzura turned, a brilliant white smile lighting up her face. “Darling.” Her eyes grew wide and her hands flew to her mouth. “You are so beautiful.”

The pride in Azzura’s voice filled Nikki with a bittersweet happiness. Her mother had never been impressed with any of her scholarly achievements. Only now when she embraced Azzura’s values did she receive praise. Nikki tucked the thread of resentment away and accepted her mother’s adoration with grace. “Thank you.”

Ms. Stephanos approached, looking wary, and wrapped her in a hug. “You are even more beautiful than usual, sweetie.”

Nikki stiffened at the woman’s touch. “Thank you.”

“Darling, I want to introduce you to somebody.” Azzura dragged her from Aphrodite’s embrace. “This is Neil.” She beamed up at him. “Your father.”

Any other daughter would be outraged if their mother had chosen such a public event to reveal the truth of her paternity, but Nikki had gotten used to her mother’s theatrics and plotting long ago. Whether Azzura wanted her to collapse in a fit of anger, or praise her for finally bringing daughter and father together, thus turning this into the Azzura Li Fonti show, Nikki couldn’t fathom. But she sure as hell wasn’t going to give her mother the satisfaction she sought. This was her night—no matter how much she didn’t want to be there.

“Yes, we’ve met.” She walked to Ares. “You look very handsome.” She ran her hand along his lapel and looked up at him. “A tuxedo and everything. Boy, you’re really trying to score some brownie points with me.”

“I look handsome because I am handsome.” He cleared his throat. “And I came because I wanted to be here, not to win your affection.”

For being a trillion years old he certainly hadn’t learned to lie very convincingly. “Well, I appreciate your coming anyway. It’s nice to have my parents here.”

He opened his mouth and then closed it, obviously at a loss for words—for once.

Enjoying his discomfort, Nikki spread her arms. “I think I’m going to hug you now.”

The god of war recoiled as if he’d been slapped. She stood her ground and held out her arms, but didn’t move. His stance relaxed slightly.

She took a step forward. “Here I come.”

Slowly, Ares extended his arms, and she walked into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his thick waist. Her head hit him at chest level and when he enclosed her in a hug, his massive arms completely covered her shoulders and head. His hold tightened and he patted her hair rather stiffly with his giant hand. Nikki closed her eyes, drinking in the feeling of hugging her true father for the first time in her twenty-nine years. A lump formed in her throat, but she swallowed it down and opened her eyes again. After a few seconds he released her, and she stepped away.

“Why didn’t you tell me you knew Neil, Nikki?” The lilt in Azzura’s voice held more than a hint of irritation.

“He found me a few weeks ago.” Nikki smoothed her hands down the front of her green chiffon gown. “I didn’t think you would care since you never bothered to introduce us before.” The jab sent a ripple of satisfaction through Nikki. Wanting to change the topic, she looked at Tor’s mother. “This must be a first. Two cosmetic moguls united by a common cause.”

What she wanted to say was, two vain and manipulative divas vying for the public eye, willing to scheme to get what they want.

Azzura locked an arm around Aphrodite’s . “Oh, Bella and I are old friends. Of course we get along.”

Aphrodite’s stare contradicted Azzura’s sentiment. She expertly unhinged Azzura’s grip from her arm. “Call it a cease-fire.” She ran a fingertip along Nikki’s cheek. “We both wanted to be here for the big event.”

“I appreciate it.” A chill skittered along Nikki’s spine. She rubbed her arms, unsure if she was going to make it through the next several hours. “I know the launch is really important to a lot of people.”

“Not the launch, Nichola.” Azzura swept a swath of blond hair over her shoulder. “I mean that’s great too, but—”

“Neil?” Tor’s mother interrupted. “Why don’t you take Azzura to get a glass of champagne?” She gave him a pointed stare. “But be careful. That’s where the paparazzi have been congregating.”

“Really?” Azzura’s eyes lit up. She shook her head, giving her hair a skillful toss, and linked an arm with Ares. “How awful. Why won’t they leave us celebrities alone?”

She practically dragged Ares through the crowd toward the champagne. He cast a dark expression over his shoulder at Aphrodite, who promptly blew him a kiss.

“What did my mother mean by
not the launch
?”

“I haven’t the foggiest, sweetie. No offense, but your mother is a bit daft. Don’t know what Ares ever saw in her.” Aphrodite trained her gaze on Nikki, taking both of Nikki’s hands in hers. “I know you’re angry with me and you have every right to be, but don’t do anything impetuous until you let Tor explain. Give everybody a chance to settle down.”

Nikki pulled her hands free and crossed her arms, tempering her reply only because Aphrodite was a goddess. “Right, thank you for the advice.”

The music started and spotlights swept over the crowd.

“You need to get onstage.” Aphrodite spun her around and guided her forward. “Wouldn’t want to miss your entrance.”

As they headed toward the stage, Nikki noticed Demetria Mirrors standing in front of the steps, watching them approach. Nikki groaned. “I do not have the energy for her right now.”

“Would you like me to zap her to the Sahara Desert?” Tor’s mother asked a little too gleefully.

“No, I need to settle things with her now or she’s going to keep causing problems.”

As they approached, Demetria held up her hand. “Before you say anything, I wanted to tell you that I quit Kythera today and that I won’t be bothering you or Tor anymore.”

Nikki glanced at Aphrodite.

“I had nothing to do with it,” Aphrodite said.

“Why?” Nikki looked back at Demetria.

“Let’s just say I’ve seen the error of my ways.” She turned to leave but stopped, casting a look over her shoulder. “Be sure to tell Tor that, would you?”

“Oh, I will.” Nikki’s gaze cut to Aphrodite. “That was easy.”

“Yes. Let’s hope not too easy.” Aphrodite pushed Nikki toward the steps. “The presentation is about to begin. Why don’t you go onstage and get ready? First Tor will make his speech, applause-applause-applause, fireworks, and then they’ll reveal the new package and the new face of Goddess, which is you.”

Nikki took a deep breath and exhaled. As hard as she tried to be excited, all she wanted to do was go home and curl up in her bed. “All right.”

“You’ll be fantastic.” She patted Nikki on the shoulder. “Just smile and follow your heart.”

Nikki furrowed her brow at the odd advice and ascended the steps. What felt like spastic butterflies beat against the inside of her stomach. Heat flushed her body, suddenly making her palms sweat. She rubbed her hands together, not wanting to wipe them on her one-of-a-kind designer gown.

People rushed around the stage, doing last-minute prep. She worked her way through the crowd as if in slow motion, feeling out of place for the first time ever at an event. Everybody had a task. Hers was merely to look pretty and smile for the cameras.

She found a spot out of the way at the edge of the stage just as the intro music flared to life. Lights flashed onto the stage, sweeping back and forth across the gleaming black floor. Tor appeared opposite her on the other side of the stage. Her heartbeat quickened. He was the most handsome man she’d ever seen.

His gaze held hers and he smiled. To her surprise, he lifted his hand to his mouth and blew her a kiss.

A tingle burned along her nose and in the back of her eyes. She blinked a few times to prevent the tears from spilling out. No matter what had happened, she would always be crazy in love with the man.

A voice boomed over the loudspeaker, welcoming the crowd to the launch of Kythera’s newest line, Goddess. Applause and whistles erupted from the sea of people beyond the stage. Cameras flashed sporadically around the cavernous room. Then the announcer introduced Toraos Stephanos, CEO of Kythera Cosmetics.

He stepped onto the stage and into a riot of camera flashes. A single spotlight zeroed in on him. Applause erupted again. Women yelled like they were seeing their favorite rock star, and with the way he looked tonight, she couldn’t blame them. He was breathtaking.

Blue glinted off his black hair and his tuxedo was cut to show off every delicious inch of his sculpted body. He’d chosen an eggplant-colored bow tie that matched the Goddess package.

His voice poured over the crowd like hundred-year-old brandy. The people quieted, their gazes fixed on him. “I’d like to thank everyone for being here. This is a very exciting night, not just for Kythera Cosmetics but for me personally. The Goddess line is a dream I set in motion over a year ago and is now about to go public.”

Nikki shifted to look at the crowd. They were hanging on his every word. Many of the women stared up at him with dreamy looks on their faces. She knew that expression and had seen it with nearly every woman who ever had an encounter with Tor. It used to make her jealous, but now she only felt sorry for them. There was no defense against Toraos Stephanos’s thrall. There was a natural order in life. Gods would always be something a human could touch briefly, but never hold on to. Sometimes the same fate befell a demigoddess.

“Every woman is beautiful in her own way. Perhaps it’s her smile or her body. Maybe it’s the way she cares for her children when she’s exhausted from working all day, or the love in her eyes when she looks at her husband of fifty years. There are many things that make a woman beautiful.”

Movement sounded behind Nikki and she turned. Stacey and Creed approached, each wearing a huge smile. Relief washed through Nikki. At least she’d have two friends she could trust here tonight. Stacey wrapped her arm around Nikki’s shoulder and squeezed with silent encouragement. She hugged her friend back and they returned their attention to Tor.

“When I began this project, I had a very vivid image in my mind about what Goddess Cosmetics would be, but somewhere along the way those ideas became muddled and fell by the wayside. A new and scarier path emerged. One I didn’t want to go down.”

Nikki thought about all they had done to get the Goddess line ready. There had been a few stumbling blocks but nothing too daunting—at least not for Tor. She glanced at Stacey, who was looking at her with barely repressed glee. Nikki scowled. “What?”