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The Goddess
Summoning Series by P.
C. Cast
GODDESS OF THE SEA
GODDESS OF SPRING
GODDESS OF LIGHT
GODDESS OF THE ROSE
GODDESS OF LOVE
Goddess of Love
P. C. CAST
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Pubshed by the Pengun Group
Pengun Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York,
New York 10014, USA
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Pengun Books Ltd., Regstered
Offces: 80 Strand, London WC2R
0RL, Engand
Ths s a work of fcton. Names,
characters, paces, and ncdents
ether are the product of the
authors magnaton or are used
fcttousy, and any resembance
to actua persons, vng or dead,
busness estabshments, events,
or ocaes s entrey concdenta.
The pubsher does not have any
contro over and does not assume
any responsbty for author or
thrd-party webstes or ther
content.
Copyrght 2007 by P. C. Cast
Cover desgn by Lesey Worre
Cover ustraton by Matt Mahurn
A rghts reserved.
No part of ths book may be
reproduced, scanned, or
dstrbuted n any prnted or
eectronc form wthout
permsson. Pease do not
partcpate n or encourage pracy
of copyrghted materas n
voaton of the authors rghts.
Purchase ony authorzed edtons.
BERKLEY SENSATION s an mprnt
of The Berkey Pubshng Group
BERKLEY SENSATION and the "B"
desgn are trademarks beongng
to Pengun Group (USA) Inc.
Lbrary of Congress Cataogng-n-
Pubcaton Data
Cast, P. C.
Goddess of ove / P. C. Cast.-
Berkey sensaton trade pbk. ed.
p. cm.
ISBN: 1-4295-3865-1
1. Venus (Roman dety)-Fcton. I.
Tte.
PS3603.A869G636 2007
813'.6-dc22
2006100885
Wth ove for Chrstne Zka,
goddess edtor and frend.
I mss you!
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
EPILOGUE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A bg thank-you to Shaunee Coe
for hepng me "schuzze." Reay,
Twn. I coudnt have done t
wthout your nvauabe research.
Thank you to Rchard Thomas of
the Broken Arrow fre department
for technca support. Any fre guy
mstakes are mne.
As aways I thank my agent and
frend Meredth Bernsten.
A bg grn and thank-you to my
good frend Loa Paazzo, owner of
the ever decous Loas at the
Bowery restaurant, for adng me
n my metcuous, untrng,
thorough research of her specaty
martns. Okay, ets |ust admt t
-some research s more fun than
others..
I woud ke to gve speca thanks
to Chrstne Zka, who was my
goddess edtor for the frst fve
Goddess Summonng books,
ncudng ths one. Because of her
gudance I am a better wrter and
a more confdent storyteer. It s a
ovey added bonus that aong
wth beng a wonderfu edtor, she
aso became my frend. I wsh her
every success n her new career!
PROLOGUE
V enus was restess.
No. It was worse than
restessness. Restessness coud
be camed by a ovey ched
gobet of ambrosa and orderng a
nymph to amuse her. (Whch
meant anythng from patng the
goddesss har nto an ntrcate
crown of bond brads to recevng
a fu body massage from a water
nymph-a decousy sensua
experence that was best
performed on the seashore.
Naked.) But Venus ddnt fee ke
summonng a nymph. And she
was aready sppng a gass of ths
seasons exceent ambrosa,
newy harvested from the Eysan
Feds.
Venus sghed and tapped her
eegant foot aganst the smooth
marbe foor of her chamber n
Vucans underground paace.
Shed retreated from her own
goden tempe ocated hgh atop
Mount Oympus (she dd have a
spectacuar vew) and come down
to her husbands paace for the
same reason she had for
centures: to fnd peace and
soace from the exhaustng dutes
of beng the most beautfu, most
desrabe femae ever created-of
teray beng ove personfed. It
usuay worked to hde away from
the demands of beng the
Goddess of Love deep wthn the
bowes of Vucans ream. After
a, t wasnt as f there was
anythng romantc gong on
between Vucan and Venus. The
very thought made a musca
tte augh escape from the
goddesss perfect ps. That had
been the pont of marryng
Vucan. We, not the whoe pont.
For her, marryng Vucan had
gven her an escape from the
exhaustng |ob of personfyng
ove. For Vucan, marryng the
Goddess of Love had been
vadaton, an attempt to show
the rest of Oympus that he coud
ft n and be one of them.
Apparenty ther passoness,
oveess marrage had worked
better n theory than t had n
actua appcaton.
Venus put down her crysta gobet
of ambrosa. Now where had that
rdcuousy cynca thought come
from? There was nothng wrong
wth the arrangement she had
wth Vucan. It had been workng
for centures, and for centures
more t woud contnue to work.
Wth a sudden nspraton, Venus
stood up and hurred from the
opuent chamber. Thats t-shed
fnd Vucan. They were, after a,
frends. Perhaps he coud hep her
fgure out a good ove match for
Hermes. It was past tme the
Messenger God had those wngs
on hs goden sandas fred up.
Pus there was nothng ke a tte
ct ove to brghten ones day.
Vucan wasnt hard to fnd. (Lke
there were any surprses about
hm-bg or otherwse?) He was,
as usua, n the center of hs
ream where the forge of Oympus
and the great par of fame were
ocated. She entered the room
quety. He was standng before
the coumn of fre wth hs arms
rased. Venus studed hm wth
detached nterest. He reay was a
spenddy but god, though not
typcay bond and the and
gracefu, as were most of the
Oympans. Vucan was dark and
powerfu. The rest of the gods
shunned hm because of hs
physca mperfecton-the mp
hed had for eons. But hs
ameness was sght. It woud
hardy be notced at a f he
ddnt ve amdst the perfecton
of the goden gods.
Yes, physcay he was defntey
attractve. Not that she had ever
fet any desre for hm (or he for
her, as far as she coud te, and
naturay, had there been desre,
Love woud be abe to te). Venus
cocked her head to the sde,
consderng how true t was that
desre and passon often had tte
to do wth the physca and much
more to do wth somethng as
nebuous as a spark that passed
between two sprts. And that
spark was defntey mssng
between the two of them.
Venus shook hersef mentay.
Such thoughts were a waste of
tme. She was, after a, Love. She
coud command that spark
whenever she wshed. So why not
command a tte fun and games
for the famboyant Hermes? It
woud be a good dverson for
Vucan, too. He was far too
serous and too often dd nothng
but work, work, work. Venus
moved coser to the dark god so
that she coud see |ust a tte
over hs broad shouder where the
yeow and orange fames n the
sacred par of fre were swrng
n response to the magc the god
was workng-whatever that was.
Wthn the fames she caught a
bref gmpse of somethng that
ooked ke the nght sky fed
wth gstenng consteatons,
whch was odd but not
partcuary nterestng. Venus had
never understood what was so
fascnatng about the par of
fame. Of course that mght be
because Vucan had never shared
detas about hs magc wth her.
Hmm.She stood there, chewng
her p. Shed never reay thought
about that before. Then she
shrugged mentay. What
dfference dd t make?
"Vucan!" she caed cheery at
hs back.
He ganced over hs shouder and
gave her a dstracted sme.
"Have you been restng we?"
"Actuay, darng, Im terrby
bored today." She waked
anguorousy over to the stone
bench postoned near the famng
par and recned gracefuy.
"How about you and I cook up
somethng decous between
Hermes and say." She hestated,
consderng. "Between Hermes
and Aeous?"
Hs attenton st on the rong
fames, he answered her n a
vague, preoccuped voce.
"Aeous? But doesnt the God of
Wnds prefer young nymphs,
young femae nymphs to other
mmortas?"
Venus waved a hand dsmssvey.
"Such a sma deta. I decde on
the spe, you decde on the fame
that w carry t, and-"
"Forgve me, Venus, but Im n the
mdst of some rather
mportant."-the god hestated,
choosng hs words carefuy
-"research." He dd ook at her
then, but ony ong enough to
gve her a dstracted sme.
"Perhaps another tme."
Venus gared at hm, athough t
wasnt as f he notced her
rrtaton. By Neptunes phaus-
shaped trdent Vucan was du!
Hed never been wd and
passonate and fun-ke, say,
Apoo or hs twn, Artems-and
that had, n truth, been part of
the reason shed marred hm. To
be safe from passon. Then why
dd she suddeny fnd ther
arrangement (as we as the god
hmsef!) so annoyng?
"Thats rght. I woudnt want to
nterrupt your precous."-she
futtered her shapey fngers at
the par of fame-"fre research.
As usua, youre dreadfuy du.
Perhaps another tme." She
echoed hs words sarcastcay.
Then the goddess stood up, and
wth hardy a gace at Vucan,
dsappeared n a puff of gtterng,
ambrosa-coored dust.

By Zeuss beard Vucan was gad
she was fnay gone! Not that he
dsked Venus. Actuay hed
thought of her as a frend for
centures. It was ony recenty
that the frendshp had begun to
sour. The god sghed and rubbed
hs forehead. That wasnt Venuss
faut. It seemed that atey
everythng n hs fe had begun to
sour. But the dssatsfacton was
hs own-wth hs fe. And she
was rght. He was dreadfuy du.
When had he ost hs spark for
fe? For adventure? For ove? The
ast queston foated through hs
mnd, surprsng hm. Love? He
snorted. Hed marred Love, for a
the good t had done hm. There
had never been anythng but
respect and frendshp between
Venus and hmsef. Of course
shed gone ahead to have
countess daances, but that had
never bothered hm. They had an
arrangement, not a marrage.
No, hs reatonshp wth Venus
wasnt what was botherng hm. It
was hs fe n genera. Hs gaze
drfted back to the vsons of the
consteatons he had summoned
wthn the fery par. They ooked
so peacefu.ma|estc.so free.
Longng washed over the God of
Fre. If ony he coud escape to the
heavens and eave the tedum of
hs fe behnd.
And why coudnt he? He was an
Oympan. A powerfu god.
Nothng was mpossbe for hm.
Of course he coudnt eave hs
ream untended. Vucan rubbed
hs face and began to pace back
and forth n front of the burnng
par. Who coud run hs ream
were he to eave t forever? None
of the other gods woud degn to
take hs poston-t was too far
beneath them, teray as we as
fguratvey. He had no fashy
vew, no frockng nymphs, no
gtterng decadence. He
controed the fres of the earth
and Oympus. It was an mportant
|ob, but t certany wasnt as
fashy as, say, pung the sun
across the sky or brngng sprng
to the earth.
Pacng dd nothng to reeve hs
frustraton. Hed wak. That woud
cear hs head. As he cmbed the
stone steps that ed to the
surface he tred to concentrate on
the postves-he was a god, and
even though t woud take a
mrace for hm to be abe to
retre to the heavens, the
Oympans were known for ther
abty to work mraces..

The God of Fre waked sowy
across the grand baroom of Zeus
and Heras paace. He coud have
moved more qucky. Hs
ameness ddnt prohbt speed; t
|ust prohbted grace. Over the
eons he had earned to be sow
and steady to save hmsef from
dsdanfu ooks and muttered
nsuts. How he oathed the
mmortas and ther unceasng
passon for perfecton. They were
shaow and sefsh. Most had no
comprehenson of what rea pan
and sacrfce and oneness
meant.
Vucan uttered an oath under hs
breath. He shoud have gone to
ancent earth and waked through
a deserted forest there to do hs
thnkng. What had made hm
come to hs parents tempe? It
was stupd of hm because the
perfecton that surrounded hm
ony made hs own mperfectons
more obvous.
"Vucan? I caed after you severa
tmes and you dd not hear me. Is
a we wth you, my son?" He
stopped and turned to face Hera,
who was hurryng after hm.
Automatcay he reaxed hs
expresson and smed at hs
mother. "A s we. I was |ust ost
n thought. Forgve me for beng
rude." He kssed her soft cheek.
"You woud never be rude, my
son." Her sharp eyes studed hm.
"You seem sad. Are you qute
certan a s we wth you?"
"Mother, pease dont worry about
me." Vucan forced another sme.
"You know I do." She drew n a
deep breath.
"There s no need. Now I must get
back to my ream. It was good to
see you, Mother." He kssed her
cheek agan, and before those
knowng eyes of hers coud see
further nto hs sou, Vucan
hurred away. The ast thng he
needed was hs mother-or may
a the gods forbd, hs father-
ookng too cosey at hs fe. He
foowed hs own path, chose hs
own destny. And he defntey
ddnt want nterference from the
kng and queen of the gods.
Had Vucan hestated and ganced
over hs shouder at Hera, he
woud have been surprsed to see
her crcng her fngers n the ar,
whch nstanty began to gtter.
And had he been stenng
carefuy, he mght have heard
her whsper, "I grant my son a
snge dose of mother ove to ad
hm n whatever t s that s
makng hs heart heavy."
Vucan ddnt turn around, though,
and he ddnt sten to hs
mothers whsper. He defntey
ddnt notce the amost nvsbe
thread of power that foowed
hm.
Vucan contnued through the
paace, ntent on eavng before
he ran nto any of the other
Oympans. He st moved sowy,
but hs gat wasnt awkward and
sef-conscous. Actuay he moved
senty, wth a strength that was
none-the-ess obvous because of
ts pace. He had |ust come to the
ext of the grand baroom when
he heard aughter that was so
unnhbted and |oyous and
musca that there was no doubt
at a to whom t beonged.
No. He dd not want to face her
agan today. He stopped and
stepped senty nto the
conceang shadows as Venus
approached. She was aughng
and havng an anmated
conversaton wth the Goddess of
Sprng. Obvousy eavng hs
ream had nstanty cured her
boredom.
"A rght Persephone! I concede
to you. After one gmpse of those
dvne boots, Im wng to admt
that I was too harsh n my
|udgment of your tte kngdom,"
Venus sad as she aughed.
"How many tmes do I have to
expan t to you? Tusa,
Okahoma, s not a kngdom, nor
s t mne." Persephones aughter
was ght and carefree, beautfu
n ts own rght, even though t
ddnt have the seductve ure of
the Goddess of Love. "Thnk of
Tusa as you woud one of the
ancent ctes, ke Pompe or
Medoanum, ony the sewage
systems n Tusa are better." She
paused and frowned. "But I
cannot say the traffc has
mproved."
"Are you teng me that you
spend sx months of the year n a
cty wth fabuous marbed baths
ke Pompe?" Venus asked
eagery.
"No. Sorry. Tusa doesnt have
Pompes baths."
"Then does t have Medoanums
decous red wne?" Venus
moaned n remembered peasure.
"Red wne from Itays
Medoanum regon s snfuy rch
and wondrous."
"Uh, no. Tusa snt a wne regon,
athough they do mport wnes
from a over the word."
Persephone chewed her bottom
p decatey whe she paused
and thought for a moment.
"Actuay Ive found mysef fang
n ove wth a drnk caed a
specaty martn. And they are
defntey made rght there n
Tusa."
"That ony sounds vaguey
nterestng. Certany not enough
to account for your obsesson
wth that pace."
"Im not obsessed!"
"Of course you are," Venus sad.
"You spend sx months out of the
year n Tusa. And rght now ts
not even sprng or summer there,
but youve |ust returned from yet
another vst. You cant foo Love,
Persephone. I know obsesson
when I see t."
Vucan assumed the Goddess of
Sprng woud be angered by
Venuss words, so he was
surprsed to hear her respond
wth good-natured aughter.
"Maybe I am obsessed. And why
not? I do adore Tusa. Theres
somethng about wakng the
streets of a modern cty, one
where no one recognzes me as
an mmorta, that s |ust so
wondrousy freeng. Thnk of t,
Venus. No one pre|udges you by
what you may or may not have
done for uncounted centures. No
one knows who your parents are.
No one crnges n fear f you get
annoyed. And heres the best part
-no one worshps you because
youre a goddess. If youre
worshpped"-she smed
seductvey-"ts because youre
a desrabe, ntegent,
fascnatng woman. Can you
magne what a ovey change
that s?" Persephone ddnt gve
the goddess a chance to answer.
"And the men! Modern men are
dfferent than ancent mortas.
They dont have ther hang-ups."
Venuss smooth brow wrnked n
confuson.
"Hang-ups-t means that they
dont thnk ke archac, barbarc
dots. We, most of them dont.
Modern men dont have the
pre|udces the ancents have;
they know how to apprecate
women as equas, and that s
very, very sexy."
From the shadows Vucan
watched understandng dawn
over Venuss beautfu face at the
same nstant he fet a shock of
somethng that he ddnt
recognze at frst because the
emoton was so foregn to hm-
hope. What Persephone had sad
about modern men beng
dfferent had gven hm sudden,
sweet hope.
"I woudnt be recognzed as
Love?" Venus sad at the same
nstant Vucan reazed that he
woudnt be recognzed-or
|udged or shunned-as the God of
Fre.
Persephone smed mpshy. "You
coud practce your sks of
seducton wthout anyone
knowng that you are the
ncarnaton of ove." The goddess
sghed romantcay. "Sounds
ntrgung, doesnt t?"
"It does ndeed."
Yes, Vucan agreed senty. Not
beng recognzed dd, ndeed,
sound ntrgung.
"And dont forget the exceent
shoppng," Persephone added,
gracefuy pontng her toe and
hodng up her foot so that she
coud show off her back agator-
skn cowboy boot.
"Persephone, my frend, perhaps
you woud ke to show me around
your entertanng tte kngdom?"
"It woud be my peasure."
The two goddesses nked arms
and, aughng, waked off n the
drecton of Persephones
mothers tempe, where Vucan
knew Demeter kept open a porta
to the modern cty Tusa.
"Fascnatng." he murmured to
hmsef. Leavng hs parents
tempe he hurred to the stars
that woud return hm nto the
bowes of Mount Oympus and hs
own fery ream. By the tme he
reached hs great ha, Vucans
mnd was buzzng ke the brown
bees of Greece. Modern men
ddnt have the ancents
pre|udces.. They woudnt even
recognze dvne Venus as the
physca ncarnaton of ove. So t
wasnt entrey mpossbe that
maybe, possby, there mght be a
modern man n the shnng Tusa
Kngdom who coud be entced
nto steppng nto hs mmorta
pace. Especay f Love hersef
was unknowngy nvoved n the
entcng.
Wth a new sense of purpose,
Vucan strode to the heart of hs
ream, strppng off hs toga as he
went so that by the tme he faced
the par of open fame that
heated the word hs muscuar
body was naked and aready
gstenng wth sweat.
He rased hs hands, pams open.
In recognton of the presence of
the Fre God, the orange par
rpped and fashed. Vucan cosed
hs eyes and concentrated. Then
he began the ncantaton.
Fre swr and burn, strong and
cear,
ke passon does ove, to Venus
stay near.
Foow Loves sweet path through
Demeters porta,
search, test, seek, fnd a modern
man who s morta.
The fre danced around Vucans
pams ke an exuberant chd,
mrrorng the unusua exctement
that suddeny burned wthn hs
breast. He was so ntent upon the
spe that he ddnt notce the
thread of Heras power that
snaked from around hs body and
|oned the par, makng t fare
and swe wth magc straght
from the queen of Oympus.
Vucan capped hs hands
together and competed the spe.
Wth the unbreakabe strength of
an mmortas beef,
fnd a morta man who can grant
me reef!
The par of fame expoded wth
a roar that woud have nstanty
deafened a morta man.
Unscathed, the Fre God watched
as a sver of goden fame,
nvsbe to a except for the God
of Fre hmsef, formed wthn the
par and then spt free of t to
hover n the ar n front of Vucan.
"Go! Do my bddng!" the god
commanded. Ouck as one of hs
fathers nfamous thunderbots, t
dashed from the heart of Mount
Oympus. Vucan knew ts path.
The questng fame woud foow
Venus a the way through
Demeters porta and nto the
Kngdom of Tusa. There t woud
seek and search for somethng t
coud never fnd n the ancent
word of man-a modern morta
who coud take hs pace as God
of Fre.
Vucan smed n satsfacton and
setted down to wat.

Hera fet the tug of her power
beng used. She ganced
surrepttousy at Zeus. He was
busy wth Demeter. The two of
them were argung good
naturedy over the quaty of the
ambrosa harvest.
"Dearest, I need to check on
some ast mnute detas for the
feast ths evenng. W you
excuse me?"
Zeus nodded and waved absenty
at her. Demeter caught her eye
and Hera wnked qucky at her.
The Goddess of the Harvest
nodded sghty and aunched nto
the ambrosa argument wth new
zea. Hera hurred from the Great
Ha, sure Zeus was we occuped
-at east for a few moments. She
ducked nto a shadowy acove
and cosed her eyes,
concentratng on the gft of power
shed gven her son.
There! Under her cosed ds she
coud see the thread of nvsbe
fre Vucan had bespeed. She
watched as t snaked through
Oympus toward Demeters
tempe and then vanshed nto
the porta that ed to the modern
cty of Tusa. Surprsed, Hera
concentrated harder, and her
conscousness expanded, hooked
nto the thread of questng fre by
the power of the queen of
Oympus. Through the spark of
connecton she saw Venus and
Persephone enter the modern
word, and she coud fee the
weght of Vucans ncantaton as
t foowed the Goddess of Love.
Why was Vucan foowng Venus
and Persephone? Had he fnay
tred of that sham of a marrage
of hs? Hera smed. She sncerey
hoped so. Her son deserved more
than the she of a marrage. Wth
a mothers determnaton she
reached out to the thread of fre
that carred the gft of her power
and spoke to t.
Hear my command; do my dvne
w.
It s my sons empty heart I wsh
to f.
So seek what cannot be found
amongst the gods.
One who w compete hm
aganst a odds.
He has ong been aone, the God
of Fre.
Fnd that speca touch to awaken
hs desre.
Hera fung out her hands and new
power, fed wth her words, few
nvsby through Oympus, |onng
the thread of fre and augmentng
ts aready whte-hot strength.
Hera smed n satsfacton and
retraced her steps back to the
throne room.
CHAPTER ONE
P ea fet a wash of reef, whch
was qucky foowed by
embarrassment when she heard
the fre sren gettng coser. Crap
crap crap! What a way to start
Saturday mornng.
"Theyre amost here, Cho-cho-
ba-bo!" she yeed up at the tree.
The ptfu whne that reped from
the mdde of the wnter-bare
branches squeezed at her heart,
but Pea shook her head sterny at
the dog, refusng to gve n to
Choes manpuaton.
"Okay, ook! How many tmes do I
have to te you? You. Are. Not. A.
Cat."
A back nose appeared from a top
branch of the tree. Behnd t Pea
coud see the gnt of brght,
ntegent eyes starng down at
her.
"Hrumph!" Choe barked the
strange, deep grow sound she
made when she was hghy
annoyed.
"Whatever! You can ove cats. You
cannot be one."
Choe had |ust hrumphed
ndgnanty at her agan when the
fre engne gded to a smooth
stop at the curb. Pea sghed and
gave Choe one more gare. Then
she started to wak toward the
men who were cmbng out of the
tradtona shny red fre truck.
Instanty Choe erupted n a
pathetc chorus of whnes and
yaps. Forgettng a about
embarrassment and dogge
manpuatons, Pea rushed back
to the tree.
"Cho-cho! Its okay, baby gr.
Im rght here."
"Brng the adder over here,
Steve." A deep mae voce caed
from cose behnd her. "Ths s the
tree."
"Hurry!" Pea yeed wthout takng
her eyes from the frghtened dog.
"Shes reay scared, and f she
fas shes defntey gong to
break somethng."
"Maam, cats rarey hurt
themseves when they |ump from
trees. The whoe and-on-ther-
feet myth actuay has qute a bt
of truth to t," the voce over her
shouder sad.
Choe whned agan.
"Hey, thats not a cat."
Pea turned to the freman, an
annoyed frown on her face. "I
ceary tod the dspatcher that
my dog-" she began, puttng her
fsts on her wast and ettng the
worry she fet for Choe shft over
to rrtaton, but one ook at the
man had her anger fzzng and
her tongue stammerng. She fet
her cheeks fame wth heat.
Ouadrupe crap! It was hm.
Grffn DeAngeo. The most
gorgeous man she had ever seen.
Ever. Even on TV. He was aso the
guy shed been crushng on for
the entre past year-ever snce
shed waked Choe by hs house
(whch was |ust down the street
from hers) and seen hm mowng
hs yard. Wthout a shrt on. And
here he was. Standng n her front
yard ke hed waked rght out of
one of her very graphc dreams.
Naturay he wasnt ookng at her
standng there n her baggy
sweatpants and sweatshrted
gory, and he hadnt notced her
sudden pathetc nabty to
speak. He was peerng up at
Choe wth a quzzca sme ttng
hs decous-ookng ps.
"How n the he dd he get up n
that tree?"
"Shes not a he, shes a she. And
she cmbed," Pea sad.
"Oh, pardon my anguage,
maam; I forgot you were there.
Im Grffn DeAngeo, captan of
the Mdtown Staton." He tapped
hs hemet n an archac and
adorabe gesture of a genteman
greetng a ady.
"I know!"
"You know?" He rased an
eyebrow as f to punctuate hs
queston.
"Yeah, you ve down there." Pea
ponted down the bock drecty at
hs house. Lke a staker.
"Remember, we met at the fourth
of |uy bock party ast fourth of
|uy, and aso at the summer
weene roast and agan at the
pre-Chrstmas ght hangng
neghborhood meetng," she
babbed, soundng exacty ke a
staker.
Hs beautfu forehead wrnked n
confuson. "Im sorry, maam. I
dont remember."
Of course he ddnt. No one
remembered meetng her. "No
probem, Im um." She paused
as she stared up nto eyes that
were so bg and bue and
beautfuy dark ashed that she
suddeny and moroncay forgot
her name.
"Maam?"
"Dorreth Chamberan!" she
burted, hodng out her hand ke
a dork. "And the dog caught n
the tree s Choe."
He took her hand genty, ke he
was afrad she mght expode at
hs touch. And why woudnt he
thnk that? Shed |ust tod hm
that theyd met three tmes, none
of whch he remembered, and she
was st standng there gawkng
at hm ke a kndergarten kd n a
bubbe gum factory. And her har!
Pea forced hersef not to groan
and pat mancay at the frzzy
mess shed ted back n her
favorte scrunche.
"Check t out. Its a dog," sad a
young freman who had |oned
them wth two other men carryng
an extenson adder.
"How the he dd t get up there?"
sad another freman, wth a
augh.
Grffn ceared hs throat and
gestured at Pea.
"Sorry, maam," was mumbed n
her genera drecton.
Pea aughed gay, gesturng up at
the tree, tryng hard to sound
perky and nterestng. "She
cmbed!" As usua, none of the
men so much as ganced at her.
"Cmbed? She must be twenty
feet up n that od oak," one of
the unnamed guys sad.
"Shes a good cmber. Shes |ust
not a good cmber downer," Pea
sad, and then wanted to dssove
nto the sdewak n
embarrassment. Cmber downer?
God, she reay was such a dork.
"We, ets get her down," Grffn
sad. The men went to work
extendng the adder, and Choe
started growng.
"What knd of dog s she,
maam?" Grffn asked her.
"Shes a Scotte, but she thnks
shes a cat. See, I have a cat
named Max, and Choe s totay
n ove wth hm, hence the fact
she s cueess that shes a Scotte
dog. Choe s n dena. She
beeves shes a Scotte cat. Im
not sure whether to get her
another dog, get her some Prozac
or take her for a vst to the pet
psychc."
Grffn aughed, a deep, nfectous
sound that made Peas skn tnge
wth peasure. "Or maybe you
shoud |ust nvest n a safety net."
Pea ggged and tred to have one
of "those moments" wth totay,
nsaney gorgeous Grffn the
Freman-one of those eye-
meetng moments where a man
and a woman share a ong, sexy,
ngerng, aughter-fed ook.
Naturay the moment dd not
happen.
Frst, her coquettsh ggge turned
nto-horror of a horrors-a
snort. Second, bonde and
beautfu appeared on the scene.
"Pea! Dont te me Choe got
caught n a tree agan!"
Grffn mmedatey shfted hs
attenton to her neghbor, who
was hurryng up to them, her sx-
year-od daughter n tow. "H,
Grffn," she sad.
"Good to see you agan, Stacy,"
he sad, and tted hs hat to her,
too.
Pea sghed. Of course he
remembered Stacy-ta, seek,
aways together-ookng Stacy-
even though Pea knew for sure
that Stacy had ony made one of
the neghborhood meetngs n the
past year. Wth Stacy there was
no way n he gorgeous Grffn
woud gve her another thought. If
hed ever gven her a frst
thought. Even wth a kd at her
hees, Stacy was rdcuousy
attractve.
But, surprsngy, the fremans
eyes sd back to her. "Pea?" he
asked wth a rased brow.
"Yeah," she sad, shruggng and
aunchng nto the short verson of
her a too famar expanaton for
what everyone caed her. "Sady,
Pea s an unfortunate chdhood
nckname that stuck."
"Oh, come on! Theres nothng
wrong wth your nckname. Peas
adorabe," Stacy sad, grnnng at
her.
"Yea for Pea!" Stacys daughter
Em chmed n. "I ke your name.
Its cute. But ts not as cute as
hm." Em ponted up at Grffn.
"Are you marred? Peas not
marred. Maybe you coud marry
Pea. She doesnt even have a
boyfrend and my mommy says
thats a shame because she reay
s cuter than peope thnk she s
cause-"
Pea sucked n ar and fet her face
baze wth heat whe Stacy
camped her hand over Ems
mouth and tred unsuccessfuy
not to augh.
Thank the sweet weepng baby
|esus that Choe chose that
moment to snar a warnng at the
young freman who was
postonng the adder aganst the
tree.
"Cho! Its okay." Pea hurred over
to the trunk of the tree and
ooked up at the back snout and
brght eyes. Choe whned. "Sorry,
she doesnt ke men," she sad to
the freman. "I reay dont thnk
she bte you. But she w
compan. Probaby a ot."
"I get her," Grffn sad.
"Shes a yours, Captan."
Grffn started up the adder and
Choes ow, rumbng grow
ntensfed.
"Choe! Manners!" Pea caed up
to the perturbed Scotte. Pease,
God, pease dont et her bte hm,
she mentay teegraphed over
and over.. Unt Grffn dd
somethng that made Peas
thoughts, as we as Choes
grows, come to an abrupt hat.
He was cang Choe, but he
wasnt cang her ke someone
woud ca a dog. He was,
unbeevaby, ktty-kttyng her.
"Come here Choe, ktty-ktty. Its
okay tte gr. Come here, ktty-
ktty-ktty.."
Dumbfounded, Pea watched her
dogs ears ft and her head tt
toward the approachng man.
"Good gr," Grffn murmured.
"Good ktty-ktty, ktty-ktty." He
hed hs hand out sowy and et
Choe get a good snff of hm.
"See, you sme her, dont you?
Thats rght, ktty-ktty-ktty, come
on down."
Pea coud ony stand and stare as
Grffn reached nto the tree
crevce and pued Choe, who
was st snffng hm curousy,
nto hs arms and began the
descent down the adder.
"Amazng," Stacy sad wth a deep
breath. "How dd he do that?
Choe hates men."
"Hes too pretty to hate,
Mommy," Em sad.
"Honey, ets keep that for our
nsde thoughts, sha we?" Stacy
sad. Then she ganced at Pea and
whspered, "Even though ts
totay true."
Pea pretended not to hear ether
of them, whch was easy. Her
entre beng was focused on her
dream man strdng toward her
wth her dog-who was actuay
waggng her ta-hed frmy n
hs arms.
"Here ya go, maam." He handed
Choe to Pea.
"Th-thank you," Pea stuttered.
"How?"
"How?" he repeated.
"The ktty-kttyng. How dd you
know to do that?"
"|ust makes sense. You sad she
thnks shes a cat, and you have a
cat, rght?"
Pea nodded.
"Thats how you ca your cat.
Rght?"
Pea nodded agan.
"I fgured shed recognze the
ca."
Grffn scratched Choe on the top
of her head, and Pea watched n
astonshment as her dog-her
man-hatng dog-cosed her eyes
and sghed happy.
"Thats |ust part of t, though,"
Grffn sad. "I was countng on
Choe smeng Ca."
Pea suddeny understood. "Your
cat?"
"My cat." Grffn gave Choe one
ast scratch, then turned back to
hs men. "Okay, ets get ths
oaded up. Have a good day,
maam." He nodded potey to
her and then to Stacy. He wnked
at Em, and then he was gone.
"Em, honey, go on nsde and wat
for Mommy. I be there n |ust a
second," Stacy tod her daughter.
"Are you and Pea gong to tak
about how pretty that freman
was?"
"Of course not, honey. Now go
on."
"Kay! Bye, Pea." Em skpped off
to her house, sngng a song
about emon drops and uncorns.
"Okay, Id forgotten how drop
dead Mr. Ta Dark and Freman s.
I can defntey understand why
youve had a thng for hm for
ages," Stacy sad.
Pea put Choe down and the dog
trotted over to the tree and began
snffng a around the trunk. "Do
not even thnk about cmbng up
there agan," Pea tod her sterny.
Choe ganced back at her and
snorted. "I swear that dog
understands every word I say,"
Pea muttered.
"Heo! Sexy, ncredbe man. We
were takng about hm and not
your nsane Scotte."
"Shes not nsane," Pea sad
automatcay. "And yeah, hes
gorgeous and I mght have a tte
crush on hm."
Stacy roed her eyes, whch Pea
chose to gnore. "But now hes
gone. I dont see the pont n
gong on and on about hm."
"Lke you havent gone on and on
about hm before?"
Pea senty chastsed hersef for
the one or two-okay, ten or
tweve-tmes shed mentoned to
Stacy how hot she thought ther
neghbor was. "Whatever," she
sad, tryng to sound nonchaant
and dsmssve. "Hes st gone,
and theres st no pont n takng
about how gorgeous he s."
"The pont s, Ms. Totay Snge,
that he seemed nterested n
you."
"Get rea, Stacy. He wasnt
nterested; he was pote. Theres
a word of dfference."
"Busht."
"Stacy, he ddnt even remember
me, and today makes the fourth
tme weve met. Men ke hm are
not nterested n women ke me."
"So he has a crappy memory. Lots
of guys do. And women ke you?
What does that mean?"
Pea sghed, and ddnt fee up to
mentonng that Grffns memory
hadnt faed when shed waked
up. "Women ke me-short, pan,
forgettabe. He beongs wth a
mode or a goddess. He doesnt
beong wth me."
"You know, thats your probem!
You defeat yoursef before you
even start. Ive tod you before
that a you need s a tte sef-
confdence. Youre perfecty fne
ookng."
Perfecty fne ookng. Ddnt that
|ust sum t a up? There was sexy
Stacy gvng her what she reay
consdered prase and
encouragement, but the best she
coud come up wth was perfecty
fne ookng. She studed Stacy-
ta and bond wth her great
curves, fabuous boobs and those
cheekbones that made her face
ook ke someone shoud carve t
out of marbe. How coud she
possby understand what t was
to be so average that you went
through fe beng nvsbe? Shed
never waked nto a room and not
turned heads. Pea woud bet the
great rase shed |ust got that
gorgeous Grffn had aready
forgotten her. Men aways dd, but
she woud aso bet that the
fremen were dscussng her hot
bond neghbor a the way back
to the staton. And then someone
mght say somethng ke: "Oh,
yeah, that other gr was there,
too." Pea was the other gr. The
forgettabe gr.
"So w you do t?"
"Huh?" Pea sad, reazng Stacy
had been takng and shed not
heard anythng shed been
sayng.
Stacy sghed n exasperaton. "I
sad, ts not even noon yet. You
have penty of tme to go nto that
fabuous ktchen of yours and
bake a bg pate of your to-de-for
brownes and dever them to
gorgeous Grffn at the staton as
a thank you."
"Let me thnk about that." Pea
paused for haf a bnk. "No."
"And why not?" Stacy ddnt gve
her tme to contnue. "Because
you have so many men beatng
down your door to go out wth
you tonght? Because youre n an
ncredbe reatonshp wth your
dream man? Hmm? Whch one s
t?"
"You know Im not datng anyone,
and thanks for remndng me,"
Pea sad through her teeth, and
then thought for the zonth
tme.
"Okay, so s t because you dont
fnd Grffn attractve?"
"As you very we know thats
defntey not the case."
"Then s t because youre hatefu
and rude and you dont beeve n
thankng the man who |ust saved
your werd Scotte cats fe?"
"Choe snt werd and she wasnt
about to de," Pea sad.
"She defntey coud have broken
somethng f shed faen out of
that tree."
"Stacy, ts stupd and pathetc to
bake brownes as an excuse to
see a man who has no nterest n
me."
"He smed at you and asked
about your nckname," Stacy
countered.
"He was beng pote."
"Maybe. Maybe not. If you dont
bake the brownes, you never
know."
Pea opened her mouth to say no.
Agan. But Stacy nterrupted.
Agan.
"Take a chance, Pea. |ust one
sma chance. The worst that can
happen s that a bunch of
overworked fremen w get a
treat. On the other hand, maybe
your brownes w work magc
and you mght actuay ve out
one of those fantases you usuay
ony dream about.." Stacy
wagged her brows at Pea.
"Fne!" Pea surprsed hersef by
sayng. "I dont have dance cass
t ths afternoon. I bake the
damn brownes and drop them off
on my way to cass."
"Fnay Im vctorous wth the
Pea-and-men ssue! Okay, ook,
be sure you wrte a tte thank
you note, too. On the statonery
that has your new work tte and
etterhead."
"Huh?"
Stacy roed her perfect eyes. "It
serves two purposes. He know
how amazngy successfu you
are, and he aso know how to
get n touch wth you."
"Great. Yeah. Okay. Whatever."
Pea caed Choe and started to
retreat up the steps to her homey
porch.
"You wrte the note?" Stacy
caed.
"I wrte the note."
CHAPTER TWO
S he never knew what to wear.
How dd most women do t? How
dd they fgure out how to put the
rght cothes wth the rght har
wth the rght shoes? (Shoes! That
was a truy nghtmarsh sub|ect!
She coud never seem to pck out
shoes that ddnt ook ke a cross
between someones grandma and
someones cutesy two-year-od
daughter.) Pea pued at her
sweater (why dd t ook so
shapeess? She dd have boobs.
Reay!) and checked hersef n
the rearvew mrror of her
fabuous new car. Pea groaned.
Her makeup ooked wrong. She
coudnt put her fnger on exacty
what was wrong about t, but t
|ust wasnt.wasnt.wasnt
anythng. It wasnt cute or
sophstcated or sexy. And why
dd the new eye shadow shed
|ust taked hersef nto buyng
yesterday suddeny ook orangsh
nstead of the ovey bushng
peach coor t had seemed to be
n the store? Naturay the eye
shadow now cashed horrby wth
her mauve pstck, whch was a
over her teeth. Pea rubbed t off
vgorousy. Then she ganced at
her har. How coud the sky be
cear and there be zero humdty
today n Okahoma, but her har
was st capabe of frzzng out
ke the puff ba on a dandeon?
What had she been thnkng when
she eft t down? Wth a sgh of
resgnaton, she pued the
scrunche out of her purse and
wrapped t around her har. Then
she grabbed the pate of brownes
and waked through the parkng
ot to the front door of the fre
staton.
It ddnt open. Were they cosed?
It was Saturday, but st. Fre
statons ddnt cose. Dd they?
Theyd been at her house earer
that day. And fres happened
twenty-four seven. No way coud
they actuay be cosed. Had she
gone to the wrong door? She
stood there, chewng her p and
ookng around what she had
assumed to be the front entrance
to the od fashoned brck fre
staton. Maybe she shoud |ust
eave the pate of brownes. They
were wrapped n aumnum fo;
theyd be fne. And she had
wrtten a quck thank you note
(sgned by Choe), so theyd
fgure out who they were from,
and probaby woudnt worry
about beng posoned by them or
anythng. Dd fremen worry about
beng posoned by thank you
food? Maybe ths hadnt been
such a good dea.
Pea chewed her p some more.
Ths knd of thng was exacty
what Stacy had taked to her
about tme and tme agan. Stacy
woudnt |ust stand out here,
undecded and pathetc wth
zons of questons zngng
through her mnd. Stacy woud
have gone to the rght door or
whatever. Who was she kddng?
The fremen woud have caught
one gmpse of bond and
beautfu through the obvousy
two-way gass that framed the
door (oh, great-were they a n
there watchng her rght then?)
and there woud have been a
mass rush to get the door open
for her before-
"Maam?" The door opened and a
man she recognzed as one of the
guys who had carred the adder
to the tree ooked out at her.
"Oh, h. The door was ocked."
"Yes maam. Its aways ocked.
You |ust have to rng the be
there on the sde."
"Oh," Pea sad, her face gong hot
as she saw the tte sgn over the
doorbe that read PLEASE RING
FOR ENTRANCE. "I brought Grffn
these to thank hm for gettng my
dog out of the tree," she burted
out and fted the pate.
"Hey, youre the ady wth the
tree-cmbng Scotte!" He
aughed.
"Yep. Thats me."
"Come on n. I get the captan."
He hed the door for her and then
motoned for her to st on a bench
that rested aganst the tte
obbyke foyer. Pea sat and tred
not to be too obvous about
gawkng around the fre staton.
About ten feet or so n front of her
there was an arched doorway that
ed to the garage area where the
fre trucks were kept. She coud
see the smooth cement foor and
the front bumper of the nearest
truck. To her rght there was a
counter that wrapped around to
form what ooked ke a tte
communcatons area, compete
wth mutpe-ne phone
equpment and compex rado
stuff. The man who was sttng
there nodded brefy to her and
then went back to hs book, whch
Pea recognzed as Chrstopher
Moores atest.
"I ove Chrs Moores books," she
sad conversatonay.
He ganced over the top of the
trade paperback and grunted.
"I thnk hes harous," she sad.
"Yeah," he sad, ths tme wthout
ookng at her.
"Boodsuckng Fends s my
favorte, but I ove Lamb, too,"
Pea sad. By now she knew the
dr. Shed try to make pote
conversaton, and he woud make
noses ke he was pretendng to
sten to her. Men dd t a the
tme. She had a theory that men
ony attempted to sten to reay
beautfu women-and then they
were mosty ony attemptng to
sten because t mght get them
nto the beautys pantes. Wth
women who were average-ke
her-they ddnt even pretend to
attempt to sten.
"Yeah," he sad absenty, provng
her theory correct. Agan.
Pea sghed and started to chew
her p agan-and then stopped.
She ooked at the freman.
Actuay he was ony an averagey
attractve guy hmsef. Knda
youngsh, ke n hs ate twentes
-he was probaby ony a year or
two younger than her. He had
nondescrpt brownsh har and an
ordnary face and body. Of course,
he had on the fremans casua
unform-navy bue T-shrt, wth
the Tusa Fre Departments ogo
n god, and navy bue pants-so
that probaby made hm more
nterestng ookng. But st. The
guy was average. Lke Pea. And
suddeny, |ust ke that, t started
to pss her off that he thought t
was okay to gnore her. That
everyone thought t was okay to
gnore her.
"Uh huh, Chrs Moore s a great
storyteer," Pea sad. "Whenever
I read hs books I augh so hard
that I gve brth to a whoe tter of
those fyng monkeys from The
Wzard of Oz," she sad sweety.
"Yeah," the guy sad.
"Wonder f theres somethng you
can take to cure that."
Pea made a stranged yepng
nose that probaby made her
sound ke Choe. Her gaze shot
from the cueess average guy to
the doorway of the garage, where
Grffn was standng, arms foded,
grnnng at her.
"Cure what?" the guy behnd the
counter sad.
"Nothn, Honeyman. Dont worry
about t," Grffn sad, st smng
at Pea.
Pea swaowed and wshed
frantcay that her face ddnt fee
so hot. Agan. It meant that she
was bushng a brght, panfu pnk
coor that there was no way to
pass off as attractvey fushed
cheeks.
"I was |ust, um." Pea traed off.
What coud she say she had |ust
been dong? I was |ust beng a
tota smartass because your
coworker was rudey gnorng me.
No, that woudnt do. She rased
the pate of brownes ke she was
makng an offerng at the shrne
of the Forget-the-Stupd-Thng-I-
|ust-Sad God. "I brought you
some brownes. As a thank you."
Grffn wrnked hs brow and Pea
reazed he ddnt remember who
she was. A-freakng-gn! It had
been three and a haf hours snce
hed rescued Choe from the tree,
and hed forgotten her. For the
fourth tme. Great. How totay
and typcay embarrassng. Pea
stood up and qucky paced the
pate on the counter-thnkng
thats what she shoud have done
n the frst pace. |ust eft the
damn pate there wth the stupd
note and gone on to dance cass
before-
"Oh, thats rght," Grffn sad,
recognton cearng the confuson
from hs expresson. "Youre my
neghbor. Choe the Scotte cats
mom." He paused a beat and
then chucked before addng,
"Pea."
"Yeah, Choe and I |ust wanted to
say thanks." Pea ponted at the
aumnum fo-wrapped pate,
tryng not to bush agan, ths
tme n peasure, because hed
fnay remembered her. "We
baked brownes. We, actuay, I
baked them. She and Max begged
for a taste."
"Max, the rea cat n the famy?"
Pea fet another rdcuous rush of
peasure that hed remembered.
"Thats rght. The one whos as
good a cmber downer as a
cmber upper." Oh, no. Had she
reay |ust sad cmber downer
agan? She smed gay, hopng
somehow he woudnt notce that
she was the bggest dork n the
known unverse. "You wont ever
have to rescue Max."
"That woudnt be a probem,
maam," he sad, pretendng to
tp an magnary hat. "Its a part
of the |ob."
"We |ust wanted to say thanks,"
Pea sad, feeng hersef gettng
caught n the bue depths of hs
eyes.
"Thank you, that was nce of you,
and we aways apprecate food
around here," Grffn sad.
"Thank you," Pea sad, and then
reazed she had thanked hm
severa tmes and had now begun
thankng hm for thankng her for
thankng hm. We, he. "Okey-
dokey then. I |ust eave the
brownes. Dont worry about the
pate. Its od. You can |ust throw
t away when youre done. Or
keep t. Or whatever." Oh, God.
She was babbng. "We, thanks
agan. And you guys stay safe out
there." Pea gave Grffn a |aunty
tte saute and then boted out
the door.
Her mted edton Thunderbrd
was a cream-coored sanctuary,
whch she decded was a perfect
anaogy snce she had about as
much soca couth as Ouasmodo.
Pea cosed the door and eaned
her forehead aganst the steerng
whee.
"I sauted hm," she sad
mseraby. "I reay shoudnt be
aowed out n pubc wthout
supervson."

Dance cass, whch had been
Peas weeky escape from the
annoyances and dsappontments
of the word for twenty-fve of her
amost thrty years, ddnt work ts
magc that day. She fet suggsh
and Madam Rngwater, her
ancent but tmeessy competent
baet nstructor, had to
reprmand her sharpy for mssng
basc movements. Twce.
Pea coudnt stop thnkng about
Grffn.
She knew t was sy and chdsh
and unreastc, but she was
smtten. Her year-ong crush-
from-a-dstance had morphed nto
a fu-bown cose-encounter
crush.
She was an dot.
"Dorreth! Concentraton, merc. I
ceary asked for battement tendu
|et and not the battement
dgag you so soppy
performed." Madam Rngwater
stamped her practce stck
aganst the smooth wood foor of
the studo and spoke sharpy n
her thck French accent. "Fates-
encore! Do t agan!"
Pea grtted her teeth and began
the decate ft of her toe from
the foor, tryng to focus and
move n tme wth the cassca
musc.
Grffn had smed at her and met
her eyes. Twce. Stacy had even
sad she thought he was
nterested n her, and Stacy
shoud know. She was happy
marred to Ken-do ookng Matt,
and men st showed way too
much nterest n her.
Maybe she was rght. Maybe he
had been nterested n her.
Then Pea remembered how Grffn
hadnt even reay recognzed her,
for the fourth tme, when hed
frst seen her at the fre staton,
and her stomach sank. No. He
was |ust beng nce and pote ke
a freman shoud be. What was t
hed sad? Its a part of the |ob.
But f she were gorgeous.or
somehow memorabe.maybe
then hs tte amost-nterest
woud change nto rea nterest.
And how was that supposed to
happen? How was she supposed
to become memorabe?
Ddnt she remember how
dsastrous t was to try to pretend
to be somethng she wasnt? A
she had to do was to thnk back
to her freshman year n hgh
schoo, and ke t was yesterday
nstead of a decade or more ago,
she remembered a too we that
humaton.embarrassment.
faure..
No. The past was the past. She
was a grown-assed woman now.
She shoudnt et that chdsh
stuff st mess wth her. But she
dd.
Wth a huge effort, Pea pushed
the memores from her mnd and
focused on her refecton n the
wa-szed studo mrrors. She saw
what she aways saw. Pan,
ordnary Pea. She had on her gray
dance sweats, whch were roed
down around her hps (whch
reay werent hps at a-she was
too damn tte to have those
fabuous curvy, uscous hps
shed aways enved n other
women). Her baet IS the ponte
ong-seeved T-shrt was ted up
|ust under her rbcage, exposng
way more of her skn than Pea
was normay comfortabe
showng. But ths was dance
cass, and dance cass was
somehow on a dfferent standard
when t came to showng skn and
such. She wshed she had great
boobs to f out the top of the
shrt, but she ddnt. She had
what Stacys daughter had once
caed bumps. Ltte bumps. Her
har was, as usua, crazy
escapng from scrunche
bondage, and brown tendrs of t
were pastered aganst her
fushed and sweaty face. She
hated her har. Truy hated t.
Okay, but at east she wasnt a
fat and saggy and out of shape.
Truthfuy shed probaby never
sag. Her nterna edtor whspered
nasty that was because she
ddnt have anythng to sag, but
Pea forced hersef to gnore the
voce n her head that was aways
so negatve. It ddnt reay matter
why she woudnt sag-t |ust
mattered that she woudnt.
Rght? She ddnt gve hersef
tme to answer the queston;
nstead she took her mnd down a
path she rarey ventured.
Maybe she dd have somethng
that coud be worked nto unque
or memorabe. Or at east maybe
she coud have somethng
attractve about her, ke Stacy
kept sayng. Maybe she |ust
needed some drecton so she
coud deveop her sef-confdence.
She wasnt n hgh schoo
anymore, and there were no
hatefu grs on the dance squad
to humate her and ca her
names. She was a successfu
adut. Actuay she had managed
to attan sef-confdence about
severa thngs: baet, cookng,
her |ob as program drector of
Tusa Communty Coege. She
even had sef-confdence about
her abty to create a great home.
She stared at hersef n the mrror
as she mancay battement tendu
|et-ed. Why was t so hard for
her to transfer the sef-confdence
that permeated the rest of her fe
to her persona stye and
appearance? Was t |ust her past
that was hodng her back? Her
fear that f she tred and ths
tme, as an adut, faed, she
woud truy be forever doomed to
the ranks of wafower and
undesrabe dork?
"Enough! We are fn for today,
Dorreth," Madam Rngwater sad,
wth a ook of dsgust. "You
cannot concentr sur e baet
when your mnd s on the
boudor."
Pea gasped and froze md-toe ft.
"But Madam Rngwater, Im not
-"
The ancent dance nstructor fted
her we mancured hand,
sencng Pea. "Lamour fat des
mbces de nous tous. Now go.
Next tme you w work twce as
hard, ou?"
"Okay. Yes. Im sorry, Madam, I
|ust." Pea shrugged, not reay
knowng f she fet embarrassed
or peased. Impusvey she
hugged the od woman before she
grabbed her towe and hurred
out of the studo. No one had ever
sad anythng ke that to her
before! No one had ever even
mped that she mght be
preoccuped wth what went on n
her bedroom. Maybe her fe was
changng.
We, she was wng-she was!
She woud.she woud.Pea
chewed her p as she got n her
car and backed out of the studo
parkng ot. She woud not et
ths.whatever t was that had
suddeny grabbed hod of her go.
Pea drove amessy for a whe,
and then her eyes wdened when
she saw the bg red-and-whte
Borders sgn for the Twenty-frst
Street store. That was t! Shed go
nto the bookstore and research
how to get some stye-some
sense of nonordnaryness. She
coud fgure out how to cook a
gourmet mea, change her o,
tear down od wapaper and
make a room ook magnfcent.
She coud even pan casses for
the entre contnung educaton
department at her coege. Surey
she coud teach hersef how to be
ess.ess.dorky.
Why had she not thought of t ke
that before? She knew the answer
a too we. She had et the past
rue her present. Pea wanted to
sap hersef on the forehead. We,
she wasnt gong to et t contro
her future! Persona stye wasnt
some knd of dark, mysterous,
unknown womans terrtory that
was off mts to her. It was |ust
somethng she needed to earn.
And ths damn sure wasnt hgh
schoo anymore. Post-hgh schoo
and coege shed earned how to
do a sorts of hard thngs.
Successfuy. Stye had to be |ust
another earnabe sk. Sure, t
was too embarrassng to ask
someone ke perfect, Barbe-ke
Stacy to teach her persona stye,
but coudnt she |ust read about
t? Man, oh man! Shed been such
an dot! Shed aready maybe
knda attracted an ncredby
handsome mans attenton who
shed been crushng on for a year.
Ddnt that mean she at east had
potenta to work wth? Pea was
gong to make hersef beeve t
dd. She parked rght n front of
Borders and, ke a woman wth a
msson, marched nto the store.
CHAPTER THREE
I t wasnt unt shed seen the
matron sobbng semhystercay
n the womens sef-hep ase that
she thought about the Engsh
transaton to the French sentence
Madam Rngwater had sad to her.
Lamour fat des mbces de
nous tous, Pea suddeny reazed,
meant Love makes foos of us a.
She tred not to stare at the
weepng woman who was hodng
a copy of a book tted Why Men
Love Btches.
Pea decded that maybe she was
n the wrong secton and eft
womens sef-hep to cross
through the gay and esban
studes secton. No pont n
stoppng there. Not uness she
wanted to change teams. She
paused and consdered whether
shed be nterested n havng sex
wth a woman. No. We at east
she was sure about that. Pea eft
that secton and moved to the
ad|onng sheves abeed New
Age, where the brghty coored
spnes snagged her attenton.
The frst pretty book she pued
off the shef was tted Magck &
Rtuas of the Moon. Curous, Pea
thumbed through t. Chapter ttes
ke "The Fu Moon Esbat" and
"Waxng and Wanng Moon
Magck" were as foregn to Pea as
they were ntrgung. She put the
book back and et her eyes roam
over the other ttes. Earth Power,
Powerfu Protecton Magc, and
Magca Rtes from the Crysta
We contnued to pque her
nterest. Wow! Shed never heard
of any of these books-or any of
these deas. Was ths wtchcraft?
She notced a book tted Wcca
Demystfed by Bryan Lankford.
Huh. Guess some of t was
wtchcraft. Pea shrugged, teray
and fguratvey. At east there
were no sobbng women n ths
ase. Then somethng fckered at
the edge of her vson. Somethng
ke the futter of butterfy wngs
or maybe the fant sputter of a
cande n a breeze. Pea turned
and she fet a tte catch n her
breath, as f someone had |ust
whspered a coo secret to her.
The hardback books spne was
the coor of heavy cream and t
beckoned wth ts rchness. In
sver scrpt the tte appeared to
shne: Dscover the Goddess
Wthn-Uneash Venus and Open
Your Lfe to Love. Her hand
reached out, amost hestanty,
even though her fu attenton had
been captured by the book. Wth
a subdued shush sound t sd free
from between the two books
pressed aganst t.
Pea ran her fngers over the
cover. The tte was there n
rased sver embossed scrpt,
aong wth the authors name,
|uno Panheenus, whch shoud
have seemed werd, but Pea
thought nstead t fet rght that
the authors name evoked a
sense of ancent magc and
mystery. The ony decoraton on
the cover was the sver outne of
a tmeess (and very curvy)
goddess fgure. Her arms were
uprased wth the fu moon
restng between her hands. The
goddess ooked sexy and
mysterous and desrabe. Pea
thought how odd t was that the
book fet coo beneath the bas of
her fngertps. She opened t and
ganced down the tabe of
contents: "Know Venus and Know
Confdence," "Know Venus and
Know Beauty," "Know Venus and
Know Sexua Confdence".and
on and on unt, fnay, "Know
Venus-Evoke the Goddess!"
A trcke of exctement skttered
through Peas body. That was t! If
she coud teach hersef to have
the confdence of a goddess then
surey shed no onger be
nvsbe! And what better
goddess than the Goddess of
Love, Venus hersef? Who coud
gnore Venus? If a woman had the
aure of a goddess, what coudnt
she do? (Or who coudnt she do?)
Gggng softy, Pea cutched the
book to her chest and hurred
toward the checkout ne.
Pea fet ght and happy and
hopefu as she pued out of the
Borders parkng ot and, on
mpuse, headed downtown. She
checked the tme-fve thrty-fve.
Yes! Her favorte restaurant,
Loas at the Bowery, woud be
open, but t was st eary enough
that t woudnt be too crowded.
Shed grab the corner tabe,
whch was perfect for readng,
and order her favorte appetzer,
the Itaan antpasto patter.
Oooh! She mght even treat
hersef to one of Loas specaty
martns; td be ke she was on
hoday!
What better way to turn a new
page n her fe?

"Admt t, Venus. I was rght,"
Persephone sad.
"You were, and I dont mnd
admttng t. Tusa s smpy
marveous! I cant beeve youve
been keepng the secret of ths
modern kngdom to yoursef,"
Venus sad.
"Im not keepng t a secret! I tod
you about t."
"Ha! Ony after I saw those dvne
boots."
"Of whch you now own a par,
too."
"Aong wth these adorabe
earrngs!" Venus shook her head
so that the ong, hand-beaded
danges danced around her
gracefu throat. "What was that
wonderfu bead pace caed
agan?"
"The Bead Gaery. The modern
woman Im frends wth, Lna
Santoro, ntroduced me to Donna
Prgmores gaery durng one of
my eary trps here. As Lna says,
she makes |ewery ft for a
goddess."
"So true, and such a ovey
surprse. I aso admt you were
rght about these drnks." Venus
spped from the frosty martn
gass and moaned dramatcay n
amost sexua peasure. "What dd
you ca ths nspred creaton?"
"Its one of Loas specaty
martns. Youre drnkng the
Nupta, a mxture of Skyy vana
vodka and butterscotch schnapps.
It says on the menu that you
ove t so much t be t death
do you part!"
"Very approprate for the Goddess
of Love," Venus sad, aughng,
and then she owered her voce.
"Oops! By Heras freezng tts ts
hard to remember that no one
knows who I am here, so I reay
shoud be carefu about what I
say."
"Venus. Honey. Cang yoursef a
goddess wont make modern
mortas beeve youre reay a
goddess, but usng that archac
curse w get you some werd
ooks from them. Not to menton
youd make Hera mad f she
heard you." Persephone grnned.
"And, anyway, how do you know
her tts are freezng?"
"We, they must be. Shes aways
a"-the Goddess of Love paused
and searched for the rght word
-"nppey. You know ts true. And
she aways wears those see-
through whte chtons. Who coud
mss her arousa? Theyre so
puckered and erect. It makes me
thnk Zeus mght not be takng
care of her needs. As Goddess of
Love, perhaps I shoud speak to
hm-"
Persephone choked on her
martn, and then sputtered. "Now
that s somethng I want to see!
You questonng the amghty
Zeus about whether hes an
adequate over or not!"
"Its perfecty my rght to
queston even Zeus." Venus
snffed haughty. "Love s aways
my busness." Then her eyes
wdened and she grnned
mschevousy. "Whch s exacty
why I bought." The goddess
reached down and pued a ong,
cynder-shaped box from one of
the shoppng bags by her feet.
"Ths!" She rased the box wth a
foursh.
Persephone shook her head and
tred, unsuccessfuy, to stfe a
ggge. "I cant beeve you
actuay bought that thng."
"How coud I not after readng ts
name?" She ponted to the shny
back box that had the words
Venus DMy Lay wrtten n brght
scaret etters across t. "How do
you get n ths thng?"
"Youre gong to open t? Rght
here?"
Venus ganced up at her, voet
eyes bemused. "Why not?"
"We, t ooks ke a."
Venus managed to wreste open
the d and sde out ts contents.
Hodng t up, she fnshed for
Persephone, "A bg back phaus!"
"It certany does." Persephone
stared. "Actuay ts dsturbngy
rea. What does t fee ke?"
Venus caressed the ong, back
shaft, runnng her sender fngers
knowngy over ts rounded head
and feshke rdges and vens. "It
fees nce. Much more reastc
than the pha the ancents carve.
I mean, reay. Not even a gods
pens truy gets as hard as
marbe, no matter what Apoo
may boast. How does t work?"
Venus enthusastcay shook the
huge ddo wth a |erkng-t-off
moton, gettng severa
nterestng ooks from men sttng
at the bar, whch she chose, for
the moment, not to acknowedge.
"It says t vbrates, but ts not
vbratng." She frowned.
"Gve me that thng. You have to
put n the batteres."
"Batteres?"
"Modern magc that makes t
work."
"Oooh." Venus spped her martn
whe she watched Persephone
nsert batteres nto the shaft of
the phaus. "So those thngs w
reay cause t to vbrate?"
"Thats what the gr at Prcas
Toy Box sad."
"She was oddy perced. Dd she
remnd you of an Amazon warror,
too?" Venus asked.
"Now that you menton t, there
was somethng wd and
warrorke about her. She mght
not qute be an Amazon, but I
thnk Artems woud approve of
her," Persephone sad. "Here. Try
turnng t on now." She passed
the pens across the tabe and
ponted to the hdden swtch n ts
base. Venus stroked t on. The
huge member came ave,
hummng happy.
Venus gasped. "By Zeuss
swngng testces! It s magc!"
"Okay." Persephone ooked
qucky around the chc
restaurant, frownng severey at
the men at the bar who were
ceary beng very entertaned by
Venuss unnhbted show. She
took the vbrator from the
goddess, fpped t off and put t
back n ts box. "You reay mght
want to rethnk the dvne
gentaa cursng."
"What?"
"The tts and testces of the
Oympans |ust arent used as
curses here." She dropped the
Venus DMy Lay n the shoppng
bag and unobtrusvey kcked the
bag under ther tabe.
"Persephone. I am Goddess of
Love." Venus kept her voce ow
but frm. "Its aways approprate
for me to curse usng references
to gentas. Anyones gentas."
"Do you want to ft n here?"
"Of course! I adore modern
mortas. I can aready te that the
men are apprecatve wthout
beng sycophants. And the
women move wth such a
decous sense of freedom and
power. I pan on spendng many
happy days exporng ths
wonderfu kngdom."
"Then eave the gentas of the
gods and goddesses out of t."
Venus frowned, ookng unusuay
pensve. "Im not sure I can. You
know I prefer to refer to ove
whenever I can."
Persephone rased one decate
eyebrow. "Love?"
"Naturay. Gentas equa ove-
ove equas gentas. Persephone,
darng, do we need to have a
more prvate tak? How have your
orgasms been atey? Are you
experencng mutpe reeases?
And when you dont have a
partner, have you been
peasurng yoursef adequatey?"
Persephone rased her hands,
pams out. "Stop. You wn. Use
whatever curses pease you most.
|ust be prepared to be questoned
about them."
"Im aways prepared to answer
questons about ove." Venus
smed sweety. "But frst I
want." She caught the young
watresss eye and wagged her
fngers at ther two amost-empty
martn gasses.
"Dd you ades want another
round?"
"Darng, you sad your name was
|enny, ddnt you?" Venus asked.
"Thats rght." The watress
smed. "Two more martns?"
"Yes, but ths tme ets try the
Wake," Persephone sad.
"Exceent! You ove t. I brng
those rght out."
"The Wake?" Venus asked
Persephone after |enny hurred
off.
"Its yummy-chocoate queur,
espresso, vodka, ce crystas."
She cked her ps and shvered n
deght. "Trust me on ths."
"Oh, I do! It sounds decadent. Im
certan I ove t. Ive oved
everythng ese n ths kngdom."
"Okay, youre reay gong to have
to qut cang t that. Theres no
such thng as a kngdom of Tusa.
Its |ust Tusa. Lke Rome s |ust
Rome, not the kngdom of Rome."
Venus scoffed. "Try teng those
obsessvey patrotc ancent
Romans theyre not a kngdom."
"Pont taken. I used a bad
exampe. Heres the thng-you
can be eccentrc and dfferent
here-thats fne. Youre ncredby
beautfu-"
"Why thank you darng!" Venus
nterrupted.
"Im |ust statng the truth.
Anyway, you can get away wth
beng.we.what modern
mortas w consder werd
because of your beauty."
"Werd? I am not werd."
"By Athenas wdenng ass you
certany are!" Persephone sad,
mmckng her frends voce and
usng one of her a-tme favorte
curses.
Venuss voet eyes sparked.
"Athenas ass s gettng bg. Come
on. Admt t. Shes become far too
serous! A, Look at me! Im the
gray-eyed Goddess of War,
Wsdom and the Arts." She
exaggerated a yawn. "She needs
to oosen up and n more ways
than one. A few stretchng
exercses and a good |og woud
hep her out as much as takng a
over or two."
"Youre ncorrgbe." Persephone
aughed. "And youre not gong to
get me off the sub|ect that easy.
You can use your genta curses.
You can even get way too
persona about other peopes
ove ves. But you cant go
around cang Tusa a kngdom."
"Fne, fne, fne. Its not a
kngdom. Its a cty. Ive got t. I
remember. Its |ust that Im
havng so much fun! I adore Tusa
and ts mxture of cheeky modern
men and confdent modern
women, especay because none
of them have any dea who I am."
"I tod you t woud be a freeng
experence to vst the modern
word."
"We I am Love, and I can
offcay say that Love s n ove
wth Tusa!"
The watress put two fresh
martns on ther tabe, aong wth
two sender whte sces of an
exqustey decorated cake. "Here
are your Wakes, ades. And the
owner, Loa, s testng out a new
dessert-persona weddng cake.
Pease sampe t wth her
bessng."
"Weddng cake!" Venus aughed
and capped her hands together
n a spontaneous show of grsh
peasure. "How perfecty
approprate."
"Are you gettng marred?" the
young watress asked.
"Me? No! Ive been marred
forever. Thats not why ts
approprate. Its |ust that I am
Love. Naturay weddng cake
shoud be a favorte of mne."
The watress contnued to sme
potey, but her face had turned
nto a queston mark.
"She means shes fxed up a ot of
her frends. Sometmes we |ust
ca her Love," Persephone
expaned.
"Shes good at fxng up peope?
Thats coo."
"You have no dea," Venus
mumbed through a bg bte of
weddng cake. "Pars and Heen,
Pygmaon and-"
"Thanks for the cake!"
Persephone nterrupted smoothy.
"And keep an eye on our martns;
we want at east one more
round."
"W do."
When she was gone Persephone
bt nto her own sce of cake
whe she shook her head at
Venus.
"What? You dont ke the cake. I
thnk ts wonderfu."
"The cake s exceent. You, on the
other hand, are a mess."
Venus took a sp of the new
martn and moaned softy n
peasure. "By Apoos goden
phaus ths s decous!"
"Venus, coud you pease, pease,
pease try to remember that to
the modern mortas Troy exsted
thousands of years ago? And to
them Pygmaon carvng Gaatea
out of marbe was |ust a myth."
"Pygmaon? A myth? Impossbe.
He was a dreadfu woman hater
before I payed matchmaker." She
grnned mschevousy.
"Matchmakng wth a statue. I
must say that I outdd mysef that
tme. How coud peope beeve
that ove story was a myth?"
"You knew them!" Persephone
hssed. "And youre used to
magc, unke modern mortas."
Venus cocked her head to the
sde and studed Persephone.
"You seem very tense. When was
the ast tme you orgasmed?"
"That has nothng to do wth t."
"Of course t does. When was the
ast tme?"
"Fve days ago."
"See there!" Venus nodded
vgorousy as f shed |ust proved
an exceent pont to an attentve
audence. "Thats your probem."
"I dont have a probem."
"We you wont f we get you
propery ad." Venus ooked
around the restaurant, ceary
checkng out the men at the bar.
"No. Reay. Im fne. And f Im not
I do have a rather ong st of
morta men I can ca on," she
sad smugy.
"Exceent. Then do so. Fve days
wthout a proper orgasm s
entrey too ong. But are you sure
you dont want me to work a tte
ove magc for you?" She wagged
her ong, shapey fngers and
damondke gtter began to form
n the ar around them.
"No!" Persephone yeped,
grabbng Venuss hand and
causng the ove dust to fa n a
sma, sparkng heap on ther
tabe. She qucky bew on the
powdery substance and then
went nto a sneezng ft when t
danced n the ar around them
before dsappearng back nto the
Goddess of Loves fngertps.
"Be carefu," Venus sad as she
fnshed the ast of her cake.
"That stuff snt good for your
ungs."
"Thanks for remndng me,"
Persephone sad sardoncay
whe she snffed decatey. "|ust
never mnd on the ove magc
stuff. Im dong fne on my own.
Pus you know what happens
when you get too nvoved n the
ove ves of the gods."
"What are you takng about? I
have made uncounted matches-
happy matches."
"Yes, you have. Happy matches
between mortas. When you mess
wth our ove ves, as n the
mmortas, of whch I am one,
thngs tend to go wrong.
Drastcay wrong."
"You exaggerate."
"Exhbt A-Athena and Odysseus.
You decded Athena needed to
ove a morta. Look me n the eye
and te me your meddng ddnt
cause the man to be absent from
hs wfe and famy for twenty
years."
Venus shrugged and ooked
uncomfortabe. "If Athena hadnt
been so obsessve that tte affar
woudnt have been such a bad
thng."
"So youre admttng t was a bad
thng?"
"Maybe."
"Fne. Exhbt B-the
Scya/Gaucus/Crce debace."
"Thats not far. I had no dea that
Crce was so attached to Gaucus.
I thought he and Scya made a
ovey match. You know I dd thnk
he was |ust scrumptous after he
became a water dety. How was I
to know that Scya re|ectng hm
woud make Crce so |eaous?"
Venus pouted. "I reay dont know
how you can hod that aganst
me."
"Okay. How about Exhbt C-Zeus
and-"
"I get the pont. Athough how
you coud bame me for any of
Zeuss sy affars I never
know," she muttered. "Anyway I
wont medde n your ove fe.
Rght now," she added under her
breath. "But I do have the urge to,
I dont know, arrange somethng
for these fabuous mortas. Knd
of as a payback for havng such a
ovey tme n ther cty." She
enuncated the word dstncty,
gettng a grn from Persephone.
"Hey, medde away wth the
mortas. Its fne wth me.
Whether they are aware of t or
not, theyre ucky to have the
Goddess of Love be so
nterested."
"Reay!" Venus brghtened.
"Matchmakng aways gets my
womany |uces fowng."
"Venus. Pease. TMI."
"TMI?"
"Too much nformaton. Keep your
womans |uces to yoursef."
"You know, for Sprng, you reay
are a prude." She narrowed her
eyes at Persephone. "When was
the ast tme you gazed at the
beauty of your sacred otus
bossom wth a mrror?"
Persephone choked on her
martn.
"|ust as I thought. You need to
spend more prvate tme wth the
core of your womanhood."
"Mortas. Focus on the mortas,
Venus," Persephone sad between
coughs.
"If you nsst." Venus sad,
turnng her attenton to the
mortas surroundng them even
whe she fed away n her mnd
that shed have Persephone sent
a speca mrror when she got
back to Mount Oympus.
Then a thoughts of Persephone
and mrrors fed her mnd as a
group of aughng men entered
the restaurant. They took seats at
the geamng oak bar and began
a good-natured frtaton wth Loa
hersef, who had emerged from
the ktchen and was one of those
tmeessy attractve women who
coud have been anywhere from
thrty-fve to ffty-fve and who
woud st be confdent and sexy
at sxty-fve and seventy-fve.
Obvousy the group of men were
reguars as we as favortes wth
Loa and her watstaff.
"Who are they?" Venus asked
Persephone.
"Fremen." Persephone purred
the word.
CHAPTER FOUR
H ghghter n hand, Pea was
porng over her new book.
Dscover the Goddess Wthn-
Uneash Venus and Open Your Lfe
to Love was propped open wth
two butter knves so that she
coud nbbe on the decous
antpasto patter and keep
readng at the same tme. Shed
breezed through the chapters on
confdence and beauty and good
sex, hghghtng sectons she
needed to go back and study
more thoroughy.
Wow! The book was such an eye-
opener! Shed heard a her fe
about sef-fufng propheces
and how envsonng thngs coud
make them happen, and she
totay beeved n that knd of
stuff workng for career
advancement. Thats one reason
she |ust got a fabuous promoton
from assstant program drector of
Tusa Communty Coeges
Contnung Educaton Department
to honest-to-god drector. She was
now her own boss, answerng ony
to the presdent of the coege
and her board. And she was the
youngest drector at the coege.
But she had aways beeved n
her management sks and knew
beyond any doubt she was savvy
n choosng teachers and casses
that appeaed to the aduts n the
communty. Under her nfuence
the adut ed department had
become a popuar, successfu
addton to the coege currcuum.
Shed |ust never thought she
coud use the same ogc and
postve thought process to fx the
acks n her persona fe. No. It
was more than that. As she read
the book and reay thought about
sef-fufng propheces she
reazed that shed been sef-
fufng her persona neptness
that had started n hgh schoo.
And boy dd that seem sy.
Bascay hatefu teenagers were
st nfuencng her-a grown-ass
woman. But ths book was gong
to hep her change a of that; t
was gong to gve her a whoe
new vewpont. The more she
read, the more ntrgued she
became. It was fed wth
matrarcha beefs a centerng
around the vaue of todays
women and what was, apparenty,
an ancent beef n the dvnty of
the femnne. What a magca
thought! That she was speca
and worthy of ove, |ust because
she hed a pece of the Dvne
Femnne wthn her! It was
heady, reay, and more
ntoxcatng than the wonderfu
pomegranate martn she was
savorng.
She devoured the book and even
ordered a second pomegranate
martn. Why not spurge a tte?
She was, after a, a fabuous
woman who deserved to be
touched by the strong, sexy spark
of the Dvne Femnne! Pea
turned eagery to the fna
chapter, "Know Venus-Evoke the
Goddess!" Her eyes scanned the
reatvey short chapter, wdenng
n surprse. It sad that she had to
memorze the nvocaton prayer
to Venus, and then as she was
peasurng hersef to orgasm, she
was supposed to recte the
nvocaton aoud. The Goddess of
Love woud then hear her and
bess her wth the power of ove
and beauty, confdence and
desre. In other words, a the
thngs Pea so desperatey desred.
Okay, sure, t sounded bzarre-to
masturbate whe she was rectng
a goddess nvocaton, and the od
Pea woud never had done such a
thng. Actuay the od Pea had
never been very comfortabe wth
the whoe masturbaton ssue.
Sure, she dd t, but not very often
and she aways fet, we,
embarrassed afterward. But that
was the od Pea, and the od Pea
was an nsecure dork. The new
Pea turned the page and began
memorzng the nvocaton.
Peasure, |oy, deght and bss,
Oh dear Venus, grant me ths.
Wth ove and hope I ca to thee,
Work your magc |ust for me.
Beautfu Venus, bessed be,
Happness and ecstasy
Are the gfts I ask from thee!
And then she was supposed to
orgasm. Pea sghed. It was gong
to take some serous
memorzaton to get a of that
rght. So she got to work, takng
the nvocaton ne by ne whe
she gnawed on the raw vegges
eft on the antpasto tray and
tred not to gup her second
martn. A sudden vbratng sound
and a gae of musca aughter
totay nterrupted her
concentraton. Pea ooked up from
the book and had to stfe her own
ggges. Two uttery gorgeous
women were sppng martns
whe they passed back and forth
a humongous back ddo, whch
was now vbratng for a t was
worth. Pea coudnt beeve she
hadnt notced them there before.
They were the knd of women
even women stared at. From her
tte tucked away corner tabe t
was easy for Pea to watch them
wthout beng obvous. How n the
word coud two women have
such totay perfect har? One
woman, who ooked ke she
mght be the younger of the two,
athough nether of them ooked a
day oder than thrty, had ong,
thck brunette har that was the
coor of rch earth or expensve
mahogany furnture. The other
womans har was ong, too,
appng down we past her
shouder bades n bountfu, sun-
fed waves. No, that wasnt rght.
Her har was more sver/whte
than god-more ke moonght
than sunght-but t dd shmmer
and shne ke a precous meta.
Automatcay Peas hand went to
her own har. Even though t was
st pued severey back n a
ponyta from baet cass, she
coud fee the brown frzzes that
habtuay escaped from t. Her
har was ong, too. Reay ong. Of
course no one coud te that
except when t was wet. After t
dred t knked up nto a puffy
brown fuzz-baed mess. No
matter how much brushng she
dd t never straghtened out and
acted rght. Never. Shed even
tred gong to one of those coo
ethnc saons fed wth brown-
sknned beautes wth ncredbe
har and askng for straghtenng
hep. The styst had been nce,
but the stuff shed put n her har
had |ust made t greasy, as we
as frzzy. She reay was the same
hopeess mess shed been
forever..
No! Pea shook hersef mentay
and stuck her nose back n the
goddess book. She was done wth
that defeatst atttude. There was
no way the Dvne Femnne
knowedge of Venus coud thrve
n such a negatve space.
But memorzng was dffcut
when the drop-dead gorgeous
women were havng such a fun,
anmated conversaton. Pea
coudnt exacty hear what they
were sayng, but she oved
watchng them. She chewed a
pece of raw brocco, wshng she
hadnt eaten a of the mported
cheese and proscutto. Maybe she
shoud go nuts and order another
appetzer..
Mae voces pued her attenton
from the two women and she fet
a tte zap of shock as she
recognzed the frst man n the
door. It was Grffn! Actuay t was
a of the fremen who had
answered the ca about Choe.
They were st n ther casua
navy bue unforms wth Tusa Fre
Department prnted n faded god
across ther chests and backs.
They fed up the ong bar, |okng
and frtng wth the chc ady Pea
recognzed as Loa, the owner of
the restaurant.
Reuctanty Pea turned her
attenton from the fremen-
Grffn n partcuar-back to the
beautfu women. Rockke, her
heart sank nto her stomach. Of
course the two of them had
notced the entrance of one entre
shft of fremen. And t was ony a
matter of tme before the fremen,
n turn, notced the gorgeous
women. Then what woud happen
next was more than predctabe.
The women woud |on the men
and frt and tak and augh and
probaby get dates. The bonde
was the most stunnng of the
stunnng, and Grffn was her
equa n mascune beauty. Of
course theyd notce each other.
How coud they not? Beautfu
peope ke that were made to be
together. Theyd probaby fa n
ove, get marred and have a tter
of totay beautfu chdren. How
depressng.
In the meantme, no damn body
woud notce her.
"Pea, can I get you anythng
ese?"
The watresss queston made her
|ump and Pea coud fee her
cheeks heatng at beng caught
starng at the two women. It
made her fee ke she was a kd
up past her bedtme steang a
peek at the adut word.
Nervousy she stood up and
grabbed her purse. Shed cover
her rdcuous embarrassment by
gong to the ades room. Pea
opened her mouth to te the
watress that no thanks, she was
fnshed and shed |ust take the
check, when, to her eterna
mortfcaton, what came out
nstead of words was the bggest,
oudest, stnkest burp n the
hstory of the known unverse. It
seemed to echo aganst the gass
quor-fed cabnets that covered
the wa behnd the bar and hang
n an odorferous brocco coud
around her. For a change, nstead
of beng nvsbe, the entre
restaurant turned to stare at Pea.
"Damn, gr! That one sounded
rpe," sad a freman who had
grayng har and the begnnngs
of a pot bey. He sapped hs thck
thgh and chorted.
Pea wanted to de. She wanted to
met nto the foor and sther
under the door so that she coud
re-form outsde n the parkng ot
far away from everyone who was
st starng at her and then
quety and prvatey de.
Naturay nstead of dong
somethng cam and coo and
coected, ke puttng a coupe of
twentes on the tabe and
saunterng out the door, Pea
burted, "Excuse me. Sorry. Raw
vegges aways gve me gas." She
heard the hysterca ggge and
reazed that t was comng from
her mouth. Why coudnt she
make t stop? Fnay she was abe
to say wth a gasp, "I take my
check after I go to the ades
room."
Keepng her head down, she
practcay sprnted past the men
at the bar and the two gorgeous
women. She coud fee ther eyes
on her and she knew her face
was, roncay, brght, shnng, fre
truck red. Escapng to the ades
room she darted nto a sta and
bured her hot face n her hands.
It was gong to take a ot more
studyng before she was ready to
be undorked by Venus or anyone
ese.

As Hera senty watched Vucan
study the mages n hs sacred
fre, she remnded hersef that
she shoud aways foow her
ntuton. Her nstncts had tod
her to check on her son. Ouety.
And here he was, seemng to be
enchanted by the scene beng
payed out before hm. Hera, too,
fet hersef becomng ntrgued as
she watched the vson n the fre.
The magca thread Vucan had
sent after Venus and Persephone
was functonng much as an
orace. It was an openng to
another tme or pace-and n ths
case-another word. Persephone
and Venus coud ceary be seen
sttng at a tabe n an opuent
eatng estabshment. As was
typca of the goddesses, they
were aughng and generay
makng merry.
Then, unexpectedy, the focus of
the magc thread shfted. Hera
decded the grs shy ggge must
have been what frst caught her
sons attenton. Then she had to
cover her mouth wth her hand
and stfe her own surprsed
aughter, whch woud probaby
have not been heard over
Vucans snort of amusement, as
both mother and son notced the
tte of the book the morta was
readng.
"Dscover the Goddess Wthn-
Uneash Venus and Open Your Lfe
to Love. Indeed," Vucan
muttered, voce thck wth
sarcasm. "Its aways Venus-
aways she who gets credt for
creatng ove."
Hera stayed very st. Shed
never heard her son speak of
Venus except n terms of kndness
and respect, even though a of
Oympus knew that ther marrage
had been a sham from ts
ncepton. Rumor sad, though
shed not heard the words drecty
from her son, that Venus and
Vucan had agreed upon a
marrage of convenence because
|onng wth the Goddess of Love
shoud have made Vucan appear
more powerfu-more Oympan-
more accepted by the rest of the
gods. And, n turn, |onng wth
the God of Fre gave Venus the
excuse she needed when she
wanted to absent hersef from the
constant pursuts of those who
onged to possess Love. Hera had
aways thought the arrangement
served Venus much better than t
dd her son. The Goddess of Love
dd escape to her husbands
ream n the bowes of Oympus
when she was weary, and she
reemerged refreshed and
nvgorated. But beng marred to
Love had not made Vucan more
accepted. That t had been cear
from the begnnng that t was a
marrage of convenence had
actuay worked aganst Vucan.
The genera opnon of the
mmortas was haughty dsbeef.
How coud one be marred to
Love, but reman untouched by
her?
"Pea?" Vucan sad, and then
actuay aughed. "What type of
name s Pea?"
Hera |ust stood there and shook
her head senty, contnung to be
amazed at her sons show of
nterest n the sma, ordnary-
ookng morta.
A horrd sound emanatng from
the orace fame brought Heras
attenton back to the scene from
the modern word. The shy young
morta named Pea had expressed
gas! Nosy and messy and n
front of everyone! The goddess
watched as she fed from the
room. How unfortunate for her.
"They shoud eave her be! Shes
humated enough wthout others
makng t worse," Vucan sad
wth a grow.
Indeed? Hera thought how
nterestng t was that her son
was showng such nterest. The
nvsbe thread of fre foowed
Pea, so that Hera coud see her
embarrassment. Vucan watched,
too, and made another angry
sound ow n hs throat. Hmm.he
was ceary dentfyng wth the
morta woman. A sudden thought
struck Hera. Perhaps that was t!
Perhaps Vucan had seemed
unabe to ove because he had
ong been surrounded by the
perfecton of Oympus, and
perfecton had aways re|ected
hm. Perhaps he smpy needed
someone wth whom he coud
dentfy-someone who mght
actuay need hm. She studed
the morta woman wth the odd
name more cosey. It certany
ooked ke she needed
somethng. Coud that somethng
be the ove of the God of Fre?
"What s she dong?" Vucan
contnued to mutter at the scene
wthn the fames. Hera saw Pea
standng at a snk, starng at
hersef n a mrror whe she
amost mancay rected a-
Hera smed. The chd was a
carefu reader. She was rectng,
over and over, an nvocaton spe
that coud ony have come from
the book that st ay open on the
tabe where Pea had eft t. Now
wasnt ths becomng a ovey
twst on an aready nterestng
stuaton? Heras mnd whrred
wth deas.schemes.Woudnt t
be decousy and roncay |ust f
the nvocaton actuay bound
Venuss ad, whch woud n turn
assure that Vucan woud contnue
to watch the morta woman who
had so unexpectedy captured hs
attenton? It was, after a, Venus
who Vucans magc thread was
foowng. Yes, ths was workng
out perfecty!
When the morta began rectng
the nvocaton agan, Hera was
ready to fnsh puttng nto moton
that whch shed aready heped
to begn. From the shadows
behnd Vucan she concentrated,
cang to her the power of the
Oueen of Gods.
The chd sad, "Peasure, |oy,
deght and bss, oh dear Venus,
grant me ths."
Hera rased one hand and fet her
dvne warmth bud on her pam
as she whspered, "Hearth and
home I ca on you. Wth my
dvne magc make ths rte
bndng and true."
Pea sad, "Wth ove and hope I
ca to thee, work your magc |ust
for me."
Hera contnued, cang forth more
and more of the power that was
her brthrght. "Open Vucans
eyes-et hs heart be new, so
that Love can fnay pay her debt,
whch I now ca due."
Cosng her eyes, Pea earnesty
spoke the fna words of the
nvocaton. "Beautfu Venus,
bessed be, happness and
ecstasy are the gfts I ask from
thee!"
Amost at the same moment Hera
concuded the bndng, castng
nvsbe power drecty nto the
thread so that ony she was aware
of the weght of t as t szzed
from Oympus to Tusa. "By my
command, hearken to Pea. Bnd
Venuss ad so that trapped n
Tusa she sha be, unt true ove
sets our morta free!"
Instanty Hera fet the dran of
such an mmense use of power
that she stumbed. Vucan
ganced over hs shouder and the
mage n the fre wavered, then
dsappeared.
"Mother? I dd not hear you come
n."
Smoothy Hera covered her
unaccustomed weakness and her
eavesdroppng by frownng down
at the bottom of her sky whte
robes. "I beeve Ive stepped on
and torn the hem of my new
gown. Vucan, dear, can you not
make the stars down to your
ream a tny bt tte ess barbarc
and not so steep?"
Vucan smed ndugenty at hs
mother as he guded her from the
fame room and nto hs rarey
used recepton chamber. "Mother,
the descent s steep. You shoud
have |ust had a nymph summon
me." He poured her a gass of
wne and was too busy soothng
her to notce that her robe was
not torn at a, and her sme was
smug.
CHAPTER FlVE
"T hat poor morta! I fee |ust
awfu for her," Venus sad, gazng
after the woman who had et out
the tremendous bech.
"She has extraordnary bad
har," Persephone sad.
"Its not that bad. Its |ust thck
and cury and she hasnt
managed t propery."
"Pease. Its frzzy and awfu. And
what about those cothes?"
Persephone shuddered. "Why any
woman woud wear baggy
sweatpants and that horrd
appqud shrt I never know."
"She |ust needs some hep."
Venus spped her martn, then
her eyes wdened. "You know, I
coud hep her!"
"What are you takng about?"
"That poor morta wth the bad
har. I coud hep her." Venus
nodded enthusastcay, takng
qucky over Persephones
protestatons. "I adore ths ream,
I mean cty," she corrected
hersef. "Its so much ess
depressng and bana than say,
Troy." She roed her voet eyes. "I
beeve t woud be exharatng to
make a morta my own speca
pro|ect."
"Thats caed communty servce
here, and I can put you n touch
wth the downtown YWCA f you
want to hep the genera popuace
-" Persephone began, but Venus
cut her off.
"No, no, no. Thats not persona
enough. Thnk about t. To be
advsed, heped, coached, by the
Goddess of Love hersef! What a
ucky morta that woud be."
"Except no one here knows to ask
for your ad. Thats part of the
beauty of the modern word.
Remember?"
"Dont be so negatve."
"Im not beng negatve. Im beng
honest," Persephone expaned
patenty. "Here youre not a
goddess. Youre a beautfu,
desrabe woman. You woud ony
offend a pan tte nothng ke
that unfortunate gr f you began
offerng unasked for advce."
Venus sghed. "Fne. I understand
that." Then she brghtened agan.
"But f someone dd ask for my
advce Id be over|oyed to hep. It
woud be fun. Much more fun than
deang wth hardhearted
Anaxarete, or that wretchedy
annoyng Psyche."
Persephone shrugged. "If
someone here asks for your
advce I dont see any harm n
you gvng t."
"Then we are n compete
agreement. As f Love woud ever
butt n where shes not wanted."
Persephone roed her eyes.
"Dd I notce a ades room
somewhere n that drecton?"
Venus asked nnocenty, pontng
vaguey past the bar.
"Its over there through that
vevet curtan. But hurry, we need
to get gong. I |ust remembered
that I promsed Mother I woud
make an appearance n Eeuss
tonght. You know, mustnt mss
the great festva of Eeusnan
Mysteres.." She mmcked
Demeters rega tone and then
draned her martn and sgnaed
for |enny to brng ther check.
"I know." Venus shared an
understandng ook wth
Persephone. "Demeter does get
so terrby serous about her
festvas. Dont worry. I hurry.
Oh, dont want to forget ths." She
grabbed the Prcas Toy Box
shoppng bag and carred t wth
her as she waked qucky past
the bar, amost gnorng the
beautfu men who defntey
werent gnorng her. Even
dstracted as she was she spared
them a sma sme and
automatcay sowed her pace so
that her hps moved wth a
beckonng, seductve ro, causng
the fremen to fa sent,
hypnotzed by her beauty. Venus
amost ddnt notce. Amost.
She ducked through the curtan
and foowed the sgn that ponted
her to the eft. The ades room
wasnt bg, but t was neat and
very cean. Vevet curtaned stas
ned the wa n front of her. She
was admrng the way the
burgundy fabrc seemed to gtter
n the ght from the vntage
chandeer that danged overhead
when she heard the oddest thng.
Someone was speakng her
name.. No, t was more than
that. Someone was nvokng her
ad! How extraordnary. Ouety
she moved forward. The poor
bechng morta wth the unkempt
har was standng before one of
the antque snks. Starng nto the
mrror, she was rectng an
ancent nvocaton spe. The
words wrapped around Venus ke
a ovey sken robe, caressng her
skn and fng her wth what fet
suddeny ke magca warmth.
"Peasure, |oy, deght and bss,
oh dear Venus, grant me ths.
Wth ove and hope I ca to thee,
work your magc |ust for me.
Beautfu Venus, bessed be,
happness and ecstasy are the
gfts I ask from thee!"
As the nvocaton concuded
Venus fet a tremendous tug
wthn her, as f somethng was
compeng her very sou to sten
to ths mortas cry. She rushed
forward, and st hodng the
Prcas Toy Box bag, she spread
her arms dramatcay.
"Of course I sha ad you!" Venus
cred.
Pea gasped and whred around,
her hand gong to her throat. "Oh,
sht! You scared me. I thought I
was aone n here."
Venus frowned mdy. "Not qute
the recepton I usuay receve
when I personay answer an
nvocaton."
"What do you mean? Who are
you?"
"Venus, of course. And your name
s?"
"Pea," she sad automatcay.
"Pea? What an odd name. Are you
qute certan?"
"Of course Im certan. Its my
name. We, actuay ts my
nckname but ts what everyone
cas me." Then Pea bnked,
shakng her head ke she was
tryng to cear t whe her mnd
caught up wth her words. "Who
dd you say you were?"
"Venus, the Goddess of Sensua
Love, Beauty and the Erotc Arts,"
she reped a tte smugy, usng
the most forma of her ttes.
Peas mouth fopped open.
"You besought my ad, and gady
I offer t to you!" Venus
procamed wth a foursh that
made the tssue paper n her
shoppng bag ruste.
Pea cosed her mouth, opened t
and then cosed t agan.
"I understand. You must be
overwhemed wth deght." She
waked around Pea, cuckng her
tongue softy. "We do have
consderabe work to do." Venus
reached out and touched her
appqud baet IS the ponte
shrt as f t were a rare nsect she
had the msfortune to dscover.
Then she shfted her attenton to
Peas har. Shakng her head she
sad, "By Aeouss gaseous anus,
we must do somethng about ths
frst."
"What?"
"Your har, of course. You dont
brush t, do you?"
"Of course I brush t. What ese
am I supposed to-" Pea broke
off, passng a hand across her
forehead and ookng uttery
confused. "Look. I dont want to
be rude, but how s my har your
busness?"
"You nvoked my ad. I remember
exacty what you asked for-you
sad, Happness and ecstasy are
the gfts I ask from thee. I
aready tod you that Im
answerng your pea. Im here to
hep you fnd happness and
ecstasy. Ceary you cant fnd
ether wth such msbehavng
har."
"Okay. We. Hmm. Thats nce of
you. I guess. And I apprecate
your, uh, nterest, but Im fne.
Reay." She started to move
carefuy around Venus ke she
was afrad the woman mght
suddeny expode.
"I saw you run n here because
you were embarrassed," Venus
sad genty. "I dont thnk you are
truy fne."
Peas cheeks fushed, but she put
on a gay sme. "Oh, thats |ust
me. I embarrass mysef a the
tme. Im used to t."
"If that were true, why does your
sme not reach your eyes?"
"It does. I |ust.Im." Pea
foundered. "I have to go." She
rushed toward the door.
"If you woud wash t and then
appy a sma amount of coconut
o, comb t ony wth your fngers
and et t dry naturay I beeve
you coud begn to tame your
har."
Pea stopped short of the door.
Turnng, she met Venuss knd
gaze. "Coconut o?"
She nodded. "Pure coconut o of
the hghest quaty you can
acqure. And t s of the utmost
mportance that you stop
combng your har. Do ony ths."
Venus ran her fngers genty
through her own thck, sver-
bond tresses, startng at her
scap. "And you must do ths, too,
to hep encourage the curs to be
round and fu nstead of." She
paused, searchng for the rght
words. "Instead of wfu and
unruy ke the wd mane of a
oness." Venus reached up and
scrunched handfus of her har,
pretendng to have errant curs
nstead of gstenng waves.
"That works?" Pea sad hestanty.
"Reay?"
"Woud Love e to one who has
nvoked her ad?" Venus smed
benevoenty.
Pea chewed the sde of her p,
her expresson teegraphng that
she was torn between beng
ntrgued and beng certan she
was takng wth a crazy person.
"Thank you," she fnay sad,
good manners wnnng out over
a other consderatons. "I try
t."
Venus cocked her head to the
sde thoughtfuy. "Now, before we
begn to repar your rather
unfortunate manner of dress, I
need to know f you are
peasurng yoursef reguary."
"Ohmygod! You dd not |ust ask
me that!"
"Of course I dd, darng."
Wrnkng her brow, Venus tred
not to show her frustraton at the
mortas apparent ack of
ntegence. "Its a competey
natura queston. If youre not
peasurng yoursef propery, how
can you expect-"
"Stop! After the day Ive had I
cant take any more."
"Im |ust tryng to hep."
"Werdy, I amost beeve you."
Wth sudden nspraton, Venus
pressed the Prcas bag nto
Peas hands. "Consder ths a gft
from your goddess."
Awkwardy, Pea took the package
and began backng toward the
curtaned door, obvousy
decdng t was easer to go aong
wth the woman and escape than
to argue wth her about gfts and
masturbaton. "Okay, we, agan,
I say thanks and I defntey take
your har care advce, f you w
take a pece of advce from me n
return."
"How unusua-a morta gvng a
goddess advce. Tusa s such a
refreshng pace." Venus ooked
curous and eager. "Pease,
enghten me."
"From now on go easy on the
martns." Pea smed nervousy
and ducked back through the
curtan.
"That certany ddnt go as
expected," Venus sad to hersef.
St tryng to understand how a
morta coud ask for and then
re|ect her ad, she waked through
the thck curtan and reentered
the bar area of the restaurant |ust
n tme to see Pea trp up the tte
bar step and drop the Prcas
bag-rght n front of the row of
fremen. The huge phaus roed
out of the bag to and, vbratng
cheerfuy, at the feet of a man
who was so exceptonay
handsome that Venus wondered
that she hadnt notced hm
earer. He bent to retreve t.
Hodng t carefuy, he offered t
back to poor, embarrassed Pea.
"Maam, I beeve you dropped
ths."
Speechess, Pea stared n horror
back and forth from the vbratng
pens to the handsome freman.
"Maam?" The men around hm
were chuckng, but vaanty he
managed to keep a sober
expresson. Then hs eyes
wdened n recognton. "Arent
you Pea? My neghbor wth the
Scotte who thnks shes a cat?
The brownes you eft at the
staton were good."
Pea took the phaus from hm,
turned t off and dropped t back
nto the shoppng bag. Venus
notced that her face was famng
red and she ooked ready to cry,
but when she fnay spoke her
voce was fed wth sef-effacng
cheerfuness. "Thats me-Pea!
Your neghbor, the Scotte cats
mom, oud burper, owner of a
humongous vbratng pens and
exceent browne baker. Id ove
to stay and tak wth you, Grffn,
but Im off to embarrass mysef
fuy somewhere ese. I |ust
reached my mt here." Then,
wth the mens aughter foowng
her out the door, Pea dropped
some money on her tabe, pcked
up her book and fed.
"Pathetc. Truy pathetc,"
Persephone sad.
"I shoud zap them nto sence,"
Venus sad. Her fngers twtched
as she narrowed her eyes
dangerousy at the st aughng
row of vre men.
"Venus, no, dont."
She gnored Persephone and
contnued to gare at the men.
The most handsome of them, the
one who had been somewhat
pote to Pea, met her eyes and
Venus was caught by the
bueness of hs dark-ashed gaze.
He nodded at her wth a fant
sme ftng hs ps. The goddess
remnded hersef sterny that, no
matter how chvarous he had
appeared, he was st part of the
group of men who had aughed at
Pea, so she shoud gnore hm.
But there was somethng about
the sparke n hs eyes.the
handsome tt of hs fu ps.and
especay about the way he
ooked at her-confdent and
openy apprecatve, whch was so
dfferent from the way even the
most warrorke of the ancent
mortas ever dared ook at her-
that Venus ddnt ook away.
coudnt ook away. And thats
when t happened. That spark.
That ovey, nexpcabe szze
that sometmes happens between
peope that not even Love hersef
can aways predct.
"Venus, woud you pease pay
attenton! I sad dont do anythng
to them. You reay shoudnt
punsh them. The morta s
obvousy a rdcuous young
woman."
"She s not!" Venus reuctanty
pued her gaze hasty away from
the ntrgung man and snapped
at Persephone wth an unusua
show of temper. Her head was
oddy fuzzy and she was suddeny
feeng ke she mght cry. "She
|ust needs some hep. Shes
actuay sweet. Confused,
perhaps, but sweet."
"Venus, what have you been up
to?" Persephone asked as she
took the ove goddesss arm and
propeed her from the restaurant.
"I ony dd what you sad I shoud
do."
"What does that mean?"
"You were the one who sad f a
modern morta asked for my ad
that I shoud grant t."
"I ddnt say that."
"Yes, you dd."
"No, I ddnt."
"Yes, you dd."
"Venus!" Persephone rounded on
her. "What-dd-you-do?"
"I waked n the ades room and
Pea was-"
"Pea?"
"The morta you thnk s pathetc.
Stop nterruptng."
"Sorry. Go ahead."
"Pea was rectng an nvocaton."
Venus gave her a "so there" ook.
When Persephone ddnt say
anythng, she added, "One of my
nvocatons. She was actuay
askng for my ad. By name. Me.
And you know the poor gr
defntey needs my ad."
"Are you teng me that you tod
her who you are?"
"We, of course. She was cang
me."
"You sad youre Venus, Goddess
of Love."
"Of course I dd. That s who I
am."
Persephone began rubbng her
rght tempe. "And ths Pea person
sad what n response to your
procamaton?"
"She was surprsed and seemed
perhaps a tte sow n her abty
to understand."
"You mean she ddnt beeve
you."
"You coud put t that way."
"Good. Then there was tte harm
done. Come on. Lets get you
home before youre on the
evenng news."
"The what?"
"Forget t. I expan a of ths to
you ater. Lets get back. Demeter
s gong to be unbearabe f Im
ate agan." They eft the
restaurant and Persephone ooked
up at the prematurey darkenng
sky. "And our tmng s exceent.
No one, morta or mmorta, kes
to get caught out n a nasty
Okahoma ranstorm, and t
defntey ooks ke one s amost
here."
Venus sghed and ddnt say
anythng ese, quckenng her
pace to keep up wth Persephone.
She fet so odd-defntey out of
sorts, ke part of her was sad and
embarrassed and very, very tred.
Persephone nked arms wth her
and senty Venus hurred down
the sdewak wth her whe ran
couds roed across the brused-
ookng sky. They crossed the
street n front of the renovated
Trbune Lofts and foowed the
pedestran brdge over the
raroad tracks. They came to the
spot n the heart of the brdge
that ocas had taken to cang
the Center of the Unverse
because of the werd acoustca
phenomenon they experenced
when they stood dead center of
the swrng brck-and-concrete
pattern, whch was actuay a
byproduct of havng a porta to
Oympus operatng n the modern
word.
Persephone ganced around them.
"We, the storm s defntey
makng thngs easer for us. No
ones out here." She waved her
hand at the space n front of them
and the ar rpped. A spherca
area about as bg as an ordnary
door materazed, and wthout
hestaton the Goddess of Sprng
waked nto t, nstanty
dsappearng. Venus sghed agan
and stepped forward, ony to run
face frst nto somethng so hard
and mpenetrabe that, wth a
tte yep, she |umped back,
rubbng her nose.
Persephones dsemboded head
appeared from the mdde of the
sphere, ke she was peekng out
of a curtaned acove. "What s
takng you so ong?"
"I dont know. I." Hestanty
Venus moved forward, hodng
one hand out n front of her. When
she came to the area of the
shnng orb near Persephones
face the ar suddeny sodfed,
barrng her from enterng t. "I
cant get through," she sad
fanty.
"Dont be rdcuous. Of course
you can you |ust-" But
Persephones words broke off
when she grabbed her frends
hand and attempted to pu her
through the porta, but found
that, athough her own arm sd
easy back and forth from one
word to the other, Venuss
encountered unmovabe
resstance.
"Has somethng happened and
Ive ost my powers?" Venus
asked as Persephone reentered
the modern word.
"That shoudnt matter. Even a
modern morta woud be abe to
pass through Demeters porta,
whch s why Im so carefu about
no one seeng me come or go,"
Persephone sad.
Whe the Goddess of Sprng was
takng, Venus had turned to face
a ovey tree that grew not far
from them. She fcked her
sender fngers at ts wnter naked
branches and suddeny t burst
nto the decate whte bossoms
of a Bradford pear n the mdde
of sprng.
"My powers are fne," she sad.
"Lets try t agan. Maybe ts the
porta and ts corrected tsef
now. We go through together."
Persephone nked arms wth her
agan. "Ready? One-two-
three!" The goddesses waked to
the gowng sphere. Persephone
moved through t easy, but
Venuss arm was wrenched from
hers as the Goddess of Love, once
agan, seemed to have waked
nto a gass wa.
"Forncatng satyrs and ther furry
bas!" Venus cred n frustraton.
"What by a the eves of the
Underword s wrong wth ths
goddess-be-damned thng?" But
even as she cursed and paced a
thought tcked at her mnd.a
thought that took her back to
Loas restaurant and the ades
room and a smpe nvocaton that
had unexpectedy pued at her
sou-
"The nvocaton! I answered the
nvocaton and agreed to gve Pea
my ad," she tod Persephone as
the goddess reappeared from the
porta.
"So? Weve been answerng
nvocatons for eons. That never
stopped us from returnng to
Oympus."
"I know, but theres somethng
dfferent at work here. I dont
know what for sure yet, but the
nvocaton touched me n a way
Ive not been touched before."
Venus paused, concentratng.
"Im bound to her!"
"Her?"
"Pea. Thats why Ive been feeng
so odd-theyre not my feengs.
Ive become nked to the morta!"
"Oh no. Venus, what exacty dd
the mortas nvocaton ask of
you?"
"Pea asked that I gve her
happness and ecstasy," Venus
sad mseraby.
"And you agreed? Aoud?"
Venus nodded. "And I remember
that I fet somethng durng her
nvocaton-somethng tuggng
wthn me that was compeng
me to answer her." The goddess
cosed her eyes and shook her
head. "I thought I was |ust
experencng the effects of our
ovey martns, but that wasnt t.
It was the nvocaton tsef; t was
tera and bndng."
Persephone gasped. "Whch
means you wont be abe to eave
ths word unt youve brought
that pathetc morta happness
and ecstasy."
CHAPTER SlX
"D ont ca her pathetc. She |ust
needs some hep," Venus sad
automatcay.
"We, she certany has t now."
"Yes, she does." Venus drew
hersef up, straghtenng her
eegant spne and ftng her
perfect chn. "I am Goddess of
Love. I can certany brng
happness and ecstasy to a morta
-modern or not."
"Venus, you dont know anythng
about modern mortas."
"What possbe dfference does
that make? I know ove, and ove
s tmeess."
"What are you gong to do?"
"Go to Pea, of course." Thnkng,
Venus began to brghten. "She
need a compete makeover-new
cothes, har, atttude, everythng.
Actuay, t be fun and I be
performng a good deed."
Persephone ooked doubtfu.
"Once Ive made her over I take
her out and gve her a few smpe
essons on how to seduce men,
and she be abe to experence
a the happness and ecstasy she
desres."
"And how are you gong to fnd
her?"
Venus stopped and thought for a
moment, then smed. "Were
bound together, remember? I
know where she s rght now." The
goddess ponted toward Mdtown
Tusa. "Pea s there."
Persephone et out a very
ungoddessy snort. "Of course
shes there. There s a bg area."
"Dont be so dro. I meant that I
can fee exacty where she s. I
can w mysef to her doorstep f I
wsh." Venus aughed ghty. "Its
not ke Im here wth no powers."
"No, but f I dont gve you these
t be worse than havng no
powers-you have no money."
Persephone dug nto her purse
and pued out a thck waet. She
fpped t open. "Okay, remember
how I pad for thngs today?
These"-she ran a mancured na
down a row of neaty paced
pastc-"are credt cards. Thnk
of them as you woud bars of
god, ony these wont run out-
they have no mt. Remember to
sgn the sp of paper the cerk
gves you and be sure to get the
card back after youve made the
purchase. Oh, wat. Let me fx
them frst." Persephone ccked
her fngers and the name on the
cards changed from Persephone
Santoro to Venus Smth.
"Why do I have to have such an
average-soundng name?"
Persephone roed her eyes.
"Hows ths?" She ccked her
fngers agan, and the embossed
name changed to Venus Ponta,
whch means "born of the sea."
"Much better."
"Now pease pay attenton and
stop companng. Ths"-she
opened a compartment, exposng
a thck wad of neaty paced bs
-"s cash."
"I know how to use cons," Venus
sad.
Thunder rumbed overhead and
the goddesses ganced up.
"Zeus?" Venus asked.
"No, you reay dont have to
worry about hm here. What
youre hearng s an authentc
Okahoma thunderstorm, whch
reay shoudnt be happenng n
February, but wth Okahoma
weather you never reay know
what to expect."
"You shoud go before t begns
ranng," Venus sad.
"I dont know.. I dont ke
eavng you here."
"I be perfecty fne. Ive
traversed the ancent word. I can
certany navgate my way around
the Kngdom of Tusa."
"Its not a kngdom."
"I was |ust testng to be certan
youre stenng."
Persephone roed her eyes agan.
"Dont te anyone besdes Pea
who you reay are. Oh, and you
have to perform some magc to
convnce Pea that youre not a
ravng madwoman."
Venus frowned.
"Youre not n the ancent word
anymore. No one beeves n us
here. Thats usuay a good thng.
For you, stuck here, t coud be a
very bad thng f you act too
eccentrc."
"By Heras freezng tts I am not
eccentrc!" At Persephones
knowng expresson Venus hed
her hands up n mock surrender.
"What? The curses? Do you mean
the curses?"
"You reay shoud try to stop
usng them."
"I dont see why," she muttered.
"Woud you pease |ust trust me
on ths one? You need to ft n
because you cant fuf the
nvocaton oath from the
psychatrc ward of a hospta."
Venuss smooth brow wrnked n
confuson.
"|ust try to keep a ow profe.
Foow Peas ead. She hep
you."
"I be perfecty fne," Venus
repeated, gvng her a gente
push toward the porta. "Go on.
You dont want to make Demeter
angry."
"A rght." Persephone moved
reuctanty to the porta.
"If anyone asks after me I prefer
you te them Im vacatonng n
the modern word."
"Dont worry. Ths s no ones
busness but yours." Before
Persephone stepped through the
gowng sphere she sad, "Oh, and
go easy on questonng peope
about how often they masturbate
and whether they ook at ther
gentas. Modern mortas dont
usuay share that nformaton
wth strangers."
As Persephone and the gowng
orb dsappeared, Venus muttered,
"They dont tak about
masturbaton and ther gentas?
No wonder ths word needs my
ad."
At that moment the sky opened
and beched cod February ran
upon the Goddess of Love.

Venus materazed n the shadow
of the arge oak n Peas front
yard. Shed been rght when she
tod Persephone shed have no
probem fndng Pea. It was ke
the tte morta was drawng her
wth an unbreakabe chan, whch
was a good thng because t
saved Venus from searchng a
over Tusa n a nasty storm to fnd
her. As t was, she was thoroughy
mserabe: shverng, wet and
totay dsgrunted. In retrospect
Venus reazed that she coud
have commanded the randrops
not to touch her, but woudnt
that be engagng n the knd of
eccentrc behavor Persephone
had warned her aganst? Or dd
that |ust appy to genta ssues?
It was a so confusng. What she
knew for sure was that Peas tte
house ooked warm and nvtng
wth ts wde front porch and ts
ghts bazng cheerfuy. We, she
remnded hersef, ths s my
morta. The woman who nvoked
my ad. Theres no need for me to
be hestant. She shoud be
over|oyed to wecome me as her
guest. Hodng that thought,
Venus ran through the mud
puddes to Peas porch, thankfu
the generous roof hed off the
horrd cod ran. She took a
moment to toss her har back,
knowng that even though t was
wet, t st ooked sck and sexy.
She dd grmace brefy when she
ganced down at the sk knt
sweater that was peppered wth
unattractve ran spots and her
exquste new back crocode
boots that were muddy and wet.
At east the cothng Persephone
had caed |eans hed up we n
the torrenta downpour. The
Goddess of Love pnched her
cheeks, chasng away the cod
paeness that had odged there,
and put a brant sme on her
face. Then she knocked on Peas
door.
Manaca barkng practcay
vbrated the was. What type of
beast dd Pea own? Cerberus?
One coud ony magne. The door
cracked and Venus recognzed the
frzzy tufts of Peas out-of-contro
har. Had the gr not taken her
advce and purchased the
coconut o?
"Yes? Who s t?"
"It s I!" Venus procamed. When
the morta ddnt respond she
added, "Venus, Goddess of Love."
When she st ddnt respond she
sad, "Your goddess. Remember?
You nvoked me at the
restaurant."
"I have my phone n my hand and
my fnger on the quck da nne-
one-one button, whch I can push
any second."
Venuss brows drew together.
"That sounds ovey, darng.
Coud you do that whe Im
nsde, too? Its rather wet out
here."
"What do you want?"
Venus stfed a frustrated sgh. "To
fuf your desre for happness
and ecstasy, of course. Ddnt we
aready dscuss ths?"
"How dd you fnd me?"
"We, thats an nterestng story. I
beeve that your nvocaton and
my acceptance of t has somehow
bound us together. You drew me
here-so here I am."
"Im reay sorry, but I thnk you
shoud go away."
Venus suddeny fet very near
tears agan and her words broke
on an unexpected sob. "But ts
cod out here and I dont know
where ese to go."
The crack n the door got bgger.
Venus coud see that Peas har
was down and n wd dsarray a
around her shouders. And, worse,
she was wearng some knd of
nghtwear that was a sweet pnk
coor, but was aso one pece and
had feet attached to t. The
Goddess of Love decded t made
the morta ooked prepubescent.
"Dont cry," Pea sad.
"Im not." Venus snffed and
wped her eyes. "Its |ust that
nothng has gone the way I
panned today, ncudng you."
"Okay. You can come n. If you say
you wont mug and k me."
"I dont know what mug means,
but t doesnt sound pote. And I
certany dont want to harm you,
et aone k you."
"We, then you can come n," Pea
sad reuctanty. Standng asde
Pea ushered her nto the foyer of
the neat tte bungaow.
Reeved, Venus stepped nto
warmth that smeed ke bakng
ambrosa. Then an angry ba of
rather chubby back fur growed
furousy at her.
"Manners, Choe!" Pea sad
sterny.
Choe growed agan and barked a
warnng.
Venus aughed. "Wth a that
voce you must be as mghty as
Cerberus!"
At the sound of the goddesss
musca aughter, Choe stopped
growng.
"What a passonate gr!" She
squatted down n front of the dog
and then ganced up at Pea. "Dd
you say her name s Choe?"
"Yes, but be carefu. She doesnt
ke strangers."
"We, thats |ust fne because
Love s never a stranger. Am I
rght, Choe my darng?" Venus
cooed, stretchng out her hand to
the dog. Choe snffed decatey
at her, and her ta started to
thump. |ust then a arge gray
tabby padded decatey nto the
room. "Oh, and what a handsome
beast you are!" Venus sad.
"Thats Max," Pea sad as the cat
began twnng hs body around
her unexpected houseguest. "He
oves everyone."
"You neednt expan that to me,"
Venus sad happy, runnng one
hand down the cats body n a
ong caress whe she scratched
Choes ears wth the other. "Love
recognzes one of her own." When
she fnay stood up to face Pea,
both anmas cured contentedy
at her feet. "Good evenng, Pea.
Thank you for wecomng me nto
your home."
"Are you ost? Can I ca someone
for you?"
"No, but that s a knd offer.
Youre reay a very
compassonate young woman,
arent you?"
"But f youre not ost then-"
"Im not ost, Pea. I am trapped
here."
"Trapped? Here? You mean n my
house?"
"No, I mean n your word." At
Peas bank ook Venus tred to
expan. "The word of modern
mortas. I used to ca t the
Kngdom of Tusa, but Persephone
expaned to me that ths snt
teray a kngdom-ts a cty."
"Persephone? The goddess?"
"Of course."
"And s she outsde n the ran,
too?"
"Oh, no. She was abe to return to
Oympus. Its ony me who was
unabe to go back through the
porta."
"So you dont ve here?"
Venus frowned. "Of course not,
darng. I have a perfecty ovey
tempe on Mount Oympus. I was
here vstng. I bought these
fabuous boots." She ponted a
toe so Pea coud admre her new
acquston. "They dd ook better
before they got wet and muddy."
Pea cutched on the one norma
thng the woman had sad. "Why
dont you take your boots off and
et them dry? I get you a towe
and somethng warm to drnk and
then we can fgure out what to."
She paused, obvousy struggng
to fnd the rght thng to say. "To
do to hep you."
"But thats |ust t! Its not what
you can do to hep me, but what I
can do to hep you-then I be
abe to return to Oympus and the
ancent word of the gods."
"How about we start wth a towe
and some hot chocoate?"
"Sounds dvne."
Venus pued off her boots whe
Choe and Max watched wth open
adoraton and Pea brought her a
thck pnk towe that smeed
deghtfuy of avender. Then she
ed Venus nto a cozy ktchen that
was brghty t and mmacuate.
Venus sat at the tte antque
breakfast tabe that was hand
panted wth wdfowers.
"I was |ust makng mysef some
hot chocoate. It ony take me a
second to add to t so there be
enough for both of us."
Venus towe dred her har whe
she watched Pea move
confdenty around the room. "You
are an exceent cook, arent
you?"
Surprsed at the observaton, Pea
smed at Venus over her shouder
whe she contnued to str the
mk and dark chocoate mxture.
"Yes, I am a good cook."
"And your home s so ovey and
comfortabe. I can aready see
that you use coors wsey to
make t fee open and
wecomng."
"Thank you." Pea bushed a tte.
"Whch makes your persona
appearance a the more
confusng." Peas spne
straghtened and she stopped
fng her mug mdpour. Venus
hurred on. "I dont mean to nsut
you-|ust the opposte actuay.
What I mean s that t seems to
me that you shoudnt have had
to nvoke my ad at a. You seem
to understand stye and
aesthetcs very we."
"Ony when t has to do wth my
home or even my work. When ts
me, we, thats ke a whoe other
word, or at east ts seemed ke
that snce hgh schoo."
"Very nterestng," Venus mused.
Then she smed brghty. "But
now Im here and Love hersef w
ad you n attanng your dreams!"
Pea |oned Venus at the tabe,
handng her the buttercup-coored
mug and a vntage bue nen
napkn that was hand
embrodered. As an automatc
afterthought Pea reached for a tn
on the nearby grante-topped
counter that was decorated wth
pctures of Scotte dogs. She
opened t and offered Venus one
of the mported sourdough
cookes she aways kept nsde.
Venus took one and chewed
danty, then spped her hot
chocoate. "Pea, ths s decous."
"Thank you," Pea sad.
They ate and drank n sence.
Venus ooked around her wth
obvous curosty at the ovey
tte home, and Pea tred not to
stare too openy at her beautfu,
but mysterous and mentay
unsound, guest.
"The yeow of the was s the
same coor as that of the cups
from whch were drnkng. Thats
an especay peasng touch,"
Venus sad.
"Okay. Who are you? Reay."
Venus bnked n surprse. "But I
aready tod you."
"Its mpossbe that youre
Venus."
"If you reay beeve that then
why dd you so earnesty nvoke
my ad?"
Pea fdgeted wth a cooke. She
ooked up nto the womans
unusua voet eyes and saw ony
kndness there. "I was tred of
beng nvsbe."
Venus ddnt have to be bound to
Pea by an oath to recognze the
pan and honesty n her words.
She took her hand. "Te me."
"Im worse than pan and
ordnary. Where men are
concerned"-she paused, thnkng
about the nerdy guys who dd ask
her out and grmaced-"or at
east men I mght fnd attractve,
ts ke I dont exst."
Venus squeezed her hand. "Go
on."
"As youve aready notced, I have
no stye. My har and cothes are
never rght." Pea moved her
shouders restessy. "It started
when I was about fourteen. I
made ths great dance squad at
schoo-one that was tough to get
on. I never reay thought about
how I ooked or dressed or
whatever before then." She
smed sheepshy. "I guess I was
dorky, but too busy gettng good
grades and takng zons of
dance casses to know t. Anyway
I thought I ft n wth the rest of
the grs." Pea hestated and pan
fashed through her eyes. "I was
wrong. I was a good dancer. I
made good grades. I tred to be
nce to everyone, but I wasnt
good enough."
"Oh, darng, of course youre
good enough!" Venus fet very
cose to tears agan.
Pea smed bravey. "We, I am
smart. So I taught mysef how to
keep a nce home, how to cook
ke a gourmet, how to exce at
my |ob. And today I decded that
maybe, wth, uh, your hep and a
how-to book, I coud earn to be a
better woman."
"Oh, chd. I can aready te that
you are a wonderfu woman. You
dont need to earn to be a better
one. A you need to earn to do s
to show the word the truth of
what you aready are and to eave
the past n the past."
"I wsh that were possbe."
"Of course t s possbe!"
Pea smed. "Wth the ad of
Venus, Goddess of Love."
"So you do beeve Im Venus."
Pea bushed agan. "We, no. But I
thnk youre beautfu enough to
be the Goddess of Love."
"Actuay, Im Goddess of Sensua
Love, Beauty and the Erotc Arts,"
Venus corrected her, and then
sghed. "What sha I do to
convnce you? Do you have
somethng you woud ke me to
gd n god? Have you a tree you
woud ke coaxed nto bearng
frut?" She tapped her chn
thoughtfuy. "Wnter s st upon
us, not that that matters,
athough Im sure Persephone
woud say makng a tree frutfu n
wnter s mprudent behavor."
In spte of the crazy
crcumstances, Pea had to sme.
"Why not make Choe a cat?
Shes been around Max snce she
was a puppy, and shes grown up
beevng shes a Scotte cat,
rather than a Scotte dog."
Venus ganced down at Choe,
who sat by Peas feet. "So you
thnk youre a cat?" Choe
thumped her ta happy aganst
the foor, and the Goddess
grnned at the precocous back
dog. "We, then I suppose you
shoud be a cat." Wth a sma,
smpe gesture Venus fcked her
fngers at Choe. The ar
surroundng the dog suddeny
began to shmmer wth damond-
coored gtter, and wth a
poppng sound, the Scotte
dsappeared and n her pace sat
a bg back cat wth over-arge
ears and odd-ookng tufts of fur
around her face that made her
ook ke she had a beard.
Every bt of coor draned from
Peas face. "Choe?" She choked
out the word.
The cats ta beat happy aganst
the ktchen foor.
Wth a trembng hand, Pea
reached down and touched what
used to be her dog. Choe purred
rotousy and her ta thumped
harder. Peas wde-eyed gaze shot
to Venus.
"You are Venus, Goddess of Love."
She put her hand to her head. "I
thnk I may be sck."
Concerned by her sudden paor,
Venus fanned her wth a nen
napkn. "Shoud I get you
somethng? I coud con|ure a
ovey gobet of ambrosa. Its
reay very refreshng."
"No! I |ust need to breathe." Pea
guped ar. Max sauntered nto the
room, took one ook at Choe,
hssed and backed out of the
room so fast that hs caws sd
and paws skttered ke he was on
ce nstead of te. Choe |ust tted
her head to the sde and meowed
questonngy.
"Coud you pease change her
back?" Pea asked fanty.
The goddess shrugged. "Of
course." Wth a fck of her wrst
and more gtter, Choe was once
agan a Scotte dog. As f shed
|ust come n out of the ran, Choe
shook hersef and then sneezed
voenty before paddng out of
the room to fnd Max. "There!
Shes good as new," Venus sad.
Pea was st starng at her.
"What?"
"We, uh, maam. I mean Your
Hghness-no thats a queen, not
a goddess," Pea murmured
nervousy before burtng, "I dont
know what to ca you!"
The goddess smed. "Darng,
Venus w do."
CHAPTER SEVEN
"T e me about your ove fe,"
Venus sad.
"Its nonexstent," Pea sad.
"Youre a vrgn?"
"Oh, god no!" Peas hand few to
her mouth. "I mean goddess no. I
thnk."
"You thnk you shoud say,
goddess, or you thnk youre not
a vrgn?"
"Venus, takng to an actua
goddess s nerve-wrackng
enough wthout addng expetve
confuson nto the mx."
Venus grnned, gad the tte
morta had begun to reax. "When
n doubt, fee free to use the
gentas of the gods as expetves.
I certany do."
"Thank you. I thnk."
"So youre not a vrgn?"
"No."
"But youre aso not very
experenced sexuay."
"No."
"Do you masturbate frequenty?"
Pea bushed. "Do we reay have
to tak about ths?"
"Do you reay want to change?"
Pea drew a deep breath. "I dont
masturbate very often."
"Why not?"
"For the same reason I dont ke
takng about t. It makes me fee
uncomfortabe, embarrassed and
knda guty."
"What a shockng atttude!"
Venus snorted her dsbeef.
"Before we change your har,
cothes or your makeup"-the
goddess squnted at Peas face
-"or rather your ack thereof, we
must change your atttude about
peasure."
"Okay." Pea sad doubtfuy.
"Do you fee guty and
embarrassed when you prepare a
sumptuous mea?"
"Of course not."
"Even f you are the ony one
eatng t?"
"No, thats sy. |ust because Im
aone doesnt mean I cant-"
Understandng brghtened Peas
face. "Oh! I see what you mean."
"Peasure, ke ths exceent hot
chocoate, s meant to be savored
and en|oyed, not dened."
"Okay." Ths tme Pea sad t wth
more certanty.
"If you dont know your own body
and what peases t, how can you
expect a man to know how to
gve you peasure."
"Thats ogca."
"Of course t s. Love snt aways
ogca, no matter what
Persephone says." In response to
Peas questonng ook, she sad,
"The Goddess of Sprng can be
remarkaby unromantc. I have
to remember to work on that tte
ssue n the future.." Venus
shook hersef and refocused on
Pea. "But one probem at a tme.
So-frst I want you to begn
peasurng yoursef reguary. Be
unnhbted." Wth a mschevous
sme Venus made a gracefu
gesture wth her hand and a
crysta botte of sun-coored wne
appeared on the tabe n a wave
of gtter, causng Pea to yep n
surprse. "Do you have wne
gasses, or sha I con|ure some of
those, too."
"No! I have gasses." St starng
at the sparkng goden qud, Pea
backed to a cabnet and pued
out two whte wne gasses, and
then brought them to the tabe.
"Can you make anythng appear
ke that?"
"Of course I can. I am a goddess."
Venus poured the wne. "Ths w
hep wth your nhbtons." She
rased her gass and Pea dd the
same. "To peasure," Venus sad
wth a purr.
"To peasure." Pea took a hestant
sp. She swaowed, and her entre
face became suffused wth |oy.
"Ths wne s amazng! Ive never
tasted anythng ke t."
"Its ambrosa-the nectar of the
gods." Venus took a ong,
uxurous drnk. "Harvested by
nymphs from rare fower
bossoms found ony n the
Eysan Feds. It s smpy dvne."
The goddess took another drnk.
"So, my pan to brng happness
and ecstasy to your fe s reay
rather smpe. Frst, you earn to
accept peasure." Her shapey
brows drew together. "What do
you thnk of whe you
masturbate?"
"I-I dont know. Not much of
anythng I guess."
Venus shook her head sowy.
"Sad. Terrby sad. That must
change, too. The next tme you
brng yoursef peasure-whch
shoud be tonght-I want you to
fantasze."
"About what?"
"Oh, darng! How tragc that you
have to ask. Athough I am, of
course, the perfect goddess to
ask." She patted the mortas
hand. "Pea, fantases are
persona. Let your mnd roam free
wthout guty retrbuton. For
nstance, s there a partcuar man
you fnd especay attractve?"
Peas cheeks fushed wth more
than the potent wne.
Venus smed knowngy. "I see
there s. Te me about hm." She
poured Pea more ambrosa.
"Hs name s Grffn. I guess you
coud say Ive had a crush on hm
for awhe, but we sort of formay
met |ust today. Actuay hes what
prompted me to get your book.
Hes the most gorgeous man Ive
ever seen, and he seems reay
nce, too." Peas sghty woozy
grn faded. "But he barey knows
Im ave. Wat, no. He probaby
does know Im ave now. On the
way out of the restaurant I
trpped and dropped the bag you
gave me. The ddo fe out and
roed, vbratng, to hs feet. Im
sure he thnks of me as that gr
wth the pens."
Venus spped her ambrosa,
rememberng the exqustey
handsome man who had retreved
Peas phaus, and at the same
tme ordered hersef to forget the
spark that had passed between
them. Pea was the focus here, not
her own peasure, and that
beautfu man coud defntey
hep brng Pea happness and
ecstasy.
"Then we |ust have to change
the way he thnks of you," Venus
sad wth fnaty.
"Too bad ts not that smpe."
"Darng, wth Love on your sde,
everythng becomes much
smper."
"And you"-Peas hand was
wobby when she ponted at the
goddess-"are Love!"
"And you"-Venus aughed ghty
-"are fnshed wth the
ambrosa." She scooted the botte
out of Peas reach, remndng
hersef that mortas were hghy
susceptbe to the rch wne of the
gods. "Now, ths s what I want
you to do-"
"Homework?"
"We, youre at home, but I
scarcey thnk peasurng yoursef
woud quafy as work."
Pea ggged.
"Pay attenton. When you
peasure yoursef tonght I want
you to thnk about Grffn."
"Okay, I can do that."
"Good. I want you to fantasze."
Pea frowned.
Venus sghed. "Imagne how t
woud fee to have hs hard,
masterfu hands on your body,
and hs cever tongue exporng
the wet ceft between your egs,
ckng and teasng your peasure
center unt you can bear t no
onger, and then magne hm
mpang you wth hs throbbng
phaus and strokng and strokng
unt youre both shudderng wth
the force of your mutua
orgasms."
"I can do that," Pea sad
breathessy. "We, good nght!"
She started to hurry a tte
unsteady out of the room.
"Darng?"
Pea stopped and smed back at
her goddess.
"Whe ths room s, ndeed,
comfortabe and ovey, t doesnt
appear to have a bed."
"Oopse!" Pea ggged. "Come
rght ths way." She tred to
gesture grandy, but ended up
ookng so unsteady that Venus
had to grasp her arm to keep her
competey uprght.
"I need to remember to water the
ambrosa next tme," she sad
under her breath as she
supported a st gggng Pea
down a short haway.
"Ths s the guest room," Pea
sad, managng to draw hersef up
and sur ony sghty. "The
bathroom s through the other
door. Make yoursef at home.
Theres a bathrobe n the armore.
We take care of your cothes
and stuff tomorrow."
Venus gazed around the tdy,
comfortabe room decorated n
dfferent shades of whte,
eggshe and champagne, wth
antque-ookng, acy whte
dresses adornng one wa ke
three dmensona art, and a arge
framed pcture of a wdfower-
fed meadow decoratng the
other. The bed was whte wrought
ron and heaped wth a thck
comforter and pows made of
cream-coored vntage ace.
"Thank you, Pea. Ths s another
ovey room."
"Okey-dokey then. Im off to do
my homework." And, gggng,
she tottered away.
Smng, Venus watched her go.
She reay was a deghtfu young
woman. Fufng her desre for
happness and ecstasy coudnt
be that compcated.

Vucan tod hmsef that he was
checkng on Venus. He knew she
hadnt returned to Oympus, even
though Persephone had. And he
was, after a, supposed to be
payng attenton to the men she
met-keepng n mnd that
perhaps one of them woud have
the potenta to take hs pace. He
was curous about the tte morta
hed watched n the restaurant,
and yes, hed been thnkng of
her. But that certany wasnt the
ony reason he caed open the
thread of fre and gazed nto hs
wndow to the modern word.
"I dont masturbate very often."
Vucan fet the |ot of Peas
unexpected comment down
through hs ons. Venus was there
-n Peas home-and, as usua,
she was preoccuped wth
someone eses sex fe! But why
was she there? He contnued to
sten, ntrgued by the sweet, shy
morta. Apparenty, the Goddess
of Love was there to gve Pea
gudance and hep her fnd
happness and ecstasy.
"Its |ust ke Venus to medde n a
mortas persona fe," he sad
wth a grow.
But the more Vucan stened, the
more he understood that Pea had
asked for Venuss ad-that the
tte morta wanted to change
who she was-to become more,
whch was somethng the Fre God
understood perfecty. He studed
Pea. Yes, she was rather pan and
dressed n an unfatterng
manner, but Vucan coud see
through the dowdy charade to the
compassonate woman beneath.
He coud aso see that most
peope woudnt bother to ook
beow her surface-|ust as the
mmortas ddnt ook beow hs
surface.
Pea spoke of a handsome man
from the restaurant. Vucan
gowered, rememberng how the
mortas had aughed at her
embarrassment. A man ke that
ddnt deserve a rare creature ke
Pea! It wasnt that he was |eaous.
(How coud he be?) It was |ust
that he was concerned. He, too,
was compassonate, though no
one seemed to understand that
about hm.
Hs ferce expresson changed to
unaccustomed aughter as the
ambrosa worked ts magc on
Pea. Surprsed, he saw that Venus
was gong to stay the nght n
Peas home. How odd! And then
hs surprse mutped tenfod
when the thread, whch shoud
have stayed wth Venus, spt,
aowng hm to move nvsby
wth Pea as she swayed happy
down the ha to her bedroom.
Hs vson foowed Pea nto her
comfortabe bedroom, and he
watched, fed wth curosty as
she turned on soft, sow musc
and then began to ght the
candes that rested on her
nghtstand. Hummng to hersef,
she pued down her thck bed
nens, and turned out the brght
overhead ght, eavng ony the
candes to umnate the room.
Obvousy she was gettng ready
for seep, but she ddnt appear to
be tred. Then Vucans eyes
wdened as Pea began to dance.
Sowy, sensuousy, she rased her
arms over her head, roundng
them gracefuy as she moved to
the musc. Vucan was amazed.
Unt then shed gven no
evdence of such exquste grace
or, he admtted, such beauty.
When she danced t seemed she
cast off the skn of her awkward
shyness and became an entrey
new person. Hypnotzed, he
hardy breathed when she peeed
out of the shapeess, one pece
seepwear and contnued her
dance, turnng, dppng and
stretchng eeganty n ony a par
of snug fttng, unadorned
pantes.
The thought passed through hs
heated mnd that he shoudnt be
watchng her-that t was not
entrey honorabe to spy on so
ntmate a scene. But he coud not
stop hs compuson to watch her.
Vucan gnored hs mnd and, for
once n hs fe, aowed hs desre
and hs heart to rue hm nstead.
Peas body was another surprse.
Shed seemed so sma and even
frage n the overy arge cothes
she wore. Now he coud see that
her body was seek wthout beng
thn and they musced wthout
beng buky. Her breasts teased
hm. They werent arge, but they
were exqustey formed-no, they
were more than exquste. They
were pouty gobes that puckered
nvtngy. Her buttocks.Vucan
was mesmerzed by the sght of
her we-rounded, womany
bottom movng so seductvey. It
seemed to cry out for hs touch-
for hm to cup her sweetness n
hs hands and ft her to hm
and.
He coudnt bear t any onger;
she was ke a drug nvadng hs
body. Vucan succumbed to the
overwhemng urge to touch her.
|ust for an nstant he sent a snge
strand of hs dvne essence
through the fery thread and et t
ck her body.
Pea wrthed.
Shftng, he oosened the te of
the short nen wrap he wore
sung ow about hs hps and hs
erecton fted, fu and hard,
aganst hs bey. As f she coud
sense hs desre, Pea concuded
her dance and, skn gstenng
wth a fne sheen of sweat n the
fckerng candeght, she ay
back on the bed. She cosed her
eyes and et her hands gde over
her body. Hestanty at frst, and
then wth growng passon, she
cupped her breasts. As her
thumbs rubbed over her nppes
her head fe back aganst the
pows. Vucan saw her mouth
open wth a moan and watched as
her caresses went from unsure to
heated.
The gods breathng deepened
wth hers. Hs heartbeat
ncreased. Mrrorng her moan he
wrapped hs hand around hs
phaus and began to sowy pump
whe he contnued to watch her.
Pea sd her hands from her
breasts down her stomach,
pung off her pantes n one
smooth movement. Then she
fted her knees and et her
fngertps pay over the sken skn
of her parted thghs.
Langudy her egs fe open as
she moaned agan. Her naked
body was exposed to hm now
and he coud see her uscous
pnk center and the dampness of
the dark trange of curs there.
The fngertps of both of her
hands gded over those curs,
rubbng sowy, erotcay, before
she moved two fngers deeper
nto her core.
Vucan gasped and aowed
hmsef another ndugence.
Foowng the fery thread of hs
beng, hs essence covered her
mound, caressng her wth hs
heat and magc whe he nhaed
her scent and taste. Vucan
ncreased the speed of hs
strokes. Wth an ntensty hed
never before fet, Vucan onged
to bury hmsef between her egs
-to stroke her over and over and
over-to fee her soft, wet heat
and to cam her as hs own.
Eyes st cosed, Pea began to
move her fngers faster, deeper
wthn her fods-teasng and
rubbng unt her hps caught the
rhythm, movng and thrustng.
Vucans hand stroked faster, too.
Hs whoe word had become the
aurng Sren n the fery vson.
Hs ust was whte hot, drftng
across her body ke a vng thng
of ts own. When she tensed and
then cred out n ecstasy hs own
orgasm sped through hs body,
pung hm to hs knees where he
shuddered, hepess to a desre
that eft hm physcay spent, but
st wantng more.st wantng
her.
Vucan watched unt Pea fe nto
a satated seep, and st he
contnued to watch, and to
dream. If ony.
CHAPTER ElGHT
A decous aroma tcked Venus
awake. She ganced at the sky
outsde her bedroom wndow.
Thankfuy the ran had stopped.
It was a cear, beautfu day and,
|udgng from the poston of the
sun, amost mdmornng.
Defntey tme for the Goddess of
Love to go to work.
She showered and dressed
qucky, apprecatng Peas we-
stocked guest bathroom wth ts
generous seecton of scented
soaps and otons. Then,
hummng an ancent fertty
song, she foowed the wonderfu
smes that had awakened her
nto the ktchen where she was
nstanty bombarded by Scotte
and cat ove. Coong good
mornngs to Choe and Max, she
fonded the adorabe anmas.
"Good mornng, Goddess of
Love!" Pea practcay sang. "I
dont know how you ke your
coffee, but theres cream and
sugar on the tabe, and f you
have a seat I have our omeets
ready n a |ff."
Venus gave Pea a contempatve
ook and then smed knowngy. "I
tod you peasurng yoursef
propery s a good thng."
Pea ganced over her shouder at
the goddess. Her cheeks fushed,
but her eyes sparked. "It must
have been the ambrosa. I swear I
fet ke I was on fre. You were
defntey rght."
"Of course I was. You must earn
to trust me n these matters. I
dont |ust know ove; I am ove."
She poured hersef some of the
dark qud Pea caed coffee, and
then added a tte cream and
sugar. She spped and her voet
eyes wdened. "By Aress
stoneke buttocks, ths s a
deghtfu drnk!"
"Ares?" Pea asked, fppng ther
omeets and addng a heathy
sprnkng of shredded cheese.
"The God of War. Hes tedous,
aways preoccuped wth weapons
and batte strategy and exercse,
but I must admt hs buttocks are
perfect." Venus drank her coffee
and nbbed at a pece of |am-
covered toast. "Whch remnds
me-what type of men do you
fnd most attractve? Muscuar or
ean? Ta or short? What s your
preference?"
Pea sd one omeet on Venuss
pate and one on her own,
thnkng carefuy before she
answered the goddess. "Woud t
be stupd and cchd to say that I
ke ta, muscuar men?"
Venuss sme was ke a cat
appng cream. "Darng, there s
nothng stupd or cchd about
en|oyng a ta, we-but man."
"I dont mean that he has to be a
rdcuousy buked up, so that he
spends a hs tme obsessvey
workng out."
"Lke Ares." Venus nodded
agreement.
"I want a man wth more depth
than that. Lke Grffn," she added
shyy.
"Of course you do, and we sha
get you one-perhaps even ths
Grffn you admre so," Venus sad
matter-of-facty, and she senty
congratuated hersef on not
beng the sghtest bt nterested
n Grffn anymore. "But frst we
have to do somethng about a of
ths." She waved her fork at Pea.
"Okay. Im ready." Pea ooked
around the room nervousy. "But f
youre gong to start makng
thngs suddeny appear Id
apprecate t f youd wat unt Im
done eatng. I know t sounds sy
to you, but stuff poppng out of
the ar makes my stomach hurt."
"Naturay I coud con|ure
whatever I desre, but that woud
ony be a temporary fx to your
probems. I return to Oympus and
youre back where you were
before I began makng thngs pop
out of the ar." Venus paused and
gave Peas foote pa|amas a
dsdanfu ook. "Darng, where
do you shop for your cothng?"
Pea shrugged. "Dscount stores.
Wherever theres a sae."
"Good. Now I know where we w
not be shoppng. So te me where
you woud never shop because
you beeve ony the very
beautfu and chc go there."
"Saks Ffth Avenue at Utca
Square," Pea sad through a bte
of omeet.
"Then t s to Saks Ffth Avenue at
Utca Square that we sha go. But
frst-your har."
Pea sghed. "I thnk ts hopeess."
"Darng, nothng s hopeess
when Love takes charge."

Pea parked her Thunderbrd n
front of Saks and coudnt resst
ookng n the mrror at hersef
one more tme.
"I tod you the coconut o woud
work," Venus sad smugy.
"Its amazng. I ddnt reaze I had
these great curs. A I thought I
had was frzz. Lots and ots of
frzz."
"Thats because you were
brushng t and not usng the
correct product."
"I never brush t agan.
Promse."
"And you ony wash t." Venus
prompted.
"Every thrd day at the soonest.
And I use md shampoo and
extra rch condtoner."
Venus nodded. "Exceent. But Im
not fnshed wth your har."
"Huh?"
"Trust me. Now, we shop."
Pea sghed and reuctanty got out
of the car. Venus ganced down at
her sneakers. "Our frst stop w
be the shoe department."
Pea sghed agan.

"Darng, youre a natura n those
stettos!" Venus ounged
gracefuy on a cushoned bench
and watched Pea wak the ength
of the department n the uttery
chc, very sexy sver eather
peekaboo pumps wth the
fabuous three-and-a-haf nch
back hees.
"Ceary shes a dancer," gushed
the effemnate saesman who had
ntroduced hmsef as Fabo.
"Are you, darng?" Venus asked.
"We, yes. Ive been takng baet
snce I was about fve."
"No wonder your body has such
suppeness and natura grace. You
know, the forest nymphs coud
earn a thng or two from you. Ive
notced that ther frockng has
become rather wooden atey."
"Its so hard to fnd a good nymph
anymore. Even the queen show
down at the Hoday Inn doesnt
have a decent one," Fabo sad,
wth a great futterng of hs we-
mancured hands.
"Fabo, darng, wherever dd you
get that perfect shade of p
goss?" Venus asked.
Fabo bushed becomngy. "At the
Bobb Brown counter. I ove how
natura t ooks."
"Pea, we have to remember to
get you some before we eave."
Venus turned her dvne sme on
Fabo. "And we take the shoes
she has on and the four other
pars I have seected here."
Pea made a fant squeakng
sound.
"And how w you be payng for
ths, madam?"
Venus pued the god card from
her cutch purse and wnked at
Pea. "Wth ths."
Fabo ganced at the card and
smed, p goss sparkng merry
n the ght from the departments
crysta chandeer. "Venus Ponta
-I knew you were a goddess the
moment I saw that fabuous har!"
he gushed.
"Of course you dd, darng. Be a
dear and box up the shoes." Then
she hestated, takng n Fabos
perfect groomng and ceary
mpeccabe taste n cothng. "Do
you thnk you coud carry the
shoes to the cothng department
wth us? I woud ove to get your
hep outfttng my frend."
"Goddess." Fabo owered hs
voce and motoned for Venus to
ean cose. "|ust exacty how
much shoppng do you pan to do
n our humbe estabshment
today? A arge amount or a truy
obscene amount?"
Venuss sme was sy. "Truy and
uttery obscene. Ths"-she rased
the credt card as f t was the key
to paradse-"has no mt."
"Oh!" Fabo and Pea gasped
together. Then he bowed
dramatcay to the goddess and
sad, "Lead on, dvne one. I am
yours to command."
Venuss sme wdened. "Of
course you are, darng."

"So what are the two thngs
youre gong to aways remember
when purchasng cothes?" Fabo
dred Pea, soundng dsturbngy
ke a PE teacher.
"Coor and cut," Pea sad
automatcay, st unabe to stop
starng at hersef n the dressng-
room mrror.
"See what a dfference payng
attenton to those two make?"
Fabo sad, ceary peased wth
hmsef.
"I do." Pea nodded
enthusastcay.
"And do you approve, my ady?"
He stepped back dramatcay so
that Venus coud have a fu vew
of Pea.
The goddess approached Pea,
studyng her carefuy. She
stroked the seeve of Peas
cashmere sweater, whch stopped
|ust above the wastne of her
sacks to show the fantest hnt of
skn when she moved. "You must
wear ths bush coor often. It
makes your skn radant. And
remember, youve worked hard
for that ovey curved wast-stop
beng afrad to show t." Pea
pued sef-conscousy at the
sweater. "I know," Venus sad,
wth sudden nspraton. "Thnk of
t as you do that wonderfu car
you drve."
"Huh?"
"You sad t was qute costy."
"Yeah, but worth every penny."
"And you worked very hard for
each of those pennes?"
"Defntey."
"After workng so hard and
attanng somethng so beautfu
you woudnt hde t away n the
car house, woud you?"
"Garage," Pea sad, wth a hasty
ook at Fabo, but he was
rummagng through the bouses.
"Whatever," Venus sad. "The
pont s you woudnt hde t."
"No, I woudnt even thnk of t."
"Then thnk of your body ke your
car. You worked hard for both.
Both are beautfu. Nether shoud
be hdden."
"I never thought of t that way
before."
"Lke peasure, beauty shoud be
savored and en|oyed."
"Brant!" Fabo gushed, fnay
pung hmsef away from the
watng bouses. "Lke peasure,
beauty shoud be savored and
en|oyed." He sghed dramatcay
and then mpusvey went to
Venus and squeezed one of her
hands. "My God! You have put my
entre fes phosophy nto one
exquste sentence. I have to te
you how much I have en|oyed
assstng the two of you ths
afternoon. It has-" Fabo
hestated. Obvousy moved, he
had to dab at hs eyes and draw
n a deep, ceansng breath. "It
has been a fe changng
experence."
"Oh, darng." Venus patted hs
cheek kndy. "Love and beauty
were created to change ves."
She cocked her head and studed
Fabo carefuy before she
contnued. "And, yes, you shoud
open that busness youve been
consderng."
Fabo gasped and cutched hs
pears. "Ohmygod! How ever dd
you know I was thnkng of
openng my own boutque?"
Venus waved her hands
dsmssvey. "Lets |ust ca t
womans ntuton, sha we? And I
aso sense that your boutque w
be a very popuar pace."
"Ft for a goddess?" Fabo asked
breathessy.
"Absoutey, darng." Then, whe
Fabo was redabbng hs eyes and
reappyng hs p goss, Venus
turned her attenton back to Pea.
Her eyes traveed down the
ength of the ftted gray tweed
sacks that were cropped cevery
so that Peas shapey caves were
vsbe. "Exquste. A perfect ft.
Now add that back eather |acket
and you w be conservatve
enough for daywear at your |ob,
and you ook appropratey
aurng." Venus smed at Peas
refecton n the mrror. "Because
ookng aurng s aways
approprate."
"So says the Goddess of Love."
Pea grnned back at her.
The short, stout saesady whose
gded name tag read Donna
Vvan stuck her head nto the
arge dressng sute. "Fabo, how
are your ades dong?"
Fabo, recoverng from hs burst of
emoton, gestured grandy at Pea.
"Perfecton! We have attaned
perfecton."
"Exceent. If there s anythng
ese your ades need, I be
tdyng the Marc |acobs
coecton." Donna Vvan began
to dscreety dsappear, but Venus
motoned for her to |on them n
the dressng sute. "Darng, your
har s mpeccabe."
Donna Vvan ncned her head
sghty, acceptng the
compment wth the speca
grace of those who cater to the
very rch. "Thank you, madam."
Venus contnued to study her har.
"Fabo, dont you agree that the
coor s perfecton tsef."
Fabo nodded. "Of course. Donna
Vvan s known for her
mpeccabe taste." He snffed and
added, "She and I use the same
coorst."
Venus smed brghty at Fabo
and Donna Vvan. "Then may I
ask who does your har?"
"But of course, madam. The cut
and coor are done by Farah, the
master har styst and coorst at
Cypress Avenue Saon," Donna
Vvan sad.
"The cute tte pace on South
Utca?" Pea asked.
"Exacty," Fabo sad.
"Good. We go there next,"
Venus sad.
"Oh, dear." Fabo ooked fustered
and Donna Vvan shook her head
sady back and forth. "Im afrad t
takes weeks to get an
appontment wth Farah. And ts
Sunday. Cypress Avenue s one of
the few upscae saons n Tusa
actuay open on Sunday, whch
makes them ncredby busy
today, but t makes me totay
dstraught to te you ths. There
s no possbe way you can get n.
The best I can do s to gve you
her card so you may ca for an
appontment." Fabo squeezed
Venuss arm apoogetcay. "I am
ever so sorry."
Venus smed sweety. "Her card
woud be perfect, and dont you
worry yoursef about us not beng
abe to get n. Oh, and we w
take them," Venus sad.
"Them?" Donna Vvan and Fabo
asked together.
"A of them." Venuss grand
gesture ncuded a of the cothes
hangng from the haf-dozen vory
hooks. "And she wear the outft
she has on. Oh, Fabo, darng,
dont you thnk those adorabe
sver pumps we |ust purchased
w go perfecty wth what Pea s
wearng?"
"Too dvne for words," Fabo
agreed.
He and Donna Vvan busted
about, coectng the mounds of
cothng that ay ke restng
butterfes a about the sute.
When they eft, Pea turned to
Venus, tears makng her honey
brown eyes brght.
"I dont know how to thank you
for a of ths."
Venus touched her cheek genty.
"Happness and ecstasy are the
gfts I gve to thee."
On mpuse, Pea hugged her. "You
reay are a wonderfu goddess!"
Snffng and wpng her eyes
decatey, Venus sad, "Of course
I am, darng. Now ets fnsh by
seeng about your har, and then I
do beeve ts tme for a ovey
and esurey mea."
"Do you thnk you coud con|ure
some more ambrosa?"
Venus fted her brows. "Ony f I
con|ure some water, too."

"My frend woud ke Farah to
coor and trm her har," Venus
sad. "I thnk some ovey dark
honey owghts to brng out the
coor of her eyes and a quck
shapng wthout takng off too
much ength."
The extremey young and
extraordnary bond receptonst
frowned. "Im sorry, but Farah s
booked unt." She checked her
computer og book. "Unt the end
of next month. And then she ony
has one openng."
"No, Im afrad that wont do,"
Venus sad peasanty.
The receptonsts frown
deepened, but before she coud
respond the phone on her trm
whte workstaton rang.
"Cypress Avenue Saon, how may
I be of servce to you?" She
paused. "Oh, Im sorry to hear
about that Mrs. Rowand." The
bonde banched. "No, I had no
dea Dobermans coud make such
a mess wth feather pows. Of
course I te Farah your
canceaton s an emergency and
w reschedue you for your
reguar tme next month. Good-
bye, Mrs. Rowand."
"Seems Farah has an openng,"
Venus sad.
"We, she does, but I have to ca
the frst person on the st of our
cents who are watng for a Farah
canceaton. Im sorry, maam.
Theres |ust no way I can work
you n wthout an appontment,"
she sad frmy, and began
cckng through her computer
watng st.
"Reay?" Venus sad breathy.
"Maybe we shoud go," Pea sad
softy.
Venus |ust smed and shook her
head sghty.
The ce phone n Peas purse
rang. "Heo?"
The receptonst sad, "Heo, may
I speak wth Pea Chamberan,
pease? Ths s Mnd at Cypress
Avenue."
Pea smed, and nstead of takng
nto her phone, she caught the
receptonsts eye. "Uh, Mnd, Im
Pea Chamberan."
Mnd bnked. "Oh, we then. It
appears youre next on our st of
cents watng to see Farah. Im
sorry, maam. I ddnt recognze
you as one of our reguars."
"Shes had a recent makeover,"
Venus sad.
"We, she ooks wonderfu."
"She does ndeed. Speakng of
wonderfu, whe Im watng for
Peas trm and coor, Id very
much en|oy a pedcure."
The bondes frown returned. "Im
sorry, maam, Chery s
competey-"
"Mnd, my three ocock |ust
caed and canceed her
pedcure."
Mnd began to ook a tte she-
shocked. "Chery, ths ady |ust
requested a pedcure."
"Then I can ft her rght n."
Chery smed.
"What a ovey concdence,"
Venus sad. "Oh, and Id very
much ke a gass of that speca
champagne you keep ched n
the back room."
"Of course, maam."
"How dd you know they have
champagne?" Pea whspered as
they were ed back to the bowes
of the saon.
"Darng, Love can aways sense
the presence of champagne."
CHAPTER NlNE
"F arah s a genus!" Stoppng at
the red ght on Utca Street, Pea
turned her head ths way and that
so her new owghts coud catch
the rays of the fadng sun n the
cars rearvew mrror.
"She dd a wonderfu |ob, but you
need to remember that you had
amazng har even before Farah
worked her magc, |ust ke you
had an amazng body even before
our vst to Saks."
A tap on the wndow of ther car
caused both women to |ump n
surprse. Pea ooked up and
gasped. "Oh. My. God! Its
Grffn!"
"Open your wndow!" Venus
hssed, her stomach futterng
nvountary at the sght of the
handsome freman. Hes for Pea!
Pea pressed the button to ower
her wndow.
"Evenng, ades. Woud you be
nterested n donatng your
change to the fre departments
drve to hep |errys kds?" Then
hs ook went from Pea to Venus
and hs sme changed from pote
to sexy. "Good to see you agan,
maam."
Venus tred to mutter a
dsmssve, "Oh, heo," but was
mortfed when her words came
out soundng more purr-sh than
perfunctory.
"H, Grffn," Pea sad brghty.
"Sure, I donate." Her hand
shook ony a tte as she dug
through her purse for change.
Grffn hed the boot up and
pued hs apprecatve gaze from
Venus ong enough to sme at
her. "Have we met, maam?"
"Yeah, Im your neghbor.
Remember? You got my Scotte
from the tree and then ater you
returned my pens to me," Pea
burted, bushng scaret.
Venus sghed and roed her eyes.
Grffn ooked ke someone had
ht hm over the head. "Pea?"
"Thats me!" The ght changed
and someone behnd them
honked. "We, see ya." Pea sped
away.
"Perhaps next tme you shoudnt
menton the pens. Men-mortas
and gods-tend to be ntmdated
by women who own arger
penses than they have."
"Im a moron," Pea sad wth a
moan.
"Of course youre not. You were
|ust nervous. Let me te you a
tte somethng about men that
w make speakng wth them
much easer for you. They desre
us even more than we desre
them."
"How can that be true?"
"It goes back to the whoe pens
thng."
"But Ive known women who
chase man after man. They seem
way more nterested n the men
than the men seem n them."
"Thats not desre-thats
needness, and youre not a
needy woman. Im takng about
rea desre. Somethng thats raw
and hot and passonate."
"Are you beng serous?"
"Absoutey."
Pea shook her head. "That cant
be true, at east not true for me
before today. No way woud
Grffn want me more than I woud
want hm. And, anyway, he was
defntey more nterested n you."
The resentment n Peas voce
was none the ess obvous for ts
hestancy.
"Darng, Im sure that was your
magnaton," Venus sad
smoothy, refusng to
acknowedge the nstant
connecton that had, once agan,
szzed between Grffn and her.
Instead she contnued, "Dd you
notce how obvousy peased he
was when he reazed youre
you?"
Pea chewed her p. "We, I
supposed he was, but st I cant
beeve he coud want me more
than I want hm. He |ust doesnt
seem that nterested."
"He woud be f he had touched
you, stroked the softness of your
skn, fet the wet heat of your
passon. You woud make hm
burn even before your own body
began to smmer."
"You thnk so?"
"Trust me." Venus ponted at a
parkng space they were comng
up on. "Park there."
"But the restaurant s way over on
the other sde of Utca Square.
We have to wak amost a bock
to get to t."
"Exacty," Venus sad.

"That man |ust whsted at us!"
Pea whspered exctedy to Venus.
"Yes, he certany dd. Look
around darng, every man wth a
puse s ookng at us." She
eaned cose to Peas ear and
added wth a throaty augh, "And I
do mean us. Youre sexy and
confdent and beautfu, and they
a know t."
Pea ooked at Venus wth eyes
that were huge and stunned.
Then she ganced around them.
"By Aress perfect ass youre
rght!" she sad wth a gasp.
Venuss aughter caed even
more eyes ther way. "Oh, no! You
mustnt pck up my habt of
cursng. Persephone w say Im a
horrd nfuence on you." But the
Goddess of Love sad t wth a
sme. She was so proud of Pea.
The two of them ddnt |ust wak
across the upscae shoppng area
-they strutted. Pea strutted.
Venus coud teray see her
confdence growng by the
moment. The tte morta was
actuay tossng that ovey, cury
mane of har back and hodng
her chn hgh as she strode by
Venuss sde, matchng her
measure for measure. Venus
coudnt have been more
deghted. And dnner dd nothng
but renforce Peas newfound
confdence. The water was young
and terrby handsome. He
fawned over them-both of them
-and one man at the bar sent
them a deghtfu botte of very
good wne. Overa, the whoe
afternoon was an exceent boost
to the mortas ego.
And now they were back at Peas
cozy ktchen tabe, ndugng n
what Venus thought happy was
feeng ke a wonderfu new
tradton-drnkng Peas exceent
hot chocoate and takng ke od
frends, ony tonght Pea wasnt
wearng that wretched
contrapton she caed foote
pa|amas. Tonght she was wearng
the bush-coored sk nghtdress
Venus had nssted she purchase
from the uxurous ngere
department at Saks and ts
matchng rose-coored robe. Wth
her har a tumbng around her
shouders n bg, gossy curs and
her face fushed wth exctement
and the wne from dnner, Venus
thought Pea coud easy have
been mstaken for a goddess
hersef. Kndness, Venus decded.
Pea coud be the Goddess of
Kndness..
"Do you thnk he be there
tomorrow?" Pea asked, pung
Venus out of her revere.
"He?"
"Grffn."
Venus fet a rdcuous |ot at the
sound of hs name, whch she
carefuy hd. "There?"
"The street corner. Youre not
payng attenton."
Venus smed at her. "Sorry, I was
thnkng about how absoutey
beautfu you ook."
Pea grnned happy back at her.
"And I have no dea f he be
there tomorrow or not. Pea,
darng, the corner of a busy
street s not the most opportune
pace for you to seduce hm."
"Im not gong to seduce hm!"
Pea practcay squeaked.
"Of course you are. Youre |ust not
gong to do t on a street corner."
Venus gnored the strange sense
of exctement |ust hearng the
mans name gave her. It was
rdcuous anyway. Even had Pea
not been besotted wth hm, t
had been ages snce she had
daed wth a morta. Actuay, t
had been ages snce shed daed
wth anyone..
"Venus?"
"Im sorry, Pea. My mnd was
wanderng. What were you
sayng?"
"I sad, how am I gong to have
even a shot at seducng." Pea
stopped and ggged at the word
seducng as f shocked that she
was thnkng of seducng a man.
".Grffn f I dont see hm?"
"Leave that to me," Venus sad.
"Youre not gong to do anythng
ke start a fre, are you?"
Venus wgged her brows. "Love,
start a fre?"
"Promse me you wont burn down
my house."
"I woudnt thnk of burnng down
ths deghtfu home!"
"Or any of my neghbors
houses."
Venus pouted pretty. "It was a
ogca dea, but I suppose I can
thnk of somethng ese."
"I count on t." Pea yawned and
ganced at the cock. "Oh, |eesh!
Its amost mdnght. I have to get
up and go to work tomorrow."
Worry furrowed her forehead.
"What are you gong to do whe
Im gone?"
"Research," Venus sad wthout
hestaton.
"Research?"
Venus nodded. "You have a
computer, dont you?"
"Of course, but how-"
Venus waved away her queston.
"Persephone expaned t a to
me. Computers are ke magc.
She sad anythng you want to
know about the modern morta
word can be dscovered through
them, especay f you use a
partcuar magc caed Googe."
Pea aughed. "Okay, no probem.
I gve you a quck esson before
I go to work tomorrow."
"What type of work do you do,
Pea?"
"Actuay, I |ust got a ma|or
promoton. Im the youngest
drector at Tusa Communty
Coege. Im n charge of
currcuum for our contnung
educaton department." Pea
thought for a second and then
added, "I guess you coud say
that I decde what types of
casses we offer aduts so that
they can earn new thngs and
expand ther mnds."
"That sounds ke a great
responsbty."
"It s, and tomorrow s gong to be
a ong day. Im ntervewng
nstructors for severa new
casses were gong to offer ths
summer."
"Then you must get your rest."
The two women wshed each
other warm good nghts and went
off to bed. Pea consdered
peasurng hersef agan, but
decded she was |ust too tred,
and fe nto a contented seep
amost as soon as her head ht
the pow.
Ironcay Venus ddnt even
consder peasurng hersef.
Instead she ay awake a ong
tme, and when she fnay fe
nto a restess seep she dreamed
of fre and a bue-eyed, dark-
hared morta.

Vucan tred to stay away from
the thread that opened a wndow
to the morta word-a wndow to
Pea-and he succeeded for most
of the day. Fnay, hs mnd was
so fed wth thoughts of and
questons about the tte morta
that he coud bear t no onger.
Vucan con|ured the thread to hm
and gazed nto the fery par. Hs
breath caught and he fet the
thr of ong dormant emotons
surge through hm.
She was radant! He watched her
wak across a shoppng park at
Venuss sde, proud and gracefu
and confdent. She ooked ke the
woman she had changed nto the
nght before when she began to
dance. And her cothes, her har!
She was dfferent, yet not. She
was st Pea. St the sweet,
exquste creature he desred so
passonatey and so unexpectedy.
Now she was |ust more. Venus
had accompshed t; she had
worked her magc on Pea.
Vucan studed Pea carefuy. No,
hs frst mpresson had been
wrong. He coud detect no dustng
of goddess magc on the morta.
What Venus had accompshed
she had done wthout the use of
her dvne powers. She had made
what had been hdden on the
nsde of Pea become vsbe.
Vucan swaowed hard and fet
hs chest tghten. He woud not be
the ony man-morta or mmorta
-who notced her beauty.
It was a torment to watch the
men watch Pea a through dnner.
He especay wanted to bast nto
ash the young water who smed
too much and pad too many
compments to her. And the man
at the bar! Vucan wanted to
reach through the thread and gve
hm a burnng reason to eave the
restaurant and eave t n a hurry.
But that wasnt the worst of t.
Shed spoken about that gods-be-
damned Grffn agan! And now
Venus had agreed to put her mnd
to gettng the two of them
together.
No! He wanted to ye through the
thread. He snt good enough for
you! But he ddnt ye, of course.
After a, what coud he do about
Pea seducng Grffn? He was n
Oympus and the morta was n
the modern word.
And so what f they were n
dfferent words? Vucan stood up
straghter and stopped rubbng
hs hand through hs thck har n
frustraton.
Persephone vsted the modern
word of mortas.
Venus vsted the modern word of
mortas.
He, too, was one of the Oympan
gods. He had the power of
mmortas at hs fngertps, as
we as the magc of fre, f he
chose to use t. We, t was about
tme he chose to use t. There was
nothng but hmsef stoppng hm
from pursung hs hearts desre.
Yes. It was defntey tme the God
of Fre pad a vst to the modern
word of mortas..

Venus was thoroughy entranced
by the magc of the Internet. After
Pea gave her a bref esson and
eft for work (wearng her chc
new back sacks, russet-coored
sk bouse and fabuous back
stetto boots), the frst thng
Venus dd was to Googe hersef.
"91,000,000 entres!" The
goddess practcay squeaed. And
then, |ust out of curosty, she
Googed Persephone. "3,920,000
entres. How nterestng." She
coudnt wat to te Persephone.
And she thought she was such an
expert on the modern word. We,
maybe she was, but ceary the
modern word was more
nterested n ove than sprng.
Venus payed for a whe. Actuay
more than a whe. She was
fascnated by a of the dfferent
artstc rendtons she found when
she narrowed her Googe search
from Venus to Venus art. She, of
course, was famar wth
Bottce, and athough she coud
apprecate the beauty of the
pantngs, she had never reay
ked them. He made her ook too
empty headed and nymphke.
The Venus de Mo appeaed to
her aesthetc senses more, but t
ddnt ook anythng ke her. She
found a ovey scupture n green
aabaster of hersef by a modern
artst named Key Borshem
whch she ked very much, and
then she dscovered the fantasy
art of Mchae Parkes and was so
enamored wth t that she ordered
fve mted-edton prnts.
"I |ust take them back wth me. I
mean, ts not ke I cant get
Persephone to hep me carry
them," Venus tod Choe, who was
cured contentedy by her feet.
Then she began surfng usng
random words and phrases, ke
"romance" and "ove" and "sex"
and "erotca," qucky dscoverng
a fabuous ste caed Smart
Btches Trashy Books dot com
that had her aughng and readng
the archves for hours. She
especay apprecated the
womens ntegent nsght nto
how men so often underestmate
and dscount thngs abeed as
"for women ony." Of course she
aso apprecated the Smart
Btches creatve cursng, and
prompty decded to add severa
of ther favortes, ke asshat,
assburger, man-ttty and "Btch,
pease!" to her aready formdabe
seecton of genta curses.
And, fnay, she setted down to
the more serous task of fgurng
out a way to fnsh hepng Pea.
Googng "Tusa Communty
Coege," she educated hersef on
Peas empoyer before typng n
her |ob tte and readng exacty
what t was she dd for a vng.
Fuy nformed, as we as
mpressed by Peas
responsbtes, Venus Googed
"Tusa fremen," and setted n
wth her cup of coffee to go
through the 113,000 entres.
She amost choked on her
sourdough cooke when she
ccked nto the fremens
caendar entry and behed a haf-
naked Grffn on the cover of the
atest edton.
"Btch, pease!" She breathed
heavy as she tested out one of
her new curses and fanned
hersef wth the haf-eaten cooke.
Grffn was, wthout a doubt,
edbe. She woud ke to eat hm.
Actuay she woud ke hm to eat
her-
"No! Pea wants hm. So Pea w
get hm."
She ccked out of the dangerous
caendar ste-after orderng a
copy. For Pea, of course. Then
three stes ater she cheered
aoud, wakng Choe abrupty and
sendng her nto a barkng frenzy.
Venus grabbed the tte Scotte
and hugged her. "Thats t, Choe!
That s exacty how Im gong to
get Grffn and Pea together, and
ts happenng tonght!"
Then, reazng how much
preparaton there was to be done
n the three hours she had eft
before Pea got home from work,
Venus got busy.
CHAPTER TEN
"H oney, Im home!" Pea |oked as
she hurred n the front door.
Choe rushed to her, harrumphng
happy whe Max rubbed around
her egs.
"Fnay! You smpy must hurry.
Beng fashonaby ate s usuay
n good taste, but tonght I dont
want you to mss one moment
wth Grffn." Venus spoke qucky,
motonng for Pea to foow her
back to her room. When she
ddnt move, the goddess turned
back and paced her hands on her
hps n annoyance. "Pea. Stop
starng and start movng. I sad
we are gong to be ate."
"Youre.youre." Pea swaowed,
eyes huge. "Wow! Look at you."
Venuss annoyance faded. "You
ke my regaa?" She turned
sowy so Pea coud get the fu
effect.
"Its ncredbe. I mean, youre
beautfu anyway, but n that.
uh.whatever t s, youre
breathtakng."
"Ths"-Venus gestured grandy
at the amost transparent mxture
of fabrcs that draped seductvey
around her body, cngng and
modng perfecty to the
goddesss exquste body-"s
what a Roman goddess s
expected to wear when seen n
her fu gory. Tunca." She ponted
to the short cream-coored
underdress that eft much of her
ovey egs bare. "Stoa." She hed
out part of the draped fabrc that
crossed from one sde of her body
to the other and was a sver-
whte coor that compemented
her har. "And, fnay, the paa."
Wth a foursh Venus spun
gracefuy around causng the
pece of voet sk (the exact
shade of her eyes) that was
attached to the back of her sver
shouder casps to futter n the
goddess-made breeze ke a
daphanous cape.
"Absoutey beautfu," Pea sad.
"Are you dressed ke ths because
youre gong back to Oympus? Is
the porta open to you agan?"
She smed, but t ddnt stop her
face from ookng sad. "I ddnt
thnk youd be eavng so soon.
Cant you at east stay for dnner
and maybe one more nght?"
"Darng, are you fed wth
happness and ecstasy?"
Peas brow wrnked as she
thought about Venuss queston.
"We, Im happy, I mean work
was great today-you shoud
have seen the way everyone
ooked at me. Everyone ooked at
me. Lke Im not nvsbe
anymore! And I cant te you how
many compments I got on my
har."
Venus smed at Peas
exuberance. "Yes, youre happy.
But are you fed wth decous,
seductve, passonate ecstasy?"
"I reay dont thnk so."
"Nether do I, and unt you are,
Im not eavng."
"Then why are you dressed ke
that?"
Venus roed her eyes. "A ths
tak has made me forget. Foow
me back here and I te you
whe you get changed."
"Changed? What am I changng
nto?"
"Your own goddess regaa,"
Venus sad.
"Me? Why?" she asked, but
foowed Venus eagery.
"Pea, my darng, we are gong to
a masquerade party."
Pea stopped n the ha outsde
her room. "Venus, what are you
takng about?"
"I found out about t whe I was
on the Internet today. Whch, by
the way, s a smpy marveous
type of magc. Dd you know
there are nnety-one mon stes
about me? Nnety-one mon!
And not even four mon about
Persephone-and shes aways so
smug about-oh, never mnd. Im
gettng competey off the
sub|ect. Whe I was ookng up
pertnent nformaton about your
freman, I happened to fnd an
advertsement for a masquerade
gaa event beng hosted at that
fabuous restaurant where you
and I met."
"Loas?"
"Exacty. The announcement sad
that they are tryng to rase
money for new equpment or
some such for the Tusa Mdtown
Fre Staton, whch s the exact
staton your Grffn s from."
"Defbrators," Pea sad.
Venus rased an eyebrow.
Pea shrugged. "It was on the
news. The fre staton wants two
new defbrators for ther
paramedc unts. So the
masquerade s a fundraser."
"You aready knew about t?"
"I suppose. I ddnt reay thnk
about t. It snt exacty somethng
I woud go to."
"It s exacty somethng you are
gong to go to-actuay, were
gong to go to."
"But we have to have
costumes." Peas voce ran out
as her eyes wdened n
understandng.
"Yes, darng, we do have to have
costumes." She took Peas arm
and pued her nto the bedroom.
"Hurry! I spent a afternoon
con|urng thngs from Oympus; I
cant wat to show you how to
truy dress ke a goddess!"

"Are you sure I shoudnt be
wearng pantes?" Pea nervousy
smoothed her hands down the
front of her robes as f she was
afrad a wnd mght sprng up and
ft them above her head.
"Of course Im sure. Nothng
shoud bnd your decate
womans y under the sks of a
goddesss robes. Besdes, gong
wthout undercothng s a freeng
experence. You see. And stop
fdgetng." Venus gave Peas curs
one more scrunch. "It woud have
been much easer to prepare wth
the ad of a score of nymphs, but I
am peased wth our end resut."
She stepped back to survey her
work. "Okay, you can turn around
and ook at yoursef now."
Together they gazed at the
goddess n the mrror.
Peas tunca was the same
seductve cream coor as Venuss,
and t eft exposed more of her
egs. Venus examned them
crtcay and nodded n sent
approva at how ong and strong
and shapey they ooked. Her
stoa was a sweet, bushng pnk.
A coor that shoud have seemed
nnocent, but draped sky
around Peas body, tucked and
foded cunnngy here and there
to accentuate the ndentaton of
her wast and the perfect
roundness of her breasts, the
madeny shade of pnk became
aurng and seductve, con|urng
mages of hdden parts of her
body. Her paa was qud god
and t gstened wth even the
sghtest of Peas movements.
"Smpy ovey. I knew the stoa
woud compement your-" Venus
broke off when she saw the tears
poong n Peas eyes. "What s t,
darng?"
Pea shook her head back and
forth as she began to cry. "Its a
beautfu outft, and, yes, ts ft
for a goddess. But n t I ook ke
a sparrow tryng to wear the
feathers of a peacock."
Venus bnked n surprse. "That s
smpy not true, Pea."
"Yes, t s." She sobbed. "I know t
s. Its aways been true."
Venus took Peas hand and ed
her to the bed. "St," she tod her
as she turned to retreve the box
of tssues from the bathroom and
hand them to Pea. "Bow."
Hccuppng, Pea dd as she was
tod. Then Venus sat besde her
and took her hand.
"Now, te me what happened to
make you have such a dstorted
vew of your appearance."
Pea snffed. "It-t wasnt |ust one
thng."
"Te me," Venus repeated genty.
"Remember I tod you about the
dance squad I was on n hgh
schoo, and how I thought I ft n,
but that I reay ddnt?"
Venus nodded.
"We." Pea sghed. "There was
more to t than |ust not fttng n. I
know t sounds sy, but I used to
not reaze that I was so dorky
ookng. Reay. I thought I was
norma. Lke everyone ese. I
mean, I had frends-not on the
dance squad, but frends. I |ust
ddnt thnk t woud be a probem
makng frends wth a new
group."
"What happened?"
Pea bew out a shaky breath. "I
made the squad wth no probem.
Ive taken dance snce I was fve,
so I reay knew what I was dong.
Anyway, I made the squad the
frst year I tred out. I was the
ony freshman who made t."
Venus noted that she ddnt seem
to have any prde n the fact that
shed accompshed somethng so
dffcut. "So I was gong to the
very frst meetng of the new
squad. I was reay excted and
unbeevaby happy-bascay
|ust ookng forward to makng
new frends and dong a ot of
coo dancng. As usua, I dorkshy
sped a bunch of stuff out of my
purse rght outsde the grs
ocker room door, and whe I was
pckng t up I heard them." Pea
swaowed, fghtng back more
tears. "They were takng about
me, makng fun of me reay. They
sad that no matter how much
dancng I dd, Id never dance
away from a of my ugy. And-
and they caed me brocco head,
because of my har."
Venus shook her head. "Young
women can be so pontessy
crue, especay when ntmdated
by anothers taent."
"They werent ntmdated by
me!" Pea sad qucky.
"Werent they? How ong ago dd
ths happen?"
"It started a tte over ten years
ago, but t went on for a four
years of hgh schoo. I know ts
stupd to st et somethng
bother me that happened so ong
ago, but-"
Venuss rased hand cut off Peas
words. "It snt stupd that
somethng that happened durng
your formatve years st affects
you. That snt why I asked how
ong ago t was. I asked because I
want you to reaze that you are
now an adut, a successfu,
ndependent adut, ookng back
on events that happened to a
chd. You can now see them
through an aduts eyes-a
vewpont that shoud make
ssues ke the other grs
|eaousy and nsecurty cearer."
Pea chewed her p. "I guess I
never reay thought about t ke
that."
Venus pued on Peas hand and
ed her back to the mrror. "Thnk
about t."
"I try," Pea sad doubtfuy.
Venus sghed. "I do wsh you
coud see yoursef as others see
you." Then the goddesss eyes
wdened. "Thats t!"
Pea frowned. "What?"
"I sha smpy gve you the abty
to see yoursef as others see
you."
Pea took a step back from the
goddesss aready gtterng
fngers. "Im reay not okay wth
that zappng stuff you do."
"Oh, darng, Im not gong to zap
stuff ths tme. Im gong to zap
you." Then whe Pea stared wde-
eyed at her, Venus sad, "Aow
her mnd to beeve the beauty n
her others perceve!" Then the
goddess fcked the gtterng dust
of her magc on Pea.
The tte morta sneezed
tremendousy. Venus sghed and
handed her another tssue. Then
she took Pea by the shouders
and turned her so that she was
ookng at hersef head-on n the
mrror.
"Oh, my." Pea breathed deepy,
ftng a hand as f to touch the
gr n the mrror. "I-I never
magned I coud ook so
beautfu," Pea sad. "Its magc.
It dsappear."
"Of course ts not."
"But you |ust-" Pea wagged her
fngers, mtatng Venus.
"Darng, I ddnt make you ook
dfferent. I |ust aowed you to see
yoursef as others see you.
Ths"-she ponted at Peas
refecton-"s uttery rea."
"Are you postve you ddnt use
magc to make me ook ke ths?"
"Ths s exacty what Ive been
tryng to te you. Pea, darng,
you have your own magc. Your
beauty and kndness and
ntegence are enough to
ensave any man."
"But I dont want to ensave
Grffn."
"Dont you?"
Pea bushed. "We, maybe a tte.
I guess what I reay mean s that I
dont want magc to be the
reason he wants me."
"Dont worry, darng. The ony
magc you use tonght s the
eterna magc a confdent
women have access to. Smpy
beeve n yoursef. Then reax and
aow your nhbtons to be freed.
Gve yoursef over to passon and
ecstasy, at east for ths one
nght."
"Okay. I try, but t mght take
one or two of Loas pomegranate
martns."
"Whatever works for you. Im
brngng the ovey credt card."
"Whoever sad you cant ve off
ove was absoutey wrong."
Venus snffed danty. "I woud
certany never say anythng so
basphemous."
"Me, ether. Or at east not after
the ast coupe days." She
grnned at her amazng refecton.
"Im ready. Lets go before I forget
I ook ke ths."
"Wat, I amost forgot." Venus
rffed through the pes of
dscarded fabrc on Peas bed.
"Here-ths one s for you, and
ths s for me." She handed Pea a
spectacuar haf mask. It was
covered wth tny svers of god
crystas and t ted on wth a pnk
vevet rbbon. The one she kept
for hersef was much ke Peas,
except t was covered wth what
ooked ke tny gtterng
damonds and ted on wth a
sver rbbon. "The Internet
announcement sad that a
costumes were wecome, and the
ony requrement was that
everyone wear some knd of
mask." They ted on each others
masks and then took one more
ook n the mrror.
Sowy, Pea reached out and took
Venuss hand. "Youve made me
nto a goddess."
Venus squeezed her hand and
smed. "No, my tte morta
frend. A I dd was show you how
to reease the goddess that had
been wthn you a aong. Now
ets get n that fabuous car of
yours, drve to Loas
masquerade, and commt some
goddesske debauchery."
Laughng, Pea sad, "Hey, who am
I supposed to be? I mean, youre
obvousy Venus. Whch goddess
am I pretendng to be?"
"Youre my Greek ncarnaton,
Aphrodte. Peope tend to
descrbe me as shorter and more
pette when they ca me
Aphrodte, so you ft the part
perfecty."
"So you and Aphrodte are
actuay the same goddess?"
Venus sghed. "I cant te you
how annoyng ths s for me,
especay after fndng so many
rrtatng references on the
Internet that made t seem ke
were two dfferent detes."
"I guess I thought you were, too.
If Id ever reay thought about t."
"Pea, f you moved to Europe and
the peope there began to ca
you by another name because t
ft better wth ther cuture, woud
that make you two dfferent
peope?"
"Of course not."
"Exacty. In Itay they ca me
Venus. In Greece they ca me
Aphrodte. Ether pace Im st
me."
"But tonght Im gong to be you,
too."
"Yes, you are. Make me proud.
Debauch ke a true Goddess of
Love."
"Im ready for t f you are," Pea
sad.
"Darng, Love s aways ready."
Gggng together, they hurred
from the house.

A masquerade.Vucan stroked
hs chn thoughtfuy. Everyone
must wear a mask. Venus had
sad t was a gaa event. It woud
probaby be crowded wth
mortas, a n costumes, rangng
from the ordnary to the
outrageous. Not that hed been to
many morta partes-or many
partes of the Oympans. But he
wasnt entrey gnorant of the
way the word worked, morta or
mmorta. He had smpy chosen
to observe, rather than
partcpate.
Unt now.
Venus was gong to the
masquerade as hersef. He, too,
woud go as hmsef. Hed smpy
wear a mask and be carefu to
stay away from Venus. He woud
be the ast person, morta or
mmorta, she woud expect to
see. As ong as he ddnt draw
attenton to hs mp, there was
reay no way she woud recognze
hm at a. Hed |ust stay n the
background.bend wth the
crowd.and perhaps fnd a way to
sprt Pea away.

"I fee ke a damn foo," Grffn
sad to hs frend and staton
eutenant, Robert Thomas.
"Hey, come on. Ya ook fne."
"Thats easy for you to say. Your
costume snt so short ts
showng your ass."
Robert aughed. "Ths s one of
the tmes beng short works for
me." He ad|usted a secton of hs
toga. "I dont know why the chef
decded we had to be dressed n a
theme."
"Yeah, ancent Rome. Hes been
watchng way too much Hstory
Channe. But even that woudnt
have been so bad f he hadnt
gotten the brght dea that I
needed to be God of Fre."
Lookng down at hs name tag,
whch read, Heo, my name s:
THE GOD OF FIRE, Grffn snorted
and shook hs head. "What the
he was he thnkng?"
"He was thnkng that as our
captan, and fearess eader, t
makes sense that you get the
best costume."
"Hey, you can have t." Grffn
gestured at the breastpate wth
but-n musces and the short,
peated tunc that ended a coupe
nches above hs knees. "If I go
outsde to get away from ths
crowd, I freeze my ass off."
"Nah, Loa has those propane
heaters set up a down the
sdewak. Peope are dancng ther
asses off out there, not freezng
them off. You be fne, Captan."
Grffn snorted agan and
remnded hmsef not to spread
hs egs as he eaned back n hs
barstoo. He hated ths knd of
crap. Not that fundrasng for the
staton was crap, but the
schmoozng and potckng that
went wth t was absoute busht.
It was the ony thng he ddnt ke
about hs promoton to captan.
He wshed the Powers-That-Be
woud |ust eave hm the he
aone and et hm do hs |ob. And
hs |ob was not dressng up n a
skrt and beng paraded around n
pubc. Hed had enough of that
wth that stupd caendar cover
shoot. He woud have never done
t f t hadnt been for hs ssters
exctement. They oved the
thought of ther bg brother beng
on the cover of the natona
frefghters caendar. Women.
Hs sgh was deep and ong
sufferng. They drove hm crazy.
Sure, he ked them, and because
hed been rased wth four ssters
he even knda understood them.
Sometmes. He, beng rased
wth four ssters was the bggest
reason he was st snge,
athough hed never te Aca,
Kathy, Stephane or Sherry that.
Theyd go nuts and bug hm even
more than they dd now about
settng down and gettng
marred. No thanks. Hed watched
three of the four of them go
through hesh dvorces, and he
secrety thought t was ony a
matter of tme before Aca, the
youngest and newy marred,
dumped Mke. The guy was a
controng dckhead. Nope. Unt
he saw more evdence of at east
a decent statstca probabty of
ove astng, he was |ust fne
beng snge.
"We, sap me and ca me Santa
Caus. I do beeve Im n ove."
Robert thumped hm on hs
breastpate, amost causng hm
to sp hs beer.
"What the hes wrong wth you?"
Robert ponted at the crowded
entrance to the restaurant and
Grffn fet hs mouth go dry.
"Fuckng goddesses!" Robert
sputtered.
Two women had stopped to pay
the cover charge for the
fundraser and were fng out
ther name tags. Robert had been
rght. They were goddesses.
Famar goddesses. Not that t
was reay possbe to te who
anyone was for sure n the damn
masks they a had on. But.Hs
eyes were automatcay drawn to
the taer of the two women, and
he fet the |ot of recognton a
the way down n hs gron. It was
the woman from the bar-the
woman who had been n that tte
Pea grs car the day before. He
coudnt see her voet eyes
through the mask from across the
room, but that har! No way coud
he mstake that har. It was an
unusuay ght shade of bond,
ong and thck, hangng we past
her shouders. God, he oved her
har. It made hm want to fst hs
hands n t and move t out of the
way so that he coud taste that
soft, sweet pace where her
shouder met neck and then-
Hs ce phone rang, |arrng hm
out of hs fantasy.
"What?" he growed.
"Grffn, dont sound so grumpy."
"Aca, Im knda busy here at the
fundraser."
"I know, but I wanted to remnd
you that you promsed to change
the o n my car," hs sster sad.
"Aca, cant your husband take
over ths tte chore? I mean,
youve been marred for a year
now."
"You know Mchae s totay
useess when t comes to cars.
And I ddnt thnk you mnded a
that much."
Grffn wanted to say that Mchae
was totay useess when t came
to |ust about anythng, and he
defntey wasnt good enough for
hs baby sster. Instead the hurt
tone n her voce had hm sayng,
"I dont mnd, Aca. How about I
come over rght after my next
shft? I brng the pzza."
"Coo! I have the beer. You wont
forget?"
"Ony f you keep buggng the
crap outta me."
"Okay, Mr. Grump. I see you n a
coupe days. Bye bye."
Grffn grunted n the phone and
snapped t shut.
"One of your ssters?" Robert
asked.
Grffn nodded.
"Stephane?"
"No. Aca."
"Aca, huh? Hey, shes snge
agan, ant she?"
"Not yet, but Im hopng she
come to her senses soon.
Anyway, forget about t."
"What? Whats wrong wth me?"
"What about whats her name,
uh, Messa? I thought you were
seeng her," Grffn sad.
Robert shrugged. "I am. Knda.
But ts no bg thng."
"And thats whats wrong wth
you." Grffn sapped hm on the
shouder and started to get off hs
barstoo-carefuy, so that hs
damn skrt ddnt fy up too damn
far.
"Hey! Wth your sster Id be
dfferent," Robert protested.
"Lke I sad before, forget about
t."
Grffn eft Robert st grumbng
to hmsef at the bar and started
to weave hs way through the
crowd of masked partygoers,
keepng hs eye traned on the
sver bond fa of har and the
amost see-through costume of
the woman who ooked every bt
the part of a goddess. Hed buy
her a drnk. Or two. What harm
coud a drnk or two do? It wasnt
ke he was gong to fa n ove or
anythng stupd ke that.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
"W hat do you want on your name
tag?"
The woman ooked up at hm
expectanty. Vucan stared senty
down at her.
"You know, who youre pretendng
to be tonght," she prompted.
"I am Vucan," he sad.
"Lets see." She tapped the
capped end of the Sharpe
aganst the tabe. "Vucan was
supposed to be God of Fre,
rght?"
"Correct."
"Yeah, I kcked ass n my
mythoogy cass ast semester.
Hey-I thnk theres another God
of Fre here, too. Youd thnk ya
woudve caed each other to
make sure you dont have the
same costumes." She ggged a
tte. "Anyway, carefu you dont
cash. You coud burn the pace
down, and that woud be
embarrassng wth a you fremen
here."
She grnned at her own |oke and
handed hm a name tag wth
Heo, my name s GOD OF FIRE
prnted body n back marker.
Foowng what the others had
done, Vucan put t on hs chest
and then he moved sowy nto
the arge, crowded restaurant,
aready feeng reeved that the
ghtng was ow enough that f he
was carefu no one woud notce
hs mp-or at east Venus
woudnt. Hed wated unt she
and Pea had found a tabe near
the dance foor n the man room
before he entered, though t had
been hard to keep hs eye on
them through the press of
costumed peope. Normay he
woud have hated a crowd ke
ths, but tonght was markedy
dfferent. He kept remndng
hmsef no one knew who he was.
It seemed true; no one stared and
ponted at hm. There were no
gods or goddesses senty
aughng at hm, and no mortas
cowerng away from hm n fear.
For at east ths one nght he was
accepted; no dfferent than any
other morta man. It was, as
Venus and Persephone had
aready observed, an amazngy
freeng experence.
Unconscousy he reaxed hs
usuay too-rgd posture, aowng
hs arms to swng free and hs
body to move wth an ease he
rarey experenced outsde hs
persona ream. Hs mp became
ess awkward. Had he been abe
to observe hmsef, he woud have
been shocked to see a ta, broad
shoudered man who exuded
power. Hs thck, dark har, whch
he wore short because of the heat
n hs ream, usuay evoked
dsdanfu ooks from the goden-
maned Oympans. Here he ft n
perfecty amongst the fremen
and ther mtary har cuts. He
wore a haf mask that was the
warm coor of a candes fame,
and ony the bue of hs eyes, hs
ps and the frm, square ne of
|aw were eft vsbe.
"Hey handsome," purred a
woman who ran a quck fnger
down hs bronze breastpate. She
was dressed n a short back skrt
and matchng back sweater that
sparked wth tny threads of
gtterng sver. Her sweater was
unbuttoned ow enough that the
red of her bra was exposed, aong
wth her generous breasts. Her
mask was aso red, as were the
horns on her head and her wd,
shouder ength har. Her name
tag read, Heo, my name s
SATAN.
Vucan had to force hmsef not to
|ump back n surprse at her
touch.
"God of Fre, huh? You can ght
my fre anytme, baby." She
moaned breathy.
"I keep that n mnd, Satan," he
surprsed hmsef by sayng wth a
sme.
The woman cked her reddened
ps and smed coquettshy
before aowng the crowd to wash
her from hs sde as the tde of
peope headed to the dance foor.
The morta woman had frted
wth hm! No one knew who he
was. Logcay hed reazed t
before then; hed even repeated
the fact to hmsef as he moved
through the restaurant. But he
hadnt reay known t unt the
moment the woman had spoken
to hm.
It was enough to make hm throw
back hs head and shout wth
happness for the frst tme n hs
ong fe!
Wth growng confdence, he met
severa of the other morta
womens eyes. Not one of them
turned away from hm n dsgust.
Not one of them crnged n fear.
One of them actuay wnked at
hm. The others smed
nvtatons. Even through ther
masks he coud easy read ther
nterest. Hs heart thudded wth
newy dscovered exctement. If
those women-those
ndscrmnate mortas who he
had never spoken to, but who
ceary were showng nterest n
hm-f those women coud fnd
hm desrabe, then dd t not
stand to reason that Pea mght
desre hm, too?
Vucan moved to stand aganst
the wa, |ust another n a ong
ne of costumed, vre men.
When the harred watress took
hs order he repeated what the
man standng nearest to hm had
asked for, a Bouevard Wheat
Beer. As he spped the brew,
whch was actuay rather tasty, a
tte ke satyr wnter ae ony ess
sweet, he focused hs attenton
on Pea and Venus. Usng the
nvsbe thread of fre to ampfy
hs aready dvne hearng, he
stened and wated.

"Oh. My. God! Ths s so much
fun!" Pea spped her
pomegranate martn and nbbed
at the sweet ch roasted pecans
ther watress, |enny, had brought
them.
"Oh. My. Goddess woud be so
much more approprate," Venus
corrected.
"Sorry, youre rght. Were
goddesses. I shoud get the words
rght."
Venus smed ndugenty at her
tte morta frend. "Dont be too
hard on yoursef. Ive had an
eternty to get used to t. Youre
dong very we for your frst nght
as a dety. To us-goddesses
nsde and out!" Venus and Pea
tapped ther frosted martn
gasses together. "And what s ths
dvne musc? Ive never heard
anythng ke t."
"The band s the Fu Fava Kngs.
They specaze n odes. Rght
now theyre sngng somethng
caed cassc Motown. Totay
danceabe and uttery fantastc."
Automatcay, Peas body moved
to the sounds of "The Way You Do
the Thngs You Do," and she sang
aong wth the chorus.
"You shoud dance," Venus sad,
smng apprecatvey at the
snuous way Peas the body
swayed to the musc.
"Oh, no. I dont dance."
Venus aughed. "Of course you
do. You sad youve been takng
essons snce you were a chd."
"Thats dfferent." Pea owered
her voce and ooked around
nervousy. "Thats dance cass."
"So you dont reay ke to
dance?"
"I ove to dance," Pea sad
qucky. "But that knd of
dancng." She |erked her chn at
the crowded dance foor. "Is
dfferent."
"You need to reax and trust your
body. Beeve me. Love s an
expert on bodes. That knd of
dancng s exacty what you
need."
Pea opened her mouth to argue
wth Venus, but a mae voce
nterrupted her.
"Beautfu Goddess, woud you
honor me wth a dance?"
Pea and Venus ooked from each
other to the masked man who
stood n front of ther tabe. He
was dressed a n back-back
eather pants, back sk shrt,
back cape and mask. And he
appeared to have a raper n a
sheath at hs hp. Hs name tag
read: Heo, my name s ZORRO.
Venus arched a brow, a
movement that was ost behnd
her mask, but the sght upward
curve of her fu ps was
unmstakabe. He was certany
ta and we formed. Hs |aw ne
was frm. Hs manners appeared
to be passabe. Yes, he mght do
for a start.
"H, Zorro," Pea sad brghty.
The man hardy ganced n her
drecton. He had eyes ony for
Venus.
The goddess frowned.
"Dance wth me, ovey Venus,"
he sad.
No, ths woudnt do at a. She
wanted Pea to dance. She had
been frockng wth men for
centures. It was second nature to
her. Tonght t was Peas turn.
"Go ahead," Pea sad, wth a tte
too much enthusasm. "I be fne
watng rght here."
Venus ooked at Pea, easy seeng
through her masks-the physca
one she wore tonght and the
emotona one shed worn for too
much of her fe. Pea was used to
watng n the shadows whe
others danced.oved.ved. Not
tonght, Venus promsed hersef.
And wth a sudden nspraton the
Goddess of Love opened her
mouth and beched ke a Greek
saor.
The masked man drew back haf a
step.
Venus waved her hand n front of
her mouth. "Whew! I thnk Ive
had too much to drnk! And those
pecans were certany better
gong down." Whe Pea and the
costumed man were avertng
ther eyes n embarrassment,
Venus surrepttousy wgged her
fngers at Zorro. She ddnt
bespe hm-she woudnt do that
to Pea. The morta had been rght
about not catchng a man wth
magc. Pea deserved to capture a
man who was truy attracted to
her on her own, by her own mert.
A Venus dd was to dvney
erase any nterest he had n her,
thereby aowng hs attenton to
shft to an aternatve "goddess."
He bnked, for a moment ceary
dsconcerted, but qucky
recovered. Wth a foursh of hs
cape he bowed to Pea.
"Aphrodte, your sster goddess s
not nterested n the dance. Dont
break my heart by sayng you
arent, ether."
"She woudnt thnk of t," Venus
sad, gvng Pea a sy shove under
the tabe.
"But I." Pea began.
"You are a goddess," Venus sad.
"And goddesses dance." She met
Peas eyes wthn the sparkng
mask. "Trust me," she sad softy.
"And trust yoursef."
"Okay. We. Id ove to dance.
Thank you." Pea took the masked
mans offered hand and et hm
ead her to the crowded dance
foor.
Venus smed happy as she
watched Pea begn to move wth
the beat of the musc. The tte
morta reay was very gracefu.
And, of course, she had been
rght. As soon as Pea started to
dance her natura abty and
years of tranng took over. Even
from her tabe Venus coud see
that Pea was sngng to the musc
and havng a wonderfu tme. The
song changed to somethng caed
"Brck House," and even more
peope surged onto the dance
foor. Venus saw Pea begn to
swm through the crowd back to
her, and she qucky bew a
dustng of desre onto one of the
toga-dressed men who ned the
wa behnd her. Instanty he
ntercepted Pea. Venus met Peas
gaze and nodded an enthusastc
yes for her to keep dancng, but
even whe Pea moved back onto
the foor and began gyratng to
the new song, Venus coud fee
her retcence. And she reazed
the probem. Pea was worred
about her! She knew what t fet
ke to be eft behnd-to be the
one not asked. Pea woud
probaby ony dance once more,
and then shed nsst that she
return to the tabe and st wth
Venus.
The souton seemed smpe.
Venus shoud |ust dance. A she
had to do was to meet the gaze of
any of the many men who had
been throwng her apprecatve
ooks and he woud rush over and
beg to be aowed to escort her to
the dance foor.
The goddess sghed. If she dd
she knew what woud happen. It
had happened for countess ages.
She woud draw the desre of the
men n the crowd ke candeght
beckons moths. The other women
n the room-ncudng Pea-
woud seem pae and ackng
when compared to ove ncarnate,
and then where woud they be?
Back to Pea not gettng enough
attenton.
She supposed she coud scatter
around some of her dvne magc,
drectng t to dm her aure, but
she knew how dffcut t was to
camoufage ove. And f she eft,
went back to Peas home, the
chd woud certany foow her.
She tapped her fnger aganst her
martn gass. What, by the moon-
coored gobes of Danas frm
buttocks, was she supposed to
do?
"That was a nce thng you dd for
your frend."
The deep voce nstanty
refocused Venuss attenton. The
man was dressed n what she was
pretty sure was supposed to be a
facsme of an ancent Roman
offcers unform. Of course the
modern morta had mssed the
mark. What he wore was entrey
too pretty, but even as she
observed the unauthentc detas
she was takng n hs ong, strong
egs, wde shouders, and the
sensuous ps that qurked wth
|ust the rght touch of sef-humor
beneath the mask. Then she read
hs name tag and she coudnt
contan her sme.
"Im sorry, God of Fre, I have no
dea to what youre referrng."
"The bech. You dd that on
purpose so the Zorro guy woud
ask your frend to dance nstead
of you, ddnt you?"
Venus pued her gaze from hs
beautfu ps and ooked up to
meet bue eyes n a red mask that
was ted over thck, dark har.
Those eyes.
The Goddess of Love fet the |ot
of recognton a the way through
her suddeny fushng body. It was
Grffn!
She ganced out at the dance
foor before speakng. Thankfuy
Peas back was to her. She shoud
order hm away before Pea
recognzed hm. Venus ooked up
at Grffn. He was watchng her
wth a smmerng heat n those
brant bue eyes that turned the
red mask predatory, and t was
cear that she was hs prey.
Men smpy dd not ook at the
Goddess of Love ke that. They
showed more respect, more fear,
more worshp. It was
napproprate of hm. It was aso
terrby exctng.
Purposefuy she ddnt speak.
Instead she fpped her ong har
back over her shouder. Then she
took a sp of her martn. She
expected hm to do the mae
equvaent of a womans fdget-
to f the sence between them
wth the ceaseess, sef-nvoved
monoogues so many men used
to cover any hnt of mascune
embarrassment. That woud
certany essen hs appea.
But he ddnt babbe sef-
ndugenty. He contnued to trap
her wth hs unwaverng gaze and
hs patent, confdent sence.
"Youre very perceptve," she
fnay sad.
"It comes from havng four
ssters. And you ddnt answer my
queston."
"No, I ddnt. Four ssters and how
many brothers?"
"None. |ust the ssters."
Venus smed. "Are you the
edest?"
"Unfortunatey."
Hs tone made her augh and, as
f her amusement had drected t,
"Brck House" moved smoothy
nto an aurng song about a
pace caed "Baker Street." Over
Grffns shouder, Venus coud
see Pea, wth a ook of
determnaton on her attractvey
fushed face, begnnng to make
her way through the dance foor
back to the tabe, even though
the man wth whom she had been
dancng was ceary tryng to coax
her nto stayng.
"Come on, my goddess. You need
some ar." Grffn tucked her hand
nto hs ebow, and before she
coud make any knd of protest at
beng manhanded or at the
presumptuous way he had caed
her my goddess, he began
gudng her from the room.
Venus ooked back and caught
Peas surprsed gaze, qucky
pantommng that she was gong
outsde, and fanned hersef ke
she was overy hot. Wth a
shoong moton, she made t very
cear to Pea that she shoud keep
dancng. Peas partner saw the
exchange and sezed the
opportunty, takng her hand and
pung her back onto the dance
foor as Grffn maneuvered Venus
through the restaurants front
door.
Outsde the nght was cam and
coo, the moon beautfu and fu.
Ta, ron trees pumped poos of
warmth around the wrought ron
tabes and chars that were
paced up and down the sdewak
n front of Loas. A arge outdoor
oven perfumed the ar wth the
scent of pnon smoke. Sma
whte ghts decorated the
ornamenta trees, castng a
magca gow from ther wnter
branches. The bands musc coud
easy be heard outsde, and a few
costumed coupes were dancng
on the sdewak. It was a ovey,
romantc scene, and Venus was
very aware of the ta man who
st had her hand trapped. True,
she hadnt tred very hard to
dsengage hersef, whch was (she
tod hersef frmy) more at
surprse at beng touched wthout
her permsson than because of
the attracton she fet for Grffn.
Of course, she shoud pu her
hand from hs arm. Hs warm,
muscuar arm.
"Over here," he sad. Not gvng
her a chance to move away,
Grffn guded her to an empty
tabe, pued a char back for her,
and ony then reeased her hand
so that she coud st.
"So, te me. Why dd you want
Pea to dance nstead of you?" he
sad as he sat across from her.
"You recognze Pea?" Venus hated
the sver of |eaousy she fet.
Rdcuous. After a, her ntent
that nght had been to brng Pea
to ths very mans notce.
"Of course. As soon as I saw you I
reazed she must be wth you.
You two were at Loas the other
day, and then day before
yesterday you were n the T-Brd
together."
"Agan, youre very observant."
She made hersef add, wth a e,
"And youre ceary nterested n
my good frend, Pea." He hadnt
been ookng at Pea on the dance
foor. Hs attenton had been
ceary, predatory, focused on
her. "So, we shoud go back nsde
so you and Pea can-"
Hs touch broke off her words as
hs hand covered hers. "I am not
nterested n your tte frend."
"Youre not?" Venuss mouth fet
dry.
"No." Hs thumb made a azy
crce on the soft skn of her hand.
"And Im gad you sent Zorro
packng. Cuttng n on a crowded
dance foor ke that can cause an
ugy scene, and I defntey woud
have cut n. Scene or no scene."
Venuss hand tnged where he
was touchng her. Her stomach
cenched. She pued her hand
away from hm. "Im not dancng
tonght," she sad abrupty.
"Why not?" He was totay
unruffed that shed pued away
from hm. Instead he gave her
another sow, steady sme.
Venus opened her mouth to make
a fppant remark and found
hersef thrown off by the way he
kept ookng at her. Then t ht
her, rght n the gut. He reay has
no dea that Im the Goddess of
Love. Hes truy seducng me as
he woud a morta woman. The
thought was so profound that she
burted the truth.
"Its mportant that my frend
bask n attenton tonght. When I
dance I tend to ca attenton to
mysef, especay mae attenton,
so I thought t woud be best f I
eft the dancng to her."
Even through the mask, she saw
hs expresson shft to surprse.
"Thats unusuay generous of
you."
"You beeve that Im not usuay
generous?"
As before, he took hs tme
answerng her. "Experence has
taught me that women who are
very beautfu can be caous
about others feengs."
"Thats a cynca pont of vew."
He shrugged. "I thnk ts
reastc."
"Are your ssters very beautfu?"
Hs ps qurked. "They are."
"And caous?"
He hed up hs hands, as f n
surrender, and aughed, a
sensuous sound Venus fet tcke
up and down her spne. "I never
say that. Instead Id |ust say that
my beautfu ssters are ke a
women-compex."
Venus smed. "An exceent
answer. And you shoud know that
I am Goddess of Love." She
ponted at her name tag, ovng
the freedom of beng abe to
procam t, and at the same tme
reman unrecognzed. "So I speak
wth authorty when I say that
Love may seem caous, but
usuay ony to those untouched
by her."
"I recognzed you rght away,
Goddess. Venus s actuay my
favorte goddess."
One of her sm brows arched up.
"Is she?"
Grffn fted a shouder. "Okay,
shes the ony goddess I know
anythng about."
Intrgued, Venus asked, "And what
do you know about her?"
"|ust the norma stuff. You know,
born of the ocean, Goddess of
Love and Beauty. Thats about t.
Anyway Im nterested n what
you were sayng before. Dd you
mean that true ove s generous,
versus the pretenses of ove, ke
ust and nfatuaton?"
Her smed was deghted. Not
ony dd he know about her brth,
but hed managed to keep up
wth her conversaton. Too often
men, morta and mmorta, dd
nothng but stare nto her eyes, or
at her breasts, and et ther mnds
snk down between ther egs
when they spoke to her. Ths man
was sexy and confdent and
ntegent-defntey a etha
combnaton. "Yes, thats exacty
what I meant. True ove can be
dfferentated from ts mposters
by ts generosty. Are you aways
ths perceptve about women and
ove?"
"I thnk there are a ot of peope
who woud say that I dont usuay
pay much attenton to ether."
"I dont beeve that. Not from the
brother of four beautfu ssters."
"Generous and wse," he sad,
wth a sme, en|oyng her nsght.
"But then, I am n the presence of
a goddess."
"You are, ndeed." Venus ncned
her head gracousy, en|oyng
ther banter amost as much as
she ked the easy way he taked
wth her, and the predatory way
he ooked at her. There was
nothng submssve or worshpfu
about Grffn, and she found that
refreshng as we as aurng.
A tattooed water ceared hs
throat and asked for ther order.
"I have another ovey
pomegranate martn, darng,"
Venus sad.
"Macaan scotch, straght up."
The water nodded and hurred
off, and the musc changed agan.
Venus coudnt stop her body
from movng wth the rhythmc
beat of a song that procamed,
"Its ranng men." She aughed as
a the women on the sdewak
began to dance together, rasng
ther arms and sngng oudy to
the chorus.
"Go on, dance wth them."
Gancng through the pate-gass
restaurant wndow, Venus found
Pea, st bured on the dance
foor.
"Peas fne. Dance for me,
Goddess of Love. I protect you f
anyone cant hande hmsef."
Grffns tone was a cear
chaenge. Perhaps he shoud
experence a tte of the passon
Love coud evoke.
"I remnd you ater that I
warned you."
He grnned mschevousy. "Why
not see what Love can do?"
"Yes, darng," she sad wth a
purr. "Why not?"
Feeng sexy and decousy
decadent, Venus |oned the other
women. The musc entered her
body, as t aways dd, and the
goddess et hersef go. She
danced for Grffn, forgettng
Peas nfatuaton, forgettng the
other peope on the sdewak,
forgettng everythng except the
beat of the musc, the gorous
magc of the nght, and hm.
Tossng her har and movng n
perfect harmony wth the modern
musc she was gracefu and
seductve-aurng and adept.
The women who danced around
her tred to emuate the sk-
swathed vson n the bazng
mask, drawn by her aughter and
beauty. The men stared hungry
at her, especay Grffn. She
coud fee the heat of hs gaze as
f hs hands were on her, and t
made her fush wth exctement
and antcpaton.
Venus danced, and for the frst
tme n her eons of exstence she
reveed n the fact that no one
knew she was anythng but a
beautfu, frockng morta. She
ddnt have to consder what Love
oosened woud mean to Grffn.
He wasnt worshppng a dety. He
was smpy ogng a beautfu,
morta woman. When the song
ended, Venus coapsed aganst
the other women, and they a
aughed breathessy.
The tempo of the musc changed.
The ead snger of the band began
to croon, "Thanks for the tmes
that youve gven me. The
memores are a n my mnd.."
"Dance wth me."
Venus ooked up, and Grffn was
there. Hs bue eyes seemed to
baze wth the ntensty of hs
fery mask. He ddnt wat for her
answer. Wthout another word he
pued her roughy nto hs arms.
One hand took hers-the other
pressed frmy aganst the sma
of her back, hodng her body
aganst hs.
Venus et hm cam her. She had
never aowed hersef to be ed by
any man, but Grffn masterfuy
guded her away from the others,
medng her body to hs and
movng them n seductve tme to
the musc unt they were dancng
aone under a tree n a mxed poo
of twnkng ght and shadows.
No one had ever taken her n hs
arms wthout her permsson or by
her express command. No one.
Nether man nor god, n a the
eons of her exstence, had
touched her wthout her approva.
Unt now. Venus coudnt beeve
how ncredby seductve t was.
She met hs eyes and et the
crackng ntensty of sexua
chemstry szze between them.
She wanted hm.
The thought surprsed her. Then
she was shocked by her surprse.
By the overused phaus of
Neptune! Why shoudnt she aow
hersef the ndugence of ths
decous man? Why not gve n to
ths seductve game of pretendng
to be morta?
Because Pea desres hm drfted
through her mnd. But Grffn had
made t cear that he ddnt desre
Pea. So why deny hersef such a
vre over? It ddnt make sense.
And, surey, Pea woud
understand. Pea woudnt
contnue to be nterested n a
man who so ceary wasnt
nterested n her. Besdes, how
ong had t been snce she truy
pad attenton to her own desres?
Venus knew the answer. For
centures she had faen nto the
habt of seeng to the needs of
others-of answerng the heartfet
prayers of others-of gnorng her
own desres. She even knew when
the habt had started. It had
begun wth her marrage to poor,
sotary Vucan. What an abysma
mstake that had been.
And the thought struck her that
perhaps Pea wasnt the ony one
whose fe needed a makeover.
CHAPTER TWELVE
F rom the nstant she began to
dance, Grffn fet as f someone
had punched hm n the gut. He
had never seen anythng so
beautfu.
No, that wasnt rght. She wasnt
|ust beautfu-that was too
smpe a word. If ove coud be
made physca, ths woman whose
name tag so appropratey read
Venus, Goddess of Love, woud be
hs choce for the personfcaton.
And t wasnt |ust about sex-
athough he was goddamned sure
every man out there, ncudng
hmsef, had hard-ons from
watchng her move. It was about
her unnhbted aughter. The
|oyous way she tossed back her
har and embraced the musc as f
she actuay were an ancent
pagan goddess they shoud fa to
ther knees and worshp.
He sure as he understood why
she hadnt wanted to dance
nsde. After watchng her, how
coud a man be nterested n any
other woman?
"Fuckng werd," he muttered to
hmsef, never takng hs eyes off
her. He coudnt remember the
ast tme a woman had gotten
under hs skn ke ths. Sht,
women had been chasng hm
around snce hed outgrown hs
teenage zts and gawkness. Hed
been happy to return ther
nterest, but hed never had the
desre to sette down wth one.
Two of hs ssters sad he was
commtmentphobc. The other
two sad he had hgh standards
and refused to sette. He thought
the truth was probaby
somewhere n between.
Then ths bonde waked nto hs
fe.
The dance ended and Grffn was
on hs feet headng toward her
wthout conscousy teng hmsef
to move. Severa of the other
men had the same dea and he
heard hmsef teray growng at
them. He wanted her. He wanted
her worse than hed ever wanted
anyone.
"Dance wth me."
He hadnt wated for a response,
but had taken her n hs arms and
begun maneuverng her away
from the eyes of the other men.
She fet soft and warm and she
smeed ke an exotc spce he
coudnt pace. They danced
sowy under the tree, st not
speakng, and he started to worry
that hed done somethng wrong.
Or had he |ust magned that she
was as knd and smart as she was
beautfu? Maybe she wasnt
sayng anythng because she
ddnt have sht to say. He tred to
ook through her mask to the
woman beneath, but a he coud
see were those voet eyes and
those uscous ps that smed so
easy before, but were now set n
a ne that managed to ook both
aoof and sad.
"You were rght," he sad, fang
back on what aways worked wth
hs ssters. Make them rght and
everythng got nstanty better.
"About?"
"About not dancng nsde the
restaurant."
"Yes," she sad absenty.
"Once, twce, three tmes a
ady." was a that fed the
sence between them, and Grffn
was begnnng to fee desperate.
At a tota oss, he burted the
truth.
"You ook sad."
She seemed to shake hersef and
refocused on hm. "Not sad, |ust
thoughtfu."
"Anythng I can hep wth?"
"Are you takng care of me as you
woud one of your ssters?"
He spayed the fngers of hs hand
ntmatey aganst the sma of her
back, very aware that a that
separated hs fesh from hers was
a coupe ayers of fmsy sk. He
hed her gaze wth hs. "I dont
fee brothery toward you at a."
"Good." She sounded breathess.
He pued her coser. He fet the
sow, steady heavness n hs ons
tghtenng and heatng n
response to her.
"I dont even know your name,"
he sad husky.
Her sme was teasng. "You
shoud. Youre dancng wth your
wfe."
Her words took hm competey
off guard.
Venus aughed and the sound was
so compeng that hs desre to
see her augh and sme more was
suddeny as great as hs physca
desre for her.
"Dont ook so shocked," she sad,
st aughng. "Youre Vucan, God
of Fre. Im Venus, Goddess of
Love. Vucan and Venus are
marred."
He et hs hand trace a azy crce
around the sma of her back.
"Sorry, Venus, my mythoogy s
rusty. Are you sure the God of Fre
s Vucan? I thought that was
Ares." Then he was ferocousy
gad that he was semcueess
about mythoogy when hs
comment made her toss back her
head and augh agan.
"Oh, Im sure!"
He grnned. "So were marred."
"Defntey." She owered her
voce to a conspratora whsper
and eaned even coser to hm.
"But rumors have t that ts |ust a
marrage of convenence and
strcty patonc."
"Busht!" he sad, pretendng
offense-whch he found damn
easy to do. |ust magnng beng
n a patonc marrage wth ths
woman was enough to set hs
teeth to grndng. "No wonder I
never got nto those myths. Too
damn hard to beeve."
"You dont beeve our marrage s
patonc?"
"No, I dont."
She shrugged, eyes st sparkng
payfuy. "Who am I to argue wth
my husband?"
It was hs turn to augh. "I dont
beeve the Goddess of Love
woud be a submssve wfe any
more than I beeve shed be a
passoness one."
"We, husband, Im gad to see
we understand each other." She
paused, and added n a voce that
was suddeny hestant and a tte
shy, "You mght be surprsed,
though. Even a goddess can make
mstakes. Who knew ove coud
be ntmate wth oneness?"
"Youve been oney, wfe?" He
meant t to be a teasng queston,
but the unexpected sncerty n
her expresson turned hs tone
serous.
She ooked nto hs eyes and
Grffn fet hs heart contract.
What had made ths ncredbe
woman so sad? He ddnt know,
but he dd know that f the guy
was here hed make hm sorry he
ever drew breath.
"I have," she sad softy. "We
shoud have never marred. Weve
both been unbearaby sad.
Frendshp can ony be an addton
to, not a substtute for, true ove."
Grffn fet her words move
through hm. Lke they had parted
a curtan, he reazed |ust how
aone hs oveess fe had
become. "And nether s watng
and searchng." He drew a deep
breath, not sure where ths was
eadng them, but not wantng to
break the spe of ntmacy. He
eaned coser to her and
whspered. "Is there any way we
can reconce? How can we make
ths better for both of us?"
She turned her voet gaze up to
hm, as f she was searchng hs
face. "Maybe for |ust ths one
nght we coud become two
dfferent peope."
"Anythng for you, my goddess."
"Ive been meanng to speak to
you about cang me your
goddess ke that. Its very
presumptuous, you know." Her
expresson had ceared, and her
fu ps tted up. Grffn fet
hmsef beng drawn down to the
nvtng softness of her mouth.
"We, snce Im your husband,
newy reconced at that, I thnk
Im entted to a tte
presumpton." He bent, and
before she coud say anythng
more, kssed her.
She stffened for ony a moment.
Grffn kept the kss soft, aowng
her penty of tme to break t and
step away from hm. But she
ddnt. Instead she reaxed and
meted nto hs mouth. What
started as a sweet, teasng
queston of a kss deepened, and
when he fet her arms gde up
and around hs shouders Grffn
became uttery ost n her. She
opened her mouth to hm,
aowng hm to drnk her n. She
tasted of spce and woman and
sex. Hs response to her was
prma and ferce. The thought
passed through hs ust-fogged
bran that she made hm fee so
abaze that he coud actuay be
the God of Fre. Then he coudnt
thnk at a. The ony thng he
coud do was touch, taste and
desre her.
He pued her deeper nto the
shadow of the tree so that ts
trunk obscured most of ther
bodes from the vew of peope
outsde the restaurant, and he
postoned hmsef so that hs
body was between her and the
street. Then, n ther sma pocket
of prvacy, he devoured her. She
eaned nto hm, modng her
thghs aganst hs. She moaned
nto hs mouth and he cupped her
sweet, soft ass n hs hands, ftng
her so that he coud rub hs
erecton aganst her.
"Is t good? Do you ke t?"
"Yes," she whspered aganst hs
ps.
He reached up and pued her
sken shouder strap down,
barng her breast. Her pnk nppe
was puckered and ready for hs
mouth. He bent to ave the bud,
crcng t wth hs tongue before
he sucked t nto hs mouth, hard
and fast. Her gasp made hm ft
hs head. She was pantng, her
ps parted and wet.
"You taste so damn sweet," he
managed to say.
Spreadng her egs, she moved
her hps so that he had access to
more of her.
He pused aganst her. "Let me
fee you."
She moaned and whspered,
"Yes."
Bood rushed through hs body,
fng hm so that he fet
engorged, unbearaby hard and
tght. He reached between them
and easy found a st n her sky
dress.
"Ah, god! You have nothng on
under there." Hs voce sounded
strange to hm, deep and amost
sobbng wth ust as hs fngers
gded over her wet heat.
She ddnt speak. Instead she
fted one eg, wrappng t hgh on
hs hp. Then she moved her own
hps, ftng so that the tp of hs
pens |oned hs fngers and both
were sdng aganst her sckness
wthout actuay penetratng her.
"If you dont want ths, you have
to te me to stop now." He
gasped the words, knowng that
soon he woud be unabe to thnk
ratonay. "And pease dont te
me to stop."
"Dont stop," she whspered.
Wth a grow, he took her ass n
both of hs hands and backed her
aganst the tree. She braced
hersef wth her hands on hs
shouders, and then he moved
forward, sdng nto her tght heat
wth unbearabe sowness as both
her egs came up around hm and
he hed her frmy.
"Chrst, you fee ncredbe!"
Through the roarng of hs
poundng bood he heard her gasp
and he covered her mouth agan,
drnkng n her moans and
muffng her cres and hs own as
he tunneed deeper. When he fet
her spasm rhythmcay around
hm, he tted her pevs even
more so that he coud snk
hmsef fuy nsde her, hs own
orgasm budng and budng..
"Hey Captan, that you over
there?"
Grffn had no fuckng dea how
hs eutenants voce managed to
penetrate the raw passon that
was fng hs bran, but ater he
thought how gratefu he was that
t had. No damn way he woud
ever have forgven hmsef f
anyone had seen what was gong
on between them.
"Captan! Hey!"
Grffn fted hs head from her
and ooked around the tree to see
Robert wavng and comng toward
hm.
"What s t?" Grffn roared.
Sppng out of her, he anged hs
body so that she was even more
covered as she hasty
straghtened her costume and
tred to regan her footng.
Robert froze where he was,
ceary surprsed by hs frends
angry tone.
"Uh, the chef s askng for you.
He wants you to expan to the
mayor that pan you have for
tranng the communty on the
use of the mn-defbrators.
Seems the mayor mght have
some fundng you coud use."
Grffn fought to make hs bran
work whe he got hs breathng
under contro.
"Go."
He ganced down at her. She was
st straghtenng her costume
and she wasnt ookng at hm.
"|ust go," she repeated.
She tred to move out of the cage
of hs arms, but he ony tghtened
them around her and threw
Robert a quck, "Te the chef I
be rght there."
Robert nodded, gave Grffn one
more curous ook, and then
dsappeared back nto the
restaurant.
"Its okay. Hes gone now," Grffn
tod her.
"You shoud go, too."
Grffn fet an awfu wave of
frustraton, mxed wth a terrbe
snkng. It coudnt end ke ths. It
woudnt end ke ths. He reached
out and pued the sk rbbon that
st hed her mask nto pace, and
t futtered away ke a freed brd,
eavng her face naked to hm.
She was so ncredby beautfu
the words hed been pannng to
say woudnt come to hm. The
sence between them grew, and
n a gesture that was both proud
and vunerabe, she fted her chn
and met hs eyes.
"I sad, you shoud go, too."
"Dont do that," he whspered
roughy, fnay fndng hs voce
agan.
She ooked away from hm,
ceary tryng to hde the hurt n
her eyes. He cupped her face n
hs hands, forcng her gaze back
to hs.
"You dont know me, so youre
gong to have to take my word for
ths t I can prove t to you. Im
not the knd of man who uses a
woman and then waks away.
Ths"-he gestured at the tree
-"has never happened to me
before. I shoud apoogze to you,
but Id be yng f I sad I was sorry
t happened, and I wont e to
you." He paused, rubbng hs
thumbs up and down the
smoothness of her cheeks. "What
I w apoogze for s eavng."
She stared at hm for a ong tme
wth those expressve voet eyes.
Fnay she sad, so softy that he
had to stran to hear her, "Ths
has never happened to me
before, ether. Im usuay the one
n contro."
"Let me take care of ths busness
wth the mayor. I try to make t
short and be rght back. Say you
wat for me at our tabe."
"I wat for you," she sad.
"Good." Hs kss was rough and
thorough, and then he reuctanty
foowed Roberts path nto the
restaurant.
CHAPTER THlRTEEN
W hat, n a the sexess eves of
the Underword, had |ust
happened to her? Everythng had
seemed fne. Shed been payng
at beng a morta, and shed been
havng a wonderfu tme,
especay en|oyng the ttaton
of Grffns possesson of her.
Shed defntey en|oyed dancng
for hm, and the way hed taken
her n hs arms, agan wthout her
permsson, and danced her away
from the crowd. Then theyd
faen nto that werd conversaton
about Vucan. By the fabby thghs
of Bacchus! Why had she opened
up that Pandoras box? Or, more
precsey, why had she admtted
such ntmate thngs to a man
who was practcay a compete
stranger-and a morta one at
that? Then, hed kssed her, and
thats when t had happened.
Shed ost contro.
Wth shakng hands she reted the
mask on her face, gratefu for the
camoufage, and waked qucky
back to ther tabe where her
pomegranate martn wated. She
took a ong drnk, ettng ts
cooness soothe the heat that was
st pusng through her body.
The morta had brought her to
orgasm!
Not that she wasnt capabe of
orgasm. Pease-she was
Goddess of Love-an orgasm was
as natura as breathng to her.
What had shocked her beyond
words was the fact that the
orgasm had been uncontroed.
She hadnt panned t. He had
made t happen. Then another
thought ht her and she cursed
aoud. Pea was obsessed wth
hm! So shed |ust forncated
aganst a tree wth the morta her
frend, and charge, desred above
a others.
She shoud foow hm nsde the
restaurant and smote hm wth a
swft bast of her dvne power.
She coud do t qucky. None of
the other mortas woud even
have to know. She coud
reprmand hm. Put hm n hs
pace. And then wpe hs memory
cean of ther encounter and pant
wthn t a desre for Pea.
But she ddnt move.
For one thng, Grffn had sad he
had no nterest n Pea. And Pea
had aready made t cear that
she ddnt want magc to be the
reason Grffn desred her. So f
Venus medded wth hs mnd,
fng t wth passon for Pea, she
woud actuay be creatng
somethng her frend ddnt want.
Woudnt she?
For another thng, t was
hypocrtca for her to smte hm
for manhandng her when t was
that very thng-the basphemous
way he treated her-that she
found so exctng. Venus scoffed
and took another ong drnk from
her martn. She coud hardy
beeve that her knees fet weak
and she was st fushed and
breathng entrey too hard.
Ceary t had been too ong snce
she had spped from passons
cup and her own ust had become
an nsstent burnng heat
smmerng dangerousy wthn
her, unt the east tte touch of a
man had caused her to gnte.
Reay! She shoud be ashamed of
hersef. Venus tapped her martn
stem and tred to remember the
ast tme shed masturbated.
It certany hadnt been anythng
ke gettng ravshed beneath that
tree by that deectaby rreverent
man, her errant thoughts
whspered.
"Water!" She fted her arm and
the young, tattooed man hurred
over to her. "Id ke another
martn and somethng sweet.
Somethng sweet and very
chocoate."
"Loa has an exceent chocoate
mousse on the menu tonght."
"I take t. Actuay brng me
two." At the waters surprsed
ook, she added absenty, "Im
meetng someone." He nodded
and rushed off.
"We, ts true," she muttered at
her haf empty martn. Or at east
t was supposed to be true. Hed
asked her to wat for hm. He sad
he woud return. But f he ddnt.
f he ddnt.
If he ddnt she ddnt know what
she woud do. The Goddess of
Love had no experence wth
re|ecton.

Pea was havng the tme of her
fe! Shed never danced so much
(except n baet cass), and she
certany had never fet ths
beautfu. She was actuay
frtng. So far there hadnt been
one man who stood out from the
others. Unfortunatey she hadnt
found Grffn. And t wasnt as f
she hadnt been ookng for hm-
she defntey had! But between
dancng song after song and
tryng to peer through the masks
everyone was wearng.we.
Grffn coud practcay be
standng rght besde her and she
mght not know t.
Fu Fava Kngs beted out the
concuson of "Do You Love Me"
and, aughng breathessy, Pea
thanked the Roman soder wth
whom shed danced the ast two
songs.
"How about the next one?" he
asked, grabbng her hand and
tryng to keep her on the dance
foor as Fu Favas femae ead
began sngng, "You Cant Hurry
Love."
"Thanks, but I need a break. Im
dyng of thrst."
He st ddnt et go of her hand.
"Come on, |ust one more."
"Thanks, but no." Pea repeated as
she tred to pu her hand from
hs, not kng hs too tght, too
nsstent grp.
"You cant |ust wak out on a guy
ke that. Not after the way you
dance."
"Sorry, I dont know what you
mean. It was |ust a dance," Pea
sad, frownng at hm and tryng
not to et hm mess up her good
mood.
Hs voce owered and through the
eyehoes n hs mask hs gaze
ooked narrow and pssed off.
"Not the way you move, ts not
|ust a dance. Dont even try to
pretend somethng ese."
Pea stared at hm, not sure f she
shoud augh or scream. Havng a
man too nterested n her wasnt
a probem she was used to.
Maybe she shoud bech on hm..
"A goddess s ony touched when
she gves her permsson,
otherwse you w evoke her
wrath, and the wrath of a goddess
s a terrbe thng to behod. Even
the gods themseves trembe at
the thought."
The deep voce rumbed from
somewhere behnd and above
her. Pea started to turn around to
see who was speakng, but she
found hersef mesmerzed by the
ook on her ex-partners face.
Under hs bege mask hs face
had banched whte, and through
the eyehoes she coud see that
fear had repaced the anger n hs
gaze.
"Hey, man. I ddnt mean
anythng."
"Then you shoud apoogze," Pea
sad, feeng the need to stand up
for hersef-by hersef. "But not
because Im a goddess. You
shoud apoogze because you
were rude and pushy. Heo-
when a woman says no, she
means no."
"Im sorry," he sad hasty, and
then he retreated nto the dance
foor crowd.
St frownng, Pea watched the
terrfed man scutte away. Then
she started to turn to confront
whoever t was who thought he
was her savor. "I apprecate you
beng a genteman and steppng
n, but t was reay no bg dea. I
coud have handed t my-" Peas
words choked n her throat. The
man standng behnd her was
magnfcent! It wasnt hs sze
that took her breath, athough he
was ta, probaby at east sx foot
four. It wasnt hs thck back har
that was somehow uttery
untamed by hs short, mtary-
ookng harcut. It wasnt the
great costume he was wearng
wth the moded breastpate that
ooked so authentc and the
eather-peated tunc that eft
much of hs ong egs bare. No, t
was none of those thngs that
struck her speechess. It was the
ook n hs dark, expressve bue
eyes. Hs gaze seemed to shne
through hs famng god mask,
touchng her wth such ncredbe
ongng that t made her trembe.
Nether of them sad anythng for
a ong, ntmate moment, and
then he spoke. Hs deep voce
was so gente that she coud
hardy beeve ths was the same
man who sounded so harsh and
dangerous |ust moments ago.
"You sad you were thrsty. I woud
be honored f you woud aow me
to buy you somethng wth whch
to quench your thrst."
Pea reazed her mouth was
hangng open and she qucky
cosed t. "O-o-okay," she
stuttered, whe her nsde voce
was shrekng, Now s not the
tme to sound ke a dork! She
drew a ong breath and ordered
her mouth to stop ts rdcuous
babbng. She. Was. A. Goddess!
And goddesses were totay
capabe of conversng n a
ratona manner wth handsome
men. And, anyway, she needed to
practce on someone who took
her breath away so that she
woud be ready to be coherent f
she got another chance to tak to
Grffn. "Okay," she repeated n a
more reasonabe tone, pung
hersef together. "Its ony rght
that I et you buy me a drnk. You
dd come to my rescue, even
though I coud have handed hm
|ust fne mysef."
"Of course you coud have." He
ganced at her name tag and hs
ps turned up |ust sghty. ".
Aphrodte, Goddess of Love."
"Yeah," she sad and then reazed
she sounded about sxteen, and
added, "St, I do owe you a favor
for your honorabe dspay of
chvary."
"Let there be no tak of debts
between us, Goddess," he sad. "I
ony want you to drnk wth me f
you truy wsh t."
Pea fet her stomach futter. Hs
voce worked on her ke a sow,
sexy baad. "We, I dd say I was
thrsty."
Hs haf sme nstanty changed
nto a ovey, fu-on grn that
made Peas stomach butterfy. He
ed her back to her tabe, and she
notced that he mped, whch
ddnt stop hm from hodng out
her char and, |ust ke a knght of
od, bowng her nto t.
"Thanks," she sad. Lucky her
watress was |ust passng by and
she ordered a pomegranate
martn and a arge botte of
Peegrno-to hep keep her head
cear. There was somethng about
ths man that was ntoxcatng
enough wthout boozng t up. He
sad hed have the same. "We,
so, um, youre"-Pea squnted at
hs name tag-"the God of Fre.
Wow. Thats a bg |ob."
He shrugged and ooked
surprsngy uncomfortabe. "Its
somethng that must be done."
"Id say so. I mean, wthout you
how woud we ght and heat the
earth?" Pea sad, proud of hersef
for her pthy comment.
Unfortunatey he ooked even
more uncomfortabe. Hs broad
shouders moved restessy.
"Sorry," she sad qucky, wantng
to put hm at ease. "I magne you
fremen guys mght fee sy
dressng up as gods and such
tonght. I mean, truth be known,
Im not a rea goddess. Im |ust
me."
Hs chocoate brown eyes
darkened even more, and he
eaned forward. "I know what you
are. Youre somethng better than
the gded, perfect Goddess of
Love."
Pea smed, thnkng of Venuss
beauty. "What coud be better
than the Goddess of Love?"
"You, Pea," he sad earnesty. "You
dont need the magc of the
mmortas. Youre unque and
honest and rea. That outshnes
the cod perfecton of the gods."
Hs words made her heartbeat
speed up. "How do you know my
name?"
"Ive seen you here before.
Saturday. You-"
"Oh, great!" Pea put her masked
face n her hands. "You saw the
Great Bech and Pens Drop."
"Thats not what I saw."
Hs voce was so gente that she
fted her face from her hands.
Ther eyes met.
"What dd you see?"
"Mysef."
Pea bnked. She coudnt have
heard hm rght. "Yoursef? I dont
understand."
Hs sme was shy. He seemed to
amost have to strugge wth
hmsef to keep takng. "It sounds
unbeevabe, I know. But
Saturday when I watched you a I
coud thnk was that I knew
exacty how you fet. I knew." He
paused and then began agan. "I
know what ts ke to be the one
who doesnt ft n."
"You?" she sad ncreduousy.
"Appearances can be deceptve."
"Dont I know t! I mean, you saw
me Saturday. Ceary, you can te
Ive had a bg change snce then.
Ths"-she made a sweepng
gesture at hersef-"snt reay
what Ive ooked ke for the whoe
rest of my fe. Ive had some.
um.hep recenty. But snce you
saw me Saturday, whch was
before my makeover, you aready
know Im usuay not ths put
together."
Sowy he reached out and
covered her hand wth hs own. "I
saw how rea and knd you are,
and that s somethng I fnd very
beautfu."
Hs hand was warm and bg and
strong. She coud fee the
roughness of hs causes aganst
her smooth skn, and t excted
her to magne that hed earned
those causes by fghtng fres
and savng ves. It dd somethng
ese, too. Somethng that totay
shocked her. It con|ured mages of
the nght before ast when the
ambrosa oosened her nhbtons
and shed touched hersef and
brought hersef to an
earthshakng cmax. It had fet so
good, so decadent, so sexy and.
"What are you thnkng about?"
Hs voce caressed her.
"Me?" She pued her thoughts
back to the present, tryng to
gnore the way her face fushed.
She fet hot and wet, a sensaton
that was a the more obvous
because of her ack of underwear.
"I dont know.. I was |ust
daydreamng, I guess. Sorry."
"Dont be sorry. Te me what you
were daydreamng about."
"I cant!" she burted, then
ceared her throat and tred to
augh nonchaanty, as f t was
|ust some knd of sy gr thought
that had made her bush and
burt.
Instead of acceptng her gb
response, hs hand tghtened over
hers and he sad earnesty, "You
fee t, too, dont you?"
She started to con|ure up a augh
and a fppant remark, but
somethng n hs dark, ntense
gaze caught her, and t was as f
she coud see through hs pubc
ayers to hs prvate heart.
Suddeny, nexpcaby, she knew
exacty what he meant.
"You mean our connecton, dont
you?" She sad t so softy that he
had to ean coser to her to hear.
Ther shouders brushed, sendng
another tnge through Peas body.
"I do. Theres somethng between
us. I fet t Saturday, and I came
here tonght hopng to see you
agan-to tak wth you."
Pea thought how ronc t was that
shed come tonght hopng to see
Grffn, and ths gorgeous man
had come tonght hopng to see
her. Huh!
He shfted restessy n hs seat.
"Im not good at ths. Ive never
been good at takng to women,
but you con|ured me here-you
compeed me here. Forgve me f
Im not more practced at the arts
of ove."
"I thnk youre dong |ust fne,"
Pea sad.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
T here was a pause n ther
conversaton whe the watress
brought them ther drnks, and
Pea was peased to note that he
ddnt take hs hand from hers.
They spped ther martns senty
whe they |ust ooked at each
other-at frst shyy, and then Pea
fet the temperature of hs gaze
change and t seemed hs eyes
devoured her.
The Fu Fava Kngs femae ead
snger handed the mcrophone
over to the mae ead. The musc
sowed and the ghts dmmed,
and he began croonng the od
seventes ove song, "Aways and
Forever." Pea swayed sghty to
the musc.
"Dance wth me," she sad.
Hs body |erked as f shed ht
hm.
"I dont dance. I cant."
But she saw somethng ese n hs
eyes. She had no dea why he
was so easy for her to read, but
as odd and mpossbe as t
seemed, she knew deep n her
sou t wasnt that he ddnt want
to dance wth her-she knew he
was afrad to dance wth her. Hs
transparency gave her the
courage to speak, to say words
shed never even consdered
sayng to any man before.
"Its not reay dancng." Her
voce was gente and persuasve.
"Its |ust hodng me n your arms
and movng to the musc."
He cosed hs eyes. "My eg."
"Does t hurt?"
"Not enough to speak of," he sad
automatcay, then wth more
honesty he added, "It.t |ust
makes me move awkwardy, so
Ive never danced."
"Ever?"
"Ever."
"Then et me teach you." She
stood and hed out her hand to
hm. "Trust me. I promse t be
okay."
Sowy, as f he were swmmng
aganst a great tde of the past,
he stood and put hs hand n hers,
aowng her to ead hm to the
dance foor.
Pea guded hm nto poston-hs
eft hand hodng her rght, hs
rght at the sma of her back.
Then she ooked up at hm and
whspered, "Now |ust move sowy
wth the musc. I foow you."
At frst he ddnt budge. They |ust
stood there on the crowded dance
foor, ke a tabeau, frozen n
tme. Then, hestanty, he began
to sway n tme to the tempo. Pea
foowed hm. Now that she was
standng so cose to hm, she was
mpressed anew by hs heght and
the breadth of hs shouders. He
ddnt ook at her. Instead he
stared somewhere over her
shouders, hs entre body tense.
She thought t was a tte ke
dancng wth a mountan.
"Reax, youre dong |ust fne,"
she sad.
Hs gaze whpped down to meet
hers and she was touched by hs
started, unsure ook. How coud
any man who was so bg and
muscuar and handsome be
unsure of hmsef? Men were so
funny sometmes. A smpe sow
dance coud competey throw
even a macho freman off guard.
She squeezed hs hand and
smed up at hm. "Loosen up your
shouders before you break
somethng."
"Am I hodng you too tghty?" he
sad, qucky sackng hs grp on
her and takng haf a step back.
"No, ts okay to hod me tghty.
Its a sow dance." She cosed the
space between them. "When I
sad you were gong to break
somethng I meant somethng
nsde you."
"Oh," he sad. "Oh, I see." He
gave her a quck, nervous sme
and setted her back nto hs
arms, but he aso stared over her
shouder as f the answers to the
most compex questons n the
unverse were prnted behnd her.
"Hey," she sad.
He ganced down.
"Ths woud work better f you
ooked at me. |ust forget about
beng nervous and concentrate on
the song." And me, she wanted to
add, concentrate on me, but she
coudnt qute get the words out.
As f hed been readng her mnd,
he sad, "And you? Can I
concentrate on you?"
She smed. "Absoutey."
"That I can do." He pued her
even coser, and ths tme hs
gaze ddnt eave hers.
"Every day ove me your own
speca way.."
She heard the frst part of the
chorus of the ove song, but the
onger she met hs eyes, and the
coser her body moved to hs, the
more he botted out everythng-
the song, the peope around
them, the word. How coud she
read so much n a face that was
partay masked? It was ke he
was a code, but shed been gven
the key to understandng hm.
And understand hm she dd.
Overwhemed, she saw desre and
fear and oneness and ongng n
hs eyes. And ove.ncredby,
nexpcaby, mpossby, she saw
ove.
"Yes," she whspered, even
though hed sad nothng aoud.
"Yes, I want.I want."
Then she notced that the musc
had changed from the sow baad
to an enthusastcay sung
verson of Rck |amess "Super
Freak," and they were the ony
two peope not gyratng to the
funk.
"You want?" he asked.
She wanted hm. Pea amost
burted t, that she wanted to
taste hm and know hm and ove
hm. What the he had gotten
nto her? Totay dsconcerted, Pea
stuttered, "I.um.want to.to.
to go to the ades room," she
fnshed n a rush. "W you wat
for me?"
"Aways." He fted her hand,
whch he was aready hodng,
turned t over, cosed hs eyes
and pressed hs ps aganst her
skn.
The touch of hs ps made a
sweet, sck sensaton tnge a
the way from her pam to her
crotch.
A coupe dressed as sxtes fower
chdren, compete wth masks
panted n psychedec peace
sgns, dd the bump rght nto
them, shatterng the bubbe of
ntmacy Pea fet. Reuctanty she
pued her hand from hs.
"I be rght back."
Feeng a tte ghtheaded, Pea
maneuvered her way through the
crowd to the burgundy curtaned
entrance to the ades room.
There were two parts to the
restaurants ades restroom
area. A seres of stas were found
down a short ha, drecty to the
rght of the entrance to the
ounge. In front of the entrance
there was a room that was more
of a makeup check and har
rearrange area. It was a twentes
stye powder room, wth a marbe
counter and snk and a great
mrror. Pea dashed nto the room
and cosed the door. She eaned
aganst the counter, starng at
hersef n the gt-framed mrror. A
beautfu stranger ooked back at
her from beneath a sparkng
mask.
"Who am I becomng?"
The knob on the door |anged and
she turned the water on hasty,
pung one of the toweettes from
the dspenser.
"I be out n a second," she sad,
turnng off the water and tryng
not to sound as breathess and
out of sorts as she fet.
The door contnued to open, and
she turned to gve the ntrudng
woman a dsapprovng frown.
He stepped nto the room and
cosed the door behnd hm,
ockng t.
They stared at each other.
"I wanted to be aone wth you,"
he sad. Then he shook hs head
n obvous frustraton. "No, thats
not rght. I needed to be aone
wth you."
Pea knew she shoud ask hm to
eave. Or shove past hm. Or
threaten to scream. But when she
reganed the abty to speak, her
tratorous voce ddnt demand
that he do any of those thngs.
Instead she heard hersef sayng,
"Woud you do somethng for
me?"
"Anythng wthn my power."
"Take off your mask."
He unted the back vevet rbbon
that hed the haf mask to hs face
and et t fa to the foor. Pea
ddnt speak. She smpy reached
up and unted her own mask,
ettng t, too, futter out of her
fngers. Then she studed hs face.
He wasnt tradtonay handsome,
ke Grffn, whch ddnt mean
that he woudnt turn heads and
cause women to send hm
nvtng, ngerng ooks. Hs face
was strong and we made. Hs
cheekbones were hgh and hs |aw
square. Hs nose was amost
hawksh and that mxed wth hs
thck, back har and dark eyes
gave hm a defnte bad boy ook.
And hs mouth.Peas eyes got
caught there.hs mouth was fu
and sensua. Then she fted her
eyes to meet hs agan, and n the
way he was ookng at her she
saw a whoe new word watng
for her there-wth ths man who
was such a famar stranger.
"If I dont touch you agan soon I
thnk I may go mad," he sad.
Pea ddnt thnk; she |ust
responded. "Then touch me."
He cosed the space between
them so qucky her breath
caught n her throat and she
automatcay |erked back from
hm a tte.
He froze, hs hands aready fted
as f to pu her cose.
"Pease, dont ever fear me. I
coudnt bear t f you feared me."
Those eyes agan.they captured
her and she coud see the pan
and the honesty n hs words.
"Im not afrad of you. Its |ust
that youre so bg." Nervousy she
aughed a tte.
"Im sorry Im not smaer."
She fted one hand and et t rest
on hs chest. "Dont be sorry. I
ddnt say I ddnt ke t."
Surprsed, she fet hm trembe
under her touch, and that sma
reacton sent an answerng spark
of hot desre through her body.
Starng nto hs bottomess back
eyes she whspered, "Kss me.."
He bent and possessed her wth
hs mouth. There was nothng
hestant or tender about hs kss.
It was a heat and desre and
heady, overwhemng passon.
Her arms went up around hm and
she answered hs need wth her
own. Hs heat and hs taste
engufed her, cang to mnd
eapng fames and the sow burn
of a fre beng fed and fed and
fed.
They straned aganst each other.
To Pea t fet ke he was tryng to
press hmsef nto her skn. "Yes,"
she sad aganst hs questng
mouth. "Yes, coser."
He moaned and fted her off her
feet to set her on top of the
marbe counter. Then hs moan
turned nto a rumbng grow
when she sd her ong bare egs
around hs hps and pued hs
hard cock aganst her wet core.
"Coser," she repeated, and
gasped as hs rough hands
skmmed up the outsde of her
thghs, ftng the thn sk of her
drapng robes around the top of
her hps. Hs hands sd between
her and the coo marbe of the
counter to cup her butt.
"Ah, gods! I thnk youve
bespeed me. Youre so sweet
and soft. Let me taste you, Pea. I
want to taste you.." He fnshed
wth a moan.
Before her mnd coud catch up
wth her hormones, hed dropped
to hs knees n front of her and
pued her toward hm, cockng
her hps up so that her egs
opened and she was competey
exposed to hm.
She coudnt beeve what was
happenng! The thought fashed
through her mnd that t was
probaby somethng exacty ke
ths that Venus had had n mnd
when she nssted Pea not wear
pantes tonght. But Pea wasnt
the Goddess of Love. Her frst
nstnct was to pu away and
cose her egs, but at that nstant
he ooked up at her.
"Dont turn away from me. Let me
peasure you."
Mesmerzed by the fre n hs eyes
and the heat of hs touch, she
nodded and, once agan, tod hm,
"Coser."
He kssed the nsde of frst one
thgh and then the other, hs
tongue crcng her skn, drawng
ever nearer to her core. Then hs
hands tghtened on her and hs
mouth moved to her aba,
begnnng a sow, steady gde of
hs tongue the ength of her sex.
At frst he |ust tasted her, teasng
the bud of her ct as he expored
her wet fods.
Pea moved restessy, wantng
more. She spread her egs wder.
Hs response was nstant. Wth a
moan he punged hs tongue
nsde her. Pea gasped.
"You taste ke ambrosa, ony
sck and hot." Hs words vbrated
aganst her mound. Hs tongue
snaked out, gdng sowy over
her sex, rhythmcay crcng her
ct and then gdng away agan.
"Oh, god! What are you dong to
me?" She gasped.
"Makng you my own," he
murmured.
"Yes." She panted. "Yes, coser!"
She wound her fngers n hs thck
har and pued hm more frmy
aganst her.
Wth a snar the tempo of hs
teasng changed. Now he focused
on her senstve nub, crcng t
wth hs tongue and then suckng
t.crcng t and suckng.
Pea fet the word spra down.
Her back bowed and a she knew
was hs mouth aganst her and
the hot, nsstent vbraton of hs
tongue. She fted her thghs and
began to move wth hm, showng
hm the speed of her peasure.
"Yes," he whspered aganst her.
"Gve yoursef to me."
He moved one hand to spread her
sex open to hm, and then he
covered her wth hs mouth. Hs
tempo changed agan, ths tme
to a steady, rhythmc pusng
aganst her ct. She ground
hersef aganst hm. Faster and
faster hs tongue fcked aganst
her and she heard her own
ncoherent cres for more echo
around them, mxng wth hs
guttura moans of peasure,
creatng a cacophony of sex and
sound. Then, when she thought
she coud bear no more he
pushed even harder nto her.
Openng hs mouth he began
suckng her ct unt the pressure
was ncredbe.. Then fre
expoded over her body as her
orgasm cascaded through her.
Pea threw back her head and
screamed her peasure.
The knock at the door was hard
and nsstent.
"Everythng okay n there?" a
mae voce demanded.
Pea coud barey thnk. She fet
ke her body had dssoved. Then
hs strong arms were anchorng
her back n the rea word. He
kssed her genty. "Answer hm,
tte one, or I w be forced to get
rd of hm mysef."
Pea ceared her throat and ooked
over hs shouder at the cosed
door. "Yeah," she caed, tryng
not to sound entrey breathess.
"Everythngs great." She grnned
mschevousy up at hm.
"Good," the voce responded.
"Oh, ts ast ca. The bars
cosng. And, |ust n case you
have a freman hdden n there
wth you, you shoud know theyre
oadng up the trucks from the
Mdtown Staton. Tme to go!"
"Ohmygod, you have to get out of
here!" Pea bushed at the thought
of everyone seeng hm eave and
knowng that shed |ust been
servced n the ades ounge.
He ooked down at her, and she
saw understandng n hs eyes. He
touched her cheek wth hs
fngertp. "No one w know about
ths. What happened here beongs
to us aone."
"You wont go back and te the
rest of the guys at the fre
staton?" Pea knew she sounded
ke a tte gr, but she was
feeng vunerabe and
overwhemed by what had |ust
happened between them.
"Your honor w aways be safe
wth me." He kssed her agan.
"Now go out frst. I w foow."
She wrapped her arms around hs
neck. "Fnd me n front of the
restaurant. Theres someone I
want you to meet."
"I w fnd you, tte one," he
assured her. He fted her off the
counter, and watched wth
propretary eyes as she
straghtened her robes. He heped
her te on her mask, and then
brushed the thck curs of her har
asde so that he coud kss the
soft spot where her neck met her
shouder. Pea shvered and eaned
back nto hm so that hs st
engorged cock pressed nto the
vaey between the round gobes
of her ass. He whspered husky
aganst her skn, "If you dont
eave rght now I may keep you
here wth me for an eternty."
She turned and smed up at hm.
"That doesnt sound so awfu."
He touched her cheek agan. "Go,
tte one."
They kssed and she hurred out
the door, gad of the mask that
hd most of her fushed face. Pea
|oned the crowd makng ts way
to the restaurants front door.
Wth a shakng hand, she tred to
pat at her mussed har and tug
her costume more frmy nto
pace. What n the he had she
|ust done? Now that she wasnt
wth hm, Pea was fed wth
questons and second thoughts.
Who was he anyway? And her
next thought brought her to a
compete hat. My god. She ddnt
even know hs name!
The man behnd her bumped
aganst her. "Hey, ya gotta keep
movng n ths crowd."
"Oh, sorry," she muttered and
forced her egs to move agan.
Mortfed, Pea ducked her head
and kept powng toward the front
door, hopng Venus was st
outsde, and not because she
wanted to ntroduce the goddess
to a man whose name she ddnt
even know, but who she had |ust
et brng her to orgasm n the
ades ounge. What had she
been thnkng?
She defntey needed the advce
(or the absouton) of a goddess.
CHAPTER FlFTEEN
T he door to the ounge cosed
and Vucan began to pace back
and forth across the sma space.
Emotons hed never experenced
before had unexpectedy been
awakened wthn hm. When the
dred fower arrangement on the
tte vanty tabe began to
smoder he drew severa deep,
camng breaths n and out.n
and out. It woudnt do to set the
pace afre. But oh how hed ke
to burn-to show outwardy the
wdfre that was ragng nsde
hm.
He had shocked hmsef. Hs
ntenton that nght had smpy
been to be near her, to perhaps
speak wth her. Never n hs
wdest dreams and magnngs
had he thought to ravsh her! Yet
somethng had happened wthn
hm |ust before the arrogant foo
tred to force Pea to stay wth hm
on the dance foor. Suddeny a of
the need and desre and passon
that had been smmerng wthn
hm for eons had bubbed over
nto a fu heated bo. He had
wanted her before, but tonght he
had found the w to act on hs
desre.
And t had worked! He had
actuay touched her and tasted
her and brought her peasure. Hs
cock was st engorged wth the
memory of the sounds of her
satsfacton. Woud he ever get
enough of her? He wanted more
and more. He wanted to brng her
back wth hm to Oympus and
show her.
He stopped pacng. Show her
what? How he was shunned and
outcast amongst the gory that
was Oympus? Then what woud
she fee for hm? Pty? Contempt?
No. He woud not take her to
Oympus. He woud woo her here,
n the modern word of mortas,
as a man woud. Resoutey he
reted hs mask and waked to the
door. She sad to meet her
outsde the restaurant, and she
woud ntroduce hm-
"Gods! What was I thnkng!" He
growed. There coud ony be one
person to whom she wanted to
ntroduce hm. Venus! Had hs
mnd stopped workng entrey?
He coud ony magne the
goddesss shock and surprse at
havng Pea present hm to her.
Not that the Goddess of Love
woud be angry at hs nfdety-
on the contrary. From the very
begnnng there had been no
pretense of anythng more than
respect and a rather tenuous
frendshp between them. Ther
marrage had been an
arrangement, ntended to be
mutuay benefca. They werent
n ove. In actuaty ther
passoness marrage had been
the butt of many Oympan |okes.
If she dscovered he was Peas
over, woud Venus augh at hm?
|ust the thought made hm
shudder. No, the Goddess of Love
was not crue. She woudnt
augh, but she woud be shocked.
There was tte doubt that she
woud betray hs true dentty to
Pea. Then he woud no onger be
her passonate morta over. He
woud be the ptabe God of Fre,
who had been re|ected by Love
hersef.
"No!" he cred. Ther reatonshp
was too new. Perhaps ater, after
they had had tme to bud a
foundaton between them, then
he coud te her hs secret. Now
the ony thng he coud do was to
return to Oympus and make
pans to come back to her
another day.
He woud aso pray that she
woud forgve hm for eavng her
tonght.
Wth a deep sgh of despar, the
God of Fre cosed hs eyes and
wed hmsef back to the porta,
eavng ony a shmmer n the ar
and the heat of hs passng as
evdence that he had ever been
there.

Grffn hadnt returned to her.
Venus coudnt beeve t. It was
udcrous, reay. Who stood up
Love? Agan she consdered
foowng hm and confrontng hm
and bastng the goddess-be-
damned, nsoent, arrogant foo
nto nothngness.
But she coudnt. It was
humatng enough that she was
sttng out there, drnkng aone
(and eatng both orders of
chocoate dessert). If she went
nto the restaurant after hm t
woud be an outward
acknowedgment of what he had
done, and the nner shame of t
was enough.
When the brght red trucks pued
up to the curb, Venus gnored
them and the costumed, masked
men pourng out of the
restaurant. If he came up to her
she woud pretend not to know
hm. Then shed bast hm wth-
"Venus! There you are! Im so
gad I found you." Pea hurred up
to Venuss tabe.
"Heo, darng." Venus smed
absenty at Pea, tryng to refocus
her mnd from thoughts of
revenge. "I hope youve been
havng a ovey tme."
"We."
Peas odd tone fnay got the
goddesss fu attenton. Venus
frowned and reay ooked at the
tte morta. Yes, a the sgns
were there: fushed face, rosy,
brused ookng ps."Pea." She
gasped. "Have you |ust
orgasmed?"
"Wow, youre reay good at
fgurng out ove stuff, arent
you?" Pea fushed an even
brghter pnk and ooked ke she
was on the verge of tears. "Yes,"
she whspered, and then mouthed
the words ora sex.
"Im such an dot." Pea hd her
masked face n her hands.
"Darng," Venus began
reasonaby, competey confused
at why Pea shoud appear so
upset by such good news.
"Theres nothng for you to hde
your face and be ashamed of-ts
ovey that you had a decous
sexua encounter." What n the
ancent word was wrong wth the
gr? Then reazaton ht Venus.
There was nothng wrong wth
havng a decous sexua
encounter uness the man
behaved n a boorsh or
unsutabe manner, as Venus
coud, unfortunatey, attest to
knowng entrey too much about.
Venus pued Peas hands from
her face and forced the morta to
meet her eyes. "Pea, wth whom
dd you have sex?"
Pea snffed. "Hs name tag sad
God of Fre."
Venus fet a sckenng |ot. "By
Cupds brght pnk ass, that does
t!" The curse expoded from the
goddess. "Grffn performed
cunnngus on you?"
"Grffn? No, I sad hs name tag
sad God of Fre, not Grffn. I ony
wsh t had been Grffn. At east I
know hm."
"Darng, Im confused. Youre
teng me that you aowed a
man, whose name tag read God
of Fre, but whom you dont know,
not even hs name, to perform
ora sex upon you?"
Pea bt her p, nodded, and
started to cry, a the whe
throwng furtve ooks over her
back at the crowd st streamng
out of Loas. Wth a sob, she sad,
"I tod hm to meet me out here,
and now I dont know what I was
thnkng. I magned ths bg
connecton between the two of
us." Pea paused, pued off her
mask and wped at her face. "But
I dont even know hs name, so
how connected coud we have
been? And he was defntey a
freman. What f Grffn fnds out I
et a stranger do that to me n the
ades room? He never, ever
even ook at me," Pea sad wth a
wa.
Venus banched. It was more
key that Pea woud never ever
speak to her agan f she found
out that whe shed been havng
sex wth a stranger, her frend
and mentor had been forncatng
under a tree wth the man wth
whom Pea was obsessed. By the
gentaa of a the gods, how had
she made such a tota mess out
of ths nght?
"Lets get out of here," Venus
sad, grabbng Peas arm and
begnnng to steer her toward the
parkng ot.
Nether of them saw Grffn rush
out of the restaurant and stand,
hands on hps, scannng the
crowd unt he, too, was fnay
pued reuctanty aboard one of
the fre engnes |ust moments
before t drove away.

"Darng, drnk your hot
chocoate," Venus tod Pea. "And
wpe your face. Youre done
cryng now."
"Thats rght, suts probaby dont
ever cry over ther.ther." Pea
strugged wth the vocabuary. ".
ther numerous nasty ct
encounters."
Venus tred unsuccessfuy to hde
her sme. "Pea, havng one
sexua encounter wth a stranger
does not make you promscuous.
And besdes that, ts worse than
archac to beeve that women
cant take ther peasure as they
w. Its restrctve and smacks of
doube standards. Doesnt the
modern word aow women more
freedom than that?"
"I suppose," Pea muttered nto
her mug. Then she ganced up at
Venus. "I |ust fee ke a foo."
"Why?"
Pea sghed. "I magned ths huge
connecton between hm and me,
and I got reay, reay ntmate
wth hm. But the truth s I dont
know hm at a. I mean, I was
there to try to connect wth
Grffn, the man Ive been thnkng
about for over a year, but I end
up wth another mans face
between my egs."
"Te me why you fet you had
such a connecton wth the man,"
Venus sad hasty, purposefuy
sdng the conversaton away
from Peas Grffn nfatuaton.
"Its gong to sound sy and
romantc," Pea sad.
"Whch means I be abe to
understand perfecty. Te me,"
Venus coaxed.
"We, I |ust fet ths ncredbe
connecton wth hm. It was ke I
coud ook nto those amazng
dark eyes of hs and see hs sou.
And, somehow, t seemed ke he
and I were the same. It sounds
stupd now, but then t fet ke we
had thngs n common-mportant
thngs ke not usuay fttng n."
Venus rased a brow at that.
"Reay? How dd you two meet?"
"He |ust appeared a of a sudden.
It reay was sweet. He thought he
needed to rescue me from ths
|erk who ddnt want to take no
for an answer." Pea smed for the
frst tme snce shed eft the
restaurant. "He asked f he coud
buy me a drnk, and I sad okay.
Then we taked and taked. He
was senstve and romantc and
sexy. One thng ed to another,
and we were suddeny aone, and
a I coud thnk about was how
amazng he fet and how much I
wanted hm." Pea fnshed n a
rush, bushng furousy.
"Darng, you dd nothng wrong.
We, except not earnng hs
name," Venus sad.
"But what about Grffn and-"
"Grffn wasnt the one who
pursued you, ths man was,"
Venus sad sowy, studyng Pea.
Was now the rght tme to te her
that her supposed beoved Grffn
had forncated wth and then
dscarded the Goddess of Love
hersef?
"I know, and I know ts probaby
wrong, but I cant hep but st
fee ths thng for Grffn." Peas
eyes started to shmmer wth
tears agan, and Venus reazed
that now was defntey not the
rght tme to te her.
"Is ths thng you fee actuay for
Grffn or for the dea of what
Grffn represents to you?" Venus
asked genty.
"I dont know," Pea sad.
"You are nterested n the man
you met tonght, arent you?"
Venus redrected the conversaton
agan.
Pea nodded. "But I dont even
know who he s."
The goddess smed. "Of course
you do. You sad hes a freman."
"Yeah, but there are ke a zon
fremen n Tusa."
"We, darng, then we had better
get to work." Venus sat up
straghter, the seeds of a pan
begnnng to grow. Perhaps a Pea
needed was to see ths mystery
man agan, especay f she coud
compare hs obvous nterest n
her wth Grffns obvous
dsnterest. Uness the rogue
pretended nterest n Pea so that
he coud use her and cast her
asde, too. Then Venus knew what
shed do wth hm, and t woudnt
be pretty.
"Get to work? How?"
"Ive been consderng that."
Venus tapped her fngerna
aganst the mug. "In batte t s
often best to engage ones enemy
on ones own terrtory."
"Huh?"
"You need to see your freman
agan."
"Grffn?" Pea perked up.
Venus frowned. "I meant your
other freman, but t certany
woudnt hurt to see them both
agan." She ghtened her tone.
"Its aways good for a woman to
have choces."
"That does sound good." Pea
nodded. "But how?"
"Your |ob."
"My |ob?"
"Exacty. Your |ob. You are n
charge of educatona and
recreatona nstructon for the
communty. Am I correct?"
"Yeah."
"The fremen who were at the
masquerade were a from the
Mdtown Fre Staton. Correct?"
"Yeah."
"Then consder ths-what f a of
the men from the Mdtown Fre
Staton were commanded to take
nstructon from your unversty."
"Its reay |ust a communty
coege," Pea sad.
Venus waved her hand
dsmssvey. "That s
nconsequenta. What s of
consequence s that the fremen
must come to your pace of
nstructon-your pace of power.
And there you can earn more
about both men and choose
between them. Heres what I
have n mnd.."

|oe Danes, tranng deputy chef
for the Tusa Fre Department,
thought hed ded and gone
straght to heaven when the
bond beauty waked nto hs
offce the next mornng. He shot
to hs feet, fddng wth hs te
and suckng n hs stomach.
"Deputy Chef Danes, my name
s Venus Ponta."
When he hed out hs hand for her
to shake, she smpy bowed her
head sghty. He ceared hs
throat and wped hs sweaty,
unshaken pam on hs sacks.
"P-pease, have a seat."
"Thank you, Chef Danes."
She sat n the eather char
stuated n front of hs desk and
crossed her ncredby ong egs.
He tred not to stare or stutter.
"Pease ca me |oe."
Her sme umnated the room.
"And you may ca me Venus."
He thought no one had ever been
better named.
"What can I do for you, Venus?"
"I know youre a very busy and
mportant man, |oe, so I get
rght to the pont. Im workng
wth Ms. Chamberan at Tusa
Communty Coege n the
Contnung Educaton
Department. It has come to our
attenton that some of your men,
specfcay the men at your
Mdtown Staton, have been under
qute a bt of stress atey."
|oe frowned, wonderng what she
knew that he ddnt. He hadnt
been aware the Mdtown guys
were havng any probems at a.
He, that group had |ust had a
successfu beneft ast nght. But
before he coud say anythng her
sme and the uncrossng and
then recrossng of those
ncredbe egs dstracted hm.
"Because of ths stress, Ms.
Chamberan has created a seres
of casses for the Mdtown
fremen that w focus on
teachng them reaxaton
technques."
|oe opened and cosed hs mouth.
What was she takng about?
"Oh, no need to thank us, darng.
The outcome of the casses w
be thanks enough." She handed
hm a paper. "Here are a the
detas. Be sure the frst cass
reports to the Metro campus
tomorrow mornng at nne sharp."
"But, maam," he sputtered. "I
cant possby-"
Abrupty he ost hs tran of
thought. It happened the same
nstant the extremey hot Venus
waved her fngers at hm, a tte
ke she was sayng a funny heo.
Werd.reay werd.
"Im sorry, |oe, what were you
sayng?"
"Sayng?" He coudnt seem to
stop smng at her. Good ord he
fet fabuous!
"Yes, about the casses for the
Mdtown fremen."
He bnked and then hs thoughts
arranged themseves and he
knew exacty what hed been
about to say.
"Damn good dea! Damn good. I
have the men there frst thng n
the mornng. Ive heard reports
that the Mdtown Staton was
under stress, and ths s the
perfect answer to the probem."
"We, |oe, t reay was your dea.
After a, you caed Ms.
Chamberans offce and asked
her to create the cass. Im |ust
foowng up on your nstncts,
whch are truy commendabe."
The beautfu Venus beamed and
then wgged her fngers at hm
agan.
God, he coudnt remember the
ast tme hed fet so good! And t
had been hs dea, now that he
reay thought about t.
"Exceent, Venus! Exceent!"
"Thank you, |oe. Pease ca us
agan any tme our coege can
come to the ad of the fre
department." She stood, smed
at hm, and then sauntered from
hs offce.
"Now that s one fne ookng
woman," he muttered, and then
whsted ow to hmsef. But he
ddnt have tme to st there
gatherng woo. He had work to
do. Every one of those Mdtown
boys not on duty n the mornng
had to be at that coege
destressng cass, and he was |ust
the man to make t happen. He
fted hs phone and started
dang.
CHAPTER SlXTEEN
"Y ou ddnt say anythng about
meteachng the cass!" Pea sad.
"Of course you must teach the
cass. I can not bespe the entre
coege." Venus paused,
consderng for a moment. "We,
perhaps I coud, but t woud
certany be dreadfuy
compcated and who coud say
how t woud affect the genera
popuace?" She shook her head.
"No, ts smpy easer f I tweak
thngs here and there, as I dd
wth the deputy chef, and we
keep ths as much to ourseves as
possbe."
"Venus, Ive never taught a cass
before."
"Oh, you have nothng
whatsoever to worry about. |ust
teach what you know."
"Cookng? For stress reef?"
"Actuay, darng, I was thnkng
more of your dancng."
Peas eyes got bg and round.
"Baet for fremen?"
Venus shrugged. "Why not?"
Pea ggged. "Youve got to be
kddng."
"Not at a. Dance s an exceent
stress reever, and youre an
experenced dancer. Besdes that,
t w provde a good opportunty
for a those decous men to see
you at your best."
"I dont know.What f theyre
reay there, Grffn and hm. No
way w I be abe to teach wth
them.you know.ookng at me.
Not after what I dd wth hm."
"Darng, pease remember that
the reason weve manpuated
events so that the men come to
you s because they w be on
your terrtory-your pace of
power. Youre n contro ths tme.
You do the choosng. Pus I be
your behnd-the-scenes assstant.
If you get n troube, I smpy."
Venus wagged her fngers.
Pea ooked ony a tny bt ess
worred. "Oh yeah."
"Then ts a decded. Lets have
one more cup of ths uscous
coffee and then we be off to the
coege. We woudnt want to be
ate for cass."
Pea ganced at her watch and
frowned.
"What s t, darng?"
"We, f youd tod me yesterday
that I was gong to have to teach
a baet cass I coud have bought
somethng a tte ncer to wear
than the sweats and T-shrts I
usuay wear to baet."
Venuss sme was sow and
knowng. "Ive aready taken care
of that tte deta. Theres a
ovey new Coach bag n your
coset. Insde t you fnd what
you need for your frst day as a
dance nstructor."
"You thnk of everythng, Venus!"
Pea hugged her.
Venus patted her arm. "Not
everythng, darng. |ust
everythng mportant." Wth an
effort she pushed the thought out
of her mnd that f she reay
thought of everythng and f she
reay was as together as Pea
beeved her to be she woudnt
have et that man dupe her, nor
woud she be hdng the fact from
Pea.
No matter, she thought as she
bew on her coffee and watched
Pea hurry down the ha to her
room to retreve her new dance
bag. Somehow I make hm sorry
he ever trfed wth Love, and I
fgure out how to fx Peas
nfatuaton wth the cad.
The goddess gnored the sck
feeng n her stomach. It wasnt
possbe that Grffn had hurt her.
Hed |ust surprsed her when hed
eft her sttng there and not
returned. Thats a t was. Shed
hep Pea connect wth her
mystery man, or f he wasnt
sutabe, shed smpy fnd her
frend a man who had honesty
and ntegrty, as we as sex
appea. Then shed return to her
norma fe on Oympus. Perhaps
shed pan a ovey orgy wth
satyrs and forest nymphs. Thats
t. An orgy woud fx her rght up.
After a, t was competey,
uttery mpossbe for the
Goddess of Love to be oney.

"You ook beautfu, darng!
Smpy beautfu." Venus brushed
a nonexstent pece of nt from
Peas shouder. "I knew the
bushng pnk eotard and wspy
skrt woud compement your
fgure and your compexon
perfecty. And dont worry. Theres
nothng at a for you to be
nervous about."
"I may puke."
"No, you may not."
"Okay, te me agan. Youre sure
you.zapped everyone n my
offce so that they thnk ths s
norma?"
"What they see w appear
norma to them today. Tomorrow
they wont remember a thng. The
fremen w a thnk of ths tte
cass as |ust somethng they were
drected to do-nothng out of the
ordnary at a. Except they w
partcuary remember the
aurng beauty named Pea who
conducted the cass.." Venus
paused, consderng. "Do et me
know f youre nterested n any of
them at a. I can have hm
remember askng you for your
phone number."
"Wow. You can do a that?"
"Darng, Love can do anythng."
"Oh yeah. Sometmes I forget. I
dont have much experence wth
rea ove."
"We, we fx that very soon."
Venus patted her arm. "So, f
youre ready, ets go."
They waked down the ha a short
way from Peas offce to a arge
cassroom. Both women stopped
and peered through the sma
gass rectange n the cosed door.
"I cant do ths!" Pea eaned
aganst the wa, ookng scary
pae.
"Of course you can. I be rght
here and-"
"No! I cant wak n there wthout
knowng what to expect."
Thnkng fast, Venus sad, "Fne.
I go n frst and.and." The
goddess hestated. And shed
what?
"Take attendance?" Pea offered.
"Exacty," Venus sad wth reef.
"I smpy take attendance and
check to see f everyone s there
and ready. Whe I do that, you
watch from out here. Then you
know f Grffn and/or your
mystery freman are here, and
then you know what to expect."
"O-okay," Pea stammered
doubtfuy.
"Okay," Venus sad frmy. She
straghtened her exquste voet
sut, runnng her hand down the
front of the back sk she that
was |ust ow enough to expose
the tops of her creamy breasts.
She wagged her fngers. A pen
and a professona ookng
cpboard appeared wth a st of
names on t.
"I reay wsh you woudnt make
thngs suddeny appear wthout
warnng me frst."
"Sorry, darng. I keep forgettng
how senstve you are." She
checked her pstck n the
semrefectve gass of the door.
"Ready for batte?"
"We."
"Of course you are. I be rght
back. |ust thnk of what Im dong
as reconnoterng."
Venus gnored Peas groan and
put her hand on the doorknob of
the cassroom shed "tweaked"
earer, zappng away the desks
and what she consdered
unneeded paraphernaa. She was
gad Pea was nervous. It forced
her to set a good exampe and
seem confdent and coected.
Truth be known, the Goddess of
Loves nsdes fet unusuay
|ttery. She ddnt aow hersef to
hestate further, but swept nto
the room, puttng on her most
offcous ar. As was ony rght, the
men gathered n the mdde of the
room fe sent, nstanty gvng
her ther apprecatve attenton.
They were attentve but casua,
dressed n |eans and Tusa Fre
Department T-shrts.
"Good mornng, gentemen."
Venus was a busness. "When I
ca your name pease
acknowedge that you are
present." She began gong
through the aphabetca st,
ookng carefuy at each man as
he responded.
"Aen, |ames."
"Yes, maam"
"Barber, |oshua."
"Present, maam."
"Bennett, Kevn."
"Here, maam."
"Carter, Corey."
She was peased that she sad the
next name wthout so much as a
hnt of hestaton. "DeAngeo,
Grffn." The group of men strred
to aow hm to move forward
from near the rear of the room.
"Good to see you agan, maam."
Hs unmstakabe bue eyes met
her steey voet gaze, and he
tpped an magnary hat and gave
the confdent, sexy sme she
recognzed a too we.
Venus bushed. The Goddess of
Love actuay fushed a sweet,
soft pnk that fted up her ong
neck nto her hgh cheeks. Then
she reazed she was bushng and
she stopped t nstanty. She was
here for batte, not for ove.
"Grffn?" Venus made her tone
purposefuy cueess.
"Yes, maam, Grffn DeAngeo."
He stepped forward and hed out
hs hand ke a perfect genteman
-the expresson n hs knowng
eyes the ony evdence that there
was anythng more between them
than passng acquantances. "I
dont thnk we had a chance to be
formay ntroduced the other
nght."
Venus ooked from hs hand to hs
eyes. For the frst tme n her
exstence, she ddnt know what
to say. By a the hary scrota
sacs of the gods he was arrogant!
Hed ravshed her and eft her,
and now here he was smng and
payng the genteman?
"I cant te you how gad I am to
see you agan, my goddess," he
sad under hs breath for her ears
aone.
She reazed she was st starng
at hm and hs hand was st
stuck out n front of hm. Drawng
hersef up, the goddess put her
hand n hs.
"We met, Grffn DeAngeo," she
sad.
St hodng her hand he smed
sowy. "And your name s?"
"Venus," she sad. "Venus Ponta."
Hs sme wdened. "So you reay
are a goddess."
"Of course I am, darng," she sad
automatcay, and pued her
hand from hs. Then she went
back to methodcay cang off
names from her st.
But her mnd was n tumut.
Venus gnored the fact that she
coud fee those brant bue eyes
starng at her wth that
possessve, predatory gaze that
had entrapped her so easy
before. He was ceary actng as f
hed done nothng wrong, but
hed eft her, the Goddess of
Love, sttng out there n front of
the restaurant watng for hm-
and he hadnt returned.
One does not stand up the
Goddess of Love.
She fnshed the st and, wthout
another ook at Grffn DeAngeo,
eft the room. Venus eaned her
back aganst the cosed door.
"Grffns n there! I saw hm." Pea
peered up at Venus. "Are you
okay?"
"Yes, of course I am." Venus took
a deep breath and tred to pu
hersef together. Why dd she
aow that morta man to affect
her so much? And that, she
feared, was the pont. She ddnt
aow Grffn anythng. For the frst
tme n her experence, a man
ddnt wat on her permsson to
touch and taste and possess her.
"Venus?"
The goddess mentay shook
hersef. "Grffn s n there, but s
your mystery man there, too?"
"No." Pea sghed.
"Are you qute sure?"
"Yeah. I mean, Id defntey
recognze hm after what we dd."
Peas bush perfecty matched her
eotard.
"Oh." Venus drew another deep
breath. "We, at east thats
setted. Hes not here, but Grffn
s. So you |ust go on n there and
teach the cass. You be the
center of attenton for a fu hour.
If Grffn doesnt show nterest n
you after that, then I can promse
you hes not worthy of your
attenton."
"I reay cant."
Venus sghed. "Weve been a
through ths. Of course you can.
Youre good at dancng. |ust go n
there and do what youre good
at."
Pea grabbed Venuss hand.
"Pease dont make me!"
"Darng, Im not gong to make
you. Ths s somethng you shoud
be confdent enough to do."
"I make a foo out of mysef."
Her eyes fed wth tears. "Its not
about confdence. Its about beng
comfortabe n front of groups of
peope. I know you zapped me
and et me see mysef as others
see me." Wth her free hand Pea
gestured down at her body. "So I
know Im actuay pretty and not
the gawky dork I was n hgh
schoo. But that doesnt mean
that Im good n front of crowds-
that I ever be good n front of
crowds."
"But, Pea, you--"
Pea ddnt et her contnue. "Is
changng who I am the ony way I
can be good enough?"
"Of course ts not! I never meant
for you to fee ke that." She
hugged Pea hard. "Youre good
enough exacty as you are. I |ust
wanted ths for you."
"I know, but." Pea hestated.
Venus pued back and ooked nto
the mortas eyes. "But you ddnt
want t for yoursef. Not ths part
of t?"
"Seeng mysef ceary and beng
confdent n my beauty s one
thng. Gettng a man by
pretendng to be somethng Im
not s another. Ive been standng
out here thnkng about that, and
Ive decded that I dont even
want Grffn f I have to do that."
"You know, Dorreth Pea
Chamberan, you are very wse
for a morta."
Pea grnned. "So you teach the
cass for me?"
"We, Im not dressed for baet."
"Pease. Lke you coudnt zap
yoursef a eotard?"
"I dont reay know baet."
"Then teach what you know."
"Hmm.teach what I know. Now
that mght be nterestng," Venus
sad thoughtfuy. "Pea, I beeve
you may be rght about ths, and I
w take your advce." The
goddess rased her hand and then
ganced at Pea. "Prepare yoursef.
Im gong to zap."
Pea cosed her eyes. Venus
wagged her fngers and a very
arge, very fu tote bag appeared.
She hefted t over her arm.
"You can open your eyes now."
"What are you gong to teach?"
Venuss sme was dazzng.
"What I know, of course, darng."
And, she added senty to hersef,
Im aso gong to teach that
morta man a esson.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
"G ood mornng agan. You may
ca me Venus. I w be your
stress reef nstructor for ths
cass. You may st anywhere.."
She wgged her fngers at the
shadowy rear of the arge
cassroom and chars appeared.
"Pu those out here, pease, they
are much too far away." She
spoke matter-of-facty, not gvng
any of them tme to remember
that there were no chars n the
rear of the cassroom when theyd
frst entered t. Whe the men
were draggng out the chars and
takng ther seats, Venus dug nto
her bag and pued out sheets of
thck parchment paper. Each was
covered wth an ntrcate
dagram. Ignorng Grffn, who of
course chose to st n the front
and center of the cass, she
began passng out the papers.
The men stared at the dagram,
stunned and speechess.
"We are gong to tak about how
to brng a woman peasure. I w
be referrng to your dagram of
the femnne otus fower durng
our dscusson. Pease fee free to
ask questons." She paused and
et her words soak through the
men. Not surprsngy, she notced
many stunned ooks. "Gentemen,
are you confused? Do you have
questons aready?" she asked.
One of the oder men hestanty
rased hs hand, and Venus
nodded for hm to speak.
"We, maam, I thnk were
wonderng what gr fowers have
to do wth stress reef."
"Darng, Im usng the term
femnne otus fower as a
representatve term." Venus
paused and saw that the men st
ooked confused. She sghed. "As
a representatve term for the
vagna," she carfed.
Severa men sent her shocked
ooks. She tred not to notce that
Grffn was smng.
"Uh, maam?" The same man had
hs hand up agan.
"Yes," she sad cheerfuy, tryng
her best to be patent wth the
morta dot.
"Uh, I st dont understand what
the.ur.vagna bossom has to
do wth our stress reef."
"Lotus bossom," she
automatcay corrected. "What s
your name?"
"|. D. Mapes."
"Are you marred |. D.?"
"Yes, maam."
"Woud t not reeve an
nnumerabe amount of stress n
your fe f you knew how to brng
your wfe such peasure that she
eagery wecomed you to her bed
and searched for excuses to ask
you to press your naked body
aganst hers?"
|. D.s mouth opened, then cosed.
"I see your pont, maam."
The group of men made noses of
agreement.
"I thought you woud." Venus
smed. "Now women have
severa dfferent types of
orgasms, but to avod confuson
today we sha concentrate on
ony two of them, the ctora and
the vagna orgasms. In addton
we w aso tak about dscoverng
each womans deep peasure
zone." Venus thought for a
moment before she recaed the
name shed earned durng her
many Googe searches. "The G-
spot. You shoud know that
women do tend to have
preferences about whch orgasm
they en|oy most, but-"
Grffns hand went up. Venus
forced hersef not to frown. "Yes,
um, dd you say your name was
Mr. DeAngeo?"
"Grffn," he sad, hs confdent
haf sme never waverng.
"Pease ca me Grffn."
"Very we. Dd you have a
queston aready, Grffn?"
"Yes, maam. I was wonderng
about the orgasms. How do we
know whch one our over
prefers?"
"You ask her," Venus sad cooy.
"But I beeve I can answer part of
ths queston for a women
wthout havng to ask even one of
them besdes mysef, of course.
A women prefer the type of
orgasm that s foowed by a man
of ntegrty keepng hs word and
not suddeny dsappearng." She
met hs gaze steady, though she
took tte peasure n the fact that
hs sme had vanshed. Another
hand went up on the eft sde of
the room. "Yes, another
queston?"
"Maam," sad a very young
freman. "Theres somethng
wrong wth my dagram."
Venus waked qucky to hm and
ganced over hs shouder.
"Darng, your otus bossom s
upsde down."
"Oh, sorry," he mumbed,
bushng a brght, panfu ookng
scaret.
"Pease dont apoogze. You are
here to earn. And t s we
acknowedged that, though the
phaus s deghtfu, the femnne
otus, the heart of a womans
sexuaty, s more compcated."
"Sometmes there are
crcumstances that cant be
heped," Grffn suddeny sad,
causng the men to send hm
curous gances.
Venus bnked nnocenty at hm.
"No, Grffn, the crcumstances
dont matter. Vagnas are aways
more compcated than penses."
She tred not to et the humorous
crnke around hs eyes and the
fact that he was grnnng wdey
n response to her wt affect her.
But she had to admt-at east to
hersef-that he was awfuy cute.
"I have no doubt whatsoever that
otus bossoms are as compex as
they are ntrgung. I |ust
wondered what a man shoud do
when the, um, compexty of a
stuaton has been confused wth
crcumstances beyond the mans
contro and orgasm nterrupted-
for ether party. What woud you
recommend then?"
"Communcaton," Venus sad.
"Is that a?" He dd sme then.
"That and groveng," yeed a
man from the back of the room,
whch caused everyone to augh.
"I see I have at east one
advanced student," Venus
qupped, grnnng at the cass and
meetng Grffns eyes, but ony
brefy.
"We, maam," Grffn sad,
sendng her a warm, ntmate
sme, "Im ready to earn."
There was a genera murmur of
good-humored agreement.
"I do apprecate attentve men,"
Venus sad, not abe to keep
hersef from meetng Grffns
sparkng bue eyes agan.
Then she waked qucky to the
backboard and pued out a set of
coored chak from her tote bag.
Locatng the pnk chak, she sad,
"Pease foow aong on your own
dagrams as I sketch a rather
smpstc verson of the one I
gave each of you."
Another hand shot up. "Excuse
me, maam. Shoud we take
notes?"
"Ony f you truy wsh to peasure
a woman."
Returnng to her sketch, Venus
heard Grffn chucke as he and
the rest of the men scrambed for
pens and pencs.
Perhaps she shoud sten to what
Grffn had to say about why he
ddnt return to her. It coud
hardy hurt to hear hs sde of
thngs. After a, Love was
supposed to be knd and far and
patent. Yes, shed hear hm out,
and then shed st Pea down and
te her everythng. If he had
some horrd, ame excuse shed
expan to Pea what a cad he was
and how better off she woud be
wthout hm. If he truy had a
vabe reason he hadnt returned
to her.we.then shed smpy
te her frend the truth. Pea was
smart and compassonate. Shed
understand. Feeng suddeny
ghter and happer than shed fet
n days, she fnshed the sketch
wth a foursh and turned back to
the cass.
"Now can anyone te me where
the ctors s ocated?"
She smed at the furry of rasng
hands.

Vucan coudnt concentrate. Yes,
he methodcay stoked the great
furnace that heated the core of
the ancent earth. Of course he
kept check on varous vocanoes,
both on and and under the
oceans. The ast thng he needed
was an erupton today, especay
wth hs aready tumutuous
emotons. As aways he was
mndfu of the many ceansng
wdfres burnng supposedy out
of contro. But a these thngs he
dd automatcay. Hs thoughts
were on Pea.
Wth a grow he gave up and
strode through the geamng
rooms of hs subterranean paace
to the centra par of ever-
burnng fame. Vucan reached
nto the nferno and found the
thread that bound hm to Venus,
the modern word and Pea.
As usua, the thread ed hm frst
to Venus. Hs brow furrowed.
What n a the eves of the
Underword was she dong?
Drawng an enormous vagna on a
board wth coored chak?
Dsbeevng, he watched as a
room fu of vre men questoned
her about the femae orgasm. The
Goddess of Love was teachng a
cass n the art of stmuatng a
woman! Vucan motoned for a
char to materaze and setted
down to pay attenton. Ther
marrage hadnt been a success,
but there was absoutey no doubt
that Venus was beyond compare
when t came to understandng
the ntrcaces of peasure. He
knew he wasnt partcuary
experenced n the ways of
ovemakng. The other goddesses
shunned hm because they knew
ove had, essentay, re|ected
hm. And, roncay, no morta
woman wanted to chance
offendng the Goddess of Love by
covetng her husband. Over the
eons hed grown weary of tryng
to expan that Venus hadnt truy
re|ected hm, that thers was a
marrage of convenence-
however msconceved. It had
smpy become easer to be aone.
Unt recenty.
Wth Pea he was experencng
somethng competey new-a
chance to be oved for who he
was, not for who peope perceved
hm to be. Ceary he coud use a
the hep he coud get on the
sub|ect of seducton, so Vucan
setted n to pay attenton to the
goddesss dscusson of
somethng she mysterousy
caed a womans G-spot, but
found even then he coudnt keep
hs mnd from rovng to Pea.
And when the nvsbe thread
foowed hs thoughts, eavng the
cassroom and snakng restessy
down the ha, he had no w to
stop t. Oucky and senty t
foowed hs desre. Pea was
sttng at her desk n the tdy
offce hed observed her workng
n the other tmes hed watched
her. There was a rather rumped-
ookng man sttng across from
her. She was hodng a fe of
papers and askng hm questons.
It ddnt take ong for Vucan to
ascertan that there was a
professora poston open at Peas
coege n the fed of hstory, and
the man was appyng for t. Pea
ddnt appear mpressed wth hm.
She actuay sghed and chewed
on her penc after he eft.
"Borng.dry.nope. He wont do.
Hed put them a to seep," she
muttered to hersef. Then she
ganced at her watch. "Haf an
hour t the next ntervew." She
sghed agan and started to cck
around on a contrapton Vucan
knew was caed a computer-a
thng that hed so much
knowedge t was the modern
words verson of magc.
Her next ntervew.
Why coudnt her next ntervew
be hm? Venus was masqueradng
as a teacher at Peas coege; why
coudnt he? Vucan sat up
straghter, shocked by hs own
thought. Yes, why not? He wanted
to see her agan. He wanted to
woo her and make her hs own.
Hed aready decded he woud
never brng her to Oympus, so
that meant he was gong to have
to come to her eventuay. Why
not now? Why wat any onger?
The God of Fre was ready to act-
and act he woud. Hed |ust need
to stay out of Venuss way, at
east unt after Pea was n ove
wth hm. We hed aready
observed that Venus was beng
kept busy. Now was an exceent
tme to make another foray nto
the modern morta word and
hopefuy nto Peas heart. Hed
worry about the rest of the detas
ater. What was mportant rght
now was beng wth Pea agan.
So.hed need the correct
cothes. Somethng ke the other
man had worn ony ess
dsheveed ookng. Hs rumped
appearance certany hadnt
mpressed Pea. And he ddnt
have much tme. He needed to
get there before the next man
arrved n order to redrect the
morta-an easy thng to do-then
take hs pace n Peas offce and
begn wnnng her heart.
Because that was, ndeed, what
he wanted. Damn Oympus and
the gods and ther ntrgues and
pre|udces. He wanted someone
of hs own. Someone untouched
by them. He aso wanted a fe of
hs own, and by a the dark eves
of Tartarus, he woud do anythng
t took to get t.
CHAPTER ElGHTEEN
"C ome on n," Pea sad n
response to the quck knock on
her offce door. She ganced at
the cock. Her next ntervew was
fve mnutes eary. We, she
thought as she shuffed the
papers on her desk and put
Robertson Browns fe at the top
of the heap, at east that means
Mr. Brown s eager. Lets hope
hes aso more nterestng than
that ast-
When he stepped nto her offce
a of the ar eft her body.
Lteray. |ust ke the one tme
shed made the mstake of rdng
a horse. Shed faen off and had
not been abe to breathe for
severa very uncomfortabe
seconds. Ths was the same
sensaton. A she coud do was st
and stare and strugge for ar.
"Heo," he sad, wth a warm
sme that seemed to reach nsde
her body and turn her to qud.
She sucked n a breath and sad n
a rush, "Youre Robertson Brown?
My next ntervew?"
"No. Yes." He stopped and drew a
deep breath. "Im sorry. Seems
Im more nervous than I thought I
woud be. I am not Robertson
Brown, but I woud ke to be your
next ntervew."
"I thought you were a freman."
He nodded as f he expected her
to say that. "Yes, fre has been my
|ob for a ong tme. But recenty
Ive decded I want to make a
change."
"To teachng hstory n our
Contnung Educaton
Department?" She fet fushed
and out of sorts and had to fod
her hands together to keep them
from fdgetng.
"Yes. Yes, I woud ke that."
Pea |ust stared at hm. She
coudnt beeve he was standng
there n front of her n a sut that
was a tte outdated, but ft we
and was neaty pressed. He
seemed to f her offce. She
hadnt remembered hm beng so
ta and muscuar and mposng.
But hs mouth.hs mouth she dd
remember.
"Do you mnd my ntruson?"
She |umped a tte. "No, no. Not
at a. But f Mr. Brown shows up
I have to nterrupt our ntervew.
He dd have an appontment."
"Agreed." Vucan nodded.
"Okay, so, we, have a seat."
But nstead of sttng n the
eather char n front of her desk
he waked drecty up to her, hs
dstnctve mp n no way
overshadowng the sense of
strength and power he carred
wth hm. He reached down and
coaxed one of her hands away
from cutchng the other, then he
fted t to that ncredbe mouth of
hs and pressed hs ps aganst
her skn. The heat of hs touch
thrummed through her body.
Ther eyes met and Pea fet the
|ot of hs gaze as f t, too, were a
physca thng.
She hadnt magned ther
connecton. It was here n the
room wth them, ave and pusng
and rea.
"Forgve me for havng to eave
you that nght."
"I ddnt thnk Id see you agan,"
she sad.
St hodng her hand he shook
hs head. "I coud not stay away
from you, tte one."
"Who are you?"
"I am the man you have
bewtched."
She smed and pued her hand
reuctanty from hs. "I dont thnk
I can put that on your
paperwork." Tryng to regan
some sembance of
professonasm, she contnued. "I
meant what s your name?"
Peas smpe queston had hm
ookng totay out of sorts, whch
actuay made her fee better. He
wasnt exaggeratng about her
makng hm nervous f he had
forgotten hs name.
"V," he fnay burted. "Can."
"V. Cannes? Lke C-a-n-n-e-s?"
Lookng she-shocked, he
nodded.
"What does the V stand for,
Vctor, or somethng awfu ke
Vad?"
"Vctor," he sad qucky, and
seemng to recoect hmsef, he
sat down.
"We, Vctor, youre not my next
ntervew, so how dd you fnd out
about ths |ob openng?" And how
the he dd you fnd me? Or was
ths |ust a werd concdence?
He sat very st for a moment,
frownng, and then hs face
ceared and he ponted at her
computer. "I found out about the
|ob through the computer, but
thats not the ony reason Im
here. The truth s I had to see you
agan."
"Youre not reay ntervewng for
a |ob?" Pea tred to sound severe,
but she coudnt keep the sme
from ttng her ps. It hadnt been
a concdence!
"I admt that my frst thought
had been to smpy see you. The
|ob was a far secondary
consderaton."
"So youre not here because you
want to teach hstory?"
"Im here because of you, but I
beeve I woud en|oy teachng
hstory. Ancent hstory."
"Reay? What knd of ancent
hstory?" She shoud stop. It
wasnt ke ths was a rea
ntervew, but he was nterestng
and sexy and.
Hs sme was sow, and more
than a tte mschevous. "Im
we acquanted wth the ancent
myths."
Pea grnned back at hm. "Latey
Ive become pretty we
acquanted wth mythoogy
mysef."
He eaned forward, hs expresson
gong suddeny from payfu to
serous. "And what do you thnk of
the ancent myths-the stores of
a tme when gods and goddesses
waked the earth?"
Thnkng of Venus, she smed
warmy. "I ke what Ive found out
so far."
"Do you?" He covered her hand
wth hs.
And t happened agan. She
wanted to drown n hm. |ust ke
that magca nght hs eyes had
captured her. But no-t was more
than that, more than |ust hs
eyes. It seemed she knew hs
sou. How coud that be? It fet
rea, but surey she had to be
makng a ths up n her overy
romantc magnaton.
"Youre not magnng thngs," he
sad, speakng quety and
earnesty.
"How do you know what Im
thnkng?"
"I know you. Were connected. I
dont know how, but I do thnk I
know why. I thnk were the same,
you and I. Unt I met you I ony
knew how to be an outander. I
had resgned mysef to beng
aone. Then I saw you and I fet
that I had fnay come home." He
gave a tte augh and rubbed a
hand down hs face as f he
thought he mght be dreamng
and needed to wake hmsef up.
"It does sound unbeevabe,
though, doesnt t?"
"Yes. It sounds unbeevabe."
Then when dsappontment
started to f hs expressve eyes,
she contnued. "It sounds
unbeevabe, but thats not how t
fees."
"So ts not |ust me? Im not n
ths aone?"
Pea knew she shoud make a |oke
or augh or say somethng to
water down what Vctor was
sayng and to ghten up what was
happenng between the two of
them. She shoud remnd hm that
they werent n a romantc move
wth a guaranteed happy ever
after. Love at frst sght was ony
possbe n moves and books-
tota fcton. In the rea word t
fe apart, eavng behnd the
fotsam of dvorce and broken
hearts.
And then there was Grffn. But
was there reay Grffn? Or was
her nfatuaton wth hm more ke
the mpossbty of the moves,
and was what was happenng
wth ths man more ke the rea
thng?
Then she met hs eyes agan and
she coudnt say any of those
thngs because what she saw
there was too raw, too possbe,
and she suddeny wanted hm
wth a ferocty that surprsed her.
She wanted them and ths
sparkng new possbty of a
future that wasnt a fe crammed
fu of pets and work so that the
oney nghts and the sotary
meas and the dreamng about a
man she coudnt ever have whe
she watched everyone ese
coupe off was bearabe.
"Youre not n ths aone," she
sad, even though t made her
stomach cench and her breath
catch. "But Im afrad. Ths s a
-"
"Dont say ts a happenng too
fast," he nterrupted. "After eons
of not beevng t coud ever
happen, how can we not want to
embrace ths magc between us,
no matter how qucky t seems to
be happenng? Can we not |ust
gve t a chance and see where
ths new path eads us?"
Peas brows drew together as she
consdered what he was sayng.
Hs seemed to take her feengs
and refract them back to her.
"Pease dont say no."
Pea contnued to study hm
senty, and a of a sudden t fet
ke a key turned wthn her,
unockng a secret room n her
sou where a the ove shed been
keepng to gve to a man, her
man, had been stored. Instead of
feeng unsure and afrad and
hestant, Pea was fed wth an
ncredbe sense of rghtness.
"Vctor, Im gong to take a
chance on you-on us actuay.
But you have to promse me
somethng."
"Anythng wthn my power."
"No more dsappearng."
"You have my oath." Hs sme
was wde wth reef. He kssed
her hand agan and caught her
gaze wth hs own hope-fed one.
"You wont be sorry for ths. If t s
wthn my power, you wont ever
be sorry."
"I beeve you." Pea fet ke
gggng.
He stood abrupty. "Come! Lets
eave ths pace. I take you
anywhere you wsh-|ust make
the request and I w make your
desre come true."
Pea dd ggge then. "I have to
admt thats the best date offer
Ive ever had, but Im not off work
for"-she ganced at the cock
-"about sx hours."
"Sx hours?"
She nodded. "Yes, but I dont
have any pans ths evenng."
He smed. "Then may I see you
ths evenng?"
"Yes, you may." They grnned
fooshy at each other unt the
tme reay regstered n Peas
mnd. "Oh, |eesh! What am I
thnkng? My frend shoud be
done teachng her cass n |ust a
few mnutes. I have to meet her
and." Pea scrambed around,
dscardng comments ke See f
she somehow fxed me up wth
Grffn or Make sure she ddnt zap
stuff from nowhere and freak out
her cass. Instead she setted for,
".and make sure her cass went
okay. Its her frst day of
teachng."
"Then I w eave you to your
work and see you agan n sx
hours."
"Coud you make t more ke
seven hours? I want to have tme
to get home and, you know."
She gestured down at her cothes.
"Ah, of course. In seven hours
then." He turned to eave.
"Uh, Vctor? Woud you ke my
phone number and address so
you know where to pck me up
tonght?"
Lookng chagrned, he returned to
her desk and took the paper
shed scrbbed her nformaton
on.
"Im not very good at ths," he
sad. "Im sorry. You deserve
someone who s more." He
moved hs broad shouders
restessy. "More practced n the
ways of ove."
Her teasng sme faded. She
knew too we what t was to fee
awkward and not good enough.
"Dont say that. I ke how you
are. I dont want a suave payboy.
I want someone I connect wth-
someone who understands me
and someone I can count on."
"I gve you my word that you may
trust me. Aways," he sad.
"I hod you to that, Vctor."
He took her hand, and when he
bent, she thought he was gong to
kss t agan. But ths tme he
surprsed her by eanng forward
farther and kssng her on her ps.
It was a kss fed more wth
promse than passon, but hs
scent enfoded her aong wth the
heat of hs body. He remnded her
of a warm fre on a cod nght, and
she fet an answerng heat wthn
her. When hs ps eft hers, she
wanted to pu hm down to her
and snk nto hs mouth.
Instead she found her voce and
sad, "I see you n seven hours."
"Unt tonght, tte one."

Before he returned to Oympus,
Vucan foowed the sgns to the
coeges research center. It took
a tte magca nudgng sprnked
|udcousy on a few mortas here
and there, but soon he was
seated n front of a computer wth
a rudmentary knowedge of
search engnes. It woudnt do for
hm to be bunderng about the
modern word wthout at east a
basc understandng of the tmes
and peope. He cracked hs
knuckes and began pontng and
cckng the ntrgung tte devce
they caed a mouse..
CHAPTER NlNETEEN
"T hank you, maam. That was a
great cass!"
Venus smed beatfcay at the
young freman who had, at the
begnnng of the cass, been
hodng hs dagram upsde down.
"Thank you, darng. Im peased
you en|oyed t."
"More than that, maam!" he
gushed. "I cant wat to." He
broke off, bushng. "We, I mean
thanks. I earned a ot."
"You are most wecome." Venus
stood by the cassroom door,
sayng good-bye to her cass. It
reay had gone we. They had
been attentve and enthusastc.
She had thoroughy en|oyed
hersef, whch she had to admt to
hersef, had a ot to do wth the
fact that the most attentve,
enthusastc and handsome
member of the cass had been
Grffn, who was currenty hangng
back, very obvousy watng for
the rest of the men to say ther
good-byes and eave.
The ast gratefu freman fnay
eft, and the goddesss stomach
futtered as Grffn approached
her.
Hs eyes smed at her. "I ddnt
know you were a teacher."
"Im reay not. At east Im
usuay not, though I suppose you
coud say that I have done my
share of nstructon about ove."
She paused, struggng to get the
modern words rght.
"So youre a therapst?"
Reeved that hed provded her a
vabe professon, Venus nodded
and smed nnocenty. "Yes. A sex
therapst. I taught cass today as
a favor for a frend who works
here at the coege."
"Then I w have to remember to
thank your frend for causng you
to be here today."
"Reay? Why s that?" She fet
better wth the conversaton
eavng the technca whys and
hows of her beng there.
"I went back to fnd you, but you
werent there."
He was beng bunt, so she
decded to match hm n honesty.
"I wated unt t was cear you
were n no hurry to return to me.
Then I eft."
He bew out a ong, frustrated
breath. "I ddnt mean to be gone
so ong. I ddnt want to be gone
so ong. The mayor and the chef
woudnt et me get away unt I
expaned every aspect of the
communty educaton pan I have
proposed for the Mdtown Staton
to them. Im sorry f t seemed
ke I stood you up."
Venus fet hersef brstng.
"Actuay I never consdered that
you mght have stood me up,"
she ed. "I smpy weared of
watng, so I eft."
Grffn frowned n response to her
haughty tone.
"We, t was ovey to see you
agan, and I do hope you en|oyed
my cass." Venus turned from hm
and started stuffng chak and
vagna dagrams back nto her
bag. Why was she beng so short
and rude to hm? Shed wanted
hm to tak to her-wanted hm to
apoogze to her. And here he was
dong both and she was suddeny
cuttng hm off. Venus senty
consdered her emotons.
She was hurt! By Hercuess
scraggy scrotum, Grffn had hurt
her when he hadnt returned, and
the remnder of beevng hed
stood her up st hurt!
"Oh, gosh! H, Grffn." Peas
sweet voce broke the sence.
Venus turned back to Grffn to
see Pea ookng fustered, but
hodng out her hand for hm to
shake. The goddesss heart
pummeted nto her stomach.
Grffns sme was genune as he
took her hand. "Heo, neghbor.
Nce to see you agan, Pea. I
shoud have reazed you were the
frend Venus was hepng out here
at the coege."
"You shoud have?" Pea asked,
wth a confused tte sme.
"Yeah, at the masquerade party
Venus sad you two were cose.
Actuay maybe you coud hep
me out here. Im tryng to make
up for the fact that I got pued
away by busness that nght and
eft her outsde by hersef too
ong."
"At Loas masquerade?"
"Yeah, and now shes pssed." He
ganced at Venus, and what he
saw made hm add, "Not that I
bame her. But I can make t up to
her. Tonght. Wth dnner. How
about you act as my reference
and convnce her that Im |ust an
ordnary guy and not an axe
murderer."
"Or a ar?" Pea asked, ony she
wasnt ookng at Grffn. She was
starng at Venus.
"Defntey not a ar," Grffn sad.
"Thats what I want to prove to
her."
"Pea, I can-"
Peas bank expresson ddnt
change, but she nterrupted the
goddess wth a smooth, "Venus
w et you make up for your
mstake." Venus opened her
mouth, but Pea taked rght over
her. "I have a date tonght, so ts
ony rght she shoud have one,
too."
Venus bnked n shock. "A date?
Tonght? Wth."
Peas bank mask cracked |ust a
tte. "Wth hm, Vctor. He came
to my offce whe you were
teachng cass."
"And a s we between the two
of you?" Venus asked.
"Yes, everythngs okay," Pea sad
cooy. Then she cut her eyes at
Grffn. "So theres no reason you
shoudnt go out wth hm. None
at a." Pea gave her a tght sme
before wakng qucky away.
Grffn stepped coser to her and
Venus fet her stomach futter
agan.
"Say you go out wth me
tonght." Hs gaze caught hers,
pung t away from Peas
retreatng back. They stared at
one another. Grffn was so cose
Venus coud easy magne hs
body aganst hers, and even
through her worry for Pea, she
found hersef wonderng what t
woud fee ke f she and Grffn
were naked and abe to take ther
tme peasurng each other. Woud
t be as good as the rush of ust
she had experenced durng ther
hasty coupng under the tree.?
"Yes, I w," Venus heard hersef
say.
He stepped even coser to her
and Venus coud sme hs unque
scent and fee the heat of hs
body. "You wont regret t," he
sad.
"I-I have to go tak to Pea,"
Venus sad abrupty. "I see you
tonght." She started to wak
away, but hs voce made her
pause.
"When and where tonght?"
"Sx ocock." She pcked the tme
randomy, her mnd aready tryng
to fgure out what she was gong
to say to her frend. "Oh, and
rght now I ve wth Pea." At east
Venus hoped she st dd.
Grffn smed and nodded. "I be
there at sx sharp, my goddess."

Pea was sttng at her desk
starng at the wa when Venus
entered her offce. The goddess
coudnt remember when shed
ever fet so terrbe.
"Forgve me, Pea," she sad,
wthout any preambe. "I shoud
have tod you that Id been wth
Grffn that nght."
Pea shrugged and woudnt meet
her eyes. "Whatever. Youre a
goddess, and goddesses can do
whatever they want."
"No, thats not true." Venus sat
heavy n Peas ntervew char.
"Actuay you are partay rght.
As a goddess I can teray do
whatever I want to do, but as
your frend there are thngs I
woudnt do."
"You mean ke go after the guy I
have a ma|or crush on whe
youre makng t ook ke youre
hepng me catch hm?"
"Thats not how t happened."
Pea fnay ooked at her and
Venus hated the hurt that so
obvousy fed the morta
womans eyes. "Then expan t to
me, because from where Im
sttng t ooks exacty ke thats
what happened. And worse than
that, t ooks ke youre one of
those terrbe grs who made me
so mserabe n hgh schoo."
"Oh, Pea, no!" Venus fet her eyes
f wth tears. "Pease dont thnk
that! What happened was an
accdent, and the bggest mstake
I made was not teng you about
t."
Pea fted her chn and fnay met
Venuss gaze. "I |ust want to know
one thng. Was t a a e? A that
stuff you tod me about mysef?"
Tears sped down Venuss
cheeks. "No! I ddnt e to you,
not even about Grffn. I |ust
ddnt te you everythng I shoud
have. I wanted to. I even started
to. But I ddnt want to hurt you.
And," Venus added as she wped
at her face wth the back of her
hand, "I ddnt want to ose your
frendshp."
"Te me what happened."
Venus drew a deep breath and
tod Pea everythng-from the
nstant connecton shed fet-and
tred her best to gnore-wth
Grffn to how he approached her
at the masquerade. By the tme
Venus got to the part about hm
ravshng her under the tree, Pea
was stenng wde-eyed. Then she
expaned how she beeved
Grffn had stood her up.
Pea had stayed sent unt then,
but she burted, "You thought he
stood you up! Thats why you
ooked so strange and sad when I
found you outsde."
Venus opened her mouth to
assure Pea that t hadnt been
that bg of a dea. The Goddess of
Love s, after a, aways n
contro, aways fne. But before
she coud say the words she
reazed how fase they were, and
she reazed somethng ese. She
wanted to tak to Pea about a of
ths-she needed to tak to Pea
because the morta had truy
become her frend.
"Ive never been stood up before,
and I-I ddnt know what to do or
how to act," the goddess
admtted. "I |ust sat there and
hurt. I shoud have tod you what
happened, but I ddnt even know
how to say t. Then when you tod
me about the other man I thought
that f I coud |ust get them
together, youd see how much
better your new guy was than
Grffn, and even then f you
ddnt see what a cad Grffn was,
I gve you my word, I woudnt
have et hm use you and hurt
you."
"Lke you thought he used and
hurt you," Pea sad.
"Yes, ke that."
"It fees awfu, doesnt t, to thnk
youve been re|ected and ed to,
especay by someone you care
about?" Pea sad quety.
Venus coudnt fnd her voce; she
ony nodded and wped fresh
tears from her face wth the
tssue Pea handed her.
"You do care about Grffn, dont
you?" Pea sad.
"Yes, I do," Venus managed to
choke out. "But not as much as I
care about you. If t hurts you, I
wont ever see hm agan. I gve
you my soemn oath."
Pea smed at her frend, and
Venus was reeved beyond words
to see the ove and trust return to
her eyes. "You know, you were
rght about Grffn."
"Hes a terrbe cad?" Venus
snffed.
Pea aughed. "We, maybe. But I
was takng about what you sad
about hm yesterday-or reay
what you sad about how I fet
about hm. It wasnt Grffn I
wanted. It was what he
represented to me: the perfect
man I coud never fnd, never
have as my own."
"Youre wrong about that. You can
fnd the man who w be perfect
for you, and you can make hm
yours."
Peas sme was more than a tte
naughty. "Oh, I know that."
"I thnk ts your turn to tak now. I
want to hear about Vctor."
"I want to te you about hm, but
frst I thnk Im gong to knock off
for the rest of the day. You and I
have dates to get ready for." Pea
grabbed her purse and stood up,
ookng questonngy at the
goddess when she ddnt move.
"Do you forgve me, Dorreth?"
Venus asked soemny.
"Of course I do, Goddess. Thats
what frends do, forgve each
others mstakes."
Venus studed Pea wth newfound
respect. "Thank you, Dorreth Pea
Chamberan. You are a truy good
person."
Pea fushed and grnned. "I ke to
ook on the postve sde of fe."
"An exceent atttude to
practce."
"Yeah, I got t from Oprah. As she
woud say, beng strong and
postve s one way of beng a
powerfu, modern woman."
"Oprah?"
"Thnk of her as a sster
goddess."
"Reay? A modern woman whos
a sster goddess? I want to hear
a about her, too," Venus sad, as
she stood and nked arms wth
Pea.
"So tte tme.so many
goddesses." Pea aughed as the
two of them went arm n arm
from her offce.

"You know, theres reay no
reason for you to be so nervous,"
Pea tod Venus for the zonth
tme.
"Of course there s. Ive never
been on a date."
Pea ggged. "Do you know how
unbeevabe that s? I mean,
youre the Goddess of Love!"
Venus frowned severey at Pea.
"Of course I am. What does that
have to do wth ths?"
"How s t that youve never been
on a date before? Youre the most
beautfu woman Ive ever seen.
Men must fa a over you."
Venuss expresson ghtened.
"Thank you, darng. And of
course men fa a over me."
"Then why no date unt now?"
Venus sghed and |oned Pea
sttng on the end of her bed. "Its
dfferent wth the mmortas. We
dont date. We have decous
passon-fed torrd affars. Unons
that baze across the heavens and
cause wars to be fought and
cvzatons to thrve."
"|eesh, then why bother wth
Grffn at a?"
"Because he treated me ke a
morta woman. He seduced me.
And not because Im the Goddess
of Love, but because he desred
the woman he beeved me to
be." Venuss voce was so fant
Pea eaned coser to hear her.
"Unt that nght at Loas, Ive
aways been n contro. If I want a
god-he succumbs to me. If I
desre the attentons of a morta-
he gratefuy worshps me. Ive
aways been the seducer, never
the seduced. Ive aways been so
n contro that I even decded on a
marrage of convenence."
"Youre marred!"
Venus nodded her head but
shrugged her shouders. "In name
ony. Hes not physcay perfect,
so hes an outcast n Oympus. He
thought by marryng me he coud
gan acceptance. I thought by
marryng hm I coud gan." She
paused. She was gettng ready to
say her norma ne-that by
marryng Vucan she thought
shed gan a shed to retreat
behnd. That even Love grew
weary and ooked for a quet
pace to rest, and stoc, outcast
Vucan and hs fery ream coud
provde her wth that. But recenty
shed begun questonng her
motves n marryng Vucan. Aoud
she heard hersef admttng, "No.
Thats not true. I pretended that I
needed hm for one thng, whe I
was reay usng hm as an
excuse. I hd behnd the marrage
so that I ddnt have to ook at the
emptness n my own fe." She
smed sady at Pea, voet eyes
brmmng wth tears. By the
Ttans enormous manhoods, she
hadnt cred so much n centures.
"Rdcuous, snt t?" Venus sad
mseraby. "That Love coud be
oney."
"I dont thnk theres anythng at
a rdcuous about you." Pea put
her arm around the goddess. "I
thnk youre beautfu and knd
and amazng. And I aso thnk that
one very mportant pont has
been made cear today. You ddnt
come here |ust for me. You came
here for you."
"For me?"
"Maybe the Goddess of Love
came to Tusa to fnd hersef."
"But I know who I am. I am Love."
"How ong has t been snce
youve known ove?" Pea asked
genty.
Venus studed the morta sttng
besde her whose arm was draped
so casuay and comfortngy
around her. Ancent mortas
werent ever so reaxed n her
presence. They were forever
seekng.searchng.beseechng
her to fuf ther fantases. But
Pea wasnt ke that. Athough her
hearts desre had been what
bound Venus to ths word, Pea
had, from the begnnng, seemed
more concerned for Venuss
wefare than her own. Even today,
when Venus had hurt the tte
morta, and t had appeared shed
betrayed her, Pea remaned open
to her and even offered the
goddess comfort.
Then Venus dd somethng she
hadnt done for eons. She
answered Peas queston wth
compete honesty, thereby
admttng the truth to hersef.
"I cant remember the ast tme I
aowed mysef to ove. Its hard
to beeve. Ive been oved,
evoked ove, fought for ove and
caused ove, but t s qute
possbe I have never actuay
known ove."
"Its tme that changed, dont you
thnk?"
"Im not sure that I know how to
go about t."
"We, Im not an expert or
anythng, but I thnk the key to
knowng ove mght be n ettng
go."
"Lettng go?" Venus asked, feeng
ncredby out of her eement. She
was takng advce about ove
from a morta who unt a coupe
days ago ddnt know how to
contro her own har? But as
Venus ooked nto Peas eyes and
saw wsdom and compasson
there, the goddess remembered
somethng she shoud have never
forgotten. True ove wasnt found
n good har or the rght cothes,
makeup or shoes. True ove was
found n the sou-as was wsdom
and compasson.
"Yeah, ettng go. Thnk about t. It
makes sense. You cant know ove
uness youre wng to et go of a
bunch of thngs ke fear and
sefshness and contro."
"Contro?"
"Contro."
"Are you sure about that?"
"Im afrad so."
"How dd you get to be so wse,
Pea?"
Pea grnned. "Ive been hangng
around a goddess. Shes rubbed
off on me. Now stop
procrastnatng and zap yoursef a
par of back sacks and a voet
cashmere sweater. Somethng the
exact coor of your eyes that w
hug your curves and show off
those great boobs. Zap up a back
|acket to match the sacks whe
youre at t. And wear your har up
tonght so that he can see your
beautfu neck. Then f Grffns
reay a good boy you can take
your har down for hm. Later,"
she fnshed mschevousy.
Venus gave her a quck hug and
then stood up. "Do I need to
remnd you to cose your eyes?"
"Nope." Pea cosed her eyes. "Oh,
wat." She opened one eye and
peered at Venus. "Forget the
|acket."
"But what f t gets cod tonght?"
"We, t |ust mght. Then there
you be, a nppy and
|acketess." Pea exaggerated a
sgh. "Whatever w you do?"
"I dont thnk I taught you that,"
Venus sad.
"You taught me the atttude. I
made up the words to go wth t."
"Cose your eyes." Venus
con|ured up the outft Pea had
recommended and decded
eavng out the |acket was,
ndeed, a stroke of brance. She
studed hersef n the mrror,
peased at what she saw n her
refecton. The goddess ganced
back at the bed. Pea was st
sttng there wth her eyes
screwed tghty shut and an up-
tted curve to her ps. She dd
absoutey adore ths tte morta.
"Open your eyes now darng, and
ets be sure youre ready for your
own date."
Pea opened her eyes. "Oh, mne
s easy. Ive decded that Im
gong to fx hm dnner-here. Im
|ust gong to wear those fabuous
|eans you pcked out for me and
that sk knt sweater. Um, and my
new acy whte ngere." She
bushed, but ony a tte.
Venus rased her brows. "Pannng
on ettng hm see your new
ngere?"
"Oh, gosh I hope so!" she sad n
a breathy voce, and then her soft
bush famed a deeper coor. "Is
that wrong? It s, snt t? I shoud
be gong sower. I mean, no
matter what I see when I ook nto
hs eyes, I dont reay know hm."
"Darng, theres one thng my
eons of experence have taught
me. Love has no tmetabe. Ive
seen coupes be sow and carefu
and wse about ove, ony to have
t sft through ther hands ke
sand n a seve. Ive aso seen
coupes whose ove fares the
moment they frst ook n one
anothers eyes and never ceases
to fame for one fetme after
another. Its the overs, not the
tme."
"How do I know f ts rea?"
"The same way overs have
known throughout eternty. Trust
yoursef and sten to your heart."
"Okay. I w f you w."
"Agreed," Venus sad. "Now hep
me pe my har up and I
scrunch some more coconut o
nto your ovey curs."
CHAPTER TWENTY
"O kay, remember. Ths datng
stuff s reay not that bg of a
dea. We, I mean ts not that bg
of a dea unt he ntroduces you
to hs famy, then you reay
shoud get nervous for a sorts of
reasons."
Venus gave Pea a pancked ook.
"No, no, no. You dont have to
worry about that tonght. Sorry, I
shoudnt have even mentoned t.
Heres what you do tonght-you
et go of that famous contro of
yours and see what he has
panned for you two. A you have
to concentrate on s reaxng and
havng a good tme."
"Reaxng and havng a good
tme," Venus repeated. Were her
pams most? Impossbe. The
Goddess of Love smpy dd not
get sweaty pams. She rubbed
them down the thghs of her
sacks |ust to be safe.
The doorbe rang and Venus fet
her nervous heartbeat futter n
her throat. Pea wnked at her,
yeed at Choe to qut her barkng
and opened the door.
By Hermess famngy gay
gonads, he ooked decous! He
had on back sacks, a back
sweater and a came-coored
cashmere |acket. He was freshy
shaven. Venus knew f she eaned
nto hm shed be abe to sme
the scent of warm man mxed
wth |ust a hnt of the soap he
used. And she very much wanted
to ean nto hm.
"H agan, Grffn," Pea sad.
"Heo, Pea." Grffn squatted
down and hed hs hand out to the
grumbng Choe. "Remember me,
Scotte cat? Remember me, ktty-
ktty-ktty?" Apparenty Choe dd
because her grumbes turned to a
ta-waggng wgge and she
aowed Grffn to scratch her on
the head. When he stood up hs
eyes met hers. "Good evenng,
Venus."
"Grffn." She |ust sad hs name,
but t came out as an audbe
caress and she watched hs ps
curve up n response.
"Where are you two kds gong
tonght?" Pea asked cheeky.
Grffn aughed. "Its a surprse."
Venus started to frown, but before
she coud te hm she ddnt ke
surprses, especay from morta
men, Pea was aready chatterng
happy away.
"A surprse! Thats perfect. Venus
oves a good surprse-ts so out
of contro. Isnt that rght, Venus?"
"Yes, thats rght," Venus sad
reuctanty, gettng the message
Pea was teegraphng perfecty.
"Good," Grffn sad. "Then are
you ready to go? Im cuttng t
knda cose as t s."
"Yes, ready," Venus sad, thnkng,
No, not ready.
As she waked past hm to the
door, he sad, "Do you want to
grab a coat?"
Venus threw Pea a ook over her
shouder. "No, Im fne. I am warm
natured."
Pea grnned back at her as she
cosed the door.
Venus waked confdenty to the
vehce n Peas drveway-unt t
regstered on her mnd what her
eyes were seeng.
"Why s t so bg?"
"We, I need t to hau my.ur.
thngs around."
"What s t?"
"A Dodge Ram Dooey," he sad,
openng the passengers door for
her. "Sorry about the step up."
Venus ooked at the nsde of the
huge back truck, whch was a
rdcuous heght off the ground.
"By Hermess famng ass.hat."
Rememberng Persephones
comment about modern mortas
not apprecatng her dvne
gentaa curses, Venus fatered,
mxng the ancent wth one of the
modern profantes she
remembered from the Smart
Btches Trashy Books ste. "How
am I supposed to cmb up nto
that creature?"
Grffn aughed. "By Hermess
famng asshat?"
"Everyone knows how gay he s
and that he wears that wnged
hat a the tme as hs own
persona fashon statement."
"Everyone knows ths?"
Venuss eyes shfted from the
truck to Grffn. "My hobby s
mythoogy," she sad qucky.
"Your name s Venus, youre a sex
therapst, and your hobby s
mythoogy. Are you sure youre
not reay a goddess?" he teased.
"If I was I coud |ust zap mysef up
nto that thng," she muttered.
He aughed agan and hed out hs
hand to her. "Come on. I hep
you."
As hs strong hands steaded her,
and the |ot of reconnectng wth
hs warm fesh tnged teasngy
through her body, Venus was
suddeny gratefu for the huge
truck and the need for hs
assstance. "Thank you," she sad.
"My peasure, maam." He
reached up and pued her seat
bet down and across her,
securng t n ts hoder. Hs face
was very near hers and she coud
sme the scent of warm man and
soap she had fantased about
earer. He ooked nto her eyes
and gave her hs sow, sexy sme.
"I want to be sure you stay safe,"
he murmured, hs breath warm
and sweet aganst her cheek.
Unfortunatey he ddnt kss her.
Instead he cmbed down out of
the truck and hurred around to
hs own sde.
Venus was surprsed by how
smooth the bg truck drove, and
she decded she ked the feeng
of sttng up above |ust about
everyone ese on the roadway.
Grffn pressed some buttons and
soft musc foated between them,
whch caed to mnd the sow
dance theyd shared, whch n
turn brought back her nerves. She
burted, "Where are we gong?" n
a voce that sounded much too
abrupt. She drew a camng
breath. "I mean, you sad t was a
surprse, but cant you gve me
some hnt or cue?"
"Sorry, ddnt mean to sound so
mysterous. I was reay |ust
kddng around wth Pea." He
ganced sdeways at her and she
thought that he, too, suddeny
ooked a tte nervous. "Were
gong to an art openng. If you
dont mnd."
Venuss brows fted. "Youre
takng me to an art openng?"
He ooked at her senty before
turnng hs eyes back to the road.
"Sounds ke you fnd t hard to
beeve I apprecate art."
She took her tme answerng hm.
Hs voce had sounded neutra,
but somethng n the tense set of
hs shouders tod her that she
had nadvertenty offended hm.
"The truth s you seem more
warror than artst to me."
"Cant a man be both? Youre the
mythoogy buff. If I remember
correcty werent severa of the
gods artsts, or at east muscans,
as we as warrors?"
Venus fet a tte shock of
surprse. He was rght, though.
Apoo was a gfted muscan as
we as a sked warror and God
of Lght. Ares was God of War, but
he was aso a poet-though n her
opnon a rather dry one. Athena,
who was Goddess of War and
Wsdom, had aso ong been
recognzed as Goddess of the
Arts, too. And even Vucan was an
accompshed meta scuptor, as
we as God of Fre. "Yes, the gods
and goddesses were known for
the duaty of ther natures. But
uness the true surprse youre
gong to revea to me tonght s
that you are one of the gods, t
has been my experence morta
men tend to be one or the other,
ether artst or warror. But-" She
paused and he ganced over at
her. She smed warmy at hm. "I
suppose an exceptona morta
man coud be both."
"So youd thnk I was exceptona
f you found out I was both?"
"Dd I say exceptona?" she
teased. "I meant unusua.
abnorma.aberrant.or maybe
smpy pecuar."
He aughed and she was gad to
see the tenson eave hs
shouders.
A budng outsde the truck
caught her eye. "Isnt that Loas
restaurant we |ust passed?"
"Yeah, the art show s down the
street at one of the renovated
Brady Street warehouses. I hope
you dont mnd a tte wak. The
weathers great tonght, and ts
hard to fnd a good spot for ths
truck on the street, so I thought
Id park at the ot across from the
Trbune Lofts, and we coud wak
from there."
"I dont mnd a brsk wak," she
sad, but hs menton of the
Trbune Lofts had dstracted her.
They were near the porta. Odd
that shed forgotten a about t,
and the fact that she was teray
stranded n the modern morta
word. Funny, she hadnt reay
fet stranded, not snce Pea had
opened her home and her fe to
her. Pea seemed to be happy and
we, and after her date tonght
wth the sexy Vctor who was,
apparenty, an expert n
cunnngus, her fe woud qute
probaby be fed wth ecstasy.
That woud fuf the oath that
had bound her to ths word. So t
was a very rea possbty that
she coud wak down the street
tonght and be aowed to
dsappear back to the ancent
word-her word.
"Ready, Venus?"
She mentay shook hersef. Grffn
had parked the truck and was
hodng her door open, wth hs
hand outstretched, ready to hep
her cmb down from her
passengers sde perch. She
unccked her seat bet and sd
her hand nto hs.
Shed thnk about Oympus ater.

The renovated warehouse was an
exceent pace for the art show.
Venus was mpressed by the
ghtng and the ta, smooth was
that were panted a pure whte
remnscent of new snow and
wnter nghts. They woud
showcase pantngs we, she
decded. But tonght the art beng
exhbted was of a dfferent
medum. Tonght they were
exhbtng scuptures made of
dfferent types of metas weded
together n an astonshng array
of shapes and szes. Venus
studed the artsts work. She
ddnt need to ook at the
namepates or the studos fyer
to recognze that a of the peces
had been created by the same
artst.
"Grace," she sad abrupty.
"What?"
She ooked from the scupture
shed been studyng to Grffn.
The tenson was back n hs
shouders and he seemed to carry
wth hm a strange nervousness,
amost as f he had a wre wthn
hm that was strung too tghty.
Hed started actng oddy ever
snce theyd entered the gaery.
Yes, hed been attentve and
charmng, and there was
defntey a sexua tenson that
brewed steady between them,
but hed aso been on edge.
"I |ust reazed what t s a of the
scuptures have n common. Its a
gracefuness. Even though each
scupture s dfferent, they have a
smar fee, as f they had been
moded by the same heart." She
had hs fu attenton now, whch
she defntey ked. "I dont have
to read the namepates to know
that a of these were created by
the same man."
"What makes you thnk the artst
s a man?"
Venus smed knowngy. "I know a
mans touch when I see t. For
nstance-" She motoned for
Grffn to foow her over to a
scupture of whch she was
partcuary fond. It was a arge
pece, tted Phoenx. The meta
was copper. The scupture was of
the outne of a naked wnged
woman fyng up from a nest of
|agged copper fames. "Look at
the fu, curvng nes of ths
woman, especay her hps and
breasts, and aso ook how he has
gven us the uson of ong,
fowng har that mnges wth the
fames so that the two, har and
fames, eventuay become one.
Ths was created by a man who
oves the femae form and who
has an exceent eye for beauty."
"Coudnt a woman ove the
femae form, too?"
"Of course, but t has the
sensuaty and mascune energy
of a mans hands."
"Do you ke t?"
"Yes, very much. I ke them a
actuay. Do you know the artst?"
A cacophony of femae voces
nterrupted hs repy, and Grffn
turned hs head toward the
entrance to the gaery as an
excted group of four attractve
young women burst nto the
warehouse.
"They dd come." He wasnt
ookng at Venus and hs voce
sounded straned.
"They?" Venus frowned at the
gagge of nosy young women.
Why was Grffn nterested n
them whe he was on a date wth
her?
"They are my ssters." Then he
dd ook at her. "I hope you dont
mnd meetng my famy."
"Your famy?" Venus reazed she
sounded squeaky, but she
coudnt seem to hep t. Pea had
sad meetng the famy happened
ater!
He smed and nodded
apoogetcay. "Yeah, I guess I
shoud have warned you sooner,
but I ddnt want to scare you off."
"Oh. We. Oh," was a Venus
coud manage.
"And one other thng," he sad
qucky as the group of grs
caught sght of hm and began to
move n a snge rush toward
them. "Im the scuptor."
"Youre the." Venus began and
then smpy stopped and stared at
hm as the truth ht her. The name
on the pates had been D. Ange.
DeAngeo. Of course he was the
artst, whch expaned why hed
been so tense and sent. Ths was
hs art openng. "How
extraordnary," she murmured.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
G rffns ssters were enchantng
femae whrwnds. They remnded
Venus of forest nymphs. They aso
remnded Venus of why she coud
ony spend a mted amount of
tme wth forest nymphs. The tte
creatures were exhaustng.
"Yep! Weve been ten Grff for
years that he shoudnt be so
hush-hush about hs art. Its coo,
reay. And t doesnt make hm
ess macho. Its not ke hes an
nteror desgner or somethn ke
that. Hes a freman. You dont get
much more macho than that,"
sad Aca, rong her eyes n the
drecton her brother had
dsappeared wth the gaery
owner. Aca was the youngest of
the group, and Venus thought she
was cute n a spane-ke way,
even though she was ceary the
most scatterbraned of the
ssters.
"You woudnt beeve how hard t
was to get ths show together,"
sad Sherry, the odest and aso
the prettest. She ooked a ot ke
her brother wth her thck, dark
har and her amazng bue eyes.
"Yeah, Sherry took the sdes of
Grffs work on the sy, and then
snuck wth them to the gaery
owner, pretendng to be hs
pubcst," sad Kathy. Venus oved
her short, spky harcut and
thought t made her neck ook
ncredby swanke. She aso ked
the sparke n her bue eyes,
whch defntey remnded her of
Grffn. And Kathys |ob fascnated
Venus, too. She was a rado
personaty on somethng caed a
soft rock staton. Venus woud
ove to queston her about what
that meant, especay because
that woud mean she coud sten
to her tak more-Kathys voce
was a smoky mxture of woman
and sex appea, and t was truy a
sensua experence |ust to hear
her speak.
"I wasnt pretendng," Sherry
sad, tossng her ong har back
over her shouder. She grnned at
Venus. "I am a pubcst. I |ust
usuay promote bands and not
artsts."
"And Grffns not payng you,"
Stephane sad. She, too, had
Grffns dark har, but her eyes
were more green than bue. Shed
expaned that she was workng
on an advanced degree at the
Unversty of Tusa. Venus wasnt
sure what a |ursprudence was,
but t sounded mportant, and she
ked Stephanes ntensty.
Sherry aughed. "No, hes not
payng me. But he s gong to
change the o n my car for the
next ffty thousand mes."
"Hey! Hes gong to change the o
n my car," Aca whned.
"You grs fghtng over me
agan?" Grffn grnned at hs
ssters, then handed Venus a
fresh gass of champagne. "Here
ya go, my goddess. Thought you
mght need a drnk after spendng
tme wth ths group."
"Your goddess? That sounds
awfuy presumptuous of you,"
Sherry sad.
"Yeah, dont you need a
goddesss permsson before
makng her your own persona
dety?" Kathy practcay purred.
Venus smed and caught Grffns
eye teasngy. "Your brother s the
knd of man who ays cam to
what he wants. I suppose ts a
good thng Venus s Goddess of
Love and not war. Love has a
more doce temper."
"Doce? You?" Grffns ps tted
up.
"She ddnt say she was doce,
doofus. She sad she was more
doce than the freakng Goddess
of War, whch st means you
shoud watch yoursef," Aca
sad.
"Exacty," Venus sad.
"Ive aready decded that shes
more naughty than nce."
"Is he nsutng me?" Venus asked
Sherry.
"I dont thnk so. In hs own way I
thnk our Grff means t as a
compment."
"Hey. Im rght here."
In perfect unson a four ssters
roed ther eyes at hm.
"Youre drvng her away from me
and doomng me to a passoness,
oney exstence where I be
known as the crazy od
freman/artst who spends a hs
tme changng the o n hs
ssters cars and never has a
moment to hmsef."
"And the probem wth that woud
be what?" Sherry sad sweety.
"Hey, woud you get a hunched
over and put on a French accent
ke Kevn Kne n French Kss, and
mutter stuff ke, Those grs make
my ass hurt, whe you suck on a
dsgustng cgarette and drnk
tte gasses of red wne?" asked
Kathy.
"Kat, youve got to gve up that
Netfx subscrpton. Youre
spendng way too much tme
watchng and rewatchng
moves," Sherry sad.
"I ke moves." Kathy pouted.
"Are you feeng the need to run
screamng from ths pace?"
Grffn asked Venus.
She aughed. "I ke gettng to
know your ssters." It was cear
from the way hs ssters doted on
Grffn that they adored hm as
much as he obvousy adored
them. What a mutayered man
he was: freman and warror,
artst and ovng brother. The
ssters contnued to argue about
the o-changng schedue and
Grffn. Venus spped her
champagne and ganced up over
the p of her gass, catchng hs
gaze. Whe he watched her she
took the strawberry that
garnshed the rm of the gass and
cked the tp of t. She saw
Grffns breath catch. Yes, he
certany was mutdmensona,
whch ncuded the heathy dose
of passon she knew a too we
was smmerng |ust beneath hs
surface. A passon she woud ove
to sampe agan and agan and.
"Yoo-hoo! Love brds! |eesh, get a
room." Aca ggged.
Grffn aughed good-naturedy.
Then he hed out hs hand to
Venus. "We, my goddess, are
you hungry? I coud take you
home and feed you."
Venus smed at hs use of her
nckname and reazed, now that
she ddnt fee so nervous about
ther date, she was actuay
hungry, and shed defntey ke
hm to take her home. "Yes, I am."
She took hs hand, kng the way
he wrapped t through hs arm, as
f he were a genteman warror,
escortng hs ady ove who
beonged to hm and ony hm.
And she thought agan how much
she en|oyed beng treated ke a
woman and not ke a dety. Then
she remembered exacty why
they were there and added, "But
you cant eave your own art
show."
"Why not? My pubcst s here.
Shes better than I am at ths knd
of stuff anyway," he sad, grnnng
at hs sster. "See you grs ater,"
he caed over hs shouder as he
pued Venus wth hm toward the
warehouse door.
"Good-bye grs," Venus caed
over her shouder.
The ssters waved at her whe
they bew ksses at ther bg
brother.
Outsde the sdewak was busy
wth peope gong to and from the
art show and the other tte shops
that had purposefuy stayed open
ate to captaze on the gaery
openng. It was a beautfu, cear
nght, but the wnd had whpped
up, makng t a tte coo, and
Venus snugged coser to Grffn.
"Here, take ths." He spped off
hs |acket and put t around her
shouders. "And et me wak on
the street sde of the sdewak.
You never know when some dot
w drnk and drve and |ump the
damn curb." Then he threaded
her arm back through hs, and
tucked her on hs eft sde,
keepng her cose to hm. She was
enveoped by hs warmth and she
fet protected and cared for-two
feengs that were foregn to the
Goddess of Love. She usuay
made certan such thngs were
brought to others ves. Had
anyone, god or morta, ever
worred about anythng as smpe
as whether she was too hot or
cod or whether she was
protected? She knew the answer
too we. Shed been worshpped
for eons. Peope made
pgrmages to ask boons of her
and to be granted the bessng of
ove n ther ves. But peope
ddnt care for and protect her.
She was a great goddess-they
woudnt beeve she needed or
desred ther care.
We, they were wrong.
"Thanks for beng patent wth my
ssters. I know the four of them
together can be a tte
overwhemng." Hs words broke
nto her nterna revere.
She smed at hm. "Theyre gong
to be mad at you for eavng
eary."
"Nah, I |ust be changng a ot of
o. And heres the secret." He
bent down and whspered nto her
ear. "I dont reay mnd dong t.
The grs are aways gratefu, and
I ke knowng that theyre taken
care of. I st change my moms
o every three thousand mes."
Venus wasnt exacty sure why o
needed to be changed so much,
or from what nto what t needed
to be changed, but she ked the
fact that Grffn dd t for the
women n hs fe amost as much
as she oved the way hs breath
tcked her ear and sent sensuous
shvers down her neck.
"Too bad you ddnt get to meet
my mom tonght. Shes on a
cruse wth two of her grfrends.
She be pssed when she gets
back and fnds out she mssed the
art openng."
"What about your father?"
Grffns open, warm expresson
fatered. "He eft us when I was a
teenager. Found a younger wfe
and made a new famy."
"Im sorry," Venus sad. So hed
been father as we as brother to
hs ssters and the man hs
mother depended upon. Ltte
wonder he understood women so
we.
Grffn shrugged. "Dont be sorry.
It happened a ong tme ago."
"It was hs oss," Venus sad.
"Thats what I used to te the
grs when theyd get down about
t."
Theyd stopped at the
passengers sde of Grffns huge
truck. On mpuse, Venus sad,
"Youre a good brother, Grffn
DeAngeo. May you be rchy
bessed for your kndness to your
famy." Then she kssed hm
softy on the cheek, purposefuy
sendng |ust a hnt of her magc
through hm wth her bessng-
not enough for hm to notce, but
enough to brng hm unusuay
good uck for the next severa
days.
When she pued back she
thought he woud sme, open the
door for her, and hep her nto the
trucks maw. Instead he surprsed
her by takng her n hs arms and
owerng hs mouth onto hers.
Over hs shouder she saw the
funess of the wnter moon and t
seemed to be shnng a beam of
sver ght down on them. An
omen, she thought as her eyes
cosed and she opened her mouth
to Grffns possesson. A overs
moon shnng for us aone s an
exceent omen. Its sayng I
shoud aow mysef a over who
snt a suppant or an mmorta.
Its sayng I shoud aow mysef to
ove. And then she wasnt abe to
thnk about anythng except
Grffns mouth and the perfect
way they ft together as she sd
her arms up around hs neck and
moded hersef to hm.
"Come home wth me," Grffn
murmured roughy aganst her
ps.
"Yes," she whspered.

Grffns two-story stucco house
was |ust down the street from
Peas snug tte home. He
unocked the door and ushered
her nto a dmy t, spacous
room. Instanty a huge ong-
hared caco cat began wndng
around hs egs, purrng a
wecome. Grffn scratched the
top of her head.
"Venus, meet Ca Aey Cat. Shes
not reay an aey cat, or at east
shes not snce she adopted me,
but the name stuck to her. I get
her saucer of mk. If I dont she
never eave me aone. Make
yoursef at home." He hurred
toward a room at the rear of the
house, and then caed over hs
shouder. "Oh, the rea ghts are
there by the door. Sorry, I shoud
have fpped them on for you."
He dsappeared nto what Venus
assumed must be the ktchen,
and she reached behnd her and
fpped up the ght swtch. She
turned back to study Grffns
home, and fet hersef freeze wth
shock as she stared wth dsbeef
at the huge ron scupture that
predomnated the room. Though
he had borrowed the sub|ect from
another artst, she knew the work
was Grffns. It had the same
gracefu, sensuous nes as dd a
of hs scuptures. It was exquste,
and t made her fee breathess
and humbed and more surprsed
than she had been n centures.
"Ths pece s my favorte. I ddnt
exhbt t tonght because t
never be for sae," he sad softy,
handng Venus a gass of whte
wne.
"Its Bottces The Brth of
Venus." She was amazed her
voce sounded so norma. "Ony
ts not."
"Hs pantng nspred t, but
Bottces Venus never fet rght
to me. So I fxed her." Hs augh
was a tte nervous. "Or at east I
tred."
"You fxed her," Venus sad, st
starng at the scupture. The
seashe had been hammered
from what appeared to be a
snge huge sheet of copper, and
Grffn had aged and tarnshed t,
so that t had a green mossy tnt
that remnded her of the sea. The
Venus that was rsng from the
ocean was created by more of the
copper, ony ths meta had been
poshed unt t gttered ke
faceted gems. Hs nes were
sweepng and erotc. Hed
fashoned her har from tny
peces of meta that ay over one
another, gvng the effect of a
mermads ta as t wrapped
around the generous curves of
her body. She was no onger
nymphke. Instead she had the
aurng sensuaty of a more adut
woman who was rpe and
experenced and ntrgung.
Venus moved coser to the
scupture. "Its hard to beeve
you dd ths a of meta. It ooks
too warm-too reastc."
"Knd of a swtch on what women
are, dont you thnk? They ook
soft, but are reay stronger than
men usuay gve them credt for
beng."
She ganced over her shouder at
hm and caught hs cocky sme.
But she found t sexy and
endearng rather than overy
arrogant. The man certany dd
know women. Smng, she asked,
"Why Venus?"
He grnned back at her. "Dont
you remember? When we met I
sad shes my favorte goddess."
Venus nodded fanty. She hadnt
remembered. She hadnt reay
even thought about t.
"Yeah, Im ntrgued by her," he
sad, starng at the scupture.
"The Goddess of Love, born from
the sea-not even needng a man
to come nto beng." He shook hs
head. "I suppose ts aways
seemed a tte sad."
"Sad? What do you mean?" Venus
fet her mnd futterng about ke
t was suddeny fed wth
confused butterfes.
"We, thnk about t. The Goddess
of Love doesnt need a man. It
makes me thnk that the goddess
carres ove around wth her,
creates t for other peope, but
doesnt keep any of t for hersef.
It makes her seem untouched and
untouchabe." He rased hs gass
to her and hs payfu grn was
back. "But your hobby s
mythoogy. What do you thnk of
your namesake?"
She wated a ong tme before
answerng. Then she sad the
most honest thng she coud. "I
thnk she woud ove your
scupture of her."
He waked over to her and
fngered the escapng wsps of
her sver-bond har. "So, my
goddess, have you decded what I
am yet?"
"What you are?" Hs nearness
was makng her breath come
faster.
"Before we got to the gaery you
sad a man who s an artst and a
warror had to be ether
exceptona.unusua." He
paused, twnng a strand of har
genty around hs fnger. "What
ese was t you sad?"
Venus rased one brow at hm. "I
sad a man who s an artst must
be ether exceptona, unusua,
abnorma, aberrant, or maybe
smpy pecuar."
"And, my goddess, what s your
decson about me?" Hs bue
eyes were boyshy mschevous.
"Im eanng toward exceptona
or pecuar."
Grffn moved even coser to her.
"Let me see f I can shft the vote
n favor of exceptona."
He ddnt gve her tme to
respond. He smpy cupped her
face n hs hand and bent to
possess her mouth. She et hm
take her n a kss that bazed
through her skn. Venus reveed n
the fact that ths man took her,
wthout hestaton, wthout
makng hs touch a game of
worshp that ended n hs beggng
a boon of her. Shed heard t so
many tmes for century after
century: Accept ths offerng of
my body to you, Great Goddess of
Love, and pease grant my
request to have the maden I
desre ove me. Even the
mmortas werent above askng
for her to hep them. Vucan had
even marred her, roncay,
because hs desre had been to
hde from ove. She was we and
truy sck of t. Tonght she
woudnt be Venus the Goddess.
Tonght she woud be a morta
woman who was beng oved by a
morta man, whch meant she
woud renqush her famous
contro to Grffn.
Wthout a word, Grffn put her
gass of wne next to hs on a ow
meta coffee tabe. Then he took
her hand and ed her to the wde
stars to the second foor and the
oftke bedroom that opened to
beow. Hs bed was arge, wth an
ron frame and covered wth a
thck dark comforter and kng-
szed pows. He ddnt turn on
any more ghts, but et the
umnaton from the room beow
sp softy over them, creatng an
effect much ke candeght.
Grffn sat on hs bed and pued
her cose to hm so that she stood
between hs egs. Then he
tunneed hs hands nto her har,
causng the precarous updo to
come undone and fa down her
back and around her shouders.
"I wanted to do that from the
moment I saw you tonght," he
sad.
She shook her head so that a of
her har came free. Hs hands
moved from her har, down her
neck, and then sowy, sowy,
they contnued down, outnng
her body as f he wanted to
memorze her shape and form.
She shvered, thnkng how hs
hands had the abty to create
such beautfu, sensuous works of
art-how they had somehow been
abe to create a perfect rendton
of her wthout hs even knowng
t.
"Are you cod?" he whspered. Hs
hands moved from the back of
her thghs up and around, unt
hs thumbs caressed the core of
her womanhood. Venuss breath
caught on a moan of peasure. "I
can warm you up," he sad, hs
voce gong a rough, ke
speakng had suddeny gotten
dffcut. She rocked forward
aganst hs frm touch, thoroughy
aroused by the sensaton of hs
hand strokng her through the
ayers of soft panty and rough
sacks.
"I remember everythng about
how you fet that nght. I havent
been abe to get you out of my
mnd. Youre ke a drug that wont
cear my bood." Hs voce was
deep and hs breathng had
ncreased. "I remember how hot
and wet you were, how I sd nto
you and how I coud fee you
come."
She met hs passon-gazed eyes
and the heat and desre she saw
there had ust thrummng through
her aready senstzed body. "Dd
you thnk about me when you
masturbated afterwards?"
"Over and over agan." He
moaned. "I thought Id ost you."
"I thought youd used me and
then cast me asde," she
admtted.
"Never!" Hs eyes were brght
wth passon. "I woud never do
that to you. Come here, Venus."
He reached up and pued her
mouth down to hs. She opened
her ps and accepted the heated
thrust of hs tongue, so that
Grffn devoured her. St kssng
her, he turned and swept her off
her feet so that she was yng
across hs bed. Hs hands moved
down to unzp her sacks and she
fted her hps so that he coud
skm them from her body, pung
her stetto pumps off at the same
tme and tossng them to the foor
wth the sacks. Hs fngers
spayed ow across her stomach,
then they sd seductvey down
over the sky wsp of back panty
she was st wearng to crce her
ct wth hs thumb, and down st
farther to genty stroke the fods
of her vagna n the same caress
hed been teasng her wth before
hed taken off her sacks.
"Youre so wet your pantes are
soaked," he sad.
And then she groaned n
frustraton as hs hand eft her ct
so he coud pu off hs own
cothes n severa mpatent
movements.
He was truy a beautfuy but
man. Darker and more mascune
than Adons, taer and stronger
than Aches. She wanted hm to
cam her as hs own wth a desre
so ferce and so overpowerng
that t made her dzzy. When he
ay back down besde her she
found the hard ength of hs
phaus, and she et her hand
stroke hm whe she met hs
teasng tongue. He chucked deep
n hs throat and grabbed her
wrst.
"No, I dont want t to be over too
soon. Tonght we take our tme
wth each other."
"I dont know f I can wat," she
sad, wth a rush of breath.
He smed. "I can. I can wat. And
so can you. Ths tme I be the
teacher." Then he began
unbuttonng her sweater,
foowng the tra hs fngers were
makng wth hs ps and tongue.
When her back sk bra was
fnay uncovered he fcked hs
tongue aong the top of t unt he
found the hard nub of her aroused
nppe. He cked and sucked t
through the thn ayer of sk,
causng her breath to pant hard
and fast. Hs taented artsts
hand caressed a path down her
body, sdng off her pantes. Then
he cupped her ass and brought
her frmy aganst hs erecton.
But nstead of pungng nto her
wetness, he postoned the head
of hs cock so that t coud sde
back and forth, from her ct down
and then back up. He rocked her
body aganst hs and she gasped,
grndng hersef coser to hm.
"Youre makng my cock a wet,"
he whspered aganst the nppe
he was st teasng wth hs
tongue and teeth.
"Enter me!" She moaned.
"Pease."
"Not yet, my goddess, I want you
to come frst."
"Yes," she cred. "Oh, Grffn,
yes!" She rubbed her soft
sckness aganst hs engorged
head faster and faster unt she
fet the decous exposon bud
between her egs and cascade out
through her body.
But nstead of stoppng at her
orgasm, Grffn pued off her bra
and cupped her breasts n hs
hand, kneadng and caressng
whe he repostoned hmsef
aganst her wet heat. Ths tme
the head of hs cock was pressed
ower, so that t sd back and
forth the ength of her vevet st,
teasng her openng but never
enterng t.
"I remember what you taught us
n cass today." Hs voce was
rough wth ust. "How, f a man
truy cares about a womans
peasure, she can have one
orgasm after another. He |ust has
to keep her aroused and then he
can brng her to cmax over and
over." He thrust aganst her, hs
hard phaus gdng aganst her
soft wetness. "Is ths the rght
pace?"
"Yes." She moaned. He sd
hmsef over her, back and forth.
One of hs hands frmy cupped
her ass and kept her grndng
rhythmcay aganst hm, and the
other teased her breast, hodng t
up to hs hot mouth. When she
came agan she coudnt hep
cryng hs name.
"Now," he sad, pressng her
aganst the bed and hodng
hmsef up so that he coud ook
nto her eyes. "Now I have to be
nsde you." And he punged nto
her, mpang her aready
engorged vagna wth a ferocty
that made her moan her peasure
aoud. The feeng of funess was
amost too much for her to bear.
The sound of hs heavy breathng
mxed n perfect harmony wth
her own pants, and she coud
sme the musty scent of ther
mnged sex. He captured her
mouth, and Venus mmersed
hersef n the saty, sexy taste of
hm. Everythng combned to
heghten her desre for hm. She
reached between them and
cupped hm wth one hand,
squeezng genty and teasngy.
Wth the other she stroked hs
hardness as he thrust n and out
of her, ovng that the cream that
covered hs phaus was her own
wetness.
"Youre mne," he sad wth a
grow, movng hs mouth from
hers to tra down the sope of her
neck, where hs teeth teased and
npped, as f he actuay was a
vre mae anma markng her as
hs own. Intensey aroused by hs
possesson of her, Venus fted her
hps, meetng hm wth equa
passon. She was st strokng hm
when hs shaft began to spasm,
and he pounded aganst her so
deepy that he found the peasure
center wthn her, fnay reeasng
a gush of overwhemng sensaton
as her cres of ecstasy mrrored
Grffns.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
A coupe days earer Pea woud
have found t uttery bzarre that
she wasnt feeng one hnt of
nerves whe she puttered around
the ktchen gettng ready for a
date that had the potenta to be
amazng.
"Ive ganed confdence," she tod
Choe, whose attenton was
focused soey on Pea, as f the
Scotte coud w her to drop
somethng.
Choe sghed, dsgrunted at Peas
neatness.
"We, ts true. And ts not |ust
about the har and the cothes
and the makeup." She chattered
at the dog, gnorng Choes
grumpness as she tossed the
saad. "Its about the goddess Ive
found n here." She ponted at
hersef wth a ong eaf of romane
ettuce.
Choe woofed softy at her and
Pea aughed, tossng her a dog
bscut.
"Try to behave yoursef tonght.
Theres somethng speca about
ths one. I can see t n hs eyes..
"
Pea carred the saad out to the
deck, puttng t on the tte pcnc
tabe that was aready set wth a
cheery red-and-whte-checked
tabecoth and matchng napkns.
Her good chna ook strangey
perfect mxed wth the casua chc
of the tte Itaan pcnc shed set
up. The Chant was open and
breathng-the garc bread was
keepng warm n the oven, and
the spaghett sauce was ready.
Pea t the candes on the tabe
and added more pnon wood to
the arge chmenea. Then she
competed the fnshng touch by
puggng n the mnantern ghts
that shed strung aong the nsde
of the attce woodwork of the
sdes of the deck. Pea smed.
Everythng was perfect. Even the
weather had cooperated and
stayed as unseasonaby warm as
the Channe 6 news guy had
predcted.
"How magca," she whspered.
"To eat outsde n February."
Pea decded t had to be a good
omen.
She was strrng the sauce when
he knocked on the front door. Her
stomach dd get a tte fp-foppy
then, but t was more antcpaton
and exctement than nerves. Pea
scrunched her curs one ast tme,
qucky reapped her p goss and
opened the door. He was wearng
a back cabe knt sweater and a
dark shrt under t, wth a par of
|eans that ft hm we enough to
make Peas mouth water for more
than spaghett.
"Heo," he sad.
"Heo," she sad.
Then they |ust stood there,
starng at each other and smng
unt Choes nsstent barkng
regstered on both of them.
"What do you ca her?" he asked.
"Choe. Im sorry her manners
arent better. She doesnt reay
ke men, but hopefuy she get
used to you and then be quet."
He crouched down and reached
hs hand sowy forward, pam
down, offerng Choe a snff.
"It s good that she s protectve
of you," he sad to Pea, and then
turned hs attenton back to the
dsgrunted Scotte. "You are a
ferce advocate for your ady,
arent you?"
Pea watched hm curousy. Hs
tone was competey serous. He
ddnt sound coaxng or ca|ong,
as so many peope dd when
confronted by a growng dog.
Instead he sounded apprecatve,
somethng Choe seemed to
nstnctvey react to. Shed qut
growng and was cockng her
head attentvey at the ta man.
"I woud never aow harm to
come to her. I gve you my oath
on that, tte protectress."
Choe snffed hs hand and
wagged her ta. Then she
sneezed and went n search of
her cat.
"We, thats truy werd. Choe
doesnt usuay ke men." Pea
smed at hm. "So you wnnng
her over must mean ts safe to
et you n."
Vctor stepped nto her home and
fted her hand, pressng hs ps
to t n greetng whe hs eyes
met hers.
"The hours passed sowy." He et
oose of her hand reuctanty.
"I thought they woud for me, too,
but I had to hep my, uh.
frend"-she foundered over what
to ca the goddess-"get ready
for her date tonght, so tme
passed reay fast. I had a ot to
do."
He smed and snffed the ar.
"Somethng smes decous. Are
we not gong out for dnner ths
evenng?"
"I thought t woud be nce to eat
n." She amost added, If you
dont mnd, and then thought
better of t. The od Pea woud
have worred and fussed and
stressed about whether she was
beng too forward takng charge
of ther date. The new and
goddess-mproved Pea beeved
she had a rght to choose the
venue of ther date-that her
desres were mportant. She
wanted to eat n, so they were
gong to eat n. If he ddnt ke t,
and her fabuous food and her
amazng home, then he wasnt
the man for her. Perod.
"Im honored that you woud cook
for me."
Pea beamed at hm. Vctor had
gven her the exact rght answer.
"I ke to cook."
"You aso ke to make a
comfortabe home," he sad,
gancng around her vng room.
"Yes, ts mportant to me." Pea
was peased that hed notced.
Shed brought men home before.
Not a ot of men, but a few. A
coupe of them had had
"eoquent" comments ke, "nce
house" or "great pace-the vaue
w defntey go up n ths area"
but none of them had understood
that her gft was n makng a
"nce house" a home.
And Choe had hated every ast
one of them.
"Of course t s mportant to you."
He nodded ke he actuay dd
understand. "Your home s your
creaton, so t shoud refect you."
"Then et me show you my
favorte room-the ktchen."
She motoned for hm to foow
her nto the ktchen. She went
straght to the stove and
automatcay strred the sauce.
Pea smed over her shouder at
hm. "I hope you ke spaghett."
"I w ke anythng you prepare."
Her grn wdened. "Want to try t
to make sure?"
"If you woud ke me to, I w.
Tonght, Pea, your every desre s
my command."
Pea fet the thr of the message
behnd hs words begn to quver
deep wthn her core. She wanted
ths ta, powerfu man whose mp
made hm somehow accessbe
and human. She wanted hm and
the promse of ther future that
she read n hs eyes.
Pea fted the spoon to hm and
bew on t genty, as f she were
brushng hs skn wth her breath.
"Then taste, but be carefu ts
hot."
Hs sme crnked the corners of
hs eyes. "Im very comfortabe
wth hot."
He tasted the sauce and t
seemed he was tastng her.
Agan.
"Decous," he sad.
"Are you hungry?"
"For many thngs."
Pea oved the rush of heat he
caused wthn her body. Part of
her wanted to drop the tastng
spoon and have hm take her
rght there on the ktchen tabe;
the other part of her (the more
sane part) wanted to proong ths
sweet game of forepay theyd
|ust begun.
The sane part of her won, but
ony |ust barey.
"Good. Dnners amost ready."
She turned up the water that was
watng for the ange har pasta.
"Let me show you where we be
eatng."
She took hm out the back door to
the pato. "Perfect" was a he
sad, but t was enough. It was
exacty what Pea thought of t,
too.
"Why dont you pour us some
wne, and I fnsh up the pasta."
At the door she turned back,
about to ask hm to feed the
chmenea some more wood, but
hed apparenty antcpated her
request. Hed aready gone to the
outsde frepace and was stokng
t, athough wth the sudden
ntensty wth whch t was
burnng she wasnt sure the thng
needed any more
encouragement.
We, she thought as she added
the pasta to the bong water,
hes a freman. He shoud know
what hes dong wth fre.
It ddnt take ong to fnsh the
ast touches for dnner, but she
was eager to get back to hm and
gad shed chosen ange har
pasta, whch cooked n a snap.
Pea oved the way hs eyes t up
when she returned, and then was
rdcuousy happy at the hearty
way he dug nto the mea, whch
compmented her even more
than hs words of prase.
When she ooked back on the
mea she was surprsed to reca
how easy they spoke of nothng
-the warm weather, how the
anterns made the deck ook
faryke, the recpe for the
spaghett shed dscovered n an
od out-of-prnt Itaan cookbook.
Norma thngs. Mundane thngs. It
was amost as f they had aways
been together.
"Im gad you chose outsde for us
to eat," he sad, after hed
swaowed hs ast bte and
poured them each another gass
of Chant.
"I was worred about t turnng
cod, but the nght s beautfu
and the chmenea heps." She
nodded at t, surprsed to see t
st burnng merry.
Vctor smed. "A good fre aways
warms thngs."
"I woud thnk a freman woudnt
be so fond of fre."
"When you are ntmate wth fre
ts hard not to apprecate t, and
earn from t, as we as respect ts
destructve abty."
"Apprecate and earn from t."
She paused, sppng her wne.
"Okay. What has t taught you?"
"Fre teaches about purfcaton
and renewa. For nstance, a
wdfre that rages across a forest
s, at frst, what appears ke a
dsaster. In truth the forest grows
back heather because t has
been ceansed of chokng weeds
and dead wood."
"That makes sense. What ese
does t teach you?"
"I see stores n the fre."
"Stores? What do you mean?"
He studed her soemny before
he answered, and Pea got the odd
but dstnct mpresson that he
was weghng her.consderng
how much he coud or coud not
say to her.
"Thnk of fre as you woud an
orace. Its ever-changng and t
reay does have a fe of ts own.
It breathes. It eats. It can de. Yet
ts eternay od. So why cant t
coect stores?"
Pea thought about t. It made a
strange knd of sense. "I suppose
t coud. I guess t |ust needs
someone who knows how to hear
the stores to transate them."
Vctors sme was brant.
"Exacty."
"Te me some of them."
Vctor consdered, gancng up at
the sky as t seemed to Pea that
he sfted through hs thoughts
and memores. "Come wth me
and I w show you." He stood
and hed out hs hand to her. Pea
took t wthout hestatng, and he
ed her to the far edge of the deck
that had been but wth a wde,
wast-hgh edge. Durng the
sprng and summer, Pea kept
arge pots of geranums on the
edge so that her deck seemed to
be n boom.
Vctor dropped her hand, and she
had |ust begun to fee the oss of
that physca contact wth hm
when he rested both hands on her
wast.
"May I?" he murmured.
She ooked up nto hs dark eyes,
and ddnt care what he was
askng. Anythng, she thought.
Tonght I want to gve hm
anythng and everythng.
"Yes," she sad.
Surprsng her, he fted her so
that she was sttng on the edge,
then he turned her, so that
nstead of facng hm, Pea was
eanng back aganst hm, and hs
strong arms were braced on
ether sde of her. When he spoke,
hs ps were besde her ear, hs
cheek restng softy aganst her
har.
"Fre tes stores of ancent tmes
-ancent peopes-ancent
beefs." He ponted up nto the
nght sky. "For nstance dd you
know that the fu moon for ths
month has been known for ages
as the quckenng moon?"
Pea ooked up, foowng hs
drecton. "The quckenng moon?
Sounds beautfu."
He brought hs hand down and et
t rest on her thgh, where he
began to caress her softy, as f
hs touch was part of the story he
was weavng for her. "Generatons
ago t prodded peope to ook
nsde themseves for dormant
possbtes as the creatures who
sept deep n the womb of the
earth fet the pu of beng on the
cusp of sprngs awakenng."
"What ese does t te you?" Pea
asked, as she gazed at the fu
February moon, mesmerzed by
hs deep voce and the heat that
radated from hs touch.
"The fre of ths word cas to
mnd the brance of the
consteatons-those dstant
stars that have ther own cod
fre."
He ooked to the south and
ponted |ust above the vsbe
horzon. She turned her head and
fet a decous shver of sensaton
as he swept back her har and
kssed the curve of her neck.
"Do you see the sma
consteaton there?" Hs ps
moved aganst her skn as he
spoke. "The one that has the
doube star?"
"Yes." She breathed the word so
that t sounded more ke a moan
than an acknowedgment. She
coud fee hs ps turnng up n a
sme as the tp of hs tongue
fcked out to tease her skn.
"That s the consteaton of the
ram. The story goes that the kng
of Thessay had two chdren,
Phrxus and Hee, who were
abused by ther stepmother. The
gods heard the chdrens cres,
and Hermes sent a ram wth a
goden feece to carry them to
safety on ts back. Hee fe off
the ram as t was fyng across the
sea known as the Heespont.
Phrxus was heartbroken, but was
carred to safety on the shores of
the Back Sea at Cochs, where
he ovngy sacrfced the ram to
the gods n thanks, and ts feece
was guarded by a terrbe dragon.
The gods honored the ram by
sendng ts sou to the heavens."
Pea gazed at the beauty of the
stars as Vctor kssed and
caressed her, hs strong hands
sdng up her thghs whe hs
deep voce panted mages of an
ancent past. She eaned back
nto hm, reachng up to ace her
hands together behnd hs neck,
gvng hm compete access to her
breasts.
"More," she whspered. "Te me
more."
"I te you the story of my
favorte consteaton." One hand
brefy eft her body to pont to a
group of stars that was actuay
famar to her.
"Its the Mky Way and the
Southern Cross," she sad.
"Look deeper," he sad, sdng hs
cever hands up under her
sweater and cuppng her breasts.
She coudnt suppress a moan
and she fet hm sme aganst her
skn agan. "In the ancent word
that group of stars s known as
Centaurus. The stars are the sou
of Chron." Hs thumbs grazed
over her senstve, puckered
nppes. "He was one of the most
gfted teachers who ever ved,
and n honor of hm, the mghty
Zeus paced the centaurs sou
amongst the stars."
Pea was entranced by Vctor. It
was as f he had created a
mythca word for her, fed wth
the magc of hs deep voce, and
the passon of hs warm touch.
She fet angud and very, very
sexy as she turned so that she
was facng hm. Hs eyes were
shnng wth desre, and hs hands
st caressed her body ntmatey,
as f he was memorzng each
curve.
"Your stores are beautfu," she
sad breathessy.
"You make me want to share my
word wth you," he sad.
"I ke the way you see the word."
Pea touched hs face, and then
brushed her thumb over hs
bottom p, rememberng how hs
mouth fet aganst her body. Then
she moved her hand down, so
that t ay fat on hs chest,
pressng aganst the pace over
hs heart. She coud fee t
beatng, strong and steady, as
she eaned toward the warmth of
hs body.
"I want you to see my word. I
want you to aways be wth me,"
he sad, then bent to cover her
ps wth hs and desre chased a
thoughts of the stars and eternty
from her mnd.
When they fnay broke the kss,
t was to stare at each other. Pea
touched Vctors cheek agan.
"You sad I coud have anythng I
desre tonght?"
"Yes."
"Then what I desre s you."
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
P eas bedroom remnded Vucan
of her. It was soft and nvtng-
|ust as t had been the nght he
had watched through the thread
of fre as she peasured hersef.
The remembrance made hs
manhood grow even stffer, and
the bood that aready drummed
hot and thck through hs body
had hs ons achng wth need for
her.
They hadnt spoken snce shed
tod hm of her desre. Hed kssed
her agan hungry. Shed broken
the kss, but ony to take hs hand
and ead hm to her bedroom.
Now she was movng around the
room ghtng moon-coored
candes that scented the ar wth
the sweetness of gardena. He
watched her wth a ongng that
had become a famar, tangbe
thng.
Then she stood before hm, soft
har curng around her face and
down her shouders. It caught the
fckers from the sma, perfect
cande fames so she appeared to
be gowned n a ve of her
shmmerng tresses. He onged to
snk hs hands n her har and pu
her to hm. He must have made
an nvountary move toward her,
because her whspered words
caused hm to hat mdstrde.
"I want to undress you."
Vucan fet a terrbe cutchng n
hs stomach at the thought of Pea
seeng hm naked. Ratonay he
knew hs eg was not grotesque. It
smpy twsted n, and was much
more notceabe when he waked
than when he was standng st.
But many fetmes had taught
hm that even ths sght
mperfecton was cause for
rdcue.
"Un-uness you dont want me to
-"
He pressed a fnger aganst her
ps. Hs hestaton because of hs
own nsecurtes had caused the
buddng sef-confdence shed
exhbted that nght to fater, and
he coudnt bear to see
embarrassment and doubt
shadow her eyes.
"I want you to undress me. But
Im afrad my eg w make me
unattractve to you," he sad
honesty.
She touched hs cheek agan, and
caressed hs p wth the softness
of her thumb, as she had before
when she had tod hm of her
desre for hm.
"Dont ever thnk that. I want you.
Not some perfect verson of you."
No one had ever sad such a thng
to hm. Unabe to speak, he
nodded hs consent. Frst, she
tugged at hs sweater and then
smed up at hm. "Youre too ta.
You have to bend down or I cant
get ths off."
Her easy, sweet sme amost
undd hm. He hugged her brefy
and fercey, and then bent so
that she coud pu off hs sweater.
Under t he wore a dark, ong-
seeved shrt of a stye that
seemed to be popuar n ths
word. She began workng the ne
of buttons undone. He wanted to
rp the shrt from hs body and
press her aganst hs naked chest,
but that was unke hm. Then
Vucan drew a deep, surprsed
breath. Everythng hed done
tonght was unke hm! Wth one
strong, sure moton, he rpped
open the confnng shrt and
pued Pea nto hs arms.
She groaned and returned hs
kss, spayng her fngers across
hs back. Her touch made hs skn
fee utrasenstve and he
shvered under her caressng
fngers.
Then her restess hands moved
down, fndng the cosng of the
pants the Internet had taught hm
were caed |eans. He kssed her
deepy as she brushed one hand
over the swe of hs erecton
whe the other payed wth the
button above the zpper. She
ooked up at hm, meetng hs
eyes. Her ps tted up, makng
her appear very nymphsh. He
smed down at her, gad to see
the teasng sef-confdence had
returned to her manner.
"I ke t that youre aready hard."
A bush boomed over her cheeks
at the wantonness of her words,
makng hm sme down at her.
"Its you! |ust thnkng of you
makes me desre you."
"Good," she sad softy.
She unzpped hs |eans, freeng
hs erecton. Her gaze found hs
once more, ony ths tme her
eyes ooked a tte started.
"Gong commando? Im gad I
ddnt know that whe we were
eatng. I dont thnk we woud
have fnshed the mea, and then I
woud have mssed out on the
ovey stores you tod."
Commando was a new word to
hm, but Vucan was spared
havng to answer her because
shed taken hs phaus n her
hand and began strokng the
ength of hm. He straned
beneath her touch, feeng so
hard and engorged that hs skn
shoud spt. She took her hand
from hm ong enough to skm hs
pants down hs body. He stepped
out of them and hs shoes, and
stood competey naked-n body
and sou-before her.
Her eyes traveed the ength of
hs body. He knew she coud
ceary see how hs eft eg turned
n, how the brand of hs fathers
anger marred the ne of hs body.
He had to force hmsef not to
shout a command that woud
nstanty extngush the sma
fames of the candes and punge
them nto conceang darkness.
"Youre beautfu," she sad
breathessy.
Then, before he had tme to
recover from her words, she knet
before hm. Her fngers caressed
ther way up hs thghs-both of
them. Her ght touch caused hs
musces to quver and hs phaus
to throb wth a bttersweet
mxture of need and peasure.
She took her tme, foowng her
fngers wth her mouth, ckng
and kssng a path up to hs core.
She took hs sac n her hand,
squeezng and teasng, and then
both of her hands encrced hm.
strokng.pung the ength of
hm toward that beautfu most
pnkness that was her mouth.
He shuddered and moaned when
her tongue fcked out and cked
the cear drop of qud hs arousa
had caused to seep from the head
of hs cock. Then her tongue was
back, swrng around hs
engorged head. At hs hssng
exhaaton of breath she paused
and ooked up at hm.
"I want to take you n my mouth,
to ove you wth my mouth, my
body, my heart. W you et me?"
"Yes, Pea, by a the gods, yes!"
he rasped.
Wthout any hestaton she
opened her pnk ps and sucked
as much of hm as she coud take
nto the wet heat of her mouth.
He coudnt stop hmsef from
buryng hs hands n her har as
she sucked and wthdrew, sucked
and wthdrew, each tme fckng
her tongue aganst the senstve
undersde of hs shaft.
Havng hs hardess n her mouth
was an erotc seducton that was
both physca and vsua.
Watchng hs hard phaus sde n
and out between her fu pnk ps
as she moved her hand n a
synchronzed caress wth her
mouth was amost more than he
coud bear. He wanted to expode,
but he ddnt want the suckng
and pung and hot ck of her
tongue to end.
Somewhere n the mdde of one
of her strokes he fet hs orgasm
begn as a sharp, sweet agony he
coudnt contan. He meant to
shout a warnng to her-he mght
have pued out of her mouth, but
she woudnt et hm. As hs body
tghtened and the heat of hs
seed began to pump from hm n
hot, sharp reease, she stroked
and sucked harder, unt he was
dry and repete.
When he was fnay abe to focus
agan, he was surprsed to reaze
he was st standng. Hard to
beeve he hadnt coapsed. Hs
hands were st trapped n Peas
curs and he caressngy
untanged them. She ooked up at
hm then, her eyes shnng.

Vctors sensuous storyteng had
excted her as no other forepay
had ever done. Leadng hm nto
her room, shed aready been wet
and hot and ready. After brngng
hm to orgasm wth her mouth,
her desre for hm throbbed
through her body. She smed up
at hm, en|oyng every moment of
hs dazed, draned expresson.
"My turn," she sad, purposefuy
droppng her voce to a sexy
tease. She began to sowy strp
off her cothes, ovng the hot
ntensty wth whch he watched
her every move. She reazed, of
course, that he coudnt get hard
agan so soon, but she coudnt
wat to fee hs naked skn aganst
her.hs strong arms around her.
hs mouth on hers.
Naked, she ay back on the bed.
Inhbtons totay gone, she
opened her egs to hm. And then
watched n amazement as hs
cock began to swe.
"Let me nsde you. I have to have
you. I have to make you mne,"
he sad husky as he got on the
bed and knet between her open
egs.
Dsbeevng, she reached
forward. Her hand cosed around
hs stff shaft, provng that she
wasnt magnng hs second
erecton. She stroked hm, feeng
hersef quefy wth peasure. He
was smpy amazng!
"Youve aready made me yours,"
she sad, meetng hs gaze,
trustng that he saw ther future
n her eyes as she had seen t n
hs.
"Yes." He gasped. "We beong to
each other-for eternty. I ove
you, Dorreth Pea Chamberan. I
want to spend my eternty wth
you."
Pea fet hs words wash aganst
her skn as f they carred a
papabe shver of sensaton wth
them, even though her mnd sad
that t was mpossbe for words
to carry physca sensaton. She
knew t wasnt ratona, but t was
as f by speakng words of ove to
her, he had somehow actuay
bound them together for eternty.
"Yes," she murmured. "I beong to
you-aways."
She guded hm to her and
groaned as he tunneed sowy
wthn her wetness. Then a
genteness and hestaton fed
before the heat and the passon
that fed them, and Vctor began
pumpng, thrustng, poundng nto
her. She met hm thrust for thrust,
ftng her hps from the bed and
angng her pevs so that she fuy
accepted each of hs thrusts. He
rode her n the ancent dance of
ust unt she coud fee her body
gatherng for orgasm. She fted
her egs, moanng. Wth a sound
that was very much ke a grow,
he took her eg and rased t hgh,
anchorng t over hs muscuar
shouder that was sck wth
sweat. The new poston opened
her more fuy to hm, aowng
hm to punge deeper nto her,
brngng her to the edge of her
reease. She wrapped her arms
around hm and expoded,
gaspng hs name. Then he
foowed her over that sweet edge
and groaned hs peasure. She
hed hs shudderng body cose..
.And somethng over hs
shouder caught her eyes. She
bnked, tryng to focus and brng
her breathng under contro, and
ceary saw that the fames of the
tte scented candes shed t
earer were shootng n a
crackng whoosh a the way to
her ceng!
She cred out, but Vctor was n
the mdst of hs own ecstasy, and
he must have mstaken her
shouts for peasure. She was
tensng to push hm off her so she
coud run for the fre extngusher,
but she reazed that though the
candes fames were hgh and
unnaturay brght, they ddnt
burn the room. They bazed wth
Vctors orgasm ke bengn
famethrowers absent of heat and
made ony of coor. Pea contnued
to stare at the fames as Vctor
pumped hs seed nto her. And as
hs orgasm faded, so dd the
fames of the candes, unt
fnay, when he coapsed aganst
her, hs face bured n the crook of
her neck, ther sma, fckerng
fres had returned to norma. If
she had had her eyes cosed, she
woud have mssed t.
But her eyes hadnt been cosed.
She hadnt mssed t.
The truth ht her hard. It a ft. Hs
sudden appearance concdng
wth Venuss vst. Hs powerfu
aura. Hs odd, archac speech
patterns that coud have been
evdence of a good educaton and
maybe a ot of foregn trave, but
was reay somethng ese
entrey. And, most teng, hs
knowedge of ancent mythoogy
and storyteng.
Vctor was nuzzng her neck and
ghty kssng her whe he
whspered somethng sweet she
coud amost hear aganst her
skn.
"Who are you?"
Her voce was fat and matter-of-
fact. But postcota Vctor (or
whatever the he hs rea name
was) ddnt seem to notce. He
kept nuzzng her and murmured,
"The man who oves you, tte
one."
"Busht."
That got through to hm. He
pued back and saw her rgd
body anguage. Frownng wth
obvous worry, he roed sowy off
her. Pea gnored the sexy, wet
feeng of hs body sdng from
hers.
"Pea?"
"Youre not morta." It took her
sayng t aoud, and the shocked
ook n hs eyes-not shocked as
n What the fuck? but shocked as
n How the fuck dd she fnd out?
-for her to know for sure her
nstnct about hm had been rght.
He wasnt ke any other man,
because he wasnt teray a man.
"Who are you?" she repeated,
crossng her arms over her bare
breasts-not that she wanted to
hde from hm. She ddnt. She
was, qute smpy, thoroughy
pssed at hm.
"Why are you askng me that?
Why woud you beeve that Im
not morta?"
"Okay. Pease. Whe you were
comng the fames on the candes
were shootng to the ceng ke
mnature famethrowers. That. Is.
Not. Norma." She spoke each
word separatey, enuncatng
carefuy.
Ceary dstressed, he sat up. "The
candes dd that?"
"Oh, and dd I menton that they
famed way up the sde of my wa
to my ceng, but they ddnt burn
anythng?"
He ganced surrepttousy over
hs shouder at the candes, as f
he ddnt want her to see hm
ookng.
"And thats not norma, ether?"
"You know ts not."
"I ddnt know they were gong to
do that. Ths"-he gestured from
her back to hm-"has never
happened to me before." Then he
attempted a sme. "But Im gad
they ddnt burn anythng."
Pea gnored hs attempt to ghten
the tenson between them. "Do
you thnk I beeve that youve
never had sex before?"
"Of course not. I ddnt mean that.
I meant that Ive never been n
ove before, so I had no way of
knowng that any fre n my
presence woud.ur.respond to
the ntensty of my emotons."
"And |ust exacty why woud fre
respond to you?" Pea asked. Even
through her anger at hm, she
was ntrgued to dscover who he
reay was.
He drew a deep breath. "My name
snt Vctor. Im sorry I msed you
to thnk so. Im |ust not used to a
ths and I-stupdy-hadnt
thought thngs out past seeng
you agan." He wped a hand
across hs face. "I hadnt even
thought about what Id say when
you asked me my name."
"And your name s?" she asked
mpatenty.
"Vucan," he sad.
"V. Cannes."
"Im not a very magnatve ar."
She snorted. "You coud have
fooed me."
"But I ddnt foo you. In truth, I
ddnt want to foo you." He
reached for her, and she |erked
away from hm.
"Pease dont pu away from me,"
he sad.
"Dont you dare te me what to
do! I dont gve a damn f you are
a god. I wont be bued." Pea
reazed she was actuay more
confused than angry, but she
coudnt seem to contro her
pssed-off reacton. She was n
ove wth an ancent god. |ust the
thought caused a werd rngng
sound n her ears, and she was
afrad f she stopped beng mad
that she woud start beng sad-
or worse, scared.
"I woudnt buy you!"
"Ha! So youd |ust e to me? And
bady at that. Why not buy me?
Why not zap me nto.nto.nto a
tree or somethng f I make you
mad!" Isnt that what the gods
dd who seduced morta women?
Why hadnt she pad coser
attenton to mythoogy n schoo?
Ddnt she have a copy of an od
Edth Hamton mythoogy text
somewhere n one of her
booksheves? |eesh, she hoped
so. She had some serous readng
to do.
"A tree? Why woud I want you to
be a tree?" He ooked honesty
shocked.
"How woud I know! For that
matter, how woud I know
anythng about you? Hasnt t a
been a e?"
"No!" he shouted, and the fames
n the candes fckered wdy n
response.
"See there!" She ponted. "You
|ust made the fames act werd
agan."
"Im sorry. I wont et them harm
anythng."
"Why do you have contro over
fames?"
"Because Im Vucan."
She et out a bg puff of frustrated
breath. "Ive been out of schoo
for a ong tme, and I ddnt reay
pay much attenton to mythoogy
even then."
Hs brow furrowed n confuson.
Pea roed her eyes. "I dont know
whch god Vucan s."
"Oh." He ddnt ook offended, as
she thought he mght. He |ust
shrugged and sad, "Im God of
Fre. My ream s deep wthn the
bowes of Mount Oympus. At my
forge I keep the fres of the
ancent earth burnng. I aso work
n meta-thngs you woud
normay assocate wth a forge."
"Then t was a e." Pea fet sck.
"Stop sayng that!" He ganced at
the candes to make sure they
were behavng before he
contnued. "I msed you about
my name, but nothng ese. I do
work wth fre. I have been
watchng you. I do ove you."
Pea shook her head. "I dont
mean that. I mean you ed about
beng an outcast, about not
beongng. Youre a god! One of
the mmortas. I know Venus-I
know how amazng you
Oympans are." She bt her p,
determned not to cry, and pued
the sheet up over her body. It was
bad enough he was seeng her
naked emotons. She wasnt good
at coverng them, but at east she
coud cover her naked body. "It
was mean of you to pretend to be
ke me."
"But I am ke you! I wasnt
pretendng. Look at me!" He
stood up, naked besde her bed.
"Reay ook at me. My eg s
twsted; I am ame. Compare my
mperfectons to Venuss bazng
beauty. I am far from physcay
perfect. That makes me an
eterna outcast amongst the
goden mmortas of Oympus."
The buzzng was back n her ears.
"But that doesnt matter." She
reached out and touched hs
mperfect eg.
He took her hand and knet
besde the bed, buryng hs face
n her pam. "It matters to the
mmortas. I know how t fees not
to beong, and now that Ive
found you, I know how t fees to
be accepted and oved. I cant
ose you, Pea. Not now. I coudnt
bear t."
And then Pea gasped as Venuss
words rushed from her memory,
a of a sudden makng sense.
Hes not physcay perfect, so
hes an outcast n Oympus. He
thought by marryng me he coud
gan acceptance.
"Oh, no.Youre marred to
Venus," she sad fanty.
"Yes, but-"
The rest of hs words were ost
when Pea burst nto tears.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
"L tte one, dont cry! Everythng
w be we. You see."
"Get-me-a-Keenex!" Pea sad
between sobs, pontng to the
bathroom that was attached to
the master bedroom.
Vucan pued on hs |eans and
rushed nto the bathroom.
Pea took a deep, camng breath
and managed to shout, "The tte
paper coth thngs n the pnk
box!" Lke the God of Fre woud
know a Keenex f t |umped up
and bt hm.
Vucan reemerged from the
bathroom wth the box. He
handed t to her, and then he sat
on the edge of her bed, watchng
her as f he expected her to
combust at any moment. Pea
bew her nose and wped her
eyes. She took another deep
breath, whch she was peased to
note, ony had one tte
hccuppng sob n t. Then she
eveed her gaze on Vct-She
grtted her teeth and mentay
corrected hersef. She eveed her
gaze on Vucan, ancent God of
Fre. Ouety, n what she
consdered a cam and reasonabe
tone of voce, she spoke.
"Okay. I dont know how you do
thngs on Oympus or under
Oympus or wherever. But here, n
what Venus and Im sure you, ca
the modern morta word,
grfrends do not fa n ove wth
each others husbands. Not
uness theyre very, very stank
and qute ho-sh." She sghed at
hs confused expresson. "|ust
take my word that Im not stank
or ho-sh, nor woud I ever want to
be. Whch means I cannot fa n
ove wth my grfrends
husband."
Vucans sme was sow and sexy.
"You ove me. You |ust sad you
ove me."
"Heo! Dd you hear the rest of
t?"
Hs grn stayed n pace. "Venus
and I dont ve together as
husband and wfe. Our marrage
was a mutuay agreed upon
arrangement-one that hasnt
worked out partcuary as
panned for ether of us. She
ddnt ead you to beeve she
oves me, dd she?"
Pea chewed her p. "No. She sad
she was marred, but that t
wasnt ke a rea marrage."
Vucan nodded, and ddnt ook n
the east bt upset by hs wfes
descrpton of ther nonmarrage.
"And snt she wth another man
at ths moment?"
"Maybe." Werdy, she fet ke she
mght be teng on Venus f she
sad more.
Vucan fted one brow up.
"Maybe?"
"Okay, yes. Shes out on a date."
"Whch s perfecty fne wth me."
"Ths fees wrong."
Vucan took her hand agan.
"Woud t fee better f Venus and I
agreed to revoke our marrage?"
"I dont know.." Pea shook her
head, feeng cose to tears agan.
"Ths s happenng so fast."
"But Pea, tte one, weve aready
taked about that. The speed at
whch our ove s happenng s not
mportant. Its the ove tsef-the
connecton we fee n our sous-
that s mportant." He eaned
forward and cupped her face n
hs hands. "Look nto my eyes.
See the truth there. I have exsted
aone for what you woud consder
an eternty. Unt I gmpsed you
through my thread of fre |ust
days ago, I was convnced the
ony way I coud have peace was
to become as the ram and
Chron."
Peas eyes wdened. "You were
gong to de and become a
consteaton?"
"Yes."
"But you cant! Youre mmorta."
"So was Chron, but as wth the
centaur, I can de f Zeus ws t."
"No!"
Vucan smed and caressed her
cheeks wth hs thumbs. "Ony
now I cant de and retre to the
consteatons because Ive found
my home, and t s here wth you.
If you w have me."
"But your ream-the forge."
"A probems that can be
conquered f you ove me."
Pea met hs eyes. She knew he
was an ancent god, yet somehow
that knowedge changed nothng.
She hadnt oved hs supposed
morta she. What shed
responded to from the frst
moment shed ooked nto hs
eyes went beyond the physca
and had ess to do wth mortaty
than eternty.
"I do ove you," she whspered.
"Then we fgure out everythng
ese. Together."
"Together," she repeated before
hs ps met hers and she ost
hersef n the taste and touch,
magc and heat of hm.

Grffn woke up ke he aways dd
-wthout an aarm cock.
Somethng wasnt rght. He
ganced at the dgta da of hs
bedsde cock. Fve-thrty n the
mornng. He had to be at the fre
staton by seven. Penty of tme.
Smng, he turned over,
automatcay reachng for Venus.
Her sde of the bed was empty.
Thats what was wrong. She was
gone. He pued on hs boxer
shorts. She wasnt n the
bathroom. He went to the edge of
the ofts bacony and ooked
down. Reef washed through hm
when he saw her sttng on the
couch starng at hs scupture.
Ca Aey Cat was cured up
besde her and Venus was
absenty strokng her. But hs
reef was short ved. Venus was
cryng. Senty tears were fang
down her cheeks. The wndows of
hs vng room were |ust startng
to be ghtened wth predawn, and
Venus was framed n the muted,
doveke coors of eary mornng.
The artst n hm responded
before the man. Her beauty was
extraordnary, especay wth the
touch of sadness softenng her
features. She shoud be panted
and scupted. Poetry and songs
shoud be wrtten about her.
Then the man took over from the
artst. She was cryng. Had t been
hm? Had he somehow made her
sad? Was she regrettng ther
ovemakng? The thought made
hm fee sck. Venus was the most
ncredbe woman hed ever been
wth and he ddnt want her to
regret one moment wth hm. He
wanted her to spend the future
wth hm.
The thought shocked hm. Hed
never serousy consdered a
future wth any of hs overs or
grfrends or whatever they caed
themseves. Venus was dfferent.
She made hm fee dfferent. And
t wasnt |ust because she was
ncredby beautfu and wtty and
ntegent and knd. She had that
eusve somethng. Actuay they
had that eusve somethng-
together. That extra spark that
changed frendshp to ove and
overs to sou mates.
Sou mates? Was that what they
were? The dea shook hm, but he
ddnt back away from t.
Everythng wthn hm was teng
hm nsstenty, Ths s the one!
Shes mne! The one Ive been
watng for!
He grabbed hs bathrobe and
hurred down the stars. She
ddnt notce hm unt he touched
her shouder, then she |umped
and wped at her eyes hasty. Ca
meowed shorty at hm, and
|umped haughty off the couch.
Ltte trator, he thought.
"I ddnt mean to starte you." She
was wearng the sweater hed had
on ast nght. It was way too bg
for her, makng her ook young
and very, very sexy.
"Do you have coffee?" she asked.
He frowned. Dd he have coffee?
He ddnt want to tak about
coffee. He wanted to take her n
hs arms and te her he oved her
and that he woud fx whatever t
was that was makng her cry, but
her tears threw hm off, amost as
much as hs thoughts of sou
mates and futures.
"Yeah, I have coffee," was what
he sad nstead.
"Woud you make me some?"
"Yes." Thoroughy confused, he
went to the ktchen and started a
pot of coffee. "Do you want a
muffn or somethng to eat?" he
caed.
"No," she sad. "No, thank you."
He ground hs teeth together. She
was beng awfuy damn pote. He
wated mpatenty for enough
coffee to brew to f two cups,
and then hurredy returned to
Venus. She was st sttng on the
couch, st starng at hs
scupture, but shed stopped
cryng.
"Is back okay? I have mk and
sugar f you want t."
"Thank you, ts fne ke ths."
She took the cup from hm and
spped.
Grffn sat next to her and, on
mpuse, eaned over and kssed
her softy. "Good mornng." He
was peased that she eaned nto
hm and accepted hs kss.
"Good mornng," she sad.
They drank ther coffee n sence
unt Grffn coudnt stand t any
onger. Then he put hs cup down
and turned to her.
"What s t? Whats wrong?"
She sghed. "Its hard for me to
put nto words."
"Is t me? Dd I do somethng to
upset you?"
"No. Youve been perfect."
We, he. She sad t ke t was a
bad thng. He drew a deep breath
and asked the queston he
dreaded. "Are you sorry about ast
nght?"
"No, of course not!" She fnay
ooked at hm. "Last nght was
wonderfu."
He brushed hs knuckes across
her damp cheek. "Then why are
you sttng here cryng?"
She ooked back at hs scupture.
"You were rght," she sad sowy.
"About?"
"About Venus."
"And that makes you sad?"
She nodded. "It makes me sad
because recenty Ive reazed
that I have too much n common
wth her."
"What do you mean?" For some
reason her words, or maybe t
was the resgned sound of them,
made hs stomach tense.
"You sad that t seemed Venus
ddnt need a man, whch made
her untouched and untouchabe,
whch s especay tragc because
Venus s Love."
It was hs turn to nod.
"Ive been ke that." She sounded
ntrospectve, amost as f shed
forgotten he was there and was
smpy takng aoud to hersef.
"Ive heped countess others fnd
ove. Ive been asked over and
over agan to make ther passons
and obsessons and desres come
true, but when t came to me
havng those thngs n my own
fe." She moved her shouders
restessy. "Love has brushed by
me, passed over me, gone around
me, and sometmes even vsted
me brefy, but n the end Love
moved on wthout me."
Grffn took her hand, and she
turned to face hm. Never n hs
fe had he wanted anythng as
bady as he wanted to make the
sadness eave her eyes, and as
he tred to fgure out what to say
to her to make her meanchoy
better, he reazed that hs we-
guarded freedom from
reatonshps and hs avodance of
ove n genera had been nothng
more than empty steps taken n a
fe ony partay ved. He
wondered, brefy, f the artst n
hm hadnt recognzed hs
oneness ong before now-
wondered f maybe that was why
the sub|ect of most of hs art was
women.even though
commtment and reatonshps
were what hed avoded so
dgenty for most of hs fe.
Grffn reazed that he was afrad
to say what came next, but he
was more afrad of not sayng t.
"Ive never been marred. Ive
never even been engaged. The
truth s Ive avoded ove as much
as you have. After seeng my
ssters and my mothers troubes
wth t, I thought t was best to
|ust ve wthout the damn
emoton."
At the menton of hs ssters,
Venuss ps tted up, ghtenng
the sadness n her expresson a
tte. Grffn forged ahead.
"Then I met you. And now I see a
chance to have whats been
mssng n my fe. I see the
chance to have ove."
"Even f ove comes wth
compcatons and troubes and.
how dd you put t.too much
damn emoton?"
He smed and caressed her cheek
agan. "Even f."
She ooked away from hm agan.
Instead of easng her sadness, t
seemed hs decaraton of ove
had the opposte effect on her.
"Venus, am I msunderstandng
whats happenng between us? If
you dont thnk you coud ove me
-"
"I coud ove you," she sad
qucky. "I do ove you," she
added softy.
He smed, but agan hs reef was
short-ved.
"But ove snt aways enough.
Thngs between us mght be too
compcated," she sad.
"I thought that was the pont of
ove-to compcate thngs." He
tred for a ght tone, but when
she met hs gaze her dstraught
expresson made hs teasng stop.
"What s t?" He pued her nto
hs arms. "What coud be so
terrbe?" The sck feeng n hs
stomach expanded to ncude hs
heart. "Is there someone ese?"
"No. There s no one ese." She
shfted n hs arms so that she
coud ook up at hm. "Your fe
here s very mportant to you,
snt t?"
"Yes." Hs brow furrowed. "Is my
|ob whats botherng you? Its
dangerous, yes, but Im carefu."
He knew some fremen whose
wves were terrfed every tme
the aarm sounded. He woud
hate to thnk of Venus vng n
that knd of fear. Coud he gve t
up? Coud he |ust be an artst? He
wasnt sure, and he defntey
ddnt ke to thnk about the
possbty that he mght have to
choose between the ove he had
for hs |ob and the ove he had for
her.
"Its not your |ob. I respect what
you do. And a warrors fe s
never wthout rsk; I understand
that. I was thnkng of your famy
-your ssters and mother. You
woudnt want to eave them."
"No, I woudnt." Then he
understood. "Youre not from
Tusa, are you?"
"No, Im not. Im ony here
temporary, as a.favor for Pea at
the coege. When Im fnshed
hepng her, then I reay must
go."
"Where are you from?"
She stared up at hm, and he
thought she ooked oddy ost.
"Im from far away."
He smed and kssed her
forehead. "What? New York?
Chcago? Or, God hep us"-he
chucked-"Los Angees?"
"Rome. And I aso spend qute a
bt of tme n Greece."
Hs eyes wdened n surprse.
"Youre rght. That s far away.
So.woud you consder
reocatng?"
"I cant. I have other obgatons,
too," she sad mseraby.
"Then we can work out some knd
of trave schedue and see what
happens. A ong-dstance
reatonshp snt mpossbe. The
word reay snt that bg of a
pace anymore."
She ooked doubtfu.
He hed her tghter. "You woudnt
et somethng ke dstance
change how you fee about me.
Woud you?"
She touched hs face, tracng hs
ps wth her fnger. "I woudnt,
but Im afrad that when you
reaze |ust what ovng me
entas, you w."
"What can I do to make you
beeve Im not so easy gotten
rd of?"
She wrapped her arms around hs
shouders. He oved how she fet
pressed aganst hs body. Hs
hands sd down to the curve of
her wast and she shvered n
response to hs caress.
"|ust ove me now, and et me
hod to the fantasy of you a tte
whe onger."
"Im not a fantasy. Were not a
fantasy," he sad, before fercey
camng her mouth. He wanted to
say more, to assure her that he
woudnt et anythng or anyone
come between them, but her
nsstent mouth moved from hs,
down hs chest, unt she found
the swe of hs growng erecton.
When her mouth cosed around
hm, words eft hs mnd
competey and he was ony abe
to moan her name.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FlVE
"O h, crap! Look at the tme. Its
after seven." Pea dsentanged
hersef from Vucans arms and
dashed, naked, nto the
bathroom.
"Where are you gong?" he caed
drowsy after her.
"To work. I have to be there by
eght." She stuck her head out of
the bathroom whe she ped up
her curs and covered them wth a
pastc shower cap. "Id take the
day off f I coud, but I have
ntervews comng n-you know,
for the |ob you pretended to want
-and I reay have to be there."
"I ddnt pretend. I beeve I woud
ke to be a hstory teacher."
"Youd be a good one, too," she
sad.
He grnned at her. "Your hat s
funny ookng."
She narrowed her eyes at hm.
"Its a shower cap, not a hat. And
Im not funny ookng."
"Yes, you are, endearngy so."
Pea decded that f t endeared
her to hm, then maybe the sy
shower cap Venus had nssted
she use to protect her now
frzzess curs was worth t. St
she stuck her tongue out at hm,
whch ony made hs sme grow.
"You coud brng your cever
tongue over here.."
Pea ganced down hs naked body
and saw that Vucans sme
wasnt the ony thng that was
growng. She fet the answerng
heat nsde her, and wshed she
had a tte more tme to.
"No! I cant. I reay have to get to
work." She ducked back nto the
bathroom and tred to wash her
face, brush her teeth and tak to
Vucan-a at the same tme.
"And dont you have to go back to
Oympus or wherever and do
some God of Fre-ng or forgng or
whatnot?"
She coud hear hm augh.
"So you w, once agan, make
me count the hours unt I may
see you?"
"Yep," she caed. "Hey, whe Im
takng a shower make yoursef at
home. I have ots of breakfast
stuff n the ktchen, and the
automatc coffeemaker shoud
aready be workng ts magc."
She squeaed around her
toothbrush when he stuck hs
head n the bathroom.
"Are you qute certan you dont
need my assstance, my ady?"
"Yes!" Pea gnored hs sexy eer
and pushed hm out, shuttng the
door. She ggged and hummed a
the way through her shower.

Pea was ready for work n record
tme. She checked her watch as
she hurred from her bedroom. It
was seven-thrty. She coud have
a short breakfast wth Vucan and
st make t to work practcay on
tme. And anyway she was never
ate for work. A few mnutes ths
one tme woudnt hurt.
Vucan was sttng at her ktchen
tabe. Surprsngy hs buk ddnt
ook awkward or out of pace
there. Instead he seemed to
compement the room, fng t up
and makng t even homer. He
was sppng a mug of coffee wth
hs eyes cosed, whch made her
sme.
"So you hadnt had coffee before,
ether?"
"Never," he sad, openng hs
eyes and grnnng at her. "Its
sme s as dvne as ts taste."
She poured hersef a cup. "Do you
mean that teray, God of Fre?"
He hestated, and then smed ke
a tte boy. "I thnk I do."
Pea aughed, but her aughter
turned nto a chokng ft. When
Vucan wasnt bockng her vew
she coud see that her tabe was
fed wth hand-etched sver
patters brmmng wth hunks of
aged cheese, exotc fruts, bread
that smeed freshy baked and
thny sced peces of cod meat.
"What s a of ths?" she
sputtered.
He ooked from the feast to Pea.
"Breakfast?"
"You zapped t here?"
Vucan studed her for a moment.
"Zapped-as n I coud have
zapped you nto a tree?"
"Whch you woudnt do,
remember?" Pea sad through
partay cenched teeth.
"Whch I absoutey woud not
do."
"Then yes, thats what zapped
means."
"Then yes, I zapped the food
here."
"Vucan," she began, hestated,
and then bent to kss hm on the
cheek and patted hs back, too,
for good measure. He dd ook
scrumptous at her ktchen tabe,
and he probaby ddnt know any
better. "Im a tte uncomfortabe
wth zappng." She sat n the
char cosest to hm so that ther
thghs brushed together
ntmatey. "Zappng snt
somethng that happens n Tusa."
At Vucans dsbeevng frown she
added, "Truthfuy. Zappng woud
freak out most modern mortas."
After a pause she began to f her
pate.
"Freak out?" he sad.
"Thnk of freak out as beng
uncomfortabe mutped tmes
ten."
"And ths reay makes you
uncomfortabe?"
"Reay."
"I had no dea."
"Oh, I beeve you. Venus was
shocked to fnd out t was a
probem, too."
"Then I w refran from zappng."
"I woud apprecate t."
"Your request s ths gods
command, my ady." He gave her
a tte seated bow wth a foursh,
whch made her ggge and bush.
And t was n the mdde of her
bushng ggge that Venus burst
nto the room.
"Pea, darng, I have so much to
-" She pued up short when she
saw Vucan.
"Heo, Venus," he sad.
"Heo, Venus," Pea sad.
"What, by a of the fappng
phauses of the gods, s he dong
here?" Venus asked.
Pea ooked at Vucan. "I thought
you sad she woudnt be upset."
"Yes, but I ddnt say she woudnt
be shocked."
"She s rght here!"
"Venus, pease dont be mad,"
Pea sad, her face startng to
crumbe.
"Im not mad!" Venus shouted.
Then she cosed her eyes, took a
breath and started over. "Im not
mad," she sad n a more sedate
tone. "Why shoud I be mad? Im
|ust wonderng why Vucan s
sttng at your ktchen tabe
havng breakfast." The goddess
ganced at the aden tabe and
her eyes wdened. "And a zapped
breakfast from Oympus at that."
"I tod hm to make hmsef at
home whe I was n the shower,"
Pea sad.
"Whch I dd," Vucan sad.
"Yeah, and he ddnt know how I
fet about the zappng part so-"
Venuss uprased hand senced
Pea.
"The two of you are makng no
sense."
"Sorry," Pea muttered.
Vucan shrugged.
Venus narrowed her eyes at hm.
He was certany beng
uncharacterstcay chatty. And
he ooked reaxed. And he was
wearng |eans and a sweater. She
studed hm harder and fet a |ot
of pure shock. Vucan had had
sex! Good sex, too, from the ook
of hm. She opened her mouth to
say that t was about tme, and an
nsane thought crossed her mnd.
The Goddess of Love turned her
sharp gaze on Pea, who woudnt
meet her eyes and who began to
squrm n her char. Lteray.
"By Gaeas earthy vagna! Youve
had sex!" Venus gasped. "Wth
each other!"
"Pease dont be mad," Pea
repeated.
"Stop sayng that," Venus sad.
"Dont buy her!" Vucan shouted.
"Dont ye at me!" Venus yeed.
Choe rushed nto the room, paws
sdng on the te foor, barkng
mancay.
"Now see what youve done," Pea
sad, wth tears spng down her
cheeks whe she bent to comfort
the agtated Scotte.
Venus drew n a deep, camng
breath. Then she cooed at the
Scotte, "Choe, darng, Im sorry
for rasng my voce at the horrd
God of Fre. I ddnt mean to upset
you." She waked over to Pea and
the dog and ruffed Choes fur.
Then she smed at Pea and
tugged on one of her curs. "I
ddnt mean to upset you, ether."
Pea snffed and gave her a watery
sme.
"You shoudnt have made her
cry," Vucan sad. Hs tone was
back to norma, but he was
frownng sterny at the goddess.
Venus threw up her hands n
rrtaton. "Woud you pease te
me what n a the eves of the
sexess Underword youre dong
here?"
"You mght be nterested to know
that rumor has t theres sex
gong on n the Underword or at
east n the Eysan Feds part of
t," Vucan sad.
"Vucan." The goddesss voce
dropped n warnng.
"No zappng!" Pea shouted,
causng Choe to grow.
"Then hed better-"
"Hes Vctor!" Pea burted.
Venus bnked. "Vctor? As n the
cunnngus Vctor?"
"You tod her that?" Vucan sad.
"As f she had to te me," Venus
sad.
Vucan snorted.
"Yes, that Vctor," Pea fnay sad.
"Expan ths, Vucan. And know
that f you hurt ths morta chd
you w suffer my wrath, that I
promse you."
The God of Fre drew hmsef up
and met the Goddess of Loves
percng gaze. "I commend you
for beng protectve of her, Venus,
but you need not worry. I ove her.
I woud never harm her."
"How coud you possby ove
her?"
Pea turned to Venus. "Dont you
thnk Im worth ovng?"
"Darng, thats not what I meant
at a. Its |ust that Vucan and I
are." She hestated, choosng
her words more carefuy. "Vucan
and I have known each other for a
ong tme, and ove doesnt
exacty come easy for hm."
"She knows were marred,"
Vucan sad.
"Then she aso knows t s a
marrage n name aone."
"Love ddnt come easy for hm
because he hadnt met me yet,"
Pea sad.
Venus ooked at her morta frend.
Her eyes were st brght wth
tears and her face was fushed,
but Pea met her eyes steady.
"You know me," Pea sad. "And
you know hm. Cant you see how
ake we are?" Peas gaze moved
from Venus to Vucan, and she
hed out her hand to hm. Vucan
took t and fted t to hs ps.
Unt that moment Venus coud
have never magned hm dong
such a thng. St ookng at
Vucan, Pea contnued, "Cant you
see that we beong together?"
"Yes, Goddess of Love," Vucan
sad, whe he gazed adorngy
nto Peas eyes. "Reay ook at us
and then te us what you see."
Venus ooked at them-not wth
the eyes of a shocked frend or an
n-name-ony wfe-she ooked at
them through Loves eyes, and
what she saw had her drawng n
a sharp breath. They were the
same. They had the same sweet,
dspaced sous that had
apparenty fnay found ther way
home.
"You beong together," she sad.
"Oh, Venus, I knew youd
understand!" Pea threw her arms
around Venus and hugged her
tghty whe Choe barked
|oyousy unt Max sauntered nto
the room, snffed n dsdan at a
of them, then exted qucky wth
the Scotte hard on hs hees.
"Im gong to need a cup of
coffee," Venus sad, when Pea
fnay et oose of her.
"An exceent drnk, amost as
decous as ambrosa," Vucan
sad.
"I get t for you." Pea wped her
eyes and began putterng happy
about her cupboards. Over her
shouder she sad, "And how was
your date wth Grffn?"
Venus wasnt sure where to ook,
especay when she reazed her
cheeks fet warm.
"Grffn? Isnt he the freman who
was so attentve n your cass?"
"By the tts of-" she began
sputterng, but Peas steady hand
squeezng her shouder had her
btng back the nasty reprmand
and acceptng the cup of
exceent coffee.
"Yes, Vucan has been observng
the modern morta word," Pea
sad, n a cam, reasonabe tone
of voce.
"I watched a good part of your
cass. It was reay qute
nterestng and nformatve,"
Vucan sad.
"Im peased I coud be of hep,"
Venus sad, wth ony a hnt of
sarcasm.
"The date?" Pea prodded.
"It went we."
"We?" Pea sad. "We as n I
was knda bored but t was fne,
or we as n he rocked my
word?"
"We as n." Venus ooked at
Pea, and nstead of sayng
somethng fp and cever, she
had the sudden desre to te her
frend what was reay n her
heart. ".as n I thnk Im n ove."
She gnored Vucans shocked
ook and returned Peas hug as
the tte morta threw her arms
around her.
"Oh, Venus! I tod you so! I tod
you that you were here for
yoursef as much as you were
here for me."
"You were rght, darng." Venus
smoothed her har back. "I
honesty beeve you were rght.
But ovng a modern morta can
be compcated." She ooked at
Vucan. "For nstance, how are
you gong to make ths work wth
Pea?"
"I havent decded yet."
"We," Pea corrected hm. "We
havent decded yet." She gave
Vucan a stern ook. "|ust because
youre a god t doesnt mean you
get to make a the decsons."
She ponted at her own chest. "I
have my own goddess nsde me,
too. You shoudnt forget that."
"We put, Pea," Venus sad, ovng
that Pea had qute obvousy
come nto her own, compete wth
a heathy dose of sef-confdence.
"I had a good teacher," Pea sad.
"Oh, speakng of that, we have to
get to work!"
"We?" Venus and Vucan sad
together.
Pea aughed. "We meanng Venus
and me." She eaned over and
kssed Vucan soundy on the ps.
"And ddnt you say you had some
God of Fre stuff to do, too?"
"We?" Venus perssted.
"In a our rushng around
yesterday I forgot to te you. The
Drector of Tranng for the fre
department caed my offce to
say what a tota success your
stress-reef cass was and that he
was sendng over the next shft
ths mornng. So you have
another cass to teach today."
"Satyrs bas! I forgot to zap
mysef out of the fremens
memores," Venus muttered.
"Youre gong to have to f out
some paperwork, too. You know,
taxes and such," Pea sad.
"Taxes?"
"Why dont you et me expan a
of t to you on the way to work?
We have to hurry or we be ate."
Venus frowned. "I ddnt get to
fnsh my coffee."
"I pour t nto a trave cup," Pea
sad.
"Its not the same," Venus
mumbed.
Vucan stood and pued Pea nto
hs arms. Venus watched wth
nterest. In a the eons shed
known hm, the God of Fre had
never shown even the sghtest
nkng toward beng nterested n
romance, yet here he was, takng
Pea genty n hs arms and kssng
her qute thoroughy. Odd. Truy
odd. And ths new depth to hm
dd make hm ook strong and
handsome and sexy. We, good
for Pea! And good for Vucan, too.
Venus was honesty happy for
them.
"Tonght, tte one," he sad.
"Tonght." Pea stepped out of hs
arms and cosed her eyes. Vucan
gave Venus a quck, frendy sme
and then dsappeared. Wth her
eyes st cosed, Pea sad, "Can I
ook now?"
"Yes."
"Okay, ets go. You can te me a
about ast nght and Grffn, and
I expan the oose ends wth
Vucan," Pea sad as she hunted
through the cupboard for her
trave mug.
"You know, darng, I coud save
us qute a bt of tme by zappng
us to schoo."
"No!" Peas face banched totay
whte.
Venus sghed. There were |ust
some thngs about modern
mortas she woud never
understand.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SlX
"I cant beeve Vucan has been
watchng us." Venus paced
around Peas offce.
"We, actuay, he was watchng
me," Pea sad.
"You know, ths s very unke
hm."
Pea grnned at the goddess. "Love
does that to some peope."
Venus rased a brow. "Indeed."
"Yep. Speakng of-ets hear
about Grffn. And dont scrmp on
the detas. I mean, you were
gone a nght, and you dd say
the L word."
"Grffn s a spectacuary taented
over," Venus sad.
"We, thats great. But Im
assumng t takes more than that
for you to fa n ove wth a man.
or god.or whatever."
Venus studed her hands. She
coudnt beeve how dffcut t
was to tak of her nnermost
feengs. For eons shed been
encouragng coupe after coupe
to do that very thng. Fnay she
understood why theyd ooked so
uncomfortabe. The goddess
sghed and tred to order her
feengs nto words.
"You know how t s wth you and
Vucan-how the two of you seem
so much ake that you have the
amost nnate abty to
understand one another wthout
many words?"
"Yes, thats how t s wth Vucan
and me."
Venus ooked up from her hands
to meet her frends eyes. She fet
unusuay cose to tears as she
contnued. "Thats how I fee wth
Grffn. Its ronc, reay," she
sad, on a tte sob. "Hes an
ncredbe man. He shoud have
found ove years ago. And me, I
am Love, yet t seems Ive not
reay known mysef for ages. Not
unt I ooked nto that morta
mans eyes. Then suddeny I was
found." Venus wped her eyes.
"Foosh of me, snt t?"
"Of course not!" Pea took her
hand. "Why shoudnt you
deserve a great ove for
yoursef?"
"Pea, Ive been so busy assurng
that everyone ese fnds ove that
I havent thought to save any for
mysef."
"Then that changes now."
"You thnk t can?"
"It aready has. Youve found hm.
You ove hm. He oves you,
rght?"
"He says he does."
"We then, whats the probem?"
"He doesnt know who I am."
"Yes, he does. He knows youre
beautfu and knd and ntegent
and funny and sexy. Thats who
you are."
"I am aso an mmorta goddess.
One of the Tweve Oympans. My
pace for eternty must be on
Mount Oympus. Pea, I cant eave
my ream. How woud the word
survve wthout Love?"
Pea squeezed her hand. "It
woudnt. Grffn has to move to
Oympus. Thats a there s to t."
"I aready knd of asked hm that."
"Knd of?"
Venus ooked chagrned. "I tod
hm my work was n Rome and
Greece and I coudnt eave t to
move to Tusa."
"And?"
"And he doesnt want to eave hs
famy. Hs ssters and hs mother
depend on hm. He sad we coud
have somethng caed a ong-
dstance reatonshp."
Pea cured her p. "Ugh. Totay
not acceptabe." Then she
brghtened. "But t woud be
acceptabe f he knew who you
reay are. I mean, you can zap
yoursef back and forth from
Oympus to here, rght?"
"Yes."
"So cant you zap hm, too?"
"Of course. But you hate zappng.
Maybe he w, too."
"Pease," Pea scoffed. "Hes a guy.
He be fne wth the zappng.
And truthfuy, f Vucan has to
zap me around so that he and I
can be together, I take a Xanax
and et hm zap away."
"Xanax?"
"Ambrosa n a p."
"Oh, good." Venus nodded
thoughtfuy. "So you beeve I
shoud te Grffn the truth. A of
t."
"I do. Actuay I thnk ts the ony
answer."
"What f he doesnt ke the dea
of beng oved by a goddess?"
"Come on, Venus! What man
woudnt ke the dea of beng
oved by a goddess? Especay
the Goddess of Love. He shoud
be over|oyed."
"We, beng over|oyed certany
sounds reasonabe to me."
"When are you seeng hm
agan?"
"Later today. Hes gong to be on
duty, but he sad f I come by ths
afternoon we coud have dnner
together n the park besde the
staton. That s, f no one sets
anythng on fre that he has to put
out."
"Perfect. Te hm who you are
then. He be at work for the next
twenty-four hours or so. Isnt that
how ther shfts go?"
Venus nodded. "He sad theyre
usuay on for a day, and then off
for two."
"So te hm today, and he have
tme to get used to t before he
sees you agan. Easy-peasy."
"Do you reay thnk so?"
"Absoutey. I mean, am I not the
most mundane morta youve
ever met?"
Venus smed at her frend. "You
mght be."
"So f I can get used to ovng an
mmorta, anyone can."
"You know, youre reay very
wse."
"I know. Now, you have a cass to
teach, and I have ntervews to
conduct. Ths evenng you fgure
thngs out wth Grffn and I."
She paused and wagged her
eyebrows. ".wth Vucan."
Venus aughed. She turned to
eave Peas offce to head to what
she was qucky consderng her
cassroom, but was brought up
short by the tte mortas next
words.
"You know you coud return to
Oympus at any tme now, dont
you?"
Venus ganced back at Pea. "I-I
havent reay gven t much
thought. I guess maybe I can."
Peas sme was warm and fed
wth the ove she fet for the
goddess. "Of course you can. You
were ony trapped here unt you
fufed my wsh for happness
and ecstasy. Youve made sure
Ive been bessed wth both n
quanttes Id never magned."
"Oh, Pea. I ddnt brng those
thngs to you. I |ust heped you
fnd the way to dscover them
yoursef."
"Thank you, Venus, Goddess of
Love," Pea sad.
Venus tted her head n rega
acknowedgment. "You are most
wecome, darng." Then the
Goddess of Love took her bag of
vagna dagrams and, smng,
hurred to the cassroom n whch
she woud hod court.

Vucan stood n front of the par
of fre, hands on hs hps, and he
threw back hs head and aughed
|oyousy. He had found her and
she oved hm! She knew who he
was and she accepted hm. Never
agan woud hs fe be a sotary
pt of oneness, where hed
smmer the eons away by hmsef.
Instead he woud be wth Pea. He
woud ove her and have chdren
wth her and watch her grow od
and.
Vucan came to an abrupt hat. He
woud watch hs morta ove-the
mate of hs sou-grow od and
de. Then he woud be rght back
where he had been before hed
ever oved her. No! It woud be
worse. Hs centures of oneness
had been bad enough before he
knew her. Now they woud be
unbearabe.
"No!" he shouted, and the fre
famed hgh and hot n response.
"I w not ve wthout her." But
what choce dd he have? He
coud turn her nto somethng-an
ever-fowng brook or a meadow
of eternay boomng wdfowers.
Vucan shook hs head. "I cannot
do that. Pea cannot abde
zappng," he muttered, dsgusted
wth hmsef for even consderng
t. "Pus, t woudnt reay be Pea,
and we woudnt actuay be
together." No. Changng Pea
wasnt the answer.
So the answer must be that he
had to change hmsef. Not ong
ago he had been eager to
become a cod consteaton to
escape hs exstence as an
outander, whch was why hed
turned hs attenton to the
modern morta word to begn
wth. Hed meant to dscover a
morta man who woud be wng
to take hs pace as God of Fre for
eternty. Vucan rubbed hs chn
thoughtfuy.
"Who was t Venus sad she
oved?"
A name seemed to whsper from
the par of fre: Grffn. Yes! That
was hs name, Grffn. The God of
Fre rased hs hands and shouted
a command nto the par of
fame, "Let me see the modern
morta Grffn!"
The order snaked from Oympus,
szzng down the nvsbe thread
from one word to another, unt t
came to rest at Tusas Mdtown
Fre Staton. Vucan caed a char
over to hm and setted n to
observe the morta man.
In the shadowy starwe of
Vucans doman, Hera smed
smugy and padded senty back
up the stars.

"Hey Capt! One of your ssters s
here."
Grffn ooked up from the stack of
nventory papers he was tryng to
make sense of. Why n the he
ddnt the grocery money ever
baance?
"What?" he barked. Had Robert
sad somethng about one of hs
ssters?
"Wat, scratch that. A of your
ssters are here!"
"Sht!" Grffn cursed under hs
breath and pushed up from hs
dapdated offce char. What
were a of hs ssters dong here?
Lke that woudnt cause a damn
stampede of testosterone-fed
dots. He checked the cock as he
hurred from hs offce. Venus
woud be there n ess than an
hour. Penty of tme to get hs
ssters out of there, sette the
men down to dnner and take a
much-earned prvate break wth
her. But frst thngs frst.
He rounded the corner to see hs
four ssters sttng n Sherrys
cherry red Mustang GT
Convertbe-wth the top down
(dd t have to be so damned
warm for the end of February?),
wth haf of the damn staton
sumped around the car eyeng
the gggng, frtng grs ke
prme rb.
We, n theory he had penty of
tme. Tme and hs ssters often
exsted at the opposte ends of
the word.
"Grff! Hey! We thought wed
come by to remnd you of our
date tomorrow." Sherry waved at
hm and smed ke she was Mss
Amerca.
"How about you and I have a date
tomorrow, sugar?" sad a young
freman n a brand new spotess
unform.
Grffn gared at the new recrut.
Damn punk had ears that were
st drppng wet. Hed never so
much as snffed a rea fre, and
here he was comng on to Sher?
"How about you fnsh ceanng
the atrne and then you and I w
have a tak about why you dont
ca my sster sugar," Grffn sad
wth a grow.
The new recrut shoved hs hands
n hs pockets, muttered an
apoogy to Sherry, a "yes, sr" to
Grffn and hurred back nto the
statonhouse.
"Okay gentemen, the shows
over. Go on about your busness."
Reuctanty the crowd around the
Mustang broke up. The men
caed good-byes to the grs as
they shuffed sowy back to the
cards and Sports Iustrated
magaznes they hadnt reay
been nterested n to begn wth.
"Grff, youre |ust a bg fat ba of
no fun." Aca pouted.
"And |ust exacty why cant that
adorabe young thng ca me
sugar?" Sher asked.
"Because, as you have expaned
over and over to me durng most
of the thrty pus ong years Ive
know you, terms ke sugar and
honey and sweete pe are
derogatory to women."
"I sad that?" Sher asked
Stephane.
"Constanty." Stephane nodded.
"Was I takng about adorabe
young fremen?"
"Apparenty not," Kathy sad.
"I ddnt thnk so, because I reay
dont fee degraded. So there
must be exceptons to-"
"Why are you grs here?" Grffn
nterrupted before she but up
any more steam.
"We were |ust passn by, and ke
Sher sad, we thought wed stop
n and remnd you that youre
supposed to change our o
tomorrow," Aca sad wth a
chrp.
"Our o? As n four cars?" Grffn
scowed at hs ssters.
"You sad you woud," Aca sad.
"Not a n one day!"
"But, bg brother, you can do
anythng!" Stephane beamed at
hm.
"And Im cookng," Kathy sad.
"Rbs?" Grffn fet hs annoyance
begn to fade.
"Rbs wth garc mashed
potatoes," Kathy sad. "I aso
managed to get my hands on
some eary sweet corn for corn on
the cob."
"And Im brngng the beer,"
Stephane sad.
"Import or that grocery store
crap?"
Stephane ooked totay offended.
"Import, of course."
"Im makng pneappe upsde-
down cake for dessert," Sherry
sad.
Grffn coudnt stop the sow
sme. Hs ssters annoyed the
crap outta hm sometmes. They
coud be a pan n the ass. But
they sure as he knew what he
ked.
"So, ets say my pace, tomorrow
at fve-sh?" Stephane sad.
"Yeah, a rght. You brbed me
nto t."
Hs ssters aughed and broke nto
enthusastc appause.
"Now get out of here before you
make some poor, unsuspectng
freman ose hs mnd."
Sherry put the Mustang nto
reverse, and as t roed backward
she caed, "Hey! You can brng
your new grfrend."
"Yeah!" Aca yeed. "We ke the
goddess."
"I see what I can do," he tod
them, and waved and shook hs
head as Sherry ad rubber on the
street n front of the staton.

Vucan chucked. Grffns ssters
were amusng nymphs, and they
adored hm. What woud t be ke
to have a arge, bosterous famy
where everyone cared for each
other? Where ssters |oked wth
ther beoved brother and fames
ate together, oved together,
rased chdren together and were
there for each other as they grew
od and passed on to the afterfe?
It woud be wonderfu.
Vucan coud see Pea fttng nto a
famy ke that seamessy.
Grffn DeAngeo was ony a man.
He ddnt have vast powers he
coud wed at w. He ddnt have
a ream of hs own. He wasnt an
mmorta. But Vucan enved hm
wth an ntensty that caused the
par of fre to cracke and hss.
He aso reazed that t woud do
no good for hm to consder ths
morta man as hs repacement.
There was no way Grffn woud
want to exchange ves wth hm.
And why shoud he? The mortas
fe was fed to brmmng wth
happness and the magc of
famy. Thngs Vucan was afrad
he coud ony observe and envy.
CHAPTER TWENTY-
SEVEN
P ea pued up n front of the fre
staton. "Okay, f you dont want
to zap yoursef back to my pace,
|ust ca me when Grffns break
s over and I come and get you."
"I dont want to nterrupt your
tme wth Vucan."
"Oh, dont worry about t. He
doesnt know I got off work eary.
He wont be over for another two
hours or so, and f he s, so what?
He sad he was dyng to rde n a
car. He can |ust come aong."
"Im nervous," Venus sad.
"We, thats perfecty norma. If
you can use the word norma n
reference to teng the morta
man you ove that youre a
goddess," Pea sad brghty.
"Anyway, theres nothng wrong
wth beng nervous. But my gut
tes me everythngs gong to be
okay."
"I hope youre rght."
"Im usng my goddess ntuton."
Pea grnned and tapped the sde
of her head. "Oh, dont forget
your pcnc basket." Pea hande
Venus the basket of cod chcken
and some of the eftover bread
and cheese and frut Vucan had
zapped up for breakfast.
"Thats rght. Sy that the
Goddess of Love woud forget that
the way to a mans heart s
through here." She fted the
basket and ponted to her
stomach.
"So the od sayng reay s true?"
"Darng, I made up that od
sayng."
"Wow. I had no dea the sayng
was that od," Pea sad.
"Thankfuy, Im we preserved."
She coud hear Pea gggng as
she drove away.
Venus was smng as she waked
toward the front of the fre
staton. She had |ust fgured out
that she needed to press the tte
uprased button, when the door
opened.
"I thought I saw you wak up!
Come on n."
Venus nodded gratefuy at the
freman and then remembered hs
name. "Thank you, |. D."
|. D. yeed nto the back of the
staton, "Hey ya! Our sex
teacher s here!"
Venus braced hersef for the
nevtabe stampede. Its true she
was new to the modern word of
mortas, but she certany was not
new to the word of mae
adoraton. True to form, the guys
crowded around her, a takng at
once about how great the cass
had been and how much ther
wves/grfrends/overs had
apprecated the ncrease n ther
educaton. The goddess smed
beatfcay and thanked the men,
whom she was begnnng to thnk
of as "her boys."
"Okay, okay, enough a ready.
Youre gong to smother her."
Grffn growed at the men, who
parted to et hm through to her
wth ony a few dsgrunted ooks.
"Shes my date, whch means Im
peased to say I be takng her
away from you knot heads."
Grffn foded her arm through hs
ovngy and gave Venus an
ntmate bue-eyed ook that
made her want to begn at hs
toes and ck hm a the way up.
"Look at me ke that n pubc and
I mght make a spectace of
mysef," he whspered, eanng
cose to her as he ed her from
the group of gawkng fremen.
"Ive been known to en|oy a good
measure of pomp and spectace,"
Venus whspered back. "But I do
beeve Id prefer dong so n
prvate."
"I be n the park. I have my
pager on," Grffn caed over hs
shouder. "If anythng happens,
beep me, but ony f someones
beedng or on fre."
Venus thought she heard one of
the boys mutter somethng about
No fre coud be as hot as she s,
whch made her sme
contentedy. Men were men were
men. It was |ust ke Pea had sad,
a of ths woud work out.
They waked hand-n-hand to
Fontana Park, whch butted up to
the backyard of the Mdtown Fre
Staton. It was supposed to turn
cod ater that evenng, but the
sun st tnted the Okahoma sky
wth a paette of brant coors,
and the ate February day fet
bamy and unseasonaby warm.
But t was February, and an off-
tme for the park, so Venus was
peased to see that t was
deserted. Grffn ed her to a
sweet tte pcnc tabe that was
rnged wth wnter-naked trees.
"I ke ths pace," Venus sad,
ookng around at the we-kept
park. "It fees nce here. Lke ts
somewhere fames come and
pay."
"It s. For most of the year ths
park s fed wth fames and
chdren," Grffn sad. He tred to
peek nto the pcnc basket, but
she payfuy sapped hs hand.
"Let me set ths out propery. Pea
woud be very upset f she knew
you were grabbng at the food ke
a barbaran." Venus pued out the
checkered tabecoth and the
pace settngs Pea had so
metcuousy packed for them,
and as she dd so she thought
about what t woud be ke to be
a morta woman, to come here
wth Grffn and ther daughters
and spend the day as a famy.
The Goddess of Love stopped that
ndugent fantasy. She coud
never be the morta wfe of an
ordnary man, no matter how
much she mght secrety desre t.
Her pace for eternty was on
Mount Oympus. The most she
coud hope for was that she woud
be aowed a bref respte of tme
wth ths man-ths unexpected
ove of hers-before she had to
return to the busness of
mmortaty. If ony Grffn woud
understand that, accept that.
"Grffn, there s somethng I must
te you."
"You ddnt make ths chcken," he
sad, as he bt nto a succuent
eg.
Venuss forehead furrowed. "No. I
ddnt."
"I ddnt thnk so. I bet Pea dd."
"Of course she dd. Pea s an
exceent cook, and shes very
generous. It was her dea to f
ths basket wth food."
"Shes a great gr." He popped a
pece of Oympuss fnest cheese
nto hs mouth.
"Of course she s." Venus shook
her head refocusng her thoughts.
"Pea s not what I wanted to tak
wth you about. Nor dd I want to
tak about cookng.." She
ganced at the food Grffn was
busy tearng nto. "Or chcken or
whatnot."
"Sorry. I got dstracted. Im
starved." He wped hs mouth,
grnned at her, and gave her a
quck, but thorough kss. She
thought he ooked boysh and
happy and very much n ove.
"What dd you want to te me?"
But before she coud repy, he
sad, "Oh, by the way, my ssters
came by and asked f youd ke to
come to dnner tomorrow. I know
theyre a tte much, and yes, a
four of them w be there, but I
can promse you the food w be
good." Hs eyes crnked at the
corners as he contnued, "And
they dd ask me to nvte you. I
beeve ther exact words were,
We ke the goddess."
Venus fet her throat cose wth
the ntensty of her emotons and
she had to take a quck drnk from
one of the water bottes Pea had
packed to cover the fact that she
coudnt make her voce work. Hs
ssters recognzed her. Oh, not
conscousy. Somewhere n the
depths of ther femnne sous,
they knew who she was and they
accepted her. It moved her
beyond words. Now f ony ther
brother woud accept her, too.
"I woud ke very much to be wth
your famy tomorrow," she fnay
managed to say. "Good. I want
you to be," Grffn tod her.
"Grffn. We must tak."
"You aready sad that." Ths tme
she seemed to have more of hs
attenton, though. At east he was
ookng at her whe he chewed.
She drew a ong, steadyng
breath.
"I want you to know who I reay
am."
"Okay wth me. I want to know
everythng about you."
Stang, she took another ong
drnk of water.
"Hey, youre not gong to te me
anythng bzarre ke you used to
be a man, are you?" he |oked.
"Of course I ddnt used to be a
man, but you mght fnd what I
have to te you bzarre."
"Okay, go ahead." He wped hs
mouth wth a napkn. "Te me
somethng bzarre."
"I am Venus, ancent Goddess of
Sensua Love, Beauty and the
Erotc Arts." She used her fu and
most forma tte, decdng f she
was gong to te hm, she mght
as we be thorough. "I vsted the
modern morta word severa days
ago on a shoppng spree wth
Persephone." Venus frowned,
rememberng. "Actuay ts the
Goddess of Sprng who s reay
responsbe for ths whoe
ncdent. She took me to Loas,
and t |ust so happened that at
the same tme Pea was there. She
nvoked my ad usng some knd
of spe that bound me here unt I
heped her. You know Pea used to
reay be a mess-she was sweet,
but had no dea what to do wth
her har. And you shoud have
seen the shoes she used to
wear.ugh. Anyway Ive been
hepng her, whch s why Ive
been stayng wth her. Not that
Im sorry I came here and met
you and Pea," she added hasty,
then took a deep, camng breath,
afrad the expanaton was gettng
away from her. "Persephone and
that whoe thng reay snt
whats mportant. Whats
mportant s that you know I am
an ancent goddess, one of the
Tweve Oympans. I ve n my
tempe on Mount Oympus."
Grffn ddnt say anythng. He
was |ust ookng at her wth a very
odd expresson on hs handsome
face. He had qut eatng, though,
so she was sure she had a of hs
attenton. "My tempe s actuay
qute nce. Im sure you woud ke
t. Of course you may come
there." She paused, frownng.
"Uness the zappng between
words bothers you, then I come
here. Ether way, ke you sad ths
mornng, a ong-dstance
reatonshp s possbe. And I do
ove you, Grffn, and want ths to
work between us," she fnshed n
a rush.
"We, at east that expans why
you were so moved by my
scupture."
"Exacty!" she sad, begnnng to
fee the strrngs of reef. He
ddnt seem shocked or upset.
Perhaps ths woud be easer than
she thought.
Grffn started to chucke. He
reached forward and kssed her
agan. "One of the thngs I ke
best about you s your sense of
humor. So what youre reay
teng me s that you expect me
to treat you ke a goddess. Okay.
I can do that."
Venus shook her head. "No, thats
not t at a. I actuay ke t that
you treat me as f Im a morta
woman. I dont want you to
worshp me or fear me or ask
boons of me, whch s reay how
a goddess s treated. I want
thngs to go on between us as we
have begun them. But you must
know the truth about me."
"That youre a goddess."
She nodded. "Venus. Or
Aphrodte, f you want to address
me by the name the Greeks use.
Ive aways preferred Venus,
though."
"And youre beng serous. You
reay beeve youre Venus."
She sghed. The ook he was
gvng her ceary sad he was
afrad she was competey mad.
"Remember when we frst met at
the masquerade ba? The
cothng I was wearng wasnt a
costume. It was what I normay
wear on Oympus. We, mnus the
mask," she added. "I smpy
zapped the robes from my tempe
for Pea and me to wear." Venus
ganced around them. Good. The
park was st deserted. "Lke ths
-" Venus passed her hand n
front of her body, and her |eans,
sweater and |acket began to
shmmer unt wthn moments
she was standng before Grffn,
dressed n the fu, gorous
regaa of a true goddess.
"Sht!" he cred, and took two
quck steps away from her.
"Im sorry," she sad hasty,
wakng toward hm. "Pea hates t
when I zap thngs, too. But I
needed to show you that Im not
nsane."
"I thnk I mght be," Grffn sad,
takng two more steps away from
her.
Feeng foosh and a tte worred,
she stopped chasng hm. "No, no.
Dont worry, youre not. Ths s a
true. See, you can touch the
robes, theyre rea." She hed out
her sk-cad arm, but he made no
moton to touch her. She sghed.
"Pea made the chcken you were
eatng, but the cheese and bread
were zapped from Oympus. You
dont have to be worred about
touchng thngs from there; they
wont hurt you."
"I need to st down." Grffn
waked around her and sat on the
pcnc tabe bench. He was st
starng at Venus and shakng hs
head.
"I suppose ths mght take a tte
gettng used to," Venus sad. She
waked back to the tabe, too, but
was carefu not to get too cose to
Grffn. She reay ddnt want hm
to move away from her agan.
"A tte?" he sad ncreduousy.
"We, ts not ke ts changed
who I am. Ive aways been Venus
-from the frst moment you
spoke to me at the party unt
now. Im no dfferent. It doesnt
reay change anythng."
"Yes. It does."
Venus fet a shver of worry
cench through her body, makng
her fee ghtheaded. Hs voce
had changed competey. He
spoke n a cod, emotoness tone.
Hs expressve eyes had fattened
to those of a stranger.
"But t doesnt have to. I st ove
you. You st ove me-me."
"No, Goddess. Ths changes
everythng," he sad quety.
She notced he ddnt comment at
a on her decaraton of ove or on
the remnder that he was
supposed to ove her n return.
And a at once the worry that had
been futterng through her began
to change to anger. Hadnt he
meant what he sad?
"Why?" Venus asked, her newy
emotoness tone mrrorng hs.
"Why does who I am change
thngs? Or were you yng about
ovng me?"
"Youre cang me a ar!" He
stood up. "What about a that
crap you gave me about not
havng ove n your fe unt now?
Chrst! You are ove! So what was
I, |ust a morta toy for you to pay
wth? Some knd of rat n a maze
experment?"
"How dare you!" Her rghteous
anger caused the trees that
rnged ther bench to quver as f
the hand of a gant-or a goddess
-had suddeny shaken them.
Grffn ganced at the whppng
branches, hs eyes wdenng.
"When I spoke those words to you
I was showng you my heart. I
have been aone, for far onger
than your morta bran coud even
begn to comprehend."
"The Goddess of Love? Aone?
Because Im a morta man do you
thnk that aso makes me a
fuckng dot?"
"Unt ths moment I ddnt." In
some part of her mnd, Venus
knew that hs harsh words were
more a refecton of hs shock and
hurt at thnkng that she had
deceved hm, than a refecton of
hs true feengs for her. But once
the wrath of a goddess s roused,
t s a force that s hard to que.
and Grffn had defntey aroused
her wrath.
"The Venus I oved was ke me.
Shed avoded ove unt we met.
Now she was wng to fnay
commt, to fgure out a way to
make a future together."
"I am st that Venus!" Her shout
caused the ground around them
to shudder.
"How! How do you propose we
make a future together? I may not
know much about mythoogy, but
I thnk I have the part rght about
you beng mmorta, dont I? He!
Are we even the same damn
speces? Can we make chdren
together? And what happens n
ten, twenty, thrty years when Im
an od man and youre st young
and beautfu and unchanged?
Dd you thnk about any of those
thngs when you decded to pay
at ovng a man?"
Venus stepped back. She fet as f
he had sapped her. She drew
around her the dgnty and power
of a great goddess. She fet the
shmmer of her dvnty caress her
skn and the sver-bond mass of
her har begn to ft and cracke
wth a fe of ts own. She knew
her voet eyes were gowng wth
an unearthy ght, |ust as she
knew that the brance of her
mmortaty unbrded woud be
dffcut for any morta to gaze
upon. Venus ddnt care. She
wanted Grffn to see her
magnfcence. She wanted hm to
see what he had ost forever.
When she spoke, her voce was
magnfed by the magc that was
her brthrght.
"No. I dd not thnk of those thngs
when I aowed mysef to ove
you. I thought ony of how our
sous caed to one another. I see
now I must have been mstaken.
Your sou s too tanted by morta
fear and sefshness. It s not
courageous enough to ove mne.
I eave you now, Grffn DeAngeo,
son of man, and return to
Oympus where I beong. I coud
wpe your memory cean of me,
as easy as I woud wpe chak
from a sate, but I w not. I want
you to remember aways that you
dened Love hersef." Then Venus,
Goddess of Sensua Love and
Beauty, fted her arms and n a
cascade of shootng sparks,
dsappeared.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ElGHT
W hen Venus rematerazed
nsde Peas ktchen, her anger
was aready begnnng to dran.
Barkng wdy, Choe barreed nto
the room, but when she
recognzed Venus her snars
changed to wecome yps, and
then worred whnes when the
goddess sat on the foor, scooped
the Scotte up n her arms, and
burst nto tears.
"Venus! Ohmygod! Whats
wrong?" Pea rushed nto the room
and crouched besde her.
"He-hates-me!" she sobbed.
"Oh, sweetheart! He coudnt hate
you. No one coud hate you.
Come on. St up here at the tabe.
I pour us some coffee and we
fgure ths out." She pued Choe
genty from the goddesss ap,
and then heped Venus to her feet
and hugged her hard.
"No-no." Venus hccupped,
takng her usua pace at Peas
tabe. "Its not gong to be fgured
out. Pea, he doesnt want me now
that he knows Im a goddess."
Pea set mugs of steamng coffee
before both of them. "Te me
everythng. And here, use the
nen napkn as a Keenex. Its an
emergency."
Pea stened whe Venus repayed
the scene wth Grffn for her, ony
occasonay gaspng and
mutterng under her breath about
how stupd guys coud be. When
she was fnshed Venus bew her
nose and wped her eyes. Pea
ddnt say anythng. Instead she
got up and brought out of the
freezer a ong seeve of
somethng hard wrapped n
aumnum paper.
"Its my speca stash of Began
dark chocoate. Eat t. It hep."
Venus nodded woodeny and
broke off a pece of the chocoate
and et the dark sweetness
dssove n her mouth as she
spped Peas decous coffee.
"Youre rght." The goddess
snffed. "It does hep."
"Okay. Frst, Im reay mad at
Grffn, too. He behaved ke an
asshoe."
"I thnk Smart Btches dot com
woud ca hm somethng worse.
Somethng ke." She paused,
thnkng and suckng on the
chocoate. "A goddamn stupd-ass
cockhumpng whoremonger or
maybe an assburger."
"Youre rght. Ther curses are
exceent. Lets ca hm a
cockhumpng assburger. Its way
worse than an asshoe."
"I agree," Venus sad.
"So were reay mad at hm, but I
dont thnk you shoud gve up on
hm."
"I have to, Pea. I cant change
who I am, and even f I coud, I
woudnt."
"I |ust thnk that he was shocked,
and thats why he reacted so
bady. After he has tme to thnk
about what a moron-" Venus
rased a brow at Pea. "I mean
what a cockhumpng assburger
hes been, he be a sorry and
apoogetc and w grove
propery to get you back."
"You ddnt re|ect Vucan when
you found out he was a god."
"We, thats not reay a far
comparson. Id aready become
frends wth you, so I was knda
used to the dea of mmortas
hangng out n Tusa."
Venus shook her head. "He asked
f we were even the same
speces. I dont know f I can
forgve hm for that."
"Do you ove hm?"
"Yes," Venus sad softy.
"Then I thnk you can earn to
forgve hm."
"I dont know. In a way hes rght.
Theres aways gong to be ths
morta/mmorta ssue between
us. When hes od and stooped I
st ook ke ths. I w eternay
ook ke ths."
Peas face had gone pae and
Venus reazed the sgnfcance of
what she had sad. The goddess
took Peas hand. "You shoud
know that I woud st ove Grffn
f he was od and stooped, and
after he ded I woud eternay
mourn hs death and hod hs
memory as sacred. As w Vucan
wth you."
"I know. At east I thnk I know.
But t s dauntng and more than a
tte scary to know that youre n
ove wth a beng who w never
age-w never de."
"But youre courageous enough to
contnue ovng Vucan."
"I dont thnk Id ca t
courageous, but yes. I am gong
to contnue ovng Vucan."
"Grffn doesnt have your
courage. Or perhaps t s coser to
the truth for me to say that he
doesnt have your ove." Venus
bnked back the tears that
threatened to we n her eyes
agan.
"Dont gve up on hm yet. Men
arent as good at adaptng as
women. Pus"-Pea shrugged,
smed and popped a pece of
chocoate nto her mouth-"we
have more sense."
"Youre defntey rght about
that." Then a kddng eft the
goddesss voce. "I dont know f I
can do t, Pea. I dont know f I can
open mysef to hm ever agan.
What f he re|ects me agan?"
"But, Venus, snt that |ust part of
ove?" Pea asked genty. "You
have to be vunerabe to truy be
oved."
"Yes. If youre not vunerabe to
ove, you never reay be open
to experencng t. I |ust dont
know f I can be vunerabe agan.
Re|ecton hurts."
"Who re|ected what?" Vucans
deep voce rumbed from between
them as he materazed n the
ktchen.
Pea squeaed and cutched her
heart. "Okay, ya have got to
stop wth the sudden
materazatons. Use. The. Door.
Or youre gong to gve me a
heart attack."
"Sorry, tte one." Vucan bent to
kss Pea. He smed at Venus.
"Heo, Goddess."
"Vucan." She nodded absenty at
hm.
Then he snffed n the drecton of
Peas mug. "Coffee."
Pea aughed and swatted at hm
when he tred to take her cup
from her. "Who knew mmortas
woud be so crazy about
somethng as smpe as coffee."
She ponted to the pot. "Hep
yoursef."
Vucan poured hmsef a cup and
scooted hs char over so that he
coud st wth one arm around
Pea. He ganced at Venus and
then took a second ook. "Youve
been cryng," he sad.
"Grffn ddnt respond we to
fndng out Venus s Venus," Pea
sad.
"He re|ected you?"
Venus et out a ong sgh. "Pease
dont rub t n."
"My frend, you know I woud
never do that."
Venus smed sady. "Yes, I know."
"He hurt you," Vucan sad.
"He dd."
"Sha I punsh hm for you? I
coud cause hs bood to turn to
ava and hs brans to bo,"
Vucan sad cheerfuy.
Pea frowned at hm and ebowed
the God of Fre. "I dont thnk that
woud be very nce."
"It s a consderate offer, and I
thank you. But Im afrad I have
to decne. It seems when you
ove someone the thought of
them beng tortured doesnt brng
you the peasure t shoud. Even
though he defntey deserves to
be tortured."
"I coud thrash hm." Vucan
ganced at Pea, who was st
frownng at hm, and added, "But
not severey enough to cause hm
permanent damage."
Venus shook her head. "No, thank
you. Im |ust gong to return to
Oympus and try to forget about
Grffn DeAngeo. I hate to thnk
about a the catchng up I have
to do. I reay have been here
gnorng my dvne dutes too
ong." She stood up.
"Wat! Youre gong to eave? |ust
ke that?" Pea sad.
"Darng, you knew I coudnt stay
wth you forever."
"But I ddnt thnk youd eave so
soon. You come back, wont
you? I mean, no matter what
happens wth Grffn, you come
back and vst."
Venus touched the tte mortas
cheek. "Yes, darng. I come
back. How coud I stay away?
We go to Loas for
pomegranate martns and
dancng and then come back here
for hot chocoate and gr tak.
And I do beeve you be vstng
Oympus from tme to tme
yoursef." Venus turned her
attenton to Vucan. "Whch
remnds me. My frend, t s past
tme you and I corrected a
mstake we made eons ago. We
meant we, you and I, but to
marry for ess than what you and
Pea have s a sham and a e."
"I w aways wsh you we,
Goddess of Love. You have been a
frend to me when the other
mmortas shunned me. I wont
ever forget that," Vucan sad.
"I ask Zeus and Hera to hear
our petton tomorrow evenng.
|on me n the Great Ha and
together we w dssove our
unon offcay."
"Thank you, Venus," Pea sad,
bnkng back tears.
Venus smed. "|ust promse me
one thng."
"Anythng," Vucan and Pea sad
together.
"Promse me that you w ove
and honor each other for as ong
as you both sha ve."
"I promse," Pea sad.
"You have my eterna oath,"
Vucan sad.
"Good. I be watchng. Dont
make me have to come down
here and smte ether of you."
Venus tugged on one of Peas
curs, purposey ghtenng the
mood before one of them started
to cry. "Now, Pea, you need to
cose your eyes so that my
zappng doesnt scare you."
"Ths one tme I thnk I keep my
eyes open. I ove you, Venus," Pea
sad.
"And I ove you, too, darng." The
Goddess of Love fted her arms
and dsappeared.
Vucan put down hs coffee mug
and turned to Pea. Wth hs arms
open he sad, "Are you gong to
cry now, tte one?"
"Yes!" she sad on a sob, and
buryng her face n her true oves
shouder, Pea had a good cry.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NlNE
"I m a fuckng dot!"
The words expoded from Grffn
as he tossed the unbaanced
edger across hs desk. For hours
hed been ocked up n hs offce
by hmsef, fumng. Then when
the fumes had fzzed, he had
been eft wth the stark, cod
truth. Hed re|ected the woman
he oved wth a hs heart and
sou. And why had he done
somethng so asnne? Because
he found out she was a goddess.
And not |ust any goddess. The
woman he oved was the Goddess
of Love. Venus. Aphrodte. The
woman men had been
mmortazng for thousands of
years n song and poetry and art.
But he had re|ected her. Grffn
crnged, rememberng the ook of
hurt on her face when hed et hs
shock and fear expode as rage
and re|ecton.
He had to fgure out some way to
make t up to her-to apoogze to
her-to wn her back. Then hed
be a man about t and dea wth
the fact that the woman he oved
was a rea goddess. That she
woudnt age or de-that she had
unbeevabe power.
"She shoud have basted some
sense nto my thck head!" he
muttered. Actuay, on second
thought, he was probaby ucky
she hadnt.
So now what? How dd he start
ceanng up the mess hed made?
Shed sad she was returnng to
Oympus. He groaned and rubbed
hs tempes where the same
headache had throbbed for hours.
It wasnt ke he coud ca her.
Or coud he?
She was a goddess. So she heard
the prayers of mortas. Ddnt
she? It was at east worth a try.
He ceared hs throat.
"Venus?" he caed to the ar. "Are
you there? Can you hear me?" He
swaowed and started agan.
"Venus, Goddess of Sensua Love,
Beauty and the Erotc Arts, I ask
you to hear me." Nothng
happened. Okay, hed try t
another way. "Venus, Im sorry. I
ove you. Is there any way you
coud forgve me for beng such a
fuckng dot?" He paused. "Coud
you shake somethng f you hear
me?" St nothng. Obvousy he
wasnt gong about ths n the
rght way. So how the he dd one
go about summonng an ancent
goddess? He ddnt have a cue.
Then he sat up straghter. He
ddnt have a cue, but he knew
someone who dd! Venus had sad
that Pea had used a spe to evoke
her ad. Hed get Pea to gve hm
the spe! Grffn ganced at the
wa cock. Sht! It was amost two
n the mornng. Hed have to wat.
But as soon as hs shft was over
hed go drecty to Peas house
and camp out on her front porch f
necessary unt she agreed to
hep hm contact Venus.
The goddess woud forgve hm.
Shed have to. He woudnt stop
tryng unt she dd.
Mnutes ater when the statons
aarm shreked Grffn was
actuay reeved. At east hed be
kept busy for the next few hours
-t woud make tme seem to
pass faster.
Lke a we-oed machne, he and
hs men few nto acton. As Grffn
pued on hs forty-pus pounds of
equpment and moved qucky to
the engne, hs eutenant handed
hm the rp of paper that had the
address of the fre prnted on t.
Grffn cmbed nto the drvers
seat, hs mnd workng as
smoothy as the bg engne he
drove. The fre was at the Twenty-
frst Street Borders Books and
Musc. The good: one, the store
was cose, so theyd be there n
mnutes; two, t was two ocock
n the mornng, so t was cosed
and there shoud be no ves n
|eopardy. The bad: one, t was one
of those huge two-eve stores, so
the fre coud be arge; two, t was
a store fed wth books, whch
meant ots of fue for a quck, hot
fre. It coud go up ke a torch.
Before he sghted the store he
knew hed been at east partay
rght. It was a huge fre. By the
tme they pued up n the bg
parkng ot, the entre front of the
store was engufed n fre. Fames
shot out of the wndows,
shatterng the pate gass.
As aways at the scene of a fre,
everythng began to happen n
doube-tme. The men ped out of
the engne. Grffn barked
commands. The poce that were
aready there started movng the
watchng cvans back whe the
hoses and adders were qucky
put nto poston.
"Captan!" Grffn ooked up to see
Robert runnng from the adder
truck over to hm. "Nne-one-one
dspatch radoed. A ce phone ca
|ust came from nsde the store.
The nght watchman s trapped
near the rear offces."
"Foow me around back!" Grffn
snapped. The we-traned men
knew exacty what to do. They
grabbed the proper equpment
and |ogged after ther captan.
"Break t down," Grffn sad.
Robert and |. D. went to work wth
the axes. The stee door foded
ke a fower under the strength of
ther bows.
The escapng ghosts of back
smoke rushed out at them.
"Whch offce s he trapped by?
Where?" Grffn asked Robert.
"Dont know. Hs phone cut out.
Nne-one-one got the manager on
the ne and he says the whoe
rear of ths thng s offce and
storage space."
"So he coud be anywhere,"
Grffn sad. It wasnt a queston-
there was no need for anyone to
answer. "A rght, ets go n. |. D.,
Robert go rght." He ganced at
the rooke, who ooked pae, but
who met hs eyes camy.
"Bennett, you come wth me to
the eft. Keep your masks on-ts
smoky n there. Lets go!"
Grffn aways thought enterng a
burnng budng was ke enterng
a vng beast. It had a personaty.
It breathed and changed. It was
as unpredctabe as a wd anma.
Ths one was no dfferent.
That the fames hadnt reached
the rear of the store yet mattered
tte. The heat was there. The
smoke was there. The danger was
there.
Grffn moved to the eft, gnorng
the grow of the fre that was
movng ever nearer. He kept
vsua contact wth Bennett, and
every few mnutes had |. D. and
Robert checkng n.
The damn pace was a maze of
fed-to-overfowng booksheves
and cubces. He was gettng
ready to check another offce,
when a cry down the ha ahead
of them caed hs attenton
forward. It sounded ke someone
was poundng on the far door.
"Capt, that door ooks ke t
opens to the bookstore," Bennett
sad.
"Yeah, stay cose." He took off
|oggng down the ha.
The heavy door was ocked.
Grffn used the hande of the axe
to pound twce on t. Two
desperate knocks nstanty
responded.
"We got hm," Grffn caed. Then
he put hs face cose to the door.
"Can you hear me?" he shouted.
"Yes! Hep me!" came the muffed
response. "Im trapped and the
fres n here!"
"Step back! Im breakng down
the door."
"Hurry!" the watchman cred
through the door.
"Lets do t," Grffn tod Bennett.
They weded ther axes qucky,
but the door was stubborn and t
took severa strokes before they
|arred t enough for them to pry t
open |ust wde enough for Grffn
to squeeze through.
He waked nto an nferno of fame
and smoke and heat. The
watchman had stepped away
from the door, but overcome by
smoke, hed coapsed n a heap
aganst the wa. Instanty Grffn
took off hs oxygen mask and
ftted f over the mans nose and
mouth. Then he fted hm n the
tradtona fremans carry and
moved back to the partay open
escape door, tryng to breathe
shaowy.
"Here, take hm." Grffn passed
the awkward weght of the
unconscous man through the
narrow openng to Bennett. "Got
hm?" he caed.
"Got hm, Capt.!" Bennett
grunted.
"Get hm outta here. I be rght
behnd you."
"Roger, Capt!"
Grffn watched hm dsappear
nto the smoke. He started to
squeeze through the doorway,
and then a he-teray-broke
oose. The exposon threw hm at
east ten feet. He anded on hs
back. The ar was knocked out of
hs aready straned ungs. St he
strugged to gather hmsef and
regan hs feet. Then a nose
much ke the screech of a dyng
brd pued hs attenton up |ust n
tme to see the rang of the
curved meta starcase come
oose and hurte n sow moton
toward hm. He coudnt move. He
coudnt do anythng except brace
hmsef for the mpact of the
twsted, metng meta.
Pan seared the eft sde of hs
body. Then, thankfuy, backness
took hm nto ts coo darkness..

Vucan was deepy aseep. So
deepy that he thought hs
mothers voce was |ust part of a
dream.
"Vucan, you must awaken."
In hs seep he sghed, pung Pea
coser to hs naked body.
"Son. Awaken."
Vucan frowned, begnnng to
move groggy toward
conscousness.
"Vucan! Now. Wake up!"
The God of Fre opened hs eyes.
"Fnay. You aways have been a
heavy seeper. I dont know where
you got that-nether your father
nor I coud seep through the
droppng of a pn."
"Mother?"
"Yes, yes, yes, ts me, Hera,
Oueen of Gods-your mother. And
I nsst you awaken."
Vucan carefuy extrcated
hmsef from Peas st soundy
seepng form and sat up. Sure
enough, hs mother was standng
n Peas bedroom, her vory-
coored robes gstenng as f they
hed a ght of ther own.
"Mother, what has happened?"
"Theres a fre. You must go."
At the word "fre" Vucan was
aready movng. Instanty he
caed the garb of an ancent
Roman warror to hm.
"Yes, you are wse to prepare for
batte. Come wth me." Hera took
hs hand and the two of them
dsappeared.
When they reappeared t was n
the mdde of fery chaos. They
were nsde a burnng budng.
The fames coud not harm
Vucan, and automatcay he
added hs own protecton to hs
mothers aura. He woud never
aow fre to harm the Oueen of
Gods.
"Look there." Hera ponted to a
spot of burnng rubbe that the
man area of fames was |ust
about to enguf.
A weak movement caught
Vucans sharp eye.
"Grffn!" he cred, and strode to
the faen mortas sde, fngng
back the fames that were n hs
path. When he reached hm,
Vucan assessed the damage
qucky. Wth one hand he fung
the ron rang off the mans body.
Grffns eyes futtered and then
opened.
"Who are you?" he gasped. Then
hs gaze shfted and hs eyes
wdened when he saw the
beautfu woman standng n a
hao of ght besde the.
"A goddess!" Grffn sad, hs
voce barey above a whsper.
"Yes," sad the man who knet
besde hm. "And I am a frend of
Venus. Be st, breathe sowy. I
w get you free of ths nferno."
"It s too ate, my son."
Grffns eyes shfted from the god
to the goddess who stood so
sereney besde hm. Amazngy
she smed and caed hm by
name.
"Grffn DeAngeo, I am Hera,
Oueen of Gods."
"Heo, Hera." Grffn thought he
sad the words n a norma voce,
but a raspy whsper was a that
managed to escape hs mouth.
"You must sten carefuy to me,
Grffn," she sad. "We have tte
tme. You see, you are dyng."
Grffn thought he shoud fee fear
or, at the very east, shock at her
words. Instead he was surprsed
that a sense of peace enveoped
hm.
"The watchman.s he saved?"
Grffn whspered.
"He s," Hera sad. "You dd we."
Grffn sghed. If ths was to be hs
end, then at east hed done hs
|ob, and done t we. Grayness
began to tunne the edges of hs
vson. He thought about hs
ssters and hs mother, and he fet
a knfe of sorrow for the pan he
knew hs death woud cause
them. Then he thought about
Venus, and how sorry he was for
what hed sad to her. But she was
a goddess.maybe she woud
somehow be abe to know how he
fet.even after he ded.
"Not yet, Grffn DeAngeo! I
command your sprt not depart
yet!" Hera shouted.
Grffns eyes shot open and,
amost aganst hs w, he bnked
hs vson cear.
"Mother, I can carry hm from
here. Surey we can." the god
began, but Hera fted her hand
and commanded sence.
"It has gone too far. Hs body has
been too gravey damaged.
Forgve me, morta man, I
ms|udged the tme Fate had
aotted you. I meant to provde
you wth more of a choce n ths."
Grffn wanted to te her she was
forgven, but hs voce was
beyond obeyng hm. The goddess
turned to the god.
"There s ony one way to save
hm, my son. You and he must
swtch sous. In dong so, you w
become morta and, wth the ad
of my power, there w be enough
of your mmorta essence eft to
hea hs broken body and survve.
But you w then be morta-n a
ways. Do you understand?"
Vucan nodded. "I do, Mother."
"Do you understand that f you do
ths you w ve one morta fe
and ony one, here n the modern
word, and that when you de your
body w return to dust and your
sprt w descend to the Eysan
Feds."
"And I w spend that fe wth the
morta woman I ove, and when
she, too, des, w she be aowed
to enter Eysa?"
Hera bowed her head. "I gve you
my sacred oath that her sprt w
fnd a home there."
"I understand and I agree."
"Very we, my son."
Hera approached Grffns faen
body and knet besde hm. She
touched hs face. He thought how
coo and soft her hand fet.
"Lsten we, morta man. My son
s Vucan, God of Fre, husband to
Venus, whom I beeve you ove.
He can save your sou and your
fe, but n dong so he must take
possesson of your body and your
morta fe. You, n turn, w
become hm-one of the Tweve
Oympans, God of Fre. You w
retan your sou and your
memores, but for eternty you
must guard the sacred forge and
the par of fame. You w
become the God of Fre. Do you
understand?"
Wth a mghty w, Grffn forced
words through hs damaged body.
"Does Venus know?"
Hera shook her head. "No."
"If I say no, I de?" he rasped.
"You w surey de, but you
shoud know you have nothng to
fear from death. You have been a
good man. I can assure you a
warrors afterfe n the Eysan
Feds."
Grffns fadng eyes turned to the
god caed Vucan. "My ssters."
He gasped.
Vucan dropped to hs knees
besde Grffn. "I know of your
ssters. I woud chersh and
protect them as f they beonged
to me. They w never know that I
am not ther beoved brother."
"Your oath on that," Grffn sad.
"You have my oath."
Grffn cosed hs eyes and
whspered, "Then I agree. I w
exchange sous wth you."
Grffn heard Hera begn a chant,
the words to whch he coudnt
understand, but the power of
them pushed aganst hs skn wth
more nsstence than the fames
that threatened them. And then
he fet an enormous tuggng, as f
he had been caught n a terrbe
tornado. He opened hs mouth to
scream and scream and scream.
and then he knew ony the utter
backness of a nght more
compete than any he coud have
magned as nothngness engufed
hm.
CHAPTER THlRTY
T he rngng phone woke Pea.
Groggy, she muttered, "Vucan,
hand me that, woud you?" Then
she remembered he was an
ancent god and he probaby
ddnt know anythng about a
rngng phone. She opened her
eyes, expectng hm to be smng
at her, perhaps a tte confused,
but sexy and rumped and warm
besde her.
He wasnt there. Except for Choe,
who was bnkng seepy at her
from the end of the bed, she was
aone n the room. Frownng, Pea
reached for the phone.
"Heo?"
"Is ths Dorreth Pea
Chamberan?" a tense mae voce
asked.
"Yes."
"Mss Chamberan, ths s Robert
Thomas from the Mdtown Fre
Staton."
"What tme s t?" Pea asked the
queston wthout thnkng.
"Fve a.m., maam. Uh, Im cang
on behaf of Grffn DeAngeo."
"Grffn!" A horrbe sense of
forebodng fushed her body. "Has
somethng happened to Grffn?"
"Yes maam, Im afrad so. The
captan has been n|ured on the
|ob. Hes at Sant |ohns, gettng
ready to go nto surgery. Hs one
request was that we ca you and
have you come drecty to the
hospta."
"I be rght there."
She hung up and grabbed the
|eans and dscarded sweater that
were yng over her vanty char.
"Vucan?" she caed. No answer.
"Vucan!" Ths tme she yeed hs
name. Pea hurred through the
house. Had he gone back to
Oympus? Why hadnt he woken
her frst? And why had he eft n
the mdde of the nght?
She threw the T-Brd nto gear and
gunned t out of her drveway.
Grffn was hurt. Of course hed
had her caed. Ceary he
understood she was hs nk to
Venus. So she needed Vucan to
get word to Oympus that Venus
was needed back here ASAP. But
where was Vucan?
Peas stomach fet sck.
Somethng was wrong. Somethng
was terrby wrong.
She rushed through the
emergency entrance of Sant
|ohns Medca Center and amost
ran straght nto a soot-covered
freman.
"Im Pea Chamberan. They
caed me for Grffn DeAngeo."
"Rght ths way, maam."
Pea foowed the somber young
freman nto the bowes of the ER.
A nurse stopped them.
"Ths s the woman the captans
been askng for," the freman
expaned.
"Then come wth me, mss. You
must hurry. Theyre takng hm to
surgery. You ony have a
moment wth hm."
"How s he?" Pea asked, as she
hurred to keep up wth the nurse.
"Its not good," the nurse sad,
wthout ookng at her.
She ed her to a gass room that
was ave wth peope. Pea was
gad everythng was happenng so
fast. If shed had tme to thnk she
mght have gotten sck or, worse,
fanted. She woud have never
recognzed Grffn. Hs face was
back and boody. Hs ps were
cracked and swoen. The eft sde
of hs body from hs wast down
was tented, and she thought he
had tubes and wres comng out
of every unburned surface on hs
body.
"Two mnutes, mss," the nurse
sad.
Pea made hersef approach the
head of the sma ER bed.
"Grffn? Its me. Pea."
Hs eyes futtered twce and then
opened. Hs bue eyes met hers
and she fet a shver of
somethng.somethng she
coudnt qute dentfy. She moved
coser to hm. Hs swoen ps
began to move. Pea eaned
forward.
".ove you, tte one."
She gasped as the truth sammed
through her. "Vucan!" She
gasped.
Reef reaxed hs face. He smed
and cosed hs eyes wth a
contented sgh.
"I must ask you to eave, maam.
Were takng hm to surgery."
Numby Pea et them show her to
the surgca watng room. She sat
on an overstuffed char and
nodded automatcay when a
freman asked f she wanted
coffee. Grffn wasnt Grffn. He
was Vucan. Of that she had
absoutey no doubt. But how had
t happened? Suddeny she fet
caustrophobc.
"I-I have to get some ar." She
gnored the concerned ooks of
the freman as she ran from the
room, down the ha and rushed
out the automatc doors, where
she eaned aganst the sde of the
hospta, drawng n deep breaths
and tryng not to throw up.
"You ove hm very much, dont
you?"
Pea ooked up to see an
exqustey eegant woman
standng n a tte hao of ght
besde her. She remnded her of
Venus, even though she ooked
nothng ke the Goddess of Love.
"If you mean Vucan, then yes I
do. I ove hm very much," Pea
sad.
The woman nodded her head. "I
knew t. You are hs eterna ove-
the true mate of hs sou. I am
Hera."
Pea ddnt need a schoobook
knowedge of mythoogy to know
who ths goddess was, she ony
needed the nstncts of a woman.
"Youre Vucans mother."
The goddess smed. "I am. And I
owe you a debt of grattude,
Dorreth Pea Chamberan. Before
Vucan knew and oved you, he
was ony partay ave. You saved
hm from eterna oneness and
more. You have gven hm a
happness I never thought he
woud know. I fnd hs mmortaty
a sma prce to pay for such a
bessng."
Pea wasnt sure shed heard the
goddess correcty. "Hs
mmortaty? What does that
mean? What happened tonght?"
"My son s not the ony mmorta
who has been observng your
modern word. I knew Grffn
DeAngeo had become beoved of
Venus. Tonght DeAngeo was
dyng. I saved hm by havng my
son take hs pace. Vucan
breathed the one remanng spark
of mmortaty that cung to hs
sprt nto hs morta she. Now
Vucan s Grffn-a morta man.
He w ve one morta fe. And
Grffn has become Vucan, God of
Fre, for eternty."
Peas body began trembng. "He
remembers? Hes st Vucan?"
"In a but body, yes he s."
"And he ve?"
"Yes. My son w ve a ong and
happy fe. You and he w have
many chdren. I w be a
grandmother and great-
grandmother over and over
agan, and for generatons the
spark of the God of Fres sprt
w shne n the DeAngeo famy."
Pea began to cry. The goddess
approached her and touched her
face. "My son chose wsey."
"What about Venus and Grffn?"
Pea sad, wpng her eyes whe
she st tred to comprehend the
enormty of what the goddess
was teng her. "What w happen
to them?"
"That, my sweet morta daughter,
w be up to the new God of Fre
and the Goddess of Love."
A commoton n the parkng ot
nterrupted Peas next queston
for the goddess. The two of them
ganced behnd them n tme to
see four dstraught young women
hurryng toward the ER entrance.
"Grffns ssters. The odest and
most reasonabe s caed Sherry.
Speak wth her frst and the rest
w foow her ead," Hera sad.
"Now go to them. You w soon be
a part of ther famy."
"You arent eavng, are you?"
"There s nothng more for me to
do here, but do not worry. I w
return often to vst my
grandchdren." The goddess
rased her hand regay. "May my
bessng stay wth you eternay."
Hera senty dsappeared.
Pea drew n a deep breath, wng
hersef to be cam. Vucan woud
be okay. She had a goddesss
word on t, and that was good
enough for her. She met the four
grs as they got to the ER doors.
Pea pcked out the woman who
ooked the most n contro of
hersef. She had ong, dark har
and Grffns startng bue eyes.
"Sherry DeAngeo?" she asked.
The four women stopped short.
"Im Sherry DeAngeo. Who are
you? Do you know whats
happened to our brother?"
"I do. Hes been n an accdent."
The women gasped, and the one
who was ceary the youngest
started cryng. "Theyve taken
hm to surgery, but hes gong to
be okay. Everythngs gong to be
okay. I promse."
"Who are you?" Sherry asked.
"My name s Dorreth
Chamberan, but everyone cas
me Pea. And Im the woman your
brother oves. He and I are gong
to be marred."
A four ssters gave her mrror
ooks of confuson. Pea smed. "I
know t seems odd. You probaby
thought he was n ove wth
Venus, the beautfu bonde,
rght?"
They nodded n tandem.
"We, ts a ong story. Actuay
Venus s a good frend of mne.
But our tte soap opera snt
whats mportant rght now.
Whats mportant s gettng Grffn
we. Come on. Lets go together
to the surgca watng room; we
tak more there.." And Pea ed
the confused ssters nto the
hospta whe she hurredy
concocted a reasonabe "Grffn
and Pea" ove story.
We, one thng was certan-her
overactve magnaton was
certany gong to come n handy.
Maybe she even had a future n
wrtng fcton..

"Goddess, Zeus and Hera send
word that they w see you now."
The nymph bowed ow as Venus
swept past her.
Where was Vucan? It had been a
fu day. Shed sent word to hs
ream that hs parents had agreed
to hear ther petton ths evenng
durng the gatherng of the
mmortas n the Great Ha. But
had Vucan degned to send her a
response? Even a bref message
va nymph or satyr or wood sprte
sayng that hed be there? No.
How totay annoyng.
Of course f she were beng
honest wth hersef, she woud
admt that everythng n the past
twenty-four hours had annoyed
her. The opuence of her tempe
bothered her. Her servant nymphs
got on her nerves. The wne was
too warm. Or too cod. Prayers
from her sub|ects had stacked up
unt the very ar around her was
fed wth a deafenng cacophony
of rrtatng sound. But a of that
chaos coud have been borne f
her heart and her sprt hadnt
been pnng for Grffn.
Venus had to admt t: She mssed
hm dreadfuy, and t had taken
a of her w to go on about her
dvne dutes and not rush drecty
back to Tusa and confront Grffn
agan. Gve hm another chance.
Try to show hm that she hadnt
changed, she hadnt msed hm,
she was st the woman hed
faen n ove wth. But she hadnt
gone back. Shed stayed n
Oympus and pued her prde
around her ke an expensve
robe.
The Goddess of Love dd not
chase after any man.
The Goddess of Love dd not bear
nsut we.
The Goddess of Love had prde
and dgnty.
Venuss sgh was sou deep. "The
Goddess of Love s mserabe,"
she muttered.
The Great Ha of Oympus was
crowded wth gtterng, goden
mmortas and exquste nymphs
of a types dressed n daphanous
scraps of cothng. Venus even
recognzed severa esser detes,
ke Hebe, Goddess of Youth; Irs,
Goddess of the Ranbow; and the
Muses and Graces. Persephone
gave her a saucy wnk as she
waked past her, whch Venus
tred her best to return wth good
humor.
We she supposed she shoud be
peased that apparenty a of
Oympus was there. Everyone
coud wtness the dssouton of
her marrage wth Vucan. It woud
save her havng to repeat hersef
over and over agan.
Maybe after ths was fnshed, she
woud return to Tusa wth Vucan.
Shed ony been away from Pea
for a day, but aready she mssed
her morta frend. No, she
corrected hersef goomy. Vucan
and Pea woud want to be aone.
They woud probaby begn
pannng ther weddng. And she
was happy for them-reay she
was.
She was aso thoroughy
depressed.
"Venus, Goddess of Love, and
Vucan, God of Fre, we sha hear
your petton now." Zeuss voce
boomed across the enormous
room.
Venus began pckng her way to
the rased das, whch hed the
two gtterng thrones on whch
sat the kng and queen of
Oympus. Dscreety she et her
eyes sweep the room. Where was
Vucan? She coud do ths wthout
hm, but f she dd t woud seem
mean-sprted and dsrespectfu.
Uness he was there to show that
the dssouton of ther marrage
was mutua, no matter how she
put her request, t woud appear
that Love had dscarded Vucan.
Hs name woud be spoken wth
even more dsdan. Perhaps she
shoud wat for hm and ask to
come before Zeus and Hera
another day.
No, Vucan woudnt want that,
and nether woud Pea. And what
dd Vucan care about what the
mmortas thought of hm? Hed
found hs ove. Pea was a that
mattered to hm. Venus stopped
before the das and curtsed ow
wth such fud grace and beauty
that she caed the attenton of
everyone n the room to her.
"What may we do for you,
Goddess of Love?" Zeus asked.
Then, wth a frown, he added,
"And wasnt the request for
petton made by you and our
son?"
"It was my ord," Venus sad. "But
t seems Vucan has been
detaned, so I w present the
request for both of us."
Zeus snorted, but Hera responded
wth a gracous, "Go ahead,
Venus. We w hear your
request."
Venus fted her chn and spoke n
a cear, confdent voce that
carred throughout the Great Ha.
"It s no secret to any of you that
my marrage to the God of Fre
has been an unusua one, and t s
that marrage that s the sub|ect
of our petton today." Venus
paused, watng for the curous
whspers to fade. "Vucan and I
have been good frends, but we
marred under fase pretenses.
Ironcay our marrage has acked
ove. We woud now ke to rectfy
our mstake. Marrage shoud be
based on more than convenence,
so Vucan and I ask that-"
"You stand wtness to the
recommtment of our marrage."
Wth the rest of the crowd, Venus
gasped wth shock at the
nterrupton. She ooked around
the enormous room unt she
caught sght of Vucans ta fgure
makng hs way toward her. Surey
shed msunderstood hs words.
She ooked up at hm as he |oned
her before the thrones of hs
parents.
"Vucan, what are you takng
about?" She kept her voce ow
for hs ears aone.
He smed at her, but nstead of
answerng he faced hs parents
and bowed to them.
"Zeus, Hera," he sad. "Thank you
for hearng our petton today,
and forgve me for beng ate."
"Thats qute a rght, son," Hera
sad, beamng a sme at her
favorte chd. "Go ahead wth
your request. Your father and I are
ready to hear t."
"Venus was qute rght. We
started our reatonshp together
n a oveess way. But now I woud
ke to rectfy that. If Venus w
agree, I want to recommt to our
marrage, and ths tme t w be a
rea marrage."
He gnored the dsbeevng
whspers and the sarcastc
aughter that was the response of
the watchng mmortas and
turned to Venus. Then he further
shocked her by takng her n hs
arms. When he spoke he ddnt
ower hs voce. The entre Ha
coud hear what he was sayng,
but hs words were confdenty
spoken and they seemed to brush
her sou wth the depth of ther
passon.
"Who knew Love coud be
ntmate wth oneness?"
"What? I-I dont understand,
Vucan," she whspered.
Agan he spoke from hs heart to
her, but he made no attempt to
speak quety. "Youve been
oney, wfe."
Numby, not understandng what
was happenng, she automatcay
reped the same words shed
spoken days earer durng a
bzarrey smar conversaton. "I
have. We shoud have never
marred. Weve both been
unbearaby sad. Frendshp can
ony be an addton to, not a
substtute for, true ove." Venus
hed her breath, hopng aganst
a reason that she knew what hs
next words woud be.
"And nether s watng and
searchng. Is there any way we
can reconce? How can we make
ths better for both of us?"
When she heard the famar
response, from the nght of the
masquerade party, Venus began
to trembe. And suddeny the
Great Ha seemed to fade around
them, and t was repaced by an
Okahoma nght when the man
who ooked nto her eyes had
been wearng a dfferent knd of
mask.
"Is t you? How dd ths happen?"
she whspered.
And then he dd ower hs voce so
that Venus aone coud hear hm.
"Its easy, my goddess. I found
the courage to accept your ove."
Wth a gad cry Venus threw her
arms around Grffns neck and
meted aganst hm as he owered
hs mouth hungry to hers, and
Vucan, God of Fre, formay and
offcay, possessed Venus,
Goddess of Love, wth Mount
Oympus as hs wtness. The
Great Ha expoded n
pandemonum. Somewhere n the
back of her mnd, Venus reazed
that the nose around her was
made up of |oyfu shouts and
cheers as the Oympans
acknowedged the gmpse they
had been gven of true ove. But
that was somethng she woud
consder and be gad of ater. |ust
then she was too busy feeng her
sou eap n |oyfu
acknowedgment that t had been
granted the mrace of vng for
eternty wth ts mate.
EPlLOGUE
One year ater
"Darng, you dont have any
amb. Woud you mnd terrby f I
zapped up a succuent young eg
of amb for the gr? I have such a
taste for t." Venus was peerng
nto Peas refrgerator as f she
actuay expected to fnd a freshy
butchered carcass of amb hdng
between the mk and orange
|uce.
"Venus, were havng buffao
steaks. Ive been marnatng them
snce ast nght. They be
decous-trust me on ths. Pus
they have ess fat and choestero
than beef, et aone amb."
Venuss beautfu face was a tota
queston mark. Pea roed her
eyes. "Buffao s better for you."
The goddess thought for a
moment and then her expresson
changed so that she ooked ke
she had |ust taken a arge bte of
somethng dstastefu. "You mean
ts heathy?"
Pea aughed.
"Are you terrorzng the mmortas
agan, tte one?"
Venus watched Vucan (no, Grffn.
Sometmes t was st hard to
remember she must aways ca
hm Grffn) wak sowy to hs
wfe. Hs eg was gettng better,
she thought. The wound had been
dreadfu. Hs entre eft eg had
been crushed. Venus remembered
how durng one of her numerous
vsts to Pea n the months
foowng the accdent and the
bzarre exchange of ther overs
sous, her morta frend had
taked about the doctors and ther
opnon that Vucan (who was now
vng the morta Grffns fe)
woud never wak agan. Pea and
Venus had shared secret smes
over that. They knew the doctors
had underestmated the sou
wthn the morta she. He st
waked carefuy and sowy, but
he waked.
Pea was aughng agan and
teng her husband that
terrorzng mmortas was one of
her favorte pastmes, when the
God of Fre materazed n the
ktchen. Pea et out a tte shrek
and pressed her hand to the very
pregnant swe of her bey.
"I dont know why I cant get used
to that," she sad, under her
breath.
"Sorry, Pea." The god ooked
chagrned. He bent to kss Peas
pump cheek, then the two men
greeted each other. "Its st
werd," sad the mmorta, who
used to be morta.
"I beeve t w aways been
dsconcertng," sad the morta
man who used to be God of Fre.
Venus notced that, as aways,
they shook hands warmy. The
two men honesty ked and
respected each other. That, the
Goddess of Love thought, proved
that there was somethng
ntrnscay honorabe and good
about each mans sou. Then her
husband waked around the tabe
to her. By Crces huge tts, she
oved hm! Venus ddnt thnk she
woud ever tre of the unque
sprt that sparked n hs dark
eyes or of the way he made her
body sng beneath hs hands. He
was ncredby strong and
powerfu, and durng the past
year that Grffn had resded
wthn Vucans mmorta frame,
the God of Fre had competey
ost the mp that had caused hm
so much angush for eons. Ironc,
reay, that the wound foowed
the mans sou more than hs
body. Then Venus coud ony thnk
about how warm hs ps were as
she pressed hersef aganst hm,
returnng hs kss.
"Hey there, my goddess," he
whspered. "Dd you mss me?"
"Oh, |eesh, you two. Pease. Shes
ony been here for one day
wthout you," Pea sad, shakng
her head good-naturedy at them.
"I woud mss you f you were
gone for a day." Vucan bent to
nuzze Peas neck, whch made
her ggge and shver.
"Stop that! We dont have tme.
Your ssters w be here any
second, and I st have ots to do
so that we can eat and be ready
to eave for the grand openng of
Fabos boutque." She turned her
stern ook on Venus. "You know
he be crushed f youre ate."
"Darng, remnd me what he
decded to ca hs tte shop,"
Venus sad.
"Ft for a Goddess." Pea grnned.
"He sad you nspred the tte."
"Of course I dd."
"Want me to ght the charcoa for
the gr?" Vucan asked her.
"You know that I coud very easy
do that for you," the new God of
Fre sad.
"Thanks, but I st ke to start a
fre or two every once n a whe."
Vucan fted hs now morta hands
and wgged hs fngers, dong an
exceent mpresson of how
Venus ked to zap thngs nto
beng. "Even f these dont work
so we for me anymore."
Venus snorted at hm, but secrety
she thought that mortaty had
been good for hs sense of humor.
"We, God of Fre, f you want to
make yoursef usefu, you can get
a box for me from the pantry. Its
on the very top shef, and Im not
feeng ke cmbng the step stoo
rght now. I thnk I put a bag of
speca mesqute wood chps n t,
and I want ya to add t to the
charcoa as more seasonng for
the steaks."
"Shes feedng us heathy food.."
Venus muttered.
"I heard that," Pea sad.
"No probem." Grffn grabbed the
box from the pantry and put t on
the ktchen tabe.
"Venus, woud you get the chps
out of there for me?"
"Yes, darng, as ong as you dont
try to make me eat them," Venus
sad sweety.
"Very funny." Pea went back to
choppng ceery for the potato
saad whe Venus searched
through the box.
"Pea, darng, snt ths the book
you used to summon my ad?"
Pea turned. "Yep, thats t.
Wonder how t got n that box?"
"So ths s what started t a."
Grffn took the ornatey bound
eather book from Venus.
"Dscover the Goddess Wthn-
Uneash Venus and Open Your Lfe
to Love by |uno Panheenus. Now
thats a mouthfu."
As f someone had punched her n
the stomach, a of the ar eft
Venuss body.
"What?!" She and Vucan gasped
the word together.
He hobbed over to the tabe and
took the book from Grffn. Venus
was shakng her head over and
over and over. "I had no dea.
Absoutey no dea."
"Youd never seen the book unt
now?" Vucan asked her.
"Never. Pea was rectng the
nvocaton from memory. I smpy
cant beeve ths."
"What s t?" Concerned, Pea had
|oned them at the tabe. "Whats
wrong?"
Venus ooked at her morta frend.
"Its the author. I know her." She
fatered and added, "And hm."
"We know them," Vucan sad.
"Actuay Grffn knows them now,
too."
"What are you two takng
about?" asked Grffn.
Venus ponted at the name,
prnted n beautfu rased
metac scrpt across the cover of
the book. "|uno s one of the
many names Hera uses. And
Panheenus means God of a
the Greeks. Its one of Zeuss
epthets."
"The od manpuators! They were
behnd ths a aong," Vucan sad
ncreduousy.
"Weve had ther bessng ths
whoe tme, and we ddnt reaze
t," Venus sad.
Pea ooked at her beoved
husband, who had gone through
so much to fnd hs happness.
"That means they ove you, they
st ove you, very, very much,"
Pea sad.
"Actuay," Venus added,
wrappng her arm around her
morta frends shouder. "It
means they ove a of us, and
that we a have the bessng of
the kng and queen of the
Oympans."
And as the four frends smed at
one another, thunder roed
payfuy across the coudess
Okahoma sky.