Pandora's Pain

by A. K. Koonce

  He didn’t look at me as he spoke. “Literally, your mind is an endless loop of dick references, I swear.”

  I didn’t move an inch, but a smile crept across my face.

  My legs stretched against the smooth sheets as I considered the god in a new light.

  Was he an ally? The only one I had? My tongue rolled across my lips, and they tingled as I remembered how it felt to have his mouth against mine.

  Alex could be the key I needed to change my fate.

  To change all of our fates.

  “It’s after ten. So, either get dressed or I’ll shove those miseries in that box, myself.” He pushed off from his spot near the window, his steps storming as he strode across the room with more anger than I’d ever seen in him.

  Strike everything I just said about our budding and beautiful friendship.

  I was on my own again.

  A knock reverberated against the door and through the room. I barely managed to sit up before Alex swung open the door.

  My hands gripped at the puffy blankets, holding them loosely against my chest.

  Zavier stepped shyly into the room, his steps hesitant as he eyed my shirtless friend. His gaze became even more narrowed when his attention landed on me. It skimmed across my bare shoulders before peeking back at Alex.

  “Hey, sorry if I was interrupting anything.” Zavier’s words were carefully spoken but expertly aimed.

  Sometimes, I wondered if Alex just wanted to see how much I could talk my way out of things.

  Why would he have opened the door knowing damn well I was naked?

  You’re the one who insists on being naked at all hours.

  His sharp tone echoed through my thoughts and my eyes narrowed on his mocking smile.

  “There’s nothing to interrupt. Absolutely, nothing.”

  “What he said,” I added, smiling sweetly at Zavier and hoping he believed us.

  And that my guilt over what could have happened the night before wasn’t too obvious. I’d been ready to use Alex to scratch the itch Ashton had started in me. I’d been ready to manipulate him into helping me find a way around my agreement with the gods.

  But there was no loophole. Not where the gods were concerned.

  “He’s like a brother to me,” I said, to break the awkward silence which was starting between us all. I really wasn’t sure how I was going to get out of this situation. I liked Ashton. I liked Zavier, too. And I was feeling a little like I was cheating on the two of them by spending time naked in front of Alex.

  “Right, a brother.” Zavier didn’t seem impressed.

  “Yes.” I stood, trying to convey confidence as I held a sheet awkwardly around myself.

  “Are you naked in front of your brothers often?” He arched an eyebrow, but I didn’t miss the roving of his eyes over me. He wanted me as much as I wanted him. And Ashton. Hades, I’d take Brock too. It’d been too long since I’d been with a man. And even longer since I’d had affection from one. I was ready for an overload.

  It’d been a long time since anyone was kind to me, really.

  “I don’t have any brothers,” I replied. I didn’t have any sisters either, but that hardly seemed relevant.

  “Explaining why you seem to think it’s okay to be naked in the same room as your friend.”

  “And Brock being naked in front of you is any different?” I threw back, already fixating on the image of Brock’s body in my mind.

  “Yes.”

  “It shouldn’t be,” I pointed out.

  He gave me a look I wasn’t sure how to interpret.

  “Why are you here, Hope?” Zavier asked.

  I sensed Alex freezing in the background just as my own blood ran cold. That wasn’t the kind of thing we’d prepared for. What did I say?

  “I’m a historian,” I blurted out. “Researching Ancient Greece this month.”

  What a stupid thing to say. Though at least I’d be able to bluff my way through any questions about the gods.

  “Oh, you mean like Mars?”

  “Ares,” I corrected instantly, hoping it covered up Alex’s scoff of derision from behind me. I really hope Ares hasn’t chosen this moment to look in on how I was doing, he would not like being called by his Roman name. Of all the gods, he was the one with the most against his Roman alter ego. I wasn’t too sure why. They did exactly the same thing—they were just being worshipped in different parts of the world. That’s just the gods though. Fickle and confusing.

  Alex scoffed again. Oops, he must have heard that.

  “Aren’t they the same thing?” Zavier asked.

  “Kind of,” I responded. “But the Pantheon is a big fan of revenge, best not mix them up.” Especially given I knew first-hand what they’re view on punishing people was. There was no hurry to revisit imprisonment from my end.

  “Got it.”

  I was oddly impressed by him. Zavier was smart, but he wasn’t overbearing with his intelligence.

  We lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. I shifted slightly, not knowing what he was even visiting for. It was still early in the day, and as far as I knew, I didn’t have any plans with Ashton and him until later.

  “I was wondering if you’d like to go for some brunch.”

  “She already has—”

  “I’d love to,” I interrupted Alex, sending him a glare in my mind. He seemed to get the message. Besides, I didn’t already have plans. Unless I counted destroying souls and trapping them in a box. Which I didn’t.

  That was more of a hobby anyway.

  “Great. Want to meet me downstairs in twenty minutes?” he asked, his gaze lazily pursuing every inch of me.

  “I only need five.” I leaned in and went on my tiptoes, pressing a kiss against his cheek.

  He paused, studying me with a warm look that fluttered all through me. He only smiled before turning away and I watched his retreating back with a sense of longing I couldn’t quite place. These men were getting to me, it had to be said. And I was even more certain that I wouldn’t be able to capture them.

  Changing the track of my thoughts before Alex caught on, I tried to work out what I was going to wear. I’d bought a lot clothes to make me look good for a night out but not so much during the day. Major oversight on my part, really.

  “Alex, would you mind?” I asked, gesturing downwards at myself and hoping he understood.

  He sighed. “Will this move you closer to getting the damned sins back in your box?”

  “Yes.” No. Maybe. It wasn’t really looking promising to be honest.

  Alex gave me a knowing look but waved his hand in my direction anyway. The bed sheet changed around me, transforming into a summer dress—form fitting on the top with a floaty skirt falling to my knees.

  “I took the liberty of fixing your hair too,” he said.

  Without really thinking, I lifted a hand up and ran it through my now smooth and styled hair. It was soft and perfect against my fingers. Part of me wanted to go check how I looked in the mirror but the rest of me figured it was unwise to piss Alex off by thinking I didn’t trust him. Even if I didn’t.

  It wasn’t like he was the god of apparel for heaven’s sake.

  “Thanks,” I replied. “See you later.”

  “Oh no, you’re not going alone.” His voice interrupted me as I placed my hand on the door.

  I turned back to him. “I think you’ll find I am.”

  “With all the mischief you’ll get up to?” he sneered at me.

  I’d be wounded at his lack of trust if I actually cared.

  Unwanted, the recollection of our kiss filled my mind and a warmth flowed around my body. I shook my head, willing the image to disappear.

  “You are not coming with me,” I half-shouted. “Stay here and leave me be.”

  I pulled open the door and stormed through, then slammed it behind me. I briefly caught the flash of hurt on Alex’s face, but chose to ignore it. If he thought he could boss me around, then he had another thing coming.


  We’d been together for days. If he hadn’t figured out I wasn’t one of those women who waited for a man’s instruction by now, then he might never get it.

  I strode down the corridor, my soft leather sandals slapping against the floor and echoing around the empty space. I needed to move quickly if I wanted to enjoy my brunch with Zavier without an annoying god on my tail.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I guessed the easiest way to push all of this forward would be to see if I was wasting my time with Zavier and Ashton. We’d spent some time together. If I couldn’t even get them alone with the powers of the box, perhaps I should just let them go. Find new miseries.

  It was possible I just wanted an excuse to keep them safe.

  But I did need to know if I could trap them at all.

  Feeling like a tease, I rubbed my leg up the inside of Zavier’s, receiving a shocked look in return.

  “Hope…”

  “Hmm?” I took a sip of my coffee. This was something we hadn’t had before my imprisonment and one of the better things about modern society. Coffee and the piercings I couldn’t stop thinking about were my favorites.

  “I don’t think you should be doing that.” The strained sound of his voice made me think it was very possible I could trap him.

  My heart sank just thinking about it, but I kept my features neutral.

  “What?” I fluttered my eyelashes innocently.

  “Nothing.” He looked down and pushed a button on his phone. “Shit,” he muttered.

  “Everything okay?” I pulled my leg back, but only because the look on his face had become serious. Something must have gone particularly wrong.

  “I need to go into the office. Are you going to be okay making your way back to the hotel?”

  “Can I not come with you?” I didn’t really want to be alone with Alex again unless I had to. Plus, I didn’t really have anything to do there either. Receiving accusatory glares wasn’t exactly a past time I really enjoyed.

  “Won’t you be bored?”

  “Don’t you own a tech company?” I countered, thinking back to what Ashton had said about his app. “If you have a spare computer, I could do some work.”

  And by work, I meant I could research about mythologies I knew less about. One of them must have a legend similar to mine. And if they did…well, maybe they’d contain the answers I needed to keep my men out of my box.

  No. The men. Not my men. Bad Pandora.

  “If you’re sure…”

  “I am. But we need to take some of this with us.” I waved towards the still laden table, and Zavier nodded.

  He signaled for one of the waiters to come over before saying something in a low voice. If I tried, I’d be able to tell what he was saying. But I was far more interested in the brioche roll I was currently tearing apart.

  “He’s going to send this along behind us.” He motioned for me to stand, then slipped an arm around my back, propelling me towards a car which already stood waiting.

  Wow, it must be good to be as rich as he was. I doubted the everyday men and women in the city had this kind of luxury at their fingertips.

  Zavier was confident and smart and incredible sexy. He was attractive in a subtle but demanding way. I couldn’t help but study him when he did the most mundane things.

  I made sure my leg brushed Zavier’s as I slipped into the back seat. I was reasonably sure he’d figured out the touches weren’t accidental, but I was too curious to see what he’d do about it. From everything he said, he respected Ashton too much to make a move on someone he deemed to be Ashton’s woman. Equally, the looks he threw my way made his attraction to me all too clear.

  I’d been a prisoner for several lifetimes over. And now, I was finally free. I didn’t belong to Ashton, or Zavier, or even Alex.

  For a short while, I was free.

  And I was going to enjoy it.

  Zavier wanted me. Of that I was certain. My main question was how to make him see that.

  We didn’t say a word to one another as we travelled towards his office. Mostly because I spent the time staring out of the window at the world around me. Everything was so high. So gray. So different. There was very little doubt I wasn’t in Ancient Greece anymore. A small part of me felt guilty over not missing it, but deep down I knew this world suited me better. And not just because my miseries had been set loose on this one already. There wasn’t much more damage I could do.

  “Which is your favorite myth?” he blurted.

  “Sorry?”

  “From your studies,” he clarified.

  Even so, it took me a moment or two to catch up. “Persephone,” I responded, leaning in to whisper to him.

  “Hades’ wife?”

  “Kind of.” Wife was putting it a bit strongly. Weird Stockholm syndrome captive was more like it. As far as I’d ever been able to tell, Persephone had real feelings for the Lord of the Underworld, and he had at least lust for her. Things were just a bit…cloudy. No one was ever really sure what was going on with that couple.

  “Why?”

  “I hate pomegranates.” Not even a lie. The first time Hades had taken his wife with him, Demeter had killed all the pomegranate trees in response. I’d had a blissful few years without the fruit. “What about yours?” I regretted the question the instant it slipped past my lips.

  “Pandora’s Box.”

  My blood ran cold. That wasn’t the answer I expected or wanted to hear. “Why?” I whispered.

  “Something about that being the root of all the miseries in the world just speaks to me. I don’t want to believe the world was created to be cruel.”

  Blinking furiously, I did my best to ignore the tears which were threatening in the corners of my eyes. It hadn’t really been my fault. I wasn’t sure why people didn’t get that. Maybe I needed to do some research into what the gods had actually told people about my story. That way, I’d be prepared next time someone told me about my legend.

  “I think she was misunderstood,” I countered despite myself.

  “Potentially.” He didn’t sound convinced, so I left it.

  No part of me was ready for the outing that I not only knew a lot about Pandora, but that I was her.

  Who’d believe me anyway?

  After a few moments of silence, Zavier turned back to his phone, scrolling through whatever messages he’d been receiving about whatever crisis he was dealing with. That made it sound very ominous. I hoped it wasn’t anything too serious.

  “We’re here,” he said, as the car pulled up to one of the tall gray buildings.

  Zavier got out first, holding the door open for me. I smiled my thanks, but I doubted it reached my eyes. His answer in the car had shaken me more than I wanted to admit. Maybe I should have gone back to the hotel. Facing Alex again had to be better than this.

  “Welcome to my empire.” He waved his hand in front of him, then led me up the steps to the front door. A grand entrance hall greeted us, complete with huge pillars reminiscent of the architecture of old. Except that just like everything outside was too gray, everything inside was too white.

  I shivered.

  My heels clicked repetitively against the glossy tile floor. At the elevator, he pressed the button and a short silence fell between us. When the doors chimed, his hand met the small of my back and a tingling feeling flooded through me. It was a feeling of being alive. Of being noticed and of finding attention in the person I’d tried so damn hard to get to relax around me.

  We stepped inside, and the doors closed without a sound. He pressed a number against the panel.

  And then we were alone.

  It was a strange sensation; being tucked away in a small room with a handsome man. We were secluded from the world and it wouldn’t last long. Perhaps that was what the lust filled feeling was that was building in my chest.

  From the corner of his dark eyes, he looked at me.

  Was he thinking the same thing?

  “You do like Ashton, right?” />
  I kept my attention on the steely doors ahead. But his reflection betrayed him. Confusion crossed his face. What an odd question. “Of course, I do.”

  He nodded at that.

  The doors parted, and I stepped out first.

  “I just like you too,” I added with a casual shrug.

  It took him a minute to join me in the hall. The harsh white lighting fell across his sharp features. All American boy. I don’t know what the phrase truly means. Especially since Zavier wasn’t American. He looked sweet and innocent though. Handsome but kind.

  And he’s a misery of this damned world?

  I didn’t believe it.

  Not when he was looking down on me with so much confusion it nearly broke my heart to think about shoving him away just as the gods had done to me.

  “It shouldn’t take too long.”

  We walked down a quiet corridor before stopping in front of a door with a shining plaque. ZAVIER HOLLAND, CEO BITCH was engraved into the expensive gold plate.

  “You’re a CEO bitch?” Laughter hummed against my words.

  He unlocked the door and gave a sweeping gesture with his hand as if inviting me into a grand palace instead of a quaint office.

  “I’ll have you know I had to earn that title. They don’t give out CEO bitch plaques to just everyone, Hope.”

  “It is very impressive.” I smiled at him but the way he was looking at me didn’t feel funny. It felt flirting.

  A beat passed, and we were still staring at each other with butterflies storming through my stomach.

  “I don’t know how long my call will take. I can set you up on my computer if you want to do some research or stream a movie while we’re here.” He led me to the massive desk against the far wall. Floor to ceiling windows looked out over the traffic of the city. The sky was a graying color that washed out the dark buildings into a dreary sight.

  “Here’s some headphones so you don’t have to listen to me and my boring business.”

  He didn’t know just how much I wanted to listen to him. I remembered his accent. The swaying words that caught in my mind and slid slowly through me, making my heart flutter at the simple thought of it.