by Tina Folsom
As soon as he saw Psyche’s truck leave with both women inside, Eros rushed back to his car. He arrived at Psyche’s shop before she did, because she’d had to make a detour driving the old lady home. He stood in front of the shop’s door as Psyche pulled up in her truck. Even before she got out of it, he noticed her surprised and slightly apprehensive look.
Psyche approached him. “Eros, what are you doing here?”
“Have you had lunch?”
She shook her head. “I was gonna grab a sandwich from the deli.” She motioned to the shop next to hers.
“I have a better idea.” He took her hand. “How about a picnic? I’ve put a nice little basket together for us.”
“But…”
“We need to talk,” he interrupted. What he had to say couldn’t wait. “About yesterday.”
“Oh.” An uncomfortable look spread on her face. “I didn’t mean to—”
“Please, I need to explain.” He motioned to his car. “But not here. Let’s go someplace where we can talk in peace and quiet.”
“Let me get changed. My clothes are dirty. I have some clean stuff in my office.”
“No problem.”
Half an hour later, they arrived at the beach on Sullivan’s Island. Eros parked the car, snatched the picnic basket and a blanket from the back seat and got out. Psyche followed him. Eros chose one of the more secluded corners where high sand dunes and some vegetation provided some privacy, and spread out the picnic blanket.
While he took out the food and Psyche settled down on the blanket, he contemplated his next words. He knew he couldn’t tell Psyche the truth about Aphrodite, because she’d never believe that she was his mother. And he couldn’t reveal that he was a god either. All he could do was try to convince her that he had no romantic feelings for Aphrodite.
“I know you were upset last night.”
She fidgeted. “I need to tell you—”
Eros stopped her by lifting his hand. “Please, let me explain.”
Psyche nodded slowly.
“Thank you. Last night when you got back and saw me and Aphrodite, I realized how seeing me with her might have looked. I should have handled it better, but I was taken by surprise.” He searched Psyche’s eyes while she listened in silence. “We have a long history, Aphrodite and I, but none of it is even remotely romantic or sexual. I’ve never touched her in that way, nor do I want to. But she’s important to me. We have each other’s backs when it counts.”
“True friends,” she said nodding.
“Yes. She’s helped me out of difficult situations before, and when I was betrayed over a year ago, when I discovered that Gloria, my then-girlfriend was cheating on me all along and had never truly loved me, Aphrodite was there to support me.”
“What happened with Gloria?” Psyche asked softly.
Eros sighed. About this subject he had to tell her the absolute truth. “I wanted to marry Gloria. I bought the house for me and her, so we could fill it with children.”
“Oh.”
“I thought I’d finally found the woman I could give everything to, my heart, my worldly possessions, my future. I loved her.” He realized that it had to be hard for another woman to hear those words, but he didn’t want to lie or gloss over the truth. “But she didn’t share my feelings.”
“She turned you down?”
He let out a bitter laugh. “If only. I think it would have been easier had she simply rejected my proposal. But I never got that far. I never got to propose to her, because another man did. See, she’d been seeing another man during the entire time she dated me. And in comparison to me, he appeared richer and had a higher status in society. So she chose him. I ran into them just as he was proposing to her. She pretended not to know me, ‘cause she didn’t need me anymore. She’d landed a bigger catch.”
Psyche placed her hand on his arm. “I’m sorry.”
He pinned her with his eyes. “I know how much it hurts to be betrayed. I would never do that to somebody I cared about. I would sooner break off a relationship than put anybody through what I’ve been through.” He lifted his hand and brushed his fingers over her cheek. “I could never hurt you that way. Please believe me: Aphrodite isn’t my lover, and she’ll never be my lover.”
“I believe you.” She lowered her lids as if in shame. “But there’s something I have to tell you, too.”
His heart skipped a beat. Was this about Wayne? “Yes?”
“This morning, I spoke to Sophia when I was doing the flowers at the B&B.” She swallowed. “She told me about Aphrodite and you.”
“She did?” Eros asked in trepidation. What exactly had Sophia told her?
Psyche nodded. “She told me that you’re only friends. And that Aphrodite often comes to see you when she wants to cry on your shoulder about the man she loves.”
“Oh. So you knew already.”
“That’s what I wanted to tell you earlier.”
He chuckled, relieved that somehow Sophia had backed up his story without even knowing what he would tell Psyche. He winked at her. “I suppose you didn’t think it would be appropriate to stop me while I was pouring my heart out to you, did you?”
Psyche smirked. “It’s rare that a man talks about his feelings so openly. I didn’t really want to interrupt you once you got going.”
“You little minx,” he chided her, grinning. “What do you think the appropriate punishment for that should be?”
“Punishment?” She lifted her eyebrows.
Eros glanced around. They were still alone. “Yes. Do you really think I’m gonna let this slide?” He reached for her and pulled her closer.
She didn’t protest. Instead, she put her arms around him and molded herself to him.
“Last night, I wanted to knock on your door and talk to you and hold you in my arms. But I was afraid that if I pushed my company on you, you’d move out and I would never see you again.”
Psyche ran her hand through his hair. “I’m sorry for reacting the way I did. I didn’t mean to. But last night, I don’t think I would have listened to anything you said. Or allowed you to touch me.”
“And now? May I touch you now?”
“Aren’t you already?”
He smirked. “I was thinking of something a little more intimate.” Slowly, he let his hand slide down her thigh until he reached the seam of her skirt. “I was thinking of making you come to remind you of what you passed up last night.”
Psyche whirled her head to the side to look around. “Here?”
“Yes, here. Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye out so nobody sees us.”
“But—”
He slid his hand underneath her skirt. “You’ll keep your clothes on.” When he reached the apex of her thighs, he tugged on her panties. “Except for these.” To make her agree to his suggestion, he slid his fingers underneath the fabric and stroked gently along her sex.
Psyche gasped, and as if in invitation, her legs opened wider.
“Is that a yes?” he murmured against her lips.
“Yes.”
He captured her lips for a kiss, while she helped him rid her of her panties. Then he lifted her onto his lap and turned them, shielding her with his body, so even if somebody approached, they wouldn’t be able to see what he was doing. His hand was underneath her skirt, and she was completely covered from the knees up. But that didn’t stop him from getting aroused. Her sweet ass was rubbing against his groin, and his fingers were already drenched in her juices, and he’d barely even begun to caress her. Already, he felt heat shooting through him. But he pushed back his growing lust and concentrated on Psyche instead.
As he kissed her deep and hard, he stroked her wet folds and rubbed along her slit, gathering the moisture to bring it farther up to the tiny organ at the base of her curls. When he slid his finger over it and rubbed gently, she twisted in his arms. Her hips moved up and down, and her ass ground more urgently against his hardening cock.
He ripped his lips from her
s, but continued to caress her. “Easy, gorgeous,” he murmured, “or I’m gonna spill in my pants.”
Her eyes flew open and searched his. She looked at him in a haze, and he rubbed her clit faster, making her eyelashes flutter, and her lips open on a moan.
“Are you sure nobody can see us?” she whispered in a rushed voice, before another moan rolled over her lips.
“I’m sure, gorgeous. Now relax.” He caressed her eagerly, using his thumb to give her even more pleasure, while he brushed his middle finger along her moist slit. “I wanna feel when you come,” he murmured against her lips. He eased his finger into her tight channel and felt her clench around him.
Her hands dug into his back and shoulder as she thrust her pelvis toward him. “Oh god!”
Slowly and gently, he pumped in and out of her. “Tonight it’ll be my cock,” he promised her and himself.
Noticing how her breathing was changing, becoming more rapid and choppy, he adjusted to her rhythm, drawing tighter circles over her clit and moving faster.
“Yes, come for me,” he urged her, wanting nothing more than to feel her shudder in his arms.
He took her lips in another passionate kiss, dipping his tongue into her the way he wanted to thrust his cock into her pussy, giving her a preview of tonight, when he’d take her to his bed again.
Then he felt it: her body stiffened, and her interior muscles clamped around his digit as she climaxed. He swallowed her moans and stilled his fingers, letting her ride out her orgasm until the waves seemed to ebb. When she sighed and relaxed into his embrace again, he released her lips.
“I can’t let you go yet,” he said and rubbed over her clit again.
With her body still hyper-sensitive from her orgasm, it only took seconds to bring her to the brink again. This time, she cried out in pleasure, and he drowned the sound with his lips, lest the sounds of their lovemaking attract curious beachgoers.
“Eros,” she whispered now, lifting her lids as if they were as heavy as lead.
He smiled at her. “I hope you liked your lunch.”
Psyche’s cheeks reddened. “You’re spoiling me.”
“May I spoil you a little more?”
She jerked backward, putting her hands on his chest to hold him back. “I don’t think I can take any more.”
Eros laughed. “I meant tonight. May I take you out for dinner?”
She released a relieved laugh. “That would be nice.”
Then he leaned in and brought his mouth to her ear. “And after dinner, how about you come back to my place?”
“If I may remind you I currently live at your place.”
“I know. But I meant my bedroom. I want you to sleep in my bed tonight. That is, if I let you sleep at all.”
Her eyes sparkled when she looked at him. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“Is that a challenge?”
“Are you up for it?”
He winked at her and pressed her against his still hard cock. “What do you think?”
When her eyes widened appreciatively, he smiled and said, “Now let me drive you back to your shop. I promised Justin another archery lesson this afternoon. But after that, I’m all yours.”
And Psyche would be all his for a night of unbridled passion.
26
The dinner at the romantic little restaurant had been wonderful. Eros had behaved like the perfect gentleman and treated her as if she were the only woman in the world. Psyche had never felt so cherished. And desired. All evening he’d looked at her like she was a tasty treat, and now as he opened the door to his house, he was already pulling her into his arms. The door had barely shut behind them, before he was kissing her in the dark foyer. The memory of the night he’d gone down on her right there at the foot of the stairs sent a searing hot flame through her core.
Psyche returned his kiss with unrestrained lust and gripped him by the shoulders, pushing him back against the door. She wanted to rub herself all over him and feel every inch of this virile man. And apparently he liked that idea, because his hand slid down to her ass, grabbing her possessively, while he tilted his hips so she could feel his growing cock press against her center.
“Gorgeous,” he murmured between kisses.
A flash of light suddenly illuminated the house.
“Surprise!” a chorus of voices yelled.
Shock paralyzed her.
Eros cursed, “Fuck!”
Psyche spun her head around and stared, stunned, at the scene before her. There, in the entrance to the living room stood Eros’s friends and their wives, a sparkling garland reading Happy Birthday, Eros hanging above the archway.
Psyche eased out of Eros’s embrace.
“Happy birthday, Uncle Eros,” Thoas suddenly said and staggered toward them, carrying a small wrapped present.
The adults all began to talk at the same time, uttering birthday wishes, while Psyche frantically tried to compose herself. She caught Triton nudging Dionysus with his elbow in a gesture that she could only interpret as triumphant.
Eros seemed to have found his voice again, too, as he now thanked his friends. “Wow, what a surprise. I didn’t think anybody would remember.” He bent down to Thoas. “Is that for me?”
The little boy nodded. “Happy birthday!” Then he looked over his shoulder to his mother Ariadne for approval. When she clapped her hands in delight, a huge grin spread over the toddler’s face.
“The champagne is getting warm!” Dio called out and waved them to approach.
As they all walked back into the living room, Eros put his arm around Psyche’s waist.
“Why didn’t you tell me it’s your birthday? I would have gotten you a present,” Psyche said.
Eros winked at her. “Don’t worry, you can still get me a present. Later, when they’re all gone.”
“Behave!” she reprimanded him and shot a glance toward the door, hoping nobody had heard him.
“I’ll behave, but only while my friends are here.”
When they entered the living room, Dio was already pouring champagne into delicate flutes, and Triton was handing the flutes to the guests. Ari was stopping Thoas from grabbing a handful of pralines from a silver platter that sat in the middle of the coffee table, while Penny and Sophia were whispering to each other. Hermes was busy opening another bottle of champagne.
Psyche took a deep, steadying breath. All of them had seen her and Eros kissing passionately, and must have noticed that they’d been about to tear each other’s clothes off. And while that played directly into the game they’d been playing for Eros’s friends, the fact that it was real now instead of pretend, made embarrassment sweep through her. They’d truly gotten caught making out. She couldn’t recall this ever happening to her before.
When everybody had a glass of champagne in their hand, Hermes made a toast. “To my best friend, a very happy birthday, and many thousands more!”
Everybody cheered and toasted. Psyche took a sip, as Sophia sidled up to her.
“Thousands?” she asked Sophia with a little frown.
Sophia made a dismissive hand movement. “It’s a Greek thing.” Then she added, “So I guess things are all okay now?”
Psyche nodded. “We talked. Eros explained everything about Aphrodite.”
“I’m happy for you.”
She turned her head to the four men when she heard Hermes say in a loud voice, “Tradition is tradition.”
Sophia rolled her eyes already. “Uh-oh.”
“Okay, okay, but I’m not sure I’ve got that kind of music here,” Eros said to his friends.
“What are they doing?” Psyche whispered to Sophia.
“You’ll see. It’s a Greek thing.”
“There seem to be a lot of Greek things.”
“Like I mentioned the other night, they moved here from Greece, but they’ve kept up the old traditions,” Sophia explained.
Suddenly loud music came through the speakers, startling her, and the men pushe
d several pieces of furniture aside, then lined up next to each other, their arms interlinked.
“They’re gonna dance to this?” Psyche asked when she recognized the music from an old movie.
“You bet!” Sophia said, giggling.
The men started slowly, moving side to side, their legs moving in synch, their heads turned to one side. Psyche couldn’t believe it as she watched. They were dancing the Sirtaki, the very dance that Anthony Quinn had danced in Zorba the Greek.
The women stood to one side of the living room, watching their men perform, clapping and laughing. Psyche let her eyes roam. That’s when something became clearer and clearer: everything around her was Greek, not only the four friends’ names. Even the art on the walls and the artifacts on the sideboards depicted scenes from Greek mythology. The books on the bookshelves looked ancient, and many were in Cyrillic script. Others were books about Greece or Greek mythology.
She looked back at the men as they continued dancing. The light reflected on something on Hermes’ shoes. He wasn’t wearing regular shoes, but sandals. Wasn’t the god Hermes famous for his sandals? She couldn’t swear to it, but it was odd to say the least.
Psyche turned to set her empty glass down on a side table, when her gaze fell onto the bow that was leaning against the wall.
Eros had been practicing with Justin earlier and probably left it there. For the first time she noticed how old it was. Why would Eros have kept such an old and outdated bow when he was clearly a talented archer who could afford a better one? Why hold on to this old one?
The music suddenly stopped, and the women were cheering. One of them even whistled. Psyche spun around and found Eros’s eyes on her. He’d watched her.
Psyche clapped. “That was amazing! I didn’t know you could dance like that!”
Eros grinned and walked up to her, stealing a kiss. “There are a lot of things you don’t know about me yet.”
27
Zeus looked up from his desk and glared at his visitor.
