Goddess of Love (Goddess Summoning #5)(37)

"Oh. My. God! This is so much fun!" Pea sipped her pomegranate martini and nibbled at the sweet chili roasted pecans their waitress, Jenny, had brought them.

"Oh. My. Goddess would be so much more appropriate," Venus corrected.

"Sorry, you're right. We're goddesses. I should get the words right."

Venus smiled indulgently at her little mortal friend. "Don't be too hard on yourself. I've had an eternity to get used to it. You're doing very well for your first night as a deity. To us - goddesses inside and out!" Venus and Pea tapped their frosted martini glasses together. "And what is this divine music? I've never heard anything like it."

"The band is the Full Flava Kings. They specialize in oldies. Right now they're singing something called classic Motown. Totally danceable and utterly fantastic." Automatically, Pea's body moved to the sounds of "The Way You Do the Things You Do," and she sang along with the chorus.

"You should dance," Venus said, smiling appreciatively at the sinuous way Pea's lithe body swayed to the music.

"Oh, no. I don't dance."

Venus laughed. "Of course you do. You said you've been taking lessons since you were a child."

"That's different." Pea lowered her voice and looked around nervously. "That's dance class."

"So you don't really like to dance?"

"I love to dance," Pea said quickly. "But that kind of dancing." She jerked her chin at the crowded dance floor. "Is different."

"You need to relax and trust your body. Believe me. Love is an expert on bodies. That kind of dancing is exactly what you need."

Pea opened her mouth to argue with Venus, but a male voice interrupted her.

"Beautiful Goddess, would you honor me with a dance?"

Pea and Venus looked from each other to the masked man who stood in front of their table. He was dressed all in black - black leather pants, black silk shirt, black cape and mask. And he appeared to have a rapier in a sheath at his hip. His name tag read: Hello, my name is ZORRO. Venus arched a brow, a movement that was lost behind her mask, but the slight upward curve of her full lips was unmistakable. He was certainly tall and well formed. His jaw line was firm. His manners appeared to be passable. Yes, he might do for a start.

"Hi, Zorro," Pea said brightly.

The man hardly glanced in her direction. He had eyes only for Venus. The goddess frowned.

"Dance with me, lovely Venus," he said.

No, this wouldn't do at all. She wanted Pea to dance. She had been frolicking with men for centuries. It was second nature to her. Tonight it was Pea's turn.

"Go ahead," Pea said, with a little too much enthusiasm. "I'll be fine waiting right here."

Venus looked at Pea, easily seeing through her masks - the physical one she wore tonight and the emotional one she'd worn for too much of her life. Pea was used to waiting in the shadows while others danced...loved...lived. Not tonight, Venus promised herself. And with a sudden inspiration the Goddess of Love opened her mouth and belched like a Greek sailor. The masked man drew back half a step.

Venus waved her hand in front of her mouth. "Whew! I think I've had too much to drink! And those pecans were certainly better going down." While Pea and the costumed man were averting their eyes in embarrassment, Venus surreptitiously wiggled her fingers at Zorro. She didn't bespell him - she wouldn't do that to Pea. The mortal had been right about not catching a man with magic. Pea deserved to capture a man who was truly attracted to her on her own, by her own merit. All Venus did was to divinely erase any interest he had in her, thereby allowing his attention to shift to an alternative "goddess."

He blinked, for a moment clearly disconcerted, but quickly recovered. With a flourish of his cape he bowed to Pea.

"Aphrodite, your sister goddess is not interested in the dance. Don't break my heart by saying you aren't, either."

"She wouldn't think of it," Venus said, giving Pea a sly shove under the table.

"But I..." Pea began.

"You are a goddess," Venus said. "And goddesses dance." She met Pea's eyes within the sparkling mask. "Trust me," she said softly. "And trust yourself."

"Okay. Well. I'd love to dance. Thank you." Pea took the masked man's offered hand and let him lead her to the crowded dance floor.

Venus smiled happily as she watched Pea begin to move with the beat of the music. The little mortal really was very graceful. And, of course, she had been right. As soon as Pea started to dance her natural ability and years of training took over. Even from her table Venus could see that Pea was singing to the music and having a wonderful time. The song changed to something called "Brick House," and even more people surged onto the dance floor. Venus saw Pea begin to swim through the crowd back to her, and she quickly blew a dusting of desire onto one of the toga-dressed men who lined the wall behind her. Instantly he intercepted Pea. Venus met Pea's gaze and nodded an enthusiastic yes for her to keep dancing, but even while Pea moved back onto the floor and began gyrating to the new song, Venus could feel her reticence. And she realized the problem. Pea was worried about her! She knew what it felt like to be left behind - to be the one not asked. Pea would probably only dance once more, and then she'd insist that she return to the table and sit with Venus.