Goddess of Love (Goddess Summoning #5)(48)

The man behind her bumped against her. "Hey, ya gotta keep moving in this crowd."

"Oh, sorry," she muttered and forced her legs to move again. Mortified, Pea ducked her head and kept plowing toward the front door, hoping Venus was still outside, and not because she wanted to introduce the goddess to a man whose name she didn't even know, but who she had just let bring her to orgasm in the ladies' lounge. What had she been thinking?

She definitely needed the advice (or the absolution) of a goddess.

Chapter Fifteen

T he door to the lounge closed and Vulcan began to pace back and forth across the small space. Emotions he'd never experienced before had unexpectedly been awakened within him. When the dried flower arrangement on the little vanity table began to smolder he drew several deep, calming breaths in and out...in and out. It wouldn't do to set the place afire. But oh how he'd like to burn - to show outwardly the wildfire that was raging inside him. He had shocked himself. His intention that night had simply been to be near her, to perhaps speak with her. Never in his wildest dreams and imaginings had he thought to ravish her! Yet something had happened within him just before the arrogant fool tried to force Pea to stay with him on the dance floor. Suddenly all of the need and desire and passion that had been simmering within him for eons had bubbled over into a full heated boil. He had wanted her before, but tonight he had found the will to act on his desire.

And it had worked! He had actually touched her and tasted her and brought her pleasure. His c**k was still engorged with the memory of the sounds of her satisfaction. Would he ever get enough of her? He wanted more and more. He wanted to bring her back with him to Olympus and show her...

He stopped pacing. Show her what? How he was shunned and outcast amongst the glory that was Olympus? Then what would she feel for him? Pity? Contempt?

No. He would not take her to Olympus. He would woo her here, in the modern world of mortals, as a man would. Resolutely he retied his mask and walked to the door. She said to meet her outside the restaurant, and she would introduce him -

"Gods! What was I thinking!" He growled. There could only be one person to whom she wanted to introduce him. Venus! Had his mind stopped working entirely? He could only imagine the goddess's shock and surprise at having Pea present him to her. Not that the Goddess of Love would be angry at his infidelity - on the contrary. From the very beginning there had been no pretense of anything more than respect and a rather tenuous friendship between them. Their marriage had been an arrangement, intended to be mutually beneficial. They weren't in love. In actuality their passionless marriage had been the butt of many Olympian jokes. If she discovered he was Pea's lover, would Venus laugh at him? Just the thought made him shudder. No, the Goddess of Love was not cruel. She wouldn't laugh, but she would be shocked. There was little doubt that she would betray his true identity to Pea. Then he would no longer be her passionate mortal lover. He would be the pitiable God of Fire, who had been rejected by Love herself.

"No!" he cried. Their relationship was too new. Perhaps later, after they had had time to build a foundation between them, then he could tell her his secret. Now the only thing he could do was to return to Olympus and make plans to come back to her another day. He would also pray that she would forgive him for leaving her tonight. With a deep sigh of despair, the God of Fire closed his eyes and willed himself back to the portal, leaving only a shimmer in the air and the heat of his passing as evidence that he had ever been there.

Griffin hadn't returned to her.

Venus couldn't believe it. It was ludicrous, really. Who stood up Love? Again she considered following him and confronting him and blasting the goddess-be-damned, insolent, arrogant fool into nothingness.

But she couldn't. It was humiliating enough that she was sitting out there, drinking alone (and eating both orders of chocolate dessert). If she went into the restaurant after him it would be an outward acknowledgment of what he had done, and the inner shame of it was enough. When the bright red trucks pulled up to the curb, Venus ignored them and the costumed, masked men pouring out of the restaurant. If he came up to her she would pretend not to know him. Then she'd blast him with -

"Venus! There you are! I'm so glad I found you." Pea hurried up to Venus's table.

"Hello, darling." Venus smiled absently at Pea, trying to refocus her mind from thoughts of revenge. "I hope you've been having a lovely time."

"Well..."

Pea's odd tone finally got the goddess's full attention. Venus frowned and really looked at the little mortal. Yes, all the signs were there: flushed face, rosy, bruised looking lips..."Pea." She gasped. "Have you just orgasmed?"

"Wow, you're really good at figuring out love stuff, aren't you?" Pea flushed an even brighter pink and looked like she was on the verge of tears. "Yes," she whispered, and then mouthed the words o**l s*x.

"I'm such an idiot." Pea hid her masked face in her hands.

"Darling," Venus began reasonably, completely confused at why Pea should appear so upset by such good news. "There's nothing for you to hide your face and be ashamed of - it's lovely that you had a delicious sexual encounter." What in the ancient world was wrong with the girl? Then realization hit Venus. There was nothing wrong with having a delicious sexual encounter unless the man behaved in a boorish or unsuitable manner, as Venus could, unfortunately, attest to knowing entirely too much about. Venus pulled Pea's hands from her face and forced the mortal to meet her eyes. "Pea, with whom did you have sex?"