Goddess of Love (21 page)

“You're married!”

Venus nodded her head but shrugged her shoulders. “In name only. He's not physically perfect, so he's an outcast in Olympus. He thought by marrying me he could gain acceptance. I thought by marrying him I could gain…” She paused. She was getting ready to say her normal line—that by marrying Vulcan she thought she'd gain a shield to retreat behind. That even Love grew weary and looked for a quiet place to rest, and stoic, outcast Vulcan and his fiery realm could provide her with that. But recently she'd begun questioning her motives in marrying Vulcan. Aloud she heard herself admitting, “No. That's not true. I pretended that I needed him for one thing, while I was really using him as an excuse. I hid behind the marriage so that I didn't have to look at the emptiness in my own life.” She smiled sadly at Pea, violet eyes brimming with tears. By the Titans' enormous manhoods, she hadn't cried so much in centuries. “Ridiculous, isn't it?” Venus said miserably. “That Love could be lonely.”

“I don't think there's anything at all ridiculous about you.” Pea put her arm around the goddess. “I think you're beautiful and kind and amazing. And I also think that one very important point has been made clear today. You didn't come here just for me. You came here for you.”

“For me?”

“Maybe the Goddess of Love came to Tulsa to find herself.”

“But I know who I am. I am Love.”

“How long has it been since you've known love?” Pea asked gently.

Venus studied the mortal sitting beside her whose arm was draped so casually and comfortingly around her. Ancient mortals weren't ever so relaxed in her presence. They were forever seeking…searching…beseeching her to fulfill their fantasies. But Pea wasn't like that. Although her heart's desire had been what bound Venus to this world, Pea had, from the beginning, seemed more concerned for Venus's welfare than her own. Even today, when Venus had hurt the little mortal, and it had appeared she'd betrayed her, Pea remained open to her and even offered the goddess comfort.

Then Venus did something she hadn't done for eons. She answered Pea's question with complete honesty, thereby admitting the truth to herself.

“I can't remember the last time I allowed myself to love. It's hard to believe. I've been loved, evoked love, fought for love and caused love, but it is quite possible I have never actually known love.”

“It's time that changed, don't you think?”

“I'm not sure that I know how to go about it.”

“Well, I'm not an expert or anything, but I think the key to knowing love might be in letting go.”

“Letting go?” Venus asked, feeling incredibly out of her element.
She
was taking advice about love from a mortal who until a couple days ago didn't know how to control her own hair? But as Venus looked into Pea's eyes and saw wisdom and compassion there, the goddess remembered something she should have never forgotten. True love wasn't found in good hair or the right clothes, makeup or shoes. True love was found in the soul—as was wisdom and compassion.

“Yeah, letting go. Think about it. It makes sense. You can't know love unless you're willing to let go of a bunch of things like fear and selfishness and
control
.”

“Control?”

“Control.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“I'm afraid so.”

“How did you get to be so wise, Pea?”

Pea grinned. “I've been hanging around a goddess. She's rubbed off on me. Now stop procrastinating and zap yourself a pair of black slacks and a violet cashmere sweater. Something the exact color of your eyes that will hug your curves and show off those great boobs. Zap up a black jacket to match the slacks while you're at it. And wear your hair up tonight so that he can see your beautiful neck. Then if Griffin's really a good boy you can take your hair down for him. Later,” she finished mischievously.

Venus gave her a quick hug and then stood up. “Do I need to remind you to close your eyes?”

“Nope.” Pea closed her eyes. “Oh, wait.” She opened one eye and peered at Venus. “Forget the jacket.”

“But what if it gets cold tonight?”

“Well, it just might. Then there you'll be, all nipply and jacketless.” Pea exaggerated a sigh. “Whatever will you do?”

“I don't think I taught you that,” Venus said.

“You taught me the attitude. I made up the words to go with it.”

“Close your eyes.” Venus conjured up the outfit Pea had recommended and decided leaving out the jacket was, indeed, a stroke of brilliance. She studied herself in the mirror, pleased at what she saw in her reflection. The goddess glanced back at the bed. Pea was still sitting there with her eyes screwed tightly shut and an up-tilted curve to her lips. She did absolutely adore this little mortal. “Open your eyes now darling, and let's be sure you're ready for your own date.”

Pea opened her eyes. “Oh, mine is easy. I've decided that I'm going to fix him dinner—here. I'm just going to wear those fabulous jeans you picked out for me and that silk knit sweater. Um, and my new lacy white lingerie.” She blushed, but only a little.

Venus raised her brows. “Planning on letting him see your new lingerie?”

“Oh, gosh I hope so!” she said in a breathy voice, and then her soft blush flamed a deeper color. “Is that wrong? It is, isn't it? I should be going slower. I mean, no matter what I see when I look into his eyes, I don't really know him.”

“Darling, there's one thing my eons of experience have taught me. Love has no timetable. I've seen couples be slow and careful and wise about love, only to have it sift through their hands like sand in a sieve. I've also seen couples whose love flares the moment they first look in one another's eyes and never ceases to flame for one lifetime after another. It's the lovers, not the time.”

“How do I know if it's real?”

“The same way lovers have known throughout eternity. Trust yourself and listen to your heart.”

“Okay. I will if you will.”

“Agreed,” Venus said. “Now help me pile my hair up and I'll scrunch some more coconut oil into your lovely curls.”

“O
kay, remember. This dating stuff is really not that big of a deal.
Well, I mean it's not that big of a deal until he introduces you to his family, then you really should get nervous for all sorts of reasons.”

Venus gave Pea a panicked look.

“No, no, no. You don't have to worry about that tonight. Sorry, I shouldn't have even mentioned it. Here's what you do tonight—you let go of that famous control of yours and see what he has planned for you two. All you have to concentrate on is relaxing and having a good time.”

“Relaxing and having a good time,” Venus repeated. Were her palms moist? Impossible. The Goddess of Love simply did not get sweaty palms. She rubbed them down the thighs of her slacks just to be safe.

The doorbell rang and Venus felt her nervous heartbeat flutter in her throat. Pea winked at her, yelled at Chloe to quit her barking and opened the door.

By Hermes's flamingly gay gonads, he looked delicious! He had on black slacks, a black sweater and a camel-colored cashmere jacket. He was freshly shaven. Venus knew if she leaned into him she'd be able to smell the scent of warm man mixed with just a hint of the soap he used. And she very much wanted to lean into him.

“Hi again, Griffin,” Pea said.

“Hello, Pea.” Griffin squatted down and held his hand out to the grumbling Chloe. “Remember me, Scottie cat? Remember me, kitty-kitty-kitty?” Apparently Chloe did because her grumbles turned to a tail-wagging wiggle and she allowed Griffin to scratch her on the head. When he stood up his eyes met hers. “Good evening, Venus.”

“Griffin.” She just said his name, but it came out as an audible caress and she watched his lips curve up in response.

“Where are you two kids going tonight?” Pea asked cheekily.

Griffin laughed. “It's a surprise.”

Venus started to frown, but before she could tell him she didn't like surprises, especially from mortal men, Pea was already chattering happily away.

“A surprise! That's perfect. Venus
loves
a good surprise—it's so
out of control
. Isn't that right, Venus?”

“Yes, that's right,” Venus said reluctantly, getting the message Pea was telegraphing perfectly.

“Good,” Griffin said. “Then are you ready to go? I'm cutting it kinda close as it is.”

“Yes, ready,” Venus said, thinking,
No, not ready
.

As she walked past him to the door, he said, “Do you want to grab a coat?”

Venus threw Pea a look over her shoulder. “No, I'm fine. I am warm natured.”

Pea grinned back at her as she closed the door.

Venus walked confidently to the vehicle in Pea's driveway—until it registered on her mind what her eyes were seeing.

“Why is it so big?”

“Well, I need it to haul my…ur…things around.”

“What is it?”

“A Dodge Ram Dooley,” he said, opening the passenger's door for her. “Sorry about the step up.”

Venus looked at the inside of the huge black truck, which was a ridiculous height off the ground. “By Hermes's flaming ass…hat.” Remembering Persephone's comment about modern mortals not appreciating her divine genitalia curses, Venus faltered, mixing the ancient with one of the modern profanities she remembered from the Smart Bitches Trashy Books site. “How am I supposed to climb up into that creature?”

Griffin laughed. “By Hermes's flaming asshat?”

“Everyone knows how gay he is and that he wears that winged hat all the time as his own personal fashion statement.”

“Everyone knows this?”

Venus's eyes shifted from the truck to Griffin. “My hobby is mythology,” she said quickly.

“Your name is Venus, you're a sex therapist, and your hobby is mythology. Are you sure you're not really a goddess?” he teased.

“If I was I could just zap myself up into that thing,” she muttered.

He laughed again and held out his hand to her. “Come on. I'll help you.”

As his strong hands steadied her, and the jolt of reconnecting with his warm flesh tingled teasingly through her body, Venus was suddenly grateful for the huge truck and the need for his assistance. “Thank you,” she said.

“My pleasure, ma'am.” He reached up and pulled her seat belt down and across her, securing it in its holder. His face was very near hers and she could smell the scent of warm man and soap she had fantasied about earlier. He looked into her eyes and gave her his slow, sexy smile. “I want to be sure you stay safe,” he murmured, his breath warm and sweet against her cheek.

Unfortunately he didn't kiss her. Instead he climbed down out of the truck and hurried around to his own side.

Venus was surprised by how smooth the big truck drove, and she decided she liked the feeling of sitting up above just about everyone else on the roadway. Griffin pressed some buttons and soft music floated between them, which called to mind the slow dance they'd shared, which in turn brought back her nerves. She blurted, “Where are we going?” in a voice that sounded much too abrupt. She drew a calming breath. “I mean, you said it was a surprise, but can't you give me some hint or clue?”

“Sorry, didn't mean to sound so mysterious. I was really just kidding around with Pea.” He glanced sideways at her and she thought that he, too, suddenly looked a little nervous. “We're going to an art opening. If you don't mind.”

Venus's brows lifted. “You're taking me to an art opening?”

He looked at her silently before turning his eyes back to the road. “Sounds like you find it hard to believe I appreciate art.”

She took her time answering him. His voice had sounded neutral, but something in the tense set of his shoulders told her that she had inadvertently offended him. “The truth is you seem more warrior than artist to me.”

“Can't a man be both? You're the mythology buff. If I remember correctly weren't several of the gods artists, or at least musicians, as well as warriors?”

Venus felt a little shock of surprise. He was right, though. Apollo was a gifted musician as well as a skilled warrior and God of Light. Ares was God of War, but he was also a poet—though in her opinion a rather dry one. Athena, who was Goddess of War and Wisdom, had also long been recognized as Goddess of the Arts, too. And even Vulcan was an accomplished metal sculptor, as well as God of Fire. “Yes, the gods and goddesses were known for the duality of their natures. But unless the true surprise you're going to reveal to me tonight is that you are one of the gods, it has been my experience mortal men tend to be one or the other, either artist or warrior. But—” She paused and he glanced over at her. She smiled warmly at him. “I suppose an exceptional mortal man could be both.”

“So you'd think I was exceptional if you found out I was both?”

“Did I say exceptional?” she teased. “I meant unusual…abnormal…aberrant…or maybe simply peculiar.”

He laughed and she was glad to see the tension leave his shoulders.

A building outside the truck caught her eye. “Isn't that Lola's restaurant we just passed?”

“Yeah, the art show is down the street at one of the renovated Brady Street warehouses. I hope you don't mind a little walk. The weather's great tonight, and it's hard to find a good spot for this truck on the street, so I thought I'd park at the lot across from the Tribune Lofts, and we could walk from there.”

“I don't mind a brisk walk,” she said, but his mention of the Tribune Lofts had distracted her. They were near the portal. Odd that she'd forgotten all about it, and the fact that she was literally stranded in the modern mortal world. Funny, she hadn't really felt stranded, not since Pea had opened her home and her life to her. Pea seemed to be happy and well, and after her date tonight with the sexy Victor who was, apparently, an expert in cunnilingus, her life would quite probably be filled with ecstasy. That would fulfill the oath that had bound her to this world. So it was a very real possibility that she could walk down the street tonight and be allowed to disappear back to the ancient world—her world.

“Ready, Venus?”

She mentally shook herself. Griffin had parked the truck and was holding her door open, with his hand outstretched, ready to help her climb down from her passenger's side perch. She unclicked her seat belt and slid her hand into his.

She'd think about Olympus later.

 

The renovated warehouse was an excellent place for the art show. Venus was impressed by the lighting and the tall, smooth walls that were painted a pure white reminiscent of new snow and winter nights. They would showcase paintings well, she decided. But tonight the art being exhibited was of a different medium. Tonight they were exhibiting sculptures made of different types of metals welded together in an astonishing array of shapes and sizes. Venus studied the artist's work. She didn't need to look at the nameplates or the studio's flyer to recognize that all of the pieces had been created by the same artist.

“Grace,” she said abruptly.

“What?”

She looked from the sculpture she'd been studying to Griffin. The tension was back in his shoulders and he seemed to carry with him a strange nervousness, almost as if he had a wire within him that was strung too tightly. He'd started acting oddly ever since they'd entered the gallery. Yes, he'd been attentive and charming, and there was definitely a sexual tension that brewed steadily between them, but he'd also been on edge.

“I just realized what it is all of the sculptures have in common. It's a gracefulness. Even though each sculpture is different, they have a similar feel, as if they had been molded by the same heart.” She had his full attention now, which she definitely liked. “I don't have to read the nameplates to know that all of these were created by the same man.”

“What makes you think the artist is a man?”

Venus smiled knowingly. “I know a man's touch when I see it. For instance—” She motioned for Griffin to follow her over to a sculpture of which she was particularly fond. It was a large piece, titled
Phoenix
. The metal was copper. The sculpture was of the outline of a naked winged woman flying up from a nest of jagged copper flames. “Look at the full, curving lines of this woman, especially her hips and breasts, and also look how he has given us the illusion of long, flowing hair that mingles with the flames so that the two, hair and flames, eventually become one. This was created by a man who loves the female form and who has an excellent eye for beauty.”

“Couldn't a woman love the female form, too?”

“Of course, but it has the sensuality and masculine energy of a man's hands.”

“Do you like it?”

“Yes, very much. I like them all actually. Do you know the artist?”

A cacophony of female voices interrupted his reply, and Griffin turned his head toward the entrance to the gallery as an excited group of four attractive young women burst into the warehouse.

“They did come.” He wasn't looking at Venus and his voice sounded strained.

“They?” Venus frowned at the gaggle of noisy young women. Why was Griffin interested in them while he was on a date with her?

“
They
are my sisters.” Then he did look at her. “I hope you don't mind meeting my family.”

“Your family?” Venus realized she sounded squeaky, but she couldn't seem to help it. Pea had said meeting the family happened later!

He smiled and nodded apologetically. “Yeah, I guess I should have warned you sooner, but I didn't want to scare you off.”

“Oh. Well. Oh,” was all Venus could manage.

“And one other thing,” he said quickly as the group of girls caught sight of him and began to move in a single rush toward them. “I'm the sculptor.”

“You're the…” Venus began and then simply stopped and stared at him as the truth hit her. The name on the plates had been D. Angel. DeAngelo. Of course he was the artist, which explained why he'd been so tense and silent. This was
his
art opening. “How extraordinary,” she murmured.