Fallen (Dark God Saga) (4 page)

          “Remember the guy I was dating?”

          “Which one?” Simone smirked. Her friend ran through guys like she did clients.

          “Haha. Funny. You think you’re cute, huh?” Janet sighed. “I’m talking about Derrick. He’s the manager over at the restaurant. He got us reservations.”

         
Of course.

“Alright. I’ll be ready in half an hour.”

          “You better be, because I have a spare key, so I’ll march my ass into that bourgeoisie apartment complex and act real ghetto.”

          Simone shook her head. The things that came from Janet’s mouth. “Bourgeoisie apartment? I live in Brooklyn.”

          “Park Slope ain’t really Brooklyn and you know it. It’s like a part of Manhattan got separated from it and landed on the other side of the river.”

          Chuckling, Simone replied, “You shouldn’t be talking. You actually live in Manhattan, remember?”

          “I don’t count,” was the quick reply. “See you in thirty minutes, Sims.”

                                                          ***

          Simone had to admit that the restaurant was lovely.

From the moment she and Janet had stepped through the glass doors, opened by a sharply attired door-man, and she’d seen the low lit chandeliers, and the high backed, black chairs with round tables covered with pristine white tablecloths, she’d known that this place was the real deal. Where people would get great food, and pay large sums of money. If she were a food critic, she’d probably come to restaurants like these on a daily basis. But despite her love for food, she’d never been interested in writing about it. Just places, and events surrounding them.

          When the maître d’ approached their table, in a cozy corner next to a tall window that allowed for a glitzy view of the tall buildings across from them, he smiled warmly, and told them that their server would be with them shortly.

          As soon as he walked away, Janet lifted a sharply arched brow. Even before she asked the question, Simone was shaking her head.

          “So, what do you think?”

          “Of the restaurant?” She played dumb easily. “I think it’s beautiful. It’s almost a rooftop restaurant with how high we are, but located indoors for the heat.” Janet parted her lips to speak, but Simone smoothly interrupted. “So, you’re dating Derrick who’s the manager here—?”
          “No, no, no. Glad you like the restaurant and all, but what do you think of the guy?”

          “The maitre d’? Oh, he seems nice.”

          “I’ll get you his number before we leave.”

          “Please...don’t. I came out with you and wore the red dress, didn’t I?”

          Janet’s eyes scrutinized the body-hugging dress, and she grinned. ““Yes, you did. Fine. Maybe another time?”

          “Sure, Janet. Another time.”

          Their server--Brian--chose that moment to arrive, and he brought a bottle of complimentary wine, which Simone eyed with curiosity, along with the menus. She’d never gotten a bottle of complimentary wine before that didn’t taste on par with cat urine. After pouring the wine, Brian waited for them to taste it.

          Simone was surprised it was actually good. When Janet nodded, he rattled off their dinner special, the smile never leaving his face. As they perused their menus, Brian waited patiently, and when they ordered, he said, “Very well,” took their menus, and retreated to where she assumed the kitchen was housed.

          “How much are we paying for this meal again?” Simone asked, glad that she’d brought her credit card tonight. She doubted she had enough cash to foot the bill at this place.

          “
We
are not paying for anything, Sims.” A wink followed that statement, and Simone raised a brow. “Derrick is seeing to it.”

          “Derrick seems to be treating you very nicely.”

          “He’d better,” Janet replied with a soft pout. “Or he’s not getting any of this off-the-charts puss—.”
          “Janet!” Simone looked around, glad that no one seemed to hear her friend’s language. At least, no one was giving them glares of death. Yet.

          “What?” Janet asked wide-eyed, looking around as well. “You think that these people never heard about pussy?” She sipped her wine when Simone flushed and eyed her pointedly. “You’re too modest, Sims. They’ll either think I’m talking about someone’s cat or they’ll guess right. Whichever way, they’re not going to acknowledge it. They have too much “breeding” for that, or so they think.” She nodded for emphasis, and then said, “So, tell me about your week. I had the most horrid week.” To emphasize how bad, Janet dabbed at her forehead with two fingers. “Almost went to jail for murdering my new hairdresser. Chick thinks she’s the Asian Paul Frieda, and she’s a week out of beauty school.” Janet frowned hard and blinked even harder, throwing off the image. “I know that yours was better. Did you get any good invitations for Halloween? Any haunted houses that you’re going to right about for your column? Or Vampire Lairs?” She laughed, a trill that drew the attention of several males, who openly stared at her beautiful friend. “Well? What did you get?””

          Simone smiled. It was so easy to do so around Janet. Her personality was bubbly, so even if she irritated, offended, or just plain pissed you off, a smile was somewhere around the corner.

          “I got one really interesting invite.”

          “Oh, do tell.” When Simone took longer than Janet wanted, she asked, “Did Hef finally invite you down to the Bunny Ranch?” Janet pursued her pink coated lips and shook her head. “No? No Bunny Ranch?”

          Simone shook her head. “Have you ever heard of the Monster’s Ball? It’s a Halloween Ball at a renovated Virginia Plantation?”

Janet’s eyes grew almost to the size of tennis balls. “Are you serious right now? You got an invite to that thing?”

          “You’ve heard of it?”

          “Of course I’ve heard of it! What am I? Dead? It’s only the most popular Halloween ball in the US. So, you’re going right?”

          “I don’t know yet. I’m still thinking—.”

          “You’re going! Even if I have to take your ass there myself.”

          Simone’s eyes widened, and Janet pinned her with her “Don’t mess with me glare.” One of them started giggling, and before long they were both laughing like two loonies in a mental hospital.

          By the time the server returned with their food, they were both famished. Too much laughing did marvels for the appetite.

***

          The sound of musical laughter caught his attention. Thanatos lifted his head from the copy of the Wall Street Journal on the table before him and looked in the direction of the sound. Two women, obviously friends, had just found something highly entertaining to laugh about. Finding nothing extraordinary about the situation, Thanatos was returning his attention to his company stocks when one of the women turned her head and looked directly at him.

          His breath caught. That should have warned him because he’d never had his breath stop from looking at a woman. Especially as the reason he was on earth, with his powers revoked until he’d
learned
from his punishment, whatever that meant, was because of a treacherous bitch of a goddess. He put that thought from his mind and focused on the human woman. 

She wasn’t the beautiful of the human actresses and singers, and certainly not that of the goddesses, but she was very pretty. Extremely so. Dark eyes, a burnt sugar brown, stared out at him from under thick fringed lashes. They were eyes he could lose himself in, deep pools of darkened amber. Her skin was the color of smooth caramel. Thanatos found himself wanting a taste, and the incredibly sexy red dress that brought his attention to the tops of her smooth breasts only made him want it more.

 The woman seemed natural, her face having the barest of makeup, a bit of powder, a dash of blush, and a touch of gloss.

          She blinked suddenly, gave him a shy, almost nervous smile, and returned her attention to her friend. Unable to help himself, Thanatos continued to stare, wishing for a glimpse of her legs, wishing  he could get a glimpse of her sans the red dress. He wondered if she was like most human women, waxed or shaved smooth between her legs, or if she was natural. Blood rushed to his cock and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. 

          With great reluctance, he tugged his gaze away. In the human world, he was a respected business man. He’d opened numerous companies in the countless years since he’d been here, and had investments in multi-billion dollar stocks. Thanatos, the god, had done well as human Thanatos Aeron, as pitiful as that sounded. It wouldn’t do to have him leave the restaurant with a hard-on from a woman he’d never see again. He wasn’t one for relationships, and certainly not the monogamous relationships human females seemed to crave, and the woman across the way screamed relationship with her shy, almost innocent, smile. Thanatos liked quick, hard fucks with experienced women who were into kink, as it appealed to the dark side of him that was still there, just...caged.

          He sighed and returned his attention to the newspaper. Every day when he awoke, he could feel the restlessness of his harnessed powers for a brief instant, barely a five seconds if so much, before they went dormant. Damn her! He would have killed Aphrodite when she’d come to him to gloat  years ago if he’d had his powers. But his punishment was to be stripped of them, to live the life of a human, needing sustenance, shelter, susceptible to pain and injury, even death were it possible, until he’d learned his lesson. Hera had been vague, which meant that she either intended him to live among the humans forever, or hadn’t quite thought out his punishment.

          It did not matter. He had no intention of remaining in the human realm much longer. He would seek an audience with Zeus. One could not banish Death forever, even if Hades had temporarily taken his job.

***

          “Good Ben and Jerry’s cookies-and-ice cream God, but that’s the sexiest man I’ve ever seen, Sims, and he was just looking at you like he wanted to lick you all over.”

          Simone blinked and looked at her friend. She forced a smile and stole a quick glance back at the businessman whose attention had mercifully returned to the newspaper before him.

          “And you’re looking at him like you want to suck him all over, and I totally don’t blame you.”

          “Janet!” Simone whispered, feeling heat creep up her neck and cheeks that had little to do with her friend’s vulgarity and more to do with the fact that she had just pictured how he would look sprawled naked on her bed, with her doing exactly as Janet had said.

          “What? If he hadn’t been staring at you like you were his chocolate ice-cream, I’d pull down my cleavage, walk over there and introduce myself,” Janet said in a dazed voice, turning her head to stare at the dark haired man in the plain, but obviously, designer suit. As Simone watched, her friend yanked subtly at the already revealing bodice of her black cocktail dress. “Shoot, if you don’t do it, Sims, I still might.”

          “No!” Her voice was a tad sharper than she’d intended so Simone picked up her knife and fork and pretended to be busy with the sirloin steak before her. A little bowl filled with herbal rice was next to it.

          She cut a piece of the steak, and lifted it to her lips. It might have been really good, but she didn’t know. For all she knew, she was chewing paper. Janet was right. He really was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. God, she really had to pull herself together. 

          “How’s your steak?” Janet asked after long minutes of silence.

          Pulling her attention back to her friend, Simone noticed Janet’s narrowed eyes. 

          “Good.”

          “Yeah, and that’s why you only took one bite.”