Page 2 of Flowers Near Me

CHAPTER TWO

A SEAT AT THE TABLE

PERSEPHONE

S he’d been warned countless times, “Don’t meddle with the gods.” Immortal. Powerful. Vengeful. Capricious. Even her mom could throw a fit that would scare the bravest mortal. And no good ever came from a god’s flirtation.

Persephone followed the length of Hades’ arm, where his hand rested against the back of her booth. A bold move as if they were familiar and not business adversaries. If a god wasn’t being terrifying, then they acted insufferably. Restraining the quip on her tongue calling out his insolence, she wracked her brain for something less antagonistic to say.

She forced a grin. “You must be Hades.”

He lifted his head with a laugh, then offered his hand. The suit jacket moved with him as if the material was his own personal armor, accentuating a muscled upper torso and lethal grace.

“Persephone, it’s thrilling to finally meet you.”

Her racing thoughts shackled her to the seat. Never once did she imagine she’d be meeting him by happenstance. Certainly not like this without her mom around. For as much as their businesses competed in the same market, they’d never been at the same place at the same time.

She struggled not to spiral into the depths of her mom’s countless warnings of him. Never-ending acquisitions that turned into monopolies. Cutthroat lawyers with unlimited time and money. Iron-clad contracts that ruined business partners. Fates, even his own brothers had told her mom they avoided working with him, and Zeus and Poseidon were considered his equals.

He kept his hold on the booth’s frame behind her. The whole display felt like an intimidation trick, but she conjured the weak magic within her and masked her feelings with an unbothered expression. Her own defense.

She extended her hand, keeping her back rigid. “Yes, nice to meet you.” Not at all.

With a firm yet surprisingly polite handshake, Hades released her hand then slipped into Eurydice’s vacated booth.

It was disappointing to see up close how picturesque his features were. A slim, strong nose that fit perfectly with his wide-set jaw and sharp features. As a child, her mom often reminded her that the most dangerous gods were always the most tempting.

“I was beginning to think we’d never meet.” The silky quality of his voice and the way he kept his eyes locked with hers prickled her skin. She couldn’t deny she was intrigued. Is he using his power to draw me in? Better that than genuine interest.

She cleared her throat. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?”

Please don’t stay and chat.

Hades unbuttoned his suit jacket with a flick of his fingers and settled with his forearm leaning on the table. He looked pretty-damn comfortable.

Dread slowly rose in her gut. A part of her felt the urge to tell him about the deal with Eurydice, to gain the upper hand in a situation that was increasingly putting her on edge. But she had to keep her cool. She needed to know why in the Fates-damned world Hades was here, sitting across from her in the booth. Might as well be a cage given his larger than life energy.

He gave her a lazy smirk. “I’ve been hoping to run into you.”

Run into me with your car is more like it.

Determined to appear indifferent, Persephone steeled her nerves. Using her napkin to wipe the sweat from her palms, she asked, “Do you come here often? I’ve never seen you here before.” She counted in her head and inhaled slowly, careful not to break eye contact and show even a hint of her rising unease.

Her gaze kept bouncing from his full lips to his smoke-colored head of hair. What a curious thing it was for an ageless face to have silvery white hair crowning it. Every immortal Persephone had met in person was an enigma like this—even her own mom—and it never lost its alluring effect. Once you thought you’d seen the most exquisite deity, you’d meet another who was even more stunning. Even though she’d grown up around the gods, their brilliance never dulled.

“I started coming more often after I heard a certain someone was frequently spotted here.” He gave her a smile that made her heart rate spike.

“Who? My mom?” Maybe it was foolhardy to pretend she misunderstood the someone he referenced but she’d hoped the reminder of who she was related to would make him lose interest.

Hades released a mirthless laugh and leaned closer across the table. “Speaking of Demeter, how is your mom?”

Persephone cleared her throat. “She’s well. Business grows with the city. How’s Underworld Unlimited?” She had no intention of divulging more to her mom’s enemy.

Hades waited a breath before answering, keeping rapt attention on Persephone’s face. “I’d hate to make our first meeting about business, and I doubt my company’s endeavors could impress the heiress of the world’s biggest producer of food. But thank you for asking anyway.”

Why did the Fates hate her so? How much longer would she be stuck with Hades, alone , caught under his heavy gaze?

“How are you liking Olympus?” Hades drew Persephone’s attention back to him sitting across from her in the shrinking booth.

She tightened the fist on her lap. “I see its appeal. There’s a lot to enjoy.”

“Hm, there is,” he murmured. “If you ever want to see the shadows where your mom’s domain doesn’t touch, let me know. I’d love to be your guide.” The slight tilt of his head exposed the bobbing of his Adam’s apple. Imposing shoulders drifted forward and eclipsed some of the light behind him.

A quick breath flooded her nose with the intoxicating scent that had to be his power. Leather and cedar. She opened her mouth to pull in fresh air and avoid falling under his spell. Turning towards her dinner and picking up the filigreed fork, she pushed some roasted fiddlehead ferns around her plate.

“Is this something you offer to all Olympus newcomers?” She met his eyes again.

He narrowed his gaze. “Only you.”

Fear tangled with something else, something she refused to name. A hum of laughter escaped her throat. “I bet that line has worked on plenty of women.” Fates, it shouldn’t be working on her.

Hades’ mouth dropped open. A hand pressed to his chest and fake shock coated his features. “How low is your opinion of me?”

Persephone chuckled. “I don’t know enough about you to have formed much of an opinion.”

She wasn’t sure why she said it. It held a partial truth—she didn’t know him—but his every move was covered in business news or celebrity gossip, and she was not a fan. Not to mention the stories her mom had told her over the years she’d been battling him for power in the city. How could she ever look at the god who mocked Demeter’s Bounty in the press with anything but disdain?

The light in his gray eyes dimmed. “Oh, how I wish that were true. But perhaps we could spend time together and get to know each other, Sephy.”

A shiver shot through her at his breathy purr of her nickname. Only her closest family called her that, in their own loving or cajoling way. And no one ever repeated it in a meeting or gathering, even if they’d heard her mom or sister speak it aloud.

Wiping a napkin across her lap, anything to not have to keep eye contact, Persephone said, “I doubt we have much in common. You own the largest e-commerce enterprise and I’m a lowly operations employee for a grocery chain.” The last bit wasn’t accurate, but she guessed he wouldn’t know that.

“Now we both know that’s not true,” he said with lids lowered and a boyish smirk. “You’ve outranked me in product distribution for the past two years. I’d say we have much more in common than you’re willing to admit.” He gave a quick wave of his hand towards her as he added, “You may be much better looking than I am, but otherwise we’re equals.”

Was that right? Persephone wracked her memory of the past two years’ earnings. Why was he trying to butter her up? This had to be a trap.

She replied, “It’s a big market with plenty to go around, but you’ve kept Underworld Unlimited at the top. No one’s come close to matching your total revenue.” No harm in being honest. Hades’ company was the largest online retailer for practically everything—clothing, home goods, electronics, books, you name it.

His head tilted and the corners of his lips turned up. “That’s nice to hear from a respected colleague. I don’t know if this day can get any better.”

Intending to refute his assertion of them being colleagues , she stopped as he slipped from the booth.

He buttoned his jacket and turned his head towards the stairs. “It looks like your original dinner companion has returned.”

She went to ask him how he knew who she’d been dining with but seeing the weight of his full attention back on her, she held her breath. A pleased smirk grew on his face.

“Next time you come here, it should be with me. But if it’s not, please don’t let it be with a date. I’d hate to have to remove one of your admirers from the premises.” His satisfied grin proved he relished the idea of ruining any of her future dates.

Returning to the table, Eurydice’s eyes widened as she took in Hades. Poor woman was probably just as shocked to see him here as Persephone was.

“Hi, Eurydice. It’s good to see you again.” He patted her shoulder, and she bobbed her head with a tight smile.

“Hi, Hades. Hope you’re doing well.”

Eurydice’s gaze flicked to Persephone’s before it fell to the table as she took her seat. Persephone offered her a smile, but inside her heart pounded.

“You two know each other.” More statement than question, Persephone bristled at the realization.

“Our paths have crossed a few times,” Hades replied, keeping his gaze fixed firmly on Persephone.

Everyone in Olympus knew him. He was a staple in the tech community, so it was possible Eurydice had met him while she was still in school.

Persephone wasn’t about to question Eurydice in front of Hades but at some point, she needed to know what connection—no matter how insignificant—Eurydice had to this god.

Hades dipped his chin, winked, and strode off, leaving Persephone with her pulse speeding, her thoughts tangled. She’d expected his arrogance. She hadn’t expected… whatever this was. And she definitely hadn’t expected him to know Eurydice.