Page 22 of Flowers Near Me

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

WINNER TAKES ALL

PERSEPHONE

T he teapot whistled, and Persephone removed it from the stove. Fragrant jasmine and green tea filled the air, curling into delicate wisps. The large common space was quiet, save for Cerberus padding softly in the background.

Laura’s advice to lean into her feelings only highlighted her sister’s misplaced trust in Persephone’s ability to stay rational. Laura had married Peter—reliable, tender-hearted, and nothing like Hades. Of course Laura could trust her own heart. But Persephone? She had allowed her guard to slip, and now she couldn’t stop replaying that kiss.

Tea in hand, Persephone sank into the opposite end of the couch where Hades lounged, his long arm stretched casually across the backrest, almost within reach. She tucked her legs beneath her and blew on her tea, doing her best to feign indifference. His mere presence made her pulse race, and the corner of his mouth curved, as if he knew it.

Hades leaned closer, the faint scent of pine teasing her senses. “Care for a game of dice?”

Persephone hesitated but gave a coy smile. “Why not?”

He placed an ornate obsidian tray between them. It was a beautiful piece inlaid with opal stones shaped into a bident and helm. “You know the stakes are high when you play with a god.”

A thrill danced up her spine at the reminder, but she kept her composure, leaning forward as if studying the pieces. “I’m not afraid of a little risk,” she murmured, her tone a playful dare. She knew she should be more cautious around him, but she was enjoying some of his games.

Hades’ grin widened, and he inched closer. “Good,” he replied, his voice warm enough to melt the air between them. “I like a partner who’s not afraid to gamble.”

Opening a velvet satchel, Hades placed black dice in the tray. As he set the small bag to the side, he asked, “Care to make a wager?”

Alarm bells flooded Persephone’s head. Titans no. “Let’s do a few rounds first. It’s been a while since I’ve played. Which game?”

“How about Sevens?” He picked up a die and extended it to her, his fingers brushing hers as he offered it. “Let’s see who goes first.”

“Alright.” Sevens was easy enough. Each round you removed any number pairs that equaled seven and totaled the remaining numbers for your score. You could take up to three tries, but the final one would be the roll you were stuck with.

With a small toss, Persephone rolled a five which beat Hades three.

“Are you good with thirteen rounds?” He gathered the dice in a cup to hand to her.

She nodded and rattled the cup then dumped it onto the tray. Unfortunately, she made two sets equaling seven—a one and a six and a three and four—thus loosing those dice from her score. Fortunately, there were a six and a three leftover.

“I’ll stick with this roll,” she said, knowing that she’d only have two more dice to use on a second turn, and they could end up being a combination that totaled seven and granted her no points. Nine points was decent for an opening round.

She watched his face as he slid a point counter on the edge of the tray, marking her score. He met her eyes and a smile immediately bloomed.

“Nicely done. Let’s see if I can do better.” He winked at her then placed the dice in the cup and rolled.

“Hm…” He tapped one finger on his mouth and narrowed his eyes. He rolled three ones, one two, one three, and one four. With feline speed, he removed the three and four combination. Something about the smooth movements of his hands and the smile that peeked through every time she caught him watching her warmed her chest.

“A five to your nine… I’m going to take my chances.” Rolling the four remaining dice, another seven combination with a six and a one, and then two threes. With a sigh, Hades lamented, “Six it is. Your turn, love.” He plopped the dice into the cup and handed it to her. Feeling bold, she brushed her fingers against his as she reached for the cup.

They continued until they reached the thirteenth and final round. Persephone’s hearty lead of thirty points cast away her previous worries.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been beaten that handedly. Rematch?” Hades asked.

“Why not? How ’bout the loser goes first this time,” she answered with a wink. She’d felt bold after her win and knew she shouldn’t be careless. She could hear her mom’s words cautioning her to never let a win cloud your judgement, but she was feeling high.

Lines bracketed his mouth in a look between a sneer and smile. “How kind.”

Hades reset the point counters and took his turn.

After eight rounds it was clear Persephone would win again.

“Using your magic, little goddess?” Hades teased in a deep timbre.

Her cheeks went hot at the accusation. Even if she could cheat by magic, she wouldn’t. “No,” she fired back with a laugh.

Hades smirked and hummed his suspicion. “Alright… let’s see if I can climb out of this hole.”

With two more pitiful rounds, Hades chuckled in defeat. “Well done, Sephy. Luck seems to favor you tonight. How about we set a wager now that you know I’m not a threat?”

Her brow dropped. “Why?”

“Why not?”

She glared at him.

“Come on, love. Think about how much more fun we’ll have with stakes.” He reset the counters, filled the cup with dice, then lifted his eyebrows at her.

She pursed her lips. “What kind of wager do you have in mind?”

By the way his eyes sharpened, she knew exactly what it’d be.

“Another kiss,” he answered.

She shifted in her spot. The smooth long-sleeved shirt and joggers she wore felt cool on her hot skin. “Two kisses in one day?” She scoffed but inwardly her heart paced.

“Well… only if I win.”

“You’ve had eons to play this game. You think you can lull me into a bet after losing two rounds?”

He cocked his head. “No, love. I figured I needed to lose at least three rounds before I’d fool you,” he quipped. “One more chaste kiss. And only our lips can touch if that makes it easier. Plus, I’d have to win, and you have yet to offer your terms.”

With a subtle grit in her tone, she said, “Fine. If I win, then you have to…” She considered a few options.

Agree to no more tricks?

Stop trying to make me fall for you?

Or kiss me until I couldn’t care if you broke my heart? Shit.

She kept drifting into his undertow. “Hm… you have to promise to never speak ill of my mom again.”

He straightened his neck and his eyes went wide. “What if she crosses me?”

“Really, Hades? You think she’s the one trying to mess with you ? Isn’t her daughter living with you?” Her voice was surprisingly lighthearted.

“In public. I won’t utter a disparaging word about her in public ever again. Would that satisfy you?” His gaze flicked to her mouth.

She tipped her head, trying to be nonchalant. It was surprising he’d agree to that so easily. “I think so.” Curiosity took over. Would he change his approach with the game to win now that there were stakes? Or was he truly that unlucky?

“You sure you don’t want to add something for yourself?” There was a regretful look in his eyes.

“I’m sure.”

He released an audible sigh. “May luck favor me this time.” He handed her the cup full of dice and the scent of his power filled the room. The same tickle of magic she’d felt in the car when they’d bargained for the first kiss brushed the back of her neck.

As Persephone considered her choices after rolling, Hades’ phone pinged. He glanced at the screen then set it down face up.

She removed the one seven combination and asked, “Everything alright?”

“Hecate’s making progress. Says she needs more time but should be able to figure out what caused the app’s issue.” He looked down at her roll. “Ah, looks like you’ve got a head start.” Four fives stared up at them.

“Yes, I’ll take it. And that’s great—Hecate’s close to figuring it out.”

Persephone won again but with a smaller lead than the previous two games.

He shrugged one shoulder and gave a dismissive wave with his hand. “You got me again. I won’t slander your mom.”

Victory didn’t feel as sweet as she’d expected, but in a tiny way, she had done something that could work in her mom’s favor.

“One more game?” he asked as he took Persephone’s empty mug.

“Sure, one more. Grab me a water please?”

“My pleasure.” He reached into the fridge and unscrewed a bottle of mineral water. “Think about your wager this time. I’m going all out.”

The hairs on the back of her neck rose. “Oh?”

Carrying her drink, he handed her the bottle then settled back in his seat. “Oh yes. Something big.”

One side of her mouth lifted. “I’m not making any major life changes because of a game’s wager.”

He leaned forward, coming closer but still out of arm’s reach. “No? What about a real date then? Where you don’t put on an act or force a smile because you think someone is watching.”

She cleared her throat. “I’m doing those things because we have a contract. Don’t make it sound like I’m fake when I’m doing the job that you assigned me.”

He licked his lips and the fact that she tracked the movement made her bite the inside of her mouth. He said, “The contract was the only way you’d give me a chance.”

“And to get back at my mom.”

His face fell but he took a slow breath. “There are more sinister ways to do that if I’d wanted to. That’s not why I want you here.”

She leveled him with a stare and felt a surge of magic within her. The pungent smell of jasmine and vanilla made her eyes water and her skin tingle. “I can’t help but wonder at the timing of things given that we’d just overtaken your reported profits last quarter. It’s the kind of game you gods love to play.”

Now the smell of cedar and leather overwhelmed the space. “Little goddess, if that’s what you need to tell yourself so you keep me at arm’s length, so be it, but I will close the distance. Last quarter wasn’t the first, hundredth, or even thousandth time Demeter’s Bounty outperformed Underworld Unlimited.”

Was that true? To be fair, she hadn’t kept score until she’d worked in the distribution department. That was only a few years ago so perhaps he was telling the truth. Her mom wanted her employees to be hungry for success, Persephone had heard her say as much in their board meetings. Maybe Demeter’s organization fared much better than she thought?

“Okay, here’s my wager. If you lose, then once Flowers Near Me becomes profitable, you have to sell it to Demeter’s Bounty. All of it, including rights to all IP, no exceptions. And at a fair market price too.”

Hades perked up. “Deal.” He held out his hand to shake hers. She met his palm, and he promptly tugged her forward and laid a slow kiss on her knuckles. His eyes watched her the whole time. “In fact…” He lowered their joined hands to rest on his knee. “I’d give Demeter’s Bounty the app right now, for free, if you agreed to become Underworld’s CEO. You could start whenever you wanted.”

It was equal parts tempting and ludicrous. She gaped, trying to gather her thoughts, unsure how to respond. Any hope she’d held for reclaiming the app after he’d acquired it had faded as soon as she was in his SUV, riding away from her former life. Would she want to be Underworld’s CEO without the app? This should’ve been an easy no, but now she wasn’t so sure what her future held. Maybe a CEO position at Underworld Unlimited even without the Flowers Near Me app could be a good thing for her?

She pinched the bridge of her nose and clamped her eyes shut for a few breaths. “What would happen if I tanked the company?” Fates, am I actually considering this? Surely not. I’m simply curious how far he’ll take his bluff.

He stroked the back of her hand while still holding it. “Sephy, you’ve fulfilled every piece of the contract you could have so far. You’ve had every reason to fight it. But here you are, working hard and enchanting everyone.”

His willingness to promote her to CEO made absolutely no sense. Why was he trying to give her control of his company? “I don’t have the right experience.”

“I disagree.”

“Then why?”

“Because…” He paused and looked off, absentmindedly licking his lips. His gaze returned to hers. “You’re someone worth investing in. I think you like bringing others’ visions to life, but you deserve the chance to carry out your own desires. I’ve lived a long time, Sephy, and I haven’t met anyone like you. You think like a god but act like a mortal.”

She shook her head. As much as she wanted that to be true, he didn’t understand her one bit. She was scrappy and stubborn. Those traits often presented like better ones—confidence and competence—but at her core, she was afraid. Afraid of rejection, failure, and loneliness. “I can’t become your CEO, Hades.” She sighed. “I’m keeping my original wager. I’ll go on a real date with you if you win, but if I do then you’ll nurture the app and sell it to Demeter’s Bounty.” This way, she could try to restore things with her mom and get back on track to becoming DB’s president. That’s what she really wanted, right?

“You’ve got it, love. It’s a deal.” He handed her the cup. “Thirteen rounds. Want to go first?”

Persephone shook her head. “I went first last time. You go.”

“I’ll accept your pity.” He smiled and winked at her then rolled his highest scoring roll. “Look at that. We might end up having a real date after all.”

“Ah, there are still many rounds to be played. And I haven’t gone yet.”

He marked his points with the counter as she tossed the dice. Somehow, she rolled three combinations of sevens and scored no points. “That’s not encouraging.” She chuckled to herself as she picked up the dice and handed him the cup.

“It’s only the first round, we have twelve to go.”

Seven rounds later, and Hades had pulled ahead so far that she wasn’t sure it was possible to win or tie with him unless he scored zero points for the remainder of the game. She worried the inside of her bottom lip with her teeth as she counted in her head.

“Sephy, you’ve gone pale. Is going on a real date with me that horrifying? Because now I’m wondering if I should be offended.” He shot her a playful smile as he handed her the cup.

She rolled her shoulders. “I’m not ready to admit defeat just yet. Text your lawyers that they need to draft a seller’s agreement, friend.”

Hades clutched at his chest. “Friend? Oh Fates, Sephy. Just drive a knife through my heart while you’re at it.”

She pressed her lips into a thin line before she replied. “Oh, save it. Besides, would a knife to your heart even kill you? I’m not well versed in how to kill a god.”

His mouth dropped open. “Well, when you say it like that… I’m not sure I want to tell you.” His face quickly morphed into a sly smile. “Keep turning me down and you’ll render me into something worse than dead.”

“You’ll survive,” she said in a flat tone, restraining the roll of her eyes.

“Think of Cerberus, Sephy… He’s only just learned the love of a consistent female figure in his life, the closest thing to knowing a mom that he’ll ever have. You wouldn’t leave him, would you?” The traitorous pup whimpered at their feet.

Persephone laughed. “You both have Charon and Hecate, you nit.”

“Not living here.”

“Stop distracting me from my roll,” she said as she dumped the cup. Another abysmal result fell on the tray. Her head popped up and she narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you cheating?”

“I’m not Tyche. Luck doesn’t answer to me.”

She mumbled, “That’s not a direct answer,” and rolled again with her remaining two die. A two and a five. No points.

The remaining rounds ended in Hades’ favor and by the time she completed her final roll, she relented.

The beaming smile on Hades’ face made her grin. So they’d go on a real date. It wasn’t going to do any more damage than what he’d already done with that Fates-forsaken kiss at the restaurant.

“Rest up, Sephy. I’m taking you on that date once we wrap our press tour,” Hades said to her, taking their drinks to the kitchen.

“Why not sooner? Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise. Unless you want to barter with a kiss now to find out.” His eyes fell to her lips.

She laughed softly. “I’ll wait to see.”