IVY
Everything about the hotel we entered sparkled. A large silver Christmas tree sat in the lobby, dominating everything around it.
"Do the gods celebrate Christmas?" I asked Eloise.
She shrugged. "I suppose some of them probably do, but really, I think they just like an excuse to party. And we're trying to get a couple more good matches in before the holiday season in the hope that people might gift Jinx memberships to people they think might like them."
"I didn't even realise that was a thing."
She shrugged. "Why would you?" She gestured for the three of us to make our way over to where a large man in a dark suit stood with a clipboard. "Eloise Finch and guests," she said with the same kind of confidence she'd had her entire life.
The man checked his clipboard and nodded, lifting a rope to let us inside. I hadn't been to many events like this, and it made it feel really exclusive to have a guest list like this.
I took a deep breath, feeling surprisingly nervous about entering the room. "Do they often hold events here?" I asked.
"Oh, all the time. Jinx bought the hotel a few months ago."
"They bought a hotel?" Laila echoed.
"Yes. I don't have much to do with the events department, but I think they have a lot of them going on.
This is just a mixer, but there are Lock and Key parties run by Qestesh, she's over there.
" She nodded towards a dark-haired woman who exuded sensuality even from this distance.
"And then Venus runs a speed dating event.
She's over there glaring at Aphrodite." She gestured towards a dark-blonde woman.
"How many gods do you know?" I asked, surprised that I was only just learning this.
She shrugged. "I only know the ones I've seen around the Jinx building, or who are signed up for matchmaking, and I don't really know them. It's more a case of knowing what they look like and their connection to the others."
"Well, I'm going to head to the bar and find myself a god to learn more about," Laila announced, not even giving us a moment before disappearing.
"Is she actually going to manage?" I asked.
"Probably. This party is for the top-tier clients of Jinx, there are a lot of gods in attendance," she said.
"Right, so be careful what I say to who."
She snorted. "Just steer clear of Zeus and you'll be all right. A lot of the rumours about him are true. And if Cupid is to be believed, he gets drinks thrown over him regularly at these events."
"All right, I'll steer clear of Zeus. Anything else I should know?"
She shook her head. "Not really."
I found that hard to believe when we were in a room with some of the people who had historically held so much power over the world, but I kept that to myself. So long as I was polite to everyone, it would be fine.
Eloise’s whole face lit up as she spotted someone across the room. I followed her gaze and spotted a slight man with curly blond hair. He looked somewhat familiar, and it took me a moment to realise that was because of all of the depictions of Cupid I'd seen over the years.
"I guess this is your cue," I joked.
"I'll be back," she promised.
I laughed. "Don't worry about me, I can fend for myself."
"I promise I didn't bring you here just to ditch you."
"I'll be fine," I promised her, giving her a small push on the back so she went over to the man she wanted to see. She finally went, and I watched her for a moment before realising it made me feel like a bit of a weirdo.
I turned around, scanning the bar to find Laila. I shook my head as I spotted her flirting with a man I didn't recognise. I supposed it didn't matter whether he was a god or not, she was getting what she planned out of tonight.
I let out a loud sigh.
"Abandoned by your friends?" someone asked.
I jumped and turned around, finding a handsome man with silver-grey hair and a short beard. It should make him look old, but it suited him and only added to his attractiveness. "So it seems."
"Me too."
I raised an eyebrow. "Is that some kind of pick-up line?"
"Absolutely not," he responded. "I came with my friend over there." He nodded to where a handsome black man was flirting with someone who looked just like I'd expect a Norse god to look.
"I see."
"I'm Nick," he said, holding out his hand.
"Ivy," I responded, reaching out to take it.
His hand was warm, firm, and inviting in a way a handshake really shouldn't be. Was it weird that we were even shaking hands when we were at a mixer run by a dating agency? That wasn't a question I had an answer to, and I wasn't about to ask Nick about it.
"Can I get you a drink?" he asked as he pulled his hand away. I was almost disappointed by the loss of contact.
"Isn't it an open bar?"
"Fair point. Would you like to have a drink with me, then?"
There was a part of me that wanted to say no just because the situation was a strange one, but I knew that wasn't the point of tonight. And it wasn't like Laila and Eloise were free to have a drink with me anyway. So much for girls' night. "All right."
He didn't touch me as we made our way over to the bar, which was a welcome surprise considering how much the people around us definitely were touching one another. There was a lot of it going on everywhere I looked.
"What do you want?" Nick leaned against the bar with all the confidence of someone who knew how good they looked, which was fair.
His dark suit was clearly tailored to fit him, and the look was completed by the open collar.
The only thing that would make it better would have been if he had an undone bow tie around his neck.
Though I knew that was the kind of thing that happened only in very specific circumstances.
"A glass of champagne. No reason not to if Jinx is paying."
He chuckled. "Sounds good." He got the attention of the bartender and asked for the drinks. "So, what brings you to a Jinx party?"
"It's girls' night," I responded. "As you can see, it's going well."
"So long as you're having fun, right?"
The glasses arrived, and I reached out for one of them, running my fingers up and down the stem of the glass and watching the bubbles float to the top. "I need more convincing."
"That's because the food hasn't come out yet," he responded. "Between you and me that's the main reason I come to these things."
"And presumably because you want to make the most of your Jinx membership."
He shrugged. "Most people want to find love. Is there anything wrong with using a dating agency to do it?"
"I guess not. I've never really thought about it," I admitted. "Don't tell anyone, but I'm not actually a member. My friend just happens to work at Jinx."
"Ah, an interloper," Nick joked. "Your secret is safe with me."
"You're not particularly concerned about someone having breached the sanctity of the Jinx party?"
"No, for two reasons." He took a sip of his champagne and turned to face me, a serious expression on his face. "For one, it's not my problem if people are here who shouldn't be, I don't work for Jinx."
"Good point. What's your second reason?"
"Oh, that one's easy. Why would I mess with it when I'm currently in good company?"
I laughed. "I could be terrible company for all you know. Maybe I leave the cap off my toothpaste and never pick up my socks?"
"Do you?"
"No."
"Then I'll stand by my current judgement," he responded in a warm, and surprisingly intimate, voice.
"So, is it just the food you come to Jinx parties for?"
"Well, the company," he said, which made sense considering his previous comment. "Which is pretty much the point."
"Have you met anyone yet?" I asked.
"No. Are you asking because you're interested, or because you're secretly writing a piece about Jinx and you want quotes from potential clients?" He took a sip of his champagne, his eyes twinkling as if in jest.
"I'm not a reporter," I assured him. "I'm in marketing. What about you?"
"Manufacturing," he responded.
"A vague answer."
"As was yours," he responded. "Marketing is a large discipline."
"Most people stop listening when I talk about my job. They think that marketing is all about photoshoots and snappy taglines. They switch off the moment I tell them it's about numbers."
"Everything is about numbers," Nick responded.
A commotion down the bar broke through the tension brewing between us and I turned in time to see Laila throw a drink over someone.
"Oh, Zeus, what have you done now," Nick muttered.
"That's Zeus?" I asked.
He nodded. "That might not even be the last drink of the night he gets thrown over him."
"Maybe not, but that's the one I have to deal with, that's my friend."
"Ah."
"I'm sorry, I really need to check she's okay." Especially if he was right and that was Zeus she'd thrown her drink over. I paused for a moment, not really wanting the conversation to end, even if I had to go check on Laila.
"Would it be forward to ask for your number before you go?" Nick asked.
"It would." I unclipped my handbag and pulled out a business card to hand it to him.
"Do you always carry these around with you?"
"It's the easiest way for you to know that I'm giving you my real number," I responded. "If not, I'd just make something up and write it down."
"Ah, smart." He tucked it into his pocket without looking at it. "And if I were to use your number, what should I ask?"
"That's up to you," I said. "I can't tell you how to impress me."
He chuckled. "Or I'm just trying to figure out what you'll enjoy so we'll both have a good time."
I considered it for a moment and realised being cagey wasn't going to get me anywhere. "This is too many people. I'd rather be somewhere smaller and less crowded."
"Which is much better for conversation."
"Exactly," I responded.
"Food?"
"Well, you did say you came to Jinx events to eat. So how about dinner?"
"Are you free on Thursday?" he asked.
"I can make Thursday work," I said. "Where were you thinking?"
"Have you ever been to The Cedar?" He leaned in, which was when I realised we'd slowly been moving closer to one another as we spoke.
"No, but I've heard good things. Eight sound good?"
"I'll book a table," he responded. "Maybe I didn't need your number after all."
I laughed. "Apparently not. And if it's a successful date, then maybe I won't need your comment for my fake article about Jinx, I'll be able to use firsthand experience to write it."
Amusement danced over his handsome face. I could hardly believe I'd actually made a date with someone at this event, especially when I was only actually here as a guest of Eloise.
"But I should really go now," I said. "If that is Zeus, then I need to make sure Laila is okay."
He nodded. "Understandable. Perhaps I'll see you in a bit, but if not, I look forward to dinner on Thursday," Nick said.
"Me too." I gave him what I hoped was a warm smile, not wanting him to think that this was some kind of ploy to get away from him, when I was really just concerned for Laila. Though I supposed I had given him my number already.
I waved goodbye, regretting that I'd probably have to wait until Thursday to talk to him again, but knowing that it was probably for the best.