He turned and drew me back into the house. We strode through the clean hallways and past tidy rooms full of treasure, then out of the house. A red sports car waited there. I glanced back. He had shut the door but left it unlocked. Hermes never cared about security. I hadn't either, not until he left me. At least he had taught me to use a gun before that. Thinking back, it was probably why he had insisted on me learning. He was preparing me to take care of myself.
I heard a click and turned to find Hermes standing beside the open passenger door. I slid onto the seat, and he closed the door for me. Going around the front, he pulled out a set of keys. He was grinning when he got into the driver's seat. Hermes loved to drive. Cars, motorcycles, trains, boats, whatever. He loved piloting vehicles. It was all a part of his magic—The God of Travel.
Hermes started the car, and we drove off. Down winding roads and along terrifying drops we sped. Soon, we were in the city, the roads getting tighter. But Hermes navigated with ease, instinctively moving around obstacles and slipping the sportscar down slender streets until he parked it outside our favorite restaurant. Oh, yeah, he was seriously trying to seduce me.
It was a small place, known only to the locals, and Hermes was known there. As soon as we entered the establishment, he was greeted effusively. The owner even came out to hug him. What surprised me was that she remembered me as well. In Greek, she greeted me, calling me Lomasi, and then ushered us to the best table on the balcony, shaded by a white umbrella.
Once she was gone, I leaned over to Hermes and said, “I can't believe she remembers me.”
“I brought you here only a few years ago.”
“That's a long time for a human. And I assumed you had brought others here after that.”
Hermes sat back and stared at me. “Do you really think I'm that callous? I would never bring another woman here. Not to this island, much less this restaurant.”
“Hermes, you left me. You left to explore the world without me and fuck other women. Bringing one of them to this restaurant is nothing compared to that. So, if you think it's romantic to leave this place unspoiled, you're alone in that thought.”
Before he could respond, the waitress was there with our drinks. We hadn't ordered, but they knew we wanted coffee and water with our breakfast. Greek coffee is amazing.
Hermes ordered for us, not needing the menu. It annoyed me that he assumed to know what I wanted. It really annoyed me that he was right. But I kept that to myself, knowing he wasdealing with shit too. Heaping more onto his pile wouldn't help me.
I sipped my coffee and stared at the water. Only a couple of months ago, I would have been ecstatic to be there with him. Now, even the view couldn't lift my spirits.
“We can go shopping after this,” Hermes suggested. “You need some clothes.”
“Hermes, how long are we going to do this?”
His lips tightened before he said, “As long as it takes for you to remember that you love me.”
“I remember already. But it's only a memory, and I know for certain that it will remain in the past. At least, that sort of love. I will always love you as a friend.”
“Lomasi, if you mention being my friend one more time, I will return to your dogs and put them down.”
I gasped, cold fear running through my veins.
Hermes took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I'm sorry. That was harsh. But it's very upsetting when you say things like that. Just give me this time to convince you. I know I can make you forget them.”
“And if I don't?”
“You will, Lomasi. I promise you, you will.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Hermes set out on a mission to not only seduce me but also romance me. And as I mentioned before, he was great at romance. After breakfast, we went on a shopping spree. He bought me several new outfits, down to the underwear, a few pairs of shoes for all the activities we might get up to, and accessories including some very expensive jewelry. I stopped protesting after the shoes, realizing it was futile. Surprisingly, it was fun after I let myself enjoy it. And not because Hermes was buying me things. I had enough money to buy whatever I wanted. No, it was the god himself. He was at his best, putting on a show for me as he had once done when he had first tried to gain my affection.
But I'd seen the show before, and I knew all of Hermes's tricks. By the time dinner rolled around and we were dining at Le Jules Verne, the restaurant on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, I was getting tired of the performance.
I waited until the end of the meal, when we were enjoying our chocolate souffles, and then said, “Hermes, you don't have to do this.”
Hermes had worn a bright smile all day. It cracked with my words. “But I want to show you how much I love you.”
“No, you want to win.”
“Yes. I want towin you back.”
“You want to win period. You hate the thought of me loving someone else, anyone else, because it would feel like you had lost. But this isn't a game, Hermes. And if it was, you stopped playing with me a long time ago.”
“That's not true. I've already told you, Lomasi—”
