Zeus (Contemporary Mythos Book 6)

As soon as I passed Olivia’s desk, I motioned for her to follow me, making her smile turn into a frown. “My office. Now.”

Tossing my briefcase onto my chair, I dragged my hands over my face, pacing and not bothering to take my coat off.

“Am I in trouble? Because I do feel like I was supposed to remind you about something, and I can’t for the bloody life of me remember what it is.” Gazing skyward, she tapped her finger against her plump lip.

“What? No. And isn’t that client wedding soon?”

She pointed at me with a broad smile. “That’s it. Yes. The wedding. Whew.” She slapped a hand on her chest. “And I’m so proud you remembered that.”

“Can you please close the door?” I flicked my hand at the entrance.

Olivia’s eyebrows rose before she slowly closed the door and locked it. “Okay. Something is clearly up. What’s going on, boss?”

I sat on the corner of my desk with a groan. “You never call me boss. Why are you calling me that now?”

“It felt appropriate at the moment?” She steepled her fingers before tugging my coat down my arms.

“First, you dressed me the other day. Now you’re undressing me,” I mumbled, staring numbly at the floor.

“Well, I’m stopping at your coat.” She dipped her face into mine. “Unless you’re into that kind of thing, then I’m probably game to try.”

I tossed her an exasperated glare.

“Right. I was kidding. Mostly.” She tossed my coat over my chair.

“It’s probably a good thing I’ll be leaving the country for a bit. Will be good to…get away, you know?” I chewed on my thumbnail.

“Woah. Seriously, what is going on?” She grabbed my shoulders. “You’ve never been game for even leaving the state in the middle of a case, let alone the country.”

“I kissed him, Ollie.”

She gasped and grinned, punching me in the shoulder. “Who? That cute intern bloke in cubicle B?”

I looked from left to right. “Milo? You kissed that guy.”

She snorted. “Oh, right.”

“Zane, Ollie.” I pushed to my feet and paced. “Zane fucking Vronti.”

“What?” She yelled.

I widened my eyes at her, twirling my finger above my head in a circle, referencing the entire office could hear us.

She crouched, holding her hands at her sides. “What?” She repeated in a loud whisper.

“I seriously don’t know what gotten into me.” I stared at my hands, remembering how they felt wrapped in Zane’s hair.

“Well, that’s easy. You’re—the ‘h’ word. Rhymes with corny?” She raised her brows. “How’d it happen anyway? Where? Did you use tongue?”

I cupped my hands on my forehead, circling through events that led to the incident on a loop in my brain as if it were a case I prepared to argue in court. “We were in the midst of the evidence trial, and the way he talked, the way he presented himself—he’s good, Ollie.” Unbuttoning my top two shirt buttons, I shot my gaze to hers. “Real good.”

“No bloody shit. He’s Zane Vronti. What were you expecting? Mediocre?”

No. But I wasn’t expecting to be pulled in by his prowess like he was a black hole.

“I became so swept up in his skill, Ollie, that I actually dragged him into the first broom closet I saw, shoved him against the shelves, and kissed him.” Between my legs pulsed, and I sat down, pinching my knees together.

Olivia grinned and bounced. “Holy hell. That’s hot.”

It was. It really, really was.

I undid another button on my blouse. “It was stupid, is what it was. What if someone had seen us go in there? What if someone had snapped a photo with their phone when we left?”

“It was you acting on impulse because you wanted something. It’s bloody hot. End of story.” She stomped her foot.

“I don’t understand why I wanted it at all. I hate everything that man represents. Do you have any idea how many women’s tongues have been in that man’s mouth? I see women parading out of his apartment building practically every night.” I grimaced. “And I stuck my tongue in there.”

“Bugger me. You know how to take the fun out of a situation.” Olivia sighed and sat beside me. “Hate and love are blurred lines, for one. For two, most blokes who are stallions in the sack, have, and this is shocking, slept with a few women.”

Hate and love are blurred lines.

“That isn’t the point. I have absolutely no intention of screwing him.” Standing in a huff, I turned to face her.

“Whatever you say, Starshine. But I can tell you exactly why you’re so into Mr. Hotshot Lawyer Man.” She drummed her fingers on the desk’s edge, stretching her legs out in front of her and crossing them at the ankle.

Folding my arms, I glared at her. “And why would that be?”

“Much like your job entails, you like a challenge. Tyler was an incredibly nice bloke, but he was simple and to the point.”

A lump sprouted in my throat. “Do you have to bring up Tyler?”

“Yes. Because it’s how I intend on proving my point. You and Tyler were smitten from what, the first two dates? All batty-eyed and puppy love. He had a good job, worshipped the ground you walked on, and at the end of the day came home and did you in the missionary position.” She bounced her top foot, making the ballet flat fall from her heel.

Ugh. Her bringing up Tyler only brought back the depressing memories of what happened between us. He was a nice guy.

“But he wasn’t what you, Keira Bazin, needed.” Olivia stood and interlaced her fingers behind her back.

“And how the hell would you—”

Olivia raised a finger to silence me. “You are a strong woman with arguing skills that rival a master debater.” She snorted, cleared her throat, and waved a hand over her face, morphing it back to neutral. “You need someone who can match you point for point, challenge you. Someone who is as passionate about their career as you—to understand. And maybe at the end of the day…fuck you from behind against a wall.”

My brain betrayed me, dipping into thoughts of Zane behind me, my palms pressed against my office door, sweat beading my forehead.

I shook my head and moved away from the door, closing my eyes with a wince. “I get what you’re saying, Ollie. But I can find that elsewhere. Zane isn’t the only man in existence who has those traits.”

“Yeah? You’re in your mid-thirties, Keir. You find him yet?” She threw her arms out at her sides and let them flop back down.

Ouch.

“Maybe I was meant to go it alone. Ever think about that?” I crossed my arms again in a huff.

“I don’t buy it. You wouldn’t have ever gotten married in the first place if you were okay with being alone.” Olivia frowned, crossing the room to rest a hand on my shoulder. “How did you feel during that kiss, huh?”

Alive. Reborn. Ravenous.

“It doesn’t matter. It’s not happening again, and that’s final.”

I’d also not felt overwhelmed by his emotions as I normally did in sexual situations. It was as if everything equalized between us the moment our skin touched.

“I’m going to say one last thing, and then I’m done playing the role of the best friend who makes you see through the bullshit…for now.” Olivia took a dramatic deep breath. “You can be into something else besides your job and still be good at it. It’s part of being human, mate.” She patted my arm.

“I’ll keep it in mind,” I mumbled.

The day wore on, and I spent most of it daydreaming about the swirl of emotions passed between Zane and me during that walk to the office. Flirtatious. Lust. Happiness. The occasional bout of irritation. And I could not get him out of my mind. Sighing, I pinched the bridge of my nose, forcing my brain back into work mode.

Olivia knocked on my open door. “It’s well after five. You heading home?”

Home. My apartment building. Zane’s apartment building.

“No. I’ll probably stay the night here going over paperwork.” I moved behind my desk, shifting papers from left to right as if I were organizing them.

“You’re going to avoid him now, aren’t you?”

After that kiss? After the alarmingly normal moment walking to work this morning? Bet your ass I was.

“No. I just want to go over the files more.” I kept my gaze down, avoiding eye contact.

“You’re an amazing liar when you want to be, Keira, but I know you well enough to know that is precisely what you’re doing.” Olivia grabbed my coat and threw it at me. “Come on. I’ll sleep at your place tonight. He won’t try to sweep you off your feet if I’m there to cockblock him.”

“I think you underestimate him,” I muttered, slipping the coat over my arms and grabbing my briefcase.

She paused, blinking. “That good, huh?”

Pulling my hair from the jacket collar, I fished for my gloves. “Broom closet, Ollie. Broom. Closet.”

Olivia grinned and stared at the ceiling as if trying to conjure the image of Zane and me making out. “Still so hot.”

Olivia came over as promised, grimacing at my boxes littering the living room floor. “You seriously haven’t finished unpacking?”

“Essentials, sure. Those boxes are just full of junk mostly. Haven’t had time.” I shrugged, playing with the seam of my pajama bottoms.

“And you also didn’t have time to at least stack them against a wall?”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “Did you come over to chastise me about cleanliness or to distract me?”

“It’s only—how are we to have a dance party with these boxes strewn about? Hm?” Olivia kicked a box with her foot, making whatever was inside clank.

“Dance party?” My stomach gurgled.

“Uh, yeah. Didn’t you do that in college? Dance parties and drinking?” She rushed past me to the kitchen, rummaging through my cabinets.

“I think you know the answer to your own question, Ollie. College for me was pulling all-nighters studying law until my eyes bulged from my skull.”

“Right.” She ducked and returned with a bottle in her hand. “Maybe we should invite Johnnie Walker to the party. Is this really all you have? Should’ve stopped at the bottle-o on the way over.”

“Yes. It’s all I have. It’s all I ever drink, and it’s only to help clear my head at times.”

She grabbed two glass tumblers from the cabinet in front of her, sliding them across the counter. “It’ll have to do then. Even though I think it tastes like arse.”

Stealing a peek over my shoulder, I squinted through the slit in the blinds to see if Zane’s light was on. It wasn’t. I frowned.

“What you lookin’ at?” Olivia asked, appearing at my side with a scotch in hand.

I jumped and snatched the glass from her grasp. “The moon.”

“You’re quick, Bazin. And good too because you’re not technically lying, are you?” She grinned and took a sip of her drink, scrunching her face like she drank gasoline.

“What? It is a full moon.” I gulped the scotch, sighing as the delicious smoky taste coated my tongue. A full moon always revitalized me.

“You want to catch a glimpse at a full moon, alright, but not the one in the sky.” She snorted before bolting toward the windows.

“What are you doing?” I sipped more scotch, fighting the urge to down it.

She parted the blinds with about as much covert ability as a wolverine. “Which apartment is his?”

In an attempt to change the subject, I asked, “How was your date with uh—what was his name? Blake?”

“Eh. He was good for a night.”

“You sound bummed about that. Doesn’t sound like your usual self. What’s up?”

Sighing, she let the blinds close with a loud fwap. “I just—I guess I need someone more…adventurous?”

“Adventurous? You? No offense, but I never took you for the type.”

She blew her bangs from her eyes. “I haven’t done much since moving to New York, so that’s fair. But back in Australia?” She bit her lower lip, smiling, staring into space. “I did all kinds of shit.”

“Seriously?” I grinned and nudged her arm.

“Yeah. Even scuba diving.”

I cocked my head to the side, attempting to imagine her in a snorkel. “No kidding. Huh.”

Olivia sighed and moved her gaze to the swig of alcohol left in her drink. “I miss it sometimes. The motherland.”

Melancholy. Homesickness.

“Do you ever think about going back, Ollie?” I rubbed her shoulder.

“Hell no. My family and friends are here, and I love it here. Mum passed away when I was a kid, I followed dad when he moved here for a job, and then—there’s you.” She smiled and bumped my shoulder with hers. “You’re like a sister to me.”

The momentary sadness swarming through her floated away as quickly as it arrived.

“You know what? You and I should go on vacation sometime—to Australia. I’ve never been.”

Olivia’s eyes widened, and she squished each of my cheeks. “Woah. Are you a doppelganger? Keira Bazin speaking of vacations?”

“Maybe I’ve seen the light. Maybe it’s the alcohol. Either way, I want you to hold me to it. Deal?” I lifted my glass.

“That—” We clanked our tumblers. “I can do.” Olivia tilted her head back and finished the drink.

“Did I tell you he gave me binoculars?” I dipped my pinky in the scotch and traced it over my bottom lip—the image of that muscular ass of his etched into my brain.

She sputtered and wiped the back of her hand over her mouth. “Um, no?”

“The bastard left them in a box on my doorstep with a note saying, ‘So you can get a better view.’” Rolling my eyes, I stuck my nose back in the glass, slurping more elixir.

She squeezed her glass with both hands, beaming. “You looked. Didn’t you?”

“Maybe.” I tapped my fingernail against the tumbler.

“Good on ya, mate. What’d you see? Tell me.” She made a hurry-up gesture with her free hand as she made her way to the kitchen, pouring herself another drink.

“His ass.” I couldn’t think about his dick. I just couldn’t.

She squealed and did a spin before grabbing onto the countertop to steady herself.

Smiling at her extra enthusiasm and mixed with the speed I sipped my scotch over usual, I added, “There’s more.”

She leaned on her elbow, resting her chin on her hand, staring at me from the kitchen unblinking. With every sip of scotch, she’d wince and gag.

“I may have teased him back with—” I dragged my hand over my body.

Gasping, she ran back to me and playfully shoved my shoulder. “You did not. Who are you?”

“It was completely inappropriate and out of line, wasn’t it?” I downed the rest of my scotch.

“Who cares if it was? What is life if not occasionally being inappropriate? Boring. That’s what.” She threw her arm around my shoulders, pulling me to her side. “I like this side of you.”

“More Johnnie?” I pointed to the bottle with a grin.

After finishing what she’d just poured, making less of a disgusted face this time, she held her glass out. “Definitely. The bloke’s warming up to me.”

Pouring doubles this time, I hopped onto a stool near the counter.

Despite the company and the drinking, I still couldn’t help thinking about the case. The nerves that bubbled every time it crossed my mind—going up against Zane. For the first time in my career, I actually feared losing.

“Do you remember the Johnson, Ekols, and Mirand case? The one where we convicted those three young guys for the drowning of the little girl?”

Olivia did one slow-motion blink. “Well, that was out of absolutely nowhere, but, yes. Why the bloody hell are you bringing that up now while we’re trying to get our buzz on?”

“I can’t help it.” I rubbed my glass, making it squeak. “It always eats away at my brain the investigators couldn’t find DNA that matched later on, and they were released from prison on an Adams plea. They served thirteen years in prison and may have never even done it.”

Olivia gave an exaggerated head roll, and bumped her finger under my tumbler, encouraging me to drink more. “And they very well could have. It’s all speculation. The prosecution had plenty of evidence to convict them.”

“I haven’t lost a case, and yet, technically, I won that one, but they were released.”

Olivia gasped. “A light just went on in the apartment on the top floor. Is that his? He seems like the type to live in a penthouse.”

Excited jitters fluttered in my stomach. “Yes.”

“Where are those binos?” Olivia spun around, flicking her head left to right, making her bangs fall into her eyes.

“I threw them away.” Sipping on my drink, I kept my back to the windows.

Don’t look, Keira. Do. Not. Look.

“Yeah, right.” She whizzed past me, heading straight for my bedroom.

I chased after her, holding the glass above my head, trying to keep it level as I ran. “Ollie, don’t.”

Her ass was in the air on her hands and knees, bent forward, and rummaging under my bed. She sat up with the box in her hand, holding it above her head like the Holy Grail. Ignoring my continued protests, she scurried past me, removing the binoculars as she went, and tossing the box to the floor.

Rubbing my thumb between my eyes and sipping on my scotch, I shuffled down the hall, groaning at her as she peered out the window through the blinds.

“Bugger, I don’t see anything.” She frowned at me over her shoulder.

Shaking my head, I sat on the sofa, and curled my feet underneath me. “I highly doubt he’ll do it twice.”

I gulped more scotch, my cheeks warming.

“Fuck me dead,” Olivia said.

The warmth in my cheeks traveled down my neck, settling in my chest. “What?”

“I just—” Olivia walked over, the binoculars limp in her hands. “I just saw his donga.”

“You did?” I leaped up, snatching the binoculars from her. As I neared the window, giggles followed me.

Zane was nowhere to be found in the lit room across the street.

“I knew it.” Olivia pointed at me.

“You didn’t actually see it did you?” I rolled my eyes at her before shoving the binoculars into her chest.

“Nope. But you sure as hell want to.” She chuckled and did a little dance.

Oh, I had. And felt it against me.

Sitting back down, I leaned forward and absently traced my finger around the rim of my glass. “The kiss was hot, Ollie. So fucking hot.”

“You should tell him that.” She flopped next to me, giggling as she fell sideways against the cushions.

“Please. As if the man needs any more of an ego boost.” I sipped more of my drink.

“Who cares? Besides, you’ve got an ego too.” She elbowed me.

I snapped my gaze to her. “I do not.”

“Yes. You do. It’s part of the reason you’re a confident, good lawyer.” She crawled to the nightstand, grabbed my phone, and shoved it at me. “Text him. Tell him.”

“Do you really think I have the defense lawyer in our case’s personal phone number?”

She stuck her bottom lip out to the middle of her chin. “True. But you do have his e-mail.” She wiggled the phone until I snatched it.

With the alcohol bubbling in my brain, lulling me into a wistful intoxication, I shrugged. “Why the hell not. It’ll torture him even more.”

“That’s the spirit,” Olivia shouted, spinning until she lay on her back with her head in my lap.

Pulling up a new e-mail, I worked my thumb across the touch screen.

To: Zane Vronti

From: Keira Bazin

Subject: Expletive Content

Now that I have your attention, I just wanted to say…I really, really really, REALLY enjoyed that kiss.

All the best,

Keira

Send.

If I’d stayed awake long enough, my mortification may have been a distant memory by the time I woke up the following day. But at three in the morning, still on the couch, and squinting into the darkness, the blinking blue notification light caught my attention.

A work e-mail? This early?

Groggily pulling it up, all my limbs froze, seeing it was an e-mail reply from Zane.

Oh my god. Had I actually sent that? Why would I send that?

With a shaky thumb, I selected it.

To: Keira Bazin

From: Zane Vronti

Subject: RE: Expletive Content

You did, did you? Maybe you should try me again sometime. 😉

Always ready for more,

Zane

Dropping the phone in my lap, I slapped my hands over my eyes. I’d been avoiding him for a reason, and now there was no way in hell I could face him after this. Jumping to my feet, I sprinted to my bedroom to change. If I hurried, I could start my walk to work before Zane conveniently met me on the sidewalk.

“Why are you making so much noise?” Olivia whined from the couch.

“I’m getting ready to go in for work.” After getting dressed, I quickly pulled a brush through my hair.

“At three in the bloody morning?”

Trotting back to the living room, hopping on one foot while I slipped on a heel, I handed her my spare key. “I know it’s early, but if I go now, I’ll avoid Zane. Here’s my extra key so you can lock up after you leave.”

She groaned and snatched it from me, slamming it on the coffee table in front of the sofa. “You realize doing this is only delaying the inevitable, right?”

I thinned my lips and grabbed my coat. “I’ll see you later, Ollie.”

Maybe it would, or maybe it wouldn’t, but I knew whatever may have been bound to happen between Zane and me—I wasn’t ready for it. But would I ever be?