Chapter 42

42

Two hours later, Hermes glanced out of the taxi cab in front of The Orchid House and frowned at the sign.

“Persephone, as happy as I am to visit this fine establishment, are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Relax. It’s just to help out a friend.” It wasn’t even a lie. Persephone grabbed her purse and made to get out of the cab but Hermes caught her arm.

“I don’t think Hades is going to like this.”

“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Besides, he’ll just think it’s cute.”

“He thinks you’re cute. He’ll just kill me,” Hermes muttered.

“He’s not going to kill you.” Persephone shook his hand off.

“You’re right, he’ll get the big guy to do it.”

“Charon’s not going to hurt you, either. I won’t let him. Now come on.”

She swung her legs out of the car and immediately regretted wearing a miniskirt. She’d gone for maximum vamp style, hoping to lower the chances of her being recognized. Black mini skirt, black spangly top, and black high heels: she looked a little like a goth princess. Add to that thick smoky eye makeup and a black wig she convinced Hermes to loan her (and help affix to her head) and she was sure she’d be totally under the radar.

“This is insane.” Hermes checked his hair in the cab’s rear-view mirror one last time and then exited the cab. He wore a grey suit and white shirt with a skinny black tie. With his mussed hair and her thin black clad figure, they looked like two kids playing dress up.

“Just follow my lead and I won’t let you do anything dumb. I mean, other than this entire venture.” Hermes stuck out his arm to escort Persephone in. “I haven’t been this reluctant to visit a strip club since…ever.”

Persephone looked around as they walked in. The Orchid House looked much classier at night. The bar had cool purple lighting, and there were actual flowers placed on pedestals near the walls.

As soon as they were inside, Hermes seemed to relax. He charmed the hostess and kept his hand on Persephone’s back as they took a booth near the stage. He flirted with the waitress when she came to take their order, batting his long black eyelashes almost as much as the woman batted her mascara-laden ones.

“What are you doing?” Persephone asked once the waitress left, walking on air.

“Just chillin.’” Hermes smiled when the waitress returned with a bottle of champagne. “Be cool.”

Persephone sat back in the deep chair but she couldn’t relax. She couldn’t stop scanning the room, glancing at the faces all around them to make sure she didn’t see anyone she knew. Especially Ajax. But mostly all she saw was men in suits, and a few couples.

Hermes handed her a glass of champagne and leaned close. “Don’t look around so much. Some people here don’t want to be recognized, either.”

“You seem pretty comfortable,” she whispered back.

Hermes shrugged. “I’d like it better if you’d tell me what’s really going on.”

Persephone paused with her champagne glass halfway to her lips. “What do you mean?”

“You’re acting funny. For one, you called me and asked me out. To a strip club. Without your husband. Are you two doing ok?”

Did he think she’d asked him here because she— Unable to find her voice, Persephone just stared into Hermes’s dark eyes.

He sighed. “Look, Persephone, I’m happy to help. That’s what friends do. But it’d be nice to know what I’m getting into.”

“It’s not what you think,” she blurted. “That is, I don’t know what you’re thinking exactly, but Hades and I are fine.” Okay, that was a giant lie, but she wasn’t going to even start getting into that with Hermes. That wasn’t why they were here. “I just need to help…a friend.”

“And Hades isn’t involved?”

She hesitated.

“Right, well when we get out of here, we’re going to talk about it. Like I said, I want to help you, but I don’t want trouble.”

Crap. Maybe it wasn’t fair to ask him to help her. She’d never fully understood the nature of Hades’s and Hermes’s business relationship. The last thing she wanted was for Hermes to end up getting burned because of her.

“I understand.” Persephone said softly.

Hermes turned to her and took her hand. “It’s not only that we’re friends. Hades and I are business partners. Without him, I never could’ve gotten Double M off the ground.”

Persephone nodded, thinking about Metamorphoses, Hermes’s spa. It was opening its third location soon.

Okay, if she was going to keep asking him to help her, he deserved an explanation. She leaned in and was about to explain when she noticed the fog starting to roll over the stage.

“Ladies and gentleman,” a voice came over the loud speaker, “We are proud to present: Venus.”

A trance-like humming filled the room, a woman’s breathy voice. The fog piled up on the stage as the music intensified, building with drums. Subtle lights revealed a pool of water shimmering under the mist.

Aphrodite emerged slowly from the water, a wet cloth clinging to her body, leaving it covered and at the same time fully on display. Rising from the mist, she looked like a primordial goddess; her curves evoking a millennia of raw, potent desire.

“Wow,” Hermes breathed.

The music went low until there were only drums beating. Beating deep into the brain. Aphrodite smiled at the crowd, pirouetted slowly, and let the cloth peel away.

Underneath she wore a gold bikini, stretched tight over her flawless figure. The audience murmured their appreciation as Aphrodite floated to the pole for her dance routine.

Persephone glanced over at Hermes; he had his mouth open and was almost drooling.

Aphrodite’s dance was less acrobatic this time and much more sensual. Her hips made love to the air, and every man in the room felt it right in their groin. Aphrodite gyrated slowly and Persephone couldn’t help mentally filing the move away for later. She needed all the help she could get to manage Hades.

People were throwing money but Aphrodite danced over it like she didn’t notice.

The stage went dark and the cheering went on for a while. When the lights came up, Aphrodite stood there transformed, now wearing a glittering red dress with a plunging neckline. As an old tune came on, she started to sing in her sweet baby voice.

The crowd went crazy.

“That’s my friend,” Persephone whispered to Hermes. The svelte young designer looked so mesmerized; it was almost comical. He took a gulp of champagne and poured some on himself without even noticing.

“Hermes,” Persephone called, and he blinked. She looked pointedly at his suit. “I didn’t know you had a drinking problem.”

Grabbing a napkin, he hurriedly blotted the liquid, then gulped more champagne.

“Oh my gods,” he said hoarsely, then cleared his throat. “Uh, she’s incredible. How did you meet?”

“Long story.” Persephone smiled up at Aphrodite as she vamped with the mike. “She’s helping me with some charity work.”

The song ended and other ladies came on stage.

Aphrodite descended to dance and flirt with her patrons.

Persephone wasn’t sure if Aphrodite recognized her until Aphrodite winked at her. She came slowly over and leaned over Persephone as if she might kiss her.

“We need to talk,” Persephone whispered, then indicated Hermes with a slight jerk of her head. “Alone.”

Aphrodite nodded, looking deep into Persephone’s eyes as part of the act. “Just follow my lead.”

Aphrodite moved to Hermes, swaying over him. He held his hands over her hips like he wanted to touch her, but she gathered them, and pulled until he came up out of his chair. He followed her obediently on stage as the announcer spoke again. “Please welcome onstage a special guest, here on his birthday!”

Persephone sat up, wondering what was going on. The women had set a chair onstage; they tied Hermes to it and took turns grinding on him. The crowd whooped.

Hermes’s face held a look of goofy pleasure and he didn’t even protest that it wasn’t his birthday.

Then two of the dancers climbed up, straddled his head as they faced one another and started rocking back and forth.

Eyes fixed to the debauchery on stage, Persephone almost didn’t notice Aphrodite signaling her to come around the stage to a side door.

Grabbing her purse, Persephone rose and loped to Aphrodite. The audience was transfixed on Hermes’s plight onstage. The women had climbed off of Hermes and now were untying him and forcing him down onto his hands and knees. One of them was unfastening his belt.

“Time for his birthday spanking?—”

Aphrodite pulled Persephone into the hall and shut the door, cutting off the raucous laughter.

“Um,” Persephone began.

“Can’t talk here,” Aphrodite whispered and drew her through gauzy curtains and then a door marked VIP.

“Is that your boyfriend? He’s a handsome one.” Aphrodite motioned Persephone inside the dimly lit room.

“No, just a friend.” Persephone entered and stood in the center of the lush surroundings. “And, uh, I’m just curious. What are they going to do with him?”

“Oh, don’t worry, he’ll love it. It’s part of the fun.”

Persephone wondered how much the fun had to do with Hermes getting lashed with his own belt. “Ok.”

“They won’t hurt him.” Aphrodite giggled. “Much. So, what have you found out about Eurydice?”

Persephone caught her up to date, explaining Athena’s cellphone trick. “Eurydice has to be here—or was here at some point, and left her phone. Have you seen or heard anything about her?”

Aphrodite shook her head. “Maybe one of Ajax’s guys has it. They’ve been crawling around here lately.” She shuddered. “Although, it’s possible she was here…”

Aphrodite broke off when they heard voices in the hall. The sounds grew louder as people stopped just outside the door.

“Shoot—someone has a customer.”

Aphrodite rushed to the back of the champagne room and Persephone hurried after. Crap. The last thing she needed was to get caught here. Aphrodite had just said that Ajax’s guys were crawling the place. And she couldn’t tell where on earth Aphrodite was taking her.

But as the voices grew louder Aphrodite drew back one of the curtains covering the wall to reveal…a wall. But then Aphrodite leaned down and pushed on the crown molding and with a slight creeeeeeeak, a panel of the wall slid aside. A hidden door. Thank the Fates.

As Persephone crowded behind her, Aphrodite stepped into the dark passageway beyond. It was totally black. No lights at all.

Persephone couldn’t help hesitating on the threshold, but Aphrodite pushed her into the hidden corridor and tugged the door shut after them. It clicked back into place just in time, too, because the next moment they could hear voices muffled in the champagne room.

“Where are we?” Persephone breathed, the barest whisper. She fumbled in her purse and fired up her cellphone flashlight, raising it so she could see more of the narrow hall. It stretched in both directions, just barely wide enough for the two of them. Persephone put her hand to the opposite wall and felt the cold brick.

“This place used to be a speakeasy,” Aphrodite whispered. “I think this leads to a secret room in the back. I haven’t explored it much. Too creepy. And with Ajax’s guys everywhere the past few days, I haven’t really been able to sneak away.”

“You think they could be keeping Eurydice here?”

“We could look.” Aphrodite’s voice was quiet but held an undercurrent of excitement.

Persephone kept the light high. “Which way?”