God of Ecstasy by Lena loneson Read Free Book Online Page A

happened?
Would she ever see him again? She wanted to see him again.
    Get a grip, James. Not everyone gets to have three wishes
granted by a literal Greek god. Enjoy what you have, while you have it. Stop
acting like a schoolgirl in love.
    But still, Jaime found herself humming as she shopped,
filling a bag with her secret supplies—a student grade set of watercolors and
brushes from the art store, some fur-lined handcuffs and a blindfold from the
woman-friendly sex toy shop. She’d even managed to avoid blushing too much as
she made her purchases. If only Keith could see me now. Would he be
horrified, or jealous?
    Her ex-husband had been as vanilla as they came. Which was
fine, she supposed, if you liked that. It was only recently that Jaime realized
that maybe she didn’t.
    She spent the next few hours meeting with her latest clients
in a coffee shop, a young gay married couple, both involved in theater, as most
of her work came via word of mouth through the local arts community. She blew
on a cappuccino, sinking into the leather couch and trying to keep that silly
grin off her face as they discussed wire-framing and color palettes for their
websites. Her favorite colors felt decadent in her mouth—aubergine, emerald,
crimson, sapphire, caramel.
    She was very aware of her tongue, the handcuffs in the purse
beside her, and the heat between her legs. Hold it together, James. Mitchell
and Greg aren’t exactly into your type even if you wanted them to be. It
had clearly been too long since she’d had a man to go home to.
    When the meeting was over she ran a few more errands, picking
up groceries and venturing into a lingerie store for the first time in years.
Previously, her cotton underwear and bras had been ordered online. By the time
she stepped off the cherry-red streetcar to head for home and the man awaiting
her, it was nearly dark. The air smelled damp, as if a storm were coming. But
the sky was still partly clear, a crescent moon peeking brightly through clouds
in the sky. Jaime smiled and filed the image away as she often did for later
inspiration in her work.
    She was surprised to see Liv’s sedan parked on her gravel
driveway. Jaime’s heart leapt into her throat. What was Liv doing there without
texting first? It was unlike her. And more importantly—had she met Dionysus?
How was Jaime going to explain a man in her house? What if Liv had asked where
they’d met? What on Earth might the god have said? Calm down, James. Maybe
he’s hiding in his bottle and Liv just got there. She knows where the spare key
is. She let herself in.
    That thought died the second she stepped up on the verandah.
She could hear music playing, Joni Mitchell, cranked loud. The lights were on
in the distance, but not the foyer. She heard distant laughter. The laughter of
a god—she’d know that voice anywhere—and at least two women, if not more.
    With shaking hands, Jaime fished in her purse for her keys.
The pattering of several pairs of feet approached the door.
    The door swung open. “James!” Missy cried, her feathered
blonde hair bouncing. “Surprise!”
    “W-what?”
    “Jamie!”
    “Jamison!”
    She was being embraced by all three women now, Missy, Liv
and Giselle. They were giggling, faces flushed, and smelled of wine. Giselle
planted a kiss on each of her cheeks and whispered in her ear with a small
hiccup, “He’s so handsome.” She fanned herself exaggeratedly. Her lips were
dark with wine, standing out starkly against her alabaster skin.
    Liv gave her a thumbs-up, her green eyes flashing. “You have
my full approval.”
    Missy hung back a little now, shyly. “Ladies, shouldn’t we
see if she likes it?”
    “Of course!” Liv grabbed Jaime and spun her around,
blindfolding her with a hand. Someone took her purse and—Jaime assumed—set it
down. Between Liv’s fingers Jaime could see just barely that the lights had
been turned on.
    “Dee, get over here!”
    Dee?
    Dionysus cleared his throat. “I hope you