RUBY
The doors slide open, and I step out of Athena’s private elevator. She sits behind a massive black marble desk, phone to her ear. She looks up and her serious expression transforms into a warm smile.
“I’m sorry. I’ll have to call you back tomorrow.” She gets up and steps around her desk to greet me. “There you are. How was your day?”
“Long,” I admit, letting my bag slide to the floor. “But better now.”
I turn in a slow circle, taking in her office for the first time, and whistle through my teeth. “I need your decorator for my firm. This is spectacular.”
Athena laughs. “My decorator was me, actually. With some help, of course.”
I wander to the windows, looking down at the casino floor thirty-eight stories below. Tiny figures move among the tables and machines, waitresses weaving through the crowd with trays of drinks, dealers shuffling cards.
“Wow,” I breathe. “It feels fucking powerful being up here. Like watching your own private kingdom.”
Athena comes to stand beside me, her shoulder brushing mine. “That was the idea. Though I rarely think of it that way anymore.” She turns to me, head tilted in consideration. “Have you ever seen the whole Olympus?”
“Just the Parthenon.” I shoot her a flirty smile. “Will you give me a private tour?”
“That can be arranged, Counselor.” In one smooth motion, Athena lifts me onto her desk and steps between my legs.
“Let’s start with my office, shall we? This is my desk.
It’s Greek marble and as sturdy as they come.
I had it stress-tested to support the weight of my ego, so we should be perfectly safe.
” Her hands slide around my waist as she leans in to kiss me properly this time.
I melt into her touch, my hands finding their way into her hair, dislodging her white fedora that falls forgotten to the floor.
We’re getting carried away, but I can’t bring myself to care.
My legs wrap around her waist, pulling her closer.
A sharp knock at the door breaks the spell. Athena chuckles as she steps back, wiping traces of my lipstick from her mouth.
“Yes?” she calls, her voice steady despite the flush in her cheeks.
“Ms. Stavros, the event planning team needs your sign-off for the event tonight.” Maria’s voice comes through the door.
Athena sighs, shooting me an apologetic smile. “I’m busy at the moment, Maria. Ask Mark to sign it off, will you? Tell him I’m handing over control tonight.”
“Of course, Ms. Stavros.”
“Athena Stavros is handing over control?” I arch a brow. “I’ll be damned.”
Athena laughs as she retrieves her hat from the floor.
“Trust me, it’s a work in progress. My therapist calls it growth, but my staff calls it a miracle.
It took me three years and one cracked molar from grinding my teeth before I could let someone else make a decision around here.
” She smooths her hair and puts her hat back on.
“Perhaps we should start that tour. The knocking rarely stops when I’m here. If it’s not Maria, it’s someone else.”
Heat still pulses between my thighs, my body buzzing with a desire that’s become wonderfully familiar these past weeks.
I’ve developed a Pavlovian response to her—one touch and I’m ready to abandon all my self-restraint.
But the anticipation is its own kind of pleasure, the slow simmer that will make tonight’s release all the sweeter.
“Show me your empire,” I say, sliding off the desk. “I want to see everything.”
“Let’s start with the food court,” Athena says, pulling me back into the elevator. “I’m guessing neither of us has eaten since lunch.”
I laugh, squeezing her hand. “Am I that predictable?”
“I recognize the signs of a workaholic,” she says. “Unless you prefer to sit down?”
“No, I want more of that street food we had last week. I’ve actually been thinking about it.”
The elevator descends smoothly, its glass walls revealing floor after floor of the Olympus’s grandeur.
Hotel rooms, the spa floor, an indoor garden terrace.
We glide past it all, suspended in our crystalline bubble.
I press my hand against the glass, suddenly aware of how exposed we are.
Guests look up, their faces tilting toward us, eyes following our journey.
“This is…intense,” I murmur. “Everyone can see us.”
“Really?” Athena steps closer and puts a hand on my back. “I thought you liked being watched.”
We step out into the atrium where two imposing security guards flank the private elevator entrance, subtle nods acknowledging Athena as we pass.
She leads me through the casino, and I notice her glancing around frequently, an almost imperceptible tension in her shoulders.
I take her hand as we walk, and she stiffens momentarily. Her eyes dart around, scanning the faces of staff members and patrons alike.
“Sorry,” I say, letting go of her hand. “Are you uncomfortable with this?”
Athena stops and turns to face me. “No, of course not,” she says, but her voice catches slightly.
She takes my hand again. “I’m just…I’m not used to this.
” She hesitates. “My staff has never seen me with a love interest. They don’t even know I’m gay.
” She laughs and shakes her head. “It’s stupid, I know. ”
“Hey, it’s not stupid. We don’t have to—”
She cuts me off, cupping my face in her hands. “No. I want this. I want you. I’m done hiding.”
Over her shoulder, I spot a man approaching with an iPad, his stride purposeful, eyes focused on Athena’s back. He’s dressed impeccably in a tailored suit, with the air of someone who carries significant authority.
He clears his throat as he draws near, and Athena turns.
“Hey, Mark,” she says. “Did Maria not tell you I’m signing off for the day?” She continues before he has a chance to reply. “Don’t worry about doing the rounds tonight. I’m showing Ruby around, so I’ve got this.”
“I ehm… she called me but I was in a meeting, so I haven’t spoken to her yet.” Mark’s eyes shift between us, lingering on our intertwined fingers. A flicker of surprise crosses his face before he masks it with professional neutrality.
Athena clears her throat, and I feel her hand going clammy in mine.
“I’m sorry. Where are my manners? Ruby, this is Mark, my operations director.
” She pauses, a subtle tension in her jaw before it relaxes into resolution.
“Mark, this is Ruby Walsh, my…” She pauses and lets out a nervous chuckle.
“My partner.” She utters the word “partner” more like a question, like she’s testing the word out.
“Oh?” He recovers quickly, extending his hand to me. “Well, that explains why she’s been leaving early lately. A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Walsh. Enjoy your tour.” With a respectful nod to us both, he disappears into the crowd.
Athena blows out her cheeks. “Wow,” she murmurs. “Now he knows.”
“That was uncomfortable for you, wasn’t it?” I ask after Mark is out of earshot.
She takes a deep breath and nods, then contradicts herself with a shake of her head. “Yes. No. Both.” She shrugs. “It’s a big deal. First Demetria, now Mark. By tomorrow, the entire staff will know and then…”
I study her expression, suddenly struck by the magnitude of what just happened. In all my focus on my own journey, I’ve somehow missed how Athena’s reality is transforming alongside mine. For a woman who’s spent her life hiding this part of herself, each revelation is its own kind of rebirth.
“Are you worried your mom will find out?”
“If I’m out and openly dating a woman, even if it’s just in Vegas, she’ll find out one way or another,” Athena says as we continue our walk toward the food court.
“I’m not exactly a celebrity, but there are charity galas and events where I get photographed or mentioned in those society pages my mother loves to read.
” She gestures to a trio of well-dressed older men being escorted to the high-limit area.
“It’s a small world. The wealthy Greeks all know each other, and they love to gossip.
They also love to gamble, and when they do…
” She gestures around us. “They come here.”
“I’ve really complicated your life,” I say. “I’m only now realizing to what extent.”
“No.” She smiles and waves it off. “No, no, no. Absolutely not. You haven’t complicated my life, you’ve enriched it. And whatever happens, happens. I’ll deal with it when the time comes.”