Chapter 11
ELOISE
It was hard to focus on my work when all I could think about was last night's date, and the fact that Cupid wasn't actually here yet.
A ping sounded from my computer and I managed to pay attention for long enough to click on the alert. I wasn't expecting Hades to have another hit, but now there was one looking at me from the screen, and even if I didn't fully understand why, I knew that this was bad news, even if the compatibility score was ninety-nine percent.
The door opened and Cupid strode in, his gaze immediately seeking me out. My breathing caught in my throat and I started regretting the end of the night kiss and the fact that was all it had been.
"Morning," he said.
"Hi," I responded, ignoring all of the others in the room even if it was still too early for them to know that anything was going on between us.
"I'll be in my office," he said, pausing for just long enough that it felt like an invitation.
I jumped to my feet without thinking. "I actually need to talk to you," I blurted out. "About Hades." I wasn't sure if the save would convince anyone that there was nothing going on, but at least it was a real reason for us to talk.
"Of course, why don't you come on through."
The others seem to have already decided we weren't doing anything of interest, or maybe they were just being silent in the hope that they could get more gossip-worthy information from us if they were quiet.
I hurried through to his office, my heart already racing as Cupid made his way into the room and set his bag down.
"So, Hades?" he asked. "That's a ruse I wasn't expecting."
"Well, I actually need to talk to you about Hades," I responded. "Not that I didn't want to see you after last night." I bit my lip, drawing his gaze there as I did.
"Good." He leaned in and my heart skipped a beat even as my eyes closed.
His lips brushed against mine in a soft kiss that was barely a promise for more.
"So, Hades?" he asked when he pulled back.
I cleared my throat. "We have a situation."
"Ominous."
"The system has matched him with Persephone," I said.
"Ah. That is an issue. But it's fine, we can fix that." He went behind his desk and powered up his computer.
"Will you show me how?"
"Of course." He smiled and waved me over. He tapped out a couple of things and pulled up the file on the screen. "It's a shame considering how good of a match they are for one another."
I nodded. "They've even beaten us."
He chuckled. "I wouldn't worry about that too much." He turned, reached out to touch my waist and pulled me closer. It was entirely inappropriate for work, but there was nothing I could do to stop myself.
I leaned in and kissed him deeply, enjoying the feel of his hand on my hip and wanting more of it.
"The door," he murmured. "It's not locked." He seemed as if he wanted to move to go sort it, but didn't pull himself away from me.
"I've got it." I called magic to my fingers and tossed it in the direction of the office door. There was a loud click signalling that the door was locked. Something akin to anticipation welled up within me in response. I wasn't sure precisely what we were about to do, but I did know that I didn't want any of my co-workers walking in on it.
Cupid raised an eyebrow. "A handy trick."
"Because you couldn't have done it?"
"Actually, no," he responded. "I was human before I became a god. And my only godly power is the ability to look this good." He flashed me a cheeky grin.
I laughed, unable to help myself. "So you don't have any magic?"
"Just the arrows, but as I told you last night, the only thing special about them is the fact I'm an expert marksman."
"Oh."
"Disappointed?"
"I don't know, there's lots of talk around the office about the magical orgasms love gods can give." I trailed my fingers over his chest, wondering if this was the right thing to bring up. I'd been thinking about what would have happened if I'd suggested he came back to my flat with me last night instead of parting ways with one another.
He chuckled. "Is that so?"
My cheeks heated red. "Forget I said that."
"I can, if you want."
I nodded, not really knowing what else to do.
"Or I can show you why I don't need that particular power." He reached out and skimmed his hand over my arm.
"Let's guess? Practice makes perfect."
"Just like archery," he promised. "I'm not going to pretend to have been a saint." The words were so soft that they felt kind of intimate. Which I supposed they were, and not just because of how close we were together.
"I didn't expect you to be."
"Surprising. Many people do because of the cherub thing."
"I can safely say that I've never thought about you as a fat little baby with wings."
"I'm glad about that." He trailed his hand down my arm, leaving a path of warmth behind it.
I licked my lips, drawing his gaze there. Feeling bold, I met his gaze and put my hand on his chest, feeling his heart beat faster.
He leaned in and brushed his lips over mine so softly that it left me begging for more. Except that I didn't have to tell him that as he kissed me again, deeper this time.
He turned me around and gently pushed on my shoulders so that I was sitting on his desk. I reached backwards, my hand catching on his keyboard. A beep came from the machine and I tensed.
"Don't worry about it," Cupid murmured. "We'll deal with it afterwards." He reached around me to move the keyboard out of the way.
Maybe we should have used it as an indication that we should stop, but my mind was a bit hazy and I wanted to feel some of the things I'd been thinking about.
Cupid smoothed a hand down my arm, a pleasant shiver going through me when his fingers touched my skin. He stepped between my legs, and even though I was still fully dressed, I felt a surge of desire through me in response.
"Tell me what you want," he murmured against my neck.
"I don't even know." My voice came out raspy, like we'd already been at this for hours instead of minutes.
He touched my knee right where my skirt had ridden up. He watched my face as he moved his hand higher.
My breathing quickened and he took that for the encouragement that it was. My thoughts almost vanished as soon as he moved higher.
"Yes," I murmured.
He kissed my neck as his hand travelled inwards and his fingers brushed against my inner thigh. I wanted him to move faster, but at the same time, I was trying to savour every moment. His fingers brushed against my centre through the fabric of my panties and I gasped.
"More." I reached out to touch him, grasping at his shirt in an attempt to pull him closer.
He chuckled. "We might be wearing too many clothes for much more." His words vibrated through me, only turning me on harder, especially as he pushed my panties aside and found the right spot.
The pressure made me moan and I dug my fingers into his shoulder, not even caring that people were outside his office and might be able to hear me. I was sure they'd already have their theories given how long we'd been in here.
"Ah." The sound slipped out of me without any control. "Don't stop."
His lips quirked up into a smile and he continued to touch me, sending me higher and higher, with the intensity of my release building with every touch. I ran my fingers through his hair, trying to focus on something so I didn't just explode, but it was growing more and more difficult by the second.
Pleasure coiled up inside me, urged on by Cupid's touch and the fact he didn't let anything disrupt his rhythm. My release tore through me, and I cried out without a care for if anyone heard me. Hopefully, they were all busy with their headphones on and not paying any attention to what was happening in Cupid's office.
My body began to shake and he kept the pressure on, prolonging my release and causing pleasure more intense than any I'd experienced before to go through me. If this was what being with a god was going to be like, then I doubted I'd be able to go back to dating mortals.
My senses came back to me, and I found Cupid watching me intently.
"Please tell me you have condoms in your office?" I murmured.
"I don't," he responded.
I groaned. "What? You're a love god, surely you should have some stashed somewhere?"
"There are some in the Jinx welcome baskets," he mused. "They're supposed to be for clients..."
"We're clients," I responded, tracing a pattern over his chest and wishing he wasn't still wearing his shirt. "We were matched by the Jinx system and everything."
He laughed and stepped closer, leaning in to kiss me. "I like the way you think."
"You're going to like it even more in a minute." I moved my hand downwards, enjoying the building anticipation. Even with an orgasm already behind me, I could feel the desire for more growing within me. I wanted this. A lot.
"I'm sure I will," he murmured against my lips.
"So...where are the gift baskets?" I asked, kind of curious about what else was in them.
"In the store cupboard to the left." He stepped back, only to pause as his desk phone started ringing loudly. Disappointment crossed his face.
"Ignore it," I murmured, pulling him back to me and kissing him.
He deepened the kiss, letting the phone ring out until it went silent. I was grateful for that, and that it meant we weren't going to have to stop.
The phone started ringing again and he let out a frustrated groan. "I'll have to get that."
"It's fine," I assured him. While it was fun to mess around in his office, I knew it couldn't get in the way of either of our jobs, even if it was cutting a great make-out session short.
He nodded and picked up the handset. "Jinx Dating Agency matchmaking department, Cupid speaking...oh, Hades. One second, I have Eloise with me now, I'll put you on speaker." He pressed a button and hit the speakerphone button.
A warm fuzzy feeling spread through me at his action, especially because it meant that he wanted to include me with the client conversation.
"You're on speaker," Cupid said.
"Ah, good," Hades said, sounding a bit brighter than the last time we'd interacted with him. "I just got the invite through to the date you've set up for me, and I wanted to check if you needed me to do anything for it now that I've accepted it?"
Cupid and I exchanged a panicked look. He gestured for me to switch places with him so he could get his computer back.
I cleared my throat. "Everything will be arranged for you," I said to Hades. "The only thing you need to worry about is turning up."
"Good, good. And the dress code?"
"Smart casual," I responded, thinking back to the perfect date set-up we'd arranged for him based on the things he wanted.
"Excellent. And will you tell me anything about the person I've been matched with?" he asked.
Cupid cleared his throat. "We prefer not to reveal details of the match until the opportune moment." There was something in his voice that made me think something was very wrong.
"Fair enough. I trust you not to disappoint me," Hades said, followed by the dial tone as he hung up.
"What's going on?" I asked Cupid. "We didn't match him with anyone."
"It seems we did." He gestured to the screen where Persephone's profile was on the screen, but with the status changed to date pending .
"What? How?" I tried not to panic too much. We'd been purposefully trying to make sure that didn't happen.
He cleared his throat. "I'm guessing that we accidentally hit the wrong button."
I closed my eyes. "Great. What are we going to do now?"
"There's nothing we can do," he said. "They've both accepted the invite."
"So we've just sent two notorious exes on a date with one another? I'm going to get fired." Tears welled up in my eyes, and all of the enjoyment from the past twenty minutes vanished.
"No, you're not." Cupid reached out for me, pulling me into his arms. "I'm not going to let you get fired for this. You didn't do anything wrong."
I snorted. "I think I broke several work rules."
"Aine has spent the past couple of years hooking up with her boyfriend all over the building. She's not going to fire you for one moment of weakness that was my fault to begin with."
"It was hardly your fault," I murmured.
"All right, then it's both of our faults," he responded. "But I promise, whatever happens, you won't lose your job over this. If we're lucky, someone will join the system who is also a perfect match for both of them, then we can just send them on separate dates with the right people."
"Do you think that will happen?"
He grimaced. "Unlikely. But we'll deal with the fallout when it comes," he promised.
I nodded, not entirely reassured, but also not seeing what else we could do, especially when they'd already accepted the match. This couldn't have gone any more wrong.