Chapter 4
Chapter Four
The Aphrodite?
Nah.
But she is gorgeous.
And that body.
Holy moly!
“It’s me alright,” the beauty replied with a wink. “And thanks for the compliment, but I understood you liked men?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I do. I mean, I think I do—”
How could she answer a question like that to the Goddess of Love herself?
Even more troubling was the fact she was even considering this to be real.
Was Gabby really buying into all this?
She shook her head, feeling confused and a little overwhelmed.
“There are strict rules for the speed dating. No touching, licking, kissing, biting, basically nothing ending in ing unless you or your date is invited to and permitted to do so, of course,” Aphrodite said with a sly wink, looking back over her shoulder at Gabby.
How she navigated the stairs in her lethally high stilettos was beyond the shorter, rounder woman who was struggling to keep up.
Speed dating.
Her?
What was Mim thinking?
It was almost as unbelievable to conceive of as the notion that she, Gabriella Keen, Sunday school teacher and all around goody two shoes, was a Werewolf.
You are a Wolf.
Grrr.
She stopped midstep and closed her eyes, trying to get her growling bits, as in her Wolf and her stomach both, to shut the flub up.
Sigh.
She really needed to start cursing. But dang it, she just couldn’t. The f word turned into all sorts of silly things like funk, flub, flap, and furp. The s word often became shoot, the b word stopped at bit, and so on.
“Gabby, right? Look, dear, the rest is all easy to follow. You sit, drink, chat, sniff, see if you click. And if you don’t, just move on when the timer dings.”
“Wait, what? Sniff? Ding? Huh?” Gabby’s eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. She inhaled a breath, then another, trying not to hyperventilate with this new and sudden influx of information.
“I’m sorry, I meant no offence,” Aphrodite replied, looking properly chided. Heck. This woman had pouting down to an art.
“I tend to forget my manners sometimes, but honestly, Wolves and other Shifters tend to sniff out their mates. Something about the Fates lacing their pheromones with something that triggers awareness when their destined mate is near.”
“Look, I don’t know what is happening here. Is this real? Was Mim serious? And are you really leading me to some underground speed dating thing?”
“Honey, I gather you haven’t changed yet, is that right?”
“But I did change my dress—”
“Not your dress,” Aphrodite whispered, taking her by the arm and pulling her down the last few steps.
She stopped her just on the other side of the polished staircase, in a dark secluded corner. Gabriella was breathing heavily. There were too many fragrances assaulting her senses, and her stomach tightened as she started to panic, albeit mildly.
“Look at me, Gabriella,” Aphrodite commanded. “I am sure Mariah meant well, throwing you in the deep end like this, but I have one question for you before you begin.”
Gabby nodded, willing the woman to just get on with it already.
What did she want to know?
Did insanity run in the family?
Had she gotten her flea shots?
Was she gonna potty on the floor?
Chew on the chairs?
What, dang it, what?!
“Are you a virgin?”
Well, that wasn’t what she’d expected. Gabby stopped hyperventilating and straightened her shoulders. Her cheeks burned, and she knew they’d be a dusky, unflattering shade of pink that clashed with the red lights of the room they were now in.
“Hey, I may not look like you, oh Goddess of love, but I have been in love. At least, I thought I’d been. And the answer is no, I am not a virgin.”
“Great! I was worried for a minute. Follow me,” Aphrodite replied with an even wider grin than before. “Welcome,” she said, indicating the room before her, “to Speed Dating With the Denizens of the Underworld!”
Gabriella’s eyes popped out of her head.
What in the world?
But she knew as she gazed at the men and women, creatures really, sitting at tables, some with enormous wings, protruding fangs, tails, claws, and glowing eyes, that she wasn’t in the world anymore. Not her world, at any rate.
“When you say Underworld, is that figuratively or literally?” Gabby asked while Eve sauntered over to greet them, a piece of paper in her hand.
“Here’s your ballot. Did I spell your name right?” she asked, ignoring Gabby’s question.
“Yep.” Gabby nodded, only half listening.
“This is the Underworld Café, dear,” Aphrodite stated calmly, leading her to a table where a man with green-tinted skin sat nervously.
“Hello everyone, it’s Wednesday and you know what that means!” The beautiful Goddess began laying out the rules while Eve unceremoniously shoved Gabby into the chair.
She gulped, took the drink Eve proffered. It was a swirling concoction that dazzled the eye with red sugar crystals around the rim and golden swirls inside.
“Begin!”
Gulp.