Novella
From Cobblestone Press
Available from Cobblestone Press, Fictionwise and All Romance eBooks
Cover by Croco Designs
Sancus, Roman God of Loyalty, snubs Venus’ amorous advances and she casts a curse so he’s attracted to every hot guy he sees. During a week of almost non-stop sex he meets a mortal with whom he desires a genuine relationship, but Sancus must realize it’s actually a love spell before he can win Aurelio.
EXCERPT
Venus noticed
Sancus from across the room. It was hard not to. Certainly the most delectable
thing in the room, she hadn’t had a taste of this particular Roman god yet. She
slinked over to where he stood at a tall bookcase reading the titles, obviously
looking for something in particular.
Venus stepped
to within a foot of Sancus and breathed in his clean, citrusy-masculine scent. Mmm,
he smells heavenly. Not like those dirty, sweaty agricultural gods of whom
there were far too many. They reeked of dirt, manure and all manner of disgusting
farm animals, and she found them distinctly unappetizing. But Sancus, now he
was in a class of his own.
As the God of Honesty,
Loyalty and Contracts and somewhat of a legal expert as gods went, he mediated
disputes between the deities. Refined and civil, he certainly wouldn’t paw at
her in a dark corner or—worse― in front of a roomful of drinking buddies. Known
as a skillful and considerate lover, rumors abounded about both his endowment
and his repertoire of intriguing lovemaking techniques. His past partners said
he had a cock as beautiful as his face and body, and in Venus’s opinion, both
were exquisite.
Sancus would be
a delicious conquest.
He didn’t turn
around as she approached, though he tilted his head in her direction,
indicating he knew of her presence. He still didn’t turn, even as she got
within a couple of feet. She closed the gap farther, only inches away from him now.
“Mmm.” She
inhaled deeply again. “Sancus, can’t you think of something better to do than read?”
she cooed into his ear.
“I’m in need of
a volume on…” He continued to peer at the shelves, not bothering to turn toward
Venus.
He should be
able to smell—taste—her excitement. She felt her own arousal pool between her
legs as she moved closer, the heat from his body radiating through her thin,
gauzy, almost translucent gown. Her nipples peaked, a pleasant ache that
propelled her forward. She pressed herself against him, fitting her curves
against the delicious contours of his back, enjoying the feel of his flesh
through the sheer fabric.
“Hello, Venus.”
He stared at the titles on the shelf in front of him. At least he knew who it was.
“Sancus,” she
purred into his left ear. As she pressed her body snugly against him, she imagined
the corded muscles of his arms wrapped around her, his strong legs intertwined
with hers as they made love on her bed—or better yet, on one of the desks here.
Sancus stepped
forward half a pace, breaking contact as he reached for a volume on an upper
shelf.
“Let me take
your mind off those dusty old books, Sancus.” Her voice held an unmistakable
invitation. How can he not jump at the chance?
“I don’t have
time for that right now, Venus. I’m on a deadline.”
Although charmingly
dedicated to his work, this was a bit much, she thought.
“In that case,
I can take a rain check for a more convenient time. Or better yet, let me help?”
She took the book from his hands and brushed her breasts against his arm. Heat
pulsed through her from the slight contact. Why had she not pursued him sooner?
“Venus.” He
turned toward her.
She fixed her
gaze on his unbelievably green eyes and released an involuntary moan as her
pulse quickened. She wanted to caress his gorgeous cheekbones, run her fingers
through his long, wavy blond locks.
“I’m sorry,
Venus, but I’m just not that into you.” He pulled the book from her grasp,
turned on his heel and strode toward the door.
Still very much
aroused, she watched him walk away, his words and his retreating footsteps echoing
through the marble hallway.
Her heart raced
until the blood pounded in her ears. She only realized she’d balled her hands
into fists when the fingernails dug into the soft flesh of her palms. Not
that into me?
* * * * *
Venus slammed
the door after entering her house, kicked off her Manolos and stomped into the
drawing room. With a disgruntled huff,
she threw herself down on the chaise longue and rang a tiny bell sitting
on the marble table next to her. Within moments a handsome young man wearing a
tiny pair of silver satin shorts and carrying a tray of assorted sweetmeats
entered the room. This one was called Pino, or possibly Tino. She had two
servers, twins, and she often mixed them up. He knelt down next to the chaise,
and Venus perused the items on the tray. She picked up a chocolate truffle, took
a bite and then quickly spat it out onto the tray.
Have I put
on a few pounds? She
wracked her brain, needing an explanation for Sancus’s unexpected rebuff. Venus
considered her shape. She looked good. She looked damn good! Maybe she didn’t
go for kickboxing or Pilates like some of the younger goddesses, but her shape
and curves were classic! Painters and sculptors had been portraying her
for millennia! Could the other goddesses say that? No! Everyone else considered
her still beautiful and desirable, so Sancus was the one with the problem, not
her! Maybe she’d lay off the truffles for a week or two just in case.
Still indignant,
she chose a glistening piece of honeydew melon instead of chocolate and popped
it into her mouth. While nibbling on another slice of fruit, she let her eyes
wander over the youthful servant still obediently on his knees before her.
He’d make a
tasty afternoon snack—with no calories! She wasn’t in the mood for love anymore, thanks to that
asshole Sancus. She wasn’t about to let his slight go unpunished.
“Cupid!” She
shouted so loudly, Pino—or Tino—jumped a foot in the air then
turned to her with an apologetic glance. She didn’t feel like berating her
servant just now.
Bored with the
fruit while waiting for Cupid to arrive, she popped a chocolate-dipped
strawberry into her mouth, savoring the sweetness and making juicy, wet noises.
She eyed Pino as if the idea of putting him next on her personal menu seemed a
lot more likely.
While she
warmed up to the notion, Cupid sauntered into the room, adjusting his loincloth
in a manner Venus found distasteful. Had she really raised such an uncouth
offspring?
“You bellowed,
Mom?” He fluttered his wings and placed his quiver of arrows on the floor near
the foot of her chaise longue with a resounding thud.
“Don’t call me Mom!”
“Why not? You are
my mother.”
“I don’t like
the idea of someone thinking of me as a mother.”
“No danger of
that; you aren’t remotely maternal.” He leaned over, peered at Pino’s tray and selected
a chocolate morsel, offering the youth an inviting wink at the same time.
When Pino
grinned, Venus felt her blood boiling again. Her plaything seemed more
interested in her son than her.
Sitting up, she
shoved Pino away with a bare foot, causing him to drop his tray. He glanced up with
fear in his eyes and scrambled to collect the scattered snacks off the floor before
rushing from of the room.
“Did you happen
to see The Devil Wears Prada?” Cupid watched the youth’s hasty exit with
an annoying smirk which only aggravated Venus’s foul mood.
“No, why?”
“No reason,
really. So why did you want to see me, to help train your servants?” Cupid laughed,
gave her a half-leer, and settled himself onto the chaise longue beside her.
“No, something
more important than that. It’s Sancus. I want you to put a curse on him.”
* * *
Available from Cobblestone Press, Fictionwise and All Romance eBooks
