Chasing Terpsichore (Muses Across Time) (3 page)

And he had what he wanted now. With this stupid, annoying case over, he could relax. By the time he had returned to the police station, the call from the judge should have been received, letting the crazy Miss Olympia off the hook. How his sensible, intelligent and usually conservative secretary had hooked up with that woman he’d never know.

She dressed like a slut and danced around a pole in a club at King’s Cross in her spare time.
She teaches the tango. Enough said
.

However, he couldn’t help but smile when he thought about her. She definitely had vitality. He wondered what she looked like under that wig and makeup. Her eyes were magnificent, that deep sea-green colour so vibrant it had to be coloured contacts. No one had eyes that colour naturally. They reminded him of the aquamarine waters of the Aegean. He’d travelled there during his gap year after school and he hadn’t thought about that trip to the Greek Islands for quite some time. One day soon, he’d have to make time to go back. Once he’d established himself as Queen’s Counsel. If he ever had time off again.

As he hailed a cab from outside the Supreme Court, he sighed, reminding himself of the many briefs on his desk and how there were too many pending cases for him to be distracted by this case, or this woman—or holidays in exotic locations. Since the recent rise in high-profile CEOs getting caught with their hands in the till, it was a busy time for corporate law barristers. No time to think about idyllic beaches or sparkling green eyes. Besides, no one could be further away from his ‘type’ than her. She made him smile when she batted those amazing eyes at him, but that wasn’t a bad thing, was it? Come to think of it, her eyes were not the only part of her that made him smile. There was…that outfit.
Oh yeah
. That skimpy tank top had barely covered her chest, and what purpose did that scrap of material around her middle fulfil? A skirt? It certainly showed off her legs. And those glorious legs went on forever.

Good God man, snap out of it.

He spent the short taxi ride back to the police station annoyed at his lack of control. Instead, he should keep his eye on his job. The law was predictable, and with it, he knew where he stood. He didn’t have time to think about any woman, let alone a crazy, pole-dancing tango teacher. Hell, he had a career to think about. The promise he’d made to his father weighed on his mind, but he
would
follow in his father’s footsteps and become a Queen’s Counsel
.
Even though the idea didn’t exactly set him on fire, he wasn’t about to change his mind and disappoint his father. To get where he needed to be, he needed order in his life and Miss Corey Olympia represented total chaos. The sooner he wrapped this case up, the better.

But she still made him smile and she certainly was gorgeous. He chuckled as he anticipated this one last time to let her flirt with him. After today, he could move on and forget all about her. So why did he have trouble convincing himself it would be easy?

When the desk sergeant told him she’d already been released, he should have been relieved. Instead, he felt the disappointment sorely as he took a cab back to his apartment where a boring evening filled with paperwork awaited.

* * * *

The doorbell rang around eleven o’clock as James shut down his laptop, about to turn in.
Who the hell is visiting at this time of night?

Peering through his peephole, he saw a woman. A woman he didn’t recognise. A gorgeous woman he didn’t recognise, who pressed his doorbell quite insistently.

“Okay, okay, I’m coming.”

He opened the door and the woman flung herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him smack bang on the mouth. Not just any old kiss either.
Holy crap.
Sparks flew from the first fiery touch of her soft, but demanding mouth on his.

Who is this woman?

Then again, his hormones said something else—
who cares?

The softness of her lips belied the intoxicating power of her taste, mixed with the heady scent of her skin. His senses were overloaded as the woman snaked her fingers into his hair and she drew nearer to his body, pressing her breasts so close he could feel the outline of her taut nipples.

Somehow reality kicked in.
What in God’s name am I doing kissing a strange woman?
Reluctantly he withdrew, placing his hands on her shoulders to steady her as he pushed her away, his breathing as rapid as a freight train. “Okay, you have my attention now.” She opened her eyes and looked up into his face.

Aquamarine eyes, the colour of the Aegean.
No, it can’t be
.

Afraid he knew the answer already, he asked anyway. “Care to tell me who you are and what you’re doing here?”

She smiled. “Don’t you recognise me, James?” Pouting, she placed her hand dramatically over her chest. “I’m deeply wounded.”

He laughed. Somehow he thought her ego could take it. She looked more like the cat who had swallowed the cream than a wounded one. Still, he couldn’t believe this beautiful woman before him was the self-same, pole-dancing tango teacher he’d met that afternoon. She definitely cleaned up well, and his tightening pants could certainly attest to that. “Miss Olympia? I didn’t recognise you. You look different.”

Picking up his hand, she turned it over before tracing his heart line with her index finger. “It’s Corey, and aren’t you going to invite me in?”

He stood back to let her through. “Sure, come in.” Warning bells rang loudly in his head, but he ignored them as she sauntered past him, her hips swaying seductively as she made her way to his couch.
What does she want?
He’d already decided she wasn’t his type, although she did look better in her surprisingly conservative clothes. With her high–collared white shirt buttoned all the way up to the top and a colourful skirt swishing and swirling around her ankles, no skin showed at all. Yet she still managed to look enticingly sexy. The biggest surprise was her hair. He’d known the blonde mop was a wig, but he never would have guessed at the crowning glory under it. Her hair was magnificent with those amazing red curls flowing way past her shoulders. His hands itched to touch it and feel the softness between his fingers.

Jeez,
he needed to get a grip.

“Nice place you have here, James.” she said. She smiled while making herself at home on his couch, spreading her arms languorously over the top of it.

He stared at the gorgeous body sitting on his couch. She confounded him and he asked himself again—
Why is she here?
“Is there a problem with the charges? The judge dropped them, didn’t he?”

“No problems at all. In fact, that’s why I’m here. To thank you.” Her green eyes twinkled. “I’d be in real trouble if not for your help. I am deeply in your debt.”

Remembering the heat of that kiss, he shifted from one foot to another. “Consider me thanked.”

She lifted her eyebrows and smiled again, a cute little dimple appearing on her cheek. “Oh no, James. I am nowhere near finished thanking you yet.”

His trousers tightened painfully at her cheeky words.
Holy shit
. How did this woman get him so revved up inside?

She stood up and glided over to him, picked up his hand and proceeded to drag him towards the couch, sending tingles through his arm and all over his whole body.

“I disagree,” he said, his voice sounding much huskier than he wanted it to.

She sat back down again and he fell onto the couch with her, landing so close that he braced his free hand on the wall behind to stop himself from falling on top of her. She smiled, winking at him as he struggled to put some extra space between them. “No, really…”

Using her fingers, she kneaded gently along his arm and stopped when she reached his shoulder. “Now don’t go all stuffy on me, James. I know how you kiss, and you kiss darn well, so you can’t fool me.”

He coughed to clear his throat and attempted to stand. “Really, there is no need to thank me,” he said in a voice that sounded at least two octaves higher than usual. “Can I get you something to drink?”
Smooth, James, real smooth.

She increased the pressure of her hand on his shoulder, surprising him with her strength and stopping him from moving. “You can relax, James. I’m not going to jump on you. Not that the thought isn’t tempting, but I’ve decided the best thing I can do to thank you is to help you lighten up a little, have some fun.”

No way.
“That’s not necessary.”

“You mightn’t think so, but don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.” She stroked her hand over his cheek and ran a finger over his lips.

He shivered, unable to hold back his body’s reaction.

“When I’m finished with you, you’ll be so relaxed you won’t know yourself.”

That’s what he was worried about.

Finally he managed to break the spell and stand. “Corey, I insist. It’s not necessary, and I’d rather not.”

She didn’t bat an eyelid.
Oh she is good—she should be a barrister.

“Don’t be too hasty, James. We’ll talk tomorrow and get started.”

A swish of cool air touched his face as she stood up and breezed out of the door. Turning around to face him, her eyes alight with laughter, she winked again. “Don’t look so worried. It’ll the best fun you’ve ever had.”

He stared at the door for several minutes after she had left. What the heck had he got himself into?

Chapter Two

Damn the gods
. The shadowy figure followed Corey all the way home. She’d managed to extricate herself from the police much too quickly.
It must be that damn lawyer
. He glided just above the rooflines, deliberately ducking behind buildings so he could mask his presence. It appeared that here, in modern times, lawyers were as inconvenient and annoying as they were on Mt Olympus. Terpsichore thought she was free and clear, but only he knew it to be a false sense of security.
Let her feel comfortable for a while longer
.
Soon she will wish herself back in that police cell
, because his plans for her meant only fear and pain. His plan was foolproof. Using the mortals he’d created so long ago was a stroke of genius, and would anger Zeus further, allowing him to exact his revenge in the most painful way possible.

* * * *

Corey smiled as she stripped off her bra and panties and stepped into the warming spray of her shower. As she remembered her visit with James, her skin tingled and hundreds of tiny goose bumps appeared. She wanted more.

He’d tried really hard to appear conservative on the surface, but she knew better. From the minute she’d seen him enter that interrogation room, she’d known he had more than met the eye. And he was oh so easy on the eye. To be more accurate, he was beautiful. The combination of blond hair and broad shoulders appealed, but the kindness she saw in his eyes and the loyalty he displayed to his friends touched something inside her. That surprised her, considering her rather chequered history with men. In her home on Mount Olympus, she couldn’t ever remember feeling anything more than amusement for men. In fact, she cringed when she remembered how she’d used them for her own fun more often than not, never caring about their feelings. She felt an overwhelming sense of shame.
What a selfish, self-centred bitch
.

As she towelled herself dry, Corey pondered how Hera had done her the biggest favour of her life by sending her here. Hera had thought of the banishment as punishment, but, ironically, it had become more of a learning experience. Much to her surprise she was turning into a different person. A better person, she hoped, because when she looked back at her former life she didn’t like what she saw.

As she slipped into bed, she felt the cool smoothness of the silk sheets over her bare skin. Her thoughts moved once again to the man on her mind. Maybe her new-found need to be a better person was what drew her to him. She sensed his innate goodness, even with his obvious discomfort at helping her. He wasn’t like any man she had met before. He didn’t help her for her own sake, he did it for Susan. That showed a huge amount of respect and loyalty for his friend. Of course, that wasn’t the only thing that attracted her. That amazing body made her sigh, and the fact that he kissed better than all her former lovers put together certainly helped.

So what if he wasn’t all that excited about her thanking him some more. Her efforts to be a better person didn’t include taking no for an answer. She was doing it for him—he just didn’t know it yet.
Oh yes
, she thought as she slipped into a relaxed sleep filled with sexy dreams. This promised to be so much fun.

Look out, James, because Corey is on a mission
.

* * * *

A cool westerly wind blew several strands of Corey’s untameable hair across her face. She tucked the unruly curls behind her ear while slipping her key in the door with her free hand. Her first dance class didn’t start for a few hours yet, but she planned on getting ready for a special surprise she had in store later on for James. She didn’t even stop to worry about how she could get him to her dance studio. Now that her powers were finally returning she might as well use them for good instead of nastiness. Being a goddess had some advantages, after all, and although it probably wasn’t sporting to use her talents to plant the thought of contacting her in his mind, she promised herself not to use her magic after this. Once he got a taste of how much fun life could be, he’d thank her.

Of course he would. He’d been brought up well. He’d thank her in a mutually satisfying manner. She traced a finger across her bottom lip and relived the moment of his kiss. Explosive came to mind, but such a mild word to describe the moment of contact. They say you have to watch the quiet ones.

They were right.

She daydreamed all the way through the vacuuming and mopping of the dance floor, and couldn’t remember dusting the window ledges and furniture, but an hour later, when she’d lit candles all around the room, the transformation was amazing. Maybe she should kiss a lawyer more often? It seemed like a great way to get the cleaning done. Goodness knows it had taken her long enough to learn how to fend for herself. She used to just wave her hand and it would all be done, but here, in this time, there were no servants, and she hadn’t been able to use her powers—until now. She might be finding her former talents, but she actually liked looking after herself. Dare she say she even liked housework? Weird though the thought was, now that she was regaining her former powers, she wasn’t sure she wanted to use them that much. Besides, she could never tell when some mortal would walk in and catch her in the act. How the heck would she explain that away? These mortals didn’t seem very open-minded when it came to magic, and they certainly weren’t ready to see her using it. Not yet anyway.