Zeus (The God Chronicles #1)

Chapter Seven

I laughed at his confession as he opened the door to his convertible for me.

"Well, thank you for the consideration." I smiled as he closed my door gently and got in the car. With a turn of the key, we left the complex.

"So what are we doing?" I asked, tired of being kept in the dark.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," he replied.

Every now and then he'd look over and smile at me, soft music playing on the radio. I realized we were heading for the Strip as traffic increased around us. More lights glowed in the night air, and soon, pedestrians were crossing every which way in front of us.

"We're not going to the club, are we?" I asked, uncomfortable at the prospect.

"No, actually. Is that okay?"

"Yes," I breathed out a sigh of relief.

Secretly, I was afraid we would end up flying somewhere like Paris. I'd seen that once in a movie. The girl hated the guy but finally agreed to go out with him. Then he took her on this huge, expensive date, and she fell in love with him right away. If Zeus was hoping for the same reaction, he was greatly lacking in judgment. If I so much as saw a runway, I would dive from the vehicle.

We pulled up to The Bellagio and Zeus paid the valet to park his car. I released the air that I suddenly realized I'd been hoarding and relaxed into the seat. Instead of a resort employee opening the door for me, Zeus came around and swept it open with as much style as possible. I accepted the arm he held out for me and we strolled inside. It was breathtaking. My eyes scanned high and low while we walked through the front lobby, wondering what we were doing here.

Finally, we came to a restaurant called Picasso. I could tell right away that it was one of the finest restaurants in the city. There were several awards hanging on the walls, but my breath caught when I saw the artwork.

They were all Picassos. Zeus graciously let me stop in examine them more closely. I knew they weren't originals, but they were very good replications. I wanted to stand and stare at them the whole night, but it would be rude. Still, I had to apologize to a couple for standing at their table too long while I surveyed the canvas on the wall next to them.

We were seated at a table in the corner so we could be by ourselves. My menu didn't have any prices on it, so I knew nothing would be cheap. My stomach twisted uncomfortably, but I knew I'd agreed to let him spend whatever amount he wanted.

"What do you think?" Zeus asked quietly, studying me.

"I think it's amazing," I said truthfully. "I also think you shouldn't have gone through this much trouble for me."

"It was no trouble," he said with a wave of his hand. "I have a couple of friends here, so I can get in whenever I want. I thought, since you were an art student, you would enjoy eating here."

"There's only one problem," I whispered. "I don't know what to eat!"

Zeus laughed and opened his menu. "I'll tell you what's good. Just be warned—it'll be everything. The chef here can do no wrong."

I laughed in return and started asking about certain dishes.

What followed was one of the largest, most delicious meals I'd ever had. He'd been right—everything was delicious. The chef even came out to ask us how it tasted. I'd never had an experience like this before. It was almost eleven by the time we stood to leave.

"Thank you for dinner," I said as we left the restaurant. "It was a nice date." I was surprised to find that I meant it. My anger from before had greatly dissipated.

"The date's not over yet," he said smiling. "The best part is yet to come. Do you trust me?"

"No." I laughed nervously. I really didn't trust him all that much—he had a lot to make up for.

"Well, too bad. You have to wear a blindfold for this next part." He pulled a piece of cloth out of his jacket pocket, and I eyed it hesitantly.

"Why?"

"Don't worry, it will come off. I want our next destination to be a surprise." He smiled reassuringly.

"What the heck, go ahead." I threw caution to the wind and decided to go with it. It couldn't be much worse than him showing up naked in my art class—unless, of course, I ended up dead in a dumpster. I grinned inwardly as I imagined the "I told you so" I would be missing from my parents if that were to happen.

He tied the blindfold loosely around my eyes, making sure not to tie my hair in it.

"Alright, here we go." He took my hand and squeezed it as he began leading me forward. It was odd how comforting his hand felt in mine, and I found myself squeezing back.

We didn't leave the resort as far as I could tell, but we did walk through a few doors. Finally, we stopped, and he let go of my hand.

"Are you ready?" he asked, excitement burning in his voice.

"I guess so," I said, still not sure what was going on.

I felt his arms encircle me and his fingers work at the tie of my blinder.

"Close your eyes before it comes off," he said. His warm breath washed over my face. Soft fingers traced over my cheek and through my hair, causing my breath to catch and goose bumps to form on my arms. "I want to see your expression when you see everything."

"Okay," I laughed and closed my eyes. The blindfold fell away, and I could hear his footsteps moving a few paces away from me.

"Alright, open your eyes."

There were paintings everywhere—Monets, Picassos, and all sorts of other fine works. I gasped as I took them in, turning in a circle to see each of them. They were beautiful. I couldn't decide where to start first.

"Do you like it?" he asked from behind me.

"I love it!" I turned to face him, a smile spread across my face. "Where are we?"

"Still in The Bellagio," he explained. "This is usually closed right now, but I managed to convince them to let us in. I thought you might enjoy it more without all sorts of people in your way."

"This is . . . Not what I expected," I said honestly.

"What did you expect," he laughed.

"I'm not sure. I didn't know what to expect from a man who had to get naked for me to go out with him."

"Hey now," he said, acting hurt. "You were the one that made it difficult." He clutched a hand to his chest like I had mortally wounded him.

"Yeah, well . . ." I didn't want to ruin our date by calling him out on his actions when we first met.

"Listen," he said, moving closer to me. "I really am sorry about that. I was a jerk and I know it. Thank you for helping me realize I'm better than that. And you're worth more than that."

"Oh," I said embarrassed. There was a little awkward silence.

"So, do you want to see the rest of it?" He held his arm out for me again, ushering the uncomfortable feelings away. "There are a few more large rooms like this one."

"I would love to," I said. It wasn't like me to hold a grudge for so long. I decided that despite his piggish behavior before, he was a good guy. I finally found it in myself to forgive him and get to know who he really was. And if it turned out he really was a jerk, well then, I knew how to take care of him. I reached out and took his hand instead of his arm, blushing at the grin he gave me.

"Show me the rest?"

"I'd love to," he replied.