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"And white wine. Even a spot of red would have ruined your dress."
I looked down at it, as if forgetting what I was wearing. The Grecian style gown was much more flattering than the styles I'd worn thousands of years ago, and much paler in colour. Red wine would have ruined the pale pink fabric for certain. "Well, no harm," I murmured despite the small hint of frustration within me. It would take much more than an imaginary wine stain to break through my carefully created facade now though.
"Can I get you another?"
"It's an open bar," I pointed out.
"I can do the ordering." He flashed me a charming smile. "And it's technically my job. I'm one of the Events Managers at Jinx."
"I thought Min was doing that."
"He's my boss," he responded. "I'm under him."
"I think that's where Aine is," I muttered.
The man let out a surprisingly amused laugh. "I'm Damien." He offered his hand for me to shake in a surprising formal gesture.
"Aphie." I took his hand and shook firmly, surprised that I enjoyed the strong feel of his hand against mine.
"That's an unusual name. What's it short for?" He flagged down the bartender.
I retook my seat by the bar. A staff member probably wasn't what Ares had in mind when he told me that I should talk to people in the room, but it was a start.
"White wine, was it?" Damien asked.
"From Dionysus' vineyards, please," I said to the man on the other side of the bar. "For Aphrodite," I responded to Damien.
"Ouch, your parents must have really hated you," he said.
My gaze slipped to where Zeus was chatting up a poor unsuspecting waitress. "You could say that."
Understanding dawned on his face. "You're that Aphrodite."
"I prefer the Aphrodite," I half-joked.
"And you're drinking at the bar alone at a dating event?"
My wine appeared in front of me, but I ignored it. "I wasn't alone, I was talking to a friend and then he went to..." I waved my hand around the room. "Do whatever it is we're supposed to do at this event."
"It's a Mixer, the idea is that you mingle."
"Is that it? What do we need a dating agency for if we're doing all the work ourselves?"
"The event is invite-only, so it's meant to help the..." he trailed off. "I'm not sure how to say this to someone who isn't part of the company."
"It's the top tier customers who you're trying to impress the most," I said. "Hence why I got an invite despite not being signed up to Jinx's services."
"You're not?"
I picked up my wine and took a sip. "No. I don't really have time for dating."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Surprised?" I asked.
"A little. When I studied the roster of gods attending, I came up with some preconceived notions based on the stories, I guess you sitting alone at the sidelines didn't really fit with that."
"You had a roster of gods, but not photos? Seems like an oversight to me."
