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"So you run The Aphrodisia Foundation?" I asked, mostly to distract myself from her hand resting on her long tan legs.
"The clue's in the name," she responded. "Aphrodisia was the main festival devoted to me many years ago. Not exactly an original name for my business, but sometimes simple is best."
"What do you do here?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Did Aine not tell you anything?"
"She asked me to come to a meeting in this building and that I was cleared to use whatever staff we need to for Friday night," I responded. "It was a little strange, but the company's new, I assumed it was some kind of dating event that's just come into the fold."
"It's not, actually."
A knock sounded on the door and I twisted around in time to see a courier with two coffee cups standing in the doorway. "I've got an order for you?"
"Great, just set it on the desk, thanks. I've already sent your tip." Aphrodite flashed him a killer smile, and even without knowing what was going through the courier's head, I could see him melting a little at her.
He set the cups down and hurried out of the room. Aphrodite leaned forward and popped the lid off the one on the right.
"Ah, this is yours." She held it out to me.
I reached out to take it, my fingers brushing against hers as I did. I met her gaze, feeling a little trapped in the moment in a way I wasn't used to. She was captivating in the very way she moved, and her sea-green eyes glittered with the promise of something, even if I didn't know what it was.
She cleared her throat and let go of the cup, taking the other one for herself. "So I actually run a charity event planning business."
"Specifically for charities?" I asked.
"Yes. That way, I can charge the rich a lot of money, and then find worthy causes I can offer my services to for free, or a heavily reduced rate, some of them aren't willing to go for free."
There was no stopping the surprise from showing on my face.
"Not what you were expecting?" she asked. "Most people guess that I'd be in modelling or the beauty business."
Without meaning to, I raked my gaze up from her sensible heels that matched her dress, all the way up to the amused expression on her face. She arched an eyebrow and took a sip of her coffee, only drawing attention to her lips.
I cleared my throat. No doubt it was just some of her innate magic affecting me in obvious ways. "I hadn't thought about what you did for work," I responded honestly.
"Well, there you have it. I'm working on an event being held at the Horus Sanctuary on Friday, and we've had a problem with the caterer," she said. "Which is where you come in."
"I'm still not entirely sure why."
"I asked Aine for a favour, no doubt she'll make me repay it threefold, but at the moment, that's not something I'm too worried about. Not having any staff, food, or drinks at an event on the other hand...now that's a concern."
I took a sip of my coffee. "It'll be a challenge to get done in time."
"I know." She grimaced. "But there's nothing I can do about that. I was hoping you'd still be able to pull something off. Aine seemed confident you could."
"We can," I assured her. "What are we working with? Theme? Number of guests? Any particular things to look out for? I've never seen much about Horus on my lists."
"That's because he rarely leaves his sanctuary, or if he does, it's only to shower and then return to his sanctuary," she responded. "Your chances of having to deal with him in the normal ebb and flow of Jinx are slim to none."
"So we are talking about the gods over coffee."
Her lips quirked up into a smile. "So we are."
"Is it a formal dinner?"
"No, just appetisers, luckily."
"I think we can work with that. I can have a menu and drinks list ready by the end of the day." That was the easy bit. Getting the ingredients and supplies ready in time was going to be a whole different matter, and one that would make or break her event.
