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Both women scoffed and rolled their eyes.
“You should be siding with me,” he said. “Ariadne has done nothing but make your lives more difficult since she arrived.”
“She might be difficult, but her reasons are not unfounded,” said Naia. “You know we all wish her sister was free of her abuser.”
“I have promised to help,” Dionysus said, frustrated.
“Give her time to trust you, just as you gave us time,” Lilaia said. “You know this does not happen overnight.”
Her words tightened his throat with guilt, which he felt even more keenly as his frustration grew.
He did not have time to wait for her to trust him. Her uncertainty was dangerous. It made her unpredictable, and it put every one of his maenads in danger.
The sound of heels clicking drew his attention, and he turned to watch as Ariadne stepped out of the shadows wearing a short, black dress that barely grazed her thighs and knee-high boots. She looked like she belonged in his bed—and that was where he would like this outfit to stay.
His cock twitched, growing hard at the thought.
“What are you wearing?” Dionysus demanded.
“A dress. What does it look like?” she said, pulling her jacket closed, but it was far too late for that. He’d already noticed the lace over her breast.
Dionysus opened his mouth, but no words came out. He tried again and stumbled over his words. “You cannot wear that to the pleasure district,” he said.
“Youcannot tell me what to wear,” Ariadne said.
“I told you to blend in,” Dionysus countered.
“This is blending in!”
“You are not blending!”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not changing.”
“Ariadne,” Dionysus said, a hint of warning in his voice.
“Dionysus,” she challenged just as steadily. “What is so wrong with this outfit? I have been to the pleasure district before. I know how to dress for it.”
“You’ve been before?” he asked, shock washing over him.
“I’m a detective, you idiot. I work on sex crimes. Of course I’ve been.”
He stood opposite her in silence. He wanted to say something, to stand his ground, because he knew the kind of people who wandered those streets, but all he could manage to say was, “Oh.”
Naia and Lilaia giggled quietly.
He glared at them and scowled.
“If we’re going to find out anything about Medusa, one of us has to look the part.”
“Let’s go,” he said and started toward the elevator.
Once inside, Dionysus punched the button for the main floor and then leaned against the cool, metal wall opposite Ariadne. She kept her arms over her chest, on the defense. They stared openly at each other, frustration present in the air between them.
This was a mistake.
“What’s wrong with the dress?” she asked.
Dionysus could feel the heat rushing to his head, roaring in his ears.
