Read Online Sin City Goddess by Barbra Annino - Free Book Online

makes his own beer.” I took another slow sip of the cool water and held the glass to my cheek this time. “I’ve never heard of vodka, though. I haven’t been in your world in quite some time, remember.”
    Then a horrible thought occurred to me. What had I done that I didn’t remember? And where were my pants? I stood and faced Archer, still clutching the duvet.
    “Is there anything I should know?”
    Archer smiled again, and I so wanted to slap it off his face, but that would require swift movement and energy I didn’t have at the moment.
    “You were fine. You got hammered, promised you’d dance at the Shadow Bar, and passed out, and I put you to bed.”
    I narrowed my eyes. “Did you unclothe me?”
    Archer held up a hand. “Absolutely not.”
    “Then where are my pants?”
    Archer glanced around the room. He scratched his head. The scent of his cologne, which I had found pleasant the day before, sparked a wave of nausea through me. I sat back down. Archer fumbled under the covers of my bed.
    “Ta-da,” he said.
    My leather pants were balled into a knot in his strong hand.
    A knock at the door made my head hurt.
    “That’s room service. Why don’t you wash up and come get some breakfast?”
    I watched as he let the door slip shut behind him.
    I stumbled into the bathroom, turned on the light, and nearly choked on my own scream. My skin was puffy, my hairwas sticking out on all sides like a rabid clown’s, and my eyes looked like I was wearing some sort of hideous mask.
    There was an array of beauty products and toiletries in the bathroom, displayed on a dainty, mirrored tray. Which was one too many mirrors for my liking. The white-marble room was huge, with two sinks, a steam shower, and a two-person soaker tub with jets. I opted for a bar of orange-blossom soap, lavender shampoo and conditioner, and mint toothpaste.
    As I washed, something kept nagging at me. Something from last night? Something Archer had said? It was a memory that lay just out of my grasp. I thought of the perfectly sculpted bartender and that Clyde person. There was something about the man I didn’t like, but I couldn’t put my finger on that either.
    This was exactly why I wasn’t a drinker—especially in this realm. Liquor clouded the mind, confused one’s thoughts, and relaxed one’s morals. Too many times, I had seen the aftermath of a human on drink. The laws they broke, the people they hurt, their own lives and families destroyed.
    I sat under the scalding water for a long time, washing, lathering, scrubbing, and brushing. When I was finally finished, I stepped out, dried my skin, wrapped a towel around my long curls, and donned a fluffy robe. I wasn’t one for perfumes or lotions, although there were dozens of them in every scent on the planet. I did run a clear gloss across my chapped lips and dab a bit of sunscreen on my already-pink cheeks. I was combing the knots from my hair with a silver comb that I was certain Aphrodite must have provided at some point in time, when the words hit me like an iron fist.
    I secured the robe at the waist and rushed out of the bathroom. I found myself standing near a banister, next to aset of stairs that dipped into a wide, carpeted room. “What do you mean I promised to dance at the Shadow Bar?”
    Archer smirked. “I was wondering when you were going to process that.”
    He was seated at a round black table, unrolling silverware from a napkin. The aroma of black coffee, salty bacon, and sweet pineapple filled the room, instantly reminding me that I was absolutely famished. When had I last eaten a meal?
    “This is a joke, right? You’re toying with me?” I said.
    Archer pulled out a chair for me, unveiled a plate of scrambled eggs, poured two cups of coffee, and said, “Sit. Eat. We can discuss this after breakfast. I need you at full throttle.”
    He had a point, but I didn’t like to be ordered around. Especially by a mortal. “I’ll sit when I decide, thank you very