Page 2 of Artemis

“Is that really a wise idea?” Mercury sneered. “Maybe you should stick to what you know.” He opened the file to reveal a blank paper. “What is this?”

“Your reason for being here,” Artemis quipped.

“There’s nothing here.”

“Precisely. Our meeting is done. Good day.” She turned abruptly and left the room, leaving a spluttering Mercury behind.

Luna fell into step beside her. “You know, the last time someone talked to him like that, he sent them a deer’s head in a box.”

“I’m not afraid of him,” Artemis scowled. “And if that’s true, he should beveryafraid of me.”

“Yes, Miss Chase,” Luna replied meekly.

“Submissiveness doesn’t suit you, Luna,” Artemis said. At the boardroom, she straightened her jacket, took the offered file, and raised her chin. “Bet?”

“Twenty mansplains, only three correct.”

“I’ll take that.” Artemis smiled. “Lunch on the loser?”

“ButterNut Bakery?”

“Where else?”

The meeting with the board members proceeded exactly as Luna predicted. The two women left the bank immediately following the closing remarks.

“Is there somewhere I can go to scream?” Artemis asked tightly. “I am so sick of being dismissed because of my gender!”

Luna nodded sympathetically. “Maybe you should join a gym or Odin’s fight club, Valhalla’s Throne, to blow off some steam.”

That broke Artemis’s bad mood. She burst into gales of laughter. “Can you imaginemein a fight club? I’d break a nail!” She got herself under control with difficulty. “No, I’ll go to an extra pilates class. Do you think I can squeeze one in this afternoon?”

After consulting both Artemis’s schedule and the local gym’s classes, Luna said, “There’s a class at two this afternoon that you can make if you can speed-read Charon’s proposal beforehand.”

“How many pages is it?”

“Three hundred.”

Artemis gaped at her. “What?”

“Well, two hundred and ninety-eight, but I thought rounding up made more sense. It’s single-sided, if that helps.” Luna opened the door to ButterNut Bakery, and the tempting scents within washed over them.

“Not particularly.” Artemis rubbed her temples as they got in line. “I need a break. No, scratch that, I need to get laid.”

Luna chuckled. “That shouldn’t be too difficult. I mean, look at you! You’re gorgeous.”

“Thank you for the compliment.” Artemis sighed. “Unfortunately, guys look at me and are intimidated. It could be that I’m a Goddess, or maybe that I’m a CEO, or maybe just that I’m smart. Whatever it is, whenever I meet a guy, it doesn’t usually end all that satisfactorily.”

“Can I ask an impertinent question?” Luna asked hesitantly after she’d placed her order.

“You can get away with quite a bit. Go ahead.” Artemis told Demi, the baker, her order, and paid for both lunches.

“How did you end up with Alexander’s father?”

“He liked the feeling of power he got from being with me,” Artemis said dryly. “Maybe I should amend my previous statement. It doesn’t usually end satisfactorily for mein bed. The only good thing to come out of that relationship is Alexander.”

“He’s a darling,” Luna agreed readily.

“Excuse me, I couldn’t help but overhear,” Hera, Demi’s sister, said. “Artemis, you’re looking for a guy?”

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