Grounded

Patty James is having a bad day. She's just lost her job, and to make matters worse, she's knocked on her butt by a couple of ill-mannered teens while on her way home from the office. As she struggles to deal with her scattered possessions, torn hose and broken high heel, who should stop to help her but a man whose looks would rival the Greek gods. Dionysus, God of Wine and Revelry, is having a field day on Earth. There's nothing he can't have and nothing he enjoys more than wearing himself out with endless day sand nights of debauchery. He never sleeps with the same woman twice, rarely stays in the same city more than a few days, and has no desire to change his lifestyle. So why is he suddenly having a hard timekeeping one little mortal female from invading his every waking thought? Excerpt: "No problem. I'm Dion, by the way," he said and offered his hand. He caught her before she was completely off balance. "Pleased to meet you Patty. Is that short for Patricia?" "No, it's Patience. It's such an old fashioned name. I was named after my grandmother. I always hated it, so I shortened it when I was a kid. I used to cry whenever anyone called me Patience. I got teased a lot when I was a kid, too. You know how cruel kids can be." She took a breath. "Stop rambling, Patty. You sound like an idiot!" "Coffee, I'll make coffee. You sit." She shook her head. "I'm sorry. Please, sit." "Thank you," Dion said with a big smile. "Do I make you nervous?" "No," she said, lying through her teeth. "Good. I don't want you to be nervous." "I'm not," she assured him and heard him chuckle as she went about making the coffee. He sat at her tiny, Formica kitchen table, and when the coffee finished brewing, she poured them each a cup and set a plate of sugar cookies on the table between them. "Do you take cream or sugar?" He shook his head, his blonde hair falling around his shoulders, and Patty felt her heart do a flip. "No," he said. "I drink it black." Patty stared at him, not knowing what else to say. He seemed to sense her utter loss of social skills and smiled again. "You have a nice apartment. Lived here long?" "About two years," she answered. There was another silence. "Why can't I make simple conversation with this man?" "What do you do? Were you coming home from work when we met on the street?" Nodding, she said, "Yes. Coming home from work for the last time, actually. I got laid off today, downsizing they called it." "I'm sorry to hear that." "I'll find another job," she said more to herself than to him. "Well," he said, "thank you for the coffee, Patty. And good luck to you in your job search." He rose from the chair and started toward the door. "It was nice meeting you." "It was nice meeting you, too, Dion. And thank you for being nice to me on the street, and for bringing these papers to me." "You're welcome," he said and smiled at her as he reached for the doorknob. He paused a moment and looked at her kindly. "By the way, I might know of a place that's hiring." He handed her a business card. "Come by in the morning, you might be surprised." "Thank you," she said and took the card from him. His fingers brushed hers and again, she felt an electrical shock run up her arm. She watched him step into the elevator and waved as the doors slid closed. Then, shutting the door of her apartment and leaning with her back against it, she squealed, "Oh-my-god! I don't believe this!" She looked at the business card. "Dionysus" was printed in the middle of the card, followed by an address and phone number, but it gave no hint as to what his business might be. Patty sighed. It didn't matter, though, maybe her luck just changed for the better.