Chapter 9: A Visit to Athena's

They walked into the hall and took their seats in one of the front rows since Marla's tickets were exclusively for VIPs. The show started at half-past seven with three performances on the card. The show was full of extravagance as the artists literally sang their hearts out, their voices hoarse. The audience cheered and clapped for every performance, worth the glory. Time flew, and within a few hours, the show was over.

General P.O.V.

After the curtains closed, they walked out of the hall, chattering about the experience.

"It was not that bad actually," Jason said to Marla.

"Not that bad! I know you liked it," Marla said as she lightly hit his arm.

"Okay, okay. I liked it, are you happy?" Jason said as he turned around to face her.

"Yes," she responded as they came to a stop at the entrance where they met.

"I don't want to keep you beyond your curfew," Jason said, smiling.

"And who would dare impose a curfew on me?" she asked, raising her brow.

"Uhm, your boyfriend maybe," Jason continued, waiting for her reaction.

"And that's where you're wrong," she said.

"In what way?" he asked.

"No one has any rights over me at the moment... wait a minute, I see what you did there," Marla said, realizing that Jason had just got her to confess that she was single.

"One has to be smart these days," Jason said as he opened her car door.

"Nicely played, Mr. West," she said as she stood by her door.

"How about we end this wonderful night with a glass of wine at my place?" she asked.

"As awesome as that sounds, there's no way I'm going to get into the passenger's seat in this car," Jason replied, smiling and chuckling.

"I'll let you drive," she said, trying to convince him as she wiggled the keys in front of his face.

"That's more insult to injury, Marla," he responded, lowering her hand.

"Don't tell me that you're intimidated by a girl in a fast car," she teased.

"Not exactly," Jason jumped in, "I need to sort out some things concerning work."

"It's Friday night, and you're still thinking about work. You need to live a little bit more," Marla said, trying to convince him.

"You can tease me all you want, but that's how my weekend is going to kick off, unfortunately," Jason said as she got into the car and he closed the door.

"If you insist on not joining me now, then how about some other time?" she said as he leaned in on the window.

"Another date?" he asked.

"Yes, I wouldn't mind. But this time it's your call on where and when," she said.

"Fine, I'll tell you by Monday," Jason said as he leaned in and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"See you then on Monday," she said as she rolled down the window and drove off. Jason looked at his watch and saw that it was quarter to ten. As he checked Athena's address on his phone, he saw that he was only a few blocks away. He decided to walk, and along the way, he picked up a bottle of fine wine. When he got to her door, it took a few rings of the doorbell for the door to open. He couldn't help but notice that Athena looked quite different without office clothes. Her hair was let down to fall on her shoulders and her face, and due to its lustrous nature, it looked like she had just come out of the shower. She had on a short white robe that went to her knees, and she wore a pair of slides on her feet. Even through the robe, Jason could still see all her curves as she had tied the robe's belt around her waist. After a few seconds of silence and admiration of her beauty, Jason finally pulled out the bottle of wine and said,

"I brought some wine."

"You're late," she responded as she took the bottle of wine from his hands.

"I kinda lost track of time. But at least I made it," Jason said with a smirk on his face.

"I almost thought you weren't coming," she said as she huffed, obviously mad at him.

"That's the second time today that you're doubting me. I'm tempted to ask when you said that you trusted me, it might have just been for show," he said as he eyed her curiously.

"I meant what I said," she defended herself.

"Then you wouldn't mind me asking if you let strangers into your house," Jason asked, and before she could answer, he added, "'in the middle of the night?"

"Not exactly. I'd only let in people I trust," she responded.

"Do you trust me?" Jason asked.

"Yes, I do," Athena replied.

"Then what am I still doing outside your door?" Jason asked again. Once again, he had managed to manipulate the course of a conversation to his favor. The reaction on Athena's face was a clear indication of a win.

"Damn it!" she said under her breath. She ushered him into her living room, where he chose to sit on her hybrid couch that could be converted into a cozy bed. Athena had gone and brought two glasses for them.

"So, what's the plan for the night?" Jason asked to get a clearer image of her expectations.

"I'd say we watch a movie, then later we can talk as we listen to music and see where the night will take us," she replied as they both took a sip of the wine.

"Let's watch this one," Athena said after scrolling through a list of some movies. As the movie started, she joined Jason on the couch, and she lay next to him. To his surprise, she took his hand and placed it on her hip as she snuggled close to him and settled while continuing to sip on her wine.

The night was young, but both knew that it was soon about to be an interesting one.