From
hereFlushed from love, food and sex, Psyche let Hermes decide where they spent the rest of the afternoon. He'd mentioned shopping but it had been so long since she'd even been in Paris, that she had no clue where to begin. Hermes chose a little street lined with artisan shops in all shapes and sizes. No tourist map knew of this street, it was for locals - locals with lots of money and a need for high quality products. A perfect fit for the God of Merchants.
No one looked twice when the couple appeared at the end of the long street. Psyche looked over the shops with approval. There were several clothiers, a rare jewel dealer and even a chocolatier. She smiled up at him when she spotted that one.
"Did you know that was here?" She couldn't believe he would bring her near a chocolate shop on purpose.
"Of course I did. You can have anything you want today, my love. My treat."
The look in his eyes made her blush all over again, and she shook her head. "You don't have to buy me anything, Hermes, you know that." After all, it wasn't like she couldn't buy whatever she wanted with a sweep of her hand.
A quick kiss left her breathless and he grinned down at her her. "Hush. No complaining." His fingers swept down the side of her face, and she sighed with pleasure.
"Fine."
"Excellent. Now, I know you want to hit the chocolate first, but can we take a detour first?" He inclined his head towards the jeweler, and lifted his eyebrows in question.
Like she was going to say no to THAT. He laughed a little at her blushing nod and tucked her into his side as he lead her into the small shop. Small and intimate, there were glass cabinets running the length of the store. Bracelets, necklaces, rings and even a few jeweled tiaras filled them. Each brilliant with colored gems that flashed even in the low lights.
Hermes kissed the top of her head. "Go look around, love. If you see anything that catches your eye, let me know. I need to talk to that gentleman over there." He pointed towards a kindly looking man standing behind one of the counters.
Quickly, she leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Of course. I'll just browse over here." Psyche had no intention of letting him buy her any baubles. It was generally against her nature to ask for special things. Eros gave her gifts, but she never, ever required them.
She perused the bracelets (too dangly), the tiaras (too pretentious), before ending up in front of the necklaces. An exquisite
ruby and diamond choker made her catch her breath in awe. She could picture it around her neck, and there was definite want in her eyes as she stared at it.
Her nerves jumped a little when suddenly Hermes wrapped his arms around her waist, but she steadied them and leaned back onto his chest. She turned her head to look at him while her fingers linked with his over her stomach.
"Did you see anything that you liked?" The smirk on his face told her he'd heard her gasp at the sight of the necklace, but she tried anyway.
"Nope. Nothing at all."
"Liar."
"Oh, shut up." She shook her head and gave in; she wasn't going to win anyway. "That choker is lovely. But Hermes, really I don't need..." His kiss cut her off, then she was turned in his arms. Facing him, her hands gripping his lapels, she felt that beautiful necklace being secured around her neck. One hand reached up to touch it as she broke the kiss, and she sighed, unwilling to deny him anything.
"You know, you can't just kiss me every time you want to distract me."
"Why not? It works so well."
She rolled her eyes, but flashed him a smile at the same time. "Thank you. It really is beautiful."
"You are worth so much more, my love." He brought both her hands to his lips, kissing her knuckles sweetly. "I've noticed you no longer wear your wedding ring." It was not a question, simply a statement. He knew why already. It was no secret the separation between Psyche and Eros had become much more than physical since her appearance in this world. She nodded silently in acknowledgment. Neither really wanted to mention his name.
"Your hands seem bare without something beautiful to grace them. I want to give you something to repair that."
Eyes wide, Psyche allowed her left hand to be lifted and watched as Hermes slipped a beautiful hand crafted
sapphire ring onto her ring finger. Her mouth gaped as she stared first at the ring, then at him.
"Oh, Hermes. It's beautiful. You don't have...I mean...I don't...Oh, just come here." Her hands dragged his head down to hers and she kissed him so passionately the jeweler felt watching was impolite and quietly slipped out, leaving the intimate couple alone.
Whispered words filled the store, quiet and impassioned.
"I love it. I love you."