Black Heart

by K L Rymer

  Misaki waits in the car outside. We have bulletproof windows, so I don’t have to worry about her safety. I keep her out of my mind, for now. I want to see how far I can get with White’s daughter before I begin to stumble. My looks will only get me so far, then the girl will finally see me for the black-hearted monster I really am.

  The bleach blonde behind the till snaps back into action, and scowls at White’s daughter. “Don’t just stand there. Serve him!”

  White shakes her little blonde head, then finally rips her eyes away, becoming a shy sheep. “I’m... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stare.”

  I’m too distracted a moment by the cute accent. Louisiana born and bred. How could I forget? It doesn’t help that her voice is as soft and childish as she looks, and again something warm stirs inside me.

  But I won’t let her sweet southern charms pacify me. She’s still White’s brat. Nothing will change that.

  “That’s quite all right,” I reply, my voice hollow. I sound so fake, but I carry on the act. Like I’ve mentioned, I hate small talk.

  She blushes and pulls out a metal chair from beneath a table, and I sit, horribly aware of all the dirty arses that have sat on it before me. The table is sticky and covered in salt. The thing needs a wipe. In fact, the whole place could do with a serious wipe.

  The white walls have yellowed from years of cooking. Even the canvas pictures depicting various London landmarks have a faded tint to them. One has a glob of chewing-gum stuck on the clock face of Big Ben, and my stomach gurgles.

  Disgusting.

  As if sensing my discomfort, White brings out a cloth and wipes the surface of the table, but like that would do the world of good. The whole place needs to be fumigated.

  She doesn’t meet my gaze again, and my desperation starts to kick in. Fuck, if only I could thrall her, stare into those big baby blue eyes, then I could crack through that shy exterior and make her mine.

  But this girl wouldn’t be swayed so easily. She’s probably still a virgin too. I can usually tell.

  However, there’s no denying the sexual tension that radiates off the small girl now. Whenever she steps too close to me, her breath hitches, and I almost smell her desire.

  It’s another demon gift of mine; I can sense when a woman’s aroused.

  “W-what would you like today, sir?” she asks, bringing out a small notepad.

  It’s as if we’re in some 1950s style diner, and not some grotty South End café, but I give her my order.

  “Coffee. Black.”

  She scribbles in her pad and scurries away to the till. I hear the older blonde bickering the moment she arrives, and it’s no surprise who they’re talking about.

  The other customers have long stopped watching me and return to their boring lives. The chav finally got her baby to stop crying, and now I can hear my thoughts again.

  I try to channel into Misaki, opening up the pathway in my mind. I soon feel her smug little smile, and groan in discomfort. Not a great feeling having your headspace invaded.

  “Finally, was starting to grow bored. So... which one is she?”

  “The tiny blonde,” I reply.

  My eyes land on White’s daughter, and I hear Misaki hum in satisfaction. “Not bad. Though she needs to lose the pigtails.”

  “I know. She looks like a child.”

  Misaki snorts in my head, and when the girl returns with my coffee, I shush her.

  White has finally found the courage to meet my eyes. I bet the manageress gave her a stern talking to about “customer service.”

  Really, I could give two shits, but at least she’s looking at me again.

  “Here you go. One black coffee.”

  “Aw, cute accent,” Misaki remarks.

  “Focus now, Misaki. What should I say?”

  “Thank you, perhaps? Goodness, Eli. You weren’t raised by wolves!”

  I meet White’s daughter’s eyes, and she stares at me for a long time. I take a better look at her face. It’s heart-shaped, and her nose turns up like a pixie’s. A few stray strands fall over her huge eyes, and her lips are neither big nor small, just somewhere in between. They’re currently popped open, displaying largish front teeth.

  Normally, rabbit teeth would look goofy on anyone else, but on her, they’re endearing.

  White’s daughter, by all means, was cute. As much as I hate to admit.

  “So fuck her already.”

  “We won’t be fucking!”

  “Well, if you won’t, then I will. Who can resist that cute southern drawl?”

  “I’m sorry... I... I was staring again.”

  My eyes snap back up to White. She wrings her apron in her hands, looking ever so slightly to the left. Her lashes are thick and long.

  “I’ve... just never met anyone as handsome as you are,” she says, biting her lower lip with one of those rabbit teeth.

  Suddenly, my cock jolts, and I shake the sensation away. Stupid body betraying me.

  “Why, thank you,” I reply, trying not to focus on her lip biting.

  Women have bitten their lips for me in the past, but something about the coy way in which she does it intrigues me. She’s painfully shy, there’s no mistaking it. But there seems to be a little goddess hidden deep away inside her somewhere, and it wants all of me.

  Quite the feat and I haven’t even brainwashed her. This is going to be easier than I thought.

  “You wish. A girl like her is as rare as a unicorn, Eli. You won’t get to see her naked so easily. She needs brushing off her feet first.”

  “I already told you, there isn’t going to be any fucking!”

  “Are you all right?” she asks.

  Crap, I must look demented, quarrelling with the voices inside my head.

  I meet those big blue doe eyes again, seeing nothing but concern. She’s too sweet for this world, worrying about the cold-blooded demon who’s about to destroy her life.

  “Yes. Thank you for bringing my coffee.” I take a sip, wanting to spit it back out.

  The vilest cup of coffee that has ever touched my lips.

  “Always a pleasure,” she chirps, and moves back towards the till.

  “Ask her name, idiot.”

  My eyes shoot back up. “What’s your name?”

  She stops and stares at me in wonder. You’d think no one had ever asked her before.

  “Crystal,” she replies.

  I purse my lips. “Pretty. My name’s Eli.”

  Her breath clogs in her throat, and then she starts playing with one of her pigtails, acting all coy again. “Th-thank you. I... I like your name too.”

  She hovers a few moments longer. The blonde manageress looks over at us, smiling knowingly, but it’s only a matter of time until her patience runs out. The girl needs to get back to work.

  “May I take you out sometime?” I ask.

  Her eyes turn as wide as saucers, and again it appears as if no one had ever asked her such a simple request, either.

  “S-sure,” she stammers. “I’d... I’d be delighted.”

  I arch a brow. “Well, care to give me your number?”

  “Of... of course...”

  She fumbles for her notepad and steps forward, and I get the faint scent of candy floss or something else that’s sickly sweet. Then she writes down her number and her hand won’t stop shaking.

  Her heart’s pounding. Another gift of mine: I can hear the pulse of friends and enemies alike.

  Maybe no one really had asked her out before?

  “Aw, congrats on being her first, Eli.”

  “Fuck you, Misaki.”

  She passes me the paper. The moment my hand brushes hers, I feel that electric shock. It’s almost magnetic, and I pull away, stashing her number in my pocket.

  Crystal appears to have felt it too as she stares at her fingers, mesmerised.

  I brush it to one side and stand. Crystal takes in my full height, a look of awe in her big shiny eyes, and again I truly see how small she is.
>
  “I guess I’ll call you then,” I purr, sounding like one of those cheesy teenage heartthrobs in the movies.

  Zeus strike me down now.

  She nods. “I... look forward to it.”

  I head for the door and step out onto the street. As soon as the wood shuts behind me, I hear her excited squeal on the other side and chuckle.

  “And you said it would be hard, Misaki.”

  4. Crystal

  Somebody pinch me, I must be dreaming!

  The most gorgeous man had asked me out on a date, and I still couldn’t believe my luck.

  No one had ever asked me out before. I’m not ugly, and I would definitely say that I’ve blossomed since my high school years, but I’m still awfully shy.

  All the boys growing up had never given me the time of day. I was somewhat of a wallflower. The kids at school were cruel, which was how I’d developed my crippling shyness. My teen years were rough too. I was shoved inside lockers, tripped in hallways, the stereotypical high school nerd you see in the movies.

  But then comes along this handsome stranger, turning up out of the blue.

  Dreams of the West End, and meeting the father I’d never known, weren’t the only reasons I’d moved to London. I was hoping to find love too. Call me an optimist, or a romantic, but I always felt I was destined to meet the one.

  I just hadn’t met him yet.

  And Eli was everything I’d ever dreamed about. Tall, sophisticated and handsome. It was like I was in a movie.

  He comes from money. It’s not hard to tell, but he seems to be humble about his heritage.

  But I still couldn’t believe this rich, beautiful man would ever look twice at a girl like me, and a part of me was a little sceptical.

  Just years of abuse in high school have made me untrusting of people. But Eli’s not a high-school boy. He’s an adult and so am I.

  I need to let that nerdy girl go and set her free.

  It’s a Saturday afternoon. I’m at home reading a book when my phone rings. My heart jumps to my throat when I see the name.

  Eli.

  We’ve only spoken several times on the phone. I keep wondering when he will ask me out on a real date. Hopefully, today will finally be that day.

  I slide the button on my phone and clear my throat. “Hello?”

  “Good afternoon, Crystal.”

  My heart flutters at the sound of his voice. The way he says my name makes my stomach do flips and in the good kind of way. And his English accent... so hot.

  “You... you too, Eli...”

  A moment of silence passes between us. All I can hear is my heartbeat, and I wonder if he can hear it too.

  “So, I was wondering if you would like to go out tonight?”

  I stop breathing for a moment.

  So this was it. My first date.

  “Crystal? Are you still there?”

  I shake my head, sitting up straight. “I... I would love too!”

  Oops, a little too enthusiastic. I need to play this cool. Men like Eli only come around once in a lifetime. “I mean... sure. Okay.”

  He chuckles. “I’ll pick you up at seven?”

  “Yes. Seven’s fine.”

  “See you then.”

  He hangs up. I drop the phone on my bed, staring off into space.

  I’m going on my first date.

  I squeal again, and Babs bursts through the door, bright pink rollers in her hair. “What the bloody hell’s going on?!”

  Maybe I should mention that I’ve been living with Babs and her husband for three months now. I know it’s not a great idea living with your boss, but Babs has become like family to me.

  Before I met Babs, I’d been living in student accommodation. Sure, I could get past all the endless 2am parties, but student accommodation was expensive, especially in a city like London. Plus, you have all the typical tourist attractions too, such as Harry Potter studios, the West End, and endless shopping.

  It was only a matter of time until my savings ran out, and I was too ashamed to call my father for help, a man who was still a complete stranger. Really, I should have budgeted better, but I grew up in a small town where nothing ever happened. And it was London... the type of place you only ever see on TV and have to pinch yourself to make sure you’re really there (I had majorly fangirled when I saw Big Ben and Buckingham Palace for the first time).

  So now here I am with Babs, and it was perfect timing. She has a spare room in her house which she rents out to students.

  “Eli finally asked me out on a date!” I blurt, squeezing my fists in excitement.

  She rolls her eyes and throws herself down on the bed. “Good lord. I thought you’d tripped or something. Don’t scare me like that again.”

  Babs regards me now, giving a tight smile. “Are you sure you still want to go through with the date? I mean, he is handsome. Very, very handsome. But...”

  “But what?” I ask, my curiosity getting the better of me. Somehow, I have a bad feeling in my stomach.

  She sighs and shows me an article on her phone. “I took the courtesy of looking him up for you. Apparently, he’s notorious on the London scene. His whole family is. His cousin’s always in the tabloids, and his father... well, he’s forever making dodgy deals with his company.”

  I take a look at the article, and my heart sinks. I see a picture of Eli, looking exquisite as ever with a well-known supermodel. The word “Playboy” jumps out at me, and I release a shuddery breath.

  Maybe it was too good to be true then? If Eli really was a playboy, then why on earth would he be interested in me? I’m nothing special. Plus, I had no idea his family’s company was worth billions... Yikes, I’m so out of my depth.

  “I mean, just take a look at some of the women he’s dated,” Babs goes on. “Models, Miss Universes, singers, actresses. Royalty...”

  I sigh, placing a hand on her wrist. She’s only trying to help, but each one feels like an extra punch to the stomach. “I get it, Babs. He’s been with a lot of women. It’s just... why would he want to date me?”

  Sadness glitters in her eyes, and she puts her phone away. “I’m not too sure, sweetheart. It could just be a coincidence that he was there at the café that day, and saw you and liked you. You’re not bad on the eyes.”

  A shiver runs down my spine, and suddenly I feel cold. Maybe I should cancel? If Eli had been with so many prominent and beautiful women, how could I ever hope to compare? I’m just a nobody after all.

  My desire to perform on stage becomes ever stronger. If I could just get a part in a play, then I would be good enough for him too. I wouldn’t have to feel inadequate compared to all those girls.

  Then again... maybe he does like me for me? Maybe he really did like me at the café. The newspapers could just be wrong about him, and Eli is really a sweetheart deep down.

  I should at least give him a chance.

  “Thank you for the warning, Babs, but it’s fine. I trust Eli. He’s always asking how I’m feeling on the phone, and he seems genuinely interested.”

  “Well, I hope for your sake that it isn’t too good to be true. Just stay cautious, okay, darling? The last thing I would want is for you to get hurt.”

  I smile, though deep inside I’m terrified. I just hope it all isn’t too good to be true.

  Bab’s sombre face brightens next, and then she rises to her feet. “Come on then. Let’s make a start on getting you ready.”

  She bustles about the room as my mind wanders.

  Fudge, what do I wear?

  5. Crystal

  I stand before the mirror, gazing down at my gown. It’s a 1950s Rockabilly swing dress with a petticoat and halterneck. It’s bright pink with white polka dots and a matching belt, and I look as if I just took a giant leap back in time.

  To be honest, it’s the best I could do. I know next to little about fashion, and my white heels are only one inch (I don’t do big heels), so I’m still going to be small tonight.

  But I do loo
k pretty. My hair is out and curled, swept off to one side with a pink flower. Just a light touch of pink rouges my lips and cheeks, and the most minimal foundation.

  Babs had wanted to put me in a tight dress that showed off my cleavage, and I’d almost had a heart attack when she’d tossed out a pair of hot pink stilettos. Eek, I’d fall before I ever took a step in those, which was a shame. I’m too short, only five foot.

  I’d settled on letting her do my makeup instead, which again is something I’m totally useless at.

  The phone rings in my purse and I take a deep breath. This is it. My first date with the billionaire playboy. I feel like I’m going to puke.

  I pick up the phone, clearing my throat. “Hello?”

  “Well, I’m outside,” he says, his voice dark and... sinister? Maybe I’m just imagining things.

  Images of all the sexy women he’d dated flashes through my mind. One had even been a porn star, and my mouth dries up.

  He wasn’t hoping to see more of me tonight, was he?

  “Crystal?”

  “I’ll... I’ll be out in a moment.”

  I start down the stairs, my legs like gelatine. When I reach the bottom, Babs comes out the kitchen to see me off. “Have fun.”

  “Thank you, Babs.”

  “And remember to be back by half ten, young lady,” she warns mockingly, and I giggle.

  “I promise, Mom.”

  When I open the door, my eyes fall on the sleek black car outside the house, and I almost do a double take.

  Is that a Mercedes?

  The car’s way too posh for this neighbourhood. A couple of neighbours have even come out to investigate, and I hide my face.

  Thank goodness the windows are tinted. No one will see who my date is.

  I move down the steps and approach the car. A fancy chauffeur jumps out the driver’s seat and lets me inside. I’ve never been shown so much special treatment in my life.

  “Thank you,” I say, ducking inside.

  The chauffeur shuts the door behind me, locking me inside, and I gulp when I feel that familiar, piercing gaze.

  We haven’t set eyes on each other since we met at Bab’s café. So the moment I turn around, I’m taken aback.