“But how did it happen? You’ve never given me any details. I had to hear all this shit through the tainted Angel rumor mill. Cutting out all the slut comments, I dwindled it down to it happened on his desk and you seemed to thoroughly enjoy it. What I want to know is what did he say to get you there? Did he entrance you? Was he like Don Juan, or what?”
“Knock it off, all right?” I pleaded.
“Come on, Abby. I’m just curious. We’re friends, right?”
Usually, Judd didn’t push the subject. He’d been content with my vague excuses before, but from the look on his face, it appeared he wasn’t going to stop until I told him something more than he already knew.
“The truth is,” I sputtered out, “I don’t know what happened. If I could explain it then I could defend my actions, but I can’t. All I can say is when I walked into his office I felt like it was different from any other time I’d gone to give a warning. I thought he was different. And there was this irresistible pull between us I can’t really explain. But now I realize I was completely wrong, and apparently I have to pay for my error for the rest of my life.”
“Irresistible pull, huh?” Judd’s lips twitched up to a smile.
I sighed. “Did I just give you more fuel for the fire?”
Judd chuckled and took my hand in his, clasping them in the rough texture of a man who’d worked hard as an Angel. “Sounds like it bothers you more than it should. Why don’t you do yourself a favor and go tell the guy off?”
“You mean face my fears?”
“Do you fear him? Or do you fear what you’ll do with him?”
“Neither,” I lied.
“Prove it then.”
Chapter Four
I had an hour before my four p.m. to one a.m. shift started. And I was exhausted. I hadn’t slept all day. Instead, I’d thought of a hundred reasons to avoid Simeon Keller. But now, despite my efforts, I was on an elevator up to his office.
Keep it professional, I told myself. My only goal was to uncover what he knew about Peter Piper, and then I could be on my way. Fears faced. End of story.
He probably wouldn’t even remember me. It was almost five years ago. I was sure there’d been numerous naked women on his desk since then. Right? I wasn’t the only idiot? Blah. Who was I kidding? I was certain I was the only Angel who’d been foolish enough to fall for the half-breed’s seduction.
I clenched my trembling hands as the elevator doors opened. What was I so afraid of? I wasn’t going to let it happen again. I was smarter now. Not so naïve. Those days were in the past.
The receptionist didn’t look familiar. Thankfully, she wasn’t the same woman who worked here when it happened. She didn’t acknowledge me as I walked up to the desk. Instead, she typed at her keyboard with a ferocity that was somewhat humorous. If Judd were here I would’ve had the nerve to laugh. But I hadn’t told him I was coming. Better he hear it from the tainted rumor mill after MOG watched the scene go down.
Ugh. I forgot about MOG. She was going to love this. I hoped she was too busy with other visions. I was under the impression she typically only viewed demons who were up to no good. Which made me wonder if she’d located my attackers yet. I’d have to visit her again when I returned to DC.
First, I needed to get through this meeting.
“Excuse me,” I finally said.
“Yeah?” She didn’t look up at me. No smile. Nothing. She was like the anti-Pauline with short, spiky black hair, loads of makeup, and a scowl permanently attached to her red lips. What a strange human. She appeared to be no older than twenty, but her demeanor aged her another decade.
“I need to see Simeon Keller.” His name sounded oddly plain coming out of my mouth. There was nothing plain about the man.
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No. Do I need one?” Maybe luck was on my side today.
That got her attention. Her pierced eyebrow vaulted up her forehead. “Uh, yeah. Mr. Keller’s a very busy man.”
“Oh. Sorry about that. Some other time then.” I backed up a couple of steps and then froze when I heard his voice call out from a speaker on the desk.
“Send her in, Harley,” he said. “She doesn’t need an appointment.”
I glanced up at each corner of the room to see four cameras staring back at me. Oh, shit. He remembered.
Harley rolled her eyes. “You heard him.” She shot her thumb toward the mahogany-stained door that looked more like the entrance to a high-priced lawyer’s office than a demonic temporary employment agency.
I twisted the hefty knob and eased the door open. My eyes found him right away. He was sitting at his desk. A different desk, thank the heavens. And he was staring at his computer screen, ignoring me just as his receptionist had. His ink black hair was longer, reaching his shoulders, I noticed straightaway as I closed the door behind me. The length was incredibly sexy, I thought, and immediately gave myself a mental slap on the forehead.
Keep it professional, Abby!
I took in the room around me to keep from staring. His office had been remodeled since I’d been here. The bookshelves and desk were a dark mahogany just like the door. The burgundy and gold rug on the floor covered most of the hardwood. Two sleek black leather chairs sat in front of his desk.
“Have a seat, Abigail.” His crisp silver eyes flickered over my body briefly as he stood.
Suddenly I became acutely aware of what I was wearing as I dropped down into one of the leather chairs. I hadn’t dressed up for the occasion, but my clothes were somewhat nicer than my usual. Instead of a T-shirt or sweatshirt, I wore a forest green fitted V-neck sweater, and replacing my faded jeans was a pair of dark stretch jeans. And naturally, I had on my running shoes. I was going to work soon, after all. Who was I trying to impress anyway?
He followed my lead and sat back down. It gave me the chance to assess his duds. Charcoal leather pants and a ribbed white sweater that clung to his lean muscles. Yep, more alluring than any full demon I’d ever laid eyes on.
“It’s good to see you again.” His voice was as smooth and pleasing as I remembered. “It’s been too long, but I’m afraid I’m confused by the nature of your visit. I don’t believe I’ve done anything lately to require your presence.” He grinned toward the last part. Red, soft, powerful lips. “Or have I?”
“No,” I blurted out. “I mean, that’s not why I’m here.” I leaned toward his desk and noticed his eyes dip to my chest. I should’ve worn a T-shirt. An extra large one.
Slowly, deliberately, he met my eyes again. “Why then?”
I could feel my entire body heat up. I probably looked like a big red freak of nature.
Get a hold of yourself. He was evil. A demon. Not worth the provocative thoughts dancing through my mind.
“I’m looking for someone you used to employ. His name is Peter Piper, and last night he escaped a second warning.”
“And?”
“And I hoped you’d be able to give me some information about him.”
He cocked his head, braced his hands on the desk, and bowed toward me to look at my bruised cheek. It couldn’t have been too noticeable. With MOG’s medicine and my healing power, it should be mostly gone.
“Did this Peter Piper hit you, Abigail?” He went on to examine the rest of my face and down farther.
“No,” I said, thankful there was a large piece of furniture between us. Afraid I’d be in his lap right then if there wasn’t. “No, he didn’t touch me.” His buddy did, but Simeon didn’t need to know that.
He sat back down. “What happened to you then?”
“I fell.” I was such a bad liar. Judd was right.
Simeon smiled, showing me a perfect set of teeth and a dimple on his left cheek. “Aren’t Angels bred to be honest and noble?”
“I am those things.” Most of the time.
“Really?” He tsked. “That’s disappointing to hear. I thought you were different.”
I didn’t ask what gave him that idea. I al
ready knew. I also knew the half-breed sitting before me was the devil in disguise and was being very good at avoiding my purpose for coming here.
“Peter Piper. Would you mind?” I pointed to his computer monitor. “Unless you know him personally. I’ll take any information you can give me.”
Truth was Simeon didn’t have to share any of his knowledge with me. Angels didn’t have the authority to force a presumably innocent demon to do anything they didn’t want to. When male Angels had worked on the streets, they’d blatantly ignored that rule. Just another reason why they were forced to work behind a desk. Me, however, I wasn’t as aggressive.
Simeon pressed a few buttons on his keyboard and then stood again. I could hear his printer zipping out papers from a separate table in the corner. He collected them and came to sit by me. I scooted back in my seat and crossed my legs and my ankles. It wasn’t going to happen again. You could only call something a mistake if it happened once. Two times and I’d be validating what every Angel at Demon Control thought about me. Forget that.
“Here’s what I have on him,” he said. “I like to keep a detailed file on whoever I work with.” He sifted through the stack of papers in his hands, scanning down each page. There must have been at least a dozen pages of type. But I resisted leaning in and trying to make out the print. If that was his goal then he failed.
Several minutes passed before Simeon looked up from his reading. He gave me a warm grin and plunked the pile of papers on his desk. It was sorely obvious he was teasing me, and it irritated me to no end.
“Well?” I asked, grinning back, hiding my annoyance. “Are those for me?”
“I’d love to know more about how you were hurt.”
“Going to keep a file on me too?”
“Will I be working with you?” His eyes did a quick scan of my body.
I thought maybe he was kidding, but his expression showed no signs of it.
“No,” I said. “I’ll get out of your hair as soon as you give me what I came for. Now, can I have that file?”
Not waiting for an answer, I reached for his desk where the papers sat. But he blocked my path by leaning toward me. Just as quickly, he slid his hand to the outside of my thigh. His caressing touch was warm even through the denim of my jeans.
“That doesn’t seem fair,” he said. “If I give you something, what do I get in return?”
I thought I stopped breathing then. He was too close. I avoided eye contact in case he really did have some sort of mystical control over me. But it was becoming sadly obvious his pull on me was the fault of my own weakness. I was attracted to him.
Evil or not, I craved his touch, his taste, his body.
Chapter Five
“I have to go.” I stood and escaped his hand, angry about his proposition but even more furious with myself for entertaining it even in the slightest. The file on Piper wasn’t worth it. I needed to get away from this man before I did something I regretted.
Simeon rose to his feet and smiled down at me. He was taller than I’d remembered. There was at least a foot of difference between us. It made me feel petite and feminine when all I strived to be was strong and resilient. I had no doubt I could defend myself against a demon his size, but the stupid little voice in my head told me Simeon wouldn’t try to hurt me.
Not physically anyway.
“What is it with you and leaving me?” he asked, showing the sexy dimple on his cheek. “You always have to go. Why don’t you stay?”
I gathered up all my anger and threw it at him. “If you think I’m going to have sex with you in return for...for anything then you are a...a...never mind.” I gave up. How could I yell at him when he was smiling at me like that?
He chuckled. “I think I gave you the wrong impression when I brushed your thigh. I shouldn’t have, but I find it’s very difficult to keep my hands off you. Even after all this time. What I meant was if you aren’t going to tell me who harmed you, then I won’t be sharing any of my information.”
“Why do you want to know?” I tried to hide my embarrassment. He hadn’t been propositioning me? I’d been so sure of it.
“My business is to help demons. I give them a chance for lawful employment so they don’t have to stoop to using humans. I thoroughly interview them before I recommend them to businesses. For that reason, I feel I’m responsible for their behavior. If any one of them has harmed an Angel, especially you, then I want to know about it.”
“Oh.” I let that sink in a moment. “So you try to keep them out of trouble?”
“I try to keep them from being deported, yes.”
“What about you? Do you try to keep from being deported?”
He took a step closer to me and brought his warm hands to frame my face. “When I’m not corrupting Angels.”
Holy cow. I could’ve been in the parking lot by now. I could’ve been in the safety of my VW, listening to Aerosmith’s Greatest Hits. But no, I’d stayed to argue and question and find out more about this mysterious being. And now, here I was, inches from his body, staring up into his mesmerizing eyes.
“That was a mistake.” I sounded like a broken record.
His mouth quirked up to a grin as he traced my bottom lip with his thumb. “What? Our little tangle on the desktop? If I remember correctly, you enjoyed every second of it.”
“I did not. Not in any way.” Liar, liar, pants on fire. “I was repulsed, actually. It was the worst experience of my life.”
He dropped his hands to his side. I hated that I missed the warmth of his touch.
“Repulsed?” he asked. “That’s a strong word. You’re not suggesting, then, that I forced myself on you, are you? The repulsive, evil half-breed that I am.”
“No, but I—”
“You could’ve finished me off back then if it was that horrible an experience. I was waiting for it, you know. For you to come back in a blaze of regret and strike me down to Hell for eternity. But you didn’t. You avoided me instead.”
“I was humiliated.”
He opened his mouth to respond but shut it again and gave me a puzzled look. “How so?”
“I was there to give you a warning, Simeon. Then I was on top of your desk, naked. That doesn’t happen to other Angels. Other Angels don’t let themselves get seduced by demons.”
“I’m half human.”
“They don’t get seduced by humans either.”
“Has it happened before? With other demons?”
“Of course not. I’m not a tramp.” Ugh. That sounded a little too defensive.
He grinned. “How many humans?”
“Zero.”
“How many Angels?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“More than six?”
“No,” I said too quickly.
“More than five?”
“Why do you care?”
“Five then.” He tapped his finger on his chin. “So I’m one of five? That surprises me a little considering how easy it was to get you naked. Not that I’m complaining.”
“Actually, I’ve only been with three men, you jerk. Including you.” MOG help me. Why was I standing here arguing with a half-breed who could testify I was a true redhead?
“Did the other two enjoy you as much as I did?”
My mouth fell open in shock. “I-I’m not here to discuss my sex life. What’s wrong with you?” Why did I ask? I already knew. He was a fiend, a mongrel, Satan’s little helper, wreaking havoc wherever he went. I made a move for the doorknob, but he held the door shut with one large hand.
“I apologize, Abigail.” He spoke softly in my ear with his front pressed against my back. “I only want to know more about you. You intrigue me. But I understand if my questions are too personal. I’ll try to behave.”
“What do you mean I intrigue you?” I had to ask. Yep, I was so hard up I was fishing for compliments from my enemy. How pathetic.
I felt his mouth brush against my shoulder as he inhaled. “Your smell is of an
Angel but slightly different. Spicier, maybe. Your hair is the color of fire, wild, free and sensuous.” He collected my spiraled locks into a ponytail with his hand and swept the tips of his fingers down the back of my neck. “And your skin is pale and delicate with...freckles. It’s imperfect but charming. No, more like enchanting. You enchant me, Abigail.” He said the last part as if he’d found the final piece to a puzzle, and I sighed.
Heat rushed through my body as we remained motionless. I didn’t want to move, not being able to remember the last time a man had touched me so affectionately. With such desire. It was sinful, I knew, to lust for this half-breed, to want his touch and to crave his taste. It was wrong. So very wrong.
“You’re right about other Angels,” he said. “I don’t know a single demon or half- breed who’s been able to seduce one. Not that any would want to. Most Angels disgust us. In fact, you’re the only one I’ve been attracted to.”
My senses came back to me like a sledgehammer to the chest. Did he think I needed to be reminded of the enormity of my mistake? Did he not know my affair with him was a big reason why I didn’t fit in with the rest of the Angels? I turned to glare up at him.
“What did I say?” he asked.
“I’m leaving. I really shouldn’t be around you anymore.”
“You’re attracted to me too. Why can’t you admit it?” It wasn’t really a question though. He knew. He braced my waist and drew me toward him. “Oh, wait. I know. If you admit you desire a half-breed, then you’re somehow admitting you’re inadequate. Right?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied. He couldn’t be more right.
“Because you believe half-breeds are inferior and not worth an Angel’s time or affection. Is that it, Abigail?”
His lips were so close to mine, his warm breath lingered at my nose, reminding me of the delicious taste of his mouth. I sniffed the aroma in and gulped it down. Pathetic. Really, really pathetic.
With whatever brain cells I had left, I muttered, “I have to go. Now.”
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