Lead Me From Temptation (Divine Darkness Book 1)

by Kris Calvert

  I stopped the car for a moment in the loading zone area and leaned over the passenger seat to get a better look at the entrance. I sat up and immediately let out a brief but punctuated scream, startled by the perfectly pressed man in a black tailored suit rapping on my door.

  “Miss Luce?” he asked in a British accent.

  “Sweet Lord. You scared the shi – well,” I pulled it together quickly. “You scared me.”

  “Please accept my apology, Miss Luce.” He opened the door as he spoke and offered me a hand. “I’m Sixsmith. Mr. Thornbury is expecting you. Please allow me to park your car. When your appointment is complete I will bring it back to you.”

  “Oh.” I tried my best to hide my surprise. It wasn’t as if I’d been raised in a barn, I just wasn’t used to spontaneous valet parking. “Thank you. That’s very kind…and convenient.” I grunted through my words as I pulled my old messenger bag from the passenger seat. “You’ll have to hip check the door to get it to shut completely. Otherwise the dome light will stay on and I can guarantee that will result in a dead battery.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  I began to walk away and realized I needed to be more specific. “Oh, and I don’t know if you’re parking it inside or out, but the windows sometimes don’t like to cooperate. Once they come down, like they are right now, they might not go back up. Try to find somewhere at least under a tree so I get a little bit of shelter in case it rains.”

  He looked to the ground and managed to listen to my instructions without laughing. “I understand, Miss Luce. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure the car is well taken care of.”

  “You don’t have to take care of it. I mean, look at it. I just need it to start one more time and it would be great if the seats weren’t wet on my way home.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  I gave him a nod that it was okay to drive the car away and walked up the long and deep set of stairs that led to the blue glass building. I paused before walking inside and gazed up the side of the monstrosity, wondering how many times I would be required to come to the home office. It hurt my neck and made me feel woozy. I stepped forward and pushed the revolving door. With a whoosh I was inside the elaborate lobby. My first thought was thank God for air conditioning. My first stop was the security desk.

  “Good afternoon.” I began my greeting before I made it to the large guard’s desk mostly because he was staring me down and I felt it appropriate to let him know I was coming his way.

  “Miss Luce, Mr. Thornbury is expecting you,” he said as he opened the gated entrance.

  I walked through and just as I was about to ask what to do next he gave explicit instructions. “The last elevator on the end is private. It’s an express to the top floors where you’ll find Mr. Thornbury. Press X.”

  “But I don’t want to take an express anything to find anyone until I get to a ladies room…ah…Ted,” I replied as I read his nametag aloud.

  “Please take the express elevator. Andrea, Mr. Thornbury’s second assistant, will meet you. She can direct you to a private bathroom.”

  I nodded and walked down the marble corridor to the last set of mirrored elevator doors and caught a good look at myself. “Holy hell,” I said as I tried my best to smooth down my windblown hair. I was beyond a hot mess. As the doors parted I suddenly became nervous. Not just because I only had five minutes to change my clothes and become less hideous or because I had no idea what to expect at the top of this elevator. No, I was suddenly terrified I was going to speak to one of the most powerful men in the world. Even though I’d talked a good game with Jonathan, I didn’t know how I would react to meeting the Lewis Thornbury.

  The elevator was express as promised and I was delivered to the top floor before I had enough time to even pull my hair out of my face.

  With a chime the doors parted and a six-foot blonde model stood waiting. I prayed she wasn’t waiting for me.

  “Miss Luce?”

  “Damn,” I uncontrollably muttered under my breath.

  “I beg your pardon?” she asked with the kind of pleasing smile you would expect of someone who was beautiful and well paid.

  “I’m sorry. I just need to freshen up before meeting Mr. Thornbury.”

  “Take all the time you need.” A deep voice boomed from somewhere I couldn’t see. I prayed if I couldn’t see him maybe he couldn’t see the big ol’ hot mess I was.

  I nodded and looked to the Vogue model for directions to the ladies room. “Follow me.” The words seemed to drip from her lips and I knew I was out of my league even being in this office—way out of my league.

  I followed her down a long corridor. Suddenly she stopped and said two words. “Second door.”

  “Thank you,” I replied sheepishly as I made the turn into what seemed like a dark cavernous room. I felt the wall for the light switch and when I found it I was far from disappointed.

  The crystal chandelier that hung from the two-story area lit the black and gold room that upon closer inspection proved to be so much more than just a bathroom. Filled with couches and tables it reminded me of a beautiful parlor, something I’d see in an architecture magazine while waiting at the dentist’s office.

  I quickly went to work unbuttoning my black pants and ripping off the black matching jacket. Stripping down to my bra and panties, I moved closer to the mirror and pulled my small gold makeup pouch from my messenger bag. I splashed some water on my face and under my arms, trying my best to dry out from my sweaty trip over. I patted dry with one of the fluffy towels set out on the marble vanity that ran the length of the room and wished I wore perfume on a regular basis. A little squirt of something flowery would go a long way for me right now.

  I powdered my face, used a little rouge to make myself look perky and quickly swiped mascara on each of my eyes. I yanked my long hair through a hairbrush a couple of times before tying it hair back with a rubber band into a sleek ponytail. Hustling back to the bag I’d casually flung onto an overstuffed chaise, I pulled out the same pencil skirt I’d worn to Jonathan’s office yesterday, a cream silk blouse and a pair of black high heels I rarely wore. They were tall, fabulous and indicative of a glamorous life I did not lead.

  “Balls,” I gasped as I grabbed my boobs in each hand and looked at myself in the mirror. I’d worn a black bra. I’d worn a lacy black bra that now was showing through my sheer cream blouse. My breasts and not my skills as a nurse would be the center of the interview. What was I thinking when I left the house this morning? I was thinking about George, that’s what I was thinking.

  I had three options: one—put the smelly black polyester pantsuit back on. I gave it the whiff test and almost died. I’d sweated my butt off on the way here. Option one was a no. Number two. I could take off my bra and just keep my arms crossed over my bare breasts the entire interview. I quickly pretended to shake Thornbury’s hand in this position. Nope. That wasn’t going to work either. The final option was to go with it. I would need to channel my inner Carrie Bradshaw and just let it all hang out for the world to see—or at least Thornbury.

  Unbuttoning it to a dangerous level, I tucked in the shirt and bloused it over the waistline. I would show a peek of the black lacy bra and too much décolletage. I had no other choice but to own it. I dug back into my gold cosmetic bag, searching for the red lipstick I rarely wore. “Go big or go home,” I said to myself in the mirror as I swiped the bright red matte across my pouty lips. I shoved my clothes, makeup, hairbrush and black flats back into my messenger bag and took one last look at myself in the mirror. “Remember, Indie. He asked for you.”

  Second assistant Andrea had led me into Thornbury’s office and left me to fidget with my Sex in the City ensemble while he was on a call in an adjacent boardroom. I could make out his booming voice saying goodbye but couldn’t see him.

  “Miss Luce.”

  I stood as he entered the room and caught my breath. The man was massive. Close to seven feet tall, he looked more like a basketball player than on
e of the richest men in the world. “Mr. Thornbury,” I replied with a smile as I did my best to keep my arms close to my torso as if it would hide the obvious black lingerie. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  He took my hand in his massive palm and an icy chill ran from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. I physically shivered and was immediately embarrassed.

  “Is it chilly in here?” he asked, his voice deep and full of resonance.

  I knew my nipples were standing high and at attention through the thin black lace and even thinner silk. I did my best to mask my awkward dilemma without blushing. “No, it’s fine,” I said with the most pleasant smile I could muster. “I think I’m just adjusting from the heat outside to the air conditioning.”

  He nodded and held onto my hand longer than I thought necessary as he looked into my eyes—sizing me up. I took a deep breath and stared right back. His bright green eyes were overly accentuated by the fact that he was very tan. His dark hair and skin were such a contrast to the green that it was almost hard to look at him for too long. It hurt, as if I were staring into the sun.

  Lewis Thornbury was a handsome man in his early sixties. Tall, dark and rich, he owned the best of everything, lived the best kind of life, wore all the best kind of clothes and knew all the best people. The dark navy suit, white shirt and deep purple tie made him look like an older GQ model. He had a thick black head of wavy hair that only showed its true age at his temples where the gray mixed perfectly. I knew men who took care of themselves got better looking as they got older, but this guy was ridiculous.

  “Have a seat.” He broke his gaze and our handshake and took a deep breath in as if he could smell my non-existent perfume. I hoped he wasn’t smelling my hot car ride into the city. “Thank you for making time for me today.”

  “Well, I had to move my hostile takeover to tomorrow to fit you in, but here I am.” I laughed at my own joke and waited for him to join me. It didn’t happen.

  “A sense of humor,” he said as he leaned into the high wingback chair across from the couch where I tried to sit without my usual awkwardness. I couldn’t decide if I looked like a slut in my black underwear or an uptight IRS agent. Neither was a good look for me.

  We sat in silence and I debated whether to break it or follow his lead. I chose the latter. I looked at him as long as I could and then gazed around the expansive office. It was dark and classical for such a new building. It was as if his office was purposely old-world while the rest of the building remained ultra-modern. The room was sparsely decorated save for the extensive library on one wall and the comfortable couches, chairs and coffee tables littered about the room. On the table that separated me from the powerful Lewis Thornbury sat a large hammered pewter bowl filled with red apples. I drug my gaze from the bowl back to him, noticing how his eyes twinkled in the low lighting of the room.

  “Indriel, you have a sterling reputation as a nurse.”

  “Thank you,” I replied as I nervously pulled at the hem of my skirt.

  “I’ve been watching you.”

  “Watching me?” I cocked my head and narrowed my steely inspection, wondering how much the man in front of me knew.

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “Indriel –”

  “Indie,” I corrected with a short nod of my head.

  “Indie. I’m the kind of individual who knows what he wants and knows how to obtain it. I’m a commander and I like to be in control. But there are certain things I cannot…command. My body is one of them.”

  I nodded and I watched him rise and begin to pace the room.

  “I cannot afford to let anyone know my body is failing me.” He turned and began to walk back to me. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Please call me Lewis.”

  “Yes…Lewis.” I swallowed hard. “Do you mind if I ask your diagnosis?”

  “When we finalize the contract I’ll divulge the details.”

  “I understand.” I looked to my hands, embarrassed that I’d gone too far too fast.

  “I’m a fighter, Indie. I’ve always been a fighter and this is no different than any other battle I’ve ever waged.”

  “I understand.” I sympathized with the feelings he was having. All my patients at one point or another decide to fight. They also at some point decide to let go. It was the nature of a debilitating disease. I called it the, if you can’t beat it, join ’em scenario. When my patients came to the end of their life and Spirit showed up to cross them over, they were more than willing give up the fight, leaving the pain behind for something better.

  “This flesh and blood is only a shell of who I am.” He held his hands out to me with his palms facing upward. “I’m more than an earthly body but I need to keep this body as long as I can,” he said as if he was disgusted with himself. “Do you understand?”

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  He sat down in front of me and leaned into the chair, rubbing his well-manicured fingers across his lips as he silently appraised my worth. “Jonathan went over the terms of the contract with you.”

  “Is that a question?”

  Again he said nothing but continued to stare at me, taking deep breaths as if he was inhaling me. “Yes, he did,” I confirmed when he left my question unanswered. “I do need to address something.”

  He furrowed his brow. Telling Lewis Thornbury that I had terms of my own was something only billion dollar companies did, but I wasn’t backing down. Not after losing George today.

  “You have my attention.”

  “I still have a family on my docket. I did have two but one passed today. I cannot leave her… or them. This last family, that is.”

  He stared at me expressionless and I felt the need to explain the sentence I’d just rambled out. “I would never enter into a contract through The Path or directly with you and then leave you before completing my duties. I won’t leave her for you, and I won’t leave you for another assignment.”

  “Do you fully understand the contract and the salary?” he asked calmly, his voice echoing through the expansive office.

  “I do.”

  He took a moment and I knew he was sizing me up. “Not to pry, but how long have you been with this last family?”

  “Months.”

  “So she is at the end of her life?” he asked as he picked an apple from the top of the pile and began to roll it over and over in his gigantic hand.

  I paused, knowing what I was about to say might upset the man who’d already divulged he was pissed that his body was failing him. “All my patients are at the end of their lives, Mr. Thornbury—I mean, Lewis. Sir.”

  He glanced at the dark mahogany floor for a millisecond and immediately looked back to me. “Indie, I don’t know if you understand my proposal completely.”

  “I’m pretty sure I do. I’ve read through the contract thoroughly.”

  “I’m willing to compensate you if you will consider leaving the other family earlier than expected.” He dropped the apple back into the bowl and looked me square in the eye. “Instead of two hundred thousand, I’ll start you at three.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and I knew the expression on my face was telling him so. “Why?”

  “Because I’m willing to pay for what I want.”

  I wanted to shout at him, but instead I took a breath before replying and purposely brought my voice down to a near whisper. “With all due respect, sir, this isn’t an issue of dollars and cents. It’s about morals and ethics. I cannot in good conscience leave the last family I serve until their loved one has passed.”

  He stood abruptly and walked away. I knew he was angry and furthermore, I knew I’d probably just screwed up my chance to pay off my debts and kick-start my very existence—one that was already on life-support.

  I began to pick at my fingers in frustration when the office door swung open without warning. In walked possibly the most handsome man I’d ever seen in my l
ife. Also tall, dark and tan with the same flash in his electric green eyes, there was no mistaking—he had to be Lewis Thornbury’s son.

  He strolled through the room with an amazing air of confidence. I was certain all others cowered in this office, but he was commanding it from the moment he pushed open the door. Walking straight to me and ignoring Lewis, I stood, not thinking about the unbuttoned blouse or black bra. In fact, every thought I’d ever had seemed to float right out of my head.

  He was dressed in a black suit and matching French cuffed shirt. No tie. He was tall like his father, but nowhere near as giant-like. His closely shaven beard and thick mane of black hair that seemed to fall perfectly in loose tendrils made him sexy—wicked sexy as hell. “You must be Indriel Luce,” he said with a swagger that would make a good girl drop her panties on prom night.

  “Indie.” I choked the word out and offered him my hand. Taking it and immediately bringing it to his mouth, he lightly brushed his full lips across my knuckles and a chill, similar to the one that overcame me earlier, wracked my body. The pheromones of the Thornbury men were strong.

  “Wow. Those eyes of yours are really something.”

  “David.” Lewis scolded him like a child and I had to hide my smile.

  “Please accept my apology. I was just thrown by the, ah…”

  “I know. It’s rare. I have some crazy genes, I guess.”

  “To say the least,” David replied. “Anyway, the pleasure is mine, Indie.”

  “This is my son, David. Indriel Luce, David Thornbury.” Lewis was old school in his introduction but I appreciated his formality—especially in light of the conversation hot-ass David had just interrupted. “David, Indie is confused as to the terms of the contract I’ve proposed.”

  I sat as David gestured with his hand to the couch and waited for me to settle in before sitting himself. Lewis joined us, taking the exact same chair as before. It was clear to me that Lewis Thornbury knew what was his and so did everyone else.

  “No, not confused,” I replied as I adjusted the blouse at my shoulders.