Scathe

by Chacelyn Pierce

  He was beautiful and dangerous and she'd run out of backup room. The foyer wall pressed against her back, and she kept thinking, what was one night? Her spark had been ignited and she didn't want to drive home in need when the answer to her release stood before her. Luc pressed his erection against her lower body sending waves of sharp desire to her pelvis.

  "Andrea." Her name was whispered against her lips as his mouth hovered over hers.

  She couldn't deny she wanted to take it further, not when he talked to her in his deeper voice that caused her to squirm against the cool wall. Coupled with his feverish body at her front she had goosebumps on her skin. She was torn. His desire was vital, like hers, and it threatened to be free. It had been a long time since she'd been with a man, and though she wanted this down to the very marrow of her bones, Andrea knew she shouldn't. No wonder people caved when tempted by the Devil. She was on the cusp of diving into something very similar with Luc. Not to say Luc was the Devil or any type of evil incarnate. Well, he may have been an incubus for all the heavy breathing he had her doing.

  Luc grabbed her chin, forcing her to focus on him. "Look at me. Stop second guessing, this is right. It's destined to happen, so stop fighting it." He dove in for another kiss Andrea wasn't prepared for. Her nerves ignited as their tongues slipped alongside one another. He broke the kiss, slowing it down to sweet, lingering pecks too tender in nature to be sinful.

  "Tell me, Andrea, tell me what you want." He leaned back to see her face.

  Andrea looked up at him, at his questioning gaze, and she sighed deep. Sex with him would be great, but it could muddle the article down to her giving him high praises if he wowed her in the sack. She wouldn't jeopardize her job for a fling. "I want to see…the truth of you, all of it."

  "The truth is ancient, old, forbidden. Not without leverage can I privy you to such truths."

  "The article—"

  Luc deflated against her in a huff. His head bowed down on her shoulder, causing his warm breath to slip down her collarbone. "You think of work too much." She almost laughed at his words. "Just let me touch you, to bring you into rapture. That's all I'm asking." A small sinful idea arose in her mind. The Devil liked bargains; he always tried to trick people. Maybe she could have one up on him.

  "A deal then? You show me some supernatural truth I can believe, and you can touch me with just your hands. And none of that 'I'll own your soul' mumbo-jumbo, okay. Don't expect your finger performance to reflect on your article. I keep business and pleasure separate in my life."

  "I don't give a blasted fuck about the article." His tone was shocking, and said with such conviction she believed he honestly didn't care. He smiled then, a bit too easily and a tad bit cheeky. His arrogant side rose up, showing her she may have made a mistake tempting him with a deal.

  He looked thoughtful for a moment. "We have a deal, Miss Matthews." Too easy.

  Luc stole a kiss and stepped back to offer his hand for her to take. Sweet Lord, he was gorgeous. Standing before her like royalty, offering something deemed unholy. She shook his hand and the heat from his palm caused her nipples to pebble against her bra. She wanted to feel the warmth of his grip on her breast, she wanted to see and experience something supernatural, even if for a single night.

  "Are you ready?" She nodded, feeling the ache of desire growing more fevered as his hand slipped a bit closer to her thigh. "In order for you to experience everything, you have to open your mind. Surrender freely, no more barriers. Just us, the way it should be. Your side of the bet comes first, no pun intended. It's the only way it will work."

  "Don't you have someplace a bit private?"

  Luc glanced around until his eyes locked on the coat closet a few feet to their right. "Here." Andrea allowed Luc to shuffle her over to the closet, and she couldn't help but feel like a teenager sneaking around to keep from getting caught.

  Luc wasted no time turning the light on and closing the door behind them. The small closet wasn't as jam-packed as Andrea expected, a few leather and dusters hung on the racks and the ground was clutter-free of boxes and whatnots. She leaned against the wall, putting a couple of feet between them, but Luc wasted no time picking up where they'd left off. His hands were back on her, roaming, playfully tugging at her outfit. He leaned in, his scent overpowering as the closet became stuffy from their laboring breaths.

  "You better not cheat me," the words came out breathless as she allowed herself to touch him freely.

  He pulled back to gaze at her, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I wouldn't dream of it."

  His hand slipped up the side of her skirt, raising it inch by inch. The cloth skimming up her thighs was the barest touch but the most impactful thus far. He cupped her breast, giving a generous squeeze to the soft globe. His brow furrowed and he pulled the corner of her blouse aside, almost popping the button.

  He slipped a hand in between her bra and skin. His hand was rougher than she expected, or she just might be too sensitive to his touch. Wondering what he searched around for, she blushed when he pulled the pocket knife out and stared at it in shock.

  "I expected a recording device."

  Andrea heard the thud of the knife as it hit the carpet. "You said no recorders. I play by the rules, Luc."

  "Hmm is that so? How about we break a few rules of our own then?" He maneuvered his hand to caress the rim of her panties before taking a finger and teasing the elastic band. She studied him, noting his pupils were dilated in such a way that should've worried her. However, she couldn't find a reason to care. Not when he was so intent on touching her for pleasure. It had been a while, and she almost forgot what foreplay felt like.

  Andrea nodded when Luc raised a questioning eyebrow. Unable to speak she held her breath. His caresses consumed her every thought and there was no turning back.

  Luc's hand cupped her outside of her panties, stroking her through the damp cotton. His frenzied movements were that of a whore thirsting for wild desire. Luc slipped a hand inside her underwear, trying to get the angle needed to find her moistened center. He struggled for a moment. His fingers caught in the cloth and the tight space. Impatience caused him to pull his hand out, slide her underwear to the side and slip a thick finger in deep. She moaned at the same time he leaned against her, his finger moving in delicious flicks inside her pussy. His relaxed weight pressed her against the wall as her body heated like a furnace from his touch. His free arm possessively went around her waist when she lifted a leg to allow him easier access.

  Luc's finger dexterously worked its way in and out of her slick opening. When she expanded in pleasure, he added a second finger to broaden the strokes. With the added thickness bringing her closer to climax, Andrea found herself riding the heel of Luc's palm. She was close, so damn close the prism of color flickered behind her closed eyes as she burned from his caress. She found the right rhythm, a slow gyration of her hips.

  "Look at me." Unable to ignore his demand, she faced the dangerous man who brought her to a state of weakness. As the pressure built tight in her lower belly, a soft rub of his thumb brushing her clit brought a shuddering breath out of her throat. She gazed as him as she shattered, beautiful, dark, and she couldn't help but want him closer to her body.

  "Luc."

  "My name…my full name, say it." His tone was harsh, as if her orgasm threatened to bring him even without her touch.

  She grasped the lapels of his suit as her orgasm crash through her body like a wave of euphoria. She cried out the name everyone knew him as, the being he believed himself to be. The Prince of Darkness, evil incarnate, the First Fallen. Her hips rocked against his fingers and hot liquid saturated her panties and his artistic fingers. When the wave began to subside she glanced up and wasn't surprised to see Luc smiling. Of course he'd be proud he'd caused such a reaction within her. His prideful grin was wicked and he continued to smile at her she'd surely come again from the vision alone. Lucifer fell because of pride. With that smile though, she was so done for. T
he delectable thrusts of his fingers had done the trick all their own. Her skin became tingly and she had to part her lips to gather in air to breathe. With the haze of her desire sated for the moment she could think.

  She was supposed to be a professional, and she'd taken it further than she should have. However, Andrea didn't want him to move away. It would put too many things in perspective. Like, the fact that her skirt bunched around her waist and any breeze hitting her damp underwear gave testament to their naughty act. Her embarrassment began on a steady incline, but she would hold herself together until she was away from Luc.

  "Let's finish upstairs." The rough rumble of his voice tangled up the thoughts of clarity she tried to compose. Still turned on and her body rang because Luc's fingers had played her like an instrument. They had a deal; he touched her, and boy did she enjoy it and want to continue, but it was time he showed her something supernatural. Then after their completed deal, she'd see where it went from there. By the end of the night she'd probably be sleeping with a very human individual because he'd fail to provide her with proof of his paranormal identity.

  Luc pressed his lips against her neck and she stopped him with a hand on his chest. "Nuh-uh, your turn." She saw Luc's face waver and rage began to supersede her awkwardness. He better hold up his end of the damn bargain. If he tricked her she'd never forgive herself for falling to the whims of a pretty man. Tricked by the Devil, it was laughable, but the term would be so accurate if he got over on her. However, as she watched Luc fidget, he began to display a very human emotion.

  Doubt.

  He caught her staring and he scoffed. "Do not look at me like that."

  Andrea shook her head and poked a finger against his chest. "You're thinking of cheating me out of my end of the deal. I see it all over your face. You touched me, now pay up. Show me."

  Luc began straightening himself and adjusting his pants and his very firm erection. Andrea took her eyes away from the bulge. She'd be less inclined to take their steamy sessions further. "I only fear that once you see, you'll run away. You'll fear me, and that isn't something I want."

  Andrea crossed her arms, causing him to step back. "A deal's a deal, Luc. You back out and everyone will know it. I'll make sure of it." Though by this point she was pretty sure he didn't care about what she'd write about him.

  He stood silent for a moment and nodded. "Promise me you won't run."

  "Okay, I won't run. I promise, unless you try to attack me."

  Luc smiled erotically. "I make no promises."

  V

  "O thou invisible spirit of wine, if thou hast no name to be known by, let us call thee devil."

  ― William Shakespeare

  Andrea had followed Luc back into the library. He'd pulled the Venetian painting behind his desk away from the wall to reveal a safe. Blocking her view, he spun the dial to unlock whatever was inside. She couldn't fathom how proof of him being the Devil sat in the small case, but perhaps it held a really old relic or something. Frankly, she was getting tired of the run around. She wanted to get on with it, and then maybe they could focus on the more physical aspect of their new association. Andrea chastised herself mentally when her mind seemed to be stuck on sex instead of her major meal ticket exclusive. She'd definitely lost control over the interview somewhere between dinner and Luc's hands in her panties. She couldn't help but smile at how much fun she was having though. Dinner, a grand tour of his evil castle, meeting a horde of children dressed as gremlins, and a little foreplay. It seemed like a date at a horror theme park. If anything, Luc deserved an "A" for effort.

  Andrea braced both hands on his tidy desk and glanced over all the old parchments and ink wells stationed on the surface. They looked well used, and she couldn't find a ballpoint pen or colorful sticky notes anywhere on the surface. No computer, no scanner, or printer with white blank paper. Luc didn't even have a stapler, just the quills and ink. She'd think it was for looks if it wasn't for the delicate script dated on the thick vellum paper.

  "Are these for everyday use?"

  Luc glanced over his shoulder. "Some things work best for particular contracts."

  Andrea watched him turn back to the safe. "Like, soul contracts?"

  "Precisely," he said without looking back at her. She shouldn't find any of his fabrications captivating but she did. Luc kept her enthralled with all the secrets and mysteries of his life, even if it seemed like an act. Andrea knew time fell away every minute she stayed. Hell, she hadn't even worn her watch. She had no clue what time it was. If Luc charmed other women as he did her, there were probably flocks of them waiting for a late night phone call. If she believed his little stint of being Lucifer, she couldn't imagine him living through millenniums and not feeling something for someone at one time or another. Something more than lust. If Luc was the Devil—which she mentally cursed herself for even considering—would he be capable of love? Luc seemed reclusive, maybe even lonely, but it didn't mean she couldn't ask the questions she wanted about his past. She had a lifetime opportunity to stir the pot. It would be best if she didn't waste her chance at a decent interview.

  "Have you ever…" Damn it, she'd lost her gall, it was a simple question, yet she feared his answer.

  Luc paused before opening the safe and turned is head slightly to stare at her. His long hair slipped off his shoulder and his hand slipped away from the handle. He waited for her to finish, and when she didn't, he looked away first.

  "Second guessing your questions is a sign of weakness from you, Miss Matthews."

  The statement caused her to ball her fists, and she had a feeling Luc said it to get a rise. Baiting her to ask the question she was curious about. She decided to continue, not because he goaded her by calling her a coward.

  "Fine, have you ever fallen in love? Been in a long, exclusive relationship in the past…or present?" A little late to be asking since he definitely acted like a bachelor a few moments ago.

  Luc smiled, but it was sad. "There was love once, a long time ago. Before the fire and pain. As for now, no, there is no one." Andrea ignored the thrill zinging through her at knowing he was single. He was off limits, not in any way a friend with benefits—and surely not serious boyfriend—material.

  Andrea ran a finger along the black feathered quill and wondered why her heart rate accelerated at asking the next question on the tip of her tongue. "What happened?"

  Luc turned back to the safe but didn't open it immediately. "She was taken from me."

  "Then how did you know she was the one."

  "I just know, she was a windstorm over a sea and I'm a boat with nowhere to go. My heart followed wherever she led. I've felt that before in my life. Then she was gone, and I floated along, lost for so many years. I knew I'd never be the same after her. She was a prevailing hurricane on a night I'd never forget. She had a beautiful soul, the strongest I've ever known."

  Andrea pulled herself out of his decadent speech and crossed her arms. He had gotten a certain look of intensity as he spoke of the woman. Luc turned his fervent gaze on her and her body reacted the way it normally would when a guy gave such a gaze. She blushed slightly and remembered his fingers bringing her to climax. Andrea wanted him to talk about her in such an influential way. That wasn't going to happen though; if he was so strongly connected to the woman of his past, no one could remove the stain she'd left on his heart.

  "It's funny you should ask about her. I have something you might find interesting."

  Andrea looked up when she heard the safe door creak open. Luc removed a wooden box from inside and brought it over to the desk. He sat it down and gestured for her to open it. She narrowed her eyes at him because he seemed too excited for her to do so. Taking her thumb and index finger she pinched the lip of the wooden box and lifted it slowly. The light caught a pale pearlescent reflection of an item within the box, like the inside of a giant oyster shell or opal. Unable to stop her curiosity she pulled the lid back and stared at something she wasn't expecting.

&nbs
p; Inside the musty box sat a mask, one that covered a person's full face. It looked Venetian and authentic, if Andrea had to guess. It had soft cracks all over its pearly-silver surface, and the crimson feathers had lost their plumage. A few were broken in half or missing completely. It looked old, timeless, and it yellowed in a few places. She noticed a large chuck missing on the top, where the spider web cracks started. Though old and no longer in mint condition, the mask was beautiful. The dull gray detail work around the eyes had probably looked like polished silver when the mask was new. Still, she wasn't sure what point Luc wanted to make by showing her this piece of art. Like his other collectables, the mask held her captivated, but something about the mask seemed unusual.

  He gently slipped his hand into the box and lifted the mask out. "It was hers, the woman I just told you about. We met briefly on a night unlike any other. When she looked at me, she saw me. The real me, and then she ran in fear, which resulted in her death." He looked down at the mask. "Do you believe in kismet, Miss Matthews?"

  Andrea shrugged. "Sure, I mean, to a certain extent. Sometimes I think it's fake."

  Luc walked around the desk, cradling the mask delicately in his hand. "Oh, I assure you, it is real. Destiny is twisted, unpredictable, and certainly laid in stone, but there is one thing that it is…preordained. The woman, who I later learned was named Ciana, owned this mask. She is my soul mate, my everything. She is the good that balances my evil. Much like her namesake, she is light. My light in this world of darkness."

  "You say 'is' like she's still living, but before you said she was dead."

  Luc's eyes locked onto hers. "Her body is dead but her soul will continue to be reborn anew until I bind it to my own essence." She didn't like the way Luc looked at her, so expectant and awe-stricken. "Her soul is inside you, Andrea. Radiant, bright, and still beautiful. It captivated me just as it had all those centuries ago, and the time before that. The truth is here." He held up the mask.