Gluttony

by LJ Baker

  He chose the right thing.

  “Hey, uh, Q, can I see you in my office for a moment?”

  “The show is about to start.”

  Luc stood and pulled Cupid to his feet. “That’s okay, it will only take a few minutes.”

  Cupid grumbled under his breath, but followed Luc to the back, waving his goodbyes to the others.

  “What is it that couldn’t wait?” Cupid crossed his arms across his broad chest and leaned back against the door frame.

  “You need to stay away from her.”

  “What are you talking about? I barely even spoke to her.”

  “You’re trying to weasel your way into her roommates life. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing.” Luc stood, stock still, with his arms at his sides, hands balled into fists. He wanted to hit Cupid. He’d wanted to for a long time. Having the asshole strapped to a torture wheel in Hell would be more fun, but he’d settle for a solid right hook to the jaw.

  It wouldn’t help though, so Luc checked his anger.

  “I’m doing no such thing. I have been thinking about having an online presence for quite some time now. You do realize that I actually do help people find their perfect match, right? I’m not just some figure head, like some people.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means that I actually do my job.”

  “Unlike me? Is that what you’re trying to say?”

  “Well yes. You live here on Earth now. Am I wrong?”

  “Yes, you are. You don’t know anything about me, or my life. You don’t get to walk in here, uninvited, and make unfounded accusations. Everything in Hell is just fine. I don’t need your help with my love life. I don’t need your help with my business. And I most certainly don’t need your snide comments, or your nose in my life. So quit stalking me and move on with your life. Stop being such a jealous little bitch.”

  “Jealous? Of you?” Cupid laughed. “You must be joking. Why would I ever envy you, or anything you have? I have a charmed life, which by the way, I enjoy very much. I only came here to try to help, but I can see you don’t want my help.”

  “I don’t.”

  “Fine. I’ll leave you alone.”

  “Good.”

  “Good.” Cupid didn’t make a move to leave.

  “Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on your way out.” Luc wanted to open it for him and usher him straight out to the street, but Cupid was leaning against it and he was trying not to make this confrontation physical.

  “You know, Lucifer, you’ve always treated me like an outsider, when all I’ve ever tried to do was be part of your family. I know I’m not some super important archangel, but I am family. Whether you like it or not. Why can’t you just be a little civil when I am clearly extending an olive branch?”

  He didn’t wait for a response. Instead, he disappeared out of the door. Luc hoped it would be the last he saw of the idiot for a while. Even if he did feel the smallest bit guilty.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  “Wow! Just wow. That was amazing.” Toby spun around in place and Amanda caught his arm to keep him steady.

  “Easy there, drunko.”

  “It was amazing though, right?”

  “Yes, Tob, it was awesome.” Amanda laughed and looked at Luc. “He really liked the show.”

  “I see that. And I’m glad. I hope you did too?”

  “Yeah, it really was great. Oh, and thanks for getting rid of your cousin. He gave me the creeps.”

  “No problem. I’m just glad you both enjoyed yourselves. I hope my idiot brother wasn’t too much of a pain in the ass.”

  Az? Nah, he’s cool. I like him. And Toby might have a bit of a crush on him.”

  “Not you?”

  Amanda shot him a sexy half smile. “Are you jealous?”

  “Me?” Luc laughed. He’d never had any reason to be jealous in all his long existence, regardless of the stories people told of his relationship with his father. “Of course not.”

  “Oh, so then you don’t mind if I hook up with your brother?” She raised one brow and waited for him to answer. Which he didn’t for far too long, pretty much giving her an answer.

  “I uh, you’re free to do as you please. It doesn’t affect our work relationship.”

  Harley would have punched him in the gut for acting like that. He was the King of Hell, and there he was, acting like an school boy with a crush.

  Amanda shook her head and went to deposit Toby onto a small sofa before he decided to start spinning around again. She’d given him a tiny opening and he’d blown it. What an idiot.

  Luc had to pull himself together. All of her rebuttals were giving him a complex. The last thing he needed was to lose his confidence. How did this even happen? Something about this girl got under his skin, made him doubt himself. He had to get this under control before he fell apart altogether.

  The house lights were low and soft music played in the background. The club wasn’t empty, but there were just enough people left so that it didn’t feel like it was time to rush out. Luc knew she would leave soon. She’d stayed for the show, and her friend was intoxicated, so if he didn’t make a move soon, he would lose his chance. The next time he saw her, it would be for business, and she’d be all closed off and professional again.

  “Dance with me.” He grabbed her arm just as she turned, probably to tell him it was time for them to get going. It was a last ditch effort, and he could see in her eyes, that she wanted to say no. “Just one dance?”

  Amanda looked from Luc to Toby, then around the room. “It’s getting late.”

  “I know, that’s why I asked for one short dance. Then I’ll help you get your little friend into the car and we’ll call it a night.” He stopped himself before he broke down and said please. That was going too far.

  She mulled it over, trying to come up with some excuse in her mind to say no. When she couldn’t, she nodded. “Okay, but just one.”

  Luc took her extended hand and led her to an open area where they had a bit more room. A new song had just started. Perfect timing to give him the maximum amount of short minutes to spend with her in his arms. Her hand fit into his as if they were meant to be together. It was like electricity when her fingers slipped up to his shoulder.

  Together, they swayed to the music. It took her a moment before she made eye contact. Her long lashes fluttered against her lids and Luc bit back the urge to kiss them. It was the first time they’d been that close, so close that he could feel her breath, hot against his chin. Her scent set off a need in him that he wasn’t prepared for.

  “You’re a good dancer.” She blushed in the dim light.

  “You are as well.” Luc wanted to say that it wasn’t his dancing ability, that it was just that together, their bodies were meant to move as one. That it was as if he’d waited his whole life to step in time to the music of her body. But he kept his thoughts to himself. Fearing that she would think he was some sort of nut case, or using some cheesy line on her. But he wasn’t using a line. He’d meant every word in his mind.

  After they adjusted to being so close, she took a deep breath and rested her face against his chest. Luc wanted that moment to last for eternity. He would give up the game, give up looking for his soul mate, give up his business, his friends, his life. Anything just to stay locked in that moment, with that woman, forever.

  Even after millennia, Luc had never felt anything like what he felt in that single moment with Amanda. And it frightened him. He’d wanted this, asked for it, but faced with the real possibility of true love, he wasn’t sure how to handle it. He had to admit though, he finally understood why Harley had picked her.

  “This feels nice,” Amanda whispered against Luc’s chest. She breathed in his scent and he felt her smile against him.

  The song ended, but neither made a move to stop. They continued to sway in a slow rhythm, despite the fact that the next song was much more upbeat. Luc didn’t care. He was glad she did
n’t seem to either. While he knew it couldn’t actually last forever, he would take it for as long as he could have it.

  “Luc?” She lifted her head, ripping him from his thoughts.

  “Yes?”

  Instead of answering, she popped up on her toes and kissed his lips with a feather’s touch. He froze for a split second, processing what she’d done, then pulled her hard against him and kissed her properly. At first, he wasn’t sure if she’d allow it to happen. After the way she’d treated him so far, he figured she’d slap him, or throat punch him, or worse. But she didn’t. She accepted his mouth, kissed him back, and melted her body into him.

  Fireworks erupted inside him. He almost couldn’t tell where his mouth ended and hers began. She met his frenzy and brought it up a notch. It was as if she’d been holding a lifetime of passion inside her and it had finally been released.

  Panting, she pulled back and met his eyes straight on. Neither spoke. Luc was afraid to, figuring she’d tell him that was a mistake, or say it couldn’t happen again. In any other situation, he’d have lifted her into his arms and carried her straight back into his apartment for the next three days.

  But this wasn’t any other situation and Amanda wasn’t any other woman. If he’d tried, she would have bolted. Something held her back. After that kiss, he knew although there was a strong desire inside her, she’d buried it deep and walled it off. We were talking like twenty foot brick walls, with maybe three levels of razor wire. Just the fact that she’d kissed him, was pure miracle.

  “Can we sleep here? I like this place.” Toby flipped over to face them on the sofa and let one arm flop down to the floor. He had no idea what just happened and he was too intoxicated to figure it out.

  “No, we can’t sleep here.” She broke eye contact with Luc and went to her friend. “Let’s get you home, buddy. You are going to have quite the headache in the morning.”

  Everything inside Luc screamed to tell them to stay, to suggest they set Toby up in his spare room and let him sleep it off. Even if she stayed in there with her friend, just having her close would comfort him. But he couldn’t make the words come out of his mouth.

  “Give me a hand with him, please?” Amanda motioned for Luc to grab the other side of Toby so they could get him downstairs to the car. He wanted to argue, but he did as she asked.

  “Of course. We wouldn’t want the poor thing to fall down and hit his pretty head.”

  “Aww, you think I’m pretty?” He ran his hand through Luc hair, then turned to Amanda. “He thinks I’m pretty.”

  “You are pretty, Toby. You’re absolutely adorable.” Amanda kissed Toby’s cheek and together they helped him down the spiral staircase leading to the main level of the club.

  Luc followed Amanda’s lead, out of the club, and to her car. He’d almost wished she’d drank too much too, so she couldn’t leave, but she was more sober than him. They deposited Toby into the passenger side seat and belted him in.

  “Thanks a lot for helping with him.” Amanda glanced up to Luc’s eyes, then looked down at her feet. “I uh, I should go.”

  “Thank you for the dance.”

  She nodded without looking back up at him.

  “And for the kiss.”

  Her eyes darted to his for a split second, then she was around the car and inside before he could say another word.

  ***

  “Why do you even care, Q?” Fergus cut into his steak and forked a perfect square into his mouth.

  “He’s family. I’m worried about him.” Cupid poured a glass of merlot and leaned back in the chair. He swirled it around the glass a few times before taking a small sip. “I’ve witnessed many a men fall to pieces over lost love.”

  “But this isn’t exactly lost love, now is it? He’s just interested in finding a mate. And this isn’t exactly just any man. In fact, he isn’t a man, in the normal sense of the word, at all. He’s Lucifer, the devil, the King of Hell, Satan himself. Don’t you think he is a bit stronger than anyone you’ve come across before?”

  “Lucifer is strong, you’re right about that, but in some ways, he’s also weaker, unprepared. Lucifer has never given in to the basic need for companionship, not on a level deeper than sexual gratification anyway. He’s never had to develop the skills he needs to handle rejection.”

  Fergus laughed, nearly choking on his steak. “Rejection? Not only is he smoking hot, but he has powers of persuasion that allow him to have any woman he desires. What makes you think he would ever have to deal with rejection? He’s the closest thing to a God there is on Earth.”

  “Humph.” Cupid snorted. “A God. Now that’s a joke.”

  “Regardless, I doubt rejection is going to be an issue for him.”

  “You’d be wrong in that assumption, friend. Lucifer is already getting a taste of that awful feeling. I did tell you about this silly game he and that demon girl of his cooked up, didn’t I?”

  “You did. Sounds like fun to me.” Fergus went to slice off another bite of steak, but Cupid pulled his plate away.

  “It is not fun. It’s foolish and a complete waste of time. He has the Angel of Love right here willing to help him find his soul mate. I don’t need some ridiculous game, or the good part of a year, to find her. One drop of his blood and I’d know who she was almost immediately.”

  “Angel is kind of a stretch, isn’t it, Q?” Fergus pulled his plate back and stabbed his fork into a cube of meat, then popped it into his mouth before Cupid could stop him.

  Cupid waved his hand in the air. “Semantics. Anyway, my point is, I have the ability to give him what he wants, easily and quickly, and the stubborn bastard refuses my assistance.”

  “Why can’t you just poke him when he’s not looking and find her anyway? Then you can tell him you know who his soul mate is and he would be so happy, he wouldn’t even mind that you went behind his back to do it.”

  “That’s too easy. I want him to ask me for help. In fact, at this point, I want him to beg me for it. If he called me right now and told me he was ready to let me help, I’d laugh at him and hang up.”

  “That seems a bit petty.”

  Cupid glared at Fergus. “No one asked you.”

  “Whatever.” Fergus shoved the last bite of steak into his mouth and chewed a few times. “You didn’t say why Lucifer was having an issue with rejection.”

  “Right, the game. The demon girl—”

  “Harley?”

  “Yes, her. She must have had her head up her ass when she picked the girl to represent gluttony, because this girl has zero interest in Lucifer.”

  “How is that possible?”

  Cupid shrugged. “I didn’t think it could be possible, but I saw them together and she couldn’t care less about having him around.”

  “Interesting.” Fergus picked up the dessert menu and browsed the choices.

  “Apparently, he’s not supposed to use his powers of persuasion to influence the girl, so he’s stuck attracting her the way any other human would.”

  “On looks?”

  “Lucifer’s good looks only get him so far. Personality means more and Lucifer has none.”

  “You sound petty again.”

  “And you look like you’ve gained at least twenty pounds. Do you really need dessert?”

  Fergus dropped the menu and stared at Cupid. “Now you’re just being mean. You know I’m sensitive about my weight.”

  “Then maybe you should watch who you call petty.”

  “If the shoe fits,” Fergus mumbled under his breath, but Cupid had no trouble hearing it.

  Cupid pinched the bridge of his nose, took in a deep breath, and let it out slow.

  “What is it you want to happen here, Q? You really think Lucifer is going to come begging? To you?”

  “Probably not any time soon, but yes, I do think he will get to that point. I may need to nudge things a bit, but I have complete faith that I will live to see the day my asshole cousin begs for my help.”

  “
What kind of nudging do you have in mind?” Fergus watched the waiter walk by with a massive chocolate lava cake, practically drooling onto the table.

  “I’m working on that. For now, all you need to know is that I have a plan A, B, and C. So no matter which way things go, I’m prepared for every possible outcome.”

  “Sounds diabolical.”

  “Maybe a little.” Cupid chuckled. “Even the Angel of Love can be an evil genius once in a while.”

  “Again with the angel.”

  “Oh shut up, you twit. Now, are you going to help me, or not?”

  “That depends.”

  “Fine, you can have the stupid lava cake.”

  “Then I’m in.”

  ***

  “She kissed you.” Harley’s smile went across her face so wide Luc was afraid it would split open. Maybe not afraid actually. With her smug attitude, he almost wished for it to happen. That would serve her right.

  “So?”

  “I told you she didn’t hate you.”

  “Maybe I’m just growing on her. Or maybe she was in a self-loathing mood tonight and I’m her self-induced punishment.”

  “Face it, I wasn’t wrong about her. She likes you… and from that goofy grin I caught on your face before, you like her too.” Harley hopped up on the corner of Luc’s desk and plopped her leg over his papers.

  “It’s not uncommon for me to smile when a beautiful woman kisses me.”

  “It is uncommon for you to let said woman get into a car and drive away after such a kiss though. Why did you let her leave? I thought for sure I’d be babysitting her drunk friend while the two of you went upstairs for the next three hours or so.”

  “I don’t force women to stay just because they kiss me.” Luc pushed her leg over, out of his way, and pretended to be interested in the papers in front of him.

  “Force? Who said anything about forcing her? Since when do you have to do more than wink to get a woman in your bed?”

  “Apparently, since now.”

  Harley narrowed her eyes. “There’s no way you don’t know that she would have stayed if you’d asked. Maybe she’ll feel differently in the morning, but tonight, when she kissed you, she didn’t need much persuasion.”