by A M Boone
“I don’t plan on it,” I said. “He’s… He’s…”
Ugh. If I said it, I’d make it legitimate.
“He’s my new boss.”
“Ew.”
“What?”
“He looks like a perv.”
And how.
“Does it at least pay well?”
Well, not getting my soul sucked out and eaten by a sex demon was enough payment. And the new wardrobe was nice… kinda. Granted, I’d shoved everything into the back of my closet and refused to wear it, but still…
“Yeah.”
He glanced at me. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.” I clicked the confirm request button. Might as well make it final.
Probably going to get dick pics galore now. I sighed.
Santi rested his hand on my shoulder. “At least now you can pay me back for all those meals I bought you?”
I rubbed my temples, my head pounding. “As soon as I get paid.”
If I got paid.
He nudged me, smiling. “I was joking. But now you can go dutch.”
I forced laughter. “Right, right…”
“So, what exactly are you doing?”
“Secretary work. I’m his new assistant.”
“Yeah, assistant. He’s going to harass you all day, every day.”
Man, the demon in him was strong. Even Santi, who could be the epitome of cluelessness from time to time, could see that. Wow.
I shook my head. “I don’t think so.”
He gave me a grin, and for the first time since I had gotten into this mess, I could breathe easy.
“Well, if he fucks with you, I’ll fuck with him.”
More like get fucked by him.
“Good luck with that,” I said. “I don’t wanna get fired…”
Especially since getting fired might mean getting eaten.
“Still joking. Wouldn’t want to get on the bad side of a billionaire, after all.”
Wait. He knew who Vincent was? I glanced at him, a question on my lips, but he just gave me a mysterious, cat-like smile, his eyes catching the light in a strange way. My heart skipped a beat.
The rest of lecture went by normally, but I was still jittery, my stomach tied in knots. Vincent could call me at any time, and I’d have to drop everything and run to his side to do… demon things. Whatever that meant. Could be sending people to hell, sacrificing virgins…
But it was strangely quiet. Maybe he didn’t need me.
* * *
Later on that day, Santi and I met back up. I sighed. This was something normal, and thank god for that. Just a meeting at the campus coffee shop where I could clear my head and listen to Santi go on and on about his various sexual conquests.
He took a sip of his latte, then grinned at me. “So… You know Leila, right?”
“From 600?”
“Yeah.”
“You fucked her?”
“And her boyfriend. At the same time.”
Men. Though, compared to Vincent, he was probably a monk in the wilds of Tibet.
I rolled my eyes. “You’re going to catch every STD in the book if you keep it up.”
He rolled his eyes right back, stretching out in his chair. “I might be a man-whore, but I’m not stupid.”
“Uh-huh.”
“You’re just mad because of Tony. Where is he, anyway? He wasn’t in lecture today.”
It wasn’t uncommon for him to just fuck off and not go, so I could cover my tracks for now. Sad. Before we got married, he was more studious than I was.
“Did you put him in the hospital or something?”
I froze up, choking on my own spit. “N-no.”
“Did you kill him?” His voice dropped to a whisper. “I mean, I won’t tell, but…”
“No,” I said again, my throat dry. “H-haven’t seen him since—”
My cellphone buzzed, and I pulled it out of my bag. Vincent. Just great. I groaned and opened the text message.
Meet me at your apartment in twenty minutes. Wear a suit (not a pantsuit) and tie your hair back.
“I gotta go,” I said softly.
“Why?”
“Work. My boss just texted me.”
“On a Monday evening? What a dick.”
I shrugged and stood up. “Work’s work.”
He gave me a small, sad look, then downed his coffee. “Well… All right. Have fun working for the shyster. Call me when you’re done.”
“I’ll try.” I forced another smile.
Okay. Apartment, clothing, wait.
* * *
As soon as I got back to my apartment, I dug through my closet, found a suit, and then tugged it on.
I tied my hair back and glanced at myself in the mirror. Marie was right. Clothes that actually fit you instead of kinda-sorta fitting you were a million times better. I actually looked pretty damn good. Maybe even Vincent was right. This could be the opening of a new chapter of my life.
By the time I got outside, Vincent was already lounging outside my apartment in a bright red convertible, wearing sunglasses and blaring Bach. Classy with a capital K.
He glanced at his watch. “You’re late.”
“My apartment’s three miles away from campus and I don’t have a car anymore. Sue me.”
He unlocked the door. “Get in.”
“So, what are we doing today?” I asked. “Sacrificing virgins? Selling children into slavery?”
He lowered his sunglasses and gave me a look. “Not today.”
Today, he looked slightly less human, but not as demonic as the night we met. I swallowed.
The drive was uneventful, and I spent the majority of the time staring out the window. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t at least a bit nervous. Being driven out to god only knew where by a man—demon—abomination thing who you barely knew? That was how you would up on the ten o’clock news.
“You really need to think quieter,” he said.
We pulled up to a parking garage near a skyscraper in San Francisco. This was where he did his business? In the middle of a crowded city? Why didn’t people know? If supernatural creatures were hiding under everyone’s nose…
I was thinking about this too hard. As per usual.
He took my hand and led me inside. It was incredibly opulent, with chandeliers and marble flooring, but no one was around except a brunette woman in her early twenties sitting at a security desk.
She flashed us both a smile, and Vincent matched it. “Good evening, Mr. Aldana. And your companion?”
“This is Eliana Delacroix, my newest assistant.”
I tugged at the hem of my skirt. “Pleased to meet you.”
Vincent herded me into an elevator. “Not the time.”
He put his thumb to a scanner, and the elevator shot all the way to the top floor. Then a walk down winding hallways to a large meeting room. Something about it made my head spin, like it was bigger on the inside and I’d get lost forever if Vincent wasn’t holding my hand. Even the generic paintings on the walls seemed to be mocking me.
He took a deep breath, then opened the door all the way. An enormous group of people—hopefully humans—were sitting around looking bored.
Vincent took my hand and strode to the front of the room before clearing his throat. Everyone perked up and stared at us intently.
So many eyes on me… ugh. I tugged at my hem again. Was my skirt too short? Were they judging me before I could even open my mouth to say hi?
“This is Eliana Delacroix. She’s my newest field assistant. You will treat her with the same respect you treat me and Lily with.”
Lily?
A leggy blond woman with long, curly hair mean mugged me from the front row. Figured.
Vincent gave her a look. “Lily, she’s your equal. Treat her as such.”
Her scowl intensified for a split second, but she gave him the most fake smile ever. “Oh, of course, Mr. Aldana.”
Great. I’d only been here for thirty
seconds and already made an enemy? But knowing everything that was going on, she was probably just mad that she had to share the demonic man-whore.
Was Lily a witch? A vampire? Maybe she was another demon. Probably a succubus in disguise.
I waved and forced a smile.
“Occasionally, she’ll be working here. If she complains to me about any of you, you’re fired.”
Half the room swallowed and pulled at their collars. Must have been the secretly supernatural ones. The others just kept staring. I’d pull at my collar too if I knew my boss could eat people.
“That’s it for today. You’re all dismissed. Except Lily.”
All the supernatural ones scattered, while the human employees left normally.
“Yes, Mr. Aldana?” She swayed her hips as she walked over to him. Oh, yeah. They were definitely fucking.
“I like you a lot. That’s the only reason you weren’t fired for antagonizing Daniel so much. Treat Miss Delacroix with respect.” His eyes flashed, and she stumbled back.
“Y-yes, Mr. Aldana.”
Maybe she wasn’t in the loop.
“Good. You may go.”
She snatched her purse from her chair and ran out.
“So… Does she know?”
“No. Normal human. She’s the assistant for the human side of my business.”
“What do you even do anyway? Sell battered children? Prostitutes?”
He gave me a look. “Toys.”
“Sex toys?”
“Do you think I sell dildos to five year olds?”
“No…”
Nasty.
“Legitimate toys. Dolls. Have you heard of those Just Like Me dolls?”
“That’s you?”
“Magic.” He gave me a tiny smirk. “Have the parents send in a hair sample, then have a witch infuse the DNA into a blank doll, and voilà, you have a perfect replica of the child.”
“Right…” I stared up at him. “Why does Lily hate me? Are you fucking?”
“That’s none of your business, Miss Delacroix.”
That was a yes. He’d probably fucked half his company.
“She’s just afraid that you’ll replace her, most likely.” He shrugged. “She’s the one who does paperwork and other boring things. You, however, get to have all the fun. Speaking of, we have an appointment with a wayward debtor on Saturday night, so be prepared.” He nudged me, grinning. His teeth were a bit too pointy for my liking.
I swallowed. “Great.”
He wrapped his arm around my waist.
“So that’s it? I just go with you to put heads on pikes?”
“Not without buying you dinner first.” He smiled at me again, but it didn’t seem venomous this time.
Dinner, though. With a man-eating demon. Wonderful.
“What are you going to do about Anthony?”
“What about him? He’s gone.”
“People are starting to get suspicious. I don’t want to go to jail.”
He pulled away from me and tilted my chin up lightly. “You’re not going to go to jail. I have connections.”
Connections. AKA, getting a whole supernatural cavalry to bust me out of the local jail.
I sighed.
“Don’t be nervous.”
“Easier said than done.”
“Turn that frown upside down.”
I forced a smile, and that seemed to be satisfactory for him.
“Anyway, I’m going to drop you back off at your ‘apartment.’ Be ready at nine PM sharp on Saturday, Miss Delacroix. Dress nice.”
“Right.”
“One last question.”
“What?”
“Have you ever shot a gun before?”
I choked. Had I what? I’d never even seen a gun before in real life, let alone shot one.
“Never.” I shook my head.
“I see…” He pulled out his cellphone from his pocket. An iPhone. Figured. “Siri, remind me to schedule lessons at the shooting range for Miss Delacroix.”
I stifled a giggle. Demons used Siri?
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing.”
Even though he wasn’t touching me, I squirmed. It was almost like he was running his fingers over my head and neck…
His eyes caught the light in a strange way. “Just because I’m supernatural, doesn’t mean I don’t use human technology. It’s convenient. Now, let’s go.”
And he turned on his heel and left. I followed behind him, shuddering. I was going to have to learn how to shoot a gun? Learn magic? I sighed. I’d really gotten in over my head this time.
By the time he dropped me off at my apartment, it was dark.
* * *
The first thing I did after getting back to my bedroom was change into some pajamas.
My apartment was so much bigger now that I was alone. And the silence was nearly deafening. I was so used to Anthony lounging around playing video games or yelling at people on the internet that I almost kind of missed it.
While Anthony was usually an abusive piece of garbage, there were times when he softened up. When he treated me like a queen, and bought me flowers, candy, clothes… But those moments were far and few between. And was that the real him? Or was the real him the man who would yell at me, slap me, and call me worthless?
I’d never know. He was rotting away inside Vincent’s gut now, and that was where he was going to stay.
After I changed, I checked my phone. Santi had blown it up again with messages and voicemails about how much he was worried about me.
Maybe he knew more than he was letting on. Could he be supernatural?
I’m fine, I texted back, sighing. I just had to accompany him to a business meeting. I’ll see you tomorrow in lecture, k?
Yeah. Later. :)
I shrugged, then plopped on the couch and watched TV until I fell asleep.
* * *
The rest of the week went by normally until Anthony’s parents called on Thursday night. My cellphone buzzed away on my nightstand as I laid in bed, pretending I wasn’t the only person there.
My blood ran cold. What did I say? What did I do? Anthony’s parents didn’t like me, and I wasn’t sure if it was a class thing, a race thing, or if they just didn’t think I was good enough for their precious baby boy.
I answered, shivering. If I said one wrong thing here, I could end up in jail.
“Mrs. Harrison, It’s so good to hear from you. What’s up?” I forced my voice to stay light.
“We haven’t heard from Tony in a few days. Is he all right?” she asked. As per usual when she was dealing with me, she sounded like she’d stepped in shit.
Once a Momma’s boy, always a Momma’s boy.
Did I lie? Did I stretch the truth?
I could never tell the complete truth. No one would believe me. I made a deal with a man-eating demon to kill him because he turned into an abusive piece of garbage? They’d toss me in the loony bin.
“About that,” I finally said, “I haven’t heard from him either. I was just about to call you and ask if he’d gone home for a bit.”
“Oh… I see. No, he’s not here…”
I needed to do something to get her off my back. I switched my phone to the other side of my face, still shaking.
His parents knew. They knew about the fights, about the abuse, but they turned the other cheek and pretended they didn’t see anything. If they even got the tiniest inkling of a thought I’d done something to their only son, I’d wind up dead or in jail before I could blink.
“I’ll keep you posted if I hear from him, all right?”
“Right…” She paused for a moment, and I knew she didn’t believe me. “I’ll talk to you later.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but she hung up.
I sighed and tossed myself onto my bed. It was huge without him here, even though when we were together, it seemed tiny and cramped.
* * *
Saturday night came too quickly, and I got
a message from Vincent in the form of my mark heating up until I woke up.
I rolled over, rubbed my eyes, and glanced at my phone—
Eight forty-five? Crap, crap, crap, this was exactly what I needed to get eaten.
I dug through the bags of clothing. He said to dress nice…
Normally, if I was going out to dinner with someone, I’d wear a nice top, and some jeans, but when you were going to dinner with a demonic billionaire, and an incubus at that… That could mean anything. A thigh length dress with no panties, hot pants…
As if on cue, he texted me. Don’t dress like you’re going clubbing. This is a classy establishment. Semi-formal at the least.
Fine. Okay. Semi-formal.
Even when Anthony and I went out, I didn’t really know how to dress myself properly. Jeans and hoodies were my weapon of choice.
Formal meant, a dress, right?
God, I was pathetic. He was probably watching me and laughing his ass off.
I finally picked out a slinky, floor length black dress, some pantyhose, a pair of low heels and a shawl. That’d do it, right?
Right?
I struggled into the outfit, then went outside.
It was foggy out, and the pavement was damp. I jumped around a few puddles, and my breath came out in jagged white puffs. Goosebumps popped up on my skin, and I rubbed my arms, shivering. Where the hell was he?
I pulled out my cellphone from my bag. Nine PM. For a guy who kept nagging me about being punctual, it was strange he had the audacity to be late.
Well, not strange. He had most of the power here.
He pulled up in front of my apartment building a few minutes later.
“Hey.” I hopped into his car.
“You look stunning,” he said, glancing me over. His eyes flashed a bright red, and I shivered again.
Tonight, he looked a bit more demonic. His eyes a were brighter shade of red, his hair longer and wilder…
“Do you just get off on changing yourself?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He slammed on the gas pedal, and we sped down the street.
“Every time I see you, you look different.”
“So?”
“I was just wondering.”
“Just like how you change clothes for every occasion, I change my appearance. When I’m around humans, I make myself look like one of them, when around other supernaturals, I change, and when I’m around my own kind, well… you get it.”
“Right.”