Page 23 of Midnight with the Devil

Diana,

Each dawn after I leave you, you are welcome to stay as long as you wish. My driver is downstairs, ready to take you home whenever you like. Until next week, pet, I will taste you on my lips and ache for you. Next time I will not be kind or gentle. I won’t stop at using only my fingers and tongue. Be prepared, pet.

Lucien

She shivered with a forbidden pulsing desire. She shouldn’t want him, not like that, but her body was quick to betray her. She set the note back down on the bathroom counter and combed her fingers through her hair, trying to tame the wild mess. Then she retrieved her bag from the floor by the bed. She paused for just a moment and glanced back at the single white feather in the square glass case. The morning sunlight made it sparkle enticingly. She couldn’t believe it had once belonged to an angel, and not just any angel, but Lucifer himself. Maybe that’s what captivated her, the fact that he’d once been one of God’s favorite angels. With a slow exhale, she turned back to the elevator.

The elevator door opened, and she pressed the button and rode back down to the ground floor. She met the driver as the doors opened, and he led her out into the empty nightclub. She didn’t say anything as the driver opened her door for her and she climbed into the black Mercedes. He drove her home and even carried her bag to the door. She smiled at him and thanked him. The man paused, and his solemn face suddenly brightened a little as his lips twitched. Then he left her alone.

She unlocked the door and dropped her bag just inside. Seth trotted out of her room, letting out a trailing meow of greeting. She bent and caught him, cuddling him to her chest and breathing in his scent. He purred and rubbed his furry cheek against hers.

“Oh, Seth…” She was relieved to have something to hold on to, to bury her worries even for just a few seconds.

She put Seth down and headed for the bathroom, stripping out of her clothes. She turned on the shower and stepped into the tub and pulled the curtain closed. Hot water burned her skin, and she rubbed every inch of her body, trying to wipe away the feel of him. It was as though he’d imprinted himself on her after what he had done to her. She felt…dirty andownedby him. She hated that she liked that feeling even more.

“I need help.” She wasn’t sure who she spoke to, but she just needed to say it. She eased down in the tub, letting the shower water rain down while she covered her face in her hands. Tears came hard and fast, and she let them. Full-body sobs racked her frame. She felt truly alone.

When her eyes were finally dry and she had no energy left to cry anymore, she stood and finished washing. Then she dressed and made herself some breakfast. She finally felt calm enough to retrieve her schoolbooks and settled down to work. If there was one thing she could do to get the devil out of her mind it was studying. Seth leapt on the table and kept her company.

Don’t think about him. Don’t think about what you did with him. Don’t…

7

Ye shall be as Gods, knowing both good and evil, as they know. - John Milton, Paradise Lost

When Monday morning came, Diana practically bounced in her seat as class started. Professor Belkin, a man in his sixties, had a great sense of humor and made her economics class fun and fascinating. The class was small, only fifteen students, but she liked it that way. She focused on taking summer classes whenever possible so she could finish her degree sooner, and she had access to each teacher on a more intimate level with smaller classes. She smiled as one of her friends, a fellow classmate named Jim, took a seat next to her.

“Today we’re going to discuss the principal of trade-offs. In basic language, a trade-off is when you give up one thing in order to get another.” Belkin took a dry-erase marker and started writing on the whiteboard behind him. Diana opened a Word document on her laptop and started typing some additional notes. She copied the professor’s notes.Trade-off between efficiency and equity.

“Definition ofefficiency.” Professor Belkin faced the class and tapped the marker against his chest. “It is the property of society getting the maximum benefits from its scarce resources. The definition ofequityis the property of distributing economic prosperity fairly among the members of society.”

Diana typed the definition while the professor waited, giving the class time to catch up.

“Let’s think of some examples. Group yourselves up and discuss.” Belkin waved at them.

The classmates she worked with were fun and engaging, and by the end of the exercise she was relaxed and enjoying herself. She almost managed to forget the devil’s bargain she’d made…almost.

When the class was over, she packed up her bag.

“Hey,” someone said, and she glanced up. Jim grinned at her.

“Hi.” She couldn’t resist smiling back. He was cute in that boy-next-door sort of way, with blond hair and hazel eyes. There was just something sweet about him that made her want to grin.

“I’d love to take you out for coffee and talk about the trade-off chapter homework.” His easy smile was so different from Lucien. She felt guilty at the comparison, but it was true.

“Um…okay. Let me finish packing up, and I’ll meet you outside.”

Jim slung his laptop bag over his shoulder and left the classroom.

“Coffee…with a regular guy.” She bit her lip to hide a grin. It soundedreallynice. Yet she couldn’t help but wonder if Lucien might ever be the guy who could do regular coffee. Probably not. For some reason, that left her feeling disappointed. Which she knew was terrible. She should be celebrating her freedom during the week, but it didn’t change the fact that she couldn’t get the devil out of her mind.

“I think you have a problem.”

Lucien looked up when Andras walked into his office, interrupting his assessment of the club finances, a task he completed every month though he knew there would not be any monetary worries. He wasn’t about to let a bunch of humans stiff him on the cost of doing business.

“What problem?”

“There’s an angel sniffing around your woman.” Andras took a cigarette lighter out of his pocket and flicked the silver lid open, letting a flame spark to life.

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