Page 33 of Midnight with the Devil

I’ll just try to pretend it didn’t happen.

It would be impossible, but she had to try. Once all these midnights with Lucien were over, she would go back to her normal life and try to forget this. She stepped out of the shower and reached for a fluffy white towel. Steam fogged the mirror, and Diana smeared a hand over the glass so she could see herself. She looked tired, as tired as she’d felt in the last few years watching her dad’s illness eat away at his life and strength.

Don’t forget who you’re doing this for, remember?

Diana twisted her wet hair into a braid and quickly changed into her spare clothes. The bathing suit was gone, probably back in Belize, and she was glad. She didn’t want any reminders about last night. She felt cheap and ashamed. Not about what she’d done but because ofwhoshe’d done it with.

He’d said he wanted her innocence, so maybe if she wasn’t innocent anymore he’d lose interest. That wouldn’t be her fault. Nothing in the agreement said he couldn’t terminate the contract if he got bored. He could just make her dad sick again, couldn’t he? Or maybe not…

Diana remembered the letter from the attorney when she’d received the contract. If she could meet with him, she could get some clarification. She wasn’t above playing like a bad girl to reduce her innocent appeal. And after last night, she knew she would enjoy it all too much.

The driver was waiting for her when she left Lucien’s apartment, and she nodded at him. He answered with a more relaxed smile.

“I’m Diana, by the way. I feel we should be on a first-name basis after all the time we’ll spend together.”

The driver chuckled. “Fair enough. I’m Douglas.”

“Do I call you Doug?” she asked, grinning.

“No way. I hate Doug.”

“Douglas it is.” She held out her hand, and the driver shook it. Then she climbed into the back seat. Once he was behind the wheel, she spoke again.

“So how did you end up working for the devi—I mean Mr. Star?”

“Well…” He pulled out into traffic and took his time answering. “I was in a bit of trouble. My construction company went underwater—financially, I mean.”

Diana settled her duffel bag over her lap and held her breath, waiting for him to continue.

“One day I’m driving out in the country. I’m feeling like shit, and I know my wife and three kids are relying on me to get the business back up and running or else we would lose our house and…” He paused again, his voice a little rougher than before.

“I was feeling bad, really bad, and I had to stop my car and get out. I was a few seconds away from jumping in front of the next truck that barreled down the road. And that’s when I saw him. Mr. Star just materialized in the center of the crossroads.” Douglas drummed one finger on the steering wheel.

“He comes over to me and asks me what I would do to save my company.”

“What did you say?” Diana thought back to the moment in the hospital chapel when she’d told Lucien she would give anything to save her father’s life.

“Anything,” Douglas echoed.

“Same here,” she replied softly. “My dad had colon cancer.”

“Shit, I’m sorry,” Douglas said. His gaze met hers in the rearview mirror.

“He’s better now, obviously.” She chuckled dryly. “So what’s your deal? With Lucien, I mean.”

“I get the pleasure of being his weekend chauffeur. Usually he can just appear where he wants. I’m sure you’ve seen him do it?”

Diana nodded.

“Sometimes he likes me to just drive him around. He’ll sit in the back seat and tell me to drive until the gas tank’s almost empty.”

“Hmmm…” Diana couldn’t fathom why Lucien would want to do that.

“I guess he likes to have time to think or something,” Douglas said. “It must suck to be the king of hell. Think of all the bad, irritating shit you’d have to put up with. He once told me he had to deal with Joseph Stalin. Can you imagine? I would hate that job too.”

Diana sat back, a dozen thoughts beating around her head. Maybe Douglas was onto something. What if the devil didn’t like his job, didn’t like being evil? He’d already told her that he didn’t create sin, people did, and that he didn’t make people sin, he only punished them if they went astray. There were people he enticed into corruption, but he never made them corrupt. He merely offered opportunities.

“Douglas, do you know where the office of Lionel Barnaby is?”

---