Page 43 of Demon Queen
“Did I not mention that I don’t want to talk about it? That also means that I don’t want you talking about it. Maybe that’s too much chaos for you to organize.” I hesitantly pulled my hand down, eyeing him, but he kept his mouth closed. “So…do you actually know how to automate the payroll?”
He sat down at my desk and opened my computer. After cracking his knuckles, he set to work. It took him five minutes. He was terrifyingly fast. So when he said he was a chaos demon, that meant he was a paperwork demon. Now everything made sense.
“Okay,” I admitted once he was done. “That was pretty impressive.”
“Human technology is not a challenge.”
“Demons have technology?”
His smile became sharp. “We are technology.”
Sure, he wasn’t a liar demon. “Ah…In that case, I’m going back down to the floor.”
fourteen
. . .
Back downstairs,Lucia, one of my regulars who stocked hotels and upper-end boutiques with various delicacies was at the counter, talking to Toby who had the usual look on his face when she was there with her large orders and didn’t want to wait for anyone to write anything down.
“Candy!” she said with a large smile, gesturing me over. “Look at this,” she said, tugging on my skirt. “Such a fun theme, and the eye candy is an added bonus.” She raised a brow and leaned closer while she glanced over at Dorian where he was looking way too muscular in his tight pants and powdered wig, the better to cover up his king spikes. No, they would have poked through if they hadn’t been vanished as thoroughly as his wings and tail. Such a civilized glamour. Also, and much more interesting was the fact that there were the same number of demons as there had been earlier. No, more. Now there were four violinists hanging from the suspended aerial hoops.
“So, is he as gay as he looks?”
I blinked at her. Dorian was the eye candy she was talking about? I laughed, but it was on the side of strangled. I was going to strangle him. I didn’t need this many people working in myshop. I was trying to be normal. Also, why didn’t he have a less attractive glamour to use? “Oh, he’s not gay.”
“Are you sure? Do you think he’d go out with me?” Lucia gave me a weird look, I mean, it wasn’t weird, it was the look I’d seen a million times from the girls in the strip club when they looked at him. I’d never seen that look on her face before, though. She was a competent businesswoman who didn’t have time for dating, at least she’d mentioned that in passing.
“We’re seeing each other.” I said it to save her from heartache. She deserved a quality human, not a demon with delusions. Unless… What the White Rabbit said pounded in my brain and I completely missed what Lucia said. Was I actually some creepy slug-demon? It didn’t quite compute.
“Sorry, what?” I said, giving her a rough smile. “My head aches from the vodka.”
“Ah.” She nodded slowly. “I didn’t think that you ever dated or drank.”
“I don’t usually, but the other night I was with my delinquent foster sister. I did all kinds of things I don’t usually do. Karaoke,” I added when she got that look, like I was suggesting kinky things. “Also ate some weird foreign food that didn’t agree with me. On second thought, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected. How about you? How was your weekend?” I really didn’t want to think about eating Regis. Regis who was Roberta in a corset, helping a customer even more efficiently than the original.
Lucia shrugged and glanced at Dorian again. He looked so terribly virile in those pants. “I went to a wine tasting on Sunday with my aunt. That wasnice.” She said it while she looked at his pants.
“That does soundnice. Excuse me. Roberta will be right over to help you. I’m going to go talk to Dorian about his week’s schedule.” I gave her another smile and then walked around theroom to the demon king who looked like he stepped out of one of Michelangelo’s paintings, only much more wicked.
“Candy. You look very well,” he murmured, without looking at me.
“Thank you. Your pants are quite impressive.”
“Not as impressive as what they hold.” He turned to look at me while I tried not to look at his pants. I succeeded in not gaping at him, but I failed in not blushing. I could feel my blush down to my knees.
“I’m sure your legs are very sturdy,” I said stiffly
“Oh, they are. I could carry you for days and days.” His eyes flickered, only for a moment before he brought the smolder down half a notch.
I wanted to fan myself. Happily, I happened to have a fan on me. I fluttered it coquettishly before I remembered that I wasn’t interested in flirting with him, then I fanned it briskly. “I thought that you sent a bunch of people away. You know, because of the parking issue.”
“I had them move the cars. How is Regis working out? Do you want someone else?”
“He’s frighteningly clever.”
“He’s sworn fealty to me. He will be unable to harm you, however clever he is. But if you’re uncomfortable with him…”
“You’ll have him take on a different glamour so he can join the rest of the horde in my shop? I don’t like having so many demons around. I’m trying to be normal.”
