by Con Template
I glowered at him, resentment coursing over me as I measured his atypical appearance.
There was a lit cigarette between his lips and an irresistible smile across his face. In lieu of dressing up in his usual “professionally suave” attire, Eclipse wore an ordinary outfit that could easily pass him off as any other human. He was dressed ordinarily enough, but the simplicity of this outfit did not appear so “normal” on him. The casual black shirt he wore wrapped beautifully around his upper body. The fabric of the garment hugged his physique appreciatively, showcasing snippets of the scintillating muscles buried beneath it. Even the casual jeans he wore aided in giving him more of a “rugged and dangerous” appearance that was once concealed by his usual business attire. In essence, whatever his typical formal apparel hid, this casual outfit showed off in the most extravagant of ways.
I swallowed convulsively.
My goodness, he looked like a Sex God wearing civilian clothes. I was ashamed to admit that even in my irritated state, all I could do was stare in wonder.
“Teacup,” his sexy voice drawled, pulling me out of my web of sexually frustrated thoughts. With his dark eyes smiling at me, he nonchalantly said, “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to ditch me.”
Right at that instant, while I was inundated with his charms and when I could feel an impending nosebleed hit my nostrils, I was reminded of my enduring dislike for him and his overall shadiness. I hadn’t forgotten how angry I was at him the previous night. I was damn well ready to continue with the hate.
I narrowed my eyes. I was not going to let him get in the car with me. Hell no.
“Go, sir! Go!” I screamed, scaring the chubby old driver.
The cab driver glared at us, judging us like we were one of those annoying couples having a lovers’ quarrel. Dread engulfed me at the thought. I couldn’t have him make that mistake and let Eclipse in.
Drumming on his shoulder for added emphasis, I dramatically said, “This guy is a wacko! If you value your life, step on the gas and let’s haul ass!”
Worry speared through the old man’s eyes at my urgent words. He was ready to adhere to my warning when Eclipse’s voice bounced into the scene.
Unaffected by the fact that I had pretty much broadcasted to our audience that he was a psycho, Eclipse maintained his composure and used my insanity against me.
“Gracie, are you still pissed off because I didn’t want to play with the handcuffs last night? Oh baby-cakes, please don’t leave me for this. I’m sorry. I’m still a bit shy when it comes to that creepy stuff. But if you really want to do it, then I’ll do it for you. I’ll play with the handcuffs, I’ll play with the whips and chains, and I’ll even try all those weird sex positions you wanted to try. I can be kinky if you really want that. I’ll try anything to make you happy.” A sly smile kissed his lips before he submissively added, “Please . . . Mistress Hwang. Please give me another chance. I will gladly be your sex slave and live to serve all your weird, kinky S&M fantasies if you don’t leave me.”
My jaw was hung down the entire time Eclipse sang those pearls of lies to the universe. He was an incredible actor. If I weren’t the one he was spreading lies about, then I would’ve believed that he was in a relationship with a sex-crazed girl who was ready to dump her sweet and innocent boyfriend. He was so convincing that when I locked eyes with the cab driver, who was now gazing at me with a mixture of horror and revulsion through the rearview mirror, I knew I had lost to Eclipse.
“Sorry for wasting your time, sir,” I apologized just as the old man very judgmentally said, “I think it is best if you and your willing-to-be-kinky boyfriend stepped away from my cab. You kids these days are sick—sick.”
Giving him a bow of mortification, I shamefully bounced off my seat and got out of the cab. I didn’t even get a chance to close the door before the cab driver stepped on the gas pedal and sped off, immersing himself and his still-opened-door cab into the fast moving traffic. All that was left behind was the scent of burnt tires and the fog of humiliation that hovered over me.
“You freak, you freak of nature!” I shouted at Eclipse, ready to take out all my anger on the origin of all the evil that had befallen my life. I glowered at him, utterly red in the face. As he casually smoked his cigarette, I replayed all that he said in my mind and found myself losing it. “How could you say all those things?” I placed an outraged hand on my chest. I could barely talk through my strained voice. “I’m the one who’s afraid of handcuffs, whips, chains, and weird sex positions!”
Eclipse offered me a doting smile that seemed to brighten the otherwise overcast day. He was not the least bit sorry that he had embarrassed me. As my ponytail swayed in the cool morning wind, he reached out and tucked a loose bang behind my ear.
“I’m sure we can work it out so that you won’t be afraid of them when I finally get you into bed, Teacup,” he crooned suggestively, his dark eyes glittering with sensual promise.
“Dream on,” I snarled, jerking my head away from his reach.
A sly grin graced his face. “If only you knew the things I do to you in my dreams, Gracie.”
“Really?” I incited tersely, my eyes sharpening like knives. “You’re really going to throw sexual innuendos at me after our altercation last night?”
Once I reminded him of the less-than-pretty parting words I gave him the night prior, Eclipse’s carefree demeanor faltered.
“Okay, Gracie. You’re right,” he launched tactfully, gazing into my eyes with an expression that mirrored a puppy begging for pardon. “I thought about what you said. It was completely fucked up of me to pop out of nowhere and spy on you while I was invisible. At first, I didn’t understand why you were so pissed off. I realized later that you weren’t completely mad about my little voyeurism; it was more because I had the audacity to make myself invisible to you of all people. It’s not fair for me to take advantage of you with my powers. You have every right to be angry with me. With that said, I know what I did was wrong now. I promise that it won’t happen again—I will never make myself invisible to you ever again. You have my word on that.” He gave me an innocent smile. Hell, even the smoke slithering away from his lips looked angelic. “I hope that you can accept my sincere apology and that we can move forward from here.”
I blinked at him in silence. I was utterly floored that he had not only managed to apologize—something I could guess that the Prince of Hell didn’t partake in too often—but also managed to hit the bull’s eye on the specific reason why I was so angry.
“How did you know the exact reason why I was so pissed?” I couldn’t help but ask. I was furious at him for being shady and having his fun with staring at my butt, but I was angrier at the fact that he made himself invisible to me of all people. It was a silly reason that even eluded my understanding. How did he know? “Guys are usually clueless.”
“I know a thing or two about pleasuring women,” he replied modestly. “Being perceptive and telling a woman that she’s right when she’s wrong is a big factor that comes with making women happy.”
Ice-cold glaciers formed in my eyes. That jerk. He just ruined a perfectly nice apology with that offensive addendum.
A snarl escaped my throat. “So your apology is insincere?”
“I didn’t say that,” he hastily added once he heard the hostility in my voice. “I am sorry that it upset you. In the interest of not wanting to upset you like that again, I do not plan on ever repeating this mistake.”
I folded my arms and raised a questioning brow at him. “How do I know if you’re even telling the truth?”
“You don’t,” he responded with a light shrug, “but I am telling you the truth. Next time, if I pop in and see you doing yoga, then I’m just going to visibly stand there and talk to you while I watch and enjoy the show.”
I scoffed at his reply. Shortly after, my eyes enlarged into the size of baseballs when a troubling thought assaulted me. I recalled all those two-second showers I took af
ter having the Demon come into my life. I once foolishly believed that Eclipse was respectful enough to give me some semblance of privacy. Now that I thought about it, if he was shady enough to be invisible while watching me do yoga, then it was possible he’d be shady enough to peek in on me while I was in the shower as well.
Horror threatened to seep out of my gaping eyes. “Did you ever ‘pop in’ while I was showering, taking a bath, or changing?”
Eclipse’s lips drew up into a lazy and self-mocking smile. A resentful stream of smoke—one that could arguably mirror his sexual frustration—swam out from his mouth.
“Teasing myself while watching you stretch your gorgeous little body is one thing, but actually putting myself in a predicament where I’m teased with the sight of your naked body is a completely different thing. I already have a hard time restraining myself when you’re fully clothed. I’m not stupid enough to tease myself with a sight of you completely naked unless I get to wrap my own naked body around yours. Your body still can’t handle what I want to offer you. As long as that’s the case, I’m going to do all that I can to avoid temptation.” A bitter muscle leapt in his strong jaw. “So, to answer your question, no. I did not ‘pop in’ while you were showering, taking a bath, or changing. If anything, I try to stay far away.”
I blew a sigh of relief, and he smirked at this.
“I should tell you though,” he slyly added, “the longer you prolong becoming a Demon and the longer you torture me with the wait, the longer I will keep you in my bed after the conversion occurs.” He had a faraway look in his eyes at the thought. “I look forward to showing you the same exquisite torture that you’ve shown me.”
I rolled my eyes at his quick metamorphosis from being an apologetic suitor to the goal-oriented Demon I had always known him to be.
Alas, the cunning Demon played his last apology card by pulling one final trick out of his sleeve. Eclipse turned away from me and abruptly clapped his hands. On cue, whimpering sounds could be heard as a little furry leg peeked out from the corner of the building beside us.
With white fur that looked as soft as feathers, big watery black eyes, and a body so small that it could fit in a teacup, the Maltese puppy slowly tiptoed away from the corner. Soft whining continued to stream from its little body as it gazed up at the world around it.
“My apology,” Eclipse said proudly. Behind him, the puppy stared around confusingly, clearly flummoxed with its new surroundings. “I hear that human guys are supposed to give gifts if they pissed their girl off. I’m hoping this little guy will help get me back into your good graces.”
More whimpering came from the puppy before its big expressive black eyes settled on mine. At once, its confused eyes illumed with love and adoration. As if already knowing that it belonged to me, the puppy bounced over to me in excitement, its white fur dancing in the wind while it barked incessantly.
“Arf! Arf! Arf!”
I stared at the puppy as it ran past Eclipse and stopped at my feet. It hopped on my black strappy heels and nuzzled against me, its silky soft fur caressing the skin of my feet. I could feel my annoyance and distaste for the puppy commence as its high-pitched barking goaded my ears.
How annoying . . .
A peculiar thing about me that you should know: I don’t like cute, furry animals. Anything typically seen as cute, fluffy, and adorable—I do not like. I hate puppies, I hate kittens, I hate baby koala bears, I hate bunnies—the list goes on. The only animals I adore are reptiles, certain species of bugs, spiders, and pigs. This adorable pup was far from the usual lethal serpent that I’d admire and I didn’t feel the need to hide this from Eclipse.
My un-amused eyes connected with his.
“What am I supposed to do with this oversized rat?”
I was tempted to bend down and punch the annoyingly cute puppy to show Eclipse how much all furry animals pissed me off. However, against my better judgment, when I stared down at the fluffy creature again and saw it staring up at me, I felt guilt for hating something so cute. Its small paws were still nudging on my heels, begging for my attention and acceptance.
I wanted to hate it, but I just couldn’t.
“I think he adores you already,” Eclipse mused, staring affectionately at the little puppy, already knowing that I was growing soft for the little fur ball.
No matter how irritating it appeared to me, this particular puppy somehow melted my icy heart. I doubted it was an everyday occurrence that human girls received gifts from Demons. Even I had to admit that I felt incredibly special to be gifted with a puppy from the Demon of Lust himself.
As I quietly assessed the puppy, a light bulb suddenly went off in my head. I had the perfect use for this puppy. Of course, why didn’t I see it before? Considering where I was headed today, this puppy came at the perfect time.
My aversion for this puppy dispelled as soon as I saw its use.
Feeling bad that the little pup was still trying to get my attention, I yielded with my snobbery and scooped the ball of white fluff up in my arms. This concession immediately earned a bark of approval from the furry one. It poked its little pink tongue out, its small body wiggling in exhilaration while it licked and kissed my cheek.
“I hate cute and furry animals,” I told Eclipse, bringing the puppy down from my cheek and holding it against my chest. I instinctively pet its silky fur, earning whimpers of satisfaction from the puppy. It was probably too forward of me to say, but I think it loved me already.
“A pet snake or tarantula to travel around the city with you would bring too much attention. I’m sure you’d rather not bring attention to yourself, right?” Eclipse grinned, reaching his hand out to scratch the puppy between its ears. “There’s an exception for everything. I know you and this one will get along well.”
I said nothing as I continued to pet the puppy.
“What do you want to name him, Teacup?” Eclipse asked once he was positive that I wouldn’t sadistically throw the lovable puppy into oncoming traffic.
I deliberated for a few seconds. “OinkOink.”
Eclipse gawked at me like I was high on crack. He gazed uncertainly at the puppy, who had just whined in confusion upon hearing the name I wanted to give it. Eclipse laughed uncomfortably, clearly afraid to piss me off now that he had just gotten back in my good graces.
He smiled tentatively, trying to have the puppy’s back while walking on eggshells around me. “You know that this oversized rat is a puppy and not a pig, right, Teacup?”
I bequeathed him with a fierce and inflexible stare. Who was he to tell me what I could or couldn’t name this little fur ball?
“It’s my puppy, isn’t it?” I snapped harshly, earning surrendering hands from Eclipse.
Without giving him a chance to change my mind, I readjusted my handbag, left the flap open, and carefully placed OinkOink in it. OinkOink stood atop the notebooks in my bag and peeked his head out. He was so light that he barely made a dent on the weight of my handbag.
Travel-size puppy, I mused favorably. I like that.
I could see Eclipse gaze sympathetically at OinkOink from my peripheral vision. The puppy’s head and upper legs were peeking out from the side of my bag.
“Sorry, champ,” Eclipse apologized, tousling the top of OinkOink’s furry head after I hiked the bag up to my shoulder. “I tried.”
“Where did you find this puppy anyway?” I asked, liking how quiet and obedient OinkOink was. I normally hated puppies because I thought they were rowdy and barked too much. It pleased me that OinkOink was so well-behaved. Instead of being an annoyance, he was simply sitting in that bag like he was my accessory and cutely pawing at Eclipse’s hand for fun.
“Pet shop after you left me last night,” Eclipse said with a gusty sigh. “I felt uncomfortable and wanted to get you something.” A grin framed his lips once he observed that the anger I harbored for him had since eroded. He relinquished his attention from OinkOink and set it all on me. “You’re not mad at me anymore,
right?”
Not too keen on appearing like a pushover, I shrugged carelessly. I spared a glimpse at OinkOink. “I’ll take it out on this puppy if I am.”
A puzzled bark erupted from OinkOink. He was staring up at me in horror.
I smiled inwardly. I had a sick sense of humor. Though I showed no bluff, I could tell from the amused smile on Eclipse’s face that he knew that I was joking—slightly.
“I’m glad we’ve gotten past this,” he approved. “In any case, we should get going.” Without preamble, he enclosed his warm hand around mine, sending slivers of pleasurable electricity to shoot up my body. He pulled me with him and steered me across the street towards what suspiciously looked like a bus stop. “Don’t want you to be late to the shelter now.”
“But we have to take three connecting buses to make it there,” I uttered, staggered with the pleasure overtaking me with just a simple touch from him. I was also bewildered with the sudden change in topic from the puppy to Sanctuary. I whipped my head around and searched for another cab. I seldom took buses. I didn’t want to deal with the waits, the connecting buses, and sharing transportation with others when I simply wanted to be by myself on a Sunday. “I want to take a cab.”
Eclipse shot me a disapproving look.
“Are you planning on spending the whole day waiting for a cab?” He angled his head towards the busy flow of traffic surrounding us. “The one you called left, and there doesn’t seem to be any cabs right now. Our best bet is to take the bus. Plus, you’re trying to save money, aren’t you? Come on, the buses will be nicer on that thinning wallet of yours.”
“Wait,” I cried. I halted in my tracks and pulled my hand from his grasp. “Time out for a second. Who says you’re going?”
His brows came together in a frown. “Why can’t I come?”
“Because.” I looked around with shifty eyes, making sure that no one could eavesdrop on us. We were standing in the middle of the sidewalk, right in the center of all the chaos as people skirted around us in a blurred frenzy. Some were filing in and out of the bus that had just made its stop while others simply passed from one flow of pedestrian traffic to another. Even though people surrounded us, I concluded that there was too much going on for someone to be able to eavesdrop on us. Assured that it was safe, I continued with my thoughts. “Because there are innocent kids there.”
