by ERIN BEDFORD
“Nope,” I breathed, finally getting the zipper half way. “Just broke ones who packed too much to fit.”
Lucifer quieted for a moment before asking, “Why don’t you just take something out?”
I gaped at him. “But I need all this. I can’t just take something out. That’s like asking God to only make animals with legs. Or ice cream without chocolate syrup.” I grunted and groaned until I finally got the zipper all the way closed. When I was done, I jumped off the bag and leveled a stare at Lucifer. “It’s just unheard of.”
He smiled and shook his head. “See, you’re attached. That’s one of the things I do not understand about you humans. All these things, these bits and baubles, you claim you must have won’t give you what you really want.”
“And what’s that?” I asked, my hands on my hips in a defiant stance.
“Love,” Lucifer stated, standing from the bed. “Acceptance. And above all, forgiveness.”
“Forgiveness? For what?” I snorted, looking up at him. Man, he was tall.
Lucifer’s hand trailed along the side of my face, causing tingles to ripple through me. “All humans, whether they like it or not, have guilt. For something they did or said. Some part of them will always feel guilty for the things they cannot take back. This alone will create their own personal hell.”
I hummed, thinking on his words and then sighed. “Well, as thrilling as this physiological debate is, I really need to get going. Mandy will start blowing my phone up at any moment.”
“You feel it too, you know,” Lucifer continued as if I hadn’t spoken.
“Feel what?” I grabbed the handle of my bag and almost pulled my arm out of its socket getting it off the bed.
“Feel guilty.”
I chuckled and grunted. “The only thing I regret is not having you put my bag in my car before we had sex.”
Lucifer’s laugh slithered down my back, not making the bag any lighter. Setting the bag down briefly, I shoved my phone into my pocket and grabbed my purse before opening the door.
“Don’t you think you should change?”
I paused at Lucifer’s words, glancing down at my clothes. I’d pulled my clothes from before back on and dragged my dark hair into a ponytail. I didn’t see why I should change. I hadn’t gotten dirty. A naughty thought crossed my mind. At least my clothes didn’t.
“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
Lucifer leaned against the counter his eyes appraising me. “Well, if you’re supposed to be blending in with the socialites, I’m not sure jeans and a t-shirt is the way to go.”
Frowning at his words, I realized he was right. Showing up with a shitty bag was one thing, but showing up with a shitty bag and a crap outfit? Unheard of.
I glanced down at my bag, the sides bulging in an effort to contain my stuff. “Fuck!”
I shut the door and dropped to my knees by the bag. Unzipping it more violently than I meant to, I pulled out the first thing I found which so happened to be a red fitted blouse and a thong. Okay, I knew elite were flashy, but I didn’t think they would go that far as to arrive without pants. Sticking my hand back into the bag, I searched around until I found a pair of light tan pants and a pair of black heels. They’d have to do.
After changing into my outfit, I spent another five minutes fighting to close my bag again. Heaving and slightly sweaty, I got my bag down the stairs and into my car. Staring at a stain in the passenger seat where I had once dumped a whole blue ICEE, I realized my car wouldn’t cut it either. All they had to do was take one look at my car and know that I didn’t belong.
Sadly, there wasn’t anything I could do about it. I didn’t have time to go beg to borrow my father’s vehicle nor did I have the inclination to do so. I’d just have to hope they wouldn’t notice what I pulled up in. Besides, Mandy was no doubt waiting with Detective Sourpuss for my arrival. I didn’t think making them wait because I didn’t have the right car was a good idea.
Lucifer hadn’t followed me into my car which made the trip out of town quiet and boring. Blessed Falls Spa Resort might be named after the town, but it sat twenty minutes out of the city limits. Probably because that was the only place any suitable line of beach sat, something that they quickly monopolized on, leaving the rest of us a tiny public beach that was always packed to the max on sunny days.
Pulling up to the resort, I decided to forego letting the valet park my car and found a nice parking spot near the back. I got out of the car and patted the top lovingly. I loved my car, but some things were better left hidden.
“I’ll see you later,” I told her after I took my bags from the back. Halfway through the parking lot and I wished I’d chanced using the valet.
“Miss,” a teen clad head to toe in white called out as he approached me. “Please let me get your bag.” He eagerly reached for the handle of my beat-up suitcase, a sort of grimace on his face when he saw it.
“Sure thing.” I grinned broadly, letting him take the heavy bag.
“Your room?” he asked, and I had to pull my phone out to check the text from Mandy.
“125. Ha, not too far off from how much I weigh,” I told him with a cheeky grin. He politely smiled in return, but I could tell he didn’t mean it. I’d already lost his affection with my trashy bags. No tip for you, bucko.
I searched around the entrance to the spa, looking for Mandy or O’Connor but only found palm trees. Lots and lots of palm trees. Did they not decorate with anything else? Trying to take in everything I could, I moved slowly through the entryway.
Blessed Falls Spa Resort looked every bit as beautiful and luxurious as its brochures — a two-story building with tall columns decorating the front. It had marble statues of scantily clad men and women and a fountain so huge that I could swim in it. The only thing breaking up the Greek sort of theme they were going for was the window-washer cart handing from the building. I hoped that didn’t mean I’d have to wear a toga. I didn’t mind going commando on occasion, those occasions being for sexy time and getting massaged, but no underwear for the sake of appearances was not my thing.
Stepping into the building, I finally found Mandy’s blond head of hair standing next to a dark one and the weaselly man I knew as Riley Parks. Moving through the reception area, my eyes scanned around. The inside held the same kind of Grecian theme except the palm trees were replaced with large vases of multicolored flowers.
“This place is pretty cool,” Gabriel’s voice spoke up beside me, making me jump in place.
“Yeah, it’s nice,” I muttered, trying not to pull anyone’s attention.
“Is this the case from before?” He followed after me as I headed toward Mandy.
I nodded but didn’t answer so close to the others. The manager saw me first and his brows furrowed as if he expected someone else and perhaps a bit of displeasure. Not surprised. No one liked psychics. They all thought we were fakes and cons. Well, I might be the former but definitely not the latter.
When Riley pointed his chin at me, Mandy and O’Connor turned. O’Connor frowned, not unusual there, but the tense expression on Mandy’s face had me worried.
“Hey guys, I hope you didn’t start the party without me.” I grinned from ear to ear, determined not to let the aura screaming ‘you don’t belong here’ bother me.
“Mehr, it’s about time you got here.” O’Connor pushed the flaps of his suit jacket back to put his hands on his hips, his gun and badge in full view.
“Should we really be talking out in the open like this?” I asked, gesturing around to the passing spa members. “Won’t it give off the wrong impression?”
“We were just leaving,” Mandy told me before putting something in my hand. “Here’s your I.D. and room key.”
I glanced down at the wallet in my hand and opened it up to see a fake I.D. with cards to match. She must have gotten my picture from social media, but the weight and name were way off.
“Hey, I’m not a hundred and thirty pounds!” I cried out
with a scowl. “And couldn’t you have thought of a better name? What’s wrong with using my own?”
O’Connor leaned closer to me, and growled, “Who cares what your weight says, and do you really think these people won’t look you up? The moment they find out you’re a psychic detective, they will clam up, and nothing short of a lawyer will get them to talk to you.”
I sniffed and tucked my wallet into my purse. “You underestimate my abilities. I once charmed the pants off a priest in training during Sunday Mass.”
“Not something to be proud of,” Mandy retorted crossing her arms over her chest.
“We’ll have to agree to disagree,” I said to Mandy. To Riley Parks who had been watching this whole time curiously, I held my hand out, “Hello, I don’t believe we have met. I’m Patrice Ludmire.” I cringed as I said the name out loud. Nope. So not me. “But you can call me Patty. All my friends do.”
Riley shook my hand. still displeased by my presence. “Nice to meet you. I think it goes without saying that I want this done as quickly and discreetly as possible. None of my guests should know what you are here for.”
Says the man having us meet in the middle of the lobby. Out loud, I said, “Don’t worry, Mr. Parks. I will have your resort free of thieves and back to draining the trust funds of our local elites in no time.”
Sticking his nose in the air, Riley stiffened. “See that you do.” He nodded to Mandy and O’Connor. “Detectives.”
I plastered on an over-eager grin and looked at the two. “So, point me in the direction of the beach. I’m ready to get my tan on.”
7
After Mandy and O’Connor left with a warning for me not to mess around, I headed up to my room, if you could call it that. Larger than my studio apartment, it could hold two and half of my actual homes in its walls.
I’d expected to get one of the shabbiest rooms of the place, and if this was it, then I half wondered what the others looked like. A kitchenette area sat to one side of the room, the other had a sitting area, and then the bedroom was partially walled off in a semblance of privacy. The moment my eyes landed on the king size bed, I skipped toward it. Jumping onto it, I sank down into the soft comforter with a puff of air. Like sleeping on a cloud.
I closed my eyes briefly, enjoying the bed I would dream about when I left. I had completely forgotten about Gabriel until a chuckle pulled me from the bed.
“What?” I arched a brow and smiled.
Gabriel leaned against the entryway, his button-up Hawaiian shirt making him look like he belonged here much more than me. His eyes never left my form and twinkled with mischief.
“You find pleasure in the smallest of things.”
I shrugged. “Well, you would too if you didn’t live forever.” I grinned and twirled my finger along the top of the bed. “In fact, I think I could get you to change your tune with a little blood.”
A sly grin curled over Gabriel’s lips. “Are you trying to seduce me?”
“And what if I am?” I winked, playing with the edges of my shirt.
“I’d say hell yes, but Michael is expecting me back any minute now. I do have a job you know.” His words said one thing while his body moved closer to me.
“Oh yeah.” I clicked my tongue. “There are so many messages to be delivered. We wouldn’t want God to forget to get his hair done.”
“You joke, but you don’t know the dire consequences that come with missing a delivery.” Gabriel chuckled. “A whole village flooded once because I wasn’t told in time to warn their shaman. It was quite catastrophic.”
I let out an exaggerated sigh. “Fine. Go. Save the world, while I roll around on this marshmallow of a bed. Naked.” I wagged my eyebrows at him, making him laugh again.
“You do that.” Gabriel leaned over the bed and brushed his mouth against mine. The buzzing feeling left my lips feeling numb, but it was the thought that counts.
When I opened my eyes, Gabriel was gone. Sighing again, I let myself lay in the bed a few more minutes before getting up. The bell boy had taken my bag up to my room as instructed, thankfully without any kind of destruction on its part. I had a feeling these workers were the type to spit in your food or use your toothbrush to clean the toilet if you got on their bad side.
I dragged my bag onto the bed and dumped its contents. No need to be all fancy now. No one was looking. I did take a moment to hang up a few items that had already begun to wrinkle at my mistreatment of them. No reason I should look like a complete slob. When that was done, I found my bathing suit and pulled it on. I found a robe with the spa’s name and logo on it that felt almost as good as the bed wrapped around me.
“Hello, lovely,” I purred as I pulled the collar up around my face. Slipping my room key into the pocket of my robe and grabbing my bag of beach supplies, I headed out the door.
I nodded and smiled at the guests and workers as I passed by them. I wanted to keep up the appearance of actually being there to relax and not on a manhunt. Or womanhunt. Equal rights and all that.
The best way to blend in was to take advantage of the spa itself. I hadn’t been lying when I said I wanted to go to the beach. When I worked at the bar, I stayed up late and slept in even later, so going to the beach was a rare treat. Now that I had easy access to it, I would take full advantage of it.
Since it was later in the day, there weren’t that many people hanging around the sandy beach. There were a few couples and what looked like a bachelor party, but no families with a bunch of noisy children. Just how I liked it.
The spa had been kind enough to provide lounge chairs with large umbrellas over the top to keep the rays from beating down on you. At the moment, that was all I wanted. I shoved the umbrella aside and plopped my robe down on the chair beside me. I had barely laid down when a cute blonde woman wearing the spa’s logo on her white shirt came over.
“Hello, can I get you something from the bar?” The brilliant smile on her face made me feel a bit better about my stay, much more so than the look I’d gotten from the bell boy.
While Mandy and O’Connor would have had a field day about me drinking on the job, I said screw them and ordered a Mai Tai. The blonde whose name tag read Jessica scurried away to fill my order, leaving me to my sun.
My skin started to warm, and I remembered I hadn’t put on sunblock. Sighing, I opened my eyes once more and dug through my bag. No one wanted a lobster-colored psychic. Plus, I planned on christening that bed before my stay was through, and I didn’t think a sunburn would be all that sexy. No matter how heavenly the company.
I started to rub the banana and coconut scented lotion down my legs and over my arms when a man I didn’t know dropped into the seat next to me. I continued to put my sunblock on while I waited for my guest to announce himself. He wasn’t unattractive with his windblown brown hair and a smile that reached his eyes. Too bad I’d already tasted heaven, and that had ruined all other men for me.
“Can I help you?” I asked finally, after he did nothing but stare at me. Really, it was beginning to creep me out.
“I’m Mick,” he said, simply giving me what he must have thought was a seductive smile. It looked more like he had something in his eye.
“Uh, that’s nice.” I forced a polite smile in return and finished putting my lotion on just in time for Jessica to return. “Thank you.” I took my drink from her and took a large sip before settling back into my chair.
“So, what’s your name, beautiful?” Mick was either not the brightest bulb in the batch or just didn’t like being blown off. I was going for the former.
“Patrice.” I sipped my Mai Tai again, begging the alcohol to kick in fast.
A round of laughter came from the bachelor party, and I peeked over at them. They were pointing and laughing at Mick, who was now getting frustrated.
He threw his legs over the chair of his seat so that he faced me and clasped his hands in front of him. “So, what brings you here?”
Raising a brow at his words because, serio
usly, this one was not a smooth talker, I tried to find a way to let him down gently without giving him any impressions that I was interested. I should be good at this kind of thing, I used to do it at the bar all the time. Heck, I did it just last night!
Before I could get an answer out though, Lucifer and Michael appeared on either side of Mick. Though he couldn’t see them, Mick could feel their presence. His shoulders tensed, and he glanced around nervously, but he didn’t back down. Must have money at stake.
“Is this man bothering you?” Michael asked, looming over Mick. I hid my face behind my glass and shook my head.
“You don’t know?” This time it was Mick who laughed. “Wait, I’m confused.”
“You and me both, brother,” I muttered into my drink, my eyes going off to the side. Sitting my drink down, I cleared my throat. “Look, Mike, is it?” I knew his name, but it makes them feel a bit less important if I say the wrong name.
“Mick,” he corrected me, a bit more disheartened. Poor guy. I bet this was really hard for him to do. I’d have gone to give his friends, who were still laughing their asses off, a piece of my mind and a foot in the ass if Michael and Lucifer didn’t look ready to rip the guy’s head off.
“Right, Mick.” I looked pointedly at him. “I’m here for work. I don’t have time to play with some guy who is just here for the weekend because of some bachelor party.”
“How? How did you know that?” He gaped at me and looked back at his friends.
“I’m psychic.” I grinned and then added, “And I can tell you now. That this” - I gestured to us - “isn’t going anywhere. In fact, your whole weekend is looking pretty slim. I suggest you go back to your friends and worry about making sure your boy walks down the aisle and doesn’t get wrapped into playing peek-a-boo with a stripper. Cause this is a waste of both of our time.”
Mick looked like he had swallowed something nasty, his skin a green pallor as he stumbled to his feet and walked back to his friends. He kept glancing back at me on his way back, but the look he gave me was more of fear than rejection. Maybe I was closer to the truth than I thought.
