by Mia Downing
Leo shrugged. “Buy a lotto ticket. Buy two.”
“No. Not happening.” I wasn’t telling him I had bought and scratched one earlier. I’d shoved it in Mrs. Pendleton’s mailbox. It was only for a hundred bucks, but that would pay for a medication or two. I also gave her the coupon for a free meal a month I’d won from the restaurant. I didn’t want to be tempted by doing more than that, though.
He sighed. “I do wish you’d meet me half way on this at least. One little lotto ticket will go a long way to making Samuel a happy man.”
Here we go. “Look. I’m not buying lotto tickets or playing the casino or whatever hair-brained scheme you come up with so the two of you can live like entitled members of royalty. I’m happy with my little apartment and ugly cookies.”
I rounded the table and stabbed him in the chest with a finger. “I mean, do you really go to a job all day? What do you two do with the supposed billions Samuel owns? I read the magazine article about him but was that even real?”
He shoved my finger from his chest with haughty displeasure. “Of course I work, and Samuel’s company is genuine. His real world franchise provides a front for the underworld endeavors, but it’s a legitimate, tax-paying business. Since we require no sleep, we can work both sides of the company with ease. But courting your mother has left him strapped on the underworld side, which I’ve been managing.”
“I see.” I really didn’t. “So you don’t need my money.”
“Not the human kind.” Leo tapped his chin with his forefinger as if working on an idea. “It’s definitely time to get you on the same team, so to speak. Samuel wanted to meet with you at his office. Now is as good a time as any.”
“No!” I’d had an emotional afternoon. All I wanted to do was add a pint of ice cream and hot fudge to my ugly cookies and make a kick-assed sundae to drown my sorrows.
“Yes,” he said firmly. “You’re a smart girl, but unfortunately, you’re not going to cooperate until you understand how this all works. It’s time you understood the full scope of the family business.”
“I really don’t want to go.”
He took my hand in his and kissed the back of it. I hated the shiver of pleasure that shimmied up my arm and straight to my core. “I promise that Samuel will behave.”
Common sense stepped in again, tamping down my impulsiveness to tell him no again and kick him to the curb.
Leo wanted this meeting badly. If Samuel was giving him that much grief, maybe it was better to resolve the issue and keep the peace. A happy demon would fall for me faster than an angry one.
That devious part of me also began to relish the chance to tour behind enemy lines. I’d be foolish not to accept.
I nodded. “Okay.”
“You’ll go?” He smiled like a cat who’d found the secret stash of cream.
“I’ll go.”
Little did he know my battle plan. Keep your enemies closer…and then find a way to divide and conquer.
Chapter Nine
“So how many demons participate in ‘Take Your Human to Work’ day?” I asked Leo as I smoothed the skirt I’d worn to Babu’s earlier. I’d just changed and stood in my hallway, waiting for the magic to whisk us away.
“Not many. Most humans are well-behaved and cooperative.”
A touch of trepidation mixed with my joking. I wasn’t the kind of girl to go racing into a dark basement with a flashlight to see what made that clunk or bang. I was calling the cops, or I was going in with a shotgun, knives, and explosives. Heading into work with Leo for a meeting with Samuel…that smacked too close to impending doom for my tastes.
“You wearing that?” Though I loved the jeans, I figured he’d go for something dressier.
“I can’t change, remember?” Leo shot me a look of faint disgust. “For the love of woodchucks, make the magic give me back my suit.”
Oh crap. I’d forgotten that. The cufflinks were stashed in my purse, still under the protective spell. I’d bet one of Leo’s woodchucks that’s why the magic refused to let him get dressed.
I hastily chanted the simple spell that would return the demonic GPS to the cufflinks, making a show of squinting in deep thought as if summonsing the magic to do my bidding.
In a blink, Leo’s suit returned, and he adjusted his cufflinks with a sigh of relief. “Much better.”
Holy crap. It worked.
But his smugness returned, too, with a devious smile. “I knew you’d obey me at some point.”
I rolled my eyes as the joy of success faded. “You could thank me for giving the magic permission.”
He checked his appearance in the hall mirror. “I could thank you for a blowjob, too, but since you’re not on your knees...”
I blinked, hating that despite the graphic nature, his words rattled my soul and made me ache in the most desperate, dirty way. “You’re a pervert.”
A dark brow arched. “You’re just upset I didn’t fuck you before.”
Jerk. “Let’s get this over with.”
He turned to me with a chuckle and smoothed a lock of hair from my cheek, and I fought the urge to lean into his hand. “We’re going to need magic for this.”
“Can’t we just…drive?” I didn’t mind the magic for condoms. It came in handy to just…poof. But the idea of him zapping us into the den of iniquity overwhelmed me.
“I don’t drive.”
“You don’t? Samuel does.”
“Samuel has a driver,” Leo corrected. “For pretenses. I don’t get that luxury.” His bottom lip jutted slightly in a pout.
Well, well. Something the spoiled rich boy didn’t get and obviously wanted. “What if I taught you to drive?”
“What?” He frowned down at me, those furrows between his eyes still sexy as hell. “Why?”
“So you can take out one of those expensive cars in Samuel’s garage.” He had several vintage cars I’d drooled over. “If he’s not going to drive them, someone should.”
Leo snorted and shook his head. “Once you get a taste for magic, you’ll raise the ban in the house.” He held out his hand. “You ready?”
I took his hand with hesitant reluctance. “No.”
“We’re going to go outside and down the hall to walk a brisk pace. In your mind, you’re going to just keep walking.”
“Wait.” I pulled him to a halt as fear crept under my skin. That’s how I’d gotten home so quickly from the bar that fateful night. “We did this before. Didn’t we?”
“Yes, and you did just fine. Just keep walking.”
“I’d been drunk. That’s why it worked.” Great. I couldn’t walk a straight line on my feet never mind in my mind. “Can’t we just blip in, standing around?”
“One blends better in motion.” He tweaked my cheek. “Trust me.”
I brushed his hand away. “Famous last words, trusting a demon…”
“Let’s go.” He yanked my hand and dragged me out the door.
Together, we struck out at a good pace down the empty hallway. Then an odd wind whipped around me. Suddenly, we were walking hand-in-hand on a busy, downtown street as the sun set, brushing past a pedestrian in a suit. I forgot to walk in the real world and stumbled.
Leo supported me by the hand with a rare smile of encouragement. “You did fabulous.”
I tried not to glow over his praise. “Where are we?”
“Greenwich, Connecticut.”
We rounded a corner and headed toward an old brick building with ornate molding and carvings. Gargoyles guarded the corners of the roof and also hunched next to a ground-level sign that read: Weston Enterprises.
I pointed at the leering stone faces. “Relatives of yours?”
Something sad flickered in Leo’s gaze. “There are times that being turned to stone would be a much more enjoyable fate.”
We swept through the glass revolving doors into an opulent foyer with classy wood paneling and tile floors that echoed the building’s history. A huge crystal chandelier hung in the center
of the ceiling flanked by several smaller ones on the sides. An ornate bust of Samuel sat on pedestal by the fountain, and the receptionist’s desk held a stunning floral arrangement.
Leo steered me away from reception toward the small security desk off in the corner.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Weston,” the guard greeted with a smile. “And this must be Ms. Denning.”
“Good afternoon, Ed. Yes, this is she.”
Ed. He looked like someone’s grandpa in a security outfit, with gray, thinning hair and a beer belly. I studied him closely for signs of demonic behavior.
With a broad smile, Ed handed me a visitor’s badge. “Enjoy your visit.”
Leo squeezed my hand—hard—in warning.
“I’m sure I will,” I called over my shoulder as Leo whisked me way. To Leo I hissed, “I have manners, you know. I’m not stupid.”
“Yes, well, difficult seems to trump manners in your case.”
“Is he…one of you?” I didn’t want to say demon out loud.
“Of course. Hairless monkeys can’t be the head of security.” He led me to an elevator, and in mid-stride, the wind blew again.
In a blink, I found myself in an elegant hallway lined with paintings and blue and gold carpet. I still held Leo’s large hand.
This time, I didn’t stumble.
“Much better,” Leo praised.
“Is that it?” I didn’t find magic to be charming.
“For now. Samuel’s waiting.” He guided me to the last door at the end that proclaimed it the office of S. Weston, CEO. And to my surprise, Leo knocked.
Samuel’s deep voice beckoned, and Leo pushed open the door.
I tried not to gasp an awed breath at the exquisite yet efficient style my mother had designed. A mahogany desk sprawled center stage, dividing the space into three distinct areas, the entire wall behind held shelves of books and artifacts I itched to explore. An expensive brown leather sofa and two chairs defined a small but elegant sitting area on the left side of his space, and a small conference table took up the right.
Everything about his office screamed money, power, and extravagance in every little detail down to the expensive pens on his desk and Oriental rug under my feet. There were no windows, which surprised me. You’d think he’d want a view, but maybe he found our world distasteful to stare at during his business day.
“Olivia. Leo. Welcome.” Samuel rose from behind the gargantuan desk, buttoning his jacket as he rounded to greet us.
I didn’t want to touch him. God help me, I didn’t, but I had manners, and they did trump difficult in this case. Leo held my contract, but this man held my mother’s life in his hands.
Warmth encased my palm as Samuel gripped it, and a zing of otherworldly energy tingled over my skin that served as a warning. His tense yet charming smile said he expected me to be trouble.
“Have a seat,” he said.
Samuel returned to his side of the desk as Leo and I sat in the very plush chairs before him. It had to be wrong to contemplate comfort when facing the biggest deal of my life, but the spoiled part of me wanted the comfy blindfold and best cigarettes the firing squad had to offer.
I glanced over at Leo. He sat and adjusted his cuffs, the expression on his face almost impossible to read other than he was pleased to be here.
It dawned on me that this would be the first time I’d catch a glimpse of their true relationship. These two were award-worthy charlatans of the most ancient kind, playing the father-son angle to perfection. But I knew the truth now, and they didn’t have to act. That could work in my favor.
Samuel folded his hands on his desk, that fake smile lingering. “I’m sure Leo has told you the agenda of this meeting?”
“Yes, he has informed me I’m being difficult.”
Samuel waved my words away with an elegant flick of his wrist. “It’s hard to face transition during acquisitions. You’re not the first human—and nor will you be the last—to fuss over the details.”
“I’m sure this chat will serve to smooth things out.”
“Exactly.” Samuel nodded. “There’s no need for the lengths you’ve gone to—Excel spread sheets, budgets, no magic. Those things are trivial and are clouding your judgment from the greater purpose.”
It took every bit of willpower not to shoot Leo an accusing glare. Tattletale. “Maybe you should enlighten me, then.”
“The greater purpose is”—Samuel leaned forward on those folded hands—“your mother’s happiness.”
I steeled myself from the anger that bubbled up. I counted to ten, prayed for luck to hide my thoughts because I wasn’t sure if I was immune here, and tried to tamp down my insolence. Stupid me spoke anyway. “I’m not sure how happy my mother will be when you steal her soul.”
Samuel pursed his lips into a fine line that betrayed his anger.
Leo took my hand and squeezed. Hard.
“Acquire her soul,” I amended, but only because this was a magical zone. Being flamed to dust on the spot wouldn’t save my mom.
The corner of Samuel’s mouth quirked. “It will be a fair acquisition, Olivia. You’ll see that I’ve spared no detail to see to your mother’s comfort and happiness. I promise she’ll be happy.”
As if I’d accept a promise from him. My mother wanted love, not worldly goods. She wanted romance, a partner to cherish her. She wanted the fairytale. How dare he insinuate his “promise” was an equal exchange?
“I want it in writing,” I demanded.
Leo squeezed my hand again, my knuckles cracking under the strain.
Samuel’s fine brows shot up. “I don’t think you’re in a position to demand anything. You have nothing to offer.”
I yanked my hand from Leo’s bruising one. “I beg to differ. We’re here to discuss my level of cooperation. All I want is to see to her safety and happiness, too. Providing a written statement of your intentions would ensure that I help you.” I had no intention of helping them, but the lie sounded good to my ears.
“Perhaps,” Leo interjected loudly as Samuel leaned forward with a glare, “if you’d listen to what Samuel has to say, you’d realize we’re all on the same page.” Leo kicked my leg with one of those pointy designer shoes of his.
I drew in a ragged breath as stars of pain danced in front of my eyes. I nodded, surrendering a fight I couldn’t win. For now.
“Let’s discuss the first point.” Samuel smiled, one that was much friendlier this time. “First, there’s no need for you to worry about what we spend or how we conduct our lives. We don’t want your money.”
“Leo has explained that.”
“Good.” Samuel’s gaze flicked to his spawn. “Leo informs me that you’ve taken a stance of…conserving your soul.”
These two were thick as thieves. I had to shut that down somehow.
I shrugged. “Isn’t it worth more if I make better choices? I can blow through the seven deadly sins and tarnish it to bits, but isn’t it better to keep up the value?”
“It doesn’t work that way.” Several glances were exchanged by the men before Samuel leveled his gaze on me with purpose. “You’re right in that your soul works a little like a reverse mortgage. Each deadly sin you partake in results in a payment that comes off the soul’s total value.”
“So…every time I tarnish my soul by doing something society considers corrupt or wrong, Leo gets an underworld bank payment?” The idea left me a little cold. He must be rolling in the dough with all the sex this week. “What happens when there’s nothing left?”
Samuel smiled like I was a toddler who recognized the difference between green and red. “You’re wrong in assuming your soul holds no value at the end. It still can be sold to the highest bidder. It’s hard to explain, but a pure soul such as yours would still retain a lot of value at the end of a standard contract. In fact…”
He tapped a finger to his chin as if in thought. “You should convince Leo to extend your contract to me at the end. It would be one I’d want to acquir
e. That way, we could keep it all in the family so to speak.”
My skin crawled at Samuel’s creepy words and the icky smile he shot me.
Leo’s sharp inhalation of breath made me jump. He glared, leaned forward, and spat out something pointed in his demonic language.
Samuel’s brown eyes darkened and narrowed as his gaze flickered between Leo and me. He hissed something back, and Leo relaxed.
My, my. I had no clue what that was about. Perhaps my soul was something worth fighting over.
“So, Olivia.” Samuel spun a cufflink, proof of where Leo got another habit from. “Do you understand why we want you to stop fighting the urge to enjoy what your good luck has to offer?”
“Yes.”
Both men heaved a sigh of relief.
“But I’m not doing it.”
Leo kicked me hard this time, his facial expression never changing. I dug my nails into his hand hard enough that he jumped a little.
“There’s no reason to be obstinate,” Samuel chided. “And now that you know the truth, what does it matter if you buy a dozen winning a lotto tickets or if you take the job offer you don’t deserve?” He leaned forward in his chair. “That’s your payout, Olivia. You sold something very cherished and sacred for exactly this burst of luck. Why not enjoy the payoff?”
“I was duped into selling my soul. I was drunk enough that I barely remember the night.” I glanced at Leo. His expression still hadn’t changed. I turned back to Samuel. “I’m not trying to be obstinate. Taking more than I deserve holds no joy for me, given I spent the first half of my life with so little.”
Samuel’s harrumph drifted from his side of the desk. “Most humans from your background would see this opportunity as justice.”
“I see it as waste.”
“Then we’ll need to work on finding a method of tarnishing that works well for you.” Samuel glanced at Leo, then back at me. I couldn’t help but feel some mental words were exchanged. “In any case, you’ll cooperate, follow Leo’s direction, and everything will work out just fine. I promise.”
Again with the promises. I’m sure most humans bought into the lies and reaped the wealth of their trade. “And if I don’t indulge in the little things? What happens?”
