3 Straight by the Rules

by Michelle Scott

  As much as I loved the tea, it reminded me of Helen, and on top of everything else, I didn’t want to think of her right then. “I should get Ariel home,” I said.

  “All right.” He closed his eyes and inhaled the tea again. He looked as thrilled with the tea as Patrick used to be with a new Hermés pocket square. Or, for that matter, as happy as Helen with the piece of the true cross.

  Before I left, I put my hand on his shoulder. “Are you sure you’re okay? You seem tense.”

  His smile fled, and his body stiffened. “I’m fine. I think old age is creeping up on me, that’s all.”

  His warrior face had returned: hard as a brick wall, and twice as difficult to get through. I could only hope that whatever he was dealing with, he wouldn’t choose to face it alone.

  On the way home, Ariel stared moodily out of the car window. All afternoon, she’d hinted to Tommy that he should move back in with us. Now, she was upset by his choice to return to Neil’s couch rather than to his bedroom in our flat.

  “So what about your birthday?” I asked to cheer her up.

  She shrugged.

  “What would you like?”

  She cocked her head, finally interested. “Can I have anything I want?”

  “Within reason.”

  “Okay, then. I want my ears pierced.” She tugged on her lobes. “And I want to get it done at Midtown Ink.”

  Although I worried about encouraging Ari’s fascination with piercings, it was a reasonable request. “Okay. You’ve got it.”

  “Can we go tomorrow?”

  Her birthday was still three weeks away, but we could both use a pick-me-up. “Sure, why not?”

  She leaned back in her seat, smiling. If only my own sadness could be cured by a couple of holes in the soft tissue of my body.

  That night, after I’d tucked Ariel into bed, I smelled something burning. The last time this had happened, my house had been on fire. Terrified, I raced into the kitchen to find the source of the smoke.

  Sitting on the countertop was a white-frosted cake with a single, lit candle in the middle, and a jewelry box in my favorite color: Tiffany blue.

  William, you devil, I thought as I blew out the candle. Before I opened the box, I swiped some frosting from the cake. It tasted light and not overly sweet, and it melted slowly on my tongue. I groaned with pleasure.

  I considered eating an entire slice, but the jewelry box beckoned. Inside was a beautiful pair of silver-and-ruby earrings with a matching necklace. I hurried to the bedroom to try them on in front of the mirror. After twisting my hair into a knot and securing it with a clip, I slipped the earrings into my lobes. As I struggled to fasten the necklace, I felt a delectable, otherworldly shimmer coming from the doorway near my bed.

  “Shall l help you?” William stood behind me.

  I surrendered the necklace. As he fastened the clasp, he kissed me lightly on the back of the neck, sending a thrill down my spine. “Happy birthday.”

  “Thank you so much!” I admired myself in the mirror. Even though ruby was my birthstone, I’d never been fond of it. To me, most ruby jewelry appeared garish. But the stones in this necklace and earrings had been placed within simple, teardrop settings. “They’re beautiful.”

  “So are you.” William wrapped his arms around my waist. As I gazed at our reflections in the mirror, he nuzzled my neck again. I closed my eyes as his kisses trailed down my shoulder. This was the blissful ending I needed to make up for a truly awful weekend.

  When he broke off his caresses, I said, “I’m sorry I had to cancel on you last night.”

  “I was very disappointed,” he admitted. “And I almost ran into your stepsister and that young man you’re all so fond of.” His tone darkened. “I thought you said he wouldn’t be around.”

  “Don’t worry. He moved out. He said he couldn’t stand all the estrogen in the apartment.”

  “Good.” William slipped off his shoes and stretched out on my bed. He patted the spot next to him and gave me a salacious smile. “Come join me.” When I refused, he made adorable puppy eyes. “Please, Lil? I’m lonely.”

  “So get a cat,” I told him, but I relented and sat on the edge of the bed.

  “What did you end up doing instead of making me dinner?” he asked.

  “Ever hear of nyotaimori?”

  “ Yes.” He started to laugh, but then stopped. “Wait. Is that what you were doing last night?”

  “Yes. Just me, several hundred pieces of sushi, and a roomful of strangers.” I explained about Barb and Milo, the leg cramps, the sickening smell of fish, and the leers and double entendres. As I talked, the angry blaze in William’s eyes grew brighter and brighter.

  Wanting to calm him down, I finished by saying, “Don’t worry. Nothing bad happened.”

  “Nothing bad happened?” He grabbed a throw pillow and wrung it so hard that a seam popped. “You were lying exposed in a roomful of strange men who propositioned you, and you’re telling me nothing bad happened?”

  He was right, of course. Even being held hostage by a pair of crazy men with guns had not made me feel as dirty. “I guess it could have been worse,” I said. “No one touched me.”

  “They certainly wanted to. And if you hadn’t left the party when you did, who knows what they might have tried?” He flung the pillow aside and stood up. “I’m going to talk to Helen.”

  It wasn’t the first time he’d appointed himself as my protector. But while I appreciated his concern, I needed him to be careful. “Wait!’ I tugged on his hand to make him sit back down. “If Helen thinks we’re ganging up on her, she’ll retaliate against me. I don’t want her adding more clauses to my contract.” That fear kept me awake most nights.

  “She can’t do that,” William said. “She’s as bound by those contracts as we are.”

  That was a comfort, but a small one.

  He took my hands. “Listen to me very carefully. I know you want to get out of your contract, but you have to stop being so openly combative. Helen wants to prove that you’re still in her power. If you don’t back down, she’ll destroy you!”

  “I’m not giving up,” I said savagely. “I will find a way to beat her.”

  He let go of my hands. “Don’t you care at all about me?”

  “About you?” Typical, arrogant William! “How is this about you?”

  “Because you’ve made me care about you!” His angry expression softened. “And now that I…”

  He was about to say the ‘L’ word, I just knew it. I held my breath.

  “…that I have grown fond of you…”

  I sighed, disappointed.

  “…I can’t bear the idea of losing you.” He cupped my face in his hands. “If you care about me, then promise you won’t defy Helen.” He kissed me softly.

  I broke off our kiss. “I can’t promise that.”

  “You foolish, stubborn woman!” He jumped off the bed. “You’ve won your daughter’s freedom. Consider that good enough and move on!”

  “You don’t understand! I saved Grace, but now Helen is forcing me to get…”

  Drinking Tea let out a bloodcurdling yowl and raced into the room. A moment later, something scampered onto the bed and leapt upon my back.

  I shrieked in alarm. In the mirror above the vanity, I saw a blue, lizard-like creature clinging to my shoulders. Pinpricks of pain stabbed me as the thing’s talons dug into my skin. I tried to bat it away. “Get it off! Get it off!!”

  William yanked on the creature, but its nails were fastened to my silk blouse. He had to remove it one clawed foot at a time.

  “Hurry,” I begged.

  When William freed the creature from my blouse, he pinned it tightly behind the head so he wouldn’t get bitten. “It’s a minor demon,” he told me. The creature’s forked tail thrashed madly, and its globular eyes bulged with outraged. It hissed, revealing rows of needle-sharp teeth.

  I shrank away from it. “Did Helen send it after me?”

  William la
ughed. “I doubt it. This thing is more like a puppy than a berserker. It probably saw a doorway and got curious.” He rubbed its head, making the little monster hiss again. “Although, they’re generally attracted to new doorways, not old ones.”

  “There is a new doorway,” I said.

  I dragged him to the living room. In the time since I’d last checked, the door had grown to full size. William frowned and looked around the room. “There’s your problem.” He pointed to the TV. “You blocked the old door, so a new one opened up. You can’t get rid of doorways simply by putting things in front of them.”

  Terrific. Now my apartment had three doorways to Hell instead of two.

  I eyed the new doorway suspiciously. “What if something else comes through there?”

  William shrugged. “Just shove it back.”

  The demon in William’s hands continued to hiss and writhe. “What do we do with that thing?” I asked.

  “We could drown it I suppose.” William put the creature’s face dangerously close to his own and laughed when it snapped at him. “But I think I’ll keep it.”

  “Are you kidding me?” I asked.

  “You said I needed a pet.”

  “A cat, William! Not a demon.”

  “She’ll be good company.”

  “How do you know it’s a her?”

  “My incubus always knows when he’s in the presence of a lady.” He stroked the thing’s leathery back. It drooped in his hands.

  I risked coming closer. “Is it falling asleep?”

  “I think it may be dying!” He hustled through the otherworld doorway, and I followed him. Almost immediately, the creature perked up. Its pointed ears lifted, and it blinked. “It must be a very young demon,” William said. “The very young ones and the very old ones can’t survive in the human realm for very long.”

  I tried touching its head with the tip of my finger, but it snapped at me, and I jerked back. “What about other demons?”

  “Neither demons nor angels can stay on Earth for extended periods. Even our demons are weaker on this side of the doorways. “ So that explained why my succubus was so much stronger when we were in Hell. “It takes a surprising amount of energy for you and I to sustain our demons,” he continued. “Which is why we can eat whatever we want without gaining an ounce.”

  As far as I was concerned, that was the only benefit of working for Helen.

  William smiled at the small demon. “So do you mind if I take her? I mean, if you want to keep her, she’s technically yours.”

  I held up my hands and backed away. “Please, be my guest.”

  “Thank you.” He kissed my cheek. “Happy birthday, Lil,” he said, then walked away, murmuring to his new best friend.

  Chapter Seven

  The next morning, I awoke to the sound of cupboard doors slamming. Putting on my robe, I headed into the kitchen and found Jasmine attempting to make coffee. Paper filters, measuring spoons, and a spilled bag of coffee beans covered the countertop. Both taps to the kitchen sink were turned full on, overfilling the glass carafe sitting beneath the flowing water.

  It wasn’t even seven. Normally, Jas didn’t get up before noon. “Did you go to bed last night?” I asked. Back when she’d been hitting the clubs, Jasmine wouldn’t go to sleep until the sun rose. It had been like living with a vampire.

  “I have a second job interview today,” she snapped. She opened another cupboard. “Why can’t you buy ground coffee like a normal person? I can’t find the grinder anywhere.”

  “Let me guess,” I said. “You’re upset?”

  “Tommy and I had another fight last night.” Jasmine huffed in annoyance. “I swear that’s all we do anymore.”

  “Take a seat. I’ll make the coffee.” I turned off the water, found the grinder, added the beans, and started up the machine. “What was it this time?” I had to raise my voice to be heard above the racket.

  “After the party yesterday, I dropped Tommy off at Metro Ink and finally saw that stupid couch he’s been sleeping on. The thing’s a piece of junk, and it’s giving him a terrible backache.”

  Poor Tommy. As if he wasn’t in enough pain already. “Tell him to come back here.”

  “Thank you, Queen Obvious, because I never thought of that.” She glared at me. “He won’t do it. Not even when I promised we’d leave him alone. I told him he was being ridiculous, and then he said I needed to relax, and well… ” She pressed her lips together.

  I poured the ground coffee into the maker and added water. “Evelyn offered to let him stay there.”

  “You saw how Daddy acted yesterday. I don’t think he’s up for company right now.”

  Good point.

  After Tommy’s heroic crossing of three continents to save Jasmine from a disastrous engagement, I’d hoped he and my stepsister would have a fairytale, happily-ever-after kind of ending. It broke my heart to see that wasn’t happening.

  While Jasmine brooded, I poured two cups of coffee. “He probably needs some time to get his head straight. After all, he’s been through a lot lately.”

  She bit her lower lip. “You know what I think?” She raised her miserable eyes to meet mine. “I think he’s still in love with you.”

  “Jas, he was never in love with me!” We’d slept together only because Helen had ordered it, and because my succubus was very good at her job. As much as I wanted to reassure Jas, however, I couldn’t give away my secret. I reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “He loves you Jas. I know he does. Just give it some time.”

  Ariel came into the kitchen. She was already dressed, which surprised me because there was no basketball camp on Mondays. “You’re still in your robe,” she said, stricken. “We need to leave.”

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  “To get my ears pierced!”

  I reminded her Metro Ink didn’t open until ten.

  “Ten!” Ari flung herself into a chair. “That’s, like, forever.”

  “Get used to disappointment,” Jasmine said, “because life is full of it.” She stared at her coffee mug. “Once you get your ears pierced, you’re going to find this perfect pair of earrings. You’ll want those earrings more than anything else in the world because they’re so amazing. They’ll have this beautiful spirit, and you’ll feel like you’ll die if you can’t wear them all the time. But then someone will steal those earrings away from you, and you’ll be forced to watch her wear them every day while you’ve got nothing.”

  I cringed. “Maybe that woman knows stealing those earrings was a huge mistake. Maybe she’s really, really sorry, and she’s trying hard to give those earrings back.”

  “Give them back? She shouldn’t have taken them in the first place!” Jasmine clenched her mug with both hands.

  Ariel’s eyes traveled from me to Jasmine and back again.

  My voice had been tuning itself tighter and tighter, so I forced it into a normal register. “I know for a fact that those earrings want to be with you,” I said. “But right now, they’re in a bad place. I think they feel awful that they ended up in the wrong pair of ears.”

  Jas’s eyes brimmed. “Sometimes I hate those earrings as much as I hate the woman who took them.” I flinched. “But then I realize even the best earrings can make a mistake, and they’ve been working really hard to make things better.” Her eyes met mine. “And even though that woman flat out sucks, she also had a really, really bad year, so maybe she wasn’t thinking straight. Plus, she’s insane, and that doesn’t help.”

  Ariel crossed her arms over her chest and looked at us in disgust. “Well, I think you both are insane, you know that? In. sane.” She stomped out of the kitchen.

  “Thank you, Jas.” I touched her hand. “You can’t possibly know how much that means to me. I’ll do whatever I can to make things right.”

  She nodded. “All I want is to have Tommy back.”

  That made two of us.

  The conversation with Jas had drained me, and I retreated int
o my bedroom to collect myself.

  Everything I’d told her about Tommy was true. He wanted to be with her. I could feel it whenever the two of them were together. At the same time, however, something was bothering him. Maybe Jas was right; maybe my inner demon played into this.

  Frustrated, I took the notebook from my nightstand and studied my list of goals. Seeing the reminder about birth control, I dialed my doctor. Since the divorce, I hadn’t been on the pill, but luckily, I’d already had my yearly physical, so I was able to get a refill over the phone.

  Although crossing one item off the list made me feel better, the sight of all the others filled me with despair. I chewed my much-nibbled pen, thinking. If I was planning a holiday party instead of a way to thwart the Devil, I would tell myself that in order to succeed, my goals needed to be more manageable. After all, I was only mortal. So, I crossed out one task and wrote another in its place:

  - Keep Grace safe

  - Get out of the damned contract

  - Destroy Helen Spry

  - Get a Prescription for Birth Control

  - Get Tommy and Jasmine together

  Unfortunately, changing the list didn’t brighten my mood. Even if I used my succubus to charm Tommy and Jas into becoming a couple, it wouldn’t work for long. The demon realm alienated people; it didn’t bring them together.

  Defeated, I put the book away. I logged onto my laptop, hoping to find an e-mail from Grace. To my amazement, when I clicked on my inbox, I found 140 unopened messages. Generally, I didn’t receive 140 messages in an entire month. I groaned, wondering if my computer had caught a virus.

  I cautiously clicked on the first message. It opened to show a somewhat blurry picture of a sandy-haired man wearing sunglasses. Under the picture was the message: Randy K. loves to live hard and play harder. He can’t wait to meet you!

  What the hell? I clicked on the next message. This one contained a portrait of a gaunt man wearing an old-fashioned smoking jacket. The message said: Chester L. can be rough, but oh-so gentle. He wants a woman who can take his kicks.