by Liddie Cain
“I am Felix.” His voice was deep.
“I am Rozalyn.” I braced myself against the simmering power that surrounded him. “What are you?”
His grin made him impossibly more good looking. “Oh, but what are you?”
“I’m human.”
“A unique one, then. Other humans would not have the slightest clue a demon stood before them.”
“Demon?”
“Demon,” he confirmed. He lifted one eyebrow. “I can grow the horns and produce the smell of brimstone if you need proof.”
The idea caught my interest. He seemed to realize I was thinking about it when I hesitated, because he laughed in surprise.
Brinna pushed open the door. He glanced over his shoulder, and the power around him flared out, making me gasp. She stepped back. “She is protected.”
“By both of us, heavenly creature.”
She gave a quick nod before the door again snapped shut without being touched. He turned his attention back to me.
I was breathing through my mouth, my senses reeling from the power that hovered in the air in my office.
“Your vampire is coming. He senses your distress.”
“Is that bad?”
The door knob rattled and Felix gestured over his shoulder with another enticing grin. “No. It’s good that he takes care of his people. I like having responsible ones in my dominion.”
“You are his ruler?”
“Yes. I am his boss.”
Mac called out my name through the door and Felix flared power out again. It made me visibly shiver.
“I made him go back outside, but he will linger until he can check on you. He cares about you personally?”
“We were together when he was human.”
“And now?”
“We are not.”
He closed the distance between us.
“I came because the angel getting involved was interesting. But you are a surprise. I did not realize you would be even more interesting.”
“Big first for me too here, a demon in my office.”
His smile enticed my own in response.
“What do you do now that an actual demon is in your office?”
“I don’t think I get to decide.”
“Incorrect. What you decide means all. You can listen to that fear that dominates your thoughts and send me out of here just as I sent away the vampire. That would be bold. Or you can lean into that primal attraction you feel to a lesser degree than your fear. This would also be bold. Or you can play it safe and wait for me to make my own decision to go.”
“And you would just leave if I said so?”
“Immediately. I have no wish to harm you. I am in this room with you because you intrigued me.”
“Go,” I said firmly.
He laughed, but the door immediately opened. “I hope we meet again.”
Brinna was watching carefully as he walked back out of my office. I made eye contact with her and nodded, reassuring her that I was fine. But I regretted my choice. Before he made it out the door, I called to him. “Felix.”
He turned to look at me.
“Come into my office.”
A mischievous expression accompanied his grin as he walked back toward me. “Don’t take it back.”
I shrugged one shoulder as I sat back on the edge of my desk. “Don’t make me take it back.”
He swept into the office, and the door shut and locked itself. He loomed over me without touching me as I remained perched on the edge of my desk.
“Human, show me why you bid me to return.”
My boldness faded; it was too out of character for me to maintain for long. He raised his eyebrows like he would taunt me. I narrowed my eyes. Why did I want him to return? Because I wanted to touch him.
I reached out and smoothed my hands down his sides. He just watched my face without moving. My fingers strayed underneath his shirt and I caressed his back. His body was warm and firm. My touch traveled from his back, across his ribs, and over his chest. He made a small grunt then grasped the hem of his shirt and pulled it up over his head, tossing it on the floor.
I stopped. Because he was beautiful. And because of my feelings for Mac.
“I cannot read your exact thoughts, but I sense your guilt. Over the vampire?”
I nodded but didn’t move my hands off of his chest.
“Monogamy is a human societal stipulation we do not practice.”
That took me by surprise for a moment, even if it made sense. He nodded. “Nothing you do with me is related to what you feel for him. If you want a relationship with him in the future, I will be happy for you. He is not offended. Once your distress turned into arousal he was relieved and left.”
He still hadn’t tried to touch me, letting me take the lead and make all the decisions. Even now, he waited patiently for me to decide what I wanted. Which was him.
I leaned in, kissing his chest. I traced the tip of my tongue across his nipple. He breathed out more deeply and laid one hand against my waist. I stood up, kissing across his collar bone. I flicked my tongue up the side of his neck, and he gave a small growl.
I leaned back, pushing the shoulder of my dress down over one arm then the other. I eased the fabric slowly down my body until it fell onto the floor. He watched me intently. Then he took control. He grasped the hair on the back of my head and hovered his mouth above mine.
“Say my name again.”
“Felix,” I said breathlessly.
His mouth caressed mine. His large hands roamed across my body. He unclasped my bra and tossed over his shoulder. I laughed softly for a second before he ducked his head and pulled my breast into his mouth. My body arched up against him, my fingers digging into his hair. He was relentless. His mouth toyed with me, hard enough to bring it to the edge of pain, but it only gave more pleasure. I moaned, moving my body sensually up toward him.
He pulled his mouth away from my breast and captured my mouth again, jerking my body against his and holding me tightly while he kissed me more intensely. I loved the sensation of his bare skin against mine. My hands trailed down his back to grip his backside through his pants. He made an amused grunt into my mouth and slowed his kiss, until finally pulling away and meeting my gaze. The look was almost sweet and made me smile affectionately at him.
“I like you looking at me that way.”
His fingers trailed along my cheek and back into my hair, stroking it back over my ear. The sweetness was unexpected and I melted for it. Then that hand slid around to the back of my head and gripped my hair tightly again, jerking me backward slightly and making me suck a breath over my parted lips. I watched his face as he watched mine.
He growled, “But that look, I love that look.”
With great care, his lips traveled down the side of my neck and kept going. They teased each breast before caressing across my stomach. My panties were tugged down and they, along with my shoes, joined the discarded clothing pile on the floor. The rest of his clothes were quickly tossed there next, and I got my first full view of his body.
His body was more than perfect. It wasn’t the type that appeared carefully crafted by a personal trainer with abs and a narrow waist. It was the broad and solid body that someone who did a lot of physical labor got. His stomach was flat with just enough definition in his upper abs. His chest, arms and especially shoulders were well defined. I looked lower.
He was upright and firm and larger than any man I had touched before. I closed my fingers around him. His breath deepened. I caressed him, up and down then cupped him in both of my hands and stroked them back and forth, adding more pressure with each stroke. His hips began to thrust into my hands. He dipped his face to mine and kissed me deeply as I stroked him. His hands found my breasts and teased the peaks, making my hands waver as the sensations shot through my body. His lips smiled against mine.
Then he grasped his hands around my waist and lifted me, sitting me on the edge of the desk. He kneeled in front of m
e and picked my legs up, laying them over his shoulders. He trailed his lips and chin against my inner thigh. There was just enough stubble on his face to scrape across my skin in a pleasurable way.
“Rozalyn,” he growled out as he rubbed his face against my thigh. “I am powerful. Underlings fear my anger.”
He switched to the other thigh, trailing his tongue down it and making me shiver.
“I am the archdemon of the entire southern dominion.” He hovered his face over my center. “And you have me on my knees for you.”
He grinned. Then he leaned in and tasted me. I almost arched off the desk. He gripped my hips, keeping me still as his mouth and tongue found the most sensitive part of me. I tried to keep myself from moaning too loudly, but some cries of pleasure spilled out across my lips as my body started tightening. He gripped my hips harder, jerking me against his mouth more firmly. Then he growled against me, and I lost all control. My pleasure exploded over that peak, and I tightened my legs around his shoulders, riding the wave with unhindered moans. He did not give me any mercy, his mouth and tongue continuing to tease and bringing me back over that peak a second time. Power pulsated around both of us, and it was almost as intoxicating as his touch. It was more than I could take, and I reached out to push his face back. I was panting, looking down at his smiling face, which was wet from his attention to me.
“My turn,” he said with a sinister hint to his tone. I liked that little allusion of danger way more than I would admit.
He stood, lifting me up with him. I wrapped my legs around him. He adjusted his grip to my hips to angle me then slid me down onto him achingly slow. It was a tight fit for me, and he paused once he was fully inside me so I could get comfortable with his size. He walked around the desk, holding me there easily and sat down in my office chair, settling my legs over the arms of the chair.
“Move for me, Roz. I don’t want to hurt you.”
I braced my hands on the back of the chair behind his head. My legs swung over the arms, giving me the right leverage. I rose up and down, feeling him slide out and back in. He gritted his teeth and nodded at me. I moved again and again, going faster as I dared. His eyes were closed, and that allowed me to grow bolder. I thrust myself on and off of him even faster, no longer conscious of how it made me look. I panted as the minutes stretched on. Then he grabbed my waist and did the lifting for me, slamming me back down on him harder and harder. I could tell by the tension in his body that he was getting closer, his eyes still shut. I leaned my face towards his and gripped his hair harshly. His eyes opened halfway and met mine.
“Claim me then, Felix.”
He half moaned, half growled. He wrapped an arm around my back and shoved up from the chair, slamming me down onto the desk again so he could use his strength to thrust into me. I released his hair and dug my grip into his shoulders as he leaned over me. He moved inhumanly fast and brought me to my own peak without warning. I cried out, and he kept going. Then with one last burst of speed, he moaned loud and spilled his seed and his power all inside of me. My vision left me as that surge of power swept through me. I could hear his moans from a distance.
Images flashed in my mind. A river with a child standing on the bank. Birds taking to the wing from a tree limb viewed through a window. The reaching hand of a woman outstretched toward me.
Felix scooped me back up and cradled me against him in the chair again and brought me back to the present. He brought our mouths together, and we kissed gently.
“What a surprise you are,” he whispered against my forehead and I breathed in the moment.
Soon, though, he pointed at the door. “I need to show them you’re alive. They are getting concerned.”
The blush instantly rose to my face. “O,h damn. They all heard me. I never do anything like this, and they’re gonna think I’ve lost it.”
He chuckled as he stood up and set me back in the chair behind him. “They heard nothing. I took care of it.”
“Oh.” I breathed out a sigh of relief as he started passing my clothing to me.
“But it kept them from being able to sense you at all, so they are worried I disappeared with you.”
“Okay, I’m hurrying.” But both of us ended up hindering the other from putting clothes back on with playful touches. My makeup was hopeless, so I just cleaned off the smudges. Felix helped me smooth my hair.
When we were presentable, he pulled me into his arms and gave me a soft, lingering kiss.
“I will return to you soon. When I leave, they will be able to sense you again.”
“So what you are so sweetly telling me is that you’re going to let me face them alone?”
“Oh yes, I definitely am.” He grinned.
“Coward.”
He laughed and stepped back. “I make up for it in other ways, right?”
“I’ll need more data to reach a conclusion.”
“I will give you more data than you can take.” He winked. Then he disappeared.
Mac opened the door to my office instantly. Relief washed across his face as soon as he made eye contact with me. Brinna stepped in behind him, though her face remained neutral. “You are unharmed?”
I nodded, feeling way too awkward to actually speak right then.
She smiled and left again, pulling the door shut behind her with Mac still in the office with me.
“Mac, I’m sorry. I didn’t know until he was leaving that he had done something where you couldn’t sense me anymore.”
But his face was distracted. “You had sex with Felix?”
Stunned, I just stared at him. He had been looking around the room, and when he looked back at me, he immediately looked contrite. “I’m sorry. That was blunt. I can still smell your pheromones, and I was surprised.”
“Are you angry?”
“No! Of course not. Just surprised. Felix is picky, and you are, well…”
“Not very promiscuous?”
He smiled and gave a half nod. “I was going to say you normally only do that with people you are in a relationship with.”
I walked over and sank down into my office chair, trying not to think about what had been happening in it just a few minutes ago. Mac moved over and sat on the edge of my desk.
“Is it okay for me to talk about it with you?” I asked him.
“Of course.”
It was hard to believe that I wouldn’t see some negative emotion or expression, but he looked at me the same way he had been, and his smiles were genuine. “It took me by surprise. He frightened me at first.”
Mac nodded. “His power can be overwhelming.”
“Are there many like him?”
“Not many with that kind of strength. Felix is one of the top players that roam top side.”
And you have me on my knees for you… His voice repeated in my mind and I smiled. Mac noticed.
“You liked him.”
“I did.”
He reached over and took my hand, telling me with an earnest voice, “Good.”
I squeezed his hand back, then kept holding it even as the moment passed. Then I thought of the images that flashed through my mind when I was with Felix.
“After we, you know… there was a pretty big surge of power from him that channeled into me. I saw images in my mind like they were memories, but they weren’t mine. I didn’t know the faces I saw.”
Mac looked thoughtful. “Might be some of his?”
“Maybe. I would have talked to him about it, but I got distracted when he said you were worried.”
“Sorry about that. I didn’t know what it meant.”
He gave my hand one last squeeze then released it and stood. “All right, time to get back to business for both of us. Can you come to my house this evening?”
“Yeah, I will let you know when I’m headed over.”
“Great. But… ” He reached into his pocket, pulled out a key, and held it out for me to take.
I reached out and took it, my eyebrows raised in question.
>
“Your key to my place. You need it for the donation program of course, but you are also welcome to be there whenever you wish.”
“Thanks, Mac,” I called as he waved and headed out.
The rest of the work day was drastically less eventful except for a delivery of a chocolate dipped fruit arrangement from Felix at the end of the day. When I opened the card, thankfully in the privacy of my office, I burst out laughing.
You tasted better than these. Felix.
I was still grinning as I took a bite of a chocolate covered strawberry. How very demonic of him.
Darby, finished with her clients, came into my office. “Yummm!” she exclaimed, immediately starting to help herself as I nudged them closer to her. “Who are these from?”
I just started giggling. It took a few minutes to fill her in on everything.
“And you just... had sex with some big powerful demon you had known for ten seconds?” Her incredulous expression made me laugh even more.
“Yep. Wait, look at the card.”
I pushed it across the desk. She leaned in to see it, then sat back with her mouth wide open.
“Roz!”
“I know!”
Then both of us dissolved into laughter.
“Was the sex good?” she asked.
“Hell yeah, it was.”
“Literally.”
And both of us were lost to laughter again. We got everything ready for closing, me shushing her after we left my office so she wouldn’t talk about Felix in front of Brinna. The angel remained calmly neutral and simply stuck by us as we headed out to the parking lot. After Darby had left, I looked at Brinna.
“Thank you for being here to keep everyone safe.”
She smiled and nodded.
“And, uh, sorry if the whole associating with a demon thing is offensive.”
“Felix is a friend.”
“Oh, I didn’t know.”
“Safe travels, Rozalyn.” She ended the conversation quickly, but pleasantly, and blinked out of sight.
I headed home before going to Mac’s. I wanted to take time to change clothes and make some dinner. My parents and Darby were all sitting in the living room looking at me as I came through the front door.
