Lust

by L-J Baker

  "Sure, I do work, smart ass. Finish up your watered down tequila and we can get to it."

  "It's not watered down. It's ginger ale. Sorry I'm not a fan of that nasty shit you drink."

  Luc held his hand over his heart. "You did not just call my perfectly aged bourbon, nasty shit?"

  "I did. I'm guessing you had some sort of accident, or illness, so you can't taste how bad it actually is. So really, it's probably not your fault." She gulped down the rest of her drink and pushed the glass at him. "Okay, done. Let's get to work."

  Luc stared at her for a long moment.

  She didn't like his favorite drink. She enjoyed ice skating, something he wasn't a fan of. He wondered what else they wouldn't agree on. So far, it wasn't looking good. But then when he looked at her, none of it mattered. The pull between them was strong enough that he could drink a tequila with ginger ale and be perfectly satisfied.

  At least as far as alcohol went.

  "Try not to get in the way." Luc got up and headed for the storeroom out back, without turning to see if she was following. He didn't need to. He could feel the pull of her behind him and he wondered if she felt it too.

  This was going to be an interesting week.

  It took everything she had in her to keep focused on work. The drinking didn't help. She was going to have to limit her alcohol intake around him, or she was going to need that second week, not because she couldn't take notes, but because she spent the whole first week day dreaming about having him bend her over one of these cases of whiskey to take her from behind.

  He led her toward a delivery bay where a tough looking blond chick was arguing with some dude twice her size. He literally looked like he could break her in half, but she wasn't backing down. Anna couldn't help but admire that kind of spunk.

  "Sorry about this. I have to see what's going on," Luc said, turning to speak to her.

  "Don't apologize. You're supposed to be doing what you would normally be doing, so ignore me and have at it."

  He smiled and nodded, then composed himself into he professional businessman, and headed down the the two arguing.

  "Amanda, Xavier, what is going on?"

  There was a look that passed between Luc and the woman when she noticed Anna standing behind Luc like some lost puppy dog. It was the kind of look exes gave each other when they saw them with someone new. There was definitely a vibe between them, but it was none of her business. She was there to observe, not get into his personal business.

  "He unloaded my shit and now he's saying I was short a box. I'm never short. I counted it myself." She stood with one hand on her hip and the other balled into a fist at her side. She didn't look like the kind of girl you messed with, even if you were a six foot six dude, who weighed at least two-eighty.

  "Everyone makes mistakes." Xavier wasn't backing down.

  "That includes you," Luc said to the large man. "If Amanda says there was another box, then I'm sure there was. Go back and recount them."

  The guy looked like he was about to argue, but Luc pressed his lips together and started right at him. The guy stood his ground for another few seconds, then let out a puff of air, and stormed off.

  "Sorry about that. Xavier is new here. We've had some turnover since you started delivering here."

  "That's fine," she said, looking past him and sizing Anna up. "She new too?"

  "No. This is Annalee James." Luc held his arm out welcoming her over. "She's an up and coming journalist for City Life Magazine. She's doing a story on me."

  "Amanda Mitchell." She held her hand out and Anna took it for a quick shake. "Good luck with the story. Just watch out for this one's charm." She motioned her thumb in Luc's direction and smiled.

  "Maybe I should interview you, get some opinions from others who work with Luc," Anna said, more because she was curious about the woman, but it wouldn't be a bad idea either.

  "Sounds great." Amanda handed her a business card just as the big guy returned.

  "I miscounted. Sorry." He kept his head bowed, avoiding looking at Amanda, or Luc.

  "See," Luc said. "All fixed." Xavier stalked away, mumbling something under his breath that caught Luc's attention. He didn't say anything, but Anna got the idea that it wouldn't be left that way.

  "All good?" Luc asked Amanda and she nodded, handing over a clipboard for him to sign.

  She paused a moment, like she wanted to say something more, but stopped herself. Luc had the same look about him, but she let it drop, and was out the door before he could stop her.

  "You and her have a thing going on?" Anna asked as he watched Amanda get into her van and pull away.

  "There was something, for like a minute, but we weren't right for each other. She's on a different path." He took her arm and led her out of the delivery bay.

  "Do you regret it?"

  He stopped and looked at her, no, more searched her, like he was digging into her soul, trying to find some answer that she didn't have.

  "No," he said, finally, putting both hands on her arms. "If Amanda and I tried to make things work, I would never have met you. That, I would have regretted."

  The whole thing only lasted about thirty seconds, but it felt much longer. The impact remained, long after he let go and started off toward the way back again. She could still feel his hands gripping her arms, feel the warmth of his breath on her face, sense the connection between them that she'd thought she imagined. It was more than she expected and she wasn't sure what to make of it.

  They'd only met yesterday and she'd spent most of the time since having dirty thoughts about him. But that, just now, that was something else, something she didn't know how to define, and she wasn't sure if she should be afraid of it, or welcome it.

  "We get several deliveries a week, from each of a few vendors we use," Luc started talking, but she was only half absorbing the information. "Amanda is one of the smaller ones, local stuff mostly, but the patrons like what she brings us. Harley usually handles most of that stuff, but the other day-bartender called out today, so she needs to stay up there."

  "I bet this place goes through a lot of alcohol," she said, trying to make it seem like she hadn't just been thrown off her axis, and tossed into the twilight zone.

  "We do, yeah, but also a lot of bottled water and soda. The place gets busy at night and weekends are insane."

  They passed several employees as they walked. A few stopped Luc to ask him questions, or to have him sign something. One said he needed to speak with him privately later. And another just wanted to flirt with him. He was cordial, but firm, every bit the serious businessman that he looked in his expensive suit.

  "This is where the magic happens." He led her into a small office, that didn't look anywhere near lavish enough for someone of his status.

  The room was just big enough to have a large desk, a few chairs, a small sofa, and a mini-bar. She should have guessed there would be alcohol there as well. The guy drank like an alcoholic so far in the short time she'd known him. She would probably leave that impression out of her article though.

  "This place is huge. Couldn't you have found a bigger workspace?" She wandered around the small room and looked at the art hanging around them. The artist was talented. Each piece invited you in, caught your attention, and made the kind of impression that left you wanting to know more.

  "I didn't need more. This works." Luc shrugged and sat on the corner of his desk.

  Anna stopped to admire a framed sketch of Luc overlooking a cliff, in what appeared to be paradise. "You know the artist?"

  "Valerie Kensington, yes. She's very talented.

  "Another ex-girlfriend?"

  "I wouldn't call her that." Luc frowned and crossed his arms over his chest.

  "What would you call her?"

  "Someone I was lucky enough to get to know for a short while."

  "What will you say about me, after I'm gone, and someone asks about the girl who wrote the article about you?" Anna turned to look at him.

&n
bsp; "I don't know yet." He pushed off the desk and came over to her. He put one hand up to her face and pulled it toward his. "I'll have to get back to you on that."

  Anna's heart jumped into overdrive and her breathing became shallow. Her body was screaming for more contact, but he hovered just inches away, showing no signs of taking it further. If she read him right, he could wait there all night. She had no such patience.

  She slipped her hand behind his neck and pulled his mouth down on hers. He needed no further encouragement, taking control of the kiss, and making her legs go weak. If that was how he kissed, she wasn't sure she would survive more, but she damn sure wanted to find out.

  Much sooner than she wanted, he pulled back, and broke the kiss. She was literally panting, silently begging for him to continue. He smiled, that sexy, half-smile, that told her he knew exactly what effect he had on her. Normally, she liked having the upper hand, making guys crawl on their knees to her, beg her for more. There was none of that here. She would gladly be the one on her knees.

  He ran his thumb over her bottom lip, wetting it with their mixed saliva, then pulled her hard against him, crushing their bodies together. His arousal was pinned between them, proving to her that she wasn't the only one who wanted more. He'd done it on purpose, for just that reason. He wanted her to know the effect she had on him as well.

  Anna glanced at the door and wondered if it locked. How long before someone would come looking for them? Would a quickie in his tiny office even be enough to satisfy her? Not that she had anything against quickies, but the intensity of her desire for him told her she needed more, more than a few minutes of intense fucking, more than whatever they could squeeze in before someone knocked on the door. She wanted hours, maybe even days, to explore his body, milk the electricity between them for all it was worth.

  Luc turned, to follow her gaze. His smile widened, spanning his face from ear, to ear. He knew exactly what she was thinking and he liked the idea.

  "Is this a part of your daily routine?" she asked him, her voice barely above a whisper, and her heart still slamming against her chest.

  "No, but I wouldn't mind making it one."

  They stood there, locked in that moment, both wanting more, neither taking the step to make it happen. She expected he would, after they kissed, but he didn't. He waited, as he had with the kiss. Was he expecting her to make the first move, to decide it was what she wanted? He had to know she had no doubts.

  She glanced at the door again.

  The heat in her middle spread. Her arms tingled and her fingers felt numb. She'd never wanted anyone so badly in her life, yet she stood there, looking at him, watching his eyes as they focused on her lips. She could tell him to fuck her and that would be it. It would be enough. But her voice refused to cooperate. She could grab his cock, feel him through his pants, and her intentions would be clear, but she didn't.

  Minutes ticked by, and they stood there, locked in an embrace, staring into each other, hearts jacked up, breathing in pants. The mutual desire laid in the air like a thick blanket, weighing her down. She wasn't shy, and she had no problem letting a man know exactly what she wanted, but for some reason, with Luc, she couldn't seem to take the jump.

  Just when she thought she would scream, or finally push him down on the couch to climb in his lap, there was a knock on the door, followed by a blond guy poking his head into the office.

  "Hey Luc, do you got a—"

  Luc didn't move. He didn't let her go, or stop looking at her lips. He did smile, which made her smile, and they knew their moment was over. She wiggled out of his arms and crossed her own over her chest.

  "Sorry, I didn't realize you had company." The guy tried to leave, but Luc stopped him.

  "It's fine. Come in." Luc walked behind the desk and pulled out a couple water bottles from a small fridge. He handed her one and drank down half of his own. "This is my brother, Azrael."

  "Az." The guy stepped forward and extended a hand, which she shook, hoping her face wasn't as red as it felt.

  "Az, this is Annalee James. She's writing the article I told you about."

  "Ah," he said and nodded his head. "Nice to meet you." He held her hand a moment too long, then turned to Luc. "Find me later. There's something I'd like to go over with you."

  "Anything pressing?"

  "Nah, it can wait." Az turned to look at Anna once more. "Do what you gotta do." Then he left, clicking the door closed behind him.

  "Is there anyone in your family that doesn't look like an airbrushed supermodel?" She sunk down onto the couch, with her arms wrapped around her middle. It was the only thing containing whatever it was inside her that wanted to leap out and impale her on Luc.

  "No probably not. We're lucky, I guess."

  There was a twinkle in his eye that told her there was something more that she wasn't getting, but she didn't care. The room was suddenly too small, too close, too thick with arousal. It made her want to jump out of her skin.

  The week had just begun and she had to spend the next six days with this guy. If she jumped him now, and things didn't work out, the week would be miserable. In turn, her story would suffer because of it. She wanted to keep things professional, at least until she had enough to write a great article, but she was pretty sure that was going to be impossible.

  6

  No day had ever passed more slowly, not even in Hell where time worked differently. All Luc wanted all day was to drag Anna upstairs and fuck her senseless, but he was afraid to bring her up there. If Michael could manage to find a way to write him a message on his wall, who knew what else he could do? Besides, the apartment wasn't protected the way the club was. Michael would be able to get in and Luc refused to put Anna at additional risk.

  So he showed her around, taught her how he did paperwork, handled deliveries, even had Harley teach her how to make a few drinks. She was having fun. He could tell that she was, but that look was there, the need that hung between them before his idiot brother interrupted them, had only dampened a bit.

  He could have had her naked and pinned to the wall right after she kissed him. She'd wanted it and he was beyond ready to have her. But he'd let too many thoughts into his head. What if she was the one? Did he want his first time with his soul mate to be a quickie in his office, that his brother would have walked in on?

  Every moment should be special, memorable, something that they would both have, long after they didn't have each other. His father's punishment tainted it, and took something from him that even now, before he knew who the right one was, he could never have back.

  Luc leaned against the wall watching her. She was laughing at something Uriel said, while Harley was teaching her to toss bottles in the air and catch them. She'd broken four so far, but was finally starting to get the hang of it. Az was sitting on a barstool, cheering her on.

  The scene made Luc take pause. His family, and when he said family, he meant the three people surrounding Anna at that very moment, those people, who meant the most to him in the world, liked this woman, embraced her, welcomed her in. There was something so endearing about it. He would say touching, but he was the devil, and he had to have some dignity.

  He could have stayed there all day, watching her laugh, have fun, enjoy the world without knowing about Hell Tablets, or Angel battles, or just how many evils there were in the world, but she saw him and waved him over. The way her face lit up made her unable to ignore. He took one last moment to enjoy the brightness she brought into the place and walked over.

  "Trashing my bar, I see," Luc said glancing in a bucket of broken glass.

  "Yeah, it's awesome. Watch." She flipped a bottle up, it spun, and she caught it. Then it slipped from her hand and smashed on the floor. "Okay, well I need some practice." She laughed, unconcerned with the failure, the broken glass, or anything else other than having fun.

  "I'd say so, yes." Luc settled on a stool between his siblings and took a gulp of whatever Uriel was drinking.

  Rum.
>
  Not his favorite, but it would do.

  "I like this one, Lucifer. You should keep her around," Uriel said, snatching her drink back and finishing it off.

  "I agree," Az said, grabbing a glass from behind the bar and sliding it over to Luc. Harley poured him bourbon without being asked and handed Anna another bottle to break.

  "I might have to," Luc said and took a sip of his drink. "If she breaks all my liquor, I'll have to put her to work to pay for it all."

  "I'd like to see you do better." Anna stood with her hip popped out, head tilted, and the bottle in her hand. It was adorable. He wanted to lean across the bar and kiss her. Instead he took the challenge.

  Luc stood, took the bottle from her hand, and expertly tossed it in the air, letting it spin a few times, then caught it, behind his back. He was showing off, but she loved it. He might need a little practice ice skating, but tossing a bottle, he could handle.

  "Clearly, you've practiced," She said, taking the bottle back.

  "Not recently." She didn't need to know that he'd learned that trick back in the eighties and hadn't done it since.

  "Fine. I won't break any more of your stock." She put the bottle on the bar and stuck her tongue out at Luc. "Today, anyway."

  "Break all you like, just use the rum and leave my bourbon alone." Luc downed the rest of his drink. "You decide what we're doing for dinner?"

  "The moment I claimed the right to pick," she said, untying the apron Harley had given her so she didn't get alcohol and glass bits on her clothes. "You ready to go?"

  Luc glanced at his siblings, just to make sure there wasn't anything he needed to attend to before he agreed, then nodded. "I'm all yours."

  She smiled, a mischievous little upturn in the corners of her mouth, but it spoke volumes, and Luc wanted to read them all. Harley put her hands at Anna's hips and lifted her. At the same time, she popped up, jumping onto the bar, then hopped over, landing on the floor at Luc's feet. It looked practiced, but flawless.