Dealing with the Devil

by M. E. Clayton

  And she had really gone all sorority-girl-high-pitched squeal when I had admitted I wanted to. And the crazy woman had been undeterred when I reminded her that it was probably not a good idea to sleep with a man you owed thirty-thousand dollars to.

  And speaking of…

  In a poor attempt to hold my crazy mind at bay, I grabbed my sad-looking laptop, got comfortable on the couch, and pulled up a budget spreadsheet. Even if I had to eat noodles for the next six months, there was no way I was going to default on my payments to Cassius, and I needed to create a projected budget to see what I was dealing with more clearly.

  The terms of the loan were favorable if you were able to repay the loan quickly. But if you weren’t, that’s where the interest began to hit hard, and it grew weekly, not monthly. The interest also got higher the longer it took you to pay off the loan. While the first weeks were extremely low, and promising, after the second month, the interest spiked and just kept going up. And since there was no way I was going to be able to pay back thirty-thousand dollars in two months, I had to restructure my budget to be able to make the bulk of the payments within the first two months before the interest started nipping at my heels.

  I wasn’t sure how long I was working on the spreadsheet before I heard a knock on my door. Thinking it had to be Keith or Cassius, I set my laptop aside and practically raced for the door. Swinging it open, only Cassius stood on the other side, and I didn’t know if that was a good thing or not.

  “Keith?”

  “I dropped him off at home,” he answered softly. “He’s safe, Devi.”

  I let out a deep breath, and tears burned behind my eyes a bit before I got my shit under control. “Thank you,” I replied, and meant it with every fiber of my being.

  Standing there, too gorgeous for words, he asked, “May I come in?”

  I snapped out of my relief. “Of course.” I stepped back and let him in.

  Glancing around, he noticed my open laptop on the couch. “What were you doing?”

  I shut the front door, locking it out of habit, and tried not to grimace. “I was creating a budget to show the best way to pay you back as soon as possible.” His head jerked, and he actually looked surprised, but I supposed not a lot of his clients treated the exchange as professionally as I was doing.

  “You were doing what?”

  I shrugged, embarrassed all of a sudden. “From the application, I’m sure you already know I work as a waitress at The Opera, and while they pay well, I have to plan the payments out to where there’s no chance of defaulting on the loan you-”

  “Devi, please stop,” he commanded, though he softened his tone. “Seriously.”

  I almost groaned when I realized what I was telling him. The man loaned me thirty-thousand dollars, and here I was, explaining how I had been creating a budget because I might have trouble paying him back. Of course, he wanted me to stop talking. I mean, how stupid could I be?

  “Sorry,” I mumbled. “I’m sure you don’t want to hear how I have to rearrange my finances to pay you back.”

  Cassius cocked his head, regarding me a bit, before he walked up to me, slid his warm hand up my neck, while the other warmed my hip, and those hazel eyes scanned my face before saying, “Baby, you really don’t think I’m going to make you pay me back that money, do you?”

  Shock wasn’t the word I’d use to describe what I was feeling at his words. Hell, I didn’t think there was any word that could describe what I was feeling right now. Of course, I had to pay this man back his money. If nothing else, for the sheer fact that I hadn’t even borrowed it for myself. I borrowed it to pay off my brother’s gambling debt.

  “Cass-”

  His head bent, he whispered in my ear, “Do you feel it, Devi?” I almost moaned. “Do you feel what you do to me?”

  “I’m…” I had to clear my throat. “I’m not sleeping with you for thirty-thousand dollars,” I quietly mumbled, afraid that I just might. That’s how attracted I was to this man.

  I could feel Cassius’ hands tighten on my body, and when he pulled back to look down at me, his face looked thunderous. “I’m not Alvin Fischer,” he snapped. “That’s not what this, Devi.”

  “That’s not what I mea-”

  “Listen to me, and listen well,” he said, cutting me off. “I take care of what’s mine. And from the moment I saw you rushing into The Opera yesterday, looking a frantic mess, searching for Kimberly Alba, you became mine.” What? “You coming to me for help only kept me from having to go look for you, Devi.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I was at The Opera yesterday.”

  “You were?” He nodded, his grip relaxing on both my hip and neck. “Why?”

  His hazel eyes narrowed at bit, and I was sure he was going to tell me something shady, but because I hadn’t been hit with enough surprised these past few days, he said, “I own it.”

  My body jerked back. “Uhm, no you don’t,” I refuted. “It’s owned by The Vaudeville Corporation. It says so on my paychecks.”

  His smirk was that sexy kind that just made you want to lick a man. “Baby, I own The Vaudeville Corporation,” he stated, like it was no big deal. “It’s the parent company for all my legitimate businesses.”

  “What?” Really, this was too much. These past two days have been just too fucking much.

  “I own The Vaudeville Corporation,” he repeated. “My brother, Atticus, is my accounts manager, and my best friend, Xavier, is my business manager. We were there yesterday conducting interviews based on Kimberly Alba’s official complaint against Hugh Hamel.”

  Talk about dealing with the devil you don’t know. I knew nothing about this man, other than he lent money illegally and the way his touch made me feel. “So…you own businesses? You really are a legitimate businessman?”

  “I own The Opera, The Symphony, The Orchestra, The Tenor, and The Alto,” he divulged. “So, yes, baby, I really am a legitimate businessman.”

  “Who deals in a bit of crime on the side?” What kind of world did I just fall into?

  “Let’s just say I have a vast number of hobbies.” I narrowed my eyes at him. The asshole was laughing at me.

  Getting back to the subject at hand, I stepped back, forcing his hands to drop from my person. “Cassius, that money-”

  “Devi, like I said, I take care of what’s mine,” he repeated. “Forget the fucking money.”

  “Forget thirty-thousand dollars?” I screeched. “Are you high?”

  “I plan on having a long discussion with your brother,” he said, surprising me again. “The debt will be taken care of. You don’t need to worry about it.”

  I could feel my shoulders sag with exhaustion. “All this because you’re attracted to me?”

  Cassius shook his head. “No, baby. All this because you’re mine,” he corrected. “I think I’ve already made that clear.”

  I sighed. “I don’t mean to sound…self-deprecating, but you can have any woman you want, Cassius. Why on earth do you want to get involved with a waitress, who can’t even afford a car, and has an addict for a brother? I mean, seriously. I’m thinking you can do better.”

  His gaze took on a serious glint in them, and it sent a chill down my spine. “Do you want to know why I’m pretty sure I can’t do any better than you?”

  I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat. “Why?”

  “Because I saw you come into The Opera, and for the first time in my life, I didn’t care that I knew nothing about a woman. I wanted you, and I haven’t been able to make anything else matter beyond that for two fucking days.” Was it getting hot in here? “Whatever this is, I don’t care that it doesn’t make sense. I feel what I feel, and it’s enough to make me stake my claim.”

  “So, just like that?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, just like that.” His head dipped until his lips hovered over mine. “Because I know you feel it, too.”

  And because I did, my lips pressed up against his, making this m
y decision.

  Chapter 13

  Cassius~

  Fuck yeah.

  My hands held her face prisoner as I took over the kiss. All I needed was her permission, but the rest was mine.

  Mine to control.

  Mine to claim.

  Mine to savor.

  Breaking off the kiss, I ran my thumb across her lips. Those mixed-colored eyes of hers were hooded with lust, and I knew mine were storming with need. “I’m going to fuck you so hard, the entire building is going to know my name, baby.”

  Her eyes flared. “It’s been…a while,” she said breathlessly.

  “Even better,” I replied, my voice a low, deep rumble.

  “Cassi-”

  My lips back on hers, I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t care how long it’s been for her. I didn’t want to hear about the times before me. All that mattered was now and that I was going to be the only one for Devi from now on.

  Even though Devi’s apartment was tiny, I didn’t have the patience to make it to the bedroom. I walked us towards the couch, and our first time was going to be a desperate, dirty fuck. I figured we’d have plenty of anniversaries and shit like that to break out the romance. Right now, I wanted to fuck this woman so hard, she’ll be feeling me between her legs three days from now.

  As soon as Devi’s heels hit the couch, I had her flat on her back. I quickly took off my jacket and set my gun on the coffee table after clicking the safety in place. When I looked back over at her, Devi’s eyes were on the gun, and it was something she was just going to have to get used to. And because I needed her back with me, I dropped to my knees, grabbed her hips, and yanked her closer to me.

  Pushing her skirt up, I didn’t even bother with removing her thong. I hooked a finger around the fabric and pulled it aside.

  Sweet fucking hell.

  Her lips were bare, slick, and ready. She also smelled divine. Like she was going to taste as delicious as I’ve always expected.

  With a hand on the inside of each of her thighs, I pushed her legs open and back, and stuck my face in her pussy. My tongue starting right at the sweet opening, I slid it upward to swirl around her swollen clit.

  “Cassius…” she moaned, her hands diving into my hair, and holding on. Devi also opened her legs wider, and her hips rose up to ride my face.

  It was fucking perfect.

  She was fucking perfect.

  My tongue lapped at her center, but it wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to taste her flavor in the back of my throat. Sliding two fingers inside her pussy, the tightness verified that it has been a while for her. The fit was snug, and my cock was going to fucking ruin her.

  I was going to ruin her.

  “Cum on my face, baby,” I commanded against her wet flesh. “Show me how much of a mess you can make.”

  “Oh, God…Cassius…please…”

  “Mmmm, music to my ears.” I went back to eating her sweet cunt, but concerned with how tight she was, I slid another finger inside that tight hole, and used my thick fingers to stretch her open. And the way her hips fucked my face and her hands tightened in my hair, those sexy actions told me she was down with a little discomfort as long as she got to cum.

  Curling my fingers a bit, I finger fucked her pussy and feasted on her folds, until her back started to bow and I could no longer see her face with her tits in the way now. I should have undressed her completely. A sweater covering her body was not what I wanted to see when I had my face buried between her thighs. But I’d been so impatient to my dick inside her, I had selfishly rushed this.

  Not next time, though.

  “Cassius…”

  “Give it to me, baby,” I encouraged her. “Cum on my face. Give me something to drink.”

  Her thighs began to quake around my head, and her body imprisoned my fingers with a grip so tight, I was probably going to disgrace myself as soon as I got inside her. “I’m…I’m…” I growled, and the vibrations sent Devi over the edge fully. “Cassius…oh, God…oh, God…”

  Eating her through her orgasm, I didn’t stop until her hands were pushing at my face. And as soon as I decided to give her a reprieve from the sensitivity, I stood up, and had my pants around my thighs in record time.

  Devi’s body satisfied and compliant, she didn’t protest as I reached for her thong and yanked it over her hips and down her thighs. Without wasting another moment, I pushed her thighs open again, and slid all nine inches of my cock inside her slick entrance.

  Her arms shot up and around my neck, and Devi buried her face in my neck, her grip on my neck and cock unrelenting. “I got you, baby,” I whispered in her ear, knowing her body was trying to adjust to my size. “I’ll make you feel so good, I promise.”

  I stayed buried inside her for the longest moment of my fucking life, and as soon as I felt her hips move, reaching for relief, I pulled out and plunged back into her body. Her whimpers and delicious moans were all the encouragement I needed. A few more thrusts, testing her readiness, soon, I was doing what I wanted to do since the first moment I laid eyes on her.

  I started fucking her hard enough to stake my claim.

  I started fucking her hard enough to make my point across.

  Devi was mine. And that meant her pussy was mine. Those tits of hers were mine. Those sweet lips on that perfect fucking face were mine. Everything from the top of her head to the tips of her toes belonged to me.

  When her whimpers turned into tortured pants, I knew pleasure was taking over from the discomfort. “Take that dick, baby,” I grunted above her. “Show me what a good girl you can be for me and take every fucking inch.”

  “Please, Cassius,” she begged, as her hold on me tightened everywhere. It was as if she were afraid to let me go, but I was okay with that. If she wanted to live the rest of our days out with her body attached to mine like a goddamn barnacle, that was fine by me.

  “Give me another one, Devi,” I demanded. “Cum for me again. Make a mess of my cock, baby.”

  With her nails digging into my flesh through the fabric of my shirt, Devi was already past the point of begging. “Don’t stop…I’m…”

  “Are you cumming for me, baby.” My hips started crashing against her body with purpose. Feeling her stretched out around my dick felt like fucking Heaven. Devi’s pussy was, undoubtedly, the tightest thing my cock has ever felt, and I looked forward to breaking her in with all nine inches.

  “Cassius…oh, God…” Grinding my hips against her pussy, that little bit of friction was all she needed to take her over. “Cassius…yes…” Devi’s body rocked against mine, but it still wasn’t enough. I needed at least one more out of her before I could finally give over to the euphoria of being buried inside her.

  It could have been twenty minutes, or twenty seconds, because time was non-existent with this woman, but soon, Devi was shaking all around me, and I finally gave myself over to the ecstasy I’ve only ever felt with this woman.

  I came, and I came hard.

  And I came inside her. No protection because, what was the point? Whether she got pregnant now, or later, didn’t make a difference to me.

  Devi was mine.

  When the sounds of our exertion weakened into a soft hum, she was the first to speak. “Holy shit, Cassius.”

  I braced my weight on my elbows and looked down at her. “Baby, that was just a warmup,” I told her. “Wait until I get you completely naked and on your bed.”

  Her blue/green eyes ran their gaze all over my face. “I’m pretty sure that’s probably going to kill me.”

  “I’ll take care of you, Devi,” I promised her. “In everything. Not just the bedroom.”

  Her face softened, and you could see the wariness in her eyes. “I might need a little more convincing with all this, Cassius.”

  “Good thing I’m the boss and can take off all the time I need to convince you,” I replied.

  And that’s what I did for the rest of the weekend.

  Chapter 14

  Devi
~

  My entire body was sore, but I wasn’t about to complain. The past two nights have been spent with Cassius in my bed, and the man was insatiable. He was also attentive and hell on details, and there wasn’t a single inch of my skin that the man wasn’t familiar with now.

  I still haven’t been able to wrap my mind around his claim that we’re a couple, but I wasn’t going to fight it. I wasn’t so self-righteous that his extracurricular activities bothered me, because, let’s face it, if it hadn’t been for those extracurricular activities, I wouldn’t have been able to help my brother. I wasn’t about to be a hypocrite about it.

  Though, I will admit, when Cassius had placed his gun on the coffee table that first time, it had been a sharp, quick reminder of who I was getting in bed with. But it hadn’t been enough to make me stop where we were going.

  “Are you ready to go?”

  I shut my employee locker and looked over at Kim. “I am,” I told her. “Thanks again for-”

  “Stop it,” she chided. “You’re on the way, and even if you weren’t, you’re my friend.”

  I let out sigh. “I know, Kim…I just…I refuse to ever stop being grateful for you.”

  “Awwweee,” she cooed before throwing her arms around me. “I love you, chick.”

  I hugged her back. “I love you, too.”

  Making our way out the back, we exited the restaurant, and headed for Kim’s car. “So, not that I mind driving you, but I would have thought your man would be here to pick you up.”

  I could feel my face warming. “Well, since he was…busy all weekend, he had a lot to catch up on.” Kim gave out a whoop and a holler, and I laughed. “Plus, they’re still taking statements from employees about your claim. That’s why I came in a half hour early today, so I could give them my statement.”