Straight to Heaven (6 page)

“This is all my fault,” Tommy said. “God! How could I have been so stupid?” He didn’t get angry very often, but he certainly was now. I pictured him with the phone pressed against his ear, pacing circles in a cheap hotel room. “How could I have hurt her like that?”

Tears stung my eyes. He hated
himself
when I was the one who had caused the entire mess. “It was me,” I said. “
I
seduced you.”

He laughed harshly. “I knew what I was doing. You didn’t rape me.” Something fell over with a bang. Then something else shattered.

“Tommy!” I said, alarmed. “Are you okay?”

“No! I’m pissed!” He spoke so loudly that I had to pull the phone from my ear. “I’ve been over it in my mind a thousand times, and it still doesn’t make sense. I loved Jasmine, but then all at once, I was in love with you. How did that happen?”

I couldn’t answer that, of course. Not without explaining that I now housed a demon and worked for the Devil.

“I’m sorry, Lil.” His voice softened. “I can’t blame you when I’m just as guilty.”

“Don’t worry,” I begged him. “I promise to take care of Jasmine and keep Karl away from her. I’ll keep you posted, okay?”

“Yeah. Okay.”

We said goodbye and hung up. If nothing else, it had been good to talk to him. I only hoped it wouldn’t be another six months before we spoke again.

As it turned out, it wasn’t even six minutes.

When the phone rang, I immediately picked it up.

Tommy didn’t even bother with ‘hello’. “I can’t stand it. I’m coming home.”

I didn’t try to talk him out of it. “I’ll pay for your ticket,” I said and gave him my credit card number.

“I’m still in Aurangabad, and I’ll have to hitchhike to get to Mumbai. It might take a while, but I’m on my way.” He paused for a heartbeat. “Tell Jas I’m coming, okay? Tell her I love her.”

“I will.”

“And Lil, would you do me another favor?”

“Anything!”

“It would be best if we didn’t see each other. I don’t know what happened before, but I don’t want it to happen again.”

The thought of not seeing him made my chest ache. “Of course.” I blinked back tears. “I understand.” Not seeing Tommy was a cruel punishment, but one I surely deserved.

After Tommy hung up, my succubus suggested that we do something to cheer me up. “Agreed,” I told her and poured more wine.

Not that, she said.

Shuddering, I took a second shot of bourbon to shut her up.

That wasn’t what she meant, either. She told me I needed to do something fun. Something nice. When I asked her what that something was, she delivered a voiceless, inner scream that sliced my brain in half like a sharp knife cleaving through a ripe cantaloupe.

WILLIAM!!!

My eyes popped wide at her betrayal. “Oh, you evil little bitch!” I cried even as William strolled from the otherworld into my kitchen.

“You called?” The corners of his mouth curled in a suggestive smile, and his eyes burned when they touched mine. Lust, hot and sudden, consumed me.

As if reading my thoughts, he headed towards me. My succubus hopped in mad glee, desperate to be united with his incubus demon. But halfway across the room, he stopped and picked up the nearly empty wine bottle. His eyebrows knitted. “Did you drink all of this tonight?”

I gave a guilty shrug.

His concerned frown deepened. “Is something wrong?”

“It’s been a long day,” I said, not wanting to go into details. Especially not with him.

“That’s no excuse. I’ve had plenty of long days, and I never…”

“…you never let it bother you. Yes, I get it. You’re perfect,” I said sourly. I reached for my wineglass, but he moved it out of reach.

“What I was going to say is that I never drink alone. It’s too dangerous. Drinking lowers your inhibitions and gives your demon more control.”

“I’m in control!” I argued.

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Really. So why are you undressing?”

To my horror, I realized my demon had taken over my body and stripped off my shirt. My cheeks flaming, I snatched it from the floor and yanked it over my head.

William poured a shot of whiskey into the glass I’d been using. He knocked it back and smiled. “There. Now you’re not drinking alone.” He took a seat on the couch next to me. “Talk to me, Lil. What made this day so wretched?”

Once again, his demon had fled, leaving the real William behind. The one I wished would stick around more often. I sighed, deciding to trust him. “I keep thinking of all the people I’ve hurt since becoming part demon. I’ve done so much harm to my family!”

He shook his head. “Stop wallowing in your guilt, Lil. Wallowing is never good for the likes of us.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” I argued. “I can’t just tempt and move on.”

“I’m afraid you’re going to have to. It’s a matter of survival.”

I looked into his dark, soulful eyes. I was certain I saw pain hidden there. “What about you? Any regrets?”

For a moment, he hesitated, and I thought he’d be honest. But something scared him off, and in a flash, his pompous, egotistical incubus was back. “I regret nothing.” He smiled lasciviously. “Now, let’s get back to the reason you called me here.”

I was about to argue that
I
wasn’t the one who’d called him, but when he moved closer, the words died in my mouth. He smelled delicious, and my fingertips tingled at the prospect of running them down his chest. What difference did it make if William and I weren’t a couple? I’d had a hell of a night, and if a little fun could take the edge off my sorrows, then who was I to hold back?

“Well?” he asked.

Instead of replying, I kissed him. He immediately drew me into his arms, and kissed me back with an urgency that made my heart race. When I murmured approval, he stood and gently tugged my hand, leading me into the bedroom. We laid down on the bed, and he slid my shirt up over my stomach, feathering kisses along the waistband of my shorts. Groaning, I ran my fingers through his thick hair.

This was a good idea, I told my succubus. Nice job.

William unfastened the button on my shorts with one hand and traced the other up and down the inside of my thigh, making the muscles in my lower belly clench.

“Now, isn’t this better than wallowing?” he murmured.

It certainly was. My back arched when his fingers found the delicious spot between my legs. A night of passion was just what the doctor ordered.

But what about the morning after
, my conscience asked.

Stop it, I scolded. Don’t overthink this.

That’s what you said when you seduced Tommy
, it reminded me.

At the thought of Tommy, the pleasantly fuzzy feeling from the alcohol sharpened into common sense. I clenched William’s hair in my fists, yanking it tight.

“Ow!” He lifted his head and rubbed his scalp. “What was that for?”

“Sorry.” My mind was spinning, but not because of the alcohol. I
did
want sex with William. More than anything. Then again, sex would never be a panacea. Not for me at any rate. I needed a deeper kind of intimacy.

“William?”

“Hmm?” He’d gone back to his lovemaking by kissing my lower jaw, the stubble on his chin a pleasant friction.

“How do you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Live without regrets.”

He moved away and propped himself up on an elbow. “Do you want to talk or make love?”

“Both.”

“Well then, let’s start with the second and move on to the first.”

I pushed him away. “Just tell me how you do it.”

“I’m the perfect incubus, Lilith. I simply know how to keep myself under control at all times.”

I didn’t believe it. “What about when you first started?” I pressed. “Did you make any mistakes then?”

Again, pain flashed in his dark eyes, but he laughed it off. “I was always a ladies’ man. I was seducing women long before I met Helen.”

I believed it. He worked his job like he was born to it.

He traced my lips with his finger. “Don’t worry, Lilith. You’ll learn eventually. It’s just that the learning curve is more difficult for women than for men.”

I stiffened. “What do you mean by that?”

He sighed. “Don’t let your twenty-first century sensibilities mislead you. It’s a known fact. Men are hardier than women.”

“And by hardier, you mean…?”

He rolled onto his back and ran his fingers through his already deliciously mussed-up hair. “Emotionally stronger, okay? More in control of themselves. Not slaves to their emotions.”

I narrowed my eyes. “You’re on dangerous ground.” Once again, he was arrogant. Arrogant and proud of it!

“Relax. Women have their virtues as well.” He leaned in for another kiss, but I pushed him away.

“And what, pray tell, are a woman’s virtues?”

His face reddened. “Did you call me here in order to argue?”

I was about to tell him that
I
hadn’t called him at all when an otherworld shimmer of energy brought me up short. When Mr. Clerk called my name from the kitchen, William jumped off me like he’d been burned. I buttoned my shirt and fastened my shorts as footsteps came up the stairs. With a miserable look of disappointment, William disappeared through the otherworld doorway in my bedroom. When Mr. Clerk knocked on my bedroom door, I uttered a cheerful, “Come in.”

That had been far too close for comfort. Not just because Mr. Clerk nearly caught us, but because I’d nearly done something I would have regretted.

Chapter Five

Surprisingly, Mr. Clerk didn’t look much better than I felt. Normally, he was impeccably groomed, but now his white T-shirt was badly wrinkled and there was a coffee stain on his pants.

“Tough afternoon?” I asked.

“You don’t know the half of it,” he said. “Helen won’t leave me alone. I haven’t seen her this worked up about a client in years.” He paused, thinking. “Make that decades.”

“But you scheduled a new appointment?”

He gave a tired smile. “Yes.”

“Let me guess. That time would be now.” Going on an assignment was the last thing I wanted to do, but there was no way to avoid it. In the past six months, one simple rule governed my life: Always do what Miss Spry said.

“Yes. And you’ll need to change.”

“Something backless and sexy?” I asked. “With strappy sandals?”

“No.” Like a magician performing a trick, Mr. Clerk reached behind him and pulled out a large white box topped with a shiny red bow. “I’ve brought you something else.”

Presents always thrilled me. Especially presents wrapped as nicely as this. I tore off the bow and opened the box, expecting a lovely treat from one of my favorite designers. That’s not what I found. “Is this a joke?”

“No joke.”

I held up a pair of jean shorts so small that they might not have fitted Grace. “These aren’t my size.”

His eyes sparkled. “They will be. Come with me, and I’ll show you something new.”

Because Mr. Clerk claimed that I stank of booze, I showered while he sat on the toilet and shouted advice. I’d objected to him coming into the bathroom – “Boundaries,” I’d reminded him – but he’d rolled his eyes. “Lilith, I promise that you don’t interest me in the least.” Because I’d seen him fawning over William, I knew he wasn’t lying.

“You’ve already approached your client looking like yourself, and if you show up in the same form, it will make him suspicious,” Mr. Clerk said. “You need to look different.”

I stepped out of the shower, wrapped in a towel and dripping wet. “What do you want me to do?”

“First,” he said, “I want to work on your height.”

“My height?” I laughed. “You’re expecting me to grow taller?”

“No. Shorter.” He looked completely serious. “How tall are you? Five five? Five six?”

“Five six.”

“Okay, see if you can become five foot, two inches.”

I shook my head. “I have no idea how to do that.”

“Your succubus does,” he said. “Trust her.”

The idea of trusting my demon wasn’t comforting, but I complied with a sigh, closing my eyes and ordering my demon to compact my body.

At first, nothing happened. Then I felt a slight buzzing in my joints, followed by an abrupt plunging sensation, like I’d pressed the ‘down’ button on an express elevator. I opened my eyes just in time to see my head lower about five inches.

Mr. Clerk clapped his hands, delighted. “Nicely done!”

I wiped the steam from the mirror and looked at myself. Yes, I’d lost some height, but my weight had remained the same, giving me a nice, round figure. Horrified, I immediately instructed myself to drop twenty pounds. The muscles along my belly and butt pulled tight, momentarily giving me terrific cramps. The results, however, were amazing. Deciding that Mr. Clerk wouldn’t object, I dropped the towel for a really good look. I’d gone from 5’ 6” and 130 pounds to 5’ 2” and 110 pounds. I was nearly as petite as my mother had been.

I put on my robe and then worked on my facial features. I made my nose a little smaller and my lips a little poutier. I opted for a heart-shaped face that made me look like a pixie. I was even able to adjust the length of my hair, making it shorter in order to add to my elfin appearance.

“Wonderful! Even William isn’t that adept,” Mr. Clerk said.

Ha! Take that, William. I narrowed my eyes and smiled, pleased when the pixie in the mirror did the same.

“Are you sure that I have to wear those clothes you brought?” I asked. It seemed a shame to waste a perfectly good new look on a cheap halter and a pair of Daisy Dukes.

“Yes. They’re perfect for tonight.” He made little shooing motions with his hands. “Go ahead. Try them on.”

Grumbling, I pulled on the tight jean shorts and halter top. Even in my shrunken state, the shorts were so tiny they nearly showed off the bottoms of my butt cheeks. And the cotton halter was so poorly made that it wouldn’t sit right on my body no matter how much I tugged on it. “Where did you get this stuff?”

“Not every job requires designer fashions,” he said. “You need to dress like the people you’ll be meeting.”

“I look trashy.”

“Not quite yet, but you will.” And when he told me what I had to do next, I argued with him for nearly ten minutes. He held firm until, at last, I caved in and gave him what he wanted. When my demon finished, I looked over my shoulder in the mirror, chasing my back end like a dog chases its tail as I tried to get a look at my tattoo: a pair of feathery wings with a flowery wreath in the center. It lay far down on my back, just above the low rise of the shorts.