It All Started with an Apple. Subtitled: Lucifer's forbidden fruit

Chapter 4 Aelia and Lucifer

As she whirls around, Aelia finds herself standing face to face with quite possibly the sexiest man she's ever seen- almost as sexy as her mysterious dream man. Her eyes devoured him, staring at his long, pale, golden hair that nearly reached his mid-back. He is marvelously tall and lean with broad shoulders and firmly muscled arms and thighs. He is dressed in solid black leather, which does nothing to hide his perfect size and strength, especially below the waist. She finds herself biting her lower lip as she sees the bulge between his strong thighs and wonders what it would feel like in her hand. Aelia shakes her head, cursing herself for her sudden feeling of lust and the dangerously devious thoughts that came with it. With much effort, she forced her eyes away from his pants to ask him where he came from and why he was backstage. Her words faltered when her eyes met his, moss green and blazing with passion and determination- possibly even a hint of amusement.

This stranger, this man's look of passion and amusement are both intoxicating and irritating. Aelia wants to chastise him or tell him only dancers and bands could be backstage- but damn it to hell, he was just so marvelously handsome. A man with such a beautifully sculpted face and intense eyes was a rarity- oh, how they hypnotized her as if holding her in some mystical grip.

"Awkward silence."

"What?" Aelia mumbles and the strange spell finally breaks at the sound of his deep, hoarse-like voice.

"Awkward silence. I dislike it very much; of course, there are times when silence is a blessing. I assure you this is not one of them. I am looking for the band's dressing room to allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tristan. I am the frontman and lead guitar player of the band playing here tonight."

"So sorry. I was startled and unsure what to say," Aelia stammers like a fool.

"You must think I'm an idiot for standing here staring at you like some brain-dead ditz." Aelia's words faltered again before she could give Tristen her name. His grin sends shivers of raw delight down her spine, and her cheeks flame red as she is once again caught off guard by this strange but extremely potent lust he seems to suck from the very depths of her.

"Judging by the redness in your cheeks, I would have to say the last thing you feel is startled. I would say what you are feeling is something far more interesting, but unfortunately, I do not have the time to explore it, at least not until after I perform." Tristen replies in a self-assured voice.

Aelia watches in stunned silence as Tristen turns and walks slowly away, leaving her looking like a fool. She wants seriously to slap herself for acting like some silly teenager or run and hide until the club closes. Instead, she walks in shame into her dressing room, slamming the door behind her. Several moments later, she stands in front of the full-length mirror, staring at her reflection, and tells herself that she will redeem herself on that stage. She tells herself if it is the last thing she does, it will be her mission to make sure Tristan is stunned into silence. She smiles at the thought of him dropping his guitar when she walks out in front of the stage or him spilling his drink when she is dancing, and it is the only way she can restore her pride and prove to him that he does not have any real effect on her.

Disguised as Tristan, Lucifer could hear Aelia's plans to distract or affect him as he had her in the hallway. He is extremely amused by her little challenge, wondering if she has any idea how dangerous her little game can be. It took every ounce of his self-control earlier to keep from ravishing her right then and there, especially when she was staring at him as if he were her favorite fruit she was dying to taste. He was not sure he could control himself if she continued to provoke his pent-up passion and lust for her. The annoying sound of the band's drummer fills Lucifer's ears, asking him where he is and why he has been so weird lately. Lucifer wants to crush the vermin's windpipe, but instead, he turns to him with a forced smile and simply shrugs his shoulders at him. The drummer looks irritated and asks if he is ready to start the concert. Lucifer nods yes as he tells himself that he can deal with this human and all the humans in this club tonight if he plays music. He grabs his guitar and walks past the stunned faces of the rest of the band onto the stage, awaiting them.