As requested, I have posted my #wattpadblockparty post from earlier this year. I hope you all enjoy it!
When Lucius met Savannah
Bloody incompetence.
Shooting a glare at the squawking human blocking my path, I drew a large amount of satisfaction as the man stuttered and stumbled away in his terror. The imbecile would be the first to receive his P45 on the next chop list. The humans were supposed to be trained. They knew better than to get in my way. My time cost money and a minute of my attention was worth more than he would ever get to see on his annual salary. It was definitely more he would get in his severance package.
And the damned fool didn't even know half of what I was capable of.
Grinning widely, my white teeth gleaming viciously, I allowed him to see behind my human mask for just a second and gave him a glimpse of the monster which lurked beneath the surface.
The squat man's face blanched white as he scrabbled away from me. In his haste to escape he tripped over an uneven section of ground. Then, in slow motion, his body fell through the air and his breath left his body in a whoosh as he landed on his back. Score one for Lucius.
My grin transformed into a feral smile as I strode past the man. Making no attempt to help him from the floor, I ignored his nervous twittering and apologies and instead took those final steps towards the entrance of Satani Media with a happy bounce in my step.
As I got within touching distance of the building, I resisted the urge to close my eyes and bathe in the fissions of static which lingered in the air. It was intangible to ordinary humans but being the Devil meant there were certain perks. Inhaling deeply, I felt invigorated. The collective energy from so many demons was just like coming home – as close to home as I would ever get.
A woman, a solid seven out of ten, pulled open the doors to my Empire while fluttering her lashes in my direction. I smirked, running my eyes up and down her form in an obvious once over which would give Phil heart palpitations. My second in command and self-appointed minder was too quick to try adapting to the human codes and ethics. No doubt he would be screaming about tribunals and lawsuits if he knew half the things I got up to. It was why the old man wasn't privy to the majority of what happened in my life. It was better for his sanity and mine.
Clenching my hands at my sides, I felt familiar frustration welling within me just thinking about the older demon. He forgot that we weren't human – would never be human.
The old man needed to loosen up and maybe Miss Seven-out-of-ten was the answer. I raised a single brow at the woman in question, winking when a red blush formed under her skin giving her a rosy glow. She looked like she knew a thing of two if her answering lusty pout and come and get me stare was anything to judge by. And I was most definitely judging.
I walked through the doors into Satani Media, passing so close to the red headed woman she would be able to smell my aftershave and feel the heat radiating from my body but refusing her the body contact she desired. She sighed wistfully. I knew if I spared her a single glance over my shoulder the woman would have been following my progress through the lobby with her lusty eyes.
I didn't look. She was already a fading memory which would be forgotten by tomorrow.
Letting my gaze roam over the crowd absently, my eyes stopped when they came across long pale legs peeking out from beneath a tight black skirt. The woman was also wearing red – my favourite colour. I grinned.
Instead of heading straight to the lifts as per my normal routine, my feet pulled me towards the delectable derriere on auto-pilot. Yet it was something more than mere attraction which directed me. After living for millennia I could sense when supernatural forces were trying to take me down one path or another and as I let myself be carried forwards I could feel its subtle nudge pushing me towards her.
I stopped mere inches away. I was so close I could see the golden highlights in her hair and I could smell the subtlest hint of vanilla and roses from her perfume as it tickled my nose. My heart, which had done nothing but beat for functionality over the past dozen centuries, skipped within my chest. I kept my face blank even as shock coursed through my system. It took a lot to catch me off guard but this woman, who hadn't even looked at me yet, had evoked a reaction in my traitorous body.
"Morning Mr Satani. Here are your messages and your new PA is here." The blonde behind the desk cut in with her annoyingly perky voice, pulling me back to the present moment.
I blinked and quickly collected my wits about me as I accepted the stack of paper from Kristen. Katy? No, her name was Kirsten. You'd think that after two years her name would stick. Then again, in an existence as long as mine, two years was gone in just a blink of an eye.
The blonde smiled at me but I could feel the animosity lingering beneath her expression. A frown briefly made its way onto my face as I stared back at her. Ah yes, she was July. I could almost understand Phil's reticence about sleeping with the staff when I had a past conquest making things difficult – almost.
Letting my voice drop, I purred my next words as I flicked my way through the phone messages. "Thanks. Is the new PA hot? I could do with a new lay."
The blonde behind the counter squirmed. My lips twitched. She was still affected by my voice and, if the scowl on her face was a gauge, she wasn't happy about that in the slightest.
"Don't tell me it's a guy again? If it is, I'm going to kill the board and then I'm going to kill Phil. Slowly. They know not to mess in my - affairs." On the last word, I waggled my brows. Kirsten lips twitched. She was so clueless. She didn't know that despite the levity of the situation I was being serious – deadly serious.
The nagging pull between me and the brunette, fed up with being ignored, became more insistent until the only thing I was channelling was frustration. I couldn't even comprehend why it was so important but I knew I just needed this stranger to turn her head and look at me – just once. I needed it like a human needed air to survive. Every moment without the touch of her eyes felt as if I was suffocating.
And then, with an angry huff emitting from her lips, the brunette spun on her heels and glared up at me.
I couldn't breathe.
Noting our close proximity, she hastily stepped back into the reception desk. I barely noticed.
Staring into her fiery gaze, I felt lost. I was drawn down into the deep depths of her soul, so deep I thought I would never escape. It didn't matter that there was nothing but contempt in her gaze. My eyes drank in the dark brown eyes, the angry flush on her cheeks and the open and expressive face which relayed all of her emotions as if she were a book for me to read. She was simply beautiful.
Her lips moved and it took all of my attention to focus on the words they formed. "No Mr Satani, your new Personal Assistant would be me." She folded her arms across her chest and glared up at me. "I can assure you there will be no chance of you getting laid by me."
Instead of deterring me as she had intended, her words only enflamed my need to know her – to have her. I smirked. If only she knew the thoughts going through my head.
She smiled at me. Why was she smiling? I shot a look at Kaitlin but she offered no assistance. Her eyes were watching the pair of us intently, just waiting for the next verbal spar.
"Any attempts to try and get me into bed will be classed as sexual harassment and I have no problem filing a complaint. Got it?" My new assistant stated firmly, her eyes attempting to pin me in place. "Sorry I almost forgot. Did you get that, sir?"
Pressing my lips together to stop myself from chuckling, I stared into the face of this fierce beauty. She was full of attitude, feisty and strong – all of which were attractive qualities in a woman but there was something more. There was something about her that my eyes could not see and yet drew me in. I frowned, the expression gone from my face as fast as it had appeared.
I blinked. Realising she was still waiting for a response from me I gave a single nod and tried to look suitably chastised. She smiled sweetly back. Our gazes remained locked for several seconds afterwards. Then with a delicate shudder, one which rippled through her entire body, she turned her head away.
"Good. Now, if you would show me where I'm working, I can get started." She added haughtily.
Instead of retorting, I let her believe she had won the fight. It would help her ego and it would make my overall victory that much sweeter. She didn't even know what league she was playing in.
Without another word to her, I turned on my heel and walked away with a strut to my step.
For a moment I thought my new PA wasn't going to follow but she staggered to my side as the doors to the lift slid open. My hands twitched with the urge to reach out and steady her. Only strength of will kept them at my sides.
I scowled. She was already a weakness – an unwelcome weakness.
I set my ire upon the lone unlucky soul occupying the lift as soon as I stepped inside. Taking one look at the expression on my face, the man ducked and scurried past me while taking great care not to touch me. I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the fear I could make him feel. Still, it wasn't enough. Snarling under my breath, I felt my fingertips tingling with barely restrained violent energy.
When the doors slid shut a few seconds later, my assistant and I were the only occupants. She appeared unaware or at least unconcerned by my mood.
"So what's your name?" I asked, watching out of the corner of my eye as she startled.
It took her a few seconds to compose herself before she finally murmured, "Savannah Holmes."
Savannah. I chanted her name over and over again within my mind so the words became branded there. I sucked in a breath, her scent filling my lungs as I did so. My hands shook at my sides as foreign sensations coursed through me. I needed to put some spaced between us. I needed room to think without her eyes watching me.
The arrival to my floor came just in time. The lift dinged and the doors separated. I stepped out first and powered along the hall uncaring if Savannah Holmes was at my side. I knew exactly where she was the entire time because my entire body was fixated to her presence.
Coming to a stop outside of my office, I paused with my fingers wrapped around the door handle and watched her reflection in the glass. She was tucking her hair behind her ears, her eyes greedily taking in everything around her. I supposed it was exciting to the uninitiated. No expense had been spared on the plush carpets and bespoke lighting which outfitted the lobby area.
I turned my head and my attention fell upon the only part which looked out of place in the rich surroundings – a desk masquerading as a paper mountain just a few feet away. Allowing her a few long moments to take it all in, I smiled to myself. Just because fate was pushing us together didn't mean I couldn't have any fun.
"Here's your desk Miss Holmes. I need all of this sorted as soon as possible." I said, taking great satisfaction in watching her face drop at the sight of the mountain on paperwork which buried the desk. "The last PA was rather – lacking – in the admin department."
I leered at my new assistant over my shoulder. The answering flush which spread across her cheeks told me she knew exactly why they had been lacking in work ethic.
She sighed, making no attempt to respond before slinking over to the desk. Her bag bumped the corner and I couldn't have planned it better. One peak of the mountain of paper avalanched off of the edge of the desk and on to the floor, the sheets spreading out over the carpets.
Savannah's eyes widened as she watched the scene unfold.
"And Miss Holmes?" I added.
The brunette jumped. Her elbow hit one of the other precariously placed piles sending another wave of paper crashing down. I pressed my lips into a straight line to keep from laughing.
"Yes Mr Satani?" Savannah responded with stilted politeness, her attention wholly on the mess at her feet.
What was so special about her? She appeared to be ordinary – no spectacular gifts to speak of. Yet there had to be more. The tethers binding our destinies were already in place.
My heart felt as if it was ready to burst out of my chest. My palms grew clammy and a cold sweat formed all over my body the longer I watched her. This woman, without conscious thought, was able to evoke things in me I had never thought I would feel again. Panic – I hadn't felt it in millennia.
"Welcome to Satani Media." I finished with my usual smirk, determined not to show any weakness before this human.
Then, pushing open the door, I slipped into my office. Slamming the door shut behind me with a resounding thud, I crossed the room in just a few strides. In the absence of Miss Holmes the air felt cooler and less constricting.
Standing before my desk I braced my hands on the top, bowed my head and drew in several deep breaths. It wasn't enough. Even when I had regained some semblance of control my world felt off kilter.
The arrival of Miss Holmes was a sign – there was no denying that. Things were about to change drastically and I knew deep within my blackened heart that my life would never be the same again.