Devilish Deal by Jenna Wolfhart

5

His brows lifted as soon as he saw me. Asmodeus, whatever-his-last-name-was, strode into Serena’s apartment like he owned the place. His fitted tee highlighted his sculpted muscles, and the cut of his jaw was as sharp as a knife. Everything about him seemed effortless, like he’d just rolled out of bed looking like this.

Maybe he had.

I hated him.

“This is where you live?” he asked as he turned to take in the tiny studio. Clearly, he thought this place was beneath him and his fancy diamond-encrusted birdcages. His bathroom was probably bigger than this. “It doesn’t look like you.”

Um, okay.

“It’s my friend’s place. She’s letting me stay here while I hunt for a job.” I folded my arms and gave him a dark look. “Why are you here, Asmodeus?”

“You’re sleeping on the couch?” He noted the scrunched-up blanket, the empty ice cream bowl, and the pile of mismatched pillows. I flushed as his eyes drifted toward the brown stain on my shirt. If I’d hoped to impress him, I definitely wasn’t going to now.

Luckily, I didn’t want to impress him. He was an asshole.

“Where else would I sleep? It’s not like I’m going to kick her out of her own bed, now am I?”

His brows furrowed as he took a step toward me. A finger lifted toward my cheek. Heat whispered across my skin like silken shadows. “What happened to your face?”

I flinched away. “I hit my head on the medicine cabinet. Now, would you please just tell me what the hell you’re doing here?”

An amused smile whispered across his lips. “I wanted to talk to you about the job you auditioned for last night.”

“No need. You already turned me down.”

“I may have been hasty in my decision.”

I gave him a flat stare. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

He strode through the tiny apartment, tracing his fingers along the wall. When he reached the window, he glanced outside at the pots where Serena and I grew herbs, pretty unsuccessfully. “You have a pigeon out here, looking very expectant.”

“His name is Hendrix. He wants his lunch.”

Asmodeus chuckled. “You named a Brooklyn pigeon after one of the greatest singers of the past century?”

“At least you have some taste. It’s a shame it doesn't extend further than that.”

“How long have you been looking for a job, Mia?” He turned back toward me, and the intensity in his ice-flecked stare sent a bucket of fire down my spine.

I swallowed. “Too long.”

“Do you think your lack of success might have something to do with your complete disregard for manners?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Look, you insulted me last night. And now you’re here, wasting my time. Again. I have other things to do, you know.”

He cut his eyes toward the paused Netflix show. “Oh yes. It looks that way.”

“Whatever. Just get on with it already. Why are you here?” I threw up my hands and stormed toward him. “And don’t tell me you came all the way out here to antagonize me. Because if that’s the case, then you can get the hell out.”

“I came here to offer you a job,” he said easily, barely missing a beat.

I stopped in the center of the floor and stared. Was this some kind of joke? Had I fallen asleep and found myself in some bizarre dream? “You made it clear last night you wanted nothing to do with me.”

“Now, that’s not true.” He stepped forward, erasing the distance between us. “I was impressed by your talent. At the time, I thought you weren’t right for the job, but I was too focused on your role as a dancer. There’s something else I believe you’d be perfect for.”

His dimpled smile made an appearance. Heat curled through my belly.

“A different job?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“In a way. I’d still want you to dance, but that wouldn’t be my primary reason for hiring you.”

Um, well, that didn’t sound weird at all.

“Explain.”

“There are some important events for my business coming up in the next few weeks, and I need a date for each of them. Unfortunately, I don’t have anyone appropriate I can take, and these potential investors have insisted I bring someone. So, when the events arrive, you’ll be my date.” He folded his arms and smiled. “In the meantime, you can dance at the club to earn wages and tips. You’ll be doing me a favor, so I’ll do one for you in return.”

I blinked at him. Surely I couldn’t have heard him right. “Wait a minute. You’re hiring me because you need…a date?” Okay, this guy really was trying to play a twisted joke on me. Did he think I couldn’t see his face? And that body? He could have any girl in New York City. What would be the point of this elaborate plot?

Unless there was something wrong with him.

“You realize this is totally weird, right? What’s the catch?” I asked, taking a step back.

“There is no catch. The final event is an important ball at the end of the month. After that, you’re free to move on to another job, and I’ll write you a glowing recommendation.”

“So, you want to pay me to date you.”

“No,” he countered, holding up a finger. “You’ll be paid to dance at the club. In return, you’ll pretend to be my adoring date at a few events. One who doesn’t hate me with the force of a thousand suns.”

“You want me to be your fake girlfriend.”

“Something like that.”

“And why can’t you just get a real girlfriend to go to all these things?”

“I don’t want a real girlfriend,” he said. “I have far too much on my plate for a relationship, and most of the girls who are interested in me aren’t after an easy fling. They want my money and my hand in marriage. This way is better for everyone.”

I scrunched my brows. “You do realize this is very strange.”

He shrugged. “No stranger than most relationships. At least we both know what we want to get out of it. No feelings will be hurt, and no one will read intentions wrong. It will have a clear beginning and an end.”

I shifted on my feet. Last night, Asmodeus had basically said I wasn’t good enough to dance at his club. And now, he not only wanted to hire me but he wanted me to date him, too? Nothing about this made any sense at all. And yet…I couldn’t help but be intrigued.

“Just so we’re clear, this has nothing to do with sex, right?”

I didn’t know why I was even considering this bizarre deal. A fake girlfriend? To an asshole who thought less of me for a reason he still hadn’t explained? Obviously, I couldn’t take him up on this.

Not to mention, there was a killer in Hell’s Kitchen.

What if it….what if it was him? Surely not.

His eyes flashed with heat, and a strange thrill shot down my spine. “No sex, but a few carefully-timed kisses at public events would not be unwelcome. I wouldn’t want my investors to think I hired a fake girlfriend, now would I?”

“No,” I said flatly, rolling my eyes. “Because that would make you look like a lonely bastard.”

“Careful,” he said with a wicked smile, taking another step toward me. “If you take me up on this, I’ll be your boss. And you wouldn’t want to disrespect your boss, now would you?”

“If,” I said with a smile I hoped looked just as wicked. “You’re assuming I’m as desperate as you are.”

He arched a brow and glanced around. “Aren’t you?”

Ugh. He had me there. Damn him. When would I get another opportunity like this? Leaving Asmodeus out of it, the job was almost too good to be true. It was just a few dates, and I did love to dance. The only problem was…it would only last a month.

Would that give me enough money to save up for an apartment of my own? How long until I could get out of Serena’s hair? Noah’s words echoed in my mind. Serena had worked her ass off her entire life to become a lawyer. If she lost her job because of me…

“I just have one question,” I said, shifting on my feet. “I need to get out of this apartment as soon as possible. Is there any way you can front me some wages?”

Holding my breath, I met his dark gaze. It was a bold request. In any other circumstance, I’d never ask something like this, least of all from a new boss. But nothing about this was normal. He’d asked me to work for him in exchange for pretending to be his girlfriend. If there was ever a time to be bold, it was now. The sooner I could get out of Serena’s apartment, the better.

His lips curled, and a strange expression flickered across his face. “I can do one better than that. I have a guest room in my penthouse. You can stay there as long as you work for me, which will benefit our blooming relationship. It will be good for people to see us leaving the building together.”

“Um. Say what now?” Surely I hadn’t heard him right.

“It will be better if you’re in Manhattan, too,” he continued as if I hadn’t said a word. “That way, you don’t have to take the subway home late at night.” His voice dropped to a lower octave. “The streets are dangerous right now.”

Shivers stormed across the back of my neck.

“Yes, they are dangerous,” I said, boldly striding up to him. “A psychopath is out there killing girls, and you just expect me to move in with you, a stranger? And pretend to be your live-in girlfriend?”

His face turned to stone. “I see. Well, Mia, if you think I’m a killer, then this ends here. My business is built on trust.”

Shaking his head, he stepped around me and made a move for the door. I turned to watch him go, panic blooming in my gut. He was just going to let this go, as easily as that. I needed this job more than he needed me to do it, and he knew it. Plenty of girls would line up to be his fake date. He had options. I didn’t.

Damn him.

Could he really be the killer? He was a massive dick and brimming with danger, but he’d had me alone last night. Nothing had happened. If he’d wanted to kill me, he’d had a chance.

“Wait,” I said with a sigh when he reached the door.

He turned toward me, eyebrow raised.

“You understand why I’d be wary.”

“Of course I do. But I am no killer, Mia, and just because my club is in Hell’s Kitchen does not mean I’m involved.”

“I mean, that is probably what the actual killer would say.”

“I have an alibi,” he said. “Which has already been given to the police. They came by the club last night after the poor girl was found to ask if I’d seen anything. If you have any doubts, you’re welcome to call them. But after that, I only want you to take this job if you can trust me. I mean it, Mia. Loyalty and trust are essential to me.”

His eyes flashed as if to punctuate his words. Heat stormed through my veins, and an oddly familiar zing went down my spine. Where had I felt that before?

“Alright,” I said in a rush before I could stop myself. This was insane. Probably the most illogical thing I’d ever done in my life. But I couldn’t bring myself to turn it down. I could move out of Serena’s apartment immediately, and I’d have a month’s wages behind me at the end of it. Hopefully, his recommendation letter would be enough to get me on the payroll somewhere else when our time together was up.

Of course, I would find a way to confirm his story, just for peace of mind. I was about to move in with a total stranger, after all…

His brows winged upward. “Are you saying you want the job?”

I nodded, gut twisting with excitement and unease. “When do I start?”

A slow smile spread across his face. “Tomorrow.”

My heart flipped. That was soon. “And when do I move in?”

“I see no reason to hold off.” His eyes drifted toward the TV. “I know you’re very busy with your important plans. Think you could cancel them and move in tonight?”

I wet my lips as I stared into his chiseled face. Holy shit, this was happening fast. Could I really do this? Was I an idiot? Maybe yes. On both accounts. But it was the most exciting thing to have happened to me in months.

“I think I could manage to pack up my things by tonight.”

“Good.” He gave a nod and whispered over to the door. “I’ll have a car pick you up at eight.”