Devilish Deal by Jenna Wolfhart

7

“Sign here.” Asmodeus pushed the clipboard across the desk and leaned back into his office chair. My eyes flicked across the paper. It was the end of what looked like a twenty-page contract. I flipped through it all, eyes blurring. A spot for my signature sat just beneath his, next to that same Infernal symbol etched onto the door.

“This seems a bit over the top,” I finally said, setting the clipboard onto the desk. “And I should probably read through all of it.”

“It’s a standard employment contract,” he replied, frowning. “Take your time, if you’d like. Unfortunately, that means you won’t be able to start tonight. I’ll have to put you on the roster for another day later in the week instead.”

I sighed and picked up the pen. “It’s fine.”

As I scribbled my name across the line, a strange zing went through my body. Almost like someone had shot an electric charge into my arm. Wincing, I finished signing and tossed the pen onto the desk.

“What’s wrong?” Asmodeus asked with a smile.

“Nothing, I think I just got a shock.” I wrung my arm and pushed the clipboard toward him. “There. Happy now?”

“Delighted.” He stood and motioned for me to follow him into the hallway outside his office. That afternoon, he had fulfilled his promise and had taken me shopping. In the end, we’d argued about every little thing until he’d angrily bought me three outfits I was to wear when I danced at his club. I hated each and every one of them. They were little straps of black fabric that highlighted my curves, but one wrong move, and I’d have a serious case of wardrobe malfunction on my hands.

He led me through the hallway and into a side room where a half a dozen guys were clustered around a folding table. They fell silent as soon as we walked in, and it was all I could do not to gape at them.

They were all tall and well-muscled, donning tight tanks that did little to hide their chiseled chests and biceps. In fact, I had a feeling that was the point.

“These are your dancers?” I asked, my voice rising to a higher pitch with every word. No wonder he’d said he needed a different kind of dancer. He’d meant men! Very muscled, very tall, very gorgeous men.

The guys all glanced at each other and laughed. Asmodeus chuckled from beside me, and that dimpled smile made a rare appearance.

“These aren’t the dancers, Mia,” Asmodeus said. “They’re the club’s bouncers.”

“Oh.” My cheeks went hot. “That makes sense.”

The guy nearest to the door had long dark hair that curled around his ears and an elaborate tattoo that swirled across his massive left bicep. He waggled his eyebrows at me. “I could put on a show for you if you’d like.”

“Caim,” Asmodeus warned in a dangerous voice. “No flirting with Mia. She’s my girlfriend, remember? Starting now, we need to remember this, even when no one else is around. Otherwise, we might forget when it counts.”

Ah, so these guys knew all about the fake girlfriend scheme. Good to know. So, that meant they were inside his trust circle. Probably a good thing. I didn’t know how well I could pretend on a day-to-day basis, on top of the events with his potential investors.

“Hi, Mia.” Caim flashed me a brilliant smile. “Welcome to the crazy house. Buckle in. Your life is about to get turned upside down.”

“Don’t scare her, Caim,” another one of the guys said. He had reddish hair with eyes I swore matched, even if that was impossible. People couldn’t have orange eyes, right? Must be contacts. His voice was harsh and rough, a contrast to both Caim and Asmodeus. “If we want to pull this off, we need her to stick around, not run off into the night screaming bloody murder.”

I raised my brows.

“This is Phenex,” Caim said, jerking his thumb toward the ginger. “He’s prone to exaggeration.”

Phenex rolled his eyes and gave Caim a brotherly punch on the arm. Immediately, they both started bickering.

Not for the first time, I wondered exactly what I’d signed up for. These guys seemed friendly enough, but they were intense as hell.

I cleared my throat and tried on a smile. “Nice to meet you guys. So, you know about the…” I glanced at Asmodeus.

“Girlfriend deal,” Caim finished for me, nodding. “‘Course we do. We came up with the plan together. In fact, it was Valac’s idea.”

I followed his gaze to the guy in the far corner, half-hidden in shadows. He had bleached white hair and pale skin that seemed to pull tight around his muscles. Something about him screamed danger, and every hair on the back of my neck stood on end. The whites of his eyes seemed to pierce my soul. Suddenly, the fangs of my memories threatened to pierce my mind. I shuddered.

Caim sighed and rolled his eyes. “Stop it, Valac.”

Confusion rippled through me, and my memories blinked away. “Stop what?”

“Nothing,” Asmodeus said quickly, catching my elbow in his hand. “I need to take you to the other dancers now. They’ll go through everything you need to know for the night. This lot will talk your ears off if we stay much longer.” He shot them all a dark gaze. “Behave yourselves.”

“Bye, Mia!” Caim called out as Asmodeus dragged me out of the room. I frowned up at him when our feet hit the hallway and yanked my elbow out of his grip. He motioned for me to follow him down the left side of the hallway, and we fell into step beside each other.

“You don’t have to manhandle me.”

“It’s almost nine. The club will get busy soon, and we need you ready for your shift.” He didn’t even glance down at me, and he threw out his words as if they were barbed. Had I annoyed him somehow? Again?

“What have I done now?”

He cut his gaze my way. “You were eyeing up Caim like he was a steak dinner.”

I snorted, nearly stumbling over my own feet at the shock of his words. “Wait a minute. You’re mad because I noticed your bouncers aren’t exactly ugly?”

“Stay away from them, Mia.”

“Excuse me? You were the one who introduced me to them.”

“Clearly, that was a mistake.”

I was starting to think the mistake was me agreeing to this bizarre deal in the first place. With a roll of my eyes, I considered the night ahead. At least I wouldn’t have to work with him. I’d be up in a cage, dancing the night away. He’d be…doing whatever club owners did. Likely greeting his most prized guests and rubbing elbows with the latest winners of the Grammys.

At the end of the hallway, Asmodeus pushed open a door and ushered me into the dancers’ dressing room and a flurry of vibrant energy. Girls sat along a slim table that hugged the wall, half-costumed and applying makeup before a bank of brightly-lit mirrors. Each and every one of them was breathtakingly beautiful, as if they’d walked straight out of the pages of a magazine.

My heart constricted as I scanned the room. Diamonds dotted earlobes. Their gowns were tiny yet classy, their hair shiny, their faces clear and bright. Asmodeus had not been wrong. I didn’t fit in with these girls. They were fucking gorgeous.

“Everyone,” Asmodeus spoke up from beside me with a booming voice. All the chattering girls fell silent and turned to gaze my way. “Meet Mia. She’s our newest dancer.”

A girl halfway down the table flicked her glossy brown eyes across me. “She’s the one replacing Allison?”

“That’s right.”

The girls all gave each other uneasy glances. Hmm. I frowned. That was odd. Who was this Allison girl and why did they all look like they wanted to vomit from the very mention of her?

“Well, welcome to the crazy house,” the girl said, repeating Caim’s words. “I’m Priyanka. You’ll be dancing in the cage by me. Come on in. Let’s get you ready.”

Asmodeus vanished from my side, and I was quickly surrounded by a gaggle of perfectly-coifed girls. They sat me down in a chair and applied a liberal amount of makeup to my usually clear face. There wasn’t time for much discussion. They explained how the night went, what time to be ready for the cages, and how we needed to treat the patrons of the place.

By the time they’d taken me through a rundown of the job, it was time to climb into the cages and dance.

My palms were sweaty, and my heart beat a hectic drum in my chest. I couldn’t help but feel like I was about to make a total fool of myself. But when I climbed into the cage and watched the floor shudder away, a strange sense of calm settled over me. And so I danced. For hours. I barely even noticed the minutes tick by, until suddenly, the night was done, and it was time for me to leave.

I’d even made three hundred bucks in tips.

I smiled as I counted out the wad and tucked it into my purse. Priyanka sidled up to me and gave me a high five, grinning. “You killed it tonight, Mia. The crowd loved you. No wonder Az has taken a shine to you.”

My stomach tumbled, and the euphoria from the night took a sudden nose dive. “Taken a shine to me…so, you know?”

“About you and Az? Ha. As if he could get himself a girlfriend and keep it a secret. It’s all anyone can talk about. He hasn’t had a girlfriend in over a hund—” She cleared her throat. “In a very long time.”

I flushed and felt a strange sense of pride surge through me, which was totally ridiculous. It wasn’t like I was his real girlfriend. To be his girlfriend, I would have to like him. As it was, I could barely tolerate his presence.

“Aww, look at that.” Priyanka grinned and tapped my cheek. “You’re blushing. Better be careful, hun, or you’re going to fall head over heels in love with that man.”

“Don’t worry. I don’t think there’s any threat of that happening.” I grabbed my jacket off the back of the chair and tugged it over my dress. On my way off the dance floor, I’d spotted Asmodeus in deep conversation with a table of his patrons. I shouldn’t interrupt, and his apartment was only three blocks away. I’d walk back while he wrapped up here. With my trusty can of pepper spray, of course. A girl can never be too careful.

“That’s what we always say, eh?” Priyanka settled into the chair and pulled some makeup wipes out of a bag. “Well, it’s been great to meet you, Mia. See you tomorrow night?”

I smiled back. “See you tomorrow.”

I said goodbye to the other girls—Lexi, Ramona, Ellen, Piper, and Willow—and found the side door of the club. There were still several patrons wandering around the front, taking a smoke break outside. Infernal didn’t close for another hour, and the night owls looked like they were only getting started.

With a slight smile, I turned the corner, aiming my boots south. Tonight hadn’t been that bad after all. I might have even made some new friends. As much as I loved Serena, it wasn’t fair to rely on her as much as I did. If I was going to make it in a new city, in a new life, I needed to meet other people.

The three hundred bucks in my pocket didn’t hurt either.

Two large figures loomed out of an alley. They strode into the center of the sidewalk, turning to face me. My heart jerked in my chest as I came to a sudden stop, gazing at them with cotton balls in my mouth. They were both huge, muscled, and heavily tattooed. One had buzzed hair and was slightly taller than the other, but only by an inch.

The taller one stepped toward me. “Hello, Mia.”

“Um.” I took a step back and reached for my pepper spray.

“No need to be afraid.” He smiled and held out a hand. “My name is Gabriel, and we just want to talk to you about your new association with Infernal.”

“Gabriel,” I repeated, ignoring his offered hand. Heart hammering, I glanced around me at the empty street. Should I turn around and run back to Infernal? Should I scream? Douse them in pepper spray? Probably all of the above.

“Yes, ah.” He turned to the other guy, a golden-haired Adonis with a bicep bigger than my thigh. “This might be a little difficult for you to comprehend, so please don’t freak out when we try to explain.”

“We’re angels,” the golden-haired one said, folding his arms over his white, button-up shirt. “Supernaturals exist, particularly in New York City. You’re surrounded by them all the time.”

Gabriel shot his friend a dark look. “Great going, Suriel. We were supposed to ease her into it. Humans freak out when they learn supernaturals are real.” He turned back to me, and the brilliance of his encouraging smile was almost blinding. “It’s alright, Mia. You don’t need to be afraid.”

I wet my lips and took another step back. Truth was, this wasn’t news to me…but I couldn’t tell them that. I’d known for a very long time that vampires and werewolves are real, but supernaturals live by strict laws. The most important one? Never let humans find out anything.

“Oh my god. You’re crazy.” I widened my eyes and pasted shock onto my face. “You must be on drugs or something.”

Gabriel’s smile dropped. “Oh. You already know about us.”

“What? No. I—”

“You’re a terrible actress,” he said, sighing. “Who told you?”

“No one,” I said through gritted teeth. “It’s not particularly difficult to figure out. There’s evidence all over the place if you know what to look out for.”

That last part was true. The evidence was everywhere, but I hadn’t magically deduced the existence of werewolves all by myself. Serena had told me. Because she was one herself.

I’d seen her shift with my own two eyes.

“Don’t harass her, Gabe,” the golden-haired one said, turning to me. “You don’t need to tell us how you found out. That’s not why we’re here.”

“Okay. Then, what do you want?”

“We need to talk to you about the demons you’re associating with. Asmodeus in particular.”

At that, I blinked. Unease burned through my veins like acid, and my mouth went as dry as my bank account. “Wait a minute, did you say demons?”

I was aware of vampires, werewolves, fallen angels, and fae. But surely demons didn’t exist in the real world. If they did, I might have to start screaming. Blood-sucking vampires? That I could take. Human wolf-beasts with fangs and fur? Alright. But horned monsters of the underworld? No, thank you. Serena hadn’t mentioned anything about this.

Suriel’s brows winged upward. “Perhaps she didn’t know about supernaturals, after all.”

“At least not demons,” Gabriel murmured, rubbing his jaw. “So, you don’t know what Asmodeus is? What Infernal is?”

My stomach dropped. “Are you trying to tell me that Infernal isn’t a nightclub?”

“Oh, it’s a nightclub.” Suriel grinned and folded his massive arms. “For supernaturals only.”

Wait a minute. My mind raced as it replayed everything that had happened in the past few days. The famous smiling faces on the wall inside the door. The strange way Asmodeus spoke of his club. His insistence that I stay away from the bouncers in the back room.

The demons.

I’m looking for a different type of dancer.

Everything suddenly made sense. It had nothing to do with my looks, or at least not completely. He’d turned me away because I was human. He needed a supernatural to dance at his club, which meant every other person I’d met tonight was either a werewolf, a vampire, a fae, or a…demon.

I needed to sit down.