Demon Mine (Karmic Lust) (4 page)

At the rate she was going, everyone figured she would be an old, unmarried woman selling dildos and the like way into her eighties. She chuckled at the thought, thinking to herself that at least she would be one hip old woman.

Not to mention the fact that her being in love with a man she knew to be a demon would be disconcerting for most. From the time she could remember as a child, she had always felt there were unworldly things out there. It had gone beyond just believing there were other beings beyond humans when she was a young girl and had visits from her
imaginary friend
that she would play with when Eva was not around. A friend who’d help her when she needed help and even go so far as to protect her.

He would never present himself so that others would see him. He had always told her he was there for her and that there were others like him. He had said she would have an affinity for those like him and would now have her eyes opened to such things, as she was a natural. She would only not sense a being strong enough to block such things from her.

When she had asked him what his name was, he had told her Adam. For years, as a young child, Adam was always there. Then when it came time for her to grow up, he came to her and told her that he would have to stop coming around, that she was big enough to deal with life’s issues, and perhaps, someday they could meet again.

She heard the clearing of a throat and groaned. Of course Eva would catch her daydreaming. Why in the hell was Eva always in the wrong place at the wrong time? Every time she was thinking about Samael, there was Eva. If it weren’t absurd, she would think Eva knew what she was thinking and had come to disrupt those thoughts. She was being silly. Her sister loved her. She was a little overprotective. Yet, she loved her. She turned towards Eva, who was standing in the doorway taking a huge bite out of an apple, the scowl on her face all-knowing.

"Want a bite?"

Eva moved over to her holding a big crimson colored apple out. It looked delicious. For some reason, Liliana didn’t think she could even stomach it. It felt so much like a trap. Shit, what was she thinking, a trap? God, she was truly losing it! Her sister loved her.
S
he wouldn’t do anything to harm her.

"No." Liliana shook her head vehemently. "Thank you, but no, I ate an hour ago. Not even hungry yet." Eva shrugged and perched her ass, clad in tight black jeans, on the edge of the desk and looked at her.

"So let me guess. You’re pining away for a man that is afraid to meet you in the daylight. A man, I might add, that’s probably married with the white picket fence, two perfect children and a dog. Which, my dear sweet sister, would make you the mistress. Are you so desperate, Lil, that you will take another woman's leavings?"

The pen that Liliana had been holding dropped onto the desk as she pierced her sister with a look of incredulity, her lips forming an O. Liliana fought the anger that was bubbling forth. This was Eva. This wasn't just someone off the street talking trash. It was her sister. She was so crossing the line, a very thin line that would be backing Liliana up against a wall if she kept it up. As much as she loved Eva, she needed to stop getting so close to that invisible boundary of what
one
didn't say to someone about her man.

"You don't know him, Eva, like I know him." She knew she sounded like a broken record. Eva just didn't get it, and perhaps she never would. God, she hoped that wasn't the case.

"I don’t have to know him to see what he is like and what he is doing, Lili." Eva took another big bite out of the apple. "You and I have always stuck together. Since the foster homes we bounced around in, who kept you safe? Who guided you through all the mess that happened to us and kept you from some of the shit that could have happened to us? Me! And this one time I tell you that someone is up to no good, you doubt me?"

"You don't know him like I know him!" Her voice rose with agitation. To calm herself she took several deep, calming breaths and then looked at Eva who still sat on the desk with her hand on her hip. "Please. Stop. This isn't the place for this. We need to get to work. I am almost done with the totals, and then we can go over the new items that have come in and figure out how we want to display them."

"We aren't done with this conversation by a long shot, Lili. I will give you your reprieve, as I know you are right about us needing to get things done today. So in that vein, I suggest you stop dreaming about
Mr. Fuck'em and Leave'em
and focus on the task at hand."

Liliana felt her lips tighten as she fought back the angry words that were so close to the surface. She gave a huff and a nod towards her sister, watching as Eva got up off the desk and made her way back to the office door to head out. She turned back to leave another parting shot.

"You'll thank me later." With another bite of the almost gone apple, Eva winked and left the room.

Thank her later indeed. Eva acted as if she didn't know Liliana loved Samael. This wasn't just a passing fancy of some young girl. No, this was the love of a woman who knew what she wanted, how she wanted it and why she wanted it. Samael spoke to her on every level. The pain of being without him was a physical hurt, not just a mental one. She felt so empty without him.

Yet if she were honest, it did chafe a bit that she only saw him at night. However, in truth, she knew why he did it. How could she tell her sister, or anyone for that matter, that the one she was in love with was a demon? She
coul
dn't. She would just swallow the hurt and pride and made it seem like the situation was okay. Made herself feel it was okay to be alone half the time and only with him when it was nighttime. It all seemed so convenient. A nice little present for Samael without any of the baggage that came along with being in a fully committed relationship.

The pull towards him was something she couldn’t deny. Besides, they didn't just fuck like rabbits all night, not as Eva thought.
T
here was more to their time together than that. He held her and comforted her when she needed it, too. He let her talk about her day. He listened, and he told her he loved her. No, they didn’t have a conventional relationship by what society considered normal by any means, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t perfect for her. Samael was not a typical man. Hell, he wasn't a man at all; he was a demon. He was a demon with a curse. A curse he didn't like to speak of other than to tell her that it was his torment. The only thing he would tell her was that the curse was keeping him bound to the nightly visits. She believed him.
W
hy would he lie?

A thought filtered into her mind that maybe he was lying because he was spending time with someone else when he wasn't with her. No! She wouldn't think like that. This was all Eva's fault. She had put that little niggling of doubt into her mind and made her question the relationship she had with Samael.

Her reflections returned to how Eva had offered the apple and how flippant she had seemed when she knew that Liliana loved Samael. Eva always had to be right about everything and always wanted to tell Liliana how to act, and this instance was no different. Her dismissive attitude spoke volumes of how little she thought of their relationship. The bond she had with Samael wasn't just a fling for her. It was love, something that Liliana had told Eva on many occasions. She laughed aloud, shaking her head. Eva really wasn't one to talk about relationships. She had scared off every man who was interested in her.

The plain fact of the matter was, Eva needed to find love herself, and then she would understand. She hoped. Her mind started working overtime, and she smiled. If she found Eva a man, then perhaps she would let up. Then Eva would understand Liliana. She would understand that what they had was meant to be and a forever kind of love. If anything, she hoped it would at least get her off her back for just a bit. She giggled.

She was startled out of her daydream when Jess tapped on the door, holding a large box in her arms. "Oh!"

"Sorry, boss. I did make my presence known a few times." The shapely blonde, in her skinny jeans and t-shirt with the company's logo emblazoned in hot pink on the front of it over her ample chest, smiled apologetically. Jess was their stocker and cashier extraordinaire.

"It's okay, Jess. I was lost in thought. What do you have there?" One way to forget about her issues was to get back into work. She had to.
I
t was the only way to keep centered because once in his presence, the axis of her center had the habit of shifting off kilter. Being with him did that to her, always left her off balance. She chuckled softly. Not that having that unbalance happen around him was a bad thing.

"It's the new vibrators you ordered a week ago. You know, the pink mini love bullets." Jess grinned, pulling out one of the small boxes from the big box that she set on the edge of the desk. Reaching across the box, Jess handed the item in question to Liliana with a smile.

Liliana took the small box and settled back in her chair, as she looked it over. "Ah, yes. I have been waiting for these. They need to be on display at the front counters in the glass case. These hot little numbers will sell really quickly."

"There are some other things that I need your help figuring out where to put them. Eva said that is your job. She is better at the schmoozing, and you’re better at the marketing." Jess chuckled.

"Yeah, Eva is pretty good at convincing people to do as she wishes, that's for sure."
This is the exact reason why I need to stick by my guns about Samael when Eva starts in on me about him.
“
Go ahead and fix the display up. Once I am done balancing the books, I will be out to help you figure out where we want the other items." She held out the little box to Jess.

"That sounds really good, boss." Jess grinned and took the small package from Liliana, then placed it back in the bigger box. "Is there anything else before I go?"

"No, that is all. Thank you, Jess."

Jess nodded her head, picked up the merchandise and left the back office. Liliana stood, stretching her arms above her head to work the kinks out of her body from sitting at the desk all morning. It was now well into lunchtime, which was actually their busiest time of the day, and she still hadn't gotten much done. Which she welcomed as it would make the evening come quicker and soon it would be time to be in her lover’s arms. The one thing she wanted the most right now was to feel his arms around her. The stress from worry was taking its toll, and she needed the strength that he alone could give her.

Eva sat in a darkened corner of
Diego’s
bar watching the sinfully handsome man with skin the color of the richest cappuccino. She was sitting on a barstool and talking to Diego himself. He wore
a pair of dark colored jeans and a nice silk dress shirt that clung to his abs. Damn, he had a goatee with a military haircut. There was nothing sexier to her than a goatee on a man. He was sin on two legs. He had long tapered fingers that gripped the beer bottle and made her long for those hands to be gripping her. She picked up her brandy and took a quick drink, then gasped as it burned all the way down. She felt tears prick the corners of her eyes from that lapse in judgment. What was it about him that seemed so familiar? She felt this invisible string pulling her towards him, and she couldn’t even begin to understand why.

Just as she was about to get up from her table and make her way over to him to introduce herself, she saw Liliana stop right next to him and begin  talking as if she knew him. A deep frown
developed
on her face, and she settled back down in her chair.
What the fuck? How did Liliana know him? As wrapped up in Samael as she was, she couldn't see past his dick.
Not that she could blame her.
He was something delicious to look at.
But this fine specimen was definitely all that and more.
A
t least, he seemed to be.

The
ugliness
of jealousy, as usual, began to rear its
repulsive
head, and she couldn't stop herself; she had to go and investigate. With a toss of her head, she stood and made her way to the bar, standing right next to Liliana.

"Ah, there you are, sister dear. Leaving me all by my lonesome at the bar is quite naughty of you." She gave a sidelong glance at the man Lili was talking to and then looked back at her sister. "Going to introduce me?"

Liliana laughed softly. "Oh, yes. I am sorry. Clay, this is my sister Eva. Eva, this is my good friend, Clay
Quinones
. He's actually one of the delivery men from the company where we buy most of our merchandise, C&C Inc."

"Oh yes, I remember them. They do supply us with some fun items." Eva looked back at Mr. Sexy and gave a nod of her head. He smiled back at her and she almost melted. That was until her sister said delivery man. Wow, really? If anyone had ever said the cards she held were lucky, they were in for disappointment. She could hear the sarcasm playing in her own head. She gave a small gasp as Clay gave her a soft kiss on the cheek, before pulling back with a devilish grin. She felt her pussy dampen and hated how her legs shook.

"Buenas noches, Eva; a kiss on the cheek is how we greet one another in
Puerto Rico
."