The Devil Behind Me (6 page)

“
No! Absolutely not! I will never take money from you. Thanks for the offer, but I will not go down that route,” I fired back.

She
was the first real friend I had made in a long time and I wasn’t about to fuck it all up by taking her money. 

“Ok
ay, fine,” she relented but seemed a little miffed.

“Plea
se, Elissa, don’t be mad at me,” I pleaded.

“I'm not mad
, but damn girl, you do make your life harder than it has to be. I'm your friend for fuck’s sake. I want to help you,” she groaned. 

“I know and I love that you do
, but I can’t, Elissa. I just can’t.”

She walked me out of the bathroom
. We said our good-byes in the hallway and I headed for the locker room. I began to get undressed when I felt a presence in the room. 

“When
did you get that scar?” Daimon breathed.

I froze
and covered myself up quickly, hiding the scar that ran down my back. I had promised myself I wouldn’t ever think about it again. That part of my life was over and I was stupid enough to let it happen. 

“You might own the time we decided on
, but you don’t own me. Now get out, I need to get dressed,” I seethed. It wasn’t exactly Daimon’s fault, but the anger I had about that night was still inside me. I really needed to stop bottling things up.

Daimon
watched me, his eyes narrowing.  “Fine,” he spat out. 

I dressed and hurried out only to be stopped by the great wall of
Daimon. I knew I should have gone out the other way. He took me by the wrist and began walking me to the front of the bar. I tried pulling away, but Daimon turned and cornered me, his face inches from mine.

“Just try it
, Addie. Just keep testing me and see how far I’ll go. Now act like you love the attention I am showering over you and be a fucking good girl and follow me out,” he snarled.

My body wa
s at attention as he leaned in. I could feel his hard chest pressing onto me, pushing me into the wall behind me. He dared me to look away, but I didn’t. I stared at him defiantly. He pushed himself off me and started off again. We walked by Clara’s table. I heard the sneers and jeers, which were directed toward me. I tried as I much as I could to not hear them, but words such as gold digger, poor and destitute, were said loudly enough for my benefit.

Daimon
turned around and looked at me; he sighed and pulled me close so I could stand next to him. “You are my equal, don’t stand behind me,” he said proudly. He looked down at me and half-grinned. I looked away, I had to. This stupid deal I had made with him was affecting me. I had to keep reminding myself he was playing a part and I was the toy he bought to play with.

***

Daimon drove me home in relative silence. He sat in the driver seat brooding for a reason I didn’t know. Maybe I didn’t play my part right, but he always pushed my buttons the wrong way. It was hard not to want to push back. 

“That scar…”
he started.

“It’s none of you
r business,” I said curtly.

“I'm making
it my business,” he said fiercely. 

“I
seem to recall in our contract there is something about not asking personal questions. The deal was I play a role and you pay for Sofia’s first semester,” I bit out.

He growled l
ow into his chest as he stopped the car in front of my house. “Do you carry that stupid contract around with you? I hardly remember anything about that fucking contract.  All I wanted...” he stopped.

I didn’t bother waiting for him to say anything else. I jumped out
of the car and ran inside. I leaned against the front door, holding onto the doorknob. My home was silent; everyone was asleep upstairs. I let out a sigh when I heard his tires screech as he left.

“Yes
, I know,” I said to the bank manager. “I’ll try to get you the money soon.” I hung up.

M
y body literally ached I was so tired. How the hell was I going to come up with the cash I needed? I picked up my phone and called Darren. I asked for more shifts, which he was glad to give me. I was going to work two more shifts this week, they should help me cover some of the rent.

“
So, anything new with Mr. All Blue Eyes?” asked Silvia. 

“No
,” I spat out.

“
You better get going with your man or else I'll take him,” Silvia said to me with a sinister little grin.

“
Silvia, if you want him then you can take him.” I waved my hand at her, lost in my thoughts of how I was going to make rent.

“
Listen, sweetheart, if the man even looked my way I would have jumped him, but that man only has eyes for you.” Her comment threw me out of my thoughts.

Eyes for
me? Yeah right, only because he paid me to be his girlfriend.

My phone sang with the suspense tone. Speaking of Lucifer himself.

I looked down at this little text sent by the devil and texted back.

Two microseconds later.

I could seriously hear him over the text ordering me.

Daimon sent me an address in Lower Manhattan. Thankfully, my dad was having a good day so I was able to slip out for a few hours.

I walked around the busy sidewalks
crowded with people. Cabs lined the streets as they honked at each other to get by. At least the day was sunny and warm. 

I
stood in front of a huge building, which reached high into the sky. The building itself was a homage to the old glory days of New York. A well-dressed doorman came out and greeted me.

"Ms. Addie?" h
e smiled.

“Yes?"
I said suspiciously as I looked at the middle aged man who had a full belly and a jolly disposition. All he was missing was the white hair and beard and he'd be the classic Santa.  

“
Mr. Evans is waiting upstairs for you.” He reached behind him and opened the door. “Just go to the elevator and punch in Ph 3.”

I followed his instructions and entered
a wondrous building that was stunning inside. A large crystal chandelier shined brightly as it lit the lobby, lined with various marble stones and expensive couches. A large, round, dark mahogany table stood in the middle of the lobby, with a huge silver vase filled with pink and white flowers, an arrangement so large the scent overpowered the entire lobby. A young man, maybe in his thirties, stood behind an opulent desk made of white marble and gold trim. He nodded his head as I slowly walked by. He extended his hand to an elevator off to the corner. I followed his gesture to the front of a small elevator as he walked over to me and pulled out his card key. 

“Mr. Evans is right upstairs,
” he said in a professional voice, nothing like the jolly man I saw before. The elevator doors opened and I pressed Ph3.

The
doors opened to a dark foyer with only one bright light, which lit the area from above.

“
Come in, Addie.” Daimon turned the corner and leaned up against the wall. He stood in a pair of loose jeans, a simple white T-shirt and bare feet.

“
Come on, Addie,” he said low as he looked me over.

I entered and the elevator doors closed behind me. That's when I heard a chain like sound and the
pitter-patter of feet running toward me. A tiny, dark chocolate lab came at me. “Drako no!” Daimon ordered, but the dog didn't heed. I dropped to my knees and began petting him. The pup nudged his little head into my hand as he licked me. Daimon stood quietly as he watched our exchange.

“How
old is he?” I asked, still petting him.

“
A few months,” he said quietly.

“
Is this what you want? You call and I come running here like a dog?” I said as continued to pet the dog. He looked at me intently, but said nothing.

“I ordered food
. Come let's eat,” he said as he walked into his place.

Drako
ran after his master, but stopped midway. The dog looked back and waited for me. I kicked off my shoes and walked in, Drako waited until I reached his side and led me inside.

Daimon
's home was completely black and dark, almost cold like, with dark marble floors and black walls. There was hardly anything to indicate anyone lived here. Daimon stood waiting for me at his table next to a large window, which overlooked the Hudson River. Takeout containers from a local Chinese restaurant filled the table. Two plates were placed across each other with forks and chopsticks.  

“
Sit.” He pulled out my chair and waited. I watched him with unease at what he was about to do. “Relax, Addie, I just wanted you to sit and eat with me,” he said.

I moved over to where h
e was. I watched as he held out the chair. I sat down warily, as thoughts of how he pulled the hundreds of chairs out from under me flashed across my mind. He chuckled low into his chest as he pushed the chair in. Drako sat under the table between our feet. Daimon sat across from me and began to open up the takeout boxes, taking out food and placing it on his plate.

“Orange
beef?” he asked as he handed me the box.

“Why
did you call me here, Daimon?” I asked watching him carefully. He slowly put the container down and looked at me with annoyance.

“I
ordered too much food,” he bit out.

“You
can't be serious? You know I work. It's not easy for me to just leave and come here.” I raised my voice but I stopped, I was trying hard not to lose it on him.  

He put his chopsticks down a
nd leaned back into his chair. We stared at each other for a long while, both of us weighing our options. I was about to get up and leave when Daimon finally spoke.

“I
want us to get our story straight. On how we met and fell in love,” he said.

“
Why don't you just tell everyone you felt like an asshole for treating me like shit in high school and the moment you saw me you fell in love with me?” I mocked.

“
Doesn't sound like me, I don't usually apologize,” he smiled. “At least not for the things I'm not sorry for,” he chuckled.

“We’re
lying, so what does it matter?” I asked.

“Yes
, Addie, we’re lying, but it has to be realistic and me saying sorry isn't.” He reached for his chopsticks and started eating.

“F
ine, you come up with something and text it to me,” I bit back and stood up to leave.

“
Can’t you just sit and have lunch with me? I'll drive you back,” he said in a hushed voice.

“
Daimon, I need to head back now.” I continued to walk away. Drako stood up and whined. Daimon reached up, grabbed my hand, and stopped me. “Please,” he gritted out.

Why the fuck
did I relent? I sat back down while Drako came out from underneath the table and sat next to me. Daimon handed me a takeout box.

“
Are you ever going to tell me what really happened to you? Why didn't you go to Yale? You were one of the smartest people in school,” he said in passing.

“
Like I said before, it's none of your business,” I murmured as I chewed on my orange beef.

“
Why don't you tell me why the hell you tortured me all throughout high school?” I stared at him waiting for his answer. All he did was smirk. “Why are you laughing?”

“I’m just
remembering you in high school,” he continued to smirk.

“
Great. So I was a running gag for you,” I muttered angrily, pushing my food around.

“
It was fun for me,” he admitted.

“Fun? Fun? Have you any idea how much you tormented me? How much I tried to avoid you?” I fired back. My body was shaking I was so angry. The memories of high school followed me around like a nasty nightmare, plaguing me, invading themselves as I dealt with my life.

“Addie
, I wasn't all that bad in high school,” he refuted.

“Are
you high on drugs or something? You made my life a living hell!” I attacked.

“
Addie, I seem to recall at the grad—”

“
Enough! I don’t even want to remember the graduation.” I had completely lost my appetite. I wanted to be away from him. “Look, Daimon, I need to go.” I stood up again and headed to the elevator. Drako was hot on my trail. I heard him whining as the elevator doors closed. He thought high school was fun? I couldn’t believe he'd think what he did to me was fun.

After an
hour, I finally made it back to the store. My dad was beat so I sent him home. Those damn drugs his doctor gave him weren’t working. I was starting to lose all hope. My dad had avoided the conversation he knew I was trying to have with him. The diner itself wasn’t just about a way to feed us, it meant more to him. It was his first big adventure, his first real accomplishment. It was the last thing he had which both he and my mother wanted. If I were to even mention selling it, it would devastate him. He knew as well as I did there would be no one who would buy our business, not now. Declaring bankruptcy was admitting both he and my mother failed in their dream. My mom and my father ran away from the village they were born in. They fell in love, went against tradition, and moved here. So to go bankrupt or even to foreclose, Sofia and I both knew it would kill our father. It would be tantamount to taking my mother away from him all over again.

My father knew
the restaurant was dying, it’s not like he was a stupid man, but his love for my mother blinded him even now. Not being able to make the restaurant work hurt him more, making his illness far more severe. My father was always a tall, rugged man who worked hard. Now he was a mere shadow of who he had once been. Watching him slowly break down had become another crack in my already broken heart. There was nothing I could do to make it better. Perhaps in the end I was the truest failure. I was the oldest, the strongest, I should have protected them both, but I couldn’t. All I could do was try my hardest to keep the diner afloat.

Thankfully
, I had four shifts at the bar this week that meant more money. I texted Elissa and I was happy to know she’d be there. I closed up the restaurant and readied myself to head downtown to work.

***

The music was at an all-time high as I arrived outside the bar.

“Hey
, Pete,” I waved at the bouncer. My first impression of Pete wasn’t the best, the guy treated me like shit the first time I came here, but once I started to speak to him I realized it was his job. Pete was a muscle guy who knew how to pack a punch when needed but was absolutely a huge teddy bear. He was at times naïve and playful. 

“Hey
, Addie. Remember, baby doll, bring me a drink in a few. These crazy girls are driving me nuts!” he shouted as I opened the door to the bar. The music blaring to a point of almost drowning him out.

“
Okay!” I yelled over my shoulder and headed inside. I saw Darren who wagged his finger for me to follow him. We headed to his office and he in turn gave me my new uniform. I stared at it for a few minutes.

“
Where the hell is the rest of the dress?” I muttered, turning it over and looking at it.

“
Come on, Addie. You have a hot body and you have to show it off. Besides Daimon will lose his fucking mind the moment he sees this on you. Thank me later when you two have some crazy sex. Just do me a favor and make sure you clean the dress afterwards.” He shook his head and grimaced. 

“
Hey, do you mind? Why are you even mentioning Daimon?” I groaned. 

“
Ah, ‘cause he’s your boyfriend?” he scoffed. Fuck, I seriously needed to play my part better.

“
Yeah, I know, but I don’t want to talk sex with you, especially where Daimon’s concerned,” I chuckled trying to make it seem like a joke. 

“I'm sti
ll amazed, Addie. You and Daimon. I swear I never thought I’d see the day. But you both have it hard for each other. Not going to lie, babe, I’m jealous. Very,” he said rather bitterly and headed toward the door. “Now get to work and make me some money.”

It took me all of a few seconds to get dressed. Why?
Because there wasn’t much to wear. The hemline was just underneath my butt. I clipped on my small apron and headed out. I looked around and saw Elissa wearing our new uniform; damn, the girl looked hot. 

“
Wow! Look at you, Addie.” Jace called over from the bar. I looked back to see Jace had stopped serving drinks and smiled at me. 

The
only glitch was both Darren and Daimon stood in front of him. My body grew hot the moment I laid eyes on Daimon. My heart began to race and I began to feel uncomfortable at his demanding gaze. I smiled at Jace and left them, heading out to my section of the bar. The whole night as I worked Daimon’s eyes never once left me. At times he looked angry, others he looked annoyed, but a few times I could see something else, so I chose to avoid him completely.

“Come on
, Jace, work harder,” cried out Elissa. 

“Yeah
, Jace, can’t you get your cronies to help you out?” I fired back. Both Elissa and I loved bugging him, especially when he was overwhelmed. 

“
Where the hell did you learn that word?” Elissa looked over to me. 

“
There’s this really old lady at the diner. I can’t even describe her to you. You just have to meet her. I swear you’d love her,” I laughed.

Jace
placed Elissa’s drinks onto her tray as she winked and left.  I was up next. 

“
So, pretty lady. What are you doing after work?” I looked around to see a gorgeous looking guy. I laughed, getting hit on was kind of nice.