The Devil's Playthings (8 page)

When Luc
shook everyone’s hand, and thanked the student for the tour, they made their way back to the town car. Thankfully as soon as they did he was “her Luc” again.
He held her hand softly, and kissed her cheek. “I know it’s weird,” he smiled down at her.

He asked the driver to stop at a café, and they had a late lunch of croissants and soup and tea.
She ate everything, and stared
at her plate as he looked at her.

“Em, would you like some chocolate cake?” He asked politely as the waiter stood with the check?

“Do you have cheesecake?” She asked aloud, then blushed and looked down at her plate again. The waiter listed a variety of cheesecakes, and Emma picked coconut. She savored every bite with a huge pink blush on her cheeks.

“You know, not many beautiful women are shy to ask for what they want,” Luc stated as he sipped his tea. “And most times, men are willing to give it.”

“Are you even a man?” She asked, then felt horrified that she said it out loud and looked around to find no one listening to her remarks.

“I am,” he whispered back. “I am very much a man, and I am reminded every time I look at you. It makes me want to give you things
.” She blushed again, but dared
to look up at him. “It makes me want to give you everything.”

This time he wasn’t smiling as he said it, and she watched as he pulled several bills from
his
wallet and left them on the table, then hurried
her
back to the waiting car. The silence that he usually enjoyed from her was awkward, and she stared out the window as he tried not to touch her.

When they arrived at the apartment Rosa waited downstairs to carry her bags, and Luc left in the car.
Emma retired to her room with her new school books
,
and Rosa took her uniforms.

“They need to be washed and pressed,” she said with a sigh. Emma removed the navy suit and threw on shorts and a t-shirt. They were the closest thing to lounge wear she could find.

She stared at the books. She hadn’t
attended a
school in 7
years. Her grandfather made her quit, afraid she might tell someone
what he did to her
. So she thought to herself perhaps, just perhaps, if she did what he asked she could actually get something out of it; an education.

She was struggling to read Romeo and Juliet aloud when she heard a knock on her door.

“
But soft
, what light through yonder window breaks? ‘Tis the east, and Emma is the sun,” he teased when she opened it, and she tried not to giggle.

His strong deep voice flowed like honey over the words of Shakespeare. “Arise, fair Emma, and kill the envious moon, who is already sick and pale with grief that thou, her maid, is far more fair than she.” He bent to kiss her hand when he finished, and she applauded.

“That was wonderful,” she giggled.

“After dinner you can join me in the theater and we can watch it,” he invited. “But you have to change out of those shorts. Your legs are much too alluring.” He patted her on the rear and left her room. She changed into soft denim jeans and a bright pink top, and pulled her hair up in a pony tail. She felt young, and looked it as well.

After dinner, which was the best lasagna she’d ever eaten in her life, he led her
to a theater room. There were no windows in the room that was about half the length of the apartment. The huge television agains
t the wall was taller than
her. Along the other walls were various movie posters; some appeared very old and some newer, but all advertised scary movies.

There was ample seating, several overstuffed couches and a couple of love seats
.
He pulled her down beside him on the sm
allest on, cuddling her into his
body and holding her tight as they watched the epic love story.
By the end, she was crying.

“I’ve never seen that before,” she said as she fought the tears.
“It’s so sad.”

“This is what people will do for love,” his deep honeyed voice stated. “Love cannot be toyed with by God, or the angels. Love cannot be bartered, or bought. Love has to be given freely, or it is nothing at all.”

She laid her head on his chest, and he wiped away another tear. “May I sleep with you again tonight? I promise not to do more than you will allow me.” His words were so honorable, but his voice was not much more than a growl.

She made her way to her room
alone.
Rosa was
nowhere to be found. S
he
had
finished in the bathroom, put on her gown, when she heard the knock.

He was dressed in black silk pajamas, and looked so handsome. His hair was damp and hung
softly
around his face, and his smile was so innocent.
Yet his neck muscles practically strained against his skin. She could feel the tension in his body as he lay beside her, and it made her nerves stand on end. She moved around like a scared cat, until he put his arm around her and pulled her into his body.

“Sleep my dear you have school in the morning,” he whispered, and rubbed her soft blonde hair
. His mind stared into a dark abyss. The human form he took was about to explode from the longing he felt for her, and his self imposed torture was to
lie
beside her while she slept.

He had to admit it felt wonderful, and would feel even better when he finally took her as his. And he would. It would be a grand
affair;
all of his favorite followers would be there to witness it. It would be the most
raucous
,
hedonistic, sadistic orgy ever seen in New York.

His mind was a million different places, literally, listening
to
and watching the horrific things that happened on earth. Planning the future how he wanted it to be. Creating a world where men suffered more than anything they could imagine in the afterlife.

In his mind
hope
was
an idea that men would forget. And most of it depended on the soft, insecure, beautiful, scared, longing young woman who
lay
in his arms. He would have what he wanted. He would have his kingdom on earth. And she would be his queen.

He kissed her cheek to wake her in the morning, and she awoke screaming again. He comforted her gently, softly speaking to her until she knew she was safe. His mind rebelled against him. Safe with the devil? He mocked himself. But the moment he looked into her scared blue eyes he knew she would be safe with him, always.

“It’s time to get up and shower, dress, and ready yourself for school. It’s our big day,” he grinned and kissed her forehead. “Rosa will come get you for breakfast, so hurry yourself up.”

He strode to his bedroom as the man she wanted, and when he closed the door, hiding himself from her, he changed.

He looked into the mirror and knew she would never want this.
His scream of anguish was louder than hers as he descended away from her reality into his own. He descended into his own torment, into his own
fiery
pit. He screamed because he knew, as much as he wanted to be like her, he could never be. As surely as he was on Earth, he was enduring hell.

Because he could never stand before God again. And although he had endless amounts of money, and fortune, fame and power, he could never be his former self. He could never be the angel he once was. “None of this means anything,” he cried out. “None of it, but her.”

So he changed back into the beautiful form she wanted, into the man she wanted, and dressed in the clothes she liked to please her. Because her small smiles, her blushes, her sighs, her noi
ses of pleasure meant something; b
ecause she gave them freely, and asked for
nothing in return. S
he was the first human he had met that asked for nothing from him. And that is why he would give her everything.

Rosa was standing at her bed with a neatly pressed hunter green blazer and a white oxford, with a soft plaid burgundy, green, and navy skirt. She grimaced when she looked at it, but shrugged and put it on. “Hurry hurry, you don’t want to be late your first day,” Rosa encouraged her.

Rosa quickly braided her thick blonde hair, and it hung like a rope over her shoulder. This day he waited for her in the dining room, and when he saw her he jumped to pull out her chair.

“Alas, my love, you do me wrong to cast me off discourteously. For I have loved you so long, delighting in your company.”

He quietly sung the words with his deep voice. She blushed at him and shook her head, but he continued. “
Greensleeves was all my joy, G
reensleeves was my delight,” he whispered as he touched her blazer. “Greensleeves was my heart of gold, and who but my lady Greenslee
ves.” He gazed at her with onyx
colored eyes, and she blushed an even darker shade of red.

Her blush was his reward
.
H
er blush was like gasoline on the fire inside him. “We are having waffles today, because they are your favorite,” he announced, and Alexander brought them in.

She enjoyed them even though her nerves tormented her. And he seemed to realize this. “Don’t be nervous. Be yourself. And he will be wrapped around your finger in no time,” he said. Just as I am, he finished to himself. Just as I am.

She’d packed her books
and her special little card Luc had given her
in her brand new backpack, and Rosa saw her downstairs to the waiting car. She started to have second thoughts. Why was she pretending to be a young girl? For Luc?

And then she stared out the window, and she shook her head. She would do this for herself. This was her second chance, to be something she never got the chance to be. This was her chance to get an education, and maybe make something of herself.

And if she had to sell her soul to the devil, literally, she would do it. And do it happily. What could one man’s future matter anyway? If she caused one man to resign as a priest, what would that matter? There were many priests. She straightened her shoulders like Luc told her to. She would do this, and it would be the start of her new life.

The Fallen One

With only a little effort
she found her first class. Math was her worst subject, but she tried to pay attention, and followed along with the teacher. It was hard, but she tried
even harder
, and she smiled as she stood at the end of class.

She looked at the schedule and saw her next class was with Father Peter
Adams. The nerves took over, and she visibly shook as she sat down. He was not
yet
in the room, and she took several deep breaths
to calm herself
.

When the bell rang, and he walked in the room, her heart stopped. She’d seen him through the window the day before, but when she saw him up close she faltered. He was so young. He looked maybe 25. His hair was dark brown and a little too long, parted on the side. His deep brown eyes were hidden behind thick glasses. And he seemed a little pudgy with cute round cheeks.

“I see we have a new student,” he said in a soft boyish voice. “Everyone, this is Emma Reinhold.” He pushed his glasses b
ack on his nose and glanced across the room at her. Her blush was uncomfortable to say the least. He paused and watched her. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“Okay, we’re half way through Romeo and Juliet, and I’ve got permission from Headmaster Thompson to stage the play. All of the grades will be performing, not just the sophomores, so if you don’t want to be on stage you can be part of the crew.”

Grumbles and groans of the boys were mixed with excited chatter of
the girls, and Emma’s heart clenched at the thought of Luc wiping away her tears the night before
.
She pulled her book out of her backpack, and sighed wistfully. Father Peter glanced back at her, and paused again. “Okay, who wants to read Juliet today?”