The Devil's Touch (17 page)

The policeman handed Lucien the photograph and he turned it over. His hand began to tremble as he read the message, his eyes filling with tears of dread and guilt.

In black marker pen, John Darrow had written six words.

The Devil Made Me Do It.

* * *

After three days in hospital, Lucien was released.

The police had visited for several hours on the evening before he went home and there were awkward questions that needed to be answered as Lucien outlined his business dealings with John Darrow, leaving nothing out. The detectives judged his actions cruel – but not criminal.

He returned to the penthouse with Angelica at his elbow guiding him through the door, conscious and careful of the bandages that swathed his chest and restricted his breathing.

“You need to rest,” she said.

Lucien nodded darkly. “And then I need to talk.”

The long days and nights recovering in hospital had forced Lucien to reflect on his life, and he had been shaken and shocked by what that introspection had revealed.

He slept until sunset and then Angelica wheeled in a silver room service trolley and she sat close beside where he lay, her knees pressing against his thigh under the sheets.

“My father lived a lonely life,” Lucien said. “He had no friends, no family apart from me. And the Old Man and I weren’t close. He was always too busy with his work – always flying to another part of the world – always in a meeting. He lived alone, and then he died alone.”

Angelica nodded but said nothing. She sensed his need to talk and so she remained quiet beside him, recognizing a pain in his eyes she had not seen before.

“The night you left here, I thought I was going to repeat his mistakes. I thought my destiny was to live and die alone. That’s why I found you. I didn’t want that life.”

Lucien stared out of the window at the purpling clouds of dusk for long minutes and then said softly;

“When you agreed to come to L.A. as my submissive, when we were driving back to the hotel, I thought I’d won again. I thought I had beaten the curse of my father’s fate. But I was wrong. I was fighting the wrong fight.”

“John Darrow,” Angelica whispered.

“Yes.”

Lucien shifted in the bed and winced painfully before he spoke again. Angelica watched his expression alter as his eyes became haunted by memories recent, and from his past.

“You see I thought I was becoming my father, but I wasn’t. I had already become something worse, much more sinister. I had become the same as the men that had
destroyed
my father. I had become just like those bankers who had preyed on my father’s weakness and torn Lance Corporation apart. John Darrow’s message was the exact same message one of those bankers had written before he killed himself. The instant I saw the note John Darrow had written I realized I had done to him
exactly
what those bankers did to my father – my family.

“I had become the monster I had spent half my life hunting. I had become my reputation. I had become Lucifer Lance.”

There was another long silence. Angelica could feel the depth of Lucien’s torment and despair. She wanted desperately to comfort him. She ached to reach out and hold him to her, but fear stilled her. Her eyes brimmed with tears and he turned to her sadly.

“I don’t know who I really am. I don’t know what kind of man I am without the Lucifer Lance instinct.”

Finally Angelica spoke and her voice was small and soft in the gathering darkness. “You are the most compelling, charismatic, overpowering man I’ve known,” she breathed. “You’re all those things and more. You don’t need to be ruthless to be the kind of man I want to spend my life loving and submitting to.”

Lucien smiled wryly and nodded.

“I think it’s time to change the way I do business,” he said at last. “Lucifer Lance is dead.”

Angelica grinned, and suddenly she was excited and hopeful about what their future together might hold.

“Lucifer Lance is dead,” she repeated in a whisper.
“Long live Lucien.”

* * * * *

Bonus Material:

Whenever Hollywood releases a new film it’s normal for the stars to do a wide range of interviews. I thought it would be fun to send an interviewer to talk to Angelica and Lucien.

This interview took place two weeks after the story concluded:

Interviewer:
Welcome Angelica and Lucien. ‘The Devil’s Touch’ is a fabulous story. And I’d like to start with a question to you, Lucien. Is Lucifer Lance ‘dead’?

Lucien:
Well, I’m working on it. It’s hard to change the person you’ve always been overnight. At the moment I’m still recovering from the injuries I received in the car accident so I haven’t returned to work as such. I’m in no hurry. But my intention is to be less voracious about how I make money, and more focused on working out who I am.

Interviewer:
You mentioned your injuries. No long-term issues for you arising from the accident?

Lucien:
No. It’s just a matter of resting.

Interviewer:
Angelica. Welcome. How did the whole John Darrow incident affect you? I imagine your world was very different to the corporate world Lucien operated in. What are your thoughts now you’ve had time to reflect?

Angelica:
Lucien and I attended Mr Darrow’s funeral. That was very difficult. For me, the whole terrible tragedy was a shock. I wished it had never happened. I find it so hard to come to terms with. I never imagined Lucien’s business was so intense, but there is such vast amounts of money involved. The silver lining to this whole incident is that Lucien seems genuinely focused on changing the way he deals with business situations, and I’m glad about that.

Interviewer:
Do you think a change of business attitude will mean a change in the man you’re serving? How is life at this stage? Have you noticed any differences?

Angelica:
No. The way Lucien and I are with each other hasn’t changed. Again, it’s quite soon after the accident, but I can assure you, Lucien is still the same demanding, sexy, outrageous man he was throughout the story – he’s just a little slower moving around at the moment!

Seriously, though, he still makes my heart skip a beat every time he fixes me with those dark eyes.

Interviewer:
And what of Duncan, your former boyfriend? Have you heard anything at all.

Angelica:
No. Not a word. You know, my life before I met Lucien seems so long ago! I know it’s only a month or so since Lucien and I first met, but everything before that moment seems vague – like it was years and years ago. Lucien has become my life: he was right about one thing – it is a full time job to submit to him.

Interviewer:
Any regrets or thoughts about the submissive lifestyle? Has your attitude changed or altered in any way?

Angelica:
If anything I’ve become more immersed. For me the art of submitting to a man like Lucien is quite consuming. I’ve spent a lot of time learning about submission, and I find it deeply fascinating. Of course, being with a man like Lucien makes submission pretty easy – he’s the ultimate alpha male. I know he’ll never change in that regard!

Interviewer:
Lucien, is that right? Readers don’t have to worry about you starting to put ‘product’ in your hair or attending any group therapy sessions, do they?

Lucien:
No! I can try to change how I do business, but I can’t change the way I see the world. I’m still the same man. Always will be. That’s the wonderful thing about finding Angelica. She doesn’t agree to submit, she wants to submit. It wouldn’t work for us otherwise.

Interviewer:
And so we get to the amazing ‘Devil’s Touch’. Now the questions everyone wants me to ask: Is it real? How much of what Vivien Sparx described in this book is fact, and how much did she fictionalize?

Angelica:
I can tell you the reactions and sensations I experienced were real. It is the most amazing technique! I recommend every woman grab their man and practice, practice, practice!

Lucien:
Vivien Sparx described some parts of the technique quite well, and left other parts a little vague. I would say readers have about 80% of the information they would need to experience the Devil’s Touch – if they gather all the clues spread out within the story. The other 20% will need to come from a willingness to experiment, and a little imagination.

Interviewer:
Okay… a quick final question. What happens next for you two? Is this where your story ends? Have you spoken to Vivien Sparx about any future story?

Lucien:
No. We haven’t spoken to the author at all. I would imagine any future story would depend on how readers respond to this one…. And I’m not sure whether a sequel would be something Angelica and I would be interested in. It depends on where life is going to take us…

Author’s note:

I wish to acknowledge the contribution of my friend Lea Foglesong to the completion of this story. Lea is one of my Facebook friends. I have named Angelica’s friend Lea in her honor.