To Hell and Back (Mel Goes to Hell Series Book 4) (2 page)

Luce's heart sank as each step dragged him deeper inside the HELL Corporation building. Was it dread, sadness or something else that made him want to be anywhere but here? He couldn't decide. All he knew for sure was that there was no place for him in Hell or HELL any more. He was a changed man…demon…no, angel; happy to follow wherever his sweet angel led.

Mel stepped into the darkened CEO's office first. "She's not here and she hasn't been for a while."

Luce edged in behind her and flicked the lights on. She was right, of course – there was no sign of the half-angel here. Just thinking about her made him shiver, though he couldn't be sure if there was some sign of her presence or whether he was just imagining things.

"Oh, she left the paintings!" Mel cried, crossing the room to stand before the framed Pro Hart landscapes. "I've wanted to take a closer look at these since the first time I visited your office."

Luce racked his memory, trying to recall when she'd expressed her interest in his taste for Australian art. His heart sank when he realised that on that long-ago day, he'd completely ignored her wish to know more about him as he'd let his own carnal desire to possess her consume him. Oh Hell, he'd been so cocksure she'd obey him, he'd unzipped his pants the moment he heard her voice.

He'd never be able to make amends for that, but he'd go a long way to try.

"They're yours if you want them. I picked them not just for the colours, but for the life they represent. The friendly games of cricket on the beach, the rugby matches, the country towns with people and red dirt and gum trees…it's the idealised life Australians want to live, even when they can't. I wish I could show you the Rembrandts I used to have in my house in Amsterdam – full of angelic merchants, when the reality was that they were waging war on the native inhabitants of the countries they'd invaded and killing their own employees with disease and malnutrition to feed their own greed. So much easier to get them to sign their souls away when they believed they were behaving more like angels than demons…" He became conscious of her concerned eyes on him. "You should have them. Every time I look at them now, I'll remember how I corrupted this or that politician, company director or angel in this office."

Mel kissed his cheek. "No, we'll leave temptation here, so I can see them every time I come visit you in your office. We can admire them together."

His heart ached to do something else for her, something that would wipe away the painful memories of his first misguided advances. When she'd politely declined and walked out on him, leaving behind the intoxicating scent that drove him mad. A crazy, half-formed idea came to him and he opened the cupboard before he could talk himself out of it. Everything was just as he'd left it – Persephone hadn't touched anything on this shelf.

Luce grabbed the spray bottle and roll of paper towels, bumping the door shut with his elbow as he turned back to the desk. The bottle squeaked as he squirted cleaning fluid all over the desk surface, but he continued until he'd covered it completely. He set the bottle down and ripped off a length of towelling, swiping at the desk until it shone.

Doubt seized him. She'd refuse him again, he was certain of it. Plus, Persephone had used this desk in his absence – one wipe wasn't enough. He spritzed the surface again and repeated his furious circles with the paper towels. A second time – did it need a third? It had to be perfect for Mel – she deserved no less. Luce lifted the bottle again and pulled back the trigger.

"What are you doing?"

Luce wasn't sure how long Mel's eyes had been on him, but they held sadness. She was going to refuse. She was going to remember how horrible he'd been when she'd first started working here, change her mind and never come back. She'd…

Mel gently pulled the ammonia-drenched paper towels from his hand and dropped them in the wastepaper basket under the desk. "It's clean. You were very thorough. I'm sure you don't need to worry about working on a dirty desk ever again. You can ask Mephi to send a reminder to the office cleaners first thing –"

"No," Luce blurted out. "I cleaned it for you. I want…I NEED you to lie down on the desk."

She stepped back, out of his reach. Luce's heart died a little. "Luce, for your own good, you know I have to say no to that. I know this office reminds you of what you were in the past, but you're a different man now, and you can't just give in to your desires and passions the way you used to. If you really feel you need me that badly, you can stay at my place tonight and perhaps we can –"

"Melody, please. I've changed, but I'm still the same man. One who regrets being so rude to you that first time you were here. When all I wanted was to possess your body and soul – neither of which I deserve. I need to expunge it from your memory and mine. This is different. This time, it's about you. I want to show you how much I treasure you and make amends for not considering your desires. I want you to –" he swallowed, certain she was going to refuse his outrageous request, trying to find words that wouldn't sound as crass as the ones in his head "– lie down on my desk and let me fall to my knees and worship you." He regretted his words as soon as they were out.

Mel backed away, shaking her head, and his heart plummeted. "No, Luce. Angels aren't to be worshipped. We're here to help, not pose as deities."

Luce burst out laughing. "You've got me tongue-tied so I can't say anything right. That's not what I meant. I'm trying to say I want to pleasure your body with mine, here on the desk. My mouth, my hands, my everything – focussed purely on your pleasure. Part of my…penance to you, for being such a prick."

She softened and stepped forward. Her lips tasted of sweet victory as she kissed him, and she didn't resist as he lifted her to perch on the edge of his desk. Luce's eyes didn't leave hers as he shrugged out of his jacket and folded it into a pillow. He tilted her back, so that her head rested on his coat. He dropped to his knees. "Please, Melody," he begged.

Her knees, so modestly pressed together, parted slightly to reveal a glimpse of the soft, white lace underwear that clung to her skin under her skirt. She sighed. "All right, my love."

Luce felt her body shudder in pleasure. Her tiny gasp was all the sound she made. He was losing his touch – she didn't respond to him like other girls did. He'd done his best but he couldn't seem to coax the sort of climax out of her that made her scream his name. He sank to the floor, sitting back on his heels. "I'm sorry, Mel," he said quietly.

He rose, placed her underwear on the desk beside her and dragged himself to the private bathroom adjoining his office. He freshened up, taking unusual care washing his hands to delay the moment when he'd be forced to face her pity for his failure. Eventually, he returned to the office. Luce slumped in his desk chair, watching Mel smooth her skirt down as if she'd experienced no passion at all. She probably hadn't, he told himself.

Mel leaned against the desk and folded her arms. "What are you sorry for, Luce?"

"I can't satisfy you properly. You barely made a sound. Other girls lose control and you…I couldn't…" He closed his eyes, not wanting her to see his anguish. He was a failure – might as well be impotent, if he couldn't satisfy her. She'd leave him and find some angel who could.

Her gentle laughter only made him feel worse. Then her weight settled across his lap, her backside resting on his thighs as her legs pushed his arm off the armrest. "You're sorry because I'm not like other girls? Girls you've corrupted, in other words." Luce stared at her, his guilt rising. "You want to know what I felt while you…while you…" She blushed.

"Yes," he breathed. "I want to know what I'm doing wrong so I can please you better. I need to know."

Mel cupped his face between her hands and kissed him. The memory she gave him coalesced in his mind, intensifying as her kiss deepened. He felt every stroke of his tongue as though he controlled her body and not his own, on the receiving end of what felt like…

"Oh my God!" Then he couldn't breathe. He couldn't see. He couldn't move and he was about to need clean underwear.

Sensation ebbed before he exploded in his pants – but it'd been damn close. He was shaking from the adrenaline and he wasn't sure he could speak yet.

Mel kissed him again gently. "You are the best I've ever had. I've told you this before. Here, feel my heartbeat – it's racing at just the memory." She slid Luce's hand under her shirt so that he could press his fingers to her breast, over her galloping pulse. Another kiss quickened the beat further.

Luce grinned. His unoccupied hand crept toward her skirt in the hope that she'd let him monitor her heartbeat while he pleasured her one more time. Oh, please…

The office door flew open, framing Mephi in the doorway. Her jaw dropped, but her recovery was rapid. "Mel? Ohhh, I told him he couldn't seduce the staff here. I'll call security and have them throw him out."

Luce returned his wandering hand to the desk, hoping Mephi hadn't seen how close it had been to Mel's thigh.

Mel gently broke their kiss and glanced at Mephi. "No, security won't be necessary. Unless….well, in truth, I jumped Luce, so he's the one who might want security to come and escort me out."

"He has his hand up your shirt," Mephi snapped, her eyes flashing red as she glared at Luce.

Luce tried to shift his hand without Mephi noticing, but Mel placed her hand on her shirt, over her heart and Luce's hand, pressing his fingers against her soft flesh.

"Yes, he does," Mel said, smiling. "But –" she slid out of his lap and moved just out of reach "– from what I understand of the situation here, there will be a lot of work for us to do and it's best that we get started as soon as possible. Later, Luce." She winked.

Mephi's disapproving mouth twitched as if she wanted to smile, but she didn't. Luce had seen her smile before, but she didn't do it very often. Was she really so happy to see him back? Persephone must have made a pretty useless CEO if that was the case. He'd need Mel more than ever – thank God she was working for him and not Lili this time.

Luce cleared his throat. "Ah, Mephi, Mel will be taking on a special projects role for me here and she'll need an office close to mine. Maybe the CFO office? It's not like we can trust any demon to do that job, so it's been empty since I fired Baraqiel."

Mephi's frown deepened. "Miss Angel's desk is still available. It might be best if she returned to it." She gave Mel a meaningful glance that made Luce's jaw drop. He picked it up quickly, hoping she hadn't noticed, as he turned over the possibility in his head that Mephi liked Mel.

Having to cross the whole office to that tiny, cramped cubicle to find Mel? Hell, no! "Mel won't be doing her old job and she'll need a bigger office. She'll also need a PA. Mephi, can you arrange it? I remember there used to be plenty of office girls running around the place. Surely you can spare one for Mel."

"I really don't need one, Luce," Mel objected. "I've always handled my own schedule and calls. I'm sure anyone you assign to me will get bored with nothing to do."

"If the duties really are as light as you say, I'm sure I can take care of Miss Angel better than anyone else, Mr Iblis. If that's acceptable to you, Me – Miss Angel," Mephi corrected herself.

Mel smiled. "That would be wonderful. Thank you, Mephi. But you know you can call me Mel."

Mephi nodded.

Luce clapped his hands. "That's settled, then. Mephi, call IT and get them to set up the CFO office for Mel. Then alert all staff that they're required for a briefing in the lecture theatre at ten."

The moment the door clicked shut behind Mephi, Mel said, "Before we were interrupted, I was going to say that if you like, the next time we make love, I'll show you how one of the Hashmallim can manage to withstand even your mindblowing sex without being corrupted."

Like he'd ever refuse her. "You think I’m really that good?"

She laughed. "Yes, my love. You're one sexy devil and you're better than good."