Page 133 of The Female

My eyes fall to the corner where Charlie and I once played pool. She was so nervous, the smell of fear seeping out of her pores the entire time, but I still think she enjoyed it. I sure know I did.

It was the best date I’ve ever been on.

My lips twitch as I remember how she found herself comfortable enough to tease me near the end, spreading her legs and distracting me on my turns. I want to bring her back here. Now that she’s welcome to my touch, it would be fun to switch roles and put her on edge.

I would whisper naughty things in her ear while she leans over the table and lines up her shot, and I’d slip my hand between her legs while she takes her turn. Maybe I could even bring Silas to block the view of the other patrons as I get her to orgasm in the dark corner, urging her to keep quiet so they don’t know. They will, but they’re smart enough to keep their eyes averted.

That’d be fun.

Aziel breaks the silence. “Why are you aroused?”

I take my time responding, my eyes lingering on the table before sliding to him. He’s facing me and is holding his glass so tightly, I’m surprised it hasn’t shattered.

“I took Charlie on a date here,” I say, offering no further information.

He knew I took her out for a date once, but he never bothered to ask how it went. I would’ve happily told him if he’d ever shown interest, but now I don’t care to tell him the details.

He doesn’t care about me or my life, so why should I burden him with it?

“Pool was a human game,” he notes, his voice tapering off at the end.

I nod and finish my drink. Aziel’s gaze is heavy as he watches my every movement, but I pretend to be oblivious as I set my now-empty glass on the counter and gesture for the bartender to make me another.

The woman catches my eye, and hers widen before settling into a smolder. I haven’t seen her before. She must have just started her shift.

“What can I get you?” she purrs as she comes to a halt on the other side of the counter.

I ignore her advances as I give my order. She leans forward, but I hardly find myself tempted to look at the view she’s offering. I won’t insult Charlie by checking out other women.

The bartender doesn’t seem to sense my disinterest as she trails a finger along my wrist. I pull my arm back with a scowl and turn away. She frowns at my rude actions, and I listen as she snatches my empty glass and walks away.

“That was cold,” Aziel says. “You love to flirt.”

“Charlie wouldn’t like it,” I say. His observations are grating. “She’s possessive. You’d know that if you bothered to get to know her.”

“She said you can’t flirt with other women?” Aziel scoffs, his annoyance only furthering mine. “You’re an incubus!” His surprise only shows how little he knows about me.

I enjoy flirting, always have, but I enjoy Charlie more. I want to make her happy, and flirting is such a small thing to give up to make her feel good. Besides, when I’m not in the constant state of starvation Aziel so enjoyed keeping me in, the desire to seduce isn’t nearly as strong.

The bartender returns with my drink, but I wait until she’s gone before swiveling toward the bar and grabbing it.

Aziel continues to watch me, and I continue to ignore him.

“Was she excited when you brought her here?” he asks after a long silence. “I’m sure she was surprised to see demons playing pool.”

I look at my glass and watch the foam dissipate as the drink settles. The strong scent of the alcohol burns my nose, and I let it filter through me before lifting the cup to my lips. I thought it was only fitting to serve human alcohol here, but each time I come, I forget why.

It’s not particularly enjoyable.

“She didn’t know what pool was,” I say. “The human world is different than it was when we used to frequent it.”

Before the auction, it had been eighty years since we’d last visited the humans. They’re such a small breed, and they never gave us a good reason to visit. They’re expected to come to us if we need to do business.

Even when we went to the auction, we did no exploration.

We teleported directly into the building, and neither Silas nor Aziel bothered to step outside before leaving. It wasn’t until I went into Charlie’s home that I realized how bad the world was.

I’m sure Aziel can hear my pulse racing as I face him.

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