“Wait,” Gabe interrupted. “Are you telling me that sexual encounters in the afterlife have an ‘acceptable percentage’?” he asked, mouth gaping a bit.
“Bruh, you have no idea. It’s all numbers and tickets and quota with those fuckers. Adam is working on changing things, but you can’t rewrite eons of management assholery in a few weeks. Those attitudes take time to fix. Time and a few creative punishments,” he chuckled.
“What can I expect?” Az asked, getting straight to the point.
Arioch shrugged. “Leadership team fuckery, of course. But bruh, you’re up to the task.” His voice got a little dreamy again then, and he said, “Soon, Azzy, It has to be soon. You cannot second guess what you want.”
Arioch turned back to face the front then, and Gabe looked out and saw that somehow they were sitting outside a nondescript building with a simple sign that read Sinners and Saints.
“Your stop, dudes. Enjoy!” Arioch boomed out, and Az opened the door, grabbed his hand, and hauled him out of the car before Gabe could even get a goodbye out.
“That was… weird,” Gabe said a little shakily.
Az pulled him close, hugging him. “Yes, Ari is a weird demon. He usually means well, though. Are you alright? Do you want to head back home?”
Gabe thought about it for a moment, but then he thought about Arioch’s words. They had been for Az, but he thought not second guessing what you wanted was probably good advice for everyone. He was tired of second guessing himself, and his sexuality, and his feelings for Az. He liked Az. He had liked everything Az had done with him so far.
He realized suddenly that he trusted Az. He didn’t know why it was such a surprise to him, but he trusted Az more than anyone else he had ever been with. He knew that Az would never do anything to hurt him or make him uncomfortable. He didn’t think he had that much faith in anyone else except for his siblings and Grams.
He took a deep breath, looked up at Az, and said, “I want to do this with you.”
He took Az’s hand and led the way to the doors of the club.
Chapter18
Asmodeus
Az happily followed Gabe’s lead, although once he got inside the doors he seemed to lose a bit of his confidence. Az put his hand on Gabe’s back and led them toward the desk. It looked a bit like an upscale hotel front desk with doors on both sides that led back into the club.
The man behind the desk took one look at them and made an “Eeep!” sound. Az looked at him more closely—he was highly attractive, with androgynous features, smooth, unblemished skin, and shoulder-length hair. His deer-caught-in-the-headlights look made Az look a little more closely, however.
“Samael, is that you?” Az asked, and the man, or rather demon, squeaked again, looking like he was about to run.
“Samael!” Az said jovially, walking Gabe over with his hand still on his back. “Weren’t you summoned a few decades ago? Surely you’ve fulfilled your task by now? Have you been stuck topside?”
“Uhmmm,” stammered the lesser demon. Az looked at him shrewdly, checking for the ties of the summoning; they were faint, old, and probably easily broken.
“Would you like me to break the summoning?” Az asked, reaching his hand out toward the demon.
Samael took a step back, bumping into the wall behind him, and yelled out, “NO!”
Az withdrew his hand, bewildered by the entire episode. Samael seemed almost afraid of him, which made no sense.
Az stepped closer, and Samael seemed to try to melt into the wall. “Samael, it’s Asmodeus. I won’t hurt you.” He lowered his voice. “Are you being hurt? Is someone holding you here against your will? How can I help you?”
Gabe stepped forward then, resting his hands on the counter. “Hey. Samael, yes?” he asked, smiling.
Samael nodded.
“So, Az and I are here to visit the club. He didn’t even know you were here. He’ll gladly help you if you need it, but we just came for… well, umm… you know… whatever goes on here?” Gabe finished lamely, blushing and stuttering.
His obvious discomfort seemed to reassure Samael, who stepped forward. “You aren’t here for me?”
“I don’t even know who you are. Az is probably just happy to see a friendly face, right Az?” Gabe said, giving Az a look.
“Of course,” Az replied. “I’m delighted to see Samael.”
Az was perplexed, but Gabe seemed to have a handle on the situation, so Az let him take the lead.
