Page 45 of The Devil

“To begin with, Topolina, I never ‘date’ anyone, I merely sleep with them. Secondly, I would rather endure a conversation with Merial and her old gal pals than admit to such a thing to you. But, since you asked, yes, I had been sleeping with the same girl for a few months, which is highly unusual for me.”

“And what made her different? Did she resemble a supermodel or something?” I ask as I begin anxiously playing with a packet of sugar.

“Please, you insult me, Topolina, to think I would be attracted to such cliché qualities in a woman. Do you take me for someone like Eric?” he tuts, looking genuinely insulted.

“Still not answering the question, Lucius,” I huff.

“She looked like you,” he replies with a sigh, gazing across the water again to avoid my eye contact.

“Oh,” I gasp, feeling an emotion I can’t quite put my finger on – shock, sadness, relief?

“She found a picture of you one evening and asked who you were. I told her you were the one girl I had actually developed feelings for.”

He looks up at me and smirks at my bulging eyes and gaping mouth. I feel like I might break down at any moment, but instead, I look sheepishly to the floor, as though feeling guilty on his behalf.

“Anyway, she couldn’t help noticing the similarities between you and her, so she asked me if I was only with her because she reminded me of you.”

“Oh, God, what did you say, Lucius?” I cover my face with my hands, awaiting the answer which I think I already know.

“I told her the truth,” he says nonchalantly.

“Christ, Lucius!” I cry out with a groan at the end for the poor girl. “She must have felt awful. Do you have no shame?”

“Please, she was only with me for superficial reasons too,” he says, “it was no grand love affair for either of us.”

“Still, you need to learn some diplomacy, Lucius. Surely, you must need some of that in your line of work.”

“I can bullshit people if I have to, but otherwise, I am what I am; they can accept it or not, it matters little to me. There are very few people who matter to me. In fact, come to think of it, there are only two.”

“Paul?” I whisper, fearing who the other one is, for it’s only going to break me more than I already am when it comes to him.

“Yes, and…?” he says, taking my hand and bringing it to his lips.

“Me?” I venture, closing my eyes to indulge in the feeling of his contact with my naked skin.

“Always,” he whispers.

My eyes open to see his icy blues looking right into mine and with a wicked grin on his lips. Such a simple kiss on my hand, an international gesture of respect and politeness that has been passed down through centuries. Who knew it would symbolize the moment I sold my soul to the devil? For though I can deny it as much as I want, Lucius Hastings will always own my heart, my soul, my body, my everything. And the worst part? He more than knows it.

“S-s-so, what are we going to do today?” I just about manage to ask through the haze of my falling under his hypnotic stare.

He merely raises one of his eyebrows in a devilish fashion that has me tutting over his filthy mind. Though, the sound I emit is enough to break his spell if only for a moment. I suspect he took pity on me and did it purposefully.

“Thought I’d take you out on the boat,” he eventually replies.

“Ooh, how the other half live,” I tease. “I’m up for that.”

Helena

Mere hours later and we’re lying on top of the sundeck feeling warm and smug all over. Life onboard a luxury boat is quite something. Whenever I am hungry or thirsty, my every desire is granted. If we fancy stopping to go ashore, all we need do is mention it to the steward and he sorts it. Even the sea is beautiful today with its shimmery reflection hypnotizing me whenever I look overboard.

After lunch, we visit a small island that has a private beach. Unbeknownst to me, Lucius has hired it for the afternoon so we can have it completely to ourselves. Steven, the nervous steward, drives the small motorboat over to the island shore and helps us to unload a few supplies before returning back to the boat, which has been anchored around on the other side of the island. Wildlife and foliage supply our romantic backdrop while azure blue sea spreads out in front of us. The sand isn’t white and fine like Caribbean beaches, but it is still soft beneath our feet. If you look close enough, you can see sparkly pebbles and intricate shells scattered amongst the fine grains of sand, which I collect and place inside a small hessian bag to take back with me.

I brought my camera so set to taking shots of the wildlife all around us. Lucius catches my eye while he attempts to arrange mats and umbrellas on the sand. I begin snapping wildly, taking shots without him even realizing. This is my passion, capturing people when they think no one is looking, when they’re being completely natural and uninhibited. There’s no pretense, not even with Lucius.

My artistry is short-lived, however, because as soon as he’s caught me, he tears the camera away from my hands and begins returning the favor by taking multiple shots of me. I try to reach for it, but he grips hold of my arm and continues taking photos. However, he soon turns so the shots are of both of us grinning like a couple of idiots. Well, I am anyway.

Before long, we end up kissing slowly and passionately on top of a rustic mat that provides the only barrier between my back and the blistering hot sand. His hands move up and down the length of my body while I grip hold of his raven black tufts of hair. It feels a little crispy from the salty water and I enjoy softening it between my fingers. When we eventually break for air, I giggle over his devilish grin.

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