Andy frowned at her drink past her dark hair. She was on her second extra-dirty martini and the girls were dancing. It isn't that she doesn't dance. She's just not in the mood. She's kind of wishing they'd tried harder to get her out on the floor. Had she always been this grumpy?
The girls are nice enough to drag her out, get her mind off things. Unfortunately, the favorite place is where the owner was some kind of notorious fan servicing sex-god. According to Sherrie, the rumors were all true. She inwardly rolled her eyes.
Of all the clubs in just one square mile, they adored this one. They started out at Andy's choice, but of course her brand-new ex was there, for whatever god-forsaken reason. So they detoured out to Lux. She blamed herself a little for not having a back up plan.
The bone-pounding canned music took breaks for singers and piano players, one of whom apparently was the club owner. It made for an interesting mix of DJ-ing and live entertainment. It was crowded, but not ridiculous. Somehow the flow of people and activity worked itself out.
Not wanting to hang at the now-empty booth and chug a $25 martini, she schlumped over to the bar to.. Chug a $25 martini.
The woman at bar was nice. Fiercely beautiful, she wrangled glasses and bottles and customers with easy grace. She radiated professionalism without saccharine customer service.
She made a five-dollar tip vanish into pockets Andy didn't see. On her third pass along the bar, she side-eyed Andy's emptying drink. "For what you're paying, you might enjoy it more if you hold off inhaling it. We do serve shots."
Andy chewed her garnish stick, wishing for more tangy olives. "But then I don't get these."
"Suit yourself." She defty swept the empty vessel away, palming the tip, which again, vanished into nothing. "Another martini?"
Andy sighed louder than she intended.
"Want a water?"
"Yeah, thanks. That's probably best."
She took care of a few drinks down the way then reappeared with a tall, narrow glass of ice water. With a new plastic garnish stick full of sweet orange slices and too-bright cherries.
Andy laughed and overpaid for the water. "Thank you,.. ? "She needed to find out where the other woman got those boots. They were gorgeous.
"Maze. You alone? There's easier ways to get wasted, not that I won't take your money."
"Andy, nice to meet you. Nah. My girls are out there, trying to find the owner and throw themselves at him. It was supposed to-yeah, nevermind. This club is great but it's just not my night." The oranges were delicious. Was that a knife strapped to her thigh?
Maze nodded, "It happens." She flicked back her long black ponytail. 'You wouldn't be the first who got abandoned by their fellow party-goers to try for Lucifer. He's not always into groupies. You looking for company tonight?"
"Nah, not really."
Maze offered a tiny plastic sword with pineapple on it from somewhere. Andy grinned and chomped on it. The creeping drunk-haze was receding with sweet fruit juices running down her throat. Falling off the bar probably would not endear her Sherrie and the others trying to snag-wait what?
"The owner's name is 'Lucifer'? Like a stage name?" Andy leaned a little to check her lipstick in the bar mirror after the fruit rampage.
Maze sniffed and mixed up cocktails with sure movements. "Nope. He's really-"
"Lucifer." Speak of the devil...The tall, dark and lanky owner appeared at Andy's elbow as if he arrived in a cloud of smoke. She managed not to jump only because she was still swimming a bit. He stretched his own name out like a rubber band. "I trust you're enjoying yourself?"
She pointed her fruit sword at him, "You. Are avoiding my friends."
Sherrie was right about one thing, he was nice to look at. Maze lifted an eyebrow at the two of them and stepped away to do more drink orders. Well, she couldn't hog Maze' attention all night if she was switching to water.
He tilted his head toward the dance floor, black hair swept back and perfectly in place, save a stray curl. "On purpose. Literally throwing oneself at another person works with trapeze artists. Me? Less often."
"She didn't." Oh my god.
"She did."
Wincing, "I guess I'm not too surprised. I hope you didn't throw my ride out." Andy liked his accent. She easily worked out why all her non-gay girlfriends wanted to jump him. All dark and mystery and whatnot. 'Lucifer' seemed weirdly interested in her. Maybe he just checked on all his patrons. Right. Her sexy red dress with the thigh slit had nothing to do with it. She threw a glance back to see if Maze was gone. She was. Darn.
He straightened his jacket silk pocket thing. "No damage done. Her actions were perfectly understandable, if overly enthusiastic. She may have escaped out the door, however, after she...didn't get what she wanted. Luckily for me, I found her very lovely friend here." He leaned on the bar edge, one elbow up.
Yay. She put on her 'not impressed' face. "Sherrie is.. impulsive, but she's my best friend. I guess I'll have to Uber home or track her down." She picked that moment with spectacularly bad timing, to suck a maraschino cherry off the end of her tiny sword.
His eyes positively lit up. Oops. "If you want to stay, I'm sure we can figure out transportation for you later." He dripped sexuality. A million promises writhed in his low voice. Sex-god indeed.
Andy crushed the cherry in her teeth. "I'm flattered, but I think I'll just wrap up my rough night and head out. No offense."
He straightened. "I fear I've given you a bad impression. Let me buy you a drink and properly introduce myself. Lucifer Morningstar. Can we start over?" He offered his hand but his eyes read puzzlement.
She let him have it and smiled a little. He was charming. And polite. "I'm Andy. I could go for a ginger ale. I already hit your drinks a little too hard."
He leaned in a little closer, into her space, eyes dark and inviting. "Is there anything other than just a drink I could provide for you, Andy?" Either he was strangely compelling or she still this side of tipsy.
Well, he didn't make fun of her name. She should do him the same courtesy. "I doubt it."
He laid a finger against his face and tried again. "Is there nothing you truly desire?" She couldn't seem to tear her eyes off his. Deep and dark and endless and ageless. She felt her own flash fire in annoyance.
Andy broke her sword in one hand. "I desire a night without expectations." She blinked and dropped the small plastic pieces in her empty water glass with the ice and orange rinds.
His face echoed her blink and pass of surprise. The spell broke. "Do you mind elaborating?"
Another teaching moment. Awesome. "I broke it off with a guy recently. Today. He couldn't understand or cope with that I don't want…"She waved a hand. "...sexual intimacy, after months of saying he was fine with that kind of relationship." She snorted. "I'm sure I'm not who you're looking to spend tonight with."
A thousand things worked across Lucifer's face and he didn't move a muscle. The second passed. He leaned his jaw on a fist and looked at her curiously. "Not tonight, or, ever?" Andy nodded sharply. Pity she expected to see wasn't there. "I'm sorry you had a terrible companion. Well rid of, if you ask me."
"Really? I didn't think you'd be sympathetic." Andy sipped on the soda that Maze had replaced her glass with. She even put a slice of sugared ginger root on the rim.
Lucifer deliberately dialed back the near-physical cloud of sexual aura he had going on. He made a face.
"I abhor liars. He wasted your time insisting he was compatible when he clearly wasn't. There's one thing I'm big on it's established boundaries. Well," He smiled at something in his head "Mostly. I entertain a fair number of unhappy spouses." He nodded toward the elevator. "Anyone who comes upstairs with me does so because they want it. May I ask if Andy is short for Andrea…?"
"You may, but only because I'm starting to like you. Cassandra, Call me 'Cassie' and I'm leaving right now."
He smiled, and it reached his eyes. Sex-god or not, he hadn't made a single snide comment about her revealing low-cut dress, makeup, hair, anything. He hadn't suggested he could change her-yet-which was refreshing. He's probably quite nice to look at under those layers of charcoal designer suit. Oh well.
"Anyway, I'm keeping you from finding your own evening companionship. I appreciate your interest, even if it's misplaced." It was half-true. Something she said too often that rolled off the tongue without thought.
Lucifer was clearly thinking hard about something. He came to a decision and nodded to himself, still smiling.
"Cassandra, the woman who was never believed. Well, Andy, would you entertain me if I asked you to accompany me for an entirely non-sexual visit to my flat?"
She nearly blew ginger ale out her nose. Ow. "You don't want.. ?"
"What I want is for you to enjoy your evening here, preferably in my company. As it happens, I'm an excellent host. Would you be up for endlessly being flirted with, firm in the knowledge that absolutely nothing will happen of that nature? Or we can skip that kind of pressure all together." He grinned widely, dark brown eyes glittering under the club lights.
He was already sure she was coming up. Hmm.
"Supposing I turn you down?"
Now he really did look hurt. "Then I'm sorry for the intrusion, and I'll find my companionship elsewhere." He waggled a slender finger. "But not with Sherrie, assuming your friend hasn't fled the building."
Oh god. If she does 'go upstairs', she'll never hear the end of it from Sherrie. "You don't get turned away often do you?"
"Rarely. There's one woman in particular who is completely immune to my many charms." He one-shoulder shrugged. "She's an excellent friend. Terrible taste in husbands, but at least she unhitched that particular buggy."
Continuing, "I can point out a few previous partners who are here tonight if you want to ask them about my manners. I can make my rounds, and return in a bit. Uhmm. That man with the shocking red hair-completely natural, by the way-and those two women, two of the three 'Brittanys' that come 'round. Yes, they're all named Brittany."
He was determined. She's kind of dying to know if he always pointed out references. Or always had some available. She glanced at her phone - yup, Sherrie and the others were out and asking if she wants to walk three bars down and where was she anyway?
She didn't doubt his earnestness. Handsome devil. "I'm told I give excellent back rubs."
"As do I! Touching is on the table then?" he grinned, no longer leaning into her space, but radiating hopefulness. "I have an array of oils and lotions, or if you prefer, I work equally well over clothing. Well, maybe not 'equally', but I can still provide a good rub." He practically bounced.
She laughed. She heard the innuendo but without heat behind it. And those hands looked extremely capable. "That sounds like the start of a plan."
"Is it what you want?" Apparently he can get all the ass he desires, one night off from that shouldn't seem like too much to ask. Still…
Andy restrained herself from literally pulling her long hair out. "What I want is to prance around your apartment completely naked without expectation of sex. I like touching. I like intimacy. I do back rubs with my friends, but when I go on dates, as soon as any kind of touching starts, they're all like 'oh! I guess you aren't REALLY an ace, are you? Like I have to be frozen solid or something."
She popped the ginger slice in her mouth and chewed. "Before you start, yes, I know I'm dating the wrong people. Clearly." She blew a curl of hair out of her face and downed the rest of the fizzy drink. Apparently there's such thing as top-shelf ginger ale.
He was undeterred. "Andy, I would adore seeing you in your birthday suit, even if I can't do anything about it. An unrestrained woman is a beautiful thing." Her unlikely companion seemed to be making a mental checklist."Favorite relaxing scent?"
"Orange-vanilla, or lavender. That kind of thing."
Lucifer nodded, rapped the bar top and focused on Andy with laser-like intensity. "What do you say you give me ten minute head start to my penthouse and head up? I just need to make a sweep for stray sex toys laying about. Chat with Maze for a bit. If you don't make an arrival by say, 20 minutes, I'll assume you've changed your mind and I'll just text the Brittanys."
With that, he exited her personal bubble. He touched a few elbows, said a few things to people, on his way to the elevator and was gone. Just like that.
Maze was back. She most definitely did not have visible pockets. "Any luck?"
Andy glanced up at the elevator indicator. "I think so. Hey, where do you buy your boots?"