Busted
Ella leaned back from her work with a breath of satisfaction. Slowly, languorously she stretched out her arms, letting her joints crack and pop. It had been a weird few days and she was glad to get in a normal day's work. No childhood ghosts interrupting her. A warm relief blossomed in her stomach. Ella felt a small smile twitch at her mouth. She'd told Chloe. Chloe, her closest friend, and Chloe hadn't judged her. Hadn't told her she was crazy. It was a good feeling.
Her eyes skimmed leisurely over the lab as she spun her chair. They alighted on her DSLR camera with tenderness, followed by a frisson of horror.
"Oh! I didn't empty you did I!" came her involuntary exclamation and a grab. With all the craziness there had been no time for clearing out, just photos dropped into the relevant folders. The memory card was still full. Ella popped out the small, valuable piece of plastic from the camera and into the computer. Images scrolled onto the screen and she skimmed over them with professional diligence. A cursory glance. Crime scene photos that needed to be removed before the next one to avoid a mix up. Her eyes snagged on a thumbnail and a frown spider webbed her forehead. What was that one? Without opening the file, she made the icons larger. Ella squinted at the image, determined to work it out without opening it. It was a point of pride as much as a game and she'd already lost points by making it bigger. She had taken all these photos, she should be able to…
Ella froze as a memory skittered across her mind. Her eyes widened, mouth dropping open just a little.
"Nooo…"
A grin spread across her face, mouth still open in delighted inappropriateness at her find. She could just about make it out now, the not-unfamiliar anatomical shapes.
She had a photo of Lucifer's penis.
A breath of laughter escaped, and she pressed her fingers to her mouth to stifle it.
She was going to delete it. Obviously. She wasn't going to open it. Ella bit her lower lip and drummed her fingers against the desk. She remembered grabbing the camera off him, checking it was okay, checking that all her crime scene photos were intact before they took away the body. She must've forgotten to delete it with Rae showing up.
The cursor hovered over the picture indecisively. It was neither open nor deleted. She would have to click on it to do either. Ella waited another beat before acknowledging the truth to herself. She was obviously going to open it; the hesitation was all just a front. With mischief in her grin, Ella gave a little sidelong look cautiously behind her, just checking there was no one there to see, and double tapped.
The photo became full screen. Ella tilted her head and examined the image. The angle wasn't quite right but…
"Miss Lopez."
Her hand stilled on the mouse mid-adjustment, smile disappearing from her face. A nasty twist in her stomach. Heart beating so loud she could feel it.
"Lucifer?" Her voice sounded dry and too high. She got to her feet quickly, praying he couldn't see the screen from the door because her body was in the way. "One moment." She faux calmly minimised the image and turned to face him.
His all-teeth 'gottcha' grin told her the truth of it. She was so busted.
"Well, well, Miss Lopez…"
"I…it was in the photos…the crime scene ones…and I…" she babbled, stumbled, and stopped. His grin had widened even more if possible. She wondered if she should apologise, except he didn't look even remotely upset.
"No need for explanations Miss Lopez. I completely understand," he purred, and took a few steps further into her lab. She resolutely kept her eyes on his face, even though the temptation to drop them to his trousers was a strong reality.
"You do?"
Lucifer gave an easy unaffected smile. "Of course, Miss Lopez." He was silent for a calculated beat before continuing, voice low and seductive. "You'll just have to tell me if you want the live show."
With a final lingering look at her stunned expression he grinned and strode out the room.
Ella sat heavily back in her chair, staring after him.
"Uh huh." She shook her head slightly and cast a sidelong look back at the minimised screen. Yeah. She still had to decide whether to delete that.