The Double-Blind Effect
Chapter 4 (NSFW)
A little therapy goes a long way. /Pool time/ He knows.
(Day 2: Before grand opening)
11 a.m.
The Hazbin Hotel desperately needed a fresh coat of paint before they could open to the public. The walls were bare white, and in some areas dirty. Charlie and Angel returned to the hotel after collecting some buckets of paint, brushes, rollers, and other things needed for the job.
"I don't get it why don't yah just hire a paintin crew to do this work? Aren't yah like fifthly rich, toots?" Angel questioned, kicking open the front entrance with his foot; he walked inside. He held a container of paint in each hand, and as soon as they were inside, he dropped everything. "Phew, yah knowz, this is the first time I've ever done any manual labor, and I gotta tell yah. I fuckin hate it." Pretending to be exhausted, he used his hand to fan himself.
"No kidding, I never would have guessed." The heiress sarcastically answered, watching him ungracefully drop everything. There was a touch of annoyance in her face at that moment as she puffed her rosy cheeks and closed the door behind them. 'Carrying something inside is not what I would call manual labor.'
Finally, she exhaled and rubbing her cheeks as if it were a coping mechanism. "Anyway, I can't always rely on my parents to hold my hand forever. They loaned me money to get this hotel in running order. I want to help in any way I can, and we're only going to be doing the entrance. After that, I'll hire a company to finish the rest."
"So, what do yur parents think of yah runnin this hotel? Yah know, with those uhh… wild ambitions of yurs." The spider sinner asked her without thinking. What compelled him to ask her that?
"Huh? Oh well… they say they support me, but I'm not entirely convinced." Charlie dishearteningly brushed away several tresses of her pale blonde hair from her face. Right now, she didn't want to think of her folks. "Any who! I won't let this bum me out! Just wait; when this hotel officially opens, there will be a line going into the streets!"
The spider removed a cigarette from his pocket, along with a lighter; putting the cigarette in his mouth, he used the lighter to lit it. He inhaled the poison and blew smoke. "Whatever yah say."
"Come on, don't give me that. It'll be fun! Hard work makes you feel good because you have accomplished something." The princess set up the hotel entrance, covering the furniture with the sheets that she got from the linen closet, and covered the floor, where they will be painting. Finally, she pulled out a ladder from the storage room, placing it in its designated zone.
"Hey, I'm one fabulous hoe! I barely have to put any effort into working hard. It comes naturally in my line of work, plus I make a fuck ton of money." He motioned, using his fingers to do little air quotations to the words, 'working hard.' Angel embellished the truth about making a shit ton of money. He spent the money too quickly on drugs to stay high, but a sickening poison overwhelmed him when the buzz ended.
He felt helpless…
Paralyzed.
Weak.
He hated it.
"Happiness starts with you, not your relationships, not your job, not your money, and not your circumstances, but with you. Money can buy only a cheap imitation of happiness. And when you finally understand, you can learn to love yourself because where there is self-love, there's endless happiness! Just remember that I believe you are strong, and you are capable of redemption."
Silent.
Her doe eyes burned tenderly with friendship; a warm smile lifted the corners of her lips. She passed him an oversized white shirt, which she obtained in the linen closet.
That smile was almost contagious; the spider forced himself not to smile back and averted her gaze. 'I don't get this chick; she acts so immature and delusional most of the time, but nowz it sounds like she getz the feelin I have.'
He was about to take another drag from the cigarette but stopped midway, sighing in exasperation the need to smoke vanished. He crushed the cigarette in an ashtray at a side table, turning his attention to the naïve, smiling princess. What she held made his face twist up in revulsion. "An ugly shirt? And where da fuck are the others? They should be helpin with this bullshit." Grabbing the oversize shirt out of Charlie's hands, he put it on, and fortunately, there were enough sleeve holes for his extra arms to slide through. "Well, shit. This shirt does nothing for my flawless body, and I look like a fuckin box!"
The heiress wholeheartedly laughed while putting on the shirt. "Okay, I see your point, but at least this way, we don't any paint on us. Vags texted me. She is working with Niffty on changing the lightbulbs in each room. Husk is making sure that the pool is in working order. For someone so lazy, he's surprisingly handy. So, what paint should we use? There is periwinkle blue or pastel pink."
"Pink. It's a better color."
"Yeah, you think? Alright, pink it is!" Charlie broke the lid off two paint cans and poured the colorful liquid into both trays.
They went straight to work, using the paint rollers to paint the walls in a beautiful pastel pink color. Charlie cautiously glimpsed over to Angel, and to her surprise, he was an extremely accurate painter. Who would have thought that he was talented outside his... profession. 'Color me, impression.'
"What?!" His tone was full of vexation, and he shot her the same look.
"Nothing!"
The boredom kicked in after a while, so to keep themselves entertained, they graffiti the walls. The Hell Princess drew smiling flowers on the walls, whereas the spider painted ejaculating dicks, much to her apprehension.
In the end, they played Tic Tac Toe.
Angel won, seven against three.
"Damn, you suck."
The princess sulked in defeat before painting over their squiggles.
"All right, we just have to do the top edges and were finish. I'll go up the ladder, and you just have to hold it." She instructed, climbing up to the top of the ladder and painted the remaining areas as Angel held the ladder. A whimsical thought popped into her mind as she finished painting. "Surprise, trust fall!" She exclaimed, leaning backward to fall off the ladder.
"What da fuck?!" Without forethought, the spider caught the falling princess in his arms and quickly set her down.
"Oh my god, you did it! You passed today's therapy session. I'm so proud of you!" Charlie ecstatically declared, jumping up and down with extra enthusiasm.
"Did—what—huh?!"
"You could have walked away; you know, but you didn't." Charlie beamed brightly at him.
"Are we done?" Angel changed the subject. 'Maybe I should have let yah fall. Yur're way too happy over something stupid like this.'
"Yeah, the entrance looks so warm and welcoming."
"It's an improvement over the shit-covered walls. Oh, and can I borrow this?" The sinner held a can of pink paint.
"Huh? I thought you wanted painters to finish up the rest of the hotel." A perplexed look touched her face.
"… Yeah, well, I decided that I'm gonna paint my room. I don't need them fuckin it up. Or do yah think I can't do it?"
"K-knock yourself out." Giving him two thumbs up, the princess watched him retire to his room.
'I guess paintin isn't so bad. Fat nuggets will like some color in our room.' A tiny smile spread across Angel's mouth.
A few hours later….
At the back of the hotel laid an in-ground white marble pool, equivalent to an Olympic-style pool. A large rock formation was to the south side of the pool, and water flowed out, creating a stunning waterfall effect.
Around the pool consisted of several tropical plants, some tall palm trees, and green bushes. The pool had a diving board to the north. There were some tables and sun loungers around the pool. The patient and staff of the hotel were all outside, lounging by the poolside.
"Aww come on, handsome, yah know yah want to swim with me." Angel nonchalantly flirted at Husk; a wink followed after.
"I don't do water."
"Is it because you're a cat?" Niffty curiously inquired, swimming to the edge of the pool; she propped herself up and lean against the edge. The small cyclops wore a cute red and white polka one-piece swimsuit. Ruffles were around the collar and bottom giving it the illusion that it was a skirt.
Husk unpleasantly glimpsed over to Niffty. The only reason he refused to answer her was that he didn't want to yell at a child. He laid on a sun lounger by the poolside, and right next to him was a small side table holding his alcoholic beverage. 'Why the fuck did I get suckered into fixing the pool? I hate working.' He didn't have a say in the matter since the Radio Demon had him by the balls.
"Yur lost." The spider rolled his heterochromia eyes and went back to pose for selfies using his smartphone, capturing some images of himself winking and blowing a kiss at the pool's edge. He wore a tiny black bikini that pushed up his voluptuous fluff and ripped blue shorts.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" With a deepened frown, Vaggie approached him, placing her hands on her hips. She wore a simple blue bikini that subtly divulges her small, soft feminine shape. An adorable pink ribbon secured her thick, silvery hair in a high ponytail.
"Isn't it obvious, toots? I'm takin some pics and chargin my fanbase a fee for them to view it. I'm doing the community a favor by bringin them some happiness into their otherwise miserable lives." He'didn't bother to glimpse at the angry Hispanic sinner.
"… Whatever. And that I'm not sure that is the type of happiness you're implyin." The Hispanic demon strolled over to the edge of the pool, sitting down to dip her legs into the cool water.
A cool breeze touched her cheeks, rippling the water as small waves slowly rolled against the pool's edge. The summer had been arid and hot. Charlie was smart to pick today to throw a pool party, although it wasn't a big party. The hotel needed some work before the grand opening and some way to draw in patients.
Their last attempt didn't go so smoothly.
Days before Charlie's T.V. interview.
A few blocks away from the Happy Hotel, Charlie, Vaggie, and Angel stood together by a store that sold televisions, trying to pass out pamphlets with no success.
"Excuse me, sir, can I spare a minute of your time? I want to talk about our hotel—ahh wait, please!" The heiress beseeched, extending her arm out to wave at the passing owl sinner, who snorted at her in response.
Despite this, the princess didn't lose heart, and her doe eyes sparkled with determination. "Excuse me, ma'am, can I borrow a minute of your time?!" She bee-lined it over to another sinner passing by; however, the woman ignored her just like the last dozen sinners. After a few steps, she stopped, and her arms fell to her sides, letting out a heavy sigh. A dejected frown formed on her dark lips.
From behind, Vaggie approached her princess, placing her hand on Charlie's shoulder to console her. "Hey, don't let this bother you so much, and don't forget Channel 666 News promised to hear you out this time!"
Charlie veered her head over the shoulder to smile lovingly at her girlfriend, but in her eyes lingered fragments of disappointment. "Yeah, I know, but that's because I restored into using my royal influences hence, my parents."
"True, but it's better than nothing."
Angel's sigh was a mixture of vexation and boredom. Leaning against a lamppost, they forced him to come and act as their poster child. It's been about a week since he's done anything remotely sinful, and it was getting on his nerve.
The spider's gaze flickered over to the sulking heiress. It's hard to believe that the naive girl knew how to frown. He almost pitied her, and just like that, a light bulb illuminated in his mind. In a boastful manner, he moseyed over to the stack of pamphlets, which was a few steps behind the girls, and he grabbed along a sharpie. He scribbled something on the back of the flyer. Flipping the sign around, he presented it to the oncoming pedestrians.
In no time, Angel Dust drew in a crowd.
Hearing the sounds of a gathered mass murmuring, the moth looked up to see that demons were gathering around. "Babe, look up! I think things are finally turning around!" Vags shrieked in excitement as she shook the princess's shoulder.
"Huh?" Charlie looked up; disbelief spread across her face, then exhilaration filled her, and she bit her lower lip to see a cluster of sinners. "Oh, be still my heart! I can't believe it; I wonder if we have enough pamphlets to pass out? Oh, we should print more!" She rambled on and on until her voice went silent, noticing Angel in the middle of it. "Is that Angel holding one of our pamphlets?"
The Hispanic demon ambled closer, squeezing herself through a crowd of sinners. "It looks like it. Maybe he's had a change in—" She left the sentence hanging as she made it through the crowd. Her face contorted with rage; a feeling of repulsion overwhelmed her. 'Th-that jackass!' Within the spider's hands was their flyer, but the sign flipped it over, and Angel wrote something on it. 'For five minutes of your time, Angel will show you a good time?!' She read the sign, spinning around afterward in hopes that Charlie didn't see, but the look on her face proved otherwise.
"Arrgh—! Get out of here, you vermin!" Vaggie exclaimed, pulling out from behind her tresses of slivery hair a harpoon. She effortlessly swung the spear in a rapid motion, slicing evenly through the paper within Angel's hands into little squares. The crowd quickly vanished. She shot him a look, suspecting he would be the downfall of the hotel, and she uttered curse words in Spanish. "Cut the bullshit; we don't do things like this!"
"Hey, now toots, alls I was tryin to do was to help yah out, don't get your taco in a twist." Angel mischievously stuck out his tongue. While he was disappointed at the crowd's sudden dispersal, he hadn't expected much else.
'Again, with that vulgar comment!' The moth blood boiled at the memories that pricked her mind.
"Hey now, come on, let's not fight." The Hell Princess interjected; serenity filled her voice. "Angel, I appreciate your participation, but next time, if you want to be spontaneous, run it by us first. Cool?"
The spider indifferently shrugged.
A tv's signal advisement for cereal turned into a line of color bars behind the group, replacing the image was a sinister smile covering multiple screens. "Well, well, well. So, the rumors are true. Angel, you left Valentino." Vox said, leaning closer inside the screen until the only thing that visible from him was his twisted, piercing gaze. The only reason he appeared was that the customers that the store gathered suddenly vanished.
Simultaneously, the group veered around, astonished to see one of hell's overlords.
"Tch, what I do with my business is mine alone." The spider demon scoffed, looking off to the distance.
"Is that so?"
"Excuse me, Mr. Vox, I'm Charlie. It's a pleasure to meet you." The princess spoke professionally or the best she could muster out. "Angel's, been taking residents with me at the Happy Hotel. It's a place where demons come to be redeemed!"
"…Who are you again?" The TV demon gaze narrowed to the rosy cheek demon, biting his tongue to hold in a humorless laugh at her ludicrous ideal. 'Aha-haha, so that's your game Angel, you're planning to hoodwink them for as long as you can, eh?'
"This is your princess." Vaggie interceded.
"Oh, my sincerest apologies, your highness. I didn't recognize you." He backed slightly away inside the screen, tipping his hat to her. Now that he thought about it for a minute, there was no mistaking the resemblance between those rosy cheeks; they were just like Lucifer's. "Tell you what, princess. If you can, make this hotel of yours a hit. I'd be honored if you let me interview you." He lied to her, and there was no way in the nine rings of hell she could accomplish something so preposterous.
"Really?" Charlie retorted, her tone filled with skepticism.
"Yes, you have my word! I am very into the latest trends, and if this is one of them, I'll be knocking on your door soon. I wish you luck. Until then, good day." The transmission ended, and the screen turned black for a moment before it blinked back with the same cereal ad.
Charlie laughed uncertainly to ease the abrupt stillness in the air. "Like that's going to happen! Him interview me, haha-ha! I think, he's just pulling my leg! Ri-right?" She apprehensively glimpsed at them in hopes one of them would agree with her.
"Y-yeah. I think he needs to get his antennas checked." The moth concurred.
'This is nice.' Vaggie sat in silence, absorbing the tranquility.
Charlie opened the sliding glass door that led to the backyard. She wore a raspberry-colored strapless one-piece swimsuit. Her blonde hair fashioned into one thick French side braid, and a black ribbon bonded the ends of her hair. She was silent for a few moments, unseen by a negligent Angel and a crazy idea brought a whimsical grin to her lips. She ran full force towards the sinner with a burst of demonic energy, pushing him into the pool, and she followed after. "Geronimo!"
"My phone!" The phone slipped out of his fingers.
"I got it!" Niffty quickly climbed out of the pool, catching the phone before it hit the ground.
Splash!
They plummeted into the pool, generating a tremendous wave that splashed up the middle of the pool, and when gravity took effect, some chlorinated water poured on Vaggie. Charlie emerged above the liquid surface, where the realization of accidentally splashing her moth made her want to laugh and cringe at the same time.
An irritated look cast over Vaggie as she blew some wet hair out of her face.
Accompany the princess to the liquid surface was a frowning sinner. Angel spat a short stream of water into the pool. "Oh, yur fuckin done for, princess!" All six of his arms splashed waves of pool water at Charlie.
"Ahh—waaait! Puuah—I think I drank pool water!" In defense, the heiress used her arms to cover her face, but the rolling waves of water overwhelmed her. She let out a quick burst of giggles, which evoked a crocked smile from the spider. "I surrender to your greatness! You are victorious!"
The assault ended, and he laughed to the point of holding his stomach in pain, seeing how ridiculous she looked spitting out water. "Hahaha—oh shit! Well, at least yah know how to surrender correctly." His laugher quelled; it was difficult to remember the last time he laughed this hard before that didn't involve violence.
"Fuckin hell, can yah two keep it down? I'm tryin to nap here." Husk snarled, ending their fun in a blink of an eye. A magazine was over his face, and he said nothing else nor moved.
For a moment, Charlie and Angel stared at each other in bewilderment. The feline's yelling had the polar opposite effect on them. Their childish minds temporarily linked; their smiles grew wide with mischief and profusely splashed Husk with chlorinated water. They drenched the feline from head to toe.
He instantly sprang out of the lounge chair, and lowly growled, baring his fangs at the Angel. "Yah wanna fucking go?!"
"Oh, I'll go anywhere with yah big-boy. Just name the place and time." Angel sensually answered.
Husk muttered some profanity under his breath. Reaching over to grab a towel off the table, he retired inside. In the end, his rage simmered, unable to find the patience to deal with them.
"You don't think we were too mean to him?" The Hell Princess uncertainly asked. A tingle of regret rose within her when she watched the feline storm off. She swam to the edge of the pool and hoisted herself out.
"Nah, he just acting like a pussy, ha—ha! Get it?!" The spider chuckled at his dry humor. Swimming to the edge of the pool, he met Niffty and collected his phone, where he wordlessly thanked the little demon.
"He'll recuperate," Vaggie added, strolling over to a chair to sit.
Charlie grabbed a towel neatly folded on top of a small round table, and she quickly dried off. Glimpsing over at the other's mid-way drying her face, she said. "I'm going to the kitchen. Do you guys want any snacks?"
All three heads nodded simultaneously.
The princess sauntered over to the sliding glass door, which connected to the kitchen, and she steps inside a few feet from the doorway. Suddenly she walked into a slippery puddle on the floor and lost balance. Slipping backward, she prepared for impact before she inevitably closed her eyes. 'Damn it, Husk, you could have dried off outside!'
For the second time, Alastor was in the right place at the right time, and again he caught the princess in his arms. He returned to the hotel minutes beforehand, after a successful day out. "My darling, I never thought you were the clumsy type, or have just I swept you off your feet?" He teasingly questioned as the static left his voice.
The princess's doe eyes fretfully snapped open to the sound of a male's voice, gazing up to see it was Alastor holding her in his arms again. 'I'm suspecting the Universe has it in for me.' Much to her reluctance, the feeling of warmth invaded her rosy cheeks. "Someone should clean up that mess before one of us slips and breaks our neck! Thanks for catching me again, Al." She timorously smiled at him, her heart pounding like a drum in her ears as he set her down.
The Radio Demon studied Charlie's physiognomy; her faultless eyes reflected everything, and the longer he stared, the more he noticed particles of starlight, or was that the kitchen's fluorescent light?
It was baffling.
Under normal circumstances, he could read her like an open book, but this time wasn't the same. She already addressed the issue that she's not completely scared of him, but she could be fibbing, and this bothersome tick wouldn't drop the matter. 'I've seen that look before…' Alastor closed his crimson eyes, concentrating on a time where he wasn't an overlord of pride ring. A lightbulb in the back of his mind flickered…
Many decades ago…
In the middle of the night, behind a bar in a quiet alley, there was a soft, muffled moan that subtly echoed. Alastor roughly shoved a female, with long bouncy cotton candy hair, against the cold brick wall. He pressed his lips hard against her soft, pouty ones. His deadly claws lightly pierced through the woman's thin fabric dress and tore it off in one swoop. His hands grazed up her fair-skinned stomach to cup her plump bare breasts. He kissed her hungrily as her arms looped around the back of his neck.
The Radio Demon couldn't remember the woman's name…was it Layla? One thing was clear; this woman was a succubus. He heard tales about them, seducing human men or women to gain power and fucking them till they were dead. Her charms had no effect on him at the bar, nor did the alcohol have any influence. He was merely curiously at what it was like to have sex as a demon… was it the same or better?
Indeed, she was attractive, but what was the inside like, ugly or spinless?
He felt Layla tugging at his gloves, but he caught her wrists with his hands. "No, no, no, my dear, the gloves stay on." He stared into her pink eyes, studying her appearance, a flushed face filled with lust and need, and pouty lips slightly parted.
"Oooh, that's so kinky. I like that." She purred, leaning in closer to feverish trail kisses down his neck.
Alastor let go of her wrists once he was sure she wouldn't break his only rule. Suddenly, he felt too hot with all his clothes on, so he removed his coat and dress shirt, tossing them elsewhere. His beige skin had some fresh, pink line scars all over his body. Alastor's hands found their way back to her breasts. His claws rolled over her perky nipples and tweaked them. He leaned down to capture her nipple carefully into his mouth, greedily sucking on it. He caught a faint whiff of her overly aromatic scent, it was almost nauseatingly sweet, but he tried to concentrate on the moment at hand.
Layla cried out in ecstasy. "AhHh! Baby, you're making me so wet!" Her arms entangled around his board back and slowly running across his sides to meet his abandon, feeling all the scars and muscles along the process. Her hand glided down to the middle of his dress pants, feeling his growing arousal. "Do you want me too, baby?"
Alastor removed his face from her breasts. "You've piqued my curiosity." He nonchalantly retorted as an arrogant smile formed in his mouth. His erection bothered him, so he unzipped his fly to free it. One of his deadly claws trailed down her waist towards her hips to slice off the lacy blue panties, and it fell to the ground. He grabbed her thighs and hoisted her up, just a few inches off the ground.
In anticipation, the succubus's legs latched around his hips, feeling his board member poking against her soaked folds. With one swift motion, he penetrated fully inside her. "Oh—fuck yes!" She moaned loudly, her claws dug into his back, piercing through the skin and tiny droplets of blood flowed out.
The Radio Demon's scrunched up his face in pleasure, burying his face into the crock of her hot neck. The pain only enhanced the pleasure, he groaned. He thrust in and out, again and again unevenly, hard into her tight, slippery core. Her thighs spread further, giving him more access, and her hips instinctively matched his set rhythm.
"Fuck, you're so big!" Layla leaned down to capture his lips in hers. Their tongues battled for dominance; eventually, Alastor claimed victory.
Alastor's speed increased, feeling his release coming sooner than expected, but he wanted hers to come before his. He captured her bouncing breast in his mouth, swirling his tongue around her nipple. The succubus sweetly whimpered, her inner core clenched his member, and her release hit hard. The orgasm washed over her like a sea of bliss, and her juices drenched his cock.
Relinquishing her breast from his mouth, he shuddered in pleasure when suddenly, he felt his coming. With closed eyes, he wordlessly cried out, spilling his seed inside her. After a few moments, he withdrawal his semi-hard erection. A dark thought plagued his mind when he blinked open his eyes. 'If she likes to give pain… I wonder if she likes to receive it?' His veinous smile widened. Gazing down at his prey, he leaned in to bite her in the shoulder…
She screamed.
The lightbulb finally illuminated in the back of his mind, and Alastor opened his eyes. It was clear as day, how did he not see it before. That look of desire was the same as what's her face. 'Oh, sweet, sweet Charlie. A dealer maker comes knocking on your door, and instead of feeling fear, you feel desire?'
He suppressed an insidious laugh. "It was nothing, my dear, and may I be so bold to say you look quite lovely." The static in his voice resumed, smiling mysteriously at her.
'I can't tell if he's teasing me or being genuine. Noo—he is definitely teasing me!' His words were sending her heartbeat into a frenzy, and her cheeks burned up. Suddenly she felt self-conscious, diffident. Did her swimsuit expose too much flesh? Why did it feel like he was undressing her with his eyes? She needed to get her sanity in check. 'Where is that damn oversize shirt when I need it?!'
The heiress shook her head, rubbing her rosy cheeks yet again as a coping mechanism, and afterward, she habitually smiled at him. "Thank you for the compliment. I was just coming in to get some snacks for everyone, we are having a pool party, and you're welcome to join." Keeping her cool, she pushed aside all crazy assumptions and sauntered over to the kitchen's walk-in pantry to look for junk food.
"Hm, I think I'll take a rain check; however, we still have to discuss some business about the hotel. Do you have some free time?"
"Like right now?" Charlie inquired.
"Good Heavens, my dear, do you want to discuss business in that getup?" Alastor questioned her inquire. 'My, she's too comical.'
"Oh—n-no way!" Her heart jumped, and her stomach did cartwheels. "How about we reconvey in a few hours? Dad always said, 'to conduct business. One must be properly dressed.'" Scooping up an arm full of junk food, she returned to him. 'I gotta stop acting like a moron.'
"Smart man, I look forward, till then, ma chérie." Alastor casually strolled out of the kitchen and went upstairs to his office.
Now, what could he do with the information he learned?