City of Sin

Temptation IV

***Once more, I own nothing of the show Lucifer or comics etc. ***

*Follow me on Twitter at AngelSlayer135 for, hopefully, more frequent status updates.

***CoS***

The morning after they had gone to the club Chloe was aware of two things. The first was that she had missed not only Beatrice, but just being social in general. Second, her house was almost painfully silent. Even in the weeks following her and Dan's split she hadn't felt this alone in her own home, it was as if she had been finally let out of a jail cell and into the sunlight, only to be dragged back into the dark after knowing there was something more.

Her breakfast seemed cold and bland, the sky outside was cloudy and looked as if it would downpour at any minute, and the usual colors of her world felt wrong. It was as if she was seeing everything through a filter.

After a drive that felt like it took forever the blonde finally reached her place of employment and sat down at her desk with a sigh. Was this really her life? Waking up, going to work, coming home, eating, sleeping then repeating? Would she be stuck in this cycle for the rest of her life?

A notification popped up on her computer, an email from Ella about needing to see her. Rising, she made her way down the hall and to where her friend had summoned her.

Upon entering the lab the blonde was practically tackled by an excitable technician, "Oh my gosh Chloe thank you so so so so much!"

"Uh... you are so so so so welcome?"

Ella's face lit up even more, if possible, "I mean for last night! Can you believe we met him!? And then you introduced me! I am like... I can't even... I owe you big time for this one."

For a moment Chloe's heart ached a bit. She knew that Ella had a hard time making friends, but just the fact that someone did a normal act of kindness for her meant so much filled her head with all sorts of unpleasantly guilty thoughts. Did Ella go home every night and sit by her phone hoping someone would call her? Did she watch movies by herself to pretend others were around?

Was the girl as lonely as she was?

Without thinking, the detective pulled her friend into a hug. "You don't owe me anything Ella, I was more than happy to do that for you. We're friends right?"

The gesture seemed to have caught the other woman by surprise, both by the returned hug, something unusual for the normally reserved blonde, and the serious shift in tone. "Yeah of course we are Chloe."

"I'm glad, you're a good friend Ella and I hope we can have girl's night out more often. Maybe with me disappearing less on you next time."

Her friend merely laughed and gave a nod.

***CoS***

"Detective Decker."

Shit, although it had only been one encounter the woman could already identify the owner of the voice that had called out to her. It wasn't as if there were very many federal agents that spent time around their police precinct, after all.

Turning, she forced a patient smile onto her face, "Agent Canaan, Agent Pierce, I wasn't expecting to see you here… again." The pause was deliberately annoyed, and they all knew it.

"Our investigation isn't over yet."

"The one that I am not the target of."

Canaan nodded, "Correct, we were hoping to speak with you again."

The blonde frowned, they had already been through this 'interrogation' before, recently at that, and had informed them she wanted a lawyer. What exactly do they think would have changed since…

Though she didn't react, the answer became as clear as day. They knew she had been at Lux. Were they tailing her? Had they put a bug on her phones? Collecting call logs and GPS information from her cell? More importantly, what did they hope to gain with this intrusion?

Realizing she might learn more by sitting through another 'chat' the detective merely nodded, before being led to one of the actual conference rooms, a far different setting than the previous encounter.

A change in strategy, no doubt. Perhaps they thought it would put her at ease? If anything, she was far more suspicious now than last time.

After taking their seats across from her, both agents this time, the dark-skinned man gave what she assumed he thought was a 'disarming' smile.

He definitely needed to work on it, she had seen more pleasant expressions on horror movie monsters.

"We just wanted to review a few things, nothing important. So, last time we had spoken, you said you had never been to Lux, or spoken to Mr. Morningstar and his associates for anything except official police business. Is this true?"

"Yes" and it was, that was exactly what it had been last time.

This time the partner interrupted, leaning forward with his usual, in-your-face-borderline-accusatory manner "But that isn't true anymore, is it?"

Clearing his throat, Canaan gave a warning glance towards his partner, who did pull back into his chair a tad.

Time to see how they liked being questioned, "What makes you say that?" Her inquiry had the desired effect, and both men seemed a bit unsure as to how best to answer.

"It… doesn't matter, we are the ones asking the questions here!"

Ah yes, the classic, 'I don't like not being in control so if I raise my voice it will mean I have the power again' routine. It was just another oddity in the behavior of the two agents for Chloe to examine at a later date. These were individuals trained to deal with serial killers and organized crime rings. They should not be getting flustered so easily.

Canaan quickly moved to interrupt his partner, "We have surveillance of you entering Lux last evening and…"

"So, I am a suspect then." It looked as though he bit back his initial response so hard that he might have actually bitten his tongue. "I believe if you wish to have any further contact with me then I should have a lawyer present."

***CoS***

"Cause of death?"

Ella looked up with an attempted smile. She knew the blonde just got out of another 'interrogation' with the feds and likely wasn't in a good mood.

The current case wasn't going to improve that much, "Nasty one this time. At least half a dozen stab and slash wounds across the face and torso. Based on some marks around the wrists and ankles it looked like she was tied down."

"This wasn't accidental…" Chloe muttered, kneeling next to the body and lifting the sheet covering it just enough to see underneath. "Defensive wounds?"

"Can't tell, fingers were removed."

This earned the blonde's full attention, "So whoever did this knew enough to remove any potential evidence or was trying to hide the victim's identity."

"Maybe both, wallet and any other ID is gone. Luckily, there is always dental records and DNA."

Chloe stood and glanced about. They were in a construction yard, off the beaten path, but even with that the killer would have had to know that the body would be discovered. If they were smart enough to remove any chance at fingerprints shouldn't they know about all the other means of identification? "Let me know when you get the body back for autopsy?"

The tech nodded, "Will do."

***CoS***

Although physical evidence had been lacking dental records had been updated enough to give an ID. The woman had been working as a maid for a local politician. When Chloe had wanted to speak with the official, she had been told to 'find more evidence' before doing so.

She did, eye witness reports had mentioned that the woman had been acting nervous lately and seemed to believe she was being followed. The woman had also mentioned being approached by her employer for sexual favors and had refused.

Then there was the anonymous tip that mentioned a fight the victim had a few days prior to her being found, an argument that involved her employer, and had supposedly become physical.

Still though, she was told to find more evidence.

Thus, she went to obtain a search warrant, and had been turned down by two different judges on the basis of 'needing more than hearsay for such a thing.'

Chloe was being halted at every stage of her investigation, either by officials in her own department, judges, or defense attorneys. Ella hadn't managed to find anything else either on the body or in the scene itself, which she almost guaranteed wasn't where the victim was killed.

They were missing information, tons of it, but the problem remained that she couldn't even get a listing of the man's properties without a bloody knife being dropped into her lap.

This thought had made her pause. There was another possibility, but if it hadn't been illegal before it undoubtedly would be seen as such this time. This was ignoring the fact the man actually would help this time. He had no reason to aid her a second time, especially when the victim seemed to have nothing to do with him.

Still, there was a chance, and after pushing away any guilt into a corner of her mind Chloe got into her car and began driving towards Lux.

***CoS***

"The detective is here to see you."

Lucifer looked up from his book, gaze focusing in on the dark-skinned woman standing nearby. "Sooner than I expected." He noted absently, earning the twitch of Maze's lips as she struggled to hide a grin.

"Should I procure some… entertainment for the two of you? I'm sure Eve would love to have an audience again."

The Devil drummed his fingers onto the leather armrest, "No, but do have our pet make an introduction. It is a good time to begin sowing the seeds for her future."

Mazikeen grinned at the thought, before departing to find the woman in question.

***CoS***

"You must be Chloe." Turning, said woman immediately felt her face grow red with embarrassment, though she would never admit it. There was nothing wrong with the other female, she was rather beautiful after all, but it was the fact that the detective had seen her in a rather… compromising position.

Two of them, actually. She wasn't quite sure, however, if the woman knew this.

The lovely woman takes a few more steps closer, "I'm Eve, were you the one who watched?"

Okay, maybe Eve did know, and Chloe's own embarrassment skyrocketed. It wasn't every day that someone who she had watched perform oral sex then approached her with this knowledge. "I uh… yes. I mean yes, I am Chloe Decker and… well I mean it was an accident and…"

Well, an accident the first time, not so much the second, and the third was sort of half and half. To her surprise, though perhaps she shouldn't have been, the other hardly seemed embarrassed. If anything, there was something like interest in her eyes.

"So?"

"So…"

Eve's voice dipped low, huskiness filling it, "Did you enjoy it?"

Opening her mouth to respond, Chloe came up short, not sure how, or if, she should reply. Should she laugh it off, deny everything, or maybe just confess?

For a moment, the thought even crossed the blonde's mind to try and flirt back, but this was disregarded a moment later. When was the last time she had flirted with someone? At this point it would probably be cringe worthy at best.

"I uhm…"

"I hope you did. Lucifer would be pleased if you did and I want to make him happy. You could join us if you want, Lucifer really likes threesomes and I promise I'll make you feel good too."

Chloe was gaping like a fish at this point, what was she supposed to say to that!? Sure, Ella, and now Beatrice, both were fairly open with what they wanted to say or feel but 'Eve' took it to an entirely new level.

What kind of person just flat out asks someone they just met to have sex with them and someone else?

"Detective Decker," A voice interrupted as Mazikeen walked up to the pair, "Lucifer just finished up with his business and has time to see you." Noticing the pout on the other girl's face the dark-skinned woman rolled her eyes, "You'll have to settle for worshiping her body later Eve."

Her head snapping towards the newcomer, the blonde's eyes went even wider, if possible. Maze ignored the shock and took her time to look her up and down, before giving a wink and leading the other away.

***CoS***

"Well hello there detective. What brings you to my humble abode?" It was just the two of them, her on a very comfortable couch. The club owner in a plush leather chair. A glass coffee table separating them

The woman swallowed back any pride or hesitation that had been plaguing her. She needed help to get justice for her victim, to bring down a man who thought himself untouchable regardless of how many lives he ruined or took.

The ends would justify the means, just this one time.

"I… need a favor."

If she wasn't already running high on emotions, stress, and a lack of sleep, Chloe would have sworn the man's eyes lit up at that word. Instead he merely leaned forward in his chair, hands steepling together. Though he said nothing, she got the impression to continue in her request.

Clearing her throat, and wetting her surprisingly dry lips she pushed forward, "There's this case…" shit, she hadn't considered how much to tell the man. Then again, she was asking for him to illegally intervene anyway, did it really matter how much he knew? "The suspect is rich and has connections. He has covered his tracks just enough that I can't prove he's guilty despite the circumstantial evidence. We know he did it, he practically admitted it but…"

"But for the powerful such things are a trivial inconvenience."

Those words, when Lucifer spoke them aloud a chill pass across her skin, creating goosebumps. There had been so much certainty in his tone that it seemed to echo through her mind, erasing any previous doubts about his own power.

He was looking at her now, expectantly, and the woman realized she had missed something. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I asked what it was you needed me to do for you. I must say I am a bit intrigued that you came to me rather than..." he waved his hand as if to encompass everyone else with such a gesture.

She was already shaking her head, "No, I can't… there are only a few people I can trust with this and…" it went unspoken that Chloe didn't want to involve her closer friends in anything that might come back on them.

Lucifer hummed in acknowledgment, "So then, what do you want from me?"

"You were able to, I mean the search warrant from my last case, it came from you correct?"

"It did." Chloe had expected something more prideful, more along the lines of gloating about how easy it had been for him, or how much she owed him for it. Instead it sounded almost trivial to the man, like it was hardly worth mentioning.

How truly powerful was he?

Would it be enough this time? If she asked for a similar thing? "Would you like something similar? I can always go a different route as well. Perhaps one of his homes is broken into and evidence removed with him realizing it hm?"

"Just… this guy just needs to be stopped." A simple statement, but with so much more implied behind it.

The man nodded, "And in return…"

Chloe stared for a moment in confusion before it dawned on her. She was asking him to break the law in order to help her. Yes, he had done so once before, but that hadn't been at her request.

Why wouldn't he want something from her this time? The only question was what this would cost her. Would she be asked to 'misplace' some evidence? Maybe there would be some sort of crime she would be told to turn a blind eye to, or even take someone's life in an 'arrest gone wrong'. The scenarios were nauseating, and the urge to just stand and bolt from the room began to grow in her stomach.

"A date"

His voice interrupted her thoughts, and ripped her back to the present, "A… what?"

"Date, I want to take you out to dinner. We can wait until after your case of course, think of it as a celebration hm?"

Just a date? He would break the law, possibly commit who knows how many crimes to help her, and all she had to do in return was to go out to dinner with him?

"I accept."

***CoS***

It had been an anonymous tip, delivered straight to her desk, that led them to the storage shed. Inside had been more evidence than she could have asked for. Pictures taken of the victim, along with a dozen other missing person cases going back for years. Weapons matching the exact wounds found on the victim, and pictures of the bodies that had definitely not been taken by the forensic team.

It had been simple to trace the ownership back to _ through their credit card. Add in their fingerprints cover the inside and even those who had held back before were struggling to even come up with a plausible alternate explanation.

When the man was brought in for questioning all Chloe had to do with throw toss the envelope full of pictures onto the table and the man had confessed. He had been overconfident, so sure that his wealth and power would protect him, even if he spoke the truth. When he had been led away minutes later in handcuffs the look of shock and confusion was one the blonde detective would cherish for months to come.

For once Chloe hadn't even thought to give Dan one of those 'I told you so' looks. She hadn't even looked in the direction of his desk after the interrogation, merely walked to her own to finish up her paperwork.

What more was there to say?

"So uh, nice job today Chloe... with the case."

Her reply was a shrug, what did he want her to say. 'Good job Dan you fucked up yet again with your get-it-done-and-forgotten attitude and almost cost a victim her justice'? They had been down this road too many times and at this point the blonde was just sick of wasting the effort.

Not for the first time did she wonder what she had seen in him when they first got together. He was still talking, apparently, and she had zoned out enough to miss the past few moments of conversation. "What?"

"I said, how about we go out tonight, get something to eat like old times and..."

"Can't, I have plans."

The man stood stunned for a moment, as if the thought of her saying 'no' hadn't ever crossed his mind. Or maybe it was the fact she actually had a social life now? "With who?"

For a moment she debated exactly how to answer. Although it would be funny to see his reaction to her going on a date it would also likely lead to rumors about her personal life being circulated through the department again.

"Friends" Dan's frown deepened, and now Chloe was just annoyed. Okay, going on a date might seem odd for her, but the thought of her having friends shouldn't be. "Anyway I'm heading out here in a few anyway. I'll just finish this up tomorrow."

Now her ex's jaw was practically on the floor, and for once she didn't blame him. How many times had she made excuses just to finish up on her work rather than going home? For once though, she had decided to put her job on hold for her life.

***CoS***

After an hour Chloe had caved, and texted both Beatrice and Ella, asking for advice on what to wear on a date. She hadn't exactly been a social butterfly even before marriage, but during and after… well she had spent most of her evenings either eating takeout at work, or cooking meals for herself in an empty apartment.

Both of her friends had agreed, excitedly based upon Ella's use of emojis. The lab tech had a condition, however, and wanted the 'juicy details' the next day at work.

Half an hour, along with many picture messages and some flirty remarks from her best friends, and Chloe had chosen a plain black dress. It was modest enough that she felt comfortable, but short, and revealing, enough that Trixie assured her she looked sexy in it.

In her bathroom the detective did one final spin examination. Her hair was let down into something a bit more casual, at Ella's insistence, and though she had applied makeup, it was light and relatively unnoticeable.

She felt… good, confident, and attractive for the first time in years. A smile made its way to her face, and she decided it looked good, natural, on her. It wasn't the one she forced at work to avoid whispers of how she had to be on her period for looking anything other than chipper. It wasn't one she used when speaking with the public to avoid criticism, and it wasn't a smile constructed to hide pain or anger.

It was… her. For the first time since before the divorce she was smiling in her own home.

Although Lucifer had offered to either drive her, or provide a car to pick her up, the blonde had gently turned him down. She wanted to maintain some control of the evening, despite it being a favor to the man. Thus, when she pulled into the parking lot of the five-star restaurant she had already begun her pep talk. "It's just a date, nothing more. No expectations, nothing to stress or worry about, just a date…"

With one last repeat she parked and made her way into the building to be greeted by the staff. "Name?"

"Uhm, it will probably be under Morningstar."

The man gave a glance at another suited man standing nearby, who raised his watch and muttered into it, before nodding at the response back. "She's clear, come right this way Ms. Decker."

A long hallway lined with pictures of various celebrities dining in the very same building, led into the primary room. Despite being crowded the atmosphere was tranquil, almost private, for each table. She could immediately understand why such a place would garner the attention of high society.

It would probably cost her a month's wages just to eat here.

Forcing down the uncertainty she continued following the tuxedoed man through yet another set of doors, this one leading up a short flight of steps and onto what could only be a private V.I.P room. There, sitting at a table, was him.

Lucifer rose to greet her, and dismissed her escort with hardly a gesture, before pulling back her chair and allowing her to sit. Normally, Chloe wasn't a fan of such things, they made her feel a bit too much like a 'damsel in distress' than an equal person, but for once she allowed it.

This evening had been his request after all.

"You are stunning."

His compliment caught her at unawares, and she had to clear her throat just to ensure she didn't squeak or stutter out a response. It hadn't been 'you look stunning' or 'the dress looks good' but rather a statement about her.

She was stunning.

"Thank you, Mr…"

"Please, just Lucifer. We are on a date are we not?"

Chloe nodded slowly, "Lucifer then, you…" when she took a moment to inspect him, rather than being in awe of their surroundings, she came up a bit short for words. He was beautiful in a way that seemed to be beyond what humans could be. The suit he wore seemed to fit him perfectly, his hair immaculate, his smile tempting and seductive, his eyes glowing like the stars.

It was easy to understand how so many men and women fell over themselves to even have a conversation with the man.

"You look amazing." Okay, probably shouldn't have gone that far but he had been incredibly helpful in both of her cases and it wouldn't hurt to give a bit of praise. The fact it was true just made it that much more convincing.

The man grinned and gestured towards the menu before her, "Order whatever you like, everything is on me tonight."

Almost dropped her menu, Chloe's head snapped up at the hidden innuendo, only to find him scanning the menu, as if he hadn't said anything out of the ordinary.

Maybe he hadn't. It wasn't as if the blonde was flirted with on a normal basis. Had she imagined the shift in tone? Hoped for something that wasn't there? Or maybe Lucifer simply was that flirtatious with everyone and thought nothing of it.

Either way she decided to ignore it and try to erase the blush from her cheeks.

***CoS***

Even with his insistence she had felt guilty about ordering anything too expensive, also being unsure about how someone charge that much for a steak. Eventually she went with something involving chicken and a few seasonings she had never even heard of. Lucifer had, thoughtfully, explained what each meant and tasted like. Even more thoughtful was the fact he had done so without judgment or annoyance.

She had initially thought this would have been an evening where he spent the entire time showing off and subtly demeaning her lack of knowledge and sophistication. Instead the conversations between them had been easy and enjoyable.

They talked about her job, without going into too much detail, and what her life up until then. He regaled her about some of the more humorous occurrences at Lux. His own life, however, he avoided with enough skill that she took the hint to avoid the topic. The few things he did mention was that he had more than a few siblings, none of which he stayed in contact with, and that his parents had been rather harsh and distant.

"I have a question for you Chloe, if you would indulge me." Lucifer began, just as dessert was finishing up. The woman nodded slowly, noting the serious expression that had formed on the man's face as he leaned in towards her.

Heart pounding inside of her chest, the blonde mirrored the action, leaning in to give them a little more privacy as the world around them seemed to fade into a blur, conversations becoming mingled like background noise.

What was he going to ask? Would it be something flirtatious? Would he try and 'steal' a kiss? Would it be seductive or full of promising temptation? Could it even be something illegal? Would this be the moment in which he revealed some other purpose for the outing?

Her mind whirled with possibilities, so many in fact that she almost felt dizzy.

"Tell me," Lucifer's voice refocused her world with almost laser precision. "When was the last time you went to church?"

***CoS***

A/N: I normally don't do this, but I want to reply to a review on FF left by "JCM".

The reason I tend to only reply on AooO is the same reason I am putting this into the chapter. On FF I can't respond to 'Guest' reviews without putting it in the chapter, which I would rather not do since I like to type a decent amount. AooO is also a lot easier to see new reviews and manage which ones I have and have not replied to. I will say that FF DOES have a PM system, which is how replying normally works, making conversations easier to have on that site.

*In short, if you want a single response, AooO is easier for me. If you have suggestions and want a back and forth conversation, PM me on FF. You can also message on Twitter.