Chapter 3:

If she lived in a perfect reality, she could have told Lucifer Morningstar to go straight to hell with his favor. Elizabeth even questioned if she was overreacting about the LAPD's presence in her life. Surely, if she wasn't guilty, she had nothing to worry about.

It's not like the LAPD has ever put away the wrong man before…

Elizabeth feared the police, really. Feared the prospect of an investigation.

It was because she was raised in a strange family in the great state of South Carolina or because she had a past. Elizabeth had moved to L.A. to reinvent herself, much like others do and up until now, she was confident that her past would stay buried and she could continue her quiet and simple life.

Not that she would ever admit it, but she knew it was only a matter of time before Detective Decker pulled her background and saw who Elizabeth used to be. It made her the perfect suspect. The LAPD wouldn't spend unnecessary hours trying to find a different suspect when one with such a delectable and violent past would do the trick.

Elizabeth swallowed thickly, "I accept."

Lucifer straightened his cuff links and relaxed into the chair he was sitting in. "Ah, that wasn't hard, was it?"

Blindsided by her sudden thoughts, Elizabeth simply agreed that it hadn't been that hard as if she was some submissive pleasing her master. It was a habit that she picked up during her wretched childhood. Her voice was so small when she said, "No s-." Before she could say that word, Elizabeth snapped her jaw shut and looked away from the man.

It piqued Lucifer's interest, to say the least. "Well, aren't you a good little girl?"

"I need to go now." Elizabeth said in response, standing up quickly. Her legs peeled off the leather couch in a sickening, unsexy way that she hoped had gone unnoticed. Club dresses were so impractical. The woman was trying to grasp a logical thought as she walked towards the elevator. Her shocked host was still sitting in his chair, watching the amber liquid in his glass spin around. She turned around, "Tomorrow we should meet and compare notes."

"Let me walk you down." Lucifer moved like a feline as he exited his chair. It was elegant, really. He carried the scotch glass with him, never saying anything about her untouched drink. Elizabeth nodded and let him call the elevator when he approached her.

He allowed her to walk in first and Elizabeth had the sneaking feeling it was because he was checking out her assets. Even she could admit it was a nice ass. When Elizabeth turned to face him, he didn't look ashamed at all for checking her out. He smiled, "Yes, tomorrow sounds perfect although I wish we could continue this well into the morning."

"Are you always so upfront with women?"

"I like to be as honest as possible."

Elizabeth snorted. It was a nasty habit she thought she had broken years ago. "I don't think there is any real honesty in the chase. You can't really be attracted to every woman you take to bed." To me.

"Oh, but I am." He assured her with a wink. "I love all forms of pleasure. I love sex. I love women. I love men. Even you, a vision of poise, must know how luscious carnal pleasure is at the end of the day."

Her blush returned if it had ever left, "Not really."

"Bad lovers?" He took a sip of his scotch, confidence exuding off of him.

"Actually, no experience." Elizabeth shrugged because she wasn't ashamed of her virginity. It wasn't as if she was incapable of having sex, she just didn't want to have sex with a total stranger and her career made it hard for her to find meaningful connections.

Lucifer choked.

"I'm sorry, excuse me?" Lucifer said after he caught his breath. "I mean, a virgin, wow."

I need to get out of this elevator.

Elizabeth tried to be cool about the situation. "I never saw the need in—"

"You never saw the need?" Her words seemed to trigger something in Lucifer that she couldn't really describe. "You never saw the need?!" He shouted in absolute horror as if being a virgin was the epitome of being an absolute loser. "But you're gorgeous."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes as the elevator dinged, signaling that their night was officially over (at least in her mind). "I didn't say that there weren't offers. I just wasn't interested in hooking up with guys I barely know or even worse, an idiot. I'm not really looking for a whirlwind romance. I'm no Anastasia Steele. I just want it to mean something. I want to look back on the first time fondly, not in embarrassment."

Lucifer seemed beside himself with her admission, but his mood changed when he saw the crowd of paparazzi members staked out of LUX. "Those rats have been trying to get a story out of me ever since—well, never mind." He reached for her hand, "I'll take you out the back way unless I can change your mind about leaving. I would love to continue this conversation."

"Even if I was interested in continuing this mortifying conversation, and I'm not, I have a dog." Elizabeth shrugged, "I might keep late hours because of my job, but I always make sure I come home. He wouldn't understand otherwise."

Lucifer grimaced, "Turned down over a dog? That's a new one."

"I need my keys." Elizabeth said before they completely abandoned the valet service. "Um, they're kind of obnoxious. There's a huge fluffy puppy ball. It's a backup charger."

He looks at her like he's just met the most interesting person in the world. It's terrifying. Lucifer pulls one of the valet's inside, the same one that had handled her car earlier, and pointed to Elizabeth. "I need her keys."

"Right away, sir."

She can hear the embarrassing jangle of her keys when he returns and watches Lucifer clutch them to stop the incessant noise. "Where is she parked?"

"Close to the front of the lot, sir."

"That will do."

Lucifer resumes leading her out the back way towards the parking lot. They don't resume conversation as the walk, which is a relief. Elizabeth hated the idea of continuing a conversation about her virginity or Mr. Morningstar's sudden and weird want for her. It didn't make sense for him to want her.

He must lack standards.

As they walked out into the parking lot, Lucifer pressed the unlock button to find her car instead of asking her what she drove. It a parking lot filled with Porsches and Ferraris; her Honda surely stood out.

"Hmm, a practical car for a practical woman."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes again.

"Call Larmes tomorrow to schedule a meeting so we can discuss Mimi. I'm going to pull together all the information I have about her and her friends, then maybe we can come to some conclusions about where she could be." Elizabeth fiddled with the ends of her dress, "Goodnight, Mr. Morningstar."

"Goodnight, Miss Walker. A pleasure." He took her hand, pressing his lips to her skin just as he had done the night she first met him. "Be good, won't you?"

Elizabeth nodded, not knowing what else to really say.

Friday, 12 PM

It had officially been 48 hours, which meant that the case was finally open and public record., LAPD didn't waste any time plastering Mimi's face across every available news outlet. They even managed to find a picture where she was sober. Elizabeth spent a long time looking at the news coverage of her disappearance and the comments under posts.

People were praying for Mimi to be found safely. Absolute strangers.

It was just the type of media coverage that Mimi would love.

Elizabeth assumed once clients found out that the Madam was missing, they would pull their contracts with Larmes. She had been trying to do damage control all day, but most people were confident that Mimi would either return or that the events would go off without a hitch regardless. At this point, Elizabeth wished she had the same confidence.

Every time she heard someone approaching the office, whether it be UPS or her Postmates delivery, her stomach dropped. Elizabeth knew that eventually, the LAPD would show up with some questions that she wasn't prepared to answer. Detective Decker would assert her bias on the case and then a picture of her mug shot would be right next to Mimi's sober picture on the news.

How was the work going to get done with one person missing and the other in jail? Mimi hadn't hired any interns for the summer season yet, and the other event planner that worked in Larmes Christie Novack was on maternity leave. Everything was completely screwed in the worst ways possible.

Elizabeth was sipping on her vanilla bean Frappuccino when she heard the door open. She was prepared to see Detective Decker with a slew of officers. Instead, she was greeted by Lucifer Morningstar looking absolutely winded. "Good morning, kitten." He breathed heavily, the nickname sounded like a sarcastic quip more than an adoring pet name. "The detective is going to request for you to come down to the station. I wouldn't resist. Do you have a lawyer?"

"The station?"

"Yes, seems she found some evidence that suggests foul play."

"Foul play?" Elizabeth put down her drink and sat back in her chair. "I-I don't understand how this is happening to me. I don't understand why this is happening to Mimi."

Lucifer looked outside of the window behind the guest couch, "Don't worry. We made a deal. Nothing's going to happen to you."

"That's not the point! Some accusations one can never recover from. Unless we find Mimi, the second I get hauled into questioning, my career is over." Elizabeth rested her head in her hands and tried to calm down. What if she lost everything she had been working towards since she was a freshman in college? How was any of this fair? Her poor hands were shaking with anxiety.

Elizabeth didn't notice Lucifer had crossed the room until he swiveled her to face him. He was crouched down before her. He placed his hand against her soft skin and wiped away one of her angry tears.

She hadn't even realized that she was crying before him.

Lucifer spoke slowly and calmly, "I do not lie. I will get you out of this situation and we will do our best to find Mimi. Do not worry your pretty head about it, Miss Walker. You have done absolutely nothing wrong."

"I should have stayed and drove her home."

"She told you to leave." Lucifer was stroking her blonde hair. Elizabeth's hair wasn't in a bun or a ponytail, which was truly a sight for anyone that knew her. She didn't know why she was suddenly compelled to look her best. Or maybe she did. "There was nothing you could do. The detective will see that you are innocent. Until then, I'm going to call my lawyer."

"Don't guilty people involve lawyers?"

He smirks, "Don't fall victim to crime television propaganda. Smart people involve lawyers."

Detective Chloe Decker walks in on them in that precarious position. Lucifer down on his knees in front of a flushed Elizabeth, hidden by a desk. He jumps at the sound of her entrance, standing straight up and adjusting his suit. "Ah, Detective, just having a chat with my new friend, Elizabeth. She's innocent."

"Lucifer, you are a consultant for the LAPD. You cannot communicate with suspects behind my back." The detective seemed extremely aggravated by the scene that she had walked in on. It was a curious aggravation, though. Elizabeth couldn't tell if she was mad that he was clearly interfering with a case, or mad that he had called Elizabeth his friend and proclaimed her innocence.

Elizabeth took the moment to ask the detective directly, "I'm a suspect?"

"We have some question that we would like to ass you down at the station, Miss Walker."

"She wants her lawyer."

"Her lawyer? Do you have something to hide, Miss Walker?"

"No, I—"

"Then, why do you need a lawyer? This is just a friendly conversation about your boss, Mimi Tanner."

Lucifer rolled his eyes, "Cut the bull, Detective. It's never a friendly conversation when you speak with a suspect. You and Detective Douche would convict the wrong person, here. Elizabeth Walker is not your girl."

"Lucifer, can we speak outside?"

Lucifer sighed but eventually went with the detective. Elizabeth started preparing her purse with all the things she would need if she spent a substantial amount of time at the police department. She included her sketching pencils, paper, and electronic tablet, as well as her charger.

Elizabeth didn't know how much time she had before the pair returned but she called Kitty Parker anyway. Elizabeth got her voicemail, which wasn't surprising, "Good afternoon, Miss Parker. It's Elizabeth Walker. I know we agreed to meet today, but I'm unsure if I will be able to stick with our original plan—" The detective and Lucifer walked back in, Lucifer looking chastised and maybe a little agitated. "—I am so incredibly sorry and I hope that we can resolve this issue as soon as possible. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call my cell at (919) 555-0439 or shoot me an email." Elizabeth put the office phone down and stared expectantly at the detective and Mr. Morningstar.

"You seemed to have stepped into Mimi's shoes without a problem." The detective commented.

"Let's get this over with," Lucifer said, casting a glare in the direction of the detective.