Maze had me doing normal tasks such as cleaning glasses, learning the drink menu, and cutting limes. The familiarity of the work brought a sense of normalcy in an otherwise weird afternoon.
Maze was leaning against the bar casually sipping a dark liquor. From my bar experience back home, I was certain drinking on the job was a no-no.
"Is Maze short for something?" I looked over my shoulder from the citrusy cutting board.
"Mazikeen," She coolly replied while staring at nothing in particular.
"I've never heard that name before - very unique," I smiled in my best attempt to be aquatinted with my new coworker.
"It's from far down south." She grinned knowingly as if sharing an inside joke.
As dusk fell the many other employees of Lux began arriving. I was relieved to meet people who were very seemingly normal, unlike Lucifer. This evening I was tasked to work bottle service for a private table; nothing I couldn't handle with my prior experience.
The club was beginning to fill; every woman present looked incredibly glamorous while every man was unreasonably good looking. But I guess this is LA - where everybody wants to be a somebody.
I repositioned the large bottle of Grey Goose in the ice bucket. It was eleven pm now and the guests I was assigned to serve had still not arrived. The ice bucket was beginning to appear more like a water bucket. Just then, Lucifer along with four men also dressed in expensive suits approached my table.
"Gentlemen, meet Miss Victoria, she will be at your beck and call this evening," Lucifer offered a smarmy smile.
"Please, take a seat." I beamed, happy to not be standing around bored anymore.
While the men were getting comfortable in their seats, Lucifer lowered his face to my ear. "Have fun with it." He joyfully encouraged. "Let loose." He smiled while nodding to the large bottle of vodka.
Before I could ask him if he was serious, for the second time today, the tall man had already walked off.
I sighed heavily and rolled my eyes before turning my attention back to the men. "Let's start with some shots!" I exclaimed while jumping slightly enough to make my breasts jiggle. I'll show Lucifer just how much fun I can have.
I was having a genuinely good time after a tequila shot and three vodka cranberries, proving again that alcohol was indeed the best social lubricant. I was dancing somewhat provocatively as I continued to pour drinks for the men. Hopefully the more I appealed to them the more they would tip me at the end of the night.
One of the men rose to his feet and as he walked passed me he firmly grabbed my behind and pulled me towards him. "Keep up the good work, sweetheart."
Now, although I am small, my "fight or flight" reactions are more suited for a much bigger and more powerful person.
"Don't you fucking touch me." I hissed, as I slapped him hardly across the face.
The club was so loud and busy, that only those at the next table took notice to the situation. Seemingly out of nowhere a large hand grabbed the man's shoulder and forcefully pulled him back. I looked to the owner of the hand and it was none other than Lucifer.
"Afraid you can't do that." Lucifer stated nonchalantly. "Didn't your mother teach you to only look and not to touch?"
By now the other men had stood up and we're ready to defend their friend. "Let go of him, man!" One of the men angrily shouted to Lucifer.
"Gentlemen, please." Lucifer calmly spoke. "Take this little piece of trash with you and be on your way." Lucifer shoved the man who touched me towards his friends.
The men looked like they were ready to fight Lucifer, yet he remained uncannily calm. His gaze was strongly fixed on them - what was with him and long pauses while staring? I concentrated on the men too, if they were going to jump Lucifer I had to be ready as well. I slowly reached for the neck of the nearly empty Grey Goose bottle - it would make a great object to smash against someone's head. All of the sudden, all four men jerked with fear and backed into the booth.
"Oh my God! Please don't hurt us!" One screamed loudly.
"Oh it's no use asking Him for help - this isn't his sort of thing."
Lucifer came closer to the men. "Leave." He demanded.
And just like that, all four men practically ran for the exit. I was absolutely dumbfounded - yet a little numb from the drinks. Lucifer turned and approached me with his trademark smile.
"What did you do?" I asked, still breathing heavily from the adrenalin.
"The Devil's work, darling."
Again, slang for him being the owner of the club?
The rest of the evening I acted as a busboy - collecting empty glassware and cleaning. After those men it felt nice to work without interacting with anyone. The lights became undimmed and the Lux employees went to work cleaning the club now that the patrons had left.
As I swept I watched Lucifer place a bottle of scotch, a glass, and an ash tray on the centre piano. He took a small carton of cigarettes from his inner coat pocket, brought one to his mouth, and lit it with a match. Then, he gently waved the match out while taking a long drag – craning his neck as he withdrew a plume of smoke. Watching him felt rhythmical and soothing. Lucifer slid off his expensive coat, revealing an equally expensive vest and crisp white dress shirt. He delicately placed his freshly lit cigarette in the ashtray and then proceeded to roll up his sleeves. At this point I had completely stopped sweeping and was just mesmerized by how graceful his every move was.
"Gawking are we?" Lucifer said without looking up from rolling his sleeve.
I didn't respond, he couldn't have been talking to me; how could he notice from this far away?
When I didn't respond he looked up. "Yes you." He gave me a sinful smirk.
I was so embarrassed I didn't know how to respond. I gripped the handle of the broom tightly with my now nervously sweaty palms. My mouth opened but my brain's search for a response came back with nothing.
Lucifer took a seat at the piano and patted the spot next to him. "Come."
I slowly took my sweaty hands from the broom and wiped them across my dress as I approached the piano. I hesitantly stood next to the bench and twiddled my clammy fingers.
"Well go on - sit." Lucifer nodded to the empty space beside him.
At this point I had no words so I did as I was told.
"What would you like to hear?" He asked as he improvised some soft jazz.
"I don't know anything off the top of my head." I shrugged, my arm rubbing against his.
"Oh come now." He egged on, pausing his playing to take a puff of his cigarette.
My face lit up when I came up with the perfect song. "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." I teasingly pushed my arm against his.
"Oh no anything but that." Lucifer rolled his eyes and waved the lit cigarette in his hand.
"They get it all wrong! I've never once been a fiddler player in my life. And besides, even if I was I would never lose."
"You humans have quite the imagination." He chuckled as he returned my teasing push.
Lucifer returned the cigarette to the ashtray and began improvising jazz again.
"What do you mean by 'you humans'?" I accusatorily. "You're human too."
Lucifer's eyes remained on the black and white keys of the grand piano. "Darling, I've already told you, I'm the Devil."
I sighed heavily and stood up to walk away. I had reached my daily level of crazy and I was really too exhausted to withstand anymore.
Lucifer swiftly stood up and grabbed his jacket. "Come." He demanded of me for the second time tonight.
I hunched my shoulders and rolled my eyes as I begrudgingly followed him to the bar.
Lucifer grabbed the same large knife I was using earlier that day to cut limes. He then hurriedly moved to the stairs that led upstairs. "Well come on!" He waved me up from the top of the stairs.
I sighed once again and followed him up the noisy industrial stairs, stomping a bit in annoyance. Normal me would have probably known it isn't a good idea to follow your clearly insane boss to a secluded location while wielding a sharp knife. However, exhausted me obliged to his demands in the hopes he would stop making more demands. I followed Lucifer through the doorway and onto a nearby patio that housed a hot tub. He placed his large hand on the railing of the patio and held the knife out to me.
"I want you to stab my hand as hard as you can."
"What?!" I exclaimed backing away from the knife as if it were a bomb.
"Do you have hearing problems? I want you to stab my hand." Lucifer calmly explained while motioning to me, the knife, and lastly his hand.
I looked over the balcony to the scenic view of nighttime LA in order to gather my thoughts. This guy was clearly an adrenalin junkie masochist.
"No." I declared sternly as I began to walk for the door that led downstairs.
"You're my employee, you must do as I say." Lucifer called in an almost mocking voice.
I stopped and turned to look at the obviously deranged man. "Then I quit."
"Oh surely not Victoria, what about that rent payment you care so deeply about?" He coyly used our earlier conversation against me.
Letting go of all self-control, in a fit of rage, I stomped toward the eccentric man and snatched the knife from his hand. With two hands on the handle and using all my strength I drove the knife in. Immediately all of the rage left my body and was quickly replaced with regret.
"What did I..." I stuttered as I backed away and held my hand to my mouth.
"Oh love, it's nothing."
Lucifer pulled the knife, held it from tip to handle, and presented to me. "No blood." He said proudly.
I hesitantly took the knife from him and observed it from every angle. He was right - there was no trace of blood. I was sure there were no tricks to this knife - it was the same one I used today. Panic-stricken I looked up to Lucifer. He stood proudly with a smug sense of accomplishment written all over his face.
I dropped the knife, grabbed his hand, and ran my fingers over where I had stabbed. There was absolutely no evidence that a knife had impaled him. Frantically, I kept turning his hand over and over - this can't be happening.
"You should ask me on a date before you try and hold my hand."
Lucifer's snide remark brought my attention to his face. I slowly released his hand and stared at him intently, looking for any hint of an explanation.
"What are you?" I whispered, searching his brown eyes.
"Darling I'm the Devil."
_Thanks for all the positive feedback! This is my first time publishing a fan-fiction :)