The Devil Behind Me (4 page)

A few of days passed and I hadn’t heard from Daimon. I'm not going to lie; a part of me was relieved, while a small part of me was anxious. I was waiting on pins and needles, wondering what he had in mind.

Thankfully
, I was working that night at the bar. The crowd was great, not one asshole customer insight. I was actually enjoying myself. Jace was cracking jokes and I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. I hadn’t laughed like that in years and it felt nice. 

“
You look beautiful when you laugh like that.” I stopped cold and turned. I guess I spoke too soon about no assholes.

“Addie,”
Daimon whispered so low it hardly registered. He stood two feet away from me and eyed me closely. I felt my skin go flush. It wasn’t easy having Daimon look at me like that. 

A
small crooked grin appeared on his face, as he slowly made his way to me. I instinctively backed away, but Daimon reached out and weaved his arm around my waist, dragging me to him. I was inches from his face as he looked down at me, still grinning. Was this really Daimon? The Daimon I knew never looked at me like that, but then again I was playing a role. A role he paid for. The back of his hand reached my face. His knuckles slowly caressed my cheek. I could feel his stomach muscles as I tried to steady myself on him. 

“
How have you been?” he asked softly as though he was concerned. It took me a moment to realize I needed to play his girlfriend, but still, Daimon’s 180 threw me for a loop. 

“Fine
, It’s been a little rough with the restaurant, but it’s fine now,” I said as softly as I could, reaching up and playing with his lapel. 

“Why now?” he asked.
I could feel the rest of the bar looking around toward us.

“N
ow that I’ve seen you, I feel better,” I smiled at him. Please let me not burn in hell for this. I had to fight back the bile, which came up my belly. I was disgusted by his touch on my skin. For Sofia I kept repeating to myself. He leaned in my body grew rigid. His grip on my waist shifted, making me move in closer. He pushed my hair away from my ear. “Relax,” he said in a controlled tone. There was the Daimon I knew. I pushed him away a little and smiled. 

“I'm working
, so if you don’t mind...” I took his arm off my waist and headed to my table. A low growl came from his direction; I chose to ignore it.

The night picked up a bit and I was
honestly too busy to play his ‘girlfriend.’ Jace did make a few comments and I shrugged it off. 

“A
h come on, Addie, I need details,” Jace laughed. 

“
Shut up.” I giggled back.

“
So you and Mr. MoneyBags? Addie, you’ve been holding out on me!” he cried out.

“
Jace! My orders.” I pointed, waiting for him to finish my drinks. 

“
Fine.” He rolled his eyes.

“Addie!”
Daimon snapped. Jace placed the last drink on my tray, I was about to pick it up when Daimon stopped me. “I came here for you,” he said angrily.

“I’m happy you did
, but Daimon I'm working,” I said innocently.

“
Then I will pay for your night,” he bit out.

“
It doesn’t work that way.” I tried to not snap at him. God, he didn’t understand anything. I was working now, not playing. 

“
Daimon. Do you mind leaving Addie alone, the girl is on my time,” Darren said as he came closer to us. The look on Daimon’s face was pure anger. 

“I’ll make it up to you later
,” I offered him with a smile. I took my tray and left. This was going to be harder than I thought.

“She’s mine and I’ll see her when I want to.” I heard him say to Darren as I placed the drinks
on the table next to the bar.

“Get a hold of yourself
, Daimon. Addie would never stoop as low as to date you. The girl has integrity,” Darren mocked him.

“When does she get off wor
k?” Daimon bit out.

“
In about an hour.” Darren checked his watch. I smiled politely at my table and watched as Daimon stalked off. 

I walked back to the bar t
o place the rest of my orders. “So, you and Daimon?” Darren asked not really believing it.

“Don’t
you start too!” I fired back. Darren held his hands up and walked away. Daimon, the asshole. The deal was he wouldn’t interfere in my work. 

I finished my shift without having to see
Daimon, praise Jesus. I waved good-bye to everyone as I headed outside.

“Addie!”
Son of a bitch. I stopped in my tracks. Per the contract, every time he called out my name, I had to stop for him. He walked right to me, grabbed my arm, and pulled me to the wall. He placed his arms on either side of me, lowered his head, and glared. 

“You…”
he started.

I held up my hand and his eyes gr
ew wide.

“No
, you,” I snapped. “The rules stipulate you don’t interfere with my jobs. So what happened in there was your fault,” I hissed quietly. 

He leaned in
closer, the heat emanating from his face warmed my cheeks. I lowered my eyes, not able to look at him and the intensity of his stare. He pushed off the wall and stood still staring at me. 

“
Fine,” he said bluntly. “Are you going home now?”

“
Yes. I’ve been up since four thirty this morning.” I stretched my neck, wishing I was home right now.

“Then I’ll
take you home.” He took my hand, but I yanked back. He pulled harder and held me tightly. 

“
You’re mine,” he barked. “I'm taking you home.” The feel of his hand in mine made my body cringe. I felt like I was betraying myself. 

H
e dragged me to his car, a Bentley Continental. I began to laugh. Obviously, he would have one. It was all matte with black mags. He let go of my hand and walked over to the driver’s side. He held out his other hand and pressed a button that unlocked the doors. I stood, not moving. 

“
Get in, Addie,” he ordered. But all I did was stand there. Frustrated that money came so easy to some and hardly any to others. Some might think me resentful, but it was hard to swallow how much money affected my life. I was angry at how much I lost and how much my life changed. This wasn’t what I wanted for myself, but I had no choice. So I swallowed the bitter pill and became what I am. A broken soul. Don’t think I didn’t know, but I chose to ignore it and try to move forward.

“
Addie,” he barked. “Get in!” 

Still I
stood. He groaned and came to my side, opening the door and pushing me inside. To say I was uncomfortable would have been an understatement. 

“Where do you live
, Addie?” he asked as the engine came to life.

“Astoria,
” I murmured.

“The same house
you lived in during high school?” he asked.

“
Yes.”

The normal
twenty-five minute drive took only fifteen, no doubt due to the car he drove. I told him where to turn and finally we reached my house. It was a simple home, nothing grand or special. It was the smallest in the neighborhood, with aluminum siding and a wire fence lining the front lawn. My dad’s car was there and so was mine. I usually used it, but I didn’t have enough money for gas these days.

The porch light was on.
My dad always left it on for me until I got home.

“So
, you still live here?” Daimon pointed and stared at my humble home.

“Yes
, I still live here.” I loved my home. I had my best memories here. Backyard parties with family and friends, my mother sitting outside watching me play. Playing with Sofia and eating ice cream on the stoop. For me this was the best place on Earth.

“
It’s pretty small, don’t you think?” he remarked. I shook my head, annoyed at him. I got out of the car. 

“Addie?”
Daimon rolled down the window and called out to me.

“
What?” I hissed. He opened his car door and got out. He walked around and leaned on his car, crossing his arms.

“I don’t want you working
there anymore,” he said simply as he looked at me.

“Well
, you don’t control where I work,” I answered back. A thin line appeared where his lips were.

“I
would like it if you quit there,” he said through his teeth. 

“Are you asking me?” I asked
, surprised at his behavior. 

“
Yes,” he said coldly. 

“No
, but thank you for asking.” I grinned and was about to leave.

“
Addie,” he said more forcefully. 

“What now?” I
said exasperated.

“
Tomorrow, tomorrow make sure you are free. That is our one date. Tomorrow you belong to me,” he said in a serious tone.

“But…”

“No buts, Addie. Tomorrow.”

Daimon stepped
toward his car, got in and drove off. I realized how out of place he was in my neighborhood. I knew I should have fought harder to have a right to say on when we had our dates.

I woke up early and reached for my new phone, which now had a spot on my nightstand. Daimon still hadn’t called. I got up from bed and asked Sofia if she could cover for me because I had a ‘job interview.’ Daimon was a boss not everyone could deal with. She agreed without hesitation. I knew what she was thinking. She was getting herself mentally prepared to be part of our little restaurant life. The thing was, I wasn’t about to let her. She didn’t want me working at the bar anymore and thought I was getting a regular part-time job. I let her have her little delusion.

My
phone chimed as I sat at the table having breakfast. I knew it was Daimon; I used the suspense sound on my iPhone and assigned it to him.

I looked down at his text and cringed. Even his text was dry and cold. I finished breakfast and dressed. I took my time to get ready, Daimon was used to perfect women and I was far from being one. Once I was satisfied with my look, I left. 

It was ten
o’clock and the asshole wasn’t even here. I sat down on the cement stairs that led to his building. I watched as some workers huddled together, taking their cigarette break.   Feeling melancholy, I was thinking I could have been one of them, had I continued with school. I picked up my iPhone and began playing around with it, just to distract myself. I had to admit I had really grown to like this phone. Maybe if I saved up enough money I could get one for Sofia. 

“
Why are you sitting on the ground?” Daimon hissed. I looked up at him, as I held my phone.

“
Well, if you had benches, I would have sat on a bench instead,” I answered sarcastically.  He put his hands on his hips and shook his head. He stood over me with his navy blue suit, light blue shirt and dark tie, casting his shadow down onto me.

“
Up, Addie,” he ordered, but I continued to sit. “Addie,” he said again, but I kept looking at him, not moving an inch.

“
If you want me to get up, you should ask nicely. Remember you’re hypothetically in love with me,” I whispered, grinning.
Asshole! You’re at least going to treat me like a man should.
He reached down, grabbed my hand and pulled me up. 

“I see
you dressed up for me. I really like the jean and t-shirt combo you have going on,” he said sarcastically. It hurt to know even when I made an effort it wasn’t good enough for him.

“You said meet you down here.
You didn’t specify on what I should wear, master,” I bowed my head a little and yanked my hand away. He took two large steps, almost making me fall over.

“Must you be difficult the whole time we’re together?” he said in
a hushed voice.

“
If memory serves me correctly, which it usually does, a girlfriend is supposed to be a pain in the ass. I figure I should fit the part perfectly,” I said playfully, Daimon narrowed his eyes. It felt good getting under his skin. 

“
Follow me,” he hissed. 

He barely spoke to me as he led me through the streets of Lower
Manhattan. I wasn’t used to Daimon not talking to me. The boy I knew from high school would continuously attack me as much as he could to antagonize me, yet this version of Daimon didn’t.

He
finally stopped and pulled a door open for me. 

“
In,” he said, nudging his head. I stood in front of the store and looked up at the sign.

We stood in front of Prada.
I sighed, groaning inwardly. What choice did I have? I went inside and the salesclerk in the store scowled at me as her eyes ran up and down my outfit.

Daimon
walked past me and called out to the woman. She rushed toward us the moment he appeared. 

“
Get her a black dress, one she can wear during the day,” he ordered. He looked around, no doubt for the man chair area. 

“
Miss, if you would please follow me,” she now smiled and guided me to the changing rooms. Another younger girl followed with various dresses, which were all black. “Um excuse me, but can you please enter the dressing room? I’ll need you to try on these dresses.” The salesclerk smiled again. I hesitated, uncomfortable with her seeing me undress; not everyone knew about the scar on my back and I wasn’t ready to deal with yet another person asking questions. She held the curtain open and looked rather annoyed at me. I finally conceded and stepped inside the changing room.  

The moment I p
ulled off my shirt, she gasped. I hung my head and said nothing. She acted as though she saw nothing and proceeded to ask me if I wanted Daimon to see me in the various dresses. I refused to come out and parade myself in front of him. He didn’t get to decide what I wore. This wasn’t
Pretty Woman
. 

I finally foun
d a dress I loved. It was a black sleeveless turtleneck dress, which fit like a dream, hugging all the right places and, it covered my scar.

“This is the one,” the salesclerk said
, smiling.

She gave me a pair of black sling back
shoes to match. “You are beautiful,” she reassured me as I looked in the mirror at the stranger looking back at me.

I stepped out and walked over to where he sat
while on his phone talking business.

“Yes
, Clark, you called?” I heard Daimon say as he spoke on the phone. I watched as he walked around the store touching the clothing. I waited until he was done, not really caring for his approval. He growled and then answered, “Ignore them. Just do as I say—”the moment he turned my way, he stopped in mid-sentence for a mere second, and then he started up again. “And we’ll both get rich.” I bit my lower lip hard. Why did my stomach flutter at that moment?

He
hung up his phone and turned to me. “You clean up well,” he laughed. 

“
Oh, did I just see Daimon again?” I asked mockingly.

“
Why?” he wondered. 

“
You were an asshole to me my whole high school life, but these past two days you’ve been utterly unpleasant,” I remarked, trying to stifle the butterflies in my stomach.

“I figured
you like the strong aggressive type,” he shrugged.

“
No, actually I don’t,” I said in a solemn tone. All the flutters now lay dead, as a cold shiver came down my spine.

“Addie, you
like it when someone is aggressive with you. You’re a fighter. You need someone to fight with,” he said earnestly. I shuddered at a past memory I wanted to forget. 

“Addie?”
he said quietly as he came closer to me; instinctively I took a step back, wanting my space. “What is it?”

I looked up and smiled pushing back that time of my life.

“Nothing. So where to, hot shot?” I asked, waiting. He narrowed his eyes at me. Daimon knew I was hiding something, but as per the contract, he couldn’t force it out of me. Our past was off limits.

“Lunch
, then a bar,” he said, still watching me closely.

“Then lead on.” I nudged toward the door.  

Had you told me ten years ago I would be walking around Lower Manhattan on Daimon’s arm, I would have said you were crazy, and that I would rather put bamboo slivers under my fingernails. Yet, here I was, hand in hand with Daimon as he walked with me to the restaurant he wanted us to eat at. 

“
Where are we going?” I asked, unnerved at the very touch of Daimon’s hand.

“
To Delmonico’s,” he said as we finally reached the restaurant. 

Two
tall Corinthian columns flanked the door of the flat iron building that housed the restaurant. Daimon led me up the few steps and held the door open for me. I walked in with Daimon close behind. We stood at the maître d’s podium and waited. 

“
Yes, Mr. Evans, right this way.” A tall man appeared wearing a custom tailored suit.

“Come here often?”
I asked, as I looked at him mockingly. Daimon placed his hand on my lower back and began guiding me through the store. 

“Once or twice,” h
e smiled.

I arched my back
as the feeling of his hand, the heat of his touch, radiated through me. He moved his hand higher up and pulled me in closer. That simple gesture melted some of my resolve.
It’s just a deal, Addie.

“In here you are my woman, so don’t
look like you’re disgusted with me,” he said in a hushed, slightly miffed tone. I took a deep breath and tried to relax. It wasn’t that I was disgusted by him so much as I was surprised what his touch had done to me. I looked around the restaurant. Everyone who knew restaurants knew this place. I couldn’t believe I was here, walking through one of the most famous restaurants in New York, not to mention the priciest. Wealth oozed throughout the eatery. 

Dark
red tones flowed throughout, as red mahogany chairs and booths lined the restaurant. We were led to a more private area. The gentleman held out his hand as Daimon led me to the table covered in a pure white linen cloth. Two small plates were placed on either side as wine and water glasses bordered the plates on the table. Carefully, I sat down feeling completely out of my element.

I looked around
at murals of the roaring 20s and 30s painted on the walls. I was totally taken in by all that was around me. Even though I was in awe, I had to admit I could never truly get used to this kind of lifestyle. The rich played a different ballgame than I did and I was okay with that. 

“I
guess you like it here,” Daimon said as he sat next to me.

“Um
— shouldn’t you sit across from me?” I said anxiously as I watched him move in closer. 

“No. I want to sit next to my woman,
” he said in a hard tone.

Daimon
ordered wine for us as I looked through the menu, I couldn’t believe the prices. I knew it was expensive, but I guess being poor makes you think about money more than others.

“We’ll have a
Delmonico's Salad and Acquerello Risotto to start then we’ll share the Double Porterhouse.” Daimon handed back his menu to the waiter. 

“
Daimon!” I exclaimed as I looked up from my menu. 

“What
? Does my lover want something else instead?” He peered at me, wanting me to comply. Screw that, even though I wanted what he ordered, I was going to order something else. There was no way I’d let Daimon order for me like I was a kept woman, which I technically was. 

“I’ll have the crispy wild b
ass for my main meal,” I said smiling at the waiter as I handed over the menu. Daimon’s eyes narrowed, but a faint smile appeared on his face. 

“Then I’l
l have the steak,” he said without taking his eyes off me.

“Very well,
” the waiter said and left. 

“You play the part of a pain i
n the ass girlfriend to the tee.” He kept grinning; his sexy little smile should be illegal.

“Well
, I have to make sure you get your money’s worth,” I said low enough so only he could hear. He laughed low into his chest. I'm not going to lie; I laughed too. But I stopped, quickly realizing I was sitting there with Lucifer. I sat there upset at how I let my guard down and laughed with him. I was even more upset when I realized it felt good to laugh, even if it was with Daimon. I hardly spoke to him until the waiter came back with our order.

“So tell me
, Addie, how exactly did you wind up working in that diner? Rumor had it you were awarded a full scholarship to Yale,” he said while cutting into his steak, but I said nothing as I nervously picked at my food. “Come on, tell me. How did the all-smarty-pants-Addie end up being you?” he asked flatly, annoyed with my silence.

“
Shit happens,” I shrugged. “You? How did the pain-in-the-ass-failing-student get to be a big wig with his very own skyscraper?” I asked in an attempt to deflect his questions. I looked up from my barely touched food to see Daimon still hadn’t eaten his first bite. He sighed, shook his head and picked up his fork. 

“Well
, like all who graduated from our school, except for one, I went to university and actually did something with my life.” His snide remark was like a small razor, making a tiny slit on my heart. 

“
It’s certainly good to know money gets you the connections to get anything you want,” I said bitterly, taking my first bite of my fish. I shoved a forkful of food in my mouth only because I was afraid I’d snap at him and tell him to fuck off. 

“Money doesn’t buy you everything
; but, fuck, it does make your life easier. It’s just too bad you don’t know that,” he fired back. 

“You’re right
, I don’t. I, at least, have a family who loves me and doesn’t pressure me to marry some stuck up bitch for mergers and acquisition deals,” I smirked. He took a bite of his steak and chewed it angrily. I continued, knowing I was getting to him. “Thereby, having to pay someone to act like their girlfriend. What is it Daimon? Couldn’t get your own girl? One you didn’t have to pay for?” I attacked back. The fucker hurt me and I couldn’t hold my tongue any longer. He dropped his fork and glared at me. 

“
Daimon? Is that you? What the hell are you doing here?” A shrieking voice came from across the restaurant. A platinum blonde came running at us full speed. Everything on her was fake, and I mean everything. It was as if she was a Lee Presson girl. I looked at the girl who stood in front of us with her excessive make up and overpowering perfume.

“Having lunch, Clara. You?” Oh my God, so this is how Clara turned out. The moment I realized it was her, my mind drifted off to one of the numerous times she bullied me.