Infernal Incarnation: Asmodeus to Ari

Chapter 13

Serafina licked her lips and nodded her head in response with a sultry smile and widened eyes, feeling herself already starting to get wet all over again.

            Ari smiled at her briefly before leaning down and pressing their lips to hers, kissing her deeply and passionately before spinning her around and hugging her close to their body from behind.

            “Are you sure you’re ready?” they whispered with a low growl.

            “Yes, Ari” Serafina responded as she leaned forward, placing her hands on the shower wall in front of her while closing her eyes and biting her lip.

            Ari rubbed and massaged her buttocks, calling blood to the area and making Serafina’s skin more sensitive. Breathing heavily and steadily, Serafina stilled her body as she mentally prepared, anticipating when she would feel the first smack of Ari’s hand against her round bottom. In this pause, this space where she wasn’t actively losing her mind in pleasure, Serafina’s insecurities about their relationship came flooding back to rear their ugly head. Feeling the care Ari was taking to make sure that this would indeed be pleasurable to her, Serafina felt a sense of intimacy that lead to an overwhelming feeling of guilt. She stood there in silence, her stomach twisting and turning itself into knots.

    Her heart and mind began racing a million miles a minute and she was no longer feeling sexy at all. The nagging voice in her mind was back, recounting all the ways she lied and manipulated her way into Ari’s life, making her feel sick. She had never had a crisis of conscience before, but that was before she went through with breaking into Ari’s apartment to steal their DNA. Even if they didn’t know it, she did. She chewed her lip and tried to push the thoughts away, but her mind wouldn’t quiet down. She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling like she deserved to actually be punished, not just get spanked in a way that was more a reward than punishment for her.

        “I can’t do this to them anymore” Serafina thought just as Ari placed their left hand on her shoulder signaling that she was about to receive her first strike when Serafina cried out “Wait!” leaving Ari frozen with their right hand held out mid-air.

            Knowing she shouldn’t allow to this continue any longer, and knowing how bad it was going to hurt, Serafina turned slowly to look up to see Ari’s confused expression. Seeing that Serafina had tears in her eyes, Ari’s features softened, and their brows furrowed together as they cupped her face.

            “Are you alright, did I do something wrong?” Ari asked with genuine concern in their eyes.

            That was Serafina’s breaking point. She couldn’t keep lying to Ari anymore. She had gone behind their back, broken into their apartment, stolen from them, lied to them and still had the audacity to want them to love her... and they looked at her now, with concern and… maybe something more? “Why” She felt like she was going to vomit but instead, she started sobbing uncontrollably as she shook her head.

            “No, you haven’t done anything wrong. You’ve been perfect. It’s me… I- There’s something I need to tell you” Serafina confessed as she wiped her face and worked to control her sobs.

            Ari could feel the energy shift in the moments leading up to this, but they figured it was just nerves. “Okay, now I’m worried. Come on.” Ari turned the water off and motioned for Serafina to follow them as they grabbed the towels and put them on before returning to the bedroom. Ari sat down and pat a spot next to them on the bed, their face brooding but controlled. Serafina had never had any sort of breakdown in front of them and they weren’t sure how to respond to this situation.

            Ari honestly didn’t know how to respond to anyone having sudden emotional breakdowns, other than to wait for it to be over. Remembering what Kate always did for them when they had breakdowns growing up, Ari looked Serafina in the eyes and told her, “Take as much time as you need, let me know what you need. I’m here.” Serafina’s brows raised and her lip quivered as tears filled her eyes again. “s**t… maybe that was the wrong thing to say” thought Ari as they watched Serafina try to recompose herself.

            “Thank you” she said, barely above a whisper.

            “Do you want to talk about it?” Ari asked, raising their eyebrows and lowering their chin a little to meet Serafina’s gaze. “I’m not very good with advice, but I’m a good listener.”

            Serafina felt her heart squeeze. “Even when you’re not trying, you’re still so perfect” she bit her lip and drew in a deep breath as she wiped tears from under her eyes away. Exhaling shakily, she continued, “You didn’t do anything wrong. You’re doing everything right, and it makes me realize that I don’t deserve you.”

            Watching Ari’s brows knit together as they tilted their head and squinted at her, Serafina knew that they were even more confused.

            “I… I don’t understand what you mean…” Ari stopped as Serafina touched her fingertips to their lips.

            “Please, let me just get it all out. Before I lose the guts to tell you. I… I love you, Ari. I have loved you for a while now, and because of that… I can’t keep this from you.”

            Ari blinked a few times, “I’m not sure what to say, Sera.”

            “Say nothing, please. Let me finish.” She drew in another deep, shaky breath trying to muster up the remaining courage she had. “Even if they hate me after today, I have to be truthful.” Letting out a quick breath, she began again. “We didn’t meet by accident, Ari. I was hired by a man named Elias to get close to you. He thinks that you could be…”

            Ari suddenly could no longer hear a word Serafina was saying to them. The only thing they could hear was their ragged breath and the rapid beating of their own heart. Ari felt as if they had been kicked square in the diaphragm, knocking the air out of them. Their stomach dropped, and their mouth went dry. Suddenly the room was spinning, and a loud ringing started in their ears. Ari felt like they were going to be sick.

            Noticing Ari’s eyes glazing over, Serafina reached out to touch their shoulder.

            “Don’t touch me! How could you?! Do you know what it meant for me to trust you enough to bring you to my apartment?” Ari was yelling at the top of their lungs, consumed by rage and an immense hurt. “I trusted you! Do you have any idea how hard that is for me to do?”

    Ari started to get choked up, “I should have never allowed this to go on for as long as it has. You say you love me, but you betrayed me in the worst possible way.” Unable to look at her any longer, Ari shifted their gaze the floor in front of them, repositioning their body so they were no longer physically facing each other.

        “Ari, I’m so sorry, I swear I never intended to hurt you” Serafina started sobbing again as she reached out to try to touch Ari’s hand.

        “Get out. Gather your things and get out of my apartment, now.” Ari’s voice was low and menacing, their rage only thinly veiled.

    Serafina only slightly parted her lips as if she were about to say something but thought better of it. Gathering her things, she quickly got dressed and walked to the door of the room before she turned and addressed Ari again. “I’m so sorry for hurting you, I never meant to. I truly fell in love with you and I hope that one day you can forgive me. I may have met you under false pretenses, but my feelings for you are real.”

        “Well, it’s a good thing I’m incapable of love. Otherwise, I don’t know what your betrayal would have done to me.” Ari looked up as they finished their sentence, glaring at Serafina with a cold and rigid air about them. “Now leave, and never come back.”

    Once they heard the elevator doors shut and the sounds of descent, Ari let out the breath they had been holding in. They howled out in pain, hugging themselves and rocking back and forth as sobs wracked their body. Screaming and crying, Ari willed their body to release all of the pent-up anger, sadness, aggression and fear that had filled and tensed all the muscles in their body. They felt like they were two hundred pounds heavier, as they sat on the edge of the bed, allowing themself to slump forward. After a few moments, Ari reached over to grab their phone from the bed side table.

        “Hello? Ari, is everything alright?”

        “Hey doc… no. No, it’s not… I know I canceled this morning, but do you have any time available at all today?” Ari choked out, unable to stop themself from sobbing.

        “Of course, come in right away. I’ll be here. Just please… please get here safely.”

        “Thanks Doc.”

    Ari hung up and got dressed in the first things they found. Serafina had just dropped the biggest bomb imaginable on them, they couldn’t focus on what they looked like to the outside world today. Not right now.