The Devil's Deal

Two

Black eyes with amber rings. Those eyes peered at me with feral intensity. I felt the pull that tugged between us, drawing me to him.

Soon, the party fell away, everyone disappeared, and all that remained was him and me.

I shivered at the whirlwind of emotions masked by the cool facade he wore. He took a step towards me with malicious intent and I staggered backwards.

My slip of fear didn’t deter him. The perfect bubble I had perfectly crafted around the two of us cracked and Jaime slipped through. She bumped my shoulder with hers, bringing me back to reality.

I blinked and turned towards her. She had an infectious grin on her face. I turned back towards my bolt of electricity, but he was gone.

I swung my head wildly, trying to make him out in the crowd. I couldn’t find him. Hell, I didn’t even know what the rest of him looked like. I only got a glimpse of his face and gorgeous eyes.

“What crawled up your ass and died?” Jaime asked, handing me a glass of wine. I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. She eyed me warily, and I sighed.

“Nothing.” I took a sip from my glass. “Mmmm. This is good.” I praised. Jaime forgot all about her suspicions and grinned wildly again.

“I know, right? I can’t get enough.” She swirled her drink and gulped it in one shot.

“How’s it going?” She asked. I know she’s poking me for some information on my job hunt, so I decided to let her stew for a while.

“Oh, come on! Ares.” She whined. “You’re killing me here. Any juicy details?”

I smiled brightly. The object of my earlier fascination now lay forgotten, and all I could currently think about was my conversation with those gentlemen.

“I might have handed out a few business cards after a very intellectual journey.” I answered calmly. Jaime’s eyes widened at my coyness.

“How many is a few?” She asked, clearly being familiar with my game.

“Five.” I whispered.

“What?” she asked in disbelief.

“Five.” I clarified.

“No way!” She squealed, earning reprimanding looks from some of the rich people wondering about.

“Oh, my God. Does that mean you have a job?”

I gave her a look of mock annoyance.

“Jesus, Jaime.” I laughed. “Not yet, anyway. Although I got the promise of a call and maybe a job.”

“I’m happy for you, girl.” She pulled me into a bear hug and squeezed the leaving daylights out of me.

“Come on. More wine. We should celebrate.” She gestured for a waiter and grabbed three more glasses, carefully replacing the used ones.

“You’re going to get drunk and miss all the fun.” I chided, stealing a glass from her hand. She waved her hand, gulping her alcohol shamelessly.

“These things bore me.” I sighed, knowing exactly how she feels.

Jaime paraded me around, introducing me to some of her colleagues. A few rounds later, I felt a wave of dizziness hit me. My head felt dangerously light, and I staggered forward.

Jaime grabbed me by the elbow, preventing a fall. She stared at me with wide eyes.

“Are you okay?” She asked. I shook my head at her. The motion causes the dizziness to return with a vengeance. I felt my strength deserting me with the agility of a horse.

“My purse,” I whispered. Jaime understood what I needed at once. She took my purse from my shoulder and gently guided me to the ladies' powder room.

Once behind closed doors, she sat me on a toilet seat and I vaguely observed her as she rummaged through my purse looking for the insulin pen.

Darkness enveloped me, and I felt myself slipping away.

“I got it!” She exclaimed triumphantly.

“Ares! Stay with me.” She lightly tapped my cheek while drawing the liquid from the vial. I tried to fight the darkness closing in on me.

“Ares!” I struggled to keep my eyes open, but it was just so damn hard. My eyelids felt heavy, and I just wanted to take a nap. Just for one second.

“Ares!” she whispered harshly, bringing me back from my unintended sleep.

“Okay. Here. I got it.” I felt the fabric of my dress slide along my thighs and the cool air hit my bare skin.

Jaime’s hands found the spot she was looking for, and she stabbed the insulin pen into my thigh. I winced at the tiny wave of pain.

“There.” She whispered, clutching my hand. My head started to clear, and the dizziness faded. Jaime stood in front of me with fear marring her perfection.

“Don’t ever do that to me again.” She snapped in a shaky voice. She was trying to keep her cool, but I knew better.

“I’m sorry. s**t. I shouldn’t have drunk so much.” I mentally cursed myself for all the times I plied my mouth with alcohol.

“It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have encouraged you to drink knowing your condition.”

I was diabetic, and this was one of my mild crises. All the alcohol must have screwed up my hormones, causing my sugar level to rise. I sighed at the thought of what could have happened.

“Let’s get back to the party. I’m starting to feel trapped in here.” I let her lead me out of the stall and back to the ballroom.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” She asked.

“Yes.” I lied. The insulin shot might have cleared the threat of death, but I needed a few seconds to gather my wits.

We walked back to the ballroom and one of Jaime’s co-worker came to us immediately.

“There you are,” he chirped. “We’re about to start.”

I looked to Jaime for an explanation.

“What Todd means is that we’re about to witness the real reason we’re here.”

“And what would that be?” I asked. Jaime rolled her eyes.

“Some billionaire Playboy is going to buy out our company. As of tomorrow, we’ll all have a new boss. Tonight is for our new boss to make a speech as a form of introduction and all the other bullshit rich people worry about.” She waved her hand dismissively.

The band started a melodious tune that I didn’t recognize. A primed woman took the centre of the room and tapped a spoon to her glass, bringing everyone to her attention.

“I’m glad to have you all here,” she began. “And although we all know why we’re here, I’ll still like to use this opportunity to introduce the new owner of Rosevelt foundation. Wesley Crist.”

At the mention of that name, my heart thumped wildly against my ribs.

“No.” I muttered.

“Are you okay?” Jaime asked, concern lacing her tone. A wave of nausea hit me and I tamped it down.

“Ares?” sh

e called.

“That’s him. That’s the man that killed me.”