The Devil's Deal

Three

My eyes were glued to the stage as I watched the man that had entranced me earlier. He had answered the call and presented himself as Wesley Crist. It was no wonder I felt that pull between us.

“What do you mean, he’s the man that killed you?” Jaime asked. She didn’t know much about my past except for the lies I had coined over the years to placate her. And now that I slipped in front of her, I had to come up with something to throw her off the scent.

“You know, the Crist family.” I answered vaguely. She looked at me expectantly.

“What about the Crist family?” She asked.

“Remember how I told you about my family’s business?” I asked.

“Yeah?”

“Well, it was a small-scale thingy. I didn’t quite understand it. I was only nine at the time.” I took in a deep breath, trying to add weight to my lies.

“Go on.” Jaime urged.

“Well, the Crists bought my dad out. Much like they’re trying to do now. But something went wrong, and they demanded their money back. It led to some legal crisis and dad went bankrupt. Not long after that, my parents died. And my childhood mind conjured some s**t up and now I subconsciously blame the Crists.”

“Aww, you poor thing.” She soothed, rubbing my back. I gave her a small smile and riveted back on the stage. The speech has begun.

“Good evening, ladies. Gentlemen, how’s it going?” Crist asked. Everyone chuckled at his joke.

“I don’t doubt that we are all having a good time.” I tuned out his words as he launched into his speech.

My mind soaked up the sight in front of me. Wesley Crist. His eloquence and charisma were not what I factored into my imaginations every time I thought about seeing him again.

The man before me was so different from the fourteen-year-old boy I remembered. His eyes were deeper and darker. His hair was longer. And his body, broader, wider and so much more than I imagined. He definitely grew into his persona.

So different from the lanky, tall fourteen-year-old who had ended my world. The boy who had stolen my innocence.

All the anger and pain I had bottled up since that day thirteen years ago came rushing to the surface.

I shut my eyes, willing myself to think of more pleasant things.

“I know we’ll do wonderful things with Rosevelt from now henceforth.” He finished. Everyone clapped as he left the stage. The sound of their palms echoed in my ears, but couldn’t drown the blood pumping wildly within me.

“I can’t believe your nemesis is now my boss.” Jaime griped, amusement dancing in her eyes.

“He’s not my anything.” I flipped nonchalantly. “I barely know the guy. And I was nine years old. What the hell do I know about business?” I asked, giving her a mock glare.

She threw her head back and laughed at my attitude.

“Let’s dance.” She led me to the dance floor. I let the music wash over me as we swayed to the beat. People started dancing alongside us and soon the dance floor was filled with couples. Everyone was lost in the music.

A shrill sound pierced the air and my body turned cold. My head snapped up, feeling alert. I scanned the crowd for the source of the noise.

“What’s happening?” Jaime asked. I shrugged, not knowing the answer to her question. A man ran out from the maintenance room wearing an apron over a chef’s uniform.

I noticed that everyone had stopped dancing and was now anticipating the reason for the disturbance.

“Fire!” the chef shrieked. “Fire! Everyone out!”

Chaos descended into the ballroom, and everyone scrammed in different directions.

“Oh, f**k a duck! Hell’s bells.” Jaime cursed, looking around for an escape.

She grabbed my hand and pulled me forwards. We ran alongside everyone else as fast as our heels could allow.

“Faster, Ares! f*****g hell. We’re going to burn alive.” I stumbled along the path behind her.

“Slow down!” I gasped.

“Well, I don’t want to die, and I’m not letting you die either.”

We sprinted to the exit and joined the crowd outside. The fire was spreading on the lower floor of the building, and everyone was watching it in silence.

“Best party, ever.” Jaime whispered, and I snickered. She always had a way of lifting every situation.

“It’s a good thing it’s contained in one place,” I observed.

“Should have burnt the whole place down. Saves me the stress of having a job,” she said, deadpan. I stared at her in horror and realized she was kidding.

Laughter bubbled through my belly and knocked me back. I staggered and almost hit the ground. Strong hands gathered around me and pulled me into a warm chest.

I gasped and clutched the sleeves of my saviour, trying to break my fall.

“Careful.” He whispered. That warm voice slid all over me like velvet and made me tingle all over.

I yanked myself away from the hard rock chest and turned around. He was standing before me, exuding his masculine grace. Wesley Crist. I gasped and took a step backwards.

We stared at each other for a beat before he broke the silence.

“Usually, when someone saves you, he’s entitled to receiving a thanks as a show of gratitude.”

I cleared my throat and felt myself getting hot. Jaime nudged me from behind and I realized she was still there with us.

“Thank you,” I said calmly, feeling proud of myself for managing to speak in a steady voice.

“Have we met before?” He asked, looking at me with unguarded interest.

“I don’t think so.” I answered, raising my chin in defiance.

“What’s your name?” He asked again. I steeled myself and drew in a shaky breath.

“Ares Gonzalez.” I answered. Recognition flashed in his eyes for a second.

“A friend of mine just informed me about how you gave him a wonderful presentation. You’re the Ares?” He asked, and I nodded.

He fished out a card from his breast pocket and handed it to me.

“Monday. You have an interview by 9am. Dress code is cooperate.” He turned and stalked away.

“Holy f**k!” Jaime cursed. "You just got a job."