positions me until I’m standing in front him, my back flush against his chest.
“My babe here wants some clothes. And jewelry. And any other fancy ass stuff you have.”
Babe?! The fuck?
The clerk—whose name tag reads Mindy—glances at me with barely veiled disdain.
Would it be odd if I mouthed “help” repeatedly? Because I totally feel as if I’m being held hostage by a demon.
“Of course,” she replies stiffly. Straightening her shoulders almost imperceptibly, she adds, “What can I get the munchkin?”
The munchkin? The fucking munchkin? As in a lollipop-toting short person terrorized by witches? That’s what she sees when she looks at me?
“Babe,” Akor whines, lowering his face until it’s against my neck. He begins to nuzzle the sensitive skin there, and try as I might, goosebumps ripple on my flesh. “How does she know the nickname you gave me when I pound into you at night?” He raises his voice in a poor impersonation of a female in ecstasy. “Munchkin, give it to me harder! Right there, munchkin! Right there! Tap that clit! Dick me!”
“Have you ever had sex before?” I hiss out of the corner of my mouth, too low for Mindy the model to hear. “No one says that.”
“How would you know?” he scoffs, his lips featherlight on my skin. “No man has ever plowed—”
“Moving on!” I screech, my voice rising two octaves. How the hell could he possibly know I’m a virgin? How?? Part of me wants to know. The other part is too scared to ask.
With an irritated look over my shoulder, I elbow Akor in the stomach and step away, focusing on the clerk. “I suppose we’re getting stuff.”
“Only the best for my lady girl friend but not girlfriend,” Akor drawls, this time slinging an arm over my shoulder. I immediately shrug it off and cast him a pointed glare. Hopefully, the demon understands my memo—hands off or balls off.
Because trust me, I won’t hesitate to take holy water to his testicles.
Shopping with Akor is…I don’t want to say pleasant, but it’s actually not horrible. Surprisingly, he has a keen eye for fashion and, in his words, “shiny things.”
“I’m not trying that on,” I retort as he holds up a skin tight purple dress that will barely cover my crotch. If I bend over even a tiny bit, the entire world will go into cardiac arrest. My ass cheeks will be the cause of death worldwide.
“Please!” Akor begs, pressing his hands together in a prayer position with the dress squeezed between them. “Pretty please with donuts on top.”
“No,” I insist. “Besides, aren’t you supposed to be helping with the whole William thing? He prefers something…classier.” I nod towards Mindy, who is packaging a sophisticated pantsuit that makes me look years older. I also picked out a gorgeous red dress, a silky blouse, a pair of golden earrings, and a stunning diamond necklace. I mean, if Akor is paying using his demon bucks or whatever, then why the hell not?
Akor’s eyes harden suddenly as he clenches his hand around the fabric. “Not everything is about fucking William,” he hisses, and for a brief moment, his irises turn crimson, the red bleeding into the pupils. Fear roots my feet to the ground as I stare at the demon before me.
Not a man. Never a man.
It’s time I remember exactly what I’m dealing with.
I need to tread carefully with all of the demons. They’re a fucking minefield, and one wrong move will end in an explosion.
Don’t make them your enemy, Katrina. Don’t trust them.
“Fine,” I concede with a grumble, and immediately, the red diminishes as if it never existed to begin with. He jumps up and down, clapping his hands together with a jovial grin. “I’ll take the damn dress.”
“And the lingerie?” he asks hopefully, nodding towards a silky, revealing…thing resting beside the outfits I already chose. Honestly, I don’t even dare try it on. Some things are too terrifying, even for me.
“Don’t push it.” I grab the crinkled dress from his hands and, after a moment of hesitation, snatch the lingerie too. Maybe I’ll wear it for William…
A wicked smile curls up my lips at the thought, and my stomach clenches in desire.
Would William be an attentive lover? Or would he be possessive and dominating?
Those thoughts flit through my head as I approach Mindy and add the newest articles of clothing to my purchases.
“Excuse me.” Akor smiles with all the warmness of an arctic storm. He nods towards a collection of rings displayed in a glass case.