The Devil Behind Me(12)

“Addie, we’re negotiating. If you can only come out once then once it is. How about late at night?” he said as he stood close behind me.

“I work at the bar,” I said quietly.

“Every night?” he nearly snapped.

“No, not every night,” I admitted.

“Fine then, after work. I’ll take you out for an hour, make sure others see us,” he said. “Plus, I’ll make sure you have a new wardrobe,” he said in passing.

“Why?” I asked insulted.

“Addie, if I'm in love with you, my money is mine to shower you with. My woman will have everything,” he said in a stern tone. “This is non-negotiable.” The power of his words shook something inside me. Who knew Daimon could be so passionate?

“Come sit. Let’s work out the rest,” he offered; taking my elbow and making me sit on the couch across from him.

We spent a few more hours yelling at each other, but in the end, we found a few compromises. It was mostly in his favor, but I was able to gain back some freedom he wanted me to give to him. Once we were happy with our ‘little contract,’ Daimon asked me for my account number. He said he’d put half now and half later. He called it an insurance policy so I wouldn’t run out on him. Daimon had serious trust issues.

“Here, take this.” He gave me a white box.

“What is it?” I asked opening it up. It was a brand new iPhone.

“Think of it as a gift.”

“I can’t afford this.” I felt shame for admitting it.

“It’s a gift, Addie. I can afford the bill.” He smiled faintly. “So, I’ll see you soon.” He nodded, dismissing me.

“Soon,” I said quietly, wary of what was to come.





MY NEW START


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.

“Now 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.

“Ah 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.