Jerrys. Super Fudge Chunk had marked the end of many a dull date.
So Im still going to be hungry and eat, use the bathroom, sleep, bathe, and never gain weight. Sounds delightful. Do I get to have sex with anyone if you dont want me?
He stared at me, momentarily speechless. No, he said finally. Absolutely not. Its forbidden.
But you said you could happily
I said you and I wont have sex, he interrupted before I could drop the F-bomb as he had.
Why would you want to? I said, managing to sound bored with the idea.
I dont want to, he snapped. You asked me if we would have sex.
You misunderstood. Deliberately, I added, just to annoy him. In this strange, otherworldly place, annoying him was one of the only things that made me feel alive. I do understand why youd want to, but I really dont think its a good idea. You being my mentor and all.
This was working even better than Id expected. He was ready to explode with frustration. Not the right kind of frustration, unfortunately. Indeed, it was too bad that I was taunting him, but I couldnt resist. He really was freaking gorgeous. It was probably unwiseI needed him on my side. No, he said repressively.
I shrugged, taking another doughnut. Do we get sick? Will I start feeling bloated if I eat a fourth doughnut?
Yes, he said.
I put the doughnut down. Well, at least youll outlive me. Cheer up. You can dance at my funeral.
I wont know you when you die. Assuming we figure out what to do with you, we probably wont see each other again.
This wasnt very comforting news, but I wasnt giving up the battle. Once they decide, how long will it take to get rid of me?
He just looked at me, his expression saying it couldnt be soon enough.
Oddly enough, I wasnt sure I wanted to leave, even if they could give me back some semblance of a normal life with mental acuity intact. Yes, I enjoyed picking on him, and the white had to go. But despite my arguments, I . . . kind of liked it here. Liked the sound of the ocean beyond the open windows, the taste of salt on my lips. Id always wanted to live by the sea. I was getting my wish a little earlier than expected, and it wasnt technically living, but it was close enough.
I liked the bed Id slept in, I liked Sarah, and I most definitely liked to look at Raziel, even if he was frustrating, annoying, and all the other negative adjectives I could think of. And if he could read my mind, tough shit.
In fact, I was living my dream. Id spent most of my adult life sifting through arcane literature and Bible criticism to come up with my far-fetched mysteries, and I was well acquainted with the totally bizarre fantasies of Enoch, with his tales of the Nephilim and the Fallen.
Except it turned out Enoch wasnt the acid freak Id always thought he was. All of this was real.
The kitchen was too small for both of us, but for him to leave hed have to brush past me, and I knew he really didnt want to touch me. It was lovely to think that it was unshakable lust keeping him away, but I knew it was more likely annoyanceId done my best to make him want to strangle me.
No, he said, I dont want to strangle you. I just want you to go away.
Grrrr . How long are you going to be reading my mind? I demanded, thoroughly annoyed.
As long as I need to.
Well, that time is now over. Turn off the switch, or whatever it is you do. Stay the fuck out of my brain. Dont read my mind, dont cloud my thoughts, dont wipe out my memory. Keep your distance. I didnt bother trying to keep the snarl out of my voice. Id had enough of this crap.
He was looking dangerously close to be being amused. His gloriously striated eyes glinted for a moment, but I seriously doubted that Raziel possessed even a tiny trace of a sense of humor in his cold, still body. Sure enough, the expression vanished so quickly I was sure Id imagined it.
Or what? he said.
Asshole . He knew I didnt have much to fight back with. Little did he know that Id always been wickedly inventive. Maybe that was why Id been sent to hell. H ands sliding down my body, beautiful hands, his mouth following, on my breast, sucking
Stop it! he said with complete horror, pushing away from me as if burned by the sultry image in my brain.
I smiled sweetly. Ive got a hell of an imagination, Raziel, I said, calling him by name for the first time. Stay out of my head or prepare to be thoroughly embarrassed.
Taking the plate of doughnuts, I sauntered back out into the living room.
CHAPTER TWELVE
SHE WAS A WITCH. SHE SHOULD have been humble and weepy and afraid of me. Instead she was the complete opposite, and the quick vision of her sex fantasy was having the expected effect on my body. Azazel was rightId been celibate too long.
I stayed in the kitchen, not moving. Id thought I at least had my body under control. In truth, it was no wonder I was hard, with that brief fantasy shed indulged in. I had no idea whether she really found it appealing or whether it was just part of the game she was playing.
No, it was real. As Id seen the thought, Id felt her own fevered reaction, as intense as mine despite the brevity of the image. If that had simply been an intellectual exercise, it wouldnt have been so . . . disturbing.