“Oh, is that all?” Bill smirked and started restocking the cups. “I hope you told them you would have to do it around your work schedule.”
I wasn’t all that sure Bill believed in my abilities. Just like Terry, he was just happy that I made them extra money. Heck, I was happy for the extra dough myself.
I placed my hands on my hips and shifted my weight to one side. “For your information, I told them no.”
“No? Why’s that?”
I shrugged and shoved my purse under the counter. “I didn’t want to juggle my free time playing cops and robbers.”
Bill snorted and shook his head. “If I had your abilities, I’d be milking it for all its worth. Talk shows, interviews, even my own book.”
“I don’t like people,” I said, leaving it at that.
“Then you picked the wrong job.” Bill turned away from the counter and went into the office as the first few customers came in.
Heavenly Arms didn’t have a heavy clientele, so we didn’t officially open until five o’clock. Terry and I along with another girl alternated working the bar. This time was my turn to open, Terry would be in later when the after-dinner crowd came in. If it got too busy, Bill would come out and help, but I didn’t expect it to get too bad this early.
“Hey, love,” Lucifer popped out of nowhere, making me jump. The beer I’d been about to serve sloshed over the side, splashing on my bare legs.
Cursing my choice to wear shorts that day, I sat the cup in front of the customer and grabbed some napkins. Wiping their cup off first, I then turned to my sticky legs.
“Would you like some help with that?” Lucifer purred, leaning against the wall as he leered at me.
“What do you want?” I muttered, kneeling to grab something out of the fridge to hide our conversation.
“Just checking up on you. Contemplating when I will cash in on my payment.” Lucifer grinned menacingly.
I returned his grin with one of my own. “Well, that highly depends on you being able to touch me.” Lucifer frowned and shifted against the wall. “Based on your expression, I’d say you haven’t figured that bit out yet.”
“Jane?” Bill’s voice made me jump to my feet. The chastising look on his face made me dip my head guiltily.
“There was a ... a light out in the fridge. I was just fixing it.” I pointed a thumb and kicked the fridge door shut with my foot, so he wouldn’t catch my fib.
Bill crossed his arms over his chest, trying not to draw attention to us. Customer service and all. “So, you were talking it back to life?”
Like a deer caught in the headlights, I forced myself to ignore the chuckling coming from Lucifer on the sidelines.
“Oh yeah, I was giving myself a pep talk. You know, good job, you got this. Go, team!” I air punched, just as Mandy walked through the door with Detective O’Connor. Oh great, just what I needed. To Bill, I said, “Oh look, customers! Better go help them ‘cause, you know, I’m at work.”
I darted down to where Mandy and Detective O’Connor sat, well aware of Bill’s eyes on my back. Having my own shop was looking better and better. I wondered if Lucifer would be into that kind of work. I shot a discrete look his way. Today’s suit was pressed to perfection as usual and made his legs look long and strong as if he just stepped out of a GQ magazine. He watched the room with a cool, aloof gaze.
It just wasn’t fair that someone that gorgeous was the literal Devil. Talk about torture. Just standing there looking the way he did was painful enough to make anyone cry out for mercy.
“Hey, Mandy.” I grinned at my bestie and gave Detective Asshole the cold shoulder. “What can I get you?”
Mandy frowned at me and then said, “We’re on business, so nothing for me.”
“Business?” Glancing up at the clock, it was already half past. “Don’t you ever get to go home?”
“Not when people are missing,” Detective Asshole snapped, making me finally glance his way.
“Well, I wouldn’t want to disrupt your case. So, I’ll let you get back to it.” I turned to help someone else when Mandy grabbed my arm. I stopped with an irritated huff. “Can I help you?”
“Yes,” Mandy’s voice pleaded with me. “Detective O’Connor would like to say something to you.”
Leaning on my elbow, I waited on Detective O’Connor. His face reddened like a teapot, and I could almost make out the white smoke coming from his ears. This was going to be fun.
“Well, let’s hear it, detective. I’ve got thirsty customers waiting for me.” I gestured behind me toward the total of five people in the bar. My comment had the intended effect though. Detective O’Connor’s jaw clenched, and his nostrils flared and not in the sexy way the angels’ did.
“I might have been a bit rash at my dismissal of your abilities.” The utter disdain coming from him as he struggled to get the words out just made me feel all tingling inside. I felt rather than heard Lucifer approach, his body lined up against mine, and I forced myself not to lean into him.
“You’re almost as good as one of my torturers.” Lucifer chuckled in my ear, a heady sound that made my thighs press together.
Ignoring how the Devil was making me feel, I snapped my fingers in front of the detective. “Come on, detective. Time’s a wastin’. Don’t want you to be late for your oh-so-important dinner.”
A vein in the side of Detective O’Connor’s neck throbbed as he bit out. “Please, help us find our missing girl.”
“See?” I beamed at him. “That wasn’t so hard was it?”
Detective O’Connor snarled at me and barged out of the bar, leaving Mandy on her own. I raised a brow at my bestie. “I hope he isn’t like that all the time. I’m not sure how I feel about someone like that watching your back.”
Mandy sighed and buried her face in her arms. “He’s gotten worse after his divorce started.” She glanced up from the table with a sad expression on her face. “He thinks he can still get her back.”
“Oh, so it was his fault?” I snorted as I grabbed a rag, pretending to wipe the top of the bar. “I can see that.”
“Jane,” Mandy warned, her eyes meeting mine. “Please, help us.” She sighed once more and sat up straight. “I know your abilities come from the angels, and it’s not really you, but could you think about helping us? Just this once? Think about the girl you would be helping?”
Before I could answer, Lucifer chimed in. “Yes, Jane. Just this once. Think of the girl.”
What Lucifer really meant was think of the kisses I still owed them if I agreed to help. That stipulation also was heavily reliant on them being able to touch me. So, the likelihood of me actually having to pay up was slim to none. More’s the pity.
“I don’t know, Mandy.” I shook my head, not even pretending to be working anymore. “I have the bar, and I never did get to the grocery store, meaning I have no food in my house now. If that’s any indication of how busy this will make me, I don’t see how I could do it.”
“I’ll buy you dinner,” Mandy quickly offered, and when I still seemed skeptical, she held up two fingers. “Two dinners! Plus, the precinct will pay you for your time.”
My stomach rumbled its vote, and I sighed. “Fine, I’ll help you this one time. Then that’s it.”
Mandy smiled and punched the air. “You won’t regret it.”
I pointed a finger at her. “It better be a good dinner too. Not some fast food drive-thru.”
“Of course, of course.” Mandy nodded. “Now, how about a shot? I’m far past due for a break, and that hottie down the bar would look good in my bed tonight.”
Shaking my head and laughing, I poured Mandy her usual before making my way to take care of my neglected customers. Lucifer didn’t hang around. I kept expecting him to pop in and claim his payment, but he was nowhere to be found.