“Freeze then,” she spits before tossing the sheet at me.
“My servants prepare my bed.”
“I’ll remember that next time I summon a devil.”
She goes to shut the door, but I leap forward and manage to catch the door’s edge before she can shut me out.
I consider my words carefully. “I require… aid with my hair.”
I will admit, in this instance, my vanity is stronger than my ego. The coils of Minnie’s curls that hang around her face in an aura are too defined to be left unattended.
She snorts. “What, do your attendants tie your bonnet each night? Massage your scalp with coconut oil?”
“Of course. Well, I don’t know what a coconut is but… yes.”
She shuts the door in my face. But a moment later, it opens, Minnie now holding a shiny bundle of purple fabric with a floral design. She hands it to me, and I take it, discovering the fabric is a round shape with long ties around the back.
“Don’t tell me you need help tying it,” she complains.
“I am sure I can manage.”
I tilt my head forward and gather my curls, making sure every strand makes it inside the soft circle before tying a knot at the base of my head.
“You’re not tall enough to tie it anyway,” I tease.
I lift my head, running my fingers along the smooth edges of fabric, ensuring it’s tight enough so as not to slip off in the night.
“Purple suits you.” With that she shuts the door again.
This time I know she won’t be coming back.
CHAPTERFOUR
MINNIE
I barely slept that night.How could I when a devil was sleeping no more than ten feet away from me on my couch. Sure, he hadn’t been violent. My patience was more in danger than my life. But he was a threat, one I had let into my home and was now stuck with ‘til I could figure out a contract. Even when the deal was made, I wasn’t sure if Rosier would just… pop back into hell. Or was I going to have to design another circle to send him back home?
“Great job, Minnie,” I mutter to myself throughout the night, hoping Rosier’s hearing isn’t good enough to hear me talk to myself.
My alarm blares, and the sun pours into my bedroom. The first thing I do is open my bedroom door enough to peek at the couch. Rosier is fast asleep and still very naked, having not bothered to cover himself with one of the thicker blankets I’d left him. Though he had bothered to cover the couch with a sheet as I requested. Maybe I’d gotten lucky and summoned a polite devil.
Then I remember catching him snooping around my bedside table. Born in Hell or born on Earth, you just don’t look through a woman’s bedside drawers.
I slip past him, careful to step over the floorboards I know creak; devils might be light sleepers for all I know. Luckily, I make it to the kitchen without incident to start my coffee, then dip into the bathroom. Slipping off my bonnet, I run my fingers through my curls before grabbing some mouse. After pulling and scrunching each ringlet, I pin my front curls back with barrettes, two on each side, then turn my head back and forth to make sure each barrette is level with the opposing one. By the time I’m done putting on makeup, my coffee is finished brewing, and I pour myself half a mug so I have something to sip on while getting dressed.
I look over my shoulder at the back of the couch. I’ve only made enough coffee for myself–which is a lot, but that’s because the coffee at work might as well be mud, and I always bring a big thermos from home to drink throughout the day. I shake my head, reminding myself coffee probably isn’t even a thing in Hell. What had he said yesterday?I don’t know what a coconut is. Here I thought Hell would be a tropical sort of environment, hot with humidity so thick you’d have to push aside clouds. It was either that or fire and brimstone.
Holding the mug with both hands I tiptoe behind the couch and lean over to get a proper look at Rosier. The bonnet I’d let him borrow is still affixed to his head. His arm covers his eyes, his torso stretched to show off his ribs and the contours of his abdomen. With the knowledge he won’t catch me looking, I gaze at his naked form. Save for the hair on his head and his brows, he’s completely hairless.
I drink my coffee, chastising myself for getting ideas. It would be a very bad idea to develop a crush on a devil. I told Amber yesterday I wasn’t ready to date again. Though at that time I was still feeling a touch bad for ending things with Alexander so suddenly. Not anymore. Not after last night.
If I stand here gawking, my resolve will wear away in no time. I go and pick out an outfit. As I flip through my closet, I giggle, recalling Rosier’s confusion about clothing. I guess devils walk around naked. Maybe it was super hot down there like I’d assumed, or maybe modesty isn’t a value for devils. I really don’t know much about the Hells–or any of the other planes, for that matter–just the basics.
There are several planes that surround the Mortal Plane: the Heavens, the Hells, the Fae Realm, the Demon Plane, and then the Veil, which covers all realms but is untouchable to those who have not passed on. It is said that witches used to cross into other realms all the time. But the fairy circles have all been destroyed, heavenly entities seem to have lost all interest in the mortal realm, and summoning devils had become rather taboo.
Can’t imagine why. Maybe because it meant summoning a very naked squatter to come live in your apartment. I don’t remember that scene inDoctor Faustus.
I grab a brown argyle skirt and its matching jacket, then a white turtleneck and a pair of thick black tights. I wear the same loafers to work every day, the ones with a tall heel so I don’t look like someone got the dates mixed-up for Take Your Kid to Work Day. At least with the shoes, I stand at 5’6”, aboveaverage height.
