Demons Like It Hot (Demons Unleashed #2)(43)

Let’s hope you’re right? “What a jerk!”

Did he think just because he was big, bad, and muscular he could come in here and control everything? Well, he was wrong. And he almost burnt her house down. He was lucky Kalli was nearby, or she would have skinned him alive—with a silver dagger.

She yanked a comb through a gnarled curl. “Ouch.” She flung the comb to the counter and raked fingers through her hair instead.

“I don’t need makeup?” What exactly did he mean when he said that? Men, especially those of the demon variety, had no clue. As if all women could look like instant sexpots with a snap of a finger. There was only one woman she knew with that skill, and Lucy was half-succubus anyway, so she didn’t really count.

She ripped open her makeup bag and yanked out some concealer and foundation. Truth be told, she didn’t really like wearing makeup, especially while standing over hot stoves and ovens all day. By the end of the day, it felt like her face was melting off.

But it was different now. She might be on television. She didn’t want to look like a zombie, especially in HD. Her pores were large enough as it was.

She dabbed a little of the creamy liquid on her hand and patted and massaged it into her skin. A little foundation, eyeliner, and mascara never killed anyone. It wasn’t like she was going to the Academy Awards or anything, but she still needed to look somewhat presentable.

“Are you almost done in there?” Matthias bellowed.

“I’m human, not a demon. I can’t just poof my face together.”

“I understand. I just don’t want you to be late.”

How sweet of him, even when he really didn’t want anything to do with the show. “I still need to get dressed. How about just zapping yourself there?”

“What about your employee?”

Damn. In all the excitement, she’d forgotten about Edie. And she still needed to call Kalli as well. She smelled like a barbecue gone horribly wrong and needed some clean-up done on herself too.

“I’ll call Edie and tell her to expect you.” She snagged the phone from the counter. “I’ll tell her you’ve been hired to oversee security.”

“Fine.” His loud footfalls echoed down the hall.

She located Edie’s number in her contacts and clicked the send button.

“’Allo?”

Serah stifled the chuckle. She always enjoyed Edie’s strange accent.

“Hi, Edie. It’s Serah. I’ve hired a security company in case I get the show. They’re sending someone over.” She cringed. She’d never been the best of liars. Maybe it was this purity they seemed to rattle on about.

“Iz everyzing okay? The fondue, no?”

“Everything is fine. The fondue was delicious.” Thank goodness it was only a practice run for a wedding next week. “The vichyssoise too. No mess to worry about. The Andersons are going to love it.”

“Très bon.”

Whatever that meant. “The man they are sending… His name is Matthias Ambrose. Rafe recommended him.”

“Okeydokey pokey.”

Serah arched an eyebrow.

“See you in about a half an hour, okay?”

“Okay. Buh-bye! à tout à l’heure.”

“Uhh, okay. Bye.” She hit the red button to end the call. Serah didn’t have the heart to tell her sous-chef of her less-than-apt language skills. She loved listening to Edie speak her native tongue anyhow. She turned to the door. “You can do your traveling now, buddy.”

“Fine. What about your friend, Kalli?”

“I’m waiting here for her. I smell horrible and was hoping she could use a fresh can of Demon-B-Gone on me.” She brought a corner of the towel to her nose.

Ugh!

She took a quick glance in the mirror. At least she looked decent enough. Scraping fingers through her curls, she shrugged. With a sigh, she turned and snuck through the door adjoining her bedroom.

Ripping open her closet, she tore through her clothes. Nothing seemed right. She pulled out a pair of jeans. Too casual. She grabbed a black lace skirt. Too fancy. She grabbed a fuchsia low-cut halter. Too slutty.

“You should wear this.” The spicy scent of ginger followed his voice. He reached out and plucked a bright blue wrap dress from a hanger. “It… looks professional.”

“Umm… thanks.” She took the garment from him. She actually bought the dress for the wedding that never happened. The Carlson-Harding fiasco. Thank God, the bride had been sent packing. “Why are you in here?”

Matthias turned toward the door. “I thought I would make myself more useful.” He opened and closed the door and it whined in protest. Running his large fingers along the split doorjamb, he shrugged. “It still needs a little more work, but at least it closes.”

Serah managed a smile. “Thanks, Matthias.” She reached out her hand to his. “I can have Kalli finish up for you. After all, it was demon-induced.”

“Oh.” There was no mistaking the disappointment in his voice.

“But if you’d really like to practice your human skills, that’s fine.”

“I broke it. There are tools to fix it. I owe you that much.”

Serah nodded. “Well, at least you can fix one of your disasters.”