Bluffing the Devil(17)

"That's your best stuff? Ooooh, sorry, no wonder you're lonely. I don't like guys that make me check my purse for a weapon when I see them coming in my direction. You give off this vibe that’s like "Kill ya later!" or something. That's a little bit of a turn off, you know?" I answered honestly. "I’m rather fond of this whole living and breathing thing."

"I guess I see your point. If I weren't chasing a death wish, I might actually try to work on not looking so serial-killer-esque and get you to help me find a date."

"Ha! I am sure we can find an evil genius type of girl that needs a strong, bodyguard type dude in her corner."

"Really, what percentage of the world would be ‘evil genius’ girls that needs someone like me anyway? I want to know my chances," he truly looked hopeful.

"Sure, why not? I'm no love doctor, but I have seen plenty of women swoon when you walk by. You're just too wrapped up in stalking me that you don't see it. I guess I would go with about 1% of the population, give or take."

"This is true. I never notice anyone but you. Geez, really that slim, huh? Well, I have faith in your abilities, at least!"

"Well, that is very sweet, but stop it," I said with a gentle giggle and gave him a half hug. "You were so right. I did need to see this. Now, the question is, what should I do with this new information you are handing me on such a gorgeously decorated platter? And how can we fix whatever this problem is?"

"Aww, you hugged me. First time you ever touched me first, how sweet of you. I feel a little less creepy now."

"Dude, chill. It was a hug between friends. Don't get your panties in a bunch over it, okay? I'm still totally not interested."

"Did you just punt me over to the Friend Zone?" he said grasping at his chest as if it pained him.

"No, hun. I placed you gently in the Bro Zone, on your own padded cushion. Get cozy! Friends have a chance," I said plainly.

"Ouch!" His other hand flew to his forehead, and he acted as if he would faint at any moment.

"Sorry, that's just the way it is," I said with another giggle. "Now, let's get serious. What can we do to fix this shit?"

Apparently my straight talk snapped him back to focus and he simply said, "Well, as with any survival situation, I guess its kill or be killed, simple as that."

"Alright, if those are my only choices, I guess kill it is!"

"Whatever you say, cream puff," Rey joked as he grabbed my hand and we found ourselves sitting on the beach.

"That was by far, my favorite jump, or whatever you want to call that thing you do. I wish I could just close my eyes and be somewhere. That’s so cool!" Ending up on a beach at any moment was heaven to me, and I was feeling very stressed and anxious seeing all of those visions with Rey, so this place was very refreshing.

"I wonder if you have powers, Alexia?"

"Oh wow! You used my name! Gold star!"

"Oh har har, you're hilarious. I'm being serious. Focus, woman!" His intensity finally registered, and I leaned closer to him and we locked eyes.

"What’d you mean when you said you wonder if I have some kind of powers. What part of "regular chick" did you miss?"

"You said you can close your eyes, and get to Devin almost immediately, right?"

"Well, yeah."

"So, he's touched you then, yes?"

"Of course he's touched me," I said before realizing how slutty that sounded. "I mean, yes, he's touched me and I've touched him."

"Seriously, I cannot stress this enough that I just do not want you to elaborate on that. As your new found "bro", I don't want to think of you in such a way with some other dude. It might make me homicidal."

"Before, when you were trying to play your slick game on me, it would be okay because what?"

"At that point, I could plot that guy's death. I couldn't kill Devin for a few reasons, but the major one would be that you would hate me, and I can't live with myself if that happened. That puts us at a crossroads here, so just keep the touchy feely convo at a minimum, please?"

"Oh bro, we gotta get you laid soon! You're getting all daytime talk show emotional on me. I don't know how I feel about this," I said, and tried to contain my chuckle.

"See how you laugh at my pain?"

"Rey, you are not the father!" I fell back onto the sand and completely lost it in a full out laughing fit. He joined me seconds later.

"Something is terribly wrong with you, but I love it." Sincerity was smeared across his face.

"You're not so bad yourself, bro. You're the best creepy stalker a girl could ask for."

"I prefer the term "Researcher". It's only stalking if I am doing it for nefarious purposes. I had nothing but great intentions in mind, I promise!" His smile, suddenly devoid of all scariness and evil, was brilliantly white and beautiful.

"Very well, now you are my sidekick and head-researcher. Your resume grows by the minute!" I said, still chuckling.

"Can you focus please? I think not getting proper rest for a few days has started to wear on you," he said smoothly.

"Okay, fine! What do you want from me now, my first born child? Or perhaps a DNA sample?"

"See, you make me go right back to evil. Shut up. Pay attention, woman. Geez!"

"Okayyyyyyy what!?"

"I am curious if you wanted to see Devin, if you could go there right now. I mean, just lay back, close your eyes and you’d be there. Does it work like that?"

"It's worked that way once before for me. That's when I thought he was a dream though, so I didn’t put too much thought into it at the time. What do you need me to do?"

"Maybe you should try that and see what you can find out from Devin about how she holds him where he is, and if there's a way we can get him out. If we can take Devin out of there, she has no other plays, I am guessing. I'm already out here, too."

"Well, it's definitely worth a shot, and it’s not like I'd be too heartbroken over having to see Devin again," I admitted. It felt like it had been days since I last saw him and could use a few minutes of happy time, with my Dream Man for sure.

"Okay, I will be right here to watch over you so nothing happens, see what you can do."

"Yeah, usually it just minutes that I get with him, so it shouldn't be long. Let's see what I can do," I said with a slight grin. "See you on the flip side, bro!" I said as I lay down on the warm sand and closed my eyes to drift off.

Chapter 12



The scent of nutmeg and cedar stirred me from my cozy slumber. I was about to be upset that I hadn't seen Devin when I cracked my eyes open and saw that I wasn't on the beach, but in a cozy bed. Soft candlelight illuminated the tiny space, but I was all alone. I rolled over and patchouli, vanilla, and musk emanated from the pillow. I wanted to bury my face in it and never come back up for air. It was an incredible smell. It was Devin. It was a manly sweetness, I had never encountered before but it was all Devin. It was delicious.

"If you push your face a little closer down, you can just put your head directly on the mattress and not even bother with that pesky pillow." Devin purred his playful words directly onto the back of my neck.

"Well, hello to you, too," I said, trying not to die of embarrassment that I was caught completely sniffing his pillow.

"No need to be shy, love. Every time you leave, I sniff my pillow for your scent also. You smell like summer to me warmth, vanilla, and lavender. It's very sexy," he said; his words still attempting to mate with my flesh.

"Well, at least I felt slightly less stalkerish now. Long time no see, Devin." I technically still wasn't seeing him, as he was laying on top of my back, pinning me to the bed. We were in the same room however, so it was close enough.

"I look forward to the day you have a nickname for me, love. We can try to come up with one right now. How about "stud" or "luscious"?" he said, planting tiny kisses along my neck and back. Maintaining my composure was going to be troubling enough, now he expected me to think straight, too?

"Umm, I can't think when you do that and "luscious", really, veto. I was thinking more like "muffin" or "honeybuns". If I recall, you have a pretty nice ass. I might need to see that again to verify though," I said playfully.

An instant later, he flipped me over and was on top of me in the same position he had been behind me. He grabbed my hand and placed it gently on his ass.

"Well?"

"Yeah, I knew I could trust my memory. Nice work." I patted him sweetly and giggled at the silliness of the whole conversation.

"I get it from my mama," he joked. I didn't remember a time when we just laid around and had fun together. Then I remembered that I was here on a mission and decided to look around for clues, and a way to rescue him.