The Devil's Lover

Chapter 7: Worth the Shot

This wasn't the first time Lucifer had stayed long on Earth, but it was the first time he actually enjoyed working.

Or at least what humans constituted as working, not working in the name of Hell. Lucifer was actually putting in the effort to do well in his career as Choi Seuljin, an investor from South Korea. His name and his rumored wealth have spread in the seemingly short time he'd been in Seattle. He's been meeting with companies, big and small, all of them putting their best foot forward, trying to impress Choi Seuljin into believing in their business the same way he did Glorious G.

It was strikingly similar to making deals with humans as the King of Hell, he supposed. Except what he was doing now was legal—sort of, he's got fake papers but real money—and these types of deals didn't involve anyone signing over their souls.

Lucifer supposed it was only a matter of time before other demons started to show concern.

Whenever Lucifer was occupied with a business meeting, Atlas usually went out on their own or they returned to Hell, making sure things were still in order, then coming back to Earth to check that Lucifer hadn't done anything with irreversible consequences yet.

Lucifer would often tease Atlas that he was just lonely without Lucifer in Hell. Atlas would make a rude gesture in return.

Tonight, Lucifer came home to the lights off in his townhouse, Atlas obviously out. It didn't matter that Lucifer couldn't see a thing, because before he even turned the lights on he'd been aware of the intruder in his temporary home.

"Zayan," Lucifer greeted the demon sitting cross-legged on his couch, inhabiting a human vessel that had a tattooed sleeve on the right arm and short, buzz-cut hair Lucifer didn't see too many women sporting. There's blood coating the front of the human vessel's shirt coming from a bullet hole, although the wound has long healed after the demon had entered the body. "Did you already possess this human vessel before their body even had a chance to turn cold? That's awfully rude, even for you."

"You brought Sid," Was the first thing Zayan said, not bothering to stand.

Lucifer took off his coat while narrowing his eyes. Sid hadn't come to meet him as he had entered, and even now the terrier still hadn't appeared. "What did you do to him?"

Zayan rolled her eyes. "I locked him in your backyard. I was hoping I could talk to you without distractions," she said. What she meant was that she didn't need Lucifer commanding Sid to attack Zayan—which was definitely something Lucifer was considering.

He unbuttoned his blazer and gave Zayan an amused look. "Normally, I would have already sent you back a minute ago. However, I'm in a generous mood today." Lucifer grinned in an exaggerated manner. "You've got a few minutes, use them well."

Zayan stood, human vessel coming up to about Lucifer's—Seuljin's—height. She gave an interested glance up and down Lucifer's human body. "Who have you been pretending to be?"

"Choi Seuljin, or Seuljin Choi. The Americans insist that my surname always comes after my first name." Lucifer sat on an ottoman nearby, just to contradict Zayan. "Atlas refuses to be called anything other than Atlas."

Zayan crossed her arms over her chest, frowning. "Atlas has been with you all this time and yet they haven't made you return to Hell?"

"Nobody can make me do anything, Zayan." He practically spat her name out. "The only demons I allow to walk on Earth are the ones making deals, which you don't seem to be doing. Last time I checked, you don't have special privileges like Atlas. So, please, tell me why you think you have any right to break in here and talk to me this way."

Zayan visibly swallowed, but she was as stubborn as they came and raised her head in defiance. "This isn't right, Lucifer. You can't expect all of us to just accept that you're up here socializing with humans, acting like you've been one all your life. It sets a bad precedent, it... it makes you seem weak."

Lucifer did not lose his temper easily.

Cutting off Zayan's oxygen was a deliberate move.

The demon's eyes widened, hands flying to her throat as she suddenly couldn't breathe. Her mouth fell open and stayed that way, panicking, not used to being in a human vessel where having no air coming into your lungs rendered her other senses useless.

Lucifer placed one leg over the other, face impossibly bored as Zayan visibly struggled in front of him. "You've been causing too many problems. No other demon that's been both on the rack and in the dungeons are left with as much gall as you seem to never run out of. I had hoped you learned your lesson by now."

Zayan fell to her knees, fists clenching around nothing, eyes unfocused and chest heaving rapidly.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to breathe.

"I could keep you like this, you know," Lucifer made the threat in his words apparent, keeping his tone conversational. "Demons can't die inside human vessels. I can keep you like this, feeling like your whole body is about to burst and shrink in at the same time, teetering on the edge of death but not quite. I can keep you like this for days, weeks."

That effectively got Zayan's attention. Her eyes were the size of marbles, lips trembling in fear. Not even five minutes and she's clawing at the floor like a madman.

Lucifer stared her down.

Then, after another minute of pain, he let her breathe again.

Zayan gasped loudly, coughing at the sudden deep inhale she took. She heaved on all fours, arms shaking and head bowed.

Lucifer rose to his feet, dusting off his pants and padding slowly back to his front door, taking his coat once again along with his car keys. "Feed Sid his dog food before you go," He said above the sounds of Zayan still greedily taking in lungfuls of air. "Also, do yourself a favor. Try not to act like you know a damn thing about what I do, or what other demons think of me. I assure you, that won't end well on your part."

Lucifer loudly closed the door behind him.

He needed a drink.

-----

Jayce was not hiding.

He wasn't. He wasn't wasting time in the dressing room either, fumbling with the collar around his neck or the light chain connecting it to the bottoms he was wearing, trying to delay the moment he'd have to walk into the V.I.P. area with the possibility of seeing Seuljin.

No, he was definitely not hiding.

"J?" Nora, their house mom, rounded the corner and spotted Jayce staring at his reflection. "I thought you already started out there. What's the matter?"

Nora Daniels was a woman with a heart too big for her five-foot-two body. She often knew whenever one of Jayce's co-workers was having a particularly difficult day, and she'd try to help any way she could. She patched up costumes for free, always had spare wipes and money garters and safety pins, and made the dancers feel safe. She treated every man in Glorious G like her own son, and Jayce was no exception.

"Uhh. Can't decide?" Jayce answered vaguely.

Nora thought he was talking about his chosen outfit of tonight. "Those look warm," Nora gestured to the satin gloves which came up to Jayce's elbows. "I think you look great. Why? Feeling shy all of a sudden? Doesn't sound like the J I know."

Jayce smiled gratefully. Nora was right. He was being stupid hiding back here when there was no guarantee that Seuljin would even be in Glorious G tonight.

Even if he was, that shouldn't be a problem for Jayce. Jayce was the one who made it clear that what happened yesterday in the employee's restroom was a one-time thing.

Jayce gave Nora a quick hug before leaving the dressing room, the house mom wishing him luck.

On the main floor, there was apparently a new hot-shot producer who gave out tens like they were ones. Five strippers were already crowding around him, each of them moving their bodies enticingly. The heavily-bearded, thirty-something year-old man thrived off the attention and sent bills flying, making the strippers around him cheer and the rest of the men inside the club glare with jealousy.

Among the strippers crowded around the man was Damien, who Jayce happened to make eye-contact with.

Damien smirked at Jayce like he had won something.

Damien and Jayce were often compared to each other, having similar body types and styles when it came to how they dressed and danced inside the club. They were always mistaken as the other ever since Jayce had started working in Glorious G—and Damien hated it. He hadn't said it out loud, but it was ridiculously obvious. Not even a week after Jayce's first night, Damien dyed his hair pink so he would look different.

Jayce quickly moved on from the scene, heels clicking on the marble floor. He was supposed to be in the V.I.P. area already.

The bodyguard at the top of the stairs was new and seemed even younger than Jayce, with his hands clasping the clipboard too tight and his eyes travelling from one spot of the club to another like he'd never seen anything like Glorious G before; which he probably hadn't.

"Haven't seen you here before."

"I, um.. Today's my first day." The bodyguard was shorter than Jayce but built, his strong muscles pushing against the cloth of his black top. He was not-so-subtly checking Jayce out, more curiosity and awe than anything.

"My name's J," Jayce told him. "I'm assigned here tonight."

The bodyguard fumbled with his clipboard, confirming that J (the letter J) was on the list before nodding and letting J in. "Have a good one!" He gave a toothy grin.

Adorable, Jayce thought, and sent the man one of his brighter smiles. "You too, Ted," He read the bodyguard's nametag before stepping onto the mezzanine.

It shouldn't have made Jayce so shocked to see Seuljin inside the first booth.

A blanket of heat spread low on Jayce's torso. He schooled his features despite the prickling sensation on his cheeks, half-expecting Seuljin to look up any moment and give Jayce that signature smirk of his.

But Choi Seuljin was busy staring at the cup in his hand, forehead creased in deep thought. Jayce hadn't seen the man frowning that way before, and while it didn't make his face any less handsome, it made Jayce curious enough to saunter closer.

He's nearly in front of the booth and Seuljin still hasn't looked up.

Jayce was not shy. He wasn't.

"Care for a lap dance?"

Seuljin shifted his attention to Jayce like he's surprised to see the stripper. His opening line had made Seuljin smile, but it was too tight-lipped and didn't reach his eyes, unlike the smiles he easily gave Jayce. "Sorry, I'm not in the mood."

There's a sinking feeling in Jayce's chest.

He refused to make it obvious how much it bothered him to be turned away by a man who successfully made him c*m just yesterday. "Ah. I see."

It was a possibility that Seuljin could read Jayce's mind, because the man was suddenly chuckling and shaking his head. "No, it's not you, nor is it because of that." Seuljin gave a meaningful look. "Ask me any other time, I'd say yes in a heartbeat. Tonight, I'm just... Well, I would feel a bit ashamed if you were dancing for me and I wasn't giving you my full attention."

"Huh. Alright," he replied. Seuljin seemed genuine enough that it at least curbed most of the uneasiness Jayce felt. "Shall I leave you be?

Seuljin was about to say yes, Jayce could tell. Except Seuljin shut his mouth again—the mouth Jayce had kissed in the restroom yesterday like his life depended on it—and then the man got a thoughtful expression. "Can you sit down and talk with me instead?"

Jayce couldn't have made the surprise on his face any more obvious. "I know I work in a strip club, and as hard as it is to believe, that might be the weirdest request I've gotten in Glorious G so far."

"I'm sure you've had worse." Seuljin raised an eyebrow, daring Jayce to prove him wrong. "Will you join me, J?"

"I have to work."

"I'll pay you to talk to me."

Jayce harrumphed and gave Seuljin his best pitying look. "Jesus, that's depressing. Don't you have friends you can talk to for free?"

"None of them are here." Seuljin shrugged. He patted the space beside him while wiggling his dark eyebrows. "What do you say?"

It was the most ridiculous thing Jayce had seen the man do, and it startled a laugh from him so loud he had to press a hand to his mouth to avoid drawing the attention of the two customers who wore snapbacks and thick, gold necklaces instead of suits and ties (Jayce automatically assumed they were from the rap world).

Jayce slid into the booth, sitting beside Seuljin but not near enough to touch him. Seuljin looked delighted anyway. "I was gearing myself up for a little more resistance," he told Jayce. "Since you seem to despise me so much?" The question was clear, and where Jayce would usually tease Seuljin in any other situation, the man was frankly anxious at what Jayce's response would be.

"I don't despise you," Jayce clarified. "Yesterday should've already made that obvious."

He shouldn't have said it.

He really shouldn't have, because then Seuljin wouldn't have to stare at him like that and Jayce wouldn't have to look away to try and stop the flashbacks from replaying like a movie inside his head.

Last night, as soon as he was safely in his bedroom, Jayce had jerked himself off again after agonizing hours of trying to stave off the arousal that lingered within him (he hadn't wanted any of his customers to get the wrong idea). It was too easy to recall the way Seuljin pressed onto him, how he took Jayce's breath away with kisses and made Jayce fall apart just with his hand.

Jayce nearly jumped out of his skin when Seuljin brushed over the fishnet stockings Jayce was wearing, fingers barely grazing Jayce's right thigh. "This suits you," Seuljin murmured, and it's fuel to the fire already encompassing Jayce's thoughts.

Jayce cleared his throat, hoping he didn't look flushed. Seuljin got the message and smiled apologetically, drawing back his hand and raising it to signal a waiter instead. "I think you need a drink."

"Oh, I don't drink."

Seuljin brought his hand down, staring at Jayce like he told him the sky was green. "You don't? Not even beer?"

"Beer smells terrible." Jayce's nose scrunched unconsciously.

The man sitting beside him was aghast, finding it extremely hard to believe that Jayce did not consume alcohol. "You've never tried drinking before or you stopped?"

"Of course I've drunk alcohol before," Jayce scoffed. He wasn't that prudish, he worked as a stripper for crying out loud. "I just never took a liking to it. I tried to keep up social drinking, parties and whatnot, but then I just gave up. I get hangovers easily too."

"Huh." Seuljin blinked, a slow smile forming on his face. "Alright then. No alcohol. Do you smoke?"

"That's bad for your health."

"So is too much of everything, J," Seuljin countered smoothly.

Jayce didn't miss how Seuljin kept calling him by his work nickname, refusing to say Jayce's real name out loud while they're in here. Jayce appreciated that more than he cared to admit.

"If you don't drink, and you don't smoke, then what do you do?"

Jayce pretended to think about it, his head tilting up to look at the ceiling. "Hmm... Recently I've decided to try talking to old, lonely men who seem to have zero friends."

Seuljin snorted. Without warning, he suddenly tugged on the chain hanging from Jayce's collar. The action pulled at Jayce's neck, not intensely, but it still sent a shot of arousal directly to his groin.

There was a smirk on Seuljin's face, having caught Jayce's minute reaction. The man didn't mention it, only downing the last bit of his drink on the rocks before going back to their conversation like he hadn't just teased Jayce.

"Do you like your job?"

Jayce wanted to both punch this man and climb into his lap.

He had to taper down the mental image that thought just conjured in his brain before responding, "It pays the bills."

"I used to like my job," Seuljin told him, tone shifting as a solemn expression passed his face. "At the beginning, I used to think my job was important, so I did it well. Now..." Seuljin's jaw twitched. "I'm not so sure what it is I want now."

He glanced at Jayce, smiling lopsidedly before looking down at his empty glass. "Though a lot of people are counting on me. It'll be unreasonable and insensitive for me to quit my job, right?"

Jayce fidgeted with the fabric of his gloves, biting his lip. He hadn't been prepared for the sudden change of topic, nor the easy way Seuljin shared personal details about his life with Jayce.

To Jayce, this felt more intimate than grappling at each other in the restroom.

They were in the V.I.P. area of a strip club with music blasting in the background, Jayce in his stripper clothes—and Seuljin was opening up like they were somewhere else, somewhere far away where only they existed.

"I used to work at a 7-11," Jayce found himself sharing. "No offense to anyone who works in convenience stores, but I hated it. There were these kids who made a mess of everything and then didn't buy a single item. They would do it every. single. day after they got off school, which meant that every. single. day I had to restack the piles and reorganize the shelves. The guard wouldn't kick them out no matter how many times I asked."

Seuljin frowned. "Sounds awful."

Jayce nodded. "It was. But I needed the job, and only one other person was working there at the time besides the manager. If I quit, nobody would help Arianne clean up the mess those brats made. So, I stuck with it. Then, one of the kids dared to throw chocolate pudding at my face. I resigned the next day, and the manager immediately found someone to replace me." He waited for Seuljin to catch up. "Do you see where I'm going with this?"

"I do." Seuljin leaned back and sighed with a look of wonder. "But please elaborate, I like hearing you talk."

Jayce didn't know if Seuljin was pulling his leg or something. "I'm just going to assume that's true since I'm on a roll." Seuljin smiled at his words, and Jayce continued calmly, even though that smile sent his stomach into a frenzy. "Point is, you're me in this story, Ariane is the people counting on you, those bratty kids are whatever's making you upset, and if you quit your job they'll just find someone else to fill in your spot."

After a moment of digesting Jayce's words, Seuljin leaned forward, propping his head on his hand, body tilting to continue staring at Jayce.

"You make it sound so easy."

"We're all dispensable, Mr. Choi," Jayce said. "That's a fact we can either be miserable about, or we use it to our advantage."

Seuljin was smiling again, and he must've been fighting off a grin because he was biting his lip. His eyes travelled from Jayce's face and downwards.

Jayce tried not to squirm.

"You should just call me Seuljin."

"You're my boss."

"That's not what you said yesterday."

Jayce waved a dismissive hand. "Spur of the moment thing."

Seuljin arched an eyebrow. "So you just say things to get what you want?"

"If I answered yes, will you finally think of me as a bad person and leave me alone?"

"Go home with me."

Jayce's breath hitched quietly, his head swaying backwards. Seuljin's eyes were scanning every inch of his face, and Jayce had to force himself not to look away because damn it, he was not shy, and not even Choi Seuljin could make him timid—no matter how much it burned to maintain eye-contact.

It was even more of a challenge to keep away the pervasive thoughts featuring Seuljin pressing him down against a bed with the same hand he currently placed his chin on top of.

Jayce had sucked the fingers of that hand.

Not completely trusting himself enough to speak normally, Jayce lowered his voice to a whisper, "I thought I told you not to expect anything, Mr. Choi."

Seuljin saw right through Jayce's facade but didn't push. "Well, it was worth the shot."

-----

As much as Jayce enjoyed their conversation and how okay it went (all things considered), he really did have to work. Some of his regulars were already looking for him, and he didn't want to start showing favoritism by spending the rest of the night chatting with Choi Seuljin.

Jayce lacked a consistent concept of time whenever he was in Glorious G. He used the length of a song to determine when a lap dance was up, and in Champagne Rooms he had to make an effort to keep track of the minutes as there was only a tiny clock placed strategically so the customers wouldn't focus on how much time had already passed.

A man named Nihad caught Jayce's eye tonight. He was a broker who recently moved to Seattle and was invited to the club by Aren Gallant to stay at one of the V.I.P. Booths. Jayce had walked by Nihad and saw how fidgety he was in his seat as his eyes looked guiltily at the strippers on the main floor. So, Jayce put on his most welcoming smile and offered him a lap dance.

All the while Jayce danced for Nihad, Jayce pretended that he didn't know Seuljin was still there.

He also pretended that he couldn't feel Seuljin trying to stare at him from a booth away.

Halfway through it, Nihad suggested they get a Champagne Room. Jayce kept his gaze forward as they passed Seuljin, leading Nihad away from the mezzanine. He gave Ted another smile, and not long after that Jayce and Nihad were being admitted into an unoccupied Champagne Room.

Nihad was clearly new to this. That, or he was just extremely awkward.

Jayce didn't take his boots off this time, afraid anything out of the ordinary might spook Nihad. "Hey," Jayce said after offering him a flute of champagne. "Nihad, right? Why don't you tell me what you like?"

Nihad did not know what he liked. "I've never really been in gay clubs before," The man confessed, accent thick. "Let alone strip clubs. I had a bit of a conservative background."

It was not the first time Jayce has had a customer quite as uncomfortable as Nihad, still in the phase where they're being exposed to what it was they really wanted but they felt clueless about it. In fact, Jayce has figured out by now how to handle men with these sorts of problems.

Making his movements obvious, Jayce took Nihad's free hand, the multiple rings Nihad wore catching the dim purple lights.

Jayce placed the warm palm against his bare chest. Nihad stopped drinking.

"Relax." Jayce sent a sultry look but ensuring that his voice was calming. "Tell me if something makes you uncomfortable. In the meantime, just let yourself feel."

Jayce mostly put on a show, knowing Nihad would appreciate that. He hadn't wanted to push the man out of his comfort zone too much on his first night here. Whenever Jayce would come close, Nihad would instinctually tense up, and Jayce would let Nihad's hand rest on his bare skin to try and reassure him.

Nihad had a boner by the time they finished the hour, and he thanked Jayce profusely.

Jayce let Nihad go out first, feeling proud of himself even though there was a slight ache on his side from the move he did on the pole while he'd been trying to impress Nihad—it worked, obviously.

He let himself rest for a moment where Nihad previously sat, a light sheen of sweat on his body. Jayce pulled his bottoms back on, reattached the chain, and made sure he looked decent enough to walk out.

In the throng of bodies and sounds, Jayce should not have spotted Seuljin.

He thought the man would still be moping in the V.I.P. area, but there Seuljin was, sitting across an equally attractive customer (who was not a regular), their heads leaning close together. Seuljin was clearly flirting, and the customer was eagerly reciprocating.

They both stood, Seuljin even going as far as to offer the man his arm.

Jayce was frozen as he watched the two leave Glorious G like that.

"Should've known," Jayce mumbled to himself, not really sure why he was so bothered by it.