The Devil's Lover

Chapter 5: Rain in Seattle

It rained more in Seattle than it did in other places in the U.S. Though the city had a reputation for having unbearably dreary weather, it wasn't as bad as many made it out to be. Sure, it made traffic worse and cancelled a lot of people's plans (Jayce couldn’t even ride Pumpkin to work), but Jayce had grown up loving the rain. He appreciated it for what it was. Unlike most people in Seattle, it didn’t seem like he'd get tired of it any time soon.

Leaving Glorious G always seemed like an event on its own. Jayce had to take off his sweaty dance clothes then massage his sore feet because of the heels he’d chosen to wear the whole night. He’d take a shower in the dressing room, unable to wait before immediately washing off the night’s evidence left on his skin.

Jayce was practically a new man as soon as he was dressed in the spare clothes he brought.

Once he finished double-checking if he's packed all his things, making sure his hard-earned pay tonight was safely tucked into his money pouch at the bottom of his duffel bag, Jayce bid goodbye to Nora and some of his other co-workers before exiting the already emptying strip club.

Seattle never ran out of noise, not even at three a.m. Having been raised in a different neighborhood—much, much more crowded than this one—Jayce found the sounds of the still-awake city to be grounding. He’d be more disoriented if the whole street didn’t have at least a single vibration of a car or truck engine, or drunken people leaving bars while laughing a little too loudly, kicking or throwing bottles away.

There was a storm passing through Capitol Hill, so the sounds of dropping rain mixed with other proof of city life. Jayce stopped right outside Glorious G’s entrance, just by the edge of the canopy keeping him dry. The mid-long trench coat he was wearing did its job of keeping him warm.

He took a deep breath of the earthy smell caused by the rain. Being inside Glorious G was like slowly suffocating with the scent of booze, cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and sweat.

Jayce checked his phone, seeing a text from Teressa.

-----

From: Teressa

Running late sorry, have to drop Bea home. Hang tight. Mwah

Sent: 3:04 a.m.

-----

His head was down as he typed out a reply, meaning Jayce didn’t notice anyone approaching him until the man was only two feet away.

“I was hoping I’d catch you before you left.”

Jayce startled at the achingly familiar voice, his fingers gripping his phone tightly.

It couldn’t be...

But, unfortunately, luck was not on his side this time. Stood to Jayce's right was a lanky man with sweeping curls and thick glasses perched on a soft face, his coat glistening with water drops.

“Henry?” Jayce asked in disbelief.

“Jayce.” Henry breathed out, revealing a pearly smile. “It’s been a while.”

Jayce blinked several times, then promptly decided he’d wait for Teressa inside.

“Hey, hey, wait, just–“ Jayce had barely turned around when Henry’s large hand was on his shoulder, preventing him from stepping away. “Can we talk?”

Jayce kept his back to the man and felt a tug where he was holding Jayce. “Please, just a few minutes,” Henry pleaded.

Keith, a burly man hired as a security guard for Glorious G, raised a questioning eyebrow at Jayce from his post, ready to intervene as soon as Jayce said so.

Jayce shook his head as a way to tell Keith that he’s got this. Jayce did. He's got this.

Slowly, with a deep breath, Jayce faced Henry once again and saw the relief that spread across his body. Jayce shrugged off the man’s hand with a little more force than necessary. “I hope you know a few minutes is a lot to ask given what you did.”

Henry's other hand, the one he used to hold his umbrella, tightened noticeably before he gave a stiff nod. “I know. I... I can’t imagine the pain you went through.“

“It was two years ago,” Jayce replied monotonously, because he needed this conversation to be over quickly. “There’s no more pain left for you to imagine.”

Henry took a step closer. Jayce automatically stepped back. It didn’t seem to deter Henry. The man continued, “You look good, Jayce.” Henry smiled at Jayce like he used to, back when they were still together. He dared to take Jayce’s hand. “I missed you. These past two years, I haven’t stopped thinking about you and what we had.”

Henry Elliot has visibly aged since the last time Jayce had seen him. The man now had graying patches on the roots of his blonde hair, and there were more lines wrinkling his forehead. He looked exhausted, he looked like he’d collapse if Jayce pulled his hand away.

So, Jayce pulled his hand away, and he watched Henry’s eyebrows furrow with disappointment. His ex's face was an open book. “You,” Jayce began, voice dropping and eyes glaring. “Have some balls to come here and tell me you’ve been thinking about me all this time when you have a wife.”

Keith could probably hear their conversation, but Jayce didn't care. He watched as Henry shook his head. “Jasmine and I are over. We’ve been divorced for nearly a year now. We tried working it out, but–“

“But what? Your wife couldn’t deal with the fact that you banged some twenty-one year old at the time?" Jayce was nice, at least he always tried to be. Right now, he didn't see any reason to hold back on a grown man who lied to Jayce for a long time. "Could she not deal with the fact that you like taking it up the a–“

“This isn’t just about the s*x," Henry sighed, as if he had any right to be irritated at Jayce. "I’ve apologized to you so many times before. I beat myself up every day for what I did, for hiding my marriage. I was horrible, stupid. I was a jerk. I know that. ”

Truthfully, Henry looked so broken, so pathetic, that Jayce almost—almost—took pity on him.

Then, Jayce remembered it all. The months Henry lied to him while they acted like some lovesick fools, followed by months of Jayce trying to pick up the pieces of his broken heart.

The man in front of Jayce was the first person he learned to give himself to—every part of him. In exchange, Henry Elliot had been selfish. He was selfish and cruel and thought Jayce was stupid enough not to find out.

Any trace of sympathy evaporated and made way for the hate that reignited like fire in Jayce’s chest. “You think I’m going to let myself be your little plaything on the side while you and your wife work things out again?”

“I don’t love her anymore. I want you." Henry tried reaching for Jayce's hand again, but Jayce stepped back to avoid the touch. Henry only continued, "I just need one more chance, that’s all I’m asking for. A chance to make things right with you.”

Jayce steadily met Henry's stare and said without hesitation, “Whatever chance you could have had, you already ruined the first time you decided to keep your marriage a secret from me.”

Henry moved so suddenly that Jayce nearly tripped backwards. The man seized Jayce’s biceps in his hold, his umbrella thrown to the side beforehand. “I’ve changed. Let me prove to you that I've changed. Just one chance, Jayce. Please.”

Jayce was surprised at the utter desperation in Henry’s voice, and it had his resolve wavering by a fraction.

Jayce’s jaw clenched. Decidedly, he pushed Henry away using both hands on Henry's chest.

Henry stumbled, caught off-guard, and he struggled to stay on his feet given that the floor beneath them was slippery with mud from the dirt of wet shoe soles. Jayce knew the glare he shot the man with was icy like the wind, and he took satisfaction at the stricken look on Henry’s face.

“Go try your luck with some other young, pretty boy, and stay the hell away from me.”

-----

Lucifer had barely survived the three-hour meeting with the Gallants and their attorney. He’d been focused the whole time and only noticed the numbness on his lower back when he finally stood, shaking hands with the couple and promising to share lunch with the two of them some time this week. He took his copy of the contract which was given to him by Mr. Rodriguez (the attorney who left an hour prior) and stuffed it inside his briefcase before leaving their office.

The Gallants had a rule of not going home until all their employees had gone, so Lucifer was alone as he walked through Glorious G. The current silence of the establishment was mildly unsettling, the only people left being the janitors and bartenders cleaning up. Lucifer could almost hear his shoes clicking against the dark marble floor.

As Lucifer rounded towards the entrance, he spotted through the glass doors what looked to be a quarreling couple.

Already exhausted from back-and-forth negotiations, Lucifer meant to take another exit to avoid them completely, but then he saw a familiar silhouette.

J was outside. His back was turned, yet Lucifer knew for sure that it was him.

There was a man who looked older than Lucifer's human vessel, staring at J with a look similar to a kicked puppy, his tall body bending forward like he was being reprimanded. Their argument was muffled. Lucifer couldn’t make out what J was saying given the distance and the continuous rainfall. But it was easy to deduce, given the slightly defensive stance that J had, theirs was not a happy meeting.

In a flash, the man got all up in J's personal space.

Lucifer zeroed in on the way Jayce’s whole body tensed up and his feet were moving faster in the next second, his hand pushing open one of the glass doors in time to hear the elder man speaking, “–to you that I've changed. Just one chance, Jayce. Please.”

Jayce?

Then, as fast as the man had gripped J, he was pushed backwards, nearly slipping and falling on the wet floor. That made Lucifer hesitate in moving, brows raised at the scene. Near Lucifer stood a security guard who seemed to be in the same dilemma as him, both of them wary to approach.

“Go try your luck with some other young, pretty boy, and stay the hell away from me.”

The man was already taking another step forward. “Jayce, I lo–“

He was unable to finish his sentence, or come any closer at that, seeing as J proceeded to pick up an umbrella from the floor and used the part with the curved handle to jab roughly at the man’s stomach, forcing the man to back away with a startled look.

“Didn’t I just tell you to stay away from me?!” This fellow, Henry, was pushed from the provided cover of Glorious G and out into the rain. When he tried to push back, J threatened to jab him with the umbrella again.

J didn’t stop there. He threw the umbrella. The man, who was taller than J by quite a lot, folded his arms over his head with a flinch just in time before the umbrella could make contact.

“Leave, Henry.”

With one last longing look, Henry took his umbrella and jogged to a car parked about a block away.

The rain was coming down heavily now. Henry’s soaked form looked like a blur as he got into the driver's seat. The headlights pierced through the rainfall, and only when the man sped off did J’s shoulders slump, his whole body uncoiling.

“You alright, J?” The security guard beat Lucifer to asking first.

“I’m fine, Keith. Just someone from the past. You know how these things get,” J said with a sigh. He turned around with a small smile, about to say something else to the guard, but his lips stopped moving upon seeing Seuljin, eyes widening.

“Mr. Choi?” J looked over to where Henry’s car had been parked, then back at Lucifer, bewildered. “I... didn’t even notice you were there.”

“I thought you’d need someone to come save you. I was proven wrong,” Lucifer found himself confessing. They had to raise their voices slightly to hear each other over the storm.

J released a huff of embarrassed laughter. “You saw that?”

“I heard some of it too, Jayce.”

J’s—Jayce‘s—jaw dropped, then his face pinched together, until he settled on an eyeroll. “Congrats, you know my name.” He didn't seem bothered by it though.

Lucifer noted that this was his first time seeing Jayce in normal clothes instead of his sexy costume. The stripper wore light jeans and a forest green coat on top of a striped sweater, black and white sneakers on his feet instead of high-heeled boots. His handsome face was void of any make-up, and his slightly damp, dark hair boyishly brushed away from his forehead.

“I can't believe what I'm about to say, but I think I like seeing you like this more,” Lucifer said. He couldn’t resist doing so.

Jayce pursed his lips, clearly unsure of what to make of that statement.

Lucifer remembered their audience. The security guard was trying hard to look like he wasn't eavesdropping on them, but it was difficult not to when he was standing close. “Excuse me, do you know where the valet is?”

“He's already left, Mr. Choi. I usually handle his job after closing hours,” The security guard offered a polite smile, already extending his hand out.

Lucifer nodded, handing over the valet ticket to his car. The man gave a two-fingered salute, pulling an umbrella from somewhere in his post along with the keys to Seuljin’s car. “I’ll bring your car right out front, sir.” The guard’s eyes shifted. “J, you good here?”

“Yeah. Thanks, Keith."

The moment Keith stepped out towards the underground garage armed with his pink umbrella, Lucifer couldn’t stop himself from asking, “It probably isn’t any of my business, you don’t have to answer. But that man you were with… Henry, was it?”

Jayce contemplated his response for a moment, probably weighing the pros and cons of answering Lucifer. “Henry’s nobody, Mr. Choi. Not someone I’m concerned about anymore."

“You can call me Seuljin.” Lucifer's grown to like the name, and he'd like to hear Jayce say it more often.

Jayce narrowed his eyes. Instead of replying to that, his gaze dropped to the briefcase Lucifer held. “Are you my boss now?”

“The contract’s signed by all parties,” Lucifer nodded, feeling some pride when he said, “I’m officially Glorious G’s biggest shareholder.”

“And you want me to call you by your first name?”

There was a smirk threatening to break on Lucifer's lips. “I don’t want you to think of me as someone you work with, I know how you feel about that.” Lucifer quickly changed tactics once he saw the beginnings of a scowl on Jayce's face. “Besides, enough people call me Mr. Choi. I fear I might actually start aging rapidly.” It wasn't possible since Lucifer was a demon (The demon), and human vessels occupied by demons didn't age.

Jayce laughed. It was carefree and racked through his body. It's the first time he's laughed in front of Lucifer.

Lucifer reveled at the sound of it.

-----

Jayce probably shouldn’t even ask, but since Choi Seuljin was so curious about his life, he guessed it was only fair to try and get some information on his new boss as well. “I don’t even know how old you are."

“You never asked. I don’t know your age either,” Seuljin reminded him.

“I’m twenty-three. You are?”

Seuljin gestured to himself. “Guess.”

Jayce tilted his head in consideration. Seuljin was in another one of his well-made suits, this one pin-striped with the black necktie already half-loosened. Jayce was given the chance to admire Seuljin’s face, so he did. The lighting under the canopy was not enough for him to fully appreciate all the high points of Choi Seuljin’s face, but that didn’t take away the fact that it was a truly striking face.

“My guess? You’re about... thirty years-old?” Seuljin seemed young, but not as young as Jayce. He looked too put together to be the same age as Jayce.

“Technically, yes.”

“Technically?”

“Mm. Did I hear it right when you called yourself a young, pretty boy earlier?” Seuljin seemed more relaxed than their previous meetings. Jayce took a second more to enjoy seeing Seuljin outside Glorious G without the strobe lights inhibiting his sight. His body looked even more built in normal lighting.

“No, I told Henry to find some other young, pretty boy,” Jayce corrected. “I wasn’t referring to me.”

“Are you sure?” Jayce has spoken enough with Seuljin that he could now tell when the man was teasing him.

Jayce would usually protest, instead he decided to have some fun. “I mean, if the shoe fits. And it definitely fits.” He limned his words with a nonchalant shrug.

Seuljin chuckled, presenting his wonderful to Jayce yet again. “Humble too.”

“You don’t become a stripper because you’re humble." Jayce was mostly kidding.

“It’s always the pretty ones...” Seuljin sighed dramatically, briefcase transferring to his other hand. “And here I thought you were different.” There was a twinkle in the man’s eyes.

Thunder rumbled from the sky. Jayce bit his lip, contemplating—not for the first time—what exactly he and Seuljin were doing. Whenever Seuljin flirted inside the club, Jayce could always attribute it to the booze or the atmosphere or the fact that Jayce was grinding and shaking his ass at the man.

Was this sort of flirting still appropriate if Seuljin did it outside of work? No, most definitely not.

Luckily for Jayce, the familiar beeping of Teressa’s car broke through the sound of raindrops just then.

“That’s my ride, I have to go.” Jayce took out his own umbrella just as another car pulled up near Glorious G’s entrance, an Aston Martin One-77. The engine shut off and Keith's neon umbrella popped out.

Jayce wasn’t a big car fan, but he’s seen that exact vehicle a few times from articles and pictures and he knew for certain that it was ridiculously expensive.

He gave Seuljin a look.

His boss blinked at him. “What?”

“Don’t expect me to call you anything but Mr. Choi." Jayce opened his umbrella and didn’t bother to look back as he crossed the street, waving goodbye to Keith and leaving Choi Seuljin and his glamorous sports car.

Jayce had hoped that the storm would keep Teressa from seeing Jayce with Seuljin, yet as soon as Jayce was safely inside the passenger's seat, Teressa asked him, “Who was that?”

“He’s a club investor.” Jayce tossed his bag to the backseat along with his dripping umbrella, catching the look in Teressa’s eyes. “Don’t get any ideas, Tes. He’s my boss... Sort of.”

“You and your no-dating-people-from-work rule,” Teressa huffed and shifted the gear into drive. “If I wasn’t taken, I would’ve gone out in the rain and asked for that man’s number personally.”

“You’re also gay, Tes.”

“And you’re gay, Jayce. Plus, you’re attractive. You have to start making some moves, otherwise a fine specimen like that investor will get snatched before you can do anything about it.”

Jayce snorted, settling down in his seat and clicking his seatbelt into place. “Just drive, Tes.”

Three full minutes of blissful quiet between them passed before Jayce thought to share, “Henry stopped by after I got off work.”

Teressa didn’t take her eyes off the road, but she made a noise of disbelief and turned down the sound of smooth jazz coming from the radio. “Henry Elliot? That wife-cheating ex of yours? What did he want?”

“He and his wife are divorced and he wanted me to give him another chance,” Jayce explained. “I had to use his umbrella against him.”

“You should’ve punched Henry for all the s**t he lied about. You throw mean punches.” Teressa knew this from seeing Jayce punch a creep in the face before. She laughed, and Jayce was certain she had thought of the exact memory he did. “Remember? We got kicked out of that club because you literally knocked a guy out.”

“I knocked him out because he was trying to feel you up.”

“Bea loves that story. She said she didn’t expect it from you.”

“Beatriz loves the story because I was protecting you.”

Teressa did glance at Jayce that time, only for a second. “My hero,” She sighed dreamily. “So brave and noble. Did my brave hero manage to get that hot investor’s phone number at least?”

“No. That hot investor is my boss.”

At this point, Jayce didn’t know if he was repeating the words to Teressa or to himself.