The Beast and Beauty

Chapter 7: The devil at work

Lucifer

I watched as Belle went and helped the lady with her books and as she passed me by she hissed, “you, come with me now.”

I rolled my eyes but followed her to where she started placing the books back. “I know what you are, but why are you being so hostile towards the lady when she’s simply admiring you?”

“I don’t like being stared at like some prize to be devoured.”

“In the books I’ve read about you, aren’t you supposed to love that? Aren’t you prideful?”

“The fact that you humans think you know anything about me is why I hate you. Just remember this, you only know my name, not my story.” I walked off and left her there looking surprised.

Ok, perhaps I did have a tendency to enjoy the effects I had on people, but I preferred it for the darker reasons and my angelic good looks were not a darker reason, I’d rather have the whole goat face and hooves thing going on than to be reminded of what I once was, unfortunately that was just a myth, who the f**k came up with that I don’t know, but God have mercy on whoever it was when I find them. Fine, maybe I was a little prideful about my looks, but it would be nice to look handsome without it being associated with what I once was.

I picked up a book while Belle dealt with another customer, and I hadn’t realised I laughed so loud until I saw them both staring at me. I raised the book up for them to see and said, “sorry, it’s just funny that you all think my creator is the only God there is.”

Those words sunk into the customer, and before I knew it, he was all but running out of the shop. Belle wheeled herself over to me. “Perhaps you shouldn’t make it so obvious about who you are In front of the customers.”

“Why? I could simply be a nice, sweet Angel.”

“Come now Lucifer, I’m being serious, the whole dark vibe thing you have going on it is quite obvious which Angel you are, Or rather fallen angel.”

“Look Belle, you seem like a nice person, but I am not, I hate this place and the only thing keeping your stepmother from being torn limb from limb and left an unrecognisable corpse is this damn chain around my neck. I want to leave and go back to my home and my lady.”

“Oh, you have a wife?”

I could have sworn she sounded a little disappointed.

“No, she’s not my wife, simply someone I enjoy in bed.”

“I’m sure you could choose any lady for that,” she giggled at herself but instantly stopped at my unimpressed face.

“I could, but I don’t like many ladies, I like her.”

She smiled a knowing smile, “ah, so there are feelings there after all.”

“F.uck you,” I snapped.

“Lucifer Morningstar! Don’t use such crude language with me when I’m only being nice to you.”

I raised my eyebrows at her tone when using my name, like a mother scolding her child. I couldn’t help but smirk at the sheer bravery of her doing such a thing to me.

She decided to change the subject and asked, “why do you call me Belle?”

I shrugged, “like I said, it’s shorter than your full name, and it suits you.”

She smiled at me and asked, “will you help me prepare dinner when we close up?”

I pulled a face at the thought of having to do something for someone else, usually people did things for me, but there was something about Belle, something different in her that I hadn’t felt from anyone else in a long time, I liked being around her so while I wouldn’t admit such a thing I gave a nod.

A customer came in while Belle wheeled herself towards the back room, and she called out to me, “oh Lucifer, could you please see to the customer I really need to go to the restroom, I’ll be as quick as I can.”

I sighed inwardly and then plastered on a fake smile for the old lady. Belle was right, I should play the part for a while, it wouldn’t be a good idea for anyone to know about me while I was trapped and not at my full power right now. People could think whatever they liked about me, but I didn’t want to be ambushed just yet, especially for the false stories people had In their heads about me, no one liked the devil after all.

“Oh my aren’t you a handsome young man.” The lady didn’t seem to care that she was in her late eighties and about to keel over any minute.

I gave her a fake small laugh and answered, “Thank you, how can I help you?”

“I’m just returning these books.”

She really did look frail and the way her hands shook I was sure she was going to drop them. I took the books from her, and she followed me, telling me about her boring whiny grandson.

He was six apparently, and she explained how he had a little tantrum because he couldn’t get the toy he had wanted, I wisely kept my mouth shut about offering a service of punishment to the brat, I have no doubt if Belle could hear my thoughts she’d be slapping them out of me.

I shoved the books back on the shelf and turning to leave I tripped over the books piled in the corner on the floor. I seriously hadn’t meant to, but as I fell I automatically reached out to grab something to catch myself, that something just so happened to be the frail old lady, so that we both went tumbling down together.

The smile on her face made me pretty confident she was quite happy to be lying underneath me right now.

“Oh dear, if you wanted to get close and personal, you only had to ask!” She laughed hard. I’d never known such a flirtatious old lady before, and I decided to enjoy the attention.

“You’re a filthy one aren’t you,” I winked at her. The laughter died in her throat and she gulped. I leaned down to kiss her, but of course Belle decided to return, and she snapped, “Lucifer! Get off poor Mrs. Beatrice!”

I looked back down at this Mrs. Beatrice. “So you’re married? You really are a bad girl, aren’t you.” She tapped my arm playfully and said, “of course not! My dear husband passed away a long time ago.”

Oops. I no longer felt so horny (no pun intended) I got onto my feet and held my hand out to her, she took it and I gently helped her to her feet.

We got to the door when she turned to me, “thank you, for a moment, I felt young and beautiful again.”

I grinned at her, “it was my pleasure, and you don’t need to be young to be beautiful.” She left, blushing and smiling.

Belle didn’t look quite as happy, though. “Were you about to make out right there on the floor where anyone could have seen?”

I shrugged.

She sighed and said, “well, I’m glad you made her feel so happy, even if it was highly inappropriate how you went about it.”

“Are you always this plain vanilla?” I asked.

Her mouth dropped open, and she quickly composed herself, “not at all, I just want to make sure that when I make love it is with someone I truly love and not just for a bit of fun.”

“So vanilla then.”

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t be fun and adventurous with him, just that it would only be with him,” she smiled sweetly at me and went to close up the shop, leaving me yet again surprised.