Mercy for the Wicked (8 page)

“One of those chance encounters,” he continued to smile at me, watching my every move while I prepared his drink.  Did he think I was going to make it wrong?  “I’m glad we met because I’m thinking there are other forces at work here.”

“I beg your pardon?”  My brows rose, not quite picking up what he was laying down. 

“You and me, angel,” he winked.  “How about you slip me your phone number?”

Was he seriously hitting on me when not two minutes before Daphne had declared me her best friend?  Was he mentally deficient or was his ego that big?  “How about you…” I mashed my lips together to keep from completing the thought that might land me in trouble if anyone was listening.  “… enjoy your drink and have a nice night?”

“Oh come on, we both know how it is,” he pressed, leaning closer across the bar.  “I don’t see a ring on your finger, that makes you fair game.  Admit it, you’re curious, I can tell I’m getting to you.”

“That would be revulsion,” I muttered, setting his drink down with a thunk, and I could care less if it sloshed over onto the counter. 

“Playing hard to get, I can dig it.” He took it in stride, brushing droplets of his drink from the back of his hand.  “But you and I both know in the end I’ll get what I want.  What we both want.  The sooner you realize it and part those sweet little thighs…”

I’d been trying to tune him out but my head snapped up at that last bit.  Was it Azazael?  Physically they weren’t that dissimilar, same rough body type, same coloring.  The guy came on seriously strong, and this is from a girl who gets hit on as a regular basis in the course and scope of employment.  It was as if he expected me to lie down and do him right there on the bar and I’d only come across an ego like that from a fallen angel.  His aura was a deep purple, but I had no idea if Azazael’s presence would alter how it would appear. 

“It’s you, isn’t it?”  My eyes narrowed at him, and he barely missed a beat.

“It’s me, I’m the one,” he grinned widely.  “So, if you want to…”

“Get it through your thick skull, I’m not gonna fuck you!” I yelled, drawing stares from around the room.  Mitch or Azazael, or whoever he was, froze with a deer in the headlights look, and the club got considerably quieter, despite the music. 

“I…”

“I know who you are and this isn’t gonna work, so leave me the hell alone!” 

Parker appeared at my elbow, his hands raised in a supplicating gesture.  “Whoa, let’s take it down a notch, okay?” he smiled nervously.

“No, I’m sick and tired of this guy stalking me. I can’t even come to work now without him pushing his way into my life.  I can’t sleep, I can’t…”

“Hey, I never laid eyes on her before tonight, I swear.” Mitch backed away, nearly running into Daphne whose eyes were wide with confusion. 

“Get out!”  I was losing it, I know that.  Even then I knew I was acting wildly inappropriate for work. 

“What the hell is her problem?  I’m a paying customer.” Mitch picked that moment to get indignant, which was the wrong move to make.

“We here at Eden respectfully reserve the right to tell you to go fuck yourself,” Parker waved him off.  “So go be a paying customer somewhere else.”

Grateful for the vote of support, I let out a sigh of relief, noticing my hands were not only shaking, but emitting a faint glow.  Catching up a dishtowel, I covered them as best I could. 

“Come on, babe, let’s get out of this dump.” Mitch grabbed Daphne’s arm, but she shrugged out of his hold, her eyes cold.

“I don’t think so.  Find your own way home.”

“Fine, I don’t need this,” he spat out, stalking towards the door.

“Mercy, are you alright?”  Daphne’s concern was warming, but I was still shaky.

“I need a five minute break, Parker.”  I didn’t wait for an answer, I was out from behind the bar like a shot. Daphne nearly crashed into the back of me when I stopped suddenly, realizing I couldn’t go out into the alley for a breath of fresh air, it wasn’t safe.  “I’m gonna use your office, okay?” I asked Parker on the way back.

“Yeah, I’ll just do your job then, huh?” he muttered from behind the bar, but I wasn’t too worried about his nose being out of joint, he’d get over it.  Once I was back in his office, I let go of the dishtowel, glad to see my hands had stopped glowing, though they were still a little shaky. 

“What was all that about?” Daphne asked, perching on the side of Parker’s desk while I paced back and forth. 

“Where did you meet that guy?”

“I met him at the Peet’s Coffee, he seemed sweet.  What did he do to you?”

“You’ve never seen him before today?”  That fit with my theory that it could be Azazael looking for an in to my life. 

“No, why?  What has you so freaked out?  Will you stop moving?  You’re making me dizzy.”  She grabbed me by the arms and I did as she asked, rolling my shoulders to try and let go of some of the tension. 

“I think that might have been Azazael.”

Daphne’s jaw dropped open, but God love her, she didn’t question my theory to start with.  “Holy cow, really?  What makes you think so?”

“The second you left he started hitting on me,” I replied, quick to continue when her eyes started to roll. “No, I mean really obnoxious stuff, not the normal lines I get at work.  When he started talking about my thighs that’s when it hit me…  What if Azazael possessed that guy to try to get to me?  It sounds exactly like what Sam said he would try if the dreamland thing didn’t work.  What… do you think I’m overreacting?”

“Maybe he was just a pig?  It does happen you know.”

“But some of the things he said, they were just like the stuff Azazael was saying to me, that’s what made me think of him.  Either way, you definitely don’t want to see that guy again.  You didn’t give him your phone number, did you?”

“No, he didn’t ask for my number.  He asked me out for a drink, so we came here.”

Yet another reason in my favor, by my way of thinking.  The guy asked for my number inside of thirty seconds, why not ask for Daphne’s?  I know I have the angelic allure going on, but Daphne is really pretty on her own, with long blonde hair and a perpetual tan, she’s never been short on dates, no matter what she says.  “Promise me you won’t go picking up guys in coffee shops any time soon, okay?”

“I don’t see why my dating life has to suck just because you’re demon bait,” she grumbled.

“Be careful, that’s all I’m asking.”

“You sound like my mother.” Her nose wrinkled with distaste and we shared a laugh.  I was feeling a lot better about the whole thing.  If that was Azazael’s best shot, he’d have to try a lot harder to get to me. 

“I should get back before Parker gets into one of his moods.  Are you gonna stick around for a while or are you going home?” 

“My night just opened up, so I’m free.”

“Okay, first round is on me.”  I ventured back to the bar, not quite sure what mood I’d find Parker in, but he seemed fine.  Concerned even.

“Feeling better?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that, Parker.  I know I shouldn’t talk to customers that way…”

“Don’t sweat it, darlin’.  I can stand to lose an asshole like that.  I can’t have people thinking they can treat my girls like that, right?”  His arm came around my shoulder, and I returned the one armed hug with a relieved smile. 

“Ah, my knight in shining armor,” I batted my eyelashes at him dramatically until he gave a lopsided grin. 

“Knight in shining armor, I could get used to that.”

“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend, honey?”

I realized there was a blonde woman standing on the other side of the bar, watching us expectantly.  “Yeah, honey, introduce us.” I couldn’t help but smile at Parker’s flush of embarrassment.  Parker had his share of women, but most of them didn’t show much of an interest in us.  Of course, most of the time Parker didn’t have his arm wrapped around the staff either, which he was quick to correct, his hand dropping my shoulder to scratch the back of his neck

“Ah… hey, babe.  You’re here.”  His smile was only slightly tinged with guilt, which was odd for Parker.  So far as I knew, he was never guilty about anything.  “This is Mercy, she’s one of my oldest friends.”  That was news to me, and I couldn’t help but smile at hearing he considered me to be one of his oldest friends. 

“Oh, you’re
Mercy
.”  Something about the way she said it made me think she was less than thrilled to make my acquaintance.  Once I got a better look at her, I wasn’t so sure I was all that happy to meet her either.  She was pretty in a high maintenance kind of way.  Blonde hair with expensive highlights, too much gold jewelry, ridiculously high heels with skinny jeans.  An off the shoulder top showed she didn’t believe in tan lines and the bright pink lipstick with matching nails proved she didn’t have any taste.  Her aura was a muddy orange, a little darker than Parker’s, but there were brown blotches spread through it like mold.  That meant while she wasn’t exactly evil incarnate, she definitely wasn’t in the running for the humanitarian of the year award either.  

I was staring, and pulled myself out of it, pasting on a polite smile.  “Yep, I’m Mercy.  Sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“Oh, sorry, this is Sharona, she’s my…”

“Significant other,” she supplied, and I saw Parker give a bemused nod. “I’ll have a seven and seven with sugar on the rim and three maraschino cherries please.”

“Coming right up.”  My smile stayed fixed, though for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what Parker saw in the woman.  It wasn’t like he was hurting for female companionship.  He was rich and good looking, somewhere in his mid to late thirties I guessed, with pale blue eyes and tousled, dark blonde hair that made my fingers itch to push away from his forehead sometimes.  A notorious flirt, Parker always enjoyed playing the field.  But her?  She was about as genuine as my vinyl couch.  Even if I didn’t have the window into her soul, I knew she was bad news.  But Parker ate it up, smiling back at her in a goofy manner. 

“Parker, I want to sit.”  Like a dog dancing for its master, I watched Parker run around the other side of the bar, brushing off the barstool before she planted her bony ass onto it.  With an effort, I snapped my jaw shut from where it had been hanging open, darting a quick look at Daphne, who sat a few seats down, watching the exchange with interest. 

“So, how did you kids meet?” I asked, busying myself with her drink before she cracked the whip. 

“It’s kind of funny actually, at the…”

Sharona cut him off midsentence.  “I met Parker at the Jaguar dealership.  He was the sweetest guy ever.  Weren’t you, pooky?” 

“You’re buying a Jag?” My brows came up in surprise both at the story and the ‘pooky’.   

“I’m thinking about it,” Parker tried to downplay it.

“Remind me later to ask you for a raise,” I murmured, sticking my tongue out at him playfully when he pretended like he wanted to backhand me.  “And it was love at first sight, was it?  That’s so romantic,” I added, laying it on thick, mostly to watch Parker squirm. 

Her pink nails raked across Parker’s chest, drawing his full attention back to her.  “It was very romantic.  Well… steamy at any rate.”  Her smile turned sly and she dropped me a wink.  “I don’t have to tell you, do I, sweetie?”

Wait, did she think I was sleeping with Parker?  “I wouldn’t know,” I replied, but I wasn’t sure Sharona heard me anyway, she was too busy whispering something racy into Parker’s ear.  At least, I assumed it was racy from the look on his face and the way Parker’s hand slid around her waist. 

I knew I had something unpleasant to do and I wavered back and forth, trying to decide if it was any of my business or if I should leave matters alone.  But what would you do?  If you knew with absolute certainty that your friend was about to be hurt by someone who didn’t give a damn about him, would you sit back and let it happen? 

Clearing my throat, I slid the drink across the bar.  “Here you go, a seven and seven with sugar on the rim and three maraschino cherries, enjoy.  Ah, Parker… do you think I could talk to you for a minute?”

“Not now, Merce, I’m busy.”  Parker didn’t even look at me, too interested in looking down the side of her top.

“That’s alright, pooky.  I’m going to the little girl’s room, I’ll be right back.”  Sharona took a sip of the drink through the teeny, tiny straw, making a silly noise as she drank.  “Good job, sweetie, really yummy.” I felt like a dog that had just been patted.  Parker watched her sashay away, and I had to reach over the bar to tug at his shirt to get his attention. 

“Really?  Come on Parker, you can do so much better than that,” I hissed as soon as she was out of earshot.

“Don’t start…”

“We’re such ‘old friends’, who else is gonna have the guts to tell you she’s a gold-digger.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Oh please, she picked you up at a Jag dealership!”

“She happens to have her own money.”

“That doesn’t mean she’s not after yours,” I retorted, dropping my voice again before I started to get carried away.

“You don’t even know her.”

I could hardly tell him I was reading her soul.  “Call it… feminine intuition.  I can tell she’s not a good person.”

“Yeah well, based on your behavior tonight, I wouldn’t say your judgment is ringing any bells,” he muttered, raking his fingers through his hair.  “If I didn’t know better I’d think you were jealous.”

“Jealous?” I blinked, shocked he would say such a thing.  “When have I
ever
been jealous of any of the bimbos you’ve brought around before?”

“And yet the first time I bring by someone with style and class, you go apeshit on me.  Is that what it is, Mercy?  All of a sudden when I meet someone I could really care about, you decide you want a turn?”

“Is that what you told her?  Is that why she looked at me like I was your old discarded goods?  Come on, Parker, you don’t honestly care about that piece of trash do you?”

“That’s enough!” His hand slammed down on the bar, hard enough to make me jump.  “Go home.  You’re of no use to me like this.  And when you come back, be prepared to show a little respect for me and my girlfriend, or don’t come back at all.”