See You in Hell (Mel Goes to Hell Series Book 2) (4 page)

Luce waved his hand dismissively. "I'm sure the report's fine now. Leave it with me."

"The only thing you wanted to discuss was whether I'd sleep with you?" Mel asked.

Luce seemed surprised. He evidently wasn't used to forthright angels, Mel mused. Perhaps she should have been more careful – or at least less frank.

"Not so much sleep. I definitely want you awake." He paused before adding, "Look, I lied."

Big surprise there, Mel thought.

"When I said I'd only have five minutes for you, that's not true. I don't have any more meetings or appointments today. You can have me for as long as you want. All night, if you like." Another pause. "And it doesn't have to be the desk. There's this chair, or up against the wall, or on the floor…or even on the couch!" Luce sounded really proud of himself. "I'll tell you what. I'll even let you choose."

Mel felt a stab of pity for the man. He had no idea how wrong this whole conversation had been. "Thank you for the truly tempting offer," she began carefully, "but I'm going to have to refuse. I have plans tonight and I'm just about to finish work for the day."

His grin faltered, as he looked shaken. Mel's heart ached in sympathy. "Well, if you're sure…maybe another time, then."

Mel managed to smile politely before making as dignified an exit as she could.

As she reached the stairs down to her floor, she clearly heard him say, "Shit!"

Indeed, she thought, remembering that her plans tonight included stopping at the supermarket to pick up some toilet cleaner on her way home so she could clean the porcelain receptacle. It's not like she'd lied to him about having plans…

There was something oddly satisfying about a freshly-scrubbed toilet. Perhaps it was the way the reflective white porcelain shone. Or maybe it was simply the knowledge that it would be a whole week before she had to inhale bleach fumes again.

"Mel? What's for dinner?" she heard Raphael call.

There was a surprise. He'd wandered in and let himself in with the spare key without telling her he was coming. Had he heard about Luce's ill-conceived attempt at seduction already?

She found Raphael in the kitchen, chugging a beer. "Ooh, I haven't had one of those in a while," she said. "Are there more in the…thank you." She took the open Rogers and smiled as she sipped from the stubby. "So, did you bring me dinner, too?"

Mel registered Raphael's shock and laughed. "If you want me to cook dinner for you, you'll have to call in advance to let me know. I've been running around after demons all day and I'm done for. I was going to make a sandwich or head up to the little Japanese place by Canning Highway. Take your pick and we'll do it."

"How about I go pick up some Japanese and bring it back here? Tempura and tofu?" Raphael offered.

Mel smiled. "If you're offering to buy me dinner with all the extras, you're going to be asking for another favour before the night's out. I shall sit here, drink my beer, and wait for you." She settled on the sofa, bottle in hand. It looked like the neighbours' kitten had sneaked in and curled up on her desk shelf again. The tiny creature would've fitted on a saucer with space to spare. She decided to let it sleep for a bit longer before she carried it home to its owners.

Raphael left and returned with their bento-boxed dinner. Mel used his absence to set the table with chopsticks and condiments, before brewing a pot of traditional Japanese tea.

After slurping artfully at his udon, Raphael paused to wipe his face with a napkin. "How's work?" he asked, fishing for more noodles with his chopsticks.

"I spend all day doing random tasks for demons. If I told you half the pointless things they make me do, you wouldn't believe it. My reports have to be perfect and approved by my superior, Lili. Then she sends the document up to the person she reports to, who makes any changes they want, who then sends it further up the chain for everyone else to do the same…until it ends up on the CEO's desk for him to approve for release. If the CEO likes it, great, but if he decides that one of the commas inserted by someone along the chain isn't where he wants a comma, the report is dumped on my desk with a nasty note or, worse, a demon in person, demanding to know why I'd make such a mistake and insisting I fix it immediately. If I don't, I'm assigned some even less appealing task to do on top of my existing workload…" She wondered if she should tell him exactly what Luce had ordered her to do, but it'd probably shock poor Raphael.

"I would believe it. It sounds like the old government approval process the demons inherited when they took on the contracts. Humans can be even more bureaucratic than demons where government business is involved." Raphael transferred what looked like a piece of chicken into his mouth, followed by more noodles and a big slurp of broth. "Any sign of Lucifer yet?"

Mel hesitated. She was certain the CEO was the Lord of Hell. It felt too far-fetched, though. What could Lucifer possibly want with Western Australia? Weren't there more populated places he should look to conquer first? She wanted more time to find out what he was up to before she left HELL. But she had to say something – Raphael expected a response. "What does he look like? I think I might have seen him once, ages ago. I'm sure his time in Hell has changed him since then."

Raphael shrugged. "We have no idea what he looks like. He changes his form more often than humans today change clothes – he's so good at it, he could pick exactly what would best attract a human. Even as an angel, he was like that. Now…Hell, he could be anyone. Look like anyone. It's his soul you'd recognise. Once you know him, it's hard for him to hide. He has the blackest, most corrupt soul of any demon I've ever met. Charming to a fault, always looking for a way to seduce you to do exactly what he wants. Using any means necessary. Be glad you've never met him, Mel. He's not someone you want to go up against."

"But that's why I'm there, doing whatever menial office tasks his minions come up with, isn't it? To spot him and take over from him?" Mel asked, selecting another piece of tofu.

"NO!" Raphael dropped the clump of noodles back into his bowl so suddenly it splashed soup across the table. "If you spot him, get out and tell me. He's dangerous. Avoid him at all costs, Mel. Do you know what he'd do to you if he knew who you were and what you can do?"

Mel smiled. "I'm Melody Angel, an office temp who can photocopy a few thousand pages without swearing when the photocopier gets its seventeenth paper jam. Who can answer the phone politely and transfer calls when I get a dozen misplaced calls that should have gone to Reception, some demon or even a building company in Osborne Park with an almost identical number to mine. Raphael, honestly – he'd probably just offer me a permanent job as his office assistant." She laughed. "To be honest, that's not a bad idea – I'd be well-placed to see everything that goes on and…"

"That's not a joke, Mel. He offered Camael and Samael jobs in his legal department and now I can't get them to take my calls or even speak to me. If he offers you a job, promise me you won't take it. Please, Mel!"

Mel had never seen Raphael look quite this scared. "First, tell me what you haven't yet."

"I promised…
I swore
…" Raphael stammered.

"You owe me more than that," Mel said, her voice deceptively soft. "You will tell me why. What danger does Lucifer pose to me alone?"

"He'll take you to Hell with him. Michael saw it. If he ever gets close enough to you to ask for your help, he won't let you go. Your destiny will be to descend into Hell with him."

Mel's voice dropped lower. "When did Michael see this?"

Raphael swallowed. "Before…before the battle when Lucifer fell. Michael swore he'd win, so he could keep you safe. He asked me to help hide you from Lucifer in any way I could. I've tried – for centuries, I've tried! – but none of us, not even Michael, expected him to take over HELL Corporation personally. And here, of all places, where I know you keep a permanent house to stay in when you're on one of your sabbaticals. I had no one else here to ask – but I don't want you to take any unnecessary risks." He stared at her, as if weighing his guilt. "Please, Mel. None of us wants to see you in Hell. Is there anyone you've seen at the HELL Corporation that you might think is Lucifer?"

Mel sighed. "The CEO might be. I don't know the demon at all. He goes by the name Luce Iblis. Look, it's only a suspicion – the attempts I've seen him make at seduction weren't the sort to be successful. They were just plain sad. The man's definitely a demon of some kind, but Lili seems a far nastier piece of work. Get Gabi here. She'd be able to recognise him, if he is indeed Lucifer. And if not…well, at least I'd have some help around the office. The photocopying is tedious, to say the least."

"Yes! I'll call Gabi in the morning. We can't be too careful. It could just be a ploy to get you to drop your guard after all. She'll help you in any way she can. I swear it." Raphael slurped up the last noodle and grinned as he set his bowl back on the table.

Mel raised her beer in a toast. "To a better day tomorrow, then," she said. After all, it could hardly be worse than today.

"It's Gerry's birthday on the weekend and we're all putting in to get him a present," announced Merih. "What does everyone think about a new tablet and a mankini?"

Mel thought it would be quite expensive, but she didn't say so. She also wondered why Gerry's manager wanted him to have a mankini. She assumed that was a matter between the two of them.

Merih's eyes swept the room. "So we're agreed, then?"

Some heads nodded slowly. Merih's eyes darted to each member of the group before fixing on Mel. "I'll take care of the tablet. Mel, could you arrange a mankini?"

Mel was taken aback. Why would she know where to get a mankini? "I wouldn't know where to start. I've never bought one before." She'd be content to never buy one at all, nor see one on any man she knew.

Merih laughed. "Ah, you'll be fine. I'll leave it to you. We need it for tomorrow, so hurry up!"

Mel saw Lili nod, smiling, so she resigned herself to the task. Executive officers execute orders, she reminded herself.

She sat at her computer and searched for mankinis. She discovered that they used to come as a free gift with
Borat
DVDs, but not any more. There were plenty on eBay, but there was no way she'd have it by tomorrow. All the other hits were pictures of men who owned a mankinis – one had huge tufts of black hair sticking out of it – or ads for sex shops.

She opened up tabs for a few and steeled herself for unpleasant research. She let out her breath in a relieved hiss as she clicked on the first page. It featured a warning message, telling her the page had been blocked because it might contain pornographic content.

It's a sex shop, Mel thought. Of course it might contain pornographic content.

She clicked on the web address again, but the site was still blocked. She tried the next and the next…but they were all blocked. She jumped up and trotted over to Lili's cubicle.

"Ah, Lili?"

"Mmm?"

"I can't seem to find a mankini online, because the sex shops are blocked." Her voice carried over the cubicles and some heads popped up to glance at Mel before slowly shrinking out of sight.

"You can't look at sex toys at work," Lili whispered.

Mel was both annoyed and confused. "But don't we regulate prostitutes and brothels?"

Lili gave her the smile that made Mel feel stupid. "Yes, but not adult shops." She kept her voice low. "I guess you'll just have to go out to one and see what they have. Ring them first, though."