Six days had passed since my encounter with Maximus, and the feeling of dread in my gut had diminished. It wasn't like the person who was threatening me was actually intelligent or even that mentally stable. He was probably still just as deluded as before and had made a couple of lucky guesses, trying to intimidate me with an appearance of power. Yes his behaviour was odd, but I hadn't seen the demon in five years. He might have actually discovered how to play games with people. It's not like his time was consumed with anything else that was remotely useful. 

Nevertheless, the problem of Darcy Robbins was becoming more and more pressing each day. The hunting demons who searched her house had found nothing. They weren't told what the book was called but that shouldn't have affected their efforts, as Dev told them what it looked like from his vision. Clearly it wasn't intending to be found. 

And the chance of her having Il Libro Dei Demoni was suddenly becoming more and more likely. A couple of days ago I was told that a further fifteen L.A mafia members had fled and converted to Christianity, finding God through one of the programs Mrs Robbins had set up. I was planning to pay a visit soon to see what I could actually do. I still hadn't received a call back about the lawyer job in the Robbins and Co company so this was my best bet in halting Darcy's efforts. Evidently the demonic stronghold over the mafia was being weakened by massive amounts, showing that something was very wrong. It was becoming obvious that the forces of good had found a weapon that could hold our demonic efforts back and even obliterate them completely. 

This problem had firmly taken over my mind recently but for the first time in about a week, I was thinking about something else. Thinking about my upcoming date with Carmen. 

It was seven o'clock on a Friday night with the sun was slowly setting in the background, and I was dressed up in a tailored navy suit, waiting for Carmen to arrive on the pavement in front of our cafe. My demonic half hadn't factored in the longer days and shorter nights of Los Angeles in mid-June, so I was the one who would be spending the first half of the date with her. I felt slightly smug at that. But in Winter this situation was reversed and I barely got anytime to myself, so I would enjoy this fortune whilst I still could. 

I felt even more lucky as I watched Carmen walk towards me. She looked absolutely beautiful again and was wearing a long, silky red dress that was tight along the top and loose towards the bottom. It showed off her body pretty damn well and I was spellbound, losing my self-control to her and her alone. I didn't know how I was going to survive the whole night with her looking like this without some kind of relief. 

I wanted her so bad. I needed to have her soon. 

When she was close enough, I pulled her towards me and put my lips to hers, kissing her hard and without restraint. She gasped in response, obviously shocked at my sudden display of affection, but was soon kissing me back with the same amount of passion and vigour. Her lips were seductively soft and delicious and I couldn't get enough of her, her enchanting fragrance of roses flowing through my nostrils like wafts of siren magic, keeping me hooked, becoming my drug. 

When I finally pulled away we were both breathing heavily, and Carmen's lips looked slightly puffy as I cupped her face with my big palms. 

"Hi," she smiled up at me between breaths, letting out a small laugh at our sudden and intimate introduction. 

I couldn't help but grin too. "You look beautiful: you're spoiling me with these dresses." 

She blushed and batted her eyelids subconsciously, the action making me want to take her again as I lowered my hands downwards to hold her in my arms. "I'm glad you like them. You look really good in that suit, I like the navy colour."

I blazed with pride as she grasped onto my shoulders with her small, delicate hands and leaned up to give me a slow, petal-soft kiss that had my groin tightening even more. 

Pinning me with her bold, unfaltering emerald gaze of tranquil beauty she drew herself away from my lips. "Where are you taking me tonight then, Mr Axon?" 

I shook my head in mocking admonishment. "Have you still not learnt to endure the excitement of a surprise, Miss Summer?" 

She gave me a slight pout, and looked around for any clues as to where we were going for the next couple of hours. "Where's your fancy Jaguar? I can't see any ridiculously expensive cars apart from that convertible..." 

She stopped in her tracks as she noticed the wide, extremely smug grin that was plastered all over my face. "It's yours, isn't it?" 

I nodded in consent, absolutely loving her reaction. "She's beautiful isn't she." 

Carmen's eyes widened, and she made her way closer to my BMW vintage convertible, no doubt to investigate how much money I had wasted on this little power machine. The car had a romantic appeal that gave the user a momentary glimpse back into the golden days of Hollywood and Vine. The white colour and the classic vintage shape reminded me of the kind of cars in black and white movies they used to show at the pictures, observing the lie that was stardom. It was a vehicle that told how old I was and how long I had actually spent living on this planet. I may have looked like a twenty-five year old guy, but that doesn't mean I was one- not that Carmen, or any other human, needed to know that. I didn't like to think about my real age or my past in general, and sometimes this car was too nostalgic for its own good. 

But not tonight. Tonight I was ready to show off and ignore the memories, because my attention was very firmly focused on something else. 

"It is gorgeous," she agreed, skimming her fingers across the bonnet like it was a lost treasure before turning around and smiling up at me. "I love it." 

Pride swelled in my chest again and I couldn't help another big smile break across my face. I was happier now than I had been all week and I'd only been with her for a couple of minutes. She did wonders in improving my mood. 

"I'm glad you like it," I said, walking towards the car and opening the passenger door for her. She beamed at me and sank into the offered seat, as I closed her door and made my own way to the driver's chair, turning the engine on. I reached into the glove compartment on her side and took out two pairs of sunglasses, offering her one to go with the romantic scene of the setting sun.

She took the feminine-looking pair. "Thank you." 

The glasses had the unfortunate effect of covering her beautiful emerald eyes from me, but she looked more sophisticated and refined than ever. I couldn't help but grin at her. 

"Are you ready?" I slid on my own pair of black shades and gave her a soft kiss before she could reply. 

"Yes."

I drew back and my foot stomped on the gas pedal, flooring it. The convertible surged forwards and Carmen let out a gasp of surprise, a little shocked by the speed this car was capable of. 

"Stop showing off!" She laughed at me and I grinned, easing my foot on the gas as my ego became even more sated. I bloody loved my cars: who was I kidding when I said that they were just okay? Speeding around in a convertible was one of the best perks of being rich and successful, and I shouldn't be downgrading that. 

"I can't help it," my voice was husky with excitement, bred from the shallow love of opulence I had gained over the years from living in a city such as Los Angeles. I was never like that in England. I didn't care at all about money or power, but now it had seemed to become part of my identity, like the money and I went hand-in-hand.  

And that dimmed my excitement slightly because it felt wrong, but as a demon it shouldn't have been: I wasn't allowed Heaven, so this was my prize instead. 

We drove on for another ten minutes in a comfortable silence as we both watched the beautiful sunset continue to descend, before she decided to speak up again. "I've brought enough money today to pay for any expensive restaurant." 

I scowled at her and my voice became stern. "Expensive or not, you're not paying. I am. And I decided not to take you somewhere posh today, because of your reaction last time." 

"Thank you," she said, chastened by my outburst. "But I think I should pay for this meal, as you did for the last one." 

By then, we had arrived at the Museum parking garage. As I chose a spot in the massive place after driving up two stories from the ground, I put the convertible gently into an allocated slot. I turned the ignition off and got out, before opening Carmen's door and locking the car. 

I took her in my arms again and held her close, my voice stern but still with soft undertones. "I don't want you to pay for anything. I like spending money on you and it's not exactly a dent in my pocket." 

She laughed lightly in reply and the scent of roses drifted up my nostrils again, making my eyes darken. I started to notice her delicate eyelashes, her flawless skin, her pouty lips, and I couldn't help but kiss her hungrily. She melted against me as I moved my lips downwards to her chin, her neck, her collarbones, laying small, bruising kisses on each part they touched. 

Once I drew away we were both breathing heavily again. I put a supportive arm around her because she looked weak at the knees, clearly affected by my touch as much as I was by hers. She was blushing and looking up at me with desire-filled eyes that I knew would be the most difficult thing to resist in the entirety of my life. 

But I managed to somehow and I started to guide her towards the exit, smirking at her with a smugness I could not quite hide. "Let's go."