The Demon King of Lust

Chapter 34

It's 3 am and the club has closed for the night. I'm one of the last girls still here but I'm hardly complaining—I made almost double my usual night's amount thanks to a bachelor party full of drunk wall-street types.

I finish packing the last of my things into my duffel bag and swing it over my shoulder. Most nights the security guys will escort the dancers out, but tonight Ricky is on staff and it's a miracle if he even gets out of his chair for ten seconds. Looks like I'm on my own.

I crack the door and peer out. The parking lot has maybe ten cars left, including my own, and there's no one in sight. I make a quick dash for my car and lock the doors once I'm inside. Luckily, it seems that I had nothing to worry about because there was no one out here.

I turn my key in the ignition and the engine makes a sickly whirring sound, like a lawnmower through mud, but the engine doesn't start.

Shit.

I turn it again. The noise is louder this time, and arguably much worse. Again, there's no telltale growl of the engine coming to life.

Shit shit shit.

I look around the lot. It's still empty, but I know better than to get out of my car in this kind of situation, so I pull out my phone and call the only person I can think of for help.

"Sup, gorgeous?" Kieran answers.

"Hey, I uh... I just got off work and my car won't start."

"Oh really?" I can't hear the smug smile in his voice. I already know what's coming next, and I probably deserve it. "Well, I'd be happy to come pick you up in my... what was the phrase you used? Rustbucket?"

I roll my eyes and huff. I guess it serves me right for talking so much shit about his car.

"You're not gonna let this go, are you?"

"Oh, no chance," he says with a self-satisfied laugh. "Well you're in luck, I literally just locked up. I can be over there in ten."

"Thank you."

"That is, if my deathtrap on wheels can make the journey. It's never a guarantee, you know. Every time I drive it, it's another chance to die in a flaming hunk of corroded metal."

"I get it, your car is clearly superior to mine. There, I said it. Are you happy?"

"Mmm... a little more would be nice actually. Like, 'Oh Kieran, that '79 GMC of yours is a beautiful, underappreciated beast!" He puts on a higher voice in an attempt to sound like me. "'Much like you, it has some impressive hardware under the hood and I was a fool to underestimate it! You should fuck me in the back again like you did the other night!'"

"You mean the back of the truck, or...?"

I hear him let out a puff of air on the other end of the line.

"God damn, girl, why you gotta say things like that when I'm driving? I'm hanging up with you before I crash."

"Okay, see you soon!" I say with a laugh, ending the call.

I open up a game on my phone and play around for a bit while I wait. Five minutes go by—maybe more—when I hear a man shouting nearby. Through my rear window, I can see a young woman and a man getting too close for comfort. I close my game and turn around to get a better look.

The man is quite tall, with a decent build. He towers over the woman, who I think I recognize as one of the newer dancers at the club. Her shoulders are curled inward and she tries to avoid eye contact with him. I only catch parts of what they're saying to each other.