Dancing With The Devil

Chapter 1

My black kitten heels clicked softly against the cobblestones as I walked to the waiting car, my work drifting behind me as I went. The feeling of freedom that the weekend brought was settling nicely. I was already so excited at the mere thought of having a warm bath, a cool glass of wine and just drifting away into a light doze with the scent of a bath bomb in the air. The week had been long, stressful, and very dramatic with one of my co-workers going into early labour while she was still at work and a minor cat fight between a few men led to two of the best employees quitting with no notice. Yes, I think a glass of wine and a heavy soak in the bath tub was exactly what I needed. And maybe a good old animated movie with a small tub of ice cream to top it off. I nearly closed my eyes in bliss at the thought, but instead gave my driver a bright smile when he held the door open for me. I hummed myself a happy tune while buckling up as he moved to get back into the driver's seat.

"Was it a good day, Ms. Davidson?" Stanley, my driver asked pleasantly. His kind eyes were surrounded in crow feet as he smiled at me in the rearview mirror.

"Friday's are always good days." I agreed, grinning back. I continued to smile to myself when I pulled my short caramel coloured hair into a rather silly looking bun.

Stanley had been my driver for the past two years. It almost seemed like fate brought us together, on the night that I decided that I was successful enough to have my own driver he was the cab driver who returned the expensive watch I had accidentally lost on the backseat. I had hired him on the spot, taking us both by surprise, but I never regretted it for a moment. He wasn't the youngest drive, and he certainly wasn't the most handsome as he had seen his good years before his grandkids had come along. However, he was deeply punctual, only late when something awful happened that he had no way of avoiding, he knew these streets like no other as well. I doubted there was another soul in the world that could drive me through the busy Ottawa streets as efficiently and as smoothly as he could while being as honest and lovely as he was. Plus those kind eyes soothed my soul at the end of a draining day. And when he talked about his grandkids, my heart just smiled in my chest.

"Any plans for the weekend?" he asked as he merged into traffic.

"No, thank God." I said with an exasperated sigh, melting into the soft leather, "I'm ready for a stiff drink and a long weekend of kid's movies. What about yourself?"

"Connor is just starting to walk." Stanley stated proudly, "My wife and I are going down to our son's house so we can celebrate."

The rest of my drive was filled with mindless chattered, and after a short while we pulled up to my condo. I thanked Stanley profusely and wished him a wonderful weekend before I made a bee line for my home, more than ready to start my rest and relaxation. But my enthusiasm was tampered when reached for the door handle and I realized that the door had already been open ever so slightly and there was damage to the durable metal that the door was made out of, leaving the paint scraped off and the metal severely dented. I hesitated then, thinking that there was a possibility that I had left my door open, that no one could've broken into my home, and that was enough for me to ease the door in, allowing me to see my foyer.

And my entrance was trashed. All of my shoes- from my expensive heels to my gym runners- were strewn all across the floor haphazardly. The single painting that had hung on the wall that cost thousands of dollars was tossed aside on the floor like it meant nothing and the small bench that guests used to put on their shoes had been slashed open. My coat closet had been ripped open so aggressively that clouded glass had shattered into hundreds of pieces, covering my hardwood floors. I moved to step inside, to see if my small, hidden basket of keys had been found, but thought better of it when my eyes moved to the glorious chandelier that had dish towels and toilet paper hanging from it as it swung idly. They had been here recently. Or they were still here.