Only Until Dawn

He smoothed back his jet-black hair and adjusted his emerald-green satin waistcoat and silk tie, then smoothed his crisply-creased black trousers. It'd been many years since he'd worn clothes, but he enjoyed the rich feel of the material as much now as before he'd taken up the offer to wear horns.

He excelled at being one of Hell's warriors, but only now, on this one-night truce of fighting with the angels, did he realise how much he'd needed a break from being bad.

Smooth jazz called to him from an open doorway. Of course the hulking bouncer waved him through without a second glance because even though he looked human, his devil's influence still held sway.

He inhaled deeply, drinking in the scents of the low cloud of cigarette smoke that hung over the tables, mixing with the underlying scents of alcohol and a range of perfumes and colognes. Everything smelled so different through a human nose.

The candles on the tiny tables that packed the room cast a gentle glow over the couples that cuddled together at them, heads bent together intimately. A few pairs swayed on the dance floor, more interested in romance than doing the more popular faster-paced Charleston.

He signaled a passing cigarette girl and held the small box to his nose to sniff the tobacco's aroma. He could encourage a saint to vice, but wasn't allowed to indulge himself.

"You know, lighting them is a much more effective way to smoke." Her voice was caramel and coffee and all the carnal delights he missed most in the underworld.

She dragged a hand across his back as she came around him. She looked even better than she sounded in her black tasseled dress and sparkly headband adorned with a tall feather in the middle of her forehead. Her almost-white blond hair was swept back into a sexy chignon but set in deep fingerwaves in the front that Bette Davis would have envied. Her hazel eyes flashed as she looked him over in turn.

Hunger to touch her rose up sharp and swift. This is what he'd really missed. What he needed.

He held out a long-fingered hand. "Dance with me."

He caught the impression of white fluttering wings and the hint of angelic perfume.

Her smoky eyes lowered for a moment, then she slid up to his. "How long does this dance last?"

"Until sunrise. If you like."

She stepped forward and pressed herself against him, sliding her hands up to clench his lapels. One leg, clad in black fishnet stockings, sinuously dragged up and down his, revealing a red garter that set a fire blazing in his core.

She tilted her head back and whispered, "Then let's make the most of it. I feel like a being a little bit bad for a change."

WORD COUNT: 500