Izabella

“I have several things I could suggest,” Bill said as his eyes slid toward the direction of the bedroom.

“Oh? That’s certainly doable. Would you like to venture out first? Maybe go dancing or enjoy some music?” I continued to sip my wine as I watched his face. It was pretty comical for a moment as he realized what I was asking him to do.

“You mean, like a date, out, with me?” He asked. As if no one had ever asked him to do something other than bedroom gymnastics.

“Why do you look so surprised that I’d want to be seen with you, Bill?”

He took a large drink from his wine glass. “I’m not sure. I mean, I went places with Nathan from time to time, but he liked staying home mostly.”

“You’ve been around for a while, haven’t you? Didn’t you have other relationships?” I asked. It was curious that the very bookish demon was only focused on his most recent relationship.

“Ah, well, yes. It was several hundred years before Nathan. But that was in Europe and they weren’t human.”

“Neither am I.”

“But you’re close enough to approximate a human.”

“Anything that wants to walk around without someone trying to harm them wears a human guise. There are supposedly safe places for non-humans, magical or otherwise, but they’re not easy to find nor to get into.”

“I’ve heard of them, but I’ve never been to one myself. Never saw the need really.”

That told me more about the demon professor than anything else. He was a homebody and he preferred his dangerous trinkets over connections with anyone else.

If his friend Shelby hadn’t forced him out of his office, he likely would have taken several hundred more years before he tried to date, let alone be in a relationship again. Not that I wanted a relationship, but I was prepared to show the professor a good time regardless.

“How about this, Friday we go to this nice little jazz bar called the Elephant Room. We can have drinks and listen to music.”

“That sounds doable. Though if we are doing that on Friday, then what are we doing this evening?”

“Negotiating.”

“Oh. Wait. Why do I feel like I won and lost at the same time?”

“Because, my dear Professor, you did. See you Friday.” I put down my cup and walked toward the door to his apartment. He followed closely behind. I opened the door and walked through it.

I turned back to look at Bill framed in the doorway. It wasn’t his unassuming looks or his hidden strength that drew me, though I had to admit to myself that I liked what I saw. Even his wit and intelligence were a nice turn on. No, if I was completely honest, it was the fact that he was more like me. An outsider, someone that stayed to the fringe when they could or maintained an unassuming life when necessary.

I leaned toward him and gave him a brief kiss. The burn on my lips was instant. I had forgotten the lip barrier. He was about to return the favor when I stopped him with a finger and he paused. I pulled out a lipstick, which I used to paint a liberal amount of the protective barrier on my lips. He smiled and leaned down to feast at them like he wasn’t sure if he’d ever get the chance again. I understood that kind of need, but I was scared of it too. I pulled back first.

“See you Friday, Bill,” I said over my shoulder as I walked away.

He nodded and I continued on when in all honesty, I wanted to take him back inside and do a variety of things with him that only vaguely involved clothing. Friday would be here soon enough.