While the devilish companion had only just noticed the dark-haired man now, it seemed the CEO had had his gaze fixed on him for longer and was heading straight toward him.

They had seen each other only a few hours ago, yet Avery immediately began to feel nervousness he absolutely couldn’t show in this place. It didn’t fit the role he was playing, and since he had convinced everyone that he was an all-powerful tempter from hell, his reputation was everything.

Instead of just waiting in place, he decided to walk toward the man of his dreams.

By irony of fate, the moment their gazes met, the DJ switched from Charli XCX to Olivia Rodrigo and couldn’t have chosen a more fitting song to express Diablo’s thoughts.

Instead of “It's okay to just admit that you're jealous of me. You're obsessin', just confess it 'cause it's obvious,” which had characterized the CEO for months, the music around them suddenly targeted Avery’s fears:

Seein' you tonight, it's a bad idea, right?

It nearly threw the companion off balance, and though he was still pondering the answer to that question, he continued to stride forward with outward confidence.

Perhaps Olivia was right, but Diablo was a demon after all, and demons loved playing with fire. He just couldn't forget that. That’s exactly why, as soon as they were close enough, he took the initiative.

“I was starting to worry you’d make me wait,” he declared, his chin lifted—and not only because the man in front of him was taller than him—as he playfully took hold of his tie.

Judging by the look in his dark eyes, David was amused and didn’t seem surprised that Avery continued behaving like the devilish companion even though he already knew the truth.

“I wouldn’t dare.” Although the CEO was smiling, something in his words sounded as if he meant them seriously.

He scanned the demon before him as if seeing him for the first time, and his gaze, as always, made it clear that he liked what he saw. For Avery, this was no surprise; he knew the CEO was attracted to his devilish side—he’d never been worried about that.

“Want to go upstairs?” he asked, unsure of what to expect, the thought making him nervous. He figured it would be best to treat this as their usual encounter.

“Always.”

Diablo didn’t hesitate and grabbed the CEO by the hand so he could pull him toward the stairs. He didn’t doubt that he had paid for his company the moment he stepped into the club, since he knew he could afford to demand his attention immediately, as he paid the most for it.

So far he knew what to do. The dance floor, the stairs, the hallway… he moved through the club briskly, making it clear to everyone that they should move out of his way, not the other way around. But when he reached the door behind which the couch and the small private stage were hidden, he hesitated.

As it turned out, David had expected that.

The moment they entered the room, it was no longer Diablo pulling the dark-haired man, but David pulling Diablo toward the couch, not leaving the decision of where he should move to him.

The CEO took the initiative for a few seconds, but then followed their usual routine. He sat down first on the leather couch and then automatically pulled the horned companion onto himself, letting him settle astride his lap.

Out of habit, Avery placed his palms on his neck and leaned lower.

Judging by David’s radiant smile, it was the right move.

But it wouldn't be Avery if he didn't mess it up and decide to take a risk of his own, even though everything was going in his favor.

“What did you tell Nick?” he asked, then added, even though it wasn’t necessary, “He must have had questions.”

“He did,” David nodded, appearing unsurprised by the question. “But I convinced him he was overthinking it.”

“You gaslighted him,” the companion corrected, his tone almost reproachful, though he was satisfied with the explanation.

The CEO nodded contentedly, almost proudly. “It’s your secret, not mine.”

Although that should have pleased Avery, he felt guilty instead. Unlike the CEO, he hadn't acted so honorably; it was his fault that Joshua knew David visited Burning Temptation. He’d practically outed him.

“Besides, I like it when you blush.”

As if on cue, the companion did it again, though fortunately this time, the mask and the club's neon lights hid his burning cheeks.

His lack of a response was enough for the CEO’s smile to turn more intimate, and the dark-haired man reached out a palm to Diablo’s face, tenderly stroking him with his thumb on the spot where his cheek wasn't covered.

Avery almost closed his eyes contentedly. But only almost. He had to stay alert and remind himself that this wasn't their typical interaction. 

“I don’t like it when you provoke me,” he stated truthfully.

David laughed at that, and although Diablo was practically scowling in reproach, a satisfied smile still played on his face, as if everything were working out exactly as he wished. 

“I think you like it a little too much.”

Avery reacted automatically. You could call it muscle memory, but his hands moved instinctively, taking a position he knew would give him the upper hand. When he yanked on David’s tie and pulled the man's face closer to his own, the CEO’s smile quickly vanished, only to reappear on the companion’s face.

Pupils dilated over dark brown eyes until they appeared black, and David suddenly became a cat eyeing a tempting bowl of cream. 

It took exactly two seconds for his gaze to drop to the lips of the tempter from hell, and in that moment, Avery knew he had him exactly where he wanted him.

“I think you’re underestimating me,” he responded to David's previous words.

The CEO’s eyes rested on those pink lips for a moment longer before flickering to the blue eyes, back to the lips, and then he finally chose to return his gaze, though it seemed to cost him a great deal of effort. 

“I wouldn't dream of it.” His tone was almost a whisper. As if these were meant to be his final words.

“Good.” Avery sounded satisfied, even though this wasn’t the situation he had planned to end up in. Somehow he had thought today would go differently, yet now they were here practically the same as every week, as if his identity had never been revealed.

“You’re so beautiful.”

He almost rolled his eyes, not attaching much importance to the compliment—until he remembered that David actually knew exactly what he looked like.

Were his words objective, or was he attracted only to the mask?

“And you talk too much.” Diablo wasn’t going to let himself be thrown off balance. Especially after remembering how David had turned him into a blushing mess in the café. He needed to even the score.

“We could be doing something else.” The CEO’s smile returned.

“Like what?” the horned companion asked, though he already suspected the answer.

“I miss kissing you,” the dark-haired man said, as if they hadn’t kissed only once in their lives—and as if it hadn’t been this week.

“What a shame I don’t kiss clients at work,” Avery replied, even though inside he wanted nothing more than to feel his lips on his again.

Despite his refusal, David laughed briefly. “I know. I’m glad.”

“Then why mention it?” Diablo tried to ignore the satisfaction in his voice. He knew exactly what it meant. He knew the CEO was jealous and would prefer to have him to himself, at least when he was Diablo, so hearing that he was glad he didn’t kiss anyone else wasn’t unusual for him.

“Because I was hoping I could kiss you outside your work.” The dark-haired man was always direct, and today was no exception, yet somehow it affected Avery more than usual.

“What if I refuse?” He leaned slightly away from him and braced his hand against his shoulder, showing him that it wasn’t only about what he wanted, even though he paid for these meetings.

“Then I’ll keep trying,” David answered without hesitation.

“I hope only here.”

It wasn’t that he wanted to risk him stopping his visits to Bean & Blossom and them losing part of their revenue there as well, but he didn’t want to feel again like it was his first day, when everything kept slipping from his hands just because of one radiant smile.

“Does it bother you when I flirt with you?”

Suddenly the CEO’s face was a little more serious, and it seemed he had had enough joking and beating around the bush.

Avery didn’t answer. He didn’t know what to say. The truth was that he enjoyed still having his attention, since for many months he had been afraid of losing it the moment he learned his identity.

On the other hand, he was still convinced that the CEO was attracted only to his club persona. His manners, his aggression, his dominance. Half of that was only an act.

“Avery.”

If until now he hadn’t known what to do, one word—his own name—was enough to make him freeze completely.

“Don’t call me that here,” the horned companion said automatically. Not only in front of David, but in the club in general he guarded his identity like his greatest secret. He couldn’t allow any slip, and if it hadn’t happened at the beginning when he was only getting used to his new identity, it certainly couldn’t happen now.

“I won’t,” the CEO assured him. “Sorry.” To apologize, he also gently squeezed his hips.

“I don’t need your apology.” He pushed sharply against his chest, and since the dark-haired man had leaned slightly forward before, the gesture now pressed him back into the couch’s backrest. “That’s not what we’re here for.”

For a second it seemed the other man would protest, but in the end he didn’t. “You’re right,” he said and moved his hands again. They were no longer just resting safely on his hips; instead, his palms slid into the back pockets of Diablo’s tight pants.

Avery was surprised by how easily he cooperated, but he decided not to think about it too much. Especially when for the past few days he had done nothing but stay lost in his own head.

“You still haven’t offered to dance for me.”

Apparently, David was on a mission today to see just how much he could shock him.

“I thought you didn’t like it when I dance.” Diablo recovered quickly, but even so his voice didn’t sound as steady and seductive as usual. He was almost falling out of character, while the other man had no trouble at all maintaining his.

“You’re wrong about that.” Even now he continued as if this were their usual meeting. “I love watching you dance. I just don’t like it when you’re far from my lap for too long. That’s the difference.”

“So what do you want then?”

The CEO made a dramatic show of thinking, pursing his lip and rolling his eyes before telling him: “A short dance. I like a good show. But you have to make it back to me before our hour is up.”

Avery almost said he could do that, but then he remembered that he wasn’t the one who was supposed to follow orders. “I’ll see what can be done,” he replied instead, then got up from David’s lap. He did it slowly, deliberately brushing against him as much as possible, and thanks to that he finally felt like he had power in his hands again. At least the longing look on the other man’s face suggested so.

The rest of their meeting continued as usual, as if David knew Avery wasn’t ready for more and was at the edge of what he could handle. So he gave him space to breathe.

The companion didn’t know how else to explain it, but he decided not to think about it too much—especially since after he left, he still had several hours of work ahead of him, after which he looked forward to his bed most of all.