Just an hour after the CEO left the club, the person everyone else had been waiting for appeared at Burning Temptation. Diablo only found out about it a bit later when Lio, who found the time to meet him at the bar, informed him.

"They finally got their wish.”

"What do you mean?" The horned companion turned his head toward him while leaning his back against the bar, elbows propped up on either side, looking around the club like a king surveying his kingdom. 

"You didn't notice? Dax is here with a group of friends," the stripper with feathers in his hair revealed.

"Was I supposed to?" Avery shot back.

Lio laughed with amusement. "Everyone noticed but you," he pointed out. "The customers are still working up the courage to approach him, but it's only a matter of time." 

Diablo wasn't worried about a single porn actor drawing attention away from the club's tempting staff, but one thing did interest him. "Which companion is with them?" 

"Velvet." 

So, it was him who won in the end.

Diablo had no doubt that the moment Dax Thunder stepped into the club, Devin, Velvet, and maybe even Mickey had a competition to see who would get to him first. 

The demonic companion couldn't have cared less about his presence, but on the other hand… 

"Do you think I should go to him?" He hoped his colleague would be able to advise him. 

"If Stanley finds out he was here and we didn't take advantage of it…" Lionel said first, then added a more critical part: "You don't want it to look like he’s the only one who can resist you."

That was a good point. If it looked like someone so famous had no interest in him, it could cause problems. However, Diablo couldn't just walk up to him and offer himself. No, he was the one whom men conquered, the one they went to their knees for just for a fraction of his attention. 

"I'll think of something," he assured the blonde, though he didn't have a plan yet. 

"Don't take too long," the stripper advised before moving back to the customers.

Avery continued leaning against the bar, his gaze arrogant and his posture confident, as if he owned the place. He took a moment to come up with a plan that wouldn't make it look like he was desperately trying to get into the pornstar's good graces, but would still ensure he was noticed and that the actor would be as captivated by him as the rest of the club. 

Diablo was certainly not used to not being the main attraction of the club, so he had to quickly reclaim his status. 

Fortunately, the gazes of the men passing by made it clear that he was still a feast for the eyes, so he wasn't too worried. He still carried an air of mystery, and as long as he didn't reveal more, it maintained their interest. Exactly as he wanted.

"Want a drink?" 

Greg spoke up from behind him, and the companion turned his head toward him. Right now, the dark-haired bartender had freer hands than Frank, who was serving a group on the other side of the bar. 

Before Diablo could accept the offer, however, another club employee appeared at the counter. 

“Creepy Joe is with him,” Jonah said as soon as he joined them.

“With who?” Avery asked, and the brunet gave him a look that suggested it was stupid to even ask.

“Oh.”

“You should go save him,” Jonah advised, and suddenly Diablo had a perfect plan.

He quickly downed a shot of vodka Greg handed him, then set off across the club floor with determined steps. People automatically moved out of his way, making it easy for him to find the table he needed.

Or rather, he found the right table by spotting the place where people were “subtly” gathering. Lio’s earlier words proved slightly wrong, because some guests had already found the courage to approach the porn actor after all.

There was a high chance it was only a matter of time before security would have to step in, but the companion thought that for now, he would be enough. After all, most people backed away the moment they noticed him, creating space for him. Everyone except one.

“Joe.” Diablo’s tone was firm, and even though until now it had seemed the man in clothing far too tight and holding a glass far too full was fully focused on convincing the other man of something that definitely did not sound like an appealing offer, at the companion’s voice he immediately froze.

Avery waited until Joe turned his face toward him, making sure he saw his gaze flick over the table, where several full glasses sat, before locking eyes with him. “You don’t need to cool off, do you?”

The tall man was one of those who had already learned what happened when he pushed too far and ignored the boundaries of the ruler of hell. Right now he was one of the best trained customers, because after even having a drink thrown directly in his face hadn’t worked, Diablo had resorted to a harsher punishment, and his next threat had not been something to take lightly.

At first Avery hadn’t been proud of it, fearing it might cost him his job, but surprisingly, after Creepy Joe had groped him right at the bar and he had chosen a drastic solution, the slimy man had suddenly started obeying him without question. All it had taken was a quick, impulsive decision to borrow a lighter from the bartender and flick it, showing Joe the flame. A reminder that people really did burn in hell because of him, all it took was pouring alcohol over them. Of course, he hadn’t moved the lighter any closer, but the equation was clear enough for anyone to solve.

Maybe it had been a harsh demonstration, but it worked, and even though the companion had practically threatened to burn him alive on the spot, Creepy Joe had apparently taken it as yet another reason to adore him.

“Of course not.” He straightened, almost unnaturally, and even though his gaze flickered back for a second to the attractive man on the couch, after Diablo tilted his head to the side, he obediently moved in that direction like a soldier following his general’s command.

Only now did Diablo get the chance to properly look at the famous Dax Thunder.

He was attractive, as expected from someone so popular. His eyes were piercing, his face symmetrical with high, pronounced cheekbones, and his nose was larger but straight, almost aristocratic. Combined with his masculine jawline, he looked almost like an antique statue. The only things breaking that image were the faint stubble and his modern hairstyle.

What the demonic companion hadn’t expected, however, was the way he carried himself. Unlike Diablo, the pornstar didn’t wear an exaggeratedly arrogant expression, nor did he act as if his presence was a gift. It seemed more like he simply wanted to enjoy the evening with his friends and hadn’t expected to attract so much unwanted attention.

The first thing he said toward the companion confirmed that.

“Thank you.”

He looked a little more relaxed now, but still glanced around uneasily, or perhaps annoyed, before returning his gaze to Diablo. “Do you think you could do something about the rest of them too?”

Without taking his eyes off him, Diablo raised his hand so everyone could see it and snapped his fingers twice. The shuffle of feet and the quick movement in his peripheral vision told him he held exactly the kind of power he thought he did.

“That was impressive.” The porn actor sounded amused, and his light laugh confirmed it. “Will you join us?” His invitation sounded genuine, and Avery had him exactly where he wanted him. And quite easily.

Judging by the fact that Velvet was sitting among them, surprisingly not even directly next to Dax but between his friends, it didn’t seem like he was looking for more company.

“Do you enjoy having a bodyguard?” the demonic companion asked, remaining where he stood, tilting his head sensually to the side the way he usually did.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect my presence to cause such a stir.” Dax still wore a faint smile, his tone pleasant.

“You posted on Instagram that you’d come,” Diablo reminded him.

“Because it was good for the brand,” the actor admitted.

“Ah, the 'Favorite Versatile Performer' brand.” Although the companion’s tone was serious, his words were not, poking fun at him. Flirting via insults was his own brand, and he intended to stick to it.

Luckily, Dax didn’t take it as an insult and laughed again. “So you do know who I am,” he noted first, then added, “Will you sit? I’m sure everyone’s waiting for a show.”

Avery didn’t need to look around to know that practically everyone was watching them, so he knew exactly what the man meant.

Instead of answering, the companion moved forward and boldly sat directly on the porn actor’s thigh. Fortunately, Dax cooperated and automatically wrapped an arm around his waist.

For a brief moment, Avery felt guilty, as if he were cheating on the CEO, but that couldn’t be true, since first, they weren’t together, and second, this was his job. Anyone could pay for his attention, for his flirting, even for taking him to a private room. If David truly cared about him, he had to respect that.

“I have to disappoint you,” he said first once he settled. “Until today, I had no idea you existed.”

Dax laughed, not offended at all, quite the opposite. “In that case, nice to meet you. I’m Dax Thunder.” Then he tilted his head closer to the companion’s ear and whispered, “Off the clock, Dustin.”

Now even the demonic companion looked amused, but he had no intention of being fair and offering the same secret in return.

Diablo braced his forearm against the man’s shoulder, teasingly sliding his fingers into the hair at the back of his neck, and from this close, he looked into his eyes as the attractive man immediately lifted his gaze to him.

“I don’t introduce myself. Everyone here knows who I am,” Diablo told him.

As a reward, he received an even wider smile. “I see the rumors weren't a lie. You’re charming.”

“I get paid for it,” the horned companion replied as if it were a simple fact.

Suddenly, Dax seemed a bit more serious and leaned closer to his ear again, though this time his tone lost its amusement.

“I know how this works. It’s just a show. Everyone was waiting for our interaction, so let’s give them something to watch and keep it friendly. Deal?”

Even though their jobs weren’t the same, they worked on the same principle. Just because their bodies earned them a living didn’t mean anyone could touch them, or that outside of work they existed for others’ pleasure, as many mistakenly believed.

Dax’s words carried mutual understanding, and for Avery, they were reassuring. There was only one thing left.

“On one condition.” The companion leaned in slightly as well, though with the loud music, no one else could hear them anyway. “I want a photo.”

And so a few seconds later, Dax had a phone in his hands, and not only did their photo end up on his Instagram story, but Avery made sure he tagged the club’s profile so everyone would know exactly where he was. He was certain Stanley would be pleased, and he was right.

Someone else, however, was not thrilled about it at all.