LUCIFERO

CHAPTER 13

    
"What's your deal with him anyway? Why is he always following you?"
    
She scoffed. " Is that what's bothering you? I can tell you that this meeting is just a coincidence. "
    
He scoffed. " Really? And you think that's it? "
    
" What is your problem anyway..... Why......" She paused when she discovered that almost everyone in the restaurant was staring at them. "Shit." She muttered and held his hand, dragging him out through the other door. They got out to the back lawn of the restaurant. "Okay.  Now spill. What's the matter? Why the sudden hatred......"
    
" I should be asking you why the sudden familiarity with him? I thought we were on the same page of keeping away from him. "
    
She scoffed. " Really? Well, I just discovered that he's not as bad as we claim. " She replied and Michael laughed with distaste at her. She didn't even understand why she was defending Lucifero.
    
"Are you serious? Are you really saying this right now? Is this you Amara? Who are you and what have you done with Amara? "
    
She rolled her eyes." Stop the silly act Michael. Why the so much hatred? "
    
He looked at her with disbelief. " Seriously? Are you asking me that? That is a criminal we are talking about here. "
    
" But all that is in the past... "
    
" And you believe that? He's still a criminal as far as I am concerned and you of all people should know that your association with him could taint your image."
    
She squinted her eyes at him. " Why do I have this feeling that the reason for your frustration is much more than what you are letting out here?"
    
" You are being silly Amara. You are the one who has to watch her steps. Seriously, You have no idea who this guy is and what he has done. I've gone through him. He is not someone to be associated with. I just.......I just want you to be safe. I'm trying to protect you."
    
She sighed and smiled. " You are a very good friend you know?"
    
"Of course I know. I don't want anything bad happening to you. Bad things and danger follows him wherever he goes."
    
" But he is trying to make things better for himself. I want to help him."
    
He scoffed. " Is that what he told you? Seriously? He's kidding. He knows it himself that he is way past getting good. He's been permanently tainted already. He's a bloody murderer, an assassin, a kidnapper........"
    
" All in the past! I don't think that's who he is now."
    
" Why the fuck are you so blind?" He paused and glanced at her as she bit her lip and looked away. "Do you.......do you love him?" He blurted and she looked sharply at him.
    
"No! What makes you think so?"
    
He sighed and rubbed his chin. " I just assumed. Only people in love defend those they love, even though it's the devil himself."
    
She sighed. " No. I don't love him okay. Believe me when I tell you, he really needs help, okay. All that you know about him is all in the past. Everyone here can attest that he's not done anything of the sort for the past one year."
    
" One year is not long enough a year to prove someone's innocence."
    
She scoffed and turned. " What is wrong with you? Why do you find it so hard to at least see the good side of people?"
    
He chuckled sarcastically. " Good side? Did i hear you say good side?" He laughed. " It's you who needs to have a good eyesight because you are obviously blind. And if you ever by chance fall into his web, do not come running to me, because I won't save you."
    
He walked past her towards the door. " Wait." She said stopping him and he turned to her. " So what's this? You are leaving me?"
    
0He shrugged. " Depends on what you want to call it. I can't be friends with a friend who is a friend to a criminal jerk head." He said and left her staring at the door. She sighed softly. What the heck is his problem?

★★★★★

She stepped out of the restaurant after having her fill of the roasted chicken  alone and padded her way slowly through the large compound of the restaurant where other people sat underneath large umbrellas sipping their wine and chatting merrily. She bit her lip when she suddenly remembered that she didn't come with her car. She had to do a little run up earlier so she went home first and then Michael drove her here with a car he said he borrowed from a close relative, and now he's gone.
    
A very good friend indeed.
    
She sighed and looked around the restaurant's compound shielding her eyes from the hot sun when she caught that particular huge familiar frame under a tree shade doing only God knows what. She peered deeper and walked slowly towards the tree as the person underneath it became clearer are clearer. It was Lucifero. He hasn't gone? She wondered and walked up to see him leaning against the tree, smoking.
    
She got close to him and a little amount of smoke wafted through her nose. She coughed repeatedly and Lucifero snapped his gaze towards her. "Oh shit." He muttered and dropped the cigarette stomping on it before approaching her. "Amara. I'm sorry. I didn't know you were......"
    
She put her hand up stopping him. " It's fine. It's not your fault." She said and took a deep breath after a long stretch of relentless hard coughing. Her face looked somewhat red after all the ordeal. She smiled at him as he felt his heart slowly fade. She looked so beautiful with the hot sun making her soft golden brown eyes glow under it's rays. She's a goddess.
  
"Good thing you dropped that cigarette. I was about coming to take it away from you."
    
He smiled and chuckled. Her voice was like a breath of fresh air after the intense ordeal with Michael in the restaurant.
    
She bit her lip and looked down. "I'm sorry about what Michael did."
    
He wasn't even focusing on what she was saying. All that was in his mind was tasting that alluring lips of hers. He felt blood flow with full speed towards his groin as she bit against her lip and toyed nervously with it against her teeth. That looked so sexy.
    
He gulped and brushed his hair backwards, taking deep breaths. She's going to kill me. He thought.
    
"Okay?" That was the only thing his ear could catch after all her long talking and he snapped out of his daze. He couldn't believe he has been staring at her lips lustfully. He blinked at her.
    
"Sorry. What did you say?"
    
She furrowed her eyebrows at him. " I said I'm sorry about what Michael did to you."
    
He chuckled and waved her off. " Nah. Forget it. It's the past now, isn't it?"
    
She smiled without taking her gaze away from him. "Yeah. It's.....it's the past."
    
The air around them seemed cut short as they kept staring into each other's eyes relentlessly. She felt her heart beat accelerate as he gazed down back at her with such beautiful electric blue eyes. He looked like a...... Like a god. She gulped and immediately tore her gaze away from him, blinking rapidly.
    
"Uhhh...... i should get going home. I have nothing to do here." She said and turned to go.
    
" Wait." He said and stopped her midway. "Are you and Michael in some sort of relationship?"
    
She felt her hair stand at the question. Why is he asking that? She blinked and turned to him. "No. Why?"
    
He sighed and smiled. "Nothing important. Do you want me to drive you home. I got my car."
    
She glanced at him fighting the urge to say 'yes'. She chuckled. "No..i am good..I'm fine on my own."
   
He smiled and walked up to her. " And what makes you think I will listen to that?"
    
She blinked rapidly and gulped nervously as he inched closer till their faces were so close. She felt her heart in her throat and swallowed hard as his majestic gaze scanned her eyes piercing deep into her soul. What the heck is wrong with me? She thought.
    
She immediately moved away from him and turned. "I have to go." She muttered, breathing hard. What is this? Why am I finding it so hard to breathe? She thought.
    
"Please, let me drive you." He pleaded with a soft voice and she sighed. She turned back to him.
    
"You don't give up, do you?"
    
He chuckled and walked closer to her. " No. I don't. Especially if it's something I desire."
    
She blinked. " So, what is it that you desire this time?"
    
He smiled beautifully making her heart race. She swallowed. " I desire you."
    
She blinked rapidly, uncontrollably and looked at him before a slight chuckle turning into a loud long laughter erupted from her. He looked at her amusedly.
    
"You.....you have the biggest imagination Lucifero."
    
He smiled. " What happened to Lucy?"
    
She raised an eyebrow. " I'm not calling you that again."
    
" Really?"
    
" Yep."
    
" Why not?"
    
" You like it?"
    
" No......yes. I do. It's touching. It sounded so good, coming from you."
    
She felt her cheeks swell and rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Right. But I don't care." What a big lie. Her insides were giggling with an unexplainable feeling.
    
He chuckled softly and examined her. " Why are you so stubborn?"
    
"Stubborn about what?"
    
" Stubborn to fall for me."
    
She scoffed. " Like I said, you have the biggest imagination mister. Like I told you before, I don't do guys, okay. I would like to be on my way." She said and turned winking at him. He swung into action and grabbed her by the arm pulling her towards himself.
    
She gasped as his arms wrapped tightly around her waist holding her against his huge solid chest. She felt all the air drain from her lungs at the close proximity between them.
    
"Wh..... what are y.....you doing?" She asked with a super fast beating heart. He chuckled.
    
" Trying to get you to fall for me." He chuckled again. " It seems it's working."
    
She felt her face heat up and immediately managed to wiggle out of his grip. He smiled as she took deep breaths looking at him with awe. What is this guy doing to me?
    
"I think I need to go now, for real."
    
He stopped her before she could take a step. " Alright. I'm serious now. Please. Come with me. I won't be happy letting you go on your foot when I've got a ride."
    
She chuckled. " Thanks for the care but I'm not going on foot. I am going to board a taxi."
    
He scoffed. " Really? So you prefer a taxi to my ride?"
    
She chuckled. " Stop being so full of yourself. What do you have?"
    
" That." He said pointing towards the car park where a red Lamborghini waited beside a Ford.
    
She chuckled. "The Ford? That's like an outdated model."
    
He chuckled. "No. The Lamborghini."
    
She blinked. " What?"
    
He chuckled. " What do you mean what? You are supposed to have seen it before. I brought it the day I stalked you to your house."
    
She blushed at the thought also remembering that it was the same day he stole her first kiss. "Oh. Yeah. Now I remember. I didn't know it was yours."
    
He smiled and shook his head. " So, want to come along?"
    
She sighed. " I'm just going to join you because I know you don't easily give up and we can argue this till midnight. It's not coming because I want to join you."
    
He chuckled. " Oh I know you want to join me. You just don't want to admit it."
    
They both walked up to the car and she rolled her eyes with a smile when he opened the passenger door for her. "Trying to be a gentleman huh?"
    
He scoffed. "Will you get in already? Stop being stubborn."
    
She laughed and got in. " Thanks anyway. Not like I asked for it."
    
He rolled his eyes and shut the door. " Just so stubborn." He muttered amusedly to himself.