Deal with the Devil (18+)

18| You're My Wonderwall

You can turn a guy on with your voice alone. Men are naturally more attracted to low, breathy voices because it signals you're interested.

Evelyn's p.o.v

"We're getting close." Luca commented as we entered yet another town, this one housing many quaint shops and bars that passed us by in a blur as we flew down the Main Street. "The Paris house is my personal favourite, a bit old fashioned but it's surrounded by rose gardens and a generous lake. It's perfect for early morning runs or swimming to clear your head. Oh, and even the library has a bar!"

"Now that I can get down with." I told him with a real smile, keeping my gaze on the window where dusk-covered fields were slowly turning into the sprawl of more populated towns. As we neared Paris the roads became more and more industrial, small villages merging into larger towns that indicated we were close to reaching our destination.

However, before we actually got to the house, Luca had to stop off in a nearby town to deal with an easy target. In the surrounding area there were enough retail stores that I could complete some shopping and get more suitable clothes while Luca was preoccupied with his assassin duties. It was nothing compared to the shopping spree I had planned for when we reached the Paris house, where I intended to make good use of all my newfound cash, but it served its purpose.

It was only a twenty minute drive into Paris and then we were only a mile or so from the house. Luca lived up to his word, although the term 'house' was a severe understatement. As the car pulled up outside a large pair of gleaming, silver gates, the French chateau situated behind them was much more impressive than I'd originally imagined in my head.

The car winded it's way through private gardens surrounding the chateau and we parked right outside the steps leading up to the front doors, an impressive water fountain just behind us. Two stone-carved frogs sat before one another, squirting a steady stream of water into the other's mouth. I continued to assess the ridiculous fountain display as Luca exited the car, and I could've sworn the frog closest even winked at me! Either that or I was delirious from sleep deprivation. It was probably the latter. I couldn't remember the last time I'd had a bed to call my own for more than one night.

"God, I sure haven't missed that ugly fountain." Luca rounded the truck with a nauseated look aimed toward the frog fountain, his nose scrunched in disgust.

"Oh, and here I was thinking you had chosen it personally. I think it's rather beautiful." Beautifully horrific.

"I see you have a good eye for art." So it would seem my jibe didn't go unnoticed, but instead of defending himself or acting offended, he played along with my joke. "I actually hand carved it myself."

I stifled my smile and shut the car door behind me with a little more force than necessary. Damn that charming side of him that made my lips curve up and my stomach dip.

As I followed him through the large double doors leading inside the foyer, weighed down with more shopping than two hands should possibly be able to carry, my jaw dropped. It was stunning. Once inside, I was instantly greeted with a grand staircase leading off in two opposite directions which made up the left and right wings of the chateau. Absolutely everything was furnished in white and gold, right down to the picture frames and vases which each held an extravagant arrangement of white roses.

Surely no one actually lived in a place like this? I thought this kind of opulent luxury was reserved for only royalty and the occasional Hollywood movie star. It was all too much. I was expecting the queen of England to magically appear at any moment, demanding we return the interior of her Buckingham palace estate before she sent us to the dungeons. As it happened, I rather liked my head and would rather it stayed where it belonged atop my shoulders.