Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 30560 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 153(@200wpm)___ 122(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30560 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 153(@200wpm)___ 122(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
"I d-don't know what you're talking about—-"
You don't truly think I'd buy that, do you?
I wish I could convince myself that this is simply the Devil being masterfully manipulative. That this is merely a textbook case of Stockholm Syndrome at work. But how can I even think that when I haven't even been abducted?
Just tell me what I want to know.
His words feel like a trap I can't escape from, and all I can do is shake my head.
Tell me what you're looking for in a man.
"I really don't know—-"
How surprisingly stubborn you are.
"Please." I don't even know what I'm begging the Devil for, but one thing I'm sure of is that he's the one who has the upper hand between us.
Please what?
"Please j-just stop this."
But of course the Devil doesn't heed this, since tormenting me is all he seems to live for.
If you want to put a stop to this, then answer my question.
"I can't."
Why?
"I just can't."
Then shall I say the words for you instead?
Panic bursts out of nowhere, and the librarian shoots me a quelling look from her counter as I jerk to my feet, and the legs of my chair scratch shrilly against the floor.
I'm sure you already know this.
No, no, no.
Deep down inside of you...
I bite back a cry as I fight against the suffocating urge to cover my ears and escape the insidiously magnetic pull of his words.
You've always known this.
Oh God, it's happening again.
And this time, it's so, so much worse, since it's not just my mind that's splintered apart.
There's only one kind of man that you'll ever pine for in this lifetime...
Madness has also laid seige on my body, and I barely manage to keep myself from writhing as moisture coats my throbbing folds.
And that type of man...is someone like me.
#04
I still feel sick to my stomach when I meet Paola for lunch the next day, and the other girl looks at me in surprise. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"More like the Devil," I mutter under my breath.
"What's that again?"
"Er, nothing."
Paola's brows meet together in a frown. "Something is clearly wrong, Sheens."
I give up trying to eat my sandwich. I've completely lost my appetite ever since the Devil's last call, and now I'm thinking, maybe...maybe I need a second opinion about what's been going on with me.
"Can I ask you something?"
The other girl looks at me suspiciously. "Go on."
"What would you picture my first boyfriend to be like?"
"Someone gentle and nice." Paola doesn't even seem to think twice as she answers my question. "Your typical boy next door basically, and he's going to treat you like a queen."
"Oh."
"You obviously think differently."
Color bursts in my cheeks. "No, of course not—-"
My friend laughs. "Chill out, Sheens. I was just joking."
I force myself to smile. "I know."
Paola's gaze turns sly. "This is the first time you've shown interest in boys. Someone's obviously asked you out—-"
"No, it's not like that—-"
The other girl chortles. "It's written all over your face, Sheens. Admit it." Paola eagerly leans forward with a flurry of questions. "Who is it? Is he in one of our classes? Or yours? How did you—-"
Riiiiiing.
I take my phone out, and my heart skips a beat when I see an unregistered number listed on the screen.
Paola grins. "It's him, isn't it?"
"There is no him."
"Then why are you blushing?"
"I'm not!" Am I?
The other girl starts laughing. "Oh my gosh, you're just too cute. Is this your first crush? First date? First—-"
Riiiiiing.
I realize too late that I'm in danger of missing his call, and all I can do is wince as I'm forced to answer the Devil's call in Paola's presence. "Hello?"
Hello, Sheena.
I try standing up to leave, but Paola only flashes an evil grin as she grabs hold of my free hand...before yanking me back down.
You sound...distracted.
"I'm not."
Are you with your friend?
"Yes." I'm not even surprised that the Devil knows all about Paola, and all I care about at this point is that I don't accidentally get the other girl involved in my mess.
"Let me talk to him," Paola says loudly, and I'm torn between strangling her or strangling myself.
Who is she talking about?
"No idea?"
Paola grins upon hearing this. "He heard me, didn't he?"
Oh God.
"I'm talking about you, lover boy—-"
Heat invades my cheeks, and I can only feel my face turning a hotter shade of red when I hear the Devil chuckle in my ear.
What have you told her about me?
"Nothing."
Who does she think I am?
"I...I think you already know."
The Devil chuckles again, and even though it still sounds like the awful mutation of aliens and monsters—-
It seems like I'm still under his spell, with how my ears are exercising a huge amount of creative license...that I'm able to imagine myself hearing something silky and alluringly masculine instead.
God, you're so hopeless, Sheen.
I thought of you all night.