The Devil Behind Me (18 page)

I waited beside my father, willing him to wake up. He looked beaten up. I hated seeing him like this. The room they had put us in was overcrowded. Over six other patients were here with us. Thankfully, we were situated in a corner by the window. 

“Addie?” I faintly heard. I rose up from my seat a
nd stood over him.

“
Daddy?” I whispered.

“Addie? What happened?” H
is voice was parched and sounded hoarse. I pressed the call button for the nurse who never showed. I was hoping to buy some time, but I guess I wouldn’t get it.

“
Daddy, you fell unconscious outside of the house. The neighbors called 911 and you were brought to the hospital,” I said slowly. He nodded his head like he understood. 

“
Why am I like this?” he asked, trying to move but I stopped him.

“
You needed…surgery. The Crohn’s had gotten worse and the doctors said there was no other alternative,” I said meekly.

“
What?” he tried to scream.

“
Dad, please calm down,” I said as I looked over as his heart monitor began to beep.

“
What did you do, Addie?” he asked, frightened as he looked around. The nurse finally showed up and looked at his heart monitor. 

“
Hello, Mr. Sakis, you’ve been asleep for a while,” she said sweetly. “Dr. Cohen will be with you shortly.” She turned and nodded at me.

“Addie?” H
e looked over at me.

“
Daddy, I had no choice. The doctor said you should be better now,” I said quietly.

The
doctor came in with a few residents. He spoke about the patient and then called out to my father. My father barely understood what was happening.

“Mr. Sakis
, your daughter did the right thing. You needed that surgery. Your doctor mustn’t have seen how far your Crohn’s had escalated.” He proceeded to explain everything in detail to my father. I watched as he went through various stages of anger and sadness, at the end his face looked sullen when the doctor left. 

“
Daddy, do you need anything?” I asked.

“I want you to l
eave for now,” he said without looking at me. My heart sunk low into my belly as I watched him. He was blaming me for all this.

“
Okay, Daddy, I’ll be outside if you need anything. Just let me know.” I let out a breath and slowly made my way out of our crowded room. I turned the corner and braced myself on the wall. 

“Addie.” I
ignored Daimon, hoping he’d go away. He sighed heavily and walked over to me. All I could see were his shoes as I stared at the floor in front of me. I wiped my tears away and sniffled. He growled low in chest. “I hear your father is awake,” he said curtly, I didn’t bother to answer him. I saw two orderlies pass me by and walk into the room. “Addie, at least look at me,” Daimon hissed. I finally mustered up the strength and looked up. I could barely see him through my blurry vision. He sighed heavily and reached up with his hand to wipe my fallen tears away. I jerked my head and stared off to where the nurses were. The two orderlies I saw before were now wheeling my father out.

“
What else are you doing to me, Addie?” my father accused.

“
Where are you taking him?” I asked in a panic.

“
Don’t worry, Addie. I paid for a private room for your father,” Daimon said behind me. I turned and looked him. He half-smiled.

“
Why?” I asked. He shrugged. “Oh stupid me, I forgot,” I said sarcastically. How could I forget my deal with the devil? I left Daimon as I followed my father to the elevator. 

“I did it for you,
” Daimon huffed as he came with us. 

My
father didn’t bother to acknowledge either one of us as he finally reached his room. Everything looked new and sleek. The hospital bed was tailor made with brown and blue linens. The room was much like a hotel, with a large flat screen TV mounted high on the wall. Three large windows overlooked the parking below. A large, wooden round table with three comfortable chairs was off to the side. Ceramic tiles, which mimicked wood, lined the floor. I looked around to see the bathroom door was open; it was larger than the one we had at home, with a walk-in shower and various showerheads. Dark wooden accent furniture and a large leather couch finished off the room. I chuckled to myself as I was left in wonderment. This room was drastically different from where my father was before. I would never be able to afford something like this for him. I laughed. I guess completely selling myself to Daimon meant I could finally take care of my family now.  

A nurse was right the
re waiting for him to come in. She held his chart in one hand and greeted my father, telling him she would be available for whatever he needed.

“
What is this?” I asked underneath my breath.

“
Money gets you a lot, Addie,” Daimon said as he stood beside me. “Why is your father being the way he is?” Daimon asked looking inside the room and watching my father.

“
He’s angry at me. He’s blaming me for allowing the operation,” I said as I leaned up against the wall. 

“
What? Addie, you’re not serious?” he asked as he faced me.

“
Daimon, what do you want me to say?” I asked, fed up with everything.

“
You gave your life to them and now he’s blaming you?” he hissed.

“
It’s not that simple,” I said under my breath.

“Addie
, most, if not all, things are black or white, we only make things grey. You gave up Yale to work and take care of them. There’s no reason he should be angry at you,” Daimon snapped.

“
Daimon, I was the one who caused all this. He blames me, because he has no one else to blame,” I fired back.

“
What about himself? He was the adult, Addie, you were just a kid,” Daimon bit back.

“
What is an adult, Daimon? They’re just overgrown children,” I said, resigned to the situation. “He’s hurting. That’s all. I'm the only one he can lash out at,” I shrugged.

“
Not for long,” Daimon said under his breath.

I left
Daimon in the hallway and tried to engage my father, but he continued to stare out the window ignoring me. Daimon watched our exchange from the doorway; he sighed heavily then left without saying a word. I sat comfortably on the couch and lay down.

I had fallen asleep
for a much-needed nap. I felt a plush throw draped over me as I started to stir. I rose up slowly from the couch to see Daimon at the foot of the bed looking down at my father.

“Stop blaming
your daughter for everything. I get you’re angry and frustrated, but right now you need to take care of yourself, she needs her father. She needs you. She did this because she loves you,” Daimon barked at him.

“
Daimon,” I shouted. Daimon turned and glared at me.

“I'm going
, after visiting hours I'm coming to pick you up. I left clothes here for you. Take a shower and be ready,” he bit out and left. 

I stood up from the couch and ran over t
o my father. “I'm sorry, Dad. Daimon can be a bit much at times,” I tried to justify him. 

“
It’s fine, Addie. He’s right,” my father said ruefully.

“Dad,
he had no right to yell at you,” I hissed.

“Addie
, I know you did what you could for me, I'm sorry. I was wrong to be upset at you. But understand I woke up and my body had been changed and I knew nothing of it. I was scared, Addie. I was really scared. Then I felt shame for hurting you. Daimon wasn’t wrong, he was right to push me. I’ll get better, Addie, and I will walk out of here happily. I promise,” my father smiled gently at me.

“
Daddy, I'm the one who should be sorry. I didn’t mean to push about the diner,” I hesitated, remembering all the trouble I caused between us.

“Addie
, you did what was right. You’ve always done what was right. I relied on you too much,” he said gruffly.

“Dad
, you had no other choice. We did what was best. Both you and I did all we could,” I said now crying.

“Come,” h
e said while stretching out his hand. I sat on the chair next to him and put my head down. He held me as I lay underneath his arm. “I love you, Addie,” he said quietly. I closed my eyes and cried softly, relishing his embrace.

Visiting hours were over, but the nurse said I could stay. I texted
Daimon to let him know I didn’t have the energy to see him tonight and that I wanted to stay with my father.

“Addie, the boy asked you out, just go and stop making it harder on him,” my dad said as he looked at me.

“But
Dad, you just got out of major surgery,” I implored.

“
Addie, I'm feeling better and the medication is making me drowsy. All you’re going to do is watch me sleep. Go out and eat, see your boyfriend,” my father insisted.

“
Fine,” I relented.

I walked into the most lavish hospital bathroom
to ever have existed and found the clothes Daimon brought for me hanging behind the door. It was a simple black dress and black heels, nothing too over the top. Inside the bag I found some make-up and a straightener. God, the man thought of everything. I showered and got ready. It felt good to shower and wear clean clothes. I took longer than half an hour, but fuck him. Fine, a part of me was grateful to him for getting the room and standing up for me, but I knew this was part of the plan so my emotions about it were all mixed up. Do I thank him or do I just ignore it? He was buying me; from the moment I said yes, Daimon was slowly buying every part of me. The tiny piece of me, which felt confused when he was around, was now tainted by all this. Even if I did have feelings for Daimon, and that’s a big if, nothing would come of it. I stepped out of the bathroom and saw my father sleeping. I smiled watching him, he looked better than he had in years, he at least had some color back. 

“I'm assuming it’s the job of a fiancé
e to keep her lover waiting.” Daimon startled me as he stood by the door with his arms crossed.

“
Shh,” I shushed him as I walked toward him.

“What?” he asked.

“First off, my father is sleeping. Secondly, I didn’t tell him about your bright idea yet,” I gritted out.

“
Whatever, Addie, we’re late. Try not to make this a habit. I hate waiting,” he groaned.

“Let’s iron th
at out in the contract, shall we?” I said sarcastically.

“Always catty
, I see,” he murmured to my ear. 

***

Daimon drove us to Eleven Madison Park. I began to slightly hyperventilate. The place looked beyond anything I could ever imagine. I had heard of it, but never in my wildest dreams had I thought I would ever step foot inside. He left his car at the valet and ushered me in through the revolving doors, his hand slowly caressing my back.

I stood in the middle of this gorgeous
restaurant with dazzling thirty-foot high ceilings and enormous windows overlooking the park outside. Beautiful flower arrangements were placed around the restaurant adding to the sheer splendor. We were taken to a table by the window. A pure white tablecloth was perfectly draped over it, while two large wine glasses waited for us. A small candle was lit in the middle of the table between two plates. The soft white lighting made the atmosphere alluring and warm. We both sat and I kept my head down, slightly uncomfortable about being here.

“Addie
, stop fidgeting. You should be happy, you’re here with me,” Daimon chuckled.

“
It’s because I'm here with you, I should be ordering a drink,” I said looking around. 

“
Really?” he smiled.

“
Yes, really.”

The waiter showed up and
introduced himself. I asked for a whiskey neat, earning a raised eyebrow from Daimon.

“
You’re not the only one who likes whiskey,” I said, trying hard to calm my nerves. We ordered and I finally got my drink. I took a sip and loved it. I felt like I could finally breathe a little.

“
So is there any particular reason why you brought me here?” I asked, looking at him as he sat across from me. 

He looked beautiful.
With his perfectly crisp, tailored black suit. His longish hair was gelled back just right and the little stubble on his face, which showed, just added to his sheer sexiness. My stomach was hungry for food, but my eyes ate away at him. My mind drifted off to his penthouse. I still didn’t understand why I needed him and only him, but I did. Having sex with Daimon made me feel whole and alive. The images kept running through my mind. My pussy clenched at the mere idea of having sex with him again.

“I brought you here because I want
ed to,” he smiled wickedly.

“
Daimon, if you want this to work the way you want, we’ll need to work out the rules,” I said, swallowing the need I had for him.

“We will, I promise,” h
e reassured me as he took his drink. 

We ate our
meal, which looked like art on a plate. I scarcely knew what to eat first as I looked at it. Daimon only made fun of me, saying I should eat the food not look at it. Once we were done he ordered a dessert for us.

“Look
, Daimon, I really hate it when you keep controlling everything. I can order my own dessert. I realize I didn’t go to a fancy school, but I still went to community college,” I scoffed.

“Take it easy
, Addie.” He shook his head reaching for his drink.

“How many did you have?” I asked
, looking at his glass.

“
Apparently not enough,” he murmured.

The waiter smiled placing a
chocolate box in front of me. The letter A was written in perfect calligraphy in dark chocolate on top. I looked at Daimon who shrugged as he watched me. I took off the A and put it aside. I lifted the lid of the chocolate box and inside was a ring. My heart jumped into my throat and I was at a loss for words. I tried hard to swallow but I couldn’t. The ring was stunning. It was a simple emerald in a platinum setting. I looked at it as it lay in the box, not knowing what to do first. 

“Addie? Will you marry me?”
Daimon asked as he leaned into the table and looked at me intently. I looked at the ring, not knowing the true weight of what was going to happen. “Addie?” he said my name in his low, rough voice. I looked up and saw his piercing blue eyes. They held me to him, bewitching me. He was luring me into his world. 

“
Yes,” I finally managed to say.

I gave in knowing
this was all I was good for. By doing this, I could give my family the life they ought to have. I realized now that it never really mattered how I felt or what I wanted. The day my mother died was the day I no longer existed as Addie, a daughter and a dreamer. I was now Addie the provider. I did everything I needed to do for my father and Sofia, even if it meant giving up myself-worth and dignity.

Daimon
reached out and took the ring from the chocolate box. He then took my hand and gently placed it on my finger.

“There now
, the deal is done,” he said smirking.

“What?” I asked
quietly. 

“I asked you and you said yes.
”

I continued
to stare at him, the wondrous dream he had created, busted.

“You
were upset about how I did it. So now you can’t be upset anymore,” he said flatly. 

I lo
wered my head and bit on my lip not wanting to yell at him in this expensive restaurant. In one simple sentence, Daimon was able to destroy one of the most romantic things that had ever happened to me. But really it wasn’t his fault; it was mine for blurring the lines again. He was rich, powerful and sexy as hell. He didn’t ask me because he cared, he asked me because I was a means to an end, just like he was to me.

The waiter showed up
with champagne and two glasses. “Isn’t she beautiful?” Daimon asked. I knew by his tone he was being sarcastic as he smiled, looking at me and waiting for the waiter’s response.

“Yes
, she’s very beautiful,” he said as he finished pouring our champagne.

“She should be
; she’s now going to be my wife. My Addie.” Daimon picked up his glass and held it up waiting for me to toast to his statement. I reached for my glass and played my part by smiling and acting that I loved being his, when the reality was quite the contrary. 

“Congratulations to both of you.” The waiter smiled and left.

“Addie, aren’t you going to have the rest of your dessert?” Daimon grinned. For whatever reason it was, I wanted to reach over and rip his smile off his face. It was like he had finally won me. 

“No
, I lost my appetite,” I said quietly as I continued to drink. 

“Is my Addie angry?” h
e asked, knowing the answer to his question. I said nothing as I glared at him from the other side of the table. “You realize the way you’re looking at me right now makes me want to push your buttons even more. I love how easily I can get under your skin, Addie,” he smirked.

“Screw
you, Daimon,” I breathed, as I finished the last of my champagne.

“You have. Remember?” h
e grinned.  

I didn’t speak to him the rest of the evening until we reached
the front of his penthouse.

“
Why are we in front of your building?” I asked. Daimon had paid the bill and told me he'd drive me back, which I thought would be to the hospital.

“
Because you’re staying here,” Daimon said flatly as he got out of his car.

“
Daimon,” I hissed.

The jolly doorman opened my door and waited to help me out. I begrudgingly took his hand and
slipped out of the car.

“Hey Phil, guess what?”
Daimon smiled at the doorman.

“
What is it, Mr. Evans?” he asked.

“
I got engaged today. Addie is beside herself with excitement, can't you tell?” Daimon said while pointing at me.

“
Congratulations,” Phil the doorman said to me with a wide smile.

“Thank you,
” I said lightly. Daimon took my hand and intertwined our fingers. I tried yanking my hand away, but he held on tight.

“
Let's go, Addie. Let's make sweet, sweet love to commemorate this wondrous day,” Daimon whispered low so only I could hear him.

“Not on your life
, Daimon,” I hissed underneath my breath.

He
pulled me through the lobby to the elevator. He took out his keycard and slid it into the slot. I was still trying hard to get away from him, but he held on like a vice. When we finally arrived at his home, only then did he release my hand. Drako came running to me, jumping up and down wagging his tail. I knelt down carefully so my dress wouldn’t ride up and began petting him.

“If you think I'm going to have sex with
you, to seal the deal, you’re more fucked than I thought,” I coldly stated.

“Relax
, Addie. I brought you here to sleep, unless you want a repeat of last time,” Daimon said low, trying to entice me.

“Why couldn't you just drive me home?” I asked
, annoyed at his behavior.

“
Addie, you're mine to take care of. I'm not going to let you stay home alone in that rickety house of yours,” he challenged.

“Yours to take
care of?” I choked out.

“Yes
, mine!” he snapped.

“
Daimon, I realize you bought me, but you can’t seriously think you own me?” I seethed. I couldn’t believe the thought even crossed Daimon Evans’ mind.

“Addie,
we can work on the contract as many times as you want, but you are going to be my wife. Whereby being mine to care for. That's non-negotiable. Now you can go upstairs and take a shower, I'll get a shirt ready for you to sleep in,” he said as he went to the fridge to get a bottle of water. I stood there as my heart skipped a beat at hearing him. 

“
I told you I'm not sleeping with you,” I snapped.

“
Fine. I won't sleep on the king size bed where you and I wouldn’t even be able to touch each other because it's so big. I'll sleep on the couch,” he relented.

“Thank you,
” I breathed. My heart which had been pounding calmed down a little.

I headed upstairs
, passing the place where Daimon and I had sex. My belly began to flutter, knowing there was a part of me, which still wanted him. Today I had become engaged. Had it been with a man I loved this would have been a happy occasion and sex would most probably happen, but he wasn’t the man I wanted. He was the devil himself, slowing taking me down through the various stages of hell with him. The part which bothered me the most was, that a small part of me didn’t mind as much as it should.

I walked to the door next
to Daimon’s perfectly made up bed with its white and brown linens and stepped inside. I closed the door behind me and made sure I locked it by grabbing onto the pewter handle and pulling on it twice, yeah it was locked. With Daimon you never knew. The bathroom was the size of my bedroom at home. I stood in the middle on a small that carpet, which felt like silk against my feet. I looked at the large bathtub and was somewhat intrigued with its modern clean cuts and askew backrest. A small silver chandelier hung above it, the tiny lights barely lighting up the room. I inched closer to the double sinks that mimicked the tub and slowly turned on the water. A gentle flow of warm water cascaded down a waterfall faucet. I began to laugh thinking no one in the world needed so much. Like everything else in his home, Daimon’s bathroom was immaculate with its toiletries and towels perfectly placed. I slowly took off my dress, walked over to his large walk-in shower, and turned on the water.