Speak of the devil

"Oh, you're just saying that." blushed the man, baring his perfect white teeth in a smile.

"Who... What... How did you do that? With the dream? And..." asked Lauren, trying to sound intimidating but her shock and fear came through clearly as she blabbered.

"I was compelled to do so. You would not be talking to me otherwise." he explained, then he drank some milk from the carton. HER milk.

"Stop that! That's digusting!"

"Chill out, cupcake. I have a proposition for you that will most certainly be to your liking." said the visitor, and he closed the fridge.

"Oh my god, you're naked!" burst out Lauren as she saw her visitor in his full glory. And the fact of the matter was, it was a rather pleasant sight. He looked even better than in her dream. He was tall, well built, had a bronze tan and a sizeable equipment dangling near his knees.

"You have keen observation skills, princess."

"Who... What are you?" asked Lauren, slowly retreating towards the front door, planning an escape. Just in case.

"Take a look and decide for yourself." winked the man as he stepped out into the lit living room, approaching Lauren.

That was when Lauren noticed something extraordinary on the man. Something even more extraordinary than her rugged handsome look. He had two short, black horns on his forehead and a long tail swaying behind him as he moved closer and closer. The horns could have been fake, but no mortal man could ever wag a fake tail like that. And the dream. This... creature was real. "You're... you're a vampire?"

The man just slapped his forehead with his hand in dismay. "Yes... vampire... And these are my fucking fangs..." he flicked his horns while shaking his head. "Use your head, doll. I'm a..."

"A demon?" gasped Lauren as the realization hit her. It was safe to say, having a demonic guest was not part of her daily routine.

"Well... of sorts. You would call me an incubus. Though my sisters are more well-known to humans. And that brings us to my little proposition." grinned the man as he approached Lauren.

"Stay there! I'll... I'll call the police!" panicked Lauren, though she wasn't entirely sure how to explain this to the authorities. But his dashing looks and calm personality aside, he was still a naked stranger in her home. A naked stranger with horns and tail. A naked demon.

"Onto the subject." said the creature as he stopped and leaned on the back of the couch. "That little dream we shared a few moments ago, is not impossible to really happen."

Lauren thought back at the club filled with men, each more handsome than the last. And they were all looking at her with those longing stares. But it wasn't all THAT different from any other Friday night. "Hah! You think you can buy me with a few good-looking men? You think I'm that cheap? Is that it?"

"Actually, the people were irrelevant. The time, on the other hand. You see, the place was filled with your memories." explained the incubus.

"You're lying. I haven't been to that place before. I'd remember."

"No, you haven't. Not yet." he smiled and licked his lips. "But you will. About 30 years from now."

"What?"

"Those were memories from your future. Well, a possible future you can have."

Lauren tried to refresh her memories of the dream. The place did look rather modern. It wasn't overly futuristic, but heck, people still didn't have flying cars like how they had imagined 2015 in the past. It could have been the future, but she found the flaw. "That can't be. I saw myself in a mirror. I looked just like I do now. You demons know very little about how the woman mind works. Put a mirror in a crowded room, and ANY real women would find it within five minutes. Any who are worth a damn, that is."

"Precisely. On the contrary, my master knows exactly how the woman mind works. My proposition is quite simple: eternal beauty."

Lauren tried to object, but the sound of that quieted her down. "Go on."

"I see that peaked your curiousity." sneered the stranger. "You see, my master and his... rival like to play games. This little game of theirs rather frequently involves humans. That's where you come into the picture."

"His rival? You mean, God?" asked a confused Lauren. "Why isn't an angel visitting me then?"

"Aw, you are better off without a visit from the 'other party'. Believe you me, they are such downers. A real pain in the..." he shuddered as if from unpleasant memories. "As I was saying, their game involves humans. And you, my darling, are a potential candidate."

"Wait a minute. And who are you in all of this?" asked Lauren, looking at the demonic figure in front of her suspiciously.

"I represent my master." said the incubus, bowing his head.

"A lackey. Can't I speak directly to your master? Am I not important enough?" burst out Lauren angrily.

"Believe me, cupcake, you do not wish to meet my master." he chuckled.

"So I only get to deal with a lackey. That puts you bellow me. I'm the 'customer'. You are here to convince me. You are compelled to do whatever I say, am I right?" reasoned Lauren, using her limited knowledge of businesses.

The stranger heaved a long sigh of what appeared to be annoyance. "Yes, milady." he **** a smiled on his face.

"I'm gonna call you Horny, then. Is that okay with you."

"Whatever. Yes." nodded Horny.

"Yes what?"

"Yes, milady."

"Much better." giggled Lauren. Demons appeared to be so easy to manipulate. If his 'master' was anything like Horny, she would have eternal beauty in her pocket within a day. "So, what does this game entail?"

"You'll sign a contract, complete some meager tasks that shouldn't be too difficult for you, and get your just reward. Quite simple." he snapped his fingers and a long sheet of folded paper on top of a pedestral appeared out of thin air. "A drop of your blood, if you will."

"Woah, woah, woah! Slow down, Horny. That's a long contract. I need to read it."

"I beg your pardon, milady, but you don't have an eternity to read it... yet."

"I still need the details." insisted Lauren.

"What details, milady?"

"What would be my task?" she asked, suspicious of dealing with the devil but keen on getting the aforementioned prize.

"Seduction. Something, I'm sure you are familiar with... milady." sneered Horny, baring his teeth.

"Who am I seducing? I don't want to anger the wrong people."

"You are angering the wrong people at this very moment with your incessant questionings, you little..." muttered Horny under his breath. "Don't you worry, cupcake. I mean, milady. Nothing in the game would ever get back at you. Of that, I can assure you."

"And who pays for my travelling expenses if your 'target' is out of town? And what about my job? I can't just disappear for god knows how long to..."

"Everything is provided through the contract. Plus I'll be following your progress closely, in case you have... even more questions."

"So how does this work exactly?"

"You really need me to spell it all out for you? Fine." sighed Horny irritated. "Your part in the game would be to become a temporary succubus and seduce five unsuspecting targets. Don't worry, they try to pick targets that are... how do you say? Pleasing to the human eye."

"A demon? You want to turn me into a demon?" gasped a shocked Lauren.

"A temptress, yes. But only termporarily. A temporary temptress, heh..." laughed Horny.

"And after that, I return to normal? As a human? Not as a demoness? With my soul intact? No side effects?"

"Exactly. And you will have fulfilled your end of the contract and earned your due reward. Eternal beauty."

"How exactly does this benefit the De... I mean your 'master'?" asked Lauren, trying to get as much information before deciding as was possible.

"You don't have to worry your pretty little head with the moral of the game."

"But I WANT to know what the price is, if I am to help one of the parties."

"Your price, as I've said before, is eternal beauty..."

"No, no, no, no, no. What does HE gain from ME playing his silly little game?" she looked at Horny with her eyes narrowed, trying to see into his head.

"Fine. The point of these games is to show whether humans can be tempted or not. One side picks a group of potential candidates and the other picks certain individuals from them. These individuals are given a tempting proposal - like yours truly."

"And why pick me?"

"My master have a... particular taste. Good-looking humans are easier to tempt. Their vanity knows no bounds."

"Are you telling me... the devil finds me good-looking?" asked Lauren, giggling like a child.

"More or less, yes." shook his head Horny. Humans... "Their answer is a score for one of the teams. Satisfied?"

"Just that? No eternal darkness? No damnation of mankind?"

"Oh, you humans are so gullible. No, none of those things. My master and his rival are really best friends. They just have a different... understanding of things. Winner gets bragging rights, loser has to wear the shame hat for a decade. Players are left alone for the rest of their lives - however long that may take."

"So, I would be proving the weakness of humanity by accepting to play?"

"Does that bother you, darling?"

"In exchange for eternal beauty? Not one bit!" shrugged Lauren. "I'm sure there are others who even the score, right?"

"Hah, yes! Definitely! Loads of them, every time!" chuckled Horny.

"But there must have been some who accepted the 'prize'."

"A few..." said Horny, trying his damnest to keep a straight face.

"Like who? There are other immortal people running around?"

"Not everyone is offered the same prize. Riches, fame, company. Some even choose to stay, like I did. Do you want something else as your reward? It can still be changed and..."

"NO! I mean, no." smiled Lauren shyly. "But who have accepted such deals? Can't you just name a few?" That information could have ensured her future as the most successful person in the world. Beside being eternally beautiful, of course.

"I cannot reveal confidential information at this moment. But should you fulfill your contract, you would gain access to our... civil database. Is that satisfactory enough?"

It was, and the smile on her face revealed she thought so as well. "So, just to make it clear." she started, going through the contract step by step. "I give you a drop of my blood that you will ONLY use for the contract and not for other rituals, and then you make me into a TEMPORARY demon and give me my GOOD-LOOKING targets to seduce and NOT kill. After that, I get to be an ETERNALLY BEAUTIFUL HUMAN again with my SOUL INTACT, and live my life FREE of you? Is that all?"

"Precisely." nodded Horny.

Lauren's lips curled into a huge grin. "Show me where to bleed, then."

"On the dotted line." Horny led her to the pedestral and handed her a needle. "Right there."

Lauren pricked the tip of her finger with the needle and could see a storm brewing outside her windows. She looked at the little wound and the blood rushing to the surface, and hesitated for a moment. But then her dream returned to her mind and she proceeded to seal the deal. A drop of blood appeared on the dotted line, then the entire contract and pedestral vanished.

"Congratulations, milady. You are one step closer to eternal beauty."

"As it should be, Horny. As it should be." said Lauren, bursting into a maniacal laughter.

Little did she know she would soon regret not getting more details before signing the contract.