SATAN'S TRUTH: DINNER WITH THE DEVIL

CHAPTER ONE: FATED ENCOUNTER

"Do not say this oath if you are not one hundred percent sure; these words will bind your soul to mine for eternity. We will be connected in body and spirit forever."

Luci looked in his eyes, searching for any sign of hesitation or doubt.

"I am in love with you and will do anything to spend an eternity with you, my love. I am not scared; you are what I have waited for all my life. My existence would be meaningless without you," replied Nicholas as he cups her face in his hands and kisses her.

Luci smiled, looking at Nicholas, her eyes gleaming with happiness.

"Very well then speak the words on the papyrus, my love."

"I, Nicholas Palmieri, take Lucifer Asherah Morningstar as my soulmate and eternal lover and partner. I swear my undying loyalty to her, and I bind my soul to hers and the hell dimension for all eternity."

There was thunder, and the papyrus he was holding caught on fire and burned up.

"It is done, I am yours, and you are mine; we will rule hell together, my king."

"All hail the queen and king of hell," the entities present began to chant as she kisses him again.

Luci summons a portal, Nicholas looked into her eyes and held her hand. And as they were about to walk through it, a figure appeared in front of the portal, accompanied by lightning and thunder obstructing their way. Which created a force that pushed Luci and Nicholas back? All the entities present murmured in fear and fell to the ground covering their faces in submission.

"Yahweh?" whispered Luci in horror.

"You sully yourself with this mortal? This marriage is a declaration of war; now I see there is no redemption for you, Asherah."

"You have no right to threaten her; she owes you nothing."

"You defend her mortal? Do you not know the woman you have bound your soul to? I spent countless lifetimes with her, I too loved her and sort her redemption but to no avail." said Yahweh as he looked at Luci who held Nicholas's arm firmly. Soon you shall see her for what she is, and you will run."

"I will never abandon her, unlike you, I love her!"

"Oh, we shall see," said Yahweh as he disappeared. Nicholas turns to Luci and holds her in his arms.

"My love, I fear this is the beginning of another war," said Luci as she looks up at him.

***

*Six *months* earlier *

Nicholas banged the alarm turning it off, the glaring red dots reading 5 am. He was already on probation at work because the editor- in- chief had it out for him. It was Monday, the most dreadful day of the week and he had work in a few hours. He rushed to shower, got dressed, made breakfast, and began finishing up his magazine company's project. He looked at his wristwatch frustrated; time had passed. He began to scramble and rushed to finish getting ready and leave for work. Nicholas was a handsome Italian man; with light brown eyes, looking into them felt like staring into beautiful pools of honey. He had moved to America three years ago to become a writer after he graduated from university. He exited his one-bedroom apartment and made his way to the elevator and exited the building. He usually took the blue bus from the bus stop not too far from his apartment complex to the train station when going to work. He began walking towards the bus stop; it was 7:33 am. He observed the road traffic, so he avoided driving to work in New York; he easily got aggravated and frustrated by the tedious hassle of getting to work. The bus stop was on the other side of the road; he waited for the cars to pass until he was clear and proceeded to cross the road. Suddenly a car came racing towards him, and it moved at such speed that he thought he was going to be hit; he stood frozen, shocked; the driver stepped on the brake, and the car came to a screeching stop. Nicholas fell, people stopped walking, and some others stopped driving and parked their cars to watch the scene.

The car door opened, and a woman stepped out and rushed towards him.

"Oh my, I am so sorry."

"What in the world has possessed you to drive in such a way knowing just how congested New York is-"

He looked up to see the woman who was standing over him. Before he could complete his sentence; he was dumbfounded; she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She wore a blue short-sleeved dress, which teased her cleavage but did not show off too much. She had dark brown bronzed skin with a golden tint to it, with enchanting green eyes. Staring into them felt like being placed under a spell, her gaze very bewitching. Her lips were coated with blood-red lipstick, and she rocked a black pixie haircut. She smelled so beautiful that her scent had Nicholas lost in a trance.

"I am so deeply sorry, Sir, I was in such a hurry. I am sorry, are you bleeding?"

Nicholas could not speak; he was so captivated and enthralled by her beauty that he just stared at her.

"Sir? Can you move at all? Let me help you to your feet. I need to take you to the hospital to ensure you haven't suffered any serious injuries or internal bleeding."

Nicholas snapped out of the trance he was under.

"I'm good, miss, it's ok."

He got up and picked up his satchel.

"I insist you let me take you to a doctor to ensure you are ok."

"It is ok, your apology is enough; be careful not to drive in such a manner moving forward. You could really hurt someone."

"What's your name, sir?"

“I am Nicholas.”

"Will you join me for dinner tonight, Nicholas? It will be my treat. It is the least I could do."

CHAPTER TWO: NEW ROADS

"Sure, miss, that's truly kind, and what's your name?"

"I am Luci," she smiled at Nicholas and opened her purse, and took out a card, and handed it to him.

"Call me. Does 8 pm work for you?"

"Yes," said Nicholas as he saw the bus arriving.

"That's my ride," said Nicholas pointing at the bus.

"See you later," said Luci as she got in her car and drove away.

Nicholas let out a sigh of relief as he got on the bus and sat down; he took out the card she gave him, which he had put in his pocket. The card was black; he held it and read it. Written in red ink on the card was "Lucifer Asherah Morningstar" and a telephone number.

"This is a rather odd name for such a gorgeous woman, " he thought to himself.

"Why would a woman as beautiful and rich as she asks him out on a date? She probably felt terrible about almost running him over; still, it was a sweet gesture on her part."

He was a struggling writer and she seemed so glamorous, Nicholas was unsure if to take her up on her offer for dinner. He was curious about the beautiful green-eyed stranger with an even stranger name who almost killed him. He got off the bus and went into the train station and took the train to work.

He arrived at the magazine company's office and went to his cubicle to prepare for his presentation.

"You are late," said one of his coworkers as he approached his cubicle.

"Come on, Andrew, I had an issue while I was on my way, which caused me to be delayed."

"Hurry up then, the board is ready to hear your presentation in the conference room they are waiting on you.”

Nicholas got his notes and laptop out of his suitcase and hurried to the conference room. He greeted the board and went on to set up his laptop and presentation slides. He turned on his laptop, but it immediately crashed and went off. Nicholas went into panic mode; this was the wrong time and so bizarre because this laptop was new. The board members began to look at him and whisper; Andrew held his face in embarrassment.

"I am sorry, I am experiencing some technical difficulties."

He attempted to turn on his laptop to no avail.

"Well, we have other meetings to attend. It would help if you had been better prepared for this presentation, Mr. Palmieri, knowing the importance of this," said one of the board members as they all got up and left.

Nicholas returned to his cubicle; he was devastated and disappointed.

"I am sorry, Nicholas but clean out your cubicle; you are fired," said Stacy, the editor in chief, as she approached his cubicle.

He bowed his head in frustration and disappointment and proceeded to clean out his cubicle and left headed back home to sulk. He stopped at a liquor store to purchase alcohol. He finally arrived home, turned on the tv, and sat on his couch, and drank. He fell asleep watching tv and awoke after a few hours; he had missed calls from some of his friends, Takeshi, Mark, and Miranda. He would return their calls later; he was not in the mood to entertain or talk to anyone. He goes to the kitchen to get something to eat, and on the counter next to his keys, he notices the card the beautiful woman had given him earlier that day. He had forgotten that he had agreed to dinner with her tonight. Now that he was unemployed, he needed a distraction from the disappointment that was his life; perhaps the beautiful stranger could offer some pleasurable distractions. He grabs his phone and dials the number on the card; the call rang for a while, then finally she picked up.

"Hello, is this Luci? It is Nicholas; we met earlier today."

"Oh, how could I forget? I almost killed you with my car."

Nicholas laughed.

"Well, thank God you didn't,"

Luci giggled.

"Are you still down for dinner tonight?"

"Definitely"

"Nice, I’ll have my chauffeur pick you up at 7.30 pm; we will be dining at my place. I hope you enjoy seafood; expect a call or text from him soon."

"Sounds fun."

The call ended.

CHAPTER THREE: AT FIRST SIGHT

He looked at his wristwatch, and it was 3 pm. It was still early, and he had time. His phone rang, and it was Mark; he picked up the call.

"Dude, what is going on? I have been blowing up your phone trying to talk to you. I wanted to grab lunch with you."

"Sorry, I fell asleep; I am at home; I got fired today. So, I have been down and drinking since I got home."

He brought out his laptop from his satchel.

"Damn, I'm sorry about that; what happened?"

"The entire day was a disaster; first, I almost got run over by a gorgeous, strange woman. And then I get to work, and my new laptop crashes, ruining my presentation resulting in my being fired. Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong."

Then his laptop came on; "that is very strange."

"What is?"

"My laptop is working again as though nothing is wrong with it."

"You know technology sometimes falters; it is nothing to worry about. The upside is almost getting killed by a beautiful stranger. Have you had lunch?"

"Not yet. I am about to make some."

"Just get dressed, let us go out. Remember that bar I was telling you about? Well, they have amazing food and serve nice alcohol, let us go chill, and we can catch up some more."

"Ok, I'm on my way right now."

He grabbed his keys and left.

***

Nicholas arrived at the bar, and he and Mark ordered food and drinks.

"How is your new book going?"

"I am still working on it; it is almost ready for publication; I have that to look forward to."

While they were eating, Nicholas got a text from Luci's chauffeur, confirming the time to pick him up.

"Why are you smiling like you just won millions of dollars?"

"Well, if you must know, remember the beautiful stranger that almost ran me over this morning, well she invited me to dinner, and I shall be gracing her with my presence."

"What? And you were holding out on me? This is too good, at least you will have fun, what does she look like, give me something to think about."

"She is beautiful, you perv that is all you need to know. What of you and Miranda, could not help but notice just how jealous and protective you got when that drunk guy kept pushing up on her last weekend."

"No, don't make this about Miranda and me; you are the one in the hot seat. And Miranda is just a friend, I mean she is beautiful, smart, and kind. Any man would be lucky to have her, but yeah, she is just my friend."

"Right, ok, if you say so" Nicholas looked at his wristwatch; it was already 5:35 pm.

"I have to go get ready; this was nice, bro, take care."

"So, you are abandoning your homie for a pretty face? No problem anytime, brother, don't do anything I wouldn't do," teased Mark as Nicholas got up and left.

Nicholas got flowers for Luci on his way home; when he arrived at his apartment, he played Marvin Gaye's hit song "sexual healing"; he took a hot shower, shaved, and got dressed. His phone rang, and it was Luci's chauffeur, he was already waiting downstairs for Nicholas. It was 7:29 pm. He went downstairs with the flowers he had purchased earlier, and a tall weird looking man stood Infront of a red limo. He wore a suit and a hat; he was freakishly tall; he was about six feet nine inches with intense blue eyes and ashen ivory skin. He sent chills down Nicholas's spine; the chauffeur was menacing.

"Are you Mr. Nicholas Palmieri?" asked the chauffeur.

"Yes, I am."

"Pleasure, I am Asmodeus; I will be taking you to my mistress's home," said Asmodeus as he held open the limo's door, and Nicholas got in. Asmodeus got in the driver's seat and began to drive; there were champagne and glasses. Nicholas helped himself; whoever this woman was, was remarkable, such grand and impressive gestures just for dinner. If he had not known better, he would have thought he was being taken to dine with an important dignitary. He was genuinely curious about her; he knew of every socialite in New York, given that he worked for the magazine, and it was part of his job to know everyone who was anyone in the city. He had never heard of a Luci Morningstar; perhaps she was new to town or just very private. It was improbable that such a beautiful and wealthy woman was in New York, and no one had heard about her ever before. She indeed was an exciting mystery to him.

CHAPTER FOUR: SHOCKING TRUTHS

The limo pulled up to a beautiful gate; the house was magnificent, with beautiful lights that lit up the compound. The gates opened, and the driver drove in, the car stopped in front of the house, and Asmodeus got out and opened the door for him; he stepped out.

"Go in, she awaits you," said Asmodeus pointing towards the house; he got in the limo and drove off. Nicholas walked towards the front door, and it opened; a butler, another man, greeted him. He was much shorter and a bit older.

"Welcome, sir, we have been expecting you, come with me."

The butler led the way into the house.

The main room was breathtaking, with a massive chandelier that illuminated the wall's exquisite designs and patterns. There was a lot of art hanging on the walls; they were very disturbing. The paintings illustrated torment, darkness, suffering, and pain in all their troubling forms. Nicholas found it very unsettling, but beautiful. Her house was like a museum, they arrived at a door, and the butler opened it. Sitting on a chaise lounge chair was Luci; she got up as soon as the door opened. She wore a red sequence gown that glittered; the gown was form-fitting and outlined her slender but curvy silhouette. Her dark brown skin glowed as lights bounced off its smooth surface. There was a massive fireplace, a table with two vintage Victorian chairs. And a chaise black lounge chair; there was also a red grand piano that sat at the room's corner.

"Nicholas, welcome, I'm glad you made it; thank you, Ornias," said Luci; the butler bowed and left.

"The pleasure is all mine, your home is lovely, and you look beautiful," said Nicholas as he handed the flowers, he had bought to her.

"Why, thank you, kind sir, sit with me."

She took the bouquet and placed them in a vase and led him to the two chairs and table, he pulled out her chair for her, and she sat down.

"I guess gentlemen are not a dying breed after all."

Luci smiled as she watched Nicholas sit down opposite her.

There was a champagne bottle on the table.

"Do you indulge in alcohol," asked Luci, pointing at the bottle.

"I do."

Luci reached for the bottle, but Nicholas stopped her and took the bottle from her.

"Let me," said Nicholas as he opened and poured the drink into his wine glass and hers.

"A toast to not running you over this morning," said Luci smiling.

"Cheers, I’ll drink to that," said Nicholas as their glasses clinked together.

"Are you Italian, Nicholas? With your accent and the last name Palmieri, I assume you are."

"You are right; I am Italian."

"So, tell me about yourself, Nicholas, what brought you to America? And what do you do for a living?"

"Writing, I wanted to share my gift with the world."

"And did you?"

"Did I what?" replied Nicholas as he was lost in thought once more. Her every word seemed like an offer of seduction. Her full lips inviting and tempting; he was so smitten with her in a way he had not been before. This woman awakened things in him, she excited him in ways that shamed his previous lovers.

"Share your gifts with the world?"

Luci smiled at him.

"I try to; I am currently working on publishing my book," answered Nicholas regaining his composure and trying not to let his overwhelming desire for Luci be too apparent.

"Hmm, I look forward to reading it."

"What of you, Luci? I have never heard of you before. Are you new to town?"

"Yes, I am I have been here for just a few weeks."

"What brings you to town?"

"I am here in search of truth and a second chance at redemption."

"Interesting."

He could not stop looking at her; she was breathtakingly mesmerizing, she wore emerald earrings with a choker neckpiece to match, and that gorgeous red gown she had on that enviously hugged her body and held her breasts so firmly in place. Her hair cut, beautiful finger waves that flattered her defined bone structure and cheekbones. Glowing ebony skin, almost like liquid chocolate, he hungered to taste her. Those forest green eyes of hers were fascinating; shiny jewels staring back at him. They were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He thought to himself if she had a partner, a boyfriend, or husband even.

"Are you in town by yourself? Surely a woman as lovely as you probably has a husband or a partner?"

"No, no husband or partner, I am divorced, and I have been on my own for a while now."

He was relieved to hear that she was single; he looked around the room and saw a painting hanging on the wall.

"May I?" said Nicholas pointing at the painting.

"Sure."

CHAPTER FIVE: DREADING

He got up and went to get a closer look at the painting. It depicted an Angel bleeding with broken wings in a desolate and barren background, kneeling under a tree; the facial expression and the entire demeanor of the being were that of melancholia.

"Your art, it is disconcerting; I see, you are a collector?"

Luci got up, holding her glass of champagne, and walked and stood beside him in front of the painting.

"Are you religious, Nicholas?"

"Not really, but I am familiar with religious stories."

"Then you know it's the depiction of the morning star's fall from grace. God's abandonment of his beloved Angel, and the aftermath of being exiled from heaven?" explained Luci with heaviness and sadness reflected in her eyes.

"God's abandonment? But the Morningstar betrayed God, he committed the crime of hubris which resulted in his exile from heaven, it is a very disturbing but beautiful painting."

Nicholas looked at her.

"Lucifer Morningstar, such a strange name for a gorgeous woman, is that truly your name?"

"It is truly my name; I get that a lot, people being weirded out by my name,"

Luci smiled back at him.

"Your parents named you after the fallen Angel, from the Christian bible. Wow, fascinating, you are an intriguing woman Luci."

The door opened, and the butler Ornias came in.

"Sorry to interrupt, but dinner is ready, my queen."

"Oh yummy, bring it in."

The butler clapped his hands, and a trolley with a tray filled with food was wheeled into the room by two men. They kept it next to the table in the room and bowed and left.

"Queen? Have I been in the company of royalty this whole time and wasn't made aware? Who exactly are you?"

Luci smiled; "you ask a lot of questions."

"I am a journalist, you know, call it a writer's curiosity."

They both sat down, Luci sipped from her wine glass then proceeded to serve herself some food. He wondered what exactly she did for a living, or maybe she was truly a queen, perhaps from Africa, he thought to himself.

"Aren't you hungry, Nicholas?" asked Luci to Nicholas, who was looking intensely at her.

"Here, let me help you."

She put food on his plate and served him.

"Thank you, you still haven't answered my question. Why are you addressed as 'queen,' and where are you from?"

"I promise I will answer all your questions, but you must eat first."

Nicholas began eating, and after a while, Luci spoke.

"Hell."

"Excuse me?"

He stopped eating and looked at her.

"I am the Queen of Hell."