That Damn Imp Ch. 01

"These Abbasid gold dinars have been in my client's collection for some time," he offered, opening the case to reveal the dozen Middle Eastern coins. Each was ensconced in its own individual, protective case, all of which were nestled in dips in thick, soft foam. "Appraisers have attested to their authenticity, based on both metallurgy and translation of the Kufic script. Of course, your establishment has a reputation for a discerning eye for quality and value, so I opted to bring them here."

"Well, you don't come across these coins every day, even in my profession." Carefully, she took one coin out of its protective case, after having donned gloves. She examined it under the magnifier. She already knew it was gold from just the feel of it, but that was a demonic ability, and naturally, one she couldn't simply advertise to her customers. She couldn't make her job look too easy, after all, and humans liked their certifications. Silly paperwork, but she could understand its necessity.

"You were told the truth. These coins are authentic, and are of definite value. I can offer you five thousand dollars for the lot." She loved haggling, and coin and pawn dealers did quite a bit of it.

"Even on the low end of their estimated value, these go for nearly twice that. And as you've surely seen for yourself, these are in excellent condition for their age. I feel that eleven thousand is a much fairer price to be asked for these coins." Malcolm replied evenly.

"You've done your research, hmm? I'll go for six."

"If I were to accept such a price, my client would be greatly insulted. Ten thousand, for a dozen of these coins, is a fair investment."

"Do recall that I run a shop. I need to make profit off this. However, I'll be fair and go up to sixty-eight hundred."

"You drive a hard bargain, madame. I certainly can see why you have such a reputation. My client is eager to spend his money, so let's say nine thousand."

"Seventy-five hundred."

"Eighty-five."

"Eighty."

"Eighty-four."

"Eighty-two." Koshka rested her chin on her hand, regarding him with a faint smile.

"I hope you enjoy your coins. I'm sure you will get more enjoyment out of them than my client did."

Koshka nodded briefly before she rose to her feet. He handed over the suitcase, having no further need of it. She raised her eyebrow a bit at this gesture, and inwardly, Puck panicked for a moment, wondering if he should ask for it back. His face remained calm, almost deadpan, and Koshka took the suitcase and set it aside before walking past him. "The receipts are up front, would your client prefer cash or a check?" Her skirt brushed against his shoulder, and he caught a faint whiff of her perfume, smiling to himself before he rose to his feet and followed her outside the room.

"I feel I've been quite generous in accepting your offer, Ms. Dengiov. Perhaps, you'll allow me one, final condition before we sign anything. Allow me to use this windfall to treat you to dinner. I find it's the ideal way to truly finalize such an agreement."

"I thought you were selling this for a client," Koshka replied. Fortunately, Puck had dome quite a bit of studying, and he'd spent enough time among the humans through the ages to pick up on their habits.

"Yes, but I receive a commission." Nice save, Puck told himself when he saw Koshka raise her eyebrow again, this time in understanding.

"My, is this my lucky day?" she asked with the hint of a flirtatious smile. She turned from him to get the cash and make out the receipt. He drummed his fingers very lightly along the edge of the counter. So far, so good. In fact, better than good. He could practically taste her desire for him. She was like a cat in hear, and though he certainly wanted to stir Koshka up, he honestly hadn't expected her to fall for him this hard.

As he ruminated on the effectiveness of his persona, he caught her glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. He offered her a slight, vague smile, instead of the puckish grin he might have offered in the past.

Koshka pulled out the necessary paperwork, taking a deep breath before she turned back to him. Why did she desire him so much? There was no magic around him, not that some silly love charm or spell would work on her, anyway. Hmm. Facing him, she counted out eighty-two crisp hundred-dollar bills before placing it all in a manila envelope. The gold coins she'd just bought would make a nice addition to her stash, and was much more valuable to her than American paper money. Not that the currency didn't have its uses...

"So, what did you have in mind?" she asked, Dinner with Malcolm... already she knew what she would wear... provided that Malcolm gave her the proper response Would he be more generous or stingy with his commission?

"Hmm. How do you feel about Mediterranean cuisine? There's a lovely bistro downtown that comes to mind. Mostly Italian, Greek and Moroccan main dishes, but the menu is rather diverse. And luck has nothing to do with it. We're merely concluding a successful business transaction." Something about the hint of a smile on his lips suggested that Malcolm was hoping for more than that.

"Sounds grand. How about I close up early tonight? Dinner at say, 6-ish,. Unless you have to work?" she asked, trying to appear casual while inside she was practically flipping heads over heels for him. He looked damn good in his suit, and she was sure he would look just as good out of it. "Well aren't you eager?" he quipped, his smile becoming just a bit more pronounced. "Six works just fine. Where shall I pick you up?"

"Right here, unless you'd rather not roll your car in this neighborhood," she teased.

"Roll my car?" his eyebrows quirked slightly. "I will be here at 6:00 sharp, Ms. Dengiov. It has been a pleasure doing business with you. Now, shall we complete that paperwork so I can be on my way?" He asked the question teasingly, the corner of his mouth still curved with a hint of a smile. It was as if he was suggesting that she didn't want him to leave.

"Oh, are you in a hurry?" she shot back casually as she put the papers together and showed him where to sign, her fingers lightly brushing against his as she handed him a pen.

"I never hurry when I am having a pleasant time," he replied casually, filling out the forms in a flowing, old-fashioned cursive. When their hands touched he looked up from his work, catching her eye. When he returned the pen, he pointedly held it so she'd have to touch more of his hand, and touch it longer, to take it. "Unless, of course, I see something I like. Then I hurry to make it mine," though he kept his tone casually, his pointed glance with the comment could only really mean one thing.

"Oh, is that so? I am afraid that I am not one of these people that... becomes 'yours'." She smiled at him. Her fingers slid along his as she tugged the pen out of his grip. "You will find that I am quite the handful to deal with, Mr. Allaway. But if you're game... then I am." She exuded wisdom and confidence, but then she was an ages-old demon who had plenty of experience in dealing with men. If not overgrown imps... She blinked and pulled her focus back to the transaction. The receipts now signed, she handed him the envelope. Malcolm took the money and slid it into the inside pocket of his jacket.

"Oh, I have no interest in a woman that is content to be a... trophy. Now one that's a handful..." he grinned, "you have my attention. We'll see how things go at dinner tonight, hmm?" He slid a business card out of his wallet, sliding it across the counter, his hand lingering on the card. His eyes met hers again as he felt the tips of her fingers make contact with his own.

"It has been a true pleasure to make your acquaintance. I look forward to furthering it tonight." Was it just his imagination, or did he detect a faint blush of her cheeks? Looking down at her hand, he took a gamble and took gentle hold of her fingers, guiding her hand up so that he could lean his head down and lightly brush his lips against her knuckles. Judging from the quickening of her pulse he sensed, he let her hand linger for a moment longer in his before he released his hold.

"I am sure the pleasure will be mine, Mr. Allaway," Koshka replied, the faintest hint of a purr to her voice. He felt a shiver of pleasure pass along his spine before he forced himself to turn away from her and walk towards the door. Just before he exited, he looked over his shoulder at her one last time, drinking in the sight of her, their eyes making contact. There was a faint smile on her lips, and she lifted her hand, wiggling her fingers in a friendly good-bye gesture. At that, he smiled, returning her wave with a light swipe through the air before he left the store.

Puck was tempted to do a victory dance, to pump his fist through the air, to do a cartwheel or let out a loud whoop or... well, just about anything a person would do when happy and excited about something.

He spent much of his time around humans, and was familiar with many of their ways. There were different ways to court a woman, and he'd been prepared to exercise some patience with Koshka. His original plan was to simply encounter her a few times on a professional basis, with various coins from his stash, obtained through various deals or payments in the past. He didn't have much use for money personally, but recognized its value in this world, and having spare gold lying around certainly helped. Malcolm's 'client' would have more to offer Koshka... and now Malcolm was going to offer more than that, sooner than he had expected.

Not that Puck minded, of course. He'd been prepared to take it slow, and familiarize himself with Koshka before trying to move beyond a business relationship. Now they would have dinner together! His lips spread into a very Puckish grin as he strode down the sidewalk before turning around the corner, disappearing into the thin air.

o0o

Well, that was a lot of fun to write. Hope it was just as fun for you to read! Feedback – love it, crave it, and draw inspiration and sustenance from it. Seriously, reviews are my lifeblood.

I'd like to reply to a couple of comments. ForeverACharmedOne, thanks so much! And Madame Thome, your comments about the spiders made me LOL. Now I can't help but imagine Koshka as one of these terrifying huge spiders from Australia. (warning, guys, do NOT Google for images of this unless you want a healthy dose of NOPENOPENOPE and/or nightmare fuel. Seriously!)