 
### Incubus Chocolatier

Beware this demonic cupid's arrows...

By KuroKoneko Kamen

Copyright 2015 by KuroKoneko Kamen

Cover Design by Kyoux

Smashwords Edition, License notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or give away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction. All characters are invented. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

### Chapter 1: Smooth White

Tristan Savant, chocolatier of _Dark Heaven_ , was on top of the world. It couldn't get any better than this for a single, twenty-three-year-old man - owning his very own chocolate shop that attracted a delectable assortment of young women. Being a chocolatier was the best job. _And nothing can beat this view._ Tristan thought as he stood behind the display case, which was filled with dozens of different kinds of chocolate bonbons, while observing his shop.

Several beautiful women were seated at the round tables enjoying tea, coffee and chocolate bonbons that had been served on antique porcelain. The chairs that the women were seated upon were also antiques and had soft, velvet cushions. The most unique feature of the chairs was the pair of white, feathery wings that had been attached to the backs. Some of his other customers were browsing around the shop and checking out the store's merchandise. There was a wide selection of pre-boxed chocolates, mugs filled with chocolates, and boxes of tea and chocolate combinations. Tristan wanted his customers to feel like the angels they were. A few of the women noticed Tristan watching them and batted their eyelashes at him.

Tristan was currently filling a gold bag with a half pound of small, heart-shaped chocolates for one of his female customers. On the surface _Dark Heaven_ appeared to be a normal, run-of-the-mill chocolate shop, but that was only until a woman would bite into one of Tristan's bonbons. She would moan with utter delight as tingles ran up and down her spine, and heat pooled between her legs.

The chocolate shop _Dark Heaven_ had a dirty little secret.

Its owner and chocolatier wasn't human, but an incubus or sex demon. Well, half-incubus to be entirely accurate. Tristan's mother was a succubus who'd seduced Tristan's father Adrian Savant while the man had been sleeping...or perhaps half-awake.

Because of his dark heritage Tristan _needed_ sex in order to survive. During intercourse he would feed from the sexual energies a woman produced. He was a little like a vampire in that respect - those mysterious creatures of the night that fed on human blood and that had so many stories written about them.

Since Tristan was only half-incubus he didn't need to have sex everyday in order to survive, but had to have sex at minimum once a week. If he went longer than one week without sex he would begin to weaken...and would eventually die.

Tristan knew this because he'd once tried to refrain from having sex for eight days, and had almost died as a result. Thanks to a young woman, who was now a friend of his, he'd been saved. Her name was Carmen Rodriguez, and she was a pianist and singer. It had been a close call and he shuddered at the mere remembrance.

As a result of Tristan needing sex with women in order to survive he'd decided to open up a chocolate shop. After all women loved chocolate. And maybe women even liked chocolate more than sex. A survey made in the UK with more than two thousand women showed that women prefer chocolate to sex, wine, and cosmetics.

According to the statistics, 33% of the women dreamed of chocolate during the day, while only 18% thought about sex. As for men, it was discovered that 60% of them thought about sex while only 11% of them thought about chocolate during the day.

It was pretty obvious that women enjoyed chocolate. But Tristan wondered what would happen when the two were combined? Sex and Chocolate. Fireworks.

For this very reason Tristan knew the shop would attract young, single women to him and that they would flock to his shop in _droves_ , unwittingly falling into his dark, perverted clutches.

One bite into one of Tristan's chocolates and no woman would be able to resist his charms. They would be overcome with a primal lust. The secret to Tristan's chocolates was that they contained a powerful aphrodisiac. And this aphrodisiac was - get ready for it - actually Tristan's own _spit_. Yep, Tristan's spit was a powerful aphrodisiac that drove women wild with sexual need and desire. For instance, one French kiss from the chocolatier would have the same affect on a woman as an actual aphrodisiac.

Because Tristan's chocolates made women feel sexual desire, and some of his chocolates even had the ability to bring a woman to orgasm, Tristan had become an urban legend of sorts in New York City and had gained several nicknames: The Chocolate Sex God, The Chocolate Sex Guru, and the Demonic Cupid.

Tristan finished filling and weighing the bag of chocolate before handing it to the pretty brunette in front of him. "Here you go, Miss. That will be fifteen dollars and ninety-three cents."

"Thank you." The brunette said as she handed Tristan a twenty-dollar bill. "Keep the change, Loverboy." She winked the chocolatier's way before she turned around and sashayed out of the shop.

A smug expression formed on Tristan's face as he gazed at all of the horny young women who were currently in his shop nibbling on chocolate and eyeing him like a piece of meat...or chocolate.

The chocolatier ran a hand back through his silky hair in a pensive gesture. He'd just opened up for the day but he was feeling a little turned on already. Morning wood. Go figure. Tristan decided he could grab a few girls, head on up to his room for some fun, kinky times and take a twenty, no, one hour long break before returning to attend to his other customers. He was sure his customers would understand since it wasn't like he hadn't done something like this before. In fact, the girls here expected and anticipated it even. _Yep, my life is perfect._

Tristan was about to hop over the counter and do just that, when-

He felt a strong grip on his shoulder stopping him. _Doh._ Tristan turned to see none other than Michael. Michael's appearance from the kitchen caused a few of the girls to go wild and blurt out random comments. "Eeee! It's Michael!" "Hey Michael!" "Who's he?" "The new assistant chocolatier, duh." "Michael, I love you!"

Yep, Tristan's life _had_ been perfect - until Michael.

Tristan had been handling the shop all by himself until last Valentine's Day when his friends had discovered him unceremoniously passed out on the kitchen floor. After that they'd stubbornly insisted that Tristan get someone to help him out at the shop. His friends had recommended Michael to become his assistant chocolatier and Tristan had naïvely agreed.

Tristan looked Michael over. He was wearing his new chocolatier uniform that consisted of a white, double-breasted jacket with two rows of black buttons going down the front, a red neckerchief, black pants, a long, chocolate-colored apron and a pair of dress shoes. Tristan wore a similar jacket, but with a dark blue neckerchief, black pants, a black apron instead of brown, and Italian dress shoes.

Michael was looking handsome and slick in his chocolatier outfit...not that Tristan swung that way or anything, but he could appreciate another man's good looks (he was an incubus after all). Michael had wavy, shoulder-length, blonde hair, golden-brown eyes, bronzed skin, and chiseled features. He was taller than Tristan at six-five whereas Tristan was six-three. Michael also had a more muscular physique than Tristan who was more lithe.

Tristan frowned at the women's response to Michael's appearance. It wasn't that Tristan felt challenged by Michael's good looks...

Michael wasn't even human. In fact, Michael was a straight-laced Archangel in disguise. Well, he _claimed_ to be Tristan's guardian angel. But the angel had already let the cat of the bag about the real reason why he'd wanted to work at _Dark Heaven,_ and that was that Michael felt Tristan needed supervision due to his sinful ways.

Tristan wasn't stingy with his admirers and wouldn't have minded having a threesome with the guy, but unfortunately Michael was a complete goody-two-shoes. A real stick in the chocolate. A prude. The list went on.

For some crazy reason, Michael didn't like it that Tristan had so much sex. Well, sex with a different girl each time and never with the same girl. Tristan preferred one-night stands. He didn't want to _make love_ to women; he just wanted to fuck them. And Michael kept trying to convince Tristan to pick one girl and get into a serious relationship with her. _Crazy angel_.

"And where do you think you're going, Boss?" Michael growled in a low voice.

Tristan turned to give Michael an innocent look. "Nowhere...apparently." Michael let go of Tristan's shoulder. The Archangel kept an annoyingly close watch on Tristan and had known exactly what the chocolatier had been up to, which is why he'd put a stop to it.

_That was just mean, man._ Tristan pouted mentally. He supposed that he'd just have to deal with the feeling of his aching erection pressing against his tight, silk pants for the rest of the workday. _Damn._ Luckily, his apron hid his obvious boner.

Michael crossed his arms over his chest as he continued to watch Tristan serve customers. His expression turned suspicious and he frowned when Tristan began to act as though everything were normal and under control.

Tristan ignored him. He was so hard...every movement he made caused his cock to rub against the inside of his pants and Tristan was barely able to hide a shudder. The friction was making his erection throb and it was turning into a delicious, bittersweet pain.

As a result, Tristan's pheromones began to leak from his pores uncontrollably. The scent of spicy oranges and dark chocolate began to waft through the shop and drifted to the noses of the female clientele. The women breathed in deep, and trembled with desire. Some even fainted.

Michael's eyes widened when he realized what was going on and he reached out to grab Tristan's shoulder again before squeezing it painfully. Tristan hissed at the sensation. At this point any kind of physical contact felt divine even if it was from a stubborn, _male_ angel. "Tristan, do try to control yourself. You're affecting the women."

"I...can't help it...I'm hard..." Tristan whined petulantly. "If you'd just let me grab one of these girls and head up to my room I could-"

"No. No way." Michael shook his head, his expression adamant. "No more meaningless romps in the hay. Go take care of yourself in the bathroom."

"Romp in the hay? No one says that anymore, man." Tristan gave Michael a look of disbelief as the last part of what he'd said sunk in, "You mean _alone_?" He gave the angel a dismayed look.

Michael just raised his eyebrow at the chocolatier.

"What about a toy or two?" Tristan ventured to ask. _Hey, if you don't ask you don't receive._

The Archangel's eyebrow twitched. "No toys. Just go!" Michael steered Tristan to the bathroom with both hands on Tristan's shoulders, shoved him inside, and slammed the door shut.

Tristan sighed as he looked down at the bulge in his pants. He took his apron off, tossed it aside, unbuttoned his pants, slid down the zipper, and reached inside his boxers to grab his erection. The incubus pulled it out and began to stroke it. "Ahhh..." A groan left his lips. He pictured the women inside of his shop with their lustful gazes, hungry looks, and nipples straining against their lacy bras and sheer shirts. He gripped himself harder and picked up the pace. He bit his lower lip to stifle his grunts. _So good._ And then he was coming...jetting semen, and aiming at the open toilet bowl. _Whoa._ He thought as he watched the seemingly endless stream hit the bowl. He had a lot pent up. It had almost been like taking a piss.

Tristan felt a little weak afterwards instead of being strengthened by his sexual activity, however. This was because he'd just _expelled_ sexual energy - not received it. He needed to get laid...and soon. But with Michael watching him like a hawk, things were getting desperate. Well, if Michael wouldn't let him sleep with one of his customers, his next best bet was...a bridesmaid.

Yep, a bridesmaid. Tristan had a wedding to go to tomorrow and it wasn't just any wedding either. It was the wedding of his two friends Joan Simone and Dante Cromwell. Joan happened to be the reincarnation of Joan of Arc and was currently working as a waitress at an Irish pub called _Dullahan's_. That's where she'd met Dante, who was working there as a bartender.

Formerly, Dante had been a demon known as Duke Dantalion. He was human now. It was a long story. But Dante had been awakened on Earth in order to await Satan's orders and the Apocalypse; only he'd chosen to be with Joan instead. Tristan had also learned that Dante had been Joan's lover in her past life. Actually, Dante had been the reason God had forsaken Joan of Arc and she'd been burned at the stake. She'd fallen in love with the demon commander whom she was supposed to kill. Joan had spared his life and God had condemned her.

But the lovers had been reunited more than five centuries later at _Dullahan's,_ fallen in love with each other all over again, and after several trials were finally allowed to be together. So it was a happy ending.

_Ah, star-crossed love._ The chocolatier mentally sighed. _This is going to be the wedding of the century._

Tristan had met the couple at _Dullahan's_ and through a strange series of events had ended up befriending them. Tristan valued their friendship because they were some of his only true friends. It wasn't easy for Tristan to make friends. Men would grow jealous of Tristan's appeal to women and women would fall in love with him. But Joan was different. She loved Dante and only had eyes for him. And Dante could care less about Tristan's appeal to women as long as he kept his perverted paws away from Joan. (Dante's words not Tristan's).

Previously, Michael had been Joan's guardian angel, but had been reassigned to Tristan. At first, Michael had claimed that he just wanted to help Tristan out at the shop by being his assistant chocolatier and guardian angel. But Tristan had the feeling Michael had been assigned by the Big Dude in the Sky to watch over Tristan and his sinful ways. Later, Michael only confirmed his suspicions. And now Tristan was struck with Michael The Cock Block.

Tristan shoved his limp member back into his pants and sighed heavily at the thought. He made his way back into the main shop area and went behind the gigantic glass display case. A few women were still passed out on the floor...

Michael was back inside of the kitchen practicing how to temper chocolate. Feeling loads more relaxed, Tristan handled customers professionally for the rest of the day without incident. _Being professional kind of sucks._

At six o'clock Tristan closed the shop and made his way into the kitchen where Michael was making a mess. Chocolate was everywhere - splattered across the counter and on Michael's white jacket. Tristan moved behind Michael and grabbed his wrists that still held the pastry scraper and angled spatula. "That's not how you do it, silly angel. Here, let me help you." Tristan offered as he began to guide Michael's movements as he spread melted chocolate across a marble slab, moved it to the center, and cleaned the scraper with the spatula.

"How long do we do this for?" Michael asked.

"The process of spreading and scraping the chocolate is continued until the desired temperature of 82 degrees Fahrenheit is reached...since this is dark chocolate."

"What is this 'tempering' supposed to do to the chocolate exactly?" The Archangel asked curiously.

"When you temper chocolate the finished product will have a profession sheen, snap and taste. I get that you've just been copying what you've seen me doing, but you really should learn the proper steps from the beginning. Traditionally, chocolate is tempered by pouring melted chocolate onto a tempering stone and worked into a 'mush' as it cools. To begin, melt up to one pound of chocolate in a double boiler. Check the temperature of the chocolate using the infrared, point-and-shoot, digital thermometer like the one we have on the counter." Tristan nodded in the thermometer's direction. "For dark chocolate the temperature should be 120 degrees Fahrenheit, for milk chocolate 115 degrees Fahrenheit, and for white chocolate 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour two-thirds on the marble slab while keeping the other one-third at the same melting point temperature, and do not let it harden." Tristan readily explained the process to Michael and there was a note of passion in his voice.

Michael let out a low whistle at Tristan's knowledge, and suddenly felt a little bad now since he'd thought Tristan didn't really care about making chocolate or whether or not he was doing it accurately. Michael had always assumed Tristan was only making chocolate since it would attract the ladies, but...Tristan's extensive knowledge in how to properly temper chocolate revealed that Tristan really did care about being a chocolatier.

"At that point you've reached the stage we're at now where you spread and scrape the chocolate until the chocolate cools to the following temperatures: dark chocolate 82 degrees Fahrenheit, milk chocolate 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and white chocolate 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Afterwards, we'll add the 'mush' to the remaining one-third melted chocolate and stir the chocolate until smooth. Then we'll return the mixture to heat, stirring constantly until the desired temperature is reached. For dark chocolate it should register at 90 degrees Fahrenheit, 86 degrees Fahrenheit for milk chocolate, and 82 degrees Fahrenheit for white chocoalte. Think you can remember all that, angel?" Tristan gave the Archangel a haughty look over his shoulder.

"Yes, I believe so." With Tristan's guidance Michael's movements instantly became more fluid. Michael was a fast learner. However, when Tristan pressed up against him further Michael could feel Tristan's erection pressing up against his ass causing him to flush. "You're still freakin hard? I hope that's not for me." Michael's lip curled with disgust.

"No way, dude." Tristan objected, but then he decided to tease Michael anyways by pressing up against him more fully. "But I have to say I'm getting desperate enough that I'd consider your ass..." _Not._

Michael growled low in his throat and shoved Tristan away from him. "Freakin pervert...control yourself!"

Tristan sighed. "I can't. Come on, just let me get a woman." There was a desperate edge to the chocolatier's voice.

"Oh, you mean a girlfriend? Then...okay." Michael said in a tone of voice which pretty much said 'do you want to argue about this?'.

Tristan's bi-colored eyes narrowed. "You know I can't have a girlfriend. I don't make love to girls, Michael...I fuck them."

"Why?" Michael challenged.

"None of your business." The incubus snapped.

"Actually, it _is_ my business. I'm your guardian angel now and I can't condone your sinful lifestyle. It's got to change, and that means no more one-night stands." Michael crossed his arms over his chest causing more chocolate to splatter onto his jacket.

Tristan cringed at Michael's messiness and clenched his hands into fists at his sides. "You know what, Michael? Fuck you. You just don't understand!"

"You're right. But I don't understand because you won't talk to me! After all this time you still won't tell me your reasons for not wanting to get into a serious relationship with a girl." Michael let out a frustrated huff. "But I won't let you condemn yourself."

Tristan ran a frustrated hand back through his hair, "I don't have time for this bullshit. I have to make Joan and Dante's wedding cake."

Michael blinked and gave Tristan a surprised look. "Their wedding cake? But I thought you said that your skills at baking were sub-par?"

Tristan rolled his eyes. "I do suck, but...I couldn't refuse a beautiful woman's request. I'll figure something out. How hard can it be to bake a cake? At least, I know I'll be able to ice it and decorate it with chocolate panels to perfection."

"Fine. I'll help." Michael offered.

"No offense but...you'll just get in my way. I don't need another _amateur_ in the kitchen. It would just be the blind leading the blind in here. I have to figure this out on my own. And I don't feel like dealing with you right now either." The chocolatier's bi-colored eyes held a coldness as they gazed back at the Archangel.

"Fine." Michael took off his apron and threw it on the kitchen island angrily. "Good luck with that."

Tristan watched Michael leave the kitchen and head towards the back of the establishment where there was a staircase that led to the second floor. The second floor had a series of rooms - one was Tristan's bedroom, and another was a guest bedroom that was currently being used by Michael. The angel had moved into Tristan's guest bedroom without his permission.

Tristan's perfect bachelor lifestyle had been ruined by the arrival of that pesky angel. The incubus let out another sigh. He'd been doing that a lot lately. Tristan cleaned up the chocolate and counter before getting out all of the needed ingredients to bake the wedding cake.

He looked down at the recipe on the open page in his recipe book: 1 cup of butter, 3 cups sugar, 7 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 cup sour cream. Tristan preheated the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. After that he greased and floured the three pans that would be used to make the three tiers of the wedding cake.

In a large bowl Tristan mixed the ingredients together, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon until the mixture was smooth and appeared to have no lumps. Following the instructions had been relatively easy, and his batter _looked_ okay.

Tristan poured the batter into the three circular baking pans before putting them into the oven. He then set his timer for sixty minutes and waited. The timer went off, Tristan removed one of the cakes and noted that it looked perfect. However, as he was looking at it the cake's center suddenly collapsed within the pan. _Doh!_ Tristan scratched his head. What the hell had made that happen? He wondered, realizing that he would have to start over from scratch.

Tristan remade the batter, poured it into the pans, and put them into the oven. He waited sixty minutes and when the timer went off he took one of the cakes out of the oven. This time the cake didn't collapse in on itself. _Phew!_ Tristan set the pan down on the counter and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. He flipped the pan over, and waited until he could feel that the cake had fallen out and lifted the pan so he could begin working on it. However, as he removed the pan the cake split down the middle and appeared to have been too dry to hold together properly.

"No! Dammit!" Tristan took deep breaths as he tried to calm himself down. It was already eleven o'clock but he'd just have to keep on trying until he got this cake done. It was his friends' wedding for heaven's sake! He couldn't fail them.

Over the course of the evening, Tristan tried to bake the cake again and again, but each time something went wrong with the cake and it was rendered unusable. Hours later, Tristan flipped his latest pan over and as he slowly lifted the pan up off the cake it once again fell to pieces. _Shit._ He wiped sweat from his brow with a trembling hand. He'd have to try again. Black spots swam in his vision and a wave of dizziness swept over him causing him to sway on his feet. He felt weak. He needed sex.

But Tristan had to bake this cake. "No...I can't pass out. I have to bake this cake...even if it kills me." The chocolatier vowed aloud, and this was the last thing Tristan remembered before he fell into unconsciousness.

***

Issy Sweet, Tristan's stalker, was peering in through the window of _Dark Heaven_ that overlooked the kitchen and watching Tristan attempt to bake a cake. She had no idea why Tristan was trying to bake a _cake_ when his skills lay in making chocolate. But as she watched him fail again and again, but not give up - she realized that this must be very important to him.

At three o'clock in the morning, when Tristan's latest attempt failed Issy watched as he swayed on his feet and vowed that he'd finish the cake even if it killed him. This was right before he passed out and fell face-first onto the floor with a smack that made Issy cringe with sympathy pains. "Tristan!" She exclaimed before sliding the small window open and hopping inside of the kitchen. This was an easy feat for Issy who was petite at five-three.

The stalker made her way over to Tristan, crouched by his side, and turned him over onto his back. There was blood on his forehead. Issy rushed to the bathroom, found the first-aid kit, and returned to clean and bandage Tristan's head injury. She brushed a lock of hair back from his handsome face as she observed him during this stolen moment. He looked pale. Paler than usual. She frowned. "He looks pale...has he had sex recently? I wonder."

Yes, that's right, Issy knew that Tristan Savant was an incubus or some kind of sex demon, and that he needed sex in order to survive. She'd been stalking him for more than a year now, and had learned many of his secrets. Though there was still a lot she didn't know about him, mainly about his family.

After obtaining an associate's degree in the baking and pastry arts, as well as a degree in the culinary arts from the International Culinary School at the Art Institute in Los Angeles, California, she'd traveled to New York City to attend a baking seminar, hoping to learn some tips from a famous French patissier. Around this time, things had been going well for Issy. She'd been pursuing her dream of becoming a patissiere and was engaged to the love of her life.

However, during her trip her fiancé Tre Goldberg sent her a text. A break up text. Issy had been distraught and had fled her hotel in a daze. She hadn't even noticed that it was raining outside. She didn't know for how long she ran in the rain only that eventually her legs gave out from under her and she collapsed on the ground. Issy lay there getting soaked in the rain until suddenly the rain stopped. When Issy looked up she saw a handsome young man with bi-colored eyes who was smiling down at her and holding an umbrella over her. "Why don't you come inside my shop and have some hot chocolate, little girl? My shop is just over there." He'd said in a friendly manner and Issy had looked past him to see a white building with Victorian architecture. The sign hung over the front door read: _Dark Heaven_.

It was during this encounter that Issy fell in love with Tristan due to the unexpected kindness he'd shown her that horrible night. After that she'd decided to rent an apartment that was in the building directly next to _Dark Heaven_ and had been stalking Tristan ever since. At first, she'd shyly watched him from afar while trying to gain the confidence to approach him, and in the process noted how popular he was with women. However, because of his incredible popularity she became too intimidated to approach him.

Issy got into the routine of simply watching him from afar. She'd been on the outside looking in, and that's why she'd begun to notice things about him - strange things. Like how his chocolate would make women feel lust, and the strange effect his _scent_ seemed to have on women too. There were even rumors that he was a 'sex god'. The chocolatier Tristan Savant had become an urban legend of sorts in New York City.

One day, while she'd been spying on Tristan making chocolates in his kitchen she'd caught him _spitting_ into his chocolate! At first she thought he was being evil and sabotaging it, but when she saw him smile almost proudly she began to suspect differently. Spitting in chocolate was definitely not normal behavior and she'd begun to suspect that Tristan wasn't exactly human. She began to wonder if perhaps everyone was right and Tristan really was a 'sex god'.

But then one day, she'd followed Tristan to _Dullahan's_ an Irish Pub where he'd befriended a handsome bartender, Dante, and a fiery waitress, Joan. She'd observed Tristan's new friendship with these strange people until one night, Joan was kidnapped, and Dante, Tristan, Alan (the owner of _Dullahan's_ ), and their dog (a golden retriever) had gone to rescue her. Issy had followed the group, planning on helping them if she could, but had watched them enter some kind of portal and just disappear.

Issy stayed close to where the portal had opened and was sick with worry for days. Finally, the group did return, but when they emerged from the portal Tristan had appeared different. His ears had been pointed, and he'd had a long, dark blue tail with a heart-shaped barb at the end swishing behind him. _A tail?!_ Issy had thought frantically. When her gaze had shifted to Dante she saw that the bartender had horns, fangs and a pair of large, bat-like wings outstretched behind him. Issy had swayed on her feet, feeling faint. After a few minutes their appearances had returned to normal, but Issy finally knew the truth:

Tristan was a _demon_.

A sexy demon.

Presently, Issy looked down at Tristan's unconscious form. He looked human now. Tristan had silky, shoulder-length, black hair that was so black it almost appeared dark blue. Issy ached to run her fingers through his hair and see what it felt like. The chocolatier was extremely pale, paler than usual with his alabaster skin. His face was gorgeous with its chiseled features and high cheekbones that gave him the otherworldly, aristocratic, noble look that the vampires of Hollywood tended to have. He had a lithe, muscular body with long, powerful legs that were a work of art. Tristan's legs were his most deadly feature. She'd seen him fight using them before when she'd stalked him to his Savate and Capoeira classes.

Sadly, Issy was unable to admire her favorite feature of Tristan's, which were his eyes. Tristan had heterochromatic eyes - his right eye was a gold, yellow color and his left eye was a deep, sapphire blue. His eyes were so gorgeous, unique, mesmerizing...but also _lonely_.

Yes, lonely.

Even though Tristan was always surrounded by a flock of beautiful women, and was always seen laughing, smiling, flirting and making jokes - his eyes had always appeared to look lonely. This haunted her.

Issy wished deep in her heart that she could be the one to ease his loneliness but...she also knew _she_ probably wouldn't be able to. She'd followed him to a cemetery one day and seen him breakdown at a woman's grave. Tristan had been in love once.

Issy supposed that he'd decided to never fall in love again, and that's why he only ever had one-night stands. She'd noticed that he never slept with the same woman twice. Issy didn't want to be just another notch in his belt. She had too much pride for that, and so she just continued to watch him from afar. She also wouldn't be hurt or left behind this way. Issy supposed her discovery that Tristan was a demon should have bothered her more, but she was pretty eccentric, and a little strange and unusual herself. Not exactly _normal_.

Issy Sweet was a patissiere who made novelty and specialty cakes that were imaginative, artsy and creative. She'd made cakes in the strangest shapes: a baby carriage, a giant Oreo cookie, a car, a dog, a roller blade, and a cake for a child's birthday with the birds from the game _Angry Birds_ on it.

Issy was also an avid fantasy and paranormal romance novel reader. She was a big _Lords of the Underworld_ and _Immortals After Dark_ fan - tales of vampires, werewolves and demons falling in love. Of course she'd read classic fantasy stories like _Lord of the Rings_ and was a _Harry Potter_ fan too. She'd dressed up and cosplayed as an elf, and gone to Comic-Con. Her thinking was definitely a little out there because of this.

After her fiancé Tre had broken up with her, he'd even sent her a picture of his new girlfriend. The young woman had been the total opposite of Issy - tall, big-boobed, blonde. A typical California girl.

After this blow to her ego, Issy had decided to 'reinvent' herself. She'd seen famous 'Living Dolls' in California like Venus Angelic and Luna Lovely, and so had decided to become one while in New York City where no one knew her and wouldn't recognize her.

What is a 'Living Doll' one may ask? A 'Living Doll' is someone who chooses to dress up like a Victorian porcelain doll everyday in pretty dresses, bonnets, gloves, chokers, and patent leather shoes. Living Dolls would enjoy a dolly lifestyle consisting of going to tea parties in the park, baking cookies, shopping for cute accessories and reading books like _Alice in Wonderland_ or if they were of an appropriate age _Her Mad Hatter_.

Being a Living Doll enabled Issy to live in a fantasy world of her own creation and she was able to escape from the reality of how the love of her life had left her for another woman and about how she'd failed to get the loan she needed in order to open her very own bakery.

Becoming a Living Doll was also the best way to stay out of Tristan's radar. She'd noticed that he only went out with girls who were eighteen or older. Issy was twenty-three but half-Japanese, and as a result she was very petite and skinny. She could pull off being fifteen for example, especially when dressed up in frilly, doll dresses and colorful wigs. Issy decided that if Tristan ran into her he'd think she was a 'little girl' - just like the first time they'd met in the rain. It would be perfect.

At the moment, she was dressed like a doll, but her outfit was concealed beneath her 'stalker outfit'. Her stalker outfit consisted of a long, black trench coat, fedora, and a pair of over-sized dark sunglasses.

Yes, she knew she looked like a creepy, perverted stalker...but that's what she was! Issy had to resist molesting Tristan in his sleep as she looked down at him. He was completely unconscious and at her mercy. She could lift up his jacket and run her hands over his muscular chest and six-pack abs. Issy imagined daringly running her hand over the bulge in his pants. She could lean over him and press her lips to his...and kiss his sensual lips.

Issy had to wipe the blood from her nose with the back of her hand. Female Boner. Although she could _imagine_ doing such sinful things to him, she'd never actually touch Tristan without his permission because that would be _wrong_. Even so, the _urge_ was there and it surprised her. Was this because of Tristan's unique demon pheromones? If another girl were in Issy's place would she have molested Tristan in his sleep? This thought made her frown. Tristan's existence seemed to be both a blessing and a curse.

Issy stood up and wiped her hands off on her jacket. She would protect Tristan, even from herself because she considered herself to be Tristan's 'secret guardian angel'. She'd even saved him a few times - secretly of course - from some odd occurrences. For example, one of Tristan's fans had locked him up in her basement this one time. Issy had waited until the girl had left her home before unlocking the basement door so that Tristan could escape.

And right now, Tristan obviously needed her again. He needed a cake and this was her specialty. Issy walked over to the kitchen island and peered down at the open recipe book. The recipe was for a three-tiered wedding cake with chocolate panels decorating the outside.

"A wedding cake...?" Issy's heart skipped a beat before she frowned. As Tristan's stalker she should have known _who_ was getting married. Issy pressed her index finger into the middle of her forehead as she thought about it and after a few minutes of thinking she supposed it was probably Joan and Dante! Joan was pregnant after all. _A demon marrying the reincarnation of Joan of Arc._ Yep, Issy knew about that too.

This cake had to be amazing. Issy set to work making the batter for the cake. In a large bowl she mixed the butter and sugar into a cream. In another bowl she beat the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each was added and then she stirred in the vanilla. Once she combined the flour, baking soda, and baking powder, she added this to the cream mixture and mixed until all the flour was absorbed. Finally, she stirred in the sour cream. The patissiere mixed for a few minutes to make sure there were no lumps.

Issy looked down at the batter and grinned. It looked perfect. She poured the batter into the greased and floured cake pans, and put them into the preheated oven. Issy also put a toothpick in the center of each pan. When the toothpick came out clean - this is when she would know that the cake was ready. She checked the cake at forty-five minutes and then again at fifty minutes. At fifty minutes of baking the toothpick came out of the cake clean and so she removed the cake out of the oven.

Overbaking could cause the cake to turn out too dry and would cause it to break or crumble. Using oven mitts she carried the pans to the counter and then flipped them over. She waited until the cakes slid down out of the pans by themselves before sliding the pans off of the cakes. All three cakes had turned out perfectly and none of them had crumbled or broken. _As always._ Issy baked with love. As she'd baked she put all of her feeling of love that she felt for Tristan into the cakes she'd just made too.

After the cakes had cooled sufficiently, she stacked the layers. Issy wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. "Phew. Done." She'd leave the chocolate panel decorations to Tristan. After a moment of thought Issy decided to make a marzipan doll of Joan in a wedding dress and another doll of Dante in a smart tuxedo. The two dolls would be just too cute on top of the cake.

Issy set the finished dolls down next to the cake and then snuck out the window. She was sure Michael would wake up soon since he was an early riser and discover Tristan in time to wake him up so that he could get started on the chocolate panels. "Goodbye Tristan...dream of me." Issy was just pulling herself out the window, when-

Someone latched onto her ankle in a vice grip. "Ack!" She looked behind her and saw that it was none other than Michael, Tristan's new assistant chocolatier. "Michael! Let go!" Issy jerked her leg while trying to get him to let it go.

Michael only tugged harder. "Oh hell no. Who the hell are you? What did you do to Tristan?" He growled lowly.

"I didn't _do_ anything!" Issy struggled against Michael's grasp, and managed to free her leg long enough to send her foot flying into Michael's forehead in a mule kick. Michael fell back to the floor with a crash.

The crash woke Tristan, who sat up with a groan. His head hurt and he felt weak. The chocolatier turned to see Michael on his ass and looking pissed.

Michael quickly stood back up and shook his fist at the window. "Get back here, you sick pervert!"

Tristan raised an eyebrow at Michael's antics, "Dude, what are you doing?"

Michael spun to face Tristan with a heated look, "There was someone suspicious dressed in a fedora, trench coat and dark sunglasses escaping out the window. And you were _unconscious_ on the floor. Who knows what that pervert did to you. I'm going after him-"

Tristan snorted, interrupting Michael, and stood up. He waved his hand dismissively through the air. "No need. That was just my stalker."

Michael blinked. "Your stalker...ah, you mentioned you had a stalker before. That was her? What's a girl doing going around dressed like a pervert?"

Tristan shrugged, looking amused, "Hell if I know...but she's harmless. She's just a kid and she's such a tiny, little thing. Besides, she's been stalking me for a year...and she's never done anything _perverted_ to me." At that moment he felt the bandage that was wrapped around his head and raised his hand to touch it curiously. When Tristan had fainted, he realized that he must have fallen face-first and that his stalker must have tended to his wounds. He smiled at the thought. But Tristan's smile faltered when he remembered his current situation and the unfinished wedding cake. "Oh no! The cake!" Tristan shouted and spun towards the kitchen island. Tristan's jaw dropped at the sight before him and he gawked. Sitting there on the counter was a three-tiered, vanilla sponge cake.

Michael looked at the cake curiously, "What about it? Looks fine to me. In fact, it looks great."

Tristan approached the cake and stroked his chin as he inspected it. "Thanks, but I didn't bake this."

"Huh? What are you saying? If you didn't bake it - then who did?" Michael huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"My stalker?"

"Your stalker...knows how to bake?"

Tristan nodded. "Yep. She's left me these delicious cupcakes of hers before." The chocolatier began to drool just thinking about them.

Michael's expression turned aghast. "Let me get this straight. Your stalker left you a plate of cupcakes and you actually ate them? You idiot, they could have been poisoned!" The Archangel burst out angrily.

Tristan waved Michael's concerns away, "Naw, a little girl would never do something like that. They were delicious."

Michael slapped a hand to his forehead in disbelief with a smack. Tristan's weakness was definitely females. "If you say so." But just in case Michael waved his hand over the cake to check it for poison. The Archangel didn't sense anything amiss and his unease faded. _A stalker girl who bakes. Huh. I wonder what she's like and if perhaps she'd be willing to work at Dark Heaven. Tristan needs more people working here. This shop has gotten very popular lately and he can't handle all of its customers on his own. If she doesn't seem dangerous I should try and convince Tristan to hire her._

"Aw crap...I've got to get started on the chocolate panels." Tristan quickly began to make the chocolate panels that he would use to decorate the outside of the wedding cake. The incubus made a large, flat slab of dark chocolate and once it was hard, he decorated it by hand-piping white chocolate swirls on it. He also made a slab of white chocolate and decorated it with swirls of dark chocolate. Tristan then cut the large sheets of chocolate into smaller rectangular pieces or panels that he would attach to the exterior of the cake.

Using icing he attached the dark chocolate panels around the bottom layer. He then attached the white chocolate panels to the middle layer, and after that attached the remaining dark chocolate panels to the top layer. Once he was finished with attaching the panels, he decorated the cake with dark chocolate and white chocolate roses, which he arranged close to the center of each layer.

_The dark chocolate represents Dante, who is the dark in love with the light. Joan is represented by the white chocolate on the cake._ Tristan thought to himself with a lopsided smile on his face.

It was the _perfect_ cake for his two friends to represent their star-crossed love. Tristan noticed the little marzipan dolls that looked just like Bride Joan and Groom Dante. Tristan arranged the dolls on the very top of the cake carefully. The marzipan dolls had been artfully made. _My stalker has mad skills._

The million dollar question of the day was: would Joan be wearing a wedding _dress_? Joan was a feminist, usually wore pants, and _hated_ to wear skirts. Tristan was looking forward to seeing what Joan would end up wearing.

Michael helped Tristan to decorate the cake with the chocolate roses and they were done in no time. "Phew, we made it!" Tristan exclaimed when they finally finished.

Michael gave Tristan an exasperated look. "You're lucky you have such a skilled stalker and that the cake wasn't poisoned."

Tristan raised his leg so he could kick Michael's arm. He didn't use his hands to fight since they were precious tools for making chocolate and pleasuring the ladies. "So morbid. You're supposed to have faith in humanity, you know. You're an angel."

"Women go crazy whenever you're concerned." Michael shrugged carelessly.

A dark shadow fell over Tristan's face, however. "Not cool, man."

Michael wasn't really sure why this seemed to be a sensitive subject with Tristan but he found himself apologizing anyways. "Sorry."

"Whatever...let's go put on our tuxes. I'll help you out since I doubt you've ever worn a tux before. You have to look great since you're the Best Man!" Tristan said, trying to lighten the mood.

Michael scowled at the thought of wearing a tux. "Very well."

Tristan noted that Michael sounded less than enthused by the prospect, and that he was frowning. Michael used to be Joan of Arc's guardian angel. And not only that, he'd been in love with her for centuries and today she was marrying another man.

Tristan suddenly realized how tactless he was being. He could only imagine how Michael must be feeling. "Hey...we don't have to go if you don't want to. We could play hooky and just show up at the reception."

Michael gave Tristan a grateful look. "No...I can handle it. Joan is my...friend. I have to be there. Even Dante is my friend now too. I care about them both. I have to be there." A steely look formed in his golden-brown eyes.

"If you say so, man." Tristan gave Michael a skeptical look.

"But thank you for the offer, Tristan. I could have just blamed not being there on your ineptitude at baking." The Archangel smirked.

"Hey!"

After somehow managing to get through the fiasco of teaching an ancient Archangel how to properly wear a tux, Tristan was finally driving them both to the wedding venue in his 1965 Corvette Stingray. The convertible was an electric blue two-seater with cloth top. This car was Tristan's baby. And a real babe magnet. Michael was silent and grumpy in the passenger's seat. Tristan rolled his eyes since the angel was angry that Tristan had taken so long to get ready and had accused Tristan of 'acting like a woman'. But what Michael didn't know is that Tristan wanted to look his best because he planned to seduce one...maybe all of the bridesmaids that were at Joan's wedding. _Gosh darn it, I really need to get laid._

The wedding venue was at Riverside Church. A Christian church that was located at 120th Street and 490 Riverside Drive in New York's Upper Manhattan neighborhood of Morning Heights. The church was enormous with elaborate Neo-Gothic architecture. Tristan parked right in front and got out of his convertible, followed by Michael. In front of the church Tristan spotted their friends waiting for them and approached. Tristan's gaze immediately focused upon Joan's supermodel best friend, Kimberly Eden, who was the Maid of Honor along with Kim's supermodel friends who were acting as Joan's bridesmaids.

_Supermodel bridesmaids. My prayers have been answered. Thank you God._ An excited leer spread across Tristan's face as he ogled the girls openly.

_Oh no._ Michael inwardly groaned as soon as he caught sight of the beautiful (and desperate) single women. Surely, Tristan would be interested in them...? Michael turned to look at Tristan. Sure enough the chocolatier was checking out the supermodel bridesmaids with a wolfish look on his face.

Tristan opened his arms wide. "Come to Papa."

The supermodels giggled at Tristan's strange behavior but then one of the women unexpectedly smacked Tristan on the back of his head. "Ow! What the hell was that for?" Tristan spun to see who had hit him and saw his friend Carmen. Carmen was a Latin beauty with long, wavy, black hair, chocolate-brown eyes, olive-hued skin, and sinful curves. She was the singer and pianist at _Dullahan's Irish Pub_.

Tristan's bi-colored immediately warmed when he recognized his friend from college. "Carmen!"

"If you're going to be ogling anyone it should be me." Carmen scolded with a playful pout of her kissable red lips.

Tristan looked Carmen over from head to toe. Joan had chosen some very classic looking bridesmaid dresses for the girls to wear. Carmen's dress was black, strapless and flared out at the waist to her knees. A white silk belt was tied around her waist in a bow. Kim's dress was cut similarly but in white, and had a black silk belt tied around her waist. The rest of the bridesmaids had on either black or white dresses with contrasting belts.

Carmen had a pair of red stilettos on her feet making her the rebel to the dress code. Tristan grinned. "You look beautiful, Carmen."

Carmen actually blushed and this surprised Michael. Carmen was a half-succubus. Her father was an incubus whom Carmen had never met. Tristan had assured Michael upon an earlier occasion that he and Carmen were just friends but... _something_ had passed fleetingly over Carmen's visage just then. _I wonder._ Michael thought to himself as he stroked his square jaw.

"Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself, _cariño_." Carmen raked her eyes over Tristan's tuxedo clad form.

Michael rolled his eyes. Incubi. They only ever had one thing on their minds.

"Hey guys, we should get inside." Came a shy voice. Michael turned to see Alan Dullahan, the owner of the Irish Pub and Kim's boyfriend. Alan was wearing a tuxedo and looking handsome with his blonde hair covering half his face and only one of his blue eyes visible. Alan was closer to Dante than Michael...and he hoped the young man held no hard feelings that Michael had been chosen as Dante's Best Man. Joan had requested it of Dante, and whatever his mate asked of him Dante allowed. "Joan should be arriving any second now!"

"He's right. Let's enter and take our positions." Michael agreed and everyone made his or her way into the church. The interior of Riverside Church was just as impressive as its exterior with high vaulted ceilings, archways on either side of the aisle that were supported by columns, and colorful, tall, stained-glass windows. Wooden pews were situated on either side of the center aisle, and the altar at the back of the church had a golden cross hanging above it.

A priest stood in front of the altar, and next to him stood Dante. The ex-demon Duke of Hell was looking quite dashing in his tuxedo. His golden eyes were flickering with anticipation as he waited for a glimpse of his bride, and his wavy, black hair had been styled to perfection.

The group of friends made their way down the aisle and to the altar. Michael, Tristan and Alan stood next to Dante while Kim, Carmen and the supermodels stood on the other side.

Michael eyed all of the people who were there to attend the wedding suspiciously. _Who the hell are all these people?_ Michael wondered, grumpily. He may have no longer been Joan's guardian angel but that didn't mean he'd stop looking out for her. _Are they friends of Joan's from high school from when she'd been a delinquent? Or perhaps some of these people are tennis fans from when Joan played tennis?_

Michael blinked and did a double take when he recognized a few _demons_ in the pews! There was Vassago, a seer, deadly mercenary, and friend of Dante. A cloth headband was tied around Vassago's forehead to hide his third eye. Sitri, a seller of dragons in Hell, and also a friend of Dante was sitting next to him. Sitri had the ability to change his sex. The demon was dressed in a suit that was half pale blue and half bubblegum pink - just like the demon's hair.

_Demons! Did Dante actually invite them here? Inside a church? That was incredibly reckless. Apparently, a wind of change is blowing...for humans but also for demons. Still, it's dangerous. If a portal to Hell has been opened then other demons might have gotten through. I have to be extra vigilant. It's my job as Best Man to make sure Joan's wedding goes on without a hitch._ There was an unexpected pang of pain in Michael's chest. He rubbed at the center of his chest with his hand, frowning.

At that moment the door to the church opened and Joan of Arc stepped inside. The sight of her took Michael's breath away. He couldn't believe she was actually wearing a dress! A classy, cream-colored, long-sleeved, high-necked, lacy, wedding dress with a bell skirt.

The organ player began to play the wedding march and Joan began to walk down the aisle. Joan's father wasn't the one walking her down the aisle but Fred, the Head Chef at _Dullahan's_. This briefly surprised Michael, but he realized that Joan's parents must have decided not to come. Michael clenched his hands at his sides at the thought. Joan's parents were assholes for lack of a better term.

For a heartbeat Michael almost forgot that Joan was walking down the aisle towards _Dante_ and not him. He'd daydreamed about this moment for more than five hundred years. The Archangel shook himself and rubbed a hand over his aching chest. He had thought this was going to be easier...giving away the woman he loved to another man. Who had he been kidding?

Joan caught his gaze and smiled causing his breath to hitch. He rubbed at his chest harder.

In minutes, Joan arrived at the altar and stood directly opposite of Dante. The priest began his speech. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony; which is an honorable estate, instituted of God in Paradise and into which holy estate these two people present come now to be joined. Therefore, if any man can show any just cause, why they may not be lawfully joined together, let him now speak, or else hereafter forever hold his peace."

At that moment a woman stood up from her seat in the pews. All eyes in the church were automatically drawn to her. The woman was stunning in her sophisticated, black and white _Prada_ dress, wide-brimmed black and white hat, and round black sunglasses. A cascade of black hair as dark as onyx fell down her back in waves. She removed her sunglasses to reveal silvery gray eyes. "I-" The woman began loudly.

Tristan hissed in a breath. "Mother? What the hell are you doing here! Shit. Vassago! Sitri! Get her out of here!" Tristan called out to his friends as he immediately took charge of the situation.

"Right on!" Vassago and Sitri leapt over the pews, mowing people over in the process, and latched onto the woman's arms.

"What the? How dare you? Unhand me at once!" The woman screeched as she was dragged unceremoniously down the aisle and out the front door.

Tristan shot Michael an apologetic look. "I'll handle my mo-" Tristan coughed into his hand. "Lilith." Tristan squeezed his friend's arm, leaned in and lowered his voice. "You can do it, Michael. Only you can ensure Joan's happiness."

Michael nodded solemnly. "Certainly." The Archangel watched as Tristan ran down the aisle and after Vassago, Sitri and Lilith. Michael took out the wedding ring that Dante had entrusted him with. Joan and Dante wanted his _blessing_ and he would give it to them because they were his friends.

Right after Tristan, Sitri, Vassago and Lilith left the church and the doors closed behind them a chilling wind blew through the church. The hair on the back of Michael's neck stood on end and he looked up catching sight of several lesser demons inside of the church. They were attached to the vaulted ceiling and were using their claws to remain there. _Demons!_ Michael thought. _How the hell did they get in here?_

Lesser demons were small creatures, three to four feet tall with pointed ears, horns, bat-like wings, tails, and red or green skin. They had skinny little bodies, but what they lacked for in size they made up for in viciousness.

Michael and Joan used to go hunting for lesser demons every night in order to protect the residents of New York City from demonic possession. But because Joan had been forced to sacrifice her powers as an exorcist in order to save Dante's life she was now a normal human female and could no longer accompany Michael on his demon hunts.

The responsibility of exterminating the lesser demons and protecting the citizens of the city from this invisible threat had fallen upon Michael's shoulders. The lesser demons glared down at Joan, jeered at her, stuck their tongues out at her, pulled their lower eyelids down at her, and cackled evilly at the fact that Joan could no longer see them. She was no longer a threat to them but...prey.

In that moment, Michael realized that they were there to hurt Joan and ruin her wedding.

The Archangel would _not_ allow this.

Michael quickly gave Dante the ring before whispering in Dante's ear. "There are lesser demons here. They must have snuck in through the portal. I'll take care of them. But keep an eye on Joan just in case."

"Understood." Dante said fiercely and then his expression softened. "And thank you...my friend."

Michael shot Dante a startled look. Dante didn't use the 'friend' word very easily. "No problem." He said just before he stepped behind Dante and then willed himself to become invisible. Normal humans could no longer see the Archangel.

Michael summoned his wings causing them to emerge from his back and spread in a flurry of white feathers. The Archangel then called forth Joan of Arc's holy sword, which now belonged to him. As soon as it materialized in his hand he summoned his power so that the blade of the sword became engulfed in red flames.

With a battle cry and a flap of his wings, Michael shot up towards the cathedral ceiling. The lesser demons saw Michael approaching them and shrieked and scurried across the ceiling while trying to escape. But there was no escape. Michael lunged his sword forward, impaling a lesser demon right through its chest. The demon cried out in pain before it simply disintegrated into ashes.

Michael didn't stop there and attacked and slew lesser demon after lesser demon mercilessly. Blood splattered across his tuxedo. He wouldn't let a single demon get past him and get to Joan or ruin her wedding. The woman he loved - no, the woman he _used to_ love - was getting married today. He would protect her happiness. Michael would protect this wedding...with his life.

_Joan...Joan...Joan._ Michael thought as he battled the demons. They began to attack him en masse - all of them lunging at Michael and digging their claws savagely into his flesh and sinking their fangs into his arms and legs, actually managing to draw blood. Michael let out a furious roar of pain as he pulled the demons off of him and continued to fight.

This pain was nothing...when compared to the knowledge that the woman he loved - used to love - was marrying another. Today was the day he lost Joan _forever_. Officially. "Die, demons! Die!"

Invisible to the human eye, the Archangel fought his battle against the demons, fought to protect his friends and fought to protect the woman he used to love so that she could find happiness by marrying another man.

Michael may not have been her guardian angel anymore but he would always be a protector, till the very end. _I will protect you Joan...so promise me that you'll be happy!_

To be continued in...Chocolate 2: _Golden Caramel_

### Chapter 2: Golden Caramel

Issy, Tristan's stalker, sat in the pews watching Joan of Arc glide down the aisle gracefully. She was so beautiful. The way Dante was gazing at her with so much love made Issy sigh. Although for a second she could have sworn that Michael had worn a similar expression as he looked at Joan. _Naw._ Issy shook her head at the thought. When the priest got to the part where he said: ' _Therefore if any man can show any just cause, why they may not be lawfully joined together, let him speak now, or else hereafter forever hold his peace_ ' Issy held her breath.

At that moment a woman stood up from her seat in the pews. All eyes were immediately upon the mysterious woman. Issy thought she was beautiful in a sophisticated, regal kind of way, but there was also something 'dark' about her that made Issy shiver nervously.

"I-" The woman began to speak and Issy's eyes widened. _Oh my God, is someone actually going to try and stop the wedding? This is just like in a movie! Should I try to stop her?_ Issy was just about to stand up, when-

"Mother?" Tristan burst out. "What the hell are you doing here? Shit. Vassago! Sitri! Get her out of here!" He called out.

"Right on!" His friends responded.

_Mother?_ Issy thought with awe - that woman was Tristan's mysterious mother? But then she frowned wondering whether the woman was his _real_ demon mother or his human stepmother. Issy had stalked Tristan more than a year, but had learned nothing about the family of the man she loved. Even though Tristan seemed to be a people person he was very private about certain things. This made her considerably curious. _She'd be my mother-in-law teehee._ Issy thought to herself with a mental giggle.

Vassago and Sitri grabbed the woman and began to drag her out of the church. The woman struggled against their grasp and Issy noted that they actually seemed to be having _trouble_ dragging her out of the church.

She was _that_ strong.

Tristan ran after them and Issy waited for a few seconds before standing up and following them out of the church. Currently, Issy wasn't dressed up as a 'Living Doll' but as...well, 'herself'. She'd dressed up as a Living Doll and gone to _Dark Heaven_ several times and didn't want to be recognized by Tristan or Michael because she planned on crashing the wedding reception. After all, what kind of stalker would she be if she didn't crash the wedding reception?

Issy ran out of the church, and looked around before she caught sight of Vassago and Sitri dragging the woman towards the riverbank. Tristan wasn't far behind.

"Unhand me, you curs!" Lilith snarled viciously.

"You can let her go now, guys. I'll handle her." Tristan said while giving Lilith a wary look.

Vassago and Sitri shrugged before letting go of Lilith and stepping to the side. They both gave Lilith suspicious and hate-filled looks though.

When Tristan noticed that Vassago and Sitri were still standing close by he finally turned to look at them. "You guys can go." Tristan said firmly as he turned his attention back to his mother who he stared at coldly.

Issy panicked as Vassago and Sitri turned in her direction and she dove behind a bush to conceal herself. Issy held her breath as Vassago and Sitri passed her.

Tristan waited until his friends were out of earshot before he spoke to his mother. "Mo- I mean, Lilith, what are you doing here? Were you really planning to stop Joan from marrying Dante? I thought you were over Dante. I thought you and Samael...?"

Lilith blushed at the mention of 'Samael'. "Tristan, I didn't come here to stop their wedding. I actually came to say 'I do not object'. I don't want there to be any hard feelings between your friends and I. I know how much they mean to you. And you're right, after what happened to Samael I...I've only been with him. I...I may even love him. Even though I'm supposed to be incapable of such an emotion."

Tristan raised an eyebrow at Lilith and crossed his arms over his chest. "Good for you. What does any of this have to do with me?"

Lilith's gray eyes grew glassy. "Everything. I...when I was kicked out of the Garden of Eden...Samael saved me. We became lovers and I had several children. They were all Nephilim, half-human half-angel beings, or some would say they were half-human half-demon since Samael was a _fallen_ angel. Some were giants. Some had demon-like characteristics like horns and wings. All of them were beautiful and powerful. Well, at least, they were to me, but God thought my children were an abomination. He sent his Archangels to exterminate them. All of them. I failed to protect my children..." There was a tremor in Lilith's voice and she clenched her hands at her sides, which had begun to shake.

"Lilith..." Tristan reached his hand out towards the woman before he realized what he was doing and lowered his hand.

"Millennia later, when I encountered Joan of Arc on the battlefield and she killed me - I became a ghost and wandered the Earth for centuries. It was during that time that I seduced your father, Adrian Savant, in his dreams...and the most _miraculous_ thing happened. I got pregnant. When I gave birth to you nine months later...you were _alive_. I think this was due to the power of my _wish_. My wish for a child.

"However, I grew consumed by my hate for Joan of Arc and obsessed with thoughts of revenge. That's why I left you with your father. I thought you would be safer with him. After all, he was human and I was a demon so...it made sense. But then I encountered you in Hell when you and your friends traveled there to rescue the kidnapped Joan. I grew curious about you again and about how you could have possibly ended up there. Then I discovered that after you graduated from college you ran away from home. I heard you had some kind of a falling out with your father. What happened, my son? Did your father hurt you in some way?"

A dark shadow fell over Tristan's features. "That man is _not_ my father. A father wouldn't...!" Tristan bit his lower lip to stop himself from continuing. He shook his head a moment after as if to clear it from disturbing thoughts. "He _never_ saw me as his son. He only saw me as an...asset."

A flash of anger crossed Lilith's visage before it was gone. Issy watched as Lilith's nails began to extend into black claws. "Tell me what happened, my son. If Adrian hurt you...I will gladly kill him for you."

Instead of looking happy by this prospect, however, Tristan only looked revolted. "You would do something like that wouldn't you? Kill Adrian in cold-blood? You're nothing but a murderer!"

Lilith flinched at Tristan's words but she stepped forward and reached her hand out to caress Tristan's face. "I only wish to protect you."

Tristan slapped her hand away callously. "Lies!"

Lilith sadly lowered her hand. "But it's true, my son. I took advantage of the portal that was opened for Vassago and Sitri to come to your friends' wedding. I knew you would be here...and I longed to speak with you. Demons inside of a Christian church...who would have thought?" An amused smile curled Lilith's lips.

_Demons? Vassago and Sitri are demons too?_ Issy wondered as her head spun.

Tristan looked anything but amused. "Well, so you've spoken with me. We're done here. I don't have anything more to say to you and I don't want anything more to do with you. I would prefer it if I never saw you again. You're nothing but a monster, Lilith."

Issy could tell that Tristan's words were like daggers to Lilith's heart. Lilith may have been a demon but she was also a mother. Issy missed her own mother, Hanako, tremendously. Hanako had abandoned Issy and her father when Issy was only seven-years-old, in order to pursue her dream of becoming a professional patissiere in France.

Lilith sucked in a breath and placed a hand over her heart as if it were bothering her. "Tristan... _please_...I want us to be a family. I love you."

Tristan gave her a look of disbelief. "Family? Love? You're a demon...you're not capable of love, and you know what? Neither am I. Not anymore. And I have _you_ to thank for that! Because of you...I wasn't born normal. Because of you I'm half-incubus, and because of you...I caused the woman I loved to lose her life. I _hate_ you." Tristan snarled before he turned around and stalked off.

"Tristan..." Lilith watched him go, dejectedly, and a few tears trickled down her face. "My own son...hates me."

Issy was about to reveal herself to Lilith in order to comfort her, however-

A fierce wind picked up all around Issy and Lilith, and a dark shadow was suddenly descending upon Lilith. Issy looked up and had to put both hands over her mouth to stifle her scream. An enormous black dragon with shinning, onyx scales was swooping down through the air before it landed on the riverbank with a ground-trembling thud. Its red eyes glittered like rubies. "Mmph!" A tiny sound of despair mixed with horror made it past Issy's fingers. _A dragon...this can't be real._

But then Issy noticed that there was someone on the dragon's back - a handsome man with red, spiky hair, and fierce, gold eyes. He was shirtless revealing his hulking muscles and bronzed skin. The only thing the man was wearing was a pair of leather briefs and a sword belt. Issy had to pinch her nose to stop a sudden nosebleed. Female boner.

"Samael!" Lilith called out to him as the dragon approached. "You fool! What if a human sees you?"

Samael shrugged carelessly. "I've come to pick you up, love. The portal will be closing soon."

Lilith sighed, and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Very well." She approached the dragon and Samael offered her his hand. Lilith took it and he swung her up easily onto the saddle behind him. Lilith wrapped her arms around his muscular torso and Issy blushed when she realized that Lilith was feeling him up unabashedly.

"Did you get to speak with your son?" Samael asked in his low, gruff voice.

Lilith nodded as she absentmindedly ran her hand over Samael's abs.

Samael frowned and looked around the surrounding area. "Will he not come with us? Did you make your intentions clear to him?" Lilith shook her head. "I see. Do not worry, my love. We shall return for your son...when the time is right." Those words sent a chill down Issy's spine. Just what did Samael mean by that? That Lilith and Samael would try and take Tristan to...Hell? Did that mean they would try to kill him?

"Samael, I can't fail to protect the only child I have left." Lilith tightened her arms around Samael and rested her cheek against his strong back. "I just can't."

"You won't. Besides, he's not as unprotected as you may think." Samael turned to stare at the bush Issy was hiding behind.

Issy gaped. Did Samael know that she was there?

The corner of Samael's mouth twitched in response and then he kicked his dragon's sides. "Hyah!" The demon controlled his dragon to take off into the sky once more. Issy watched as they zoomed up into the sky and were soon lost behind the clouds.

Issy lowered her hands from her mouth, wide-eyed. _Oh my God...that was crazy._ But the stalker now had more information about Tristan, which meant she was happy. A twisted grin spread across Issy's face. Adrian Savant was Tristan's human father...and Lilith, Adam's first wife, was Tristan's mother. Issy's heart swelled with getting to know more about him. But now there was also a mystery for Issy to solve: why had Tristan left home? _Time to google Adrian Savant._

***

Joan and Dante's wedding reception was being held at the Plaza Hotel in their Grand Ball Room. The hotel was thirteen minutes away from Riverside Church. A limo arrived at the church to take Joan, Dante and some of their closest friends to the hotel. Meanwhile, Tristan drove Michael to the venue in his corvette. Tristan glanced at Michael, who was sitting in the passenger's seat, silent and thankfully free of blood splatter. When the angel had first materialized in front of Tristan he'd been covered in blood. Tristan had gawked at him before forcing Michael to go to the bathroom inside the church and clean up before he'd let the angel into his precious corvette.

Tristan and Michael had had to return to _Dark Heaven_ in order to pick up the wedding cake first, and after that they were able to head on over to the hotel. They arrived thirty minutes later, and Tristan let out a whistle as he looked up at the grayish, French Renaissance château-style building. There was something regal about the hotel. The two men exited the convertible and Tristan tossed his car keys to a waiting valet. Tristan and Michael entered the hotel and made their way to the Grand Ball Room straight away.

Tristan could feel several eyes upon them as they entered the ballroom and just hoped that no one noticed the dried blood on Michael's tux. The Grand Ball Room of the Plaza Hotel was impressive with the same Renaissance air that the outside of the building had. There were two impressive, crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Purple lighting lit up the ceiling and illuminated the dance floor. There was hand-carved, wooden, crown molding around the ceiling, and around the exterior of the ballroom stood arches supported by columns. Tristan felt like he was in the ballroom of a palace.

Tristan entered the ballroom holding the cake. He took a moment to admire the round antique tables and chairs. Tristan loved antiques. On each of the tables was a violet-colored tablecloth, and a bronze candelabra decorated with purple and yellow flowers. The long candles in the candelabra were yellow. The ballroom had an overall rich, luxurious feeling to it. Music filled the ballroom and Tristan saw that a punk rock band was playing on the stage towards the back of the room.

Tristan recognized the band and his eyes bulged. It was the popular American punk rock band: the _Erotic Corpses_. _No way._ Their lead singer was Blake White. Blake was a tall, muscular young man with platinum blonde hair and unusual lavender-colored eyes. He was wearing a long, black leather jacket that was open to reveal the demonic tattoos on his bare chest.

Blake had zombie make-up on. His face had been painted a pale blue color, his eye sockets a dark blue, and fake blood dribbled from the corner of his lips. The singer was also wearing a zombified tuxedo that was tattered and spattered with fake blood. Tristan figured he was supposed to look like a 'Zombie Groom'. If zombies weren't still so 'in' Tristan would have thought this was a little morbid for a wedding.

Their drummer was Ro Ripper. She was dressed in a tattered white dress that was covered in splotches of fake blood. Tristan figured she was supposed to resemble a 'Zombie Bride'. _And what a lovely zombie bride she is. I'd die to be with her._ Tristan thought to himself as he leered at Ro Ripper. Her ice-blue were eyes were expressive and extraordinary. She had hair the color of a midnight sky and that was cut into a punky style. Her face and body had been painted a pale blue color, her eye sockets had been painted black, and her lips had been painted a dark blue. _She's definitely hot._

Ro's eyes flashed red as she spun her drumsticks making Tristan wonder if Ro was fully human. _Though perhaps a little spooky. I wonder if she's single?_

The band's bass guitarist was Joey Bones. Joey had spiky, blonde hair, and bright blue eyes. He was wearing a tattered and blood-spattered priest outfit. The lead guitarist was Devon Decayn. Devon had dark blue hair, and dark eyes that held a seriousness about them. He was wearing a tattered, blood-spattered suit and was probably meant to resemble a zombified 'Best Man'.

_Speaking of zombified blood-spattered Best Men._ Tristan's eyes scanned the ballroom to see where Michael had gone. He spotted Michael standing off to the side of the dance floor with a drink in his hand and watching...? Tristan followed Michael's line of sight to see that he was watching Dante and Joan dance together. _I should have known. The guy's a masochist._ Tristan gave his friend a sympathetic look.

Since Joan was dancing to punk rock music her enormous wedding dress quickly began to hamper her movements. "I think I've worn this dress long enough!" Joan suddenly declared before ripping her wedding dress off to reveal - a slick, sophisticated, white tuxedo. The tuxedo had black lapels, black buttons, and hugged Joan's curves. A black ribbon was tied around her neck.

Tristan gawked at Joan's abrupt transformation and so did Michael. All of a sudden the bride was in pants! _That's Joan of Arc...feminist extraordinaire for you!_ Michael seemed to be taking things better than Tristan had expected. He wouldn't have been surprised if Michael had spoken up during the whole ' _Therefore if any man can show any just cause, why they may not be lawfully joined together, let him speak, or else hereafter forever hold his peace_ ' part of the wedding ceremony.

After all, Archangel Michael had loved Joan for more than five centuries! But he'd given Dante the ring and the wedding had gone on without a hitch. Michael had even fought off a hoard of lesser demons that had shown up to ruin Joan's wedding. Thankfully, the lesser demons were invisible to the human guests present and Michael had gone invisible in order to make quick work of them.

Tristan walked over to the buffet table and set the cake down right in the center where a space had been left specifically for the wedding cake. He wiped his hands off and smiled triumphantly at how great his cake looked on the purple tablecloth. His gaze was inevitably drawn to the supermodel bridesmaids that were moving their bodies sensually on the dance floor. _Hubba hubba...hot babes and twelve o'clock. Here I come!_

Tristan straightened his bowtie before approaching the supermodels on the dance floor and smoothly starting to dance with them. "Hello ladies, the Love Machine has arrived. Or is it Dance Machine? Whatever. Did you miss me?" Okay, so maybe not _that_ smooth. Tristan was lucky he had demonic pheromones.

"Tristan! There you are!" "We've been looking _everywhere_ for you!" "We missed you." "Dance with us!" The girls all cooed excitedly as soon as Tristan joined them.

Tristan smirked. He was _so_ the man. _It's times like this that I really enjoy being me._

Tristan pulled two of the bridesmaids closer to his body and as he swayed to the music he rubbed his erection against their firm asses. The girls moaned with pleasure and rubbed their bodies against Tristan happily in return. He was still feeling weak but he thought that he would probably be able to hang on until he managed to seduce one of these lovely ladies...or all of them.

Tristan released his pheromones and the scent of dark chocolate and oranges wafted through the air. The young women shivered and moved their bodies even closer to Tristan's. _I am so going to get laid_. The incubus thought as he continued to freak dance.

***

Tristan's stalker, Issy Sweet, stealthily snuck into the Grand Ball Room at the Plaza Hotel, and casually made her way over to the buffet table. She nodded and smiled at anyone who met her eyes and started to dance as she crossed the dance floor. Okay, so maybe not so stealthy. She plucked a glass of champagne from the tray a passing server held and took a sip. The champagne was sweet and bubbly. "Mmm."

Issy reached the buffet table and began to pile a plate with food. What? She was hungry. Stalking was hard work! She looked around the ballroom, searching for Tristan, and spotted him on the dance floor. The chocolatier was surrounded by a group of supermodel bridesmaids who were dancing with him. He looked so hot as he danced erotically to the rock music. Tristan was blatantly rubbing his erection against their asses and causing the bridesmaids to moan and cry out in pleasure. _He looks like a sex god with his harem of goddesses._

Issy felt herself get a _little_ envious. She wished she were one of them so that she too would get to feel Tristan dancing behind her and rubbing his erection against her ass. She swallowed thickly at the lewd thought. Was it getting hot in there or was it just her? Issy began to fan herself with her hand and gulped back the rest of the champagne.

Once the glass of champagne was finished Issy peered down into her glass disappointedly. She needed another glass. It hurt to see Tristan with those other girls, but at the same time she knew that it was for his own good. He _needed_ to get laid. Tristan was looking extremely pale and weak compared to how he normally looked. And Issy had a feeling she knew why.

Issy's eyes scanned the ballroom for Michael. Michael, Tristan's new assistant chocolatier, was a goody-two-shoes and Issy had overheard him on more than one occasion nagging Tristan about his philandering ways.

But what Michael didn't understand was that Tristan had no choice. He needed sex in order to _survive_. And because of the death of his fiancée Hazel, Tristan had vowed never to fall in love again. This was why Tristan only had one-night stands. Or at least this is what Issy had extrapolated from the facts that she'd gathered thus far.

_I understand Tristan even if Michael doesn't._ Issy was surprised to spot Michael only a few feet away from her, causing her to jump. He was standing next to the buffet table and also enjoying a glass of champagne. The stalker quirked her head upon noticing Michael's oddly sad and tortured expression. She quickly followed his line of sight curiously and noted that he was watching Dante and Joan dance together.

Joan was wearing this cool tuxedo and having Dante spin her around again and again. This sight couldn't stop the smile that formed on Issy's lips. But when she looked back at Michael her smile faltered. She stroked her chin as she looked back and forth between Michael and Joan.

Michael was obviously close to the couple. He'd been chosen as Dante's Best Man after all, but Michael had just popped up from seemingly out of nowhere. At least, it seemed that way to Issy. _Just who is he really?_ She wondered. _And what is his connection with Joan? Is he in love with her? An ex-boyfriend perhaps?_ Issy wanted to solve this new mystery.

Issy set her plate of food down before approaching Michael. On her way over to him she grabbed two glasses of champagne from another passing server. She reached Michael and had to clear her throat to get his attention when he still didn't seem to notice her even though she was standing directly next to him. "Ahem."

Michael turned and his eyebrows rose as he looked at the young woman who'd just approached him. She was petite at five-three, and doll-like with her porcelain skin that gave away her Asian descent. Her hair was brown but multi-colored with streaks of light brown, blonde, caramel, and dark brown. Her hair was a delectable sight that instantly reminded Michael of chocolate. Her eyes were almond-shaped and a caramel brown color. His eyes left her face to check out what she was wearing. She was dressed in a simple, pale blue, silk dress with spaghetti straps. _She's cute._ "Uh, hi."

Michael acted as if he were surprised to be approached by a female, and this instantly endeared him to Issy. "Here." Issy held out the extra glass of champagne, "Join me for a drink, handsome?"

"Uh, certainly." Michael tentatively took the champagne glass. He wasn't used to dealing with human females...especially one so cute.

Issy smiled, "You looked like you could use a drink." She continued knowingly and nodded her head in Joan and Dante's direction. Issy had a plan. She would do her best to keep Michael distracted from Tristan so that he'd have a better chance at getting laid by one of those supermodels.

Michael followed her gesture and then frowned, his expression darkening. "Yes, how did you know? I thought I was hiding my feelings rather well." He suddenly seemed grumpy.

"Hmm, maybe to someone who hasn't experienced a similar heartache before. But unrequited love? Been there, done that. Actually I'm onto my next unrequited love but this time the object of my affections doesn't even know I like him." Issy said conversationally.

"Unrequited love," Michael echoed watching Joan dance. "Sucks." The angel finished, using human vernacular.

Issy laughed. "Yeah, tell me about it. But...there's the hope that you'll meet someone nice and learn to fall in love again."

_Someone nice?_ "Fall in love again?" Michael shook his head. "I don't even know if something like that would be possible for one such as I. I had never known love until I met Joan." He admitted in a soft voice. Michael didn't know why in the world he was telling a stranger all this but...it felt good to get things off his chest. The ache inside of his heart had lessened just a little bit.

"She was the one who opened your heart to love? I see. Don't let the door close, Michael. A handsome guy like you - you'll be sure to have many admirers when people find out you're on the market." Issy threw Michael a playful wink.

Michael raised an eyebrow at the ballsy girl. "Are you hitting on me, young lady?"

Issy blushed. "What? No...I...like I said, I...have someone I like now." She stammered.

Michael's expression turned inquisitive. "May I ask who?"

Unbidden, Issy's gaze went to Tristan. Michael followed her gaze and his eyes widened. Then hope gleamed in Michael's eyes...not for himself but for his friend. "You like-?"

_Clink, clink, clink._ The sound of someone tapping a champagne glass with a fork rang out through the ballroom. "Ahem, can I have everyone's attention please?" Kim called out and the _Erotic Corpses_ stopped playing. A cat's paw smile then formed on Kim's heart-shaped face. "It's time for the bride to toss the bouquet!"

"The bouquet!" Issy exclaimed excitedly, a gleam in her eyes. "If I catch that bouquet then maybe Tristan will be mine!" She ran off to participate, leaving a perplexed Michael behind.

"Hey, wait!" Michael called out to the mysterious girl but was completely ignored. This should have irritated Michael but instead he found himself smiling. "What a strange girl."

The dance floor was cleared of the men and Kim directed the remaining single women to stand around. "Okay, all single girls come out onto the dance floor!"

"You're not 'single' Kim," Joan teased her friend with a wave of her bouquet.

" _Unmarried_ women then." Kim shot back with a hand on her jutted hip.

Alan, Kim's boyfriend, had turned a little pale at his girlfriend's words. No pressure or anything.

Joan walked across the dance floor to distance herself from the group of women. Once she was on the other side of the dance floor, she held her bouquet, which was made up of purple flowers and white gardenias in her two hands, and prepared to toss it.

Issy looked around at the other women and assessed her opponents. The supermodels were a lot taller than her, but skinny and probably malnourished since they only ate like a piece of lettuce a day. Kim looked like she was in shape though and Issy figured the girl would probably be her hardest opponent. Although, Carmen, Tristan's friend, was a Latina and everyone knew that Latin women owned catfights. Issy swallowed nervously when Carmen smiled viciously in her direction.

"Okay, ladies, eyes on the prize!" Kim directed waving her hand at Joan, who stood at the other end of the dance floor with her back to the girls.

The supermodels all shot Tristan coquettish and flirtatious looks, however, and it was obvious to Issy that they thought of Tristan as 'the prize'. One of the supermodels boldly blew a kiss in Tristan's direction while another winked at him. The supermodels noticed each other's antics and began to fight amongst themselves. "Hey, did you just wink at him? Tristan will be mine!" "No, mine!" "I can't believe you blew that kiss at him. I'm going to marry him!" "No, me!"

"They're all wrong. He'll be mine." Issy said softly to herself.

Surprisingly, Carmen overheard her. "No way, _muñeca_ , that _corazon_ will be mine."

Joan tossed the bouquet over her head with a two-handed toss and it went sailing up into the air and came down right into the center of the group of girls.

"I got it!" One supermodel exclaimed as the bouquet was about to fall down into her waiting hands.

"Oh no you don't!" Another model objected as she shoved her friend sideways with surprising strength. The two girls crashed to the floor on top of each other.

The bouquet fell onto the floor in a flurry of white and purple petals. As soon as it hit the floor that meant it was fair game. All of the girls instantly dove for it. Chaos ensued. There was suddenly a catfight in the middle of a sophisticated wedding reception. The bridesmaids pushed, shoved, and tackled each other. "Tristan is mine!" One supermodel cried as she pulled on her friend's hair. "No, mine!" Her friend snapped back as she clawed at her friend's face. "Back off bitch, he belongs to me!" It was like watching female rugby except that the bouquet of flowers was the football.

Issy crawled on her hands and knees through the tangle of fighting girls. She was so petite that she was able to crawl right between their legs without them even noticing her. Slowly, she got closer and closer to the bouquet. _Closer...closer...almost there._ She reached her hand out - _almost there_ \- she was just about to grab it when Carmen snatched it from her grasp. _Bitch! No!_ "Hey!" Issy said indignantly as she stood. "That's mine! Give it back!"

"No way, muñeca." Carmen held the bouquet away from Issy with a triumphant smile on her face.

"I said: 'give it back'! Tristan is _mine_!" Issy declared loudly and fiercely. Embarrassingly, Issy had yelled this out when there had been a lull in noise from the other girls and so everyone had heard her yelled out exclamation. All eyes fell upon the loud little girl with quite the set of lungs curiously.

Kim blinked as she noticed the girl for the first time. "Who's that?"

"She's not one of your model friends?" Joan asked.

Kim shook her head, sending her blonde curls bouncing around her face, "Nope, she's too short to be a model. So...if you don't know her and I don't know her then...?"

"She's a wedding crasher!" Joan said happily as she clapped her hands together. "I can't believe I actually got my own wedding crasher. Awesome."

Kim gave her friend a look of disbelief. "You're happy about this?" She shrugged. "Whatever."

Carmen held the bouquet high over her head so there was really only one thing Issy could do. She got behind Carmen and leapt onto the Latina's back, wrapping her legs around Carmen's waist and making a grab for the bouquet. She successfully managed to grab onto Carmen's wrists.

Carmen screeched out in surprise at having Issy suddenly attached to her back. " _Loca mona!_ You crazy monkey girl! Let go!"

"No way!" Issy said as she tugged on Carmen's wrists.

The pianist stumbled backwards into a table that had been decorated with romantic ice sculptures that Dante had made himself (the demon was good with a blade). One sculpture was of two ice swans, their beaks were touching sweetly, and the curve of their necks formed a heart shape. The other ice sculpture that was on the table was totally random (at least to Issy) and was of a gigantic golden retriever with - get this - wings. The sculptures rocked precariously upon the table, and tipped backwards. They were about to fall over, when-

Suddenly, Dante was there to catch the sculptures and right them before they could fall off the table. "Who's that crazy female?" Dante wondered aloud as he observed the petite girl fighting for the bouquet with Carmen. _She's tiny, but she sure is feisty._

"A wedding crasher." Michael answered Dante's question from beside him. "And apparently she wants to marry Tristan pretty badly." There was a note of amusement in Michael's voice.

Tristan happened to be within earshot of Michael and shot the man a surprised look. "Who me?" He pointed to himself and gawked at the proceedings. He'd had a feeling a catfight might break out for the bouquet because of his presence there at the reception, but had never expected a petite little girl to be so gung ho about it. She was causing a lot of chaos. _Just who is she? She's not one of the models...and yet she looks oddly familiar._ Tristan pinched his forehead with his thumb and forefinger as he tried to remember where he'd seen Issy before.

Carmen stumbled backwards and bumped into another table as she tried to get Issy off of her. This table had been piled with champagne glasses and bottles of expensive champagne. The table tipped and all of the glasses and bottles began to slide off of the table.

Issy grabbed the bouquet of flowers and pulled with all her might. At that moment, Carmen smiled evilly. "If you want it so badly, you can have it, _muñeca_." The singer abruptly let go of the bouquet.

Because Issy no longer had a hold on Carmen's wrists she began to pinwheel her arms as she tried to maintain her balance on Carmen's back. However, she began to fall off of Carmen's back and unwrapped her legs from Carmen out of reflex. Issy screamed as she fell backwards about to land on top of the table that was covered with champagne glasses. _This is going to hurt._ Issy shut her eyes as she awaited the impact of her back with the table and glasses. However-

Once again, Dante was there. In the blink of an eye, Dante was snatching glasses out of the air and putting them back onto the table, which he'd already righted. He stacked the glasses until he'd created a champagne glass tower. He caught the falling bottles, opened one of them, and poured the champagne on top of the glasses creating a spectacular champagne fountain. The wedding guests all 'ooed' and 'ahhed' at the sight and began to clap.

_Fwump._ "Huh? No pain...?" Issy opened her eyes and blinked up at Tristan's smiling face. Issy inwardly squealed. _Eeee! Tristan saved me!_ Tristan had caught her just like a fairytale prince. "T-T-Tristan," Issy stuttered in surprise. "You caught me?"

"Looks like it, babe." Tristan's brow furrowed as he looked at Issy's face intently taking in her caramel and chocolate colored eyes and her multi-colored hair. "I _think_ I know you...no, I _do_ know you. You look so familiar."

Issy blushed. "K-Know me?" She laughed nervously. "Impossible. We've never met."

"And yet you want to marry me pretty badly." Tristan leaned in close, putting his nose in the crook of Issy's neck and breathing in deep. "Mmm...you smell like sugar cookies and vanilla. Has anyone ever told you that?"

Issy shivered as Tristan nuzzled her neck. _Is this a dream?_

"I remember this scent from somewhere...and your eyes...your hair. I _do_ know you." Tristan continued with this fierce look in his bi-colored eyes. "Why can't I remember."

_Rule Number Two of the Shadow Stalker Association: A Shadow Stalker can never be seen by his/her target._ "No, you really don't!" Issy exclaimed as she leapt out of Tristan's arms and took off running towards the exit of the ballroom.

"Hey, wait!" Tristan called after her. He would have pursued her, however, the supermodels suddenly tackled the chocolatier to the floor.

"Where's the bouquet?" "It was just here!" "That little bitch stole it!" "Where'd she go?" "Find her!" The supermodels shouted to each other as they raced around the ballroom.

Meanwhile, Issy continued to run. She ran out of the ballroom, through the hotel lobby, and out the front door. She made her way over to her mountain bike (yep, the kind you have to pedal) and hopped on. The stalker began to pedal her way back to her apartment building.

Issy couldn't believe what had just happened. She looked down at her right hand that was still clutching the bouquet. She'd gotten the bouquet, and not only that - Tristan had caught her and nuzzled her neck. _Eeee! I'll never wash my neck again!_

***

Tristan felt disoriented as he was tackled to the floor by the supermodels, but not because of the impact. He was dazed because he felt like he'd just seen a ghost - a girl he'd suspected was his guardian angel in the flesh. _That was her. It had to be. The girl who saved me more than a year ago..._

FLASHBACK

It was not unusual for Tristan's father, Adrian Savant, to use Tristan to seal certain business deals. Adrian had noticed Tristan's odd ability to charm people early on, and had decided to put it to good use. Adrian Savant was CEO of the popular French bakery franchise _La Boulangerie Savant_ that was giving _Dunkin' Donuts_ and _Starbucks_ a run for their money.

Anytime Adrian was having a difficult time convincing a landlady to sell her land for a new _La Boulangerie Savant_ location, or sell a competitor's lease, or to join the franchise, Adrian would send Tristan in to seduce her and convince her otherwise. Yes, he'd basically prostituted his own son for business. This enabled Adrian to cluster several _La Boulangerie_ _Savant_ shops in a small area therefore saturating the market. Adrian would also buyout the local bakeries in the area and those with female owners who didn't want to sell...well, he'd have his son Tristan convince them.

Adrian didn't feel guilty about using his son because Tristan wasn't even human. A succubus had seduced him one night and he'd remembered the encounter. Nine months later the same succubus demon appeared before him with a baby in her arms and handed it to him - like an offering, a gift. The child had demonic bi-colored eyes. He was a little monster but Adrian had had the feeling he'd be useful somehow after all the child was from a supernatural world no one believed in anymore. He'd soon figured out his son was an incubus - or sex demon merely by observing the reactions of females including his own wife and daughter to his son. It had been extraordinary.

Tristan for the most part put up with his father's requests and had slept with whomever his father had told him to. It had been no skin off Tristan's nose since he needed sex in order to survive anyways. But after Tristan had graduated from college - that's when his father finally went too far.

Adrian had told Tristan to go to the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel. He was given a keycard for one of the hotel rooms and told to wait for his next conquest there. Tristan did as he was told but as soon as he entered the hotel room someone injected his neck with something that knocked him out cold.

When Tristan regained consciousness he was naked and handcuffed to the headboard of a bed. And there was a _man_ there with him. A _man_! Tristan was fine with sleeping with random women...even elder women, but a man? He couldn't _believe_ his father had thought this would be okay with him. Sleeping with a man was incredibly different than sleeping with a woman. This would be _rape_.

The man was middle-aged, and dressed like some sort of male dominatrix in tight black leather even though he didn't have the body for it. The man's beer gut was hanging over the front of his leather briefs in a disgusting manner. And the man was even wearing a pair of thigh-high leather boots with three-inch heels. All in all, Tristan found the man repulsive...and this man, who was red in the face and panting over him, wanted to fuck him. _Shit!_ Tristan struggled against the handcuffs causing the man to chuckle and straddle Tristan.

Tristan tried to kick the man in the balls. But this earned Tristan a backhanded slap. The asshole didn't stop there either, and hit Tristan's face again and again laughing with sadistic glee all the while. Tristan's vision swam and dark spots formed in front of his eyes.

Tristan watched in horror as the man's erection swelled against his leather briefs. He was getting off on hurting Tristan. _The sick fuck._ Tristan knew he was going to be raped if he didn't do _something_. He realized that he wasn't gagged and that he could call for help. Tristan swallowed his pride and did so. "Help! Someone! Anyone! Help! I'm going to be raped! Help!"

The pervert didn't waste any time in gagging Tristan with a ball gag he'd pulled off the night table. He shoved the ball into Tristan's mouth and buckled the strap behind his head roughly. Tristan glared at the man hatefully and the male dominatrix began to spread Tristan's legs, when-

_Ding-dong. Ding-dong._ The sound of the room's doorbell going off was heard.

"What the hell? Who could that be? Shit." The man quickly donned a robe to cover up his leather outfit, and smoothed his hands over his thinning hair in order to make himself appear more presentable. "Don't worry, pet. I'll be right back." The creep who was probably the CEO of some bakery Tristan's father wanted to buyout assured Tristan as he stroked his face.

Tristan flinched away from the man's touch, thoroughly disgusted, and glared at the man heatedly.

The man chuckled as he left the room and Tristan strained his ears to hear what the hell was going on.

"Room service." Came a singsong female voice.

_Shit! A woman...she could be in danger from that sick pervert!_ "Mmph!" Tristan struggled against his handcuffs causing them to cut into his wrists. He had to warn her!

"I didn't order any-" The businessman was saying until the clattering sound of the cart being slammed into something was heard. The man made an 'oof' noise that made Tristan think that the girl must have rammed the cart into him! Then there was a _twang_ sound as something, maybe a plate cover, made contact with the man's head. Tristan couldn't help but visualize the girl hitting the man over the head with a stainless steel, dome plate cover.

Tristan heard the sound of fast approaching footsteps and then a young woman was bursting into the bedroom. She looked like an angel to Tristan in that moment. Her caramel and chocolate colored eyes were wide with concern and horror for the state in which she found Tristan.

The young woman gasped and raised a hand in front of her mouth as she took in his nakedness and injuries.

Tristan noted that her hair looked like it was highlighted in different colors - dark brown, light brown, caramel and blonde. It instantly reminded Tristan of the chocolate he loved so much. He mentally dubbed her his 'chocolate angel' or 'Coco'. Coco was wearing a simple, pastel pink dress and black, high-heeled shoes.

"Oh my God...he really was about to rape someone in here! I heard you through the wall. I thought...oh my God...this is crazy...what am I doing here? What if the cops come? No, that would be a good thing, right? What do I do? What do I do?" Issy panicked as she looked at the beaten and bleeding young man on the bed. Tristan's face was a mess, already turning black and blue, and his left eye was completely swollen shut.

Tristan wished this angel could have seen him when he was at his best instead of at his worst. He could tell the brave young woman was panicking, close to hyperventilating even, and did the only thing he could think of to soothe her - he released his pheromones.

The scent of chocolate and oranges wafted through the air. The girl took a deep breath and calmed instantly. "Chocolate and oranges?" She shook her head, dazedly, and looked at Tristan again, who tried to look as harmless and helpless as possible. "At any rate...I've got to get you out of here before that pervert wakes up. Yeah! I can do this...I think."

Issy made her way over to the bed and began to inspect the handcuffs. She pulled a bobby pin out from her hair and began to use it to pick the lock. In just a few seconds Issy had removed the handcuffs.

As soon as Tristan was free he unbuckled the ball gag and tossed it aside angrily. He rubbed his sore wrists as he scanned the room for any sign of his clothes. He spotted them folded neatly on the nearby chair. _How thoughtful of that sadistic son of a bitch._

Tristan got out of bed and stumbled over to the chair. He hurriedly began to tug his clothes on. He could feel the girl's eyes on him as he dressed and turned to give her a questioning look.

The girl seemed to realize what she was doing and swiftly turned around, but not before Tristan noticed the pink tinge to her cheeks. _I tried not to look at his penis but now I'm regretting it._ Issy thought to herself lewdly. "S-Sorry! It's just I've never seen a naked man before. Oh my God, did I just stay that out loud? I'm so sorry!" She bowed repeatedly with her back still turned to Tristan.

Tristan surprised himself by chuckling at the girl's antics as he began to button his shirt. With all that bowing she was acting Japanese. "No worries, Coco." Tristan hurriedly put on his shoes. Once he was finished dressing he stalked over and stood in front of Issy. He looked down into her eyes intently. "Thank you for saving my ass. Literally." He smirked.

Issy's blush deepened at Tristan's words. "N-No problem...anytime."

Tristan reached out and grabbed her hand, "Come on, we've got to get out of here. It's not safe!" He pulled the young girl out of the bedroom with him and they passed the unconscious pervert on their way out the front door of the hotel room. They continued their way, running down the hall, until they made it to the elevators.

Tristan jabbed the elevator button, and a few seconds later the elevator arrived. The door opened and they stepped inside. Tristan was still holding the girl's hand but didn't seem to notice.

Issy bit her lower lip as she came to a decision. "I'm going back to my room. I'll call the cops. You should escape. Good luck." She said before letting go of Tristan's hand, jabbing the door close button, and stepping out of the elevator.

Startled by her abrupt departure Tristan reached his hand out to grab her, but the door closed. "Hey! Wait! What's your name?" But it was already too late. The elevator began its descent. _Shit._ Tristan was trembling now that his adrenaline had worn off. He'd almost been raped by a man. Tristan placed a hand over his mouth as he gagged and bile rose up his throat. _Yuck._ But thankfully he'd been saved. _Thank God. I'll never forgive father for this...he definitely crossed the line! I'll make him pay._

Tristan kicked the side of the elevator angrily and left a rather large dent. _That's it. I'm through with the Savant family...it's so over. I'm never going back home. I'll live above the shop I just opened. I'll never go back._

Tristan's thoughts became centered on the young girl who'd saved him. _That girl...I hope she'll be okay. She's pretty feisty...and weird. I'm sure she'll be fine. I should go back. What if that asshole wakes up and attacks her!_

Tristan jabbed his finger into the elevator button and waited until the elevator began to rise again. The door opened and Tristan ran out, down the hall, and back to the room. He kicked the door open and saw that the businessman was still on the floor unconscious.

_Bing._ The sound of the elevator opening was heard and Tristan quickly left the room and hid around the corner. He was able to watch who was exiting the elevator and it turned out to be the police! Five cops ran to room he'd just left and kicked the door open.

Tristan let out a breath of relief. That pervert would be taken into custody at least and the girl would be safe. Tristan waited until the cops were inside the room before he slipped past them and made his way back to the elevator. He was tempted to try and search for the girl, but resisted the urge. If the cops spotted him, they'd take one look at his face, and start asking questions. Questions that Tristan really didn't want to answer.

Tristan decided that the girl was safe and that was all that mattered. He kept his head lowered and combed his hair in front of his face with his fingers to conceal his battered face before he made his way through the hotel lobby and exited the building. As he passed through the sliding doors and made it outside he'd never felt so free. He continued walking and did not look back.

END OF FLASHBACK

_That was her...the young woman who saved me._ Tristan thought dizzily as he returned to his senses to find himself the object of a tug-o-war between bridesmaids at a wedding reception. Two supermodels had a hold of his arms and were tugging him back and forth.

"Let go!" A blonde said fiercely.

"No, you let go! He's mine!" A brunette shot back.

_Doh._ He's out of it for a little while and he's let his pheromones go out of control. _Oops_. "Ladies, there's not need to fight. We can share. Can't we? There's plenty of this." Tristan smoothed his hands down over his torso. "To go around." A sexy grin curled his lips.

The supermodels instantly stopped fighting and helped Tristan to his wobbly feet. "You promise, Tristan? You won't run away?" "You won't escape us?"

Tristan blinked at the girls in confusion. "Escape? Why would I want to escape you lovely ladies?"

"You're lying. You want to go after _that girl_ , don't you? The one with the brown hair." The blonde accused petulantly.

Tristan searched the ballroom for his chocolate angel but she was gone. _Even if I did want to go after her...I wouldn't because I won't allow myself to fall in love again and I suspect that that girl would be no one-night stand._ "What girl?" Tristan countered nonchalantly even as his heart clenched at his own words.

The supermodels smiled happily in response. "Yeah, forget her! You have _us_."

"I'm honored. I must be the luckiest guy in the world to be surrounded by such decadence." Tristan rumbled as he put his arms around two of the girls' shoulders. "I want to go someplace where we can be alone, ladies. What do you say we get out of here?"

The blonde held up a keycard, "We have a hotel room here."

"A hotel room." Tristan's stomach twisted at the thought. He hadn't been inside of a hotel room since the incident with the perverted bakery owner, but he realized that he was just being silly. "That sounds...perfect. Let's go, ladies."

With a girl on each arm, Tristan left the ballroom with five of the supermodel bridesmaids. He looked around for any sign of Michael and was surprised the Archangel hadn't tried to stop him from leaving, but Michael was nowhere to be seen. _Lucky._ _I think I'll finally be getting laid tonight._ _Fuck yeah._

***

Along with the supermodels Tristan made his way down the hall towards the room the girls had booked. Tristan's mouth twitched, the girls had definitely been prepared. They'd exceeded his expectations and had actually planned this - planned to have an orgy with him. He was definitely flattered. Apparently, his reputation as a 'sex god' preceded him.

This should have been a good thing, but the thought left a bad taste in his mouth. These young women thought he was 'easy', and that he would sleep with anyone - anytime. And they were right. Tristan needed sex in order to survive. There was no way he could escape this promiscuous lifestyle.

And after what had happened to Hazel...he wouldn't allow himself to fall in love again. The image of his chocolate angel flashed in Tristan's mind briefly but he shook his head to rid himself of the image of her innocent smiling face.

Tristan realized that he wasn't acting like his usual irreverent, lecherous self, and he suspected it was Coco's fault. The blonde opened the door to the hotel room and the group made their way inside. Tristan felt like slapping his cheeks. He needed to get it together. _Get it together man!_ Here he had five absolutely gorgeous, curvaceous, horny supermodels who wanted to fuck him. He was the luckiest guy in the world. But...he didn't need to rush things like he usually did either. He decided Crystal, Tiffany, Robin, Jasmine and Sally deserved a little wooing and foreplay tonight before the main course.

Tristan made his way over to the phone and dialed room service. "Hello, I'd like a bottle of _Cristal Brut_ champagne, a large bowl of fresh strawberries, a bowl of warm chocolate syrup to dip the strawberries in, and also a bowl of fresh whipped cream sent up to my room. Price is no object."

" _Very well, we'll have that delivered to your room right away, Sir._ " The concierge replied.

Tristan hung up the phone and looked up to see the supermodels crooking their fingers at him playfully to follow them to the bedroom. He grinned and followed. They entered the bedroom and the women began to strip off their clothes. Just like that. It was like his own private _Girls Gone Wild_ movie.

"Wait." Tristan said as he took out his smart phone. "You ladies are such a beautiful sight - this should really be accompanied by some sexy music." Tristan put on one of his favorite songs _Urgent_ by Foreigner and it filled the bedroom with its jazzy rock beat.

The girls squealed and began to sing along playfully. " _You say it's urgent, so urgent, so oh oh urgent! Just wait and see, how urgent my love can be! It's so urgentttt!_ " The girls all sang out at the same time.

Tristan took a seat on the end of the bed and crossed his legs. "You may now resume your striptease, ladies." He waved his hand for them to continue in a princely manner. "Just do it a little more slowly this time. I want to savor this moment and your beauty like a chocolate filled with a fine liqueur." The chocolatier let his pheromones ooze out of his pores and the aroma of oranges and chocolate drifted lazily through the air.

Tristan's unique scent hit the women's noses and they breathed in deep, becoming drugged on his intoxicating scent. The women's pupils dilated, and their nipples hardened into delectable little pearls. Tristan could smell their sudden arousal with his keen demon senses. They were already wet.

The bridesmaids resumed their striptease and this time they swayed their bodies sensually to the music as they danced and slowly removed one article of clothing at a time. Tristan's cock throbbed at the erotic sight.

The supermodels danced around Tristan, giggling, and acting like Arabian harem girls as they threw articles of clothing at him. A lacy red thong hit him right in the face.

Tristan pulled the thong off his face and put it to his nose before inhaling deeply. "Mmm." The scent of a fine woman. His arousal twitched in response. He slipped the thong into his pocket for later use.

In mere minutes, the supermodels were standing completely naked before him and eyeing him with hungry looks. He returned their gazes, letting his eyes rake over their glorious curves. Their boobs were full, their nipples pink and hard, their waists small, their legs never ending, and their sexes were glistening, beckoning him.

_Ding-dong. Ding-dong._ The sound of the hotel room's doorbell was heard. "Ah, that must be room service. Please, just wait one moment, ladies. I'll be right back." Tristan winked before he left the bedroom and made sure to shut the door behind him so that whoever was at the door wouldn't steal a forbidden peek at his women.

Tristan sauntered over to the front door and opened it. A young man that was probably still in college stood before the door with his hands on a cart. Tristan gave the room service attendant a warm smile. "Come right in, man."

"Yes, Sir." The young man wheeled the cart inside, and looked around the room curiously. He was no doubt wondering where the girl Tristan was trying to seduce was.

That's when the sound of feminine giggles came from the bedroom. There were _multiple_ giggles in different pitches, and it became obvious that there were more than one woman inside of the bedroom. The young man's eyes widened in response, his face reddened, and he raised a questioning eyebrow at Tristan.

Tristan just shrugged carelessly and grinned as if to say 'What can I say?'. He fished out a twenty-dollar bill and handed it to the young man for a tip.

"Thanks, well...have a good evening, Sir." The young man made a mental note of the things Tristan had ordered (probably to use as a future dating reference).

"Oh, I will." Tristan replied teasingly.

"Bloody hell." The young man breathed, running a shaky hand through his hair as he tried to calm himself down at the thought that this lucky bastard was about to have an orgy. The room service attendant was obviously shocked and impressed by Tristan.

When the room service attendant left Tristan closed the door behind him. After that the chocolatier wheeled the cart full of goodies to the bedroom. He opened the door and wheeled the cart inside. "Sorry to keep you lovely ladies waiting. The champagne and do-it-yourself chocolate-covered strawberries have arrived."

"Ohhhh champagne!" " _Cristal_ \- love it!" "Oh, look he even got us strawberries to dip into chocolate and whipped cream. Yummy!" "I _love_ chocolate!" The supermodels gushed.

Tristan smirked as he opened the bottle of champagne and sent the cork flying across the room with a loud _pop_. This caused the girls to cheer. "Whoo!"

The chocolatier began pouring glasses of champagne and handing them to the women one by one. He was reminded of his friend Dante at that moment - the wicked bartender. "Just call me 'bartender', ladies." He winked.

The supermodels giggled and readily obliged him. "Bartender." They called out in a singsong voice. "Pour me a glass, bartender!" "What a sexy bartender we have." "We're _so_ lucky."

Lastly, Tristan poured himself a glass of champagne and held up his glass to make a toast. "A toast...to an evening that will be filled with pleasure that you young ladies have only dreamed about. And let me tell you...this will be even better than your wildest dreams come true."

The women all sucked in eager breaths. There was an excited gleam in their eyes. "Cheers!" They clinked their glasses together and drank heartily of the champagne.

Tristan set his glass down and sat down on the front end of the bed once more. He spread his legs in a provocative pose. "Who can take off my bowtie for me?"

"I'll do it." Crystal purred as she sauntered over to Tristan and straddled his legs boldly so that she was sitting right on his lap. She reached out, removed his bowtie, and tossed it aside without breaking eye contact. "What now, Master?" She joked as she ground her ass against his erection.

Tristan shuddered at the feeling of her tight ass rubbing against him, "Remove my jacket."

Crystal grinned and did as she was told, removing Tristan's jacket. As she did so she let her hands linger upon his chest. Finally, she tossed the jacket aside.

"Put your arms around my neck." Tristan ordered her in a rough voice.

Crystal readily obeyed and stared into Tristan's bi-colored eyes with a lustful expression on her face. Tristan grasped the nape her neck and pulled her in for a kiss. Tristan languidly moved his lips against hers, and ran his tongue over her bottom lip seeking entrance. The blonde writhed and moaned on his lap as she opened her mouth eagerly.

Tristan slipped his tongue inside and began to caress her tongue with his own, coating her tongue thoroughly with his saliva, which was a powerful aphrodisiac.

Crystal swallowed and Tristan's saliva slid down her throat making her whimper. She had become even more aroused. Her nipples were like little buds pressed against his hard chest. Her sex was wetting the front of his pants as she writhed and rubbed herself against him wantonly while desperately seeking some form of release.

As Tristan kissed Crystal he looked over her shoulder at the other women and saw them watching him and Crystal intently as they teased their own nipples and fingered themselves at the erotic sight. Tristan groaned. These women were so needy. And he loved it.

Tristan reached down with his free hand and stroked the blonde's sex. She was so wet for him. Tristan slipped a finger inside of her and rubbed her clitoris with his thumb gently, rubbing it in circles.

"Oh God!" The girl moaned into Tristan's mouth and rocked her hips against Tristan's hand desperately.

"Come for me, sweetheart." Tristan urged into her ear.

"Ah!" Crystal cried out as she came. She felt like she'd just burst into a zillion glittering shards that came back together again. She'd soaked Tristan's hand with the evidence of her pleasure. Her body trembled as Tristan continued to stroke her as she rode out her orgasm and finally she sagged against him. Crystal was strangely tired - she'd never had an orgasm that powerful before.

Tristan smoothly maneuvered Crystal onto the bed where she lay on her back, panting for breath, her cheeks flushed prettily, and her blue eyes glassy with sated lust.

A mischievous smile curled Tristan's lips. "Ladies, bring the bowl of chocolate over here."

"Yes, Tristan." The women chimed as they carried the bowl of chocolate over to Tristan. He took it from them and set it down on the bed next to Crystal.

The chocolatier dipped his finger into the warm chocolate syrup and then reached out to touch Crystal's nipple. Crystal gasped at the sensation; her nipples were overly sensitive due to her recent orgasm.

Tristan smirked. He began to draw designs onto Crystal's body as she writhed beneath his scalding touch. He drew hearts and swirls and smiley faces. When Tristan was done with his masterpiece he leaned over her and took one of her nipples into his mouth and sucked.

"Ah!" Crystal cried out and her back arched off the bed.

With hooded bi-colored eyes, Tristan turned to the other women. "Why don't you join me, ladies?"

"Ooo." "Yes, Tristan." "This will be fun." The supermodels all crawled onto the bed and began to lick the chocolate off of Crystal's body. The blonde cried out, writhed, and moaned at their touches. The feeling of their tongues against her flesh was divine. It wasn't long before Crystal was coming again.

At this point the other four supermodels were painfully aroused. "Now, it's your turn, my sweets." Tristan dipped his finger into the chocolate. "Tiffany, get over here."

"Yes, Tristan." Tiffany scooted over to Tristan and he began to draw designs on her body - designs that he'd then lick off.

The other bridesmaids touched themselves as they watched. Tristan met their eyes. "Ladies, draw on each other with the chocolate. The designs you make...I'll lick them off."

"Oh my God!" "Sounds like fun." "Count me in."

The three supermodels began to draw designs and images on each other's bodies. "Draw something on my boob." "Hey, draw something on my stomach, Sally." "Draw something on my pussy, Jasmine." "You're so bad, Sally!" "You know it."

Tristan groaned as he watched the young women drawing on each other with chocolate syrup. There was no sight more beautiful to Tristan than a woman covered in chocolate. Tristan's cock was straining against his pants painfully. But he ignored it. He'd give these women at least two orgasms each before he took them, and got his own release. After all, it was the least he could do for them. Once he had sex with them he'd be able to feed off their sexual energies. They would be feeding him, strengthening him, and essentially saving him.

For the next thirty minutes, Tristan licked chocolate and whipped cream off of the supermodels' bodies, suckling their delectable nipples, and licking up chocolate from their sexes. They writhed beneath his attentions as he played their bodies like an instrument and made the most sweet, sinful music in their moans.

The chocolatier gave them one earth shattering orgasm after another, until...

They were all collapsed on the bed, naked, flushed, panting for breath, and with their bodies trembling from the mind-blowing pleasure they'd experienced.

Though the girls were tired they watched Tristan with expectant looks on their faces. They eyed his obvious erection through his pants hungrily. In a brazen manner, Tiffany reached out and palmed Tristan's cock through his pants. Tristan flinched and sucked in a breath as his cock pulsed at her touch. "Tristan...we need you." "Yes, Tristan, give us _all_ of you." "We need _more_ , Tristan." "I'm hungry for your cock, Tristan." "Please...I _need_ you inside me."

"Wait." Tristan said as he sniffed the air. He could tell if a woman was using the pill or was on the patch. Apparently, all of the girls he was currently with were on some form of birth control. Due to his demon heritage he could even tell if a female was fertile or not. "You may proceed."

The women sat up, crawled towards Tristan, and began to strip him of his remaining clothes. Tristan was putty in their hands. He was so hard - so sensitive. They removed his shirt, pants, and shoes. Finally, they were sliding his boxers down his legs. "Fuck yeah." Tristan grunted as his erection was finally let free.

"Let us pamper you." The women cooed as they pushed Tristan down onto the bed. Once Tristan was lying on the bed naked before them, the girls took a moment to just admire Tristan's glorious, god-like body. His body was lithe and muscular. The ropes of muscle in his torso were tightly packed. His skin glowed alabaster. "Let us taste you, Tristan." Tristan gave them a nod, allowing them to do what they wanted.

The bridesmaids brought the bowls of chocolate and whipped cream closer to Tristan's body, and began to draw - worshipping his body with their gentle touches. They drew on Tristan's dark pink nipples, six-pack abs, his firm pecs, and his long, powerful legs. Their almost feather-light touches were a delicious sort of torture to Tristan who ached for more.

After the supermodels were done with their drawing they began to lick the designs off. Tristan gripped the headboard with his hands as he tried to keep himself under control. He wanted to pounce on the women, spread their legs and slam his hungry cock into them so he could feed. He impressively held himself back though. The chocolatier didn't want to hurt them or be too rough so he vigilantly contained his inner demon.

The bridesmaids sucked, teased and nibbled his nipples, and when he felt a hot wet mouth on his inner thigh he couldn't stop himself from bucking his hips up and letting out a desperate groan. "Tiffany...please...I want to feel your mouth on me."

A devious grin formed on Tiffany's face. "We _all_ want to taste you, Tristan." She dipped her entire hand into the bowl of liquid chocolate and reached out to grasp Tristan's impressive length. She slid her hand slowly, gently over Tristan's velvety cock and coated it thoroughly with chocolate.

Tristan shuddered at her skillful touch. "Ah...more...harder."

After Tiffany had finished coating Tristan's cock with chocolate she motioned for the other girls to join in. Tristan's eyes rolled into the back of his head when all of the girls were suddenly on their hands and knees and licking chocolate off of his cock. "Yes, oh yes!" Tristan cried out as he gripped the headboard so hard it started to crack from his demonic strength.

He could feel his orgasm approaching and knew he couldn't hold it back much longer. "Ah, ladies, I'm going to-!" Tristan warned right before he yelled out and started coming. White-hot liquid jetted out of his cock and kept on coming. "Shit." Tristan moaned, feeling weak. He'd just expelled a lot of sexual energy and had yet to feed. At that point, he was at the women's complete mercy. They could do whatever they wanted to him and he wouldn't be able to stop them. But he wasn't afraid. These were Kim Eden's best friends, and they were good girls...well, a little naughty perhaps, but Tristan knew that they would never hurt him. "Ride me...please...Robin."

An expression of surprise flashed across Robin's face, and she smiled at getting chosen to be first. She scooted over to Tristan's side. The redhead gripped his cock and began to stroke it, getting it hard again and ready for her. It didn't take long for Tristan's cock to recover, and spring back to life. "Wow...that was fast. Ready to go again so soon? You are such a good boy, Tristan." She cooed.

Tristan barely had the strength to smile up at her. "Mmhmm."

Once he was hard enough, Robin straddled Tristan's hips and reached out to grab Tristan's cock to guide it to her entrance. The redhead began to impale herself upon Tristan's aching shaft slowly.

"Oh yes, Robin." Tristan moaned in pure bliss as his cock was sheathed in warm, wet heat. "So tight."

"So big. You're filling me up." Robin countered, taking him in to the hilt, so that Tristan was fully sheathed inside of her. She rested her hands on Tristan's chest as she allowed herself a moment to adjust to his size. Robin could feel his cock pulsing inside of her. She'd never been with a man that was this large before. The redhead tentatively began to move.

Finally, Robin was producing the kind of sexual energy that Tristan could feed upon. He sighed with relief as he could feel his body soaking it up. "Oh God, yes...you're so good, baby."

Emboldened by Tristan's words, Robin increased her pace and moved over his shaft, while the other women watched enviously.

"Ladies...you can...join in." Tristan panted as he bucked his hips up off the mattress.

The women immediately fell upon Tristan. Sally straddled his right thigh while Jasmine straddled his left. Tiffany began to lick and nibble Tristan's right nipple while Crystal began to suck on Tristan's left. Sally and Jasmine began to rub their sexes against his thigh, pleasuring themselves and making sure their clits were stimulated. As Tiffany and Crystal teased his nipples they began to finger themselves.

All five girls were using Tristan's body like a sex toy, and he loved every second of it. These girls loved his body...and he loved theirs. "I'm not looking for a love that will last, I know what I need and I need it fast." Tristan murmured song lyrics to the girls.

He could feel his strength returning as Robin had sex with him, and he reached out to grab her hips. He pounded into her more roughly and could feel himself about to come again. "Ah...I'm so damned close!"

"Me too!" Robin assured him.

"Ladies first." Tristan argued as he continued to thrust into her. He reached out and fingered her clit, sending her over the edge.

"Ah...Tristan! Oh yes!" Robin cried out his name as she came, her inner walls clenching around Tristan's cock and sending him over the edge too.

"Ah...coming!" Tristan shouted as he shot his seed deep inside of Robin.

"Oh...oh my God...I think I'm... _again_!" Robin trembled above him as a second orgasm hit her. This was because she'd just been filled with Tristan's come, which was an even more powerful aphrodisiac than his spit. Tristan's semen could make a woman spontaneously orgasm.

Tristan smiled lazily. He felt great, recharged, and invigorated. "Thanks, babe."

"You're _very_ welcome." Robin said as she rolled off of Tristan with wide eyes.

"So...who's next?" Tristan asked teasingly.

The girls all giggled in response.

To be continued in...Chocolate 3: _Impishly Sweet_

### Chapter 3: Impishly Sweet

Michael willed himself to become invisible and summoned his wings. After that he took off into the night sky and flew after the mysterious wedding crasher girl who'd gotten the bouquet, and who had Tristan reacting differently than any girl before her had. The chocolatier's reaction to the girl had been quite intriguing.

Michael had never seen Tristan react that way to a girl before - as if she were _special_ \- as if the rest of the world had disappeared while in her mere _presence_.

The Archangel decided that she could be Tristan's hope for salvation. Michael needed Tristan to stop being a womanizer and philanderer, and start being with just one woman in order to save his soul. This was his new assignment from God.

Michael already understood that the woman would have to be special. And the wedding crasher seemed to be special to Tristan. It was almost too good to be true.

_She could be Tristan's only hope. I need to find out more about her like...just who is she? And would she be interested in going out with Tristan?_ Michael soared after the girl until she parked her bike outside of an apartment building and chained it to a bike rack. He waited for the young woman to enter the building, take the elevator up to her floor, and enter her apartment. Michael could sense her presence within the building and flew up to land on the balcony of her apartment.

The Archangel was just about to enter her apartment when he noticed something a little odd. The balcony directly next to hers looked oddly familiar. In fact, Michael had watered the potted plants there before. This meant that balcony belonged to Tristan Savant. This girl had chosen to live in an apartment that was directly next to _Dark Heaven_ and that had a balcony that was directly next to Tristan's. _Coincidence? I think not._ Michael slid the glass balcony door open and stepped inside of the girl's bedroom. It was dark inside and so he walked over to flip on a light switch, illuminating the room.

The bedroom appeared to be that of a normal young woman. There was a cherry, Queen-sized, pineapple poster bed with a fluffy, off-white comforter that had the pattern of red roses and twisting green vines on it. The pillows that were on the bed had ruffles. There was also a cute pillow that was shaped like _Hello Kitty's_ head. There were two matching night tables beside the bed with lamps that had frilly lampshades. A shelf that had been mounted to the wall had an assortment of porcelain dolls on it that were dressed in frilly hats, bonnets, gloves, and lacy dresses. The dolls stared back at Michael with their glass eyes in a creepy manner. Flowered wallpaper was on the walls and a faux painted Persian rug was on the floor. The overall innocence of the room made Michael question the girl's age.

The bookshelf was filled with baking recipe books. _Apparently, she likes to bake._ Michael mused happily. She had a dressing table that was piled high with an assortment of things - lots of makeup, multiple contact lens cases that contained different colored contact lenses, and several Styrofoam wig displays that had wigs on them that were all different colors - orange, brown, purple, black, pink and even blue.

O-kay. She was either a super spy or liked to play dress up. What were humans that dressed up as fictional characters called again? Michael mused as he rubbed the stubble on his chin. _Cosplayers. So...she's a cosplayer._ _That's not so bad. There are human females that are into even stranger things than dressing up._

Michael was just beginning to think the girl was pretty normal - until he turned to face the other wall of her bedroom. "No human words can describe... _this_." One of the girl's bedroom walls was completely covered in photographs of Tristan Savant. The photos had obviously been taken without Tristan's knowledge since he was never looking directly at the camera.

There was one large blown-up photo of Tristan that was the size of a poster where he was grinning from ear-to-ear and covered in chocolate. He looked tired and yet pleased in the photo - like he'd just accomplished something amazing. The large photo was surrounded by a bunch of smaller photographs. The smaller photographs been glued to red paper hearts or doilies before being attached to the wall. This gave an entirely new meaning to ' _posting photos on your wall_ '.

The fact that the girl had taken the pictures of Tristan without his knowledge made Michael's blood run cold. Words like: psycho, freak, lunatic, and weirdo ran around in circles inside of Michael's head.

And one word in particular seemed to stick in Michael's mind: _Stalker_. _No...it can't be. The wedding crasher...is Tristan's stalker? No, no, no._ Michael didn't want to believe that the wedding crasher and this stalker freak were the same person. His hopes for this girl being 'the one' were crumbling to pieces.

Michael left the bedroom, made his way down the hall, and entered the living room where he found the girl. Even though Michael thought that things couldn't possibly get any weirder - they did.

The young woman was standing in front of an open wooden cabinet that had obviously been converted into some kind of shrine to Tristan Savant. The shelves contained framed photographs of Tristan and a series of odd items - a ratty baseball cap, a worn-out spatula, a stinky tennis shoe, an old tie, a ruined chocolatier jacket, and a threadbare neckerchief. The items looked like things that Tristan had probably decided to throw away, but that had been found in the trash by this stalker girl. _This...is quite disturbing._ And was that a piece of _used_ chewing gum stuck to the cabinet door? Michael shuddered. To be this obsessed with Tristan was just...wrong. _I'm so glad I was created as a man and so am immune to Tristan's charms._

The stalker was currently laughing happily...and in a totally creepy manner. "Hee hee hee hee..." She triumphantly placed the wedding bouquet on one of the shelves as carefully as possible. "There, it's the perfect addition. Tristan _will_ marry me, teehee."

_Yep, she's delusional. Someone ought to get this poor girl committed._ But then the girl abruptly stopped laughing and smiling, and her look turned pensive, almost sad, as she reached her hand out to touch Tristan's photo. "Tristan...I hope you're okay. And I hope those supermodels give you what you need. You've been looking pale lately. You need to feed, darling."

Michael's sharp golden-brown eyes narrowed at the stalker girl then. _Wait a minute, does this girl know that Tristan is an incubus? Just who the hell is she? Is she truly human? She could be Tristan's only hope. I have to find out more about her._ The Archangel decided to reveal himself to the girl and see what her reaction would be. "Ahem," Michael cleared his throat.

The girl flinched at the sound, her eyes widened, and she spun around to face Michael. "Michael...?" The girl's eyes widened even more when she noticed the white feathery wings spread behind Michael's back. "Or not...? Whoa, wait a second, are you a demon too?"

"Too? _You're_ a demon?" Michael's brow furrowed in confusion.

Issy laughed uproariously at that. "Who? Me? No way! Are you _crazy_?" She gave Michael a pitying look that rankled him. "I mean, are you a demon like your friend Tristan. He's a demon, isn't he? Like an incubus or something."

Michael nodded once. "He's a half-demon actually. Half-incubus."

"Ha! I knew it! I knew he was a supernatural being!" The stalker girl did some kind of goofy victory dance. "And are you an incubus too?"

Michael let out a snort. "I am most certainly _not_ a lowly demon! I am a noble Archangel!" He straightened his back and puffed out his chest proudly. "I am a warrior for the One True God!"

Issy frowned. "An angel...an angel would break into a young girl's apartment like a criminal? What if I had been naked? What if I had been in the shower, huh? Would you still have come in here? I think you would have. Oh my God...you're a pervert aren't you? A perverted, Peeping Tom angel!" The girl pointed her trembling finger at Michael accusingly.

Michael appeared aghast by this outlandish accusation. "What? No! I'm not a pervert nor am I a criminal. I'm here because I'm Tristan's guardian angel and you - you've been stalking him haven't you?" He gave Issy an incriminating look in return.

Issy's expression turned skeptical and she raised an eyebrow at him. "You're Tristan's guardian angel? Liar. I don't believe you. If that's true then where were you when that fan girl had Tristan locked up in her basement, huh? I had to free him! Where were you when Tristan's girlfriend apparently killed herself? Where were you when he tried to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge? He gets suicidal on the anniversary of his girlfriend's death. Did you even know about that?"

Michael stumbled backwards a step, thrown by the girl's revelations. "Tristan's girlfriend committed suicide?"

"He didn't tell you? I believe it happened when Tristan was still in college. Tristan was going out with her and they even got engaged, but then...she killed herself. I don't know why, but her name was Hazel Nuttingham. I've seen Tristan at her grave and overheard him talking to himself about her. He blames himself for her death. That's why he refuses to fall in love again. It's also why he only does one-night stands." Issy's eyes began to glisten as she thought of Tristan's sad story.

"So that's why..." Michael scrubbed a hand down his face. "I didn't know."

Issy rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. "And where were you last Valentine's Day when Tristan passed out on the floor due to overwork? Just last night Tristan passed out again because he was trying to make his friends their wedding cake. He hit his head pretty hard on that floor, you know. I had to bandage him up. And I had to make the wedding cake for him. Who's always been there for Tristan when he needed someone - me. I'm Tristan's real guardian angel, bucko." Issy put her hands on her hips and gave Michael a superior look.

Michael sputtered with indignation. "You consider yourself to be his guardian angel? You can't be serious. You're just a perverted stalker."

"Well, this perverted stalker, knows more about Tristan than you apparently. By the way, you seriously need to stop getting in Tristan's way. He needs to have sex in order to _survive_ , you know." She chided Michael in a stern voice as wagged her finger at him.

Michael couldn't believe that he was getting nagged by Tristan's stalker. "Of course I know about that! But...you're the one who doesn't understand. His soul is in danger. He needs to stop philandering and settle down with one woman!"

Issy looked at Michael as if he'd grown two heads. "There's no way that will happen."

"And why not?" Michael let out a frustrated huff. "What if Tristan fell in love with you, for example? It's possible...as long as we kept the whole crazy stalker thing a secret from him, I think he'd actually give you a chance. You could become his female."

Issy sucked in a breath. "Me?" She shook her head. "I'm not...I'm just...I'm not Hazel. He still loves her, you know. And...I could never compete with her memory."

"But you're special." The angel argued.

Issy let out a little sigh. "You're wrong Michael, I'm not special. I'm just...me...and I'm no one." _Everyone leaves me._

"You're wrong. You are special, at least to Tristan. I've never seen him act the way he did earlier at the wedding reception. He treated you differently than he has any other girl...as if you were dear to him. He acted like he knew you from somewhere too." Michael gave her a scrutinizing look, still not fully convinced that the girl was fully human.

"He doesn't know me." Issy said even as she thought of that moment in the pouring rain when she'd first met Tristan.

"You have a chance to win his heart. You're attractive...for a human female." Michael complimented, as he looked her over critically.

Issy rolled her eyes. "Who says I want to win his heart?"

"Come now, I wasn't born yesterday. I'm thousands of years old." Michael waved his hand at the Tristan Shrine causing Issy's cheeks to heat up. "That's obviously some kind of shrine to him. You're in love with him."

Issy flinched. Bull's eye. "Yes, I'm in love with him, but that doesn't mean I want him to fall in love with me, Father Time. Love doesn't last, Michael. I may get him for one night, but then he'd forget about me the next day. I'm happy to gaze upon him from afar...and watch over him. Like his secret guardian angel." _I couldn't handle someone walking away from me again. I won't have my heart broken again._

Michael processed the girl's words. Perhaps he'd been too quick to judge her. She wasn't a psycho, per say. She was just a lonely, jaded young woman. Now, more than ever, Michael had the feeling that she could be the one to save Tristan's soul. "But you're not an angel...you're human. You could be with him if you really wanted to." There was a tinge of bitterness to his voice as he thought about Joan. "There's no need for you to watch from the shadows...like I did. Look, you could get a job at _Dark Heaven_. Tristan and I were discussing hiring a patissiere to work with us. You like to bake, right? You made Joan and Dante's wedding cake. It was impressive and extremely delicious. I'll admit I had a second helping. And while I was eating it I was reminded of the moment when I first laid eyes on Joan. You have a rare, unique talent. You can truly imbue your baked goods with your feelings. Why don't you come in for a job interview at the very least?"

Issy blinked. "Work at _Dark Heaven_ as a patissiere?" Issy couldn't stop her heart from beating a little faster at the thought. "To be by Tristan's side...I couldn't...I can't." _Women are just conquests to him. Well, except for little girls._ She shook her head.

"You can." Michael reached out and put his hand on her shoulder. "Please consider it. Just...bring your resume and come in for an interview." The angel insisted. _If I can convince this girl and Tristan to date...he could be saved._

Issy took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I...I'll consider it. I make no promises though."

Michael nodded. "That's good enough for me. Well, I better get back to the party."

Issy hid a smile behind her hand. "Uh huh." She knew that Michael was only going back to that party in order to keep an eye on Tristan, but the chocolatier probably wasn't at the party anymore. He was most likely somewhere with those supermodels getting laid.

"Farewell." Michael turned to go but then turned back around. "Oh, forgive me, I forgot to ask you your name, Miss."

"It's Isolde Sweet, but everyone just calls me 'Issy'."

_Isolde Sweet. Tristan and...Isolde. Perhaps that's a sign._ "Farewell, Issy."

"Goodnight, Michael." _And good luck finding Tristan. You're going to need it._

***

Michael returned to the wedding reception only to discover that Tristan had already left with the supermodels. "TRISTAN!" The angel roared in outrage before reaching out his senses to locate Tristan's presence.

Michael discovered that Tristan was still somewhere inside of the hotel. He looked up at the ceiling, and realized Tristan was apparently inside of one of the hotel rooms. _Hellfire and damnation!_ Michael exited the hotel, remaining invisible, and looked up. With a flap of his enormous, white wings he shot up into the air and headed to the balcony of the room Tristan was in. Michael landed on the balcony and strode over to the sliding glass door.

He tried to open it but the door was locked. Michael put more strength into his grip and forced the door to slide open. The Archangel stomped his way inside the bedroom and stopped in his tracks at the sight that met him.

Tristan was naked and currently fucking Robin from behind, doggy-style. The other supermodels - Crystal, Tiffany, Jasmine, and Sally - were passed out on the bed. At first Michael thought the women were injured when he saw a strange dark substance covering their bodies but then realized that it was chocolate syrup. His nose scrunched up at the smell of sex and chocolate.

Michael turned his attention back to Tristan just in time to see the chocolatier grip the redhead's hips before he came inside of her with a masculine grunt. Robin cried out as Tristan filled her and she obviously experienced another orgasm that had her entire body trembling with pleasure. Tristan pulled out of her and Robin immediately collapsed to the bed, passed out.

Michael's own cock stirred at the erotic sight and he looked down at his erection in disbelief. He couldn't believe that this disgusting sight had just aroused him! Michael willed his erection to go away and scowled at Tristan who still hadn't noticed his presence yet. Tristan opened the drawer of the night table, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lit one up and took a long, contented drag.

"Ahem." Michael cleared his throat angrily, crossing his arms over his chest. Tristan had obviously just had sex with all five women. He'd had an orgy. And this was a _grave_ sin.

Tristan turned to see Michael standing in the balcony doorway, and his jaw dropped causing the cigarette to fall out of his mouth. _Oh shit._ "Michael...I can explain." He assured quickly as he stepped on the fallen cigarette to make sure it was out.

Michael's golden eyes were glowing with anger. "Get these whores out of here, Tristan. We need to talk."

Tristan narrowed his bi-colored eyes at Michael. "Don't you dare call them that, Michael. They're not whores. I seduced them here. It's my fault they're acting this way. They let me have sex with them, and let me feed from their sexual energy. They saved me. All of these girls are precious." _I'm unworthy of them..._

Michael gave Tristan a startled look - surprised that he was actually defending the women he would never want to see again. Michael had assumed Tristan didn't give a flip about the women he mated with. The angel scrubbed a hand down his face, feeling confused, frustrated and disappointed. "Okay, fine. I understand. I'm sorry I insulted them, but...we really need to talk. Now."

"Reveal yourself to them." Tristan said and then added. "Without the wings of course."

"Smartass incubus." Michael undid his invisibility but kept his wings invisible. "There. What do we do now?"

"Oh my God, Michael? What are you doing here?" Tristan burst out loudly, and tried to act surprised.

"Huh?" "What's going on?" "What's all the commotion?" The supermodels began to stir awake and one by one they began to catch sight of Michael.

"Oh shit. My friend looks pissed! I better talk to him alone, ladies!" Tristan quickly explained.

The supermodels glanced over at Michael and their eyes widened at his furious expression. They swallowed and did a double take. "Epp! Your friend looks scary." "Oh my God, we're like so out of here." "Come on, girls. Let's let these boys 'talk'." "You don't think they're 'together' do you?" "Shhh! What if he hears you?"

A muscle ticked beneath Michael's eye in irritation at the girl's comment. He didn't need to 'pretend' to be angry because now he _was_. The girls quickly dressed and fled the room leaving Tristan and Michael alone.

Tristan leaned back against the headboard casually and pulled the sheet up to cover the lower half of his body. He raised an eyebrow at the angel. "So what did you want to talk to me about, Michael?"

Michael's eyes glinted. " _This_." He waved a hand around the bedroom. "This is completely unacceptable. I've been charged with saving your soul...and then you go off and have _an orgy_. I can only imagine what the state of your soul is now."

"Pfft." Tristan snorted. "You can't be serious. Dude...you're overreacting. It's just _sex_."

Michael growled low in his throat before pouncing on Tristan, straddling him, and grabbing Tristan's throat with his one hand. "You need to take this more seriously. It's not 'just sex'! Don't you know what sex really is, incubus?"

Tristan blinked. "Uh, it's when a man shoves his cock into a woman's vagina. Duh."

Michael tightened his grip around Tristan's neck, cutting off his air. "No! It's more than that! Most humans today have forgotten the truth, but...sex is a union of souls. When a man and a woman come together and have sex, not only their bodies unite, but their souls unite too. Two bodies, two souls, temporarily become one."

"What about when two men fuck?" Tristan managed to wheeze out.

Michael shook Tristan angrily causing Tristan's head to snap back and forth. "If you go around having sex and uniting your soul with just anyone or with multiple women, and there's no emotion or meaning behind it...your soul will be damaged. Eventually, you will lose your capacity for love. Your soul will become corrupted...and shatter. You're hurting your God-given soul with your careless actions, Tristan. Your lack of respect for yourself and for the Temple of your Soul will lead to your destruction." _And your condemnation._

"God-given soul? I'm a demon...does any of this really even apply to me? I'm already damned anyways." Tristan sneered.

"Half-demon." Michael corrected. "And yes these cosmic laws still apply to you. You may be half-incubus but you do have a soul, Tristan."

"What if I don't care about what happens to my soul?" Tristan shot back in a snarky manner. _What if I want it to be damned to Hell...so I can see her?_

A thrill of fear traveled down the angel's spine and Michael let go of Tristan's throat so that he could punch Tristan hard across the face.

"Ow! Son of a bitch!" Tristan rubbed his jaw. "You punched me, you dick! That hurt! Fuck you! You don't understand anything...maybe I want to damn my soul to Hell, huh? What do you think about that?"

Michael reached out and gripped Tristan's shoulders with a sad, tortured look on his face. "So you can reunite with Hazel?"

Tristan sucked in a breath. "How do you know about Hazel?"

"I had a little chat with your stalker. Anyways, Hazel killed herself. She had a foul lack of respect for the God-given gift of life, and the Temple of her Soul. Her soul was damned to Hell for it...and she deserved it. She-"

Tristan brought his leg up and kicked Michael square in the chest, sending Michael flying back and off the bed. "Shut up! What the fuck do you know? Don't you dare talk bad about Hazel! Hazel was...wonderful. Kind. Beautiful. Smart. Funny!"

Michael quickly stood up and launched himself at the bed once more. He tackled Tristan and punched him across the face again. Tristan rolled out from under Michael and landed on the bedroom floor. Michael jumped off the bed and attacked, but now Tristan's legs were free and he instantly brought his leg up to block the punch from Michael with his foot. The half-incubus and the angel continued to fight viciously, exchanging kicks and punches, blocks and blows.

"She spit on God's gift of life...her immortal soul! She deserves to burn in Hell for all eternity!" Michael argued as he swung a punch at Tristan's face.

Tristan blocked the blow with his leg and retaliated, aiming his foot at Michael's head with a spinning kick. "No she doesn't! I do! It was my fault she killed herself! I broke up with her!"

Michael ducked the attack and then paused in shock at Tristan's words. He hadn't expected this revelation. "You what? But why? Didn't you love her...?"

Tristan scrubbed a hand down his face. "Of course I loved her. But I...I could tell my nature was corrupting her. She was becoming jealous...violent. I wanted to free her from myself. Save her from me. So I broke up with her. And then...she killed herself. It's all my fault. Dammit!" Tears began to stream down Tristan's face and he felt ashamed at the unmanly display.

Michael lowered his fists, frowned, and looked thoughtful. "If she became jealous and violent this was merely her true nature. Your demonic nature as an incubus can't influence a person to change who they fundamentally are. You only induce lust in women, nothing more."

"You're wrong." Tristan shook his head. "I'm a monster. I can seduce any woman I want with my pheromones. Even if they're happily married or already have a boyfriend - I can seduce them into my bed. I could convince a virgin to give it up to me in _one night_. I can _control_ them. Corrupt them. Just like I did to Hazel..." Haunting shadows flickered in his bi-colored eyes.

Michael's expression softened at Tristan's tears and at the chocolatier calling himself a monster. "You're not a monster." The angel said softly.

Tristan laughed brokenly as he looked back at Michael with his bruised and battered face. "I know you don't believe that. You're one of God's angels...you were probably sent here to exterminate me. Am I right? Well, hurry up. Go ahead and kill me! End my misery! Send me to Hazel!" Tristan put his arms out at his sides.

_Fuck._ He was going about this all wrong, Michael realized. And Tristan had no idea just how close he'd come to the truth. God did indeed want Michael to kill Tristan...before he 'fell' and became a threat. But Michael saw the good in Tristan and felt that he was still redeemable. That Tristan could still be saved.

Michael had seen the way Tristan looked at Issy Sweet. She was his only hope.

"I know you don't really like me...you were forced to watch over me, weren't you? You're not really my friend..." Tristan trailed off sadly.

Michael sighed. "No, you're wrong. I am your friend. And that's why I'm trying to help you. Tristan, please, you can't keep doing things like this. It's as serious as you say. If you continue down this dark path I may be ordered to kill you."

Tristan stared back at Michael with a broken expression on his face. "Then there's no hope. I can't stop _this_ , Michael. It's who I am...I need _sex_ in order to survive. And I won't let myself fall in love again either. Not after what happened to Hazel. I don't deserve to fall in love again. I don't deserve to be happy...when she's down there burning."

Michael was filled with the overwhelming desire to help Tristan somehow and began to pace across the room as the wheels in his keen mind began to turn. "How much sex do you actually need in order to survive? Let's start there."

"I...I need to have sex at least once a week or else I begin to waste away." Tristan murmured softly.

Michael nodded, and rubbed his chin, "Then it's settled. From now on I want you to only have one conquest per week and I also want you to woo that female for the entire week leading up until the day you have sex with her."

Tristan blinked at the odd suggestion. Woo a girl for an entire week? Only to sleep with her and then ultimately ditch her in the end anyways. "That makes no sense. And that would only complicate things. The entire point of a one-night stand is so they won't develop feelings for me and so I won't hurt them."

"But you hurt them anyways." Michael interjected. "Women _think_ they can act like men and have promiscuous sex, but that's not the case. Women become attached to the men they sleep with even if they try to deny it. It's actually a chemical and biological reaction to the mating process. Women want to 'nest' with the men they sleep with, and settle down, but we won't get into that. Dealing with their hurt feelings will be your punishment, Tristan. The price you will have to pay. It will help you to retain your humanity. And if you don't want to do this then you have only one other option."

"And what's that?" Tristan arched an eyebrow.

"You can try to fall in love with one of your conquests and become exclusive with her. This would save your soul. I'll admit that I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you'll end up falling in love with one of them...hence the reason why you have to date them for an entire week." Michael was looking pretty proud at his idea.

Tristan shook his head. "That will never happen but...alright, fine. I'll do as you ask - one conquest per week and I have to woo her first." The chocolatier strode closer to Michael and offered him his hand.

Michael shook it. "Now that that's settled...hurry up and put some clothes on. I'm sick and tired of looking at your junk. No one wants to look at _that_."

A roguish expression crossed Tristan's face, and he waggled his eyebrows at the prudish angel. "I don't know if I believe that. When we were wrestling on the bed I noticed that you were hard. It looked like you were getting pretty excited."

Michael reddened. "That wasn't because of you...I saw all of those naked women." He coughed into his hand. "Anyways, we were fighting. I was enraged with you."

"Uh huh." Tristan made sure not to sound convinced. "Could have been foreplay-"

"Why are you covered in chocolate anyways?" Michael snapped irritably.

Tristan raised an eyebrow at the innocent question. Michael could be kind of cute. "The girls like to lick it off of my body."

"Lick it off...?" Michael grimaced. "That sounds disgusting." He shook his head.

"I can assure you it's not. The taste of my skin combined with chocolate is...irresistible. Want to try it?" Tristan teased as he held out his arm obligingly.

Michael began to back away from Tristan in horror. "No way, get away from me, you perverted incubus! Keep up this kind of sinful behavior and I may have to change my mind about not killing you!"

Tristan laughed as he chased Michael around the bedroom, just to be an ass. _Is this really what it's like to have a friend? I suppose Michael truly is my friend. And...it's also so strange that I can be naked with another man in the same room and not throw up. Well, who is trustworthier than an angel? I don't deserve a friend like Michael._

***

A day in the life of a Living Doll...

Being a Living Doll meant having to get up at the crack of dawn in order to have the time needed to transform into a doll, so that Issy could start her day. First, Issy would shower, blow-dry her hair, and tie her hair up into a bun. She'd wash her face, and brush her teeth. Then she'd go into her huge walk-in closet to select her outfit for the day from a wide selection of pretty Victorian style dresses.

That day, Issy decided on a frilly, pink, floral print blouse, and a pair of bloomers or dolly pantaloons that resembled shorts that had lace decorating the hems. She sat down in front of her dressing table, and pulled a pair of pink and white striped knee socks that had bows at the tops up her legs, and put on a pair of platform, patent leather shoes. From her wig collection she chose a curly, blonde, longhaired wig with pink tips. She attached a large pink bow to the top of her head and while still seated at her dressing table began her dolly make-up.

First, she selected a pair of circle lenses. Circle lenses were contact lenses that made the eye appear bigger than it really was. She decided to wear her green ones that day. Issy applied foundation, lots of sparkly eye shadow, _Dolly Wink,_ black, liquid eyeliner, and lastly a pale pink gloss to her lips. Her face now resembled the face of a porcelain doll with its huge eyes and tiny lips perfectly. She grabbed a black choker that had a small, cameo portrait on it and tied it around her neck.

After she was finished getting ready, Issy looked at her reflection in a full-length mirror and grinned. _Too cute._ Her smile dipped though when she remembered that the money her mother Hanako had left her before disappearing to France was dwindling. It was high time she got herself a job in New York City - ideally as a patissiere. Issy had several job interviews scheduled for that very day at various popular bakeries throughout the city.

Issy left her apartment building, ignoring the strange looks she was receiving due to her doll-like appearance, and hopped on her bike. She took off, heading for _Payard Bakery_ first. _Payard Bakery_ was located at 116 West Houston Street. She arrived a few minutes later and pulled her bike up in front. The bakery was inside of a town house style building with a red awning that had the bakery's name on it in white capital letter's: _FRANCOIS PAYARD BAKERY_. Issy dismounted her bike and went inside.

The bakery's employees gave Issy funny looks while one of them went off to fetch the manager for her. While Issy waited she looked into the display case and drooled. There were Napoleons, Éclairs, a Lemon Tart, a Chocolate Chiboust Tart, and colorful Macaroons that were green, red, brown and yellow. The manager stepped out from the kitchen in the back, and into the main shop area behind the display case. The manager was a serious looking, middle-aged man that was dressed in a white chef jacket and black pants. He raised an eyebrow as he took in Issy's appearance. "Isolde Sweet?"

Issy stepped forward and nodded. "Yes." She stuck her hand out for him to shake. "It's nice to meet you-"

The manager did not take Issy's hand, however, and stared down at it with obvious disdain. "Miss Sweet, is this some kind of joke to you?"

"Excuse me?" Issy blinked.

"Coming here dressed like _that_ for a _job interview_? It isn't Halloween. I can't help but think you're not taking this job interview _seriously_. We here at _Payard_ take things _very_ seriously. Baking isn't fun and games. It's _serious business_." He crossed his arms over his chest as he continued to stare down at her with a haughty expression on his face.

"Not fun...serious business?" Issy frowned. "I'm surprised to find someone that is able to create such beautiful and delicious looking cakes to be so narrow-minded. I specialize in baking novelty cakes myself. And each cake is a work of art where I have freedom of expression. When I decorate a cake...I find it to be extremely _fun_. You know what? I don't think I want to work at a place that takes baking so seriously. Baking is supposed to be fun! Hmph! Good day!" Issy stomped out of the bakery, fuming.

_Well, whatever, I'll just have to try again._ Issy made her way to _Soutine Bakery_ next. The bakery was known for its delicious tarts in a variety of flavors - strawberry-rhubarb, apple, cherry, chocolate truffle, fresh berry, lemon, plum and pecan. She stepped inside, looking forward to getting to see their display case, but was disappointed when she found that it was empty and that there were no customers inside. Issy looked around the shop frowning and finally caught sight of a young man that was wiping down the tables. Issy approached. "Hi there, I'm Isolde Sweet. I have an interview scheduled with Manager Rob."

"That's me." The young man grinned and his blue eyes sparkled. Issy took a moment to take in his appearance. The young man had red hair, a few freckles sprinkled across his nose, and a lanky build. He looked like a college grad, like herself. Rob stuck his hand out for Issy to take and they shook hands.

Rob looked her over too and his smile widened as he took in her dolly outfit, but he didn't comment on what she was wearing. "Nice to meet you, Isolde."

"Just call me, Issy." Issy said slightly embarrassed by her old-fashioned name. She hated her name.

"Okay, Issy. Please follow me. We'll have the interview in the back office." Rob led Issy through the bakery, past the kitchen, and to the back of the building where there were several rooms. The place was completely deserted.

"Uh...where is everyone?" Issy asked, beginning to feel slightly nervous. Rob seemed harmless enough but being alone with a man twice her size probably wasn't a good idea.

"Oh...we're doing some renovations this week. That's why there's no one here. We'll be officially open again for business next week." Rob informed her genially.

"Oh, I see." Issy nodded as she kept her distance behind Rob.

Rob led Issy to an office and ushered her inside. He took a seat behind the desk and motioned for Issy to take a seat in one of the two armchairs that sat in front of the desk. She did so and fished around in her handbag to get out a copy of her resume. Issy handed it to Rob. "Here's a copy of my resume."

"Thanks." Rob stared down at it and scanned it quickly. He looked up a moment later with a look of surprise. "You're twenty-three too! I thought you were like _fifteen_!" Rob chuckled. "I just graduated from college too. God, I miss it. The parties..."

Issy's cheeks turned pink. "Ah, yeah, I get that a lot."

Rob gave her an intent look. "You're part Asian, right?"

"Yeah. I'm half-Japanese." Issy snapped, feeling defensive. She already knew she was short for her age and blamed it on her Asian genes.

"Cute." Rob smiled and his eyes twinkled. "So...I can tell you _really_ want this job, huh?" His blue eyes were lingering on her dolly dress.

"Excuse me?"

"Well, coming here dressed like that..." Rob waved his hand at her. "It's like you're gift-wrapped and even have a bow on top. You're lucky you're my type. Alright, I accept your offer. We'll hire you." Rob stood up from his chair and approached Issy.

"Wait? What? I think there's been some sort of misunderstanding-" Issy tried to stand up-

But Rob put his hands on Issy's shoulders and pushed her back down into her chair. "No, there's been no misunderstanding. It's okay. I already said I'll hire you so..." Rob leaned forward to kiss Issy.

Issy's eyes widened in shock and she turned her head away so that his chapped lips fell against her cheek instead of her mouth. "W-What do you think you're doing? Get off of me!"

Rob chuckled in amusement. "Trying to act all innocent? That's cute. You're not a kid and to be dressed up _like that_ at twenty-three can only mean you're into sexual fetishes or fantasies or something. But I'm game, little dolly."

Rob slid his hand up Issy's thigh, heading for her crotch, and her fear spiked. _Oh hell no!_ "I said..." Issy fished inside of her handbag for her mace. "GET OFF!" She sprayed mace into Rob's eyes.

"Ah...fuck! Little bitch!" Rob stumbled backwards blindly.

Issy was able to stand and she wasted no time in kicking Rob right in the crotch. "Ow!" Rob bent over in pain and cupped himself. "I can't believe you just did that, you little tease!"

"I'm no tease, pervert!" Issy grabbed her resume off the desk, stuffed it inside of her bag, and fled from the office without looking back. She left the bakery and mounted her bike. Then she realized that she couldn't put her foot on the bike petal properly because her entire body was trembling. Issy took a moment to calm herself down and took deep breaths. _That pervert! How dare he?_ He'd completely misunderstood her. Was twenty-three really so old to like cosplay? Tears filled her eyes but she stubbornly blinked them away. _I just want to escape from reality a little. Is that so bad?_

Issy finally managed to mount her bike properly and took off down the street. She continued to pedal hard as tears blurred her vision. She was lucky she didn't get into an accident. Finally, she stopped, utterly exhausted and panting for breath. Issy realized she had no idea where she was.

Issy looked up and saw that she'd subconsciously gone straight to _Dark Heaven_. _Dark Heaven_ was a quaint, white, two-story building with Victorian architecture. The shop had an enormous front window and a nice window display. In the display fake, white fluffy clouds had gold boxes of chocolates sitting on them. The sign that hung above the door was made out of wood and shaped like a pair of angel wings. The wings had been painted gold and the shop's name: ' _Dark Heaven_ ' had been painted on it in brown letters.

Why had she come here? She wondered. But then shook her head. She'd probably just come there because her apartment building was right next store. Issy took more deep breaths and finally began to calm down. She wiped the tears from her eyes as her heartbeat returned to normal.

Michael wanted Issy to work with Tristan at his shop. She knew she should stay away from the object of her affections but...for some reason she was dismounting from her bike and making her way towards the front door. She was no longer trembling, no longer afraid. Tristan and Michael were kind, decent people who would never hurt her.

Issy leaned her bike up against a tree and entered the chocolate shop. The bronze bell above the door jingled signaling her presence. Every time she entered _Dark Heaven_ it was like stepping into a whimsical fantasy world, and she loved that.

The interior of the shop had been decorated in white, gold, dark brown and pale blue colors. Hanging above her was a gigantic, antique, crystal chandelier that glittered and sent prisms of rainbows scattered across the walls and floor. Towards the back of the establishment was a long display case that contained hundreds of different types of chocolate bonbons and truffles.

Issy was drawn towards the case and peered inside intently. The chocolates were all different flavors: caramel, pistachio, coconut, and cherry, to name a few. The chocolates also had angelic inspired shapes: angels, angel wings, halos, and clouds. Some of the simpler square and rectangular shaped chocolates had hand-piped images on them with angelic themes.

Issy's attention was drawn to the mural that was on the right wall. It was of a blue sky with puffy, white clouds and angels. The angels were gorgeous and buxom females wearing low-cut, white gowns and eating chocolate with rapturous expressions on their faces. Issy's lip twitched at the sight of the slightly indecent, busty angels. _Tristan, you dawg. I wonder what Michael thinks about this! One of those angels could be Michael's sister or something!_

The entire shop had been furnished with antiques - round tables and plush chairs with soft, velvet cushions. White, feathery wings had been attached to the backs of the chairs to make the customers feel like they were 'angels' while visiting this dark piece of heaven. Issy had sat at one of those chairs before and had to admit that it worked. Spread wings that had been carved out of wood and painted gold had been stuck to the walls for added decoration.

The ceiling had also been painted to resemble a blue sky with white clouds and a sun. The image of a stunning woman that was probably supposed to be the Sun Goddess was also painted onto the sun. Coming to _Dark Heaven_ was like getting to escape reality...it was a secret, forbidden fantasy come to life.

Issy felt at home there. At that exact moment, Tristan stepped out of the kitchen and behind the display case. He spotted Issy and looked her over before smiling warmly at her.

Issy knew that look - it wasn't the look Tristan gave women or potential conquests, but the look he gave to a kid. As Tristan's stalker, Issy knew that Tristan had a 'weakness' or 'soft spot' for kids.

"Hello there, little girl, how may I help you today?" Tristan asked in a friendly and professional manner.

Issy approached Tristan, noticed the bruises on his face, and frowned. "You're hurt. How did you get hurt?"

Tristan blinked, surprised that Issy had even noticed. Most of the young women who came there were too distracted by Tristan's pheromones to be thinking about anything except for sex. Well, she was just a little girl, so that had to be it. "Ah..." He put a hand behind his head, feeling abashed. "My friend Michael and I had a little disagreement."

"Michael? _Michael_ did that to you?" Issy sounded surprised, disappointed and slightly angry.

"It's nothing." Tristan waved her concern away and felt oddly touched by the girl's continued worry. "It's a man thing. Men fight all the time."

"Yeah, maybe, but you don't." She muttered softly to herself. Tristan was a lover, not a fighter. If he could avoid conflict, then he would. This wasn't to say that Tristan was weak. He took Savate, Capoeira and kickboxing classes and was a good fighter. He'd only fight with his legs and not his hands though. This was because Tristan considered his hands to be precious tools for making chocolate and pleasuring women, and so went to great lengths to never damage them.

"What was that?" Tristan asked with an intent expression on his face.

"No, nothing. I, um, I heard you were looking for an assistant patissiere?" Issy asked.

Tristan's bi-colored eyes narrowed at her. "And who told you that? Michael?"

"As a matter of fact he did."

Tristan looked Issy over again, this time with much more interest. "How old are you?"

"I'm..." Issy bit her lip as she had a sudden devious idea. "I'm fifteen. I ran away from home because my dream is to be a patissiere. I just want to bake. It's my passion."

"Fifteen...she's just a kid." Tristan muttered to himself before he continued on in a louder tone. "Why did you run away from home? I bet your parents are worried about you."

Issy shook her head. "My mother...abandoned me when I was seven-years-old. My father remarried and my stepmother doesn't like me very much." _This is all actually true._ _And they weren't happy that I wanted to become a patissiere either. But that didn't matter. Tre was going to help me open up my own shop in California, but now...?_ "I don't fit in there with them."

Tristan gave Issy a sympathetic look, and unexpected tears had sprung to his eyes. He reached out and patted Issy's head. "You're so brave to run away from home in order to pursue your dream. I'll let you in on a little secret." Tristan leaned forward and continued on in a hushed voice. "I ran away from home too."

"Really?" Issy tried to act surprised by this revelation. "Why did you run away?" She held her breath, awaiting his response with rapt attention.

"My father and I...don't exactly see eye to eye." Tristan shrugged carelessly.

"Well, they say 'home' is where the heart is anyways." _And my home is with you Tristan Savant._

"Yeah." He gave her an assessing look. "Do you have a resume?"

"I...don't. Sorry. I totally forgot to bring it." _And I'd have to change the age on it before I could show it to you anyways._ "But...how about this. Why don't you test my baking skills? I'll bake you something and if you don't like it then you don't have to hire me."

Tristan mulled over the girl's suggestion and finally nodded. "Alright...so what's your name, little girl?"

"Isolde. But you can call me Issy." Issy offered her hand to Tristan.

"Issy." He took her hand and shook it. As soon as their hands touched there was an electric zap that passed between them causing their hands to tingle.

Issy pulled her hand back and stared down at it quizzically while Tristan did the same. "Static electricity?" Issy murmured.

"Yeah." Tristan was quick to agree. "Static. Please, follow me, Issy. I'll take you to the kitchen." He motioned for Issy to come behind the display case.

"Okay." Issy made her way past the display case and followed Tristan to the door that led to the kitchen. The kitchen was visible through the large sheet of glass that separated the kitchen from the shop and earlier Issy had noticed Michael making chocolate. Michael was using a stainless steel funnel filled with chocolate he'd already tempered, and pouring the chocolate into a chocolate mold tray. As Issy and Tristan entered the kitchen, Michael looked up.

"Hey Michael, this little girl says that you told her that we were hiring a patissiere. Is that true?" Tristan asked with an amused twinkle in his bi-colored eyes.

Michael gazed at Issy, took in her doll-like appearance, and frowned. "No, I've never seen this girl be-"

"Michael! What are you saying?" Issy quickly cut Michael off as she crossed the distance between her and Michael with surprisingly long strides. "It's me - Issy."

"Issy?" Michael's eyes widened, "Why are you dressed like-?"

"Ah!" Issy exclaimed before grabbing Michael's arm and tugging him aside. She then whispered to him in a low voice. "Shhh! You're the one who wanted me to work here, remember? So, alright, I will, but I don't want Tristan knowing the 'real me'. I want him to think I'm a fifteen-year-old runaway who is also a Living Doll."

"Fifteen! And what the hell is a Living Doll?" Michael scratched his head feeling confused and befuddled. Human women were so strange.

"Yes, fifteen. That way I'll stay off of Tristan's radar as a woman. He has a soft spot for kids. And he's never slept with anyone that wasn't over eighteen." Issy informed the angel.

"It's scary that you know that." Michael shot back, dryly.

Issy ignored that comment and continued. "A Living Doll is someone who dresses like a Victorian porcelain doll and wants to look like a doll that's been brought to life. It's a fashion statement. It's perfectly normal." She added to see what Michael's reaction would be.

"Fashion statement? Perfectly normal?" After a moment Michael shrugged. "Well, if you say so...I guess I have no right to complain. I'm glad you're here, Issy." _You're Tristan's only hope._ He silently added in his mind.

"No prob." _Huh, so he readily believed me when I said being a Living Doll is normal. Since he's really an Archangel he's probably naïve about human society and human females in general. I could use this to my advantage._

Meanwhile, Tristan was watching Michael and Issy speaking together in a conspiratorial manner and had a weird feeling about it. He couldn't quite figure it out. What was he feeling exactly? It was almost like he felt like he was being left out. Like he was jealous? Of a little kid? Naw. He just wasn't used to a female ignoring him...even a _mini_ one.

Issy pulled away from Michael when she realized how close their faces had gotten and blushed. She spun around to face Tristan, who had a strange look on his face. He looked constipated. "Anyways, let me get started with showing you my mad skills!" Issy rolled up her lacy sleeves and began to go around the kitchen, opening up the cupboards and taking out the ingredients she needed.

Tristan watched her move around the kitchen as if she'd been there before. Michael noticed Issy's familiarity with the kitchen as well and realized that Tristan might notice it. Thinking fast, Michael grabbed Tristan by the arm and began to lead him out of the kitchen. "Let's give the little lady some room to do her thing."

"Uh, yeah, right, sure." Tristan responded dazedly as he was pulled from the kitchen.

Issy let out a breath of relief once Tristan was gone. She felt way less nervous. Issy decided to make something simple yet delicious - cupcakes. First, she made the batter for chocolate cupcakes and poured it into a twelve-hole cupcake tray. Then she made the batter for vanilla cupcakes and poured it into another cupcake tray. After that she placed the two trays in the 350 degree Fahrenheit preheated oven, and set her timer. The official recipe said that the cupcakes needed to be baked for 25 minutes, but Issy knew the cupcakes would be ready in 20. By taking them out a little earlier they would remain nice and moist. She'd let them sit in the tray to cool for 10 minutes before she would ice them.

Issy cleaned up the mess she'd left behind on the counter while she waited for the cupcakes to bake, and got started on making some white vanilla frosting and chocolate frosting. After she finished her task, she made some fondant icing \- half of which she dyed brown. With the fondant icing she created several tiny pairs of angel wings, some of which were white and some of which were brown. Working with fondant icing was a lot like using Play-Doh.

When her timer went off, Issy put on a pair of oven mitts before removing the two trays of cupcakes from the oven. She allowed the cupcakes to cool for ten minutes before she removed them from the trays. The scent of vanilla and chocolate wafted through the air temptingly. The smell of vanilla always reminded her of her mother and her eyes went a little glassy.

Issy spooned white vanilla frosting into an icing bag and spooned chocolate frosting into another bag before she then began to decorate the cupcakes. She put a swirl of chocolate icing on top of the vanilla cupcakes and a swirl of vanilla icing on top of the chocolate cupcakes. For the finishing touch, she added the wings made out of fondant icing on top. She put the brown wings on top of the white icing and the white wings on top of the brown icing for a contrasting effect.

When Issy was finally finished she wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. _Phew. There. I'm done. And they look perfect._ She gave herself a mental pat on the back for a job well done and grinned. Tristan was sure to love them.

At that moment, Tristan and Michael walked back into the kitchen. "I see you're done. So you decided to make cupcakes." Tristan began conversationally as he breathed in deep. They smelled delicious.

Issy nodded shyly.

Tristan looked at the little angel wings on top of the cupcakes and smiled. "Nice presentation. Now, let's see how they taste." Tristan picked up one of the cupcakes and bit into it with a chomp.

Issy held her breath and crossed her fingers behind her back.

Tristan chewed and swallowed. His eyes glistened a little before he smiled. "These...are amazing. I can taste the emotion you put into these, Issy. You truly love baking. I can feel it."

Issy blushed. The emotion she'd put into those cupcakes was her love for Tristan. "Yeah, love it." _Almost as much as I love you._

Michael reached his hand out to take a cupcake but Issy swatted at his hand. "Uh, uh, uh. I made a very special cupcake just for you, Michael." Issy said sweetly as she handed Michael a cupcake.

Michael blinked, and looked touched. "Oh, thanks." He took the cupcake, bit into it, chewed and swallowed. Michael's eyes also began to water, but then-

His eyes widened in a combination of shock and surprise. "Ah! Hot...hot...hot!" Michael exclaimed before he stuck his tongue out and began to wipe his tongue off with his hands while desperately trying to remove the taste. "Water! Water!" Michael ran over to the sink, turned the water on, and put his head beneath the tap to drink.

Issy giggled impishly. "Serves you right, Michael. That's what you get for marring Tristan's beautiful face!"

Tristan shot Issy an astonished look. He was surprised that the sweet little girl would have done something like that and for him. She may have been a kid, but she was still a fan. It was cute. "What did you put in there, little girl?"

A sinister smile curled Issy's pink lips. "Wasabi."

It was Tristan's turn to grin back at her. "You're hired."

To be continued in Chocolate 4: _Sinfully Dark_

Princess' Vanilla Cupcake Recipe:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 pinch salt

5 tablespoons butter, cut into

2/3 cup milk

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a standard muffin tin with 12 paper cupcake liners. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; set aside.

2. Heat the butter and milk in a small saucepan over low heat until the butter has melted. Beat the sugar, eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla with an electric mixer in a large bowl until it has thickened slightly and is lighter in color. Gradually beat in the flour mixture on low speed until just incorporated. Slowly pour in the hot milk, beating until just combined.

3. Divide batter evenly between cupcake liners. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan for 10 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack to cool completely.

_Allrecipes.com_ 'Cupcake Princess' Vanilla cupcakes'

Fondant Icing Recipe:

8 tbs unsalted butter

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk

5 cups sifted confectioner's sugar

1. Beat butter, vanilla, and salt together until soft.

2. Add condensed milk slowly and beat until mixture is very light.

3. Add the confectioners' sugar cup-by-cup

4. Dust your work surface with an extra cup of confectioners' sugar.

5. Turn your fondant mixture out onto the work surface and work the powdered sugar in with your hands.

### Chapter 4: Sinfully Dark

Tristan stood behind the display case at _Dark Heaven_ checking out the female patrons that were currently inside of his shop. His gaze landed upon a sophisticated young woman with a bob of platinum blonde hair, and sharp gray-blue eyes. She was wearing a dark blue jacket, a white blouse, a pencil skirt, and a string of pearls around her neck. She also wore a pair of devilish stilettos. Tristan worried his thumb and forefinger over his jaw as he mused about what she could be. She appeared to be a lawyer, a librarian or perhaps even a female doctor.

Tristan's gaze was attracted to a fiery redhead next. She had pale skin and the most adorable smattering of freckles along the bridge of her nose. The redhead was dressed in a trendy outfit and appeared to be very fashionable. In fact, she was surrounded by a group of girls that seemed to be emulating her style. Tristan deduced that she was probably a model, socialite or even a celebrity.

The trendy girl was cute but perhaps high-maintenance, and for Tristan's very first wooing conquest he wanted a more 'harmless' young woman to start with. That's when Tristan noticed a young woman with a preppy, sporty look. She was wearing a polo shirt, sweatpants, and tennis shoes. Her brown hair was pulled up into a high ponytail and she had cute bangs. The woman's skin was a nice, healthy, peachy-tan color - probably from jogging. A slow smile formed on Tristan's lips as he continued to gaze at her. _She's perfect. She's a bit of a Plain Jane. A Cinderella-type perhaps. I'm usually really good with this kind of woman._

Tristan figured that if he had to court a woman for an entire week before he could sleep with her, and that he was then going to break up with her - that a girl like this Cinderella-type was less likely to stab or shoot him afterwards.

The chocolatier had already made plans for his conquest, and now he just had to put those plans into action. Tristan moved in front of the display case and strolled over to the woman's table. She was currently enjoying a cup of coffee and a plate with three different kinds of chocolate bonbons on it. Tristan stopped when he was directly in front of her table and cleared his throat to get her attention. "Ahem."

The sporty woman looked up and gasped at the sight of Tristan standing right in front of her. "T-Tristan Savant." She breathed.

Tristan smiled charmingly at her and his teeth sparkled. "That's my name. Don't wear it out. Unless you want to." He winked. "By the way, I have some important news just for you."

"Y-You do?" The young woman stuttered.

"Congratulations!" Tristan spread his arms wide. "You're _Dark Heaven_ 's ten-thousandth customer!" The chocolatier whipped out a handheld confetti cannon, aimed it up over the woman's head and pulled the pin out so that a shower of rainbow-colored confetti rained down upon her. "Whoo! Can we get a round of applause?" Tristan asked the patrons of his shop as he began to clap.

The other patrons inside of _Dark Heaven_ began to applaud the woman with gusto and great enthusiasm.

"Being our ten-thousandth customer also means that you receive a very special prize." Tristan whipped out two opera tickets and handed them to the woman. "Two opera tickets to see _Don Giovanni_ at the Majestic Opera House! You and your boyfriend can go together. May I add, he's a very lucky guy." Tristan winked at her before he turned to go. He turned as slowly as possible and started to walk away even slower.

The woman reached out and grabbed Tristan's sleeve to stop him. "W-Wait, I...uh...I'd like to go with you."

A dramatic silence fell over the chocolate shop as everyone held his or her breath to await Tristan's response.

_Gotcha, Cinderella._ Tristan hid a smile behind his hand before he spun back around to face her. "I'd be honored to accompany you to the opera, Miss...?"

"I'm Laura Angeles. It's nice to finally meet you." Laura put out her hand for Tristan to shake.

"Laura. What a beautiful name." Tristan clasped her hand and shook it. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

All of the female customers inside of the chocolate shop were in shock. Tristan Savant was actually going to go on a date with one of his customers. This was unheard of.

Laura blushed as she shook Tristan's hand. She could hear the frantic whispers of the other customers all around her: "Oh my God...Tristan is actually going to go on a date with a customer? Unreal." "That's never happened before." "Sure, he does one-night stands occasionally, but he never sleeps with the same girl twice." "But an actual date? That's unheard of!" "She's _so_ lucky!" "I wish I were her!" "Eeee!"

The _Don Giovanni_ opera was scheduled conveniently for Saturday night. Tristan looked over Laura's casual clothes. "Do you have suitable attire for the opera?"

"I...uh...maybe?" Laura squeaked nervously.

Tristan put out his hands and shook his head. "No, no, my dear, 'maybe' isn't good enough. Are you free tonight? Say, around seven?"

"Yes?" Laura blinked up at Tristan feeling bewildered. She was a regular at the chocolate shop but this was the first time Tristan had ever given her the time of day.

"Good. How about after work I take you shopping? A beautiful woman like you needs to have clothes that suit her beauty." The chocolatier said as he reached out and fingered a lock of Laura's brown hair. _Brown is my favorite color._

She shivered in response as if she could feel his touch through her hair. "I, uh, sure."

"Then...it's a date." Tristan winked before he strolled off to stand behind the display counter once more.

_A-A date?_ Laura thought. She felt like the room was spinning. _Eeee! With Tristan Savant! I think I just died and went to heaven! A dark and sensuous heaven._

"Oh my God, did you just hear that? He said it's a date!" "We need to eat more chocolate so that we can become the twenty-thousandth customer!" "Yeah! Bring us more chocolate, Tristan!" The female customers called out as they began to eat chocolate at a rapid pace. Tristan smirked to himself. Today was going to be a good day for business.

The chocolatier was amused by all of the hullabaloo the young women were making just because he was going out on what appeared to be a normal date. Tristan also had the feeling that going on a date with Laura wasn't going to be so bad. He glanced behind him at the kitchen, which was visible through the sheet of glass and spotted Issy.

Issy Sweet, _Dark Heaven_ 's new patissiere was currently baking more of those wonderful angel-themed cupcakes of hers. They'd been delicious and cute, and Tristan was certain that they would end up being a huge hit. It wouldn't take long before they became a top seller in his shop. Tristan didn't see Michael in the kitchen, and didn't know where the angel was.

This meant that Issy was _alone_ in the kitchen. Today, she was dressed up like a doll again. Today's outfit consisted of a white, silk, Victorian-style dress that was knee-length and had lots of ruffles. She wore a white, lace choker around her neck that had a cameo portrait dangling from it, black and white striped stockings, and a pair of black, patent leather, platform shoes. Her wig was long, brown and curly that day and she had in blue circle contact lenses.

_Oh, look Issy's alone. Chance! Instead of her making the wings out of fondant icing she should really make them out of chocolate since this is a chocolate shop. Yeah, I should go in and tell her my suggestion._ Tristan made his way into the kitchen and greeted Issy casually. "Hey there, china doll."

Issy looked up in surprise. She was wearing an apron over her dolly dress and there was some frosting on it. There was also a streak of batter across her cheek. It made her look adorable in Tristan's humble opinion. "Oh, hey...what's up?"

"I...just wanted to suggest that instead of using fondant icing for the wings you should really use chocolate. We are a chocolatier after all." Tristan didn't know why he was suddenly feeling a little tongue-tied around Issy.

A pink tinge came to Issy's cheeks. "Ah...well...that is...I don't really know how to make homemade chocolate, actually. I'm just good at baking and icing."

A glint came to Tristan's eyes. "A patissiere should really have this skill in her repertoire. Well, you're in luck. I'll teach you how to make chocolate."

Issy blinked. "Really?"

"Really. Okay, let's start simple. We're going to cheat a little bit. First, let's get some pre-made chocolate that we'll put into a bowl and microwave in order to melt it. Just so you know, the most common way of melting chocolate is to use a hot water bath or double boiler to melt it gently. After we've melted the chocolate, I'll teach you how to temper."

"Okay." Issy readily agreed.

Tristan got out a large square of dark chocolate, and cut the chocolate into smaller pieces with a knife so that they would melt faster and more evenly. He placed the chocolate pieces into a microwave-safe bowl, microwaved the chocolate for 40 seconds, removed the bowl, and stirred the chocolate. It needed more time, and so he placed the bowl back inside, and continued to microwave the chocolate in intervals of 10-20 seconds. Once the chocolate was completely melted, velvety smooth and shiny, he carried the bowl over to the counter.

He then poured the chocolate out onto the marble slab that was sitting on the kitchen counter. "Okay, Issy, I want you to grab a pastry scraper and angled spatula."

"Right." Issy grabbed the scraper and spatula, and stood in front of the chocolate. "What now?"

"Now I want you to spread the chocolate, move it to the center, and then clean your scraper with the spatula. Spread continuously. I want you to continue spreading and scraping until the chocolate cools to...82 degrees Fahrenheit. We'll check the temperature with this." Tristan held up an infrared digital thermometer.

"Understood." Issy said nervously as she began to smooth the chocolate over the marble slab, and then tried to scoop it up with jerky, awkward movements. She ended up splattering a little bit of chocolate onto her apron by accident. "Whoopsies."

"Here. Let me help you." Tristan moved behind Issy and grabbed her hands. He then began to guide her movements as she spread the chocolate over the marble slab, scooped it up and then cleaned it off of the scraper. Soon Issy's movements became less jerky and more fluid and elegant.

Tristan breathed in and caught a whiff of Issy's scent - vanilla and sugar cookies. _No way._ The chocolatier lowered his head and breathed in deep at the crook of Issy's neck. _Yes, sugar cookies and vanilla. A sweet, delectable scent._ She had the same scent as his chocolate angel, Coco. An image of Coco in his arms at the wedding reception filled his mind. It had felt so good having her in his arms. So _right_.

As he pictured Coco in his mind his body began to react and he became aroused. _Mmm._ He unconsciously pressed himself up against Issy and rubbed his erection against her tight little ass, seeking relief.

Issy gasped in surprise when she felt Tristan sniff her and then rub his hardness against her behind. _What the?_ "Tristan...?"

"You smell so damned good." Tristan rumbled in a deep voice as he licked Issy's collarbone.

Issy jumped and dropped her spatula with a clatter. "Oh my God...Tristan...are you...?" She shivered while she was trapped between his arms. Her heart began to beat faster within her chest.

"Just what the hell is going on here?" Came a snarky female voice.

"Oh crap." Tristan muttered, instantly recognizing the voice.

Tristan and Issy both turned to see a young woman standing in the kitchen doorway with a furious look on her face and her hands on her hips. The young woman looked an awful lot like Tristan. She was five-five, had long, black hair, and sapphire-colored eyes. Her skin was like white marble. She was wearing a strapless, dark purple and silver, _Gucci_ dress and a pair of black knee boots. Her luxurious clothes screamed 'money'.

"M-Mina!" Tristan burst out and immediately seemed to realize what the hell he was doing with Issy. He let go of her before jumping backwards three feet away to put some distance between them.

Mina tapped her booted foot on the floor, still looking pissed. "I asked you...what the hell is going on here, Tristan?"

"I...uh, nothing." Tristan scratched the back of his neck nervously before waving his hand towards Issy. "Mina, this is Issy Sweet. She's my new patissiere. I was just teaching her how to temper chocolate." The chocolatier swiftly explained. "Issy, this is Mina Savant. My sister."

"Your sister...?" Issy looked at Tristan's sister with renewed curiosity. As a stalker getting to know something _new_ about the guy one stalked was a grand event. Issy made her way over to Mina and stuck her hand out. "Hi, it's nice to meet you, Mina."

Mina looked down at Issy's hand with a superior look on her face. "Hmph!" She slapped Issy's hand away.

Issy looked surprised and hurt by the unexpected action.

Tristan instantly looked angry. "Mina!"

"You're lying." Mina's blue eyes flashed. "You're not _happy_ to meet me. You just want Tristan all for yourself, don't you? You're just like all the _other_ girls. I can see right through you."

Tristan began to laugh causing Mina to shoot Tristan a startled look. "What? What's so funny?"

"Issy is _not_ out to get me like the other girls, Mina. She may be a fan but she's only fifteen. She's just a kid. And you know I don't have sex with anyone under eighteen. Issy is my friend...definitely in the 'friend zone'." Tristan said casually but he almost sounded as if he were trying to convince himself of this fact. Issy...before his sister had arrived he'd been aroused by her. Or had he? She smelled like vanilla and sugar cookies...the same scent as Coco. But he supposed all girls who baked probably smelled the same. And so that would mean that he wasn't attracted to Issy but Coco. Issy had just temporarily reminded him of Coco, and so he'd been aroused by her. His head was spinning.

That had to be it, because if it weren't then Tristan was a big fat pervert! A Lolicon. A pedo. He felt guilty and ashamed for rubbing his cock against Issy's ass. Tristan put his face in his hands as he remembered what he'd been doing just seconds before. _My God, what the hell was I doing before Mina arrived? I could have frightened poor Issy or...corrupted her._

"Fifteen?" Mina gave Issy a curious look and looked her over from head to toe. "I see. Hey...are you one of those Living Dolls? I saw a special on TV about them: _My Strange Addiction: I'm a Living Doll._ "

Issy nodded. "Yes, I'm a Living Doll - just like Luna Lovely and Venus Angelic. Although those girls are famous cosplayers and celebrities, and I just do this for fun. It's a fashion statement. I love fashion, art, cute things, and creating things. Just like how I enjoy dressing up a cake with fondant icing, and making it cute and beautiful. I try to do the same to myself and make myself cute and beautiful." The Living Doll explained passionately.

"Well, you are pretty darned cute." Mina reluctantly admitted. "You look like a little china doll. I guess I don't _hate_ you." She patted Issy on the head. "Besides, Tristan's right you're just a kid, so..." Mina leaned in to whisper in Issy's ear. "You won't get in the way between Tristan and I, will you?"

Issy shook her head sending her brown curls swishing back and forth. "No, not at all. Like Tristan said I'm in the friend zone." She laughed nervously. "I'm just a harmless little girl, really. It's not like I'm in disguise or anything like that. And it's not like I'm trying to hide something."

Mina raised her eyebrows at Issy's nervous laughter.

Issy blushed at the other girl's expression. "I'm just going to shut up now."

At that moment, Michael entered the kitchen. He'd heard raised voices and having become concerned decided to check things out. "Hey, what's going on in here?" He questioned as he entered the kitchen, spotted Tristan, Issy and a mysterious new girl. Time seemed to slow down for Michael when he noticed the girl who bore a strong resemblance to Tristan.

Michael's gaze lingered on her skin that was as pale as the moon, her cascade of black hair that was almost blue, and those deep blue eyes of hers that glittered like sapphires. Her lips were plump and kissable. She had a nice figure and was wearing expensive looking clothes. "Who is this?" Michael's golden eyes narrowed at the black and white _Chanel_ rolling suitcase that the girl had with her.

Tristan ran a hand back through his hair. "She's my sister, man. Her name is Mina."

"Your sister?" Michael staggered backwards at the startling revelation. "Mina." He repeated her name slowly, almost wistfully. Tristan's sister was stunning. She could easily be a model or a celebrity.

"And she was just leaving. Weren't you, Mina?" Tristan grabbed Mina by her shoulders and began to steer her towards the exit of the kitchen.

"Huh? What are you saying Tristan? I dropped out of college, and ran away from home too! I'm here to live with you!" Mina burst out as she tried to dig her heels into the floor.

"Live with me? You can't live here! No way!" Tristan was horrified by the very idea - his sister Mina was in love with him! And not in the way that siblings loved each other. What Mina felt for Tristan was _romantic_ love. Ever since Tristan had hit puberty, Mina had the unhealthy habit of sneaking into Tristan's bathroom while he was showering or trying to take a piss so that she could catch a glimpse of his penis. _No way...no way...no way._ "You're going back home, Mina. Or back to college. One of the two, but you're not staying here." The chocolatier said firmly.

Mina pouted innocently. "But I don't want to. I'm as unhappy back home as you were. Father is _so_ controlling. And mother completely ignores me. She's always busy with her own hobbies...if you can call them that. She doesn't have time to care or even worry about me. The mansion is even worse without you there now. I can't stand it there. It's so suffocating and no one will talk about you. They're all acting like you're dead or something. Or like you never existed. It's pretty creepy. I hate it!"

_No one will talk about you. They're all acting like you're dead._ Mina's words were like daggers to his heart. His father truly hated him.

Issy noticed the flash of hurt that crossed Tristan's face, but it was gone in seconds.

"I don't care. You can't stay here, Mina." Tristan insisted and his tone brooked no argument.

"Actually, Mina, I think it's a great idea if you stayed here. Tristan should have his family close to him. It would be good for him." _Especially due to the situation with his soul. Having his sister around could help to humanize Tristan more._

Tristan shot Michael a betrayed look. "Michael, you don't know what you're saying, dude. Mina is not normal. She-"

"She's your family, Tristan." Michael cut him off. "You need to stop being so coldhearted. Besides, there's plenty of room upstairs. She can have the spare bedroom."

"Eeee! Really?" Mina looked at Michael as if he were her guardian angel, which perhaps he was. "Oh, thank you so much Michael. You're the best! I'm Mina, by the way, Mina Savant. It's nice to meet you." She stuck her hand out for Michael to take.

"You're making a huge mistake." Tristan muttered darkly to himself. _She acts like an angel but she's really a devil._

Michael took Mina's hand and shook it. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"So..." Mina looked over Michael's chocolatier uniform. "Are you a chocolatier too?"

"Assistant chocolatier. Tristan is showing me the ropes. What about you? Do you know how to bake? Make chocolate? Cook?" The angel asked with interest.

"Who me? _Moi_?" Mina laughed and waved her hand through the air. "I've never cooked or baked anything before in my life! That's what the _servants_ are for, you know."

Michael's expression fell. "Oh, I see...I was hoping you could somehow help out with the store."

"Oh." Mina bopped her hand with her fist as she had an idea. "I know. I could help _sell_ the chocolates. If there's anything I'm good at it's retail. Well, shopping, but selling people stuff can't be all that different! Do you guys already have a cashier?"

"No-" Michael started.

"Then it's settled. I'm your new sexy, super-stylish cashier!" Mina declared, flipping her long hair over her shoulder.

Tristan looked Mina's outfit over with obvious disgust. Her dress was short and skintight. "I'm not letting you out on the floor looking like that. You look like you're about to go clubbing. We'll have to get a uniform made for you."

"Huh? I don't want to wear a _uniform_! That's like putting a stop to my freedom of expression. And besides, Issy here isn't wearing a uniform so why do I have to?" Mina argued.

Tristan glanced over at Issy briefly before returning his gaze to Mina, "Because Issy is a cute little Living Doll and fits this store's image of _angels_ flitting around a dark heaven perfectly, whereas you're just a spoiled, rich girl. I don't need a Paris Hilton look-alike or Kim Kardashian working here."

Issy blushed. Had Tristan just given her a compliment?

"We can probably get Alan to make your sister a uniform." Michael suggested. Alan Dullahan, the owner of _Dullahan's Irish Pub_ was good at designing and making clothes. And no he wasn't gay. (Not that there's anything wrong with that). "He'll make something really cute." A dopey look formed on Michael's face as he pictured Mina in various cute, angelic outfits.

"That's a great idea, Michael." Tristan agreed slyly since he knew that Mina hated looking 'cute' and was all about looking 'sexy'. "We want Mina to look _cute_."

"Nooo." Mina moaned. "I don't want to look cute! I want to look _sexy_!"

Tristan ignored her. "Now that that's settled...why don't you go help those two customers out on the floor, Mina?" Tristan motioned towards the front of the shop with a nod of his head. Through the glass two customers could be seen browsing around the shop.

"Hmph! Fine!" Mina left the kitchen and went to help the two female customers. Tristan, Issy, and Michael watched through the glass curiously as Mina suggested that they buy some pre-packed boxes of chocolate and then rang them up effortlessly at the cash register.

Michael grinned feeling proud of Mina for some reason. "I think this could actually work."

"Just remember you're the one who wanted her here." Tristan said cryptically.

Michael gave Tristan an irritated look. "Why do you treat your sweet, innocent sister so coldly?" He chided.

"Sweet? Innocent? Ha! That's a good one. Well, you'll see her true colors soon enough." Tristan said before he sauntered off to take some chocolates out of the refrigerator so that he could add them to the display case.

Michael's brow furrowed in confusion. "I think she's marvelous."

Issy elbowed Michael teasingly in his side. "Do you now? Maybe she can be your new love?" She said softly so that Tristan wouldn't overhear.

Michael reddened at the suggestion. "What? I don't...I barely know her. It's too soon...I..." The angel became flustered.

"Uh huh." Issy said, not at all convinced and looking amused.

"Get back to your cupcakes, Issy." Michael snapped, sternly.

"Okie-dokie, Michael." Issy agreed in a singsong voice as she gave Michael a salute and skipped off to make more cupcakes.

"I'll go take Miss Mina's luggage upstairs for her." Michael declared loudly as he picked up the black and white suitcase and headed for the back staircase.

" _Miss_ Mina!" Issy giggled.

The rest of the workday at _Dark Heaven_ passed by uneventfully until closing time. Michael, Issy and Mina cleaned up the shop and the kitchen together. Just when they'd finished storing the chocolate back in the refrigerator for the night, there was a knock on the front door.

Tristan reentered the kitchen at that moment and everyone noted that he was no longer dressed in his chocolatier uniform. Tristan was now wearing a yellow polo shirt, dark blue blazer, white pants, and black dress shoes. His clothes looked expensive giving him a socialite or billionaire boy look. "Ah, that must be my date." The chocolatier informed the others as he arranged a gray scarf around his neck in a stylish manner and undid the first button of the two-button blazer. "Well, I'll see you guys later." He gave them a casual wave goodbye.

"Huh?" Mina gaped after him. "D-Date? What date? What does he mean he has a date?"

Tristan ignored Mina as he made his way to the front door of the shop. Sure enough it was Laura. She could be seen through the entry door's latticed window. Tristan was about to open the door to let Laura in, however, he was suddenly tackled to the floor from behind.

"What the?" Tristan struggled beneath his sister until he managed to roll onto his back so that his sister was now straddling him. "Mina? Just what do you think you're doing!"

Mina had a hurt look on her face. "Brother! You know why I'm really here. It's because I want to be with _you_. I love you!" She declared before she leaned over Tristan and tried to kiss him.

Michael and Issy stood a few feet away, gaping at what was happening in disbelief.

"Mmm!" Mina pursed her lips as she moved in for the kiss.

"Oh shit!" Tristan grabbed Mina's shoulders and pushed her back in order to stop her from kissing him. "Mina! Stop! You don't know what you're doing. You're my _sister_!"

"I'm also nineteen now. I'm not a little kid anymore. I'm a woman now, in case you haven't noticed." Mina brought her hands up and cupped her full breasts as if to make her point. "And I want you!" Mina continued fervently.

"Uh...that kind of 'love' between siblings isn't normal, is it?" Issy asked Michael.

"No, it most definitely is _not_." Michael growled. He was furious and disappointed at the sudden revelation of Mina's true feelings. The image he'd had of Mina inside of his head of her being a kind, sweet, innocent young girl crumbled to pieces. Mina Savant was in love with her own brother. If they ever got together that would be _incest_. That was a _grave_ sin! Sure to give anyone a one-way ticked straight to Hell.

"It's not normal for siblings to kiss on the lips, is it?" Issy continued dryly.

"Most certainly _not_." Michael stalked towards Mina, grabbed the back of her dress, and hoisted her off of Tristan as if he were grabbing a naughty kitten by the back of her neck. And just like a kitten Mina hissed at Michael.

"Hey! Michael! What are you doing? Let go!" Mina ordered as she struggled against Michael's grasp. She couldn't believe that he had her dangling from his hand like an animal.

"I should be asking you the same thing, Mina. Just what were you about to do exactly? Were you actually going to kiss your brother on the lips?" Michael demanded, with a fierce expression on his face.

"So what if I was!" Mina shot back, defiantly. Her entire attitude was reckless.

"That is a grave sin!" The angel gave her a little shake.

Mina glared at Michael over her shoulder. "I don't care...I love him! Besides, you can't tell me what to do. You're not my father!"

_Father?_ A muscle in Michael's jaw ticked in irritation. _I don't look that old._ Tristan stood up and brushed his hands over his clothes as he tried to smooth out the wrinkles in his new outfit. Tristan's blasé attitude angered Michael. "Mina...do you know what your brother truly is?"

"Michael." Tristan's voice held a note of warning since he had a bad feeling about where this conversation was going suddenly.

"What are you talking about?" Mina snapped, clearly irritated.

"Your half-brother Tristan is...an incubus. He's a sex demon. His real mother was a succubus. Human beings experience uncontrollable lust around them and sometimes they have no control over their emotions. They _think_ they're in love but it's just a bodily reaction to an incubus' pheromones. Mina, I can assure you that you're _not_ in love with your brother, Tristan. You just think you are. You're just being affected by Tristan's pheromones." Michael explained in a serious tone.

Tristan let out a groan and scrubbed a hand down his face. He couldn't believe that Michael had just told his sister that he was an incubus. "Dude, she's never going to believe that."

Mina went still in Michael's grasp, however, and so he gently set her down. She collapsed to her knees, looking shell-shocked. "My brother is a demon?" She looked thoughtful for a moment before she started nodding her head. "Now it all makes sense."

Tristan took a step back from Mina, surprised that she'd actually believed Michael's words. He didn't even want to look at Issy to see if she believed Michael's surprising claim or what her reaction would be. He felt betrayed by Michael and used his hair to shield the flash of hurt that crossed his eyes. "Thanks a lot, Michael." His voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Now I can go on my date." _Issy probably doesn't believe the crap that Michael is spouting anyways. I'll worry about her later._

"Not at all." Michael said in a cutting manner.

Issy was looking back and forth between Michael and Tristan worriedly.

Tristan opened the door and greeted Laura. "Hello Laura."

"H-Hi are you ready to go?" She questioned nervously as she peeked over Tristan's shoulder to see Michael, Issy, and Mina who was still kneeling on the floor. She'd heard them all arguing just moments before.

"Yes, let's go." Tristan put his arm around Laura's shoulders and shut the door behind him with his foot.

***

"Tristan..." Issy watched Tristan leave the shop worriedly. She'd noticed the flash of hurt that had crossed Tristan's face, but he'd quickly masked the emotion. What must Tristan be thinking or feeling now that his sister knew that he was a demon? Now that Michael had in a sense betrayed his trust? Issy wondered. Her heart went out to the lonely demon chocolatier.

Tristan had quickly donned a mask that everything was alright and continued on with his date. But this wasn't the first time Issy had seen Tristan conceal his true emotions. "I...I've got something to do, so...see ya!" Issy said before she grabbed her shoulder bag and left the chocolate shop in a hurry. She snuck into the alley next to _Dark Heaven_ and pulled out her stalking outfit, which she put on over what she was wearing. The oversized, black trench coat, fedora, and dark sunglasses (that had night vision capabilities) concealed her Living Doll outfit perfectly.

After she was done dressing, Issy exited the alley, mounted her bike, and followed Tristan, who was driving Laura into the city in his sexy blue Corvette. Issy could hardly believe Tristan was going on an actual _date_. It didn't seem like his usual one-night stand either. _Maybe he likes this 'Laura' person._

There was a pang of pain in her chest at the thought. Issy discovered she had mixed feelings about this. She was happy for Tristan and that he was out on a date, enjoying himself. Lately, he tended to be all work and no play. But at the same time she couldn't help but feel jealous that Tristan was going on a date with someone other than _her_.

Tristan pulled right in front of the _Gucci_ clothing store that was on 5th Avenue. Some of the other stores that were on 5th Avenue included the _Armani_ store, _Prada_ store, and the _Louis Vuitton_ store. Tristan exited his Corvette, opened the door for Laura and escorted her inside of the store with his hand on the small of her back. Issy parked her bike a block away and waited three minutes before following them inside of the store. She browsed around and tried to look as inconspicuous as possible.

Well, as inconspicuous as someone wearing a trench coat and dark sunglasses could look! Issy ducked down behind a rack of clothes and began to roll it towards Tristan and Laura so she could hear what they were saying. She was dying of curiosity.

Tristan pulled a red, floor-length, halter-style evening gown off one of the racks and held it up before Laura. "What do you think of this one?"

"It's lovely." Laura nibbled on her lower lip. "Look, Tristan. You don't have to pretend."

"Excuse me?" He frowned.

"I heard you and your sister arguing." Laura explained as she gave him a sympathetic look.

Tristan's expression grew troubled though, not really understanding where Laura was going with this.

Laura sensed his unease and waved her hands in front of her. "No, I wasn't eavesdropping or anything, but I did hear the argument. If you don't mind me asking - what were the two of you arguing about?" She gave Tristan a beseeching look.

Tristan sighed and ran a hand back through his silky hair. "To make a lady worry - how ungentlemanly of me. I apologize. My sister...apparently dropped out of college and ran away from home. Now she wants to live with me. But I think she should go back home or back to college at least."

"I see. Your sister must love you very much since she came all this way to find you." Laura said with a smile.

"She does...but perhaps a little too much." Tristan muttered darkly to himself. "Her fixation on me is...unhealthy."

"You think so? It's nice for siblings to care so deeply for one another though. It's a very special bond. But you're right. Mina should go back to college. After all her _future_ is at stake here." Laura tapped her chin in thought. "However, you shouldn't force her. You'll only push her away...and she could end up falling in with the wrong crowd. It's your responsibility as her older brother to look out for her. I think you should let Mina stay with you for a while. Maybe you could even let her work at _Dark Heaven_. That way she can get a taste of responsibility. It could help her to grow up a little. And when you see her changing then you can bring up the subject of her returning to college." Laura advised, sagely. Oddly enough, she sounded as if she knew a lot about the subject.

Tristan gave Laura an impressed look, "I...that's very good advice, Laura. It's not that I don't love my sister. I love her very much. But I just don't want to make the wrong decision about her. I worry about her future."

Laura patted Tristan's arm and used the consoling gesture as an excuse to feel up his bicep while she was at it. "And that's because you're a good brother. It's _normal_ for a brother to worry about his sister and to want to protect her, Tristan. There's nothing wrong with that."

Tristan nodded, feeling relieved, and as if a weight had been removed from his shoulders. "I...thank you, Laura. Because of your words I won't stop looking after her then." That's when Tristan offered Laura a sincere smile.

It was a smile that took Laura and Issy's breath away to see it and they both let out wistful sighs at the same time. Laura looked around the shop wondering who had sighed at the exact same time she had but didn't see anyone. _That's funny._

"Now, let's pick you out some dresses to try on." Tristan declared.

"Right." Laura agreed, still looking around the shop and rubbing the back of her neck with her hand. She couldn't get over the strange feeling she had that she was being watched.

Tristan picked out several evening gowns for Laura to try on and handed them to her. She began to model each dress for Tristan one after the other. Laura pulled back the curtain of the dressing room to reveal a sky-blue, v-necked, spaghetti-strapped gown, but Tristan waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, basically signaling Laura to try on the next one. The dress had been pretty but showed too much cleavage for an opera.

Laura closed the curtain and when she opened it again she was wearing a silvery, gray, conservative gown. Tristan waved his hand again. The dress was definitely classier but unfortunately boring. The one after that was a classic black evening gown that had a fishtail and was decorated with sparkly sequins. This dress also got the axe since Tristan thought it made Laura look a little like a 'mom'.

But when Laura stepped out wearing a strapless evening gown that was an incredible electric blue color, he smiled and nodded his head. The bodice of the dress was decorated with dark blue flowers that had been made out of silk. The long, floor-length skirt fishtailed at the end. "Perfect. You look absolutely gorgeous, Laura."

Laura fidgeted with her hands. "You really think so? I'm not used to dressing in something so feminine like this. I usually wear casual clothes: jeans, t-shirts, sweatpants. I'm more of a sporty girl, you know? Not a glamorous one. I'm not a princess."

"But that dress makes you look like a princess." Tristan complimented as he strode forward and undid her ponytail so that her brown hair fell in ringlets around her face. "Like Cinderella. And you should really keep your hair down. It looks nice." He fingered a lock of her soft hair appreciatively. "I like your hair."

"It's just boring brown." Laura pouted disbelievingly.

"No, not _boring_ brown...it's like the deepest hazelnut chocolate." He leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Delectable." He pulled back and smirked at her. "You need to have more confidence in yourself, Laura. You are an incredibly feminine, attractive woman. You should really dress like _this_ more often. It would be a real waste not to, Cinderella."

Laura mulled over Tristan's words. She'd stopped worrying about her appearance ever since....she'd gotten married to Manuel and they had their first child. Then she didn't have as much time for herself, and she'd just sort of let herself go. After her second child more and more of her time was devoted to her children and less ended up being for her husband. Perhaps, this was why they'd gown apart. They'd even stopped having sex. Laura wondered if that was because he no longer found her desirable, but now because of Tristan she felt like she was a woman again. Her confidence had returned thanks to him. Maybe Tristan was right and she should start worrying about her appearance again.

Even though Laura knew it was wrong to be going out with another man when she was married she felt like she still deserved this. She needed this break away from a husband who no longer looked at her with desire in his eyes. She needed to be pampered, feel appreciated, and above all feel loved and desired. She was well aware of Tristan's reputation and that this time with him was nothing more than a fleeting dream, but even so she was okay with that. She wasn't 'Mom' or 'Wife' in that moment. She was just 'Laura'.

Tristan paid for the expensive evening gown, and then took Laura to a salon where they gave her a new haircut and added a few coppery highlights to accentuate her already lovely hair color. A makeup artist also gave Laura a full makeover using brand-name makeup. When the hairstylist and makeup artist were finally finished with her Laura could barely recognize herself in the mirror. "Wow...is that really me?" Laura breathed as she raised her hand out towards her reflection.

Tristan nodded, standing behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders and whispered in her ear. "Yes...that beautiful woman is _you_."

Issy watched Laura getting a makeover from behind a potted fern. She smiled at Laura's shocked expression. Laura did indeed look beautiful and she seemed so surprised that it was hard for Issy to feel jealous towards Laura whom Tristan was treating like a princess. Laura also seemed like a nice person. Maybe Laura would be the one to open Tristan's heart to love again? Issy mused. Bittersweet happiness came with the idea.

Tristan drove Laura home afterwards and Issy followed them on her bike. Issy watched as Tristan parked his Corvette in front of a suburban home and Laura got out of the car. Laura waved goodbye to Tristan and he left. Issy was about to leave too when she saw Laura put her hair back up into a ponytail, and her expression turned guilty. She looked to her left and right before she then crossed the street and continued on for two blocks before finally stopping in front of another suburban home. The blue house had a neatly manicured lawn, white-picket fence, and lots of flowers.

Laura made her way to the front door and opened it. "Honey, kids, I'm home!" She called out loudly.

Just before the door shut Issy heard a cry of: "Mom!" Issy's heart fell. Laura had children and was probably already married, which meant Tristan was having an affair. And Tristan didn't seem to know. _Oh Tristan._ She thought sadly. _When will he ever catch a break?_

***

Tristan groaned as he stirred awake the next morning. He flung his arm out and his hand landed on something soft. He gave it a squeeze and 'it' let out a moan. _What the fuck?_ Tristan's eyes snapped open and he turned to see that Mina was snuggling up to his side. He lifted the cover and immediately put it back down once he'd confirmed his suspicions. Yep, his sister was naked and in his bed!

Tristan was surprised to see her there though. He'd been certain that after she found out what he really was that she'd run away screaming. And now that he thought about it...Issy had been there too, but hadn't reacted at all. Well, apparently his sister had accepted him. Tristan's heart warmed at the realization. He was about to fall back to sleep when he remembered that Michael slept in a room just down the hall. _Oh shit!_ Tristan shook Mina's shoulder. "Mina! Wake up! You have to wake up!"

"Mmm...?" Mina slowly awoke and blinked owlishly at Tristan with an innocent look on her face. "What is it, Brother?"

"Mina! You have to get out of here before Michael gets up!" Tristan urged as he began to try and push her out of the bed.

But Mina threw her arms around Tristan and hugged him tight, wide-awake now. "Why are you worried he'll misunderstand something? Is there something to misunderstand, perhaps?" She trailed off teasingly.

Tristan felt his sister's boob press up against his bare chest. _Ew!_ "Mina! Get off!" He raised his voice as he tried to push her away.

"No, I don't want to. You're nice and warm." Mina whined childishly.

At that moment, the bedroom door slammed open and Michael burst in through the door to see a naked Mina trying to snuggle up against a struggling Tristan. His jaw dropped, and his eyes bulged. He growled low in his throat, and clenched his fists at his sides. " _Tristan_."

"Michael!" Tristan exclaimed. "Oh shit...Michael, wait, this isn't what it looks like! I swear!" He put his hands up in a surrendering gesture.

Michael let out a roar of outrage as he lunged for the bed. Tristan rolled off of the bed with Mina in order to protect her and shield her with his body. He then stood up quickly and grabbed the bed sheet, which he quickly wrapped around Mina's body in order to conceal her nudity.

Tristan looked down and noted that he was wearing his boxers. Thank God, he hadn't decided to sleep in the nude last night. He faced Michael who was crouched on the bed and looking like a furious, savage beast.

"Come and get me, punk." Tristan beckoned Michael with his hand.

Michael snarled as he leapt off the bed towards Tristan. Tristan dodged out of the way and Michael landed besides him on the floor. The angel wasted no time in lunging at Tristan again, this time raising his fist and letting it fly towards Tristan's face in a straight right punch.

Tristan raised his leg and blocked the blow. "I kind of felt like working out this morning, so this is rather convenient for me, Michael. Thanks. I also have a lot of pent up sexual frustration since I didn't get laid last night. And I wonder who I have to thank for that?" Tristan drawled as he sent a series of lightning fast kicks Michael's way.

Michael blinked at Tristan's words while he dodged and blocked Tristan's kicks with his forearms. "So you're saying...?"

Mina stood up and tucked the sheet more tightly around herself. "As much as I enjoy watching the two of you fight - I mean, two good looking guys fighting is _hot_ \- I didn't sleep with my brother last night, Michael. At least not in a sexual sense. Unfortunately."

Tristan visibly relaxed at Mina's confession. Michael also looked relieved but then his anger became directed towards Mina. "So you tried to seduce Tristan last night? It wasn't the other way around?"

Mina twirled a strand of her inky black hair around her finger. "It's not like that. I just got into bed with him while he was sleeping and I just happened to be naked..." Michael was just looking relieved again when Mina continued. "In case my brother woke up with some morning wood and decided to let me help him with it." A devious smile curled Mina's lips.

Tristan slapped a hand to his forehead. _Doh._ "She shouldn't have said that."

Michael strode towards Mina and gripped her shoulders with a stern expression on his face. "Mina...your love for your brother is _wrong_. It's a grave sin. Your soul will be damned to Hell for it. You can't keep doing things like this."

Mina's sapphire eyes flashed with anger and she pushed Michael's hands off of her shoulders. "What the hell do you know? How could you possibly be so certain of something like that? And besides how could _love_ be wrong? Love is beautiful. The love I feel for my brother is beautiful, dammit!"

Michael let out an exasperated sigh. How could he get Mina to listen to him and take his warnings seriously? He realized that he could reveal that he was an Archangel and guardian angel because then Mina would have to believe him. "Mina," Michael began in a serious tone, "I know because I'm actually a-"

Tristan quickly aimed a spinning roundhouse kick at Michael's head that the angel was forced to duck in order to avoid. "Shut up, asshole!"

Michael stood up and sent a punch towards Tristan face. "What the hell?"

"You're going to put my sister in danger if she knows more!" Tristan snapped as he flipped onto his hands and spun his legs so that his feet were sent flying at Michael's head.

Michael dodged the first kick but the second got him in the side of his face. The angel rubbed his sore jaw and then finally put his hands up. "Alright, I agree. I'll say no more."

Tristan flipped back over onto his feet and let out a relieved breath. He didn't want Mina to know that Michael was actually an angel that had been sent to keep an eye on him nor did he want Mina getting involved in the supernatural side of his life because she could end up in danger. Demons oftentimes approached Tristan and demanded favors, in exchange for not killing him. Michael was there to protect him now of course, but he was used to counting on himself. Tristan had planned on never telling his sister the truth about how he was half-incubus. This reminded Tristan that Issy had also discovered the truth. Since she hadn't reacted Tristan was hoping that this meant she'd either accepted it or didn't believe it.

Having Mina accept the truth had been a huge surprise. She was a bit of a spoiled rich girl, but he supposed her 'love' for him was just that strong. He loved his sister too, but would be sure to protect her from himself. And it looked like Michael was going to help with that. Maybe with Michael around keeping an eye on Mina's antics, they really could live together as a family. The corner of Tristan's mouth twitched at the thought.

Tristan got ready to start his day at _Dark Heaven_. He showered, washed his face, shaved, brushed his teeth, and dressed in his chocolatier jacket, black pants, and apron. He checked his reflection in his full-length mirror as he straightened his dark blue neckerchief. He was chocolatier, Tristan Savant, and he was ready to start his day. "Alright, let's get this show on the road. Sell some chocolates, win some hearts."

Tristan made his way down the steps that led to the first floor of _Dark Heaven_ and made his way into the kitchen. Mina and Michael weren't there yet...but Issy was.

Just seeing the Living Doll brought a smile to his face. Issy was wearing a long, pink wig, a black, gothic Lolita style dress that went to her knees, black and pink striped stockings and a pair of patent leather shoes. She was currently making some batter for a cake.

"Good morning, china doll." Tristan greeted, already feeling in better spirits.

Startled, Issy looked up, revealing that she'd chosen to wear blue contacts that day. She was blown away by Tristan's charming smile that was strangely directed towards _her_. Like _directly_ towards her. She resisted the urge to look over her shoulder and see whom he was really smiling like that to. She smiled tremulously back, not daring to accept her good fortune. "Good morning, Boss."

Tristan's smile faltered. "Hey...just call me, Tristan, okay?"

Issy nodded. "Sure thing...Bo-Tristan. You look well rested. Did you get lucky last night?" She teased but then she seemed to realize what she'd just said aloud and blushed. "I can't believe I just said that out loud."

Tristan chuckled in response. "I haven't gotten lucky _yet_."

"I see." Issy sounded distracted and her expression fell as her mind became preoccupied by something.

The chocolatier's gaze narrowed on Issy and he could tell she wasn't being her normal bubbly self. In fact she seemed somewhat depressed. "Are you okay?"

Issy blinked. "Okay? Why wouldn't I be okay? I'm great, actually." She said quickly and began to appear nervous.

Tristan scowled at her suspicious behavior. "By the way, about last night. What did you think of Michael's revelation...of what I am? Did you believe it?" He held his breath as he awaited her response.

Issy sucked in a breath. So this is what Tristan thought she was worrying about. After all he had no idea that Laura was married and that Tristan was basically having an affair! "Tristan, I...believe what Michael said about you. And I have to admit that I'm not really all that surprised either. You have this extraordinary allure to all women that is impossible to resist. Your scent can make a woman faint with longing. I've seen it before since I was a regular customer here at your shop. Though you never noticed me."

"You were a regular customer here?" Tristan's brow furrowed as he tried to remember a time when he'd seen a girl dressed up like a Living Doll before. He shook his head feeling befuddled that he couldn't remember her. "I'm still surprised you'd accept this so easily." Tristan ran a hand over his mouth.

"I've always been pretty open-minded. I also read a lot of paranormal romance novels like _The Lords of the Underworld_ and the _Immortals After Dark_ series so...I'm kind of used to the idea of a human female ending up with some supernatural being at this point. Demons, vampires, werewolves, elves, you name it! Not that what's going on between us is like a romance novel or anything."

Tristan gave Issy an intent look. "So the idea that I may be a demon doesn't bother you?"

"Should it?" Issy challenged in a cheeky manner.

Tristan smiled softly. "No, it shouldn't. I would never hurt you."

"Good to know."

"Now that that's settled, I wanted to teach you another method for melting and tempering chocolate. How 'bout it?"

Issy hesitated before nodding. "Oh, uh, sure."

"Today, I'm going to teach you how to melt chocolate using a double boiler." Tristan said as he got out a metal pan and a heat resistant bowl. "First, fill the bottom of the double boiler with water and place it on the stove over a low heat." Tristan explained as he filled the pan with water and put it on the stove. He went over to the kitchen island and chopped a large bar of chocolate into squares. "After the water is hot but not boiling you place the heat resistant bowl on top of the water and then place the chocolate into the bowl, allowing it to melt. When most of the chocolate is shiny, I want you to stir until the chocolate becomes smooth."

"You got it." Issy said as she went over to stand in front of the double boiler and waited until she should begin stirring.

"We'll check the temperature of the chocolate. It should be 120 degrees Fahrenheit for dark chocolate, 115 degrees Fahrenheit for milk chocolate and 110 degrees Fahrenheit for white chocolate. After that we'll pour two-thirds on the marble slab and temper it while keeping the remaining one-third at the same melting point, making sure not to let it harden. Once we've managed to temper the chocolate on the slab we'll add it to the one-third remaining chocolate, and return the mixture to heat. Then we wait until the desired temperature is reached while stirring constantly. For dark chocolate it should register at 90 degrees Fahrenheit, 86 degrees Fahrenheit for milk chocolate and 82 degrees for white chocolate." Tristan watched Issy stirring the chocolate and noted that she started to get distracted and morose once more. He frowned wondering if even though Issy claimed not to be bothered by the fact that he was a demon, she was in fact bothered.

What Tristan didn't know was that Issy was worried about Tristan dating Laura since she was married with two kids. Issy nibbled on her lower lip as she thought about whether or not she should tell Tristan or not. _It's really not any of my business._ Issy became so distracted by her troubled thoughts that she accidentally burned her hand on the boiling water. "Ouch!" Issy exclaimed as she pulled her hand back.

"Issy!" Tristan exclaimed concernedly and was at her side in seconds. He grabbed her hand and stuck it into his mouth.

"W-What...are you doing?" Issy stammered as she watched Tristan begin to lick her hand slowly and then suck on it. She felt dizzy all of a sudden. Her heart rate began to speed up.

Tristan pulled her hand out of his mouth and inspected Issy's burn before he began to lick the wound again, making sure to lave his saliva onto it generously. His saliva had healing properties similar to a dog's.

Issy continued to watch Tristan licking her hand in a daze. The feeling of his hot wet tongue laving over her bare skin made her knees weak. She trembled as she felt herself become aroused by the action (Tristan's saliva had begun seeping into her pores). "I like your wicked tongue...I mean, that feels better. Thank you."

Tristan looked up at Issy with hooded eyes. Once his tongue had touched Issy's skin...he'd lost himself. She tasted so sweet - like her namesake. She tasted like vanilla and sugar. He couldn't get enough of her delectable taste. He could feel himself hardening for her. The incubus couldn't stop licking his prey and let out a husky groan of pleasure. Issy gasped. Tristan pulled her even closer and began to run his tongue up her arm. However-

"Tristan, you pedo!" Came Mina's shrill cry as she side-kicked Tristan away from Issy.

Issy watched as Tristan was flung away from her in shock. That had been one hell of a kick! Like brother like sister, she supposed.

Tristan landed on his ass but quickly pushed himself to his feet. He looked at the flushed Issy and guilt immediately stabbed him. _Oh my God...what the hell is wrong with me? Since when have little girls turned me on? I'm a perverted freak...a beast...a monster..._

Tristan had been in control of himself until he'd tasted Issy's skin, then he'd lost himself in her taste. The chocolatier looked past Issy and Mina, and saw Michael leaning against the doorframe of the open kitchen door. He expected Michael to look _furious_ but...he was smiling and actually looking pleased for some reason. _What the fuck? Creepyass angel._

"Tristan! You perv!" Mina continued as she stalked towards her brother and proceeded to put him into a headlock. "What did you think you were doing to that little girl?"

"Ow." Tristan choked out. "I was just...Issy burned her hand and I was licking her wound. My saliva has healing properties. I swear."

Mina blinked at Tristan's odd explanation. "Who does things like that?" But she let her brother go and a mischievous look formed on her face. "Maybe I should burn my hand too." She reached her hand out towards the hot water.

"No!" Tristan grabbed her hand and gave Mina a fierce look. "Don't hurt yourself for something stupid like that Mina. Promise me...I can't bear seeing you hurt."

"Tristan." Mina blushed at her brother's sudden attentiveness and then pouted. "Okay, fine, I won't."

Tristan let out a relieved breath and placed a tender kiss on Mina's hand. "Your hands are precious. You have to take care of them, okay?"

Mina nodded dazedly. "Okay, Brother."

Issy was blushing as she watched the odd brother-sister interaction going on that was strangely romantic. "I didn't get a kiss." She muttered to herself. "He was supposed to kiss it and make it better. Oh well." The Living Doll shrugged.

"Ahem." Michael cleared his throat and shattered the moment. "Let's start our day, shall we? Mina...you handle the register. You did a great job doing that yesterday."

"Sure thing, thanks Michael." Mina agreed with a little wave as she left the kitchen and made her way into the shop and stood behind the display case.

Another day at _Dark Heaven_ passed by uneventfully while Mina handled the customers, and Tristan made chocolate while Michael watched and learned how to make whatever Tristan was making. Issy had decided to make an impressive chocolate Opera Cake. An opera cake was a layered dessert of a thin cake with ground almonds, filled with ganache and coffee butter cream, and topped with more ganache. Issy was already doing the finishing touches to the cake, icing the top layer with dark brown chocolate icing and drawing a treble clef with white icing and the word 'opera' in swirly letters. Apparently, she had 'opera' on the brain since Tristan was going to take Laura to the opera.

Issy had time to make a second cake - this one a novelty cake and worked on it for the rest of the day. Once she'd finished the cake she blinked. It was a two-tiered cake with a _Phantom of the Opera_ theme. She was obviously still subconsciously thinking about Tristan and Laura's opera date that Saturday night. The cake was covered in white fondant icing, and Issy had hand piped the design of a stave and musical notes encircling the cake's exterior. On the top of the cake were a draped, black scarf, a long, red rose and a white half-mask just like the one worn by the Phantom of the Opera himself - all of which had been made out of colored fondant icing.

At seven o'clock Laura showed up at _Dark Heaven_ again, and she and Tristan left on another date. Tristan had decided to take her to _Dullahan's_ for a few drinks since she'd be invariably impressed by Dante's wicked bartending skills. Tristan entered the Irish pub with his arm looped around Laura's and noticed the surprised looks he was getting. He guided Laura over to the bar and they both took a seat on the tall barstools. Dante was mixing a few girls some drinks and doing it with some mind-boggling flair. The girls were 'oohing' and 'ahhing' and clapping at Dante's feats as he juggled bottles and shaker tins.

Laura looked equally impressed as she watched Dante flip and pour one of the bottles. "Wow...he's good. Just who is he?"

"That's my friend, Dante. He's married by the way, which means he's off limits." Tristan teased.

Laura's eyes widened at Tristan's comment and a guilty pink tinge came to her cheeks. She nibbled on her bottom lip out of nervousness, wondering if Tristan suspected something. "Oh, I see...so how was your day, Tristan?" She said wanting to quickly change the subject.

"It was good, thanks...a little crazy in the morning because of my sister." Tristan shook his head as he remembered his sister's fierce side-kick. His side still hurt. "She's always pulling some crazy stunt to get attention. I don't know what to do with her."

Laura gave Tristan an understanding look. "If she wants attention then just give it to her. She's family. I think you should try spending more time with your sister...to better understand where she's coming from."

"Why are you so wise, Laura?" Tristan breathed, a twinkle in his bi-colored eyes. "You're amazing."

"Ahem." Dante cleared his throat to get Tristan and Laura's attention. "Tristan...do my eyes deceive me or are you on an actual date?"

Tristan grinned roguishly. "You're right. I'm on a date. May I introduce Laura. Laura this is Dante."

Dante offered Laura his hand and they shook hands. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Laura. You must be an incredible person for Tristan to break his no dating policy and actually go out on a date."

Laura snatched her hand back quickly and frowned, "I...I'm not so special. Tristan is the one who's special."

Tristan gave Laura a perplexed look. "Laura-?" He began, however, he was cut off by-

"Hey, it's Tristan!" A scratchy male voice interrupted him.

Tristan turned to see Alan Dullahan, the owner of _Dullahan's Irish Pub_ , approaching them. "Hey, Alan. Long time no see, bro."

"Yeah, where have you been?" Alan gave Tristan a quick hug that caught the chocolatier by surprise. "Don't be a stranger, okay? It gets kind of quiet around here without all your crazy antics!"

"Yeah. I'll bet." Tristan agreed.

"So who's this beautiful young lady?" Alan asked suavely.

"My aren't you the charming young man? I'm Laura. It's nice to meet you." She offered Alan her hand. He took it and placed a kiss on it.

"I'm Alan Dullahan. Owner of this establishment. And Tristan taught me everything I know when it comes to charming the ladies. Not that he charms a lot of ladies or anything...doh..." Alan laughed nervously while scratching the back of his neck.

Laura giggled at Alan's antics. "Don't worry. Tristan does indeed have quite the reputation but...I don't care about that. I'm just happy to get to spend time with such an incredible person...for as long as I can." She said her last words softly and more to herself than the others.

Tristan noted Laura's sad tone as if she knew that their 'fling' wasn't permanent. "Laura." He shook his head and turned to Alan. "Alan, I've been meaning to talk to you about a favor. My little sister Mina dropped out of college, tracked me down, and now she's working at _Dark Heaven_."

Alan's eyes went wide. "You have a sister? I didn't know. Is she hot?"

A beautiful, tall, blonde girl with amber-colored eyes slapped Alan on the back of his head in that exact instant with a resounding _smack_. "Who could be hotter than me, Alan, sweetie? Hmm?" She asked in a deadly tone.

Alan turned to face Kim and was slowly paling. "No one...my princess. I was just curious, I swear!"

Kim's stern expression melted into amusement and she smiled. "I know, I was just messing with you. So Tristan _is_ your sister hot?"

Tristan frowned. "She's attractive, I guess."

Alan snorted. "Tristan! You're not supposed to find your sister attractive even if she is - you're her brother. Duh."

"Ah, right, sorry...no, she's a cow." Tristan quickly amended, chagrined. "Anyways, Alan...I wanted to see if you could make her a uniform. She has the tendency to wear designer clothes while she's working, but that's not really appropriate attire for _Dark Heaven_."

"Make your sister a uniform?" Alan shrugged. "Sure, that sounds fun actually. I'd need her measurements though."

"Do you have a pen?" Tristan asked.

"Uh, sure." Alan handed Tristan a pen while giving the chocolatier a curious look.

Tristan grabbed a paper napkin and began to write down Mina's bust, waist and hip measurements. Once he'd finished he handed the napkin to Alan. Everyone was stunned into silence.

"How do you know your sister's three sizes?" Alan couldn't help but ask the question everyone was wondering.

Tristan smirked, "It's one of my special skills. I can tell a woman's three sizes just by looking at her."

"No way...that's impossible, man." Alan objected.

Tristan looked over at Kim and raked his eyes over her. "Xx-yy-zz."

Kim slapped Tristan hard across the face out of reflex. "Oh, sorry, reflex...and you're right."

"No worries." Tristan rubbed his aching, red, throbbing cheek. Tristan looked Laura over next. "Xx-yy-zz."

Laura's eyes widened and she wrapped her hands around her chest self-consciously, "You're right. Oh my God...it's like you have x-ray vision or something. I suddenly feel naked in front of you, Tristan. Like you're undressing me with your eyes."

"I like to call it my Pervert Vision." Tristan said proudly. "I bet Superman was a closet-pervert."

Laura slapped Tristan's shoulder. "Oh behave."

"Oh and one more thing Alan..." Tristan wrote Issy's measurements down on a napkin and handed them to Alan. He also included her height. "I have a new patissiere working for me...and she likes to dress like a Living Doll. Her 'look' goes well with _Dark Heaven_ but I'd still like to have an apron made for her. Maybe something with frills or lace. She likes feminine, cute things." Tristan explained.

"A patissiere?" Alan asked curiously as he looked down at her measurements. "She's tiny...how old is she?"

"Fifteen." Tristan readily supplied. "And she's just a _friend_ \- if that's what you were wondering, Alan."

"Ah, yeah. Okay, I'll make her something cute...very Lolita." Alan said as he began to brainstorm ideas in his head.

"Whatever 'Lolita' is, I'm sure it will be great. Thanks, Alan." Tristan said.

"Since when does Tristan have a _female_ friend? He doesn't seem like the type to have female friends." Kim whispered into Alan's ear conspiratorially.

Alan shrugged. "Since now I guess."

Kim had a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "I wonder."

To be continued in...Chocolate 5: _Frosty Mint_

Issy: So you wish to know how to make an Opera cake? Check out the following website: _www.allrecipes.com/Recipe/Opera_

### Chapter 5: Frosty Mint

The rest of the week went by rather uneventfully for Tristan at _Dark Heaven_. Alan stopped by on Wednesday and dropped off the handmade uniform for Mina and apron for Issy. For Mina, Alan had designed a brown, chocolate-colored dress that was knee length with a frilly, white, half apron that was tied around the waist. The back of the dress had a pair of small white wings attached to it that had been made out of a white silk material.

For Issy, he'd designed a full apron with frills, and had added the image of angel wings on the front of the apron using gold sequins. For some reason Alan had seemed very interested in getting to meet the Living Doll Issy, and when he'd met her he kept looking back and forth between her and Tristan with a knowing smile on his face.

Tristan continued to go out on dates with Laura after work, and as he got to know her better he found that he grew to like her more and more. However, this made him feel guilty that he planned on sleeping with her Saturday night after the opera and then on breaking up with her right after.

But Tristan could already feel his body weakening from lack of sex. If he didn't sleep with Laura on Saturday...well, he'd be fucked. Time flew by and suddenly it was Saturday. After work, Tristan got ready for the opera, dressing in a tuxedo, and casually draped a dark blue scarf around his neck for a finishing touch. All classy men wore a scarf to the opera.

Once Tristan had finished dressing and checking his appearance he went to pick up Laura in his Corvette. He parked in front of her house and waited for her to exit through the front door. But then she was suddenly knocking on the window of the passenger's side door. He blinked, wondering how he hadn't seen her leave the house, but shrugged it off. Tristan leaned over and opened the door for Laura. She grinned as she got into the car.

Tristan's eyes turned into hearts at her appearance. "Whoo." He wolf whistled when he saw her finished look. Her brown hair had been swept back to one side and several glittery hairpins held her hair in place. She wore the dark blue evening gown, and a pair of sexy, black stilettos. A strand of white pearls graced her neck. Tristan thought high-heeled shoes were _hot_. She held a glittery, silver clutch in her hands. Her makeup was simple and elegant with smoky eyes and pale, glossy lips. "Laura." Tristan breathed. "You look absolutely gorgeous."

Laura blushed and fidgeted with her clutch. "Thank you, Tristan." She appeared nervous and was acting almost guiltily.

Tristan reached out and squeezed her hand. "No need to be so nervous. I'm here."

The sexual tension between them was supercharged. Laura knew that tonight was the night. Laura offered Tristan a strained smile. "I know."

Tristan let go of her hand to put both his hands on the steering wheel. He drove them to the Metropolitan Opera House at the Lincoln Center. When they arrived, Tristan parked the car and they made their way to the opera house up several stone steps that led to a square with a large fountain sitting in the center. The front of the opera house building had five huge arched glass windows side by side, allowing the interior to be seen easily.

As Laura and Tristan approached the entrance hand in hand she couldn't help but feel like Cinderella on her way to the ball. Hundreds of beautifully dressed women in a colorful array of evening gowns, along with their handsome tuxedo-clad dates ascended the lit stairs into the building.

The phantasmagoric sight took Laura's breath away and she could forget once again that she was 'Mom' and 'Wife', and instead pretend to be a princess with her handsome prince. She looked at Tristan from beneath her eyelashes and noticed that every female gaze seemed to be inexplicably drawn towards him. She gripped Tristan's hand tighter, but strangely enough Tristan's gaze never strayed from her. It made her feel incredibly guilty. She would allow herself this one night with Tristan and then...she'd never see him again.

Laura knew she was the envy of every girl there and she felt a thrill because of it. She felt... _special_.

Tristan gentlemanly opened the door for Laura and escorted her inside. He went over to one of the tables and grabbed two programs that had a synopsis of the plot of the opera _Don Giovanni_ , names of the cast and a brief history behind the opera. The couple then made their way to their opera box that was on the third level. They entered the box and took their seats.

Laura sensed movement behind her and watched as a young brunette entered their box to take a seat behind them. The young woman was dressed in an incredible Victorian-style gown with an elaborate, laced-up bodice, sleeves that went to her elbows and ended with frills, and a floor-length, bell skirt with lots of ruffles. The dress was mostly a chocolate and burgundy color, but was accented by swatches of a flower print fabric. An exotic black lace domino mask was on the woman's face lending to her mysterious air. There was a velvet choker around her neck that had a cameo on it.

"Laura?" Tristan's voice cut through her staring.

"Huh?" Laura turned to face Tristan. "Did you say something?"

Tristan frowned. "Where were you?" He motioned towards the stage with a nod of his head. "The opera is about to start."

"Awesome." Laura said and turned her attention to the stage. The lights were dimmed, the curtain was raised and the opera began.

***

Saturday night had finally arrived, the night of Tristan and Laura's opera date. Issy, Tristan's stalker, was excited. It wasn't every day that Issy got to stalk Tristan to such a luxurious, elegant place. She was thrilled, but also a little worried. Issy had stalked Tristan's dates with Laura throughout the week, and had noticed that instead of Tristan looking rejuvenated...the chocolatier was steadily looking more pallid and weak.

Like a vampire who hadn't feed in a while...

Which could only mean that Tristan hadn't slept with Laura yet. Issy had no idea _why_ , but she had the feeling that Tristan meant to seal the deal tonight. That's why Issy had to make sure that Tristan's date went off without a hitch because if Tristan weren't fed...he'd be screwed. _Oh my God, I feel like Tristan's pimp. This is so messed up...but I have to look out for him!_

That day at _Dark Heaven_ Tristan had looked especially pallid. He _needed_ sex...

Issy had selected a gorgeous brown and burgundy ball gown to wear to the opera. She was also wearing her usual velvet choker, stockings and doll shoes, but had chosen not to wear a wig. She'd be going as 'herself' with her brown hair styled into an updo, and a domino mask upon her face in case Tristan spotted her out of the corner of his eye. She didn't want to risk him recognizing her.

Once Issy was finished getting ready, she took a taxi to the Lincoln Center. Less than half an hour later, Issy was ascending the front steps and chose a spot close to the fountain to wait for Tristan and Laura to arrive. She received a few strange looks because of her mask but she ignored them. The couple arrived a few minutes later and Issy ducked behind the fountain, watching them through the arcing spray.

The couple walked towards the entrance to the opera house hand in hand, and Issy noticed how all eyes seemed to be drawn towards Tristan, hers included. He looked like a fairytale prince. His black hair looking almost blue in the low, golden light that was coming from the inside of the building. Tristan's hair had been pulled back into a ponytail by a dark blue ribbon. There were very few men who could pull off having a _bow_ in their hair and still look masculine.

Issy counted to one hundred before following them inside of the opera house. She made sure to stay about ten feet away from them at all times. The Living Doll grabbed a program and continued to follow them. The couple entered their box first and Issy waited for a minute before entering after them. Issy had previously investigated which box Tristan and Laura would be in, and had purchased her ticket accordingly. She took a seat right behind the couple, close enough to spy on Tristan, but far enough away that she probably wouldn't be recognized as 'Coco' in the dark. She could watch him all night. Although she knew she should probably try to enjoy some of the opera while she was there. But would it be a better show than Tristan? _I think not._

Tristan couldn't seem to pull his eyes away from Laura and Issy felt a stab of jealousy. Issy noticed Laura glance back at her curiously until Tristan called her name. Issy held her breath when finally the lights dimmed inside of the opera house until it was pitch black, and the velvet curtain rose as the opera _Don Giovanni_ began.

According to the program Issy had read, _Don Giovanni_ was the tale of a nobleman who continually got himself into trouble because of his philandering ways. He ends up having a duel with one of his lover's protective father and ends up killing the man. Elvira, one of Giovanni's scorned ex-lovers confronts him about being unfaithful to her, but Giovanni's servant, Leporello, shows her a book that has the names of all of Giovanni's conquests inside of it in order to scare her off from Giovanni.

Despite his continued philandering, Elvira still loves Giovanni and tries to get him to change his ways, but he only laughs at her attempts. The ghost of the murdered father appears and Giovanni's past finally catches up to him. When he fails to repent of his immoral ways the ghost kills him. A tragic end for the handsome rake.

Issy whipped out her night vision binoculars and watched Tristan (yes, she should have been watching the opera, but whatever). Thirty minutes into the performance someone entered their box and Issy focused her binoculars on this person instead. Her eyes widened when she recognized Mina.

Mina was wearing a sleek, modern, backless evening gown that was covered in black sequins, and that had two daring slits up the sides. A pair of sexy stilettos were on her feet. Her hair was down and framed her face in soft layers. It was obviously a designer dress.

_What the hell is Mina doing here?_ Issy wondered, beginning to panic. _Maybe she's just here to be close to Tristan. Maybe she won't try anything...yeah._ Issy nibbled on her bottom lip.

A box seat attendant entered the box to see if anyone needed anything. Mina ordered a bottle of red wine. A few minutes later, the attendant arrived with the bottle of wine, a wine bucket stand filled with ice, and a single wine glass. He opened the bottle of wine for Mina, poured her a glass before sticking the bottle into the wine bucket, and left as silently as he'd arrived.

Mina picked up the wine glass, swirled it, and took a small sip as she watched not the opera, but Laura and Tristan whispering to each other in low tones. Mina chewed on her thumbnail angrily and she ground her teeth in irritation. _How dare they act all lovey-dovey in front of me!_ She'd put up with them all week but this ended today! Today she'd screw up Tristan's date. Mina stood up and cleared her throat to get Tristan and Laura's attention. "Ahem."

Tristan and Laura turned to see who was trying to get their attention and easily recognized Mina. "Mina! What are you doing here?" Tristan hissed in a low voice.

"Ruining your romantic date - that's what!" Mina declared as she raised her glass and aimed it at Laura.

_Oh no!_ "No! Don't!" Issy cried as she lunged for Mina and spun her around. Mina ended up spilling the glass of wine onto Issy's face and the front of her dress with a splash. Issy looked down at her stained dress, which she'd spent almost the remainder of her savings on. It was a tragedy, but at least Laura was okay.

Everyone had been stunned into silence by what had just happened. Issy forced herself to smile at Laura. "I'm glad you're okay." That said Issy fled the opera box and made her way to the bathroom.

***

Tristan gawked at the mysterious young woman who'd just stepped in front of Laura to shield her from getting wine splashed on her. _A Good Samaritan?_ She looked awfully familiar with that brown hair. _Could she be...Coco?_

The chocolatier watched intently as Coco addressed Laura. "I'm glad you're okay." As soon as she'd uttered those words she fled from the opera box. Tristan had to resist the urge to run after her, but first he needed to reprimand Mina. The chocolatier's hard gaze fell upon a stunned looking Mina. "Mina!"

Mina flinched at the harsh tone of voice. "What?" She snapped.

"Mina, how could you do something so cruel? Were you really going to splash that wine on Laura? She's done nothing to you!" Tristan reached out and shook Mina by her shoulders.

Mina shoved Tristan's hands off of her. "Yeah, nothing except steal you away! Tristan, I love-"

"No!" Tristan roared and then realized how loud he was being in the middle of the opera. Several people in nearby boxes went: "Shhh!" "No." He continued in a softer voice. "Don't, Mina. You're acting like a spoiled little brat that's fighting over a toy. I'm not your toy, so stop playing with me. Just stop. I can't even bear to look at you right now, Mina. In fact, I'm _disgusted_ with you." He sneered.

Mina gasped, horrified by Tristan's cutting words. "Tristan, I..." Tears filled her lovely sapphire eyes and she became choked up. "Tristan...you idiot!" Mina sobbed as she too fled the opera box.

Tristan sighed as he watched her go. But...he couldn't keep putting up with Mina's antics. Someone could end up getting _seriously_ hurt because of her obsession with him. It had happened with Tristan's admirers before when they'd started to fight each other. A girl had even been killed by one of Tristan's jealous admirers. He shook his head to shake the remembrance from his mind. He drove girls to a dark place. She had to get over her obsession with him before it destroyed her.

Tristan _hated_ hurting Mina though. Seeing her cry, a woman's tears - those were his _weakness_. The incubus ran a trembling hand back through his hair. "I didn't mean to hurt her but...she has to stop acting this way."

Laura reached out and squeezed Tristan's hand in an understanding manner. "You did the right thing, Tristan. Mina needs to be punished for her mistakes and learn from them. You're hard on her because you love her. I see that. And hopefully she will too."

"Thanks Laura that means a lot to me. I...there's something I have to go do. I'll be right back, okay?" Tristan said while giving her an urgent look.

Laura nodded. "Hurry back."

***

Issy entered the bathroom and made her way over to the sink. She grabbed several paper towels, ran the cold water, wet the paper towels and then used them to dab at the wine on the front of her dress. Tears welled up in her eyes because it appeared the red wine was going to stain and this dress had cost her a hell of a lot of money. But she forced her tears away because she didn't regret her actions. She'd protected Tristan's date and that's all that mattered. What mattered to Tristan...mattered to her.

At that moment the bathroom door opened and Tristan strolled inside with a bottle of club soda in his hand. "T-Tristan!" Issy exclaimed at the unexpected sight of the chocolatier.

"Hello Coco." Tristan grinned at her roguishly.

"Coco?" She repeated in a daze.

"It's my nickname for you. I've been calling you that in my head ever since the wedding reception because I don't know your real name yet and I don't suppose you're going to give it to me. Are you stalking me, Coco? First, the wedding reception and now here...?" Tristan teased as he approached her.

"Yes." Issy admitted.

Tristan's eyes widened. "So then...you're my mysterious stalker? Heh...I have a pretty cute stalker. Lucky." He said as he ran his eyes over her form lustfully and then his expression softened. "I also have a very brave stalker. You protected Laura from Mina tonight."

Issy waved her hand dismissively through the air. "That was nothing...it's just some spilled wine. It's not like I took a bullet for her or anything cool like that."

Tristan raised an eyebrow at her blasé attitude. "For a woman her clothes are very important to her. Here, let me help you. We don't want that lovely dress of yours to stain." Tristan removed his scarf, doused it with club soda, and began to clean the front of Issy's dress.

"But Tristan your scarf." Issy objected.

"Shhh...your dress is more important. It's the dress of a beautiful, selfless woman. A Good Samaritan. There aren't many people like you in this city...not anymore." Tristan recalled how Coco had saved him at the hotel from behind raped by that perverted old man. Tristan began to dab his scarf at her breasts.

Issy blushed. "Uh, that's my boob."

Tristan looked up and met Issy's eyes with a heated gaze. "I know."

Issy swallowed. "O-Oh...I mean...hey! You...pervert...you better stop that?"

Tristan chuckled and his voice sounded throaty. "You really sound like you want me to stop." He rubbed her nipple with his scarf through her dress.

Issy gasped as it hardened. "Holy- no, no, no...Tristan!" Issy batted Tristan's hands away from her, summoning all of her willpower to do so. "You're here with Laura. Remember your date. It's important."

"Yeah...Laura." Tristan replied distantly. "You really _are_ my stalker, aren't you? You even know my date's name."

Issy nodded. "You need to go back to her. Not to mention this is the girl's bathroom."

Tristan let out a sigh and looked sheepish. "I suppose I do." But even though he said this he hesitated upon leaving Issy.

"So hurry up." Issy made little shooing motions with her hands at him.

"I don't want to leave you." Tristan admitted softly and gave her an urgent look. "Will I see you again, Coco?" Hope swam in his bi-colored eyes.

"What are you saying? Of course you won't see me again." Issy began and Tristan's expression fell until she continued. "I'll be in the shadows watching you wherever you go."

Tristan grinned. "That should really freak me out but...I'm glad. Right, well, thanks again, Coco. You're always saving me...one day I'll return the favor." He leaned over and kissed Issy on her cheek causing her to blush prettily.

Tristan left the bathroom and Issy watched him go. Her knees gave out as soon as he was gone, and she sunk to the bathroom floor. She raised a hand and touched her tingling cheek. "I'm never washing my cheek again...although I may end up getting a zit there. It sure wouldn't be very hygienic...but maybe I just don't care. And yep, I'm totally talking to myself aren't I? I'm just going to shut up now."

Issy could hardly believe that Tristan had come to the bathroom to help her, and he hadn't wanted to leave her for Laura. Her heart thudded madly inside of her chest at the thought. She really needed to be more careful though. Stalkers weren't supposed to be _seen_. _Shadow Stalker Association Rule Number Two: A Shadow Stalker can never be seen by his/her target (and this is to be prevented by any means necessary: grappling hooks, smoke bombs etc.)_

***

At the end of the opera Tristan's feeling of unease concerning his sister Mina had increased to the point that it could no longer be ignored. As Tristan and Laura were leaving the opera house he stopped and gave Laura an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, but I need to make a quick phone call."

Laura gave Tristan an understanding look in return. "There's no rush. The night is young." She winked.

Tristan swallowed thickly before dialing Michael's cell phone number. Yes, the Archangel had his own cell phone now. After a few rings Michael picked up.

" _HELLO?_ " Michael's bellow came over the phone.

Tristan held his throbbing ear away from the phone and frowned. He shook his head at Michael's antics before putting his cell phone back to his ear. "Michael, dude, you don't have to yell into the phone. I can hear you just fine."

" _Oh...sorry. What is it?_ "

"It's...Mina. She showed up at the opera house and tried to sabotage my date."

" _Hellfire_."

"Luckily Coco was here to stop her."

" _Coco?_ "

"My stalker. That's what I call her. Anyways, it's a long story...but I may have been a little harsh on Mina. She left...and I think she may have been crying. Could you go look for her and make sure she's okay?"

" _Consider it done._ "

"Thanks man, I owe you one."

" _And I plan to collect._ " Michael rumbled over the phone, sounding smug.

"Doh." Tristan ended the call and felt loads better. He trusted Michael to find Mina and watch over her. In fact...if he could get Mina and Michael together that would be ideal. But a nineteen-year-old billionaire heiress and socialite, and an ancient, stodgy Archangel would be an unbelievable couple.

"Is everything alright?" Laura asked touching Tristan's arm.

Tristan grinned as he put his arm around Laura's shoulders, "Yes...and it's only going to get better." The couple made their way to Tristan's Corvette and got inside. "So...I have a room at the Empire Hotel if you'd care to join me for some champagne, strawberries and of course chocolate." Tristan said casually but held his breath as he awaited Laura's response.

Laura looked over at Tristan and could see how still he was. She noticed that he was holding his breath and her heart warmed. It made him more endearing. Laura reached her hand out and squeezed Tristan's that was on the shift. "I would love to." Laura was equally nervous since she hadn't had sex in over a year - even though she was married! She was definitely out of practice and she was also lacking in confidence because of her husband's apparent lack of desire towards her. But she _wanted_ this.

Tristan headed towards Columbus Avenue as he drove Laura to the Empire Hotel. The hotel was only minutes away and located on 44 West 63rd Street. They arrived, pulled up in front, and Tristan tossed his car keys to a waiting valet. The couple entered the hotel and they both gaped at the luxurious hotel lobby. The color theme was warm colors - beige, black, white, gold. There were opulent, golden, velvet couches, a black and beige marble floor, modern, bronze chandeliers, and draping gold curtains.

Tristan and Laura made their way to the elevators, stepped inside one, and the doors closed. Tristan pushed the button for their floor. The tension between the two of them was thick and the air seemed to be electrically charged.

Laura nibbled on her bottom lip, "Alone in an elevator with a handsome man. I've fantasized about this." She admitted. Her husband Manuel would never have done something as wild as make out in an elevator.

Tristan reached out and daringly pushed the emergency stop button. The elevator jarred to a halt. "Oh really?" Tristan questioned in a roughened voice.

Laura turned to gawk at Tristan in surprise. "Oh no you didn't."

"I did." Tristan purred as he approached Laura predatorily. With a flick of his hand he turned the camera off that was inside of the elevator. Since he was half-demon he was able to perform simple spells at times by simply using his will. The operator would assume the elevator was simply malfunctioning and they would have a few minutes for some fun.

Laura swallowed as she was backed up into the elevator wall. Tristan stood directly in front of her and placed his hands on either side of her head, caging her in with his body as if he feared she would escape. _I don't want to escape. I want to be captured._

Tristan leaned down and brushed his lips gently against hers. She trembled at the light touch. "Tristan." She said breathlessly and he pressed his lips harder into hers. She responded and moved her lips against his. Tristan ran his tongue along her bottom lip seeking entrance. She moaned and he slipped his tongue inside of her mouth.

Tristan began to skillfully coat her tongue with his saliva and their tongues tangled. His saliva slid down Laura's throat and she swallowed. Her pupils became blown with desire and her body trembled with need. Her knees weakened and almost gave way, but Tristan pressed his body into hers so that she remained standing.

Laura could feel Tristan's erection pressing against her thigh and felt flattered that she'd managed to arouse this mysterious man.

Tristan pulled back and leaned over to nibble on her ear. He licked and nibbled his way down her neck and collarbone. "You taste so good." The chocolatier complimented. "Like mint chocolate."

Feeling emboldened by Tristan's compliment Laura said, "Put your hands on my breasts."

Tristan groaned and did as he was told. He cupped and kneaded her ample breasts through her evening gown.

Laura hissed and arched against him, her nipples hardening with her desire into little buds. "Tristan...I want you to touch me." Laura said shyly, blushing. "Down there."

Tristan groaned at the kinky command and trailed one of his hands down her body. He slid his hand up her dress, caressing her inner thigh, and encountered her sex. He pulled back in shock when he discovered that she wasn't wearing any panties and gaped at her. "Laura?"

Laura smiled devilishly. "I was hopeful."

"And I'm a lucky bastard." Tristan said as he gently teased her sex with his fingers. She was so wet. Wet for him. He slipped a finger inside of her and she clenched around him. "So tight." He began to pump his finger in and out of her.

She writhed against him as Tristan added a second finger, stretching her, preparing her for more. Laura began to rock her hips desperately against Tristan's fingers. "Oh yes...I'm close."

"Do you want me to make you come?" Tristan purred as he rubbed his thumb over her clit.

She cried out and rocked against him. "Not yet...I want you _inside_."

"Are you sure you don't want to wait until we get back to the hotel room? You would be more comfortable there. I don't want to hurt you." Tristan's brow furrowed as he tried to get himself under control.

"Please...I've always wanted to do something like this. Something dangerous...forbidden." Laura looked into Tristan's bi-colored eyes beseechingly.

"Very well. What my lady desires - she shall have." Tristan nodded. "Put your legs around me."

Laura obeyed and wrapped her legs around Tristan's waist. This brought her sex right up against the crown of his erection. She could feel it throbbing through his pants. Tristan reached down and unzipped his pants. He gripped his engorged cock and pulled it out of his boxers.

The incubus had to take a deep, calming breaths not to come then and there. He had so much pent up lust. He hadn't had sex for six whole days. He was _dying_ to plunge into her hot, wet sheathe. Tristan positioned the head of his cock against her entrance. "Are you ready?" He rasped.

"Yes...oh yes...take me, Tristan! Now!" Laura begged as she dug her nails into Tristan's back impatiently.

With one skillful thrust of his hips he entered Laura fully. She cried out at the sensation of being so stretched, so full, so taken. Tristan was much bigger than her husband Manuel. Tristan truly claimed every inch of her inside.

Tristan waited for Laura to stop clenching around him before he began to move, pulling almost all the way out and then thrusting back in. He tried to keep a slow rhythm since he knew that he wouldn't last long. He'd waited six days to have sex and was on the razor's edge.

Laura held on more tightly as Tristan began to move and stars exploded behind her eyelids at the pleasure of having Tristan inside of her. "Tristan...I need more...harder."

Tristan obeyed and picked up his pace, slamming his cock into her hungry, sporty little body. "Like this?"

"Yes! Like that!" Laura agreed. "Oh yes...I'm so close!"

"Me too." Tristan breathed huskily in her ear. "You feel so good Laura. You're _amazing_."

"I am? Really?" Laura asked with tears in her eyes.

"Yes!" Tristan assured her as he captured her lips with his own, kissing her deeply, desperately. Laura eagerly kissed him back.

With one powerful thrust he sent her into orgasm. His mouth on hers swallowed her cry. Her body spasmed and trembled around him as she came.

The feeling of her tight sheathe squeezing him sent him over the edge. He thrust deep and came, shooting his seed into her. He continued to buck his hips as she milked him for all he had. He'd had so much pent up.

As soon as his come filled her she had another orgasm. "Oh my God...it's not possible!" Laura said, eyes wide with surprise as her body trembled with pleasure and she came again. "Unbelievable...you really are a sex god, aren't you? I've heard the rumors...stories...you really are as good as they say."

Tristan smirked, amused by her suppositions. "I'm not a god. Just a horny young man."

Laura shook her head and brown curls escaped her do. "You're more than that, Tristan." _You're my savior._

They both clung to each other, panting for breath, as they both came down from their high. They were both sated, and their bodies were still thrumming with pleasure. Tristan gently pulled out of Laura and set her down. She wobbled on her feet but Tristan reached out and grabbed her arm to steady her.

Laura laughed. "Wow...I don't think I'll be able to walk normally after having had you inside of me. You're huge."

Tristan's bi-colored eyes twinkled with mischief. He leaned over to whisper in her ear. "We're not done yet."

Laura shivered with delight. "Oh my."

Tristan pressed the emergency stop button, and the elevator began to ascend once more. He scooped Laura up into his arms when the elevator door opened and carried her out into the hall since she couldn't walk. _Teehee._

***

As soon as Michael got off the phone with Tristan he went in search of Mina. He reached out his senses and searched for her presence. When he located her, he left _Dark Heaven_ , willed himself invisible, and summoned his wings before taking off into the sky. He flew over the city and found himself on 27th and 10th, which was basically an area with a strip of clubs - _Marquee_ , _Mansion_ (M2), _Cain_ , _Guesthouse_ , _Home_ , _Suzie Wongs_ , and _Bungalow_.

Michael landed outside of the _Marquee Club_. The club had been recently renovated and looked trendy. In purple, neon letters the name ' _MARQUEE_ ' was lit up over the entrance to the club. The angel remained invisible so he could bypass the line and simply make his way inside. Once inside the club he willed his wings to disappear, and released his invisibility.

Michael was still dressed in his chocolatier jacket, black pants, and dress shoes, and as a result looked very out of place. Archangel Michael had never been to a human dance club before. The human he used to look after, Joan Simone aka the reincarnation of Joan of Arc, had been conservative. Nightclubs hadn't been her scene. And as Michael's golden-brown eyes scanned the crowd of dancing humans he could see why.

The human females were almost all wearing either dresses or short skirts - very short skirts. Michael shook his head at 21st Century fashion. The women of today were dressed like whores of Satan. Pretty soon they'd be wearing nothing but fig leaves like Adam and Eve had done once they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden.

Michael was thousands of years old, and had watched human civilization rise and fall, over and over again. He'd also observed radical changes in human fashion. From draping togas to ornate gowns to micro minis. Watching the changes in human fashion had been interesting to watch, but equally horrifying. Men seemed to have gotten the short end of the stick in fashion and throughout time basically wore a variation of shirts and pants. Women however...their fashion had changed tremendously over time. Michael saw animal prints, sparkly sequins that reflected the lazer lights, translucent fabrics, and even a plastic skirt.

Blue and yellow spotlights moved back and forth across the dance floor. The floor beneath Michael's feet vibrated from the techno beat of Enrique Iglesias' _I like it_. As Michael crossed the dance floor the crowd seemed to part for him of its own accord - as if they sensed someone special was in their midst. Even though Michael was oddly dressed in his chocolatier jacket, his handsomeness could not be overlooked, and at six-five he towered over most of the human males there, making him stand out even if he didn't want to. His golden-blonde hair gleamed in the lights of the club and his eyes glowed as he searched for Mina.

Another thing Michael had noticed overtime was that 'dancing' had gotten stranger and stranger for the humans. Personally, he'd enjoyed watching the elegant dances such as _waltz_ or even the tango, but this ' _freak dancing_ ' was disgusting, and wholly inappropriate behavior.

Michael was scowling at the couples that were grinding their bodies together as if they were having sex on the dance floor but with their clothes still on. _Get a room, humans._ Suddenly, Michael's eyes landed on a lone young woman dressed in a long, black evening gown that was covered in glittering sequins that caught the lights of the club. She was dancing alone, swaying her body to the music in a mesmerizing manner, and moving her arms sensually through the air.

So...beautiful.

The dress was backless and Michael admired the smooth expanse of her skin. His eyes traveled down her spine to the curve of her lower back. Her long black hair was swishing back and forth, revealing teasing glimpses of her bare flesh.

Michael swallowed thickly and ran a hand over his mouth. The sight of a human woman shouldn't affect him. _Just who is she?_

When the young woman spun around, Michael sucked in a breath - it was Mina! She seemed to be lost to the music as she made patterns in the air with her hands and hadn't noticed Michael's presence.

_Mina!_ That's when Michael noticed that he wasn't the only one watching her. Several human males were admiring Mina as she danced, and a few human males even tried to dance with Mina. She refused them, however, and unceremoniously shoved them away. This caused Michael's lip to twitch. _That's my girl._ Mina could handle herself apparently.

Michael continued to watch her dance from afar. He found that he couldn't move, could barely breathe. He wanted this moment to last forever. But then Mina was leaving the dance floor and heading towards the bar. Mina slid onto a barstool, and was slightly panting for breath. She raised her hand to get the bartender's attention and ordered herself a drink. Her cheeks were flushed pink.

Michael slid onto a barstool that was a few seats down from Mina. The bartender returned with Mina's drink - a red-colored drink in a martini glass. Mina raised the drink to her lips and instead of taking a dainty sip as Michael had expected she began to chug it back. She didn't stop drinking until she'd finished the entire cocktail and set it down on the bar in front of her. "Ah!" She raised her hand to get the bartender's attention again and ordered yet another drink.

Michael frowned. If he didn't know any better \- he'd suspect that Mina was trying to get drunk. But why? Humans only got needlessly drunk when they wanted to forget something. What did Mina want to forget? Ah, yes, of course... _Tristan_. Michael scowled. Mina had gone to sabotage Tristan's date with Laura and had failed miserably. Apparently, Tristan's stalker had saved the day. _Way to go Issy._

Tristan had said some harsh things to Mina, things he regretted apparently, but...Michael couldn't exactly blame Tristan. Mina's love obsession for him was _wrong_ and had only been brought about because Tristan was an _incubus_. He watched as Mina got her second drink and began to chug it as well. Mina was a beautiful, sensual young woman. So young at nineteen. She had her entire life ahead of her. A bright future. She deserved better than to be pining away for her brother. She deserved to find happiness with a human male who could protect her, cherish her, and respect her. At that moment, Mina was approached by a group of three young men.

"Hey there, babe." One of them greeted her casually.

"Get lost." Mina slurred, "I want to be alone."

"So you're here _alone_?" One of the others asked and shared a devious look with his friends.

Mina nodded. "Yes...I'm here alone because my brother is a big fat jerk! I hate him!"

"Your brother, huh? Why don't you let _us_ cheer you up? We'll help you to forget all about your brother." One of the young men put his hand on Mina's arm.

Mina swayed in her seat and looked down at the hand on her arm as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Don't touch me!" Mina batted his hand away. She glared up at the three men and looked them over before laughing in their faces. "You guys are pretty ugly! Is that why you prey on drunken girls so you can get laid? Well, let me tell you something - I wouldn't sleep with any of you guys if you were the last men on Earth! Ha! My brother is _sooo_ much handsomer...than you _losersss_!"

The young men instantly grew angry and dark looks crossed their faces. One of them grabbed Mina's arm and roughly pulled her off her stool. "You're coming with us."

"Hey! Let go!" Mina objected as she struggled weakly against the man's hold, but as drunk as she was, she didn't put up much of a fight. "Aw crap. Maybe I shouldn't have drunk so much..."

Michael had seen enough. He was about to summon his sword when he realized what he was about to do. These weren't _demons_ ...they were just _humans_. He clenched and unclenched his hand as he got his temper under control. He stalked over to Mina and the three men. He reached out and grabbed the man's wrist and began to squeeze.

"Hey, buddy, just what do you think you're-" The man complained before Michael's grip grew painful, muscle rubbing against bone. "Ow! Hey! Stop!" He complained as he struggled against Michael's hold. "I said stop!"

Crack. Michael let go of the man once he realized he'd broken his wrist. The man howled in pain. "Fuck! That asshole broke my wrist!"

Mina was squinting at Michael as if she couldn't believe he was there. "Michael...?"

"Oh, he's gonna pay for that." The man's friend said cracking his knuckles menacingly.

Michael spun and punched the man in the face. Michael's fist connected with the man's nose, breaking it, cartilage snapping and blood pouring down the man's face. The man howled in pain.

By this time the club goers had taken notice of the fight, and had begun to point and murmur worriedly at the group. The security guards also noticed and began to push their way through the crowd towards them. Michael turned to glare at the remaining drunk frat boy but he put his hands up and backed away. Michael grinned savagely, showing his teeth. He looked at Mina and grabbed her hand. "We're going." He said in a low, rumbling voice.

Mina just gaped at Michael as he took her hand and began to pull her through the crowd. However, the security guards stood in their path. They were two hulking guys dressed in black. "Out of my way!" Michael roared as he shoved one security guard and sent him literally _flying_ across the dance floor.

The second security guard whipped out a billy club and attacked Michael with it. Michael caught the billy club with his free hand and squeezed until it bent in half. The startled security guard dropped the now useless piece of metal to the floor. He didn't try to stop Michael as they continued on their way. "Not possibly human...." He heard the security guard mutter darkly to himself.

Michael pulled Mina out of the club and hailed a cab. They were getting into the backseat of a cab minutes later. That's when Mina began to laugh. Michael shot her a startled, worried look.

Mina put a hand to her throbbing head. "Ah, I really must be drunk. I thought I saw you beating the shit out of a couple of frat boys, Michael."

Michael remained silent.

"Michael wouldn't come to save _me_. I must be hallucinating or dreaming..." Mina said as she pinched her arm. "Ow!" Mina's eyes widened, and she looked over at Michael, startled. "Oh my God...you're really here. You really came to get me... _why?_ "

Michael crossed his arms over his broad chest, scowling. _Because I was worried about you._ "Because your brother Tristan told me to."

Surprisingly enough, Mina looked disappointed by his response. "Oh, I see." She looked Michael over...and stared at the blood on his knuckles. So...it hadn't been a delusion. "Are you...a demon too?" Mina asked softly so that the cabdriver wouldn't overhear her. "Like Tristan?"

Michael gave her a horrified look in response. "A lowly demon? I'm a-!" But then he stopped himself. Tristan didn't want Mina knowing that he was a guardian angel in case it could end up putting Mina in danger.

"What?" Mina gave Michael an expectant look.

"I am your brother's friend. As well as yours." He said simply.

Mina raised an eyebrow at Michael's words. She rested her head against Michael's shoulder, closed her eyes, and let out a tired sigh. "Take me home, Michael."

"As you wish, Miss Mina." Michael rumbled, enjoying the feeling of Mina's head against his shoulder. He liked how she appeared to be relying on his strength. She was so close he could smell her hair. She smelled like...roses. A decadent scent.

***

Tristan entered the hotel room he'd rented with Laura still in his arms and closed the door behind him with his foot. He carried Laura to the bedroom, entered, and gently set her down on the bed. "Why don't you take a shower while I get us some room service. Do you want anything besides champagne, Laura?" Tristan asked.

"No. Champagne sounds divine." She smiled up at him, looking coy.

Tristan nodded and left the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Laura hopped off the bed and made her way to the bathroom. She entered and flipped on a light switch. "Ooo." The bathroom was enormous with a marble sink, large mirror, tiled floor, and a luxurious shower that was big enough for two to fit inside. If she didn't know better Laura would think Tristan had gotten her the honeymoon suite!

Laura stripped off her clothes and stepped into the shower. She turned on the hot water and stepped under the warm spray. It was wonderful. She grabbed a loofa and squeezed some almond and vanilla scented body wash onto it. Laura lathered her body with delicious smelling soapsuds, and moaned in bliss when she ran the loofa over her sensitive nipples. Her body was still supercharged from Tristan's earlier ministrations. She'd never been so aroused in her life. He'd already given her two orgasms and he'd promised her more.

_And_ he'd complimented her body. He _desired_ her. _Maybe I've still got it after all._ Laura thought with a goofy smile on her face. She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice Tristan enter the bathroom, strip his clothes off, and enter the shower behind her until he placed his hands on her waist and said: "Let me wash you. Let me pamper you, Cinderella."

Laura gasped and relinquished the loofa. Tristan ran it over her body admiringly. She was in shape, and probably went to the gym a few times a week. She didn't have an ounce of fat on her. Not that Tristan wasn't attracted to chubby girls; they had their own charms too. "You are so beautiful." He breathed causing Laura to tremble with anticipation.

After Tristan was finished soaping up her entire body he ran his hands over it to remove the soap beneath the spray. His skillful hands lingered on her breasts pinching her nipples gently until they hardened. He slid his fingers between the folds of her sex, washing her there too. Her desire was building and she was already wet for him. "Tristan...I need you." Laura breathed.

"Put your hands on the wall." Tristan directed.

Laura did as she was told and put her hands on the shower wall. Tristan stood behind her and put his hands on her hips. He pulled her closer until she could feel his throbbing shaft nudging her entrance. She swallowed and then Tristan was slowly pushing himself inside of her. They both let out groans of pleasure once Tristan was fully seated inside. He waited for her to get used to his size again, before he started to move. Slowly pulling back and then thrusting in hard. Laura bit her lower lip to keep from crying out.

Laura could already feel another orgasm building inside of her. Tristan reached in front of her and began to playfully knead and caress her breasts as he rocked into her. The visual image Laura had in her mind of Tristan taking her from behind made her even wetter. As pleasurable as this was Laura wanted to see Tristan as he made love to her. "Tristan...I want to see you."

"Your wish is my command, Laura." Tristan said as he pulled out of her. They quickly got out of the shower, dried off with some fluffy, white hotel towels, and Tristan carried Laura to the bed in a princess-style hold. Once he set her down, Laura scooted back giving Tristan room to crawl onto the bed with her. She put her arms over her head and opened her legs eagerly. "Come and take me, Sex God."

Tristan swallowed as he gazed at her pink, glistening sex. He slowly moved between her legs. Laura watched him with hooded eyes. Tristan was so handsome. His lithe torso was all tightly packed muscle, he had six-pack abs and his legs were so long and muscular. She'd never found a man's _legs_ that attractive before but Tristan had really sexy legs. His body was completely hairless except for the small patch of black almost blue hair above his penis. Dark blue pubic hair. _Mmm that's hot._

Tristan crawled over her body and leaned over her for a kiss. He kissed her languidly and she could feel his erection teasing her entrance. Laura arched off the bed, bucking her hips forward and taking the crown of his erection inside. Tristan rocked his hips forward, entering her the rest of the way. Laura wrapped her legs around Tristan's waist, looked up at him, and smiled. "I like this view much better." She peered into his bi-colored eyes. "I love your eyes. They're so unusual. One is like a sapphire and the other is like gold."

A cocky smirk curled Tristan's lips. "Then I'll keep them open for you." He began to move inside of her, stirring himself in her.

"But that will be so embarrassing." Laura said but she couldn't look away from Tristan's piercing gaze. Right then he only saw _her_. She felt like the only woman in the universe. It was a beautiful dream.

Right then she was Cinderella with her prince, but at midnight her carriage would turn back into a pumpkin. Her gown would turn back into jeans and a t-shirt that was covered with baby food stains. And she'd become 'Mom' and 'Unwanted Wife' once more. Tears filled her eyes, "Tristan." _I loved Manuel. Why did he stop loving me?_

"Laura." Tristan gasped as he felt her clenching around him.

"I...thank you...for saving me...my prince." Laura said right before her orgasm hit and she came, crying out as pleasure swept through her entire body.

"My Cinderella!" Tristan drove himself deep inside of her, his muscles straining, and then he climaxed, coming inside of her. He almost collapsed on top of her but somehow managed to roll over onto his back instead. _Can't crush her._ "The room service arrived while you were showering. How about I go get us some champagne?"

"What a splendid idea, my prince." Laura turned onto her side to grin at him.

Tristan hopped out of bed and fetched the champagne, strawberries and also held a box of chocolates. Laura looked at the box of chocolates curiously and recognized _Dark Heaven_ 's packaging. "Are those chocolates from _Dark Heaven_?"

Tristan nodded, "Yes...but I made these specially for you. You inspired these chocolates Laura." He handed her the box.

Laura took the box and removed the lid to find chocolate bonbons with the designs of glass slippers, princess crowns and pumpkin carriages on them in icing. "Cinderella fairytale chocolates." Laura gasped. "Tristan...they're so beautiful. I don't want to eat them."

"These chocolates are to remind you that beneath your jeans and t-shirts - you are a true _princess_. Never forget that. Please share these chocolates with someone special in your life. They are my gift to you." As he said these words Tristan had reached out to curl a lock of her brown hair around his fingers. He seemed fascinated by her boring brown hair.

The way he was saying these sweet words to her, sounded like a goodbye, and at the suggestion of sharing the chocolates with someone special in her life she gasped. Did he know she was married? "Tristan...I..."

"Let's have some champagne, shall we?" Tristan held out two champagne glasses, dropped a strawberry inside of each glass, and poured the champagne. He handed Laura a glass and then raised his. "A toast - to a good woman."

_I'm not so good._ Tears sprung to Laura's eyes. "And to a good man."

_I'm not so good._ Tristan thought as they clinked their glasses together. They both took a sip of the champagne at the same time.

Tristan and Laura made love several times that night and in various different positions until finally Laura passed out from exhaustion. Tristan would be forever grateful to her. He could easily survive a week without sex, thanks to her.

The incubus left Laura sometime after dawn, but before leaving he left a red rose and a piece of chocolate on her pillow. "Goodbye, my Cinderella." Tristan said sadly.

***

Tristan was leaving the hotel when suddenly someone stepped right in front of him. He almost ran straight into the man but managed to stop himself. Tristan took a step back and looked up. "Hey, watch where you're- Raphael?" Tristan blinked as he recognized the man.

Raphael was a towering man, at least six-five, with long, snow-white hair, and dark eyes that had flecks of silver in them like storm clouds flashing with lightning bolts. He was wearing a slick, gray _Armani_ suit, white shirt, black and silver tie, and black dress shoes. His eyes were cold, merciless.

Tristan's friend, Carmen, had a huge crush on this guy, but apparently he was an asshole. For Valentine's Day Tristan had given Carmen some of his special chocolates to share with Raphael. Because of the powerful aphrodisiac in them, Raphael had had sex with Carmen. But afterwards he threw up and even dared to call Carmen 'disgusting'! This of course was a load of bull because even though Tristan's chocolates were an aphrodisiac - they couldn't make someone sleep with someone they didn't _really_ want to sleep with. His chocolates weren't the equivalent of a 'love potion'. They induced lust, nothing more, nothing less.

But Raphael blamed the chocolates because he was actually an Archangel in disguise...and _hated_ demons. Carmen was half-succubus. Her father had been an incubus she'd never met, and so just because of her heritage Raphael hated her on principle.

"What are you doing here?" Tristan frowned, wondering what an Archangel as important as Raphael could possibly have to do with him.

Raphael reached out and placed his hand on Tristan's chest, and sent thousands of volts of electricity coursing through his body just like a taser. Tristan was knocked out cold. He didn't even have the chance to cry out for help as he fell into unconsciousness.

A bucket of cold water to the face had Tristan waking up less than an hour later. Raphael was standing in front of him with that same cold, emotionless look on his face. Tristan tried to move and that's when he realized that he was attached to a gigantic wooden 'X' that was hanging from the ceiling. His wrists and ankles were shackled to the strange device. His shirt and jacket were missing. A thrill of fear traveled down Tristan's spine. _Is Raphael going to rape me? This is some fucked up bondage shit right here._ Tristan glared at Raphael. "Let me go, you sick pervert."

Raphael's eyes narrowed. "You call _me_ a pervert? I'm not the one who just had an _affair_."

Tristan blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"The female you just slept with. Laura. She is married to a man named Manuel and has two kids with him." Raphael began to pull on a pair of white gloves.

"Laura is...married." Tristan breathed out in shock, feeling a stab of unexpected pain in his chest. He was the one who'd left her behind but...the revelation still hurt for some reason. She'd never been intending to stay with him or have something serious with him from the get-go. This should have been a good thing but...it wasn't. Tristan's head was spinning.

"Having an affair is a _grave_ sin, Tristan." Raphael drawled as he walked around Tristan unnervingly. "What has Michael been _doing_? He's supposed to be watching over you and making sure you don't sin. Did you know that? And yet, you just had an _affair_. Pathetic." The Archangel shook his head and his lip curled with disgust. "He isn't doing his job properly. Again. And if he doesn't do his job properly and you continue to sin Tristan...I _will_ kill you. That's why I'm here actually - I'm insurance. If Michael fails to save your soul I'll kill you and damn your soul to Hell. I really should kill you now...but I think I'll just punish you instead. Consider yourself lucky that I'm feeling merciful this morning." Raphael willed a cat-o-nine whip to materialize in his right hand that he swung through the air a few times as if getting a feel for it.

Tristan gawked at the leather whip that strangely enough seemed to be crackling with electric energy. "You can't be serious...you're going to whip me? Just because I had a little sex?" _At least he's not going to rape me._ Tristan shuddered at the thought and remembrance of that perverted old bakery owner.

"Not just sex - an affair." Raphael stressed and then his eyes narrowed at Tristan. "Michael hasn't told you about the danger, the threat you pose, has he?"

"Danger? Threat? Me? What are you talking about?" Tristan struggled to get free but it was no use.

Raphael gave Tristan an almost pitying stare. "If Michael hasn't told you yet he must still have hope. Only time will tell if his hope in you has been misplaced." Raphael walked around Tristan until he was standing directly behind him. He raised his whip-

"No, don't! You can't do this! I haven't hurt anyone!" The chocolatier objected. "This isn't right!"

Raphael swung the whip and it hit Tristan's back with an audible _crack_. "You have. You've hurt yourself...your God-given soul...and you've hurt Laura's soul as well."

_Crack_. Raphael whipped Tristan's back again. Tristan refused to cry out and bit down on his lower lip, drawing blood.

"I don't enjoy this disgusting punishment. It's so unhygienic." Raphael said blandly as he whipped Tristan again, causing his entire body to spasm violently. "But that's why I made the necessary precautions so that you wouldn't dirty my floor." He nodded at the large sheet of tarp that was directly beneath Tristan.

"You're one sick fuck. Stay away from my friend, Carmen! You hear me?" Tristan snarled.

Lightning flashed in Raphael's eyes. "I have no interest in the she-demon."

"Keep telling yourself that, you hypocrite!" Tristan snapped back.

_Crack._ Raphael whipped Tristan harder and this time he finally broke through the skin. Tristan barely stifled a cry at the pain.

"What do you mean?" Raphael asked conversationally as he whipped Tristan again.

"...my chocolates are not a magic love spell and they're not a drug. They just release a person's inhibitions, which means that you desired Carmen whether you want to admit it to yourself or not."

"Lies! I do not and will never desire a demoness!" _Crack_.

A whimper slid past Tristan's lips, "I'm not lying...hypocrite..."

_Crack._ Raphael flicked his wrist and the whip fell upon Tristan's bleeding flesh once more. He figured about a hundred lashes would do to get his point across. Then maybe Tristan would think twice before sleeping with a _married_ woman. "A real man wouldn't cry out."

"Ha! This hurts like hell, asshole! It's not like you would know how it feels. I'd like to see _you_ remain silent as someone tries to whip the flesh off _your_ back!" The chocolatier huffed.

For several minutes Raphael just stood there silently as if lost in thought. "I do know what it's like. And believe me - I remained _silent_."

Tristan looked back at Raphael and gawked. Who the hell could have managed to capture Archangel Raphael...and torture him like this? Tristan laughed.

Raphael arched an eyebrow at him. "What's so funny, incubus?"

"I was just thinking that whoever did this to you...must be dead."

"They will be." Raphael acknowledged with a nod.

"If I could move my legs - I'd kick your ass. That will have to wait until another day, I suppose."

"You would not stand a chance against me, incubus." Raphael scoffed, before whipping Tristan again and again. Blood poured down Tristan's ravaged back and he wondered how much longer he could remain conscious...

Raphael had claimed that he wasn't going to kill Tristan, but the chocolatier wondered if he could really survive something like this. No one would be coming to his rescue. No one even knew he was in trouble. Everyone thought he was with Laura having a good time. A _very_ good time.

He couldn't help but wonder where his stalker was at a time like this. _Coco..._

Or Michael, his guardian angel, for that mater, but he wouldn't call out for help in his mind because he _knew_ in his heart no one was coming for him. And maybe Raphael was right, and he deserved this.

***

Issy, Tristan's stalker, had followed Tristan to the Empire Hotel. She wanted to make sure Tristan and Laura got inside of the hotel without incident aka Mina showing up. That's why Issy had snuck inside of the hotel, and had pretty much camped out in the lobby on one of their comfy, gold, velvet couches. At some point she'd fallen asleep and hours later someone was shaking her shoulder in order to rouse her that following morning. "Miss? Miss! You can't sleep here."

"Mmm." Issy opened her eyes and lazily stretched her arms over her head. She looked up at the frowning hotel employee. "Oh...sorry." She said as something behind him caught her attention.

It was Tristan and he was leaving the hotel without Laura. That was strange. Issy wondered what could have happened and decided to follow Tristan out of the hotel. As she exited the hotel she was just in time to witness a scary, white haired man with eerie eyes zap Tristan with a taser and kidnap him!

The man had an intense, dangerous air about him. Issy slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her scream and watched wide-eyed as this man carried Tristan over to a silver Mercedes Benz with black tinted windows. The kidnapper set Tristan down in the passenger's seat and closed the door behind him. _Oh my God...Tristan's been kidnapped!_

Issy whipped out her cell phone and took a picture of the license plate number as the Benz sped away. _Now what should I do? Call the cops?_ But then Issy remembered about how Michael was supposed to be Tristan's guardian angel. And boy was he doing a lousy job! Issy scrolled through her phone book and found Michael's cell phone number. She dialed it.

" _Hello?_ " Came Michael's gruff voice after just two rings.

"Michael, it's me, Issy. We have an emergency. Tristan's been kidnapped. I'm at the Empire Hotel. What should we do? Should I call the police? I got the guy's license plate number." Issy nibbled on her lower lip as she awaited his response.

" _Kidnapped? Wait right there. I'll come get you._ "

"Okay." Michael ended the call. Issy waited for Michael to show up and about twenty minutes later he suddenly materialized beside her.

"Hey." He greeted casually.

"Ack!" Issy jumped and put a hand over her pounding heart. "Like, oh my God, don't _do_ that!"

"Sorry." Michael gave her a sheepish look. "What did the man who kidnapped Tristan look like?" He got down to business.

"He had white hair and eyes that looked like thunderclouds." Issy quickly explained.

Michael's eyes widened, and the blood slowly drained from his face. "Raphael? Hellfire and damnation! You're coming with me." Michael swooped Issy up into his arms and held her bridal-style.

"Wait. What? Do you know where Tristan is?" She blinked up at him.

"I just have to reach out my senses in order to find him." Michael revealed.

Issy let out a frustrated huff. "Then why did you waste time coming to get me? You should have gone straight to Tristan on your own."

_Anything to get the two of you together._ "He may need you. I'll fly us to his current location." Michael concentrated on making them both invisible with his power and then summoned his wings. They spread behind him majestically.

"Whoa, wait a sec, fly? We can't. I'm afraid of heights!" Issy objected.

"Hold on tight." Michael said before with a flap of his wings he took off into the sky.

Issy screamed as she and Michael shot up into the sky and began soaring over buildings. She shut her eyes tight and wrapped her arms around Michael's neck, holding on for dear life. "Are we there yet?"

Michael smirked and picked up his speed. "Not yet." Finally, he reached the apartment building where he could sense Tristan and Raphael's presences coming from. Michael swooped up the building and landed on the balcony of Raphael's apartment. "We're here." Michael rumbled as he set Issy on her feet.

"Ugh...I feel sick." Issy moaned as she moved to the railing of the balcony and threw up over the side.

"Hey!" A passing pedestrian shouted and waved an angry fist up at her.

"Sorry!" Issy called down to the poor soul.

"Thanks for waiting to do that when we landed." Michael said dryly.

Issy groaned and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief she had in her purse. "No problem."

"Follow me. And be silent." Michael opened the sliding glass door and they made their way inside of Raphael's apartment. The early morning sun illuminated the apartment through its many windows. The place was incredibly neat and organized. There wasn't a single speck of dust to be seen. There were a lot of black, white and gray furnishings. The overall effect was very cold and stark. Not one ounce of color. It was like Raphael lived his life in black and white.

At that moment, they heard Tristan yell out in pain and start to _beg_. "No...please...stop...no more...please!"

Issy's heart plummeted inside of her chest. Just what was that man doing to poor Tristan!

Michael and Issy shared a dark look before they took off running in the direction that Tristan's scream had come from. They reached a door and Michael simply kicked it open.

There in front of them was Tristan, hanging from a strange contraption that resembled a wooden X. His wrists and ankles had been shackled to the device causing his limbs to be splayed. He was shirtless...and his back! Issy gasped when she caught sight of Tristan's back and raised a hand in front of her mouth. It was a bloody mess. Raphael stood behind Tristan with his whip raised as if he'd been interrupted mid-swing by their sudden entrance.

"No!" Issy cried out as she ran over to Tristan and stood between Raphael and Tristan. "Don't hurt him!"

Raphael's eyebrows rose as he looked at Issy and took in her ball gown and opera mask. "What are you supposed to be...a vigilante?"

"No, I'm Tristan's stalker!" Issy said proudly.

"Stalker?" Raphael murmured confusedly.

"Raphael!" Came Michael's furious sounding voice.

Raphael turned to see Michael approaching him with swift strides. "Just what is the meaning of this?"

"I was punishing your charge since you allowed him to commit a grave sin." Raphael's tone was matter-of-fact.

"What sin?" Michael demanded, his hand twitched as he resisted the urge to summon his sword.

"He had an affair." Raphael stated simply.

"You mean...Laura is married?" Michael ground out. _Shit._

"Not only that, she has two _children_." Raphael gave Michael an expectant look.

Michael let out a defeated sigh and put his face into his hand. "I didn't know...I thought she was single."

"Well, she is not. I should kill him for this transgression. You're lucky I decided to only punish him instead." Raphael's lip twitched.

Issy gave Raphael a horrified look. "You jerk...he didn't know. Tristan didn't know that Laura was married." She shifted her attention to Tristan. "Tristan." She called his name to get his attention.

Tristan's eyes fluttered open and he stared at Issy. "Coco...wow...Raphael look who it is. My stalker...isn't she beautiful?" His voice held a wistful note to it. He sounded kind of out of it, as if he thought he was hallucinating.

Tears filled Issy's caramel brown eyes, "Oh Tristan...don't worry, we're going to get you out of here. I won't let that psycho hurt you anymore. I promise."

"Thank you, my chocolate angel." Tristan breathed. "So brave."

Raphael watched the interaction between Tristan and Issy curiously. A spark came to his eyes. "Is she your 'hope'?" Raphael asked in a low voice only Michael could hear.

Michael nodded once. "Yes."

"You think she is a _Judge_ , don't you?" Raphael said more to himself than to Michael as he lowered the whip and willed it to disappear. "Very well, you may take him." Raphael waved his hand at the device and it along with the shackles disappeared.

As soon as the contraption was gone Tristan collapsed to his knees in a pool of his own blood. "Thank you." Tristan rasped, looking up at Raphael.

Raphael gave Tristan a surprised look. "I didn't do it for you...I did it for _her_." His gaze fixed on Issy.

"My beautiful stalker." Tristan murmured before he passed out.

"Tristan!" Issy called out concernedly and reached out to support him.

Michael made his way over to Tristan and scooped him up into his arms. "I need to get him home first then I'll come back for you."

Issy shook her head. "No, you take him home, and stay with him. I'll take a taxi. I don't think I could handle flying right now anyways." She rubbed her sore stomach.

"Very well." Michael agreed.

Issy watched as Michael left the bedroom before spinning around to face Raphael. "If you ever hurt him again...I won't forgive you." She warned Raphael fiercely.

Raphael let out a heavy sigh. "You are brave, female. And out of respect for your bravery here today - I promise you that I won't hurt Tristan again...physically. But I will still try and stop his promiscuous lifestyle by any means necessary."

Issy let out a breath of relief and nodded. "Understood." _Tristan needs to fall in love with someone and fast. It's the only way he can be saved. I must find him someone. Someone who's actually single this time._

To be continued in...Chocolate 6: _Creamy Peach_

### Chapter 6: Creamy Peach

It was Monday, the beginning of a new week at _Dark Heaven_. Tristan stood behind the display case with his chin propped up on his hand, admiring the lovely ladies seated at the antique tables enjoying coffee, tea and chocolate for their breakfasts.

Saturday night he'd slept with Laura, who was apparently a _married_ woman. And now he was already onto his next conquest. He couldn't understand why he felt betrayed by Laura even though he was the one who'd done the seducing and the ditching. But he now knew Laura had never intended to continue things with him anyways. She'd used him - the exact same way he usually used women. The chocolatier shook his head to rid it of such sour thoughts. He didn't want to think about Laura and he needed a distraction.

The chocolatier's bi-colored eyes scanned the shop looking at potential young women to woo. That's when he felt a rather bold stare upon him. He turned his head and met the gaze of a beautiful, sophisticated, young woman with a slick bob of platinum blonde hair and gray-blue eyes. She was wearing a dark blue suit jacket and a knee-length, navy-blue skirt, stockings, and a pair of high heels.

The chocolatier recognized this young woman instantly. He'd seen her inside of his shop before and because of her aloof demeanor he'd figured she might be a lawyer or even a doctor. She had this cold, serious air about her. A no-nonsense kind of girl. She was obviously a smart, independent woman. Thinking back, he realized that he'd never seen her smile.

Tristan smiled charmingly at her and she merely blinked before crooking her finger at him, beckoning him over to her table. Tristan shrugged before he sauntered over.

"Hello, I'm Rachel Diamond. I'm the editor and chief of _Epic Taste Gourmet Magazine_." Rachel introduced herself and offered Tristan her hand.

_The editor of a gourmet magazine?_ Tristan's eyes widened in surprise and suddenly he felt nervous. Instead of shaking her hand, Tristan took Rachel's hand and placed a kiss on it. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Rachel. I'm Tristan Savant." As Tristan kissed Rachel's hand he couldn't help but notice her acrylic nails. They were an ocean blue color with glittery, silver rhinestones decorating them. The nails caused Tristan to do a double take since he was surprised that the serious Rachel has such wild looking nails.

"I know." Rachel said as she boldly met his unusual bi-colored eyes. "You're also the son and heir of Adrian Savant, CEO of the popular French bakery franchise _La Boulangerie Savant_."

Surprise flashed across Tristan's visage. There was also a twisting feeling in his gut at the mention of his father. "I...don't really want people to know of our connection." Tristan admitted.

Rachel tilted her head to regard Tristan thoughtfully. "After graduating from the Institute of Culinary Education you left home...and opened up _Dark Heaven_ instead of taking over the family business. You haven't been in contact with your family since then. Why is that?" She took a sip of her coffee as she awaited his response.

Tristan's eyes narrowed. "That's really none of your business." He couldn't stop the small frown that had formed on his face.

Rachel had never seen Tristan frown before and immediately became apologetic. "I'm sorry." She set her coffee cup down. "I wasn't trying to offend you, Tristan. I'm only interested in your family and background because I'm considering featuring your shop in an article for my magazine. But I will need some personal facts about you and your family to make things interesting. Well, at least the ones you don't mind me publishing."

"You want to write an article on _Dark Heaven_?" Tristan asked excitedly, his previous ire forgotten. Being featured in _Epic Taste Gourmet Magazine_ would be really good promotion.

Rachel's lip twitched. "Don't count your chickens just yet, Tristan. I said I was _considering_ it. I think I need a little more _convincing_ if you know what I mean."

Tristan blinked, feeling momentarily confused, and scratched his head. "I'm not sure I understand your meaning."

"Now that surprises me, Mr. Playboy. I'll be more direct then. Go on a date with me. Tonight. We could have a drink together...just you and me. And then afterwards..." Rachel picked up a piece of chocolate, and ran her tongue over it before taking a bite. She moaned in bliss at the taste. "Mmm, that's heavenly."

"Oh...Ohhhh. I would be honored-" Tristan was saying before he stopped himself. He couldn't go on a 'night date' with Rachel because it would indefinitely lead to sex. He needed to woo Rachel for one week before he could have sex with her - at least that was according to the deal he'd made with Michael. "But I have a better idea. Why don't we go on a date tomorrow afternoon? I'd like to get to know you a little better first...if that's okay? It's hard to get to know someone at a bar. It's usually too loud inside to hold a decent conversation." _I'll have Michael, Mina and Issy watch the shop tomorrow afternoon so I can have a nice day date with Rachel._

Rachel gave Tristan an assessing look. "You want to get to know me first?" A twinkle of amusement shone in her eyes. "You're a little different from the rumors I've heard about you, Tristan."

Tristan shrugged. "So you don't mind if we take things slower?"

"No, I don't mind...I'm just curious about what you're up to, Tristan." Rachael admitted coolly. "Tomorrow afternoon then. At what time should I be here?"

"How about one o'clock?" Tristan suggested.

"One o'clock it is. I'll see you then." Rachael nodded in agreement, finished off her coffee, and left the shop.

Tristan grinned to himself. "Score." The chocolatier clicked his heels together excitedly as he walked away. _Alright! My next conquest will be Rachel Diamond. She's a total babe. Kinda reminds me of a sexy librarian type. I bet she'd look hot in a pair of glasses._

Later that same day, after Tristan and the others had closed up _Dark Heaven_ , Tristan made his way into his bedroom. Usually, after work Tristan would go to his bedroom, lock the door, take out a dirty magazine or pop a porn DVD into his DVD player, and jerk off for an hour or so. What? Sex demon.

Only this time he stopped in his tracks in the doorway of his bedroom, wide-eyed. Michael was inside of his room, crouched down next to his bed, and pulling out several dirty magazines that Tristan kept beneath the bed before putting them into a cardboard box. "Michael...what are you doing?" Tristan gawked at Michael in disbelief.

"What does it look like, genius? I'm confiscating your...what do the humans call this inappropriate stuff? Porn? These magazines have inappropriate images inside of them, and the 'movies' are even worse! They actually show humans having sexual intercourse! Disgusting. They have to go." Michael said as he continued to fill the box with magazines and DVDs.

Tristan's jaw dropped at this alarming situation and his hand twitched as he felt like protecting the smart phone that was inside of his pocket. "Confiscating?" The incubus kept all of his 'flash traffic' (photos girls had sent Tristan of themselves topless) and sex videos that he'd made with some of the girls he'd slept with, on his phone. "In the name of all that is holy...why?"

"Why?" Michael stood with the cardboard box in his hands and turned around to face Tristan. "Your sister is living with us now. I can't have her stumbling upon such inappropriate things. She's so young and impressionable - it could corrupt her!"

"A little late for that." Tristan muttered darkly to himself.

Michael tried to walk past Tristan, however-

Tristan lunged at Michael and grabbed the box. "You can't confiscate my precious collection! I won't let you!" Tristan tried to pull the box out of Michael's arms and tugged with all his might.

But Michael pulled back on the box with a fierce look on his face, "Oh yes, I can! I'm your guardian angel! And Raphael was a rude awakening that I've been too lenient with you lately. Do you want Raphael to kidnap and torture you again? Next time I might decide not to heal you."

Tristan shuddered as he remembered Raphael whipping the skin off his back. He'd been lucky - real lucky - that he'd slept multiple times with Laura and so had enough replenished demonic energy to heal himself after the attack. Michael had also grudgingly helped to heal his remaining wounds.

"No." Tristan said sourly, "But I doubt the Archangel will kidnap me over some harmless porn!" _Please don't let Michael know about my phone._ Tristan chanted inside his head.

"How can you be so sure?" Michael tugged back on the box.

"You're being ridiculous!" Tristan snapped as they tugged back and forth on the box until the box tore in two causing porn magazines and DVDs to scatter across the floor. Tears sprung to Tristan's eyes, "Nooo my porn!"

At that moment, Mina and Issy burst into the bedroom, both wearing concerned expressions on their faces. They'd heard Michael and Tristan fighting from downstairs and had become worried. Issy had been about to go home, but at the sound of the two men arguing had decided to stay with Mina and check out what was going on.

"Hey, what's up, guys?" Mina asked looking at the mess on the floor.

"Is everything okay?" Issy asked as she looked from one man to the other to check and see if they had bruises on their faces from fighting each other again. That's when Issy's eyes fell upon the pile of dirty magazines with naked women on their covers. "Oh my," Issy gasped as she placed a hand over her mouth.

Mina's eyes grew wide as she spotted the porn DVDs, "Oh my God...gross." Mina reached out to pick up one of the magazines and looked at the cover. It was a porno magazine with Lolita type girls. Small, doll-like girls wearing frilly, lacy, dolly dresses and with bows on their head. Mina glared at Issy. "Ewww...so you _are_ into Lolita, Tristan? You pedo!"

"Uh..." Tristan said, knowing that whatever he decided to say would just end up digging his grave deeper.

That's when Issy spotted a magazine she couldn't help but pick up and examine. The model on the cover looked a hell of a lot like Mina! She had long, black hair, blue eyes, and pale skin, but was _naked_. "This girl looks just like _you_ , Mina." Issy observed, showing her the magazine.

Mina tossed the other magazine aside carelessly and snatched the magazine out of Issy's hands to look at it. Her eyes widened and a cat's paw smile formed on Mina's face. "So...I'm your type, Tristan?" She purred happily.

"Oh shit." Tristan muttered as he shot Michael a wary glance.

Issy gave Tristan a disappointed look and shook her head. "Tristan, I thought better of you. I can't believe you're into your sister. Isn't that incest?"

"It's not like that!" Tristan tried to assure Issy. "It's... _fantasy_."

"So you're saying if your sister wasn't your sister then you'd do her?" Issy asked as she narrowed her eyes at the chocolatier.

Tristan opened his mouth to respond but snapped it shut again. "I plead the Fifth." He could feel the murderous aura surrounding Michael and then the unmistakable sound of a magazine being ripped in two. Tristan spun around and saw Michael ripping his Lolita porn magazine in half. "No! Stop! How could you be so cruel?" The incubus begged and when Michael didn't stop ripping up his magazines, tears began to stream down Tristan's face. "You can't. My fantasies..." He moaned and sunk to his knees on the floor in despair.

"Unhealthy fantasies are not permitted in this household. Especially, of Lolita type girls...those girls look _underage_!" Michael growled as he ripped the magazines to shreds and sprinkled the pieces on top of Tristan's head.

Mina laughed at Tristan's drama queen behavior. "Brother, you're being _so_ pathetic. It's just porn."

Issy, however, felt oddly sorry for Tristan. Perhaps, it was merely the fact that Tristan had actual tears in his eyes. _Poor Tristan. He must have really liked his porn collection. Maybe I could get him a new magazine...or porno video? Or better yet some sexy pictures of myself. Non-digital of course, so the photos couldn't be stored on the Internet or get lost on the infamous 'cloud'. Polaroid would have to do then. Aw, crap, I forgot Rule Number Nine of the Shadow Stalker Association: A Shadow Stalker must never send naked photos, gifts, or letters to his/her target. (This could cause the target mental anxiety)._

"I'm not done yet." Michael snatched the magazine out of Mina's hands next.

Both Tristan and Mina looked horrified by what Michael was about to do. "Nooo!" They yelled in unison.

_Rippp._ Michael began to rip the magazine to shreds with a feral smile on his face and started to laugh maniacally.

"Michael...you bastard." Tristan was beginning to feel vindictive and so looked up at the angel slyly. "I would have given you that particular magazine, if you had asked me for it, stupid angel." Tristan had noticed how Michael looked at his sister when he thought no one was watching.

Michael stopped laughing, and looked at the shredded magazine of the naked chick that looked like Mina despairingly. _Hellfire and damnation._

Mina was furious and failed to note Michael's disappointed look however. "Michael...you suck! Hmph!" She stomped out of the bedroom without looking back.

Michael looked after her with a crestfallen expression on his face. "I was just trying to protect your honor, Mina. I really don't understand 21st century women." He scratched his head.

Issy crouched by Tristan's side and patted his back. "There, there. I can always buy you more." She whispered conspiratorially into his ear.

Tristan shot Issy a startled look and quickly shook his head. "A little lady shouldn't say things like that, Issy. But thanks for the offer. I'm oddly touched by it, but I'll get through this somehow...maybe I should have a funeral for my porn." _At least he hasn't found my sex toy collection._

Michael continued his anti-porn rampage while Issy and Tristan watched as the angel ripped all of Tristan's magazines to shreds, and stepped on and broke all of the porn DVDs until there was nothing left. While this was happening Tristan sobbed and Issy stroked his back in order to console him.

After Michael was finally finished acting like a total SOB (Tristan's opinion) he wiped his hands together, looking pleased with himself. _There!_ "Now, you can't escape into _fantasy_ , Tristan. You should instead envision a woman from reality when you masturbate-"

"Ah! Don't say that word in front of Issy!" Tristan objected as he covered Issy's ears with his hands and glared at the angel heatedly.

Michael coughed into his hand awkwardly. "Oh, right, sorry...when you take care of your affliction then. Someone like Coco, perhaps?" Michael suggested, taking advantage of the fact that Tristan's hands covered Issy's ears. _Tristan masturbating to Coco would be perfect. I've got to get these two together somehow. This ship is going to kill me!_

A slight pink tinge came to Tristan's cheeks. "Shut up, Michael. And you call _me_ the pervert."

"I'm just saying, Coco is not unattractive...for a stalker. Food for thought." With a shit-eating grin on his face and swagger to his step, Michael left the bedroom.

Tristan lowered his hands from Issy's ears in a daze. _What the hell is that bastard up to?_

Issy gave Tristan a concerned look. He was flushed and dazed, and obviously thinking about 'something'. And knowing Tristan that something was probably something naughty. "Are you alright?"

Issy's voice cut through Tristan's musings of Coco. "What? Uh, yeah...I'm fine. You should go-"

Issy stood and nodded. "Have a nice evening, Tristan."

"Uh, yeah, you too, Issy." Tristan said, but was unable to meet her gaze. He felt guilty that he was picturing a naked woman while talking to Issy.

Issy left Tristan alone in his bedroom and closed the door behind her. Tristan looked at the closed bedroom door, sighed, and wiped the lingering tears from his eyes. Suddenly, with thoughts of his beautiful stalker Coco in his head he didn't feel so depressed.

The chocolatier walked over to the pile of shredded magazines and sat down next to it. He picked up a piece of magazine and wondered if he'd originally had any magazines that had a model that looked like Coco. Coco...with her petite, half-Asian physique, porcelain skin, caramel brown, almond-shaped eyes that resembled a cat's, and her hair that was different shades of brown.

Tristan picked up another piece of magazine...but no woman came close to the mysterious, elusive Coco. He supposed he'd just have to take Michael's advice and use his imagination. Tristan stripped off his clothes, made his way over to his bed, and lay down. He reached over and opened the drawer of his night table to pull out a bottle of _Hershey's Chocolate Syrup_.

Yes, Tristan used _Hershey's Chocolate Syrup_ to masturbate. The smell of the chocolate aroused him and its sticky consistency created wonderful friction. It was a little messy but he always had a clean towel ready to wipe it off (though a girl to lick it off was preferred).

The incubus used to have that latter option available with great frequency until Michael had moved in and become the biggest cock-block Tristan had ever known. Tristan squirted some chocolate syrup onto his throbbing erection. He tossed the bottle aside and grabbed his cock with his fist. He began to move his hand over his shaft, coating it thoroughly with chocolate.

Tristan began to fist his cock, slowly at first as he let his mind form visual images of...Coco. Coco's image easily came to his mind as he thought about her. She was wearing that sexy ball gown and he was squeezing her breasts. _Oh yeah._ His shaft swelled at the lewd thought. He pictured kissing her, fondling her breasts, undoing the front laces of the bodice of her ball gown, and sliding his hands inside to palm her breasts, and tweak her nipples, causing her to gasp his name: ' _Tristan_ '.

Tristan sped up his ministrations, sliding his hand faster from base to tip. He imagined slipping the dress from her shoulders, admiring her beautiful naked body, laying her down on a bed, spreading her legs, and thrusting into her wet heat. What would she feel like? Tristan wondered. She was so small, petite. He would be big for her. She would definitely be tight.

Tristan gripped himself harder and stroked himself faster until his hips were rising off the bed. "Coco!" He was really losing himself in the fantasy as he fucked his own hand. It didn't take him much longer to climax. He came, jetting hot white liquid across his stomach.

It was an intense orgasm. _Wow._ And that had been from just imagining what it would be like to take his stalker. _Shit._ He really had to stay away from Coco. Right now he was supposed to be concentrating on seducing Rachel anyways. Rachel...who was so serious and never smiled. He really needed to get her to smile. _But how?_ He wondered.

A sudden devious idea came to Tristan for their date on the morrow. He would make Rachel smile - guaranteed. _I'll bring a smile to Rachel's lips. Count on it._

***

The next day at one o'clock in the afternoon, Rachel showed up at _Dark Heaven_ wearing a brown blazer, white blouse, and burgundy-colored, knee-length skirt. A scarf was stylishly wrapped around her neck and she also had on a pair of high-heeled shoes. Her overall look was serious and sophisticated.

"Afternoon, Rachel. Are you ready to go?" Tristan asked with that ever-present boyish grin on his face. He looked Rachel over, thinking that she always seemed to look so 'put together'.

Rachel looked behind Tristan to see that Mina was assisting customers while Michael and Issy could be seen through the glass working in the kitchen. "You're not going to close the shop?"

"Naw, I trust Michael, Issy and my sister Mina to look after the place while I'm gone." Tristan explained with a touch of pride in his voice. "They make a great team."

"Don't you mean 'we'?" Rachel raised an eyebrow at the chocolatier.

Tristan blinked and looked sheepish. "Uh, yeah. I guess."

Rachel gave Mina a curious look. "So, she's your sister Mina? I didn't know. I thought...no, never mind."

"No, what did you think?" Tristan urged her to continue.

"I thought she was one of your lovers. The way she looks at you is...well..." Rachel shrugged. "Sorry, it's just what it looked like."

Tristan chuckled, surprising Rachel. "No worries. Everyone thinks that. My sister is a little obsessed with me. Did you know I even have my very own stalker?"

Rachel's eyes widened at that. "A stalker? Have you reported her to the police?"

"The police? What? No." Tristan shook his head. "She's...not dangerous. She even saved my butt this one time..." A wistful look crossed Tristan's face as he remembered that daring rescue.

"I see." Rachel said coolly.

The tone of her voice snapped Tristan out of his thoughts. "Anyways, we should get going."

"Indeed."

Tristan led Rachel to his Corvette and opened the door for her. She got into the passenger's side seat and gave Tristan a strange look. She wasn't used to men helping her or acting gentlemanly around her. They saw her as a strong, independent woman who could take care of herself. Tristan got in behind the wheel, started the engine, and tore off down the road. He made sure to go fast enough that Rachel's hair whipped wildly in the wind. Tristan watched Rachel out of the corner of his eye trying to smooth her hair down to no avail and smirked.

Tristan drove onto the Henry Hudson Parkway and headed towards the George Washington Bridge. The road had become more scenic with trees on either side of them, giving Rachel the feeling that they were leaving the city. "Where are we going?" She asked curiously.

"It's a surprise." Tristan teased.

"I don't really like surprises." Rachel informed him dryly.

Instead of getting on the bridge, Tristan turned right onto the Cross Bronx Expressway. Eighteen minutes later, Tristan was pulling his car onto a graveled parking lot that overlooked Indian Lake. All lined up against the shore were several colorful canoes. There were a few people out on the water canoeing already and some of them were fishing. "We're here. Indian Lake."

Rachel looked out at the lake and her lip twitched. The Nature Center, a one-story brick building could be seen from their parking spot. The lake was extremely placid with areas of floating, green algae. The entire place had a lot of lush greenery, and leafy trees surrounded the lake. "It's nice. So you drove me here for the nice view...? I haven't _parked_ since high school." Rachel purred as she began to lean over the stick shift, thinking that Tristan wanted to make out with her in the car.

"I'm glad we're finally here." Tristan checked his watch. "I read online that the fish will be biting from two to four, so we're just in time." He got out of the car, leaving a befuddled Rachel inside. Tristan opened the trunk, took out two fishing poles, a tackle box filled with different kinds of lures, and a can of live bait. After that Tristan made his way over to Rachel's door and opened it. "Surprise! We're going fishing!"

Rachel gawked up at Tristan in shock and arched a perfect blonde eyebrow at him. "Fishing? You can't be serious. I've never gone fishing in my entire life. And I-I'm not properly dressed. This suit was expensive..."

"Doesn't matter. You need to lean how to let your hair down, Rachel. Be spontaneous. Live in the moment. And I'm going to help you. That means, no more schedules, appointments, cell phones, or watches. On that note, hand over your phone and watch, please." Tristan held out his hand expectantly. Rachel sighed before reluctantly handing them over. Tristan put the items inside of the glove compartment. After that Tristan grabbed Rachel's hand and pulled her out of the car.

The couple made their way towards the pier where the man, who was in charge of renting out the canoes, was waiting for them. He had on a brown vest on with multiple pockets giving him the air of a fisherman. "Mr. Savant?" The man called out when he spotted them.

Tristan nodded in greeting. "Hey, you must be Paul. Sorry we're a little late."

Paul shrugged. "No worries. The fish are always biting at Indian Lake! The canoe you reserved is right this way." Paul guided the couple over to the small dark blue canoe.

Rachel gawked at the canoe. "That looks...incredibly unsafe. Paul, you don't have a bigger boat for rent, do you?"

Paul shook his head. "No, sorry, Mam. But just look out there...everyone else is fishing in similarly sized boats. It's perfectly safe. Nothing to worry about, Mam." He assured.

"Did he just call me 'Mam'? Why do they always call me that?" Rachel muttered darkly to herself. She also didn't appear to be too convinced by Paul's words, but eventually she agreed. "Well, okay...if you say so."

Tristan stepped into the canoe first and loaded it with the fishing equipment. When he had everything arranged the way he wanted it, he held his hand out to Rachel to help her inside of the boat. Once Rachel was seated Tristan took a seat at the oars. He began to row them out onto the lake smoothly. Rachel held onto her seat for dear life.

Tristan had to admit that he wasn't the sportiest guy around but...this was nice. The weather was perfect. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and there weren't that many mosquitoes either. It wasn't too hot out, and a cool breeze was blowing across the water creating tiny ripples. He looked over at Rachel and saw her looking extremely uncomfortable. She was the opposite of an outdoorsy type but Tristan had the feeling this experience would be good for her.

"Hey, are you alright, Rachel? There's no need to be afraid. The boat won't tip over. I promise." Tristan said reassuringly.

Rachel forced herself to loosen her grip on her seat before she lost a nail. And she'd just gotten her trendy acrylic nails done too! Today, her nails were hot pink with black and white designs on them in the form of stripes or tiny bows. "I'm not afraid." She stubbornly lifted her chin.

Tristan flashed her a grin, "Good, but if you were don't forget that I'm here. I'll protect you."

Rachel blushed at Tristan's chivalrous words. "I-I see...good to know."

Tristan stopped rowing, carefully dropped a small mushroom anchor off the stern, and handed Rachel a fishing pole. He set about attaching a hook, bait, and a bobber to his line before casting it out. Once the pole had been set against the side of the canoe, he went over to Rachael to teach her how to do the same.

When Tristan opened the lid on the can of live bait and revealed that the can was filled with live earthworms, Rachel scrambled backwards across her seat. "Ack! Worms! Are they _alive_? I'm not good with slimy things, Tristan." She said sternly.

Tristan gave Rachel a teasing look. "Oh really? I happen to keep a slimy thing in my pants that I think you wouldn't mind touching."

Rachel blushed. "You're incorrigible."

Tristan chuckled, and it was a deep, rumbling sound that made Rachel shiver. "And you're cute. I'll do it for you. Here, just watch and learn. It's not so bad." Tristan grabbed a worm, wrapped it around the hook and then impaled it upon the hook.

Rachel covered her mouth as she gagged at the sight. "I think I'm going to be sick." Her complexion had even turned a bit green.

"There." Tristan said as he stood up and reached his hand out to Rachel to help her up. "Now I'm going to teach you how to cast."

Rachel hesitated before putting her hand in Tristan's and allowing him to help her up. He took a moment to admire her acrylic nails before handing her the fishing pole and moving behind her. Tristan put his hands on her wrists and showed her how to properly hold the fishing pole. He moved her arms back and forth to show her the proper casting motion. "It's a swing and then release move." Tristan explained. "Once you decide to release you let go of the fishing line."

Rachel leaned into his back giving Tristan the opportunity to breath in Rachel's peaches and cream scent. Once Tristan thought that Rachel had gotten the just of it, he stood back and watched as Rachel cast her line out. The line shot out, and the baited hook sunk down into the water until the bobber caught it, floating on the surface of the lake.

"This...this isn't so bad." Rachel admitted a few minutes later as she and Tristan waited patiently for the fish to bite.

Tristan smiled boyishly. "Wait till we get a fish on the line! That's when the real fun begins. Then we'll reel her in."

"Her?" Rachel gave Tristan a sly look as she tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear carefully. "I bet you're an expert at reeling _fish_ in."

"You know it." Tristan winked.

***

Meanwhile, little did Tristan and Rachel know, but they'd been followed. And not by Tristan's usual stalker, Issy, but by Mina. As soon as Tristan and Rachel had left _Dark Heaven_ , Mina had run out after them and had hailed herself a cab. She told the cabdriver to follow Tristan's car and was surprised when Tristan drove out of the city and ended up on the scenic parkway. This would definitely put a dent in her petty cash. She'd have to 'borrow' Tristan's credit card later so that she could do some much needed shopping. It was either that or...shoplift.

Nineteen minutes later, Mina watched as Tristan parked his Corvette on a graveled parking lot that overlooked a lake. Mina directed the cabdriver where to park, making sure that they parked several spaces away from the Corvette, and then she paid the man what she owed him. She told the cabdriver to wait for her before getting out of the cab. Mina made sure to keep her distance as she watched Tristan and Rachel get into one of the canoes of all things!

Mina waited until Tristan had rowed quite a ways out before making her way to the shore, crouching behind a bush, and pulling out a pair of binoculars. _I can't believe Tristan is fishing. He's not even a sporty guy._ She had to sabotage their date...but how? Mina pinched her forehead with her thumb and forefinger as she thought about it.

"Hey there, babe, whatcha doing down there?" Came a male voice with a thick southern accent.

Mina looked behind her and saw a young man who was probably in his late twenties. He was all decked out in a fishing outfit. "Shhhh!" Mina reached out, grabbed the man by his shirt collar, and yanked him down to sit beside her. "That's my brother out there...with his evil girlfriend."

"Evil girlfriend?" The young man interestedly followed Mina's gaze and stared at Rachel for a moment before nodding. "I feel you."

"She picks on me." Mina started and willed tears to come to her eyes. "She makes my life _miserable_."

The young man gave Mina a compassionate look. "That's awful, chickie babe! I wish there was something I could do to help."

"Oh, do you really? That's _so_ kind of you!" Mina reached out and grabbed the young man's hands with her own, giving them a little squeeze. "Would you like to help me? I'm Mina, by the way. What's your name?"

"It's Tuck." Tuck reddened at the feeling of Mina's hands around his, swallowed, and nodded. "And um, yeah, I'd sure like to help you."

"Then...would you swim out and tip their canoe over for me?" Mina asked and batted her eyelashes at Tuck.

"Well...I dunno...that sounds kinda dangerous." Tuck scratched his head in thought.

"I'll give you a hundred bucks." Mina said as she pulled out a hundred-dollar bill.

Tuck's eyes widened like saucers. He took the bill from Mina and grinned. "Consider it done, chickie babe." He pocketed the bill and began to take off his shirt.

Mina watched as Tuck stripped off his shirt to reveal that his body wasn't half bad. He was nicely tanned and muscular. But he wasn't as muscular as Michael. Mina shook her head, wondering where such a random thought had come from. Mina stood up and kissed the young man's cheek. "For luck." _Tuck is kind of cute. Too bad he's a total hick. He'd cramp my style. And besides I only have eyes for Tristan!_

Tuck looked surprised by the kiss and happy. "Yahoo! Here I go!" He dove into the water and began swimming out towards Tristan and Rachel's rowboat.

Mina ducked back down behind the bush and took out her binoculars again. She spied on Tristan and Rachel intently as she watched Tuck getting closer and closer to the canoe.

At that exact moment, Rachel and Tristan were both standing and trying to reel in a fish that they'd just caught. Tristan was standing next to Rachel as he directed her how to tire the fish out by letting it take out the line a little ways, and then reeling it back in. Tristan had Rachel repeat this process over and over again.

By this time, Tuck had reached the rowboat. He put his hands on the side of the canoe and began to rock it back and forth. Because the canoe was anchored it was already highly unstable.

Rachel cried out in surprise as the canoe suddenly began to rock violently. "What is that? What's happening?"

"Hey, hang on." Tristan reached out to steady Rachel but it was too late. Rachel fell over the side of the canoe with a tremendous splash. "Rachel!" Tristan cried out as he looked down at the surface of the lake.

Rachel came up seconds later, spluttering and gasping for breath. Tristan let out a relieved sigh until she spoke. "Tristan...I can't...swim...can't swim!" Rachel gasped as she struggled to keep her head above the water but then began to sink.

_Shit!_ "Rachel!" Tristan shouted before he dove over the side of the canoe and into the water after her. The excess movement created by Tristan's dive caused the canoe to flip all the way over.

Tuck gawked at what had happened and immediately looked guilty. _Oh shit. She can't swim? What have I done? I didn't mean to hurt anybody._ When Tristan dove in after Rachel, Tuck visibly relaxed and decided to head back to shore.

Tristan spotted Rachel sinking fast and quickly swam down to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and swam her up to the surface. As soon as Rachel's head broke through the surface she gasped for breath and coughed water out of her lungs.

Tristan noted that the canoe had flipped over and didn't want to risk Rachel while trying to flip it back over and so he swam her towards the shore instead, making sure to keep her head above the water.

In this manner, Tristan swam Rachel to the muddy lake bank and once they reached it he began to drag her up the bank and through the mud. Once Rachel was safe on the bank, Tristan crouched by her side and his face was lined with worry. "Rachel...are you alright?" Tristan cupped her cheek.

Rachel coughed and looked up at Tristan as she gasped for breath. "I-I'm fine I-" Suddenly, Rachel's eyes widened and she sat up with a freaked out expression on her face. "Oh my God...there's _something_ in my clothes!"

Tristan blinked at her. "Huh?"

Rachel began to freak out as she struggled out of her jacket and tossed it aside. "There's something slimy inside of my clothes! Get it off of me! Tristan! Get it off!"

Tristan began to help Rachel unbutton her shirt as they looked for whatever it was that was on her.

"NOW!" Rachel screeched.

Tristan ripped her shirt open, revealing her lacy pink bra. Tristan ran his hands over her breasts searchingly. "I don't think it's in your bra." _But I know what is._ He thought to himself lewdly as he watched her pink nipples harden at his passing caress.

"No, it...moved lower. Quick, it's in my...oh God!" Rachel shuddered as she rubbed her thighs together.

Tristan unzipped Rachel's pencil skirt and slid it down her creamy legs. He looked at her lacy pink underwear. _Hmm, a matching set._ "Um...where...?"

"In there! Hurry!" Rachel thrust her hips up.

Tristan did not hesitate to stick his hand down Rachel's panties. He then began to search for whatever it was that was bothering her.

Rachel shuddered at Tristan's touch, the feeling of his fingers brushing up against her sex, and unconsciously spread her legs wider for him to have better access.

Tristan felt something small and slimy, and pulled it out of her panties. "I got it!" Tristan said triumphantly. He opened the palm of his hand and they both stared down at a tiny, silver colored fish that was peering up at them. "It's a fish. A minnow."

"That _thing_ was a fish...it was just a tiny little fish?" Rachel stared at it in disbelief.

"Yep." Tristan walked over to the lake's edge and gently placed the fish back into the water so that it could swim away. "Goodbye little guy. Try not to be such a pervert and sneak into a lady's panties next time!" He gave an enthusiastic wave.

Rachel stared at Tristan waving off the minnow and then she smiled.

Tristan stood up, wiped his hand off on his pants, and turned to look at Rachel. He noticed that she was smiling and staggered backwards a step. She was actually smiling. And the smile was genuine, beautiful.

"I just can't believe it! A fish!" Rachel began to laugh so hard that she eventually had to wipe a tear from her eye. Tristan joined her and they laughed together on the lake bank.

***

Meanwhile, Mina was watching what was going on from the opposite shore behind a bush. At first, she'd been worried that she might have gone too far when Rachel had screamed out that she couldn't swim. But then when Tristan swam Rachel to shore and suddenly proceeded to rip her clothes off...her worry had quickly shifted to jealousy and anger. "What the hell? What is Tristan _doing_?" Mina's binoculars shook in her grasp.

Around this time, Tuck pulled himself up on shore, stood up, and made his way back over to Mina, shaking his hair out like a dog. "Hey, babe. So mission accomplished. Do I get some kind of reward?" He gave her a cheeky grin.

"Shut up!" Mina snapped as she watched what was going on raptly until Tristan reached into Rachel's panties and pulled out what appeared to be a small fish. "A fish? You have got to be kidding me." When Rachel smiled and even started laughing, even Mina was unnerved by the sight. The woman was usually so cold, serious, and emotionless looking. But somehow Tristan had managed to melt her heart of ice.

"That was one lucky fish." Tuck noted with an amused smirk on his face.

Mina whacked Tuck on the back of his head for his careless comment.

"Ow!" Tuck pouted as he rubbed the back of his head. "That hurt."

Her brother's affect on women was _unreal_. Well, he was half-incubus so in a way it made sense. Still, Mina wanted to strangle Rachel for having Tristan's hands all over her and in intimate places.

The other people fishing and canoeing on the lake had noticed Tristan's daring rescue, and had watched as Tristan started to rip Rachel's clothes off on the lake bank. Everyone began to let out catcalls and wolf whistles as they enjoyed the show. Tristan and Rachel soon became aware of the attention they were getting and blushed. Tristan quickly took his jacket off and gave it to Rachel to put on, ever the gentleman playboy.

***

Meanwhile, Issy was trying to sneak out of _Dark Heaven_. Her stalker sense was tingling and telling her that she was missing something big happening between Rachel and Tristan. However, Michael caught her and stopped her by putting a hand on her shoulder. "And just where do you think you're going, Issy?" Michael asked.

"Epp!" Issy turned around and pouted at Michael. "I'm going to go stalk Tristan and Rachel on their date, of course. Mina already snuck out after them and she's not even Tristan's _official_ stalker! What if she does something to screw up their date?"

Michael raised an eyebrow at Issy. "You would really be bothered if Tristan's date with Rachel was ruined? You aren't jealous of them?"

Issy sighed. "Of course I'm a little jealous, but...Tristan _needs_ Rachel for his survival. I place Tristan's well-being above all else."

The angel let out a frustrated huff. "Why not reveal to Tristan that you're his stalker and offer yourself up to him for his survival instead?"

Issy's cheeks turned pink at the suggestion, her mind filled with naughty images, but she shook her head. "I can't do that." Because if she did the most she'd get out of Tristan was a one-night stand, and then she'd never see him again. She'd also be brokenhearted. He'd leave her behind just like her mother, Hanako, and her fiancé, Tre Goldberg. She always lost those dear to her. _I can't lose him too. I rather love him from afar, watch and protect him from the shadows like an invisible guardian angel._ She clenched her hands into fists at her sides and a sad looked crossed her face.

Michael frowned at Issy's expression. _This ship is killing me._

***

Tristan and Rachel headed back to his Corvette, sopping wet and covered in mud. Paul, the canoe rental agent, had kindly given them a few towels so that they could dry themselves off as best they could, but they were still pretty wet. The couple got inside of the car, and Tristan gave Rachel an apologetic look. "I'm sorry our date was ruined."

Rachel shot Tristan a flustered look in response. "Ruined? I think it was just the opposite. I've never had so much fun. Tristan, take me back to my place. I'm all hot and sticky. I also smell like a fish, and am still covered in mud. I haven't been this dirty since I was six! I desperately need a bath...and I want you to join me."

Tristan flashed her a grin. "Your wish is my command, Rachel."

Tristan drove Rachel to her ritzy apartment building in the heart of New York City. Tristan let out a whistle as he stepped out of the convertible and gazed up at it. "Whoo, you live in a nice place."

"Thank you." Rachel said, though she didn't sound that happy about it. Most men grew intimidated by how well-off Rachel was.

Tristan and Rachel entered the building and took the elevator to her floor. Rachel let Tristan into her apartment and closed the door behind them. She strode forward, heading towards her room, but paused when she realized that Tristan wasn't following. She looked over her shoulder and gave him a coy look. "Well, hurry up, Tristan. You're coming too."

"Yes, Mam." Tristan replied with a skip to his step. _Alright! I'm so going to get laid._

Rachel led Tristan through her bedroom, to her bathroom, and flipped on a light switch. The light revealed a stunning, tasteful bathroom with a marble sink, contemporary chrome fixtures, a fountain showerhead in the shower, and a large, white porcelain bathtub. As Rachel entered the bathroom she began to strip her clothes off.

Tristan gaped at her. Was he being seduced? Usually _he_ did the seducing...

Rachel paused as she brought her hands around her back to unclasp her bra, and she looked back at Tristan playfully. "Why do you still have your clothes on, chocolatier?"

Yep, he was being seduced!

With a boyish grin on his face Tristan began to strip his clothes off. Once he was down to only his boxers he decided to leave them on, however. He enjoyed the show as Rachel removed her bra, and then slid her panties down to reveal her firm ass. Tristan's eyes were riveted to her movements as she slid those panties down her long, lithe legs and finally stepped out of them. He swallowed. _She has a nice ass, perfect for grabbing._

Tristan could feel himself becoming rock hard at the tantalizing sight. Rachel turned the hot water on to fill the tub and added some lavender-scented, liquid, bath soap. Bubbles began to form in the water almost instantly. Rachel turned around to face Tristan fully, revealing her naked body to him.

Tristan sucked in a breath. Rachel was gorgeous...a little thinner than he would have liked perhaps, but gorgeous nonetheless with those long, toned legs of hers and nicely sized breasts. Her nipples were straining towards him, beckoning his mouth to suckle her, and his hands to tease her. The blonde triangle of hair on her sex looked soft. He ached to touch it.

Rachel was allowing herself to gaze at Tristan's half-naked body too. Her eyes hungrily trailed over his toned chest and down his long, muscular yet lithe legs. Wow, his legs looked dangerous - like deadly weapons. She could see his obvious arousal pressing against his boxers impressively.

Rachel sensually walked towards Tristan, sashaying her hips until she was standing directly in front of him. She reached out and putting her hands on the back of Tristan's neck she aggressively brought him forward into a kiss. Rachel moved her lips against his in a hard, dominating manner, and bit his lower lip before tugging on it.

Tristan gasped at the mixture of pleasure and pain, but allowed the rough kiss. It was hot.

Rachel released his lower lip and ran her tongue over it soothingly, causing Tristan to shudder. She pulled away and took a step back. "Take your boxers off. Now." She demanded, fire blazing in her gray-blue eyes.

Tristan did as he was told and slid his boxers down and off his legs, revealing his erection in all its glory.

It was Rachel's turn to suck in a breath. "You're bigger than I thought you'd be."

"And why's that?" There was amusement in Tristan's tone.

"You're not a 'huge' guy. You're actually pretty lithe. But wow. This is a nice surprise." Rachel ran her tongue slowly over her bottom lip as she gazed at his straining erection.

"Um, thanks?" Tristan's bi-colored eyes twinkled.

Rachel closed the distance between them and reached out to grab Tristan's erection in her hand. She couldn't resist its allure. She stroked it a few times as she admired its size and length. "My new favorite toy. I wonder how it will perform?"

Tristan bit his lip as Rachel stroked him hard. He was already close. _Shit._

But then Rachel let go of his cock and stepped back. She pointed at the tub. "In the tub. Now."

"Yes Rachel." Tristan obeyed and stepped into the tub. _Mmm._ The hot water felt great. He eased down into the tub and sat, stretching his legs out in front of him. As soon as Tristan was seated Rachel stepped into the tub along with him, and straddled him boldly. Tristan's eyes widened at the bold move. He wasn't used to such aggressive girls.

Rachel settled herself comfortably on Tristan's lap, wriggling her hips against him teasingly, and put her hands on his chest. She ran her hands over his straining muscles, enjoying the feel of him, and rubbed herself against his cock. "Tell me that you want me."

"I want you." Tristan rasped in a husky voice.

"Beg for it." Rachel demanded, staring into his eyes.

Tristan swallowed, "I...please...let me put it inside of you. I want to be inside...I _need_ to be inside... _please_ ..."

Rachel smiled down at Tristan and it was radiant. "Since you asked so nicely...you'll be rewarded." She raised her hips and positioned herself over Tristan's cock. Slowly, she began to lower herself onto him.

Tristan grunted as he felt the head of his penis enter her. _So tight!_

Rachel gasped as she took more of Tristan inside. "So big." She pushed herself down to take Tristan inside of her the rest of the way.

Tristan couldn't stop himself from bucking his hips up at the same time and he filled her fully. Rachel cried out at the sensation, part pain, part pleasure. She hadn't had sex in a _longgg_ time.

Tristan's bi-colored eyes filled with concern. "Did I hurt you?"

"No...just...give me a moment. You're bigger than I've ever had." Rachel explained silkily as she allowed her body to adjust to Tristan's size.

Tristan tried not to smile. And failed.

"Hey...don't look so pleased with yourself, you cock monster." Rachel teased as she drew circles on his chest. "Kiss me. Warm me up."

"Gladly." Tristan captured her lips with his own. Their kiss was aggressive and fiery. Rachel opened her mouth and Tristan wasted no time in thrusting his tongue into her mouth. As Tristan's saliva slid down her throat Rachel's body began to relax and tingle with pleasure, and she was finally able to move. Rachel put her hands on Tristan's shoulders to steady herself and began to move over him with more confidence.

They continued to kiss passionately as Rachel rode him. Tristan concentrated hard on not coming before Rachel. Tristan's policy was 'lady's first'.

"So good." Rachel moaned against his mouth. "You're hitting it."

"Oh yeah." Tristan readily agreed.

"Never felt anything like this before. It's like my entire body is on fire. Are you really a sex god, like they say?" Rachel asked while looking into his eyes searchingly.

Tristan chuckled. "No."

"The Chocolate Sex God...I think I'll call you that in the article that I'm going to write about you and your shop _Dark Heaven_. Did you know you smell like chocolate and oranges?"

Tristan shrugged noncommittally. "So I've been told."

"You also taste like chocolate." Rachel declared as she nibbled and licked at Tristan's neck and collarbone. "So sweet."

Tristan gripped Rachel's hips. "I'm so close...I'm going to...!"

"Me too."

"Ladies first." Tristan said as he reached out to caress her clit with the palm of his hand.

"Ah...Tristan!" Rachel cried out as she came, clenching tight around him, almost painfully.

"Rachel!" A wave of pleasure crashed through Tristan as he came inside of her. His body sucked up her sexual energies hungrily, and Tristan instantly felt more energized, more alive, more powerful. It was a rush.

As Tristan shot his seed inside her, Rachel was suddenly overcome by a second orgasm. Fireworks exploded behind her eyelids and her body trembled from the intense waves of pleasure she was feeling. _Wow._ _I've never felt anything like that before. Maybe he really is a sex god._

Rachel sagged against Tristan, spent, utterly exhausted, flushed, and panting for breath. Tristan was still inside of her and she could feel that he was still slightly hard. Rachel was about to move off of Tristan, but he wrapped his arms around her possessively and hugged her close. "Tristan?"

Tristan buried his face in the crook of her neck. "Rachel...why _me_? A beautiful, smart, successful woman like you could get any guy she wanted."

Rachel let out a sigh after a moment. "I chose you because I knew you wouldn't say 'no'. Believe it or not it's actually very hard for me to date. Most guys find me to be intimidating due to the fact that I'm a successful businesswoman. They act like they're afraid of me but...the truth is, I'm just lonely. Starved for affection. No one understands me. Everyone thinks I'm this coldhearted bitch. That I think I'm too good for them and that's why I keep my distance from them."

Tristan mulled over Rachel's words. He reached out and cupped her cheek. "Just smile more." He advised earnestly.

"What?" Rachel pulled back and gave Tristan a quizzical look.

"You don't smile enough...but when you do - it's amazing." He winked. "You have a really radiant smile. A woman's smile is a man's weakness. If you smile more, I guarantee the men will start to flock to you. No man would be able to resist your smile."

Rachel appeared as though she were considering Tristan's words. "Smile more...? I'll try that." She nodded. "Do you have any other tips? Oh wise and handsome Sex God?"

Tristan chuckled. "Oh, I've got a few."

Rachel's expression turned serious. "Tristan, I know that you usually only do one-night stands but...I have a favor to ask you."

"Ask away, babe."

"There's this company party this Saturday night and I'd like you to be my plus one." Rachel held her breath as she awaited Tristan's response.

Tristan thought about it for a moment before he finally nodded. This entire week belonged to Rachel Diamond anyways. "I'm yours to do with as you please for this entire week. That I can promise you."

"So mysterious. But I understand and thank you." Rachel reached out and squeezed Tristan's hand.

"No, thank _you_." Tristan insisted as he captured Rachel's lips and kissed her tenderly. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't have wanted to spend extra time with a girl he'd just slept with because there was the risk that she'd develop _feelings_ for him. However, because of the deal he'd made with Michael he was finally going to have to deal with the repercussions of his actions when it came to his conquests and take responsibility for once.

Rachel was a special woman. She deserved to find someone _worthy_ of her. Tristan thought to himself. Though it hurt Rachel hadn't considered _him_ an option. But it shouldn't have surprised him. According to the rumors that surrounded him, he was not a one-woman man. And those rumors were right.

To be continued in...Chocolate 7: _Bittersweet_

### Chapter 7: Bittersweet

The following day at _Dark Heaven_ , Tristan was setting down a tray of chocolates inside of the glass display case. The chocolates had been inspired by the nail art of Rachel's acrylic nails. Rachel's overall look was sophisticated and conservative, but her nails were wild, fun and creative.

Some of the new chocolates had swirls of different colors giving the tops of the chocolates a pearlescent, marbleized effect. Others had the design of black and white polka dots, or pink and white polka dots. There were chocolates that had the design of a white and black flower with tiny, round, silver sprinkles as decorative accents on a black and pink background. And some of the chocolates had interesting art deco and geometric patterns of swirls, circles, squiggly lines, diamonds, triangles, and flowers in lime green, hot pink, white, and yellow on a dark chocolate background.

Tristan looked up and that's when he saw Laura enter the chocolate shop. "Laura." He said softly and with a wistful fondness to his tone.

Laura was wearing jeans, but she was also wearing a stylish blouse, silver chain belt and high-heeled boots instead of tennis shoes. Her new sexy look brought a smile to Tristan's lips as he straightened.

Laura made her way over to Tristan shyly, and a little awkwardly. "Hello Tristan."

"Hello Laura." He greeted her with his trademark grin.

Laura looked a little startled by Tristan's friendly greeting. "Before you say anything, I want you to know that my husband Manuel is waiting for me outside." She held her breath as she awaited Tristan's response.

Tristan looked out the front store window and sure enough he could see Laura's husband Manuel waiting outside for her. The man was pacing back and forth in front of the store window nervously. Tristan raised an eyebrow at the man's behavior. "Don't worry Laura, I won't do anything to you untoward." The chocolatier assured her.

Laura let out a relieved breath. "Tristan, according to the rumors I know that after you've had a one-night stand you don't usually see the woman you were with again but...I would like it if we could remain friends. Would that be okay?"

Surprise and confusion warred within Tristan. "Sure...but why would you want to? Don't you...hate me?" Tristan asked tentatively. He was used to being hated after he broke up with women so quickly.

Laura blinked at Tristan before she let out a little giggle. "Hate you? Are you crazy? I'm _grateful_ to you. Tristan, I'm here to _thank you_. You actually saved my marriage. My family." Laura looked away guiltily. "I don't know if you knew that I was married at the time we were...?"

"I found that out afterwards." _The hard and painful way._ Tristan shuddered as he recalled Raphael whipping the flesh off his back. He would never have an affair again.

Laura turned to meet his eyes, an apologetic expression on her face. "I didn't mean to lie to you but...I _needed_ you. I'd lost confidence in myself as a woman and my husband Manuel...wasn't showing any interest in me sexually. We were about to get a divorce actually, but...because of you I was able to rediscover my femininity, confidence, and sexuality. I dressed up and shared those chocolates you gave me with Manuel, and I managed to seduce my husband! He couldn't keep his hands off of me actually." Laura blushed as she recalled that intense night. She and her husband had had sex five times in one night! It had been like a second honeymoon. Laura coughed into her hand, awkwardly. "Anyways, he really likes your chocolates too. In fact, he sent me in here to get more."

Tristan watched Manuel pacing outside and his lip twitched. "I'm glad." He turned to look back at Laura. "I'm happy for you, Laura. You deserve to be loved, appreciated. May I recommend these new chocolates?" Tristan waved a hand at the dark chocolate squares that had art deco patterns on them in hot pink, lime green, yellow and white. He was especially proud of those new chocolates.

"Ooo." Laura looked at the new chocolates admiringly, "They look amazing. I'd like a half-pound assortment, please."

"As you wish." Tristan picked up a pair of tongs and picked up one chocolate at a time before placing it inside of a gold box carefully.

Laura watched as Tristan worked and then looked past him through the sheet of glass that revealed the kitchen. Inside she saw Michael and Issy. Issy was currently decorating an impressive looking cake with white frosting and glazed fruit. Michael was practicing his tempering of chocolate. Laura's gaze lingered on Issy thoughtfully and she reached her hand out to touch Tristan's. "You deserve to be loved too, Tristan Savant." She said gently. "I don't know your reason for only having one-night stands but...I know if you decide to open your heart to someone that she'd be sure to fall in love with you."

"Laura...I..." Tristan began as he handed her the box of chocolates, but he stopped himself and shook his head. "That will be fourteen dollars and ninety-five cents."

Laura paid the amount. "Goodbye Tristan and see you soon." She gave him a shy little wave.

Tristan did his best to hide his bewildered expression. "Yeah...see you." He watched Laura leave the shop and saw her take her husband's hand. They walked down the street together hand-in-hand, looking excited about the prospect of eating Tristan's sensual chocolates.

Bittersweet happiness welled inside of Tristan's chest. The chocolatier was happy for Laura and touched that she still wanted to remain friends. But he was also sad that he'd never have 'that' - that special connection that Laura and her husband seemed to have. He wouldn't allow himself to. Laura was wrong. He didn't deserve to have love in his life. He'd lost that privilege when he'd caused Hazel's suicide.

"Hey!" Issy slapped Tristan's back to get his attention, and to snap him out of his funk. She'd noticed the strangely dark expression on his face. "What's up? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Tristan jumped and turned to look at Issy. Today, she was wearing a baby blue dress with white lace accents, a blue bow on her head, a white lace choker with cameo, white knee socks, and shiny, patent leather shoes. The wig she'd chosen to wear was long, wavy and an orange-auburn color. She'd chosen to wear blue contact lenses. She was so cute. "Hey, china doll. It's nothing...I was just lost in thought."

Issy gave the chocolatier an amused look. "Let me guess...you were thinking about sex."

Tristan gawked at Issy. "Little ladies shouldn't say things like that!"

Issy let out a snort. "Oh, you're _so_ guilty." She teased, nudging his side with her elbow. "Pervert."

Tristan found himself blushing. "I wasn't..."

"Michael! Tristan's out here thinking about sex! Again!" Issy called out loudly as she cupped her hands in front of her mouth.

"Hey!" Tristan covered her mouth with his hand. "Don't say things like that!"

Issy blushed at the feeling of Tristan's hand on her mouth and she couldn't stop herself from licking his hand. _Mmm._ She let out a stifled moan. Tristan tasted so good, so sweet, like chocolate-covered, caramelized, orange peel.

Tristan stared down at Issy with a scandalized look on his face. "Issy!" But Tristan didn't pull his hand back...the feeling of Issy's tongue against his hand was exquisite. He really was a pervert! _I'm sick...Issy's only fifteen...and yet I..._ He leaned into her touch _._

"What's going on here?" Came Mina's irritated voice right on schedule.

Issy and Tristan broke away from each other instantly and both of them looked guilty. "Nothing." Tristan quickly assured Mina.

"Yeah, nothing at all...it wasn't like I was just trying to make out with Tristan's hand or anything weird like that. I mean, who would do something like that, right?" Issy laughed nervously.

Tristan slapped a hand to his forehead. _Doh._ Issy had this tendency to babble...and get herself in trouble.

Mina narrowed her eyes at Issy suspiciously. "Right...well, I'm going to go help that woman over there. Weirdos." Mina shook her head as she walked past Tristan and Issy, and went to help a customer decide on her purchase. Mina held up a mug with angel wings on it that was filled with an assortment of wrapped chocolates, and recommended it to the customer, who appeared interested in the suggestion.

Tristan and Issy shared a secretive smile before they too continued working. Tristan rearranged the chocolates in the display case with his tongs while Issy fixed her own display of cupcakes. Issy's angel cupcakes had been a hit, just as Tristan had suspected they would be. Issy was an amazing patissiere.

Later that afternoon, Rachel arrived at _Dark Heaven_ with a photographer in tow. The photographer was probably one of the most interesting looking people Issy had ever seen. He was wearing a skintight, purple leotard that was the same color as his short, silky hair. A beret sat on the side of his head, a purple and black striped scarf was wrapped around his neck stylishly, and an expensive camera hung from a glittery strap around his neck. The photographer's eyes were lined in black and he was wearing purple lipstick. Issy did a double take at the high-heels the man was wearing.

"Tristan!" Rachel greeted enthusiastically as soon as she caught sight of the chocolatier. "I have a surprise for you. This is Perrier." She waved a hand at the photographer. "He did the album cover for the band _Erotic Corpses_! And he's here to take some photos of you and your employees so that I can use them for the article I'm writing about your shop. Is that okay?"

Tristan scratched his head, surprised by the sudden request, but then gave her a chagrined smile. "I'm sure it will be fine with my employees. Right guys?" Tristan addressed Issy, Michael and Mina who were standing close by and giving Perrier curious and star struck looks. Perrier was a pretty famous photographer.

"It's alright with me." Issy immediately said.

"Take all the pictures of me and Tristan _together_ that you want." Mina put in with a sly smile curling her lips.

"Very well." Michael agreed with a nod.

"Excellent." Rachel clapped her hands together. "Do your magic, Perrier."

Perrier raised his camera with a gleam in his eyes as he looked at Tristan, Michael, Mina and lastly his eyes landed on Issy. "Oh, a Living Doll! _C'est magnifique!_ She's so cute!" Perrier exclaimed as he began to take multiple shots of Issy.

Issy blushed at all of the attention she was suddenly getting from the famous photographer and flinched as the flash went off again and again.

"No, no, no, smile for me, dolly." Perrier insisted as he looked through his viewfinder while checking the composition of his shot.

"Like this?" Issy asked before she gave Perrier her best smile.

"That's it!" Perrier exclaimed excitedly. "Such innocence! Such sweetness! Can you do some poses?"

"Hmm." Issy thought before she tapped her chin and gave Perrier a quizzical look. "Like this?" She tilted her head slightly and widened her eyes.

"Oh, yes, yes!" Perrier said taking more pictures.

Gaining confidence Issy began to strike several cute poses for Perrier to take shots of. Mina watched what was happening, and angrily chewed on her thumbnail as she began to grow jealous of all the attention Issy was getting. She blamed Perrier's lack of interest in her on the fuddy-duddy outfit Alan Dullahan had made her. Mina was wearing a chocolate-colored, knee length dress with a frilly white apron over top, knee socks, and a pair of patent leather shoes. The dress was probably the most conservative Mina had worn since she was thirteen! The only thing remotely cool about it was the pair of small wings that had been attached to the back of the dress.

Perrier looked Tristan over next and met his eyes. "Such amazing eyes!" Tristan was wearing his usual chocolatier jacket, black pants, long black apron, shiny dress shoes and a dark blue neckerchief around his neck. "Tristan, I want you to stand next to Issy for a few shots. I think that you both will compliment each other with your otherworldly appearances."

Tristan shrugged and approached Issy to stand next to her in front of the display case. "Sure. Here?"

Perrier waved his hand at Issy. "Yes, now get closer."

Tristan sidestepped closer to Issy. "Here?"

Perrier shook his head and gave Tristan a frustrated look. "No, no, closer. I want you guys to look like a couple."

Tristan stepped right next to Issy until their shoulders were brushing. "Like this?" The chocolatier asked and could feel his shoulder tingling.

"Yes, perfect!" Perrier began to take some shots. "Now put your arm around her shoulders."

"What?" Issy squeaked. _Eeee! I'm getting my photo taken with Tristan Savant! This is like a dream. I have so many pictures of him...but none with me in them. I wonder if Perrier will let me keep one?_

"Hey, wait!" Mina objected. "I want to take pictures with my brother too! You can't- mmph!" She was cut off when Michael put a hand over her mouth and began to pull her away.

"Shhh! This is just business, Mina. These pictures will be good advertising." Michael said sternly. But on the inside Michael was thinking: _When will Tristan make a move already? Hurry up and put your arm around her!_

Tristan gave Issy a shy look as he slung his arm casually around her petite shoulders. "This okay?"

"Oh yes! _C'est magnifique!_ You little lovebirds look perfect together!" Perrier insisted as he hopped around the couple and took pictures of them.

Issy blushed and Tristan could feel his own cheeks heating up. He shook his head as he tried to get himself under control. _It's just Issy._ Tristan repeated to himself in his mind unable to explain why his heartbeat had sped up at getting to be so close to the Living Doll. For some reason Tristan was feeling like an awkward teenager.

Mina pouted while Issy tried not to look too happy when Perrier told them to hold hands next. _Eeee!_ She inwardly squealed. Perrier then asked Tristan to pick Issy up with his one arm and for her to act as still as a doll. This resulted in a super cute picture where it looked as though Tristan was holding a doll. Tristan hadn't minded the pose since Issy was as light as a feather.

Perrier nodded a few minutes later, looking pleased. His gaze turned towards Michael and Mina next and a calculating expression formed on his face. "Now, I want to take some pictures of the two of you."

"Us?" Mina blurted shooting Michael a strange look. "Like _together_?"

"Oh yes, your chocolate-colored dress will nicely compliment his chocolate-colored apron. Now, chop, chop." Perrier clapped his hands together. "Hurry up and stand together. I don't have all day!"

Mina reluctantly moved besides Michael and he did the same. She gave him an irritated look. "I wanted to take pictures with my brother, not _you_." Michael ignored Mina's comment and surprised her when he put his arm around her shoulders and smoothly pulled her closer to his side.

"How's this Perrier?" Michael asked with a grin on his face. Mina couldn't help but notice the dimples Michael had when he smiled.

"Ooo, you're a natural, Michael! Very sexy! Keep that pose!" Perrier began to take quick shots of the couple while Mina found herself blushing at the way Michael was holding her so closely against him, in an almost possessive manner.

"Wait a moment, Perrier." Michael put his hair back into a ponytail and adjusted the red neckerchief that was around his throat. "Okay, take a few more shots like this."

Mina couldn't help but stare at Michael's handsome face that was completely revealed now that his wavy hair had been tied back. His face had chiseled features with a strong nose, kissable lips, and a square chin. Mina quickly shook her head though when she realized that she was staring. _What the hell is wrong with me? What am I staring at Michael for? He's nothing compared to Tristan!_

Michael was acting unaffected by their closeness and surprisingly suave, but if anyone had looked at the tips of Michael's ears they would have noted that they were red.

" _Trés bien!_ Oh, I can feel the _tension_ between you two. I am loving this!" Perrier exclaimed as he happily took more pictures. "You two also make a beautiful couple!"

Mina's eyebrow twitched. "We're not a couple!" She snapped.

After a few minutes had passed with Michael and Mina glaring at each other while holding hands, Perrier decided to put them out of their misery. Or was it bliss? "You two can stop holding hands now." The photographer sounded very amused as he lowered his camera.

Michael and Mina both looked down at their clasped hands in bewilderment before they instantly let go of each other's hands and sprang away from each other. Apparently, they'd forgotten they had been holding hands. Perrier chuckled at their blushing faces.

The group then exited the chocolate shop to take some pictures outside. The Victorian architecture of the shop made for a nice background. Rachel supervised the shoot and gave Perrier more ideas for poses. The magazine editor was surprised by how Issy looked at Tristan when she thought no one was looking, as if she were in love with him. _But Issy is so young._ Rachel thought. _Although such a couple is not unheard of...or impossible._

The entire shoot Tristan was trying hard _not_ to be affected by Issy's closeness. He concentrated on _not_ breathing in her sugar cookie and vanilla scent. He tried not to lean into her touch. And he tried really hard not to get hard. It was a losing battle, however.

After the photo shoot had finally ended, Tristan was rock hard and painfully aroused. He immediately ran up to his room, and locked the door behind him so he could jerk off to images of Issy in his mind. After he came saying Issy's name he felt like a perverted piece of shit. _I'm a total pervert. She's fifteen._ Guilt, horror and shame swirled inside of Tristan's gut making him feel nauseous as he stared at the come on his hand.

***

By the end of the day, Mina was spitting fire. She'd followed Tristan and Rachel on their second date to the mall. She hid behind a clothes rack and watched as Tristan purchased Rachel a beautiful dress that was apparently for some party they were attending that weekend. Mina chewed on her thumbnail, feeling jealous. She wished Tristan would buy _her_ a pretty dress and take _her_ to a party. _Dammit!_ She passed the couple by, unnoticed, and managed to swipe Tristan's credit card from his pants pocket without him noticing. An evil grin stretched across her face. Mina looked back at the couple, and held up the card triumphantly. Now it was time for a little revenge.

Mina went on a vindictive shopping spree using Tristan's credit card after that. She purchased herself an entire new wardrobe consisting of: dresses, shirts, pants, jeans, boots, and designer handbags. She spent _thousands_ on designer names without batting an eye. As a billionaire heiress Mina was used to buying things without even looking at the price tag.

Mina's mother, Lorelai Savant, was conceited and self-centered, and ignored her family in pursuit of her own hobbies, which included going to the spa, gym, shopping, or hiring male strippers to entertain her while her husband was away on business trips. Mina's father, Adrian Savant, was always busy with his responsibilities as CEO of _La Boulangerie Savant._ Because of their lack of love and attention, Mina rebelled by shoplifting at stores and having her parents pay the owners off, going out clubbing with her friends almost every night, and doing drugs occasionally. The only thing she didn't do that was 'bad' was act promiscuous and that was only because she only had eyes for her brother, Tristan.

When Mina was seven-years-old she used to tell Tristan ' _I'm going to grow up one day to be your bride!_ '. Mina was no longer a little girl, but a young woman who wanted Tristan to finally notice her.

With her hands full of shopping bags, Mina pondered what she should buy next. She was surprised that she hadn't managed to max out Tristan's credit card yet. _I wonder if there's enough on here to buy a car? Teehee. A cute convertible maybe? Oh, I'm bad._

Decision made, Mina left the mall and walked over to the BMW car dealership that happened to be next door. Mina entered the dealership and began to look around at the gorgeous cars. A car salesman approached Mina and told her about a great deal for a 2008 BMW 128i for twenty-four thousand dollars. The car was silver with a black leather interior. It was pre-owned but came with a three-year warranty.

Mina ran her hand over the hood of the car lovingly. "It's perfect. I'll take her."

"Great." The car salesman ushered Mina into his office and had her sign a contract that stated Mina was paying for the car all at once, and that the purchase of the car was nonrefundable because the car was 'on sale'. Mina knew that even though she signed this contract she legally had three days of 'buyer's remorse', which meant she'd have to keep her new baby a secret from Tristan for three days, and then there would be nothing he could do about it.

Mina had the salesman run Tristan's credit card and she crossed her fingers behind her back. The purchase was processed without a hitch. She signed Tristan's name (she'd already practiced his signature before). Mina smiled as she set down the pen. _Take that brother...that's what you get for fawning over Miss Ice Queen instead of me._

The rest of the week went by uneventfully at _Dark Heaven_ until Saturday arrived. That night was _Epic Taste Gourmet Magazine_ 's Party. The monthly magazine featured lots of recipes, articles about popular restaurants, bakeries, and chocolate shops in the city, and contained eye-catching photos of food, chocolates, and novelty cakes. As the editor-in-chief of _Epic Taste_ , Rachel wrote several of the articles, but she also had a group of skilled writers working for her to get the latest gourmet scoop.

After work, Tristan showered and got dressed for the party. He drove his Corvette to a flower shop to get Rachel some flowers before he went to pick her up at her place. Tristan pulled his convertible right in front of the florist and got out of the car. He entered the shop and began to look around at all of the flowers that were available to put in arrangements. One of the floral designers went up to Tristan to offer her assistance. Together they chose the flowers to make a beautiful bouquet for Rachel that consisted of white and pink stargazer lilies.

The floral designer rang up the bouquet at the cash register. "Your total will be fifty dollars, Sir. Something for your girlfriend?"

Tristan took out his credit card and handed it over to the young woman. "Something like that. Charge it."

The young woman smiled as she swiped Tristan's card. The card was declined so she swiped it again. She frowned and swiped it one last time. The brunette faced Tristan and gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Sir, but your card...didn't go through."

"Didn't go through?" Tristan scowled as he took the card back. _That's impossible._ _I have at least twenty-seven thousand in that account. Thanks to this past Valentine's Day at Dark Heaven, which was a total success I managed to make that nest egg. There must be a problem with the card._ "No worries, I'll just pay cash." Tristan took out his wallet and opened it up. He had sixty dollars left in cash. He handed the young woman the rest of his money and she gave him ten dollars change. Tomorrow he would contact the bank and find out what the problem with his card was.

Tristan took the bouquet, thanked the floral designer with a wink, and left the shop. He got back inside of his convertible and continued his way to Rachel's apartment building. The chocolatier arrived a few minutes later, parked out front, entered the building, and made his way to her apartment. Tristan took a deep breath before he knocked on the door in order to steel his nerves. Yes, even the Chocolate Sex God got nervous every once in a while.

"Coming!" Tristan heard Rachel's voice from inside.

In less than a minute the door was opened to Rachel standing in the doorway and looking absolutely stunning in a slinky, silver-blue, silk dress that was backless and floor length. A pair of white, high-heeled shoes were on her feet and she held a sparkly, silver clutch. His gaze lingered over her curves as he admired her appearance. He could feel himself slightly harden at the mere sight of her.

Rachel took the opportunity to check Tristan out as well. Tristan was wearing a black suit with a silver-blue tie that matched the color of Rachel's dress perfectly. There was something so sexy about a man in a perfectly tailored suit. The chocolatier stood gawking at Rachel for a moment before she cleared her throat to get his attention. "Ahem, see something you like?" Rachel asked teasingly.

Tristan was snapped out of his stupor and quickly dragged his gaze up to look her in the eyes. "Yeah, you look amazing. Here. These are for you." Tristan handed her the flowers he'd kept hidden behind his back.

Rachel took the bouquet of flowers and her lips twitched as she stared down at them for a moment. "They're pretty. No one's ever gotten me flowers before. Thank you. Please come on in." Rachel stood back and waved Tristan inside.

"I find that hard to believe." Tristan said as he entered her apartment. "The men around you must be a bunch of cowards."

"Maybe he is. I mean, maybe they are." Rachel quickly covered up her slip. "I'm going to go put these in some water and then we can go. Please make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back."

"Sure thing." Tristan agreed as he took a seat on one of the couches in Rachel's living room. That's when he noticed that her smart phone was lying on the coffee table. Curious, Tristan swiped his finger across its screen to reveal Rachel's desktop. The desktop was the photo of a young man with a crew cut of brown hair, intelligent green eyes, and a wide smile of gleaming white teeth. _Heh...I wonder who this is? Probably the guy Rachel likes._

"Ready." Rachel called as she came back into the living room. Tristan stood nervously, feeling guilty that he'd snooped around on her phone. Rachel walked over, grabbed her phone, and didn't notice that it was on the desktop. Tristan let out a relieved breath and he watched as she put her phone inside of her clutch. "Let's go."

"Right." Tristan agreed. Twenty minutes later, Tristan was pulling up to the tall, impressive, glass and steel office building where _Epic Taste_ magazine had its offices. Tristan parked his convertible, and they made their way into the building. "I hope you brought business cards, Tristan. I invited a lot of important people from the gourmet community: food and restaurant critics, professional chefs, chocolatiers, patissiers, caterers, and my entire staff of writers and editors. Oh, and some of the writers and editors from magazines like: _Gourmet_ , _Saveur_ , _The Art of Eating_ , _Food and Wine_ , _Cook's Illustrated_ , _Art Culinaire_ , _Gastronomica_ , _Fine Cooking_ , _Cooking Light_ , and _Bon Appetit_."

Tristan let out a whistle. "Looks like you've got la crème de la crème of the gourmet food community coming to your party, babe. I'm impressed."

Rachel reached out and straightened Tristan's tie for him. "Took you long enough. I also have some very special guests tonight that I think will surprise you, Tristan." She smoothed her hand down over his tie.

Tristan raised an eyebrow at Rachel. "Special guests? Tell me."

Rachel shook her head as she removed her hand from his chest. "Nope. It's going to be a _surprise_."

Tristan pouted, wondering just who Rachel could have possibly invited. For some reason he thought of the name 'Rebecca Thorn'. Rebecca was a popular blogger and trendsetter who had a blog called ' _Gourmet Dessert Trends_ '. She reviewed the most popular bakeries and chocolatiers in the city and let her followers know when new products were out as well as reviewing them. Rebecca was also rumored to be a beauty.

Tristan and Rachel rode the elevator to the appropriate floor, stepped out into the hall and made their way to _Epic Taste_ 's offices. They entered and Tristan noted that the entire office floor had been tastefully decorated for the party. Most of the guests were inside of the large conference room, where a bar, DJ, and buffet table had all been set up.

Rachel led Tristan into the conference room and as they entered arm in arm all eyes seemed to fall upon them. The magazine editor tightened her hold on Tristan's arm and this was the only clue she gave Tristan that she was in fact a little nervous.

"Hey, no need to be nervous, babe. You're the most beautiful woman in this room." Tristan whispered, letting his hot, minty breath waft over her ear. She shivered at the sensation. "In fact...you look good enough to eat. If you want to skip this party and go somewhere more private...we can." Tristan nibbled on Rachel's ear playfully.

Rachel pushed Tristan away from her and gave him a stern look. "Can't you control your libido for five minutes?"

Tristan shrugged. "Not really. If the average man thinks about sex a few times a day - I think about sex _all the time_." The chocolatier boldly admitted.

Rachel rolled her eyes at the incubus but then she found herself smiling. She slapped his arm and actually giggled. "You are incorrigible!"

"So I've been told." Tristan smirked.

All of the young men in the room - including those who worked for Rachel - were all looking at Rachel in shock and with hearts in their eyes since they'd never seen Rachel smile before. She was known as the Ice Queen of Gourmet. Those who worked for Rachel considered her cold, scary, unapproachable and intimidating. But now Rachel was giggling and smiling like a blushing maiden.

Tristan could feel the heated looks Rachel was getting and continued to smirk. _Mission accomplished. Now where is he?_ Tristan scanned the conference room to see if he could find the young man that was Rachel's cell phone desktop. He spotted the young man surrounded by a group of his fellow coworkers. His green eyes were on Rachel and he had this astonished expression on his face. _Good stuff._ "Rachel, why don't you introduce me to your employees." Tristan suggested slyly.

"That's a good idea." Rachel agreed and they began to head in the young man's direction. However-

Someone stepped directly in their path. Tristan blinked, not able to believe just who he was seeing in front of him. "Holy crap, Raphael!" The chocolatier blurted as he took a step back. What the hell was Raphael doing there?

Raphael was dressed in a silver-gray suit with a matching vest and pants, and a pair of shiny dress shoes. The jacket had black lapels and the tie Raphael was wearing had a black and silver geometric pattern. His snow-white hair was pulled back into a smart ponytail lending a rich, intellectual air about him.

Physically, Raphael looked to be in his late thirties, but his soulful eyes made him appear much older. Tristan knew the Archangel was thousands of years old in reality. Tristan was afraid of Raphael, but he stood his ground. After all he had to protect Rachel! Tristan took a step forward before stepping between Rachel and Raphael. "Raphael. What are you doing here?"

Raphael arched a snow-white eyebrow at Tristan's brave move, intrigued that the incubus was protecting his latest conquest. _How quaint._ "I'm not here for you, Tristan \- this time. I'm actually here because I was invited by Miss Diamond, and I wanted to thank her for that invitation."

Tristan stared back at Rachel in shock. "You invited _him_? Why?"

"He's just opened up a chocolate shop in the city. He's an up and coming chocolatier that's quickly gaining renown, and I just had to meet him. I'm always interested in new and undiscovered talents, and in getting to promote them through _Epic Taste_. Just like how I want to promote you, Tristan." Rachel explained.

Tristan gawked at Rachel in disbelief. "You have got to be kidding me." He shifted his attention back to Raphael. "You opened up a chocolate shop? Why? So you could beat me at my own game? Like when you became a bartender in order to become Dante's rival?" Tristan gazed into Raphael's stormy eyes searchingly.

Raphael nodded once. "That's exactly why I opened my chocolate shop, Tristan. So I can destroy you. My shop will become the most popular chocolate shop in New York City and blow _Dark Heaven_ out of the water. All of the young women will go to my shop instead...and be freed from your sinister clutches."

Rachel was looking back and forth between Tristan and Raphael. She could sense the tension between them. "Oh, so you two are rivals? I get it now. How exciting. What is the name of your shop, Raphael?"

"Cloud 9." Raphael informed her.

Tristan snorted at the name. "How original."

Raphael shot Tristan a glare. "My shop specializes in white chocolate creations." The Archangel pulled out a business card and handed it to Rachel. "Please stop by for a free taste of what my shop has to offer, Miss Diamond."

Rachel looked down at Raphael's business card. The card was solid black with silver lettering on it, and the outline of a cloud surrounded the information on the card.

Cloud 9

Chocolate Shop

Owner Raphael Cloude

"Nice card." Rachel complimented the angel. Raphael's lip twitched, and he looked pleased by the compliment.

Tristan was unnerved by this new development. Apparently, Raphael intended to become his rival and not his executioner? Well, that was a _start_. Tristan shuddered as he thought back to how Raphael had flayed the flesh off his bones mercilessly.

Raphael's lip twitched again as if he could sense the direction of Tristan's thoughts. He leaned over and whispered in Tristan's ear. " _Don't worry, I promised your stalker that I would not harm you - physically._ "

" _And why does her opinion even matter?_ " Tristan asked in an equally low voice.

" _Because she is one of the select few humans that will one day judge the angels and the demons. She is one of the few females with a truly pure, good, innocent soul._ " Raphael revealed with admiration in his tone.

Tristan glared back at Raphael. He didn't like the idea that his stalker Coco had spoken to Raphael at all.

Raphael merely stared back and the tension continued to be thick between them. Rachel was looking back and forth between Raphael and Tristan curiously once more. She'd never seen Tristan act like this before. As if he might start exchanging blows with this man at any second. "So Rachel is he the 'special' guest you told me about?"

"Actually, no, it's-" Rachel was saying. However-

Everyone in the conference room suddenly began murmuring to each other in low voices, pointing and gesturing while staring in one particular direction. Tristan, Rachel and Raphael all turned their attention towards whatever had grabbed everyone else's attention as well. There standing in the doorway was Carmen.

"Carmen." Tristan said in surprise.

Carmen looked amazing. She was wearing a strapless, orange-red dress that was sleek and floor-length. She had a pair of red high heels on her feet. Her black hair had been styled into a sophisticated, elegant updo. Curled tendrils escaped the do and framed her face. The singer's lips were painted red and she had smoky eye shadow on. The orange-red of the dress nicely complimented the olive tones in Carmen's Latina skin. She wore a diamond necklace and matching diamond earrings. It was no wonder all eyes were on her.

And when Tristan turned to look at Raphael to see what his reaction would be, he was surprised to see that Raphael's attention was also riveted to Carmen. Carmen scanned the room and her gaze landed on Raphael. She smiled devilishly and approached him, swaying her hips in a sensual tease. Raphael almost smiled at her before he seemed to catch himself, and then he frowned.

Carmen continued to smile at him coyly until she was only a few feet away. But then instead of continuing her way to Raphael she simply passed him and approached a group of young men who were standing around the bar.

Tristan watched Raphael intently and was intrigued to note the flash of consternation that crossed the man's face when Carmen simply ignored him and passed him by. The emotion was only there for a second but Tristan was sure he'd seen it.

All the men appeared thrilled that Carmen had decided to approach them, and instantly began flirt with her and make small talk. There were two men in the group, however, who stood out in comparison to the others. One of the men was tall at six-five and had muscles that couldn't be concealed by the white chef jacket he was wearing. The chef looked a little like a thug with his sky-blue hair, razored sides, and silver, hoop piercings all along the outer shell of his ears. His eyes were a deeper blue than his hair, and for a second Tristan thought he saw flecks of gold in them.

Standing next to the blue-haired man was another individual with a powerful aura. He had chin-length, silky, blood-red hair, intelligent golden eyes, and was also wearing a chef's jacket. The redhead was leaner than his blue-haired friend, and about an inch shorter. His skin was a golden-bronze color.

_Gold eyes? Is one of them a demon?_ Tristan shuddered at the thought. Full-blooded demons were never very nice to him, with the exception of Dante of course. "Hey, Rachel, who are those guys?" Tristan nodded his head casually in their direction.

Rachel followed Tristan's line of sight and recognition lit her eyes. "Ah, the man with the blue hair is Levi Devlin, also known as the Brawler Chef. He's a new seafood chef that's been gaining renown in California."

"Brawler Chef? Why's he called that?" Tristan couldn't help but ask.

"Apparently, if anyone complains about his cooking or leaves food on their plates, Levi will literally throw the person out of his restaurant. Fights have also been know to erupt because of this." Rachel explained but then waved her hand dismissively through the air as if this were no big deal. "The red-haired man is Ambrose Rune, also known as the Patissier Prince. Ambrose has been gaining attention recently for his baked goods and he's also from California. Why? Would you like to be introduced?"

"Ah, no, that's okay." Tristan waved his hand in front of him quickly. _Those guys are dangerous. I can sense it._

Ambrose offered to get Carmen a drink and when she agreed, he quickly went to fetch her a fruity red cocktail, returning to her side a minute later, and handing her the drink. Carmen smiled and thanked Ambrose as she took the drink. The singer began talking enthusiastically with all of the young men as if she knew who they were, but Tristan was pretty sure Carmen was meeting them all for the first time. As a half-succubus, Carmen had a way with men.

Raphael's cold black and silver eyes had never left Carmen and he began to grind his molars as he watched the succubus flirting with those males. "If you'll excuse me." Raphael told Tristan and Rachel absently as he stalked towards Carmen with angry strides. Tristan gawked after Raphael in shock. _Heh...maybe he does care._

***

Raphael made his way over to Carmen and grabbed her arm to spin her around to face him. "What are you doing here, female?" He demanded.

Carmen merely stared back at Raphael, unruffled, "I was _invited_."

"Not that...what do you think you're doing...now?" Raphael jerked his chin in the direction of the young men. He also glared at Levi and Ambrose a bit longer than the others.

"Well...that's..." Carmen tapped her lower lip with her index finger thoughtfully. "Pretty obvious, isn't it? I'm flirting with these young men while trying to decide which one I want to take home tonight to fu-"

"Silence!" Raphael snapped as he cut her off and dragged her away from the group of very disappointed looking young men. Ambrose had looked especially disappointed in particular. Raphael pulled the singer over into a corner and glared down at her. "Damned succubus...I won't allow you to sink your claws into any of the men here."

Carmen's brown eyes sparkled with mischief. "Oh, is that so? Then...you're going to have to take responsibility for your actions. I need sex in order to survive, Raphael. If I don't have sex tonight...I'll die. So...what do you plan to do about that?"

Raphael sighed and smoothed a hand over his hair. "I...if you need to feed upon a man's sexual energies then...you can feed from me. I offer you...my body, succubus."

Carmen looked floored by Raphael's offer before her expression turned sly and pleased. "Do you really understand what you're saying, Raphael? Are you really _willing_ to have sex with me _again_?"

Last Valentine's Day, Tristan had given Carmen some chocolates so that she could seduce this stubborn male before her. She'd gone to the bar where he worked called _Kahuna's_ , and had fed him those chocolates. He'd instantly become aroused and she'd managed to seduce him easily.

In a haze of lust, passion and chocolate, Carmen had taken Raphael back to her place and they'd made love. She remembered being in a kind of trance, but Raphael had seemed the same way, as though he were barely aware of his actions, and driven only by his primal instincts. He'd kissed her roughly, licked and nipped down the flesh of her neck, spread her legs, and taken her hard. She remembered crying out in pleasure at his ferocity and in the possessive way he'd taken her body. It had felt like a dream.

However, once the fog of lust that had been induced by the chocolates began to clear and Raphael had come to his senses, he'd immediately become disgusted by his actions. So disgusted in fact that he'd fled to the bathroom and thrown up!

Carmen was half-succubus and used to being a seductress - a tempting, irresistible woman that no man could refuse, no man could deny. All men desired her.

But then, Raphael had vomited after having sex with her.

It had been a _huge_ blow to her ego, and she'd barely recovered from it. Until she'd discovered from Tristan that Raphael was actually an ancient Archangel with a deep hatred towards _demons_ who were his greatest enemies.

Carmen had learned that Raphael had not been disgusted by Carmen necessarily, but rather by what she _was_ \- half demon. This revelation had given Carmen renewed _hope_. If she could somehow work her way around his prejudice and worm her way into his heart, she could make the Archangel _hers_. She could make him fall in love with her.

"Of course I'm not willing." Raphael's cold voice snapped Carmen back to the present. "But I will take responsibility for my actions, as I have said. We will have sex. Nothing more."

The man acted like Carmen was taking him to the guillotine, not seducing him for a night of wild and crazy sex. She pouted. Well, his cold-fish reaction would have to do - for now. "We'll just have to see about that. Now won't we?" Carmen purred as she grabbed Raphael's tie and began to lead him away from the party like a dog.

The singer expected him to resist her, but for some unfathomable reason he allowed her to do this. All of the young men gave Raphael envious looks and Carmen thought she saw Raphael puffing his chest up proudly. _That's right, boys. This one is mine._ Carmen thought to herself.

_What the hell am I doing?_ Raphael thought as he left the party. _Am I really going to have sex with this succubus again? I must be a masochist. But the thought of Carmen with any of those men is...disagreeable. I'd rather suffer through this than see her leave here with another male. Another victim._

***

"Hey, Rachel, thanks for inviting me." Came a female voice with a thick southern accent.

Tristan and Rachel both turned their attention to a stunning redhead that was dressed in fashionable, trendy clothes. She was wearing a black silk blouse, a black leather jacket with a faux fur collar, a knee-length skirt that had an art deco flower print pattern on it, and a pair of black ankle boots. A scarf was fashionably draped around her neck. Her pale green eyes glittered with intelligence and Tristan found the freckles across her nose to be endearing.

"Ah, Rebecca, I'm glad you could make it." Rachel's face lit up at the sight of the young woman. "Allow me to introduce my date - Tristan Savant."

"I know who he is." Rebecca said in a husky voice giving Tristan an admiring glance as she twirled a strand of her long red hair around one of her index fingers absentmindedly. "I'm a regular at _Dark Heaven_."

Tristan looked her over and indeed recognized her. _So this is the blogger Rebecca Thorn._ Her offered her a warm smile. "Ah, yes, I recognize you too." Tristan nodded as he put out his hand for Rebecca to take. "It's nice to formally meet you though, Rebecca."

"Same here. And call me Becca." Becca shook Tristan's hand. She had a firm handshake.

"Becca has a very popular blog called _Gourmet Dessert Trends_ where she blogs about the best bakeries and chocolates shops in the city. She decides what the latest trends are - what's hot and what's not. When men are about to give their girlfriends a present for Valentine's Day or Christmas, they check her blog to see what is popular, so that they don't make a mistake and end up in the dog house. She also gives reviews on new products and promotes those she likes." Rachel explained as she tucked a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ear carefully.

"So you're Rebecca Thorn. I've heard of your blog actually. It sounds awesome." Tristan admitted. "It must be fun making a living that way."

"Yeah, well, I have to make a lot of sacrifices to be the number one dessert blogger in this city. For example, I have to go to the gym _everyday_ to keep up this figure!" Becca explained as she ran her hands over her curves. "And let me tell you, it's not easy. One bonbon has about a hundred calories and twenty minutes of running on a treadmill at six miles per hour burns about 229 calories. If I run for twenty minutes at eight miles per hour I'll burn 299 calories."

Tristan let his gaze slide over Becca's curves. "And what a figure it is."

Rachel slapped Tristan on the back of his head for his lewd comment.

"Down boy." Becca laughed as she raked her eyes over Tristan's lithe, muscular body in return. "You look like you work out? Do you work out too? Working out is very important to me, if you haven't figured that out already."

"Woof." Tristan nodded. "Yes, I also take Savate and Capoeira classes."

"We should _all_ go to the gym sometime." Becca suggested in a coy manner. She made sure to say 'all' which included Rachel, because, well, the woman was standing right there and obviously was Tristan's date for the evening. Though she wasn't too worried since according to the rumors floating around about Tristan Savant, there wouldn't be a next date between him and Rachel.

"It would be my pleasure." Tristan said agreeably.

At that moment, the green-eyed young man approached them and Tristan could tell that he was a little nervous. "Hey Rachel."

Rachel turned to face the man and managed to offer him a small smile. _Tristan told me that I need to smile more and that the way to a man's heart is through a smile._ "Hey Clint. Everyone this is Clint. He's a writer. In fact, he writes several articles for my magazine about restaurants, and good places to travel to in order to experience good food. Clint, this is the blogger, Rebecca Thorn, and chocolatier, Tristan Savant."

Clint shook hands with Becca first. "Nice to meet you."

Becca's green eyes sparkled. "It's always nice to meet a fellow writer. Especially one so handsome as you."

Clint reddened slightly before shaking hands with Tristan. "Nice to meet you, Sir."

"Pleasure." Tristan said as he shook the man's hand and tightened his grip on purpose. "Rachel's told me so much about you."

Clint surprised Tristan by squeezing his hand back firmly and shot Rachel a surprised look. "Oh, really?"

"Yes...she thinks you're amazing. Well...your writing is...or you? I forget which she said." Tristan smiled silkily.

Rachel smiled, playing along. "Both."

Clint coughed into his hand to hide his happiness at that comment. "I see. Wow...thanks Rachel."

"It's nothing but the truth." Rachel said. "I don't know what this magazine...well, I don't know what _I_ 'd do without you, really."

"Rachel was also telling me about how she had a new idea to discuss with you, Clint. What was it, Rachel? An article about _Cloud 9_?" Tristan questioned smoothly.

"Oh...that's right. Would you mind having a drink with me to discuss my new idea?" Rachel asked Clint hesitantly, and tried to hide her shyness as she nibbled on her lower lip.

A heart-stopping smile bloomed across Clint's face. "I would love to get a drink with you...and uh, discuss your idea too, of course."

"Great." Rachel looped her arm around Clint's and gave Tristan a questioning look.

Tristan grinned easily and shooed her away. He also gave her a thumbs-up. Not too subtle. But whatever. This caused both Rachel and Clint to blush. The chocolatier watched as Rachel and Clint walked off together, and looked pleased by this outcome.

Becca was watching Tristan curiously and with unabashed interest. "So...what are you like a demonic cupid now?"

"Demonic cupid?" Tristan asked as his attention shifted back to Becca.

"There are some crazy rumors and urban legends about you, Tristan Savant." Becca informed Tristan with a keen glint in her green eyes. "I've actually started some of those rumors myself."

Tristan opened his mouth to respond but at that moment a group of people entered the conference room and drew Tristan's attention. Tristan's eyes widened, his jaw slackened, and the blood slowly drained from his face. "Father..." He hissed. What the hell were his father, stepmother and older stepbrother doing there? _Fuck._

Entering the conference room was none other than the Savant family. Adrian Savant, Tristan's father and CEO of _La Boulangerie Savant_ , was dressed in a slick, black suit with a dark-blue tie that matched the deep blue color of his intelligent eyes. The suit was well tailored and screamed money. Adrian was tall at six-four and his height lent to that intimidating aura and commanding presence of his. He had short, blonde hair and a square jaw with a little bit of stubble to give him a more rugged yet sophisticated appearance.

Tristan's stepmother, Lorelai Savant, was a beauty. She was much taller than his real mother, Lilith, at six-one, and willowy. She was pale-skinned with long, straight black hair and her eyes were a sky-blue color. Lorelai was wearing a sky-blue evening gown that matched her eyes perfectly, and her jewelry was all diamonds set in platinum. She had a queen-like grace and air about her.

Tristan's stepbrother, Dominik Savant, was tall at six-four, just an inch taller than Tristan but he still gave Tristan grief over it anytime they met. He had his father's blonde hair, and mother's sky-blue eyes. He was more muscular than Tristan but this was to be expected since Dominik was a professional kickboxer. He was wearing a dark blue Armani suit, silver tie and black dress shoes.

"Fuck me...what the hell are they doing here? They must be the surprise guests Rachel told me about." Tristan began to look around the conference room for a way to escape. Unfortunately, his family was blocking the only exit.

"Hey, are you alright there, Sugar?" Becca asked concernedly, noticing Tristan's panicked expression and how pale he'd gotten. "What is it? A psycho-ex girlfriend or something?"

"Not this time." Tristan muttered as he noted the doors that led to the balcony. "I gotta go." He said right before he ditched Becca and made his way stealthily towards the balcony.

Becca raised an eyebrow at his fast retreat. "I think he just ditched me." She looked incredulous that that had actually happened. "I don't like being ignored, Tristan Savant. Consider your challenge received loud and clear. You will be mine."

Tristan let out a breath of relief once he'd made it outside to the balcony unnoticed. A feminine gasp was heard behind him. He was _not_ alone. Tristan spun around and came face to face with-

A suspicious looking person dressed in a trench coat, dark sunglasses, and a fedora. The lapels of the jacket were pulled up to shadow the person's face. The strange individual also had a pair of binoculars held in their hands.

"Hey, who the hell are you?" Tristan demanded as he stalked forward.

"Epp!" The person squeaked and tried to make a break for it. Oddly enough the person ran towards the balcony railing as if they planned to jump off of it, which was crazy. Tristan grabbed the back of the person's jacket and ended up pulling it right off of the person while spinning them around at the same time, to reveal-

A young woman. She was wearing a strapless, knee-length party dress that was a pastel pink color. The bodice of the dress was covered in sparkly sequins, and the skirt part of the dress was made of sheer, chiffon layers. The dress looked delicate and fairy-like. And suddenly Tristan recognized this person for who they were. "Coco?"

"Dammit, I've been caught." Issy sighed, and removed her fedora and sunglasses revealing her caramel-chocolate colored eyes, and multi-colored brown hair. "Yes, it's me."

Tristan gave Coco a confused look. "Why did you run from me? I already know you're my stalker."

Issy shrugged, blushing, and appearing nervous. "Habit...I guess. No one is supposed to actually know who their stalker is, you know? We're supposed to be mysterious...one with the shadows. We're never supposed to be seen by the person we're stalking aka our target. I've broken 'the rules'." Issy explained worriedly as she wrung her hands together. "I'm going to get punished..."

Tristan tilted his head at her. "Punished?"

Issy nodded. "I belong to the Shadow Stalker Association. I joined them online. We're a group of _professional_ stalkers. Stalking is an art to us."

"An art?" Tristan scoffed. "Stalking is dangerous. You could really hurt someone. Don't you guys remember what happened to Princess Diana? Britney Spears? And other celebrities?"

"We're not like those jerks! We have rules. That's the entire point of the organization. Stalkers have become more and more common, but...the people they stalk are oftentimes put in danger. By joining the association you are ensuring that your target does not come to harm. Once you swear allegiance to the association you must abide by their rules...or else."

"Is that so?" Tristan raised an eyebrow. "What are some of the rules?"

"The first rule of the Shadow Stalker Association is..." Issy leaned forward.

"Is?" Tristan prompted.

"Is that there is no Shadow Stalker Association."

Tristan barked out a laugh. "Is that so?"

Issy smiled and continued. "Rule Number Two: A Shadow Stalker can never be seen by his/her target. Rule Number Three: A Shadow Stalker may never harm his/her target physically or mentally. Rule Number Four: A Shadow Stalker must protect his/her target if they are in danger, but still do their best not to be seen. Rule Number Five: A Shadow Stalker is allowed to take photos of his/her target from afar for their shrine, however, naked photos are not allowed, and photos of your target may not be uploaded to the Internet aka to facebook or myspace. Your photos can be put on a wall inside of your home. Rule Number Six-"

"There's more?" Tristan asked feeling mind boggled. Issy gave Tristan an impatient look, which made the chocolatier raise his hands before him in a surrendering gesture. "Nevermind, do continue. I _am_ curious about the rules. I was just surprised by how many there are."

"Rule Number Six: A Shadow Stalker can collect items from his/her target that the target has thrown away in the trash. But a Shadow Stalker must never steal from his/her target. Rule Number Seven: A Shadow Stalker must dress accordingly \- all in black, with a black trench coat, dark sunglasses and a fedora to hide their hair color. Rule Number Eight: A Shadow Stalker can masturbate to thoughts/pictures of his/her target, but not in a public area while looking at the target from afar.

"Rule Number Nine: A Shadow Stalker must never send naked photos or gifts or letters to his/her target (this can cause the target mental anxiety). Rule Number Ten: A Shadow Stalker is not allowed to stalk a target that has been _happily_ married. Rule Number Eleven: A Shadow Stalker can never physically touch his/her target without the target's permission. Rule Number Twelve: GPS tracking of the target is allowed with the new Shadow Stalker app. However, listening and filming devices in the target's home are not allowed. Rule Number Thirteen: A Shadow Stalker may not chase the target in a car. The target may notice and cause their target to get into a serious accident."

"There are thirteen rules? Isn't that a little unlucky?" Tristan asked wryly.

"Huh?" Issy blinked back at Tristan, not catching his meaning.

"Oh, come on, you know...thirteen is an unlucky number. The Last Super had thirteen attendants where Jesus revealed one of them would betray him. On Friday the thirteenth Philip IV of France ordered the arrest of the Knights Templar and seized all their assets based on false accusations of heresy. And then there's the unexplainable things that happen in an apartment building that has a thirteenth floor." Tristan shuddered as he recalled some of the horror stories about people who had lived on the 13th floor.

Issy's eyes grew large. "Oh, my God, I never thought of that. I'll email the leader and point that out right away."

"Who is the leader?" Tristan asked curiously.

"That information is classified...even though I don't know the answer." Issy shrugged.

Tristan stroked his chin as he gazed upon Issy thoughtfully. "So...you really are like my little guardian angel, aren't you?"

Issy blushed. "No...I..." She waved her hand before her.

Tristan looked Coco over appreciatively. She was really beautiful in that feminine party dress. He felt bad that Coco hadn't been able to actually be a part of the party.

"I'm just a pro stalker." Issy puffed up her chest. "I've got _advanced_ stalker skills."

"Is that so? Like what?" Tristan asked, beginning to enjoy this odd conversation.

"Taking photos of my target without their knowledge." Issy began to tick things off on her fingers. "Tracking my target without their knowledge. And being able to disappear from my target's sight without them being able to figure out where I went."

"You have photos of me?" Tristan interrupted feeling strangely flattered. "How many?"

Issy hesitated before answering. "Hundreds...maybe more."

Tristan took a step back. "You must have one hell of a facebook wall!"

"More like a _literal_ wall of photos." Issy muttered to herself before she continued more loudly. "I would never put photos of you up online without your permission."

Tristan tapped his lower lip in thought before he shrugged. "I don't mind if you put my photos up online. I give you permission." He gave her a regal wave of his hand.

"You mean...you'll let me make an online shrine to the urban legend of the Chocolate Sex God of New York City?" Issy asked and got right up in Tristan's face. "I wonder how many facebook likes you could get."

Tristan chuckled at her enthusiasm and nodded. "Sure babe. Knock yourself out. But I may want some form of _payment_." He waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Payment?" Issy gulped as Tristan reached out and cupped her face with his hand.

"A kiss would make a nice down payment." He began to lean forward.

_Eeee!_ Issy's heart began to thump wildly inside of her chest. Tristan was going to kiss her.

Tristan's lips were a mere inch away from Issy's before he suddenly felt the hair on the back of his neck prickle in warning. He straightened and turned around to see that his family was approaching the balcony. "Oh shit!" Tristan looked around the balcony frantically for a way to escape them.

Issy immediately grew concerned when she noticed Tristan's panicked expression, darting eyes, and suddenly pale complexion. "What is it?"

"It's my family. They're here. Rachel invited them to this party. I have to get out of here. I can't confront my father." Tristan ran a shaky hand back through his hair and muttered softly to himself. "I may just kill him." Tristan hadn't seen nor encountered his father since the incident at the hotel.

Issy's eyes widened as she gazed through the balcony doors and saw Tristan's family approaching. As his stalker she was dying to meet them all but Tristan's fear of them overrode everything else. "Then, we'll escape." Issy opened her shoulder bag and pulled out a grappling hook and a long coil of rope that was attached to it. "Disappearing before your target can see you is a stalker skill." Issy attached the grappling hook to the balcony railing and let the rope fall down over the side.

Tristan gawked at what Issy was doing. "Stalker skill? You have got to be kidding me." _Isn't this like totally unrealistic? Well, unless you're a vigilante._

"Hurry up and get your butt over here! We gotta get out of here! Come on!" Issy hopped up onto the railing, grabbed the rope, and began to climb down the side of the office building.

"Coco!" Tristan cried when he saw her jump over the side of the railing. He ran over to the grappling hook, looked over the railing, and saw Coco scaling the side of the building. "Unreal." The sound of the balcony door opening behind him was heard. Now was not the time to hesitate. Tristan hopped onto the railing, grabbed the rope, and descended. He then began to scale the building after Coco. The building was several stories tall. Finally, Tristan reached the bottom, and then he looked around for his stalker. "Coco?"

But she was gone.

"Rule Number Two of the Shadow Stalker Association. Well, I'll be." Tristan smiled to himself, shook his head ruefully, and walked off down the street.

To be continued in...Chocolate 8: _Spicy Ginger_

### Chapter 8: Spicy Ginger

Half-succubus Carmen couldn't believe her luck. She'd somehow managed to snag Archangel Raphael and was currently driving him back to her place in her sexy red convertible. Carmen looked at Raphael sitting in the passenger's side seat out of the corner of her eye. He sat with his back straight, and was incredibly still. He also didn't say a word as she drove. She pouted at his cold, serious demeanor and gripped her steering wheel a little tighter. Carmen was excited even if Raphael obviously wasn't. She'd just have to change his mood to suit hers.

It wasn't long before Carmen was opening the door to her apartment and ushering Raphael inside. They entered the apartment and she flipped on a light switch. Raphael looked around Carmen's apartment curiously, and his eyes landed on the grand piano that was taking up most of the space in her living room.

Raphael probably would have stared at it all night if Carmen hadn't grabbed his hand and led him to her bedroom. Again, she flipped on another light switch and her bedroom was revealed. She was proud of the way she'd decorated her bedroom and let Raphael admire it for a moment. She had a four-poster bed with a red comforter on it and matching heart-shaped pillows. Red velvet curtains decorated her windows and a red, blue and gold Persian carpet covered the floor. Her dresser, dressing table and night tables were all a dark mahogany.

Raphael was bewildered by how 'normal' the succubus' bedroom appeared. There were no chains hanging on her walls, no table covered with sex toys or torture devices. Instead, the room appeared feminine, tasteful and sophisticated. The Archangel stood for a while just staring at the bed with a wary expression on his face.

Carmen let out a frustrated little huff as she sashayed past him. "Why don't you go ahead and make yourself comfortable." She motioned towards the bed. "I'm going to go...freshen up." She winked.

Raphael watched as Carmen entered the bathroom and shut the door behind her. He would have expected her to leave it wide open. Raphael sighed as he looked at the bed with this feeling of dread welling up inside of him. He stripped off his clothes and folded them into a neat pile that he placed on a chair. After that he climbed on the bed and lay down. He reached over his head and grabbed the headboard. Whatever happened he wouldn't allow himself to touch her.

As soon as the bathroom door was closed, Carmen stripped off her evening gown and put on a sexy, red baby doll, and a matching silk robe. She took off all of her jewelry and removed the bobby pins from her hair, letting her black hair cascade down around her shoulders in waves. She reapplied some red lipstick to her lips and smacked them together as she appraised her appearance in the mirror.

The half-succubus spritzed some of her favorite perfume onto her skin - Christian Dior's _Hypnotic Poison_ , which for some reason smelled like a combination of vanilla, cinnamon, and cotton candy on her skin.

Carmen reached for the doorknob and found herself taking a deep breath to steel her nerves. She may have been a seductress but for some reason she was incredibly nervous when it came to Raphael. Perhaps, because she had sincere feeling about him. The succubus slapped her cheeks to get some rosy color into her tanned cheeks. _Alright! I can do this!_ She had a stubborn angel to seduce! Carmen exited the bathroom, entering the bedroom, and her eyes were drawn to the bed.

_Who's seducing who?_ Carmen thought as she sucked in a breath. There on the bed was a completely naked Raphael. He hadn't even left his boxers on. Raphael was an impressive specimen of a man. He was six-five, and took up most of the bed. The man looked like some kind of Greek God that had been carved from a Renaissance artist's white slab of marble. Just like the marble his body appeared hard, cold and unfeeling. _Cold, hard, unfeeling, just like his personality._ His battle-scarred torso was composed of impressive, bulging muscles, six-pack abs, and hard pecs. Her gaze traveled down his stomach to his muscular thighs.

Raphael was gripping the headboard above his head with his hands, causing his biceps to strain and flex sexily. He looked caged and dangerous. He'd taken his white hair out of his ponytail and it was splayed over the pillow.

A coy smile curled Carmen's lips. "Eager are we?" She questioned as her eyes fell upon his manhood. Some of her trademark confidence was returning at the sight of him naked and ready for her on the bed.

"No." Raphael replied in a cold tone as he stared at her unemotionally.

Her confidence began to fade. "No? But you...you're naked." Carmen pointed at his manhood.

Raphael flinched and his cock twitched. "I just want to get this over with as soon as possible."

"Oh, I see." Carmen said with an edge to her voice. She untied her robe and let it fall from her shoulders revealing her baby doll. Raphael watched her and there was a spark of _something_ in his eyes as he looked at her full breasts.

Carmen smirked. She knew she had nice luscious breasts. Size D cup. Carmen raised her hands and squeezed her breasts teasingly. "See something you like, angel?"

"No." Raphael lied through gritted teeth, his voice hoarse. As much as he willed his body not to react to the sight of the sexy Latina before him - it was almost impossible. His cock pulsed and began to come to life, rising to half-mast as Carmen continued to stare at him heatedly and kneaded her breasts. She even pinched her nipples through the silk material of the baby doll causing Raphael to suck in a breath.

Carmen raked her gaze down over his body slowly until it landed on his shaft once more. His cock twitched in response as if it could feel her gaze. She raised an eyebrow. "Mmm. So responsive." Carmen approached the bed and crawled on top of it.

The succubus began to lean over him but before she could get too close Raphael spoke. "No kissing. This is just meaningless sex. Nothing more."

Carmen looked put out, and was disappointed by his declaration. "Alright, fine. It's your loss anyways." She crawled closer to his body and to his half-hard cock. "Well, let's get you ready for me." Carmen purred as she reached out and grabbed Raphael's erection and squeezed.

Raphael hissed. The feeling of Carmen's warm hand on his cock was...?

Carmen began to stroke Raphael's impressive length, cajoling it to hardness. He was so big Carmen couldn't wrap her fingers around him fully and had to twist her hand to be able to touch all of it. Raphael closed his eyes and tried to block everything out. _It will be over soon._ He told himself.

Carmen noted that Raphael's cock began to go limp in her hand instead of hardening more. _Qué diablos?_ _What the hell?_ She looked up and noticed he had his eyes screwed shut, and his face was lined with worry. Carmen let go of Raphael's cock and decided to try something else. She leaned over Raphael and licked very tip of his penis.

Raphael's eyes flew open in surprise and he looked down at Carmen in shock. "Carmen, what are you...?"

Carmen took the head of his penis into her mouth and sucked. Raphael's eyes rolled back into his head from the pleasurable sensation. Carmen smiled as she began to slide her mouth down over Raphael's length, eagerly taking more of him inside.

Raphael opened his eyes again. "Carmen...no...don't!" He objected as she began to work her mouth over his cock, alternating between licking and sucking. "Fuck." Raphael swore as he tried to get his body and emotions under control. A woman had never done _this_ to him before - had never kissed him _down there_.

Carmen began to hum happily and the vibrations caused Raphael's cock to pulse with pleasure. When Raphael's shaft began to harden inside of her mouth, Carmen smiled triumphantly. _Hell yeah. I'm just that good._ She looked up at Raphael and their gazes met. Sparks flew between them. Raphael couldn't look away as he watched his cock sliding in and out of Carmen's sexy red mouth. He gripped the headboard more tightly as an inexplicable urge to put his hands on Carmen's head possessed him.

The angel wanted to slide his hands thought her silky black hair, and urge her mouth to take him deeper. "Deeper." Raphael rasped and his eyes widened in shock at his own desperate words. He couldn't believe he'd just said that aloud.

Carmen hummed in approval again, sending more pleasant tingling vibrations up and down his cock. She couldn't fit all of Raphael into her mouth and so gripped the base of his cock with her hand and squeezed.

"Fuck, yes." Raphael said as his entire cock was being stimulated. After about a minute, Raphael was fully erect. That's when Carmen removed her mouth from Raphael's erection with a _pop_ and licked her lips. _Yum._ Raphael almost whimpered from the loss but bit down on his lower lip to silence himself, drawing blood.

Carmen looked up and saw Raphael's frustrated expression. "Don't worry, we're just getting started, big boy." The singer assured as she straddled Raphael and slid her body down over his abs until his erection was pressing against the cleft of her ass. Raphael couldn't stop the groan that left his lips at the sensation.

Carmen noticed and rubbed her ass against Raphael's erection feeling dirty, naughty. _He's so big._ She reached behind herself and used her ass cheeks to massage Raphael's cock.

Raphael's hips bucked upwards of their own accord. " _Carmen_." He said in a strangled voice. _She has a real nice ass. A nice curvy Laina ass._

Carmen grinned as she lifted herself up and positioned her sex over Raphael's throbbing erection. She placed her hands on Raphael's chest to steady herself as she began to lower herself onto his shaft. Raphael gripped the headboard so hard it began to crack.

Carmen sensed Raphael's urgency and impaled herself fully on Raphael's cock, crying out at the mixture of pleasure and pain. He was fully inside of her, and it had happened all at once without letting her body get used to Raphael's impressive size. She'd never felt so full. She could feel his cock pulsing inside of her.

Raphael looked up at Carmen in concern when she didn't move. "Carmen?"

"I'm okay...it's not as if this is our first time together. I've had you inside of me before." Carmen said, almost proudly. "I just need a moment to get used to your size."

Raphael reddened at the reference to that fateful Valentine's Day Night he could barely remember. He'd been like this mindless, horny beast. He'd ripped Carmen's clothes off of her, spread her legs and fucked her roughly. From what he could recall, she'd cried out in pleasure. She'd also been extremely lustful because of those damned chocolates. _Damn you Tristan._ "I barely remember that night."

"Well, I remember every delicious second of it." Carmen said, surprising Raphael and then she began to move over him slowly, his cock sliding in and out of her with delicious friction. He could feel pressure building within him, tension coiling in his gut. Raphael closed his eyes. He was disgusted with himself that he could be aroused by a she-demon. The feeling of being used for sex swept over him...

And he couldn't help but remember a similar time when he'd been in a cruel succubus' clutches.

Carmen felt Raphael begin to go limp inside of her! "Raphael...?" She questioned looking down at him. She noticed that his eyes were screwed shut again. "Look at me." The singer demanded.

Raphael opened his amazing stormy eyes and watched as Carmen began to fondle her breasts as she rode him. He ached to touch those luscious breasts. They looked so soft. He unconsciously licked his lips and was successfully distracted from his dark thoughts.

Carmen kneaded her breasts and began to pinch her nipples until they began to harden into dusky, little buds. Raphael watched in rapt fascination. He wanted to suckle her perfect little nipples. Very badly.

Carmen could feel Raphael harden inside of her once more and smiled sweetly at him. "I wish these were your hands on me."

Raphael swallowed.

"I wish your mouth would suck my nipples. You're so beautiful Raphael. Just looking at you makes me wet. As much as I like you looking at my breasts...look into my eyes Raphael." She commanded.

Out of habit Raphael obeyed the command and looked into Carmen's eyes. Her eyes were a soothing dark brown color...like chocolate. They were so very different from _her_ fierce golden eyes. Carmen's eyes were warm, kind and sweet. "Beautiful." Raphael murmured in an awed voice.

His softly spoken compliment made butterflies flutter in her stomach. "Look at me and don't look away. Look only at me. Think only of me." Carmen urged as she reached out and stroked his cheek lovingly. "And listen to the sound of my voice." That's when Carmen began to sing.

Raphael shuddered at her delicate touch and found that he could not look away. He was lost in the chocolate brown depths of her eyes and in the melodious sound of her husky singing voice. He unconsciously began to raise his hips to meet Carmen's downward thrusts, causing her to bounce on top of him. "Raphael...I'm close! I'm going to...are you?"

"Don't worry about me." Raphael said in a gruff voice.

"I want you to come first, Raphael. Come for me. I want you to feel pleasure." Carmen urged in a sultry voice.

Carmen's words caught Raphael by surprise, so much so that he could feel himself shatter. His orgasm hit him with incredible force and he came, thrusting deeply into Carmen, spilling his hot seed into her.

Carmen cried out at the feeling of being filled with Raphael's seed. It was a comforting feeling and she climaxed soon after. "Raphael!" She cried as she came, her insides clenching down hard around Raphael and milking him for everything he had.

The singer saw fireworks explode in front of her eyes at the pleasure. Her body ravenously sucked in Raphael's sexual energies. She fed on his cock, sucking him dry. Her body was so hungry for him.

And the sexual energy Raphael produced was unique - powerful - Carmen felt invigorated. Was this because Raphael was an Archangel, she wondered. _Yum._ _I should screw angels more often._ Carmen collapsed on top of Raphael, spent and panting for breath.

As soon as their eye contact was broken Raphael felt sick. All he became aware of was the feeling of a woman's naked body on top of his own, his flaccid, _used_ cock still inside of her. He could feel this evil creature sucking the sexual energies out of his body like a vampire.

_Disgusting...revolting..._ The words flitted through his mind.

Raphael let go of the headboard and pushed Carmen off of him roughly. He put a hand over his mouth before he hopped out of the bed and ran for the bathroom. He entered, sunk to his knees in front of the toilet, and began to puke his guts out.

Carmen lay on her back, flushed, sated, her body tingling, and listened to Raphael throwing up in the bathroom in sheer disbelief. _The hell?_ She frowned. Had she disgusted him? Again? No - impossible - he'd been really into it once they had started to stare into each other's eyes and she hadn't allowed him to break eye contact. Also her singing had seemed to soothe him.

Just how much did Raphael hate demons? She found herself wondering sadly. And more importantly... _why?_

The sound of Raphael flushing the toilet was heard and then the sound of running water. He was probably rinsing his mouth out. A few minutes later, Raphael emerged and began to approach his pile of clothes. Carmen realized that he planed to leave, just like that. "And where do you think you're going, _mi cielo_?"

"I'm leaving."

"So you use me for sex and then you just ditch me? What kind of an angel are you? I thought you said you would take responsibility for your actions?" Carmen huffed.

"I did. We had sex. I promised you nothing more." Raphael said as he picked up his clothes and refused to meet her eyes.

"Well, I can't sleep alone." This wasn't true but Carmen was desperately grasping at straws because she didn't want Raphael to just leave her after they'd been intimate.

"And I can't sleep with anyone in the same bed." The Archangel found himself admitting.

"If you don't stay and sleep with me...I'll just go find a man who is willing to spend the night with me. And I'm sure that won't be too hard. That patissier Ambrose Rune looked interested." Carmen lay back in a sensual pose on the bed. She reached out, grabbed her cell phone that was on her night table, and pointed it at herself. "I'll just take a selfie of me looking like this...and send it to Ambrose. I'm sure that he'll come rushing over here."

A muscle ticked beneath Raphael's eye. The idea of Carmen sending a selfie to Ambrose Rune when they'd just had sex didn't sit well with Raphael at all. Not to mention the fact that Ambrose Rune was a dangerous man. Without realizing what he was doing, Raphael had suddenly appeared by Carmen's side and grabbed the phone out of her hand. "You'll do no such thing! You will not be sending any 'selfies' to that man!" He growled at her before he crushed her cell phone to pieces in his hand.

Carmen's eyes glinted with mischief and she didn't really mind the loss of her phone since Raphael was acting so possessively towards her. _He's acting possessive. Deep down, somewhere inside of him he does care. I just know it._ "That was a new iPhone 6, you know. You are _so_ reimbursing me for that." She patted the bed besides her. "Well, what are you waiting for big boy? Come on in."

Raphael sighed in defeat before crawling onto the bed and lying down next to Carmen stiffly. Carmen was about to snuggle into his side when Raphael snapped at her. "No touching. And that means absolutely no cuddling."

Carmen pouted at him. "Ay Dios mio. Alright, already. Geez." She turned over onto her side, putting her back to Raphael. Raphael lay staring up at the ceiling. He knew he couldn't allow himself to fall asleep because if he did dangerous nightmares would plague him. He stared at the ceiling for hours, struggling to keep his eyes open. Sometime just before dawn his eyelids drooped closed and he slept.

FLASHBACK

It was a disgrace. During a mission to Hell, Raphael and his unit of demon slaying Archangels had been ambushed. In order to ensure his men's survival, Raphael commanded them to escape so that he could fight the demons by himself. He'd been overconfident and cocky. The demons had defeated him, taken him back to their lair, and had tortured him there for days. They'd chained him to a stone alter and sliced into his chest before chaining him up on the cave wall and whipping the flesh off his back.

They had tried to break him. Throughout his torture, however, Raphael had refused to scream. He wouldn't give these lowly demons who'd captured him the satisfaction. He'd tried to stay conscious and wouldn't allow himself to sleep, but eventually he'd fallen into unconsciousness due to blood loss.

When he awoke several days later, he found himself in a sunny bedroom. The bedroom appeared 'normal' as if it were part of a nice house instead of a dank cave. The room was square, its walls made of beige sandstone, and sheer green silk curtains that were moving with a hot breeze that was blowing in from the outside covered the windows. There were two night tables sitting on either side of the bed, a dresser, a desk and a chair. Everything was perfectly normal...except for the fact that he was still naked and chained to the bed.

Raphael was surprised not to feel pain since he was laying on his back, but when he peered down he saw that someone had treated his wounds by wrapping white cloth bandages around his chest. There were shackles on his wrists and ankles that were attached to chains connected to the rod iron headboard and footboard. His wings were spread out on either side of him and strapped down to the bed by multiple chains. Raphael tried to will his wings to return back inside of his body but when he couldn't realized that the chains were enchanted.

With the way his arms were stretched over his head and his legs were spread eagle he felt vulnerable. The bed didn't appear to be made out of wood, but some kind of metal that resembled rod iron. _Fools._ Raphael thought as he began to test his bonds. The chains were obviously enchanted, but if the metal of the bed was not he could easily escape.

"That won't work." Came a sultry voice.

Raphael craned his head to peer towards the doorway. There leaning against the doorframe was an exotic looking woman. She was tall with a cascade of emerald green hair that reached her waist. Her eyes were like molten gold with flecks of orange and red in their depths. Her pupils were slanted making her eyes look like those of a snake. Her skin had a golden hue, but there were small patches of green scales on her body. The seductress was wearing a sheer, gauzy, silk dress that was a pale green color. Scandalously, her pink nipples could easily been seen through the material as well as the patch of dark green hair that covered her sex. A golden rope belt was tied around her waist, and strapped leather sandals were on her feet.

No 'lady' would be dressed in something so revealing. Her lips curled into an amused smile as Raphael tugged experimentally on his shackles again. Her little fangs were revealed.

"I already said - that won't work." She sashayed over to the bed, sat down on the edge, and crossed her legs. The woman pouted and drew circles on Raphael's bare chest. "Are you really so eager to leave your sssavior so soon?"

Raphael arched an eyebrow at her. "Savior?"

The woman nodded, a glint in her golden eyes. "Yesss, I purchased you from those other demons before they would have killed you. Your lack of response to their torture was beginning to irritate them, you sssee."

There was a sinking feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. "You _purchased_ me?"

"I'm going to try a very different kind of torture on the mighty Archangel Raphael." The woman purred as she reached out and tweaked Raphael's nipple. "To have a legendary angel in my possession...I'll be the talk of the city!"

Raphael gave no response to her touch.

The woman continued to pull, twist, and tease Raphael's nipple until it was finally hardened. Raphael stifled a grunt. "Just who are you, female? To dare touch me..." Raphael snarled angrily.

"My name is Lamia."

Raphael paled at the name, and any hopes he may have had that this woman was harmless shattered. Lamia. She was a widely renowned succubus in Hell, who was known for stealing the seed of virile men in order to produce children. Lamia was cursed, however, and none of her children ever seemed to be born alive. Even though the fangs had been a dead give away, Raphael was now certain that the woman before him was not human but a demon. She was the worst kind too - a succubus, a creature that fed off of its victim's sexual energies. This also meant that he was still somewhere in Hell.

"You're a _succubus_." Raphael spat with obvious revulsion.

"Yes, I am." Lamia agreed as she straddled Raphael and placed her hands on his chest and began feeling him up. Black claws began to emerge from the tips of her fingers, as she grew aroused. "Mmm, such a strong body. I wonder how much it will take for your spirit to break. I plan to make you my obedient pet, Raphael."

Raphael quaked with rage. How dare this filthy demoness put her hands upon him. "Don't touch me!" He renewed his struggles against his shackles until the shackles cut into his wrists and blood streamed down his arms.

"It's no use, pet." Lamia said absentmindedly as she tweaked Raphael's nipples. "Those chains are made out of enchanted steel. Even you, a mighty Archangel, cannot break them. You are my prisssoner, Raphael. My pet. It's best you accept that now. I am your new Mistress."

"No." Raphael shook his head, not wanting to believe what was happening. "Where are we?"

"We're in the City of Dragonsss, Camelot...the city of our beloved King Arthur." Lamia explained with obvious awe in her voice for the demon king.

_Camelot...damnation!_ Raphael swore in his mind. This was the worst possible place he could be. Every single being there was his enemy and Camelot was inhabited by the most powerful demons around. The city was also home to dragon riders, and there was one clan in particular that Raphael had heard rumors about - the Crimson Sky Riders. The Crimson Sky Riders was a legion of fierce dragon riders that was led by Samael. Their name came from how they dyed the sky red with the blood of their enemies during their many aerial battles.

Lamia slid down Raphael's body until she was sitting on his thighs, giving her a good view of his flaccid cock. Even in its flaccid state his size and length were still impressive. Lamia hummed in approval. She couldn't wait to see what his cock looked like when it was fully aroused. "My, that's an impressive penisss. Let's wake him up shall we? My pet." Lamia gripped Raphael's shaft and squeezed.

Raphael looked at Lamia with undisguised disgust and horror. "Get your filthy hands off me, whore."

"Whore?" Lamia repeated with a dangerous edge to her voice, "That wasssn't very nice. I really don't think you understand the position you're in, Raphael. You are completely at my mercy. It would be wissse _not_ to make me angry...that will only get you punished." Lamia reached out, grasped Raphael's balls in her hand, and squeezed.

Raphael sucked in a breath as he swallowed a scream of pain, a shudder wracked his body, and tears sprung to his eyes. _Fuck!_ _That hurts!_ If she squeezed his flesh anymore his balls would burst! "S-Stop!" Raphael managed to get out through gritted teeth.

Lamia instantly loosened her hold upon him. "What's the magic word, Raphael?"

"Fuck...you..." He panted.

Lamia began to squeeze his balls again and it felt like painful electric shocks were shooting up into his body. Raphael saw spots swimming in his darkening vision. "Please." He finally spat.

Lamia released his balls and smiled triumphantly. "There, was that ssso hard, pet? I can treat you nicely, you know...if you're obedient." Lamia gripped his cock again and began to stroke it firmly.

"No...don't..." Raphael objected. He'd never been touched by a woman before. Had never had sex. He was God's Elite Archangel - a warrior for God - God's _sword_. A tool. Nothing more. He had no use for things like _feelings_ or for the desires of his flesh. If he had the option to forsake his fleshy body and have one of pure spirit he would have chosen to be pure spirit.

Raphael liked to consider himself pure, untainted, and superior to others. He liked to think that he had more control over his body and its desires than his fellow Archangels that sometimes succumbed to the desires of the flesh. Raphael willed his body not to respond to her touch, and for the most part it worked. His cock remained flaccid in Lamia's grip.

"My, you have a will of steel...but I know the dark sssecrets of a man's body. I can make you hard, Raphael, and I will." Lamia promised before with her free hand she placed a finger at Raphael's entrance.

Raphael's eyes widened in fear and disgust. "You wouldn't dare-"

"Oh, I dare." Lamia purred as she slid a finger into his entrance, searching for that spot inside of him that would make Raphael see stars and feel great pleasure.

"Hurts...take it out...feels disgusting...it's not... _natural_ ..." Raphael panted, his chest heaving.

"Shhh, just relax...I'll find your sssweet spot soon." Lamia urged as she thrust her fingers more deeply inside of Raphael until she finally found just what she was looking for.

Raphael gasped when Lamia touched a place deep inside of him that made his spine tingle and his cock begin to harden of its own accord. He stared down at his traitorous body in sheer disbelief, feeling betrayed. _This flesh that houses my soul...disgusts me. It has betrayed me._ "What...was that?"

"What? Your prostate? You are a very naïve angel, aren't you?" Lamia said as she continued her ministrations and stroked him at the same time. "So innocent, so naïve - I will have fun corrupting you."

After a few minutes of stimulation, Raphael was fully erect - his exquisite length pressing up against his stomach. "Now that's a good, pet. You're finally ready for me." Lamia removed her fingers and slid over his body sensually. She placed her hands on Raphael's chest and raised herself over him. The seductress positioned his throbbing erection at her entrance and began to impale herself upon him.

"No...don't." Raphael begged - this action would taint him, corrupt him, and make him unworthy of God's love. _No!_

Lamia let out a groan of pleasure as she lowered herself fully upon Raphael's erection. "You're so big...you fill me up, Raphael." The succubus began to move over him, slowly at first, but then she began to quicken her pace and was more aggressive with his body, more demanding. She rocked on top of him in a way that was almost painful to him.

Even though Raphael was disturbed by what was happening to him - he was being raped by a succubus - he could feel his body's reaction to what she was doing. Warmth was pooling in his lower abdomen, pressure was building inside of his body, and his balls were drawing up tight against his body as he neared his orgasm. His muscles strained and stiffened as he tried not to move. He was close...

Lamia seemed to sense this, however, and reached down with her left hand to grab the base of Raphael's cock and squeezed.

Raphael cried out in pain but quickly bit his lower lip to stifle his cries. Lamia squeezed him until his urge to come had passed. "No, you don't get to come yet...ladies first. _Always_ first." Lamia explained as she continued to ride him. She looked down at the flawless, pale expanse of Raphael's muscular chest and torso thoughtfully. Lamia willed a dagger to appear in her right hand and grinned. "I'll have fun marring your beautiful flesh, angel." Lamia said before she slid the dagger over his skin, drawing blood.

Raphael hissed in pain.

Lamia leaned over Raphael and licked at the blood. "Oh, yes...such delicious pain. I'm going to...!" She gasped before the succubus came on top of him with an ecstatic cry. "Ah! My pet!" Her inner walls clenched around Raphael and she shuddered above him as her orgasm crashed through her.

Her left hand was still gripping his cock tightly, preventing him from coming. "Now it's your turn. Come for me, Raphael." Lamia demanded as she released his cock and at the same time she cut into his flesh with the dagger.

Raphael's body was conflicted by the pain and pleasure. Lamia began to move over him again and even though blood was gushing down his chest he came inside of her. _No...no...she's stolen my seed._

"Yes...oh yes!" Lamia cried out and a pair of bat-like wings with a green membrane emerged from her back and spread. Tiny black horns appeared on her head, her ears became pointed, and a swishing green tail emerged from her lower back with a barbed end. "Such delicious sssexual energy you produce, Raphael. I want more...give me more, my pet." She hissed happily.

Raphael could feel the succubus sucking the sexual energy right out of his body and it left him feeling weak, used, and dirty.

"I'm going to make such a mess out of you, Raphael. I'll have so much fun corrupting you...marring you. Soon you'll be begging me for the knife as you come." Lamia assured a she drew bloody circles into his chest with the dagger. "There has been some debate amongst my kind as to whether or not causing your mate pain during sexual intercourse produces a more potent, powerful sexual energy." She leaned over to whisper in his ear. "I like to think that this is true."

Succubi were known for being sadistic lovers. They were also known for taking several male sex slaves to sate their insatiable sexual appetites. The succubi were always in control and in command during sex. Their pleasure always came first. Males were to bow down before them and submit to their will. "Let the training begin, pet." Lamia began to move over Raphael once more.

And to his horror his body...responded.

END OF FLASHBACK

"Nooo!" Raphael let out a roar of rage, frustration, humiliation and pain. _How dare she! How dare she?_ Raphael's fingers closed around her neck and he began to squeeze-

_I'll kill her! I'll kill her!_ Raphael chanted in his mind.

"R-Raphael...stop...please...! It's me...C-Carmen..." Carmen gasped out.

_Carmen._ Raphael's hands stilled and he blinked down at the face beneath him - it wasn't Lamia. He was straddling the singer Carmen and strangling her! His eyes widened with the horrified realization. _What have I done?_ He tried to release his hands from her neck, but his hands wouldn't move. His breathing was coming in and out in ragged breaths as he tried to get himself under control.

Carmen reached up and placed a hand over his. "It's okay, Raphael. It was just a nightmare. No one is going to hurt you." She assured Raphael in a soft voice, even as he caused bruises to form on her neck.

"Argh!" Raphael forced his hands to loosen and as soon as he'd let Carmen go he scrambled backwards and ended up falling right off the bed to land on the floor on his ass.

"Raphael?" Carmen called out in concern and watched as Raphael continued to scramble backwards until his back hit the bedroom door. She sat up in bed and rubbed her sore neck. The singer stared back at him but she didn't look angry, only confused and worried.

_I don't deserve her concern._ "I...I'm sorry. I apologize. This is why I can't sleep with anyone. It's too dangerous. I'm too dangerous." Raphael shook his head and put his face in his hand.

"Because you have nightmares? Are they from the battles you've fought against demons in the past?" Carmen asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

Raphael looked at Carmen in astonishment. "What...how...?"

"Tristan told me that you're actually _the_ Archangel Raphael." Carmen admitted.

"And you believed it?"

Carmen shrugged. "I'm half-demon...it's not hard for me to believe in the existence of angels. They're just the other side of the coin. Where there is darkness...there is light. Raphael, I don't know how you were hurt by those _other_ demons but _I_ would _never_ hurt you."

... _hurt you_ ...Raphael looked at the bruises he'd caused on Carmen's neck. This was so messed up. He raked a trembling hand back through his hair. "Why would you say something like that? Especially after I hurt you?"

Carmen did not look away. "Because you didn't really hurt _me_ \- you were picturing some demon who hurt you before, weren't you?"

Raphael nodded stiffly.

"Raphael...I want to be with you. I think I might even be falling for-"

"Stop. Say no more." Raphael raised his hand. "You don't know what you're saying. You and I...would be _impossible_. I'm... _damaged_ , Carmen. And incapable of the human emotion known as love. But you...you should find a man who can love you - one man. And marry him in a church before the eyes of God, and stay _sin free_."

Carmen shook her head. "I don't want some other guy - I want _you_. I don't care if you think you're damaged. And besides...it's not easy for me to find a man who is resistant to my allure like you are. All men become enamored with me but not with _me_ \- just my body, my pheromones. They become slaves to my every whim. I hate it. I want the man I'm with to be _my equal_. I don't want some enslaved guy...I want a _real_ man like you. You're the only one who can resist my charms, Raphael."

"You're wrong. I was unable to resist...I'm weak...just like the others." Raphael admitted in a gruff voice.

"No, even now you're resisting me. Resisting getting close to me _emotionally_ \- that's resisting, Raphael." Carmen pointed out.

"I'm...resisting...?" Raphael thought about what Carmen was saying and realized that it was true. "You're right, I am resisting you, and that's for the best." The Archangel made his way over to the chair and began to get dressed while Carmen watched. "I need to stay away from you."

"But you won't, because you know that tonight I'll need a man again, and that if you're not here I'll be forced to find someone else. You won't let me do that because as hard as you try to deny it - I _know_ that you like me, Raphael." A smug smile curled Carmen's red lips.

Raphael put on his boxers and pants, and began to button up his shirt. "Hah. You think I _like_ you after I just tried to strangle you? Are you a fool?"

"But you also tried so hard to stop once you realized it was _me_. You looked...anguished that you hurt me. Regretful. And you apologized. A man with your pride apologizing is no small thing. You'll be back, Raphael." Carmen's chocolate brown eyes were burning with passion.

Raphael shook his head at her as he grabbed his jacket, and exited the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

"And I'll be waiting." Carmen said to the closed door.

***

As soon as Raphael left, Carmen quickly got dressed, and decided to follow him. She dressed in a long-sleeved black shirt, black pants, and boots. To complete her look she put on a long, black trench coat, fedora and a pair of dark sunglasses. Carmen looked at her reflection in the mirror. She looked good in the standard outfit of a Shadow Stalker. Yep, you guessed it, Carmen had joined the Shadow Stalker Association.

She'd come across the interesting website online and had decided to join on a whim. After all, when she'd taken the 'Do you have what it takes to be a Shadow Stalker Quiz' she'd passed the test with flying colors and been told that her tendency to follow Raphael everywhere made her a stalker. Right away she'd received an interesting app on her cell phone that allowed her to track Raphael's movements. She didn't know who was the leader of the association, but apparently they were good with computers.

Carmen whipped out her cell phone and used the Shadow Stalker GPS tracking app to locate Raphael. Just as she'd suspected he was heading back towards his new chocolate shop _Cloud 9_.

Carmen hopped into her red Mazda MX-5 Miata with black leather interior and sped down the road in the direction of _Cloud 9_. She parked two blocks away and stealthily made her way to the shop. The singer made her way around to the side of the building and spotted a window that was too far up for her to peer inside. She dragged a trashcan over to the window before hopping up on it and peering through the window into the kitchen.

The lights were on inside, and Raphael was still awake and busy making chocolate. Or at least that's what Carmen 'thought' Raphael was probably doing. It was kind of hard to tell because it also looked like he was doing chemistry. Raphael was weighing ingredients using an antique, Victorian, brass scale with weights. Carmen felt a trickle of sweat form on the side of her head. Hadn't Raphael ever heard of a measuring cup?

The singer also noticed that he was wearing his white gloves once more. Carmen looked around the kitchen curiously and was impressed by how utterly spotless it looked. The kitchen had the latest chrome and stainless steel appliances, and an expensive looking stove with oven. There was a large kitchen island made of granite with a smaller slab of marble sitting on it for tempering chocolate.

There wasn't a single speck of dust in the immaculate kitchen. Also, everything was neatly arranged at the right angles, and all of the jars of ingredients had been organized into groups of three. Carmen frowned at this observation. If she didn't know any better she'd say Raphael had OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). But whoever heard of an angel with OCD?

Carmen leaned through the window to get a closer look at what Raphael was doing when she lost her balance on the trashcan. It tipped and fell over beneath her, causing Carmen to grab the windowsill and cling to it, lest she fall. " _Ay, Dios mio!_ Oh my God!"

The sound of the trashcan falling over outside alerted Raphael to someone's presence and he turned to see a shadowy figure in the window. Carmen was about to let go of the windowsill to escape, but in the blink of an eye Raphael was there. He pulled Carmen through window and slammed her down onto the kitchen island counter. In his right hand he willed his sword to appear and it materialized. The great sword was crackling with silver-colored electric energy. Raphael swung his sword towards the intruder's head.

But the intruder put up his hands. " _Espera!_ I mean, wait! It's me!"

Raphael stopped his blade an inch away from the intruder's throat. With his left hand he yanked the fedora off to reveal a tumble of black hair. Next, he removed the sunglasses to reveal familiar chocolate brown eyes.

The 'he' wasn't a 'he' at all but a she! Raphael blinked down at Carmen in shock. "It's _you_." He pulled his sword away from her throat completely and willed it to disappear. It returned to its pocket dimension instantly. Raphael ran a shaky hand over his mouth. "Carmen, what are you doing here? I could have killed you!" He snarled angrily.

Carmen sat up on the counter, "I got that. Were you expecting someone else?"

Raphael shook his head. "No...but it is not unusual for demons to attack me at this time. I have countless enemies. And an invisible war is brewing in this city...no, in the entire world now." _Lucifer's army ISIS is already on the move. After my mission is complete I may be sent to the Middle East to fight against demon-possessed soldiers. I'll have to leave Carmen behind._ A dark cloud fell over Raphael's face as he thought about what was currently going on in the world.

ISIS recently beheaded several men for cursing the devil. In America it was wrongfully reported that the men had been beheaded for 'cursing God'. This was incorrect because the official ruling by ISIS, which was announced in Middle Eastern Sources, stated that these executions were carried out for 'Sabi Rabul-Alameen' in English 'for cursing the Lord of the Worlds'.

Unfortunately, most humans still didn't seem to understand that the title for Allah in Islam is always described as 'Malek-rab-Al-A'lameen' which means 'The Lord of the Worlds' - this is as defined in Islam, the Lord of _this world_ , and the Lord of _the underworld_. In order words, the 'Allah' these people were worshiping was the same as Lucifer who is in control of the Earth and Hell.

Before the men were decapitated they were asked a simple question: 'Will you give your soul to the devil?' When they refused they were decapitated. Raphael knew that it was ignorant for the humans to think of 'Allah' as the generic name in Arabic for 'God'. This 'Allah' had already been described in the bible by God as: ' _The god of this world_ who has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel' (II Corinthians 4:4) 'Now is the judgment of this world: now shall _the prince of this world_ be cast out' (John 12:13) 'The god of this world' and 'The Angel of the bottomless pit (underworld)' (Revelation 9:11) is none other than Lucifer.

Raphael grit his teeth as he thought about how these ignorant humans still believed that it was the Archangel _Gabriel_ , Michael's brother, who passed down the Quran to Mohammed. That 'Archangel' was simply Lucifer in disguise doing what he did best - lying and deceiving. _That prissy peacock..._

Most Muslims had no idea just _who_ they were actually worshiping, however, which is just the way Lucifer the Deceiver and the Imams wanted it. It made the war very complex though because the Muslims were still redeemable through Jesus Christ. Raphael knew one thing for sure - there were good and evil of every group of people upon the Earth. So to single out the Muslims for their blindness would be wrong. The answer was to instead spread the truth so that they could ask themselves: 'Do I truly wish to worship Lucifer? Am I willing to give my soul to the devil? Do I truly wish for bloodshed...or do I wish instead for peace?'

Carmen gave Raphael a sympathetic look and put her hand on his shoulder. She could sense that his was a heavy burden to bear. "Raphael..." The singer hopped down from the counter wanting to hug Raphael and offer him more comfort but he stepped back in order to put more distance between them. That's when he looked behind her at his workstation. The counter was a complete mess - jars of ingredients had been knocked over and spilled, the scale and weights were overturned, the bowl of chocolate he'd been working on had also been knocked over, and white chocolate was spilled all over the counter. A muscle ticked beneath Raphael's eye in irritation. This encounter had cost him _hours_ of work! Hours!

And everything was out of order. There was _disorder_ in his kitchen. He hated this! Hated having anything out of his control. The Archangel was about to hyperventilate. _I must always be in control. Everything must be under my control._ "Look at the mess you've made...the disorder..." Raphael's deep voice trembled with rage and something else akin to panic.

Carmen could sense that Raphael was about to have a breakdown of some sort. "Hey..." She tentatively placed a hand on his shaking shoulder again as he looked at the mess. "It's okay. I'll help you clean up."

Raphael shook his head, and clenched his fists. "No...no one understands how I like things organized."

"Oh yeah?" Carmen challenged as she arranged a group of spices into a group of three.

Raphael looked at the grouping of spices in shock. "How did you...? Well, I suppose you can help clean up. After all it's the least you can do since you've cost me _hours_ of work. I'll be up till morning making chocolate now because of you."

"Is that so, _mi cielo_?" Carmen responded as she continued to reorganize everything the way she'd seen it from the window.

Raphael sighed and carried the bowl of ruined chocolate over to the sink, put the bowl in the sink, and turned the water on. He returned to his workstation and began righting his scale and weights, cleaning the counter of spilled ingredients, and letting Carmen arrange everything. They finished at the same time and Raphael was ready to start making his white chocolate bonbons again. He was slightly impressed and grateful Carmen had been so quiet during her task. He didn't like distractions in his kitchen. "Well, now that you're done, you can go."

But Carmen made no move to leave. Instead she began wander around the kitchen and open and shut cabinets and drawers as if she were searching for something. "It's got to be around here somewhere."

A muscle ticked in Raphael's jaw. "What are you doing, she-demon?"

"Aha! I knew you had to have measuring cups!" Carmen declared triumphantly as she held up a glass, measuring cup set. "How about I help you make your chocolates? I'll measure the ingredients as you tell me the recipe, and you do the rest."

Raphael frowned. "Using those cups? How do I know they're truly accurate?"

"Just trust me Raphael. They are." Carmen assured with a tinge of amusement in her voice.

Raphael sighed in defeat. "Alright, fine, you measure the ingredients and I'll make the chocolate. But no talking. I don't like distractions in _my_ kitchen."

Carmen saluted Raphael. " _Claro que si, mi amor!_ Aye aye, Sir!"

The Archangel narrowed his eyes at her. "That means starting _now_." Carmen zipped her lips and nodded. "We'll be making Orange Ginger White Chocolate discs." Raphael informed her.

"Oh, that sounds so delicious! I can't wait to-" Carmen bit her lower lip to silence herself when Raphael shot her an irritated look.

"The recipe is as follows: two ounces edible cocoa butter, 1/3 cup powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon powdered milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon orange extract, 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger." Raphael explained.

Carmen measured out the cocoa butter and handed the cup to Raphael. He scooped the butter out into a microwave-safe bowl and stuck the bowl in the microwave for two minutes. After that he continued to melt the butter in increments of one minute at a time until the butter was fully melted.

"Here's the sugar." Carmen handed the cup of sugar to Raphael. He stirred it into the bowl and Carmen handed him the cup of powdered milk next. "Powdered milk." Raphael stirred it into the bowl.

The succubus and Archangel stirred in the remaining ingredients until Raphael frowned down at the final ingredient listed in his recipe book. "It says to add a pinch of salt. How the hell are we supposed to know how much-"

Carmen leaned over the bowl and added a pinch of salt. Rapahel's jaw ticked in irritation. The singer gave him an innocent look and shrugged. "What?"

Raphael then spooned the mixture into a silicone mold of heart shapes. Carmen raised an eyebrow at the mold. "Raphael, you do realize that you're making heart-shaped chocolates, right?"

A slight pink tinge came to Raphael's pale cheeks. "I own a chocolate shop now. I have to make what is popular with the females."

"Uh huh."

"This has nothing to do with my personal tastes." Raphael assured her.

"Sure." Carmen agreed but did not sound at all convinced.

Raphael shot her an irritated look, but he was unable to stay angry with Carmen for very long. The time it usually took Raphael to make chocolates had been cut in half due to Carmen's help. The Latina watched him work over his shoulder, her eyes wide and expressive. Raphael sighed. "You look like you want to say something?"

"It's just the chocolates look like they're going to be delicious. I can't wait to taste them...but next time you should add a little dark chocolate to make things more _wicked_." She winked.

"Who said anything about _you_ getting to try these chocolates?" Raphael grumbled as he picked up the tray, carried it over to the refrigerator, and put it inside.

Carmen pouted. "Raphael...you meanie!"

Raphael hid a smile behind his hand. Making chocolate with Carmen wasn't so bad. Perhaps, they could do it again sometime. At least she was quiet during the process.

To be continued in...Chocolate 9: _Tangy Lime_

Raphael: Make sure to visit the following website where you can learn more about how to make white chocolate from scratch.

http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2011/07/how-to-make-white-chocolate-in-less.html

Interested in reading more about the connection between 'Allah' and Lucifer? Go to:

Shoebat.com/2014/10/29/isis-beheads-several-men-cursing-devil

Shoebat.coe/2014/05/30/biblical-evidence-worship-allah-worship-lucifer/

### Chapter 9: Tangy Lime

The next day at _Dark Heaven,_ Tristan watched as Issy opened the front door, and there was a sudden flood of customers. Tristan had had his chin propped in his hand but at the sight of the mob of women rushing into his shop his elbow slipped on the counter. There were as many young women inside of the store as he'd had on Valentine's Day! It was unreal.

"Epp!" Issy squeaked as she stepped out of the way before she could get run over. "Goodness gracious." She murmured as the customers all made a line at the display case while others took seats at the tables and waited to be served.

"I'll handle the register. You and Mina can handle the tables." Tristan called out as he began to help a female customer.

Issy saluted Tristan. "Righto, Boss."

"Yes, Brother." Mina said.

Michael was busy practicing his chocolate making skills in the kitchen, and could be seen through the glass in the main shop area. Like clockwork, Tristan handled the women buying assortments of chocolates and prepackaged boxes of chocolates at the register while Issy and Mina handled taking orders at the tables for tea, coffee and chocolates. Tristan couldn't help but be impressed by how he and his friends handled things so efficiently.

"See, here it is, Becca Thorn's blog: _Gourmet Dessert Trends_." A young brunette who was seated at one of the tables had her laptop open before her, and was pointing at the screen while her friend, who sat next to her, looked at the screen curiously. "That's how I found out about this place. Becca is _the_ Gourmet Trend Setter. And here is the blog post that she wrote about _Dark Heaven_."

Issy's ear twitched with interest and she peered over the young woman's shoulder curiously. She saw a nicely written blog post that was all about _Dark Heaven_ and the chocolates Tristan and Michael made. Becca reviewed the chocolates, commenting on their flavor, quality and appearance. She also made sure to tell her followers about the latest chocolates available.

The blog also included pictures of Tristan, Mina, Michael and Issy. Her eyes widened as she wondered when those photos had been taken. _How did she take our photos without me noticing?_ As a professional stalker she had to give kudos to Becca for her photo-taking skills. She was also surprised to see that the blog referred to Tristan as the 'Chocolate Sex God' and even went on to explain Tristan's urban legend that was running rampant on the net.

"Hey, Tristan, Mina, you guys have _got_ to see this." Issy exclaimed as she waved the two of them over.

Tristan and Mina were instantly at her side. "What is it, china doll?" Tristan asked.

Issy pointed at the laptop screen. "It's a blog post about _Dark Heaven_. Apparently this 'Becca Thorn' is known as the Gourmet Trend Setter. Her blog is called: _Gourmet Dessert Trends_. Have you heard of her?"

Tristan looked at the blog post intently and a smug expression came to his face. "Becca Thorn. I met her formally at the _Epic Taste Party_. She's one of our regular customers." Tristan grinned as he recalled the fashionable outfit she'd been wearing. "It was nice of her to do this. She's also a total babe."

Mina whacked Tristan over the back of his head for his lewd comment.

"Ow." Tristan rubbed the back of his head and pouted at Mina.

Issy gave Tristan a skeptical look. "Nice? Maybe..." She didn't sound so sure.

Tristan's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"She means it's obvious this Becca person probably wants _something_ from you. No one does anything for free, Brother." Mina warned with a hand on her jutted hip.

Tristan waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "You girls are too paranoid. Girls do nice things like this all the time."

"What world are you living in?" Mina asked dryly.

Issy gave Tristan a look of disbelief. "He's living in La La Land."

"More like Kinky Sex Land." Mina countered. The two girls giggled while Tristan found himself blushing.

Most of the female customers in _Dark Heaven_ were looking at Becca's blog on their laptops, iPads, tablets, and smart phones. Apparently, Becca's blog was _extremely_ popular. She had _thousands_ of followers.

Tristan watched as the amount of chocolates inside of his display case began to dwindle into single digits. "Whoo! I'm going to have to make more chocolate! We're going to be sold out at this rate. I better go help Michael make some more. Issy, handle the register while I'm busy, and Mina, continue to handle the floor, please." Tristan returned to the kitchen and began to make some more chocolates with Michael's help. An hour later, Issy entered the kitchen to inform Tristan that Becca and her entourage had arrived - whatever that meant.

Tristan exited the kitchen and made his way back into the main shop area. He spotted Becca seated at one of the round tables surrounded by several young women who were dressed similarly to Becca, as if they were copying her taste. They were all wearing the latest jewelry trend - bohemian charm cluster necklaces.

Becca was wearing dark denim jeans, a low-cut red shirt, a brown leather jacket, red high heels, and a _Gucci_ fedora. A _Gucci_ handbag was slung over the back of her chair. A pair of red sunglasses sat on her head like a headband. Tristan noted that her nails had been painted red as he watched her drumming one of her hands on the table impatiently as she waited for him to arrive.

Tristan approached Becca smoothly, not intimidated in the least by the group of girls like some men would be. Being surrounded by women was when Tristan was in his true element. "Hello Becca, it's nice to see you."

Becca stropped drumming her fingers when she looked up and spotted Tristan. "Oh, hello Tristan, how are you today? No, don't answer that. I'm sure you're doing _great_ , and that's all thanks to _me_ , of course! I wrote a blog post about your chocolate shop, and told all my followers to come here. And as you can see-" Becca waved her hand around the shop. "They obeyed me - like always. Never underestimate the power of a blogger, sugar." She boasted in that sexy southern accent, and tilted her chin up in a haughty manner.

Tristan just smiled. He liked confident women. "Yes...you're amazing, Becca."

"I-" Becca stopped short as Tristan's words sunk in and she blushed. The surprise was evident on her face. "Ah...yes, of course I am!" She flipped her long hair over her shoulder.

"Really though, thank you for all your help...everything you order is on the house today." Tristan offered amiably.

Becca's followers tittered excitedly at that. Becca smiled, with a holier-than-thou expression on her face. She thrived off of this kind of attention. "Thank you, that's very generous of you, Tristan. But did you really think that would be enough to satisfy me?" Innuendo was dripping from her husky voice.

Tristan gave Becca a confused look. "What would you like from me? Whatever you wish, if it's in my power to grant, then so be it." He tilted his head at her.

"A date." Becca said, a mischievous smile curling her glossy lips. "I want to go out on a date with the infamous 'Chocolate Sex God' Tristan Savant."

Mina had overheard Becca and immediately became angered by her words. "I knew it! I knew she was up to something! I knew she didn't write that blog post out of the goodness of her heart. She wants to _force_ you into going on a date with her, Tristan!" Mina said as she stomped towards Becca and her table of followers.

"I don't mind." Tristan quickly interjected, still smiling. Tristan's words had Mina skidding to a startled halt. "In fact...I would be honored to get to go on a date with you, Becca."

Mina fell over.

Becca blinked at Tristan in amazement. "You would?" She coughed into her hand as she quickly composed herself. "I mean, of course you would! Then...how about tomorrow afternoon? I can tell that you're going to be too busy to leave your shop today."

"Sounds good." Tristan agreed.

Becca gave Tristan a suspicious look then. It was unexpected that she'd gotten a date with Tristan Savant so easily. "I suppose it's true what they say about you - you _never_ say 'no' to a woman who asks you out."

Tristan's smile faltered but only for a moment. "That's right...I don't really have a reason to say 'no'. Every woman has her own appeal, her own beauty to behold, and unique personality to savor. But sometimes I get _lucky_ and a beauty like you asks me out."

Becca's cheeks pinkened and she cursed her pale complexion, which revealed her emotions so easily. "So...we'll only have one date together, right?"

"I...can do better than that. I can promise you this entire week. This entire week I am yours, Becca Thorn." The chocolatier announced loud enough that everyone inside of the chocolate shop heard.

The young women sitting with Becca tittered and 'oohed' and 'ahhed' with excitement.

"A week, huh?" Becca said, a glint in her lime green eyes. _That's what he thinks. I have one week to make Tristan Savant fall for me...and I always get what I want. I'll blog about my dates with the Chocolate Sex God of New York City and the posts are sure to be super popular._

As the Gourmet Trend Setter, Becca got everything for free at the best restaurants, bakeries, and chocolate shops in the city. She planned to take Tristan to these places and make him realize just how special she really was. The blogger had thousands of friends on facebook and her page had thousands of 'likes'. Becca was practically a celebrity. She felt that she deserved a man like Tristan Savant at her side. _I can just picture him on my arm. He'll be the perfect, trendy accessory for me because he's so 'in'._

***

The next day at _Dark Heaven_ , when afternoon arrived so did Becca Thorn. Tristan watched her enter the shop and was surprised to note that her entourage was absent. She was wearing another trendy outfit. A royal blue blouse hugged her shapely breasts, beige pants showed off her long legs, and beige high-heels completed the look. Becca had a beige handbag in her hands. For jewelry she wore a green gemstone necklace with matching earrings.

Tristan strolled over to greet her at the door. "Good afternoon, Becca. You look nice."

"Afternoon, Tristan." Becca greeted casually as she looked Tristan over with a critical eye. Tristan had dressed up for his date with Becca and wasn't wearing his usual chocolatier outfit, but a stylish, trendy one. Tristan was wearing a blue t-shirt, an open gray blazer, beige pants with a braided, dark brown leather belt and brown dress shoes. A gray scarf was casually draped around his neck. The clothes looked expensive, classy, and yet exuded a casual date look. Her lips twitched. "We match."

Tristan chuckled as he realized that they'd both decided to wear blue shirts and beige pants. "I suppose we do."

"Scarves and braided leather belts are definitely 'in' this season. Well done, Tristan." Becca nodded her approval.

Tristan was feeling chagrined since he hadn't really done it on purpose. A saleswoman at the mall had simply recommended this outfit to him while he'd been shopping for Rachel's party dress. "Uh, thanks?"

Becca's eyes zeroed in on the gold box Tristan was holding. It had also been tied with a red silk bow. "Is that for little ol' me?"

"Ah, yes, I made these chocolates especially for you. You could say that the necklace you were wearing yesterday inspired them." Tristan explained as he handed her the box.

"The bohemian charm cluster necklace?" Becca questioned as she took the box, undid the bow, and opened it curiously to get a peek inside.

"Uh, yes, I guess." Tristan said as he scratched the back of his neck. He knew chocolate, but he'd be lying if he said he new _fashion_.

Becca looked at the assortment of chocolate bonbons that were all different shapes, just like the charms on her necklace had been. There were crescent moons, stars, hearts, and four-leaf clovers. Some of the chocolates were square or rectangular shaped with a glob of icing on top. A small decoration made out of fondant icing in the shape of a charm of some kind had then been placed on top of the icing. "Ooo, these are really beautiful. They look delicious. Thank you."

"Not at all. Feel free to try one-"

"Just a sec." Becca interrupted him as she whipped out her cell phone and took a picture of the open box of chocolates and uploaded the picture to her blog and facebook pages. She then began to type in a quick comment: ' _Chocolate_ _Sex God Tristan Savant gave me a box of chocolates that he said were inspired by me.'_

Tristan peeked over her shoulder to see what Becca was doing and his eyebrows rose as he read her comment. It was slightly embarrassing to be called a 'sex god'. "Ah..." Tristan didn't know what to say.

_Bing_. Becca's phone beeped at them. "Oh, goody, someone already commented on the photo." Becca informed Tristan before bringing up the comments on her cell phone screen and showing Tristan. More comments began to appear in real time:

' _Those chocolates look as trendy and amazing as you Becca!_ '

' _Cool._ '

' _Oh, you go girl - keep reeling him in!_ '

' _Becca's caught the elusive Chocolate Sex God - don't let him go!_ '

' _Nomnomnomnom_.'

' _Drool. Those chocolates look yummy!_ '

' _You'll have to go to the gym after eating all those chocolates_ '

Tristan's eyes widened at all of the comments Becca was receiving so quickly. Social media was such a strange phenomenon these days.

"And now I'm going to take a selfie." Becca picked up a heart-shaped chocolate, held it up to her mouth, and then took a picture as if she were about to bite into the chocolate. After she took the photo she put the picture up on her blog and facebook page along with the comment: ' _Tristan wanted me to try the heart-shaped chocolate first. I wonder why? (winky face)_ '

Tristan's eye twitched as he read her comment. "But I didn't say that."

There was a mischievous look in Becca's green eyes. "Yes, but _they_ don't know that. Now, let's take a few romantic pictures _together_." She put the chocolate back into the box uneaten. Becca stood next to Tristan, struck a pose, and took a picture of them together.

"Lean in like you're going to put a kiss on my cheek, Tristan. They'll love that." Becca directed next.

Tristan was bemused by the request and so he complied. "Okay." He leaned over to put a kiss on Becca's cheek.

Becca snapped the photo, and pulled away from Tristan before he could complete the kiss. He ended up kissing thin air and watched as Becca obliviously checked out the photo. "Oh, that looks good. I'm uploading it!" She exclaimed as she busied herself with uploading the photo and commenting on it.

Tristan kissed the air comically with puckered lips. The chocolatier wondered if Becca acted this way on all her dates? He cleared his throat to get Becca's attention away from her smart phone. That was getting harder and harder to do on dates with women these days, and he had _pheromones_. He felt sorry for normal young men. "Ahem...should we get going?"

Becca was still busy writing comments using her thumbs to type on her phone. "Okay...just a second and...done!" Becca finally put her phone away, closed the box of chocolates, and stuck them into her shoulder bag.

Tristan pouted at her actions. He'd worked hard on those chocolates all last night and had looked forward to the Gourmet Trend Setter's opinion of them. His spirits fell and this feeling of disappointment settled in the pit of his stomach.

"Let's go, sugar." Becca looped her arm around Tristan's and they headed out the door.

The feeling of Becca's boob pressing into his arm snapped Tristan out of his funk. "So I was thinking we could go to the park." He began.

"Dates at the park are so passé." Becca tsked. "Let's go and check out your competition instead."

"My competition?"

"Yes, the top ten best chocolate shops in New York City. They know me at each shop and so we'll get to sample their latest products and chocolates - for _free_." Becca bragged. "It will be romantic, and I'll also be able to get some sweet information for my blog. It will be like killing two birds with one stone. I love multitasking."

"Multitasking." Tristan repeated dryly. _Romantic multitasking?_ "O-kay. Whatever you say, babe." _Becca is a little strange...but she's still smoking hot._

According to Becca the top ten chocolate shops in New York City were: _Jacques Torres_ (where one could watch chocolate being made), _Kee's Chocolates_ (the shop featured creamy, not-too-sweet chocolates with unique fillings), _Black Hound_ (the shop featured handmade chocolates that had elegant, simple packaging), _Li-Lac Chocolates_ (the shop featured chocolates in memorable shapes like the Empire State building), _Martine's Chocolates_ (featured chocolates being made using Belgian chocolate, French butter and American cream), _MarieBelle_ , _The Chocolate Bar_ , _Vosges Chocolate_ , _Richart Design_ , and lastly number ten was _La Maison du Chocolate_.

Tristan drove Becca in his Corvette to the first chocolate shop on her top ten list: _Jacques Torres_. He'd wanted to have the top down since it was nice out, but Becca had refused saying that her hairstyle would get messed up. She claimed that they still had lots of selfies to take. Tristan parked a block away from the shop, and it wasn't long before they were entering the chocolate shop. The shop had a warm ambience and its color theme was dark orange and brown.

The first thing that caught their eye as they entered the shop was the glass-shelving unit that displayed orange boxes of chocolates that had been tied with brown bows. Tristan wanted to take a peek into the display case to see the chocolates closer, but Becca grabbed his hand and led him over to one of the small round tables that was free. A server greeted them a moment later.

"Hey, Becca, long time no see." A blonde greeted amiably. She was dressed in a polo shirt, khaki pants and was wearing a brown apron overtop for her uniform. Tristan wished the uniform were a _little_ sexier. But that was just his opinion. "It's good to see you again! Are you here doing research for your blog?" She gave Tristan a curious sidelong look.

"Yep, I'm also on a date. I'm multitasking. This is the Chocolate Sex God - Tristan Savant. Perhaps you've heard of him?" Becca introduced Tristan with a wave of her hand in his direction.

The server gawked at Tristan and blushed. "Ehhh? He's the real Sex God? Like from the Urban Legend? Tristan Savant! Here? Eeee! And you're on a date with him?" The blonde was practically jumping up and down at this point. Tristan wasn't too surprised by her wired behavior though. She did work in a chocolate shop and chocolate did contain caffeine. "You're so lucky!" The server clasped her hands together.

Becca looked very pleased by the young woman's reaction and a wide smile spread across her face. "We'd like to try your latest chocolate."

"Oh, yes of course! Right away, Becca, and it will be on the house, of course. For you and for Tristan. Would you like coffee or tea with your chocolate?" The server asked.

"I'll have orange tea, please." Becca said.

"Coffee for me." Tristan informed the blonde. "Black."

"I'll be right back with your orders." The blonde said before she sped off. Becca was smirking as she watched her go.

"You weren't kidding about the VIP treatment. Is being a blogger a lucrative business?" Tristan asked with interest.

Becca nodded. "I make most of my money through the banner ads on my blog. Once a blog hits more than ten thousand followers you're usually eligible for advertising. I also monetized my blog with Amazon. I can pick out products sold on Amazon that I think my fellow Gourmands would be interested in and put up the links right on my blog page. I usually put the links to recipe books that I think my followers would like to read."

"I see." Tristan stroked his chin in thought. "Impressive. It must be a lot of work, keeping a blog popular."

"Oh, it is. I have to stay ahead of the other gourmet bloggers in this city. I also have to decide what the top gourmet trends are. The information on my blog has to be accurate or my followers would all turn against me." Becca shuddered at the thought.

"Sounds vicious." Tristan put his chin in his hand as he stared at Becca, admiring the way her green eyes flashed with passion when she spoke about blogging.

Becca shrugged. "That's blogging."

At that moment, the server arrived holding a tray with the tea, coffee and two plates of assorted chocolates. The waitress set the cup of tea down before Becca, and then the cup of coffee before Tristan. After that she set the plates of chocolate down before them. "Chocolatier Jaques sends his regards, Becca, and hopes you enjoy his latest creations."

"Thank you, Sally." Becca said.

Immediately, Tristan selected a chocolate to try. He popped the bonbon into his mouth, chewed thoughtfully, and swallowed. "Mmm, sour...with a hint of lime...dark chocolate...the filling is incredible. What do you think, Becca?" Tristan looked up at Becca expectantly.

"Hold on just a sec. I have to get a picture first." Becca whipped out her cell phone and was soon taking a picture of the plate of chocolates and writing comments about them.

Tristan frowned as he leaned over the table to see what she was writing about the chocolates. "Shouldn't you try the chocolates first _before_ commenting on them?"

"What? Huh? I've had the chocolates here before...they pretty much always taste the same." Becca shrugged.

Tristan's eyes narrowed at the blogger. "I see...but what if the chocolatier was trying to change his taste, and you miss the subtle changes and nuances of his creations." Tristan chided in a stern voice. When it came to chocolate, Tristan Savant took things very seriously.

Becca's thumbs stilled on her phone when she noticed that Tristan had sounded almost _angry_. And Tristan Savant did _not_ get angry with women. She set her phone down on the table and gave him an apologetic look. "You're right, I'm sorry. I don't want you to think I'm half-assing things. I just wanted to spend more time with you talking...so I was rushing through the work part." She blushed at her admission.

Tristan looked relieved by her admittance instead of angry. _Oh, so that's how it was._ "No, worries, I understand. I want to spend more time getting to know you too, Becca." The chocolatier reached across the table and placed his hand on Becca's.

Becca's cheeks pinkened until they had a rosy glow.

"THE HELL?!" There was a sudden commotion at a nearby table.

Instantly curious, Tristan and Becca turned their attention towards the table, but the couple had menus raised in front of their faces before Tristan could get a good look at them. Tristan supposed the other couple probably had acted out of embarrassment due to their outburst, shrugged it off, and returned his attention to Becca.

***

Little did Tristan and Becca know but at that moment, Mina and Michael were also inside of _Jacques Torres_ hiding behind their menus. Mina had followed Tristan's Corvette in her new BMW all the way to the chocolate shop. Michael had noticed her departure, had turned himself invisible, and had followed after Mina using his wings.

Mina had parked her car a block away, gotten out, and headed towards the _Jacques Torres_ chocolate shop. A sly smile curled her lips. "Now, I'll get to spy on Tristan and Becca, and then-"

"Oh, sounds like fun. Count me in." Came a rather gravely male voice.

Mina screamed when all of a sudden Michael appeared next to her, as if out of thin air. Mina stared at Michael in disbelief. "Oh my God...Michael? Don't _do_ that!" She placed a hand over her thumping heart. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously at Michael a second later. "Why are you here? No, scratch that, how did you even get here? I drove here but..."

"I took a cab." Michael smirked as he crossed his arms over his broad chest.

Mina gave Michael a dubious look. "Well, whatever...if you think you can stop me from going in there, you are sadly mistaken-"

Michael opened the door for Mina, cutting her off. "After you, Miss Mina."

Mina gawked at Michael for a moment before she let out a frustrated huff. "Hmph!" She stomped her way inside of the chocolate shop and spotted Tristan and Becca seated at one of the tables. Mina grabbed a menu and held it up in front of her face as she made her way to one of the tables towards the back of the establishment. Michael followed suite, grabbed a menu to hide his face, and joined Mina at her table.

The heiress and the angel watched as a server went over to say 'hi' to Becca, and noted how Becca introduced Mina's brother as the 'Chocolate Sex God'! After that the server left and returned a few minutes later with a tray of tea, coffee, and chocolate for them to sample.

Mina gaped at Becca when she whipped her phone out and began to take a picture of the chocolates instead of actually trying them first. "Stupid bitch...she isn't taking chocolate _seriously_. She'll get on Tristan's bad side at this rate." She couldn't help the pleased smile that curled her lips at the thought.

"I don't think any woman could get on Tristan's bad side." Michael said dryly.

However, they both watched as Tristan scolded Becca for what she was doing and insisted that she taste the chocolates before reviewing them.

"Ha! Take that bitch!" Mina cackled.

However, when Becca apologized, Tristan reached out to take Becca's hand. "THE HELL?!" Mina burst out, incredulous. She slammed her hands on the table in front of her and stood up. Mina would have been caught if not for Michael, who quickly pulled Mina back down into her seat, and held the menu up in front of her face.

Seeing Tristan forgive Becca so easily also surprised Michael. _Tristan isn't supposed to be with Becca...he's supposed to be with Issy!_

A server arrived at their table and Mina ordered herself a café latte and plate of assorted chocolates. Michael did the same. Mina gave Michael a surprised look, causing the angel to shrug. "What? It's good research to see what kinds of chocolates our greatest competition is making."

A few minutes later, the server arrived with their coffee and chocolates. Mina and Michael immediately sampled the chocolates, and began to enthusiastically discuss their flavors, textures, what they thought of the chocolates, how they would improve them, and how they compared to similar products at _Dark Heaven_. Mina and Michael had become so engrossed in their conversation about chocolate that before they knew it an hour had passed.

"Ack! Where are Tristan and Becca?" Mina stood up from her table once she realized that the couple was no longer inside of the chocolate shop.

Michael sat back in his chair and grinned wolfishly. "I guess we lost them. Oops."

"Michael? Why you!" Mina was so angry that she wasn't really thinking when she reached out to grab Michael's jacket collar to give him a good shake. Michael didn't resist and his head snapped back and forth. That's when the most unexpected thing happened. As Michael's head snapped forward his lips brushed against Mina's. His eyes widened with astonishment before Mina's did the same.

***

After going to a few more of the chocolate shops on Becca's list, the blogger announced to Tristan that the next chocolate shop they went to would be a _surprise_. Tristan obligingly followed her directions, and parked a few blocks away from where the shop supposedly was. Tristan grabbed Becca's hand and held it as they approached the shop.

The shop looked modern. Its exterior was painted white and it had a huge front window with an impressive display of stacked silver boxes of chocolates that had been tied with black and silver bows. The boxes of chocolate were arranged on big, fluffy pieces of cotton-like material that were obviously supposed to represent clouds. Over the front door was an old-fashioned, white and silver striped awning. A white wooden sign that was shaped like cloud had the shop's name on it in black and silver, swirly letters, and swung back and forth as a light breeze blew.

_Cloud 9?_ Tristan skidded to a halt as he read the sign. _Raphael's chocolate shop? Oh hell no._ There was no way he was going in there!

Becca nearly ran into Tristan's back since he'd stopped right outside the door to the chocolate shop. "Hey, what's wrong, Tristan? Don't you want to go inside and check out your rival's shop?"

The blood was draining from Tristan's face and he began to shiver with dread. Of course Tristan didn't want to go in there and see Raphael - the guy was a sadistic, psycho freak angel! Tristan turned, laughed nervously at Becca, and tried to smile at her, but it turned out as more of a grimace. "Of course I do. Ladies first." Tristan opened the door for Becca with a shaky hand and let her inside. Tristan took a deep breath before following Becca into the chocolate shop.

Tristan had to shield his eyes as he walked inside of _Cloud 9_. "B-Bright!" The chocolate shop's color theme was white with silver and black accents. The walls and ceiling had been painted with the mural of a blue sky and white fluffy clouds similar to _Dark Heaven_ 's except that the female angels were dressed in conservative white robes. There were also several cute, rosy-cheeked, innocent looking cherubs sitting amongst the clouds enjoying chocolate too.

A gigantic silver chandelier with clear crystals hung from the center of the ceiling. White-painted tables were surrounded by matching chairs with black velvet cushions. The floor was white and black checkered marble, and was gleaming it was so clean. The entire place was so clean in fact that it was literally sparkling. There wasn't a single speck of visible dust to be seen. Tristan figured one could eat off the floor. He noticed a toothbrush on the floor and realized that someone had actually scrubbed the grout between the black and white tiles in order to get it completely white. _Anal retentive, much?_

A large display case sat towards the back of the shop, and Tristan's inquisitiveness got the better of him. He approached the case, curious to see what Archangel Raphael had come up with. Inside the case were dozens of white chocolate bonbons and truffles, and a few dark chocolate creations. There were bonbons shaped like clouds, angels and wings. The chocolates were either made out of white chocolate and had dark chocolate accents, or dark chocolate patterns had been drizzled on top of the chocolates.

Tristan was intrigued to see a white chocolate cake and some white chocolate cupcakes also for sale, which meant that Raphael was also learning how to bake. The chocolates were simple, but super elegant. The incubus was impressed since he'd expected Raphael's chocolates to appear amateurish and they were anything but. Tristan looked around for any sign of Raphael, and noted the huge sheet of glass between the kitchen and the chocolate shop. A muscle ticked below Tristan's eye. Raphael had totally copied his store's layout! _What a hack._

Raphael was currently inside of the kitchen making chocolate, Tristan blinked and quirked his head, or doing chemistry? The angel was meticulously weighing ingredients using a brass scale and weights. Tristan felt a trickle of sweat form on the side of his head. O-kay. Had the guy never heard of a measuring cup? Sure, the way he was doing it was probably going to be more accurate, but it was incredibly time consuming and unnecessary.

Becca poked Tristan's arm. "Hey, let's go get a table."

Tristan nodded dazedly and allowed himself to be led to one of the tables towards the back. The incubus continued to admire the shop. He hated to admit it but it was _nice_. _He makes a worthy rival after all._

Becca had her chin propped up on her hand as she observed Tristan's strange reactions to the shop. "So what do you think of this place, sugar? For a minute there you looked like you were going to puke your guts out, but now it looks like you've recovered."

"I'm just surprised by how nice it looks in here. Even if it is a blatant copy of _Dark Heaven_. And everyone knows that the original is always better than the copy. But the true test is the _taste_ of his chocolates." Tristan said absentmindedly as he looked around the shop. That's when his eyes landed on a shadowy figure seated at one of the back tables. _Huh?_ The person was dressed in a black trench coat, fedora, and had a pair of large black sunglasses on their face even though they were inside.

Tristan couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face. _I know who that is._ "If you'll excuse me for a moment, Becca. I'll be right back." Tristan said before he stood up and made his way over to the stalker's table. He reached out and grabbed the fedora off her head. "Aha! I knew it was you, Coco-"

"Who's Coco?" A woman questioned as she shook out her long, black hair so that it cascaded around her shoulders in waves. She removed her sunglasses to reveal familiar chocolate brown eyes.

Tristan's jaw dropped. "Carmen! What the hell are _you_ doing here? And what's with that getup?"

An impish smile curled Carmen's red lips. "Stalking Raphael of course. I just _had_ to check out his new store." _Since I only got to see the kitchen the last time I was here._ "Isn't it awesome? _Increíble?_ "

Tristan frowned. "Stalking...?" His expression shifted to concern. "Carmen, you can't still be interested in that guy? Especially after what I told you about him...?" A.k.a the fact that Raphael was an Archangel with a deep hatred for demons.

Carmen shrugged lackadaisically. "What does that really matter? Tristan...he's the only man I've ever met that was able to resist my charms."

Tristan's expression fell and he reached out to put a hand on Carmen's shoulder. He could feel her pain as a fellow half-incubus. Finding someone immune to their charms was next to impossible...but Raphael was dangerous! "And what lovely charms they are. But...I can't agree with you and Raphael." He shook his head. "No, I won't allow it. Carmen, you don't even know him. The _real_ him. Raphael is dangerous. The other day he kidnapped me and-"

"Ahem." A man cleared his throat loudly.

Tristan and Carmen turned to see that Raphael had appeared at their table. " _Mi amor!_ I mean, Raphael!" Carmen exclaimed with a blush.

"Raphael." Tristan said in a low, threatening voice.

Raphael's eyes narrowed on Tristan's hand that was still on Carmen's arm. "Tristan...Carmen." He greeted them, sounding angry for some reason.

Tristan turned to face the angel fully. "I want you to stay away from my friend, Carmen."

Raphael raised an eyebrow at the request. "And if I refuse?"

A muscle ticked in Tristan's jaw. "I'm warning you, buddy. If you refuse I'll...!" Tristan clenched his fists as he tried to get his temper under control. It was unseemly to fight in front of _ladies_.

"You'll what? I've bested you easily before." Raphael raised his chin and gave Tristan a superior look.

A wave of rage crashed through Tristan as he remembered the humiliating position of being hung from someone's ceiling and whipped until he screamed. "That was a cheap shot, you son of a bitch!" Tristan exclaimed before he attacked Raphael - sending his foot flying towards Raphael's head.

Raphael merely leaned sideways to dodge the kick. However, he hadn't been expecting Tristan's other foot to go flying towards his head so soon!

Tristan's kick connected with the side of Raphael's face sending him flying sideways. Before Raphael could get himself under control he'd landed on the black and white marble floor and skidded quite a ways back. But the angel was quick to react and pushed himself back up to his feet. Raphael rubbed his aching jaw, and stared back at Tristan in disbelief. As if he couldn't believe Tristan had actually managed to land a blow on him. _No way._

Tristan's expression was smug as he lowered his leg and got into a fighting stance.

Becca and Carmen were also equally amazed and impressed by Tristan's savage actions, and his powerful kick. Tristan was a lover not a fighter, but that didn't mean Tristan was a pushover. Everyone knew he took Savate and Capoeira, but none of his fan girls had ever seen Tristan in action before.

Until now.

Tristan put his hands into his jacket pockets to protect them and a fierce look shone in his narrowed bi-colored eyes.

Raphael dusted off his chocolatier jacket when he noticed that there was a speck of dust on it. "That had to have been a lucky shot."

A cocky expression formed on Tristan's face. "Lucky shot, my ass. I'll show you a lucky shot as I shove my foot up your ass!" The incubus charged towards Raphael and delivered a barrage of lightning fast kicks his way.

Raphael was ready for Tristan's attack this time, and dodged and blocked the kicks with his forearms. The angel then concentrated on getting past Tristan's defenses, but Tristan's legs were incredibly long and deadly. Tristan's reach with his legs was longer than Raphael's fists.

_Damnation!_ If only Raphael could use his sword he'd be able to end this fight with Tristan in five seconds flat. But he just couldn't whip out his lightning sword since there were _humans_ present. Raphael shot an irritated look towards Becca and Carmen. If he displayed superhuman powers he would be breaking _the rules_.

That's when Raphael noticed Carmen's expression. He'd expected her to look pleased that he was about to kick Tristan's impetuous ass, but instead her eyes were focused on Tristan and there was obvious concern in her eyes. She was worriedly nibbling on her lower lip and wasn't even looking at him. The Archangel realized in that moment that Carmen was _worried_ about Tristan. And it threw him for a loop.

"You shouldn't let a beautiful woman distract you in the middle of a fight, Raphael. You're wide open!" Tristan egged as he sent a ferocious side-kick into Raphael's stomach.

"Oof!" Raphael bent in half as the air was knocked out of his lungs from the force of the blow. "You bastard demon!" Raphael reached down and grabbed Tristan's ankle before he could pull his leg back.

Using his incredible strength, the angel slammed Tristan down into the marble floor, so hard that the floor cracked from the impact. The way Tristan's body had moved through the air had resembled a rag doll. The girls watched in horror as Tristan's back and then his head hit the floor hard with an ominous cracking sound. Tristan coughed up blood.

"Tristan!" Becca cried out in concern. She couldn't believe the intense fight she was witnessing. It was like watching a fight between immortals or gods or something.

" _Amigo mio!_ " Carmen also cried out loudly, in fear and worry for her best friend.

The two girls ran over to Tristan's fallen form, and crouched beside him. Becca on one side of Tristan and Carmen on his other side.

Tristan began to push himself up into a sitting position, "I'm okay...I can still take him." The incubus said even as blood dribbled out of the corner of his mouth. Tristan looked up and glared hatefully at Raphael, fires burning in his bi-colored eyes.

Raphael was caught off guard by how _brave_ Tristan was suddenly acting, and all to protect Carmen from him. There was a twisting feeling in his gut and he rubbed his stomach confusedly. "Why do you care so much about Carmen? You two are only friends, correct?"

"We're more than just friends, we-" Tristan was saying when Carmen cut him off.

"We're _best_ friends." Carmen interjected, giving Raphael an angry look. "And we dated in college. It didn't work out between us...but ever since then Tristan has been looking out for me."

"Dated...you mean...you and he...?" Raphael stammered as he looked between Tristan and Carmen.

Tristan smiled evilly when he noticed Raphael's unease. "Yes, Carmen and I had sex in case you're wondering, asshole."

Raphael snapped and punched Tristan hard across the face for his comment. Tristan was sent skidding sideways. "Don't regret it." Tristan muttered to himself from his prone position on the floor.

Raphael stalked towards Tristan, however. "Raphael!" Carmen exclaimed as she placed herself between Tristan and Raphael, and spread her arms wide. "Don't you dare get any closer to my friend. If you continue to hurt him...I'll never forgive you."

"Ow. Fuck." Tristan spit blood onto the once before immaculate white and black marble floor. Raphael flinched as his floor was dirtied. "Ever hear of holding back? Especially in front of the humans."

To everyone's surprise Raphael lowered his bloody fists that were in gloves, and stared at Carmen with this conflicted look on his face. He furrowed his brow and seemed unsure of what to do next.

Becca took that opportunity to make her way back over to Tristan, and offered him a hand up. "Thanks, babe." Tristan said as he took Becca's hand and let her help him up.

Carmen reached out and touched Raphael's shoulders. "It's over between Tristan and I. It was in the past...before I met you, but I don't want to keep secrets from you Raphael that may hurt you, which is why I told you. I promised you that I would _never_ hurt you."

Tristan looked at Raphael and Carmen's interaction in a mixture of shock and disbelief. He couldn't believe it, but it appeared as though Carmen had tamed the savage beast that was Raphael.

"You guys should go. _Vete de aqui._ " Carmen said still looking into Raphael's eyes. She had his complete attention.

Tristan hesitated before he sighed. "Fine, but if you hurt her, Raphael - I'll fucking _kill_ you."

Raphael's lips twitched. "Understood, Tristan."

Becca grabbed Tristan's arm and began to drag him out of the chocolate shop. "Come on...we should really get the hell out of here." _That guy is dangerous._

"Right." Tristan agreed.

As soon as Tristan and Becca were standing outside of the shop on the sidewalk, the blogger looked over Tristan's injuries and frowned. "We should get you to a hospital."

Tristan shook his head. "No need...but if you want to make me feel better how about we go back to your place?" If Becca had sex with him...her sexual energies would be more than enough to heal his current injuries.

Becca gave Tristan an incredulous look. "Here you are all injured and bleeding, and you're _still_ thinking about sex. You are incorrigible!"

"So I've been told." He winked.

***

Tristan didn't know how he managed to drive Becca to her apartment building. But somehow he made it. He barely remembered parking and entering the building, but it wasn't long before they were standing in front of Becca's apartment door.

Becca unlocked the door and ushered Tristan inside. "Come on in, sugar." She opened the door wide. Tristan entered and Becca was quick to lock the door behind her. For a comic moment he understood the _feeling_ of a young woman who goes to a man's apartment alone, and gets a surprise when he locks her inside and has his naughty way with her. As Becca looked him over hungrily, he felt like a sheep about to be devoured by a sexy wolf.

"Make yourself at home. Why don't you go ahead and take a seat in the living room while I go and get the first-aid kit." Becca offered.

"Ah, there's no need, really." _As long as I get laid, I'll be fine._ "I don't want to impose."

"No, it's nothing. Besides, I was really impressed when you stood up to protect your ex-girlfriend, Carmen. You were really... _dashing_. And you're also my guest and so I need to make sure you're comfortable." When Tristan looked like he would continue to object, Becca continued. "Oh come on, let me pamper you. Please?" She batted her long, dark lashes at him.

_She called me dashing._ Tristan reddened and scratched the back of his neck, feeling embarrassed. "Well, if you ask so nicely, how can I not let myself be pampered by you?"

"Good boy." There was a triumphant gleam in Becca's pale green eyes.

"Woof." Tristan made his way into her living room and admired the interesting, modern and art deco furniture. The furniture resembled something one might find in a futuristic space station and were all bright, trendy colors. There was a chair that looked like some kind of space pod and a couch without a back. Tristan took a seat on the couch and tried not to lean back out of habit while he waited for Becca.

Becca returned a few minutes later, entering the living room with a first-aid kit in her hands. She approached the couch, sat besides Tristan, and placed the kit on the low coffee table that was sitting before them. Becca opened the kit, and pulled out a bag of cotton and bottle of rubbing alcohol. She turned to face Tristan and looked him over. "Take off your clothes, sugar."

Tristan blinked, unsure he'd heard her correctly. "Uh, pardon? I wasn't really injured on my body...just my head."

Becca raised an eyebrow at Tristan and repeated. "Take off your clothes so I can check you for injuries. You can leave your boxers on if you're _shy_." She teased.

"Oh...Ohhh." Tristan stood up and quickly stripped his clothes off until he was left in only his boxers. His boxers were black with the pattern of little cupids firing arrows into red hearts.

Becca blinked at Tristan's boxers before she snorted, and then started to laugh. "Leave it to the Chocolate Sex God to actually wear something like that! Man, you're amusing."

Tristan found his cheeks heating up even though he'd picked out the boxers himself. He may have been a playboy, but...he still found himself getting embarrassed and even shy around women. Go figure. "Should I sit down?"

Becca looked at Tristan wolfishly. "Yes, come sit beside me, Tristan. Let me tend to your wounds and kiss them better." She patted the cushion beside her.

Tristan sat next to her obediently and Becca began to see to the cuts on Tristan's face where Raphael had punched him. The alcohol stung and Tristan hissed, but then Becca blew softly against his skin in a soothing manner. Tristan shuddered at the sensation.

"I can't believe he punched your handsome face. Oh well, at least he didn't damage anything _important_." Becca cast a meaningful glance towards Tristan's crotch.

"Yeah, thank God." Tristan nodded in agreement.

Becca's fingers were gentle as they applied _Neosporin_ to the tiny cuts on Tristan's face. When she was finished the blogger put the cap back onto the tube of _Neosporin_ and stood up. "Hey, are you hungry?"

"No, not really-" Tristan started.

Becca leaned over so that her face was directly in front of Tristan's, and he also had a nice view of her cleavage. "Allow me to let you in on a little secret. You're supposed to say: 'Yes, Becca I'm hungry'." Becca gave Tristan a meaningful look.

He swallowed thickly at the lustful look in her lime-green eyes. "Oh...um, I'm pretty hungry, actually."

Becca clapped her hands together. "Great, because I've prepared a snack for when you would come over. It will take a few minutes to get everything ready, but I'll be back soon, Sex God." She winked.

_The girl has plans._ Tristan licked his lips playfully. "I can't wait. I'm suddenly ravenous."

Becca grinned triumphantly as she made her way to the kitchen and out of sight.

Tristan tried to get comfortable on the strange backless couch, but his back and head were still throbbing from where they'd hit the marble floor. What Tristan really felt like doing was just lying down on a nice, soft bed. _Ow. Damn that Raphael._ _But...I can't help remembering the face Raphael was making when he looked at Carmen when she said she might not forgive him. He looked...almost distraught. Could that asshole be in love with her? Ha! An Archangel falling for a succubus...it would serve that bastard right!_

"And what dirty thoughts are running through your mind for you to make such a pleased expression, I wonder?" Came Becca's amused sounding voice as she reentered the living room.

Tristan turned his head to see Becca and his jaw dropped open slightly. Becca had taken off her clothes, and now she was just in her bra and panties. Her lingerie was solid black and had the pattern of red roses on them. Tristan gulped. _Wowzers._

Tristan was easily affected by visual stimuli as in incubus, and he could feel himself harden slightly at the sight of the half-naked Becca. The blogger was carrying two bowls - one filled with huge, fresh strawberries and the other with what must have been melted chocolate, judging from the smell that was now wafting through the air.

"Mmm, you look good enough to eat, babe." Tristan complimented.

Becca sashayed her way over to the couch, looking pleased. "Why, thank you. It took a little while since I had to melt the chocolate in the microwave, but it should be the perfect temperature for dipping. Not too hot." Becca set the two bowls down on the table in front of her, and took a seat next to Tristan.

She reached out, picked up a strawberry, and dipped it into the melted chocolate, coating it thoroughly. The blogger brought the chocolate-covered strawberry up to her mouth, but instead of biting it she began to lick the chocolate off of the strawberry with her wet, pink tongue using long strokes.

_Oh my God._ Tristan's shaft swelled in his boxers as he watched Becca's dexterous tongue lick and lap the chocolate off of the strawberry. She moaned with delight at the taste of the chocolate and met Tristan's eyes. _Tease._ Tristan sucked in a breath. The tip of his penis began to poke through the front of his boxers, craving touch.

Once Becca had licked all of the chocolate off the strawberry, she slowly bit into it, chewed and swallowed.

Tristan's heart rate had picked up and his breath rate had sped up too. He clenched his hands into fists at his sides in order to control himself and let Becca play her little 'game' - when really all he wanted to do was push Becca down onto the couch, spread her legs, and ram his aching cock into her wet pussy. He shuddered at the visual image in his perverted mind.

Tristan watched Becca intently as she picked up another strawberry, dipped it in chocolate, and purposefully pulled her hand back so that the chocolate covered strawberry hovered over Tristan's thigh.

A glob of chocolate dripped down from the strawberry and onto Tristan's thigh as a result. "Oh, how clumsy of me. Here let me help you clean that up, sugar." Becca leaned over and began to lap up the chocolate that was on Tristan's inner thigh.

"Damn girl." Tristan grunted as his cock hardened and emerged from his boxers fully. This was so damned hot. "You're driving me wild." The incubus began to tremble at the feeling of Becca's hot mouth on his inner thigh. She was _so_ close to his cock.

Becca pulled back and gave him a mischievous smile. She could tell Tristan was totally turned on by this. He was a chocolatier. She just _knew_ he was going to have a chocolate fetish. _I knew it!_ Becca held the strawberry up to Tristan's lips. "Eat it."

Tristan obeyed but not before he sucked on the tip of the strawberry suggestively while imagining her clit. It was Becca's turn to shiver with desire. Tristan licked and teased the strawberry as he would her clit before he finally ate it.

Becca grabbed another strawberry, and made sure it was dripping chocolate before she brought it to hover over Tristan's body again. This time the blogger held the strawberry directly over his erection and both of them watched intently as chocolate dripped down onto the head of his penis and dribbled down the sides. His cock throbbed from the sensation of hot chocolate hitting his sensitive flesh.

Tristan looked down at his chocolate covered erection in a mixture of shock, disbelief, and anticipation. This was like a dream. A dream he never wanted to wake up from. Was Becca really going to lick him there? "Becca, are you really...?"

Becca's green eyes twinkled with mischief. "Oopsies. I'm so clumsy today. What's wrong with me?" She said teasingly before she leaned over and began to lick the chocolate off of Tristan's cock boldly.

"Oh, yes." Tristan let his head fall back to stare up at the ceiling. So much pleasure...it felt so damned good.

Becca sucked on the head of Tristan's cock before taking more of him into her mouth. She licked and caressed him with her mouth and tongue, bobbing her head along his impressive length, stoking the fires of his lust into a raging inferno. _He tastes sweet. Must be because he eats all that chocolate._ Becca reached down and cupped Tristan's balls gently as she continued to work his length.

Tristan gasped at the sensation. Delicious pressure was building inside of him. He was so close. "Becca...I'm going to...!"

But Becca didn't pull away as Tristan lost control over himself and bucked his hips up, pushing deep into Becca's mouth until the tip of his cock hit the back of her throat, and then he came, spilling his seed into her mouth.

Becca didn't pull back but took everything Tristan had to offer, almost eagerly. His sweet come tasted like chocolate and oranges as it slid down her throat. And as soon as Tristan's come hit her stomach a wave of arousal hit Becca, causing her to cry out with fiery lust. Her entire body became flushed, her blood heating with desire, and wetness pooled between her thighs. She was so wet. So ready for him. Becca felt like she was going into heat or something. She suddenly felt _insatiable_.

Becca pulled her mouth off of Tristan's shaft and licked her lips. "Yum."

Just that one word had Tristan's cock stirring to life once more but...his policy was ladies first. And Becca had actually brought him to orgasm first. _Unacceptable._ Tristan shook his head, disappointed in himself.

With his release Tristan had expelled a lot of sexual energy instead of receiving it, and so he felt lightheaded and weak. Really, he should have spread Becca's legs and taken her right away, but...

He'd wanted to play this game with her, even if his body weakened to the point where he would be at Becca's mercy. But...he trusted Becca. And so-

"My turn." Tristan rumbled as he reached out, selected a strawberry, and dipped it in chocolate. He held the strawberry over Becca's stomach and chest, and a few drops of chocolate fell down upon her peachy flesh. Tristan stared at Becca with hooded eyes. "Oops." The incubus said before he leaned over Becca and used his tongue to follow the trail of chocolate that had been left from her stomach to her cleavage.

As Tristan nipped and licked at Becca's cleavage she couldn't resist her desire for more, and quickly unhooked her bra and tossed it aside. Her swollen mounds of soft flesh sprung free and as her straining, pink nipples were revealed to Tristan he groaned in approval. He dipped the strawberry into the chocolate and used it to drizzle chocolate onto Becca's nipples purposefully.

"Oh God, yes. You naughty, naughty boy." Becca moaned in agreement to his devious plan.

Tristan leaned over Becca, and began to suck the chocolate off her nipples. Her nipples hardened at his ministrations and she began to pant for breath. As he distracted her, he slid her silk panties down her legs. The incubus then dipped the strawberry into chocolate again, and this time he drizzled the chocolate over her exposed sex.

"Whoops." Tristan spread her legs and greedily began to lap up the chocolate there, running his tongue skillfully along her slit. Becca placed her hands on top of Tristan's head and pushed his face more fully against her core in a needy manner. "More...give me more."

Tristan eagerly complied and thrust his tongue inside her heat, tasting her. She tasted like tangy lime.

Becca arched her back at the pleasure, "Oh yes."

Tristan began to thrust his tongue in and out of Becca's sex, feeding from her sweetness that had been mixed with chocolate. Heat pooled in Becca's lower abdomen, and pressure was building inside of her. Building...back arching...she was _so_ close. "Tristan...I'm going to... _please_."

Tristan pulled back and took her clit into his mouth and sucked hard.

"Great balls of fire!" Becca cried out as she came violently, trembling against him.

Tristan frantically licked her sex as she came, devouring every single drop of her pleasure. He pulled back and dipped the strawberry he still held deep into her sex, pushing it inside.

Becca gasped and looked down at Tristan quizzically. "What are you doing?"

Tristan pulled the strawberry back and surprised Becca by eating it with vigor. "Mmm...delicious. Citrusy." He said and it was true. Her cream was exquisite.

"Oh my God...I can't believe you just did that! How dirty...and how incredibly hot." Becca sat up and put her hands on Tristan's chest to push him back down on the couch.

Tristan fell back against the couch easily. He was so weak he wouldn't have been able to resist her even if he wanted to. Becca seemed to sense his weakness and frowned. "Are you alright? Should we stop?" The chocolatier look awfully pale.

"No...please, don't stop...that really would kill me." Tristan said with a desperate edge to his voice.

Becca rolled her eyes. "Overdramatic much? Drama queen alert." But even as she teased him she straddled Tristan's eager body. She positioned herself directly over his erection and used her hand to guide his cock to her entrance. She felt the crown of his shaft tease her entrance and shuddered with delight. He was _already_ stretching her. She impaled herself upon his throbbing erection slowly, taking him further inside of her.

"So big." Becca moaned as she concentrated on taking more of him inside. He stretched her, filling her fully. She lowered herself the rest of the way onto his impressive length, not minding the combination of pleasure and pain due to Tristan's size. The combination of sensations merely made the whole thing that much more exciting. Besides, he was a rumored 'sex god' so she'd imagined him being huge. He didn't disappoint.

Tristan didn't even have the strength to grip her hips. "Becca, please...more."

Becca laughed lightly. "I like it when you beg, Sex God. It's hot." She raised herself up and then impaled herself again. Tristan groaned with pleasure. Becca began to move over him, rising and falling, taking him in and out of her, a slow tortuous pace.

Tristan could feel the tension building inside of him. Thank God he'd be able to come inside of a woman soon. He was so weak and his back hurt like a bitch. Tension was coiling in his gut, his balls drawing up tight as he neared his orgasm.

"Becca...so good. You're so beautiful." Tristan looked up at her in awe. Tristan Savant may have been a playboy, but every woman he was with was truly precious to him. He owed them his very survival. His _life_.

Becca stared down at Tristan and for some reason his words made her blush. This 'thing' between them was just 'sex', right? Sex and lust she could handle. Anything else...she wasn't sure, but...maybe...maybe with Tristan Savant she...?

"Ah...Tristan...I think I lo-!" Becca yelled out as she came, a wave of intense pleasure crashing through her body. Her inner walls clenched tightly around Tristan drawing him in deep.

"Ah, Becca!" Tristan cried out as he came, spilling his hot seed deep inside of her, filling her insides. On and on he continued to fill her.

"Wow...I can feel it inside...filling me up!" Becca exclaimed, and then another wave of pleasure crashed into her as she had a second orgasm. Sparks flashed in front of her eyes, her blood was singing, her body trembling, "Ah...again? No way! Amazing! You really are a sex god!" Becca came again, squeezing him tight and milking him for all he had.

Becca collapsed on top of Tristan, utterly spent, flushed, panting for breath, and her body was still tingling with pleasure.

Tristan felt wonderful, invigorated, and energized. He could feel his body sucking in Becca's sexual energies. _Mmm. Delicious._ Already the pain in his back and in the back of his head was lessening, and the wounds on his face were beginning to close. Ah, the power of sex. He would be fully healed by morning. "Thank you, Becca."

Becca was already sound asleep against his chest and snoring lightly. _Too cute._ He stroked her hair lovingly. _It's a shame I'll have to break up with you so soon. But I can't allow myself to have 'love' in my life. I don't deserve it. And you deserve better than me, Becca Thorn._

To be continued in...Chocolate 10: _Hard Toffee_

Tristan: If you wish to read more about the top ten chocolate stores in New York City, please visit the following link.

Gonyc.about.com/od/shopping/tp/best_chocolate.htm

### Chapter 10: Hard Toffee

The next morning Becca awoke and reached her arms out to hug Tristan closer to her body, however, her arms embraced thin air. _Huh? What the?_ Becca sat up, rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and blinked as she looked around the room. Still no Tristan to be seen. Tristan was gone and in his wake he'd left Becca a single red rose on the pillow next to her, and a tiny gold box that could only fit one chocolate inside. Curious, Becca picked up the box and opened it.

Inside was a square-shaped, milk chocolate bonbon drizzled with red icing and with a black butterfly on top that was also made of icing. The butterfly resembled the trendy earrings she oftentimes wore. She was surprised that Tristan had seemed to notice her butterfly earrings. Most men didn't usually notice a woman's jewelry. At least not men that were straight.

Becca picked up the chocolate and bit into it only to discover that inside of the chocolate was a hard piece of toffee. As she sucked on the toffee she noticed that there was a small card that had been sitting beneath the box. She reached out, picked up the card, opened it and read:

Dear Becca,

Last night was unforgettable. You are a truly amazing woman and I am grateful for the time we spent together. I will keep my memories of you fondly within my heart. I hope you find happiness because you deserve it. You also deserve to find love - true love. Unfortunately, love is something that I'm not willing to offer anyone at this time...I'm truly sorry.

Tristan Savant

PS- You inspired my latest chocolate design. I call it 'The Butterfly'

Mind-boggled, Becca read and re-read the card Tristan had left her. Had he just broken up with her...with a goodbye letter? Becca couldn't decide if being broken up with through a handwritten letter was worse than being broken up with through a 'text'. They both left a sick, twisting feeling in her stomach. _What the hell? What is this? Is Tristan breaking up with me? After last night...but why?_

That's when Becca remembered how in the heat of passion she'd almost said that she loved Tristan: ' _Tristan...I think I lo-_ '

Had he heard that? _Shit._ And now he decided to break up with her with this 'breakup letter' disguised as a 'love letter'. _That bastard! How dare he break up with me...and with a letter! He couldn't even break up with me face-to-face! That jerk! Oh...he'll pay for this! Tristan Savant! You'll pay! I'll make you regret this!_ Becca threw the chocolate across the room and when it hit her wall it broke in two. She grabbed her laptop and quickly connected to the Internet. After she'd brought up her blog she began to type away.

***

Tristan stood behind the display case of _Dark Heaven_ lost in thought. He absentmindedly ran his index finger over his lower lip as he thought about the previous night. _Becca._ Last night during their love making Becca had cried out:

' _Tristan...I think I lo-_ '

Tristan knew what Becca had been about to say: 'Tristan, I think I love you'. This signaled that it was time for Tristan to run for the hills. Becca Thorn hadn't even lasted a full week. Their relationship was now officially over. Well, he was the one who'd slept with her early. _Shit._ _I'm such an idiot. What am I going to do now?_ He was so screwed.

Love...was the one thing he couldn't give Becca. Couldn't give _anyone_ because of what had happened with Hazel. _Hazel._ The anniversary of Hazel's death...of her suicide was this very week. Tristan had been trying to avoid thinking about it and had been distracting himself with Becca. But now that Becca was no longer with him all he could think about was Hazel. _I haven't forgotten you...Hazel. I'll never forget._

"Hey!" Issy slapped Tristan on the back to get his attention, and to snap him out of what looked like some rather dark thoughts.

Tristan turned to regard the Living Doll. "Ah...good morning, china doll." He smiled softly at Issy. It was hard not to smile at her since she was just too cute! Today, Issy was wearing a canary yellow, ruffled, _Lolita_ dress with a matching yellow fascinator on the side of her head. The wig she'd chosen was long and black, and her contact lenses were gold. She had a black choker around her neck that had a small cameo dangling from it. To complete her look she was wearing knee socks, and black, patent leather shoes. The golden contact lenses almost made Issy look as though she were part demon.

Issy gave Tristan an intent look. "Is something wrong?" She asked gently.

Tristan was caught off guard by her perceptiveness. "No, why do you ask?"

"If nothing is wrong then why do you look like you're about to cry?" Issy asked.

Tristan's jaw dropped and he was speechless for a moment. How could this young girl see through him so easily? "..."

Issy surprised Tristan further by hugging him and patting his back. "There, there. Whatever is bothering you...it will be alright because you have me. And I'll never leave you, Tristan. I'll _always_ be here for you." _Even if it's in secret and from the shadows._

Tristan looked down at Issy's head in astonishment, "Issy..." He hesitated before raising his arms and hugging Issy back. This...felt right. So right having Issy in his arms. He felt comforted, not so alone, whole, and content.

"And if you want to talk about it...just know that I'm here to listen." Issy continued.

Issy...could he really talk to Issy about Hazel? _Maybe._ This answer surprised him but...Issy was different from other women. Special. There was something about her that drew him to her despite her appearance - not that the whole Living Doll thing was bad, but he yearned to see the 'real' her. The _real_ Issy.

What is the real color of her hair? What is the real color of her eyes? I want to know...know the girl behind the mask...

"Hey guys, we've got trouble!" Came Mina's voice as she and Michael walked into the main store area from the kitchen and behind the display case. Mina spotted Issy and Tristan hugging and was immediately irritated by it. "Hey! What's going on in here, you pedophile!"

Michael had to put a hand over his mouth to hide a smile. _That's right Tristan, get your groove on._

"Ack!" "Epp!" Tristan and Issy immediately sprang away from each other. Both of them were blushing, looking extremely guilty, and acting awkward.

"N-Nothing." Tristan quickly said with flushed cheeks while he scratched the side of his face with his index finger.

"Yeah, nothing! We were just hugging. You know, as _friends_. We weren't hugging like _lovers_ or anything scandalous like that! It was a purely _platonic_ hug. Even if Tristan could probably feel my boobs pressed up against his chest. But I doubt he was aroused by it! I mean, he sees me as a little girl. Well, unless he really _is_ a pedophile!" Issy babbled as she tried to defend what she and Tristan were just doing, which just ended up making her seem even more guilty and suspicious. The Living Doll began to laugh nervously as she waved her hands before her in denial when Mina raised an eyebrow at her. Oops.

A muscled ticked beneath Mina's eye in irritation. "What the hell is up with you?"

Michael was grinning behind his hand at this point. _Yeah! Mental victory dance. Tristan and Issy were hugging! I can't believe I almost missed that. Nice moment! Mental thumbs up. It's moments like this that make being a shipper worthwhile._ The angel cleared his throat. "Anyways, show them what you found, Mina."

"Oh, right." Mina set her laptop down on top of the display case and showed them the web page she was currently on. It was Becca Thorn's blog: _Gourmet Dessert Trends_ and there was another article about _Dark Heaven_. However, this blog post wasn't complimenting the chocolate shop like the others had, but defaming it.

Tristan and Issy both read the flaming blog post that Becca had written about how the chocolates at _Dark Heaven_ were crap, and about how she'd discovered that their kitchen was filthy and that there was rat poop in the chocolates.

"Oh no!" Issy gasped and placed a hand over her mouth.

Tristan's expression fell as he read the awful review, and sadness and hurt flickered in his bi-colored eyes. "Becca..."

"You broke up with Becca last night, didn't you?" Issy asked quietly.

Tristan nodded dazedly. He'd expected Becca to be angry with him, but this felt like a betrayal. Even if he probably deserved this.

"Ha! Good riddance! I never liked that cyber socialite anyways. She was such a freak!" Mina declared happily. "Now you can concentrate your attentions on someone who's actually worth it." She flipped her long hair over her shoulder. "Someone like _me_."

Michael rolled his eyes at Mina and everyone chose to ignore her last comment. "Well...this kind of reaction is only to be expected. After all you broke her heart." The angel pointed out. This is what Michael had wanted all along - for Tristan to pay the price for his actions. But seeing his friend look so depressed made Michael want to take everything he'd said back about the way Tristan had been handling things.

Michael began to wonder if Tristan having one-night stands had actually been hurting the women less, than the way Michael was having Tristan date these women for a week only to break up with them in the end. The angel worried that maybe he'd actually made things worse. _I'm doing a real lousy job as this guy's guardian angel._

Issy took a deep breath and released it. "Tristan, are you sure this is what you really want? What if...you continued to date Becca? What if you got serious about her? I know you really liked her." As much as it hurt Issy to say this - it needed to be said.

Michael gave Issy an impressed look. _Now, she's a better guardian angel than I am._

"Issy! What are you saying? Becca and Tristan can't-" Mina objected, but Michael silenced her by putting his hand on Mina's shoulder and shaking his head. Mina huffed when she understood that Michael was asking her to be quiet.

"Let Tristan speak, Mina. This decision is his and his alone. What do you want to do about Becca, Tristan?" The guardian angel asked and held his breath. The best-case scenario would be for Tristan to decide he wanted to date Becca seriously, even if Michael was still secretly rooting for Tristan and Issy to get together.

Tristan gave his friends a grateful look. "Guys...I..." The chocolatier shook his head dismally. "I can't...I can't be with Becca." _Already I'm changing Becca. She was so sweet and now she's turned vindictive and it's all my fault. I'll only continue to drag her down into the darkness...corrupt her...taint her..._

Besides, how can I move on and be happy when I know Hazel is in Hell...suffering because of me! I don't deserve to move on...to find love...

"But Tristan maybe you should at least _consider_ -" Issy began.

"No, end of discussion. I need to be alone for a while." Tristan said gruffly as he left his friends and made his way up to his room to be alone with his troubled thoughts about Becca and Hazel. The incubus' eyes strayed to the calendar that was on the wall and to the date that was circled in red. _Hazel..._

***

Tristan didn't think that Becca's flaming blog posts would affect business all that much. However, the following day at _Dark Heaven_ the chocolate shop didn't have a _single_ customer. Apparently, everyone believed Becca and that there was rat poop in his chocolates. _Shit. Literally._ Tristan internally groaned as he put his head in his hands.

Becca had even written a blog post about _Cloud 9_ \- telling her followers how wonderful the chocolates were there, how clean the place was, and that the chocolates were much better than the chocolates at _Dark Heaven_. In this manner, _Cloud 9_ began to steal Tristan's customers, which had been Raphael's intention all along. The Archangel was beating Tristan at his own game.

No business meant no money, but it also meant no women. And no women meant no sex.

Not that Tristan was really in the mood for sex anyways...

And that said _a lot_ about Tristan's current mental state.

The rent bill was also coming up, but Tristan wasn't very worried about it because of his savings. Still, he decided to go to the bank and take out the thousand dollars that he'd need to pay this month's rent. However, when Tristan put his credit card in the ATM machine and tried to get the money, the machine wouldn't let him. _What the fuck?_ Tristan decided to print out his current balance. He blinked down at it in bewilderment. His total balance was five dollars and six cents. _Where the hell did my money go?_ Tristan stomped into the bank to find out.

Later that day at _Dark Heaven_ ...

"MINA!" Tristan bellowed at the top of his lungs as he entered the chocolate shop. "Where are you?"

"I'm here, Brother. What's up?" Mina asked, emerging from the kitchen, smiling, and with chocolate smeared on her apron. She looked so innocent - the little she-devil.

"Mina, would you mind explaining to me how you managed to spend my entire savings?" Tristan questioned in a dark tone.

Mina twisted a lock of her hair around her finger in a petulant manner. "I may have purchased a BMW. Teehee."

A muscle ticked in Tristan's jaw. "Don't 'teehee' me! You bought a _car_ with my savings!"

"Yeah, so?" Mina raised her eyebrows at her brother. "What's the big? It was a _great_ deal. And it's just _one_ car."

Tristan crossed his arms over his chest. "We're returning it immediately."

"Ah, ah, ah." Mina wagged her finger at him. "No can do, brother mine. You won't be able to. It was on special or on sale or whatever, and nonrefundable. Also enough days have passed that we can't have buyer's remorse. So my baby is here to stay." She grinned triumphantly.

"Your baby?" Tristan clenched his hands at his sides. "Mina, why would you even _do_ something like this?" He gave her a betrayed look.

The corners of Mina's lips dipped into a pout. "I wanted to punish you, Brother. I mean, how dare you go out with all these other girls when you have me. I love you, Tristan!" Mina exclaimed passionately as she took a step forward towards Tristan.

Tristan took a step back and looked at Mina with cold disgust. "Mina, you're my _sister_. We're related by _blood_. I will _never_ look at you in a romantic manner. And right now...I don't even like you. I worked very hard to save up that money so that I could remain financially independent. I wanted to free myself from our family for good and you've ruined _everything_. Are you working for Father? Did he put you up to this? This isn't the first time he's tried to sabotage a new endeavor of mine. I know he wants me to return to the family...just so he can use me." Tristan grit his teeth as he thought about his father.

"What? No! I'm not working for Father, Brother." Hurt flashed in Mina's sapphire colored eyes. "How could you even think that? I lo-"

Tristan held up his hand. "Stop. Just stop. You don't love me, Mina. If you did you wouldn't have hurt me like this. I trusted you and yet you lied to me. You broke that trust. If there's something I hate most in this world - it's _dishonesty_. I want you to leave, Mina. Pack your things and leave. Go back home, Mina."

Mina's blue eyes filled with tears as she looked at Tristan in shock. "Brother...you can't mean that." She began to tremble slightly.

By this time, Issy and Michael were in the main shop area watching the whole occurrence in shocked silence, not knowing what to do, and not knowing if they should interfere.

_If there's something I hate most in this world - it's dishonesty._ Tristan's words rang ominously in Issy's head.

"I do mean it. I want you out of here. I can't bear to even look at you. You're brother complex was cute when you were seven, Mina. Now it's just _disgusting_." Tristan sneered.

Mina sucked in a shocked breath.

Michael began to approach Tristan. "Tristan, you're going too far-"

"You stay out of this, Michael." Tristan snarled as he spun to face the man. "This has nothing to do with you. You're an outsider. This is between _family_."

Michael was taken aback and stopped in his tracks. _Outsider..._

"Tristan, you idiot!" Mina sobbed before she ran off towards her room to pack.

Tristan let out a relieved breath. "It's for the best."

"You can't really believe that." Michael said darkly.

"I do believe it. The longer a woman stays around me the more fucked up she gets." Tristan ran a shaky hand through his hair. "Mina needs to hurry up and get as far away from me as possible."

"Tristan-" Michael started.

"No, Michael, she's _my_ sister and my decision has been made. It's over. 'Playing house' with everyone and pretending everything is normal in my life - is fucking over." Tristan stalked off, heading back inside the kitchen, and immersed himself in making chocolates.

"Since when was he so cold-hearted?" Michael muttered to himself.

Issy gave Michael a sad, lost look. "I dunno."

Tristan ignored Mina when she passed through the kitchen with her rolling suitcase and continued to ignore her as she left the shop, got into her new car, and drove away. Michael and Issy were both astounded that Tristan had actually let Mina go. But neither knew what they could do to help.

Later that night, Tristan called his landlady, Susan Torres. After three rings Susan answered the call. " _Hello?_ "

"Hello, Susan, it's me, Tristan."

" _Ohhh Tristan, it's so good to hear from you. What can I help you with?_ "

"Ah, it's about this month's rent. I'm going to be a little late...I think."

" _Late? Oh, that's too bad. I thought business was going well for you._ "

"It was until I pissed off a famous blogger. Perhaps you've heard of her? Her name is Becca Thorn."

" _Ohhh the Gourmet Dessert Trend Setter? You sure know how to pick them, Tristan. Well, no worries...you can be a little late. Although...you don't have to pay this month's rent if you don't want to_."

"What do you mean?"

" _I think the Chocolate Sex God knows exactly what I mean. If you don't want to pay this month's rent then all you have to do is spend a night with me._ "

"Ah." Tristan considered Susan's offer. It wasn't like he hadn't slept with Susan before. In fact, he'd slept with her in order to steal the lease from someone else. She wasn't unattractive for a serious businesswoman in her late thirties. That wasn't the problem, but he'd already slept with her once. If he slept with her again, it would be for the second time. What if she got attached? Like Becca? Like Hazel? He shook his head. No, he couldn't risk it. "As wonderful as that sounds...I feel like I would be taking advantage of your kindness. Please, just give me more time to come up with the rent."

Susan sighed over the phone and Tristan could picture her pouting. " _Very well, Tristan, I'll give you until the tenth of next month. But I won't hold this lease for you exclusively unless I get my money - or you. Please keep that in mind._ "

"I understand. Thank you, Susan."

" _Don't thank me yet. Until the tenth then, Tristan. Goodnight._ " Susan ended the call.

"Night." Tristan lay back on his bed and stared up at the ceiling feeling like his whole world was falling apart. He also felt so incredibly alone.

***

Mina drove towards the Savant Mansion Estate, which was located in the suburbs of New York City. As she left the city, the road became a twisting two-lane road that winded through a forest. Mina sniffled as she tried to keep her tears at bay. _Tristan...you idiot._ She gripped her steering wheel tighter as she remembered her brother's harsh words:

Right now...I don't even like you. Disgusting.

Tears filled Mina's eyes.

Mina, you're my sister. We're related by blood. I will never look at you in a romantic manner.

Mina knew this. She really did. Mina hated to admit it but Tristan was right. She was his _sister_ and they could never be together in a romantic sense, but...that's not what Mina _really_ wanted anyways if she were truly being honest with herself.

Mina just wanted Tristan's _love_. Her brother's love. Her mother, Lorelai Savant, barely paid any attention to Mina, even when she acted out in order to get her mother's attention. She'd shoplifted even though she was a billionaire heiress in the hopes her mother would scold her or ground her, but Lorelai would just bribe the shop owners to stay quiet and make everything go away. Lorelai acted as if she didn't really give a damn about Mina.

And then there was her father, Adrian Savant, who was too busy to spend time with her. He was President and CEO of _La Boulangerie Savant_ \- the number one French Bakery franchise in the US that was even giving _Starbucks_ a run for their money. He practically ignored her as if she were inconsequential. The one her father had seemed interested in had been Tristan - always Tristan.

Mina didn't know what could have possibly happened between her father and Tristan to suddenly change their close relationship. After Tristan graduated from college and just disappeared, her older brother, Dominik, had tried to wheedle himself into his father's good graces, and had practically become his pawn or minion at this point. Dominik pretty much ignored her too. Because of all this Mina felt unloved, unwanted, and as though no one truly understood her.

Mina sobbed and tears finally streamed down her face. She just wanted Tristan's love, but...Tristan was the King of pushing those he cared for away. "Tristan, you jerk." Mina blinked her eyes rapidly as she tried to clear her vision to see the winding, moonlit road ahead of her.

Abruptly, she suddenly saw a buck standing in the middle of the road. He was huge with an impressive set of antlers. "Oh my God!" Mina turned her steering wheel hard to the right and hit the guardrail. She'd been going so fast that her car broke through the guardrail, and began to tip over the edge of a long, steep forested hill that ended in what appeared to be a rock trench. Mina looked down over the edge at the rocks below and gulped.

"No, no, no...I'm too young and beautiful to die!" She slammed her foot on the brakes, but her car continued forward anyways and began to roll down the hill, picking up speed as it approached the rocks. Mina screamed when she hit a fallen log and the car bounced over it, and did not slow.

_Is this it? Is this the end? Tristan...I'm sorry._ She thought of her brother but the name she called out was surprisingly: "Michael!"

***

Michael was pissed. Pissed at Tristan for his cruel treatment of Mina, and furious at his own inability to do anything about it. Because Tristan was right. Michael was just an 'outsider'. He wasn't 'family' and this had been a family dispute.

That's why he'd let Tristan kick Mina out of _Dark Heaven_. He'd just stood there and watched. _You damned fool._ Michael berated himself as he flew invisibly over a winding road that supposedly led to the Savant Mansion Estate. He never should have let Tristan kick Mina out of the shop. Michael shouldn't have let Mina go. He should have grabbed onto her hand and never let go.

Tristan was obviously pushing those he cared about away, for some reason. It was what the chocolatier did best. _Selfish bastard...protecting himself while hurting those who care about him._ If anything happened to Mina he'd-!

Michael's golden-brown eyes scanned the road below frantically. His night vision illuminated the dark path as he searched for Mina's BMW. _Where the hell is she?_ Michael figured he should have caught up to her by now.

"Michael!" A female voice carried on the night wind.

Michael stopped in midair; flapping his spread wings to keep himself aloft, and searched the road. "That sounded like Mina!" And then he spotted the busted guardrail. "Mina!" Michael swooped down, flying past the guardrail, and down the hill as swiftly as possible.

Up ahead, Michael caught sight of Mina's BMW careening towards the rocky bottom of the hill. Michael picked up speed, flapping his wings even harder, his muscles straining as he arrowed down and over Mina's car. He swooped down right in front of Mina's car, landed, and put his hands out in front of him. He stopped the car with his brute strength as it slammed into him at thirty miles per hour. The car came to a jarring stop. The front bumper bending from the impact.

***

Suddenly, Mina's car came to an abrupt stop. She was jerked forward in her seat, but was stopped by her seatbelt. Mina looked out the front windshield and her headlights illuminated just _what_ had stopped her car.

Mina couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Michael?" The man that was standing in front of her car looked like Michael. He was even wearing a chocolatier's jacket, but his golden eyes were glowing and a pair of white, feathery wings were outstretched behind him magnificently. "...angel?" Mina murmured before it all became too much to handle and she passed out.

***

The following day at _Dark Heaven_ , Michael was strangely absent, but Issy couldn't really blame him after the way Tristan had acted towards Mina. Issy knew deep in her heart that Michael cared for Mina. Issy also agreed that Tristan had gone too far. But as Tristan's stalker, she also knew _why_ Tristan had pushed Mina away.

The anniversary of Hazel's death was just _days_ away.

But Issy wouldn't let Tristan push her away too because then Tristan would truly be alone. Issy walked in on Tristan who was in the kitchen making chocolate from scratch. There were bowls with different ingredients in them: coco beans, coco butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and coriander. Apparently, Tristan had already roasted the coco beans since the kitchen already had a brownie smell permeating throughout. He'd also already separated the husks from the nibs, ground the nibs and sugar together using a grinder, and was now using a _molcajete_ (Mexican grinding bowl) to grind the chocolate around in order to coat the coco fat particles of all the coco solids with fat to develop the chocolaty flavor.

Issy watched as Tristan absentmindedly added a half-cup of salt into the mixture he was grinding. "Uh...Tristan what are you doing?" She asked as she sidled up to him. Since Tristan was already at the grinding stage the next step would be tempering. There was no reason for Tristan to be adding any other ingredients to the chocolate.

"Making chocolate, what does it look like?" Tristan replied in a droning tone.

"You just put a half a cup of salt in there, you know." Issy said in a teasing tone as she tried to drag him out of his funk.

"What? No, I didn't-" Tristan looked down at what he was doing and frowned. "I totally did, fuck...guess I have to toss this out." Tristan picked up the stone bowl, carried it over to the sink, set it inside, and turned the water on. As he filled the bowl with hot water he looked dejected. "What the hell am I doing...?" He muttered darkly to himself.

"Hey, how about I help you? You're still teaching me how to make chocolate, remember?" Issy suggested.

Tristan's lip twitched. "Are you offering to help, or asking for help?"

Issy shrugged. "Whichever you prefer."

"Sly, china doll. Sly." Tristan found himself smiling.

After that, Tristan and Issy made chocolate together and she made sure he didn't add anything weird to the mixture. Without Michael around Issy was converted into Tristan's chocolatier assistant. She preferred baking, but making chocolate was fun too. And she got to spend more time with Tristan. It was like a dream having Tristan all to herself, but she couldn't fully enjoy it because she knew that despite Tristan's smiling face - he wasn't smiling on the inside. Though Tristan didn't talk about Mina or Michael, Issy knew that Tristan missed them. He was really being a stubborn idiot.

Tristan also didn't talk to Issy about their current financial dilemma. The rent was due soon and Tristan didn't have the money. Issy wondered what Tristan intended to do about it. Was he going to do something crazy like try and seduce the landlady? They had until the tenth to come up with a thousand bucks. Rent was not cheap in New York City.

Tristan wasn't the kind of person to ask for help, so Issy knew that she had to help him somehow. But how? Issy looked around the dead chocolate shop and sighed. If only they had some customers. But because of Becca Thorn everyone in the area was avoiding _Dark Heaven_ like the plague. She frowned. If only Becca knew the truth - the _real reason_ why Tristan had pushed the blogger away. And that reason had a name.

Hazel Nuttingham.

_That's it! I need to speak with Becca...and it has to be on that day._ Issy decided. She had a plan.

The day of the anniversary of Hazel's death arrived. Issy left _Dark Heaven_ and using Becca Thorn's facebook page was able to easily track down the blogger due to her latest status update: ' _I'm here at Cloud 9 enjoying the sexy Raphael's latest creation! It's so yummy! Here's a pic_ '. There was also a picture of a white chocolate bonbon that was shaped just like a cherub.

Facebook was the number one greatest tool for stalkers. And Issy was a pro stalker. In fact, she wasn't dressed in her Living Doll getup at the moment, but in her stalker threads: a black shirt, black pants, boots, trench coat, fedora, and a pair of dark sunglasses. She was in total 'stalker mode'.

Issy made her way to _Cloud 9_ on her bike. She parked her bike outside the shop and made her way inside. Issy spotted Becca seated at a table with three girls that looked like they were part of her entourage since they were all similarly dressed in metallic colored tube dresses, leather jackets, and ankle boots.

Raphael could be seen in the kitchen through the glass making white chocolate. She didn't want to draw his attention and so approached the table quietly. Issy didn't really know what she was going to say to Becca but decided to just wing it. She stopped in front of Becca's table. "Um, e-excuse me."

Becca and her entourage looked up at Issy curiously. Issy had taken off her hat and sunglasses in order to appear less suspicious. "Hello, may I help you with something?"

"Uh...yeah...I...the reason I'm here is..." Issy stammered nervously. "Is...!"

A look of understanding crossed Becca's face. "Oh, I know, you want my autograph, don't you, sweetie pie? Well, don't you worry. Just hang on a second." Becca whipped out a piece of white cardboard and a sharpie, and signed her name on it with an extravagant flourish: _Becca Thorn._

"Here you go." Becca handed Issy the autograph card.

Issy felt a trickle of sweat slide down the side of her face as she looked at the autograph and the little rose with thorns that Becca had drawn beside it. She didn't have time for this! "I...uh...thank you. Becca, the second reason I'm here is..." She shot a wary glance at the girls. "A mutual acquaintance of ours is in trouble."

Becca raised an eyebrow at Issy. "Mutual acquaintance?"

Issy nodded. "I can tell you more outside."

Becca shared a questioning look with her entourage before shrugging. "Whatever, I'll catch you girls later. Let's go, ah, what did you say your name was, little girl?"

_Little girl? I'm not that short! And my boobs aren't that small either! Okay, so maybe I am, and maybe they are._ "Ah...it's Coco." She responded on a whim.

"Well, let's go, Coco." Becca grabbed her designer shoulder bag from the back of her chair, and left the shop with Issy in tow. "So, who is this mutual acquaintance? Although I kind of already have an idea."

"Tristan Savant." Issy revealed.

"I knew it. So, he put you up to this? Sending a cute girl like you to me to beg me for forgiveness? Well, it won't work." Becca huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest in an obstinate gesture. "I don't plan on forgiving Tristan Savant anytime soon."

"No, that's not it. He didn't send me...but Becca there's something you need to know about Tristan Savant, and the real reason why he pushed you away." Issy paused for dramatic effect. "The real reason why he pushes _everyone_ away. The truth."

Becca raised an eyebrow at the girl. "I don't think I care."

Issy looked into Becca's pale green eyes searchingly. "But I know that you do. I also know that Tristan cared for you - in his own way. _Please_ just let me show you the truth."

Becca scratched her head and let out a sigh. "Just who are you anyways?"

"Who me?" Issy grinned. "I'm Tristan's stalker."

"His stalker?" Becca's eyes widened. "I've heard about you! You've been stalking him for more than a year now, right?"

Issy nodded. "Yes, which is how I managed to discover the truth."

"I can't believe he hasn't gotten a restraining order for you yet. But..." Becca looked Issy over. "You do seem pretty harmless, for a stalker."

"Thanks, I think."

Becca let out a huff. "Alright, fine, now you got me curious. Show me this great and terrible secret truth about Tristan Savant."

"Alright!" Issy fist pumped, mounted her bike, and motioned for Becca to get on behind her. "Get on."

Becca looked at Issy and her mountain bike - the kind one had to _pedal_ \- in disbelief. "You can't be serious. You don't have a car?"

Issy shook her head. "No...and besides my bike is nearly silent." She ran a hand lovingly over her bike. "It's the perfect stalking vehicle. Tristan won't notice us."

Becca sighed and rubbed her temples with her index fingers. She could feel a headache coming on. "Well, if you say so. You're the stalker." The blogger got on behind Issy and put her hands on Issy's waist.

"Hang on tight!" Issy said as she began to pedal, and off they went. They arrived a few minutes later at a florist. They dismounted a block away, made their way to the shop, and peered inside the front window to see Tristan purchasing a bouquet of flowers. When the time came for Tristan to pay for the flowers instead of handing the floral designer his credit card or cash he handed her several boxes of chocolates.

"What the hell?" Becca frowned as she watched what Tristan was doing. "Why is he paying the designer with chocolate?"

"That's because Tristan is flat broke. His sister Mina spent all his savings on a BMW that they were unable to return for some bizarre, probably illegal reason. And because of your blog post _Dark Heaven_ isn't getting any customers, and the rent is coming up..." Issy began to babble.

"Broke?" Becca echoed with a frown on her face. She shook her head. "Like I care."

Issy gave Becca a sharp look. The blogger may have said that she didn't care, but Issy was sure that Becca _did_ care. The two stalkers continued to watch as Tristan picked up a bouquet of white lilies and left the store. Tristan got into his Corvette and set the bouquet of flowers down on the passenger's seat.

Issy swiftly returned to her bike and hopped back on. "Come on, we're going after him!"

Becca gawked at Issy. "You're going to chase him on a bike?"

"Not exactly. I know where he's going but we don't want to get there too much later than him or else we might miss something important." Issy explained.

"Oh, okay." Becca got on the bike behind Issy once more and wrapped her arms around Issy's waist. Issy took off, merging into traffic, and followed Tristan's convertible at an impressive speed. Issy didn't want Becca to miss Tristan saying something important, and so pedaled hard, following Tristan to Woodlawn Cemetery. The cemetery was a good twenty-five minutes away by car, and so by the time the girls arrived Issy was panting and out of breath. Tristan parked his Corvette and approached the spooky, iron front gate.

Issy parked her bike behind a tree and the two girls watched from a distance as Tristan entered the cemetery through the gate that screeched as it was opened eerily. Issy dismounted from her bike and Becca did the same. Issy handed Becca a pair of dark sunglasses and a fedora. "Here, put these on. And make sure to stuff your red hair inside of the fedora...that way if Tristan sees us we can make a break for it and we probably won't be recognized." Issy explained as she put on her own fedora and sunglasses.

"I can't believe I'm going to do this." Becca said as she put on the sunglasses and stuffed her red hair into the fedora. "This is such a fashion emergency, it's not even funny."

"And turn off your phone. If you get a call or text we could be discovered." Issy warned.

Becca gave her companion an appalled look. "You want me to turn off my phone?" She repeated, sounding as if Issy had asked her to kick a puppy. "You can't be serious."

"You can do it, Becca." Issy patted her arm. "You don't need your fans to be with you all the time. You're awesome, even without them."

Becca blushed. Girl crush. She was surprised that this stranger instinctively knew why she didn't want to turn off her phone. Becca didn't want to be _alone_. "Are you sure _you_ aren't a fan of mine?" The blogger asked as she turned off her phone and let out a shaky breath. It was such a weird feeling to be 'unconnected'.

Issy took Becca's hand and squeezed it in a reassuring manner. "Come on, let's go, and be quiet."

Becca nodded and let Issy lead her into the cemetery. Becca looked at Issy's back as the girl tugged her along. Issy was the one who was amazing. The stalker knew how to hide amongst the trees and tombstones, so that Tristan didn't even notice them. Tristan's stalker was obviously doing all of this for his sake. _I wonder how old she is? Maybe she's in love with him too._

It was during the day so the cemetery wasn't as spooky as Becca had expected. In fact, it was almost pretty. There were lots of leafy trees and flowering plants surrounding the cemetery and it was nicely landscaped. The lawns were impressively manicured. The headstones were all well taken care of, and there was a small Gothic church that could be seen nearby. The cemetery was very peaceful.

Tristan made his way through the cemetery with purposeful steps, and finally stopped in front of one headstone in particular. The headstone was one of the more modern granite ones. "Hello Hazel." Tristan said as he set the flowers down on her grave. Her headstone read:

Here lies...

Hazel Nuttingham

She shall be missed

"Hazel? Who's Hazel?" Becca asked in a whisper in Issy's ear.

"Shhh!" Issy put a finger to her lips. "Just listen."

Tristan gazed upon the tombstone forlornly and his eyes became glassy. "I received your farewell letter, you know, and I'm sorry I was unable to keep my promise to you. I know that I don't deserve to keep on living...not after causing you to commit suicide. I don't deserve happiness either...and lately I have been happy. Well, I was happy with Mina, Michael and Issy by my side at _Dark Heaven_. But most of all I know that I don't deserve to have love in my life again.

"I really did love you, Hazel. I lied when I said that I didn't but...that was only to protect you - from me. You're dead...and yet I keep on living. But don't worry. I won't make the same mistake twice. I will atone for my mistake with you by not allowing love into my life again. This is the least I can do for you, my beloved Hazel. I will _always_ love you." _I sometimes wonder if you'd be able to forgive me? But how can I ever know the answer to that, truly? Unless of course I went to Hell and sought you out. But the only person I knew who had the power to open a portal to Hell has disappeared. At this rate I'll never get closure. I'll never be set free from you. I want to journey into Hell and find you...but at the moment that's impossible._

Tristan sank to his knees and lowered his head. "I won't allow love into my life again. I will be alone. Just as you are alone. This I vow to you, Hazel."

Tristan's words echoed in Becca's mind chillingly, and she understood. _I get it now...Tristan pushed me away not because he didn't like me, but because he pushes everyone away. He won't allow himself to love again. Hazel...he's still in love with her. And how can I compete with his perfect dead girlfriend? I don't think I can...nor do I really want to._ Tristan needed someone to pull him out of the darkness. Someone to help him find a way to forgive himself and get over his trauma to love again. Becca wasn't confident that she was strong enough to do that. _I can't save Tristan. I'm too immature, too selfish._

Becca looked at Coco, who was calmly watching Tristan. That strange girl accepted this _heavy_ truth about him, and kept on watching over him. She'd watched Tristan for over a year from the shadows. The girl had revealed a surprising amount of inner strength. _Perhaps Coco can save him. All I know for sure is that I can't. I'm not strong enough._

***

The following day at _Dark Heaven_ , Tristan and Issy were surprised when customers suddenly started entering the chocolate shop again. Well, Issy not so much. She hid a secret smile behind her hand. She'd known that after Becca discovered the truth about Tristan and his reasons for pushing her away that she would forgive him.

As young women purchased chocolate from Tristan, a few even offered him an apology. "Tristan...I'm sorry I believed Becca Thorn." "Tristan, I'm sorry I believed that bitch."

_Bitch?_ Tristan frowned. These very same girls had worshiped Becca just a few days ago. "Now, ladies, there's no need for foul language or insulting your friend."

The young women pouted in response. "But Tristan...you don't understand. Becca Thorn _lied_ to us." "Yeah, we can't trust her anymore!" "Everyone's going to stop reading that two-faced bi- er, woman's blog!"

Tristan and Issy attended to the customers and a few hours passed. The bell above the door jingled and in stepped Becca. She was missing her entourage that day. The blogger was dressed in another trendy outfit consisting of a silver blouse, tight black pants, and boots. Her favorite black butterfly earrings were in her ears. Becca's red hair was loose and cascading around her shoulders and back in waves.

As Becca entered the chocolate shop all eyes were instantly on her and despite the fact that she looked absolutely gorgeous the looks that she was receiving were _not_ friendly. Issy was surprised that the customers of _Dark Heaven_ were shooting Becca angry, hateful and betrayed looks, when before they had gazed upon her with sheer admiration.

Becca ignored the dark looks she was receiving and the women's open hostility before making her way towards Tristan with confident steps. She stopped directly in front of him. "Hello Tristan, so how's business today? No, wait, don't answer that. It's great again, isn't it? And that's all thanks to _me,_ of course. I wrote a blog post and took back what I said before." Becca's pale cheeks became tinged with pink. "And...I'm sorry I lied."

Tristan gawked at Becca in surprise, "You did but... _why?_ Aren't you still angry with me?"

"Of course I'm still angry with you!" Becca stomped her foot. "I mean, who breaks up with a girl with _a letter_ of all things in this day and age! But...I think I understand. Where you're coming from now, that is. So, I'll forgive you. You know, you should really thank your stalker."

Issy blushed and had to hide behind the display case so that no one would notice.

"My stalker?" Tristan asked, feeling confused.

Becca nodded. "Yes, she came to find me. She's the one who convinced me to forgive you. I think she's a pretty cool girl and I also think that maybe she's in lo-"

"Ah!" Issy stood up, leaned over the display case, and slapped a hand over Becca's mouth before she could say more. Tristan and Becca both stared at Issy as if she'd grown a second head. "Ah, it's not good to start unfounded rumors, Becca." Issy chided before she removed her hand and laughed nervously. "Not that you start rumors that you shouldn't start or anything like that."

Becca gave Issy an intent look, as if seeing the girl for the first time. "You...could you be...?" She shook her head. "You're right of course, and boy have I learned my lesson about that! Ever since I revealed on my blog that I lied about the rat poop in Tristan's chocolate, my so-called friends and fans have been flaming all my comments and posts. They're also leaving hateful messages on my facebook wall and blog. They all hate me now." Becca snapped her fingers. "Just like that. One day you're hot, one day you're not. Fame is a fickle friend, Tristan. Celebrity is as celebrity does. Remember that. As that blonde dude in _Harry Potter_ said. I even lost my beloved entourage." Her voice was tinged with bitterness and sadness.

Tristan scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Er, I'm really sorry to hear about that Becca."

Becca waved her hand dismissively in front of her. "No, it's not your fault. It's my fault for being dishonest. I'm the one who lied to them even if it was to get back at you." She looked up at the ceiling and clenched her fist before her. "As God as my witness...I'll find some way to get them back."

Tristan's lip twitched in amusement at her _Gone With the Wind_ reference. "I bet you will."

Becca looked down to meet Tristan's eyes. "You really hurt me, Tristan."

The chocolatier's expression fell and he looked apologetic. "I know...and I'm sorry."

"I know you are." Becca sighed. "You're a good person Tristan, but...I think that you should give _love_ a chance. Just not with me." She flipped her long hair over her shoulder. "But I have the feeling that your true love may just be closer than you think, Tristan Savant." There was a mischievous twinkle in Becca's lime-green eyes.

Tristan gave Becca a perplexed look while Issy tried to avoid Becca's keen gaze. The blogger gave Issy a meaningful look. "Ah, I guess I'm officially friendless now." Becca pouted.

"What are you saying, Becca? I'm your friend and so is Tristan." Issy was quick to put in. "And we're your _real_ friends."

Becca gave Issy a touched look. "I...really? Thanks Issy...Tristan. So Tristan, you think we can stay friends even though we've...you know. You don't think it will be awkward or anything?"

Tristan chuckled. "Oh, it will be awkward...but I wouldn't lose your friendship for anything in the world. I would be honored to be your friend, Becca." He put out his hand for Becca to take.

She placed her hand in his. "BFFs. Best friends forever then."

Issy placed her hand on top of Becca and Tristan's hands. "Friends forever!" She agreed.

Tristan and Becca both gave her a chagrined look.

"What? I thought we were all joining in there? You know like: 'All for one and one for all'! Oh my God, did I just totally kill a 'moment', you guys were having? I'm sorry! I'm such a mood killer!" Issy gripped her head between her hands.

Tristan and Becca both laughed at Issy's antics. Tristan ruffled Issy's hair. "Silly china doll."

Issy blushed.

"Aw, isn't that _sweet_?" Came a female voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Another woman made fake barfing sounds.

"How disgusting. I can't believe you forgave Becca Thorn so easily, Tristan. She ruined you. And she could end up betraying you again." Yet another woman sneered.

Tristan hopped over the display case and landed in front of Becca. He met the eyes of the young women present. "I deserved it. I _suck_ at breaking up."

The girls were all caught off guard by Tristan's admittance. "Even so, Becca you've lost your credibility as a gourmet dessert blogger! You're through as the Gourmet Trend Setter! Every comment you make, every post you put up - my friends and I will flame it! We'll destroy you." A raven-haired girl threatened.

Becca opened her mouth to dish out a snappy comeback.

However, another person beat her to it. "Well, that's good to hear." Came a confident sounding female voice. Everyone turned to see the Editor-in-chief of _Epic Taste Magazine_ \- Rachel Diamond and her new boyfriend, Clint Summers. "I've been trying to figure out a way to lure Becca over to _Epic Taste Magazine_ as one of my writers. What do you say, Becca? Will you work for me?"

Becca looked at Rachel wide-eyed. "You're offering me a job?" Rachel nodded. "Then I'll take it! I'd be an honor to write for _Epic Taste_!"

Rachel smiled. "Good, then it's settled. You belong to me now, Becca Thorn."

"Hey, babe, I thought _I_ belonged to you?" Clint teased.

Rachel faced her boyfriend and reached out to stroke Clint's cheek, "Of course, you do sweetie." After she'd ruffled Clint's buzz cut like a dog she turned her attention back to Tristan and Issy. "Now, I'd like a half-pound of assorted chocolates, please." Rachel looked inside of the case intently, and that's when she spotted some chocolates that were shaped like diamonds. The bonbons were sparkling with silver sprinkles. "Those chocolates...?"

Tristan reddened and scratched the back of his neck. "Ah, yeah, they were inspired by you. I hope you don't mind. Though a lot of my customers have started calling them my _Princess Elsa_ chocolates." He shrugged and looked amused by this.

"No...I...I'm flattered. Thank you, Tristan. Give me a half-pound of those then, Issy." Rachel said.

"Right away, Miss Diamond." Issy went about weighing a half-pound of the diamond shaped chocolates.

"Tristan...I also wanted to thank you. If it weren't for you, Clint and I never would have gotten together. And I'm _so_ happy." Rachel revealed and she couldn't seem to stop smiling, which was weird for her.

Tristan's expression softened as he looked at Rachel. "I'm glad." His gaze flicked over to Clint. "Rachel, is an incredible woman. I trust that you'll treat her well."

Clint nodded. "I know, I'm the luckiest man alive. And I plan to treat her like a princess. So...Rachel was telling me about how your chocolates are...special? If you know what I mean, bro?" Clint waggled his brows at the chocolatier.

Tristan smirked, a glint in his bi-colored eyes. "Yes, Rachel is correct. Some of my chocolates contain a powerful aphrodisiac."

"Sweet, I can't wait to try them, man." Clint said and looked around the chocolate shop with interest. "It's just women in here but I'm surprised more men don't come in here since giving these sorts of chocolates to their girlfriends would probably go over real well. Unless you're trying to be the only rooster in the hen house, dude?"

Tristan chuckled at that. "No way, man. More customers would be great."

"I feel you." Clint stroked his chin in thought. "I think I'll write an article about this place that's geared towards men. Men should get into chocolate too."

"When does the article you wrote about _Dark Heaven_ come out, Rachel?" Tristan asked with interest.

"At the beginning to next month." Rachel said.

Tristan's expression fell. "Oh, I see."

"Why? What's wrong?" Rachel asked, noticing Tristan's dour expression.

"Nothing." Tristan immediately denied.

"We're having financial troubles." Issy butted in. "Tristan doesn't have the money for this month's rent."

"Issy!" Tristan scolded, looking embarrassed.

"So that's how it is." Rachel said thoughtfully. The wheels in her mind beginning to turn.

"Oh! That reminds me! I forgot to tell you something!" Becca reached into her shoulder bag and pulled out a flier, which she handed to Tristan. "It's about the New York City Chocolate Expert Competition!"

"Chocolate Expert Competition?" Tristan asked curiously.

"Ah, I wanted to tell Tristan about the competition too." Rachel said with a pout. "Thunder. Stolen. The competition is being sponsored by an anonymous company and they're offering a prize of two hundred thousand dollars to be split between the head chocolatier and their assistant chocolatier."

"Two hundred thousand dollars!" Tristan exclaimed, "Whoa."

"Oh my God, Tristan, you _have_ to enter that contest!" Issy gripped Tristan's shoulder and shook him. "You'd totally win it!"

"Your rival Raphael Cloude has already entered the competition." Rachel informed Tristan and watched for his reaction intently.

"Raphael? That bastard...this competition just got a whole lot harder." Tristan muttered darkly to himself.

"Lots of famous chocolatiers and even patissiers are entering the contest because winning the contest will also gain the winner prestige." Rachel informed them.

"Since everyone has to enter the contest in groups of two, you and Michael could-" Becca was saying.

However, Tristan and Issy shared a troubled look and the chocolatier cut her off. "Ah, Michael, he..." Tristan started.

"He was called away because of a family emergency." Issy butted in. "And so I'll be taking his place!" She held her fist up before her with an adamant expression on her face.

Everyone turned to look at Issy in surprise. "Issy...?" Tristan's brow furrowed as he looked at her.

"Don't worry, Tristan. I've been practicing making chocolate every day now. I won't fail you. Please, believe in me." Issy beseeched, and gave Tristan her puppy-dog eyes just to seal the deal. She knew she was cute and used it to her advantage.

Tristan gazed down at Issy and felt...comforted. "I believe in you, Issy Sweet. We'll enter this contest - together! And we'll win!"

"YEAH!" Everyone exclaimed excitedly.

To be continued in...Chocolate 11: _Candied Rose_

### Chapter 11: Candied Rose

Mina woke with a start. She sat up in the bed she was in, lightly panting, and frantically looked around at her surroundings. Where the hell was she? Mina clutched at her head that was throbbing due to her earlier crying. The last thing she remembered was...careening down that hill towards her death and then \- Michael. Michael had shown up and he'd looked like an angel. His eyes had been glowing with a golden light and enormous, white, feathery wings had been outstretched behind him.

Michael...had saved her. And Michael was...an angel? Mina mused but then shook her head. No way, but...if she could so easily accept that her brother was an incubus why couldn't she accept that Michael was an angel?

Mina looked around the room she was in with renewed curiosity. At first she thought she was in a hotel room, but upon closer inspection she realized this was probably Michael's bedroom in a secret apartment somewhere. It was a very clean, orderly and masculine bedroom with a four-poster bed with dark blue sheets, two night tables on either side of the bed, an oak dresser, a closet, and a bookshelf filled with books about a variety of subjects: philosophy, astrology, science and also modern subjects like 'relationships'. Mina raised an eyebrow at this observation when she read the title of one of Michael's books: ' _How To: Get a girl to notice you_ '.

Mina realized in that moment that she heard the sound of the shower running. This meant that Michael was taking a shower. Yummy images popped into Mina's head at the thought and she shook her head to clear it. _What the hell is wrong with me? I don't like Michael like that._

The sound of the shower being turned off was heard, and a few minutes later the bathroom door was opening releasing a cloud of steam into the bedroom. Michael emerged from out of a cloud of steam in such a delicious manner that Mina thought it had to have been choreographed.

Michael was wearing nothing but a small white towel around his waist. "Whoa." Mina squeaked as she looked at Michael's towering body that was suddenly on display before her. Michael was tall at six-five with broad shoulders and a tanned, muscular torso. His bronze skin was stretched taught over rippling muscles. He had kissable biceps and powerful thighs.

Beneath the chocolatier jacket Michael had just appeared 'beefy' - maybe even overweight. But now Mina knew that this was not the case. He was one hundred percent pure muscle. There was not an ounce of fat on his bones. Her hungry gaze seared over his exposed skin, following the water droplets as they rolled down his chest to his six-pack abs. She couldn't help but follow the happy trail of golden hair that tantalizingly ended at the edge of his low-slung towel.

Michael was casually drying his hair with another towel and causing his arm muscles to flex and strain deliciously. _Oh yeah._ She moaned in her head.

Michael seemed to feel Mina's eyes upon him and turned to look at her. He grinned boyishly and dimples appeared on his cheeks making him appear younger. "Oh, hey, you're awake."

Mina blushed and looked down at herself. _Someone_ had changed her out of her clothes last night! And now she was dressed in only her bra, panties and a baggy t-shirt that smelled like Michael. Mina pulled the covers up to her neck feeling self-conscious.

Michael frowned as he watched Mina's face turning red. He stalked to her side and leaned over her. As he leaned in, Mina's gaze shot down. She couldn't help it. And she saw Michael's impressive length pressing against the towel.

"Holy-!" Mina muttered to herself because considering the size of that tent 'it' had to be _huge_ and Michael wasn't even aroused.

"Your face is red. Do you have a fever, Miss Mina?" Michael questioned and when Mina was unable to answer he leaned even closer to her until he pressed his forehead against hers in order to check her temperature. Michael took that opportunity to breath in Mina's unique rose scent.

_Eeee!_ Mina inwardly squealed. She held her breath and tried not to stare at Michael's bare chest and dusky nipples. But it was hard.

Michael pulled back, and his brow furrowed, "You don't seem to have a fever. How are you feeling, Mina?"

Mina stared back at Michael in disbelief. Did he _really_ have no idea how he was affecting her? Well, she was the one who thought only her brother could arouse her, but apparently she was wrong. Dead wrong. Michael affected her, and he seemed to be utterly clueless about it! Just how naïve was this angel? Mina decided to find out. "I'm feeling...a little weak. After everything I've just been through I..." She gave Michael a choked up look.

Michael gave Mina a nod and a sympathetic look before patting her head. "Tristan...that bastard. He went too far."

Mina sniffled. "I'm...a little hungry." She said in a meek voice.

"You're hungry? Wait here, Miss Mina. I'll go prepare you something." Michael declared before he exited the bedroom while still wearing nothing but a towel. This gave Mina a nice view of his back and the backs of his muscular thighs.

Mina hid a smile behind her hand. Michael had the body of a porn-star but didn't know it. And he didn't act like it either. Most guys who looked like Michael were egotistic jerks. But this guy was totally clueless. And Mina loved it. Loved that she could take advantage of his kindness and she intended to.

Mina was selfish, spoiled, and wanted to be treated like a princes. And here was a naïve, clueless angel who would do anything for her as long as she acted emotionally troubled, traumatized, and weak. As long as Michael thought that Mina needed him she'd have him wrapped around her little finger.

_Michael...must be Tristan's guardian angel. It's the only thing that makes sense._ Mina tapped her chin in thought. _Well, sorry brother but I'm going to borrow your angel for a while...and maybe I'll never give him back._ An impish smile curled her lips.

Thirty minutes later, Michael returned to the bedroom holding a food tray with foldable legs. The tray was piled high with various delicious-smelling foods. "I'm back." Michael greeted as he carried the tray over to Mina and set it down over her lap. "I didn't know what you would like so I made you a little bit of everything."

Mina looked down at the tray of food in awe. It appeared to be sparkling. There was a plate of scrambled eggs, sausages and buttered toast. A plate with a stack of blueberry pancakes that had been decorated with a whipped cream smiley face, strawberries and drizzled with honey caught her attention next. And there was even a plate of freshly cut fruit: cantaloupe, strawberries, kiwi, and banana. The glass of orange juice looked freshly squeezed. "Wow. You've really outdone yourself with this breakfast, Michael. I knew you could make chocolate...but I didn't know you could cook too."

Michael beamed at her praise and looked like a dog that had just been told 'good job, boy'. In fact, Michael kind of reminded Mina of a dog now that she thought about it. He was big, fluffy, protective, and easily pleased. She could just picture his tail wagging behind him and had to hide another smile behind her hand.

Michael watched attentively as Mina sampled the delicious foods. She couldn't stop the groan that passed her lips as she enjoyed a bite of blueberry pancake drenched in honey. "Mmm. Heavenly."

Michael looked pleased by her reactions until he frowned at the sound she'd made and suddenly looked uncomfortable. "I'm going to go change." Michael said, his voice sounding rougher for some reason. Michael quickly searched through his dresser drawers and found a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and boxers before hurriedly making his way to the bathroom.

Mina watched him go thoughtfully as she sucked on a strawberry. If she didn't know any better she'd say that Michael had been physically affected by her. A cat's paw smile formed on her face. Perhaps the angel wasn't so innocent after all. But if he were innocent she'd have fun corrupting him. _This is going to be so good._ She thought before plopping the entire strawberry into her mouth.

***

Over the course of the next few days, Tristan and Issy prepared together for the _New York City Chocolate Expert Competition_. They'd already filled out the necessary paperwork to enter the contest and sent it in. Tristan was listed as the head chocolatier while Issy was listed as his assistant. A list of the ingredients that would be made available during the competition had been mailed to them. The list had been provided so that they could decide what kind of chocolate they wanted to make and practice making it until the competition. The theme of the competition was: 'What do you think love tastes like?'

Tristan and Issy were currently standing behind the kitchen counter that was piled with a wide variety of ingredients to choose from and considering all of their options. They were running out of time and they still needed to decide what flavor of chocolate they would be making during the competition.

_What does love taste like?_ Tristan frowned when he considered this question. Love...for him had been traumatic. He'd fallen in love with the most beautiful, kind woman he'd ever met. He'd even asked her to marry him but...when she'd started to change he'd broken up with her in order to protect her from himself. After that, she'd committed suicide and Tristan blamed himself for her death. For Tristan, love was dark and bitter. There was no way they could chose the chocolate they were going to make based on his own bitter experience with love. Tristan looked at the innocent Issy out of the corner of his eye and decided to ask her her opinion instead. "Issy, what do you think 'love' tastes like?" He held his breath as he awaited her response.

Issy looked over at Tristan and blushed. "Love...tastes bittersweet..." _It's bittersweet getting to be this close to you and yet I'm still so far away._ She put a hand over her heart, which had started to speed up due to Tristan's closeness. Getting to spend time like this with him was like a dream - a dream she didn't want to wake up from. A dream she wanted to last forever...savor. "But when you bite into it...it's oh so sweet. You want this, er, _the_ moment to last forever."

Tristan gave Issy a penetrating stare, clearly intrigued by her statement. His keen mismatched eyes were boring into her until she felt like he could see through her to her very soul. "Bittersweet on the outside, but oh so sweet on the inside. I like it." He nodded in agreement. "We're going with that, Issy." Tristan stroked his chin in thought. "I think that for the competition we should make chocolate-covered cherries." _I'm glad I asked Issy her opinion. Because if I had answered this question I would have said 'love' was nothing but a bitter taste left in your mouth...filled with regret. Hazel..._

Issy's violet-colored eyes sparkled at the idea. (She was wearing violet-colored contacts that day). "I think that sounds like a great idea, Tristan! I love chocolate-covered cherries." _Almost as much as I like dark chocolate and oranges...which is simply more mysterious. Like the secrets that still lie in your heart, Tristan, and that I haven't been able to solve yet._

Now that they'd decided what they were making, Tristan and Issy practiced making chocolate-covered cherries together for the next several hours. Issy savored the time she got to spend with Tristan alone, but wondered where Michael was, and worried if Mina was okay. Issy didn't dare bring them up though since she was worried about killing the intimate mood she and Tristan had going on just then.

It'd been a few days now since Tristan had had sex but...he didn't want to think about 'sex' at the moment. He just wanted to concentrate all his energy on coming up with the best chocolate-covered cherries. However, his body didn't agree with his decision, and when Issy wasn't looking he found himself staring at her hungrily. He'd rake his bi-colored eyes over her delicate china doll figure, soft curves, and porcelain white skin that looked oh so soft to the touch. Tristan ached to run his hands over her arms, up her legs. She had nice legs.

Tristan would grow hard as a rock, and he'd have to run to the bathroom to take care of himself. He'd place his hand on his throbbing cock and stroke, and it would only take a minute before he was coming with Issy's face in his mind, her name on his lips.

Afterwards, he'd feel incredibly guilty, dirty. Issy was fifteen and he was twenty-three. She was underage. It would be considered statutory rape if he slept with her. He'd be considered a pedophile and could even go to jail. What he didn't get was - this had _never_ happened to him before. Tristan had _never_ been attracted to a woman who was under the age of eighteen.

So then what the hell was wrong with him? He wondered. It was getting harder and harder for him to resist her innocent allure. She was probably still a virgin. He drooled wolfishly at the thought.

Tristan found himself imagining Issy when she grew older, and he'd be able to seduce her. He'd take off her wig to reveal her true hair color, he'd discover the true color of her eyes next, and then he'd take off that innocent dolly dress to reveal her female body. Reveal her small, luscious breasts, her soft sex. _Mmm._ He groaned at the thought as could feeling himself hardening for her yet again.

Sometimes when he jerked off to Issy's image and imagined removing her Living Doll outfit he envisioned that she'd look like Coco. Sure, they both obviously had Asian descent, but...he knew that he was just seeing something he _wanted_ to see. Not something that was _real_. Issy and Coco were two different people.

The chocolatier was surprised by how much he thought about the two young women. Now that he was avoiding having sex with a female...they were all he could think about. And what did that mean exactly? Did he have _feelings_ for Issy? For Coco? Feelings that ran deeper than lust or desire? Tristan felt dizzy as all of these thoughts ran circles inside of his mind.

Issy's mere presence in the kitchen beside him could get him aroused. Her sugar cookie and vanilla scent sent all the blood in his body rushing to his cock.

But Tristan _resisted_.

His health was deteriorating from lack of sex but he continued to resist his attraction to Issy with all of his inner strength and willpower. Tristan was being tormented by guilt and self-disgust for his attraction to Issy and it was eating him up inside. He hid the fact that he needed her, however, and slapped his cheeks in the morning to get some color into his wane face.

It was times like this that Tristan wished Michael were there. He'd set Tristan right and remind Tristan that Issy was off-limits. Well, technically Issy was off-limits for three more years. Not that he was counting down the days or seconds or anything. But could he wait that long?

No, of course not. Whether Tristan liked it or not he would have to sleep with someone soon...or else he'd begin to waste away and eventually die.

Tristan didn't want to think about that...about sleeping with some other woman when the only female he wanted was Issy. How had he managed to ignore his attraction to her for so long? He wondered. Now that they were alone together - it had become painfully obvious to Tristan.

He wanted Issy.

He liked Issy.

He may have even lo-

No!

He wouldn't even let himself complete that dangerous thought.

***

The day of the _New York City Chocolate Expert Competition_ had arrived. Issy was meeting Tristan in front of _Dark Heaven_ at eleven o'clock in the morning. He planned to drive Issy in his Corvette to the competition venue, which was an hour away. 'Sign in' for the competition was at one o'clock and contestants who were late were instantly disqualified from the competition. This was why Tristan and Issy planned to get there an hour or so earlier, depending on traffic.

After Tristan had finished showering and getting dressed, he exited _Dark Heaven_ and locked the door behind him. His Corvette was parked right in front. Tristan decided he'd get in his car and listen to music while he waited for Issy to show up. As Tristan approached his car a black BMW with tinted windows pulled up behind his Corvette. The doors of the BMW opened and three men dressed in suits, dark sunglasses, and fedoras stepped out and closed the doors behind them.

The hair on the back of Tristan's neck prickled in warning. Those men looked awfully familiar.

"Hello Master Tristan." One of the men greeted.

Tristan's eyes widened in recognition. _Oh shit...my family's security guards!_

"Uh...hey guys. Fancy seeing you here." Tristan backed up, right into the chest of one of the security guards. _Oh shit._ _How the hell did he get behind me?_ Tristan was about to spin around and kick the guy away from him, but his reflexes were slower due to his lack of sex and the security guard was faster. A cloth was shoved against Tristan's face and he breathed in a heavy chemical scent. _Chloroform!_ "B-Bastard!" Came Tristan's muffled voice. And then as he struggled against the security guard's grasp he passed out.

***

Tristan awoke sometime later and rubbed at his bleary eyes from his position on a four-poster bed with leopard-print sheets. His chocolatier jacket was missing. He looked around the bedroom and his eyes widened in horror when he spotted the _Magic Mike_ poster and realized where he was. _Fuck me. The last thing I want to be looking at right now is Channing Tatum's bare chest._ He looked away only to see the stone statue of a satyr with a huge-

"Hello Tristan." Came a sultry voice.

Tristan's head snapped in the direction of the voice and he saw his stepmother sitting on an antique chair with a velvet cushion. Her legs were crossed in a sensual pose.

"Lorelai." Tristan said through gritted teeth.

This was his stepmother's bedroom and unfortunately he'd been inside of it before. His stepmother had the creepy habit of having her security guards drug Tristan and bring him to her room. She'd tried to seduce him on several prior occasions, but had never succeeded. Thankfully, Lorelai had never forced herself upon Tristan when he was in a drugged state and completely at her mercy, for which Tristan was grateful.

Lorelai thrived on male attention and not only from Tristan. She used her money to hire handsome male strippers, Chippendales, or male prostitutes to keep her entertained while her husband was away on his many business trips. Although Tristan wasn't quite sure why Lorelai thought she had to pay to get male attention since she was an incredibly attractive woman.

If Tristan didn't know for a fact that Lorelai was human he'd have suspected that she was actually a succubus. Her lust seemed insatiable. Or maybe...she was trying to find 'love' in all the wrong places? Tristan wondered for the first time. Mr. Adrian Savant ignored Lorelai and was always busy with work. Perhaps the real reason why Lorelai had affairs was because she was lonely and felt unloved. Though Tristan now knew just what a grave sin an affair was thanks to Raphael.

In that moment, Tristan felt pity for Lorelai. She probably had no idea what she was doing to her own soul. Lorelai had never been unkind to him. In fact, when he'd still been just a kid she'd treated him as her own child. She'd taken care of him when he was sick, made him rice porridge, given him his medicine, and placed cold packs on his feverish forehead. Lorelai used to buy clothes for him until he was able to go shopping by himself and seemed to really enjoy it.

It was only when Tristan had turned thirteen and hit puberty, and had begun to produce pheromones that her attitude had changed towards him from 'motherly' to 'romantic'. Years later, when the security guards had him drugged and taken to her room where she'd try to seduce him for the very first time, Tristan probably would have slept with her if it hadn't been for his sister Mina.

Tristan could never forget that Lorelai was Mina's mother and so he'd _never_ sleep with her willingly. Lorelai could have sexually abused him in his drugged state...but she hadn't. The most she'd done was kiss him while he'd been unconscious or while he'd pretended to be. She'd also taken his clothes off once but she'd just stared at his naked body, unable to resist his dangerous allure.

Tristan didn't blame her for her perverted behavior, however. In fact, he saw it as his own fault. He was the one producing pheromones that drove women crazy. So he was the one that had caused her lustful behavior. During his pre-teen years, Tristan had seen Lorelai as a mother figure and was saddened by the fact that she no longer saw him as her son, but as a potential lover. It had been like loosing a mother.

Currently, Lorelai was dressed in a red leather bodice, lacy red thong, black choker, fishnet stockings, and red high-heels. But what made Tristan do a double take was the headband with red horns on it that was on her head, the red tail with the barbed end that had been attached to the back of her underwear, and the plastic pitchfork she was holding. It took a moment for it to sink in that his stepmother was dressed in a sexy she-devil outfit. His eyes widened more and more as he took in what she was wearing. "W-What are you wearing?"

Lorelai stood up and approached the bed, hips swaying, and a mischievous smile curling her red lips. "Do you like it? There's an urban legend about you on the Internet that you're actually some kind of sex god...or perhaps even a demon. Does this outfit make me more attractive to you, Tristan?" She purred as she spun her tail in a circle.

Tristan gulped, as Lorelai got even closer. She crawled onto the bed cat-like and Tristan scrambled backwards and away from Lorelai until his back hit the headboard. He put his hands out in front of him. "Whoa, wait, what do you think you're doing, Lorelai?"

Lorelai's hooded sky-blue eyes glinted with lust. "What does it look like? I'm seducing you. This time for sure."

Tristan frowned. He couldn't kick Lorelai - she was a woman and hitting women didn't sit well with Tristan. But she was being more aggressive than usual. And...maybe he didn't _want_ to resist her. His own body was responding to her sexy outfit and scantily clad form. Tristan was _very_ sensitive to visual stimuli. His shaft swelled in his pants as his eyes lingered on her massive cleavage and her lace-covered sex.

Tristan's body was reacting to her...even if his mind was screaming: 'No!' Lorelai couldn't have kidnapped him at a worse time. He was weak and vulnerable from lack of sex. His body was craving it with every fiber of his being. His breathing sped up as she drew closer to him.

Lorelai looked down at his crotch and her smile widened wickedly when she saw that Tristan was hard. She reached out and caressed Tristan's cheek, causing him to shudder. He looked her straight in the eye. "Please...don't do this, Lorelai."

"It makes me so happy that you're finally reacting for me." Lorelai said as she reached out and palmed his cock through his pants.

Tristan hissed at her touch and his hips bucked into her hand of their own accord. _Shit, shit, shit!_ "Please don't...Mom."

Lorelai flinched at the namesake and snatched her hand back. She frowned. "I'm not your mother, Tristan. We're not blood-related."

"That doesn't matter to me...I've always seen you as my Mother. Even if you are beautiful."

Conflicting emotions warred inside of Lorelai's heart. She was displeased that Tristan was calling her 'Mother' but pleased he thought her beautiful. Her inner conflict showed on her face.

"I know what you really want, Lorelai. I finally understand. You just want to be loved by someone, don't you? Needed by someone? But...I do love you, Mom. And so does Mina. But...I can't love you in the way you want me to. I can only love you as a son loves a mother - not in the way a man loves a woman. If you do this...you'll truly lose me forever. I'll never forgive you for this, Mom." Tristan kept eye contact, his eyes boring into hers as he willed her to understand.

Lorelai pulled away from him and sighed. "You make it sound as if I'm forcing myself on you." She pouted. "But your body _is_ reacting to me." Lorelai pointedly eyed the bulge in his pants. "You want me, Tristan. You can't deny it."

The incubus shook his head. "I...I've been sick with the flu and I'm still feverish. And you look so sexy in that outfit that my body is reacting to it, but this isn't what I really want, Mom. Please try and understand." Tristan beseeched even as his body was shivering with desire.

Lorelai reached out to stroke Tristan's cheek. "You're just nervous, but don't worry...there's no rush. I'll go get us some champagne. We'll drink together and talk more about this, Tristan. I'm positive I can convince you that _this_." She waved her hand between the two of them. "Is a great idea. I love you." Lorelai leaned over Tristan and pressed her lips against his.

Tristan clenched his hands into fists and used all of his willpower not to respond to her kiss even though it was so sweet.

Lorelai pulled back a minute or two later looking a little disappointed that her kiss had garnered no reaction. "I'll go get that champagne." She slid off the bed, grabbed a red silk robe, wrapped it around her body, and tied the belt tight. Lorelai set her plastic pitchfork down on her dresser. "Don't worry, I won't be long, lover boy." She winked at Tristan before blowing him a coquettish kiss.

Tristan dodged her air-kiss and shuddered violently. Having one's _mother_ hit on them was uber-creepy.

Lorelai left the bedroom, and closed and _locked_ the door behind her. _Shit, shit, shit! I'm her prisoner._ Tristan glared down at his hard-on. He felt like his cock was betraying him. _Damn you...you stupid dick!_ Tristan balled his hand into a fist and hit his erection. Tears sprung to his eyes at the pain. _Ow! Fuck!_ _That hurt!_

The pain was able to clear the fog of lust from his mind. _I have to get out of here!_ Tristan got off the bed, and stumbled forward since he was still a little out of it because of the chloroform. Somehow, he managed to stagger his way around the room as he looked for his chocolatier jacket. Spotting his jacket hanging on the back of a chair, he grabbed it, and quickly put it on. Tristan looked around the room, and spotted the windowed doors that led to the balcony. He opened the doors, made his way outside and looked over the edge of the balcony railing. _Shit._ It was a three-story drop.

It was too high to jump even for a demon like himself. He'd probably break both his legs if he attempted it. Tristan reentered the bedroom and looked around helplessly. That's when his eyes landed on those tacky leopard-print bed sheets. A sudden devious idea came to him. _Tristan Savant, you are a genius._

***

For the past week, getting to spend time with Tristan Savant alone in the kitchen making chocolate together had been divine - like a dream. Issy could feel that she and Tristan were growing closer. Finally, truly getting to know each other. The patissiere was sharing her passion for baking with Tristan and he was sharing his passion for chocolate with her. He truly loved chocolate. Tristan's bi-colored eyes would sparkle anytime he talked about the confectionary treat.

Tristan would also tell her interesting facts about chocolate to which Issy had listened intently. "The word 'chocolate' comes from the Aztec word 'cacahuatl' which means 'bitter water'. The scientific name for the cocoa tree is 'Theobroma Cacao' which is a Greek term meaning 'food of the gods'. This is also why my customers have nicknamed me the 'Chocolate Sex God'. The Mayans drank liquid chocolate during all kinds of occasions like engagements, weddings, baptisms, and even funerals.

"The Mayas valued cacao beans so much that they used it as a currency. A large tomato was worth one bean, a rabbit ten beans and a slave one hundred beans. The Mayans and Aztecs believed cacao beans came from paradise and would bring wisdom and power to anyone eating them. Chocolate is commonly believed to be an aphrodisiac and was used by Casanova, who mixed it with champagne to attract women."

Tristan may have told people that the reason why he became a chocolatier was because of the women his store would attract, but Issy knew that Tristan truly had a passion for chocolate.

While they made chocolate together side by side, Issy could feel the heat of Tristan's body, and smell his tantalizing scent of oranges and dark chocolate that made her mouth water and her knees weak. His mere presence aroused her and made heat pool between her thighs. And sometimes she could feel his heated gaze upon her when her back was turned. Like a wolf eyeing a lamb - a passionate look that sent tingles running up and down her spine. But when she'd turn around to see how Tristan was looking at her - he looked _normal_. Because of this, Issy figured she must have been imagining things. After all, there was no way Tristan would desire her - a fifteen-year-old Living Doll.

But she could dream. Dream about telling Tristan the truth about how old she was and revealing to him that she was his stalker 'Coco'. She could dream about him seducing her, taking off her dolly clothes or Victorian dresses, and seeing her real hair and eye color for the first time. She could dream of him kissing her, touching her, and taking her on the kitchen counter.

The air seemed to be super-charged between them. The tension was so thick it could have been cut with a butter knife. Or was it all in her mind? Issy wondered. They had continued to act normal around each other for the most part. Although when their hands would accidentally brush a shock of electricity would seem to pass between them and they would both shiver.

"Static electricity." Issy would nervously say.

And Tristan would readily agree. "Yeah."

Issy knew that Tristan wanted to concentrate all of his energy into practicing making chocolate in preparation for the competition. But there was one thing that was worrying Issy. And that was that since Becca it didn't appear as though Tristan had slept with another female.

The chocolatier was growing paler by the day, weaker. Really, Issy should have insisted he go get laid. _Rule Number Four of the Shadow Stalker Association: A Shadow Stalker must protect his/her target if they are in danger, but still do their best not to be seen._

But Issy found that she just couldn't do it. Not now. Not when there was this invisible connection between them. Issy couldn't tell Tristan to go have sex with someone else because...if she were truly being honest with herself she wanted him for herself.

Despite her feelings, Issy couldn't selfishly tell him the truth yet. The patissiere decided that only after the chocolate competition would she finally tell Tristan her true age and maybe even her identity as his stalker.

I must wait until after the competition is over to tell Tristan the truth so that I don't distract him. And then...perhaps we can finally be together.

***

The day of the _New York City Chocolate Expert Competition_ had arrived. Issy was supposed to meet Tristan in front of _Dark Heaven_ at eleven o'clock. 'Sign in' for the competition was at one o'clock. They'd be an hour early, but it was better to be safe than sorry because if contestants were late to the 'sign in' period they would be automatically disqualified.

Issy arrived at _Dark Heaven_ at eleven o'clock on the dot, and maneuvered her mountain bike up behind Tristan's Corvette (yes, she lived next door, but had to appear as though she did not). She looked around for any sign of Tristan and was surprised that he wasn't already outside the shop and waiting for her.

"That's funny." Issy hopped off her bike, made her way to the front door of _Dark Heaven,_ and peered inside the darkened shop. All the lights were off and it was quiet inside. Tristan had even put up a ' _Sorry, We're Closed_ ' sign. "He should be here. I wonder if something happened to him." There was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach at the thought. Some of Tristan's fans could become... _fanatical_. It had happened before.

For some reason, Issy recalled how at the _Epic Taste Party_ , Tristan had looked at his family with _fear_. "I need to see where he is...before I start panicking." Issy whipped out her smart phone and brought up her Shadow Stalker GPS tracking app. Issy blinked at the screen when she saw where he was - or at least where his own smart phone was. Tristan was pretty far away, thirty minutes outside of the city at the Savant Mansion Estate.

Issy recognized the address as the Savant Mansion Estate because once Issy had found out that Adrian Savant was Tristan's father she'd done a background check on the man, of course. Um, hello, stalker. She'd been surprised to discover that Mr. Savant was president and CEO of _La Boulangerie Savant_ \- the famous French bakery franchise that was taking America by storm. The family was worth _billions_ apparently.

Issy nibbled on her bottom lip worriedly. "He's at his family's mansion...how? Why? Was he kidnapped? Is his father or brother trying to make sure Tristan loses the competition? Fiddlesticks! I'll have to go and get him back! Don't underestimate stalkers Savant family. Here I come!"

The Living Doll hopped back onto her bike and started off in the direction of the Savant Mansion Estate. She pedaled hard, flying through traffic, and putting the pedal to the metal as she swerved around cars whose drivers gawked at her as they watched her pass them by.

Thirty-two minutes later, she arrived at the estate. She bypassed the front gate and went around to the back of the estate that was a forested area. Her Shadow Stalker phone app let Issy know exactly where she could slip past the outer wall undetected. Apparently, there'd been a storm recently and there was a breech in the outer wall that hadn't been repaired yet.

When Issy found what she was looking for she saw that an enormous oak tree had fallen over and broken a section of the iron and stone fence. There was just barely enough space for Issy to squeeze her bike and then herself through. Once past the outer wall, she mounted her bike and continued her way through the forest, down a winding dirt path that lead towards the mansion.

As she drew closer she saw that Tristan's family home was a Georgian stone manor, three-stories tall with slanted, gray, slate roofs, and huge, latticed windows that must have let in a lot of sunlight. From her view of the back she saw that two of the rooms on the third story had balconies. There was also a porch on the bottom floor with elegant white columns supporting the overhang that shaded the porch.

Upon reaching the back of the estate she whipped out her phone to check Tristan's location again. Issy hopped off her bike and stalked closer to where she saw the dot flashing while rolling her bike along next to her. She used the large flowering shrubs for cover as she moved even closer to the building.

According to her smart phone Tristan was inside of the third floor bedroom, the one with the balcony. Issy looked up and she gasped when she saw Tristan climbing down from the balcony using what appeared to be a knotted-up bed sheet.

"I'm so awesome...I'm like 007." Tristan was saying to himself. However, the bed sheet began to rip. "Oh shit!" Tristan swore as he tried to climb back up, but it was already too late.

"Tristan!" Issy called out in fright.

"Huh?" Tristan looked over his shoulder and saw Issy standing on the ground below him, and his eyes widened. "Issy?" The bed sheet ripped completely and Tristan fell towards the ground. Issy screamed as she watched him plummet through the air.

Tristan fell right into a rosebush with a crash. "Tristan!" Issy ran over to where Tristan had landed.

"Ugh." Tristan groaned as he began to push himself out of the rosebush. "I'm still alive, china doll."

There were tears shimmering in Issy's eyes. "Tristan...you idiot!"

Tristan stood up, but immediately crumpled to the ground in pain. "Ah...shit...I sprained my ankle."

"Here, let me help you." Issy helped Tristan to stand once more by putting his arm around her shoulders. "Come on. We've got to get out of here before-"

"Look! There he is!" "Get him!" "Don't let him escape! The Mistress will have our heads if we let him get away!" Came the frantic voices of the security guards.

Issy's eyes widened as she caught sight of the men dressed in black with dark sunglasses on their faces. "Security guards...will they shoot us?"

Tristan shrugged. "I don't think so."

"You don't _think_? Then...we're going to escape!" Issy hopped onto her mountain bike. "Get on."

Tristan raised an eyebrow at the Living Doll. "A mountain bike? You're not serious. This ride is seriously going to cramp my style."

"Get on, you!" Issy snapped.

"Okay, okay." Tristan got on the bike behind Issy and hesitated about where he should put his hands.

Issy let out a frustrated huff. "Wrap your arms tight around me. This is going to be a bumpy ride!"

"Gotcha, china doll." Tristan wrapped his arms around Issy's slim waist, and couldn't resist leaning over and smelling her hair. _Mmm. Vanilla and sugar cookies._ He unconsciously nuzzled his nose against her neck.

Issy shivered at the sensation but ignored Tristan as she began to pedal hard. Off they went, while the security guards watched in wide-eyed disbelief as a Living Doll and Tristan flew past them on a mountain bike of all things.

"What the hell?" "Okay, who's the douche that put pot in my sandwich?" "No, man, I saw it too - a Living Doll on a mountain bike came to rescue the young master!"

Issy pedaled with all her might and they flew through the forest that was directly behind the Savant Mansion Estate. When they reached the breach in the outer wall they dismounted from the bike in order to squeeze through the opening. Once on the other side they got back on the bike and Issy took off once more.

Tristan frowned when he noted that Issy was panting for breath. Really, he should have been the one doing the pedaling if not for his sprained ankle. It wasn't like Tristan to make a lady do all the work. Her muscles were straining from having to pedal her bike forward with a full-grown man sitting behind her. "Hey, are you okay, china doll? We could pull over and try to get a cab."

"There's no time! We have to head straight to the competition venue! 'Sign in' is in less than fifteen minutes!" Issy declared.

Tristan's brow furrowed in confusion. "We're not going to go back for my Corvette?"

"No time!" Issy insisted as they hit a busy street, and she began to pedal even harder, swerving through traffic, and around cars whose drivers gawked as the strange couple zoomed past. Tristan smiled sheepishly at them. Her speed was pretty impressive considering they were on a mountain bike.

Tristan mentally shrugged, held Issy tight, and decided to just enjoy the ride. He thought he understood the _feeling_ of a young girl riding on the back of her boyfriend's motorcycle with her arms wrapped around his muscular torso as she rested her cheek against his strong back. Unconsciously, Tristan rested his cheek against Issy's back.

Issy's eyes went wide and she snorted, "Ha! What are you doing, silly? Be serious."

"I am being serious...for once in my life. I feel safe when I'm with you, Issy. Why is that?" Her presence comforted him and put him at ease.

"You're being such a girl right now, you know that, right?" Issy teased.

Tristan smirked. "Yeah, I know, but I don't really care. I'm pretty confident in my masculinity after all." The chocolatier scooted forward so that Issy could feel his erection pressing against her ass.

Issy gasped in surprise. Was he _always_ hard? "Of course you are, Mr. Chocolate Sex God."

Thirteen minutes later, Tristan and Issy arrived at the competition venue. Issy parked her bike in front of the building and they dismounted. Because of Tristan's sprained ankle he had to use Issy like a crutch by having his arm slung over her shoulders as she helped him inside of the building. Tristan didn't like being so vulnerable. One of his 'weapons' was now useless, but it wasn't like he was going to an underground fight club or anything. This was just a chocolate competition, so he figured he'd be okay.

As soon as they were inside they made their way over to the 'sign in' table. Issy signed them in and they were handed costumes to change into. The _Chocolate Expert Competition_ was going to be filmed for a TV special that would air later on ABC. This was why the costumes were more ornate versions of the standard chocolatier uniforms.

"You can change into your new uniforms in our locker rooms. The girl's locker room is to your right, and the men's locker room is to your left." The clerk directed them with a wave of her hand.

"Well, it looks like I'm going this way." Issy said as she jerked her thumb to the right.

"And I'm going this way." Tristan said as he limped in the other direction, even though he was hesitant to leave Issy's side for even a second. What the hell was wrong with him?

Issy frowned when she noticed Tristan's limp and called out to him. "Will you be alright on your own?"

Tristan turned his head to raise an eyebrow at her. "Are you offering to help me change, china doll? Because if you are-"

Issy blushed and waved her hands frantically before her. "N-No, of course not!"

Tristan shrugged. "Don't worry then. I'll manage. But I'll miss my pretty crutch." His bi-colored eyes were twinkling with mischief.

Issy reached out and whacked his arm. "Is that all I'm good for, hmm?"

Tristan's expression turned serious. "No." He turned around fully, reached out, and cupped her cheek. "Issy...you're amazing. Thanks for saving me."

Issy felt her cheeks heat up and figured that at this point her face must have been as red as a tomato. "Anytime, playboy."

Tristan hobbled off in the direction of the men's locker room. He entered and peered around surprised that none of the other contestants were present. Tristan stripped off his chocolatier jacket, and picked up the jacket he'd been given. It resembled his own chocolatier jacket but was much more flashy with black buttons and silvery embroidery. A dark blue neckerchief with silver embroidery had also been provided for him. Tristan was just about to put the jacket on when a voice called out behind him.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Tristan." Came a deep, sneering voice.

Tristan turned to see none other than his brother Dominik Savant. "Dominik! What are you doing here?"

A sly, twisted smile slowly spread across Dominik's face. "I'm entered into this competition as an assistant chocolatier. Father flew in a famous patissiere from France to represent the Savant Family. We're winning this thing, Brother."

Tristan gawked at Dominik. What the fuck? "Assistant chocolatier? You don't know the first thing about making chocolate." He paused and narrowed his eyes at his brother. "Do you?"

Dominik shrugged carelessly. "I've studied up on it. It's not rocket science, Brother. Even an idiot could learn how to make chocolate. I'm going to beat you so bad...and at your own game. Though I must confess I'm surprised to see you here. Our security guards were supposed to kidnap you and take you back to the manor. And mother promised me that she'd keep you... _occupied_." He sneered the word 'occupied' and shuddered with disgust.

Tristan gave his brother a shocked look. "You knew about Mom?"

Dominik's blue eyes flashed angrily, "Don't call her 'Mom'. It's disturbing. She's _my_ mother, _not_ yours. You really are disgusting. But whatever...I'm just going to have to beat you in this competition by myself now. Father and I know all about your current financial troubles. I'm going to win this contest to make sure you don't get that prize money, and then you'll be forced to come back home."

Tristan scowled darkly. "But why would you help father? You don't even like me, so there's no way you could _want_ me to return home."

A haughty expression came over Dominik's face. "I'm helping father because ever since you left father's cold demeanor towards me has changed. He's finally acknowledged me. Seen my worth. He's been grooming me to take over the company and to assume my rightful place as CEO of _La Boulangerie Savant_. Ever since you left everything's gone my way. My relationship with father has improved dramatically."

"CEO?" Tristan was floored by this revelation.

"That's right." Dominik's eyes narrowed. "Why sound so surprised? Father also explained to me that you're just a 'tool' to this family - a pawn to be used to seal certain business deals. Brother...I didn't know you were such a man-whore."

Tristan clenched his fists at his sides. "Shut the hell up, Dominik. You don't know what you're talking about."

Dominik raised an eyebrow at Tristan. "Oh, but I do. Father told me the secret about you - that you're not even _human_. That you're half-demon...an inferior being, like an animal, which also means there's no reason for me to play fair." Dominik announced as he stalked towards Tristan and raised his fist.

Tristan tried to raise his leg to block the incoming attack but a stab of pain went through his leg, paralyzing it. _Crap._

Dominik grinned devilishly as he punched Tristan hard across the face. Tristan was knocked backwards to the floor. He looked up at Dominik in shock and wiped blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. "Brother..."

"You're _not_ my brother!" Dominik snarled. "You demon scum!" He attacked Tristan again and grabbed his wrist. "I'm going to break your wrist. Let's see how you make chocolate then, monster!" Dominik began to bend Tristan's wrist back while Tristan struggled against him.

_Dammit! If only I could use my legs to fight! This bastard is really going to break my wrist!_ Tristan felt true fear when the realization of what was about to happen sunk in. "Brother...wait, don't! Please!" Tristan begged, feeling utterly pathetic. _My hand...!_

Dominik was about to break Tristan's wrist, when-

A large hand latched onto Dominik's wrist and began to squeeze. " _Release him_." Came a deep, throaty rumble.

"Ow! What the fuck?" Dominik was forced to release Tristan's wrist as he was suddenly pulled up and away from Tristan.

Tristan blinked up at the man who'd just saved his ass in shock - it was Levi Devlin the 'Brawler Chef' whom he'd seen from afar at the _Epic Taste Party_. Tristan couldn't help but gawk at the man's punky blue hair, and badass ear piercings. Levi's narrowed blue eyes held a fierceness to them. And he looked _pissed_. His eyes were flashing gold. With his free hand Levi wasted no time in punching Dominik hard across the face.

Dominik stumbled backwards and glared at Levi, looking offended. "What the hell, man? This has nothing to do with you."

"Actually, it does have something to do with us." Came a drawling voice and Tristan turned to see Ambrose Rune, the 'Patissier Prince' with his startling red hair, golden eyes (just like a demon's), wicked smile, and bronzed skin. This was the handsome patissier who'd been flirting with Carmen at the _Epic Taste_ party.

"Ambrose?" Tristan said. Ambrose Rune - the guy acted and looked like a prince, but Tristan could sense that he was dangerous.

"Hey, man." Ambrose turned his attention towards Tristan. "I've entered this competition as a chocolatier. Though my specialty is baked goods, and my friend Levi is my assistant chocolatier." He informed Tristan with a flip of his hair.

"We're _not_ friends." Levi grumbled.

Ambrose shrugged apologetically. "Anyways, I need the cash. I want to open up my own bakery back in San Francisco."

"You guys are participating?" Tristan asked again, dumbfounded.

Ambrose offered Tristan his hand. Tristan took it and was helped up. "Yep." Ambrose grinned and then frowned at Tristan's befuddled look. "Hey, did you get hit in the head or something? You look pretty out of it."

Tristan shook his head. "No...I'm just surprised that I was rescued. I really thought for a minute there..." He shivered as he rubbed his swollen wrist. His brother had almost broken his precious hand.

Levi's eyes were narrowed upon Dominik. "Just what were you trying to do, asshole?"

Dominik raised his nose at Levi. "I was trying to break his wrist. What the fuck did it look like, idiot?"

Levi growled low in his throat and threw another punch Dominik's way. However-

Dominik raised his forearm, blocked the blow, and retaliated with a punch of his own. Dominik's fist went flying into the side of Levi's face. Levi tasted blood. Then he smiled in a feral manner.

"Oh man...your brother is _so_ dead." Ambrose chuckled as he rubbed his hands together. "This will be fun to watch."

Levi turned back to look at Dominik and his eyes were flashing golden. He licked the blood from his teeth. Then Levi attacked. Dominik responded and fought back. Dominik was a professional kickboxer, and so was no pushover, but Levi could hit _hard_. For every blow Dominik got in - Levi returned it twofold.

Finally, Levi sent his fist flying into the front of Dominik's face right into his nose, breaking it, and sending Dominik flying across the locker room. Blood gushed down Dominik's face.

Levi dusted his hands off, looking pleased. "Too bad he didn't last longer."

Ambrose walked over and nudged Dominik in the side with his shoe. "If the competition officials see this we're going to be in for a load of trouble." Ambrose reached down and hauled Dominik up. "Let's stick him inside one of the lockers, for now. Come on, Levi, help me out, man."

"Tch." Levi complained as he helped Ambrose stuff Dominik into a locker.

Tristan was having sympathy pains as he watched Dominik being mercilessly shoved into a tiny locker. He watched everything that was going on in a slightly detached state of mind. These guys were acting like a couple of thugs. Tristan was just glad they seemed to be on his side. From the moment Tristan had seen these two guys at the party he'd sensed that they were dangerous. And that there was something _off_ about them.

They reminded Tristan of how he'd felt when he'd first encountered a dangerous demon by the name of Gavin. Gavin had blackmailed Tristan into working for him, but ultimately Gavin had gotten what was coming to him. Tristan hurriedly put on his chocolatier jacket. "Hey...um, thank you for helping me out, guys. I really owe you guys one."

"Your brother is a real piece of work. And I hate cheaters." Levi huffed as he crossed his brawny arms over his broad chest.

Ambrose stalked over and patted Tristan's arm. "Us demons need to stick together, right?"

Tristan's eyes widened. "Demons? You guys are too?"

"I'm not-" Levi shook his head to deny it.

"We _are_." Ambrose said firmly. He put his hand out for Tristan to shake. "May the best demon win."

Tristan took Ambrose's hand and shook it. "Yeah." He offered Ambrose a tremulous smile.

"We'd better get going. The competition should be starting soon." Levi groused.

"Oh, wait, before I forget." Ambrose fished out a business card and handed it to Tristan. "If you're ever in San Francisco stop by Levi's restaurant: _Poseidon's Trident._ "I'm usually there...mooching food off of this guy." Ambrose jerked his thumb at Levi.

Levi's eyebrows pinched together. "Don't go giving people my business card without my permission, asshole."

"Ah...you can have it back." Tristan said meekly as he tried to give Levi the card back.

But Levi waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "Keep it, kid." Levi noticed Tristan's injury next. "Did that asshole do that to you before we got here?" He waved his hand at Tristan's ankle.

"Ah...no, actually. I was kidnapped earlier today...and had to escape out a three-story high window. Let me give you guys a piece of advice. If you're ever kidnapped don't try to fashion a rope out of a bed sheet - it won't work."

Ambrose laughed at that. "Man...you've had a lot of bad luck today. Huh?" He slapped Tristan on the back amiably but with enough force to make Tristan bowl over.

Levi had his eyes narrowed at Tristan. "Kidnapped, huh? I feel you."

"Understatement." Tristan said to Ambrose. "But hopefully things will turn around." He said optimistically.

"When it rains...it usually pours." Levi said ominously as he left the locker room.

Tristan's expression fell.

"Don't mind him." Ambrose said, noticing Tristan's unease. "He can be a real sourpuss. Let's go." The patissier said in a friendly manner.

"R-Right." Tristan followed after the two tough guys, feeling kinda wimpy in comparison. _Those two are cool._

To be continued in...Chocolate 12: Ambrosial Cherry

### Chapter 12: Ambrosial Cherry

Levi, Ambrose and Tristan exited the locker room together. Issy was waiting for Tristan in the lobby and already dressed in a cute chocolatier dress. The top half of the dress was made to resemble a chocolatier's jacket, but had a round, brown collar and brown buttons going down the front. The bottom half of the dress was a knee-length, chocolate-brown colored skirt that had ruffles at the bottom. A round, white, frilly apron was tied around her waist with a big bow in the back. That day, Issy was wearing a long, blonde wig and blue contacts. She looked like a \- well, Living Doll. The ruffled bonnet that she'd been wearing earlier was still on her head and actually went with the dress she was wearing since it was brown and white.

Issy spotted Tristan and headed over towards him. She noted that he wasn't alone - two chocolatiers were with him and they looked oddly familiar. As she got closer she recognized them as Levi Devlin the 'Brawler Chef' and Ambrose Rune the 'Patissier Prince'. They had both been at the _Epic Taste Gourmet Party_.

"Hey, Tristan." Issy greeted him with a shy wave. The new chocolatier jacket he was wearing looked incredibly good on him.

"Issy, I'd like to introduce patissier and chocolatier, Ambrose Rune, and his assistant chocolatier, Levi Devlin." Tristan said with a wave of his hand in the men's direction.

Issy blinked at the two men. "I know who they are."

Levi and Ambrose gave her surprised and somewhat suspicious looks.

"I mean...I was at the _Epic Taste Party_ and you guys were there too. I saw you both...but it wasn't like I was spying on you guys from the balcony with my binoculars or anything creepy like that!" She laughed nervously as she began to dig herself into a hole.

Ambrose offered Issy his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Issy." He gave her one of his charming smiles, which seemed to sparkle.

_Bright!_ Issy took Ambrose's hand and shook it, temporarily blinded by his bright prince-like smile. _He really is like a prince._

Ambrose brought Issy's hand up to his lips and kissed it. "Has anyone ever told you that you look just like a doll?"

Tristan cleared his throat loudly. "Dude...don't be a perv. She's a high school student."

Ambrose raised an eyebrow at Issy. "Oh really?" He said but didn't sound too convinced. He let go of Issy's hand. "Ah, my apologies, my dear."

"Naw, it's okay." Issy smiled tremulously. She shook hands with Levi next. He had a painful grip. "Ow." Issy murmured when he let go.

Levi's eyebrows rose. "Ah, sorry." He apologized in a gruff voice looking down at his hand angrily. Sometimes he didn't know his own strength.

"Naw, it's okay...by the way, Levi, I thought you were a famous seafood chef, not a chocolatier." Issy pointed out. "Everyone was talking about you guys at the party...and I was totally eavesdropping."

Levi nodded and jerked his head in Ambrose's direction. "This asshole dragged me into this competition. I owed him one. That's why I'm here."

Tristan looked bemused at that. "Ambrose has a lot of people owing him one."

"You have no idea." Levi said grimly.

"I love getting people to 'owe me one'. It's my thing. And I love getting them to pay up even more." An impish smile curled Ambrose's lips.

Issy had the feeling she was catching a glimpse of the _real_ Ambrose. _Eeee! Dark Prince!_ "I see."

At that moment, a pretty, petite Asian woman dressed in a chocolatier dress approached them. She had long, thick, straight, black hair and straight bangs. Her brown eyes were cat-shaped. "Um, excuse me, have you kids seen Dominik Savant by any chance?" Her demeanor was polite.

Ambrose shook his head and smiled at her charmingly. "Nope, maybe he already went inside, Madam."

The woman blushed slightly at Ambrose's good looks. "Ah, thank you, young man."

Issy looked at the woman curiously. She seemed oddly familiar. There was something about her. However-

"Ay Dios mio, Issy, Tristan - is that you guys?" Came an excited sounding female voice that somehow managed to remain husky. The group turned to see chocolatier, Raphael Cloude, and Carmen Rodriguez approaching them.

"Carmen!" Tristan greeted her in a friendly manner before he turned and scowled at Raphael. "And Raphael. I heard you were entering the competition, bastard."

Raphael looked down at Tristan's ankle, scowled, and his brow furrowed. "You're hurt."

Tristan shrugged. "It's just a sprained ankle."

"Let me take a look." Raphael bent down and touched Tristan's ankle.

"Hey, what the fuck do you think you're doing, asshole?" Tristan grumbled, not trusting the angel in the slightest. However, a comforting warmth spread through Raphael's touch and Tristan's ankle healed. Raphael stood, looking smug.

Tristan looked down at his ankle in shock. "Whoa, you...uh...thanks, man." He gave Raphael a suspicious look before turning his attention back to Carmen. "Anyways, Carmen, are you here to cheer me on?"

Carmen giggled. "Actually, I'll be competing against you."

"No way!" Tristan exclaimed.

"Raphael taught me how to make chocolate. I'm here as his assistant chocolatier." Carmen informed them all proudly.

"Who's the babe? I mean, lovely lady?" Ambrose asked as he eyed Carmen with interest. "Wait, didn't I hit on you at the _Epic Taste Party_? Yeah, that's right, I remember you." A glint came to Ambrose's eyes.

Raphael unconsciously moved closer to Carmen's side.

"Ah, guys, this is Carmen Rodriguez." Tristan began the introductions. "Carmen, this is Ambrose Rune and Levi Devlin."

"Pleasure to meet you again," Carmen said pleasantly.

"No, the pleasure is all mine, _mon ami_." Ambrose said as he kissed Carmen's hand and boldly began to place kisses up her arm as if he were Gomez Addams kissing his way up Morticia's arm.

Carmen blushed at his bold attentions. But Raphael pulled Carmen into his side protectively and narrowed his stormy eyes at Ambrose.

"Ah, that scary looking guy is chocolatier, Raphael Cloude." Tristan introduced.

"I remember seeing you at the _Epic Taste Party_ too. You're the one that stole the lovely Carmen away." Ambrose said, noting the way Raphael was acting possessive of Carmen. Tristan noted this too with surprise. Ambrose put out his hands and shook his head in a defeated gesture. "Ah, all the beauties are taken." Carmen and Issy blushed, and did not dispute his claim.

At that moment, the competition's two judges entered the lobby - Albain Laurent and Capucine Mercier. Albain was a famous French patissier while Capucine was a famous French food critic. Albain was a handsome, rugged man in his late thirties with short platinum-blonde hair and gray eyes. He was dressed in a chocolatier jacket, black pants, and shiny dress shoes. Capucine was an attractive French woman with her elegant high cheekbones, short bob of dirty-blonde hair, and gray-green eyes.

"Contestants, we're ready for you now." Albain informed them in a heavy French accent.

"Please follow us to the main studio everyone. Filming will be starting soon so please hurry." Capucine added in a friendly manner.

Tristan and the others followed the judges to the studio. The studio consisted of a large stage on one side with four cooking stations, and on the other side were several seats that had been filled with an audience who looked eager and excited for the competition to start. The cooking stations were composed of a long counter that had a built-in sink, stove with oven, and a marble slab for tempering. The counters were also piled high with ingredients. Off to the side were a series of refrigerators to be used when the chocolatiers needed to cool down their finished chocolate products. An entire film crew was present and had multiple cameras pointed towards the stage and others towards the audience.

There was a sign attached to the front of each station, which had team numbers on them, as follows: 'Team 1', 'Team 2', 'Team 3', and 'Team 4'. On the front of the contestants' jackets was a number that designated which team they were in. Tristan and Issy were in Team 3. Levi and Ambrose were in Team 1. Raphael and Carmen were in Team 2. The Asian patissiere was in Team 4 and her assistant chocolatier was strangely absent.

Team 1 and Team 2's stations were positioned on the front of the stage next to each other, and Team 3 and Team 4's stations were positioned directly behind. The contestants made their way to their stations, and Issy noticed that the Asian woman was looking around the studio with a worried expression on her face. Probably wondering where her assistant was.

"Everyone, we're about to start filming. Where is Dominik Savant?" Albain asked loudly as he looked around the auditorium with a frown on his face.

Ambrose hid a smile behind his hand and Tristan tried to look as innocent as possible as he twiddled his thumbs.

"I'm right here." Came a snarky voice.

All eyes turned to see a pissed off looking Dominik Savant entering the studio. He had a white band-aid across his nose. "Sorry about that. I tripped down some steps and busted my nose." Dominik explained when Albain eyed Dominik's injuries suspiciously, taking in the bruises on his face. Albain's gaze shot over to look at Tristan, who was also sporting similar injuries on his face.

Albain sighed and shook his head, disappointedly. "May I remind everyone that fighting is _not_ permitted and will get you immediately disqualified if discovered. Also, sabotage of ingredients will be met with the same penalty. The ingredients have been provided for you, but if there's an ingredient you absolutely must have and that has not been provided for you - you are allowed to go to the supermarket, which is ten minutes away from here. Hurry up and take your place, Dominik." Albain waved his hand impatiently at Dominik.

"Yes, Sir." Dominik nodded and swaggered over to Team 4's station and stood behind it. The Asian patissiere gave him a questioning look, which Dominik pointedly ignored.

"We are filming in three...two...one!" Albain counted down before the judges turned to face one of the cameras with wide smiles on their faces. "Hello and welcome to the _New York City Chocolate Expert Competition_!"

"Sponsored by _La Boulangerie Savant_!" Capucine enthusiastically added.

Tristan's jaw dropped at this startling revelation. _La Boulangerie Savant_ had sponsored the competition? That would mean that even if he won he'd be winning his father's money? _What the fuck?_

"The theme of this competition is a little cliché perhaps, but classic all the same." Albain paused for dramatic effect. "Love. Our contestants have been told to consider the question: ' _What do you think love tastes like?_ ' and to express their vision of what 'love' is to them with the taste and form of their chocolates."

"Our contestants will be making chocolate that captures the very essence of love. They will be challenged to make a chocolate that awakens our memories of love or past feelings of love. A chocolate that is love personified." Capucine explained with a twinkle in her gray-green eyes.

"This competition is also to determine who out of our contestants is the true chocolate expert. Being able to taste a chocolatier's emotions in their chocolate is what makes a culinary genius." Albain explained gruffly.

"Now, let's get to know our contestants!" Capucine declared as she approached the cooking stations. "We have a lot of good looking guys participating, rwar!" She pawed the air with her hand comically. "In Team 1 we have the chocolatier and patissiere, Ambrose Rune, who has gained quite the reputation for himself back in California for his baked goods. He hasn't been able to open his own shop yet, however, he has his very own mobile bakery truck! And ladies, he makes house calls, rwar! Visit his website at www.patissierprinceonwheels.com! In San Francisco, he's been nicknamed the 'Patissier Prince'! His chocolatier assistant is the famous seafood chef, Levi Devlin. His nickname is the 'Brawler Chef'! Levi owns his own seafood restaurant in San Francisco called _Poseidon's Trident_! If you guys are even in Cali I suggest visiting it since rumor has it - it's filled with hot guys!" Capucine announced fervidly.

Albain rolled his eyes at Capucine's antics and tried not to smile as his lip twitched.

"In Team 2 we have chocolatier, Raphael Cloude. He's the owner of _Cloud 9_ chocolate shop and his assistant Carmen Rodriguez! Raphael's nickname is the 'Chocolate Angel'. More of an Archangel I'd say! Rumor has it that Raphael's chocolates can brighten anyone's day and make them feel _hopeful_. I can't wait to see if that's true. In Team 3 we have chocolatier Tristan Savant, the owner of _Dark Heaven_. His nickname is the 'Chocolate Sex God'. There are some interesting urban legends circulating around about him on the Internet that say he's in fact a _real_ sex god! I can't wait to try his aphrodisiac chocolates! His chocolatier assistant is Issy Sweet, and if you haven't figured it out already - she's a Living Doll. You can visit her facebook page: 'Living Doll Isolde Sweet' and 'like' her!"

The Asian patissiere shot Issy a startled look upon hearing Issy's full name, but she lowered her head to hide her expression with her long bangs.

"In Team 4 we have the famous patissiere and chocolatier, Hanako Sweet! She just flew in from France for this competition under _La Boulangerie Savant_ 's invitation. Next to her is Dominik Savant, who will be her assistant chocolatier. Many of you probably recognize Dominik from his professional kickboxing career and UFC fights! Let's see if he kicks as much butt in this competition as he can in the ring! Dominik and Tristan are brothers...so we've got a little sibling rivalry going on here in this competition today! Sexy brothers...fighting...preferably covered in chocolate." Capucine rubbed her hands together. "Could it get any better than this, ladies?" Capucine asked the audience.

"No!" The women in the audience all cried out. And then a series of random exclamations could be heard: "Kick his ass, Tristan!" "No, Dominik will win for sure!" "I love you, Tristan!" "Dominik, you look hot in that jacket!"

At the mention of the name 'Hanako Sweet' Issy turned to gape at the Asian patissiere. "Goodness gracious." Issy murmured in wonder.

Tristan noticed Issy's sudden stupefied expression and placed a hand on her arm out of concern. "What is it, Issy?"

"That woman, Hanako Sweet. She's... _my mother_." Issy revealed breathlessly. "I haven't seen her since I was seven!" She explained in a hushed voice. "She's divorced my father so...I don't know why she's still using the last name 'Sweet' but...it's definitely her."

Tristan looked at Hanako Sweet curiously. _So...that's Issy's mother_. He couldn't stop the smile that formed on his lips. "Your mother is quite the beauty."

Issy shot Tristan an irritated look. "Don't go hitting on my mother, Tristan."

Tristan put his hands up in a surrendering gesture. "Whoa...don't worry I won't. Even if she's a total babe." He winked.

Issy whacked his arm. "You're incorrigible."

"I know." Tristan's playful expression then turned serious. "Issy, are you alright with competing against your mother?"

Issy nodded. "More than okay actually. Let's show her what we're capable of Tristan. I plan to make my mother proud. I became a patissiere in the hopes of one day gaining my mother's acknowledgement. This opportunity couldn't be more Heaven-sent. Thank you, Tristan, for bringing me here and giving me this opportunity." Issy nibbled on her bottom lip. "But what about you? You just found out that _La Boulangerie Savant_ sponsored this competition."

Tristan worried his thumb and forefinger over his jaw. "It did bother me - a lot actually - but now that I know your long lost mother is participating and you want to show her what you can do. We have no choice but to show her. Together, we'll win this thing!" He gave her a thumb's up.

Issy grinned back at the handsome chocolatier. "Tristan, thank you."

Inwardly, Tristan was unsettled as a sudden thought occurred to him: had his family investigated Issy Sweet and discovered that Hanako Sweet was her mother? Is that why her mother had suddenly turned up at this competition? Just what was his family planning? Or more importantly just what was his asshole brother up to now?

"Our contestants will have two hours to produce their chocolate creations." Albain announced. "That will give them plenty of time to temper their chocolate and refrigerate it with enough time for it to harden. All necessary ingredients have been provided for our contestants during this competition, however, if there is an ingredient they must have and that we haven not provided, or if they run out of an ingredient because of a misstep then contestants are allowed to go to the supermarket that is ten minutes away. Let's set the clock!" Albain waved his hand towards a gigantic digital clock that was hanging on the back wall of the studio. The digital clock began its countdown from two hours.

"Contestants, you may begin making chocolate!" Capucine declared.

All four teams immediately got started with the preparations to make their chocolates. The judges approached Team 1's cooking station first. "Team 1, what will you be making?" Albain asked.

"We'll be making heart-shaped, dark chocolate, caramel-filled bonbons with crushed macadamia nuts inside." Ambrose said as he greased an 8 x 8 square pan. Levi was already crushing macadamia nuts using his bare hands.

Capucine couldn't help but gawk at Levi when she saw him grab a handful of macadamia nuts in one hand, close his hand into a fist, and then open it to reveal tiny little pieces of nuts. "Ooo, looks like we've got a tough guy here in our competition today."

"Ambrose, what do you think love tastes like?" Albain asked curiously.

"Love is dark, mysterious, adventurous, passionate and full of surprises." Ambrose replied. "Hence the dark chocolate exterior and sweet caramel filling with the surprise of small pieces of macadamia nuts. There are always rocky paths to tread or bumps in the road of love. But getting through though obstacles and tough times together is what really brings a couple together."

Levi resisted rolling his eyes at his companion. Love for Ambrose...was just sex. Love was lust. He used women, broke their hearts, and had strange fetishes.

Capucine fanned herself with her hand. "Oh my. Is it getting hot in here, or is it just me? I can't wait to sample your chocolates, boys."

The judges made their way over to Raphael and Carmen's cooking station next. "And what kind of chocolates are you both going to be making today?" Albain asked them.

"We're going to be making swan-shaped, white and dark chocolates." Carmen answered for Raphael as he ignored the judges and concentrated on weighing the ingredients he was going to need to make both white and dark chocolate from scratch.

"What do you think love tastes like, Carmen?" Albain asked her, having the feeling that Raphael was just going to ignore him.

"Love...isn't always easy. There can be hardships to overcome like family, friends, distance, cultural differences, or financial problems. Just like Romeo and Juliet, or even Bella and Edward from _Twilight_. Those couples both had a star-crossed love where the dark was in love with the light." Carmen let out a wistful sigh that had Raphael rolling his eyes. "Anyways, that's why we decided to use white and dark chocolate - to represent star-crossed love."

Capucine sighed right along with Carmen. "Star-crossed love. I like the theme you both have chosen. I can't wait to taste your chocolates. Keep up the good work!"

"Good luck." Albain nodded at them.

The judges then approached Team 3's cooking station. "Hey guys, so what kind of chocolates are you making?" Capucine asked curiously as she watched Issy pitting fresh cherries.

"We're going to be making chocolate-covered cherries. Their appearance is pretty simple so I plan to decorate them with red icing and Issy will make some hearts out of fondant icing." Tristan revealed with a smile as he started to make some milk chocolate from scratch.

"Oh, I love chocolate-covered cherries." Capucine clapped her hands together. "Though sometimes they can be too sweet...or too bland. What do you think love tastes like, Tristan?"

Tristan looked at Issy out of the corner of his eye. "Love...is a bittersweet feeling because you can never truly own another's heart. But there are _moments_ when you're by their side that are just so _sweet_. Therefore, a bittersweet milk chocolate exterior and sweet filling...creamy fondant and pitted cherries. Sometimes you can use maraschino cherries. But I chose to use fresh cherries to give the chocolates a more _exotic_ taste."

Issy turned to look at Tristan and noticed that the chocolatier was looking at her and immediately blushed.

Capucine looked at Albain out of the corner of her eye. "I know what you mean."

"Good luck to both of you." Albain said with a nod.

The judges made their way over to Team 4's station after that. "Hey, guys, so what chocolates are you both going to be making?" Capucine asked the pair.

"We're going to be making pistachio bonbons. The exterior will be milk chocolate with a lovely green and yellow-gold colored candy shell. The inside will be a sweet pistachio filling with a vibrant green color." Hanako explained as she stirred a bowl of milk chocolate.

"Pistachio? That's an interesting choice." Capucine noted.

"What do you think love tastes like, Hanako?" Albain asked.

"I chose pistachio because...my own love story didn't work out. My husband wanted me to choose between him and my dream. And I chose my dream. Some may think that's selfish of me, but we only live life once. I wanted to live mine to the fullest and pursue my dream to the best of my abilities." Hanako revealed in a passionate tone.

Issy was holding her breath as she listened to every word her mother was saying.

"I succeeded in my dream...but my life lacks love. I miss my husband...and my daughter. It's a bittersweet feeling but my memories of them are still sweet, precious. Life is complex. And love is complex too. That's the feeling I hope to embody in this chocolate. Regret in love, and hope that my daughter will find love in my place sometime in her future." Hanako looked at Issy out of the corner of her eye before she returned her attention back to the judges and smiled sadly.

"That's a nice sentiment. I look forward to tasting your chocolates." Albain said.

"I'm sure your daughter will find true love." Capucine put a hand on Hanako's shoulder and squeezed it in a reassuring manner. "Good luck."

Thirty minutes had passed and at this point Tristan was tempering the milk chocolate that he'd made from scratch. Meanwhile Issy was working on the creamy fondant filling. She sifted confectioner's sugar several times into a bowl to eliminate all lumps. After that she beat butter, corn syrup and salt with an electric mixer until the mixture was light and fluffy. Issy beat in the sifted confectioner's sugar until it was thoroughly incorporated.

Issy turned the fondant out on the counter that had been generously dusted with confectioner's sugar. She kneaded the fondant until it was smooth and workable. Then she made little balls out of the fondant and pressed a pitted cherry inside each ball. After the fondant balls had been allowed to chill in the refrigerator for thirty minutes they would then be covered with the chocolate Tristan was working on.

Around this same time, Dominik was working on the pistachio filling while Hanako was tempering the dark chocolate. Dominik added green food color, vanilla and almond extract to a fondant he'd already finished making. He molded the fondant into round balls, stuck a pistachio nut in the center, and covered the hole he'd created with the fondant. After that he placed a tray with the fondant covered pistachios in the nearby refrigerator. They would be ready to be dipped in thirty minutes.

Raphael was tempering the white chocolate he'd made while Carmen was tempering the dark chocolate. As the audience watched the team, they couldn't help but note that they looked completely in sync. After the tempering was done, they would simply pour the chocolate into the silicone swan molds, and wait for the chocolate to harden. Raphael and Carmen planned to use the rest of the time they had to decorate the swans with silver colored sprinkles and create intricate nests for the swans made of chocolate.

Ambrose was tempering the dark chocolate while Levi was making the caramel. Levi melted butter over a medium heat, added brown sugar, corn syrup and milk. Stirring constantly he heated the mixture to 242-248 degrees Fahrenheit. He added the small pieces of macadamia nuts to the mixture and after that removed the caramel from the heat, stirred in some vanilla extract, and lastly poured the mixture into the greased pan. Levi put the pan into the refrigerator, and waited for it to cool and set. That's when he'd be able to cut the caramel into heart shapes, and dip the caramel hearts into the chocolate Ambrose was working on.

On Issy's way to the refrigerator, Dominik suddenly dropped a bowl of pistachio shells on the floor with a muttered 'Oops'. They skidded across the floor like marbles and rolled in Issy's direction. Issy panicked and stepped back as she tried to avoid the shells but only managed to get them beneath her slippery dolly shoes. Issy ended up falling backwards. She lost her grip on the tray that she was carrying and it went flying up into the air. "Oh no, the fondant!" Issy cried as she tried to make a grab for it, even as she fell back and landed on her backside. The tray fell on top of her and covered her with pieces of squishy fondant.

"Issy!" Tristan exclaimed when he saw what had happened and made his way over to her. "What happened?" He knelt by her side.

"I slipped on some spilled pistachio shells. I'm so sorry. Fiddlesticks, the fondant...it's ruined!" Issy murmured as she looked down at all of the round balls of fondant. "It will have to be remade...but we don't have enough ingredients!"

Tristan helped Issy to stand and glared over at Dominik. "Don't apologize, Issy. It wasn't your fault."

Dominik's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "Why are you looking at _me_ like that, Brother? It was an accident. I mean, how would I know your little girlfriend wears such slippery doll shoes?"

Hanako was giving Dominik a look of disbelief. Had he really just sabotaged their competition like that? If so, that was incredibly dishonorable. She clenched her fists at her sides.

"Without the fondant we won't be able to finish the chocolates." Issy moaned.

Tristan's brow furrowed in thought. "I could go to the supermarket."

Issy shook her head. "No, I'll go. I have my bike with me, remember?"

Tristan hesitated but in the end he nodded. He'd witnessed firsthand just how fast Issy could be on that bike of hers. "Alright, you go to the supermarket and I'll finish tempering the chocolate. I just have to reheat it at this point. And while I'm waiting for your return I'll pit some more cherries."

Issy saluted Tristan. "Right, I'll be right back."

"Oh and Issy?" Tristan called out as she turned to go.

"Yes?" She looked over her shoulder.

"Please be careful." Tristan had a bad feeling about all this. It was never a good thing when Dominik _smiled_.

Dominik whipped out his cell phone as soon as he saw Issy leave the studio. He texted instructions to one of his security guards: ' _It's the girl. At the supermarket cut the brakes so she won't be able to leave.'_

Issy smiled and gave Tristan a thumbs-up. "Don't worry, I will be." Without further ado, Issy ran off, out of the studio, through the lobby, and out the front door.

One of the valets noticed Issy leaving. "Hey, where are you going, girl? Aren't you in the middle of the competition?"

Issy turned to the young African-American man dressed in a red valet uniform. "Yes, but we're out of the necessary ingredients to make fondant, so I need to go get more!"

"That sucks." The valet shook his head in understanding.

Issy mounted her bike and nodded in agreement. "Tell me about it." She looked at the young man's nametag. "Clarence, I'll be back soon!"

"Good luck and be careful, girl!" Clarence called after her.

Issy nodded and took off, pedaling down the street, and heading towards the supermarket. She pedaled hard and reached the supermarket seven minutes later. She entered, quickly found the ingredients she needed, paid for them, and exited. The Living Doll got on her bike, and started off, heading back towards the competition venue.

Issy pedaled hard, but then she approached a yellow light. _I'd better stop. Just to be on the safe side._ Issy pressed on her handlebar brakes - no response - she pressed them again. Still no response. Her eyes widened. _Oh my God! My brakes are shot!_ "Everyone get out of the way! NO BRAKES!" Issy cried as she made the yellow light - just as it turned red.

That had just been a really close call! Issy tried to slow down but the street was downhill. _Fiddlesticks!_ She approached the competition venue, and spotted Clarence standing outside the front door waiting for her.

"Clarence! Open the door! I have no brakes!" Issy yelled out as she approached and turned the bike so that it was heading directly for the front door, which was still closed.

Clarence's eyes widened like saucers. "Holy-!" He quickly opened the door and Issy sped inside. She still didn't have brakes so had no choice but to stop the bike the only way she knew how. She leaned sideways, causing it to tip and fall over. Issy flew off the bike, hit the floor hard, and rolled. _Owowowow._

"Issy!" Clarence rushed over to Issy and helped her up. "Are you alright, doll? Should I call an ambulance?"

"Naw, I'm fine. I have a competition to win, Clarence." Issy insisted. "And I have the ingredients!" She jabbed her thumb in the direction of the backpack over her shoulder.

Clarence looked Issy over and noticed her skinned and bleeding knees, torn stockings, and torn dress. He frowned, "But you're bleeding."

Issy waved off his concern. "I'm okay. It's just a scratch. Thanks for opening that door for me, Clarence! You're a real lifesaver. See you!" She ran off in the direction of the studio.

Clarence picked up Issy's fallen bike and his frown deepened when he saw that the brakes on Issy's mountain bike had definitely been cut. This had been no accident. This was sabotage.

***

Issy dramatically burst through the door of the studio and ran back to Team 3's cooking station. The cameras focused on Issy and followed her - much like everyone's curious gazes. The audience seemed to notice the awful state Issy was in as murmuring began to fill the studio. Issy was obviously hurt with her bleeding knees and torn dress. The Living Doll pulled her backpack off as she approached Tristan, and reached in to pull out the shopping bags filled with ingredients. "Look Tristan! I did it! I have the ingredients!"

But Tristan wasn't looking at the grocery bags. His bi-colored eyes had narrowed at the sight of her skinned and bleeding knees, and ripped dress. She was _hurt_. _His_ Issy was hurt. Tristan approached Issy and stood directly in front of her, his expression concerned. "Issy, what happened?"

"Nothing, I lost my brakes on the way back. But never mind that - I got the ingredients!" She held the bags higher and gave him an expectant look.

"You...idiot!" Tristan said as he reached out and pulled Issy into his arms.

Issy felt her cheeks heating up with surprise. "Ah, Tristan, be careful! The ingredients!"

Tristan ignored her warning and wrapped his arms more tightly around Issy before putting a hand on her head, and stroking her hair. "I'm so glad you're okay...you reckless Living Doll. What if you broke?"

Issy wasn't quite sure how to respond to that and found herself stammering. "Uh...?"

"You'd break my heart." Tristan said as he pulled back to give Issy a meaningful look.

When Tristan looked at her like that, so intensely - it caused Issy's heart rate to speed up.

"Awww!" Carmen cooed as she watched them. "They're so cute."

Capucine joined in too. "Aww, how sweet!"

Tristan ignored the women, and reached out to cup Issy's cheek. "Never do something so reckless again. Promise me."

Issy nodded, dazedly, but all she could really think about was how surprised she was that Tristan's hand felt so soft. She figured it was because he took such great care of his hands. Issy had noticed Tristan putting lotion on his hands when he didn't think anyone was watching. He also made sure to never use his hands in a fight, and only used his legs. To Tristan his hands were precious. "I promise." _I wonder what his hands would feel like...on my body._

Tristan finally pulled back, and let Issy pass him to the other side of the counter so she could start making the creamy fondant again. They were going to be cutting it close. It would take almost thirty minutes to redo the fondant and then they'd have to wait thirty minutes before they could coat it in chocolate. That would give them roughly thirty minutes leftover for decorating. Issy decided to make enough fondant to have the fondant ready for the small red hearts she planned to make for decoration.

At this time, Issy's mother, Hanako Sweet, was looking at Issy and Tristan curiously, wondering if they were a couple. Tristan kept shooting dark looks towards Dominik and looked as though he were holding himself back from attacking his brother. _Bastard...I know what you did. And you'll pay for hurting the woman I lo-like._ Tristan amended in his mind.

Dominik just smiled innocently back at Tristan, _I don't know what you're talking about, bro._

Hanako looked back and forth between the brothers, and frowned. She also looked at Issy again and her gaze focused on her bleeding knees. The young girl seemed familiar somehow, and they had the same last name. Could Issy Sweet...really be her daughter Isolde Sweet? It was certainly possible.

Tristan continued to re-heat the chocolate, which had already been tempered to perfection. If everything went smoothly the chocolate would have a nice shine to it. They were a little behind the other contestants who'd already finished their fillings at this stage. Issy and Tristan had to work fast!

Issy quickly prepared the sweet creamy fondant filling, and put the finished product in the refrigerator. Now they had to wait thirty minutes before Tristan could begin dipping the fondant-covered cherries. Issy began to work on the red fondant hearts while Tristan made the red icing.

Thirty minutes passed, and Issy removed the tray of fondant-covered cherries. Tristan began to dip the cherries into the tempered chocolate and once that was done they put the tray back into the freezer for quick hardening. The chocolate would be hard in twenty minutes. That would give them ten minutes to decorate the cherries. In twenty minutes, they removed the tray and Tristan began drizzling red icing on top of each bonbon creating a zigzag pattern. As soon as Tristan was done with his decorating Issy began to carefully place red hearts on top of each bonbon.

Tristan looked over at Raphael's cooking station curiously and was amazed that Carmen and Raphael were already decorating their dark and white chocolate swans. Carmen was adding silver sprinkles to the white chocolate swans, and gold sprinkles to the dark chocolate swans. Raphael was creating little nests for the swan couples that were made of a dark chocolate. The nests were impressive and very realistic looking. The swans, nest, and little eggs inside of the nests showed Raphael's skill in making intricate chocolate creations. Tristan couldn't help but notice that Raphael seemed to arrange the eggs inside of the nests in groups of three, and was arranging the chocolate twigs very slowly as if he wanted to make the nests _perfect_.

Levi was cutting the caramel into heart-shapes and handing them to Ambrose who was dipping them into the chocolate he had perfectly tempered. After that they placed the hearts on a tray to put inside of the freezer for fast hardening. Ambrose put his hand up for Levi to give him a high-five once they were finished. Levi ignored him though, and crossed his arms over his chest. Ambrose pouted and lowered his hand.

Dominik had taken the tray of pistachio fondant out of the refrigerator and was handing the balls to Hanako to dip in chocolate. She was dipping them carefully one by one. Hanako had also filled a silicone mold with chocolate and when she removed the chocolate from the mold it was to reveal two headless figurines. Tristan wondered just what Hanako was up to and watched as she put the chocolate-covered pistachio balls into the freezer. She had to wait for the chocolate to harden before she could do the final decorations. As Team 4 waited, Hanako began to make clothes for the headless chocolate figurines out of colored fondant icing while Damian watched.

As Tristan observed Issy carefully placing tiny white and red hearts on top of each chocolate bonbon his heart thudded loudly inside of his chest. Issy was not only trying to win this competition to impress her mother, but also to help him. She'd gotten hurt because of him. He just knew that his brother's security guards had sabotaged Issy's bike. He'd almost lost her...and he was so glad that she was still here. That feeling made him realize the truth. The truth of his feelings for Issy Sweet.

A single glowing tear rolled down Tristan's cheek and hit two of the chocolate bonbons.

He loved her.

I love her.

Tristan couldn't help but think of that saying: 'it takes almost losing someone to realize how much you care'.

"Attention chocolatiers! You have one minute left! One minute! Hurry up with your finishing touches!" Albain called out.

Tristan turned to see Dominik setting down the tray of chocolate-covered pistachio balls on the counter in front of him. Hanako reached out and took one of the pistachio balls and placed it right on top of the figurine she'd been working on. She grabbed another pistachio ball and placed it on the figurine that was standing next to it. Finally, Tristan was able to see what she'd decided to make - a chocolate bride and groom, wearing clothing made of fondant icing and with their heads pistachio chocolate bonbons. Hanako Sweet quickly added the finishing touches to the figurines, adding hair and a veil to the bride, and hair and a top hat to the groom that had been made of fondant icing.

Raphael and Carmen were setting their white and dark swan couples inside of the nests and Tristan noted that as the swans were set right next to each other their arching necks created the shape of a heart. _How romantic._ He had to give them that.

Levi and Ambrose's chocolate hearts had been taken out of the freezer and Ambrose was applying a simple chocolate drizzle pattern on top of them.

"Attention chocolatiers, your time is up! Stop confectioning!" Albain called out and the contestants stopped decorating their chocolates.

"Now, it's time for the sampling of the chocolates." Albain announced as he walked over to Team 1's station first. The judges looked down at the plate of chocolate-covered, heart-shaped caramels intently.

"They look delicious and the dark chocolate has a nice, professional shine." Albain complimented.

"The design could have been a little more complex, given the time that was provided for everyone though." Capucine pointed out. "But using 'hearts' to represent 'love' is pretty classic."

The judges each picked up a chocolate and bit into it. "Man...that's good. The caramel is surprisingly chewy." Albain noted. "And it almost tastes like there's alcohol in here. It's an intoxicating flavor. I like it. Is that bourbon? No, wine? Liquor?" _I feel like I'm getting a buzz...and just from eating one of these chocolates. I also feel like doing something a little wild. Reckless._ Albain found himself looking at Capucine longingly.

Ambrose hid a smile behind his hand. _That intoxicating flavor is my spit, Albain._

"The caramel is sweet, _intoxicating_ , and the macadamia chunks add a little something _more_. Some 'spice' to the relationship as it were. Gives it a nice texture." Capucine said as she looked over at Albain, and had the naughty thought of grabbing him by his tie and pulling him in for a kiss. She shook her head wondering what the hell was wrong with her. Her thought processes were like a teenager, who was drunk at a house party.

Ambrose looked pleased by the judges' responses. Levi looked stoic. What the judges didn't know was that Ambrose had spit into the caramel adding a bit of 'ambrosia' to the caramel, which gave it an intoxicating flavor. The judges would feel their inhibitions leaving them, and feel like doing something _wild_ as a result.

Feeling slightly lightheaded, the judges made their way to Team 2's cooking station. The judges looked down at the plate of white and dark swans sitting in elaborate nests. Capucine clapped her hands delightedly. "Oh, how cute. The swans even form a heart once they're sitting next to each other. And the nests are amazing...they look real."

"They look nice and very professional." Albain agreed.

"I like that you chose the swan for the chocolate's shape. It's a very classic and romantic symbol. I also like the idea of mixing up the white and dark swans...as you said before it's reminiscent of star-crossed love." Capucine continued.

Carmen beamed. "It may be a star-crossed love...but there's hope that in the end they'll be together." The singer clasped her hands before her with a dreamy look on her face. Raphael couldn't help but flick the tip of Carmen's nose with his thumb and index finger. "Hey!" Carmen snapped. Raphael cleared his throat and gave Carmen a warning look. She smiled sheepishly back at him.

The judges each picked up a swan, bit into them, and chewed thoughtfully. Their glassy-eyed, hazy look vanished and dopey smiles formed on their faces. All of a sudden the judges were feeling very _hopeful_.

"The flavor of the white chocolate is nice. Not too sweet as can sometimes happen with white chocolate." Capucine began. "And I feel...hopeful. Hopeful for that star-crossed love you were talking about, Carmen."

"The dark chocolate is a little plain. I wanted to be surprised by a filling of some kind, but other than that - well done. I can also feel the _hopefulness_ expressed in this chocolate." _Maybe I should ask Capucine out on a date. It might actually go well...you never know._

Carmen pouted. She'd wanted to make a filling too, but with Raphael's OCDness - she knew they wouldn't have had enough time. It took Raphael twice as long to do anything because each move he made had to be perfect. The ingredients had to be effectively measured, the decorations had to be made with precision, and everything had to be arranged in groups of three or at right angles.

The judges approached Team 3's station next. The patissier and food critic looked down at the plate of chocolate-covered cherries with zigzags of red icing, tiny white and red hearts, and smiled.

"Nice presentation." Capucine complimented. "It reminds me of Valentine's Day."

"I like the red color. It really makes me think of cherries." Albain said.

The judges picked up a bonbon each, and plopped it into their mouths. They began to chew, which released the sweet cream fondant into their mouths and cherry bits.

" _Mmm_." The two judges both groaned in delight. However, after the judges had finished the chocolates their eyes began to tear up.

Issy began to panic when she noticed the tears filling the judges' eyes. "Oh my God, what's wrong? Did we accidentally add something weird? Wasabi? Pepper? I was really careful _this_ time."

Tristan scowled, looking confused by their reactions. The chocolates should have tasted fine, normal even. He didn't even spit in the chocolates because he felt like that would have been cheating.

Dominik laughed openly as he watched what was going on with a highly amused expression on his face.

"Is it...bad?" Tristan asked and held his breath as he awaited their response.

Capucine shook her head and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I can't believe I'm crying...it's just these chocolates reminded me of my _first love_."

Albain shot Capucine a surprised look. "I was reminded of my first love too. From high school."

Capucine raised an eyebrow at Albain. "Is that so? We went to the same high school...so maybe I knew her. Who was she?"

Albain frowned. "Well...I don't actually know. I met her during our senior prom, which had a masquerade theme. Remember how everyone was wearing masks? The fact that some people didn't even know each other gave me the courage to approach a pretty girl in a purple dress and ask her to dance. We danced all night and kissed at midnight. I'll never forget that kiss."

Capucine's eyes widened in shock. "Purple dress you say? And maybe two left feet?"

Albain gave Capucine a piercing look. "How did you know that?"

"I wore a purple dress to my senior prom...and I danced with some guy I didn't know. I was so nervous that I stepped on his feet multiple times, but he gallantly didn't seem to mind. At midnight we kissed...but I was so shy about it I ran away afterwards. Just like Cinderella."

"That was you?" Albain sucked in a surprised breath. " _Capucine_ ..."

Capucine picked up a chocolate-covered cherry and stared at it thoughtfully. "Bittersweet on the outside and oh so sweet on the inside. First love is like that...the memory is bittersweet because it's in the past, but when you remember it, the memory is sweet and unforgettable. Like that kiss." Capucine brought her fingers up to touch her lips in a pensive manner.

Albain was looking at Capucine as he spoke. "It hurts to remember a missed chance...but at the same time the memory is still precious." The chocolatier said in his gruff voice as he coughed into his hand and looked away from Capucine, seemingly embarrassed. "I can see her in my mind's eye so clearly now. Well done, Tristan, Issy, your chocolates have truly taken me down memory lane."

"These chocolates are really amazing." Capucine eagerly agreed. "They are filled with true, sincere sentiment. Like how my feelings used to be so pure and innocent before I became an adult."

"Tch." Dominik grunted in disappointment. He did not look pleased by the outcome of events.

The judges seemed reluctant to leave Team 3's station but made their way over to Team 4's station next. The chocolate bride and groom with fondant clothing and with their heads made from a pistachio bonbon immediately captured the judges' interest. The clothes were artfully done out of the fondant icing and the figurines were even holding hands making the chocolates extremely romantic.

"Wow...you totally surprised me with this finished product. I thought you guys were just going to make pistachio bonbons, but instead you've made a chocolate bride and groom. They are really lovely." Capucine praised.

"The holding of their hands is a very nice, romantic touch. The figures look very professional. I'm curious to see what the pistachio bonbons taste like...though I feel bad for eating the groom's head." Albain chuckled as he reached out towards the groom.

"Guess I'll be eating the bride's head." Capucine smiled in amusement.

Albain and Capucine looked at each other and their gazes locked for a meaningful moment.

"Wait!" Came a frantic-sounding voice.

All eyes turned to see Clarence in the entrance of the studio. "Dominik Savant and Hanako Sweet have been disqualified from this competition! It has been determined that Dominik Savant's personal bodyguard cut the brakes of Miss Issy Sweet's bike while she was in front of the supermarket and therefore caused her earlier accident!"

A gasp went through the audience and several murmured: "Accident?"

Hanako also gasped and turned to give Dominik a troubled look. "Dominik...is this true? If so, an innocent girl got hurt because of you. She could have been seriously injured."

Dominik snorted. "Hey, it's not my fault he sent the girl to do _his_ errand. I wanted to get back at Tristan, not the girl. He's the one who put her in harm's way."

Hanako gave Dominik a disgusted look. "It doesn't matter who got hurt...only that you intended to hurt someone. I'm disappointed in you, Dominik." The patissiere took off her apron and threw it on the counter. Hanako then approached Tristan and Issy, took a deep breath and bowed. "I am so sorry! Please forgive me! I didn't know what he was up to or else I would have stopped him. I feel so ashamed for not noticing anything."

Tristan reached out and patted Hanako's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. My brother is always up to no good. It's not your fault."

"Yeah, no harm done. I wasn't badly hurt either. Just a scratch." Issy touched Hanako's arm tentatively and looked like she wanted to say more.

Hanako looked back at Issy intently. "Have we met before?"

"Yes. My full name, it's-" Issy started. However-

"Tch." In a fit of rage, Dominik swiped his hand over the countertop sending the chocolate bride and groom crashing to the floor.

Hanako watched as the figurines broke and a shadow of sadness fell over her face. In a daze, she knelt down, and began to pick up the broken pieces of chocolate, putting them into the palm of her hand.

When Issy saw the look of sadness and regret on Hanako's face, she immediately understood her feelings, and her heart went out to her mother. Issy rushed over to help Hanako. "Hey, let me help." She began to pick up the chocolate pieces as well.

Hanako looked up and smiled at Issy with a grateful expression on her face. "Thank you, daughter."

Issy sucked in a breath. "You know?"

"Yes." Hanako nodded. "And Issy...I'm so proud of you."

Issy's eyes glistened with tears. "Mom..."

"Attention everyone, Dominik and Hanako have been disqualified, so we only have three teams left in this competition. Capucine and I will convene in private and decide upon the winner." Albain explained as the camera focused in on him.

"We'll be back in a few minutes." Capucine said with a wave before she began to walk out of the studio with Albain.

A few minutes later, the judges reemerged into the studio. "We've decided upon the winner." Albain began loudly. "After careful consideration, and it was really close, we've decided that the winner of the _New York City Chocolate Expert Competition_ is...Team 3: Issy Sweet and Tristan Savant!"

"For their chocolates reminiscent of first love." Capucine added with a dreamy look in her eyes. "Congratulations!"

Tristan and Issy turned to face each other, and both of them were shocked and wide-eyed at the result. Issy reached out to grab Tristan's hands and squealed happily. "Eeee! We won! Tristan we really-!" She was jumping up and down with excitement, however-

Tristan cupped Issy's face with his two hands and captured her lips eagerly with his.

Issy's eyes widened in wonderment before she closed her eyes, and melted into the kiss like a piece of chocolate melting in his mouth.

Tristan felt like everything was right with the world - a feeling of ' _I'm home_ '. He finally understood that saying ' _home is where the heart is_ '. Issy's soft lips felt perfect against his. He eagerly moved his lips tenderly against hers, and ran his tongue gently over her bottom lip, craving more.

Issy gasped at the feeling of Tristan's hot, wet tongue running over her bottom lip.

Tristan took full advantage of Issy's open mouth to plunge his tongue into her mouth and feed from her sweetness. Issy had never been French kissed before and didn't really know what to do. Sure, she and Tre had kissed...even had sex, but it had never been _like this_. With so much passion. Tre didn't like to use his tongue kissing...so...

But Tristan had no such qualms. He caressed Issy's tongue with his own until she tentatively responded and moved her tongue against his in return. The friction between their wrestling tongues caused tingles to go up and down her arms, and sparks to go off behind her eyelids.

Heat began to spread all through her entire body. Like lightning the pleasure and passion crashed through her, making her body come alive and respond with instant lust and desire, but also love.

_I'm actually kissing Tristan Savant! The man I love! Eeee!_ Issy wrapped her arms around Tristan tightly, and began to kiss him even more desperately. _I'll never let go. I never want this moment to end...!_

Tristan was having similar thoughts, but they were not as carefree. _I'm kissing Issy! She's the woman I love...and I'm actually kissing her, but...Issy Sweet is fifteen-years-old. She's just a kid. And that makes me a pervert and a pedophile. This feels so right but it's not. I have to stop...have to stop...!_ Tristan had to use all of his willpower to pull away from Issy and he placed his hands on her shoulders. They were both flushed and panting for breath by the time he managed to stop kissing her.

"I...I'm sorry..." Tristan breathed.

Issy blinked up at Tristan in a daze. "What...why?" She gave him a confused look and searched his bi-colored eyes for answers.

"I'm so sorry, Issy." Tristan said sadly once more before he turned to run out of the studio.

Issy was thrown for a loop by Tristan's actions, and just stood frozen for a moment, not knowing how to react. Out of the corner of her eyes Issy saw Capucine and Albain sneak another chocolate-covered cherry. They chewed, swallowed, and then looked at each other intensely. Next thing Issy knew, the two judges had leapt into each other's arms and were kissing passionately like a scene from an old, black and white French movie. Issy's face turned red when she saw Capucine leap up and wrap her legs around Albain's waist so that she could deepen their kiss.

_They must really love each other. Just like how I love Tristan._ "Tristan...wait!" Issy called out just as the door to the studio shut behind him.

To be continued in...Chocolate 13: _Sour Lemon_

### Chapter 13: Sour Lemon

Issy burst out of the door to the studio and made her way to the lobby. She looked around wildly and caught sight of Tristan heading for the front doors with purposeful steps. "Tristan, wait...you don't understand!" Issy needed to tell Tristan the truth - about how old she really was (and maybe even about her identity as his stalker). She knew that now was the time. Although maybe she was already too late.

Tristan stopped and hesitated before turning around to face Issy with a flushed, guilty expression on his face. Issy took a step forward but Tristan raised his hand to stop her. "No, wait, don't get any closer to me, Issy." Tristan ran a shaky hand through his hair. "I don't trust myself around you." The chocolatier looked into Issy's eyes wondering what her real eye color was for like the hundredth time. "Issy, I like you." _I may even love you._ "But...I know that I shouldn't like you because you're too young for me. God, you're a teenager for Heaven's sake. I'm such a perv." Tristan slid a hand down his face.

"Teenager?" Came an amused sounding male voice.

Tristan and Issy turned to see a young man with chin-length, blonde hair that had been cut into a mushroom cut style, and sparkling blue eyes. The tall man had a tan making him look like a surfer. His clothes were casual and consisted of a blue dress shirt, khaki pants, and Italian leather shoes. An expensive watch could be seen on his wrist, and a pair of small diamond stud earrings glimmered in his ears. Issy's eyes widened when she recognized the man - it was Tre Goldberg her ex-fiancé! _What the hell is he doing here?_

"Issy is twenty-three, dude." The young man had a bit of a California surfer accent.

Tristan gawked at the stranger in shock. "Twenty-three?" He echoed.

Tre nodded. "Yep." His blue eyes flicked over to Issy and he looked her over. He snorted with mirth as he took in her lacy bonnet. "Issy, what _are_ you wearing? Why are you dressed like a doll? It's not Halloween!"

Tristan turned to look at Issy once more, his expression now cold, "Issy...is what he's saying true? You're twenty-three? You're _not_ a teenager? We're the same age? You lied to me...all this time?" _You tortured me with my desire for you, which I thought was inappropriate and wrong._

"Tristan, I wanted to tell you. I was going to tell you..." Issy stared beseechingly into Tristan's bi-colored eyes.

Tre tsked and shook his head. "Tough luck, man. She _lied_ to you. That sucks."

Tristan glared at the stranger angrily. "Who is this guy?"

"He's no one." Issy said brusquely.

Tre puffed up his buff chest. "I'm her fiancé."

Tristan's eyes widened dramatically at that exclamation.

"Ex-fiancé." Issy was quick to correct. "We broke up." _Actually, you broke up with me Tre...after I failed to get a loan to open my bakery. After I ran out of money to give you for fancy clothes, jewelry, or to go clubbing._

"Your fiancé...you had a fiancé?" Tristan staggered backwards a step. "Are you...I thought you were a vir..." The chocolatier ran a hand over his mouth as he cut himself off.

"Virgin?" Tre helpfully supplied. "Naw, _I_ took her virginity, man. Sorry to tell you...I've hit that bong!"

Tristan shook his head, not wanting to believe it as the truth slowly began to sink in. "Oh my God, you're not even a..." He trailed off. "I trusted you. I thought I was a pervert. That I was sick, but we're the same age. You tricked me. You made a fool out of me." Feeling hurt and betrayed, Tristan ran through out the front door without looking back.

"Tristan, wait!" Issy called after him desperately. "Fiddlesticks!" She took off running after Tristan, but as she passed Tre he reached out and grabbed her arm, jarring her to a stop.

Tre was strong, a buff muscle-head that went to the gym seven times a week. "Issy, wait."

Issy turned to glare at Tre. He was still incredibly handsome...but also still a total jerk. "Let go! What do you want? Why are you even here?" She let out an exasperated huff.

Tre let go of Issy and crossed his arms over his broad chest. "I want to know if you guys won the contest."

Issy blinked at him. "What? We did but-"

A slow smile spread across Tre's face. "That means you get one hundred thousand dollars, right?" The surfer's blue eyes sparkled.

Issy looked at Tre in astonishment. She'd suspected it...all this time but didn't want to believe it. Tre Goldberg was a gold digger, a gigolo! "Oh my God, you're just here because of the prize money, aren't you? I can't _believe_ you! I thought that you loved me once...and because I loved you I used to buy you those expensive presents. But once you found out I didn't have any more money you dropped me like a potato. Especially after I failed to get a loan to open up my bakery and I could no longer support your clubbing lifestyle. It's always been about the money with you, hasn't it? I was just too blinded by love to see it before! How could I be so stupid?" Issy gripped the sides of her head with her hands. Tre's presence there was opening old wounds. She really had loved him. When he'd broken up with her with that text she'd been absolutely devastated.

Tre smiled charmingly and shrugged in a careless manner. "So what if I was only with you for your money? I'm good-looking, right? I mean, look at this body?" Tre flexed his arms. "A gal's got to pay a premium for premium goods. Come on, Issy...now that you have money I'll take you back. What do you say? Come back to Cali, Issy." Tre stretched his hand out for Issy to take.

Issy stared back at Tre and down at his hand in disbelief. And then she raised her hand and slapped Tre hard across the face.

Tre raised a hand to his red, throbbing cheek in shock. "Ow...you actually hit me, Issy." There were even tears in his eyes.

"That's for breaking my heart." Issy snapped before she ran out the building in pursuit of Tristan.

"Whoo." A man whistled behind Tre. Tre turned to see a handsome chocolatier with red hair and startling golden eyes. "What a woman. She's got steel." Ambrose approached Tre and slung his arm around Tre's shoulders in a casual manner. "Now...how about you tell me everything that just happened here?" There was a sly glint in Ambrose's eyes.

***

Issy looked to her left and then to her right, trying to see where Tristan had gone. Then she spotted him across the street. The Living Doll quickly crossed the street while cars angrily honked at her for walking across when the light was still green. She ignored them and continued to run after Tristan. She couldn't lose him. "Tristan, wait! I have to speak with you! _Please_!" Issy yelled out, her voice cracking.

Tristan stonily continued to ignore her until Issy's heel broke causing her to trip and fall flat on her face on the sidewalk with a cry. Tristan stopped speed walking away from Issy when he heard the sound of her fall. He let out a heavy sigh. Tristan couldn't very well leave a damsel in distress, now could he? The chocolatier turned around and approached Issy. He held his hand out to her and cleared his throat to get her attention.

Issy looked up at Tristan in surprise and took his hand, allowing him to help her up. "Tristan." She gave him a hopeful look.

Tristan coldly released Issy's hand and slid his hands into his pants pockets. "What is it?"

"I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lie to you. I just wanted to stay by your side and it was the only way I could think of to accomplish that." Issy began to explain.

Tristan raised an eyebrow at Issy's explanation. "By pretending to be a teenager?"

Issy nodded fervently. "Exactly. If you knew I was a woman and not a little girl...you would have hit on me. And I would have easily succumbed to your charms and we would have had a one-night stand. After that I would have been forced to quit my job at _Dark Heaven_. And then we probably never would have seen each other again." She babbled.

Issy's words hurt, but Tristan realized that her suppositions were true enough. "I can't argue with your warped logic...as much as it hurts me that that's how you see me. But this time you're the one who's in the wrong, Issy. _You_ lied to _me_. And you were the one person that I thought would _never_ lie to me. The one person I was sure I could trust and always count on." _The one person that I may have been able to try having a serious relationship with. I thought I loved you, but now...?_ Tristan's emotions were warring inside of his heart - love, hurt, lust, desire, and betrayal. In that moment, he no longer knew how he truly felt about Issy.

Issy sucked in a surprised breath. _I've broken his trust._ "Tristan, I...I didn't mean to hurt you. You must believe me. Look, the reason why I was so desperate to stay by your side is..." She took a deep breath to steel her nerves. "Because I love you. I've _always_ loved you!"

A flash of surprise crossed Tristan's eyes but then he shook his head sadly. _For a moment I thought that maybe with you I could fall in love again. But I was wrong._ Tristan's bi-colored eyes glistened with unshed tears. "You don't love me. If you did...you wouldn't have lied to me. How can someone look the person they care for in the eyes and lie to them? You don't know how badly you hurt me, Issy. I thought I was a pervert. That I was wrong to have these _feelings_ for you. I _punished_ myself for being aroused by you." _I even punched my own dick for you._ "I beat those feelings down again and again...so that my feelings are no longer recognizable - _because_ of you. I no longer know how I truly feel about you, but what I do know is that it hurts to even look at you right now. All this time I thought you were an innocent little princess...but you're not even a virgin. You could be a slut for all I know."

"A slut?" Issy echoed and then she narrowed her eyes angrily at Tristan. "How could you even think that? Tristan, you _know_ me."

Tristan shook his head helplessly. "I thought I did but...I've just now realized that I don't really know anything about you, Issy. I don't know anything about your past. I don't even know what your true hair and eye color are. I don't know you." Tristan raised a hand to flag down a cab, which screeched to a stop in front of Tristan. "Goodbye Issy." Tristan said before he opened the passenger door, got inside of the cab, and closed the door behind him.

Issy clenched her fists in irriration and tried to kick the car as it sped away from her. Tristan hadn't even looked back at her once. "Good riddance, jerk! How dare he call _me_ a slut!"

But as Issy watched the cab speed away, her heart was breaking inside of her chest. She'd broken one of the most important Shadow Stalker rules. _Rule Number Three: A Shadow Stalker may never harm his/her target physically or mentally._ She'd hurt Tristan. Issy sunk to her knees and put her face in her hands as she began to cry. _What have I done?_

Several minutes later, after she'd expelled all of her tears, Issy stood up and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. In a daze, she made her way back towards the competition venue and to her bike. She spotted her bike and standing next to it was the patissier Ambrose Rune. Issy ignored him as she began to grab her bike.

"Wow, I do believe this is the first time a beautiful lady has ignored me." Ambrose said ruefully before sidling up to Issy. "Here, I have your check. Your half is one hundred thousand dollars. Congratulations." Ambrose handed Issy the envelope. She took it, opened the envelope, and looked at the check. One-hundred thousand dollars. She felt like ripping the check in two. She even gripped the edges of the check as she considered doing it.

_You could be a slut for all I know._ Tristan's harsh words rang through her head, infuriating her. Sure, she wasn't a virgin. But she most definitely wasn't a slut! She'd only had sex with Tre one time too! And it hadn't even been all that memorable...!

Ambrose watched Issy curiously as she debated on whether or not to rip the check in two. "Ah, it's a real shame I lost...I was going to use the money to open a bakery in San Francisco."

Issy's ear twitched. "San Francisco? I used to live there. I also used to want to open a bakery there. Maybe one with a view of the ocean. Like on the boardwalk or something."

Ambrose nodded. "That sounds nice. Why don't you go back and open one now? You have the money."

"I..." Issy was about to say 'I can't', but...she realized in that moment that she had nothing keeping her in New York City anymore. She'd broken the Shadow Stalker Rules and had hurt Tristan. She couldn't stalk him anymore...couldn't stay by his side anymore. Issy didn't want to hurt him anymore, so she had to get away from him...far away...to resist the urge to stalk him. What better way than to move back to California, and open her dream bakery! Tristan didn't even want her around anyways, and he also thought she was a slut. "That's actually a really good idea, Ambrose. I think I will."

Ambrose blinked back at Issy in surprise before he grinned. "Marvelous. Are you hiring an assistant patissier? Because I'll give you my resume, if so."

Issy gave Ambrose an intrigued look. "You'd be interested in working for me? I thought you wanted to open your _own_ bakery?"

Ambrose shrugged in a lackadaisical manner. "As long as I get to bake and get to share my creations with the ladies - I don't really care where I bake."

"You remind me of Tristan...making chocolates to attract women." Issy commented ruefully, almost wistfully.

"Should I be baking pastry treats in order to attract _men_ then?" Ambrose asked teasingly.

Issy blushed scarlet at the very idea. "N-No!" She sputtered.

Ambrose chuckled. "A girl like you deserves someone who appreciates her by her side. I was very impressed with your fondant making skills. And I've heard good things about your cupcakes. I can't wait to try one for myself." He casually slung his arm around Issy's shoulders.

But Issy shrugged his arm off. "I'm not into playboys." Not anymore. "But I do admire your baking skills so consider yourself hired." She stuck out her hand for Ambrose to shake. "Business partners?"

"Absolutely." Ambrose took Issy's hand before trying to place a kiss on it. "And perhaps something more?"

Issy snatched her hand back before the slick patissier could kiss it. "In your dreams, Ambrose."

"I guess I'll be looking forward to tonight then." _Issy Sweet...there's something about her. I'll have fun corrupting her and getting her to live on the wild side._

Issy just rolled her eyes at the Patissier Prince.

***

Tristan was dropped off in front of _Dark Heaven_. He paid the cabbie and made his way to his front door. On the door was an Eviction Notice. _What the fuck?_ Tristan removed the notice. He'd call Susan Torres tomorrow and tell her that he had the money to pay the rent. Tristan just had to go back to the competition venue tomorrow, and collect his check. But he was too depressed, and too messed up inside to call Susan at that moment.

Tristan pulled the notice off of the door, crumpled it into a ball and tossed it over his shoulder. He entered his chocolate shop, and suddenly the entire place reminded him of Issy. The chocolatier could picture Issy attending to customers, handling the register, and standing in the kitchen while baking her delicious cupcakes, cakes and pastries. He pictured Issy attempting to make chocolate and getting it all over her apron and face cutely. But the images faded like a mirage.

Everywhere he looked he saw Issy.

Tristan sunk to his knees and put his face in his hands. He felt like someone had ripped his heart out of his chest and stomped on it. But...how did he really feel about Issy? Now that she wasn't forbidden, a teenager? Now that he wasn't a pedophile? He could actually be with her...

I loved her...before I found out she'd lied to me. She made a fool out of me and played with my emotions. She really hurt me and made me feel like a pedophile.

... _loved...or love? Still?_

Could he forgive her so easily for her lies? He wondered.

Issy said she'd done everything in order to be close to him - to stay by his side. He'd ignored her words. She'd even claimed that she loved him. That she'd _always_ loved him.

Tristan's heart sped up at the thought as he remembered her confession. _Issy...she said she loved me didn't she? I was so pissed off I barely heard her confession._

Issy was right. If he'd known she was an adult he would have hit on her and tried to sleep with her. They _never_ would have become _friends_. Issy was his first female friend, which he hadn't slept with. He'd respected her. Tristan had been able to develop this strong connection with her and also develop strong feelings for her because of his friendship. His heart thudded loudly in his chest as he thought about forgiving Issy and kissing her...taking her...making love to her...

Dammit...I still love her don't I? I love Issy Sweet. Who was I kidding? I could never stop loving her over something petty like this but...I said such hurtful things to her. I even called her a slut. Will she forgive me? No...I've lost her...lost the woman I love...

Tears began to stream down Tristan's face. _I love you, Issy. I love you...I've realized that you're mine._ He thought over and over again as he sobbed into his hands. _I'm so pathetic. Real men don't cry._ Overcome with dizziness he passed out on the floor of his chocolate shop. He was still so weak from lack of sex that the emotional roller coaster he was on was just too much for him to handle.

Late afternoon the following day, there was a pounding knock on the front door of _Dark Heaven_. The noise woke Tristan and he groaned as he pushed himself up off the floor. His head was throbbing due to his crying and he felt weak from lack of sex. At least his ankle no longer pained him because Raphael had healed it.

Tristan made his way over to the front door, feeling grumpy while the knocking persisted. "I'm coming! I'm coming!" Tristan unlocked the front door and yanked it open. "What do you want?" The chocolatier demanded loudly of the person who dared disturb him when he was in such a foul mood.

There standing in the doorway was none other than Dominik Savant. Tristan gawked at his brother. "Dominik...what the hell are you doing here, asshole?"

Dominik smiled evilly, "Good afternoon, Brother." He elbowed his way inside the shop past Tristan. "What are you still doing here?"

"Huh?"

Dominik turned and held up a piece of paper in front of Tristan's face. "This shop belongs to me now. Well, at least the lease on this building is now mine. You didn't see the Eviction Notice? You're already supposed to be out of here." He crossed his arms over his chest and gave Tristan an expectant look.

"What?" Tristan snatched the paper from Dominik and saw that Susan Torres had indeed switched the lease over to Dominik! _What the fuck?_ Tristan's mind was spinning. "What the hell...how did you get Susan to switch the lease?"

"I look a page out of your book." Dominik leered.

"Huh?"

"I slept with her." Dominik revealed smugly.

Tristan gave his brother an astonished look. "You're kidding."

Dominik shrugged. "Why do you look so surprised? Miss Susan Torres is a lonely woman...and women find me attractive even if I don't have your demon pheromones. I also possess something you don't."

"Oh and what's that?" Tristan asked dryly. "Man-boobs?"

A muscle ticked in Dominik's jaw. "Sincerity."

Tristan ground his molars in response.

"So why don't you be a good little demon and go pack your things, Tristan, and get the hell out of my new shop. I plan to turn this place into a _La Boulangerie Savant_ shop." Dominik spread his arms wide. "Father has already given me permission."

"Over my dead body!" Tristan exclaimed before he sent his foot flying towards his brother's face.

Dominik raised his forearm and blocked Tristan's attack. "That could easily be arranged, Brother. Guards!" He called out loudly.

At that moment, a group of security guards entered _Dark Heaven_. They were all dressed in slick, black suits, fedoras, dark sunglasses, and fancy dress shoes. They were definitely overpaid security guards. They took out and aimed their 9mms at Tristan.

Tristan lowered his leg and swore. "Shit! That's not fighting fair, bro."

Dominik shrugged. "Since when did I ever fight fair?" A sinister smile curled his lips. "Did you know that Father has helped me to be an undefeated UFC champion by using his money to make sure those opponents I knew I couldn't defeat, would throw the fight? People like us will always be _winners_. And people like you will always be _losers_. Guards...remove all of this tacky furniture from the premises immediately!"

"Yes, Sir!" Several of the security guards began to haul furniture out of _Dark Heaven_ and carry it out onto the sidewalk.

"Hey! Don't touch that! Careful with that! That's an antique, you idiot!" Tristan complained and started for his furniture. He'd gone to several antique shops and auction houses in order to painstakingly gather the perfect furniture for his shop. His furniture had sentimental value to him and also represented the first steps he'd taken to gain freedom from his father.

"Stop him." Dominik ordered softly.

One security guard took the safety off his gun. "Don't move, Mr. Savant. I _will_ shoot you."

"Fuck." Tristan swore as he watched the security guards carrying out his beloved furniture.

"Be careful with my brother's furniture. You wouldn't want to break it... _accidentally_." Dominik told his security guards with a cruel glint in his sky-blue eyes as he stressed the word 'accidentally'.

They smiled back, getting the hint. The security guards began to simply toss Tristan's furniture out onto the sidewalk so that it shattered and broke as it hit the ground. Tristan flinched at the sound of his beautiful antique furniture being destroyed. He couldn't just stand back and watch though, and let his brother get away with this!

Tristan attacked the security guard who had his gun pointed in his direction. The guard actually shot at him. Tristan dodged the bullet, which grazed the side of his upper arm, and then he was in front of the guard. _That bastard...if I didn't have superior demon reflexes he could have killed me!_ Tristan grabbed the man's head with both his hands and brought it down so that he could bring his knee up into the man's face, knocking his teeth out in a brutal move.

The other security guards reacted to what had happened and whipped out their guns again. They were about to shoot at Tristan when Dominik stopped them. "No! Don't! My father wants him alive. He's an _asset_."

The guards swiftly put their guns away, but several of them were frowning darkly.

"Just...beat him up. But not too badly." Dominik drawled with a careless wave of his hand.

The security guards smiled and circled Tristan before closing in. "You fucking assholes!" Tristan flipped over onto his hands, doing a handstand, and then spun his legs like a deadly pinwheel - sending his feet crashing into the faces of the security guards one after the other.

The security guards were all knocked backwards by Tristan's harsh kicks. Tristan sprang back onto his feet agilely, and slipped his hands back into his jacket pockets. The security guards groaned in pain as they struggled to push themselves to their feet.

Dominik gave his guards disgusted looks. "Get him! What the hell do you think I'm paying you losers for! Go!"

The security guards attacked Tristan again but the chocolatier lithely dodged their attacks. _Thank you Raphael._ He quickly delivered attacks of his own - a roundhouse kick to a man's jaw, a sidekick to a man's gut that sent him skidding across the floor, and a sweeping kick to trip up one of the guards, sending him sprawling onto his back.

Dominik bit his thumb as he watched his security guards getting beaten up one after the other. _Dammit!_ It was time to fight dirty. Dominik reached into his pocket.

Tristan was making quick work of the security guards when he sensed one last man directly behind him. He spun and came face to face with his brother. "Dominik?" Dominik lunged his hand forward. Tristan looked down to see that his brother was holding a baton. The baton touched Tristan's chest and then Dominik flipped a switch. "Mother fucker." Tristan swore when he realized what was about to happen.

"No, that's _you_ , asshole!" Dominik cried as thousands of volts of electricity were sent into Tristan's body. Tristan stifled a cry by biting down on his lower lip. Dominik pulled the baton back and Tristan sunk to his knees, dazed and struggling to remain conscious.

"Guards, finish him." Dominik commanded coolly.

Tristan felt himself being hauled up off the floor, right before being punched hard across the face. He fell back to the floor, and then he was being punched and kicked while he was down. Tristan raised his arms to protect his face as blow after blow was rained down upon him. A hard kick to his stomach brought bile disgustingly rising up his throat and out of his mouth. A sickening crack was heard, as one of Tristan's ribs was broken.

_Michael...where are you? Coco...I wonder where my stalker is. Issy...I don't want you to see me like this...so pathetic..._ Tristan thought in his mind before he finally passed out.

"Enough." Dominik raised his hand to stop his security guards once they'd beaten Tristan into unconsciousness.

That's when Dominik noticed that his security guards were eyeing Tristan with something akin to _lust_ in their eyes. Dominik frowned. _Sick bastards._ "Toss him outside."

"But Boss why don't we have a little fun with him first?" One security guard ventured to ask. "You hate this guy, right?"

Dominik punched the man hard across his face. "Say that again and I'll rip your balls off and shove them up your ass. I may hate the son of a bitch but he's my _brother_. Now toss him outside."

"Yes, Sir!" The security guards picked Tristan up - a few stealing a grope or two - and carried him outside of the chocolate shop before throwing him on top of the pile of broken furniture.

Hours later, Tristan awoke. His entire body was throbbing, aching with pain. It hurt to breathe. He looked around to see where the hell he was and noted that he was surrounded by all of _Dark Heaven_ 's broken furniture. The chocolatier saw the white feathery wings that had once been attached to the backs of his antique chairs in pieces on the ground. Feathers were everywhere. His display case had been completely shattered and chocolate bonbons and glass shards were mixed together. Some of the chocolates looked like they had been stomped on, on purpose. There was an unmistakable boot print made of chocolate, right next to his head.

Tristan's dream of owning a chocolate shop to become independent from his asshole father had been destroyed. Tears burned his eyes. He clenched his hands into fists at his sides. His father would pay for this.

My dream...my love...damn you, father. I will pay you back for this...I will have retribution!

Tristan pushed himself to his feet and tried to take a step forward, but his body spasmed in pain and collapsed. _Shit._ He was a mess. The chocoaltier tried to keep his eyes open, tried to stay conscious, but was unable too. The pain dragged him into unconsciousness once more.

To be continued in... " _Incubus Chocolatier Retribution"_ Coming soon 2015!

Preview/Spoilers: _Tristan decides to go to California in pursuit of Issy Sweet. Unfortunately, Ambrose Rune is making his move on the Living Doll. While in California, Tristan comes up with a way to deliver retribution upon his father. However, he is kidnapped and taken to Hell by his mother Lilith, where he comes face to face with Hazel...but her soul is in an unexpected state..._

###

Final note:

Other works by the author:

Rockstar Ghost

Rockstar Ghost Resurrection

His Heavy Metal Heart

Wicked Bartender

Wicked Bartender Redemption

Bitch Heiress X Samurai Butler

Bitch Heiress X2 Samurai Butler

Samurai Superheroes Saga:

Cowboy Samurai X Badass Android

Geisha Assassin X Smartass Hacker

Foxy Yokai X Punkass Cyborg

Sir Genkaku Host Club

(Books 1, 2, 3, and 4)

Sanky Panky Pirate

Sanky Panky Pirate Part II

Incubus Chocolatier

Incubus Chocolatier Retribution (coming 2015)

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My Strange Addiction: I'm a Living Doll:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bL-o4JNNZc

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