[Lucifer] Ch: 34 [The Devil Wears Two Pieces] (Patreon)

[Outside Lux]

Lucifer stepped into the parking area and checked the time on his phone.

He had twenty minutes before he needed to pick Alexandra up from her photoshoot, which gave him just enough time to reach the studio if Los Angeles traffic decided to behave for once.

He slipped the phone into his pocket and started toward the Corvette.

Then he noticed the familiar car parked across the street.

Lucifer stopped walking.

Dan sat behind the wheel, watching him.

“Well, this should be tedious.”

Lucifer changed direction and crossed the street. Dan got out before he reached the car, closing the door harder than necessary. He glanced at the vehicle before looking at him. “Detective Douche. Sitting outside my nightclub and staring at me from across the street is beginning to feel rather obsessive.”

Dan ignored the comment and stepped closer. “What the hell was that this morning?”

Lucifer checked his watch before meeting his eyes again. “You’ll have to narrow that down, Daniel. Your behavior provided several embarrassing moments worth discussing.”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” Dan replied, looking angry. “You said I had no right to judge Chloe after everything I’d done. Then you looked at me like you knew something.”

Lucifer knew that Dan got a mini heart attack this morning after he hinted about knowing his secret. He slipped both hands into his pockets. “Chloe told me about your marriage last night.”

Dan’s expression shifted slightly. “She told you what?”

“Quite a lot after several glasses of whiskey,” Lucifer replied. “She told me how often your career came first, how much responsibility she carried with Trixie, and how abandoned she felt when everything surrounding Palmetto turned half your department against her.”

The mention of Palmetto made Dan’s shoulders tense.

Lucifer noticed immediately.

Dan stared at him for several seconds. “Is that everything she told you?”

Lucifer’s eyebrows rose.

There it was.

He smiled faintly. “Interesting question.”

Dan’s eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I tell you that your former wife spent years feeling unsupported, that she believed you repeatedly chose your career over your family, and that one of the worst periods of her professional life left her feeling completely alone.” Lucifer stepped slightly closer. “Yet your immediate concern is whether she told me something else.”

Dan flinched a bit.

Lucifer tilted his head. “Rather revealing, wouldn’t you say?”

“Don’t play games with me.”

“I’m terribly late for games,” Lucifer replied while checking his watch again. “I have somewhere considerably more pleasant to be. Now, if you'd excuse me.” He was about to turn around and leave.

Dan moved into his path. 

Lucifer sighed as Dan pointed a finger at him. "Stay away from Chloe."

Lucifer’s expression lost some of its amusement as he looked at the finger pointed toward his chest. “You really do have a remarkable talent for making Chloe’s choices sound like something requiring your permission.”

Dan lowered his hand, though his anger remained. “I’m trying to protect her from someone she barely knows.”

“And yet she trusts me enough to call when she needs help, drink with me when she’s had a miserable day, and apparently tell me things she still struggles to discuss with you,” Lucifer said. “Perhaps you should ask yourself why that bothers you so much."

Dan turned sharply. “You think I am jealous of you?”

Lucifer nodded as if it was an obvious fact. “Partly. Though judging by the way you reacted when I mentioned Palmetto, I’d say there’s more bothering you than simple jealousy.”

Dan’s face tightened again.

Lucifer noticed the reaction and tilted his head. “There it is again. I mention one unpleasant chapter of Chloe’s life, and suddenly you look as though you’re expecting an interrogation.”

“Don't cross the line.”

“I’m merely observing, Daniel,” Lucifer said. “Whatever has you so tense, I sincerely doubt standing outside my club and ordering me away from Chloe is going to make it disappear. If there is something weighing on that painfully furrowed brow of yours, Daniel, you might consider getting it off your chest. Secrets have an irritating habit of becoming considerably uglier once exposed.”

Dan went quiet.

“Now, I have a beautiful woman waiting for me, and unlike you, I dislike disappointing them.” With that, Lucifer walked back to his car.

...

[Outside the Studio]

By the time Lucifer turned the Corvette onto the street outside the studio, Alexandra was already walking through the front doors.

He checked the time on his phone and smiled with satisfaction.

'Right on time.'

Alexandra spotted the Corvette almost immediately. Her attention moved toward Lucifer behind the wheel before dropping toward what he was wearing. 'I knew it.' Even from several feet away, he could see her expression changing.

Lucifer had technically followed her instructions.

Technically.

He wore a perfectly tailored dark two-piece suit with a crisp white shirt underneath, the top two buttons left open. 

Alexandra walked toward the Corvette while shaking her head.

Lucifer stepped out before she reached the passenger side and smoothly moved around the front of the car. He opened the door for her with one hand before giving her a pleased smile.

Alexandra stopped beside him and looked him over again. “Really now, Lucifer, this is your idea of dressing for bowling?”

Lucifer looked down at himself as though he couldn't understand the problem. “You specifically said no three-piece suit. This is a two-piece suit. I followed your instructions perfectly.”

Alexandra stared at him for several seconds before laughing and shaking her head. “You knew exactly what I meant.”

“You should've been more precise. Ambiguous instructions are responsible for a shocking number of disappointments.”

Alexandra climbed into the passenger seat. “Somehow, I feel like this is going to become my fault.”

Lucifer leaned slightly toward her before closing the door. “Accepting responsibility is an admirable quality. Linda would be terribly proud of you.”

"Linda? You're still going for therapy?" 

"Occasionally. The woman has a rather irritating habit of saying something useful between bouts of completely misguided psychoanalysis."

Alexandra watched him walk around the Corvette before sliding into the driver's seat. He started the engine and pulled away from the curb. She told him to take her home. She needed to change her clothes before heading for bowling.

She looked at his suit again.

“I was expecting a bowling outfit."

Lucifer slowly turned his head toward her before returning his attention to the road. “I'm sorry, a what?”

“You know what I mean. Something casual. Cargo pants, sneakers, maybe a T-shirt.”

Lucifer's expression became increasingly horrified with every item she listed.

“Good Lord, woman. You've known me long enough to understand that none of those words belong together when describing my wardrobe.”

Alexandra laughed and leaned against the seat. “People don't usually go bowling in tailored suits.”

“People also wear socks with sandals, consume light beer voluntarily, and purchase trousers with intentional holes in them. Humanity's collective fashion choices aren't an argument I find particularly persuasive.”

She smiled as she watched him drive. "Well, don't pout after I beat you or you slip on the floor wearing those boots... whichever happens first."

Lucifer gave her an offended glance while one hand remained comfortably on the steering wheel. “Slip? I have perfect balance. I could walk across a wet marble floor during an earthquake while carrying three glasses of scotch and still avoid spilling a single drop.”

Alexandra turned in her seat and looked him over again, her eyes lingering on the fitted suit before a smile appeared. “Only time will tell, Lucifer. But I’ll admit something. You do look hot in suits.”

Lucifer’s expression immediately brightened. “See, now we’re having a productive conversation.”

“I said you look hot,” Alexandra replied while laughing. “I didn’t say wearing a suit to a bowling alley suddenly makes sense.”

Lucifer adjusted one cuff with obvious satisfaction. “Fashion doesn’t require justification when one looks this good.”

Alexandra shook her head and looked through the windshield. “I walked straight into that one.”

“You really did.”

...

[That Evening] [Bowling Alley]

The bowling alley was considerably louder than Lucifer expected, filled with crashing pins, arcade noises, and people celebrating scores that he considered embarrassingly mediocre.

Alexandra changed into bowling shoes while Lucifer refused the rental pair.

She stared at them. 

Lucifer adjusted one cuff with complete seriousness. “As I have said before, I refuse to place my feet inside footwear previously occupied by hundreds of strangers.”

Their friendly game became competitive almost immediately.

Alexandra started well and celebrated every strike with far more enthusiasm than necessary, especially after Lucifer's first throw left one pin standing. She spent the next several minutes reminding him that the Devil had apparently been defeated by a piece of painted wood.

Lucifer accepted the mockery until his next turn.

After that, he stopped missing.

His movements remained annoyingly smooth despite the polished floor and tailored suit. Every throw seemed effortless, and the ball repeatedly slammed into the pins with enough accuracy that Alexandra eventually stopped smiling whenever he approached the lane.

By the final frame, Lucifer had already won. 

Alexandra stared at the scoreboard with her arms crossed. “You were holding back at the beginning.”

Lucifer returned from the lane without the slightest sign of slipping. “I was allowing you to develop confidence before crushing it completely. Competition becomes terribly dull without emotional investment.”

“You're such an asshole.”

Lucifer smiled while collecting his jacket. “A victorious asshole. The distinction matters considerably.”

They left the bowling alley laughing and headed toward dinner.

Lucifer chose a restaurant with outdoor seating, and they spent nearly two hours there over seafood, pasta, and drinks. Lucifer mostly listened while she talked about work, upcoming projects, and a brand shoot that would take her to Miami within a few days.

Alexandra rested her chin lightly against one hand. “It's probably going to take almost a week. Beach shoots, hotel shoots, promotional interviews, and whatever else they decide to add once I'm already there.”

Lucifer took a slow drink while watching her. “Miami does have excellent nightlife. I suppose you'll survive the terrible burden of being photographed somewhere warm and expensive.”

She laughed. “I'll try to stay strong.”

The conversation wandered through travel, irritating photographers, favorite hotels, and places Alexandra wanted to visit whenever work finally gave her enough time. Lucifer contributed occasional stories that sounded increasingly impossible, though Alexandra had already learned that questioning every strange claim only encouraged him.

Later, the Corvette stopped outside her apartment building.

Alexandra removed her seat belt, though she stayed inside for several seconds before turning toward him with a small, almost shy smile.

“You wanna come in?”

Lucifer looked at her, then toward the building before his familiar smile slowly appeared.

“Yes. I believe I do.”

After they entered, Alexandra closed the door. Then she grabbed his collar and kissed him hard while pulling down his coat and unbuttoning his shirt...