A Deal with the Devil

This is something new for me; for those of you that have read my other works you might have noticed a recent trend at trying new things. Let me know whether or not you like it. As always, all rights are reserved by the author including but not limited to copyrights. If you're interested in reproducing this or any other of my work on line or in any other form please email me first.

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What is your soul worth? Don't scoff; it's a legitimate question. How much would you sell your soul for? Now, before you go and say that there isn't anything you want so bad that you would sell your soul I want you to really think about it. Money? Fame? Power? Materialistic, I know. For you more moralistic types what about to save a sick relative? World peace? A cure for cancer? Everyone has a price; do you know what yours is?

I do.

When I was twenty-eight years old I was preparing to graduate from law school. That in and of itself should give you a clue as to the state of my morality. I didn't have any. By the time I was in my early twenties even I was concerned about my apparent lack of morals. I had no problem taking what I wanted whether it was "rightfully" mine or not. I had no issue with bending the law to the breaking point and I never suffered a sleepless night over the use of loopholes. I agreed with the masses that the term "ethical lawyer" was an oxymoron.

As graduation drew near I found myself in the position of not having a job. My grades where not something to write home about, no prestigious law firms were knocking on my door and I had no interest in becoming a public defender. I wasn't an idealist; I hadn't gone to law school in hopes of changing the world or improving humanity, which meant that there was no future for me with the environmentalist, the women's lib movement, or working with minorities. I wanted to make money.

I wasn't the only one to find herself is this predicament. One night right before graduation I found myself at the local law school hangout. There were four of us huddled around a table in the back of the bar drinking beer and trying to figure out just what the hell we were going to do. Mandy was the first one to share her thoughts on the situation.

"Right now I swear to God I would blow the ugliest partner in all of this city in exchange for a job."

Rita was quick to pick up on that particular train of thought. Slurring her words slightly, she said, "Yeah, well I'd fuck the ugliest SOB in this city for a job as an associate."

Kelly wasn't going to be left out. "Well, I'd marry the ugliest, fattest, most grotesque partner and have sex with him every night for the rest of my life for a job."

Everyone looked expectantly at me. Taking a sip of my beer I looked up at them and smiled. "Ladies, I wouldn't do anything that drastic."

"What would you do?"

I shrugged. "Simple, I'd sell my soul."

At my casually given declaration the table erupted into laughter. Kelly reached over and punched me in the arm. "Yeah, well you'd get off the easiest if you did."

The rest of the night was a blur. There was more beer, more laughing and somewhere along the way we picked up a group of guys from another local law school. I woke up the next morning with the world's worse hangover next to some blonde whose name I couldn't remember. It wasn't the first time.

Quietly, I crawled out of bed gathered up what I could find of my clothes and let myself out. I was relieved to see my car parked outside the apartment, never mind the fact that two wheels were up on the curb. There were no dents or scratches and I was fairly sure I would have remembered getting into an accident.

I drove home and let myself into the small two-bedroom house I shared with a medical student. Kate was never home so for the most part it was like living on my own. I stripped off my soiled clothes and turned the shower on full blast. The hot water was exquisite and I spent a full fifteen minutes with my head under the spray trying to clear my fuzzy brain.

An hour and two cups of coffee later I was feeling human again. I listened to my messages, cringing at the reminder from my mother about all the family coming to town to see me graduate. It hadn't gone unnoticed among my parents, aunts, uncles and cousins that I was still unemployed and over eighty grand in debt. If I didn't have a job by the time I graduated I was going to spend the entire time at my party explaining why to a room full of relatives.

It was Saturday afternoon and finals had ended the week before. I had one week to get my shit together before everyone arrived. I spent the day pouring over the classifieds, faxing and email resumes and calling on everyone I knew with a connection. Nothing.

By the time I went to bed that night I was seriously considering chucking it all and heading out of town. I loved my family, don't get me wrong but there was no way I was going to sit around while the creditors came knocking on my door. I didn't have much and I sure as hell wasn't going to give it up.

I feel asleep wondering just how hard it would be to disappear.

Some time later I woke up to the smell of sulfur. Something was burning and it wasn't a pleasant smell. The room was dark, pitch black actually and I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face. Pushing back the covers I swung my feet off the side of the bed and moved across the room. I had had enough practice coming home late and usually drunk that I was able to make my way to the door without bumping into anything.

Slowly I reached out and grabbed hold of the handle. "Shit!" It was hot and already I could feel heat radiating into the room from the other side of the door. Looking around I knew there was no other way. If there was a fire in the house I was going to have to go through it. My room was on the second floor and the only window looked out over a steep cliff. It was either out the door or die up here in the dark.

Fumbling around on the floor I found what I thought was a discarded sweater and wrapped it around my hand. Moving to the side of the doorway I opened it and peaked out. Nothing in my twenty-eight years of life or my three years in law school could have prepared me for what was on the other side of that door.

Gone was my small two-bedroom house. My bedroom now opened up into what could only be called Hell and I was standing in the very center of it. Taking a cautious step forward I gave a start as the door to my room disappeared.

I stood on a raised dais made up of black rock. The platform was several feet both in length and width. Standing near one edge I was able to look over and see that it gave off in a shear drop that went on for several hundred feet. In fact I was unable to see any visible bottom. It was as if we were surrounded on all sides by a bottomless pit. Beyond the blackness were mountains that rose violently up from the ground; they appeared unscalable yet I could see people crawling along their jagged surface. Something caught my eye and I realized that there weren't people crawling upon the mountain but creatures like nothing I'd ever seen before.

Despite the heat I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself. I'm dreaming; this must be some kind of a dream and in a few moments I'll wake up back in my room.

"This is no dream." A deep voice from behind slashed through my denial.

Turning around I jumped back nearly loosing my footing and going over the edge. Hundred of hands reached for me, grabbing my clothes, my arms and legs, and my hair, trying to pull me over the side. It was then I realized that the area around the platform wasn't empty but was filled with dark moving shapes. There was nothing solid there for the eye to see but once I knew something was there I was able to make out the shifting sea of souls. I struggled to break free and it was only with the help of a dark skinned man that I was able to regain my balance.

The man holding me was not the same one that had spoken. The owner of that deep voice was no man at all. He, and at this point I was assuming it was a he, stood well over eight feet tall. His dark body was bent over from the weight of his wings, which spread behind his back beating slowly almost as if they beat in time with his heart. His skin appeared thick and leathery, the colors blending from red to black and back again in some unascertainable pattern. His head was roughly three times the size of any man's and sat upon a set of broad shoulders. But the most vicious of his attributes were the horns upon his head, a pair of hands ending in talon like claws and a tail that could easily kill a man.

"Who…" I had to clear my throat twice before the words would form. "Who are you?"

He smiled, it wasn't a friendly smile and I noticed that the dark man had yet to release me. "I am known by many names but my personal favorite when meeting new people is Lucifer."

"The Devil." It wasn't a question and somewhere in the back of my mind I had already realized as much. I wasn't a religious person and I had no fear of Hell and no hopes of Heaven. At that point in my life I hadn't really given enough thought to dying to establish any beliefs about the after life or even if one existed. "What am I doing here? Am I dead?"

Smiling he sat down, folding his wings around his body as he did so. "No, you're not dead. I believe you are in the market for a job?"

Confused I just stood there and stared. The hand on my armed tightened but without pain. Immediately I understood it to be a warning and hurried to find my voice. "Uh…well…yes. Why, do you need an attorney?"

For a moment he just stared at me. Next thing I knew he had thrown his head back and was laughing. The sound spread out across the darkness causing thousand of souls to cry out as if in pain. The hand on my arm relaxed and I heard the dark skinned man let out a long sigh of relief.

The laughter stopped as suddenly as it had started. "No." His voice was low and firm and void of any humor. He tapped his talons on the arm of his throne, his head tilted to one side as if considering something. "No, I don't need an attorney. But it isn't what I need that is at issue here. I'm more concerned with what you need."

I eyed him with suspicion; I couldn't help it. I just wasn't buying that the Devil, the one and only Lucifer was concerned about me. My obvious disbelief must have shown on my face.

"You see I'm concerned about your soul. You're obviously unhappy with your lot in life and I would hate to see you turn to some other source of comfort. I want you to turn to me." He laid and hand upon his chest, still encased in his large wings. "If there is anything I can do to make you happy just say the word and it's yours."

Despite my grades and despite the fact that I was even there in the first place I am smarter than I look. "What's in it for you?"

"Simple, your soul."

At that moment everything seemed to stand still yet slide into place all at the same time. I heard my own words echoing back in my ears and suddenly everything was clear. I had offered to sell my soul for success and I meant what I had said; then and now.

Three years of training kicked in. "What are the terms?"

Lucifer sat forward and rubbed his hands together. He had a look of triumph on his face that sent a shiver of cold uncurling in my belly. At the same time thoughts of wealth, power and success raced through my head effectively pushing aside all thoughts of caution.

"In exchange for guaranteed success and wealth in anything you do you agree to give me your soul."

"That's it?" Now, at this time I would like to point out that never having been religious my soul wasn't all that important to me. In my mind it existed some where in my subconscious and I thought that whenever the time came for him to claim it my conscious self as I knew it to be would have ceased to exist. I was wrong.

"Well, there will be occasions when I require your services on Eartyh. However, you won't be expect to join me here until after you have achieved an acceptable level of success."

"I don't want to just achieve success and then have to hand it over. I want to live to enjoy it."

"Do you wish to know the exact date of your death?"

"No, I just want to be guaranteed a long and healthy life."

"Of course." Lucifer sat back and waited.

"What will happen when it's time for me to return to you?" I wasn't sure I wanted to know but if I was considering his offer, and I was, then I had better get all the details.

"You will be in service to me here." Lucifer motioned to their surroundings. "There are many possibilities; serve me well while on Earth and I will see that you are rewarded during your time with me."

I watched with growing uncertainty as his wings slowly began to part. I had no idea when the woman had appeared. She hadn't been there when he first sat down but there was no missing her presence now. She sat straddling his legs with her body facing him and her arms wrapped around his chest. All I could do was stare as she was slowly impaled upon his mammoth cock. I'd never seen anything like it. It was huge, thicker and longer than my arm and it seemed to move without any conscious thought from him. He simply sat there, the rest of his body still, as his cock moved in and out of her body. The woman, oblivious to her audience, withered upon his cock. Almost absentmindedly he reached down and started pulling and twisting on her nipple. His cock started moving faster, fucking in and out of her pussy until she was almost seizing with pleasure. Minutes later she came, screaming and clutching at his shoulders.

Gently, Lucifer enfolded the woman into his wings and sat back in his chair. I wasn't sure if she was still sitting on his lap or if she had disappeared back from where she came. I wasn't sure I cared. I couldn't imagine being fucked by the Devil and if that was his idea of a reward he had another thing coming. I opened my mouth to say something when I felt a restraining hand on my arm. Looking over my shoulder the dark skinned man gave a minute shake of his head. Abruptly I closed my mouth, and just in time too.

"But fail me and you shall suffer for all eternity." Lucifer motioned with his hand. Looking around for the first time I really saw what was around me. Everywhere I looked I could see men, women, and other species inflicting pain and suffering. Others looked as if they had been hung up and forgotten, nothing remained but skin and bones but they were obviously conscious of their situation.

I forcibly swallowed and nodded in understanding. I don't mind admitting that at that moment I was scared down the very tips of my toes.

"So, is it a deal?"

Something inside of me warned me to turn and run, to get out of there while I still could. But pictures of my family started running though my head. I could hear my father asking me if I had found a job yet or if all that money spent on my education was going to go to waste. Contrast that with images of myself sitting behind a giant antique mahogany desk, secretaries scurrying about while the senior partner came in to congratulate me. In that moment I knew that my every dream could come true and all for the low price of a soul I didn't even believe existed.

"Deal." The last thing I remember as we shock was thinking that his hand was as cold as ice. I woke up to find everything the way it should be. My bedroom once again opened up into the house and no one knew I had been gone.

The phone rang Monday morning as I sat reading the classifieds over a cup of coffee. It was the managing partner for one of the most prestigious law firms in the area and he was offering me an associate position and a salary starting in the six figures. I was all over that.

I spent the next few years working my way up the legal ladder. I was tremendously successful only suffering minor losses to ensure that no one became suspicious. Within five years I was offered a junior partnership position and finally that of senior partner. By the time I was in my forties I had achieved a net worth in the millions and enjoyed rewarding sexual relationships with both men and women though I resisted the urge to settle down with any one in particular.

There was nothing to mar my success. Occasionally, I was called upon to perform services for my benefactor. I was never asked to actively solicit souls. They came to me having already promised payment, I simply finalized the deal. Like any good lawyer I had an agreement already written up and each troubled individual was asked to sign his or her name. In exchange their troubles, whatever they were, disappeared within a few days. I never saw them again and never really gave them any more thought once they'd left my office.

In the years that passed I noticed two things. One, I never aged. I had the same face and figure at fifty that I'd had at thirty. In fact, the body I started with seemed to improve with age. Nothing so dramatic that you would notice but I was definitely better looking then I had ever been. The other thing I noticed was that when a friend or colleague was asked how long they had known me the answer was always the same. People seemed to think they had only known me for three or four years even though I knew we had met ten, fifteen and even twenties years ago.

I lived to be one hundred and twenty-two years old. I was sitting in one of our lush boardrooms when the dark skinned man from that long ago night walked in. Instantly I knew that my time was up.

"No!" I jumped up slamming my fist down on the table, startling the other partners. "I'm not ready to go."

"Ma'am, are you alright?" One of the junior partners half raised himself out of his chair and reached for my arm. Looking around I could see the confusion and concern on their faces.

"Please, do not resist. It is time and he will not be denied." The dark skinned man reached out to take my hand. There was a look of pleading, of concern on his face but I refused to heed his warning.

Snatching my arm away I headed for the door. I had no idea where I was going to go. Logic would have informed me that it was no use hiding from the Devil, he was sure to know where to find me. But it didn't matter. I was dead before I ever reached the door.

I found myself standing on that same platform. Looking around it could have been yesterday that I was last here. Only this time my circumstances had changed.

I was no longer free but instead secured to a cross by my wrists and ankles. My clothes had been removed from my body exposing my tan skin to the elements. Finally realizing the severity of my situation I started to sweat.

"You should not have defied me." Lucifer sat back in his throne only this time a woman sat at his feet, the chain from her collar ending in one of his hands. Despite his casual posture I could tell that he was pissed. Self preservation beat out pride in a matter of seconds and I resorted to begging.

"I'm sorry! Please! I lost my head for a moment. It was just such a surprise. I didn't have any warning and I had been so happy that it was hard to think about giving that all up." I would have gotten down on my knees if someone had released me. "Please, I'm begging you."

"It was because of me that you were able to acquire all that you had yet you would deny me my payment."

I felt myself cringe at the obvious anger in his voice. "No! I just needed time to prepare myself."

"You've had plenty of time. I gave you almost one hundred years of wealth, power and success to prepare yourself." Suddenly he stood, his wings snapping open and spreading wide behind him. As far as a show of power goes it was impressive. He stepped forward and ran his hand down the front of my chest. "Well, maybe we will just have to see how sorry you really are."

I shivered at his touch, his hands still as cold as I remembered. "Please, I'll do anything, just don't…don't…"