Devil | A Solomons

TWENTY TWO - ROSES ARE RED

Alfie found himself on the doorstep of Rebecca's home across the other side of London. He'd been dumbfounded for a moment when Irina slammed the door in his face, but after giving himself time to think on his walk across the city, he realised her reaction was perfectly on brand for her, as well as being totally valid.

The guilt had been eating Alfie from the inside out ever since he watched Irina's face fall earlier that morning. He had never seen her look so disappointed, but then that was probably because he'd equally never seen her look as happy as she did in that moment.

It fascinated Alfie, watching the evolution of Irina since their first meeting. She had softened for him in the unlikeliest of circumstances, blossoming like a flower in the dead of winter. She was like nothing on Earth, and he was still struggling to get his head around the fact that she actually liked him.

All he'd wanted to do when he turned up at Irina's home was take her into his arms and show her in no uncertain terms just how much he adored her, how little he cared for anyone or anything else. He didn't like the fact she was feeling insecure, or that she felt like he'd lied to her and taken advantage of her in a malicious way.

Alfie wasn't a man of God, at least not a clean one, but it bothered him down to his bones to think that Irina thought badly of him, and he'd have done anything to clear his name to show her they can move forward, one step at a time.

And that first step was visiting Rebecca.

He knocked on her door, sighing loudly with his hands buried deep in his pockets as he waited for her to answer, swaying back and forth on his heels, watching the birds in the trees.

"Alfie, I didn't expect you to be here after this morning."

"Neither did I," Alfie said, looking at her as she stood in the doorway with a nervous smile on her face.

Alfie and Rebecca had been a couple for little over two years, but in the latter stages of their relationship, they drifted apart naturally. After breaking up, they continued to see each other to sleep together, vowing to keep things strictly physical.

For Alfie, that had been easy. He had fallen out of love with Rebecca long before they actually called their relationship quits, so their agreement was the perfect solution to a problem. Rebecca, on the other hand, struggled to keep her emotions out of their exchange.

"I called to see if you wanted to do something tonight, see a picture, perhaps? We haven't seen each other in a while, that's all."

Rebecca was a slim, blonde woman in her late twenties that worked as a florist in the middle of London Town. She was sweet, the type of women that a mother would want her son to be with, a gentle soul who's laugh sounded like birds singing in the wind and who's smile shone brighter than anyone else's.

She was the total opposite to Irina, which is part of the reason Alfie was so surprised a woman like Irina would even turn and glance in his direction. Rebecca was calm and placid, timid and shy, whereas Irina walked confidently, leaving a whirlwind of destruction in her path without even realising it.

Alfie and Rebecca had been in love, and it had been perfect, until it wasn't anymore. Alfie didn't hold anything against Rebecca, but he knew that Irina would rip both her and him to shreds if he didn't fulfil her request.

"Yeah there's a reason for that, Bec. I'm actually seeing someone new, and she was the one that answered the phone this morning, so you can imagine how that went down."

Alfie cowered awkwardly on the doorstep, trying to avoid eye contact with his ex-girlfriend, though the politeness in him made it difficult to look away from her.

"Oh," she mumbled quietly, her face falling the same way Irina's had, "Well I'm happy for you, Alfie. I hope it all goes well. What's her name?"

Alfie swallowed hard, nodding, "Yeah, thanks. It's Irina, she's uh- she's great, yeah. Listen, probably best that you don't call me at my house, or anywhere, really."

Rebecca sniffled, nodding her head. Alfie could tell her eyes were getting watery and she was trying her best to put on a brave face. He couldn't help but feel bad for her, knowing that she'd been clinging onto their relationship with any threads she could grab hold of, though now, he was cutting all of them.

"Of course. Goodbye then, Alfie."

Alfie didn't say anything, he just gave her one last nod and a sad, friendly smile before turning on his heels and walking away.

His conscience instantly felt clearer and he could breathe easier, finding himself feeling happier and lighter than he had done before he'd seen Rebecca. Part of him was worried about how she'd react, but he was gracious that she didn't care to fight or argue with him, not that it would've made a difference if she had.

Irina was sat at her dressing table swiping red lipstick across her lips, smiling at her reflection. She'd darkened her eyes with black liner, her lashes winged out and her cheekbones sat bronzed and high, her jaw like the edge of a sword.

She was dressed in black lace lingerie and matching stockings with a velvet suspender belt around her waist, a pair of glossy black heels beside her feet.

Admittedly, Irina hadn't managed to shake the constant feeling of want that Alfie had instilled in her, and the thought of another woman being close to him only made her want to give him something so mind-blowing that he wouldn't be able to remember another woman's name, let alone any nights he'd shared with her.

She bit her lip when she heard a knock at the door, spritzing dashes of sultry, sweet and musky perfume across her skin before puckering her lips in the mirror and slipping on the heels.

Irina's heart fluttered with excitement. She was confident in herself and knew her way around men, most of them being exactly the same. With Alfie, however, she enjoyed being between the sheets so much more knowing that he was looking at her the way he was because he worshipped her. And he would continue to do so the day after, and the day after that, not for just one night. Irina had never felt anything like the way Alfie made her feel, and she sure as hell wasn't going to let go of it.

She unlocked the door, pulling it open and standing with a hand on her hip, her dark hair glossy and smooth, straight down her back, tickling her waist almost.

"Fucking Hell."

Alfie's jaw would've dropped if his entire body hadn't tensed up at the sight, the thorns from the bouquet of roses in his hand almost piercing his skin as he squeezed them so tightly, his eyes not knowing where to look.

"I," he cleared his throat, inhaling deeply as he slowly dragged his gaze over every part of her, "I got you some more flowers, so you can throw away the others."

Irina just tilted her head, a devious smile playing on her blood red lips as she stepped aside to allow him to pass her into the house. He did so, kicking off his shoes and throwing his waistcoat to the side. The only time he looked away from her was to glance up at the coat hooks on the wall, his heart beating a million times faster when he noticed Luca's hat was no longer there.

"Thank you, Alfie."

Irina took the flowers from him, taking a moment to smell the sweet scent before gently grabbing hold of his fingers, pulling him in the direction of the stairs.

"What are you doing?" Alfie breathed softly, admiring her body as she stood tall two steps above him, enjoying looking at her from behind and the way the suspenders drew dark lines of symmetry down her sleek, golden legs.

Irina glanced over her shoulder at him, "I'm going to make you lose your mind."

an;;
kind of a boring chapter but we love a jealous queen mark ur territory sis!! <3 thank u all for reading!!