18. Asmodeus

Az happily followed Gabe's lead, although once he got inside the doors he seemed to lose a bit of his confidence. Az put his hand on Gabe's back and led them toward the desk. It looked a bit like an upscale hotel front desk with doors on both sides that led back into the club.

The man behind the desk took one look at them and made an "Eeep!" sound. Az looked at him more closely—he was highly attractive, with androgynous features, smooth, unblemished skin, and shoulder-length hair. His deer-caught-in-the-headlights look made Az look a little more closely, however.

"Samael, is that you?" Az asked, and the man, or rather demon, squeaked again, looking like he was about to run.

"Samael!" Az said jovially, walking Gabe over with his hand still on his back. "Weren't you summoned a few decades ago? Surely you've fulfilled your task by now? Have you been stuck topside?"

"Uhmmm," stammered the lesser demon. Az looked at him shrewdly, checking for the ties of the summoning; they were faint, old, and probably easily broken.

"Would you like me to break the summoning?" Az asked, reaching his hand out toward the demon.

Samael took a step back, bumping into the wall behind him, and yelled out, "NO!"

Az withdrew his hand, bewildered by the entire episode. Samael seemed almost afraid of him, which made no sense.

Az stepped closer, and Samael seemed to try to melt into the wall. "Samael, it's Asmodeus. I won't hurt you." He lowered his voice. "Are you being hurt? Is someone holding you here against your will? How can I help you?"

Gabe stepped forward then, resting his hands on the counter. "Hey. Samael, yes?" he asked, smiling.

Samael nodded.

"So, Az and I are here to visit the club. He didn't even know you were here. He'll gladly help you if you need it, but we just came for… well, umm… you know… whatever goes on here?" Gabe finished lamely, blushing and stuttering.

His obvious discomfort seemed to reassure Samael, who stepped forward. "You aren't here for me?"

"I don't even know who you are. Az is probably just happy to see a friendly face, right Az?" Gabe said, giving Az a look.

"Of course," Az replied. "I'm delighted to see Samael."

Az was perplexed, but Gabe seemed to have a handle on the situation, so Az let him take the lead.

"So, Az said he could get us in, because we aren't members, but maybe you could help us with that? We just want to… ummm… watch?" Gabe finished unsurely, blushing again.

Az tried not to stare at Gabe too adoringly. He was so cute; Az just wanted to turn him around and cuddle him up. He smiled down at Gabe, then looked over at Samael, who was staring at him with a look of surprise.

"Yes, of course Az could get you in, but he doesn't need to. I can take care of that," Samael said. He started typing things into the computer, pulled out some wristbands and slid them over, and then looked up at Az again.

"You really weren't sent for collection?" he asked.

"Collection of what?" Az asked, confused by the whole exchange.

"Well, you know, sometimes demons like to stay topside. The leadership team frowns on that, we know, but…" he trailed off, staring at Gabe like somehow he was going to be of assistance.

"Of course," Gabe replied confidently. He leaned forward then, whispering, "I have a pet frog who is really a demon. I've had him for twenty years. Az did move his aquarium out of the bedroom, but that's as far as he sent him," Gabe chuckled.

Samael breathed a sigh of relief, finally smiling. "I wouldn't think Az would mind the audience," he laughed.

Gabe blushed again. "Yes, that was definitely for my benefit," he admitted. "So, do we just put these on and go in?"

Samael went into a flurry of explanations then, describing the main club, the side rooms, how to reserve a room, and anything else Gabe might want to know. Az listened with half an ear, still trying to process the fact that apparently there were demons who were staying topside and trying to fly under the leadership team's radar.

Samael ushered them into the main room, which was set up with lots of plush chairs and couches, a dark wood bar off to one side of the large room, low lighting, and soft music. It looked very much like an upscale bar and lounge, except there were quite a few half naked men walking around, and from a glance Az saw there were a few discreet sexual acts occurring.

Az also noticed there were a few demons sprinkled in. He looked at Samael, who was looking at him rather anxiously, and then at Gabe, who gave him an almost minute shake of the head.

"Thank you, Samael; I think we'll figure it out," Gabe said, patting the demon's hand reassuringly. "We'll let you know if we need anything."

Samael nodded, looking a little relieved. Quite a few pairs of demon eyes were on their little group, but Samael shook his head and smiled, and they all seemed to turn away and go back to whatever they were doing.

"I assure you, sire, you won't be bothered. Although if there is anything you need, you only have to ask," Samael said, addressing Az.

Az nodded, pretending he understood what was going on right now, still surprised Samael wasn't the only demon who was here. Samael backed up, watching them, so Az led Gabe over to a loveseat and sat, pulling Gabe down and cuddling up next to him.

Once Samael had left the lounge area and was back at the front desk, Az leaned down and whispered in Gabe's ear. "How did you grasp the situation with Samael when I didn't? I didn't expect you to have a better handle on things, considering we are in a sex club."

Gabe laughed, turning toward Az and giving him a peck on the lips. Az tried to hide his smug happiness, but he doubted he was successful when Gabe laughed again.

"I've taught high schoolers for quite a few years. I knew that look. It's a combination of guilt, righteous indignation, and fear—with a dash of covering up for someone else thrown in," Gabe chuckled. "I figured he thought you were there because he had done something wrong, and he was hoping not to get into too much trouble, but he was also halfway ready to stand up for what he believed in."

"You got all that from a look?" Az asked.

"It's a very teenage look," Gabe smiled. "Plus, when you asked about sending him back, his look of panic pretty clearly explained things. He doesn't want to go back. Apparently this is a haven for summoned demons who haven't returned to hell like they were supposed to."

"But why wouldn't they want to go back?" Az asked. "The underworld is lovely. We have hot springs and scenic firefalls and orgies."

Gabe rolled his eyes. "Only you would include orgies with scenery." Gabe shrugged then. "Why doesn"t Mr. Frog want to go back? My guess is sometimes people just want a change. Maybe they form attachments. Is that so bad?" Gabe asked, a touch of anxiety in his voice.

Az looked at him, thinking about his own train of thought earlier. He didn't want to go back himself, so yes, he could certainly understand the sentiment.

He squeezed Gabe close, whispering in his ear, "No, it isn't bad at all. Caring about people is never a bad thing, Gabe."

"Even if it hurts when they leave?" Gabe asked, and Az knew they weren't talking about random demons anymore.

"Even then," Az replied. "I would rather know you and miss you for all eternity than have never met you, Gabriel. You matter to me."

Gabe stared into his eyes, and Az stared back. He would not hide what he thought of Gabe, how much this mortal had come to matter to him. He would not deny how special he was.

Gabe sighed, leaned in, kissed him, and leaned back. Az was still amazed at how casually Gabe was kissing him now, and he tried to keep his thoughts from straying to sex, which was rather hard to do in a sex club.

"Well, let's get on with this experiment then, Asmodeus, Prince of Lust," Gabe smirked.

Az saw that Gabe was ready to lighten the mood, so he looked around and let his sense of people and their lust guide him. He saw a couple across the room in a secluded and partly private corner who looked like they would fit their needs. He took Gabe's hand, stood up, and headed in that direction.

The two were attractive men who were looking affectionately at each other, with a caramel skinned, light brown haired guy sitting on a dark-skinned, dark haired man's lap. Both had their shirts off and were wearing simple dark sweatpants, and the juxtaposition of their skin colors was beautiful, as was the clear love when they looked at each other and kissed. It was also sexy as hell that the one guy had his hand very clearly down his partner's pants.

"Would you like some company?" Az asked. "I'm Az, and this is Gabe," he added.

"I'm John, and my partner is Taylor," the dark haired man replied, and Taylor moaned as John's hand began moving, slowly jerking his cock in his pants. "What kind of company?" he asked.

Az pulled Gabe down onto the couch situated across from the couple. "The kind of company that would enjoy chatting with two very sexy men who are so clearly in love with one another," Az replied.

John raised his eyebrows and gently bit his partner's neck, at which point Taylor rested his head fully against John's shoulder and moaned. "Just chatting?" John asked. "Because we would be open to more than that."

Az looked over at Gabe, who was watching the hand down Taylot's pants with utter fascination. He was flushed, but Az could tell it was not in embarrassment. His Gabe was definitely turned on.

"Just chatting, if you are amenable to that. My partner and I enjoy seeing a sexy couple find their pleasure," Az said, and he let his lust loose a bit. It was, after all, a sex club.

Taylor moaned, and John slid Taylor's sweatpants down, letting his partner's cock pop out and resting the sweatpants beneath his balls. He then put his hand back on his partner, slowly jerking him as Taylor rested against him, breathing heavily.

"He's so beautiful, isn't he?" John asked. He put his other arm around Taylor, holding him close and resting his hand on the man's nipple, casually caressing it. Taylor moaned again. "I love the noises he makes. So sexy for me. He loves it when I play with his nipples and his dick."

Az looked over at Gabe, who had a definite bulge in his pants. He was flushed and breathing heavily, and he leaned heavily into Az. His hands were on his pant legs, his fingers flexing. "Whatever you want, Gabe. Whatever you want is sexy and fine," Az reminded him.

Gabe let his hand drift toward his cock, and Az could see him give it a squeeze, but all his attention was on the couple, who were now kissing one another passionately, their tongues dancing in and out of each other's mouths.

Az could feel the lust of all three men, and he could also feel the invitation from Taylor and John. They would be quite happy if Gabe and Az joined in, and usually Az would happily do so. Yet he had no desire to take Taylor's cock into his mouth, or to join in on the kiss, or to initiate sexual acts with the four of them. He could sense Gabe didn't have that desire, either; he just enjoyed watching.

And Az enjoyed watching Gabe.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" Az asked Gabe, and he heard both men moan in response. They obviously enjoyed being watched as much as Gabe and Az were enjoying watching. Az knew he had chosen well.

"Taylor likes to get fucked, don't you babe?" John said, letting go of Taylor's dick and reaching down to fondle his balls. "Do you like it when I stretch you out and fuck that beautiful ass of yours?"

"God, yes," Taylor breathed out. "Please."

"Do you wanna ride my dick, babe? You want me to fill you up?" John asked.

"Please, yes," Taylor begged.

Az felt Gabe shift closer to him and lean even more heavily on him; he was almost sitting in Az's lap, and Az was tempted to haul him right onto it, but he resisted the urge. He was going to let Gabe take the lead, even if it killed him (metaphorically speaking, of course).

Taylor shifted off John's lap, and John drew his own sweatpants down, baring a beautiful, dark cock. Taylor let his pants drop to the floor as he climbed onto John, facing his partner and giving Az and Gabe a delicious view of his ass. He stayed raised up and pressed close to John, so they could see Taylor's ass spread wide open and also still see John's dick. Az took a moment to appreciate the positioning; these two were obviously familiar with how to put on a show.

Az respected John's resourcefulness, because he then heard the sound of something uncapping and squirting, and then one lubed finger was gently rubbing at Taylor's hole.

Taylor moaned, and Gabe moaned beside Az.

"Should I put it in? Should I put my finger in his pretty little hole and open him up for my cock?" John asked, looking away from Taylor for a moment to make eye contact with Az and Gabe.

Gabe and Taylor both moaned again, and Gabe whispered, "Yes."

"He wants it so bad. Watch how good it feels to him," John murmured, slipping his finger in as Taylor pushed down into it.

Az's cock was hard and leaking, and he could see Gabe gently rubbing his own hard-on. The lust was rolling off all three men, and Az practically felt drunk with it.

Gabe's breathing sped up as John added a second finger to Taylor's ass, and Taylor groaned and raised and lowered himself on them, finally saying, "Please. I need your dick. I need you inside me. Please."

"Ok babe," John whispered, and he took his fingers out, holding onto his dick with one hand as Taylor sank down onto it. Both men moaned, and when Taylor was fully seated on John's lap, they kissed slowly and sensuously.

Gabe put his hand onto Az's thigh, gripping it tightly, his other hand inside his pants now, jerking his own cock. Az turned to him, watching his beautiful Gabriel find pleasure in watching the couple.

Taylor began moving up and down on John's cock, and Az could see Gabe's eyes going back and forth between John's cock sexily sliding in and out of Taylor and the two men's faces, where the looks of love and adoration were plain to see.

"They're so beautiful, aren't they?" Az whispered in Gabe's ear. He felt Gabe grip him harder. "So much trust; they know each other completely. So much love and faith in one another. So much care for the other person finding their pleasure."

With a low moan, Gabe came, his hand working himself through his orgasm. The men heard his stuttered breath and moan and moved faster, making their own sounds of pleasure as they made love to one another.

Gabe's hand slowed to a stop, and he leaned his head in against Az's arm, breathing heavily.

"So beautiful," Az murmured into his ear. "So very beautiful. So very sexy. My Gabriel."

Then Az did something that he normally never did topside. He knew there were enough demons in the room that they would easily cover it up, but he also didn't particularly care at the moment.

He stood up, pulling Gabe with him, keeping his head tucked safely into Az's side, and he let his demonic form surface. His large, black, leathery wings unfurled, and his long, thick, serpentine tail curled around Gabe's back. He worried what Gabe would think of his demonic form, but he couldn't seem to stop himself.

Az had never needed someone so much. It wasn't even sexual; he needed Gabe alone, just the two of them. He needed to be away from all the sex and lust and just be drunk on Gabe's pleasure.

He curled his wings around Gabe, enfolding them both inside the dark softness, and he portalled them back to Gabe's apartment.