Alex had just finished his game with Theo when one of the staff members approached him, holding two sleek, high-end shopping bags.

  "Mr. Wilson, the clothes you ordered arrived. Where would you like them?"

  Alex took the bags. "I'll take them."

  He made his way through the orphaoward the back, where the staff locker rooms were located. It was a quiet area, separate from the mai, meant for employees and voluo freshen up.

  "Your clothes are here. I'll leave them by the door."

  From ihere was a loud, dramatic groan.

  "Ugh, finally! I was starting to think I'd have to walk out of here in a bedsheet like a tragian emperor."

  That was definitely Max.

  Alex was already turning to leave when...

  Click.

  The door cracked open.

  And out stepped Max.

  Dripping. ed in nothing but a towel. Smirking like she had just won a bet no one else knew about.

  Alex barely had time tister the sight before his brain crashed like a malfuning hard drive.

  Max, still damp from the shower, had her dark hair piled into a messy bun, loose strands ging to her neck. Her skin was still flushed from the heat, and the towel—while securely ed—was dangerously short, showing off way too much leg.

  She crossed her arms, leaning casually against the doorframe, her smirk only growing wheiced Alex's rea.

  "Well, well, well," she drawled. "If it isn't Hollywood's golden boy, delivering my new wardrobe like a personal valet. You really do it all, don't you, Moneybags?"

  Alex exhaled through his nose, amused. "Don't get used to it." He set the bags down on a bench. "Thought I'd save you the trouble of ing out in a towel to get them."

  Max grinned. "Oops."

  Alex smirked. "Oops, huh?"

  She took a casual step forward, clearly enjoying herself. "e on, you don't have to pretend. I know you're looking."

  Alex hummed, tilting his head slightly. "And if I am?"

  Max opened her mouth, fully prepared to drop some teasing remark...

  But then he moved.

  Towards her.

  She barely had time to process it before Alex was standing right in front of her, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating off of him.

  Her back barely grazed the door.

  Her heart? Yeah, that thing just leaped out of her chest and into another dimension.

  Max's usual quick wit? Gone.

  Alex, as infuriatingly calm as ever, gnced down at her, his sharp blue eyes log onto hers like he had all the time in the world.

  Max, for on her life, fot how to breathe.

  He reached up, so casually, so unbothered as he brushed a damp curl away from her face, his fingers just barely grazing her skin.

  Max's stomach flipped. 'Sm me against the wall and take me Sugar Daddy.'

  His voice dropped, smooth and slow. "Careful, Max," he murmured. "I don't think you realize what kind of game you're pying."

  Max did realize.

  Right now?

  She was losing.

  Alex let his fingers linger for a sed lohan necessary before taking a step back, perfectly posed, like he hadn't just shattered her brain into a thousand useless pieces.

  Theurned and walked away.

  Just like that.

  Max stood frozen, gripping the edges of her towel like it was the only thing keepiethered to reality.

  Caroliill ihe showers, called out, "Max? Did he leave?"

  Max stood there. Frozen.

  Her brain had fully short-circuited. Nothing. Nothing in her life had prepared her for that moment.

  Alex had just… walked away. After standing so close she could feel his breath? After toug her? After dropping his voice to that level of smooth, rich, billionaire mehat practically vibrated in her soul?

  The man ruined her. And the.

  Like he hadn't just rocked her entire damence.

  Max swallowed. Bliried to reboot her fried brain.

  "...Max?" Caroline's voice echoed from inside. "Did he leave?"

  Max couldn't move.

  Her grip oowel tightened. Her legs? Useless. Her lungs? Non-funal. Her dignity? Dead and buried.

  What the hell just happened?

  She had been flirting. That was her thing. That was what she did. She poked, teased, pushed buttons. That was her superpower.

  And he flipped it on her like it was nothing. That sexy look in his eyes and his smell... His voice...

  Her heart was still in the goddamn stratosphere.

  Caroline poked her head out of the shower room, a towel ed around her hair. "Max?"

  Max, still gripping the door like she'd beerocuted, finally snapped out of it.

  She inhaled—sharp, fast, desperate—and whirled around.

  "CAROLINE. WHAT THE FUCK."

  Caroline blinked. "Jesus. What happened? You look like you just saw God."

  "WORSE." Max spped both hands onto her face. "I just saw God's hot older brother who knows exactly how to mess with my entire existend then WALK AWAY LIKE HE DIDN'T JUST SET ME ON FIRE."

  Caroline frowned. "What?"

  Max threw her hands in the air. "He... he did the thing."

  Caroline raised an eyebrow. "Max, yonna have to be a little more specific than 'the thing.'"

  Max whirled around, grabbed Caroline's shoulders, and shook her. "HE MOVED CLOSE."

  "...Okay?"

  "CLOSE, CLOSE. Like, whisper-in-your-ear, ruin-your-life, I-could-literally-smell-his-cologne-and-it-was-so-good-I-wao-drown-in-it close!"

  Caroliared at her. "...Are you okay?"

  "NO, I AM NOT OKAY." Max let go and dramatically flopped onto a nearby bench, grippiowel like a woman on the edge. "Caroline. I think he just reverse-flirted me into another pne of existence."

  Caroline burst out ughing.

  Max snapped her head up. "THIS ISN'T FUNNY, BLONDIE. I HAVE NEVER BEEN REVERSE-FLIRTED BEFORE."

  Caroline, wheezing, leaned against the wall. "Oh my God. You got pyed."

  'He erfect,' Max threw an arm over her face. "I got wrecked."

  Caroline shook her head. "Okay, okay, what exactly did he do?"

  Max sat up sharply, pointing aggressively. "He was LOOKING. Not just looking-looking. But fident, rich-man looking. Like the kind of look that says 'I could ruin your life, and you'd thank me.'"

  Caroline cackled. "Oh my God."

  "And THEN," Max tinued, still aggressively pointing, "he was like, 'Careful, Max. I don't think you realize what kind of game you're pying.'"

  Caroline's eyes widened.

  Max clutched her chest. "CAROLINE. HE WARNED ME."

  Caroline smirked. "And did that warning make you want to stop?"

  Max hesitated.

  Then dramatically flopped back again. "NO. IT MADE ME WANT TO MAKE BAD DECISIONS."

  Caroline lost it.

  She bent asping for air. "Oh my God, Max, this is the best thing that's ever happeo me."

  "TO YOU?!" Max snapped up. "I AM SUFFERING."

  Caroline wiped a tear. "No, no, you don't get it. You've been doing this your entire life." She gestured at her. "You flirt. You tease. You mess with guys. And then they get flustered, and you walk away the winner."

  Max groaned.

  Caroline grinned. "But this time? He beat you at your own game. And now you don't know what to do. Is this what you call karma?"

  Max stared at her.

  She hated that Caroline was so, so painfully right.

  She loved being in trol. She loved pushing buttons. But Alex?

  He didn't just push back. He flipped the entire damn game board over and walked away like he owhe pce.

  Max screamed into her hands.

  Caroline, ughing again, patted her on the back. "So. What's your move?"

  Max paused.

  Then slowly, a wicked grin stretched across her face.

  Caroline immediately sighed. "Oh no."

  Max stood up. "Oh yes."

  Caroline shook her head. "Max, don't start something you 't finish."

  Max tossed her wet hair over her shoulder. "Blondie. I am going to win."

  Caroline sighed. "Max. You don't even know what the game is."

  Max smirked. "Then I'll make my own rules."

  Caroline groaned. "This is gonna end in disaster."

  Max strutted toward the locker where their dresses were waiting. "Disaster? Or the greatest victory of my life?"

  Caroline sighed. "Same thing."

  This was war.

  And Max was not losing twice.

  ....

  Max and Caroliood in front of their lockers, staring at the ly folded, insanely expensive designer outfits that had just arrived courtesy of one (1) billionaire beor.

  Max, still riding the emotional rollercoaster of being absolutely reverse-flirted into oblivion, crossed her arms and smirked. "Welp. This is it, Blondie. Our official transformation into kept women."

  Caroline groaned, pulling her dress out of the packaging. "Max, for the st time, Alex is not yar daddy."

  Max grinned. "A…" She gestured dramatically to the literal thousands of dolrs' worth of clothing now in their possession. "This feels very sugar daddy adjat."

  Caroline pihe bridge of her nose. "Max."

  Max grabbed her dress, holding it up to her body. "Face it, Caroline. We are now hot, sponsored women. The logical step is yacht parties, expensive vacations, and dramatically removing sungsses while whispering, 'I 't do this anymore, Chad.'"

  Caroline whacked her arm. "You're impossible."

  Max twirled the dress dramatically. "A, here I am. Fully funded. Like an indepe film with a really rich executive producer."

  Caroline snorted, finally giving in and ughing. "I hate that analogy, but also? N."

  Max wiggled her eyebrows. "Exactly. And you know what this means, don't you?"

  Caroline sighed. "That you'll op making sugar daddy jokes?"

  Max threw her arms out. "CORRECT."

  Caroline rolled her eyes. "Fine. Whatever. Just put on the damn dress."

  Max smirked. "You're right. Let me slip into something that screams, 'I accept my fate as a very, very experophy wife.'"

  Caroline groaned. "Max, please."

  Max cackled and pulled off her towel, shimmying into the stupidly luxurious red silk dress. The moment it settled on her body, she turo the mirror and—

  "Oh, holy shit."

  Caroline zipped up her own dress and turned around. "What?"

  Max stared at herself.

  Like. Stared.

  The dress was…

  Criminal.

  It g to her body like it was ade for sin, the deep red silk draping over every curve like it had an agenda. The slit up the thigh? Borderline sdalous. The nee? Dangerously perfect.

  Max blinked.

  Then slowly turo Caroline, fapletely serious.

  "Blondie."

  Caroline raised an eyebrow. "What?"

  Max gripped her shoulders. "I ot be trusted in this dress."

  Caroline smirked. "Why? Because you'll fall in love with yourself?"

  "NO. Because I will it crimes."

  Caroline sighed. "Max..."

  "SUGAR BABY CRIMES, CAROLINE."

  Caroline buried her fa her hands. "Oh my God."

  Max twirled, dramatically striking a pose. "Look at me! I was born for this life!"

  Caroline poi her. "Do not go out there and say 'thanks, Daddy' to Alex."

  Max gasped. "Oh my God, why would you say that? Now I have to fight the urge!"

  "I KNOW. THAT'S WHY I SAID IT."

  Max wheezed. "Caroline, please. You know I 't be stopped. I'm a mena fabri."

  Caroline grabbed her by the shoulders. "MAX. LISTEN TO ME. If you call him Daddy even once, we will die."

  Max bit her lip. "Okay, but..."

  Caroline shook her. "WE. WILL. DIE."

  Max let out a deep, suffering sigh. "Fine, fine. I won't say it."

  Caroline exhaled in relief.

  Max smirked. "But I will imply it heavily."

  Caroline groaned. "I hate you."

  Max winked. "Love you too, babe."

  And with that, the two of them stepped out of the locker room, fully transformed into the most dangerous versions of themselves.

  And Max?

  Max was so, so ready to ruin Alex's peace.

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  [8 advance chs] [All chs avaible for all tiers]

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