Chapter 9

Pierce.

Getting any work done that evening was a lost cause. My brain, ever the traitor, kept circling back to Alexis. The living migraine who had somehow taken up permanent residence in my thoughts, like she was paying rent on the space.

When she walked out of the bathroom earlier, wrapped in that damn towel, something about her silhouette triggered a memory I hadn't visited in days. That girl by the river. No… it couldn’t be her. Could it?

I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my temples. This wasn’t good. I’d never let a woman get this far under my skin. It was like she’d broken into my mind, pitched a tent, and was now toasting marshmallows over the dying embers of my sanity.

Annoyed, I ordered tacos. I hated ordering food. I preferred home-cooked meals, but there was no way I’d let that troublemaker cook for me—not unless I had a death wish. With my luck, she’d baste the chicken in toilet water and serve it with a halo-worthy grin.

Especially after today? She was definitely out for revenge.

I turned off the lights and went to bed.

I woke up with a jolt. Something was off. The smell hit me first—sweet cranberries, and sex.

Still half-asleep, I sniffed the air like a man possessed. The scent was strong—way too strong—and I followed it.

Then I lifted my pillow.

And froze.

There, lying exactly where my face had just been, was my favorite pair of Calvin Klein briefs. Limited edition. Right next to them? A small, black scrap of lace.

Her underwear.

I stared, curiously.The lace shimmered slightly.

I dropped it like it was radioactive.

No way. No damn way. Did she seriously… come… on my briefs?

I grabbed them, my skin heating at the image now permanently etched in my brain—Alexis, in my room, on my bed touching herself, and leaving her little "gift" like a twisted trophy.

And the worst part?

She knew these were my favorite. Because they were labeled "limited edition."

This wasn't just revenge. This was psychological warfare.

I narrowed my eyes at the lacy evidence of her crime.

~~~

"You're looking rather cloudy today," Zane remarked, strolling into my penthouse.

I didn’t bother with pleasantries. "You won't believe what that little pest did."

Zane made himself comfortable, cracking open a beer like he was settling in for a damn movie. Good. He was about to get a show.

"Yesterday, I come home and find her soaking in my bathtub like she owns the place. And then—last night—she leaves a package under my pillow."

I pulled out the evidence—her lacy black panties and my favorite Calvin Klein briefs—sealed neatly in a transparent zip bag, like I was submitting a key exhibit in court.

I tossed it at him.

Zane caught it, ripped the bag open, and—to my horror—lifted her panties to his nose.

"Hey, don't get carried away," I snapped.

He gagged—beer spraying everywhere as he gasped, "Bro! Is this her love juice?" His voice was a cocktail of disbelief and awe.

"Yes," I muttered. "She got off on my briefs. I don’t know when. I don’t know how. But it happened."

Zane looked ridiculously fascinated, like he’d just unearthed a holy relic.

"It’s fresh,mmh... she smells so good,"he said, inspecting it like he was part of a forensic team. "So she must’ve done it just hours before you got home. Damn. You’re living the dream. Meanwhile, I can’t even get a text back."

I shot him a soul-dead stare.

Dream? That unhinged gremlin had just declared war on my mental health, and he thought I was lucky?

"Thank God she’s not working today," I muttered. "It’s her off day."

Zane leaned back. "So what’s the real issue? You mad because she pranked you? Or mad because her love nectar did something to you?"

I glared at him hard.

"This is your fault," I growled. "She heard you mention the two million, and now she thinks this is a game show."

Zane chuckled, clearly delighted. "Two million? Please. This is just her warm-up."

"She’s made my week hell. And now this?" I gestured to the table like the evidence spoke for itself. "Why did you sign me up for this, man?"

He shrugged, popping another beer like it was halftime. "You could just give up and let me win the bet. Not like I’d mind. She smells incredible." He wiggled his brows, twirling her panties on his finger like a prize.

"Give me that!" I snatched them from him. "And no. I don’t lose. Especially not to you."

I stuffed them back into the bag like they were laced with dark magic and tossed it on the table.

Zane took a swig, smirking. "So… after discovering your employee’s, uh, secret sauce—did you call her? Confront her?"

I folded my arms. "I dozed off. I’ll handle it tomorrow."

He raised an eyebrow. "You just… fell asleep?"

"Yeah? Why?"

That look. A devious grin.

"I don’t know," he said slowly. "How soon did you fall asleep?"

I scratched my neck. "Not sure. Why?"

Then came the gasp. The clap. The triumphant finger-point.

"Pierce! YOU JERKED OFF, DIDN’T YOU?! BRO! YOU FUCKING JERKED OFF!"

He shouted it like he’d uncovered the final Infinity Stone.

I let out a frustrated groan. So what if I gave in? Her damn lingerie and its sweet scent messed with my head, and I needed to blow off steam. No big deal.

"Maybe a little," I muttered, clearly not proud of it. "It wasn't that deep. Why are we even having this conversation?"

Zane, of course, pointed at me with both hands.

"Aha! I knew it! You’re mad because her naughty little surprise got you all hot and bothered!" He was practically bouncing with glee.

I shot him a dark glare. "You’re imagining things."

He lounged back on the couch. "Am I? Then pass me her panties and drop me her address. I’ll hand-deliver them."

I snatched the zip bag before he could even finish. "Like hell you will."

Zane burst out laughing. "Man, look at you. Clutching them like they’re some sacred relic."

"Enough," I growled. "I’ll deal with this. Meanwhile, you can go over the project breakdown I left open on my laptop."

Clutching the so-called "evidence," I stormed off to my room.

There was absolutely no way I was letting Zane get his pervy hands on those panties. Alexis would never see them again, and honestly, no one else needed to.

Behind me, his maniacal laughter echoed through the penthouse.

One day, when Zane catches feelings for someone? I’m going to roast him so hard he’ll beg to be erased from existence.