Man. Those damn tits. Penelope... I shook my head, trying to push the thought out before it swallowed me whole.
Burneyâs place was packed, like always. A modern sort of cozyâwhite walls, steel beams painted black, and plants hanging in woven baskets up near the ceiling. Right in the middle sat an aquarium the size of a coffin turned sideways, lit with a soft blue glow. Tiny silver fish darted around inside, weaving through fake coral, drawing the eyes of anyone sitting close enough.
Tables circled the tank in neat rows: polished wood slabs on black metal legs. Some college kids typed on laptops, headphones in, nursing iced coffees. Two guys in suits whispered numbers to each other by the window. A couple made out in a booth like the world didnât exist.
Behind the counter, baristas barked out orders while the espresso machine screamed. And above it all, dangling from wires tied to the ceiling, were block letters spelling out SMILE. Cute. Burney always had some shit like that. Bathrooms were tucked down a hallway near the counter, a glowing sign pointing left. Thirty people easy in here, but it didnât feel crampedâjust alive.
I dropped into an empty table near the back and exhaled, letting the noise wash over me. Then I flicked the menu open in my head.
-------------------------
Name: Evan Marlowe
Age: 21
Height: 179 cm
Weight: 73 kg
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Level: 4
EXP: 98 / 311
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"Good. Getting there. Slowly."
Another screen blinked up.
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Daily Task:
Compliment 7 women
Reward: 32 XP
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"Sick of these daily tasks..." I muttered.
Seven women? Not today. Credit was what I needed, not XP. The massage promise weighed heavyâSusan had thrown me that bone, and if I didnât pull it off, I was fucked. Literally out on the street. Oil wasnât free either, and I had nothing but pocket lint.
I flicked the quests menu open, scrolling down with my finger. Exceptâhalfway through, I realized I wasnât touching the screen anymore. My thoughts were dragging it down by themselves. A couple people glanced my way, frowning.
"Shit," I muttered, dropping my hands to my knees. Weird. But useful.
Then one popped up:
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Quest Available
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Title: Kiss on the cheek
Task: Kiss Ivy on the cheek
Reward: +10 EXP
20c
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Accept Quest? [Yes] [No]
-------------------------
Kiss Ivy? That was tame. Hell, compared to some of the fucked-up quests Iâd seen, this one looked innocent.
I hit [Yes].
And waited. Been a while since I last saw herâfresh face, but familiar enough to not feel like a stranger.
The door opened. Street noise spilled in before it clicked shut again. And there she wasâIvy. She stopped by the door, hair tie between her teeth while she gathered her hair into a ponytail, eyes scanning the cafĂŠ. Damn. Because of Kim, my eyes went straight to her armpit. Smooth, pale, too fucking sexy for something so ordinary. My brain was fried.
"Hey!" I called, raising my hand. "Over here."
Her gaze landed on me.
Ivy finally spotted me and made her way over.
She was hard to missâshort sleeveless t-shirt clinging to her chest, fabric stretched tight over tits that looked like they wanted to burst free. Big ass swaying in those light jeans, every step making heads turn her way. She didnât even notice, or maybe she was just used to it.
When she reached the table, I stood up, leaning in. We hugged, her tits pressing into me just enough to make my cock twitch, and I planted a quick kiss on her cheek.
-------------------------
Name: Evan Marlowe
Age: 21
Height: 179 cm
Weight: 73 kg
-------------------------
Level: 4
EXP: 108/ 311
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"Wow, so European," Ivy quipped, sliding into the chair across from me. "Whatâs up?"
"Good, good," I muttered, sinking back into my seat. "How about you? Been a while since we met, huh?"
"Yep." She rested her arms on the table, raising one eyebrow. "So, will you tell me what happened with Kayla, please?"
"Oh, boy." I smiled, shaking my head. "Itâs a long story. You ready?"
"Yep."
So I started explainingâRichard screwing up, Mendyâs reaction, how I somehow got Kayla to swallow her pride and claim the videos were fake. I left out the messy details, of course, and the system stuff? That stayed buried. No one needed to know about that. If I told anyone, theyâd just call me insane.
As I spoke, I caught her expression twisting more and more. Her nose wrinkled, lips tight. By the time I wrapped it up, she looked like sheâd just swallowed something sour.
"So," she said flatly, leaning back. "You helped a cheater? Is that it? Helped a guy who cheated on his girlfriend."
"Look, heâs my friend, okay?" I said, hands raised. "I had to."
"I cannot believe you." She shook her head, eyes rolling. "I cannot believe you, Evan."
"Look, Iâm not proud of what I did. But whatâs done is done." I shrugged. "And plusâtheyâre happy now."
"Yeah. A fake happiness." She folded her arms. "Youâre an idiot."
"Yeah, yeah." I sighed, reaching for the glass of water the waiter had left on the table.
As she sipped her water, I flicked my eyes down at the menu, opening up the shop.
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SHOP
-------------------------
⢠Aphrodisiac Drink (10c)
⢠Silk Lingerie Set (25c)
⢠Sensual Massage Oil (15c)
⢠Mystery Pleasure Toy (30c)
⢠Flirt Potion (20c)
⢠Hypnotic Perfume (40c)
⢠Time Stop (90c)
-------------------------
Credits: 20 c
Select item to purchase.
-------------------------
Good. The reward had been added. I really needed that Sensual Massage Oil if I was gonna massage that CEO like I promised Susan. Without it, there was no way Iâd pull it off. Still... couldnât help wondering what the other items did. Hypnotic Perfume? Time Stop? Maybe one day, when I was swimming in credits. For now, I had to keep it practical.
I closed the screen just as Ivy set her glass down, brushing her hair back.
"So," she began, almost casually. "I broke up with my boyfriend."
"Oh," I said, blinking. "You... why? Donât tell me he cheated on you, please. Iâd feel like a jackass."
"No, no." She shook her head, lips curling into something between a smile and a sigh. "We broke up willingly. Like... we decided it was best for us."
"Okay..." I leaned forward. "Why?"
She coughed into her hand, lowering her voice. "He... you know, turns out heâ" she hesitated, then blurtedâ"heâs gay."
I froze mid-sip, glass still hovering near my lips. Let the silence hang a second before swallowing and setting it back down. That... wasnât what I expected. But at least he hadnât broken her heart cheating. She didnât look hurt. If anything, she looked relieved.
"Huh," I said finally. "You were that bad at sex he turned gay?"
"Ah, shut the fuck up." Ivy groaned, cheeks flushing as she slapped my arm. "You canât joke about this shit."
"Fine, fine." I lifted my hands in mock surrender. "Sorry."
"Mmph..." She narrowed her eyes at me, but I could see the corner of her mouth twitch like she was holding back a smile. "What about you?"
"What about me?"
"You still single?" she asked.
"Iâm working at a gas station, Ivy," I said flatly. "Who the hell would want me?"
"Hey, you never know." She leaned back with a sly smile. "Last time I saw you, you were likeâmeh. But now? I swear youâre glowing. You started some skincare routine, right?"
Thank you, Charm. A million times over. No way in hell Iâd ever reset that skillâit was sitting at ten and paying for itself every day. I kept wondering how people would see me once I pushed it past that. Over ten. Had to try it. Had to level up.
"Yeah, thanks," I said, smirking. "Hey, you donât look bad yourself."
"The compliment of the year."
"Yup."
The silence hung heavy for a moment, just the clink of glasses and the low hum of conversation in the cafĂŠ. Then Ivy cut through it.
"So you massaged Kayla and convinced her."
"Thatâs what I did."
"How?"
"With... my awesome massage skills?"
Her eyes narrowed. "Tell me the truth."
Nope. Not happening. There was no universe where I told Ivy I bent Kayla over in that spa room and fucked her until she begged me to finish her. Some details stayed buried.
"Like I said, Iâm good with my hands."
Ivy tilted her head, her brows lifting. "How come I never knew that?"
I shrugged, letting my hand drum lightly against the table. "You never asked for a massage, did you?"
She narrowed her eyes at me, leaning forward on her elbows. "Because you never told me you were good at it."
"Hey, thatâs not all," I said, straightening up and puffing my chest a little, trying not to grin. "You know a woman named Anotta?"
Her lips parted slightly, and she set her glass down with a soft clink. "Of course. Russian businesswoman. CEO of Nuppia. Thatâs a good brand."
"Iâm going to massage her."
Her eyes flicked up to me, skeptical. "Youâre joking."
"Nope. I know the boss of Velouria Retreat. She practically begged me to take the job."
Ivy leaned back in her chair, arms crossing under her chest. A slow smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "I thought you didnât work there."
"Sheâs... outsourcing."
The waiter appeared out of nowhere, pen poised. "Can I get you folks something to drink?"
"Black coffee," I said, tapping my fingers on the table.
Ivy tilted her head and smiled faintly. "Mocha for me, thanks."
"Coming right up," the waiter said, scribbling down our orders before disappearing back toward the counter.
I reached for my phone and, as usual, it buzzed almost immediately. Unknown number. I frowned, raising an eyebrow.
"Excuse me a sec," I muttered, standing up. Ivy nodded, her attention drifting toward the large aquarium in the middle of the shop, fish gliding lazily past the colorful coral and smooth stones. I stepped outside, the cool air hitting me as I pulled my phone up.