[November 1] [New York] [Alex's Penthouse]

  The city looked different in November. The air felt colder this time of year.

  Alex sat on the long sofa with his ptop open on the table in front of him. A half-finished espresso cooled near his elbow while spreadsheets and production timelines filled his screen.

  He scrolled slowly.

  Lucy had officially started shooting in Paris. Scarlett sent a short update that morning. She sounded excited, which usually meant the production energy was right where it needed to be.

  He clicked into the next file.

  The Hobbit had moved into full post-production. The rough cut clocked in longer than expected, which did not surprise him at all. A project of that scale never finishes small. Visual effects teams were already working hard. Peter projected a March or April 2007 release window, assuming the editing and CGI pipeline moved without bottlenecks. Months of work still sat ahead, frame by frame polishing.

  Another tab.

  The Blind Side.

  Jane had wrapped auditions. Rachel secured the city permits and the school location permits without deys. Shooting was locked for November 15. The schedule looked tight but manageable. Alex would have to split his time carefully once filming began.

  He leaned back into the couch and skimmed the financial dashboard.

  Spider-Man's hype continued to generate absurd numbers and the animated movie was still going strong in the box office. Merchandise revenue climbed daily. Pre-order sales for limited edition collectibles had surpassed projections by twenty-three percent. The Titan perfume line kept moving units internationally. The clothing line showed steady month-over-month growth without signs of slowing.

  He stared at the graphs for a second longer.

  Momentum mattered. The trick was to ride it without getting reckless.

  Max walked up from behind without making a sound. She leaned over the backrest and slid her arms around Alex's neck, pulling herself close until her boobs pressed against his shoulders. Her nose brushed the side of his throat as she took a slow and deep sniff, drawing in his scent like a nympho in heat.

  She pnted a soft kiss just below his ear, letting her lips linger there for an extra beat before she spoke in that low, teasing drawl she always used when she wanted something.

  "What are you doing?"

  Alex felt the warmth of her breath against his neck and the corners of his mouth curved up without him even trying to fight it. One hand came up to rest over her forearm, where it draped across his colrbone, thumb brushing zy circles against her skin.

  "Keeping the empire from crumbling while you're out here smelling me like a drug dog on shift," he said, voice quiet and amused. "Productive morning so far."

  Max tightened her arms a fraction, chin now resting on his shoulder so she could see the dashboard. Graphs climbed steadily in green lines. She let out a small huff that was half ugh, half scoff.

  "Wow. Look at all that green. You're basically printing money and sitting here like a sad accountant anyway." She turned her face toward his jaw and nipped lightly at the skin there before pulling back just enough to meet his eyes. "You know what would be way more fun than spreadsheets right now?"

  Alex tilted his head so their foreheads almost touched. "Enlighten me."

  She grinned, slow and wicked, the kind of grin that promised trouble in the best way. "Make out like we're not supposed to be adults with responsibilities?"

  He chuckled. His free hand lifted to cup the side of her face, thumb tracing the edge of her lower lip as he studied her for a second.

  "There's a gun in the closet," he said, dead serious for half a heartbeat before the smirk broke through. "If I ever say no to that question, go grab it and shoot me. Because clearly something's wrong with my head."

  Max ughed. She swung one leg over the back of the sofa and climbed into his p without warning, straddling him so her knees bracketed his hips. Her hands slid into his hair, tugging just enough to tilt his head back.

  "And then, I'm gonna shoot myself," She leaned in until their noses brushed. "Now shut up and kiss me before I change my mind and go raid the fridge instead."

  Alex didn't need to be told twice. His hands found her waist and pulled her closer as their mouths met, slow at first, then deeper, the kind of kiss that made the rest of the city and every glowing number on the screen fade into background noise.

  Alex tilted his head and opened wide while Max dove right in, tongue sliding against his in one long, wet stroke that left them both breathing harder already. She sucked on his tongue for a second, then pushed hers deeper, letting saliva pool and spill between them until their lips glistened and a thin string of spit connected them for half a heartbeat when she pulled back to catch her breath. The kiss turned messy fast, all sloppy licks and open mouths, the wet sounds filling the quiet living room while his hands gripped her ass over her thin leggings and squeezed hard enough to make her moan into his mouth.

  Footsteps came down the stairs...

  Angelina walked into the living room in a soft gray sweater that hung loose over her jeans, hair still slightly messy from sleep. She stopped, crossed her arms, and let out a long, dramatic sigh that carried all the way across the open space.

  "It's barely eight in the morning, you animals."

  Max broke the kiss with a loud, satisfied pop, lips shiny and swollen. She stayed straddling Alex, one hand still tangled in his hair, while she twisted around to look at Angelina. A wicked grin spread across her face immediately.

  "Hey, morning sunshine. Wanna join in the fun? We can do a proper three-way kiss. I promise not to bite... much."

  Angelina raised one perfect eyebrow, looking amused.

  "As much as I would love to dive headfirst into that glorious mess you two are making, I've got a photoshoot in exactly three hours. Hair, makeup, wardrobe, the whole circus. And I don't want to look like I just crawled out of a threesome. So you two enjoy your little saliva party without me. And please, for the love of everything holy, keep yourselves hydrated. You're gonna need the electrolytes after all that tongue wrestling."

  Max tilted her head and let her grin turn downright filthy. She licked her bottom lip slowly, making sure Angelina saw every second of it.

  "Hydrated, huh? Don't worry, babe. If things keep going this good, I'll be squirting enough to fill a kiddie pool by lunch. We'll be fine on fluids."

  Angelina snorted, shook her head, and started walking toward the kitchen without missing a beat.

  "You're disgusting, Max. And I say that with genuine affection. Try not to flood the couch and drain him before I come back."

  She poured a cup of coffee. "And Max? If you ruin my favorite throw bnket with your bodily fluids, I'm billing you for the dry cleaning. Cash. Up front."

  Max ughed, loud and unapologetic, then turned back to Alex. Her hands slid back into his hair as she leaned in close again, voice dropping to that husky whisper she saved for when she really wanted to wreck him.

  "Now, where were we before we got interrupted by the voice of reason?"

  Alex pulled her hips down harder against him and grabbed her right boob, giving a nice squeeze.

  "Right about here. And I'm not stopping until one of us forgets what spreadsheets even are."

  Their mouths met again, even sloppier this time, all teeth and spit and zero regard for the fact that Angelina was now openly watching them while sipping coffee like this was just another Tuesday morning in the penthouse.

  ...

  ...

  [Noon]

  Caroline and Halle stepped out of the spa glowing from head to toe, skin still warm from the steam and massages, nails freshly painted in matching shades of deep plum. They crossed the street arm in arm and pushed through the gss door of the restaurant. The hostess seated them at a corner table by the window.

  They ordered right away: Cobb sad for Halle, grilled salmon with asparagus for Caroline, plus sparkling water with lemon because neither of them felt like dealing with wine headaches this early in the day. While they waited, they stretched their hands across the table to admire the manicures again, turning them this way and that under the light.

  "These are actually perfect," Halle said, flexing her fingers. "I love the colour."

  Caroline tilted her head to check her own nails from a different angle. "Mine too. I was worried the plum wouldn't look that good on me, but nah, it pops. And the little gold flecks? Chef's kiss. My cuticle dy deserves a raise."

  They kept going like that, trading compliments about the blowouts they had just gotten, debating whether the loose waves or the sleek straight look would st longer through the week, ughing about how the scalp massage almost put Caroline to sleep. It felt easy and light, the kind of conversation that only happens when you have zero agenda and nowhere urgent to be.

  Then the door chimed again.

  Caroline gnced up out of habit, just a quick flick of her eyes toward the entrance, and her whole body locked up. William walked in wearing that same navy coat she used to tease him about looking like he stepped out of a yacht catalog, hair still perfectly swept back. He was scanning the room for a table, smiling politely at the hostess.

  She dropped her head fast, pretending to study the menu even though they had already ordered. Her heart smmed against her ribs hard enough that she felt it in her throat.

  Halle noticed immediately. She leaned forward a little, voice dropping to a whisper. "Okay, what just happened? You look like you saw a ghost."

  Caroline kept her eyes glued to the minated specials page, fingers tightening around the edge until the paper crinkled. "Don't look now, but my ex just walked in. William. The one from... before."

  Halle's eyebrows shot up, but she didn't turn her head. "The posh British one? The guy who wanted to get into your pants for months and then ghosted you the second the news broke about your dad?"

  "Yeah." Caroline swallowed and forced a small breath out through her nose. "That creep. Haven't seen him since the day he told me he needed space to figure things out, which apparently meant never speaking to me again. I was broke and radioactive back then. Now he's here looking like he still shops at the same tailor."

  Halle reached across the table and gave Caroline's wrist a quick, reassuring squeeze. "You know you're not that girl anymore, right? Your dad's cleared, you're a popur model and a businesswoman. And you've worked hard... Still do. He doesn't get to make you hide. Keep your head up and have some pride and confidence in yourself."

  Caroline finally lifted her head just enough to peek through her shes. William was being led to a table on the far side of the room, near the bar. He hadn't spotted her yet. She exhaled slowly and sat up straighter, rolling her shoulders back like she was shaking off a bad memory.

  "You're right," she said, voice steadier now. "I'm not hiding. If he sees me, he sees me. He was a creep to begin with. He just wanted to have sex with me and probably my dad's money."

  Halle grinned, looking proud. "That's my girl. Now pick up that fork when the food comes and eat like the boss you are. If he comes over, we can smile sweetly and talk about how your Q4 revenue projections are looking. Really twist the knife."

  Caroline let out a quiet ugh, the tension in her chest loosening a fraction. She reached for her sparkling water and took a long sip, letting the bubbles steady her. The salmon arrived a minute ter, steaming and perfect, and she picked up her fork, determined to enjoy every bite.

  Across the room, William still hadn't noticed her... For now.

  ...

  The doorbell chimed again...

  Alex and Max walked into the same restaurant... What a coincidence!

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