"WHAT IN THE WILDEST FUCK?!"
Mackessie's voice thundered through the room like a storm on heels. The explosion wasn't for Shante's impromptu lingerie show;though that alone would've stunned any other host into speechlessness;it was for something far more infuriating. Her perfectly curated parlor, the velvet-pink haven she poured money and pride into, was now a full-blown disaster zone. Pillows were on the floor. The crystal decanter was missing. And her rose-gold couch,the one she imported from a private artisan in Marseille,was tainted. Tainted.
A dark stain marked the silk cushion like a trophy of debauchery.
"You absolute maniacs," she hissed, spinning in place with her fists clenched. "Can't you guys chill for five fucking minutes?"
No one answered her directly. Most were still sprawled out, breathless and glowing from the aftermath of the chaos they'd unleashed on her property. Some were trying to casually fix their clothes. Others didn't bother. Greta, of course, was smirking like a satisfied devil.
"Aren't you the one who said you missed us?" Greta said with a slow stretch of her limbs, her tone laced with sarcasm. "Don't be mad now. We're just giving you memories."
Kessie glared at her, hands trembling slightly. Not from fear,but from the pure restraint it took not to strangle Greta with one of her own thigh-high boots. Her pulse pounded behind her temples as she threw her voice toward the kitchen.
"KATE!"
Three girls materialized instantly, wide-eyed and panicked like soldiers called to a surprise drill.
"New couch. Now. And clean this entire goddamn place before the meeting's over." Her voice was sharp, each word hitting with the precision of a knife. She then turned and smacked a hidden panel beside the stairway, her palm colliding with a glossy red button.
A soft mechanical hum echoed across the manor. With a slow hiss, a section of the wall peeled open to reveal a concealed chamber,pink from head to toe. An entirely separate room, bathed in velvet blush and ivory accents, revealed itself like a stage preparing for act two. They all knew it, had been there before, but each unveiling was different. Kessie changed it after every use. Drapes. Chairs. Carpets. Even the scent.
It was a twisted ritual. A reset. A sign that the past couldn't touch her space twice.
Greta's smirk twisted into something darker. A jealous kind of disdain.
"Flaunting your wealth isn't gonna phase us," she scoffed, though her eyes lingered on the gold-plated champagne cart tucked beside the rose-mirrored wall.
"Shut up," Kessie muttered sharply, her voice low and jagged, just loud enough for everyone to hear,and just cold enough to make Greta flinch. A few chuckles rippled across the room.
Everyone knew the truth. There was only one thing that could get under Mackessie Xandros's skin. And it wasn't betrayal, or gossip, or failure.
It was people having mindless, dirty sex under her roof.
The pink doors settled into place with a click, swallowing the parlor's mess behind them. It was almost symbolic,like Kessie was pushing away the chaos just to survive the evening.
The moment was cut short by the piercing sound of heels.
"You've got to be kidding me…" came the venom-laced voice.
Kolly Earhart stepped into the room with her signature disgust-laced presence. Her honey-golden eyes flicked across the half-dressed crowd with practiced disdain. Behind her, her loyal lieutenants followed like a silent pack;Liz, Seline, Echo;and, of course, the ever-present Vince. Her personal operator. Her shadow.
"What the fuck are you all doing?" Kolly barked, arms crossed tightly beneath her chest. "It's ten fucking PM and you still haven't started this meeting?"
Kessie exhaled sharply, jaw clenched. She walked slowly toward the head of the long conference table that stretched like a runway through the pink room. Her walk was elegant, laced with power and suppressed fury.
"Is it my fault none of you can control your libidos?" she replied coolly, sliding into her seat.
But Kolly's attention had shifted. Her eyes locked on Shante,and widened.
The woman stood there like a goddamn vision: black lingerie clinging to her body like smoke, the curves of her hips outlined in sinful precision. And that thong? Kolly's brain halted just trying to process it. Who the hell wears a thong under a gown to a business meeting?
"Didn't know you came to entertain us tonight, Te," Kolly bit out, her voice laced with fire and the faintest sting of jealousy.
Shante's smile came slow. Lazy. Dangerous.
"I thought I'd start the meeting with some sparkle," she said, voice sultry and unbothered. Then she winked.
Kolly twitched. Her stomach flipped. But the wink wasn't for her.
Vince had been staring the entire time, eyes wide, pupils dark. He didn't even pretend to hide it.
Kolly didn't see. But Ace did.
Ace, who had kept his jealousy buried deep like a dirty secret, now felt it clawing its way out. He watched the silent exchange, watched Vince's subtle smirk,watched Shante's tiny laugh.
It was the sound that undid him. A quiet, amused chuckle,barely a breath. But enough to ignite something dark and volatile in the room.
Vince was hard.
Ace, harder.
Tension wound through the room like barbed wire.
Everyone finally took their seats, some crossing their legs too tightly, others still adjusting themselves. The air smelled of perfume, sweat, and something deeper,like sin left to simmer.
Kolly and Greta sat together like twin blades, sharp and glinting with mutual hatred for the woman sitting opposite them.
Shante felt their glares like heat on her skin. But she didn't flinch. Her face was the picture of innocence,white contact lenses softening her gaze into something almost angelic.
And yet, her presence screamed anything but holy.
Vince was still staring. Ace was still raging.
And Kessie… Kessie was finally distracted enough to forget about the ruined couch.
She smirked faintly, then cleared her throat. "Ahem. Ahem!"
The spell broke. The invisible war paused.
"As much as I'd love for your little eye-fuck battle to continue," she began, her tone dry, "I actually have something important to say."
Kolly and Greta didn't even blink.
"I'm serious," Kessie added, tapping the table lightly with her long nails. "And no,it couldn't wait until the next meeting."
Greta sighed. "This better be worth my damn time."
Kessie ignored her and squared her shoulders. "I found a solution. To all our problems."
Goldie barely glanced up from her phone. "I don't have problems. Maybe you do."
Kessie inhaled, slowly. Her smile didn't reach her eyes anymore. "If you don't want to hear it, leave. We won't miss you."
A chorus of scoffs echoed through the room. But no one moved. They were all hooked,whether they'd admit it or not.
"Okay," Kessie said, her tone tightening. "So like I said before,no interruptions."
She looked directly at Yasmine, who looked seconds away from a snide comment. Yasmine sighed dramatically and leaned back in her chair, folding her arms.
"The solution please?" Susanna chimed in, voice syrupy with sarcasm.
Kessie took her time. She wanted this moment to land.
"I finally found a way for us to carry out our jobs,without having sex with the targets."
Silence.
Thick, confused, electric silence.
And then...
Greta laughed.
Loud. Ugly. Unhinged.
Kolly followed seconds later, covering her mouth like she couldn't believe what she'd just heard. Goldie burst into laughter with her, nearly wheezing. Seline let out a wild snort. Liz doubled over.
Even Shante. Even fucking Shante.
She threw her head back and laughed like she'd just heard the joke of the year.
And that's when Kessie knew...
Things were bad.
And they were about to spiral.