Alex's stomach growled.

Loud.

Unmistakable.

All three of them froze for a moment.

Then burst into laughter.

"Well," Catherine said, stretching languidly against the silk sheets. "I think someone needs to be fed."

Victoria grinned, still catching her breath.

"We barely ate anything this morning," she pointed out. "And that feels like a lifetime ago."

"It does," Alex agreed, realizing that time had become strangely fluid... everything before this afternoon felt distant and unreal, like it had happened to someone else entirely.

She turned to Catherine with that look... the one that said she'd spotted an opening and wasn't about to waste it.

"So much for the famous Catherine Blackwood hospitality. You lure us here and starve us for hours."

Catherine raised an eyebrow but decided to let that particular jab slide... for now. Instead, she propped herself up on one elbow and turned her attention to Alex, amusement dancing in her eyes.

"So," she said, voice deceptively casual. "What are you hungry for?"

The question hung in the air for a beat... innocent on the surface, but the way she asked it suggested she wasn't just talking about food.

Victoria snorted.

"Catherine."

"What?" Catherine's expression was pure innocence. "I'm asking about food."

"Sure you are."

"I am," Catherine insisted, though her smile suggested otherwise.

Alex laughed, the sound warm and genuine as he watched them go back and forth.

"Honestly? I don't care. Anything sounds good right now."

Victoria made a small noise of agreement, clearly filing that exchange away for later use.

"Same. I'm starving."

Catherine reached for her phone on the nightstand, movements graceful and unhurried.

"Let me call down to the kitchen," she said, already scrolling through contacts. "We'll have something sent up."

"Something substantial," Victoria said. "Not just appetizers or salad."

"Please," Catherine replied, pressing dial. "Do I look like someone who orders salad after an afternoon like that?"

Victoria's grin widened.

"Fair point."

Catherine held up a finger for silence as someone answered.

"Amanda? Yes, it's me," she said, voice shifting to that effortless authority she wielded so well.

"I need dinner sent up in the dining room. Something substantial. Proteins, sides, comfort food. For three."

A pause.

"Thirty minutes? Perfect."

Her gaze drifted across the room to where Alex sat, and something flickered in her expression... realization.

"Oh, and Amanda? One more thing."

"Bring a set of men's clothes to the master suite. For Alex." She gave his frame an appraising look. "You know the sizes. Something from the guest wardrobe. Casual but appropriate."

Brief pause.

"Yes, exactly. Thank you."

She ended the call and set the phone aside, looking entirely too pleased with herself.

"Done," she announced, settling back against the pillows. "Food and clothes in thirty minutes."

"Agreed," Victoria said, sliding out of bed with practiced grace. "Though we should probably clean up first. We're all..."

She gestured vaguely at their collective state of dishevelment.

The sheets were a tangled mess.

All three of them were still flushed, hair mussed, bodies marked with the evidence of their afternoon activities.

"Yeah," Alex agreed, suddenly very aware of how thoroughly used he felt. In the best possible way, but still. "Shower sounds amazing."

"My bathroom has a walk-in shower," Catherine offered. "Plenty of room for three."

Victoria's eyes glinted with mischief.

"Dangerous."

"Very," Catherine agreed, smile turning wicked. "But we're all adults here. Surely we can control ourselves for twenty minutes."

Alex snorted.

"Twenty minutes? Have you met us?"

"Fine," Catherine amended. "Thirty minutes. But after that, we're getting out and eating like civilized people."

"Deal," Victoria said, already standing and stretching.

Alex couldn't help but watch.

Both of them, actually.

Victoria... tall, athletic, moving with confident grace.

Catherine... elegant, powerful, every gesture calculated and perfect.

And somehow, impossibly, both of them were his.

Right now, he was going to enjoy a shower with two of the most beautiful women in the city.

Life was good.

***

Catherine's bathroom was, predictably, excessive.

Marble everywhere.

Gold fixtures.

A bathtub that could fit six people comfortably.

And a walk-in shower that made even Alex's spacious bathroom back home look modest by comparison.

"Holy shit," Alex muttered, taking it all in. "Do you just hate money, or...?"

"I prefer to think of it as appreciating quality," Catherine replied, already adjusting the shower controls.

Multiple heads activated simultaneously, creating what was essentially a warm rainfall from every angle.

"Show-off," Victoria said, but she was smiling as she stepped under the spray.

Alex followed.

The hot water felt incredible against his skin.

Washing away the sweat, the tension, the physical evidence of everything they'd done.

For a few moments, they just stood there.

Letting the water work its magic.

Then Catherine reached for the body wash.

"Turn around," she told Alex.

He did.

Her hands were gentle as she worked soap across his shoulders, down his back, methodical and thorough.

Not sexual.

Just... caring.

Victoria joined in from the front, her hands on his chest, washing away the afternoon with practiced efficiency.

"This is nice," Alex said quietly.

"It is," Victoria agreed.

They worked in comfortable silence for a while.

Taking turns under the spray.

Washing each other with an intimacy that somehow felt more profound than the sex had been.

This was after.

When the performance was done and only the real connection remained.

Catherine's fingers worked shampoo through Alex's hair, nails scratching lightly against his scalp in a way that made him want to melt.

"You're good at this," he murmured.

"I have many skills," Catherine replied, amusement in her voice.

"I'm learning that."

Victoria laughed softly.

"Oh, you have no idea."

They rinsed off, the soap and water carrying away the last physical reminders of their afternoon.

***

They emerged from the bathroom to find Catherine's bedroom bathed in evening light.

Golden and warm, painting everything in soft tones.

"We should get dressed," Victoria said, looking around.

"Unfortunately," Catherine agreed.

Catherine moved immediately toward her walk-in closet... a space that was less a closet and more a small boutique.

"I need actual clothes," she announced, disappearing inside.

Victoria followed, still wrapped in her towel.

"Please tell me you still have some of my things here," she called after her.

"Third shelf on the right," Catherine's voice drifted back. "Where they've always been."

Victoria grinned, heading in that direction.

Alex stood there for a moment, suddenly very aware that he was naked in Catherine Blackwood's bedroom with nothing to wear.

His clothes from earlier were... Probably still scattered somewhere.

"Uh," he said. "I don't suppose..."

Catherine's head appeared from behind a rack of dresses.

"Already handled," she said, gesturing toward the armchair by the window. "Amanda should have left something for you there."

Alex turned.

Sure enough, there was a neatly folded set of clothes on the chair he hadn't noticed before.

Dark slacks, a crisp white shirt, even a belt.

All clearly expensive.

He picked them up, feeling the quality of the fabric, then began pulling them on.

The slacks fit perfectly.

The shirt could have been tailored for him.

Even the belt was exactly right.

Alex looked down at himself, then back at the empty doorway where Amanda had presumably delivered everything.

"How did she get my sizes this perfect?" he asked.

Catherine emerged from the closet, already dressed in black slacks and a silk blouse, and moved to her vanity.

"Amanda's exceptionally good at her job," she said simply. "Reading people, anticipating needs, handling details without being asked. It's why she's been with me for five years."

"Five years of guessing men's clothing sizes?"

Catherine's smile was knowing.

"Among other things. Good staff are worth their weight in gold, Alex. Amanda is very, very good staff."

Victoria appeared wearing a simple but elegant dress... deep blue, fitted, falling just above her knees.

"This still fits," she said, pleased. "I thought I'd left it here years ago."

"You did," Catherine said, working on her hair.

"I had it cleaned and stored."

"Of course you did."

Alex finished buttoning his shirt, still marveling at the fit.

Catherine caught his eye in the mirror.

"Satisfied with Amanda's work?"

"Very," he admitted.

"Good. She'll be pleased to hear it."

***

Catherine led them down the grand staircase toward the dining area.

They reached the bottom of the stairs, and Alex immediately noticed two figures standing near the entrance to what appeared to be the dining area.

Lucan Graves and Seraphine Vale.

Catherine's bodyguards.

The same two who'd been with Adrian when Alex first arrived at the manor.

Lucan stood with that fortress-like presence... broad shoulders, solid stance, the kind of physical presence that announced capability without demonstration.

Seraphine beside him was striking... dark hair pulled back, posture that managed both elegance and readiness, features that would make anyone look twice.

Both straightened slightly as Catherine approached, professional but relaxed.

Catherine's hand found his, fingers interlacing as she paused.

"Before we eat," she said, tone shifting to something more formal. "I should properly introduce my security team. So you can come here in the future without any... interruptions."

She gestured to them in turn.

"Lucan Graves. Peak Enhanced. He's been with me for three years."

Lucan inclined his head slightly, dark eyes assessing Alex with professional thoroughness but without hostility.

"Sir," he said, voice deep and measured.

Alex nodded back, recognizing the man from earlier.

Catherine's hand squeezed his gently as she turned to Seraphine.

"And Seraphine Vale," she said, something shifting in her tone... pride, maybe, or respect.

"Also part of my personal security detail."

Seraphine's eyes locked onto Alex.

Sharp.

Assessing.

More intense than Lucan's.

Catherine paused for just a beat, as if deciding whether to share something significant.

Then her voice dropped slightly.

"Seraphine is Apex level."

She watched Alex carefully, clearly expecting surprise.

Alex smiled.

"I know."

Catherine's hand went still in his.

Victoria made a sound between surprise and amusement.

Seraphine's eyes narrowed, reassessing him completely.

"You... knew?" Catherine asked, genuine shock breaking through her composure.

"I'm full of surprises," Alex said simply.

Catherine stared at him for a long moment.

Then smiled slowly.

"Yes," she said. "You certainly are."

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