I stood there under the drumming water, the weight of the last twenty-four hours finally crashing down on me. My body was an engine that had been redlining for too long. Since landing in LA, I'd claimed Sasha in the suite, mastered Cami in her office, taken Sasha again in the backseat of the car, and finished the night by dismantling Monet's entire world.

​I was physically and mentally spent. No matter how much I wanted Sasha, my body was a temple that had run out of offerings.

​I saw the flicker of doubt in her eyes—that sharp, feminine intuition that can smell a secret through a brick wall. I reached out, my hands slick with water as I cupped her face, trying to ground her in the moment.

​"I'm sorry, baby," I said, my voice sounding thick even to my own ears. "I haven't slept a wink. While you were dreaming, I was up running studio numbers and coordinating with Lana back in New York. We've got girls on set back home, and the empire doesn't stop just because I'm in LA. I've been staring at spreadsheets and script ideas since three in the morning."

​Sasha didn't move. She let the water hit her back, her gaze searching mine, tracing the dark circles I knew were forming under my eyes. The suspicion was there, simmering beneath the surface. She knew I was a workaholic, but she also knew I was a man who usually had an infinite supply of hunger for her.

​"You're working too hard, Druski," she said softly, though her voice lacked its usual warmth. She reached down, her thumb grazing my hip, her eyes narrowing just a fraction. "You're cold... and you're shaking. Are you sure it was just 'numbers' you were dealing with?"

​I pulled her into a tight embrace, burying my face in the crook of her neck so she couldn't see the flicker of guilt in my eyes. "I'm doing it for us, Sasha. To make sure that when I walk into Evelyn Sun's studio at noon, we own the floor. I just need a couple of hours to shut my eyes, okay? Just an hour of sleep with you."

​The tension in her body didn't fully melt, but she sighed, her arms slowly coming up to wrap around my waist. "Okay," she whispered. "But no more work until the meeting. You're going to burn out before you even get your crown."

I knew that the only way to kill her suspicion was to replace it with the one thing she craved more than sex: my undivided attention. If I just rolled over and fell asleep, she'd spend the next four hours analyzing why I was too tired to touch her. I had to pivot from the "Master" to the "Partner."

​I turned the water off, the sudden silence in the bathroom making every breath feel intimate. I grabbed a plush white towel and began to dry her off first, moving with a slow, worshipful tenderness. I wasn't rushing; I was savoring her. I dried her hair, her back, and the curves of her legs as if she were made of fine porcelain.

​"Come here," I whispered, leading her back into the bedroom.

​The curtains were drawn, letting in only thin ribbons of morning light. I climbed into bed and pulled her into my arms, tucking her head under my chin. I didn't reach for her pussy or try to force a spark that wasn't there. Instead, I just held her, my hand tracing slow, soothing circles on the small of her back.

​"I'm sorry if I seem distant," I murmured into her hair. "This move on Evelyn... it's the biggest gamble of my life. I want to build a world where we never have to worry about a contracts or a manager ever again. Sometimes I get so locked into the battle that I forget to just... be here with you."

​I felt her tension finally snap. She let out a long, shuddering breath and melted against me, her heart beating against my chest. "I just want you to be okay, Druski. I don't care about the industry if it breaks you."

​"It won't break me," I promised, my eyes finally fluttering shut as the bone-deep exhaustion began to take hold. "It's going to make us."

​I stayed awake for another twenty minutes, whispering about our future, listening to her talk about the shoot, and kissing her temple until her breathing slowed and she drifted off. Only when I was 100% sure she was deep in sleep did I let my own mind go dark.

--------

After an hour of deep, restorative sleep, the breakfast spread on the table tasted like victory. I looked at Sasha—her hair messy, her eyes glowing with a mix of love and pride—and I knew I had to lock this in.

​I didn't do it for a tactical advantage; I did it because, in this den of vipers, she was the only thing that felt like home. I dropped to one knee right there on the carpet, holding her hand. When I asked her to be my girlfriend—my partner in more than just the bedroom—the joy on her face was enough to make me forget the exhaustion of the last twenty-four hours.

​"Yes," she breathed, throwing her arms around me. "A thousand times, yes."

​But as I held her, I could see the unspoken questions drifting behind her eyes like shadows. She wanted to ask about Chloe. She wanted to ask about Abigail. She was marking her territory, but she had no idea the territory was already a minefield. If she even caught a scent of what happened with Monet—the "Big Mom" herself—this whole beautiful moment would go up in flames.

​Monet was my ultimate secret. Only the inner circle—Volkov, Two-Bit, and likely Abigail—knew the truth of that power dynamic. To the rest of the world, she was the iron-fisted underworld boss. To me, she was the woman currently wearing the marks of my dominance.

​The moment was interrupted by the sharp buzz of Sasha's phone. She checked the screen, her smile widening.

​"It's Cami," she said, smoothing her hair. "She's downstairs with the car. It's time, Druski.Evelyn and her manager are waiting."

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