"Oh my god! It is really you! Alex! The nice man from the shop!"

She stepped closer, invading his personal space a little bit. She looked like she wanted to hug him but held herself back because of her business suit.

"I didn't expect to see you here! What a coincidence! I was just thinking about you... well, about your wisdom!"

Alex grinned. He put his hands in his pockets and struck a cool pose. He looked at her up and down. Even though she was tired, she was still a top-tier beauty. Her suit was tight in all the right places.

"Hey, Cassandra. Good to see you too," Alex said smoothly.

He didn't waste time with small talk about the weather. He went straight to the point. He wanted to know the gossip. He wanted to know the results of his "master class."

"So," Alex asked, raising one eyebrow. "Tell me. Don't keep me in suspense. How did it go?"

He leaned in a little closer.

"You know what I mean. The advice I gave you at the shop. The tips on how to catch that guy you like. Did you use them? Did it work?"

...

Ten minutes later, they were sitting inside a cozy little cafe on the corner of the street.

The smell of roasted beans filled the air. Sniff, sniff. It smelled great. They were sitting at a small round table by the window.

Alex had a black coffee in front of him. Cassandra had a fancy latte with extra foam and sprinkles because she needed the sugar rush. She held the warm cup with both hands, looking like a squirrel holding a nut. Sip. She took a long, desperate sip of the caffeine.

"So," Cassandra breathed out, putting the cup down with a clatter. "To answer your question... it worked! It worked like magic, Alex! It worked exactly like you said it would!"

Her eyes were shining.

"I used the 'Look Away and Smile' technique you taught me. And then I used the 'Accidental Touch' technique. And he fell for it! He totally fell for it! He asked me out immediately! We have been on two dates so far! Two whole dates!"

Alex smirked. He leaned back in his chair, feeling like a love guru.

"I knew it. I am a genius," Alex bragged. "So? Two dates, huh? That is pretty serious."

He leaned forward across the table. He lowered his voice to a whisper.

"So... tell me the juicy details. Since it has been two dates... did you guys get to the good part? Did you do the naughty stuff? Did you invite him in for 'coffee' and give him the 'milk'?"

He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Wiggle wiggle.

Cassandra choked on her latte! Cough! Cough!

"W-what?! No!"

She slammed the cup down. Her face exploded into a bright red color. It matched the red lipstick she wasn't wearing! She waved her hands in front of her face frantically.

"No! Absolutely not! Alex, you are such a pervert! We didn't do any naughty stuff! We didn't do the bedroom Olympics! No home runs!"

She looked around the cafe to make sure no one heard him.

"We... we just talked! And we held hands! That is it! I decided to take it slowly. I want a pure romance. I want to know his soul before I know his... his body! We are taking it slow and steady!"

"Boring," Alex muttered under his breath. "But okay. Slow is... okay."

Cassandra sighed. Her shoulders slumped down again. The happiness faded a little bit.

"But... to be honest, Alex... even taking it slow is hard right now. It is impossible."

"Why?" Alex asked.

"Because of those damn Milk Terrorists!" Cassandra hissed the words with pure hatred. "Ever since that incident happened with the poisoned milk and the explosion... the news station is going crazy! My boss is cracking the whip! I am overworking like a slave!"

She rubbed her tired temples.

"I have to report on it 24/7. I have to interview victims. I have to chase leads. I haven't had a day off in weeks! I am exhausted, Alex. And because of that... I didn't have time to do anything else at all. I haven't seen my date in three days! My love life is dying because of milk! Can you believe it?"

She looked like she was about to cry into her foam.

"That is bad," Alex said, shaking his head with a look of fake sympathy. "That is really, really bad, Cassandra. To let work kill your love life? That is a tragedy."

He took a sip of his black coffee to hide his smirk.

"I know!" Cassandra groaned. She slumped on the table. "But... there is a bright side. There is a silver lining to this dark cloud!"

She sat up straight again. Her eyes got intense.

"If I can somehow get the news first... if I can get the Exclusive Scoop about these terrorists before anyone else... I could get a promotion! I could become the Senior Anchor! I could be the boss! And honestly, Alex, I am only working this hard because of that promotion. I need it. If it wasn't for that, I would have quitted this job already! I would have walked out!"

Alex looked at her. He looked at her determined face. Then his eyes drifted down to her tight business suit again.

'She is a good girl,' Alex thought, analyzing her like a product. 'She has ambition. And more importantly... she has a really, really good body. Look at those curves. Look at how that shirt struggles to hold her in. She is high quality.'

A plan formed in his mind.

'I can use her. I can definitely use her for my plans. A reporter in my pocket is very useful.'

"Well," Alex said, leaning in with a mysterious smile. "What if I told you... that I might be able to help you with that? What if I told you that I could give you an exclusive? A huge scoop? And all?"

Cassandra's eyes went wide. She beamed! Her face lit up like a Christmas tree!

"Really?! You?!" she gasped. "What is it? What do you know? Tell me! Is it about their hideout? Is it about their leader?"

She leaned across the table, ready to take notes on a napkin.

"Ah, ah, ah," Alex wagged his finger. "Not here. Not now. It is a surprise. A big surprise. But I promise, it will be worth it."

He slid his phone across the table.

"Give me your number. I will call you when the time is right. When I have the package ready."

"Yes! Of course!"

Cassandra didn't hesitate for a second. She grabbed his phone and typed her digits in with lightning speed. Tap tap tap. She gave it back to him.

"Thank you, Alex! You are a lifesaver!"

After that, they sat there and chit-chatted for some time. They talked about the terrorists, about how evil they were, and about the weather. Just boring stuff.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over their table.

Someone had walked up to them silently. It was a man. He was wearing a sharp, expensive grey suit. He looked clean. He looked successful.

"Cassandra?" the man called out.

Cassandra was taken aback. She was startled. She turned her head around to look at the intruder.

And then...

Her face boomed with happiness! It literally exploded with joy! Her tired eyes vanished and were replaced with pure love!

"Joel!" she shouted.

She stood up so fast her chair scraped the floor. Screech.

"Joel! You are here!"

It was him. It was her boyfriend. The guy she was taking it "slow" with.

...

Joel didn't smile at Alex. Not even a little bit.

Instead, he stood there in his fancy grey suit and narrowed his eyes. He looked at Alex from head to toe. He scanned him like a barcode scanner! He was sizing him up openly. He checked Alex's cheap clothes, his messy hair, and his relaxed posture.

Joel's eyes were cold. They were calculating. They were the eyes of a man who is possessive and controlling. A man who doesn't like other stray dogs sniffing around his property.

"Cassandra," Joel said, his voice dropping an octave. He didn't look at her; he kept his eyes glued to Alex. "Who is this? Why are you drinking coffee with a... stranger?"

He sounded a bit controlling. He sounded like the doubtful type who checks his girlfriend's phone password when she is sleeping.

Cassandra stood up quickly. She sensed the bad vibe immediately.

"Oh! Joel! Don't be rude!" she laughed nervously. "This is Alex! He is... he is just a friend! A very good friend I met... um... in the city! We were just catching up!"

She conveniently left out the part about the sex shop. She didn't say anything about meeting him while he was fingering a shop girl! That would be bad for her image!

"A friend," Joel repeated the word like it tasted like poison.

Alex decided to be the bigger man (or so he pretended). He stood up from his chair slowly. Scrape. He stood to his full height. He looked Joel in the eye.

"Nice to meet you. I heard a lot about you," Alex lied smoothly.

He extended his hand for a handshake.

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