KAI’S POV

A knock breaks my focus from the laptop screen.

“Come in.”

The door swings open, and in walks Raquel. The first thing my eyes land on isn’t her face—it’s the half-eaten pancake in her hand.

My pancakes.

The same batch I’d ordered Fedora to prepare and send over to Elizabeth. Yet here she is, chewing on it leisurely, her round cheeks puffing cutely as she chews.

I drag my gaze lower, and—hell. She’s wearing one of those loose tops, knotted at the side, baring her toned stomach and that teasing curve of her belly button. A pair of bum-shorts hugs her hips, showing off legs so smooth and pale they could make marble jealous.

She never listens. Ever.

Good thing my staff don’t live in the manor—except Danio, who knows better than to focus his eyes elsewhere.

I arch a brow, silently demanding an explanation.

She hesitates, takes in a sharp breath as if debating whether to back out. Then, blunt as always, she blurts:

“I’ll take the offer.”

A dark smirk spreads across my lips. Finally.

“Sit,” I order.

She doesn’t move.

“I won’t repeat myself, Buzzbee.”

Her stubborn streak flashes, but she lowers herself into the chair opposite me.

“My next launch is coming soon,” I say, voice clipped, controlled. “And I need you back in the company before then. Might as well put that sharp mind of yours into good use. Which is why I’m giving you two weeks. Wrap this up.”

Her eyes narrow. “Two weeks? What could I possibly find in that time? God, I don’t even know the essence of this spy stuff.”

I slide open the drawer, pull out a folder, and set it on the desk. Pushing it toward her, I watch her face carefully.

“That,” I say, “is everything you need. You’ll report every single thing you uncover. Nothing stays unsaid.”

She flips open the folder, scanning quickly. I lean back, watching. Waiting.

Her eyes widen. Her mouth parts slightly from shock and disbelief—then anger.

Bingo.

Her gaze snaps up, those light brown eyes sparking with fire.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Davis Walter’s? You’re sending me to his company?”

“No, Buzzbee. I don’t joke about this.”

She gasps, half outraged, half bewildered. “Why would you send me to your rival’s company? Don’t tell me you’re playing dirty?”

“I have a snitch in my company. I need to find out who it is before the launch.”

She rakes her hair back in frustration. “Isn’t that a your company problem? Why the hell am I going to Terran Motors then?”

A low groan escapes me. Her questions dig under my skin, but she won’t stop until I answer.

“A year ago, before K.A. went on break, Terran Motors won the national launch.” I don’t wait for her to interject. “You know why? They stole our design. I found out days before the launch. Too late to fix it, too late to win. For the first time in history, K.A. came in fifth. Fifth, Buzzbee. That won’t happen again. Catching the mole inside my company will take time we don’t have. So yes—you’re going in.”

She studies me, unreadable. Then she mutters, “I don’t believe you. Terran Motors might not be as good as yours, but I doubt they’d stoop that low.”

Her defiance claws at me, but I rein in the anger simmering beneath my skin. “There’s only one way to find out, then.”

She holds my gaze, then exhales. “Fine. I’ll do it. But only if you promise to hire Leo back.”

Leo again. My jaw tightens. Why does she always bring him up like he matters?

“You might not realize this yet,” I say, voice dangerously soft, “but I don’t like other men touching what’s mine.”

“I’m not yours.” Her words come out clipped, sharp.

“You wear my ring on your finger,” I counter smoothly. “How else would you like me to stake my claim, Buzzbee?”

“Stop it!” she snaps, teeth clenched. “You don’t even want me.”

Oh, if only she knew.

A smirk tugs at my lips, slow and wicked. My wife has no idea what kind of fire she’s playing with. No idea what she’s signed herself into when she sighed our marriage certificate.

“I’ll hire your little friend back,” I say at last, ignoring her words. “But you only get two weeks, Buzzbee. Two weeks.”

She stands, rolling her eyes. “Deal.”

Her hips sway as she turns to leave. The tied hem of her shirt shifts, exposing the glint of a dermal piercing on her lower back. My gaze drops lower, against my better judgment, and—damn it.

I look away too late. Heat pulses low in my stomach. A bulge strains against my pants, proof of just how much control she’s stolen without even trying.

My phone dings. A message lights up the screen.

Tracy:How about we revisit my offer? I’ll be waiting at the hotel.

I sigh, dragging my eyes down to the problem Raquel left behind.

Grabbing my keys, I leave.

*****

The hotel reeks of cheap romance the moment I step inside. Rose petals scattered on the floor. Champagne on the bed. Bright lights that sting my eyes. A low sexual music playing on the background.

And Tracy—lying sprawled across the sheets, naked, hips arched like some stage performance. A cherry clutched between her lips.

I slide a hand into my pocket, stare down at her. To me, she looks less like temptation, more like a glitch in the system.

I don’t fuck women twice. Not out of some strict rule—but because they always cross lines. They get attached. They start making claims.

Tracy was different. She followed my rules. No nudity. No effort. No touching. No claims. That’s why she lasted longer than the others.

But tonight? She’s breaking every one of them.

"What are you doing?"

Her confidence falters under my gaze, but she still trails her fingers along her thigh. “Thought we could spice things up,” she murmurs, biting her lip.

My mind flashes—not to her—but to Raquel. To the way she bites her lip when she’s nervous. That little twitch of vulnerability I want to sink my teeth into.

I groan low. “I’ll send your payment.” Turning, I head for the door.

“Kai.”

I stop, don’t look back.

Her voice breaks. “I thought we were past this. But I guess to you, I’ll always be just one of your sluts you pay and throw away.”

“You couldn’t obey simple rules,” I reply coldly. “How does that make you different?”

“Fuck your rules, Kai!” Her voice rises, but she reins it in, trembling. “We’ve been friends since college. I thought maybe—maybe one day that icy heart of yours would thaw for me. But you just kept using me.” A weak sob slips out.

My lips curl bitterly. “That’s where you’re wrong, Tracy. I don’t have a heart—icy or otherwise. Nothing to warm up to you.”

I walk away.

“Not enough to break my heart, you had to marry that bitch of a wife too?” she screams.

I stop. The air freezes.

Slowly, I turn, and my voice drops low, dangerous. “Her name is Raquel Rodriguez. Call her a bitch again, and you won’t get the chance to open that mouth for anything else.”

Fear flashes in her eyes. She knows I don’t bluff.

I turn again, pausing only at the door. “Do yourself a favor, Tracy. Stay away from her. She’s feisty—and she’s a Rodriguez.”

I leave without another glance.

*****

The hospital corridors reek of disinfectant. White walls. Whispering voices following me as I pass. I hate the sound of it, the way people act like they’ve never seen me before.

Finally, I reach the office labeled Chief of Surgery.

I push the door open—and immediately regret it.

Rafael lounges on the couch, pants undone, a nurse on her knees between his legs. Her moans echo obscenely in the sterile room.

Unlike me, Rafael has no rules. No boundaries. He’ll screw anything under skirt.

He spots me, grins, and gives a thumbs up without stopping.

I wait. Deliberate. Watching until he’s right at the edge.

“Get out.”

The nurse startles, gasps when she sees me. Her face turns crimson as she scrambles out, half-dressed, shame dripping off her.

Rafael groans in frustration. “What the hell, man? I was about to....”

I drop onto the couch beside him, close my eyes to block him out.

A few seconds later, he finishes with a grunt, cleans up, and slumps back down beside me.

“Tray called me,” he says. “Sounded like she was breaking down.”

“She had it coming,” I mutter.

Rafael smirks. “Really? You’ve never turned her down before. Unless…” His eyes narrow. “Unless this has something to do with that new wife of yours.”

I shoot him a side glance. “You’re reading too much into it. You know that's not my thing”

“Am I? Marriage wasn’t your thing either, and yet—here you are.”

I shut my eyes again, ignoring him.

But the truth?

The truth is I didn’t walk away from Tracy because of rules. Or disgust.

I walked away because I couldn’t stop thinking about Raquel.

And for once, I didn’t want anyone else.