## Chapter 1 — Suzie Q Calls The safehouse was quiet in the specific way it only managed when nobody had anything immediately dangerous to do. Not peaceful. Peace implied confidence. This was closer to a temporary administrative error. Ace was stretched sideways across one end of the couch in black shorts and an oversized jacket, one boot hanging off the edge while she stared suspiciously at a cup of coffee that had gone cold twenty minutes earlier. Mai sat at the table with a datapad in front of her. Shammy occupied most of the floor near the window, long legs folded beneath her while she watched rain move through Watson's evening lights. Brenda was somewhere deeper in the safehouse doing something that had already produced one metallic clang and a shouted assurance that everything was fine. Nobody believed her. The second clang came thirty seconds later. Ace lifted her head. "That sounded expensive." Mai did not look up. "It sounded metallic." "Expensive metal exists." "So does cheap metal." "Not the way Brenda uses it." A muffled voice from the other room shouted, "I HEARD THAT." Ace called back, "GOOD." Shammy smiled faintly. The room settled again. Then Mai's datapad chimed. She glanced down. Paused. Ace noticed the pause immediately. "What?" Mai's eyes stayed on the screen. "Nothing yet." "That was a specific pause." "I received a message." "Specific message?" Mai looked up. "Suzie Q." Ace sat upright. That changed things. Suzie did not usually call Mai casually. Not through this channel. The agreement was simple: if the Moxes ever received an offer involving Mandi or Dalia that crossed from merely lucrative into financially deranged, Suzie was allowed to contact Mai directly and ask whether they wanted to hear it. Not accept it. Not promise anything. Just call. Ace's mouth started to curve. "How stupid?" "I haven't opened it." "Open it." Mai gave her a look. Ace pointed at the datapad. "She used the stupid-money line." "There is no stupid-money line." "There absolutely is." "There is a standing permission." "Exactly. Stupid-money line." Shammy turned from the window. "How much money is stupid?" Ace looked at her. "Excellent question." Mai opened the message. Suzie's face appeared after a brief authentication flicker, live rather than recorded. That alone made Ace straighten a little more. Suzie looked exactly like someone who had decided several minutes earlier that this conversation was going to be entertaining. "Evening." Mai leaned back slightly. "Evening." Ace lifted one hand from the couch. "How stupid?" Suzie looked at her. "No hello?" "Hello. How stupid?" Suzie's mouth twitched. "Quarter million." Silence. Not a long silence. A very concentrated one. Ace blinked once. Mai stopped moving entirely. Shammy tilted her head. From the back room came another metallic clang. Nobody reacted. Ace finally spoke. "Quarter million what?" Suzie raised one eyebrow. "Eurodollars, Ace." "I know the currency." "Good." "I meant for what." "For Mandi and Dalia." Ace looked at Mai. Mai looked back. There was no need for translation. Suzie had their full attention. Mai turned slightly toward the screen. "Duration?" "Friday early evening through Sunday late morning." Ace's eyebrows climbed. "Whole weekend?" "Private event." "Location?" "Client's residence." "Security?" "Private corpo. Clean enough that I wouldn't be calling otherwise." Mai's posture shifted by degrees. Not tense. Operational. "Client?" "Elisa." "Full name?" "No public surname attached to the request." Mai's eyes narrowed slightly. Suzie continued before she could ask. "Nineteen. Adult. Parents are dead. Money isn't." Ace's expression changed. "How much money?" Suzie looked at her. "You heard the offer." "That's not what I asked." "Enough that quarter million for a weekend is apparently something she can decide before breakfast." Ace stared for half a second. Then she smiled. Mai saw it. "No." Ace looked offended. "I haven't said anything." "Your face did." Shammy said quietly, "It did." Ace looked between them. "Betrayal." Suzie laughed. Mai ignored all of them. "What exactly does she want?" Suzie's humor faded just enough. "There it is." Ace settled back, still attentive. Suzie continued. "She saw Mandi and Dalia in news-stream footage." Ace's smile returned. "Good footage?" "Apparently." Mai gave Ace the smallest sideways look. Suzie saw it. "She wants the pair. Entire event. Social companionship, private time, sex within negotiated limits, no outside public exposure. Her residence, her invited guests." Mai nodded once. "That accounts for the base arrangement." "There's one special condition." Ace made a quiet sound. "Of course there is." Suzie looked directly at Mai. "She wants to be able to share." Mai went very still. Ace's expression sharpened. Shammy looked from one woman to the other. Suzie lifted one hand. "Before either of you start: I haven't agreed to that wording." "Good," Mai said. "She described it like this: if one of her friends wants time with Mandi or Dalia, she wants to be able to offer it." Ace leaned forward. "Offer." Suzie nodded. "Her word was closer to 'lend.' Mine isn't." Mai's voice went cooler. "She does not purchase transferable consent." "I know." "Does she?" Suzie smiled. "That's why I'm calling you instead of her calling someone stupider." Ace huffed a laugh. Mai remained focused. "Did you explain the boundary?" "I explained the first version. She didn't push back." "First version?" "Elisa can ask. A guest can ask. Mandi and Dalia decide. No counts. No penalties. No 'I paid so you owe my friend something.' If either of you says no, that's the answer." Mai nodded. "Breaks?" "Protected." "Food, water, sleep?" "Protected." "Private spaces?" "Multiple bedrooms in the residence. Separate from guest quarters. She apparently designed the place for weekends where people stop pretending privacy is accidental." Ace glanced toward Shammy. Shammy blinked once. "That sounds efficient." Mai looked at her. Ace pointed. "See? Shammy likes the architecture." "I said efficient." "Same thing." "No." Suzie sighed dramatically. "Can I continue?" Mai gestured. "Please." "She also specifically requested both of you together for at least part of the weekend." Ace's expression turned openly amused. "That part isn't difficult." Mai looked at her. Ace met the look. "What?" "Nothing." "You're doing the face." "What face?" "The face where you pretend you're evaluating risk while thinking about sex." Suzie covered her mouth with one hand. Shammy looked thoughtful. "I have seen that face." Mai stared at both of them. "Wonderful." Ace smiled wider. Suzie recovered first. "Anyway. Quarter million. Entire event. She's aware she isn't buying ownership. I made that clear. She wants the fantasy of having Mandi and Dalia as her escorts for the weekend, and she wants the social freedom to invite friends into that arrangement if you agree." Mai leaned back. "Who are the friends?" "Small group. Adults. Elisa's age range and older. No minors anywhere near the event. Moxes did background work on the people whose names we have. Nothing that immediately screams abort." "Drugs?" "Available in the residence, but not mandatory. Your rules." "Recording?" "Forbidden unless separately agreed." Ace answered instantly. "No." Suzie nodded. "Already assumed." Mai's eyes moved briefly toward Ace. "You have any objection to the event structure itself?" Ace thought about it. Actually thought. Not long. But genuinely. "No." "Sharing?" "Depends who asks." "Correct." "If I like them, yes. If I don't, no." "Correct." "Same for you." "Obviously." Ace looked pleased. "Then yes." Mai did not answer yet. She looked back at Suzie. "Elisa understands she may pay €$250,000 and still hear no." Suzie smiled. "I made her repeat it back." That got a real reaction from Ace. "Okay, I like you." "You liked me already." "More now." Mai's mouth twitched. Suzie continued. "She also said something else." Mai waited. "She doesn't want reluctant professionalism." Ace's eyebrows rose. "Meaning?" "She wants escorts who actually want to be there." That changed the room slightly. Not dramatically. But enough. Shammy looked toward Ace first. Then Mai. Mai's expression softened by a fraction. Suzie watched both of them. "She isn't asking whether you'll obey. She's asking whether you'll enjoy it." Ace leaned back into the couch. "Huh." Mai looked at her. "That matters?" "Yeah." "Why?" "Because that's not the same booking." Mai considered it. "No." It wasn't. Money could buy time. It could buy skill. It could buy discretion. It could buy performance. But Elisa was apparently paying a quarter million and still cared whether Mandi and Dalia actually wanted the weekend. That made the offer stranger. And, somehow, cleaner. Suzie let the silence work. Then Mai asked, "When does she need an answer?" "Tomorrow." Ace scoffed. "She thinks we're going to sleep on this?" Mai turned toward her. "We are." "Why?" "Because I said so." "Authoritarian." "Alive." "Debatable." Shammy watched them. Suzie smiled faintly. Mai ignored Ace's commentary. "We'll review it properly." "Good." "Send all available names, security details, residence architecture, staff access, medical contingencies, and exact wording of her expectations." "Already packaged." "Of course." "Mai." "Yes?" Suzie leaned slightly closer to the screen. "Don't optimize the fun out of it." Ace made a delighted sound. Mai stared at Suzie. "I hate that everyone has started saying versions of that sentence." "Probably because everyone has met you." Ace pointed at Suzie. "She's right." "Not helping." "I know." Suzie ended the call before Mai could retaliate. The screen went dark. Silence returned. For approximately three seconds. Then Ace said: "Quarter million." Mai exhaled. "Yes." "For a weekend." "Yes." "To fuck a hot heiress and maybe some of her hot friends." Mai looked at her. "We do not yet know whether Elisa is hot." Ace considered that. "Statistically?" "No." "Emotionally?" "Also no." "Spiritually?" "Ace." Shammy interrupted quietly. "Do you want to go?" The joking stopped. Ace looked at her. Then at Mai. Mai looked down at the dark datapad. No spreadsheets yet. Good sign. Ace answered first. "Yeah." Simple. No performance. Mai's eyes lifted. "Because of the money?" Ace shook her head. "Not only." Mai nodded slowly. Shammy waited. Mai said: "I think I do too." Ace smiled. Not Mandi's smile. Not yet. Just Ace. "Then we're going." Mai immediately held up one finger. "Pending review." Ace groaned. "Of course." "Background checks." "Fine." "Residence layout." "Fine." "Medical contingency." "Fine." "Clear contract language." "Fine." "Boundaries." "Mai." "Yes?" "I said fine." Mai studied her for a beat. Then nodded. "Good." From the back room came a third metallic crash. This one was followed by Brenda yelling: "STILL FINE." Ace shouted back: "YOU SOUND LESS FINE EVERY TIME." A muffled: "THAT'S BECAUSE YOU KEEP ASKING." Shammy smiled. Mai finally reached for her coffee. Ace watched her. Then said, far too casually: "You know what would look really good next to Mandi and Dalia?" Mai stopped with the mug halfway to her mouth. "No." Ace looked innocent. "I haven't said anything." Mai closed her eyes. Shammy turned toward Ace. Suzie's €$250,000 offer sat forgotten for exactly half a second. Ace looked at Shammy. Then at Mai. And smiled. The kind of smile that meant a completely different problem had just begun. --- ## Chapter 2 — I Think I Can Do It Victor waited until the next afternoon. Which was how Ace knew it was serious. Victor Vektor had many qualities. Patience was one of them. Timing was another. He also possessed the deeply irritating habit of letting people think they had reached the interesting part of a conversation before revealing that he had been standing three steps farther ahead the entire time. Ace had learned to distrust that look. The clinic was quiet when the Triad arrived. Not empty. Never empty. There was always some hum from equipment, some muted voice behind a partition, some medical system monitoring something that had no business being monitored at that hour. Victor stood near one of the diagnostic stations with both arms folded. Mai noticed the second terminal before Ace did. Shammy noticed Victor's posture. Ace noticed both women noticing things and immediately became suspicious. "What?" Victor looked at her. "Hello to you too." "You're doing the face." Mai turned slightly. Ace pointed at Victor. "That one." Victor raised one eyebrow. "I only have the one." "No. You have normal Victor, annoyed Victor, disappointed Victor, and 'I have been thinking about something medically inadvisable for six months' Victor." Shammy tilted her head. "He does." Victor looked at her. "Thank you." "You're welcome." Mai moved toward the second terminal. There were diagrams on it. Not human. Not entirely. Victor saw her looking. "Don't touch anything yet." Mai stopped immediately. Ace looked between them. "That sentence did not improve the atmosphere." Victor sighed. "Sit." Ace remained standing. "No." "Ace." "I can hear while standing." "You're going to pace." "I pace professionally." Mai sat. Shammy lowered herself into the reinforced chair beside her. Ace stayed upright for another three seconds out of principle. Then sat on the edge of an exam table. Victor waited until all three were settled. Then looked at Shammy. "I think I can do it." Silence. Ace frowned. Mai's eyes narrowed. Shammy went very still. Victor tapped the terminal. The diagrams rotated. Not final designs. Models. Layers. Musculature. Load distribution. Tissue behavior. Pressure responses. Adaptive morphology. Shammy leaned forward slightly. Mai's attention sharpened. Ace looked from the screen to Victor. "Do what?" Victor did not look away from Shammy. "Large-scale biosculpt." Ace blinked. Mai straightened. Shammy's expression changed by almost nothing. Which, on Shammy, was a lot. Victor continued. "I've been working through the incompatibility problem." Ace looked at him. "You've been what?" "The problem wasn't whether her body could take a sculpt." Mai spoke before Ace could. "It was whether a human release protocol would behave predictably." Victor nodded. "Exactly." Shammy looked at the model. "You thought about this before today." Victor gave her a flat look. "Yes." "For how long?" Victor hesitated. Ace smiled immediately. "Oh, that's bad." Victor ignored her. "Long enough." Mai looked at Shammy. Shammy looked back at Victor. "Why?" Victor leaned one hip against the diagnostic station. "Because you're medically interesting." Ace made a sound. Victor pointed at her without looking. "Don't." "I didn't say anything." "You were about to." "I was about to say 'romantic.'" "That's worse." Shammy smiled faintly. Victor tapped the display again. A different model appeared. "This isn't a casual cosmetic sculpt. I'm talking about major structural modification. Enough to alter visible anatomy, movement, load patterns, even some surface biomechanics." Mai frowned slightly. "Safely?" "That's the part I finally trust." Shammy's gaze stayed on the screen. "Finally." Victor nodded. "I wouldn't bring it up if I didn't." That mattered. Ace stopped joking. Victor's clinic had never operated on enthusiasm first. Not with them. Not with Shammy. Especially not with Shammy. Mai leaned forward. "What changed?" Victor switched views. "The early assumption was wrong." "Which assumption?" "That Shammy needs to use human release chemistry the way a human does." Shammy watched closely. Victor continued. "She doesn't." Ace frowned. "Meaning?" "Meaning the sculpt can be temporary without forcing the reversal." Mai understood first. "Her body will unwind it itself." Victor nodded. "Slowly." "How slowly?" "Probably one to two weeks." Ace looked at Shammy. Shammy did not react. Victor went on. "That's the tradeoff. With a human, a large temporary sculpt can be released hard and most of the visible changes collapse over a few days." Mai looked at him. "And Shammy?" "Her physiology doesn't like being pushed backward that quickly. But if I stop trying to force the timeline, the whole thing gets much cleaner." Shammy spoke quietly. "No hangover." Victor looked at her. "That's what the models say." "No pain?" "Normal adaptation discomfort during the initial change, but not a release crash. No systemic rebound. No chemical hangover." "Damage?" "I don't see a mechanism for lasting damage if we stay inside the limits I've mapped." Mai's voice remained calm. "Probability?" Victor looked at her. "High enough that I'm willing to say yes." Mai did not answer immediately. That was probably the strongest endorsement Victor could give. Ace looked at Shammy again. "You okay?" Shammy nodded once. "Yes." Not reassurance. Assessment. Victor changed the model again. This time the screen showed pressure-response maps. Shammy's eyes narrowed. "You tested that." "I modeled it." "Difference?" Victor folded his arms. "Your perception should remain intact." Shammy went still again. Mai's gaze moved to Victor. Ace's expression sharpened. "Should." Victor looked at Shammy. "Your pressure-reading isn't tied to the same pathways I'm modifying." "Fully?" "As far as I can tell." Shammy looked at him. "That is not the same answer." Victor's mouth twitched. "No." Ace looked between them. "But?" Victor exhaled. "Influence changes." Shammy's eyes stayed on him. "How much?" "A lot." The room quieted. Victor tapped the screen. A comparison appeared. Normal baseline. Projected sculpt baseline. Mai read it first. "That's significant." "Yes." Ace frowned. "I need the non-Victor version." Victor looked at her. "She can still read the room." Ace nodded. "But?" "She won't be able to push back on it the same way." Shammy's attention did not move. Victor continued. "The part of her that recognizes pressure remains active. The part that redistributes it, softens it, leans against it, whatever language you want to use—that becomes heavily damped." "For the whole sculpt?" "Probably." "And when it releases?" "Gradual return." "No rebound?" "None expected." Shammy looked down at her hands. Not upset. Thinking. Ace watched her. Mai did too. Victor waited. No one rushed her. After a while Shammy asked, "Would I still know if someone is afraid?" "Yes." "Angry?" "Yes." "Uncomfortable?" "Yes." "Wanting something?" Victor nodded. "Yes." Shammy looked at him. "But I could not help as much." Victor did not soften the answer. "No." The word landed. Ace leaned her elbows onto her knees. Mai looked at Shammy carefully. Shammy kept looking at the model. "What happens if I try?" Victor considered. "You'll get some response. Just not much." "Pain?" "No." "Fatigue?" "Maybe if you keep forcing it." Shammy nodded slowly. Victor switched off the projection. The screen went dark. The room felt suddenly smaller without it. Ace broke the silence. "So." Mai looked at her. Ace ignored the warning. "So this is actually possible." Victor looked at her. "Yes." "Big sculpt." "Yes." "Temporary." "Yes." "No hangover." "Correct." "Pressure radar still works." Victor closed his eyes briefly. "That is not what it's called." "You knew what I meant." "Unfortunately." Ace looked at Shammy. Shammy looked back. And that was when Mai saw it happen. Not the idea itself. The moment before it. Ace's posture changed by barely anything. Her eyes went slightly wider. Her mouth twitched. Mai closed her own eyes. "No." Ace looked offended. "I haven't said anything." "You are about to." Victor looked between them. "What?" Mai rubbed one temple. "Do not encourage her." "I don't know what she's doing." "Neither does she." Ace pointed at Mai. "Rude." "Accurate." Shammy watched Ace. Ace watched Shammy. Victor waited. Ace leaned forward. "Could you make her a wolf?" Nobody spoke. Victor blinked once. Mai kept her eyes closed. Shammy stared at Ace. Ace continued, because of course she did. "A big one." Mai opened her eyes. "Ace." "Guard wolf." "Ace." "For Mandi and Dalia." Victor looked at Shammy. Then at Ace. Then back at Shammy. Shammy's expression remained unreadable. Ace spread both hands. "Think about it." Mai made a sound somewhere between resignation and prayer. Victor looked genuinely thoughtful. Which was much worse. Ace saw it. "Oh." Mai saw Ace seeing it. "No." Victor frowned at the terminal. "Actually—" Mai pointed at him. "No." Victor looked at her. "I haven't said anything either." "You were about to." Ace sat up straighter. "See? You do it too." Victor ignored both of them. He looked at Shammy. "Structurally, it's not impossible." Mai stared at him. Victor lifted one hand. "I said structurally." Ace grinned. "That's basically yes." "It is not." "Close enough." Shammy finally spoke. "What kind of wolf?" Ace's grin vanished. Not because she had lost interest. Because she had just realized Shammy was asking seriously. Victor turned fully toward her. "That depends on how far you want to go." Shammy looked at the dark screen. "Not a costume." Victor nodded once. "No." "Not human legs." "No." "Not pretending." Victor's attention sharpened. "No." Ace stopped moving. Mai watched Shammy. Shammy thought for a long moment. Then looked at Victor. "Could it feel natural?" Victor did not answer quickly. Good. He pulled the model back up. Changed parameters. Reduced human constraints. Let Shammy's own physiology carry more of the load. The model shifted. Hips. Spine. Knees. Ankles. Weight distribution. Mai leaned closer. Ace's mouth slowly opened. Victor studied the screen. Then said, "Probably more natural for you than it would ever be for a human." Shammy looked at the model. A grey quadrupedal silhouette took shape. Not complete. Not pretty. But unmistakable. Wolf. Large enough to make the scale marker look ridiculous. Ace whispered: "Fuck." Mai looked at her. Ace pointed at the screen. "Tell me I'm wrong." Mai looked at the model. Then at Shammy. Then back at the model. She sighed. "I am not going to give you the satisfaction." "That's not a no." "It's not a yes." Victor was already adjusting the load map. Shammy watched him work. Quietly. Carefully. Ace watched Shammy. Not Victor. Not the model. Shammy. After another minute Victor stopped. "This would still be experimental." Shammy nodded. "I know." "You'd need time to learn the body." "Yes." "You'd be in it for at least a week. Possibly two." "Yes." "You wouldn't have your full pressure influence." Shammy looked at him. "I heard you." Victor nodded. "Then that's the important part." Ace resisted saying anything. Mai noticed. That alone probably qualified as medical progress. Shammy looked at Ace. "Why guard wolf?" Ace answered immediately. "Because Mandi and Dalia are going to a corpo heiress's private weekend thing for a quarter million and a gigantic grey wolf next to them would look fucking amazing." Mai covered her face. Victor stared at Ace. Shammy blinked. Once. Twice. Then: "That is your reason." "Yes." "Only reason." Ace thought about it. "No." Shammy waited. Ace shrugged. "You'd also be with us." That changed the room. Barely. But Shammy felt it. Of course she did. Even with no sculpt yet. Ace continued, quieter now. "You'd get to see what it's like. We don't know the people. You read rooms better than anyone. And if you hate it, we know not to do it again." Mai looked at Ace. Ace avoided her eyes. Victor stayed silent. Shammy watched Ace for several seconds. Then looked at Mai. "What do you think?" Mai answered carefully. "I think Victor's medical reasoning matters more than Ace wanting a wolf." Ace muttered, "Both can matter." Mai ignored her. "I think the reduced influence will bother you more than the body." Shammy nodded. "I think so too." "I think one to two weeks is not trivial." "No." "And I think if you choose it, we plan around the entire release period. Not only the weekend." Shammy nodded again. Mai's expression softened. "And I think..." She glanced at the grey model. Ace immediately noticed. Mai sighed. "...it would look very good." Ace threw both hands into the air. "YES." Victor pinched the bridge of his nose. Shammy laughed. Quiet. Warm. The sound loosened something in the room. Victor looked at her. "That is not consent." Shammy's smile remained. "I know." "Take the evening." "I will." "Ask anything." "I will." "No one decides for you." Ace raised one hand. "I know." Victor looked at her. "I was talking to Shammy." "I still know." Mai stood. "We'll go." Victor nodded. Ace slid off the exam table. Shammy rose last. At the door she stopped. Turned back. Victor looked up. Shammy glanced once at the grey wolf model still hovering on the screen. Then at him. "If I say yes..." Victor waited. "...make me look real." Victor's expression changed. Not much. Enough. Professional curiosity sharpened into something closer to pride. "I can do that." Shammy nodded. Then left. Ace waited until the clinic door closed behind them. Three steps. Four. Five. Then she looked up at Shammy. "You're going to say yes." Shammy looked down at her. "I have not decided." "You asked him to make you look real." "I asked a technical question." Mai walked beside them. "She's going to say yes." Shammy looked at Mai. Mai's mouth twitched. Ace pointed triumphantly. "SEE?" Shammy sighed. The elevator doors opened. They stepped inside. Ace hit the button. The doors began to close. Shammy looked down at her. "Ace." "Yeah?" "If I do this..." Ace waited. Shammy's expression was perfectly calm. "...you are not calling me a good girl." Ace made a strangled noise. Mai turned away very quickly. The elevator doors closed. --- ## Chapter 3 — Guard Wolf Shammy said yes at 09:17 the following morning. Ace knew the exact time because she had been awake since seven waiting for it. She would later deny this. Mai would later provide evidence. Shammy found Ace in the kitchen, sitting sideways on the counter with one bare foot swinging above the floor and coffee held in both hands. Mai was beside the sink. Neither woman said anything when Shammy entered. That was suspicious enough. Shammy stopped. Looked at Ace. Looked at Mai. Back to Ace. "You are waiting." Ace took a sip. "No." "You are." "I'm having coffee." "You have been having coffee for two hours." Ace slowly turned toward Mai. Mai remained magnificently neutral. Traitor. Shammy folded her arms. "I'll do it." Ace inhaled coffee. There followed several seconds of coughing violent enough that Mai had to take the cup away from her. Shammy watched. Patiently. Ace finally managed: "Fuck." "Elegant," Mai said. Ace pointed at Shammy. "You're serious." "Yes." "The wolf." "Yes." "The big wolf." Shammy's eyes narrowed. "We discussed only one." "I know, but—" "Ace." "Yes?" "If you become unbearable, I can still change my mind." Ace immediately placed both hands flat on her thighs. Perfect posture. Serious face. "Understood." Shammy looked at Mai. "How long?" Mai checked the clock. "Seven seconds." "Six," Ace said. "Seven." "I behaved immediately." "You nearly shouted." "But I didn't." Shammy's mouth twitched. "I want Victor to do the full version." That erased the joke from Ace's face. Mai turned from the sink. "The model from yesterday?" "More if he thinks it's safe." Ace stared. Shammy continued before either could answer. "I don't want ears. Or a tail. Or something designed to remind everyone there is a person underneath." Mai nodded slowly. "You want the body." "I want to know what the body feels like." Ace was silent. Shammy looked at her. "And if we're doing your ridiculous guard-wolf idea..." Ace's expression brightened. "...I want to look like a wolf." There it was. Ace lasted perhaps half a second. "YES." Shammy closed her eyes. Mai took Ace's coffee farther away. "I said yes to Victor." "Same difference." "It is absolutely not." Ace jumped down from the counter. "When?" "Victor said he can begin this afternoon." Ace stopped. "Today?" "Yes." Mai frowned. "That gives you enough adaptation time before Friday?" "Victor thinks so." "Thinks?" "He said if I can't move naturally by Thursday, I don't go." Mai nodded immediately. "Good." Ace looked between them. "Also good." Mai glanced at her. "You didn't know that." "I support good planning retroactively." Shammy sighed. --- Victor had prepared the clinic before they arrived. That was the second indication that Shammy's answer had not surprised him. The first was the enormous three-dimensional wolf model rotating above the main diagnostic platform. Ace stopped inside the doorway. "Oh." Mai walked into her. "Ace." "Look." "I can see it." "No, look." "I am." Shammy came in behind them. And stopped too. The model was grey because Victor had apparently decided that even theoretical medical visualization should obey Ace's absurd aesthetic brief. But that was where the joke ended. The proportions were startling. The animal on the display was unmistakably wolf-shaped, but too large to be mistaken for anything natural Night City should contain. Long-legged. Heavy through the shoulders without being bulky. Narrower through the waist. Deep chest. A powerful neck supporting a head that was recognizably lupine rather than an approximation stretched over human anatomy. And the legs— Mai stepped closer. "You changed them." Victor emerged from behind the equipment. "Shammy asked me to make it real." Shammy approached the projection. Victor pointed toward the rear limbs. "I stopped treating human leg architecture as the fixed constraint." Ace looked at him. "You can do that?" "With her." Victor looked at Shammy. "Probably." "Probably again," Shammy said. "Medicine." "Annoying." "Also medicine." Mai studied the projection. The rear legs carried the elevated hock and elongated lower structure expected from an actual wolf rather than a human simply reshaped cosmetically. The pelvis had changed with them. So had the spine. The shoulders. Even the resting balance. "This isn't quadrupedal human movement." "No." Ace walked slowly around the projection. "So she'll move like that?" Victor shrugged. "If she learns." Ace stopped. "If?" Victor looked at her. "I can give her the structure. I can't install being a wolf." Shammy said, "I'll learn." Victor nodded. "I think you will." Ace looked up at the projected head. The model was taller at the shoulder than she'd expected. Then she looked at Shammy. Then back at the model. "How big?" Victor gave her a suspicious look. "You don't need numbers." "I absolutely need numbers." "No." "Why?" "Because you'll start comparing her to vehicles." Ace looked offended. "I was going to compare her to furniture." "Exactly." Shammy walked through the projection and stood approximately where its chest would have been. The holographic wolf surrounded her. For one strange moment, Ace could see both versions at once. Shammy inside. Wolf outside. Mai saw it too. Her expression changed. Shammy noticed. "What?" Mai shook her head. "Nothing." "That wasn't nothing." Mai looked at the model again. "It suits you." Shammy stared at her. Ace pointed violently. "THANK YOU." Victor closed his eyes. "Can we perform medicine now?" --- The process took hours. Not because Victor was slow. Because he refused to hurry. Shammy remained conscious through the early stages, answering questions while medical systems tracked every change against her baseline. Ace and Mai stayed. Neither had been asked to. Neither considered leaving. The first alterations were almost disappointing. Surface preparation. Metabolic control. Temporary nerve management. Nothing dramatic. Then the structural work began. Victor stopped joking entirely. So did Ace. The changes came progressively rather than all at once, Victor allowing Shammy's body to adapt to each new load before introducing the next. Shammy talked less as it continued. Not from distress. Concentration. Her sense of her own body was being rewritten underneath her. At one point her eyes found Mai. "Strange." Mai moved closer. "Bad strange?" Shammy considered. "No." Ace was on the other side. "What kind?" Shammy closed her eyes. "My legs are somewhere else." Ace blinked. "That sounds bad." Victor, without looking up, said, "It's expected." "Still sounds bad." Shammy opened her eyes again. "It isn't." Ace accepted that. Another hour. The silhouette changed. Human landmarks disappeared. Others replaced them. Victor kept stopping. Checking. Waiting. Continuing. By the time the coat began to emerge, Ace had stopped making any attempt to conceal her fascination. Grey. Not uniform grey. Layers of charcoal, silver, softer ash through the undercoat. Darker along the back and shoulders. Lighter beneath. Natural variation. Not costume fur. Shammy looked down at herself as much as her changing anatomy allowed. "Grey." Ace smiled. "Guard wolf." Shammy looked at her. Ace immediately corrected: "Beautiful, medically responsible guard wolf." Mai turned away to hide a laugh. Victor did not bother. "She's going to bite you." Ace looked at Shammy. "Would you?" Shammy's eyes narrowed. Ace smiled. "Thought so." --- The final stage ended after sunset. Victor stepped back. No one spoke. For several seconds the only sound in the clinic was machinery. Then Shammy opened her eyes. Ace forgot every joke she'd prepared. The wolf lying on Victor's reinforced platform was enormous. Grey coat. Long muzzle. Alert ears. Deep chest rising and falling slowly. Powerful forelegs. Rear limbs folded beneath her in a way no human anatomy could have reproduced convincingly. Nothing about her looked like a person wearing another shape. She looked like an animal that should have existed somewhere colder, darker and considerably farther from civilization. Except for the eyes. Those were Shammy. Completely. Mai stepped closer first. "Shammy?" One ear moved toward her voice. Then the head lifted. Slowly. Shammy looked down. At herself. At one forepaw. She lifted it. Stopped halfway. Put it down again. Tried the other. Ace whispered, "Holy shit." The wolf's head turned. Shammy stared at her. Ace lifted both hands. "Compliment." Victor checked the monitors. "Everything stable." Mai looked at him. "Pain?" Victor looked toward Shammy. "Ask her." Mai did. Shammy took several seconds. Then came the first practical problem. She tried to answer. What emerged was not speech. It was a low, confused vocalization halfway between breath and growl. Ace's eyes widened. Shammy froze. Victor immediately said, "Expected." Shammy turned her head toward him. The growl became considerably less confused. Victor smiled. "That part apparently works." Mai moved closer. "Comms?" Victor tapped the side of his own head. "Internal link is clean. I also bridged the same voice feed to local short-range audio, so she can speak to people who aren't on your private channel. No pretending a wolf muzzle can form human speech." A moment later Shammy's voice entered both women's implants. _This is extremely strange._ Ace's entire face lit up. "YOU SOUND NORMAL." Shammy stared at her. _I am normal._ "You're a giant wolf." _I noticed._ Mai crouched beside the platform. "How do you feel?" Shammy looked down again. Moved one foreleg. Then the other. Her ears shifted independently as equipment hummed behind her. _Heavy._ Victor glanced at the readings. "You're distributing weight differently." _I know._ "Don't stand yet." Shammy looked at him. Victor pointed. "No." She looked at the floor. Then at him. "No." Shammy's ears went slightly backward. Ace saw it. Her mouth opened. Mai put one hand directly over it. Ace made an outraged muffled sound. Shammy looked at Mai. Then Ace. _Thank you._ Mai removed her hand cautiously. Ace inhaled. "I wasn't going to say it." Three people looked at her. Ace paused. "...anymore." --- Twenty minutes later, Victor finally allowed Shammy to stand. It did not go well. Shammy planted all four paws. Shifted forward. Rose too quickly. Her rear legs straightened in the wrong sequence. The entire enormous wolf tilted sideways. Mai moved. Ace moved. Victor moved faster. Shammy landed against the padded side barrier with a tremendous soft thump. Silence. Ace's eyes were enormous. "You okay?" Shammy remained there for a moment. _Yes._ Victor checked the monitors. "Nothing damaged." Shammy slowly untangled herself. Her ears were flat. Ace bit the inside of her cheek. Mai saw. "Don't." "I'm not." "You are visibly not." Shammy looked at Ace. _If you laugh, I will eat you._ Ace's face collapsed. A tiny sound escaped. Shammy growled. Ace immediately recovered. "Sorry." Mai looked away. Her shoulders moved once. Shammy turned toward her. _Mai._ "I'm sorry." _You are also laughing._ "No." _Pressure-reading still works._ Mai became perfectly still. Ace pointed at her. "HA." Shammy turned back toward Ace. Ace stopped. "Right. Sorry." Victor leaned against the console. "Good." Three heads turned toward him. He gestured at Shammy. "Reading confirmed." Shammy stared. Victor shrugged. "Useful data." --- The second attempt went better. The third looked almost deliberate. By the sixth, Shammy could stand without thinking about each leg separately. Walking was another matter. Her first step was too short. Second too long. Third nearly crossed. Then something clicked. Not perfectly. But enough. Front. Rear. Opposite. Balance. Shift. Shammy crossed three meters. Stopped. Turned. The turn was terrible. Ace winced. Shammy glared. "I didn't say anything." _Your face did._ Mai laughed openly this time. Shammy tried again. Slower. Better. Again. Better. Again. By the end of the first hour, she could cross the clinic without looking drunk. Victor opened the larger rehabilitation area. Shammy stepped through. Paused. Looked at the empty floor. Then moved. Not walked. Moved. A few quick strides. Stopped. Turned. Tried again. The second run was smoother. The third— Ace went silent. For three seconds the wolf stopped looking like Shammy learning a body. She simply looked like a wolf. Long rear legs gathering beneath her. Shoulders rolling. Grey coat shifting over muscle. Then she misjudged the stopping distance and slid directly into a padded wall. THUMP. Ace doubled over. Shammy spun. _ACE._ "I'm sorry—" She was not. Mai was laughing too hard to help. Victor looked at the ceiling. "I should have charged admission." --- The pressure-influence test came last. By then Shammy could walk comfortably. She lay in the center of the rehabilitation room, forelegs stretched in front of her. Victor stood at one side. Mai at the other. Ace sat cross-legged on the floor. Victor deliberately introduced a controlled stress stimulus through the room's systems. Nothing dangerous. A low artificial tension. Enough for Shammy to notice. Her head rose instantly. _There._ Victor nodded. "Describe." _Artificial. Low. Coming from the room, not you._ "Mai?" _Concerned._ Mai's eyebrows rose. "Ace?" Shammy looked at her. Pause. _Delighted._ Ace smiled. "Accurate." Victor nodded. "Now push." Shammy lowered her head slightly. Concentrated. Ace felt it. Barely. A familiar softening that normally would have spread through the room with effortless precision. This time it touched the tension— and stalled. Shammy tried again. The effect strengthened slightly. Not enough. Her ears moved backward. Mai felt the frustration before Shammy said anything. "Don't force it." Shammy stopped. The pressure returned immediately. Victor disabled the artificial stimulus. The room relaxed. Shammy remained still. Ace's smile had disappeared. "How bad?" Shammy thought. _Odd._ Mai sat beside her. "Because you can still feel everything." _Yes._ "But can't reach it." Shammy looked toward the doorway. _Not the same way._ Victor came closer. "That's exactly what I expected." Shammy looked at him. _I dislike it._ Victor nodded. "I expected that too." Ace moved closer. Not touching yet. Waiting. Shammy noticed. Turned her head. Ace lifted one hand. "Can I?" Shammy looked at the hand. Then lowered her enormous head toward it. Ace touched the grey fur between her ears. Her fingers disappeared into it. She froze. Mai immediately saw trouble. "Ace." Ace whispered: "So soft." Shammy's eyes narrowed. Ace rubbed gently once. Twice. Shammy's eyes closed for half a second. Ace saw that. Mai saw Ace see that. "Ace." Ace looked at Mai. "What?" "Do not." "I am literally doing nothing." Shammy opened one eye. Ace looked back at her. Then, because survival instinct had never been her strongest quality, scratched carefully behind one ear. Shammy's head tilted. Only slightly. But unmistakably. Ace's mouth fell open. Mai pointed at her. "Don't you dare." Ace looked as though she might physically explode. Shammy opened both eyes. _Ace._ Ace's voice came out strangled. "Yes?" _Remember yesterday._ Ace nodded violently. "I remember." _Good._ Ace continued scratching behind the ear. Very carefully. Mai sighed. Victor looked at Shammy. "You realize she's never going to recover from this." Shammy's eyes closed again. _I know._ Ace beamed. And for the first time since the transformation began, Shammy relaxed fully into the unfamiliar body. Not human. Not pretending. Not trapped. Grey fur. Four strange legs. A room she could still read perfectly and barely influence at all. Ace's hand behind one ear. Mai sitting against her shoulder. Victor watching the monitors. Shammy breathed out slowly. Then opened her eyes. _When do we test stairs?_ Victor stared at her. "Tomorrow." Shammy looked toward the clinic entrance. _There are three steps outside._ "No." _Victor._ "No." Ace immediately stood. "I'll spot her." Mai looked at her. "How?" Ace considered the wolf. The wolf considered Ace. Ace slowly sat back down. "Tomorrow is good." Shammy made a low sound. Mai looked at her. Ace looked at her. Victor looked at her. The sound came again. A soft, distinctly amused wolfish rumble. Ace smiled. "Guard wolf." Shammy turned her head. Ace braced. Shammy's internal voice came calm and dry. _Keep saying that._ Ace grinned. "Or?" Shammy rose carefully onto all four feet. She was enormous from down there. Ace's grin faded by several degrees. Shammy took one deliberate step toward her. Then another. Stopped with her muzzle almost level with Ace's face. Ace swallowed. Shammy's ears tipped forward. _You'll find out._ Mai laughed. Victor shook his head. And Ace— Ace looked at the enormous grey wolf standing over her and somehow managed to become even more delighted. "Oh, this weekend is going to be fucking amazing." Shammy stared at her. Then licked the entire side of Ace's face. Once. Ace froze. Mai broke. Victor actually had to turn away. Shammy stepped past Ace with all the dignity she could currently manage. Ace wiped her cheek. Looked at the saliva on her hand. Looked after Shammy. Then at Mai. "She did that on purpose." Mai was laughing too hard to answer. From halfway across the rehabilitation room, Shammy's voice arrived over the link. _Pressure-reading._ Ace blinked. _I knew exactly how much you'd hate it._ A beat. Ace started laughing too. "Okay." She stood. "Okay, wolf." Shammy turned. Ace pointed at her. "Now it's war." Shammy's tail moved. Just once. Mai saw it. Ace saw Mai see it. Both women looked at the tail. Then very slowly at Shammy. Shammy froze. Ace's eyes widened. "Oh my fucking—" Shammy lunged. Ace ran. Victor watched a four-foot Japanese woman sprint around his rehabilitation room pursued by an enormous experimental grey wolf while Mai leaned against the wall laughing helplessly. He looked at the medical monitors. Every reading remained perfect. Victor sighed. "Science." --- ## Chapter 4 — Expensive Preparation By Friday afternoon, Shammy could do stairs. This was apparently the milestone everyone had been waiting for. Not because the stairs themselves were important. Because Victor had decided they represented the difference between _experimental success_ and _massive grey animal falling through expensive architecture_. Ace had objected to this framing. Victor had ignored her. Shammy had learned. Mai had supervised. And by sixteen hundred, the Triad had reached the stage where Shammy no longer looked like someone learning to operate an experimental body. She looked like a wolf. A very large wolf. A very large grey wolf currently occupying enough of the safehouse bedroom floor that everyone else had unconsciously begun navigating around her as though she'd always been part of the furniture. Ace considered this a spectacular success. Shammy did not. Not officially. She was becoming less convincing every hour. Especially because she had started using the tail. Not consciously. That was the problem. Ace had discovered this at breakfast. Shammy had been lying beside the table while Mai reviewed the final Elisa contract. Ace brought coffee. The tail moved once. Ace noticed. Shammy noticed Ace noticing. The tail stopped. Five minutes later Mai handed Shammy a piece of grilled meat. The tail moved twice. Ace nearly died. Shammy growled. Ace laughed harder. Mai finally looked across the table. "If you keep doing this, she will eventually learn how much damage that tail can do at your height." Ace stopped laughing. Briefly. Now the safehouse bedroom looked like an identity workshop had collided with an extremely expensive dressing room. ChromeLock kits occupied the table. Contacts waited in sterile cases. Makeup. Accessories. Dalia's menthol lollipops. And, standing by the wardrobe, Lena. Beside her were two garment bags. Ace noticed them immediately. "Those weren't there earlier." "No." "Those are ours." "Yes." Ace looked at Mai. Mai looked at the bags. Then at Lena. "You made them." Lena's expression was almost offensively neutral. "You weren't going to a quarter-million-eurodollar corpo weekend dressed for Jig-Jig Street." Ace slowly smiled. "Oh." Shammy's ears shifted. Mai stood. "What did you do?" "Later." Ace pointed. "No. Now." "Hair first." "Lena." "Hair." Ace stared at her. Lena stared back. Ace sighed dramatically and moved toward the mirror. "You're terrible." "I made you clothes." "You're wonderful." "Sit down." Ace sat. --- The ChromeLock transformation was familiar. The material wasn't. The new compound behaved like somebody had looked at conventional hair color and decided it lacked sufficient engineering arrogance. Ace's normal color disappeared beneath something violently artificial. Not copper. Not red. Not anything nature would ever attempt voluntarily. **Screaming orange.** Lena worked it through the short style, locked the final shape and stepped away. Ace stared at herself. "Oh, fuck yes." Mai laughed quietly. Ace turned her head. The orange caught the light differently from every angle. It wasn't subtle. Mandi wasn't supposed to be subtle. Then came the contacts. Black. Ace blinked once. Twice. Looked up. And Mandi arrived. Not because the face had changed. It hadn't. The difference was in the presentation. Black eyes removed one of Ace's most immediately recognizable features and made the expression beneath the neon-orange hair stranger, dirtier, more openly playful. Mandi looked at Mai through the mirror. Her voice came lower. Warmer. "Like what you see?" Mai's eyes narrowed. "Oh, absolutely." Mandi smiled. Lena saw it happen. "There she is." "Mandi was always here." "Unfortunately." A low sound came from the floor. Mandi looked down. Shammy was watching her. "You like it?" Shammy's ears tipped forward. _Yes._ Mandi smiled. "Good wolf." Silence. Mai froze. Lena froze. Shammy froze. Mandi's black eyes widened. "Fuck." She ran. Too late. Shammy launched herself across the bedroom. Mandi made it approximately four steps before a massive grey muzzle caught the back of her jacket. Her feet left the floor. "SHAMMY—" Shammy carried her back toward the bed with absurd care, Mandi hanging from the jacket like something a very large predator had retrieved but had absolutely no intention of damaging. Mai already had one hand over her mouth. Lena had stopped pretending she was still working. Shammy reached the bed. Lowered her head. And deposited Mandi gently onto the mattress. Mandi bounced once. She barely had time to look up. Shammy planted both forepaws beside her. The enormous grey head descended. Mandi's eyes widened. "Don't you fucking—" **SLURP.** One enormous wolf tongue went from her chin across her cheek. Mandi shrieked. "SHAMMY!" Shammy did it again. Other cheek. "SHAMMY!" Mandi tried to turn away. Fatal mistake. Shammy simply followed. Another long lick across her jaw. Then her nose. Then half her face at once. "SHAMMY!" The protest disintegrated. Mandi started giggling. Not laughing elegantly. Not even remotely maintaining the Mandi cover. Helpless, breathless, high-pitched giggling while she tried to push the enormous grey muzzle away with both hands and achieved absolutely nothing. "Stop—! Oh my God—SHAMMY!" Shammy enthusiastically ignored her. Another lick. Mandi squealed. "SHAMMY!" Another. "FUCK—!" She was laughing so hard now she could barely breathe. Mai broke. Completely. Lena followed. Shammy gave Mandi one final, devastatingly thorough lick from jaw to temple and finally raised her head. Mandi lay beneath her. Her face was **soaking wet**. Absolutely drenched. A few screaming-orange strands stuck damply against one temple. Black eyes stared upward in helpless outrage. Mandi wiped both hands down her face. Looked at them. Looked at Shammy. "Look what you DID!" Shammy's ears tipped forward. _Yes._ "I'm fucking WET!" _Yes._ That destroyed Mai all over again. Mandi pointed one wet finger at Shammy while still giggling too hard to sound threatening. "You absolute bitch." _We discussed this._ "You licked my whole fucking face!" _You called me good wolf._ "It slipped out!" _Repeatedly._ "ONCE!" Shammy lowered her muzzle again. Mandi immediately covered her face with both hands. "NO!" Shammy paused. Mandi peeked between her fingers. The wolf was still there. Waiting. Mandi started giggling again before Shammy even moved. "Don't you fucking dare." Shammy's tail moved once. Mai saw it. "I think she considers the matter settled." From behind Mandi's hands: "I hate all of you." _No, you don't._ Mandi lowered her hands. Looked up into Shammy's enormous grey face. She was still laughing. "No." A breath. "I really fucking don't." Shammy finally stepped back. Mandi sat up. Wiped her face again. Then pointed at Shammy. "This is war." _You are very small._ Lena had to sit down. Mai turned away. Mandi stared. "That was LOW." Shammy lowered herself onto the floor. _Accurate._ "Fuck you." Shammy settled more comfortably onto the floor. Mandi saw the satisfied angle of one ear. This time she said nothing. Progress. Lena stepped closer and inspected the orange hair. The wet strands were already returning toward their locked shape. One minute. Two. The ChromeLock recovered. Lena stared. "At least the hair works." Mandi touched it carefully. Then looked at Shammy. "You were a stress test." _Happy to help._ Mandi started laughing again. --- Dalia took longer. Not because Mai's hair was difficult. Because Dalia was built around precision. The pink had to be exactly right. Which meant exactly wrong enough. Too vivid to be ordinary fashion. Too deliberate to look cheap. Too aggressive to disappear into a corpo room. **Screaming pink.** Mai watched herself change in the mirror. Then came the contacts. Green. But not simply green. Reflective. The first time the dressing lights struck them directly, they threw the light back in an intense emerald flash. Mandi stopped moving. Dalia looked toward her. The green flashed again. Mandi's expression changed. "Katana green." Dalia's mouth moved slightly. "Exactly." The menthol lollipop went between her lips. And Mai stepped aside. Dalia remained. Taller. Controlled. Screaming-pink hair paired with those impossible green eyes. Where Mandi seemed designed to demand immediate attention, Dalia made attention linger. Shammy watched both women. Pressure-reading fully intact. Attraction. Familiarity. Excitement. Nothing she needed to change. Nothing she could change very much anyway. Same people. Different faces. Different body. Same room. Lena looked at them. "Now." Mandi immediately turned. "The bags." "The bags." Lena reached for the first. "These are not replacements for your normal Mandi and Dalia clothes." Dalia took the lollipop from her mouth. "Event-specific." "Exactly." Lena looked at Mandi. "Elisa didn't hire two street joytoys for a few hours." Mandi smiled. "No." "She hired both of you for a quarter-million corpo weekend." "Still enjoying saying that." "I know." Lena unsealed the first garment bag. Mandi stopped smiling. "Oh." It was unmistakably an evening gown. Not a dress pretending to be formal. Not clubwear with expensive material. A genuine corpo-level evening gown. The fabric had a smooth, almost liquid finish without becoming glossy, engineered to resist creasing even after hours of wear. The construction was immaculate. Every line deliberate. Every exposed section balanced against something structured. And it was filthy. Not literally. Visually. Conceptually. Beautifully. The gown had been designed around Mandi's small frame rather than attempting to make her look taller. Its proportions emphasized exactly how compact she was, using asymmetry and strategically open sections to turn that smallness into something deliberately provocative. The neckline was bold without looking accidental. One side of the torso opened farther than conventional eveningwear would have tolerated. The back was unapologetically exposed. The lower line was shorter and more daring than anything a conservative corpo gala would accept— yet somehow the tailoring remained unmistakably couture. Then Mandi saw the hardware. Visible. Very visible. Not hidden. Not disguised. A series of beautifully machined metallic release points formed part of the gown's visual architecture. They followed the body. Invited the eye. Explained themselves. Mandi stared. Looked at Lena. Back at the gown. Then at the release line. "Oh, you fucking bitch." Lena smiled. There it was. Dalia stepped closer. "Those are functional." "All of them." Mandi touched one. "How fast?" Lena looked at her. "Fast." "How fast?" "Put it on." Mandi's black eyes narrowed. "I love you." "No, you don't." "Right now I absolutely do." Lena reached for the second bag. Dalia watched. Her gown emerged. And Mandi immediately understood what Lena had done. Not twins. Not matching uniforms. Not variations of the same dress. Dalia's was long. A genuine full-length corpo evening gown built around Mai's height and Dalia's controlled presence. The new fabric followed the body cleanly without wrinkling or bunching. The silhouette was narrow. Elegant. Almost severe at first glance. Then the eye travelled. The neckline. The open back. The long line of exposed skin. The high split that did not merely allow movement but made every step part of the design. And the hardware. Again, impossible to miss. Different from Mandi's. More linear. More controlled. A sequence of visible high-end fasteners ran through the gown as deliberate ornamentation, almost architectural against the fabric. Nobody looking closely would mistake them for decoration alone. The message was obvious. This was an extremely expensive evening gown. And it had been designed to come off **very quickly**. Dalia took the lollipop from her mouth. "Subtle." Lena looked at her. "I wasn't asked for subtle." Mandi laughed. Dalia ran two fingers lightly along one visible release point. "No." Her reflective eyes caught the light. Emerald. "You really weren't." Lena folded her arms. "Neither gown requires underwear." Mandi stopped. Looked at her gown. Then at Lena. Then back at the gown. Dalia did exactly the same thing. Lena continued with perfect calm. "The support is built into the construction. So is everything necessary to keep the lines where they're supposed to be." Mandi slowly smiled. "No underwear." "No." "Fast release." "Yes." "Wrinkle-resistant." "Yes." "So we can take them off, throw them somewhere—" Lena's expression hardened. "Place them somewhere." Mandi ignored that. "—and put them back on later." "Yes." "And they still look like this." "Yes." Mandi looked at Dalia. Dalia looked back. Then both women looked at Lena. Mandi said: "You're terrifying." "Get dressed." --- The effect was worse when worn. Much worse. Mandi stood in front of the mirror. For several seconds she said nothing. The gown fit her perfectly. Not merely in size. In intent. It looked expensive enough to enter any corpo residence in Night City without apology. The material held every deliberate line. The open sections showed exactly enough skin to make the entire construction feel slightly indecent. And the visible release hardware made no attempt to conceal what would happen if someone used it. That was the catch. The longer someone looked, the less innocent the dress became. Mandi turned sideways. Then back. "Oh, Lena." "Problem?" "This is obscene." "Thank you." Mandi looked at herself again. "No, seriously." She touched one of the release points. "Anyone looking at this knows." "That's the idea." "They can see how it opens." "Yes." Mandi's smile became positively wicked. "Perfect." Dalia emerged from the other side of the room. Mandi stopped. Shammy raised her head. Lena simply smiled. The long gown changed Dalia completely. Not into a corpo. Into someone who could enter their rooms without needing to imitate one. The screaming-pink hair prevented the look from becoming conservative. The green eyes made it stranger. The gown did the rest. Long. Controlled. Elegant. And openly sexual once the eye followed its lines. The split shifted with each step. The open back changed the silhouette when she turned. The visible release hardware ran like an invitation through the design. Dalia stopped beside Mandi. Mandi stared. Dalia removed the lollipop. "Well?" Mandi looked slowly from the floor upward. "Jesus fucking Christ." Dalia smiled. "Useful feedback." Mandi moved closer. "Turn." Dalia raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" "Professional assessment." "Of course." Dalia turned. Slowly. The gown moved perfectly. No bunching. No distortion. The back was even worse. Mandi looked at Lena. "You did this deliberately." Lena stared at her. "Obviously." Shammy rose. That still changed the room. Every time. The enormous grey wolf crossed toward them. Mandi and Dalia stood side by side. Screaming orange. Screaming pink. Black eyes. Emerald-reflective eyes. Two genuinely corpo-level evening gowns. Both outrageously sexual. Both visibly designed around the promise that they would not necessarily remain on for very long. Shammy stopped between them. Lena looked at all three. And laughed once. Mandi looked at her. "What?" Lena gestured. "This." "What about it?" "This is exactly what I was trying to do." Dalia's whiskey-smoke voice came low. "Meaning?" "You look like somebody extremely rich hired two extremely expensive women and told them not to pretend the evening was innocent." Silence. Mandi slowly smiled. "Perfect." Dalia put the lollipop back between her lips. "Very." Shammy's internal voice came dryly. _And apparently I am part of the ensemble._ Mandi looked up at her. "Oh, absolutely." _Guard._ "Guard." Mandi paused. Then smiled. "Very expensive guard." Shammy stared. Mandi raised both hands. "I didn't say good wolf." _Progress._ --- They tested the releases. Of course they tested the releases. Lena insisted. Mandi volunteered with suspicious enthusiasm. "Ready?" Mandi stood in front of the mirror. "Do it." Lena indicated the first point. "Not me." Mandi looked at her. "You." "Oh." Mandi touched it. Released. One. Then the next. The gown changed tension immediately. Another. The structural line opened. Mandi's eyebrows climbed. Another movement— and the gown ceased being something she was wearing and became something she was holding. Mandi stared at it. Then at herself in the mirror. Then at Lena. "That is fucking ridiculous." Dalia checked the time. "How long?" Lena told her. Mandi's mouth fell open. "No." "Yes." Mandi looked at the gown. "Again." Dalia laughed. Lena sighed. "Put it back on." Mandi did. The fabric settled. The structure returned. No visible creasing. No evidence that it had just been removed. Dalia tested hers next. Different sequence. Same philosophy. Visible. Obvious. Fast. The long gown released with startling efficiency once the correct points were used. Dalia looked down at it. Then at Lena. "That is almost indecently practical." "Almost?" Dalia's mouth twitched. "Fair." Mandi pointed at her. "Again." "No." "Come on." "We know it works." "But—" "Mandi." "Fine." One grey ear tipped toward Mandi. Mandi turned. "I saw that." _Good._ --- Then Mandi reached for her shard. Dalia noticed. "What are you doing?" "Fixing something." "That sentence is almost never reassuring." Mandi looked at Shammy. The huge grey wolf looked back. Then Mandi looked at Dalia. "We haven't asked Elisa about her." Dalia went still. The joking vanished. Lena stopped packing. Shammy's ears shifted. "Shit," Mandi said. Dalia nodded. "You're right." _I assumed she knew,_ Shammy said. "She knows we're allowed our own security," Dalia replied. "She does not know that our security is currently you in a full-scale wolf biosculpt." Mandi looked at Shammy. "That's probably worth mentioning." Lena stared at her. "Probably?" Mandi opened the client channel. Dalia caught her wrist. "Words first." Mandi looked offended. "I know how to communicate." Dalia looked at Shammy. Then Lena. Neither supported Mandi. "Fuck all of you." She typed. **MANDI:** Small change before tonight. We'd like to bring our own guard with us, if you're comfortable with that. The reply arrived quickly. **ELISA:** Your own guard? **MANDI:** Yes. She's part of our own group, fully sentient, fully briefed, and there for us rather than your security team. Mandi paused. Then added: **MANDI:** There's one unusual part. **ELISA:** How unusual? Mandi looked at Shammy. "Photo?" Shammy considered. _Yes._ Dalia sighed. "Fine." Mandi crouched beside Shammy. The wolf alone provided almost no useful scale. Mandi did. At 145 centimeters, she provided rather too much. She stood beside Shammy. Looked at the lens. Grinned. Shammy looked enormous. Perfect. Click. Dalia stared. "You chose yourself for scale because it's funny." "Visual clarity." "Mandi." "Multifunctional visual clarity." She sent it. Three seconds. Five. Eight. **ELISA:** WHAT THE FUCK Mandi's grin became enormous. Lena laughed. Shammy's ears tipped forward. Dalia saw it. Said nothing. **ELISA:** Is that actually a wolf? **MANDI:** Shammy. Temporary biosculpt. She is completely herself underneath it, completely sentient, and yes, she really looks like that. Pause. **ELISA:** She has a name. Mandi's expression softened. **MANDI:** Of course she does. Then she became serious. **MANDI:** Important part: she isn't included in what you booked. We want her with us as our guard and companion. If you're not comfortable having her in your home, that's completely fine. She stays here. Dalia watched her. That was the important line. Not the joke. Not the photograph. Elisa's home. Elisa's decision. The reply took longer. **ELISA:** I need to ask something before I say yes. **MANDI:** Ask. **ELISA:** Is she comfortable around strangers? I don't mean safe. I mean comfortable. I don't want someone spending the whole weekend stressed because I thought having a giant wolf there would be amazing. The room quieted. Mandi read it twice. Then looked at Shammy. Shammy's ears shifted forward. _Tell her I can still read people normally._ Mandi typed. **MANDI:** She reads people better than either of us. The sculpt dampens one thing she can normally do, but she can still read the room perfectly. Shammy looked at her. _And tell her I chose this._ Mandi added: **MANDI:** And this was her choice. Victor gave her the medical facts. Shammy decided she wanted to try the sculpt. The response came quickly. **ELISA:** Can she tell me herself that she wants to come? Mandi stopped. Dalia's expression softened. Shammy raised her head. _Connect me._ Mandi opened the audio channel. Elisa answered. "Hello?" Shammy's own voice came through the link. Calm. Measured. "Hello, Elisa." A pause. Then: "Oh." Mandi smiled. Shammy continued. "Mandi and Dalia asked whether I wanted to accompany them." "You do?" "Yes." "You're not doing it because they need you to?" "No." "You're comfortable being there like this?" Shammy looked down at her grey forelegs. "I am still learning the body." Another pause. "But yes." Elisa's voice softened. "If anything at my place makes it uncomfortable, tell me." "I will." "And if my friends are idiots?" Mandi covered her mouth. Dalia's reflective eyes narrowed with amusement. Shammy answered: "I will tell them." Elisa laughed. "Okay." Then the brightness returned. "Then yes. Absolutely." Mandi silently raised both arms. Dalia pushed one down. "And she's staying all weekend?" Shammy answered herself. "If that remains acceptable." "It does." A beat. "Very acceptable." Mandi leaned toward the shard. "How acceptable?" Dalia closed her eyes. Elisa laughed. "Bring the fucking wolf, Mandi." Mandi pointed triumphantly at Dalia. "Client wording." Dalia looked at Shammy. "Regrets?" Shammy's tail moved. Once. "No." Elisa heard the amusement. "Wait. Does she have a tail?" Mandi opened her mouth. Shammy disconnected the call. Mandi stared at the dead channel. "You bitch." _Correct._ Lena had to sit down. --- The contract gained one important addition. **SHAMMY — APPROVED PERSONAL GUARD / COMPANION. NOT PART OF ESCORT BOOKING. SENTIENT. INDEPENDENT AGENCY. CLIENT APPROVAL CONFIRMED.** Mandi looked at it. "Can we put 'giant fucking wolf'?" "No," Dalia said. "That's basically a direct client quote." "No." "You're no fun." "I am wearing a gown specifically designed so somebody can see how quickly they can get me out of it." Mandi paused. "Fair." Dalia put the lollipop between her lips. Shammy's ears shifted. Lena laughed. Final checks. Contacts. Hair. Clothes. Comms. Medical. Contract. Security. Mandi looked at Dalia. "Still want this?" Dalia met her black eyes. "Yes." "So do I." They looked at Shammy. Shammy rose. Huge. Grey. Calm. "Yes." Mandi smiled. "Then let's go make somebody's quarter million worthwhile." --- The vehicle ride was surprisingly calm. Mostly because Shammy occupied most of the rear section. Mandi sat beside her. Dalia opposite. Night City moved past in strips of neon and rain. The gowns had passed their first practical test immediately. Sitting. Standing. Vehicle restraints. Movement. Not a crease. Mandi looked down at hers. "I want this fabric on everything." Dalia looked at her. "You would abuse it." "Obviously." Shammy's ears moved. Mandi leaned back against grey fur. "Quarter million." Dalia sighed. "You have said that seventeen times." "Eighteen." "Thank you." Mandi looked at Shammy. "You know what the best part is?" "No." "If Elisa's boring, we still get quarter million." Dalia's voice came dry. "That is not the best part." Mandi looked at her. "What is?" Passing light struck Dalia's eyes. Emerald flashed. "That Suzie said she's attractive." Mandi stared. Then laughed. "Fuck." Shammy's ears tilted toward them. "You are both extremely predictable." Mandi scratched gently along her shoulder. "You're one to talk." "About what?" "Tail." Shammy turned her head. Mandi immediately raised both hands. "Nothing." Dalia smiled around the lollipop. The vehicle slowed. Security gates appeared. Opened. The residence came into view beyond them. Low. Enormous. Warm glass. Dark stone. Water reflecting architectural light. No visible neighbors. No compromise. Mandi stared. "Oh." Dalia looked at the property. "That explains some of the money." "Some," Shammy agreed. The vehicle stopped beneath the covered entrance. The door opened. Warm air. Soft light. Music somewhere inside. Mandi stepped out first. The gown settled immediately. Not one crease. Neon-orange hair. Black eyes. Tiny frame wrapped in unmistakably expensive eveningwear whose visible hardware made its secondary purpose almost embarrassingly easy to understand. Elisa stood at the top of three shallow steps. Slim. Bright. Nineteen. A short pale dress. No entourage. She saw Mandi. Stopped. Her expression changed. Then Dalia stepped out. Long gown. Screaming-pink hair. Menthol lollipop. Green eyes catching the entrance light and throwing emerald straight back. Elisa stared. Dalia let her. Then Shammy stepped out behind them. Elisa stopped completely. Her eyes dropped. Grey paws. Up. Shoulders. Higher. The photograph had contained Mandi for scale. Apparently Elisa's brain had rejected the information. "Oh." Mandi smiled. Dalia's voice came around the lollipop. "Different in person?" Elisa stared at Shammy. "The picture lied." "The picture was accurate," Mandi protested. "The picture did not adequately communicate that you were bringing me a fucking nightmare wolf." Shammy tilted her head. Elisa looked at her. And smiled. Slowly. Delighted. "Hi, Shammy." "Hello, Elisa." Elisa descended one step. Then another. Stopped at a respectful distance. "I meant what I said." Mandi raised an eyebrow. "Which part?" "She's welcome." Shammy's posture loosened by a fraction. Mandi saw. Dalia saw Mandi see it. Dalia caught Mandi by one of the gown's very visible decorative straps before she could speak. Mandi looked down at the hand. Then at Dalia. "Careful." Dalia's reflective eyes flashed. "I know exactly which one releases the dress." Mandi went silent. Elisa heard that. Looked at the strap. Looked at the visible hardware. Then at Mandi. Then very slowly at Dalia's gown. Understanding arrived. "Oh." Mandi's black eyes gleamed. There it was. The second look. The moment Lena had designed both gowns to create. Elisa looked from one woman to the other. Her smile changed. "Those are..." "New," Mandi said. Dalia removed the lollipop. "Made for tonight." Elisa's gaze followed the release line on Mandi's gown once more. Then Dalia's. "Your designer is evil." Mandi smiled. "We told her." Elisa looked at the three of them. Mandi. Dalia. Shammy. Her already ridiculous quarter-million-eurodollar weekend had apparently become significantly better before anyone had even crossed the threshold. She stepped aside. "Come inside." Mandi climbed the stairs. Dalia followed. Shammy came last. Three steps. Smoothly. Naturally. No hesitation. Victor would have been proud. Mandi glanced back at her. Shammy caught the look. _Do not._ Mandi smiled. "I didn't say anything." _Your face did._ Dalia laughed. Elisa looked between them. Then at the enormous grey wolf entering her home. Then at the two outrageously dressed women beside her. And laughed too. The door closed behind them. --- ## Chapter 5 — The Residence Elisa did not shake hands. This was the first thing Mandi learned about her. The second was that Suzie Q had undersold _bright_. Not bubbly. Not loud. Not one of those young corpo women who had learned to mistake volume for authority before anyone had taught them what authority was. Bright in the more dangerous sense. Present. Interested. The kind of person who looked directly at something she liked and apparently saw no reason to pretend otherwise. Right now, she liked Dalia. A lot. Mandi watched it happen from half a step away. Dalia's reflective contacts caught the entrance lighting again and threw that impossible emerald flash back across her face. Elisa stared. Dalia let her. Menthol lollipop between two fingers now. The long corpo-level evening gown held perfectly after the ride, every line exactly where Lena had built it. Elegant. Controlled. Expensive. And, once the eye reached the visible release hardware, outrageously honest about why the woman wearing it might not remain dressed for very long. Elisa's gaze found the hardware. Paused. Returned to Dalia's face. Dalia noticed that too. Of course she did. "Different in person?" she asked. The whiskey-smoke voice made Elisa's attention sharpen all over again. "Everything is different in person." Mandi smiled. "Promising answer." Elisa finally looked at her. Properly. Not just as the smaller orange one standing beside Dalia. Mandi was tiny enough that Elisa had to look down. She did. Slowly. Screaming-orange hair. Black eyes. The shorter evening gown Lena had designed specifically around Ace's compact body rather than trying to disguise it. Corpo couture. Open enough to be insolent. Structured enough to look expensive instead of cheap. And the visible fast-release hardware doing exactly what Lena had intended: inviting a second look. Elisa took it. Then a third. Mandi smiled. "You've been staring." "I paid for the privilege." Dalia made a soft sound. Elisa's expression changed immediately. Not defensive. Interested. "Too much?" Mandi liked that. The question. Not because she minded being looked at. Quite the opposite. Because Elisa still checked. "No," Mandi said. "Just wondering if you're planning to spend the whole weekend doing it." Elisa looked at her. Then Dalia. Then Shammy. "I had plans." "There she is." Dalia put the lollipop back between her lips. Shammy stood behind them, enormous and grey and now steady enough on the sculpted wolf body that the entrance steps had barely registered. Elisa looked up at her. Still up. The delight from outside had not diminished. If anything it had become more focused now that the initial scale shock had passed. "You really are bigger in person." Shammy's ears tipped forward. "So you said." Elisa laughed. "You remember." "I was on the call." "Right." Mandi looked at Dalia. Dalia looked back. Shammy had spoken to Elisa before the event. Elisa knew who she was. Knew she was sentient. Knew she had chosen the sculpt. Knew she was there because she wanted to be. That mattered. It changed the entire first contact. No awkward explanation. No _does she talk?_ No treating Shammy like some impossible pet that had arrived unannounced with the escorts. Elisa simply looked at her and asked: "Still okay if I touch you?" Shammy considered. "Yes." Elisa stepped closer. Not too close. One hand against the side of Shammy's neck. No grabbing. No scratching immediately. Just palm against dense grey fur. Elisa inhaled. "Oh, fuck." Mandi crossed her arms. "Told you." "You sent a picture." "I implied quality." Dalia's mouth twitched. Elisa's fingers moved slowly through the coat. Shammy read her. Curiosity. Warmth. The same delighted pressure she'd already heard in Elisa's voice on the call. No fear. No ownership. No confusion. Just an almost absurd amount of joy at being allowed to touch a giant grey wolf who could answer back. Shammy's tail moved. Once. Mandi saw it. Dalia saw Mandi see it. Dalia caught Mandi lightly by the back of the collar. Mandi turned. "What?" "No." "I wasn't going to say anything." "You inhaled." "People breathe." "Not like that." Elisa looked over. "What?" Mandi smiled brightly. "Nothing." Shammy's voice came perfectly calm. "Smart choice." Mandi's smile strained. Elisa kept stroking Shammy's neck. "I already love her." Dalia raised one eyebrow. "We've been inside for less than a minute." "I spoke to her earlier." "Fine. You've known her for several hours." "Exactly." "Much better." Elisa looked at Dalia. "You keep doing that voice and I'm going to lose track." Mandi's eyes lit. Dalia slowly removed the lollipop. "Track of?" Elisa held her gaze. "Lots of things." Mandi looked at Shammy. Shammy looked back. No private-link comment needed. The room was already telling her everything. This weekend was going to be very easy to read. --- The residence was worse inside. Or better. Depending on whether a person considered obscene wealth a design philosophy. There was no grand lobby. No vast entrance hall designed for strangers to stand in and understand the owner's net worth. The house simply opened. Warm stone underfoot. Dark wood. Glass. Soft indirect lighting. Water moving somewhere beyond the first social level. Not a decorative fountain. An actual internal channel cutting through part of the architecture before disappearing beneath glass and continuing toward a landscaped pool outside. Nothing shouted. Everything cost too much. Mandi turned slowly. "Okay." Elisa walked backward in front of them. "You keep saying that like something is wrong." "No. This is a different okay." "Good?" "Financially offensive." Elisa smiled. "I'll take it." Dalia looked toward the ceiling. No visible cameras. That did not mean there were none. Elisa noticed where she was looking. "Private security only. No recording in any guest or private area." "We have that in writing," Dalia said. "I know." "Good." "You really do read contracts." Dalia looked at her. Elisa grinned. "Sorry." "No you're not." "No." The lollipop returned. Mandi wandered toward a climate-controlled wall display containing several bottles she recognized only because Mai had once explained why anyone spending that much money on fermented grapes should be physically restrained. She looked at Elisa. "Your friends know what the weekend is?" "Yes." "Know what we are?" "Yes." "Know the rules?" "Yes." "Know about Shammy?" Elisa nodded. "I sent the message before you got here." Mandi looked at Shammy. "See? Professional." Shammy's ears moved. "Elisa was professional." Mandi stared. "Betrayal." Dalia laughed around the lollipop. Elisa looked delighted. "I think I'm starting to understand the dynamic." "No," Mandi said. "You're seeing propaganda." "From the wolf?" "Especially from the wolf." Shammy sat. The movement had become increasingly natural. Elisa watched. Not because it was strange anymore. Because she was still fascinated. "Anything specific I should tell people besides ask before touching?" Shammy answered herself. "Do not surprise me from behind." Elisa nodded immediately. "Done." "I may move unexpectedly if something in the room changes." "Security?" "Pressure." Elisa's expression sharpened. The call had only covered the basics. Mandi leaned against the bottle display. "Shammy reads people." "How literally?" Shammy looked at her. "Very." Elisa's eyes widened slightly. Dalia watched the realization arrive. Shammy continued. "I can normally influence some of what I read." "Calm people down?" "Sometimes." "And the sculpt changes that." "Yes." "But not the reading." "No." Elisa stared at her for a second. Then pointed at herself. "So you know I'm nervous." Mandi made a tiny choking noise. Dalia's eyes closed briefly. Shammy could have softened it. She did not. "Yes." Elisa covered her face. Mandi broke. Not elegantly. She folded against the bottle display laughing. Dalia tried to maintain composure and failed. Elisa dropped her hands. "Oh, fuck all three of you." Mandi immediately pointed. "Promising start." Dalia nearly lost the lollipop. Shammy's tail hit the floor once. THUMP. Everyone looked. Shammy froze. Mandi slowly turned. "Was that—" "No." "Shammy." "No." "That was a tail thump." "It was architecture." Elisa laughed so hard she had to lean against the wall. Dalia looked at Shammy. Then Mandi. Then Elisa. "Twenty-three hours." Elisa wiped her eyes. "Until what?" "Until I start charging extra for both of them." Mandi gasped. "You wouldn't." Dalia's whiskey-smoke voice came perfectly calm. "Watch me." --- The tour had clearly been intended to take fifteen minutes. It took forty-six. Mostly because Elisa kept getting distracted. "This is the main lounge." Mandi discovered the bar. "This is the west terrace." Dalia discovered the view. "Guest rooms." Shammy discovered the corridor was wide enough for her to turn without backing up. Then they reached the private wing. Six doors. Three on each side of a quiet corridor separated from the main sleeping area. No labels. No lurid lighting. Nothing tacky. Just privacy designed into architecture. Mandi stopped. Looked at the doors. Looked at Elisa. "Ah." Elisa smiled. "Yes." Dalia joined them. "Purpose-built?" "My parents remodeled this part years ago." Mandi's eyebrows rose. Elisa immediately laughed. "No, not for me." "Shame." "Mandi." Shammy's voice came from behind them. Mandi looked over. "What? Historical architecture matters." Dalia opened one door. Large bedroom. Attached bath. Independent environmental controls. Soft lighting. Locking from the inside. Nothing screaming _sex room._ Which somehow made the purpose more obvious. The room existed so adults could close the door and not worry about what happened after. Dalia nodded. "Useful." Elisa looked pleased. "That's what Shammy called the architecture." Mandi pointed. "See?" Shammy stared at her. They continued. Another smaller lounge. A dining room that could apparently become three different rooms depending on how the walls moved. Then an indoor heated pool. Mandi stopped. "No." Elisa looked alarmed. "You don't like pools?" "I love pools." "Then?" Mandi looked around the room. Warm water. Low lighting. Glass opening toward the dark garden. Then looked at Elisa. "I just remembered we're here until Sunday." Elisa blinked. Understanding arrived. "Oh." Dalia closed her eyes. "Mandi." "What?" "We've been here less than an hour." "Exactly." Elisa laughed. Shammy sat beside the pool. Her reflection in the water was enormous. Grey wolf. Two women in scandalously expensive corpo evening gowns. Elisa standing between them looking increasingly satisfied with her own judgment. Nobody needed pressure adjustment. --- Their sleeping area was farther from the private encounter rooms. One large bedroom assigned to Mandi and Dalia. An adjacent guest room offered for Shammy. Elisa opened the door. Looked at the bed. Looked at Shammy. Back at the bed. "No." Mandi leaned around her. "No?" "That is ridiculous." Shammy tilted her head. "What is?" "Expecting you to sleep on that." Shammy looked at the bed. Then at herself. "Correct." Elisa thought. Then looked toward the larger bedroom. "Do you want to stay with them?" Shammy looked at Mandi. Then Dalia. "Yes." Elisa nodded. "Okay." No reaction. No teasing. No assumption about why. Just acceptance. That mattered. She stepped into Mandi and Dalia's room. Large bed. Plenty of floor space beside it. Mandi looked at Shammy. "You fit." "Technically." "That's how love works." Dalia stared at Mandi. "No." "What?" "No sentence beginning with 'that's how love works' should ever end with floor geometry." Elisa laughed. Mandi looked offended. "You're ruining romance." "I'm saving language." Elisa tapped the room controls. "Floor heating?" Shammy looked down. "Yes." "Padded section?" Shammy considered. "Yes." "Done." The floor beside the bed changed temperature gradually beneath her paws. Mandi looked at Elisa. "You're very good at this." "I own the house." "Still." Elisa smiled. Dalia moved toward the lock controls. "Local?" "Only you three and emergency medical override." "Good." Elisa changed it immediately. No argument. No explanation. Dalia noticed. Stored it. Mandi noticed too. The women exchanged a glance. Elisa caught it. "What?" "Nothing," Mandi said. Dalia corrected: "Good nothing." Elisa smiled. "I'll take that too." --- They had time before the other guests arrived. Enough to settle. Enough to drink water. Enough for Mandi to discover that her dress really did refuse to wrinkle even after she sat sideways across the bed in a posture Lena absolutely had not designed it for. She looked down. "Still perfect." Dalia glanced over. "Do not sound surprised." "I'm not surprised." "You sound surprised." "I'm impressed." Shammy lowered herself onto the newly padded heated floor. Mandi looked at the dress hardware. Then at Elisa. Elisa was looking too. Mandi noticed. Her smile changed. "Found the interesting part?" Elisa's eyes lifted. "I noticed it outside." "The hardware?" "Very much." Dalia stood near the window. Menthol lollipop between two fingers. Elisa looked toward her gown too. Longer. More controlled. The release line deliberately visible against the fabric. Elisa's gaze followed it. Then stopped herself. Dalia noticed the restraint. "You're allowed to look." Elisa's eyes returned to hers. "I know." "Then why stop?" Elisa smiled slowly. "Because I was trying to behave." Mandi laughed. "Bad choice." Dalia's green contacts flashed emerald. "Very." Elisa leaned against the edge of the dresser. "Your designer really is evil." "Lena," Mandi said. "She's good." "She'd like that better." "Does she make these often?" Dalia answered. "These two? No." "Made for this weekend?" "Yes." That did something to Elisa. Shammy felt it. Pride. Pleasure. Excitement. The idea that the two women standing in her room had been dressed specifically for the event she created. Mandi caught the shift visually. Dalia caught it because Mai understood people without needing Shammy's pressure sense. Elisa looked at the visible release hardware again. "How fast?" Mandi's black eyes gleamed. "Fast." "How fast?" Dalia smiled around the lollipop. "Maybe you'll find out." Elisa went quiet. Shammy's ears moved. Mandi immediately looked at her. "Don't." "I said nothing." "Your ears did." Elisa burst out laughing. --- The first guest arrived shortly after seven. A woman with silver implants running along one temple and a laugh louder than necessary. She hugged Elisa. Then saw Mandi. Stopped. Saw Dalia. Stopped again. Then noticed Shammy. "Oh, fuck me." Mandi leaned toward Dalia. "Possible." Dalia elbowed her. The woman heard. She laughed harder. Elisa pointed toward Shammy. "Ask before touching. Don't come up behind her. She's fully sentient and if she tells you to stop, you stop." The woman looked at Shammy. "Can I say hello?" "You just did," Shammy answered. The woman stared. Then laughed. "Oh, I love this weekend already." More arrived. Not a crowd. Exactly as promised. A man around Elisa's age with immaculate nails and the relaxed posture of someone who had never considered rent an existential issue. Two women together, obviously a couple. One tall and sharp. One softer and quieter. Another man later, somewhat older than the rest but nowhere close to parental, carrying himself with the calm attention of someone who understood that expensive rooms still had rules. Small group. Enough to make the residence feel alive. Not enough to turn anyone anonymous. Mandi and Dalia stayed close to Elisa. Not attached. Close. Visible. Their dresses drew attention before anyone even processed the women inside them. The hardware drew second looks. That had been Lena's entire point. Mandi saw one guest notice exactly how the release line worked. The woman's expression changed. Mandi smiled directly at her. The woman looked away. Then back. Good. Dalia drew attention differently. Less immediate. Longer. Eyes following the dress line. The split. The open back. The visible mechanisms. Then the screaming-pink hair and emerald flashes from the contacts. People returned to her after looking elsewhere. Elisa noticed that. Liked it. Shammy knew. Not possession. Pride. A little performative satisfaction. _Look what I brought._ She lay near the transition between lounge and terrace. Good sightlines. Most exits visible. Cool air moving through the open glass. Pressure everywhere. Curiosity. Attraction. Nerves. Excitement. Nothing threatening. Nothing that needed intervention. And for once— nothing she could easily intervene in anyway. Shammy let the room exist. --- The first hour became drinks. Food. Music. Conversation. No schedule. No countdown. No sense that anyone had paid enough money to require efficiency. That was perhaps Mandi's favorite thing about Elisa's wealth. Elisa had bought so much time that nobody needed to optimize it. Mandi sat sideways in a lounge chair. The new gown somehow survived. Dalia sat beside her, longer dress arranged with unconscious precision. Elisa drifted. Returned. Touched Mandi's shoulder while passing. Allowed Dalia's hand to rest briefly at her lower back during a conversation. Moved again. Came back again. The social rhythm became easy. At one point Elisa sat on the floor beside Shammy with a plate. Meat. Actual meat. Shammy lifted her head. Mandi noticed from across the room. Her eyes widened. Dalia saw Mandi's expression. Immediate alarm. "Mandi." Mandi clamped both hands over her mouth. Elisa looked between them. "What?" Shammy lowered her muzzle toward the plate. "She's trying not to say good wolf." Elisa folded over laughing. Several conversations stopped. Mandi threw both hands upward. "WHY WOULD YOU TELL HER?" Shammy ate one piece. "Consequences." Dalia looked deeply satisfied. Elisa wiped her eyes. "She already tried it?" "Once," Mandi said. Shammy looked at her. "Twice." Elisa looked delighted. "Can I say it?" Mandi answered immediately. "No." Shammy considered Elisa. "Maybe later." Mandi stared. "BETRAYAL." Dalia took the lollipop out. "Interesting." Mandi pointed at Shammy. "You like her more than me already." Shammy ate another piece of meat. "She has better food." That destroyed Elisa again. And something shifted with it. The last thin residue of _client and escorts_ stiffness faded. Not the contract. Never the contract. The social pressure. People returned to conversations. Somebody poured Mandi another drink. Dalia accepted water. Elisa remained beside Shammy for a while, occasionally touching the grey coat only after a glance that asked each time. Shammy allowed it. Safe. Warm. Interested. Across the room, Mandi looked at Elisa. Elisa happened to look up. Their eyes met. Black. Bright. Elisa's smile softened. Not social. Mandi felt the answering interest rise. Dalia noticed. Of course she did. Her knee touched Mandi's. Mandi looked toward her. Dalia's reflective eyes caught the room lighting. Emerald. The lollipop moved slowly between her lips. Mandi's pulse kicked. Shammy's ears shifted. Mandi caught it from across the room. "You stay out of my head." Shammy answered immediately. "I'm not in your head." Dalia's mouth twitched. Mandi looked toward Elisa again. Elisa was still watching. Then she stood. Walked over. No announcement. No entourage. Stopped in front of Mandi. Looked at Dalia. Then Mandi again. Shammy read the pressure tighten around all three. Anticipation. Nerves. Desire. No uncertainty about whether anyone wanted something. Only about when somebody would finally say it. Elisa did. "Would now be too soon?" Mandi's grin disappeared. Not because the answer was no. Because Elisa had asked correctly. Dalia removed the lollipop. "Too soon for what?" Elisa looked at her. Her voice stayed bright. But quieter. "For me to stop pretending I invited you here mainly for conversation." Mandi leaned back. Black eyes on Elisa. Dalia looked at Mandi. Mandi looked at Dalia. No negotiation. Recognition. Yes. Mandi looked toward Shammy. The enormous grey wolf was already watching them. Calm. Present. Elisa followed her gaze. No hesitation. No concern. She already knew Shammy. Already knew she had chosen to come. Already knew she read the room. Elisa smiled. "So." Dalia stood. The long gown settled perfectly. She stepped close enough that Elisa had to lift her chin slightly. Whiskey-smoke voice. "Show us the room you like best." Elisa inhaled. Mandi stood beside them. Tiny. Screaming orange. Black eyes. Corpo-level evening gown with release hardware that Elisa now understood far too well. Elisa looked at one. Then the other. Then at Shammy. "You're coming?" Shammy rose. "Yes." Elisa's smile widened. "Good." Grey shoulders moved beneath the coat. The room noticed. Several conversations paused. Elisa did not. She turned toward the private corridor. Mandi slipped one hand into hers. Dalia followed on the other side. Shammy walked behind them. No hurry. No embarrassment. No need for explanation. The release hardware on Mandi's dress caught the corridor light. Then Dalia's. Elisa noticed both. Mandi noticed Elisa noticing. And smiled. The first door closed behind all four of them a minute later. --- ## Chapter 6 — First Choice The door closed behind them. For a moment, nobody moved. Not because anyone had changed their mind. Because the room had changed the rules. The lounge outside had been social. Bright enough for people to watch one another. Loud enough for conversation to blur at the edges. This room was quieter. Warmer. Built for people who had already decided they wanted privacy. Mandi looked around first. Low indirect lighting. Dark glass opening toward the private garden. A wide bed set lower than the rest of the room. A chair beside it. Water already waiting. Nothing theatrical. Nothing trying too hard. She smiled. "Oh." Elisa laughed softly. "Good oh?" Mandi turned toward her. "Very." Dalia had already noticed everything practical. Door. Bathroom. Terrace access. Locks. Shammy had noticed more. Pressure. Elisa's nerves had come back the instant the door closed. Not fear. Not doubt. Just reality. The difference between imagining a weekend like this and standing in a bedroom with two women she'd paid an absurd amount of money to spend it with. Shammy walked a slow circuit of the room. Then settled near the foot of the bed. Elisa watched her. "Everything okay?" "Yes." That helped. Mandi saw it. Dalia did too. Mandi stepped closer. "You okay?" Elisa nodded. "Yes." Mandi tilted her head. "Still want this?" That made Elisa smile. "Very much." Dalia's whiskey-smoke voice came from behind her. "Good." Elisa turned toward her. Dalia had removed the menthol lollipop and set it into a small dish beside the bed. The little action felt more deliberate now. Elisa noticed. Her eyes returned to Mandi. Then Dalia. Then back. Mandi smiled. "First choice is yours." Elisa let out a breath. "Both." Dalia's mouth curved. "Then both." Simple. No performance. No pretending the answer surprised anyone. Mandi closed the distance first. Not all of it. Enough that Elisa could choose the rest. Elisa looked down at her. Screaming-orange hair. Black eyes. Tiny frame inside an evening gown that was still somehow more expensive-looking than indecent until the eye followed the visible release hardware. Elisa's hand settled lightly at Mandi's waist. Mandi leaned into it. Elisa smiled. "You're really small." Mandi's eyebrow rose. "Excellent opening line." "I meant—" "I know." Elisa laughed. The tension eased. Then she kissed Mandi. Careful at first. Mandi let her. For a few seconds. Then one hand rose behind Elisa's neck and the kiss warmed. Not faster. Closer. Elisa's other hand found Mandi's side. Mandi shifted in. The distance disappeared. Dalia stayed where she was. Watching. Giving Elisa room to learn one person at a time. That mattered. When Mandi finally pulled back, Elisa kept her eyes closed for a second. Mandi smiled. "Better?" Elisa opened them. "Much." "Good." Then Elisa looked toward Dalia. Dalia waited. Not inviting her with a gesture. Not approaching. Just there. Tall. Controlled. Pink hair. Green eyes catching the room light and flashing emerald. Elisa crossed toward her. Dalia let her. Elisa stopped close. Dalia's voice dropped. "Still nervous?" "A little." "Good." Elisa blinked. "Good?" "Means you're paying attention." That made her laugh again. Then Elisa kissed her. Different. Dalia answered slowly. One hand at Elisa's waist. The other resting lightly along her jaw. No hurry. No attempt to take over. Just steady warmth. Elisa leaned closer. Dalia let the kiss deepen. Then stopped it. Elisa opened her eyes. Dalia looked at her. "You chose both." Elisa smiled. "Right." She turned. Mandi was already behind her. Black eyes bright. Elisa laughed. "Oh." Mandi grinned. "There you go." --- They did not rush the dresses. Mandi clearly wanted to. Dalia clearly knew she wanted to. Elisa noticed both. That made the delay more fun. They stayed close. Kissed again. Touched. Adjusted. Learned. Mandi had a tendency to move first and let everyone else catch up. Dalia did the opposite. Elisa found herself between them. Not physically trapped. Held in attention. Dalia kissed her. Mandi's hands settled at her waist from behind. Elisa laughed into the kiss. "That's distracting." Mandi rested her chin lightly against Elisa's shoulder. "Professional skill." Dalia looked past Elisa. "Speak for yourself." "You are literally wearing an evening gown designed to tell people how fast it comes off." "So are you." "Exactly." Elisa laughed. Then looked down. Her attention landed on Dalia's hardware. Visible. Elegant. Impossible to misunderstand at this distance. Dalia noticed. "Curious?" "Very." Dalia took Elisa's hand. Guided it close to the first release. Then stopped. Leaving the final movement to her. "Your choice." Elisa touched it. Looked up. Dalia nodded. Click. The gown changed immediately. Not open. Looser. The structure shifting. Elisa's eyes widened. Mandi smiled behind her. "Now she gets it." Elisa found the second. Click. The gown relaxed further. Then the third. And suddenly the expensive architectural line of the dress was no longer holding itself quite so perfectly around Dalia. It was waiting. Elisa looked at her. "You want me to keep going?" "Yes." Elisa touched the final visible release. Paused. Dalia held her gaze. "Go on." Click. The gown came free. Not dramatically. Cleanly. Dalia caught it before it reached the floor. Elisa stared. Then laughed under her breath. "That is obscene." Dalia smiled. "Lena will be pleased." Mandi leaned around Elisa. "Your turn." Elisa turned toward her. Mandi's grin was already suspicious. "Don't coach me." Mandi mimed zipping her mouth. Dalia laughed. Elisa found the first release. Click. Mandi's expression changed. Second. Click. The fabric loosened. Mandi started to say something. Elisa touched one finger lightly to her lips. Mandi stopped. Dalia's reflective eyes flashed. Elisa smiled. "Let me." Mandi nodded. Solemnly. For once. Elisa found the next point. Then the last. Mandi's expression softened. No joke. "Yeah." Elisa released it. The gown came free. Mandi caught it. Held it up once. Then laid it carefully beside Dalia's. Elisa looked at both dresses. Perfect. Not a wrinkle. Then at Mandi. Then Dalia. Then down at herself. And paused. Mandi noticed immediately. "Your turn." Elisa laughed. "Right." There it was. Elisa had dressed for the evening too, and the earlier rush of nerves had almost hidden that simple fact. Not as extravagantly. Not with Lena's engineering. But deliberately. Her pale dress had looked simple downstairs. Up close, it wasn't. Fine fabric. Clean lines. Short enough to feel youthful without looking casual. Expensive in the quiet way people with inherited money often dressed when they didn't need anyone to prove it. Elisa touched the back fastening. Stopped. Looked at Dalia. Then Mandi. "Help?" Mandi answered first. "Gladly." Dalia looked at Elisa. "You sure?" "Yes." Dalia moved behind her. Mandi stayed in front. Elisa could see her. That mattered. Dalia's hands found the fastening at the back of the dress. Slow. No surprise. No tugging. She opened the first closure. Elisa inhaled. Mandi watched her face. Dalia opened the next. The dress loosened. Elisa's hands rose instinctively to hold the front in place. Mandi smiled. Not teasing. Warm. "You okay?" "Yes." Dalia's voice came close behind her. "Want me to keep going?" Elisa nodded. "Yes." Dalia finished opening it. Then stopped. Hands resting lightly at Elisa's shoulders. Letting Elisa decide the rest. Elisa looked at Mandi. Mandi looked back. No grin now. No line. Just attention. Elisa let the dress slide down. Slowly. Not staged. Not coy. Simply deliberate. The fabric gathered around her legs. Dalia caught it before it reached the floor. Of course she did. Elisa stepped free of the pooled dress, then stopped when Mandi’s gaze dropped to the underwear still between intention and full skin contact. “Right,” Elisa said, laughing once at herself. Mandi looked back up. “Want help?” “Yes.” Elisa moved the last barrier down herself while Mandi steadied her and Dalia carried the dress away. A moment later nothing remained between Elisa and the choice she had made. Mandi's eyes stayed on Elisa. Elisa saw the change. She smiled. "Well?" Mandi's black eyes moved over her. Not greedily. Appreciatively. Then back to her face. "Fuck." Elisa laughed. "Good fuck?" "Extremely." Dalia came around beside her. Green eyes flashed. Her expression was quieter. But the reaction was just as obvious. Elisa looked at her. "You too?" Dalia's whiskey-smoke voice dropped. "Very much." That landed differently. Elisa breathed out. Some final piece of nervousness left with it. Mandi stepped closer. Touched Elisa's waist. Dalia did the same from the other side. No one moved farther. Not yet. Just contact. Warm. Chosen. Three people standing close enough to feel each other's breathing. Elisa looked at Mandi. Then Dalia. Then toward Shammy. The wolf was still there. Watching. Calm. Elisa held her gaze. "Still okay?" Shammy answered without hesitation. "Yes." Elisa smiled. "Me too." --- The first kiss after that felt different. Not because less fabric remained between them. Because Elisa no longer felt like she was standing outside something she'd arranged. She was inside it. Mandi kissed her first. Dalia's hand stayed at Elisa's side. Elisa turned slightly toward her. Dalia kissed her next. Mandi moved closer behind. No choreography. No rotation. Just movement following attention. Elisa laughed once when she realized she had nowhere obvious to look. Mandi smiled against her cheek. "Problem?" "No." "Good." Elisa kissed her. Dalia's hand moved higher along Elisa's back. Elisa leaned into it. Mandi shifted closer. The three of them moved toward the bed almost by accident. Mandi backed into it first. The mattress caught behind her knees. She sat down abruptly. Looked offended. "Hostile architecture." Dalia stared. "It's a bed." "It attacked me." "It did not move." "Exactly what it wants you to think." Elisa broke. She sat beside Mandi laughing. Dalia tried to stay composed. Failed. Shammy's tail hit the floor once. THUMP. Mandi pointed immediately. "You too." Shammy remained perfectly calm. "I said nothing." "Tail testimony." Elisa laughed harder. The tension dissolved. But the desire didn't. That was the important thing. Nothing fragile here. Nobody needed silence to stay interested. Elisa looked at Mandi again. Closer now. Mandi's face softened after laughing. The grin lost its edge and left something quieter behind. Elisa touched her cheek. Mandi went still. Attentive. Elisa kissed her. Slow. Mandi answered. One hand resting lightly at Elisa's back. Dalia moved closer on Elisa's other side. Not crowding. Present. Elisa turned toward her. Dalia kissed her. Then stayed close. Elisa's hand found Dalia's arm. Held there. Three bodies adjusting. Finding room. Nobody rushing to the next thing. Mandi shifted back on the bed. Elisa followed. Dalia came with them. The rhythm built in increments. A kiss. A pause. Hands moving. Another kiss. Someone changing position. Someone checking expression. A quiet laugh. Breathing starting to deepen. Mandi's teasing disappeared first. Not suddenly. Gradually. Her black eyes stopped dancing around the room and stayed on Elisa. Dalia noticed. Elisa did too. Mandi touched Elisa's face. "You still good?" Elisa nodded. "Very." Dalia's hand rested at Elisa's hip. "Want to keep going?" "Yes." Clear. Immediate. That was enough. They moved closer. Elisa between them for a while. Then not. No fixed arrangement. No one person directing all of it. Mandi reacted quickly to touch. Dalia more slowly. Elisa learned the difference. Mandi learned when Elisa wanted laughter and when she wanted quiet. Dalia learned how little pressure Elisa needed from her before she followed willingly. Elisa learned that Dalia's control did not mean distance. That Mandi's playfulness did not mean she couldn't become intensely focused. And both women learned that Elisa liked being looked at. Not displayed. Seen. That difference mattered. At one point Elisa caught both of them looking. She laughed softly. "What?" Mandi answered first. "You." "That informative?" "Very." Dalia's eyes flashed green. "She's right." Elisa looked away for half a second. Then back. "Good." Mandi kissed her again. The pace slowed. Then built. Not through spectacle. Through repetition. A touch that worked. Returned to. A kiss that lasted longer the second time. A shift closer. Breath changing. Elisa's hand tightening lightly against Mandi. Dalia's voice dropping lower. Mandi losing another little piece of her grin. Shammy read the whole room. Pressure rising. Warm. Mutual. Stable. She could not influence much of it. The absence still felt strange. Normally there was always something she could adjust. A little reassurance. A softened edge. A quieter pulse in the room. Now she could only read. And stay. For once, staying was enough. Elisa looked toward her once. Shammy met the gaze. No words. Elisa looked back to Mandi and Dalia. No concern left. Only want. Mandi’s hand moved from Elisa’s waist along her inner thigh and stopped. Elisa saw the question, changed position deliberately and opened herself to the next touch. “Yes,” she said. Mandi’s fingers found their way. Elisa’s breath caught hard enough to erase every remaining trace of observation. Dalia drew closer behind Mandi, her own hand finding purpose as Elisa reached for her in return. The hand-centered intimacy became shared rather than sequential—each woman giving, receiving and adjusting to the reactions moving through the other two. The room tightened around that. The outside world disappeared for a while. Music reduced to vibration. Garden lights becoming reflections. The three of them moving together at a pace that no longer needed conversation every few seconds because the earlier questions had built trust. Still checking. Still noticing. But no longer nervous. Elisa’s breath broke first. Her whole body tightened between them, the release unmistakable in the way she clutched Mandi closer and lost the last of her composure. Mandi saw it happen and followed almost with her, breath catching on a helpless sound as her own tension gave way under Dalia’s attentive hand. Dalia held both of them through it. Then Elisa’s answering touch found the last measured control she had kept, and Dalia’s eyes closed as her body tightened and finally released too. The shared rhythm collapsed into stillness. Mandi's forehead came to rest against her shoulder. Dalia stayed close at her other side. Nobody moved away. Nobody reached immediately for water. Nobody joked. Not yet. Just breathing. Heat. Hands still resting where they had landed. A few seconds becoming longer. Then longer still. Elisa opened her eyes. Looked at Mandi. Mandi looked back. Then Dalia. Dalia's green eyes reflected the warm room light. Elisa smiled. Small. Satisfied. "Fuck." Mandi's mouth curved. "Good fuck?" Elisa laughed. "Very." Dalia laughed too. Quietly. And that released the room. Mandi let herself fall sideways against Elisa. Dalia stayed close. Elisa shifted between them until all three were comfortable. No hurry. No second round. No need. The first had earned its own ending. --- Time passed. Enough for breathing to settle. Enough for Elisa's hand to start tracing absently along Mandi's arm. Enough for Dalia to close her eyes for a while. Enough for Shammy to lower her head onto her forepaws. Mandi eventually looked at Elisa. "You okay?" Elisa nodded. "Yes." "Still glad?" Elisa laughed softly. "Very." Dalia opened one eye. "Good." Elisa looked at both of them. "You actually mean that." Mandi's brow furrowed. "Of course." "The fun part." Mandi understood. She smiled. "Yeah." Dalia's voice came low. "You're fun." That hit harder than the flirting had. Elisa's expression changed. Not dramatically. Enough. Shammy noticed. Mandi noticed. Dalia definitely noticed. Elisa looked between them. "Good." Mandi nudged her. "Don't get sentimental. We have a reputation." Elisa laughed. "Back already." Dalia shook her head. "Nearly a minute." "Personal record." Shammy's ears angled lazily toward the conversation. Mandi looked over. "You are enjoying this." "I am observing." "Judgmentally." "Accurately." Elisa laughed again. Then looked at Shammy. "Is she always like this?" Dalia answered: "Yes." Mandi answered: "No." Shammy answered: "Yes." Elisa laughed harder. Mandi pointed at all of them. "Conspiracy." --- Eventually Elisa noticed the orange hair. Mandi had thoroughly ruined it. Or should have. Several strands were still displaced. But even as Elisa watched, ChromeLock was pulling the shape gradually back toward Lena's locked style. Elisa stared. "No." Mandi reached up. Touched it. "Oh." Dalia looked. "Already recovering." Elisa sat up slightly. "That is cheating." Mandi smiled. "That is money." Dalia touched her own pink hair. Still in better condition. Mandi stared. "How?" Dalia's mouth curved. "Skill." "We were doing the same thing." "Better skill." Elisa laughed. Mandi pointed at her. "Don't encourage her." Shammy's head lifted just enough to make her interest obvious. Mandi turned. "You too." "I said nothing." "Nobody here respects me." Dalia looked at her. "You are lying naked in a corpo heiress's bed after she paid us a quarter million eurodollars for the weekend." Mandi considered. "Fair." Elisa went quiet. Not uncomfortable. Thinking. Mandi noticed. "What?" Elisa looked at Mandi. Then Dalia. Then Shammy. A slow smile appeared. "I was just thinking." "About?" Elisa glanced toward the dark window. Then back. "It's only Friday." Silence. Mandi's black eyes brightened. Dalia's expression changed. Shammy raised her head. Elisa looked between them. "That sounded dangerous." Mandi leaned closer. "Extremely." Dalia smiled. Elisa smiled back. "Good." Nobody got dressed yet. Nobody reached for the door. The party could wait a little longer. They had the whole weekend. --- ## Chapter 7 — Worth Waiting For When they finally returned to the main lounge, the party had changed without becoming louder. That was the first thing Dalia noticed. Nobody had decided the evening needed more volume. No one had turned the music up. No one had started drinking faster. The room had simply become less careful. People had stopped arranging themselves. They were sitting where they wanted to sit now. Shoes had come off in at least two places. Someone had opened the glass wall farther toward the terrace. A half-finished bottle of something horrifyingly expensive had migrated from the bar to a low table near the fire. The difference between an event and a weekend had begun. Mandi liked it immediately. She stopped just inside the lounge and looked around. "Better." Elisa glanced at her. "Better than what?" "Than everybody sitting like they were waiting for a shareholder presentation." One of the women near the terrace heard her. "We were not." Mandi turned. The woman lifted her glass. Mandi looked at the seating arrangement around her. Perfect posture. Perfect spacing. Three untouched plates. Then back at the woman. "Babe." The woman laughed. "Fine." Dalia moved beside Mandi. Her screaming-pink hair had already recovered almost completely. The long gown was immaculate. The visible release hardware still ran through it like an extremely expensive dirty joke. Mandi's own shorter gown had survived just as well. Elisa looked at both. Then at herself. Then laughed quietly. "What?" Mandi asked. "Nothing." "That's becoming suspicious." Elisa smiled. "You two look like you disappeared for forty minutes to negotiate an acquisition." Dalia's green eyes flashed emerald. "Did we?" Elisa looked at her. Then at Mandi. Then, very deliberately, at the release hardware. Mandi's grin widened. "Oh, she learned." Elisa laughed. "I know exactly how fast those dresses come off now." A man by the bar nearly inhaled his drink. Mandi turned toward him. "You okay?" He coughed once. "Perfectly." Dalia looked at him. "No, you're not." That got the room. A few people laughed. The man recovered. "You two are fucking dangerous." Mandi leaned against Elisa's shoulder. "That's one of the nicer reviews." Dalia's voice stayed low and smooth. "Depends what happens after the review." Elisa looked between them. "You really do talk like this all the time." Mandi stared. "This is us behaving." Dalia took the menthol lollipop from the small case she'd retrieved on the way back. "She's not joking." Mandi looked offended. "Why would I joke about my professionalism?" "Because you joke about everything else." "Not everything." Dalia raised an eyebrow. Mandi thought about that. "Most things." "Better." Shammy entered behind them. The effect on the room remained immediate. It probably would for the entire weekend. A huge grey wolf could become familiar. She did not become visually ordinary. One of Elisa's friends sitting near the terrace moved her legs aside automatically to give Shammy more room. Then caught herself. "Sorry." Shammy looked at the space. "For what?" "I moved." "Useful." The woman blinked. Mandi burst out laughing. "She's getting meaner." "I am being practical." "Same thing, sometimes." Shammy passed between the seating areas and chose a place near the open glass. Cooler air. Clear view. People around her. Nobody directly behind. Elisa followed with her eyes. Still fascinated. But no longer astonished. That was already a change. --- Nobody asked where they'd been. That would have been ridiculous. Nobody needed to. What happened instead was worse. People looked. Not constantly. Not rudely. But enough. Mandi noticed. Dalia noticed. Elisa noticed them noticing. And liked it. Mandi caught the little shift in her expression. She leaned closer. "Proud of yourself?" Elisa looked at her. "Maybe." "For what?" Elisa's gaze moved over both women. Slowly enough to be intentional. "For having excellent taste." Mandi put one hand to her chest. "Finally. Honesty." Dalia removed the lollipop. "Careful." Elisa looked at her. "Why?" "Compliment her twice and she'll become unbearable." Mandi turned. "Become?" Elisa laughed. Dalia's mouth curved. "Fair." That loosened the room another degree. A silver-haired woman sitting near the low table lifted her glass. "Okay. I have a question." Mandi pointed at her. "Dirty?" The woman laughed. "Maybe." "Better." Elisa shook her head. Dalia looked at the woman. "Ask." The woman glanced at Mandi's dress. Then Dalia's. "The hardware." Mandi spread her hands. "Yes?" "Is it decorative?" Dalia's expression did not change. "No." "At all?" Mandi answered. "It decorates." Dalia continued. "And it releases." The woman stared at the visible line on Dalia's gown. "How much of it?" Mandi smiled. "Ask the dirty question." The woman laughed. "I was trying to be polite." Dalia put the lollipop back between her lips. "Why?" That stopped her. Dalia waited. The woman looked at her. Then laughed again. "Fine." She pointed at the gown. "If someone started opening those, how long before you're naked?" Mandi made a delighted sound. "There she is." The woman covered her face. "Oh, fuck you." "Maybe. Keep talking." Elisa nearly spilled her drink. Dalia pulled the lollipop free. "Fast." The woman looked at her. "How fast?" Dalia's eyes flashed. "Fast enough that if you ever get to find out, you won't be wasting time wondering whether I wanted you to." Silence. Then: "Jesus Christ." Mandi looked toward Elisa. "See?" Elisa was staring at Dalia. "Yes." Dalia put the lollipop back. The silver-haired woman laughed into her glass. Mandi pointed at Dalia. "And that's her being restrained." Dalia looked at her. "Would you like me to stop?" Mandi's black eyes gleamed. "No." "Good." --- The next hour did not produce a single private invitation. That was exactly right. The party needed time to become people. Not categories. Not possible partners. People. Mandi drifted. Sometimes with Elisa. Sometimes without her. She sat cross-legged on the edge of a wide chair beside a woman named Riva who worked in some branch of biomedical finance Mandi understood just enough to insult intelligently. "So your job is to decide which miracle gets funded?" Riva laughed. "That's an incredibly offensive simplification." "Is it wrong?" Riva paused. "Not entirely." "Then it's efficient." "You're awful." "Luxury awful." "Is that different?" "Much more expensive." Riva laughed hard enough to draw attention from the others. Across the room, Dalia was speaking with two guests about music. Not performing interest. Actually interested. One of them had spent three years doing sound architecture for private clubs in Tokyo and was trying to explain why most expensive spaces sounded worse than cheap ones. Dalia listened. Asked questions. Disagreed twice. By the third disagreement, the conversation had shifted from polite to real. Mandi noticed that too. That was the difference. Dalia did not flirt only by touching. She could make somebody feel chosen simply by giving them her full attention. The woman talking to her noticed. So did her companion. Shammy noticed the pressure change before either of them showed it physically. Interest. Not yet request. Not yet invitation. Good. Let it grow. --- Elisa moved through her own party with less effort now. That surprised Mandi. At first she'd assumed Elisa would hover. She didn't. She had invited Mandi and Dalia. Paid an absurd amount of money for them. Clearly wanted them. But she wasn't glued to either. That made Mandi like her more. At one point Elisa disappeared entirely for nearly fifteen minutes because someone had managed to spill wine across an antique side table and she insisted on helping save it. Mandi watched from across the room. "She's actually cleaning." Dalia followed her gaze. "Yes." "She has staff." "Apparently she also has hands." Mandi looked at her. "Don't ruin my class analysis." "Your class analysis was 'rich people don't wipe tables.'" "Concise." "Wrong." "Details." Elisa returned with a damp spot on one sleeve. Mandi looked at it. "Holy shit." Elisa stopped. "What?" "You touched consequences." Elisa stared. Dalia closed her eyes. "Mandi." "What?" Elisa burst out laughing. "Fuck you." Mandi smiled brightly. "That's the spirit." --- Food arrived in waves rather than as a formal dinner. Good food. Small plates. Hot dishes. Cold dishes. Things Mandi could identify. Things she absolutely could not. One plate arrived containing something so carefully arranged that she looked suspiciously at it. "What is this?" The man beside her answered. "Scallop." Mandi stared at the plate. "Where?" He pointed. Mandi looked closer. "That's not a scallop." "It is." "That's an accounting error." He laughed. Dalia leaned over. "Eat it." Mandi looked at her. "If I die, I'm haunting you." "You already do." Elisa made a choking sound. Shammy, lying nearby, lifted her head. Mandi ate it. Paused. Then looked offended. "Fuck." Elisa smiled. "Good?" "Annoyingly." Dalia looked satisfied. The man beside Mandi leaned closer. "See?" Mandi turned toward him. "Don't get smug." "Why not?" "Because I might have to punish that." He stopped. Mandi smiled. Then ate another bite. The man laughed. "You're impossible." "Quarter million says otherwise." Elisa raised one finger. "Technically both of you." Mandi looked at her. "Don't dilute my brand." Dalia's voice came dry. "Your brand survives." --- By ten, people had begun moving between rooms more freely. Not bedrooms. Social spaces. Terrace. Poolside. Small lounge. The bar. Someone had changed the music. Better bass. Less polish. Mandi found the source. A woman with chrome running along the outer edge of both ears. Mandi pointed at her. "You." The woman looked over. "What?" "This is better." "The music?" "Yes." "Thanks." Mandi walked closer. "What was wrong with the earlier set?" "Elisa chose it." From across the room: "Fuck you, Lina." Lina shouted back: "Your taste is expensive and boring." Elisa yelled: "I invited Mandi and Dalia!" Lina considered. "Strong counterargument." Mandi laughed. Dalia joined them. "Lina." Lina looked at her. "Dalia." They had already spoken once earlier. Enough to remember. Good. Mandi looked between them. "You two know each other now?" Lina smiled. "We've had an entire conversation." "Without me?" Dalia stared. "Somehow." Mandi touched her chest. "Wounded." Lina looked at Dalia. "Is she always like this?" "Yes." Mandi pointed. "Stop asking her." "Why?" "Biased witness." Dalia removed the lollipop. "I'm her lover." Lina looked at her. Then Mandi. "That does sound biased." Mandi smiled. "See?" Dalia continued. "I also know exactly how annoying she is." Lina laughed. Mandi stared at Dalia. "You are not supposed to undermine me in front of attractive people." Dalia's green eyes flashed. "Why not?" "Because I'm trying to look fuckable." Lina choked on her drink. Elisa heard from nearby and started laughing. Dalia looked Mandi slowly up and down. "You are wearing that." Mandi looked down at her own gown. "Good point." Lina recovered. "You really just say whatever comes into your head." Mandi smiled. "No." A beat. "The worse stuff gets filtered." That got everybody again. --- Dalia ended up staying near Lina for a while. Not because she'd decided anything. Because the conversation was good. Lina had worked in private entertainment spaces long enough to have opinions. Strong ones. She hated automated host environments. Dalia agreed. She hated synthetic conversational pacing. Dalia agreed harder. She thought most luxury venues destroyed intimacy by trying to control every variable. Dalia leaned closer. "Exactly." Lina looked pleased. "Finally." "What?" "Someone here gets it." Mandi, several meters away, heard. She pointed at herself. "I get lots of things." Dalia did not even look over. "Not this." Mandi gasped. Elisa leaned against her. "You'll recover." "No." "Tragic." "Very." Mandi looked at Lina. Lina was laughing. Good. No threat. No possessiveness. Just Dalia having a conversation she liked. Mandi liked seeing that. She also liked the way Lina looked at Dalia. Very much. That could become something later. Maybe. Not now. Now it was simply interesting. --- Shammy became a social center almost by accident. At first people approached carefully. Then individually. Always asking. That mattered. Elisa had made the rule clear. Shammy reinforced it simply by answering in full sentences. One guest sat on the floor beside her for almost twenty minutes and talked about growing up with dogs. Shammy listened. Another asked what the sculpt felt like. Shammy answered honestly. "Heavy." "Bad?" "Different." "Do you feel your paws like hands?" "No." The man leaned forward. "Then how—" Mandi called from across the room: "Careful, you'll make Victor appear out of nowhere." The man looked over. "Who?" Dalia answered before Mandi could. "Someone who would explain it for three hours." Mandi nodded. "And enjoy every second." Shammy's ears moved. "Accurate." The man laughed. Later, Elisa sat beside Shammy again. Not touching immediately. Just sitting. Shammy looked at her. "Comfortable?" Elisa nodded. "Yeah." "You?" "Yes." Elisa smiled. Then looked toward the room. Mandi was arguing with Riva about whether wealthy people should be legally required to eat cheap noodles once a month. Dalia and Lina were still discussing club acoustics. Elisa watched. "You can really read all of this." "Yes." "Everything?" "Not thoughts." "Pressure." "Emotion. Intent. Some physical states." Elisa looked at her. "Doesn't that get exhausting?" Shammy went still. The question was better than she'd expected. "Sometimes." "And now you can't change it much." "No." "That worse?" Shammy looked across the room. At Mandi laughing. At Dalia listening. At people adjusting themselves without help. "I thought it would be." Elisa waited. Shammy continued. "I'm less certain." Elisa smiled. "Good less certain?" "Possibly." "Very scientific." "I am learning." Elisa rested one hand against the floor. Close to Shammy's forepaw. Not touching. "Me too." Shammy's tail moved once. Elisa looked down. Then up. Shammy stared at her. Elisa smiled very carefully. "I didn't say anything." "Smart." --- The first real sexual tension outside the initial Elisa session did not arrive until much later. And even then, it arrived quietly. No one announced it. No one asked immediately. Mandi was sitting with Riva near the terrace. They had moved from biotech funding to terrible first dates. Riva had three stories. Mandi had considerably more. Some had grown shamelessly in the retelling. The reactions were real. Riva was in the middle of explaining how one man had spent forty minutes discussing his neural-cooling package when Mandi interrupted. "During dinner?" "Yes." "Before sex?" "There was no sex." Mandi stared. "Correct decision." Riva laughed. "He asked if I wanted to see his thermal metrics." Mandi's face changed. "Oh, babe." "I know." "No. I mean I'm sorry you survived that." Riva nearly spit out her drink. Mandi leaned back. "There are limits." "Apparently." "Did he at least have nice hands?" Riva looked at her. Then laughed. "You're fucking shameless." "Yes." The word came easily. No apology. Riva looked at her for a second too long. Mandi saw it. Did not pounce. Didn't need to. She took another drink instead. Riva's gaze dropped briefly. Visible release hardware. Back up. Mandi smiled. "Don't worry." Riva's expression sharpened. "About?" "They do exactly what you think." Riva laughed softly. "I wasn't asking." "You were thinking." "Is that Shammy's line?" "No. Hers would be creepier." From across the room: "I heard that." Mandi called back: "GOOD." Riva laughed again. Then looked at Mandi. Longer now. Mandi held the gaze. Nothing else. Not yet. That was enough. --- Dalia and Lina had moved to the terrace. Cool air. Low music from inside. Two glasses of water between them because Dalia had decided alcohol was becoming boring. Lina leaned against the railing. "You really like doing this." Dalia looked at her. "What?" "This." Lina gestured vaguely. "The joytoy work. Being looked at. All of it." Dalia took the lollipop from her mouth. "Yes." "Why?" Dalia considered. "Because most people lie about wanting things." Lina smiled. "That's cynical." "Accurate." "And you don't." Dalia's mouth curved. "Not when the truth is more fun." Lina laughed softly. "That sounds dangerous." "Usually for somebody." Lina looked toward the lounge. Mandi was laughing with Riva. Elisa was sitting near Shammy. Nobody needed Dalia right now. Good. Lina looked back. "Can I be rude?" Dalia's eyebrow rose. "Please." That made Lina laugh. "Your mouth is going to get me in trouble." Dalia put the lollipop back between her lips. "Only if you ask nicely." Lina stared. Dalia watched the reaction arrive. Then smiled around the lollipop. Lina exhaled. "Jesus." Dalia removed it again. "Better." "You're awful." "Luxury awful." Lina blinked. "Did Mandi teach you that?" "No." "You're both terrible." "Yes." Lina laughed. The attraction sat there now. Obvious. Comfortable. Still no question. Good. They kept talking. --- Midnight approached without anyone going private. Nobody seemed frustrated. If anything, anticipation had improved the room. People knew what Mandi and Dalia were. Knew what Elisa had arranged. Knew private encounters were possible. That knowledge sat beneath everything. But nobody treated possibility like entitlement. Mandi liked that. Dalia liked it more. At one point Mandi crossed the room and sat directly on the arm of Dalia's chair. Lina was still there. Mandi looked at both. "Am I interrupting?" Dalia looked up. "Yes." Mandi smiled. "Good." Lina laughed. Mandi turned to her. "You've been monopolizing my girlfriend." Lina's face changed. "Should I—" Mandi laughed immediately. "Oh, no. Keep doing it." Lina stared. Dalia looked at Mandi. "You enjoy confusing people." "Very much." Mandi leaned down and kissed Dalia. Not long. Not performative. Just familiar. Then she looked at Lina. "See?" Lina looked between them. "I'm not sure that clarified anything." Dalia's voice came low. "It wasn't supposed to." Mandi smiled. Then looked toward Elisa. Elisa was watching. Not offended. Interested. Mandi beckoned her over. Elisa came. Mandi caught her hand. Pulled her closer. "She's stealing Dalia." Elisa looked at Lina. "Good taste." Lina laughed. Dalia stared at both of them. "Am I involved in this conversation?" "No," Mandi said. "Apparently not." Elisa sat beside her. The four of them stayed there. Talking. No private room. No ask. Not yet. And somehow that made everything hotter. The possibility was present. Unresolved. Allowed to breathe. --- It was after midnight when Elisa finally looked around her own lounge and understood what she'd actually bought. Not two bodies. Not a schedule. Not a string of transactions. A whole atmosphere had changed around Mandi and Dalia. People were bolder. Less formal. More honest. Someone had admitted attraction without demanding anything from it. Someone else had spent an hour talking to Dalia without trying to turn the conversation into access. Mandi had flirted with half the room and chosen nothing yet. Dalia had made Lina visibly weak at the knees with approximately six sentences and a lollipop. Shammy had somehow become the most trusted person in the house while being shaped like something that should have guarded a mythological gate. Elisa smiled. Mandi noticed. "What?" Elisa looked at her. "I get it now." Mandi's eyebrows rose. "That sounds dangerous." "The price." Mandi went still for half a second. Dalia looked over. Elisa continued. "Not the sex." Nobody joked. Not yet. Elisa looked between them. "The time." Mandi's expression softened. Dalia's did too. "The fact that nobody has to rush." Dalia nodded. "Exactly." Elisa looked toward Riva. Then Lina. Then the rest of the room. "If someone asks later, they ask later." Mandi smiled. "Now you're getting it." Elisa leaned closer. "And if nobody asks?" Dalia put the lollipop between her lips. "Then they had a very expensive party." Mandi laughed. Elisa did too. Then Mandi looked at her. "Still worth it?" Elisa didn't hesitate. "Already." That answer stayed with all three of them. Even Shammy. Especially Shammy. Because the room did not need pushing. No one needed steering. No one needed to be made ready. Friday night still had hours left in it. Saturday was untouched. Sunday barely existed yet. And nobody was in a hurry. --- ## Chapter 8 — Ask the Dirty Question By half past midnight, the residence no longer felt like a party anybody had planned. It felt lived in. That was better. The careful arrangement of the first hour had disappeared completely. One chair had migrated halfway across the lounge because Riva preferred facing the terrace. Someone had abandoned shoes beneath the dining table. Two half-finished plates had become everybody's plates. The music had changed twice. The glass wall remained open despite the cooler night air because Shammy liked it that way and, increasingly, nobody minded accommodating the enormous grey wolf stretched across the boundary between indoors and out. Mandi had found the floor. Nobody knew why. She was sitting there with her back against Elisa's legs, one knee raised, screaming-orange hair catching the low light while she argued with Lina about whether anybody actually enjoyed champagne. "No," Mandi said. Lina stared at her. "No?" "No." "Millions of people disagree." "Millions of people also voluntarily attend networking breakfasts." Elisa laughed above her. Dalia, stretched elegantly across one end of the sofa, removed the menthol lollipop from her mouth. "She has a point." Lina looked at her. "You drink it." Dalia shrugged. "I also wear heels." Mandi turned immediately. "Not tonight." Dalia looked down at her. Mandi grinned. "New dress. New rules." The long gown still looked absurdly perfect. Screaming-pink hair. Reflective green eyes. Visible fast-release hardware that everybody in the room now understood perfectly well. Lina's gaze betrayed her again. Dalia noticed. She did not help. Instead, she deliberately let the lollipop touch her lower lip before putting it back into her mouth. Lina exhaled through her nose. Mandi saw. "Oh, that was fucking cruel." Dalia's eyebrow rose. "What was?" "You know exactly what." "I was eating candy." "Bullshit." Elisa covered her mouth. Lina looked at Mandi. "Thank you." "For?" "Confirming I'm not imagining this." Mandi leaned her head back against Elisa's knee. "Oh, babe. You're imagining plenty. That part's free." Lina laughed. Dalia looked at Mandi. "You realize you are actively encouraging her." "Yes." "Why?" Mandi considered Lina. Then Dalia. "Because watching you pretend you're not doing it is fun." Dalia stared. Mandi smiled brightly. "Love you." "No, you don't." "Currently." Elisa bent over laughing. A soft scrape of grey fur against the terrace floor made Mandi turn her head. "I heard that." Shammy did not open her eyes. "No, you didn't." "Felt it through the floor." "Then blame the architecture." Mandi stared. Elisa lost it completely. "She's learning from you." Mandi looked horrified. "That is deeply irresponsible." Shammy's ears twitched. "Accurate." --- It took another twenty minutes before anyone managed to move the conversation away from Mandi. The eventual solution was money. More specifically: stupid things rich people had spent it on. Elisa started it. Which probably made sense. "My father bought a vineyard once because he liked one bottle." Mandi turned around on the floor. "Wait." Elisa smiled. "Yes." "A whole vineyard." "Yes." "Because of one bottle." "Yes." "Did he at least like the next bottle?" Elisa paused. "No." Mandi stared. Dalia slowly removed the lollipop. "That may be the most corpo sentence I've heard all week." Elisa laughed. "He sold it two years later." "For profit?" "No." Mandi slapped both hands over her face. "Stop." "Why?" "This is physically painful." Riva leaned forward from the opposite chair. "My mother once bought an apartment because she didn't like the hotel pillows." Mandi lowered her hands. "No." "Yes." "Where?" "Paris." "Did she live there?" "Six nights." Silence. Mandi pointed at Elisa. "Your father is forgiven." Elisa laughed. Riva smiled. "He sold a vineyard." "Context matters." Dalia's rough voice came dryly from the sofa. "Apparently property ownership has a moral hierarchy now." "Yes." "Based on pillows." "Don't mock my system." "I don't understand your system." "Nobody does. That's what makes it robust." Riva was laughing again. Mandi noticed. She'd noticed a lot about Riva over the last two hours. Not just attraction. That had been obvious for a while. Riva had an excellent laugh. Not elegant. Not polite. It started low and then broke upward whenever something really got her. She also had a habit of tapping the rim of her glass twice before saying something she knew would be provocative. Mandi had caught it three times. The fourth time she pointed. "There." Riva stopped. "What?" "You do that." "Do what?" Mandi tapped her own imaginary glass twice. Riva looked down. Then back. "Oh, fuck." Mandi grinned. "Every time you're about to say something filthy." Riva's eyebrows rose. "Every time?" "Every fucking time." Elisa looked interested. "Test it." Riva stared at her. Dalia's green eyes flashed. "Please." Riva laughed. "No." Mandi leaned closer. "Come on." "I'm not performing on command." "Good answer." Riva smiled. Mandi smiled back. The look lasted a little longer than the joke required. Nobody interrupted it. --- Lina eventually rescued Riva by asking Shammy the question everyone had apparently been avoiding. "Do you know when people are horny?" Shammy opened her eyes. Mandi immediately made a delighted sound. "There it is." Lina pointed at her. "You said ask the dirty question." "I did." Dalia looked at Shammy. Shammy considered Lina. "Yes." The room went quiet. Lina stared. "Yes?" "Usually." Elisa covered her face. "Oh, fuck." Riva looked suddenly fascinated. "How specific is usually?" "Specific enough." Mandi twisted around. "Wait." Shammy looked at her. "You already know this." "I know. I just want to hear you explain it to them." "No." Dalia laughed. Lina leaned forward. "So right now—" Shammy's ears shifted. "Do you really want me to answer that?" Lina stopped. Everyone else stopped. Then Elisa started laughing. Riva followed. Dalia's mouth curved around the lollipop. Mandi fell sideways against Elisa's legs. "Oh my God." Lina turned bright red. "Okay. Point taken." Shammy lowered her head again. "Good." Mandi wiped under one black eye. "Jesus, Shammy." "What?" "That was vicious." "She asked." Lina held up both hands. "I did." Dalia looked at her. "Ask dirty questions, get dirty answers." Lina recovered enough to look back. "Is that your philosophy?" Dalia removed the lollipop. "One of them." "What are the others?" Dalia's eyes held hers. "Buy good shoes." Lina laughed. "That's two." "Fuck people who know what they want." Silence. Mandi slowly turned. "Oh." Elisa's mouth fell open. Riva made a strangled sound. Lina stared. Dalia put the lollipop back between her lips. Mandi pointed at her. "See? This is why I keep her." Dalia looked at her. "You don't keep me." Mandi's smile became wicked. "No." A beat. "You keep coming back voluntarily." Dalia smiled. "Much better." The room broke again. --- Nobody hurried toward the private corridor. Not even after that. Especially not after that. The tension had become comfortable. Present enough to feel. Not demanding resolution. People touched more now. Casually. An arm across the back of a sofa. A hand lingering slightly too long when passing a glass. Elisa occasionally running her fingers through Mandi's orange hair because ChromeLock kept repairing whatever she did to it. Mandi had eventually looked up at her. "You know you're just giving Lena free durability testing." Elisa twisted one strand around her finger. "Can I break it?" "Probably." Elisa smiled. "Challenge accepted." Dalia looked over. "Do not encourage her." Mandi pointed upward at Elisa without looking. "Too late." Elisa tugged gently. Mandi made a sound. Then stopped. Everyone around them noticed. Mandi looked around. Black eyes narrowing. "Nobody." Riva's mouth was already twitching. "Nobody what?" "Nobody says a fucking word." Riva tapped her glass twice. Mandi pointed violently. "THERE." Riva burst out laughing. Mandi leaned back against Elisa again. "See? Filthy thought." "You don't know what I was going to say." "No." Mandi looked at her. "But now I desperately want to." Riva's laughter faded into a smile. That look again. Longer this time. More deliberate. Mandi held it. Elisa's fingers were still absently in her hair. Nobody moved. Then Riva said: "I was going to say I think I know another way to mess up the hairstyle." Mandi went very still. Dalia slowly turned her head. Lina covered her mouth. Elisa whispered: "Oh, fuck." Riva's expression changed immediately. A flicker of uncertainty. Too far? Mandi pushed herself up from the floor. Not quickly. Not dramatically. She crossed the small distance between them. Stopped in front of Riva. Riva looked up. Mandi bent slightly closer. "Better." Riva swallowed. "Better than what?" "Networking breakfast." The room exploded. Riva covered her face. Mandi laughed and dropped into the empty edge of the chair beside her. "Relax." Riva lowered her hands. "I hate you." "No, you don't." "No." Riva looked at her. "I really don't." That stayed there. Mandi did not turn it into a joke. --- Eventually somebody suggested opening the pool. That produced an immediate argument. "Now?" Elisa asked. "Why not?" "It's after midnight." Mandi stared at her. "You're nineteen." Elisa stared back. "Yes?" "You are too young to say 'it's after midnight' like a grandmother." Dalia nearly lost the lollipop. Elisa pointed at her. "I hosted all day." "You had people prepare everything." "I emotionally supervised." Mandi put a hand over her heart. "Exhausting." "Fuck you." "Already did." Silence. Elisa froze. Mandi froze. Dalia's head turned. Riva's eyebrows went up. Then Elisa started laughing. Hard. Mandi followed. Dalia covered her eyes. "Finally," Lina said, "someone got her." Mandi looked offended. "That was not getting me." Elisa wiped her eyes. "You walked straight into it." "I was making a factual observation." Dalia's whiskey-smoke voice came dry. "That is somehow worse." Mandi looked at Riva. "Save me." Riva smiled. "No." "Betrayal." "Apparently contagious." Shammy made a quiet, distinctly amused huff. Mandi pointed without looking. "Not you too." "No comment." --- They did not open the pool. Not yet. Instead, the group migrated onto the terrace. Cool air. Night City far enough away to be mostly light rather than sound. Mandi accepted a light jacket from Elisa and put it over the evening gown. Dalia refused one. Lina noticed. "You're not cold?" "No." "At all?" Dalia looked at her. "Do you want me to be?" Lina stared. Mandi made a disgusted sound from three seats away. "Oh, for fuck's sake." Dalia glanced toward her. "What?" "Nothing. Carry on ruining that woman." Lina laughed. Dalia's green eyes returned to her. "Am I?" Lina's laughter faded. Not completely. Enough. "Little bit." Dalia smiled. No private invitation. No sudden move. She simply shifted her chair slightly closer. Conversation resumed. That was all. Mandi watched for a moment. Then turned back toward Riva. Riva had been watching her watch. "Still not jealous?" Mandi smiled. "You really want that answer to change." "No." "Good." Riva leaned one arm along the chair. "I'm curious." "About?" "You." Mandi laughed. "Broad topic." "Fine." Riva studied her. "How do you do this?" Mandi's smile stayed. "What, sit down?" "Be this comfortable." "With sex?" "With wanting." That made Mandi quieter. Not serious. Just attentive. Riva continued. "You flirt with everybody." "Not everybody." "Most people." "Attractive room." Riva laughed. "But you don't seem worried about what it means." Mandi looked toward Dalia. Pink hair. Green eyes. Lina leaning slightly closer. Then back. "Usually it means I want to flirt." "And if you want more?" "I say yes." "And if you don't?" "I say no." Riva stared. Mandi shrugged. "People make this shit way too complicated." Riva smiled. "That's basically what Dalia said." "She's smart." "You're saying she's smarter than you?" "Absolutely not." Riva laughed. "Now we're talking." Mandi leaned closer. "The secret is I can acknowledge reality without letting it damage my ego." "Very mature." "Don't spread that around." "Your reputation?" "Exactly." Riva's expression softened. Then: "What does it mean if you're paid?" Mandi held the question. That one deserved more than banter. "The money gets me here." Riva listened. "It gets you the weekend. The time. The fact that I agreed to walk through the door." Mandi rested one hand loosely against her own knee. "It doesn't make me want somebody." Riva nodded slowly. Mandi continued. "If I fuck somebody here, it's because I wanted to fuck them." No embarrassment. No euphemism. Riva's eyes stayed on hers. "And if you don't?" "Then I don't." "What happens to the money?" Mandi laughed. "Nothing." Riva blinked. "Nothing?" "Elisa booked our weekend, not a fucking punch card." Across the terrace, Elisa heard her name. "What?" Mandi raised her voice. "Tell Riva I'm not a punch card." Elisa looked deeply offended. "I paid way too much for punch cards." Dalia laughed. Mandi pointed. "See?" Riva laughed too. Then looked back at Mandi. "Okay." "Okay?" "Yeah." She smiled. "I like that." Mandi's expression warmed. "Good." --- It was well after one when people started peeling away from the big group into smaller conversations again. Nobody went to bed. Nobody disappeared. Not yet. Elisa sat with Shammy. Lina and Dalia stayed near the railing. Mandi and Riva had moved to one end of the terrace. They had talked about money. Sex. Bad dates. Implant aesthetics. The criminal misuse of truffle oil. Whether anyone had ever successfully looked seductive while eating noodles. Riva claimed yes. Mandi called her a liar. Riva threatened to prove it tomorrow. Mandi accepted. Only after all of that did the question finally begin to exist. Not spoken. Yet. Riva had stopped tapping her glass. She wasn't holding one anymore. Mandi had noticed that her knees had turned toward her. Their chairs were closer than when they'd started. Not touching. Close enough. Riva looked at Mandi's gown again. Not the hardware this time. Her. Mandi caught it. "You're doing the thing." Riva blinked. "What thing?" "Thinking so hard I can practically hear it." Riva smiled. "Shammy's rubbing off on you." "No. I'm nosy." "That's better?" "Much." Riva looked toward the house. Then back. And for the first time all evening, she seemed genuinely unsure what to say. Mandi did not rescue her immediately. Luxury meant time. This was part of it too. Riva finally laughed at herself. "Fuck." Mandi's smile softened. "Ask." Riva looked at her. "You don't even know what I'm asking." "Pretty good guess." Riva inhaled. Then said it properly. "Would you want to go somewhere quieter with me?" There it was. Hours after they'd met. After jokes. Food. Arguments. Actual conversation. After Mandi knew the shape of her laugh and Riva knew that Mandi hated champagne and loved ruining solemn moments. Not access. Not entitlement. A question. Mandi studied her. Riva waited. No rushing to fill the silence. Good. Mandi asked: "Quieter to talk?" Riva's mouth twitched. "No." "Good." Riva laughed nervously. Mandi leaned slightly closer. "Because I fucking hate euphemisms." Riva looked at her. "Then no. Not just to talk." "Better." Mandi stayed where she was. Close. Not touching yet. "You want sex?" Riva swallowed. Then nodded. "Yes." Mandi's expression brightened. "There." Riva laughed. "What?" "Dirty question." "I thought that was the dirty answer." "Both can be dirty." "You're impossible." "And?" Riva looked directly at her. "And I want to fuck you." Mandi smiled. Slowly. Not Mandi-for-the-room. Not performance for Elisa's friends. For Riva. "Now you're asking properly." Riva's eyes dropped briefly to Mandi's mouth. Back up. Mandi let her look. Then: "Yes." Riva breathed out. A little laugh escaped with it. Mandi noticed. "Nervous?" "Apparently." "Good." "That's Dalia's line." "I steal." "So I've noticed." Mandi leaned closer. "Kiss me before you lose your nerve." Riva did. Not wild. Not rushed. One kiss. Enough to confirm everything the conversation had been building toward. When they separated, Riva was smiling. Mandi was too. Across the terrace, Shammy's head had lifted. Mandi caught her eye. No concern. Warm pressure. Mutual. Good. Dalia had noticed too. So had Elisa. Mandi did not ask permission. There was none to ask. But she did look toward Elisa. A question of a different kind. _Still good?_ Elisa understood immediately. She smiled. Then mouthed: **Have fun.** Mandi's black eyes softened. She looked toward Dalia. Dalia lifted the lollipop in a tiny salute. Mandi grinned. Then turned back to Riva. "Come on." Riva stood. Mandi took her hand. No applause. No comments from the room. Nobody treated it like a starting gun. Lina and Dalia kept talking. Elisa stayed beside Shammy. The others barely looked up. Riva and Mandi crossed the lounge together. At the entrance to the private corridor, Riva stopped. Mandi looked back. "What?" Riva's eyes dropped deliberately to the visible release hardware. Then returned to Mandi's face. "I was just remembering something." Mandi's grin became filthy. "Oh?" "You said it works exactly how I think." Mandi stepped closer. "You're finally going to find out." Riva laughed. Then the two disappeared into the quiet corridor together. And for the first time since Elisa's own session with Mandi and Dalia, one of the bedroom doors opened for someone else. Hours after the party had begun. Exactly when it was supposed to. --- ## Chapter 9 — Exactly What You Asked For The private corridor was quieter than Riva expected. Not silent. The party still existed behind them. Bass through the walls. A rise of laughter somewhere near the terrace. The faintest movement of people in a house built well enough that movement usually disappeared. But quieter. Enough that Riva became suddenly aware of Mandi's hand in hers. Small hand. Warm fingers. No hesitation. Mandi walked beside her as if this were the most ordinary thing in the world. Which, Riva supposed, for Mandi it probably was. That thought made her laugh once under her breath. Mandi looked up. "What?" "Nothing." "Bad answer." Riva smiled. "You hate that one." "Everybody keeps using it." "Maybe you're nosy." "I've been very clear about that." Riva laughed again. Better. The nervousness hadn't disappeared. It had simply become something she could carry. Mandi noticed. Of course she did. They reached the first door. Riva looked at it. Then the next. "Do you have a preference?" Mandi stopped. Looked down the corridor. "Have you been in any of them?" "Only during the tour." "Which one did you like?" Riva thought. "Third on the left." "Why?" "Bigger window." Mandi's black eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Good answer." Riva opened the door. --- The room was similar to Elisa's choice. But not identical. Slightly smaller. More glass. The garden closer. A low bed angled toward the window rather than centered. One chair. One bench. Water. Independent controls. Riva stepped inside. Mandi followed. The door closed. This time, Mandi didn't immediately say anything. Riva turned. The effect was different without the rest of the party around them. Mandi looked smaller. And somehow more dangerous. Screaming-orange hair. Black eyes. Corpo-level gown. The visible hardware. The little smile that had spent half the evening making people forget they were trying to behave. Riva looked at her. Mandi smiled. "Thinking again." "Yes." "About?" Riva laughed softly. "Whether I'm about to embarrass myself." Mandi walked closer. "Probably." Riva stared. Mandi's grin widened. "Everybody does eventually." "Very reassuring." "You're welcome." Riva laughed. The nerves eased another degree. Mandi stopped in front of her. Close enough now that Riva could smell the faint trace of whatever Mandi had been drinking earlier. Not alcohol-heavy. Something citrus. And the colder scent of outside air still clinging to the fabric of the gown. Mandi looked up. "Still want this?" Riva answered immediately. "Yes." "No polite version?" "No." "Good." Riva looked down at her. "Still want me?" Mandi's expression changed. A little less performative. "Yes." Riva held the gaze. "Really?" Mandi's eyebrow rose. "You think I came down a hallway holding your hand because I was bored?" Riva smiled. "I don't know what luxury joytoys do when they're bored." "Eat expensive food and judge rich people." Riva laughed. Mandi stepped closer. "But no." A beat. "I came because I want you." That did it. Not the bluntness. The certainty. Riva's shoulders dropped slightly. Mandi noticed. "Better?" "Much." "Good." Riva touched her waist. Mandi leaned in. Then stopped. Not kissing yet. Riva looked at her. Mandi waited. That tiny pause was enough. Riva closed the rest of the distance. The first kiss was nothing like the one on the terrace. That had been confirmation. This was intent. Still not rushed. But fuller. Riva's hand stayed at Mandi's waist. Mandi's came up along the side of her neck. Riva felt the little change when Mandi rose slightly onto the front of her feet to close the height difference. That made her smile into the kiss. Mandi pulled back. "What?" "Nothing." Mandi narrowed her eyes. Riva laughed. "You're tiny." "There it is again." "I like it." Mandi considered. Then smiled. "Better." Riva touched the side of her face. Mandi leaned into it. For a second, the bright mouth disappeared. No dirty line. No joke. Just attention. Riva kissed her again. Slower. Mandi answered differently this time. Less playful. More patient. Riva felt the change and followed it. They stayed standing. No rush toward the bed. No need. Riva's hand moved along the smooth fabric at Mandi's side. Stopped near the first visible release. Mandi felt it. Her mouth curved against Riva's. "Found it." Riva laughed softly. "You put these things where people can see them." "That was the idea." Riva looked down. Then back. "I've been staring at them for hours." "I know." "Of course you know." Mandi's smile became wicked. "Very obvious." "Fuck you." "That's why we're here." Riva laughed into her shoulder. "Jesus Christ." Mandi's hand moved lightly along her back. "Better." Riva looked up again. Mandi was watching her. No rush. No impatience. Riva touched the first release. Paused. Mandi's expression softened. "You can." Click. The gown's tension changed. Riva's breath caught. Not because she'd never undressed anyone before. Because Lena had built the reaction into the dress. The visible hardware had promised something all evening. Now it delivered. Riva found the second. Click. Mandi stayed still. Watching. Riva looked at her. "You're enjoying this." "Very much." "You've done this tonight already." Mandi smiled. "Not with you." That landed. Riva looked back down. Found the third. Click. The structure loosened. Mandi's hand came lightly to Riva's wrist. Not stopping. Just contact. Riva looked up. "Still yes?" Mandi nodded. "Very." Riva released the final mechanism. The gown came free. Mandi caught it before it fell. Riva stared. Then laughed. "You weren't exaggerating." "I almost never exaggerate." "That is absolute bullshit." Mandi grinned. "Almost." She turned toward the chair. Laid the gown carefully over it. Riva watched the fabric settle. Perfect. No crease. Mandi turned back. Riva looked at her. Really looked. Mandi let her. No embarrassment. No attempt to cover herself. No rush to turn nakedness into the next step. Just standing there. Small. Confident. Waiting for Riva to decide what she wanted to do with the fact that the loudest woman at the party had suddenly become very quiet. Riva breathed out. "Fuck." Mandi's mouth curved. "Good fuck?" Riva laughed. "You two really do use that." "Efficient language." Riva touched Mandi's waist again. Skin now. Warm. Mandi's breathing changed slightly. Riva noticed. "So you're not completely impossible." Mandi raised an eyebrow. "Don't spread that around." Riva kissed her. --- They stayed close for a long time. Long enough that Riva stopped measuring what was happening against expectation. Mandi touched her like she was learning. Not demonstrating skill. Not ticking through anything. Learning Riva. Shoulder. Back. Waist. Face. A hand resting lightly, then moving only after Riva moved into it. Riva learned too. Mandi liked being held closer than she'd expected. Liked kisses that started slow and then lost patience. Liked being looked at. Very much. That one wasn't subtle. At one point Riva pulled back just far enough to look down at her. Mandi caught the stare. "Again?" Riva smiled. "Yes." "Good." "You really like people looking at you." Mandi's black eyes gleamed. "I spent hours getting dressed so rich people would stare." "You're not dressed now." Mandi smiled. "Still works." Riva laughed. Then Mandi looked at her clothes. Not suggestively. Directly. Riva noticed. "Oh." Mandi's eyebrows rose. "Problem?" "No." "You went quiet." Riva looked down at herself. Then back. "Just realized I'm still mostly dressed." Mandi smiled. "Want to fix that?" Riva nodded. "Yes." Mandi did not immediately reach for anything. Instead: "Want help?" "Yes." That answer seemed to please her. Mandi moved closer. Her fingers found the first closure slowly. Riva watched. The difference between knowing something would happen and feeling someone deliberately start it was unexpectedly sharp. Mandi glanced up. "Still good?" "Yes." She continued. One closure. Then another. Riva's clothes were not engineered like Lena's. No dramatic release. No dirty visual trick. Just normal fabric. Which made the process slower. Good. Mandi took her time. Riva helped when needed. At one point their hands bumped. Both stopped. Looked at each other. Then laughed. "Elegant," Riva said. "Luxury service." "Clearly." Mandi finished. Riva let the clothing fall away in stages. Not all at once. Not because she was shy. Because Mandi kept looking at her after each change. That slowed her. Not negatively. Made her aware. When the last piece was gone, Mandi stopped. Riva looked at her. "Well?" Mandi stared for another second. Then: "Yeah." Riva laughed. "That's it?" Mandi stepped close enough that their bodies touched. "Fuck yes." "Better." "Much." Riva kissed her. --- The bed came later. Not immediately. They spent time standing. Then against the edge of the low bench. Then laughing because Mandi tried to step backward without looking and nearly repeated her earlier fight with furniture. Riva caught her. Mandi froze. Riva stared. Then both started laughing. "Hostile architecture again?" Mandi pointed at the bench. "Conspiracy." "With the bed?" "Obviously." Riva laughed hard enough that she had to sit. Mandi climbed beside her. Not on her. Close. Knee touching thigh. Riva's laughter faded. Mandi touched her face. Riva leaned into it. The next kiss was slower again. No need to restart desire. It had survived the joke. They moved naturally from the bench to the bed. No dramatic push. No sudden escalation. Mandi sat first. Riva followed. The mattress dipped differently under their weight. Mandi adjusted. Riva adjusted with her. They ended up face to face. Close. Mandi's fingers traced slowly along Riva's arm. Riva watched. "What?" Mandi looked up. "Nothing." Riva smiled. "Bad answer." Mandi stared. Then laughed. "Fuck you." "Eventually learned something." "Apparently." Riva touched Mandi's shoulder. Then down her arm. Mandi leaned closer. Their foreheads touched briefly. No line. No performance. Riva liked that more than she'd expected. "Can I ask something?" Mandi's eyes opened. "Dirty?" "Not exactly." "Boring." Riva laughed. "Why me?" Mandi went still. Not offended. Actually thinking. Riva immediately added: "You don't have to—" "No." Mandi touched her arm. "I know." She thought another second. "You make me laugh." Riva blinked. Mandi continued. "You look at me like you want me, but you don't act like wanting me means I owe you anything." Riva's expression changed. "And..." Mandi smiled. "You've got great hands." Riva stared. Then burst out laughing. "There it is." "You asked." "I did." "Also, you're hot." "Very nuanced." "I contain multitudes." Riva laughed again. Mandi smiled. Then kissed her. The question was answered. --- What followed took time. That was the luxury. Not expensive fabric. Not Elisa's house. Not the contract. Time. Mandi never behaved as though there was somewhere else she should be. Riva stopped thinking about the party. They moved closer. Paused. Changed position. Checked. Touched. Kissed. Sometimes laughed. Sometimes didn't. Mandi's bright teasing faded and returned in waves. Riva learned what made it disappear. Mandi learned what made Riva stop talking. They found a rhythm neither had arrived with. Not perfect. Better. Real. At one point Mandi paused. Breathing heavier now. Black eyes fixed on Riva. "You good?" Riva nodded. "Very." "Want more?" "Yes." Mandi smiled. No joke. Just yes answering yes. They shifted closer. Riva guided. Mandi followed. Then Mandi changed something and Riva followed her. Riva settled back and drew Mandi with her, keeping their faces close enough to read. Her hand moved between Mandi’s thighs and paused until Mandi opened her posture in unmistakable invitation. “Yes,” Mandi breathed. Riva’s fingers found their way. Mandi answered with the same deliberate attention, her hand finding purpose for Riva rather than leaving either woman only giving or only receiving. Nothing became a performance of expertise. It became negotiation without bureaucracy. Small adjustments. Expression. Breath. Hands. Closeness. A whispered "there." A quieter "yes." A laugh when something didn't work. Then another attempt that did. Riva had expected Mandi to be noisy. Not necessarily in volume. In personality. Constant lines. Constant provocation. She wasn't. Not once things became intense. The mouth that had spent hours filleting everyone in the lounge became focused. Her breathing gave more away than her words. Riva noticed. Mandi noticed Riva noticing. For a second, the grin tried to come back. It failed. Riva smiled. "What?" Mandi shook her head. "Nothing." Riva kissed her. No need to expose it. The rhythm built slowly. Not because either was holding back. Because neither needed to rush. Outside, the party could last. Dalia could flirt. Elisa could host. Shammy could read the room. Nobody was waiting for Mandi to clock back in. Riva finally understood what Mandi had meant on the terrace. The money got her here. It bought the weekend. It did not buy this. This was theirs. That realization warmed something deeper than attraction. Riva's hand tightened gently. Mandi reacted. Looked at her. Riva held the gaze. No question needed. Everything still good. Everything still wanted. The pace changed. A little faster. Then slower again. Mandi laughed breathlessly once. "Fuck." Riva smiled. "Good fuck?" Mandi gave her an outraged look. "You bitch." Riva laughed. "Learned from the best." Mandi kissed her hard enough to end the conversation. --- The climax arrived without announcement. No dramatic change. Just the accumulation becoming enough. Riva’s breathing broke first. Her grip tightened, her body drawing taut against Mandi before the release moved visibly through her and left her eyes closed. Mandi stayed with her, fingers still attentive until Riva’s reaction carried back through their joined rhythm. Then Mandi lost hers too—a sharp caught breath, a full-body shudder and the sudden surrender of every muscle she had been holding controlled. She went still against Riva. For several long seconds the room became nothing but warmth and breathing. Neither moved away. Riva's hand remained along Mandi's back. Mandi's face stayed against her shoulder. The silence wasn't awkward. It was earned. Eventually Mandi breathed out. Long. Loose. Riva felt her smile before she saw it. "Hi." Riva laughed softly. "Hi." Mandi lifted her head. Black eyes softer now. "You okay?" "Very." "You?" Mandi considered. Then smiled. "Fuck yes." Riva laughed. There it was. They stayed where they were. Longer. Riva ran her fingers once through the screaming-orange hair. It was thoroughly damaged. Mandi's eyes narrowed. "Don't." "What?" "You're checking." Riva smiled. "Maybe." "You want to see if it fixes itself." "Absolutely." Mandi sighed. "Rich people." Riva laughed. "You are literally paid to be here." "Doesn't mean I can't judge you." "Luxury judgment?" "Premium." Riva laughed again. Mandi shifted until she could lie more comfortably beside her. No immediate clothing. No return to the party. No "what next." Just aftermath. Water eventually. Riva reached first. Handed one glass to Mandi. Mandi took it. Drank. Then stared at Riva. "What?" "Good hands." Riva laughed so suddenly she nearly spilled her water. "Fuck you." Mandi grinned. "Already did." Riva stared. Mandi's expression became angelic. "Factual observation." "You're impossible." "Still here." "Yes." Mandi's grin softened. "So are you." --- They talked afterward. That surprised Riva. Not because she thought Mandi incapable of conversation. They had spent hours doing exactly that. Because she'd expected something to change once sex happened. Some invisible line between social Mandi and professional Mandi. Nothing did. They talked about Lina's music. Riva's job. Whether Shammy secretly enjoyed being called a wolf despite threatening Mandi for doing it. "She absolutely does," Mandi said. "You sound very sure." "Tail." Riva laughed. "The tail is evidence?" "Conclusive." "She'll hear you eventually." "She always does." "Then why keep doing it?" Mandi looked thoughtful. "Love." Riva blinked. Mandi smiled. "And poor impulse control." "Better." They laughed. Riva touched Mandi's arm. "Can I ask one more?" Mandi looked suspicious. "You used up your serious-question allowance." "Did I?" "Maybe." Riva smiled. "Was this work?" Mandi's expression changed. Not badly. She understood. "The weekend is." Riva listened. "This?" Mandi looked at her. "No." Simple. No qualifiers. Riva breathed out. "Good." Mandi nudged her lightly. "You worry too much." "Probably." "Don't stop entirely." Riva looked at her. Mandi continued. "People who never worry whether they're being assholes usually are." Riva laughed. "That's unexpectedly wise." "Again: don't spread it around." "Reputation." "Exactly." --- By the time they finally considered getting dressed, ChromeLock had already repaired most of Mandi's hair. Riva stared. Mandi caught her. "Called it." "That is obscene technology." "You just opened a dress specifically engineered to fall off in seconds." "Different category of obscenity." Mandi sat up. Reached for the gown. Riva watched her put it back on. The transformation was absurd. A few minutes. Visible hardware reconnecting. Fabric settling. Structure returning. Mandi went from naked and sprawled beside her to looking like she could walk directly back into an elite corpo reception. Riva stared. Mandi turned. "What?" "That's deeply unfair." "You're welcome." Riva dressed too. Slower. Normal clothes were suddenly disappointing. Mandi watched. No hurry. When Riva finished, Mandi stepped closer. Adjusted one tiny fold near her shoulder. Riva looked down. "You doing wardrobe now?" "Complimentary upgrade." "Quarter-million service." "Exactly." Riva smiled. They stood there for another moment. Neither moving toward the door. Then Riva asked: "Can I kiss you again?" Mandi's expression warmed. "Yes." So she did. Not sexual this time. Not exactly. Warm. Lingering. Something between conclusion and promise. When they separated, Mandi took her hand again. "Ready?" Riva nodded. "Yeah." They opened the door. --- The corridor felt different coming back. Not because it had changed. Because they had. The music became louder with every step toward the lounge. Someone laughed. Glass clinked. Elisa's voice somewhere ahead. Then Dalia's. Mandi smiled before they even reached the room. Riva noticed. "You missed them." Mandi looked up. "Yeah." No embarrassment. No contradiction. Riva smiled. "I like that." "Good." They entered together. Nobody applauded. Nobody called attention to them. Nobody asked for a report. The party simply made room. Elisa saw Mandi first. Then Riva. Her eyes flicked between them. Mandi caught it. Smiled. Elisa smiled back. Good. Dalia was sitting beside Lina. Still talking. Still wearing the long gown. Still with the menthol lollipop. Her green eyes found Mandi. One look. Question. Mandi answered with a tiny grin. Dalia's mouth curved. Enough. Shammy raised her head. Read the pressure. Warm. Satisfied. No problem. Riva released Mandi's hand. Then stopped. Looked at her. "Thanks." Mandi's black eyes narrowed. "For?" Riva smiled. "Exactly what I asked for." Mandi's grin came back. "Better than networking breakfast?" Riva laughed. "Infinitely." "Good." Riva returned toward the others. Mandi watched her go. Then crossed the room toward Dalia. Dalia looked up. Mandi stopped in front of her. No report. No score. Dalia simply reached out and touched Mandi's waist once. Mandi leaned into it. Lina watched. Elisa watched. Shammy watched all of them. Dalia's whiskey-smoke voice came low. "Good?" Mandi smiled. "Very." Dalia nodded. "Good." Then she put the lollipop back between her lips. Mandi looked at Lina. Lina looked suspiciously flushed. Mandi's grin widened. "Oh." Dalia's eyes narrowed. "Don't." Mandi sat beside her. "I didn't say anything." Shammy's ears tipped forward with suspicious innocence. Mandi pointed at her. "SEE?" The lounge broke into laughter again. And Friday night continued. --- ## Chapter 10 — No Reason to Pretend Mandi returned to the lounge with Riva still warm in her smile. That was the first thing Dalia noticed. Not the hair. ChromeLock was already repairing that. Not the gown. Lena's engineering had apparently survived exactly what it had been designed to survive. The smile. Mandi sat beside her, close enough that their shoulders touched. Dalia looked at her once. "Good?" Mandi's black eyes gleamed. "Very." That was all she needed. No report. No details. No comparison. Dalia's hand settled briefly at Mandi's waist. Mandi leaned into it. Then immediately looked at Lina. Lina was trying much too hard to appear unaffected. Mandi's grin widened. Dalia saw it coming. "No." Mandi looked offended. "I haven't said anything." "Your face has." Lina laughed. Mandi turned toward her. "See? Oppression." Dalia put the menthol lollipop between her lips. "Survive." Mandi stared at the lollipop. Then at Lina. Then back. "Oh, this is going to be fun." Dalia narrowed her green eyes. "Mandi." "What?" "Go bother Elisa." "Why?" "Because I'm asking nicely." Mandi considered. Then smiled. "Fine." She stood. Leaned down. Kissed Dalia once. Brief. Familiar. Then looked at Lina. "Good luck." Lina laughed. "With what?" Mandi's grin became filthy. "Exactly." Dalia caught the back of her gown before she could escape. Mandi stopped. Looked down. Dalia's whiskey-smoke voice came very calm. "You want me to demonstrate what those release points do in front of everybody?" Mandi froze. The room around them went quiet enough to become dangerous. Lina's eyes widened. Elisa covered her mouth. Mandi slowly looked at Dalia. "That was fucking unfair." Dalia smiled around the lollipop. "Leave." Mandi pointed at her. "Monster." Then to Lina. "Still good luck." She escaped toward Elisa. Dalia watched her go. Then looked back at Lina. Lina was staring. Dalia removed the lollipop. "What?" Lina laughed once. "Nothing." "Bad answer." "Apparently." Dalia waited. Lina looked toward Mandi. Then back. "You really enjoy doing that to her." "Yes." "She enjoys it too." "Very much." Lina smiled. The tension between them was different now. Not new. Just uncovered. They had spent most of the evening talking. Music. Club architecture. Bad sound systems. The ridiculous habits of people with too much money. The difference between wanting attention and wanting to be watched. There had been enough flirting to make the attraction obvious hours ago. Nobody needed to manufacture anything. Dalia shifted slightly toward her. "Still want to talk about acoustics?" Lina looked at her. "Do you?" Dalia considered. "Yes." Lina blinked. Then laughed. "Seriously?" "Why not?" "I thought that was your polite way of changing the subject." Dalia's mouth curved. "I don't need polite ways to change subjects." "Fair." Dalia put the lollipop back between her lips. "So." Lina leaned back into the sofa. "So." "The upper galleries in most private clubs are still built wrong." Lina stared. Then burst out laughing. "God, I fucking like you." Dalia's green eyes flashed. "Good." And they kept talking. --- That was the part people misunderstood about professional companionship. The sex was not the only skill. Sometimes it wasn't even the hardest one. Anybody could fill silence. Professionals learned when not to. Dalia knew when Lina was performing confidence. When she was actually interested. When a joke needed answering. When it needed to sit. When touch would sharpen a moment. When it would cheapen one. Nothing about that required pretending. The better the chemistry, the less pretending was necessary. Lina became easier as the conversation went on. Not less attracted. More. But less aware of herself being attracted. That mattered. Her shoulders lowered. She stopped checking whether anyone else was watching. Stopped correcting herself before saying something dirty. At one point she described an infamous private club installation that had supposedly cost more than some apartment blocks and still managed to put the subwoofers in exactly the wrong place. Dalia stared at her. "That's criminal." "Thank you." "I mean literally. Somebody should have gone to prison." Lina laughed. "You care way too much about this." "I care exactly enough." "You've never designed a venue." "No." "Worked sound?" "No." Lina smiled. "Then why do you have opinions?" Dalia removed the lollipop. "Because I have ears." Lina laughed. Dalia continued: "And because bad bass ruins sex." Lina stopped laughing. Dalia watched the thought hit. Then very deliberately put the lollipop back into her mouth. Lina exhaled. "You're doing that on purpose." Dalia's eyebrows rose. "Doing what?" "Exactly that." "Eating candy?" "You know what I mean." Dalia leaned a little closer. "No." Lina stared at her. Dalia waited. Lina finally laughed. "You're a bitch." "Better." "Than what?" "Being boring." Lina's gaze dropped briefly to Dalia's mouth. Then to the visible hardware on the long gown. Then back. Dalia noticed every step. Of course she did. She didn't comment. Not yet. Professionalism did not mean constantly pushing. Sometimes it meant knowing exactly when **not** to. --- Across the room, Mandi had migrated half into Elisa's chair. Elisa was pretending this had happened accidentally. Nobody believed her. Shammy lay nearby, head on her forepaws. Mandi looked toward Dalia once. Saw Lina laughing. Saw the proximity. Saw Dalia's posture. Relaxed. Interested. Then looked away. No monitoring. No concern. Dalia caught the glance anyway. Warmth moved through her. Simple. Easy. Mandi had enjoyed Riva. Dalia liked that. She liked seeing it in her. Liked knowing Ace had gone into a room because she wanted to and come back glowing. And beneath Dalia's polished presentation, Mai felt something else loosen. Not control. Permission. That was different. Wearing Dalia never required Mai to become another person. It simply let certain parts of her stop asking whether they were allowed to exist. Wanting someone. Enjoying being wanted. Enjoying being touched. Enjoying sex because sex felt good, without turning the feeling into an analysis. No mission. No tactical purpose. No emotional complication requiring fifteen steps of internal review. Just appetite. Choice. Pleasure. Tonight, Mai let that be easy. Lina didn't know any of it. She didn't need to. What she saw was a woman with screaming-pink hair, emerald-reflective eyes and a low smoke-rough voice who looked increasingly pleased to be sitting beside her. That was enough. --- Their chairs had moved closer again. Neither acknowledged doing it. Eventually their knees touched. Lina noticed. Dalia did not move away. Neither did Lina. Conversation continued. A few minutes later Lina's fingers brushed Dalia's wrist when reaching past her. Accidental. Probably. She paused. Dalia looked down at the contact. Then at Lina. Lina's hand stayed where it was. "Okay?" Dalia smiled. "Yes." Small answer. Important one. Lina's thumb moved once against her wrist. Dalia's breathing changed. Slightly. Lina noticed. Interesting. Dalia let her. They kept talking. But the conversation had changed now. Not subject. Pressure. Touch existed. Which meant every silence carried more. Every joke landed closer. Every glance took longer. Lina's hand eventually moved from Dalia's wrist. Not because Dalia wanted it gone. Because neither needed to cling to the first contact. Good. Ten minutes later Dalia touched Lina's knee while laughing. Left her hand there. Lina looked down. Then back up. Dalia's hand did not move. Lina smiled. They went back to arguing about club lighting. --- Elisa joined them briefly. Mostly because Mandi had finally exhausted herself making fun of somebody's investment portfolio. She dropped into the chair opposite them. Mandi appeared beside her almost immediately. Elisa looked at Dalia. "You two still talking about sound?" Lina answered. "Apparently forever." Dalia nodded. "She has useful opinions." Lina looked delighted. Mandi pointed. "That's basically a marriage proposal from her." Dalia stared. "Fuck off." Mandi grinned. "That's more like you." Elisa looked between Dalia and Lina. The attraction was obvious enough now that even she didn't need Shammy. But she said nothing. No encouragement. No _go have fun._ No reminder of the booking. Good host. Dalia noticed that too. Instead Elisa asked Lina: "Are you staying tomorrow?" "Of course." Mandi gasped. "There's a tomorrow?" Elisa looked at her. "You've said 'whole weekend' approximately fifty times." "Conceptually. I didn't expect time to continue." Dalia covered her eyes. Lina laughed. Elisa looked at Mandi. "How much did you drink?" "Not enough to explain this." Shammy spoke from the floor. "Correct." Mandi turned. "Why are you against me tonight?" "I am not." "Evidence suggests otherwise." Dalia leaned toward Lina. "Watch." Lina looked at her. Dalia called: "Good wolf." Shammy's head lifted. Mandi's eyes went enormous. Silence. Then Shammy slowly turned toward Dalia. Dalia smiled. Mandi pointed. "OH, YOU FUCKED UP." Lina started laughing. Elisa folded into Mandi. Shammy stared at Dalia for several seconds. Then: "I will remember that." Dalia's smile did not change. "Good." Mandi made a strangled sound. "YOU CANNOT SAY IT TWICE." Dalia looked at her. "Apparently I can." Shammy's tail moved once. Mandi covered her face. "This entire weekend is collapsing." Elisa laughed against her shoulder. "No, this is excellent." Dalia looked at Lina. Lina was laughing hard enough that her eyes had watered. Good. Very good. --- Eventually Elisa and Mandi drifted away again. The conversation narrowed. Lina recovered. Looked at Dalia. "You actually aren't scared of her." "Shammy?" "Yes." Dalia raised an eyebrow. "Why would I be?" "She's enormous." "So?" "She carried Mandi around by her jacket." Dalia smiled. "That was funny." "It was terrifying." "Both." Lina laughed. Then looked toward Shammy. "She'd never hurt any of you." It wasn't quite a question. Dalia's expression softened. "No." Lina looked back. "Thought so." Another silence. Comfortable. Then Lina said: "You really like physical things." Dalia glanced at her. "What gave it away?" "The dress." "Fair." "The way you touch people." Dalia's eyes narrowed slightly. Lina continued before she could respond. "Not everyone. That's the interesting part." Dalia listened. "You don't touch everybody just because you're good at it." "No." "But when you do..." Lina stopped. Dalia waited. "When I do what?" Lina smiled. "You're very fucking deliberate." Dalia's mouth curved. "Professional hazard." "Does that mean it's always calculated?" That question could have gone wrong. It didn't. Dalia considered her. Then removed the lollipop. "No." Lina waited. Dalia's voice dropped. "Professional means I know how to make somebody comfortable." She rested one hand on Lina's knee again. "How to pay attention." Her thumb moved once. "How to notice when someone wants more and when they don't." Lina looked down at the hand. Then back. Dalia continued. "It doesn't mean I stop wanting things myself." That landed. Lina's breathing changed. Dalia noticed. Of course she did. "And right now?" Dalia asked. Lina held her gaze. "Right now what?" "You want the honest answer?" "Yes." Dalia leaned slightly closer. "I've spent the last two hours wanting to find out what you feel like when you stop talking." Lina went completely still. Then laughed once. Quiet. Nervous. Delighted. "Fuck." Dalia smiled. "Dirty enough?" Lina looked at her. "Very." "Good." The hand remained on Lina's knee. No further move. Dalia let the sentence exist. No rush. Lina had space to decide what to do with it. Several seconds passed. Then Lina covered Dalia's hand with her own. "Do you want to find out?" Dalia's green eyes caught the terrace light. "Yes." Lina breathed in. There it was. No entitlement. No vague euphemism. Still— not quite the whole question. Dalia waited. Lina understood. She smiled. "You're making me say it." "No." A pause. "I'm letting you." Lina laughed softly. "Fucking professional." Dalia's smile warmed. "Very." Lina looked directly at her. "Would you come somewhere private with me?" Dalia's thumb moved once beneath Lina's hand. "For?" Lina stared. Dalia's eyebrows rose. Lina understood exactly what she was doing. "Sex." Dalia smiled. "Better." Lina laughed. "Would you come somewhere private with me because I really, really want to have sex with you?" Dalia removed her hand from Lina's knee. Stood. The long gown settled around her. Perfect. She looked down at Lina. "Yes." Lina's expression changed instantly. Desire. Relief. Excitement. Dalia liked all three. Very much. --- She did not immediately pull Lina toward the corridor. Instead she held out a hand. Lina took it. Dalia brought her to her feet. They stood close. No one else involved yet. Dalia touched Lina's jaw lightly. "Still nervous?" "Yes." "Good." Lina laughed. "You really do like that answer." "It means you give a fuck." "Literally?" Dalia smiled. "Maybe soon." Lina's mouth fell open. Then she laughed hard enough to lean against Dalia. Dalia laughed too. Not controlled. Not perfectly composed. Just delighted. That was the other part. Dalia wasn't only good at sex because she knew what she was doing. She fucking **liked it**. Liked anticipation. Liked bodies. Liked the moment somebody stopped being careful because trust had finally outrun nerves. Liked the strange little transition from conversation to touch to certainty. And tonight, with nothing else demanding Mai's attention, Dalia let herself enjoy every part of it. No rationing. No mental brake. No need to stand outside her own physical reactions and catalogue them. Lina straightened. Still smiling. Dalia looked toward the room. Mandi noticed immediately. Their eyes met. No permission needed. Only recognition. Mandi's grin appeared. Small. Warm. _Have fun._ Dalia answered with the slightest tilt of her head. Elisa noticed too. Smiled. Shammy raised her head. Read both women. No concern. Good. Dalia looked back at Lina. "Come on." --- They did not make it all the way to the corridor without stopping. Lina kissed her first. Halfway through the lounge. Not performative. Not for the room. Simply because she'd apparently decided waiting another thirty seconds was stupid. Dalia answered immediately. One hand at Lina's waist. The other along her jaw. The kiss deepened. Long enough that the room around them disappeared. When they separated, Lina was breathing differently. Dalia was too. Lina looked at her. "You really wanted that." Dalia smiled. "Yes." Something in Lina relaxed. That mattered. Dalia touched her waist again. "Any confusion left?" "None." "Good." They continued. --- The room Lina chose was one Dalia remembered from the tour. Second on the west side. She'd remembered correctly. Of course. Lina noticed. "You actually remembered." "You told me you liked this one." "Hours ago." Dalia opened the door. "I was listening." That did more to Lina than any filthy line had. Dalia saw it. Stored it. The door closed behind them. Quiet. Private. Warm lighting. Wide bed. No audience. No performance. Lina turned toward her. For the first time all evening, Dalia saw her run out of words. Perfect. Dalia approached. Stopped close. No rush. "Still yes?" Lina nodded. "Yes." "Good." Dalia kissed her. And this time, when Lina's hand found the visible release hardware on the long gown, Dalia did not tease her away from it. She covered Lina's hand with her own. Held it there. Lina looked up. Dalia's green eyes flashed. "Now you get to find out." And Dalia smiled like someone who had been looking forward to exactly that for hours. --- ## Chapter 11 — What It Feels Like Lina's hand stayed on the release hardware. Dalia's hand stayed over hers. For a moment, neither moved. That pause mattered. Not because Lina had changed her mind. Because anticipation deserved its own space. Lina looked down at the mechanism beneath her fingers. Then back up. "You really made me wait hours for this." Dalia's green eyes flashed. "You survived." "Barely." "Drama." Lina laughed. "Fuck you." Dalia's mouth curved. "That's why you followed me." That ended the laugh. Not completely. Enough. Lina's breathing changed again. Dalia felt it beneath the hand she still held. Warm. Steady. Interested. No hesitation. She moved Lina's fingers slightly. Not opening anything yet. Just showing her the shape of the first release. Lina looked at her. "You want me to?" "Yes." "Now?" Dalia leaned closer. "Very much." Click. The first mechanism released. The gown shifted. Not enough to expose anything dramatic. Enough to break the perfect architectural tension Lena had built into it. Lina smiled. "Jesus." Dalia's voice stayed rough and low. "Keep going." Lina found the second. Click. Another shift. Dalia's hand left hers and settled at Lina's waist instead. No guidance now. Lina had the design. The rest was hers. She found the third. Paused. Looked up. Dalia was watching her closely. Not impatient. Not performing confidence for her. Enjoying this. Actually enjoying it. Lina noticed. "You're really into this." Dalia laughed softly. "Yes." "The dress?" "You." That landed harder. Lina went still. Dalia smiled. "Dirty enough?" Lina laughed once. "Fuck." "Thought so." Lina released the third point. The gown loosened further. One final mechanism remained. This one Lina had been staring at for most of the evening. She touched it. Then looked up again. Dalia did not nod this time. She asked. "Still want to?" Lina answered immediately. "Yes." "Then do it." Click. The gown came free. Cleanly. Smoothly. Exactly as Lena had promised. Dalia caught the fabric before it touched the floor. Lina stared. At the gown first. Then Dalia. Then back at the gown. "That's fucking ridiculous." Dalia laid it carefully over the chair. "Efficient." "Obscene." "Also true." Lina looked back at her. And stopped talking. There it was. The thing Dalia had told her she wanted to discover. What Lina felt like when she stopped talking. Dalia smiled slowly. "Oh." Lina narrowed her eyes. "Don't." "You stopped." "I noticed." "So did I." Lina stepped closer. "Happy?" Dalia's answer came without hesitation. "Very." --- Dalia let Lina look. That was part of the pleasure too. Not standing there like a product. Not pretending the attention meant nothing. Letting herself enjoy being wanted. Normally Mai would have noticed everything at once. The room temperature. The placement of the water. Whether the door lock had engaged properly. How loud the music outside was. Whether Lina's breathing had changed because of nerves or anticipation. All of that still existed. Tonight, Mai stopped turning every observation into responsibility. She could simply notice Lina looking. And like it. Lina touched her waist. Dalia leaned into the contact. Simple. Immediate. Lina's eyes lifted. "Okay?" "Yes." Her hand moved. Slowly. Dalia did not correct. Did not reposition. Did not turn the moment into a demonstration. She just let Lina find her. That was another difference between being competent and performing competence. Dalia knew what she was doing. Which meant she did not have to prove it every second. Lina kissed her. Dalia answered. Warmly. No hurry. Her hand settled behind Lina's neck. The other at her side. Lina stepped closer. The kiss deepened. Then broke. Lina breathed out. Dalia looked at her. "You good?" "Very." "Want more?" "Yes." Dalia smiled. "Good." Lina laughed softly. "You're enjoying making me say it." Dalia's eyebrows rose. "You're enjoying saying it." "Fair." Dalia kissed her again. --- Lina's clothes came off more slowly. Not because Dalia needed them to. Because Lina did. Not nervous enough to stop. Nervous enough to want the progression. Dalia noticed. So she slowed. She touched the first closure. Looked at Lina. "Help?" Lina nodded. "Please." Dalia opened it. Then waited. Lina moved closer instead of away. Good. Second. Pause. Kiss. Third. Lina's hands found Dalia's shoulders. Dalia let them stay. The fabric loosened. Lina looked down. Then up. Dalia asked: "Still good?" "Yes." "Want me to keep going?" "Yes." No euphemism. No uncertainty. Dalia continued. The process took time. That was the point. Each change gave Lina a chance to react. Each pause gave Dalia a chance to read her without making the reading visible. No rush toward an endpoint. No obligation to turn undressing into choreography. Just two people getting closer while the remaining barriers became fewer. When Lina finally stood in front of her without anything left to hide behind, she laughed once. Not because anything was funny. Because she had nowhere to put the nerves. Dalia smiled. "Come here." Lina did. Dalia's hands settled at her waist. Lina's came around her shoulders. For a moment they simply stood there. Close. Skin warm. Breathing matching. Lina looked at her. "What?" Dalia asked. "Nothing." "Bad answer." Lina smiled. "I was just thinking you were right." "About?" "Wanting is simple." Dalia's expression softened. Lina continued. "This part's easy." Dalia looked at her. Then smiled. "Good." Lina kissed her. --- They did not go straight to the bed. That surprised Lina. Dalia seemed perfectly happy staying where they were. Kissing. Touching. Learning. No hurry to get horizontal just because the obvious next step existed. Lina's hands moved along Dalia's back. Dalia reacted. Not dramatically. Enough. Lina noticed. Dalia noticed her noticing. That made her laugh. "What?" Lina smiled. "You react more than I expected." Dalia raised an eyebrow. "Why?" "You always look so controlled." Dalia considered. Then: "Looking controlled and enjoying sex are not opposites." Lina laughed softly. "No." Dalia leaned closer. "Very much not." That answer stayed with Lina. She kissed Dalia again. Longer. Dalia's hands moved with more confidence now. Still checking. Still paying attention. But no longer cautious. Lina responded by pulling closer. Dalia liked that. Very much. The change became visible. Less distance. More heat. More willingness to let physical reaction replace conversation. Lina smiled against her mouth. "There." Dalia pulled back slightly. "What?" "That." "What?" "You stopped thinking." Dalia stared at her. Then laughed. Actually laughed. "Careful." "Was I wrong?" Dalia's smile lingered. "No." Lina looked pleased. Dalia touched her jaw. "Don't get smug." "Too late." Dalia kissed her hard enough to wipe the expression away. --- The bed arrived eventually. Not as a destination. As the place their movement naturally took them. Dalia sat first. Lina stayed standing for a moment. Dalia looked up. "Come here." Lina smiled. "Command?" "Invitation." "Good distinction." "Very." Lina joined her. The mattress shifted beneath them. Dalia adjusted. Lina followed. They ended up close. Facing. Knees touching. Hands already familiar enough now that contact did not need to be renegotiated every second. Still, Dalia asked when the next change mattered. "Want to keep going?" Lina held her gaze. "Yes." Then, because apparently she'd learned something from the evening: "Very fucking much." Dalia grinned. "Better." Dalia drew Lina down with her and changed their position until each woman could give as easily as receive. Lina understood the invitation in the deliberate angle of Dalia’s body and the steady eye contact that held until the choice became words. “Go down on me,” Dalia said. Lina did. Dalia’s breath caught at the unmistakable beginning of oral sex, and then she answered in kind. The first shared reaction ran through both of them before either settled into a rhythm. They did not remain fixed there. When the need to see each other pulled them face to face again, their hands took over the same deliberate sexual attention without letting the shared pleasure fall away. They moved closer. The rhythm built slowly. Not because either lacked appetite. Because both had plenty. Enough to enjoy every stage instead of racing through it. Dalia stopped managing her own reactions so carefully. That was the part Lina noticed most. The whiskey-smoke voice getting rougher. The way Dalia's eyes closed for longer stretches. How one hand tightened when something hit exactly right. How the careful precision remained in her attention to Lina but gradually disappeared from the way she allowed herself to respond. Mai still knew where Lina was. Still knew whether she was comfortable. Still knew when to slow. But Dalia let the rest go. No need to maintain perfect composure. No need to be the most controlled person in the room. No reason to deny that this felt fucking good. Lina caught that transition. And liked it. "You're enjoying this." Dalia opened her eyes. "Yes." "Good." Dalia smiled. "Very." No shame. No restraint. They kept going. Touch. Kiss. Pause. Breath. Closer. A small correction when something didn't work. A laugh. Then another attempt. Better. The room disappeared around them in pieces. First the music. Then the window. Then the house. What remained was physical. Warmth. Pressure. Breath. The quiet sounds neither had any reason to hide. Dalia's professionalism did not vanish. It became almost invisible. Present in the way she checked Lina's face. The way she slowed before Lina ever needed to ask. The way she noticed when Lina wanted more intensity and when she wanted closeness instead. But pleasure existed beside it. Not underneath. Not sacrificed to it. Dalia was not servicing Lina from a distance. She was having sex with someone she'd spent hours genuinely wanting. That difference filled the room. Lina felt it. Her hand tightened against Dalia's back. Dalia responded immediately. The rhythm changed. More urgent now. Still controlled enough to stay mutual. No one chasing ahead alone. Lina's breathing broke first. Dalia's followed. The crest built gradually. Enough time to feel it coming. Enough time to choose not to slow it down. Lina’s release overtook her in a visible wave—body tightening, breath gone, one hand gripping Dalia as the last of her control gave way. Dalia stayed with her through it. Lina’s answering attention did not stop, and a heartbeat later Dalia’s composure broke just as clearly: a rough sound, a full-body shudder, then complete release into the closeness they had chosen. Their bodies folded back together, and Dalia's forehead came down against her shoulder. For several long seconds neither moved. No joke. No line. No immediate separation. Just breathing. Hands still resting where they'd landed. Bodies settling. Dalia let herself stay there. Completely. No reflex to sit up first. No need to make sure everything had concluded correctly. No need to become Mai again before the moment was finished. Lina's hand moved slowly along her back. Dalia sighed. Not controlled. Not elegant. Satisfied. Lina smiled against her hair. "There." Dalia's voice came muffled. "Don't." "You did stop thinking." Dalia laughed quietly against her. "Fuck you." Lina's arms tightened slightly. "That was the idea." Dalia lifted her head. Green eyes catching the warm light. "You've been spending too much time around Mandi." "Apparently." Dalia kissed her once. Soft. Then stayed close. --- They remained tangled together for a while. Long enough for the heat to settle. Long enough for neither to feel like the encounter had ended simply because the peak had passed. Lina reached for the water eventually. Dalia stopped her. "I've got it." She moved first. Grabbed both glasses. Passed one over. Lina took it. "Professional." Dalia looked at her. "Thirsty." Lina laughed. "Both?" "Both." They drank. Dalia leaned back against the headboard. Lina settled beside her. Not distant. Shoulder against shoulder. Lina looked toward the chair. The gown waited there. Perfect. "That thing is going to look untouched when you put it back on, isn't it?" "Probably." "That's obscene." "You've said that." "It keeps being true." Dalia smiled. Lina looked at her. Hair damaged now. Not destroyed. Pink strands displaced enough that ChromeLock had clearly started working already. Green contacts still bright. But the polished controlled image from the lounge had softened. Lina liked this version too. Maybe more. She touched Dalia's hand. "Can I ask something?" Dalia looked suspicious. "Apparently serious questions are contagious tonight." "Maybe." "Ask." Lina considered. "Do you always enjoy it this much?" Dalia went quiet. Not uncomfortable. Thinking. Then answered honestly. "I enjoy sex." Lina smiled. "I noticed." Dalia nudged her. "But no." "No?" "Not every person." "Obviously." "Not every night." "Also obvious." Dalia looked at their joined hands. Then back at Lina. "But I don't pretend not to enjoy it when I do." Lina studied her. "Good." Dalia's mouth curved. "Very." Lina laughed softly. "There's that word again." "Useful word." "Very." Dalia looked at her. Lina grinned. "See?" "Terrible influence." "Luxury terrible." Dalia closed her eyes. "Oh, fuck." "Mandi's spreading." "Like an infection." Lina laughed. Dalia joined her. --- They stayed longer. Talking. Not because the encounter required aftercare as a professional procedure. Because neither wanted to leave yet. They talked about music again. Of course. Lina insisted Dalia had been wrong about the upper galleries. Dalia insisted Lina was emotionally attached to bad engineering. Lina accused her of using sex to win arguments. Dalia looked genuinely offended. "I don't need sex to win arguments." "Good." "I use being right." Lina laughed. "Of course you do." Eventually Lina looked at the time. Then groaned. Dalia looked over. "What?" "It's somehow later." "Time does that." "Helpful." "Premium insight." Lina smiled. "Do we have to go back?" Dalia considered. "Eventually." "Very professional answer." "No." Dalia looked at her. "Professional answer would be yes." Lina waited. Dalia smiled. "I said eventually." That made Lina relax again. Good. They gave themselves another ten minutes. Then another five because neither admitted the first ten had ended. Finally Dalia stood. Reached for the gown. Lina watched. The long fabric went back on with absurd ease. Release points reconnecting. Structure returning. The material settling into its original lines. ChromeLock had already repaired most of the pink hair. Within minutes, Dalia looked almost exactly as she had before entering the room. Almost. Lina stared. Dalia looked at her. "What?" "That's fucking terrifying." "Good terrifying?" "Very." Dalia smiled. Lina dressed. Dalia helped with one awkward closure. No ceremony. Just competence. Then adjusted Lina's collar. Lina looked down. "Service included?" Dalia's rough voice came low. "You're going back out with me. I'm not letting you look crooked." Lina smiled. "Professional." Dalia looked at her. "Also I like you." Lina went still. Dalia smiled. "Both things can be true." That did more damage than any filthy line of the night. Lina looked away briefly. "Fuck." Dalia laughed. "Good fuck?" Lina stared at her. Then both started laughing. --- Before opening the door, Lina stopped. Dalia looked back. "What?" Lina stepped closer. "One more." Dalia's eyebrows rose. "Kiss." Dalia smiled. "Ask properly." Lina stared. "You bitch." "Yes." Lina laughed. Then: "Can I kiss you again before we go back?" Dalia's expression softened. "Yes." Lina kissed her. Slow. Warm. Nothing left to prove. When they separated, Dalia touched her jaw once. "Ready?" "Yeah." They opened the door. --- The party was still alive. Of course it was. Friday had apparently decided to become immortal. Mandi saw them first. She was half-sprawled across Elisa's sofa with one bare foot tucked beneath her and a drink she clearly had no intention of finishing. Her black eyes lifted. Found Dalia. Stopped. Then the grin arrived. Dalia saw it. "Oh, no." Mandi sat up. "Oh, yes." Lina started laughing before Mandi even spoke. Dalia pointed at her. "Do not encourage her." Mandi looked at Lina. "You look happy." Lina answered instantly. "I am." Mandi's grin widened. Then she looked at Dalia. Dalia stared back. Mandi's gaze moved over the immaculate gown. Recovered pink hair. Green eyes. Then settled on her face. The grin softened. "Good?" Dalia did not bother pretending. "Fucking excellent." Mandi's entire expression lit. There. That was what she wanted to hear. Not professionalism. Not whether Lina had been satisfied. She cared about that, obviously. But she wanted to know whether **Mai** had enjoyed herself. Dalia answered without hiding behind anything. "Very fucking excellent." Mandi laughed. "That's my girl." Dalia stopped. Shammy's ears lifted. Elisa looked over. Mandi realized what she'd said. Her eyes widened. Dalia slowly smiled. "Careful." Mandi immediately raised both hands. "Not wolf. Girl." Shammy's voice came dry from the floor. "I am aware." Elisa collapsed laughing. Lina sat down beside her. Mandi pointed at Shammy. "I have trauma." "You created the trauma." "Details." Dalia reclaimed a fresh menthol lollipop. Put it between her lips. Then dropped into the seat beside Mandi. Mandi leaned against her immediately. Dalia let her. No reset. No pretending the private room had been separate from the rest of the night. Just another part of it. Lina sat nearby. Elisa passed her a drink. Shammy watched the pressure settle around all of them. Warm. Loose. Satisfied. Nobody needed fixing. And Dalia, still feeling the pleasant physical afterglow beneath the perfect gown, looked around the room and realized something very simple. She wanted more of this weekend. Not because Elisa had paid for it. Not because Dalia was supposed to. Because it felt fucking good. And there was still all of Saturday ahead. --- ## Chapter 12 — Saturday Saturday began with Mandi discovering that rich people had invented a morally offensive breakfast. She stood in the dining area wearing absolutely nothing except her collar, black contacts, and screaming-orange hair that had somehow returned to perfect order while she slept. On the counter in front of her sat fruit. Actual fruit. Not synth-fruit pretending very hard. Not something grown in a vertical farm beneath six kilometers of Night City infrastructure. Fruit that had apparently experienced sunlight at some point in its existence. Mandi held one strawberry between two fingers. "How much?" Elisa looked up from her coffee. "What?" "This." "The strawberry?" "Yes." "I don't know." Mandi stared at her. Elisa stared back. "You don't know." "No." "You bought it." "I did not personally purchase the strawberries." "Then find whoever did." Elisa started laughing. Dalia entered behind Mandi. She had acquired one of the residence robes. She had not bothered closing it particularly carefully. Pink ChromeLock hair immaculate. Green eyes bright. Menthol lollipop already in place. She stopped. Looked at Mandi. Looked at the strawberry. Then at Elisa. "No." Mandi pointed. "She doesn't know how much it costs." Dalia took the lollipop from her mouth. "It's eight in the morning." "Exactly. This is when financial crimes happen." Elisa put her coffee down. "Why are you naked?" Mandi looked down at herself. Then back. "Breakfast." "That doesn't answer the question." "It does where I come from." Dalia walked past her. "No, it doesn't." "Betrayal." Dalia selected a piece of fruit. Mandi watched. "Do you know how much that costs?" "No." "Nobody in this house understands money." Elisa stared at her. "I paid you a quarter million for the weekend." Mandi pointed the strawberry at her. "Exactly my fucking point." Dalia nearly inhaled the lollipop. The door behind them opened. Nobody paid much attention at first. Then four heavy paws crossed the floor. Mandi turned. Shammy had arrived. The huge grey wolf stopped just inside the dining area. Her gaze moved across the room. Elisa. Dalia. Breakfast. Then Mandi. She became very still. Mandi looked down at herself. Then back at Shammy. "What?" Shammy said nothing. Her ears moved once. Then she started walking. Slowly. Straight toward Mandi. Mandi watched her approach. "Morning?" No answer. Elisa's coffee stopped halfway to her mouth. Dalia's lollipop stopped halfway to hers. Mandi looked from one to the other. "What?" Shammy reached her. Stopped directly in front of her. Mandi had to tilt her head down slightly despite Shammy's enormous scale because the wolf had lowered hers. "Shammy?" The huge grey head moved closer. Mandi's eyebrows rose. "Uh." Shammy calmly nuzzled against her. Mandi relaxed. "Oh." A smile. "Morning, gorgeous." Shammy's head lowered. The smile remained for perhaps half a second. Then Mandi's entire body went rigid. Her black eyes became enormous. The strawberry slipped from her fingers. Dalia slowly removed the lollipop from her mouth. Elisa made a tiny choking noise. Shammy remained exactly where she was for one lingering, unmistakably intimate grooming beat. Then lifted her head. Mandi stared at her. Shammy met her eyes. Perfectly calm. Mandi's mouth opened. Nothing happened. Shammy turned. Walked past her. Continued toward breakfast. Silence. Absolute. Catastrophic. Mandi was still standing exactly where Shammy had left her. Naked. Orange hair perfect. Black eyes staring into middle distance. Elisa looked at Mandi. Then Shammy. Then Dalia. Then back at Mandi. Her face folded. She dropped forward onto the table. The first laugh escaped. Then another. Then she was gone. Completely. Dalia lasted approximately two seconds longer. She put the lollipop carefully onto a plate. Covered her mouth. Failed. A low laugh escaped between her fingers. Mandi finally found language. "...Did you seriously just do that in front of everybody?" Shammy inspected the breakfast. "Yes." Mandi stared. "And you're just going to breakfast?" Shammy selected something. "Also yes." Elisa made a sound somewhere between laughter and respiratory failure. Mandi pointed at Shammy. "You cannot just—" She stopped. Apparently discovered that finishing the sentence required describing what had happened. Her finger remained extended. Shammy looked at it. Then at Mandi. "What?" Mandi's mouth fell open. Dalia lost the fight completely. She bent over the counter laughing. "Oh, fuck you too." Dalia shook her head. Could not speak. Mandi looked toward Elisa for support. Elisa was useless. Riva appeared in the doorway at exactly the wrong moment. She looked around. Mandi naked and furious. Elisa collapsed over the table. Dalia laughing against the counter. Shammy calmly eating breakfast. Riva stopped. "What happened?" Mandi pointed at Shammy. "She—" Stopped. Shammy continued eating. Riva waited. Mandi looked at Dalia. Dalia managed one word. "Grooming." Mandi's head snapped toward her. "TRAITOR." Riva looked at Shammy. Then at Mandi. Then slowly downward. Then back up. Understanding arrived. "Oh." Mandi pointed at her. "NO." Riva's lips compressed. "Don't." Riva turned away. Her shoulders started shaking. "FUCK ALL OF YOU." Shammy swallowed. "Good morning, Riva." That finished her. Riva leaned against the doorway laughing. Mandi stared at Shammy. "I fucking live with that woman." Dalia finally recovered enough to pick up her lollipop. "We know." Elisa slid halfway out of her chair. Mandi closed her eyes. "This fucking weekend." Dalia put the lollipop back between her lips. "And it's only Saturday." --- Breakfast did not recover. It merely continued around the crater. Lina arrived several minutes later. Riva immediately whispered something to her. Mandi saw. "RIVA." "I didn't say anything." "You are literally saying something right now." "Could be anything." Lina looked at Mandi. Then at Shammy. Then her eyes widened. Mandi pointed. "SEE?" Lina covered her mouth. "I didn't say anything either." "YOUR FACE DID." Dalia looked at Mandi. "Interesting." Mandi turned. "What?" "You used that on me last night." "Not relevant." "Seems relevant." "Nobody asked you." Lina sat beside Dalia, already laughing. Mandi grabbed another strawberry. Bit into it aggressively. Riva sat opposite her. Her gaze wandered. Mandi caught it. "Careful." Riva smiled. "About?" "Whatever fucking thought you're having." Riva tapped the rim of her coffee cup twice. Mandi froze. Dalia saw. Lina saw. Elisa saw. Riva realized what she'd done. "Oh, fuck." Mandi pointed. "THERE." Riva burst out laughing. The rest followed. Shammy continued eating. Perfectly calm. --- People arrived gradually. Nobody had apparently agreed on clothing. Some wore robes. Some wore yesterday's clothes. One woman arrived in an oversized shirt and nothing visibly requiring further explanation. Mandi remained naked out of principle. At least that was what she claimed. Dalia suspected spite. Lina sat beside her. Their knees touched beneath the table. Neither moved. No one interrogated Riva. No one interrogated Lina. Private remained private. But warmth carried. That was enough. And every few minutes somebody looked at Shammy. Then at Mandi. Then desperately tried not to laugh. Mandi eventually slammed one hand onto the table. "IT WAS GROOMING." Elisa folded instantly. "STOP MAKING IT WORSE." "I'M CLARIFYING." "YOU'RE REALLY NOT." Dalia leaned back. Lollipop between her lips. Green eyes sparkling. Mandi looked at her. "You could help." "I could." "You aren't." "No." "Bitch." Dalia smiled. "Saturday." --- Saturday refused to hurry. Nobody had anywhere else to be. That became the luxury of the morning. Breakfast lasted almost two hours because nobody actually ended it. People simply migrated. Coffee followed them into the lounge. Then onto the terrace. Somebody found music. Someone else opened the glass walls completely. Mandi eventually acquired a robe. Not because she had suddenly discovered modesty. Because Elisa's climate controls had lost an argument with the morning air. Riva noticed. "Defeated by temperature?" Mandi tightened the robe. "Temporary strategic withdrawal." "Of course." Dalia passed behind her. "She's cold." Mandi turned. "Operational secrecy!" Riva laughed. Mandi pointed at Dalia. "You are becoming intolerable." Dalia smiled. "Saturday." Mandi narrowed her eyes. Then smiled back. Yeah. This was exactly what Saturday was for. --- The pool happened shortly after noon. Nobody formally suggested it. Elisa disappeared. Returned wearing a swimsuit. Mandi looked at her. Then at the pool visible through the glass. Then back. "No." Elisa stopped. "No?" Mandi opened her robe. Let it fall onto the chair. "No swimsuit." Elisa stared. Mandi smiled. "We have a perfectly private residence." Riva looked over. Lina did too. Dalia removed her lollipop. Elisa looked around the room. "You mean—" Mandi stared. "Elisa." "What?" "Ask the dirty question." Elisa laughed. "Fine. You want everyone naked in my pool?" Mandi's smile became radiant. "Yes." Dalia sighed. "Of course she does." Mandi turned. "You don't?" Dalia looked toward the water. Then toward Lina. Then Mandi. The corner of her mouth moved. "Didn't say that." Mandi pointed. "HA." Elisa looked around. "Anyone who doesn't want to, obviously doesn't have to." Nobody made a joke over that. Riva stood first. "Fuck it." Mandi applauded. "Leadership." "Do not applaud me undressing." "Why?" Riva stopped. Considered. "Actually, fair." Lina laughed. Dalia stood. The robe slipped from her shoulders. Mandi looked at her. "Saturday Dalia." Dalia met her eyes. "Shut up." "Hot." "I know." "Fucking bitch." "Also know." Elisa stared between them. "I understand now why people watch you two." Mandi smiled. "Only now?" --- It became delightfully unceremonious. That was the best part. Clothes accumulated on chairs and benches. No staged reveal. No expectation that everyone had to look or had to pretend not to. Some people undressed completely. A couple kept swimwear. One decided she preferred staying on the side with her drink. Nobody cared. Nobody pushed. Mandi entered the water by jumping directly into it. The splash hit Elisa from several meters away. "Mandi!" Orange hair vanished beneath the surface. Then reappeared. Mandi wiped water from her face. "WHAT?" "You did that deliberately!" "No evidence!" "You yelled before jumping!" "Coincidence!" Dalia entered by the steps. Of course. Controlled. Elegant. Until Mandi swam directly toward her. Dalia saw the expression. "No." Mandi kept coming. "Mandi." Closer. "Do not." Mandi grinned. Dalia's eyes narrowed. Mandi lunged. Dalia caught her. There was a brief chaotic struggle. Then both disappeared underwater. They surfaced separately. Dalia's pink hair plastered temporarily across her face. Mandi pointed and laughed. Dalia wiped it away. ChromeLock immediately began trying to remember what dignity looked like. "You." Mandi backed through the water. "Yes?" "Come here." "No." "Come here." "Absolutely fucking not." Dalia started after her. Mandi shrieked and fled. Riva nearly drowned laughing. --- Shammy stood at the pool edge. Looking down. The water looked back. Mandi stopped fleeing Dalia long enough to notice. "Oh." Shammy's ears shifted. Mandi swam closer. "Can you?" "Yes." "Comfortably?" Shammy looked at the water. Then at the dimensions of the pool. "I believe so." Elisa immediately moved toward the controls. "I can lower the—" Shammy jumped. The impact was catastrophic. A wall of water crossed the pool. Mandi disappeared. Elisa screamed. Riva turned away too late. Dalia took the wave directly in the face. Lina's drink died instantly. For one extraordinary second nobody spoke. Then Shammy surfaced. Huge grey head. Ears flattened. Looking profoundly pleased with herself. Mandi emerged coughing and laughing. "SHAMMY!" "Yes?" "You fucking—" Mandi could not finish. She was laughing too hard. Dalia wiped water from her face. Very slowly. Shammy looked at her. Dalia looked back. "Good wolf." Silence. Mandi screamed. "NO!" Shammy's tail moved underwater. The resulting turbulence hit Mandi. "STOP ENCOURAGING HER!" Elisa had both hands over her face. "This is the best quarter million I've ever spent." Mandi pointed. "YOU'RE PART OF THE PROBLEM." --- Shammy could swim. Very well. The wolf body changed the mechanics, but Victor had built something that behaved like an animal rather than a costume. Her paws moved naturally. Her enormous body floated differently from her usual form. Her head remained comfortably above water. And for perhaps the first time since the sculpt, nobody was thinking about how dangerous she looked. She was simply Shammy. Swimming. Occasionally producing ridiculous amounts of water. People approached her. Asked. Touched wet fur. Shammy tolerated approximately thirty seconds of dignified admiration before Mandi wrapped both arms around her neck from behind. "Boat." Shammy stopped swimming. "No." "Boat." "I am not a boat." Mandi floated against her. "Warm boat." "Mandi." "Fluffy boat." Shammy turned her head. Mandi saw the eye. "Excellent boat." Shammy began swimming. Mandi grinned triumphantly. Then Shammy changed direction sharply. Mandi lost her grip. Splash. She surfaced. "BITCH!" Shammy continued swimming. "Language." Dalia folded over laughing. --- The nakedness stopped being remarkable surprisingly quickly. That was when the pool became easier. Bodies became part of the environment. Wet hair. Water. Bare shoulders at the surface. People swimming. Floating. Talking. Nobody arranged themselves for display. Which meant, inevitably, people looked anyway. Dalia caught Lina looking. Lina did not pretend otherwise. Dalia swam closer. "Enjoying yourself?" "Very." Dalia smiled. "Good." Lina's eyes moved over her again. Dalia let them. Then Lina asked: "You?" Dalia considered the question. Water around her. Mandi attempting to climb onto Shammy again in the background. Elisa laughing. Sunlight through the privacy glass. Her own body loose and pleasantly tired from Friday night. Nothing to manage. Nothing to hide. Nothing requiring precision. "Yes." Lina smiled. Dalia moved closer. Their shoulders touched. No escalation. No need. Just contact. Physical because physical felt good. Dalia liked that simplicity. --- Mandi eventually floated onto her back. Riva appeared beside her. They drifted together. Riva looked over. "Your hair." Mandi closed her eyes. "What about it?" "It's losing the fight." "Temporary." "It looks ridiculous." Mandi opened one black eye. "Yesterday you wanted to fuck me." Riva smiled. "Still do." Mandi closed the eye again. "Then apparently the hair isn't a dealbreaker." Riva laughed. Their hands touched beneath the water. Neither moved away. Mandi smiled. Saturday. No schedule. No queue. No sense that last night's sex had created obligations for today. Riva could want her again. Mandi could want Riva again. Maybe they would. Maybe they wouldn't. There was plenty of time. That was the point. --- Elisa eventually floated near Dalia. "You okay?" Dalia looked at her. "Why wouldn't I be?" Elisa shrugged. "Checking." Dalia smiled. "Very okay." Elisa looked toward Mandi. Then Shammy. Then Lina. "I thought this weekend would feel different." "How?" Elisa thought. "More..." She searched. "Organized." Dalia laughed. "You hired Mandi." "Fair." From across the pool: "I HEARD THAT." Dalia raised her voice. "GOOD." Elisa laughed. Then became quieter. "I thought because I was paying so much, I'd feel like I had to make use of every minute." Dalia studied her. "And?" Elisa looked around. "I don't." "Good." "I like this." "So do I." Elisa looked at her. Dalia meant it. Clearly. Elisa smiled. Then: "Is that weird?" "What?" "That I'm paying you and we're all just swimming naked." Dalia considered. "No." "Why?" Dalia's eyes moved around the pool. "Because you didn't buy a checklist." Elisa listened. "You bought our time." A small smile. "What happens inside that time still has to be worth doing." Elisa looked at her for several seconds. Then nodded. "Okay." Dalia touched her shoulder once. "Stop trying to optimize your own party." Elisa laughed. "Corpo disease." "Terminal." "Fuck you." Dalia smiled. "Mandi already used that joke." "Goddammit." --- The pool session lasted far longer than anyone intended. Which meant it was successful. Eventually food appeared outside. Nobody knew who had ordered it. Elisa claimed innocence. Mandi blamed invisible staff. Riva blamed Elisa's home intelligence. Shammy climbed out first. That created a new problem. A huge wet wolf contained an astonishing amount of water. Mandi saw what was coming. "Don't." Shammy planted all four paws. "Shammy." Her body tensed. "DO NOT—" Shammy shook. Water exploded everywhere. Screaming. Laughter. Elisa fled. Lina hid behind Dalia. Dalia had nowhere to go. Mandi stood waist-deep in the pool pointing at Shammy with the fury of a betrayed monarch. "You absolute fucking animal!" Shammy stopped. Wet grey fur sticking out in every direction. She looked at Mandi. "I am currently a wolf." Mandi opened her mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. Dalia started laughing so hard she had to hold the pool edge. Mandi looked at her. "No." Dalia couldn't stop. "No, fuck you, you don't get to laugh." That made it worse. Elisa sat down on the wet tiles because standing had become impossible. Even Shammy's muzzle had taken on the unmistakable look of someone suppressing amusement. Mandi saw it. "Oh, fuck all of you." She climbed out. Naked. Soaking wet. Orange hair in complete structural collapse. Walked directly toward Shammy. Shammy watched her approach. Mandi stopped in front of the enormous wolf. "You think you're funny?" "Occasionally." Mandi stared. Then wrapped both arms around Shammy's wet neck. Shammy lowered her head. Mandi kissed the top of her muzzle. "Good wolf." Shammy went very still. Dalia's laughter stopped. Elisa whispered: "Oh no." Mandi realized. Too late. Shammy turned her head. Mandi backed away. "Wait." Shammy stepped forward. "Shammy." Another step. "We're beside a pool." Another. "Think about this." Shammy gently reached for the back of the robe Mandi was not wearing. Stopped. There was nothing there. Shammy blinked. Mandi blinked. The entire group froze. Mandi's grin appeared. "You've got nothing." Shammy looked at her. Mandi spread both arms. "HA." Shammy simply lowered her head beneath Mandi's arm. Lifted. "MOTHERFUCKER—" And carried her bodily into the pool. Splash. For perhaps three seconds there was silence. Then Mandi surfaced. Orange hair across her face. Black eyes furious. Everyone waiting. Mandi wiped the hair away. Looked at Shammy. Shammy looked back. Mandi started laughing. So did everybody else. Saturday had officially begun. And somewhere between the obscenely expensive strawberries, a completely unrepentant wolf, and a pool full of naked people who had stopped caring who was looking, Elisa had apparently forgotten entirely that she had ever worried about getting enough value out of her weekend. ---- ## Chapter 13 — Saturday Afternoon Lunch happened in towels. Mostly. That had not been the plan. There had not been a plan. Which was becoming the dominant feature of Saturday. The food had appeared beside the pool in covered trays, and nobody had demonstrated enough ambition to walk all the way back inside, shower, dress, return, and pretend civilization still mattered. So towels won. Mandi wore hers badly. Not accidentally. Elisa had handed it to her. Mandi had wrapped it once around herself, tied it somewhere around her hips, and immediately declared the problem solved. Elisa stared. "That is not how towels work." Mandi picked up something from the food tray. "It is currently covering enough of me to satisfy no legal requirement whatsoever." "Exactly." "So we're done." Dalia walked past wearing hers properly. Mandi looked at her. "Show-off." Dalia took another fresh menthol lollipop from somewhere nobody had seen. "You own clothing." "So do you." "I'm wearing a towel." "Corporate compliance." Dalia smiled. "One of us has to maintain standards." Mandi pointed at Shammy. "She licked my—" Dalia moved faster than anyone expected. One hand clamped over Mandi's mouth. Mandi made an outraged muffled sound. Elisa folded instantly. Riva nearly dropped her plate. Lina covered her face. Shammy lay in a patch of filtered sunlight, still damp, watching them. Dalia kept her hand where it was. "Finish that sentence." Mandi's black eyes gleamed. Dalia narrowed hers. Mandi smiled behind the hand. Dalia removed it carefully. Mandi inhaled. "GROOMING." The word came out almost as a scream. Elisa dropped onto the nearest lounger. Riva turned away. Lina's shoulders shook. Dalia closed her eyes. Mandi pointed wildly at Shammy. "SEXUAL GROOMING. AT BREAKFAST. IN FRONT OF EVERYBODY." Shammy looked at her. "Your description is becoming increasingly theatrical." Mandi stared. "Theatrical?" "Yes." "You ambushed me naked before coffee." "You were already naked." "THAT DOES NOT HELP." Dalia took the lollipop from her mouth. "Technically, it does establish context." Mandi turned slowly. "You." Dalia smiled. "Saturday." Mandi looked at Elisa. Elisa had tears in her eyes. Mandi threw both hands upward. "I am surrounded by assholes." Riva raised her hand. "Luxury assholes." Mandi pointed. "Exactly." Then stopped. Considered. "Actually, that's good." Riva nodded. "I know." --- Lunch took an hour and a half. Nobody ate for that long. They simply stayed. That had become the rhythm now. Food. Conversation. Someone getting distracted halfway through a sentence. Mandi stealing from Dalia's plate despite having the same thing on hers. Dalia moving her plate farther away. Mandi following it. Lina eventually putting her own plate between them. Mandi looking at her. "Pick a side." Lina smiled. "I did." Dalia's expression warmed. Mandi gasped. "After everything we've been through." Dalia looked at her. "You met her yesterday." "Exactly. History." Elisa laughed. Riva sat with one leg tucked beneath her, watching the exchange. Mandi noticed. "You look smug." "I am." "Why?" Riva shrugged. "I like seeing you lose." Mandi leaned closer. "You didn't say that last night." Riva's mouth curved. "No." Dalia looked toward her. Lina did too. Elisa made a delighted sound. Riva held Mandi's gaze. "Last night you were much more convincing." Mandi froze. Then slowly smiled. "Okay." Riva lifted an eyebrow. "Okay?" "That was good." "Thank you." Mandi sat back. "I hate competent people." Dalia nodded. "Consistent." --- Nobody returned to formal clothes. Not yet. The residence had enough private space that the group simply spread out. Some remained by the pool. A few migrated inside. Elisa opened another section of the glass wall, turning one lounge almost completely into outdoor space. Shammy moved into the shade. She had dried enough now that the grey coat had regained volume. Which made her look even larger. One of Elisa's friends approached her. Stopped at a respectful distance. "Can I?" Shammy looked at her. "Yes." The woman sat beside her. Touched the fur along one shoulder. Shammy remained still. Then shifted slightly closer. Tiny movement. Massive effect. The woman smiled. "You're softer than I expected." Mandi called from across the terrace: "DO NOT CALL HER FLUFFY." Shammy's ears moved. The woman looked toward Mandi. "Why?" Mandi pointed. "Because she remembers things." Shammy looked toward her. "Accurate." Elisa laughed. The woman continued stroking the enormous grey fur. Shammy relaxed. Not controlling the room. Not nudging pressure. Just existing inside it. That still felt strange. But less wrong than yesterday. People came and went around her. Sometimes noisy. Sometimes flirtatious. Sometimes nervous. Shammy could read all of it. She simply did not have to fix any of it. That discovery remained unsettling. And increasingly pleasant. --- Mandi found Elisa alone twenty minutes later. Not isolated. Just briefly without someone attached to the conversation. Elisa was standing near the shallow end of the pool, staring at the skyline beyond the privacy glass. Mandi walked over. Towel still criminally inadequate. Orange hair mostly repaired. "Hey." Elisa looked at her. "Hey." Mandi leaned against the railing. For once, neither immediately made a joke. Elisa smiled. "You having fun?" Mandi looked offended. "No." Elisa laughed. "Right." "Horrible weekend." "Tragic." "Fruit crimes." "Wolf crimes." Mandi pointed. "THANK YOU." Elisa laughed harder. Mandi smiled. Then: "You?" Elisa's expression changed. Not much. Enough. "Yeah." Mandi watched. "Real answer." Elisa looked at her. "That was." "Good." Silence. Elisa looked toward the others. Dalia and Lina were talking near the shaded section. Riva had joined them. Shammy was being adored by two people now and pretending this was beneath her. Mandi followed Elisa's gaze. Elisa said: "I was worried it would feel fake." Mandi looked at her. "The weekend?" "All of it." Elisa gestured vaguely. "You. Dalia. Everybody being here because I paid for it." Mandi listened. Elisa continued. "But it doesn't." Mandi's answer came easily. "Because the booking is real." Elisa looked at her. "The money is real." Mandi tapped the railing. "The fact that we agreed to come is real." A small smile. "And everything after that still has to happen honestly." Elisa nodded slowly. Mandi glanced toward Dalia. "She likes Lina." "I noticed." "I like Riva." "I noticed that too." Mandi smiled. "And we both like you." Elisa looked at her. Mandi held the gaze. No joke. No softening. Elisa's mouth curved. "That one I hoped." "Good." Mandi leaned closer. "Because you're very fucking easy to like." Elisa laughed once. Quietly. Then looked away. Mandi saw the flush. Enjoyed it. Did not exploit it. They stayed at the railing. --- Saturday afternoon became lazy in the dangerous way. Too comfortable. The kind of comfort that made people say things they might normally filter. Riva eventually stretched out on one of the loungers. Mandi sat sideways beside her. Dalia and Lina occupied another. Elisa moved between them. Music low. Drinks slower than Friday. Nobody trying to get drunk. Nobody needed to. At some point one of the other guests asked Mandi: "Do you ever get bored doing this?" Mandi looked at her. "Doing what?" "Being hired." The woman immediately winced. "That sounded worse out loud." Mandi laughed. "Relax." Dalia glanced over. Mandi considered the question. "The bad jobs are boring." "What makes them bad?" "People who think money means personality." Riva laughed. Mandi continued. "People who don't listen." "People who think paying means they don't have to be interesting." Dalia added from the next lounger: "People who confuse expensive with good." Mandi pointed at her. "Yes." The woman looked between them. "So this isn't boring." Mandi stared at the pool. Then Elisa. Then Shammy. Then Dalia. Then Riva. "No." She smiled. "Not even slightly." Dalia removed the lollipop. "Agreed." Elisa looked suspiciously pleased. Mandi caught it. "Don't get smug." "I paid for this." "That is exactly how corpo disease starts." Elisa laughed. --- Riva's fingers eventually found Mandi's calf. Not grabbing. Just resting. Mandi looked down. Then at her. Riva lifted an eyebrow. "Okay?" Mandi smiled. "Very." Riva's hand stayed. No urgency. No assumption that last night had purchased today. That mattered. Mandi leaned back on both hands. Sunlight warm across her shoulders. Towel still barely surviving. Riva's fingers moved once. Mandi looked at her. "You thinking about messing up the hair again?" Riva smiled. "Maybe." "Predictable." "You liked it." Mandi leaned closer. "I liked you." Riva's expression softened. "Past tense?" Mandi smiled. "Don't fish." Riva laughed. Mandi shifted closer until their thighs touched. "There." Riva looked at her. "Better." "Good." They stayed that way. No bedroom. No need. Not yet. Across from them, Lina had her head resting against Dalia's shoulder. Dalia's hand moved idly along her arm. Mai would normally have been aware of exactly how long the contact had lasted. Dalia didn't care. It felt good. So she kept doing it. --- Elisa eventually dropped onto the edge of Mandi's lounger. Mandi moved one leg. "Permission granted." "For my own furniture?" "Premium service." Elisa laughed. Riva looked at her. "You've created a monster." Elisa nodded toward Mandi. "I think she arrived like this." "Correct." Mandi smiled. Elisa looked toward Dalia. "Do you two ever stop?" Dalia answered without opening her eyes. "No." Mandi pointed. "See?" Elisa laughed. Then became thoughtful. "Can I ask something potentially stupid?" Mandi and Dalia answered together. "Yes." They looked at each other. Mandi grinned. Elisa shook her head. "Okay." She looked between them. "If one of you is with somebody else..." A pause. "Does the other ever get jealous?" Mandi looked at Dalia. Dalia opened her eyes. Lina remained against her shoulder. Riva's hand remained on Mandi's leg. The question did not create tension. If anything, it made both of them amused. Mandi answered first. "Sometimes." Elisa blinked. "Really?" "Of course." Dalia nodded. "Jealousy isn't illegal." Mandi smiled. "It's just not in charge." Elisa listened. Dalia continued. "I can feel something without making it somebody else's problem." Mandi looked at her. "Unless it's funny." Dalia stared. Mandi grinned. Elisa laughed. Riva did too. Lina lifted her head. "What kind of jealousy is funny?" Mandi thought. "When somebody's getting attention I wanted." Dalia's mouth curved. "And?" "And then I steal attention somewhere else." Riva touched Mandi's leg. Mandi looked down. Then back. "See?" Everyone laughed. Elisa shook her head. "So the answer is yes, but not dramatically." Mandi shrugged. "Usually." Dalia put the lollipop back between her lips. "Drama is exhausting." Mandi pointed. "She says while wearing screaming-pink hair and a towel." Dalia looked at her. "Currently wearing a towel." "Still dramatic." --- The conversation drifted again. It always did. That was becoming the pleasure of the weekend. Nothing had to resolve. Nothing needed to announce itself. People moved in and out of attraction naturally. Sometimes chemistry sharpened. Sometimes it stayed warm and social. Sometimes somebody simply wanted food. By three, Elisa had changed into a loose dress. Riva had reclaimed actual clothes. Lina had not left Dalia's side for more than ten minutes at a time. Mandi had finally put on shorts and a tiny top from the overnight bag Lena had packed for downtime. The collar remained. Of course. Shammy had moved inside where the floor was cooler. Mandi found her there. Dropped down beside the massive grey body. Shammy looked at her. Mandi looked back. Silence. Then: "Grooming." Shammy's ears twitched. Mandi narrowed her black eyes. "Grooming." "Yes." "In front of everybody." "Yes." Mandi leaned closer. "You enjoyed that." Shammy considered. "Your reaction?" "Yes." "Very much." Mandi's mouth fell open. "YOU BITCH." Shammy's tail moved. Mandi pointed. "Evidence." Shammy lowered her head. Mandi immediately wrapped both arms around her muzzle. "Don't you dare." Shammy remained still. Mandi looked into one enormous eye. "You are absolutely doing that again someday, aren't you?" Shammy said nothing. Mandi stared. "Shammy." Silence. "SHAMMY." The tail moved once. Mandi groaned and dropped her forehead against the wolf's muzzle. "I live with a monster." Shammy's voice came quietly. "Yes." Mandi started laughing. Then hugged her harder. Shammy stayed there. No pressure adjustment. No manipulation. No need. Just warmth. --- Dalia found them several minutes later. She stopped in the doorway. Mandi was curled against Shammy's side now. Tiny beside the enormous wolf. Orange hair against grey fur. Shammy's head resting near her legs. Dalia smiled. Mandi saw. "What?" "Nothing." "Bad answer." Dalia walked in. Sat beside them. Shammy shifted enough to make room. Dalia leaned against her other side. For a while none of them spoke. Party noise existed elsewhere. Elisa laughing. Riva saying something too quiet to hear. Lina answering. Saturday afternoon continuing without them for five minutes. Mandi eventually reached across Shammy's fur and found Dalia's hand. Dalia took it. Simple. Warm. Shammy's breathing remained slow beneath both of them. No one needed to do anything. That was the thing Saturday had given them. Friday had been anticipation. First choices. First rooms. Saturday had stopped asking what came next. Which meant whatever came next could happen because somebody actually wanted it. Not because anyone expected another escalation. And there were still many hours before evening. --- ## Chapter 14 — Good Company By four in the afternoon, Mandi had learned three things about Elisa. The first was that she had absolutely no idea what normal groceries cost. The second was that she was frighteningly good at old strategy games. The third was that losing made her swear. A lot. "That is bullshit." Mandi looked across the table. "It is literally the rules." "The rules are bullshit." "You made that move." "Under false pretenses." "What false pretenses?" "I thought you were stupid." Mandi stared at her. Riva made a choking sound into her drink. Elisa realized what she had said. "Oh, fuck." Mandi slowly placed both hands flat on the table. "You thought I was stupid." "No." "You just said—" "I meant at this." "That is not better." "It is slightly better." Dalia sat sideways on the sofa with Lina beside her. "Keep digging." Elisa pointed at her. "You stay out of this." Dalia removed the lollipop from her mouth. "No." Mandi leaned across the game board. "Why did you think I was stupid?" Elisa started laughing. "I didn't." "Elisa." "You were distracting me!" Mandi blinked. "With what?" Elisa stared at her. Mandi waited. Elisa's gaze dropped. Tiny black top. Bare stomach. Very short shorts. Collar. Then back up. Mandi's expression transformed. "Oh." Elisa closed her eyes. "Don't." Mandi leaned back with immense satisfaction. "Oh, sweetheart." "Fuck you." "Now we're getting somewhere." Riva laughed. Elisa pointed at the board. "Play." Mandi moved one piece. Elisa looked down. Her face fell. "No." Mandi smiled. "No." "Check." "You fucking bitch." "Luxury service." Elisa stared at the board. Then at Mandi. Then swept both hands through her hair. "Again." Mandi's eyebrows rose. "You want another beating?" "I want to win." "That's not the same thing." "Again." Mandi began resetting the pieces. "See? This is why inherited wealth is dangerous. Nobody taught you when to stop throwing resources at a losing position." Elisa stared. "You cost two hundred and fifty thousand." Mandi stopped. Riva covered her mouth. Dalia's green eyes brightened. Elisa smiled sweetly. Mandi pointed one game piece at her. "That was fucking excellent." "I know." "Still going to destroy you." "Set the board." --- Nobody had decided that they were spending the afternoon playing games. It had simply happened. Someone had found the old physical set in one of Elisa's cabinets. Mandi had become curious. Elisa had become competitive. Riva had started providing intentionally terrible strategic advice to both sides. Two other guests had joined for a while, lost interest, wandered away, returned with drinks, and somehow become invested again. Dalia never touched the board. She sat with Lina and talked. For almost an hour. Nothing particularly profound. That was part of the skill too. They talked about music first. Then food. Then the absurd difference between restaurants designed to serve good meals and restaurants designed to make rich people photograph the plates. Lina had opinions. Strong ones. Dalia enjoyed discovering that. "Foam," Lina said. Dalia nodded solemnly. "Suspicious." "Always." "Not always." "Name one legitimate food foam." Dalia thought. Lina waited. "Beer." Lina stared at her. "That's cheating." "Still correct." "Food." "You changed the rules." "I clarified them." Dalia smiled around the lollipop. "Corpo." Lina shoved her shoulder. Dalia laughed. They moved on. No seduction strategy. No calculated path toward a bedroom. Lina already wanted her. Dalia knew that. Dalia wanted Lina too. That had been established rather enthusiastically the previous night. Neither fact required action. So Dalia listened. Asked questions when she actually wanted the answers. Told stories that belonged to Dalia without opening doors that did not. Let Lina make her laugh. Let silence happen without filling it. Professional company did not mean performing fascination. It meant knowing how to give another person room to become interesting. Lina was. That made the work extremely easy. --- Shammy wandered through occasionally. A huge grey presence moving between rooms. Nobody stopped talking anymore when she appeared. That was new. Friday evening had produced a tiny pause every time. A recalculation. Wolf. Huge. Sentient. Speaking. By Saturday afternoon, someone simply lifted their feet so Shammy could pass. Someone else scratched behind one enormous ear after asking. Shammy accepted it. Elisa once interrupted herself mid-sentence to say: "Hi, Shammy." "Hello." Then continued talking. Shammy moved on. No event. No spectacle. She liked that more than she had expected. She could feel the room. Every small shift. Attraction. Embarrassment. Contentment. The pleasant social fatigue beginning to appear after nearly a full day together. She could read all of it. And do nothing. Yesterday that had felt like standing beside a control panel with her hands tied. Today it felt increasingly like permission to sit down. So she did. Near the open glass wall. Cool floor beneath her. Warm air across wet-clean fur. People nearby. Nothing needed fixing. --- Mandi lost the fourth game. Elisa stared at the board. Then at her. Mandi stared back. Elisa's mouth slowly opened. "I won." "No." "I fucking won." "Statistical anomaly." "Mandi." "Manufacturing defect." "Mandi." "Possible sabotage." Elisa shot out of her chair. "I FUCKING WON." She threw both arms into the air. Everyone looked over. Mandi remained seated. Utterly disgusted. Riva applauded. Lina joined. Dalia gave Elisa three slow claps. Elisa pointed triumphantly at Mandi. "Look at her face!" Mandi's black eyes narrowed. "You have made a dangerous enemy." "I beat you." "Once." "Still counts." "Doesn't." "It absolutely does." Mandi stood. Elisa was still grinning. Mandi walked around the table. Elisa's grin became slightly less certain. "What?" Mandi stopped directly in front of her. Looked up. Elisa looked down. Mandi held out her hand. Elisa blinked. Then took it. Mandi shook once. "Good game." Elisa smiled. "Thank you." Mandi pulled her closer by the hand. Elisa stumbled half a step. Mandi kissed her. Quick. Warm. Deliberately distracting. Then released her. Elisa stared. Mandi walked away. "Rematch tomorrow." Elisa touched her mouth. "That was cheating." Mandi looked over her shoulder. "Prove it." Riva called after her: "Professional ethics!" Mandi turned around while walking backward. "I'M A JOYTOY, NOT A FUCKING TOURNAMENT OFFICIAL." Elisa doubled over laughing. Dalia lifted her lollipop in salute. "Finally, a clear professional standard." --- Later, Elisa found Dalia in the kitchen. Not the show kitchen. The other one. The small one. Which, in Elisa's residence, was still larger than most apartments. Dalia was standing at the counter examining a bottle. Elisa leaned against the doorway. "Lost?" "No." "Stealing?" "Considering." Elisa walked closer. "What is it?" Dalia showed her. Elisa looked. "No idea." Dalia stared. "You live here." "Yes." "You own this." "Probably." "You don't know what it is." "No." Dalia sighed. "Mandi is right about you." "Never say that again." Dalia smiled. Elisa opened a cabinet. "You want something?" "Water." Elisa handed her a bottle. Dalia took it. "Thank you." Elisa got one for herself. They stood there. Quiet. Elisa looked toward the doorway. Then back. "Can I ask you something?" "Yes." "Do you have to keep entertaining us?" Dalia looked at her. Elisa immediately clarified. "I mean—this is your job. You and Mandi have been switched on since yesterday." Dalia twisted the cap from the bottle. "No." Elisa waited. "We don't have to perform every second." "Okay." "If I want twenty minutes alone, I take twenty minutes alone." "And that's fine?" "Yes." "If Mandi wants to disappear and sleep?" "She sleeps." "If you don't feel like talking?" "I tell you." Elisa nodded. Dalia drank. Then: "Good company isn't good if it's forced." Elisa looked at her. Dalia leaned back against the counter. "You don't need to extract value from every minute we're here." "I know." "Do you?" Elisa smiled reluctantly. "Learning." "Good." A pause. Then Elisa said: "I like having you here." Dalia's expression softened. "I like being here." "See, that's the part that still fucks with my head." "Why?" "Because I'm paying you." Dalia shrugged. "So?" Elisa stared. Dalia smiled. "Money can be why I arrived." She took another drink. "It doesn't have to be why I'm enjoying myself." Elisa was quiet. Then: "That sounds obvious when you say it." "Most useful things do." Elisa smiled. "Can I hug you?" Dalia opened one arm. "Come here." Elisa did. No sex in it. No escalation hiding beneath it. Just a young woman who had spent too much of her life surrounded by people whose motives were difficult to read, holding someone who had made hers unusually clear. Dalia hugged her properly. One hand warm between her shoulder blades. Elisa relaxed. After several seconds she laughed softly. "What?" "Nothing." "That sounded like something." Elisa pulled back enough to look at her. "I just paid a quarter million and apparently my favorite part of Saturday afternoon might be getting hugged in my kitchen." Dalia considered. "Wait until Mandi finds out." Elisa laughed. "She'll invoice me for emotional services." "No." Dalia put the lollipop back into her mouth. "She'll complain you hugged me first." --- Mandi did. Loudly. "You WHAT?" Elisa stopped in the lounge. Dalia continued walking. "It was a hug." "Without me?" "Yes." "Unbelievable." Elisa started laughing. Mandi put both hands on her hips. "I leave you alone for ten minutes." "You were with Riva." "Not relevant." Riva looked up from her seat. "Very relevant." Mandi pointed at her without looking. "Stay out of this." Dalia sat beside Lina. Mandi stared at Elisa. Elisa spread her arms. "Do you need one too?" Mandi's outrage vanished instantly. "Yes." Elisa laughed. Mandi walked directly into her. Arms around waist. Elisa hugged her. Mandi settled against her with exaggerated satisfaction. "There." Elisa looked over Mandi's orange hair toward Dalia. "Better?" Mandi's voice came muffled against her. "Marginally." Dalia smiled. Elisa stroked one hand down Mandi's back. Mandi went quiet. The joke softened without disappearing. She stayed. So did Elisa. A few seconds longer than comedy required. Then Mandi looked up. "You're good at that." "Hugging?" "Yeah." Elisa smiled. "High-level corpo training." "Thought so." Mandi kissed her cheek. Then released her. No demand for more. No bedroom hidden at the end of the gesture. Just affection. And that, too, belonged here. --- As evening approached, the residence changed around them. Glass darkened gradually against the lowering sun. Interior lighting warmed. Someone changed the music. Food became a subject again. This time Elisa refused to let invisible staff decide everything. "Everybody picks something." Mandi looked horrified. "Responsibility?" "Yes." "I'm off duty." "You just spent six hours telling me this is your job." "Different department." Elisa threw a cushion at her. Mandi caught it. Dalia said: "Thai." Lina immediately nodded. "Thai." Riva looked toward Mandi. "You?" "Anything spicy enough to make Elisa regret being rich." Elisa stared. "What does wealth have to do with spice?" "Nothing. I just enjoy making you defend it." "You are exhausting." "And yet." Mandi spread her arms. Elisa smiled. "And yet." The order became ridiculous. Too much food. Too many dishes. Everyone adding something. Mandi insisting on one aggressively cheap item purely because Elisa's kitchen offended her economically. Dalia ordering something so hot that Lina questioned her judgment. Shammy requested meat. Mandi looked at her. "Raw?" "No." "Good." Shammy's ears moved. Mandi narrowed her eyes. "Why did you hesitate?" "I didn't." "You absolutely fucking did." "Perhaps." "Shammy." Shammy's ears flicked toward Mandi and stayed there. Mandi pointed. "There! Dalia, look." Dalia did not look up. "I believe you." "You're supposed to support me." "I am supporting you." "How?" "Emotionally." Mandi stared. "Fuck you." Dalia smiled. "Saturday." Mandi grabbed a cushion. Dalia raised one eyebrow. Mandi reconsidered. Put it down. "Later." --- Dinner sprawled across the largest low table in the lounge. People sat on sofas. Chairs. Floor cushions. Mandi eventually ended up cross-legged on the floor between Riva and Elisa. Dalia sat opposite with Lina. Shammy lay nearby with enough space that nobody had to navigate around paws the size of serving plates. Conversation became louder. Not drunk. Comfortable. Stories surfaced. Bad dates. Terrible parties. One disastrous holiday. A corpo wedding where the bride had disappeared for forty minutes because she had locked herself in a bathroom and refused to marry anyone until somebody found her real shoes. Mandi nearly choked. "What the fuck were the fake shoes?" "Her mother changed them." "Why?" "They were white." Mandi stared. "At a wedding." "Yes." "Where the bride was wearing white." "Yes." "Your people are fucking insane." Elisa lifted her glass. "My people?" "Rich people." "You are currently rich." Mandi froze. Dalia looked at her. Riva looked at her. Lina looked at her. Elisa smiled. Mandi slowly lowered her food. "Temporary condition." Elisa laughed. "Quarter million." "Split." "Still." Mandi pointed at her. "I have principles." Dalia spoke around her lollipop. "Expensive ones." Mandi looked at her. "You are literally getting the same money." "Yes." "And?" "I never claimed poverty." Lina laughed. Mandi stared at Dalia. Then shook her head. "This woman." Dalia smiled. Mandi smiled back. Love sat there for half a second. Easy. Visible if someone knew what to look for. Then Mandi stole food from Elisa's plate. "Hey!" "Rich-person tax." "THAT WAS MINE." "Redistribution." Riva nearly fell sideways laughing. --- Dinner ended. Nobody moved. That was becoming tradition. Plates disappeared eventually. Drinks remained. Mandi stretched her legs across Riva's lap without asking. Riva caught one ankle. Mandi looked at her. Riva looked back. "Problem?" Mandi smiled. "Nope." Lina had moved closer to Dalia. Elisa sat on the floor with her back against the sofa. Shammy's head rested nearby. Elisa reached toward her. Paused. Shammy shifted closer before she could ask. Elisa smiled and put her hand into the grey fur. For a while, conversation simply happened. Nothing strategic. Nothing optimized. Nobody waiting for someone to make the next sexual move. Mandi was being paid. Dalia was being paid. They knew it. Everyone knew it. And at that particular moment their job consisted of sitting in a beautiful room after dinner and being exactly the kind of people everyone wanted to keep sitting with. Mandi laughed at something Riva said. Dalia listened to Lina explain why one particular braindance director deserved imprisonment for crimes against pacing. Elisa scratched slowly through Shammy's fur. The wolf closed her eyes. Luxury did not always need a bedroom. Sometimes it was having nowhere else you would rather be. And enough time to find out what happened when nobody rushed. --- ## Chapter 15 — No Schedule By nine, someone had turned the music up. Not much. Enough. The low table had been cleared. Most of the lights near the glass wall were dimmed. Night City had taken over the windows, towers burning beyond privacy glass in layers of color and distance. Mandi was still on the floor. Her legs were still across Riva's lap. This arrangement had survived dinner, drinks, two arguments, and one completely unnecessary debate about whether a hotel minibar counted as theft if the hotel charged enough. Mandi's position was clear. "Yes." Riva looked down at her. "That's not how theft works." "That's exactly how theft works." "You voluntarily take the item." "Under economic duress." "Nobody needs minibar peanuts." Mandi pointed at her. "That is classist." Riva laughed. "You just got paid more for one weekend than most people make in years." "Temporary wealth." "We covered this." "Still true." Elisa was sitting nearby with her back against Shammy's side. She looked over. "How long does temporary wealth last?" Mandi considered. "Depends how much stupid shit I buy." Dalia removed the lollipop from her mouth. "So Tuesday." Mandi's head snapped around. Lina burst out laughing. "You know what?" Dalia waited. "Fuck you." "Not currently." There was a tiny pause. Then Elisa made a noise. Riva's hand stopped on Mandi's ankle. Lina slowly looked at Dalia. Dalia put the lollipop back into her mouth. Perfectly calm. Mandi stared. "Oh." Dalia's green eyes met hers. Mandi's grin arrived. "Oh, you fucking bitch." Dalia shrugged. "You started it." "No, no. I'm proud." "Thank you." Mandi put one hand over her heart. "She's learning." Dalia threw a cushion at her. Mandi caught it against her face. The room dissolved. --- That was approximately when the evening stopped pretending it might remain civilized. Not because anyone started undressing. Not because somebody suggested bedrooms. Nothing that organized. People simply became looser. Someone found a bottle Elisa had apparently been given and never opened. Someone else changed the music again. One of the women who had spent most of the afternoon drifting between conversations finally sat beside Shammy and remained there. Another guest started dancing alone near the windows. Badly. Deliberately. Elisa watched for perhaps twenty seconds. Then stood. Mandi looked up. "Where are you going?" "To save her." "From dancing?" "From herself." "Impossible." Elisa crossed the room. The other woman immediately grabbed her hands. Elisa laughed. Then they were both moving. Mandi watched. Riva watched Mandi watching. "You want to." "No." "You absolutely want to." Mandi looked at her. "I am comfortable." "You're vibrating." "Natural frequency." Riva released her ankle. "Go." Mandi stared. "Are you dismissing me?" "Yes." "Rude." "Go dance." Mandi remained seated for three more seconds. Then launched herself to her feet. "Fine." Riva laughed. Mandi joined them. Of course she did. --- Dalia stayed where she was. Lina looked at her. "Not dancing?" "I might." "You don't sound convinced." Dalia's gaze followed Mandi. Orange hair. Tiny black silhouette. Already laughing. Already turning Elisa's bad dancing into something even worse. "No rush." Lina leaned closer. "That's becoming the theme." "Good theme." Across the room, Mandi pointed at Dalia. "GET UP." Dalia raised her middle finger. Mandi gasped theatrically. Elisa saw. Nearly lost the rhythm entirely. Mandi yelled: "SEE? SHE LOVES ME." Dalia called back: "Unfortunately." Mandi blew her a kiss. Dalia caught it. Put it into the neckline of her top. Mandi stopped dancing. Her mouth opened. Lina whispered: "Okay, that was hot." Dalia put the lollipop back between her lips. "I know." Mandi pointed furiously. "BITCH." Dalia smiled. Then stood. --- She did not dance like Mandi. Of course she didn't. Mandi moved as if music had personally challenged her. Dalia moved like she had already won. Controlled at first. Easy. No performance beyond what she naturally gave the room. Lina joined her. Elisa moved between groups. Riva eventually surrendered too. The room had no real dance floor, which improved everything. Nobody had enough space to become serious. People bumped into furniture. Mandi nearly backed into Shammy once. Shammy moved one paw. Mandi missed it by centimeters. She turned. "Thank you." "You're welcome." Mandi leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Nice save, menace." Shammy looked up. Mandi backed away one careful step anyway. "That was praise, not a challenge." "Understood." "You sound disappointed." "Do I?" Mandi stared at her. Elisa doubled over. Shammy lowered her head again. Mandi muttered: "Grooming." Riva heard. That was enough. --- The dancing lasted maybe forty minutes. Or an hour. Nobody checked. Eventually it collapsed naturally. People got thirsty. One person disappeared to shower. Another announced she had eaten too much and needed to lie horizontally before participating in civilization again. Nobody objected. Mandi ended up beside Elisa at the drinks counter. Both slightly warm. Neither drunk. Elisa handed her water without asking. Mandi took it. "Professional." "I've been observing." "Dangerous." Elisa drank from her own glass. They stood shoulder to shoulder. For a moment they simply watched Dalia and Lina. Close. Not doing much. Not needing to. Riva was talking to someone else. Shammy remained near the windows. Mandi bumped Elisa lightly with one shoulder. "You stopped doing it." Elisa looked at her. "Doing what?" "Counting." Elisa frowned. Then understood. "Oh." Mandi drank. Elisa looked around the room. "I guess I did." "Good." "I didn't realize I was." "I did." "Of course you did." Mandi smiled. "Professional." Elisa laughed. Then: "Is it obvious?" "Was." "Shit." "Not bad-obvious." "What does that mean?" Mandi leaned one hip against the counter. "You spent a lot of money." "Yes." "You wanted it to be worth it." "Yes." "So every few hours your brain started asking whether enough had happened." Elisa looked slightly embarrassed. Mandi tapped her glass against Elisa's. "Stop." "I'm trying." "No." Mandi smiled. "You stopped." Elisa looked at her. "Right now, you're just having a party." A pause. "That's what you wanted." Elisa looked around again. This time differently. People comfortable enough to wander. Laugh. Leave a conversation and return. Touch. Not touch. Dance badly. Spend twenty minutes talking to a giant wolf. Nothing optimized. Nothing wasted. "Yeah." Mandi smiled. "Good booking." Elisa looked at her. "Good joytoy." Mandi's eyebrows rose. "Oh?" Elisa immediately smiled. "Did I use that correctly?" "Very." "Good." Mandi stepped closer. Elisa watched her. Mandi's voice dropped. "But be careful saying things like that." "Why?" "Because I enjoy praise." Elisa laughed softly. "I noticed." Mandi leaned closer still. "Did you?" "Very much." "Good." Elisa's eyes dropped briefly to Mandi's mouth. Mandi saw. Waited. Elisa looked back up. "Can I kiss you?" Mandi smiled. "Yes." Elisa did. No audience reaction. Nobody stopped talking. Nobody cared. Which somehow made it better. The kiss was slow. Familiar now. Mandi's hand settled lightly at Elisa's waist. Elisa touched the side of her neck, fingers near the collar but not on it. They separated. Stayed close. Elisa smiled. Mandi smiled back. Then Elisa said: "Still good?" "Very." No bedroom. Not yet. They returned to their drinks. --- Across the room, Lina was watching Dalia. Dalia noticed. Eventually. She had been talking to another guest about a gallery opening neither of them particularly wanted to attend. Lina's attention had changed. Not urgent. Not uncertain. Just warmer. Dalia finished the conversation naturally. Then moved beside her. "You've gone quiet." Lina looked at her. "Thinking." "Dangerous." "Apparently everybody says that here." "Mandi contamination." Lina smiled. Dalia sat. Their thighs touched. "What are you thinking about?" Lina glanced toward the rest of the room. Then back. "Last night." Dalia's expression barely changed. Her eyes did. "Good subject." "Thought you'd approve." "I do." Lina looked at her mouth. Dalia removed the lollipop. "Still thinking?" "More now." Dalia smiled. Lina laughed quietly. "You're fucking unfair." "Professional." "That's your excuse for everything." "No." Dalia leaned closer. "Some things I do because I enjoy them." Lina's breath changed. Small. Dalia noticed. Of course she noticed. But she did not immediately turn that knowledge into action. Instead she asked: "Having a good evening?" Lina blinked. Then laughed. "Seriously?" "Seriously." "Yes." "Good." "You just derailed me." "Yes." "Deliberately." "Yes." "Why?" Dalia settled back. "Because you were deciding whether you had to do something about wanting me." Lina stared. Dalia held her gaze. "You don't." Lina's expression softened. "You can want me from right there." Dalia's voice remained low. "You can kiss me." A pause. "You can ask me upstairs." Another. "Or you can spend the next three hours talking absolute shit with me." Lina smiled. "And you're fine with all of those?" "Very." Lina leaned into her. Shoulder against shoulder. "Let's talk shit for a while." Dalia smiled. "Excellent choice." Lina looked sideways. "Later, though." Dalia put the lollipop back between her lips. "Also excellent." --- That was the luxury Elisa had actually purchased. Not constant availability. Not bodies waiting for instructions. Possibility. Mandi could sit on the floor and argue about minibar peanuts. Dalia could spend an hour discussing food foam. They could flirt shamelessly. Dance. Disappear for twenty minutes. Kiss someone. Refuse someone. Want someone. Change their minds. Have sex because they wanted sex. Or spend an entire evening doing everything except. The money had bought the space around those choices. Their professionalism made that space comfortable. Their personalities made people want to stay inside it. And their appetite made certain possibilities very fucking real. --- At ten-thirty, Mandi was lying lengthwise across a sofa with her head in Elisa's lap. Nobody knew how that had happened. Least of all Mandi. Elisa's fingers moved slowly through orange hair. ChromeLock resisted being meaningfully disturbed. Mandi looked offended by the technology on principle. "It's cheating." Elisa looked down. "What is?" "My hair." "Your own hair is cheating?" "Yes." "Against who?" "Your fingers." Elisa laughed. Mandi closed her eyes. "Keep doing it." "Bossy." "Premium." Riva walked past. Looked down. "Comfortable?" Mandi opened one eye. "Jealous?" Riva considered. "Little bit." Mandi smiled. "Good." Riva stopped. Elisa looked between them. Mandi lifted one hand toward Riva. Riva took it. Mandi tugged. Riva sat on the edge of the sofa. "There." Mandi closed her eyes again. "Problem solved." Riva looked at Elisa. Elisa looked at Riva. Both started laughing. Mandi opened her eyes. "What?" Riva squeezed her hand. "Nothing." "Suspicious." Elisa continued stroking her hair. Mandi decided suspicion could wait. --- Shammy watched from the floor. Not because she was guarding Mandi. She was. But not only that. The room had become easy. There were small spikes of desire everywhere. Warm attraction. Tiny jealousies. Momentary uncertainty. The normal friction of adults sharing a room while several of them wanted several others. Shammy could feel all of it. Once, she would have adjusted. Not controlled. Never controlled. Just eased. Softened an awkward edge. Made space around a hesitation. Helped pressure settle. Now she couldn't. Not properly. And nothing collapsed. Riva handled her own small jealousy. Mandi answered it with affection rather than reassurance theater. Elisa made room. Lina told Dalia what she wanted. Dalia told Lina she did not need to act on it. People managed themselves. Shammy rested her head on her paws. Perhaps she had always known they could. Knowing was different from watching. --- Eventually Mandi sat up. Orange hair recovered almost immediately. She looked offended. Elisa laughed. "What now?" Mandi touched it. "Nothing." "That's clearly something." "I spent an hour in a pool today." "Yes." "Riva did unspeakable things to this hair last night." Riva lifted a finger. "Objection." "Denied." "You enjoyed the unspeakable things." "Not relevant." "Extremely relevant." Mandi continued: "Elisa has been molesting it for twenty minutes—" "Stroking." "Violently." Elisa stared. "Violently?" "And it still looks fucking perfect." Dalia glanced over. "You're complaining because the expensive hair system works." "Yes." "Why?" Mandi gestured at herself. "I want consequences." Riva started laughing. Dalia stared at her for a second. Then nodded. "Fair." Elisa looked between them. "That made sense to you?" Dalia shrugged. "Unfortunately." Mandi pointed triumphantly. "See?" Elisa shook her head. "I am surrounded by lunatics." Mandi leaned toward her. "You paid for premium lunatics." Elisa smiled. "Apparently." --- A little after eleven, someone suggested the terrace. Half the group went. Half stayed. No coordination. Mandi stepped outside barefoot. Night air touched bare skin beneath her tiny top. Riva followed. Elisa came several minutes later carrying three drinks. Dalia remained inside with Lina. Shammy positioned herself halfway between spaces where she could see both without looking like she was trying. Mandi accepted a glass. "Thanks." Elisa leaned against the railing. Below them, Night City continued being Night City. Traffic. Light. Distance. The faint suggestion of violence far enough away to be somebody else's evening. Here, nothing was wrong. Riva stood close enough that her arm touched Mandi's. Elisa stood on the other side. Mandi looked left. Right. Then smiled. "What?" Elisa asked. "Nothing." Riva looked at her. "That is never true." Mandi took a drink. "Just thinking." "About?" Mandi looked over the city. "How fucking weird my job is." Elisa laughed. Riva did too. Mandi smiled. Then added: "And how much I like it." That quieted them differently. Not awkwardly. Elisa looked at her. Mandi meant it. Not every client. Not every booking. Not every night. But this? A beautiful residence. Good food. Interesting people. Riva warm against one side. Elisa against the other. Dalia laughing somewhere behind her. Shammy nearby. Possibility everywhere. Yes. She liked her job. Very fucking much. Elisa touched her hand. Mandi turned hers over. Their fingers linked. Riva's arm slipped around Mandi's waist. Mandi leaned into both. Nobody asked where this was going. That was the point. They stayed there. Three adults looking over the city. Close. Comfortable. Wanting things. Not yet choosing which ones. Saturday night still had hours left. --- ## Chapter 16 — Familiar It started with Elisa stealing Dalia's lollipop. Nobody saw the beginning. Mandi only saw the result. She came back in from the terrace with Riva beside her and found Elisa standing in front of Dalia, holding a menthol lollipop between two fingers. Dalia was staring at her. Lina was trying not to laugh. Mandi stopped. "Oh, this looks dangerous." Elisa looked over. "I borrowed it." Dalia's green eyes moved to her. "You stole it out of my hand." "Borrowed." "You put it in your mouth." Elisa smiled. Mandi made a delighted noise. "Oh, sweetheart." Elisa looked at her. "What?" Mandi pointed at Dalia. "You have no idea what you've done." Dalia held out one hand. "Give it back." Elisa took one step backward. "No." Lina lost the fight and laughed. Dalia stood. Slowly. Elisa's smile changed. Still playful. Now slightly cautious. Mandi folded her arms. Riva leaned toward her. "Should we help?" "Absolutely not." Dalia walked forward. Elisa backed up again. "You know, this felt funnier when you were sitting down." Dalia's voice came low and rough. "Did it?" Elisa laughed. "Little bit." "Give me my lollipop." "No." Dalia took another step. Elisa backed into the sofa. Stopped. Dalia stopped in front of her. Close. Not touching. Elisa looked up at her. Then, deliberately, put the lollipop back into her mouth. Mandi whispered: "Oh, fuck." Lina covered her face. Dalia's expression changed. Barely. Enough. Elisa saw it. Her own smile softened. Dalia reached up. Two fingers beneath Elisa's chin. "Still funny?" Elisa's breath caught. "Yes." Dalia leaned closer. "Good." Then kissed her. The lollipop became irrelevant. Elisa made a small surprised sound against her mouth. Dalia's hand moved from her chin to the side of her neck. Elisa's fingers caught lightly at Dalia's waist. The kiss stayed unhurried. Familiar enough now that nobody froze. Different enough that everyone noticed. Mandi watched. Very openly. Riva looked at her. Mandi did not look away. "Hot." Riva laughed softly. "You are impossible." "Correct." Dalia finally drew back. Elisa remained close. Still holding the lollipop. Dalia looked at it. Elisa looked too. Then slowly offered it back. Dalia took it. "Thank you." Elisa laughed. "You're welcome." Mandi clapped once. Everyone turned. Mandi grinned. "Beautiful conflict resolution." Dalia looked at her. "Shut up." "No." --- The room settled again. But not completely. Something had shifted. Not dramatically. No sudden change in mood. Just familiarity crossing another small line. Elisa no longer treated touching Mandi or Dalia like an event. Neither did they. A hand on an arm. A kiss in passing. Elisa leaning into Dalia while somebody else talked. Mandi dropping into Elisa's lap for thirty seconds because she wanted the better angle on a screen. None of it demanded interpretation. That made it more intimate than Friday. Friday had been firsts. Every touch measured against anticipation. Every kiss carrying the knowledge that the weekend had only just begun. Saturday night had already survived breakfast, naked swimming, ridiculous amounts of food, a strategy-game war, dancing, and Shammy committing social terrorism before coffee. They knew each other now. Not deeply. Enough. Enough that Elisa could steal Dalia's lollipop. Enough that Dalia could answer by kissing her instead of asking what she meant. Enough that Mandi could watch and think nothing more complicated than: Good. --- Lina eventually left. Not the event. Just the room. A shower. Fresh clothes. Maybe fifteen minutes alone. Dalia watched her go. Mandi noticed. "Missing her already?" Dalia looked at her. "No." "That was very fast." "She went to shower." "Emotionally devastating." Dalia put the lollipop back into her mouth. "Do you want me to throw something at you?" Mandi smiled. "Depends what." Elisa laughed. Dalia looked at her. "Do not encourage her." "I think that ship sailed." Mandi pointed. "See? Smart." Dalia shook her head. Then Elisa moved closer. Sat beside her. Their shoulders touched. Dalia did not move away. Elisa looked toward Mandi. Mandi was now half-curled against Riva on the opposite sofa. Orange hair against Riva's shoulder. Black eyes watching. Elisa smiled. "What?" Mandi asked. "Nothing." "Suspicious." "You say that a lot." "Because people are suspicious." Dalia glanced at Mandi. "Projection." Mandi gasped. "Et tu, pink menace?" Dalia smiled around the lollipop. Elisa laughed. Then leaned her head against Dalia's shoulder. Dalia's expression softened. One arm came around her automatically. Mandi saw. Her own smile changed. Less theatrical. Warmer. Riva noticed that too. She said nothing. --- Shammy came in from the outer room. Stopped. Looked. Mandi with Riva. Elisa against Dalia. The rest of the party scattered through the residence. No tension. No uncertainty. No need for intervention. She moved to the rug. Lay down. Mandi looked over. "Comfortable?" "Yes." "Good." Shammy's ears shifted. Mandi narrowed her eyes. "What?" "Nothing." "That's suspicious." Dalia spoke without looking. "Projection." Mandi pointed across the room. "STOP USING MY OWN MATERIAL AGAINST ME." Elisa laughed into Dalia's shoulder. Shammy put her head down. Shammy's ears angled toward Mandi. Mandi saw. "She thinks she's funny." Shammy closed her eyes. "I am resting." "You are smug." "I am a wolf." "Those are not mutually exclusive." "No." Mandi stared. Then looked at Riva. "See?" Riva nodded. "Terrifying." "Thank you." Shammy remained perfectly still. That somehow made it worse. --- Around midnight, the group fractured naturally. Not into couples. Not cleanly. Just into smaller pockets. Two guests stayed near the windows. One disappeared toward the kitchen. Another announced she was going to bed and received genuine goodnights instead of teasing. Riva eventually stood. Mandi looked up. "Leaving me?" "Bathroom." Mandi considered. "Allowed." "Thank you." Riva walked away. Mandi stretched. Elisa was still beside Dalia. Dalia looked over. Mandi met her eyes. There was no signal. No plan. Just recognition. Dalia knew that look. Mandi knew she knew. Elisa glanced between them. "What?" Mandi smiled. "Nothing." Elisa immediately pointed. "No." Mandi's eyebrows rose. "No?" "You two do that." "Do what?" "That look." Dalia said calmly: "We have many looks." "That one." Mandi smiled wider. "What one?" Elisa looked between them again. "The one where I feel like you just had an entire conversation without moving your mouths." Mandi looked at Dalia. Dalia looked at Mandi. Mandi turned back. "Paranoid." Elisa stared. Dalia's mouth twitched. Elisa pointed. "There." Mandi started laughing. Dalia followed. Elisa threw both hands up. "Fuck both of you." Mandi stopped laughing. Dalia stopped too. Silence. Elisa froze. Realized. Mandi's eyebrows climbed. Dalia very slowly removed the lollipop from her mouth. Elisa closed her eyes. "Oh, fuck me." Mandi made a tiny delighted sound. Dalia's voice dropped. "Careful." Elisa opened her eyes. Both women were looking at her now. Not joking exactly. Not serious exactly. But the air had changed. Elisa swallowed. Mandi leaned back into the sofa. "Say that again." Elisa laughed nervously. "No." "Why not?" "Because I know what happens when I say stupid things around you." Dalia smiled. "Sometimes excellent things happen." Elisa looked at her. Then at Mandi. Mandi held the gaze. No pressure. No assumption. Just possibility. Elisa's smile returned. Slower. "You're both horrible." Mandi nodded. "True." Dalia added: "Very." Elisa looked from one to the other. Then: "Come here." Mandi's expression softened immediately. Dalia stood. No one cheered. No one announced anything. That was important. --- Elisa stood too. For a moment all three remained in the lounge. Close enough to touch. Not yet touching. Mandi looked up at her. "You sure?" Elisa nodded. "Yes." Dalia stepped closer. "Want us both?" Elisa's eyes moved between them. "Yes." Mandi smiled. "Good answer." Elisa laughed once. Then kissed her. Mandi met her halfway. Warm. Easy. No first-night nerves. No sense of trying to make something happen. It was already happening. Dalia stood behind Elisa for a moment. Close enough that Elisa could feel her. Not touching until Elisa leaned back. That was enough invitation. Dalia's hands settled lightly at her waist. Elisa relaxed between them. Mandi broke the kiss. Looked past Elisa at Dalia. Dalia's green eyes met hers. A small smile. Mandi reached around Elisa and touched Dalia's arm. Three people. No competition. No choreography. Just familiarity. Elisa turned in Dalia's arms and kissed her next. Mandi stayed close. One hand at Elisa's back. Watching. Enjoying watching. Enjoying being watched back when Dalia opened her eyes. Mandi grinned. Dalia's mouth curved against Elisa's. Elisa felt it. Started laughing. The kiss broke. "What?" Dalia looked at Mandi. "Nothing." Elisa stared. "You are doing it again." Mandi laughed. "Doing what?" "Talking with your faces." Dalia kissed Elisa's forehead. "Occupational hazard." Mandi stood. "Come on." Elisa looked at her. "Where?" Mandi held out one hand. "You said come here." Her smile turned wicked. "We're improving the location." Elisa took her hand. Dalia took the other. --- They did not choose the room from Friday. That mattered. Friday's room belonged to first nerves. First choices. The moment Elisa had finally stopped pretending she had hired them mainly for conversation. Tonight they chose a smaller room farther inside the residence. Low lights. A broad bed. A deep couch near the window. No grand staging. Comfortable. Private. Elisa closed the door. Then turned around. Mandi was already looking at her. Not performing. Just looking. Elisa smiled. "What?" Mandi shook her head. "Nothing." "You're terrible at that." "Fine." Mandi walked closer. "I like you." Elisa's smile changed. "Still?" "More." Dalia came beside them. "Same." Elisa looked at her. There it was. The thing money could not guarantee. Not the booking. Not availability. Not skill. Being genuinely liked. For half a second the practiced brightness dropped away. She looked open. A little overwhelmed. Mandi saw it. So did Dalia. Neither rushed her. Elisa breathed out. "Okay." Mandi touched her cheek. "Okay good?" "Very." Dalia's hand rested lightly at the small of her back. "Still want this?" Elisa looked at both of them. "Yes." No hesitation. Mandi kissed her again. --- The room stayed warm. That was the difference. Friday had carried an edge. Anticipation. Elisa wondering if she was doing everything wrong. Mandi and Dalia giving her room to discover she wasn't. Tonight there was laughter almost immediately. Elisa caught one of Mandi's fast-release closures. Stopped. Looked down. Mandi followed her gaze. "You've been thinking about that all day." Elisa smiled. "Maybe." "Liar." "You wore it to breakfast." "I was naked at breakfast." Elisa laughed. "Exactly." Dalia leaned against the edge of the bed, lollipop between two fingers now. "She's got you there." Mandi looked offended. "Whose side are you on?" Dalia's green eyes flashed. "Whichever one is taking the dress off." Elisa went very still. Mandi turned slowly toward Dalia. "Oh, that was filthy." "Accurate." Elisa laughed again, but her fingers stayed on the release. Mandi looked back at her. The joke softened. "Want to?" "Yes." "Then finish what you started." Elisa opened the first mechanism. The gown relaxed immediately. She knew the system now. Friday's nervous curiosity had become confidence. The second release came more easily. The third made Mandi's breathing change just enough for Elisa to notice. Elisa looked up. Mandi caught the look. "What?" "You like making me do this." Mandi's black eyes gleamed. "I like you wanting to." That answer slowed Elisa more effectively than teasing could have. She opened the final point. Mandi caught the gown as it came free and laid it across the chair. The fabric settled without a crease. Elisa looked at her. Really looked. Mandi let her. No mock modesty. No hurry to make the moment become something else. Dalia watched from the bed, visibly enjoying both of them. Mandi noticed. "Your turn." Dalia's eyebrow rose. "Mine?" "You heard me." Mandi held out one hand to Elisa. Elisa took it. Together they crossed the small distance. Dalia stayed where she was. Calm. Waiting. Mandi touched the first linear fastener on Dalia's gown and looked at Elisa. "You've done this before." "Once." Dalia's low voice came between them. "Apparently she needs supervision." Mandi looked up. "Keep talking and I'm opening all of them at once." Dalia smiled. "Promise?" Elisa made a helpless sound. "You two are impossible." "And yet," Mandi said. Elisa laughed, then touched the first release herself. Dalia's expression changed. Only a little. Enough. "Still yes?" Elisa asked. "Very." One by one, the long gown surrendered its structure. Dalia never looked away from Elisa. Mandi stayed close, hand resting lightly at Dalia's waist, not taking over. When the last release opened, Dalia caught the fabric and laid it beside Mandi's. Two immaculate gowns. Two women no longer wearing them. Elisa stared. Mandi smiled. "You look like you're reconsidering the value of clothing." "Strongly." Dalia stepped closer. "Your turn." Elisa looked down at herself and laughed softly. "Again?" Mandi's answer lost the joke. "Only if you want." Elisa met her eyes. "I do." This time Mandi helped from the front while Dalia worked slowly from behind. No first-night uncertainty, but the same care remained. A closure opened. A kiss interrupted the next one. Elisa turned halfway and kissed Dalia before Mandi could finish what she was doing. Mandi stared. "Rude." Elisa laughed against Dalia's mouth. "Jealous?" "No. Distracted." Dalia opened her eyes and looked at Mandi over Elisa's shoulder. "Come closer, then." Mandi did. That was how the last of Elisa's clothing came away: not as a reveal, but in the middle of kissing, hands crossing, bodies closing the remaining distance because all three had stopped treating the progression as something fragile. When they were finally skin to skin, Elisa exhaled and stayed exactly where she was between them. Mandi's hands rested at her waist. Dalia's along her back. Nobody moved farther for a few breaths. The invitation was already clear. The pause let all three feel it. Elisa looked at Mandi. Then Dalia. "Still both." Mandi's smile went wicked. "Good. I hate incomplete instructions." Dalia laughed low in her throat. "She said she wanted us, not an audit." "I can multitask." Elisa caught Mandi by the shoulders and kissed her hard enough to shut her up. Dalia laughed. "Effective." Mandi came out of the kiss breathless and delighted. "Do that again." Elisa did. From there the room found its own rhythm. They reached the bed in stages. Mandi sat first, drawing Elisa close between her knees. Dalia stayed behind Elisa long enough to kiss the side of her neck, then moved around them when Elisa reached for her. No one stayed in one position long enough for the encounter to become choreography. Elisa had learned to ask without apologizing. "Closer." Mandi came closer. "Dalia." Dalia answered immediately. "Here." A hand tightened. A kiss lasted longer. Someone shifted and the whole balance changed. Mandi laughed once when Elisa nearly pulled her across the mattress. "Fuck, okay." Elisa stopped instantly. Mandi caught her face. "That was approval, sweetheart." Elisa's smile returned. "Good." Dalia's voice came close beside them. "Very." Mandi’s hand moved between Elisa’s thighs and paused there. Elisa changed her posture deliberately, drawing Mandi closer with one leg and reaching for Dalia with the same clear invitation. “Here,” Elisa said, guiding rather than asking either woman to guess. Mandi’s fingers found their purpose. Dalia’s did too, first with Elisa and then with Mandi as Elisa’s own hands made the intimacy reciprocal. No one waited for a turn; reactions crossed the three of them and changed what each woman did next. The sex itself stayed unhurried at first. Familiarity made it easier to be direct. Mandi no longer needed to turn every reaction into a joke. Dalia no longer held herself at the edge of the experience just to keep perfect track of everyone else. Elisa no longer watched herself from outside, wondering whether she was doing the weekend correctly. They paid attention anyway. That was different from restraint. Mandi noticed when Elisa wanted more closeness and gave it. Dalia caught the moment Mandi's teasing vanished and kissed her before she could rebuild it. Elisa learned that making Dalia lose one measured breath pleased Mandi almost as much as anything done to her directly. "You saw that," Dalia murmured. Mandi's black eyes were bright. "Absolutely." "Voyeur." "Professional appreciation." Elisa laughed between them. "That is not what that means." Mandi kissed her. "It does tonight." The laughter thinned into breath. The rhythm deepened. Hands stopped wandering and began returning to the touches that had already worked. Bodies shifted closer without anyone having to explain why. Elisa's voice lost the last trace of self-consciousness. Mandi's did too. Dalia's control remained in her attention, not in denying herself reaction. At one point Elisa opened her eyes and caught both of them watching her. She did not look away. "Don't stop." Neither did. The buildup held long enough to become unmistakable. Elisa came first this time, voice breaking as her body tightened between them and the release stripped every thought from her face. Mandi’s fingers tightened around Elisa's hand as the same rising rhythm carried her over a breath later. Her eyes closed, her body shuddered once, and she folded toward Elisa without trying to turn the loss of composure into a joke. Dalia's forehead touched Elisa's temple for one suspended second. Elisa stayed with her, Mandi did too, and the last of Dalia’s measured control finally broke into an unmistakable climax of her own. Then all movement gave way. No one separated. Mandi folded close against Elisa. Dalia stayed pressed along her other side, one arm across both of them. Elisa's eyes stayed closed while all three simply breathed. One breath. Then another. Mandi's thumb moved once across Elisa's hand. Dalia kissed her shoulder. Only after the stillness had done its work did anybody shift enough to get comfortable. Later, the room became quiet. Not empty. Quiet. Three bodies resting together. Breathing slowly. Elisa on her back. Mandi curled against one side. Dalia stretched close on the other. No one moved immediately. That, too, had become easier. Friday's stillness had been almost astonished. Tonight it was comfortable. Expected. Wanted. Elisa's eyes were closed. Mandi traced one lazy line along her arm. Dalia's hand rested across Elisa's stomach. No urgency to separate. No need to evaluate. Eventually Elisa laughed softly. Mandi lifted her head. "What?" Elisa kept her eyes closed. "I just remembered the strawberry." Silence. Then Mandi groaned. "Oh, fuck you." Dalia started laughing. Elisa opened her eyes. "How much did it cost?" "I still don't know." "Criminal." "You've had sex twice in my house and you're still upset about fruit." Mandi looked offended. "These issues are unrelated." Dalia rested her forehead briefly against Elisa's shoulder. Still laughing. Elisa looked at her. Then Mandi. "I like this." Mandi's expression softened. "The sex?" "Yes." Dalia's mouth curved. Elisa continued. "But also this." She gestured vaguely with one hand. It did not need more explanation. Mandi settled back against her. "Yeah." Dalia's hand moved once. Warm. "So do we." Elisa was quiet for a moment. Then: "That makes me stupidly happy." Mandi smiled against her shoulder. "Good." No joke. Just good. --- They eventually found water. Not clothes. Water first. Dalia handed Elisa a glass. Mandi stole Dalia's. Dalia stared. Mandi drank. "You have your own." "Yours tastes better." "It is water." "Luxury water." Elisa nearly spilled hers laughing. Dalia took Mandi's untouched glass. "Fine." Mandi smiled. "See? Professional adaptability." Dalia drank. "Parasite." "Joytoy." "Both." Elisa looked between them. "You really do like each other." Mandi stared. "No." Dalia nodded. "Unfortunately." Elisa laughed. Mandi leaned over and kissed Dalia. Slow. Completely unnecessary. Then pulled back. "Terrible." Dalia's green eyes warmed. "Awful." Elisa watched. Not excluded. Not outside their connection. Simply seeing something real. Mandi caught her looking. "What?" Elisa smiled. "Nothing." Mandi narrowed her eyes. Elisa immediately laughed. "Okay, okay." She reached for both of them. "Come here." This time nobody made a joke. They did. --- When they finally returned to the lounge, it was after one. Riva was back. Lina too. Neither asked what happened. Neither needed to. Mandi's orange hair was almost offensively immaculate again. Dalia's pink hair had recovered just as well. Elisa looked substantially less composed. Riva looked at her. Then at Mandi. One eyebrow rose. Mandi smiled. Riva smiled back. No jealousy problem. No report required. Lina shifted enough to make room beside her. Dalia sat. Lina leaned into her immediately. Dalia kissed her temple. Mandi dropped beside Riva. Riva touched her knee. "Good?" Mandi considered. Then: "Very fucking." Riva laughed. Dalia looked across the room. Mandi met her eyes. Dalia gave the smallest nod. Mandi smiled. Elisa saw. Again. She pointed. "That." Mandi looked innocent. "What?" "That fucking look." Dalia removed the lollipop from her mouth. "You're imagining things." Elisa stared. Then threw a cushion at both of them. Mandi screamed. Dalia caught it. Shammy lifted her head. Looked at the room. No danger. Just idiots. She put her head back down. Saturday night continued. --- ## Chapter 17 — Still Saturday At one-thirty in the morning, Elisa ordered noodles. Nobody was hungry enough to justify noodles. That did not matter. Mandi stared at the order screen. "How many?" Elisa looked over her shoulder. "Enough." "That isn't a number." "Do you want noodles?" "Yes." "Then stop auditing." Mandi folded her arms. "You've learned nothing." Elisa pressed CONFIRM. Mandi gasped. "You didn't even look at the total." Elisa turned. "Mandi." "What?" "I own the building." Silence. Riva covered her mouth. Dalia slowly turned toward Elisa. Lina froze beside her. Elisa realized. "Oh no." Mandi took one measured step forward. "You own." Another. "The building." Elisa started backing away. "I meant the residence." "You own the entire fucking building?" "Technically—" "TECHNICALLY?" Riva folded sideways laughing. Elisa raised both hands. "This isn't important." Mandi looked genuinely wounded. "We spent twenty minutes discussing strawberry prices." "That was your choice." "You let me stand there talking about rich people while you own the fucking building." "I didn't know it was relevant!" Dalia spoke calmly from the sofa. "It is now." Elisa pointed at her. "Do not help." Dalia smiled. Mandi stared at Elisa for another two seconds. Then: "How many apartments?" Elisa closed her eyes. "No." "How many?" "No." "ELISA." "Saturday." Mandi froze. Dalia's eyebrows rose. Riva's laughter stopped for half a second. Elisa looked extremely pleased with herself. Mandi pointed slowly. "You do not get to use that." Dalia put the lollipop into her mouth. "I disagree." "Betrayal." "Again." Elisa grinned. Mandi looked around for support. Found none. "You've all become terrible people." Shammy lifted her head from the rug. "You selected most of us." Mandi stared at her. "Not helping." "I wasn't attempting to." That broke Riva again. --- The noodles arrived. Far too many noodles. Mandi counted the containers. Elisa physically took one from her hand. "Stop." "I'm documenting waste." "You are eating from three boxes." "Comparative analysis." "You mixed them together." "Advanced methodology." Riva sat beside her at the low table. "Can I have some of your advanced methodology?" Mandi passed her a fork. "Peer review." Across from them, Lina had stolen Dalia's lollipop. Dalia noticed immediately. She looked at Lina. Lina very deliberately put it into her own mouth. Dalia's expression remained calm. Mandi saw. Stopped chewing. "Oh." Lina glanced at her. Mandi pointed with the fork. "That has consequences." Dalia looked at Mandi. "Don't." "I'm warning her." "I don't require assistance." Lina smiled around the lollipop. "Apparently I've been briefed." Dalia leaned closer. "Give it back." Lina shook her head. Dalia held out one hand. Lina removed it. Placed it carefully into Dalia's palm. Dalia looked at it. Then at Lina. "Good." Lina's eyes narrowed pleasantly. Mandi whispered to Riva: "See?" Riva whispered back: "What?" "That." "What?" Mandi stared. "You people are hopeless." Dalia put the lollipop back into her mouth. Lina looked extremely satisfied with herself. --- Nobody treated Mandi, Dalia, or Elisa differently after they returned. That mattered more than anyone said. Riva still touched Mandi casually. Lina still leaned into Dalia. Elisa moved freely between conversations without acquiring some invisible claim over either of them simply because the three had disappeared together. No one asked for details. No one made jokes that turned intimacy into public property. The dirty jokes remained. The entitlement did not. That line was thin. Everyone in the room seemed to understand it. Mandi noticed. Of course she noticed. That was part of why she liked these people. Riva nudged her knee. "You went quiet." Mandi looked at her. "Did I?" "Rare event." "Fuck you." "Much better." Mandi smiled. Riva reached over and wiped a tiny spot of sauce from the corner of Mandi's mouth with her thumb. Mandi went still. Riva showed her the thumb. "Professional dignity." Mandi looked at it. Then licked the sauce from Riva's thumb. Riva blinked. Mandi smiled sweetly. "Fixed." Elisa saw from across the table. "Oh, come on." Mandi looked over. "What?" "You make everything sexual." "No." "You just—" Mandi pointed at the noodles. "I'm eating." Riva started laughing. Elisa looked at Dalia. "Help." Dalia took a drink. "No." "Why does nobody help me?" Lina answered: "You're paying the wrong people." Mandi slapped the table. "YES." Elisa stared at her. Then Lina. Then Dalia. "I hate this weekend." Dalia nodded. "Clearly." Elisa smiled. "Completely." --- At some point, shoes disappeared again. Not clothes. Just shoes. The residence had become that comfortable. Riva stretched out with her feet beneath Mandi's thigh. Lina sat on the floor between Dalia's knees while Dalia idly worked fingers through her hair. Elisa had migrated beside Shammy. She had learned the correct place to scratch beneath one ear. Shammy's eyes were half-closed. Mandi noticed. "Traitor." Shammy opened one eye. "What?" "You like her." "Yes." Elisa froze. Then smiled. Mandi pointed accusingly. "See?" Elisa kept scratching. "Good taste." Shammy closed the eye again. "Yes." Mandi's mouth fell open. Elisa made a triumphant sound. Dalia laughed. Mandi looked at Shammy. "You're supposed to be my guard." "I am." "Not her giant emotional-support wolf." Elisa looked down at Shammy. "Can she be both?" Shammy answered before Mandi could. "Yes." Mandi threw herself backward onto the sofa. "Unbelievable." Riva patted her stomach. "There, there." Mandi looked at the hand. Then at Riva. "Careful." Riva smiled. "Threat?" "Promise." "Better." --- The party became quieter around two. Not dead. Soft. The kind of hour when people stopped competing with silence. One guest had already gone to bed. Another sat near the window reading something on a tablet while still listening to the room. Music had dropped almost low enough to disappear. The city beyond the glass seemed farther away. Mandi sat on the floor with her back against the sofa. Elisa beside her. Riva on the sofa behind them. Dalia sat opposite with Lina. Shammy lay between both groups, head on her paws. Elisa looked around. "This is weird." Mandi glanced sideways. "Specific." "I mean good weird." "Still useless." Elisa smiled. "I've had parties here before." "Okay." "They don't end like this." Dalia looked over. "How do they end?" "People either get louder until security starts discreetly removing them, or everybody disappears into separate rooms and pretends they weren't watching each other all night." Mandi considered. "Efficient." "It's awful." "Also sounds expensive." Elisa laughed. "Probably." A pause. Then she said: "This feels like everybody actually wants to stay." Mandi's answer came simply. "They do." Elisa looked at her. "You can tell?" Mandi glanced around. "I have eyes." Shammy spoke without lifting her head. "They do." Elisa looked at her. Shammy opened her eyes. "No one is staying because they are afraid leaving would be socially expensive." That silenced Elisa for a moment. Dalia watched her. Elisa asked: "You can tell that?" "Yes." "And you're not..." Elisa searched for the right word. "Changing anything?" "No." Shammy's ears moved once. "Not much, currently." Elisa nodded slowly. "So this is just us." "Yes." Elisa looked around again. Mandi saw something soften in her face. She bumped her shoulder gently. "Don't ruin it by analyzing." Elisa smiled. "Fuck you." "Better." --- Riva's fingers moved into Mandi's orange hair from behind. Mandi tilted her head back. "Careful." Riva looked down. "Still want consequences?" Mandi's black eyes opened. "Oh." Riva smiled. Mandi turned around enough to look at her properly. "You remembered." "You complained for ten minutes." "Fair." Riva caught one bright lock between two fingers and pulled it deliberately out of shape. ChromeLock began correcting immediately. Mandi watched. Riva watched. The lock slowly returned. Mandi sighed. "Fucking technology." Riva laughed. Mandi reached up. Caught her wrist. "Try harder." Riva's eyebrows rose. Across the room, Dalia looked over. Saw the expression. Smiled. Riva messed the hair more aggressively. Both hands now. Mandi closed her eyes. Not because hair manipulation itself was remarkable. Because Riva was enjoying the excuse to touch her. That was. When Riva stopped, Mandi opened her eyes. Orange hair looked chaotic. For perhaps ten seconds. Then strands began migrating back toward the locked silhouette. Riva stared. "That's obscene." Mandi smiled. "It cost an obscene amount." Elisa leaned closer. "Can I?" Mandi looked at her. Then lowered her head toward both of them. "Fuck it. Destroy it." Elisa laughed. Four hands attacked the ChromeLock. Mandi started laughing immediately. "Not my fucking ears—" "Hold still." "YOU hold still." Riva pushed a section upward. Elisa dragged another sideways. Mandi's carefully engineered orange shape became complete nonsense. Dalia took out the lollipop. "Beautiful." Mandi looked at her through strands of orange hair. "Jealous?" "No." "Want in?" Dalia considered. Then stood. Mandi's smile vanished. "Wait." Dalia walked over. "No, no, I was joking." Dalia crouched. Green eyes close. Mandi stared. Dalia gently caught the front section of orange hair. Then twisted it into the most ridiculous shape possible. Mandi screamed. Everyone laughed. Dalia stood. "Now I'm done." Mandi looked at Elisa. "Remember this when you're writing the review." Elisa was crying with laughter. "Five stars." "Fucking better be." Shammy watched. Tail moving. Mandi noticed. "YOU DON'T GET A TURN." Shammy lowered her head again. "I didn't ask." "Good." A pause. Then Shammy added: "I don't need your hair." Absolute silence. Mandi's face changed. Elisa collapsed. Riva slid sideways on the sofa. Dalia turned away, shoulders shaking. Mandi pointed at Shammy. "No." Shammy remained perfectly calm. "NO." Lina buried her face against Dalia's side. Mandi's voice rose. "WE ARE NOT RETURNING TO THE FUCKING GROOMING." Shammy closed her eyes. "I didn't mention grooming." "You implied it!" "Did I?" "YES." Elisa could no longer breathe properly. Mandi looked around the room. "She knows exactly what she's doing." Dalia managed: "Yes." Mandi stared at her. "THANK YOU." Dalia immediately started laughing again. --- By three, the ChromeLock had repaired itself. Mostly. Mandi hated that too. She stood in front of a dark window using the reflection. "Fucking perfect." Riva came up behind her. "Disappointed?" "Deeply." "You really wanted it ruined." "For ten minutes." Riva's hands settled lightly at Mandi's waist. "Why?" Mandi looked at their reflection. "Because perfect gets boring." Riva smiled. Mandi leaned back against her. They stood that way. No urgency. Riva kissed the side of Mandi's head. Mandi closed her eyes briefly. Then: "You tired?" "A little." "Want bed?" Riva considered. "Eventually." Mandi turned in her arms. "Private bed?" Riva looked at her. There it was. No misunderstanding. No transaction. Riva smiled slowly. "Are you asking me?" "Yes." "You want me again?" Mandi's answer came without theater. "Yes." Riva touched her cheek. "Then yes." Mandi smiled. No need to make her ask more explicitly this time. They had already learned each other. Mandi kissed her once. Slow. Then separated. "Not yet." Riva laughed. "No?" Mandi shook her head. "I want another drink." "You are unbelievable." "Luxury." "Of course." They returned to the room together. --- Dalia noticed. Lina noticed Dalia noticing. "Later?" Dalia looked down at her. Lina smiled. "You're not subtle with her." "Mandi?" "Yeah." Dalia considered. "No." "You always check." "Yes." "Whether she's okay?" Dalia smiled slightly. "Whether she's happy." Lina looked across the room. Mandi was laughing with Riva again. Elisa between them. "She looks happy." "She is." Lina looked back at Dalia. "And you?" Dalia held her gaze. "Also." "Good." Lina reached up. Touched Dalia's jaw. No request hidden inside it. Dalia leaned into the touch anyway. Lina smiled. Then: "I might go sleep soon." Dalia nodded. "Okay." Lina watched her. "No disappointment?" "Why would there be?" Lina shrugged. "We had a good night last night." "Very." "And we didn't tonight." Dalia looked at her for a second. Then understood. Her expression softened. "That isn't a debt." Lina smiled. "I know." "Good." Dalia kissed her forehead. "If you want sleep, sleep." Lina's fingers curled lightly around Dalia's wrist. "And if I want you tomorrow?" Dalia's green eyes warmed. "Ask me tomorrow." Lina smiled. "Luxury." Dalia laughed. "You're learning." --- Lina went to bed twenty minutes later. Dalia walked her to the corridor. Nothing more. A long kiss at the doorway. A hand squeezed once. "Goodnight." "Goodnight." Then Dalia returned alone. No disappointment. No sense of a missed opportunity. Mandi was watching from the sofa. Dalia sat beside her. Mandi leaned toward her. "Good?" "Very." "Nothing happened." Dalia looked at her. "Something happened." Mandi waited. Dalia smiled. "She wanted sleep." Mandi's own expression softened. "Good." Dalia nodded. Mandi leaned her head against Dalia's shoulder. For several seconds neither spoke. Then Mandi whispered: "Riva wants bed." Dalia looked down. "You?" "Very much." Dalia kissed the top of her orange hair. "Then go." Mandi smiled. "Eventually." Dalia laughed quietly. "You impossible little slut." Mandi lifted her head. Black eyes delighted. "Now I recognize you." "Go fuck Riva." Mandi gasped. "Bossy." "Professional guidance." Mandi stood. Bent down. Kissed Dalia. Hard enough to mean it. Brief enough not to become a different invitation. When she pulled away: "Love you." Dalia's expression warmed. "Love you too." Mandi turned. Riva was already standing. Elisa looked between them. Then smiled. "Goodnight?" Mandi pointed. "Potentially." Elisa laughed. Riva took Mandi's hand. They left together. No applause. No teasing. Just two people going somewhere private because both of them wanted to. --- Elisa dropped into the space Mandi had left. Beside Dalia. "You okay?" Dalia looked at her. "Very." Elisa smiled. "She really does love sex." Dalia gave her a long look. Then laughed. "Oh, yes." Elisa laughed too. "And you?" Dalia leaned back. Green eyes toward the ceiling. "Very much." Elisa nudged her shoulder. "Tonight?" Dalia turned her head. Elisa immediately clarified: "Not asking." "I know." Dalia smiled. "Tonight was excellent." Even without another bedroom. Even without another climax. Dinner. Dancing. Lina. Elisa. Mandi. Shammy. Talking absolute nonsense at two in the morning. Watching the woman she loved leave smiling with someone she wanted. Being exactly where she wanted to be herself. Dalia looked around. "Really fucking excellent." Elisa smiled. "Good." Shammy lifted her head. Dalia looked at her. "You tired?" "No." "Of us?" Shammy considered. "Occasionally." Elisa laughed. Dalia smiled. "Fair." Shammy stood. Stretched enormous forelegs. Then walked toward them. Elisa instinctively moved a little to make space. Shammy stopped beside the sofa. Dalia reached out and scratched along her neck. Shammy leaned into the hand. Elisa joined from the other side. For a moment the three stayed like that. Then Elisa looked at Dalia. "Can I ask a stupid question?" Dalia sighed. "It's three in the morning. Those are the only questions left." Elisa smiled. "Are weekends like this normal for you?" Dalia looked at Shammy. Then toward the corridor where Mandi and Riva had disappeared. Then back at Elisa. "No." Elisa waited. Dalia put the lollipop between her lips. "But I wouldn't object to more of them." Elisa's smile became enormous. Dalia pointed. "Don't start planning." "I didn't say anything." "Your face did." Elisa stared. Then started laughing. Dalia did too. Shammy gave a low, satisfied huff. Saturday continued. Technically. --- ## Chapter 18 — After Three Riva closed the bedroom door with her heel. Mandi watched. "Subtle." Riva looked over. "You brought me here." "True." "You told Dalia you were going to fuck me." Mandi smiled. "Also true." "So I feel like subtlety left approximately five minutes ago." Mandi considered. "Fair." The room was not the same one as Friday. Not Elisa's room from earlier either. This one sat at the quieter end of the residence. Smaller. Dark glass along one wall. Low lighting. A bed that looked aggressively expensive. Mandi looked at it. Then at Riva. "That mattress costs more than my first apartment." Riva laughed. "You don't know that." "I can feel rich-person arrogance from here." "You've spent the entire weekend insulting luxury while enjoying all of it." Mandi pointed. "That is called nuance." Riva stepped closer. "Is that what it's called?" "Yes." "Thought it was hypocrisy." Mandi's grin sharpened. "Careful." Riva stopped directly in front of her. "Or?" Mandi looked up. "Or I might enjoy proving you wrong." Riva's smile changed. There it was again. The ease they had not possessed Friday. No nerves about whether attraction was real. No uncertainty over what either of them wanted. Riva reached for her. Not immediately for the visible release hardware. Just her waist. Mandi stepped closer. Their bodies met. Warm. Familiar enough now that the first kiss did not need testing. It simply happened. Riva kissed her slowly. Mandi answered with immediate enthusiasm. Not frantic. Just clear. Yes. This. Again. Riva's hands moved along her back. Mandi's found her shoulders. Then her neck. Then tangled briefly in her hair. When they separated, Riva stayed close. "You really wanted consequences for the ChromeLock." Mandi laughed softly. "Still do." Riva touched the orange hair. "Technology keeps defeating me." "Try harder." "Challenge accepted." Mandi smiled. "Good." Then kissed her again. --- They took their time. Not because either was uncertain. Because neither was in a hurry. Friday had been discovery. Tonight was recognition. Riva already knew how Mandi reacted when she was teased. Mandi already knew when Riva was bluffing confidence and when she actually meant it. That did not make the encounter predictable. It made it easier to play. Riva's fingers eventually found the visible release architecture at Mandi's side. She paused. Mandi looked down. Then up. "Still works." "I remember." "Then why are you staring?" Riva smiled. "Because I like making you wait." Mandi's eyebrows rose. "Oh." "Problem?" "No." A beat. "Actually, that's very fucking attractive." Riva laughed. Then opened the first release. The gown loosened immediately. Mandi did not help. That was the game now. Riva had made her wait, so Mandi stood still and let her take as long as she wanted. The second fastener opened. Then the third. Riva paused after each one just long enough to watch the effect travel through Mandi's expression. "You're doing that on purpose," Mandi said. "You noticed." "I notice everything when somebody's undressing me this slowly." Riva's smile sharpened. "Good." The final mechanism released. Mandi caught the gown and placed it carefully over the chair. Then turned back. No performance of modesty. No exaggerated reveal. She simply let Riva look. Riva did. Long enough that Mandi finally spread her hands. "You planning to do something with all that enthusiasm?" Riva stepped closer. "Yes." "Excellent." Their next kiss carried the answer. Riva's hands settled against bare skin now. Mandi reacted immediately, leaning into the contact, then laughing softly when Riva caught her doing it. "What?" "Nothing." Mandi narrowed her eyes. Riva smiled. "I like that you don't pretend not to want it." The grin disappeared from Mandi's face for a second. Not embarrassment. Something warmer. "Why the fuck would I pretend?" "Exactly." Mandi kissed her again. Then her hands found Riva's clothes. She stopped before opening anything. "My turn?" Riva nodded. "Your turn." Mandi's touch was faster than Friday's only because she already knew the construction. She still gave every meaningful step room. One closure. A pause. Riva moving closer instead of away. Another. A kiss. Fabric loosening. Mandi looked up. "Still good?" "Very." "Want me to keep going?" Riva caught her wrist and pulled her closer. "I want you to stop asking questions you already know the answer to." Mandi's black eyes lit. "That sounded dangerously confident." "You said you liked that." "I do." She finished helping Riva undress. Slow enough to enjoy it. Fast enough that neither mistook patience for hesitation. When the last fabric was out of the way, Mandi looked at Riva with exactly the same unhidden appreciation Riva had given her. Riva laughed once under the attention. "Still several things?" Mandi stepped close until there was no room left between them. "More than several." That answer ended the talking for a while. They reached the bed without the awkward discovery of Friday. Mandi backed onto the mattress willingly this time, Riva following close enough that the distance never reopened. Mandi pulled her down, then changed her mind halfway and rolled them just enough to make Riva laugh. "Control problem?" Riva asked. "Appetite problem." "Better." "Much." They kissed again. Riva drew Mandi fully onto the bed and settled face to face with her. Her hand moved between Mandi’s thighs with none of Friday’s uncertainty, but still paused for the invitation. Mandi opened to her, caught Riva’s wrist and smiled. “Yes. And don’t you dare stop there.” Riva’s fingers found their way. Mandi answered immediately, her own hand taking up the same intimate purpose for Riva. Only then did the recognition between them become sex again. What followed was not a repeat of Friday. Recognition changed it. Riva already knew that Mandi liked being held close when the joking thinned out. Mandi knew which touches made Riva's confidence stop being verbal and become physical. They used that knowledge without turning it into a routine. Sometimes Riva led. Sometimes Mandi did. Sometimes both changed direction at once and had to stop because they were laughing. Each time they settled again, the laughter left them closer. Mandi said Riva's name once in a tone that erased the joke from both of them. Riva answered by holding her tighter. Mandi's eyes closed. There. No performance. No clever line. Just pleasure she did not bother disguising. Riva watched the change cross her face. Mandi opened one eye. "Enjoying the view?" "Very." "Good." Then Riva kissed her before she could add anything smarter. The pace built naturally from there. Breathing shortened. Hands returned to familiar places. Mandi's whole body answered when Riva found a rhythm that worked, and Riva smiled at the reaction until Mandi pulled her down close enough to wipe the expression away. "Smug," Mandi breathed. "You like me smug." "Currently." Riva laughed against her mouth. Then neither of them had enough spare attention for comedy. The crest took time. That was part of why Mandi had wanted this again. Not a quick replay. Not a favor squeezed into the end of the night. Time enough for the familiar touches to become intense, for the second encounter to feel chosen on its own terms. Riva's breathing broke first. Her body tightened beneath Mandi, the climax visible in the helpless loss of her confident smile and the release that moved through her from shoulders to legs. Mandi followed while Riva was still holding her. Her breath caught, her eyes closed and a hard shudder gave way to complete, unmistakable release. Mandi folded against Riva. Riva's arms closed around her. Neither moved away. The room held nothing but their breathing and the city beyond the glass. Mandi's face rested against Riva's shoulder. Riva's hand stayed at her back. A long exhale. Another. Then Mandi laughed very softly. "Fuck." Riva's cheek rested against orange hair. "Good?" Mandi did not lift her head. "Extremely." Only then did they shift into something more comfortable. Later, the room quieted. Breathing slowed. The city remained outside the dark glass. Mandi lay partly across Riva. One arm loose over her. Riva's fingers moved idly through orange hair. The ChromeLock had already begun repairing whatever damage had been done. Mandi noticed. Groaned. "What?" "The fucking hair." Riva laughed softly. "You are lying on top of me naked after having extremely enthusiastic sex and you're angry at your hairstyle." "Yes." "I admire your priorities." Mandi lifted her head. "Look." Riva looked. The orange shape had almost recovered. "Impressive." "Infuriating." "Why?" "I wanted evidence." Riva smiled. "You have evidence." Mandi looked down at herself. Then at Riva. A slow grin. "Fair." Riva laughed. Mandi settled again. Silence returned. Comfortable. Riva stroked her hair once more. "Can I ask you something?" Mandi made a vague sound. "Mm." "Do you always get this relaxed afterward?" Mandi thought. "No." Riva waited. Mandi opened her eyes. "Depends." "On the person?" "Yeah." "On whether it's work?" Mandi considered that more carefully. "Sometimes." Riva looked at her. Mandi shifted enough to see her properly. "The work doesn't make it fake." "I know." "Good." Mandi touched her shoulder. "But some people are easier to relax with." Riva smiled. "And I'm easy?" "Don't get smug." "Too late." Mandi narrowed her eyes. Then kissed her once. "You're easy." Riva's expression softened. "Good." Mandi settled back. No need to turn the answer into anything bigger. --- In the lounge, Elisa had removed her shoes again. Dalia had not. Mostly because Dalia had forgotten she was wearing them. Shammy had moved closer to the sofa. Elisa sat sideways with one leg tucked under her. Dalia beside her. The room was nearly empty now. Two guests remained in another section. Quiet voices. One lamp. The residence finally felt enormous. Elisa looked toward the corridor where Mandi and Riva had gone. Then at Dalia. "Do you ever worry about her?" Dalia followed the glance. "Constantly." Elisa blinked. "Really?" Dalia smiled. "Not like that." "What kind of worry?" Dalia thought. "She's very good at being fine." Elisa waited. Dalia continued. "Which means sometimes people assume she always is." Elisa looked toward the corridor again. "But she is now." "Yes." "You know?" Dalia nodded. "I know." Shammy spoke from beside them. "She is." Elisa looked down. "That must be useful." "It is." Dalia looked at Shammy. "Don't get smug." "I wasn't." "You sounded smug." "I am a wolf." Elisa laughed. Dalia smiled. "That excuse is losing value." "No." One ear rotated toward Elisa without the rest of Shammy moving. Elisa noticed. "She absolutely knows she's funny." "Yes." "I knew it." Shammy closed her eyes. --- Elisa leaned back. "Can I ask another thing?" Dalia sighed dramatically. "You are getting expensive." Elisa laughed. "I already paid." "That was before the interrogation package." "Add it to the invoice." Dalia looked at her. "You are learning far too quickly." Elisa smiled. Then became more serious. "Do you like this work?" The question landed differently. Not dangerous. But precise. Dalia did not answer immediately. Elisa noticed. "Too personal?" "No." Dalia thought. Then: "Yes." Elisa waited. Dalia looked down at the lollipop in her fingers. "I like what it lets me stop worrying about." Elisa tilted her head. Dalia chose the next words carefully. "I don't have to be polished every second." Elisa smiled slightly. "You seem polished." "That's because your standards are low." "Fuck you." "Exactly." Elisa laughed. Dalia continued. "I can say what I want." A small pause. "Touch somebody because I want to." Another. "Enjoy being wanted without immediately turning it into a calculation." Elisa looked at her. Dalia smiled. "That part is useful." "Useful?" "Very." "That sounds suspiciously clinical." Dalia laughed. "Fine." She leaned closer. "It's fucking fun." Elisa grinned. "There." "There what?" "That sounded honest." Dalia raised one eyebrow. "So did everything else." "I know." Elisa nudged her shoulder. "That one sounded happier." Dalia looked at her. Then smiled. "Fair." --- Shammy lifted her head. Looked toward the corridor. Dalia noticed immediately. "What?" "Nothing." Elisa looked too. "Nothing?" "Mandi is fine." Dalia relaxed without realizing she had tightened. Shammy saw. Of course. Elisa saw too. She said nothing. Good instinct. Dalia appreciated that. Shammy lowered her head again. For a few minutes, nobody spoke. Then Elisa rested her head against Dalia's shoulder. Dalia let her. One arm came around her. Shammy lay beside both. The room went quiet again. Eventually Elisa whispered: "This might be my favorite part." Dalia looked down. "What?" "This." "Three in the morning?" "The part where nobody's trying." Dalia understood. No seduction. No entertainment. No performance. Just tired people sitting together because they still wanted each other's company. "Yeah." Elisa smiled against her shoulder. "Very expensive couch time." Dalia's mouth curved. "Premium." Elisa laughed softly. "Of course." --- Mandi and Riva returned nearly an hour later. Mandi entered first. Barefoot. Tiny top back on. Shorts fastened badly. Orange hair infuriatingly perfect again. Riva followed. Her own hair was not. Dalia looked at them. Then at Mandi. Mandi stopped. "What?" Dalia's eyes moved to Riva. Then back. "Nothing." Mandi grinned. "Oh, fuck you." Elisa woke enough to laugh. Riva pointed at Dalia. "She has a look." Mandi dropped onto the sofa. "She has many looks." Dalia smiled. Mandi looked at Elisa. "You still awake?" "Barely." "Good." Mandi leaned sideways against her. Elisa automatically put an arm around her. Mandi settled. Dalia looked at the arrangement. Then shifted closer. Mandi's head eventually found Dalia's thigh. Elisa remained tucked against Dalia's other side. Riva sat on the floor nearby. Shammy's huge grey body completed the shape around them. Nobody commented. The geometry had become too comfortable for jokes. For perhaps thirty seconds. Then Mandi opened one black eye. Looked at Shammy. "Grooming." Elisa made a strangled laugh. Dalia closed her eyes. Riva covered her face. Shammy did not move. Mandi pointed weakly from Dalia's lap. "You think I've forgotten." "No." "I haven't." "I know." "Good." Shammy opened one eye. "Mandi." "What?" "Sleep." Mandi stared. Then slowly smiled. "Bossy wolf." "Yes." A few seconds passed. Shammy lifted her head. "Mandi." One black eye opened. "If this is revenge, schedule it after noon." "I was going to say goodnight." Mandi considered that. "Acceptable." "Goodnight." "Night, menace." Dalia laughed softly. Mandi opened the other eye. "You too." --- Eventually Riva went to bed. She kissed Mandi before leaving. Not hidden. Not performative. Just goodnight. Mandi returned it. "Sleep." "You too." "Eventually." Riva smiled. "Of course." She disappeared down the corridor. Elisa watched her go. Then looked at Mandi. "You really like her." Mandi settled back against Dalia. "Yep." No defense. No joke. Elisa smiled. Dalia touched Mandi's shoulder. Mandi looked up. "Good?" Dalia asked. Mandi's grin returned. "Very fucking." Dalia laughed. Elisa shook her head. "I walked into that one." Mandi pointed. "You did." Elisa yawned. Huge. Mandi stared. "Oh." Elisa covered her mouth. "Don't." "That was adorable." "Fuck off." Dalia looked at Mandi. "She's exhausted." "I have eyes." Elisa leaned deeper into the sofa. "I'm fine." Shammy spoke. "No." Elisa looked at her. "Betrayal." "You are tired." "Yes." Mandi stood. "Bed." Elisa looked up. "Bossy joytoy." "Yes." Dalia stood too. Elisa looked between them. Her expression changed just slightly. Mandi saw. "No." Elisa blinked. "No what?" Mandi smiled. "Don't make it a thing." Dalia understood immediately. "We're walking you to bed." Elisa laughed. "Oh." Mandi held out a hand. "Unless you want us to throw you there." Elisa took it. "That seems unnecessary." Shammy stood too. Elisa stared at her. "You're coming?" "Yes." Mandi looked at Shammy. "Guard wolf." "Yes." Elisa smiled. "Fine." They walked together. --- Elisa's bedroom was quiet. Not the room they had used earlier. Her actual bedroom. Less theatrical than the guest spaces. More personal. Mandi noticed books. Real ones. A jacket thrown carelessly over a chair. Two mismatched glasses on the bedside table. A piece of old jewelry beside a modern holo-display. For the first time, the room looked like someone lived there. Elisa sat on the edge of the bed. Dalia handed her water. Mandi stood in front of her. "Drink." Elisa looked up. "Are all joytoys this bossy?" "No." Dalia answered: "Only expensive ones." Elisa laughed. Drank. Mandi smiled. "Good." Then caught herself. Looked at Shammy. Shammy looked back. Mandi pointed. "Don't." Shammy's ears moved. Elisa nearly choked on the water. Dalia rubbed one hand over her face. "You're never letting this die." "Never." Elisa put the glass down. Then looked at both women. "Thank you." Mandi's expression softened. "For?" "Today." Dalia smiled. "You're welcome." Elisa looked at Shammy. "And you." Shammy lowered her head slightly. "You're welcome." Elisa stood. Hugged Mandi first. Mandi hugged back. Then Dalia. Longer. Warm. Then she stopped in front of Shammy. Looked at the huge grey wolf. "Can I?" Shammy stepped closer. Elisa wrapped both arms around her neck. Shammy stood perfectly still. Then leaned gently into her. Elisa closed her eyes. Mandi watched. Dalia too. No jokes. Not this one. When Elisa released her, Shammy remained close. Elisa smiled. "Goodnight." "Goodnight, Elisa." Mandi headed for the door. Then turned. "Hey." Elisa looked up. Mandi pointed at her. "No alarms." Elisa laughed. "What?" "You don't get to schedule breakfast." "I wasn't going to." "Good." Dalia added: "Sleep until you're done." Elisa smiled. "Luxury." Mandi smiled back. "Exactly." They left. --- The corridor was silent. Mandi walked between Dalia and Shammy. Bare feet against the floor. Dalia's hand found hers. Mandi squeezed. Shammy moved on the other side. For several steps nobody spoke. Then Mandi said: "I like her." Dalia nodded. "Me too." Shammy said: "Yes." Mandi looked at her. "Did I ask?" "No." Mandi smiled. "You like her too." "Yes." "Knew it." Shammy kept walking. Mandi followed, pleased with herself. "For the record, breakfast privileges remain under review." Dalia's mouth twitched. Mandi caught it. "Do not start." Dalia lost it anyway. Mandi groaned. "Fuck both of you." The corridor remained quiet except for Dalia's laughter. Sunday was technically already here. --- ## Chapter 19 — Sunday Morning Sunday began quietly. No alarms. No messages. No one trying to prove they had slept less than everyone else. For several hours, the residence simply remained still. Night City continued outside. Traffic shifted. Light changed. The privacy glass brightened gradually. Inside, doors stayed closed. Shammy woke first. Or perhaps she had only slept lightly. The distinction mattered less in the wolf body. She lifted her head from the padded floor beside Mandi and Dalia's bed. Listened. Nothing urgent. No sharp movement. No fear. No pressure spike requiring attention. Just sleep. Mandi had somehow rotated almost ninety degrees during the night. One leg partly over Dalia. Orange hair spread across the pillow. Still absurdly close to its locked shape. Dalia slept on her side facing her. Pink hair less cooperative but already beginning to remember itself. Shammy watched them for a while. No adjustment. No intervention. No need. Then Mandi made a tiny sound. Not awake. Just enough. Dalia's hand moved in her sleep and found her. Mandi settled immediately. Shammy put her head back down. There. That was enough. --- Mandi woke to sunlight. Not direct. Filtered. Soft. Expensive sunlight. She opened one black eye. Stared at the ceiling. Closed it again. "No." Dalia's voice came from beside her. "Good morning." "No." "You are awake." "Incorrect." "You answered." "Reflex." Dalia opened her eyes. Mandi remained motionless. Shammy lifted her head. Mandi saw. "Don't." Shammy blinked. "I didn't do anything." "Preemptive." Dalia's mouth curved. Mandi looked at her. "Don't encourage the wolf." "I said nothing." "Your face did." Dalia smiled. Mandi groaned. Then rolled toward her. Pressed her forehead against Dalia's shoulder. "How late?" Dalia checked the display. "Almost ten." Mandi went still. Then: "Excellent." Dalia laughed quietly. Mandi lifted her head. "Why is that funny?" "You sounded proud." "I am." "Of sleeping?" "Luxury." Shammy lowered her head again. Mandi pointed weakly. "See? She understands." Shammy said: "No." Mandi stared. "Betrayal before breakfast." "Consistent." Dalia started laughing. Mandi dropped back onto the pillow. "Fuck both of you." --- They did not get up immediately. That was important. Friday morning had not existed here. Saturday morning had begun with fruit economics and Shammy committing an offense Mandi intended to prosecute forever. Sunday had no need to perform. Mandi stayed curled against Dalia. Dalia's fingers moved slowly through orange hair. Mandi noticed. "Still perfect?" "Almost." "Fucking technology." "You paid for it." "Stop defending it." "I like not having to rebuild your hair manually." Mandi lifted her head. "You would." Dalia looked at her. Mandi smiled. Then kissed her. Lazy. Warm. Nothing urgent behind it. Just good morning. When they separated, Mandi stayed close. "Good weekend?" Dalia's expression changed. Softer. "Very." "Very?" Dalia smiled. "Very fucking." Mandi grinned. "That sounds more like you." Dalia kissed her forehead. "You?" Mandi thought. Then looked toward Shammy. Shammy's ears moved. Mandi looked back at Dalia. "Yeah." A small smile. "Really fucking good." No joke. Just true. --- Shammy stood. Stretched. The wolf body made the movement enormous. Forelegs extended. Back arched. Grey coat shifted over impossible scale. Mandi watched. "Still weird." Shammy looked at her. "What?" "You." "Specific." "The wolf." "Ah." Mandi sat up. Blanket pooled around her waist. "You look like somebody ordered a normal wolf and accidentally entered four hundred percent." Dalia covered her mouth. Shammy stared. Mandi continued. "Then forgot to cancel." Shammy walked toward the bed. Mandi froze. "No." Shammy stopped. "What?" "You have a history." "I was going to the door." Mandi narrowed her black eyes. "Suspicious." Shammy continued toward the door. Mandi looked at Dalia. "She enjoys this." Dalia nodded. "Yes." From the doorway: "Yes." Mandi gasped. "SEE?" Shammy walked out. Dalia collapsed sideways laughing. Mandi pointed after her. "Monster." --- The hallway smelled like coffee. That was enough to get Mandi moving. Mostly. She emerged twenty minutes later wearing one of Elisa's robes badly again. Dalia wore another properly. Shammy walked beside them. Mandi looked down at herself. Then at Dalia. "You're making me look irresponsible." "You are irresponsible." "Not visually." Dalia looked at the robe. One shoulder nearly bare. Belt tied somewhere it had no structural function. Hem uneven. "Visually too." Mandi adjusted nothing. "Fashion." Shammy said: "No." Mandi looked at her. "You are a wolf." "Yes." "You don't get fashion opinions." "Convenient." "Correct." They reached the dining area. Elisa was already there. Barefoot. Hair still messy. Oversized shirt. Coffee in both hands. She looked up. Stopped. Then smiled. "Morning." Mandi looked at the table. No fruit display. No elaborate spread. Toast. Eggs. Coffee. Something fried. Something that might once have been vegetables. Mandi looked at Elisa. "You learned." Elisa laughed. "I hid the strawberries." "Good." "They're in the other kitchen." Mandi's eyes narrowed. "You have two kitchens." Elisa closed her eyes. "Oh no." Dalia walked past. "Too late." Mandi pointed. "Two." Elisa drank coffee. "Technically—" "NO." Shammy lay down beside the table. Elisa looked at her. "Morning, Shammy." "Good morning." Mandi sat. Her eyes moved immediately to Shammy. "Breakfast truce." Elisa started laughing before Shammy answered. "I have done nothing," Shammy said. "Exactly. Excellent progress." Dalia looked into her coffee to hide the smile. Mandi caught it anyway. "You are not neutral." Dalia laughed. --- Others arrived gradually. Riva first. Hair tied back. Tired. Happy. She stopped when she saw Mandi. Mandi looked up. Their expressions changed at the same time. Warm. Immediate. Riva walked over. Bent. Kissed Mandi. No hesitation. No spectacle. Then: "Morning." Mandi smiled. "Morning." Riva sat beside her. Mandi looked at the hair. "Consequences." Riva touched it. "Yes." Mandi looked deeply satisfied. "Good." Elisa glanced between them. "You are still angry your own hair recovered." "Yes." Riva pointed at hers. "I suffered." Mandi nodded solemnly. "Thank you for your service." Riva laughed. Dalia shook her head. Then Lina appeared. She looked rested. Dalia's expression warmed. Lina saw. Came straight over. Kissed her cheek. "Morning." Dalia smiled. "Morning." Mandi watched. Then looked at Riva. Riva looked at her. Neither said anything. They did not need to. --- Breakfast happened slowly. Nobody had enough energy for Saturday volume. That made the conversations better. Smaller. More honest. Elisa drank coffee and listened more than she spoke. Riva stole food from Mandi's plate. Mandi objected on principle despite having stolen from everyone all weekend. Lina asked Shammy whether sleeping as a wolf felt different. "Yes." "Better?" "Different." "That's annoyingly precise." "Yes." Mandi pointed. "See? She does that." Shammy looked at her. "You asked whether I understood sleeping." "No, she did." "Then why are you involved?" Mandi froze. Riva nearly dropped her fork. Elisa covered her mouth. Dalia smiled around her coffee. Mandi pointed at Shammy. "You woke up violent." "No." "Verbally violent." "Still no." Lina laughed. Mandi looked at everyone. "Nobody respects me." Elisa lifted her cup. "I paid for you." Mandi slowly turned. Elisa's smile vanished. "Oh, fuck." Mandi stood. Elisa immediately raised one hand. "No." Mandi walked around the table. "Mandi." Mandi stopped in front of her. Elisa looked up. Mandi leaned down. Elisa braced for retaliation. Mandi kissed her forehead. Then stole her toast. Walked away. Elisa stared. Mandi sat. Bit into it. "Rich-person tax." The table dissolved. --- The morning settled after that. People ate. Went back for coffee. Disappeared to shower. Returned. Nobody hurried to pack. Nobody announced departure times. That absence became noticeable around eleven. Elisa was the first to acknowledge it. Not directly. She stood near the glass wall with Dalia. Both holding coffee. Mandi and Riva were arguing over whether one particular drink from Friday had been objectively terrible. Lina sat on the floor near Shammy. Elisa looked out over the city. Then: "I don't want everyone to leave." Dalia looked at her. There it was. No joke. Elisa continued. "I know that's stupid." "No." "It's Sunday." "Yes." "It was always Sunday." "Also yes." Elisa smiled faintly. "I just thought I'd be..." She searched. "Done." Dalia understood. "Done with us?" "No." Elisa laughed once. "That's the problem." Dalia smiled. Elisa looked at her. "I mean, I thought I'd have this ridiculous weekend, spend stupid money, everybody would have fun, and then it would be over." "And?" "It doesn't feel over." Dalia took a drink. "Good weekends rarely do." Elisa looked at her. "Do bad ones?" "Immediately." That earned a laugh. Dalia leaned against the glass. "You don't have to turn this into anything." Elisa nodded. "I know." "No future booking." A pause. "No plan." Another. "No deciding what everybody means to you now." Elisa looked slightly guilty. Dalia smiled. "Corpo disease." "Fuck you." "Terminal." Elisa laughed. Then sighed. "I like you." Dalia's expression softened. "I like you too." "Mandi too." "She knows." "Shammy too." Shammy spoke from across the room. "I know." Elisa turned. Mandi yelled: "STOP LISTENING." Shammy replied: "I am in the same room." Mandi looked around. "Fair." Elisa started laughing. The heaviness broke exactly enough. Dalia touched her shoulder. "See?" "What?" "Not over." --- Mandi joined them ten minutes later. Without Riva. She slipped between Elisa and Dalia. Looked at both. "What are we being serious about?" Elisa smiled. "Nothing." Mandi narrowed her eyes. "Suspicious." Dalia said: "She doesn't want the weekend to end." Mandi looked at Elisa. Elisa stared at Dalia. "Betrayal." Dalia shrugged. "Professional transparency." Mandi's expression softened. "Oh." Elisa looked away. Mandi bumped her shoulder. "Hey." Elisa looked back. Mandi smiled. "Good." "What?" "You shouldn't." Elisa blinked. "Shouldn't what?" "Want it to end." Mandi looked around the residence. "Would be a shitty review." Elisa laughed. Mandi grinned. Then quieter: "I don't really want it to end either." Elisa stared. Mandi's smile became smaller. More real. Dalia watched both of them. Elisa asked: "Really?" "Yeah." Mandi shrugged. "You're fun." "That's your professional assessment?" "No." Mandi leaned closer. "My professional assessment is that you're a massive fucking pain in the ass with no understanding of grocery prices." Elisa laughed. Mandi continued: "My personal assessment is that I like you." Elisa's smile almost disappeared under the force of trying not to react too much. Mandi saw. "Don't cry." "I'm not." "You look like you're going to." "Fuck you." "Better." Dalia put one arm around Elisa. Mandi took the other side. Elisa laughed into both of them. "You're terrible." Mandi smiled against her hair. "Premium." --- The showers happened one by one. Then two at a time because the residence had absurdly large bathrooms and nobody cared anymore. Nothing sexual came of it. That surprised nobody. Riva and Mandi shared one bathroom simply because Riva was already there. They talked. Washed. Argued over water temperature. Mandi accused Riva of trying to boil her alive. Riva accused Mandi of being six degrees from hypothermia at all times. They emerged clean and dressed for departure. Mandi's event gown had recovered perfectly. Wrinkle-resistant fabric immaculate. Visible release hardware polished. Orange ChromeLock flawless. Riva looked at her. "That's offensive." Mandi looked down. "What?" "You look like nothing happened." Mandi smiled. "Professional." Riva stared at the gown. "You spent half the weekend out of that thing." "Also professional." Riva laughed. Mandi stepped closer. "Come here." Riva did. Mandi kissed her. No rush. No question hidden behind it. Just goodbye approaching. When they separated, Riva touched her cheek. "Good weekend." Mandi smiled. "Very fucking." "Same." --- Dalia emerged later in her own event gown. Long. Controlled. Pink hair perfect. Emerald eyes catching light. The visible release architecture looked like deliberate jewelry again instead of something that had spent the weekend repeatedly proving its engineering. Lina stared. Dalia noticed. "Problem?" Lina shook her head. "You look..." Dalia waited. "Unfair." Dalia smiled. "Good." Lina walked over. Touched one of the release elements. Not opening it. Just touching. "I still know what this does." Dalia's eyes warmed. "So do I." Lina laughed. They kissed. Slowly. No bedroom. No restart. A goodbye kiss allowed to be exactly that. When they separated, Lina said: "Tomorrow?" Dalia lifted an eyebrow. "You were told to ask tomorrow." "It is tomorrow." Dalia looked at her. Then smiled. "Smart." "So?" Dalia touched her jaw. "Ask me when you actually know what you want." Lina grinned. "Fine." Dalia kissed her once more. "Better." --- Elisa disappeared upstairs around eleven-thirty. Returned fifteen minutes later dressed properly. Not formally. Just enough to signal that the weekend had finally begun approaching its end. She stopped when she saw Mandi and Dalia in full event gowns again. Her expression changed. Mandi saw immediately. "Oh." Elisa looked at both of them. "Yeah." Mandi walked over. "You hate the dresses now." Elisa laughed softly. "No." "Little bit." "Maybe." Dalia joined them. Elisa touched the edge of Mandi's sleeve. Then Dalia's. "It's stupid." Mandi smiled. "No." Elisa looked at her. "The dresses mean you're leaving." That silenced Mandi for half a second. Then she leaned forward. Kissed Elisa. Not dramatic. Not long. Enough. Dalia did the same afterward. Elisa stood between them. Eyes bright. But not crying. Good. Mandi smiled. "We're not dead." Elisa laughed. "Comforting." "You have our channel." Dalia added: "And Suzie." Mandi pointed. "Do not abuse Suzie." Elisa smiled. "What counts as abuse?" "Calling her at four in the morning because you miss us." Elisa looked innocent. "I wouldn't." Dalia looked at Mandi. Mandi looked at Dalia. Both looked at Elisa. Elisa threw up her hands. "Fine." Mandi grinned. "Good answer." --- Shammy approached last. Huge. Grey. Still very much wolf. Elisa looked at her. Then at Mandi. "She really stays like this another week?" "Probably." Shammy answered herself. "Approximately." Elisa smiled. "I think I'm going to miss the wolf most." Mandi gasped. "Excuse me?" Elisa laughed. Shammy's ears tipped forward. Mandi pointed. "Don't get smug." Shammy looked at her. "I am not." "Tail evidence." Elisa crouched slightly in front of Shammy. "Can I hug you?" Shammy stepped forward. Elisa wrapped both arms around her neck. The huge grey head lowered beside her. Shammy leaned in carefully. Elisa closed her eyes. No one joked. When she finally stepped back, she kept one hand in the fur. "Thank you." Shammy looked at her. "For what?" Elisa thought. "Coming." Simple. Shammy understood. "You're welcome." Elisa stroked the fur once. Then smiled. "You really are always welcome here." Mandi looked at Dalia. Dalia looked back. Neither interrupted. Shammy's voice remained calm. "Thank you." Her tail moved once. Elisa saw. Her smile widened. --- Nobody left at eleven-thirty. Or eleven-forty. Or eleven-fifty. That would have been too clean. They lingered. Of course they did. One last coffee. One last argument about whether Elisa had committed financial crimes against fruit. Riva hugging Mandi properly. Lina hugging Dalia. Someone taking a group picture after asking everyone, with Shammy occupying approximately half of it. Mandi insisting the picture made her look tiny. Every person in the room staring at her. Mandi looking around. "What?" Dalia: "You are tiny." "Fuck you." Riva: "Documented fact." "Fuck you too." Elisa: "The wolf makes everybody look tiny." Mandi pointed. "Thank you." Shammy: "You are still tiny." Mandi turned slowly. "No." The final photograph caught everyone laughing. Good. Let that be the one. --- At twelve-seventeen, the door finally opened. Mandi stood on the threshold. Dalia beside her. Shammy behind them. Elisa facing them from inside. For the first time all weekend, nobody had an immediate joke. Mandi broke first. Obviously. "Next time, learn what strawberries cost." Elisa laughed. "Get out." Mandi grinned. Dalia shook her head. Elisa looked at her. "Thank you." Dalia smiled. "Anytime." Mandi looked up. "Within reason." Elisa stared. "You are the one who agreed to come for two hundred and fifty thousand." Mandi considered. "Fair." Elisa smiled. Then: "Bye, Mandi." Mandi's expression softened. "Bye, Elisa." "Dalia." "Bye." Elisa looked at Shammy. "Bye, Shammy." Shammy lowered her head slightly. "Goodbye, Elisa." The door stayed open for another second. Then Mandi smiled. Elisa smiled back. And they left. No dramatic ending. No promise. No plan. Just a very good weekend finally ending because even very good weekends eventually had to. For now. --- ## Chapter 20 — Home The Safehouse door opened at twelve fifty-eight. Brenda looked up from the kitchen. Paused. Looked again. Then slowly put her coffee down. Iris sat opposite her with a tablet. She followed Brenda's gaze. The door finished opening. Mandi walked in first. Still Mandi. Orange ChromeLock immaculate. Black contacts. Event gown perfect. Collar exactly where it belonged. Dalia followed. Pink hair. Green eyes. Long corpo gown. Menthol lollipop between her lips. Then Shammy entered behind both of them. Huge. Grey. Wolf. Brenda stared. Iris stared. Nobody spoke. Mandi closed the door. Looked at them. "What?" Brenda's eyes moved from Mandi— to Dalia— to Shammy— then back. Her smile began. Slowly. Dangerously. Mandi saw. "No." Brenda leaned back in the chair. "Oh." Mandi pointed. "No." Brenda's smile widened. "Oh, you two had a fucking weekend." Dalia removed the lollipop. "Hello, Brenda." "Don't 'hello Brenda' me." Iris lowered the tablet. Her eyes moved over both women. Much more subtly. Which meant nothing. Mandi caught it immediately. "You too?" Iris smiled. "I said nothing." "Your face did." Dalia looked at Mandi. Mandi pointed without turning. "Don't." Dalia's mouth twitched. Brenda looked delighted. "How much?" Mandi stared. "Excuse me?" "How much fun?" "None." Brenda laughed. "That gown has been opened." Mandi looked down. Then up. "It is quick-release." "I KNOW." Iris covered her mouth. Dalia put the lollipop back between her lips. Mandi stared at Brenda. "Why do you know?" Brenda's smile became obscene. "Because you wouldn't shut the fuck up when Lena built it." Mandi considered. "Fair." Brenda pointed at Dalia. "And you." Dalia lifted one eyebrow. "You look disgustingly relaxed." "I am." "How relaxed?" Dalia smiled around the lollipop. "Very." Brenda slapped one hand against the table. "I FUCKING KNEW IT." Mandi closed her eyes. "Why did we come home?" Iris finally laughed. --- Shammy walked past them. Brenda's attention shifted. Everything else disappeared. She stood. Slowly. "Jesus fucking Christ." Shammy stopped. Looked at her. Brenda walked around the table. Kept walking. Had to tilt her head farther and farther as the scale became real. "I knew you were big." Shammy waited. Brenda pointed. "This is not big." "No?" "This is somebody accidentally setting the wolf slider to 'fuck everyone nearby.'" Mandi immediately pointed. "THANK YOU." Shammy looked at her. Mandi looked back. "You see?" "I see Brenda." "Not the point." Iris came closer too. More cautiously. Not fearfully. Simply giving Shammy room. Her eyes moved over the grey coat. The true wolf proportions. The massive shoulders. The natural quadrupedal stance. "How does it feel now?" Shammy considered. "Natural enough." "Still strange?" "Less." Iris nodded. Brenda looked at her. "Can I touch you?" "Yes." Brenda put one hand into the fur at Shammy's neck. Her face changed. "Oh, fuck." Mandi pointed. "Do not say fluffy." Brenda looked over. "Why?" "She remembers." Shammy said: "Yes." Brenda looked back at her. Then smiled. "You're fluffy." Mandi threw both hands up. "IDIOT." Shammy remained perfectly still. Brenda scratched harder. Shammy leaned slightly into it. Brenda's smile transformed. "She likes it." Mandi stared. "Traitor." Shammy looked at her. "No." "You are leaning." "Yes." "Traitor." Iris touched Shammy's shoulder after another quiet permission. The grey coat shifted beneath her hand. Iris smiled. "Victor really did it." "He did." "And you're comfortable?" "Yes." Mandi walked past them. "Emotionally? Questionable." Shammy's ears moved. Mandi did not turn around. "Don't." Brenda looked between them. Then at Mandi. Her eyes narrowed. "What happened?" Mandi stopped. Silence. Dalia closed her eyes. Iris looked at Brenda. Then Mandi. Brenda's grin returned. "Oh." Mandi turned slowly. "No." "What did the wolf do?" "Nothing." Shammy said: "That is inaccurate." Mandi's mouth fell open. "SHAMMY." Brenda grabbed the back of the chair. Iris looked suddenly very interested. Dalia removed the lollipop from her mouth. Mandi pointed furiously at Shammy. "You are supposed to be on my side." "I am." "THEN LIE." "No." Brenda was already laughing. "What happened?" "Nothing." "Mandi." "Nothing." Dalia looked toward Brenda. "Grooming." Mandi spun. "YOU FUCKING TRAITOR." Brenda stopped laughing. Her face went completely blank. "Grooming." Mandi pointed at Dalia. "Do not." Brenda looked at Shammy. Then Mandi. Then— slowly— at the amount of Mandi visible beneath the gown. Understanding began assembling itself. Iris got there first. Her eyebrows rose. Very slightly. Mandi saw. "No." Iris covered her mouth. Brenda's eyes widened. "No fucking way." Mandi shouted: "GROOMING." Brenda folded over the table. Instantly. Gone. Completely destroyed. Iris turned away. Shoulders shaking. Dalia leaned against the wall. Laughing silently. Mandi looked around the room. "IT WAS ONE FUCKING TIME." Shammy said: "Yes." Mandi turned. "DO NOT CONTRIBUTE." Brenda hit the table with one hand. "You—" She could not finish. Mandi pointed at her. "Fuck you." Brenda tried again. "The giant wolf—" "YES." "At breakfast?" Mandi froze. Slowly looked at Dalia. Dalia's eyes widened. Brenda saw. "Oh my GOD." Mandi screamed: "WHO TOLD YOU BREAKFAST?" Brenda collapsed again. Iris was openly laughing now. Dalia slid one hand over her face. Shammy sat. Perfectly calm. Mandi looked at all of them. "I hate this house." Brenda wheezed: "No, you don't." "Currently?" "Little bit." "Correct." --- It took almost ten minutes for Brenda to become useful again. Useful was generous. She sat down. Wiped her eyes. Looked at Mandi. Started laughing again. Mandi pointed. "Don't." Brenda inhaled. Tried. Failed. Mandi sat opposite her. Very deliberately. "Two hundred and fifty thousand." That worked. Brenda stopped. Iris looked over. Dalia leaned against the counter. Mandi folded her arms. "Booking." Brenda blinked. "For the weekend?" "Yes." "Both of you?" "Yes." Iris asked: "And Shammy?" "Not part of the booking." Shammy answered from nearby. "Guard and companion." Brenda looked at her. Then back. "Okay." She processed. "Quarter million." Mandi nodded. "Up front." Brenda whistled. Iris's eyebrows rose. "That's substantial." Dalia smiled. "Very." Brenda leaned forward. "And?" Mandi stared. "And what?" "Was it worth it?" Dalia answered first. "Yes." Brenda looked at her. The answer had come too fast. Her grin returned. "Oh." Dalia did not look away. "Very much." Brenda pointed at her. "See, this is exactly why I'm jealous." Mandi laughed. "Jealous?" "Yes." "Of the money?" Brenda looked offended. "No." Iris looked at her. Brenda looked back. Then at Mandi. "The fucking job." Silence. Mandi's grin appeared. Dalia's eyebrows rose. Iris closed her eyes. Brenda spread both hands. "What?" Mandi leaned forward. "Oh, sweetheart." "Don't." "You are jealous of my joytoy work." "Some of it." Mandi's grin widened. Brenda pointed. "Don't make that face." "What face?" "That face." Dalia put the lollipop back into her mouth. Mandi looked toward Iris. "And you?" Iris opened her eyes. "Me what?" "Jealous?" Iris considered. "No." Brenda looked at her. Iris smiled. "Curious." Brenda pointed triumphantly. "SEE?" Iris continued: "Very different word." "Same neighborhood." "No." Mandi leaned back. Black eyes sparkling. "This is getting interesting." Iris looked at her. "Don't get excited." "Too late." Brenda sat forward. "I'm serious." Mandi looked at her. The joking softened. "About?" Brenda hesitated. Not much. "Doing something like that someday." Dalia watched her. Iris did too. Brenda continued. "Not Jessie." Mandi nodded immediately. "Good." "Jessie belongs somewhere else." "Yes." "I'd want something separate." "Also yes." Brenda looked at Iris. Iris's expression was amused. Not surprised. Brenda looked back at Mandi. "And not because you need another operative." Mandi smiled. "Good." "Because it sounds fun." Dalia's mouth curved. "There she is." Brenda pointed. "Exactly." Mandi laughed. Iris took her coffee again. Brenda looked at her. "You'd come." Iris drank. Brenda waited. Iris lowered the cup. "Probably." Brenda's face brightened. Mandi looked delighted. Dalia looked entertained. Iris added: "Depending on what 'come' means." Brenda smiled. "Fun." Iris shrugged. "Then probably." Mandi put both hands against her face. "Oh, this is going to be fucking terrible." Dalia looked at her. "You mean excellent." Mandi lowered her hands. "Same thing." --- Brenda's curiosity became unbearable after that. "How many people?" Mandi looked at her. "You don't get a census." "I'm asking socially." "Then socially mind your own filthy business." Brenda grinned. "Did Elisa have fun?" Dalia answered before Mandi could. "A great deal." "Did her friends?" Mandi leaned back. "Several demonstrated excellent judgment." Brenda's eyebrows climbed. "That is not an answer." "It's the premium answer." "Was there—" Mandi held up one finger. "Careful. One more question and I start charging consulting rates." Brenda folded her arms. "I can afford you." Dalia's whiskey-smoke voice came dry from the counter. "Not this report." Iris laughed into her coffee. Brenda stared at Dalia. "You two are evil." Mandi smiled. "Luxury evil." "Fine." Brenda paused just long enough to make the next question obvious. "Was Elisa hot?" Mandi answered instantly. "Yes." Dalia answered at exactly the same time. "Very." Silence. Brenda's smile slowly returned. Iris looked at both of them. Mandi realized. "Shit." Brenda leaned back. "Got you." Mandi pointed. "That was dirty." Brenda smiled. "I learn." Dalia put the lollipop back into her mouth. "Apparently." --- They finally escaped the kitchen. Mostly because Ace's patience ended. Mandi stopped halfway down the corridor. Turned. Looked at Dalia. "Release?" Dalia nodded. "Release." Brenda called from behind them: "BOOOOO." Mandi turned. "Fuck you." Brenda grinned. Iris shook her head. Mandi continued walking. The cover removal room had become routine enough that neither treated it ceremonially. Contacts first. Black disappeared from Mandi's eyes. Green left Dalia's. The effect was immediate. Not transformation. Return. With the contacts gone and the performance finally allowed to relax, Ace and Mai came back to the foreground by degrees. The voice sculpt cartridges were already at the edge of their multi-day working window; the last artificial warmth in Mandi's register and whiskey-roughness in Dalia's began thinning toward their natural voices instead of switching off on command. ChromeLock required more care. Orange remained for now. Pink too. Lena's systems would unwind them properly. The gowns came off and were placed aside rather than discarded. Both looked essentially new. Ace stared. "That's obscene." Mai looked at hers. "Useful." "We abused these." "Yes." "They look untouched." "Also yes." Ace narrowed her eyes at the fabric. "I hate rich-person materials." Mai smiled. "You love rich-person materials." Ace looked at her. "Sometimes." Mai laughed. Then Ace looked toward the mirror. Orange hair. Natural eyes. Collar. Halfway home. "Fucking weird." Mai looked at her reflection. Pink hair. Natural eyes. Mai, with Dalia's loudest visual marker still stubbornly in place. "Yes." Ace looked sideways. "Good weird?" Mai met her eyes. A smile. "Very fucking." Ace grinned. "Good." They dressed in ordinary Safehouse clothes. Ace's black cropped top. Shorts. Loose jacket. Boots abandoned for now. Mai chose comfort. The gowns remained hanging behind them. Evidence of a weekend already beginning to become memory. --- When they returned, Brenda stared at Ace. Then Mai. Then at the orange and pink hair still remaining. "That's worse." Ace stopped. "What?" "You look like yourselves but somebody fucked up the character customization." Mai laughed. Ace pointed. "Accurate." Iris looked at them. Enough of the cover presentation was gone now that the change in posture became obvious. Not dramatic. Just home. Ace dropped onto the sofa. Mai sat beside her. Ace immediately leaned into her. Mai's arm came around her. Brenda watched. Her expression changed. Not teasing now. "Good weekend?" Ace looked at Mai. Mai looked back. They both smiled. Ace answered. "Yeah." Mai nodded. "Very." Brenda smiled too. "Good." Iris looked toward Shammy. Still enormous. Still grey. Still absolutely impossible to ignore. "And now we have that for another week." Shammy looked at her. "Approximately." Brenda grinned. "I approve." Ace lifted one hand. "You have not heard the breakfast story." Brenda's grin sharpened. "There is a breakfast story?" Ace immediately regretted speaking. Iris laughed. Mai closed her eyes. Shammy looked serenely innocent. Ace stared at all three of them. "Oh, for fuck's sake." Home. --- ## Chapter 21 — Wolf Language The Safehouse quieted slowly. Brenda and Iris eventually disappeared into their own part of the house. Not because they had run out of questions. Brenda clearly had several hundred remaining. But Iris had taken her by the wrist at some point and said: "Enough." Brenda had looked offended. Ace had applauded. Mai had laughed. Shammy had watched all of it from the middle of the living room, enormous and grey and increasingly comfortable with being impossible furniture. Eventually the door closed behind Brenda and Iris. Silence. Ace sat on the sofa. Mai beside her. Shammy on the floor. For perhaps ten seconds nobody moved. Ace looked at Mai. Mai looked back. Then both looked at Shammy. Shammy lifted her head. Ace narrowed her eyes. "No." Shammy blinked. "I haven't done anything." "Exactly." Mai smiled. Ace pointed at her. "Do not encourage her." "I'm not." "Your face is encouraging." Mai looked innocent. Ace stared. "You're terrible at that." "At what?" "Innocence." Mai laughed. Shammy stood. Ace immediately leaned backward. "Suspicious." Shammy stretched. "Still suspicious." Shammy walked past them toward the corridor. Ace watched. Then looked at Mai. "Where is she going?" Mai stood. "Bedroom." Ace stared. Mai held out a hand. Ace looked at it. Then up. "Oh." Mai's mouth curved. Ace slowly smiled. "Oh." --- The bedroom door remained open. Shammy had already entered. The wolf body took up more space here than anywhere else in the Safehouse. That became obvious immediately. The usual bedroom geometry no longer worked. Shammy could not simply climb onto the bed without turning the entire thing into a structural engineering problem. She stopped beside it. Looked at both of them. Ace entered first. Mai followed. The quiet changed. Not awkward. Not uncertain. Just private. Ace closed the door. Then stood with her back against it for a second. The orange ChromeLock still remained. Mai's pink too. That made the moment strange in an oddly affectionate way. They were home. Completely themselves again. And yet visually still carrying fragments of Mandi and Dalia. Shammy looked at Ace. Then Mai. Ace smiled. "What?" "Nothing." Ace pointed. "That's my line." Shammy's ears shifted. Mai moved closer to Shammy. Put one hand into the grey fur along her neck. Shammy leaned into it. Ace watched. Warmth replaced the last of the performance energy from the weekend. No client. No party. No one paying. Just them. Ace stepped closer too. Her hand joined Mai's in the coat. Shammy closed her eyes. For a moment all three simply stood there. Then Ace said: "Good weekend." Mai nodded. "Very." Shammy opened her eyes. "Yes." Ace smiled. "Even with the influence damped?" Shammy considered. "Especially because of it." That surprised both of them. Mai's hand stopped. "Really?" Shammy nodded. "I knew what people were feeling." "But couldn't smooth it." "No." Ace watched her. "And?" Shammy looked between them. "They managed." Mai understood first. Her expression softened. Shammy continued. "So did I." Ace stepped closer. Wrapped both arms around the wolf's neck. The scale made the gesture almost ridiculous. Shammy lowered her head for her. Ace pressed her face into the grey fur. "Good." Shammy remained still. Ace felt the huge body relax beneath her arms. Mai smiled. Ace looked at her. Then started laughing too. The tension broke. Good. --- They changed for bed. Slowly. No hurry. No reason to. Mai disappeared into the bathroom first. Ace followed later. The last pieces of the weekend came away one by one. Makeup. Remaining cosmetic details. The careful residue of presentation. ChromeLock stayed. That required Lena's process. Ace caught sight of herself in the mirror. Orange hair. Natural eyes. Collar. No Mandi voice anymore. No black contacts. Ace beneath everything. She smiled. Mai appeared behind her. Pink hair. Natural eyes. Her own voice. Mai rested her chin lightly on Ace's shoulder. Ace looked at their reflection. "Ridiculous." Mai smiled. "Very." "We look like we lost a fight with a neon sign." "Accurate." Ace leaned back into her. Mai wrapped both arms around her. They stayed there for a few seconds. Then Ace looked toward the bedroom. Shammy waited outside the bathroom. Huge head visible through the doorway. Ace narrowed her eyes. "Still suspicious." Shammy said: "Always." Ace blinked. Then grinned. "Oh, now she's admitting it." Mai kissed the side of Ace's head. "Progress." --- Back in the bedroom, Ace climbed onto the bed first. Mai joined her. Shammy remained beside it. Ace looked down. "Problem." "Yes." Mai looked at the available space. Then Shammy. Then the bed. "No." Ace nodded. "No." Shammy waited. Ace patted the floor beside the bed. Shammy looked at her. Ace shrugged. "Come here." Shammy settled onto the padded floor. Ace immediately slid off the bed. Mai watched. Then followed. The three of them ended up on the floor instead. Ace leaned against Shammy's side. Mai against the other. The enormous grey body radiated warmth. Ace sighed. "Oh, fuck." Mai looked over. "What?" "She's warm." Shammy said: "I am aware." Ace looked up. "Fluffy heater." Shammy turned her head. Ace froze. "No." Mai started laughing. Ace pointed. "Not in the bedroom." Shammy said nothing. Ace narrowed her eyes. "Shammy." Silence. Mai's shoulders shook. Ace looked between them. Then gave up. "Fine." She settled harder against the wolf. "Warm fluffy menace." Shammy rested her head near Ace's legs. Mai leaned closer. For a while, that was enough. --- The first change was tiny. Saturday morning had been an ambush and a joke. This was neither. Shammy turned toward Ace. Ace noticed. Did not move. Shammy's nose touched her thigh. Ace looked down. Mai looked too. No laughter now. No audience. No breakfast table. No Elisa collapsing in hysterics. Just the three of them. Ace's expression softened. "Hey." Shammy looked at her. Ace understood the question. Not spoken. She nodded. "Yeah." Shammy moved closer. Slow. Deliberate. The first grooming touch was intimate enough that Ace's breath changed. Not shock this time. Choice. Recognition. Her hand immediately found Shammy's fur. Mai watched. Very closely. Not because she was waiting for anything. Because this was new. Not the physical possibility. The meaning. Shammy's grooming had always belonged partly to instinct. Affection. Care. The wolf body had changed its language. Made it more direct. More animal. More shameless. And now, without an audience, that language became something else too. Ace closed her eyes. Shammy continued with calm, intimate attention. Nothing hurried. Nothing theatrical. Ace's fingers tightened slightly in the grey coat. Her breathing slowed instead of sharpening. This was not a performance. Not a joke. Not even exactly sex. It carried sexuality. Clearly. But it carried comfort at the same time. Care. Possession without ownership. Trust without explanation. When Shammy finally lifted her head, Ace remained still for several seconds. Eyes closed. Then opened them. Looked down at her. "Okay." Shammy waited. Ace smiled. "Okay, fuck." Mai laughed softly. Ace looked at her. "Don't." Mai shook her head. "I'm not." Ace reached for her. Mai took her hand. Ace squeezed. Then looked at Shammy again. "That was different." "Yes." "Better." Shammy's ears moved. Ace smiled. "Don't get smug." Too late. Shammy's ears shifted with unmistakable satisfaction. Ace laughed. --- Then Shammy turned toward Mai. Mai went very still. Ace immediately looked at her. No joke. No teasing. Mai met Shammy's eyes. The question existed again. Mai answered by shifting closer. "Yes." Shammy moved. Ace watched Mai's face. Not the grooming itself. Mai. That was where the meaning lived. Mai's control did not vanish. It softened. The same thing Dalia had discovered all weekend. Precision no longer being used to hold herself at a distance from pleasure. Her hand slid into Shammy's fur. Her head tipped back slightly. Eyes closing. One breath. Then another. Ace saw the exact moment Mai stopped observing herself. That was always beautiful. Shammy stayed unhurried. Calm. Attentive. Mai's fingers tightened. Her mouth parted on a breath. Ace moved closer and touched her arm. Mai reached for her without opening her eyes. Ace took the hand. Held it. That changed something again. Not between Shammy and Mai. Between all three. Triad. The wolf body did not disrupt it. It translated it. When Shammy finally withdrew, Mai remained still. Breathing. Ace brushed her thumb once across Mai's hand. Mai opened her eyes. Looked at Ace first. Then Shammy. A slow smile. "Very good." Ace immediately pointed. "Careful." Mai blinked. Then understood. The smile became wicked. "Very good wolf." Ace gasped. Shammy's tail struck the floor. Once. Hard. Mai started laughing. Ace stared at both of them. "Oh, fuck you." Shammy lifted her head. Ace pointed. "NO." That destroyed Mai completely. --- The laughter took a while to fade. That helped. Because when it did, nobody needed to decide what the grooming meant. It could be several things. Sexual. Affectionate. Instinctive. Caring. A private wolf-language Shammy had discovered she liked using with them. Ace understood first. Probably because she usually did when the answer involved refusing to choose only one category. She rested her forehead against Shammy's. "You're doing that again." Shammy looked at her. Ace smiled. "Not asking." Shammy's voice remained dry. "Apparently." Mai leaned against Shammy's side again. "Agreed." Ace looked at her. "Traitor." "Enthusiast." Ace considered. "Fair." Shammy settled between them. Ace curled against her. Mai did the same. No one returned to the bed. The floor had become comfortable. Warm. Grey fur beneath hands. One another within reach. Ace eventually said: "I can't believe you did that in front of Elisa." Mai immediately started laughing again. Ace lifted her head. "I'm serious." Shammy said: "Yes." Ace stared. "You have zero shame." "Correct." Mai buried her face against Shammy's fur. Ace pointed at Shammy. "And then you went to breakfast." "Yes." "Like nothing happened." "Breakfast was available." Mai made a helpless sound. Ace looked toward the ceiling. "I live with monsters." Shammy lowered her head onto Ace's legs. Mai rested one hand across Ace's stomach. Ace looked at both. Her expression softened. "Yeah." Then quieter: "Good." --- They fell asleep there. Eventually. An accidental Sunday-afternoon nap, not the end of the day. Not immediately. There were kisses first. Ace and Mai. Ace and Shammy in the affectionate ways the wolf body allowed. Mai's hand moving through grey fur. Shammy settling carefully enough not to crush either of them. Small adjustments. Blankets dragged down from the bed. Ace complaining that the floor was criminally comfortable. Mai pointing out that they had paid for it. Ace insisting that was not the point. Shammy saying nothing. Which Ace declared suspicious. Then quiet. Real quiet. The kind Safehouse only produced when everyone who mattered was home. Ace's hand rested against Mai. Mai's against Shammy. Shammy's body curved around both. The weekend was over. The Mandi and Dalia presentation had been set aside again. Elisa's residence existed somewhere across Night City. Riva and Lina were probably asleep. Brenda was almost certainly not. Iris was probably trying to make her be. None of that mattered in here. Here there was only Ace. Mai. Shammy. And one new piece of language between them that none of them intended to forget. --- ## Epilogue — Successful Weekend The transaction ping arrived at 18:42. Ace was on the sofa. Mai beside her. Shammy asleep on the floor in front of them, still enormous, still grey, one ear occasionally moving at sounds nobody else noticed. Brenda was somewhere in the kitchen. Iris was reading. The Safehouse had returned to normal. Almost. Ace's orange ChromeLock had finally been released properly. Mai's pink had too. Natural colors restored. Contacts gone. Voices fully their own. The Mandi and Dalia presentation had been stripped away again. Mostly. Ace had spent the afternoon discovering that some of Mandi's shameless momentum apparently refused to leave with the hair. Brenda had commented on that. Repeatedly. Ace had threatened violence. Repeatedly. Nothing unusual. Then the transaction ping sounded. Ace looked down at her terminal. Stopped. Mai noticed immediately. "What?" Ace stared. "No." Mai leaned closer. "What?" Ace turned the screen toward her. TRANSFER RECEIVED. €$250,000. Mai stared. Ace stared at Mai. Silence. Then both looked toward the kitchen. Brenda appeared almost immediately. "What?" Ace pointed at the screen. Brenda walked closer. Read it. Stopped. Her eyebrows rose. "Another quarter million?" Ace nodded. "Separate transfer." Iris looked up. "From Elisa?" Mai checked the sender confirmation. "Yes." Brenda stared at them. "So..." She counted mentally. "Half a million." Ace pointed. "No." Brenda blinked. "No?" "Two hundred and fifty thousand for the booking." Ace tapped the screen. "Two hundred and fifty thousand bonus." Brenda looked at her. "That is half a million." "Mathematically." Mai laughed. Ace continued: "But conceptually, no." Brenda stared. "What the fuck does that mean?" "It means she did not book us for half a million." Mai nodded. "The booking was two hundred and fifty." Ace pointed at the new transfer. "This is her being fucking insane afterward." Brenda looked at the amount again. "Successful weekend bonus." Mai's mouth curved. "Apparently." Brenda slowly looked between them. Then: "How successful?" Ace narrowed her eyes. "No." Brenda grinned. "Worth another quarter million successful?" Mai answered calmly: "Apparently." Brenda made a strangled sound. Ace looked at her. "Don't." "I'M JUST SAYING—" "No." Brenda pointed at both of them. "You two come home looking like you've spent two days being professionally worshipped, refuse to tell me anything, and then somebody tips you a quarter million." Ace folded her arms. "Correct." "That is obscene." Mai smiled. "Also correct." Iris returned her attention to the tablet. "Elisa clearly felt she received value." Brenda stared at her. "That is the most Iris sentence possible." Iris looked up. "Was I wrong?" Brenda opened her mouth. Closed it. "No." Ace smiled. "See?" Brenda pointed at her. "Don't get smug." "Too late." --- A message arrived ten seconds later. Ace looked down. This time she smiled before opening it. Mai noticed. "Her?" "Yeah." Ace opened the channel. Elisa's message was short. No corpo formatting. No assistant. No formal thanks. Just Elisa. > I know I already paid you. > > That's not what this is. > > The weekend was better than I knew how to ask for. > > Not just the sex. > > Everything. > > Breakfast. The pool. Games. Sitting around doing absolutely nothing. You two making my friends feel like people instead of guests who needed entertaining. > > I haven't had people stay here like that in a very long time. > > So yes, the transfer is intentional. > > Don't argue. > > And Mandi: find out what strawberries cost. > > Dalia: thank you for telling me to stop optimizing my own party. > > I mean both of those sincerely. > > And your guard wolf is always welcome. <3 Ace read it once. Then again. Mai read over her shoulder. Neither spoke immediately. Brenda leaned closer. Ace tilted the terminal away. "Private." Brenda recoiled. "Oh, fuck you." "Correct." Iris smiled. Brenda walked away muttering something about hostile workplaces. Ace kept looking at the message. Mai touched her knee. Ace looked over. "Good?" Mai smiled. "Very." Ace nodded. "Yeah." Then looked toward Shammy. "Hey." One grey ear moved. "Shammy." The huge wolf opened her eyes. Lifted her head. Ace smiled. "Elisa says you're always welcome." Shammy looked at her. Then at Mai. Her tail moved once against the floor. Ace pointed immediately. "Smug." "No." "That was smug." "It was a tail." "Exactly." Mai laughed. Shammy lowered her head again. Ace looked back at the message. Then at the transfer. Then at Mai. "Half a million total." Mai smiled. "Mathematically. Still two separate transactions." Ace stared at her. "You fucking bitch." Mai leaned over and kissed her. Ace kissed back. Brief. Warm. When they separated, Ace smiled. "Good weekend." Mai's hand remained against her cheek. "Very fucking good weekend." Ace looked toward Shammy. Then toward the kitchen where Brenda was still complaining. Then down at Elisa's message one last time. Mandi and Dalia were off duty again. The money remained. The memories remained. And apparently, somewhere across Night City, there was now a nineteen-year-old corpo heiress with terrible knowledge of fruit prices, excellent taste in company, and an open invitation for one impossibly large grey wolf. Ace smiled. Yeah. They were absolutely doing something like that again someday.