Chapter 65: BEEN INSIDE YOUR BEDROOM

I cleared my throat. "You, uh... busy in a few hours?"

A small, shy smile pulled at her mouth. "Hubert’ll be at work. I’m... free."

"Good to hear. Really good to hear."

"Have you had breakfast yet?"

"Nope. Fridge is empty."

"Then breakfast at your place. I’ll bring eggs and bacon."

"You’re making me drool, Ms. Angi."

"For... breakfast?"

I shrugged, still looking up at her. "Huh? Oh. Yeah. Breakfast."

"Oh my god. Stop it." She laughed under her breath.

More Favor. The number climbed to forty-one.

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TARGET: Sarah Angi

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[ RELATIONSHIP ]

> Partner: [Hubert]

> CORRUPTED

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[ SYSTEM SYNC ]

> Favor: 41% [?]

> Threat: None

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x6 Sexual Encounter EXP

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> GRIEVANCE LOG

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"I should go," she said, already turning back inside. "See you later, Chance."

"Yep. Bye."

I hung up, gave her one more wave, and started running again. The progress bar resumed its slow climb.

Breakfast with Sarah. The morning after I had fucked her senseless right under her husband’s nose. The system had handed me something I never would have managed on my own.

Still.

I needed another target.

Jennifer sat in the back of my mind, but Cole was a genuine threat. Going after her right now would be stupid. That left one realistic option. And that was none other than Star.

Whatever name she actually used, she already had a boyfriend, and she already sold her body. Whether he knew about the work or not didn’t matter. She was accessible. She was already in my orbit. And the system liked targets who came with existing cracks.

"Alright," I muttered to myself as I ran. "Star. You’re next."

????????????

I got back to the apartment sweaty, tired, and ready to collapse. The key turned, the door shut behind me, and I dropped straight onto the single couch, arms aching from the final sets of push-ups.

At least the reward had been worth it. 150 EXP and 50 Sin Points. Not bad, not bad at all. A little on the lower side, but, still. Better than nothing, I guess.

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MAIN MENU

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NAME: Chance Brooks

LVL: 13 [597/1044]

RANK: Homewrecker

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[ CORE STATS ]

> CHA: 25

> END: 11

> PER: 30

> LCK: 4

> IBE: 31

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[ ENERGY ]

> LUST: 200/200

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[ACTIVE PERKS: Expand]

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SIN POINTS: 1570

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I pulled out my phone and searched for Jennifer Dash again. Still nothing new. No posts, no stories. Whatever was going on between her and Cole, it didn’t look healthy. Through the bedroom window I could see Hubert’s car still parked in its usual spot, new tires, I noticed. He’d fixed the slash.

A system notification slid into view.

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CORRUPTED TARGET: SARAH

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Loyalty reductions are converted

into favor points.

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I frowned and opened her profile. Favor had climbed to forty-four percent. She must have had some kind of argument with Hubert that knocked a few points off whatever residual loyalty remained. Since she was already at zero, the system had simply converted the loss into Favor for me instead. Useful mechanic. Good to know.

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TARGET: Sarah Angi

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[ RELATIONSHIP ]

> Partner: [Hubert]

> CORRUPTED

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[ SYSTEM SYNC ]

> Favor: 44% [?]

> Threat: None

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x6 Sexual Encounter EXP

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> GRIEVANCE LOG

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Voices drifted down from upstairs. Muffled, but clearly raised. I stood, crossed to my door, and pressed an ear against it. I couldn’t make out the words, but Hubert’s tone was unmistakable, sharp, dismissive. Sarah’s replies were quieter, tighter.

A moment later their apartment door opened and shut hard. I moved quickly to the bedroom window and looked down just in time to see Hubert climb into his car and pull away.

Finally.

My phone buzzed.

A short message from Sarah:

’Want to come up?’

I sent back a thumbs-up, then headed straight for the bathroom. A quick shower, clean clothes, hair fixed as best I could manage. I locked my door behind me and stepped into the hallway.

Karim was just leaving his own apartment. He caught sight of me, smirked, and gave a lazy little wave like we were old friends.

"Dickhead," I muttered under my breath, and kept walking.

Upstairs, I knocked once.

Sarah opened the door.

She had changed out of the oversized sweater from earlier. Now she wore a soft, fitted white tank top that clung to her chest and left very little to the imagination... no bra, the outline of her nipples faintly visible through the thin fabric, paired with short gray lounge shorts that sat low on her hips and showed off the full length of her thighs. Her hair was still a little messy from cleaning, and there was a faint tightness around her eyes from whatever argument she’d just had.

She still looked unfairly good.

"Hey," I said, smiling. "Sorry. Came empty-handed."

"It’s fine." She forced a small smile of her own and stepped aside so I could come in.

"I, uh... heard some of the arguing. You okay?"

She exhaled and closed the door. "I just told him the place looked like an animal pen after his friends left. He told me to clean it up and suck it up."

"Wow. Husband of the year."

"No kidding."

The apartment still smelled faintly of last night’s beer and something stale. Sarah crossed her arms loosely under her chest, the motion making the thin tank top shift, and looked at me like she was already tired of the entire morning.

I stepped inside and closed the door behind me.

Sarah gestured toward the couch. "Please. Sit."

I walked over and sat down. She followed and took the chair across from me, crossing one leg over the other. The thin tank top shifted with the movement. For a few seconds the silence felt heavier than it should have.

I cleared my throat. "Talking like this is a little awkward, don’t you think? Why don’t you sit over here?"

A shy smile tugged at her mouth. She hesitated, then nodded, stood, and moved to sit beside me on the couch. Close enough that I could smell the faint trace of her shampoo.

"So," I said, turning slightly toward her. "How’s married life treating you today?"

She groaned and leaned back against the cushions. "Don’t even ask. I’m STILL cleaning up after Hubert’s friends. The place looked like a frat house."

"Want me to help?"

"No, I’m almost done. Just need to mop the bedroom. I’ll have to lift the bed to get under it, but I can ask Hubert later."

I gave her a flat look. "The Hubert I know would lose his mind if you asked him to do something that basic. I’m already here. Let me help."

"I can’t ask you to..."

I stood up. "It’s fine. Come on. Lead the way."

She hesitated another second, then sighed in quiet surrender. "Okay... let me grab the mop first."

I waited while she disappeared into the bathroom and came back with a mop and a small bucket. We walked down the short hallway into the bedroom.

The room wasn’t destroyed, but it was clearly neglected. A couple of empty beer cans still sat on the nightstand. The bedsheets were half-pulled off. On the floor near the foot of the bed lay a pair of discarded panties... soft, dark, clearly hers. Sarah’s face went red the second she noticed them. She snatched them up quickly.

"Let me... um... just put these away."

She shoved them into a drawer and shut it a little too hard.

I chuckled. "Compared to my bedroom, this place is still heaven."

She glanced at me sideways. "I’ve been in your bedroom. It was pretty tame."

"Yeah... you have."

Our eyes met for a beat longer than necessary. The memory of the day before sat between us, unspoken but heavy.

I smiled. "You just didn’t look under the bed."

That pulled a real, quiet laugh out of her. The tension eased a little. I moved to the side of the bed, gripped the frame, and lifted. Whatever points I’d been pouring into Endurance were doing its job, the bed came up easier than it should have. Sarah quickly mopped the exposed floor, then nodded for me to set it back down.

"Alright," she said, wiping her hands on her shorts. "I still need to finish the rest of the floor. It won’t take a minute. Why don’t you wait in the living room?"

"Sure."

I stepped out and sat back down on the couch. The apartment was quiet except for the soft sound of the mop in the other room. A minute later the sound stopped.

Sarah appeared in the doorway.

I forgot how to breathe for a second.

She had changed into a sheer black babydoll that barely reached the tops of her thighs. No bra. No panties. The thin fabric clung to the soft curve of her stomach and the full weight of her breasts; her nipples were clearly visible through it. When she shifted her weight I could see the outline of her pussy and the round lower curve of her ass. She wasn’t gym-toned, soft belly, thick thighs, hips that filled the little nightie out completely, and somehow that made it even worse. Better. Filthier.

She looked embarrassed and determined at the same time.