Meanwhile, Caden returned to his apartment and worked late into the night. As a migraine began to form, he removed his glasses and rested his eyes for a moment. He then thought about what awaited him in the bedroom. Setting his work aside, he headed to the bathroom for a shower.

When he emerged, he found Alicia standing in front of her dresser, applying lotion. The familiar scent filled the air. He dried himself off with a towel and spoke, “Alright, you need to stop tempting me. You’ve been draining me a lot these past few days.”

Alicia snorted. “So, you’ve finally reached your limit? Karma’s a bitch, and you deserve it.”

She padded over to the bed, climbed under the covers, and let out a yawn. “But don’t worry. If you’re out of commission, I’ll just find someone else to take over your duties.”

Caden jumped in beside her, pulling her into his arms. Sleep quickly overtook him, and he couldn’t be bothered to respond to her teasing.

“I actually think Mr. Hampton isn’t that bad,” Alicia continued to tease him. “‘He’s not that much older than you, and he seems to have a clean record. So unlike your  dastardly ways.”

That had Caden laughing. “Do you think Corey is genuinely interested in you? Speaking of cleanliness, he is obsessed with it. In fact, he only sleeps with virgins.” Caden had understood Corey’s motive the moment the latter set his eyes on Alicia. After all, he had allotted a solid chunk of his time and resources in pursuit of the lead they had dug up.

Soon, Caden’s breathing grew slow and steady, lulling Alicia until they were both asleep.

She woke up the next morning to a familiar, intruding sensation. Her eyes flew open, and sure enough, Caden was hard at work on top of her.

“You…” Alicia croaked.

She tried to struggle, but Caden only pinned her wrists above her head and leaned closer. “Behave. I need to be in the office in half an hour.”

Alicia was at a loss. She had actually believed his nonsense, thinking he was too exhausted lately. She should have known that he would be back to his brutish ways after a night of rest.