It's been two weeks since I accepted Ace's offer to tutor me, although we haven't started yet. In fact, the very afternoon he suggested it, he had to make a quick trip to Los Angeles to manage his business there. He told me he had to personally take care of some important stuff and I haven't seen him since.

I had the idea that he would be away for just about three days, but now it's been a fortnight and I don't know what to think. Throughout this last week, I've controlled the impulse to text him and ask if everything is okay several times, and kept it casual. I don't want him to think I'm constantly thinking about him because that's not true at all... at least not the whole truth.

Every night I go out to smoke on the balcony and my eyes instinctively check if the light in his house is on. Every time I realize what I'm doing, I curse at myself, trying to prevent Ace from occupying more time in my head than necessary. We are friends, nothing more, so I have to act as I would with any of the girls.

To try to escape from the mess I've created in my head, one of those days I decide to invite the girls over for dinner after class. Surprisingly, despite being in November, the weather is fairly nice, so we decide to sit outside by the warmth of the fireplace I have out there.

"My mom is thrilled with your photos, girl. We were already sure you'd do your internship at her firm, but now it's practically guaranteed," Cher tells Gigi with a smile of pure happiness.

"Really? Oh, I'm so glad!" the addressed girl celebrates while putting down her glass to clap. "I was very nervous because, even though she's your mom, if I'm not good enough, she won't take me. I put all my effort into having a good concept for the photos and didn't stop until they turned out exactly how I wanted them."

"Well, congratulations, because it's practically one hundred percent likely that she'll take you for the internship. I can already see you, opening shows at Paris' Fashion Week!"

The two friends share a warm hug, celebrating the news. We all clap, happy for her, and Brooke gives her girlfriend a proper kiss to which we respond with mocking whistles.

"I haven't sent my application to Cravath & Sullivan yet."

My confession makes my friends look at me in surprise, given that I'm one of the most excited about the prospect of interning in our group. I've tried to complete my application several times, but I always get stuck for one simple reason: I'm terrified. The prospect that, even though I've done everything I can, they might not take me scares me to death.

I'm so used to everything going according to my plan that the thought it might not be that way terrifies me.

"What? Why not? You're the most excited about the internship, you've been talking about it since last year," Faye asks me with sad eyes.

"Well, I... I'm scared. I'm terrified to think they might not take me and everything I've meticulously planned will go to hell. If they don't take me, then what am I going to do?"

My friends open their mouths to respond, but a deep, sultry voice like honey dripping on warm bread sounds behind me.

"How could they not take you, Alexa Arden, the biggest law geek in the universe? What the hell are you smoking? Because if it makes you trip like that, I want some."

I turn so quickly I almost break my neck, drawn to that voice as if by a magnet. My eyes meet that smirk I used to hate so much and now practically obsess over. Ace is on his terrace smoking, dressed in a black and white Louis Vuitton tracksuit. His eyes tell me how much he's enjoying the expression I must have on my face after his stellar appearance.

"Ace!" I shout with surprise and excitement.

Before I can think about what I'm doing, I get up and am about to throw myself over the railing that separates our terraces, but a rather loud cough brings me back to reality. Turning around, I see my four friends smiling at me mockingly, reading in me how excited I am that my neighbor has appeared after two weeks without seeing him.

"Well, bunny, you're really excited to see me, huh? It seems you've missed me a lot."

"Don't be so full of yourself, I barely even noticed you were gone. When did you leave, like five days ago or something?"

"So, you didn't notice, huh?" he asks to tease me before looking at my friends. "Girls, how much has our little Lex missed me?"

"A ton! You can't even imagine how annoying she's been since you left. Always saying how hot Ace is, what a shame he's gone, when will he be back..."

I shoot Brooke a murderous look as she spills all sorts of lies to make me look ridiculous. Ace's laughter soon emerges, and that wonderful sound almost makes me forget my anger. Almost.

"Sure, because I'm deeply in love with this brainless idiot, of course," I growl, throwing a pillow at Brooke.

"No need to hide it, bunny, I know you have your room plastered with big posters of my face to keep me present even when I'm not there. You're completely addicted to me."

I glare at him, planning my revenge for this moment he's putting me through. As soon as my friends leave, he's going to get it.

"You, go back inside or you might accidentally get hit with a bottle in the head."

Ace blows me a kiss before going inside, laughing, spreading the laughter to my friends. The rest of the night all they do is tease me non-stop, making it a challenge for me not to blush all night. We eat some pizzas and chat a bit more until the girls decide to leave around nine at night.

As if he had been watching through the peephole, I hear my doorbell ring barely a minute after being left alone. Opening the door, I find myself face to face with that heartbreaker half-smile.

"So, you've missed me a lot, bunny..."

"Yeah...," I sigh sadly with a pout before grabbing his arm to drag him into my house. "Don't ever leave for so long again, I can't handle this again, needing you so desperately..."

His face shows confusion for a brief second before going back to his usual confidence. Now he is the one who drags me to my couch, laying on it with me on top of him. His hands travel down to my ass and he squeezes it slightly while he tempts my lips with his. My fingers start running through his curls and I start feeling his bulge hardening against my lower stomach, getting heated.

"It must've been really hard for you if you are willing to admit it so fast. I'm sorry, babe, I'll try not to leave you alone for so long again. I don't want you to be so needy."

I'm the one who leans in towards him, kissing him with all my passion. My tongue starts dancing with his, fighting for dominance which he wins instantly and I accept pleasantly. His hands press my body harder against his and I start moving slowly, rubbing my core against his growing bulge. Ace moves his hips with mine, letting out a soft grunt due to the friction he desperately needs and he is finally getting. The way I'm feeling him, fucking me with clothes on, almost drives me crazy, and I nibble his bottom lip heatedly.

"Fuck, Alexa, you're incredible," he sighs against my mouth.

When his hand starts lifting my shirt, I skillfully move away until I'm sitting on him, flashing a mischievous smile. Ace looks at me confused, his chest rising and falling rapidly due to how turned on he is. I can still feel his hardness pressing against me under my crotch, matching the hunger in his eyes as he devours me.

"No, no, no, darling. Only guys who don't laugh at me when I'm with my friends get to go past first base, and, as I recall, Mr. Ace Hale did exactly that a few hours ago, so..."

As I finish speaking, I get up from his lap, giggling at his expression of pure confusion-something you don't see every day from him. I see him blink a couple of times before he gets up and tries to hide his growing erection with a pillow, not very discreetly.

"But you... You're the reincarnation of the Devil! Oh, you're about to pay for this!" Ace threatens as he gets up to come after me.

I take advantage of already being on my feet and run down the hallway, letting out a squeal and a nervous giggle. Behind me, I hear his laughter, which only makes me run faster. I try to throw him off by ducking into my room, almost reaching my huge closet when his big hands lift me up and throw me onto the bed like I weigh nothing.

Ace's fingers soon find my sides and start tickling me aggressively, bringing out the best laughs I've had in years from the depths of my stomach. I try to escape his torture, but I can't get away from him even an inch.

"I'll stop if you say I'm the sexiest guy you've ever met, that I'm amazing, and how much you've missed me!"

"Ne-never!"

"Then keep suffering!"

His attack intensifies, making me almost run out of breath from laughing so much. When my abdomen starts hurting from the laughter, I finally decide to give in.

"Ok-okay! You're the se-sexiest and most amazing guy in the wo-world, and I've mis-missed you a lot!"

"That's more like it, bunny, telling the truth without being coerced at all, exactly how it should be."

He finally moves his hands away from my body, which I take advantage of to breathe deeply and try to catch my breath. Ace leans over to kiss me, this time more gently and sweetly than on the couch. I kiss him back willingly, admitting to myself that yes, I have definitely missed him. I didn't realize how much I needed his kisses until I finally had them again.

"I really have missed you," I whisper when we pull apart, our foreheads touching.

"I missed you too, bunny. I didn't have anyone to insult me every two minutes; life gets boring like that."

His little joke makes me laugh and kiss him again, tangling my fingers in those rebellious curls I like so much. Just thinking that only I have the freedom to touch, kiss, and enjoy him this way makes a thousand butterflies flutter in my stomach. But, in fact... in fact, I'm not the only one who can do all that. He can be with whoever he wants, and it's fine. We just want to have fun from time to time, like I did with Travis, only now it's with someone much hotter and with whom I have even more fun.

"Then I'll have to continue my hard job of insulting you every day, just because you asked me to," I reply, laughing.

He smiles back before lying down on my bed, pulling my body to his so that my head rests on his chest while his tattooed arm wraps around me. It's already night, and I want to ask if he plans to stay over, but I don't want to seem desperate. I'll let things flow and let him do what he wants, even if I have to hold back my true desires.

"If I'm staying over, I'll need to change. I always sleep in underwear."

"So do I," I mutter.

"Oh, then my presence here shouldn't stop your habits. I'll gladly sacrifice myself to respect your comfort," he assures me as if it were a horrible task for him.

I give him a playful slap, laughing, before having an idea for both of us to sleep comfortably. Maybe I'll be the one benefiting the most from my suggestion, but after all, it's my room and my bed, and therefore, my rules.

"Obviously, I'm not going to sleep in underwear with you here, but there's something else we can do. I have some basketball shorts somewhere that I can lend you, so if you want, give me your shirt and I'll sleep in it."

"Oh, bunny, do you like sleeping in my clothes to smell like me? You act all innocent, but you're a little freak, huh?" he teases with an evil grin.

"I'm not a freak! Don't forget that you're in my bed and I can kick you out whenever I want, so decide what you want to do and stop annoying me."

"Alright, I'll do you the huge favor of letting you sleep by this half-naked Greek god. Give me basketball shorts, although if you prefer..." He pauses and looks at me with his characteristic half-smile. "If you prefer, I can sleep in my boxers. I don't mind."

His offer makes me blush, and I thank God and all his angels that the light is off so he can't see the effect he has on me. His proposition makes my brain work at full speed, trying to avoid all the dirty thoughts that come to mind to think of a coherent response that's completely normal.

"No, I don't mind either, whatever makes you more comfortable."

"What makes me more comfortable is seeing you blush every time I suggest something slightly risqué." He laughs before getting up to undress.

His pants fly somewhere on the floor of my room, and he hands me his shirt with a mischievous smile. Trying not to stare at the spectacular sight before me, I take the garment and gesture to him.

"Turn around, you're not getting the immense luck of seeing me in underwear yet."

"Oh, of course, milady," he responds dramatically before turning on the bed.

I quickly undress to my thong and put on his shirt, which, fortunately, is long enough to look like a dress. When I finish, I reach out to let him know he can turn around, but I get distracted by a tattoo on his back.

It's a Chinese dragon that spans from the base of his neck to the middle of his back, right over his spine. I reach out to trace the ink with my acrylic nails, appreciating every detail of the tattoo. I can't see it as well as I'd like due to the darkness, so I turn on a bedside lamp to see it better.

"I see you have a little obsession with my tattoos."

His voice makes me smile, as I can guess his lips are also curved upward. Taking advantage of the situation, I straddle his butt, eliciting a soft laugh from him. From my privileged position, I continue caressing the dragon, also enjoying the muscles under his skin.

"Why did you get this dragon tattoo?"

"Honestly, that's the one with the least meaning. I love its aesthetic, so I got it. The meaning is simple, really: everyone thinks the most majestic and fierce animals are lions, tigers, panthers..., but for me, it was never like that. I always thought dragons were the most majestic, intimidating, and beautiful. Also, as a kid, I loved reading fantasy and got quite obsessed with dragons, even though they didn't exist. It was only a matter of time before I got one tattooed."

"Little Ace wanted a dragon to feel like Daenerys Targaryen, how adorable!"

"Well, no laughing, sweetheart. We all had impossible dreams as kids. If I had a dragon, I could ride it and burn my brother to ashes, you know? Dracarys!"

"Okay, that sounds a bit sinister, so I'm going to move away because..." As I speak, I get up from the bed and start to walk away before he grabs my wrist and pulls me down on him.

"You're not leaving, bunny. Come on, let's sleep; tomorrow we have our first tutoring session, and I'm a very demanding teacher."

"Alright, Mr. Hale, I'll behave," I reply sarcastically, lying on his body.

His hands move down to my butt and give it a playful squeeze, a deep laugh rumbling inside his chest.

"Call me Mr. Hale again, and I'll have to punish you, Miss Arden."

•

"It doesn't make any sense; it's impossible to understand this shit!"

My complaint of pure desperation is accompanied by a huff of anger. I've been trying to solve the same problem for half an hour, and I haven't even managed to understand it. During all this time, Ace has been watching me from the chair next to me, patient as a cat with its kittens. He hasn't raised his voice, hasn't scolded me, and he accepts all my curses with a small, warm smile.

"It's not impossible, you'll see. I promise that once you understand it, it'll seem like the easiest thing in the world. Let me try to explain it differently."

"Alright, let's go."

"Look, to calculate if an investment will be profitable in the future, you have to consider many factors. These are the future value of money, the discount rate, and the time period that will pass. You get that, right?"

"Yes, that part is clear to me."

"Okay, so you just need to take away your initial investment and then add the cash flows divided by one plus the discount rate, with that denominator raised to the power of the relevant year. If the result is positive, we'll make the investment, and if it's negative, we'll discard it."

Ace accompanies his explanation with the formula he's describing, as well as an example with numbers. I watch attentively and nod, finally understanding the basis of the problem he's explaining.

"Okay, I get that too. But in this problem, they don't give you the cash flows for each year. How do I figure them out?"

"Well, if they gave you everything, you wouldn't be in your third year of economics." He laughs good-naturedly before pointing to a table of numbers. "As you can see here, you have the company's expenses and revenues. You need to identify which are expenses and which are revenues, as well as which are monthly and which are annual to adjust the interest rate as I showed you earlier. Let's go through them one by one, and you tell me what you think each is."

He starts reading each data point aloud, asking me what each one is. Doing it this way, calmly and without any pressure, I manage to solve the problem that seemed completely impossible just ten minutes ago.

"I did it!" I scream excitedly, throwing my arms around his neck in a hug. "Did you see?! I got exactly the result on the sheet! You're the best, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

He laughs tenderly, letting me sit on his lap while I shower his face with kisses. He soon caresses my face with his hands and kisses me softly, holding me close to his body.

"See? I told you; you could do it; you're unstoppable."

"It's all thanks to you. Now I finally understand the new topic we covered and I'm up to date."

"You don't need to thank me; I just want to help you achieve whatever you want. I admire your determination and the fact that you want to make your way on your own merits, not your connections."

"I don't care, I'll thank you a thousand times over. If it wasn't for you, I'd still be stuck."

At that moment, the unmistakable tone of my phone's message alert interrupts us, and I lift the phone to check the screen. When I read the message, I can't help but let out a sigh of sadness.

"What's wrong?" he asks with a slight frown.

"Well, you know this Thursday is Thanksgiving, right? Since I'm Spanish, I never celebrate it and end up bored out of my mind during the whole break while the girls go on trips with their families. Now, they just told me the same thing: that I'll be alone again this year. They always invite me to go with them, but I feel like it's not my place."

Ace watches me with a soft look as he runs his hands through my hair, stroking my head in a way that's so soothing.

"You don't have to be alone."

"What do you mean?" I ask, confused.

"Well, for more than obvious reasons, I don't spend Thanksgiving with my family. I was planning to go back to Los Angeles to open a new club, but if you want, I can delay that and stay here with you. Or you can come with me and I'll show you the city. You have several options, so decide what you want."

His offer turns my frown into a smile in just two seconds. I throw myself at him with a strong hug, more than grateful for everything he does to help me and make me feel special. It's like he has the power to make me smile with just a few words.

"Oh, I'd love to go to Los Angeles with you! I've been there with the girls and I loved it. Yes, yes, yes!"

Ace laughs and hugs me, accepting once again all the kisses I start to plant all over his face. I can't think of any other way to thank him than with kisses and little squeals of joy.

"Then it's settled. We're going to Los Angeles!"

Hello!

This chapter had me like this while I wrote it: ☺️🥰🥵🤭. Did you like it? What do you think will happen in LA?

I'll be reading you! ❤️