6

Alice spent the entire day obsessing over what Adam might demand next. Her imagination was working overtime, constructing every possible scenario, each more humiliating than the last. Logically, she figured he’d want full nudes this time—something even more explicit than before. It seemed like the natural progression for someone like Adam, who clearly enjoyed holding power over her.

She had prepared herself for the request. Well, mentally prepared, if not emotionally. As she stared at her phone, Alice debated whether to try to negotiate. Would he even let me keep my face out of it? Does he even need to see my face? The thought made her stomach churn, though she tried to convince herself it didn’t matter. After all, she had taken nudes before—carefully angled, artfully cropped, and devoid of any identifying features.

But when her phone buzzed, the message was not what she expected.

"Come to my house after school tomorrow."

Alice blinked at the screen. She reread the message three times, each repetition knotting her insides tighter.

He wants to see me? In person? She swallowed hard, her hands trembling slightly. The idea of standing face-to-face with Adam after everything made her chest feel tight. There was no way to predict what he wanted.

Her mind jumped to the worst possibilities. What if he wants me to sleep with him? The thought made her face flush, a mix of fear and something else she didn’t want to name. Adam wasn’t unattractive—that much was obvious to anyone who had eyes. His gym-toned physique had made her stop scrolling more than once. She opened her gallery and cringed at the saved photo of him, shirtless and flexing in the mirror. Why do I even still have this?

“What’s with the face?” Jamie interrupted, placing a steaming mug of coffee on the table in front of her.

“Oh, nothing,” Alice lied, snapping her phone shut and forcing a smile.

But Jamie wasn’t easily fooled. He plopped down on the couch, looking at her with an eyebrow raised.

“Did you get a piercing?” Alice asked quickly, desperate to change the subject.

Jamie grinned and touched his nose. “Yeah. Zoe talked me into it. We went to this super cool place downtown. She got her tongue pierced.”

Alice blinked. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with Zoe lately.”

Jamie shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant, but a grin tugged at his lips. “She’s great. She likes having a gay friend to go people-watching with. We sit at coffee shops and roast everyone who walks by. It’s therapeutic.”

Alice snorted. “You’re turning into a miniature Zoe Bentley. I don’t know whether to be impressed or terrified.”

“Both,” Jamie said, laughing. He pulled out his phone and opened Zoe’s Instagram, showing her a series of selfies. In one photo, Zoe and Jamie were posing cheek-to-cheek with the caption "Besties 💖". Alice couldn’t help but smile.

“You look happy,” she said, nudging him lightly.

“I am,” Jamie admitted, his voice softening. “Even Adam hasn’t been a total ass lately.”

Alice perked up, sensing an opportunity. “Oh? How’s that been going?”

Jamie hesitated, then chuckled. “He caught me checking him out in the locker room and didn’t even punch me. That’s progress, right?”

“You checked him out?” Alice gasped, her cheeks flushing.

“His body is ridiculous. It’s not my fault!” Jamie defended, laughing.

Alice opened her mouth to respond, then stopped herself. Instead, she nodded in agreement before realizing what she’d done. Jamie squinted at her.

“And how exactly do you know he has a ridiculous body?”

“I—uh—I don’t,” Alice stammered, her voice rising an octave. She grabbed her coffee and took a long sip to avoid further interrogation.

The next day, Alice woke to find her stomach in knots. With no college classes due to teacher training, she had the entire day to stew in her anxiety. Every hour seemed to stretch endlessly as she tried—and failed—to distract herself. By noon, she had cycled through seventeen outfits, each attempt more desperate than the last.

Finally, she settled on skinny jeans and a cropped top. Her friends had always assured her the combination was flattering. Maybe if I look good enough, he’ll go easy on me. Maybe… maybe he’ll even fall for me and stop being such a jerk.

It was a silly, childish thought, but it kept her from spiraling further.

When she arrived at Adam’s house, he opened the door and gave her a smirk.

“You’re going to hate me,” he said, leading her inside.

Alice frowned. “Why?”

“You just are,” Adam replied cryptically, pocketing his phone as he motioned for her to follow him to the kitchen.

There, he gestured to the mess around them. “I’ve got this lady from social services coming tomorrow. She’s checking on my brother and me. I need the place spotless.”

Alice blinked at him. “You… want me to clean your house?”

Adam grinned. “In this.” He reached into a shopping bag and pulled out a maid costume—black and white lace, with a skirt so short it bordered on indecent.

“Classy,” Alice muttered, rolling her eyes.

“Hey, if I’m not getting pictures this week, I deserve a little entertainment,” Adam quipped. He tossed her the outfit. “Put it on. I’ll turn around.”

To her surprise, he actually did. For someone who held all the power in the situation, he wasn’t taking full advantage of it. It was enough to make her pause. Is he actually being… nice?

The thought evaporated as she glanced at the costume. Nice isn’t blackmailing someone into cleaning your house dressed like this.

Still, Alice changed and got to work. The house was worse than she’d anticipated—crumbs under the couch, sticky counters, and a lingering smell of dog food near the trash. She scrubbed furiously, more determined than ever to prove she could handle whatever Adam threw at her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed him watching her. She bent down to grab a dustpan, and a soft click broke the silence.

“Are you taking pictures?” Alice snapped.

“Yep,” Adam said unapologetically. “So what? I can do what I want.”

She sighed, biting back a retort. Pick your battles, Alice.

Just as she finished the kitchen, she heard the dog bark outside. Looking up, she saw Adam’s older brother walking toward the house. Panic set in.

“Adam!” she hissed. “Where are my clothes? Your brother’s here!”

Adam smirked. “Relax. He’s just picking something up. You can hide upstairs in my room until he leaves.”

Without waiting for further explanation, Alice bolted upstairs. She shut herself in Adam’s room, her heart pounding as she prayed his brother wouldn’t come in. The room smelled faintly of cologne and was surprisingly tidy compared to the rest of the house. She perched on the edge of the bed, hyper-aware of the ridiculous outfit she still wore.

After a few nerve-wracking minutes, Adam called her back down.

“You want a coffee break?” he asked when she reappeared.

Alice nodded, grateful for the reprieve. She curled up on the far end of the sofa, clutching the mug he handed her like a lifeline.

“Thanks for helping Jamie,” she said after a moment.

Adam shrugged. “I didn’t do much. Zoe likes him, and he’s harmless. No big deal.”

“It’s a big deal to him,” Alice said softly. “So… thank you.”

Adam rolled his eyes, but there was a hint of something softer beneath his usual bravado. “Finish your coffee,” he said. “You’ve got more cleaning to do.”