Monday morning—time for work. The true essence of white-collar life: staying in bed as long as possible, even if it means skipping breakfast.
Alex suddenly remembered his guest in the next room. He quickly got up and gently knocked on her door. No response. He pushed the door slightly—it opened easily. Perhaps due to the summer heat, Emma had kicked off her thin blanket. She lay there in pristine white underwear, her curves unmistakable, giving Alex quite an eyeful first thing in the morning. The instant ramen crumbs at the corner of her mouth didn't detract from her beauty—if anything, they made her look endearingly cute. Who knew instant noodles could be an accessory?
Damn! He'd gotten distracted admiring the sleeping beauty and lost track of time. He quietly closed the door, rushed through his morning routine, left a hundred-dollar bill on the table, and headed out.
His office opened at nine, and his apartment was about a twenty-minute subway ride away. Leaving at 8:30, he joined the daily crush of commuters at the nearby station.
Despite his billions, Alex hadn't taken a cent from his family since starting college—self-sufficiency was his pride. Of course, his parents still automatically deposited thousands into his account monthly, worried their son might not eat or sleep well. Parents will be parents!
In his standard business attire, no one would recognize him as yesterday's grunge-styled youth.
Summer was the season of revealing outfits, but Alex was too rushed to appreciate the view.
"Hold the train!" Alex shouted, sprinting to catch the subway just as the doors were closing.
Rush hour meant no seats, of course, but the car wasn't packed sardine-tight yet—a minor miracle for Manhattan transit. During the worst crushes, you'd wish your parents hadn't given you quite so many limbs to squeeze in.
"Wait!" Another voice called out just as the doors began closing again—practically plagiarizing Alex's earlier plea.
Well, well. A stunning figure appeared at the doors—a white sundress perfectly complementing her pure elegance, a small purse at her hip, delicate eyebrows, long lashes, and bright eyes in an exquisitely crafted face.
Gorgeous! Solid 9/10!
Alex made his quick assessment. Her tasteful, fashionable attire clearly marked her as a professional.
As she swiped her MetroCard and entered, Alex got a better look—wow, she was tall!
Must be at least 5'10", probably 5'8" without the heels. Her slender frame made her stand out even more among the commuters.
'Nice... would make a great girlfriend. Wait, what am I thinking? Don't I have the heiress now?' Alex found himself staring, though he wasn't alone—everyone in the car was stealing glances.
'Yes!' Alex mentally cheered as she stopped right next to him.
Inhaling subtly, he caught a whiff of perfume. Rose? This woman was something special.
Alex straightened up, just barely taller than her, and while facing the window, kept stealing glances.
This was one reason he took the subway—eye candy!
Damn, she's perfect! His x-ray vision assessment concluded.
'With the whole car to choose from, why stand next to me? Could this be the start of another romance?' The premium fragrance was affecting his pituitary gland, filling his head with wild thoughts. She and Emma each had their charms—one elegant and generous, the other cold and noble. A tie, really.
"Clunk!" Another stop, another surge of passengers from the front. Alex's excitement grew. Thank you, transit gods!
As predicted, the crowd pushed the beauty closer to him, their bodies touching, arms brushing with every sway of the train.
She turned, frowning slightly, her ice-water eyes giving him a once-over. Finding no apparent ill intent, her expression softened.
As more passengers squeezed in, the contact increased. Though she frowned again, there was nothing to be done.
Even with just occasional bumps, Alex could clearly feel her... assets. And these opportunities increased with each new passenger.
God! After years of abstinence, two beauties in two days.
From his extensive subway experience, such gorgeous women were incredibly rare finds. Missing this chance would be like missing the last train home.
A golden opportunity!
But was it appropriate? This was meant to be a general audience story... well, maybe just a taste of young adult coming-of-age adventure.
"Screech!"
"Ah!" Just as Alex contemplated action, something caused the driver to brake suddenly. Between momentum and his excited state, Alex pitched forward, followed by a very close, very loud scream.
'Hm? Something soft?' His tongue reflexively darted out.
Realizing something was wrong, he quickly straightened up to find the beauty staring at him in shocked outrage, one arm crossed protectively over her chest.
"SLAP!"
"You... you pervert!" Her hand left an impressive mark on his cheek.
"Who's a pervert? You chose to stand next to me!" Alex straightened up, protesting loudly. You couldn't falsely accuse an innocent man! Sure, he'd had thoughts, but he hadn't acted on them yet. Was thinking a crime? There's no law against daydreaming!
Her scream had drawn everyone's attention. The men glared at Alex, perhaps enviously, while the women edged away. The elderly passengers shook their heads disapprovingly, as if he'd become society's greatest menace.
Just one more stop—endure it! Alex thought, head down. Who knew this beauty had such a temper? Damn, that slap hurt! But now he was the car's focal point—no more innocent people-watching.
"Pervert!" Not loud, but it reached his ears.
...Keep calm.
"Creep!"
Stay cool.
"Degenerate!"
"Who told you to stand next to me? You asked for it!" Alex finally snapped.
"Ding!" The doors opened at his stop—escape!
The woman froze at his outburst. A pervert with such righteous indignation? That was new.
"Driver, wait! This is my stop too!" she called hurriedly. It was her first day at work—she couldn't be late.
Damn, he'd misjudged her completely. Such a beautiful package, such a shrew inside.
Wait—Alex felt a contemptuous gaze burning into his back. He turned slowly...
"What do you want now?" he demanded. It was his chest-bumping victim.
"Never seen such a self-righteous pervert!" She gave him a withering look.
"Are you done? Trying to extort me? How much do you want?" Alex shot back.
The beauty narrowed her eyes, brows furrowing.
"Your loss!" Alex checked his watch—damn, almost late! He turned and hurried toward his office.
"Stop right there, creep! We're not done here!" High heels clicked rapidly behind him.
Alex stopped abruptly, trembling with clenched fists. This had moved beyond accusations of impropriety—now it was character assassination.
"Who are you calling a creep?!" He spun around, fuming.
"You! Creep, creep, creep!" She seemed to have forgotten the initial incident, enjoying his reaction.
"Just because you're built like Optimus Prime doesn't mean you can save the world," he snapped. Alex wasn't one to back down!
"Who's Optimus Prime? I'm statuesque!"
"More like slutty," Alex scoffed, eyeing her up and down.
"You... how dare you speak to a beautiful woman like that? Oh, I get it! You saw my beauty, got ideas, but felt inadequate. Knowing normal flirting wouldn't work, you chose this approach, right? I've seen plenty of men like you—you're all the same!"
Love might be like air, but Alex was choking on this polluted atmosphere. Could someone be more full of themselves? Ice queen exterior, fishwife interior!
"Is your brain broken? You're not a hundred-dollar bill—not everyone's into you. Stop flattering yourself." Alex glanced around at the gathering spectators. He'd had enough of her self-absorption and turned to leave.
"Stop right there!" Her shout drew an even larger crowd.
Alex stopped and turned. Clearly, this needed a decisive end. Noting the audience expecting drama, inspiration struck. He adopted a resigned expression:
"Just say it—what do you like about me? I can change!"
"Oh!" The crowd's attention swiftly shifted to her, allowing Alex to make his escape.
"No... it's not what you think!" she frantically explained.
'Sure, we understand,' the knowing crowd's eyes seemed to say.
Running into a shrew first thing—what rotten luck! Though, Alex reflected, at least it had been accidental. If he'd actually tried something... well.
For whatever reason, he'd finally shaken her by the time he reached his office building.
Phew! Alex let out a relieved sigh, then put on his professional smile and headed to his office like any other day.