'Beep! Beep! Beep!'
The alarm screamed at 10:00 AM, shaking the whole room.
"Ahh! Shut up," Kyle groaned, swinging a lazy arm off the bed.
He fumbled around the nightstand, searching for the off button on the digital clock. It kept buzzing louder, vibrating like it had a personal vendetta against him.
"Where is it? Where's the damn button?"
It didn't matter.
Frustrated, he grabbed the clock and slammed it onto the floor.
'Bam!'
Silence.
Finally.
Kyle lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling. Sleep didn't come easy last night. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw that girl from the street. Dark hair, white shirt, those eyes that looked like they could kill him and kiss him in the same second.
And his body remembered.
He shifted under the blanket, cursing under his breath. He was hard. Had been since he passed out.
"Six days left," he muttered. "Six days, and I'm out of here. I need to do something before I leave."
He sat up, rubbing his eyes. That's when he saw the broken alarm clock on the floor.
"Shit."
It was Aunt Kimi's favorite. She'd had it since before he was born. She'd be pissed.
"I'll just say it fell," he decided. "She can't be mad forever."
Quick shower, change of clothes. He threw on a pink shirt and black shorts.
"Pink is feminine," he muttered, heading for the kitchen. "But it makes me look approachable."
He didn't actually like pink. He just figured it couldn't hurt if he ran into any girls today.
The kitchen was empty, but a note was stuck to the fridge in Aunt Kimi's neat handwriting:
'Breakfast is in the fridge. Late for work. Don't burn the house down.'
Kyle sighed, pulling out bread and eggs.
"Workaholic," he said, tossing the food in the microwave. "I need to do something nice for her."
The thought stuck. Aunt Kimi worked herself to the bone for him. She deserved more than a thank you and a burnt dinner.
"Maybe I should set up a Tinder for her," he said out loud, then immediately cringed. "Yeah, that'll end well."
He ate fast, left a note saying he'd be out, and headed for the door.
"Time to hunt," he grinned.
---
Humani Street was quiet at 11:30 AM. Most people were at work or school. The street after it, Lounge Street, was the opposite. Eleven hotels, five houses. The name wasn't subtle.
Kyle walked back and forth for an hour and a half. Nothing.
A few women in their 30s and 40s passed by, but they were with husbands or clearly busy. He wasn't desperate enough to try something stupid and get beaten up.
"Fuck, this is frustrating," he muttered, checking his phone.
He couldn't afford a hotel room. Aunt Kimi was rich, but she checked his spending. One weird charge and he'd have to explain himself.
"Fine. Bar it is."
Four streets away was a place he'd never seen before. The sign read 'TRIPLE X' in big white letters. The building was painted white and red, brand new.
The banner had a drawing of a woman. Busty, curvy, horns on her forehead. She looked like she'd walked straight out of a hentai cover.
'Weird,' Kyle thought. 'She looks like a milf demon.'
Something about the drawing pulled at him. It was stupid, but he felt like it was calling him. His feet moved before his brain caught up.
His hand was almost on the door when—
SLAP!
"What the hell are you doing!?"
Kyle jerked back, dazed. A woman stood in front of him, hands on her hips. Black silky hair, red and black dress that was way too loose for 11 AM. Her cleavage was impossible to ignore.
"What are you staring at?" she snapped, her voice sweet but dangerous.
"Uh… I—"
"Speak up!"
Kyle swallowed. "I… what's this place about?"
Her red eyes scanned him from head to toe, lingering on his crotch for a second too long.
"What do you think?" she giggled.
"Judging by the sign and the drawing… a brothel?"
She laughed, low and amused. "You're honest. I'll give you that. Yeah, it's a brothel. Triple X means exactly what you think it means."
Kyle's heart jumped.
"So… can I get laid?"
Her smile widened. "Depends on your performance."
She turned and pushed the door open. "Follow me."
Inside was dark, loud, and full of half-naked women dancing on poles. Men sat at tables with drinks, eyes glued to the stage. The air smelled like alcohol and perfume.
Kyle's brain short-circuited.
"This place… is it heaven?" he whispered.
"Feels like it, doesn't it?" The woman—Lilith, she'd said—led him to a bar stool. "But it's not."
Her ass barely fit on the stool. Her chest rested against the counter. Kyle tried not to stare, but it was useless. He was hard the moment he walked in.
"What's your name?" he asked, trying to sound casual.
"Lilith," she said, holding out her hand.
"Kyle," he replied, taking it. Her skin was soft, too soft. It sent a shiver up his arm.
"You know," she said, leaning closer, "you're the first man I've met who hasn't tried to jump me on sight. Even though you want to."
Kyle scratched his head. "Hehe… what do you mean?"
"Every man wants me," she said simply. "Men want to fuck me. Women want to be me. It's annoying."
She held his hand tighter, her eyes locking onto his.
"Do you want me to be yours forever?"
Kyle blinked.
This couldn't be real. After two years of nothing, now the hottest woman he'd ever seen was asking him that?
"Yes," he said immediately.
Lilith's eyes lit up. She pulled out a piece of paper and a pen.
"Then sign this contract."
Kyle didn't read it. He didn't care. He grabbed the pen and signed his name.
The paper glowed.
It floated up, turned into light, and vanished into the air before he could blink.
"What the—"
Pain exploded in his head. His vision blurred. The last thing he saw was Lilith smiling, and a screen flickering in front of his eyes.
[Syncing Triple X System]
[Synchronization complete]
[Welco—]
Darkness.
---
Kyle woke up with a splitting headache.
He was back in his room at Aunt Kimi's apartment. Pink shirt, black shorts, same bed.
"What the hell?" He sat up, holding his head. "How did I get here?"
He checked his watch.
9:30 PM.
"Ten hours?" His voice cracked. "I was just at the bar…"
It felt too real to be a dream. The smell of alcohol, the sound of the music, Lilith's voice.
"Must've been a dream," he muttered. "A really messed up dream."
"Kyle! Dinner!" Aunt Kimi's voice echoed from downstairs.
He got up, still dazed. On his way out, he stopped at the mirror.
And froze.