Seraphine POV
50 shades said his name is Zaire. Exotic. You can see a bit of oriental heritage in his features
Yum.
I thought I'd seen my fair share of handsome men, but I'd just been proven wrong.
Where have these men been hiding, and how many hearts have they broken? I thought.
My head spun, my stomach flipped. Vodka and meds were definitely a no-go combo.
"None, ma'am," the dark-haired hunk I now knew as Zaire said, his onyx eyes looking at... no, lusting at me through his glasses. Yum. The succubus in me relished in the attention they were giving me
And it was like my restraints snapped; she was free, enticing them and loving it
I was going to regret this tomorrow, sure. But right now? I could be myself. Flirt. Play. And tomorrow, we'd go back to being strangers.
I swallowed hard, trying to keep the tequila demon down. Smile through the sick, Sera, I reminded myself.
"Can I call you Kitty, Wolfy, and Teddy?" I asked. It was obvious they were shifters based on the names—and the vibes.
They unanimously agreed… I think.
"Okies." I grabbed Zaire's tie—I'd been wanting to do that since I opened the door. "Come in, my cute strippers."
"Wait—" Zaire paused. I stopped, looking back, not letting go of the tie.
He was gripping the doorframe like he was debating jumping off a cliff. "We just came to ask for food recs. We're not strippers!"
"Aw, sweet kitty. But you wanna be bad, don't you? Come on, Kitty Cat, you know you want to play"
My inner succubus mused, having fun enticing them.
"Hmmm… you look so desperate; it's so sexy to me," I said seductively and licked my lips, showing my forked tongue. They all groaned. Gotcha, I felt giddy that I'd caught some prey.
"Me have food," I grinned. "So let's all eat."
"Can't argue with that," the one that looked just as dangerous, only in a more rugged way — I thought his name was Kaiden — said.
Kaiden barreled in. Theodore followed, all quiet and efficient. Zaire… looked like he'd just had his first thought in five minutes. I loved that for me.
"Shoes off," I called. I wanted company, but they better not make a mess of my place.
I watched them—the three towering, wide-eyed meatheads I'd just dragged into my apartment like a drunk siren. They were sexy, flustered, and utterly confused. The way they stared at me like I was some sort of walking fantasy? Delicious.
I should've felt embarrassed—dressed like a lingerie-clad disaster, half-drunk, with a tequila bottle still in my hand.
But nope I didn't care when they looked at me like that.
They looked at me like I was a goddess. A mess of one—but a hot one.
I strutted to the kitchen, hips swaying, boobs bouncing, tail flicking like a smug cat. Zaire blinked like I'd hypnotized him.
Good.
Kaiden was already halfway inside, nosing toward the food like a starving Wolf. Theodore had that stoic smile that told me he was amused and aroused. And Zaire? The poor thing looked like his brain had blue-screened. I liked that. A lot.
"You boys are always this obedient, or am I just that charming?" I teased, walking to the bags of takeout on the kitchen island.
"Oh—almost forgot." I turned and nearly tripped on my damn heels. Graceful. I righted myself, flushed.
"Seraphine Valak," I said, sticking out my hand.
Each of them took it like it was made of gold.
"And I think I'm gonna throw up."
I spun to bolt for the bathroom—heels betrayed me—and I went down.
Yup, this is definitely how I'm going to die, I thought.
Except I didn't hit the floor.
Three sets of arms caught me mid-air.
Honestly?
I could get used to this.
The nausea wasn't done with me though. "Bathroom?" Kaiden asked, frantic.
I pointed to the master bedroom.
Theodore effortlessly lifted me in his arms and princess-carried me to my bedroom, following my direction.
When I saw the toilet seat, I swear I heard an angel choir.
Theodore gently placed me on the floor.
I hit my knees and emptied every poor life choice I'd made in the past hour.
Someone held my hair back. Someone rubbed my back. Gentle touches. Warm, grounding.
My god, they're all such gentlemen, and more. I'd personally visit their parents to thank them for raising them so well.
After I emptied my already empty stomach and was calming down, the toilet flushed. I watched the alcohol and pills disappear from my sight.
"Fuck the pills…" I panicked. "Oh no, I need to take more…" I braced myself for the upcoming attack from lack of vitality, but there was nothing. The building heat and agony I'd felt all these years was gone.
A damp towel that smelled of soap was handed to me, which I thankfully took.
"Thank you," I weakly said, slowly coming to my senses.
"As much as I love how gorgeous you look in this... pajama set," Kaiden said
"I look gorgeous?" I asked, skeptical.
Both of them stared at me like I was insane.
"Nice try," I muttered, chuckling.
"How 'bout we change into more comfortable clothes?" Theodore said breaking the awkward silence
"Good idea," I nodded.
"We'll step out," Kaiden added, as they left me to change.
I sat for a moment, letting everything sink in.
Three gorgeous men. In my apartment. Because I dragged them in. While drunk. In lingerie.
I groaned.
Welp. Too late now. Might as well ride this out.
At least… the constant pain I'd carried for years? It was gone.
I showered quickly and threw on shorts and a white tee. I stared at the mirror.
Makeup?
No. They'd already seen the worst of me. Screw it.
I inhaled deeply and faced the door.
Time to face the music.
—
Kaiden's POV
"Is she alright?" Zaire asked without looking up, stirring something on the stove that smelled way too competent for three bachelors crashing in a stranger's apartment.
I picked up the clear culprit still sweating on the floor.
"Canadian vodka," I read, whistling low. "I'm surprised she's not face-down in a coma."
Her liquor shelf caught my eye—bottles of every shape and color lined up like trophies, some vintage, some weirdly artsy. Except for the skull, everything else looked unopened. I crouched to peek in the cabinet underneath. Dust, some old cocktail napkins, and a half-deflated inflatable flamingo. So maybe not an alcoholic. Just... sentimental.
That was when my feet left the ground.
"Do you just walk into every woman's apartment and snoop?" Theodore deadpanned, holding me by the collar like I was an ill-behaved puppy.
"Well, yeah. I get paid for it, remember?" I grinned. "Force of habit, big guy."
He set me down with a grunt, and I dusted off imaginary dirt from my jeans.
"So…" I began, mostly to stir the pot.
"Shut up," Zaire and Theodore said in unison.
"What? I didn't even say anything." I smirked, satisfied. Just one word and the tension was already bubbling.
I flopped on the couch, propping my boots on the ottoman, ready to do absolutely nothing but bask in the memory of the best damn night of my life.
Until the scent of smoke hit my nose.
—
Zaire's POV
"Shit," I muttered, lunging for the stove. The edges of the soup had started to bubble too violently. I doused the pan's sides with cool water to lower the temp.
"I almost burnt the soup," I said more to myself.
"Oh no, Zaire daydreamed," Kaiden teased from behind me.
"Fuck off."
"I'd rath—"
I whipped the nearest napkin at him. Direct hit. Right in the smug face.
I left the soup to simmer and passed the headache pills to Theo. He'd know where to set them so she'd see them first. Then I headed back to our place to grab a full bottle of ibuprofen from my duffle.
"No robber would survive five steps past the threshold with those two still inside," I muttered, already halfway back.
I was gone three minutes, tops. Shifter genes. Organization. And, well… I was eager. Too eager.
When I walked back in, Theo and Kaiden had already unpacked the delivery. Pizza, creamy pasta, grilled chicken, cheesecake, and a liter of soda. The table looked full—but not full enough for three shifters.
That's when I noticed the trash bin. Something inside caught my eye: an empty pill bottle. I fished it out and read the label.
"SUC-A-BUST," I muttered.
Kaiden raised a brow. "The hell is that? Sounds like a sex candy."
We exchanged glances. He leaned closer, smirking. "Think it's hers?"
"Only one way to find out." I pocketed it discreetly.
"Man's trash…" I murmured, "…another man's treasure."
Back in the kitchen, the apartment looked too cozy. Too… right. Like we belonged here. Her place was sleek and modern—black counters, steel appliances—but chaos peeked out of the edges. A couch lined with mismatched food-shaped pillows. A neon banana lamp. A small rubber duck sitting on the TV remote like it paid rent.
She really lived in contradictions.
"Not gonna lie," Kaiden muttered. "I don't think this'll be enough."
"I can skip a few portions," Theodore said without flinching.
Kaiden grinned and pulled out a bundle of menus and flyers. "She likes 'Juan and Only's Lechon House' and 'Arabian Nights Delivery.' See the creases near the staples?"
I raised a brow. "Are you sure that second one even serves food? We might accidentally order strippers."
Theo blinked. "I'm not opposed."
"I am," I said flatly.
"Let's just order whatever," Theo said. "We're all starving."
I nodded. "Godspeed to that delivery guy."
—