Today marked their final scheduled meeting for the week, with only a fundraiser event remaining on the next evening.

  Evan stirred awake, blinking against the soft morning light filtering through the curtains. His body was comfortably warm beneath the covers, still cocooned in the lingering drowsiness of sleep. He turned slightly, stretching zily—until his gaze nded on the breathtaking sight in front of him.

  Sienna stood beside the bed, holding a cup of steaming coffee in one hand, her other casually resting on her hip. But what truly caught Evan’s attention—no, completely froze his thoughts—was what she was wearing.

  Bck. Lacy. Sheer in just the right pces.

  The intricate cework of the lingerie clung to her athletic yet feminine figure, the delicate straps accentuating the toned curves of her shoulders. The matching underwear hugged her hips perfectly, leaving very little to the imagination. Her confident stance only made it worse—or better, depending on perspective.

  Evan’s throat ran dry as heat rushed through his body, pooling in the most obvious pce. His lower half twitched in response, betraying him instantly.

  Sienna, sharp as ever, didn’t miss it. Her eyes flickered downward for a split second before returning to his face, a smirk stretching her lips. "Wow," she mused, amusement cing her voice. "Didn’t expect just an underwear to get such a strong reaction from you."

  Evan clenched his jaw, willing his body to calm down, but it was impossible. He had spent an entire night trying to act indifferent thanks to Finn’s ridiculous advice. And now? Now, he had to deal with this?

  Sienna leaned down slightly, bringing the coffee closer to him, her voice dropping into a teasing whisper. "This is what you missed out on st night," she purred, tilting her head slightly. "Too bad, huh?"

  Evan cursed inwardly. Damn you, Finn!

  He had listened to Finn’s nonsense about keeping Sienna on her toes, about making her crave him more by creating a little distance. It had sounded reasonable at the time. After all, in his old world, guys were usually the ones chasing, the ones proving themselves. The idea of making her work a little harder had been tempting.

  But now, looking at her—standing there in that sinful piece of fabric, smirking like she knew she had him wrapped around her finger—he realized just how badly he had pyed himself.

  Sienna chuckled, clearly enjoying his frustration. She sipped her own coffee, tilting her head. "You know, I did some research," she said, her tone casual, but her eyes still glinting with mischief. "Apparently, most men don’t care too much about what a woman wears underneath."

  She stepped closer, pcing the cup on the bedside table. "But you," she continued, dragging a single finger down his arm. "You seem to really like this."

  Evan fought to keep his expression neutral, but his body betrayed him again with another twitch under the bnket. He forced a scoff, feigning nonchance. "It’s… fine," he muttered, grabbing the coffee as a distraction. "Nothing special."

  The lie was so btant that even he almost cringed.

  Sienna raised an eyebrow, her smirk deepening. "Oh?"

  She didn’t call him out directly, but the way she slowly stepped back, stretching her arms over her head, was enough of a silent challenge. Her toned stomach flexed slightly, her posture almost zy yet deliberately provocative.

  Evan took a desperate sip of coffee, willing himself to focus on anything other than how ridiculously attractive she looked.

  Finally, Sienna let out a soft ugh and turned away. "Well, I’ll let you recover," she said pyfully. "We have a meeting to prepare for, after all."

  She strutted toward the bathroom, hips swaying naturally with every step. Right before disappearing inside, she threw one st gnce over her shoulder. "Oh, and Evan?"

  He swallowed, forcing himself to meet her gaze.

  "Next time," she said with a smirk. "Don’t listen to Finn."

  The bathroom door clicked shut, leaving Evan alone with his coffee, his situation, and the overwhelming feeling that he had lost badly in this round of their little game.

  After finishing their morning coffee—Evan still slightly bitter about missing out on Sienna’s little show st night—they shifted gears into work mode.

  Sienna, now dressed in a sharp, tailored navy suit that emphasized her commanding presence, spread out several documents and charts across the hotel room's coffee table. Evan, dressed more casually but still professional in a fitted button-down and scks, sat across from her, listening as she began their final review.

  "This is our most challenging deal," Sienna said, scanning through the reports. "Solstice Power holds the upper hand in this negotiation. Their sor technology is among the best in the market, and they know it."

  Evan leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "So they’re going to push hard?"

  She nodded. "Very. Lancaster Energy has been strong in wind and hydro, but our sor sector isn’t as competitive. That’s why securing this deal is crucial. If we can gain exclusive access to their instaltion technology, we can expand our reach into regions where wind energy isn’t viable."

  Evan picked up one of the reports and skimmed through the key points. "And what’s our leverage? What can we offer that they don’t already have?"

  Sienna smirked, clearly pleased he was engaged. "Our infrastructure. Solstice Power excels in tech, but they ck rge-scale distribution. If they want to expand beyond their current market, they’ll need a strong partner—someone with the capital and network to integrate their systems on a rge scale. That’s where we come in."

  Evan nodded, processing the information. "So they have the tech, we have the reach. They might act like they hold all the power, but without us, their expansion would take twice as long and cost them more."

  "Exactly," Sienna said, satisfied. "But they won’t admit it outright. They’ll push for terms that benefit them more, and that’s where I’ll have to keep them in check."

  Evan smirked slightly. "Sounds like fun."

  Sienna chuckled. "It is, but it’s also exhausting. The CEO, Eliot Vance, is sharp and aggressive. She won’t back down easily, so I’ll have to be just as firm."

  Evan raised an eyebrow. "You? Not firm? Please."

  Sienna gave him a look. "Fttery won’t get you out of working, Evan."

  He shrugged, grinning. "Had to try."

  They spent another hour reviewing key points, role-pying potential objections Solstice Power might raise, and refining their responses. By the time they left for the meeting, Evan felt more prepared than he had for any of their previous ones—not that he had much of a role to py, but at least he understood the stakes.

  The conference room at Solstice Power’s headquarters had the polished, minimalist aesthetic of a company that knew it was leading the market. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city skyline, sunlight bouncing off sleek steel fixtures.

  Evan sat beside Sienna at the long gss table, listening intently as the discussion unfolded. After their morning briefing, he had spent extra time reading through Solstice Power’s past deals and their financial reports.

  Sienna had shared competitor analysis and projections with him, but Evan had gone a step further, diving into how Solstice operated in different regions. What had stood out to him was how dependent they were on slow, phased expansions. Their business model was aggressive in R&D, but sluggish in deployment.

  Now, sitting across from Eliot Vance—the CEO with sharp, knowing eyes—he saw exactly how she wielded her company’s leverage.

  "This is a great opportunity for Lancaster Energy," Eliot said, her voice smooth but firm. "You gain access to our cutting-edge sor instaltions, while we get a well-positioned partner for deployment. However, our technology is the heart of this deal. If we open access to just one energy provider, we need guarantees that we’re not limiting our own growth in the process."

  Sienna remained composed, her fingers lightly tapping the armrest of her chair. "Exclusive partnerships aren’t limitations, Eliot. They’re accelerators. We integrate your tech seamlessly into our infrastructure and scale it faster than you could with multiple scattered partners. Your concern shouldn’t be growth—it should be sustainability."

  Eliot leaned back slightly, her expression unreadable. "And if your sor division doesn’t perform as expected? We would be locked into a partnership that slows us down rather than speeds us up."

  This was the moment. Evan had anticipated this exact angle.

  He cleared his throat slightly before speaking, keeping his tone casual but confident. "That’s assuming your competitors aren’t advancing while you’re hesitating."

  All eyes turned to him.

  Evan met Eliot’s gaze directly. "I went over your expansion trends in the st three years. Your R&D is leagues ahead of most sor companies, but your rollout strategy is cautious. Which makes sense—you minimize risks, build strong foundations before scaling up. But that means you’re pying a long game."

  Eliot raised an eyebrow. "And?"

  "And that long game only works when the market isn’t changing too fast," Evan continued. "Right now, sor integration is accelerating. Wind-heavy energy providers—your biggest competitors—are moving into hybrid systems faster than expected. If you dey partnerships for too long, you won’t just be expanding cautiously. You’ll be expanding te."

  A flicker of something crossed Eliot’s face—perhaps interest, or calcution.

  Sienna, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. "Exactly." She leaned forward slightly, her fingers intertwined on the table. "You’re not competing against outdated energy models anymore, Eliot. You’re competing against time. The next wave of hybrid solutions is coming faster than projections anticipated. If you wait for the perfect moment, you’ll be reacting instead of leading."

  She let that sink in before continuing. "Lancaster Energy isn’t just offering exclusivity—we’re offering momentum. Our infrastructure is ready for rapid integration. We don’t just adopt new tech. We deploy it. Which means your innovation won’t be sitting in development pipelines or waiting for the right conditions—it will be in the field, setting new industry benchmarks before your competitors even catch up."

  Eliot exhaled through her nose, thoughtful. The VP of Business Development shifted slightly in his chair, as if reconsidering their initial stance.

  Evan watched as Sienna effortlessly built on his argument, turning his observation into a decisive selling point. He knew that even if he had noticed the fw in Solstice Power’s strategy, Sienna was the one who knew how to use it.

  Eliot tapped a finger against the table, considering. The room had gone quiet, the weight of the conversation sinking in. Finally, she gave a slow nod. "Alright. Let’s talk numbers."

  The VP of Business Development gnced at Eliot, waiting for her lead. There was a moment of calcution, then Eliot studied Evan carefully and let out a soft chuckle. "You came prepared."

  Evan shrugged, keeping his expression neutral. "I read fast."

  Eliot exhaled through her nose, then turned to Sienna. "You don’t bring people along unless they’re worth something. I see why you made an exception."

  Sienna’s lips curled slightly, her voice smooth as silk. "I don’t make exceptions, Eliot."

  A brief pause. Then, just like that, the negotiations resumed—but the bance had shifted. Where Solstice Power had previously dictated the pace, there was now an underlying urgency in their responses. Evan had pced a seed of doubt, and it was growing.

  Lancaster Energy wasn’t just another contender anymore. They were an opportunity that Solstice Power couldn’t afford to overlook.

  By the end of the discussion, Solstice Power agreed to the terms. Lancaster Energy secured exclusive access to their sor technology, and in return, Solstice Power gained a rapid expansion pathway through Lancaster’s established infrastructure.

  Evan felt an odd mix of satisfaction and excitement. He hadn’t pnned to speak, but his preparation had paid off.

  As they stepped out of the conference room, Sienna gnced at him with an amused expression.

  "Not bad," she murmured.

  Evan exhaled. "I’ll take that as a compliment."

  She smirked. "You should. And since you impressed me, I’ll reward you again."

  Evan narrowed his eyes. "That st reward wasn’t a real reward!"

  Sienna chuckled. "Oh, it was real. But this time, I’ll make sure it’s something you’d openly enjoy."

  Evan wasn’t sure if that made him excited or nervous. Probably both.

  [authorRead the next chapter for free on Patreon! Thank you so much to all my supporters!

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