Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kyra knew something was wrong the minute she walked into the gym and found Thaletas hunkered down in the corner with the punching bag. She rolled her eyes and let her bag fall to the ground behind the front desk of their co-owned gym, Spartan Fitness. It was all Thaletas’s branding of course, exactly what he’d planned it to be.

“Hey!” Kyra called, lifting her arm to get his attention. It was five-fifty am. They’d open in ten minutes.

Thaletas paused after a moment, resting his head against the bag. He lifted a tired arm, not looking back. Well. At least he’d heard her.

There was a time, embarrassingly not that long ago, when Kyra would’ve gladly watched him train before opening. He put in his time and looked the part of a gym owner, especially one that boasted Spartan-level classes and training equipment. Lately, his anger read on his face and Kyra was starting to wonder if their joint venture was a less in her favor than she'd originally thought.

She sighed and moved into the front office to start everything up. She flipped the main row of lights on and started sorting through the mail left on her desk from the day before. Bills, mostly.

Who was she kidding, it was only bills.

She let out a heavy breath, ripping open the first envelope like a band-aid. There was no use procrastinating it any longer.

Thaletas strode into the office behind her, a towel thrown over his shoulders. He grabbed a water from the minifridge under the desk and gulped half of it down in one go. “Another five people dropped the class last night.” He leaned against the edge of the desk, but Kyra shooed him off before he could get a sweaty ass print on her paperwork.

“Five?” Kyra grimaced. Their most popular session, the one Thaletas led three times a week now, had been waning all spring, and now that summer had hit, they could barely fill a single class.

“It’s that studio near the farmer's market,” Thaletas said, grumbling, “They’ve been poaching our clients from day one.”

Kyra had already been through this with him. “I already told you, they’ve been open longer than us, remember?”

“They’re under new leadership now,” he growled. “The father finally stepped down and the daughter runs things. I checked out their website the other day and you know what they were advertising?” He shook his head. “A training class exactly like ours, but rebranded as a hero concept. Some “become a god” bullshit.”

Kyra had seen the site and the pictures. Stills from the damn 300 movie.

“You know what we need to do?” Thaletas continued. “We need to infiltrate their class. Maybe we can sue or something if we can prove we came up with it first.” He tapped his fingers on the desk, all nervous energy.

Kyra opened another bill. It didn’t matter what they did, but they needed more patrons, and fast. It was starting to look dead even at usually busy hours.

“I know what! You should go take their class. Wear a camera or something.”

Kyra snorted. “I’m not going to wear a camera just so you can infiltrate their dumb class. What if they caught me? I’d look like a jealous idiot.”

Thaletas, however, had a terrible, terrible look in his eye. “No, it’ll work. Just go and see what they’re doing. If anything we can learn from them, right?”

Kyra eyed him suspiciously, squinting. “Why don’t you go?”

“Oh come on, you know Nikolaos has seen me. They don’t know you, you’re not the face of this company.”

Kyra tossed the bills down on the desk to deal with later and eyed the front parking lot where the first car had just pulled up. At least the before-work crowd was still reliable. “Fine,” she said, only to get him out of her hair. “I’ll go check it out. Now get out of my way, I need to unlock the front doors.”

--

That night, Kyra grudgingly sat in her car outside Eagle Peak Gym, scrolling through their website. Thaletas had worked himself into a frenzy throughout the day, in and out of the office practically foaming at the mouth by the time she left for the evening class she’d reserved a spot in that afternoon.

The outside didn’t look impressive, but it at least seemed spacious. 

It was a wonder they were getting any clients at all, much less the packed classes Thaletas claimed he knew were happening. Still, the parking lot was moderately full, and there was an even stream of people going in and out.

With a resolved sigh, she got out of her car and threw her bag over her shoulder. The only perk of working at a gym was the uniform, or lack thereof. As someone who didn’t need to be on the floor, she happily passed up the red business polo in favor of casual workout wear. She hadn’t even needed to stop by her house on the way to the class to get anything.

Despite the grim exterior, the interior opened up into what must have been a warehouse at some point.

She walked up to the front desk where the attendant looked like anything but a gym employee. The man had his blonde hair loose around his shoulders and was busy filing his nails with a bored expression.

“Hello?” Kyra said. “I’m here for the six-thirty class and need to activate my pass.”

The man didn’t say anything. Kyra leaned over the tall desk slightly to squint at his name. Was he wearing a crop top?

“Allie,” she tried, reading his nametag. “Excuse me, hello.”

He looked up like she was the one disturbing him and blinked at her. “Oh, did you say something? Honey, you’re going to have to speak up.”

“I need a pass for the six-thirty class,” she repeated, louder this time.

He eyed his manicured nails. Kyra was pretty sure he was wearing glitter eyeliner. “Calm down,” he said, in absolutely no rush whatsoever as he rifled through a desk drawer that looked like it’d seen better days. “Have you been here before? I guess not, since you’re talking to me.” He sucked in a breath through his teeth while he shuffled through the papers in the drawer. “Get a water if you’re here for Kassie’s class, hooboy honey you’re gonna need it.” He whistled and drew a plastic card out from under… a tequila bottle shoved into the drawer?

Whoever this ridiculous man was, she might as well find out more. “Do people like her class?”

“If they hadn’t banned me from the rest of the gym by now, I’d be in there every night, you feel me?” He waved his hand and pursed his lips. “Watching her sweat like a fucking goddess, MMM.” He shook himself. “Brings out everyone’s inner thot. Don't forget to file away some images for later, trust me, you won't regret it.”

Was she hearing him right? Is this what he was saying about his employer? Kyra chalked it up to the tequila bottle in his drawer and gladly accepted the water and the pass. "Uh, thanks?" 

She turned right past the gate to ask where the class was, but he’d already slid the sunglasses perched on his head down over his eyes and had slid earbuds in. Faintly, she could hear Lady Gaga playing.

She found the women’s locker room, taking the time to spy on their shower situation—not a hint of mold or mildew—before chatting up another woman to head up to a mysterious upper studio.

Her name was Odessa, Kyra learned, and she was very invested in the class. She’d been attending for close to four months now. Kyra tried to get in pointed questions: how many people showed up? Did they seem like they were growing? How were the instructors? How often did they change up the class? 

The upstairs studio was above the second weight levels and looked out over the rest of the gym as well as the city. They were just outside of downtown, with the sunset disappearing behind the skyline. No wonder people loved working out here. She’d come back just for the view.

The studio itself was huge, bigger than anything Spartan Fitness had. But how was the trainer?

Kyra was busy looking out over the city when Odessa nudged her. “You were asking about the trainer? That’s her, she runs this class and a few others. New owner of the place too, I think.” She nodded over towards the glass doors they’d come through as people gathered for the class.

Kyra turned, and was greeted by a sight more magnificent than the view of the skyline or the fancy equipment, and even better than their moldless showers.

The woman in question could be no other than the infamous Kassandra. She was tall and ridiculously built, muscles straining at the sleeves of her white tshirt. Even though she wore grey sweatpants, every step she took, Kyra could see the muscles of her thighs through the fabric. Her shoes were pristine white and she walked with the swaggering confidence of someone who knew they were very, very attractive.

She was the hottest goddamn dorito-shaped woman Kyra had ever seen, and she worked at a gym for god’s sake.

“All right, if everyone’s ready, let’s get started!” Kassandra called and Kyra had to resist the urge to face plant into the floor at the sound of her voice.

She was in for a rough class, secret spying or no secret spying.

--

The class was harder than Kyra expected, but not bad enough to not make her never want to come back. Kassandra was a good instructor, she’d give her that. She was good at leading the class, but would correct individuals on a personal basis just as frequently. The class itself was a mix of cardio and strength training, all tied into martial arts with a bit of acroyoga thrown in for flare.

Kyra was sweating like a pig by the half-hour mark, and the rest of the class looked like they were on the same page. She wasn’t out of shape by any means, so she could only imagine how strong Kassandra had to be to complete most of the workouts and not break a sweat. She spoke with authoritarian confidence of someone who was used to people listen to her and moreover, she was beyond hot.

Kyra was halfway settled into a nice fantasy involving lots of sweat, the entire studio to themselves, and a sturdy wall, when Kassandra's voice came from right behind her. "Can I touch you?" 

"Uh," Kyra said panicking for the split second it took her to realize Kassandra was talking about correcting her stance and not something else entirely. "Sure," she amended quickly, and tried not to think of how bad she probably smelled or how Kassandra's eyes were so golden brown they looked like sunlight. 

“Legs shoulder width apart,” Kassandra instructed to the whole class. “And back straight. You want to feel your core engaged.” She gave a light touch to Kyra’s outer thigh, pressing her leg into the right spot. Fuck, her hands were huge.

Kyra swallowed hard and tried not to think about the touch for the rest of class, the low murmur of her voice from behind her. She was a professional for god’s sake. A professional.

At the end of the hour, Kassandra dismissed them and thanked them for her time. Some people stayed sitting where they’d finished stretching to chat with each other, a few thanked Kassandra personally for the class before leaving.

Kassandra stood at the cabinet with the sound system, closing everything down and locking it back up. The only evidence that she’d worked out in any capacity, were a few hairs of her braid out of place and three dots of sweat at the lower back of her tshirt.

Kyra rose from her stretch where she’d been waiting for the crowd to dissipate a little, and finally approached Kassandra as she drew her phone out of the pocket of her sweatpants.

“Hey,” she started, hoping she wasn’t interrupting anything important.

Kassandra glanced up, then broke into a beaming smile that almost made Kyra stagger backwards and pass out cold on the floor. “Hey, thanks for coming! I haven’t seen you around before, have I? Was this your first class?”

Kyra nodded. “Yeah, it was great! You have a really unique program here.” Unfortunately for Thaletas, the similarities were too few and far between to draw any conclusions. Yet, at least. “I actually work at another gym across town. Spartan Fitness? I came to check out what you have going on.” As soon as the words were out, she wondered if that were the right thing to say. If Thaletas were offering his opinion—god forbid—it would be wrong.

“Oh! Well in that case, can I give you a tour? I’m sure Alkibiades didn’t offer one.”

“That would be… great!”

Kassandra offered another smile, warm enough to melt butter. “Great. Let me just finish up here and I’ll show you around.”

“Only if you have time, of course,” Kyra added.

“Only place left to go after this is to get food and go home,” Kassandra said, waving her hand. “Besides, who would I be to pass up spending more time with a beautiful woman?” She waved to one of the attendees as he left.

Kyra’s brows rose but she chose to ignore the comment.

Once the last person had left, Kassandra ushered her out the door and locked it behind them. Kyra had to remind herself that no matter who got what class material from where, there were still patrons flowing into Eagle Peak Gym and clients who couldn’t seem to get away from Spartan Fitness faster.

She tried to ask pointed questions at first, ones about membership rates, deals they were doing, all under the guise of industry specific curiosity. Kassandra answered them honestly. Everything about her seemed sincere. Too sincere. Like she couldn’t help but show people exactly who she was.

They worked their way down to the second floor, then again to the first where the easiest equipment was. They looked in the other studios, the equipment closet. She even showed her the back room with a small laundry area set up for towels.

“You just took over from your dad, right?” Kyra finally asked as they made their way back to the front of the gym. In the distance, “Allie” reclined in his chair, very obviously scrolling through tinder on his phone.

“Much to his reluctance,” Kassandra said with a laugh. “He’s getting old and doesn’t want to admit it.” Though from the pictures on the mess that was their website, the muscular graying man in all the owner pictures looked like he could still take someone out if he wanted to.

“That sounds like my business partner, except he’s only thirty-three.”

Kassandra’s laugh came loud and clear. There was something outrageously joyous about her laughter, deep and broad. Kyra wanted to drown in it. “I’ve met him a few times. Seems like he has a stick up his ass.”

Kyra bit her lip, trying not to smile. “An apt observation.” In the small pocket of her leggings against her thigh, her phone vibrated. She drew it out, quickly cutting it off at the giant picture of Thaletas’s face on her call screen, a picture from a better time. “Speak of the devil.” No doubt eager to hear whatever dirt she’d uncovered.

“I’ll let you go,” Kassandra said, “but it was nice to meet you.”

Kyra shoved her phone back in her pocket. “You too.” She took Kassandra’s offered hand. Her grip was firm, palm warm.

“And Kyra?” she leaned in, grasping her palm tighter. “Come back for another class. I’ll look out for you.” She gave a suggestive wink, and Kyra could’ve sworn she flexed her muscles as she left her.

Well. That was a lot to take in.

She gathered her things from the locker room, planning on showering in the comfort of her own bathroom when she got home. As she walked out, she looked for Kassandra in the office, but the blinds were drawn.

She waited till she was in her car and started to call Thaletas back, even when the sight of Kassandra’s firm biceps and the way her tan skin stood out against her white t shirt filled her mind to the brim.

Chapter Text

There was nowhere Kyra could go to escape Thaletas. Back when they'd met out of coincidence and decided to escape to a new city, it had been the combined dream that made the tight money survivable. They'd even rented an apartment together to help each other make ends meet.

In the early days, that closeness had built their camaraderie. Now it just felt like a bad dream she couldn’t wake from.

After the class, Thaletas chewed her out in their kitchen for “exposing” her identity, and pouted for another three days about the fact that Eagle Peak Gym wasn’t stealing from them, they just happened to be better in every conceivable way. Kyra knew which was worse.

She avoided him at first, but the ire started to rise when she listened him stomp around the apartment in the evenings with his stupidly heavy feet. Probably weighed down by his thick head.  

On the afternoon of the fifth day after her class with Kassandra—a time she wasn’t about to forget any time soon—she waited until Thaletas was in a personal training session and closed the door of the office.

The plan had been forming in her head over the past few days, and it was for the best anyway. Thaletas’s brazen marketing strategies weren’t getting people through the door, that was painfully obvious.

It took a few seconds for someone to pick up, and she folded her arms, keeping her eye on the door where Thaletas was busy across the floor.

“Falcon Peak Gym, may I interest you in a hot stone massage given by yours truly?”

Alkibiades, then. She sucked in a tight breath of annoyance. “Don’t you mean, Eagle Peak?”

A beat of silence. “That’s what I said—Falcon Peak.”

“No, you said Falcon Peak, the name of your gym is Eagle peak.”

“Yes,” he repeated slowly. She could almost see him rolling his eyes through the phone. “That’s why I said Eagle Peak. You’re a little hard of hearing aren’t you, honey? It’s okay, we’ll get you set up with that massage.”

“I don’t want a massage.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Listen, Alkibiades, right? Is Kassandra there? I just want to talk to her. You can tell her this is Kyra.”

“Why would you want to talk to Kassandra to set up a massage?”

“I DON’T WANT A MASSAGE.”

“Oh my, I know what you need—”

Kyra stared up into the corner of the office, wondering when she could die already. “Let me guess, a massage. Can you please just connect me to Kassandra? It’s important.”

“Fine, fine,” he breathed, and static crinkled on the other line. “You know where to find me if you want that—”

Kyra lifted the phone away from her ear to stop herself from hurling it across the room. Luckily, when she drew a deep breath in and put it back to her ear, the line was ringing again.

“Hello? Eagle Peak Gym, this is Kassandra.”

It took Kyra a moment to collect herself at the sound of Kassandra’s voice again. “You should probably reevaluate who you want answering your phones,” Kyra said. “If I were someone else, your… ah… receptionist would’ve scared them away.” She wasn’t sure if Kassandra would know who she was, but was curious to find out anyway.

A creak of a chair, as if she sat up straighter. “Alkibiades? Agh, he knows he’s not allowed to answer the phone anymore.”

Kyra wondered, curiously, what they kept him around for if he was entirely useless at everything and wasn’t even allowed to pick up the phone or set foot in 90% of the building.

“Sorry about that,” Kassandra said. “You didn’t say your name, but… I’m hoping this is Kyra?”

She bit her lip. So she did remember her. “I’m surprised you recognized my voice.”

“Oh, I could recognize a lot of things about you.” Kyra could hear the smirk in her voice. “But I don’t think you called just to see if I remembered you. What can I do for you?”

“I’m actually calling on business. I’d like to hire you as a temporary consultant. You can take the time to think about it, of course. We are technically rivals in the business, I know.”

“A consultant? What did you have in mind?”

“Like I said at the class. Something isn’t working out and we need to change things around here but I don’t have any experience running a gym. I don’t know what needs to change and if my partner does… well, he’s not going to be the one to do it.” Kyra tapped her pencil on the calendar open at her desk. Her eyes followed Thaletas across the gym where he’d excused himself from his client. He was heading her way.

“Well I—” Kassandra started, but Kyra cut her off.

“Do you think you could come by? You don’t have to give an answer, just let me explain and you can see for yourself.”

Kassandra hummed. “I guess I could do that.”

“Can you come tonight?” Thaletas would be away on some date she’d been too bored to ask him about. “Around 6?”

He was already halfway to her, and definitely heading for the office. He couldn’t catch her on the phone with Kassandra of all people.

“I’ll be there.”

“Great,” Kyra said, unable to withstand the measure of relief that crept into her voice. “Thank you.”

“It’s no problem. So long as this… consulting you’re talking about is paid. I don’t work for free.”

“I didn’t assume you did,” Kyra assured her. Their finances were dwindling, but if Kassandra could really make a change, it was worth it. “So, I’ll see you later?”

Thaletas opened the office door, just as they were about to hang up.

“I will,” Kassandra said. “I’m looking forward to seeing you again, Kyra.”

Kyra paused. If Thaletas weren’t in the room, she would’ve been far more prepared to handle that comment. “Me too,” was all she made out before hurriedly hanging up.

Thaletas was rifling through his desk. “Have you seen the client paperwork for this guy? I can’t find it anywhere.”

Kyra strode past him to the filing cabinet and plucked it out immediately. “Here you go.”

He already started flipping through and headed out without a thanks.  

Safe.

When she was alone again, Kyra sank into her chair.

I’m looking forward to seeing you again, Kyra.

She lifted her hands to her face. “Fuuuuuck.”

--

Kyra happily ushered Thaletas off to whoever he was meeting and insisted she’d be fine to close too. Since the gym had been losing so much money, they’d had to let go of their part time desk employees, leaving one of them present during open hours at all times.

A few people milled around on equipment, but it wasn't exactly packed. It wasn’t a class night so everyone was left to their own devices. Kyra organized the weight rack first, then cleaned the mirrors in the studios and sanitized the equipment not in use. She kept checking her phone, more often than necessary, and glancing toward the door.

She almost sprayed herself in the eye with sanitizer when the door opened promptly at three minutes to six and in walked Kassandra.

Kyra swallowed and gathered her supplies, heading for the front of the gym where Kassandra was looking over the bulletin board. This was it. Why was she so nervous?

Kassandra had her hands in the pockets of her slacks and the sleeves of her navy blue button up cuffed to her elbows which, okay, was a little distracting. A simple watch with a leather band wrapped around her wrist and a long braid fell down her back.

“It’s good to see you again,” Kyra said, leaning over the front desk.

Kassandra glanced away from the board. A smile spread across her face when she saw her. “Kyra.”

“Don’t you look…” Kyra began as Kassandra made her way over to the desk. “Professional.”

“If I’m going to be a consultant, I figured I might as well dress the part.” She cocked her head, looking around at the space. “You’ve got a lot of square footage. And plenty of equipment. Are you the only staff here?”

“Until eight. We close early on Fridays.”

“Well, are you going to show me around?”

Kyra smiled and circled the desk. “Gladly.”

--

They ended up in the front office, as Kyra explained what they’d been doing, right along with Thaletas’s push to do whatever it took to bring new people through the door. And it was all going well—more than well—until the last person Kyra wanted to see appeared in the doorway.

“What is going on here?”

Kyra’s blood froze in her veins and they both looked up from the flier she'd been showing Kassandra. “Thaletas what… what are you doing here?”

He didn’t make eye contact, frowning at Kassandra with enough venom to take out a horse. “Kyra, can I have a word with you?”

Kassandra watched the interaction with guarded curiosity.

“I’m in the middle of a meeting.”

“It’ll only take a minute,” he said, looking like he wanted to rip the door off its frame and send it hurling into Kassandra’s head. He didn’t wait for Kyra’s answer, turning on his heel and walking away.

Kyra let out a short breath. “Excuse me,” she said. “Before he punches someone in the face.”

He was waiting for her in the hallway near the locker rooms, the only other semi-private place in the building. “What the fuck, Kyra? What’s she doing here?”

“Calm the fuck down, Thaletas,” she spat. “I’m hiring her to help us fix this mess.”

“Fix this?”  he scoffed, taking a step towards her. “She’s going to ruin us.”

“Not everything is about you Thaletas, god. I don’t have time or this. Get over yourself because we need help. And Kassandra can help us.”

“You don’t know what you’re doing—”

Kyra turned on him, shoving him back with a hand to his chest. “I don’t know what I’m doing? Get a fucking grip before the last person walks out of here and never comes back. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll let this happen.”

“We don’t need strategy, Kyra, we need actions.”

“And that’s what I’m doing!” She laughed, incredulous. “Can you not see that’s what I’m doing? I hired her, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me. So go home. And let me deal with this.”

Kyra left him in the hallway and didn’t look back. Kassandra, to her credit, was sitting right where she’d left her.

“What’s his problem?” she asked when Kyra returned, breathing hard and shaking with nervous energy. "Someone think he has a small dick or something?”

Kyra huffed through a laugh. “Something like that. Do you want to continue this conversation somewhere else?”

Kassandra’s brow quirked up. “Where did you have in mind?”

“I don’t know about you, but I need a drink.”

Kassandra rose and gestured out the door. “Lead the way.”

Kyra couldn't get out of there fast enough, and Kassandra seemed just as eager. If she had comments about Thaletas, which of course she did, she didn't say anything, for which Kyra was more grateful than she could voice. 

They walked in companionable silence, Kyra leading her up the street to a bar already crowding with friday night patrons. Kyra, for one, didn't feel an inch of remorse about leaving Thaletas to watch over his own damn gym.

“Are you sure this is okay?” Kyra asked, eyeing the crowd through the window. “We could go somewhere quieter.”

Kassandra glanced over the dim crowds, unfazed. She shrugged her stupidly massive shoulders. “Let’s give it a shot.”

As soon as they were inside, shuffling sideways through bodies packed in close, Kyra wondered what they were doing. Not with the gym, with each other. This was the exact opposite of anywhere to have a business drink. This is where you took someone you were about to hook up with because there was a drink special that night and you wanted to get drunk for cheap.

Kassandra leaned in close enough Kyra could feel the heat coming off her skin. She rested a warm hand on Kyra’s shoulder. “Can I get you a drink?”

Kyra nodded and leaned in closer than necessary to answer, “Please.” Alcohol would be a welcome distraction from the mess her life had turned into.

While Kassandra shoved her way to the bar, Kyra found them chairs at a table near the back. It was nothing but a low couch, but it was quieter than near the bar and secluded enough to have a somewhat private conversation.

Alone, she shoved all thoughts of Thaletas aside. He was an idiot and he didn’t understand the implications of his actions. She was trying to do him a favor. Sometimes he forgot that she’d been right there next to him since day one.

The thought of going back to an apartment with him in it made her stomach churn.

Luckily, a welcome distraction arrived in the form of alcohol and Kassandra.

She handed over a short tumbler as she sat down. “Bourbon on the rocks, but only because tequila shots aren’t suitable before at least 10 pm.”

Kyra bit back a smile and accepted the drink gladly. At the first sip, her brow’s rose. Kassandra had expensive tastes. Good expensive tastes.

“So, Kyra,” Kassandra said, and sat back on the couch, one arm thrown over the back. “I’m curious to know how you ended up in business with a man you’re obviously better than.”

Kyra swirled her drink in its glass and tucked one leg under her to face Kassandra—if only to get a better look at her. “We found each other at the worst times of our lives. I couldn’t have survived without him. Or the business. But now…” she shrugged. “I’m afraid he isn’t going to do what needs to be done.”

“Do you honestly want to know what I think is going to happen to your gym?”

“Of course. You know what you’re talking about. I don’t have experience in these things.”

Kassandra leaned forward and braced her forearms on her thighs, glass held between her hands. “Your confidence in what you can accomplish is… truly admirable, Kyra, but you need funds to continue that place. I’m not so sure it will survive, and not by any fault of your own.”

Kyra nodded slowly, drinking again.

Kassandra continued. “Now, that’s not to say it couldn’t be turned around but—”

“You think we should cut our losses.” It was the answer she’d been afraid of, and one she’d known in her gut had been coming.

“It would be a smart decision. Leave that man to run his own business into the ground if he won’t listen to you. How much do have tied up in it?”

Kyra winced. “Everything. It’s the only job I’ve had since I left home. We couldn’t even afford to live without roommates.”

“Fuck, Kyra,” Kassandra said, eyes wide. “He’s your fucking roommate?”

She winced. “Well when you put it like that, it does seem ridiculous.”

“That’s because it is.” She shook her head, then muttered to herself. “Business partner and roommate, malaka.” She leaned back in the couch and pulled her ankle up to rest on her knee. She took up a lot of space, but still no more than half the couch. “You need to get out of that. Before it gets worse.”

Kyra frowned, staring into her glass. “How did your business begin?”

“My grandfather. He started it back… oh in the ’60’s. Then my father took over and now it’s mine.”

“A family affair.”

Kassandra snorted. “Too much a family affair. My younger brothers work there when they’re home from college. A pack of idiots, that’s what they are.” Still, Kyra saw the smile beneath the comments.

“Tell me about them.”

“My family?” Kassandra shrugged. “We’re an odd group. My grandfather died before I met him, he was a general, actually. My parents could be… hard to please, shall we say. I still owe them a lot of what I know. In business and otherwise.”

“And your brothers? They sound like a handful.”

“That’s one way of putting it. They’re young and strong. Can’t blame them that all they want to do is see who has the bigger dick.”

Kyra laughed at that.

“Alexios, he’s the youngest. Stentor, my parents adopted. Alexios was definitely an accident but he doesn’t like to think there’s any world where his existence is anything but destiny.” She rolled her eyes.

Kyra chewed on the inside of her cheek. She was no lightweight, but she was already almost done with her drink and it was starting to feel hot, partly because of the people packed into the bar, but mostly because of the way her thigh was almost touching Kassandra’s and every time she moved, she could see the tendons and muscle in her forearm shift.

“So, you’re not with anyone, then,” Kyra said, emboldened by the alcohol pulsing through her veins.

Kassandra chuckled. “No, I’m not. You and Thaletas…?” She drifted off, letting it be its own question.

Kyra was quick to dismiss her. “No.” A shake of her head for good measure. “Maybe once. But that was a long time ago." She looked at Kassandra again, eyes drifting down to where her shirt parted over her collar bones. "I have other interests now.”

Kassandra took another sip from her glass. “I see.”

Their eyes met for a moment, Kassandra’s glowing gold in the dim light. “Another drink?” She nodded to the glass Kyra had just finished.

“I’ll get this round.”

Kassandra lifted her glass. “I’ll drink to that,” and then she drained the rest.

When Kyra returned, almost ten minutes later, she had to squeeze between more and more people as the bar filled up for the night. A band was just starting to set up next to the window.

This time, when Kyra handed over their next round, it was in the form of rum. Talk turned away from business, until Kyra was tipsy enough to rest her hand on Kassandra’s bicep. “You have to tell me, who is Alkibiades and why haven’t you fired him yet?”

Kassandra roared with laughter, doubling over. “Alkibiades? He’s an old friend, and he does good work, just not as a receptionist.”

“There was—” Kyra started, but was too busy laughing. “There was tequila in his desk drawer. A handle of tequila!”

“I’m not even surprised,” Kassandra said. Her grin was contagious, her laughter enough to make Kyra's stomach do funny things.

They’d gravitated towards each other over the course of the night, especially since the live music started and they could barely hear each other talk anymore.

Kyra’s phone suddenly lit up on the table and she winced. Thaletas.

Kassandra must have been watching her expression, because she frowned. “You don’t have to respond to him.”

“I should. Usually it’s not—not this bad.”

Kassandra didn’t look convinced. Was she remotely drunk? Even tipsy? She certainly didn’t look it.

Kyra had been feeling more than fine, but Thaletas—even just his face—had a sobering effect.

“You’re not going to feel better until you talk to him, are you?” Kassandra asked.

“I—”

“Come on then,” she said, resolute, and ushered Kyra up off the couch.

Standing up only made her realize the two—three—drinks in her on top of an empty stomach wasn’t doing wonders for her constitution. Kassandra, however, seemed as steady as ever. 

“Are you even tipsy?” Kyra asked, incredulous.

“Me?” She let out a laugh. “No. Why? Are you?”

“No,” Kyra insisted, even though it wasn’t true and she knew Kassandra was aware of it.

Her skin leapt at the brush of Kassandra’s hand across hers. Someone tried to squeeze in between them to get around, and Kassandra took her hand, threading their fingers together to weave through the crowd without getting separated. Her touch was warm, palm calloused.

It made Kyra think of all that her hands could do. All that she wanted them to do.

She swallowed hard, glancing at Kassandra’s face as they made their way through the packed space, but she didn’t appear to think anything was out of the ordinary. Nor would she. She was just a flirt, that was all. And a damn good one at that.

Outside, they stood against the wall, walking far enough away from the bar to get away from the smokers hanging around outside.

Kyra pulled out her phone. Another three missed calls from Thaletas, along with an ominous “call me” text.  

She hesitated with her finger over the ‘call back’ button, then pressed it anyway. What else was there to do?

Still, even as she waited for it to ring, her gaze drifted down Kassandra’s form as she leaned against the wall nearby, and had a gut feeling she’d made the wrong decision.