The Heart System Nov Chapter 62

Chapter 62: Chapter 62

I sat down on the edge of the massage table, exhaling hard. My hands shook slightly as I reached for my cigarettes. The lighter clicked, the fla caught, and I drew in a long drag, letting the smoke fill my lungs before blowing it out.

The ceiling above

blurred through the haze. Maybe I should’ve used more oil...? No. Shit, no. I need sothing stronger for her. Stronger than that. But what?

I tapped ash onto the floor, dragged again, and leaned back. The room slled of perfu and oil, sweat and smoke. My head spun with it.

Two minutes later, I heard footsteps again. Sharp, quick, echoing down the hall. High-heels. Lighter than Anotov’s, faster.

I cocked an eyebrow, took another drag, and sure enough, the door burst open.

Susan stord in, all fire and energy, but her voice was nothing like before. Not the cold receptionist bark I’d gotten earlier. Now she was practically glowing.

"You beautiful perverted bastard!" she cried, grinning wide. "She liked the massage a lot! A LOT!"

I blinked, cigarette halfway to my lips. "She did?"

"She tipped you," Susan said, rushing toward . "Five thousand. And she tipped

double that for recomnding you. Ten thousand total."

I choked on the smoke, coughing it out. "Ten thousand? Holy fucking shit."

"Yes!" she squealed, bouncing on her heels. "God, if she shares this on her social dia, we’ll get soooo many custors!"

"Yaaay," I deadpanned, flicking ash onto the floor. "I’m so happy for the company I don’t even work for. Truly, I’m overjoyed."

"Don’t be such a dick," she said, smacking

lightly on the shoulder. "Give

a cigarette."

I dug into my pack and slid one out, handing it to her. She stuck it between her lips, and I leaned forward with my lighter. The fla touched the tip, and she inhaled, her eyes closing briefly as the smoke curled upward.

For a mont, it was just the two of us sitting there, side by side, smoke drifting in the air, both thinking about the sa woman who’d just walked out.

"I should get a massage from you soti," Susan said, lips curling into a sly smirk as she held her cigarette between two painted nails. She tilted her head back, exhaling smoke like she was trying to fog up the whole damn ceiling.

I gave a half-shrug, leaning on the table beside her.

"How can you be so good at this?" she added, her eyes narrowing, like she couldn’t decide if she wanted to praise

or interrogate .

"I’m self-taught," I said. "Watched so videos, read so articles..."

She squinted at , then barked a laugh. "Watched a lot of porn, too."

I grinned, flicking ash into the tray. "And that. Maybe. I’m not confirming nor denying."

We both chuckled—short, sharp little laughs that fizzled out just as fast as they ca. When the sound died, the silence crept in, heavy and awkward. The only noise left in the room was the faint hiss of our cigarettes and the occasional pop from the wax candles burning low. Funny thing was, it didn’t feel bad. For once, the tension wasn’t choking . Almost... soothing.

"So," I finally said, breaking the stillness. "I massaged her. Got her to post this parlor on her social dia. That’s a win for the place, right?"

Susan took a slow drag, then leaned in and blew the smoke right into my face. My eyes watered as I waved it away. She smiled like she enjoyed watching

squirm.

"Yeah?" she said, voice airy.

"Do I... get a reward?" I asked, grinning, but my tone was half-serious.

Her smirk widened. "A reward?"

"I an," I coughed once, still batting the smoke away, "you know, sothing extra. Like... I don’t know."

Her eyes sharpened, her lips curling with amusent. "I’m not going to fuck you."

"Damn," I muttered, pretending to pout. Then I cleared my throat and leaned in with mock seriousness. "How about a quickie, though?"

Her brow arched, cigarette dangling dangerously close to the edge of her lips. "You really want a quickie as a reward? Not money? Not another fat tip?"

"Yep."

"Why?" She leaned forward now, her elbows on her knees, studying

like I was so kind of lab rat that had just done a trick.

I dragged hard on my cigarette, let the smoke curl between us, and said, "I like... won like you."

Her eyes flickered. "Tough. Stern."

I nodded. "Exactly. And I like—"

"You like breaking them," she cut in, her tone suddenly cold, sharp like glass.

My heart stopped.

The words punched

in the gut so hard I almost dropped my cigarette. "Wait, wait, wait..."

Susan leaned back against the table, her smirk returning but now darker, heavier, like she knew she had

cornered. "You rented a room here, right? I put a cara in the there. To make sure you weren’t raping anybody. And, secondly, to threaten you into massaging Mrs. Anotov if you didn’t agree."

"Ah, fuck," I muttered, pinching the bridge of my nose. The smoke in my lungs turned sour.

"And," she added, stabbing the air with her cigarette, "your friend outside saw it, too."

My head snapped up. "What friend?"

"Kayla wasn’t alone. Apparently, she ca with her friend. Ivy. She listened right outside the door. Heard everything."

The na dropped like a brick in my chest. "Ivy?" My cigarette suddenly weighed ten kilos in my fingers. "No, no, no, no. Shit."

Susan’s lips twitched into a victorious grin. "So no, Evan. You can take your reward and shove it up your ass. You should be happy I’m giving you the tip."

I didn’t even hear the rest. My head spun, the room shrinking around . I muttered to myself, voice shaking, "I gotta talk to her... She heard everything... fuck. Fuuuck."

—

The next morning, I couldn’t drag myself to work. My head was still pounding from last night. Instead, I took a long walk into the heart of the city, clutching a cheap cup of coffee like it was the only thing keeping

alive.

By the ti I reached Ivy’s place, my nerves were fried. Her building was one of those towering, polished complexes where the glass shined like it had sothing to prove. Busy streets sward with shoppers and businessn, the kind of place I knew I couldn’t afford even if I sold my soul three tis over.

I stopped at her door, took a breath, and knocked twice. My knuckles echoed like gunshots.

It wasn’t Ivy who answered.

The door swung open, and there she was—Delilah. Ivy’s mom.

And holy shit, if ti had been kind to anyone, it was her.

She leaned on the fra, her short brown hair framing a face that was softer now but still stupidly beautiful. Kind eyes. Lips that always seed on the edge of a smile. And her body? Fuck. Her tits were full, round, practically bouncing with the smallest movent. Her ass curved perfect under her house shorts, each step making it jiggle just enough to remind

she was dangerous territory.

For a mont, I just stood there, frozen. All the old mories ca rushing back—the bathroom, the panties, the way she caught

staring when I was nineteen.

"Evan," she said finally, tilting her head like she wasn’t sure if she should smile or scold . "What a surprise."

"Y-yeah," I stamred, shifting on my feet. "Hey."

Her eyes narrowed a fraction, amused. She crossed her arms under her chest, making them lift just slightly. "Been a long ti."

I scratched my neck, suddenly feeling fifteen again. "Yeah. Long ti."

The mory hit

hard: how she’d caught

back then, staring at her underwear like an idiot. I was in their bathroom—I had to be at least nineteen or twenty. After taking care of my business and about to wash my hands, I saw her panties... just lying there. Under the sink. I fucking stared at them for about two minutes. Imagining her under , that kind of stuff.

Aaand, she caught . Opened the door and saw .

She didn’t sha . She just... handed

those panties like it was nothing. Like she knew exactly what I’d do with them later.

And fuck , I did. More tis than I could count.

Now here she was, standing in front of

like no ti had passed. Still gorgeous. Still dangerous. Still making

feel like my brain had short-circuited.

She gave

that little smile, tilting her head. "What brings you here?"

I swallowed hard, realizing my throat had gone dry. "I, uh... need to talk to Ivy."

Delilah leaned against the doorfra, one hip jutting out casually. Her movent was subtle, but my eyes betrayed

and dropped for half a second before snapping back up. She noticed. Of course she did.

Her lips curved into a knowing smirk, but she didn’t call

out. Instead, she stepped aside, gesturing toward the inside of the flat. "Co in."