Caught in the moment

Alex Wilson was a man of action. The moment he decided that filming would start in a week, he made sure every moving part of the production was set into motion. Flights were booked, and every crew member—from the lead actors to the background extras—had a seat on a plane with their name on it.

Since the Park Hyatt Tokyo was his now (a flex he was enjoying a little too much), housing was no longer an issue. Everyone would be staying in his brand-new five-star hotel, which, in hindsight, made him wonder if he had just turned his luxury purchase into the world's most expensive Airbnb.

But whatever. Logistics were smooth, everything was on schedule, and for once, Rachel wasn't threatening to quit. Yet.

While Alex was basking in the glory of his own efficiency, Rachel had been fighting the real battle: getting filming permits.

Rachel was good at her job. No... she was amazing at it. But dealing with Tokyo's bureaucratic nightmare of permissions, paperwork, and overly enthusiastic government officials who suddenly loved rules was something else.

She had spent hours in meetings, negotiating in broken Japanese, exchanging business cards with an alarming number of suited men, and fake-smiling her way through countless cups of matcha tea.

By the time she finally secured the last signature, she had aged ten years, mentally cussed out three city officials in her head, and drank so much green tea that she was pretty sure her blood had been replaced with antioxidants.

She stumbled back into Alex's suite at the hotel, exhausted, only to find him lounging on the couch, sipping whiskey like a man who had not been through bureaucratic hell.

Rachel narrowed her eyes. "You owe me so much alcohol."

Alex glanced at her, smirking. "Rough day?"

Rachel threw her iPad onto the coffee table, collapsing onto the couch. "You mean 'three days of literal hell'? Yes. Yes, it was." She rubbed her temples. "I swear, getting security clearance for the White House might be easier than getting a filming permit for Shibuya Crossing."

Alex chuckled, completely unfazed. "I knew you'd handle it."

Rachel turned her head, staring at him. "You knew I'd handle it? THAT'S what you have to say?"

Alex lifted his glass in a toast. "And you did it beautifully."

Rachel let out a long, slow exhale. "I hate you."

"You love me."

"No. Hate."

Alex grinned. "That's just love with extra steps."

Rachel groaned, throwing a cushion at him.

...

The next day, Alex, in a rare moment of generosity (or maybe just wanting Rachel to stop plotting his untimely demise), booked a luxury Japanese massage for the two of them.

Rachel squinted at him suspiciously. "Wait… you're thanking me with a massage?"

Alex smirked. "You spent three days fighting Japanese bureaucracy. Figured you could use some relaxation."

Rachel eyed him. "This isn't one of those happy ending places, right?"

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Do you want it to be?"

Rachel pretended to think. "I mean… if you're paying..."

"No."

She sighed dramatically. "Well, there goes my retirement plan."

Alex shook his head. "Jesus, Rachel."

Rachel smirked. "Just saying, if you're offering, I'd expect top-tier service. Oils, candles, maybe some romantic flute music..."

"I regret this decision."

Rachel clapped him on the shoulder. "Too late. Let's go get rubbed down."

Alex groaned. This was going to be a long day.

...

[Spa]

Alex and Rachel stepped into the spa, immediately enveloped by the calming scent of sandalwood and the soft trickle of water from an indoor fountain. Gentle instrumental music played in the background, and the entire atmosphere practically whispered: Relax, you uptight capitalists.

Two young Japanese masseuses greeted them with polite bows, dressed in traditional white spa uniforms. They guided Alex and Rachel toward their respective massage tables, instructing them to lie down.

Rachel stretched dramatically. "Alright, let's see if this was worth three days of paperwork-induced suffering."

Alex smirked. "You're welcome, by the way."

Rachel settled onto the massage table, and their assigned masseuses—two girls named Yuki and Sora—began their work. Yuki, a petite woman with a soft voice, started on Rachel's shoulders, while Sora, who was just as tiny but surprisingly strong, focused on Alex's back.

As soon as Sora pressed her hands onto Alex's shoulders, he let out an involuntary groan. "Holy... where did you get hands like that?"

Sora giggled. "I train many years."

Rachel, her face smushed into the massage table, snorted. "Jesus, Alex, at least take her to dinner first."

"Shut up," he muttered, already melting under the expert pressure of Sora's hands.

Rachel sighed in pure bliss as Yuki worked out a particularly stubborn knot in her back. "Oh my God. I think I just ascended."

Yuki giggled. "You have much stress."

"You have no idea," Rachel groaned. "I work for him." She jerked a thumb in Alex's direction.

Alex, eyes closed, gave a lazy smirk. "She loves her job."

Rachel scoffed. "I tolerate my job."

"You love me."

"I love this massage."

Sora and Yuki exchanged amused looks before continuing their work, expertly kneading out the tension in both of them.

As the massage progressed, Alex and Rachel fell into a comfortable silence, both too relaxed to keep up their usual banter. That was, until...

"You're making some very questionable noises, Wilson," Rachel murmured, her voice dripping with amusement.

Alex cracked one eye open. "It's called enjoying myself."

Rachel smirked. "Yeah? Because you sound like one deep breath away from moaning."

Alex exhaled slowly as Sora pressed her thumbs into the base of his spine. "If I moan, it's because she's performing actual witchcraft on my back."

Yuki giggled. "Massage is like magic."

Rachel sighed dreamily. "If I don't leave here as a new woman, I want a refund."

Sora chuckled. "No refunds. Only relaxation."

Rachel hummed. "Fair trade."

...

[Sauna]

Feeling like two boneless pieces of expensive meat, Alex and Rachel shuffled into the spa's private sauna, wrapped in fluffy white towels. The room was warm and dimly lit, with wooden benches surrounding a small pile of heated stones that radiated gentle heat.

Rachel collapsed onto a bench with a sigh. "I take back every insult I've ever thrown at you."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Every insult? Ever?"

Rachel considered. "Okay, maybe not the ones about you being a rich, insufferable control freak. But some of them."

Alex smirked, leaning back against the wall. "I'll take what I can get."

The two of them sat in comfortable silence, letting the heat soak into their muscles. The only sound was the faint hiss of steam and their relaxed breathing.

Rachel leaned her head back, closing her eyes. "You know… if work always included luxury massages and private saunas, I might stop threatening to quit every week."

Alex chuckled. "Noted. I'll have HR draft a 'bribery with spa days' policy."

Rachel grinned, eyes still closed. "Smart man."

Alex watched as a bead of sweat rolled down her collarbone, disappearing beneath the edge of her towel. His gaze flicked away, focusing on the wooden ceiling instead. Not going there, he told himself.

Rachel sighed in pure bliss. "I swear, I'm never leaving this sauna."

And that's exactly when the towel disaster happened.

Rachel shifted slightly, stretching out her legs. As she did, the knot securing her towel decided it had had enough of existing and promptly came undone.

In the span of two seconds, the towel slipped completely off, leaving Rachel sitting there—utterly, completely naked.

There was a beat of silence.

Alex, to his credit, didn't immediately react. He blinked once. Twice. Then, very calmly, turned his head to stare straight at the wall.

Rachel, completely unaware at first, stretched her arms with a contented sigh. "God, I feel amazing."

Alex cleared his throat. "Uh—"

Rachel finally glanced down.

Paused.

Processed.

"OH MY GOD!"

She grabbed her towel and scrambled to wrap it back around herself, turning bright red. "DID THAT JUST—DID YOU—OH MY GOD—"

Alex, still staring at the wall like it was the most fascinating thing in existence, lifted his hands in surrender. "I saw nothing."

Rachel narrowed her eyes. "YOU SAW EVERYTHING."

Alex coughed. 'Holy shit! She got nipple piercings. Oh, Rachel... That was just hot.'

Rachel was still clutching the towel to her chest, her face burning hotter than the sauna itself. "I cannot believe that just happened."

Alex, still very much committed to staring at the wooden panels on the ceiling, let out a slow breath. "For what it's worth, I'm handling this with the utmost professionalism."

Rachel scoffed. "Professionalism? You literally just coughed while implying you saw everything."

Alex smirked but didn't look at her. "I said nothing."

"You implied everything."

He finally turned his head, arching a brow at her. "Alright, fine. Yes, I may have seen something."

Rachel groaned, throwing her head back against the bench. "Oh, great. Well, go ahead. Let's hear it."

Alex tilted his head. "Hear what?"

"The smartass comment. The teasing. The jokes. Come on, Wilson. I know you're dying to say something."

Alex shrugged, a slow, mischievous smile playing on his lips. "No jokes, actually. Just... an observation."

Rachel eyed him warily. "Uh-huh."

His gaze flickered down—not enough to be obvious, but enough that she felt it. "Didn't take you for the 'when life gives you lemons' type."

She blinked. "Excuse me?"

He smirked, leaning back against the bench. "Your tattoo. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade... written in Chinese, right? Under your right breast."

Rachel let out a suffering groan and covered her face with one hand. "Oh my God."

Alex chuckled. "Not gonna lie, I didn't peg you as the inspirational tattoo type."

Rachel let out a long sigh, finally dropping her hand and resting her head against the bench. "I had one of those episodes."

Alex raised a brow. "One of those episodes?"

She waved a hand vaguely. "You know. Early twenties. Existential crisis. Drank way too much, made some questionable choices, ended up with some stupid tattoos and a couple of piercings."

Alex grinned. "So what you're telling me is that at some point in your life, you were a hot mess."

Rachel shot him a deadpan look. "I mean… aren't we all?"

Alex laughed. "Fair point." His gaze flickered to her towel-covered chest again, but just for a second. "The tattoo suits you, though."

Rachel snorted. "Oh, please."

"I'm serious." Alex leaned in slightly, his voice dropping an octave. "It's bold. A little impulsive. But still kind of brilliant."

Rachel's lips twitched. "So you're saying my bad decisions are... brilliant?"

Alex smirked. "Some bad decisions are worth making."

Rachel felt her stomach flip slightly at the way he said it—low, confident, teasing but just sincere enough to make her pulse skip. She swallowed, shaking off the sudden warmth that had nothing to do with the sauna. "Well, I'm glad you approve of my past stupidity."

Alex grinned. "What about the piercings?"

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "What about them?"

Alex shrugged, a teasing glint in his eyes. "How many?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Wouldn't you like to know."

Alex grinned. "I mean, I did accidentally see..."

"Okay, nope," Rachel cut him off, pointing a stern finger at him. "We are not going there."

Alex laughed. "Relax, I'm just messing with you."

Rachel smirked. "Uh-huh. Sure you are."

A beat of silence. The sauna was warm, their skin slick with sweat, and the air between them felt charged in a way neither of them wanted to acknowledge.

And then Rachel, with that same mischievous look Alex had come to recognize—and occasionally fear—stood up.

Alex's brows furrowed slightly. "What are you doing?"

Rachel stretched, deliberately slow, before giving him a smirk. "Well, Wilson, since you saw everything, I think it's only fair that you return the favor."

He arched an eyebrow, amusement flickering in his eyes. "Only fair, huh?"

She smirked, arms crossed. "That's right. Unless you're scared."

Alex chuckled, shaking his head. "Scared? Not even close." Without breaking eye contact, he reached for the knot of his towel and, with an almost lazy flick of his fingers, let it drop to the sauna floor.

Rachel's smirk faltered for a split second before it returned, though there was a definite shift in her expression. Her gaze dropped because how could it not? And for a moment, she simply… stared.

'Dang! Boss, fuck me on your office table, I've been a bad girl.' 

Then, in true Rachel fashion, she whistled low and slow. "Damn, Wilson. Guess money isn't the only thing you're packing."

Alex grinned. "Flattered."

Rachel took a step forward, closing the distance between them until she was right in front of him. Close enough to feel the heat radiating off his skin, the steam curling between them like something alive. Her fingers trailed down his chest, slow and deliberate, following the defined ridges of muscle. She didn't stop until her fingertips skimmed lower, brushing over cock just enough to make his breath hitch.

She looked up, her eyes dark with something unreadable. "Don't think I'll sleep with you just because you have a sexy body and a big cock," she murmured, voice laced with amusement.

Alex smirked. "Who said I was asking you to sleep with me?"

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "You mean you're not?"

"Depends," Alex said, meeting her gaze with a wicked glint in his eyes. "You want me to ask nicely?"

Rachel's lips curved into a smile that was equal parts playful and dangerous. "Maybe."

Alex leaned in until his mouth was a hair's breadth away from hers. His voice dropped to a low rumble that made her knees weak. "Rachel..."

She tilted her head slightly, her lips brushing against his as she spoke. "Yeah?"

Alex's hands settled on her hips, pulling her closer. "You've been a bad girl, you know that right?"

'Huh?! Wha- How the hell did he...? No, no. Focus, Rachel! Focus!'

Rachel licked her lips. "And what are you gonna do about it, Boss?"

Alex chuckled, his breath hot against her skin. "Get on your knees and blow me, like a good girl."

Rachel smirked, trailing her fingers down his abs. She leaned in, whispering in his ear. "Make me."

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[7 advance chs] [All chs available for all tiers] 

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