CHAPTER 62: HAND JOB SECURITY

After that moment, neither Nash nor Zayela said a word. The steam in the bathroom seemed heavier, like even the air didn’t know what to do with itself.

Zayela’s breathing slowed, her eyes distant, a sort of post-climax clarity striking her. And with it, the reality hit: Nash was her cousin. The fact hadn’t mattered a minute ago, but now it pressed against her thoughts.

What the hell was she thinking? In that moment, she finally owned up to it, at least to herself. Everything she’d done so far was, well, seriously messed up.

He wasn’t just someone she lived with as siblings; he was his literal cousin.

Nash kept his gaze to the side. Out of habit, his eyes flicked to the System.

[SYSTEM MESSAGE]:

Recommendation: Rest.

Quest Available: Abstain from having sexual intercourse for the next 8 hours.

Time Left: 07:38:12

He sighed.

They got out, dried off, and left the bathroom behind. The only noise was the soft drip of water, and then even that faded, swallowed up by the quiet noise of the apartment.

Dinner was awkward as hell. Nash sat across from her, picking at his food. His plate was getting colder than his mood. He should’ve felt victorious or something, but he just felt off. Like something was chewing him up inside.

Ever since his stats shot up, the cousin thing stopped being a big deal. If not for the System, he wouldn’t even have met Victoria today. If the System hadn’t slapped down its rules, he knew where he’d be right now, back in bed, turning the place upside down with Zayela.

The pulse in him was still strong, so strong he could almost ignore the ache in his cock. But the problem wasn’t just desire.

He’d gone to the Red Zone and got everything a man could want in that kind of place. He’d done it so much that his brain was short-circuiting.

Now, he needed to feel something different. Something more than just his dick in a pussy.

And then there was Zayela. Today was today, but tomorrow? He knew he’d want her again. That was dangerous. Knowing her triggers, pushing her wrong could ruin everything.

One wrong move, and he’d lose her for good. Right now, the vibe was dead, and talking to her felt like tiptoeing through a minefield.

So, what were his options?

Option one: play it cool, respect the quest, but risk her shutting him out forever.

Option two: try to reassure her he felt the same as her, but with only one bed and the earlier tension, get pinned instantly.

Option three: ...

He swallowed.

Across the table, Zayela looked lost in her own head. She nibbled an oyster, hand resting on the table. She looked deep in thought, her usual spark dimmed but not gone.

Then Nash reached over, slow and careful, and slid his hand onto hers. Her fingers jerked in surprise. There was a tiny pause as she glanced up at him.

He didn’t look at her right away; his gaze wandered off, all shy and uncertain, like he suddenly forgot how to talk. For a second, she just watched him.

The tension stretched tight...and then it eased.

A slow, sly little smile tugged at her lips, chasing away the blankness. She turned her palm up, let her fingers open, and curled them around his.

Their eyes finally met, and in that moment, yeah, words weren’t needed. They both knew it: what happened happened, they were okay, and there was no going back.

She laced her fingers through his, holding on to him.

[ZAYELA – Bond Status]

• Type: Strained Desire

• Affection: 92%

• Lust: 55%

• Trust: 84%

• Bond Sync: 2/5 → 3/5 – Deep Trust

Night fell quietly, and Nash drifted off almost instantly, saving him at least from anything more tonight.

he was finally over with this very long day, but the system wasn’t done with him.

[SYSTEM MESSAGE – Performance Evaluation]

Public Impact BonusYou impressed an exceptional number of people today.

Reward: +5 SP, +5 Strength, +5 Control

Contract Acquisition BonusSecured a high-value contract with lasting influence.Reward: +1,000 Credits/day (permanent)

Endurance Feat – Iron BodyWithstood multiple high-intensity sexual encounters without climax.Trait Unlocked: Iron Body – Endurance greatly increased, stamina drain reduced under prolonged strain.

Seduction Feat – Tenfold ConquestSeduced over 10 women and engaged in 4 separate sexual encounters in one day.Trait Unlocked: Irresistible Charm – Women are 10% more likely to fall in love with you; resistance to your advances reduced. You are perceived as the ideal man for any woman’s personal tastes.

Dominance Feat – Alpha AuraMaintained dominance across multiple simultaneous conquests.Trait Unlocked: Alpha Aura – Presence becomes naturally dominant. Strengthens in proportion to the number of women claimed; women in proximity feel heightened attraction especially when you’re in multiple relationships.

Grand Reward

Credits: +30,000

Strength: +10

Control: +10

SP: +20

When the messages faded, Nash’s breathing deepened.

While he slept next to Zayela, his body was quietly adapting to the day’s strain and the System’s new gifts.

Muscles, nerves, and even the rhythm of his heartbeat were shifting to match the changes.

The ache in him faded under the pull of exhaustion, but a subtle, unseen current ran through him, something new taking root.

In that moment, Nash didn’t know it yet, but a real phenomenon had just been born.

Light sliced through the blinds, landing in skinny little stripes across the bed. Zayela was still dead to the world, tangled up under the covers.

Nash just sat there, not even really sitting, more like slumping against the headboard, staring at his System tab like it had grown teeth.

He barely moved, didn’t even blink, really. Eyes huge, like he’d just seen a ghost do the Macarena.

He looked at those numbers.

Strength: 58.

Control: 83.

Court Sense: 90.

Passing: 95....

Seduction stats? Off the charts, way higher than he’d ever dreamed. Plus, the new passives: Iron Body, Irresistible Charm, Alpha Aura.

Each one sounded like it belonged in some over-the-top God of Love. All his stats were phenomenal, but that wasn’t the real kicker.

Credits: 53,245

+1,000 Credits Daily (permanent)

30PP

37BP

25SP

His jaw just dropped.

"...What the hell..."

Fifty-three thousands credits. Holy crap. That was rent for, what, three years?

Or a shiny car, all cash, no payments. Hell, he could just blow it traveling to check the outside world at least for one day and pretending to be an influencer.

This was the kind of cash you’d only ever seen in dumb flexes or when some guy won the lottery.

And the daily bonus? A thousand bucks, every single morning, just for existing.

No job, no hustle, no pyramid scheme.

Just wake up one day and, boom, free money. Thirty thousand a month. Three hundred sixty grand a year. That was not a number, that was a whole new life.

And that was outside of his contract, so he was becoming a living ATM.

He just kept staring at the screen, heart thumping like he’d mainlined three espressos. This wasn’t luck. It wasn’t a "nice little bonus." It was flipping everything upside down.

Nash took a slow breath and glanced at the quest timer. Thirteen minutes left before the special quest ended.

Just thirteen minutes. He had already won, he knew it. All he had to do was get the hell out of before Zayela woke up, so he wouldn’t fuck her brain out and his rewards.

He had a perfect excuse anyway: the meeting with Victoria.

But damn... He really feels this urge... This burning to flex the money.

He looked at Zayela, still sleeping. Part of him wanted to toss 20,000 credits onto the bed just to watch her eyes go wide and hear her scream in joy.

Nothing dirty, just a show, proof that he carried everything even more.

But twice before, money had led him straight into the fuck zone, and this time?

This time he was holding the line. He was not getting fucked... at least not until the next hour.

Quietly, he slid out of bed. His bare feet touched the cool floor. A simple pair of shorts, a shirt, that was all he bothered with.

Who cared about more? If he needed anything, he’d buy it on the way. Hell, he’d buy everything on the way.

He stepped out of the hotel into the fresh morning air, the city still waking up. His steps took him to the alley right beside the building, hidden from the street.

There, he opened his stat menu. He cracked his fingers.

"Time for the best moment of the day."

Nash flicked through his stats.

30PP stared back at him, taunting.

No way he was gonna screw this up.

First up: Agility. He had always been quick, but in this world? Being merely "fast" meant squat.

6PP dumped right in. Now his legs felt springy, like he could juke a ghost. Defenders? They’d be spinning before they even realized he’d moved.

Next, Reflex. Another 6. That little difference between finessing a pass mid-stride or just fumbling it like a scrub was gold.

And would help snatching the ball outta someone’s dribble.

In crunch time, a half-second was the difference between hero and meme material.

5 got five, stamina too, then it became more complicated.

He wanted to drop them into his defense, but... He couldn’t keep thinking like before, like a ghost player.

The previous Nash knew the importance of a complete player, but now that he was about to join a team, he had to act more strategically.

He was about to become their ace, not the one man army.

Jaz should suffice for this part, at least for the beginning.

Passing +5.

Short shot +3.

With that, his passing stats were his first stat maxed out. Straight up one hundred.

It was his best ability, so maxing it when he could seemed like the good move.

Every pass now would be laser-guided. No more dumb turnovers.

When he finished, he felt a little disappointed by how quickly the points vanished. 30 felt so big... but it was worth it.

His stats looked wonderful now.

Enormous, yeah, but more than that, he felt it. Muscles twitchy, mind locked in.

This was his favorite bit: that hush, right before it all kicks off, when only he was in on the secret, he was about to be a whole new problem to the league.