After hours

You finish the work day, skipping lunch to catch up with your work, and head to the Rice Room. While on the subway, you open the app and look around. You notice with some amusement that Nadia's lust score had gone back to zero.

Nadia Malyshev

• Affection Score: -35 (0)
• Love: -28 (0)
• Lust: 0 (-5)
• Notes: Mother of Karina Malyshev. Your wife.

Alex's score had also changed after your morning meeting.

Alex Beldwardi

• Affection Score: 7 (+4)
• Love: 0 (0)
• Lust: 0 (0)
• Notes: SVP of Operations at SlidingTech, Inc. You have known him since he started working alongside you a decade ago.

Wow, he must have really appreciated you being there to help him, to jump up by four points. Perhaps the promotion is weighing on him more heavily than he let on - it is no small thing to be elevated so high in a company, and so quickly at that. At this rate, you will be in the "friend zone" within two weeks, but you need more than that. You think back over the years, to everything you know about Alex. He likes iced coffee from the coffee shop on the ground floor of the building, indie rock music, and what he calls "ebony" women. One of those is pretty easy for you to work with, so you decided to bring him a coffee in the morning.

The train reaches your stop, so you shuffle off of the train car alongside the other working-class zombies and walk the familiar path to the Rice Room. The bouncer, Dmitri, waves as you walk up to him.

"Dmitri, didn't know you were working tonight."

"Aye, I am. You working the bar?"

"Yep, Anastasia asked me to come in and help her."

The old, grizzled man laughs and slaps you on the shoulder.

"Have fun with that gal - don't pour them too strong. I want an easy night."

You wink at Dmitri and enter the bar. Anastasia is already behind the counter, the happy hour crowd sitting heavily along it, sloshing drinks in hand. She waves to you as you walk into the dimly lit room. You shoot her a smile and head to the back, quickly changing in the bathroom, and returning back outside in black pants and a black button-down.

"Hey Lev, about time you got here," she says, as you walk behind the counter.

"Hey Ana, how's it going? Seems busy."

"The happy hour crowd is here, so yeah. Start grabbing people as they come in, please. I'm drowning over here."

You laugh at the younger girl, eyeing her up and down. Like always, she is wearing skin-tight clothes that accentuate every contour of her curves. A black cotton deep v-neck wraps around her waist and breasts, the latter pressing outwards and exposing themselves through the tight crack of her cleavage. Her hair is woven in braids, pulled back into a ponytail, her bangs standing against her forehead as they sway with her movements. Black leggings cling to her legs and ass, pulling inwards against the crack between her two strong cheeks and enticing your eyes downwards as she turns her back to you.

"You going to work, or stare at me all night?" she asks, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry, Ana. You're a beautiful woman, you know," you tease her.

"Too beautiful for you, old man," she shoots back, already falling into your familiar game.

Still, you know you need to start working. Ana really does need the help. You check on the patrons along the bar, offering refills and mixing drinks. The night blurs by as you and Ana work the bar, the crowd waxing and waning depending on the hour until it begins to calm more fully.

"Alright, I think I can handle it from here," she says. You check your watch - half-past nine.

"Are you sure? I can stay till close."

"Nah, it's fine. Thanks for helping me today. Go home and see your family."

She hands you a hundred dollars, as well as your share of the tips for the night. Almost four hundred bucks - not as much as what you make with Ivan, but certainly much less illegal.

"Thank you, Ana. Let me know when you need my help again. I'm always here for you."

"Aw, give me a hug you sappy old fart. Thanks again."

Her hands dart through your shoulders, taking you by surprise, as she squeezes you against her. Her breasts press into your chest, an unfamiliar sensation after so many years, but one that immediately awakens something within you. A beast, you know, that seems to be stirred much easier than only a few days ago - not violent, just hungry. A deep, pervasive hunger that desires to consume the world.

You wrap your arms around her in response, your hands landing on the lower part of her back, as she squeezes against you, your fingers gently caressing the stretched fabric pressing against her skin. A calling patron pulls her away, but not before you notice an unusual blush on her cheeks.

"See you, Lev," she calls over her shoulder, already on to the next order.

"Bye, Ana," you murmur, and leave the bar.

On your way home, you pop open your phone to see what is new in the app. No achievements - figures - but you see a ton of new relationship bubbles on the relationship screen. Dmitri, as well as some of the people you met at the bar, although the latter seems to be fading away. Perhaps your connection to them was not strong enough.

You click on Ana's name though, curious to see the result of your evening with her.

Anastasia Gorvachev

• Affection Score: 18 (+4)
• Love: 6 (+3)
• Lust: 4 (+3)
• Notes: Daughter of Ivan Gorvachev. Bartender at the Rice Room. Your cousin.

The biggest increase thus far, and it is with your cousin? It both frightens and amuses you. And a lust score of four - what was that about? Perhaps she enjoyed your leering game and your parting hug more than she let on - the unfamiliar blush on her cheeks suddenly explained. And, you realize, the Blood for Blood achievement is ticking her score upwards even more quickly.

Confusing thoughts about Ana permeate your mind on your way home, confusion still wracking your body about the new desires you never considered before. Ana is your cousin, sure, but it is not that bad, right? It's not like she's your daughter.