She Used Me for a Dare… Now I Own Her Mother

Chapter 247: Gratitude

”So tell me, Alex...” Catherine’s fingers traced his jawline with deliberate slowness. ”Do you really want to keep reading?”

Her dark eyes held promise.

”Or would you prefer something far more memorable?”

Alex’s eyes tracked Catherine’s posture. The confident tilt of her head. The way crimson silk draped across her enhanced body, clinging to curves that Apex realm had refined to perfection.

’The book can wait...’

His attention returned to Catherine’s dark eyes, reading the promise there... gratitude mixed with desire, power wrapped in silk.

’This scene, however definitely can’t wait.’

Alex’s slight smile emerged as he leaned back in his chair, meeting her gaze directly.

”That depends,” he said quietly. ”On whether you can actually deliver on what those eyes are promising.”

Catherine’s answering smile was pure satisfaction.

”Oh, I think we can manage.”

She stepped back, silk robe whispering against marble as she moved toward the reading area where plush chairs surrounded a low table.

Then paused, glancing back over her shoulder.

”But first...”

Her hand found the robe’s silk tie at her waist. One deliberate pull loosened it.

The crimson fabric parted slightly, revealing smooth skin and the curve of her enhanced body beneath.

”Let me get more comfortable.”

Alex rose from his chair, noting the subtle shift in their postures. The way they moved with enhanced grace. The complete confidence in their upgraded bodies.

They looked eager.

Not just seductive. Not just grateful.

Eager to test their new strength against him.

Catherine confirmed it as she approached the table, her movements deliberately sensual.

”You know,” she said, trailing her fingers across the polished surface, ”Apex realm comes with certain... advantages.”

She leaned forward, placing both palms flat on the table. The motion made her robe fall open further, crimson silk sliding off her shoulders.

Alex’s eyes tracked the movement.

Catherine had positioned herself perfectly... bent over the table at just the right angle, the loose neckline of her robe now revealing far more than it concealed.

Her enhanced body on full display.

And he noticed immediately: her breasts looked... fuller. Rounder. The kind of perfect enhancement that came with Apex realm’s physical refinement.

She’d done it deliberately. Wanted him to see. Wanted him to notice the changes.

Catherine’s dark eyes met his, reading his expression with clear satisfaction.

”Like what you see?” she asked, voice carrying amusement. ”Apex realm doesn’t just enhance strength and speed. Every aspect of the body gets... optimized.”

She arched her back slightly, making the display even more pronounced.

”I thought you might appreciate the details.”

Victoria laughed softly, moving to the opposite side of the table. Her midnight blue robe was still secured, but she matched Catherine’s position... leaning forward, palms flat, creating a mirror image of seductive intent.

”Peak Mortal has its advantages too,” Victoria added, her own neckline falling open as she shifted. ”Maybe not quite as dramatic as Apex, but...”

She let the sentence trail off meaningfully.

Alex’s gaze moved between them, noting the coordinated performance. The way they’d positioned themselves to maximize visual impact. The clear intent behind every movement.

They’re working together. Testing me. Wanting to see if I can handle both of them at once.

His smirk emerged naturally, genuine excitement mixing with strategic calculation.

”You’re both very confident,” Alex observed, moving closer to the table. ”Stronger bodies. Enhanced capabilities. Clearly eager to demonstrate your upgrades.”

He placed his own hands on the table’s edge, leaning forward until his face was inches from Catherine’s.

”But I’m curious about something.”

His voice dropped, Silver Tongue Protocol activating beneath the words.

”Do you really think a little power upgrade means you can handle me now?”

Catherine’s breath caught slightly... barely noticeable, but he caught it.

”We’re about to find out,” she replied, though her voice had lost some of its predatory edge.

Alex’s hand moved to her chin, tilting her face up to meet his gaze directly.

”You’re stronger than me now. Faster. More physically capable. Apex realm giving you advantages I can’t match directly.”

His thumb traced her lower lip.

”But strength isn’t the same as dominance.”

He shifted his attention to Victoria without releasing Catherine, his other hand reaching across the table to trail fingers along Victoria’s exposed collarbone.

”Tonight, you’re both going to learn something interesting about the difference between raw power and actual command.”

Both women’s breath caught simultaneously.

Catherine’s dark eyes widened slightly, pupils dilating as she processed what he was promising.

Not just words. Not empty confidence.

Absolute certainty that despite their enhanced strength, despite Apex and Peak Mortal advantages, he would be the one in control.

Victoria’s lips parted, her expression shifting from playful seduction to genuine anticipation mixed with something deeper... trust laced with desire.

They saw it in his eyes. The promise. The challenge. The inevitability.

Then Alex moved.

His hand slid behind Catherine’s neck, fingers threading through dark hair as he captured her lips in a kiss that carried barely restrained intensity, gratitude, and raw want

Catherine responded instantly. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, legs lifting to circle his waist as he lifted her effortlessly.

Crimson silk bunched between them, barrier and invitation both.

The kiss deepened. Fierce. Demanding.

Catherine matching his intensity with Apex-enhanced strength, testing whether he could actually handle her now that physical advantage belonged to her.

He could.

His grip tightened on her thighs, pulling her closer. Her back met the wall beside the pedestal, the Genesis Chronicle forgotten as they lost themselves in the kind of kiss that answered questions neither had spoken aloud.

The sharp click of the library’s main door locking cut through their focus.

They broke apart, breathing harder than Apex or Enhanced physiology should require.

Victoria stood at the entrance, her hand still on the mechanism, midnight blue silk loose around her refined frame. Her smile carried satisfaction and something warmer... genuine happiness at seeing them together.

”Isn’t this better than a bedroom?” Victoria said, moving toward them with deliberate grace. ”Fully soundproofed. Private. No interruptions.” She gestured at the plush seating area, the ambient lighting, the space they’d claimed. ”We’re going to have a lot of fun here.”

Catherine and Alex’s eyes met, still breathless from their kiss.

Then they smiled... matching the mischievousness Victoria had worn moments before.

Without waiting for further invitation, Alex carried Catherine to the table’s edge, setting her down with deliberate intent. His lips found hers again immediately, the kiss deeper this time, hungrier.

Catherine’s hands moved to his shirt, fingers working buttons with increasing desperation.

Trying to eliminate every barrier between them, enhanced dexterity making quick work of fabric that suddenly felt impossibly restrictive.

Alex’s hands found the loosened crimson silk robe still draped across Catherine’s shoulders. One smooth motion slid it completely off, the fabric pooling forgotten on the table.

She wore nothing beneath.

Apex realm had refined everything... curves enhanced to absolute perfection, skin luminous in the amber lighting, her body a testament to divine blood’s transformative power.

”A generous feast indeed,” Alex murmured, his eyes tracking every perfect detail.

Catherine’s smile turned shy at the obvious appreciation.

Victoria moved closer, her hands joining the effort. She ran her palms across Alex’s chest, feeling enhanced muscle beneath the partially unbuttoned shirt, then gently helped him remove it completely.

The fabric joined Catherine’s robe in growing discard.

***

What followed wasn’t gentle.

It was gratitude expressed through touch and heat and the discovery that enhanced bodies meant enhanced everything. Stamina. Sensitivity. The ability to push limits that would have broken normal humans.

They moved to the seating area, silk robes discarded, inhibitions following shortly after.

The library’s acoustic isolation proved its worth as careful restraint gave way to something far more primal.

Victoria was fierce at first... Peak Mortal giving her confidence and capability she’d never possessed before. She matched Alex’s intensity perfectly, her devotion translating to passion that left them both breathless.

But Peak Mortal had limits.

Two rounds later, Victoria collapsed against the cushions, body trembling with exhaustion and satisfaction. Her chest heaved with effort, blonde hair plastered to flushed skin, eyes half-closed in contentment.

”I can’t...” she managed between breaths. ”You two... keep going...”

Catherine proved Apex realm’s superiority in ways that had nothing to do with combat capability.

She outlasted Victoria. Outlasted fatigue. Her enhanced endurance matching Alex’s system-boosted stamina in a contest neither was willing to concede.

The library bore witness to their determination... furniture displaced, cushions scattered, evidence of Apex and Enhanced pushing each other to absolute limits.

It was Catherine who finally surrendered.

Not through weakness. Through completion.

She collapsed against Alex’s chest, dark hair spilling across both of them, breathing hard despite Apex physiology. Her hand rested over his heart, feeling it race nearly as fast as her own.

”You win,” Catherine murmured, though victory felt mutual. ”Your skills... actually work.”

Alex’s laugh was breathless. ”Told you strength wasn’t the same as control.”

Victoria stirred from where she’d been watching, her smile exhausted but satisfied. She crawled closer, curling against Alex’s other side.

Three bodies. Two realms. One evening that had answered every question about whether enhanced strength mattered when willingly surrendered.

Silence settled over them... comfortable, sated, intimate in ways that transcended physical connection.

Catherine’s fingers traced lazy patterns on Alex’s chest.

”Thank you,” she said quietly.

”For the elixir. For tonight. For... everything.”