Rosa somewhat shyly clicked her acceptance of the system's invitation—which was really Haley's invitation, according to the message. She flinched as Nassau vanished like a movie scene fade out. Then light returned, and she was standing in some kind of beautiful living room. Or maybe hotel?

There were couches and chairs in a little half circle near a TV. A big bed in the corner. A bathroom and a kitchen attached. Rosa turned as she inspected, then jumped as Lexi literally appeared right beside her.

"Rosa?" The little Brit blinked and grinned. "That was so scary! But also brilliant. Though it felt a little too much like that awful tutorial for my liking, being honest. Are we...? Wait, where are we, exactly? Am I rambling? I'm rambling."

Rosa just hugged her friend. Then she took her hand and crept out to explore wherever the hell they were, peeking around the corner until she heard a familiar voice singing some slow song. She grinned and jumped out with a loud noise. Haley didn't even look up from her cooking.

"Can you get the milk, please? It's in the fridge over there. I'm making flan, if you have any tips."

Rosa sighed and got the milk.

"Hi, Haley," Lexi said, looking shy as usual around the unofficial queen of Nassau. "Thanks so much for inviting me to be with you guys. I know I'm just like...a house guest, or whatever. I feel a little bit like I'm intruding, to be honest."

"Not at all." Haley smiled and stopped long enough to give the girl a hug. "You're part of the family now. Anyway, someone needs to help listen to Rosa's rants. I don't usually have the time."

Rosa thunked the milk down on the counter.

"Soo..." she looked over the Canadian's shoulder. "As much as I like your cooking, and am probably getting fat because of it...also you should really use whole milk for this…" she wiggled her eyebrows, "what cool stuff do we get to do?"

"Cool stuff?” Haley shrugged, getting her bowls set up. “Who says we get to do anything 'cool'?"

Rosa sagged and tugged at her friend slash sister-wife's arm. She could tell by her face she was holding out.

"Oh come on. I caught a peek at the pamphlet thing. Don't you hold out on me, girl. I saw there's a restaurant. A pool!"

Lexi made a gasping sound behind her.

"Like a proper restaurant? With something other than gamey meat and Billy's moonshine?"

Haley rolled her eyes and turned, wiping her clean hands reflexively on a rag.

"We aren't on vacation. The players get here several hours after us. And before they arrive I need a full report for Mason about this place—where everyone is, what people will be doing, where we can go. And I need this place to be ready so he can relax and enjoy himself."

Rosa sighed and looked for an apron before she realized she was just wearing the boring old system 'uniform' and who really cared if it got dirty.

"OK," she said. "How can we help?"

Haley nodded as if satisfied. Then a devious grin crawled across her beautiful face.

"You can take off those clothes and get robes on. Because we're booked for a spa day on our personal, luxury floor."

Rosa looked at Lexi with wide eyes, then shrieked and grabbed Haley and started jumping up and down. The blonde laughed and did her best to fight both girls off.

"OK, quickly! I'm going to leave this." Haley took Rosa's hand and pulled her into a near-by bedroom, then towards some kind of walk-in wardrobe. It went on for at least twenty feet, the racks filled with colorful clothes, shoes, jewelry. Rosa stared in overwhelming, materialistic greed.

"Please tell me we get to take this home."

"I seriously doubt it. Here." She handed them both cozy, white robes, then started unzipping her way out of the system uniform.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Lexi ogled with a self-conscious gawk until Rosa slapped her arm. Then they were all in the soft, fur-like fabric and similarly soft slippers, giggling as they walked to an 'elevator' that Haley said was really a teleporter.

"We just push this thing, like…this, and zippity..."

The ‘elevator’ binged, but they definitely hadn't moved. The doors opened into a warm, dimly lit cavern that smelled divine. The walls looked like natural rock, the floor a series of winding paths of maybe bamboo laid crosswise, surrounded by incredibly blue water. An androgenous, bald attendant in a system uniform bowed before them.

"Welcome, honored guests. Please follow me."

Rosa exchanged looks and grins with the other girls, and they all shuffled along the path with deep breaths and pleasant smiles. The flooring was shockingly soft, the air so moist and refreshing it felt like a fine mist being sprayed into Rosa's face. They soon entered a smaller room, where four more androgenous workers waited at tables.

Rosa had never had a massage in her life. It wasn't exactly top of mind for a Mexican family that had scraped together every peso to send a promising grand daughter to university.

"Please remove your robes and lie down on the tables," said one of the workers in a soft, but plainly robotic voice. Rosa and Lexi were giggling and looking at each other shyly, but Haley stripped and lay down without hesitation.

Rosa was feeling a bit awkward, but she had absolutely no intention of letting the others see it. She stripped and lay down like it was all perfectly normal, flinching when the first robot touched her back. Then she groaned.

It felt like about four hands started working at knots all over her body.

"This doesn't seem like preparing for the players," Rosa said a little later, her eyes half closed now in painful pleasure.

"Oh it is." Haley looked over at her and grinned. "First massage. Then hair, manicures, pedicures." She winked. "Then some kind of laser-wax. Now don't bother me, I'm going to sleep."

Rosa giggled and turned to Lexi on the other side. Her friend looked like a cat being pet—on the one hand melting into the touch, on the other ready to pounce. Her face was a little pink.

"Oh my God. How much do you think for one to give me a happy ending?"

Rosa snorted and slapped her arm.

"I can't take it anymore. Seriously." Lexi sighed. "I'm going to explode." She raised her head and turned to the robot. "Can we try an inner thigh rub next? If I flip over?"

"Please remain on your stomach, honored guest."

Rosa buried her face into the table as she laughed.

"Fucking things," Lexi groaned. "I don't need half a thing so fancy. I'd take a vibrator. A shower head. A sturdy pillow."

Rosa watched her friend and chewed the inside of her cheek. They'd been dancing around this now for weeks. Lexi was extremely picky with men. She had no interest in just hopping on some random guy, as tempting as it was. She also hated drama and saw all the nonsense already with the various 'sharing' that inevitably happened in Nassau. The love triangles. The hard feelings and broken hearts.

And the system didn't let anyone get themselves off without a penalty. Rosa had even offered to 'help', but the system didn't even allow that without a man involved. 'Biological imperatives', and all that. The prudish bastards.

"I'm going to talk to Mason," she whispered a little while later. Lexi opened her eyes.

"About what?"

"You know what. About solving your problem."

"Ummm."

"I can't take it anymore and I'm just watching. You hump my leg in your sleep."

"OK.” Lexi licked her lips. “I get that. But what do you mean 'talk to Mason'. Speak slowly so my horny brain can understand."

Rosa sighed. "It can just be sex. With Mason it's...it's not a problem, OK? Tonight, tomorrow, whatever, you just come with me, and we'll sort you out."

Lexi clutched the edges of the table.

"You're serious. Are you serious?"

Rosa nodded and Lexi looked ready to mount the table before shrinking back down.

"OK, but, now I'm nervous. He might not even say yes, and oh God he'll think I'm so desperate. Don't ask him."

Rosa rolled her eyes. She sometimes thought her friend didn't understand how attractive she was, and not just the way she looked, but her bubbly personality. She was so funny and sweet and...cute. Hell, Rosa kind of wanted to see what she'd be like in bed.

"Trust me, he'll say yes. He'd do it for me with anyone if I asked. But with you it definitely won't be a hardship."

Lexi was grabbing at the table again, her face scrunched up as she whacked her forehead on the cushion.

"But I don't want it to be weird. You're my best friend. And if you get mad or jealous or hurt I don't know what I'll do. Let's not do it."

"Girl, I already share him." Rosa lowered her voice even more. "With a girl or two I didn't like that much. That's just...life with Mason. We make it work." She grinned and reached for Lexi's hand. "It'll probly be fun."

"Oh my God." Lexi put the hand to her face and actually blushed. Rosa sensed weakness and grinned.

"You'll probably melt all over him. You'll be like 'oh Superman, I can't take anymore'."

"You do not tell him I call him that!"

Rosa laughed so hard she snorted, which just made them both start laughing.

"See? It'll be fun. I'll be there, and it doesn't have to be serious. I'll talk to him tonight."

Lexi took a deep breath and squeezed her hand.

"I can't believe you're sharing your…man with me. You're like...the best, and also kinkiest friend ever. And I might have to get drunk or die of embarrassment."

Rosa laughed, getting kind of excited now at the thought. It was weird that the idea didn't bother her at all. Probably because she knew with Mason there was no sneaking around or manipulation.

He was just a never-ending bull, and Rosa couldn't really fault him for taking the beautiful women who wanted him. Because Rosa definitely did. As annoying as that sometimes was.

But as she lay there getting her robotic massage, she started imagining those hands were his, and maybe Lexi's...and pretty soon she was the one trying not to imagine a happy ending...