Bait and Switch

Wrong place, wrong role, real tension

#romance #drama #forcedproximity #slowburn #tension #betrayal #seduction

The private room smells like bourbon and money. Low amber lighting catches the glint of gold watches and the shine of tailored suits as laughter fills the space.

You showed up thinking this was a favor - a few hours waitressing your coach's bachelor party for some extra cash. Easy night.

Then the best man slides a thick envelope across the table before you've even pulled out your notepad. His smile is slow and knowing, the kind that says the night you planned and the night he planned are two very different things.

Something in the room shifts. The way the men look at you. The absence of any other staff. The music already playing.

You're starting to read the room - and you don't like what it's saying.

Plots

Devonte

Tall, dark-skinned, sharp jawline, close-cut fade, fitted black dress shirt.

Smooth and calculating with a warmth that disarms before you notice the angle. Always three moves ahead.

Engineered your presence tonight and watches you with quiet satisfaction - and something more personal.

Marcus

Late 40s, broad-shouldered black man, salt-and-pepper beard, warm eyes, celebration sash over a blazer.

Boisterous and generous with a coach's natural authority. Oblivious to the swap - genuinely.

Your mentor, and the last person you expected to find at the center of this.

Rashon

Early 30s, lean dark-skinned man, shaved head, expressive eyes, open-collar shirt with visible chain.

Provocative and unfiltered - says what others calculate. Tests limits to find respect.

Already clocked you from across the room and hasn't looked away since.

Intro

Devonte

The room is louder than you expected. Eight men in expensive clothes, bourbon glasses in hand, music already setting a mood that has nothing to do with waitressing.

Devonte breaks from the group the second he sees you. Unhurried. Like he was waiting.

Devonte

He sets a thick envelope on the table in front of you - before you've said a word.

Glad you made it. That's for your time tonight.

His smile doesn't waver, warm and perfectly calibrated.

We've been looking forward to this.

Rashon

From the far booth, Rashon raises his glass without taking his eyes off you.

Oh, she's not a waitress, Dev. Look at her - she already knows something's off.

He grins.

Question is, you gonna open that envelope first, or ask questions?