“Yes, I’m ready. It’s just fame. If you can handle it, how hard can it be?”

He smirked, but we drove in silence charged with expectation until he pulled up at the valet. The building we’d stopped in front of was massive. The signs and posters everywhere featured people with golf clubs and it looked more like an adult Chuck-E-Cheese than the chic Hollywood bar I’d been picturing.

I saw recognition on each person’s face as they realized there was an A-lister in their midst. If Alex noticed, he didn’t react, tossing his keys to the valet and giving me a hand from the car.

From somewhere across the courtyard, a feminine voice shouted, “Flog me, Mistress!”

A guy yelled, “Unf. Step. On. Me. Mistress.”

Before I could even zero in on who had yelled, Alex whipped around, looking for all the world like he was about to fight someone. I stroked his bicep and said, “That’s not the kind of press you need right now. ‘Step on me’ is an internet compliment and it’s fine. It’s a TikTok thing about me. I need to get used to it.”

He looked unconvinced, so I added, “I’ve just realized there’s a flaw in our plan. People are going to think you’re submissive because they assume I’m dominant and that doesn’t jive with Steel. Time to show me what you’ve been learning. Wrap my hair around your fist possessively.”

He did as he was told, twisting my ponytail around his huge fist and tugging so my chin was tilted up toward him. He could’ve claimed a kiss if he’d wanted, but instead he just held my gaze with a charged look and then slid his hand to my lower back to guide me inside. I was sure a few people had caught it on cell phones and he’d been beautifully dominant.

“Why Level Golf?” I asked Alex, trying to sound casual. I was slowly beginning to realize there was literal golf happening there.

As an employee escorted us into the building, I could see it was like a giant driving range, but with many levels stacked atop each other. Our schedule from Asha had simply said, “Drinks at Level Golf.” I assumed it was a bar and it hadn’t occurred to me to look it up. What more did I need to know about a bar?

“It’s become the place to see and be seen for people in the biz. The bar is a hotbed of Hollywood types wheeling and dealing. I’m sure Rami is down there in the thick of it.”

I was relieved to hear I hadn’t been mistaken and started to prepare myself for the inevitable small talk and schmoozing. Instead, we took an elevator up and emerged into what was essentially a large private patio, complete with swank leather seats and a private bar, though it was totally empty once the guy took our drink orders and disappeared. It opened out onto the giant green where I assumed we were supposed to hit golf balls. There were balls appearing from the levels under us, flying out towards targets and holes that made no sense to me.