Sugar & Spite

She invested out of spite. She stayed because she’s in love.

Riley Chen is broke, brilliant, and building a queer video game that nobody will fund. When the ruthless venture capitalist who publicly destroyed her pitch offers a private deal — living expenses, luxury hardware, and full creative freedom in exchange for being her kept girlfriend — Riley knows she should say no.

She says yes. Because the rent is overdue, the laptop is dying, and Vivian Hale’s terms come with one clause Riley didn’t expect: no strings on the sex. Optional. Opt-in. Per encounter. The money flows regardless.

The problem? Vivian isn’t the cold-blooded algorithm Riley thought she was. She’s a woman who plays Riley’s game at midnight and cries at the right parts. Who cooks Thai basil chicken and leaves Post-it notes and carries Riley to bed when she falls asleep at her desk.

The arrangement was supposed to be simple. The feelings were supposed to be optional. But the ice queen is melting, the game dev is falling, and the contract between them can’t hold what’s growing — something ungovernable, uncontractable, and completely, terrifyingly real.

You’ll love this book if you enjoy:

✅ Sapphic age-gap romance with a power imbalance that combusts
✅ Ice queen x chaotic creative energy
✅ Sugar mommy arrangement that catches feelings
✅ Enemies to lovers with a kitchen counter that’s seen things
✅ Explicit, graphic, emotionally devastating sex (🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️)
✅ HEA guaranteed