Games

When Lili Marwan, a graduate student in economics, has an intense one-night stand with Aleksandr Petrov, a Wall Street CEO two decades her senior, her restless mind finally goes calm.

At twenty-two, Lili is already opiniated beyond her years: whether it's astrology, democratic socialism, veganism, or the ravages of late-stage capitalism run rampant. But when a tall, dark stranger buys her a drink in a FiDi bar, Lili finally meets her match. He's brilliant, powerful, fiercely intelligent- and her opposite in nearly every way. Aleksandr is a wolf of Wall Street, a neoliberal capitalist, and a Capricorn, to make matters worse-but Lili can't stay away.

Over the course of a heady New York City summer, Lili and Aleksandr's immediate chemistry gives way to an unexpected intimacy, by turns breathtaking, then heart-wrenching. As the stakes of their white-hot, "casual" arrangement reach a fever pitch, Lili will have to decide if physical pleasure is worth the emotional pain-or break Aleksandr's heart before he breaks hers.

GAMES explores forbidden desires, shifting power imbalances, and the often-blurry line between pain and pleasure.