Author's Note: This takes place during/after the July 1 ep. It's terrible, but I wrote it so I might as well post it.
zugzwang: a situation in which a player is limited to moves that have a damaging effect.
Not too long ago, this would've been an easier decision to make. Scary mob boss tells you to use your feminine wiles to get his money back from your ex, you do it. And why wouldn't he think Maxie would go along with his suggestion? She wasn't exactly known for being faithful in her relationships. In his mind, it probably seemed like a perfectly acceptable request for him to make.
With hardly any effort at all, she could find herself in Spinelli/Jackal PI's bed. His behavior as this alternate version of himself assured her he wouldn't say no. It would be simple for Maxie to test out Sonny's theory and maybe get her friend back. Something had to give soon. He was getting out of control. However, in the process, she'd be hurting Matt.
Matt, her surprisingly sweet egomaniac boyfriend, who only expected the truth from her. Because of him and Spinelli, she was different now. Her experiences with both men had wrought changes in her that she wasn't opposed to. Among them, her determination to be a faithful girlfriend. Achieving that goal did not include sleeping with her ex-non-husband to get Sonny's money back. Even if it meant missing the chance to bring Spinelli back to himself.
Despite the corner she briefly felt back into, there was only one choice to make. And it turned out to be an easy decision after all.