Chapter 9

Ethan, Penny, and Alice returned to Ethan’s room, the atmosphere heavy in anticipation of the discussion. They hung their coats up, Alice and Penny making their way across the room and sitting down next to each other on the couch while Ethan remained standing.

Ethan took a deep breath, ready to start the conversation. “I think we’ve put this off long enough. We need to talk about what’s been happening between us. We’ve all spoken to each other alone, but now’s the time to do it as a group. Lay out all of the cards.”

Penny and Alice nodded in agreement, their eyes fixed on Ethan.

“I feel like we’re all in agreement, but we still need to say it to each other,” Ethan continued. “I’ll go first.”

He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. “My class ... it felt like it had ruined things at first. That because of it our plans to form a team were ruined. Even despite the sex, I felt like it was too much, too fast. I worried that we were just forcing ourselves to accept the conditions of my class through sheer stubbornness. That because we’ve planned for so long to form a team that we’d be willing to adhere to my classes’ requirements, but that we were doing so reluctantly.” Ethan paused to take a breath. “But this morning, when I overheard you two talking, I realised that wasn’t the case. When Alice and I spoke earlier, that confirmed it. I realized that I needed to stop worrying and instead embrace what was happening.”

Penny looked surprised at Ethan revealing he had heard her and Alice speaking that morning, but listened intently.

“I overheard your conversation,” Ethan admitted. “And the kiss.”

Alice turned to Penny next to her on the couch. “He’s not upset with us.”

“I’m not.” Ethan continued. “I’ve told Alice this already, but when I heard you both talking about how you felt for each other and the kiss, all I could do was smile. I felt so damned lucky to have the both of you. Even saying it doesn’t feel like enough, like I don’t have the words to convey how happy I am for all of us.”

Penny stood up and wrapped Ethan in a hug. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” She murmured.

Ethan returned the hug. “There’s nothing to apologize for.”

“I think we need to know that going forward things between the team are between everyone.” He released Penny and she sat back down. “Things are going to happen between us, either one on one or as a group, and I don’t think any of this will work if we all feel like we’re running around behind each other’s backs.”

Penny and Alice both nodded as Alice spoke up. “I’m worried about how that’s going to work when we add two more to our team. The three of us have a relationship that someone like Mei isn’t going to be able to copy. We’ve been close for years now and she’ll be stepping into our team as an outsider.”

Alice paused as she looked at both of them before continuing. “It’s not like we can pretend that the three of us aren’t going to be closer and that Mei is going to be on equal footing. So much of this is going to come down to what Mei wants. I think what we’re talking about here is a relationship between the three of us.”

“We’re going to have to let Mei tell us what she wants.” Penny said, looking at Ethan. “We made it clear that sex is part of your class, but the way that plays out can look different depending on what Mei Wants. If it turns into something clinical where we do the bare minimum to generate essence, that’s going to be completely different from if she decides she’s okay with joining us. Or maybe she just wants to be one on one with Ethan? We can’t really know.”

“Would either of you be okay with that? If Mei wanted to be alone with me?” Ethan questioned them. “I think that would feel like I was cheating on you.”

Penny’s brows furrowed as she thought about Ethan’s question. “I think you’re right ... There would be some of those feelings. I think this is a good time for me to confess some things. I’ve been doing some soul searching of my own about all of this and it’s only fair to both of you if I share.”

Ethan walked over to the couch and the girls moved over on the small love seat to make room for him. As he sat down, he pulled Penny over to sit sideways on his lap, her legs resting on top of Alice. The three of them sat there getting comfortable as Penny worked out what she wanted to say.

Penny took a deep breath before speaking. “I’ve been surprising myself with my own actions lately. I was afraid that I was pushing you both too far, too quickly. But hearing what you’ve said here makes me feel relieved that I haven’t.”

She looked down at her hands, her voice soft. “The idea of group sex has always been a turn-on for me. The instigating and pushing I’ve done so far is a massive part of the fantasy for me. I think I enjoy being the devil on your shoulder telling you to just give in and enjoy yourself.”