“I don’t need security footage to confirm what I already know.” His voice is dry. “I have eyes.”
Kai laughs, the tension breaking. “Fair point.”
I let the silence settle for a moment before speaking again. “So we’re agreed. We will talk to Samantha and make sure she understands what this is.”
“When?” Donovan asks.
“Tomorrow morning at breakfast.” I sit back down.
The next morning, I’m up early despite only getting five hours of sleep.
I go through my usual routine. Exercise. Shower. Coffee. Review emails. But my mind keeps drifting to the conversation I’m about to have.
Donovan arrives first, looking as composed as ever. Kai follows, his energy more contained than usual.
We’re all sitting at the table when Samantha walks in.
She’s wearing jeans and a cream sweater, hair loose around her shoulders. She looks beautiful and uncertain, like she’s unsure what she’s walking into.
“Morning,” she says, pouring herself coffee.
“Morning.” I wait until she’s sitting before speaking. “We need to talk.”
Her hand pauses halfway to her mouth. “That sounds ominous.”
“It’s not.” I set down my coffee cup. “About what’s happening between the four of us.”
She glances at Donovan, then Kai, then back to me. “Okay.”
“The other night at the gala, we weren’t subtle.” I keep my voice even. “The way we were with you. The way we’ve all been with you.”
“I noticed,” she says quietly.
“Good. Because I want to make sure you understand what we’re offering.” I lean forward slightly. “Donovan, Kai, and I—we don’t do anything halfway. We don’t share our lives with people we don’t trust. And we don’t share women unless we all want her.”
Her breath catches, but she doesn’t look away.
“If you’re with one of us, you’re with all of us.” I let the words land. “That’s the arrangement. That’s how this works. All three of us, or none of us.”
Silence fills the room.
Kai’s watching her with those intense eyes. Donovan’s expression is neutral, but I can see the tension in his shoulders.
“I know this isn’t conventional,” I continue. “I know it’s not what you expected when you came here. But it’s what we’re offering.”
She’s processing, and I give her time. This isn’t a decision to rush.
Finally, she speaks. “You’ve done this before.”
“Yes,” I confirm. “We have.”
“With other women.”
“Women who understood the arrangement and wanted it.” I hold her gaze. “Women who weren’t looking for something traditional.”
“And you’re asking if I want this.” She looks at each of us in turn. “All three of you.”
“We’re asking if you can handle it,” Donovan says. “There’s a difference.”
