Page 22 of Power Struggle

“Where are we going?” I don’t answer until we’re through, and I hear her quiet gasp.

Smiling, I look down at her stunning blue eyes and nearly melt when I see them teary. “Happy Valentines Day, Princess.”

Chapter Sixteen

The room is small and cozy, almost completely the opposite of the room where we had sex. The walls are a warm navy blue. Instead of cement floors, this room has dark wooden slats with plush, fur throw rugs all over the place. A large wooden framed fireplace sits in the center of the wall directly across from the doorway, with a flatscreen TV mounted above. There’s a massive, sable-colored leather couch positioned in front of it. To the right, there’s a giant basket that’s overflowing with warm, fuzzy blankets. Next to it sits two white furry bean bags, creating the perfect spot to nestle and relax. Maybe read one of the hundreds of books filling the shelves that line the wall on either side of the fireplace. On the left side wall is a small table and mini fridge that looks stocked full of drinks and snacks.

It’s warm, rustic, and beautiful, but it’s not what has my eyes filled with tears and my heart beating erratically.

No. That’s 100% due to the fact that the beautiful space is covered in candles and vases of roses. There’s a full display of fancy food spread out on the table and end tables bracketing the couch. Roses take up empty corners in the room, over the mantle, the floor. There’s even a vase on the mini-fridge. My eyes land on a massive heart-shaped box of Valentine’s chocolates that says You’re Perfect The Way You Are scrawled on top. For some reason, it’s the sight of it that sets me off.

Big, choking sobs pour from my soul as I cling to Jackson. No one, and I mean no one, has ever done something for me like this. I’ve never celebrated Valentine’s Day, nor have I had a Valentine before. All of that pales in comparison to the fact that no one has ever cared for me like this.

“Hey,” he murmurs, stepping into the room and kicking the door shut. He makes his way to the couch, which of course, is covered in more plushy blankets. This really is the perfect room, and the second he drops on the couch in front of the warm, electric fireplace, I find myself melting, tears and all. “Hey, none of that, Addy. It’s okay. If it’s too much, just tell me, and we can go back to the playroom.”

I shake my head, sniffling and sucking in an embarrassing amount of snot. I turn, straddling his thighs, and grip his face. I’m ruining the sweetest surprise I’ve ever been given. “No, it’s not that. This is all so perfect. I’m just–” I release a shuddering breath, searching for the right words. I tip my shoulder, finally settling for, “I’m happy.”

He blinks a few times, seeming to shake himself out of his panic, and smiles. I lean in and kiss him, immediately sinking into the feel of his body against mine. I reach up to tug my towel away, but he pulls back and shakes his head. “No, baby,” he murmurs breathlessly. “I need to feed you, and you need to stay covered.” I cringe at his words, my mind racing with ugly, vile thoughts. “Not like that,” he says abruptly, squeezing my jaw. “I need you to stay covered because if I see you naked right now, I’ll say fuck the food and be balls deep in your pretty little mouth before either of us knows what’s happening.”

Swallowing, I nod as relief fills me, then chuckle when his words really sink in. I roll my eyes, scoffing as I climb off his lap. “Sounds like you have control issues, Mr. Lowell.” I stand, stepping away from him. “You might wanna work on that.” With a wink, I turn to the food.

He jumps up, reaching to grab me with a growl. Screeching, I duck out of his grasp and clamber over the couch arm, avoiding him.

“Be careful,” he warns, eyeing the candles. I lean back against the soft leather, panting as my eyes trail over the room again, taking in the many, many flames.

A burst of laughter barrels out of me. “This is a massive lawsuit waiting to happen.”

Jack freezes and rears back before barking a loud laugh and nodding. “Yeah, you’re right about that. Flames, flowers, and fucking don’t mix.”

“Especially where drunk people and orgies are concerned.” He arches a brow while piling heaps of food onto a plate. I grab a blanket and tuck it around my body, sinking into the couch.

“Orgies?” I nod, accepting the plate and bottle of water he passes me. “Didn’t you see them earlier?” He gives me a wide-eyed look before settling down in the opposite corner with his own plate and drink. His legs kick out, tangling with mine, and I give a happy sigh as I continue. “There were a few groups of four or five people playing in the scenes, and one of them left to the suites together.”

“Five?” he asks before chuckling and shaking his head. He bites into a piece of bruschetta and eyes me warily. “Eat, Princess.”

Swallowing, I look down at my plate and mentally begin to calculate calories. Everything is heavy, processed, and fatty. I settle for a grape and pop it into my mouth, forcing myself not to think about how I look eating in front of Jackson.

“Five is too many,” he says offhandedly, distracting me. “I draw the line at four. Anything more than that sounds like chaos in the bedroom.” I nod, digging into a chunk of what I believe is goat cheese. I moan, my eyes fluttering at the milky, sharp taste.

“I agree,” I say once I’ve swallowed. A thought occurs to me, and I cock my head, meeting his gaze. “Have you ever shared more than one partner?”

He bites into an olive stack on a toothpick that looks delicious, and I wiggle my toes happily when I find two of them on my plate. “I have,” he says gently like he’s worried I’ll freak out.

I roll my eyes. “I don’t mind hearing about your sexual encounters, Jack. I’m not naive enough to believe you were a virgin before tonight, and I know what you like. You’re a bisexual pleasure dom, and judging by your performance a little while ago, you have tons of experience.”

He chokes on a piece of meat, and a burst of laughter falls from his sweet lips. “A ton, huh?”

I nod, working my way mindlessly through the snacks. I really was starving, and we just worked up one hell of an appetite. “To answer your question, yes. I’ve been with men and women, both together and separately. The most I’ve been with at once was two other men and one woman.”

Lust pools low in my belly as well as a small tendril of jealousy. It’s not over him being with other people, per se. Maybe just the idea that they, or someone else, can give him something I can’t. I know that’s a backward way of thinking. No single person can fill all of your gaps and slot into you like a perfect puzzle piece. It doesn’t work that way. No one can be your everything. We’re all broken and fractured, and sometimes, it takes multiple pieces to complete your puzzle.

But the insecure demons in my mind are now whispering that I won’t fit into any of Jack’s pieces, and that thought hurts a surprising amount.

“Addison,” he murmurs, tapping me with his foot. “Where did you go?”

I blink, finding him staring at me with a concerned gaze. His plate is gone, and he’s swapped his empty water for a flute of champagne. I blink again, looking down at my own plate, shocked to find it completely empty. It was a big plate. And…I ate it all. My eyes burn, and my stomach twists. Bile works its way up my throat, and I quickly toss the plate onto the table as if to rid myself of the evidence.

“Why didn’t you say something?” I snap, fear and embarrassment replacing all other thoughts. Jack sets his glass down and leans forward, observing me. I hate it.

---