Page 21 of Powerless
I never was a jealous guy. I knew my place well enough that I'd never undermine my president's and best friend's claim on a woman. If he was down to share her, I'd jump at the first chance. But it had to be his call.
Because of how Reaper was raised, bringing another man in was serious and meaningful. Which was the opposite of how most people saw group situations—as meaningless fun. The officials who raided the matriarchal communes claimed they were cleaning out dens of sin and unholiness. I preferred to think they were just jealous, frustrated virgins.
In any case, Reaper and I never shared a woman before because he never found anyone he cared enough about. He and I were close, but I didn't grow up in the communes. So I could see it both ways. I certainly had my fair share of casual group fun, but wouldn't mind doing it with a serious partner in the right setting.
Reaper was crazy about Mari, and it was plainly obvious to anyone who looked. He never stopped touching her, whether his arm was around her shoulders or on the small of her back. He'd broach the topic of sharing soon, if he hadn't already. And then it was still up to her to accept it. Not all of the matriarchal women accepted multiple partners.
But if shedid, I wanted a shot at being her second man.
Just the thought of calling her mine sent a flutter of warmth through me. Maybe it was presumptive—we hadn't gotten to know each otherthatwell yet. But I was drawn to her warm, caring nature like a moth to a flame. So many free women became tough and cutthroat after the Collapse. They had to be, to not be ruled under the thumb of men. But even with her sassy mouth and dirty scrubs, Mariposa had a soft, feminine nature in her that called to the traditional family man in me.
As Gunner walked down the corridor and came brazenly straight toward her,thatwas when the first spark of jealousy lit up within me.
We may have had a friendly, unspoken competition going, in regards to having her on our bikes, but he had no right to walk right up like she washisgirl.
I knew it, and apparently Reaper knew it by the way he glared at the blue-eyed demon. To be fair, Gunner had no idea how relationships worked in the matriarchies. He grew up wealthy, the descendant of Hollywood actors who moved east as California began to sink into the ocean they poisoned. One rumor claimed his family had ties to the politicians who set the Collapse in motion, though he always vehemently denied it.
But what pissed me off the most was how Mari looked at him, smiling like the sun shined out of his ass. I had no one to blame but myself for staying out of the way, but what utter bullshit was that?
When Gunner and Reaper walked off to exchange heated words, I wanted to trade my scrambled eggs for a bowl of popcorn. What the hell was that about? Reaper said he trusted the guy.
Shadow sat down heavily next to me as I was pondering all this. He dug ruthlessly into his eggs as if the chicken had personally insulted him.
"She saidgood morningto me," he grumbled.
"Yeah, and?" I couldn't prevent my shoulders shaking from laughter. "Did you say anything back?"
"No! You know I don't talk to women."
"Bro," I rubbed my forehead with a sigh. "Just talking to them isn't gonna hurt you. You could afford to learn some social skills."
"I don't like being social."
"Neither do lots of people," I said. "But sometimes you run into situations where you have to do it anyway."
He wordlessly grunted as he dug into his breakfast. We had this conversation many times before.
"Tell me something," I said, watching Mari grab a seat at the breakfast bar next to Horus. "You've truly never said a word to the service girls I’ve sent you?"
"No," he answered after a swig of coffee. "They come to me, do what they're paid for, and they leave."
"Seriously, no cuddling afterward?" I asked. "No pillow talk?"
"I don't even know what those things are." He blinked at me, only his dark eye visible with the white one covered by his hair. "Why would a woman spend time with me beyond what she's paid for?"
"I mean, that's part of it sometimes, you know? Intimacy, closeness. At least the illusion of it. Everyone needs a little human connection."
He shook his head as if I were spouting nonsense. "I don't need anything from a woman. I keep telling you bartering with service girls for me is a waste of resources."
"You're telling me you can go without sex?" I demanded in disbelief. "For the rest of your life?"
"I can think back to my favorites and use my hand."
Anyone else would have been joking, but Shadow never joked.
"Unbelievable," I groaned. "Sometimes I wonder why I even try with you."
"You have stuck by me for years," he acquiesced. "And helped me in many ways. But I'm sure you knew when you first saw me that I would never be a 'normal' person."
