Still, I was worried about them both and I knew at some point I would have to get this off my chest.
Which was the reason I’d sought Luci out right before one to see if she would be willing to go to lunch with me alone. Generally, Jordan went with us—and I knew Dale would be in the future—but while I liked him immensely, I really wanted Luci’s opinion. She was the only one who truly knew what I was going through. Her relationship might be structured differently, but she still had two Doms. I couldn’t imagine that it was all that different in many respects.
“Of course,” she said, her eyes traveling over my face. I knew she was trying to read my mind.
I forced a smile. “I’m ready when you are.”
She got up and grabbed her purse, then stopped by Landon’s door. I assumed she was telling him she was leaving.
A few minutes later, we were stepping off the elevator on the main floor and heading into the sandwich shop. After ordering and getting our food, we found a table outside. It was hot, but not unbearable, so I was happy to find a table that offered a little more privacy than those inside.
“All right, girlie. You’ve got my attention. What’s wrong?” she asked, not even waiting until we had our sandwiches unwrapped.
Suddenly, I was no longer hungry.
“Don’t you dare clam up on me,” Luci stated firmly. “I’ve known you long enough to tell when something’s bothering you.”
“It’s Mr. Parker and Mr. Snowden,” I admitted.
“Well, that doesn’t surprise me.” She smiled as she opened her bag of chips.
“Something’s wrong with them.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I think they’re fighting.”
“Really?” She seemed genuinely shocked by that.
“Yes. And I’m not sure, but it might have something to do with me.”
“You think they’re fighting over you?”
“Oh, no,” I said quickly. I certainly didn’t want her thinking I was conceited enough to think I could come between them like that. “Not at all. I just think that my presence has caused a rift between them.”
Luci appeared sympathetic. “They have a really strong relationship. And I’ve seen the way they look at you when they don’t realize anyone’s watching. They care about you, Addison.”
I thought so, too, but I didn’t have anything tangible to base that on. “It’s just…I think things got too heavy too fast.” I hated admitting that, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was true.
“Are you saying you can put a time limit on feelings?” Luci smirked and I knew she was trying to play Devil’s advocate.
“No. But we were thrust into this thing. I think they had a sense of obligation.”
Luci started shaking her head. “Nope. No way. I’ll buy a lot of things, but not that. Ben and Justin don’t do things they don’t want to do. No matter how they ended up in a situation. Do you honestly think they would’ve taken you on as their submissive because they felt they owed you something?”
Well, when she put it that way…
I glanced down at my ham and cheese. “No. But I don’t know how to fix this.”
“Trust me when I say it will all work out in the end.”
I peered up at her. “Is that how it was for you? You just let things play out?”
Luci’s laugh was so loud it drew the attention of people walking by. “God, no. I was a dummy. When it came to Master and Sir, I was the one running away. They tried to get me to see reason, but I didn’t want to. It wasn’t until they forced me to stop and look at everything that I realized I was in love with them and they were in love with me.”
“So should I do that? Find something to shake things up?”
Her eyes widened. “No. That’s not what I’m saying. Crap. I’m going to get in so much trouble. If Master and Sir think I’ve conspired against Ben and Justin, they will paddle my ass until I can’t sit down for a week.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at her honest fear. “Don’t worry. I will leave your name out of it.”
“Seriously, though,” she continued, “I honestly believe that things will work out. It just takes time. The three of you have been together for a month and you’re right, it has been fast. That’s not to say that it isn’t real, but maybe you need some more time.”
I took a deep breath and sipped my soda while I pondered what my options were.
No matter what, I had to start with finding out what the real issue was. Without knowing that, there wasn’t really anything I could do.
Thirty-Eight
JUSTIN
WHEN ADDISON APPEARED IN MY doorway shortly after she had returned from lunch, I motioned for her to come in. “Close the door.”
