Chapter 9
Jackie
By noon, the sky was gray again, and snow was plummeting to the ground over the previous day’s snow pile.
We all moved around casually as if the night before hadn’t happened, but not in a weird way–more like, it was casual and felt easy, so there wasn’t really any need to talk about it.
But I felt the shift in all of us. I noticed the way Hana easily rested her leg over my lap as we watched a couple episodes of our show.
I noticed the way Jack’s hand lingered on my arm as he moved passed me in the kitchen.
I noticed Elliott’s arm resting on the back of the couch behind me, his fingers lightly brushing Hana’s shoulders.
“So, now that we’ve fucked, why don’t we talk about what’s on the table?” Jack said suddenly as the credits rolled, the next episode queued up.
Hana’s head whipped over to him, as did mine. He wasn’t exactly shy, but I certainly didn’t expect that to come out of his mouth…at least right at that moment.
Elliott chuckled beside me.
“What?” Jack asked with amusement as he looked between me and Hana.
“I mean…I guess that’s a fair question,” Hana said quietly, slowly glancing over at me, then Elliott.
I turned my head and glanced at Elliott. His eyes were soft, and he didn’t seem bothered by the question.
“I say it’s a free-for-all weekend. Or however long we’re stuck here for,” Jack said, waving his hand around, as Elliott and I both looked back at him.
Hana looked ahead, not making eye contact with us, as if bracing for our answer.
I turned to Elliott, and he eyed me curiously. “I think that’s something we should talk about before we answer,” I said slowly, gauging his reaction.
He nodded slowly. “Agreed.”
We both glanced back at Hana and Jack.
“Alright then. Fair enough. Hana, darling…care to join me in the other room for a chat?”
She took his hand and stood up. She eyed me almost apologetically. “No pressure, guys. Really,” she said, giving us her crooked smile before whisking Jack down the hallway.
I turned my body toward Elliott, waiting for him to start, but I took the plunge instead.
“What do you think?” I asked, taking his hand.
He sighed a little. “We do need to discuss boundaries. I think that will be the healthiest option,” he said with a nod.
“So…” I started. “What are your boundaries?”
In a way, I was hoping he’d have none, that we’d have a “free-for-all” as Jack put it. Just an uninhibited weekend to let go, and then carry on with our lives, or at least until we all saw each other again.
Elliott licked his lips. “Tell me your boundaries first, Jacqueline,” he said quietly. “You know that your pleasure is what turns me on the most. I want to know what will give you the most pleasure.”
My heart swelled. Fuck, I loved him.
“Um…” I began. “I think, um…well, I think the free-for-all would be fun, granted that both, or all, parties are okay with it.”
His eyebrows lifted slightly. “And what does that mean to you?”
My pussy pulsed just thinking of the possibilities. “A threesome. Watching. Foursome. Just two of us,” I explained. “Whatever pairing feels right at the time.”
He nodded, and I could see his cock hardening beneath his joggers. “Do you want me to be present for all of this? To watch? For you to watch me?” he asked, studying my face carefully.
“Ideally, yes. But if for some reason I’m not, or you’re not, I think we should tell the other right away. In great detail,” I said with a smirk.
He huffed a quiet laugh. “I can agree to that,” he said. “Anything you don’t want me to do?”
I thought of more possibilities, how sexy it would be to watch him with Hana in every way possible. The thought alone had me soaked.
I shook my head no. “I think I’d like you to find pleasure in the way you want, with her too,” I said. “Is there anything you don’t want me to do with either of them?”
He seemed to think about it for a moment. “Just no secrets.”
* * *
By the time we all gathered back in the living room, there was a quiet energy in the air; not tense, not awkward, just brimming. Like we were all pretending to relax on the couch, but really, each of us was just waiting for the first domino to fall.
I looked over at Elliott beside me. His hand was resting on my thigh, gently circling. We were in sync, ready, curious.
Hana crossed her legs as she sat on the loveseat across from us, Jack lounging beside her, ankle crossed over knee like he hadn’t just casually proposed a sexual free-for-all an hour ago.
He raised his eyebrows at us. “So?”
“We’re in,” Elliott said, his voice steady, but his fingers tightened slightly around my thigh.
Jack’s smirk widened, and he turned to Hana. “Told you they were game.”
“We are too,” Hana said softly and confidently. “As long as everyone’s honest.”
“I’m focused on pure pleasure,” Jack added, winking at me.
I swallowed, my heart racing. The room felt warmer somehow.
“Boundaries?” Elliott asked, as if we were all discussing some sort of business deal.
Jack shrugged. “If it’s consensual and everyone’s down, I say no rules. Switch it up. Explore. See what happens.”
“Same here,” Hana said. “We just want it to feel good. And safe.”
There was a beat of silence. Then Elliott nodded. “No secrets. If something happens and one of us isn’t there, we share it.”
Hana and I exchanged a look at the same moment. I knew exactly what she was thinking, and I knew it had to come up.
I sat up straighter, glancing at the fire as I wrung my hands together.
“Last night, Hana and I…” I started, my heart racing so fast I thought I might pass out.
“We almost kissed,” she finished for me, and I braced myself as I looked at Elliott, then at Jack.
“Almost?” Elliott clarified, his hand going still on my thigh.
I glanced over at him. “We were just…we were talking about how amazing everything was yesterday, and I think we both got worked up…” I trailed off, the weight of guilt sneaking in the second I said it aloud.
It hadn’t felt wrong in the moment. But now it felt like maybe it should have.
Jack’s brow ticked up for a second before the grin returned. “Well, fuck. Next time, record it if we’re not there.”
I laughed lightly, but glanced over at Hana—she looked tense. Her eyes were locked on Elliott, like she wasn’t sure how he’d take it.
But Elliott gave my thigh a reassuring squeeze. “It’s okay, baby. Things are new. We’re figuring it out.”
Relief passed through me like a wave. I laid my hand over his. “You sure?”
He smiled. “Like I said. Just tell me if something happens when I’m not there.”
“Great,” Jack said, grinning again, the tension dissipating. “No secrets. Just fucking and fun.”
The laughter was brief but real. Something shifted, something unspoken but unanimous. We weren’t tiptoeing anymore.
“We’ve never done this before,” I said, curiosity getting the better of me as I glanced between Hana and Jack. “Have you two?”
They exchanged a glance, like they were silently deciding who’d answer, before Hana took the lead.
“We have,” she said. “Never with another woman, though.” She glanced at Elliott, watching his reaction.
I nodded, intrigued. “So…with other men? Like, a threesome?”
Jack grinned, draping his arm across the back of the couch behind Hana. “Threesomes, yeah. Sometimes I watch, sometimes she does.”
It took a moment for that to sink in, and then I realized what I was actually wondering.
Jack caught it.
“Yes,” he said easily. “I’ve been with other men too. I enjoy it. Any gender, really. I’m flexible.” His dimples deepened, this time letting his gaze rest on Elliott just a beat longer.
Elliott shifted beside me.
“There’s absolutely no pressure for you to do anything with Jack, though,” Hana said gently, lifting a hand as if to reassure him.
“I didn’t feel like there was,” Elliott replied with a casual smile. But I could feel the tension beneath it. A flicker of discomfort—or uncertainty.
I knew this was so new to him—to us—and I wondered if it was too much, too overwhelming. But when we talked, he seemed okay with it, so I had to trust that things were still fine. He wanted honesty from both of us, afterall.
Jack let the silence hang just long enough before leaning forward, his elbows on his knees, a grin spreading across his face.
“Well,” he said, his voice light, “I can’t be the only one thinking this, but doesn’t this whole agreement deserve a little celebration?”
Hana gave him a side-eye with her crooked smile. “Celebration?”
He nodded toward the window, where huge snowflakes were falling again, muting the world in white. “Hot tub. Snow. Naked bodies. You know, all the ingredients for a proper kickoff.”
I laughed, more from nerves than humor.
“Better than that lukewarm binge-watch session we were pretending to enjoy,” Jack said, standing up and stretching with a yawn. “Come on. What else are we going to do while the world is snowed over?”
Elliott shifted beside me, his hand trailing just slightly higher on my thigh, as if to say he was already onboard.
“Unless anyone needs a formal invitation,” Jack added, already sauntering toward the hall. “I’ll be in the hot tub in ten.”
Hana rolled her eyes but smiled as she stood. “So subtle,” she muttered, then turned to us. “You guys still good?”
Of course she’d check in. That was Hana.
“I am,” I said, nodding.
Elliott squeezed my thigh gently. “Me too.”
She studied us a moment longer, then gave a small nod and disappeared down the hall.
I met Elliott’s gaze. There was something behind it—a flicker of anticipation laced beneath his calm exterior. His version of excitement. And inside me, something wild and eager stirred in response.
“You sure?” I asked him, one last time.
He gave me that broad, gorgeous smile. “Yes.”
I exhaled, still a bundle of nerves and adrenaline. “Let’s go,” I said, rising with him.