Chapter 20
Chapter twenty
Mandie
So, there I was. Sitting dead center in a room with all five of them. Five superheroes. Five complications. Five men who all knew exactly what I looked like naked.
Was keeping it a secret my best move? Maybe not. But let’s be real, if we were keeping score on secrets, they were winning by a landslide. So, should I have told them? Debatable. Should they tell me what the hell they were hiding? Absolutely fucking yes.
For almost a month, I had been stuck here, with nothing to do. I had to do something, right?
I opened my mouth to speak, but the words died on my tongue. Because what the hell was I supposed to say? Yeah, and? That wouldn’t end well. It’s complicated? Understatement of the century. The truth was, I didn’t owe them an explanation.
But the way Roger paced, footsteps echoing like a caged animal… the way Donovan’s gray eyes flicked toward me from the kitchen doorway, raw and wounded… it made my chest tighten.
Johnny, ever the instigator, smirked as he looked around. Matt sat in his oversized chair, a silent, brooding mountain. Sebastian was deep in thought, his brow furrowed as if he were trying to solve a particularly difficult equation. Not even he could make sense of all this.
I was still naked on the couch, wrapped in a plush blanket, clutching a can of Diet Coke like a lifeline.
I clenched the blanket tighter and stood.
The room tilted slightly, probably from the sheer absurdity of the situation.
Five men. One me. A superhero soap opera with worse stakes than daytime TV.
"Perhaps," Sebastian said finally, his voice cutting through the tension, "it would be best if we talked alone first."
I swallowed. "Fine. Let’s talk."
Sebastian turned on his heel and marched toward his room. I followed, hyper-aware of the four pairs of eyes burning into my back. Matt’s gaze was a brand. Johnny’s was a challenge. Roger’s was a question. Donovan’s was an open wound.
The door shut behind us with a click that sounded like a cell locking.
Sebastian didn’t sit. He paced, movements precise and controlled, like a man trying to outrun his own thoughts. "Explain."
I leaned against his desk, the cool wood grounding me. "What’s to explain? We're all adults. We all know what this is."
"Do we?" His voice was dangerously calm. "Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’ve been playing us against each other."
I barked a laugh. "Playing you? Sebastian, I don’t have the energy for games. You think I wanted this?" I gestured vaguely toward the door. "You think I planned to end up tangled up with all of you? Besides, you were okay when it was three of us. Why are you upset now that is five?"
“Because it only makes things more complicated than before.”
“It is only complicated if you make it.”
He stopped pacing. "What are we going to tell the boss?”
“Who cares? I’m allowed to do what I want. I’m tired of pretending I don’t. I am stuck in this superhero clubhouse that I can't leave. I can't talk to my friends. I can't go out dancing. I can't go to the movies. So, what am I supposed to do?"
Sebastian’s expression flickered. Guilt, maybe understanding, before vanishing behind his usual mask. "So, you slept with all of us because you were bored?"
I groaned. "That is only part of it. Look, you are all fucking hot. You all have powers to do things no other guy can do. And hell, I even like you guys. Maybe too much. This isn't as uncommon as it seems."
"You're joking."
"No! Look, every girl in her twenties has a rotation. It’s called survival.
You hook up whenever you’re bored or hungry until you eventually give up and settle for a guy who owns a duvet cover.
The only difference here is that my rotation all live under the same roof.
And that is a product of us being stuck in your Keyhouse. "
"Keystone."
"Whatever!" I flapped my arms in frustration, the blanket fluttering around me.
"What about everyone else's feelings?"
I crossed my arms. "You had me. All of you did. Some multiple times, in multiple ways. Don’t act like you were suffering."
He exhaled sharply, running a hand over his face. "This isn’t about sex. It’s about trust."
"Trust?" I scoffed. "You want to talk about trust? When are you going to tell me the real reason I am here?"
Sebastian’s eyes narrowed. "I suppose you have a point."
"Thank you."
"Would it help if I talked to them first?"
I softened a bit. "Please?" I was almost begging.
Together, we marched back out to face the music.
Sebastian cleared his throat. "So. Mandie here has gotten a bit…
overexcited. Perhaps I should have said something sooner, but it isn't easy to get us all together these days.
A couple of weeks ago, Roger, Donovan, and I learned that we all had an intimate relationship with Mandie.
At first, it seemed too unorthodox. Three men, one woman. It wasn't good math."
Everyone kept their attention on him as he fixed his collar.
"But then we realized how logical this really was. We never had to worry about our romantic partner being kidnapped by some crazed supervillain, because she would always have a superhero guarding her. What seemed taboo at first now seemed rational."
"So, we decided to keep it going," Roger added, arms crossed.
"Precisely," Sebastian said. "Today, Mandie had intimate encounters with Matt and Johnny, both of whom were unaware of the existing arrangement. This further complicates things—or perhaps, makes it easier. Now everyone is aware, and everyone can make their own decisions."
The room fell silent.
Johnny let out a huff. "It actually does make sense. Don't get me wrong, it is crazy, but it makes sense."
"Really?" Matt asked, brow furrowed.
"Yeah. I mean, the reason none of us date is because we’re afraid of the person we love being taken or killed. No matter what we do, we can never protect someone twenty-four/seven alone. Together? Hell, we’ve been doing it for thirty days. Someone is always here."
"Alright," Matt rumbled. "That does make sense."
"Actually," Johnny mused, "I feel a lot better about it now. It is almost like it was meant to be. But it is also messed up."
The room went quiet again. The weight of it pressed down on me in a way that was heavy, suffocating. I could feel their eyes on me. Accusing. Hurt. Confused. And underneath it all, the one thing that made my skin crawl: disappointment.
I exhaled. "Look. I didn’t plan this. I didn’t want it to be like this. But I’m not sorry. I won’t be. If you can’t handle that, then…" I trailed off, gesturing vaguely. Then leave. Then hate me. Then walk away.
I sat on the coffee table, facing them. "Let’s make it simple. You want to know where you stand? Fine. Here it is." I looked at each of them. Roger’s stormy blue eyes. Donovan’s quiet gray. Johnny’s defiant green. Matt’s wounded blue. Sebastian’s weary brown.
"I’m not choosing. I won’t. If that’s a dealbreaker for any of you, walk away. But if you’re staying, you deal with it. No more secrets. No more sneaking. If you’ve got a problem with me being with someone else, you take it up with me, not them."
Silence.
Then Johnny smirked. "Damn. And here I thought I was the rebellious one."
Roger rubbed his temples. "This is insane."
Matt was quiet for a long moment. Then, gruffly, "I’m not walking away."
Donovan’s fingers stilled. "Me neither."
Sebastian exhaled. "Fine. But we set rules."
I raised an eyebrow. "Rules?"
"Ground rules," he clarified. "No more… surprises. If you’re with one of us, the others know. No hiding. No lying by omission."
Roger groaned. "This is like a bad reality show."
Johnny grinned. "Best. Reality show. Ever."
I looked at Sebastian. "And if I say no to any of these ground rules?"
He met my gaze, steady. "Then we walk away. All of us."
The threat hung there, sharp and real. I could lose them. All of them. Just like that.
I stood. "Fine. Rules. Anything else?"
"The boss can't know," Donovan said quickly.
"Wait, I thought we said no more secrets?" I pointed out.
Sebastian took a deep breath. "That is the last and final secret. Quantum Knight cannot know a thing. Got it? We keep this between us."
Johnny saluted. "Scout’s honor."
Roger rolled his eyes. "I wasn’t a Scout, but yes."
Matt just nodded.
Donovan’s voice was soft. "I won’t say anything."
I rolled my eyes. "Fine. I hate that guy anyway. Count me in."
Sebastian studied me for a long moment. Then, quietly, "Agreed."
I exhaled, tension uncoiling in my chest. "Good. Now can we please move on before I lose my mind?"
Johnny grinned. "Where’s the fun in that?"
Roger groaned. "I need a drink."
Matt’s voice was dry. "We have rum in the top cupboard."
"Then I’m making rum and Coke," Roger muttered, standing.
"All we have is Diet Coke," Johnny said.
"I'll share," I warned, "but don't you dare drink it all."
"Or what?" Roger laughed.
"Trust me, you don’t want to make me any angrier than I already am." I flapped my arms, the blanket billowing around me like wings.
"You see that?" Johnny pointed.
"What?" I asked.
"When she flaps her arms around like that, the blanket looks like a cape. She could be our next superhero. She could be… Super Angry!" He laughed.
I groaned, turning my back on him and falling onto the couch.
Sebastian stood up and walked toward his room. "I am going to pour myself a scotch. Someone better start talking about something other than this, or I’m jumping off a cliff."
Donovan’s lips twitched. It wasn’t quite a smile, but it was close.
I sat back, the weight of the last hour pressing down on me.
Johnny plopped beside me, shoulder brushing mine. "So. Who’s up for a group activity?"
I elbowed him. Hard.
He laughed, but it was real this time. Not forced. Not bitter.
Maybe, just maybe, we’d be okay.