CHAPTER 158: SECOND MONDAY (3)

"What’s wrong Samantha?" asked Jack.

Certain he knew what this was about, he decided it was best to get things aired out now, rather than let it fester.

"I just... You told me why you were able to forgive her, but I... We could have been a harem over a year ago! And she ruined that."

Then, looking at Madison, she said, "Why couldn’t you just share?! Would that have been so horrible?"

Still clutching him from behind, Madison leaned out enough to look at Samantha and said, "What’s wrong with wanting him all to myself?!"

"Because it’s selfish?" said Samantha rhetorically.

From what Madison had told him, it seemed like her obsession was driven by a fear of losing him. And wanting him all to herself was a defensive response to that fear. If there were no other women in his life, there was no competition for his attention and no risk of him leaving her.

Their soul bond had initially helped her relax and overcome that fear. But when she learned that he could effectively shut her out, even with the soul bond, her fears returned, if not as strongly.

His soul bonds with Nora and Rina hadn’t worried her much because they weren’t love interests. And Miranda was motivated to make friends with Madison, aided by her mother’s training.

But Samantha’s arrival eroded Madison’s tenuous balance. Samantha was not happy about Madison’s past actions, and Madison had almost certainly sensed how much he enjoyed fucking Samantha. The combination probably had Madison seriously worried she was going to get sidelined.

He pulled Madison around so she was facing him. Then he cupped her face with his hands and kissed her.

"Madison, I’m not going to discard you. As long as you do your best to get along with my other girls, you’ll be fine. I don’t expect you to be best friends with everyone, but I hope you will at least try."

She nodded, then hugged him.

He looked at Samantha.

"It does no good to be angry with present Madison for something past Madison did. Let go of the past and look to the future."

He’d forgotten how many times he’d heard Jacob or Fran tell him the same thing, and it felt a little weird giving the same advice to someone his own age.

Samantha nodded, looking a little chagrined.

He grabbed Madison’s shoulders, turned her around, and gently pushed her towards Samantha.

"Now, go give her a hug."

"What?!" they both said.

Samantha was blushing, and Madison looked at him like he’d suggested she kiss Samantha.

"Don’t look at me like that. She’s basically your sister now. Go hug it out. In fact, that’s a command. You two have to hug for the next thirty minutes."

He’d read somewhere that extended physical contact helped build emotional bonds. Maybe if they hugged for a long enough, they’d get over any lingering emotional discomfort with each other.

He nudged Madison until she was within arm’s reach of Samantha.

As tempting as it was to command Samantha’s body to hug Madison, he resisted because it would just arouse Samantha and give Madison the wrong idea.

After some hesitation, Madison opened her arms, and Samantha responded.

As soon as they hugged, he stepped up and hugged them both.

After a moment, he said, "There, this isn’t so bad, is it?"

They both shook their heads.

He released them, then turned to Nora and Rina.

"Come on, you two, let’s go do some training and give these two a chance to talk in private."

As they were passing through his white room, Nora touched his arm and said, "Jack?"

He turned to face her and Rina stopped and looked at them.

Looking at Rina, Nora said, "Rina, why don’t you go on ahead? I want to talk to Jack about something."

Rina looked at Jack. He nodded to her, and she turned and towards the hall that led to their bedrooms. She needed to change before heading to the room with the training dummies.

Once Rina had left the white room, Nora said, "Jack, I’m concerned."

"About?"

"I see the way Rina is responding to you, and I wonder how much of that is natural and how much of that is caused by the soul bond."

"I think it’s both," he replied. "She’s always craved physical affection, but in the past it was too intense for her. The soul bond somehow allows her to enjoy physical affection with me without being overwhelmed. I’m not sure, but I think our conscious and unconscious desires influence how the soul bond affects us."

"And you think in her case it enabled her to enjoy physical affection with you without being overwhelmed like it would with anyone else?"

"Yes. Just as I think my desire for family, for strong emotional connections, has affected the way I feel towards the people I’m soul bonded with. For those that I allowed to get close to me, like with you, Rina, Madison, and Miranda, I feel more affection than can be explained just by our interactions."

"You feel affection for me?"

Their interactions had been mostly professional, just discussing business or science, with very little discussion on personal topics. And yet, he had to admit; he felt some affection for her. Not a lot, but more than was warranted.

"A little. More than could be explained by our interactions alone. I also suspect that by drawing close during the soul bonding process, it also causes a subconscious increase in emotional intimacy. The kind that leads to increased affection."

"I suspect you are feeling the same," he continued. "Maybe you’re struggling to decide if you want to keep things professional, take on a big sister role, or something a little more intimate."

"And is that what you want? More intimacy? Was this your plan all along?"

"No, Nora. At the time you accepted a soul bond with me, I did not know about this side effect. If I had known, I would have told you then. Regardless, as I told you before you even accepted the soul bond, I would welcome a more imitate relationship with you, but..."

She opened her mouth.

He held up his hand to forestall whatever she was about to say.