Jack was just finishing breakfast when Madison walked into the kitchen. She was wearing the same thin camisole and cotton shorts she'd been wearing when he encountered her in the hallway yesterday. And, just like yesterday, his first thought on seeing her was, Nipples! Hers were on prominent display, clearly pushing through the thin fabric.
As he felt himself harden at the sight, he also felt some anger. She had not merely interfered with his potential love life; she had nearly crushed his spirit. Those five disgusted rejections had left him with serious self doubt and he had nearly given up on the idea of ever getting a girlfriend. That she had been unaware of how much her machinations had affected him only mitigated her guilt, but did not absolve her completely. Just giving in and giving her what she wanted felt wrong to him, like rewarding her for her bad choices. Even if you ignored the harm she had caused, her actions had still been very selfish, and she had no right to interfere in his potential relationships.
However, when he examined her emotions through their soul bond, he found that not only could he sense her emotions, he could also sense her intentions. And as far as he could tell, the effect her clothes had on him was entirely unintentional. What she was wearing was what she wore when she was alone in her room, or anywhere where she was completely comfortable.
When she had walked into the kitchen, she was yawning and shuffling like a sexy zombie. But when she noticed him sitting at the table, she stopped, blinked at him blearily for a moment, then her attention seemed to turn inward for a moment.
Then her eyes went wide, and she said, "Oh, shit! I'm sorry. I didn't... This wasn't..."
He stopped her with a hand up. "I know. I can tell through our connection that you aren't trying to be...you know..." For some reason he could bring himself to say "seductive," out loud.
"Do you want me to change?" she asked.
"No, it's fine." He was enjoying the view. No sense in depriving himself of the pleasure.
"Okay."
He could tell that she was pleased that he was enjoying looking at her. And, feeling his gaze on her, she straightened up and somewhat self consciously walked towards the refrigerator. As she passed, he turned to get a look at her ass. It was round, firm, and perky. Noting that she also had toned legs, he thought, does she run?
He turned away, wondering if keeping his distance was punishing her, or punishing himself. He was certain she would bend over and let him take her right there on the kitchen table if he asked. And part of him certainly wanted that, but deep down, he was still angry with her, and not ready to forgive her for what she had done. So, he would take pleasure in watching her, but would not give her what she wanted. Not yet. He wanted her to suffer at least a little. Nothing cruel, but something...
"Madison," he asked, "do you think Katie or Sam would still be interested in dating me?"
He wasn't looking at her when he asked, but he heard a clunk, then "Ow!"
He turned to see her rubbing the back of her head. She must have smacked the back of her head on one of the refrigerator shelves. Why she had her head stuck all the way inside the refrigerator was beyond him.
Through their connection he felt her emotional reaction to his question, first surprise, then fear, then dismay, then resignation. And then, to his surprise, acceptance, and calm determination.
He gave her a questioning look, wondering what had just gone through her head.
Still rubbing her head, she said, "I'm... not sure. I got the impression they were very interested in you, at the time. But I haven't talked to them since, so I don't know if they'd still be interested."
She paused, then said, "After you asked that question, I realized that wanting to have you all to myself was just as selfish as what I did to you before. I want to make things right. Maybe helping you get dates with Katie and Sam will be a small step in that direction."
"Hmm... make things right. Now that you mention it, there is something you can do. Contact every girl you poisoned against me and confess. The least you can do is set the record straight that I am not the despicable person they think I am."
Her shoulder hunched, and he could feel her dread over their connection. And it felt right. That dread. Those last two times, working up the courage to ask a girl out. He too had felt dread. And while he didn't believe in Karma, if he did, then her having to experience the same dread would be karmically balancing.
"Do... do I have to?" she asked. He could tell she was desperately hoping he would stay her sentence.
"Yes," he said sternly. "It's only fair. You lied to them and ruined my reputation with them. So, it's only fair that you undo what you did to me. In fact, I don't think I'll be able to fully forgive you unless you do."
From his point of view, if she wasn't willing to try and undo the reputational damage she'd done, then she wasn't really sorry.
"Shit," she muttered. Then looked up at him pleadingly, "Can't I just-"
"No," he said firmly. "In person." She flinched. "Or, at the very least, over the phone." He thought about demanding that she record the conversations, but then realizing that she would not be able to lie to him. He would be able to tell through their soul bond.
He was also reassured by her reaction. There had been a nagging worry in the back of his mind that the soul bond might have eroded her will, making her a slave, or prone to blind obedience. But her resistance to his demand that she confess to the girls she had lied to about him reassured him that she would not blindly obey him. It meant that what she wanted now was most likely something she had also wanted before the soul bond.
"But, I don't have-" she whined.
"Figured it out," he said sternly. "You're a smart girl. I'm sure you can figure out how to get in contact with them. You can start with Katie and Sam."
She huffed in resigned frustration. Then said, "Yes, Master."
"And none of that master bullshit. Not in public and not in private." It was a little creepy. Both hearing it, and how it made him feel.
She nodded. Then turned back to the still open refrigerator.
He turned back to his still unfinished juice and took a sip, a feeling of hope swelling inside him. Even if things didn't pan out with Katie or Sam, he now felt like he had a chance once he got to college. It would be a sort of new beginning for him. A fresh start. He was still lost in fantasies of what might be when Madison spoke.