Page 44 of Desire

“I’m confused,” Joey said.

“You can’t be that confused. You’ve got the Internet and seen movies and shit.” Dante rolled his eyes. “Look, being a Dom means I enjoy the dominant role in a BDSM relationship. It’s about control, trust, and mutual satisfaction. Kiki was my submissive for a while, but things didn’t end well between us. And, as you can see, she’s a spiteful little bitch.”

Joey’s eyes widened in surprise, but Dante could see the gears turning in his friend’s head as he processed the information. “So, you...you like to...beat women?” Joey asked cautiously.

Dante nodded, bracing himself for Joey’s reaction. “Men too.”

Joey blinked.

“It’s not always sexual. I’m a sadist.”

“People seek you out to whip their ass?”

“Sometimes, quite literally.”

“Huh.”

“It’s completely consensual and safe. Both my sub and I have clear boundaries and rules. It’s not about abuse or violence. It’s about fulfilling desires and exploring trust.”

“You keep saying trust.”

“That’s because it takes a lot of trust between the parties involved. A trust that Kiki just broke by outing me to you.”

“Is that why you had her kicked out of Couture?”

Careful. He had to be careful about this so Joey didn’t connect Couture with any BDSM activities. Dante probably shouldn’t have even said Couture before when he was talking to Kiki. “Yes. I didn’t want her to turn her claws on Emma.”

And while that was true, the real reason was he didn’t want Kiki to betray anyone else’s trust.

“Good thinking,” Joey said. “Thanks, man.”

Of course, it was all about protecting Emma. Dante could even imagine how his next words could possibly be: I’m dating your sister.

“Okay,” Joey said slowly. “Well, that was way too much information about your personal life that I didn’t want to know.”

“I would have spared you if I could,” Dante said.

“I may not understand it completely, but if that’s what makes you happy and it’s all consensual, then who am I to judge?” Joey said, and ordered them another round.

Yeah, Dante was pretty sure if his sister was involved, Joey would be judging plenty.

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