“Not at all. I needed the education. I’ll be far more prepared tomorrow night. I appreciate it. And please, thank Britney for me. I know that wasn’t easy on her either.”
“She’s fine. I rewarded her well after you left.” His grin is big.
I roll my eyes. “Please, spare me the details.”
He sobers and sets his elbows on the table. “How’s Eve?”
I draw in a slow breath. “Confused. And I’m not helping out any.” I play with the napkin in front of me, picking off small chunks absently as I stare at it.
“You’re into her.”
I roll my shoulders back and groan. “Yes. And I can’t be. It’s so unprofessional. Plus, there are a dozen or more other reasons I need to keep my pants on.”
He chuckles. “Life gets messy sometimes when we least expect it. Maybe you should just follow your instincts.”
“I have and they’re leading us both into dangerous territory.” I groan again. “I’ve gone all Dom on her. I didn’t even know I had such a dominant side. It just comes out of me from somewhere. Or she brings it out of me. Mostly because she’s been lost without it. She needs it. It calms her. So does my touch.”
“I noticed that the other night. Has she let you see her little?”
I nod. “She was very hesitant at first. I don’t blame her. I’m sure she feels vulnerable. But it was stressing her out. She’s used to coming home and relaxing in her little space. With me there, she’s been stifled. So, last night, I insisted she let it go. I think we had a breakthrough.”
“That’s good. So, what’s the problem?” He’s smirking again.
Our food arrives and we begin to assemble and doctor our burgers as we continue speaking. “Besides the fact that I cannot mess with this woman?”
“Why not? You’re entitled to a life, Colton. No one can be expected to devote their entire lives to their job and never settle down.”
“It’s the nature of my job, and you know it.”
He waves a hand through the air. “Let’s cross that bridge later. Stop worrying about the future and deal with the present. Are you surprised to find you have dominant tendencies?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. Never really thought about it. I guess I would have described myself as a fairly alpha sort of guy, but the shift in my mindset to someone bossy and demanding is unexpected.”
“But it’s what Eve needs.”
I nod. “Yes. So it just sort of comes out of me.”
“That’s not a bad thing.”
I set my burger down and meet him eye-to-eye. “I dominated her hard this morning. She needed it. It was hotter than hell. But I also know I overstepped in doing so. On top of that, I piled onto that domination by text two hours later. She’s either throwing stuff at the wall in her office or squirming in her seat. I’m not sure which is worse.”
Davis chuckles. “Could be both. And good for you. Eve is incredibly submissive. She needs a strong Dom in her life. Someone who can help her see things through a new lens.”
“The woman maintains two personas like they’re a lifeline. She doesn’t let them cross, nor does she let the lines blur. I’m messing with her tidy plan.”
“Britney knows her better than I do, but from what I’ve heard, you’re right. She’s been kind of rigid and it keeps her from letting anyone get close.”
“It took her a long time to explain her preferences after we left your house. I could see that Britney gets off on the submission and every aspect of her life. Eve made it clear that she does not.”
Davis nods and finishes his bite before responding. “That’s not unusual. Lots of littles keep sex out of it. They want to escape and find it refreshing to color or play with toys to block out the real world for a while. Nothing wrong with that, nor is it peculiar for them to enjoy getting disciplined without getting aroused. They prefer to keep the two sides separate.”
“That’s exactly how Eve described things to me, and I get it. It makes sense. But either she’s been lying to herself and others or it’s different with me.”
Davis cocks his head to one side. “How so?”
I meet his gaze. “This doesn’t leave this table, right?”
“Never. Hard rule in the BDSM community. I would never break a confidence. You have my word.”
“Eve likes me. Both of her personas like me. I know it. It’s as clear as the sun in the sky.” I glance at the window. This is Seattle. The sky is not clear most days, including today. “At the equator.”
Davis laughs. “Okay, so that’s great. She likes you. What’s the problem? And don’t tell me again about your job.” He waves his hand dismissively again. “Pretend that issue doesn’t exist for now. What other roadblocks are there?”
“Eve. She has it set in her mind that she doesn’t sleep with Daddies and she doesn’t tell her vanilla boyfriends about her little side.”
“I figured. So, she never gets close to anyone.”
“Right.”
“And now you’re in her space and it’s confusing.”
“Exactly. There’s no way for her to compartmentalize like she’s used to. The lines are blurring. I can see it. She shares both sides of herself with me, and that’s not something she does normally.” I hesitate but then tell him more because damn, I need his advice. Who the hell else am I going to ask? “She sleeps with me. And by that I mean, I sleep in her bed. I have from the first night when she woke up scared. She’s little in her bed, and she subconsciously gravitates to my sides and curls up against me. It’s fucking adorable.”
Davis grins. “How cute.”
I groan yet again. “That’s not helpful.”
“Look, just because she can sleep next to you doesn’t mean she would be willing to have