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Archie grinned and sat down on the other side of the island. “I guess you’re not one of those who call themselves a brat tamer, then.”
I chuckled.
Kyla found the neckline of my tee worthy of tugging at, so she was busy and distracted.
“Not really. But brat-taming events are still fun,” I said. “You just gotta know it’s temporary, and there’s barely any difference between brat taming and being a Sadist.”
Archie cocked his head, curious. “Must you resort to violence when taming a brat?”
“Technically, no. Not physical violence. But you don’t have to be into physical violence to be a Sadist either.” I shrugged and gathered more food on my fork. “I’d say Kingsley is one of our best brat tamers, because he’s both a casual type of Master and a Sadist. He’ll beat the brat until its defenses are down, and then he forces the brat to submit. A treat to watch—you’ll see for yourself soon enough.”
“I can’t wait.” He smiled affectionately and rested his chin in his hand. “And then the brat bounces back.”
I nodded and chewed quickly to make room for more. “That’s the thing about brats, innit? It’s part of their personality. You can’t really fake being a brat. That’s why I don’t see much of a difference between brat taming and sadism. Both kinds of Tops defeat their bottom in a scene, and then the scene is over.”
Amusement seeped into Archie’s gaze. “I tried to be a brat when I first got into kink. They’re always so playful and fun to be around.”
They were definitely fun.
“I’m guessing it felt forced.”
He nodded. “It was exhausting.”
I grinned. I could imagine. “Well, I’m glad you stopped.” Kyla clearly agreed with me; she started babbling louder and gestured at Archie. “You feel the same, don’t you, princess? Daddy’s perfect the way he is.”
She hummed, cooed, and clapped. Sounded pretty convincing to me.
Archie sighed contentedly and just watched us.
Every day, I witnessed his pleasure at serving me—but we didn’t have a great balance yet. It was difficult to achieve so early into our dynamic, especially if he wanted to remain in control of his own economy. He wasn’t driven by rewards either, so that wasn’t a structure I could implement as a way to give something back. Gifts might work to show appreciation, however. I’d see if I could get access to his Amazon wish list because I knew one existed. He’d mentioned borrowing his sister’s bread maker since she didn’t use it—maybe that could make a nice gift.
It would be another thing of his moving in to my house. He’d already begun filling some cupboards with his own stuff, from tea services and serving trays to dessert bowls and pastry forks because those were evidently a thing.
Archie put a great deal of effort into presentation, and it was one of the many traits I loved about him.
Was it too soon to give him a credit card for household items? Lucian had given one to Cameron as part of the boy’s responsibilities at home. If something was missing in the drawers or in the fridge, Cam bought it.
They hadn’t been official very long at all.
But screw time limits. Archie was going all in on serving me; he couldn’t stop me from making advances on my end. So that settled it. First thing on Monday, I’d order a new card, and I’d get him a bread maker. He was done paying for things that meant a lot to me in a high-protocol relationship, and presentation was certainly one of them.
“This was fantastic, sweetheart. You know how to make me feel like a king.” I wiped my mouth with a napkin and finished my water. Even the napkins around here had received an upgrade. Gone were the paper towels, replaced by fancier napkins and even linen.
“Good.” Archie smiled in satisfaction and took the plate from me to set it in the sink. “Would you like me to stay up till you get home again?”
I shook my head. “No, you get some rest. I might wake you up later—I haven’t decided.”
Kyla let out a big yawn, so she would hopefully drop shortly.
I kissed the top of her head. “You better be asleep when I get home, though.”
Archie came over to me and slipped an arm around my shoulders. “If only she obeyed as well as I do.”
I laughed softly and peered up at him. “Give me a kiss and tell me you’ll miss me while I’m gone.”
He smiled crookedly and complied. “You know I will, Master.” He brushed his lips to mine teasingly. “I love sleeping in your bed, but you’re supposed to be next to me.”
I hummed and deepened the kiss, needing some tongue action before I dragged my ass out to my truck. Which reminded me, I had to take the dirty towels out that I’d used after my roll in the mud.
