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As I groaned and tried to decide the quickest way to end my suffering, Bates called out to our helpful neighbor. “We’re just working out the kinks with it. No one is being manipulated. They’re just slightly stubborn and a bit blind.”
“Alright but you’ve got safewords, right?”
Dead.
Somehow I was dead and being tortured with embarrassment for all eternity for doing something evil in life.
“Yes, stoplight colors for all of us.” Bates seemed to think the whole thing was perfectly reasonable. “Thank you for looking out for my boys.”
He was smiling as he turned away from the window. “I’m glad we have such good neighbors.”
Yeah, I’d died and just hadn’t realized it.
Maybe the spider had killed me and the past few weeks hadn’t been real?
Gareth clearly wasn’t real because he thought it was reasonable too. “Yeah, except for bug dude. The crickets. I just…”
I found myself shaking my head in commiseration and agreement even though I was dead.
“But overall, they’re great.” Bates was beaming and turned toward the window like he was imagining we were in some kind of Disney movie. “This is so much nicer than being at work or my old apartment.”
So he liked the building because everyone was nuts?
He really liked us because we were nuts?
Thank God.
That meant he wasn’t going to leave because we were too weird.
“I’m glad.” Gareth gave him a laid-back smile and leaned over me to give Bates a quick kiss. “You’ll show Cash how to be my puppy Dom? I can have two, right? Do you trade off? Do you cooperate and do it at the same time like dating us both together?”
Gareth was still trying to kill me…but he had some logical questions.
Assuming the Dom-Handler thing wasn’t a figment of everyone’s imagination.
Bates seemed just as relaxed as Gareth, shrugging and reaching out to stroke his cheek. “I would be happy to help Cashel figure out how he wants to be your Handler. Once he gets used to the idea, he’ll relax. I don’t think he’s been thinking of himself as a switch and that made it harder to figure things out.”
Gareth looked over at the door and it took me a second to realize he was looking at the light switch. “Switch. Dom and sub, right?”
“Yes.” Bates looked proud of him and I felt myself wanting to smile. “Some people are just one or the other, but some people shift back and forth under specific circumstances.”
Bates glanced over at me, not looking worried when I just sat there stupidly. “We’ll talk it through after he’s had a chance to think about it. But I’m pretty sure he’ll be happier with chances to dominate and to submit.”
Maybe?
“He’s kind of bossy sometimes and he’s dated a few guys who didn’t like that.” Gareth was wearing a distracted expression and I knew he was thinking about the guys I’d dated. “It also explains why he’s so good at managing our family but why it’s a lot of work too.”
How was it all so easy for him?
“I’m glad he has you to help him now.” Gareth kissed my head and snuggled closer. “He gets stressed a lot and I didn’t know how to help.”
Oh.
“I will do my best.” Bates scooted closer so I was sandwiched between them. “But he’s going to get more stressed for a little while until we work out how he wants to dominate you. He’s been telling himself for a very long time that he shouldn’t want those kinds of things.”
“Because he shouldn’t want to dominate anyone in general or just me?” Another fascinating question popped out of Gareth, sending confusion through me.
Bates lifted his hands in anI don’t knowgesture. “Both, maybe? I think it’s mostly tied with the puppy play so that’s why it’s so hard for him to talk about, but I don’t know if it’s just you he sees as a pup or if it’s a lifestyle he’s drawn to in general.”
