Safeword: Davenport(70)

"No. You?"

Zach shook his head. “What are your intentions with the two of them? I've heard her side, but I'd like to hear why you pushed for her to Top your boy."

Brent stood and began clearing the table, and Zach moved to help as he listened.

"Before I met Jacob, I had what some referred to as a stable of available boys. None monogamous, but all had a contract with me for either training only, or training with the possibility of feelings developing. My standard agreement had a clause requiring they Top people at my instruction, until they'd learned what I thought necessary. I usually had them dominate each other in turns, while I supervised, until I was sure they had the hang of it, and then I just watched."

"Why?"

"Because I wasn't keeping them, and felt it my responsibility to help them find their eventual Master. Once a submissive learns what it takes to Top, it's easier for them to weed the good Doms from the bad, and it helps them define what they want in a Master, Owner, or... whatever.” He smiled, remembering. “I never required it of Jacob; I knew right away I wanted to keep him."

"Ah, so this was your way of taking care of her?"

"Yes, but if Jacob hadn't liked her I wouldn't have made the offer, and before she arrived I'd put the thought out of my mind. He wasn't pleased about her coming—he'd heard about her, knew how close we were, and...” he ran his fingers through his hair. “He had this idea she'd walked away and didn't deserve to have me back. I rarely have to punish him for his mouth, but he pushed pretty hard Friday night. We had a long talk first, but he ended up holding a soapy enema for forty-five minutes, with his tongue clamped, while I was brutal with his nipples."

He sighed, obviously frustrated. “Since our discussions weren't productive, and were just getting him into more trouble, I put him on speech restriction until she walked in the door, so the next words out of his mouth were to her and not me. Honestly, I think he was jealous of her, perhaps I made too big of a deal over how relieved I was to have her back? Or maybe he was upset she'd hurt me, and wanted to protect me? I don't know, and he wouldn't tell me. I assume he'll enlighten me now that it's resolved, but he dug his feet in Friday evening."

Zach felt for him, sometimes it was hard to know when to talk first and punish later, or when correction needed to come before the discussion. “What happened to change his mind?"

"Good question. Chemistry, maybe? His initial words to her were overly polite snark, and had me scrounging in my head for the best way to deal with the situation, but then she complimented the curtains and his voice went from passive aggressive jackass to star-struck. He liked her instantly, even though he didn't want to."

He shrugged. “Others have admired the drapes and only managed to annoy him, so I asked why he'd made such a quick about face, and he said she's the first to figure it out, to understand it had just as much to do with the ceiling and floor and sofa, with the scale and balance, as it did the windows. But he said it was more than that, and began gushing about her inner core of humanity, and how he understood why she's so special to me.” He rolled his eyes, “He's lucky I love him as much as I do when he starts talking like that."

"He's an interior designer, too?"

"No, clothing designer and make-up artist. But I suppose that gives them fabrics in common."

"More than just fabrics, but how colors and patterns work together. The whole design thing.” Zach considered the idea Jacob would have more in common with her than he would, searched for feelings of jealousy, but still couldn't find any. “How far will you let him go with her?"

"Our contract allows him to have a relationship with a woman, and to even fall in love, though I'll always be primary Master, and he'll always live with me. He's pretty picky about the women he feels are worthy of his submission.” Brent shook his head. “The pro Domme types are a turn-off for him, he says their commands sound like a bad actress trying to play teacher—but he expects them to have enough command and presence to handle him when he doesn't follow orders, and he needs someone with a sadistic streak. Damn tall order."

"Can Dana fill it?"

"Why do I get the feeling you're making sure she isn't going to get hurt?"

"Because I am. I found myself oddly fascinated by their brief exchange at dinner, and I recognize the signs of attraction in both of them. I don't want her falling for him only to have you say he can't see her anymore, or have him decide she's not enough Domme for him. She's fragile right now, and I don't want her hurt."

"You love her?"