“Care for a cuppa?” Spencer asked.
They both nodded, and Spencer excused himself into the kitchen, which Nick led him through to a very comfortable-looking living room. Certainly nothing cheap about the house, but unlike James’s, it felt cosy. Less like a picture from a designer homes magazine and more like a place where two people actually lived.
They sat in the living room, Cal in one of the armchairs and Nick opposite him on the couch.
“What do you think?” Nick asked.
“About?”
“Spencer?”
“Oh.” Cal looked up as Spencer balanced two mugs of tea, put one down in front of Nick first, then Cal, then left to get a third mug. “You fit really well together.”
“He’s my sub, too.”
Cal watched Spencer bring in the third mug. On the outside, nothing hinted at Nick’s dominance over Spencer, but then, what would it look like? He had no idea.
“Okay. He’s clearly happy. Both of you seem to be.”
“I am,” Nick said. “Spencer, are you happy?”
“Yes, I am.” Spencer settled on the couch near Nick. To Cal, he said, “I enjoy submitting to him. I find it very relaxing.”
Relaxing? Okay. But then, James relaxed too during sex when Cal gave him orders. He stopped thinking and questioning and just did. With all the stuff that he had to deal with at work, maybe that was it. Relaxing. Wiping away everything else. Focusing.
“How . . . how did you turn into a Dom?”
“I’m a sexual sadist. Born that way, I’m afraid, chains and all.” Nick chuckled. “Bad brain chemistry, something wrong during pregnancy, maybe I’m one step away from being a psychopath. As long as I don’t do anything outside of consent—even though I’d be perfectly capable of it—I’m good.”
Cal wasn’t sure how to take that, but when Spencer laughed quietly behind his mug and rolled his eyes—clearly amused and not a little surprised—he decided it was just Nick’s dry and slightly warped sense of humour.
“Oh. I see.”
Nick grinned. “You asked. Spencer is a masochist. He really enjoys pain. He’s also a sub, which is lucky. We do fit perfectly together. He was a client first, then I quit the Garden and here we are, stronger than ever.”
Smiling, Spencer placed a hand on Nick’s back.
Cal sipped his tea. “All right. I’m . . . just a top? I like power, but I don’t get off on pain? I don’t think?” Do I?
“Well, a Dom. Not necessarily a top. There is a difference.” Nick shrugged, cradling his tea in one hand and resting the other on Spencer’s leg. “And as for pain, have you ever tried it?”
“Tried . . . inflicting it?”
Nick nodded. Cal wasn’t sure, but he thought Spencer shivered.
“I haven’t.” Cal shook his head. “I’ve never tried it.”
“Not even a slap on the arse?” Nick raised an eyebrow. “Pulling hair? Anything?”
This time, Spencer definitely shivered.
Cal set his tea on the coffee table. “I guess I’ve done stuff like that. A little.” His mind wandered back to this morning, to the way his concern about hurting James had quickly and easily shifted to wanting to give him more, fuck him harder, fuck him deeper, knowing it hurt and wanting it to hurt. “Maybe more than I’ve realised.” What to think about that? He had no idea.
Nick grinned, a hint of triumph in his expression, as if he’d seen right through to Cal’s slightly sadistic core. “That’s what I thought. So you enjoy making him hurt.”
“If he’s enjoying it, yes.”
“Of course.” Nick looked up at Spencer, the grin turning to a smile. “It’s only fun if he’s enjoying it.”
Spencer returned the smile, and then leaned in to kiss Nick softly on the lips. God, those two were an adorable couple. It was strange to think of them in that way, since they were a sadist and a masochist; the word just didn’t seem to fit. But there they were.
Nick faced Cal again, absently running his hand up and down Spencer’s leg. “You’ve got the makings of a Dom and a sadist.”
Cal straightened. “A sadist?”
“Of course.” Nick shrugged. “You get off on making someone hurt.”
“Well, I . . .” Cal struggled to get his thoughts in order. “If that’s what he wants me to do, yes.”
Nick held his gaze for a moment, brow furrowed with some unspoken thought. Finally, he said, “To be honest, it sounds to me like you’re actually a service top.”
“Beg your pardon?”
“A service top.” Nick casually sipped his tea and set the cup back down. “You get off on doing what your partner needs you to do. A submissive brings out your Dom side. A masochist brings out your sadistic side.” He shrugged again. “Some people are like that.”
“I’m assuming you’re not.”
Spencer gave a quiet laugh, and Nick chuckled as he shook his head. “No, I’m a Dom and a sadist no matter what. But you might be the type who’s perfectly happy not being in charge and not inflicting pain if your partner isn’t the type who wants to be topped and hurt.”