“So what?” Enzo mumbled. “Everyone starts somewhere.”
This time, it was Vince who looked exasperated. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Let me get this straight. You used this kid’s request for another booty call to try to convince him to be your trained submissive, but only for a set amount of time and only on your terms at your convenience?”
Enzo rolled his eyes. “When you put it like that…”
He spent the next fifteen minutes attempting to outline what he’d offered Seven.
“You basically told this kid that you wanted a contractually-obligated booty call who wouldn’t be mad when you had to cancel plans and that you wanted himspecifically becauseit would be convenient not to have to lie about the less than legal shit we do.”
“I-I wasn’t trying to hurt his feelings,” Enzo muttered, reaching for the bottle.
“Trying or not, you did,” Vince retorted. “Andhe’s one of Navarro’s kids? You know his best friend literally works for Mama at the restaurant. Why would you even play around with that? She takes those alliances very seriously.”
“I know,” Enzo grumbled, this time slugging back his whole glass. “Like I said, I didn’t think it would like…offend him or break his heart or something.” Enzo wasn’t sure who he felt more sorry for then—himself or Seven. “He didn’t act like he wanted a relationship when we were together that first night. He’s the one who draggedmeinto bed.”
That was sort of true. If one squinted a bit.
“What was he supposed to get out of this arrangement other than your dick?” Vince asked.
Enzo rolled his eyes. “He said he wanted a Daddy. I offered to be that for him.”
“He said he wanted a Daddy?”
Enzo huffed out a breath. “Well, he called me Daddy. What else was I supposed to think? That’s how this started.Hestarted it.”
“That’s very mature,” Vince chided, shaking his head. “But there’s a difference between just casually calling your fuck buddy Daddy and actually looking for a dominant. You know that. Did he express any interest in BDSM at all?”
Enzo shrugged. “It didn’t exactly come up. But that night we were together, he asked me to take charge. He asked me to instruct him. He asked me to be rough with him. Once I sanded down some of his rough edges, he was…perfect.”
“Then what the fuck do you need to train him for? It seems like you both enjoyed your night and that he would have been down for round two. Why did you feel the need to bring contracts into this, especially knowing he wasn’t part of…this.” He gestured to the den of iniquity around them.
“I just thought it would prevent him from…getting attached. Setting expectations is important.”
“You didn’t tell him to set his expectations; you told him not to have any. You told him that you wanted to fuck him whenever you want, that you expected to be obeyed, and in return, you planned to disappoint him regularly.”
Enzo once more thunked his head against the booth. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Maybe not, but that’s what you offered him.” Vince frowned. “If you had just broached the subject when you were in bed together, this probably would have gone much differently.Instead, you got his hopes up and then cut his strings. And you did it in our mother’s restaurant. What the fuck, bro?”
Enzo slammed his glass down with just enough force to make himself feel a little better. “You’re supposed to be on my side.”
“Me?” Vince said. “Why? Because I own this club? Because I’m a dominant? Have you ever seen me take on a sub who hadn’t come here seeking a dom? No, because I don’t play with people who don’t understand what they’re getting into.”
Enzo’s guts felt like they were twisted in knots. “I just wanted to…”
“Wanted to what?” Vince prodded.
“Nothing,” Enzo muttered.
“Listen, you and I have two very different reasons for playing here. I do it because I enjoy it. You do it to keep people at arm’s length. And Mama knows this. We all know it. Somewhere deep down, you know it, too.”
Enzo rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sure.”
“If you like this kid so much, why not just ask him on a date? Try to have a real relationship with him? It’s been a decade. Isn’t it time to move on?” Vince asked.
Enzo grunted. Why did people keep bringing up his past? “I’m not fit to be in a real relationship with anyone. I’ll only end up hurting them.”
Vince rolled his eyes. “Well, on the bright side, you already hurt him, so way to rip off the Band-Aid, I guess.”
