When Oscar’s attention is back on me, I ask, “So, I know everyone’s profession except yours. What do you do?”
Roux snorts. Oscar’s smile climbs.
“Porn. Remember?” Alka says.
“Oh,” I say, feeling my face heat. “Right. But… currently?”
“Currently, I’m sitting on the couch,” Oscar deadpans, smirking at me. “But yes, I still make adult content.”
My eyes flicker around the room as I try to make this make sense.
“Oscar and I have always had an open relationship,” Alka explains. “For him, it’s for his work. For me, it’s because I’ve always needed…” he trails off before his eyes settle on Roux. “I’ve always needed Roux.”
“That’s sappy,” I comment.
He laughs. “I don’t really know how to explain it. When I’ve said I needed something more, they accuse Oscar of not being enough. Which is not the case at all. I’ve heard ‘if your husband wasn’t fucking everyone and just you, you’d feel differently.’ Believe me when I tell you, if it’s nasty and/or inaccurate, I’ve heard it. But it’s not the case. I feel like my entire life I’ve known I needed two men, but I’ve never been able to put into words why. I still can’t. Just that I knew I was looking for someone else and after a lot of failed attempts, Roux showed up.”
“You just had to wait for me to be born,” Roux teases, making Oscar snort and Alka laugh while he rolls his eyes.
I chuckle. “I’m seriously not judging you. Just curious.”
“Yeah, I believe that. I’m just saying. We’re a closed triad now,exceptfor Oscar’s work.”
“This is going to sound judgmental, and I swear I don’t mean it that way. But I kind of thought porn stars give up their work when they get into a serious relationship.”
Oscar smiles. “I go on breaks from time to time, though my accounts stay active because I have a massive backlog of banked content for that specific reason. But it’s a lifestyle that works for us and we don’t really expect anyone to understand or accept it. Just respect that we’re happy.”
“I bet there’s a lot of ugly out there that you face,” I say, frowning.
“On all sides,” Alka agrees, nodding. “Gay, polyamorous, sex work, age gap, coach/athlete. Basically, if there’s a stereotype against it, we seem to have embodied it.”
“But some of that shit’s not true,” Roux says. He looks at me with annoyance. “The one I hate the most and get really hot over is listening to people say I was groomed.”
“Groomed?” I ask, only vaguely familiar with the word.
He nods. “That Alka groomed me to be his lover. I was vulnerable and trusting as his player and he took advantage of that.”
I frown, looking at Alka. “That’s shitty.”
Alka shrugs. “Roux’s an adult. He was an adult when we met. He’s an adult now. People can talk all they want. We’re fine.”
“Still pisses me off,” Roux mutters.
I can definitely see that.
“Besides, we met before I was on his team. In the middle of the ocean when I wasn’t even a student of RDU,” Roux points out.
“That’s shitty,” I say again. “I’ve always thought people have far too much time on their hands when they spend so much of their energy focused on spewing their hate and opinions about shit that doesn’t concern them and isn’t affecting them.”
“Yes!” Roux shouts. “Exactly. I’d like to kick a soccer ball against all their fucking heads.”
“Easy,” Oscar coos.
Roux huffs, slumping in his chair. He seems to be fighting the small smile on his lips.
Alka gets to his feet again and leans down to kiss Roux’s forehead. “Want a drink?” he asks me.
I nod and get up to follow. He doesn’t argue, so I trail him back into the kitchen.
