She looked at me expectantly.
I sighed. “It’s not announced yet, but I’ll be playing Lucas Steel in the movie.”
“Oh,” she said, shifting uncomfortably. “Well, there goes that fantasy. Are you sure that’s a good fit for you, honey?” She was looking at me over her sunglasses, which was a sure sign she was skeptical.
Rami, trying to be helpful, said, “Elena’s been giving him spanking lessons.”
Elena was struggling to keep a straight face.
My mom’s cheeks flushed. “I didn’t mean like that. I’m sure you’ll make a…very nice Lucas Steel. I just meant is it a good career choice for you? It’s so different from everything else you’ve done.”
“That’s why I want to do it. It’ll open up a whole new path for me. How has me playing Lucas Steel become the heated topic when I just told you my girlfriend is a dominatrix?”
My mom rolled her eyes. “I don’t see how it’s that different from what you do, Alex. You act out people’s fantasies and it sounds like Elena does too. How did you get into such an unusual line of work?”
Well, this was going better than I thought. Elena gave me a look that suggested the same.
I sat back and listened as Elena explained how she’d found her way to the dungeon via her master’s program, then explained how she viewed her job. I was always struck by how articulate and passionate she was about what she did. It was fascinating to hear her describe it, and I could see the same admiration reflected in everyone else’s eyes at the table. Maybe this had been a mistake after all. My entire family would be under her spell by the end of dinner and no one else I brought home was ever going to live up to her.
“So you’ve basically just done an extra PhD in sexual psychology then?” my mom asked.
Elena laughed. “That’s one way of looking at it… I definitely get to see the stuff people don’t even tell their therapists. It’s incredible.”
“It sounds like you love it…”
“I do. Most of it anyway. No one loves their job all the time.”
“Are you going to miss it?” my mom asked.
I sat up straighter, sensing we’d walked into a trap.
Elena blinked at her, looking unsure. “Um, I’m taking a little break right now, but I’ll be going back next month, so I won’t be away long enough to miss it much.”
“Surely, if things between you and Alex get serious, you’re planning to give it up.”
Shit. How had we gotten here? I expected Elena to brush it off by saying things weren’t serious yet or go along with it since it was a moot point, but her chin tilted up ever so slightly.
“No, I’m not planning to give it up. We’ll work through it if we have to.” Her tone was mild, but I could see the tension in the way she was sitting. I was surprised she was bothered since it was a hypothetical scenario that would be made irrelevant by the end of our contract. Unless she was considering a future with me…
My mom was quiet long enough that I thought she was going to back off, so I didn’t feel like I needed to jump in, but apparently, she had other ideas.
“Really? That surprises me. You seem like a smart girl. I can see doing something like that for a few years when you’re young and single, but it’s not something you do forever. You don’t want to be the sad, wrinkly dominatrix, do you?”
“Mom, seriously…” I said, warning plain in my tone.
Elena laughed, but it wasn’t the warm, genuine one I’d gotten used to. “The older dommes do quite well for themselves. You’d be surprised how many men prefer an older woman when they get to be honest about their desires. Women come into their power as they age.”
Elena had subtly gestured towards my mom when she said the last word and I could see my mom bristling.
Shockingly, it was Ryan who broke the tension for us by blurting, “Zane got his dick pierced.”
We all whipped around to look at Zane who glared daggers at our youngest sibling.
My mother snapped, “Language, Ryan!”
Zane growled, “How the fuck did you know that?”
“The blonde you had over last night was loud and wouldn’t shut up about it.”
