Page 14 of We Own Each Other

“Okay, I might have tried to dominate him.”

He groaned, scrubbing his face with his hand. The waiter was just approaching, though he froze as he saw Everett’s disgruntled visage. Realizing he was putting out an uncomfortable aura, he dropped his hand to his lap, trying to give at least a neutral smile as he motioned for the waiter to approach.

Though he was doing his best, this man was clearly a bristly Dom.

The waiter silently waddled forward, making it a point to stand on my end of the table as he held his notepad and pen, awaiting our orders.

Everett sighed.

“I’ll take the pasta salad, and” he dropped the act as he frowned intensely in my direction, “add whatever he wants to my bill.”

Beaming, I blew him a few kisses, which earned me some withered looks in return, then I put in my own order.

As soon as the waiter left, our conversation continued. Everett, tapping the table, was still frowning, a deep furrow growing between his eyebrows.

“You were living with that guy, right? So… what? You need a place to stay? I know you like to fuck around and act like we’re the best of friends, but I’m not letting you stay at my house. My partner would—”

“No, no. Nothing like that, but thank you for the consideration. You’re as generous as always… I’m actually moving on from being a Sub, but it’s been a while. I need to know how to woo someone new, and who better to guide me than the Dom who seduced a Dom?”

Sure, at best, he tolerated me, and at worst, he hated me, but there was a reason he continued to talk to me. I knew exactly what made him tick. And he loved to be praised, especially about his relationship.

He crossed his arms over his chest, making a show of deepening his frown, though there was a slight twitch in the right corner. He was pleased.

And that was all it took.

I couldn’t help but shiver at just how easy it was to manipulate him.

“Alright, so, what? Do you want some Dom tips now that you’re getting back out there as a Dom?”

I laughed, tutting at him like he was an ignorant child. Immediately, what little pride I had bestowed upon him evaporated, and he deflated once more, shooting me a glare that would make a weaker man quiver.

“On the contrary, my friend, I have met my one and only. The end-all be-all for a layabout like me. I have met a Switch.”

He perked up then.

“A Switch? Really?”

Finally, our food hit the table, and I didn’t hesitate to dig in. I actually couldn’t recall the last meal I had. By the time I had hit up the bar, Corin was already coming in. And the hotel had already cleaned up breakfast by the time I left my room the next morning. Corin had effectively swept me off my feet when I thought I had done that to him.

I could hardly taste the food as I shoveled it in, just satisfied by the feeling of being full.

Meanwhile, Everett stared at me, occasionally poking at his meal with a fork.

After I had nearly licked my plate clean and flopped back into my chair, Everett finally carried on our conversation.

“So? What do you need from me? You should know what a Switch likes far more than I would.”

I hummed, mulling over his words. Sure, I knew what I liked, but that didn’t mean I knew what other Switches liked. We were so rare; many of us probably went our whole lives never knowing anything beyond Doms and Subs. But even if I went off what I liked, that wouldn’t get me to my goal.

I liked fucking — lots and lots of fucking.

What I needed to know was how to romance someone. How did I make someone fall for me beyond what pleasure I could give them, or what I could derive from them? I needed to know how to get someone to love me and how to love them in return.

As embarrassing as it was to say out loud, I needed to learn about love.

But as a Switch, I didn’t mind getting a little embarrassed.

So, I asked: