Page 25 of Interview with a Sadist
“Just call me E,” he replies. “This handsome man sitting next to you is my husband, Jackson. Jackson, this is Bree.”
“Oh, it’s nice to meet you,” I say, extending my hand, which Jackson immediately shakes.
“It’s nice to meet you, too,” he says. “You’re a journalist? Shit, I’m surprised Nolan even let you in here.”
“Me too,” I answer with a giggle.
“Good, you all know each other,” Maddy cuts in, practically rolling her eyes. “So, you’ll be comfortable waiting here for Nolan to finish getting cleaned up. He just came back from a run and is in the shower. He’ll come get you when he’s ready. For now, hang out with these two idiots.”
My eyes widen as I look at Jackson, whose eyebrows raise in a flash.
“Bitch, please,” Jackson snips, joking with a smile. “Who are you calling idiots? Get your miserable little ass back up those stairs. Always trying to rain on somebody’s parade lookin’ ass.”
“Big head ass trying to callusidiots?” Ethan jumps in, shaking his head as Maddy turns on her heel to walk away.
“Praying mantis head ass,” snaps Jackson, making Ethan chuckle before he piles on another insult.
“Praying mantis?” says E, fighting back a laugh. “You’re so right. Bitch got a triangle head.”
Now it’s Jackson’s turn to snort. “Ole isosceles head ass girl.”
“Not the isosceles!” E blurts, and the two of them fall into uncontrollable laughter. They howl like teenagers, and the sight of the two of them engaged in this jovial behavior puts a smile on my face. I end up laughing with them, but when I look at the top of the stairs, my snickering stops. Maddy glares at me over the railing, and she most definitelyisn’tlaughing. She doesn’t linger long, but when she walks away, I can still feel the cold from her gaze as I pull my attention back to Jackson and Ethan.
“Don’t worry about Maddy,” Ethan says, finally calming himself down.
“Yeah, she’s always in a shitty mood,” Jackson adds.
“Seriously,” Ethan says. “Especially since—”
“Ah, there’s no need to get into all of that,” Jackson interjects quickly, stopping Ethan in his tracks. “So, what made you decide to do a story on this place, Bree?”
I pause, frowning at their weird exchange, before answering, “My boss. He said interest in the club was crazy, and people had their suspicions about what goes on here, and who runs the place. So, he reached out to Nolan and he agreed to an interview.”
“Wow,” Jackson says, nodding in silent agreement with Nolan’s decision. “Well, good on Nolan.”
“I’m both surprised and not surprised at all,” Ethan says, looking at his husband. “You know how Nolan is. He doesn’t want people thinking the worst of him, and he’s big on showing people things they never knew about so they won’t judge without knowing the facts.”
“He’s the perfect loving Dominant,” Jackson says, smiling.
Ethan grins. “Right? He wants to smack the shit out of you with a flogger, then go volunteer somewhere and donate to charity.”
“He donates to charity?” I inquire, pulling out my notepad to jot this down.
“At least twice a year,” Ethan answers. “Nolan is not your typical Dominant. He’s a control freak by nature, but also selfless, and he specializes in empathy. He feels deeply, and when he cares about something, he cares with every ounce of him. With Nolan, you either get all or nothing.”
“Some people can’t take Nolan because he can be so intense, and he doesn’t mince words,” Jackson continues. “He can be a lot to get used to at first, because he’s completely unashamed of who he is, and that includes living the lifestyle. Hell, it’s because of him that we’ve grown to be so comfortable about who we are.”
I stop writing and look at the two of them. “Really?”
“Oh, for sure,” says Jackson. “I know it’s 2023, but being gay in America is still terrifying, and there’s a million reasons to keep it to yourself. But with Nolan around, you get a sense of pride that’s completely contagious. He exudes confidence and if you can’t accept who he is, he doesn’t want you around. He’s such a pure person that most people end up wantinghisacceptance, not the other way around.”
“Facts,” Ethan chimes in for added measure.
“Wow,” I say, which seems to have become my motto these days. “Sounds impressive.”
“He is. Nolan is the best friend either of us has ever had,” Ethan says.
“Well, besides each other,” Jackson cuts in.
