Page 50 of Interview with a Sadist
“Don’t make it awkward,” Jackson says as Ethan steps out of the way to reveal that Jackson has materialized behind him. He practically pushes Ethan out of the way and gives me a soft hug that’s short and sweet. “How you doing, girl? It’s nice to have you back here keeping Nolan in line.”
“Oh, is that what I’m doing?” I ask as he backs away and the two beautiful men look at me with smiling faces.
“Child, please. You don’t even know,” Ethan says. His bald head glistens beneath the lights as he spins around and motions to the trays of food. “I’m too hungry to stand here talking to y’all. Let’s eat. If this food gets cold, I’m gonna be mad if I gotta put it in the microwave.”
“Word to Baby Boy,” Jackson says as he follows his husband chuckling. I don’t understand the reference, but I smile and follow them anyway.
The four of us sit down at the round table with E and J on one side, and Nolan and I on the other. When Ethan lifts the covers from the trays, I’m shocked at the display of food before me. One tray has four New York strip steaks, all separated by dividers just big enough to fit each cut of beef. Another tray is covered with jumbo shrimp, while another is stacked with salad. Smaller containers of dressing, steak sauce, and cocktail sauce adorn the table, and there are four glasses of water to go with it all. It’s quite the array, especially for ordering out.
“That’s what I’m talking about,” says Ethan, just before he grabs a ceramic plate from the center of the table and lifts a piece of steak from the tray.
“Damn, bro. What happened to ladies being first?” Nolan asks with a look of bewilderment on his face.
E freezes. “Oh … uhh, you want this particular steak?” he asks me.
I nearly erupt into laughter. “No, I’m good. Thank you,” I say, as I reach for a plate and use the silver tongs to cover it with salad.
“Girl, all you’re going to eat is a salad?” Jackson inquires.
“Hell no,” I reply. “This is my warm-up. There’s no chance I’m not going to eat some of those jumbo shrimp.”
“That’s what I’m talking about,” Jackson replies. “Don’t be holding back because you’re in front of Nolan. He’s ugly anyway.”
I try to answer, but end up laughing instead.
“Boy, I know you’re not callingmeugly,” Nolan fires back, before pausing to glare at me. “Wow, him calling me ugly seems awfully hilarious to you, Bree.”
Everyone laughs except for Nolan, who twists his lips together, jokingly upset.
We spend the next few minutes getting our plates together and diving into our food. Everything tastes incredible, and I realize the cloud that was above my head this morning has completely vanished thanks to Nolan and his friends. I hadn’t even thought about Melissa’s morning drama, but then Nolan asks the question.
“So, did anything get worked out with your friend this morning?”
The three of them continue eating, but I stop chewing altogether, immediately reaching maximum annoyance.
“Umm, no,” I answer. “My ex friend had nothing to say that I wanted to hear. So, I think we might be done being friends.”
“Damn. What happened? If you don’t mind me asking,” Ethan asks, never taking his eyes off the last bit of his steak.
“My friends are a bit closed-minded,” I reply. “They don’t like anything different from them or their way of thinking. So, when I was assigned the interview that brought Nolan and I together, they gave me a lot of shit about it. They had some disparaging things to say about BDSM, Nolan, and this club—all without having ever stepped foot in here. It rubbed me the wrong way, and now that I’ve met you all, I feel even stronger about it. So, the three of us might not be able to be friends when it’s all said and done. Plus, things between Nolan and I …”
I stop talking when I realize what I’m about to say, but E and J are already smirking.
“Oh, you don’t have to pause,” Ethan says.
“Yeah, we recognized that immediately,” J quips. “Not to mention that Nolan never talks about the people he’s seeing, but he can’t seem to shut up about you. So, E and I already know what’s up, and we think it’s awesome.”
The warmth that erupts inside me spreads through my limbs and finds a home in my heart. I love how calm and accepting they all are. It’s like talking to people I’ve known my entire life even though we barely know each other at all.
“Well, I appreciate the support,” I say, partly to myself.
“You know, it’s sad how people can be like that,” Ethan says. He sets his plate down on the table and leans back against the plush, black cushion. “This world is full of people who are different, and that’s what makes us beautiful. Why the fuck would we all want to be exactly the same?”
“Boring,” Jackson agrees with an exclamation.
“And the thing about the people who want us to be the same as them,” Ethan goes on. “They’re the ones who tend to be the most hostile. Meanwhile, the people who are different and enjoy being who they are—we’re the peaceful ones.”
“I think it’s because we’re actually happy with who we are,” Nolan chimes in. “We’re happy being who we are and doing what makes us happy—loving who makes us happy. Other people are unhappy with who they are inside, so they get this weird jealousy for people who are happy because they can’t attain it themselves. They can’t find in themselves what we’ve found in ourselves.”
