Page 102 of Their Domme

“I already watched all ofHannibal.” I sighed as Conrad handed me a plate with a sandwich and chips. He settled down on a nearby chair, placing bowls of popcorn and chips on the coffee table. “The movies and the show. Everything else is some kind of action movie, or it’s already ending. At least we can see some murders happening in this show.”

“Which is a requirement?” he asked.

“Duh, otherwise we can’t rank them or figure out if it’s actually something that could happen.”

“You do that?”

“Of course,” I told him seriously, eating a chip. “You should have heard the back and forth when I watchedSawfor the first time. It was… interesting.”

“Saw?”

“Yeah, with Jigsaw? Nevermind. In my opinion, it’s more of a gorefest than anything else.”

I hit play and settled in to see some guy burning alive in a dorm room.This could be fun.We settled in and watched a few episodes, commenting back and forth about the murders. A poison episode made me really appreciate Con’s knowledge, and I mentally filed away the fact that those were his speciality.Could be useful later.

It was silent for a while before Conrad suddenly spoke. “You said that you were a prostitute, a call girl…” His voice trailed off, but I stayed silent, waiting for him to continue. “And that you became personally acquainted with rape as a professional hazard.”

“Yeah,” I replied softly. “Fucking twisted, isn’t it?”

“Did you ever get over it?”

“No,” I told him honestly, shaking my head and chancing a look in his direction. He stared at me with haunted eyes that made me wish I could hug him. “I never got over it. I killed them. I pushed down the memories so I could function, but I never got over it. Not any of the times it happened. I think the person I used to be died. Parts of me were lost every time it happened, and now I’m someone new. If that makes sense?”

Conrad nodded slowly, a sheen of tears in his eyes. “I don’t know how to do that. To be someone new.”

I stared at him for a moment before softly replying, “You're already doing it. Youaresomeone new. That takes time, Con, and nothing will make the violations fade from your mind. I found something that gives me back the feeling of power and embraced it—sex, killing, both together. It’s a rush. Find something that works for you at your own pace. Like I said, I’ve had years and plenty of other trauma to deal with.”

Conrad rubbed his fingers together, his silent need for nicotine clear. We both fell silent as we watched the show again.

“Thank you.”

“If you need anything, someone to listen who you aren’t fucking, just reach out. I’m always here, even if you just need someplace safe to be left alone.”

Conrad whispered a rough thank you again before we lost ourselves in the show. I was curious about what had happened to him, but I wasn’t going to pry. No, we just settled in. Over the few hours we watched the show, we became comfortable enough with each other that when I said something sarcastic, he threw popcorn at me in retaliation. I just smirked and popped it into my mouth, not sorry at all.

We were laughing at something on the screen when the front door opened. I heard familiar tired voices that instantly had me perking up. In walked Atlas and Oli, and the latter gave me an exhausted smile.

“Are we interrupting?” Right then, a scream from someone on the screen made Atlas turn to the TV, but Oli just closed his eyes. “Why?”

“It’s a cop show,” I told him, grabbing his hand and urging him to sit beside me. “Nothing scary. There weren’t any good movies on.”

“That’s not reassuring coming from you.” Oli groaned, but he flopped down beside me and tugged me close to him.

“Only you could be so obsessed with killing people but hate horror movies,” I teased him.

“That’s more information than I needed to know,” Atlas joked as he sat down on the arm of Con’s chair. He carefully looked over the other man, who smiled up at him, and it reached all the way up to his blue eyes. Atlas gave him one of his own before sliding an arm around him, and they cuddled together on the chair.

“I mean, that’s really just the tip of the iceberg,” I started, but Oli interrupted me.

“If you keep talking, then the next time that happens, I’ll just make you watch Bodhi and me have all the fun.”

“I like watching,” I told him gamely, and Oli muttered something about me being a pain in the ass before he grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch.

“Just shut up.” Grinning, I leaned over and kissed him, snuggling into his side.

Atlas and Conrad talked softly until Con shifted around so he and Atlas were curled up together. The four of us fell asleep with the rising sun to the sounds of someone being electrocuted. I had to be up in a few hours, but right now it didn’t matter.

For at least a little while, I had some peace.

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