Family Ties

She still has a few things here—I think she’s too scared to officially break up with me—but it’s over. In all but name.”

“I’m sorry to hear. Why don’t you end it, for both of you?”

“Yeah, I know. Easier said than done.”

“You’re going to have to do it eventually. Or you’ll come home one day and she’ll be gone for good.”

“You know her so well.” She laughed, but it was forlorn.

“Yeah, I guess I do. I mean, she was my girlfriend too… at least for a while.”

“So be a grown-up and end it. Then you can be friends after. You know if she just disappears, you won’t hear from her again. Ever. She’ll feel too guilty.”

“Easier said than done,” I repeated.

“Let’s talk about something happier.”

“Okay. What’s the good part of your Thanksgiving?”

“I had fun with the gallery owner and her friends. They’re mostly older than me, but they’re really cool women.”

“Romantic possibilities?”

“Well, Max— Wait, lemme back up. The gallery owner is Maxine, but everyone calls her Max.”

“Okay, so… Max.” She paused and considered her next words. “Let’s talk about the good first. Then the exciting, like you said.”

“So, the good: she definitely wants to help my career.”

“I’m not surprised. You’re really talented.”

“You’ve always said that, even when I was a total bitch to you.”

“Thanks. Sometimes I have a hard time believing it, though.”

“Yeah, I guess you would. Anyway, Max can do a lot for my career. And I don’t have to sleep with her.”

“Is that good or bad?”

“I’m not sure,” she said with a laugh. “I mean, I was prepared for her to tell me I was spending the weekend. It wouldn’t’ve been the first time.”

“Yeah, I kinda figured,” I said.

“What? Someone treating you like a person instead of property?”

“No, I don’t. But I’m sorry.”

“I don’t need your pity,” she flared.

“It isn’t pity. It’s… empathy.”

“I’ve never been in your situation, but I know what it feels like to have someone treat you like a convenient sex toy.” I thought about Kendall, and sometimes even Gina. “I never really felt… powerless… but still.”

“Yeah, well… you have no idea.”

“No, I don’t. So… let’s talk about something happier. The gallery owner is interested?”

“Art lovers or other lesbians?”

“Both. And you’d be surprised how many gay men she knows. They come to her gallery too. She’s the one who bought those pictures of you, by the way. I can always sell more prints from that session, but let me know if you ever want to model again. Okay?”

“Okay,” I said with a laugh. “Although I don’t know how I really feel

about gay guys looking at me like that.”

“Makes sense,” I said. “But it probably took you a while to get used to it, right?”

“Pretty common story, unfortunately,” I said. “I’m not ashamed to be a guy, but sometimes other guys give the rest of us a bad reputation.”

“That’s why it took me so long to admit it. You’re not like other guys.”

“Fair enough. So… back to Max. She wants to take you under her wing?”

“Yeah. It’d help her too, though. For sure. That’s kind of what she does.

She finds young artists and promotes them. She takes her cut of the money, but I think she actually wants to help.”

“That’s pretty noble.”

“Well, she enjoys a lot of… um… fringe benefits,” she said with a laugh.

“I mean, I was ready to sleep with her if I thought it’d help my career. I think I wanna sleep with her even more now I know it isn’t expected.”

“Imagine that,” I said, semi-sarcastic, “free will is an aphrodisiac!”

“Thanks for clearing that up,” I said dryly. “So… Max? She’s the good news. What’s the exciting news?”

“True. So… what’s yours? One of them, at least. I suspect you have several.”

“You have no idea,” she said heavily.

“I just said I do. Now, what’s the first secret you’re ready to share?”

“It isn’t actually a secret. Just… part of my past. Well, part of who I am.

And I figure since you’re a swinger, you won’t think it’s perverted or degenerate or anything.”

“Probably not,” I agreed.

“So, back in the clubs…,” she began. Then she drew a deep breath.

“Okay, here goes. A lot of clubs have this… side… to them. The stuff that happens in the back rooms.”

“Right,” I said neutrally. I’d never really thought about strip clubs in terms of how many of the women were forced to have sex, but Sara had opened my eyes.

“Like… Domination and Submission?”

“I should’ve known you’d know about that scene,” she said with a laugh.

is, mostly thanks to an ex-girlfriend, but I’ve never been to a club or party or anything like that.”

“Well, you learn about that stuff pretty quick in a strip club. I was never a submissive type—”

“Right. I was always the dom.