Page 9 of Various Intentions

“Aw, Nic. You know, you’re not going to be perfect.”

I frowned, then sighed. “Sometimes that’s hard for me to accept.”

“I know it is,” Daphne replied, sipping her coffee. “But you’re a human person.”

“A tired human person.”

“And you’re getting older…”

“Now hold on a second—”

“Weallare.”

I narrowed my eyes at Daphne. “I’m only thirty-five. You’re almost forty.”

Daphne’s gaze turned glacial. “Yes, but I’m not experiencing Dom burnout.”

I shrugged. “I don’t even know if that’s what’s happening. Maybe I just need a vacation.”

“Can you take one?”

“Not right now. The new term starts next week.”

“Hmm.” Daphne smiled and reached out a hand to rest on my forearm. “You could try relaxing the dynamic.”

“Huh?”

“Like, loosen things up a bit. You don’t always have to play by the rules.”

I thought about that for a moment. “You mean, like, don’t use all the regular protocols?”

“Exactly. Just be together in whatever way seems organic at the time.”

It made sense. We’d done that on occasion, of course, but seemed to want to fall back into the protocols. Or maybe that was just me, feeling like we should.

“Maybe you’re right.”

“Let the two of them take over…or one of them. Switch things up. That would help.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “How do you, the mistress of protocols, know this?”

“I don’t know. But a relationship is rather different from what I do.”

“Rather.”

She shrugged and sipped her specialty coffee. “I imagine that trying to keep to very specific roles in any long-term relationship is not going to work. You know what they say… ‘Variety is the spice of life’.”

“Oh. Well, I thought that meant switching up toys and bondage positions.”

“That won’t hurt, either. But try other ways of switching things up.”

“It’s a good idea.”

“I do have them.”

Chapter Two

Taylor loved his car. He’d even named the damn thing. Every time he went out, he waggled his keys and announced he was taking ‘Bailey’ for a spin. It was kind of adorable, kind of geeky and kind of weird. But I was glad he appreciated his graduation gift.