“That’s right. His name is Enrico and he is a lovely boy who has now found the Dominant of his dreams and they are happily settled outside of Austin. My work there is done.”

“I think it would be difficult to give them all up,” he says.

It’s a kind thing to say. Most people think he has a great job: spend a few days or weeks with a submissive, get them evened out and then settled with the right partner, and move on to the next.

Lots of Dominants think he has the best job possible. An endless supply of new boys to play with. It isn’t that easy. There are times when he wishes he had a boy of his own, one who would stay and that he wouldn’t have to give up, but it hasn’t been right. He hopes he knows when the right one shows up. He isn’t even sure anymore.

Being with submissives now is like dancing—a dance he knows by heart and has practiced endlessly. He still likes dancing but there isn’t a thrill. Not when he knows the boys will leave him for another and do the deep work of submission with someone else. It’s like he teaches them all how to box step and then passes them off to a new partner.

But he’s never worked with a submissive with a prey designation before. And that is intriguing.

“He’s prey but he’s never gotten to be prey,” he says, thinking aloud. Liam knows the doctor is right. Throwing a submissive like that into the deep end with a Dominant that he matches perfectly with would just lead to him being hurt. The flesh might be willing, but the mind is fragile. Just because he needs consensual nonconsent to thrive doesn’t mean it can be with just anyone. “With a designation like that… yeah, you have to be careful. Okay, what else? I know there’s more.”

Dr. Chang makes a humph sound as they walk down the hall. Which isn’t a denial.