“That’s why I want to do it. It’ll open up a whole new path for me. How has me playing Lucas Steel become the heated topic when I just told you my girlfriend is a dominatrix?”

My mom rolled her eyes. “I don’t see how it’s that different from what you do, Alex. You act out people’s fantasies and it sounds like Elena does too. How did you get into such an unusual line of work?”

Well, this was going better than I thought. Elena gave me a look that suggested the same.

I sat back and listened as Elena explained how she’d found her way to the dungeon via her master’s program, then explained how she viewed her job. I was always struck by how articulate and passionate she was about what she did. It was fascinating to hear her describe it, and I could see the same admiration reflected in everyone else’s eyes at the table. Maybe this had been a mistake after all. My entire family would be under her spell by the end of dinner and no one else I brought home was ever going to live up to her.

“So you’ve basically just done an extra PhD in sexual psychology then?” my mom asked.

Elena laughed. “That’s one way of looking at it… I definitely get to see the stuff people don’t even tell their therapists. It’s incredible.”

“It sounds like you love it…”

“I do. Most of it anyway. No one loves their job all the time.”

“Are you going to miss it?” my mom asked.

I sat up straighter, sensing we’d walked into a trap.

Elena blinked at her, looking unsure. “Um, I’m taking a little break right now, but I’ll be going back next month, so I won’t be away long enough to miss it much.”

“Surely, if things between you and Alex get serious, you’re planning to give it up.”

Shit. How had we gotten here? I expected Elena to brush it off by saying things weren’t serious yet or go along with it since it was a moot point, but her chin tilted up ever so slightly.

“No, I’m not planning to give it up. We’ll work through it if we have to.” Her tone was mild, but I could see the tension in the way she was sitting. I was surprised she was bothered since it was a hypothetical scenario that would be made irrelevant by the end of our contract. Unless she was considering a future with me…

My mom was quiet long enough that I thought she was going to back off, so I didn’t feel like I needed to jump in, but apparently, she had other ideas.

“Really? That surprises me. You seem like a smart girl. I can see doing something like that for a few years when you’re young and single, but it’s not something you do forever. You don’t want to be the sad, wrinkly dominatrix, do you?”

“Mom, seriously…” I said, warning plain in my tone.