2. Cin

Chapter two

Cin

" A re you ready yet?" Gay calls up the stairs. She already left the bedroom looking dapper thirty minutes before, while I put in more effort on my hair and makeup.

"Perfection takes time, darling," I called back, tweaking my ruffled sleeves just to delay as I smile in the mirror.

Gay is a true Dom, always needing to be in control, where I am a switch in multiple ways, liking to top or bottom in kink and in the bedroom. My bottom side, though, is a brat. Alright, my top side is bratty too, but more sadistic.

Leaving our room and rounding the corner to the landing, I find Gay leaning against the desk we put in the nook. There is a second bedroom we meant to have as an office and guestroom, but a lot of our kink stuff and my seasonal wardrobe are in there until we finish the basement.

We picked the place for multiple reasons, the main thing being the townhouse's price tag under a million dollars. Gay had been saving up for the down payment, but we weren't wealthy enough for a crazy high mortgage. The other reason is the basement and rooftop deck, almost doubling our square footage in good weather. With the exposed brick and full kitchen, it was already nicer than the apartment I'd been in before we moved in together.

With elbow grease and no fun most weekends, we've painted the whole place a clean white with black metal trim on the stairs, redone the floors from orangey parquet and carpet to vinyl, and updated the kitchen from the eighties. The roof deck still has rotten wood, but the basement comes first with fall approaching.

"Perfection looks a lot like an all-black wardrobe," Gay's lips twitch as she steps toward me and caresses my cheek. "Ready now, Kitten?"

"Yep," I give her a peck on the lips, knowing my lipstick is long-lasting but not smudge proof. She shakes her head as I skip down the stairs in my heeled boots. "What are you waiting for?"

"Perfection, clearly," Gay teases and follows me, smacking my ass at the door.

"I would say age before beauty, but," I gesture for her to go outside first while I grab my bag, "you have age and beauty."

"Brat." Gay smacks my ass again when I turn to close the door. "I'm only three years older than you."

"Three and a half," I nod, taking her hand in mine for the ten minute walk to Randy's Diner. "And you're the big three-oh this year, while I'll still be in my twenties."

"Yes, I'm clearly robbing the cradle."

We keep up our teasing all the way to Randy's, saying hi to Iris at the door. She shows us to the same grouping of tables as when Gay leads the aftercare meet-up, but the diner has a different vibe during daylight hours.

The second Wednesday of each month we host Pancakes and Pronouns, a munch for kinky queers to feel comfortable in their identity. It also allows leaders from local clubs and play mixers to vet people. I work on the welcoming and Gay helps with the vetting, so she insists I'm the host.

This month I saw a couple new names RSVP, and am excited to meet them. Some have profile pictures and long lists of kinks to get a feel for them, while one or two had almost nothing. I'm intrigued by someone called RJ who listed himself as a sub looking for a Daddy or casual play, but he has no pictures.

Despite the clock saying it is dinner time, Gay orders pancakes and waffles for us as usual. I insist pancakes are superior while she says waffles, and we set up the space to reflect how many we expect to attend.

Greeting the regulars as they come in, I get everyone settled with name tags if they want them, and check in on those who don't like to be called on to speak. Some people will shy away from attending again if they're put on the spot, something I had to learn the hard way as an outgoing person who makes friends easily.

At a little past seven, we have a good size group with about a dozen kinksters. We all wear street clothes, so you can't tell unless you know the meaning of certain stainless steel collars, colorful handkerchiefs, and leather cuffs.

"Welcome to Pancakes and Pronouns at Randy's, I'm Cin, pronouns they/them," I point to my pronoun pin and smile at the assembled folx, some I know well. "I'm here to answer questions and listen. Does anyone else want to introduce themselves?"

The first few times I hosted this munch, I went around in a circle and everyone said their name and pronouns. The idea is great, but not helpful for shy people or those with bad verbal processing. You live and learn or you don't grow.

"Hi all, I'm Gay, Cin's partner." Gay squeezes my shoulder and I smile at her for kicking us off. "I use she or they pronouns."

The Dom we met at last month's Aftercare introduces herself and her partners. "Hi, I'm Sammi, she or they, as well. I'm genderfluid. This is Rose, she/her, and her spouse, Dan, he or she. Today he's masculine."

Sammi elaborates that this is the married couple's first munch in Boston, but Sammi has attended a munch on the other side of the city for the past couple years.

After a few others I already know introduce themselves, Rose raises her hand and I hear her speak for the first time. Her voice is husky and she clears her throat, "Hi, I wanted to say it is refreshing to have a welcoming group."

My brows furrow and I try not to let my tone sour at her implication. "Did you have a less than welcoming experience somewhere else?"

"Yes, in New York," Rose turns to her husband and he squeezes her hand on the table. "They wanted strict gender roles and we don't fit their formula anymore… I'm a trans woman, and we started in kink with me as a gay man. I also feel more submissive when I used to be a sadist. Some in the community weren't so great with my transition on either front. I'm lucky that my spouse loves me no matter my gender marker, kink persuasion, or body parts."

"I'm the lucky one," Dan's low voice is full of love and emotion, and I swoon a little at how sweet they are. "And I was always bisexual and bigender. You helped me realize that in a real way."

Clasping my hands in front of me, I'm sure I have giant hearts for eyes. "Thank you for trusting us to respect you and your experiences. Let me know if there is anything we can do to help."

"Sammi has been great." Rose turns to the Dom on her other side and they smile at each other. "They're the one who suggested your munch and the Aftercare thing last month."

"You have a good reputation in the city," Sammi shrugs to me and Gay. "I wanted them to have positive first experiences."

"Glad to hear it," I return their smiles and answer a few of their questions before another person has a question.

We eat breakfast for dinner and chat for over an hour before people start heading out. I never met the illusive RJ, so I might reach out with a message online to see if he needs more reassurance before attending in person.

It is scary to put yourself out there and be kinky in public, even if munches are the most neutral ground in the community.

"They were a cute dynamic," I tell Gay when the last guests have gone and I make sure to tip well, taking the remaining name tags and my leftovers for an easy breakfast tomorrow.

"The triad?" Gay asks, but she nods to herself knowing who I mean. We start to move toward the door and thank Iris. "Seems to work well for them, yes."

"Have you ever considered a dynamic like theirs?"

"Sure, though I don't think we need to bring in a Dom," Gay winks and takes my hand in hers.

"Well yeah, but we have fun co-topping sometimes."

"So a sub, you mean," Gay states, her lips pinching in thought.

"Maybe a little?" I add. "Since I don't fulfill the role for you."

"And a masochist for your sadist side, too?"

"Ooh, yes, I'd love that." I chuckle as I think about how we've been making a list of wants without thinking of the hypothetical third's needs. "We sound like unicorn hunters."

Gay shakes her head and joins me in laughing, but is silent for a few minutes. I'm a jump-in-and-say-what's-on-your-mind type, while Gay always mulls things over before saying them out loud. When we reach our tree-lined street, with its row of brownstones, Gay stops me before we go inside.

"Maybe we start by making plans to play with someone for each of us at the next party? Fulfill our kinks without the complication of dating someone together?"

"Sounds like a plan," I step onto the first step so I have to bend a little to kiss my taller partner. I like the feeling, since I forget I'm short most of the time. Gay kisses me back and grips her hands under my thighs, surprising me into wrapping myself around her strong body. "Oomph."

"Right now, Kitten, I want to make slow love to you. Then we switch and do it again."

"You know I'm always on board for those plans."

We kiss and stumble through going up stairs, the door lock code, then more stairs before Gay puts me down. Pressing into her body after she's already fucked my brains out, our breathing syncs up and I don't want to be anywhere else in the world.