Page 10 of We Own Each Other

The man being carted in appeared fairly young. He was an adult, certainly, but he had to be at least a decade younger than I was. It wasn’t often that I felt so old, especially since I was only thirty-five, but seeing this cotton-candy-colored young man being carted into my office really emphasized how dark and shaggy I was by comparison. It was like putting a fairytale prince next to the decrepit old wizard.

Add on that he was a Dom, and it was an intense reminder of how inadequate I was.

Romance and sex were permeating my brain and clearly mixing into my work. I shook my head, trying to shake off the self-consciousness right along with it so I could focus on the job in front of me. But those thoughts were still whispering in my subconscious as I motioned for him to sit in front of me.

The guard tugged the man along and set him down in the plastic seat, which squealed as its metal legs scraped the floor.

“This is inmate 18594. Noah Abbott.”

Something else tugged at my memory when I heard his name, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was. Regardless, I was thankful for the distraction.

“Noah. Welcome.”

He shifted in his seat, the cuffs around his wrists and ankles clanging as he did.

It was a stark reminder that he wasn’t all that welcome, no matter how hard I tried to make things comfortable for him. Still, I had to try.

It was a bit easier as the guard shuffled out of the room and shut the door behind him. He was right by the door, ready to jump in if need be, but he wasn’t in here to listen in, which sometimes made all the difference for an inmate.

Trying to keep an even and comforting tone, I began my spiel.

“There’s no need to be nervous or afraid. This is just your general assessment before you’re moved into general population. I know this is going to be annoying, but I have to fill out this paperwork for you since you’re handcuffed and aren’t allowed to use my pen. There will be a lot of questions, but I ask that you be patient with me so we can knock them all out. So,” I cleared my throat, “have you ever been in a correctional facility before?”

He shook his head, the light catching his pink locks as they bounced around, turning them orange in the harsh, diffused yellow light.

I checked that off on his paperwork.

“Have you ever been in therapy before?”

He silently bobbed his head, prompting another filled-in checkbox on my end.

“Within the last twenty-four hours, have you felt like harming yourself?”

He didn’t answer quite as quickly, but eventually shook his head. I marked his response, but quickly noted on the side to ask more later.

“Within the last twenty-four hours, have you felt like harming someone else?”

To my surprise, he chuckled, exposing a sharp fang on one side of his mouth. Then he asked:

“Do the cops count?”

His voice was deep and heavy. Goosebumps lit up across my flesh, and there was a shudder climbing up my spine. I didn’t have to ask the question, as I knew from his entry paperwork, and from that instinctual response alone, what he was, but I had to ask anyway.

“What is your secondary sex?”

His gaze, for the first time since he had entered my office, flickered up to meet mine. They were the purest gold and shone so brightly they were blinding. I was never so thankful to be a Switch, because I had no doubt this young man had enough power in him to stun even the higher-tier Doms. He was the perfect reminder as to why Subs couldn’t be hired in such a facility.

He smiled.

“I’m a Dom.”

With a shaking hand, I circled his answer.

Unless they had a fated Dom, Subs would be too easy to overpower. Being a Switch was hard, but at least I didn’t have to fear as much as a Sub did. I was still afraid, sure, but not as much as a Sub probably would be. I didn’t know much about what this guy was charged with, but I knew it had to do with non-consensual violence against a Sub, and that was enough for me.

I kept my head down, staring at the page as I finished the introductory questionnaire. Unfortunately, once that was done, I was forced to face Noah again.

Thankfully, when I looked up, I found him staring at his feet, which comforted me, though minutely so.