Xenon had a weird name, to be sure, but most people just called her Zeeni.
Xenon had no idea where her name had come from in the ethnic caldron of Poles, Sicilians, Italians, Greeks, Armenians, Croats, Serbs, Portuguese, Russians, Spaniards and Lithuanians that made up her family.
In fact, Zeeni's mother had been a shallow shampoo girl who'd seen the word in a magazine left on a chair in the beauty shop.
But in the neighborhood where they'd lived, in the Buttermilk Narrows, near the brickyard, the kid was called Zeeni...
Until she met Prior. And Prior called her Xenon, and of course Xenon called Prior "Master."
Prior hadn't always been Xenon's master. At one time he'd just been her lover, a boyfriend of sorts. Prior had been married to Nativity, a quiet, half Asian girl.
Natty had approached Zeeni at the health club where they shared a spin class, and somehow explained that the relationship she had with her husband was a bit peculiar.
Xenon had leaned against the juice bar at the time, and listened in astonishment.
Nativity had explained that she served Prior as his submissive wife.
Prior apparently sent Natty out sometimes to find other women who he could "date" respectably.
"You mean you scout for him? Don't you get pissed and jealous?"
Nativity had blushed somewhat (Asians can do that, sort of )
"It's an open relationship, then?"
"It's open for Prior." Nativity had said.
Zeeni had seen slight tears on Natti's lashes, but she sensed arousal in her friend as well.
"I know you met Prior, and that you think he's hot." Nativity had said, her eyes gleaming. "And he loves your fluffy light brown hair and the rack you have."
"Oh yeah, that's for sure." There had been some flirting between Zeeni and Prior on the occasions that she'd seen him in the health club weight room.
Prior was coal black, and looked like he'd been working out since he was about six.
He worked for a car service that Nativity's family owned, but was pretty smart, and definitely, Zeeni was hot to get to know him a little better.
"But--" here Natti looked at the floor, "If you begin fooling around with Prior, I will be kind of involved, and our friendship may change."
"How do you mean? A three-way?"
"Well, in a way, I guess, but Zeeni, Prior is my dominant Master and any woman he dates becomes my superior as well."
This kind of blew Zeeni's mind at the time.
It had gotten even weirder when she'd gone over for dinner and watched Prior order Natti to strip and serve them dinner, waiting on her knees while Zeeni and Prior ate.
And then, oh God, there was some mistake with the arugula or some shit, and Prior had stabbed Nativity not that lightly on the right bare boob with his fork.