When I first began writing the erotic romance Power Play, I knew that Sergio, my hero, was artistic and very sensual. And in the story, he’d discover he was a dominant. But he also is warm and sensitive. I never categorized him in my mind, or in the promo material I wrote when I sold the book, as anything other than a dominant and a “sensual artist.”

Then when it went up on sale on Amazon, I saw readers tagged the story with the term “Alpha Male.” That made me wonder, was he an alpha male? I hadn’t really thought of that. He’s sweet and polite and considerate. Alphas are typically considered rough around the edges–a wounded heart inside, with a tough skin outside that keeps them from having to feel others’ pain. Can a sensitive man still be an alpha?

On the other hand, he is clearly a dominant. That leads to another pertinent question, are all dominants automatically alphas?  Read more…