A sadist but not a dom?

[Roadrunner2005]

I've had a relationship with a woman for several years. We enjoyed rough sex, bondage, spanking and whipping. We tried roleplaying for a while but it didn't work and I don't think our relationship had a strong D/s aspect. Sometimes I'd treat her with a firm tone like she was a naughty girl but that's about it. The relationship ended a few months ago and I want to explore my interest in S/M, but I'm wondering how best to present myself and not to mislead people.

I definitely enjoy the "giving" side of S/M, I do have fantasies about D/s--well I wrote a couple of stories which can be found in the library here (shameless plug ends here )--but I don't think in real life I'm that into D/s, and I don't want to mislead people to think that I do, I mean I don't want to act like a "poser" or Dom wannabe, whatever you call it. So I'm curious: are there many people like me, who are more sadistic rather than dominant? How do you see or present yourselves? And if you a a sub, what do you think about this type?

On the other hand, I can imagine some people saying that the two can't be separated, that a "non-dominant sadist" is an oxymoron, etc, and I'd be glad to hear your reasons too.

Thanks