Rhys would never be a brute, but it was Joseph's nature to tease and flirt. Especially with his lovers. There was a Beast within the gentle Tremere, but it would take a lot more than a bit of Brujah blood and rough sex to make it take him over. Which made Joseph more protective, because it made Rhys far more vulnerable.
Kindred were backstabbing, throat tearing predators always trying to one up each other. Even in the time of thin blood, when banding together was their only hope, court politics never changed. It made him want to shelter Rhys from it as much as possible. Because especially in this time, the Kindred who didn't have it in them were the most at risk.
"Well," Joseph mused. "It's very early in the evening. We have plenty of time to get you to that point."