All He Desires: The Complete Series (20 page)

Guess it’s safe to say we won’t be scening tonight.
Not unless there were clubs out along the countryside somewhere. I considered that for a moment—the possibility of being flogged in a barn—and shuddered at the imagery.
Okay, so it could still happen.
And given how early we left, that possibility became even more apparent the farther we drove.

About an hour or so away from home, Jake turned onto a dirt road and flicked on the high beams. I sat up and pressed my hands against the cool glass of my window. Light covered the horizon, and the closer we got, the brighter the night became.

Jake pulled in to a patch of grass beside a handful of cars and turned off the ignition. "Well, what do you think?"

White lights covered most of the property, woven around fence posts, banisters along a front porch, as well as along the awnings.
Stars.
That’s what the lights reminded me of. Millions of stars, and as I gazed at the surrounding fields, I could see even more of them draped along naked tree limbs and shrubs.

"What is this place?" I asked, gingerly slipping out my side of the car as Jake did the same. "It’s huge."

Jake rested a hand against the small of my back. "A place I’ve been dying to get back to for years."

"Years?" I thought I caught the hint of music coming from inside, but the doors and windows muffled it so much, it was hard to say.

Jake shrugged. "It’s a couples thing."

I frowned. "But you’ve had subs before."

"I have, but they were never...serious."

I swallowed hard.
Does he know?
Did Devlin tell him about my pregnancy?
Serious?
Serious how?

I walked alongside him down a stone covered path toward the front of the building. "And we are?"

"I’d like to think so." He stopped before we reached the door. "Beyond this point, you’re only to refer to me as Master, understand?"

I nodded. "Yes, Master."

"This is a private party. You may see a few Doms you know, and many more you’ve never met. I’ll introduce you to those you’ll need to worry about later on."

"And their subs?"
Master, say Master.
I winced. "Master?"

"They’ll be here as well." He raised an eyebrow at me. "Marisa won’t be joining us this evening. There was something she needed to take care of. Devlin on the other hand should arrive shortly if he isn’t here already. I know you call Master Devlin by his first name, but the Doms at this party are a little more...traditional. Sir will do just fine."

He opened the door, and my jaw just about hit the floor. The inside was lit by the same lights I saw outside. Millions of them, along with electric candles on every windowsill. The lighting was dim to say the least, but it made the most wonderful backdrop to what promised to be a very eventful evening.

A man approached us and bowed his head, taking my coat as well as Jake’s without saying a word.
A servant,
I assumed, watching after him as he left the room. The door behind us closed, sealing in the warmer air as we made our way through the foyer and into the main room.

Now I knew I was hearing music. A rhythmic beat thrummed through the walls and over the floorboards. Along with the music were a series of voices I didn’t recognize.

"Are you okay?" Jake asked, leaning over so I could hear him.

My chest tightened a bit. "Yes, Master."

"Nervous?"

Very.
"Yes, Master."

He made a sound of approval, linked his arm with mine, and led me from the main room with a fireplace to an even larger area with what appeared to be hundreds of other partygoers. My heart stopped.

"My..." I looked up at Jake. "They’re wearing masks, Master."

"Are they?" He smiled and held out the mask he’d asked me to wear before we left the house. "Do you see why I asked you to bring this along?"

I bowed my head. "Yes, Master."

"But you would’ve left it behind if I hadn’t gotten it for you. Tell me, aren’t you proud of what you’ve made?"

I studied the old mask. "Of course, Master."

"Then why not show it off and wear it proudly?"

"Because I have nothing to hide."
Not yet, you don’t. Give it a few months.

"Everyone hides. In fact, you said so yourself—about me—remember?"

"And you’ve proven me wrong."

"Then humor me and wear it for one night." He set the mask in my hand. "That is, unless you want to stick out like a sore thumb. Look around."

Ignoring my mask for the moment, I inspected the other couples in the room. Every single one of them was wearing a mask. Some leather, some fabric. Most of them mine.
They’re wearing my masks.
Those who didn’t wear one of the masks I made had some of their own, and they were just as colorful as the outfits they had on.

"My masks, Master?" I asked, still trying to wrap my mind around the entire event.

"You noticed, huh?" Jake asked.

"But when? How?"

"Dropped them off earlier."

I considered how many masks I had back in the guest house, but there were a lot more of them here than I ever could’ve made in the last week. Two weeks. Hell, even a month.

"You bought them, didn’t you?" I asked, staring at one of the leather masks I’d made not too long ago.

"Of course."

"And the consignment shops?"
Was that a lie?

"Sold there as well." Jake gestured out around the hall. "Look at them, Kira. They wear them because it’s something they enjoy."

"But why buy them from me? You aren’t my client anymore, and if you think this is your way of paying for my services—"

"Whoa, Kira, who said anything about services?" He lifted my chin when I tried to bow my head. "In the beginning, yes, I needed a companion. But I thought I made it clear that I wanted you as a sub even more. Buying your masks was just for this, not because I felt the need to repay you." He lowered his voice. "There are other, more fitting ways for me to do that."

"Then what would you call this?" I pointed at the couples in front of us. "Because that’s exactly what it looks like to me."

Jake cupped my face. Held my gaze. "A celebration."

"Mardi Gras, Master?"

"No, a celebration of the most personal sort." Drawing me into his arms, he spoke so softly that, at first, I wasn’t sure I’d actually heard him. "Tonight, you shall be shared."

My heart skipped a beat, and I grabbed at Jake for support as my knees threatened to buckle.
Shared?
I scanned the room and studied the couples moving in small clusters.
Dance partners,
I decided. Jake was planning to share dance partners.

I sighed, looked at the mask in my hand and then lowered it over my face.

Jake fixed it so it was straight and kissed my forehead. "I’m going to get a few things from one of the adjoining rooms. Feel free to look around. They should be starting the dance soon."

"But I don’t know how," I argued.

He took my chin in his hand and grinned. "Don’t you worry. All you have to do is follow my lead."

I swallowed and watched Jake disappear through the crowd. Trance music played in the background as those who probably lived the lifestyle far longer than I had talked amongst themselves.

If I thought
The Limelight
was crowded during demo nights, it was nothing compared to this. Men in suits. Women in corsets, gowns and dresses. It was almost too much.
It would be a lot easier if Marisa was here.
She’d been called away for the evening, or maybe she’d been to these enough times to know better.

What Jake had said outside echoed in the back of my mind.
His relationships with past subs were never serious.
Did that mean they weren’t serious enough for him to bring them to a private party, or—

"Ready?" Jake asked, holding out his hand.

Or rather, it was Jake’s voice. He wore a mask of his own, one that covered the top portion of his face.
Not one of mine.
In fact, looking around the room, the mask he had on seemed to be a rather popular choice.
It’s Jake though, isn’t it?

"Kira?"

It was his voice.

"Yes, Master?"

"Are you ready?"

Not really, no.
"Yes, Master."

The music changed, and Jake led me into the middle of the ballroom. Placing one hand on my hip, he held my other hand, gently swaying me this way and that until I got the rhythm. It wasn’t a fast tempo, but it still kept me on my toes. I never said I was the most graceful person in the world, and that was especially true when it came to dancing.

After taking a few classes in school, I figured it wasn’t for me and never gave it another thought.
It wouldn’t have been so bad if you didn’t have two left feet.
Jake guided me to our right. I tripped, but I didn’t fall.

Heat brushed my cheeks, and I averted my gaze, watching his feet. My own. Eventually, I got the hang of it, and slowly fell into step beside him. Suits and gowns of every color swirled around us, and as they did, the lights in the room dimmed.

"We’re going to switch now," Jake said. "Let’s see how well you know me."

Before I could say anything, Jake got sucked into the crowd and I joined hands with another, almost identical, Dom. He danced expertly, just as Jake had. His suit was the same. His mask...also the same.

He said nothing as we danced round and round. Each time we did, I could’ve sworn I saw Jake at the other side of the room. With the sub dancing next to me.

Well aware of the fact I wasn’t dancing with Jake but some kind of clone, I didn’t realize I was dancing—flawlessly—until I switched partners again.

Another Jake. Or was it the first? Anymore, I couldn’t tell the difference, which was probably the point. I was trading Doms with at least two other subs in the room, and I had to wonder if they were just as confused as I was.

Jake in front of me. To my left. My right. All around me.

"I..." I cringed when my voice shook. "I think I need to sit down."

Jake, or whoever I was dancing with, nodded his head, took my hand and then led me away from the crowd. And as he did, the other Jakes followed close behind us.

Three.
Three Doms—all Jake.
What the hell is going?

One of them opened a door to a private room. I was about to find out.

* * * *

I
was the first to enter the small room as the three Doms filed in behind me. Much like at
The Limelight,
the room had everything a couple needed for impact play as well as aftercare. Aside from the furniture being in a different location, and the fact I was with three Doms instead of one, the surroundings were much of the same.

I didn’t move. I barely breathed when the Doms stepped around me. In front of me. Each wearing a suit that was as dark as the last. The trio stood less than a foot apart and held their arms behind their backs.

I’d been intimidated by Jake in the past, but getting the silent treatment from three Doms was a little much. I shrunk against the door, looking for any flaws that might tell me which Dom was truly mine.

Squinting, I realized all three were wearing contacts.
Jake must’ve put his in when we got separated.

"Who am I?" all three asked at once. "Which one is the real me?"

Seriously? You’re going to make me guess?
"Mind games, Master?"

They all nodded.

There has to be something I can go by...

I took a step forward, and with tentative hands, I touched every face, noting the rigid jaw line on one and not the other.
Does Jake have a hard jaw line?
I couldn’t remember so I moved on to try something else.

I inspected their hands, but every single one lacked the mark of a wedding band. It was the one way I could always tell Jake from my other clients when I was still an escort. Their fingers were much of the same, each one worn down by what I assumed was years of hard work and using a flogger on their subs.

With every attempt, every failure, the grins on the three Doms grew a little more.
You've just thought of everything, haven’t you?
I glared at them. Dropped my gaze and smiled.
His socks...of all the things...

I laughed at the mismatched socks on one of the Doms, as it was something I hadn’t noticed until now. Both socks I knew Jake had worn at one time or another.

"Have you made your choice?" they asked in unison.

"I have, Master."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Master."

"Then show us."

Uncertain as to whether or not they expected me to submit to the Dom I thought was Jake or to just throw my arms around him, I settled for something in-between. Approaching the mismatched-socks Dom, I bowed my head and held my arms behind my back. He rummaged for something in of one of his jacket pockets and lowered a string of beads around my neck before pulling on them and drawing me into his arms.

The other Doms bowed, excusing themselves as they left the room. Once they were gone, Jake removed his mask and crushed his lips against mine. The hold on the beads around my neck tightened, and I held on to him for support.

We parted what felt like minutes later, breathless.

"How did you know it was me?" he asked, caressing my face. "I thought for sure we had everything covered."

"You almost did, Master," I replied.

"But?"

"Your socks...they don’t match."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Yes, but how did you know it was
me
?"

I looked at him again. "I guess I was taking a chance, Master. I looked for something that didn’t belong."

He laughed and lifted my chin so I could meet his gaze. "Can’t fool you, can I?" He kissed me again.

"No." I smiled against his lips. "But you can try."

"So I can." Clearing his throat, Jake fixed his suit jacket and hooked a finger around the beads. "This is a good look for you. I can just pull on these whenever I want you to be a little closer." He drew me up against him again. "See? It suits you."