Dom of Ages (35 page)

Yours, Jarod

I read the letter again, smiling at the formality, and glanced over at my pet. His breathing had evened out, but I could see he was trembling. I moved the tray away and slid off the bed.

“Stand up,” I told him. He rose to his feet, his head bowed. “You’re wrong, you know.”

“I’m sorry, Sir. I shouldn’t have asked—”

I held up a single finger. “Hush. Let me speak. How could you ever doubt that you’ve earned the right to wear my collar? You’ve fulfilled my every wish. You’ve helped me find something I hadn’t even realized I needed.” I placed my hands on his shoulders. “You made me whole, Jarod. Without you by my side, I’m incomplete. I would be honored if you would consent to wear my collar.” He sniffed and I tucked a finger under his chin, tilting his head toward me. “May I take that as a yes?”

He threw his arms around me and buried his face in my neck, murmuring how much he loved me over and over. I held him, allowing his emotions to run their course, then sat him on the bed with me while I fed us the breakfast he’d prepared.

Of course, if my pet thought this collaring was going to be traditional, he obviously didn’t know me as well as he thought.

Jarod

I GLANCED
around the club, trying to ignore the fluttering in my stomach. Something was wrong.

“They do know there’s a collaring ceremony tonight, right?” I whispered to Eli, who stood at my side.

“Of course.” Eli regarded me. “Why, what’s wrong, pet?”

“Well, for one thing, when did you ever attend a collaring ceremony in a BDSM club where everyone was dressed?” All I could see was jeans, leather pants, shirts, nothing like the usual attire. I’d never seen so much clothing at Collars & Cuffs. Eli was decked out in his leathers, but he wasn’t wearing his harness. Instead he wore a crisp white shirt. I gestured down to my body. “And then there’s this.” Eli had put out my clothes for the ceremony, and they were not what I’d expected. A pair of smart jeans, a white, pressed shirt, shiny black shoes. I’d half expected to find a tie too, but that would have made collaring me a little awkward.

Eli’s smile set off my alarm bells. He was up to something, as usual. I should have learned by then: my master was sneaky.

More and more men arrived. I couldn’t believe the number of people who had turned out. The room was packed with Doms and subs I’d never had the chance to meet, and it made me a little nervous.

“Let me guess, you didn’t think you were that popular.” The deep voice beside me belonged to Leo.

I smiled. “I didn’t realize mind reading was one of your skills, Sir.”

Leo grinned. “After that training session on using sounds, you have your own fan club.” He patted my arm. “Alex is around here somewhere, and Peter and Scott too. I’ll send them over to lend moral support.”

I gave him a grateful look. The thought of my fellow subs being there was a calming one. I took a deep breath, feeling more relaxed. Until I heard the voice.

“Today’s the day you’re going to be on your knees full-time?”

I spun so fast it was a surprise no one got knocked down. “Mother,” I hissed, “what are you doing here?”

She was standing beside Thomas, dressed in a pale blue dress suit, clutching a matching handbag. Her long hair was curled up on her head, fastened with a floral hair brooch.

“Since my own son didn’t invite his mother to his almost wedding, Eli had to do it.” Her blue eyes sparkled.

Suddenly it all made sense. I turned to Thomas. “You told everyone my mother was coming.” That explained the clothes.

Thomas nodded. “I wanted her to feel comfortable—and everyone else, for that matter—so we sent an e-mail round to all members.”

She glanced around the room, her eyes lingering on some of the members. “I wouldn’t have minded at all seeing some of these guys naked. Is it too late to—”

My cheeks grew hot. “Mother!”

He gave her a warm smile. “We’re pleased you could join us, Mrs. Pearce. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go and make sure we’re ready to begin.”

She grinned and watched him walk off. “I like him,” she said simply. Then she turned back to me and fixed me with an intense look. “So, what’s your excuse for not telling me about this?” I half expected her to wallop me with her handbag.

Eli stepped in to rescue me. “Maggie, I’m sure if this had been held anywhere other than a BDSM club, Jarod wouldn’t have hesitated. It is rather unusual to have a woman in here. I think you’re the first, actually.”

“No think about it,” Leo said with a chuckle as he appeared next to Eli, Alex at his side. He addressed Eli. “We’re ready when you are.”

Eli took my hand in his. “This is it, pet.”

Mother stretched up and kissed my cheek. “Off you go, then. I’ll be watching.” She smiled.

Eli led me through the assembled crowd to the stage, where Leo and Thomas were already waiting. Eli went first, climbing the steps, me behind him.

Leo held up his hands and silence fell.

“Thank you for coming this evening. It’s good to see so many of you here. As always this is an occasion for great joy. Eli and Jarod have only been with us for a few months, but I think it’s safe to say they’ve made their mark.” He grinned, and laughter rippled through the room. “If only for the most entertaining training session we’ve ever seen, and the best birthday present Thomas has ever received.”

I caught sight of Peter at the front of the stage, standing with Alex, Scott, and my fellow dancers. They were all smiles.

Leo gestured to Eli and me. “Gentlemen, the stage is yours.” He stepped aside to stand with Thomas.

Eli stood before me, a flat box in his hand. I knew what he was waiting for. Without hesitation I lowered myself onto my knees and gazed up at him, my heart beating so fast.

“Sir, I offer myself in submission. Everything I have is yours, to do with as you will. I will serve you, care for you, and love you, always striving to make you proud of me. All that I am is yours.” I caught my breath at the light in his eyes, and I swallowed. “I’d offer you my heart, Master, but it’s been yours for a while now. I love you.”

Eli’s eyes glistened, and he bent over to kiss me, his lips warm and soft against mine. Then he straightened and cleared his throat. “I may not bring as much to this relationship as you do, but I will make you some promises. I will take care of you, like you take care of me. I will have no problems spanking you”—laughter burst out of those around us—“if you do something wrong, or even if you don’t, for that matter.” More chuckles erupted from the audience. “I will always remember that we are on a journey together, and that my job is to take you to places you have never been, always mindful that your body, mind, and heart are mine to keep safe.”

He opened the box and took out the shiny steel collar, holding it out for me to see. Its surface was etched with a decorative pattern, and as I gazed at it, I realized it was a design made up of the letters E and J, intertwined over and over again.

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered.

Eli beamed. “Then it needs to be around your neck, my beautiful pet.” He fastened it around my neck, my shirt open at the collar in readiness. The front snapped shut, and he attached the tiny padlock securely. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a silvery key on a thin silver chain, which he hung around his own neck, tucking it under his shirt. “I will always keep this key next to my heart, but you’re already in there.” He took my hands and helped me to my feet, before cupping my face tenderly. “Love you, pet.”

The kiss that followed took my breath away with its sweetness.

Applause echoed around the club, accompanied by whoops and hollers, at their loudest from the front row of subs. I stood there, Eli’s arms around me, and drank it all in. When the room fell silent, I caught something that I was convinced was a hallucination.

A soft whisper, barely there, but I knew that voice. “Be happy, boy.”

Tears pricked my eyes as I bid a silent thank-you to my former master. Then I took a deep breath and returned Eli’s kiss with fervor.

When we parted Eli regarded me with a gleam in his eye. “I think Maggie wants to congratulate you.”

“I still can’t believe you invited her here,” I whispered.

He was still chuckling by the time we’d stepped down off the stage and walked over to where Mother was waiting.

She smiled up at me and stroked my face. “Well, I suppose that’s as close to a wedding as I’m going to get,” she said. My cheeks grew hot at the thought.

“Oh! Does that mean we can count the trip to Hawaii as our honeymoon?” Eli asked, eyes wide.

I snorted. “Since when can going down into a volcano be considered romantic?”

Eli waggled his eyebrows. “Oh, I don’t know. Hot nights, waves lapping at the shore, moonlight on the sea, soft sheets, a four-poster bed…. That sounds pretty romantic to me, pet.” His voice was suddenly husky.

When he put it like that….

The sound of a throat clearing was an instant dose of reality.

“Not in front of my mother,” I hissed.

When both Eli and Mother burst out laughing, I realized something important.

These two together was a bad idea.

LEO GOT
out of the shower and grabbed a thick towel to dry himself. When he entered the bedroom to find his husband not there, he sniffed up and caught the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. In that moment he would have preferred to find a bed full of naked submissive, but coffee would have to do. He secured the towel around his hips and padded through the apartment in search of Alex.

Leo had a good idea where his boy would be. With Ben and Scott’s wedding only a week or so away, Alex was spending a lot of time on the phone with Scott. Not that his young friend was getting cold feet, but Leo knew Scott was upset about his parents’ attitude. He was proud of Alex, the way he supported Scott, provided him with a shoulder to lean on, an ear when he needed to vent.

He’s changed so much since we first met.

Alex had blossomed into a confident young man. There were times when Leo found it difficult to recall the painfully shy waiter who wouldn’t meet his gaze. The Alex he knew now was bolder, unafraid to stand up for himself and his friends. Not to mention the fact that he was more ready to push his boundaries in their life together, in their D/s relationship, and in their bed.

Leo couldn’t imagine life without him.

As he entered the kitchen, Leo smiled at the noticeboard, which was covered with colorful postcards of Hawaii. He guessed they’d received one every day for the past two weeks. It seemed Eli and Jarod were having a wonderful time. The photos Jarod had messaged to Alex showed the two men looking tanned and relaxed. They’d be home in time for the wedding.

And they weren’t the only ones who were enjoying a holiday. Miles and Pietro had gone away to Italy for a couple of weeks, and were due back any day now. Pietro had wanted to see Italy for the first time, and Miles had pulled out all the stops to arrange a wonderful stay for them. Florence, Naples, Pisa, Siena, Venice, and Pompeii, finishing up with a few days in Sorrento—it sounded fantastic.

Maybe I should think about a late honeymoon.
He and Alex had yet to go on holiday together. Maybe it was time to rectify that situation.

Alex was seated at the kitchen table with his back to the door, shoulders hunched over. He didn’t stir when Leo walked over to him, his attention focused on something.

“Have we got another postcard?” Leo asked with a smile, stroking across Alex’s shoulders. At this rate they were going to run out of room to display them.

Alex raised his head slowly and turned to face Leo. Something in the way he moved had all the hairs standing up on Leo’s arms. Alex handed him a folded newspaper, his pale blue eyes large and round. Leo took it, perplexed, unnerved by Alex’s silence.

Then he read the small headline toward the foot of the front page. “Oh hell.” He lifted his head to regard his husband. “Have you called him?”

Alex shook his head. “I thought perhaps you might want to do that.” His voice was subdued.

Leo nodded, absently reaching for his phone that lay on the worktop. He hit speed dial. After a couple of rings, Thomas answered in a cheery tone. “Good morning. To what do I owe this pleasure, so early on a Saturday morning?”

“Thomas, you get the newspaper delivered, don’t you?” Leo didn’t waste time.

“Yes, it arrived about ten minutes ago. What’s this about?” He heard the change in Thomas’s voice immediately, the note of alertness.

“Has Peter seen it yet?”

A pause. “I don’t think so. No, he’s still in bed. I was treating him to a lie-in this—look, what’s going on, Leo?”

“You need to read the front page before he does,” Leo urged.

The silence was almost tangible. Finally, Thomas spoke. “Tell me.”

Leo took a deep breath. “He’s dead, Thomas.”

We would like to thank you for being along with us as we explored the lives of Leo and Alex, Peter and Thomas, Ben and Scott, Andrew and Gareth, Damian and Jeff, and now Eli and Jarod. It’s been the most incredible journey for us, and it was made possible thanks to our amazing readers, who took these men, and this club, into their hearts.

We hope that you will join us in 2016 for the final Collars & Cuffs book, and we promise it will be one you won’t soon forget.