Midnight Eternal (7 page)

Master

I waited an extra thirty minutes after the time my butterfly should have been back from the salon to call her cell phone the first time. I figured sometimes girl things took a little longer than planned. When I did call her phone, it rang several times and then went to voicemail. I wasn’t that alarmed, but thirty minutes later, when I tried again and got the same results, I decided to call the salon.

“VonRhines.” It was Gretchen who answered the phone.

“Hello, Gretchen, it’s Oliver. I was wondering how much longer my butterfly will be.”

“How much longer? She left here like two hours ago.”

The room began to spin. What if something had happened to her?

“That’s not possible. She should have come back here when she was done.”

“Looks like you should put a leash on that collar.” Gretchen’s words were uncalled for, and if I
weren't so worried about my girl, I probably would have gone off on her.

“Listen, let me talk to Trudy.”

“She’s with a client.”

“Put her on now!”

“As you wish.” Her voice was inappropriate, and after I knew where my girl was, I’d deal with it. I was still clinging to hope that my butterfly was with Trudy at the salon and that Gretchen was just mistaken.

“Oliver, how can I help you?” Trudy asked, concern evident in her voice.

“I was looking for my butterfly. Gretchen said she left two hours ago.”

“Yes, she did. She seemed fine when she got here, but then right before her pedicure she looked upset and left in a hurry.”

“Upset? What the fuck upset her?” I felt the rage building. “Did Gretchen do or say something?”

“No. Well…yes,” Trudy said, “she and I were arguing, but there is no way your butterfly could have heard. We were down the hall and speaking in hushed voices.”

“Would I have been able to hear you?” I was already irritated and knew the answer before she spoke.

“Well, yes. You could have because you’re…well, Bocaj, but butterfly’s human, so there is no way she could have heard.”

“Did you realize when you waxed her that her skin was stronger?”

“Yes. It didn’t seem to hurt at all.”

“She gets our physical traits after I’ve been with her. Especially multiple times like we were this morning. And these characteristics include excellent hearing.”

“Oh shit, Oliver. I’m so sorry.”

I knew she was, though I wanted to kill Gretchen.

“Just tell me what she heard.”

“Gretchen was upset because we had an extra client I needed to wax and she didn’t want to do your butterfly’s pedicure. She was talking about how you’d told her that you didn’t ever want to collar anyone. She also mentioned how she found out you were jerking off a few weeks ago and how you’ve never taken butterfly to Verde.”

“And butterfly heard
all
of that?”

“I don’t know exactly what she heard, but she left right afterward. Honestly, Oliver, if I’d have known it was because of something that had happened here, I would have talked to her.”

“Fuck! None of that is good. I really didn’t want to have the conversation about my past for a while. Last time I’d asked you to keep Gretchen away from her. What the hell happened?” I knew my volume was raised, but I was pissed.

“I’m sorry, Oliver. Today’s services are on the house. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“Yes, you can recommend a new salon. I will no longer be needing your services.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll get you the names and numbers of several other places. Although, if you will give me another chance, I may have a solution.”

“Now is not the time, Trudy. I have no idea where butterfly is, and from what you’ve told me, she’s upset and has been missing for hours.”

“Can I help in any way?”

“No. You and Gretchen have already done enough.”

Without another word, I hung up the phone. I knew I was being rude, and in essence Trudy hadn’t done anything wrong, but she was involved and my girl was hurting—missing and hurting.

I tried her phone and it went straight to voicemail, so I left a message that she was to call me immediately.

Wondering if she’d gone to her apartment, I took the short elevator ride down and knocked on her door. There was no answer. Just to be sure, I decided to go across the street to my other apartment—the one I first spotted my butterfly from.

It had only been days since I’d been there, yet it felt like an eternity. Quickly, I looked across the street toward her place. It was around two in the afternoon and the glare from the sun made it difficult to see in her windows. I was disappointed to see that it was dark. As saddened as I would have been that she’d gone to her apartment instead of coming back to the penthouse, at least I would have known where she was.

While I stood in front of the wall of glass, I scanned the Chicago skyline. She was out there somewhere. I knew she had to be tired, too, as the effects of our early morning sex had to be wearing off. In that moment, the thought hit me like a ton of bricks. What if she’d gone somewhere and then fallen asleep? She could be alone…or worse. What if she wasn’t alone?!

I raced from the building. I was going to grab my car and drive over to the salon, figuring I could attempt to retrace her path back home. Despite having a good sense of smell, I wouldn’t be able to track her easily—not after this many hours and when a car had been involved. It didn’t matter, though, because as I was rushing to where I parked my car, I passed hers in the garage. It meant she was in the building!

Feeling the cool hood, I realized that the temperature meant she’d been back for quite some time.

The Dom in me wanted to go and break down her door, throw her over my shoulder, and take her to the playroom to remind her that she belonged to me. I couldn’t do that without speaking to her first. I was a Dominant not a rapist, and if for some reason she’d changed her mind about me, I needed to know. I needed to explain. The concept that she might want me out of her life permanently created a panic inside that I didn’t know what to do with.

Knocking on her door a second time yielded the same result as before—nothing. However, when I tried calling her again, I could hear her phone ringing from inside. Why I hadn’t thought of that earlier, I wasn’t sure.

There were a lot of things I hadn’t thought of. In my panic, I had nearly passed right by the other apartment I’d rented last month before remembering that I could go inside and listen for my girl.

I’d planned on contacting a real estate agent to get rid of it, as I didn’t see a use for it any longer, but at that moment, I was grateful to still have it. Crossing the empty space, I went and stood next to the wall that the two apartments shared. I was beyond relieved to hear her heartbeat and slow breathing. Counting the beats, I realized she was between her Bocaj state and human form. The effects I had on her seemed to last longer each time we were together, causing me to wonder if I was producing more, or if
, perhaps, it was building up in her system.

I thought back to the marking I swore I’d seen on her back this morning. I’d called Gabriel about it, and he’d been intrigued, to say the least. He said he wasn’t all that surprised since she’d taken on other Bocaj-like qualities, and that she was clearly my mate.

He’d also invited us to brunch tomorrow, not only wanting to get to know Bec better, but also in the hopes that he could see it for himself. My parents had Sunday brunch at their house every week, and Sydney and Shane would always go. Payton and Caleb would go, too, most of the time. I didn’t mind going, as it was always nice to catch up with people, but for the past month, I’d been so busy with butterfly that I’d missed them all.

If Bec wanted to go, I’d be more than happy to take her so she could meet my family and friends. Payton would love it for sure, though I’d have to remind her that I was not interested in sharing. The thought made me smile, and hearing my girl move around in her sleep made me even happier. I could tell she’d be waking up soon.

I needed to know what she was thinking. She and I could work through anything, but only if we talked about it. I truly believed that. Part of what happened had been my fault because I should have told her about my past. It wasn’t that I was hiding it; I just didn’t want to overwhelm her.

Over two hours later, she finally woke. Hearing her moving around, I resisted the urge to text her and demand she meet me in the playroom. We needed to talk this out as equals before scening.

I knew the moment she woke fully, as she cursed. “Oh fuck! How could I have slept for that long!” Relieved she was fine, I left the apartment and headed upstairs to the penthouse. Before I even got to the elevator my phone was ringing. I smiled before I answered.

“Yes, butterfly?” I replied as the door closed.

“Master, I’m so sorry. I fell asleep after the salon.”

“That’s strange. I didn’t see you in your bed in the submissive’s room.”

“I know, Master. I went to my own apartment.”

“You have that choice, but you should have told me. I was very concerned for your well being.”

“I’m so sorry, Master.”

“We need to talk. Clearly this isn’t working out as it should.”

“Yes, Master,” she replied, sounding defeated. “When would you like to see me?”

“I’ll wait in the penthouse. Come when you’re ready.”

I hung up the phone without giving her the chance to respond, because I didn’t want to have the conversation over the phone. I anticipated that she’d shower and change, then perhaps eat before she came up, so when the elevator chimed announcing she was there less than three minutes after I’d arrived home, I was shocked.

Clearly she’d come as she was, still wearing her clothes from the salon. She definitely looked like she’d just woken up, hair tousled, and her face free of make up. It was either a sign that she was eager to make amends, or that she simply didn’t care what she looked like because she didn’t care what I thought of her. Of course I hoped for the former.

“I’m so sorry, Master,” she said, dropping to her knees the instant she walked in the door. It was a great sign; at least I knew she wanted to continue things. However, the fact that when she was upset about us she’d gone to her own place, told me we had to talk things out and set a few ground rules. All of that had to be done as Bec and Oliver, not butterfly and Master.

“Please call me Oliver, and please get up off the floor.” Her eyes grew wide and filled with tears instantly. “We obviously need to talk. Will you join me on the couch?”

butterfly

I felt like I was going to throw up. My Sir, my Master, had just told me to call him Oliver and get up off my knees because we had to talk. Talking was never good when a man’s only reason for wanting you was to fuck you. When the tears came, I didn’t even try to stop them.

The day had been horrible anyway. It had started off wonderfully, but once I left the magical lair of his penthouse, everything fell apart. First, the salon was horrible. Not only had I found out that he’d been with the gorgeous receptionist, and that she’d been his submissive, but I’d also found out that he never kept his human submissives around for more than a year. Then I’d gone back to my apartment and fallen asleep for hours. When I woke, I saw that I had several missed calls and a voice message—all from him. I called him back immediately and he said we needed to talk.

As upset as I had been at Gretchen’s words, the thought that I’d made him worry about me and the fact that he wanted to talk, devastated me. I held out hope that it was anything other than ending our relationship, but when he told me to get up off the floor and call him Oliver, my world started to spin. Although I hadn’t eaten in hours, I thought I was going to be sick.

“Will you join me on the couch?” I walked toward the smooth leather like a person walking down death row. Brushing the tears from my face with the back of my hand, I sat up as straight as I could and looked at him. His eyes were full of compassion.

“Bec, I think that perhaps we moved too fast.” I was about to protest that it was all perfect, but he kept talking. “I hadn’t taken into account how little you knew of this lifestyle.”

“So you want to end it?” I couldn’t help blurting out, though I began sobbing right after. I knew it was pathetic, but I couldn’t explain the pull I felt toward this man.

“End it? Hell no
! I couldn’t end it even if I tried.”

I looked up at him through tear-filled eyes. “I don’t want it to end, but I’m afraid I’ll mess up again and you’ll leave me.”

He sighed heavily. “That’s my fault. I think we went too fast the night of your collaring. I left some things out about myself because I didn’t want to overwhelm you, but looking back, clearly that was a mistake.”

“You mean about Gretchen and the club? I know about those.”

“About those, yes, but more about me and you and how I feel about us.”

I stared at him, wondering what he meant exactly. I had such strong feelings for him, and he’d told me he loved me. In fact, he’d said it first.

“Let me explain a few things, and you can jump in with questions any time you have them, okay?”

I nodded and he continued. “When I placed the permanent collar around your neck, it was a symbol of my commitment to you. I don’t take collaring lightly, which is why I’ve never done it before. To me, it would be for as long as you’d allow it.”

“What if I wanted it for more than a year? Gretchen said that you always gave up your human submissives in a year or less.” Those words were the ones that bothered me the most.

“She’s technically right, but that was in the past. I’ve had several human submissives, and found each of them new Doms after about a year. In all of those cases, the women never saw me, and I never collared even one of them. You are different. I don’t plan on
ever
giving you up.”

His words made my heart soar, but I needed to know more. “Why?”

“I told you the night I collared you. I love you, Bec. I love my butterfly. I love every part of you.” I could barely breathe, his words making my heart race. “But there’s more. I told you that this mark appears when males find their mate. Maybe I wasn’t clear enough. Bocaj mate for life. When I said you were my mate, I meant you were my
only
mate.”

“Oh, Oliver…that’s how I feel, too. I mean, I’d never thought of it as a ‘mate,’ but you are the only person I can ever imagine being with. I just wish I could wear your mark.”

“Oh, Love. Actually, I think you might have worn it briefly already. I swear I saw it on your back this morning.” My heart raced at his words. “Later, after we finish talking, I’d like to try it again and see if it reappears.”

“I’d like that.” I couldn’t help but smile.

“First, I want to talk about everything that’s bothering you. I can tell you what’s bothering me first, if it would make it easier.”

I wasn’t sure if it would, but I nodded my head anyway.

“I know we haven’t known each other long, but I feel that we are close. It hurts me that you don’t feel like you can talk to me and tell me when things are bothering you. Today, I understand you were upset at the salon. Not only didn't you come to me with your concerns, though, you were missing for hours. I’m aware of how tired you get after the effects of our sessions wear off, and I was worried you were all alone somewhere. Or worse, that someone had found you in that state and taken advantage of you.”

I hadn’t thought of how worried he’d be, or about the fact that something could have happened to me. “I’m really sorry.”

“I know you are, my love, but please don’t do that again.” I nodded. “I understand there are things you overheard at the salon, things I would have told you in time. Like I said, I didn’t want to overwhelm you, but clearly that was a mistake. Ask me anything and I’ll answer it honestly.”

I swallowed. I had some questions I needed answered, and I didn’t want to put it off any longer. “Did you love her?”

“Gretchen? No, I never loved her. I cared about her and I took care
of
her, but I was never in love with her.”

“Did you tell her you loved her?”

“No, never, though I have told women that in the past. Up until you, however, I’d never been in love. I’ve never told a woman she was my mate, and I’ve never collared a submissive before, human or Bocaj.”

“Gretchen said that you told her you never wanted to collar a submissive. She said,” I swallowed and looked down, “that you did it for the same reason anyone collars a bitch—so I wouldn’t run off.”

He was shaking his head as I spoke. “That is not why a Dom collars a sub. However, I did tell Gretchen I’d never collar a submissive, because at the time, I never thought I
would
. I only ever planned on collaring one woman, once in my life—my mate. I just didn’t think I’d ever find her…
you
. The fact that you are a human shocked me, for sure. I didn’t know my kind could find their true mate in humans, but the mark on my chest says what I know deep down. You and I
are
mates.”

The next question was hard because there was nothing I could do about it. “Oliver, are you embarrassed I’m a human?”

His eyes went wide. “What? Why would you think that?”

I swallowed, noticing he hadn’t denied it. “Gretchen said that you had a club and that you would have taken me there if you weren’t embarrassed of me. I remember Sydney mentioning it, too, and you saying that I wouldn’t be going there.”

He pulled me toward him and pressed my head against his chest. “You need to realize that Gretchen is very jealous of you. She was my submissive for ten years, and in the end, she wanted a permanent collar. I denied her, then gave one to you less than a month later. I didn’t realize she felt that way until I heard what happened today.”

He’d skirted the question twice. I needed to ask again. “So, you’re not embarrassed your mate is a human?”

He pulled away from me and held my face in his hands. “Babygirl, I’m not embarrassed that I’ve fallen in love with a human. I want to show you off to the world, but…it’s just…”

“What?” I looked into his eyes and then closed my own as he spoke.

“It’s just that it’s a BDSM club for Bocaj.”

“Oh,” I said, feeling even more inadequate.

“It’s not that you wouldn’t be welcome. I’m afraid you’d be
too
welcome.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Remember how I told you that Shane could smell you at work?” I nodded. “What I didn’t tell you was that he said you smelled so good he wanted to tear your clothes off and fuck you right there on the conference room table.” I knew my eyes were as big as saucers. “Hell, Sydney said something similar the night they were all here. That’s what the fighting was about. I was telling them to stay away from you—that you were mine. Only mine.”

I felt my chest swell with pride. If he didn’t want to take me to his club because he didn’t want to share me, then I could live with that.

“The thing is, I realize now that it might come across as me not wanting people to know, and I’ll be damned if I allow Gretchen to spread rumors about you. If you’d agree, I would like to take you to Verde on Wednesday. And it’s not really my club, by the way. It’s owned and run by my family.”

I couldn’t help the huge smile that was plastered on my face. “I don’t even know what to wear!”

Oliver placed his hand on mine, drawing my attention. “You don’t need to think about that. I’ll decide what you will wear.” That seemed settled. “And before we go on, my parents invited us for brunch tomorrow. Would you like to go with me? Shane and Sydney will be there, and very likely my friend, Payton, and her submissive, Caleb.”

“She has a male submissive?” I blurted out the question.

“Yes. She is a very good Domme. Though tomorrow, I doubt that you will see her in that role.”

“I’d love to go,” I said, realizing then that I was going to be dining with aliens who didn’t eat food. “Uh, if you guys don’t eat, what is Sunday brunch about?”

“It’s just a term for getting together, though we can eat food, remember?” He smoothed the hair back from my face. “Is there anything else?”

“There is something that’s bothered me for a while and I’ve always wanted to ask, but I was afraid to bring it up.”

“Talk to me, Babygirl.” His eyes looked genuine, so I decided to just express myself completely.

“Well, first I used to wonder if I was the only woman you were scening with. I would worry that when you weren’t with me, you were with someone else. And you said that since you met me, I’ve been the only one, right?” He nodded. “But Gretchen said that you were jerking off in front of her three weeks ago. Three weeks ago we’d already met.”

He sighed. “In the past, I took submissives when I wanted. Sometimes human, sometime Bocaj, often having one of each at the same time. When you came along, everything changed. I only wanted you
.
There
was
a slight overlap between you and Gretchen, but not like you think. I was with her when I saw you through your window for the first time. There was something about you that captivated me. The feelings you stirred up in me, even from afar, made me want you so much I had to end things with Gretchen. I helped her find a new Dom, and then I called you for the first time.” He brushed his thumb across the back of my hand. “As far as three weeks ago, I did see Gretchen. While you were at the salon the first time, she came to my apartment. I’d been imagining how you looked, how you were making your body look for me, and yes, I was pleasuring myself before she knocked on the door. I was dressed when she entered the apartment, and I asked her to leave immediately.”

As upset as I was, hearing that he was masturbating while thinking about me made things considerably better.

He paused and looked at me. “Bec, I’d never have told you all of this as a Dom. I wouldn’t need to justify myself. As Oliver, though—your mate—I am explaining it all. Is there anything else you want to know?”

The final thing that had gnawed at me for weeks popped back into my mind. “The illustrations.”

He looked confused.

“On the wall in the playroom…the illustrations. I know some of them are me—of scenes we did together—but there were pictures on the wall the first time I entered the room. Were they of Gretchen or other submissives?”

He smiled. “Babygirl, every sketch in that room is of you. The ones that were there the first time you entered were sketches I did of you while you performed for me.”

“So they’re all me? Every one?”

“Yes. You are the only submissive I’ve ever had in that playroom—in this penthouse, for that matter.”

I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face and was thrilled when he pulled me into a hug. While my cheek was pressed tight against his chest, I felt the warmth of his marking through the thin cotton material of his T-shirt. When he released me, I only pulled back a few inches so I could examine it closely.

“May I please see it again?” He obliged and removed the garment blocking my view. The design was even more beautiful than I’d remembered. Tracing the edges with my fingertip made him hiss.

“Fuck, that feels good,” he groaned. “It makes it so hot.” His eyes had rolled back in his head. Wanting to cool down the skin I could feel warming my fingertips, I licked his hot flesh. “Fuck!” he growled, grabbing my hips and slamming me down onto what I could feel through our clothes to be his erect cock. I whimpered in surprise.
 

He let go instantly. “Shit! Babygirl, I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you? Tell me I didn’t hurt you.”

His words were rushed and he searched my face frantically for any signs I was injured. The truth was, my hipbones did hurt from where his fingers had squeezed me, and they would likely bruise, but I didn’t want him upset.