by Cynthia Dane
“Aw. I would have loved that.”
“I’ll throw some in for you.”
“Henry…” Monica sat on the edge of her bed. “Thank you. For everything.”
“Don’t thank me yet, Princess. I’ve still got a few more things up my sleeve.”
It was that kind of talk that made Monica impatient. In this case, impatient for anything and everything Henry Warren wanted to give his favorite woman in the world.
Chapter 5
To Have And To Collar
Monica sat in a dressing room, far in the back of the East Wing in Warren Manor. The corset clung to her figure, accentuating her breasts and how bare her chest and neck were. She peered into a mirror, outlining her eyes with sleek black eyeliner that made her look sultrier than she actually was. If I don’t knock him off his feet when I walk out there, I’ve failed. She wasn’t too worried.
Her shoulders shivered from the cool air blowing in from the air conditioner. The white blazer hung on the back of her chair, but she didn’t want to put it on until the time came to leave the room.
Just as she put in the first earring, someone knocked on the door.
At first it startled her. Who was coming to call? Henry wouldn’t dare. Was it a butler with a missive? Something she forgot? Then the knock came again, harder. She wasn’t exactly sure how she knew, but Monica was confident that Ethan Cole stood on the other side.
Sure enough, he peeped in, asking if she was decent. As decent as I can be in this getup. Even if Monica were shy, she didn’t have anything Ethan hadn’t seen before. She took heart in that when Ethan closed the door behind him and approached, hands resting on Monica’s chair.
“You are gorgeous.” He was dressed in one of his finest Italian suits, a kerchief poking from his front pocket and silver cufflinks adorning his wrists. The scent of his cologne took Monica back to the days of being with him and Jackson at the same time. At least his scent didn’t give her bad memories. “That man doesn’t know how lucky he is.”
Monica smiled into the mirror, her other earring dangling from her ear and brushing against her shoulder. “Oh, I think he has a good idea.” She looked up at his reflection. “To what do I owe this pleasure, Mr. Cole?”
His hand brushed against her skin, lingering in her curled hair and pulling some form of debris from its tendrils. It was not the touch of a lover, or a man making an advance. It was, however, affectionate, and Monica felt the most relaxed she had experienced in a long time.
“I wanted to see the lovely bride before I gave her away.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not a bride. And nobody gives me away.”
Ethan was there as her witness. She could have invited a woman, like Judith, but Monica instantly thought of Ethan the moment Henry suggested that they bring one witness each to the ceremony. Ethan had seen her at her lowest. He had helped rescue her from the abuses she endured. He even cut ties with his best friend – ended their business partnership – in the aftermath. For her. Because he cared about her.
Ethan understood her heart and mind better than any woman Monica currently knew. If anyone was going to speak for her at her collaring ceremony, it was him. A part of me is still in love with him, I guess. Monica never felt for him the passionate, heartbreaking love she once felt for Jackson and now Henry. She and Ethan knew how to please each other in the bedroom, but they were nothing more than friends outside of it.
“You may not be a bride,” Ethan said, picking up the diamond tennis bracelet laid out on the vanity and taking Monica by the hand, “but you look like a beautiful one.”
He wrapped the bracelet around her wrist and latched it together. After turning it so it faced the right way up, Monica said, “You’re too kind. You’re quite handsome yourself.”
“I wanted to look good for your big day. I haven’t been to a collaring ceremony since…”
Monica pursed her lips. “Since my last one.”
“I didn’t mean to bring it up.”
“It’s fine, Ethan.” She stood, fixing her hair in the mirror and motioning for Ethan to help her with the blazer. “Nothing can bring me down today.”
The smooth sleeves of the blazer brushed against her arms as her shoulders were quickly covered. Ethan helped her pull her hair back and rub out the creases in the jacket. I almost look formal. Minus the fact she wore no pants. She did, however, purchase a pair of pure white heels for the occasion.
“He seems like a good man,” Ethan said. “That’s what you deserve most of all.”
“A good man who knows how to spank me.”
“I’ll take your word on that one.”
They smiled at each other in the mirror. Ethan patted her shoulder and turned away, hands going into his pockets.
“His father owes Jackson half a billion dollars.”
Ethan turned enough to show that he was listening. “He told you this?”
“Yes. He had to. I saw Jackson here one time. I needed an explanation.”
“Damn. The man has a lot of loan payments coming in, but I never heard about Gerald Warren being one of them.”
“I hear it’s very hush-hush. You can’t tell anyone, I guess.”
“You’re okay with that?”
“Ever hear that you shouldn’t blame the son for the sins of his father? It’s like that. He’s been honest and open with me about it. I don’t care. I… Jackson did terrible things. He’s stalked me since then. He wants to make me uncomfortable… what if I don’t let him?”
“There’s nothing wrong with reacting the way you have. Nobody should go through…”“I know that.” Monica wouldn’t feel bad for the times she felt like a victim. Like a runaway. Like someone who was so stupid to fall into a trap like Jackson’s. For ten years! Even if the first several were fine, the last ones ruined the good ones. “But I can’t shut down every time our paths cross. I can’t give him a reaction when he mails me out of the blue. I need to face him and know that I can. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not committing to Henry to prove a point about Jackson. Except let’s be real, Ethan. No matter what I do or where I go in this insular world of ours, I will see him. And it will scare me.”
“If you believe that he’ll take care of you during those times, then I’ll support you.”
“Thank you.” Satisfied with how she looked in the mirror, Monica stepped away from the vanity and motioned for Ethan to accompany her out of the room. “Let’s see how long it takes me to cry.”
They hooked their arms together, Ethan escorting her down the main hallway of the East Wing and to the grand staircase connecting to the Premier House. At the bottom of the stairs stood Evangeline, her slick look rivaling Ethan’s as she pointed where to go. Using his sister as his witness. What a strange family. Monica hadn’t even met the parents yet.
The servants were cleared out for the evening. The only people Monica saw between the East Wing and an open, marble-laden room overlooking the gardens were Evangeline and Ethan. It suited her fine. She liked being paraded around, but not necessarily in front of staff.
Evangeline disappeared into the marble room. Monica stopped near the entryway, Ethan stopping one step ahead of her and turning to see if she was all right.
“Second thoughts?” he asked softly, his fingers locking between hers.
“No.” Monica squeezed his hand back. “I merely want to savor this moment.”
No woman got married intending to divorce – not the ones in love. It was the same for a sub entering a permanent union with her Dom. No sub enters a collaring ceremony expecting to break up later. This was their marriage. For some, this held greater meaning than marriage. Maybe she and Henry would officially wed one day. With their families present, with everyone in the rich, wide world coming to celebrate their love. Monica didn’t care about that. She cared about this. The rush she felt thinking of her Dom putting that collar around her neck… for now… forever… I never want this moment to end. God willing, it would
n’t.
Ethan helped her move again, but it was Monica who took the first step across the threshold.
Everything was as she and Henry planned it. Tea candles burned in an alcove, emitting a potent but lovely rose fragrance as well as a soft, warm light that cast Henry’s shadow far on the wall behind him.
He stood in front of the alcove, dressed in a light gray suit that evoked the same bride-groom imagery but without being so obvious. Besides, white really wasn’t his color. Monica smiled to see a red rose poking from his pocket and a soft silk shirt buttoned beneath his jacket. His sandy hair was combed down, and his shoes shined to perfection.
He held out his hand to Monica as she approached.
A few silent moments passed, in which Monica shared a look with Ethan. He nodded to Henry, unwrapping his arm from Monica’s and giving her a gentle push. You barely know this man. Ethan never mentioned having a chat with Henry. Had they formally met before this day?
Did it matter?
Monica took Henry’s hand. She left Ethan’s protection and entered a new man’s universe.
“You are…” Henry’s eyes traveled across her body, taking in the glitter in her hair, the eyeliner winged toward her bangs, the light brush of blush pinking her cheeks, and the ensemble he had chosen for her to wear that day. The sparkling earrings caught his eyes more than once. “Radiant.”
Eva cleared her throat and tried to pass it off as a cough. Ethan glanced at her.
“Thank you.” Monica took a step back, putting a little distance between them so she could enjoy the moment more. “Have I told you lately that you’re not so bad yourself?”
Another cough. Apparently someone had somewhere to be.
“I think it’s best we got started. Eva?”
She probably thought he would never ask. Regardless of her real thoughts, Eva pulled a small slip of paper from her front pocket, unfolded it, and read the contents. “Does the man who gives away this woman promise that she is faithful, subservient when necessary, and deserving?”
Ethan was not slow to answer. “I do.” He had a slip of paper of his own. “Does the woman who vouches for this man swear that he is a reasonable, kind, and diligent Master?”
“I do.”
“Furthermore,” and everyone in attendance turned to look at Ethan as he went off-script, “do you vouch that this man has never and will never betray or otherwise harm his beloved?”
A disturbing silence briefly erupted between the four of them. This time Eva’s throat clearing was honest. “I… do?”
Down, Ethan. Big brother types. What was Monica to do with them?
Besides, it wasn’t like she didn’t have those sentiments covered already.
“Henry,” she began, holding both of his hands in hers, “these past few months have been everything I ever wanted and more. Thank you for pursuing me so diligently. I daresay you caught me.”
She ignored the silence in the room. She only had eyes for Henry’s smile anyway.
“Before I met you, I didn’t think I would ever be free to love again. To trust someone with my heart and body. You keep saying that you want to earn my trust over and over. I admire that. Because you’re right. I will need that. You don’t know this, but there were many times I expected you to prove my doubts right… and then you didn’t. Every time that happened, I became more convinced that perhaps it was time to start trusting again. Thank you.”
Something happened to Henry’s expression. When before he had the plain, but happy expression of a man who had things going his way, he now had a poignant hue and brows turning down. Has he never considered this? Henry glanced at the two witnesses, including his sister and Monica’s ex-Dom. He hasn’t. Men could be so simple sometimes.
“That said, Mr. Henry Warren, I vow to be a faithful and obedient sub who will do her best to make your life easier and more pleasant. I am overjoyed at the thought of serving you for a long, long time. My only hope is that I can be the sub that you deserve.”
“I don’t know what to say.” His hands were slippery in Monica’s. “Except that I’m happy you feel this way.”
When the silence became too much to bear, Henry realized that it was his turn to say something.
“I’m not sure how to follow that.” Yet his grip on her hands was full of resolve, and Monica did not doubt that he would make her tear up. “I even had some notes I wrote last night. Alas, you’ve once again knocked me off my feet, Monica.”
“Try it anyway, my love.”
“Well, I was going to say some simple things about being your Dom, but… ah, to hell with it. I love you, Monica. I have from the moment I first laid eyes on you. I was intrigued by you from the first conversation. Your wit and intelligence is unlike any other woman’s. Not to say other women don’t have that, but yours invigorates me, and while you will be my sub, you will also be my equal partner. As your Dom, I promise to keep you in line, but I will never stifle your spirit or silence your opinions. I want to see and hear it all from you. We can be partners in many ways.”
He picked a box up from the makeshift altar beside them and opened it to reveal a slender, black collar dotted in tiny diamonds. How considerate. It would go with any outfit. It was sophisticated enough to wear to work and formal functions, but also casual enough to wear around the house or entertaining friends. Monica did not miss the “In Care Of Henry Warren” etched inside the leather. In Care Of. Not property of. Not owned by. In Care Of. Henry was her caretaker, not just her Master.
The first tear threatened to sprout from her eye.
“I am honored to present you with this collar,” Henry waited until Monica pulled her hair to the side before wrapping the leather collar snugly around her throat. “To know that you chose me as your Dom is an honor I’ll cherish forever.”
It sounded so sappy! Monica held in both a laugh and a sob of love. If it were her and Henry, she may have cried, but she didn’t want to do that in front of Eva and Ethan. “Thank you, Master,” she whispered, the collar latching behind her neck.
It was done.
The last matter of formality was the signing of the contract that stipulated their roles as Dom and sub. For a whole week they emailed it back and forth to each other when they had spare moments, changing wording here and adding things there. It wasn’t anything they weren’t already doing, but Monica insisted that they sign even a one-page contract for now. She added her signature after Henry’s, and then both witnesses added their initials.
Before Monica could step away from the piece of paper, Henry pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
She had never kissed him in front of others like this before. Eva turned around with a groan, and Ethan respectfully averted his eyes while fighting back a smile. I don’t care. Henry could start making love to her right now, and she wouldn’t care. Having him kiss her so forcefully after they just committed to each other only made Monica more fervent in her desire to be with him.
They had dinner, the four of them, in the main dining hall. Aged wine and a five-course French meal were served. Monica sat beside Henry, who sat at the head of the table, and Ethan sat on the other side of her. Eva looked at her from across the table. While she showed Monica no malice, something clearly made her uncomfortable.
Was it because Henry was her brother and this pushed too far into his sex life? Or did it have to do with…
Him?
Monica had to brush it off. This was her day, as Ethan reminded her during dessert when they toasted to the happy couple and exchanged gifts. Eva gave them first edition texts chronicling one Victorian couple’s foray into the lifestyle. Ethan gave them matching, monogrammed keys that were to go in their wallets. As a reminder that someone else holds the key to their heart and body. Monica was quick to place the key initialed “HW” in her coin purse, followed by an appreciative kiss to Ethan’s cheek.
Ethan left shortly after dessert, but not before shaking Henry’s hand and muttering s
omething into his ear. Whatever he said, Henry did not flinch, so it must’ve not been too threatening. “Break her heart and I’ll do to you what I did to Jackson.”
Eva patted her brother’s shoulder and nodded to Monica. “I’ve got a date to get ready for .After that sappy show I need to get the sugar out of my system.”
“Just wait, dear sister, it’ll be your turn to collar a special someone soon enough.”
“I don’t think so.”
Henry waited until she retreated into the West Wing before replying. “That’s what the young always say.”
Monica wrapped her arm around his. “You’re not that much older than her.”
“We can say the same thing about our age difference.” Not that there was much of one at the end of the day. “Anyway, shall we retire?”