by K. C. Wells
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.
Epilogue
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 b
y 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.”
Authors’ Note
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.
More from K.C. Wells & Parker Williams
Collars and Cuffs: Book Three
Eighteen-year-old Scott Keating knows a whole world exists beyond his parents’ strict control, but until he gains access to the World Wide Web, he really has no idea what’s out there. In a chat room, Scott meets “JeffUK.” Jeff loves and understands him, and when he offers to bring Scott to the UK, Scott seizes his chance to escape his humdrum life and see the world. But when his plane touches down and Jeff isn’t there, panic sets in.
Collars & Cuffs favorite barman and Dom-in-training, Ben Winters, drops his sister off at the airport and finds a lost, anxious Scott. Hearing Scott’s story sets off alarm bells, along with his protective instincts. Taking pity on the naïve boy, Ben offers him a place to crash and invites him to Collars & Cuffs, hoping his bosses will know how to help. Scott dreams of belonging to someone, heart and soul. Ben longs for a sub of his own. And neither man sees what’s right under his nose.
Collars and Cuffs: Book Five
The man who pimped Jeff may be in prison, but Jeff is still living the nightmare, selling himself to men and relying on pills to manage. Then he meets Scott, a young American man who could easily have been where Jeff is now. Scott’s friends extend a helping hand to Jeff, and he grabs it.
Leo and Thomas bring Jeff to stay with Dom Damian Barnett until they can find him someplace more long-term. Still grieving from losing his sub to cancer two years before, Damian agrees to help. But when he glimpses the extent of the damage, Damian wants to do more than offer his guestroom. Jeff is not a submissive, but Damian can see he desperately needs structure in his life. It’s up to Damian to find an answer.
He never expects that what he discovers will change both their lives.
Readers love the Collars & Cuffs series by K.C. Wells & Parker Williams
Someone to Keep Me
“The storyline keeps you in its grip and doesn’t let you go”
—Love Bytes
“I think the author(s) do a great job of portraying the lifestyle in a fair and not over-glamorized way.”
—Prism Book Alliance
“The characters are likable, the sex scenes are hot, the writing is smooth, and it’s fun to see Scott grow up and find himself and his true love.”
—Hearts on Fire
Damian’s Discipline
“I never thought I would tear up in happiness but I did. Why? You need to read the why of it.”
—multitaskingmommas Book Reviews
“…K.C. Wells and Parker Williams make for a very good team and I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us next.”
—MM Good Book Reviews
“I am not ashamed to admit I shed a few tears while reading this book.”
—My Fiction Nook
Born and raised in the north-west of England, K.C. WELLS always loved writing. Words were important. Full stop. However, when childhood gave way to adulthood, the writing ceased, as life got in the way.
K.C. discovered erotic fiction in 2009, when the purchase of a ménage storyline led to the startling discovery that reading about men in love was damn hot. In 2012, arriving at a really low point in life led to the desperate need to do something creative. An even bigger discovery waited in the wings—writing about men in love was even hotter….
K.C. now writes full-time and is loving every minute of her new career.
The laptop still has no idea of what hit it… it only knows that it wants a rest, please. And it now has to get used to the idea that where K.C goes, it goes.
And as for those men in love that she writes about? The list of stories just waiting to be written is getting longer… and longer….
K.C. loves to hear from readers.
E-mail: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KCWellsWorld
Twitter: @K_C_Wells
Website: www.kcwellsworld.com
PARKER WILLIAMS began to write as a teen, but never showed his work to anyone. As he grew older, he drifted away from writing, but his love of the written word moved him to reading. A chance encounter with an author changed the course of his life as she encouraged him to never give up on a dream. With the help of some amazing friends, he rediscovered the joy of writing, thanks to a community of writers who have become his family.
Parker firmly believes in love, but is also of the opinion that anything worth having requires work and sacrifice (plus a little hurt and angst, too). The course of love is never a smooth one, and Happily Ever After always has a price tag.
Website: www.parkerwilliamsauthor.com
Twitter: twitter.com/ParkerWAuthor
Facebook: www.facebook.com/parker.williams.75641
E-mail: [email protected]
By K.C. Wells
A Bond of Three
First
Love Lessons Learned
Waiting For You
COLLARS & CUFFS
An Unlocked Heart
Trusting Thomas
With Parker Williams: Someone to Keep Me
A Dance with Domination
With Parker Williams: Damian’s Discipline
Make Me Soar
With Parker Williams: Dom of Ages
LEARNING TO LOVE
Michael & Sean
Evan & Daniel
Josh & Chris
Final Exam
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
By Parker Williams
With K.C. Wells
COLLARS & CUFFS
Someone to Keep Me
Damian’s Discipline
Dom of Ages
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Dom of Ages
© 2015 K.C. Wells & Parker Williams.
Cover Art
© 2015 Paul Richmond.
http://paulrichmondstudio.com
Photo
; © 2015 Joey Flyfoto.
Model: Dirk Caber.
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
ISBN: 978-1-63476-860-3
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63476-861-0
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015953587
First Edition December 2015
Printed in the United States of America