I let go of his chest so I could take hold of both ends of the gray tightly braided leather bracelet. Since I was leaning over, I could see his wide eyes staring at it.
“I knew that I would collar you, but I needed you to be ready.”
“Am I?” his voice was raspy, and he coughed to try to clear it.Nervous. Shocked.“Am I ready?”
“You are, Ryan. I knew that you weren’t a necklace kind of guy, but I wanted you to have something that you could wear all of the time. Something that would remind you of what you mean to me, and what we have, but something that didn’t draw attention to it. I found this bracelet that looks nothing more than what a surfer guy would wear.” I paused for a moment as both of us stared at the perfect collar for him. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Before he could add anything negative about himself and his past that plagues him from time to time, I added, “All of you. I want your nightmares, your demons, and everything that makes you second guess. Those are mine to carry for you now. You’ve carried them long enough.”
“I’m…good enough? I’m good enough for you?”
“You always have been, Ryan.”
I wrapped the bracelet around his left wrist twice and clasped the metal ends in place. I held Ryan’s forearm for a moment; mine.
“Our bond will only strengthen, and I will never leave you.”
The sun cast its light across the ocean and lit up a pier to the right of my beach house. I pointed to the pillars that supported the pier.
“Remember, Ryan, I’m the pillars to your pier now. You run to me. I will always be there for you to lean on and I will hold you up when you can’t stand on your own.” I took hold of his bracelet and added, “This comes with love and care. I promise to care for you for the rest of my life.”
“Care for me,” Ryan repeated as he touched his bracelet.
“Yes,” I replied. I kissed the side of his head and reiterated a point that I didn’t want him to miss. “I will love and care for you. It’s a Dom thing and isn’t negotiable.” I playfully slapped his chest a few times and then rubbed over the spot. “Deal with it, my boy.”
* * *
Emails upon emailsupon emails continued to come in daily from Claire, and I needed to sever this connection with her. I sent her an email and asked her to meet me at the club this evening.
“What if you decide that you want to be with her, though?” Ryan asked as he sat nervously on our bed in his boxer briefs.
I crossed the room to him while I finished buttoning my white dress shirt. Ryan had two of his fingers hooked between his wrist and the bracelet collar. I put my hand on the side of his head and covered his hand that was on the bracelet.
“I don’t want to be with her. I want to be with you. I collared you, my boy.”
“But people get divorced all of the time.”
“Ryan, this is different. People don’t haphazardly collar someone unless they are damn certain.” I kissed his lips and then his forehead. “Now, you need to get dressed.”
“What is it you need me to do again tonight?” Ryan asked as he stepped into his jeans.
“Merely to listen to me. And I mean, actually listen.”
I understood that he was nervous and why he didn’t want to see Claire again. But sometimes you have to cross an unpleasant road to get you where you want to be. This would be one of those times. I knew how to easily get a negative reaction out of Claire, and I wanted that reaction tonight. If everything went how I wanted it to, she would be banned from the club and have no reason to hang around Las Vegas.
I had told the club owner that I had an announcement to make this evening and he ensured me that he would have a section roped off for me. It wasn’t uncommon for a Dom, Domme, or Top to make announcements, and the club owner always gave them the floor to do so.
I made sure that I kept my distance from most people at the club tonight with the exception of Nick and Daniel, but I kept my eyes on Ryan. Daniel’s sub, Jeremy stayed close to Ryan and exactly where I asked them to remain.
Claire sauntered in and made her way through the crowd and came right up to me. She looked as though she was there to collect her prize.
“Russell, after you’re done with your announcement, what do you say we play?”
Obnoxious, cocky, arrogant as ever.
I smiled and then turned to step up on the small platform.
“Friends, thank you for being here tonight. I know many of you have evenings planned, so I won’t take up much of your time. I want to announce that I have collared the love of my life, Ryan, and look forward to spending my life with him.”
I didn’t look at Claire, but I knew that she was livid. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her hands perched on her hips.
