I walked home after work and couldn’t help but to walk faster the closer I got. I was smiling, knowing that I had a submissive waiting for me at home.
When I opened the door, the scent of something cooking filled the entryway, and Bear materialized next to me.
“How was your day, Sir?” he asked, beaming.
“Oh, it was… nice.” I took off my jacket and he held his hand out for it, then hung it for me as I watched, a bit flabbergasted even though I probably shouldn’t have been. “I didn’t have any treats.”
He giggled a little, then waited for me to toe off my shoes and put them next to the wall.
“Food is ready in about twenty, so if you want to shower before that…?” he was respectfully not making eye contact, but I found I didn’t like that.
“Bear, would you please look at me?”
Startled, he lifted his gaze to meet mine. He seemed worried.
“You did nothing wrong, boy. It’s okay. I want you to make eye contact if you don’t mind. I want to see your eyes.” I smiled and he relaxed.
“Oh, okay, Sir. I can do that. I might not always remember at first, but….”
“I’ll help you.” I touched his arm gently. “Now, I’m going to take that shower and then we can eat.”
“Okay.”
I started toward my room when I remembered something. “Did you check the list I sent you?”
“Yes, Sir. I filled it in and I looked at yours.” He gave me this expression of not quite confusion at that. He still didn’t understand why a Dom would have a list of limits, which showed how badly Carl had failed him.
“We’ll check them after dinner while we’re not having dessert.” I winked at him.
Giggling, he went into the kitchen, and I forced myself to not follow him.
I stepped inside my room and stopped in my tracks. My sheets had been changed and my bed was made. I walked into the bathroom and saw that there was a fresh towel on the heated rack my mom had insisted I should have for some reason.
As I glanced around the bathroom, I realized everything was neat. Not shiny or anything, it just looked as if Bear had gone through my space, making it orderly and cleaned a little where needed.
Smiling, I took off my clothes and tossed my shirt and underwear into the hamper. My jeans went haphazardly on the chair in the corner of my bedroom like usual.
Five minutes later I stepped out of the shower, grabbed my warm towel and dried myself, smiling before putting the towel back on the rack to dry.
I glanced myself in the mirror. My eyes shined with contentment for the first time in ages. I felt around inside myself for guilt, but it was gone. For the last three years it had been rough. Every piece of happiness had been tainted with guilt for enjoying myself while Elio was dead.
I stepped out of the bathroom to see my jeans had been folded on the chair. The sight made something inside me bubble happily, as if something was about to spill over. The emotion felt foreign, but then again, I had never been very emotional.
I got dressed in sweats and a T-shirt—and my woolly socks of course—and wandered into the kitchen.
“Perfect timing, I just need to put together the sandwiches.” Bear glanced at me over his shoulder. “Could you grab the drinks, Sir?”
“Sure,” I said easily. I opened the fridge and found that he’d put lime slices and mint into a pitcher of water.
I poured us both a large glass and sat down in my seat.
I was expecting regular sandwiches, but the giant pita bread filled with—“Did you make pulled pork?” My mouth watered instantly.
“Yeah, I had it in the oven all day. It’s my secret sauce, too.” He smiled from ear to ear. “There’s coleslaw and I thought you’d like to add any of the veggies yourself.”
“Thank you.” I slid a few slices of tomato and some mixed salad inside the bread.
I may have made an indecent sound at the flavor explosion in my mouth. When I went to drink some water, I glanced at Bear who was filling his own bread. He was blushing crimson. It was cute as fuck.
