“Such as, from this moment forward, you will officially renounce your servitude to Master Grayson and Mistress Dominique. I wish to claim you formally for my own.”
“Oh,” Cleo gasped, suddenly unable to get enough air into her lungs.
Master Jack rolled from the bed to his feet. “Do you accept, slave Cleo?”
Cleo scooted to the edge of the mattress and lowered herself to the floor in front of Master Jack. She settled herself into a kneeling position, hands on her thighs, knees spread. “Yes, Sir,” she whispered, still barely able to breathe.
“Your hand,” he said. “Give me your right hand.”
Cleo extended her hand, thinking he would pull her upright and into his arms.
Instead, he reached for her slave ring. He gripped the ring, gently loosening it from her finger. Before removing it altogether, he paused a moment, a question in his eyes. Should he continue?
She nodded to the unspoken question. “Yes,” she whispered. “Please.”
How she had cherished that ring when it had first been presented to her. But now she freely, willingly parted with it. She was no longer content to serve the many. She wanted only this man, and the new life they might start together.
He removed the ring and set it on the nightstand. Reaching into his drawer, he pulled out a small oblong box with a black velvet sash tied around it. Sitting on the bed before her, he removed the lid and lifted something from its nest of tissue paper.
Cleo drew in her breath as he held out a beautiful slave collar—the very one they’d admired at Lola’s, soft, pale blue leather with silver O-rings on either side. “When did you…?”
Master Jack grinned. “Yesterday, when I said I had to go to the office. I did swing by to grab some papers I needed, but also took the opportunity to stop at Lola’s for this. I was going to wait till the time was right to give it to you.” He shrugged, smiling. “Well. It feels right.”
His smile fell away. “Cleo,” he said somberly. “Will you wear this collar as a symbol of your submission and obedience to me as your Master in all things?”
“Yes, Sir,” Cleo managed, her voice barely a whisper. Feeling as if she were in a glorious dream, she dipped her head forward and gathered and lifted her hair, baring her neck.
Master Jack leaned over and closed the collar around her throat. It fit perfectly. This time when he took her hand, it was to lift her upright. But instead of gathering her into his arms, he patted the bed. “Sit down, please, right there on the edge of the bed. There’s something else.”
Mystified but curious, Cleo did as she was told.
Master Jack reached once more into the nightstand, this time removing a small velvet ring box. Now it was he who knelt on the floor in front of Cleo.
Her heart began to beat a wild tattoo, her breath catching in her throat. Was this really happening?
Holding up the box, he opened it, revealing a stunningly beautiful ring. It was similar to her nipple jewelry, though instead of a row of small opals interspaced with tiny diamonds, this ring held only a large, single, perfect opal, bracketed by a diamond on either side.
Cleo’s hand flew to her mouth as she gazed at the lovely ring. “Jack,” she breathed. “It’s beautiful. How did you find it?”
“It was fate, kismet, call it what you want,” he said with a laugh. “There’s a high-end jewelry shop right in the lobby of our office building. I’ve often admired their pieces as I pass by. Yesterday, as I walked by on my way out of the building, this very ring caught my eye, front and center in their window display. Obviously, I had no choice but to buy it immediately, before anyone else could get to it.”
Again he sobered. Still holding up the ring box, he asked, “Cleo, my darling, my love, will you wear this ring as a token of my love for you, which I promise to show you every day we are together?”
Cleo’s cheeks hurt, she was grinning so wide. “Yes, Jack, my darling, my Master, my true love. I will.”
He slipped the ring onto her finger. It, too, fit perfectly.
Finally, this time when he reached for her, it was to pull her into his arms. They kissed a long, blissful moment, Cleo dizzy with joy.
When they finally parted, breathless and grinning like idiots at each other, Jack looped a finger into one of the O-rings on Cleo’s collar and gave it a playful tug. “After all that lovey-dovey stuff, my inner sadist is calling. Your sweet little ass is in need of some fresh marks. Come along, slave girl, and get what you deserve.”
“Yes, Sir,” Cleo agreed happily, her bottom already tingling with expectation. “It will be my pleasure.”