Moving silently, he sat on a padded bench nearby as he waited for her to return to earth. He looked out at the water. The waves were crashing with more force than usual against the sand, as it had rained the night before. The sky had turned from pink to the palest blue. He drew in a deep, cleansing breath of the fresh, salty air.
In a matter of hours, they would be hurled back into the daily insanity of life at the resort. In a way, he never wanted to leave the quiet seclusion of their cottage. But, at the same time, he was looking forward to leaping back into the fray. He was curious what he’d missed while taking this mini-sabbatical.
He was excited about the new ideas Abbie and he had discussed for couples training seminars. He was looking forward to working with her, not just as his occasional demonstration sub, but as a partner who could bring a submissive’s unique perspective to the training. And her ideas for BDSM yoga classes were quite intriguing.
Even more than all of that, he wanted to show the world—his world—that he’d found his submissive soulmate at last. It was ironic that she’d been there all the time, but he’d been running too fast to see.
“Oh,” Abbie said softly, drawing his attention back to her. She was sitting up on her mat, a quizzical smile on her face. “I didn’t realize you were there. Is everything all right, Sir? I was just about to return to you.”
“I woke up early,” he said, getting to his feet to go to her. “I missed you.”
Abbie smiled as she, too, rose to her feet. He took her into his arms and kissed her, cupping the back of her head in his hand as their tongues intertwined.
When they parted, he said, “I have something for you, Abbie. Please kneel up on the mat.”
Turning from her, he picked up the silk pouch from the bench and returned to her. Opening the pouch, he slid the slave collar into his hand. Crouching in front of her, he held out his palm so she could see.
Her eyes widened, her mouth falling open as she took in the soft leather and the jeweled clasp, its garnets winking in the sunlight. “Oh,” she breathed. “I’ve never seen anything like that, Sir. It’s the most beautiful collar I’ve ever seen.” Her hand rose to the linked collar she’d worn around her neck the past several days, the unspoken question in her eyes.
“Yes,” he said, a broad smile spreading on his face. “You have earned this, darling Abbie. You deserve my leather collar, and so much more. I’ve been saving this for over ten years, holding on to the belief that one day I’d find the right woman to share it with.”
Setting down the precious collar for a moment, he reached for her chain collar. He unclipped, removed it from her neck and tossed it aside. Taking the slave collar again in his hands, he took a moment to compose himself, feeling as solemn as if they were standing under a marriage canopy.
Taking a breath, he asked, “Abbie, do you promise to serve and obey me as my willing slave girl? Will you allow me to cherish and adore you as your loving Master? Will you wear my slave collar, with all that entails?”
Tears shone in her eyes “Sir,” she said softly, “I would be so honored to wear your collar and to be your willing slave girl, with all that entails. And to love you”—a single tear rolled down her cheek, her face luminescent with joy—“with all my heart.”
Tears filled Ryan’s eyes too as he brought the collar around Abbie’s neck and closed the clasp at her throat. “I love you, Abbie,” he said, taking her again into his arms. “You’ve made me the happiest man alive.”
~*~
Abbie felt as if her feet hadn’t touched the ground since Master Ryan had placed his gorgeous collar around her neck early that morning. She cupped her face with her palm, recalling that morning’s strike one, a stinging slap on her right cheek that had instantly gotten her masochistic juices flowing.
Upon their return to the resort a few hours later, the news of their Master/slave collared commitment had traveled like wildfire through the community. Master Ryan had been swept away by Mistress Ella and the general manager, his inbox apparently a mile high.
Abbie wasn’t officially due to return to her duties until the next day, so she’d spent much of her time getting her things moved into Ryan’s suite on the top floor. She’d also been able to fill her cousin and girlfriends in on the amazing details of the best week of her life.
Dinner was scheduled extra early, as preparations for a beach party were underway for the evening. Abbie had been thrilled to take her place in the Masters’ Dining Room at Master Ryan’s feet alongside the other owned staff slaves.