A Lovely Shade of Ouch [Suncoast Society] (Siren Publishing Sensations) Read online

  He laughed, releasing her so she could turn and focus on Abbey. Tony and Seth returned and got a quick rundown on what had started the fracas.

  Leah handed John his hood. “You dropped this.” She wore a playful smirk.

  “Yeah, I took it off up there while we were looking at the circuit panel. I couldn’t see what I was doing with it on.” He ran a hand through his hair.

  “Hey,” a man yelled down from upstairs. “If we’re copacetic, and no one’s getting killed or anything, can someone please come up here and either fix the electrical system, or wait here with her while you give me a ten-minute head start before you untie her? She’s pissed off her orgasm was interrupted. And that makes her really fucking mean.”

  Laughter roared through the club. “We’ll be right up,” Tony called. He and Seth started that way.

  John managed to get back to Abbey through the throng of well-wishers that surrounded them. “You know, sweetheart, I think we’ve had enough excitement for one night.”

  She pouted. “Aww. I was hoping now that they know our little secret, we could both play.”

  He hesitated. “You sure?”

  An evil little smile filled her face. “Payback’s a switch. I’ll beat your ass, if you’ll beat mine. Sir,” she added.

  He grinned. “Sounds like a plan to me, girl.”

  He bottomed first to her, a fun, frisky scene that got her motor revving.

  When he got up from the spanking bench, he skipped his Zen time and didn’t even bother changing outfits to top her. He grabbed her by the hair, tipping her head back as he nuzzled her neck. “Ready for Me, girl?”

  “Yes, Sir,” she gasped.

  He had her strip before leading her, hand in her hair, to the bench and laying her across it.

  “Such a good girl for Me,” he cooed in her ear, sending shivers up and down her spine.

  She suspected he would go light on her, and he did, still worried about a stray hit hurting her. He used his bare hands, mostly, and a riding crop, light and on the sensual end of the scale before he rooted around in her bag and found a vibrator she’d forgotten she even had in there.

  “Oh, baby. You’re screwed.” He twisted the base and it came on, humming in his hand. With one hand planted in the middle of her shoulders, he worked it back and forth along her clit, until she finally came for him.

  This time, it was him cuddling her post-scene on the couches, once he’d put their gear away, with her wrapped in a blanket and her head in his lap.

  From somewhere, she heard someone say, “So who was on top?”

  Inwardly, Abbey giggled.

  Yes.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Three months after that event, on a Saturday morning, Abbey awoke to find John lying on his side, propped up on one arm and smiling down at her.

  “What?”

  “Don’t what me,” he teased, leaning in to kiss her. “I can’t believe our day is finally here.”

  She reached up and touched his nose with her finger. “I’ve been thinking about something.”

  His smile started to fade. “Thinking, or rethinking?”

  “Rethinking, but not in the way you’re thinking,” she said. She laced fingers with him and brought his hand to her lips, kissing it. “How about in a year, if we’re still good with how things are going, that we talk about…things.”

  “What kind of things?”

  “You know…things. Like maybe fixing it so George isn’t a bastard anymore.”

  When John finally realized what she was talking about, he burst out laughing. “You mean make an honest woman out of you?”

  “Yeah. That.”

  He rolled on top of her, pinning her hands over her head. “Miss Rockland, one year from today, would you do me the honor of discussing marriage with me?”

  She nodded. “Yes, Mr. Gilomen. I would be honored.”

  When he leaned in and kissed her, she felt his erection swell between her legs. “Hey, stop that.” She tried to shift her hips away from him. “We don’t have time.”

  “Stop what?” he teased, grinding against her.

  “Oooh, you’re sneaky. I’m going to lock you in a chastity cage today if you aren’t careful.”

  “Gotta catch me first,” he said, almost getting his cock worked inside her. She knew if he did that she’d be a goner. Sir would come out and she’d merrily go along with whatever debauchery he wanted to do to her.

  I’m such a slut for him.

  Not that it was a bad thing, but when Tilly had both a key and the alarm code to get in, the last thing Abbey needed was her best friend walking in and interrupting their sex.

  She snuck her right hand free and grabbed his left earlobe, pinching it and pulling his head down. “What did you say?”

  His body fell still, even his voice changing to that delicious subbie tone she loved hearing from him. “Sorry, Ma’am.”

  “Now, unless you want to call Tilly and explain to her why we’re running late, because you wanted to flogger top this morning, you’d better roll off me so I can get my shower. Because I know I damn sure am not going to try to face her down today of all days. And get me my coffee, please.”

  He let out a sad sigh. “Yes, Ma’am.” Then he kissed her, rolling off her. “She is determined today will go perfectly. Even I wouldn’t try to backtalk her today.”

  “Exactly.”

  Abbey was in the shower fifteen minutes later when she heard the bathroom door open.

  “Why the hell are you still in the shower? We’re supposed to be at the hair salon in forty minutes!”

  Then, John’s voice. “Honey, Tilly’s here.”

  “Thanks for the warning,” Abbey said. She poked her head out from behind the shower curtain. “I’ll be done in five minutes.”

  Tilly turned on John. “This is your fault, isn’t it? Did you distract her with sex this morning?”

  “No,” Abbey said, saving him. “He didn’t. He was a very good boy for me this morning.”

  John sent her a wink and blew her a kiss before disappearing from the doorway.

  Tilly, however, leaned against the counter, waiting. Abbey resumed her shower, knowing trying to get Tilly out of there would only unleash her on poor John.

  “You know, I’m glad I was wrong about him,” Tilly said.

  “Did you just admit you were wrong about something?”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know. Mark the calendar and all that bullshit. Believe me, Landry and Cris are still yukking it up that I like John.”

  Abbey was glad the shower curtain hid her grin. “Thank you for not killing him,” she said. “Because I love him.”

  “Well, I certainly hope you love him, after all the shit he’s been through for you.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Not like that. I meant how worried he was about you.”

  Abbey poked her head past the shower curtain again. “What?”

  Tilly was in serious mode. She dropped her voice. “At the hospital. He was worried sick about you.” She rolled her eyes. “Sooo…okay. When I saw how he was there, how he took care of you, how upset he was when you, you know…”

  Tilly sighed. “I knew back then John was the right guy for you. I can’t possibly imagine Tom ever getting his self-absorbed head pried out of his ass long enough to take care of you the way John has. Okay?”

  “Why didn’t you ever give me your opinion of Tom before?”

  “Because for starters, you never asked. And you never let on there were any problems. I mean, I thought he was okay, but when you compare the way John is around you to Tom, it’s like trying to compare the best filet out there to some gristly ground beef.”

  “Ick.” She pulled her head back in to finish her shower. “Thanks for that mental image.”

  “Hey, you asked. And John’s ass is a lot nicer than Tom’s.”

  “True.”

  She’d no sooner shut the water off than Tilly thrust a bath towel through to her. “
Thanks.”

  “Hurry. Up. I don’t want us to be late.”

  “It takes ten minutes to get there from here.”

  “Uh, yeah. Hence why I don’t want us to be late.”

  She finished drying off and wrapped the towel around her before pulling the shower curtain open. “Okay, so honest opinion. What do you think about John?”

  “I thought I just told you.”

  “Seriously.”

  Tilly dropped all pretense and walked over to her. “If you don’t put a ring on that man’s hand in the next couple of years, I’m gonna have to get sneaky, drag you both to Vegas, get you two drunk, and you’ll sober up to the sounds of an Elvis impersonator telling John to kiss his bride, meaning you.” She smiled. “I know you’re gun-shy, but hey, I think he’s the real deal.”

  “So what do you have up your sleeve for today?”

  The Cheshire Cat would be proud. “Oh, a little fucking payback for all the times he’s bugged me. Take it as a sign of how much I love the guy that I even care.” With that, Tilly turned and left the bathroom.

  “Oh, fuck,” Abbey muttered.

  * * * *

  No matter how Abbey tried, Tilly wouldn’t fess up. And if she’d told Leah, Loren, or any of the others, they didn’t spill the beans, either. Finally, after shepherding Abbey through hair and nails and makeup and getting her dressed in her new corset and skirt, Tilly drove her to the club for the ceremony.

  At first, Abbey didn’t see John. She had the silver bracelet she was going to put on him as his day collar, but she didn’t know what he was giving her.

  If Tilly knew that info as well, she wasn’t saying.

  When they first arrived at Venture a little after five thirty p.m., she noticed several groups of people clustered here and there in the club, looking at their cell phones interspersed with various giggles and amused looks.

  “Where’s John?” Abbey asked Tilly. “You didn’t lock him up somewhere, did you?”

  “Nooo. Landry and Cris are bringing him shortly.” She craned her head around to look at the clock on the wall. “They’re due any time. Hey, the invites said we’re starting at six, so that’s when we get started.”

  Abbey also noticed that when people saw her, they were hiding their phones.

  “Til, you know John can’t be photographed by anyone, right? Just Kel.”

  “No one’s going to photograph you two but Kel.”

  “Then what’s everyone doing with their phones out?”

  “Never you mind.”

  Shit.

  Abbey knew. It had something to do with Tilly’s revenge. She wasn’t sure what, but…something.

  Tilly marched her up to the front to stand and wait with Loren. Abbey handed the jeweler’s box off to Loren, who’d give it to her when it was time. When Tilly headed off to handle something, Abbey leaned in.

  “Fess up. What’s the deal?”

  Loren grinned. “Oh, nothing. Why do you ask?”

  No help there.

  She didn’t have any more time to think about it. Because then Cris entered, followed by Landry…

  And John.

  Oh…my.

  He’d also kept it a secret from her what he’d planned to wear. Now she understood why. The black tailored suit fit him perfectly. He wore silver cufflinks in his white dress shirt, and the red, black, blue, and silver striped tie reflected the colors of the BDSM flag. He was freshly shaven, and his hair perfectly styled.

  When he walked up to her, her pussy throbbed, her clit aching to feel his tongue.

  Abbey had been to weddings and collarings in this club, from casual to tuxedo formal.

  Never had she seen a man looking as handsome as John did at that exact moment.

  The corner of his mouth quirked in a smile. “You like?”

  She nodded, speech beyond her at that point.

  She loved.

  “Okay, kiddies,” Tilly said, herding everyone into their seats. “Time to get this show on the road.” She headed up to the front of the room to stand behind Loren.

  “What are you doing?” Abbey whispered to Tilly.

  Loren smiled. “Don’t worry about it.”

  Abbey looked up at John and saw him smiling, too. “You’re in on this, aren’t you?”

  He shrugged.

  Askel got into position and took a few pictures of Abbey and John standing in front of Loren, Tilly sliding out of the way to avoid being captured in the frame.

  Loren cleared her throat, and the audience settled down as John and Abbey faced each other and joined hands. “Well, here we are again, folks,” Loren said to a smattering of chuckles. “And would you believe of all people who is standing in front of us today? Uh, not meaning you, Abbey.”

  Tilly held up one finger behind Loren. Abbey turned to look at the audience in time to see over half of them hold up phones. From them blared Jack Nicholson’s famous line from The Shining as he burst into the bathroom with an ax.

  “Heeere’s Johnny!”

  The audience exploded with laughter.

  Abbey looked up at John. He still wore that smile.

  “You knew!” she whispered.

  He shrugged. “Tony made Tilly an app and she had people download it. He asked me. I could have said no, but why spoil her fun?”

  Shit.

  When they settled down again, Loren continued. “These two have been through a lot to get where they are now. As we all know too well, they came very close to having a not-so-happy ending.”

  Abbey glanced at Tilly, who smiled but didn’t move.

  John squeezed Abbey’s hands to focus her attention back on him.

  “So today is about humor, and celebrations, and loving life,” Loren continued. “Because, as we all know, that’s what makes it so good.”

  Tilly held up two fingers.

  From the audience blared part of a really dirty military cadence from the movie Full Metal Jacket. The attendees laughed at the, “Mmm good,” part and didn’t stop until Loren looked back to Tilly for help. Tilly raised her hands to settle them down.

  When Abbey looked up at John, she realized he was desperately trying not to burst out laughing.

  Hell, she’d been worried about crying and ruining her makeup. Not laughing herself out of her corset.

  Loren continued, giggling her way through the next few words until she pulled herself together.

  “Most of the ceremonies we have here follow a fairly standard pattern, even though they’re all unique. Usually, there’s a Dominant and a submissive, or some variation thereof. But Abbey and John go beyond that, two switches with a fluid dynamic. If any of you have ever watched their scenes, you know what I mean when I say it’s a joy to witness what they do, and how they seamlessly switch things up when they play.”

  Tilly held up three fingers and a line from Spaceballs blasted, about going from suck to blow.

  Okay, even Abbey had to laugh at that one.

  “Some people might not get what they do,” Loren continued, “and that’s all right. Because their brand of crazy is just that—theirs. And it only has to matter to them.”

  Tilly held up four fingers.

  Maniacal giggles filled the room, making the audience members burst into laughter again.

  Abbey arched an eyebrow at Tilly.

  “There’s only one more,” Tilly whispered. “Chill.”

  “Abbey,” Loren said, “your turn. Ladies first.”

  She smiled up at John. “You’ve seen me at my worst, were there at my darkest time, at the lowest point in my life. I had friends there, but you were so much more. I wish it hadn’t taken me so many years to find you. I feel you’re my home, where I should have been all along. I want to share this life with you as friends, lovers, partners, and more. I hope I’ve earned your trust to be your Owner, the way you’ve earned my trust to be mine. You own my heart, my love, and my body. Will you take this and wear it as both my owned and my Owner? My slave and my Sir?”

  He smiled
. “It will be my honor and my pleasure.”

  Loren handed her the jeweler’s box. From it, Abbey withdrew the bracelet and fastened it around John’s right wrist. Then she kissed his palm, pressing it to her chest. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too, sweetheart.”

  Abbey glanced at Tilly, but she only smiled.

  Loren said, “John? Your turn.” She handed him a jeweler’s box.

  He took it, pausing for a moment before turning back to Abbey. “I’ve spent my life compartmentalizing. Separating the things that wouldn’t mix well. Vanilla from kinky, even though service is, for me, an integral part of who I am, although it doesn’t look like that to the casual observer. You’re the first person in my life to bring all those pieces together, to shatter those walls and show me how good life is with the right one. I love you, and want to spend the rest of my life with you. Owned by you, owning you. Life is too short for fear when happiness is staring me in the face. I want to be happy, and I want to be happy with you. Will you have me, owned and Owner? My slave and my Domme?”

  She hoped she didn’t start crying. “Yes. Please.”

  He opened the box and inside lay a gorgeous gold heart-shaped pendant with pieces of amethyst. She held her hair out of the way so he could fasten it around her neck.

  “Now before we close this ceremony out and hit the wonderfully delish food trough over there,” Loren said, “I think Tilly has one more thing to add to this.”

  Tilly grinned. “We now pronounce you switch and switch.” She shook her fist in the air. From around the space, the sound of whips cracking echoed from the phones, spurring one last round of laughter, as well as applause.

  John pulled Abbey to him and kissed her. All she wanted to do was go home, but knew to leave without hanging around with everyone would be rude.

  Especially considering the reason they’d all come out early was to see them and witness their collaring. It took forever to get hugs and congratulations from everyone. Tilly waited until the end.

  “So was that it?” Abbey asked.

  Tilly grinned. “Yes. And I promise at your wedding I won’t do that. I’ll behave myself.”