Dom of Ages (6 page)

“Jarod? You’ve gone ghost white. What’s wrong?”

“N-n-nothing, Sir. Perhaps I’m just a little overwhelmed.”

He smiled at me and patted my hand. “Then you should get some rest after dinner.”

It warmed me inside that he took my needs into consideration. “Thank you, Sir.”

A sharp nod was my answer as he continued to eat, making appreciative sounds with each bite. I was irritated with myself. We were having a nice discussion and a black cloud had settled over me when I’d thought about my Master. It was unfair to Eli that I was dwelling on someone else and not giving him my full attention. I resolved then and there to do better.

Before I retired for the evening, I went into Eli’s bedroom and turned down the bed, folding the duvet back so he needed only to slide in and cover himself. I also ensured the laundry was put away but laid out his work clothes on a chair, ready for the following day. Then I went back to the guest room and set my alarm. I would need to get up early to fix his lunch and breakfast.

Again warmth flooded me. Eli wasn’t Master Phillip, but he seemed to be a very good man. I was pleased I finally had someone to look after, but knew I had to tread carefully until I learned what pleased him. It wouldn’t do any good for me to upset him and have him toss me aside.

Because that could very well kill me.

Eli

THE MEAL
was amazing, that was the only word I could use to describe it. It had been bursting with flavors, but each was recognizable. It was much better than the box of noodles with a grating of cheese over them that I probably would have ended up eating. Jarod had found yet another way to surprise me. I glanced at the clock and groaned. Nearly half past ten. I needed sleep in the worst way. I thought about my run with Ben for tomorrow, and realized I’d be gone most of the day.

I made a quick tour through the house, wanting to see what Jarod had done. It was beyond all expectations. He’d vacuumed, dusted, scrubbed the hob, wiped down the windows, and even gone so far as to clean the porcelain in the bathroom. It shone like new. I wished I had met someone like him years earlier. A well-trained submissive who followed instructions implicitly: I’d really fallen on my feet with Jarod. He obviously wouldn’t require any training from
me
.

I sat down at the table and pulled out a piece of notepaper and pen.

Jarod,

Thank you for dinner. It was delicious, and I cannot wait to taste more of your cooking. I have to leave for work early in the morning, so I will assume you’re going to be asleep when I leave. Thank you for doing the laundry. That was above and beyond what I expected…. You did a brilliant job yesterday. The house looks amazing. If you have a chance, go out and take in some sunshine. Enjoy your day, and I’ll see you late this evening.

I thought for a few minutes on how to end the note but then just signed my name. I trudged to my room, pleased to find the sheets already drawn back and the clothes I’d need for the morning were laid on a chair near the bed. Yeah, I wished I had found Jarod years ago.

I sank into the mattress, the smell of lavender surrounding me. Jarod had apparently changed the fabric softener, and the scent washed over me, lulling me to sleep, thoughts of my new boy running around in my mind, bringing with them sweet dreams.

Jarod

I WAS
awake fifteen minutes before my alarm, as was usual. One look at my leather pants and harness had me in a panic. I couldn’t keep on wearing them. I pulled open the drawers in my room and found a pair of sweatpants and a shirt, both having seen better days, but miles better than my club gear. Thank God Eli and I were a similar height, although the shirt looked as though it could be a bit tight. I showered and dressed before I went down to start my morning chores. I found Eli’s note on the table and was at once warmed. I glanced at the clock. I wondered if I would have time to even make him breakfast and lunch. I set to getting things together right away.

I quickly threw together a cheese omelet and toast, debating whether I’d have time to make potatoes to go with it, then deciding I wouldn’t. I also put together a nice lunch for him—a ham and cheese sandwich, two pieces of fruit, and a yogurt—and packed it away in a sack.

After I had everything together, I put the breakfast on a plate, and took it upstairs with a glass of juice. Eli wasn’t awake yet, and it was almost the time he’d gotten up for work the day before, so I expected he would get up shortly. I put the tray on his bedside table, knelt next to the bed, my head bowed, and waited for him to acknowledge me. My heart was pounding. I had no idea of how Eli felt about having breakfast in bed: to be honest, I had little idea of how he felt about a
lot
of things. I was working in the dark here. The last thing I wanted to do was rock the boat, but I knew that right then I would have done
anything
he wanted, if it meant that I could stay.

The alarm went off, and Eli stretched out his hand to hit the snooze button. He stirred, yawned and stretched, and then gave a start when he caught sight of me. Eli propped himself up on one elbow and ran his fingers through his hair. “How long have you been there?”

“Only a minute or so,” I told him. “If you sit up, Sir, I’ll pass you your breakfast.”

Eli’s eyes widened. “Oh.” That seemed to wake him up. He scrambled into an upright position and shoved a pillow behind him. I placed the tray on his knees and then the glass of juice on the bedside cabinet. He gazed at his breakfast and the look of frank appreciation in those eyes eased my nerves.

I pleased him.

Holding back my sigh of relief, I rose to my feet. “I shall leave you to enjoy your breakfast, Sir. By the time you come downstairs, your coffee will be waiting for you.”

Eli blinked. “Thank you. Maybe while I have some coffee, we might have a quick chat before I leave?”

And just like that, my heartbeat raced. “Of course, Sir.” I left the room, walking steadily, determined that he shouldn’t see the panic that was welling up inside me.

What did I do wrong? He’s not happy with me. I’ve fucked it up.

I entered the kitchen and went about the task of setting up the coffee machine, the whole time racking my brain as to what I might have done that would warrant a discussion. By the time I heard Eli’s feet on the stairs, I was none the wiser. I quickly poured out his coffee and knelt beside his chair.

The kitchen door opened. “Jarod, please, could you sit with me for a moment?”

I nodded and got up to take the chair facing him. Eli sat down, wearing jeans and a shirt, a heavy denim jacket folded over the back of the chair. He wrapped his hands around the mug and inhaled the aroma, a hum of satisfaction escaping his lips. Then he sat back, studying me.

I was nervous enough, but this careful scrutiny was making matters worse. I couldn’t keep silent any longer. “Sir, if I could ask—”

“Please don’t feel you have to stay here if you don’t want to,” Eli said suddenly.

Cold spread through me. “Sir?”
What have I done?

“Not that I
want
you to go, because I don’t,” Eli added hastily, “but you do have a choice in this.”

I breathed easier. “Sir, I want to stay.” If there was anything I could have done in that moment to convince him of how earnest my desire was, I would have done it.

He regarded me in silence for a moment and then nodded, before drinking his coffee.

I couldn’t leave it at that. “Have I pleased you?” I awaited his reply, hardly daring to breathe.

Eli’s face lit up in a smile. “Very much so. I just wanted to make sure that you really did want to be here.” His eyes scanned my face.

I tried to make my smile as reassuring and as positive as I could. “Yes, Sir, I do.”

My answer seemed to satisfy him. He drained his mug and rose from his chair. “Well, I’d better run. I have a lot to do today. I’ll see you sometime this evening. It will be late, however.”

I smiled once more. “Okay.” I knew then that I’d have something waiting for him to eat. I handed him the bag with his lunch. “Here you are.”

Eli stared at it, and I swear his smile widened. “Thank you, Jarod.” He picked up his jacket and his keys, and walked out of the kitchen and down the hall. I listened to the sound of his car engine swell into life, and he was gone.

Time to put the house in order.

Eli

I DROVE
along the long, curving driveway that ran through Heaton Park and pulled into a parking spot. I’d already changed into my running gear before I left the depot where I stored the lorry. Ben’s Focus was nowhere in sight, so I figured I was early. I turned off the radio and leaned back against the headrest, eyes closed.

What a difference a week makes, eh?

One week of waking up to breakfast, laundry done, the house clean and tidy, shopping taken care of—I was in domestic heaven. Jarod was everything I’d always wanted. He was quiet, well-mannered, respectful, trained…. I couldn’t have asked for a better submissive. And to think all those Doms at the club had passed by on the other side, never guessing what they were missing.

It would be good to show them all.
It was a tempting thought.

I gave a start when Ben tapped on the window. He gazed in at me, grinning.

“God, you made me jump,” I said when I opened the car door.

That grin was positively gleeful. “You were lost in your own little world, mate. What on earth were you thinking about?”

“Actually? I was sitting here reflecting on how good life is right now.” While we warmed up, I told him all about Jarod and my new domestic bliss. It was only when it hit me that he’d gone quiet that I glanced across at Ben. He was staring at me, eyes wide, a look of incredulity all over his face. “What?” I demanded. “What’s wrong with you?”

Ben shook his head, the line of his mouth grim. “I thought I told you to go clean up your mess. Did you even
listen
to me?”

“Excuse me?” I stiffened. “What do you—”

“I never picked you for a selfish bastard, do you know that? Are you meeting Jarod’s needs?” Ben folded his arms across his chest.

“Yes,” I replied hotly. “He needs to serve, and I’m allowing him to do that.”

I swear I heard him give out a low growl. “What is it you hated about your club, huh? People playing at subs. Well, what is it
you’re
doing if not playing at being a Dom?”

I bristled. “Now look here, I—”

“You don’t have a clue what his needs are, do you? Oh, apart from wanting to serve, of course.” The sarcastic edge to his voice didn’t go unnoticed. “And what about Jarod? Does he have
any
idea what you expect of him, beyond having him clean for you, cook, do your laundry, and any other little domestic chores you can find for him?” Ben was shaking. “You haven’t even asked him about his needs, have you?” He unfolded his arms and clenched his fists at his sides. “Get your head out of your arse, Eli. You’re better than this. Jarod is a person, a living, breathing person who has needs and desires, and you’ve never even asked what they were. You complained about pretend subs, and yet that’s exactly how you’re treating Jarod.”

He spat it with such venom that I was taken aback. Normally Ben was about as gentle a man as you’d find, but if you got his dander up, he was fierce. And right then, I had done just that. I allowed his words to push past my anger. Jarod got up early to make me breakfast, despite not knowing what I liked. He cleaned the house without being asked. He went shopping and sat outside until I got home because he had no way to contact me. It had only been a week, and already he was taking far better care of me than I had of him.

“You’re right,” I replied, my voice strong. “And I need to fix this.”

Ben sighed. “Look, do you remember how I nearly cocked things up with Scott? I didn’t listen to anyone’s advice. I thought I knew best. Any of this sound familiar? And I get that you’ve never had a full-time sub, you’ve only ever played with the subs in those clubs you go to—and you already know my feelings about
them
. I’m glad you’re aware that you need to fix things. Now all you have to do is figure out how.”

“Can we postpone the run? I have someone at home who I hope needs me.”

Ben took a deep breath. “That’s fine. I want to go home and spend some time with my boy anyway.” He speared me an intense gaze. “And
you
need to go home and be a Dom.” Without another word, he strode off in the direction of his car.

I climbed back behind the steering wheel, my head in a whirl, and switched on the engine. I drove out of the grounds on autopilot, my mind elsewhere. As I headed home, the conversation with Ben played over and over in my head, only now I saw things from his point of view. What sent my heart plummeting was the realization that he was right. How could I have been so blind? So selfish?

I wished we’d gone for that run. I needed to work off my anger and frustration, not with Ben, but with myself. When Ben had sent Scott back home with his parents, I’d joined the group of people who’d torn into Ben about his stupidity, and yet here I was, doing the same thing.

I pulled over into a lay-by and switched off the engine. I tried taking several deep breaths to inject some calm, but I ended up banging my hands on the steering wheel. I had screwed up, pure and simple. There had been something I’d wanted, and when it had been presented to me in the form of a well-trained submissive, I’d lunged at it and grabbed it with both hands. And that wasn’t like me at all.

At clubs, even when I only played with the submissives, their comfort had been my primary concern. At my old club, aftercare was more like an after
thought
. The Doms would allow the club subs to take care of their friends. It struck me as irresponsible, and I always took the time to ensure that all was well when my sub came back to earth.