Dom of Ages by K.C. Wells & Parker Williams Page A

pet.”
    Jarod regarded me, eyes wide.
    “I thought it was important for us to spend some time together, getting to know each other. So I’ve taken two weeks’ holiday, starting today.” I beamed at him. “Does that sound good?”
    A slow smile spread across his face. “That sounds perfect, Sir.”
    I leaned forward, until our faces were scant inches apart. “My thoughts exactly.” And with that I kissed him lightly on the lips. The hitch in his breathing, followed by a soft sigh, was a lovely reaction.
    It felt good to be on the same page. Things were definitely looking up.

Chapter Nine
     
     
    Eli
     
    JAROD WAS curled up on the couch, the TV on in the background. Neither of us was really watching it, however. I sat in the recliner, studying him surreptitiously. It had been an odd afternoon. I was so used to working that for a moment the thought of two weeks without it was difficult to contemplate. What were we going to do with our time, for one thing? The idea of getting to know each other worked well in theory, but putting it into practice was another thing entirely.
    Jarod had wanted to know about the two rooms that were locked, and that had provided the icebreaker. I’d shown him my little workout room. It wasn’t much, but I made the most of the available space. I’d kept it locked because I hadn’t wanted him to try and clean my multigym: that thing had cost me an arm and a leg. It was a complex-looking machine that I used to work on the various muscle groups. He gazed around, taking in the piles of weights and the barbell on its stand, the bench below it. Dumbbells filled a rack on the wall, and the multigym stood in the corner. Then it was up to my playroom.
    He’d stared at my tall cupboard that contained various whips, canes and floggers, paddles, shackles, and other implements. There was a spanking bench that had caught his eye, and it had been several seconds before he’d let his gaze move on to something else. It wasn’t as if I’d gotten much use out of it up until that point: so far, it was virgin territory. Of course, I was looking at it with new eyes, already planning what we could do in here. It was plain from Jarod’s expression that he was doing the same.
    Yeah, this was going to work out nicely.
    He’d been fairly quiet all day. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted him to keep talking. I’d done some reading on grief, and Jarod needed to meet it head-on, and stop trying to hide it. If I was to be his master, then he would have to learn to put his trust in me.
    I picked up the remote and switched off the TV. Jarod peered at me, his expression neutral.
    I got up and moved across to the other end of the couch. “I thought we could talk for a while.” There was one thing we needed to discuss: our sleeping arrangements. I wanted him in my bed from then on, and I wasn’t sure of his reaction. Part of me thought he’d have no problem with it: he’d mentioned missing intimacy, after all.
    “Okay.” He half turned toward me, a cushion hugged against his chest.
    “Tell me about Phillip, pet. How did the two of you meet?”
    His eyebrows arched a bit, and then he gave a slight smile.
    “I’d just turned twenty-one, and was living at home with Mum. Dad had died not long before that, and she said she was tired of me being underfoot and insisted I find a job. It took her a few weeks to convince me that I had to do it, but eventually I found work at a restaurant as a waiter. I’d been there three days when an older gentleman walked in and sat in my station.”
    “Only three days?” I shook my head in wonder. “It’s as if you were meant to meet each other there.”
    His face glowed. “I never thought of it like that.” The soft note of awe in his voice told me the truth of his statement.
    “Go on,” I urged him.
    Jarod relaxed a little into the couch. “I walked up to his table and introduced myself, and he smiled. My heart skipped a few beats as I gazed into his blue