by Raine, Alice
Oliver’s firm treatment had been just what I’d needed back then. I’d been full of anger towards my father, and my mother to some respect, and if I hadn’t received the correct guidance and been forced to dig up my reserves of respect for others I may well have ended up as a very different individual to the man I was today. I owed him everything.
Distracting myself from thoughts of the past, I looked around the club at the rows of seating which had been added to the dancefloor. With the old theatre stage and curtains still in situ, it made quite a dramatic venue.
As the room began to fill around us and people took their seats, Oliver guided me to our spot near the back.
It was nearly time to officially claim Stella as mine, and I could not fucking wait.
Stella
Peering through the thick velvet curtain, I felt my stomach drop to my ankles as I saw how many people were now seated in the club, and a small squeak rose in my throat. Jeez, there must be at least a hundred people out there!
‘Shh! Someone might see you!’ Natalia whispered, dragging me back and grinning at my no doubt terrified expression.
Natalia was one of the bar staff at the club. She was lovely, but incredibly shy, and had volunteered to keep me company before the ceremony started because Kenny was running late due to car trouble. I was so grateful to have her with me, because the nerves were seriously starting to settle in. Kenny had just texted to say he was only a few minutes away, which was a relief, but the more support I had around me, the better.
It would have been nice to have Rebecca with me too, but that was never going to happen, because a) she’d just given birth to twins, and b) even if she wasn’t busy with baby duties, I was fairly sure she’d freak out if she saw what went on inside the walls of Club Twist.
Natalia might be shy, but she had proven to be well versed on the scene and had been so helpful since I’d arrived an hour ago, helping me get my hair pinned up and applying some light make-up for me before giving me a rundown of what to expect. Nathan had gone through it all with me, too, in great detail, but it was always nice to have a woman’s view on things.
I peeked out of the curtain again, and my chest tightened with fear as I ran my gaze over the gathered people. ‘The club is so full!’ I squeaked nervously, just a second before I let out a muffled shriek as Kenny leaped in front of me with a grin, scaring the life out of me.
‘You’re not supposed to out here!’ he chided me, shoving me back behind the curtain before pulling me into a warm, aftershave-scented embrace. ‘Sorry I’m late, babes. Bloody car broke down.’
‘You’re here now. That’s all that matters.’ I returned his hug, then stepped back and tried to calm myself down by shaking out my trembling hands and giving Kenny a worried look. ‘I was just looking at how full it is out there.’
‘Of course it’s full! There hasn’t been a collaring here for ages, apparently, so I’m sure everyone with an invitation has turned up,’ Natalia informed us with a shy smile, shaking hands with Kenny.
‘Great, no pressure, then …’ I mumbled miserably.
‘Don’t look so worried, Stella! It’s going to be amazing,’ Kenny announced with a confident nod. Taking my hand, he pulled me away from the club. ‘Which is your dressing room?’ I pointed to our designated room – it was, in fact, one of the club’s rentable rooms, with a classroom theme – and allowed him and Natalia to lead me inside.
He grabbed the clothes bag from the back of the door and grinned at Natalia, then flashed me a wink. ‘Time to get you in your dress!’
It didn’t take long to get ready, because I was wearing a tunic-style dress which zipped all the way up the back. Its design might be simple, as was expected at these events from what I’d been told, but the fine weave of pearlescent stitching that covered its surface made it almost sparkle under the lights. I loved it, and even better, Nathan loved it, too, and had helped me to choose it, so it was even more special.
‘Gorgeous, babe,’ Kenny stated, giving his beard a stroke as he stepped back and cast his analytical gaze over me. ‘Even if Nathan has been up to his naughty love bite tricks again,’ he added with a smirk before gently touching my neck where I knew there were still the remains of my most recent hickey. I could have covered it with make-up, but I’d chosen not to, I had a feeling Nathan would like it there for all to see.
‘The dress is lovely, and you look stunning, Stella,’ Natalia agreed softly, clutching at her cheeks as she gazed dreamily at my dress. ‘Nathan is so lucky to have found you.’
I felt pretty lucky to have found him, too, but I was feeling so nervous that I wasn’t sure I could actually speak.
She sighed. ‘I wish I could find someone, but I’m so shy that it makes it really difficult.’
Clearing my throat, I tried to regain some of my usual calm, but still couldn’t manage it, so Kenny intervened for me. ‘Are you a sub, too?’ he asked, appearing to have no qualms whatsoever about just blurting it out in front of someone he’d only just met.
Natalia’s cheeks flushed, but she nodded. ‘Yeah, but I want a relationship, too. I need to really trust the guy before I can submit to him, and it’s hard to find a Dom who’s in it for the long haul these days.’ Licking her lips, she shrugged. ‘I’d thought taking this bar job might help boost my confidence, and it has, but I’m still no good at talking to guys I like. I seem to either clam up, or talk absolute rubbish!’ She looked between me and Kenny with a small smile. ‘Anyway, enough about me! Can you remember your lines, Stella?’
Pulling in a breath, I quickly ran my pre-planned lines through my head twice, then nodded.
‘Excellent.’ Just then, we heard the chime of a bell from within the main room of the club and Kenny clapped his hands with glee.
‘It’s time! That’s the signal for you to go in!’ He pulled me into a brief hug before stepping back and making some final touch-ups to my hair. ‘Just remember, if you get nervous, stand tall, stick your gorgeous tits out, and pretend you’re the queen of the whole fucking world!’ Kenny advised with a wiggle of his eyebrows. ‘Or if that fails, imagine them all naked.’
Natalia giggled at Kenny’s words, then did a mock curtsey to me and waved me towards the door with a grin. ‘Good luck, not that you’ll need it!’
It was silly getting myself so worked up. At the end of the day, this was just about me giving myself to Nathan, and there was nothing scary in that. Natalia was right, I wouldn’t need luck, but as I pulled back the velvet curtain and saw at least twenty sets of critical eyes swivel my way I suddenly wasn’t so sure.
Chapter Thirty Seven – Nathan
Once everyone was seated, I heard the chime of a small bell ring out within the club to indicate that we were ready to start. I’d attended a few collarings over the years, and they’d all varied to some degree, but I was fairly sure that today’s would be the simplest and least formal that most of the gathered crowd had ever witnessed. Smirking, I crossed my arms as I anticipated the reaction of some of the more senior Doms within the room. They’d no doubt mock the way I’d chosen to carry out the collaring, but hey, I’d always liked to stand out from the crowd, so why change the habit of a lifetime now?
I watched from the shadows in the back corner as Stella appeared from a small doorway behind a heavy velvet curtain and began her walk down the central aisle. Her back was straight and confident, and her steps were sure. All in all, she was perhaps the least submissive sub I’d ever watched walk towards her collaring, and a smile tugged at my lips at the thought. Usually the girls appeared timid, meek even, but not my Stella.
Even in her simple outfit she took my breath away. The plain cream tunic-style dress she wore was quite common in ceremonies like these, with a broad, wide neckline that would allow her new collar to be seen by all as I placed it around her neck in just a few minutes’ time.
The thought made my heart rate accelerate as a rush of blood flooded towards my groin. She was mine, and now everyone here would know it.
>
Trying to distract myself from my growing erection, I continued to take in the details of her preparation. Her hair was pinned up, again to allow full access to her neck, and apart from her current collar she wore no other jewellery or accessories at all. I raised one of my eyebrows as I noticed the mark on her neck from my most recent love bite, and I couldn’t help but smile. Perhaps everyone could already tell she was mine.
As she reached the front of the room, Stella stopped by the table and bowed her head slightly, as I’d advised her to do, but still she had her shoulders pulled back confidently. My chest puffed with pride as I watched her. My girl, so brave, even though she must surely be feeling nervous.
Now that things were about to get started properly, Dominic stepped towards her and used the key I’d given him to undo the necklace she wore. I felt my hackles rise and clenched my teeth. I disliked the man immensely, but at Club Twist the only people with enough authority to oversee the ceremonies were Oliver and Dominic, and seeing as Oliver was accompanying me as my attendant, that only left Dominic to be in charge.
The musclebound sadist was the last person I wanted putting his paws on my Stella after what had occurred last Saturday, but unfortunately, I’d had very little choice. David had assured me that he’d spoken to Dominic, but watching as he leered down at my girl and seemed to take longer than necessary to unclasp her necklace, I felt my temper snap. Motherfucker.
I went to charge forwards to rip his hands away from her, but paused when a strong hand landed on my forearm and pulled me backwards. ‘Calm, Nathan.’
Oliver’s tone left absolutely no room for manoeuvre and was so soaked with authority that I very nearly regressed back to my initial training and replied with, ‘Yes, Sir.’ Instead, I drew in a breath, did a calming countdown in my head, and nodded at him briskly. Since Nicholas couldn’t be here, it was nice to have him with me to watch my back.
Once Dominic had removed the collar, he placed it on the table and stood back as a second bell chimed around the darkened space to indicate that Stella was now free to be formally claimed by me.
‘It’s time. Let’s go and get your girl,’ Oliver murmured, giving my shoulder a firm squeeze before stepping out and leading me towards the front of the room.
I was now almost within touching distance of Stella, but Oliver had to speak before I could move towards her. The whole time he was making his statement about my accomplishments as a Dominant, I couldn’t take my eyes off my girl. She had her hands still linked before her, but her eyes were firmly locked on mine, a small hint of a smile twitching at the corner of her lips. Oliver rounded off his speech by stating my ability to be a competent master, then he stood back, taking his place beside Dominic, so that I could finally step up to Stella.
Her face relaxed as soon as I was close and I couldn’t help but flash her a brief wink of reassurance.
‘Avert your eyes and kneel before your new master!’ someone called from the crowd. Stella’s eyes widened in concern, as if she had done something wrong, and I quickly reached out and took one of her hands before she could follow their order and fall to her knees.
‘No.’
My word cut through the room like the snap of a well-handled whip, promptly quieting the crowd until you could have heard a pin drop.
Turning to the gathered guests, I ran my hardest stare across them, and felt a smug satisfaction when I saw several of them quake away from my glare. ‘Quite simply, Stella will not kneel before me or avert her eyes, because I do not wish her to.’ I let my words sink in for a moment, then passed my gaze around the room again, seeing a mixture of shocked faces, curious ones, and even a derisive sneer from one or two, but I held my resolve.
‘What I have in Stella is a beautiful, independent, strong woman who willingly gives me her submission when I request it. She would kneel, if I asked her to, but for me, the joy of dominance is that I have the power and control whatever position she is in. That is the most powerful feeling in the world.’
To my surprise, I heard several hums of agreement from within the crowd, and as I briefly flicked my gaze across it again, I noticed multiple nods.
‘As for averting her eyes, as so many of you wish your partners to do, why would I forgo myself the beauty of her eyes? Stella’s gaze is a gift that I not only expect, but treasure.’
Once my speech was done, I turned my attention back to Stella and found her gazing up at me with eyes that were bright with unshed tears, my words apparently having just as much impact on her as they were on me.
Clearing his throat, Dominic stepped forwards. ‘So, no pillow for kneeling, then …’ He chuckled as he picked up the small cushion and tossed it aside.
‘No. No pillow,’ I confirmed dryly.
I turned back to Stella. We shared a lingering look and I gave a small nod to indicate that she could now say her memorised line. She swallowed and then spoke. ‘It is my desire to be yours for life. Will you take me and guide me, Sir?’
Fuck yes, was the answer that flew to my mind, but thankfully, I collected my wits and replied with my correct line. ‘I accept your offer, and promise to care for you, protect you, and guide you to the best of my ability on our forward journey through life.’
God. I actually felt a bit choked. But there was no fucking way I could cry in front of all these people. Drawing in a deep breath, I turned away from the gathered guests and accepted the long black box that Oliver was now holding out to me. I flicked open the lid, and gently removed the new collar I’d had had made for Stella from the box. This was something else that would no doubt draw comment from my peers, because it wasn’t a leather strip or metal collar like some made their subs wear. It was a platinum necklace, just like the last one had been, but this one had small diamonds encrusted throughout its design so it sparkled delicately as the light hit it.
‘Will you accept this collar as a symbol of my ownership and our joint connection?’
Stella’s breath briefly caught as she looked at the new chain in my hand, but then she nodded and re-established our eye contact. ‘I will wear it proudly for all of my days, Sir.’
Letting out a breath I hadn’t realised I’d been holding, I nodded then linked the necklace around her neck and locked it in place before pocketing the key. ‘You now belong to me, as I belong to you.’
Another line many would disagree with. Traditionally I should have said “You now belong to me” and left it at that, but what Stella and I shared went way beyond any ideas of ownership. We were a team, and as such, connected. I belonged to her just as much as she did to me.
‘Come closer.’ Using one finger under the necklace, I tugged gently to pull her towards me, something Stella was obviously eager to do, because she shot into my arms, burying her head into the crook of my neck and wrapping her arms around me as she let out a shaky breath.
I leaned back to place a thumb on her chin and tilted her head back and made eye contact. ‘You know that nothing in our lifestyle is quite as significant as this.’ I couldn’t help but trail my fingers to the new collar at her neck and gently stroke it. ‘Thank you for today; you’ve made me the happiest man alive. I love you, Stella.’
As she went to return the sentiment, I placed a kiss on her lips, stealing her breath and sealing our new bond. As soon as our lips touched, something potent sparked between us and our kiss quickly deepened. I pressed my tongue into her mouth and captured the gasp that she made, much to the joy of the spectators, because we were suddenly deafened by whooping and hollering for more.
It might not have been a traditional collaring ceremony, but it seemed that everyone watching was just as thrilled by the outcome as I was.
Chapter Thirty Eight – Stella
The nerves I’d experienced earlier had now dissipated, and the rush of adrenaline had converted to a lovely, warm, humming sensation running through my system. I felt energised, excited, and incredibly loved up.
Kenny had stayed for a congratulatory drink, but had to leave to get b
ack to Tom, so I had stuck to Nathan’s side as he led me around various people to introduce me. Some I had recognised from the club already, but others were totally new to me. We were technically still in our roles, so I remained relatively quiet, happy just to hold Nathan’s hand and soak up how proud he sounded as he announced to everyone how lucky he was to have me.
As I observed what was going on around us I noticed someone watching us from across the room. When I made eye contact with him he nodded at me, slid from his stool, and began to make a beeline for us. He was the man who had accompanied Nathan down the aisle. I’d never met him before, but from their interactions it was clear they knew each other well. As I watched him confidently cutting through the crowd, I realised he actually had a similar air to him as Nathan. He was dark-haired, not blond like Nathan, but everything else matched; his posture oozed confidence, his gaze was coolly assessing, and his swagger just a little too sure. All in all, he very nearly came across as arrogant, but not quite; there was something rather reserved about him, too. He was tall and broad, but his features couldn’t quite be described as classically handsome. His eyes were too penetrating, his jaw a bit too square, and his nose had a slight kink in it as if he’d broken it at some point.
He was definitely good-looking, though. There was something undeniably attractive about him, and as he got closer and I saw his olive-toned skin I had to wonder if he were perhaps from the Mediterranean somewhere. His impeccably fitting three-piece suit didn’t harm the overall visual, either. In fact, judging from the quality of the material it wouldn’t surprise me if he used the same tailor as Nathan.
As he reached our side, Nathan’s grip tightened on my hand, then he extended his free hand to shake the outstretched hand of the man. The stranger was taller than I’d first thought, and for some reason he made me feel nervous, even though he hadn’t spoken one word to me yet. Yet another similarity with Nathan, then, because I distinctly remember nearly wetting myself with fear when I’d first laid eyes on him at this very same bar.
