The Sanctuary (25 page)

Toothpaste…shampoo…tampons…what else did we need? I paused in the aisle. Abruptly something was placed in the basket from behind me. It was box of magnum condoms. I shot him a questioning look.

“You never know when it’s going to be
one of those
nights
. I like to be prepared. Now go pay.” He tapped me playfully on the butt.

“Are you serious?” I said, half joking.

He looked into the basket with delight. “Dead. Now, why do we need this other stuff?” He picked up the box of toothpaste. “Don’t we have enough of this?”

I grabbed the toothpaste and placed it back in the basket heading toward the front of the store. “Who do you think refills the stuff in our bathroom? The tooth fairy? You’ve been living out of hotels for too long.” I tried to casually slip the condoms out of the basket and hide them on a shelf.

He followed me, grabbing the box off of the shelf and tossing it back in the basket. “You’re not very good at being a submissive,” he said with a laugh.

I turned around and pushed the box back into his hands. “If you want it, you buy it.”

He leaned in and kissed me. “That wouldn’t be any fun. Besides you have my credit cards.”

“And you don’t have a wallet?” I said, placing the stuff on the counter. He leaned over my shoulder and placed the box down with a thud, making his point.

“I win,” he said, teasing me before diving into my neck with a kiss. It was the first time in the past two weeks life seemed normal between us.

I paid, and we left the pharmacy. “So, what would you like to do now?” The day was crystal clear, and the sky was a lovely shade of icy blue that only appeared during the winter months. The air was crisp and cold, the piercing kind of cold that no matter how many layers I placed on my body the chill still ripped through them.

I looked at him. The bright sky in the background was a beautiful contrast against his statuesque frame. The sun reflected off of his gorgeous green eyes.

I turned to him. “God, you’re handsome.” I couldn’t help but smile.

He smiled at me coyly. “Why thank you.” He leaned in to kiss me. “Let’s set up an appointment for our wedding, you know, ‘set the date’?” He held my hand in his as we walked down the street.

“What date did you have in mind?”

“How about New Year’s Eve? We can marry in the morning and celebrate that evening.”

I quickly calculated the days in my head. It was ten days away. I wondered if there was enough time to find a dress. “That sounds perfect. But what am I going to wear? We need to go shopping.”

He giggled softly. “You’re always shopping. Go tomorrow with Jenni.”

“I thought we were going to keep this a secret.”

“And not tell our family?” He grinned.

His words hit me like a ton of bricks. I finally had a family. “No, I suppose you’re right. But let’s keep it simple. I don’t want anything big. I want to keep this out of the press if possible.”

“Of course. Oh, speaking of family, I forgot to mention. Sofia called last week. We have a dinner date with them on the thirtieth.”

“Are you serious?” I’d almost forgotten about my aunt and uncle.

“Yes, I am. But don’t worry. You don’t have to tell her who you are. I’m sure she hasn’t the clue.” He squeezed my hand in his as we entered the registry office to schedule our wedding.

I slammed the door to our home, attempting to make my point over the loud banging coming from below. It was pointless. Nothing could be heard over the sounds of the power tools. I had no idea what was going on. All I knew was construction workers had been in our home for the past two days finishing up what Val called a “project.”

I plopped the groceries on the counter. It was Christmas Eve, and we’d cancelled our trip to Lapland, partly due to the weather, partly due to my change of heart. I wanted our first Christmas together in our house. We were planning on spending tonight alone and tomorrow with his family. I had to bend tradition. His family usually celebrated tonight. Luckily for me, he routinely gave into my every whim, my every desire. Whatever I wanted was mine.

I stared out the window. Snow was gently falling. It was the perfect weather for Christmas. I felt his lips on my neck. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“How could you with all that noise? When will they be done? It’s Christmas Eve.”

“Why don’t we go out and buy a tree like you wanted? By the time we come home, they’ll be gone.”

“And how do you suppose we get a tree back to the house? A reindeer-pulled sleigh? In case you forgot, the Vespa only fits you and me.”

“I could have arranged for a sleigh ride. If we were in Lapland.”

“Well, we’re not, so we’ll have to make do here.” The banging continued, even louder than before. “What the hell are they doing, Val?”

“Nothing, it’s just a little home improvement.” His eyes twinkled like miniature tree lights. “Why don’t we go out for dinner then?”

“That’s the best idea you had all day.” I kissed him. “Where do you want to go?”

“Most of the restaurants are closed, but there is this little Indian place near the center.”

I wrinkled my nose. “You know I hate Indian food.”

“But you manage to eat something. Come on, we haven’t had it in ages.”

“Didn’t you have Indian yesterday?”

He pouted, and I couldn’t resist. “Fine, but don’t try and persuade me to eat anything spicy.” I only agreed because I needed to escape the pounding blasts coming from below.

Within the hour, we were strolling through the city center hand in hand. Although the shops were closed, the windows were decorated, the street lanterns danced, and people hustled to and fro to their Christmas activities. It was all very magical to me. It had a certain Old World charm that was missing in the States.

Val leaned into my ear. “I have a gift for you when we get home.”

“I thought we agreed no gifts.”

“Who said it was a Christmas gift?” He smiled mischievously.

“What else could it be?”

“You’ll see.”

“Don’t keep me in suspense all night. You know how I hate surprises.” I playfully slapped him.

“Oh, you hate Indian, and you hate surprises, but you love me anyway.” He chuckled.

“Does it have to do with the construction?”

He pressed his lips together. “No, that’s for my pleasure. You’re not going to get it out of me.”

“Your pleasure?” I pondered the meaning behind his words.

“Stop trying to figure it out. You need to wait. Enjoy the suspense.”

I furrowed my brows. He knew how much I disliked it when he did this to me.

“If you keep it up, darling, I’ll make sure to make dinner painfully long for you.” He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. “I actually have two surprises for you. But first let’s eat. I’m starving.”

It didn’t matter that I stopped questioning him. He dragged out dinner for as long as he could anyway. His appetite was only big for sex, not food, and after three hours of sitting at the same table, my patience for his game was wearing thin.

“You’re not planning on ordering dessert, are you?”

A wicked grin flashed across his face. “No, darling, that’s what you are for.”

“I’m dessert? Now, that could be interesting.”

“It could be, for me anyway.”

I smirked. I had no idea what he planned, but whatever it was, I was getting quite bored of it. He finally paid the check after another half an hour of torture. We headed home in silence. The snow was falling heavier than before, covering Helsinki in an unearthly resemblance to a Norman Rockwell painting.
This is what Christmas should look like
, I thought to myself, as we made our descent down our block.

I slipped the key into the lock and turned it. The house was eerily silent and dark. I reached out for the light switch and flicked it on. And lo and behold, in our living room next to the fireplace, a Christmas tree illuminated.

“Oh, Val.” I choked up. “So this is why you dragged out dinner.” I hugged and kissed him. “I love you. It’s beautiful, thank you.”

I knew that holidays were not on his important “to-do” list. He’d rather they just passed us by. He’d made it clear to me that he never decorated and that Christmas had become so commercialized that it held no significance. I gave up on the hope of a tree. But like Thanksgiving, he found a way to make it special. He understood how important it was to me.

“I’m glad you like it.” His smile was warm and endearing. “Come, there’s more.” He grabbed my hand and led me toward the rear of the kitchen.

“There’s more?”

“I told you I had two surprises for you, but I lied. I have three.”

“Now you’re making me feel bad. I didn’t get you anything.”

“Oh, this has nothing to do with Christmas. I wanted to give you something.” He led me down the familiar steps to our basement sanctuary. It had been weeks since the two of us were here, expressing our animalistic desires. I wondered what he had done.

“Wait here,” he said, leaving me by the steps. He walked to the fireplace and lit a match, igniting the wood already in place. Scooping up something on the floor on the way back, he purred, “Close your eyes.”

I closed them as he requested. I felt the cloth being wrapped around my eyes and tightened around my head. I knew he was blindfolding me, and I accepted my fate in his hands.

He tenderly took my hand in his and whispered in my ear, “I’m going to take you somewhere you’ve never been before.”

My mind raced with excitement. Was it going to be “one of those nights”? I dared not speak a word. I did not know if we were playing already.

“Follow me.” He drew my arm out, and I obeyed his touch, moving in unison next to him.

“I’m very happy you fell into the role, and I didn’t have to ask you to do so.” He kissed me on my shoulder, sending chills down my spine. It
was
going to be one of those nights.

I heard something move, something heavy. It was similar to the sound when he opened the passage to his recording studio. He shifted me ahead of him. “The walkway is too narrow for both of us.” The door closed behind us with a soft thud.

He pushed me forward into the darkness, guiding me with his hands. “Are you ready, love?”

“Yes,” I replied, not knowing how much I could speak.

“Keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them.” He reached for my blindfold and slipped it over my hair, dropping it to the floor.

“Open your eyes.”

My eyes fluttered opened. He had converted the small stone room next to our sanctuary into a little Moroccan-themed love nest. The ceiling was lined with silk, and the floor covered in antique rugs. The walls were lined with comfy, authentic couches, and there were pillows everywhere. A deep red light illuminated the room, accented by lanterns that hung from above. There were two low tables perfect for the theme and a hookah to smoke.

I was awestruck. I had mentioned to him we should convert the room into a love nest or a dungeon. I thought for sure he would have chosen the latter of the two.

“Do you like it?”

“I love it.” I kissed him. “You are so thoughtful. How did I get so lucky?”

“I ask myself the same question every day.” He embraced me, holding me in his arms. “I hope you’re not too mad about the construction. I needed to have ventilation installed because once the door is closed there is no air in here. I had everything imported. I wanted to make sure it was exactly as you wanted.”

I scanned the room. “Your taste is impeccable, thank you.”

“But that’s not all I have.”

“There’s more?”

“Yes, sit.” He escorted me to the couch and sat next to me. He pulled a black velveteen square box from the table and placed it in my hands.

I smiled. I was excited. It had to be jewelry.

“Go ahead and open it.” His eyes were hungry for me to do so.

I placed the box in the palm of my hand and slowly lifted the lid, and as I looked inside, I saw my fate. While he’d showered me with gifts of romance just moments before, this gift planted my feet firmly on the ground and let me know exactly where I stood. I was speechless. I had no idea what to say.

He removed the black leather collar. “This is equivalent to an engagement ring. It is your training collar, and if you accept it, you are agreeing to be prepared to meet my standards. Although you say you trust me completely and would put your life in my hands, I need to know, do you accept me as your Master when we are alone?”

My eyes were fixated on the collar in his hands. His words froze me. Although I did trust him, this was a leap of faith I needed to take.

He asked me again, seeing the reservation I had in my eyes. “Eve, I’ll only ask you once more. Do you accept me as your Master?”

I took a deep breath and knelt down before him, placing my hands on my legs in submission as he’d once taught me. I hung my head down slightly, as to not look him directly in the eyes. My gesture of acceptance was all he needed.

He drew open the collar and brought it to my neck, snapping it closed with a loud click. It was tight, uncomfortable, and pinched ever so slightly when I moved.

“Good girl.” He patted me on the head as if I was his pet. “Let’s review some rules. When this is on you, you are mine. Only I can remove it, and I will remove it if and when I desire.” His voice grew deeper, huskier. “If you remove it without my consent, I will punish you. Be a good girl for me, and you need not worry. Once you are adequately trained, I will offer you your permanent collar. Do you understand?”

He brought his finger to my chin, inching my head upward. “Look at me, Eve.”

I cast my eyes upward.

“You have our safe word if you need to use it. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

He drew his finger through the loop on the front of the collar and stood up, pulling me up with him. “Come, darling, the night has just begun…”

He thrust me into his sanctuary. “Remove your clothing and stay where you are.” He circled me and walked behind me, giving me a quick slap on the ass.

I did as he instructed, dropping my shirt and jeans on the floor.

“Your socks too.”