Page 174 of Their Famous Dominant (Office Intrigue Duet 4)
“Clarissa and Troy, I’m going to ask you some questions,” Zeke informed them. “Your head should remain down and you should only answer with yes or no. Do you both understand?”
“Yes,” they both said quickly.
“Clarissa Tinsley, do you understand what it means to be a submissive?”
“Yes.”
“Troy Shelton, do you understand what it means to be a submissive?
“Yes.”
“Clarissa, are you willingly in a Dominant/submissive relationship with Trent Ramsey?”
“Yes.” Her voice was stronger with that answer.
“Troy Shelton, are you willingly in a Dominant/submissive relationship with Trent Ramsey?”
“Yes.”
“Clarissa, are you here tonight of your own free will?”
“Yes.”
“Troy, are you here tonight of your own free will?”
“Yes.”
“Clarissa, do you wish to proceed in this official collaring ceremony?”
She swallowed hard, loud enough I heard her before she said, “Yes.”
“Troy, do you wish to proceed in this official collaring ceremony?”
“Yes.”
Strangely enough, those had been the hard questions and I hadn’t even had to ask them. I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel significant relief at that point. I had known going into this that I was taking a significant risk springing this on them without warning. However, I had my reasons for everything I did.
“Master Ramsey,” Zeke prompted.
I stepped forward so that I was standing directly in front of Clarissa and Troy. My heart leaped into my throat, even as a strange calm took over.
“Clarissa,” I said, placing my hand on her head. “Please lift your gaze to mine.”
Her head tilted back and the instant our eyes met, my heart nearly stopped. As always, she was breathtakingly beautiful, but what I saw in her golden gaze, the submission I saw there had my lungs working a little harder than before.
Good thing this was going to be relatively straightforward.
I reached down and cupped her face. “Clarissa, I’m offering you my collar as a symbol of my ownership, my commitment, and my promise to do whatever it takes to be worthy of you. I promise to challenge you while keeping you safe.” I had to swallow past the lump in my throat. “I promise to always support you, to be by your side when you need me and when you don’t. By offering this to you, I acknowledge the trust you have placed in me and I vow to never violate that trust.” God, she was so beautiful. “By offering this to you, I am giving you all that I am. My heart and my soul. Will you accept my collar, sunshine?”
Tears streamed down her face even as she smiled.
“I will accept, Master. And I offer you my complete surrender, my total submission, as well as my heart and my soul.”
With somewhat steady hands, I placed the platinum collar around her neck, holding it in place with one hand while I reached into my pocket for the lock. It had been designed with her in mind. Delicate yet durable. On the back, Forever my sunshine was engraved in small script.
Once I clicked the lock in place, I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers. While I wanted to pull her into my arms, I couldn’t. Not yet.
Stepping over so that I was directly in front of Troy, I placed my hand on his head. “Troy, please lift your gaze to mine.”
He did and once again my heart twisted in the most incredible way. I reached down and cupped his face.
“Troy, I’m offering you my collar as a symbol of my ownership, my commitment, and my love. I promise to do whatever it takes to be worthy of you. I promise to challenge you while keeping you safe.” My heart thumped hard against my ribs, a reminder that this was where I was meant to be. “I promise to respect the needs of our relationship above all else, to protect you and to support you in all things. By offering this to you, I acknowledge the trust you have placed in me and I vow to never violate that trust. By offering this to you, I am giving you all that I am. My heart and my soul. Will you accept my collar, boy?”
He nodded, swallowing a few times. I couldn’t fight the urge to smile. This was all new for him. I was just about to say something when he held up his hand.
“I … Yes, Master. I accept your collar and in return, I give you everything that I am.”
At this point, my hands were definitely trembling, but I managed to place the thin leather-and-steel collar around his neck before connecting the two ends with a titanium lock. On the back, the words The link that holds me together were etched into the metal.
“Sunshine, boy, please stand.”
As they got to their feet, pride swelled in my chest. Seeing these collars around their necks, knowing what they signified was the greatest feeling in the world.
