Ricochet (84 page)

as always. C'mon." Matt held out his arm. "Let's go

back inside." She took his arm, and he squeezed

her hand. "You know, if you'd just make an effort

to get to know Rick, you'll have a lot of fun. He has

that effect on people. And he doesn't bear a grudge;

if you love him, then he'll love you back. Just give

him a chance."

She looked uncertain, but she nodded anyway.

"Thank you," he whispered, brushing a kiss to her

cheek.

They returned to the ballroom, and as they

took their seats she shot a timid little smile at Rick.

He returned it with a megawatt one of his own, and

she visibly relaxed. Matt did too; maybe the two

people he loved most in the world could learn to

love each other - at least a little.

The food had arrived while he'd been out on

the terrace, and he sat down eagerly, looking

forward to his first experience of sharing a plate

with his dom. Rick carefully loaded his fork and

held it up to Matt's lips, and Matt ate it, smiling

stupidly the entire time.

He ate far more than he would have done

otherwise, his nerves forgotten as Rick took a

forkful of food from the plate for himself and then

pressed one to Matt's lips. Despite the fact they

were in a room full of people it felt intimate, and

Matt leaned into his dom, enjoying the sharing.

After they'd finished their meal, the award

ceremony began. The
Collar Crime
table exploded

in a riot of wild cheering when Rick won the

Spanky
award for the second year running and ran

up onto the stage to collect it.

"This is great!" He waved the award around.

"Just what every dom wants to know - that

everyone wants to spank him." There was a big

laugh and a few catcalls. "So thanks for that,

viewers. I dedicate this award to the cast and crew

on
Collar Crime
- they all want to spank me too."

He winked, and there was another big laugh

as he left the stage.

The much more serious
Portrayal of a Sub in

a Supporting Role
award was next. Rick and Matt

were both nominated in this category, and they

showed a clip for each of them. Rick's was a

typically comic moment where Alex Tanner, going

undercover as a dom, ends up in bed with a sub

arms dealer and tries and fails pitifully to channel

his inner Chief Christie in order to get through the

scene. It created a big laugh, and Matt crossed his

fingers, hoping Rick would win.

His own clip was next. They used the scene

he'd shot with Karl, with Ben being seduced - the

big sex scene that had caused him so much anxiety.

Matt watched it for the first time, holding his

breath as Ben looked out, connecting with

everyone in the room, his innocence and

uncertainty plain to see. The clip was so intense

and dramatic that Matt got completely sucked into

the performance, much to his own surprise.

"Wow," Rick said, as the clip came to an end.

"You knocked that out of the park, Matty."

The presenter tore open the envelope and

read out a name, but Matt was so nervous he

couldn't hear it. Their table erupted again,

everyone cheering wildly, and Rick got to his feet.

"You won! Oh that's great, Rick!"

"No, you idiot - you did!" Rick pushed him in

the direction of the stage, and Matt stood there,

frozen, unable to take it in. "Go on - go and get it,

or do I have to carry you up there?"

Matt walked up to the stage in a daze to

accept the award. He wasn't good at this kind of

thing the way Rick was, and he didn't know what

to say; he hadn't prepared a speech because he

didn't think he'd win.

"Um… thank you," he whispered into the

microphone. He took a deep breath to steady

himself. "And can I say - Rick might have won the

Viewers' Vote for most spankable sub on TV, but

that only goes to show just how good an actor he is

because at home he's all dom, and I should know -

I wear his collar." That was greeted by a big

laugh and a wave of applause, which relaxed him,

and he fingered his collar thoughtfully before

continuing.

"So, I'd like to dedicate this award to him."

Matt held it up in the direction of their table.

"Rick's not like he's been portrayed in the press

recently. See, the thing with Rick is that you have

to really get to know him to see who he really is,

and most people don't get close enough. They just

see what he wants them to see - and like I said,

he's a pretty good actor, so it's not surprising he's

got most people fooled - hell, he's so good that he's

even fooled himself at times."

He glanced over to their table, where Rick

was gazing at him, looking so proud he could

burst.

"But everyone on
Collar Crime
will tell you

he's big-hearted, fun to be with, and generous to a

fault. When I started on the show, I was very

nervous and unsure of myself. Rick took me under

his wing, and I was able to grow as an actor

largely because he created such a relaxed

atmosphere on set."

Matt took a deep breath and clutched his

award tightly. "I have a confession to make. That

clip you just watched - I didn't think I could do that

scene. It was Rick who believed in me, and it was

Rick who coached me for it… in ways you really

don't need to know." He flushed, and the room

laughed again, a little round of applause breaking

out. "And it was Rick who stood by me on set

when we were filming and helped me get through

it. So, this is for him. Thank you so much, Rick."

He waved the award in the air and then left the

stage and went back to the table, where his friends

immediately engulfed him in hugs and kisses.

The rest of the evening passed in a haze. After

the awards had all been handed out, he watched

Petra and the twins doing a three-way tango on the

dance-floor that had a grace and symmetry to it that

boded well for their forthcoming marriage.

Monica even persuaded his mother to dance,

and Elspeth's strangulated, uptight dance moves

made the three-way dancing seem far more natural.

Karl spent the evening getting drunk, and

Daniel spent it looking politely bored, despite

winning one of the biggest awards of the night - the

Best Performance as a Dom in a Leading Role

gong.

"We really have to do something about those

two," Matt whispered to Rick.

"Oh, I'm sure you won't be able to resist."

Rick rolled his eyes. "But not until we start work

again, because you're going to be tied up for the

next week or so. Literally." He winked, and Matt's

stomach did a nervous flip.

"We're doing the deep submission thing?"

"Yup. Is that okay?"

"Yes. When will we start?" he asked

anxiously.

"Soon. I'll let you know when."

Matt rested his head on Rick's shoulder. "You

do realize I'm going to be crap at it, don't you?"

"Yes, Matty," Rick said in a world-weary

tone. "Just like you were going to be crap in the

scene that won you that award."

Petra arrived back at the table and took a

deep gulp of her drink.

"Hey, Petra - do you have any spoilers for

us?" Rick asked. "I mean, you left the show on a

big cliff-hanger in the season finale, and we're all

dying to know if Ben is going to take Jason's collar

or not."

"I happen to be writing that one right now,"

she said smugly.

"And?" Matt leaned forward excitedly.

"Let's just say that next season art will be

imitating life again, and Ben will definitely be

wearing a collar, just like you."

"No!" Matt wailed.

"But it won't be Jason's." She grinned at him.

"The chief is finally going to collar him? Oh,

thank you!" Matt sighed with relief.

"You're welcome! I thought it was time. Ben's

been through a lot in the past year - and he's grown

up a lot too, just like someone else I know." She

blew him a kiss and then allowed her two subs to

pull her back to the dance-floor.

They left at dawn, wrapping each other in

tearful, slightly drunken hugs and saying they

couldn't wait until filming began again.

"You take the limo; I'll see that your mom gets

home safely," Monica said, and Matt watched, jaw

open in surprise, as she helped Elspeth into a taxi.

"Don't look like that, dear." Monica patted his

cheek. "I've invited her to come and visit me in

Florida. She could do with a change of air - and

some fun."

"Wait, what… you and my mom?"

"Who knows, but why not? I like your mother.

She's a challenge, and I never could resist a

challenge." Monica glanced meaningfully at Rick.

Rick laughed his head off at that and was still

laughing as he got into the limo with Matt. He

threw his
Spanky
trophy onto the seat beside them,

shaking his head. "Most spankable sub on TV, my

ass. The most spankable sub on TV is right here,

and he's wearing my collar."

He reached out and pulled Matt in for a kiss,

and then he drew back and unfastened his

cummerbund.

"I'm going to blindfold you," he said,

wrapping it around Matt's face, obscuring his eyes

completely. Matt took a deep breath as his world

plunged into darkness. "Okay?" Rick asked, and

Matt felt his dom's fingers gently caressing the side

of his face.

"Okay," he replied, relaxing.

Rick kissed him again, and Matt found it a

completely different experience when he was

blindfolded. Without his vision, he concentrated

more on how it felt to have Rick's tongue in his

mouth, and his hands on the back of his neck, and

he savored the scent of his dom's body.

The limo came to a halt, and Matt wondered

if they were home, and whether Rick would sweep

him up to the playroom to finish their night there.

He wasn't ready to go to bed yet; he wanted this

evening to last forever.

He felt a cool breeze on his face as Rick

guided him out of the car, and he knew

immediately from the scent of wildflowers and

dew that they weren't on the driveway outside their

house.

He heard the limo crawl away into the

distance, leaving them alone.

"This way; I'll guide you." Matt felt Rick's

big, warm paw engulf his own hand, and he clung

on tight.

Rick led him across rocky ground and gently

guided him up a short slope. Matt stopped trying to

figure out where they were, or where they were

going, and let his dom take charge, trusting him not

to let him fall. He'd learned that not being in

control all the time could be fun, and he knew Rick

would take good care of him.

They reached their destination, and Rick sat

down and guided Matt so that he was sitting

between his dom's open legs. Then Rick undid the

makeshift blindfold, and Matt found they were high

up in the hills, looking down on the world below.

A waxing moon hung in the sky, and the stars were

twinkling brightly overhead, looking close enough

to touch.

"This is your special place - you brought me

here once before," Matt said, glancing up at his

dom in surprise.

"Yes, the day after we did our master/slave

scene."

"It looks different at night," Matt murmured,

shivering in the cool night air. "Still beautiful, but

in a different way."

Rick wrapped his arms around him, warming

him. "Not night; nearly dawn. See." Rick pointed at

the horizon, where a faint, rosy glow was starting

to appear. "I told the driver to wait an hour and

then come back for us. When the car arrives, I'll

blindfold you again and from then on, you'll be in

deep submission."

Matt's heart skipped an excited beat. "It's

time?" he asked.

"It's time, and it'll be beautiful - trust me."

"I do," Matt said simply.

They spent the next hour watching the sun

slowly painting the dark world into color beneath

them. Matt lay back in his dom's arms and watched