The Gift (8 page)

"Perhaps he sees the matter differently to you," the spirit
suggested.

"If you are waiting for me to say I appreciate his
submission or anything else about him more when it comes
with an extra dose of tinsel you will be waiting a long time.

Real dominance, real anything, does not vary according to
messages on greetings cards. Nicky is mine, twenty four
hours a day, seven days a week."

He closed his eyes the moment the world around him
started to flicker.

"On this day too?" the spirit asked.

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"Yes," Charles said without any doubt, even though his
eyes were still closed. He cautiously opened them and looked
at the new scene around them. It hadn't changed a great
deal. They were still in the bedroom but it was now light
outside.

It was still Christmas time though. There was mistletoe
hanging over the bed and little red bows decorating
everything else. A little stuffed reindeer sat on the dressing
table.

Nicky came out of the en-suite dressed to go out. He
crossed to the dresser and dug around in the back of the top
drawer.

He finally found an old battered wallet. Nicky laid it on the
top of the dresser and looked at it for several long minutes.

Seeming to reach a decision, he slipped it into his back
pocket.

Charles frowned. He stepped closer, wondering what Nicky
wanted that old thing for. "Which Christmas is this, spirit?"

"It is last Christmas Eve. You do not permit Nicholas to
carry money?" the spirit asked.

"What?" Charles barely looked away from Nicky for a
moment. "Of course he has money. He has this money. This
is his wallet."

As Charles pointed to it, Nicky picked up the new wallet
too, the black leather one with his initials gold embossed on
the corner.

"Last year?" Charles thought back to last Christmas. Nicky
hadn't mentioned anything to him about wanting anything—

although that didn't mean a great deal. Nicky never asked for
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anything and when he did, it was inevitably a silly little thing
rather than something expensive.

Nicky walked out, fading with each step. "Where is he
going?"

"Here."

The room faded away until it morphed into an image of
Nicky looking in a shop window. Charles forced his eyes to
stay open so he didn't risk missing a single clue that might
help him decipher what the hell was going on.

Nicky gave the selection in the window one last look and pushed open the door. A bell rang above his head alerting whoever worked in the jewellery shop to his presence.

A woman stepped out from behind a display cabinet at the back of the shop.

"Good afternoon, sir, how may I help you?"

Nicky forced a smile. The honorific did nothing to settle his nerves. He pushed his hands deep into his pocket. She wasn't being sarcastic. Charles always insisted he have the best of everything. Nicky knew he looked like he belonged in a high end place like this now.

"I'm looking for a ring," he managed to say.

"Excellent, sir. Do you have anything particular in mind?"

"Gold. A plain band."

The woman smiled. "A wedding ring?" she asked.

"A commitment ring." Nicky nodded.

"May I ask the lady's name?"

Nicky offered her a nervous half smile, knowing his answer could make this a very uncomfortable shopping trip but still unwilling to lie. "His name."

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Her smile didn't falter. "Of course, sir. We have a special selection of commitment rings in this case."

Nicky followed her across the room to the display she pointed out to him.

"If I may draw sir's attention to—"

"Nicky," he blurted out.

She looked questioningly at him.

"I'm sorry, I really don't like being called sir. My name's Nicky."

She nodded and pointed out several of the rings. "Do you have any price range in mind, Nicky?"

"Five hundred and seventy six pounds and forty three pence," Nicky said. He'd checked several times over the last few weeks, counting the money in his old wallet while he built up his courage to visit the shop.

She gave him a slightly strange look.

"That's what I've got," he said simply.

She nodded and took a tray out of the cabinet.

Nicky looked from one to the other. "Which one is the best one I can afford?" he asked.

The sales assistant selected one. "This one is part of our Eternal Band range—exclusive to our stores. Eighteen carat gold, the finest craftsmanship."

Eric examined the smooth, polished surface. It felt heavy—

solid and substantial. He looked at the box, saw the price tag—five hundred and ninety nine pounds. He handed the ring back to her. "I can't afford this."

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The woman looked from the ring to Nicky and back again.

"We do have several payment options where you can spread the cost..." she trailed off when she saw his expression.

"I have five hundred and seventy six pounds and forty three pence," Nicky repeated. "That's not going to change."

He was not going to buy Charles's ring with money Charles gave him—just this one time he would give his master something he bought himself from money he had before he came under Charles's protection.

She studied him for several long moments. Nicky refused to look down as if he was ashamed of doing what he knew was right.

"One moment," she said. "I'll speak to my manager."

Nicky nodded.

A moment later she came back.

"Five hundred and seventy six pounds," she beamed at him.

Nicky hesitated. He wanted the ring so badly. It would be the perfect gift to give to his master for Christmas, but still ...

"I don't mean to make things difficult for you."

She shook her head. She looked at the ring in his hand.

"Yes?"

Nicky bit his lip. He was doing the right thing. He nodded.

"Gift wrapped?"

"No, I'll pack it myself, thank you." He took out his old wallet and emptied it onto the counter.

"Perfect," she announced.

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Nicky placed the last few copper coins on the top of the pile. "It feels right. It should go down to the last penny. Do you mind?"

She took the last few coins with the same sort of smile an adult gave a child when they though the kid was sweet.

Nicky picked up the bag. Folding it up small he put it in his pocket, wrapping his hand tight around the little parcel to keep it safe on the walk home. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Nicky."

Charles paced back and forth across the shop. The spirit
stood to one side watching him.

"I want to see who opens the present."

"That is not possible."

"It's a Christmas present. You're supposed to be the ghost
of Christmas past. You have to know who he gave the ring
to."

"You assume the gift was given?"

"Well, he didn't buy it for himself and he didn't give it to
me. Someone else has it."

The spirit took hold of his shoulder.

The scene transformed once more into the familiar sight of
their living room back at home. Nicky sat on the floor at his
master's feet in front of the fire.

"This is not where I told you to go."

"This is the next stop on our journey."

"If he's screwing around behind my back, I really don't
give a damn about the spirit of Christmas or whatever the hell
it is you're supposed to be teaching me. I want to know who
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he gave the ring to and if you can't tell me, take me back to
the present so I can ask him."

The spirit pointedly turned his back and listened to the
hushed conversation by the fire place.

"Do you ever think about things like that, master?" he asked softly. It had taken him all evening to turn the conversation to weddings and commitment ceremonies, but he was finally there.

Charles ran his fingers through his hair. "Like what?"

Nicky rolled his eyes, safe out of master's line of sight.

He'd worked bloody hard to get the conversation this far.

"Weddings?" Charles asked, finally catching up. "Hardly, pet."

Nicky looked up at his master for a moment. "I remember you saying when we went to Grant and Michael's ceremony it was a very fine day. You thought the exchanging of rings was very well done." Those were his exact words. Nicky remembered them precisely, they'd been turning over in his mind ever since.

"Did I?" Charles asked, sleepily. "I suppose it was very suitable for them, it certainly made them happy to make a big fuss over everything."

"But you wouldn't like something similar?" Nicky asked.

"That is something you don't have to worry about, pet. The only jewellery I want to see on you is this." His master ran his finger tip over the collar as he spoke.

The touch didn't offer the same reassurance it usually provided. Nicky ran his hand over the leather too. He loved 74

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his collar. He loved it from the moment Charles put it around his neck almost four years ago.

"I am not Grant, pet, and you are not Michael. This collar is more than enough to show what we mean to each other."

Nicky nodded automatically, because he always agreed with what his master said. Charles wasn't Grant. That was true. Grant was a nice guy, but he wasn't half the man his master was. As for Michael, Nicky stared at the floor by his master's feet. Maybe the comparison between him and Michael was wrong for the opposite reason. Maybe in his master's eyes, Nicky wasn't half the man Michael was.

Nicky rested his head on his master's knee.

"Tired, pet?"

Nicky shook his head. Suddenly needing to do more than sit at his master's feet, he put his hand on the inside of Charles's knee in supplication. "Could we?"

"Tell me what you want, pet?" Charles said with a teasing smile.

Nicky shook his head again, he wasn't asking for his own pleasure. He put his finger tips to his lips in silent offering of words he couldn't find while his mind reeled.

Charles looked at him strangely for a moment, as if he could read whatever went on in Nicky's head. Nicky didn't even know what he was thinking himself. All he knew was he had to prove to himself he had something, anything, to offer his master.

Charles stroked his finger tips over Nicky's lips.

"Please?" Nicky whispered, naked need flowed along every word.

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Charles nodded. He sat back in the armchair, letting Nicky move his clothing out of the way. Nicky immediately leant in.

He knew he should do better. He should take the time and use the tricks and techniques he knew his master liked. But right then his own need was too strong.

He needed to feel his master swelling in his mouth. He had to know his master still wanted him for something, even if only for something as basic as this. He wrapped his lips around his master's shaft, working him feverishly until Charles was hard and leaking pre-cum into his mouth.

Nicky took a deep breath around his master's erection.

Some tiny bit of the panic eased inside him. Nothing was wrong. He was still right there with his master. Charles hadn't said he didn't want him to belong to him. His collar was safe.

Charles just didn't want anything to change. That wasn't just good, that was essential. Things had to stay exactly as they were forever.

Charles stroked his hair. Nicky slowed his movements and began to pay more attention to what he was doing. Bobbing his head slowly over his master's lap he took him, inch by inch, into his mouth, into his throat. Keeping up a steady rhythm, he let his tongue trace the veins and swirl around the head.

He always loved the way his master felt in his mouth. He loved knowing what he did gave his master pleasure. And in his way, he liked knowing he was good at what he was doing, he could please his master as well as anyone could.

Nicky made it last from there on in.

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Charles made no comment until afterwards. When Nicky finished straightening his master's clothing, Charles tapped his knee, calling him to sit up on his lap. Nicky went willingly, eager to feel wanted.

"And what was that all about, pet?" Charles asked, brushing their lips together.

Nicky blushed. He shrugged. "I just ... what we have, me belonging to you, it is what you want?"

"Of course," Charles said with a frown.

Nicky looked away. He nodded quickly. He shouldn't ask his master that sort of question, a submissive should never fish for compliments or reassurance from his master. If he wanted Charles to say he was pleased with him, it was Nicky's place to please him and hope, not to straight out ask him to say so.

Charles made him look back up. "I don't say that often enough, do I?"

Nicky shook his head. "I didn't mean to..."

"Hush," Charles told him. "Your master is very pleased with his pet." He stroked Nicky's cheek.

"Thank you, master," Nicky said. He offered his master a smile, not wanting to spoil the moment if it were true.

"Go on, up you go. Pack your last present. I will be up in a few minutes."

Nicky slipped off his master's knee and went up the stairs.

He took the ring box out of its hiding place in his coat pocket.