Before Him Comes Me (26 page)

Telling Liliana and Ella about her decision to move in with
Garrett is easier than Zara had predicted. Garrett’s genius idea to invite them
over for dinner and to show them the house has worked wonders.

“Zara, no wonder you don’t come back to the dorm anymore. This
place is to die for,” Ella gushes.

Both girls seem a little taken aback when Zara takes them on
a tour of her bedroom. Ella sits on the bed and forces Liliana to close the door.
“Girl, explain to us why you are NOT sleeping with your man.”

“It is a bit complicated.” Blushing, Zara lowers her gaze
and tries to find the right words to explain the situation.

“Are you waiting until marriage? That is not all that
complicated. But why live together if you don’t sleep together?” Liliana asks,
inquiring gently.

“I love him very much. I want to spend every minute with
him. I believe he feels the same about me. But there is an additional element
that makes it feel ‘more’ right living closer.” Walking over and sitting next
to Ella on the bed, Zara looks at her hands that are crossed on her lap.

“Garrett and I were raised within a community where there
are Dominants and submissives. Some people are familiar with that lifestyle. Well,
our story is different than most. If you are interested, I’ll share it with you.”

Liliana and Ella sit speechless. They nod and stare at Zara
when she looks up at them. Taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders,
Zara slowly tells the story of her eighteenth birthday and the Circle Ceremony.
She explains the circumstances of how she came to be at MSU and in their dorm.

“Are you sorry that you didn’t finish the ceremony?” Ella
asks.

Zara thinks for a moment. The question is fair. In fact, she
should have been prepared for it. “No, I’m not sorry. I would not have been
able to get to know Garrett and discover how he really feels about me or what
he wants in a relationship. I would not have met either of you. And I would not
have been able to live on my own and have these experiences.”

Smiling to herself, Zara is more sure of her life choices
now than she has even been.

“Why the eighteenth birthday? And what about the boys? Isn’t
Garrett way older than eighteen?” Liliana chimes in with more questions.

“Keep in mind, the Community focuses on the Circle Ceremony
as the joining of a chosen Dom to a submissive. To outsiders, it is a wedding. The
age of the ‘submissive’ bride is the legal marrying age in the country. As for
the men, the sons of King Council members select a submissive from the eligible
submissives around the country. He then takes his place on the Council.”

“What does the Council do?”

“That is a bigger question. The Council is the governing
body for the Community. Outsiders know of the ‘lifestyle’ and BDSM. Some
practice it in their bedrooms. There is a population that lives it – every day –
in their bedrooms, at work, in the shopping malls and parks. All day… every day.

“Of course, this population interacts with outsiders,
however, the interaction is kept at arm’s length. All meaningful connections
and bonds are made with individuals within the Community. There are no
restrictions placed on whom one may speak to but the members tend to be very
tight-knit.

“For example, I am the daughter of a King Councilman. I was
homeschooled and the children I was allowed to interact with were very closely
monitored. Regulated.”

“Music!” Ella says with assertion.

“Yes, music. The entertainment I was exposed to was very
limited. Coming to State was overwhelming. One of the things that made it so
was that I was exposed to so many new things all at once. Music was, of course,
one of them.”

“Fuck… Zara. I had no idea,” Ella reaches out to gives Zara
a hug. Liliana crawls across the bed and hugs the both of them.

“I have missed you both,” Zara whispers as they break apart.

“No you haven’t! Look at this place.” Ella waves her arms in
a Vanna White motion.

“I still miss walking across the hall and having you guys
coming in my room late at night. Just talking about nothing. It was amazing. I
will miss it.”

“You can always visit or better… we can visit you.”

“El, I am going to hold you to that one.”

“Zara, can I ask you something personal?” Liliana questions.

“Sure, Liliana.”

“Are you nervous what will happen after you are collared? What
he will do to you?”

“I will tell you… that is a really big fear for a submissive
as we prepare for our walk to the Circle. I was raised by parents who had a
high protocol Master/slave relationship.”

Zara looks at the blank expressions in both girls’ eyes and knows
she needs to speak in outsider language for them to understand.

“My parents followed the guidelines set for being a Master
and a Slave. Once I was old enough to care for my brother, there was never a
time when my mother was out of the role of ‘slave’ if my father was present. There
was a complete exchange of power between the two of them and, in his presence,
her primary focus was to serve him.

“That was what I had been preparing for as I walked toward
the Circle. Garrett was raised very differently. His parents have a very relaxed
Dominant/submissive relationship – a completely different perspective than what
I am used to.

“So to really answer your question, I am not nervous about what
he will do to me once I am collared. I have had the opportunity to get to know
the man that he really is and I trust him completely. Our relationship is
unique in that we have been able to fall in love over time and build trust. It
will make the next step a lot more exciting than it would have been originally.”

“Will you wait for your rescheduled Circle Ceremony to be
collared?” Ella asks excitedly.

There is a knock on the door and Garrett opens it.

“Ladies, how is it going in here?” he asks everyone, but his
eyes are on only one girl. Zara gives him a smile to reassure him that she is
holding her own. He returns the smile and closes the door.

“Is anyone getting hungry? Something tells me Garrett is
ready to eat.” Zara begins to get off the bed. Both girls follow, but Ella
pauses and blocks the door.

“Zara, first answer the question.”

“Collaring is a very personal and private event. I have
never understood the Circle Ceremony. If it were up to me, the only two people
in attendance would be my Sir and me.”

*****

Garrett asks Viv to oversee Zara’s relocation. As they are
tearing down decorations and moving the furniture, Zara asks if Beth could move
into the room for the rest of the semester since it was already paid for. With
a quick kiss on the forehead, Garrett instructs Viv to leave the room livable
for the girl.

Each day Zara returns home from school, a little something
has been done to make it more their home than Garrett’s house. Zara’s biggest
surprise comes one week into the new living arrangement. Garrett suggests that
they go to his office to study and work. It is the first time they would be
going to his office to work.

Zara has two huge exams coming up, so wherever they were
going to work she just wanted to get there and get started. The best part about
Garrett’s office is that it is located on the floor below Branden’s loft, so
she can chat with Viv during her breaks. Once they arrive, Garrett grabs Zara’s
backpack and his briefcase and guides her into the elevator. Lights come on as
they step out of the elevator and make their way to Garrett’s office.

Setting her books and laptop on a small conference room
table, Zara looks around at Garrett’s office. She remembered the surprise she
felt the first time she walked in and saw pictures of herself. Framed pictures
of her sat on his desk and on the bookcase. Ella had taken photos at several
different times throughout the school year and Garrett had arranged to purchase
pictures of Zara the very first time he met Ella at the MSU football game.

Shaking her head, Zara opens her laptop.

“Are you still thinking about me buying the pictures? You need
to get over it. I will always find ways to obtain photos of you. I think you
are the most beautiful woman in the world. Any other questions?”

“No, Garrett.” Chuckling to himself, Garrett goes to work
and lets Zara try to regain her focus on her schoolwork.

Turning on a classical Spotify channel, the two become
engrossed in their work. Several hours later, Zara is the first to look up with
a glance at Garrett. “Snacks. I did not think of snacks. I am sorry.”

Garrett stands up and walks around his desk. He leans over
Zara and kisses her on the forehead, “Be right back.”

Zara returns to studying.

A moment later, Branden comes in and takes a seat at the
table across from Zara. Saying nothing, he just stares at her.

“Hello, Branden. How are you?”

“I am well, Z. How are you?”

Zara closes her laptop.

“Fantastic. What is new with you?”

“I came in to see what you are planning for our boy’s
birthday. And to invite you to Viv’s singing debut. Guarantee she has not
mentioned it yet… little shithead.”

“What? Singing? Viv?!”

“Exactly! Yes, my lovely amazingly talented designer of a
sister also sings. Well, she sings secretly. I am outing her to everyone. She
is performing at this exclusive function at the Henry Center next month. Black
tie event. Unfortunately, it’s the same day as G’s birthday.”

“No surprise party, man. Zara, NO PARTY!” Garrett proclaims
as he strolls in and places his hands on Zara’s shoulders.

“WOW… G, no one is even thinking about a party for you. Viv
is performing for some black tie event the night of your birthday. I need you
to come. She needs you to come. She needs you to come without you telling her
that you know about it prior to the event.”

“I didn’t know she was performing again. When did she start?
Is she dating again too?” Garrett asks, taking a seat at the table.

“She is not dating yet. Thanks… until now I had not thought
about the possibility of her dating again.” Branden says.

“Of course we will be there. How are you planning on getting
us into the event?” Zara asks.

“Security,” Garrett and Branden say at the same time. They break
out in a fit of laughter as Beth walks through the door carrying two large bags
of food.

Zara looks at Garrett and smiles before hopping out of her
chair. “Beth, I had no idea you were working here now,” Zara says excitedly.
She gives Beth a hug and crushes the bags between their bodies. “When did you
start? How do you like it? I’ve missed you.”

Releasing her, Beth sets everything down on the table. “I’ve
been here for almost a month. I still have a lot to learn, but it’s cool. Thanks.
You know… for everything,” Beth says quietly.

While Garrett grabs Zara’s laptop and moves it to his desk,
Branden reads the tag on one of the bags and picks up the other. “Back to work,
Ladies, you can catch up later. We still have a lot of work to do.”

“Congratulations on the new job, Beth.”

“Thanks, Zara. Let’s meet for coffee soon.”

Garrett empties the contents of the remaining bag out onto
the table. Placing a chicken salad sandwich in front of Zara, she smiles up at
him.

“Thank you,” Zara says softly and he gives her a quick wink.

What the heck… Viv is a singer? Viv always seems like such an
open book. Wonder why she never told me?

Zara has been open about her past and the Community. A plan is
beginning to form in Zara’s mind… Project Viv. Having only a few friends, it is
important to Zara that she knows them and that they feel safe with her. Remembering
she has only just told the girls about her past this week smarts a bit. Work
needs to be done on both sides of her friendships.

“Earth to Zara.” Garrett’s hand is waving in front of her
face.

“Sorry… So sorry. Yes?”

“It’s okay. Where did you go, Little One?”

“Thinking about Viv. I guess I know her a lot less than I
thought that I did.”

“Z, no worries. That’s Viv. That’s how she operates. It’s
her shield,” Branden explains softly as he stands and puts all the trash into
bags. “You’ll be around awhile. You’ll get in. Just give her time. She is worth
it.”

Branden picked up the bags of trash and walks out.

Garrett looks at his phone. “Let’s go home.”

Standing up, he practically throws Zara her laptop. She can
tell something is going on, so she moves quickly to pack her bag. When she is
done, Garrett is already at the door waiting impatiently for her.

Garrett speeds all the way home. Sitting next to him in
silence, Zara grows more and more concerned. This is a side of Garrett she has not
seen and it makes her uneasy.

The very second the tires come to a stop, Garrett is out the
door and around the car to open Zara’s door. Moving as quickly as possible, she
jumps out of the car and hurries into the house behind him.

Zara turns to go to her bedroom. After two steps in that
direction, Garrett stops her.

“Hey. Where are you going? You have studying to do.”

“I thought I would study in my room.”

“You never study in your room. No. Come study in the den
with me. Please. Come into the den.”

“Okay… okay.” Zara slowly turns around. Looking at Garrett,
she sees something in his face that she cannot pinpoint. He leads the way to
the den.

Entering the den, Zara walks toward the sofa and places her
backpack on the coffee table. She turns and looks at Garrett standing there
with a goofy smile. Zara starts to giggle; that is when she sees it.

She covers her mouth with both hands, as she slowly walks
toward a new desk. Somehow, in the amount of time that Garrett had taken her to
his office to study, someone had come in and built connecting desks facing each
other. A desktop computer with a large monitor and neatly arranged pink office
supplies accent the new space, while the other desk holds Garrett’s stack of
files.