The Author's Friends (14 page)

“Oh my God, who invited her?”

“My parents did and told her to bring a date.  They thought it would be a good time to end the notion that she and Michael might get back together.”

“This is just unbelievable.  No offense, but that woman has done nothing but cause problems since she flew back into town on her broom.  So who did she bring?” Carla whispered.

“He’s an old flame from high school.  People put roots down in the city of Pittsburgh and never leave.  Isn’t that right, little brother?”

Michael nodded.

“Jesus, she works fast.”

“Welcome to the family.” Michael put his arms around Carla and gently kissed her cheek.

Gabe and Hannah came forward and raised their glasses.  “May we have your attention please?” He paused and cleared his throat.  “We’re not getting any younger, you know, and family is just as important today as when we came to this country.  Bigotry has caused nothing but pain and sorrow in our lives, so why would we perpetuate such an awful way of thinking?  If you believe that this woman is your
beshert
, then we accept her into our family with open arms.  After all … Carla Campbell-Cohen has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?” 

Everyone in the room cheered in agreement as Gabe and Hanna hugged Carla. 

Hanna’s eyes shined as she touched Carla’s face.  “We look forward to getting to know you and would love to help in any way we can with your wedding.”

Michael flashed a smile, put his arm around Carla and raised his glass to Dana.  Ironic isn’t it?  I’m the one who is supposed to specialize in dealing with relationships, yet it was you who wouldn’t give up on nurturing basic decency.  I can’t thank you enough, my friend.  You never stop having faith in people do you?”

“It’s the little girl in me, I guess.” She looked up at Richard and smiled.

Carla just sat down at her dressing table to apply lipstick when she saw her father’s image in the mirror.

“Dad, I’m so glad you came upstairs.”  There were tears in her eyes as she turned around to see him in the doorway.

“Carla, you look beautiful.  Please don’t tell me you’ve been crying.”

“I feel like there are things we should have talked about before today.”

“Come on, you already had that ‘birds and bees’ discussion with your mom a long time ago.”  He smiled and placed a kiss on her forehead.

She shook her head and sighed.  “No, this is more controversial, I’m afraid.”

He crossed his arms and took a step backward.  “Is it about the lifestyle that you and Michael are engaging in?”

“Oh for God’s sake … you know about it?  Who told you?”

“Your brothers and I are still pretty close.” His hands nervously slid into both pockets.

“Are you okay with how we live?”

“It wouldn’t be my preference, but this is your life we’re talking about, not mine.  You’re a smart girl and have been searching for someone special for a long time.  I trust you’ve made the right choice.”

“You’re the best, Daddy.” She threw her arms around his neck and they hugged each other tight.

“Maybe we shouldn’t share this bit of information with your mother,” he whispered in her ear and smiled.

Carla nodded.

In Michael and Carla’s backyard under a wooden trellis adorned with white and pink roses, Judge David Lohan waited patiently to officiate over their wedding ceremony.  Wearing a black suit with a pink rose for a boutonniere, he stood next to a table holding a large black shiny box.  “For those of you who are not aware, a collaring ceremony signifies a permanent commitment between a Dominant and a submissive much like a ring ceremony would at a wedding.  Carla and Michael will become husband and wife today and decided to include both symbols in their vows promising each other love and support.”  He placed the black box on the table for all to see. 

An intimate group of immediate family and close friends were seated in white folding chairs as the happy couple entered the yard from the back of the house holding hands.  Carla wore a simple white sleeveless sheath with a lace overlay and nude patent heels.  Michael looked handsome as ever in a charcoal suit, white shirt and pink tie with a white rose as his boutonniere.  Together they stepped onto a wooden rafter under the trellis and stood before the judge.  Dana came forward to take the white rose bouquet from Carla.  Michael walked over to the table and opened the black box.

“Carla, would you please join me?”  He held out his hand and smiled radiantly.

“It would be my honor and pleasure, Sir.”

“Sir?” Hanna whispered to Gabe.  “Why is she calling him Sir?”

Gabe shrugged his shoulders and smiled knowingly at Debbie who was sitting on the other side of him.

“Carla, this collar is my offering to you as a sign of your submission to me.  Are you willing to accept and wear this collar?”

“Yes, Sir …I am.” She nodded and beamed a brilliant smile.

“Submission?” Esther whispered to Bill.  “What does that mean?”

Bill shrugged his shoulders as he turned around and grinned wittingly at Tom and David.

There were ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from the crowd as Michael removed a beautiful four strand pearl choker from the box.  Carla pulled her blonde wavy hair upward so that he could place the collar around her neck from back to front, but didn’t close the lock.  Instead, he looked into her eyes and spoke in a serious tone.

“Carla, with the placing of this collar around your neck I vow to do everything I can to be worthy of you.  I promise to love you, honor you, support you, be sensitive to your needs, and keep you safe.  I acknowledge the trust you have placed in me, and the responsibility that goes with my acceptance of that trust.  The gift of submission you make to me today, I accept with all my heart.  This collar is a symbol that you are mine forever, at the same time you continue to feel safe in everything that you are as an individual.  Do you accept this collar in the spirit with which it is given to you?”

Carla cleared her throat.  “Michael, with clarity of my mind and heart, I submit to your will in all things.  I accept your collar as the visible sign that I am yours.  I fully accept your authority to guide me on the right path.  I vow to honor you, support you and love you with my every thought, word and action.  You are the light of my life and the love of my heart.”

Michael locked the collar firmly with one click. The gold clasp and row of diamonds gleamed in the sunlight.  Richard and Dana walked over from the front row to the trellis with black velvet ring boxes.  As Michael took the ring from Richard’s box, he placed it on Carla’s finger and waited for his cue from Judge Lohan.

“Carla Campbell, please accept this ring as the outward and visible sign of my deepest joy that I am yours.  I will never forget the responsibility I have undertaken here.  I am charged with your well being in all that you do.  Your life is literally in my hands and I will never shy away from that authority.  I promise to learn what is good and safe for you and am prepared to give as much or more than I receive from you.  I promise to stay with you and support your needs and desires.  I give you my love, my heart and myself, now and always.”

Carla took the ring from Dana’s box, placed it on Michael’s finger and waited for her cue.

“Michael Cohen, please accept this ring as the outward and visible sign of my deepest joy that I am yours.  I accept your authority and trust you to guide me on the right path.  I promise to stay with you and support your needs and desires.  I give you my love, my heart and myself, now and always.”

They joined hands and faced Judge Lohan.  “By the power vested in me, by the state of Pennsylvania, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”  Michael and Carla tenderly kissed through happy tears as their friends and family got out of their seats to greet one another.

After a series of handshakes and hugs, everyone congregated under a large tent for cocktails.  Since the weather in Pittsburgh can be so unpredictable it was necessary to plan for the worst, but luckily it was a beautiful sunny day and people were free to mingle throughout their large yard.  A bar was set off to the side and tables and chairs were arranged so that everyone had the choice of standing or sitting while they socialized.  The Campbell and Cohen families sat together and bonded quickly, just as everyone had hoped.

Richard quietly took Dana’s hand and led her to the side of the yard, so they could speak privately.  “This probably isn’t the best time for a conversation, but Carla and Michael’s collaring ceremony had me thinking about your book.”

Dana nodded with a shy smile.  “Which chapter were you pondering?”

“Did you write that book hoping I would read it?  You never seemed to mind me looking over your shoulder, almost to the point of encouraging it.”

Dana’s face flushed red.  “This is embarrassing to talk about.”

“I’m your husband, Dana.  You should want to share those kinds of thoughts with me.”

“I didn’t want you to think I was unhappy.”

“You obviously have fantasies that are in the BDSM genre.  Did you think I wouldn’t want to participate?”

“Oh my God, Richard! Someone is going to hear us.  Can we talk about this later?”

“I don’t think we’ll be doing much talking later, young lady,” Richard whispered in her ear.

“Does that mean you want to explore some of Brad and Kristin’s activities?”

“Yes, but maybe next time we should try out a few scenes before your manuscript is sent to the publisher.  A trial run never hurts,” Richard said with a grin.

*****

“I don’t know how we’re ever going to thank you for pulling my new family together like this.  You’re the best friends anyone could have.”  Carla’s eyes were brimming with tears as she and Michael walked over to Dana and Richard.

“There’s usually family drama of some sort at a wedding, but thank God all of our headaches happened in advance,” Dana said as she raised her glass to the group.

“Have you ever thought of going back to school? Maybe you should consider a career in psychology?” Michael teased with a tilt of his head.

Richard nodded.  “He’s got a point, Kitten.  The Cohen’s were no small task to win over, and you did it with a serious deadline!”

“Truthfully, I wouldn’t mind giving up my job at the newspaper.  But being an author of erotic spanking romance novellas is who I am, and what I’ve always wanted to be.  I know it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I’m a sucker for a happy ending.”

“Here’s to happy ever after endings,” they all cheered in unison.

“Nope, I wouldn’t change a thing.” Dana grabbed a fresh glass of champagne from the wait staff and shrugged her shoulders as Richard took a deep breath and sighed.

Shelly Douglas is not one person, but two!  Shelly and Doug are longtime friends and over the years have shared a love of reading, especially spy and serial murder novels.  While on a “couples” vacation with their respective spouses, Shelly began exploring the world of domestic discipline on her Kindle and was utterly fascinated.  Neither she nor Doug had ever heard of this lifestyle, but they quickly decided it was exactly the genre that would keep Shelly's mind racing and fingers glued to the keyboard!  As luck would have it, Doug was not far “behind” in wanting to be a part of the creative process.  Having a man and woman’s perspective made for an interesting collaborative writing experience that resulted in a book we hope our readers will enjoy.  Shelly and Doug both live in Western Pennsylvania with their supportive spouses.  Their children are now grown and living on their own.

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