Before Him Comes Me (29 page)

The plan for the night is dinner with Garrett, Branden and
the girls, then sneaking in to see Viv perform. After that, it would be home
for dessert with Garret, alone.

Stepping into her bedroom, Zara does a happy dance spying a
beautiful gown hanging on the back of the door. Never one to forget a thing, Garrett
has also left a lovely new set of black lace lingerie on her bed.

As she shimmies into the dress, she notices the song changes
to another one of the songs used in her striptease class. She finds it odd that
Garrett would be listening to this song. INXS is an old band from what she
understands, but then he likes tons of old music. She continues dressing and dancing
around as the song plays.

The dress he has selected for tonight works well for some of
her striptease moves. The dress has a form-fitted lace bodice, short tight skirt
and a long see-through tulle overlay that opens in the front, giving the dress
an added sexy edge. She lets out a squeal of delight when she finds the shoes
and beaded purse for the night.

Checking the mirror one last time, Zara freezes when the
next song blares through the house speakers even louder than the other songs. Garrett
knows the entire playlist of her routine. Laughing, she looks down at her
shoes. Spinning around, she goes to the closest and reaches for the red-soled
shoes that should be worn, according to Ella, only ‘when you go in for the
kill.’

I am definitely going in for the kill.

Taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders, she picks
up her purse and makes her way toward the kitchen. Garrett is not there. She
continues into the den but finds he is not there, either. She makes her way to
his bedroom. Puzzled at not discovering him in his room, she walks back toward
the kitchen.

“You look strikingly beautiful!” Garrett says with a smile
as he walks through the front door. As he stalks closer, Zara rakes her eyes
over his entire body. “I will assume from that smile on your lovely face that
you like what you see.”

Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulls her to him. Instinctively,
she slides her hands up the lapel of his suit and around his neck. Standing in
the living room of their home, Zara and Garrett stare into each other’s smiling
eyes.

“Happy Birthday, John Garrett. I love you with all of my
heart.”

“Still the best birthday present that you can give me. I
love you too, Zara Faith.”

“We should get going. Poor Branden will not survive the girls
for long.” Despite her comment, neither of them moves an inch. Zara starts
giggling and Garrett releases her.

“Way to kill the moment.” He guides a laughing Zara out of
the house and locks the door behind them.

Her laughing comes to an abrupt halt once the car starts and
Closer
by Nine Inch Nails begins playing. She shifts in her seat as she
clicks the seat belt.

“You know,” she accuses.

Smiling, he pulls the car out of the driveway and focuses on
the road ahead. The song continues playing.

“I know that you know.”

“Zara Faith, what are you referring to, darling?” Zara
glares at Garrett. “Careful.”

“Sorry,” she whispers. Turning in her seat to face the
front, she is confident he did not hear her apology. Hands resting in her lap, she
lowers her head and listens as the song comes to an end. Halestrom’s
Beautiful
With You
is the next song and Garrett reaches over, takes Zara’s hand and
places it on his thigh. He caresses it as he drives and she knows everything is
fine.

As much as she loves her friends, the idea of skipping it
all to return home and give Garrett his real birthday gift seems worth missing
all the evening’s plans.

He lifts her hand off his thigh and kisses it. “What are you
thinking about?”

“Ella and Liliana,” she switches up. “I am going to miss
them this summer. School will be strange without them on campus. Thank you for
including them tonight.”

Garrett nods. Kissing her hand one more time and returning it
to his thigh, he suggests “We can fly down for a long weekend in July. Steele
Security is in Miami and Branden has been trying to get me down there to meet
those guys for a while. We can make it work.”

Pulling into a parking spot, he turns off the car and pauses.
“Zara, would it be horrible if we just turn the car around and go home? We can
come up with an excuse later. I would really rather spend tonight alone at home
with you and that dress. Well… and a striptease.”

Slapping her hands over her face, Zara does not say anything,
feeling a deep blush quickly spread up her neck and over her face. Garrett
explodes into laughter and gently removes her hands from her face. “Please do
not mess up that stunning makeup job.”

“How… how did you find out?”

“First, hopefully, I would have found out soon anyway. Second,
you should not be upset. I would have never thought it possible to be more
attracted to you. I was indeed wrong… because I am. Third, guess what I really,
really want for my birthday.”

“I already have your birthday present and that’s not it,” she
taunts. She reaches for the door handle and steps out before he can rush around
to assist.

“She is amazing! Garrett, I had no idea.” Zara slips into
the passenger seat. Closing Garrett’s suit jacket around her, she inhales. As
he gets in the car, she realizes how late it is. His present is waiting for him
at the house and his birthday is almost over.

Zara begins to reflect on the evening. Dinner with his best
friend and hers… all outsiders. She never would have predicted she would have
two friends who were outsiders and who would love her so fiercely. They had
shuffled her into the bathroom upon her arrival to whip her hair into an up-do
because ‘the dress requires it’ according to Ella.

And then there is Vivian… Viv, an outsider by her own
definition to everyone. Seeing her standing on the stage in that red
form-fitting dress tonight with the spotlight only on her as she sang had been
amazing. Zara’s eyes filled with tears again thinking how Viv sang
Beautiful
With You
. Imagining where the emotions were coming from as she sang hit her
deeply.

Viv has become more than a friend. Zara has come to think of
her as a sister. The week she and Fredrik had stayed with Viv, their
relationship had grown stronger. Zara knows she and Viv still have walls to
break through, but in time they will get there. She knew, even before Branden
said it, that it would be worth getting inside.

“Is everything okay? You’re quiet,” Garrett says once they arrive
back at home. Zara removes his suit jacket and hands it back to him.

“Yes. Everything is perfect.” She turns, walking toward her
bedroom.

Deep breath, shoulders back, and a blank expression on her
face gives her a muted sense of control. A single thought of her mother
penetrated her mental walls. More than once, her mother had explained that the
only true control was that of one’s own mind. At the time, the words did not
make sense. In the last few days they seemed hollow.

The reality is that Zara had never had control. From the first
moment their eyes locked in the center of the Circle, Zara felt her control
slip into his possession. Not collaring her had only removed the external proof
of Garrett’s ownership. When he knelt in front of her and offered her an
opportunity to follow her dream, Zara had mentally submitted to her Dom. Now she
is ready to complete the Circle.

Zara removes the collar from her tiny beaded bag and returns
to the living room. She stands in the middle of the large open space. The soft,
sweet voice of Phildel singing
Beside You
floats through the speakers. Zara
smiles at the music Garrett has selected, as if he knows what is about to
happen.

Garrett walks into the living room. He stops and looks at
Zara in the gown that he had chosen for her to wear for the night. The slight
tilt of his head and the expression on his face tells her that he is attempting
to read her current state.

He moves closer to her and stares into her eyes as if
searching for the answer to an unasked question. With every fiber in her body, she
knows this is what she wants. This is what she needs.

Slowly, her eyes find their rightful place on the floor in
front of her. Without a word, she gracefully lowers into the kneeling position to
present herself to him. Extending her right hand in front of her with the palm up,
she raises it above her head and opens her hand.

The collar that had been laying on the table clasped with no
key at their Circle Ceremony now lies open in her hand. With only the two of
them to experience this cherished moment, Garrett takes the collar from Zara’s
hand. He places his hand under her chin and lifts it until her eyes lock onto
his. He raises the collar to his lips and kisses it.

Zara smiles. With tears in her eyes, she speaks softly but
clearly, “Tonight, I freely and happily wish to grant you my submission. You
have allowed me to experience my dream and all the while protecting, respecting
and loving me. In my journey to figure out who I am and what I want… I
discovered that before anything else, I want to be yours. I am ready to begin
my next chapter.”

Lowering her eyes to her lap, Zara waits. She does not have
to wait long.

“Zara Faith, I loved you before I really knew you. Once I
was given the honor of getting to know you, I fell even deeper in love with
you. Although your time of self-discovery was difficult at times, I would do it
all over again to be able to witness your inner bright light glow even stronger.”

Garrett kneels in front of Zara and stares deeply into her
eyes. She hopes he could detect the overwhelming love she has for him. The broad
smile that slowly takes over his face makes her think he is able to see it. Garrett
places the collar around Zara’s neck and closes the clasp.

“Thank you, Sir.”

SAUSAGE
EGG BAKE

From
the Kitchen of Sandy B

Preheat oven: 350 degrees

8 Eggs

1-½ Cups of Milk

Ground Sausage (cooked and crumbled)

2 Cups of your favorite Cheese

1 Bag of Seasoned Croutons

1 Small Can of Chopped Green Chiles

1 Can of Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 Teaspoon of Dry Mustard

Salt and Pepper

Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with
cooking spray.  Distribute the bag of croutons over the bottom of the casserole
dish.  Layer the cooked and crumbled sausage on top of croutons.  Next, layer
the green chilies over the sausage followed by shredded cheese.  Mix together
the eggs, milk, soup, and dry mustard seasoning.  Pour the egg mixture over the
casserole.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Refrigerate overnight and
bake uncovered for 50-55 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees.  

Acknowledgments

The writing of
Before Him Comes
Me
has been a journey. Along the way I have been helped by many
individuals. Some have lifted me up when I questioned my ability to finish the
book. Some have pulled me away from my laptop after countless hours without a
break to make me take a deep breath. Still others answered question after
question about the writing, editing, pre- and post-production, marketing, and
much more without ever making me feel like I was pestering or bothering them. To
all of them, thank you for helping me change my life and find my passion.

I am who I am because of my parents.
From my mother, I learned that a woman’s place is anywhere she chooses. Work
hard, have a vision and stay committed. My Dad gave me my love of sports, and
taught me to be dependable and always care for others. They have supported
everything I have ever wanted to do. When I finally told them I was writing a
book, their interest and support was tremendous.

If I had a dinner party and could
invite ten people, two of them would be my brothers. Although, they both have
very busy lives, there have been many occasions during the writing of this book
when they have dropped everything to assist me. My sister-in-law and wickedly
adorable niece were able to brighten my days during the darkness of editing. Thank
you.

My friends are the family that I was
fortunate to find and collect around me. I am thankful for all the laughter,
phone calls, dirty jokes and celebrity gossip. You all helped to keep me a little
bit sane during this journey… Troy, Charlee, Katrina, Dana, Cat, Jenn, Rachel,
Jason, Leigh, Sadie, Erika, Lori, Casey, Hannah, Annette, Colleen, Kate, Bryan,
Melanie, Cassandra, Liz, Nicole, and Jessica.

Special thanks to Helena J., a
Resident Advisor in Yakeley Hall at Michigan State University, for your time
and tour of the Hall.

Special thanks to Modernjake for
designing the perfect cover for
Before Him Comes Me
. I have been blown
away by every graphic you have designed along the way. Thank you for all your
help.

With so many books published every
day, authors struggle to get their name out far and wide. I have been lucky
enough to have a small group that work tirelessly to pimp me out all over
Facebook. Known as Sure’s Showgirls, I call them friends. Thank you.

As a reader, I heard that the author
community had cliques and was competitive. Fortunately, I have discovered the
opposite of that to be true. From the moment that I mentioned I wanted to
write, I found every author, blogger and personal assistant to be supportive,
encouraging and helpful. From the beginning, Rachel Rae, A.D. Justice, Anie
Michaels, Ella Dominguez and Melanie Harlow encouraged me to write my story.

When I typed ‘THE END’ in March of
2014, I had tears and I called my very dear friend Kasidy Blake to celebrate
this milestone. After a few moments of woohoos, she said, “Now the real work
begins.” At the time, I had no idea what she meant. Well, eight months later, I
get it. The individuals that got me through the darkest period, also known as
‘editing,’ are Kasidy Blake, Al Daltrey, Elias Raven, Kate Benson, JL Sins
(umbrella), and Noelle Bodhaine.

Thank you to the grammar queens, Ali
Reynolds and Angie Wieber, for the commas, tenses and all the other issues you
caught. So many track changes!!

This book would have been a rambling
109 thousand words without Richelle McFate. She had no idea that agreeing to
read a single section of my book would lead to editing and so much more. Working
with Richelle was an amazing experience and I am looking forward to tackling
the next book with her as my editor.

Before Him Comes Me
began
with a conversation in my living room with Shayne McClendon and me. Working
with her taught me a great deal and I will always cherish that period in my
life.

To the readers, thank you for taking
a chance on me.