The Darker Side Of The Moon
Book 4 of The Black Moon series
Epilogue

Gary's POV – Monday 18 April 2016

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have just been cleared to land at the Chicago O'Hare airport. Please make sure one last time your seat belt is securely fastened. The flight attendants are currently passing around the cabin to make a final compliance check and pick up any remaining cups and glasses. Thank you."

Yes! Finally! I can hardly believe I'm hearing this!

Oh, I have heard it quite a few times over the past few months, but it never yielded comparable emotions as it does today, for the good reason that this time is different. On all my previous trips, the person sitting closest to me in my first-class seat was a stranger and hearing this message meant being away from my love for several days. Today, my neighbor is none other than my husband and this is our final trip to Chicago.

Yes, we're going back to Chicago. For good!

I have been waiting for this day for so long, it's hard to believe it's finally happening. The memory of my decision to move to England about seven months ago is still vivid in my head. I can't say it was a difficult one because at that time, it imposed itself as an obviousness. Jeremy's safety and healing were my priorities and however much I hated leaving the United States, my house and my friends, there were no other options. Jeremy needed a new environment to build himself back and recover from his long captivity, so I decided to offer him this opportunity.

I didn't care how long it would take, all that mattered was for him to get better. I did hope we would one day return to Illinois, but it could have taken months or years. Now I know it was the best decision I ever made. London was a breather for him. Luck was on our side because Dr. Graff introduced us to the best therapist in London and she did wonders with my love. She healed him in the best possible way. Back in August last year when I got Jeremy back, he was destroyed.

A wreck. Not even the shadow of himself.

I never suffered as much as seeing him like this and I had to react. I sorted everything out very quickly and in no time, we were moving to England. Just as quickly as I organized our return to Chicago. This came as another obviousness about two weeks ago when I overheard a conversation Jeremy was having with his friend Liam. I miss you and all the guys so much, Liam, I heard him say and there I had the last bit of motivation I needed to arrange our move back to the US, even if the idea had already wormed inside my head for some time.

First, there was Jeremy's recovery of course.

He had healed from most of his traumas and seeing him getting better over the last few months was already great. Then there was that afternoon I got back from my father's office and found him kneeling on our bed, naked. The day he asked me to become his Dominant again. The day he called me Master for the first time since he had been abducted. The day we had our first BDSM scene in two years. The day I realized he was ready to give our old lifestyle a new chance.

This was barely a month ago and ever since then, we have been working on this progressively as agreed with Dr. Fenton. We have only played light scenes, very slowly reintroducing accessories and intensity in our games. For now, it's only about using plugs, vibrators, comfortable leather restraints, cock rings and getting him used again to being edged.

We had very serious conversations together about our return to BDSM, communication is a key concept and we have been defining and redefining limits at least twice a week to see what he is ready to try or not. Spanking for pleasure has been reintroduced too, and I also used it once last week as a light punishment after he talked back, but flogging or anything else more intense will have to wait a little longer.

He has also made efficient use of his safewords. Or at least one of them. He hasn't had to use Paris because I know what I am doing, and our slow progress prevents me from going too far in our scenes, but he has been calling London whenever he needed it. To be honest, it hasn't happened more than three or four times since I can easily read his body, but I'm glad he has a way out, and even gladder that he uses it advisedly.

Besides, we've never done anything too complicated so far because I didn't invest into too many items in London. Things will be easier once we're in Naperville and able to use the playroom and accessories we have there.

Anyway, things moved on and I enjoyed all the moments we played over the past month. It seems like Jeremy has been reveling in his new submission as well and this has freed him of more demons. He has become more joyful each day – it's such a pleasure to hear him sing, or rather yell, hard rock songs while he cooks again! – and at the same time, I noticed some sort of boredom sinking in. Sadly, I had to compensate for my absence from the Chicago office a lot more recently than in the beginning and I spent a lot of time working either in my study or at my father's headquarters.

On his side, Jeremy finished his book therapy and there was so much he had to do on his own. He had renovated most of the house and although he still enjoyed his LEGO constructions, it couldn't keep him busy all day. Dr. Fenton agreed with me saying that he wasn't entirely ready to face the outside world by taking a job and spending too much time with people he didn't know, so it was out of the question for him to return to work before a few more weeks.

As his Dominant, I encouraged him to indulge in other activities such as reading, working out or spending more time with my mother who always gladly met him in London for more sightseeing. And he did a lot of these! However, he was clearly missing more social contact and although he never complained about this growing loneliness, I could see it was wearing on him, so this conversation he had with Liam was all I needed to make another important decision.

There was such emotion in his voice when he told the young blonde how much he was missing him and all their friends, especially as said friends seemed to include Ed and all the other Subs. Yes, Jeremy took another step forward about three weeks ago and decided to reach out to Ed, his old Sub friend, which went very well since they spent like two hours on the phone to catch up. This was another good sign and when I retreated to my study to ponder on everything, it didn't take me more than two hours to design our return to Chicago.

After a nice dinner and an intense sex scene, I simply raised the subject while we were cuddling in bed.

"We're moving back to Chicago in two weeks, Baby," I just said.

Utter relief washed over me when I didn't feel him tense in my arms. Instead, he snuggled even closer against my body, sighing with content.

"Please, yes... I'm ready..." he whispered back. "I know how you've been missing everything there and I'll be eternally grateful for your patience over all these months, Gary. You're really the best and I could never thank you enough."

"You deserved that much, Jer..."

"Still, thank you... Anyway, I'm ready to go back home now and I'm sincere about it. I still have doubts about how safe I'm going to feel but I could work on this with Dr. Graaf and I trust you to support me. The thing is now that I am truly better, I'm missing all our friends there too and I think it's time to resume our normal life in Chicago. So, I'm ready, Gary. Please have us move back as soon as you want."

Needless to say, I activated all the commands that would propel us back to the United States the following day. The recent issues I had had with work in the past few weeks were another motivation and both my father and Bruce welcomed the news with pleasure and relief. My assistant in Chicago arranged everything for the house to be ready upon our arrival and it's supposed to be clean and furbished with food, and with new surveillance systems.

Jeremy took care of all the packing and preparations required at home, and I drowned myself into work so that I wouldn't have too much to do during our first week in Chicago in order to spend as much time as possible with my love. It didn't prevent us from enjoying a beautiful weekend in Paris, and then another one in Scotland, but we've been quite busy. Now, we will have to get used again to our old environment but I'm confident we'll manage.

My overprotective side also turned up in front of Jeremy's lack of confidence in terms of safety, and I ordered a bunch of GPS chips to make him feel safer – and to assuage my own worries, I must admit. Some have been installed in his wallet, in the soles of all his shoes, in his jackets and coats, in the brand-new watch I offered him. A jeweler in London managed to also add a tiny tracker in his wedding ring and last but not least, there's one in the white gold collar I intend to wrap around his neck at the first opportunity we will use our playroom in Naperville.

Of course, he knows about them all. Like most people would say, he finds it a bit too extreme, but he admitted that it reassures him. We know what happened with Noah and how Andrei simply got rid of the boy's collar when he got him abducted and as long as the fucker is at large, it could happen again. I may sound paranoid and I don't give a fuck about it, my love's safety is worth all the paranoia in the world. The more trackers he will wear, the more chances I will have to spot him if fate decides to bother us again and he agrees with it.

As the plane begins its descent, Jeremy slowly wakes up and when he opens his eyes, I look at him with adoration.

There are no words to describe what I feel for this man. He is just everything to me. The day I found him kneeling in Aaron's office before the Dom certification and the moment I offered him that first contract a bit later that evening, I knew I would build something strong with him. I just can't explain it. I can't even call it love at first sight because I already knew him and had already even fucked him twice, but there was something on this specific day that called me. Perhaps it was because he was finally ready to try a long-term relationship with a Dom, I don't know.

What I know is that it didn't take me long to realize that he was the one. The man of my life and I was right because he is even more than this. He is my husband, my lover, my Submissive, my soulmate, my other half. Without him, I'd die.

"How are you feeling?" I ask warmly once he has stretched and straightened up his seat.

"I'm good, Gary, stop worrying," he chuckles. "I told you countless times that I'm ready for this."

"I'm not worrying, Baby. I love you..."

"And I love you too..." he replies with a light blush.

After the plane has landed, my heart starts beating even faster. It's barely noon on this Monday and the day is only beginning. Huge emotions are waiting for us until we slip into our bed tonight. Going through customs goes pretty fast and as arranged by Cathy, my assistant, a van is waiting for us to transfer all our luggage and us to Naperville.

As soon as we are settled in the vehicle, I wrap an arm around Jeremy's shoulders, snuggling him against my side, and pull out my phone. After a silent conversation just staring at each other intensely, I send the texts we drafted together at the beginning of our flight from London. They are all very similar and addressed to Aaron, Joshua, Camden, Mark and Tony Jacobson.

Hey there,

Please be at my house in Naperville at 7pm today with your other halves/thirds if they're available. Don't ask questions, just be there.

Gary.

We have kept our return to Chicago secret from all our friends here. We wanted to surprise them and hopefully, they will consider it a nice surprise. Several times I was tempted to spill the beans to Aaron, because he has been pushing me to start thinking about coming back, but I held on. So many things have changed here, I am terribly eager to get back into our old habits and see how they have all evolved with their respective partners.

Our afternoon is quite busy. The arrival at home goes well and is nothing like the day I brought Jeremy back here last August. For one, he has recovered most of his old self and is no way the prostrated and wrecked young man I got back in Cook. There is no panic attack, he is plainly at ease and confident, clearly happy to be here. We spend hours getting settled and unpacking and at 6pm, a caterer delivers the food and drinks Cathy ordered for us. It doesn't take us too long to set up everything in the large living room.

Of course, everyone has replied to my text with questions, mostly asking what I was doing in Chicago since my monthly visit should have been earlier this month and I cancelled it. Joshua asks if I managed to convince Jeremy to accompany me on a business trip for once, but I don't reply anything else than Just be there on time. Tony and Camden must be busy and don't insist too much, but Aaron and Mark also shoot several texts, in answer of which I remain evasive.

Jer is getting a bit nervous as 7pm approaches so I lead him to the couch and we cuddle until the doorbell rings for the first time. When Joshua and Liam walk in, with Tony and Liz in their tracks, this is the first flood of tears.

"Oh my God!!! You're here!!" Liam squeals as soon as he spots Jeremy.

Both boys throw themselves at each other for one of the most emotional embraces I have ever seen. Their words are completely unintelligible through their sobs, but they seem to understand each other all the same.

"Fuck! It feels good to see you!" Joshua says as he pulls me into a hug.

"You tell me..." I reply with a strangled voice.

He has no idea how right he is and how I return the feeling.

I have barely had time to greet Tony and Liz that the bell rings again, and there we go for another emotional moment when Mark comes in with Shannon and Alex. Jeremy only knows them from the time they spent in London around Christmas and at our wedding, but I have a feeling they will be great friends for him. There are more hugs and tears.

We deliberately chose to arrive on a Monday so that we could have everyone available. Mark's restaurant is closed, the Black Moon and the Black Diamond as well, Joshua could manage to finish early enough for once and only Camden could have been a problem since I know he usually works late on Mondays. But I sent him a text to beg him to trust me and do his best to be here with Noah. From my tone, he understood it was serious enough and he replied that I was really lucky because he only had to postpone two appointments to finish at 6:30.

Speak about the devil and he shows up!

At 7:15, two SUVs stop in front of the house and several men pull out of the cars. As they walk in, silence falls for ten long seconds, everyone staring at each other with the most intense emotions before squeals, groans and sobs erupt in the living room. I register Noah throwing himself at Jeremy, tears of joy streaking down his cheeks, with Camden tearing up as he watches his boy with affection. From what I understood, the last six months have been quite rough, however, seeing the intensity in their looks, I have no doubt about the love they share.

Another young man is standing close to the Sadist now, whispering in his ear; a young man I actually met during my last trip to Chicago at a dinner with all my friends. Except for the darkness of their hair, these two don't look alike at all. Sony, Camden's younger brother, is absolutely beautiful, just as short and thin as Cam is tall and fairly-built. The Cutie looks a bit lost, but it's adorable how his mischievous green eyes keep flicking warily between his brother, the noisy reunion scene and the other men in the room.

Another of these men is a handsome and tall blond guy I also got to meet during my monthly trips to Chicago. Kayden, the new Master Dom and second-in-command at the Black Diamond, is exactly like the first time I met him two months ago: beneath his natural Dominant aura, I can decipher his joyful playfulness and I honestly can't wait to know him more as I'm sure we'll get along very well. While Ed loudly expresses his happiness – yes, Ed is here too – I see Kayden smile and amusingly snort at a bewildered Aaron before he joins Camden and cheerfully wraps his arms around Sony's shoulders from behind.

Tonight, there are no Doms, Master Doms, Subs or whatever. Just a group of people happy to reunite and I love that.

The last one I register is Aaron. My friend looks thunderstruck, still standing by the entrance door, his chocolate eyes wide open and his mouth agape as he witnesses the emotional scene in front of him. Closing the distance between us, I go to face him and wait for him to acknowledge my presence.

"The heck..." he breathes out eventually as his eyes finally focus on mine.

"We're back, Aaron," I whisper, not too sure about the strength of my voice.

"Back as in...?" he asks cautiously and squinting at me.

"As in we're back for good... We arrived this morning with all our stuff and we're staying. Sorry I didn't say anything, but we wanted to make it a surprise."

"Holy shit... Thank goodness!!!" he replies, tears filling his eyes before he pulls me into a bear hug. The embrace remains silent for a long moment, no other words are needed. I know how he is feeling and he knows how I am feeling. "Thank you, Gary... Thank you..."

Well, I should be the one thanking him. Without his constant support and advice throughout the past few months, I would have had many more moments of doubts and difficulties to help Jeremy heal. Yet, I know what he means. We all know how much affection he has always had for Jeremy and how much he has been missing him, so this is only relief for him to see him back. Besides, he knows that we are slowly getting back into the lifestyle and I'm sure we'll soon get new memberships at the club and spend time all together.

When Jeremy eventually notices Aaron's presence, he leaves the other boys' sides and rushes to the man who probably saved him from a doomed fate seven years ago. I may be the one who guided Jeremy on the right track and made him become the man he is today, but he still owes a lot to Aaron. These two have a special relationship, of which I am nowhere near jealous, one that is strong and that's just how it is. Aaron is like a big brother to Jer and this is no wonder that their reunion is the most emotional of all and that they isolate themselves for a short moment soon after.

The evening goes well, everyone has so much to say and we really have a good time. Tony is extremely happy about all the actions I took for Jeremy's safety and says he will advise the same for all the boys. Jeremy sounds more joyful than he has ever been and that makes me proud and the happiest man on Earth. There's also a lot of talk about Camden and Noah's upcoming wedding, but as much as I can hear all the boys try to convince Jeremy to attend – especially these little creeps of Shannon and Sony – I'm not sure he'll be able handle the kinkiness so soon. I'll have to hold a conversation with Camden and see what they have planned exactly...

I'm in the kitchen, preparing the cakes for the dessert at the counter when a body slams in my back and a hot breath of air blows in my right ear.

"I hope you're ready for a bit of training, you sexy man..."

Aaron.

Of course.

"You'd better keep that dick flaccid against my backside or I'm going to cut it off..." I groan in a low tone, raising the knife I'm holding.

"Oh, come on, Gary... Now you're back in Chicago and even better, back into the lifestyle, don't tell me you're not going to return to the Black Diamond. You're not going to deny me the pleasure of training you and finally tasting your tight ass?" he whines playfully.

"Fuck you, Ron. I don't need a training. I have more than proved my skills at being a Dominant. So forget it!" I grumble, pushing him back from me before I get a chance to feel a potential erection.

"Please, Gary..." he insists with mischievous eyes.

"No way! And what the hell! You're settled! Don't you have enough sex now you're in a stable relationship?" I argue, which only makes him guffaw.

"You should know me. I never have enough!" he laughs out.

"Doesn't your boy get jealous?" I ask curiously, causing Aaron to roll his eyes.

"You're just like Josh..." he huffs impishly. "Sharing is a difficult concept for you two, but I told you already. On one side, there's the relationship, the one that includes feelings and allows you to share your life with one or more people, live with them... And on the other side, there's what's called pure sex, the part that involves naughty things without real feelings and that has various levels of kinkiness. This doesn't change a thing to the love I have, and they..."

"I know, I know... I'm glad he's like that too, then!" I reply, catching him first for a bear hug for once.

"Yeah, me too..." he says, wrinkling his nose. "Anyway, you don't get into a relationship with Master Doms if you don't like to share, I mean... That would be ridiculous..."

"True... Though you could have changed..." I suggest, knowing full well what he'll tell me.

"Me changing? Nah... People take me as I am, or they don't. I'm just me and I spent enough years in my childhood and adolescence trying to be someone else."

"I'm just kidding, Ron. Just be yourself, that's the best. In the meantime, forget about my training, that's a no-no!"

"We'll see about that..." he smirks, taking both cakes while I grab the pile of small plates and spoons.

I snort and shake my head in exasperation – he can really dream about it, I won't take that training again! – and we return to the other guests in the living room. The rest of the evening goes uneventful, with more talking and much happier goodbyes. Everybody works tomorrow so it's only 10:30 when Jeremy and I find ourselves alone in the house. Although he managed to sleep a lot on the plane, all these emotions have exhausted him and since I am tired too, I decide that we'll tidy up everything tomorrow and we immediately head to our bedroom.

After a long shower together – and blowjobs while we were at it – we lie down in bed and cuddle in the darkness of the room. I don't think I have ever felt so good in my life before. I am back in the city I love so much. My traumatized husband is healing better than well. I am holding the sweetest thing in my arms. Our future looks bright even if I don't know what it holds for us. Aside of a little shadow in the demon of Andrei, we have everything to be happy.

Soon, we will lead a normal life. We have all our friends surrounding us. We have a beautiful house and I'm sure we'll be able to start a family at some point to fill it with even more love.

Yeah, the future looks bright and my man is just the best.

"I love you, Gary..." Jeremy whispers, half-asleep.

"I love you even more, Baby..."

* * *

Jeremy's POV – Tuesday 19 April 2016

I wake up to an empty bed. A bed I hadn't slept in for months.

When I open my eyes, I don't feel lost at all. I know where I am, this is our old master bedroom in Naperville. I'm slightly upset to find myself alone in bed upon waking up, but it's soon forgotten because I'm the happiest man on Earth. Even if I would have preferred cuddling against Gary, I'm still glad I have a little moment to myself to revel in my emotions.

Last evening was just great. I can't begin to describe how happy I was to see all our friends, old ones and new ones, again. Gosh! It felt so good! The reunion with Liam and Noah was so intense, I don't remember ever shedding so many happy tears. I had no apprehension at all, unlike the first reunion we had back in September last year. I was a bit nervous, but it was mostly out of excitement at the idea of seeing them all again and Gary managed to calm me down before they arrived.

Honestly, now that I think about it, all my fears of the previous months sound so ridiculous to me, even if I am fully aware that I was in a different state of mind. I know the reasons why I shut out everybody aside of Gary, his parents and mine for such a long time. I can't deny I needed that to reconstruct myself, but now that I am almost completely healed, I realize how much I have been missing being me and enjoying the company of friends.

When Gary told me we were going to move back to Chicago about two weeks ago, I welcomed the information with utter relief. Don't get me wrong, I loved my life in London. The city was beautiful and this is where my rebirth occurred. This is where I learned to live again, where I found the strength to recover and move on after the trauma of my seventeen-month captivity. This is also where I married the man I love like I never loved anyone else before and we were fine just the two of us there.

Until recently, my therapy and usual activities kept me busy enough while Gary spent hours working in his study but when I got to feel better, to the point that we returned to our BDSM lifestyle, I began to feel a bit lonely. There was no gloom or anything, but I realized I truly missed a little something. That little something was our friends and in the end, it's not that little. It's rather huge.

Of course, I discussed this with Dr. Fenton and she suggested I should talk to Gary and why not start considering going back to the US. I was actually about to do it when we had that conversation in bed and he mentioned his decision. During the past two weeks, I had been communicating a lot more often with Liam and Noah, and I had even sent an email to Ed to get back in touch with him. Boy he was happy! Liam never missed to keep him and the others updated on my healing but he was glad to hear from me directly. Seeing him again yesterday was fantastic and I can't wait to meet all these guys again.

There were Shannon, Alex and Sony, Master Camden's younger brother, as well, and although I had already met the first two last December, after speaking with them for a few hours yesterday evening, I'm under the impression that our extended group of friends must be one of a kind. This is promising many nights of fun in the Subs' room and at the club, so I think I'm going to soon bug Gary to take new memberships at the Black Diamond... As soon as for next weekend, I believe.

Anyway, things went really fast once again! Gary knows when he should use the baby steps therapy or not... We quickly agreed to keep our move back to the Windy City a secret from our friends but at the same time, we had a lot to prepare for our return. Gary took care of all the logistics with the help of his assistant while I was in charge of packing in London, but not only.

We made a deal with Dr. Fenton. She allowed some time for five appointments with her within two weeks, jointly with Dr. Graff by conference call, so that he could take over my therapy. Dr. Fenton had kept him more or less informed of my progress throughout all these months and he first congratulated me on my recovery. He asked if I would let him read the book I wrote, saying he found this very interesting, and I accepted. Once again, if it can help others, I'm glad to share.

I don't know if I will get along with him as well as with Dr. Fenton, but she thinks I still need a bit more psychological support and that I will need more once back in Chicago to make sure that all goes well when I decide to get back to work or when Gary and I start going back to the Black Diamond. And she is probably right. I am totally confident about our future, but I can imagine that it will involve a lot of emotions and it might be good to have a professional aid to deal with this. So we spent five sessions talking with Dr. Graaf about everything that happened while I lived in London and we agreed that I would continue seeing the therapist at least once or twice a week in the beginning.

I also gathered the courage to contact Peter, my former employer. I know Gary had explained him some of the reasons why I had disappeared that Wednesday noon two years ago and never returned to work. He doesn't have all the deep details, but he knows I went through something horrible. Yet, I was a bit anxious to talk to him and I asked Gary to sit next to me the day I called him.

Peter, to my utter surprise, cried when I announced myself over the phone. He called me Son.

Goddamit, it's so good to hear you again, Son!

His exact words. I apologized for not calling him any sooner and he rejected them, saying he was not my priority all this time and all that mattered was for me to get better. When I told him Gary and I were soon going to move back to Chicago, his next words overwhelmed me.

Take your time to recover, Jeremy. But when you're ready, know that your tool case is still waiting for you here. And if you're willing to get back to your active life, you have your job back, Son.

I could hardly believe it. It felt like luck was finally on my side for good. Like Gary said, I may not be ready to get back to work with strangers and so on, but dealing with people I already know should make things much easier. We agreed that I would take a bit more time to settle down again, resume my old life and once ready, I will definitely get my masonry job back with Peter. He said I would only team with him and that he would never leave me out of his sight and that achieved to reassure me. And Gary too.

Then there were my parents. We never stopped our phone calls or Skype sessions all the time I was in London. I'm not sure I'll see them a lot more often now that we are in the same country because they are still in Minneapolis, but the fact that I was ready to go back to the US pleased them a lot because it meant I am toward the end of the tunnel and close to an almost full-recovery. We have planned to spend the weekend with them in Minnesota in three weeks and they're really glad about it.

Anyway, our trip back to the US went well – like I slept during most of the flight in any case – and our arrival at home was... busy. I was so confident and eager to get there that I had no anxieties. Of course, Andrei's threat still weighs above our head – well, my head – but my overprotective man has taken such actions for my safety that I don't feel that threatened. I found him a bit excessive with all these trackers he has put in my clothes, shoes, ring, watch and so on, but I must admit it makes me feel safe.

Even if Andrei attempted to abduct me again, which I doubt he will, he would never kill me. No, he would punish me badly for escaping him and try to enslave me again, but he wouldn't have time to do that. Gary has made a clear point that when we're not together, I should text him every hour, otherwise I would be punished. Consensually of course! As part of our lifestyle. This is the major rule he has imposed when we discussed the terms of our contract. So, if anything happened, I would be sure to be found in no time and even before that bastard could take me anywhere.

I almost sometimes hope he will and that he'll get caught. That would be the end of all our worries. Once and for all. But let's no go there yet. This is sick thinking about that and I'd rather start enjoying my new life.

And it started very well with the surprise we made to all our friends last night with this short party we threw. It felt so good to see them all again and to discover new faces too. I sincerely can't wait to get to learn all these people better and I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun. As much as reuniting with Liam or even Noah was emotional, seeing Aaron was even more intense. To me, it was a bit like finding my big brother again. That man means so much to me! Without him, I would have probably ended up in drugs or in jail for my mistakes and I owe him a lot for taking me into the BDSM lifestyle. He's also the one who put me into Gary's arms and for that, I'll be eternally grateful.

We took a moment to discuss together separately and although we have been talking over the phone quite regularly, he told me again how proud he was of my progress and how happy he felt to see us back in Chicago. I think he still feels guilty for having permitted such an evil Dominant like Andrei to be a member of his club, but I know the Devil, and like I told Aaron, there was nothing he could have done to prevent this. The rest was a matter of fate for me, because I was the one Andrei chose to kidnap, but sadly, this is just life and I'd rather forget about that now.

I'm glad to see he has settled down too. It's nothing I would have ever expected from him – unlike Gary who says he knew something like that would happen, but at the same time, he always knew Aaron in a different way than I did. As long as he is happy, and he seems to be, I'm fine with anything.

Enough lazing in bed! It's almost 10am and I have big plans for today!

After this long moment of meditation, I finally get up, stop by the bathroom for my morning routine and only slip in a pair of boxer briefs before I make my way downstairs, peeking eagerly at the playroom door in the corridor. I am assaulted by the delicious scent of coffee and toasts as I climb down the staircase. Unsurprisingly, the living room has already been all cleaned up and I wonder what time Gary got up. I find him in the kitchen, only wearing boxer briefs too, which makes my little soldier wake up.

His chiseled chest is just perfect. His powerful arms and legs are sexy as hell. His beautiful features are so handsome. His three-day beard is hot. His smile makes me melt as it reveals his perfectly white teeth. His eyes are mesmerizing and full of lust already, echoing to the big bulge at the front of his underwear. I think I could skip breakfast and drag him to the playroom already, I'm sure he'd taste better than toasts and coffee.

"Finally awake, sleepy head? I was about to go and get you!" he grumbles playfully.

"You should have done that, Master. We would have been closer to the playroom..." I reply suggestively, which makes him chuckle and point his finger at the island counter as an order for me to settle there.

"Breakfast first, Pet!" he says as I hop on a stool and start coating a toast with butter. He joins me a minute later and proceeds similarly in silence at first. "So, you're really ready to try the playroom?" he then asks after a while.

"For the thousandth time, yes, I am, and this is what we agreed to. You promised we'd go there this morning!" I remind him.

"Fine, fine! You know I'm a man of words!" he exclaims with mock offense.

"Have you decided on what scene we're going to try?" I ask meekly a minute later, while I am greedily swallowing my toasts. The sooner breakfast is over, the earlier we'll be there.

"Yup. Just don't expect anything too fancy, Pet..."

"I know, baby steps..." I sigh with exasperation. Though I know he is right.

"Watch your tone, Pet. Or I might start with a spanking..." he warns me.

I am tempted to roll my eyes, but I decide otherwise. I want to be a good Submissive for him and when we are in these roles, I want him to be proud of me and call me a good boy. At least for now! My old personality will undoubtedly win over the tamed one at some point.

Once breakfast is over, Gary dismisses me so that I can go prep upstairs while he clears the kitchen. Performing my enema doesn't take long and I make it a quick task to thoroughly shave my privates and armpits, making my skin as smooth as possible. I am already hard in anticipation and when I go kneel at attention by the playroom's door, naked as he asked me to, my cock is dripping with precum.

Gary soon walks out of another bathroom in the corridor and meets quickly. He stops in front of me and I can see he seems to be fully naked too. One of his fingers lifts my chin until our eyes lock. He is probably trying to decipher emotions on my face but all he will get is determination and lust.

After a long minute of intense staring, he smiles warmly at me and moves to open the door. I thought it was locked but I guess he must have been there this morning to prepare everything.

"Stand up, Pet," he orders and once I am on my feet, he cups my face and leans down for a deep kiss, in which I can feel all his dominance. "What are your safewords, Pet?"

"London to slow down and Paris to stop, Master. And I promise I will use them if I need to..." I reply obediently.

This is another major rule Gary has been insisting on, and rightfully. For the past month, as we have been going back into BDSM, he has been slowly reintroducing me to our old games and using basic items. It's mostly the edging I have problems with and there's only one position during which I had to use the London safeword. He had bound my wrists to my ankles, while I was lying on my back, and when he flipped me around, a bit too abruptly, for some reason I panicked a bit. It wasn't that bad and in the end, he only had to roll me back again so that I could see him before he did it again more gently.

"Good boy..." he purrs as he leads me into the playroom.

The emotions I feel as I walk in and take in the setting that I know so well are even better than I thought. The smell of leather and oils feels good. I notice that he has removed some of the worst items from the racks, like the canes, the long floggers, the leather straps and even that whip he had never used on me. I don't see what is in the drawers, but I know he will only use basic accessories for now.

Gary is standing behind me, his erection pressed against the small of my back and with his hands on my hips. I'm sure he's been a bit afraid of the reaction I may have had in here, but I sincerely feel good. I know I'm ready to do this. I trust him to the fullest.

"I love you, Pet. You already know this, but I'll never tire of saying it..." he says as he moves to grab a box from the chest of drawers.

Of course, I know what this is, we chose it together in a jewelry in London the day after he told me about our move back to Chicago. This is why he doesn't try to make a big deal of it and simply pulls the necklace out of its box and brings it back, standing in front of me.

"I've loved you for so long... and my love for you only keeps growing. You're just the sweetest thing I could ever have, Baby. My lover... My husband... And now my Submissive. Will you please accept this collar as a mark of my ownership, Pet?"

"Of course, Master. I love you so much... Thank you!"

"Thank you, Pet!"

After a sweet kiss, he walks back behind me and locks the beautiful collar made of white gold links at the nape of my neck, making me feel proud to belong to him. I wouldn't have liked that sort of thing a few years ago, but now, anything coming from my man would just suit me. And I honestly love it.

"How about the swing?" he then asks softly in my ear.

"It sounds perfect, Master!" I reply with confidence.

He gently leads me to the BDSM swing that is hanging from the grid welded into the ceiling and lowers it so that I can lie down in the hammock. Rarely leaving my eyes, he first ties my right wrist in the leather bracelet attached to the chain on the same side and does the same with my left wrist. He proceeds similarly with my ankles that he secures in the appropriate restraints so that my legs are pulled apart in a V form. Once done, he lifts the swing until it reaches the perfect height for him to have access to my butt and begins to scrape the tips of his fingers along my inner legs. I wish he could fuck me already, but I guess there'll be a bit of teasing.

"How are you feeling, Pet?" he asks huskily.

"I'm all good, Master."

"Good boy. Don't forget to let me know if you feel uncomfortable at any moment."

I nod in answer and watch him turn around to go and fetch some items that he puts on a little table beside him when he returns to the swing. The first thing he does is bend over to swallow my whole length in his mouth, and as he begins to bob up and down, I already revel in the sensations.

"Mmm... So good.... And so hard!" he purrs after barely a few seconds, leaning back up to close a cock ring at the base of my shaft before he grabs a middle-size plug and coats it with lube.

There will definitely be some edging again! After he has smeared more of the substance at the crack of my ass and probed my entrance with his fingers, he starts inserting the toy inside my hole, pushing it in very slowly, never breaking eye contact.

"Oh God..." I moan as I feel the larger part of the plug stretch the ring of muscles.

"Does it feel good, Pet?" he asks smugly once it's fully settled in and he begins to swirl it inside.

"Oh my God, yes... right there!!!" I scream when the toy comes to brush against my soft spot, making me release more precum.

Gary chuckles and returns his mouth to my weeping cock while he continues to play with the plug in my ass. His free hand reaches for my chest and especially my nipples that he gently pinches in turns. Those send jolts of electricity to my groin, only adding to the delicious sensations in my lower belly. His tongue is doing wonders on the sensitive parts of my member, making it painfully hard. The fire is already building in my balls and I have become a moaning mess.

"Please, Master... I need to..." I plead but he doesn't listen to me and only pursues this sweet torture for a while longer, his own groans sending vibrations through my shaft.

I don't know how long it lasts but I'm close to safewording when he finally stops and retrieves the plug from my ass, discarding it on the table. I have never seen such lust in his eyes while he smears his own dripping erection with more lube. Teasing as he is, he keeps on stroking himself for the longest time, staring down at me when I wish he would penetrate me instead.

"Do you want this, Pet?" he asks and that's when I realize that I have been moaning whiningly and loud.

"Please, Master... I need you inside me..."

With another warm smile, Gary aligns the tip of his cock with my entrance and his hands reach for my thighs, grabbing them firmly as he thrusts inside me. The plug being pulled in and out repeatedly has prepared me well and I barely feel the discomfort of the sting when his whole length is fully sat in. Gary knows it and he doesn't wait before he starts ramming into my ass. His hips remain perfectly still as he uses the swing to make me swallow his erection, in and out.

Fuck! This is so good! I love each of the sensations I get and it's not only about those in my balls. I wasn't scared to use the playroom again because I knew I was ready for it and I was right. I can't wait to rediscover all the other instruments in here, like the Saint Andrew's cross, bondage, and maybe even the bench and the chains. I guess those will wait but I'll be patient. In any case, I am determined to recover my full kinky self in the future, and in every sense of the term.

I don't know yet how long it will take but I well intend to become the old Jeremy again. And that means a very naughty Jeremy in terms of sex.

"You feel so good, Pet..." Gary groans after long minutes of pounding into my butt.

My erection is throbbing and my balls are painfully tight now, ready to explode.

"One more minute and we'll come together," he says at last when he begins to stroke my shaft.

"Pleaaaaase, Master!!!"

His hips have now taken over the ramming and I keep begging for my release. This is with relief that I see him remove the ring and the permission comes right away.

"Come with me, Pet!" he growls, at the same time pushing himself deep inside of me.

Violent shivers seize my body as my orgasm washes over me. All my muscles tense and the fire in my balls explodes in long streams of semen that land on my chest. My hole clenches around Gary's erection, throwing him over the edge and allowing him to release his cream inside my butt, with deep groans pulling out of his mouth.

Fuck! He's so gorgeous when he comes!!! This is just too much emotions for me and I think I pass out from the intensity of my orgasm.

When I regain full consciousness, I am cuddled against my man on the bed of the playroom and I feel entirely relaxed. Shit! I missed the aftercare and the delicious massage it seems! Never mind, that will be for another time! All that matters is that I am feeling great and blissful, safe inside his arms.

"How are you doing, Baby?" Gary asks softly when he realizes that I am back from my high.

"Won-der-ful," I sigh in content and he laughs at that. "When are we going back to the Black Diamond?"

That's when he stops laughing but I wonder if it's for the reasons I imagine.

"I don't know yet..." he replies a bit hesitantly, but he quickly pulls himself through. "Soon, I guess. Are you eager to see all your friends again?"

"Yeah! Definitely! If you're worrying about me, please don't. Aaron has reassured me a lot yesterday. He told me he has a much larger security team and the video surveillance has been improved to something even better at the club. There are no risks and I'm not scared. All I want is to spend some time with my friends, have fun in the Subs' room, watch some hot scenes on stage and... be the old me again..." I reply mischievously.

"I wonder what that means..." he trails off.

I shift a bit so that I can see his face and bite my lower lip for a moment before I answer.

"I want to experience the intensity of the BDSM club and great scenes with you there... I want to be the old kinky me again..." I reply, feeling myself blush.

Gary rolls his eyes and exhales a long breath.

"Okay I see... Not any time soon, though. Let's take one step at a time, Baby..."

"Oh, I know... I'll be patient. But I'm glad you remember..." I add with a smug smile.

"Of course, I do, Baby..."

"So..." I begin hesitantly, biting my lower lip as I try to find the best words. "You also remember that you still owe me... a threesome...?"

There's another sigh as Gary closes his eyes.

"I'm not asking for it now, Gary... I know you aren't ready for this, and neither am I, but... in a few weeks or months..."

"Yeah, I remember."

"Was it going to be with Aaron?" I ask shyly, and Gary hums in answer. "Hmm... interesting."

"It might be more than a threesome if that's still with Aaron."

"I have no problem with that!" I cheer, already imagining myself in Master Aaron's playroom with Gary and more people. Damn! Just thinking about it makes me hard again.

"Of course, you don't..." he snorts playfully. "Let's take time before we get there, though."

"Sure... Just a few weeks..."

"Or months," he argues firmly. "I love you, Jeremy..." he then whispers with a lot of fondness.

"I love you too, Gary... So, so much!!" I reply in the same tone.

That would be a lie saying I always knew he was the man of my life because I didn't think so in our early years. I was too young and immature to understand that. I didn't need the tragic events I went through to realize that, though. I had understood it before I was abducted. The extreme patience and generosity that Gary proved ever since he joined me in that hospital in Cook and throughout my entire healing only added to the feelings I had for him. They reinforced the bond between us, strengthened our love and made one entity of us.

Gary and I are one item now, a solid couple.

I don't know what the future will bring us, but what I know is that we will spend it together. This is our forever after, whatever it implies. There may be more hardships coming up but there will be a lot of happiness in any case. We are already married, maybe we will start a family in a few years. Maybe less. Who knows? We have time and we still need to enjoy some time just the two of us before we decide to fill this huge house with small feet, little cries and more laughter.

Seven years ago, I met Aaron Cox, the man who was going to pull me out of troubles and introduce me to a lifestyle in which I reveled. Owner of the Black Moon, a discotheque that hides a kinky private club, he took me under his wing and never failed me.

Six years ago, I met Gary Campbell, the man who guided me toward a better life and helped me to bloom in this lifestyle. We were separated for a little more than two years while he lived in Asia, but our relationship blossomed when he returned. I fell in love with him.

Two years ago, the Devil stole me from the man of my life. A Sadist from the same club, he showed me the darker side of the moon. He enslaved me and abused my body, keeping me his captive for seventeen months. But I escaped from his grip and now I am a free man.

Eight months ago, just after my escape, I returned to the man of my life and he taught me how to live again. It took me that many months to feel myself again and now...

I'm ready to see the brighter side of the moon.

➿ T h E   e N d ➿

Published on 16 May 2018

My apologies it's taken me so long to publish the epilogue, but life has been so busy with the move to the new house and the renovation works at the old house. Anyway, there you have it!

Don't expect me to answer questions about Aaron, his Sub or whatever. Every word was chosen carefully to keep you in the dark and with double-entendre, so I'll let you interpret things as you wish and we'll see what happens ;) I hope you still enjoyed this last chapter with Gary and Jeremy.

The chronology chapter has already been updated (you may have to refresh your library or to delete / re-add the book to see it in full). The post-epilogue will come shortly, so stay tuned :)