Idolatria Ch. 19

"True," Levi shrugged. "Unfortunately, leather's in my blood at this point. I don't have any vanilla friends anymore."

"So any guy you meet is going to end up a kinkster," Leah laughed. "No, I totally get that. You eat, sleep, and breathe this shit."

"That's why they call it the lifestyle."

"So what you're saying is you forced this poor boy onto his knees on the second date," she supplied.

"Oh, no," Levi said smoothly. "No, he was already on his knees the first time we spoke."

I nearly bit my tongue in the shock of Levi's words, while Leah stared at him reproachfully. "Is that some kind of innuendo?" she prodded him.

"No, he was picking up guys in a church, Leah!"

Miss Red had joined us and wriggled into the seat on my other side. Beneath her sensible black blazer, her small chest was lifted in a strapless bustier that stopped above her middle. She gave me a pat on the head like I was a neighbor's dog and grinned. "You made it! I was gonna be really sad if you two missed the meetup."

"The boy earned it," Levi shrugged.

"Have you met him, Red?"

"Yes, last time I visited Levi's place. Isn't he the cutest thing? This collar..."

"And you didn't tell me?" Leah pouted.

Red threw up her hands dramatically. "It's not my business to tell anyone! Lee wanted his secrets. That's fine."

"Oh, Levi, please tell me you're going to bring him to a play party... I know you'd love to show him off. Has he met Wulf?"

Levi glanced at me just as I started to shrink down into my shoulders. I looked at him apologetically, beyond flustered at the excess attention. "He hasn't yet... Guys, do you mind giving him some space? I don't think he's used to the attention," he said, stifling a laugh.

Immediately, Red backed up from where she'd been leaning on my shoulder, clicking her tongue. "You might just have to get used to it," she said to me, unabashed. "Levi's very popular. The fact that he's so good with leather is a massive bonus. If it wasn't for you, half the single subs here would probably be begging him to take them on."

"Don't tell him that... It's not true."

"You're far too modest. Your sub deserves to know what kind of man he's collared to."

"I -- I know," I said, before I could stop myself. "I know already... I --"

I caught Levi's eye, my cheeks heating up as I trailed off. The corner of his mouth perked up.

"No, go on," he said. "Finish what you were saying."

There were now three people watching me. My throat felt very tight as I avoided everyone else's eyes. "I... didn't need anyone to tell me how undeserving I am of your collar," I said weakly.

Leah looked about to speak, but Levi held a hand out to her, not looking away from me. He brought the same hand to my chin, brushing his thumb over my lip. "When you say things like that, you insult me," he said, enunciating each word in a low voice. "You wouldn't be wearing my collar at all if I felt you weren't deserving of it."

I shivered, trying to turn my face away. "I'm... sorry--"

Levi tightened his grip on my jaw, forcing me to look him in the eye. "Every time you think to yourself that you don't deserve to submit to me, I want you to prove yourself wrong. Be the submissive you think I deserve. If that's what has to drive you, then do it. Understand?"

"Yes... Yes, Sir." My voice faltered the moment I got the words out. Seconds later, when Levi had let go of me, I was abruptly reminded that we weren't alone, and that several people were now watching me from across the room.

Beside me, Miss Red fanned herself and huffed in an exaggerated way. "Do you mind?" she said pointedly to Levi. "Gonna get everyone riled up doing shit like that!"

"It's not anything lewd. I'm just teaching him," replied Levi. He turned back to me, cocking his head so that his hair fell over one shoulder. "Need a breather? You look overwhelmed."

I nodded, relieved. Behind me, Miss Red snorted. "That's putting it mildly."

Levi ignored her. "Go get me a drink," he told me, fishing in his pocket. "Not alcohol. I'm driving us home. See if they have mineral water. And get whatever you want."

I nodded as Levi pressed his wallet into my open hands. It was slim, plain black leather with a small, unfamiliar symbol tooled into one corner. I wondered if he had made this, too. "Got it... I'll be right back."

As I climbed up off the bench and made my way back to the bar, I caught Levi's voice again. "Speaking of subs, where's yours, Cass?"

"She had a family dinner."

"And you weren't invited?"

"Oh, very funny."

I was silently thankful that Levi had found a reason to excuse me for a moment. I hadn't changed my mind about wanting to be here, but I was beginning to think I wasn't quite up to the task of being Levi's arm candy. People only obsessed over me because I belonged to him. Was it really that unusual that he was here, let alone that he had a sub?

Miss Red had said something to that effect... The clerk at the kink store, too. Levi had even said it, that he hadn't had a submissive in years. Why me, then?

And I began to wonder, too... Did that mean I might not last long? Would he get tired of me?

Instantly, I battled this line of thought. Be the submissive you think I deserve. He'd just gotten done telling me this. This lack of self-confidence wasn't going to do anything for him. I took a deep breath and touched my collar, as if to remind myself that it was still there.

The bar was just as loud as before, though maybe a bit more dispersed. I didn't have any trouble getting near enough to the bar to catch the bartender's attention.

"Excuse me... do you have mineral water?"

"Sure. Is Perrier okay?"

"I think so... and..." I scanned the beer listing behind her, looking for something familiar. Most seemed like local crafts. Was alcohol okay for me to get if Levi wasn't drinking? He did say I could get anything. I figured as long as I didn't get sloshed, he'd probably approve. "Um... just a bottle of Yards, too."

"Just a sec."

I leaned against the lacquered wood of the bar, checking Levi's wallet. There were a few cards in here, but he probably wanted me to use the cash in the billfold. As I thumbed through it, I suddenly became aware of a figure standing very near to me.

To my right stood a strange man, nearly half a foot taller than me. His platinum hair was perfectly straight, shorn to the skull on one side and past his shoulder on the other. And his eyes, ice-blue and sharp and rimmed with black makeup, were staring blatantly into mine. His lips curved into a catlike smile, pierced on either side with a pair of silver spikes, as if he'd grown fangs straight through his skin.

"That's a lovely collar," he purred. "Are you here all alone?"

I gaped at him, reaching for my own neck by instinct. "No," I stammered. "I'm here with my... um... my partner."

"Your Master?" he prompted.

Master... It wasn't a word Levi had ever asked me to say, though I'd heard it in his voice once or twice before. I'd avoided saying anything to connect this to BDSM in case this guy was just some normal barfly, but it was becoming increasingly apparent what he was really here for. "He's my Dominant," I corrected, keeping my voice low.

"Oh. I see." I expected the man to be disappointed -- maybe he'd been hoping I was available? -- but his smile only broadened, his teeth unnaturally straight and sharp, like he'd filed them. "And he lets you wander off all by yourself?" he asked, almost tauntingly.

Something about the way this guy was talking irritated me. He didn't know anything about Levi. It didn't seem strange to anyone else in the group that I'd been sent off. "I'm... obeying an order. I didn't leave on my own."

"Sir, can I see your ID?"

I was startled by the bartender's return, my drink and Levi's sitting on the bar just out of my reach. I fished in my pocket and got my own wallet out, slipping my drivers' license into the waiting hand. I couldn't help but notice the man next to me leaning slightly closer, as if to try and read the card I'd handed over. It was returned to me just as quickly, and I stowed it away rather hastily. What the fuck was this guy's problem?

"It's seven-fifty."

"Thanks..." Man, but drinks were getting expensive at these places. The whole time I exchanged money and began gathering the bottles, the man beside me refused to leave. "Um... did you need something else?" I said helplessly.

Before I could stop him, he leaned over and slipped a finger into the ring of my collar, examining it. Shaken, I yanked back to make him let go.

"It really is a pretty thing," he said, like I hadn't just recoiled from him. "Though... It's so small and thin. It's not locked, either, is it?"

"No," I snapped, pressing a hand over it. "Please don't touch this without asking."

He didn't seem to have registered what I said. "Your Master should be more careful letting you out of his sight," he smiled. "Why don't I just escort you back to him?"

"That's... I appreciate it, but the room's right over there. Thanks." As I turned to try and get away, my eyes fell to the man's clothes -- slim-fitting black jeans showing off his slender figure, his hands in fingerless leather gloves with chains around the wrist, and the toe of his black boots rather sharper than what I saw Levi wearing normally. His shirt was cut low enough that I could see a cross tattooed on his left collarbone -- but unlike mine, it was wide, black, the four points of it flared and of equal lengths. A familiar symbol, but I couldn't remember where I'd seen it before. This was the kind of guy I could see Marc making fun of if we'd seen him at the mall. But here, with the atmosphere already tense, he was scaring the shit out of me.

I had barely gone two steps before he started following me despite my protest. Maybe he was in their group, just headed the same way I was... but I couldn't help feeling as though I was being stalked. I picked up my pace a little to put distance between us and ducked into the back room to find Levi, hopeful that his presence would deter my follower.

Levi was by himself at the end of the table now. Leah and Red had apparently moved on to chat with others, joining their voices in one of the small throngs in different parts of the room. Levi looked up from his phone and smiled at me as I approached, though his expression faltered slightly when I set our things down shakily in front of him.

"Ash, are you okay? You look like you--"

Levi's voice froze in an instant, the color slowly draining from his face as he looked over my shoulder. I glanced back to see that the man had followed me all the way to our corner. His eyes sparkled as if he'd stumbled onto something amazing... gazing down not at me, but at Levi.

"Hello, pet," he said softly. "I thought it might be you."