Master Garret Ch. 01

*Author's Note: This is something a little different than what I have previously written. This is Jonathan and Garret's story, the events that happened before The Contract. I know I haven't finished The Contract for you yet but I'm stuck and the ideas for this one demanded to be written. I will warn you right away that it starts off slow and with no sex for quite a while. I wanted to build this world, get more into this safe little world of BDSM and tell the story of the greatest of friends. This will most likely act more like a novella so instead of putting this one under BDSM it is under Novels and Novellas instead.

If you are here because of The Contract, please know that this is a different Jonathan than the one you already know. This Jonathan is still learning and we'll be on that journey with him.

I will gladly accept your constructive criticism and would be grateful of your advice as some of this is territory where I have not gone before.

I do hope you enjoy.*

*****

"Get out!" the man snarled, "if you insist on being a brat then get out of my sight and return when you're ready to obey!"

He stalked from the room, leaving the naked woman sprawled on the floor to take care of herself. Samantha stuck her tongue out at his retreating back and made a rude gesture.

"Asshole," she muttered after he was out of earshot. "Absolute son of a bitch...patronizing bastard, telling me how to act." Samantha continued muttering as she made her way to her room, still naked as he had made her come to the playroom without her clothes. Slamming the door to her room behind her, she quickly dressed and put a few essentials together. She'd show him and come back when she was damn well ready. She made sure to stomp back down the stairs so he would hear and slammed the front door as she left. She started her car and peeled out of the driveway.

Samantha didn't know where she would go, or what she would do. She had signed the contract for a whole year, it had only been two months. Ten more months of this would be actual, unpleasant torture. A few miles down the road she pulled over to the side and rested her forehead against the steering wheel. Her friends were few, she didn't need a job so no coworkers to turn to. Even then she didn't want to out herself and him. He was an asshole Dom but he was a good man.

"Garret," she said suddenly, her head popping up as the name came to her. "He and Jonathan are friends, he'll know what to do!" She got her bearings and sped off to the home of Garret Fenton.

...

A gray haired housekeeper opened the door at her knock, his eyebrows raised as he saw her.

"Miss Samanta," he greeted her, "how may I help you?"

"I would like to speak with Mr. Fenton please."

"He has turned in for the evening, as I was about to do myself. It is starting to get late, miss."

"Please, it's important I speak with him."

"It's all right, Charles," a man said from further in the house.

Charles opened the door further and stepped aside as he gestured her in. Garrett was dressed extremely casual. Well, she had always seen him in a suit or at least dress slacks and a nice shirt. Garret always dressed nicely. He kept his face either clean shaven or closely trimmed, and his hair neatly cut. Though he was only in his early 40s, ten years older than Jonathan, his hair had turned a dignified salt and pepper. His face remained youthfully handsome with just the traces of fine lines, many of them laugh lines. Seeing him in a robe and sweatpants with a five o'clock shadow was an extreme to her.

"Let's go talk in my study. Charles, go ahead and get to bed. I'll see her out on my own, no need to keep you awake." Garret said.

"Right, see you in the morning Garret. Evelyn already made breakfast so if you're up before she gets here she said to help yourself. Goodnight." Charles dipped his head to them then started making sure the house was closed up before he left.

"Did Jonathan send you?" Garret asked as they made their way to his study. He gestured to one of the comfortable chairs and took a seat opposite her.

"No," Samantha said as she sat. She toyed with the strap of her purse nervously.

"Does he know you're here?"

Samantha sighed. "No. He knows I left, I made sure to slam the door, but I didn't tell him where I was going. I doubt he cares."

Garret's eyes narrowed briefly before he relaxed them again. "What happened to make you leave? Did he hurt you?"

"Ugh, no, Master Jonathan wouldn't do that and you know it. No he's...he's...just an asshole."

Garret's eyebrows raised. "I believe I asked you what he did."

Samantha swallowed. "Well..we were playing and...he was frustrated. I didn't want to play like that today. It was too boring. I.." she hesitated, not used to talking to anyone else about this, "I wanted him to play my way. I was being difficult on purpose, disobeying every command, getting out of the straps, just...anything I could do that was wrong really. I wanted him to make me obey. Get that...voice that I like when he does it. It's only happened a few times."

Garret stroked his chin as he listened. "Jonathan has told me about some of your sessions together. He has been frustrated after every one, so he tells me. From what I've heard, you're always difficult and never want to obey. Even outside of a scene you do the opposite as told." He leaned forward, elbows on his knees and looked her in the eyes. "What makes you to not want to be submissive to him?"

Samantha froze and stared back into Garret's eyes. How did he do that? "I...I guess I don't like the way he Doms. It's annoying. Sometimes he's too strict, other times not strict enough. It doesn't seem like he even gives a shit. I don't enjoy what we do together sometimes and..."

"And you wish you hadn't signed the contract," Garret said softly, finishing her sentence.

Samantha nodded. "Am I a bad sub, Sir?" she asked quietly.

Garret sighed and leaned back in his chair. "No, you're just a brat that needs a different hand to guide you, and Jonathan should know better. You and Jonathan just do not work well together. You are allowed to end your contract, I will help."

Samantha relaxed a little. "What do I do?"

"You may stay in one of my guest rooms tonight. Tomorrow we'll get your things and you'll be on your way. Unless you would like to try to submit to another dominant?"

"I would like to do that. Would...would you take over?"

"I'm sorry Samantha, but no. You and I would also not get along. I'll contact a few others in the group that may be the type you need and see if they would like to meet you. Come along, I'll take you to your room. Get a good night's rest and we'll talk to Jonathan tomorrow."

"Um, Master Garret, there's one more thing I think I should mention," she said as they walked.

"Go ahead."

"He's changed since I first met him at the auction. I don't know what's wrong, I thought it was me causing it but I'm not sure. He hasn't been eating as well as he was before and doesn't work out as often. Spends more time on his own too. He's starting to look like he's getting sick. He's being a right bastard but I don't want to see him unwell."

"Thank you for that information. Here is your room for the evening. Oh, and Samantha."

Garret waited until she looked at him.

"If I ever hear you call Jonathan a bastard again, I will take you over my knee myself. Goodnight."

...

Jonathan did not sleep much that night, he really hadn't slept well at all as of late, so he was already wide awake when the doorbell rang. Had she forgotten her key? He sighed as he rolled out of bed and made his way down to the front door in just his sweats and t-shirt. He flung open the door and was about to start into his lecture when he froze at the sight of his friend, Garret.

"Garret? What are you doing here so early?"

"I had a visitor last night, we need to talk."

Jonathan looked behind Garret to see Samantha standing there, her demeanor a mix of nervous and stubborn all at once. He let them in.

"Samantha has something to say," Garret stated.

She took a deep breath. "Master Jonathan, I thank you for the time we've had together but I am breaking our contract now. Master Garret is going to help me find another Dom."

The words shocked Jonathan like a slap to the face. "But...what...why? You've never said anything about being unhappy? You've barely communicated at all!"

"And the same goes for you!" Samantha snapped back. "That first week you were all 'communication is key' blah blah blah. Fucking hypocrite."

"Stop!" Garret growled. "Samantha, get your things and go. I will talk with you later. And you," he turned to Jonathan who was about to speak again, "I will speak to you in your study. Now."

Jonathan set his jaw and led the way to his study, sharing one last glare with Samantha before they parted.

"What the hell is this about?" he demanded when the door to his study closed behind them.

"You heard, she's leaving, and I'm helping her do so. Both of you are being ridiculous but I expected better coming from you." Garret's voice dropped dangerously low. "The way you have acted with her is completely unacceptable!"

"She won't obey a simple command!" Jonathan threw up his hands. "How am I supposed to work with a submissive who doesn't want to submit?"

"You talk to her, you figure her out, you find out why she doesn't want to submit to you. Then you do the right thing and either move on or work on it with her. Both of which you have failed to do."

Jonathan was quiet as his friend's words sunk in. In that quiet he heard the front door close as Samantha left his house, for good.

"Do you know what it is like to be in her position?" Garret's voice was soft now. "To be giving up total control to someone she barely even knows? Do you know how it feels, Jonathan? To kneel and give that kind of trust."

Jonathan shook his head.

Garret took a deep breath. "I thought not. Kneel."

Jonathan jerked his head up to look at his friend in bewilderment. "Excuse me?"

Garret leaned closer until their noses were just inches apart. "You heard me, Jonathan. Kneel." His voice commanding.

Before Jonathan really knew what he was doing he was on his knees on the floor of his own study.

Garret took a step back and folded his arms across his chest. "I know you've never submitted before, Jonathan." He said gently, softening his voice now. "Not every Dom does. Many find it helpful to understand what they put their submissives through. I did, years ago."

Jonathan looked up in surprise at his friend. This was something he did not know.

Garret knelt down on one knee in front of Jonathan. "I think you should try it, Jonathan."

"I...I don't know if I can, Garret."

"How do you know if you've never tried? I think it would help you. It certainly helped me. No matter what, you shouldn't take another submissive until you understand what you did wrong with Samantha, and how to avoid that happening again."

"But, it's in my nature to be a Dom. I can't just...submit."

"Oh, can't you?" Garret asked with a raised brow and looked pointedly at Jonathan's kneeling position. "I only had to ask you twice, and you haven't moved."

Jonathan looked down at his knees and said nothing.

"There is no shame in it," Garret continued softly. "Submission is a gift. There is no shame in giving a gift so willingly. That's part of what you need to learn."

"Who would I submit to?" Jonathan asked quietly.

"I can help you find someone who fits with you. Or...I could teach you."

Jonathan brought his gaze up to meet Garret's, who was looking very serious.

"How did you know?" Jonathan whispered.

"You told me, a few years ago when our friendship was new. I invited you to a party at my place and you had too much to drink. I set you up on a couch to start getting you sobered up before I took you home. You asked me if I was interested in men, then proceeded to tell me about how you had a short relationship with a friend of yours in college. You told me in great detail all the things you would do together, but that the only sex you had with him was oral. It started off as just a fling, just something to try. Something that neither of you had been allowed to do before. He didn't find it as appealing as you did, it was just experimentation to him. It hurt you when he wanted to stop and you two went your separate ways, your friendship slipped away after that as well. I didn't tell you because I wanted sober you to trust me with that story, so I kept it to myself. I had suspected your interests before I learned about that though."

Jonathan found himself going red as Garret explained. He remembered the party and getting drunk, but he couldn't remember the end of the night before he found himself back home. He had never been sure how Garret would react to his bisexual curiosity.

"What else tipped you off?" Jonathan asked, clearing his throat.

"I have learned to read people very well. Some of your mannerisms in some situations clued me in, but I wasn't completely sure. You'd give the same attention to a handsome man walking by that you would give to a beautiful woman. You seemed generally comfortable and open around other men, though that could just be your nature and has nothing to do with anything else. Just little things, here and there. Like I said, I'm very good at reading people, so these things aren't blaringly obvious to the world."

He stood up and held out his hand. "Come up. Go take a shower and we can talk more over breakfast."

Jonathan took his hand and stood, feeling very shy all of a sudden.

Garret put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"There's nothing to fear. We're only going to talk today, then I'll leave you alone so you can think. You don't have to rush into a decision. I'll wait for you downstairs." He turned to walk out of the study but stopped in the doorway. "Oh, Jonathan, it wouldn't be a bad idea to shave. You're starting to look a little homeless." Then he left the study and headed downstairs.

Jonathan rubbed at his cheeks and found them to be fuzzier than he normally kept his beard. How did that happen? He went to his bedroom and into the master bathroom to look in the mirror. His face was rather scruffy. His eyes were a little red but that was probably because he didn't get much sleep last night. He noticed dark circles under his eyes as well. Maybe this whole ordeal with Samantha had stressed him out more than he had realized. Maybe it was time to let someone else be in control for once. He shook his head and got to work on his face with the razor.

...

Garret put down the paper he was reading as Jonathan walked into the kitchen.

"There, that's better, now you look more like the Jonathan I know. Lydia has kindly started making us breakfast. I assumed bacon and eggs would be sufficient?"

"Yes, that sounds great!" Jonathan agreed as he sat at the table in the breakfast nook with Garret.

Lydia, Jonathan's housekeeper, smiled at him as she prepared the food. She was glad Garret was here, she had been starting to worry about Jonathan.

The smell of breakfast soon permeated the kitchen and she brought their food over to them, then she left them alone to talk. Both Garret and Jonathan's housekeepers were aware of their lifestyle as keeping discrete had been a part of the job when they signed on.

For a while the two men ate their food in silence, enjoying Lydia's good cooking.

"Would there be a contract?" Jonathan asked, breaking the silence.

"No, you and I don't need a contract. That's mostly for the experience factor. We'll discuss limitations and the like but this is not a formal agreement like the club puts out. That's mainly for show anyway. Our agreement will be verbal and there will be open communication between us if either one of us no longer wishes to continue. I figured we could set a year as a goal, and go from there. If this is something you feel needs to last longer and I agree then we can continue the arrangement." Garret paused as he took a drink. "You don't have to make a decision right now, but I want to hear your thoughts on this."

Jonathan set his fork down and leaned back in his chair.

"I both want to and don't want to," he said after a pause. "You are correct that I am bisexual, though I am inexperienced with men and haven't been with one since...him. So, that part of me worries that this would end up just like that time and I would lose you as a friend." He paused to look at Garret. "I do value you as a friend, Garret. I don't want this to ruin that friendship."

"That is a valid concern, though I do not believe you need to worry about that with us. I do not intend to lose you as a friend. However I do think that this could bring us closer as even greater friends."

Jonathan nodded his agreement. "My other thought is that maybe this is the right decision. When you commented on my beard I hadn't even noticed that it was unkempt. I usually keep it either neatly trimmed or completed shaven. That came as a surprise to me. It makes me wonder what else I've been neglecting lately. You are correct that the way I handled Samantha was...well, not the best. I didn't listen to what she was trying to tell me and I handled things badly."

"That's good to hear."

"What is she going to do?"

"I've set her up at a hotel for now. She had the choice to leave but she would like to continue her year. I've sent messages out to a few other dominants that I know who would fit the type of personality and level that she needs. A couple have responded so I'll take her to meet them today. I'll help her find the right fit then she'll be under the care of someone else and there's nothing more for you to worry about."

"Good. Would you apologize to her for me when you see her?"

"No, you'll do that yourself someday. It will be better coming directly from you." Garret looked at his watch and stood. "Now, if you'll excuse me I need to go pick her up. Like I said, take the day to think things over, try to relax. I'm not going to force you into anything."

Jonathan stood and followed him to the door. Garret clapped Jonathan on the back.

"You know how to reach me if you need to talk before tomorrow. I'll drop by in the morning again, and if you agree then we'll get into serious discussion. Have a good day, Jonathan."

With a smile he left Jonathan to his own thoughts.

...

Once again Jonathan didn't sleep very well. It was a better rest than the night before, but it took him awhile to get to sleep. Was he nervous, apprehensive, excited? He couldn't tell. But he was up, showered, and dressed before Garret arrived. He tried to be more presentable today. Nice black slacks with a fitted, red button down shirt. He kept fussing with his hair and the buttons on his sleeves as he waited for Garret to get there.

As if he knew Jonathan was waiting for him, the doorbell rang.

Jonathan eagerly bounded down the stairs, then paused for half a breath before opening the door. Garret smiled and came inside.

"Good morning Jonathan." He gave the man a quick once over. "You're looking better today. Have you made a decision?"

"Morning Garret. Yes, I have decided." He quickly drew in a deep breath. "I want to do it. I...I want to submit to you and have you help me become a better Dom." There, he said it, now it was all in Garret's hands.

Garret smiled warmly. "That's what I was hoping to hear. Come, let's talk."

They sat at the breakfast nook again and Garret took out some papers. One filled out and the other blank.

"You know how this goes. Go through the list and mark yes, maybe, or hard no, then have a look at mine. Most of these things we already know about each other as we've chatted about it before, but it's best to have it all laid out like this."

The two men spent the morning going over logistics. Discussing safewords, likes and dislikes, and what they each wanted out of the coming year. Jonathan was starting to get more nervous as this was all becoming more real.