Chapter Six
~ Jackson ~
"I hope I'm not speaking out of place here," Miles started, "but that might not have been your best move."
I frowned at the man, totally confused. "What?"
Miles sighed as he slid his hands into the pockets of his pants. "Daniel is a submissive, Jack. I'd swear it on my life, and he's even more into the lifestyle than my Sam is, and that's saying a lot."
My eyes narrowed. "You're saying my father married a sub?"
"Pretty much."
How was that even possible?
"I've watched him since I arrived and he has all the characteristics of a trained sub," Miles added. "I don't know Daniel's story, but I'd be willing to bet that there is some abuse somewhere in his past. Right now, he's looking for safety because his world just imploded."
I thrust a hand through my hair as tension mounted in my shoulders. "What am I supposed to do now? How am I supposed to deal with a sub?"
I knew next to nothing about that lifestyle. Sure, I'd seen movies and read books about the D/s life, but I'd never experienced it before. A little rough sex and restraints didn't count.
"The first thing you need to decide is if you're keeping Daniel," Miles replied. "If you're not then you need to find him another master and soon. I can give you the numbers of a few reputable places to find one."
"And if I am?" I asked because for some reason I couldn't explain the thought of handing Daniel off to someone else made my gut clench.
"Then you need to step up and be his master. It's the safest and quickest way to make him feel secure. If he's as deep into the lifestyle as I suspect he is, right now he's scared and uncertain, not knowing what is going to happen to his future. He needs the security only a master can give him."
The tension was getting worse.
"Miles, I don't know anything about that kind of lifestyle. I wouldn't know the first thing about being a master."
I was sure to fuck this up.
I glanced at Miles when he let out a little chuckle. "What?"
"You have more instincts for being a master than you think."
Yeah, no.
"Jack, you own a multi-million dollar company that you built with your own two hands. If you marry Daniel, you're set to own another multi-million dollar company. You know how to be a boss, and that's not much different than being a master."
My eyes narrowed as I frowned at Miles, confused beyond belief. What he was saying simply didn't make sense. "Huh?"
God, I felt like an idiot with that word.
"Jack, you give orders to hundreds if not thousands of people every single day. That's kind of what a master does, only on a personal level."
Still not getting it.
"Look, until we know exactly how far into the lifestyle Daniel is, it will be hard to set rules and limits with him. Once we know, I can sit down with you and hack out a plan, but right now, the most important thing is to make sure Daniel feels secure."
"And how do I do that?" I asked because I didn't have a clue. So far, I was fucking this up left and right.
"Either accept him as your sub or find another master for him." Miles pulled out his cell phone and started scrolling through it. "I'll call a few of my friends and see if they have anyone they would recommend."
"No!" The answer was pure instinct and came out of my mouth before I even thought about it.
Miles cocked an eyebrow, pausing his fingers. "No?"
I swallowed tightly. "I'll take him."
"Look, you can't half-ass this, Jack. If you decide to accept him, you have to keep him. You can't play at this for a couple of weeks and then decide Daniel is too much work. It'll destroy him."
I threw my hands up as I turned away. Before I turned back I rubbed the back of my neck. The tension I had been feeling was no longer relegated to just my shoulders. It had made it to my neck and was even now threatening to give me one hell of a headache.
"So, what do you want me to do, Miles?" I asked as I turned back.
"You need to decide if you're keeping Daniel or not."
"I already told you I was."
"But do you mean it?" Miles asked.
Did I?
I searched my thoughts and feelings before answering Miles. I knew I wanted to protect Daniel. Something deep inside of me was screaming that only I could keep him safe. The mere thought of letting someone else do it—and possibly fuck it up—made me want to punch something.
Marrying Daniel seemed like the easiest way to get him under my control. As his spouse, I would have the legal right to make decisions for him. I could choose where he lived and how he lived. I could insist that he have security with him twenty-four hours a day.
I could keep him from being abused again.
"I meant it." Those words felt right just as soon as I said them.
Guess I was getting married.
"I need to talk to Daniel before I make a final decision. I won't do this if he's against it." I frowned as I remembered Miles's words. "Is there a way to get him to tell me how he really feels instead of what he thinks I want to hear?"
It felt as if Daniel was trying to do whatever wouldn't get him hurt, which didn't sit well with me. I wanted his honesty, not his fear.
"Have you ever heard of the red light green light system?"
I thought about it for a moment before answering. "Red means stop, yellow means slow down, and green means go."
"Correct," Miles replied. "You need to establish a safe word with Daniel, even if it is the red, yellow, and green system, and you must follow that system every single time no matter what it is. Once Daniel knows he has a safe word that you will respect, he's more likely to voice what he really feels because it's safe to do so."
I suppose I could do that.
"When you talk to him, establish the safe word first before asking him any questions. Also make sure he knows that you insist on honesty. Start setting down your rules from the very beginning."
I cocked an eyebrow. "Rules?"
"It's the same as your company, Jack. You have rules there that your employees must follow. You need to come up with some rules for Daniel that he must follow."
"Like what?"
"Like I said, you must insist that he is honest with you at all times. Also insist that he use his safe word. That is more important than anything. Daniel need to know if he is uncomfortable and tells you to stop, that you will stop."
That didn't sound much like a rule. More like common sense.
"As for the rest of your rules, you'll have to come up with them. Things like Daniel must tell you whenever he goes somewhere. He has to be to bed by ten o'clock. He has chores he has to do every day. He can't talk to strangers. When you go somewhere together, he has to stay by your side. Stuff like that."
I squinted as an uneasy feeling filled me. "So, I'm supposed to treat him like a child?"
"Yes and no," Miles replied. "People that are deep into the lifestyle work better if they have boundaries. Daniel need to know what the boundaries are because inside those lines is his safe place. He knows how to act, what to do, and what to say to stay safe and cared for. If he crosses those boundaries, you have to punish him."
"Are you insane?" I instantly snapped. "Why in the hell would I punish him?"
"To make him feel safe."
Yeah, that made no sense at all.
"Miles—"
Miles quickly held up his hand to stop me. "I'm not saying to spank him, although you two might enjoy that. I'm saying come up with a punishment to benefit the crime. If he does something wrong, put him in timeout or something. It doesn't have to be physical punishment. Sometimes, the harshest punishment is simply being ignored."
I leaned back against the edge of the desk and then rubbed my hands over my face before dropping them down to my thighs. "This is a lot to take in, Miles."
Frankly, I wasn't sure I had what it took to be someone's master.
"It is, but I believe you can do it. You run your company with the same domineering personality that you'll need to use on Daniel. It'll just be on a personal level instead of a business one."
Miles stepped over and patted me on the shoulder. "Besides, I'll be there to talk you through it and if worse comes to worse, there are some classes you can sign up for that teach this shit."
I shuddered. "Classes?"
"You'll survive," Miles snickered.
That was debatable.
I pushed our conversation to the back of my mind when someone knocked on the door. Miles quickly walked over to open it and then stood back to allow Patrick Scotton and a smaller blond haired man to walk in.
"Patty," I greeted as I stepped forward and gave him a shoulder clench. "Long time."
"Too long," Patty replied before turning to the man beside him. "This is my husband Zaq. He's a certified nurse. He assists me in treating my patients."
Right.
"Daniel is in his room." I started to leave the study to take Pat and his husband to see Daniel, but paused in the doorway to look back at Miles. "Once the police arrive and take these idiots out of here, I want to head back to the city. Can you ask Jake and Alejandro how long all of that will take?"
The quicker I could get Daniel settled the better.
Miles nodded and said, "It shouldn't take more than a couple of hours I'd think, and the flight back to the city takes twenty minutes or so."
I continued leading Patty and Zaq through the house to the servants'' quarters. When I reached Daniel's room, I knocked, but there was no response.
I knocked again. "Daniel?"
When I still didn't receive a response, I opened the door and stepped inside the room. The room was completely empty except for a bed, nightstand, dresser, chair, and desk. There wasn't even a television.
There was also no Daniel.
I quickly turned and hurried out of the room. I went down the narrow hallway, checking all of the rooms along the way. I even checked every corner of the large gourmet kitchen.
They were all empty as well.
By the time I made it back to the study, my heart was pounding. I burst into the room far more aggressively than I probably needed to, but the fear that something had happened to Daniel as riding me hard.
"Daniel is missing."
Alejandro immediately pulled out his cell phone and started barking out orders as did Jake. I wasn't sure what these two men were capable of, but if it meant finding Daniel I'd put my faith in them.
"A blond haired man was seen leaving the estate thirty minutes ago," Jake stated. "He had a backpack with him."
Daniel had run.
I drew in a deep breath and tried to calm my nerves. "Do we know which direction he was headed?"
He could be anywhere.
Jake shook his head. "No, but I'd head for town if I was running. He can catch a bus there or at least get a motel room for the night."
"He might have friends in town," Alejandro pointed out.
"I doubt it," Miles stated. "Daniel is a submissive introvert. If he has friends, they'd be here at the estate."
"Then why would he head to town?"
"Like I said," Miles stated, "transportation to somewhere else or a roof over his head."
I closed my eyes for a brief moment and clenched my fists. Miles had said that Daniel had to be terrified right now, especially after what had happened tonight. This place probably no longer felt safe to him.
I should have stayed with him. I should have made sure he knew he was safe. I should have figured all of this out before Daniel took off, but I was too much of an idiot.
I started for the door. "Let's go."
I had to find Daniel and make sure he was safe and then I needed to sit down with the man and have a serious conversation with him.
As I headed for the car, I looked for Edward. When I spotted him, I waved him over. "Pack up everything in Daniel's room and move it to the penthouse and then do whatever needs to be done for us to get a marriage certificate by tomorrow morning. Contact my father's lawyer if you need to."
"Yes, Boss."
"Also, call someone to make sure the penthouse is ready for Daniel. Make sure there is enough food and hire someone to come in and clean the place and cook if Daniel doesn't want to."
I had no idea if Daniel had any hobbies or anything. We'd cross that road when we got to it. My main concern was finding him and then getting him back to the penthouse.
When Jake pulled up in a black Humvie, I climbed into the front passenger seat and closed the door. We took off almost immediately, heading out of the estate.
"Where'd you get this thing?" I asked.
Jake chuckled. "Behind the stable."
My eyebrows lifted as I glanced at him. "Seriously?"
Jake nodded. "There were like five of them back there, all in pristine condition."
Huh.
"If you don't want them, Alejandro might take them off your hands."
It was something to consider, but not right now.
"I'll think about it later," I stated. "Right now, my main concern is finding Daniel."
"We'll find him, Jack."
Maybe, but would we find him in time?