Page 114 of A is for Aftercare

He kisses me deeply, tugging his fingers through my hair. “Let’s finish the draft of this contract.”

I nod, even though his kiss has left me slightly breathless. I write down that I'll wear his collar and never take it off. I trust him to give me a collar that Icanwear to work and in front of my parents.

“Communication comes next,” Hamish says once I’ve finished. “I want you to feel like youcanspeak freely.”

“I do, Sir.”

“We should still formalise it.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“A special safeword that signals a pause to our dynamic so we can freely talk about anything that’s bothering us. We should both feel comfortable to use it at any time and as often as we need to so things don’t fester while we wait for our regular check-ins.”

"That makes sense. What word?" I ask as I scribble notes in shorthand.

“What would work for you?”

“We could useamber?" I suggest. "It's just a sidestep away from our everyday safewords."

Hamish smiles. "I like that. Safewords are next." He waits for me to write down the simple traffic light system. "We need some sort of provision for alteration in case any part of the contract isn’t working for us.”

I purse my lips. “Is that something we could discuss during our weekly check-ins? If anything isn’t working, we could talk about it and change it then?”

“Aye, that works, or if either of us uses our special safeword.”

I write down our agreement and then look at Hamish again.

“Last thing.” His voice has a sudden heavy weight to it. “We need to agree on how either of us can end the contract if we want to.”

My heart rate goes up again.

“Relax, Archie,” he says gently. “It’s a safety clause for us both, nothing more. Who knows? We might decide that we don’twantto be Dominant and submissive anymore while still being romantically involved. It happens, and neither of us should feel ashamed if this lifestyle isn’t right for us anymore.”

“Okay.”

“As for us, as a couple, as long as we communicate, I see no reason we won’t last,” Hamish says. “So stop your internal fretting and note down that we can bring our contract to an end if either of us needs to.”

I obey. “Done. The first draft anyway. You can help me make it sound better later.” I breathe in deeply. “When do you want me to start wearing your collar?”

Smiling, Hamish strokes my face. “I thought we could have a small ceremony before the next party. We could invite my friends and your brothers.”

“That sounds perfect.”

He stoops to kiss me, his lips and tongue as masterful as ever. One hand moves from my cheek to the back of my head, where he tangles his fingers into my hair. I adore the way he tugs ever so slightly, the subtle sting making my body tingle with desire.

“Would you like to help me choose a collar?” Hamish asks.

“I trust you to choose one for me, Sir.”

“One you can wear to work?”

I chuckle. “And to visit my parents and my niece. Once you’ve put it on me, I won’t ever take it off.”

“Well then, you can at least help me organise the ceremony.”

“Don’t you want your new PA to help with that?” I ask cheekily.

Hamish rolls his eyes. “It’s a good thing I know you’re joking, or I’d have to spank you.”