Page 85 of Body and Soul

Julian might’ve been a disgusting necessity, but he would do as he was told. By the end of the day, Julian would have stabbed Xion non-fatally, as instructed. Xion would be recovering in Grant hospital, giving Warrick access to get him out. Warrick was a plastic surgeon by trade, who worked with a charity. No one would second guess a surgeon coming into a hospital. Once Xion was in the less secure hospital, I was relying on Gavin to help. He worked at Grant as an imaging technician. All he had to do was remove Xion using the excuse of taking him for imaging, escorting him to the morgue where Warrick would smuggle him out.

It was a plan with many working pieces, and one that had cost me a lot of time and phone calls to set up, but it would be worth it to move Xion out of Algerone’s reach. In Boone’s care, Xion would be hidden and protected. Hopefully, it would be enough to get Algerone to stop threatening Eli. If not, at least it gave me the upper hand in negotiations with Algerone. Perhaps I could force him to help me extract Dani from the cult before handing over Xion. He seemed a practical man.

I left Twin Valley and walked in the muggy July heat to my car. The engine purred to life, and I pulled out of the parking lot, merging onto the highway that would take me south. Everything was falling into place, each pawn moved meticulously into position on the chessboard. And yet, doubt crept into my mind, an itch I couldn't quite scratch. There were so many variables, somany pieces that could tumble out of alignment with one wrong move. If even one player didn’t behave as expected…

I shook my head to clear it. Dwelling on potential failures was unproductive. I had to trust in my plan. There was no room for error, not with lives hanging in the balance.

Weeks flew by asI threw myself into work with renewed energy, even earning Cherry’s praise. In mid-August, when Shepherd went back to school three days a week, our routine grew chaotic. I kept up with cleaning, and we managed a few training sessions, but he often came home exhausted.

The weekends became my favorite days of the week. I’d spend all week looking forward to getting up Saturday morning. Sometimes, Shepherd trained me with the plug while I did my chores. Sometimes, he simply seemed content to watch me work naked. I was happy either way as long as he was pleased.

The best part of the weekend came every Saturday afternoon: Shepherd let me lay my head in his lap, keep his cock in my mouth, and even fall asleep like that sometimes. Then he’d wake me, fuck me, clean me up, and we’d have dinner before going to separate beds.

By September, I was growing restless, craving something more. Though I wasn’t sure what it was, Shepherd seemed to sense it.

On the second weekend of September, Shepherd surprised me with an unexpected request. “Why don't you have your friend Cherry come over this afternoon while I'm out running some errands with Gavin?” he suggested casually over breakfast. “She can help you get ready for our date tonight.”

My heart fluttered with excitement at the mention of a date. In the months I'd been serving as Shepherd's submissive, we'd never gone on an actual date before. I tried to play it cool and shrugged. “Yeah, okay. I'll text her.”

Anticipation bloomed in my chest. The moment Shepherd left, I texted Cherry. An hour later, she was at the door, grinning as I let her in.

“Look at you, living in the lap of luxury!” she exclaimed, spinning around to take in the living room. “I always knew you'd make it big someday, Eli.”

I rolled my eyes but couldn't stop my own smile. “I'm not the one making it big. I got lucky finding a rich Dom who puts up with me.”

“Hey, you deserve this,” Cherry insisted, grabbing my shoulders. Her expression turned serious. “After all the shit you've been through, you've earned some good karma. Now c'mon, show me this swanky place!”

I gave Cherry the grand tour of my new home, her eyes widening as she took in the sleek décor and high-end finishes.

When we reached my bedroom, she sank down on my bed with a low whistle. “Damn, Eli. You hit the jackpot with this one. I mean, I knew he was loaded, but this is next level.”

I shrugged, trying to play it off, but inside I was glowing with pride. It felt good to finally have something impressive to show for myself, even if it was all thanks to Shepherd.

“So what's this I hear about a big date tonight?” Cherry asked, giving me a sly grin. “Shepherd finally taking you out on the town?”

“I guess so,” I replied, unable to keep the excitement from creeping into my voice. “He gave me an outfit to wear but…” I gestured to the suit hanging on the wall. “I’ve never worn a suit and tie in my life, Cherry. I have no idea how to tie the tie or how many buttons to button or what.”

Cherry jumped up from the bed and made her way over to the suit, running her fingers over the fine material. “Don't you worry, Eli. I've got you covered.” She winked at me over her shoulder. “I used to help my dad get ready for his fancy work events all the time. Tying a tie is easy once you know how.”

She took the suit off the hanger and laid it out on the bed, piece by piece. “First things first. Let's get you showered and groomed. When's the last time you manscaped, honey?”

I felt my cheeks heat. “I’m good on that.”

“I’ll be the judge of that. To the bathroom!”

For the next hour, Cherry helped me shave, trim, and tweeze every inch of my body from the neck down. It was awkward and embarrassing at first, but her easy chatter and laughter soon put me at ease. By the time we were finished, my skin was smooth and tingling.

“There,” Cherry pronounced, standing back to admire her handiwork. “Now you're ready for your suit.”

She helped me step into the crisp charcoal trousers, guiding my arms through the pristine white shirt. Her nimble fingers made quick work of the buttons and cufflinks. Finally, she draped the tie around my neck.

As Cherry's hands worked the silk tie into an intricate knot, I felt a growing sense of anticipation deep in my gut. This was really happening. Shepherd was taking me out on a real date, just the two of us. No training, no service. An actual date.

“What if I mess this up?” The words slipped out before I could stop them. “What if I’m not good enough for him outside of our arrangement?”

Cherry’s hands stilled, and she met my gaze with fierce reassurance. “Shepherd wouldn’t ask you out if he didn’t want the real you.”

I swallowed hard, nodding. She was right. Shepherd saw something in me, even if I was still figuring out what that something was.

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