Chapter 9: Obedience and Worship

Serena danced around the room her energy seemed boundless. I'd tried to exhaust her with oral sex, but I'd wasted my time. Well okay, not wasted exactly, but you know what I mean. It was late and the car would be here soon to take her to the estate. Earlier I'd removed his rings from her and replaced them with small studs. Tomorrow I'd put my rings on her and then, apart from giving her a slave name, she'd be mine. I'd felt that this was needless and melodramatic, but Serena had been adamant. We'd almost had our first real fight. Once more I'd reflected that Slave and subservient were not necessarily synonyms. Finally she'd wheedled me into agreeing and then she tormented me to one of the most explosive orgasms of my life. I didn't know why I'd tried to disagree; agreeing was so much more rewarding!

It was dark and the cul-de-sac where we lived was secluded. Tonight she'd asked that I let her leave alone. Reluctantly I agreed, even more reluctantly I'd let her go naked once more. She slipped on a coat as she left the house and skipped barefoot to the pavement to wait for the car. I resisted the temptation to watch from the window and I went to bed instead.

The sonorous cadences of the Book of Common Prayer marriage service rolled around us as the minister took delight in the theatricality of the language and the all too infrequent chance to use the service. I reflected that the medieval church had it right; you only get to do these things once in your life. The ceremony ought to reflect this. I'm not a big churchgoer. I don't know how I feel about God. All I know is that if I were him, I'd hate the corporate-speak English that church services were now couched in. The minister had been surprised at Serena's insistence on including the word obey. She'd put it succinctly, 'If I promise to obey him, he promises to worship me; I think it's a small price to pay.' The minister had smiled at this and no more was said on the matter.

"Wilt thou have this woman to thy wedded wife, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honour, and keep her in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?"

"I will."

I stared adoringly at the woman who stood before me looking radiant in her chiffon wedding dress that was at once both demure and highly erotic.

"Wilt thou have this man to thy wedded husband, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Wilt thou obey him, and serve him, love, honour, and keep him in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?"

"I will."

I gulped at the love that blazed from her as she said these words. Just at that moment, a beam of sunlight streamed through a clear glass window and illuminated us. The congregation gasped as Serena seemed to glow ethereally as she said these two words.

Soon it was time for the vows. The minister led me through them, though I knew them by heart.

"I, David Roy take thee Jane Isobel to my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I plight thee my troth." I felt a lump in my throat as I spoke the words of my vow and then it was Serena's turn.

"I, Jane Isobel take thee David Roy to my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish, and to obey, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I give thee my troth." Another radiant smile came my way as I prepared to place the wedding ring on her finger.

"With this ring I thee wed, with my body I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods I thee endow: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen."

There would be other rings, but we felt it wouldn't have been appropriate to place them on her in the church. I don't remember much of the rest of the service apart from being vaguely disappointed that I couldn't kiss the bride, at least not in public anyway. We did do a whole lot of kissing as soon as we got to the vestry on the way to signing the registry. The minister coughed to gain our attention and we did the signing thing. Serena signed her maiden name for the last time and finally we were done. We filed back to the altar and took our places

As I said, the rest of it was a blur until we found ourselves alone in a room at the hotel where we were having our wedding reception. I watched as Serena, my wife slipped out of her wedding dress and knelt at my feet. She smiled up at me and started to undo my flies. I stepped back from her.

"Not yet, impatient Slave." I grinned to take the sting from the word and helped her to her feet as I sat on a convenient chair. I took the box containing the other 'wedding rings' from my pocket and opened it. With many giggles and not a few moans we replaced all the studs with my rings. I stood up and asked her to hold out her hand.

"I have a fourth ring, I think you know what to do with it."

She looked at her hand and she smiled as she saw the simple gold band that now lay in her palm. Taking my left hand she slipped the ring onto the appropriate finger and repeated the words from the ceremony.

"With this ring I thee wed, with my body I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods I thee endow: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen." For some reason she was crying when she said this.

"Is anything wrong?" I was bewildered; I didn't think I'd forgotten anything. She thumped my shoulder lightly.

"Of course there's nothing wrong; I'm just happy." So saying, she hugged me fiercely and started crying in earnest.

"If this is you being happy, I'd really hate to see you when you're upset." She giggled and I was treated to the sight of a woman sobbing, crying, and laughing simultaneously.

"Now that you've reduced me to a blubbering wreck I'll have to clean up. Go back to the reception and see that everything is all right."

"You know what everyone will think we'll have been doing, right?"

"Well they'll have been wrong won't they? Now go!"

"Excuse me? Who's the Slave and who's the Master around here anyway?"

She laughed. "If my Master doesn't get his ass downstairs this minute, my Master will get his ass kicked."

"Alright, already! I'm going." I opened the door and stuck out my tongue at her. "Uppity Slave, she'll get hers." I muttered darkly as I left.

"I'll be waiting, Master." Her delighted laughter followed me down the corridor.

As I'd expected I received knowing looks and winks for the next ten minutes or so until the joke wore thin. However, the arrival of Serena took everyone's breath away, mine included. As we danced I asked what she had done.

"I took off a couple of layers from the dress. You like?"

"I love!"

"Oh God, I'm so horny."