Brie Masters Love in Submission: Submissive in Love (101 page)

Here, before all their family and even God himself, they were making the commitment of a lifetime. Although it had the same significance to her as the Collaring Ceremony, this union held more weight with the rest of the world.

The man who would marry them, the mayor of the local village, cleared his throat to get the attention of the crowd. He said something in Italian and half the guests sat down. Brie’s American friends quickly followed.

Brie listened to the beautiful sound of the mayor’s voice as he rolled off the legal requirements spelled out in a civil wedding. Although there was nothing romantic about what he was saying, everything sounded more romantic in Italian.

She knew the time was close when Sir looked into her eyes after the man paused. He smiled confidently at her and said loudly, “
Lo voglio
.”

Brie’s heart fluttered.

The mayor then asked her the same question in Italian. With her heart racing, she said with passion, “
Lo voglio
.”

He then made a pronouncement, and the Italian guests smiled and clapped. Brie looked out at her friends and family, wishing they could understand what had been said.

Rytsar handed Sir her ring.

Sir took Brie’s hand in his, slipping the wedding band onto her finger. As he did so, he looked into her eyes, expressing his love for her.

Rytsar placed Sir’s ring in her hand and winked at her before taking his place behind Sir. Brie’s hand shook so badly that she had trouble putting the band on his finger, and she had to laugh at herself. She looked up at him when she was done, forgetting the silent vow she had meant to say with her eyes and simply mouthing the words, “Condors forever.”

Brie assumed the ceremony was over, until she saw Marquis Gray take the place of the mayor with Sir’s cousin, Benito, joining him.

“Now that the civil wedding is complete, we will continue with the exchange of traditional vows.”

Brie heard her Americans friends voice their approval while Benito translated Marquis’ words into Italian for Sir’s family. She looked at Sir in surprise, before turning her attention back to Marquis.

Marquis Gray met her gaze with those dark, intense eyes, but there was a spark of pride behind them she hadn’t seen before.

“We are gathered here today in the sight of God, and the presence of friends and loved ones, to join in one of life’s greatest moments. Thane and Brianna have invited us to share in this celebration of their marriage—their wedding. We are here not to mark the start of a relationship, but to recognize a bond that already exists.

“This marriage is one expression of the many varieties of love. It is fitting at this time to speak briefly about the power love can have in our lives. We live in a world of joy and fear, searching for meaning in the seeming chaos of life. Yet we discover the truest guidelines to our quest when we realize love in all its magnitudes. Love is the eternal force of life. Love allows us to face fear and uncertainty with courage.”

Marquis turned to Brie first. “Brianna Renee Bennett, will you have this man to be your husband, to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and obey him, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others as long as you both shall live?”

Brie stared deep into Sir’s eyes as she answered proudly, “I will.”

Marquis turned to Sir. “Thane Lorenzo Davis, will you have this woman to be your wife, to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and protect her, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others as long as you both shall live?”

Sir raised his eyebrow charmingly when he answered. “I will.”

“The couple will now exchange personal vows.”

Sir smiled, lifting Brie’s hand to his lips and kissing the ring on her finger before speaking. “Brie, from the moment we met, I was mesmerized by you. I’ve never known a woman more loving, kind or stubborn than you.”

There were several knowing chuckles from the guests.

Sir glanced at them and grinned before returning his gaze to her. “I’m unsure whether these people know how truly extraordinary you are, but I do.” He cupped her chin with his right hand. “This ring is a physical representation of my vow to you—my bride. With my body, I thee worship. With my heart, I thee cherish. All that I am, I give to thee. All that I have, I share with thee. From this day until forever done.”

Brie had to fight the tears that threatened, and squeezed Sir’s hand. She waited several moments before she spoke the words she’d wanted to tell him.

“Thane, you have shown me a whole new world I never knew existed. My love for you is boundless and my respect for you runs deep. Meeting you that fateful day in the shop altered the course of my life,
but
loving you has changed me. I look forward to growing old by your side as your lover, wife and best friend. Condors forever.”

Sir’s gaze held hers as Marquis spoke again.

“This is a moment of celebration, but let it also be a moment of dedication. The world does a fine job of reminding us of how fragile we are. People are fragile; relationships are fragile too. Every marriage needs the love and support of a network of friends and family.

“On this wedding day, I ask all of you to be friends of Thane and Brie as a couple. Be friends of their relationship and be there with them through the trials and triumphs ahead.”

Marquis addressed Sir and Brie again. “May the flow of your love help brighten the fate of the Earth. May the strength of your love touch and bless us all, gracing our lives with its color and courage.”

He looked out over the crowd and exclaimed proudly, “It is my pleasure to introduce to you…Mr. and Mrs. Thane Davis.” Then he said to Sir, “You may kiss your bride.”

Sir swept Brie into his arms, bending her backwards as he gave her a deep and passionate kiss, to the roaring applause of their family and friends.

It was a moment Brie would never forget.

The Dance

B
rie couldn’t take her eyes off her husband as they greeted their guests in the reception hall inside the castle. He seemed equally infatuated with Brie, and kept her close to him, his hand resting on the small of her back, lightly touching her brand.

Brie’s mom was the first to come and congratulate them. “Such a touching ceremony, Brianna.” She turned to Sir. “This has to be the most beautiful wedding I’ve ever seen.”

Sir held out his left arm, still keeping hold of Brie as he gave her mother a hug. “Thank you, Mom.”

Brie’s mother looked proudly up at him. “It means so much that you call me that, Thane. Never stop.”

Brie heard an undercurrent of emotion in Sir’s voice when he told her, “It is an honor to be known as your son.”

Brie’s father held out his hand. “You know my thoughts on your extra-curricular activities, but as a husband to my little girl, I couldn’t ask for a better man.”

Sir shook his hand firmly. “That means a lot, sir.”

Her father got an odd expression on his face. “Actually, I would prefer you called me Dad from now on.”

Brie couldn’t believe it.

Sir appeared equally shocked. “I did not expect such an honor. Thank you…Dad.”

The word ‘Dad’ sounded so strange coming from Sir’s lips, but it touched Brie greatly. Sir was part of her family now. A family with no other agenda than to see them happy together.

She threw her arms around her father. “You’ve made me so happy.”

“I’m proud of you, my beautiful daughter.”

Brie laid her head on his shoulder, soaking in the tenderness of the moment—making her feel like a child again.

Sir’s grandmother was standing a distance away, but Brie could tell she was anxious to speak with them. She gave her father a kiss on the cheek before excusing herself.

Brie and Sir made their way over to his grandmother. Her eyes radiated youthful excitement as words tumbled from her mouth. Sir explained to Brie, “My
nonna
was very touched by the English version of the ceremony. She despised the civil ceremony, but was moved by what Marquis Gray shared, as well as our vows to each other.”

Brie smiled at the old woman who was now her grandmother by marriage. “
Nonna
, it means the world to me that you were here to share in our happiness. I love your grandson very much.”

She pinched Brie’s cheeks hard in her zeal. “Joyful couple,” she said in English, slapping Brie’s cheeks afterwards. Although Brie’s cheeks burned from the contact, she enjoyed the woman’s enthusiasm.

“Yes, very joyful,” she agreed, her smile widening.

Sir’s grandfather walked up and gave her a quick kiss on the lips, his eyes twinkling mischievously. He spoke in Italian, letting Sir translate for him.

“
Nonno
says that I will make you happy.”

The look in the old man’s eye hinted at the fact that he meant more than simply as her spouse. Brie nodded, blushing as she answered, “Your grandson is a very generous man.”

The old man nodded, then hugged Sir. Whatever his grandfather whispered in his ear left Sir teary-eyed. He quickly regained his composure, but gave his grandfather another hug.

“Mrs. Davis, may I be one of the first to congratulate you?”

Brie blushed, her heart thrilling at how her new name sounded when spoken with a Russian accent. She turned to him and nodded gracefully. “Thank you, Rytsar.”

“I have been watching your husband closely,
radost moya
. The way he looks at you leads me to suspect I will be a
dyadya
very soon.”

Brie let out a small gasp as she looked at Sir, imaging him taking her. The lust she felt was reflected in his eyes as they stared at each other.

“Possibly a
dyadya
to twins…” Rytsar stated, laughing as he walked away.

Sir pulled Brie to him. “It’s true—I desire you, wife.”

Brie felt butterflies on hearing Sir call her his wife. Such a simple thing, seemingly insignificant, but it thrilled her to the depths of her soul. She stood on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “My husband…” she sighed contentedly. “I love calling you that.”

“Soon you will be screaming it,” he growled in her ear, grazing her brand with his finger before shaking the hand of the next person who approached them.

When Lea announced that dinner was being served, Sir escorted Brie to a long table where the entire wedding party already sat, waiting for them. The length of the table was decorated with simple white flowers and greenery lining the middle. It was simple in its elegance, like everything else.

As she sat down next to Sir, Brie took notice of the charming table setting. The linen napkins had been tied with sprigs of rosemary, and each person had their own tiny vial of olive oil and a small tulle bag with sugared almonds.

“Every single detail makes me smile, Sir.”

Sir took her hand and kissed it tenderly. “I’m glad, wife.”

Rytsar stood up, clinking his glass to get the attention of the guests. “Before we begin, I would like to propose a toast.”

“Hear, hear,” Lea said, smiling at Brie.

Rytsar turned to Sir. “This man has been my friend since college, but he is much more than just a comrade—he is my brother. There is no one in the world I trust more and no one else I would lay down my life for.”

He looked at Brie. “I remember when he called me about a girl.
Moy droog
claimed she was something special and asked if I would come to America to meet her.”

Brie blushed, remembering what had transpired during that first meeting…

“I had to agree with him. Brianna Bennett was indeed a rare find. I’ve never seen my comrade as content as he is now. The peasant has even been known to smile on occasion.”

Several of the guests laughed.

Rytsar looked over the crowd, his tone and expression serious. “It is an honor to call Thane Davis my brother, and it is an honor to know his wife. I hope someday each of us will experience the kind of happiness these two share. It is tradition in my country for the first toast to be to the newlyweds’ health, so I say with a full heart,
Dlya zdorov’ya molodozhenov
.”

Everyone raised their glasses, and Brie heard Sir’s family shout, “
Salute degli sposi
!”