Jay's jaw actually dropped a little as he stared wide-eyed at the huge wooden sculpture standing in the hallway of his master's and his new house. He absentmindedly set down his backpack full of university text books by the door and stepped closer to it.

The thing was so tall he had to tilt back his head in order to peer up at the topmost section of it. If the hallway hadn't been blessed with such a high ceiling, the thing would never have been able to fit into the house at all. Although, the longer Jay spent staring at it, the more he wondered if that might not have been a good thing.

"Should I take this to mean you don't approve?"

Jay's attention jerked toward the doorway leading from the hallway into the living room. "Sir!"

His master raised one perfectly shaped black eyebrow at him but said nothing. With his arms folded across his chest, Richard damn near filled the doorway with a solid wall of black fabric.

Black, high-necked shirt. Black trousers. And, of course, the highly polished black boots--those practically went without saying.

The only thing that broke Richard's preferred color scheme was the little glint of silver where a key hung from a chain around his neck--the key that operated the lock on Jay's collar. The moment Jay saw it, his hand went to his own neck and the thick silver chain that had rested there for over nine months.

Eventually, Jay's inspection of his master arrived back at Richard's face. He mentally cursed himself as he realized he'd been staring in silence for far too long. "I'm sorry, sir. I didn't realize you were home."

"Do you also realize that your statement doesn't in any way answer my question?"

Jay swallowed. Without his permission, his gaze strayed back to the monstrosity filling an insane amount of space in their elegant Victorian hallway. "It's...it's..."

A huge wooden statue of a cock was what it was--complete with big round balls carved at its base. In a sex club, it might have been fine. Even in a gay bar, no problem. In their hallway, it was a complete eyesore. Unwilling to blurt that out, and equally unwilling to lie to his lover, Jay dutifully scrambled for something honest, yet complimentary, to say about the thing.

"It's very...big," he hazarded. Big was always a good thing, right?

Richard stepped forward. Lacking an order to move, Jay remained exactly where he was. His master was in that kind of mood. Jay could feel the energy pouring off Richard as he came closer. The short blond hairs on the back of Jay's neck prickled as the other man walked around behind him.

"You have mentioned, several times in fact, that you wished me to make some sort of contribution toward your efforts to decorate this house."

Jay continued to stare at the cock-shaped carving as if it might do something interesting at any moment. Damn, but, if it did, it would create one hell of a cum stain for him to clean up!

"Answer me, Jay."

Jay had to clear his throat before he could even try to get a single word out. "Yes, sir," he admitted, when he finally found his voice. "I did ask you to do that."

"And?" Richard prompted, from just behind him.

Praise or punishment? It wasn't immediately obvious to Jay what the hell the statue was supposed to represent. Could Richard really want that thing in their hall? Or had he just put it there as a punishment for his nagging? One thing was certain--it wouldn't be Richard who blushed every time someone came to the door and saw the thing peeking over his shoulder.

In either scenario, Jay realized the appropriate response was the same. "Thank you, sir." Praise or punishment, he was thankful for his master's attention.

Richard stepped closer. Dipping his head, he brought his lips to Jay's ear and whispered his next words across the sensitive skin just behind the lobe. "If you really want to thank me, I think you can do better than that."

Technically, Jay was aware that he still hadn't been ordered to move out of the position Richard had found him in, but some things were worth risking anything for. He turned to face his master.

Tilting back his head, Jay met the taller man's eyes and held his gaze without blinking. "I'm yours, sir."

There was so much he wanted to add to the statement, but he found himself completely incapable of finding the right syllables with which to frame his thoughts. He was Richard's to do with as he pleased. Everything he had, everything he did and was, it all belonged to his master. He had already given all he could to Richard. There was nothing left for him to offer, not in thanks or in anything else.

Jay dropped his gaze as doubts suddenly filled his mind.

Stupid. He'd been so bloody stupid, nagging Richard, trying to push his master into doing something he obviously had no interest in. He'd completely failed to appreciate what he had, because he wanted more. Was there any worse crime a supposedly well-trained submissive could commit?

Jay closed his eyes, terrified that he already knew the answer.