My time with Ricky was some of the best I've ever had in my life. I feel so fucking awful saying that because he's a slave. A pet now, but regardless, he's just meant to serve me and entertain me. He's supposed to be nothing more than a hole to fuck. When I'm gone, I find myself missing him. This is even worse than how I felt with Ghost. I'm trying to deny it. I don't know what's come over me to make me this way.

With Ghost, it came on so suddenly. I still couldn't explain to you what made me suddenly find fondness in him, but I did...

Flashback

Nikki's pale skin and the papers on his desk were the only things in his office that weren't black, I swear. There were a few candles burning on the window but even those were red. He sighed and stood up. Nikki walked across his penthouse workspace and stationed himself in front of the windows. Black sheer curtains dimmed the sunlight of the outside world.

He was disappointed in me. The way he crossed his arms over his chest and stared off into the distance, I could tell he was trying to hold in his rage. I can't blame him. What I was doing was fucking idiotic. I was supposed to me emotionless and hardcore. This made me look so weak. My reasoning actually made me vomit when I played it back in my head. That doesn't change the fact that is was a real fucking reason. I was doing this for the sake of love.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked me as he waltzed back over to his desk.

"Yes-"

"Because you better me pretty fucking sure." He cut me off, "This isn't any easy thing. It's not just 'hey, you're free now'. No. I have to jump through a lot of fucking hoops here."

"I'm positive I want to do this. I love him. I know it's wrong, but it's right at the same time." I replied.

Nikki slowly sat back down in his seat. "Go get him." He grumbled.

I turned around and headed back out of the office. Ghost was told to wait in the hallway outside. Nikki and I had talked about this extensively for hours. The poor thing had to have been tired of standing in this hall. I waved him forward to follow me. As we walked back inside, he made sure to stay as mannered as possible. I didn't tell him why we were here but I made sure he understood it was imperative he behaved.

"You know, it would be a lot easier to just sell him." He suggested.

"Nikki, I know you don't agree with this, but I ask that you at least respect my decision." I stated.

He sighed again and sat forward in his chain. "Fine. Come sign this."

I plucked the pen from his fingertips. He directed me through the paperwork it would take to break Ghost's contract. There was a lot, much more than you would think. Nikki sighed for the hundredth time as we came to the last page. This was the final line. I signed my signature across the bottom, sealing a decision I could never take back.

"Now, what?" I asked.

Nikki stood up and began to walk over to the filing cabinet, "We'll drug him and drop him off somewhere someone will find him; A park, a bridge, somewhere public. They'll take him to the hospital, then the cops get called that he's been found. He gets returned to his parents and the media hounds him months. Once everything is cooled down, he can get in contact with you if he chooses. I suggest you say your goodbyes."

I turned back to Ghost. His silver eyes were drowning in confusion. Setting my finger under his chin, I guided him to look up at me. "Master, what's going on?" He whispered to me.

There was a key in my other hand. I brought it up to the lock on his collar. As the lock unlatched, it fell to the ground with a thud. The noise shook both of us. I pulled the ribbon on the back of his collar that kept it around his neck. That too fell to the ground, the sound shattering the silence. Ghost raised his hand to his neck and felt it completely bare.

Gently setting my hand along the side of his face, I told him, "You're free."

"Master-" He gasped.

"You don't have to call me that anymore. You can call me Chris. I want you to. I did this because I love you. They say if you love something, let it go. If it comes back, it's yours. I would like to hope when the time is right that you will come back. You heard what Nikki said. You're going to have to act like none of this happened, like you don't know us, until the media stops hounding you."

"What am I supposed to tell them happened?" He asked.

"You were a sex worker for years. You went to sleep one night and the next, woke up wherever you do wake up. It won't be too far from the truth." Nikki said.

Ghost's eyes wandered off for a moment. He seemed like he couldn't even believe what was happening, which was understandable. When he finally looked back up at me, there were tears in his eyes. He wrapped his arms around my neck and I embraced him in my arms.

"Thank you." He cried to me, "Thank you so much. I love you, too. Thank you."

"Please tell me you'll come back to me when this is all settled. I need to hear that you'll come back, that I'm not doing this all for nothing." I whispered in his ear.

"I promise I will. Maybe it's Stockholm Syndrome or something, but I really do want to come back."

"Thank you. We're going to start over. We're going to have a real relationship and I'll treat you like a Queen." I told him.

Nikki cleared his throat. I looked up, realizing there were two handlers at the door. Great, it's time to let go of him already. I kissed him passionately and held him tightly. Once I knew it had been just enough, I painfully let go.

Flash Forward

"Hey, Baby Girl." I spoke as I answered my phone.

"Hey, Chris." Ghost muttered, shocking me with the fact that he said my name. Guess he's not in little space right now. He hasn't been the entire time he was with his parents, so it wasn't a shocker.

"Everything okay?" I asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah... Just tired, I guess. I'm happy to see my siblings but they wear me out." He softly chuckled, "Um, I actually do have to go because my mom's calling us for dinner, but I just wanted to call to let you know I decided to stay another week. I already fixed my flights and everything."

"Oh, okay. I miss you a lot but I understand. You don't get to see them a lot. Just, um, text me your itinerary so I know what day you get back." I replied.

"Okay, I will. I love you."

"I love you, too. Goodnight, Babe."

"Night." He muttered before hanging up.

That was... Bizarre. Believe it or not, that was the first time we talked on the phone since he left. He was supposed to come home in three days. Why did he decide to just now tell me he's staying home? The whole thing felt off. I try to tell myself it's because he is so attached to his family. Something in the pit of my stomach told me otherwise. Well, I guess that means, at least I get some more time with Ricky.