But she’d left for college six months after her father passed, and there she’d met Alicia. They’d met for the first time in their college dorm room and become instant friends. Then Cole had swept into the room with boxes of her stuff.
Alicia’s mouth had dropped open as he set the boxes down, telling Janie he’d bring up the rest.
Right then and there, Alicia had declared it was love at first sight, and Janie had laughed, saying Cole didn’t do love, he only did temporary lust. She’d seen him with enough women to know Cole wasn’t the settling down type.
Alicia had laughed and said lust was just fine. The two became fast friends. Alicia helped Janie out of her grief over losing her father, and Janie helped Alicia, who had grown up in the foster-care system, just by being her friend.
The water was growing cool. Janie turned it off and dried herself. She missed Alicia, but her friend had promised as soon as she finished up her volunteer work in Mexico, she’d come for a long visit.
Dropping onto the mattress, Janie stared at the ceiling, her mind circling back to Cole and Natalie. She’d come home from college that first summer. Natalie had been with Cole when he'd picked her up from the airport, explaining his father was in court and couldn’t get away to pick her up himself.
Janie had liked Natalie and hoped they could be friends. But Natalie was more interested in pleasing Cole than being her friend. When she’d overheard the pair talking about the playroom, Janie had to investigate.
Once she’d gotten over her shock the first time, she’d returned. Half the stuff in there Janie didn’t understand, but thankfully she had her phone. After taking pictures, she began researching. She got quite an education in kink, even if she didn’t understand all of it.
She hadn’t planned on barging in on Cole and Natalie. It really had been an accident. She hadn't even known they were in the house. Jason was out, and Janie had assumed she was alone. She’d stormed through the door and there was Natalie, tied up, naked on the spanking horse. Cole had stood behind her, wielding a mean-looking flogger.
No one had noticed her for the first two hits of the flogger, then Natalie had turned her head and screamed the word red.
Until Natalie had said Janie’s name, Cole hadn’t moved; then he’d turned around and their gazes clashed. Shock had crossed his features before he’d yelled at her to get out. Janie had fled to her bedroom, a little shaken by what she’d seen.
Ten minutes later Cole had knocked on her door and asked her to come down to the family room. By then, Janie had somewhat processed what she’d seen. When she’d arrived downstairs, it was obvious Natalie was embarrassed and Cole angry. Janie had apologized to both and retreated back to her bedroom. Thank goodness, she’d left for school two days later.
Even now, she could see Cole’s naked chest, the fierce concentration on his face, the way the muscles on his back had played as he swung the flogger, and the bulge in his pants when he’d turned her way.
Janie squirmed on her bed. She was aroused and ... well, since nobody was around, she’d use her BOB. Opening the nightstand drawer, she pulled her trusty vibrator out. Alicia had introduced her to her first BOB—Battery Operated Boyfriend—when Janie had gone back to school after finding Cole and Natalie in the playroom. And it was Alicia who’d helped her better understand what Cole’s playroom was all about and about kink and the lifestyle.
With a sigh, Janie lubed up her BOB. She wished it was the real thing, but right now anything was better than lying here in frustration. At least her BOB didn’t talk and always left her somewhat satisfied.
* * *
Cole glanced at the clock.Three a.m. Sleep deserted him, as his mind was filled with Janie trussed up on the spanking bench, her skirt shoved to her waist and exposing her perfect ass cheeks bisected by a black thong.
His cock twitched. He considered taking matters into his own hands, but it wouldn’t satisfy him. Not tonight. With a groan, he climbed out of bed and pulled on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt before striding down the hall.
He unlocked the door to the playroom and stepped inside. He’d kept the door locked ever since that day Janie had barged in. His father had been part of the kink community for as long as Cole could remember, so the idea of locking the door prior to her intrusion hadn’t occurred to him.
Cole blew out a breath. He missed his dad. Having someone to talk to about business, about life, about kink. The air in the room smelled stale. Between his father’s death three years ago and work, Cole hadn’t found much reason to use the room.
Tonight he needed something to occupy his hands. He wandered over to the whips hanging on the walls. Most were in good shape, but he didn’t want them to dry out. Finding the materials he needed, he began work on the whips.
What was he going to do with Janie? Part of him wanted to play with her, to teach her what a real Dominant was like, but ... but what? Yes, there was an age difference. Her father, Paul, had passed away seven years ago, and Paul had been his mentor in the kink community, just like Cole’s father had been for others.
Did Janie know about their fathers’ interests in kink? Probably not. Paul had been very good at hiding his dual nature from anyone not in the lifestyle, and as for Cole’s father ... his career as a lawyer had caused him to be cautious.
When Cole had discovered kink at nineteen, his father had talked with him about the dos and don’ts of the lifestyle, but didn’t want to mentor his own son, so Janie’s dad, Paul, had become Cole’s kink mentor.
Paul had taken Cole under his wing and taught him. Helped him navigate through Whips and learn how to become a good Dom. Four years later, Paul had started to bring Janie around to the house. Cole let out a breath.
At fifteen, she’d been all legs and arms, but within a year she’d filled out and didn’t have a clue what she was doing to the boys and men around her. But six months later, Cole’s baby sister had died.
His family had fallen apart. His father never recovered from his sister’s death but put on a brave face. Paul had been there for him and his dad. Then a little under two years later, Paul had passed away. Janie had been lost without her father, they all were, but they’d muddled along.
As executor of Paul’s estate, Jason had taken over Janie’s care. When she went off to college, Cole had breathed a sigh of relief. Having Janie in the house twenty-four/seven had taxed his control.
What was he going to do with her now? Nothing. Janie was a grown woman and had control of her money. She was only in his home until she was ready to move out, but as far as Cole was concerned, this was her home too. Now, if he could only get his body on board with his mind.
He chuckled. Yeah, like that was going to happen. His libido had been in high gear from the second he got the call from Rick that Janie was at Whips. Now he had to find a way to deal with it.
