I knew he wanted that for Genni—the hunger inside him was almost palpable—but she was not ready to dive that deep yet. A gentle hand, a caring hand, was required to bring her out of her shell and help her discover that we were what she needed. How I was going to accomplish that would take some tightrope walking. For now, letting her get to know me and getting to know her at her pace was my best bet. If only I could keep myself in check until she was ready.
I pulled into the funeral home parking lot, and there were only a few cars this early. I loved that Genni waited for me to come around and open the door for her. When she took my hand, little zings of electricity echoed across my skin from that small bit of trust she didn’t realize she had given me. Her friend Kendra met us at the door.
“Morning, Genni.” She raised her eyebrow at me. “Everything okay?”
“As much as it can be.” Genni smiled then caught the slight nod Kendra had given me. “Oh, Brian and Jason came over this morning to check on me. I figured it was smarter to ride with Brian instead of driving myself.”
“That was generous of him. Come on in. Everything is ready. People will start showing up soon, you know how the older generation is here. Front row seats for everything.”
Genni laughed. “Yeah, Gran always talked about how it was a race to get here first.”
I dropped back a few steps, giving her and her friend some space. My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out, and the name on the screen warmed my heart.
“Just checking in on my baby boy. I hope your visit with your friend is going well.”
Even three thousand miles away, Mom was still keeping an eye on me. I wouldn’t put it past her to have twisted Jason’s arm into sending her periodic updates. I shot off a quick reply.
“It has turned out more interesting than expected. I’ll call you later.”
My screen lit up with her reply.
“I look forward to it. Love you sweetie.”
“Love you too Mom.”
I flipped on the do not disturb function and slid my phone back into my pocket. I stood in the doorway, watching Genni move about the room with Kendra. She held her shoulders back and her head high. The black jumpsuit gave her an air of confidence. Her braided hair swayed, begging to be wrapped around my hands. I stood, imagining stripping her down to just the sexy underwear I had unpacked with the rest of her clothes this morning. The tie I currently wore around my neck would do fine as a blindfold, and the curtain ties in her gran’s living room would hold her hands immobile without hurting her too much. I would release her hair to fall around her shoulders, giving me more ways to twist and direct her as I wished.
The outside door opened behind me, jerking me from my daydream. My cock, swollen and throbbing against the zipper in my slacks, had me trying to adjust myself inconspicuously.
“Hey, how’s she doing?” Jason’s voice greeted me before I could turn around. I leaned against the door, still trying to calm the hard-on I still had raging.
“She’s strong. She won’t let anyone see how much she’s hurting right now.” I glanced out of the corner of my eye, gauging Jason’s reaction.
“We can help her with that.” The need in his voice was barely contained.
“Jason, do you really think now is time? She’s completely naïve, and you know it. If we choose to do this, we have to take it slow. You’ll break her otherwise.”
“I will not. I know what she needs.” He huffed.
“Christine.” One name was all I needed to say to shut him up.
“That was a long time ago,” he whispered. The fire had gone out from him.
“You have to admit the similarities are a little disturbing. Can you handle it?”
Christine was a young woman Jason had met in college down in Texas. It was the second summer he worked on the ranch, and he and I had chatted about the lifestyle and what we dabbled in. I wasn’t really into the kink back then, a little slap and tickle to spice things up, but Jason had asked if I had ever considered a threesome. He had been dating Christine for a while and wanted to surprise her with one of her fantasies. Or so he said. I felt a little uneasy having not talked it over with Christine, but Jason had assured me it would be okay because she really wanted a threesome.
He was right, to begin with, her eyes rounded with hunger when we both walked into the room. She eagerly started pawing at our clothes—that was the first moment I should have recognized things were going wrong. A well-trained and devoted sub, she was not. Jason’s desire to control had clouded his judgment and his need to inflict pain kept him from seeing what was right in front of him—a young girl who only wanted to play at the lifestyle. I tried to talk to him, but he wouldn’t listen. I knew the only reason Christine was still alive was that I chose to stay and did everything I could to protect her.
Jason and I parted ways after that for a few years. I told him he needed to train more and that to become a true Dom took more than expertise with the implements we wielded. He needed to learn to read the scene and the sub because it was always the sub who ultimately guided the relationship. A few years later, he called and asked to visit. He admitted to having gone through extensive therapy and training, so I agreed. That visit convinced me he had grown and learned his lesson.
His obsession with Genni was making me wonder if it was all an act. A call to my brother was most definitely in order before this went any further. For now, I would control my urges and be the shoulder she needed, even though she didn’t realize she needed me yet.
Genni greeted the well-wishers with poise and grace. Kendra never left her side for long. I slipped into the chair next to her as everyone settled in for the service. Jason chose to sit behind us, and Kendra was to her right. The service was short and sweet. My desire to touch and appreciate Genni overwhelmed me. I reached for her hand without thinking and breathed a sigh of relief when she accepted the small gesture willingly.
The rest of the morning went by in a blur—the procession to the graveyard, another graveside service, and everyone’s goodbye. Not a tear escaped her eyes through it all. She was a strong woman, but even the strongest could break. I felt the tension strumming through her body as I wrapped an arm around her shoulders while we stood at her gran’s grave.
“What do I do now, Gran?” she whispered. Her phone began dinging as we stood there. She removed it from the little purse she carried. “Shit, we need to go.” Her eyes met mine, and I saw the glistening tears still unshed. “I need to be at the lawyer’s office in fifteen minutes.”
“I am sure he can wait if you want to stay a bit longer.” I rubbed her arm, hoping to comfort her with my touch.
“No, Gran wouldn’t want me to mope about. I’m ready.” She sniffed and held her head high. The sound of the casket being lowered into the ground followed us down the hill to my truck. I helped her in and rounded the hood to the driver’s side. Jason was sitting in his cruiser parked behind me. I waved to him, and he lowered his window.
“Everything okay?”
“So far. She has to meet with the lawyer, and then I am goin’ to make sure she goes home and rests.” I had one hand on the door as we chatted.
“I have some things to finish up at the office before I head over to the house. People will be showing up early with food and such for dinner tonight. If you want to make sure she gets some rest, you’ll have to bring her in the back way. I’ll keep them away as long as possible.”