He’d head to Overwatch when he wanted, play a little, and leave. He didn’t have a permanent sub, and he wasn’t looking for one. Which was also why training the new ones was one of his favorite things to do. He loved helping subs to find their way by testing their boundaries and learning their limits, and then setting them free to find the right Dom for them.
But Ronnie Mack … the tomboy next door. He wasn’t sure he could train her.
Damn, she’d been such a little thing when she’d moved in next door. Tiny, and tough, she’d walked around with a chip on her shoulder that had held her relatives at a distance no matter how much they tried to bring her into their fold.
“Alright, everyone. First meet’s tomorrow night. Be here and ready to engage.” Adam’s words pulled him out of his head and back to the table. “Ian, stick around a minute.”
No surprise there. Simon and Eden nodded to him as they left the table, and Ian faced Adam.
Ian wasn’t an idiot, so he had a pretty good idea what was coming. He wasn’t wrong.
Adam leaned back in his seat. “Between you and me, how well do you know her?”
He’d tell most people to mind their own business, but he’d known Adam for almost five years, and he respected the man. Plus, this was Adam’s business. “Her parents died when she was ten, and she came to California to live with her aunt and uncle. She was the girl next door, literally.”
“So you knew her pretty well.” It wasn’t a question.
In some ways, they’d been kindred spirits, but they’d never really been friends, not the kind who hung around together, anyway. He shrugged. “Her cousin Dave was one of my buddies in high school, but she held herself apart from everyone. She was a tomboy from Oklahoma living in Brentwood. She didn’t fit in, and she never really tried to.”
“How long has it been since you’ve seen her?”
Ian glanced away. “I left when I was eighteen and only came back to Los Angeles five years ago. And before you ask, no, I never looked them up when I came back. I haven’t seen her, or her family, for almost twenty years.” And why did admitting that make him feel like a prick?
“Knowing her could be a detriment, if you go into this with preconceived notions,” Adam, said, looking him straight in the eye.
“I’m aware.”
Adam gave him the hard stare for another minute, but Ian didn’t back down. He was a successful businessman, one of the most sought-after software designers in the country. He might be a geek, but he sure as hell wasn’t a wimp. Still, Adam Kessler wasn’t a guy you wanted to fuck with, no matter who you were. And looking after the subs who joined his club was something he took very personally.
Just when Ian was starting to take offense at his obvious concern Adam nodded. “Okay then. You’re a good man, and a damn good Dom, so I’ll trust you to let me know if your history becomes an issue.”
Ronnie’s stomach jumped as she stared at the building in front of her. Was this the right place? The parking lot was half full of vehicles of every description. There was a shiny new Mercedes parked between a dented Ford pickup and small pink Hyundai. Who the hell would want a pink car? She’d parked at the far side of the building, next to a kick-ass midnight-blue ’67 Nova that made her fingers itch to pop the hood. She struggled to ignore it as she moved toward the door. She wasn’t there because of her passion for fast cars, she was there for another passion. One she needed help exploring.
When she was about three feet from the set of double doors at the front, she saw the simple black X directly in the center of it and knew it was the right place.
Overwatch. The private club that just might be the answer to her prayers.
This place had been recommended to her after a she posted a particular rant on the “lifestyle” website she’d been using to try and find a Dom. After posting the rant, she got a message from Mason
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