Ian
Killian keeps Jenna close over the next few weeks. Whenever he comes home in the afternoons, he anxiously hunts her down, needing to ascertain that she’s still here.
I make sure not to have her occupied at the time of day when he comes home. I’m not going to be as accommodating in the long run, but right now, he needs that sense of security, and I’m happy to provide it. He has enough challenges as is just accepting that he cares about her; this is not the time to work on his abandonment issues.
Jenna is almost equally eager to see him. If he’s not home when she expects him, she’ll come to my office and carefully knock on the door, eyes wide and hesitant as she peeks in and asks when Killian will be back. The first time she does so, she apologizes profusely, knowing not to disturb me, but I decide to forego that rule. I don’t want to keep Jenna away from me for anything in the world. So I let her come sit on my lap and tell her that she may come in here whenever needed, as long as she knocks and acts with patience. Then I text Killian and assure herthat everything’s okay when he replies a minute later, saying he’s running late.
I hold her until we hear the front door open. Jenna bounces off my lap and rushes through the room. Reaching the door, she pauses and turns to me. “I’m sorry, that was rude. I want to be with you, it’s just…” Her eyes drop to the ground.
“Jenna,” I say softly, making her gaze come back up. “We have plenty of time ahead of us to be together. I’m not going anywhere. And right now, you need Killian more. That’s okay.”
“I need you too,” she says, eyes flickering with uncertainty.
“I know. At some point, it will level out and you’ll need us equally, but right now, you need him more.”
“I’m sorry.”
A smile tips up my lips. “You’ve waited thirteen years for this. Go be with him. I’m not going anywhere. You’re still mine. That won’t change.”
The tension drains from her shoulders. “I’m yours.”
“Always, Jenna. Always.”
“Thank you.”
I nod at the door. “Go.”
She flashes me the cutest happy smile just before she disappears into the hall, feet thudding against the floors as she runs.
When I come into the kitchen to get more coffee thirty minutes later, she’s on Killian’s lap at the dining table, being fed from his hand.
It’s a scene I’ve walked in on several times lately, and even so, it still stirs a warm feeling of contentment in my chest. Finally, they’ve found each other, the two people I care about the most. I can live with having less of Jenna for a while when this is the result.
“Uh, uh,” Killian admonishes when Jenna is about to reach up and wipe her mouth. “Hands stay on the table.”
She glances nervously at me, tongue darting out to lick away a stain on her cheek but not quite reaching it.
It’s tempting to join the little game—rub it in and make her feel my dominance as well—but I simply go grab my coffee and leave them to it. I want to give Killian some space and time alone with her, which I’ve had plenty of. Now it’s his turn.
Over the next few days, Killian’s ways of feeding Jenna lunch get more dominant and degrading. First, he makes her kneel at his side, eating from his hand. Next, she’s eating from a bowl on the floor like a dog—or kitten, as Killian has taken to calling her.
He tuts at her and admonishes her for making a mess, but at the same time, he pets her and calls her a good kitten.
“Has she made a mess?” he asks when I pass them, on my way back to my office. Grabbing her hair, he lifts her head and turns it toward me.
I pause and study her. “She has. You’d better discipline her for that.”
“Maybe she needs to taste the cane.” He smacks her ass, throwing me a questioning look.
I’m not sure whether he’s asking whether she’s ready, needing my opinion to make sure he doesn’t cross a line, or if he’s asking me to go get one. I give him both. “I have just the right one to give the kitten a lesson.”
I go to get a leatherbound cane from my office—one of the less severe ones.
“Twenty strikes,” Killian says when I return, stepping over her, caging her in between his legs.
I think it might be an invitation for me to dole out the discipline, but I can’t be sure, and I don’t want to hijack his scene even though it’s tempting to stay. So I simply hand him the cane and leave him to it, lingering in the hall for a moment to enjoy Jenna’s yelps and mewls.
The next time I walk in on Killian feeding Jenna from a bowl on the floor, the invitation is less subtle. Before I can round the dining table, Killian throws me a bottle of lube that I just barely catch.
