Chapter Twelve
Mina’s head swiveled back and forth, trying to get a glimpse of everything around her on the way to the kitchen. As they walked, the men talked about the club and where they would live.
They quickly showed her through their private apartment.
The very top floor was where they lived. It had its living room, kitchen, the master suite, and a few bathrooms and bedrooms the men had used before she came into the picture. Now that she was there with them, they would all share the same room.
There was also a room that could be considered a library or office, and Mina immediately fell in love with it.
It had bookshelves stuffed with books on three sides of the room.
There were a deep sofa and chair, a desk, and several tables.
What caught and held her attention the most was the fireplace and what looked like the softest rug she had ever seen spread out in front of it.
They described the rest of the place in basic terms to her briefly as they rode down on the elevator.
The second floor held offices, a kitchen, dining area, storage area, and spare bedrooms. It also had a small apartment off the kitchen for their cook. The main floor and basement were all devoted to their Sanctuary.
They talked about meeting in college. They and some friends went to a club a lot like theirs, and they loved it.
A place where people with different ideas on sex and dominance can meet others like themselves and have a safe place to do it.
Jon and Koa pooled their money after college and started the Sanctuary, which took off and became very successful in a short time.
Jon was thirty-one, Koa was thirty-two, and they were already multimillionaires. The thought of that shook Mina up and made doubts invade her mind. Voices in her head asked how she was going to keep the attention of men like these two for long.
She was led into a large industrial kitchen.
Jon released her hand so she could move around the room.
Instead of being cold with a lot of stainless steel, everything was a deep medium walnut wood.
Even the fridge and large dishwashers had wood panels.
The sink was a huge skirted white country style that added a bit of charm to the room.
On the other side of the room sat a cozy nook with a window bench, pillows, and a table that could seat six comfortably.
The sight from the windows was spectacular.
It faced the back of their six hundred acres.
The garden had so many different plants and flowers.
Little trees added shade to some of the places, and Mina could see a few benches scattered around.
Past the garden sat a black wrought-iron fence, but instead of making it look cold, the decorative bars they used added an artistic element.
Beyond the fence was a large rolling meadow and then the start of the woodlands.
She spun around when the door to the outside opened. An older woman with white-gray hair stopped.
“And you must be Mina the boys told me about. I’m Cece.”
She smiled, took the few steps closer, and held out her hand. “Yes, ma’am. You have the most beautiful kitchen and gardens I’ve ever seen.”
“Well, aren’t you the sweetest thing? I designed both.”
She turned slowly around. “I could never do that.”
“Do you like to cook?” Cece said and set down a large basket filled with fresh-cut flowers.
“Yes, ma’am, I do, but I really like to bake.”
Mina jerked her head around at the groan from the men.
“What?” Mina asked, confused.
Cece laughed. “I’m a damn good cook, but I can’t bake to save me. I’ve had to buy store-bought cakes and brownies for the boys’ sweet tooth.”
Mina giggled.
Cece smiled at her. “So, I’m putting you in charge of desserts. Do you think you can do that?”
She swallowed and blinked several times as emotion flooded her senses. She nodded eagerly.
“I would absolutely love to help with anything, ma’am.”
“Well, first off, you need to learn how to call me Cece, honey. And I’ll call you Mina. Would that be okay?”
Mina smiled. “Thank you so much, Cece.”
Cece laughed. “The boys told me you haven’t eaten in a while?”
“No, ma’... I mean, Cece. But I don’t want you to go to any trouble.”
Cece snorted. “Don’t you ever worry about that. I live in this kitchen, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. How about I make some scrambled eggs and toast? I don’t want to overload you with anything rich right now. It might upset your stomach.”
“That sounds wonderful. Can I help with the toast?”
Cece linked her arm through Mina’s and walked her around the room, showing her where everything is.
Within half an hour, the men and Mina were sitting at the kitchen table eating. Cece had already eaten and wanted to start on lunch preparations.
Jon wiped his mouth with a napkin and then sat down beside his plate. “Can we talk about your family, baby?”
Mina froze, and her eyes jerked to his. “What would you like to know?” she asked, set down her fork, and took a drink of juice.
“You talked about your mom and dad briefly. Can you tell us about them, and do you have any siblings, aunts, uncles, or cousins?”
“I don’t have any siblings or the rest. It’s just been my parents and me. I was an only child, they had me later in life. My mom would say I was a beautiful surprise for them.”
Koa reached for her hand and squeezed. “What happened?”
“Cancer. Breast cancer.” She swallowed the lump that grew in her throat.
God, would the pain ever go away? “They caught it too late, and it had already spread to her liver and brain. We had eight months with her before she died. She decided against chemotherapy. The chances of it doing anything were less than one percent. So instead of being sick from the drugs, she decided she’d rather have the time with us and make memories.
The last month was tough because she was in a lot of pain, and she was put on heavy doses of morphine so she would be in and out of consciousness most of the time. ”
Koa pulled her out of her chair and onto his lap. She hadn’t realized tears were running down her face. She sobbed when his arms closed around her. The men murmured softly to her and waited until she stopped. Jon handed her a few napkins, which she used to wipe her tears and blow her nose.
“I’m sorry. I haven’t done that in years.”
Jon had moved his chair closer and rubbed her back. “How old were you when she died?”
She wiped her hand across her cheek as a few more tears escaped. “Twelve.”
“Jesus,” Jon blurted. “That had to have been hard on you.”
She leaned back against Koa and rested the side of her head against his chest. “It was. I lost my mom and best friend, and I also lost my dad that day.”
Koa smoothed the hair from her face. “What do you mean, pet?”
“My dad started drinking right away and went downhill quickly. He was able to function at work, but he’d open a bottle the minute he got home.”
“Was he abusive to you?”
“Not at all. He just wasn’t there anymore. I could never say my mom’s name in front of him, and he didn’t like being in the same room as me.”
“How did you survive? Who took care of you?”
“I did. I got myself ready, went to school, and rode the bus back and forth every day. I would cook us simple meals with the few groceries he brought home. It was great when I turned fourteen. I got my school permit and started working at a grocery store. I was able to drive myself everywhere with an old second-hand car my dad bought for me. I was able to get the groceries we needed at a discount, and it took one more thing off my dad’s plate to deal with. ”
“Jesus, that must have been hard?”
She shrugged. “It’s what had to be done. I didn’t have time to feel sorry for myself.”
“So, what happened?” Jon asked.
“I turned eighteen, and a month later, I graduated from high school. I started working full-time at the grocery store and was trying to decide what to do. I came home one day, and there was a FOR SALE sign in our yard.”
“Goddammit,” Koa growled.
She’d never forget the feeling of despair she’d felt looking at that sign because she knew deep in her heart, she would lose her father for good.
“My father said he couldn’t handle living in the house any longer without Mom, so he was selling the house. He told me I had a few weeks to find an apartment, and then when the house sold, he’d leave. He didn’t tell me where he was going. I don’t think he knew.”
“What happened?”
“I found an apartment right away and moved. He told me to take whatever I wanted, that he was going to throw the rest away.” She wiped a stray tear.
“I took all the photos we had and a couple of pieces of furniture from my maternal grandmother that my mom cherished, the things I needed to set up my apartment—dishes, bedroom, towels, and then my stuff.”
“And then your dad just left.”
“Yeah. I saw him about six months later. He stopped by the grocery store and gave me a check for half the house. I’ve seen him a few more times when he’d stop into the store, and then about five years ago, he just vanished. I haven’t seen or heard from him since.”
Koa pressed his lips against the side of her head. “I’m so sorry, pet.”
She shrugged. “I survived.”
Jon rubbed her back. “You did great. You not only survived, but you also did a good job taking care of yourself.”
“I didn’t think so. I’d been at the same grocery store since I was fourteen and at the same apartment. I just couldn’t figure out what to do.”
“Because you were waiting for us,” Koa said with a grin.
She tipped her head back and smiled. “That’s a nice thought.”
“If you’re finished eating, we’ll show you around a bit more, and then we’ll take a nap.”
She chuckled and pulled away from Koa enough to see his face. “A nap? I haven’t had a nap since I was three.”
“Well, you’ll have to get used to it again. We work late nights and wake up early sometimes, so we need to lie down for a while to catch up on sleep. Besides, you’re just getting over a migraine. We don’t want it to come back.”
She thought about it for a brief moment and then nodded. A thought popped into her head. “We’ll take naps together?” she asked.
“Yes, pet.”
A smile softened Mina’s face. “Okay, I’d like that.”
Jon stood, gathered the plates, and took them over to the sink. Cece shooed him out of the way when he tried to rinse the dishes. He chuckled but then followed Koa and Mina out of the kitchen.
The men showed her the second story, where the offices were.
In the office, Koa took out a contract, and they spent close to an hour going over it and telling her about safewords.
Hers would be “yellow” and “red” because they were easy to remember.
They also went over hard and soft limits and answered any questions she had.
“Why can’t I see the club?” she asked when the elevator doors closed behind them.
Jon punched in number three. “Because it’s a lot to take in. We’ll show you that later.”
“We don’t ever want you to go down to the club without one of us,” Koa warned.
“Why?” she asked, leaned against the far wall of the elevator, and looked at both.
“It’s not safe for you,” Koa informed her.
She thought about it for a moment and decided to put it off for another time. They were headed back up to the apartment for a nap, and it sounded good at that moment. Even after all the sleep she’d gotten the day before, she still felt tired.
The elevator opened. The guys turned, waited for Mina, then followed her down the hallway.
She stopped several doors down from their bedroom. It was the only one that had been locked. “What’s this door?”
“That room is off-limits to you unless we give you permission.”
Both men crossed their arms and stared down at her.
She bit her lip, looked at the door, and then back at them. “Why?”
Koa closed the distance between them and tilted her head back with a finger under her chin.
“We haven’t gone over a lot of rules yet, but here’s an important one. We don’t like to be questioned, pet. We have our reasons for everything.”
Mina’s head was tilted way back so she could see his face.
Their sizes should overwhelm her, but she’d never felt fear when she was with them.
The stern expression on Koa’s face made her nervous, but in a good way.
When they talked with their deep Dom voice, it sent tingles down her spine and made her body soften, her nipples harden, and her panties wet.
“I’ll try...”
“You’ll do more than try, or there will be consequences for your actions,” Jon said, and he ran a hand down her back and over her ass.
Her eyes widened. “Like you’d punish me?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
Koa grunted. “Didn’t we already talk a bit about punishment when we went over the contract, and we just talked about questioning us?”
“Oh, yeah. Sorry.”
“Let’s get her in bed. It looks like she could use a nap, and I know I could,” Jon said and grabbed her hand and tugged her down the hallway.
“Why don’t you go in and use the bathroom?” Jon said as he pulled the drapes shut.
Koa watched the bathroom door close and then grinned at Jon. “She is going to be so much fun.”
Jon reached back over his shoulder to grip his t-shirt and pull it off before unsnapping his jeans.
“I think so, too,” he said and chuckled. “She’s ours. I’m excited to teach her what we want from her. She’ll only know our hands, mouth, and cocks from now on.”