Hardcore Vanilla

by Golden Angel

  “I do not!” Sharon protested immediately. The magic vagina was something she’d teased Kate about, because Andrew had been a total slut before he and Kate had gotten back together, but once he was back with Kate he was locked down. It was something that happened a lot in the romances Sharon loved to read, and the idea amused her, but she had never thought to apply it to herself. “Jake wasn’t a man-whore.”

  “No, but he was kind of a dick to you for a really long time, but after you had sex he realized he wants to be with you! That’s the magic vagina at work.”

  Blinking, Sharon opened her mouth to argue and then closed it again. She couldn’t think of a reasonable argument. Looking down at her crotch, she cocked her head to the side. “Well damn. I didn’t know I had a magical vagina.”

  ******

  After getting Patrick a beer, Jake joined him on the couch, pensively glancing down the hallway at his closed bedroom door.

  "Should I be worried?" he asked Patrick. Granted, he was pretty good at reading his sister and she seemed more excited about him and Sharon than anything else, but Patrick would know for sure if Lexie would have any reservations. He'd also know if there was anything Jake should watch out for.

  Sharon didn't need extra help being troublesome, and he shuddered to think of her and Lexie combining forces.

  "Not about Lexie," Patrick said dryly. "She'd be thrilled to have Sharon as a sister-in-law."

  Jake choked on his beer and pounded his chest, glaring at his friend while his face turned red and he gasped for air. "We are so not there yet."

  "But you wouldn't be making things official with her if you didn't see the possibility of it going somewhere." Patrick smirked at him as Jake finally got his breathing under control, his throat still feeling a little raw.

  He was also irked because he knew Patrick was right. While he might not be willing to think that far ahead yet, he knew he wasn't interested in being in a relationship just for the sake of being in a relationship; especially not with someone who was part of his group of friends. It was pretty much an all or nothing equation, which they'd tried to get around by calling it being fuck buddies, but by claiming a real relationship they were now basically announcing that they were going for it.

  "A possibility, maybe," he muttered, taking another sip of beer - a smaller sip this time. Patrick smirked at him.

  "No, the person you really have to worry about is Andrew," Patrick said cheerfully, obviously enjoying himself.

  "Shouldn't he be happy we're not going to just be 'fuck buddies' anymore if he's playing the big brother role?" Jake pointed out, feeling more than a little disgruntled. He doubted his own flesh and blood sister was as protective of him as Andrew was of Sharon. "Not that it's any of his business anyway."

  "Yes, because our group of friends always does a fantastic job of staying out of each other's business." Patrick drawled, shaking his head. "Andrew's been watching out for Sharon for a while now, he considers her under his protection at the club."

  Jake raised his eyebrows. "Is that how Sharon sees it too?"

  "Doubtful, since Sharon probably doesn't think she needs anyone's protection," Patrick admitted. His dark eyes turned serious. "But having Andrew's has been good for her, even if she doesn't realize it. Her actions might not be conscious, but it's clear that she's always more comfortable when he's there."

  Well Jake could be her protector now. Not that she was going to need protecting from anyone. Some part of his brain nudged at him, insisting that it meant something different in BDSM. It didn't really matter. Either way, she'd be comfortable at the club because from now on he was going to be there when she was.

  Maybe they'd even use the club a little.

  Watch some of the scenes together. Jake wasn't interested in trying out most of what he saw, but he did like to watch.

  The idea of being watched wasn't a bad one either.

  Not to mention it would probably make Andrew's head explode.

  It wasn't until Patrick gave him a weird look that Jake realized he was smirking. Hmm. Maybe Sharon was rubbing off on him. Trying to get under someone else's skin was not normally one of Jake's goals.

  ******

  If Sharon had had any doubts about Jake really wanting to be in a relationship with her, they were gone after Sunday night. She and Lexie rejoined the guys and all four of them spent the rest of the afternoon and evening together - an impromptu double date. They watched a movie, ordered in pizza, and played a board game called Pandemic that she totally fell in love with.

  The whole time, Jake treated her like his girlfriend. If his arm wasn't around either her shoulders or her waist then he was holding her hand. he cuddled with her the entire movie and gave her little kisses whenever one of them had to get up for anything. He was not shy at all about showing affection in front of an amused Patrick and beaming Lexie.

  Later, just before they left, Lexie gleefully whispered to her that she'd never seen Jake being so physically affectionate with any of his girlfriends.

  As soon as they were gone Sharon asked Jake if he minded her calling Kate. It wasn’t that she wanted to abandon him immediately, but they both knew that if she didn't call Kate now then her bestie would be hearing it through the grapevine. He'd just smiled and waved her back to his bedroom while he took care of the pizza boxes and plates.

  Unlike Lexie, she gave Kate all the dirty details about the coat closet - and some of the hotel room stuff. Kate pretended to be upset about Lexie and Patrick getting the first double date until Sharon promised that of course she and Jake would go out with her and Andrew sometime this week. Jake walked into the bedroom just in time to overhear that part of the conversation and suggested they go on either Friday or Saturday before heading to Stronghold.

  Worked for her.

  They both knew that once they got to Stronghold they were going to be under siege by their friends.

  The rest of the week passed by in a bit of a blur. Most of her day-to-day interactions with Jake didn’t change at all, except that on Tuesday he took her out to dinner for their first official date. They almost had another argument over who was going to pay, but she ended up conceding and letting him spring for the whole meal as long as she got to pay next time. Sharon always considered it an important test whether a guy was too eager to have her pay or wouldn’t allow it at all. She had expected a fight from Jake on it, he wasn’t the type to be too eager, but she was glad they’d come to a compromise.

  She honestly hadn’t been sure whether or not he’d be the type that would take it as an insult that she wanted to pay, but he didn’t seem bothered by it overall. Just that he wanted to pay for the date that he’d asked her out on.

  Setting up that they would switch back and forth made her feel better.

  Finally, Friday night and dinner with Kate and Andrew rolled around. Sharon wore a little black dress with no panties, garters and stockings, and no bra. She figured if they were going to Stronghold afterwards, Jake would appreciate the easy access.

  At least, she hoped something would happen at Stronghold. They hadn’t talked explicitly about it, she realized.

  Dinner was a little awkward, because Andrew kept glaring at Jake. Eventually she started kicking him under the table every time she caught him at it and he turned his glare to her.

  “Stop kicking me,” he ordered, making Kate look up in surprise. Although she was seated next to Andrew, she obviously hadn’t realized what Sharon was doing. Jake turned his head to stare at Sharon too. She smirked. What? She had good aim.

  “Stop glaring at Jake,” she countered, not at all apologetic.

  ******

  Amusement sprang up as Andrew and Sharon stared unwaveringly at each other across the table. They really were like siblings. Jake remembered having similar staring contests with Lexie when he was growing up. Granted, they’d been children at the time.

  Chuckling, he dropped his arm from Sharon’s shoulders to around her waist, pulling her along the seat of the booth so t
hat her leg pressed against his. Immediately, Andrew switched his glare.

  “It’s fine,” Jake said, his thumb stroking the side of Sharon’s thigh where Andrew couldn’t see it. Sharon leaned into him and Jake’s grin widened while Andrew glowered. “It doesn’t bother me.”

  “Well it’s bothering me,” Sharon muttered, side-eyeing Andrew, who suddenly looked a bit abashed.

  “I’m not trying to bother you, just...” Andrew sighed, leaning back against his side of the booth, his gaze jumping back and forth between them. “You two went from having a major fight that caused Sharon to call Kate in the middle of the night, to coming back and saying you’re in a relationship. I think I have the right to be a little worried.”

  “I think I have the right to be a little worried,” Sharon mimicked him, but in a much higher tone of voice. Somehow, Jake managed to keep his face straight. She dropped back into her normal voice to respond. “No, you don’t, because you don’t get a say in my relationships.”

  “No, but I get a say in how he treats you,” Andrew said, giving Jake a threatening look. It was all posturing and they both knew it, but for some reason Andrew seemed compelled to see it through. They were all aware that if Jake hurt Sharon, Andrew wouldn’t be the only one coming for him. Truthfully, he was less scary to Jake than most of the women in the group.

  “I’d say I’m treating you pretty well so far, wouldn’t you, princess?” Jake asked, giving her thigh a little squeeze as he leaned down and dropped a kiss on her forehead.

  “Oh, definitely,” she purred back at him, sensual heat practically dripping from her voice and nearly making him laugh and ruin their little show. As entertained as Jake was by getting under Andrew’s skin, he wasn’t nearly as good at it as Sharon was. Then again, she had a lot more practice than he did at getting under people’s skin in general – and obviously enjoyed it.

  Andrew growled.

  “Oh stop,” Kate scolded him. “Just because your sister is dating a loser doesn’t mean that you can take it out on Sharon and Jake.”

  “Ah ha!” Sharon said, turning to face Andrew again. “I knew this wasn’t about me! It’s about Iris.”

  “It’s still about you,” Andrew argued, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table as he stared Sharon down, his expression earnest. “I care about you. I want you to be happy. I don’t want you to be hurt.”

  The sincerity in his voice was undeniable and Jake could practically feel Sharon soften beside him. Andrew’s little speech even touched him.

  “I’m going to do my best to make her happy,” he reassured Andrew, who lifted his gaze to meet Jake’s. Something indefinable passed through the air between them, a kind of recognition. Jake got it, he really did, especially after talking to Patrick. Andrew saw himself as being somewhat responsible for Sharon, even if she didn’t see it that way.

  Realizing that his warning had been heard and understood, Andrew straightened up and nodded at Jake. Both of the women looked back and forth between them, Kate appearing amused, while Sharon was a bit disbelieving.

  She shook her head and groaned. “You two are Neanderthals.”

  Jake winked at her. “Isn’t that why I’m Captain Caveman?”

  ******

  Of course they couldn’t have a nice, normal night at Stronghold without ribbing from their friends. They were all standing around at their usual bar table, except Angel and Adam who were at home with baby Melody, and Luke and Olivia who were at Marquis.

  “What was that about you and Jake not getting together just because you’re the last two single people in our group of friends, again?” Ellie teased her quietly. Not quietly enough though – both Maria and Hilary overheard her and started cracking up. Dammit. She knew she shouldn’t have helped Ellie become more outspoken.

  “I know, I know,” Sharon said with a resigned sigh. “I’m a walking cliché. But can you blame me? I mean, look at this.” She reached over and yanked up Jake’s shirt to show off his abs.

  “What are you doing?” he yelped, pulling it back down. Since he’d been in the middle of talking to Liam and Jared, he had missed the parallel conversation. Sharon giggled as the others cracked up and Jake glared at her like an affronted virgin.

  Suddenly his glared changed, turning a little darker and a little more dangerous and the urge to giggle dried up real fast. He lifted one dark brow, his blue eyes glittering as he focused on her and Sharon found herself squeezing her thighs together.

  It was like he’d flipped on a Dom switch – even if he would deny it – and her body responded immediately.

  “Is there something you need, princess?” he asked silkily, his voice a little deeper than normal. Yeah, he’d gone Captain Caveman on her before, but this was somehow different. There was a little more authority in his voice, a little more sensual power. Was it because they were at Stronghold, surrounded by Doms? She didn’t know, but it was definitely having an effect on her. “Am I not paying you enough attention?”

  Eek.

  Whenever a dominant asked that question it never turned out well for the subbie.

  “No, no,” she said, shaking her head in automatic denial. “I was just showing off your fine assets.”

  Jake didn’t look convinced, his eyes moving over her face as if studying every last detail. Sharon did her best to look sincere, but there was a niggle of doubt in the back of her mind. Had some part of her been trying to vie for his attention? She had done something she’d known would get it, unequivocally, even if she hadn’t anticipated this response.

  She was not opposed to it though, even as a little trickle of apprehension went through her.

  Something of her hesitation must have conveyed itself to him, because Jake’s gaze sharpened.

  “Oh, I think you did want my attention, princess. Now you have it.”

  Sharon shrieked as Jake moved, hoisting her up off of her bar stool and over his shoulder before she could blink. Immediately, their friends started cat-calling and cheering him on, drawing the attention of everyone else in the bar and lounge areas. Sharon could see some of the Doms and subs halting their negotiations to look over curiously at her and Jake, who didn’t seem at all bothered by having everyone stare at them.

  Ha. Who was the attention-whore now?

  “Where are you going?” Patrick called after them as Jake stalked off toward the back of the club.

  “There’s a room here I’ve always wanted to try out,” Jake tossed back over the shoulder she wasn’t currently occupying.

  “You didn’t reserve one.” Despite the crowd, Patrick’s voice was still loud enough to be heard, since everyone was now watching her and Jake.

  “Don’t need a reservation for where I’m going.”

  There was only one room in the club that didn’t need a reservation. Sharon’s pussy clenched immediately.

  Chapter 19

  The room Jake was most drawn to every time he’d walked through the club, the room he always had in the back of his head when he thought about doing something at the club, was on the top floor. In the back of his head, Jake had thought of it as 'The Orgy Room.' He didn't know what it was actually called. Orgies weren't its real purpose though, they just happened in there on occasion. Really, the room was specifically set up for people to watch and be watched.

  Jake had always really liked watching.

  Now he was going to find out what it would be like to be watched.

  Well, as long as Sharon was down for it, but she didn't seem to be protesting. He wasn't sure exactly how far she was going to let him go with the Captain Caveman thing, but he guessed they were about to find out.

  Hands groped his butt as he started up the stairs and he chuckled, reaching across to place his hand on her thigh and slide it up under her dress. Turnabout was fair play after all.

  As he'd suspected, she was going sans panties again.

  More than one person in the hallway paused to watch his progress, obviously interested in where he was headed with Shar
on, although they didn't say anything. Jake knew he'd been the subject of speculation ever since he'd started coming to Stronghold. Friends with the owner, brother of the owner's girlfriend, and yet not kinky himself.

  Several submissives had propositioned him. So had a few dominants.

  They'd gotten used to seeing him walking around and occasionally watching. If he'd displayed any kink, it was voyeurism, and everyone was just fine with that. Anyone who wanted a private scene could reserve a room and then make sure the curtains to the windows were closed. Feeling their eyes on him, he realized that he was really enjoying being the center of attention right now. This was attention he liked.

  He was pretty sure he heard Sharon let out a soft gasp when he opened the door to the Orgy Room, as well as quite a few murmurs down the hallway from the watchers. Out of the corner of his eye, he was pretty sure he saw more than one of them heading to the movie room, which was right next door.

  There was always a live feed going - although nothing was ever recorded - between the two rooms. Just in case someone felt like watching but not showing off.

  This room - and he needed to stop thinking of it as the Orgy Room, because that was not what he was there for - had a massive bed right in the center. Like, big enough for twenty people with a little bit of space left over. The window into the hallway was three times the size of the windows into the other rooms and there were no curtains.

  Jake grinned at the looks he received as he came into the room. It wasn't particularly full tonight - only two other couples and one man with two women. Interest lit up their eyes as they recognized him. The man with the two women looked particularly interested. Right now, he was propped up against the massive headboard and the ladies were making out with each other, kneeling on either side of his body and kissing above him while one of them stroked his cock, allowing him to watch everything else that was going on in the room.

  One of the two couples was on the edge of the bed, the woman on her back while the man held her legs draped over his arms, thrusting into her from a standing position. His thrusts slowed, causing his partner to turn and see what he was looking at. The other couple were up by the headboard on the opposite side of the bed from the ménage, the woman riding in the man in reverse cowgirl position.