5. Cole

Chapter 5

Cole

Cole arrived back home at his lodge on the edge of town with his mind spinning – and not just because of the booze he had consumed over the course of the night.

‘That damn boy,' Cole muttered as he walked over toward Ranger's food bowl and loaded it up with some late night biscuits. ‘He's cute though…'

Cole smiled as he watched his faithful hound devour the biscuits before walking into the kitchen area and heating a big pot of broth. Luckily, there was still plenty of sourdough left from earlier in the day, and Cole was able to soak up the alcohol in his system pretty well.

But as he sat down on his large couch, Cole's mind was still very much focused on Joaquin. Sure, Joaquin had enough attitude to sink a battleship. And there was the fact that not only had he stolen money but seemed proud of it too. This wasn't ideal. Far from it, in fact.

Cole might have had plenty of problems with the law over the years, but they were never down to dishonesty. It was always a brawl, a confrontation gone wrong, a provocation that he couldn't resist reacting to. Cole prided himself on having strong morals and never taking advantage of anyone weaker than him.

Seeing how Joaquin had boasted so openly about stealing the Dolphins supporter's money didn't sit right with Cole. Even taking into account that they were a group of total assholes, Cole still couldn't condone pickpocketing.

And yet…

‘Hey, Ranger, what do you think?' Cole asked, patting his hand on the couch and happily seeing Ranger jump up and make himself comfortable. ‘This boy's trouble. But I think he needs help. He needs an arm around him. And he needs a firm hand too. Fuck. I shouldn't be bringing any trouble into my life. Not now that I'm finally living a peaceful life.'

Ranger simply whacked his long tail up and down on the couch's worn arm rest before resting his head on Cole's lap. If Cole was hoping for answers from his best canine friend, then he was sorely mistaken. But even though Ranger wasn't forthcoming with any help regarding Joaquin, Cole could never feel anything less than total love and affection for his hound.

Ranger was six years old now, but Cole had found him when he was less than a year old, wandering the side streets and alleys of Ridgeback Falls all alone and looking malnourished. But even though he was lost, abandoned, and in need of a good meal, there had been something about Ranger's attitude that shone through. Cole could see that Ranger was a good dog, full of heart and spirit – and determined to survive too.

It was a decision that only took a minute or so to make, but when Cole brought Ranger home with him on that day, he knew it was the right call. Slowly but surely, Cole had trained Ranger, fed him, kept him safe, and helped him become the best hound he could be.

Ranger was still more than capable of getting up to mischief, but that only made Cole love him even more. Together, they were a great team.

‘I'm thinking I need to see the boy one more time,' Cole said, stroking Ranger's silky smooth ears. ‘Just to make sure he's safe. And maybe to make a decision on him too.'

With that, Cole reached over toward the arm rest and picked up the TV remote without disturbing Ranger's perfect snuggle position too much.

It was time to put on an old movie and unwind before bed.

But when Cole did get to bed, there was going to be something on his mind that he simply couldn't shake…

‘Fuck, fuck, fuck, get out of my head,' Cole grumbled, tossing and turning underneath his heavy blanket.

Half an hour after his movie finished playing on the TV screen and he got himself to bed, Cole was still awake. And all he could think about was Joaquin. Except this time, it wasn't about Joaquin's situation, or even about his dubious moral code. No, these were thoughts of a very different kind.

Cole could feel his cock pressing up against his thick pajama bottoms. His erection wasn't going anywhere, and he knew it – and it was all down to the God damned boy.

Images and scenarios were running through Cole's mind at a thousand miles per hour, and they all invariably involved Joaquin in various stages of undress and in a variety of different positions.

‘Screw it,' Cole said, the exasperation at not being able to sleep getting the best of him.

Before he knew what he was doing, Cole had thrown his blanket off and pulled his cozy plaid pajama bottoms down to the tops of his thighs. With his hefty, hard manhood slapping around on his stomach, Cole reached over to the bedside table and swiftly grabbed the lube from inside the cupboard and squirted an ample amount onto his palms.

With the sound of the wind rattling against the bedroom windows, Cole gripped his cock in one hand and pulled on his balls with the other. All he could do was think about what Joaquin would look like naked as he began to pleasure himself.

The boy was petit, but looked like he could handle himself in a fight.

There was a street-smart strength to Joaquin, but Cole began to imagine just how easy it would be for a formidable athlete like him to overpower Joaquin and wrestle him to the ground. The idea of being able to dominate the boy and make him serve a master was enough to get Cole's breathing turned up a notch or two – as was the prospect of punishing the boy's sass with a good, long session of cock-worship.

But what was really running through Cole's mind as he began to increase the speed of his strokes was tossing the boy over his lap and giving him a long, hard, and merciless spanking. Cole wanted to be the man who showed Joaquin how to behave. He wanted to train Joaquin and set him on the right path. And instinctively, Cole knew that the best way to do this was through a good old fashioned butt warming…

‘ Fuccccccck ,' Cole groaned, his powerful quads tensing along with his big, round buttocks as he thrust his hips upward and shot a thick, hot load of cum over his strong stomach.

Cole was still breathing heavily as he continued to pump and drain the last drops of his seed to thoughts of Joaquin's round red ass after a discipline session over his lap.

‘ Hmmm … time to sleep,' Cole muttered, glancing over at his vintage digital alarm clock and seeing that it was now deep into the early hours. ‘And come tomorrow, it's time to find my boy and put him on the right path…'

With that, Cole shut his eyes and allowed himself to drift off to sleep.

It had been an eventful evening.

And with the next day shaping up to be potentially pretty interesting too, Cole knew that he needed to rest and recharge as much as he possible could.

The following morning, Cole made his way toward Smokers Tavern with the express mission of finding Joaquin and seeing exactly what the situation was. Cole was convinced that something was going on, something potentially dangerous for the boy, and he was determined to at least give the boy a chance to explain himself.

However on arrival at the tavern, Cole was told by Tiffany that Joaquin had checked out at the crack of dawn. Immediately on hearing this news, Cole's heart sunk and he kicked himself as he trudged into town for a morning coffee.

Tiffany had explained that Joaquin was very sketchy about his plans, not wanting to give a single detail away. In her opinion – and Tiffany was a great judge of character – she confirmed Cole's own suspicions when she said that Joaquin had all the hallmarks of someone on the run, someone in deep trouble. As the server at the tavern, Tiffany came across plenty of people passing through town and she could spot a troubled soul a mile away.

But all of this simply made Cole feel worse. He'd had a chance to help the boy, and he'd blown it – or at least that was how he saw things.

With the main strip's cozy shop exteriors intermingled with tattoo parlors, bars, and coffee shops, there was something for everyone in Ridgeback Falls. But in that moment, Cole couldn't have felt more alone if he tried.

I knew he was trouble.

But I knew he was in trouble too…

I shouldn't have let him out of my sight last night.

‘ Urgh . Time for a damn caffeine hit,' Cole grumbled as he approached Coffee Kings. ‘I'm better off alone anyhow…'

But just as Cole was opening the door to his favorite coffee spot, he was met with a sight that couldn't have predicted. Far from having left Ridgeback Falls in the dust, Joaquin was sitting in the corner of Coffee Kings with a mug of black coffee and the saddest blue eyes that Cole had ever seen.

If Cole thought he'd missed his chance, he was wrong.

And there was absolutely no way that Cole was going to let Joaquin slip through his fingers again – whether the young man liked it or not…