Julie waited. Funny, waiting isn’t generally thought of as an active task. Waiting is usually a passive task. One expects an event to happen and until such time as it does, one does something else. But this waiting was not like waiting for the turkey to cook, and peeling potatoes in the meantime. This was waiting. Julie was actively, in the process of; waiting. And if you could see her, you’d know what she was doing. She was naked and kneeling with her forehead to the floor and her arms in front of her; prostrating herself at the closed entry door… and waiting. She would later come to realize that this was one of the entry-level “torment positions,” but for now, all she knew was that her body was starting to get tired, and needed a stretch.
Through the window Julie heard the bell tower chime four times. It was 4:00 in the afternoon. She had been “waiting” for over an hour and she was getting to the point that she had to go to the bathroom. She contemplated actually doing it; goodness knows her body could use the stretch; but she quickly decided against it. If he happened to arrive when she was on the toilet… hmmmmmmm…. Julie didn’t want to finish that thought. No, there was just no two ways around it; she would have to wait.
Too bad she hadn’t turned the radio on first she thought. She had been specifically told not to turn the television on, but nothing was said about the radio. And she had to do what He had said to the letter. It was all part of his challenge and she was trying to prove him wrong.
Julie found her mind playing tricks on her. The mind does that you know; with limited sensory input the mind will turn inward looking for entertainment, an activity, a problem to solve, anything to occupy itself. The only two real sensory inputs she had right now was a mild muscle complaint originating from her back and legs simply because of the position she had been in for so long, and an auditory input of occasionally hearing muffled voices coming from the hallway just outside her door. The muscle complaint could easily be fixed... all she had to do was stand, or arch her back and stretch, or simply lift her head and look around. She might even have gotten away with it too. But Julie was smart enough to know that if she actually did, and it gave her the relief she was seeking, she would want that again. It was like having one salted peanut. Everyone knew you could NEVER have just one.
Julie realized that if she didn’t quickly change her thoughts, her mind would seize this as the entertaining thing it needed and all her thoughts would revolve around scratching the itch her muscles were presenting her with. It would become all consuming and she needed to take her mind off her desire to give in to her body’s request. Julie concentrated on the sounds from outside.
There weren’t many sounds. Her hotel room was high up so there was almost no traffic noise. The hallway was your typical hotel hallway so it usually didn’t get that much activity, but right now there was some activity and Julie was glad for the distraction. It wasn’t until she realized what the activity was that she became concerned.
It was hotel housekeeping.
That usually doesn’t strike panic in hotel patrons but for Julie it was terrifying. You see, her door was not locked. In fact, currently there was tape over the latch specifically to keep it unlocked. “He” didn’t have a key and the door was doctored in this manner to allow him access to the room. But she had been waiting for over an hour and a half and now housekeeping was coming and... well, if they walked in and saw her like this it would be extremely embarrassing.
She supposed it would be just another item on that long list of oddities that hotel workers are known for witnessing. Sort of like technicians in a photo-lab; hundreds and hundreds of boring family vacations, and birthdays and pictures of cats punctuated with the odd voyeuristic image of a man photographing his wife naked. Julie hated cats, and the only thing she hated more than cats was pictures of cats.
Julie started surveying her situation. She was in a resort city in a foreign country so it was doubtful she would ever run into any of the staff here again once she checked out. But she also knew that staff gossip; so there would be the inevitable knowing smiles every time she called room service, or went to the coffee shop, or when checking out. There would be the laughter between the staff when they thought she was out of earshot. She’d hate that.
From what Julie could tell, housekeeping was still a few doors away, but they were getting closer. What should she do? Even if they were not scheduled to clean this room, certainly the tape would be considered a breach of security and be reported. It would undoubtedly draw even more attention to her situation then simply having the maid walk unexpectedly in on her. She had visions of a SWAT team bursting in, guns drawn ready to take down some international terrorist and finding her there... naked... prostrated on the floor... waiting. How would she ever explain this? How COULD she? What if it made the news in some local human interest section like those suspicious “brown paper packages” that attract the attention of the bomb-squad and eventually turn out to be someone’s collection of porn magazines? That’s exactly the type of story that would get picked up by the wire service and go viral. What if her friends and coworkers found out? At home, in her position at work that would be devastating. What words could she possibly use that anyone not privy to the facts leading up to this moment would even hope to understand?
Even if there was no SWAT team; if it was simply the maid noticing the tape and checking to see if everything was okay… at the maid’s questions Julie would be obligated to speak, and “He” had given her explicit instructions to say and do nothing. Surely this was an exceptional circumstance though. Wouldn’t it be? Could she simply remain quiet; ignore her questions? What would be the best way to communicate that she was fine and that the maid should leave? How could she do that without breaking her instructions; her orders.
Julie heard someone else coming down the hall. It was a man. She knew this because she heard him exchange pleasantries with the maid. Maybe this was finally “Him.” Maybe all her concerns with being discovered would be for naught. She hoped. Julie strained her ears, projecting, willing him to stop in front of her room, enter, remove the tape and announce himself... finally. This had to be him... didn’t it? He was whistling.
Julie had convinced herself that this was indeed “Him” and a wave of relief washed over her. She heard a key swipe, then a door open, felt eyes looking at her, and the relief turned to anticipation again. Julie heard the door close and then nothing. She wondered what he was thinking now. Did he notice that she had done everything she had been instructed to do? And seeing that she had, she wondered what else he would do with her… and do to her.
What was he waiting for? She strained again for any clue as to what he was doing. In her mind’s eye, she watched his every move as if a third party was viewing the whole scene from a high vantage point.
After a while she realized that something was amiss. Her anticipation turned to curiosity, then almost panic. She heard nothing from him. No talking, no breathing, no movement. What was he waiting for?
Finally, she could stand it no longer. She decided to peek. Still facing the carpet she opened first one eye, then the other. She hoped to see changes in the light, a shadow, anything that would give her a clue of his actions. There was nothing. She turned her head ever so slightly... almost imperceptibly. Still nothing. She finally cocked her head and stole a very fast look at the door. He wasn’t there.
A flood of new emotions almost overwhelmed her has she realized that it was not “the” man she had heard, it was “a” man, and he must have entered the room directly across the hall instead of this room. Sounds can sometimes be deceiving in a hotel. Had she simply believed it was him because she wanted it to be him? But none of this mattered right now because all those emotions that were cascading down on her now... the surprise; the disappointment; and interestingly enough, a little bit of relief; all terminated with the single emotion of terror as she realized that the housekeeping staff was now that much closer. Had they been speaking English, they were close enough for her to make out what they were saying. With her high-school Spanish she could do little more than pick out the odd word or phrase. Numbers were a whole different ballgame. Once you learned to count to 20 in Spanish, you could understand any Spanish number. One of them mentioned something about 1510. 1510 was her room.
And there it was... they were on their way in... it was decision time.
Julie heard the cart stop in front of her door. She heard the key-card in the lock and without even making a conscious decision of what to do she found herself bolting for the door. It was an autonomic response. The same kind of knee-jerk reaction you might make if touching a hot stove or jumping when startled in a movie. It was nothing you decide to do… you just did.
She was in the middle of standing to run for the door and as soon as she did she knew it was a mistake. “He” was sitting on the bed watching her.
CRAP!
Crap crap crap crap crap.
Two thoughts collided in Julie’s mind. She simultaneously wondered how in the hell he could consistently do that, and at the same time wondered why real life doesn’t have an “undo” key like her computer at work does? She immediately regretted her actions and wished she could take a “do-over.”
It’s not the first time this had happened. He had a habit of appearing, somehow magically, in the oddest places and at the oddest times. And… he had a habit of catching her doing something she knew she was not supposed to be doing, or at least something she had been instructed not to do.
She stopped in mid stride and just stared at him... not sure what to do next. She had that “deer-in-the-headlights” look when the door opened and the first of two maids entered. They called out “maid service” first but Julie was too stunned to respond or even to look. She stood there, naked, watching “Him” as they entered. “He” was watching her too... with a little upturned smirk in the corners of his mouth, he never took his eyes off her. The maids where watching them both. No one moved. No one even blinked.
After what seemed an eternity, finally someone did blink. Almost imperceptibly “He” simply shifted his focus to the maids. Julie was suddenly aware of them as well and she too turned her head towards the maids. She was also suddenly aware of her own nakedness, and she felt… well… naked. As she struggled unsuccessfully to cover herself, her eyes darted back and forth between “Him” and the maids. She was looking for some kind of normal behaviour from the cleaners, some modest apologetic averting of the eyes and backing out of the room but none came. The second maid was still locked on her although as opposed to making eye contact with Julie, she seemed to be surveying her entire body. The first maid’s focus was alternating between Julie and “Him.” Julie began to cower and frantically reach out for something… anything… to cover herself. Her hands fell on a nearby towel and Julie quickly unfolded it and tried to wrap it around her body. The towel was a small hand-towel and simply not large enough. She settled for holding an end to her breasts and letting it drape down but even this was a little too short for her liking. Julie felt incredibly exposed and incredibly uncomfortable and instead of giving aid, everyone seemed to be reveling in her discomfort.
Julie hadn’t even settled the towel yet when “He” spoke. It was a simple mono-syllable command – “No,” but at the same time he rose and reached out, grabbed a corner of the towel and snapped it away, all without taking his eyes off the first maid. He didn’t even yell. His voice was almost calming, almost soft spoken, almost condescending as if reminding a six year old how to behave properly in a room full of adults; yet still a powerful command issued with enough authority that one would not question.
He suddenly turned, grabbed her by both shoulders locking his gaze directly into her eyes and spoke. “You have disobeyed me.” He said. “Obviously my instructions were not clear enough, or you simply cannot do what you thought you could. Didn’t I say that it took a stronger person to follow orders than it did to issue them? Didn’t I say that it was very difficult to unconditionally trust anyone?”
Julie cringed at his words. She chastised herself for giving him this little victory. In her professional life, she is the one that issues orders and he had said that anyone could do her job. Real strength of character comes from serving. Of course she had disagreed. He had challenged her, goaded her, and belittled her into accepting his little test. So far she was not doing too well.
“I told you you weren’t strong enough. You told me you were.” He continued. “How will you prove that to me, and more importantly, to yourself?”
Julie clenched her jaw and outwardly accepted the reprimand gracefully. She repeated she was sorry and that the fault was all hers. “Your instructions were clear Master. It is I who was not strong.”
The words coming out of Julie’s own mouth tasted bitter and she almost choked on them.
“SHHHHH” he said putting his index finger to her lips. He pulled her closer putting her head on his chest. He hugged her and at the same time brushed an errant strand of hair out of her eyes.
“Julie, Julie, Julie…” he breathed, “I thought we were past this.”
“I’m sorry.” Julie repeated. “I can do better Master. I WILL do better Master. Please give me another chance to prove myself.”
“Relax.” He said reassuringly and holding her back so he could see into her eyes. “You will get another chance. But first there is this little issue of consequences. I cannot let this go unpunished. You do understand that don’t you? Julie?”
Julie’s defiant streak reappeared as she hissed “Yes Master” through clenched teeth.
“There… there…“he said holding her face with both hands. “It will be alright.”
Julie hated his condescending attitude, but more than that she hated the fact that it was her own mistake that had allowed him this victory.
The Master leaned down and gently kissed Julie on the forehead. He paused just long enough for Julie to regain her composure, then stepped back, turned to the first maid and snapped, “You know what to do.”
Instantly both maids sprang into action. The First started digging into the housekeeping cart they had pushed into the room while the Second approached Julie and guided her to the bed. She was obliged to lay face down across it with her hands and legs sticking over the sides. The First found what she was looking for; four prepared ropes with cuffs on one end of each rope. The cuffs were very quickly snapped and secured around Julie’s wrists and ankles. The First piled up the two pillows from the bed and two more pillows from the hall closet and placed them under Julie’s hips while the second maid reached under the bed and slid out four metal extension arms that were affixed to the underside of the bed frame. Each extension arm had a metal ring welded to it.
That’s convenient though Julie. Almost like they had it planned. Julie hadn’t noticed these extension arms before and doubts that she’d have known what they were for if she had. She admired the engineering of how they simply folded away and blended into the structure of the bed when not in use. Then she wondered why they would be there on her bed in the first place. Did all the beds in this hotel have them?
The other end of the ropes were fed through these rings, pulled tight, and secured to four cleats on the undersides of the bed that had been put there for that purpose. With surprising speed Julie was rendered vulnerable and totally helpless. She was secured into almost the same kneeling prostrated position as she was before except this time her legs were spread and her hips were supported by pillows. And she was again… waiting.
Julie thought she knew what was coming.
“No, no, no… this is not happening.” Julie told herself. “This can’t be happening now… it’s too soon. I don’t deserve this. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Slowly… ever so slowly… the Master removed his waistcoat, neatly folded it, and placed it over the back of a chair. “Crops.” He ordered.
The First returned to the cart and retrieved a neatly tied bundle. As she unrolled it and placed it on the bed, the Master calmly rolled up his sleeves. The bundle contained a selection of thin canes and riding crops, about 20 in total. Julie had a front row seat and stared transfixed as the Master perused the selection, grabbed one and swung it through the air. He was testing it.
In the back of Julie’s mind was the memory that she had signed on for this. After she had accepted his little challenge she and the Master had actually signed a written contract. That contract laid out in very specific terms what he could and could not do, and this was clearly within his right. For the first time, Julie felt she had made a mistake. She chastised herself for her own stupidity at jumping and running to the door, and for signing that damn contact in the first place. There is no way she should have run to the door; he had warned her that it was not easy to supersede reflexes. Yet she was so used to succeeding at everything she had tried, what made her think this was anything different. “Stupid, stupid, stupid.” she repeated to herself.
The Master traded his first choice for another and finally a third, and each time he chose, he whipped it through the air, feeling it’s balance, it’s weight; and making some kind of mental calculation. Each time the crop whistled and sang as it sliced the air and each time it did, Julie winced. While this was going on, the Second carefully folded a facecloth into a small thick wrap, ran a thin cord through the folds and approached Julie with it. Without a word, she motioned that Julie should accept the bundle into her mouth. Julie did, and clamped down on it with her teeth as the Second tied the cord around her head.
At last satisfied with his selection, the Master nodded a silent command to the Second. Seeing this, the First re-rolled the bundle of crops to get them out of the way while the Second placed a blindfold on Julie’s eyes. The last thing that Julie saw before the blackness of the blindfold was a look of fear in the eyes of the Second. The maids knew what was coming; they had both experienced it themselves before, and they empathised. The fear was infectious and Julie caught it. Julie strained against her bindings. She knew that depending on what kind of rope was used, they would often stretch, even just a little. If they would stretch enough to give her a little slack… well… she really didn’t know what she would do… she just knew she wanted as much slack as she could get.
It didn’t matter what she would have done with it; there was none. She could struggle and pull till she was blue in the face but there was no give at all, and certainly no way she was getting loose. She was utterly helpless and totally at the Master’s mercy.
The room was now silent save for Julie’s struggling. Julie was furious at herself for letting herself be put into this position; furious at the Master for what he was about to do, and furious at the maids for actually being the instruments of his design. She took her fury out on the ropes binding her. She screamed and fought as hard as she could but there was just no changing her predicament. Julie was bound, gagged, and blinded and this time, the bindings were real. Eventually she stopped struggling and listened. She listened intently… straining to hear any movement… anything that would give her a clue as to what was happening in the room. She listened for anything that would act as a warning so she could steel herself against what she knew was imminent. Both maids went to the centre of the room and kneeled awaiting further orders. They were totally silent save for their breathing. Julie waited.
Julie told herself she could get through this if she could determine when the blows were coming. She promised herself a shopping spree and possibly those new shoes she had being eyeing… the really expensive ones… for enduring this ordeal. In her mind she promised to trust the Master from now on, if He would just be gentle with her now. Unfortunately, that vow would remain unstated. She was gagged and had no way of transmitting that message.
The waiting was painful. Not painful like before. Before it was simply sore muscles and lack of movement that caused a slight discomfort. This was painful in a totally different way. This pain was caused by her own mind. The anticipation, and at the same time, the not-knowing caused a wave of sadness and depression to wash over her. Julie had no way of knowing this but the Second closed her eyes unable to watch. The Master just stood there breathing.
“Why doesn’t he do it already?” Julie wondered. “Why doesn’t he just get it over with?” The waiting was killing her and she found herself wishing for what she had only moments ago dreaded.
The Master moved. Julie winced but no blow came. The Master crouched by Julie’s head and whispered into her ear. While he talked he gently caressed her cheek. The Master told her that this was painful for him as well… that he really didn’t like having to punish her. His hand moved to one of her arms that was framing her face. It followed a line down the underside of her arms, through her armpit, continued down her side and stopped at her hips. Julie shuttered at the touch. It was a gentle and delicious caress that teetered on the verge of a tickle as it passed her underarms. Like the rush one gets at the sudden and brief experience of zero “G” on a roller coaster, Julie prayed for it to stop then just as quickly desired it again.
The Master began to caress Julie’s bottom. He kneaded and massaged it. Instinctively Julie began to rock her hips enjoying the sensation. His hand slowly roamed and freely covered her entire buttock. It found, then traced the fold at the top of the leg where the leg meets the buttocks to its natural well-spring. It inched closer to, but never quite reached her golden zone, instead, settling on the space between the anus and the vagina. He ever so gently stroked this place all the while talking about how strong she was, how she could get through this, and how it would make her even stronger in the long run.
Julie arched her hips and pressed against his hand. While the words sounded nice, on some level, Julie couldn’t quite force herself to believe them. He couldn’t be planning something so wicked while he actually did something so nice could he? And if he really didn’t want to… he could simply choose not to. There seemed to be a certain hypocrisy in his words… the same feeling that a child gets when a parent or teacher is forced to proffer corporal punishment.
On this same level, Julie felt like this little girl. She felt 8 years old again. She was powerless, overwhelmed and she didn’t quite understand all the decisions that were being made for her supposedly for her benefit. This feeling alone left her uneasy. She wasn’t that lost little girl anymore and she had the battle scars to prove it. And while this whole experience was new to her, and an area of her soul that she was just, or finally, beginning to explore, she decided that as much control as she had voluntarily given away, she had to reclaim it again. Ultimately… that was why she was here in the first place.
By now, Julie had accepted her fate and lay there proudly, almost defiantly daring him to do his worst. He was going to do this or he wasn’t. Whatever he chose to do was his decision but how she chose to deal with it was her decision. He might be able to mandate her behaviour, but he could not mandate who or what she was, or how she dealt with whatever he did. That was her decision and hers alone. He could not control her thoughts.
That knowledge gave her strength. And it was a good thing too, because she was going to need every ounce of it.
The Master stepped back and laid one end of his crop across Julie’s backside. It rested there for a few minutes while he repositioned his feet to give himself better balance and to measure his stroke. Much like a golfer lining up for a shot, he had to make sure he was at the optimum distance to get the most power from his swing. He raised his crop high above his head and brought it down slowly. He was taking a practice swing, checking that he had enough ceiling height and that nothing would interfere.
“Melisa,” he said over his shoulder, “Would you be ever so kind as to find us some ice?” The Second immediately jumped up, grabbed the ice bucket and left the room.
The Master slowly raised his crop one last time… waited for a few seconds… then brought it down… hard.
“CHRIST” was the thought that went through Julie’s head as every muscle in her body tightened. It was an automatic response. Her hands and arms clenched, as did her legs and buttocks, and her jaw. Beneath the blindfold her eyes opened wide in complete surprise. Her chest tightened so hard she physically stopped breathing. Searing pain exploded across her bottom. Five seconds later the pain was still building. Julie would have screamed but she had no breath with which to do so. “HOLY – CHRIST” she reiterated to herself as finally, the immense sting started to dissipate. At last Julie exhaled then deeply inhaled taking a cleansing breath.
The Master reached forward with his left hand and gently caressed Julie’s rear. His middle finger traced the rising welt as he admired his handiwork. Julie flinched at his touch but she craved his touch as much as she feared it. The skin across her backside was incredibly tender but as soft and gentle as his touch was; it was not without a slight tingling as well.
“Nice,” He said aloud, but mostly to himself.
“Again!” he declared stepping back and preparing to strike. Julie took three quick shallow breaths through her clenched teeth and one deep breath which she held. She closed her eyes tightly preparing herself for the fresh pain.
WHACK, WHACK came the blows in quick succession. Again, Julie’s whole body shuddered as she bore through it. Her eyes teared up and her butt felt like it was on fire. It burned with heat as if touched by a red hot poker. She bit down hard on her gag and was thankful for it.
The Master turned and looked at the First kneeling in the centre of the room. She was staring, transfixed. He watched her as he reached out to again caress Julie’s ass. The First noticeably flinched as he made contact with the new rising welts.
The door opened and in walked the Second with a full ice bucket. She set it down within easy reach of the Master, then returned to her space beside the First and kneeled.
The Master let his caresses wander further afield than just her buttock. He let his nails ever so gently drag up and around her back, down her side, her leg, across and back up the inside of her thigh. When he got to the top of the thigh, he gently parted the lips, and continued up tracing the crack until it again met the expanding redness running perpendicular to his direction of travel. He felt the growing wetness on his fingers. He saw and felt a wave of goose-flesh wash over Julie’s body closely following the path of his hand. He brought his hand to his face and first smelled, then tasted his fingers.
“Methinks that someone is enjoying this just a little more than they are supposed to.” He said with the hint of a mischievous grin. “I can fix that.” Without warning the Master stepped back and quickly let loose a deluge of devastating blows.
WHACK, WHACK, WHACK
Julie, without the chance to steel herself against the pain, let out a muffled cry. It was more of a grunt than a cry; an involuntary knee-jerk reaction mostly caused by the surprise. Julie cursed herself just the same. She had already made up her mind to suffer this ordeal on her own terms, not His, and to her, showing any kind of distress or weakness was not something she wanted to do.
The First started to tear up and turned her head away. The Second saw this and held out her arms. They hugged each other for mutual support. Because of a now shared past experience, they were vicariously suffering the same as Julie.
The Master turned and started to slowly pace. He was twisting, stretching and loosening his neck and shoulders much like an Olympic athlete just prior to competition. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the distress that the maids were in, then looked at Julie and saw that she was still straining at her bindings. Obviously the pain had not subsided yet. He smiled. Pausing just a little and acting just a little condescendingly, with a wave of his hand he allowed the maids to go to Julie’s aid. Instantly they leaped up and ran to her. The First ran straight to the other side of the bed and kneeled down close to where Julie’s head and outstretched arms where. She grabbed Julie’s left hand with both of hers and brought her head down so that their foreheads touched. The Second grabbed the ice bucket and immediately started to sooth Julie’s flaming redness. It was already starting to bruise and showed marks that looked like little tiny bolts of lightning radiating out from the points of impact. The Second could feel the heat emanating from the glowing red.
The Master was still pacing obviously enjoying his handiwork. “That was three. The next will be four. We’ll be going to six today.”
“SIX?” thought Julie… she was only half done? Less when you consider the cumulative nature of his beatings. That meant that while there were only three more “events” to endure, there were still 15 more actual blows. She had only received six and her ass was already on fire. She was less than 1/3rd of the way through. “How could she possibly endure this?” she wondered. According to their contract, there was no “safe word” for this encounter. Julie was starting to wonder if she’d gotten in over her head. How well did she know the Master… really?
Julie had only been intimate with the Master three times previous to this. While on a Mexican holiday, they had met and eventually had had sex, but it was more recreational than a deep emotional commitment. It was on their second encounter that they started to discuss each of their needs and wants. It was also the first time in her life Julie had allowed herself to be tied up. It didn’t matter that it was also the first time in her life that the opportunity presented itself. It was pretty mild, even by her standards. Really only a token tying-of-the-hands-behind-her-back, and she could have gotten out any time she wanted if the need ever arose, but it had been her first exposure to anything related to bondage. Surprisingly, although she had no idea why, she had found the idea of it rather exciting. More than anything it was still just a promise of what might be possible. The third… that was different. During the third encounter, much like now, she had been totally incapacitated; securely tied and gaged. He could have done anything he had wanted then and she would have been powerless to stop him. It was the first time in her life she had been totally without control, at someone else’s mercy, powerless. He had given her a “safe-word” but she never came remotely close to using it, or needing it. He didn’t even spank her. As helpless as she was, all the Master had done was caress, massage, stimulate and lightly tickle. He had brought her to an extremely satisfying orgasm. It was after this encounter that they had had that friendly little argument over “serving vs. being served,” and he had challenged her into accepting the terms of their contract.
Normally, she excels at negotiation, but she remembered feeling totally lost during this particular negotiation. The main reason for this was her total inexperience in this area of her sexuality; her own desires. She knew that there was something missing in her life, but she had no idea what it was. He had promised to show her the way. Yes, it was stated that he was entitled to administer up to three (3) such punishments where any safe-word was null and void for the duration of the event, but no timeline had been agreed to and she had just assumed that this wouldn’t happen till way in the future if at all. Her vacation would eventually end and she had no idea if she would even see him again after that. At the time, she had wondered about that little “no safe-word” caveat. She hadn’t even thought of the concept of a safe word until he had given her one. But why even give a safe word, then take it away the first time you might need it? It just seemed funny to her. He appeared to have so much more experience than she did, she just assumed that it was normal for others in this lifestyle. She now wondered if she had made a serious mistake.
These pangs of doubt led to real fear. She suddenly realized that she really didn’t know anyone else in the room. She was the one tied up and helpless, and she had no idea who any of these people were. That started to really scare her.
Number four took a decidedly different approach. It started off with the Master removing her blindfold.
“I want you to see this coming.” He said.
He then took a position not at her side as he was before, but behind her, and between her bound legs. Through the corner of her eye Julie watched him lining up and taking his practice swings as before squarely targeting the individual cheeks of her buttocks. With her hips on the stacked pillow as they were, it made for the most inviting and accessible target. But when the blows finally came (and there were indeed four of them) he had stepped slightly back at the last minute. The result of this small step was that the blows missed her buttock completely and instead landed squarely on her pussy, and he only made contact with the leather tab at the end of the crop instead of the body of the crop itself.
The end effect was four stinging slaps delivered to a highly targeted and extremely intimate part of her anatomy rather than the expected mind numbing pain explosions spread out across the largest muscle in the human body. It was like being “snapped” with an elastic band but was still very effective. Julie was not used to this kind of treatment to an area of her person that was so private… so intimate. It totally surprised her. The new sensations rippled through her privates adding excitement and dare she say it; danger. And coupled with the realization that she did NOT have to endure what she had been preparing for, Julie actually experienced a mild sense of euphoria. This time, the gasp that escaped her lips was one of pleasure. A full body flush washed over her and it was noticed by both the First and the Second. Partly because they had been sharing her pain, they also vicariously shared this little piece of pleasure.
Julie didn’t know it, but the body has an extremely complex and lightning fast reaction to pain. Some of these responses include dilation of the pupils, changes to blood pressure and heart rate, changes to ones breathing, and changes to one’s skin and body temperature. Since many of these are of the same physical reactions we have for joy and pleasure, sometimes the body can be fooled.
In addition to these outward responses, there are inward responses too. Various chemicals are released to numb the pain and/or distract our mind from it. The beating she had just taken on her backside had released a flood of the very powerful “feel-good” endorphins into her blood stream. The trick is to stimulate the endorphins using pain, and then swap the sensations for pleasure before the body knows what’s happened. It’s the classic “Bait & Switch” and the Master was very good at it.
Round five started with the traditional practice swings but this time lining up right on Julie’s pussy again. She knew what to expect, or so she thought, and she was actually looking forward to it. The first four real swings did in fact land smack on the lips covering Julie’s clitoris, but the last one landed squarely, and with extra weight and force, on Julie’s right buttocks. She came on the spot.
As much as Julie had promised herself not to show any outward signs or give any indication whatsoever of her reactions to the punishment she was receiving, there was no mistaking her orgasm. It wasn’t particularly large or earth shattering, but it was an orgasm, and as soon as it started, the Second reached over and started massaging Julie’s clit. She was certainly wet enough, and the extra rubbing and caressing was enough to simply extend the sensation into a warm and delicious experience. But as nice as this sensation was, this orgasm aroused more than it sated. Julie was now extremely turned on, and she could not wait for the last six blows to be over with. She welcomed them and she didn’t even care if they came, all six harder than ever, across her already enflamed backside. There was no steeling herself to the pain any more, no deep breath, no mental psych-out required. She was ready and hoping that with the punishment out of the way, the Master would free her then fuck her silly. That’s what she thought this was all leading to, it’s what she wanted, and she wanted it right now. The remaining six blows were not of importance anymore, they were just something inconsequential to be finished with, and the sooner the better.
Julie worked to adjust the gag so it wouldn’t interfere with her speaking. The first works spoken were, “Thank you sir… may I have another?” This time it was the Master who appeared surprised.
“Another…? Another what? Another spanking or another orgasm?”
It was an honest question yet for some reason, that struck Julie as funny and she started to giggle. She had been thinking of the spanking but another orgasm would be just fine with her as well. Julie opened her mouth to speak… then couldn’t decide what to say. The Master had asked a question and both alternatives would have been acceptable. She stammered for a response. If she chose one, would that by default negate the other? She had thought that finishing the spanking would naturally lead to the next activity and hence, another orgasm, but there was nothing that said that was necessarily true. If she chose orgasm, would he think she wasn’t strong enough to finish the spanking? And while it really didn’t matter to her if she received the last six blows or not, having him THINK she wasn’t strong enough to accept them was something she absolutely did not want to give the impression of.
She then thought of him… of what he must be thinking. He had asked a question and she was taking way too long to answer. From what little she knew about him, apparently that was not something you ever wanted to do with the Master especially in light of the contract they were currently operating under.
She tried to picture him and his response. In her mind she became that third party viewer again, surveying the room from somewhere up in the corner. That’s when she got an image in her mind of what she must look like as well. Bound up, blindfolded, ass in the air, welt covered, mouth hanging open. The image made her giggle even more. The laughter was becoming contagious and both the First and the Second started to smile and exchange knowing glances.
Julie fought to come up with something to say… anything really. She finally answered. She simply said “Yes” then promptly broke into laughter.
She tried to stifle it but it was too late. The First and Second were also fighting to stifle laughter.
“Silence… all of you!” demanded the Master. “Or would you both like to share Julie’s fate?” he asked addressing the maids. They dutifully lowered their heads and pursed their lips trying to stop the giggling. They stole sideways glances at each other. Again, it was a simple, almost rhetorical question, and under a normal circumstance, it wouldn’t have required an answer. But this was far from normal circumstances.
As soon as he asked the question the Master appeared to know he had made a mistake.
DUHHHH!!!! Of course they would. Everyone knew (or at least suspected) that her fate was a night of fear and excitement, of pushing life-long boundaries, of taking the first steps into a much needed journey of self-discovery and eventually more, and more powerful, orgasms. Who wouldn’t want a share in that? But that wasn’t the response they were “supposed” to give. The First stood up as if at attention. She was trying to show the utmost reverence and respect. But when she spoke she stated in exactly the same tone and intonation that Julie had just spoke; “YES!”
That was too much. All three erupted in uncontrollable laughter. The Master was visibly angry.
“Fine.” He said. “Have it your way.”
And with that he went around the bed to where the Second was still kneeling, pulled down her pants, (they had a standing order not to wear any underwear) and gave her two hard, swift strokes; one on each cheek. The Second grimaced in pain as each swipe made contact, but it didn’t stop the laughter. In fact, it caused the others to laugh harder. The Master did the same with the First, and finally with Julie. Each time one of them got their stroke the others laughed more. It seems that misery really does enjoy company, and laughter really is the best medicine.
The Master was seething, but resigned to the fact that trying to control the room now was akin to trying to stop the tide. He angrily threw his riding crop in the general direction of the maid’s trolley, turned to the First and through clenched teeth said, “Untie her, see to her wounds, and transport her to the dungeon using the normal protocol.” He then turned and stomped out of the room.
Julie startled… “Dungeon? This 5 star hotel has a dungeon?”
The door to the room hadn’t even closed yet when both the maids sprang into action. The First immediately removed Julie’s bonds as the Second applied fresh ice to her still swelling back side. Julie jumped when the ice was first applied and the Second reassured with a comforting touch. “I know it’s a shock,” she said, “But it’s for the best. Trust me.”
Somehow she did trust her.
After the First had finished, she walked up behind the second and examined her fresh welts as well.
“What you did… that was amazing.” She said to Julie.
“I’m sorry if I got you two involved.” Julie responded.
“Don’t worry. It was well worth it.” The Second chimed in examining her own growing welts. “To see him back pedal like that… I didn’t think I’d ever see that from him.
“What’s so special about him?” Julie asked.
The maids looked at each other and smiled.
“The Phoenix? Well… he’s the Phoenix. And you bested him. One just doesn’t best The Phoenix.” The First said. “Especially someone at your level.”
Julie pondered all this new information. “Level? You have levels? And what do you mean ‘someone?’ Have there been others? Did you have to go through what I just went through? Was it the same for you? And tell me about this dungeon…”
“Whoa, whoa whoa…” interrupted the Second. “This is your first time and we’ve already said too much. We’re not even supposed to be talking to you, especially after what you did to the Phoenix.”
“But I didn’t DO anything…” Julie protested.
“Listen… They call him ‘The Phoenix’ for a reason.” the First explained. He creates life out of ashes. He has this knack… this power almost… of reading people. He finds people who are dying inside or already dead… and he… he gives them a new life.”
“Exactly… usually out of the ashes of their old one.” continued the Second. “That means that your old life ends up burned.”
“Interesting...” thought Julie as she filed the information away for future use.
“Interesting…” smiled the Master as he quietly listened from just outside the room. And as he finally turned and left, he couldn’t help thinking that everything was going exactly to plan.
(to be continued)
