Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 55099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55099 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 275(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Nora grasped Ash’s index finger, and he granted her the privilege to speak.
And I noticed she snuck furtive glances at both Noa and Camden, the two bratty Littles who might struggle to withhold their giggles.
“I think I’m just going to pretend I’m doing yoga,” she said politely. Her stare might be fixed on Ash, but I got the distinct feeling she was offering a pro-tip to the Littles. “Yoga’s full of weird poses, but it helps to view them as exercises.”
Sneaky girl. I wasn’t sure Camden picked up on the advice, but Noa did. He chewed on his lip and reached up to whisper in KC’s ear.
“I’ll do that too, Daddy.” If only Noa actually knew how to whisper…
KC coughed to hide a chuckle and nodded.
I brought out my little notepad. Nora was getting an extra point for wanting to be helpful, and then minus half a point for sneaky behavior. The latter was obviously a good thing in my personal book, because I loved a creative brat, but at the event, we had to be TPE hard-core about the rules.
Noa, however… Minus two points for speaking without asking permission, and then one extra point for being cute and trying.
I was great at this.
“Time’s up,” Lucas announced.
The Masters returned the illustrations, and I gestured for the slaves to take their spots on the podium.
“You got this, baby,” Greer said.
Archie took a deep breath.
He and Nora ended up in the front, Tate in the middle slightly behind them, while Noa and Camden positioned themselves in the back.
Lucas joined me at my side, ready to scribble down what I told him.
“We’ll start with the very famous Mclean Dolphin,” I ordered.
Tate closed his eyes for a quick second, and his mouth twitched, but that was about it for unwanted reactions. Focus and determination took over, and all the subs remembered the position. Good postures, no one laughing—although, I could see little Camden was struggling!
Feet close together, a nice arch of their bodies… The M-shape of Nora’s fingers on her left hand wasn’t as pronounced as the right.
“Four points each for Nora and Camden,” I said quietly. “Five for the rest.” Then I raised my voice and addressed the slaves. “We’ll move on to the presentation pose.”
Here we go.
It was very easy to see who had ceremonial poses as part of their lifestyle protocol—and who didn’t. Noa and Camden flopped around a little to switch positions, while the other three eased into it very gracefully. The way they sank to their knees—softer movements, more fluidity.
“Two points each on the transition,” I murmured. Frankly, I couldn’t judge the Littles as hard as I did with the other three. This wasn’t part of their life, so I went with how hard they were trying. A for effort and all that.
I inspected them a beat longer, noticing Archie’s posture. That young man lived and breathed to serve Greer, and it showed. Shoulders squared, chin held high, eyes closed, hands mirroring each other on his lap.
“An extra point for Archie.” I spoke for only Lucas to hear, before I addressed them all again. “And now, the ever-so-graceful Mclean Flamingo.”
As if on cue, Camden and Noa let out soft giggles, and Noa even pretended to have wings.
“Ca-caw!” he squeaked. “Ooh, I want a bird Squishmallow!”
I grinned and shook my head.
Lucas chuckled under his breath.
KC scrubbed his hands over his face, and I could tell he was trying not to laugh.
“Meep-meep!” Camden burst out.
I’d timed my break perfectly for when Nora’s group was off to Reese’s station on the other side of the pool. They’d just spent fifteen or twenty minutes drawing mascots, and now was the time for pain.
Suffer for Your Owner.
Jack was having fun at his station on the deck, where slaves were running around to create a snack for their Owner before they turned into human furniture.
I grabbed an iced tea and trailed behind the group, not wanting Nora to see me. She was so focused and soft-spoken all of a sudden that I could no longer place her in the brat category. If anything, she was fitting in seamlessly with Tate and Archie.
Poor Ash. This was really not his thing—but he was making Nora’s day. That much was clear.
The sun shone down on us, and it would shine a bit more on Ash now. He’d get to participate doing something he loved. Giving beatings!
Reese stood ready, arms folded over his chest, with three sawhorses, one pillory, and two X-crosses—for the groups that included six slaves. A table was set up with multiple implements too, from floggers and whips to canes and paddles.
Santiago was spotting Reese, and they had quite the audience down here. I counted some fifteen members who were here to watch on the sidelines.
“Howdy, slaves!” Reese was clearly enjoying himself. “It’s time to suffer for your Owner. Yay, you shout internally. I know. So, Santiago and I have prepared a table of goodies here for the Owners, but the rules are for the slaves. Pay attention, you hear?” He paused briefly. “You accept the amount of pain it takes to make your Owner proud. If pain is a big part of your dynamic and you’re Sadists and masos, you’re likely to take more of it. If it’s not a part of your dynamic, maybe you quit after three or four lashes. It’s up to you, as slaves, to showcase that you know your Owner, that you know the dynamic you share, and that you keep in mind it’s them you wanna please. You’re not doin’ this to show off to friends or prove yourself—you’re sufferin’ just enough to please your Owner.”