Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88350 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88350 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Mark’s expression gentled. “You’re right, my love. I know she had a tough time. She probably spent even more time in Lawrence’s punishment cage than you did during your training,” he added with a chuckle. “Which is saying a lot.”
Jaime groaned, slapping her forehead. “Don’t remind me.”
Beau was wildly curious about Lia’s story. But before he could ask any more, Mark gestured toward the station where Jeremy Blake stood, flogger in hand. “You better get over there if you want a good spot. Catch ya’ later.”
As the couple moved away, Beau headed straight for Lia. The station was set up near a wall, the cross positioned such that he couldn’t see Lia’s face. Would she recognize him in such a different context? Better just to stand back and observe, at least for now.
Jeremy Blake was already speaking as Beau joined those crowding around the perimeter of the station. “—all handmade of fine Italian leather with great attention to detail. When choosing a flogger, you need to take in consideration its weight, balance and material, as well as your particular style of play. This flogger has twenty-five suede tails. The handle is made from suede-wrapped wood.”
Jeremy ran his fingers lovingly through the flogger’s tresses. “Though I’m sure you’ve all heard it before, it bears repeating that impact play should be done on areas of the body well protected by fat or muscle. Avoid kidneys, neck, tailbone, hip bones, collarbones and anywhere where there is bone especially close to the skin.”
Beau hoisted his gear bag higher on his shoulder as he edged closer. Lia’s eyes were closed, long dark lashes brushing her cheeks. The light caught the tiny diamond that sparkled on her nose. Jeremy ran a large hand over Lia’s back and then cupped her cute bottom, kneading the flesh. Beau’s own hands flexed as he wished he were the one running the scene.
“A flogger is an unmistakable symbol of authority,” Jeremy said. “But its true power lies in the way it is used. You can trail the falls gently along a sub’s skin”—he demonstrated by brushing the tresses over Lia’s back and ass—“or bring them down in a hard, punishing blow.” The sudden thwack of leather against flesh drew a soft cry from Lia’s lips. Her eyes remained closed.
Jeremy settled into a steady rhythm. Lia’s shoulders eventually lowered as she relaxed into the flogging. She was clearly no stranger to impact play. When her skin was nicely pink, Jeremy picked up one of the single tails.
“This whip is a nice addition to any gear bag. It has a rigid handle that passes gracefully into this flexible fall. The tassel at the end adds extra sting as well as leaving a pleasing pattern.”
He snapped the whip against Lia’s bottom with a crack. The small cluster of marks left behind reminded Beau of a flower’s petals. They had to hurt, but Lia only sighed, seeming to settle more into herself.
Jeremy flicked the whip several more times, creating a series of red welt patterns over her ass and the backs of her thighs. Through it all, Lia remained silent and composed, impressing the hell out of Beau.
The whip maker apparently agreed. “This bird can take quite a whipping,” the Brit commented to no one in particular. “Let’s see how she handles something with a bit more bite.”
Jeremy chose another whip from his selection, this one dyed a bright red. Its handle was made of a thick braid of leather. “This is a dog whip. It’s a variation on the single tail, with this added loop and an exchangeable leather cracker. Notice, the cracker is braided and the handle is flexible. This little beauty packs a nasty sting that will teach your naughty puppy to behave.”
He snapped the whip with a crack between Lia’s shoulder blades. Finally, she visibly reacted, her hands clenching into fists above her cuffs. When the whip landed again on her back, she uttered a small, breathy cry that brought a sadistic chuckle from the whip maker’s lips.
With relentless precision, he left a crisscross of red lines over Lia’s back, ass and thighs. Her skin was sheened with perspiration, her breath a ragged pant, her head thrown back. Beau silently rooted for her, willing her not to use her safeword, but to take what she was given. He couldn’t look away, riveted to the scene.
Finally, Jeremy broke the spell with the word, “Enough.”
He set down his whip. Moving closer to Lia, he murmured something in her ear and then turned to them all with a smile. “I’ll be happy to give some more demonstrations on whoever’s brave enough to step up. But first, do I have a volunteer to see to this girl’s aftercare?”
Beau stepped quickly forward. “That would be me,” he asserted.
Chapter 5
Lia was pulled from a pleasant, endorphin-induced haze by the crackling sound of releasing Velcro at her wrists and ankles. As she came back to herself, her nerve endings reawakened with a vengeance, the skin on her back, ass and thighs stinging like crazy. At the same time, the masochistic high from the whipping left her with a deep sense of wellbeing.