“Any final questions before we begin?”
Sean shook his head no.
“Do you relinquish control?”
“Yes.”
“Yes, what.”
Sean smiled. “Yes, Sir.”
Max smirked and gave a nod. “Okay then, here we go. Red’s your safe word. Eyes down. No talking.”
Max wandered back behind him again. Sean’s heart went berserk. He couldn’t believe he was doing this. Paying to get flogged.
Pfft. Yes, he could.
‘Cause he was crazy.
The first splash of leather hit right on its mark. Square atop Sean’s ass cheek. The left one. Not too hard, but not too light. Which Sean preferred since he wasn’t a pussy. Had a tolerance for pain that he wanted to test. To see what he was really truly made of. But he could do all that later. Not that he had a choice. Max was driving. And Max wanted to go slow.
Another hit came. Then another and another.
“I’ll be working in sets, Sean. Twelve sets total.”
Thap-thap… Thap-thap…
“With breaks after every third.”
Max switched to Sean’s right cheek.
Sean struggled not to sway.
“During those breaks…”
Thap-thap… Thap-thap…
“I’ll reward you for your fortitude.”
Thap-thap… Thap-thap… Thap-thap…
Sean closed his eyes, relishing the moment.
He was a sub. Max’s sub. And Max was his Dom.
Who soon would be showing him the stars.
Crazy indeed. And insanely awesome.
By the time Max finished the next two sets, Sean’s ass was definitely tender. His skin felt tight. And warm. And strange. A sensation he’d never experienced. There or anywhere else on his body. Even in gymnastics, the burn wasn’t the same. Not in his muscles, when he’d work them till they screamed. Not in his sore, worn-out hands. But he liked it. Liked how it made him feel anxious. How it made his breathing quicken.
Max strode back around, his boots coming into view. “Eyes up, caitín.”
Sean quickly lifted his gaze. Max was grinning, green eyes hooded, his flogger tucked up under his arm. “So. We having fun yet?”
Sean’s heart pounded faster. Was Max going to reward him? God, he fucking hoped so.
“Yes,” he panted.
Max smirked and canted his head. “Yes? Yes, what.”
Crap. He’d done it again. “Yes, Sir,” Sean corrected.
Max tsked. Shook his head. “That’s twice now, Sean. You’ll need to be punished.”
“Punished?” Sean frowned. “Already?”
Max chuckled. “Yes. It’s how a sub is trained. Through disciplinary actions. We just went over this.”
Sean fidgeted in his binds. “Oh. Right. Okay.”
“Your punishment will be the loss of your first reward.”
Sean stilled. “Wait, what? You’re taking away my reward?”
Max crossed his arms and spread his stance. “Yes. I am.” His eyes turned hard. “Is there a problem? Are you questioning my judgment?”
Suddenly Sean had the feeling he was skating on thin ice. “Uh. No. Nope.” He quickly shook his head. “No reward sounds… very… uh… judicious… Sir.”
Max’s lips twitched. “Mmhmm. Nice save, Sean. Smart kid.” He gestured to the floor. “Your break is over. Eyes down. It’s time for round two.”
SEVENTEEN
It probably wasn’t a good thing, how much Max was enjoying himself. Sean was just so fucking amusing. So young. So green. So eager. So curious. And good God, so determined. He certainly gave new meaning to the word entertaining.
As did Sean’s current expression. Max grinned freely as he stood behind him, eyeing Sean’s rosy red ass. The kid had been so excited for his reward. Then so blatantly unhappy when he’d lost it. Max had fought not to smile, to look irritated at Sean’s balk. But he needed to keep up his front. Didn’t want to encourage him. God knew, Sean got emboldened way too easily. To the point that Max again wondered if Sean could pull off being a sub. He was optimistic though. Sean did seem to thrive every time that he pleased Max. Which was definitely a sub trait. A rather large one. Maybe Sean was wired appropriately.
Max drew back, took aim, and swung his arm forward, using more momentum than strength. Clearly, Sean’s ass was already tender, so even the slightest bit of contact would be sufficient. After all, he didn’t want to scare the kid off. Not yet, at least. He was having too much fun.
Thap-thap… Thap-thap…
Sean tensed, clenched his cheeks, but stayed nice and quiet.
Max smiled. Good boy.
Thap-thap… Thap-thap…
Sean swayed a little, but quickly found his footing.
Thap-thap… Thap-thap…
On to his right cheek.
Thap-thap… Thap-thap… Thap-thap…
Before too long, Max had doled out round two, and just in time, by the looks of Sean’s fidgeting. For the entire last set, he’d been unable to keep still. Toes shuffling in place, wrists twisting in their cuffs. Glutes, shoulders, and hamstrings bunched tight. Oh, yeah. He was feeling it, although probably still not too bad. Just enough to get the adrenaline pumping. Endorphins would be next to follow.
But fuck, did he look incredible, all trussed up and breathing heavy, a sheen of sweat covering his lean body. He’d been gorgeous from the start, but now? In this state? Now he was fucking stunning. At least to Max. Because restrained and helpless screamed beauty to him like nothing else on Earth.