“I can take a caning, Sir,” Daniel answered, trying not to wince. He kept his voice neutral though Matthew’s remark served its purpose of honing his competitive impulse.
The blindfold was pulled from Daniel’s eyes. He squinted a moment and focused on Anthony, who was standing in front of him holding two canes. Phillip’s blindfold had also been removed.
“I want you to see what we’re going to be using on you, slave boys. The handle is cocobolo wood. The cane itself is made from oiled rattan and it leaves a lovely welt. We’ll decide when you’ve had enough. Let’s see…” Pausing, he turned to Matthew. “How should we punish the loser?”
“We’ll make him suck the winner’s cock. That should be a nice show.” The small crowd gathered around them burst into guffaws and applause. Daniel’s stomach clutched nervously and he wished Liam were there.
Nevertheless, he couldn’t deny his arousal at being naked and chained in front of all these people, endorphins from the flogging still warming his blood. Later that night he would tell Liam all about it. For now he would close his eyes and center himself. Maybe if he were relaxed enough he could even fly, allowing the cane to take him to that bright, elusive place where pain was redefined. When Daniel flew, he was lifted out of himself into an altered state like nothing else he’d experienced on this earth.
He heard the whistle of the rod a fraction of a second before it struck him across both cheeks. The thud of impact was followed by a harsh sting that built to a hot, intense burning. Despite his intention to flow with the pain, the first cut nearly overwhelmed him and he stiffened, gripping the chains above his wrists so hard they nearly cut into his hands.
“Stop resisting,” Anthony ordered, and Daniel knew he was right. He’d never get through this if he didn’t relax. Do it for Liam, he told himself. For all he knew, Liam had returned to the playroom and was watching him. He didn’t dare twist around to look. Instead he took several deep, cleansing breaths, willing the tension to slide from his body. When Anthony struck him again, he felt the line of fire just as keenly as the last one but he was able to process it differently. The pain shifted into something approaching pleasure, though he wasn’t quite there.
He endured several more fiery strokes, one just above the other across both cheeks and found himself settling into the rhythm of the beating. Then abruptly the rhythm changed. He wasn’t prepared for the cut of the cane across his shoulder blades. He grunted and jerked hard against his wrist cuffs, instinctively twisting his body away.
There was no escape. The cane caught him across the center of his back, the tip sinking like snake fangs into his side. It felt as if the rattan were cutting his skin. This caning was much rougher than anything Liam had ever subjected him to.
He forgot his breathing techniques. He knew he was bunching his muscles but he couldn’t focus long enough to concentrate. The cane was slicing his skin, cutting deep swaths of pure, unfiltered pain along his back, ass and thighs. He began to dance on his toes, desperate to avoid the lash.
Where was Liam? Would he hear if he called? Blood was roaring in Daniel’s ears. The salt of his sweat stung the abraded skin of his back and sides. Still the biting cane whistled and struck.
Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. I can’t do this. I can’t do this. I’m sorry, Liam, I can’t…
He opened his mouth to say the word he’d never had to utter in the fourteen months he’d lived with Liam but Phillip beat him to it. “Betty! Betty!”
All at once the caning stopped. Daniel sagged against his wrists cuffs, his heart smashing like a trapped animal in the cage of his ribs. He was dimly aware of people talking around him but he couldn’t make out the words above the rushing sound in his head.
He opened his eyes to see Matthew had released Phillip and pushed him to his knees. “What’s wrong with you?” Matthew demanded of his sub. “You can take more than that.”
Phillip’s face and chest were wet with sweat. His cock was fully erect and his expression was curiously triumphant, his eyes glittering with lust. He stared pointedly at Daniel’s cock and licked his chops like a hungry wolf. The crowd around them began to egg Phillip on, eager to see the second act of their show.
Daniel was left cuffed to the chains that hung from the ceiling. Phillip knelt up and took Daniel’s cock into his mouth. Greedily he sucked it while stroking Daniel’s balls. Despite his stinging back, in short order Daniel’s cock engorged and stiffened against Phillip’s eager tongue.