I brought the crop down sharply on her white behind. It left a red weal. As far as she could, Maria leapt and pulled against the ropes. The muffled sound that passed through the gag sounded like 'One.'
I had whipped her before, and had always taught her to count the strokes. This was not lost on Lucrezia, who was standing next to Maria's face. She stroked Maria's cheek with a gloved hand, gently whispering,
'Your master has taught you well.'
The second stroke was delayed. I was waiting for Maria to relax, before delivering a sharp stroke to her upper thigh. It is best to vary the timing of a whipping; it alows the slut's discomfort to be fully appreciated. Again, she seemed to be counting. Lucrezia put a hand to each of Maria's cheeks.
'One more' she whispered, 'You will thank us.'
The third stroke crossed the soft flesh of her behind, leaving a long red weal. Again, Maria counted, and the whimper from behind the gag could have been a 'thank you.' I could smell her arousal, and paused to drink in the familiar scent.
Lucrezia knelt to unbind Maria's ankles, and I released the rope pulling her wrists toward the ceiling. She stumbled slightly, but found her feet. I released the gag strap, and Lucrezia pulled the soft leather padding from Maria's mouth. Maria breathed deeply through her mouth. She was clearly breathing hard with the arousal and pain, and the gag had not helped. I released her wrists and elbows from the ropes, and taking her right arm, guided her from the room.
Lucrezia had preceded us, and brought a box to me. The first item was a collar, of thick black rubber. It was fully three inches high at its lowest point, but deeper at the front, where a single large steel ring was fixed. The top and bottom of the collar were padded in softer rubber, where it fitted snugly under Maria's chin. From behind, I fitted the collar snugly, locking it in place at the back with two small padlocks. I had collared her before, and I could feel her relax as she felt the token of her ownership. The collar was much higher than any she had worn before, and she was clearly coming to terms with the immobility of her head. She could not raise or lower her head, and could hardly turn it to either side.