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Candlelight flickered and danced on the merlot-colored walls. It played over velvet draperies and heavy furniture, casting ominous shadows she couldn't see.
For tonight, he had pulled back one of the curtains, revealing a series of large rings he had drilled into the wall. Against her better judgment, Brooke had been blindfolded and was tied to the rings, spread-eagle more or less, with sturdy clothesline. Clothesline, you might wonder? Yes, ordinary cotton clothesline. It fit his college student budget, was easily available, and strong enough to withstand any resistance from a reluctant protΓ©gΓ©. It also cut easily in case of an emergency.
How had she ended up here, tied to his wall? He smiled at the thought. It was so unbelievably easy. She was a Southern sorority girl, born and raised to please. Granted, he didn't think her daddy would be pleased if he saw his baby girl right now, but being a good old boy from Alabama, he had to know that eventually his daughter would be pleasing a man in private. And young Brooke here was learning quite well how to please a man, even if she was somewhat reluctant to try new things.
She whimpered, only able to imagine what he was doing as he opened drawers and laid out the toys he planned to play with over the course of the evening. A fine sheen of sweat glistened in the low light, giving her body a watercolor painting effect. She was quite a sight to behold, and he was glad he had a digital camera. Technology had certainly done wonders for his hobby. Gone were the days of having to set up a makeshift darkroom in his tiny bathroom or using the school's darkroom at 3 a.m. to develop pictures of his students and their lessons.
He crossed the room in a few strides and whispered in her ear. "Brooke, darling, tonight you are in for quite a treat. Remember that story you wrote, the one you printed in the computer lab the evening we met? The Master β that would be me β chains his slave to the wall β that would be you β and makes her beg to be touched. Do you remember that, my sweet?"
She strained against the ropes, but knew it was wasted effort. She wasn't going anywhere. He had grown up on the shore, and while other kids spent their summers at the country club playing tennis and lounging by the pool, he sailed. And an important part of sailing was learning to tie complicated and beautiful knots, knots which came in quite handy these days.
"Answer me, Brooke. Do you remember?"
"Yes, I remember," she whispered.
"And what happened to the slave in your story? When she begged to be touched?" He slowly ran his finger along the sensitive underside of her arm, which was stretched from her body. Her face was turned to the side, one cheek pressed against the cold cement wall.
"She...had to...she had to..."
"She had to what?"
"She had to endure ...the...the whip."
"And why did she have to be whipped? What was her reward?"
"For each touch from her Master, she had to be whipped first."
"Why do you think that was, Brooke?"
"I, I don't know..."
"Yes, you do know, Brooke. Tell me."
"The whip...brings....pain. But pain brings...pleasure." She choked the words out in a whisper.
"Are you afraid of the whip, Brooke?"
"Yes," she cried. "I don't want to be whipped. Please don't do this to me. I'll do anything else you ask, anything. Just please don't hurt me."
The desperation in her voice was amusing to him. Of course she didn't want to be whipped. She didn't want to wear the stripes, to bear the evidence of her time spent with him in secret. She was mortified at the thought that anyone might find out about her dark little secret.
And that was part of the hold he had on her. He never threatened her. Never said he'd use this against her. But she had to know it was a possibility. And she would rather die than have her sorority sisters find out that she was being taught to please That Guy in ways that would make them speechless. Not that he ever would. Tell, that is. Why would he? What would it accomplish? He never wanted to draw attention to himself. He didn't want to be stared at when he was on campus, didn't want people talking about him at parties. He'd experienced that at his previous school, and he transferred out as soon as the semester ended. But Brooke, well... He wasn't too worried about that happening with her. She wasn't about to tell anyone about their little secret. Her lessons were not something she wanted on the university grapevine. It would ruin her chances of wearing the Homecoming crown.
He picked up his whip, caressing the leather handle with his hand, feeling the carefully balanced weight of it in his palm. It had been custom-made for him by a friend in Italy, during the three months he spent abroad last year. With a practiced flick of his wrist, the whip cracked the silence next to her ear. She screamed at the sudden noise and the awareness of how close the whip had been to her pretty face.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered in her ear. "Did I scare you?"
She bit her lip, and he could see she was fighting the urge to tell him to go fuck himself.
"I really don't recommend screaming. It's unlikely anyone would hear you, and if they did, how would you explain that you wanted to be tied up like this?"
She twisted against the ropes again, bending her knees and stretching up on her toes, testing how much play the ropes allowed her.
"It's really quite useless, to struggle, you know. I know how to tie knots quite well, and I can assure you that you have been tied quite securely. Safety is of the utmost importance when playing, and if I were to allow you too much freedom, you might get hurt." As he finished speaking, the whip cracked and she felt a sharp sting on her side, right where her breast swelled away from her body.
"Ow!" she cried. "That HURT!"
"Hmm....why so it did. What would you like instead, Brooke?"
"Please, I don't want to do this. What I wrote wasn't really my fantasy. Please... Just untie me and we can do something else, whatever you want. Just please let me go-o-o-o..." A tear squeezed out from beneath the blindfold and left a wet trail on her flushed cheek.
"That tear is quite a nice touch, my dear. Hold that pose for me, will you?" He grabbed his camera and snapped a few photos, appreciating the contrast between shadows and the glistening tear trail which reflected the candlelight so well. These would be nice printed as black and whites, he thought. Very artistic.
"Are you photographing me?" She was scared, obviously. "What are you planning to do with those pictures?"
He laughed, enjoying her anxiety. "I'd like to remember this moment, Brooke. Long after you're gone. You look so beautiful, your body taught against the ropes, the tear on your cheek. But don't worry, my dear. I'll be the only one looking at these pictures. You can count on that. You see, I don't really like to share. That's why I live alone, down here in the bowels of the dorm. I don't have to share anything unless I choose to. And tonight, I'm going to enjoy not having to share you."