Page 67 of Steam

"Deep breaths," Will said softly.

Daniel wondered how the hell this was supposed to help him empty his mind. As it stood, his anxiety was spiraling faster and farther than it had before. He wondered if the whole thing was going to hurt more than he could take, what would happen if he safeworded and stopped the whole thing, whether or not—

The slap against his ass seemed to come from nowhere. Daniel hadn't noticed Will's posture changing as he wound up to hit his skin. Daniel sucked a harsh breath at the surprise, whimpering at the impact. The pain was sharp and dazzling.

"Baby, give me a color."

"Green," Daniel said, even as his heartrate skyrocketed. "Do it again."

Daniel watched the back of Will's head as he nodded.

"We'll do five more and then I'll check in with you again," Will said. "If you want me to stop, just say so."

"Ok, daddy," Daniel said, the word slipping out without warning.

The next slap came harder and against his other cheek. And then another, the third spanking, on the first cheek.

Each impact stung and seemed to leave his ears ringing, as if the sound of the slap was ear-shattering.

Everything in Daniel's word shrank down into laser focus. There was just Will, holding him up, striking him just hard enough to make it hurt, taking those deep, even breaths. There was nothing in the world but the two of them, but Will's palm against his ass.

By the time Will finished the next round, Daniel had lost count of how many slaps he'd received.

And then he understood what Will had been saying.

The exposure, the sharp slaps, the pain—it had wrung everything out of his mind.

He had no fears, no anxiety. In some ways, he felt miles away from himself, even while in the same moment he was more physically present in his own body than maybe he'd ever been before.

Daniel was feeling the moment, unfiltered and unguarded, and it was like nothing he'd ever felt before. It was exhilarating.

"Still green?" Will asked.

This time Will looked over his shoulder to see Daniel's face. Daniel nodded—still green.

"More?"

Daniel nodded again and he realized that he'd slipped so far away from himself that he almost didn't want to break that trance with words.

Will didn't seem to mind, maybe sensing that Daniel needed Will to talk for him for the time being.

"Five more, then," he said.

* * *

The whole daddything was new for Will when it came to real-life hookups, but spanking was well-trod territory for him. He'd been on the giving and the receiving end plenty of times, and he knew there was often nothing more effective at helping someone find subspace than a little impact play.

Maybe it was dumb to take someone like Daniel from zero to sixty all in one session, but Will knew that unless he found that sweet space where ego and anxiety were gone, it would be impossible for Daniel to enjoy their time together like he deserved to.

When he looked back at Daniel after he'd delivered the sixth swat, Will knew that he'd been right to take the risk.

Daniel looked dopey and serene—not drunk or glassy but simply happy, satisfied in that moment between them.

He couldn't tell for sure that Daniel had discovered the sweetness of subspace, but he would've been willing to wager an entire paycheck that Daniel had, just from the look on his face, from the fact that he didn't seem to want to talk anymore.

When Daniel asked for more, Will returned to his task. It was almost too easy to hold Daniel like this, hitching him up off the bed and completely exposing him. His pale skin had turned to a rosy pink as Will delivered the blows. He struck Daniel much lighter than he would've with someone who was experienced. He only wanted to help Daniel get past his anxiety—not make him sore. Luckily, Daniel had performed beautifully, going pliant under the slaps.

Will continued, timing the slaps so that they were unpredictable but not cruel, and he watched as the blushing skin blossomed to a deeper pink. The contrast between Daniel's pale thighs and the round spots of deep pink on his ass was like something from an abstract painting, color fields that were half pastoral landscape, half expression of passion.

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