Page 32 of Be Careful What You Wish For

A glass slid into his hand. It had been chilled just the way he liked it. He was obviously trying hard, and then the next moment Shadow was bent double on the floor, hands reaching behind him while he kissed his shoes.

‘Oh get up, for God’s sake. Do you hear? Get up!’ He was irritated by this display of servitude, and impatient to move on.

‘Have you seen Pandora? Do you know what she’s doing right now?’

‘I have no idea, Master. I have been busy in the kitchen. Why, do you need me to check on her, or perhaps prepare her?’

Lies...

‘I’ve been watching you watching her. Very cosy.’

‘Oh...’

‘Yes, exactly. You understand now where I am coming from, why I’m annoyed, and why perhaps we should try out the switch Pandora made to find out exactly the impact it will have if used on her bare bottom.’

‘Master, you wouldn’t...’

‘Go, fetch. You have five minutes exactly. Any longer and the punishment will be even worse.’

‘Master, please don’t make me do this. I’m a loyal and humble servant, and...’

‘Your punishment has just gone up another notch. You are questioning a direct order. Anything more, even a whisper or a frown, and the punishment will be extremely severe.’

‘May I leave the room, Master?’ Shadow bent his head, knowing he was defeated, unsure what might happen next.

A Switch for the Switch

He heard the zing... zing... zing whistle through the air even before white hot pain seared across his buttocks. He lay tense. This was not the way it was supposed to be. This was degrading. He didn’t enjoy the position at all. But then, Richard was making a point. He’d pushed the boundaries too far. No, more than that, he’d slipped up badly, not expecting him to catch on to what he was doing so soon.

Thwack...

It came again and he couldn’t help it; despite his resolve he let out a scream. This was too much! He didn’t deserve...

Thwack... thwack... thwack...

How many more might it take before Richard’s anger was satisfied? Or was it something more? Had this anything to do with the girl? If so, by God he would make her pay, and then some, because this was seriously interfering in his relationship with Richard. It made sense when he came to think about it. He’d caught the glitter in his eye, saw the bulge in his trousers as he threw accusations against him, and the fact he’d been watching him watching Pandora; he should have known. He’d no idea that his charge of her would affect them so much.

The air was still around him, as if waiting, drawing breath. He relaxed his body, feeling the welts across his buttocks biting, the heat of the strokes burning through the tender flesh. It would be a while until he could sit down with any degree of comfort. And he would need to be damn careful that Pandora didn’t catch on. It would take away the respect she had for him.

He and Richard, they had dreamed dreams in this room, shared hidden desires, wished for a slave to share between them, a girl they could train, who would do their bidding and keep house, but also see to their needs. It had worked well, until now.

The silence lengthened. It was a favoured ploy of Richard’s, so that he never quite knew whether the session was over. But then again, it had never been this way between them. It was more about control, Master/sub, and friendship. Nothing had jeopardised that before. He was no longer sure of his ground. He knew things were bad in business right now. Perhaps it was the stress combined with preparations for the forthcoming celebrations that had pushed things over the edge.

Suddenly there was a pull on his wrists. A tightness on his arms. ‘Master?’

‘Yes, you might well wonder what’s going to happen. For a while now you’ve forgotten the way it is between us. Acting as equals is for the benefit of Pandora only. In truth you know I am Master, and it is time you were reminded of that fact.’

‘But all the time I’m mindful...’

‘You have been playing games with me under my own roof. But this is no game. You will learn your lesson well, and then things will change... dramatically. Mark my words.’

He was using his favoured bola-bola knot, wrapping rope around both wrists before tucking the bight underneath and pulling it through. Richard was an expert in Shibari. The rope handcuffs were effective. They had been his first lesson in Japanese roping and he loved to practice whenever he had the chance of a willing participant... or not. Now his actions were impersonal, simply a means to an end. They weren’t playing, this was for real. And he seemed impatient to get to the point of what came after.

Shadow wondered suddenly what would follow. He had no idea where this version of events would end. But he had the uncanny feeling it wasn’t going to be pleasant for him, given the way things were developing.

Rope caught his ankle, holding it taut, reaching across to the other and leaving a drag between them to allow small walking steps. To complete the exercise in humiliation, a short length of lead was attached to his collar. Then he was being led down the hallway and through doorways, down into the darkest dungeon and the cage.

The cage squatted in a corner, like some trapped animal. Made of metal, the rungs on top and sides were close together. The metal flooring was cold. The space cramped. Cruelly he was twisted, bent and pushed inside and the door

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