Page 129 of The Facilitator 1

“What if I need topee?”

“Are you kiddingme?”

“No.”

“Use the fucking bathroom, over there. Jesus, Lauren, you are not going to be any good atthis.”

“It was justa…”

“Enough,” he said sharply as the door to the roomopened.

The man I’d seen wearing the hood walked in first, holding what I could only assume was a lead rope attached to a collar around Veronica’s neck. I wasn’t expecting that. He wasn’t wearing the mask, and without it he looked so young, Adonislike.

He led her to the center of the room, where he flicked the end of the leash at her stomach. She was completely naked, with not a hair on her body. I tried not to stare. He flicked her again and she fell to herknees.

He stood in front of her and, as I’d seen before, he stroked her hair. She murmured, it wasn’t a moan just a soft mewl. His gentleness was gone in a flash when he yanked on her lead, dragging her to her feet. She didn’t take her eyes fromhis.

I felt Mackenzie’s hand on my head; he stroked my hair as I watched the man secure Veronica between two stainless steel poles. He placed a leather cuff around one wrist and clipped it high; then he did the same to the other. When she was secured, he unclipped the lead from her throat. He stood in front of her. Nothing was said by anyone in theroom.

I could feel my heart hammer in my chest. Mackenzie ran his hand down the back of my neck; his fingers gently stroked theskin.

The crack of leather as the man flicked the leash against Veronica’s thigh startled me. I covered my mouth to contain the shriek. A red line instantly appeared on her skin, she opened her lips and gasped, closing her eyes at the same time. She slid that leg across to the pole. He repeated the process with the other then crouched and bound bothankles.

“She’s defying him,” Mackenzie whispered. I hadn’t realised he’d lowered hishead.

I knew not to answer. And I didn’t want to. The air in the room was so highly charged it crackled. I didn’t want words to break the spell we seemed to have been suckedunder.

The man stood, he took her chin in his hand and raised her head to look at him. He stroked the back of his fingers down her cheek and she mewledagain.

He turned and stared at us, or rather directly at Mackenzie. I felt a little lost when he stepped away from the chaise. The man walked towards him, and it was as if I was witnessing the squaring up of two men before a fight. If I could see and smell the testosterone, it would have overpowered me. Two very alpha males stood face-to-face. Then one deferred. The blond man handed over the leash to Mackenzie, he lowered his head slightly, although I caught him glance very quickly myway.

“Don’t you fucking dare look at her,” Mackenzie growled, his voice had the hairs on my arms stand to attention. The man bowed his head a littlelower.

I was instantly reminded of two lions about to fight for territory. Mackenzie was most certainly leader of the pride in that room. The man moved to one side, and he didn’t look at me at all. Mackenzie walked towards Veronica; he hooked his finger in the silver loop on the collar and pulled her forward. I could see her legs tremble, and I hoped that was with excitement and notfear.

I was stunned into paralysis, not entirely sure what I was witnessing. Mackenzie was a different man, his body rigid as if about to fight. His features were hard andemotionless.

He circled her. When he returned to face her, he flicked the leash far more aggressively than the man had. I heard the swish and the crack as it hit her stomach. She moaned out loud, arching her body back a little and rattling the chains that held hercuffs.

He stared at her until she stilled. He held out his hand without looking behind him. I watched the Adonis walk forwards and place something in Mackenzie’s hand. Veronica sighed. It was as he stepped to one side that I noticed two small silver objects clamped to her nipples. They were connected by a silverchain.

He walked away and to a wall that held a rack. Hanging from that rack were all sorts of implements, he ran his hand through them. The clanking of wood on wood and leather was like a distorted windchime.

“What’s it to be, Veronica?” he said, even his voice was different. Whereas he’d have a husky tone when aroused, it was justharsh.

She didn’t answer and I didn’t suppose she was allowed to. But she watched him, he watched her. I watched them both. As he slowly drew his hand across the implements again, he hovered over one, her eyes had widened her breathing had become rapid. That was the implement she wanted, she’d told him with herbody.

He took down a leather-clad object. It had a handle and wide leather strap that double backed on itself. He slapped it against his hand and the noise echoed around the room. He reached up for a second one. That one had two single leather straps protruding from the handle. Her eyes widenedfurther.

He walked back towards her. I was surprised at how slow everything was, how measured and controlled. I guessed that was what Mackenzie meant by anticipation. Veronica’s lips were parted; she ran her tongue over the lowerone.

“Did I say you could do that?” Mackenziesaid.

Before she had the chance to even shake her head, he flicked the slapper against her lower stomach. She cried out. He slapped her again, and again, each time harder than the last. Her skin was raised and red. She wrestled against the chains holding her, and I swallowed down the panic that was starting to rise in my chest. I had no idea if she was enjoying it ornot.

He aimed short flicks all the way down her stomach and across her thighs, trailing the leather back up and over her pussy. It glistened with herjuices.

He continued to flick her skin, fast and hard, all the way down her legs. Sweat formed on his back, soaking his white shirt. The smell of him, of her permeated the air, it was cloying, arousing, electrifying. I could feel the wetness between my legs, and I wanted to desperately clench my thighs together. Mackenzie walked around Veronica, continuing to flick the slapper against her skin. He very briefly looked over to me; it was the first indication he’d remembered I was in theroom.

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