Page 57 of Trust

“You’re in good hands then. Silvano’s been coming here for years. Not as much recently. And he doesn’t play with anyone. He just shows up to chat.” Luke laughs nervously. “He’s one of the good ones. Really in control, knows what he’s doing. Thereare some guys who call themselves Doms, but they just want to beat up their partners.”

Like Adam.

My fists clench, but I remind myself that Luke doesn’t know about Micah’s situation. He’s talking in generalities.

Silvano and Kyran finally appear. “Oh, good.” Silvano walks up to Luke and extends his hand. Luke places the flogger into it.

“Sir—”

“Just call me Silvano,” Silvano interrupts. “We’re going to remain strictly educational here.” He gestures to an x-shaped set of beams toward the side of the room. “This is a Saint Andrew’s Cross,” he explains. “It’s useful, but you can just as easily lean your sub over the side of a bed or couch.” He waits for Luke to cross the room to the cross, and Luke leans against it.

Silvano follows him, and he trails the tails of the flogger lightly along Luke’s back—not hitting him, but caressing him, letting him know that he’s there.

Kyran tenses visibly.

Is he getting jealous? Would Micah be jealous if he knew what I was doing now?

“You can tease him with it before you begin, let the anticipation build until you’re ready.” Silvano takes a few steps away. “When you’re starting out, aim for his ass. It’s the most forgiving part of the body, and you’re less likely to accidentally cause damage. You can move to the upper back, between the shoulders, as you get more comfortable. Different floggers give you different effects. Medium-length will do fine and give you more control, and the leather will be softer. Thinner strands will sting; thicker strands will thud, so you can test out both and see which you like better.”

He demonstrates with a deft flick of his wrist, and Luke lets out a low moan as the tails lash against his ass.

That barely looked like a tap. I expected the flogging to be hard and fast, but even if he weren’t wearing jeans, I don’t think Luke’s ass would be marked.

“The most important thing for your Micah to know is to relax into it. Give him time to react, then settle again. You don’t want him to be too tense, or he won’t enjoy it. Standard protocol is to have a safe word, but I recommend using the stoplight system: green for good, yellow for slow down, and red to stop. Or just stop when he says stop. Unless you’re anticipating doing rape roleplay, you should listen to his words.” Silvano gives me a strange smile. “You can always call a stop to a scene, too. It isn’t only the submissive who might get overstimulated or need a break.”

He strikes Luke again. I pay attention to how he holds the flogger and the movement of his arm and wrist.

I mimic him, and Silvano nods approvingly.

“These are warm-up strokes, but you can go harder based on his responses. Check in frequently while you’re getting used to one another, and make sure you have water and snacks on hand for when you’re finished. Aftercare is very important.” Silvano lowers the flogger. “You still okay?”

“Yes,” Luke answers, at the same time that Kyran growls a low, “He’s fine.”

That draws a small laugh out of Silvano. He passes the flogger to me. “Okay. Try on the air a few times, then on Luke’s ass.”

Luke shifts uncomfortably and looks over his shoulder. “Um, I think I’d rather you keep doing it, Silvano.”

I frown. “You don’t trust me to do it right?”

Luke lowers his arms. “I do! I mean, maybe? But you’re new. And Silvano is good at it…”

Kyran is staring intently at the two of them. If I doubted whether he was jealous before, I know now that I was reading him correctly.

He’s definitely jealous.

“This is a lesson for Ilya,” Kyran barks. “Not something for you to get off on.”

“But why would he do it if he doesn’t get off on it?” I ask as I test the flogger a few times.

It’s surprisingly light in my hand, not at all how I imagined a torture device to feel. But, judging from Luke’s expression, this isn’t exactly torture.

If I can get Micah to react the way Luke did from a few simple strokes… I feel a jolt of arousal, and I think I understand why people might enjoy doing this.

“Okay, Luke. Let Ilya flog you a few times, then I’ll buy you a drink as thanks for lending your back and ass for our demo,” Silvano says.

Kyran’s broad shoulders relax. “Yes,” he says, “we’re very grateful.” His tone of voice makes it clear that he, at least, isn’t grateful at all.

Luke appears reluctant to get back into position, but he does. I take another few experimental swings, then I bring it down on his ass lightly. He doesn’t even flinch.