Morgan, age 32, City of Marin

My heels clicked on the floor as I rose from my chair to stalk across the room. The man strapped spread eagle to the cross fell silent to listen, enraptured by the sound as I knew he would be. I was tired of being the observer, so I had decided to join the scene before me.

The Captain of the Guard was an incredible specimen of a man. And, it wasn't just that his tall, muscular frame looked good when buckled into place. No, it was also his attitude. He was just a little defiant... a little reluctant to just give in to what he knew he loved... a little overwhelmed by the pain that turned to pleasure when he was flogged, cropped, or caned. Watching him stuggle through that because he wanted to be pleasing was intoxicating.

The party around me was in full swing, with about half the room having been focused on one of my Mistresses-in-Training having a scene with the lovely Captain. As I clipped my way toward my willing victim, all eyes turned to me. I gave the younger Mistress a wry grin as she turned toward my approach.

"Evelyn," I purred to her, "you have done an excellent job of preparing him."

"Thank you, Second Mistress," she replied, inclining her head to me. She held out the crop she had been using on his ass to me before stepping away to settle herself to the side to watch. I knew she was disappointed at being stopped but, with the way I was feeling tonight, I couldn't help myself. I want to possess my Captain.

His sandy blond hair was just beginning to damped. I couldn't see his eyes under the blindfold, but I knew from our nights together that they would be sparkling the color of the sky on a crisp fall day. He turned his head to track me as I walked and hissed an inhaled when I ran my fingertips lightly down his back. I saw the goosebumps rise on his flesh and my grin deepened as a leaned into him.

"Enjoying yourself, Leo?" I murmured.

"Yes, Mistress," he replied properly.

"Which have you liked better tonight, the flogger or crop?"

"Both, Mistress."

I ran my hand over his hot skin again, both to admire it and to check in on him. I could guage a lot about a bottom simply by feeling their skin and seeing how they reacted to my touch. "Evelyn has warmed you up nicely."

He squirmed. "Yes, Mistress."

I ran my hand over his ass as he arched to lean into my touch.

"Will there be more, Mistress?"

"Oh, yes, Captain. I am in a mood."

I felt him shiver. He knew that we would be graduating from Evelyn's toys to mine. I enjoyed the whips the most. The Captain was one of the handful of men we had in service to the Household who enjoyed the whip. Certain, more than these endured it, but it took a special person to crave it. The Captain was one such person, and it turned me on to no end to wield it on him.

I kissed first one shoulder then the other before returning the crop to its place on the rack of toys beside the play area. I made a noisy show of contemplating which toy to choose next so that the Captain could listen in anticipation.

I first chose a long, full flogger, making it woosh through the air as I swung it before allowing it to hit the leather of my corset so that the impact sounded through the quiet room. "I do like this flogger," I said. "It's the elk suede." I hit with it again. "But, I think it is too soft for you."

"Yes, Mistress," the Captain hummed.

"Now, the latigo," I said as I took the heavy leather one off the rack to swing, "might be more our style." The weight of it wasn't much more than the elk, but the leather, while thinner, was stiffer. Add in the fact that the fall tips were edged rather than rounded, it would hit harder and sting more than the elk. The Captain moaned as I wrapped its falls around my torso with a swing.

"But, honestly, I think you are warmed up enough to move on from floggers, wouldn't you agree?" I asked him, knowing what the answer would be.

"Yes, Mistress."

I crossed the room to the other rack of instruments. There, I had an array of various whips to choose from hanging from pegs to their beautiful construction could be admired. There were a variety of colors but I tended to favor red and black since they were the Household colors.

I took a short signal whip off the wall and began to throw it. The sound it made as it moved through the air was delicious. The Captain inhaled sharply when he heard it and I smiled just before a popped my wrist to crack the whip. Many around me, even though they were paying attention, jumped at the sound. The Captain wrythed and whimpered in his restraints. His erection seemed to sweel even more and my body reacted in kind.

"Yes, I think this one is a good place to start," I said as I moved back behind the Captain, standing well away from him. I swung the whip in vertical figure-eight pattern as I took small steps forward until the cracker kissed his skin.

Many people thought that whips could only be used in pain, and it was true that they could be wielded that way, but what you got out of them was all about how you used them. What I was doing now was light, but with a small wrist movement, I would send it past the skin just a little harder, making the knot of the cracker contact the skin with a small pop. It was a small sting; not incredibly painful, individually, but they could be delivered quickly, consistently, and for a duration that built the sensation over time.

I started to dance with the whip, leaning toward the man on the cross or away to deeped or lighten the stroked I was delivering. It wasn't a matter of ego to say I was one of the best around with a whip; I had a natural affinity and had been wielding them for nearly a decade. I felt the heat spread through my body as I moved and the moisture between my legs increase. I do love my work.

Leo stood so that his back, which was my target, was still. He knew the drill; if he moved and I missed, it was his fault. In reality, this wasn't quite true but it was a fun game we played. He knew that I could be as precise as I wanted and that I could keep up with his movement but if I didn't give him something to be responsible for, how would I ever find things to punish him with? We both enjoyed the game and we played it well together.

As I worked his back, stripes began to appear on both sides of his back, up near the shoulders. I slowed my swing and switched to a side-to-side motion, stepping in to deliver small pops to his butt cheeks. Every now and then, when I popped one a little extra, he grunted. This was his least favorite part, and I knew it. That only made me enjoy it all the more and I chuckled to myself as his ass tightened.

"Relax," I reminded him. He knew it hurt more if he stiffened up. He followed my order and gave him a few more swings before stopping.

Stepping to him, I placed my hand gently on one shoulder then the other to check in. He leaned back and turned his head to me.

"Thank you, Mistress," he whispered.

I ran my hands around to his chest and down to his firm cock. Squeezing it to feel him throb, I said, "You can take more." I made it a statement, not a question. It was up to me, not him, to continue. Of course, I would only continue if he were able; in play, I only doled out what could be taken. The Captain could take a lot and had no qualms about minor injuries that wouldn't interfere with his duties. He'd be sore for days, but far from bedridden.

I pulled on his length, tugging, as he pressed back into me, making the tip slick with precum. He moaned and I kissed his scorching skin. "You're ready for me," I said and he nodded.

"Yes, Mistress. I am ready to perform for you whenever you want me."

"Good. You know I like that. But we're not quite done."

I picked out a longer, heavier whip, one that traveled through the air a lot slower. The rhythm of our play lessened and each throw became deeply deliberate. I picked out the target on his back each time, focused on hitting said target, then threw the whip forward to connect. I could see the additional marks appear on his skin and I adjusted each throw according to how severe I wanted the next mark to be. I didn't want to open his flesh, at least not this time. Perhaps we would do a heavy, intense scene as a reward after the upcoming Gala, but tonight, I was going light. It was good foreplay.

I threw one last time, then let the whip still, handing it off to Evelyn who scrambled to take it from me and set it aside with the other used toys to be cleaned. I pressed my body against him and I unbluckled first one wrist then the other, squeezing each limp to help get them moving again when I did. I turned him to face me and removed the blindfold. He squinted in the candlelight, bright after being shielded.

His green eyes found mine before they dropped to my lips, but I knew he wouldn't be forward enough to kiss me without permission. Not after a scene like that and certainly not in a play dungeon full of people. He couldn't help but growl, however, when I leaned in to kiss him.

Electric fire coursed through me as our tongues danced with each other. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close, pressing his hard length between us. We were panting when I broke the kiss and whispered, "Find a robe. We will retire to my rooms."

"Yes, Mistress," he answered, eyes dancing.