“Master?”
“Yes?”
“What exactly is Sir doing?”
Dane chuckled as he wrapped one arm around her and reached for the door with the other. The bag hung from one broad shoulder. “Let’s go downstairs and see.”
* * * *
Merlin barely felt the slaps the first dozen or more Doms/Dommes applied to his ass. He stood relaxed in the stocks, his ass jutting out on display. He was present in body but not in spirit.
His thoughts remained upstairs with Master and angel. He fantasized about what other things they might do during the rest of their weekend together. Then his daydreams moved beyond the weekend.
What if angel did join their family? How would the dynamics change? Would she be willing to live with the two of them forever? Would she allow them to take care of her, love her, dominate her?
Then he wondered about angel and wished he knew more about the pretty virgin sub.
His thoughts were interrupted when a savage hand struck, hard and fast, causing triple the pain the others had. He stiffened as he counted the five strokes—health, wealth, wisdom, love, and luck. But then the Dom didn’t stop until he’d applied five more in rapid succession.
Master T remained nearby and watchful. He stepped forward and chastised the Dom then blocked Merlin’s ass from the next person in line.
“Give him a minute.”
Merlin took several deep breaths. He wished he faced the staircase. Then he could see Master and angel come for him. They’d been up there alone for a long time. Of course his concept of time was skewed due to what felt like an endless birthday spanking. His ass had grown so tender even the lightest touch now burned.
When the tears began, he dropped his head and let go. This was the purpose of the endless birthday spanking—to get him past the “men don’t cry” shit his father had instilled in him as a toddler. As a physician, he’d been taught to remain stoic no matter what. While others sobbed at sad situations, he remained dry eyed.
But confined here, forced to accept the public humiliation of his ass exposed and being endlessly spanked, here he could cry. Here he could release all the tears and all the sadness that had built up inside him since the last time Dane had offered his ass to the club for such a spanking.
This public punishment provided him the release he could not otherwise find. When they’d first gotten into the lifestyle, Dane had tried. He’d flogged him and whipped him, for hours, but Merlin could not let go of control. Not until Master had come up with the birthday spanking. Master understood his need for more than he was comfortable with. Master allowed him this emotional release once a year on his birthday.
Though he’d loved the other gifts Dane had given him this week, to Merlin, this was ultimate birthday gift.
The grainy, gray sadness that weighed him down slowly slid away. His cock hardened. The condom grew tight around his shaft. His hips began to move forward and back, which rubbed his cock against the leather covering it.
Closing his eyes, Merlin prayed that he could hold off his orgasm until Master arrived.
The sharp slaps began again, carrying him closer to ecstasy, but he would not find his fulfillment. Not yet. Only his Master’s order and touch would send him over. But Master was upstairs playing with angel. He probably didn’t realize how close Merlin had moved toward the edge of sanity.
Or did he?
Chapter 8
By the time they reached the main floor, Sloan once again felt steady on her feet. Looking around, she began to worry about what Sir would think when he learned what she and Master had just done.
“Master?”
“Yes, angel?”
“I don’t see Sir.”
She heard Master chuckle one time. “You’re not looking in the right place.” He pointed to one corner of the bar where a crowd had gathered. “He’s the center of attention, as any emotionally stunted birthday boy should be. Though by now, he probably needs some relief.”
Taking her hand, Dane led her through the crowd. Once there, he pulled her around to stand in front of him. She gasped when she saw that Sir was locked in the stockade, and some woman in a green latex corset and leggings was spanking him. Someone was crying, sounding so miserable that her heart pinched in empathy.
Without thinking of the consequences, Sloan pushed past two Doms waiting in line. Just as she reached the stocks, a hard arm came around her waist and pulled her back. She began to struggle, until she heard a steel-hardened whisper in her ear.
“Angel, stop. You don’t understand. But I think you’ll be able to help Merlin more than any of the rest of us.”
Dane carried her away from the bar before he set her down. Before she could move, he spun her around and clamped large hands down on her shoulders to hold her in place.
“Why? Did you really send him away while we had sex so he could get beat raw? He’s crying,” Sloan said through quivering lips. “Are you really that heartless?”
She sniffed as she met Dane’s eyes, surprised to see tears glistening in his.
“No, sweet angel. I did this so he could cry. Merlin was raised to be strong and to always control his emotions. He never cries. He hardly ever yells. He won’t complain of pain or heat or cold. Even on his darkest day, he’ll manage to smile. He was taught not to show emotion and most especially tears.”
Sloan frowned. “But he’s crying now.”
“Yes, sweetness. He’s crying now. Once a year on his birthday, I offer his ass to anyone in the bar who wants to give him five birthday swats, the harder the better. The humiliation of being bare assed in public and the endless punishment carry him past his father’s training to give him the emotional release he cannot find
