Page 95 of Brandishing Beginnings

My tongue felt heavy in my mouth. I swallowed thickly, wondering what they were waiting for—what Marcos was waiting for. Jason and Nico had already punished me for taking the rideshare home, but Marcos had been biding his time.

The sedative had been a surprise. We’d spoken in great length about adding drug use to our play, but I never imagined the lengths that Marcos would go to. Waking up in the woods tonight, naked and hanging from a tree in the middle of the night, hadn’t on been on my bingo play card. This was something out of one of my dark romance novels.

My guys took my safety seriously—only they were allowed to put my life in danger. Taking a rideshare while intoxicated at two a.m. hadn’t been smart. It was dumb and reckless, beyond careless, and just plain stupid. Why would I pay for a rideshare, when I could have just called one of my guys? They would have gladly come to pick me up.

All I could do was take my punishment. Or safe-word out. But I agreed to this dynamic between us—I craved it—so I would hold strong and endure my penance.

Someone circled me slowly; I could hear their feet crunching in the fallen leaves. A shiver slid down my spine as a cool breeze danced across my skin. I heard a whistle of wind before I felt the stinging bite against my ass. I yelped and tried to jerk away. I couldn’t see, I had no idea what I was hit with, but it fucking hurt.

“Quiet,” Marcos barked, from my right.

I took a deep calming breath and let it out slowly, forcing myself to relax.

“You still have twenty lashes coming. Ten will be from this switch.” He ran the thin switch over my backside. It felt rough, like tree bark.Did he seriously find a switch from forest to punish me with?“And ten from my hand. You will count and thank me for punishing you, after each hit.”

I kept my mouth shut and braced for impact. I was expecting the switch first, like he’d teased me with. I jumped slightly when his hand came down on my ass, my cheek jiggling with the impact. “One. Thank you, sir.”

“Thank you for what?” Marcos ground out.

“Thank you for punishing me, sir.”

Marcos didn’t waste time with the spanking. Each hit was firm and bruising—measured. He gave me just enough time to name each count and thank him for my punishment before he landed the next blow.

I was gasping and panting by the time we reached ten. A sheen of sweat covered my body and my pussy was clenching. Therewas something so erotic about being strung up in the woods, for anyone to see, while my man spanked my ass.

I knew he was just warming up for my true penance: the switch. Marcos was always harder on me than the other two—even Stone, for as much as a hard-ass as he came off. No, Marcos like creative discipline that I would remember—and feel for days.

“We all waited up for you last night, you know? Waited for a text to come get you.” Marcos’s voice was low and deep. It sent a shiver down my spine.

I hung there in silence, not really hearing what he was saying. I was floating in my body again, floating and slipping through my own thoughts. I already knew my crimes. I only had ten more lashes of the sixty to go, before I was finished. And I wasn’t counting that warning hit with the switch earlier—oh no. I knew my man, that one wouldn’t count toward the grand total.

“Maybe we need to reevaluate our relationship? Maybe it’s time to renegotiate things? Because this isn’t working on our end.”

I snapped my head up, trying to look at him as fear raced down my spine, but I was still blindfolded. There was a murmuring behind me, I couldn’t hear what they were say. Did Jason and Nico agree?Do they want to break up with me over a damn rideshare?

“Do not speak.” Marcos spat out, inches from my face. “You don’t get to defend your actions. And if we want to renegotiate, that’s our decision.”

I opened my mouth and quickly closed it. He was right. He could renegotiate at any time, all of them could. But why was he bringing it up now in the middle of a scene?Had I really fucked up that badly?My heart pounded in my chest, as my thoughts whirled a million miles an hour.

The first whack of the switch didn’t even register until a blinding pain burned along the back of one of my thighs. I’d already been paddled and caned tonight, but the switch was by far the worst.

I yelped and arched, trying to reach for my thighs with my tied hands, but unable to. I didn’t even remember to count before Marcos’s wrapped his fingers around my ponytail and roughly yanked my head up.

“Count.” He growled.

“One. T-thank you f-for pun-punishing me, s-sir,” I stuttered. My body shook as pain radiated across my body, spreading out from where I’d been hit.

He forcefully dropped my head, and I was already so weak, so let it fall limply—hanging from my shoulders almost painfully.

I took ragged breaths, forcing myself to calm down. I had nine more fucking hits to go before I would be finished.Then we can have a fucking conversation about whatever the fuck Marcos is talking about! Renegotiation my fucking ass!

The next smack of the branch wasn’t any easier than the first, even if I was expecting it this time. “Two. Thank you for punishingme, sir.” I managed to keep my voice steady, as I spoke the words through clenched teeth.

I could survive this. I would survive this.

Jason

IwatchedMayaslowlysuccumbto the pain of her lashing. The thin reed-like branch Marcos had found was torturing her more than the cane—and she hated the damn cane.

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