Page 25 of UnTrained: Volume Two
"Red, Sir."
"Good girl."
The first stroke catches me by surprise despite my anticipation. The leather connects with my skin in a sharp crack that echoes through the room. The sting blooms across my flesh, hot and immediate.
"One," I gasp. "Thank you, Sir."
The second comes before the sting of the first has fully registered, slightly lower than the first. The pain is bright, clarifying, nothing like the dull brutality I experienced at the facility. This has purpose, meaning.
"Two. Thank you, Sir." My voice is steadier now.
The third stroke lands across both cheeks, harder than the previous two. The sting radiates outward, heat blooming across my skin. I arch slightly, a gasp escaping before I can stop it.
"Three. Thank you, Sir." There's a tremor in my voice now, not from fear but from the intensity of the sensation. This pain is clean, honest, nothing like what I experienced before. It grounds me in my body, anchors me to this moment.
The fourth stroke catches the sensitive spot where bottom meets thigh. I bite my lip to stifle a cry.
"Four. Thank you, Sir." My voice is barely above a whisper.
There's a pause before the final stroke, long enough that anticipation builds, my muscles tensing in preparation. When it comes, it's the hardest yet, the leather connecting with already sensitized skin. Tears spring to my eyes, not from the pain itself but from the release it brings.
"Five. Thank you, Sir." The words come out choked with emotion.
Aiden's warm hand strokes over my heated skin, soothing the sting. I'm trembling, but not from fear. From something else entirely. Something that feels like freedom.
"Good girl," he murmurs, his voice low and approving. "You took that beautifully."
I press my face into the mattress, oddly proud of his praise. The pain is already fading into a warm glow that spreads across my skin, reminding me of my submission, of my choice to be here.
"What did you learn?" Aiden asks, his hand continuing its gentle caress across my sensitized flesh.
"To be honest with you, Sir," I whisper. "Always."
"That's right." His weight shifts on the bed, and I feel him stretch out beside me. "Turn over. Look at me."
I roll onto my side, wincing slightly as my tender skin makes contact with the sheets. Aiden's face is close to mine, his blue eyes searching my expression. What he sees there must satisfy him, because his features soften slightly.
"How do you feel?" he asks.
"I feel... present," I say finally, searching for the right words. "Like I'm fully here, in my body."
Aiden nods, his eyes never leaving mine. "That's what a good punishment should do. Center you. Ground you." His fingers brush a strand of hair from my face with surprising tenderness. "The pain isn't the point, Lana. It's the clarity that comes with it."
I consider his words, feeling their truth resonate through me. The sting on my skin has already faded to a warm glow, but the mental clarity remains—sharp and bright, like fog lifting to reveal a clear day.
"I understand now," I whisper. "It's not about hurting me. It's about... reminding me."
"Yes." His palm cups my cheek, thumb stroking my lower lip. "Reminding you of your choice. Your surrender."
I turn my face to press a kiss to his palm, overwhelmed by the care beneath his dominance. At the facility, pain was random, meaningless, designed to break. With Aiden, even punishment has purpose—to build, to strengthen, to remind.
His hand slides from my face to my throat, resting there with gentle pressure. Not threatening, but possessive. "For these two days, your body belongs to me. To use, to mark, to pleasure." His eyes hold mine, gauging my reaction. "But your will is still your own. Your thoughts are still your own. Do you understand the difference?"
I nod, feeling the slight pressure of his palm against my throat as I swallow. "Yes, Sir."
"Say it," he commands. "Tell me what you understand."
I search for the words to express what I'm feeling. "My body is yours. But my mind, my choice to be here—that's still mine." I pause, realizing the profound truth in what I'm saying. "That's what makes this different from... before. I'm choosing this. Every moment."
