It was only when Ethan stepped away from her again that she knew it was time. The handle of the tool he was employing on this occasion was so long that if he stood right behind her and administered it, he’d smack her head and probably Jeremy’s too. And that would never do. She heard a couple more swoops through the air, a pause, then the next swing landed on her naked skin. The surface of the unknown implement was so large it reached both her buttocks at the same time, and the rattan material of which it was made left one hell of a sting in its wake, though it took a second or two to register.

She let out an anguished yell and flung her head back, narrowly missing head-butting Jeremy as she moved.
He cupped her face in his hands and gave her a reassuring smile. ‘Come on, Alice, you can do this, you know you can. I’ve long thought there was a much better use for a carpet beater than its intended one, and you’re helping to prove my theory correct.’

Purely on instinct, Alice stiffened, readying herself for the inevitable impact.

It never came. Not right away, anyway. Ethan was clearly getting a feel for his new instrument, as there were several repetitions of the strange, intimidating sound before he stepped up behind her and trailed his hand across her bare buttocks. He continued to do this for a minute or so, sensitising her skin. If she had not known better, he would have lulled her into a false sense of security. But Alice wasn’t fooled, not for a minute. She forced herself to relax, knowing that the blows would come, and the more tense her bum was, the more it would hurt.

Ethan and Jeremy’s laughter filled the space they inhabited. Although she desperately wanted to giggle too, she daren’t. The fact she’d spoken out in the first place had probably earned her a few extra smacks, so she wasn’t about to make things worse by joining in with their mirth. She bit her lip hard. With her face concealed, she pulled herself together and waited patiently for what would happen next.

After a few seconds, the men managed to get a hold of themselves and the atmosphere reverted to its previous seriousness. She heard the soft whisper of material, indicating that Ethan was moving around. Then the whoop of something being swung through the air.

Jeremy grasped her forearms and steadied her. She smiled gratefully, although he couldn’t see her face, then retorted, ‘Well, it’s only because you two have made me this way. I never used to be bothered about sex.’

She imagined the two of them exchanging looks over her head. Jeremy’s body shifted slightly, as though he’d nodded at his friend, then Ethan spoke again. ‘We’ll take that as a huge compliment indeed. I suppose if you’ve only ever had mediocre sex up until now, then there was no real reason for you to miss it when you weren’t getting it. And unless you’re the queen of faking it, you’ve enjoyed every single sexual encounter – task or otherwise – with Jeremy and me. So, yes, you’re absolutely right. We have made you this way. We’ve made a monster … a sex monster!’

As soon as she was in the correct position, Ethan’s hands flipped up her skirt. There was a murmur of appreciation as he took in the sight of her naked arse and pussy. His fingers caressed her hold-up stocking tops for a few seconds, then moved up to the bare skin above them. He stroked and squeezed at the pale flesh of her thighs before journeying higher still. Quickly he discovered she too was getting aroused. A chuckle, then, ‘Wet already, Alice? You are a horny bitch, aren’t you?’ He coupled his words with a light slap on her bum, which made her yelp.

Jeremy sat on one of the stairs leading to what had once been the servants’ quarters.
‘Bend over,’ he said with a smile, ‘and put your hands on my knees.’

Alice did as she was told, instinctively looking down, which of course brought her gaze level with his crotch. Already she could see he was excited at the prospect of what was going to happen. She was too, actually. The games she’d played with Jeremy and Ethan over the past months had opened her mind to many different sexual pleasures, and she’d discovered that receiving pain was one of them. She didn’t crave it, like some more devout submissive masochists, but she enjoyed the sweet pain that was inflicted on her. It helped, of course, that the men knew this and would only go so far with their sadistic torture.