Liam stood to the side, watching, his face completely impassive. It was all he could do to mask how much he enjoyed this. Knowing he had such complete control over another person that even when promising a great deal of pain, his commands were still obeyed. It thrilled him in ways he hadn't thought possible. He'd thought having control like that over Mike would grow boring. But watching him struggle to roll over was unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. Maybe Mike wouldn't get boring, after all.

Once Mike was settled, Liam approached again. His hand slid over that raw, bruised ass, inspecting how the marks had developed. Wide, angry welts with blood presented in several different ways, both beneath and outside the skin. This was one session Mike would be remembering for a good long time.

He brought the cane down without a word, about half as hard as the strokes he'd done before. He needed to be able to work up to something more before he was done.