The Auction

Punishment

Atlas's POV:

"Are you nervous?"

My head snaps up, knocked out of my thoughts by Ms. Astor.

"No, Ma'am. I know I am getting what I deserve," I assure her, going back to listening to the crack of the whip in the adjacent room.

Ms. Astor simply frowns, seeming rather uncomfortable with the ordeal. "Your master does not use a whip on you?" I gather, taking in her pacing. The sound agitates her, not exactly what it does to a submissive like myself who knows the sting and burn associated with the sound.

A loud crack fills the silence again and she sighs.

"Certainly not for punishment and especially not a whip like that... I should have put my foot down when she wanted that for her birthday. It's absurdly cruel to use that on anyone, especially, their partner!"

Usually outspoken submissives make me very uncomfortable, but Ms. Astor has a very mother hen personality that comes across as endearing. I doubt her concern is really for me at all, but it is nice to tell myself that.

"Mistress wanted a whip for her birthday?" I suppose I should have known she is a sadist, not many dominants aren't. The probability of a dominant being both a boy and a sadist is insanely high. I don't know what the stats are for a female dominant that is a sadist, but it doesn't really matter.

"Her sixteenth birthday. I should have said no, no way!"

"Mistress has been practicing a lot then..."

Another crack comes from the playroom and Ms. Astor fumes even more.

"Inhuman torturous—"

I can not withhold my chuckling anymore. "She's been practicing for at least an hour... She's doing that so she does not hurt me. She is nervous... a whip can be dangerous, but Mistress will be careful. It is no different than any other implement. Is it the sound which upsets you?"

She looks at me for a moment, huffing softly as she sits next to me on her bed. Believe me, I wouldn't be in her bed if I had a choice, but Mistress told me to stay and I don't dare get myself in deeper trouble.

"Yes... She could hurt you very badly, Atlas." I nod, more aware than she will ever know of how damaging a single strand whip can be.

"There is a secondary crack after the popper... can you hear it?" She remains silent and we both listen for a moment for the next thunderous snap from the other room. She flinches at the loud sound, but listens intently for the less dramatic crack.

"The secondary snap is her actually striking. It means she is hitting after the popper which means most of the energy has been dispersed. It will irritate my skin, it will burn. I will not need stitches or anything after though."

"Have you been whipped a lot before?" She inquires softly, standing up to pace again.

"I had to take a lot of endurance classes at the academy..." She looks like she wants to ask, but she doesn't.

"If you get to it and you really can't handle it, she'll listen if you color out." I smile at her assurance. I like submissive mothers much better than mine. Ms. Astor seems to be just as stern and insistent as my mother, simply more nurturing and caring.

I wonder if Mr. Astor is more of the cold and removed authoritative figure like my mother was. He doesn't appear to be like that at all though. Perhaps I am just estranged in the family still and he is putting up a front?

It is hard to think of him being like that even in private though. He always seems to be surrounded by his wife or children, talking to them about their day or other irrelevant things my mother never wanted to hear about.