‘Relax,’ he said, stepping behind me. ‘It will hurt either way.’ I closed my eyes hard shut, waiting for the first blow. A part of me was sure that in the end he wouldn’t dare hurt me, but another part of me became aware of the fact that all this might be an illusion. I heard the whip c***k in the air and a moment later I felt a lash on my buttocks. The pain didn’t hit me immediately. At first I heard the blow, then I felt it jolt me forwards. Straight after that I started to feel the pain, as though he had placed a hot metal rod on my flesh. The shock soon spread to my whole body. I screamed inside my cloth gag and I felt my eyes fill with tears. My behind was pulsating horribly, it burned. My knees began to tremble and I felt my weight begin to give way so that the metal rings on my