The first strike landed with a sharp crack that seemed to echo through the elegantly appointed room, the sound cutting through the thick silence like lightning splitting a storm cloud. Samantha's entire body jolted forward against the leather bench, her breath catching in her throat as sensation bloomed across her skin—not quite pain, not quite pleasure, but something infinitely more complex that sent electric currents racing through her nervous system.
"One," she gasped, her voice barely recognizable even to herself. "Thank you, Master."
Marcus's hand lingered for a moment where it had made contact, his palm radiating heat against her warming skin. She could feel the deliberate weight of his touch, the way he was savoring the connection between them, and it made her entire body tremble with anticipation for what would come next.
