A Measure of Control Ch. 07

Triggers and Warnings

Coercion, manipulation, mild gaslighting, incest, M/s dynamics, forced cooperation, bruising and beatings, nanites, medical implants, mentions of rape.

Mild spoilers; Alex and Victoria consider themselves to be fundamentally good people, however they engage in flagrant manipulative and controlling behaviour. While Nora does eventually enjoy the situation, they should absolutely not be taken as role models and much of what they do in this story is abhorrently morally corrupt. This is not a story about good boundaries or consent, no matter how Alex or Victoria might try to frame it to themselves.

Authors note:

Chapter seven took over two days of editing, probably because I am really persnickety. The chapters are going to start coming slower now. I have seventeen written so far but from here out they in greater need of refinement. As always, if you spot any continuity errors or formatting / grammar mistakes please let me know!

## Chapter Seven

Alex visited the living room before he went to find Nora. There were several comfy seats surrounding a coffee table in front of the TV. The big three seater directly opposite the screen, a two seater off the the left, and their grandpa's old Chesterfield on the right. He slid the coffee table right up under the TV to make a space and pulled the rug forward until it was right up against the three seater. Hopefully it would help cushion the floor.

Upstairs Nora's bedroom door was shut. A sure fire sign she was in there.

Alex went down the hall and knocked. "You in there?"

There was a thump, presumably from her getting off the bed, then the door opened. It seemed she had been crying again.

"Are you ok?" he asked softly.

"I'm fine." She said angrily.

If she was still able to be testy then Alex reckoned she was fine enough for what he had planned, "Come downstairs with me."

"I said I was fine!" but she was walking after him none the less. 'Fucking obedience code.' she thought.

Alex said nothing more as they walked. When they got to the living room he sat on the sofa and said "Kneel there." Pointing at a spot on the floor in front of him. That he'd cleared space for her gave Nora a sense for foreboding.

"I'm not your fucking slave Alex." Nora said angrily as she assumed a kneeling position in front of him. She had her legs together, and her hands at her sides.

He kept this voice calm but authoritative, "No, you aren't. Victoria is, and I left her in your care. In a vulnerable state. Because I apparently considered you to be a better person than you are... Spread your legs as wide as you can."

She had a moment of panic. But her legs spread themselves. She made it practically to 180 degrees, it ached as she went into a stretch. He'd said as wide as you can.

"Alex! Please!" she sputtered.

Still calmly he said, "You left someone to suffer because you were angry with them. Victoria and I play by rules we both defined. You don't know them all. But I know you know better than to assume leaving someone tied to a post is either safe or right... Fold your hands up behind your back."

"I'm sorry. I won't do that again."

"I won't make the mistake of thinking you have basic human decency again either."

"That's not true! I care! I was just angry with her!"

"Yes, she told me what she did. She tried to mess with you again. She'll be getting another twenty for it later, and if you'd come to me and told me what she did, you wouldn't now be kneeling there."

"Please let me up. I'll be good."

"She was on the floor balancing a paddle on her bruises for 45 minutes. You can kneel there for 30."

"No! Please!"

"Shh." he said sharply, raising a finger. Her mouth snapped shut.

He picked his book back up, opened it to his bookmark, then looked over the top of it at her, "While you are there. Think about whether you like this. If the answer's no, perhaps you shouldn't have left her there."

Nora couldn't believe he was doing this. Her panic at being forced to the floor had subsided when she'd realised his clearly raging hardon wasn't going to end up inside her. Now she was just seething from the indignation of being forced into a slave pose.

She sat there continuing to seethe for five minutes twenty seven seconds before thinking once again about how strange it was to have a timer in her head. It had started the moment Alex had defined how long she was to remain like this. She quickly began to get bored, at which point she involuntarily turned to Alex's question about what it was actually like to be left trapped with nothing to do.

The obvious difference between her situation and Victoria's being that she wasn't in any pain. Her thighs had relaxed already, and she knew she'd be able to move enough to keep herself mostly comfortable. She also knew how long she was here for. Where as Victoria had been shaking, cold, and probably slightly in shock, with an indefinite stay shackled to the floor. In some ways Alex was actually being much nicer than she had been. He'd also done everything calmly, like he'd thought it all out, and weighed it properly. She'd just thrown her toys out of her pram and stormed off to sulk.

Alex adjusted his hardon with his elbow again, there was probably no way he was successfully hiding it from the woman on her knees with nothing to do but watch him or think. None the less he was trying to sit such that it was tucked in and behind his arm as he read. Thus he found himself curled up with his back against the armrest using both knees as a book rest. She was so hot knelt there. She'd looked really angry to start with, but now she just looked like she was deep in thought. Which had been the ultimate goal. Just a shame for him she was once again in skin tight leggings, speckled grey today, and a tight blue tank top. She was barefoot and she'd tied her long blonde hair back into a ponytail with a pink scrunchie. She wasn't the most colour coordinated woman he'd ever met, but she didn't need to be... She looked good in anything.

What this all said about him, given she was his cousin, he wasn't sure. He should probably be more bothered than he was. That he was sure about. Victoria seemed to have no issues with wanting to sleep with her. He was also not sure how that had all changed so fast. Four days ago they'd been practising ignoring her, and she them. Then she'd used an unmarked hypo like some kind of idiot, and here they were.

'How long can that erection last?' Nora thought to herself after she'd been knelt there for just over ten minutes. 'Is that really just because I'm knelt here? This kind of thing really does it for them huh?...' She'd not touched herself properly in days. The initial shock of being forced into this had worn off far more rapidly than she felt it should have. It had been briefly replaced with anger at being held basically prisoner. No, not basically. She was a prisoner here. It was just the kindest of prisons. But even that anger had proved unmaintainable. Even when she forcefully reminded herself of the need to be angry.

The immediate situation was having an unwanted effect it seemed. She was in skin tight clothing and he'd made her show off her body in this stupid pose. Her tits thrust out by the position of her arms. Her legs obscenely spread, and he was ignoring her! She knew it was making him hard, she could see it. Right there. This was humiliating on a whole new level. He hadn't even really glanced at her. She knew that was the point. This was all about showing her how unkindly she had treated Victoria.

She wondered what Victoria might do to her if she were allowed. She had no idea what kind of vindictive streak Alex's slave had. She'd been dating him for the last 4 years, or at least she'd been at every family gathering for that long. But they'd not spent more than 10 minutes at a time chatting except during whatever board games had come out that she'd been forced to join in on. Hah, she'd not really known the meaning of 'forced' until 3 days ago. An image of Victoria standing over her with paddle in hand came to mind. In Nora's minds eye Victoria said "Let's see how you like it bitch." and swung it down on her exposed thigh. Maybe, just maybe, being knelt here was making her wet.

She had been pushing thoughts like that out of her mind repeatedly and hoping for a distraction that seemingly was not coming when the real Victoria walked into the living room accompanied by the click of heels as she traversed the hardwood of the stairs and living space. She walked up behind the sofa to throw her arms over it's back and around her Master.

"Lingerie, as requested Mas... ter." she said in a sultry voice that petered out into confusion as she saw the still kneeling Nora. Who, for her part was wide eyed at the sight before her.

Victoria was wearing all black, which along with the black hair falling freely around her made her pale skin shine. She seemed to be three inches taller. Which would explain the clicking, and she apparently either had a lot of money to spend on her clothes, or she really knew how to shop. She was all soft curves, her breasts were fully cupped in a bra that looked made to measure. She was wearing lacy underwear that showed that she too had not a hair on her, owing to the fact that the front of her lips were clearly visible through the sheer fabric. She'd put a lace choker around her neck, and pulled a sleeved shawl of some silky sheer fabric around her shoulders that was open in the front bar a small tie pulling it in at the waist.

"I don't make requests, do I pet?"

"No Master. You give orders."

Nora thought the words had the quality of a long rehearsed exchange. She also thought Victoria was beautiful.

"Are you punishing her for leaving me Master?"

"No, she just needed some time to think about the way she handled her emotions."

Victoria raised an eyebrow, "Kneeling at your feet?"

"Feeling ignored."

"Ahh." She said, and nodded.

"Come around the sofa, give me a twirl, pose for me. Make sure she can see too." He said with a sideways nod at Nora.

Victoria came around the rest of the way and did a slow turn for her Master. The tanning of her buttocks was still visible, it had begun to darken into a bruise. She turned away and bent over at the hips, looking back for a moment, giving a little ass wiggle before she straightened again. Reached for the ceiling she stretched like a sultry cat, up on her toes even in the heels, kneels slightly bent, back arched.

"Enough Master?"

"Yes pet."

"Do you need anything else?"

"No thank you. You're free to go about your day."

"Thank you Master."

'They're always so formal with each other.' Nora thought. She found she greatly appreciated the show Victoria had put on. She couldn't tell how much Alex might have, he still seemed to have a tent in his pants from making her kneel. She was getting really impressed with how long that hardon was lasting... Was she really that attractive to him? It looked like it might a good sized cock too.

'Fuck!' she thought, 'He's your cousin... and your jailer. Stop it.'

Eventually the timer ran out and she was able to get up and leave. Alex watched her rise, or try to. Victoria was still working on her adjustments to try and stop limbs stiffening, not that Nora knew that. Nora was young and fit, so it only took her a few moments to sort herself out, and then she bolted.

---

Her legs hurt like hell by the time she unfolded herself from kneeling. The rug had taken a lot out of the hardness of the floor but she was still stiff and her knees hurt. Nonetheless she was damned if she was giving him any more chances to give her orders. She hit the stairs nearly at a run and was up them and in her room in moments. Door shut. It was then that she realised she still couldn't speak. Well fuck. Though, she guessed, it didn't actually matter unless one of them wanted to talk to her. Or specifically Victoria.

She flopped down on her bed and felt the heat between her legs. Tentatively, she slid her hand under her waistband and into her panties. Yep. She was wet. How could she be wet after how humiliating that had all been?

She grazed her clit thinking about it some more. Little frissons of pleasure rushing through her. Three days. Have I really been locked in this house with those two for just three days and this is the effect? Pulling her hand out, she looked at her fingers. It was actually a fair amount of wet too...

Hooking her thumbs under the waistband she slid her leggings and panties down past her knees and snuggled back into her pillows. Her knees flat on the bed either side of her. She ran her fingers over her smooth lips. She'd bought the hair creams practically on her 18th birthday and started applying them.

Nearly two years of applications later she'd declared herself satisfied. There wasn't a hair on her body other than her head. She loved the feeling. Right now though, she was enjoying something else much more.

Her fingers were circling her clit, and spreading a lot of lubrication around. It was glistening on her lips. She kept stroking, thinking about Victoria doing that slow turn. What would it have been like to have to kneel there and watch as they fucked on the sofa again.

The thought stoked her something fierce, heat radiating out from her clit as she massaged it faster. Being ignored on the floor like a doll while they made love to each other on the family sofa. She came pretty quickly. It had been a few days after all. Her back arching as she silently humped her own fingers. Her hips bucking as if on a cock that wasn't there.

When she'd recovered a few minutes later she found that there was a fair amount of her cum all over her hand and thighs. She would have to get to the bathroom to sort it out. She'd gone through all her tissues crying it would seem. That meant pulling her panties back up and squelching down the corridor. The idea of having to do so inexplicably making her slightly horny again.

---

Other than the bathroom run she didn't leave her room again until Alex called her for dinner. She'd missed lunch to hide out up here thinking about what the fuck was going on in her head and she was hungry. Typically skipping meals was a big no-no. Doesn't matter how what exercise you do, skipping meals is bad for you.

Alex had gotten better at not saying anything that might be an order, except when he did it deliberately. So the shout up just said it was ready, he didn't tell her to come down. This gave her time to brush her hair out, and generally straighten herself out.

She tied her hair back up as she walked down the corridor to the stairs, the end of her pony tail brushing her buttocks as she walked. Dinner smelt extra amazing this evening, no doubt because of the skipped meal. When she arrived there was chilli on the table. Victoria always cooked in duplicate it seemed. This was a reheat based on the lack of used cookware and the glass storage containers on the side.

By the time she arrived they were both already settled in. Victoria still in her scant underwear. Alex had also changed. He was now in loose black trousers and a fitted double cuff white shirt that was unbuttoned to the middle. He'd also brushed and styled his hair slightly. Overall she felt thoroughly under dressed even for tidying herself up.

She stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked at them both. She tried to say something but just sort of huffed some air out. A rude reminder she was locked in silence. Grumpily she flapped her arms in frustration.

"Opps, sorry Nora. You may speak." Alex said.

"Is there some occasion you've not told me about?" she asked.

Victoria replied, "Master likes to dress the part when I'm getting a caning."

"A caning?! What for?"

"My behaviour again..." Victoria said looking at the table top.

"Your... why?"

"The way I spoke to you. After my spanking."

Alex interjected, "She did exactly what I was punishing her for. Right after her punishment." He looked at Victoria pointedly, "So now she gets the cane."

"I'm sorry Master."

"The pair of you keep apologising to me instead of each other!" he said exasperated. Then after a pause, "Why don't you sit and eat?"

It didn't count as an order, but she came down off the bottom step and sat in what had become her usual chair. The table seated eight, the three of them had taken the seats on the end nearest the stairs. Alex on the end, Nora and Victoria either side of him. Nora had her back to the stairwell, Victoria had the front door behind her.

Victoria was having a hard day! Beaten, chained, and now beaten again? Given how much pain Alex was dishing out she was very thankful all she'd had to do was kneel for a bit... What was she thinking? He'd have to be a top tier asshole to beat her without her consent. She also wasn't sure when in the last three days the goal post had moved from 'asshole for imprisoning her' to 'asshole if he beat her'.

Dinner passed quietly, as it had done every night. Alex wasn't sure what to say to Nora that wasn't ordering her around. He could think of all sorts of delightful ways to do that... But nothing really conversational right now. He asked Victoria how her work was going, but there was little to say about that at the moment. Nora seemed to plough through her food. She also got an update on the special code just for her.

Afterwards, they retired to the living room to watch some TV while their food settled. Alex calling Victoria back as she'd been forced to start up the stairs to get him a cane. The last part of his order from earlier.

Nora joined them for the first time since they'd arrived ten days ago. While Victoria curled up against Alex on the main sofa Nora flopped herself over either arm of her grandfathers leather single seater.

Alex hoped this was a sign she wound stick around for the caning. He was 'planning' to take Victoria up and spreadeagle her on the bed. But he'd much rather do it over the dining table. That would depend on how Nora responded to the idea.

They watched an episode of the latest reality TV for an hour until Alex felt he was sufficiently digested.

"Ready pet?" he said quietly.

"Mhmm." came the response from Victoria.

He reached down and tilted her face towards him from where she was nestled at his side and gave her a hard stare. She got a pensive look on her face as she realised her mistake.

"Yes Master." He drew is hand back, palm open and watched as she braced, screwing her eyes shut. Then he slapped her, firmly, but not hard enough to redden her skin.

"Honestly pet. What has gotten into you?"

"Sorry Master." she said dejectedly.

Nora had turned from the TV and was now sat staring at them. When Alex looked over at her she once again had eyes like saucers.

"Nora..." Alex said speculatively. Like it was nothing at all, and important all at once.

"Where do you think I should punish my slave? Tied to the bed, or the dining table?"

"The dining table!?" She asked incredulously.

"I thought so too." He said like she wasn't really asking a question.

"I didn't mean that! I meant why?"

He shrugged.

'Clever,' Victoria thought, she knew the game here, 'somewhere Nora could watch without it being directly imposed on her.'

"It's higher, it's got more space around it. Definitely easier to tie her to than a divan." he said with his own wicked smile.

"Oh. Well, the table I guess?"

"You wouldn't mind?"

"Me? Er, no?"

He looked at Victoria. "Go and get the ropes, the harness gag, and the large rattan."

She got up to leave immediately and said "Come with me." waving to Nora has she walked away. It was the best she could do with a direct order. Nora for her part stared after her for a second. They both had the control code now, so they couldn't give each other orders. She got up and followed anyway.

Half way up the stairs Victoria started talking "You'll have to follow me to talk." She turned into her bedroom. "You're a little under dressed, or maybe over dressed... I assume you're staying to watch?"

Nora said nothing.

Victoria continued, "Well, you should go put something more appropriate on. Master likes to make an effort if there's going to be real suffering."

Victoria was rummaging through their toy bag, she pulled out a cloth sack. Then a big bundle of leather straps. Tossing them in a heap on the bed. She headed to the wardrobe and fished out a black tube with a screw top and strap. Inside were a number of long slender sticks, she selected one that looked to be wood with a hooked end. Then picked up the rest of the stuff off the bed and started walking out.

"Go on." Victoria said, "I'll make sure we wait for you!" and with that she walked back out.

Nora was stuck in place thinking. Or rather, not really thinking. Frozen in panic. In the middle of the wrong bedroom. What would she wear? Had she planned to stay? She knew they were doing this on purpose.

The pair of them did power exchange like most people breathed. How had she never seen it before? They were playing with her, she was sure of it. It also seemed to be working. No one was forcing her to go back down. She reached her bedroom without realising she'd walked down the corridor. Wait, am I here to hide or to change? She felt like half of this was her idea, she'd suggested the table right?

'Gah. Ok, go sit on the bed and chill for a moment.' she though to herself.

She sat down and took a few deep breaths. Neither of them had said she had to go back down, especially Alex. She didn't have anything like what Victoria clearly classed as 'appropriate' for this. It was Alex's rule for them that you had to dress up. Not her. She picked at her waistband while she thought. She could just curl up on the bed and wait for them to finish... except Victoria had said she'd wait for her to change. So she should probably go down and at least tell them she was staying up here.

'Why am I still just sat here?' she thought. It had been a few minutes. She took a deep breath. 'You're still here because you kinda actually want to go join them you idiot.' She thought angrily at herself. Ok, get up, put on a matching set, go downstairs. It doesn't have to be a fancy get up.

Over at her dresser she pulled open a drawer and started rooting around. She found a light pink set of panties and bra that were cute and were nearly a match with the scrunchie already in her hair.

She pulled off her tank top, then her bra, stripped out of her leggings and panties in one, and looked at herself in the gilded floor standing mirror from a bygone age. She stood on her toes, twisted left and right, she had dirty soles, she'd need to stop by the bathroom and clean them.

'Ok, pull on the pink set and go. Before you chicken.'

In the bathroom a minute later she wet and soaped a flannel, parked herself on the toilet lid and wiped down her feet. She put on some more deodorant - she had a feeling nervous sweats were going to be a thing - and headed downstairs.

She stopped on the third step and poked her head around the wall so as to not show anything until she'd surveyed the scene. They were cuddled on the sofa again. They didn't seem to spend any time they didn't have to, out of arms reach of each other.

Nothing else for it... she came the rest of the way down and quietly padded over to them in nothing but her underwear. Alex saw her first and just for a moment there was unmasked lust on his face.

Victoria turned her head slightly and smiled. "You came." Nora just nodded, a blush on her cheeks. "Come sit with us." she said, and patted the floor next to her.

Nora rounded the sofa and sat cross legged where Victoria had patted. Victoria almost rolled off the sofa to lean in near Nora's ear and said in a low voice, "Subs usually kneel." It sounded like she was smiling hard as she said it.

She rolled back into position. The smile still on her face. Nora blushed hard at that. This had not been the plan. But she shifted herself to a kneeling position. Not the lewd one Victoria used, she kept her knees together and just popped her hands in her lap.

"I told you she'd come Master." Victoria said to Alex, who looked at Nora and asked, "You sure about this?"

'Damn it, they weren't supposed to give me a choice. Now it's all my idea again.' she thought. She just nodded.

"Ok." Alex said with a nod. "Go and clear the table. Both of you..." They both started to get up. "Wait." he said, pausing them mid movement. "Sit, I'll tell you when to go." and they were able to settle back into their positions.

"You're both to kneel unless told otherwise. I want you both in Victoria's usual pose." He looked at Nora, "While Victoria is on the table, you can kneel next to it, or next to me."

Nora's face said she was about to object, but Alex got in first "You," he said looking her in the eyes, "will not complain about these rules... you can speak when spoken to, or to ask questions about what's happening."

She scowled at him then opened her mouth and asked a question she immediately regretted "Am I supposed to call you Master too?" She'd said it sarcastically but Alex looked at her like she'd just handed him a golden ticket.

"Sure." he said, "You can imitate Victoria's manners from now on."

She felt her throat bind up for a second at how stupid it had been to put that idea in his head. The organoid in her spine however immediately fired off a warning and prompted her to speak. It also told her what she was expected to say and her face exploded red with embarrassment as she said it, "Yes Master."

Victoria was smiling like the Cheshire Cat. To Nora's horror she realised he'd said from now on. Whether he'd meant it or not, that made it a permanent rule!

"You really did yourself a disservice with that question huh?" Alex said with a grin. He was really enjoying this.

"Yes Master." She said meekly staring hard at the floor. 'Fuck! What idiocy had me ask that?'

"Right, go clear the table." he said.

They both set to and in a few minutes the table was clear. Alex had not specified where they were to kneel so Victoria came and knelt in front of him as was her usual, which brought Nora to do the same.

Victoria, who was still allowed to speak freely said, "The table is ready Master."

"Good." He looked at Nora and pointed behind her at the coffee table, it was still right under the TV where he had moved it earlier. "See that pile of leather? Bring it here."

When she handed it over he took a moment to show it to her explaining that it was a gag, where all the buckles and straps went, and how it was tightened, before handing it back to her and saying "Fit it to Victoria."

She had no choice to but to say "Yes Master." and start trying to remember what he had said, and get it over Victoria's head.

This was so much more than she had bargained for. She could feel that she had begun to make her panties damp. This whole thing was humiliating. She had hoped to be left to watch. Now she was fucking strapping her cousins girlfriend into a massive gag.

She got a couple of the straps tangled a few times but got it over Victoria's head in short order. Victoria giving pointers along the way and trying to shift her head to help, which was harder said than done without having permission to move. Positioning it was actually quite tricky until the bulb was between Victoria's teeth. Then it was a case of tugging the rest into place and doing up the straps, with some more mumbled guidance from Victoria. It was surprising how much she could still make out of her speech even around the bulb and through the panel over her lips.

When it was done she settled back into kneeling. She thought she was likely to be spending a lot of tonight in this obscene pose.

"Not bad." he said, reaching out and feeling at it. "It needs to be tighter. But a good first effort."

When she didn't move he waved a finger for her to try again, "Go on." he said encouragingly.

She turned back and tightened a few of the buckles.

"Speak." he said to Victoria.

"Esh Aster" Victoria said.

"No, tighter still." he said to Nora. Who this time did it up a lot tighter.

"Good girl." he said to Nora, who glared at him while her blush returned.

"Speak" he said to Victoria again.

"Mmm mm'mer" came the reply.

"That's better," he said. "See, now the shaped panel is making a seal around her mouth. She can only really breath through her nose, so nothing useful comes out." He said it so matter of fact, like this was just a useful bit of trivia about how gags worked.

"Yes Master." she found herself saying in reply. God that was going to get old fast she thought. He better cancel that order when he finds out he's made it permanent. Her underwear seemed to beg to differ. She could feel the cold air on her nether lips, which suggested she had soaked them through at least partially. 'What the fuck is wrong with me all of a sudden?' she thought.

"Right, Victoria, up on the table. Nora, grab that bag and join me." he pointed again at the coffee table before heading for the dining table.

Victoria climbed delicately up onto the table via a chair and laid on her back. He'd told her earlier his wasn't adding any more to her butt. Nora joined him at the head of the table, where Victoria's head also was. He took the bag from her and with nothing else to do the organoid forced her to her knees. Once she was settled he started pulling rope out of the bag.

He pulled out four hanked lengths, which didn't seem to dent the content of the bag. One he kept, the other three he handed off to Nora before discarding the bag back into the living room with a toss. It hit the back of the sofa and landed on the floor in a heap.

He started to wrap the rope around Victoria's left wrist, which she had proffered up automatically, then decided to do some more teaching so stopped and told Nora to stand.

"Watch. You'll be repeating this on the rest of her limbs." he said. Before showing her in as much detail as he could how to tie a single limb safely so that the ropes couldn't tighten on their own and the load would be properly distributed when Victoria inevitably tugged on it.

To Nora this seemed a lot of consideration given he'd used metal handcuffs this morning and the bruises were starting to come up on Victoria's wrists from those. She was forced to watch, or at least give the appearance of watching, it seemed. The nanites didn't seem to have any control over her eyes, and definitely couldn't control her attention.

This was news she was pleased by. But none the less she paid attention in this instance, she was going to be expected to repeat his work and she didn't want to earn her own punishment.

'Where did that thought come from? I'm not one his play things to be punished.' she thought.

Once he was done, she was directed to try it herself on Victoria's right wrist. Alex spent some time correcting her work as she went. She got better with each limb but none of it was as neat at his one. She was pretty sure tomorrow she'd have forgotten the whole process, but she got it done.

She was sent to kneel at the head of the table again as Alex started pulling each rope under the top and tying them to the legs. Again he showed her how to do it, but this time he left her kneeling while he did the rest himself, going around the table a couple of times pulling things tight until Victoria was fairly tautly stretched out. Her soft curves gave her quite the silhouette on the table, her chest sticking out like mountains of pillow being supported magically by her seemingly expensive bra. Her thighs now presenting wide targets for more suffering.

Once done restraining his partner to the table Alex collected his cane. This was going to be a different experience. Victoria would not be counting with how well gagged she was, and this was going to hurt more.

'Perhaps Nora should count this time.' Alex thought. "Nora, since she's unable to, you're on counting duty." He said with a nod at his bound pet.

"Yes Master." came the reply from the head of the table.

Victoria was stretching, pointing and un-pointing her feet in her heels, and generally wriggling slightly to try and get more comfortable as Alex stepped up to the side. He ran his hand down her side over her hip and down her leg. His hand passed over the binding at her ankle and back up. He stopped at her calf, digging his fingers into the soft flesh. She tried to pull her leg away from the pain but was stopped short by the ropes, her whole body tensing, she lifted her head to look at him, shaking it and pleading with her eyes.

"You're in for a rough ride this evening pet." he said, letting go.

She relaxed, still looking at him and nodded before letting her head fall back to the table.

"Ten on each leg. Nora come here. Stand by me." he continued.

Nora got up from the end of the table and when she was stood next to him he said "I'm going to pose you. You'll hold this position whenever you're standing stationary."

"Yes Master." Came the reply as he took hold of one of her hands and guided it behind her, placing the cane across his bound partners thighs while he worked.

Victoria had told Nora that the organoid in her back made decisions about obedience based on it's own internal interpretation logic cross referenced with how she herself had interpreted the instruction. Nora was dismayed to find that she had apparently decided that this instruction was to be a permanent rule too.

'Am I really that into this stuff?' she thought to herself.

Alex positioned both her arms behind her with her wrists crossed. He made her roll her shoulders back and pushed her chest out. He spread her feet to just over a shoulder's width apart and made sure her toes were pointed forward, then positioned her head with her chin up. It was quite the formal stance. Almost military aside from the pushed out tits.

Victoria watched him posing her with interest, eyes glittering at the sight of her Master taking control of another woman.

He took up his cane again and swung it a few times at his side, the motion making a whomping noise as it cut through the air, before placing the tip lightly on Victoria's soft upper leg. As with the paddle this morning he lifted it and wrapped it against her gently a few times, getting his eye in. Then the pain began.

The sound was so different from the paddle, the impact different too. The paddle was loud on impact, but didn't really make much noise otherwise. The cane swished through the air before landing with a more muted whack. The effect on Victoria was equally different.

She didn't scream, not that much noise was likely to be heard if she did. She just tensed up pulling in at all corners at once, her back arched and her head rolled back into the table. The impact on her upper thigh had sent out a wave through her flesh, and Nora could see already that the skin wasn't going red, it was welting in a dark line, a mark she was sure would turn purple in the coming minutes.

"One Master." She almost got her own dose of pain in that moment. She had hesitated too long at the sight of Victoria's intense reaction. The organoid didn't give her long to say what she was required to. Threatening her in an increasingly urgent way until she spoke.

Alex didn't look at her. Giving his whole attention to Victoria, watching for the moment she was able to relax back down, and bringing the cane in for the next strike.

"Two Master." This time she was ready and spoke without hesitation.

After number four Victoria started shaking her head and looking at Alex with a plea for mercy in her eyes.

"You want this to stop pet?" he asked. Victoria nodded her head emphatically. He brought the cane down again. This time she did scream. It came out as a nasal whine. Alex had struck this one at an angle across the last four.

Looking at the marks Nora found herself bemused at the the horror of his precision. He was literally tallying his strikes on her leg. Her counting was entirely superfluous to events.

"Five Master."

Alex walked around the table and lined himself up for the other leg. The marks on the first side already creating raised bumps and ridges where swelling was setting in. Nora didn't know if she was into this level of suffering. She sure as hell wasn't used to seeing this kind of merciless punishment, but there was no leaving, she couldn't voice her disquiet if she wanted to right now.

Alex brought the cane down on Victoria's right thigh.

"Six Master." Nora said.

The tenth strike marked halfway and Alex took pity. He gave Nora leave to relax, and to speak. While he stroked Victoria's face and told her she was a good girl. He gave her a few minutes to calm down while Nora went and poured herself a drink. When she came back he said "Alcohol?" to which she nodded, and he immediately replied "No booze during play time. Get us both some ice water. Save the drink for ten minutes until we let Victoria up and then you can pour us all something hard."

Nora found herself disappointed; feeling shame at not having thought about what might happen if drunk people started swinging canes at each other. Alex was apparently a mind reader in moments like this because he said gently "Hey, you weren't to know. It's your first day. I assume?" She nodded, and went to fill some glasses with ice and water. Once Alex had downed his he rested the cooling glass against Victoria's welts while Nora resumed her place standing at attention.

He came back around the table and took up his caning stance again. It was actually quite interesting watching his hand move. It was a sort of flick of the wrist, almost like a magic wand, instead of an instrument of pain. His elbow barely moving, but somehow delivering enough force to create savage looking stripes on his slaves thighs.

Victoria watched him as he readied himself. She shook her head again and sucked in hard breaths. A quiet mewling coming from her nose. "You deserve this pet. Don't you?" he said.

Nora quietly responded as Victoria closed her eyes tight for a moment, "I'm not sure anyone deserves this." Victoria however nodded several times before dropping her head back to the table, eyes still closed, but no longer screwed up.

"I don't need any words from you but counting." Alex said looking at Nora.

"Yes Master... Sorry Master." She said. It would seem that 'follow Victoria's mannerisms' extended to apologising.

Victoria spent the next few minutes screaming into her gag. Alex seemed to have decided that there would be no more let up in this process. Nora counting out the blows in fairly quick succession.

Victoria was bodily shaking by the end of her left leg's tenth blow. Alex spent a moment reminding her of why she was there and making her agree with his points about how this was all avoidable if she'd just done as she was told.

He moved around the table and struck her right leg.

"Sixteen Master."

Victoria wasn't reacting to the individual blows now so much as she was just shaking and mewling and flinching as the next blow came. She seemed to have lost any sense of how many blows were left. Just deliriously accepting that pain was her existence until her Master decided otherwise.

"Seventeen Master."

"Eighteen Master." Alex was laying down the blows with the same precision was before, but was not providing a rest period any more, just pinning her leg in place with his other hand if it moved too much.

"Nineteen Master."

"Twenty Master."

As soon as he was done he reached forward to cup Victoria's face and told her it was over. The shift in Alex from executor of pain to loving partner sent Nora through a minor emotional tumble.

"Untie her." He said without looking up.

It took Nora a few minutes to get the job done, and when she was finished she resumed kneeling, since she now had no other things to be doing.

From the floor she had a poor vantage point to see what was happening on the table, but it seemed like Alex had his hand between Victoria's thighs while he kissed her face and he spoke soft reassuring words to her.

Alex spent several minutes making sure Victoria was ok and running his hands over her clit until she was soaked. She gripped his shoulder with one hand as he worked her up. When he was happy that she was not going to collapse he started to help her up.

"Help me help her down." he said to Nora as he moved to Victoria's side.

Between the three of them they got Victoria off the table and she walked herself over to the sofa. Victoria tried to plop herself down on the soft seat but found she was unable to do so, her organoid forcing her into her usual kneeling pose on the floor, quickly to be joined by Nora by her side.

"Oh I really love that chip." Alex said with a grin as he saw her knelt there.

He reached out and ran his finger over her new marks, pressing the tip of his index into one firmly. She whined into her gag and shifted, settling back into her position as soon as he stopped hurting her.

"Ok, you can join me on the sofa for cuddles." Victoria crawled up onto it and into his arms gratefully. That was probably the first time she'd genuinely wanted to do something the chip had stopped her doing. She felt Alex's hands as he began undoing the straps on her gag. Nora watching with interest as her work was undone.

Once the gag was off, and the copious drool Victoria had somehow been swallowing down while on the table had been cleaned up, she snuggled deeper into her Masters arms and seemed to fall promptly asleep. Alex sent Nora to get her drink, refill their waters, and grab him a bottle of ale from the fridge. She was allowed to break pose to drink, and she was finally given back proper permission to speak. Alex put on some TV for the two of them, but set the volume low so they could talk.