Emily was crying, but pressing her body against me. I was in territory I’d read about but never been in before. I said, again, “I know you’re a good girl, you’re so good, my love. We’re going to get through this. You’ll be okay. We’ll be okay.” I hoped that tone of voice counted for more than the words, because I couldn’t think clearly. Then I took my hand away. “But stay in position, darling. We’re nearly done.”

We got through the ten strokes of the cane she’d been promised, with one more stop for emotional comfort. It seemed to be over quickly, though Emily’s time must’ve moved more slowly than mine. She stayed in position afterwards. She was vividly striped, and mouthed the syllables, “ol-cha, ol-cha” over and over, sometimes aloud and sometimes silent.

She honked back phlegm, and her bottom ducked and rose while she managed and absorbed the pain. I stood beside her.  “We’re done. For today. You were so brave, love.”

Emily snuffled for answer, and reached over to caress my leg. I ran the fingers of my left hand down the corrugations on her bottom. Ten stripes blossomed there, on golden curved girlskin, each stripe in a different stage of development. Emily would have something to admire in the mirror. Probably for about a week.

I stroked her cunt, to show that whatever changes we were forging, I was still here to serve her pleasure. After our fashion.

I hoped to find her wet, for my own reassurance. She, thank god, was. My fingers entered easily, slickly welcome, and Emily made a soft, pleasured sound.

These sounds continued, and raised slightly in pitch. That was encouraging.

So was the beauty and the sheer, shocking, sexual power of those ten stripes. Those stripes were sex. Those stripes were lust. I’d put those stripes there, ten flags of conquest. They claimed new territory, they were pink pennants of victory. She was mine, in some more literal and deeper sense than we’d had before.

I helped Emma straighten up after she’d come, and she put her arms around my neck and her head in my shoulder, and we rocked together, my arms round her waist. We walked crabwise to bed, where she lay on her front. I undressed and lay facing her, kissed, praised and comforted her while she shed tears and made small hurt-animal noises.

The fiercest heat of a caning, that makes the recipient cry and cry out, fades quite quickly. But Emma’s marks still radiated heat to the air and pain into her body, and she winced even at my gentlest touch. I thought we’d lie together like this until she slept. But after a while our occasional kisses became more focussed.

I rolled onto my back, pulling her on top. We fucked slowly, holding hands and caressing, looking into each other’s eyes.