“The door wasn’t locked, I thought… I thought…” Lyla's voice grew softer and weaker, like a child caught doing something wrong.
Carlo sighed, shaking his head with a hint of exasperation. “I’ve never had such a disobedient sub before.”
“I’m not a sub, I’m just…” Lyla instinctively started to argue, but the moment her eyes met Carlo’s, she fell silent again.
Carlo stepped closer, flipping the cane in his hand. He gently lifted Lyla’s chin with the metal handle, his gaze unwavering. “No worries, I’m happy to teach you.”
The faint scent of musk and woodsy amber drifted from him, strangely making Lyla feel an odd sense of calm.
"Take off your pants and bend over the arm of the sofa." It was the first command from the Dom tonight, but as expected, it was met with the evening’s first refusal.
“No.” Lyla pushed him away, her voice trembling. “We agreed this was just an experiment, I'm not gonna sleep with you.”
Carlo’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “Who said we’re going to have s/ex? I’m not interested in a sub for that. Don’t test my patience. If you continue to refuse, there’s no point in going further. You can leave at any time. Let’s not waste each other’s time.”
As he spoke, he opened the door, letting a sliver of hallway light spill into the room. His expression was one of controlled irritation.
Lyla realized her reaction might have been overblown. This was, after all, a game, and even if she was participating for academic purposes, she should still respect the rules. Blushing deeply, she slowly moved toward the sofa, placing her bag on the side table before awkwardly bending over the armrest.
She had worn jeans today, hoping it would lessen the sting of the s/panking. But now, she reluctantly pulled them down, along with her underwear, to her thighs. Her movements were slow, the fabric brushing against her skin, making her already exposed bottom tremble slightly, like a restrained peach ready to be touched.
Her embarrassment was overwhelming. She hadn't felt this kind of shame since she was six years old when her mother s/panked her for playing with lipstick. She hadn’t experienced this level of humiliation since then.
She heard Carlo’s footsteps approaching and instinctively buried her face in the sofa, like an ostrich hiding from danger. The way she stretched forward made her already exposed bottom stick up even more.
Carlo admired the sight, like one would admire a fine piece of art. He was usually ruthless, leaving marks on every sub’s body without hesitation. But this time, he found himself lingering. The leather cane brushed against her skin, its texture almost tender, making one forget it was a tool meant for punishment.
Lyla’s body tensed. She had never felt anything like this before—like a faint electric current tingling across her skin, a sensation both gentle and threatening. Even before the cane struck, she could feel the sharp sting it promised.
“What’s the safeword?” Carlo’s voice cut through the tension, his tone leaving no room for debate.
“I know, Hudson already told me,” Lyla mumbled, unable to bring herself to say it. The safeword, chosen by Shadow Master, embarrassed her.
Smack!
The cane struck her.
Lyla’s upper body shot up, barely stifling a scream. The sudden pain wiped everything from her mind. Her hands instinctively reached back, trying to rub away the sting.
Carlo hadn’t hit her hard—there wasn’t even a mark left. It was meant as a warning, but he hadn’t expected her to be so sensitive. The sight of her reaction made him both frustrated and amused. He grabbed her wrists and pinned them to her waist.
His hands were large, and Lyla’s delicate wrists were no match for his grip. Once restrained, she could barely move. As the pain subsided, shame washed over her. The fact that she had just rubbed her bottom in front of him was humiliating beyond words. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes—not from the pain, but from the realization that her “good girl” image had been shattered in a single stroke.
“Answer my question,” Carlo demanded coldly. “Don’t play games with me, or you’ll regret it.”
“It’s… it’s ‘science’,” Lyla replied, her voice trembling.
“Good,” Carlo said, a hint of satisfaction in his voice as he patted her bottom with his hand. This time, it wasn’t the cane, but his palm, firm and rough from years of holding guns, lightly grazing her skin. The sensation was foreign, a mix of tingling warmth and lingering sting.
“Remember the safeword,” Carlo reminded her. “I want you to be punished, but not hurt. Understand?”
“Yes.”
“You should say, ‘Yes, Sir,’” Carlo corrected sharply, raising his arm before bringing the cane down once more.
“No!” The sharp pain and overwhelming shame made Lyla dizzy. She scrambled off the sofa, hastily pulling up her pants while babbling incoherently.
“This… this must be a mistake.”
“Let’s stop here for tonight, okay? It’s not your fault, it’s mine, I…”
“Thank you for contributing to the experiment. If needed, I can send you a $100 gift card…”
She had no idea what she was saying anymore and avoided looking at Carlo. She felt like she was losing her mind. In her frantic state, she grabbed her bag from the side table, only to have it fall, spilling its contents across the floor. She crouched to pick everything up, the pain in her backside making her gasp as she moved.
When she finally stood, she met Carlo’s gaze. He was leaning casually against the sofa, arms crossed, with a smug, amused smile on his face, as though watching her clumsy escape was the night’s true entertainment.
Lyla’s face burned with embarrassment. Without another word, she hurried toward the door.
“See you... no, forget it. Let’s never see each other again, and pretend tonight never happened.”
She opened the door and rushed out, disappearing down the hallway.
Carlo remained still, watching her retreat with a slow smile spreading across his face. She was the first prey to escape him, but strangely, he didn’t feel anger. Instead, he felt a rare, unexpected pleasure.
He picked up his phone and dialed.
“Hudson, I want every piece of information on that girl.”
“Yes, tonight.”
Lyla practically sprinted out of the hotel, her heart pounding in her chest. The curious glances people cast her way made her feel utterly ashamed, as if everyone could somehow see right through her, knowing exactly what had just taken place in that room.It wasn’t until she reached her dorm and slammed the door behind her with a resounding ''bang'' that she finally lifted her head and allowed herself to catch her breath. Her lungs ached from running, and her breaths came out in short, sharp gasps. She stood there for a moment, listening to the sound of her own ragged breathing echo in the silence. It was Friday night, and her roommates were out, leaving the dorm quiet.It took several minutes before her breathing steadied and the haze of panic lifted. Only then did she notice the sticky discomfort of sweat clinging to her back. Her shirt was soaked through.She headed for the bathroom, desperate for a shower. As she peeled off her clothes, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirro
Lyla quickly scanned her surroundings, ensuring there was no one nearby before she lowered her voice and angrily asked, "Are you following me?!"Taking advantage of her confusion, Carlo had already pulled out the chair across from her and sat down with a lazy grin on his face. He looked slightly tired, as if he hadn't slept well, but the mocking smile never left his lips. "Following you? I don’t have time for that. I’m here to catch a thief."As he spoke, Carlo pulled out his phone, and on the screen was a map with a flashing red dot. The location it marked was precisely where Lyla was sitting—in the library."What do you mean?" Lyla snapped, her irritation growing. "This is a university, not some cheesy soap opera set. I told you I didn’t want to see you again!"Carlo's grin widened, clearly enjoying her frustration. He wasn’t in any rush and answered leisurely, "Someone took my car keys, and I followed the signal to find the suspect. Isn't that what catching a thief is?""Car keys?"
She knew all too well that the Shadow Master was simply trying to provoke her. It was all part of his psychological game—shaming her, making her angry, and then luring her into submission. But Lyla, a psychology major, prided herself on not falling into his trap so easily.“Please,” she said, her voice calm and collected, “You know I’m not into this game. This was just a scientific experiment. Instead of wasting your time on me, why don’t you find someone who can truly submit to you?”She added sharply, “And please, don’t come to my campus again to discuss this. Let's try to resolve this in a decent way, Okay?”“Why not?” Carlo took a few steps closer, his expression laced with mockery. “Do you feel humiliated? Why feel ashamed of something you enjoy?”“I told you—I don’t enjoy this game,” Lyla repeated, trying to sound firm.“How do you know you’re not into this game?” Carlo’s smile grew even wider. “Why can’t you admit that my s/panking helped you sleep well last night? You can’t ev
In the days that followed, Lyla felt an incredible sense of relief. On the academic front, having broken through her psychological barriers, she suddenly found herself brimming with inspiration. Her progress with the research group’s project advanced smoothly, and everything seemed to fall into place. On the personal side, she hadn’t seen or heard from the Shadow Master at all. It was as though he had taken her rejection to heart and finally left her alone.Strangely, Jessica had also been ignoring her. Other than briefly seeing her during department meetings, Jessica seemed to go out of her way to avoid Lyla, acting as if they had never been friends. Lyla couldn’t shake the thought that maybe Jessica had started dating the Shadow Master. Maybe, under his influence, Jessica had decided to distance herself from Lyla as some kind of punishment. Every time this thought crept into her mind, Lyla felt a confusing wave of emotion rise up inside her. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what i
“No, that’s not what happened,” Lyla instinctively defended herself. “I threw the coffee away before I left.”“Wait…” She suddenly realized something was off and looked at Jessica suspiciously. “How did you know my USB drive was ruined?”Jessica’s face showed no signs of unease; instead, her smile grew bolder and more arrogant. She didn’t answer Lyla, merely watching her with a gleeful expression, savoring her helplessness and despair.A chill spread down Lyla’s spine. “It was you?!” she asked in disbelief. “Why would you do this?”“Why?” Jessica echoed with a cold laugh. “I should be asking, why you?”“Why me? What do you mean, why me?” Lyla was utterly confused.“Why did Dr. Cole give such an important project to you?” Jessica growled, her expression twisting with jealousy. “I’ve been here longer! Why didn’t he pick me?”She paused, her voice lowering to a bitter snarl. “And the Shadow Master... why do you get to date him while he rejected me?!”Lyla was stunned. The once-friendly f
She pulled out her phone and opened the website she hadn’t visited in a while, typing a quick message to Shadow Master: Are you there? I need your help.The familiar profile picture was grayed out, and there was no “typing” indicator at the top of the chat window. The lab was eerily quiet, much like her phone, with only the sound of her own heartbeat echoing in her ears. Should she apologize first? Or get straight to the point about her problem? Maybe she should even ask what he did to Jessica to make her so vengeful?Countless thoughts raced through Lyla’s mind, each one dismissed as quickly as it came. She sat there for what felt like an eternity, staring at the screen. Just as she was about to give up and think about other solutions, her phone buzzed. A message from Shadow Master appeared in the chat: How dare you contact me?It was just like him—arrogant and overbearing. Yet despite the coldness of the message, Lyla felt an overwhelming sense of relief, as if she had found her lif
"My God," Lyla exclaimed with a burst of excitement.Even she didn’t quite understand what she was so happy about. It was as if Shadow Master hadn’t just spoken to her in that commanding tone, but rather, had called her gently. The sudden appearance of the silver-gray sports car felt like a beacon of light, illuminating hope for Lyla, who had been surrounded by darkness.She stuffed the USB into her bag and grabbed her laptop, racing downstairs as fast as she could.Carlo was already seated in the driver’s seat, and without a second thought, Lyla jumped into the passenger seat, as if lingering for even a second longer would cause the magical car to vanish, turning back into a pumpkin.“Where are we going?” she asked breathlessly.Her voice was drowned out by the roar of the engine, and Carlo didn’t answer. He slammed on the gas, speeding away.It was midnight, and the roads were nearly empty, giving the car the freedom to race at breakneck speed. Lyla had never ridden in a car that fa
Shadow Master was in a room at the end of the hallway. When Lyla entered, she saw him sitting at a workbench, three computer monitors in front of him, along with some tools. Her laptop and USB drive lay there, disassembled.Carlo turned around and said casually, "The water damage is too severe. It’s not going to be fixed anytime soon. Sorry, can’t help."Lyla nodded calmly, already mentally prepared for this outcome. "That’s okay, I appreciate your help anyway." She stood by the door, looking a little lost, unsure of what to do next.If it had been her own fault, she would have owned up to it, facing the consequences with optimism. But in this case, she felt nothing but frustration and injustice. Lyla always prided herself on being strong, but now, the emotions she had been holding back were surfacing, and tears began to well in her eyes.Carlo drummed his fingers on the desk, his expression growing more serious. “I don’t see this as a bad thing. The harsher the punishment, the deeper