"It's not a lot of pain. More like-- it's startling. It makes your skin warm and very sensitive to any other touching. A cool hand on hot skin feels pretty nice, right?" Simon's smile had returned. "Remember the part of the body he's hitting too. What's back there? Layers of fat and muscle, right? To give you a cushiony place to sit? If he were to slap your face on the bottoms of your feet with half the pressure, you'd feel a lot more pain. Some people find the rhythm of the slaps soothing. Some are aroused by it. It's personal, Petey. Everyone is different."

Someone Simon knew started to head over and the other man held up a hand.

"I'll find you in a little while, Emma," Simon said because he was with Peter now. And this was the after care to the scene they had been been mentally in. They needed this time together in solitude. "Why don't you touch some of the equipment? It will give you a better understanding."