His eyes tracked across their marked backs - a change of scene considering that he'd mostly been watching the altogether more appealing sight of Zoey herself - and finally he nodded, despite being borderline disappointed with the showing. "Fine." His hands abandoned their posts on her chest and instead crossed behind him smartly. The boys had got off lightly, but so long as they realised that they'd be in still more trouble next time then he ought to be in a good position. "Excuse yourselves and don't even consider ordering *my* slave around again. Indeed the next time I have her fuck everyone in this place -" if ever he felt charitable enough, which was increasingly doubtful "- consider yourselves officially excluded. Furthermore, next time you step out of line I won't let her administer the punishment." He fell quiet, which they took as a good sign that they should leave, and swiftly. With downturned heads to hide the odd combination of shame and indignant anger they trooped out, shutting the door behind the last of them.<br/><br/>Quentin finally turned to Zoey and his hands moved from behind his back to a more natural pose. His eyes fastened onto hers. "On your knees" came the instruction, even while he considered how to respond to her inadequacy. He would gladly punish her if she failed in some way she could feasibly have covered, however unrealistic her chances, but here she *had* tried. In the end his cruel mind decided to let her choose for herself.<br/><br/>"Hand me the whip." One hand reached impatiently toward it, but he waited for her to collect it despite how easy it might have been for him to grab it himself. He turned the thing over in his hands while in a musing, interested tone of voice he asked. "Do you think you deserve to be beaten, too? How many lashes should your weak attempt have earned you, would you say?" Admittedly he'd played this game before, but this time it had the fiendishly pleasing quirk that any beating she requested wasn't, truly, necessary.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>