Nicholas' knees were beginning to ache and the muscles between his shoulders were cramping, the discomfort becoming foremost as one of the voices of his subconscious began to tell him that he was in a hopeless position so "<em>think about how to be more comfortable</em>" instead of "<em>how do I get the better of Gianna?</em>"  The voice played to his weaknesses, as you would expect.  The earliest inner voice would always tend to be the one that said<em>"give up, now...no-one will think any the worse of you</em>" and "<em>what's the point of feeling pain and discomfort when you don't have to?</em>" That voice piped in early and knew every one of Nicholas' weaknesses, naturally...it had the inside scoop!<br/><br/>Gianna had a practice swing. The hiss of the switch through the air cut through his thoughts and the muscles in his body tensed visibly, immediately sending a rush of adrenaline into his bloodstream. His knees sprang back as his legs straightened and tiny beads of sweat began to form on his upper lip and in the palms of his hands, his fingers closing into fists. He could hear the blood pounding past his eardrums as his heart rate increased...ker-thump...ker-thump...ker-thump.<br/><br/>He was as ready as he ever would be. The cringing inner voice now receded and in hiding, letting him brace for the coming blows all by himself.<em>Give me your best. Let's see what they feel like. I wonder how many...</em><br/><br/>And then another inner voice stepped up, one that told him to think of it just as if it were the teacher back at school and he was to be given 'six of the best'. He knew they hurt back then but it did give him a target to think of<em>...six...yes...I'll be alright. Just six and I'll be home free.</em><br/><br/>But then his weak self found a voice again..."<em>Ha..you're kidding yourself if you think she's going to stop at six...six hundred maybe!</em>" Nicholas quickly screwed up his eyelids tightly and opened them again to try to clear his thoughts...to banish his weak self.  He took a nervous deep breath as he sensed Gianna positioning herself...she was lightly tapping the crease in his arse with the end of the switch.<em>Ohhh...that's...confusingly erotic!</em>Senses in turmoil, he knew now where her first blows would land and he held his breath in trepidation.