Nas kisses me one last time before walking away, leaving me restrained while he places the flogger back into the cabinet and closes it. He steps back over to the bench and switches off the vibrator, cleaning it off with sanitizer and putting it back in its place before finally releasing the knots on the ropes and setting my arms and legs free. Even though I’m able to move now, I just don't have the energy to, so I lay there with my eyes closed and my breathing still labored while he wipes my cum-covered face with a towel. Once I’m cleaned up, he helps me get up from the bench and carries me to the bed. With my body weak and incredibly sore, we lay down together. Nas covers us with the warm comforter and pulls me into his thick arms.

* * *

Time passes slower than usual when you're in pain. Once we’re finished, the adrenaline begins to wear off, leaving me vulnerable to every ache and pain I endured while on the spanking bench. My skin and jaw remember what I just did, and they are worn out and sore as fuck. So, it seems, is my mind.

“Are you okay? How do you feel?” Nas asks as I lay my head on his chest and close my eyes.

“Tired,” I reply. “More tired than I’ve ever been … and emotional. I don't know why, but I feel an overwhelming sense of somberness. Like, I’m about to cry. That was so incredible I could barely stand it, but now that it’s over, I feel … it's like a new form of exhaustion, and it’s all-consuming. I … I don't know what’s wrong.”

“I see. What you're experiencing is called sub drop,” Nas says, caressing my arm with the tips of his fingers. “It happens when your senses heighten during an intense scene. The adrenaline and endorphins you have during the scene can sometimes leave your body suddenly when it’s over, and it pulls you into a low state. It’s like the crash after a sugar rush, but much more intense. Sometimes it lasts only hours. Sometimes days. All that matters, though, is that I’m here to help you through it. You did such an amazing job, Alina. I’m so proud of you, and there’s no way I'd let you suffer alone. I got you.”

The sudden urge to cry becomes overwhelming, and I lose. Tears begin to fall as feelings of sadness and shame hit me in the chest out of nowhere. I don't even know where the hell it all came from, and I can't think straight. I sob uncontrollably, soaking the pillows

“What … what the hell is wrong with me?” I ask through ragged breaths.