“Canes? As in, implements of schoolroom torture?” “Not the way I use them.” He smiled at my strong reaction, seeming completely unrepentant for what he was planning to do. “I… Uh, I don’t…” The words died on my lips, but nothing more coherent rose in my consciousness to replace them. I’d never seen anyone being caned in real life, but in books, movies and on TV it was always dramatic and excruciatingly painful. You like pain. Admit it. Not that kind of pain, surely. Caning was a punishment for a reason. Marc joined me in sitting up, and took my hand. “Is your reaction based on experience, or pop culture?” I shook my head. “No experience, thank god. It’s just…” Words failing me, I mimed swishing a cane through the air, imitating the whistling-cracking sound the ones in movies always made. He watched me carefully. “Those sound effects are added or enhanced in post-production, you know. Sure, you can make those noises with a cane, but they’re mainly for psychological effect before you actually hit the target, who’s generally pretty warmed up by that point already.”
