Wrong Room Wrong Whip Right Brother

“I accidentally stumbled into a kink community chat, and they booted me out on Day Three. They figured out I was totally out of my depth—just a stressed-out fraud who’d shown up looking for some primal release and a target for her corporate rage. I went to my best friend, Jessie, to vent. Jessie stared at me, aghast. “You used a hot glue gun instead of a low-temp wax candle! Of course they found out!” I was defensive. “The guy I met that first night didn’t make a sound!” “Maybe he just had a high pain tolerance. Was he hot?” she asked, intrigued. I shook my head. “Couldn’t tell, it was dark…” Just as I was talking, Jessie’s older brother walked out of the bathroom, shirtless. Six feet tall, eight-pack abs, god-tier genetics. My eyes locked onto him. I mumbled, distracted, “His build is actually a lot like the guy I met.” The next second, Logan Knox turned around, and I saw the distinct red marks, still visible and raw, covering his sculpted back. Me: “?” Jessie: “?!”

1 Logan hadn’t seen me yet, and he casually strolled through the living room. Jessie and I were frozen on the couch, our eyes tracing his every movement. It wasn’t until Logan grabbed a T-shirt from the chair and pulled it over his head, shielding his back, that we snapped back to reality. “Logan…” Jessie mumbled, her voice strained. Logan paused, pulling the hem of his shirt up to wipe his neck, and turned to look at us. The six-pack vanished. I silently cursed Jessie for being too slow with her warning. Logan didn’t look embarrassed at all, though his slightly pink ears suggested otherwise. He picked up a jacket nearby. “We have company? Jessie, why didn’t you tell me?” Jessie spoke mechanically, “I notified you the minute you came out of the bathroom.” Logan ignored her, shrugging into his jacket. “I have an appointment. You two carry on.” His movements were quick. A moment later, he was gone, the front door clicking shut. I thought for a moment, then leaned in. “Did you see that?” Jessie looked shell-shocked. “I saw it.” After a few seconds of silence, she suddenly burst out laughing. “Pfft, stop! What are you thinking?! It couldn’t possibly be my brother! Logan is the most straight-laced guy you’ll ever meet, there’s no way he’d be involved in… that!” “Hahahahahaha, Harper, you’re hilarious. Linking him to the kink scene…” I didn’t argue. I just watched her. She laughed until she was doubled over. Finally, she collapsed into my lap, and the laughter turned into a choked-up sound. “Oh my god, seriously, think hard. Are you absolutely sure it was him?” 2 I couldn’t blame Jessie for her breakdown. The kink community can get intense, and for some, boundaries like gender don’t exist. Logan, however, was her brother. We’d been neighbors since childhood, Logan was two years older than us, and the quintessential “Golden Boy”—every parent’s blueprint for success. I always thought he was a little boring, so whenever I went to Jessie’s house, I’d just offer a casual greeting and move on. My opinion changed during my freshman year of high school. I was in ninth grade, he was a senior. My old desktop had died, and on a Friday after school, I snuck into a dingy gaming lounge near school to print out some research. I paid for my time and found the designated computer. I looked up, and I was staring straight into Logan Knox’s eyes. He was wearing headphones, looking at me curiously. After a moment, he spoke my name. “Harper?” I couldn’t believe the straight-A student, Logan Knox, was here. Jessie had told me he stayed at school for study hall every Friday. I realized I’d stumbled onto his secret, and my heart hammered in my chest. He simply returned to his screen, continuing his game as if I wasn’t there. Then, he slid an unopened can of soda over to me. “It’s on me.” I nervously took a sip, and heard him chuckle. Logan looked at me, a playful smile on his face. “You just bought my silence, Harper. You have to keep my secret, too.” The soda caught in my throat. I looked at him, startled. He was about to say something else when a commotion erupted outside the lounge. Someone yelled a warning: “The Principal is doing a sweep! Especially for seniors!” The teachers were fast, their footsteps getting closer, and the students inside had nowhere to hide. My anxiety spiked. I looked over at Logan, but the chair across from me was empty. I spun around. He was standing beside me. A teacher recognized him and walked over immediately. “Logan Knox? What are you doing here?” Logan looked perfectly innocent. “My sister—Harper—needed to look up some research, and I was worried about her being alone, so I came to keep her company.” Two pairs of adult eyes swiveled to me. I blinked, greeting the teacher politely. Then I turned to Logan and said, with all the conviction I could muster, “Just a little longer, Brother. I’m almost done.” The teacher glanced at my computer screen, which was indeed showing a research paper, and relaxed. Before leaving, he gave us a stern warning. “Get home soon. Be safe.” After the teacher left, Logan patted my head. “Quick thinking.” The clean, fresh scent of his soap hit me, and my heart was beating so fast I couldn’t form a sentence. Logan didn’t seem to notice. He bought me a pile of snacks, walked me home after I finished my work, and said, “Harper, this is our little secret.” Playing a video game on a Friday night was just his way of blowing off steam, and it never impacted his grades. I decided to keep quiet, pretending I’d never seen him there. That tiny incident showed me a glimpse of a different Logan Knox. So, at this moment, I was marginally calmer than Jessie. But she was still pressing me. “Think, think! Did he have a mole, a birthmark, any distinguishing feature?!” When I thought about that night, my face immediately went hot. “Uh… I was focused on the whipping…” 3 It wasn’t my fault. I genuinely stumbled into that world. That day, my scumbag boss had just made my life hell, and I was completely miserable. Then, I saw a random post in a group chat asking for a meet-up. The person’s avatar looked suspiciously like my boss’s profile picture. I was only looking for a stress release, and the person in the chat said I could hit them as hard as I wanted. I had a moment of pure madness and agreed. Sitting in the hotel room afterward, I was already regretting it. I was a boring, vegetarian girl with no experience in anything remotely like this. While the guy was showering, I grabbed my bag, intending to make a run for it. I hadn’t reached the door when he emerged. Maybe it’s a standard thing in the scene, but he was wearing a leather gag that covered most of his face. I didn’t see his expression, but I definitely saw his eight-pack abs. I nearly froze right there. The man tilted his head toward the door. My heart slammed against my ribs. Click. With a flash of pure panic, I hit the lights. I immediately regretted not wearing a mask. Look at him, so professional! The man paused, unfazed. He toweled off, then walked toward me. When he stopped in front of me, I could feel the lingering steam from his shower. “You like it dark?” His voice was a low rasp, his breath warm against my ear. I was so terrified I couldn’t speak. I was about to push him away and bolt when something was pressed into my hand. It was long, slick, and flexible. A whip. … Thinking back on what happened next, I feel terribly guilty. Once the whip was in my hand, I lost my mind. I was merciless. I saw my horrible boss standing there, and I did not hold back. Afterward, I noticed the bed frame was shaking. It might have been him, in pain. I was horrified and quickly asked, “Are you okay? I… I’m not experienced…” My fingers brushed his back, and his body tensed. The next second, my wrist was grabbed, and I heard him chuckle. “You have a hell of an arm.” The voice was slightly shaky. My mind went blank. “It doesn’t hurt?” “It feels amazing.” Ah. I had found a masochist. 4 And now, I was being told that this masochist might be my best friend’s brother… Hahahahaha. That was even weirder. Jessie was still urging me to remember. I tried to sound comforting. “It’s probably not Logan. He’s so buttoned-up, and his job is so official, he wouldn’t be into this stuff.” Jessie nodded. “You’re right.” “But how do you explain the red marks on his back?” I racked my brain. “Maybe… maybe he fell asleep studying and whipped himself to stay awake. You know, self-punishment?” Jessie just stared at me. Okay, even I knew that sounded ridiculous. I was about to change my story when she suddenly looked hopeful. “You know, that actually makes sense!” “My brother’s department does have a major qualification exam coming up…” “Phew! It can’t be Logan. Hahahaha, we were worried over nothing.” I offered a weak laugh and nodded along. … I left Jessie’s place and walked into the elevator, my legs nearly giving out. I grabbed the railing to steady myself, my mind replaying that night. The more I thought about it, the more I was eighty percent sure the man I met was Logan Knox. The voice, the body… it all matched! I stumbled out of the building, reaching for my phone to call a ride when a black SUV pulled up in front of me. The window lowered, revealing Logan’s perfect face. He looked surprised. “Harper? Leaving already?” I couldn’t meet his eyes, just offering a quick, disjointed nod. He smiled. “Heading home? I have a window of time, I can drop you off.” I immediately tried to refuse. “No, no, I’ll just call a cab.” “Cabs don’t stop easily here…” Just then, a car behind him honked impatiently. Logan checked his rearview mirror. “Hop in, you’ll cause a traffic jam.” The honking was grating. Rushed and flustered, I opened the passenger door and slid inside. Even after buckling my seatbelt, I still clung to a thread of hope. Logan wasn’t acting strangely at all. Maybe I had been wrong… “Excuse me, could you hand me a tissue?” I glanced around. “Where are they?” Logan replied, “In the canvas bag by your feet.” I didn’t think twice, reaching down to grab the bag. The bag wasn’t transparent and felt bulky. My hand rummaged inside for a few seconds before freezing. I had touched something long, slick, and flexible. My neck stiffened. I slowly looked down. Oh. It was a whip. Hahahahahahaha. I needed to get out of this car.”