Maybe I'm not understanding what you mean by "skills,"

Perhaps skills is the wrong word. I'm thinking of those people who lift up cars under extreme duress to save someone because it's needed, the adreneline gets going and shit just happens. You don't necessarily know how you did it, you just know that you did.

However, I think I have to agree with you when I think back over some of the dialogue and what you say. Brandt had never seen real fear, it scared him and he really didn't want to hurt Rebecca. I think he thought she could handle it because "FBI cookies" (but she's still cookie dough), but then it turned out she couldn't and he freaked.

Now that you mention it, SailAweigh, I am wondering what Brandt's motivation there was. Did he think she was there for that? I suppose he might have, even without prior negotiation (which is neither safe nor sane nor consensual, but makes sense if he was banned from the club). Was he really trying to scare her but didn't bargain for her response?

Finished now.

So, I'm thinking I'm not going to join the FBI, lest I end up carving myself to bits, turning sex criminal, or becoming a Professional Victim.

Good one!

Damn you, Tim.

My house is really dark.

I think Brandt just wanted to make Rebecca squirm, he was doing a good job of unnerving both her and Paul in the interview room. Plus, he was innocent, so it would just be a little head game. Put her in chains, watch her squirm, then let her go. Figuring that there's no way she'd run to her boss and say she let the nice murder suspect get her in chains. There's no way he could have known she'd have such an intense reaction.

and Paul should have, at least, gotten that.

Nah. He was in such foreign territory here, he wasn't getting anything.

I loved the dynamic of Rebecca's understanding of the S&M scene. To the point where I've written and deleted three paragraphs trying to explain it, but I can't. It was just...good.

This may actually be the first time I've ever found any fictional story abut S&M interesting. Normally, bondage stories either bore or annoy me. (Which comes from knowing too many people in the scene who won't shut up about it. Other people's kinky sex is boring.)

Also, I live in the woods.

Note to self: watch Tivo'd Inside eps during the daylight.

Did I mention my house is really dark?

I think he assumed she had experience as a submissive, and thought he was baiting her into admitting it. He was playfully testing her.

Other people's kinky sex is boring.

"Really, I'm glad you have weird sex. That's great. But I don't care."

My problem tends to be that it's played so blatantly to titillate (not this time, I'm saying usually) and wavers between glamorizing and moralizing, so the people involved are all gorgeous and wearing fantastic clothing and in opulent surroundings -- and they're also pretentious and/or violent. Okay, Brandt was a bit pretentious. But other than that, well avoided!

I'm off to dance now. Have fun.

He was playfully testing her.

And I think, up until the handcuffs, Rebecca was enjoying it. She sure didn't back off when it became obvious he was going to kiss her. I don't know how much of that was supposed to be "FBI testing the suspect" and how much was just "female curiousity."