"So you made your four-times-a-week goal?"
She knew she should confess, but she also knew what would happen. Especially with two of her other items being in the gray area, he’d take the opportunity to give her the long-anticipated spanking. How could she get through an evening with her co-workers knowing what would happen on their return? "Yes," she spoke quickly. "Not every week of course, because sometimes the firm ordered in lunches for the clients, but - enough." At least if you considered maybe three times out of the year "enough".
He came over to her desk chair and began rubbing her shoulders. "You’re sure about that?"
"Positive," she got out, glad he couldn’t see her face.
"Then I guess we won’t have as much to do before midnight as I thought." Not only did he sound disappointed, but she felt a sense of loss. How crazy. If she wanted him to spank her, she should confess her lie. But she said nothing as he mentioned coming up with new resolutions, then disappeared into the closet.
Andrea never considered Edward Bannister’s parties to be the highlight of her social season, and tonight’s seemed especially difficult. After the usual small talk with the host and his wife, she found herself in the corner with one of the other senior associates. As they discussed litigation strategy on a case coming to trial in two weeks, she kept remembering how she’d deceived Rob. Would knowing she’d be getting her bottom smacked be any worse than the guilt gnawing at her conscience?
She didn’t notice his coming up behind her until he grasped her arm. "We need to talk for a moment," he murmured, his fingers digging deeper. "If you’ll excuse us -" he nodded at the other lawyer, then pulled her away from the drinking and nibbling. Before she thought to protest, he’d marched her into the room where they’d left their coats and sat her on the bed.
When she opened her mouth, he held up his hand. "I was talking with your friend from the tax department. The one who looks like she got poured into her dress."
"Penny." Where could this be leading?
"Right. Anyway, I could tell she’d lost weight since last time we were here, so I asked her if she’d joined you on your health food watch." Andrea closed her eyes, desperately wishing she had no idea where things were going.
"She laughed, and said, ‘You mean Ms. Double Cheese and Canadian Bacon? I’ve been trying to get her to come with me to the salad bar at the club, but I don’t stand much chance against pepperoni and mushroom." Standing in front of her, he reached down and tilted her chin so she had to look up. "Was she just mistaken? Do I need to ask your secretary where you go for lunch to see whose story is right?"
"I’m sorry. I don’t know - I guess I got scared to tell you the truth. This year so many things happened I didn’t have time to spend looking for vegetables and things."
He trained his eyes on her. "Andrea, if you’d been honest, I’d have understood. Maybe four times a week can’t be done for someone juggling your schedule. But covering it up that way - well, for the first time since we’ve been married, you’ve really disappointed me. "
"I know," she whispered. "I never should have done it. Does it mean anything I’ve been feeling terrible about it all night?"
"Not enough to come clean," he pointed out. "But don’t worry, I’ve got a remedy. Something that will make you feel if not terrible, then pretty uncomfortable. Except I can’t do it here, so we’re going home right now.."
Her mouth had gone completely dry. "What’s going to happen when we get there?"
"First I’m going to give you what I planned if you fell short on your resolutions. Then you’re going to find out what happens when you lie to me." Rob plucked her winter dress coat from the pile on the bed and held it out for her. As soon as she slipped her arms into the sleeves, he flipped it up and landed three slaps across the back of her skirt, making her gasp. "Please consider that a preview of coming attractions. Now be quick about your goodbyes so I can take you back to our own bedroom and give you a real spanking."
She hoped no one noticed her flushed cheeks as she made up something about it a headache so they wouldn’t fuss over her abrupt departure. Maybe it wasn’t a complete fabrication - her head might be fine, but unless she read her husband wrong, her other end would be hurting plenty before the end of the evening. Even with her dress and underwear protecting her, she’d definitely felt the "preview". If he’d used the words "bare bottom" to describe her situation if he’d punished her for the missed deposit check, she could hardly expect less for lying.
He asked her to remain quiet on the way home so she could think about what she’d done. Never had the drive through town seemed both so long and so short. Her legs began trembling as he parked the Taurus in front of the garage, getting worse as she stumbled up the walkway.
As soon as he’d locked the door behind him, he turned to her. "Go upstairs and take off your dress," he ordered. "You can keep your underwear on while you’re waiting for me. Of course when I get up there, those panties will be coming down."
Although she’d expected it, until he confirmed her fate in his no-nonsense voice, she’d believed he might be playing an elaborate joke. Work her up a little, even scare her, then when he knew she’d think more carefully about her actions, tell her of course he couldn’t deliberately cause pain or embarrassment to someone he’d promised to love and honor. But she knew the look in his eyes: Rob was absolutely serious about this. As she slowly climbed the stairs, she felt the same loss of control as when the partners called her in each year for her annual review. No matter how much she hated the process, she couldn’t escape it.
Back in the bedroom, she slipped out of her green cocktail dress and hung it in the closet. They’d turned down the heating system while they went out, so she shivered in the cool air as her nipples hardened against her blue silk bra. Below, the same silk cupped her cheeks, though the low cut already exposed them at the top. As she ran her fingers across the soft skin, she trembled from more than cold. In a few minutes she’d have to submit this delicate area to the mercy of her husband.
She felt awkward standing around in Victoria’s Secret wear, but she doubted he’d want to pry her from underneath the bed clothes. When the moments stretched to minutes, she compromised by hiding out in the bathroom. As she sat on the edge of the tub hugging her knees, she listened for every sound. Were those his steps in the stairwell? Crossing the bedroom? Still her heart skipped a beat when he rapped on the door. "Andrea? Come out of there. It’s going to take a little time to take care of everything, so we need to start now."
With as much dignity as possible, she emerged, fighting the desire to grab a towel and wrap it around the target area. Rob sat on the edge of the bed tapping his knee. "Over here darling." Other than his suit coat and tie, he remained fully dressed. Despite having undressed before him many times, this was the first time he hadn’t stripped down with her. Her near nakedness made her feel completely vulnerable as she crept across the carpet towards him.
He reached out and took her hand as she came up to him, guiding her to his right side. Her knees grazed his pants leg as he began pulling her down. Again reality hit her - he expected her to put herself in this humiliating position so he could have easy access to her rear end. Suddenly cooperation seemed like a very bad idea, and she drew back.
"Young lady," he said sternly. "Even if this is your first time, you know what to do. Now put yourself across my lap or you’re going to get two spankings: one to make you listen, and the real one." He tightened his grip on her wrist. "Do I need to twist this behind your back while I bend you over the desk?"
Instead of answering, she stopped resisting, allowing him to lower her until her face pressed into the pillows at the head of the bed. His fingers grasped the edge of her panties. "Raise up." She bit her lips as she braced herself on her elbows and knees, putting her hips an inch in the air as he lowered her last protection. He pushed the garment all the way to her calves, then pressed her back down on top of him. As his left arm grasped her waist, the other roamed f
amiliarly across her buttocks and between her legs, pulling them apart. Then without warning, he smacked her right globe.
It took a moment for her mind to catch up with what was happening, as though her body couldn’t believe something had deliberately hurt its lower part. By the time she realized he’d begun, he’d brought his hand down again on the left side. As she’d feared, he hit hard, each blow stinging more as he continued the barrage.
At first she took it stoically to deprive him of the satisfaction of watching her cry out or squirm. Sure it hurt, but she could take it. But she hadn’t figured on the cumulative effect. After spanking most of her backside once, he began repeating, concentrating on particular spots. Each time she felt it a little more along with the heat building everywhere down there. Finally "ows" and "ouches" started coming out of her mouth while her legs betrayed her by coming off the bed in response to each wallop. Rob’s only response to her growing discomfort was to pin her more tightly and pick up the pace.
She kept her composure until he turned his attention to her thighs. Within moments she began struggling in earnest as he blistered the less padded area. He paused just long enough to clamp his right leg over her left, holding it in place as he renewed his grip across the small of her back. No matter how she moved, she couldn’t escape his searing palm. Although her rear wasn’t in much better shape, she preferred it when he returned there.
Only when she lay limply across his lap did he finish off with an intense volley right at the top of her thighs. She sniffed back tears as he restored her panties. "So we’re done?" she sighed as he helped her stand up. Finally her hands got to rub her throbbing derriere.
He glanced at the clock radio. Although it felt like she’d spent hours getting her bottom toasted, they still had over two hours until midnight. "For the moment. You still need your lesson in truthfulness. I’m going to give you part of it, then I want you to sit and think for a while about why you needed to be punished."
"Sit?"
"Exactly. Some people would make you stand in the corner, but I don’t think there’s anything more effective than a well-warmed seat perched on a very hard seat to focus one’s thoughts." How could she have ever loved that grin? "Besides, we have one more thing to do before I get out the paddle."
The paddle? "I never thought you’d use anything but your hand," she stammered.
"You’d have been right if we were dealing only with your falling short on the resolutions, but for the rest, you’re going to get my mother’s two-step, surefire treatment for lying. But what are we going to use for a chair?" He looked around the room. "Everything in here is too soft, and we don’t have anything much better downstairs."
Good - maybe he wouldn’t think of anything and she could curl up with an ice bag and pretend she’d never heard of the "two-step, surefire" cure or any word beginning with the letter "p". Unfortunately his gaze zeroed in on her wooden desk. "If we clear off a corner, that will do fine. Why don’t you move those books and papers?"
"Yeah, right," she grumbled, earning herself a swift smack driving her in the right direction. Soon she’d shifted enough things around to create an adequate area.
"Hop up, darling," he told her. "But first pull your pants down again. I want your skin directly against the wood."
How much more embarrassment could she stand? Andrea felt like a little girl in a doctor’s office as she followed his instructions. Although the desk wasn’t terribly high, her legs still dangled several inches from the floor, her panties clinging to her right foot. But that was nothing compared to her buttocks screaming in protest as her full weight pressed them down on the hard surface.
He patted her knee. "I’m going to get the soap."
Soap? "Rob, what are you going to -"
"The same as my mother did to me," he announced as he disappeared into the bathroom, emerging with her shampoo bottle. "We’re going to wash that lie out of your mouth."
"I’m not going to let you -" Andrea clamped her lips together as he popped open the lid.
"I’m afraid you’re not going to have any choice." Before she could resist, he’d pinched her nostrils together, tipping her head back. He pressed the plastic top against her mouth and tilted the bottle up. A few drops dribbled out as she tried to hold her breath. "Andrea, don’t fight me. If you do, you’re going to have to swallow this, but if you behave, I’ll let you spit it out before your paddling."
She let her jaw loosen, feeling the top sliding in as the pink liquid oozed out. How could raspberry-scented shampoo taste so terrible? Bitterness covered her tongue as she tried to keep from gagging..
Finally he put the bottle down. "Nasty stuff, isn’t it? My mother used this green stuff she got on sale, and it’s certainly one of the reasons I stopped lying to her. I’m going to leave you alone for a few minutes, but here’s the rules. You’re not to get up for any reason, especially to rinse your mouth. If you do, you’re going back over my lap, and then getting dishwashing detergent, and we probably won’t finish everything by midnight. So be a good girl and sit still. Think about the spanking you just received and the paddling you’re about to get, and figure out how to do better in the future."
As soon as she left the room, Andrea felt tempted to jump down. If she tiptoed, he probably couldn’t hear her moving around. Yet he’d notice the water running if she tried to get rid of the shampoo. The idea of earning an extra pounding from that hard palm along with another round of soap kept her in place, if not sitting exactly still. No matter how much she squirmed, she couldn’t relieve the ache. Could he really be planning to make it worse?
Yet despite her physical distress, she couldn’t say she hated Rob for disciplining her. No, she didn’t like the burning in her mouth and derriere, but there had been something extremely intimate about lying across him, feeling his thighs underneath her as he took complete control. Of course she’d always respected him, but some of that feeling eroded every time he’d threatened her with punishment without carrying through. Now it returned full force, along with gratitude he cared enough for her to hold her accountable for her behavior.
Still she dreaded the final installment, her heart pounding when she heard him coming down the hall to the bedroom. Her eyes focused immediately on his right hand, which held something painted a fluorescent green. "Yes, I got it at the toy store," he informed her. "It’s a paddleball. But if I wrap the elastic around the handle -" he demonstrated - "I think it will do the job nicely."
Despite its cheery color, Andrea had no doubt the paddle would do more than nicely from his perspective. Yet she knew better than to protest as he put his arm around her shoulders and edged her off the desk. With as much dignity as she could manage, she stepped out of her panties. He led her into the bathroom and allowed her to rinse out her mouth, though even several glasses of water didn’t get rid of it, then steered her back to the bed.
This time he didn’t sit down, instead pulling the two pillows from in under the covers and stacking them in front of her. "I want you to lie across these so they elevate your rear. That way I can put a lot more swing into the swats. But before you do, I think we can take this off as well." His fingers undid the clasp on her bra, letting it also fall to the floor. Automatically she folded her arms across her breasts, trying to keep from feeling so totally exposed.
He slapped the paddle against his palm. "Andrea, I’m waiting." Forcing herself to move, she first knelt on the bed, then placed herself as instructed. Although her bare nipples pressed awkwardly against the material, her bottom angled up as her toes brushed the floor..
"Now let’s figure out how many of these you should get. Four lunches a week times fifty two equals what?"
She almost came off the bed. "What do you mean?"
Rob laid the paddle square across her cheeks, pushing her back into the pillows. "I think you can do the math, young lady. How many healthy lunches did you owe yourself this year?"
No wondered she hadn’t liked where this was going. "Two hundred and ei
ght," she muttered.
"Then that’s how many reminders you need." He lifted the paddle away and stepped back.
"Wait," she said frantically. Over two hundred whacks of a wooden paddle on her already fiery behind? "Rob, that’s way too much. Please, please don’t give me that many! I can’t possibly stand it!"
"Sorry, darling, but I can tell from the way you’re acting that you need every one." How could he keep his voice so low and reasonable, as though they were discussing where to eat dinner? "You’re still more upset about being held responsible for your resolutions than you are about letting yourself down, much less hurting me by telling tales." His left hand lightly massaged a sore area. "There’s a wonderful thing about this part of your anatomy. It can take a lot of correction and still recover quickly. Though I’m sure you’ll prefer standing up when we drink our champagne."
Maybe he was right about her needing something severe to punish her for lying. She scrunched up her eyes and fists. "Then just get it over with."
"Will do." Yet even after his fingers stopped rubbing, she still wasn’t prepared when the paddle took its first bite. "One," he announced cheerfully. "Now two, three, four —". She bit lips and tried to stifle her yelps as he continued rattling off numbers, each bringing new agony. Did he intend to go all the way without stopping? Suddenly the hand spanking she’d gotten seemed gentle..
By the time he passed fifty, she could no longer hold back the tears. She kicked and bucked as he continued to one hundred, methodically paddling one side than the other. From her waist to her knees, she couldn’t imagine she had a single inch of skin which hadn’t felt the wood.
"Rob, I’m so sorry," she sobbed, crying harder than she imagined she could. "I’ll never, ever deceive you again."
He gave her the 108th smack, then paused. "We have another hundred to go. Are you telling me you don’t deserve them?"
Did she? She certainly didn’t want them, but she had to admit she’d earned them. After all if she’d made any kind of serious attempt to follow her eating plan, they’d be finished by now. Plus she’d jeopardized the trust between them by being untruthful. "No," she sighed. "I guess you’d better go ahead give them to me." Burying her face in her hands, she braced herself.
Monthly Maintenance: Selected Stories from Blushing Books Authors Page 2