The Education of Annalise

by Laetitia

  "Easy love. It was my intention to slip gently into your first day of training...but if you prefer..." He let the rest of the sentence hang in the deepening silence.

  Amanda couldn’t breathe. How could she have forgotten?

  "I take it that you now remember what I told you last night about your training. Since we’re both awake, we’d best get started." He brought the palm of his hand down in a solid swat on his wife’s back end

  "Yeeeouch!" Amanda jumped from the bed and glowered down at her husband.

  "Go change into a short chemise and then go get my breakfast. I’ll wait for you, but not too long." Darren folded his arms across his chest.

  "You can not be serious! If you think I’m going to willingly submit to your bullying...you...you have another think coming!"

  "Amanda..." There was a clear warning in his tone and he shifted as if he would get off the bed and come for her.

  Amanda backed up instinctively and held her hands out, palms facing her husband as if she could hold him back. It was a pitifully useless gesture and she knew it. "Alright! Alright! I’ll get you some breakfast, but then I think we need to have a talk."

  "Oh we’ll talk. Never fear." Darren tried to keep from smiling when he added,

  "Don’t forget the short chemise."

  "You are the most impossible man imaginable! I think it is too shabby of you..."

  Darren threw off his covers and swung his legs off the bed. "Amanda Marie Stone! Go change your clothes and get my breakfast right now! Am I making myself clear?"

  "Well honestly!" Amanda exclaimed in exasperation, but she went to her room nonetheless, slamming the connecting door for emphasis.

  "That’s one thing that’s going to stop," Darren muttered to himself as he watched his wife’s strategic retreat with much amusement.

  He rose from the bed and began to divest himself of his nightshirt and dress for the day. He chose a pair of comfortably well worn trousers topped with a soft white lawn shirt with roomy sleeves. He refrained from tucking in the shirt, preferring to have more freedom of movement. He slipped his stockinged feet into some light leather house slippers...since he didn’t intend leaving the house for three days. He’d managed some brief ablutions and was waiting for his wife seated in an overstuffed chair with his crossed ankles resting on an ottoman.

  Amanda entered from the hallway door trying to balance the large silver tray and trying not drop anything. The tray was heaped with a plate of scones and muffins, a pot of jam, a pot of tea, and cups and plates and silverware along with two nicely folded serviettes. She avoided looking in her husband’s direction, but she could feel him as he moved up behind her as she unloaded the contents of her tray on a small side table. She shivered and then flinched as she felt his hands come to rest on her shoulders. When he bent to whisper in her ear, his breath disturbed a curling tendril of hair and it tickled as it brushed the side of her cheek

  "Why did you disobey me?"

  Amanda shivered again. She tried to turn around and look at him. She very much wanted to place some space between them, but Darren’s hands remained firmly on her shoulders. "I...I didn’t really..."

  "I told you to dress in a short chemise. You’re dressed in a full length bed robe. To these eyes, that looks like disobedience." Darren was no longer whispering, but he wasn’t speaking loudly either.

  "I mean...I...I...have a short chemise on...it is just covered by the robe."

  Darren finally spun her around to face him. He leaned down so that his face was on the same level as hers, his piercing eyes daring her to toy with the truth some more.

  Amanda tipped back and tried to twist out of his grip, but it was no use. She resorted to bravado. "Let go of me this instant! I just wore the robe because I was cold!"

  "Well let’s just see if we can cure that," Darren said as he jerked the sash open, and stripped the robe from her shoulders.

  As soon as he had her arms free he grabbed her wrist and began dragging her behind him as he returned to his chair. He sat on the edge and flipped her across his lap before Amanda knew what was happening. Darren skimmed up the hem of the delicate lawn chemise and held it out of the way.

  By now, Amanda knew she was in trouble. "Darren! Please...oh please! I didn’t mean to disobey you...I just..."

  SMACK! Darren landed a full-arch swat on her still pink bottom.

  "Owwwch! I..."

  "You just thought you’d try to press it!" Darren snarled as he began to rain more blows on top of blows.

  SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

  "Oh Dar....Darren!! Please let me go! It hurts so much! Ouch!" She alternately screamed and whined, all to no avail. She kicked her feet in rhythm with the burning swats that were falling on her unprotected bottom.

  "When I tell you to do something SMACK! I intend for you to obey me!

  SMACK! SMACK! I do not SMACK! intend for you to interpret my commands for your own benefit. SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

  SMACK! Do you understand me? SMACK! SMACK!

  "Yes! Yes! Now let me up!" She tried to push free, but he clamped down harder.

  "No!" SMACK! "I don’t think you understand yet." SMACK! "Why are you being spanked like a naughty little girl?"

  "Oh can’t you just leave me alone?" Amanda began to cry.

  "No!" SMACK! "Answer my question!"

  "Because you think I disobeyed you," she wailed. "Are you satisfied?"

  "No my dear Mandy...." SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! "I’m not satisfied. I want you to honestly admit that you thought I would let you get away with your adaptation of my orders." SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! "I want you to say you’re sorry you disobeyed me and you will try not to do it again." SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

  "Owwwch! Alright! I’ll say whatever you want me to!"

  SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

  "Please! Please stop! I thought I could get away with it! I was disobedient and I’ll try not to ever disobey you again...only please, please stop!"

  Darren finally stopped, but he didn’t let her up off his lap. He simply tightened his grip when she tried to wiggle free.

  "Stay where you are. I am finding that your attention is much more focused in this position than any other." He gently caressed her now red behind and waited until she stopped crying so loudly.

  "I want to get off," Amanda mumbled. She was mortified that he was forcing her to be on display this way.

  "I’m sure you do, but I want you to stay here like this and listen to me."

  "It’s humiliating!"

  "It’s meant to be. It’s just as humiliating when a wife chooses to disobey her husband. How do you think that makes me feel Mandy?"

  "At this precise moment in time...I don’t much care!"

  SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

  "My dear, we are not going to get very far if you persist in being obstinate."

  "Ouch! Stop hitting me? I’ve said everything you’ve asked."

  "So you have. Are you warm enough now?" Darren smiled broadly as his wife slumped dejectedly across his knee. He knew at that moment that she had accepted the inevitable.

  "Yes...I’m warm now," she answered softly without a trace of rancor.

  "Then up you go!" Darren lifted her off his lap and positioned her to stand in front of him.

  Amanda’s hands immediately began to rub her very warm back end. She sniffled a bit and let the fat tears course down her cheeks unchecked.

  "You know my darling, that little training session would have been much shorter if you hadn’t been so stubborn. You knew what you were doing when you put on that robe, didn’t you?"

  Amanda couldn’t seem to speak past the lump in her throat, but she nodded and looked down at the carpet.

  "Then why didn’t you just admit it and be done with it?"

  Amanda shrugged then lifted her watery eyes to look at him. "I don’t like to obey anybody," she sobbed out. "I’ve never had to before and I don’t do it well!"

  "But you’re going to try harde
r now aren’t you?"

  "UumHum"

  "Then come here," Darren pulled her onto his lap.

  He leaned far back in the comfortable old chair and helped Amanda curl up in a little ball. He kissed her wet cheek and told her that she had been brave and had taken her spanking well. Amanda burrowed deeper into his embrace. They stayed entwined like that for several minutes, then Darren broke the spell.

  "I’m hungry! Keeping you in line takes a great deal of energy!"

  "Oh you beast!" Amanda sat up straight and pummeled his chest.

  Darren easily caught her two fists. "Careful my love. You don’t want to go over my knee again so soon do you?" Amanda looked startled for a moment.

  "I was just joking...about spanking you again...not about being hungry." He pushed her off his lap in the direction of the table.

  Amanda snugged two side chairs up close to the table. Darren brought over a pillow from the bed and placed it on the hard bottomed chair; then as if his wife were a princess, he seated her. Tears welled in Amanda’s eyes and this unexpected courtesy, but she dashed them away before he sat down across from her.

  Darren was amazed at how hungry he was. He picked up a large scone dotted with currents and spread some purple jam on a broken chunk.

  "This is wonderful! Here, have a taste." He leaned across the table and fed her a small bite of jam-covered scone. He watched Amanda’s pointed tongue flick out to clear the small crumbs on her lips and he felt his groin tighten and his heart race.

  He felt positively energized. He knew he hadn’t even come close to correcting all the errors that had begun to shred their relationship, but he felt he had made good progress. He certainly felt closer to Mandy than he had for a very long time.

  Amanda was picking at a muffin on her plate. Darren could tell she was trying to work up the courage to talk to him about something. He was feeling expansive so he tried to help her.

  "You look like you want to say something dearling. Go ahead. I’m listening."

  "Did you mean it...about...about not spanking me again?"

  Her lovely face looked so hopeful, he couldn’t help but smile. "I meant I didn’t want to spank you again before breakfast..and I didn’t have to."

  "But Darren, I think that’s enough training for awhile, don’t you? I mean I’m really sorry I disobeyed and I’ll never do that again."

  "If your disobedience was the only problem, I would agree, but you know that it isn’t. It’s partly my fault too. I should have taken you in hand when we first got married and you began to behave badly. I put it down to immaturity and I hoped you’d grow out of it, but you never did."

  "Well you’re not perfect yourself you know," Amanda felt stung by the realization that he hadn’t liked her for quite a long time.

  "Indeed I’m not! That’s what I meant when I said this training was for me too."

  "What do you have to do? All you do is shout orders and spank me breathless!

  It isn’t the same and you know it!"

  "True, but if you think I enjoy spanking you, you’re wrong. I wish it weren’t necessary, but it obviously is."

  Amanda stood up so fast she almost toppled the table. She threw her serviette down with a vengeance. "You are being a brute and a bully! There are lots of men who wouldn’t mind being married to me...and without your hateful training!" Her voice rose to an angry shout. "Well you can just go to the Devil, Darren Stone! I’m not taking it any more!"

  She twirled around so fast, Darren was treated to the sight of her reddened bottom and felt a moment of regret, but he snapped out of it as soon as she slammed the door. He stood up and crossed to the connecting door between their two bedrooms. He tried to turn the knob even though he’d heard the distinctive click of the key locking the door. He’d give her a chance to make this easier on herself. He knocked softly.

  "Amanda!" he called through the door. "Open this door right now!"

  Silence.

  "Amanda! Don’t make this worse than it needs to be. You promised before breakfast you’d try to obey me...so I want you to keep your promise. Open this door!"

  The shattering sound of something being thrown at the door, startled him for a moment. He sighed heavily and reached into the pocket of his trousers to pulled out the spare key. In moments he was through the door crunching the remains of a pretty little vas under his slippers. He crossed to where Amanda had thrown herself on the bed. He grabbed her wrist and dragged her off the bed, over to her dressing table chair. Again he threw her across his knees.

  "This is becoming tedious, Amanda. One would think you’d try a little harder to moderate your behavior. That little temper tantrum has earned you another lesson." Looking around, he spied her heavy oak hairbrush resting on her dressing table. He picked it up, and rested the flat of the brush against her bottom.

  "I don’t know about you, but I’m getting a little sore," Darren said.

  Amanda just whimpered. She now knew there was no talking him out of whatever "lesson" he had planned. She just hoped she survived it. Has anyone ever died from being spanked too much, she wondered. I’ll probably be the first!. Then the first swat of the hairbrush hit and she no longer had any thoughts except how to escape the burning pain. She knew Darren was saying something, but she couldn’t make her mind focus. All she could do was howl.

  "Owwwww! Stop! For the love of God, stop!"

  "You will not continue to let your temper run away with you. Is that clear?"

  SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! "Learn to monitor your language...go to the devil...indeed!" SMACK! SMACK! That SMACK! "And don’t you ever try to lock me out of your rooms again!" SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

  SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

  Darren methodically swung and connected, deliberately covering every inch of her back end. Some areas were turning from a bright red to a purplish hue.

  He was pretty sure there would be bruises tomorrow.

  "You will break yourself of your unladylike tendency to slam doors. Is that understood?"

  "Yes! Yes! Yes!" Amanda was screaming and crying.

  SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

  SMACK!

  "You had better learn quickly that I expect you to honor your promises or you won’t sit without pain for a very long time!"

  Darren began to pepper the area just below the curve of her bottom and Amanda arched up in response to this new level of pain. SMACK! SMACK!

  SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

  "Stop...oh please stop...I’ll do whatever you want me to!"

  "That’s what you said earlier...and then you deliberately disobeyed me again!"

  SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

  "Yeeowwch! I promise! I promise!" she was sobbing now.

  Darren stopped. He placed her hairbrush back where he found it, then rested his hand on her burning bottom.

  "Amanda, why do you keep pushing? I did not have this in mind when I first told you mind about the training. You’ve now pushed your way into three severe spankings in a very short space of time." He could feel her stomach as she tried to gulp enough breath to support her crying.

  "Dearest, I truly didn’t think you’d be this blatantly willful." Darren shook his head sadly as he surveyed his wife’s battered behind.

  "Has...has..." she tried to talk despite the hiccoughs the crying had caused.

  "Has what honey?" Darren leaned down closer to her.

  "Has anyone ever died...from...being ...spanked...too...much?

  Darren laughed. He couldn’t help it. "No honey. You may wish you could, but you won’t die from a spanking. I know you won’t believe this right now, but I really try to be careful that I don’t cause any lasting damage."

  "You’re right! I don’t believe it! And don’t hit me again! I presume I’m still entitled to my personal opinions!"

  "Of course you are, Mandy. I would never try to take any of that part of you away. I love that you’re independent...and I don’t even mind if you’re a little sassy once in awhile. What I do mind a
nd what I will help you change though, are those behaviors that cause us to grow apart...your locking the door against me for instance. If I hadn’t had the key and the determination that our marriage was worth fighting for, that locked door could have become a permanent barrier. Do you understand?"

  There was silence for a very long time and then he heard Amanda’s whisper.

  "I’m sorry. I love you Darren."

  If he’d been waiting for a benediction, he’d just gotten one. He swung her off his lap and into his arms. "And I love you too, Amanda. You’re worth fighting for you know!" He kissed her soundly and then took her over to her bed. He set her down gently and covered her with a cashmere blanket that was draped over the back of a chair He leaned down and kissed her forehead.