Groomed

by Bethany Leigh

  "It's fine."

  After the call, Charlotte poured another drink and settled back down at the computer. If Connor was coming back on Monday, she needed to make the most of the time she had. If only she could join in, be part of this great community she'd discovered. She wished she could meet Panda and Gemma in person. They'd be great fun to hang out with. Perhaps if she met them in real life, their husbands could encourage Connor to explore his dominant side as well.

  If he had a dominant side. Charlotte couldn't imagine Hayden or Mark being manipulated by hysterical ex-wives. If any woman who tried messing them around had hysterics, it would be because she was over their knee getting a good spanking.

  Charlotte sighed and opened a new forum thread. Why hadn't she discovered domestic discipline was a thing before she'd got involved with Connor? If she'd realised that there were men out there who could fulfil her spanking needs, she would never have married him. She'd have found a partner online the way a couple of the less frequent posters had.

  The thought of what might have been had she got the internet only a couple of years earlier brought tears to her eyes.

  Three

  Thread: My first spanking

  His Precious Gem: Have we ever discussed our first spankings? If we have it must have been a very long time ago. Mark spanked me on our second date. I was late for our first date, caught up in traffic. He said he would spank me if I was late for a date again. I was intrigued to see if he would carry out that threat, so I deliberately arrived late for our second date, which was a picnic in the national park. I was half worried he would shrug it off and half afraid he would carry through on his threat. I was also worried that spanking wouldn't be as good in reality as in my fantasies. After our picnic, we went for a walk, and when there was no one around he took me over his knee. He said he wanted me to treat him with respect, and that included being on time for dates. The spanking was even better than my fantasies, and he has been spanking me ever since.

  Panda: LOL, Gemma, it's hard to believe there was ever a time when you DIDN'T know Mark would carry out his threat. We weren't even dating the first time Hayden spanked me. We were housemates in Sydney, both in our first jobs—me as a primary school teacher, him as a solicitor. We also had a third housemate, Leanne, who was a nurse.

  As you all know, I was really struggling with bulimia in my early days with Hayden. One of the things I used to do to avoid eating was not keep food in the house. Sometimes, though, I'd be desperate to eat and would take some of my housemates' food if they were out—a bag of potato chips, or biscuits, for example. I still feel bad about this, but I always replaced it.

  Leanne used to buy these beautiful, grain-stuffed loaves from the nearby deli, and I'd often sneak a slice or two and smother them with butter. Anyway, one day I was home alone and in an 'eating' mood. Leanne had gone off to Queensland for two weeks' holiday, and I noticed she'd left one of those loaves in the freezer. And I ATE THE WHOLE LOAF!

  I felt terrible afterwards. Fat and undisciplined. I made myself sick and went out jogging to get rid of the calories. I decided I'd buy her replacement loaf towards the end of her holidays. I didn't want to risk losing control with bread again.

  Anyway, that evening I was having coffee in the kitchen when Hayden came in. He was making a sandwich and opened the freezer. He frowned. "My loaf's gone," he said.

  "It's in the fridge," I told him. I'd seen his usual brand of loaf earlier.

  "No, I bought another loaf. A really nice one from the deli." He started sifting around the contents of the freezer. "I'm sure it was in here."

  I didn't say anything, but my heart was thumping. What if he guessed I'd eaten it? I couldn't bear the shame of him knowing I'd eaten A WHOLE LOAF!

  He took the other bread from the freezer and I felt relieved that he'd forgotten about the loaf. But when he put the rubbish in the bin, he saw the loaf wrapper.

  I couldn't meet his eyes when he turned around. My cheeks burned with shame. "I'm sorry," I said.

  "Why didn't you tell me you'd taken the loaf?" he asked me.

  I burst into tears and admitted that I was so ashamed that I'd eaten the whole loaf.

  I was sure he'd despise me, but he couldn't have been more concerned. He led me through to the lounge room and hugged me next to him on the sofa. He said I was his friend and someone he cared about very much. That he wanted me to share my problems with him, and he'd try to help me, as friends do. I told him all about the bulimia, how I starved myself for days to try to lose weight, and how I'd suddenly lose control, eat way too much, and make myself sick afterwards. It felt so good to tell him, which was strange. I'd always thought I could never tell a guy.

  But Hayden, of course, isn't just any guy. I truly couldn't have found a better man if he'd come out of a lucky bag.

  He told me I was to talk to my GP, and he'd go with me if that helped. I was also to join an eating disorders support group. When I promised I would, he said he understood that I was ill, and I hadn't been able to help eating the loaf. But he hadn't appreciated being lied to. And for that, if I agreed, he was going to spank me. And he'd be as supportive as he could as I battled bulimia, but if I lied to him or tried to deceive him, he would always spank me.

  I'd always wanted a guy who cared enough to spank me, but it still made me a bit nervous when I agreed. And with good reason! I learned then and there, when he bent me over his lap, how hard Hayden could spank. For this first spanking, he spanked me over my knickers. The slaps were hard and I lost count of them after about thirty. I thought I was going to be pinned down over his knee forever, with that huge palm landing on my cheeks. When he'd finished, he cuddled me on his lap, and before we knew it we were in my bedroom having the best sex I'd ever, ever had. It's like submitting to punishment from the man who loves you brings out tenderness in the most amazing ways you'd never think possible.

  His Precious Gem: I do agree with you, Panda. I feel quite sorry for couples who don't practise DD. Not that I think spanking is for everyone, but I think couples who practise DD are closer. It's because you really have to trust a man to discipline you and be confident that he won't abuse that trust. And your man adores you because you've given him authority and responsibility you didn't have to give.

  Becca: Your stories are sooo funny, Gemma and Panda. I'm in Australia now and will be meeting my disciplinarian in a few days' time! And hopefully a short time after that I'll be receiving MY FIRST SPANKING! I can't wait!

  His Precious Gem: Good luck, Becca! I really hope it works out for you. I should warn you, though, that Aussie men really know how to spank.

  Panda: They sure do! (Says she, sitting on a cushion because her poor bottom is oh, so crimson and sore.)

  Becca: Oh, no, Panda, what did you do now?

  Thanks for the good wishes. I'm sooo excited. I've fantasised about being accountable and disciplined all my life and now, as long as we decide we're right for each other, it's going to happen.

  Thanks sooo much to Admin for letting me sign up even though I'm not an Aussie, and making all this possible on my backpacking trip. By the way, I just love Australia so far. It's an amazing country.

  Admin: My pleasure, Becca. Good to have you on Spanking Sheilas and here in Australia at last. Good luck with your disciplinarian. I hope it works out for you.

  Charlotte rubbed her sore eyes. It was well after midnight and she'd been reading on-screen for hours. She was desperate for a wee and tipsy too, from four glasses of wine. Turning the computer off and getting some sleep would be the sensible thing to do, but Charlotte stopped doing sensible the day she discovered Spanking Sheilas. It was like the forum magnetised her in some way; she couldn't bloody leave it alone. And this was the first time she'd come across a woman talking about seeing a disciplinarian. According to her posts, Becca had been in an 'LDR' (forum-speak for 'long distance relationship') with an Australian guy for a few months. Now, lucky girl, she was going to get the spanking she craved.

  Charlotte
wondered whether she should consider doing that. Find someone to be accountable to who would discipline her. An arrangement like that would satisfy her inner spanko and Connor would no longer frustrate her with his easy-going nature and constant appeasement.

  No, no, no! Charlotte flushed the toilet and washed her hands. She didn't really want to see a disciplinarian. She wanted Connor to spank her. She wanted domestic discipline. She wanted a life like Panda's, like Gemma's.

  But how the hell did she get that? The closest Connor ever came to spanking her bottom was miming a swat or giving her the occasional gentle pat.

  She had to change that—change him—or she'd go nuts. She was already going nuts, even contemplating finding somebody online to discipline her. Becca might have found someone that way, but she was single, a free agent.

  Back at the computer, her inner struggle continued.

  Delurk.

  Don't be stupid. Someone might find out!

  How could anyone find out? You'll have a pseudonym, who's going to work out it's you? Ask these women for help. Some of them will have been in your position.

  "Oh, come on," Charlotte told herself aloud. "What harm will it do? And it may even do some good."

  Up to now, Charlotte had always lurked on the forum as a 'guest'. But only members could post, so she needed a username. She didn't want to use her real first name or a variation on it like several posters did. She scanned the room for inspiration. The bottom shelf of the bookcase held a pile of board games that she and Connor used to play with Josh, when he was a couple of years younger and spent every second weekend with them. Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit, Cluedo.

  Cluedo. Miss Scarlet.

  Charlotte grinned as she typed in the username. 'Scarlet' sounded like 'Charlotte', and it was so perfect for a spanking forum name, she was surprised it wasn't already taken.

  Now she was in there properly. A forum member!

  Time to delurk.

  Charlotte opened the 'Introduce yourself!' thread first, because members were meant to post there first. Before tapping out her own bio, she re-read those of her favourite posters.

  Thread: Introduce yourself!

  Panda: Hi! I'm Panda, I'm 34, I've been married to Hayden for 10 years and we have two preschool-age children. I used to be a teacher but right now I'm a stay-at-home mum. Hayden and I are both from Melbourne, but right now we live in Singapore, where Hayden works in international maritime law and arbitration. We go back to Melbourne several times a year, and do as much travelling as we can. Hayden and I have been practising DD since before we started dating. We were friends first.

  His Precious Gem: My name's Gemma, I'm 43 and Mark and I have been married for 18 years. We live in Tasmania, where I'm a barrister and Mark is a high school principal. We have two children, aged 13 and 11. We've been in a DD relationship since before we married.

  Charlotte pondered for a moment. She didn't want to give away too much.

  Thread: Introduce yourself!

  Miss Scarlet: I'm Miss Scarlet and I'm in the library with a candlestick!

  On a more serious note, I'm 36 and I've been married to Captain Scarlet for two years. We live in Melbourne. We don't practise DD or any kind of spanking yet, but I hope that will change soon.

  Captain Scarlet—that was a great name for Connor, especially if she could encourage him to be head of the household. She started a new thread before she could lose her resolve.

  Thread: How do I get my husband to spank me?

  Miss Scarlet: I've been lurking on Spanking Sheilas for a couple of months now and I really enjoy reading all your posts. I've fantasised about being spanked ever since I can remember, but I've never told anybody about it till now! I thought I was the only woman in the world who wished her husband would take her over his knee when she was out of line. I'd never heard of domestic discipline until I started exploring spanking on the internet, and had no idea that such relationships existed.

  I'd really like to have a domestic discipline relationship with my husband, but he's not at all dominant and I don't know if he'd want to take on the head of the household role and spank me. I'm embarrassed to tell him in case he laughs at me or rejects me, but I feel like I'll go crazy if I don't get my needs met soon. Does anyone have any ideas on how I can get him to spank me? Has anyone else had this problem and managed to turn their husband into a spanker?

  There! She'd done it.

  Charlotte reread her post, half tempted to delete it, and half-wishing someone would respond straightaway with great advice that would change her marriage forever. It was so late, though, after one o'clock, and there were only a couple of other members still browsing the forum. Reluctantly, Charlotte gave in to the need to sleep, turning off the computer and collapsing into bed. When she woke next morning, the sun was trying to break through the curtains. She checked the bedside clock. Shit, half-past ten. Charlotte remembered her post, and threw the doona off, excited. Someone surely would have responded to her query by now! She slid her feet into her slippers and grabbed her dressing gown. But before she could head for the computer, the telephone in the kitchen started shrilling and she scurried down the passageway to answer it.

  Connor.

  "Hi," he said. "Just to let you know I'm coming back today. I'm on the two o'clock flight back to Melbourne. Can you pick me up at the airport at four-thirty?"

  "Sure. How's Josh?"

  "He's fine. Just got discharged. I'm at the hospital now. He's coming down to us for a week in a couple of weeks' time. During school holidays. Is that okay?"

  Charlotte's heart sank. She'd hoped she and Connor would have introduced domestic discipline by then, following advice from the forumites. Having a teenager around would mean no spanking. Unlike Gemma and Mark, she and Connor didn't have a sprawling house or helpful grandparents on tap to provide a few hours of privacy. As for Panda and Hayden, their small children went to bed early, and anyway, they lived in an enormous penthouse. There were other posters with kids who scheduled domestic discipline sessions around overnight stays at Granny's or school camps. "Won't he be bored just hanging around the house all day?" she asked. "Or are you taking some time off work?"

  "I'll take a couple of days, but he'll be catching up with his mates down there most of the time."

  Two days of annual leave Connor wouldn't be spending with her.

  "Well, as long as it's not your night-shift week." She didn't want to be lumbered with entertaining Josh each evening, while Connor was at work.

  "It isn't. I made sure of that. It's okay, then?"

  It wasn't. But, "It'll have to be, I guess," she said, and put the phone down.

  Four

  Thread: How do I get my husband to spank me?

  Anna35: Hi Miss Scarlet! Welcome to Spanking Sheilas!

  >>>I thought I was the only woman in the world who wished her husband would take her over his knee when she was out of line.>>>

  LOL, yes, I think we all did. I've only been on the internet for about a year, but can't imagine how I survived without it. Gone are the days when I used to hang around bookshops, getting a quick thrill from passages in My Secret Garden or The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty. It's so good to have found this forum and be able to talk to like-minded people.

  As to your question, well I was in the same position as you not so very long ago. The only way you can get your husband to spank you is to tell him you want him to do that. I know it doesn't sound romantic, but if he doesn't know that's what you want, he won't give it to you. Especially if he's vanilla, which it sounds like he is.

  His Precious Gem: Is there anything your husband *really* dislikes you doing? Something that always annoys him or he's asked you not to do? If so, I suggest doing that and, when he gets annoyed with you, telling him that the only thing that would definitely stop you from doing it would be a good spanking. Just a thought.

  PS Welcome to the forum.

  Panda: We have had threads on this topic before. It might be worth checking them out. I a
gree you should tell him what it is you want. In my experience, though, men are either spankers or they're not. If it's not instinctive to them, then they're not going to do it unless you really encourage it, and even then, from what some women say, it can be a struggle. I'm SO lucky. Hayden seemed to know instinctively what my needs were, in fact he understood my needs better than I did myself. Though sometimes I wish he didn't—like RIGHT NOW when I'm nursing a super-sore bum—be careful what you wish for!

  Big Hand Bruce: From a bloke's perspective, even if you *are* a spanko, it's hard to give your sheila that first spanking. Some sheilas like a masterful bloke, but what if the one you're seeing doesn't and is on the phone to the cops when you let them off your knee? Strewth! So yes, Miss Scarlet, you need to make it clear to him that you want him to spank you, either by telling him straight or dropping hints. My advice is not to make the hints too subtle. Blokes can be dim sometimes.

  Becca: Ah, Panda, I sense a story coming on! What did you do to get turned over Hayden's knee this time?

  Anyway, speaking of being careful what you wish for… I'M SEEING MY DISCIPLINARIAN ON WEDNESDAY! I CAN'T WAIT!

  He says this is just a preliminary meeting, to see if we're comfortable enough with each other for a disciplinary arrangement while I'm out here, but I don't mind telling you that I'm sooo wishing for a good, hard spanking over his knee… FINALLY!

  Charlotte was disappointed with the responses. Tell Connor she wanted DD? Well, if she felt comfortable doing that, she wouldn't be asking for ideas, for fuck's sake. Do something to annoy him? She did that all the time and he never reacted the way she wanted. He went quiet, buried himself in a computer game, fixed a leaking tap, went out for a drive, anything but take command in a conflict. Of course, Charlotte had never said that the only thing that would stop her annoying him was a good spanking, but the idea of telling him that…Charlotte squirmed inside.