by A. Anders
“Enter,” the cultured baritone voice commanded. She opened the door and stepped inside.
The cabin was nicely furnished, but much of the furniture had been pushed back to make room for folding tables that had been set up. On the tables were laptops and monitors. The computer screens showed the camp from many angles, as well as the different views from the event organizers’ wireless cameras. Mr. Cortez was seated with his back to the door, watching the screens showing the organizers’ cameras.
He glanced over his shoulder at her. “Miss McGovern,” he greeted her in a stern tone. “I expected better from you.”
She blinked and began to stammer, not even knowing what to say even if she could speak.
“Close the door,” the consultant said, standing up. Although his suit jacket was hanging on the back of the chair, and his tie was loose, he was still dressed as if for the office.
“Yes, sir,” Theresa managed, pushing it shut behind her.
“You didn’t even speak up,” Mr. Cortez chastised, removing his cufflinks and setting them down on the table. “You hung back and didn’t say a word. Why are you here if you’re not going to participate?”
“I…I just was too nervous,” she explained, knowing it was a pathetic excuse. She watched as he began methodically rolling up his shirt sleeves. “Nobody would have listened to me anyway.”
“Is that what you think?” He put his hands on his hips for a moment and shook his head. “You are mistaken, Miss McGovern. You must participate, you must speak up.” He turned the chair to face her and sat again. “Now it is time for your punishment.”
“I understand,” Theresa said. “What is it?”
He gestured. “Come here and kneel down.”
Startled, Theresa hesitated. “What?”
“Come over here and kneel down,” the consultant repeated firmly. “Lay across my lap. Now.”
She was shocked. Unorthodox techniques? Was he really going to spank her for not participating? No wonder he had said she couldn’t talk about it. She wasn’t going to let him spank her. This was crazy, but…she had agreed. And he had said it would work.
She didn’t even realize she had decided to comply until she found herself kneeling beside his chair, trying not to feel too awkward. Having no idea what to do with her hands, she tucked her arms along her sides and looked at the braided rope rug on the floor as she tried to slow her heart’s thunderous pace.
“You will participate,” Mr. Cortez instructed, and his hand struck her hard across the ass, forcing a gasp from her lips. “Understand?”
“Yes,” she said quickly, wondering if that was it and if she should get up. Her heart was pounding and her cheeks were hot and her ass was tingling.
He swatted her again, making her gasp once more. “Yes, what?”
“Y-yes sir, Mr. Cortez. I’ll participate.” Theresa closed her eyes and bit her lower lip. He put his other hand lightly on her back, letting her know she could not rise. Was this supposed to be humiliating? She wasn’t feeling humiliated. She was feeling…warm. Warm and tingly. The low throbbing aftermath of the spanks seemed to be sinking deeper inside her—a delicious invader that made her press her thighs tightly together.
“You will speak up,” he continued, spanking her a third time. Theresa just barely bit back the moan as her pussy throbbed in answer. “I know you have good ideas and I want you to share them, understand?”
“Yes sir.”
“Good,” he said, taking his hand from her back. “You’ve a few minutes before the next exercise. I expect to see a better performance, Miss McGovern.”
“You will, sir,” she promised, getting up slowly. Her nipples were hard and her cheeks were pink. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been so aroused.
“If not, you now know what will happen,” he warned, turning to retrieve his cufflinks. He started rolling his sleeves back down without looking back at her and she let herself out.
As Theresa walked under the pines, she wasn’t sure he understood the spanking hadn’t been much of a punishment to her. But she did feel encouraged and inspired. She wanted to please him, impress him, hear him say she had done well. Even if doing well meant not getting spanked again.
The next exercise was a scavenger hunt. The organizer handed out copies of the list to the team and the VP immediately took charge again, barking orders before anyone had a chance to even look at the items on the list.
Theresa, still tingling, cleared her throat. “Instead of giving everyone one thing to try to find,” she suggested, “why don’t we brainstorm first about where these things might be found, and then break up into smaller groups and go get them?”
The VP frowned, clearly ready to disagree, then realizing that the idea was a good one, he nodded. Everyone huddled up while the other teams scattered, and after a few minutes their team had come up with the most likely locations for the items on their list, and the best team-members to retrieve them. As the retrievers raced off, the VP put a friendly hand on Theresa’s shoulder and thanked her for her input.
In record time, their team came back with all the items, and the organizer watching their group was impressed as he checked off each item from the list. Theresa felt a surge of pride and something more, knowing Mr. Cortez was watching on his monitors, thinking about being across his knees and how it had felt to be spanked by him.
When it was announced that their team won the scavenger hunt, Theresa could have jumped for joy. But she simply smiled and nodded as the rest of the team offered their thanks for her help.
Surely Mr. Cortez would be proud of her. It was great to bask in the praise of her team, people who just that morning didn’t even want her around. And it felt good to know she really could speak up and contribute despite her nervousness. But more than any of that, the thought of Mr. Cortez smiling at her and telling her she’d done well.
Dinner was the exact opposite of lunch. The VP was cheerful and the rest of the team chattered happily. Theresa enjoyed the meal, but would have enjoyed it more if she could have seen Mr. Cortez anywhere. But it seemed he was still monitoring everything from his cabin. Finally she resigned herself to simply finishing her meal and heading off to bed. It had been a day of such ups and downs, and she was looking forward to getting some sleep.
But barely a minute after she closed the door, there was a knock on the door. One of the organizers told her Mr. Cortez wanted to talk to her again. “I know where the cabin is,” she said. The organizer nodded and Theresa hurried up the path through the pines.
The windows glowed in the dark, and she could barely contain her excitement as she drew closer. As she crossed the porch, the consultant opened the door.
“Miss McGovern,” he said, and again his voice was stern disapproval. “Come in.”
A bit confused, Theresa complied, starting slightly at the sharp way he closed the door behind her. The chair he had used at the folding tables had been moved toward the center of the room and his sleeves were already rolled up.
“Did you see the scavenger hunt, Mr. Cortez?” she asked, still feeling proud of her contribution and hoping for his praise. “I spoke up, just like you said. I helped us win. Everyone said so.”
He walked to the chair and sat down, resting his hands lightly on his knees. “I saw,” he confirmed. “What you do not seem to understand, Miss McGovern, is this company needs a leader, not a follower.”
Theresa deflated. “But—”
“You are here to show you are the best choice for the next CEO,” the consultant said firmly. “I have put my reputation on the line by making the exception to include you. And so far all you have done is prove you can continue on as you have always done.” He shook his head slightly as if his disappointment was too great for words then lifted a hand to gesture. “Come here for your punishment.”
“Mr. Cortez—” she objected, not because the thought of the spanking was distasteful, but the idea of having disappointed him was almost unbearable. “Sir, it was my i
dea to brainstorm, I wasn’t just following—”
“Miss McGovern, are you questioning my methods?” the consultant demanded, holding her gaze.
“No, sir,” she said meekly. She dropped her gaze and stepped over to his chair, kneeling beside it and laying across his lap. She again tucked her arms along her sides and looked at the braided rug. He put his hand on her back, and she wondered if he could feel how her heart was already pounding. Could he know her pussy was warm and tingling in anticipation?
“You are here to lead, not follow,” he said, spanking her hard. Theresa gasped, feeling the shock shoot through her like fire. Her nipples became rock hard and her pussy throbbed.
“Yes sir,” she said, closing her eyes.
“You will not question my methods.” The second spank was even harder, and she couldn’t keep the moan inside, or hold completely still despite his hand on her back.
As her arm moved, it pressed against a hard lump, and she nearly moaned again. Could he have an erection? Was it possible that someone like Mr. Cortez could be as aroused by this as she was?
Her pussy throbbed and her panties became damp. She squirmed, unable to control herself, as he swatted her a third time.
“You will show me I was not wrong,” he concluded.
“Yes sir,” she replied, almost a moan. She waited for the hand on her back to lift, allowing her to rise, but it remained. She barely dared breathe, wondering if he was going to spank her again, but he simply sat a moment longer.
“Don’t disappointment me again, Miss McGovern,” the consultant said, and his voice was low.
“I won’t, sir,” she said. Knowing his hard cock was almost pressing into her arm was driving her crazy. Her pussy throbbed again, and her panties went from damp to wet. “You’ll be proud of me, you’ll see.”
“I hope so,” he said, lifting his hand. “Goodnight.”
Theresa got up and walked quickly out, hoping he wouldn’t see the wet spot between her legs. As she hurried to her cabin, her mind was a whirl of confused thoughts. Did he use these “unorthodox techniques” because he found them arousing? Did he know how it turned her on? What about the men—what sort of methods did he use for them?
She changed into her pajamas and got into bed. Certainly he didn’t spank the men. Or maybe he did. Who knew.
She sighed and rolled over, deliberately turning her thoughts instead to how it had felt each time his hand had connected with her ass. Amazing. No better word for it. It was better than the last time she’d had sex, and he’d simply been spanking her because she’d needed punishment. It almost made her want to fail again, just to get spanked again.
But only almost because she wanted more than just the physical attention. She craved what she had not yet gotten, his approval. She wanted to hear him say she had done well, that he had been right after all, that she had what it took to be a CEO.
She squirmed and bit her lip, rolling onto her stomach. If she proved him right, would he be pleased enough to let her choose a reward? She giggled to herself into the pillow. Would he be shocked if she said what she wanted was another spanking?
Thinking of how his hard cock had felt against her arm, she suspected he might not be shocked after all. He might be more than happy to give her such a reward. She squirmed again, then rolled over once more. Realizing she was wondering what he was doing at that moment, she decided there was no time like the present to start showing she was a leader and willing to take charge. She got up, found her shoes, and slipped out of her cabin.
There were no lights on anywhere nearby and it was almost totally dark beneath the pines. Carefully, Theresa picked her way slowly along the little path to the consultant’s cabin. Despite the darkness, she managed to get all the way to the porch without tripping or falling. But as she touched the porch rail, she faltered.
What would she say? What could she say? Please, Mr. Cortez, spank me again? Let me feel how hard you get when you spank me? She shook her head and turned around, making her slow way back to her own cabin.
Back in bed, Theresa stripped off her shorts and panties and slipped both hands between her legs. Letting her eyes slip shut, she thought about being across his lap, feeling the erection through his slacks, the scent of his cologne. Instantly, her pussy was wet and she moaned softly.
Maybe…maybe he didn’t want her to talk about his “unorthodox techniques” because she was the only one he used them on. She moaned louder as she rubbed her clit with two fingers of one hand and her pussy with two fingers of the other. He had seen her during that presentation and decided he wanted her. He believed she could be a CEO, yes, but he also wanted her. Wanted to spank her. She groaned as her pussy throbbed and her clit became swollen.
“Spank me sir,” she gasped, sliding her fingers into her quivering pussy as she rubbed her clit harder. She moaned as her hips jerked. “I’ve been so good, please…”
She pushed her fingers in deep and rubbed harder, faster, as her hips took over on their own. Theresa groaned loud as she came, smelling not the scent of pine but his cologne, his skin, feeling the firm certainty of his cock against her arm as he spanked her, his voice above her saying he knew he was right, she had what it took to lead a company to success.
The next morning Theresa woke with the birds and was one of the first up and out. At breakfast the organizers announced the last exercise was a race, and the teams would have the whole day to prepare for it. This caused quite a buzz around the tables as paper maps of the route from start to finish were passed around.
The race route took advantage of the lake, which was long but not very wide. The finish line was on the far side of the lake from the starting point, on the beach where the boat challenge had been held.
At least one member of each team had to cross the finish line for the group to qualify or win. A route around the lake, following a path clear of obstacles and hurdles, had been marked with footprints. But, the organizers told the groups, it was also the longest route, and others were available for those teams that were willing to risk them.
“Lastly,” the organizer said, “There are resources available to help you if you can find them and make them work somehow.”
As they finished eating the VP pushed the map toward the center of the table. “The most sensible thing is a relay race.” There were nods around the table as others started pointing out which parts would be easier or harder, and where the natural divisions seemed to be.
Once again, Theresa said nothing. She got up and found an organizer and asked if there was an extra map copy she could have. The organizer started to say something, then simply pulled a sheet from his clipboard and handed it to her.
She looked it over, and noticed that in the upper corner an “X” was marked with the phrase “Remember to be resourceful.” Regarding the map more closely, she saw there were other “x” marks scattered about. Resolute, she left her group debating the relay race idea and went out exploring the camp.
At the beach, the team that had won the boat exercise was working on improving their vessel. Theresa watched them a moment, then checked her map. There was an “x” nearby, so she tracked it down and found a stack of fifty-gallon plastic drums. She tapped one and it sounded empty, and when she tipped it over, she found it was fairly light.
She glanced back at the boat team and got an idea that made her smile. Checking the map again, she continued her search for “x” marks. Soon, she had found rope, pallets, and long bamboo poles. As her idea became a full-fledged plan, Theresa hurried back to the dining hall, where her team was still debating and seemed on the verge of argument.
A few other teams were still in the dining hall as well, and it made her reluctant to speak up in case they overheard. Instead, she suggested they take a look at the route. That at least got them outside.
But then the VP simply started designating runners to cover segments. As her teammates began to argue, Theresa tried again and again to bring up her idea, but no one paid any attention.
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br /> Frustrated, she almost crumpled up her copy of the map and threw it away. Then she remembered how Mr. Cortez had looked at her and how he had spoken when she had not complied at once with his order to come and receive her punishment. He hadn’t yelled, he hadn’t threatened. He had simply been firm as if there was no question in his mind that she would do anything but obey.
Theresa took a breath, squared her shoulders, and spoke in a strong, level voice. “The organizers said we can use the available resources. If you look at the map, there are resources marked. I found them. We can use some of them to build a bridge.”
Everyone, including the VP, looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. She wasn’t really surprised. She felt like a new person. She waited a moment to see if the VP was going to argue or try to take over her idea, or if anyone else was going to disagree or say anything.
When everyone just continued to look at her expectantly, she realized she was now the team leader and they were waiting for instructions. She held the map out and indicated the “x” marks where she had found the elements for their bridge. She directed members to fetch the resources and bring them to the beach for assembly.
Most of the teams seemed to be working on their boats from the first exercise. Little attention was paid to Theresa’s team, and she directed them not to connect the pallets together until the race began in order to keep the secret as long as possible.
When the race started, the teams with boats pushed into the water and began to paddle their way across the lake, while the others who opted for the footpath took off that way. Theresa directed her team to deploy the bridge, using the bamboo poles to swing each drum-supported pallet into position and the ropes to tie them in place.
As more pallets got into position, it became clear that Theresa’s team was going to win in short order. As the last one was brought along and put in place at the far shore, Theresa, still on the beach with the starting line, felt a surge of triumph unlike anything she had ever known before.