The Winter Storm, Part 3

Michelle weaved through the mass of students in the administration hallway on the path to her locker. Her rubber soled Mary Janes squeaked on the wet tile, but the sound was nearly lost in the roar of the student herd surrounding her. Muddy tracks led in every direction, coating the floor in an icky smear of brown that made kneeling next to her locker a delicate balancing act. Sandwiched between a pair of classmates she barely knew, her fingers spun the dial's combination opening her square locker on the first try.

“Hey, Michelle!”

Her ears pricked at the sound of her name. Leaning against the lockers, she twisted to peer over her shoulder and locate the source. Her eyes sparkled at her good fortune when she recognized Nicholas Dunn threading his way toward her. She flashed him a smile and waved before twisting back to her locker. Keeping only the book and spiral notebook she needed for her first class, she slammed the locker closed. She gracefully spun around and rose to stand as Nick arrived next to her.

She slipped her arm inside of his and snuggled close. “Nick,” she said, “you’re just the guy I was looking for.”

He smiled and his shoulders straightened making him look even taller. His wanting eyes twinkled with a mixture of pleasure and sadness. “I was beginning to think you were avoiding me.”

Michelle looked away, made uncomfortable by his gaze. She tugged him in the direction of her first class and mumbled an excuse. “I’ve been busy.”

Following her lead, Nick walked alongside her. “With Cody?” he asked.

“We’re just friends,” Michelle said.

He paused, forcing her to stand still in the middle of the crowded hallway. She sighed and turned her head back to meet his gaze. His eyes felt penetrating as he cleared his throat and spoke with a frankness he had never before mustered with her. “Do you let all your friends grab your boobs and stick their tongues down your throat? Cause if you do, I’ve been missing out.”

Michelle snuggled her cheek against his arm, deciding she would rather not meet his gaze. “Don’t be like that. He kissed me and I didn’t want to be rude. He’s a nice guy, but I’m not into him like that.”

Nick shook his head and started walking again. “He’s a jerk and you could do a lot better.”

“Don’t tell me you’re jealous?” Michelle said, keeping step with him. “He’s like first string varsity in every sport. Being friends with Cody is good for my reputation.”

Nick exhaled and spoke toward the ceiling in a quiet voice she almost didn't hear. “You don’t need the kind of reputation he’s giving you.”

Michelle stopped walking, forcing him to do the same and stand facing her. She looked up into his face with her best expression of faux surprise. “You really are jealous.”

“What I am is confused,” Nick said. “He treats you like garbage and still you fall all over yourself to be around him. Meanwhile, you have a real friend who treats you with the dignity and respect you deserve and you won’t even give him a chance to take you out to dinner.”

The lights flickered and thunder rattled the lockers on the walls around them. Michelle took advantage of the distraction to look out the nearby circular window and away from Nick's piercing eyes. The rain was falling sideways, clattering against the glass and obscuring the gray world outside. A shiver of cold ran through her body.

She turned back to Nick and said, “Don't be mad. I told you we'd go out and I meant it. It's just been bad timing lately.”

His head tilted to the side and his eyes expressed his incredulity. “It's been six weeks. If you don’t want to go out with me just say so, but please don’t lie to me anymore.”

"I haven't lied to you. Things are just complicated," she said.

He scoffed at her, shaking his head. “They're not that complicated. Either you want to go out with me or you don't.”

Looking up into his eyes, she fluttered her eyelashes and said, “We could go out tomorrow night.”

Nick’s eyes lit up. “Seriously?”

Pleased as much by his response as with herself, she smiled. “I just need one favor and it’s a done deal.”

Suspicion clouded his downward gaze into her angelic face. “What?”

Michelle glanced lower, avoiding his eyes. “Let me copy your Civics homework during morning break.”

He sighed and looked out the window. “I’m not that hard up for a date.”

“It’s not like that,” she said, reaching out to fondle his black tie. “I wasn’t even going to ask, but I ran out of time last night and I really do want to go out with you, but I’ll get grounded when my dad finds out I didn’t do my homework.”

Nick looked down at her hand on his tie and then a little farther up into her face. “And don’t forget about the spanking Mr. Wolfe promised if you showed up without your homework again.”

She kept fondling his tie and said, “There’s that too.”

“So, what was it you were doing last night that you ran out of time?” he asked.

She looked out the window at the hard rain falling and bit on her lip under the scrutiny of her ghostly reflection seemingly staring in from the outside. “Nothing. I’m just not as smart as you and it takes me a lot longer to finish my homework.”

Nick took a deep breath and adopted a stern expression. “I might have believed that if I hadn't heard Cody telling everyone about how the two of you had phone sex last night.”

A hot blush exploded onto her cheeks. “That bastard!” she said and then looked up at Nick. “He’s a liar. How could you possibly believe him?”

He looked into her unblinking, wide eyes. “I didn’t until you started trying to bribe me for my homework.”

Michelle gawked at him. "That's not what I was doing," she said.

He shook his head and stepped back from her. “If you weren’t then I guess we’ll go out once you’re not grounded anymore and if you were, I guess we’ll know when you don’t talk to me anymore.”

A sinking pit opened in her stomach as she stood gaping at him. Desperation crept into her voice. “It’s not like that, I swear.”

With pursed lips he looked her over from head to toe. “I’m sorry you’ll get in trouble, but I don’t think I’d really be helping if I let you copy my work anyway.”

Her lips trembled and a single tear dripped from her eye and rolled down her cheek. “Please Nick, I’ll do anything.”

Nick’s stance softened and he reached out with a single finger, wiping the tear from her face. “Alright,” he said.

Michelle fluttered her lashes and a smile brightened her face. “You’re the best.”

His stern expression returned and he said, “You said you'd do anything so here's the deal; Before I let you copy my work, I’m going to give you the spanking you obviously deserve.”

Her thoughts became flustered. “I, uh, well, Nick, I mean, Nick, there isn’t any time and it wouldn’t do me much good to turn it in late now would it?”

Tilting his head at her, he said, “It won’t take you more than five minutes to copy the work down and we have the entire snack period before Civics.”

Michelle bit her lower lip and shifted nervously on her feet while staring pitifully up into his eyes. “That doesn’t solve the problem of privacy and if I’m going to get whacked in public I might as well let Mr. Wolfe do it.”

A smile spread across Nick’s lip as he shook his head. “I’m a trusted office aide, I can easily find us an empty classroom.”

She took a step closer to him and lowered her voice, ensuring no one else in the hall could hear her. “Alright,” she said laying her hand against his starched white shirt beneath his tie, “ let’s say I agree, what exactly would you do to me?”

Nick chuckled. “Don’t tell me you’ve never had a spanking before because we both know that’s not true.”

Michelle’s cheeks flushed. She leaned up against him and rose up on her toes. Her lips brushed against his earlobe as she spoke. “But I’ve never been spanked by you before.”

She felt the muscles in his chest tighten and his ear pulse with the heat of fast pumping blood. He looked down into her impish eyes and said, “Well, I think a temptress like you would definitely require a bare bottom spanking.”

“Temptress?” Michelle fluttered her eyelashes. “I am nothing of the sort and I’m appalled that you would think anything else.”

Nick’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve been flirting with me for two years without so much as a kiss on the cheek. At the very least you’re a tease.”

Michelle pressed her fingernails gently into the fabric of his shirt and drew her hand slowly downward. “Is that all you want, a kiss on the cheek?”

His breath grew short. “No,” he said shaking his head, “I think you know that’s not all I want.”

The fullness of her lips brushed against his cheek, tickling the corner of his lips. “What else do you want?” she asked with her lips hovering next to his.

Nick gulped and took a half step back from her. “We can talk about what I want later. Right now, we are talking about the spanking you deserve for not doing your homework.”

She closed the distance between them, pressing her hand against his chest again. “So, you like the idea of spanking a bad girl like me?” she asked, fluttering her eyelashes.

Gently, he grabbed her wrist and pushed her hand away. “I’ll admit I like the thought of your bare bottom all aglow, but only because you deserve it.”

She looked up into his eyes and blinked her best impression of innocence. “But don’t you think that would be mean?”

Nick held her gaze and said, “I think it would be meaner not to. Sooner or later you need to learn to be responsible and having your panties pulled down and your bare bottom spanked red as a ripe tomato is going to help you learn that lesson.”

Michelle blushed as the image he described fixed itself into her imagination. She could picture him sitting in their empty Civics classroom, his hand tapping his lap, inviting her to lay over it. Hot electricity pulsed through her core as she stood transfixed by the imaginary moment. The thought of exposing herself to him and laying over his lap, naked and vulnerable to his every whim, attracted her like a lightning rod to her most secret desires.

Shaking away the fantasy, she asked, “What have I done to make you think I'm irresponsible?”

He chuckled. “It’s more like what haven’t you done.”

She gasped and pressed her hands against her bosom. “I’m not that bad!”

“I was talking about your homework,” Nick said.

Michelle blinked. “Oh.”

He smiled and laid his arm around her shoulders. “I know it won’t be the most pleasant experience for you, but if you don’t make too much of a fuss I’ll let you keep your panties up until your over my lap.”

She twisted in his arm to look up at him. “You’re serious?” she asked.

Nick nodded. “Of course. The point is to teach you a lesson about not doing your homework and I’m pretty sure my hand smacking your naked backside will do the trick.”

“I’m not getting naked with you,” Michelle said.

He laughed. “Who said anything about getting naked?”

She rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean.”

He continued to chuckle and nodded. “Yeah, but you’re cute when you’re flustered.”

A frown enveloped her lips. “So you’re teasing me?”

“A little.” he said with a grin.

Michelle sighed. “So are you going to help me or not?”

“Absolutely,” he said. “I’m going to put you over my knee and help you understand just how naughty you’ve been.”

“Nick!” Her face glowed in the red hue of embarrassment.

He chuckled and said, “And then I’ll give you the answers to the homework.”

She straightened her shoulders and stared up into his eyes. “I’m not baring anything.”

Nick shrugged. “If you show up without you’re homework, I’m fairly certain Mr. Wolfe is going to flip your skirt up at the very least, not to mention he'll be using the paddle and I promise to only use my hand.”

Her gaze flicked to Nick’s groin for an instant. “At least he won’t be poking me in the bellybutton.”

He nodded in agreement. “It’s not my fault you’re both a haughty and naughty."

Michelle raised up on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear. “If you really want to put your hands on me, you’ll let me copy your homework and take me out on a proper date first.”

Nick pushed her back down with a hand on her shoulder. “This isn’t a negotiation. One way or another, you’re getting a spanking today and either way I’m going to see your white little panties. The only question is whether I’ll be alone or with a class full of our peers.”

Her face darkened. “I thought you were different,” she said and shook her head. “I thought you were a nice guy.”

“I am a nice guy,” Nick said.

She shook her head. “No, you’re not. If you were, you wouldn’t be trying to blackmail me into a spanking.”

Nick stepped back from her. “I’m not blackmailing you. All I’ve done is offered you a way out of the very public spanking you’ve earned all on your own. If that’s not being a nice guy, then I guess I don’t know what is.”

“FYI,” Michelle said glaring at him, “a nice guy would have helped me out without trying to take advantage of the situation. You’re a bigger pig than Cody.”

He glared back at her. “If I were Cody, I wouldn’t have given you a choice. I’d just rip your skirt off, yank your panties down and smack your ass until I was satisfied.”

Michelle gawked at her usually calm friend.

Nick said, “Oh, and I wouldn’t have any homework worth copying either because I’d be too stupid to figure out what the questions were asking, let alone how to answer them.”

Michelle glanced around the hall suddenly aware of an odd silence. Several other students had paused in their morning routines to listen to the argument unfolding. A rosy blush colored Michelle’s cheeks as her own words and those of Nick echoed in her ears. She locked her gaze on a shy girl she recognized as being from her own year and planted her hands on hips.

“What the fuck are you staring at, bitch?” Michelle said.

The poor girl turned white and red all in the same breath. “Nothing,” she said in a hushed, barely audible voice. The girl didn’t wait for a further response, but instead scurried off down the hall without a backward glance. The remainder of the crowd dispersed a moment later, leaving Nick and Michelle alone.

Nick shook his head at Michelle. “All this time I thought we were friends. I thought somewhere underneath all your brusqueness was a really nice and sweet girl, but it looks like I was just deluding myself. You really are nothing more than a shallow brat and your idea of a friend is just someone you can use and step on like a doormat.”

She huffed in Nick’s direction. “I guess we were both fooled cause you are definitely more of an asshole than I ever thought.”

He nodded. “You were right about one thing, I am a guy and that means I don’t let anybody walk all over me, especially not pretty little girls with bad attitudes.” He turned away from her and walked in the direction of his first class.

“Nick, wait,” Michelle said to his retreating back.

He disappeared around a corner leaving her alone. A touch of panic swarmed in her stomach as she contemplated facing Mr. Wolfe without her homework. The hall lights dimmed for an instant and another boom of thunder rattled the school walls. Michelle turned toward her first period class and walked with the crowd. She tried to push aside a nagging sense of guilt, but it lingered along with the image of Nick's empty, waiting lap.

The Winter Storm, Part 2

Michelle listened to the sound of warm air flowing into her room through the open vent above her bed. She was snuggled comfortably beneath flannel sheets, dressed in blue flannel pajamas that featured polar bears frolicking in the ice and snow. Given the choice, Michelle would rather frolic in the snow herself than spend her Friday at school, but she knew it would never happen that way. She had settled for staying warm and toasty in her bed until the last possible moment.

Her bedroom door rattled under the force of a double knock and then her mother’s voice echoed in from the hallway. “If you’re not dressed and downstairs for breakfast in twenty minutes you’ll be walking to school this morning.” As if to emphasize her mother’s point, the window rattled in response to a boom of thunder.

Michelle groaned in annoyance and sat up in bed, keeping her sheets hugged to her chest. “I’m up,” she said. Twisting to her side, she blinked at the red numbers of her alarm clock until they came into focus. More to herself than her mother, she said, “I’ve got plenty of time.”

The bedroom door swung open to reveal Mrs. Bennett with her hands planted firmly on her hips. “I’m not going to argue with you, young lady. You’ve been warned what will happen if your late for school again this semester.”

Michelle straightened back in her bed to glare at her mother. “I’m eighteen, Mom, what difference does it make to you if I’m late or not?”

“You’re still my daughter and this is still my house,” Mrs. Bennett said, stepping into the room. “Now do you want a spanking or are you going to get your butt in gear?”

Michelle rolled her eyes. “You got me Mom. I didn’t stay in bed cause I was tired and it certainly had nothing to do with the temp in the house being colder than a freezer. It was all because I wanted a spanking. Can I have it now or are you going to make me wait until after school?”

Mrs. Bennett scowled at her daughter. “Don’t get smart with me.”

“Fine with me,” Michelle said with a shrug. “How about I stay home from school then?”

The paddle was still in Mrs. Bennett’s hand from dealing with Rachel and she raised it for Michelle to see. “I’m not amused,” she said, “and you’re a count of three away from going over my lap this morning.”

Michelle tossed her hair to the side and stared her mother in the face. “I was adopted right? Somebody left me on the doorstep and you just felt sorry for me? I mean really, does no one in this house have a sense of humor besides me?”

“One.” Mrs. Bennett counted aloud holding a finger up for visual redundancy.

“Whatever,” Michelle said. She threw her covers aside and slipped her feet into the slippers waiting on the floor beside her bed. Pretending to ignore her mother’s finger, she stretched with an  exaggerated yawn. She scuffed her feet walking across the floor to the end of the bed and stopped inches from her mother. “You’re slowing me down, Mother.”

Mrs Bennett raised the paddle in her hand to point at Michelle’s chin. “The ice is getting real thin young lady, but never you mind, just keep on skating.” After a moment’s stare into her daughter’s eyes, she stepped aside and followed Michelle into the hall, watching until she disappeared behind the bathroom door.

Fifteen minutes later Michelle, with damp skin and wet hair, joined the family in the breakfast nook. Her gaze caught on Rachel standing in the corner behind their father’s chair. Rachel’s jeans and panties were hanging midway between her knees and ankles giving everyone an unobstructed view of her reddened buttocks.

Michelle rested her hands on the back of her chair and opened her mouth intending to ask about Rachel’s misdeed. She looked to her mother, but found only a cold stare leading her back to Rachel. Guilt tugged on Michelle’s heart as she wondered if Rachel’s troubles had something to do with her staying in bed.

Mrs. Bennett smiled at Michelle and said, “That will be you for a whole week if I have to wake you up one more time this semester.”

Michelle scowled at her mother, convinced that Rachel was in the corner unfairly. “It’s not Rachel’s fault! I can’t believe you would punish her for something I did. I am my own person, you know.”

Mr. Bennett laid his fork and knife to rest on his plate and looked up at Michelle. “Lower your voice.”

Michelle’s gaze flicked from her mother to her father. “But—

“Lower your voice.” Mr. Bennett’s eyes hardened with the seriousness of his tone.

Michelle continued to frown. She looked between her mother and father, frustrated by their apparent lack of empathy and good judgment. Her gaze landed on her sister once again and a mixture of guilt and anger washed over her. She knew the wrong word could easily land her standing beside her sister in the corner and, lacking the right words, Michelle opted for standing in silent objection.

Mr. Bennett picked up his fork and knife and resumed cutting his sausage links into bite-sized medallions. “Don’t you think your sister is capable of getting into her own trouble?”

Michelle said, “Yes, and that’s precisely why it isn’t fair—

Mr. Bennett paused in his slicing to silence Michelle with his eyes. Once her voice trailed off he resumed cutting. “Your sister is in the corner because she chose to run down the stairs this morning. Isn’t that correct, Rachel?”

Michelle’s eyes widened as she looked from her father to her sister.

Rachel turned her head to the side slightly and said, “Yes, Dad.”

Finished with his work, Mr. Bennett stabbed a medallion and looked up at Michelle. “So you see, your mother and I aren’t quite as cruel as you might think.”

Michelle blushed. “I never said that.”

Mr. Bennett said, “No, I suppose you didn’t. Now, why don’t you take your seat and eat some breakfast before you run out of time.”

Michelle pulled out her chair and flopped down in the seat. Her wet hair bounced against her shoulders and the back of the chair sending droplets of water onto the table. She grabbed a slice of toast, dropped it on her plate and then shoveled a spoonful of eggs on top of it. The toast crunched, sending crumbs onto her plate and the table, as she folded it in half into a makeshift breakfast sandwich.

Mr. Bennett looked over his shoulder at Rachel and asked, “Do you think you can walk like a proper young lady and join us for breakfast?”

Rachel swallowed visibly and said, “Not with my pants and panties down.”

Mrs. Bennett scowled at the corner. “This isn’t a joke, young lady.”

“I’m not laughing,” Rachel said.

Mr. Bennett looked pointedly at Rachel’s red bottom. “That’s a good thing, young lady. I suggest you shut your mouth before it gets you in even more trouble.”

Rachel sucked her lips into her mouth and tried to look optimistic while watching her father. The rest of the family sat quietly, trying not to look like they were staring at her.

Mr. Bennett looked down at the black panties bunched around Rachel’s mid-thighs. “Pull your panties up, leave your jeans where they are and come stand at your place at the table. I’m sure you’d like to eat something before breakfast is cold.”

Michelle crunched into her egg sandwich and with a half-full mouth said, “Too late.”

Mrs. Bennett’s eyes narrowed on Michelle. “How many times do I have to tell you not to talk with your mouth full?”

Michelle managed a smile while she continued to crunch on the food in her mouth. She made a point of slowly chewing and swallowing. Rachel, taking advantage of her sister’s distraction, pulled her panties up and shuffled over to her place at the table, standing behind her chair.

Mouth empty, Michelle said, “I wouldn’t make you tell me at all, but it does seem like you’re compelled to mention it at least once a week.”

Mr. Bennett tilted his head at his youngest daughter. “Michelle,” he said with the hint of a warning dripping from his tone.

Michelle rolled her eyes toward the ceiling until the chandelier light made her see spots and blink in regret. “Fine, I’m sorry mother. I’ll not speak with my mouth full for at least another week.”

Mrs. Bennett looked ready to issue a threat in Michelle’s direction, but Mr. Bennett laid his hand over hers and said, “Now that that’s settled, does everyone know about the storm?” As if to emphasize his point, thunder rattled the windows and the chandelier lights flickered.

Michelle shrugged and swallowed the food in her mouth with a visible gulp. “What storm?”

Richard dropped his fork onto his plate with a clank. “The one that’s going to make your white blouse see-through.”

Michelle turned to her brother and said, “Sadly, the school has banned wet blouse contests and I’ll have to wear a blazer today.”

Mrs. Bennett said, “You’re supposed to wear one everyday.”

Michelle swallowed the last bit of her sandwich and said, “I know it was a long time ago, but if you try real hard I bet you can remember being a teenager, Mom and I have it on good authority that you didn’t always follow the rules either.”

Mrs. Bennett shook her head. “I’m beginning to think you were serious upstairs.”

Michelle shrugged. “About what?”

“About wanting a spanking,” Mrs. Bennett said.

“Oh that,” Michelle said. “Well, I have to say Rachel does look awfully cute standing there in her red sweater and black panties. I’m feeling kind of jealous.”

Rachel blushed brightly while looking at her sister with annoyance plainly written on her face. “I don’t think anyone will stop you if you want to take your skirt off and stand at the table.”

Michelle nodded. “You’re probably right, but I wouldn’t want to pull the center of attention away from you.”

Rachel said, “I could be stark naked and you’d still be the center of attention.”

Richard chuckled. “I think we should test that theory.”

Rachel glared down at her brother. “They’ve done test you know. It’s a scientific fact that boys who peep at their sisters go blind.”

Richard said, “It’s not peeping when the sister has been a bad girl. It’s just a fun and effective punishment.”

Rachel blushed a notch brighter. “Hey, you were running too.”

Richard smiled. “Yeah, but you’re older and supposed to be setting a good example for me, not dragging me into trouble.”

Rachel said, “Yeah, well I got spanked for it and you didn’t.”

Richard nodded. “And I’m grounded.”

Rachel blinked and stared at her brother. “So am I.”

Richard said, “I didn’t say you weren’t.”

“Then what are you saying?” Rachel asked.

Richard shrugged. “I’m just saying it’s your fault.”

Rachel huffed at her brother. “I didn’t make you run.”

“No,” Richard said, “you just encouraged me. I’m just saying I would feel better and things would be a lot more fair if you had to walk around naked while we’re grounded.”

Rachel stared at Richard with blatant disapproval. She thought about slapping the smug smile off his face. The only thing that stopped her was the knowledge his suggestions and thoughts had less pull with their parents than that of a total stranger’s. Rachel allowed her scowl to speak to Richard and kept her silence.

Michelle watched her parents as they watched the exchange between Richard and Rachel. She said, “If we’re putting it up for a vote, I say Richard gets spanked and walks around naked for the weekend.”

Miles joined the conversation, pushing his empty plate forward on the table. “Fortunately for us all, discipline is not a democratic process in this family.”

Mr. Bennett leaned forward in his chair. “Quite true. I do however feel it’s important that I listen to any of you when you voice your opinions or concerns over discipline.”

Rachel twisted to gawk at her father. “You aren’t seriously considering the twerp’s suggestion that I go naked?”

Mr. Bennett said, “Why shouldn’t I? Considering your reaction, the idea obviously has merit.”

Rachel gaped at her father for a moment and then asked, “How was I supposed to react?”

Mr. Bennett leveled his gaze wholly on Rachel. “Tell me, how many times in the last year has your mother had to talk to you about running in the house and more specifically, about running down the stairs?”

Rachel looked down at the table and shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Mr. Bennett leaned back in his chair. “Neither do we, but I do know this is not the first or even the second time you’ve been spanked over it. Clearly you forget the rule almost as quickly as the redness fades from your bottom, but I wonder if you would forget so quickly if you spent the weekend like your brother suggests or perhaps with a fresh spanking every morning.”

Rachel’s arms wrapped in front of her as if she were standing naked. “It won’t happen again, I promise.”

Mr. Bennett nodded. “Now that is the kind of positive attitude I like to hear. I think this time, you can spend the weekend without your pants. If we have to revisit this running in the house issue anytime soon though, you’ll be wearing less and you’ll be grounded longer.”

Rachel’s lower lip quivered. “It’s not fair.”

“If you think it would be more fair,” Mr. Bennett said, “you can spend this weekend in your birthday suit.”

“I’m not arguing,” Rachel said, glancing at her father.

He said, “Good. Now, I want you to go upstairs to your room, take your jeans all the way off, put them away in the hamper and come back down to help your mother with the day’s housework.”

Rachel shuffled back from the table. “But it’s my vacation.”

Mr. Bennett said, “And you’re grounded. Be glad it’s only the weekend and not the rest of the time you have off from school.”

Rachel shuffled out of the room without another word or even a look at anyone. When she was gone from sight, Michelle turned to her father and asked, “Don’t you think you were a little mean to her?”

Mr. Bennett looked calmly at Michelle. “I’m your father, not your friend. Now, I believe you and Richard should be heading off to school.” He looked down the table to Miles. “Are you ready to leave?”

Miles shook his head. “Give me five minutes. I need to make a call.”

Mr. Bennett nodded and turned his attention back to Michelle and Richard. “Did you two finish all your homework?”

Richard said, “Of course. Did it before bed last night.”

Mr. Bennett looked to Michelle. She nodded looking at Miles as he left the room with his phone in hand. Michelle said, “Uh huh. All done.”

“Good,” Mr. Bennett said. “Now as I started to say earlier, the storm is supposed to get pretty severe today. I expect both of you to wait under cover for either Miles or myself to pick you up from school this afternoon.”

Richard nodded and Michelle, still watching Miles, said, “Sure, Dad.”

Mr. Bennett tapped her arm, getting her to look at him. “That means no running off with your friends after school today.”

“I know,” Michelle said.

Miles re-entered the room, putting his phone back in his shirt pocket. “Alright, let’s go.”

The Winter Storm, Part 1

Mrs. Bennett scurried about her kitchen putting on the finishing touches to the family’s breakfast. She dropped four slices of bread in the toaster and knocked on the nearby glass door to the porch. Outside, Mr. Bennett stopped polishing the lenses of his glasses long enough to smile at his wife. A roll of thunder rattled the door between them.

Mr. Bennett returned his attention to Sinbad, the family dog, and the ominous clouds on the horizons. Mrs. Bennett watched the first drops of rain wetting the wood of the porch before turning back into the kitchen. She walked through the main archway into the adjacent breakfast nook and the house beyond. In a raised voice she called out to her children. “Breakfast is ready.”

Near the base of the stairs Miles paced with his cellphone in hand. “Be right there,” he replied, glancing up at his mother. He scrolled the list of names in his directory looking for the contact information for his first appointment of the day. “I just have to make one call first.”

Mrs. Bennett leveled her green eyes on her adult son. Dressed in a charcoal gray suit and wearing a plain burgundy tie, he looked the spitting image of his father minus the glasses, but she still saw her first child. “It can wait until after breakfast,” she said half teasing, half scolding.

Miles paused in his search and looked up at his mother. He took his fingers off the buttons and dropped the phone in his white shirt pocket with a smile. “You’re right,” he said and pointed himself in the direction of the breakfast table.

As he walked past, Mrs. Bennett slapped teasingly at the back of his slacks. “You bet I am,” she said just before a thunder of footsteps on the stairs attracted her attention. Whirling toward the source she asked, “How many times do I have to tell you two not to run in the house?”

Under the disapproving gaze of his mother, Richard abruptly halted his gallop down the stairs. His rubber-soled black oxfords squeaked on the polished wood. Over his shoulder, his navy blue school jacket bounced against his back nearly slipping from his fingers’ loose hold. Richard’s gaze crossed with his mother’s for an instant before he lowered his head to stare at the polished tops of his shoes. His round cheeks flushed pink contrasting with the light blue collar of his dress shirt.

Following a mere step behind him, Rachel skidded to a halt, nearly sending the two of them tumbling down the remainder of the stairs as she collided into Richard’s back. Rachel spent a precarious moment regaining her balance before looking down at her mother. Their eyes locked just long enough for Rachel to realize her morning was starting off on the wrong foot. She pursed her lips and followed her younger brother’s example, looking down at her feet. Nervously, she brushed the stray strands of her dark brown hair back over her shoulders and then tugged at the bottom hem of her red sweater. She blushed a matching color.

Richard’s voice creaked in his throat. “Sorry Mom,” he said.

Rachel gulped and said, “Sorry.”

Mrs. Bennett shook her head at them and pointed the way back upstairs. “All the way back up and walk down them this time,” she said. Richard and Rachel looked at each other before turning around and grudgingly climbed the stairs back to the upper floor. They returned downstairs at a much quieter pace. Mrs. Bennett waited until they were all the way down and then said, “Good morning.”

The two looked suitably chastised as they replied. “Good morning, Mom.”

Mrs. Bennett wagged her finger between the two as if trying to decide which to scold first. She asked, “Which of you started it this time?”

Richard bit at his lower lip and turned his head to look at his sister. Rachel continued to stare at the floor.

Mrs. Bennett tapped her foot, impatient for an answer. “I’m waiting.”

Rachel tried unsuccessfully to swallow the jitters in her throat. “It was me.”

Mrs. Bennett rested her hands on her hips and shook her head at Rachel. “What did I say was going to happen the next time I caught you running in the house?”

Rachel looked up at her mother, eyes fluttering wide open. “Please Mom,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes, “it won’t happen again. I swear.”

Richard took a half step in front of his sister and said, “It’s not all Rachel’s fault. I shouldn’t have agreed to race her. It really won’t happen again.”

Mrs. Bennett said, “I know it won’t because this time there will be consequences.” She looked into Richard’s eyes. “You are grounded through the end of this weekend and,” Mrs. Bennett pointed at Rachel, “you are not only grounded through the weekend, but you’re going to get the spanking I promised you last time as well.”

“But Mom,” Rachel said.

Mrs. Bennett shook her finger at Rachel’s nose. “I don’t want to hear about it.” She looked to Richard and said, “Go and fetch me the paddle and be quick about it.”

Richard looked as if he might argue for a moment, but his mother’s stern gaze seemed to make him reconsider. He retreated from the scene on course to the breakfast nook where the family paddle hung on a small brass hook from the wall. Richard glanced at Miles, seated at the breakfast table and watching him silently. Richard took the paddle off its hook.

It was heavy in his hand as he turned to walk back to the stairs. The mahogany paddle was polished to a shine and the dark color contrasted nicely as it bounced against the leg of Richard’s tan slacks. The paddle was fairly small, shaped like the back of an over-sized hairbrush. As innocuous as it looked dangling from his hand, Richard had no doubt the paddle would soon bring tears to his sister’s eyes.

Mrs. Bennett pointed to the waist button of Rachel’s bluejeans and said, “Take them down.”

Rachel swallowed her objections and set her fingers to the task. The button came free after only a slight catch and her fingers quickly moved on to dragging the zipper down. Her hands grabbed the sides of her jeans in preparation to pull them down when her eyes caught sight of Richard returning with the paddle. Her face blushed hotter realizing that he could already see a triangle of her black panties and would soon see all of them.

“Hurry up,” Mrs. Bennett said still looking at Rachel, “I don’t have all day.”

Rachel wiggled her hips as she pushed the tight jeans downward. A glance at the embarrassed smile on Richard’s face made her stop. With less fuss, Rachel finished tugging her jeans down to her knees and faced her mother.

Mrs. Bennett took the paddle from Richard and pointed for him to stand off to the side and watch. She turned back to Rachel and said, “Turn around and bend over.”

Rachel obeyed, resting her hands on her knees. Her black panties bulged in the direction of her mother and her legs quivered. She closed her eyes and promised herself she would not cry.

Mrs. Bennett stepped to the side of her, taking position with the paddle. She tapped the wood implement against her daughter’s panties and then reached out with both hands, slipping her fingers into the waistband. A moment later, Rachel’s panties were circling her knees and the paddle was resting against her bare bottom.

“How old are you?” Mrs. Bennett asked.

Rachel inhaled a calming breath. “Twenty-one.”

Mrs. Bennett said, “Certainly old enough to know better than to run in the house, wouldn’t you say?”

“Yes Mom,” Rachel said.

“And yet,” Mrs. Bennett said, “here I am about to spank your big butt for doing exactly that. What do you have to say for yourself?”

Rachel said, “I’m sorry.”

“Not yet you’re not,” Mrs. Bennett said raising the paddle into the air, “but you will be.”

The paddle slapped into the white flesh of Rachel’s left buttock causing her entire bottom to bounce. Mrs. Bennett quickly raised the paddle and brought it down on the right buttock leaving Rachel with two identical pink marks on each side of her butt. Rachel endured the initial swats in silence and with dry eyes.

Mrs. Bennett took a step closer to Rachel. She placed her left arm on Rachel’s back and tugged the hem of Rachel’s sweater until it rested in the center of her back. Mrs. Bennett held the paddle at a downward angle and began to swat her daughter’s bare bottom in earnest. She settled into a fast paced rhythm of left cheek followed by right cheek and back again, covering the once white flesh in a blush colored glow.

As the intensity began to build, Rachel found it increasingly difficult to remain stoic. Her legs began to shake stronger and soon her knees joined in, flexing up and down as if she could move her bottom out of the way. The paddle never missed. Rachel started to yelp and the welled tears in her eyes slipped down her face.

“I learned my lesson,” Rachel said with desperation in her voice.

Mrs. Bennett did not so much as pause in the rapid delivery of swats. “We’ll just make certain.”

Rachel yelped and gasped, trying to catch her breath between the swats. She wiggled her bottom around as if the act could douse the flames of stinging pain emanating behind her. Sobs rose up in her chest and began to shake her entire body. There was no escaping the paddle or its effect. Rachel surrendered to it.

With a final flurry of swats, Mrs. Bennett ended the spanking and took a step back from her daughter. “Stand up and turn around and face me.”

Rachel hesitated only a few seconds before rising up and facing her mother. She wiped the tears from her face and sniffled. Though part of her wanted to meet her mother’s gaze, Rachel knew the smart thing to do was to stare at the floor and act humbled. She said, “I’m sorry.”

Mrs. Bennett nodded. “I certainly hope this is the last time I have to say something to you about running in the house.”

“Yes Mom,” Rachel said.

Mrs. Bennett raised Rachel’s chin with a finger to look her in the eye. “Now, just to be certain you’ve got the message, you are going to walk up and down these stairs twenty-one times and,” Mrs. Bennett turned to look at Richard, “you are going to stand right there and count aloud each time she comes down. Am I understood?”

Richard and Rachel said, “Yes Mom.”

Rachel leaned down to pull her pants and panties up, but her mother  stopped her in the act. “Leave them where they are,” Mrs. Bennett said.

Rachel stared wide-eyed at her mother. “But I’ll trip and fall.”

Mrs. Bennett shook her head. “No, you’ll just have to walk real slow and hold onto the handrail like you should be doing in the first place. Now get started before I make it forty-two times.”

Rachel let go of her grasp on her panties and stood up straight. She glanced at Richard only to find him looking at the floor instead of her as she expected. The blush on his cheeks was almost as bright as the blush on hers, making her realize that he was embarrassed by the situation as well. She turned to the stairs and took her first careful step back up them, grabbing the rail in case she tripped.

Mrs. Bennett looked up the stairs past Rachel and asked, “Where’s your sister?”

Rachel kept her focus on climbing the stairs, remaining silent in response to her mother’s question, but Richard released and nervous chuckle and said, “Still in bed.”

“Rachel,” Mrs. Bennett said, “didn’t you wake her up?”

Rachel bit at her lip and looked back at her mother. “I tried,” she said. “I’ll go try again, if you want.”

Mrs. Bennett shook her head. “No, you have some trips to make up and down these stairs. I’ll take care of Michelle.” She grabbed the opposite rail and started up the stairs.

A Look Ahead

A little time to think about the past, present, and future.

Happy New Year! I can hardly believe it’s been a year since I posted my first story to ITS. Although there have been some pitfalls along the way and I did miss a few weeks, I have mostly succeeded in providing a new story every week. The good news is I’m not finished providing new stories here and you can all look forward to another year of weekly posts (excepting those unusual circumstances when something goes wrong, like I get a massive dose of writer’s block or my computer decides it needs a vacation because it is an unbelievable ten years old and has worked 10 hour days for most of that time, but I digress.). The bad news is you have to wait until next week for my first story for 2011.

It wouldn’t quite feel like a new year if I didn’t take the time to think about where I’ve been and consider where I am going. I like to think I learn things every year and get a little bit smarter and wiser along the way. On the top of my learned list is a little something about ambitious planning, like not to do it. I have a tendency to get carried away with whatever new story idea floats into my head. The problem with that is most of the time I have a new story idea floating in my head before I’ve finished the previous one. Hence, I have a few major story projects in various unfinished stages.

Over a year ago I started thinking and planning for a project called Jessica’s Toil and shortly after that came another project called The Retreat and then came something called Lyrics Are Lies and that was followed up by The Spanking Days of Summer and The Spanking Chronicles of Cedar Lake: For The General Assembly. Interestingly enough, only the last one managed to get finished last year. I won’t promise all of these projects will be finished in the new year, but I do intend to work on them systematically and I will keep you updated as to their progress.

Another learned lesson from 2010 is that while 1000 to 2000 word stories are fun and easy to write, they often fall short of their potential leaving both reader and writer unsatisfied. To that end, I’ve decided to adjust my current method of storytelling for ITS. My experiment was April’s Thanksgiving Shower which was told in four parts. Judging by the number of comments and emails the story received, I would have to say this was a rather successful experiment. In that light, I’m currently writing a new multi-part story called The Winter Storm. It will be posted weekly on Mondays starting January 10, 2011.

Late in 2010 I tried another experiment, writing essays or articles exploring various aspects of the corporal punishment lifestyle. These had some mixed reviews, clearly appealing to some of my readers and clearly boring others. The first rule of writing is that you can’t please everyone and if you try, you end up pleasing no one at all. Keeping that in mind, I’ve decided to post the remainder of those throughout the new year as filler posts between stories. Which means what I have left of the articles might well last me into 2012.

All things considered, I’ve been very happy with Imagine the Stories and have found sharing my writing on it to be a very positive experience. I have enjoyed watching the readership grow and have truly appreciated the growth in commentors sharing their thoughts and encouragement with me. It is my hope to see those things continue in 2011 and I will do my best to provide material worthy of being read and talked about.

Happy New Year!