The Picket Family Summer, Part 02

Stephanie tossed her towel on the bed and opened her closet. Nothing looked right. Tees were too casual and dresses were just the right amount of flirty, but a short hemline wouldn’t be practical and a long one would be too formal. It had to go with sandals. She’d already made her mind up on that point. Her brown strappy sandals were the only choice for a day on her feet.

Amanda entered already dressed, though she looked more prepared for a night at the club than a day outdoors. She plopped herself down on the bed in a motion that made the short skirt of her dress flutter upward for an easy peek at her black thong. “Wear the red halter dress,” she said.

Stephanie raised an eyebrow at her sister. “You do realize your dress shows more than it covers, don’t you?”

Amanda smiled. “I’m wearing clean underwear.”

Stephanie shook her head. “Mom will be so proud.”

Amanda leaned sideways on Stephanie’s pillows. “Besides, the marks are finally gone from Dad’s strapping and if I don’t show Chandler some skin he might start looking elsewhere.”

Stephanie turned back to her closet and lifted out the red halter dress. “I think Dylan saw enough of my skin that day at the lake to keep him interested for months.”

Amanda giggled. “I’m pretty sure he saw all of it. I know Chandler and I did.”

A red blush colored Stephanie cheeks. “Not to mention everyone else at the lake.”

“It’s a good thing Dad hadn’t tanned your hide yet,” Amanda said.

Stephanie pivoted toward her bed, holding the dress up in front of her. “If you’d come home when I said, Dad wouldn’t have tanned either of our hides at all.”

Amanda nodded. “And you’d be staying home all summer reading books instead of going out with Dylan and having fun. Face it, every lick of that spanking was worth it.”

Stephanie rolled her eyes. She didn’t completely agree, but there was no point arguing the finer points. Dylan was about the best thing that had happened to her the entire year. “You really think I should go with the red?”

Amanda nodded. “It goes with your hair.”

Stephanie looked at Amanda’s blue dress. “If Nicole wears white we’re going to look like a flag.”

Amanda shook her head. “Nicole is going to wear one of those awful sundresses with the tiny floral print on a burgundy or yellow background.”

Stephanie nodded. Her younger sister was more than likely right about their older sister. “Maybe I should go with green.”

Amanda jumped from the bed and blocked Stephanie’s path to the closet. “Wear the red, no bra and the skimpiest pair of panties you own. No ifs, ands or buts about it.”

Stephanie sighed at her sister. She shrugged. “Alright. You win.”

Sitting at the breakfast table, Stephanie realized their parents already knew something was up. Their father was watching their mother across the table from him. His interest indicated an expectation that their mother had something to say and that he might be in complete agreement. Their mother pretended to be busy with the food on her plate, but it was just what she did when she was thinking at the table. Stephanie picked at her own food expecting the worst.

Amanda dug into breakfast with her typical jubilance. Between bites, she said, “Nicole’s coming to pick Steph and I up in a few minutes.”

Mr. Pickett raised and eyebrow.

Mrs. Pickett said, “Oh?”

“You know,” Amanda said, crunching down on crispy bacon, “we’re going to Adventureland today.”

“No,” Mrs. Pickett said, staring at Amanda, “I didn’t know.” She looked across the table at her husband. “Did you know?”

Mr. Pickett shook his head.

Stephanie stared at her plate.

“Oh,” Amanda said, “well that’s the plan anyway. Nicole should be here any minute.”

The doorbell rang.

Amanda shrugged. “I guess she’s early.”

Mrs. Pickett nodded and pushed herself back from the table. On her feet and heading toward the front door, she paused at the kitchen door and looked back at Stephanie and Amanda. “We’ll discuss this later.”

Stephanie looked up from her plate and stared across the table at her younger sister. Not telling their parents when they made the plans days ago had been Amanda’s insistence. Stephanie had known better, but instead of doing what she knew was right, she’d gone along with Amanda. At some level, Stephanie believed her sister knew their parents better than she did despite ample evidence to the contrary.

Nicole entered the kitchen closely followed by her best friend, Heather Swanson. Heather leaned up against the pantry cupboard and smiled in Mr. Pickett’s direction. She wore a black halter top paired with jean shorts that exposed the lower cusps of her buttocks even while standing. High heeled sandals made her look two inches taller than she would normally stand. A tiny white purse hung from her shoulder and bounced against her hip. In contrast, Nicole wore a short sleeved dress, amber colored background with tiny white daisies packed together as if the fabric were a flower garden. Nicole’s flat brown sandals left her looking shorter than her friend, but were clearly the smarter choice for a day on their feet.

“Morning,” Heather said, chewing on a large piece of purple colored gum.

Nicole looked at her sisters. “Are you ready?”

Amanda crunched down on a mostly whole slice of toast. Cinnamon sprinkled down onto her plate. “We’re still eating.”

Nicole planted a hand on her hip, trying to emulate their mother’s posture of disapproval. “The park opens in a half hour.”

Stephanie swallowed the eggs in her mouth. “It only takes fifteen minutes to get there.”

Nicole shook her head.

Amanda swallowed more toast. “And they don’t close until midnight. I think we’ll get there in time.”

Mrs. Pickett sat back down at the table and directed her gaze toward Nicole. “Where are you going?”

Nicole looked at her sisters, at her father and then back to her mother. “Adventureland. Didn’t they tell you?”

Mrs. Pickett smiled. “Just checking.”

Amanda cleaned off her plate. Stephanie finished a minute later.

As they stood up to leave, Mr. Pickett said, “One thing girls, I expect you to be home no later than 10PM.” He looked directly at Nicole. “I’ll be holding all of you accountable. Is that understood?”

Amanda and Stephanie simply nodded and headed toward the front door.

Nicole said, “Yes, sir.”

A short jump on the highway heading north of town and the four girls arrived in the dirt lot Adventureland used for parking. The amusement park only opened its gates from Memorial Day to Labor Day each year. Its part-time summer jobs were coveted by the local sixteen to twenty-five year olds who saw it as a three month vacation with pay. Of course the reality of working there was a bit different as those who landed the jobs figured out soon enough. It was still close enough to the opening days that most of the young employees were still smiling while selling tickets and checking guests on their way inside.

Amanda led the way after they purchased their tickets, practically skipping toward the turnstiles. Stephanie followed with a more normal gait and pace while Nicole and Heather hung back as if they were embarrassed to be seen with the two younger girls. As Amanda reached the turnstile, Chandler swooped her up into his arms, running in from their left. He planted a long deep kiss on Amanda’s lips. Dylan snuck up behind Stephanie and wrapped his arms around her, cupping her breasts in his hands and kissing the side of her neck.

Heather laughed as she and Nicole walked closer to the four. She looked to Nicole. “I told you there were boys involved.”

Stephanie turned around in Dylan’s arms and gave him a tender yet quick kiss on the lips. She extricated herself from his arms and turned him toward her older sister. “Dylan,” she said, “this is my sister, Nicole and her friend Heather.”

Dylan nodded at them.

The six made their way past the turnstiles and into the park. They gathered near a large fountain in the middle of the walk path that split traffic into two groups. Ideally, it would split the groups by the direction they were travelling as well, but in practice it did nothing of the sort. Dylan and Chandler stood with their arms wrapped around Stephanie and Amanda, respectively, as if they were holding onto personal property. Nicole and Heather stood opposite them beside the gentle splatter of water.

Nicole said, “We might as well split up and do our own things.”

Amanda nodded. “Want to meet back for lunch later or just when it’s time to go?”

Stephanie glanced up and behind her at Dylan. “Lunch sounds good.”

Heather smirked. “There could be eight of us by then.”

Nicole looked wide-eyed at Heather. “I’m married for God’s sake.”

Heather laughed. “Since when has that stopped anyone?”

Nicole shook her head. “I’m not here for that.”

Heather said, “Well I guess that means a better selection for me.”

Stephanie looked at Nicole. “So, lunch?”

Nicole nodded. “Fine. Where do you want to meet?”

Amanda pulled out the park map and unfolded it so everyone could see.

Chandler pointed toward a fork and knife image on the far side. “They got great pizza here and my sister works there so she can get us a discount too.”

Amanda said, “That sounds good to me.”

Stephanie nodded. “It’s fine with me.”

Nicole said, “I guess it’s settled.”

Stephanie asked. “What time?”

Amanda laughed. “Lunchtime, Silly.”

Stephanie cocked her head at Amanda.

Nicole said, “How about 12:30?”

Amanda shrugged.

Stephanie nodded.

“Alright,” Nicole said. She and Heather turned their backs and walked away.

Stephanie and Dylan headed off into the park on their own. Their first stop was the steam locomotive that ran a circular course around the perimeter of the entire park with stops in the four main sections. They exited the train in the section known as Boomtown. The area had an old west theme and naturally featured attractions like panning for gold, air rifle target practice, a traditional log ride, a slow paced covered wagon ride, and a minecart rollercoaster. They waited in line for each of them.

Upon exiting the minecart ride Stephanie paused to look at the tower clock looming over the nearby train station. “It’s after noon,” she said. Her tone suggested she wished it were earlier still. “I suppose we should head over to the Brigantines’ Galley.”

Dylan wrapped his arms around her from behind and rested his chin on top of her head. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

Stephanie leaned back into his chest and considered the possibilities. The biggest trouble was not knowing when and where to meet up for going home. She could always call. Then again, it was likely neither Nicole nor Amanda would forgive her for leaving the two of them in each others’ company without her around to mediate. “I really don’t want to,” she said, “but it’s only lunch and I did make the commitment already.”

Dylan laughed. “Well, I don’t want to get in the way of you following through on your word.”

Stephanie blushed and shook her head. Memories of their first day at the lake swam around in her head just as she knew they were swimming around in Dylan’s. She stepped forward out of his arms and aimed herself in the direction of the bridge leading into the section of the park known as Smugglers’ Bay. Dylan came along, slipping his hand inside of hers and swinging it with exaggeration as they walked.

They were five minutes early and Nicole and Amanda were nowhere to be seen. Brigantines’ Galley was one of the most popular food stops in Adventureland. The tasty aromas of wood-fired pizza, barbecued chicken, and grilled hamburgers could easily be followed throughout Smugglers’ Bay. Its tables were arranged in staggered columns and rows on the deck of a replica Brigantine pirate ship. A large Jolly Roger flapped in the wind high above and stiffened off-white sails provided shade to the eating area. The base of each table along the sides of the ship featured an outward pointing cannon and for a quarter, the tables’ guests could make them boom and puff out light and smoke from the business end. Stephanie and Dylan purchased their lunch and sat at an open table near the central staircase leading up from the food lines.

Dylan lifted the first of his three slices of thin crust pepperoni and sausage pizza. He held it by the wide end allowing the point to dip back down toward the paper plate and drip a steady flow of grease into a puddle. His head cocked to the side as he watched Stephanie pick up her own slice and take a giant bite, grease and all. He said, “You know that grease isn’t good for you.”

Stephanie swallowed her first bite and positioned the slice for a second. “I don’t eat pizza for my health.”

“Yeah,” Dylan said, nodding his head in at least partial agreement, “but I don’t think the grease tastes particularly good either.”

Stephanie chomped her way through her second bite. “I don’t recall asking for your opinion.”

Dylan cocked his head at her. “I thought we were having a conversation.”

Stephanie shrugged and swallowed another bite. “You’re having a conversation. I’m eating lunch.”

He shook his head at her. “I’m just a little surprised,” he said, “most girls seem to be a lot more concerned with what they put in their mouths.”

Stephanie dropped her slice on her plate and glared at him. Her annoyance wasn’t really with him, but with the fact neither of her sisters were on time for lunch, but he was convenient. “So what,” she said, “am I only supposed to eat salads and yogurt?”

His eyebrows rose. “Did I say that?”

She huffed and picked up her pizza. “You might as well have.” She took another bite and deliberately chewed with her mouth open.

He blinked at her. “What’s gotten into you?”

She rolled her eyes. Men were always too dense for their own good. “How about I’m trying to enjoy my lunch while an asshole is trying to make me feel like a pig?”

Dylan dropped his own slice down on the paper plate. He fixed his gaze on her eyes, ignoring her openly chomping mouth. “I ought to,” he said and paused for a moment as if uncertain of his next words, “put you over my knee and give you a good spanking.”

Stephanie blushed at the suggestion. She said, “In your dreams.”

Dylan was not amused. “It’s my understanding,” he said, “that your father still gives you a good spanking when you deserve it.”

Stephanie bit her lower lip and stared down at the table, unable to meet his harsh gaze. “Where did you hear that?”

Dylan softened his gaze, apparently happy with her reaction, and chuckled. “We live in a pretty small town and people talk,” he said. He took another bite of his pizza. “I guess it’s true then?”

Stephanie felt her cheeks burning. She nodded her head while keeping her gaze locked on her plate and the half eaten slice of pizza sitting on top of it.

He asked, “Is that a yes?”

Still blushing, she looked up into his eyes. “Yeah,” she said, “so what?”

He nodded. “So if I were to put you over my knee and spank you I’m guessing it wouldn’t be your first spanking here at Adventureland?”

The rose color of her cheeks refused to fade. She looked into his eyes and figured he already knew the answer somehow. It had barely been two years since the last time she had been spanked in the park. Her father hadn’t put her over his knee though, he had her bent over, touching her toes, just a few feet away from the bridge spanning between Boomtown and Smugglers’ Bay. She said, “That would be a safe guess.”

He nodded again. His eyes held her gaze. “Out of curiosity,” he said, “what do you think your father would do if he threatened you with a spanking and you told him, in his dreams?”

The heat in Stephanie’s cheeks increased. She dropped her eyes to the table top once more. “He’d probably give me a spanking.”

Dylan reached out and lifted her chin with his finger until their eyes met again. “I certainly can’t have you thinking I’m a pushover compared to your father, now can I?” he asked.

Her jaw dropped. Hot blood pounded beneath her cheeks. “You wouldn’t,” she said.

He stared into her eyes. “I would,” he said, “and I will.” He dropped his hand away from her chin and pulled out his wallet. “I noticed in the shop across the way they had those cute souvenir paddles that say, Attitude Adjuster on them.” He pulled out a twenty and proffered it toward her. “I want you to stand up, take your dress off, fold it neatly and lay it on the table, and then go down there and buy one for me.”

She blinked at him. Her eyes darted around the feux deck, drinking in the busy audience surrounding them. Getting a spanking would certainly draw most of their attention, taking her dress off would draw all of it. “You can’t be serious,” she said.

He kept his expression serious and continued holding the twenty out in front of her. “If I have to tell you again, you’ll be waddling over there with your panties at half mast.”

She took the twenty out of his fingers and stood up. Her purse laid on the table a short distance from her plate. “Where am I supposed to put this without my dress on?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Stuff it in your bra.”

Her face burned in more embarrassment. “I’m not wearing one.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure something out,” he said. He looked up into her eyes. “If you’re testing me, I’ll let you know you’ve got about two minutes to get your dress off and neatly folded or you’ll be pulling your panties down to your knees as well.”

Stephanie folded the twenty in half and clamped it between her lips. She reached up underneath her hair and unfastened the tie of her halter dress from behind her neck. The top half of the dress fell to her waist. She heard startled gasps followed by giggles from the surrounding tables. Her face felt as if it were glowing brighter than the sun. She pushed the dress down her legs and stepped out of it, keeping her eyes mostly downward to avoid accidentally seeing her audience. The dress folded in her hands with the same force of habit she followed in her father’s shed. She laid it on the table and took the twenty back into her hand. Her arms folded in front of her naked breasts and she looked toward Dylan’s face without meeting his gaze. “Satisfied?” she asked.

“I will be,” he said, “when you return with the paddle and I’ve given you the spanking I’ve promised.”

Stephanie kept her gaze as downward cast as she could on her way down the stairs and across the cobblestone walkway separating Brigantines’ Galley and the X Marks The Spot souvenir shop. She could feel hundreds of sets of eyes all staring at her every step of the way. A teenage sales clerk approached her within seconds of her entering the shop.

She said, “I’m going to take a wild guess and say that you are here for one of our paddles or straps. Am I right?”

Stephanie kept her arms folded over her chest and merely nodded her head in affirmation.

The sales clerk smiled and proudly brushed her long brown hair behind her shoulder. “Did you have a particular one in mind or should I make a suggestion?”

Stephanie kept her head low and spoke in a mumble. “He wants the one that says, Attitude Adjuster.”

The sales clerk walked toward the spinning rack near the corner window where Dylan had undoubtedly seen the paddle as they walked past on their way to lunch. She spun the rack until the paddle faced her. It was constructed of an acrylic-like plastic material, painted and textured to appear like wood. The lettering was engraved length-wise into the business end and painted bright red. She held the paddle in the air between herself and Stephanie, forcing Stephanie’s gaze upward to look at it.

“Is this the one?” the sales clerk asked.

Stephanie nodded and followed the girl over to the register. She adjusted her arms so that her left arm remained covering her breasts and the right one was free to pay and then take possession of the implement. Her fingers placed the twenty on the counter and nervously tapped the white surface next to the flat lying paddle.

The sales clerk punched buttons on the old style register and each one clicked in a sound reminiscent of a manual typewriter. “So did you answer back to your father or just try and argue with him?”

Stephanie shook her head.

The girl paused in her button punching. “I see,” she said with a smile, “you’ve just been throwing around a bit of attitude.” she resumed pushing buttons and the total appeared on the back of the register display. “Don’t worry, a couple of swats from that thing and you’ll be singing a whole new tune for the rest of the day.” The girl giggled. “Of course you won’t be wanting to sit much. It’s fifteen dollars.”

Stephanie pushed the twenty toward the sales clerk. She glared at her from beneath her eyelashes. “Sounds like you’ve had personal experience,” she said. It felt good to lash out. She hoped the girl would feel at least a small part of the embarrassment she was feeling.

The sales clerk laughed. Her cheeks showed not even the slightest glimmer of pink shame. “I’ve witnessed it in use plenty of times,” she said, “but I’ve always had the good sense to keep my attitude in check while I’m here.”

Stephanie frowned. She took the five dollar bill in change and grabbed the paddle off the counter. Her hair fluttered around her shoulders as she spun toward the exit. “Thanks,” she said, her voice barely a mumble.

The girl said, “You’re welcome.” She laughed.

Stephanie walked toward the door.

The girl stepped out from behind the counter and hurried to get in front of Stephanie. “You know, I would think if your father wanted you covering your boobs he wouldn’t have taken your bra.”

Stephanie tried to step around her, but the girl moved to stay in her path. She breathed frustration. “It’s none of your business.”

The girl shook her head. “Probably not, but I’ve seen enough to know if you walk back like that you’ll probably get yourself a few extra spanks.” She shrugged. “It’s up to you I guess, but I’m just saying a little extra embarrassment now might save you a lot of embarrassment, not to mention discomfort, later.”

Stephanie stared at the girl.

The girl shrugged again and stepped aside. “I’m only trying to help.”

Stephanie stepped forward and stopped still a good three strides from the exit. Dylan hadn’t said anything about her covering herself. He had made it clear he meant business though and she suspected the spanking he planned to give her was going to rival her father’s for discomfort afterward. Was it possible he might consider her covering her breasts as some sort of resistance? He had insisted on her removing her dress and that certainly wasn’t because he cared to spare her embarrassment. It was obvious he expected her to be embarrassed. The sales clerk’s logic made sense even though she didn’t like the sense it made. She looked back in the girl’s direction. “You really think he’ll make it worse?”

The girl nodded. “You think you’re embarrassed now, but what if he takes your panties down and makes you walk around the park with your hands on your head the rest of the day?”

Stephanie’s mouth opened. She recalled her first day with Dylan. He’d won their little bet and he’d kept her in her birthday suit until the sun had been going down. Of course that was different. He won the bet and he really didn’t have to give her the bikini or her dress back, but he had. That was the nice side of him. Then there was the glaringly obvious fact he hadn’t been much concerned over her embarrassment that day or how many people saw her. He probably wasn’t going to be any more concerned about it at the park. She dropped her arm down to her side, exposing her breasts to any who wanted to look.

The sales clerk nodded. “A wise choice if you ask me.”

Stephanie walked as quickly as she dared back to the Brigantines’ Galley. She could feel all the eyes staring at her every step of the way. There were giggles and exclamations and more than a few comments about the naughty girl on her way to get her bottom warmed. She blushed hotter with every whisper carried into her ears. At the top of the stairs, she stopped in her tracks. Sitting at the table with Dylan were her sisters and Heather and Chandler. She should have known they would show up just in time for her return.

Dylan caught sight of her and waved her toward the table. “It’s a little late to be shy,” he said.

She walked over to the table avoiding every ones’ eyes. Her arm trembled as she held the paddle out to Dylan. It seemed as if the entire eating area went silent. All eyes were on her. They all knew what a nearly naked girl carrying a paddle meant and naturally, they wanted to watch.

Nicole smirked in Stephanie’s direction. “This reminds me of the last time I came here with you,” she said. Her eyes flickered toward Dylan as if she hoped her words were capturing his interest. “Didn’t Dad paddle your bare butt then?”

Stephanie stared at the table top. She assumed the blaring red cheeks decorating her face were answer enough.

Dylan took the paddle out of her hand and spun it around so that he held it by the contoured handle. “Your sister asked you a question,” he said. He reached out with his free hand and took the folded five dollar bill from her fingers. “I think she deserves an answer.”

Nicole covered her mouth with her hand. Beside her, Heather openly snickered. Amanda and Chandler remained silent, but Chandler had a wide grin on his face and his eyes were locked on Stephanie’s bare breasts. Amanda didn’t appear to care.

Stephanie’s voice barely rose above a whisper. “Yes.”

Nicole dropped her hand. Her face displayed undisguised amusement over her younger sister’s predicament. “And wasn’t that over your attitude as well?”

Dylan looked up into Stephanie’s face.

Stephanie nodded. “Yes.”

Dylan said, “It seems you didn’t learn your lesson then.” He laid the paddle across his lap and reached up, grabbing hold of her chin between his thumb and index finger and turning her head until their gazes locked. “I guess I’ll have to do a better job. How many swats did he give you?”

The incident beside the bridge replayed itself in her head. She wanted to claim she didn’t recall, but the spanking stood out in her memories just as she knew the one Dylan was about to give her would remain there as well. The swats had come at a slow pace amidst a lecture from her father that she could not remember at all. She had felt every bit of his disappointment and disapproval with every smack of the hard paddle. There had been a crowd of onlookers then too and she had focused on counting the swats to distract her from the upside down view of their amused and interested faces.

Fifteen it had been and all of them hard and stinging. Her vision had been blurred with tears after the first five and by the time she stood up again, tears and sobs had so consumed her that the only thing she’d been aware of was just how much her butt was burning. The situation should have left her with an urgent desire to pull her panties up, but instead the only urgency she had felt was of the need to rub out the sting in her posterior and, that not being an option, jump up and down while wringing her helpless hands in the air.

Dylan let go of her chin and swatted her butt with his hand. “I asked you, how many?”

“Fifteen,” Stephanie said.

Dylan looked at Nicole and she nodded. He turned back to Stephanie. “I’m going to try thirty,” he said. He stood up from the table, taking the paddle back into his hand and pointing the blunt end at Stephanie. “And if that doesn’t work we can go up from there.”

Stephanie’s mouth dropped open again. Nicole and Heather giggled in response to her expression. Stephanie closed her mouth, stared at the table top, and tried to calm the hot blood rushing to her face. It was a losing battle.

Dylan pointed the paddle in Nicole and Heather’s direction. “Discipline isn’t a laughing matter,” he said, “and neither of you are too old for a good spanking either.”

They stopped giggling.

He pointed the paddle back in Stephanie’s direction. “Take your panties down and put them on top of your dress.”

She had been expecting the command. Her thumbs hooked into the waistband on each side and she dragged the skimpy garment down her legs, letting go near her knees and watching the panties fall down in a ring around her ankles. She stepped out of the ring and leaned down, snatching them up with her fingers. Her hands folded the garment into a simple square and laid it atop her dress on the table.

Dylan pointed the paddle at the bench he’d risen from. “Bend down and grab the front edge.”

She obeyed. Her hair tumbled around her face, hiding her blushing cheeks. She felt her rear exposure with great intensity. The thought of what the dining audience could see burned in her face. Her breasts swayed ever so slightly as her body trembled in anticipation of the first swat.

Dylan tapped the paddle against her protruding white buttocks. She shivered like it was made of ice. He drew it back into the air and whisked it forward in a blur of motion. The paddle clapped with her butt, bouncing her cheeks inwards and out upon its quick retreat. All the girls at the table blinked at the sound. Stephanie drew in a sharp breath. A pink stripe marked the paddle’s kiss across the width of her butt.

A second swat of the paddle landed just below the stripe of the first. Stephanie raised up on her tiptoes and sucked in air as if it could cool the sting from the inside. Her butt bounced and her loose, exposed flesh wiggled. She sniffled back the first signs of tears and made the mistake of looking up just enough to see the smirking faces of Nicole and Heather. Her gaze dropped back to the edge of the bench where her hands held a tight grip against her instincts to leap up and cradle her burning backside in her hands. Their smirking faces refused to exit her memory. If only she could be so lucky to see them get their own at some point.

Dylan stepped closer to her. He rested his left hand on the small of her back and pressed her left leg against the bench with his own. The paddle hovered in the air, gripped in his steady hand. He took a deep breath and descended a volley of ten swats alternating contact between the two pink stripes of his initial spanks. Her right leg raised into the air and kicked helplessly during the onslaught. Tears burst from her eyes, spilled down her embarrassed cheeks and puddled on the plastic bench below. She began to yelp in the midst of the volley and by the last, she whimpered a plea.

She cried, “Ow, ow, I’ll be good.”

Nicole snorted in amusement.

Amanda looked away from her sister and instead stared out over the park below. The situation clearly embarrassed her and left her feeling uncomfortable. It probably didn’t help that Chandler could not tear his eyes away from the scene nor hide the enthusiastic grin spread across his face.

Heather giggled.

Dylan twisted his head for an unobstructed view of Heather. “If you laugh again you may as well stand up and get undressed because you will be next.”

Heather stopped giggling. She could have objected and yet she simply turned silent. Dylan had no real authority over her or anyone else at the table, but his voice carried a sternness that demanded respect and seemingly gave him the authority. Stephanie understood. She too could have resisted, but his commanding tone sounded much the same as her father’s. The thought of disobeying him never really entered her mind.

He turned his attention back to Stephanie and her reddened buttocks. The paddle raised in his hand and he aimed for the lower cusp of her bottom. He swatted five times in quick succession. His hand pressed against her back, assisting her struggle to stay bent over. She cried and shifted her legs from side to side wiggling her butt in the air and causing her hanging breasts to sway. The hot sting demanded her attention, but all she could do was drip tears onto the bench and breathe heavily.

She sniffled. “I’m sorry,” she said. Her voice squeaked, reminiscent of a little girl. “I promise I’ll behave.”

Nicole said, “I bet you will.” There was more than a tinge of laughter beneath her tone.

Dylan glared at Nicole. “What did I say was going to happen to the next person who laughed?”

Nicole’s eyes widened. Her cheeks acquired a pink tint. She chose silence over answering his question.

He continued to stare at her. His words were spoken slowly, emphasizing each and every syllable. “What did I say?”

Nicole’s mouth opened. Her jaw trembled. She glanced to Heather and then looked back at Dylan. “I thought you were talking to Heather.”

His gaze remained locked on her. “Then you did hear me?”

Nicole nodded.

He said, “Stand up.” His voice retained the commanding tone of their father.

Nicole rose to her feet, standing behind the bench she had been sharing with Heather and to the left of Dylan and Stephanie. Her hands smoothed down the front of her dress’ skirt though there were no wrinkles to smooth. She looked nervously around at everyone except Dylan.

“Get undressed,” he said. “Everything off and neatly folded on top of the table.”

Nicole’s mouth gaped open. She blinked. Her mouth closed. Somewhere in her throat she found an indignant tone and applied it to her words. “I’m a married woman,” she said. Her lips parted with the beginning of an additional statement.

Dylan spoke first. “In need of a spanking,” he said, finishing her statement with his own choice of words. “Lucky for you, I’m going to give you one.”

Nicole blinked at him.

Dylan pointed the blunt end of the paddle at her. “Clothes off,” he said and pointed the paddle at the table, “and folded neatly on the table. Don’t make me tell you again.”

Amanda clapped her hands over her mouth undoubtedly to avoid a burst of laughter that would have landed her in as much trouble as her sisters.

Heather looked up at Nicole. “He did warn you,” she said, “so it’s only fair.”

Nicole huffed and blushed a brighter red than she already had been. Her arms shook as she reached up behind herself and grasped hold of the zipper holding her summer dress closed. She looked around the eating area as she pulled the zipper all the way down to where it stopped near the center of her back. Everyone was watching the scene unfold. Tears welled in her eyes. She pushed the thin straps off her shoulders. The dress fell to the floor around her feet. She stepped out of it and picked it up while biting her lip to control the embarrassment surging through her. The thin material folded easily in her hands and she placed it on the table beside her sister’s dress. She wrapped her arms to hide her breasts from view despite the red bra still covering them.

Dylan said, “Not so funny now, is it?”

Nicole still refused to meet his gaze. She shook her head in the negative.

He said, “I expect verbal responses.”

Nicole inhaled deeply. “No, it’s not funny anymore.”

She stood perfectly still, staring down at her dress on the table and keeping her arms over her bra encased breasts. The red blush on her cheeks seemed to grow redder by the minute. Everyone was looking at her, even Stephanie who remained bent over and quietly crying from the spanking that Nicole’s taunting tint of laughter had interrupted.

Dylan stared at her. “I said everything off and I meant it.”

Nicole huffed and stamped her foot in a slight protest, but she unfolded her arms and reach up her back to unfasten her bra. It came free with a snap and slid down her arms. She folded the cups together and stuffed the straps into them before placing it on the table. Her fingers went to the waistband of her panties.

Dylan said, “And when you’re done you can put your hands on top of your head. If I wanted your boobs or pussy hidden from sight I wouldn’t have you taking off your underwear.”

Nicole looked up at him. Her lips moved as if she were about to protest, but then stopped as she thought better of whatever words had been on the tip of her tongue. She pushed her panties down and stepped out of them a foot at at time. Her fingers held the material out in front of her by the edges and she folded the garment in half. She placed it on top of her dress. Naked except for the sandals on her feet, she raised her arms up and interlaced her fingers together on top of her head.

“Now,” Dylan said, “up on your tippy toes.”

Nicole opened her mouth in obvious protest. Her eyes were wide with astonishment and embarrassment at the thought of what his command would mean and how silly she would look.

Dylan wagged the end of the paddle at Nicole. “You might consider adopting a more conciliatory attitude before you land yourself in worse trouble.”

Nicole closed her mouth.

“Smart girl,” he said.

Nicole frowned in his direction. She abhorred being referred to in anything resembling a childish manner. With a deep breath she suppressed whatever rebellious thoughts were streaking through her head. She raised up on her tiptoes and felt absolutely ridiculous and embarrassingly well displayed in her nudity.

Dylan nodded. “Good girl,” he said. “Now turn around in a slow circle and keep going until I tell you to stop.”

Nicole lowered her gaze toward the tabletop. Her cheeks flushed hotter. She clearly wanted to tell him off, but the sound of authority in his voice kept her in check just as it had Stephanie. Slowly, she began to spin on her toes toward her right.

Dylan said, “Eyes straight ahead. I want you to see just how amusing you are to everyone here.”

Nicole raised her eyes. There were tears in them. She kept turning.

Dylan looked from Heather to Amanda. “You can laugh if you like,” he said. “Just know that you’ll be standing right next to Nicole waiting for your own spanking if you do.” He turned away from them and watched as Nicole completed her first revolution. There was a sparkle of satisfaction in his eyes as he saw her face with tears rolling down her red cheeks. “Not so funny at all now, is it?”

Nicole kept turning. Her voice sounded strained with embarrassment. “No, sir.”

He turned his back on Nicole and rested the paddle back on Stephanie’s buttocks. The red color and the manner in which she flinched at the touch of the cool paddle assured him her butt remained stinging, tender, and sore. “I’m not sure where I left off,” he said. “Maybe I should start over.”

Stephanie inhaled sharply. Her mind ran through the count, quickly verifying for herself how many swats she had already received. “You stopped after number seventeen.”

“You know,” Dylan said with a slight chuckle, “I think you’re right.”

Nicole muttered something that sounded a bit like, “Do as I say not as I do,” to Stephanie’s ears.

Dylan glanced over his shoulder at her. Nicole’s back was to him so he waited until she came around and could see his face again. “Did you have something to say?”

Nicole’s eyes flicked downward for a second. “No, sir.”

Dylan smiled. “I didn’t think so.” He turned back to Stephanie. “Thirteen more to go.”

He raised the paddle off her butt. Her buttocks quivered. The paddle crashed down on the center of her butt with a loud clap. She yelped as the stinging in her bottom that had began to fade was reawakened with a vengeance. Her legs shook, shaking her entire body from head to toe. The paddle bounced against her buttocks, held lightly in Dylan’s hand.

Stephanie swallowed back tears and braced herself for more.

On an up bounce of the paddle, he raised it high and initiated a flurry of seven swats, alternating mid-butt to low butt. She raised up on her tiptoes. Tears squirted from her eyes. She cried out in discomfort. Her right leg kicked from the knee to no avail. She held tight to the bench and his hand pressed firmly into her back helping her stay in position. Her butt stung. All she could think about was the mouthy words she said to Dylan that resulted in him deciding a spanking was needed.

He tapped her butt with the paddle. “Five more and I aim to make these count.”

The paddle blurred through the open air behind Stephanie. Every swat landed in the precise same spot despite her squirming and kicking after each one. The tender flesh between upper legs and butt burned as if kissed by a hot iron. She cried openly and freely.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she said.

In the aftermath of the final swat he laid the paddle on her naked back. “I certainly hope you’ve learned your lesson about throwing around attitude,” he said.

“Yes,sir,” she said, amidst sniffles.

He said, “I hope so, cause if we have to have this conversation again there will be more than thirty swats warming your butt.”

Stephanie sniffled some more. “Yes, sir.”

Dylan turned his back on Stephanie and watched as Nicole slowly turned from her back facing him to her front facing him. Something was wrong. He glanced toward her feet and discovered she no longer stood on her toes. “Up on your toes, girl!” He stepped forward and slapped the front of her thigh with his open hand.

Nicole squeaked and raised up on her toes again. “My legs are tired,” she said.

Dylan shook his head. “And I’m sure your arms are growing tired too, but regardless of what you might be accustomed to since you got married I’m quite certain when your father punished you comfort was not on the agenda. Am I wrong?”

Nicole shook her head. She had to look to the side to still see him as she was nearing turning her back to him again. “No, sir.”

Dylan waited for her to turn back around enough to see him again. The flap of her rubber soled sandals against the decking made him think of a duck and put a smile on his face. When she was perpendicular to her former place at the table he said, “Stop.”

Nicole stopped and stood back down on the bottoms of her feet. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Dylan rolled his eyes and pointed upward with his index finger. “Tippy toes.”

Nicole’s head cocked to the side for a moment and then straightened. She rose up on her toes again. Her gaze remained fixed straight ahead, avoiding Dylan’s stern stare. “Sorry, sir,” she said.

“Not yet, you’re not,” he said. He turned and lifted the paddle off Stephanie’s back. The blunt end pointed at Nicole and wagged like a scolding finger. “When I tell you, you’re going to turn around just like you have been until your 180 degrees from the direction you’re facing. Then, you will stand on the flat of your feet, bend down and touch your toes. I will give you five swats and then you will raise back up, hands on your head, standing on tiptoes, and turn around five complete circuits. At the end of the fifth circuit you will bend down again. This process will continue until you’ve had thirty-five swats. Do you understand?”

The dismay on Nicole’s face suggested she understood exactly. Her eyes wandered over the tabletop and stopped on the pile of her clothing. Rebellious thoughts twinkled in her eyes. “It’s not fair,” she said. Her elbows twitched as if she were going to lower her arms from her head, but long ingrained obedience to deserved discipline held them in place. Her tone softened like surrender to the inevitable while her words continued to challenge the authoritative mantle Dylan had assumed. “I won’t do it.”

Dylan moved forward in a burst of speed. The paddle passed from his right hand to the left and blurred its way through the air behind Nicole. It crashed hard into the lower curvature of her buttocks, once, twice, three times. The clap of hardened plastic on flesh echoed in the eating area. Nicole’s legs kicked forward as if she were marching in place. Amanda clamped her hand over her mouth once more barely muffling a laugh. Dylan didn’t seem to notice. His eyes were firmly fixed on Nicole.

He said, “You’ve earned this spanking and I expect you to take it like a big girl, but if you need some more encouragement,” he patted her newly pinkened butt with the paddle, “I can arrange it.”

Nicole turned her head to look into Dylan’s eyes. Her gaze dropped, unable to meet his sternness and her lips began to quiver. Silence surrounded them. Her voice turned quiet. “I’m sorry, sir.”

Dylan nodded. “Are you going to do as I’ve instructed?”

Nicole bit her lower lip. She inhaled through her nose. That she did not want to be punished in the manner Dylan had described was obvious in the tortured expressions washing over her face. It remained equally obvious that she had already concluded there was no avoiding the punishment or the embarrassment that came with it.

He flicked his wrist, slapping the paddle against her buttocks twice more.

The sting broke her silence. “Ow!” She blinked back a fresh batch of tears. “I will, I will,” she said, eager to avoid any further additional swats.

Dylan passed the paddle back into his right hand. He glanced over his shoulder at Stephanie still bent and holding the front edge of the plastic bench attached to the table. Her buttocks still had a glow to them and a few tears still seeped from her eyes. She had her head turned giving herself a view of Nicole, but when she noticed Dylan’s gaze upon her she shyly looked back downward at the bench.

He nodded and said, “Stand up.”

Stephanie released her grip on the bench and pushed herself upward. Her hands gravitated toward her buttocks as she straightened. She could feel the warmth emanating from her bottom even without touching the stinging flesh. Stray strands of her hair gathered in front of her face and stuck to her wet cheeks, masking her eyes.

“Hands on your head,” Dylan said. His tone demanded instant obedience.

She raised her hands to rest on top of her head, frustrated at being unable to rub away the insistent stinging behind her.

He said, “You can stand there and think about your attitude while I deal with your sister’s.”

Stephanie bit her lip. She could feel his eyes boring into her. He expected a response. She nodded her head slightly. “Yes, sir.”

Dylan turned back to Nicole. “Begin,” he said.

Nicole, for all the worry and hesitation on her face, began her tiptoe turn without the slightest of pauses. Her sandals flapped noisily on the decking as she inched her way around. She blinked through a slow, steady stream of embarrassed tears that slipped from the corners of her eyes. Her entire body jiggled with the slow uneven movements of her turn. Graceful as a ballerina, she was not. When her back was straight to the table she lowered herself to the flat of her feet, spread her legs for better balance and leaned forward, slipping her hands from atop her head to reach straight downward for the tops of her toes.

Dylan swung the paddle, cutting through the warm afternoon air and clapping it hard against her proffered butt. He wasted no time raising the paddle again and contacting it against her quickly pinkening backside. The five swats landed in less than a half minute.

“Ow!” Nicole cried at the first swat and every swat thereafter. Her butt colored quickly, going from a tint of pink to a light red by the time the paddle rebounded from its final swat. She breathed raggedly and sniffled with a new flow of tears caused from the stinging burn in her backside instead of the embarrassment she was beginning to forget. Her body swung upward and her hands returned atop her head. She raised up on her tiptoes blinking away the tears and the embarrassment returned. The sting of the five swats did not fade. She slowly turned her circle, eyes open and staring straight ahead as she made her five revolutions. There was no doubt, even with Stephanie standing naked and spanked only a few feet away, Nicole was the center of attention in the Brigantines’ Galley eating area. There would be talk of the spectacle all over Adventureland by the end of the day and by breakfast the next morning it would be all over town.

The process continued until she had received all of the thirty-five swats Dylan had promised and she’d turned five more complete revolutions with a steady flow of tears streaming down her face and her buttocks stung and burned worse than if she had dipped them in hot wax. She stopped her final turn, facing the table, Amanda, Heather, Chandler, and even Stephanie. Normally, Nicole would have been highly amused seeing Stephanie, or even Amanda, standing nude with their spanked butt on display for all to see, but standing that way herself made it seem much less humorous.

Dylan laid the paddle flat on the table and resumed his seat on the bench with Stephanie standing behind him on the right. He looked around the table. Amanda and Heather still had unfinished pizza slices sitting in front of them. Chandler had finished his lunch collected his empty plate in a stack with Dylan’s empty plates and Stephanie and Nicole’s partially finished slices on top.

Chandler grinned at Dylan. “I guess you set them straight.”

Dylan flashed his friend a smile and glanced at Stephanie and Nicole, each in turn. He patted the flat of the paddle atop the engraved words. “I think their attitudes have been adjusted.” He looked to Amanda and Heather. “Eat up girls, there is still plenty of daylight and ample rides for us to enjoy.”

Amanda and Heather obeyed. Undoubtedly their haste in eating was slightly encouraged by the small possibility Dylan might see anything else as disobedience worthy of a spanking. It took them little time to finish and when they were done, Chandler collected their plates onto the bottom of his neat stack.

Dylan glanced up at Stephanie and caught her attention. “Take the trash over to the trashcan.”

Stephanie’s hands left her head and collected the plate stack. She walked quickly across the decking to the nearest bin, positioned near the stairs only a few feet away. When she returned, everyone was standing and all that remained on the table were the clothes she and Nicole had been wearing.  Heather and Amanda had collected an extra purse each, hanging on their shoulders. Tempted as she was to pick her stack of clothing up, she placed her hands back atop her head and waited for Dylan to give her further instructions. She hoped the instructions would be to get dressed and behave herself for the remainder of the day, something she definitely planned to do with or without being told, but seeing Amanda holding her purse suggested there was another plan in progress.

Dylan stepped back from the table and positioned himself where his gaze encompassed both Stephanie and Nicole. “I trust you’ve both learned a valuable lesson here today?” he asked.

They both nodded and replied, “Yes, sir.”

He nodded, apparently pleased with their quick response and the tones of their voices. “I believe,” he said, slapping the paddle against the side of his pant leg, “that lessons are best learned when they are reinforced in memorable ways.” He took the time to look at each girl individually. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

Stephanie looked at Nicole standing on the other side of the table from her. The same concern was flickering on her sister’s face that was running through her thoughts. ‘Reinforced in memorable ways’ in no way sounded good for them. However, disagreeing with his premise was really not an option. Mostly because it was true, memorable reinforcement of a lesson certainly made a lesson stick better than one which was not reinforced, but also there was the matter that Dylan was clearly in control and disagreeing with the man holding the paddle was rarely a good idea.

Stephanie and Nicole both replied after taking deep breaths. “Yes, sir.”

Dylan nodded. “I’m glad we agree.” He pointed the end of the paddle at the tabletop in a generic reference to their two stacks of clothing. “Pick up your clothes.”

Stephanie sighed in relief and leaned forward lifting her small stack, it consisted merely of her red halter dress and thong panties, and holding the items to her belly. Nicole similarly lifted her own stack that in addition to dress and panties included her bra. They both expected the next order of business would be getting dressed.

Dylan stepped back further from the table and stood with the others of their group. He waved the paddle in the direction of the nearby staircase leading to the park below. “Put your clothes in the trashcan and then put your hands back on your heads and proceed down the stairs.”

Stephanie’s eyes bugged. “But this is my favorite dress!”

Dylan said, “That should make this lesson all the more the memorable then.”

Nicole, having learned that arguing with Dylan was a bad idea already, walked to the trashcan and pushed her garments inside. Stephanie hesitated only a moment longer and then followed her sister’s example. They both put their hands back in place atop their heads and then led the way down the stairs with the rest of the group following them. Stephanie could hear Amanda commenting to Heather on the way down.

“I bet you’re glad you stopped laughing when you did.”

Heather replied, “I’d love to be a fly on the wall when Nicole tries to explain this to Todd or Stephanie to your dad.”

Stephanie and Nicole spent the remainder of the day waiting with their hands on their heads at the various exit points to the rides the others were enjoying in their absence. Walking between the rides, Dylan would allow them to walk with their arms folded behind their back, giving them a break from holding them up without allowing them the comfort of rubbing their backsides or covering their nudity from the ogling crowds they traversed through. It made for a thoroughly embarrassing afternoon and evening, but it was after dinner while they were waiting at the exit for Jolly Jim’s River Rapids when their embarrassment reached its peak.

The first sign of trouble came with Nicole drawing in a deep breath and sharply turning her head to the left, away from the exit ramp and Stephanie. Nicole’s hair fluttered in front of her right cheek and mostly hid her face from those coming down the exit ramp. It hadn’t been long enough to expect Dylan and the others might be among the current group exiting the ride, but Stephanie didn’t think it wise to be taking any chances. She kicked at her older sister with the side of her foot.

Stephanie’s hushed voice was barely audible over the excited rumble of the oncoming crowd. “What are you doing?” She asked.

“Nothing,” Nicole replied in a matching tone and volume.

Stephanie kicked her sister again. “If Dylan sees you we’ll probably both get more and I don’t know about you, but my butt is still stinging.”

Nicole turned her head in Stephanie’s direction, flapping her long blond hair in front of her left cheek. “Will you please shut up?”

“Stand like you’re supposed to,” Stephanie said. She kept her head facing the exit path and the current group of wet park guests exiting the ride via the tree lined path in front of them. Her vision, however, focused on the peripheral image she could see of her sister. “Dylan didn’t leave us here to hide our faces. He expects us to be ashamed and embarrassed.”

Nicole shook her head, sending her hair back over her shoulder. “I don’t care what Dylan expects.”

A thin smile formed on Stephanie’s lips. If she weren’t standing beside Nicole, just as naked and well-spanked, she would have found Nicole’s behavior and words extremely amusing. “You’ll care when you’re touching your toes for another thirty-five or forty swats of that paddle.”

Nicole huffed and turned her face away from the exit path once more, throwing her hair back in front of her right cheek.

A woman in her early twenties on the arm of a man of similar age stopped at the edge of the path practically right in front of Stephanie. The woman’s eyes grew wide, staring at Nicole. An almost giddy smile spread across her face. “Oh my God,” she said, “Nicole Martin, is that you?”

Nicole’s head turned back to the right, facing the woman. Her cheeks blazed redder than they had blazed all day. “Celia,” she said.

Stephanie realized that Celia was who Nicole had been trying to hide from. Obviously she’d recognized her from afar, but equally obvious was the uselessness of Nicole’s efforts. She recalled Todd talking about a Celia from the coffee shop he frequented and Stephanie presumed the woman before her was one and the same.

Celia talked with laughter ringing under her words. The same sort of thing that had landed Nicole in trouble. “Don’t tell me Todd finally put his foot down?”

Nicole glared at Celia. She didn’t much care for being laughed at or teased. “No,” she said.

Celia raised an eyebrow, but kept smiling. The man with her was taking his time looking over every curve of Stephanie and Nicole. Celia didn’t seem to care. She said, “Your father then?”

“No,” Nicole repeated.

Celia laughed outright. “Well obviously somebody put you in line.”

The man with Celia said, “They did a good job of it too. Those red butts are practically glowing and neither of you seem to have any inclination to cover up even though it’s clear enough you’re both thoroughly embarrassed.”

Celia nodded her agreement. “Oh you haven’t met have you,” she said. Her gaze wavered from her male companion to Nicole. She settled her gaze on Stephanie. “I’m going to guess by the facial resemblance that you’re one of the younger sisters and if Todd’s stories are true, I bet you’re Stephanie.”

Stephanie nodded. She wasn’t sure if she should be impressed at Celia’s deductive reasoning or if she should be mad at Todd for blabbing stories of her mischief to strangers.

Celia’s smile beamed a little brighter with pride. “Well, Stephanie,” she nodded at Stephanie, “Nicole,” she nodded at Nicole, “this is my boyfriend, Tom.”

Stephanie faked a smiled at Tom. “Pleasure.”

Tom chuckled. “I’m sure the pleasure is all my mine.”

Nicole scowled at the laughter. “I’m sure it is.”

Celia looked at Stephanie. “So, what happened to end you two up here like this?”

Stephanie took a deep breath. “It’s a long story.”

Celia giggled. “I’m sure it’s worth every minute it takes you to tell it.”

Nicole huffed in Celia’s direction. The woman would never leave it alone until she got what she wanted. “Stephanie’s boyfriend had enough of her attitude and then thought I was out of line in teasing her about it.”

“Wow!” Celia blinked at the two girls and then fixed her gaze back on Stephanie. “Your boyfriend must be pretty intimidating to get not only you naked, but your older sister too.”

Stephanie blushed a little brighter. “He didn’t seem that way until he decided it was time for a spanking.”

Celia shook her head, looking Nicole up and down. The way Nicole stood impressed her.

Nicole’s back was stiff and straight, and her elbows pointing straight out on opposite sides of her head with her hands resting atop her head and fingers tightly interlaced together, her legs spread shoulder width apart and big toes pointing straight forward, and her hair hung around her shoulders but not low enough to cover the breasts which Nicole’s stance seemed to be pushing them forward and upward at the same time.

Celia glanced behind herself and discovered the exit path to be empty. A short gap in the flow of people. She stepped a few feet back from the girls and fumbled with her purse. Tom moved with her. Celia pulled out her cellphone and aimed the camera iris at the girls. It clicked with the electronically created sound of a shutter flickering.

Nicole and Stephanie gasped as they realized what Celia was doing.

Celia stepped closer again focussing solely on Nicole first and Stephanie second. She snapped a close-up of each of them. “These should invigorate the morning conversation at the coffee shop,” she said. Celia stepped around behind them and the shutter noise rang out twice more. “Tom and I really must be going, but tell that boyfriend of yours if he stops by the coffee shop this week, his coffee is on me.”

Stephanie grunted. If she could have scowled at the woman she would have but that would have required looking away from the exit and that was too dangerous with Dylan still on the ride somewhere unknown.

Celia said, “I’d tell you to behave but it’s obviously too late for that, so I’d tell you to have fun, but clearly doing corner time at ride exits isn’t fun, so I guess I’ll just say try to stay warm. The summer air should help with that cause God knows your lack of clothing won’t.” She laughed, as did Tom, until they were lost in the low roar of crowds still wandering the park.

Stephanie glanced at her sister. “She’s not serious about sharing those pictures at the coffee shop, is she?”

Nicole’s head shook a little with a touch of anger. “We’ll be lucky if they don’t end up plastered on every bus stop in town.”

Stephanie shuddered. “Dad won’t let that happen.”

Nicole emitted a bitter laugh for a second and then apparently decided laughing wasn’t a good idea. “What do you think Dad is going to do when you walk through the front door?”

Stephanie had been thinking about just that since they’d left Brigantines’ Galley. There was no hiding the fact she’d been spanked from her Dad. Dylan had seen to that by making her throw away her entire outfit with the exception of her sandals. Dad would be furious. Probably at her and at Dylan, but mostly with her. Dylan did a very good job with the souvenir paddle. Dad would do an even better job, or at least as good, with the strap. And if she admitted it was attitude that had started the whole thing, she’d probably get her mouth washed out with soap too.

“What about Todd?” Stephanie asked.

Nicole shrugged as best she could with her hands atop her head. “He’s not going to like Dylan.”

Stephanie risked a sideways glance at her sister. “I don’t know, he likes Dad and Dad’s spanked you a lot more and embarrassed you at least as much if not more.”

They left Adventureland at 9PM. Stephanie was equal parts happy to be leaving and apprehensive to be going home. Nicole retained a mixture of angriness and embarrassment embedded in her attempt at a stoic expression. Amanda and Heather were plainly amused although neither dared laugh in the presence of Dylan or Chandler. Dylan decided he was going to drive the girls home. Amanda and Chandler volunteered to take Nicole’s car and though Nicole objected it was decided Amanda would drive.

At the Pickett house, Dylan escorted Stephanie and Nicole to the front door, with Heather trailing slightly behind in the company of Amanda and Chandler. Dylan rang the bell.

Mrs. Pickett opened the door. Her eyes wandered up and down Nicole and Stephanie. She missed nothing. Her gaze settled on Dylan. “Park security I presume?” she said and stepped away from the threshold and gestured for them to come inside.

Stephanie and Nicole walked into the house past their mother and stopped at the edge of the entry floor tile.

Dylan hesitated in the doorway. Entering the home under false pretenses went against his morals. He shook his head. “No ma’am. I’m Dylan, your daughter’s boyfriend.”

Mrs. Pickett blinked in obvious surprise, but she still remained courteous. “Come on in,” she said and waved him inside again. “You’ll have to forgive me, Stephanie forgot to mention she was dating anyone.”

Dylan entered the house and stood near Stephanie. Chandler, Amanda and Heather followed. Mrs. Pickett closed the door and, hearing the noise of so many people entering the home, Mr. Pickett came out of the living room to see what was going on. Dylan and Chandler introduced themselves.

Mr. Pickett eyed his naked, spanked daughters. “So who is going to tell me what happened?”

Dylan stepped forward. “I think it might be best if I did.”

Mr. Pickett looked at him, waiting with a hint of impatience flickering in his dark eyes. “Alright.”

Dylan proceeded to recount the afternoon’s events beginning with Stephanie’s attitude problem at lunch and ending with the way the two girls spent the remainder of their day displaying their spanked bottoms, and the rest of their naked bodies, to the entirety of the Adventureland guests, or at least the one’s who happened to cross their path.

Mr. Pickett listened carefully, nodding and humming from time to time but never interrupting. Stephanie could see her father was having two simultaneous reactions to the story. He like Dylan and respected the initiative he had taken in matters. But, he didn’t necessarily agree with everything Dylan did nor did he completely like the idea of a virtual stranger disciplining his daughters. It probably didn’t help that Nicole was married and things were such that even he didn’t feel entirely comfortable disciplining Nicole.

“I,” Mr. Pickett said, “appreciate you coming and explaining. The hour is late though and I think we should probably continue this discussion in the morning.”

Dylan nodded. “When should I come over?”

Mr. Pickett looked at his wife and she nodded. He looked back at Dylan. “Come around 7:30. We’ll have breakfast and then we’ll deal with the girls and discuss things a little more thoroughly.”

Dylan nodded and started walking toward the door with Chandler. “I’ll see you in the morning then.”

Heather stepped forward. “Could you guys give me a lift?”

Dylan paused. “If no one objects.”

No one did. Or at least no one did so audibly. Amanda’s eyes seemed to warn Chandler to not even think about thinking about looking at Heather on the ride or any other time. Chandler got the message. The three left together.

Mrs. Pickett looked at Amanda and pointed to the stairs. “Upstairs to bed.”

Amanda opened her mouth to object.

Mr. Pickett said, “Mind your mother or join your sisters.”

Amanda turned and went up the stairs without any further hesitation.

Mr. Pickett  looked at Nicole. “You’d better go call Todd, tell him what you did, that you’re staying here tonight, and that he’d best come by first thing in the morning.”

Nicole balked at the instructions. She clearly had other plans that didn’t include her or Todd being at the house in the morning. “I’m not a little girl anymore.”

Mrs. Pickett snorted. “Clearly.” She shook her head. “You’re a big girl’s who is not too old to get her bottom tanned.”

Nicole decided the battle wasn’t going to go her way. She surrendered and walked into the kitchen where she picked up the phone mounted on the wall. Her call to Todd lasted just long enough for her to say what her father had told her and not a syllable more. Todd was still shouting when she hung up.

Mr. Pickett sent Nicole and Stephanie up to bed. Nicole’s old bedroom still had her childhood bed and dresser along with a few other odds and ends she had left behind after marrying Todd. The one thing she didn’t have was clothing. That problem didn’t seem to matter though as they went to bed. It had been a long day and tomorrow had some clouds already hanging over it. Stephanie fell asleep as soon as she wrapped up in her sheets.

Mrs. Pickett woke the girls on her way downstairs to prepare breakfast. Guests, if Dylan and Todd could be considered guests, were coming and that meant everything and everyone needed to be perfect. Stephanie had matured to the point she no longer argued the issue of perfection with her mother, at least verbally. She often found snyde statements and witty comments bouncing around in her head though. Stephanie took her time heading for the shower and as she expected her turn ended up being last with Amanda going first and Nicole impatiently waiting in the hall for seconds.

Stephanie dressed without the usual morning visitation from Amanda. She chose a light summer dress that would be easy to remove and fold if breakfast ended with a trip to the shed. The outcome seemed more likely than unlikely. She descended the stairs carefully, not wanting her mother to accuse her of running in the house on top of the other problem she was facing. On the landing, she could hear the voices of her sisters and Todd in the dining room. Todd sounded more annoyed than normal.

“I don’t care,” Todd said. “You don’t hang up on me when I’m talking to you. Not ever.”

Stephanie slipped into the dining room. The table was set and pot holders were placed, but her mother had yet to bring the food. Dylan and her father stood at the far end of the room quietly conversing. Stephanie smiled at him and blushed as well. She was still embarrassed over snapping at him and giving attitude at the park. The punishment, though deserved, had felt a little strict to her, but she blamed that on Nicole and her big mouth more than Dylan. He had to do what he had to do.

“I’m a grown woman,” Nicole said. She wore one of Amanda’s dresses, a black summer dress with a white daisy print. “I can damn well leave a conversation when I’m done with it and if you don’t like it that’s just too damn bad.”

Amanda laughed. She sat at her spot at the table just next to where Nicole and Todd were standing. “It’s not because you’re a grown woman that you get to do what you want,” she said. “It’s because you’re a bitch and no one wants to deal with you.”

Nicole’s head snapped in Amanda’s direction. Her hair fluttered behind bouncing off her shoulder and the side of her face. “Mind your own business.” Nicole turned back to Todd and pointed over Amanda’s head at Dylan. “You better stick up for me and put that boy in his place.”

Stephanie sat down at the table across from Amanda. Her ears prickled at Nicole’s disrespectful statement toward her boyfriend and she glared up at her, feeling bolder than her tender bottom should have allowed. “He’s a man,” she said, gaining Nicole’s attention, “and unlike your ball-less husband, he put you in your place. Or have you already forgotten?”

Todd cocked his head at Stephanie. “Maybe I ought to run you out to the shed and tan your hide.”

Stephanie met his gaze without fear. She knew Todd well enough to know his words rarely had any bite behind them. “Maybe you ought to start with your wife.”

Anger flashed in Nicole’s eyes. Her mouth opened.

Their mother entered the room. She carried a skillet full of scrambled eggs in one hand and a basket full of muffins and toast in the other. Her eyes flicked to Nicole. “A grown woman shouldn’t have to be asked to help her mother serve a meal.”

Nicole’s mouth closed. She stared at Stephanie for an extra second and then spun toward their mother. A fake smile masked the anger still flickering in her eyes. “I’m sorry mother, I thought you had three daughters,” she said, stepping forward. “What can I do?”

Mrs. Pickett’s frown expressed her unhappiness with Nicole better than any words.

Amanda pushed back from the table and shoved her way past Nicole. “Sit and close your trap.” Amanda’s head turned from Nicole to her mother as she walked toward the room’s exit. “I’ll get the rest Mom if you want to start serving.”

Mrs. Pickett smiled at Amanda. “Thank you, dear.”

Breakfast was served. They ate while discussing less emotional topics; The weather, business, and light politics. Stephanie noticed Dylan appeared exceptionally relaxed in her parents’ presence. Unlike Todd, he  seemed to fit in comfortably without effort. Her father liked him as did her mother. The discipline Dylan issued at the park was not sitting well with Nicole or Todd, but Stephanie could tell her parents were more disturbed by her and Nicole’s behavior than Dylan’s choice of action.

Mrs. Pickett leaned back in her seat at the end of the table opposite her husband. She surveyed the plates between them, all empty save for the crumbs of breakfast foods left behind. Her eyes found Amanda. “Be a dear and clear the table,” she said. The words were spoken in a pleasant tone, but there was no doubt it was an order to be obeyed without question.

Amanda smiled, pushed back her chair and began collecting plates as she stood. “Of course.”

Mr. Pickett waited until Amanda was on her way out of the dining room with a stack of dirty plates piled high in her arms. He looked down the length of the table and found Todd and Nicole staring back at him. “I understand you’re upset.”

Todd nodded. His gaze drifted to Dylan and then back to Mr. Pickett. “He had no right.”

Dylan began to reply, but stopped short when Mr. Pickett lifted a hand in his direction.

Mr. Pickett looked at Todd. “And if I’d been there and Nicole had been teasing one of her sisters in such an inappropriate manner, would I have had the right?”

Todd shifted an extra inch away from Nicole in his chair. “That’s different.”

Dylan swallowed, clearly wanting to speak up for himself, but acknowledging Mr. Pickett’s right to carry the conversation as he wished in his own home. Stephanie slipped her hand on top of his and squeezed it in a sign of support. His shoulders relaxed again and he smiled at her as she smiled back.

Mr. Pickett remained intent on Todd and Nicole. “The difference doesn’t alter Nicole’s behavior nor the need to discipline her for it.”

Nicole leaned forward blocking her father’s view of her husband. “My behavior?” she asked. Her tone let everyone know she didn’t consider her behavior to have been a problem at all. “What about Amanda? She snickered just as much as me and even more after.”

Todd placed a hand on Nicole’s shoulder and gently pulled her back into her chair. He looked down the table at Mr. Pickett. “Fairness aside,” he said, his gaze flicked to Dylan for a half second, “Nicole may be your daughter, but she is my wife and when it comes to matters of discipline I feel very strongly that it is a private matter between Nicole and I. Dylan had about as much right to spank my wife as he did to walk up to a stranger and spank them for littering.”

Mr. Pickett nodded. “Nicole is an adult.”

Nicole folded her arms across her chest and looked up at the ceiling beyond the glittering chandelier. Her lips perked upward in a grim, satisfied smile. “Thank you.”

Mr. Pickett remained focused on Todd. “Nicole did very little, if anything at all, to discourage Dylan in his intention to discipline her.” He stared at Nicole until her smile faded and her arms uncrossed. “I suspect you knew you’d earned yourself a spanking and were at least on some level gratified to get it.”

Nicole’s eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped enough to see her tongue languishing in her mouth, waiting for the words of rebuttal to work their way down from her indignant brain. A faint blush colored her pale cheeks. “He- he- he forced me.”

Stephanie laughed until she felt her parents’ collective gazes focused on her with disapproval. She bit on her lower lip and tapped her hand on top of Dylan’s for comfort, but even he had the look of disapproval haunting his eyes. Her gaze dropped to the tabletop.

Mr. Pickett turned his attention back on Nicole. “So he undressed you himself?”

Nicole looked at the tabletop, making herself a near twin to her younger sister. Her voice barely raised above a whisper. “N-no.”

Mr. Pickett nodded. “Perhaps he threatened you with a knife or a gun? Or did he corner you in a dark alley and leave you in fear of your life?”

Nicole shook her head, still staring downward. “No.”

Mr. Pickett leaned back in his chair. “So tell me how it is that he forced you?”

Todd took his wife’s hand in a show of support. “Does it matter?” he asked. “What’s done is done and can’t be taken back.” He looked toward Dylan. “I just want it understood that you have no business touching my wife no matter what she’s done. If you have a problem with her, take it up with me or better yet, keep it to yourself.”

Dylan nodded. “You’re right. I overstepped and you have my sincere apology for doing so.”

Mr. Pickett shook his head at Dylan. “No. You were right about the girls. Discipline is definitely needed and the summer jobs you mentioned earlier would likely benefit all of them.” He focused on Todd. “Nicole’s behavior has been deteriorating for a long time now and it’s precisely a result of your attitude. You’d rather ignore the problems than hear about them. I’ve had half a mind to give Nicole the spanking Dylan gave her yesterday and the way she accepted it from him, with very little resistance, tells me she knew she needed it.”

Todd shook his head. He pointed his hand in Dylan’s direction while staring at Mr. Pickett. “He spanks two of your daughters in public, parades them around the amusement park naked as newborns and I’m the villain for having an issue with it?”

Mr. Pickett shook his head. The conversation wasn’t going the way he wanted and it seemed he was on the verge of alienating his son in law. “I’m not saying Dylan’s actions were entirely in alignment with my preferences. But these girls need discipline and if you don’t provide it to them, someone else will.”

Mrs. Pickett reached out and gently touched Todd’s arm. “It seems to me the issues are resolved. Nicole needed a spanking and she got it, as did Stephanie. Dylan now understands that the disciplining of Nicole is something to be left in your hands, Todd. My husband has communicated our feeling that Nicole requires a firmer hand than you’ve been wielding, but we respect the fact she is your wife and lives under your roof. There is no need for hard feeling over any of this, we’re all adults and entitled to our own opinions.”

Todd smiled at Mrs. Pickett. “Thank you. I know you don’t always agree with my stance on disciplining Nicole, but I’m appreciative of your respect and understanding. We have our own way of working things out and I just prefer the decision to be left in my hands.”

Nicole nodded. “That’s where it belongs.”

Dylan said, “You’re absolutely right. I didn’t think about the fact I could be stepping on someone’s toes and that was a mistake. I’m sorry. Any understanding between Stephanie and myself certainly doesn’t apply to her sisters and I should have realized that yesterday.”

Amanda returned intent on collecting the serving dishes remaining on the table.

Todd glanced at Nicole and then looked to Dylan. “Well, I guess there was no real harm done. God knows Nicole’s had worse spankings.”

On the way out of the dining room, arms full, Amanda said, “God and most of the neighbors.”

Everyone, even Nicole, laughed.