The Winter Storm, Part 4

Miles entered the conference room to the unmistakable pop of wood impacting flesh. His head snapped to the source giving him a voyeur’s view of an oak paddle hovering near the shapely posterior of a nearly naked woman. She was bent over the end of the conference table with her reddened butt exposed and jutting out into open air. Her buttocks shimmered with the hot glow of embarrassment and shame which was further accentuated by the milky white skin peeking out of the tops of her black stockings. Her naked back arched upward as she held tight to the sides of the table and stared into the empty space before her. Miles smiled, noticing the muscles in her body tightening in anticipation of the next swat. The paddle was raised.

The paddle whooshed through the air. It slapped hard against the woman’s buttocks and she gasped for breath. Her buttocks bounced back from the impact and her hips ground against the rounded edge of the table while her white knuckled fingers held her down. Fresh tears trickled from her eyes and she sniffled, laying her wet cheek against the tabletop. Her eyes glistened like fiery sapphires staring up at Miles. He blinked, but he did not look away until the outstretched hand of the man he was meeting interrupted his view.

Mr. Harper said, “Miles, glad you could make it. Julian is just finishing up with Helen and then we can get started.”

Miles shook Mr. Harper’s hand and turned just in time to watch Julian deliver another swat to Helen. Her legs kicked in the aftermath and more tears spilled from her eyes. She groaned in obvious discomfort and said, “Please sir, no more.”

Julian smiled and nodded. He raised the paddle and said, “Well now, we’re finally getting somewhere. I think five more ought to do it, what do you think Dad?”

Helen’s eyes shifted to focus on Mr. Harper. Desperation tempered by humility dominated the warble of her voice. “Please Mr. Harper, have mercy.”

Mr. Harper ignored her, favoring his son with his attention. “Whatever you think is best,” he said, with a dismissive wave of his hand, “it’s your experiment after all.”

“Five more it is then,” Julian said. He delivered each with the calculated precision of a man who enjoys his work. The swats were ear piercing and delivered at a rate that left Helen breathless and a sheen of sweat on Julian’s forehead.

In the aftermath, Helen shuddered against the table. She gulped in air until her breath resumed its normal rhythm. Her body remained tense as if she expected another swat to fall at any moment and she maintained her firm grip on the edges of the table. Miles stood in place, mesmerized by the trembling of her naked flesh and the pulsating of her shining buttocks.

Julian laid the paddle on the table next to her face where she couldn’t help but look at it. He gestured toward the far end of the table, turning his attention to his father and Miles. “Shall we get started?”

Mr. Harper moved to the far end of the table and took his seat at the head. Miles sat to his left while Julian took the chair to the right. Helen’s sobs subsided and she slowly began to get her rapid breathing under control. Miles cleared his throat and tried to focus on the subject of the meeting, but his thoughts remained with Helen.

Julian indicated Helen with a tilt of his head. “As you can see, we’ve begun instituting our new corporal punishment policy. What do you think?”

Miles took the opportunity to look back toward Helen. The paleness of her bare skin glowed in the illumination of the overhead fluorescent lights. Her disheveled blond hair was feathered on the tabletop and around her left shoulder. She remained with her head flat on its side staring out to her right where the paddle rested. Her hands still gripped the edges of the table on either side of her and the tension in her arms and shoulders revealed her acute awareness of the three men. The growing flush of pink on her face told Miles the pain of her spanking had already faded enough for her thoughts to refocus on the more embarrassing aspects of her circumstances.

“I think,” Miles said, “she’ll be doing her best to be a model employee so long as her memory of this incident remains fresh.”

Mr. Harper nodded. “Well said. Spanking alone won’t solve our problems. What we need is a comprehensive policy with extensive reinforcements, both positive and negative, as appropriate.”

Julian slapped his hand on the table and spun in his chair to face his father directly. “Exactly,” he said.  “That’s what I’m doing with Helen here. The spanking was just to get things started. By the time she goes home today she’ll be wishing she could forget this day ever happened and yet she’ll know that anything short of a company-wide bout of amnesia will make that impossible. That’s how you handle discipline.”

“I agree with you fundamentally,” Mr. Harper said, “but I’m still concerned about the disruption to the rest of the office. Right now, everyone in this office is probably thinking as much or more about Helen’s posterior than they are about their work.”

Julian sighed and leaned back in his chair. Miles leaned forward on the table and refocused himself on Mr. Harper. “I completely understand your concerns and they are legitimate, but I can assure you that once you’ve fully enacted the policy, your employees will be so much more focused on their work that the occasional disruption caused by a disciplinary action will be an insignificant drain on productivity.”

“Exactly Dad,” Julian said, slapping the table again. “The net result will be a gain not a loss.”

Mr. Harper looked down the center of his conference table at the woman laying with her torso flat against it. “Helen,” he said and she twisted her head to look at him, “would you stand up please?”

She sucked on her lower lip and inhaled deeply. Her eyes squeezed shut and she moved her arms in closer to her body. With exaggerated effort, she pushed herself upright. The three men were afforded only the briefest glimpse of her stiffened nipples before she wrapped an arm in front of her naked breasts and snaked the other lower to shield her sex from view. Her eyes reopened to stare down at the conference table while a new rush of embarrassment colored her cheeks a deep red.

“I can appreciate your embarrassment,” Mr. Harper said, “but keep your arms at your sides if you please.”

Helen’s eyes made no secret she was not in anyway pleased, but she was undoubtedly aware her dignity had already exited the room. She dropped her arms to her sides and straightened her shoulders. Her head raised to the meet the stares of the men. She pushed her naked breasts forward and widened her stance as if inviting the men’s eyes to drink upon her feminine beauty.

Mr. Harper looked from Miles to Julian. They were both staring at Helen’s naked body with slacked jaws. Mr. Harper nodded having gained the results he expected. “The two of you can’t even focus on this meeting with her in the room. How can I possibly expect the accounting department to do any work with her standing around like that?”

Miles forced himself to look at Mr. Harper. “If you think her presence will cause a problem then you can always assign her different duties for the duration. However, in my experience, after a company has settled into a disciplinary program like this, the employees grow accustomed to the sights and sounds as just a part of the normal office routine.”

Julian kept his eyes on Helen and said, “We’ll just make any of our disciplined ladies gophers for the day. That way they’ll get maximum exposure around the office and the disruption will be minimized to a few minutes here and there throughout the different departments.”

Miles looked between the two men, becoming aware of their unsettled differences. “Perhaps this meeting is premature,” he said. “I believe you have another sixty days on the trial version and if you aren’t certain about whether or not this type of disciplinary policy is right for your company, then you should take that time to explore the possibilities and their effects on your company’s operation.”

Mr. Harper appeared perplexed as he blinked at Miles. “Trial version?”

“After our first meeting,” Miles said, “my assistant sent you over a trial version of our software. I’m assuming you’re using it to administrate this ‘experiment’?”

Mr. Harper shook his head and looked to his son. “Julian?”

Julian peeled his eyes away from Helen’s naked assets and shrugged at his father. “I don’t know what’s he’s talking about. I used our lawyers to make arrangements for out test cases.”

Confused, Miles turned to look at Helen and then turned back to Julian and Mr. Harper. “I don’t understand. I thought Helen here was part of your testing the functionality of the software?”

Mr. Harper shook his head. “No, Julian wanted to test the effectiveness of corporal punishment in the office and so he selected a handful of employees to begin with. Helen has a gossipping issue and was therefore a natural choice.”

Concerned over the possible missteps the two men might have made in implementing their test, Miles glanced at Helen. “Maybe we should continue this discussion in private.”

Mr. Harper nodded agreement. Julian turned to Helen and said, “Why don’t you make a fresh pot of coffee and offer refills around the office.”

Helen’s mouth opened and closed in silence. Her chest heaved up and down in a momentary flush of panic. The warble of her voice hovered on the inaudible as she said, “Yes, sir.”

With quivering trepidation jittering through her body, she looked at the seated men. Her eyes pleaded for a reprieve, but none was forthcoming. She surrendered to her inevitable fate, taking a last deep breath before turning and walking out the open door. Only seconds later, the first exclamation of a shocked worker was heard. “My goodness, Helen, I never imagined the company assets were so far in the red.” The outer office erupted in a storm of snickers and outright laughter easily heard at the conference table. Filled with pride, Julian rose from his chair and crossed the floor to close the door.

Miles pushed aside his lingering visions of naked Helen and focused on Mr. Harper. “One of the reasons we offer a trial version of our software is because the legal issues involved in initiating a corporal punishment policy in the workplace are extensive and complicated. Our software comes with all the legal documentation and forms necessary to get started but without them, you could be leaving yourself open to a lawsuit.”

“We’re not idiots,” Julian said, leaning on the far end of the table where Helen had stood. “I had the ladies sign agreements drawn up by our lawyers.”

Miles shook his head. “I’m not questioning your intelligence or competence. The fact of the matter is these things are complicated and there’s more to it than mere consent and most lawyers lack the experience to properly advise you on corporal punishment policy. My assistant should have explained all of this to you in detail.”

Julian said, “I did my homework. For our little experiment, I kept the policy limited to just our five worst behaved ladies and I kept the rules simple. The consequences are limited to a narrow range of possibilities and if any of them don’t agree with my judgment they can appeal to my father for a second opinion. I’m absolutely certain we’re perfectly safe from anything but a frivolous lawsuit.”

Miles said, “Hopefully you are correct, but I’ve heard you refer to those involved in this experiment as ‘ladies’ three times now and that concerns me. In order to avoid a discrimination suit or worse, a sexual harassment suit, at the very least you must tie your corporal punishment policy to particular job functions in the company. If you want to be completely secure, the policy should be connected to whole departments or even company wide with very few, if any, positions in exception.”

Julian opened his mouth to respond, but Mr. Harper spoke first. “Clearly your company is more of an expert on this sort of thing. The reason we’ve had these discussions is because I’d like to take advantage of your expertise, but we never received your trial version. Perhaps you should take that up with your assistant?”

“Of course.” Miles agreed with further arguments on the tip of his tongue.

Mr. Harper pushed the conversation forward, keeping Miles sidelined. “If we’ve made some errors,” he said and looked at Julian for a brief moment before turning back to Miles, “I think we can still safely correct those mistakes with your assistance. Might I suggest you come back with the trial version on Monday and work with Julian to get it up and running for us?”

Miles nodded, accepting that something had clearly gone wrong either with his assistant’s or the Harper’s end. He disliked having to run through a client’s setup process personally, but he realized he would have to be accommodating  in order to preserve any chance of a sale. “Alright, let me just make a call to my assistant and see if I can find out what happened and then we can schedule a time.”

Mr. Harper said, “Excellent.”

Miles pulled out his phone and dialed his assistant. “Jennifer,” he said when the call was answered.

Static hissed on the other end followed by a thumping sound and then she said, “Fuck!”

Mr. Harper looked bemused, overhearing the exclamation. Julian chuckled and shook his head. Miles blinked at his phone, but otherwise avoided any outward signs of his embarrassment.

“Jennifer? It’s Miles.”

The static cleared and her voice came through loud. “Oh, hey. Sorry, I’m sort of having car troubles.”

Miles frowned and his eyebrows furrowed. “I thought you were staying home today?”

She said, “I had some stuff to take care of—

The blare of a horn interrupted.

—and this damn storm is making it fucking impossible.”

Miles envisioned her gesturing rudely out her window at some poor, hapless driver.  “I’m meeting with the Harpers,” Miles said, hoping she would get the hint to drop the foul language before he had to try and explain why an employee at a company that sells discipline policy software would talk to her boss with such loose expletives. “And I was calling because it seems they never received their trial copy of our software.”

“Shit!” Jennifer said, followed by a triple blare of car horn.

Miles tried to remain calm despite the annoyed tension tightening the back of his neck. “Are you saying you didn’t send it?”

“Sorry, I wasn’t talking to you,” she said. “I’m in a bit of trouble here.”

“You certainly are,” Miles said.

Mr. Harper and Julian nodded in silent agreement. Miles recognized the look in their eyes. Keeping the sale had just gotten more complicated and Jennifer was making it worse with every oblivious response. If he could have faked a quick end to the conversation he would have, but the quiet in the conference room combined with Jennifer’s extra loud voice left him without options. She would just have to face the consequences.

“Miles!” Jennifer said with annoyance dominating her tone. “I need help and I’m not fucking kidding.”

“Fine,” Miles said, “but first things first, tell me who you sent that trial version to here at Harper & Son, so we can track it down.”

Jennifer hissed into the phone. “I’m about to fucking drown and all you care about is some stupid trial copy? What the hell is wrong with you?”

Miles took a deep breath and asked, “Where are you?”

“Surrounded by fucking water,” she said.

Miles breathed through his frustration. “That’s generally what happens when you go outside during a rainstorm. Why do you think I told you to stay home today?”

Jennifer growled into the phone. “Keep pissing me off and you’ll be sucking your own dick for the rest of the month.”

Mr. Harper’s eyes opened wide as he regarded Miles curiously. Nearly choking on laughter, Julian shook his head and asked, “Does your software consider that as a punishment or a reward?”

Miles covered the receiver and said, “She’s also my girlfriend.”

Mr. Harper said, “All the more reason that girl needs a bar of soap in her mouth and a long session over the knee.”

Miles nodded. “I couldn’t agree more.”

Mr. Harper pushed off from the table and stood. “I look forward to seeing it first hand then. Shall we say,  Monday at 9 A.M.?”

Miles eyebrow raised and Mr. Harper said, “Well I’m sure you agree we are certainly victims of her behavior problems and it would only be appropriate for her discipline to be witnessed by us. Besides, you’ll be coming by to install the trial version anyway.”

Miles swallowed his objections and said, “Of course, Monday morning it is.”

Mr. Harper walked toward the door and gestured for Julian to join him on the way out.  Opening the door he turned back toward Miles. “Helen can show you out when your finished with your call.”

Miles nodded and turned his attention back to his phone after Mr. Harper and Julian exited the room. He uncovered the receiver and put the phone back to his ear. “Are you still there?”

Jennifer said, “Where the fuck do you think I’d be?”

“Just tell me where you are and I’ll be right there,” he said.

She said, “I’m stuck at the intersection of Washington and Fourth.”

“What do you mean ‘stuck’?” Miles asked.

“I ‘mean’,” she said, “Washington is a river and my car isn’t a fucking boat.”

“You drove into it?” Miles asked.

“No,” Jennifer said, “I tapped my fucking heels three times and magically appeared here. What the fuck do you think?”

Miles rolled his eyes and shook his head a the ceiling. “I’m coming, but could you please just tell me why you are out driving in the first place when I told you to stay home?”

“If you want someone to sit, stay and fetch for you, then get a fucking dog. I’m not your bitch,” she said. “As you can no doubt guess based on your oh so important meeting, I’m a little behind in my work.”

“So you thought you’d run around and try to play catch up without me finding out?” Miles asked.

“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” she said.

“Obviously not now,” he said.

“Well since you obviously moved up your meeting with Harper & Son,” she said, “I was apparently unsuccessful.”

“Yes,” Miles said. “Try and see if you can get out of your car and onto drier ground. I’ll be there just as soon as I can.”

“It’s fucking raining,” Jennifer said, “and I’m not really feeling like going for a swim.”

“Fine, stay in the car and drown,” Miles said. “I’ll be there soon enough and if by some miracle you’re still breathing, you’ll soon be wishing you weren’t because you are in for the worst spanking of your life.”

“That’s just fucking great,” she said. “Like I’m not already having the worst day ever.”

“It’s going to get worse,” Miles said. “Just wait until you hear about my new deal with the Harper & Son.” He ended the call before Jennifer could respond. He paused for a moment and then decided to call home before leaving.

“Hello,” Mr. Bennett said. “How’s your meeting going?”

Miles said, “It’s over until Monday. You aren’t going to believe what Jennifer has done.”

“Oh?” Mr. Bennett asked.

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.”