Academy of Littles

by Allison West

  "Are you supposed to be getting ready for bed?" Giana did not think the girl should be roaming the halls without shoes on, and dressed in such a scandalous manner.

  "Nanny Beth will find me when she needs to," Mollie said, not seeming conflicted or upset by what she had done.

  Was this what Giana had to look forward to? Her charge running off at the first hint of an opportunity for freedom? How bad could the chateau be for these ladies? There was food, shelter, and a warm bed to sleep in. Besides, it sounded as if they were well cared for, with a nanny and a papa who paid them special attention. Two months living on the harsh streets had taught her to appreciate such comforts of life, comforts she would never take for granted again.

  "Do you know where to find hot water?" As long as she had the young woman under her supervision, perhaps she could gather knowledge from her, as well.

  "A maid usually comes and fills our tub." Mollie glanced Giana over. "Maybe we can find a maid for you down here. I have heard that the maids and nannies all sleep on this floor. Perhaps if you knock upon one of their doors, they might point you in the right direction?"

  Giana studied Mollie's features closely, trying to determine whether the young woman was trying to pull one over on her, or intended to offer actual help. There was no sign of her lying, no reddened ears or rosy cheeks that she had caught from her friends when they had fibbed to their parents.

  "What will Nanny Beth do if she discovers you followed me downstairs?" Giana asked.

  Mollie's chocolate brown eyes widened. "My bottom will get paddled." She glanced behind her at the stairwell. Not a sound could be heard coming down the steps.

  "Perhaps you should return before she notices you have gone missing." Giana appreciated the help and the company, but did not wish to see Mollie in trouble, either.

  Mollie nodded and offered a brief smile before quietly heading up the stairwell. Her movements had been flawless, as Giana had not been able to hear her sneak up or down. As soon as she had finished with her bath and changed into more appropriate and clean attire, she would make sure to keep the door between the floors locked. She could not risk losing her job or being reprimanded. If the young women were disciplined with a harsh spanking, she did not dare discover what her own punishment for insubordination would be.

  Chapter 4

  Upon finishing her bath, Giana dried off and dressed quickly, slipping into the blue and gray gown she found in the wardrobe. It was not the exact same outfit that Nanny Beth had worn, but the dresses were similar, as if the same seamstress had made both. She tied her dark brown curls up on her head before slipping into her stockings and shoes. Her heels clicked over the marble floor, and her feet sank gratefully into the material of the soles, the cushion supporting her toes and offering her a bit of height as well with the brass heel. The shoes and the dress had to have cost a fortune, at least according to Giana's standards.

  Quickly, so as to not make her charge wait, Giana headed up the stairwell and through the door, locking it to ensure no one else would be able to slip out because of her negligence. With each step down the marble hall, the beat of her walk echoed until she reached Teresa's door. Standing awkwardly, she paused, her hand hovering above the wooden board. Was she to knock first? It seemed improper to barge right in without warning.

  Letting a nervous breath escape from her lips, she stood straighter, attempting to reveal only confidence as she knocked briskly on Teresa's door.

  "Go away!" a female voice shouted from the other side.

  Giana frowned. She did not believe she was supposed to go away, according to Nanny Beth's instructions. She glanced down the hall, counting the number of doors to ensure that she was not bothering a girl who was not her charge.

  "Excuse me? Teresa?" Giana asked, turning the handle. As she opened the door, she was greeted by a pillow flying across the room, which smacked her right in the face. "Blast!" Her heart momentarily felt as though it might leap from her chest; the shock of the feathers smacking Giana startled her.

  Was this how all the charges acted, or had Mr. Hartley been so generous as to give her the most difficult young woman on her first day at the chateau? Teresa could not have been much younger than Giana, perhaps two years at most. Was she honestly supposed to discipline a grown woman? The idea seemed preposterous! Yes, it was evident that Teresa needed a firm nanny to put the girl in her place, but spanking her hardly seemed as though it would do any good at all.

  Teresa laughed and sat on her mattress, her legs crossed, revealing her white cotton bloomers. She did not sit as a lady should and, looking at the short, green and black checkered dress that rested above the knee, Giana could not imagine the clothing was what she was supposed to wear. The dress was so short it was scandalous, revealing a flash of snowy skin just above her stockings.

  Clearing her throat and straightening her posture, she introduced herself. "My name is Nanny Giana. I have come to put you down for bed, and I do not believe you are to wear that to sleep." Giana had seen Mollie in her nightgown. At least one girl on the floor behaved herself—well, if she did not count her sneaking downstairs.

  Giana stepped closer, showing no hint of fear toward the woman. Teresa's black hair was pulled into two ponytails with bows at the top of her head. She may have been nearly Giana's age but she looked younger in the clothes she wore. Had that been the intent? The headmaster had mentioned a school of littles, and that would be where she worked. She just hadn't prepared herself for the image of what that entailed.

  "I shall call a maid to fetch your bathwater."

  "It is already fetched," Teresa said, pointing behind her toward the small room where the bath was situated.

  Giana walked across and examined the tub, dipping her fingers through the water. It was not particularly hot, but it would suffice. "Come here, child." The words slipped from Giana's lips before she even realized she had said them. The attire and demeanor of Teresa made it seem as though she was much younger.

  Teresa did not move in the slightest. "No." She folded her arms across her chest. "I do not wish to bathe in front of you."

  Giana's eyes widened, and she took a step back. Was she supposed to give the girl privacy? It seemed rude and inappropriate to bathe the young woman. She surely would not drown herself in the bathwater.

  The bedroom door swung wide without warning, and Nanny Beth stood there, with the paddle in her right hand. "Teresa, why are you not in bed already? Get into that bath right now!" Nanny Beth pointed at the tub with wide eyes. Her nostrils flared as she breathed through her nose.

  "I have been trying to get her into the tub," Giana said, defending herself. "The girl threw a pillow at me, and has been resolutely refusing to listen to me." It was a risk, tattling Teresa's behavior to Nanny Beth, but Giana did not know how to properly discipline the girl, or, at the very least, gain her respect, which it seemed Nanny Beth had earned.

  Teresa climbed down from the mattress and stalked across the floor. She removed her shoes first and then her stockings before glancing from Giana to Beth. "Must I undress in front of her?"

  Nanny Beth stepped forward and ripped the cotton bloomers down Teresa's legs. The paddle extended from her hand and she landed the face of the wood across the young woman's bottom.

  Crack.

  The wood made a loud blistering sound as it landed on her bare posterior.

  "Ow!" Teresa yelped as she tried to get away. Nanny Beth continued to paddle her wiggling behind two more times, appearing as if it took no effort at all.

  Nanny Beth grabbed her by the wrist and held her so she was not able to run. "I suggest you grip the edge of the bathtub, child. Nanny Giana will finish the paddling, and perhaps next time you will think twice before causing such a scene."

  Beth handed Giana the paddle and nodded toward the young woman's reddened bottom.

  Giana did not think she had it in her to spank anyone, let alone a grown woman.

  Teresa bent forward, her head down as she pushed her bottom
out and gripped the edge of the bathtub, leaning forward. Her dress fell over her hips, exposing her once creamy complexion, which was now splotched pink from the paddle.

  Nanny Beth waited for the discipline to ensue as Giana merely stood in shock. "She must learn that she takes orders from her nanny, which is you. She receives at least as many spanks as her regressed age. Tell Nanny Giana how old you are, and do not lie, child," Beth commanded.

  "Seven," Teresa squeaked, her voice hardly above a whisper.

  She was supposed to spank Teresa seven times? She did not think she had it in her to spank her once. At least the paddle would keep her own hand from walloping with pain.

  "Usually, I would recommend the bare hand, but Teresa has been a naughty girl, and after the number of bare bottom spankings she received earlier, the paddle will remind her that tomorrow she will not want to disobey her nanny," Beth said. She looked at Giana with a stern expression. "Go on now, we do not have all night."

  Giana took a breath and, without warning, drew back her hand and slapped the girl's buttocks with the paddle.

  Teresa jumped and gasped from the impact on her cheeks, causing Giana to flinch as well. Had she struck her too hard?

  "Spread your legs further apart," Nanny Beth ordered, holding up a finger for Giana to wait a moment, until the girl had done what she had been told.

  Whimpering, Teresa spread her legs further apart.

  Giana's eyes widened when she realized she could see the delectable pink of Teresa’s quim's lips. She had never seen a nude woman before, and barely looked at her own privates due to the indecency of such an act. In an attempt to hide her stare, and feeling Nanny Beth's eyes upon her, she landed a second smack to Teresa's bottom, quite pleased that she had found the strength to discipline the young woman, even if it had been with Beth's instruction. She certainly needed someone to explain to her what was appropriate. Tomorrow, she would likely be thrust into the job full-time, without any further guidance.

  "Please. No more!" Teresa begged, her bottom wiggling as she awaited another swat from the paddle. Giana hesitated. Should she stop? Clearly the paddling caused great discomfort… was that the intent?

  Nanny Beth stared at Giana sternly, silently ordering her to continue.

  She could not back down. Yes, Teresa needed to recognize that she was in charge and to be respected. "Begging will not work," Giana said, trying to sound firm even though she did not feel anything but uncertainty. "We will be done after you receive all seven swats to your bottom."

  "Seven?" Teresa whined. "Please, no, Nanny Giana."

  It felt strange to be called 'Nanny Giana', and yet that was how this girl was to address her. Mustering her strength to continue, Giana's hand came down with the paddle, spanking Teresa once more, realizing she held her breath every time she brought the wood onto the woman's pert behind.

  "Finish her punishment and then you are to bathe her, just as if she were a child. Then dress little Teresa and tuck her into bed. She does not get a story tonight. In fact, I think it would be wise to continue training."

  "Training?" Giana did not know what that meant. "Training her for what?"

  Nanny Beth glanced Giana over and practically snarled, "I do not know where Headmaster Philip found you, but I am certain you have never taken care of a little before."

  Giana's eyes narrowed, angry that Beth would say something so callous in front of her charge. If she had words to exchange, it should have been in private. Teresa had no business hearing any of the discussion.

  "Thank you, Nanny Beth," Giana seethed between her teeth. She did not want to continue it any longer. "I can take care of little Teresa from here. I will not be requiring your assistance." She pointed at the door for Nanny Beth to leave. "Teresa is my charge, and I am to care for her." Her top lip trembled upward in a snarl as she breathed heavily through her lips, anger boiling in her blood.

  "Fine." Beth stood and dusted her hands on her gown, as if she was wiping away the words that may have offended her. "I would like my paddle returned to me by the end of the night. Good luck with little Teresa, but I am sure you do not need it since you are clearly so… experienced." She held her head high and walked out of the room.

  Giana took several deep breaths, trying to calm her racing heart. Why did Beth aggravate her to the core? There was something about the stern woman that she did not like. Giana did not wish to be the harsh nanny whom Teresa would fear, but she was not pleased by her behavior upon their introduction, either.

  "We will finish the spanking and then you will get into that bath, undressed, and without a fight." Giana spoke clearly and firmly, making it evident that she was not playing games and would not tolerate such ill behavior.

  "Yes, Nanny Giana."

  Giana's hand came down with the paddle, planting the wooden instrument hard against the young woman's reddened bottom.

  Teresa began to cry, her soft sobs muffled by her nasal breathing.

  Giana had not ever made anyone cry before. Her heart ached and a knot formed in the pit of her stomach as guilt crept up on her. No. She could not fall victim to the girl's trap. Teresa deserved the punishment she was receiving; she had been mouthy and difficult to manage. Giana hoped that, after the spanking, they could move past the discipline together and start anew. She had only three more swats left to give.

  Intending to make them quick, though not exactly painless, Giana used her wrist to flick the paddle against Teresa's once pale bottom. Her rear was covered in pink welts at every angle, and the paddle came down again with a resounding thud on the sixth swat.

  Teresa cried louder, as her bottom must have been burning, and Giana did not wish to spank her any further, but they both had their parts to play. She was the nanny and if she wanted respect, then she needed to finish the punishment that Teresa had earned herself. Besides, it was one final swat, and then they could move past the discipline.

  Crying and hiccupping, Teresa howled as Giana released one final swat to Teresa's bottom before dropping the paddle as if it had burned her. Her own hand had grown numb from the constant motion and strength that she was not used to exerting.

  "It is time for your bath," Giana said, toeing the paddle to push it further from the tub. "I am to help you undress." It was less of a question and more of a statement. Exhaling a breath, Giana waited for Teresa to face her.

  Teresa turned around, her face blotchy and wet with tears. She lifted her arms into the air, her bottom lip pouting as Nanny Giana stepped closer.

  The girl was several inches shorter than Giana, who lifted the hem of Teresa's dress, helping her remove the gown over her head. Teresa's breasts popped out, the outfit having bound them tightly to her chest.

  Giana tried not to stare at the young woman's rosy nipples, which matched the redness of her face.

  Teresa lowered her hands and stepped into the bath water. "It is cold," she said, protesting the temperature as she crinkled her nose.

  "Then we shall be quick about it," Giana said matter-of-factly. Bending down to the level of the tub, she reached for a cotton rag and dipped it under the water. She did not deny that the water had grown cooler in the time it had taken to get the young woman into the bathtub. Giana reached for the bar of soap and scrubbed it onto the cloth before running the material over and down Teresa's back.

  It felt awkward for her to bathe another woman. Giana averted her gaze, trying not to stare at the woman's most private and intimate region as she ran the cloth four times across her back.

  "My back should be spotless with all the scrubbing you are doing," Teresa said. "Perhaps you could pay attention to the rest of my skin before you rub it raw."

  "Yes, of course." Giana exhaled a breath and with it, she ran the cloth across and down little Teresa's arms and neck. She skipped over her stomach and intimate regions, dousing the cloth under the water to scrub at her legs.

  Teresa held out her hand for the cloth.

  Giana shook her head. She needed to gain her nerve to finis
h the task. She felt as though she was making a bigger deal out of the ordeal than was necessary. Teresa had been bathed before by another, likely Nanny Beth. Giana considered herself to be kinder and gentler.

  "I will bathe you. Littles do not wash themselves," Giana said. The words came out sounding confident and calm, but she did not feel that way in the slightest.

  Teresa remained quiet, her fingers skimming over the water, waiting for Giana to finish her work.

  Scrubbing the cloth with the bar of soap once more, Giana lathered the suds and pressed the cloth back to Teresa's neck, moving down her chest as she rubbed over the young woman's breasts. She paid each mound special attention, trying not to arouse but to clean her.

  Giana's face must have been reddening as the room began to swelter around her. She knew it was impossible for the water to heat up, and yet it no longer felt cool or chilled as Teresa shut her eyes. Was the little growing tired, or aroused? Giana did not know which, but she herself felt her quim betray her as her heart skipped a beat. Exhaling softly, she tried not to startle Teresa as the cloth moved from her breasts down her stomach toward the juncture of her thighs. She caressed her skin with the soapy cloth, feeling over the folds of her cunny. Teresa was hairless and smooth, Giana's digits grazed the bare skin as she pulled the cloth away. It had not been with intent, but she discovered her own pulse throbbing between her thighs. Giana could not let anyone discover that bathing little Teresa had aroused her.

  "Come, let's get you out of the tub," Giana said, moving to stand up, not understanding the thoughts and emotions that almost suffocated her.

  "You have to wash my hair first."

  Right. She needed to focus on her task. Giana knelt back down onto the floor and reached for the bar of soap, lathering her hands.

  Teresa ducked her head back into the tub, letting the water soak the long, dark tendrils.

  With a decent amount of suds, Giana coated the black hair from root to tip with soap. Helping her rinse the foam away, she watched as Teresa sank back under the water and Giana found a nearby mug, dipping it into the bath to help remove the last remnants of suds near her forehead.