by Allysa Hart
After a few hours of mind-numbing garbage, she moved restlessly around the room, catching the note out of the corner of her eye. Picking it up, she crumpled it into a ball and threw it into the trash can across the room. It sailed through the air, hitting the wall right above the black bin. Usually she would celebrate the fact that the scrap of paper had made it into the intended target, but she was too frustrated to care. It was already past noon, and her belly growled, but the hotel cafe came up short. Nothing looked at all appetizing. With a huff, she headed to the lobby and out the door, deciding she would take a short walk and find something herself.
It was four o’clock by the time she returned to their hotel room. After walking farther than she intended and getting lost on her way back to the hotel, she wanted to kick herself. She’d set out to prove herself to Rose, but all she succeeded in doing was proving her right. She could only hope and pray the meetings were still in progress. No such luck. Before she even opened the door all the way, she heard Rose speaking with urgency on the phone. Katie froze in place, pierced with a glare rivaling any other, and it took everything inside her not to start crying right then and there. She was in so much trouble.
“I found her, honey. She just walked in.” She paused for a moment, not taking her gaze from Katie. “I will tell her. I love you, too.” Rose forcibly placed the phone back onto its cradle. Katie all of a sudden had the complete attention of a very, very angry woman.
“Auntie, I’m so…”
“Don’t,” Rose snapped.
Katie jumped, clasped her hands in front of her, dropped her gaze, and fell silent. Tears clouded her vision as she listened to Rose’s angry tirade.
“I just spent an exhausting day in meetings and came back to an empty hotel room, which would be fine except when I tried to call your cell phone, it went straight to your voicemail. Why is your phone dead? Have your uncle and I not drilled your phone rules deeply enough?”
“You have, but…”
“There is no ‘but.’ We have had this conversation. You have been disciplined for it on more than one occasion, and you continue to break the same rule that is in place. For. Your. Safety.” She forced each word through her clenched teeth. “If you cannot use your phone responsibly, you can give it to me, and I will allow you use it when I need you to have it. That way I will know it is charged, and I can get ahold of you when it is necessary.”
Katie scuffed her toe on the floor in front of her. She didn’t know what to say, and every time she started to speak, she was shut down. Silence seemed her best option at the moment.
“Where have you been? I checked the lobby, cafe, and the pool but didn’t see you in any of those places.”
“I went for a walk.”
“In the garden?”
Katie gave a noncommittal shrug.
“Look at me, little girl.”
Katie’s stomach dropped at the growled demand, and she dragged her eyes up to those of her irate Auntie.
“Tell me right now that you did not leave the hotel grounds after I expressly told you not to.”
She was in so much trouble. Tears of regret fell down her cheeks, but she made no move to wipe them away. Rose didn’t move or speak, just stared at her, waiting for an answer. Katie took a deep breath before sealing her fate. “I can’t tell you that, cuz that would be a lie. I did leave and went to get some food and…”
“There’s food here,” Rose pointed out.
“I know, but I was bored, and I just wanted french fries.”
“I see.”
“So I went and found some, but when I was coming back, I kinda got turned around.”
“You got lost in a city unfamiliar to you? Imagine that.” Rose’s sarcastic comments pissed Katie off, but she tried to keep her attitude under control. Getting angry would only cause her more trouble.
“I wasn’t lost,” she lied. “I just went the wrong way.”
“That isn’t the point. The point is you were here, in this luxury hotel room, with TV, with access to a pool and a gym, but that wasn’t enough. I have been finished with my day for an hour and have spent that entire time searching for you and worrying. I left you a note, telling you how much I love you and to be a good girl and stay safe and I’d be back soon, but you disobeyed me. On top of your deliberate disobedience, you put yourself in danger, and I would like to know exactly what was going through your head before I decide how to proceed with the evening.”
Katie’s anger diminished, and shame overcame her. She could have crawled into a hole and spent the rest of eternity there, the truth was she did it on purpose. She’d known it was wrong to leave but hadn’t cared. She’d been angry at being left alone, even though she had known from the beginning Rose had to work during their days away. Why couldn’t she have remembered all of this before she threw her fit and disobeyed direct orders?
“Rose, please...” Katie tried, tears in her eyes.
“Please is not an explanation. You know what? At this point, it doesn’t matter. I can’t believe how much you made me worry and endangered yourself. Go to the bathroom and put your pajamas on.”
Katie’s mouth dropped open. “My pajamas? But…”
“March!” Rose snapped her fingers and pointed to the bathroom. “And if you are not out in two minutes, I’m coming in after you!”
Eyes wide, Katie grabbed her bag and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
Cringing at the loud bang, she took some deep breaths, hoping Rose wouldn’t be coming in after her.
Two minutes were up faster than she realized, and she gasped when the bathroom door flung open. She’d made it as far as cleaning her face and getting her pants off and her pajama top on but was still in only her pink panties. Rose grasped her by the ear and hauled her out to the desk chair. She sat down and pulled Katie to stand directly in front of her.
“All right, young lady, you listen, and you listen good. Do you understand me? Do you have any idea how worried I was when I came back to an empty room and then was unable to contact you? Where is your phone?”
“In my purse,” Katie stated quietly, staring at the floor.
“A lot of good that does you when it’s dead, huh? So you left the room, left the hotel, left the area, and did not even bother to check if your phone had a charge? Do I have that right, so far?”
“Yes, Auntie.”
“So you directly disobeyed me and left, which was unsafe in and of itself. You didn’t have any way to contact anyone, and you went where, again?”
“I was hungry so I just went to get food.”
“What was wrong with the choices of food available in the hotel?”
“I don’t know.”
“I do. I know exactly. You were in a snit and decided you wanted to disobey me. You were upset about something and decided to act out. What does acting out get you from me, little girl?”
Katie shrugged.
“I will tell you what it gets. It gets you a red-hot bottom, every time. Do you understand me? I love you and you scared me to death. So, here is what’s going to happen. You are going to march your little butt into the bathroom and get my hairbrush. Then you are going to go stand in the corner with the brush, bare bottomed.”
Katie gaped at Rose, but she was cut off before she could speak.
“No more discussion, go. Now.”
Katie turned to obey without another word. She retrieved the brush and went to the corner to stand.
“Panties.” Rose’s barked command made her jump.
Reaching back, she slid the panties down past her bottom, knowing they would fall the rest of the way on their own. She was riddled with guilt. As tears streamed down her face, she thought about how terrified Rose must have been when she was unable to find her or get ahold of her. She had also been forgetting about something else very important. What if Keith had needed to reach her for Noah? She slammed her forehead against the wall. How could she have been so stupid and selfish?
“All ri
ght, little girl, lose the panties and come here.”
Rose’s tone gave her no hope she would receive any grace. She hurried to obey, not wanting to chance angering her further. Glancing at the look on Rose’s face, her heart broke. Gone was the intense anger and frustration. It had been replaced with a deep sadness and regret. Katie’s tears flooded her eyes, and she covered her mouth to muffle the sob.
Rose took the brush and set it on the desk before pulling Katie into her arms.
“Little girl, I need you to understand, and I mean really understand just how serious this was. I love you, and it would kill me and your uncle if something happened to you. I do not make rules and give directions to stifle you. I do it to keep you safe and happy. Can you see that?”
Katie nodded. “I’m so sorry, Auntie.”
“Well, you certainly will be. I am going to spank you long and hard with my hand and then I am going to spank you with the hairbrush. And then, Katie, you will be getting a taste of a switch. I need to impress the seriousness of this offense upon you. Do you understand?”
Katie tried to pull her hands from Rose’s grasp. “A switch? Where did you get a switch?”
Rose tightened her grip and unceremoniously tossed her over her knee. Throwing her hands in front, Katie squealed as her feet flew up behind her and kicked in midair. Rose wrapped an arm around her back and rested her other palm on her naked behind.
“Oh God. Please don’t spank me with a switch, Auntie, please!” she pleaded, trying to cover herself with one hand. “I’ll be such a good girl, I promise!!!”
“Oh, I know that,” she agreed, pushing Katie’s hand away. “But, first, you’re going to learn exactly what happens to little girls who misbehave! You’ve earned yourself a sound spanking, young lady,” Rose assured her. “And you’re going to get it.”
Rose smacked the palm of her hand down hard across Katie’s bare bottom.
“Owww!” she cried, kicking her feet. “That hurts!”
“As naughty as you’ve been, little girl, this is nothing!”
Many more times, she slapped Katie’s defenseless bottom and, due to her spanking the night before, her bottom went from tender to smarting in the blink of an eye.
“Please stop, Rose. I’ll never disobey again, I promise!” She wiggled to get away, but it was pointless. She wasn’t going anywhere. Rose continued the assault until Katie submitted physically and emotionally to what was happening. Katie cried. She cried because it hurt, and she cried because she’d let Rose down. Already tired of fighting, she ceased trying to escape. As much as she wanted this to be over so she could crawl into Rose’s lap and be cuddled, at that moment, she knew it was more important to feel forgiven than it was for the spanking itself to stop.
Rose paused and rubbed Katie’s back. The comforting sensation allowed her to feel connected and loved even though her bottom stung. She relaxed slightly, her tears and breathing calming, but then she felt Rose’s comforting hand leave and something cold and hard being pressed against her bottom. The brush. Katie’s breath caught.
“Okay, sweetie, you are being a very good girl, and we are almost done, but I need you to feel how serious this act of defiance was. You put yourself at risk, and that is unacceptable. I love you too much to stand by and let that happen. You also need to understand that if you ever do anything like this again, this spanking will feel like patty-cake.” Rose fell silent, letting the words sink in. Katie’s tears dripped down her face and onto the ugly hotel carpet.
“Y-yes, ma’am. I’m s-sorry.”
“I know you are, little girl.” The brush left Katie’s bottom and smacked down, hard. While Rose wasn’t spanking full force yet, she wasn’t taking things lightly, either. The brush always hurt way worse than her hand. The pain and sting of each swat went deeper and lasted a lot longer. She did not keep count of how many strokes were laid to her bare behind, but when they stopped, she was eternally grateful. Her tears and sobs were renewed with the first blow of the brush, and they took her breath away as Rose rubbed her bottom and cooed on about how much she loved her and cared about her and what a good girl she was for taking her punishment. The tender touch and words soothed her from the inside out, and she closed her eyes.
“Unfortunately for you, we are not finished just yet, little girl.”
Katie cringed at the dreaded phrase.
“I believe I said you would be feeling the switch tonight, did I not?”
Dread shook her body. The switch had never been on the table for a spanking before, and the idea of the thin whippy implement wreaking havoc on her already-throbbing back end was almost unbearable.
Rose coaxed her into a standing position between her knees and took her face in her hands. “Listen to me, baby. Do you trust me?”
Katie nodded. “Yes, Auntie, b-but I’m s-scared of the switch. You don’t have to do it. I will never be bad again. I swear it.”
Rose smiled. “Let’s not go compounding your naughties by adding fibbing to the list. No one expects you to be perfect, but we do expect you to take your consequences like a good girl.”
Katie blushed. She had heard that line more times than she cared to count, but this felt different. For the first time, she was actually more afraid than nervous about a punishment. She still remembered the sharp sting of the plastic hanger from a month earlier, and she knew this would be worse. Her body shook as she waited for the spanking to start.
Rose cleared her throat. “Look at me, honey.” When Katie obeyed, she continued, “Something is going on in that head of yours, and we need to figure it out before you self-destruct. I am going to give you three stripes across your naughty bottom that you will feel long after this spanking is over, but then you will be forgiven and know that putting yourself in danger will never be met lightly, ever. Do you know why?”
Katie blinked back her tears and nodded. “Because you love me.”
“So much, honey. So much that it hurts. So let’s get this done, and we will both feel better.” Rose kissed her on the head and stood. “I want you to bend over the arm of the couch, and it’s very important that you do not put your hands or feet in my way, do you understand?”
Katie closed her eyes trying to hold back the tears. Her breath shook as she tried with all her might to be brave. Positioning herself as Rose requested, she folded her arms in front of her and buried her face in the cushion. She could hear Rose moving around behind her, but she had zero interest in getting a look at the switch.
Rose’s hand grazed her bottom. “You have some bruises forming, I think you are going to be sore for quite some time, little girl.”
Katie cringed. She had been spanked more in the past forty-eight hours than she had been in months. Bruises were not a surprise.
“I’m going to start. I need you to be a good girl, okay?”
“Yes, Auntie,” Katie whimpered into the couch. Rose must have understood because as soon as the words were out of her mouth, a line of white-hot fire cut across the lower half of her butt. Her back arched, and she clasped her hands together in an attempt not to reach back. The pain seemed to build and spread in the seconds after the strike.
“Auntie! It hurts,” she begged.
“I know, sweetie. Two more. I will do them fast and then we will be finished.”
Katie took a fortifying breath and braced herself. The pain of the switch was unlike any other, and she vowed to live the rest of her life without ever having to feel the horrid thing again.
True to her word. Rose laid the last two down quickly, each right below the previous. The last one hit the crease of her sit spots dead-on and was by far the hardest. If Katie didn’t know any better, she would swear a knife had been taken to her, leaving her bleeding. She cried in her arms, afraid to move. Rose said three, she felt three, but she couldn’t move until she heard her Auntie’s voice.
“It’s over, baby. All done. Shhhh. When you are ready, I could really use some cuddles.”
Katie jumped up and threw herself
into Rose’s comfort, knocking her backward onto the love seat. She curled into a ball and pressed deeply into Rose’s lap, not caring her panties were across the room and her bottom was red, hot, and throbbing. She needed to feel the forgiveness only a hug from Rose could provide after an intense punishment. Rose didn’t disappoint. She wrapped her arms tightly around Katie and rocked her as she had done before.
“Thank you, baby.”
“I love you, Auntie. I’m sorry.”
“I know you are, and it is over. All is forgiven.”
After her sobs subsided, Rose pressed a tissue into her hand, and they cuddled in comfortable silence. Katie felt herself start to doze off, so she got up and threw away her tissue. When she came back, she lay on the bed with her head in Rose’s lap. As was the norm these days, she wavered between Big and Little. Usually, after such a severe spanking, there was no Big left in her, and she regressed, but the freedom to do so had been missing since she had Noah and met Jeff. In hindsight, she knew why she had been acting out so blatantly—in order to get the discipline she needed to immerse herself into her Little headspace. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been so thoroughly spanked, and still, she struggled to find the freedom she craved. Maybe it was for the best—a new normal in order for her to let Jeff into her life—a prelude to giving up this part of her in order to move on and be what he needed. She wanted to be what he needed, but she couldn’t seem to get past the idea it meant having to give up what she needed.
“Where’s my little girl?” Rose asked intuitively, leaning down to press a soft kiss to Katie’s temple.
“She’s hiding, Auntie,” Katie admitted. “I find her, but then she disappears again.”
“Mmmmm,” Rose hummed, and Katie could tell she was thinking. “It’s happened before, you know,” she mused aloud. “She hides when she is hurting, or when she is afraid of being hurt.”
Katie stayed silent, unable to argue the fact.
“She shouldn’t be afraid,” Rose continued. “Fear is a lack of trust. Relationships only work with honesty, and it’s hard to be honest with someone you don’t trust.”
