The Disciplined Women of Chapel Island

by Susan Thomas

  That aside, the big topic of interest in our house was my birthday party. There was a small band that played covers of all sorts of stuff. They were all staff on the island who did this in their spare time both on the island and the mainland. Dad had booked them and they were going to do a good selection including dance music. The band leader also asked me if he should accompany each smack of my birthday spanking. I nearly died of embarrassment that he should know but he told me they often did it. I sent him to Dad, I just couldn't deal with that!

  Mum insisted on taking me shopping for clothes for my birthday. The first place she took me was a boutique that was so expensive I nearly freaked out.

  "Mum," I whispered, "this dress is more than six month's allowance for me, let's get out of here."

  "I'm paying darling, not you. This is a big occasion for you - birthday and new member - you're going to look wonderful."

  Well mum does have some money of her own from a small inheritance so in the end I agreed and the assistant brought out a summer dress for me to try. It was a simple white with a nice waistline, sleeveless and shoulder-less with two narrow straps to hold it up, and quite short ending about mid-way between knee and bottom. It felt good. According to the assistant it was flirtatious, innocent, simple and elegant. It was also hideously expensive but she didn't add that bit. I looked good on me I can tell you. When I saw the tears in Mum's eyes as she looked at me I knew I had to have it. One advantage for my birthday spanking was it would be easily removed.

  So since I would revealed in my underwear I had to buy new and it had to look good. Mum wanted me to have a bra and knickers with a garter belt and stockings to match. Well I tried some on but just didn't fancy all that fiddling and said no. My legs are good and they were lightly browned from the summer so I said just a bra and knickers. We ended buying beautiful off-white silk French knickers with a lace frill around each leg and a bra to match. I chose a pair of shoes carrying one of those highly fashionable names, open with light straps and a solid heel but not too silly. I could have bought a much cheaper look alike in many a high street shop but Mum insisted that the company we were having could tell.

  On my birthday mum plaited my hair into a French plait and brought it round over my shoulder. They'd given me a gorgeous bracelet and we left the outfit at that. They stood looking at me like I was a princess or something and then we were into the party. It may have sounded dull but not a bit, Chapel Island folk know how to enjoy themselves. First of all everyone brought gifts which I wasn't expecting and lovely gifts too. Lady Forbes gave me a beautiful necklace and told my mother how lucky she was to have such a wonderful daughter. Mum agreed which made me very embarrassed. I danced with everyone including Sir Charnock Forbes who was a revelation on the dance floor. Of course I danced with David more than anyone and he is a good looking man, fit and tanned. We looked good together. Then it was time for my birthday spanking.

  Now it came to it I was horribly embarrassed far more than I thought I would be. I had to slip off my dress which mum held but I left my shoes on. As I stood revealed in my underwear there came gasps from everyone especially the men. Apparently they liked what they saw. The band leader did a drum roll and I slipped my knickers down a little way and went over dad's lap... cue another drum roll.

  "Ladies and gentleman," the band leader announced, "Sir Graham Freckleton will now give his daughter Kate a birthday spanking consisting of no less than nineteen smacks." A further drum roll followed.

  "And one to grow on," chanted all the guests.

  I was dying of embarrassment at being over Dad's lap but I'd said I would and it just had to be borne. Dad's hand smacked down on my bare bum and it stung, not a huge amount but enough. The smack was followed by a light clash on the cymbal. He didn't spank fast but nice and slowly, each smack of his hand on my bottom accompanied by the clash of the cymbal. As the smacks built up I found I was wriggling somewhat and my bottom was getting more than a little warm. It may have only been a birthday spanking but it was having an effect. He got to nineteen and the guests all chanted, "One more," and so with a huge roll of the drums Dad brought his hand down hard. I yelped loudly and everyone laughed.

  My bottom was red when he finished and really quite warm and it stung a fair bit but everyone enjoyed it. I quickly got dressed and dad gave me a hug and a kiss and then Dave Riley asked dad if it was ok to make an announcement at the end. Dad agreed. After my spanking we had the buffet and the party went on for a fair while after that but all good things come to an end and then Dave Riley stood up to make his announcement.

  Dave has a strong Liverpool accent with a cynical rapid fire way of talking which my Dad said he uses to disguise an extremely shrewd brain. Now he was not cynical but announced that Michele was expecting a baby. Everyone was delighted and it was a nice way to end the party. I knew from the manual that now Michelle could not have any corporal correction until after the baby was born and the island doctor gave her the all clear. Even if she had penalties to be redeemed at the dinner-dance she wouldn't be getting corrected and the penalties would be expunged.

  We stood at the door saying goodbye to the guests and David kissed me but then leaned forward and whispered, "I'd have given you your birthday spanking if you'd asked." I went red but whispered back that he could still do that at the first opportunity and we both laughed.

  I've not told you about the examination I had to have from the island doctor. Fortunately it is a woman but it was bad enough even so. The general physical was ok and she declared me very fit and healthy. However, the check on whether I was virgo intacta was very embarrassing and she also tested me for sexual diseases - but how you can get them when you're a virgin? I wasn't sure and didn't fancy asking. Naturally I passed both and now things were moving faster. In addition to the five men I have mentioned who had been cleared another two had been added. One had been rejected but I wasn't told why. Of the two new men one was a German industrialist and the other a Briton who apparently owned some high tech engineering company. Having found the bidders the auction could now begin in earnest and the reserve price for my virginity had been set at £5000. If that seems very low to you, as it did to me, I was assured it was just to get it started and there was no way it would end at anything like as low a figure. I got daily briefings from my lovely guide, whose name was Jane, as to the current state of my bid.

  The V Auction moved on with the bids coming in. It all seemed a bit slow to me but apparently that was normal as the gentlemen bidders were cautious. However, it was soon up to £15,000 and the organisers were convinced would go much higher. Dad still wasn't comfortable with it and when I went to thank him for his restraint with the birthday spanking I told him I was sorry and that I knew he must be disappointed with me at having become a member and for the V Auction.

  "Disappointed? Good grief no Kate I am intensely proud of you. Such strength and determination! You are a daughter to be proud of, indeed you are. I may not like everything you do. As the poet says your Mum and I are just the bow and you the living arrow that is sent forth to live in the house of tomorrow which we cannot visit. So Kate you must order your life as you need for you and not for me."

  We had a long hug then which was lovely because Dad wasn't really around much when I was growing up.

  In the meanwhile I was thinking. Suddenly not only had Mum been checked for her ID but several others too. There were murmurings about it because although it was in the rules it had never really happened before. I mean if you've never been checked before and suddenly you are bending over in the House of Guardians you're bound to be a bit put out. It seemed strangely suspicious to me. I mean I get checked out of the blue just after I become a member and on the one day I don't have my ID. I mention around how odd this is and suddenly Mum and several others are baring and bending as they don't have their ID.

  I sat and thought and went back to the day I had got my penalty. Who knew I hadn't got it? No one because I didn't tell anyone. Who could have known? Well
the cleaner but she had a rota and I don't remember her cleaning my room on that day. Mum is highly organised and has a monthly rota up. She doesn't throw the old ones away so I checked back. No, the cleaner had been downstairs that day so it was very unlikely that she would have gone in my room, why would she? So where had I left the ID? On the chest of drawers by the door. Was it possible there was a camera in my room spying on me? I mean you see that sort of thing in the movies and TV but is it real? Why spy on me?

  On impulse I went down and got stepladders from the garage and began searching the walls and ceiling of my room. I wasn't sure whether I was imagining it or not but I found some small marks indicating something had been there but that had been most carefully repaired. I went to the loft hatch and pulled down the ladder and climbed up. Above my bedroom I found those same places except not so carefully repaired. To me it looked as if someone had drilled tiny holes and then filled them. There were also some screw holes where something had been fixed.

  Just what on earth was going on? If they had been watching me (whoever they were) why? And why report me to the Guardians? Then it dawned on me, if others were now being checked was it because one of the people I had talked to was part of it and they were trying to disguise the fact I had been picked on? Well just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you.

  I didn't know who to trust now. My suspicions fell on Claire except that Claire surely wouldn't have been able to put cameras in our house, and why would she do it anyway? I decided just to tell the same people I had told before and see what happened.

  Chapter 12

  I shared my thinking with David and he listened but calmly debunked my fears.

  "Now think Kate, why would anyone spy on you? If it was true it would have been going on for some time and you were just the daughter of members, still doing A-Levels and about to go off to university. I know you didn't go but the cameras must have already been in place if they actually existed."

  "Well what about the marks and the sudden ID checks?"

  "Well the marks could be anything. I mean decorators may not have noticed some old cable holes and filled them later, who knows. As for the ID checks, perhaps the Guardian just decided as you were a new member to check you and you didn't have it so someone higher up decided to check other members. Perhaps they got a bit slack and decided to tighten up. I'm not being rude but honestly you ladies do get a bit casual about stuff like that. Perhaps a few sore bottoms will sort it out."

  He was very persuasive but I also mentioned my suspicions to Claire and her reaction was very different. First she went all quiet and then looked worried and she had an answer to why they would pick on me.

  "You started trying to get into that intranet didn't you. I know you said no one noticed, but suppose they did? Suppose they saw your efforts and decided they'd better keep an eye on you? So when you decided to become a member ... I mean just suppose for a moment that maybe they didn't trust you. Maybe they thought you'd back out of getting your 'correction' so they gave you a test which you passed."

  I thought that was clever in spite of her claim she wasn't bright enough for university.

  "Yes, but how did they know that I was suspicious and start checking on other Ids? Don't forget it was my mum they started with. Isn't that odd?"

  "Who did you tell?"

  "You, David, Michelle and Aileen."

  "Could be one of us mentioned it to someone else? I didn't, but Aileen is always chatting on to everyone. I have noticed when she is in my restaurant she is always chattering away and doesn't much mind what she says really."

  Claire was certainly plausible enough and as Michelle and Aileen more or less came out with David's line, it was all I had as a theory. Perhaps it was my attempts with the intranet but who would do it?

  Claire had an answer to that too. "The Guardians. You don't think they are a sort of private PC Plod outfit do you? There is much more to that lot I can tell you."

  "How can you tell me Claire?"

  "Because I keep my ears open and members who have had the extra drop of wine often talk too freely. They forget I have ears. I'm not saying more, I want to keep my job."

  ---oOo---

  The Five were in private conference.

  Number Five began the proceedings. "I was right about Kate checking her room for cameras. She has, and has found some trace evidence which is fortunately inconclusive. All evidence from the monitoring has been destroyed. Unfortunately, getting Guardians to do ID checks has backfired and made her even more suspicious. However, I have stopped that now and she really has nowhere to go with her suspicions. She is also happy with her membership and plans for the V Auction so I think we can move on safely."

  Number 1 was calm as always. "Mistakes are inevitable. Let it go. She has much to occupy her mind in September and will then have some money to spend. We'll get her into choosing a car to take her mind off her fears."

  Number 5 continued. "In the meanwhile I think we have a serious problem. I believe we may have a spy in our midst."

  ---oOo---

  The V Auction was only given until noon on the Friday before the Saturday dinner-dance where I was to be 'corrected' again. My guide told me it was best to put a tight deadline otherwise it would dribble on forever. The actual date of the deflowering of course was flexible and we were aware that it was best if my marks had gone by then. The bids went up slowly by small increments and I thought that it would end up around the £22,000 mark. Suddenly some bidders dropped out, leaving the Chinese industrial magnet, the oil rich Arab and Russian, the German industrialist and the British manufacturer of high tech equipment. At the start of the Friday morning the bidding had crawled up to £25,000 and I was amazed it had gone so high. Honestly what is it with men that they would pay so much for so little?

  I was going to go to work on the Friday morning but Jane (my guide) said it could get exciting before noon so instead I went to the Island Hall and sat with Jane in the room where the bids came in. At £26,000 the Russian, Chinese and British men dropped out suddenly, leaving only the German and the Arab. They might all be stinking rich but they weren't so daft as to pay more for just one time with a girl just because she was a virgin. By half past ten I thought it wouldn't go much higher but I was wrong. They kept upping the bids in competition with each other and suddenly we were over £30K as the time ticked on, and nearer to noon it reached £35,000, with that coming from the German. The Arab was invited to put in a fresh bid but suddenly withdrew. The German had won and later that afternoon all the money was in the client account and I would be £35,000 richer, except of course I had first to let this man do what he wanted.

  It created a huge amount of talk on the island but I was just stunned that someone would pay so much to go with me like that. I didn't feel very good about selling my virginity. It's prostitution, screamed my moral side. My strongly practical side said, Practically all sex involves selling yourself: protection, love, money, your keep - that's not immoral it's sensible. If they want it why give it for nothing? In the end my moral side shrugged its shoulders and said I'd committed myself now anyway so it would be immoral to back out so late in the day. I was now more concerned with the dinner-dance the next day.

  I wish I could explain my feelings to you. There is a part of me that desires the whole ritual - humbling oneself by being naked in front of the whole community, having to bend over a bench to be 'corrected' in a most painful way. On the other hand it terrifies me totally. The pain of whatever you get, and I had only experienced the cane and the paddle so far, is bad. They really do give it to you hard. Afterwards though! It is like I am suddenly alive for the first time. I am energised and satisfied. Even the soreness is somehow wonderful. The whole submission thing is so good too. It isn't like being dominated by some brute who may knock you about for not wearing the right things or getting him the wrong breakfast cereal, not at all. It is controlled and bound by rules. The men must behave with an old world courtesy; they are kind and cons
iderate even while whacking your bum really hard. Anyway with the dinner-dance the next day I was just at the plain being terrified part.

  Mum had bought me a lovely but simple long green dinner dress and I wore my bracelet and the necklace Sir Charnock and Lady Forbes had given me. I trembled all the time I was getting dressed and off we went to my very first quarterly dinner-dance. They are splendid occasions with excellent food, a great band and a really good time was had by all. I was the centre of attention, the youngest member who had just sold her virginity for a record price and about to redeem a penalty point for the first time. The men all wanted to dance with me. The woman all wanted a quick word to advise me about when I was deflowered. Aileen was especially earthy as you can imagine.

  The last dance finished and my heart began to race as I was escorted back to our table. Already the waiters and waitresses were finishing up and moving to the back of the room. I saw Claire but she gave me no sign. I sat down my hand, trembling when a polite waiter came up to our table, bowed slightly and spoke.

  "Lady Freckleton, Miss Freckleton. Lady Forbes would be most grateful if you would now join her in the Robing Room."

  Robing Room that's a laugh, it is the disrobing room. Dad squeezed my hand and the others on our table wished us well. As we walked out everyone gave encouragement to those going. I was shaking inside and out and I expect looked very nervous because I got a lot of extra encouragement which I acknowledged with a weak smile. Sir Charnock Forbes was the senior man who was the compère on this occasion so Lady Forbes was in charge of all of us. She is gently gracious while being completely in charge; an unusual combination I think.

  The square room we were in was decorated in soft pastels with a comfy deep carpet. Two benches were parallel to each other in the middle and around the walls were small open wardrobes with hanging rail, shelves and a shoe rack. In all there were eight of us: me and mum; Aileen (of course!); a tall lady I'd not met named Dita Pawlak who had been born in Poland; Jane Spence I knew as her little girl had a swimming party where I was lifesaver; Samantha Craig who seemed to be the oldest and was about fifty; and to my complete surprise the island doctor, Dr Sandra Fowler.