by Renard, Loki
“I will expect better from you, little one, much better,” she lectured softly, patting Stephanie’s red cheeks when she was done.
“Yes Ma’am,” Stephanie agreed. Her entire backside stung as if a swarm of wasps had attacked it, and the long forgotten, but familiar ache of a well spanked bottom was sinking into her flesh, calming her spirit in a way nothing else ever cold. Her tears had dried on her cheeks with comforting words and Mackenzie’s palm rubbing her lower back, treating Stephanie as if she really was the little girl she was fast coming to feel like.
“There’s a robe in the bedroom over there, go put it on before dinner,” Mackenzie said, easing Stephanie up off her lap and dropping an affectionate kiss on her forehead.
Stephanie trotted off, both hands rubbing her bare, red bottom, feeling light and at ease. Though she barely knew her, Mackenzie treated her with a maternal benevolence, one that assumed a right to discipline, but one that also left Stephanie feeling more safe and more content than she had in a long time.
Stephanie learned something else that night too. Butter chicken tastes best when eaten sitting on a pillow on a well spanked bottom.
Chapter Two
Glancing over her morning paper, Mackenzie watched Stephanie pick at her breakfast. She was so waif-like that it was difficult for Mackenzie to resist the urge to take her in her arms then and there and cuddle her up and keep her safe from the world. There was something fragile about her spirit that called out to be looked after, but as the scar on her backside demonstrated, it also acted as a beacon to those of ill intent.
���What?��� Stephanie met her gaze briefly, then dropped it again.
Mackenzie smiled. ���I’m just pondering your next punishment.���
The clattering of a spoon dropped in a cereal bowl broke the silence as Stephanie looked at Mackenzie with wide eyes. A few faint splatters of milk had arced across the glass topped coffee table and now began seeping into the unread sports section of the paper.
���But…���
���It is inevitable my dear. You have mischief written across your face.��� Mackenzie smiled as she folded her paper and unfolded her long legs.
���Oh,��� Stephanie blushed and giggled.
���Yes. Oh. Have you called in yet today?��� Mackenzie reminded her.
Stephanie’s face fell. ���Uh, well, I really have to go in, you know, because I’ve missed a lot of work lately and if I miss anymore its going to look very bad.���
It was an innocent enough statement, but Mackenzie was wise enough to recognize the subtext that lay behind the words. She’d been an employer far too long not to know what it meant when an employee started missing a lot of work.
���Really? Why have you been missing so much work?��� she asked casually, topping up her coffee. She’d already called in herself. If the previous evening’s events had shown her anything, it was that Stephanie would be needing her time this morning.
Stephanie seemed mesmerized, watching Mackenzie’s long, strong fingers as they manipulated the spoon around her coffee cup.
���Hm? Care to explain?��� Mackenzie prompted her. Others might have found Stephanie’s silence annoying, but there was just enough of the gawky youth about the woman to remind Mackenzie that Stephanie was not entirely at ease in this strange apartment with this strange woman who had already taken significant liberties with her person.
���Well, I’ve been sick a bit,��� Stephanie claimed, examining her feet.
Mackenzie knew instantly that she was lying. First of all, the girl wasn’t very good at lying, she didn’t even know enough to maintain eye contact throughout the duration of the lie. Secondly, as a lawyer, Mackenzie had spent a good portion of the last twenty years learning the art of gentle interrogation and had developed a rather keen nose for the truth.
���Stephanie, I want you to get up and go to the corner next to the lamp over there.��� Mackenzie gestured towards a corner of the apartment that stood empty. Her tone was calm, casual even, but was no less serious for it.
���What? Why!��� Stephanie exclaimed, clearly taken off guard.
���I’d like you to do some corner time before I spank you for lying to me,��� Mackenzie replied, fixing her steel blue gaze on the unfortunate miscreant.
���But.. okay.. I’m sorry.. I just didn’t…��� Stephanie babbled her way towards the truth.
���We will sort all of that out after I am done with your punishment.��� Mackenzie picked up her newspaper again and returned to reading, clearly demonstrating that she expected to be obeyed without any fuss. Stephanie sat there for a moment or two, looking befuddled. Eventually she got up and reluctantly shuffled towards the corner.
The apartment was quiet for the next quarter of an hour as Mackenzie read her paper and Stephanie stood dutifully in the corner like a school girl. There was no way she could have known it, but Mackenzie was impressed with her. More than impressed in fact. There were few women left in the world able to accept that kind of instruction, but then again Stephanie was unique. She had known that the moment she’d laid eyes on her in that cafe. Stephanie was special, and Mackenzie had already decided that she would take very, very good care of her.
After a time, Mackenzie roused herself from the kitchen table and took a seat on the couch.
���Stephanie.��� She crooked a long, elegant finger as Stephanie turned to her. She was only wearing her blouse and panties, and she looked the very picture of naughty vulnerability as she made her way over to Mackenzie. She stopped in front of her, blushing profusely.
���I don’t want you to ever lie to me again. It is not only disrespectful to me, it is disrespectful to you. Do you understand?���
���Yes Ma’am,��� Stephanie nodded, wringing her hands in front of her.
���Now over my lap you go.���
She was light over Mackenzie’s lap, but she squirmed with nervousness as Mackenzie wrapped her arm around her waist and hooked her thumb in the waistband of her panties and drew them down to her knees.
There were still a few faint pink marks from the night before, but other than that, she had clearly not been harmed by her trip over Mackenzie’s lap.
���In the future, you will tell me the truth, you understand?��� Mackenzie lectured, laying a hearty slap across Stephanie’s cheeks.
���Yes Ma’am!��� Stephanie agreed in squeaky tones. Her legs kicked from the very first slap, but Mackenzie was in no mind to be gentle in this spanking. Truth was the most important element in any relationship, and though Stephanie did not yet know that she was to be in a rather special relationship, she would be taught the lesson strictly none the less. Mackenzie set to spanking her with a will, enjoying the squeaks and squeals as she slapped those naughty cheeks over and over again.
Before long, Stephanie’s cheeks were bouncing bright red as she yelped and sniffled over Mackenzie’s lap. Mackenzie held her firmly as she lectured her. ���Now listen little one, I know this hurts, but this is a very serious lesson you must learn. I will not tolerate dishonesty, and I will know when you lie. So you will be truthful with me always, and if I catch you out in a lie again, you will wish I merely spanked you. Do you understand me?���
���I’m sorry, I’m sorry I’m such a bad person,��� Stephanie cried. Her voice cracked with emotion as she snuffled through her tears.
���Oh no. You are not a bad person. You were naughty, that is all, and you are being corrected for that,��� Mackenzie explained patiently.
���No I am a bad person, I am a very bad person,��� Stephanie insisted through her tears.
Mackenzie drew her arm back and laid a hard slap across her cheeks, a slap so hard Stephanie arched and yowled with sudden pain.
���Do not speak that way about yourself, little one,��� Mackenzie said kindly
once Stephanie’s howls had quietened a little.
���I’m sorry,��� Stephanie sniffled. Mackenzie shook her head and used her hand to rub the hot red cheeks in front of her.
���You don’t understand why you got in trouble for that, do you?���
���No Ma’am,��� Stephanie confessed as Mackenzie drew her up to sit on her lap. She squirmed with discomfort as her well spanked bottom made contact with Mackenzie’s lap, and Mackenzie knew all too well that it would not be comfortable sitting that way for long, however that was part of the punishment. What was the point of warming a bottom if the miscreant was not to fully experience all the consequences of having a hot, sore bottom?
Mackenzie looked at Stephanie with a serious, but affectionate gaze. ���You, my sweet, are a very good person. I will not have you speaking about yourself in a negative fashion.���
Stephanie shook her head. ���You don’t know the things I’ve done… You don’t know the trouble I’ve caused…���
���It doesn’t matter how much trouble you’ve caused or what you’ve done. Stephanie, I’ve seen the lows that humans can sink to. You’re not even close to those depths. You judge yourself too harshly, little one.���
Again, Stephanie shook her head. ���I’ve been skipping work for weeks now,��� she confessed.
Mackenzie gathered the tearful woman tightly in her arms, her lips close to Stephanie’s ear as she asked the all-important question. ���Why?���
She felt Stephanie shrug. ���I don’t know. I ��� just don’t want to go anymore.���
���You want to be fired?���
���I don’t know. No. I guess not… I just want….��� she trailed off miserably.
���Let me guess,��� Mackenzie said eventually. ���You like the feeling of being in trouble. It makes you feel less invisible to the world.���
Stephanie groaned. ���Oh god that sounds so pathetic.���
���It’s more common than you think,��� Mackenzie replied.
���You must think I’m an utter loser,��� Stephanie moaned, only to yelp as Mackenzie slapped her thigh.
���Enough of that talk. You’re going to be late for work, young lady,��� Mackenzie said, guiding Stephanie up from her lap. ���I’ll drive you and you can spend the day with a stinging bottom that should remind you what’s important.���
���Really?��� Stephanie wiped her eyes on the back of her sleeve as she tugged up her panties. Mackenzie’s breath caught momentarily in her throat. The woman was so gorgeously adorable. The temptation to take here there and then was so strong. But she had to go to work, and Mackenzie had affairs of her own to deal with.
���Really,��� she said, controlling herself admirably. ���Go get ready.���
***
It was a long day sitting on a stinging bottom, but Stephanie secretly enjoyed every moment of it. Instead of having the urge to run out of the office when her 10.30 am break rolled around, she was happy to sit with a colleague and talk shop. The newspaper was going through a series of fairly serious changes, layoffs seemed imminent and everybody was on edge. Everyone apart from Stephanie.
���What are you smiling about?��� Linda, one of Stephanie’s fellow journalists finally demanded. ���We’re all going to be out of work, you know.���
���Are we? We’re probably not. It’ll work out,��� Stephanie replied in dreamy tones. She dunked a biscuit in her coffee and watched as little pieces of biscuit swirled in the hot convection of the beverage, swept away by forces beyond their control. That was how she felt when she was with Mackenzie, as if she were being swept along by a force she could not hope to control, dissolving into warm affection that embraced her entirely. She’d met woman who liked to dominate others before, but she’d never met anyone like Mackenzie.
Linda stared at her for a moment or two, nervously chewing a strand of her auburn hair. ���What? Steph, you’re usually more worried about this than anyone… you… wait a minute. You got laid, didn’t you!���
���Linda!��� Stephanie’s cheeks burned bright red. She cursed inwardly as her biscuit broke off in her coffee and sank to the bottom.
���I’m right, aren’t I?��� Linda’s grin was triumphant. ���You were dropped off in that sleek Merc this morning, that’s not your car. Oh my god you got laid. Who is it? Spill, baby, spill!���
���I did not get laid,��� Stephanie replied, shaking her head. She was so screwed. Linda was an old school newshound. Once she got her nose on the scent of a possible story, she didn’t let go until she was death-shaking the truth in her jaws.
Linda’s eyes narrowed. ���Hm, so it’s a secret is it? Sleeping with management maybe? Is that why you’re not worried about getting laid off?���
���Oh for god’s sakes Linda, you’re getting paranoid,��� Stephanie snapped.
The red head looked taken aback momentarily. ���Wow Steph, bite my head off why don’t you?���
���You’re accusing me of sleeping around for my job, Linda,��� Stephanie reminded her. Linda still looked stunned, Stephanie didn’t blame her. Over the past few months she’d been growing increasingly despondent, she’d let Linda walk all over her in fact. But after just one night with Mackenzie, she already felt stronger, more like herself again.
���Well, you’ve been up to something,��� Linda muttered.
���Yeah, enjoying life and not worrying about work. You should try it sometime. It really works,��� Stephanie replied, mentally debating whether or not to fish her biscuit out of her coffee with a Biro pen or just get a new one.
���I’ll get to the bottom of this,��� Linda threatened, raising herself out of her chair stiffly. Stephanie decided that she’d earned a new coffee and a new biscuit. Let Linda pout and stew in her own office. Really, that woman was an insufferable little bully.
The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. The recent time off had meant that Stephanie had a considerable backlog of work to get through, and she set to it with gusto. Linda had been right about the possible layoffs, and Stephanie would much rather that she wasn’t the one who got the axe when the axe came. It would probably come down to her and Linda, Stephanie mused. They were the newest on the team and they shared the fringe assignments between them. Yeah, one, or both of them could be for the cut if the paper didn’t transition to the online space successfully.
She forgot about Linda whilst she worked, but Linda had clearly not forgotten about her. She was lying wait when Stephanie finished, lurking about in the lobby. Clearly she had not forgotten their little altercation that morning, and clearly it had been eating at her for the last six hours. Stephanie was more than ready to go home and change into some clean clothes, but Linda blocked her path to the elevator with an unpleasant smirk.
���So you made it an entire day without running home sick, congratulations.���
���Thanks,��� Stephanie replied, ignoring the snark. Linda was trying to pick a fight, but it would not work. This wasn’t a playground, this was a place of business, and though Linda’s hard-nosed tactics might have gotten her somewhere in her professional career, they didn’t work very well in closer interpersonal relationships.
���I thought you were just going to quit when you stopped showing up, you don’t really have the temperament for this job Stephanie, you’re too polite, too sensitive. You’d be better off writing for Lady’s Home Journal about floral arrangements or something.
Stephanie looked Linda squarely in the eye. ���Perhaps, but if we all worked for our ideal publications, you’d have to found a new paper - ‘Butt Faced Monthly’.���
Behind the reception desk, the pretty blonde receptionist snorted with laughter. Linda turned bright red, almost red eno
ugh to match her hair color. ���You’re unprofessional, you know that? You’re unprofessional!��� She used the word ‘unprofessional’ as if it were some kind of magical talisman.
���Goodnight Linda, I’m going home,��� Stephanie replied. She walked to the elevator and hit the ‘down’ button, praying that it would be a quick ride. It was not to be. Clearly enraged, though doing her best to stay in control, Linda followed her. It was in her blood to do so, the woman just couldn’t let anything go, even when she’d already lost.
���This isn’t over,��� Linda hissed as the elevator doors slid open and they both stepped inside.
���Really? What do you want to do next?��� Stephanie replied boredly, secretly wishing that stabbing Linda with a pencil wouldn’t result in an assault charge.
���I’m going to see that Leonard knows just what an unprofessional waste of space you are,��� Linda promised gleefully.
Stephanie eyed Linda with disgust. And to think she had counted this woman as almost a friend. ���How about you worry about your own work?��� she suggested.
The elevator slowed to a stop and Stephanie made a quick exit. To her surprise, Mackenzie’s Mercedes was waiting for her in front of the building. She made a bee line for it, but Linda followed close behind, clearly wanting a glimpse of the occupant.
���Oh look, it’s your sugar daddy,��� Linda sneered.
���Linda, go away before I report you for harassment,��� Stephanie replied icily, turning away from the car and towards Linda. This was all she didn’t need, a sticky beaked, malevolent co-worker getting caught up in her affairs.
���Who is it, huh? Who is the lucky guy?��� Linda persisted.
Stephanie heard the car door open behind her. ���Hello Stephanie, is this a friend of yours?��� Mackenzie’s voice was like a soothing balm. That deep note to her voice, the slight twang of accent, the authority that was imbued throughout it, it was lovely. Instantly, Stephanie felt herself relaxing.
