His Firm Hand

by Shelly Douglas

  Denise shrugged her shoulders. “It’s weak, but I guess it’ll have to do. You’d better get downstairs, I just heard the front door close.”

  Michele took a quick peek at herself in the mirror. At least the panic had forced a return of some color to her face. She smoothed her skirt and blouse, then took Denise’s hairspray off the shelf and spritzed her curly locks. “Wish me luck,” she mouthed as she opened the bedroom door.

  Denise grinned, nodding her head in amusement.

  “I was beginning to wonder if you were home,” Paul said, placing the mail on the table as Michele hurriedly came down the steps.

  “Sorry, I was just upstairs chatting with Denise and didn’t expect you home so early.” Michele was breathless as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

  “A patient cancelled at the last minute. Is my girl feeling alright? You’re out of breath and look a little pale.”

  “I’m okay, just tired from work, as usual.”

  As Paul loosened his tie, she stared into his eyes, sensing a modicum of suspicion lurking behind the ribbons of color.

  “Before I head into the kitchen to start dinner, why don’t you tell me about your day?” he asked, removing his suit jacket.

  “It’s really not a very interesting story. I just told it to Denise and she practically snored.” Michele’s head fell downward in an attempt to hide her guilty expression.

  “Good, Denise is home, too. I was wondering if she called Macy’s today about that opening in merchandising.” As Paul got closer to her face, she thought his nostrils flared. Was he trying to smell something?

  Michele laughed nervously and took one step backward. “S-she called first thing this morning and has an interview set up for tomorrow.”

  “Great.” Paul nodded and reached out to touch her face. “Kitten, I saw the strangest thing when I pulled into the driveway.”

  “Really? What did you see?”

  “I know this sounds crazy, but I thought I saw smoke coming from the window upstairs. At first I worried something was on fire, but then it stopped.”

  The pupils in Michele’s blue eyes dilated as her brain scrambled for a plausible explanation. “I-I had some things in the dryer. You probably noticed smoke coming from the vent.”

  Paul’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t think so. Unless you and Denise moved the dryer upstairs this afternoon.”

  Where in the hell is my sister, she thought to herself then quickly decided to change the conversation. “If you’re going to start dinner, maybe I’ll head up to the shower. I was talking to a group of students today, and they were smoking. The smell in my hair is driving me nuts.”

  Paul took a step forward, putting his nose in her thick curls as he tried to run his fingers through it. “It smells like cologne and why is it sticky?”

  “That’s Denise’s hairspray. I was thinking about buying a bottle.”

  He nodded absentmindedly while turning to pick up the mail from the table. Flipping through it, he spoke in a soft tone. “If you’d like, I can go downstairs and bring up the laundry from the dryer.”

  “Don’t be silly. I’ll get it after my shower. It’s all my stuff anyway.” Michele smiled and nervously bit her lip, knowing the dryer was empty.

  “Okay.” Paul’s lips formed a straight line as he set the mail down and rolled up his sleeves.

  I’m doomed, Michele thought to herself, walking up the stairs.

  * * *

  Denise stuck her head out of the spare room as Michele rounded the corner. “I got rid of all the evidence and aired out the room. How’d you hold up under pressure? Are we in the clear?”

  Michele shook her head. “He saw you blowing smoke out of the window. I haven’t admitted to anything yet, but it’s far from over. You’ve heard of the calm before the storm?”

  “Jesus. What in the hell did you tell him?”

  Michele rolled her eyes. “You won’t believe it.”

  “Try me.”

  “I told him it was probably smoke coming out of the dryer vent.”

  Denise covered her mouth, trying to suppress a laugh. “Your dryer is in the basement.”

  “And it’s empty. I haven’t done any laundry in two days.”

  “What are you going to do now?”

  “I’m going to take a hot shower,” Michele deadpanned.

  * * *

  Standing under the steaming water, Michele washed the stress of the day away as she glided soapy fingers over her scalp. With eyes wide open, she tipped her head back and thoroughly rinsed her thick auburn hair. But just as she was about to reach for the conditioner, she watched the bathroom door open through the glass shower stall.

  “Paul, is that you?”

  “Yep, it’s me,” he said.

  “Is dinner ready? I’ll be down in a minute.”

  “It’s still in the oven and we need to talk, so I lent your sister my car to run an errand.”

  She opened the shower stall door and stuck her head out. “Why do I get the idea this isn’t going to be idle chitchat?”

  His hands slid into his pockets as he stared at her.

  “Can we converse while I finish my shower?”

  “Get your butt out here, now,” he ordered in a stern but quiet voice.

  Paul sat down on the covered toilet seat and patiently waited for his wife to rinse her body and turn off the water. As she walked out of the stall, he grabbed her by the waist and threw her over his knee in one quick motion.

  “Paul, I’m soaking wet. Are you crazy?”

  He quickly grabbed her hairbrush from the shelf with one hand and held her tight around the waist with the other. “You lied to me,” he said, connecting the smooth, flat side of the brush with her wet bottom.

  “Ow! Oh, my God, that hurts!”

  “A teenage rebellion is one thing. Lying to me is another.” He popped both cheeks with each spoken word using the hard Lucite object.

  “Gahh, please! I’m sorry!” She wiggled and tried to get free from his grasp.

  “Be still and take your punishment, or you’ll be standing through dinner.”

  “I can’t just lie here and let you spank me with that damn thing. It hurts!”

  “Would you rather I start over with my belt on that wet bottom of yours?”

  “No, sir. I’m sorry!” she cried through gritted teeth.

  “I want to hear what you’re sorry for. Is this true remorse for lying or only regret that you got caught smoking?” He smacked her reddened bottom again.

  “Aghh! Was that a trick question?” she asked in between yelps.

  “Don’t test me, Michele. I’m not in the mood.”

  “I’m sorry I lied to you,” she responded honestly, attempting to blink back large tears.

  “What in the hell were you thinking?” After putting the brush down on the sink, he smacked her ass hard with the palm of his hand and watched it wobble.

  She turned her head and looked at him through blurry eyes. “My sister and I weren’t close when we were teenagers. I wanted to make up for lost time,” she whimpered.

  “Go on—I’m listening.” He patted her bum and traced his fingers around the red patches.

  “She always called me Miss Goody Two-Shoes. We didn’t get along because I was always such a pleaser where my father was concerned.” Large tears dripped down her face as she tried to explain.

  “And you took this opportunity to prove that you’re still capable of rebelling?” He lovingly smoothed her moist, hot bottom, and blew out a long exasperated breath. “We both know that lying in this relationship is totally unacceptable for any reason. Your bright red heinie should be sticking out of a corner for the kind of stunt you pulled, but Denise will be home soon, and you know how I feel about our privacy.”

  “I’m really cold. Could you grab my robe off the hook, please?” she whimpered as a shiver ran through her.

  “Of course.” He wrapped her in the soft material hanging from the door and pulled her onto his lap.r />
  “Please don’t tell my sister why I went along with her little prank. I don’t want to ruin our only rebellious memory together.” She turned and buried her nose into the skin of his warm neck. “Hopefully, she’ll get that job at Macy’s tomorrow and her life will get back on track. Please forgive me, daddy?”

  “Done.” He hugged her tight before raising a finger in the air. “Wait. I just heard the front door close. Get yourself dressed while I pull our dinner out of the oven.”

  She wiped her swollen, red-rimmed eyes and kissed his smooth cheek. “Thanks for keeping my secret.”

  “Oh, I’ll keep your little secret, baby doll. But if you ever lie to me again, I’ll take a paddle to your bare bottom no matter who is in the house, and then you’ll spend a long time in the corner with your flaming tushy pushed out. The spanking you just received on your wet backside will seem like pure bliss to you in comparison to the punishment I have in mind. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  * * *

  As Denise climbed the steps to check on Michele, Paul was on his way down.

  “Our dinner is almost done and I don’t want it drying out, so try not to linger upstairs too long,” he said quickly, attempting to look her in the eye.

  But Denise was obviously having a difficult time meeting his glance, and only peered over at him through the corner of her eye. “Sure. I’ll be right down.”

  Michele had just finished getting dressed, and was pulling her heavy, wet hair into a ponytail when Denise entered the room.

  “Your eyes are red and puffy. What in the hell happened?”

  Michele’s hands instantly landed on her hips. “What do you think, my dear sister?”

  “He spanked you?”

  “Paul came into the bathroom and sat down, waiting for me to finish showering. I walked out of the shower stall, and he pulled me over his knee.”

  Denise giggled and then covered her mouth. “I wondered why his pants were wet.” She paused, shaking her head. “It’s all my fault. I’m really sorry, Michele. You aren’t mad at me, are you?”

  “Nope,” she said, reaching down to close the bureau drawer. “We did have fun, though. Didn’t we?”

  “Is Paul still annoyed with you? Will we get the silent treatment through dinner? I can still remember daddy being so angry, sometimes he didn’t speak to us for weeks.”

  “He’s not like our dad, Denise. I’ve already been forgiven, and he doesn’t blame you at all. I was the one who lied to him, and that was why I was spanked. Believe it or not, he saw our smoking as a teenage prank. My lies were another story.”

  “So, if you knew that lying was going to get you into so much trouble, why did you even attempt it?”

  “I was trying to think like a teenager. How many times did you lie to daddy and not get caught? You were the brave one always hoping for a miracle.”

  “Hmm. Good point.” She pulled on her sister’s ponytail as they left the room together. “This is one hell of a marriage you’re in, and I can tell how much you both enjoy it. Listen, if I get this job tomorrow, I’ll try to be out by the weekend. I feel like I’m imposing by staying in your house.”

  “We both hope you get the job, Denise. But it’s been great having you here.”

  As they walked down the wide steps together, Denise elbowed Michele. “Is dinner going to be awkward?”

  “Besides the fact that his pants are wet and I’ll be squirming in my seat? Nahh!” She laughed and linked arms with her sister, strolling into the kitchen as Paul—wearing large potholder mitts—waited by the stove.

  “Are you two done gabbing yet? Dinner is getting cold,” he scolded in a parental tone.

  “See? He’s already back to his lovable self.”

  Chapter Eight

  “What time is your interview?” Smiling cheerfully, Michele popped her head into Denise’s room.

  “I’m scheduled for eleven, but I’d like to arrive at the store early and formulate some ideas before I go in. Can you still drop me off?”

  “Sure, but we need to get going—I have a class at ten.”

  After a short drive, Michele pulled up to Macy’s storefront. “Good luck in there, Denise. I know you’ll do great.”

  “Thanks. If things go well, want to celebrate with me a little later?”

  “Please don’t tempt me, I’m already on a short leash with Paul.”

  “Not to worry, we’ll keep it on the tame side.” Denise kissed Michele on the cheek, jumped out of the car, and waved.

  Michele drove off, sincerely hoping that her sister would get the job. As much as she loved Denise and was happy to spend time with her, she needed things to get back to normal in her home.

  * * *

  It was later in the afternoon, and Michele was happy to be done with her last class. Pulling her cell phone out, she noticed there were three missed voicemails. Uh-oh, something must be up. The first message was from Paul saying he would be late, and the other two had been from Denise. She didn’t mention the job, but the excitement in her voice coupled with the hope that Michele could meet her at five down at the front entrance of the store, certainly was encouraging. Michele texted her back, I’ll be there!

  Pulling up in front of the store, she spotted Denise, who immediately ran over to her car and motioned for Michele to roll down the window.

  “Park the car, we’re going shopping! I got the job!”

  After cruising to the parking lot across the street, Michele walked to the storefront and was almost knocked over by her sister.

  “I had to meet with three different people, then they had me wait around,” Denise sputtered without taking a breath. “When the personnel director called me back into his office, he made me an offer on the spot. Can you believe it? I start next week!”

  Michele threw her arms around her younger sister. “You must have bowled them over with your enthusiasm,” she said with a wink.

  “That and good timing. I think they might have been a little desperate.” Denise giggled. “But here’s the best part—I get a forty percent discount off of everything in the store. So let’s have at it!”

  “Denise, don’t you think you should at least wait for your first paycheck?”

  “Oh, you poor thing.” Denise looked at her in horror. “You’ve been living with Paul too long.” She stared upward for a minute trying to remember where she left off. “Glen—you know, the one who got me the interview—is looking for a roommate to offset his rent, so I’m moving in over the weekend. Now I won’t have to sneak around your place while you and Paul are otherwise occupied, if you know what I mean,” she jabbered in a rushed tone, crossing her eyes.

  Michele blushed. “Oh, my God, are you sure you want to move in with him? How well do you know this guy? Don’t you think things are moving just a little too fast?”

  “You’re such a worrywart; everything will work out just fine. Now let’s get this shopping party started. I have some things to buy!” Denise eagerly grabbed Michele’s hand and dragged her through the turnstile front entrance. “Let’s head up to the bed and bath department. Glen told me that unless I want to sleep on the floor, I need to buy a bed. Hey, we can shop together. Isn’t this fun, sis?”

  “It will be fun until I have to face the financial director of our ship. Did you just meet my husband?”

  “Point taken. But if you do see something—I do get the discount, so just remember that.”

  Riding the escalator up to the second floor, the sign pointed them to the right. “Michele, look at the selections, they have everything!” she dramatically sang in a falsetto voice, jumping off the top step.

  “I need willpower,” Michele chanted repeatedly under her breath like a mantra, following close behind her sister.

  Perusing the displays, Denise sat on several mattresses while Michele browsed curtains and bed covers. “Michele, come over here and try this out, it seems perfect to me.”

  Michele proceeded to bounce up and down on the mat
tress. “It does seem pretty comfortable. Will you still get the discount even though it’s on sale?”

  “Yep, they said everything. So, did you find what you’re looking for?”

  “I don’t know if I should spend the money.”

  “Michele, how could Paul argue when there’s such a good discount? Besides, you won’t have to pay me until the bill comes. Look at this as though you’re doing him a big favor.”

  “Mmm hmm. I’m sure he’s going to see it that way.” She raised an eyebrow at the ridiculous thought.

  “Should we do some damage in the teen department? I’m sure Paul will love that you shopped for some younger fashions.”

  “Okay, you’ve officially been declared a bad influence,” she mumbled, shaking her head, linking arms with her sister.

  Michele and Denise hopped onto the escalator again, moving to the fourth floor. Stepping off, they noticed young teenagers shopping with their mothers lurking close by. “Remember when mom took us shopping? She always threatened us with, dad won’t like this. Somehow, that line always served as an encouragement.” They both giggled at the memory.

  The two sisters spent the next hour having fun in the dressing room exchanging opinions, and Michele ended up leaving the register with several bags of clothes. “Paul is not going to be happy. I’m having second thoughts.”

  “Come on, I’m betting he’ll love that you’re embracing his age-play idea. Hey, since we’re already out, let’s get a bite to eat before we go home. Surely Paul can’t object to that, can he?”

  “I don’t know, he always cooks dinner for me.”

  “We’ll just grab a quick burger downstairs. He’ll never know the difference.”

  * * *

  “Oh, my God, I’m stuffed. I think we should’ve shared a dinner,” Michele said as they approached her house.

  “Me too, but we had fun, didn’t we?”