“Why is it only my responsibility?” She asked.
Her voice was haughty as if she believed her argument was a winning one. For his part, he stood calmly looking at her through disapproving eyes and a furrowed brow. She sat comfortably in a new leather chair she had purchased only the day before. The desk in front of her looked too small for the clutter atop of it not to mention the computer buried beneath it.
“We’ve been through this before. Shared responsibilities only end up with finger pointing when something doesn’t get done.” He said.
“The only one pointing a finger is you.” She replied.
“Excuse me?”
“You may leave.” She said.
He blinked in surprise at the attitude coming from her. His thoughts wandered through the recent days looking for an explanation. Had he forgotten an important date? Their anniversary was months away and her birthday was not for another few weeks. His racked brain came up empty.
“Is there something wrong? Did I do something wrong?” He asked.
“Yes.” She replied.
“Are you going to tell me?”
“You didn’t make the car payment.” She said.
For just an instant he became angry. She had expertly walked him into her little trap and he had fallen for it like a deer in the headlights. He breathed it all out in a huff and cocked his head to one side. She smiled at him in a frustratingly beautiful way that made her look innocent and mischievous all at the same time. This was the look with which he fallen in love.
“You know very well the car payment as well as all our other finances are your responsibility, not mine.” He said.
“I don’t see why you can’t help.” She replied.
“I can and will help when you ask me.”
“I shouldn’t have to ask.”
“If you don’t ask how I’m supposed to know you need help?”
“You can’t possibly claim you haven’t noticed I’ve been busier than normal lately.”
“So you expect me to assume you need help anytime I notice you are busy?”
“You could have at least asked.”
“It doesn’t work that way. If you need help all you need to do is ask for it. That is our deal and it really is the only way things make any sense.”
“Well I want a new deal because this doesn’t make sense. You have just as much at stake in our finances as I do and it’s high time you shared in the responsibility.” She said.
He shook his head in disbelief. She blinked innocence at his disconcertment. The desk remained between them like a chasm in understanding. He turned away for a moment and she thought she had won. He closed the door of their home office and turned to face her once more. When the conversation had begun, he had endeavored to be forgiving, even understanding, but in the tone of her voice and the glint in her eyes what she wanted was written as clear as daylight and it was not forgiveness nor understanding.
“Stand up.” He ordered.
His voice was cold and quiet like a whisper in the wind. Her smile faded to flat. She shoved herself back, away from the desk and stood to face him. Her gaze was unflinching, but inside she was shaking.
“This isn’t fair.” She said.
“No, it’s not.” He replied.
“It’s as much your fault as it is mine.”
“Yes, it probably is.”
“Then why are you being like this?”
“Because it is necessary.”
“For who?”
“For you.” He said.
She scoffed at the very thought. It made no difference though, his mind was made up and she knew there would be no changing it. Done was done and repercussion were at hand, there would be no escape, no flight, no mercy. In truth she wanted none of it anyway.
“Remove your slacks.” He ordered.
His voice remained even and calm. She huffed at him like a frustrated teenager and it was all he could do not to smile or chuckle in response. Her hands found the button at her waist and unfastened it with an exaggerated twist. The zipper was next, flung down with haste and then her hands yanked the slacks down to her bare feet. She stepped out of them and then kicked them in the air to hit him mid-chest. He shook his head at her. She glanced at the ceiling and made as if to whistle before thinking better of it.
“Bring the chair over here.” He ordered.
His finger pointed to a spot in the middle of the room making it clear just what here he meant. She grabbed the chair and rolled it to the spot he indicated. The cockiness of her stance was hardly befitting a person without pants but she pulled it off well.
“Bend over.” He ordered.
She plopped herself down in the chair and smiled wickedly at him.
“You first.” She said.
“You’re only making this worse for yourself.” He said.
She rolled her eyes.
“You’re no fun at all.” She said.
“Stand up and bend over. NOW!” He ordered.
“Alright, alright. You don’t have to yell.” She said.
He took a deep breath and forced himself to remain calm despite the boiling blood in his ears. She raised herself from the chair and turned around to face it. She gave him a last look begging for sympathy and, finding none, she leaned over and grasped the seat of the chair with her hands.
“Right. Now don’t you move.” He ordered.
She couldn’t help wriggling her butt just a little in response, even though she knew it would only antagonize him further. He stepped up behind her and placed his large hand on her panty clad bottom. She closed her eyes and savored the contact of his warm hand on her cool bottom. His hand rubbed the material in a circular motion for a quiet moment as they both anticipated what was to come.
He raised his hand and brought it down with a soft slap. She jerked slightly unprepared for the sudden change. He began rubbing again, relishing in the tension of her uncertainty. She wanted him to get it over with, but she didn’t want his delicate touch to end either. Then his hand slapped down again and she gasped.
Knowing she could not see, he allowed himself a smile. Rather than continuing to tease her though, he decided to let her have it. His hand began a moderate pace of rising and falling, making sure to cover every part of her bottom until her white panties glowed pink.
His hand stung and was as red as her backside. He shook it ruefully for a moment and then decided to resume his rubbing of her now hot backside. She made a noise somewhere between a moan and a groan as he moved the silky material over her sensitive flesh.
“I think we’ll have these down now.” He said.
She inhaled sharply as the elastic scraped over her soreness. He pulled the material all the way down her legs until it rested around her ankles. Taking a step back he admired the view for a quiet moment while she waited wondering what he would do next. He turned to the desk and fumbled through the drawers until he found a green plastic ruler. Nodding to himself he approached her tense form and placed his left hand on her back as if to hold her down.
“I’m not sorry.” She said.
He laughed at her with an evil rumble.
“You will be.” He replied.
He gave no chance for her to reply. With his hand poised in the air, ruler grasped firmly in the palm, he brought it down on her bare skin with a light swish in the air. She heard the slap before she felt it. The sting increased exponentially with every passing second until she felt tears stinging at her eyes. He waited for nothing but the time it took to raise the ruler and swing it down again.
With a stoic face he admired the redder stripes forming over her red bottom. He took pride in their parallel placement from the middle of her buttocks down to the top her thighs. He covered the entire territory three times before she began to sob and cry real tears of remorse. For good measure he made a fourth circuit before stepping back and laying the ruler aside on the desktop.
He waited patiently for her to regain control of her tears. There was after all no rush and the view was quite enjoyable. Her feet shifted ever so slightly on the floor in a wasted effort to reduce the burning. He allowed himself a satisfied smile.
“Now, who is responsible for making the car payments on time?” He asked.
“I am.” She replied.
She sniffled as she spoke and the haughtiness was gone from her tone.
“And what should you do if you need help meeting your responsibilities?” He asked.
“Ask for it.” She replied.
“Are you going to give me any more attitude?” He asked.
“Probably,” She replied, “But not just now.”
He laughed at her bravery. Satisfied she was suitably content he allowed her to stand and face him. He brushed the tears from her cheeks with his fingertips and kissed the tip of her nose. Despite the discomfort behind her, she smiled and wrapped her arms around the man she loved.
“All better now?” He asked.
“Much.” She whispered in his ear.
“Shall we get this payment made before they repossess my car then?”
“It’s already done.”
“What?”
“It was never late. I just wanted you to think it was.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“You could have just asked for a spanking if you wanted one.”
“It doesn’t work that way.” She said.
He held her back away from him so he could look at her happy face. She was beautiful and loving and everything he could ever want. He wanted to understand but realized she would not tell him. Whether it was because she knew not how or she simply wanted him to figure it out, he did not know.
“Well then it seems I have something else to spank you for.” He said.
Her face transformed from bliss to worry in a heartbeat. He put on his best stoic face and met her question gaze with unflinching conviction of a man who had been wronged.
“I think a little time in the corner will do you some good and then we’ll break out the paddle to deal with this deception.” He said.
Her eyes grew wide.
“You wouldn’t.” She said.
“I would.” He replied with a wink.