The Witch, Part Two
Copyright 1997-2002 by OldTom, all rights reserved.

Leslie thought that over, realized she had little bargaining power. It was just a little spanking, and would be over quickly enough. She nodded her agreement.

Tom stood as he replied. "Very well; I accept your request. But I'll need an hour to cancel some test time tonight. Shall I stop back here at five o'clock? That way you have time to think things over."

Tom left, as Leslie sat back in her chair in exasperation - and with more than a touch of despair. She relaxed in thought as her training suggested, assessing her unexpected situation.

And as she played back the just-completed interview in her mind, she got mad at herself. Yes, it was for the greater good, but that didn't mean she had to like it. It was fair, but it didn't feel fair. It had never occurred to her that she was violating her own policy, but here she was, caught. And why was she feeling excited by the prospect? Was it fear? No, that wasn't it. The prospect of physical touch? No, that didn't seem to be it either...

One thought led to another. She now realized she had been making wrong choices for some time, and something inside her recognized her need for a sound spanking. And she didn't even believe in spanking! So that couldn't be it. It must just be a defense mechanism, a matter of her resigning herself to the inevitable.

And that made her mad. Furious. Furious with herself for getting caught in her own trap, and furious with Tom for taking advantage of her situation. And furious that she had no choice in the matter. As he had obviously known all along. He had trapped her, and now she was being swept along a path she did not want to follow.

Leslie pounded her desk in her frustration. And eventually was able to calm herself down.

Now her mind was made up; she was resigned to the inevitable.

Fifteen minutes remained!

What to do; how to wait? She never would have guessed what it was like to wait for a spanking. Probably worse than the spanking itself. Surely he wouldn't spank her right here in the office? She'd better discuss that. What about... No, she couldn't even think about a bare bottom.

Don't dwell on the spanking. What to think about, then? Think to the future. Things would change... that was her reason for agreeing to the spanking. She'd have to take a different attitude toward things, of course...

In fact... in fact... She was an adult; she could change her attitude without the spanking, couldn't she? Yes, that was it. She'd have to open herself to Tom enough to explain what had changed, but she was sure she could do it.

Five minutes!

Time... she'd need time to explain. Could she cancel her six o'clock appointment. Of course she could. Protecting her back side was far more important.

And here was Tom.

"Hi, Tom. Look, if I take just a minute to cancel my six o'clock appointment, would you be willing to talk some things through with me?"

"Why, certainly! I was expecting you might have some fast talking in mind, so I cleared my evening for you."

So Tom had anticipated this too. Leslie smiled, at her charming best, though her smile looked strained as she quickly called to cancel her evening appointment.

As she turned to Tom, Leslie realized she was performing as expected, but she couldn't help herself - she just had to explain. She again had that brief sensation of being swept along a fixed path by forces she could not control. As if she were in a swiftly-flowing stream, with the current too strong - and unpredictable - to allow her to extricate herself.

Her words tumbled over each other, as her turbulent mind sorted out her line of thought, in her desperate need to make Tom understand her point.

"Tom, I've been thinking over what you said, and there's no question that I made a mistake. I'll play fair and take what's coming to me, even though I truly had no idea that what I was doing was a problem. But now that you point this out, I have to agree with you.

"So then I got to wondering how this could have happened in the first place. And I realized that I have gotten sloppy in quite a few things, both here and socially. I really do need to change how I look at things, and I don't know what would have happened next if you hadn't called me on this.

"Much as I hate to admit it, and don't you dare quote me on this, the embarrassment of a spanking might be exactly the wake-up call I need to straighten myself out. I still think a spanking is pointless and childish, but I intend to make it serve a useful purpose.

"But then I realized that I certainly ought to be able to change what needs changing without being spanked - especially with the agreement that if I don't, I really will get spanked. I will also admit I felt very relieved when I realized this agreement is also a valid choice."

Leslie stopped and expectantly studied Tom, waiting for his reaction. The seconds became a tense minute, and then two, as Tom thought things over.

Then Tom laughed, more a chuckle to himself. "My, we're both running true to form. You're a lawyer, proposing a compromise settlement, and I'm sitting here, trying to nail things down with absolute precision. And I'm still not sure I have a clear picture - but then I'm not a lawyer.

"So let's see if I understand you. You're proposing that you become accountable to myself for making these changes you've alluded to, with the threat that if you don't follow through adequately, I will spank you at some later time. Assuming we have these changes and the penalty in writing, is that what you're proposing?"

"Yes, exactly. Things immediately change for the better, and everybody wins."

"But aren't you forgetting something? What about the discipline you yourself mandated?"

"In effect, I'm on probation with a suspended sentence, and the situation is clearly far better than the alternatives. When you consider the end result, this represents a far superior solution."

"Actually, it does not. What we have is a woman who has earned herself a spanking, and knows it. She is now, quite naturally, trying to get out of the spanking. If I let her get away with this, I would definitely not be serving the greater good. Do you understand?"

Leslie sighed in frustration. "Yes." How could he possibly know her so well?

"In case it's not obvious, I should warn you that a spanking is supposed to be an unpleasant experience, and it would defeat the purpose if you were allowed to change your mind partway through. I will spank you fairly, but once we start, you will not be allowed to change your mind. Do you still want me to spank you?"

"Yes, but I really don't think changing my mind will be a problem. I keep myself in pretty good shape, and now that I've decided to go through with it, I'm sure I'll be able to handle the spanking without making a fool of myself. But we will take care of this in private, won't we? Perhaps sometime this weekend?"

"Yes, it will be in private, and it will be at my house, at eight o'clock this evening. I'll give you directions, and that gives you just over two hours to think about what behavior you need to change. You might want to bring a pillow to sit on for the drive home."

As Tom quietly closed her office door behind himself, Leslie could not help but glance at her brass clock, given in recognition of her first ten years' service. It silently ticked off the seconds, and now minutes, forcing her on to her appointment. Even her own clock was beyond her control...

Two hours! And a pillow! How could she possibly concentrate, when about to receive the spanking of her life? It couldn't be that bad, but he seemed pretty sure it would be. How could he know? Or was he just playing for dramatic effect? Funny she never thought to ask until now.

How to concentrate? The list. Of things she was determined to change. Surely he'd be pleased if she arrived with her list in hand. And what to wear? Should she change, or would it somehow be more appropriate if she were spanked in her work clothes?

Ninety minutes!

Leslie found her way home and to Tom's house, her mind in a daze. Now Leslie was on Tom's porch, anxiously enduring his appraisal. She had arrived in a bright gold, thin cotton sun dress that emphasized her figure, dark hair released and flowing about her shoulders, her nails quickly changed from the deep cherry red she had been wearing earlier. She limited herself to a single-strand gold necklace and pearl earrings.

She had striven for the effect of breathtaking simplicity.  The look in Tom's eyes proved her success. The open sandals, the thinness of her dress, everything was aimed at emphasizing her vulnerability and desirability, her hope that he would go easy on her. Tom seemed to realize this, for a touch of amusement swept across his face.  Leslie took that for a bad sign.

She didn't know what to do with her hands. She could feel the nervous dampness in her palms but dared not wipe them against her dress. Her stomach was doing nervous flips.

Tom invited her in, sitting her on the couch while he drew up a straight-backed chair to face her. This was her first time in Tom's home, and she quickly glanced around the room, anxious to learn more about him. Solid furniture, off-white walls, wine-red curtains, impersonal. Just like his office - nothing to tell about his personality.

She returned her attention to Tom - and answered her own question. Tom himself was the focus; with Tom in the room, no background would hold relevance.

Seeing he had her attention, Tom began the proceedings. "Leslie, why are you here?"

Tom always took so long to come to the point that Leslie couldn't help being a little sarcastic with her answer. Besides, she was nervous.

"For my spanking, of course."

"Do really think it wise to show so little respect to someone about to put you across his knee? Do we need to bring out the kitchen spatula and begin with a lesson in respect?"

Leslie mentally backed off in a hurry, settling down to give serious answers to serious questions, just like in a court of law. "No, sir. That won't be necessary."

Like a court of law. Yes, Tom was out-playing her on her own terms. She had to respect that. He had demanded her respect in such a way that he had earned her respect. She found that strangely comforting.

"Do you recall our discussing the 'no tolerance' clause this afternoon?"

"Yes, sir."

"And then you later suggested probation as adequate to the situation, seeing as how you had already changed your attitude?"

"Yes, sir. But..."

"But what?"

"But I was proposing a compromise that would satisfy all parties, and would provide an outcome even better than the existing policy allowed."

"And we could ignore the actual policy statement, because it would just be getting in the way of the desired outcome. Is that it?"

Leslie smiled with her enthusiasm. He finally understood. "Yes, sir. That's it exactly. I can show you any number of cases showing that is standard legal practice these days. The greater good for the people as a whole, takes precedence over the law as applied to some specific individual. There are whole books written on exactly that point."

"Leslie, you're still blinding yourself to the point I'm trying to make. Regardless of how wonderful your 'desired outcome' is, you're still holding yourself above your own policy and you don't even realize it. I'm going to give you a 'no tolerance' spanking. I'm going to show you, as precisely as I can, what a lack of tolerance feels like. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

"Yes, sir. But am I really as bad as all that?"

Table of Contents

On to The Witch, part 3