Lost Luggage 6

The visiting brats were all huddled round the kitchen table when Jo joined them.

“Can I get you a cushion?” asked Henna helpfully.

“No, I’ll be fine, thanks,” Jo smiled back. “I recover from my spankings pretty quickly.”

As she sat down, however, her expression changed, and her face reddened visibly as she stood up again, gingerly rubbing the seat of her cutoffs.

“Maybe not THAT quickly, eh?” noted Destiny, causing a round of giggling from the other brats. Jo blushed even deeper.

“We were just saying how we’re going to miss getting into trouble with you,” said Charlie, helping Jo into the softest cushion Henna could find.

“Yes, we really need to do something totally naughty together!” gushed Destiny, loudly and enthusiastically enough to earn a suspicious sidelong glance from Carly. Now it was Destiny’s turn to blush.

“Are you trying to get us all spanked?” Charlie muttered under her breath – although, after a few days of seeing the world through toppy eyes, a part of her was now deeply craving a trip across Leslie’s knee – or rather Carly’s, given how far away Leslie was.

“Well, there are worse things,” Henna suggested.

“You WOULD say that,” giggled Destiny.

Jo thought about Destiny’s comment, and although her butt throbbed, she loved being naughty with this group of ladies. Maybe one more group spanking would be ok, she thought. She looked up to see Carly wink just as the thought popped into her head.

“You all still have another day; I must go to the market this morning. Do you, ladies, have plans for the day?” Carly asked, relaxing the tight reign she had on the group.

Then she added, “make sure to be home by four. I have a friend coming for dinner.”

Jo gulped as she looked over at Carly, casually sipping her tea. “I know that look. This… friend – it’s Sue, isn’t it?”

In unison, the ladies stared at Carly. Jo had shared many stories of her encounters with Carly’s friend and, fond though Jo clearly was of Sue, these tales didn’t generally end well for Jo’s bottom.

***

The next station on the local train network was normally quite a quiet platform, where hanging baskets and potted shrubs adorned the quaint architecture of the railway buildings.

But this, as luck would have it, was the day of the local fair in Tide Haven’s sister village, which meant that the entire platform area was bustling with craft stalls, entertainment, and the bustle of chatty villagers. As the brats stepped off their train, their eyes lit up at the opportunities for mischief.

Jo had given them all their special presents before setting off – big, soft, luxuriously fluffy bright-orange sweatshirts, all with “Brat Alliance” scrawled fetchingly on the back (made by a local sewing and craft shop). With their matching outfits of sweatshirts and cutoffs, they looked every inch the girl gang – even if their attitude was more nervous giggly than street-tough.

The first thing Destiny and Henna did was grab some snacks from a cake stall.

“Ooh, look!” squealed Jo, seeing the candle-dousing stall.

“Oh, wow, I remember you telling us about this!” laughed Destiny, reading the instructions on the sign –

douse the candle flames with the water pistol to win a soft toy.

Jo looked over at Charlie when she saw who one of the women running the stall was.

“Isn’t that the lady from the other night?” gasped Henna. “The one who…”

Jo nodded, paying for her shots and picking up a water pistol. She made no attempt whatsoever to hit the candles – choosing instead to douse Cathy and her friend.

The other brats dissolved into giggles, ignoring the disapproving looks they were getting from all around.

Picking up another water pistol, Charlie gleefully joined in the dousing.

“Still… I bet I could beat you putting those candles out!” she challenged Jo. But just as the two sharpshooters took aim, Destiny and Henna squished a couple of cakes into the back of her necks to put them off.

“Oh, a food fight, is it?”

As Jo and Charlie swung their pistols round to exact some payback, their water jets doused the fearsome-looking woman who had been watching their obnoxious behaviour with increasing annoyance.

“Sue…?” The colour drained from Jo’s face as she realised how much trouble they were in.

It took a moment and a few more squirts for the others to realize Jo was frozen. Standing next to Jo, Charlie was the first to catch on and lower her weapon, but her stomach flopped when she heard Jo say, “oh, hi, Sue.”

Charlie was more shocked when Jo added, not at all nicely: “Wait, What are you doing here?”

Jo heard a loud gasp coming from behind her, but even that failed to stop her. “Are you checking up on us?”

Every sentence Jo spoke seemed to be digging her in deeper. This made Destiny increasingly uncomfortable, watching the entire scene unfold from behind her. Henna noticed this lady’s presence was making Destiny slowly inch back, so she grabbed her arm, offering support. Together they waited to hear a response.

“What’s she doing?” Destiny whispered when the silence lingered.

“Hush, I think she’s getting ready to speak.”

Before Sue even had a chance to say a word, a waterlogged Cathy marched over to Jo.

“How dare you?” she sputtered out while trying to dry herself with paper napkins from a nearby stall. “I hope when Carly hears about this, you can’t sit for a month.”

Although annoyed with the group of brats and their antics, this stranger’s tone bothered Sue more. She interjected: “Keep speaking to Jo like that, and you’ll be the one standing.”

Cathy turned a deep shade of red.

“How dare you speak to me like that!”

Suddenly, the look in Sue’s eyes – and perhaps her memory of what Carly had said to her the night before – made her rethink her attitude. She slowly backed off, trying to summon up as much dignity as her wounded, soaked ego would allow.

Sue turned her attention back to the ‘Brat Alliance’.

“That was so cool!” gushed Destiny. “The way you just -“

“Not – another – word,” growled Sue.

She sent off a quick text to Carly, still wondering about the best way to handle the girls’ behaviour. Part of her wanted to paddle all their bottoms right there in the middle of the fair. It would certainly be no less than they deserved.

Sue was still pondering this when something snapped inside Charlie. Perhaps it was listening to Jo’s bratty defiance a minute or so earlier – or perhaps it was irritation at Sue’s tone. But Charlie the brat was coming back with a vengeance.

“Look, I know you like to think you’re a big deal with Carly,” she said, “but you’re not the boss of me!”

Destiny and Henna both gasped at this. Jo simply looked over at Charlie and smiled. Now, this, she thought to herself, putting her hands on her hips and standing alongside her friend, is how you earn a smacked bottom.

The speed at which Sue moved had Henna and Destiny gasping. Unlike Jo and Charlie, who stood with heels dug in. Sue was so close that her and Charlie’s noses were almost touching, and her voice, although low, was menacing. “I assume I will see you, ladies, at dinner?”

After receiving a confused nod, Sue retained eye contact for another minute before turning on her heel toward the train to Tide Haven.

Four brats stood, mouths agape watching the retreating figure until she was out of sight. The tension eased, and the girls all fell into nervous giggles. Even more nervous questions quickly followed the giggles.

“What do we do now?” wondered Destiny.

Charlie added, “She can’t just push us around. She doesn’t even know us.”

Jo shook her head knowingly.

“Oh, but she can,” she shuddered, thinking back to when she first met Sue.

Sue took a moment to settle on the train, then reached for her phone. Oh, how her palm itched. Carly picked up on the first ring. She’d kept her cell phone close after receiving the earlier text from Sue, and she’d been worrying the girls would push their brattiness a step too far.

She needn’t worry any longer, she realized. Sue described the scene, and Carly knew these brats had earned every swat coming their way. But she couldn’t help laughing when Sue explained how she had threatened Cathy.

Though all the brats basically knew there would be a reckoning when they got back to Tide Haven, they were determined to enjoy more of the afternoon. The fair spilled out from the station into the road, with more stalls and more local crafts on sale.

Henna and Destiny eagerly bought gifts to thank Carly for her hospitality, and their enthusiasm was infectious enough to pull Jo and Charlie into their activities. Pretty soon, the whole group was eagerly chatting to the various stall-keepers so that both Jo and Charlie lost their edge of tension.

They took a wander along one of the hillside paths, which took them up a ridge with some gorgeous sea views across the bay.

“It’s a pretty little village,” said Destiny, “but still, it’s nice to actually be as close to the shore as you are in Tide Haven.”

Jo nodded.

“As much as I love the hills,” she said, “there is something about that beach. The rhythm of it… it draws me somehow.”

She could see her friends all smiling knowingly at this. If there was one thing they all understood, it was Jo’s love of her beach – and her alone times.

“I guess… I guess I can be kind of a pain sometimes, can’t I? With my disappearing acts and my moods and… y’know…”

The others closed in around her in a group hug. Charlie noticed Henna and Destiny looking her expectantly as though she’d somehow become their spokesperson. How did that happen? she wondered.

“That’s just you, Jo. It’s part of your… mystery… and we love you for it.”

She patted the seat of Jo’s cutoffs.

“Besides, if you annoy me too much in future, you’re going over my knee.”

The other two giggled like crazy at this.

“You haven’t changed that much, Little Miss Toppy-pants,” observed Jo. “I suppose you know your tush is going to pay dearly for that little burst of ‘You’re not the boss of me’ attitude earlier.”

Charlie nodded. “I think that’s why I did it,” she admitted. “I’ve missed being…” She smiled. “Well, I’ve missed being you, I guess.”

And with that, Henna and Destiny launched a flurry of swats at Charlie’s rear end.

They carried on messing about like that for a while, swatting and chasing each other along the ridge, until Jo decided it was maybe time they started heading back to Tide Haven.

***

Standing at the front gate, Charlie seemed to be frozen in place. Jo inched up next to her: “Got a case of ‘pre-spanking jitters’?”

Charlie, with one hand holding her tummy, nodded.

“Seemed like a good idea at the time but now not so much.” Charlie took a deep breath and then pushed the gate open. The rest of the brat alliance followed so close on her heels that the orange sweatshirts blended.

Upon hearing the group approach, Carly swung the door open. She quickly stepped back, allowing the orange blog that was the brats to stumble through, almost falling over each other.

Carly met her eyes with Sue: “Look who finally decided to come home.” She shook her head in disbelief. “Hmm, what shall we do with them?”

Of course, the girl’s delay arriving home had given Carly and Sue plenty of time to devise a plan. Many ideas had passed between the two before they finally agreed on who would be spanking whom – and with what.

“Right,” said Carly, addressing the nervous group of brats, “I’d like you in a straight line, please, all facing Sue and myself.”

The brats shuffled awkwardly into position.

“Now… bend over, the lot of you.”

Both she and Sue could feel the moment of shared dismay. All of these brats, for their own unique reasons, had been hoping for some over-the-knee time. But for all their disappointment, none of them were in the mood to make their walloping worse by disobeying.

“Oh, look at this,” said Sue, walking behind the line of denim-clad derrieres. “Four naughty bottoms, waiting to be spanked.”

She swished the riding crop she was holding – a souvenir from an incident in a stable yard some years earlier. Carly felt a deep tingle in the seat of her skirt as she remembered how that particular incident ended.

“I suppose you all felt very pleased with yourselves when you were mouthing off to me earlier,” Sue continued.

The crop swished again – connecting swiftly with each of the four bottoms in succession. Although they were all still wearing their shorts, none of them felt as though the denim was lessening the sting of impact – and all of them howled a little.

“So how clever do you feel now?” she asked.

That was when the bickering began, much to Sue and Carly’s amusement.

“This is so your fault!” whined Destiny, looking over at Charlie. “If you had kept your mouth shut -“

“Oh, give it a rest!” Jo snapped back. “You wanted to push it just as much as the rest of us!”

“We’re not as crazy as you!” replied Henna, whose hands could not resist reaching back to her stinging rear.

“No rubbing!” growled Carly, trying to suppress a chuckle.

“Right, Jo and Charlie!” barked Sue, giving them both a couple of extra whacks with the riding crop. “Stand up, hands on your heads!”

Carly pointed them to opposite ends of the room: “Jo, get your nose in that corner! Charlie, over there! We’ll deal with the pair of you later!”

Then Sue put down the riding crop and took a firm hold of one of Destiny’s earlobes.

Carly did the same with Henna. Seconds later, both these brats were upended over firm, toppy laps.

“So, what’s this I hear about a food fight?” Carly mentioned right before her hand connected with Destiny’s bare bottom.

Sue took an extra moment to bare her brat bottom, leaving Henna practically panting as she anticipated the first swat. Henna wriggled while at the same time lifting herself to create a bigger target. Seeing the girl’s eagerness, Sue took her time, offering light pats until the girl was so desperate that even she couldn’t refuse.

Nothing could have prepared Henna for the paddle-like a palm that now descended repeatedly on her derriere. From the very first, she cried out. She felt the burn. Then, with every swat, it built into an inferno.

After several minutes, Sue stopped and turned to Carly, “How about we switch?”

When the girls stood, their hands flew back. Sue pushed her brat toward Carly and beckoned Destiny over. The girl tried to refuse, then reluctantly shuffled her way over.

Destiny groaned at hearing Sue’s comment, “Nice warmup Carly. Now, let’s add a bit more color.”

Her groan changed to a howl as the harder-than-average palm landed. The girls in the corners stood nervously, listening as their fellow brats had their bottoms scorched.

Back up again, Destiny and Henna began doing the dance of the burning bottom. Carly and Sue let them carry on for a moment while they enjoyed the view.

“Ok, now find a corner,” Sue directed the girls before turning to Carly.

“I fancy a cup of tea. You?” Carly was quick to agree, especially after seeing Sue’s mischievous grin and hearing groans from the two corners.

Leaving the brats to ponder their fate, Carly and Sue settled into a nice chat over tea and biscuits, updating each other on how their lives were going.

In the middle of their conversation, however, Carly let out a huge sigh.

“You know,” she said, “tea and biccies are all very nice, but it’s just not the same without the company of brats.”

“I know what you mean,” replied Sue. “Okay, Jo and Charlie, get your tails over here!”

“Jo, to me,” said Sue, reaching out to tug down Jo’s shorts.

Charlie nervously approached Carly, who couldn’t resist smiling.

“So, you needed to reconnect with your bratty side, eh?” she asked. “I know how that feels.”

Charlie’s eyes widened.

“That’s maybe a story for another time,” winked Carly. “For now, get those pants down and over my knee.”

“Ah, that’s better,” said Sue, patting Jo’s bottom. “I was beginning to feel quite naked without a brat across my lap.”

They finished their tea and nibbled a couple of chocolate chip cookies.

Sue began a little two-handed drumbeat on Jo’s behind as though she was playing a set of bongo drums.

“Shall I cue you in?” she asked.

“Oh, please,” said Carly, with a firm slap to Charlie’s rear.

For all their playfulness, once they got going, neither Carly nor Sue lost any time warming up the bottoms in their care. The brats were equally swift in slipping into their own special place. The spankings rolled over them like rivers as they swam there –

until Sue’s voice cut through the spell.

“Right, Carly, shall we switch? I need a… chat with Miss Smart-mouth over there.”

Charlie’s heart sank as Carly helped her up.

“I wish I’d been around to watch you earlier in the week,” Sue told her. She booped Charlie’s nose. “From what Carly tells me, you’re quite remarkable… and don’t you forget it.”

The wave of warmth this gave Charlie was almost too much to bear. She was still basking in it as she lowered herself across Sue’s knee, trying desperately to settle herself.

“And that’s why,” Sue added, with a firm smack, “it’s actually quite a privilege (swat) to give you (swat, swat) a lesson in manners (swat, swat, swat)! A lesson which I guarantee you’ll be thinking about when you’re sitting in that airplane seat tomorrow!”

As Sue launched her blistering palm raid on Charlie’s bottom, Carly settled on a somewhat gentler spanking. She knew Jo would be feeling it – but she also knew that the severity made little difference at this point. Jo was in her happy place now –

her crazy beautiful happy place, where all the rivers crashed together and reset.

“Oh, by the way,” said Carly, as walloping came to a close, “you’re both going to go down to Cathy’s place to apologise later.”

The resulting whines of protest earned Jo and Charlie several extra swats.

However, as much as they were dreading it, the apology wasn’t as hard as they thought it would be. The hardest part was walking to her cottage, but apologizing was surprisingly easy.

Seeing Carly and Sue in the background, Cathy had no snide remarks. This allowed the girls to make peace before returning to their toppy comfort.

Once everyone was seated, albeit a little painfully so, dinner was animated and loud. The adventures of their last night were upon them; the excitement was almost too much.

That was until Carly directed: “Ladies before you drink anymore, you need to pack.”

“We have time,” Charlie said, while at the same time, Destiny added:

“Come on, Carly; we can pack tomorrow.”

In unison, both Tops snapped, “No!”

Carly added, “pack everything but what you need for tonight and your outfit for the plane. When you’re finished, line your suitcases along that wall.”

The girls all grumbled, but Destiny decided to get mouthy, “Come on, Carly. I don’t want to pack tonight.”

As Carly pushed her chair back, the room got quiet. “Sue, where’s that switch?”

Sue and Carly chuckled as the girls scrambled out of the room.

***

It was late. The rest of the brats were sleeping. Even Jo, the restless night owl, had finally succumbed to fatigue.

“I bet you’re desperate to see Leslie again,” said Carly, sitting on the couch and handing a mug of hot cocoa to Charlie.

“Totally,” the brat replied. “Just still not sure who the new Charlie’s going to be when she gets home.”

Carly put her hand over Charlie’s.

“You know when I first saw that riding crop of Sue’s?” she asked. “I was a silly, annoying brat trying to take riding lessons to impress her top.”

“You mean Sue,” queried Charlie.

“Uh-huh. She was an accomplished rider, but I was as wobbly on a horse as Jo is on a push-bike. So when I got back from a particularly awful lesson, all red-faced and saddle sore, I didn’t react well to what felt like some giggly comments from a couple of the stable girls.

“Being with Sue had given me a confidence I’d never known before, which had unfortunately gone to my head a bit. I guess I felt a bit too special and entitled, and I threw the angriest, loudest, most embarrassing tantrum you’ve ever seen.”

Carly put her head in her hands as she recalled it.

“Sue dragged me off to her car, swatting me on the seat of my riding pants as she did so – which of course, only succeeded in making me more embarrassed and annoyed.

“But she knew me. She knew that, however badly I could behave sometimes, I was basically driven by kindness more than anything else. By the time we got home, I felt truly awful… I had this horrible churning inside me that needed settling, and Sue knew exactly how to settle it.

“A few good whacks across my backside with that riding crop, and I was dancing around our lounge, hands clasped round my bottom. I’ve never seen Sue look so amused. Oboy did that ever sting – and my bottom was still throbbing like crazy when I went back to the stable to make peace with those stable girls.

“But the thing is this – I learned a few things about who I really was that day – and that’s where you are now.

“It really doesn’t matter whether you feel like toppy Charlie or bratty Charlie right now. What matters is that you’ve figured out a few pretty cool things about who you are this week Trust those things – and trust yourself, ok? I’m proud of you.”

Seeing the tears come, she gently put Charlie’s mug down on the coffee table and pulled the brat into a hug.

Outside, the moon glowed bright silver against a deep blue sky. Seeing something catch the light, Carly looked over at where a freshly-awakened Jo was watching them from the far end of the room. With one hand still wrapped around Charlie, she touched her palm against her heart, then pointed at her beloved brat.

Jo smiled back before going back to bed.