It was just the one,

    Tossing and turning all night; it’s now 2:31 am, and I can’t get comfortable; I’ve been in bed for hours, one minute it’s too hot, the next it’s too cold. I put the covers on, take them off then try fluffing the pillow. Finally, when the clock glows at 3:10 am, I give up and reach for the IPAD. Maybe someone posted a new story, something relaxing that will help me to fall asleep. Unfortunately, the Mountain Dew ‘I just had to have with dinner satisfied my craving, but now it’s making me anxious. Sleep is what should be happening right now, but my brain won’t turn off! Without sleep, tomorrow is going to be such a bear.

     Beep, beep, beep, the sound of the alarm startles me awake; I swear, I’ve only just closed my eyes. My hand slams down, hitting the snooze. Unfortunately, it’s too late when I realize this action is useless. To gain a measly ten minutes of sleep, I’m once again startled. Tugging the covers back, I turn off the alarm and lift my weary body off the bed. Already in a lousy mood with my head hazy, caffeine, aah, coffee is my only hope, so the first stop is the kitchen. I’m hitting the switch on the coffee maker; the next stop a nice hot shower.

     The aroma of freshly brewed coffee fills the air as I’m toweling off. Maybe it won’t be such a bad day; after all, I hurry to fill a mug. Standing in the kitchen, I text Kalie. “Good morning babe, No need to worry about me; I’m up and getting ready. Talk later, love you.” Immediately a text pings back, and I can’t help the annoyance that surfaces. She doesn’t need to remind me to behave, especially at 6 am. So I ignore her message and try returning to that peaceful moment when I first held my mug of coffee.

     It’s too late; the moment is gone. I continue getting ready, a little make up a curl here and there, then finally pack my lunch. Another message pings on my phone, but instead of reading it, I notice the time. I must have been daydreaming while getting ready because now I’m late. I should have left my house five minutes ago, so the bus is no longer an option. Instead, I’ll have to take Kalie’s car, or maybe it would be better to call in sick? Either way, she won’t be pleased. I quickly debate my options then decide to grab the keys on my way out the door.

     Since driving, I now have a few extra minutes before clocking in. Sliding a finger across the screen on my phone, I unlock it and read Kalie’s message. She sounds miffed not receiving an answer to her earlier text, and I can imagine how miffed she will be when I tell her about me driving. Of course, she declared her car off-limits the minute I came home with a speeding ticket, and that was almost a week ago. Quickly explaining, “Hi babe, Sorry I didn’t respond. I got up fine but then got distracted and missed the bus. I had to borrow your car, I hope you don’t mind. I have to get inside. Talk to you later. Love you.”

     By texting and running off, I’m digging a deeper hole for myself. But there’s no time to worry about that right now; I have to punch in. Shoving the phone into my purse, I grab my bag and lunch, then head for the door. Another message pings, which I’ll check just as soon as I’m on the clock.

     The message is short and direct. “Little girl, Call me, do not text me on your first break. I believe that it is at 10 am.” Oh boy, I’m in trouble now. Kalie must be mad if she wants me to call. I better remind her of my morning meeting, just in case it runs late. Adding fuel to this fire is not a good idea.

     “Um, Kalie, I have a meeting this morning, so I’m not sure when I’ll get a break.” So I hit send and make my way to the conference room.

     Right before the meeting begins, the phone rings again, “On your first break, call me.”

     Taking a deep breath, I type a quick. “Yes, ma’am.”  hit send, then turn the volume off.

     The first two hours of the meeting are flying by, and my mind is barely keeping up. I can’t concentrate between a lack of sleep and the impending phone call I will be making. How in the world am I going to get out of this mess. When Kalie left to visit her sick Aunt Brie, she wouldn’t even let me drive her to the airport. Then today, I borrow her car while on restriction; oh boy, what a mess. Finally, the movement and shuffling of chairs snap me back to the present and the end of the meeting.

     I hang back and wait for the room to clear, then once everyone is gone, I close the door before calling Kalie. The last thing I want is for one of my colleagues to hear me whine and grovel. Taking a moment, I try and compose myself before holding my breath and tapping on her name. Kalie picks up on the first ring, “Explain yourself, Moana Renee.” wow, she is not messing around.

     Not even a hello; that in itself lets me know she is mad and barely holding herself together. How I wish I could start this day over. Before she gets madder, I begin to explain, “Kalie, I’m sorry. I had a hard time sleeping last night, tossing and turning, so when I finally did fall asleep, it was, you know one of those deep sleeps. Then this morning, I got up fine, but my head was fuzzy, and I couldn’t focus, and I guess I was daydreaming because before I realized it, It was too late. I know I wasn’t supposed to take your car, but I thought it was better than calling in.”

     Holding my breath again, the silence on the other end lasts for a good thirty seconds before Kalie speaks. “Well, it just so happens my plans have changed, and I’ll be home tonight. I was hoping to surprise you, maybe take you out for a nice dinner. Well, I guess now we’ll be staying home instead. Alright, I’m sure your break is over, and you need to get back to work.”

     As we hang up, I realize I hadn’t asked what time she gets in. So I send a quick text, “Kalie, What time does your flight arrive? Should I pick you up?” Oh, please, please, please, be a late flight. So then, I do a mental scan of the house. Laundry on the floor, dishes in the sink, oh boy.

     My stomach lurches as I read her answer, “My flight lands at two, so I’ll take a taxi and meet you at home.” no, no, no, I pinch my arm, “ouch.” Dang, I felt that. I was hoping to be in the middle of a horrible dream. Now, I know I should tell her about the mess, but my fingers won’t type the words.

     There’s no more time to stall on my lunch break, so I force the words onto the screen. “Kalie, I should probably tell you, well, ma’am. The house is kind of messy. I swear I was going to clean it before you got home. Please don’t be mad.” Rereading the text, I shake my head, seeing the word ma’am.

     I put my phone away and get back to work. It takes a while, but I force my problems to the back of my mind and focus. By the time I punch out, I can honestly say today has been one of the longest days ever. I slowly walk to Kalie’s car; there is no way I’ll get a speeding ticket today. I’m in no hurry to be home. Entering the house through the garage door, Kalie is at the kitchen sink washing the pile of dishes I left there. She doesn’t look too mad.

     Unfortunately, looks can be deceiving because without looking up, she directs. “Go wash up and change out of your work clothes. I’ll meet you upstairs when I finish here.” Feeling wore out and ready for this day to be over. I don’t fuss and do as directed. Passing our bed on the way to the bathroom, I fantasize about crawling under the covers. My wife has many plans for me, of course, none of which include my comfort.

     I take a quick shower; not thinking of bringing clothes with me, I wrap a large fluffy towel around my body. Exiting the bathroom, I startle seeing Kalie sitting on the edge of our bed. She is waiting patiently, but there is determination in her eyes. Before I can dress, the questions begin, “Moana, so you could’t sleep last night. Is there any reason? Were you not feeling well?” I shake my head no. “Were you overtired? Maybe stay up too late?” again, no. “Ok, so in the past when you’ve had trouble sleeping it was caffeine. Moana did you have a Mountain Dew with your dinner or maybe after?” Looking down, I did, but I didn’t want to say. “Little girl, you had better answer me and you had better do it right now!”

     That tone means she is not playing, and if I don’t answer quickly, I’m doomed. “Oh, um, well.” Random words come sputtering out; She is losing what little patience she has, so I hurry to correct myself. “Yes, ma’am. I had a Mountain Dew last night while I was watching TV. It was just the one, I swear.” Oh boy, I regret so many things right now, but at this moment, wearing nothing but a towel tops the list. I stand rooted in the spot for what feels like hours, but it is probably only a few seconds while she looks me up and down, and I can’t help squirming.

     “Ok, put on a T-shirt and meet me in the Den.” She is almost to the door when she adds, “No stalling!” I hurry and do what she asks; I find one of my longer t-shirts, hoping to cover as much as possible while I still can. I’m surprised she wants me downstairs in the Den, but I can’t worry about that right now. I hurry down the steps and place myself in the corner. I need my wife to forgive me, so I immediately submit to her authority. With my nose almost touching the wall, I listen to the sounds she makes as she enters the room; I hear her place something on the coffee table. I know it must be an implement but try as I may, I can’t figure out which one.

     I’m getting jittery and start shifting my weight. I know Kalie is watching, so I try to settle my nervous body. I jump when she finally calls for me. “Moana Renee, come here please.” I turn slowly, keeping my eyes glued to the carpet, and make my way to her side. She takes my hands in hers, squeezing slightly, then asks. “Moana, Please explain what’s about to happen and why?”

     I’m ready for this ordeal to be over, so I take a deep breath and let the words stumble out. “I borrowed your car because I was running late, because I couldn’t sleep and I couldn’t sleep because I had caffeine. Oh and I left the house messy. So I guess Um, I broke three rules. So, well, I um, I mean, now you’re gonna spank me.”

     “You guess you broke three rules? Are you saying you don’t agree?”

      Kalie’s question surprises me, and I hurry to correct myself. “No ma’am, I mean yes ma’am, I agree I broke three rules, sorry ma’am.” My words get jumbled together, and I tell myself to stop talking.

     “Very good, little girl, let’s get started. Over you go.” I ease myself over my wife’s muscular thighs. I know in a few minutes, I’ll be wiggling and trying to get away, but for a brief moment, I enjoy the feel of my wife. She doesn’t go away very often, but when she does, I miss her terribly. Unfortunately, the pleasant moment ends much too soon, as the first of many swats lands and startles me back to the present. Kalie targets my sit spots as she repeatedly lands swats going from one cheek to the other. I grab hold of her leg, trying to steady myself.

     “Ka~lie” in my distress, I try and reach back, hoping to stop this horrible assault on to butt, only to have my hand gripped in a vise-like hold at the base of my spine.

     Then she adds a chilling reprimand. “Little girl, you know better. Do we need to start over.” I freeze; starting over is not an idle threat.

     “No, I’m sorry, I’ll be good, please Kalie.” although she doesn’t start over, Kalie stays focused on her mission. Since I was forbidden to drive, and I did anyway and then broke several rules on top of that, my wife won’t stop until she feels I’ve learned my lesson. The feel of her hand has me gasping as Kalie continues to swat my bottom. Each time it lands, I yelp and screech; I know she is only warming my butt, and the actual onslaught hasn’t even begun, but her warmups hurt.

     Finally, she stops and begins rubbing my sore cheeks, which is painful but feels good at the same time. All too soon, I feel her hand reach to the side only to return with my most dreaded of all our implements. A fourteen-inch leather paddle she purchased online a few years back, and I’ve hated it ever since. The noise it makes upon landing is awful, and the sturdy leather covers both of my cheeks at the same time, leaving an intense sting in its wake. Kalie casually lays the paddle across my sore cheeks, and I shiver as I think about what’s to come. She takes her time, and my dread builds.

     Kalie’s stern tone has me cringing. “Moana, I want to be able to trust you when I’m away. You do understand that I’m disappointed with your behavior. The fact you decided to act up and be a naughty girl just because I wasn’t here. So this is what’s going to happen, because you were naughty, right now I’m going to paddle your bottom until it’s a bright red. Then the night before my next trip to see my Aunt Brie I’m going to use this same paddle as a reminder. Little girl, You will behave when I’m away, period.” That said, Kalie begins bringing the paddle down on my bottom with an unyielding determination. The first swat stings like the dickens, only to be followed by an onslaught of stinging swats. I’m frantic, trying to avoid this bloody thing, but she has my handheld at the base of my back. The only body parts I can move are my legs.

      Unfortunately, I don’t realize how fierce my legs are kicking, not until the paddle lands hitting the backs of my thighs. Let’s say that gets my attention and probably that of the entire neighborhood because my screams are loud. Kalie’s warning is stern. “Stop kicking! Little girl, your naughty behavior has earned every single swat you’re getting.”

     “Ka~lie, it h~urrrts sooo much. Pl~ease I’ll be good.” I beg as tears fall and my nose runs.

     “Yes, I’m sure it hurts. Isn’t that the point of a spanking? Now let’s finish up so I can get a proper welcome home from my wife.” My sit spots are now her primary target, and the paddle lands repeatedly. My legs are still moving but not as wildly, which seems to be ok with Kalie. When I think I can’t take one more swat, Kalie sets the paddle aside. She gently rubs my back and whispers softly; at first, I can’t understand what she is saying. Soon her loving words register, and I know I’m forgiven. My body begins to settle, and I embrace her comforting touch and luxuriate in this serene moment.

     I’m not even sure how long she let me enjoy the sensations, but soon I’m being helped up and onto Kalie’s lap. “Ooh, ouch, Kalie.” Her jeans are almost too rough for my tender cheeks, but soon, I’m content with her arms holding me tight. She’s home, and I’ve missed her. I and my sore bottom burrow in, trying to get as close as possible.