Special Delivery (Beginnings and Endings, 494 words)
by yumyum
There hadn't been many deliveries that day, so I was looking forward to finishing my rounds early. Just one more house to go, and I was done.
Here we are: number 19. I left my motorbike idling on the kerb, grabbed the package, and made my way to the front door.
Ding-dong.
I heard a low murmur from within the house, then silence. After a polite interval of time, I rang again.
Ding-dong. Come on. Haven't got all day.
The door opened to reveal a middle-aged man in business attire.
"Package here for Mr Povey."
Even as I was speaking, his face lit up with barely-contained excitement.
"Ah, excellent. I think I know what this is."
I smiled benignly. From behind him, I heard... a groan?
"This was sent C.O.D., sir, so the total comes to $36.90."
"Thanks, miss. Back in a sec."
He walked off down the hall, and I was now afforded a view of his front living room. And my heart froze.
Smack-bang in the middle of that room, not twelve feet away, was a lady. A lady who, at this very moment, was bent over a chair, bare from the waist down, and sporting a backside that was glowing a most extraordinary shade of florid red.
I stood there, gaping at this fascinating tableau. I had seen some interesting sights in this job, but this one really took the cake. The poor girl was fidgeting and sniffling quietly to herself, and whenever she jiggled about, her bum jiggled too.
And then, maintaining her position, she looked back over her shoulder and caught my eye. I was in for one more surprise that day.
She was smiling at me. Teary-eyed, yes, but smiling: a big, radiant grin, with no hint of shame or embarrassment. And at that moment, it looked to me like there was no more natural place in the world for that girl to be.
The sound of footsteps startled us both. She gave me a broad wink, then assumed her previous position just as Mr Povey walked into the room. Not bothering to look in my direction, he strode right over to her and let fly with a quick barrage of slaps to her bottom. They had an instant effect on her: she gasped and wriggled and squirmed. As he spanked, he admonished her in low tones:
"Fancy making all this fuss, young lady... I'm only using my hand, for heaven's sakes!"
Finally, he turned to hand me the money, all confidence and pride.
"She makes for quite a sight, doesn't she?"
"Ummm... she certainly does, Sir," I replied, fumbling with the change.
He seemed satisfied with my reponse. Unwrapping the parcel then and there, he retrieved from it a formidable wooden paddle. I gasped.
He smiled, then turned back to his wife. As I left, I heard that paddle tap-tap-tap against her backside, and she let out a long, soft moan.
"I have a present for you."