Beginnings and Endings - A Bet Too Far (500 words)

This story is fiction and deals with spanking and corporal punishment. If such subjects are offensive, uninteresting or if you are a minor please leave now. Writer does not condone the spanking of children

This work is copyright by the author and commercial use is prohibited without permission.

It's wrong. I know it's wrong. But I had taken money from Susan's purse for ages. My wife never seemed to notice. I used it to gamble on the horses. I never won.

Susan was out. Our teenage son and daughter played upstairs. I sat in the living room watching the horse racing.

When Susan came home she scowled at the TV. She went straight upstairs. Then we all heard "everyone into the bedroom, now!"

Crikey, what have the kids done now I wondered?

Susan is a wonderful mother and the kids love her. Even though she is the one who disciplines them. She told me right from the start to leave discipline to her. I never queried it. She had two unbendable rules. We must all watch every spanking. And there is only one form of punishment. No grounding or lost privileges. Just a scolding and a very hard spanking.

The kids stood in front of her, me to the side as usual. Waiting.

"Who stole money from my purse" she asked. I froze.

Both kids said it wasn't them.

She turned to me. "David?"

I stayed silent. Stunned.

"I know it's you. I have known for ages. I thought you would stop, but no. What would the kids get for this David?"

That shook me. "You are joking?"

"No, I'm not. It's wrong to steal so you will be punished. Come over here now" she demanded, extremely cross.

The kids were wide eyed.

I know it's wrong to steal. OK. Spank the kids, sure. But me? Her husband.

I knew though she never backed down. It was going to happen. "I suppose once will be ok then" I tried.

"Really. Since when did you set the rules? Get used to the concept."

That told me.

I looked at Susan. I wasn't arguing now but my eyes begged her to send the kids out of the room first.

She shook her head. "It's too late to think about privacy David. The whole family always watches. The kids will now" she said sharply.

Susan pointed to her knee. I groaned, took down my trousers and pants, and bent across her lap. I glanced at the kids who were sniggering. I didn't blame them.

Susan started her lecture whilst plastering my bottom with hard spanks.

"Listen up guys, this isn't about me spanking your father, as I reckon it's the first of many you will be watching me give him. It is about you always doing the right thing or taking the consequences. Whatever your age. Even at your father's age."

"Please stop. It hurts" I begged.

"Not for a long while yet" Susan snapped as my thrashing continued unabated.

"Well David, is it wrong to steal?"

"Yes, yes, yes. It's wrong. I know it's wrong. I'm so sorry" I cried, tears flowing freely.

"So, you guys look and learn. I hope this spanking will teach all of you that if you know you are doing something wrong, don't do it."

There is a lot of great edginess to this story, a father being spanked in front of his teenage children.  That's something one doesn't encounter every day.  The idea of it happening in real life is wickedly embarrassing, which adds an extra element to the story.  This story was well written, and fun to read.  It must be true what they say, gambling doesn't pay.

I confess that usually I cringe a bit at stories about parents being spanked in front of their children.  But this one had me cringing for other reasons-- I could feel the narrator's own embarrassment at his crime.

What would have upped the tension a bit for me and maybe made the children feel a bit more real without taking up many more words would be if the author had made it clearer that the narrator was willing to have his children punished rather than admit to the theft.  As it stands, this story is good, but has the potential for being even better.

It seems to be a feature of a lot of F/M stories, particularly those involving a long-term partner, that the transition to a new dynamic of discipline is incredibly quick and simple; some triggering event starts things off, and it's as if everyone's been waiting for that moment. The problem with that presentation is that it's just about the fantasy of the writer, and not about the actual characters in the story, who serve as surrogates. In reality the process of moving to a relationship involving discipline would involve complex emotions, and it's that *complexity* which would make a story interesting and compelling. As with any story which works primarily as the writer's fantasy, if the reader doesn't share the fantasy the story has little else to offer them.

"A Bet Too Far" makes good use of its first line, and I like the first-person narration.  The idea that nobody is above the rules is satisfying, too.  The writing seems just a little stiff, but that doesn't detract much from the overall effect.