by Alex Willow
Carmen's career was really taking off. The 20-year-old starlet had risen to prominence as a part of a teen girl group, but had been the one chosen by their manager to pursue a career on her own. After a year of long nights at the studio, pouring her heart out into a new album, her solo album was soon to be released. With the money she had already made from the first two successful singles, she had just bought a big house in the hills, moving out of the home she had shared with her mom and 18-year-old sister, but living close enough to see them often. She was over the moon about her newfound fame. She was in the middle of a circuit of performances on the late-night shows, relishing the attention from her stylists as they put on her make-up and arranged her revealing outfits just-so.
The week before the big release date, some bad publicity had come out. Some zealous fans had been combing through everything she had ever posted on the internet, and had gone deep into the history of her Facebook. Much to their dismay, they had found some truly harsh bullying from the 16-year-old Carmen, including calling some of her old classmates names which would end anyone's career in this day and age. For most people, whatever they had said at 16 could be overlooked. But for a star just shy of her 21st birthday, it felt a little different. Besides, the comments dated from just after she had started performing her career.
Carmen was crushed. For one thing, this bad publicity was set to scuttle her album sales. Some of the shows were already canceling, though her concert promoter said they had been able to calm the nerves of nervous venues. But beyond that, she felt truly bad about what she had said. She had grown so much in the last four years, and not allowed the fame to go to her head (well, not too much anyway). She had grown enough to feel terrible about how the victims of her posts must have felt. She had been a petty, immature teen when she made those posts, and she was not about to let them ruin her career.
She called together her two must trusted advisers on the topic: her publicist, Eric, a fashionable man in his late 20's, and her mother, Alma. They met in her expansive living room.
"Well, what do you think I can do?" she asked, on the verge of tears. Her mother just held her lips together tightly, the obvious disapproval causing Carmen to look down at her feet. Her publicist's answer was simple: he explained it is almost impossible to give an apology anyone will believe. Besides, he had reached out to the injured parties, and they were more interested in getting even than helping.
At this, Carmen fidgeted, crossing her legs, adjusting her pale blue skirt, and started rubbing her knuckles on her skin of her thigh. "I really hurt them, didn't I..." She trailed off, and noticed her mother's expression had softened somewhat.
"I'm glad you feel some remorse!" her mom began. "I can't help but blame myself a little that you didn't feel bad when you were writing those things. I certainly remember you being quite contrite after I put you across my knee for basically the same thing when you were 14!" Carmen blushed, noting Eric's thoughtful expression. "But that was just about the last time I ever spanked you! Someone talked me into thinking 15 was too old and that's when you started becoming a little bit of a handful. I never thought it'd ruin your career!"
Carmen's eyes started to fill with tears, unable to really disagree with what her mother was saying.
Eric allowed an uncomfortable moment to pass, before saying, "There's really nothing to do but to try to put together a heartfelt sounding statement. And the sooner the better. Shall we?" He pulled out his laptop and set in on the coffee table. After both women eventually nodded, still caught up in their earlier thoughts, he began tapping away as he read aloud potential options. Carmen made a few suggestions, and her mother offered up examples from a few times she remembered Carmen delivering a particularly convincing apology. Carmen blushed slightly, realizing more than one apology had been forthcoming as she lay bare across her mother's lap.
After about an hour of this, they finally had a statement. Before he read it aloud, Eric asked them to close their eyes, imagine they had no attachment to the situation, and evaluate the genuineness from that perspective. As he finished, they each opened their eyes and looked back and forth between each other and Eric. No one looked convinced.
"What am I even paying you for!" Carmen yelled, stamping her foot.
Eric had experienced worse in his career, though not from this normally level-headed employer, and simply said nothing. Neither did Carmen's mother, simply adopting the wordless disapproving look she had come to rely on as her daughter had become more independent.
"I just don't understand how you're supposed to be the best if you can't even put together a real apology!" Carmen squealed, sounding desperate. "Get me another draft, call in someone who knows what they're doing if you have to!"
She was still looking for any excuse to not have to say the dreadful idea which had popped into her head about half an hour prior. She had been praying Eric could come up with something.
With an exasperated sigh, her mother got up to refill her glass of water, offering to get Eric one as well as he continued to type, a look of frustration on his face.
The sun was setting by the time he read out the second draft, to much the same reaction as the first.
"Come on!" Carmen howled, standing up and stamping her foot. "This can't be the best you can do!"
"Enough, Carmen!" her mother snapped. "You brought this on yourself and you can't blame Eric that you have to face the consequences. Let's just hope something of your career survives. Eric, feel free to go."
Carmen slumped back down into her chair, wretchedly watching Eric pack up his things. Her face flushed as she tried to work up the courage to say what she knew she had to say next. He was almost to the door before she blurted out, "Wait! What if... the apology said... that... I had gotten... a spanking?" She looked down as Eric's eyebrows shot up and her mother's expression brightened.
Carmen's mother waved Eric back over. "My, my, my! That sounds like a grand idea. What do you think, Eric? Would that come across as a sincere apology?"
Eric still seemed a bit stunned. Working in the entertainment industry had its share of unusual requests from clients, but this was a first. He looked speculatively at his young client, noting the mature form beneath the curves of her dress, at odds with her petulant actions. Now, she was looking quite frightened at what she had just put in motion.
"I suppose," he said after a long moment, "the apology would accomplish everything we could dream, if anyone believed that a spanking had actually happened... which I sort of doubt they would."
Carmen's heart sank at her last ditch effort's likely failure, but disappointment was tinged with relief, as she was already starting to regret her suggestion. Her bottom was already tingling with a long forgotten memory. Unfortunately, her mother had already sprung into action.
"I think that's a wonderful idea, Carmen. I'm glad you agree that's necessary. They'd believe it, of course, because we'd show them!"
Carmen's face flushed at the thought. She opened her mouth to protest, but Eric replied first.
"Look, this is all so extraordinary. I think people would even think photos were faked," he said.
"Who said anything about photos! We'd stream the whole thing live! Maybe just post a few photos after," Alma said, with a touch too much enthusiasm for Carmen's liking. Again, Eric cut her off before she could protest.
"Well, that certainly would work. I suppose actually from a publicity standpoint it'd be best to leave the whole video up. No matter how well we publicize it to start with, people are still going to have the same objection going forward."
Before Carmen could speak, Alma turned to her and said, "I think it's very mature of you to take this step to save your career, and to take the medicine you deserve in any case. Since you're to be punished, the details of this are now out of your hands. Go stand in the hallway and close the door; we'll come get you when we've decided the plan."
Carmen squealed a little in protest, she had most definitely not agreed to what they were proposing now. As Carmen fumbled for words, her mother simply gave her a hard stare and raised an eyebrow.
"Do as I say right now, young lady, unless you'd like a red bottom right now to prepare you for what to expect tomorrow night," warned Alma. "Or unless you'd like to give up your career?"
Tomorrow! This was all happening much, much too fast. Carmen's mind was still in shock at how the prospect of a video of her mother waling away on her bare ass, existing on the internet forever, was all of a sudden a possibility. But she was also still reeling at the prospect of her career evaporating just as it was about to take off. And a part of her was yearning for the absolution this would provide. She could at least think of how to respond from the hallway where her mother had ordered her to go. With just a slight "Hmmmf!" to show she was still upset, she turned on her heel and went to stand in her grand entryway hall, closing the door to the meeting where her fate hung in the balance.
She started to sit down, but recalled her mother's order to stand in the hall. Wasn't that just another way of saying to go there? Surely she didn't really mean she couldn't sit? Who knew how long they would be? She wasn't accustomed to being told what to do anymore, but she hadn't become totally unaccustomed to following her mother's strict orders. Under the circumstances, it was probably wise to be safer. So she nervously shuffled her feet for what felt like an eternity, straining to hear the voices through the door.
She could only faintly hear her mother, but her voice sounded at its harshest. Her mind flashed back to a moment when, at 14, she had mouthed off to her in front of her older cousins, trying to look adult. Before she could blink she was bent over the counter, bared, and howling at whack after whack of her mother's sandal, as both boys tittered. How could she even contemplate something infinitely more humiliating, and judging from her mother's demeanor, even more painful! She couldn't go through with this. She would back out, even if that scrapped their whole plan for her redemption.
Just then, the door opened swiftly, and her mother walked in, her face giving no indication of whether she had expected Carmen to be standing or not.
"It's done," she said, and held up her phone to show a video already posted to Carmen's 12 million Instagram followers. In it, Alma matter-of-factly announced that Carmen was very sorry for what she had done a few years prior, and that in order to make amends she would be live streaming her sound spanking at 7pm the next day.
"No!" Carmen howled, having just been about to take this all back. She felt hopelessly out of control from every side. At that moment, Alma took her in her arms, giving her a firm, comforting hug.
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