by Frank Limadere
It was a busy Monday afternoon in Clarkstown's Spank Shop and the pretty young receptionist Kimberley Kennedy felt rushed off her feet. This happened at the end of every school holiday. People came flooding into the shop to have their rears properly warmed by the Spank Shop's elegant and attractive proprietress Andrea Mahony.
Even with the assistance of Kimberley's stern and beautiful mother Gabrielle, they were still having difficulty matching demand. All the corners were full with glowing red bottoms awaiting pick up, and the sounds of a double spanking could be heard emanating from Andrea's parlour. Two clients were draped over the knees of Andrea and Gabrielle as the women soundly applied hairbrush and slipper respectively to the recalcitrant upturned behinds.
Kimberley sat back, finished her Excel ledger entry and then watched their most recent client leave rubbing his bottom ruefully as he minced out of the shop. The teenage receptionist glanced at the three remaining backsides in the corner and sighed. She massaged her temples and closed her blue eyes. They snapped open as the phone rang harshly and jangled her nerves. What now? she thought in exasperation as she snatched the phone from the cradle and said in her best, most pleasant reception voice "Spank Shop. This is Kimberley, How may I help you?"
"Allo. May I speak with Andee, please?" A woman's voice, speaking French accented English floated over the other end of the phone.
"Um," Kimberley began, not sure how to respond. "Miss Andrea," she emphasized the Miss, "is busy at present. May I ask who is calling and take a message?"
"My name is Joelle Clemenceau and I will 'old for Andee."
Hold? How? wondered Kimberley. I don't even have a hold button. "Er, Mrs Clemenceau I can't..."
"Mademoiselle!" the French lady snapped. "I am not married, please put me on 'old until Andee is free."
"I can't put you on -" Kimberley began to explain but then the parlour door opened.
"Kimmy,” Andrea called. “Daniel is done with his spanking and your Mum is just finishing up with Joanne. Do we have any free corners?"
Kimberley held the mouthpiece of the phone to her breast to cover it and answered in a somewhat harassed voice, "I've only got one free, ma'am."
"Okay, we'll pop Joanne in that one and Daniel can do his corner time here with us. Do you think you could see your way clear to putting the kettle on, dear?"
"Yeah, I guess so," Kimberley murmured. "I've got this French lady on the phone who is demanding to speak to Andee." The blonde girl mimicked Mademoiselle Clemenceau's accent.
"Andee," Andrea repeated in a wondering tone and then laughed. "Put her through please, sweetheart."
Kimberley shrugged and told the haughty French caller, "Putting you through now, Madam." making sure that she accentuated the Madam and transferring the call before the lady could snap at her again.
Kimberley was making tea when Gabrielle joined her in the kitchen. "Busy day, Mum?" Kimberley asked.
"Oh goodness, yes, sweetness. I had no idea this place could be so busy. I don't think I've ever seen and slapped so many bottoms in all my life."
Kimberley giggled. "It was worse before you agreed to help Aunty Andrea out. Who is that French lady? She was very rude."
"I honestly don't know, Kimmy. Andrea seemed to want to take the call in private. Do you want me to watch the quartet of bottoms out there whilst you make the tea?"
"Yes, please, Mum. That would be great."
Kimberley delivered the tea to Andrea. The disciplinarian was curled up on the couch laughing delightedly at something the mysterious caller had said. She motioned to her receptionist to place the tea tray on the table and waved her out.
Kimberley relieved her mother on the reception desk. Only two corners were still occupied now and two more nervous clients had entered.
Gabrielle went to one young man and took him by the hand saying, "C'mon Jonathan. Aunty Andrea is busy at the moment, sweetheart, but I am sure that Aunty Gabrielle can make that bottom blush." She led the boy into one of the parlours.
Kimberley smiled as she heard the unmistakable and distinctive sound of a hard maternal palm meeting tender, young bottom flesh and the answering wail. An anxious young college boy arrived and stammered, "Samuel Jensen. I...I... have an appointment."
Kimberley consulted her appointment book and treated the young man to one of her dazzling smiles with a, "Yes, you do, Sammy." She hit the intercom on her desk.
Andrea heard it buzz and said to her caller, "Joelle, I am really sorry, darling, but you have caught me on the busiest day ever." She paused as Joelle said something. "Next Tuesday? Yes! That would be wonderful! I'll have Kimmy block out the afternoon. Next Tuesday then?" She hung up the phone and answered the intercom. "Yes, Kim?"
"Ma'am, Sammy is here for his four o'clock spanking."
"Excellent! Can you please pop him into an apron and bring him in here to me?"
"No problem," Kimberley answered as she rose and asked an older lady in reception, "Would you please watch Joanne and Daniel to make sure that they don't rub, ma'am?"
"Delighted," the lady answered, turning her eyes to the plump, blazing red rears in the corners.
"Come on, Sammy," Kimberley prompted the boy, taking his sweaty palm in hers. "Time to get you all ready to go over Aunty Andrea's knee."
The eighteen year-old boy blushed to the roots of his short, neat, brown hair as the two mothers shared a smile and Daniel sniggered in his corner.
I love my job, Kimberley thought as she landed a firm pat on the boy's rear to encourage him into the change room.
"What a day!" Andrea sighed to herself as she poured herself a steaming cup of coffee, switched on the TV and curled up on the couch, wrapping her hands around the big mug and inhaling the warm steam blissfully. Downtime was just what she needed. Her mind wandered as the images on the screen flickered and she went back to the call she had received from Joelle earlier that day. Joelle Clemenceau had been a big part of her adolescent life, but not someone that she had thought about in years.
Andrea had been thirteen years old when the Clemenceaus' had moved in next door. They were a well to do French family. They had two daughters. Odile and Joelle. Andrea rarely saw Odile as she was attending the Sorbonne and only came home for holidays.
Joelle had been sixteen when her parents made the move from France and she and the adolescent Andrea had hit it off very well. One thing that had bonded the two girls well had been Joelle's ability with her native tongue. Andrea had been taking French at school and it was one subject that she had problems with. Joelle had been hired as a tutor.
Andrea found out after a few lessons where she had not treated it seriously and goofed off that Joelle her girlfriend and Joelle her tutor were two different people. Joelle the friend giggled and talked about boys. Joelle the tutor was stern and all business.
Joelle also became her and her sister's regular babysitter and it was not unusual for the French teen to have to discipline both girls firmly during the course of the evening.
Andrea considered herself to be straight, but there was a time when she was fourteen that she had been desperately in love with Joelle. She had never admitted it to her friend.
Andrea blushed as she reflected on her teen encounters with Joelle Clemenceau and another thought hit her. She and Joelle had often discussed boys as teenage girls are wont to do, but she had never seen Joelle with a boyfriend, yet she was undeniably attractive, and when she was at college she had on occasion brought a female friend home to spend the holidays. But she had never once brought a boy home. She couldn't be gay, could she? Not that there's anything wrong with that, thought Andrea as she sipped her coffee.
She was looking forward to next Tuesday when she renewed her acquaintance with Joelle. She wondered what the French lady would think of her chosen line of work.
Kimberley frowned down at her appointment book. She pursed her pink lips and huffily blew air out through them. The annoyed movement blew a lock of golden hair off her furrowed forehead and made it bounce comically. Blank. There was not a single appointment from one o'clock this Tuesday afternoon until closing time. Kimberley had been forced to juggle appointments all over the place just because Aunty Andrea's friend, the annoying French woman, Mademoiselle Joelle Clemenceau was coming to visit.
"I can't believe this," Kimberley muttered, angrily tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear. "I had to clear an entire afternoon of appointments, some of them regular weeklies, because of some cheese eating, surrender monkey!" Kimberley almost giggled as she vocalized the insult, admittedly it was childish, but the pretty blonde receptionist had never liked French people.
It had to do with her high school French teacher Monsieur Perrotet. The man had been short, plump and greasy. He was also sleazy and had continually been offering to give Kimberley after school tutoring. The thought of being locked in a room with the man one on one made her physically ill. Her experiences had put her off French people for life. Besides, Mademoiselle Clemenceau had been very rude to her.
Kimberley looked up as the bell over the door tinkled and a tall, slender, immaculately dressed brunette swept in. She stood in the doorway and her green eyes scanned the room imperiously. She opened her long grey overcoat revealing a perfectly fitted long dress in the latest style. The dress came to her ankles and her feet were shod with glittering black leather, high-heeled boots. "You are Kimberlee?" she asked in her accented English.
"Yes, I am Kimberley," the girl replied, making sure that she pronounced her name correctly. "And you are?"
"Joelle Clemenceau," the lady announced, her jade eyes challenging the girl.
"You're late," Kimberley said snappily.
Joelle patted her wavy brown hair into place and was about to reprimand the girl for her manner when Andrea entered the room. "Joelle!" she exclaimed, rushing to the lady with open arms.
"Andee!" Joelle squealed in delight and the two women hugged each other.
They broke their embrace and a smiling Andrea said, "Kimberley, this is my very good friend and old French tutor Mademoiselle Joelle Clemenceau."
"We've met," Kimberley said tightly.
"Oui," Joelle confirmed. "Kimberlee was telling me that my watch is slow, chérie."
Andrea gave Joelle a quizzical look and then raised an eyebrow at Kimberley, which the teenager knew meant that she would be grilled on the matter later on and that could also possibly mean a grilling for her bottom afterwards.
"Kim, we're going to retire to my parlour to talk. I know I'd like a cup of coffee and I am sure Joelle could use one."
"Ah ma chérie," Joelle clapped her hands. "You read my mind. Coffee is just what I need." Kimberley sighed and rose from her desk to head to the kitchen and make the coffee. "Kimberlee," Joelle called. "Café au lait, s'il vous plaît."
"You know what that means, sweetheart?" Andrea asked.
"Yes, ma'am," Kimberley replied. "Coffee with milk, if you please." Then under her breath muttered, "The silly French bint thinks I'm stupid."
Kimberley brought the coffee in and set it on the table. Andrea and Joelle were seated on the couch chatting animatedly. Kimberley turned to leave and was stopped by Andrea's voice. "Kimmy, could you stay to pour please, dear?"
"Yes, ma'am," the adolescent sighed, what she really wanted to do was get out of Joelle Clemenceau's presence and lose herself in her book.
Not to be reposted, reproduced or distributed, in part or whole.