by DJ Black
"I don't see why you shouldn't bring your friends over as planned honey. After all it's not your fault." Dana broke off from applying her lipstick for a moment and glanced at her youngest daughter, Dakota, who was standing in the corner.
Freya followed the direction of her mother's look. Darn the little brat she thought, feeling not the least sympathy for her sister's shiny red bottom.
"Can't you just send her to her room?" Freya asked pleadingly.
"You know the house rules honey," Dana said casually, putting the final touches to her make-up. "How do I look?"
"You look just great Mom," Freya said unenthusiastically.
"No I don't do I?" Dana grinned as she checked herself out in the mirror. "I don't look a day over 30."
She didn't as well Freya thought.
"Well 41 anyway, Mom," she said.
Dana leaned over and gave Freya a swat on her behind. It was an old joke with them.
"So are you having the girls over while I'm out?" Dana continued.
Dakota began to pray. She begged fervently to the god of the north wall of their house that Freya wouldn't be so cruel.
"I had better not," Freya sighed.
"Your call. See you later girls." Dana snatched up her keys from the kitchen top. "And Dakota dear. You are to stay there until 9.30 and then straight to bed. I really hope I don't hear that you did anything different."
"You little brat," Freya sneered at her sister bitterly after her mother had gone. "I mean smoking in Main Street? What a dork."
"I didn't know Mom would be out shopping did I?" Dakota's tone was sullen and half-hearted.
"I have a good mind to go ahead with my plans," Freya countered.
It wasn't that she had any sympathy per se, Freya thought. But there was an unspoken agreement between the girls. No friends over when one of them was in jug. After all even though Freya was 20 now, next time it could very well be her in the corner.
The 18-year-old in the corner didn't respond. One word from Freya and her life could become a living hell in oh so many ways. Not least, she could claim Dakota broke out of the corner ahead of time. And there was still the girls' night in.
Once before, when they had been younger, Freya had sent Dakota to her room so she could have a boyfriend over. Even though her sister had another hour and a half corner time to serve. Mom had come home early.
Boyfriend was still there when the spanking commenced and the next two nights had been a bitch for both sisters. No. A postponement was the only safe thing to do.
Dana looked at her watch, just time to finish her evening shopping. Then with one final look at the house she drove off.
Dana always kept a nonchalant air around the subject of spanking in front of her girls, but as she drove away, she was fully aware of Freya's dilemma. She admired her daughter's wisdom and foresight in this.
When she had been of a similar age she had been only too pleased to find ways to humiliate her sisters, with not a thought to the fact that they would only reciprocate in kind when their chance came.
Sometimes girls never learn though, she chuckled to herself. Such petty revenge often backfired. She remembered one time that her elder sister, Hope, had been spanked for coming home late from a date. Their mother had spanked her silly the next day right there in the family room with Grandma, Aunt Glenda and assorted cousins in attendance.
Hope had looked a picture of woe standing sans culets in the corner. Brian and Pete, their cousins had certainly enjoyed the spectacle of the shamed half-nude 19-year-old so humbly displayed.
"Man her face is even redder than her bottom," the 17-year-old Brian had remarked.
Shortly afterwards Dana had got a phone call from some of her girl friends. Not only had she declined an invite to go out, but she had insisted that they come over.
That was mistake number one.
Having people drop by was one thing, taking it upon yourself to arrange extra punishment for a sister was borderline mischief. Doing it when you already had a houseful of relatives was playing with fire. That was mistake number two.
"That girl is getting too big for her boots," Grandma had said. "Not too old for a spanking herself."
At 18, Dana would have liked to disagree, but big sis was evidence that it weren't so.
When they arrived, the girls had been suitably impressed with Dana's treat and had joined the younger boys in a round of teasing. Grandma's steely stare should have been warning enough. Then Candy opened her big mouth.
"My, I do believe Hope is looking a little sick. She looks like Belinda Yates did last Saturday after drinking nine shots."
Dana darted a glance at Grandma in case she had heard. Alcohol was a big no-no.
"Last Saturday?" Mom perked up. "Shots. You said you went to the theatre, didn't you?"
"Candy is thinking of another time..." Dana said quickly, hoping the shots would be overlooked.
"Me and my big mouth," Candy grinned. "I forgot we were supposed to be at the theatre. Anyway no biggy."
Thanks Candy, Dana groaned inwardly.
"Bridget O'Leary if you don't spank that girl at once I'll spank you both," Grandma scolded.
Bridget O'Leary had been Dana's mother's name before she married. Dana guessed it had been the domestic battle cry.
Dana remembered how her mother had blushed at the spanking threat before a mess of teenagers.
"I can handle this Mom," her mother had growled.
"I can explain," Dana had wailed as she was hauled over the maternal lap.
The ensuing spanking had been a treat for the gathered family and friends. Dana's shorts had only just beaten her panties to her ankles as her bottom was bared.
Then the hairbrush had done its work.
"Don't think you have heard the last of this my girl," her mother had hissed.
It wasn't of course. After spending the afternoon in the corner standing next to Hope, Dana had got an additional spanking for the shots.
It was no comfort to know that Candy had later got the same. Girls are so stupid. Dana laughed at the memory.
As she arrived at the mall she pondered on the irony, maybe some things never change. Her husband would certainly have something to say about this little trip if he found out. But there was nothing for it; she needed a new dress for the upcoming PTA benefit dinner.
Dakota felt quite the fool as she stood in the corner. Freya was only a year older than her - it was too much to be held in such a shaming posture. Still it could be worse. Freya could easily have invited her gang over and then her life wouldn't have been worth living.
"Couldn't I just turn round at least to watch TV? I could turn right back the moment Mom came home," Dakota wheedled.
"You can do what you like, but you know I can't lie to Mom. It's your butt."
Freya was being literal. She couldn't tell a decent lie at the best of times but she had never been able to lie to her mother. Heaven knows it had cost her enough sore bottoms to learn that.
Dakota tilted her head back and let out a heavy breath, her sister was right.
Ten minutes later she was still trying to think her way out the corner when she heard the front door open.
"Hello the house," came her Dad's cheery call.
"Hi Dad," Freya said without looking up from the pages of her magazine.
"Oh," came the weary reply. "What has she done now?"
Freya thought it best not to reply. Double spankings were not unheard of and smoking was her Dad's pet peeve.
"Dakota?" he asked. "Do I even want to know?"
"Hi Dad," Dakota replied a little morosely and muffled by the wall in front of her face.
"Hello Dakota," John Guinness said dryly. Then he shook his head and walked wearily to his favourite chair.
"Can I get you some tea or coffee Dad?" Dakota asked hopefully. She could almost feel the sharp look by way of reply.
Partly out of mischief to block her sister's lame exit plan and partly to stave off her father's displeasure at the fact that she even tried, Freya pushed the magazine away.
"I'll get you something Dad."
"Coffee thanks, Pumpkin."
"I see the team bombed again," John sighed picking up his newspaper, "by the way where's your mother?"
"Out," Freya shrugged. "She didn't say where. Can I go now?"
"Sure honey," John replied momentarily puzzled that she would ask. Then he remembered. "Oh sure, I'll watch little miss mischief here. What she do anyway?"
Freya pulled a face as she put the coffee cup down.
"Dakota?" There was dark tone to her Father's voice.
"I... eh... kinda... that is... well it's like this..." Dakota began.
Freya slid out the front door with the curtest of goodbyes. This could turn ugly, she thought.
"Come on Frey, it will be neat," Cassie urged.
"Oh come on, we haven't done a mall snatch since, well I don't know when. It's kids stuff." Freya remembered the last time they had quietly pocketed extra samples from the perfume stand. Her Mom had found quite a stash in back of her wardrobe and had treated her to a very imaginative punishment.
"Exactly, where is your spirit of adventure?"
"It's stealing, Cass," Freya said with a groan.
"They are free samples. Since when is taking free stuff stealing?"
"It says customers are welcome to one free sample. One. Not as many as you can fit into your purse."
"Yeah but it doesn't say one free sample only, does it? Besides what good is one small bottle of Mystique? You can only use it like once or twice and then it's empty."
"I think that's the idea dummy. They want you to come back and buy some more of the shit."
"Oh yeah, like that's going to happen. Have you seen the price tag? One full-sized bottle comes in at about the same price I paid for my car."
"Look, let's just take a couple each. That way if they see us they probably won't say anything," Freya suggested.
Back when she and Cassie had been 17, they had swiped a whole basket of Chanel from the display stand. Abraham Heights Mall didn't believe in cameras and when a kid fight had kicked off out on the concourse they had taken their chance.
Freya's mother had found several bottles months later. She may have even turned 18 by then, she seemed to remember.
"Freya Guinness what are you doing with these?" Dana had yelled.
Freya hadn't even remembered at first.
"Oh those. They were on sale or something years ago. I forgot all about them." Freya hadn't seen the danger yet.
"On sale? But this many would cost... I don't know, more than I could afford. You say these have been here years? Where did you get the money?"
"Well they were like free samples. We kinda boosted a few extra, it's no sweat. Just kids stuff."
"You kind of boosted a few extra? There must be... what two dozen? And how many have you used already? You must have cleaned them out. Boosted. I think you mean stealing young lady."
"It was last year Mom. You know I was just a kid," Freya had a sinking feeling, it was bad enough still getting spanked at 18, but getting it for something you did a zillion years ago was crazy-ass shit. But yet here was Mom reaching for the hairbrush.
"Come on Mom..."
"Get those slacks down and the panties. You know what's coming." Dana was furious.
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