"Oh, no! What have I done?"

Kathy stood in the middle of a pile of shards from a broken vase. Until just a few moments ago, the vase had been sitting on a small table, waiting to be returned to its place on a shelf in the living room. Kathy had bumped the table, and the vase had fallen to the carpet and shattered.

Kathy bent down to look at the pieces of the vase, and began crying. Betty came in, having heard her cries.

Both Betty and Kathy were dressed somewhat differently for maids. They wore different outfits every day. The one thing the outfits had in common is that they left the two maids mostly naked. Today, they were wearing high-heeled shoes, white stockings with elastic at the top to hold them up, and white corsets tied rather tightly that pushed their breasts up and out. They had no panties, bras or other clothing on. The maids didn’t always match, although today, they were both wearing the exact same thing.

"Kath, what happened?" Betty asked.

"I was cleaning, and it was, it, I bumped the, and it, oh, no!" Kathy started crying again.

Betty tried to comfort Kathy, but she knew the vase had been in their employer’s family for generations. He would probably be very upset.

Their employers, Cooper and Alice, were out for the day. The idea for wearing little clothing had originated with the maids. Alice always went around the house in the nude, and the maids had wanted to try it. They had grown to like the freedom, and had started off by wearing stereotypical French maid uniforms. Their wardrobe had slowly evolved to include corsets, negligees and a variety of short dresses that showed off more than they hid. The maids occasionally even went completely naked, but usually preferred to wear something, skimpy as it was.

Delia, the third maid, came in to see what the commotion was. She immediately sized up the situation. "Oh, Kathy-girl, Master Cooper is going to be upset. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tanned your hide."

Becky shot Delia a frown. She was not helping. "I’ll tell the master when he gets back," Becky said. "You two clean this up. Put the pieces in a box, in case it can be salvaged."

---

Kathy stood in the middle of the room, head down. Cooper and Alice sat on the couch, and Delia and Becky stood to one side of the couch.

"Just so I’m clear, I’d like to hear again how this happened, from you, Kathy," Cooper said.

"Yes, sir. I was cleaning like I usually do, sir. I took the vase down, just like I always do, and set it on the table while I dusted the rest of the shelf. I must have bumped the table, it wobbled and the vase toppled to the floor. I’m very sorry sir, honest I am." Kathy looked down at the ground all the while she was talking. A tear occasionally fell from her cheek to the floor.

"All right. Well, I’m not exactly sure what we should do here. On one hand, I realize that accidents can happen. However, this was a family heirloom. It can’t be replaced, and would be much too expensive for us to simply dock your pay. At the same time, I’m not sure I can just let this go, either."

Alice watched somewhat dispassionately. She was sorry that the vase had been broken, but she couldn’t work herself up too much about it. Still, she figured that Cooper was right, he couldn’t just let it go without some kind of punishment.

"Please, sir, I’m sorry, really I am. Please don’t fire me!"

Cooper looked astonished. "Kathy, I’m not going to fire you. I wasn’t even considering that."

Kathy smiled slightly through her tears, but then frowned again. Becky had a suggestion, and Kathy wasn’t sure she wanted to go through with it.

"Begging your pardon, sir, but I have an idea," Becky said.

Cooper turned to her, curious. "All right, let’s hear it."

"Well, sir, we were talking before about this, and well, we thought maybe you could, well, spank her."

Both Cooper and Alice sat up. "What?" he said.

"Not like you do the missus, sir, you know, not sexual like. Kathy doesn’t like that anyway. But if you did it, it would sting for a day or so, and remind her to be more careful the next time."

"I don't know. It seems a little childish somehow."

"Yes sir. Sorry sir," Becky said.

"On the other hand, I don’t know if I have any better ideas. Tell you what," Cooper finally said. "Alice and I will think about it and get back to you. In the meantime, please be more careful."

"Yes sir," the maids all said. They quickly left.

---

"Cooper, we have to do something. Maybe you should spank her."

"Well, she does go moping around all the time. I suppose we should consider the spanking."

"It would make her feel like she'd been punished, and we all could move on. Jeez, I almost spanked her myself today. All she does is go moping around all day. I mean, doesn’t our insurance cover this kind of stuff. It’s not like we can’t afford to loose a vase."

"That’s all true, but it was an heirloom. It can’t be easily replaced."

"All right. So spank her. Use the paddle, give her a few swats, we’re all even."

"Okay, I think that since the maids are the ones who thought of this, it’s an acceptable proposition. It will sting enough that it should be a reminder to her. However..."

What now? Alice thought.

"I obviously can’t do the spanking. It would be seen as me getting my jollies, as it were." He paused. "I see no reason why you couldn’t do the spanking."

Alice turned to him. "What? Me?"

"That way, there would be nothing untoward happening. I will be there to supervise, to make sure you get the swats hard enough or whatever, but otherwise, I’ll stay out of the way."

"I don’t know, Cooper. I mean, I’ve never done that before."

"I am sure, dear, since you’ve been on the receiving end, you’ll catch on quickly enough."

Alice thought about it. It would end the "broken vase" saga, and Kathy would feel she’d paid her price. "All right, sounds fine. When should we do this?"

"I would say soon. After dinner tonight. I think, however, a few more conditions are in order."

---

"First, there will be 75 swats, in three groups of 25 with a break in between. I’ll show Alice how to use the paddle, and the first few swats won’t count, because she’ll be learning with them. Also, Kathy won’t be allowed any clothes at all for the next week. She will also be the one to get the paper and the mail, and will be the first to answer the door."

Alice listened as Cooper explained what was going to happen to Kathy. Alice had actually come up with the no clothes condition, thinking it would re-enforce the "lesson", and Cooper had playfully added the last condition, almost as a joke, but Alice had agreed to it as well.

Kathy looked solemn, but she seemed to accept the conditions. The other two maids would be witnesses, so this might be a lesson for all of them.

Alice wondered if other households did this kind of stuff. She also wondered whether she was thinking about it correctly. It seemed normal to her to get spanked, although Cooper rarely did it as punishment. It wouldn’t have felt like punishment in any case.

But, she liked Kathy, and wanted all this behind them. It was just a dumb old vase, and Alice couldn’t care less about it. However, Kathy was somber looking, and Delia and Becky looked almost like they were going to get a spanking as well.

Alice well knew that 75 swats with the paddle would hurt. Kathy wouldn’t be sitting for a day or two.

"This is a fair number of swats. To make sure that you take them all, and to protect yourself from moving around too much, we think that tying you down over this bench would be best." The bench was set to about waist high. There were chains and cuffs already attached. Apparently, it was made for something like this. Cooper had gotten the bench from someone he knew just for this occasion.

Kathy gulped. She hadn’t expected to be tied down.

"Also, we think you should wear this gag in your mouth to protect your teeth." It was a 5-inch dowel covered in leather, with ties to hold it on. Kathy gulped again.

"Is all this necessary?" Becky asked.

"It may seem odd, but if she flails around too much, Alice might hit a hand or foot or some other part of her body. If she’s tied down, the only thing to get the paddle will be her buttocks. And the bit really will protect her tongue and teeth from gnashing." Becky nodded.

Alice had put on black pants, a black top and black boots, to set herself apart from the ‘victim’. It was unusual for her to be dressed at home. Kathy had already stripped naked. Alice approached her.

"Do you agree to accept this punishment of 75 swats?" she asked her. Kathy nodded.

"Th-thank you, Miss Alice," Kathy said.

"It’ll be okay, dear, don’t worry," Alice whispered back. "I get this kind of stuff all the time."

She showed Kathy over to padded bench and had her lay over it. Alice attached her wrists and then her ankles, then adjusted things all so that Kathy couldn’t move much at all. She put the bit up to Kathy’s mouth, putting it between her teeth and tying it on.

Cooper gave Alice the paddle she was to use. It was long, flexible, light, and covered in leather. It would sting but cause less pain than a heavier paddle. They approached Kathy. Cooper explained the proper way to hold the paddle, where to strike, how to follow through, to make sure she varied the blows to land all over and not always in the same spot.

"Consistency is the key. You’ll probably start to get tired, but try to put the same amount of force into each one." He stood behind her and held her arms, like he was teaching her a tennis stroke. The paddle touched Kathy lightly a few times and she jumped in her bonds.

Cooper stood back. "Try a few," he said. Alice positioned herself and swung. There was a loud smack and Kathy jumped. A faint red mark appeared on her butt. "Good, but it needs to be harder." Alice swung again, and the sound was louder. The mark was a bit redder. Cooper coached her through two more swats before pronouncing them good. "The rest like that," he said.

Alice began, and counted each one. Kathy whimpered when the paddle hit, and didn’t start really crying until twenty had landed. Alice stopped at twenty-five and sat down, leaving Kathy softly crying.

Becky and Delia looked over at their co-worker. Her butt was already red, and she was only a third of the way through. Becky was thinking how very happy she was not to be the one getting punished.

After a five-minute break, Alice stood ready to resume. She wasted no time, and the loud smacking sound echoed through the room. Kathy started crying after five, and kept crying the entire time. To her credit, she didn’t struggle a lot. When the next break came, Kathy’s butt was very red, and she was sobbing.

Alice took a drink of water. This was harder work than she thought. Her arm was beginning to get tired. Oddly enough, she thought she was hitting a little harder, overcompensating for her perceived weakening.

Her break over, Alice began delivering the final 25 swats. She tried to apply them all over Kathy’s butt, hoping not to hit the same spot too often. She was glad they had gagged Kathy, the poor girl was almost wailing now. Cooper watched dispassionately. Becky and Delia winced at most of the blows.

Alice was glad to finally be done. She dropped the paddle and sat down. Her arm was sore and her hand hurt from holding the paddle.

Alice took a look at her work. Kathy was sobbing, her butt a bright red with a blue spots in a few places. She hadn’t meant to bruise her, but knew from experience they’d go away soon. Well, Kathy will be more careful next time, that’s for sure, Alice thought.

Cooper got up and went to the other maids. "Let her stay there for ten minutes, then come back and take her to her room. Get some ice ready, and we’ll give you something you can rub on her that will help." They nodded, and the three of them left Alice and Kathy alone.

Alice moved to a different chair, where she could watch Kathy’s face. The girl’s eyes were puffy and red from crying. Tears streaked her cheeks. It had taken her a few minutes before she stopped sobbing. Now, she only let out an occasional whimper. Alice got up and removed the gag from Kathy’s mouth, then went and sat back down.

After a while, Kathy spoke. "Missus Alice?"

"Yes, dear, what is it?"

"My butt really hurts, ma’am." She laughed a bit.

Alice was glad to see her in good spirits, and noticed she’d dropped her fake English accent. "Well, yes. I imagine it will hurt for a few days."

"How do you do it, ma’am? You get spanked all the time."

Alice sat and thought. "I’m not sure. I mean, sure it hurts, but... Maybe I’m used to it."

"I don’t think I could ever get used to that. Although, being tied up like this, my boyfriend would be on me in a second, hurt butt or not."

"I guess I’ve never met your boyfriend."

"Well, I never bring him by the house, you know. He’s a nice fellow."

"Perhaps you can bring him by sometime, then. We could have a barbeque or something. That is, if you want to. I’d enjoy meeting him. Do Becky and Delia have boyfriends as well?"

"Yes ma’am. Sometimes two or three!" she said, laughing. Alice was glad to see her cheerful after her ordeal.

"Well, I think it’s been long enough. Let’s get you loose, and Becky and Delia will help you to your room." Alice got up and released Kathy from her bonds. She tried to stand but wound up leaning on the bench.

"Hurts like bloody hell, ma’am."

"It’ll get better in a few hours, and after you get some ice on it."

Becky and Delia showed up at the door. "Excuse me, missus, can we take her back now?" Becky asked.

"Yes, of course." Alice handed a tube to Delia. "After the ice, rub this on, carefully. And have her drink lots of orange juice."

"Ma’am?" Becky questioned.

"Vitamin C, helps in healing bruises."

"Yes ma’am, we will. Thank you."

Before they left, Kathy turned back to Alice. "Thank you ma’am, for my punishment," Kathy added. "I’ll strive not to let you down again."

"Oh, Kathy. I’m sure you’ve learned to be more careful now. Really, it’s fine now. Okay?" Alice hugged her. "I’m kind of sorry it went this far, myself," she whispered.

"It’s okay, Miss Alice," Kathy whispered back. "I know I needed to do something for Master Cooper. It’s okay."

Becky and Delia helped Kathy walk back to her room.

Alice was alone, and dressed for the first time in a long time while at home. There’s a certain thrill to having that kind of power over someone, she thought, swinging her hand as if paddling someone. I guess I can see what Cooper gets out of it. Although, I think I like being on the other end better.

Cooper walked in. "Well, I think that went as well as could be expected. A bit awkward, I suppose. Still, she did agree to it, didn’t she?"

"Yes. So we’re square now, right? Even for the vase?"

"Yes, of course," Cooper said. Then, mumbling to himself, "I never did like that damn vase anyway."

Alice looked at him in surprise. "What did you say?" she asked.

"Yes, we're even for the vase. Why?"

Alice eyed him suspiciously for a few seconds, then shrugged. "I thought ... oh, never mind."

I need to learn to stop thinking out loud, Cooper told himself.

"Jeez, Kath, do you always have to be rubbing your bottom?"

Becky was in the laundry room looking out into the kitchen at her friend and fellow maid.

"I'm sorry, Becky, but it still hurts, doesn't it." Kathy was standing at the counter preparing lunch. She was, except for her maid's cap, also completely naked, and had to remain that way for the next few days. It was a condition of her punishment for breaking an expensive vase. The other part of her punishment had been a paddling, and her butt was still red from it.

Being naked all the time wasn't too much of a burden for her, because the three maids who worked for Cooper and Alice usually wore very little anyway. But Kathy also had to be the one to answer the door, and get the newspaper and the mail. Becky and Delia, the other maid, had started to order pizzas for lunch just so Kathy would have to answer the door more often.

"Didn't you put some more of that stuff on?" Becky asked her. 'That stuff' was a lotion that Alice had given her to help reduce the pain. Alice was probably an expert on it because her husband, Cooper, spanked her almost every day. Alice apparently didn't mind this at all. Kathy couldn't see how she did it. Getting spanked or paddled hurt like hell. "And I hope you'll be washing your hands before going back to making lunch," Becky added.

"I'm gonna eat it too, you know," Kathy mumbled as she went to the sink and washed her hands. Maybe if I sat in ice again for a bit, she thought. The doorbell rang, and Kathy groaned. She ran quickly out to the door, wondering who it could be.

Glancing through the peephole, she saw it was the postman, or rather, a post-person, as there was a woman wearing the blue uniform. Kathy opened the door.

"Package for a Delia Winston, I need you to..." The woman stopped, suddenly noticing that Kathy was naked.

"I'll sign for it, ma'am," Kathy told her.

"Uh, right, uh, here," the postwoman said, pointing to the paper attached to a clipboard. She was clearly not used to naked people answering the door; especially naked people wearing a maid's cap.

"Thank you, ma'am," Kathy said as she handed the clipboard back and took the package. She had been happy that it was a woman delivering the mail. Just the previous day, Delia told her that the mail had arrived, but the mailman really had just driven up as she got to the mailbox. Kathy tried to act normal but it wasn't easy. Seeing her naked, standing by the mailbox, the mailman had dropped the letters and generally had gotten flustered.

Kathy spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to get back at her fellow maids.
 
 

Copyright 2001