We, Maya and me, have moved to Victoria, to live with Paul.  Nothing formal, yet, but he is very much her dad,  now.  He seems to have settled into that role, pretty easily.  Good thing.

Maya adores him.

We have been in touch with April’s adoptive parents, and they will be visiting during the holidays.

I am totally nervous, and Paul’s annoyance with my putting myself down now has a standard expression.  I was troubled a bit by that, in relation to Maya.  I have never spanked her, and I know from bitter experience Paul’s adeptness in that department, so, I was a bit worried about how things would sort themselves out, when, inevitably, Maya and Paul had a disagreement.

I could not have guessed how it would.

Paul is standing in Maya’s doorway, shaking his head.

“Ever going to tidy up, Maya?”

Maya stood there, in her standard arms akimbo defiant look.

“No!”

“Why not?”

“I can’t.  It’s too much.”

“It wouldn’t be, if you had cleaned up when we told you to.”

Dead silence.

“Okay.  Suit yourself.  But if we are going to clean your room for you, you are going to have to pay for it somehow.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well.  If we clean your room, I think you should be grounded for a week.  How about that?”

“What about school?”

“Don’t be silly.  Of course that continues.  I mean, swimming, McD’s, music lessons…playing on the computer.   We will play it by ear.”

“I don’t like that.”

“I know you don’t.  You know how to fix it.”

Maya folded her arms, and pouted.  Most becomingly, I thought, then bit my tongue.

“So, you want to be grounded, instead?”

“No.”

Paul turned to me.

“What are we going to do?”

“Let’s just clean her room and be done with it.”

“I think, in the words of the immortal Weird Al, it may be time to ‘get medieval on her heiny’.  I think you should offer her a deal.  She does not get grounded, she gets a spanking, instead.”

Maya looked in shock, and I shook my head.

“We don’t do that,” I said.

“Perhaps you should start.  It’s quite easy.  It is quick and over in a hurry, and then you can get on with life.  You ought to know how.  You have had enough experience on the receiving end.”  Paul laughed.

“I can’t do that.”

“Can’t, or won’t?”

I shook my head, again.

“Then maybe I should spank you, instead. Somebody needs to ante up for that mess.”

I had no answer to that.  Frankly, if it was a choice of Maya or me over his knee, I would rather it be me.

“What do you think, Maya?”  He looked at her.

“Don’t spank my mummy.  I will clean up my room.  I promise.”

“We are past that, now, Maya, sorry.”  And Paul led me into Maya’s room.  Once again, the familiar standing in front of him, as he bared my nether regions, then his drawing me over the lap.

That delicious long pause.  I actually like that moment when I first feel the cool air on my bare bottom.

And then, a brisk spanking.  I could hold back, not wanting to upset Maya, until he stopped spanking evenly, and staggered the slaps so I could not anticipate them.   I was soon making very undigified cries.

Which is when he stopped, set me upright, and dressed me.  We stepped into the living room.

“So, that is why you walk funny, sometimes.”  That was Maya, and both Paul and I broke up.  Then, Maya got very serious.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

“Not for long, Maya.  Not the way Paul does it.”  I hugged Paul, and, invisible to Maya, he grabbed my bottom.  I tried not to wince.

She looked at us, quite silently.

I stepped to her.

“Let’s begin again.  Are you going to clean your room?”   She shook her head.

“It will take forever.”

“Then you will be grounded.”  She shook her head, again. “Maya.  I really do not want to be spanked again.  We are caught here.”

“You could spank me.”  she said it almost in a whisper.  I had an idea of what it took for her to say that.

“I can’t, honey.  I just can’t.”

She stood, quietly for a while, again.  She looked at Paul.  Like I said, she adores him.  But, this time, there was both pleading, and fear in her look.

He looked at her, and nodded.   He stepped to her.

“Okay?” he said.   She nodded.

He bent her over, raised her dress, and lowered her panties.  He looked at me, and I looked away.

“You watch!” he snapped.  He was obviously furious, and not with Maya.  He stood, breathing deeply.   He very gently tousled Maya’s hair.  Then raised his hand.

Six slaps on each cheek,  each slap sounding like a gun-shot.  He did not hold back.   Maya’s eyes went wide,  and filmed over.  She actually only had time for a couple of little gaspy shrieks, before it was over, and Paul was crouching in front of her, pulling up her panties.

She stood there, very still, then, suddenly began to tremble.  Her lips shook, and tears streamed.  She opened her mouth, and wailed.

Paul stayed crouching in front of her.  He let her cry for a little while, and then:

“Take a deep breath!”

Maya stopped crying, and automatically took a shuddering breath.

“Let it out slowly.  Now. Another breath.  Let it out again.”  He was smiling at her.  Slowly, her breaths became less shuddery.  He leaned to her, and kissed her cheek.

Paul took her into the bathroom, and helped her wash her face.  When they came out, Maya was idly rubbing her bottom, but, no longer crying.  She looked at us.

“Am I grounded?”   Paul and I both laughed.

“No! of course not!”  Paul laughed.  “Go get ready, we’ll go out for a dessert.”

As Maya ran into her room, Paul looked at me.

“You,” he said, “are in big trouble.  I love that kid.   I never want to do that again.  That is your responsibility.  I promise you this:  when we get back, and Maya is tucked up and asleep, I am going to spank you, very seriously.

“And tomorrow, we are going to tidy her room.”

Later that evening, much later, I made a solemn vow to get rid of every hairbrush in the place.

Once again,  it will be cushions on the kitchen chair, and sleeping on my tummy, for at least the next few days.

Will I never learn?