Still A Brat

by Dara Ames

Chapter One

“You think I’m old, don’t you?” I looked at Adam, my hands on my hips. Considering the fact that he’d just walked in the door, he gave me one of his, “I’m puzzled” looks. It didn’t help my mood one little bit. “Oh, don’t pretend you have no clue! You think I’m old and you are growing bored with me!” I accused.

“You’re still younger than me,” Adam stated in his reasonable tone of voice. “I don’t consider you old,” he stated firmly.

“Don’t you dare placate me! I know what you really think!” I declared, and promptly burst into tears and went to our bedroom and threw myself on the bed and cried.

Adam followed me into the bedroom and walked over to where I was sobbing my heart out. “What brought all of this on, Lainy? Your birthday was two months ago.”

“You just wouldn’t understand,” I told him, sniffling.

“I don’t think you’re old, honey,” he insisted. I could see Adam was being sincere, and when he went about showing me he didn’t consider me too old to make love, I lost myself in the moment and decided that this area of our marriage was perfect in every way. We had no shyness with each other, and we knew exactly how to please each other. As usual, Adam knew exactly how to turn my mood around and bring pleasure into the evening.

By the next morning, however, I was feeling a bit blue again. Reading on the forum had a way of doing that to me sometimes. It seemed that each post, especially in the punishment thread, reminded me of something I’d done years ago! I was a real brat back then, and I spent quite a bit of time over Adam’s knee while trying to explain why I shouldn’t be spanked. It never worked, however, and now I felt positively mellow. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d pulled a stunt and ended up over his knee for doing so. In fact, most of the spankings I got these days were just stress relief, or they were sexy ones. Adam almost never punished me… and when he did, it was for health issues.

I was boring.

I didn’t like it.

And, I was determined to do something about it!

********************

I waited all day for a telephone call, and I kept checking my emails. Nothing. Maybe I was losing my touch? Or maybe Adam was furious and wasn’t ready to speak to me, or else he was making telephone calls to find just the right hit man to put me out of my misery? I decided to keep busy and make a nice dinner. If it was to be my last meal, I wanted something special.

When he didn’t come home at the normal time, I started to panic. Was he so very angry with me for turning the luncheon into a children’s party? Or, worse still, had something happened to him? An hour later, I was nearly crazy with worry, and when I heard his key in the lock, I burst into tears. I ran to him and threw myself in his arms.

“What is this?” he asked me, holding me. “What is wrong, Lainy?” Adam asked, hugging me tightly.

“I thought you were in an accident, or dead! You’re so late!”

“I had a late appointment… Didn’t you get my message?” he asked with a frown.

“Nooooo. Did you email me?” I asked, swiping at my eyes.

“Yes, right after lunch today, the worried expression in his eyes turned to one that was live with disapproval. “I take it you didn’t know you were supposed to have your bottom all bare and be waiting in the corner for me?” The question gave me to know he was a tad upset with me.

It was my turn to be wearing a puzzled expression. “Ummmm, noooo, I didn’t get any emails from you today, Adam.” I stepped back a couple of steps, suddenly remembering how quickly he could move when he wanted.

“I will show it to you after dinner,” he promised calmly. “I’m a bit hungry right now. Hot dogs and potato chips don’t last long… especially when you are expecting a nice meal.”

“Oh, don’t be so stuffy, Adam. I’m sure your partners loved a change of pace,” I tried to act like I had his best interests at heart, but I knew he had every right to be upset.

“I would like to know what I did to deserve that particular little surprise, Miss Elaine?” His dark eyes were trying to look right through me and I didn’t know what to say that would make sense. I’d gone out of my way to do something to catch his attention and now that I had… getting myself out of trouble was all I could think about.

“I thought a change of pace would be nice, and a surprise. You lawyers get so caught up sometimes that it’s good to remind you that you need to laugh once in a while!” I said my carefully rehearsed speech while trying to look innocent and sincere.

“There was a clown, Lainy,” Adam said slowly.

“Did he make you smile?” I asked hopefully.

“Lainy, we are grown men; this was a luncheon to discuss the firm, and any issues that need to be addressed. No, the clown did not make us smile. I paid the man to leave,” he admitted, looking so outraged at the very idea that I simply couldn’t help myself; I started giggling, and put my hands over my mouth, trying to stifle my mirth.

“You think this is funny?”

“Well, yes, I do,” I snickered. “Come on, Adam! Stop being so serious all the time. You need to relax once in a while. I thought a nice lunch with some entertainment would take your minds off your work and the office.” I also was trying hard to be a brat and liven up our marriage. I did not want my husband to grow bored with me!

“It wasn’t funny, Miss Elaine,” he said, reaching out to gently tap my nose with his index finger, and you are going to get your fanny spanked soundly for it. He glanced towards the steps as if considering taking care of the matter right then. I wasn’t ready for that!

“Dinner is all ready, and if we don’t eat quickly, it will be ruined,” I insisted. “Wash your hands and come and sit down.

“Do not make the mistake of thinking I will forget all about this, Lainy. I assure you that you are going to bed with a very sore backside tonight, and you will be writing some letters of apology to my partners.”

“What on earth for?” I demanded, shocked that he would insist I do something so embarrassing.

“For making a complete mockery of our luncheon today. You normally show such excellent taste, and I cannot imagine what possessed you to arrange a pseudo-birthday party atmosphere for grown men about to discuss business. Needless to say, we couldn’t concentrate on anything except the silly decorations and hot dogs! What kind of lunch is that to serve business partners?”

“A fun and whimsical lunch, Adam. You are growing much too stuffy.”

Adam didn’t answer me. He’d already closed the bathroom door and didn’t hear me, which was probably just as well. I was going to try to talk him out of spanking me while we enjoyed dinner. I’d fixed one of his favorite meals, and I was positive he would feel better once he’d eaten.

By the time Adam reached the dining room table, he’d lost his suit coat and tie, and removed his shoes. He didn’t look nearly so formidable now, and I wondered when he was going to notice that I’d dressed nice, just for him.

“Candles?” he raised an eyebrow in surprise. “What is the special occasion?” he demanded of me.

“I just thought it would be nice to have a romantic dinner,” I smiled.

“You won’t be wanting romance after I warm your tush for you,” he promised.

“Oh, Adam! You’re ruining the whole evening with your grumpy mood!” I scolded him. “I worked hard on dinner, and I even put on a gown… and all you can talk about is that silly luncheon! You are making me feel unappreciated.” I wanted him to feel guilty, so I laid it on thick.

“You can stop trying to make me feel guilty, Lainy. It isn’t going to work.”

“I made a face at him, with my back to him so he couldn’t see it, of course, and went to the kitchen to bring back our plates. “Here you go, Adam. Eat up, and there is more if you are still hungry,” I offered with a smile, determined to be pleasant. I watched as Adam started eating, and felt a bit guilty when I realized he really was hungry. He was a big man and it took a lot of food to keep him going. A hotdog wasn’t a big lunch for him. I wondered if any of the other partners were as hungry as Adam, and felt truly guilty about the meal. I would certainly make up for it the next time, provided Adam trusted me. I hadn’t thought about that, either. I’d worked so hard to earn his trust, and then done something silly!

“This is really good, Lainy,” Adam smiled at me, obviously enjoying his meal.

“Thank you,” I said, and then added sincerely, “I’m sorry you were so hungry this afternoon. I didn’t think about that… I could have made the luncheon fun and still had more food for you men.”

“We’ll talk about this after we finish eating, Lainy,” he said firmly, and then changed the topic, asking about my day.

I know that some women feel their husband couldn’t care less what they do at work, but Adam certainly wasn’t like that. He wanted to know all the details, and he offered suggestions that truly made my work much easier. I answered his questions, and our meal passed quickly and pleasantly.

While we were clearing the table, the telephone rang, and Adam answered. It was our youngest son, wanting some advice from Dad about his classes for the following year. Adam is a wonderful father, and I was proud of him as he answered Casey’s questions and concerns. Casey had no interest whatsoever in going to law school, in spite of Adam’s hopes, but Adam was encouraging him to follow his own path. Our eldest son and our daughter were already finished with their education and were happy with their choice of professions. Carol was a doctor and Corey was a teacher. Adam had hoped that one of the kids would join him in the law firm, but it wasn’t to be… unless Casey changed his mind, and I didn’t see that happening. I put my arms around Adam and said, “You are such a wonderful father. I love listening to you talk to the kids.”

“Casey isn’t sure what he wants. He’s thinking of changing majors. I tried to steer him to classes that would serve another semester, and then he is going to have to make a decision one way or another.”

“I think it is silly they ask them to declare a major so soon.”

“We aren’t going to get into a discussion on this subject, Miss Elaine. You have a spanking coming. Are you done out here?” he asked, looking at me.

“I was going to bake a cake,” I lied. Adam loved desserts, but I didn’t bake often for health reasons.

“No you weren’t,” he said with confidence. “You are trying to stall, and it isn’t going to work. Come with me, young lady.”

Adam hadn’t called me ‘young lady’ in a while. I liked it. I didn’t even try to pull my hand free of his grasp as he walked me to our home office. The computer was already on, and it didn’t take him long to access his law firm email addy. He checked his sent mail and showed me he did indeed email me. He quickly printed a copy for me and handed it to me, and then said. “I expect you to do as I said, Miss Elaine. No more fussing or arguing, and no more excuses. I’ll be up in a while, after you’ve had time to consider your behavior.”

“Adam… can’t we please talk about this? I…”

“Do you want extras, Lainy?” His voice was quiet, but the dark look in his eyes was foreboding. I turned and ran from the room and on upstairs, clutching the email to me. I crossed our bedroom and flopped on the bed before holding the paper to read:

Miss Elaine, I will be late tonight. I have a meeting at 5 PM with a new client. When I do get home, you and I are going to have a very serious discussion over this little luncheon you planned for today. I was/am embarrassed. My partners asked me what I’d done to earn your temper. I expect to find you waiting in the corner, bottom bare. You will be going straight to bed after you are punished. A

“Bed!” I whispered. It wasn’t even eight o’clock, and I never go to bed before midnight. What on earth was Adam thinking? And I didn’t want to stand in the corner, either. I haven’t had to do that for years! I wasn’t going to do it tonight, either. Adam wrote that email when he was upset. What I did wasn’t all that terrible. I simply served them hotdogs, chips, and sodas, and hired a clown to do balloon animals for goodness sake. It was funny, just a little bratty, but not worth standing in the corner or going to bed early, and there was no way!

I took off my lovely gown and my sandals and put them in their proper place. So much for a romantic evening! Who knew a hot dog could ruin Adam’s whole day! I removed my undergarments and put them in the hamper, then padded to the bathroom. I was going to take a shower. I had no idea how long it would be before Adam came upstairs, but I wasn’t going to spend the time waiting in the corner. I was too old for that!

The water felt good. I had the temperature just right, and it felt good to wash away the fact I was in trouble. Adam simply had no sense of humor these days; when did he turn into such a fussy and stuffy senior partner in the firm? A few years ago he would have spanked for the prank, but he would have seen the humor in it. I was positive of that. When we were first married, he would have considered the prank hilarious and would have spent hours telling me about the looks on the senior partners’ faces. Of course, I wouldn’t have been the one pulling the stunt; I had more sense than to do something that would reflect badly on his career… But he owned the firm now. He was THE Senior Partner.

The water suddenly went off and I gasped in fright as my reverie was disturbed. The shower curtain was pulled open next and Adam stood there, frowning in disapproval. “Why aren’t you in the corner, young lady?” he demanded.

“Because you are overreacting,” I answered. “All I did was pull a little fun prank; it’s not the end of the world, Adam! Get over yourself!”

“You think embarrassing me in front of the other lawyers is fun?” Adam was livid.

“I think you’ve turned into a stodgy old fart!” I said heatedly as I grabbed a towel and started soaking the water out of my hair. I took another large towel and wrapped it around me, and then stepped out of the tub. “You would have loved it if Mrs. Cramer did this to old Abraham when you were a junior partner. Have you completely lost your sense of humor?” I asked. It was a mistake, and I knew it as soon as the words slipped out of my mouth. Adam was ticked and I was in big trouble. He grabbed me before I could run from the bathroom, and tucked me under his arm and the towel hit the floor, leaving me bare and exposed. He started spanking, and on my wet backside, the spanks left bright red handprints. It hurt… a lot! “Owwwww! Stop it, Adam! You are seriously hurting me!” I wasn’t used to being spanked so hard, at least not any more. I didn’t much like it, either. “Owwwww!”

“I don’t know what you found so funny about today, or why you felt it necessary to embarrass me like that, but as long as I am your husband and the head of this household, you will do as I say when it comes to punishments. That means, Miss Elaine, that you will stand in the corner when I send you to the corner. Do you understand me?” he demanded with another hard slap to my naked behind.

“Yes!” I hollered loudly… anything to stop the spanking.

“Fine. You go to the corner right now.”

“But, my hair is dripping wet!” I complained.

“Too bad. You’ll have to live with it,” he jerked the towel off.

“Adam… My hair will tangle!” I reminded him. “Don’t be so mean!”

“Corner now, Elaine, or I’m going to take that bath brush to your hind end until you can’t sit, and you’ll still get the spanking you have coming for the stunt you pulled today.”

I went straight to the corner, crying and feeling sorry for myself. Adam was being mean. He knew how much trouble I had with my hair tangling, and if it dried like this, I would have a nightmare getting the tangles out. I wanted to defy him, but in his present mood, he would use the bath brush, and my butt was too tender for that.