Janice Benton knew she deserved it and that made it all together worse. She knew what she was in for and why and she even suspected that she might have been able to get out of it if only she didn’t feel so guilty.

Her full lips twisted to the diagonal as she chewed them from under a heavy red fringe that hung low to her eyes. She hardly dared look at the appeal form on the padded bench beside her.

David Clark had explained that if she appealed then even if her punishment wasn’t suspended it would almost certainly be mitigated and she would definitely not be penalised for making an appeal. But he had also told her any frivolous appeals might be viewed negatively in future should she want to contest her fate again. Janice hated it if anyone thought badly of her and she definitely didn’t want anything detrimental on her record.

“I don’t want to appeal Mr Clark,” she had told him, “I guess I have it coming.”

He had smiled encouragingly at this but then he had made that pitying sympathetic face. “You know there are several parts to your punishment don’t you? I mean once you face the reality you might want to reconsider, so take it anyway,” he had said as he gave her the appeal form.

She had nodded at this, but she hated not standing her ground. As far as she was concerned if she made an appeal after her sanction period had commenced then it would not be justice that motivated her objections, but weakness. All the same she had put the form into her bag and now sat outside the adjudicator’s office with it.

There were three components to her punishment, the first made her face melt just thinking back on it. That had to be the worst, she told herself; but she would deserve it if it was 10 times as bad to come.

Her face flushed even now as she supressed the memory of the informal punishment she had received. Focus on today’s formal part, she told herself and let out a long slow breath. She looked about her and thought about all the women who had been summoned here before. What tender bottoms had sat in these self-same seats? She managed a giggle. No one sat down here afterwards that was for sure.

The reception area looked like a doctors’ waiting room, although the window to the street was high and she knew it had opaque glass to any looking in. The seats were dull but expensive leather and apart from a bonsai, there were only non-descript modern prints to combat the magnolia walls.

This all served to churn her tummy and she went back to her lip chewing. It was no good, her thoughts drifted back to her first punishment and she cringed.

“Can I have your attention everyone?” Mr Clark had announced on the office’s main floor. “I have something to say about the recent debacle in sales. As you know the loss of our third best client will have a small impact on your bonus this year, but what you don’t know is who was to blame.”

Janice had frozen on the spot as all colour had drained from her face. Surely he wouldn’t…

“Janice Benton, please step forward,” Clark continued.

All eyes swivelled towards her like an angry tennis crowd and Janice gulped.

“Janice here is in no small part responsible for what happened, the details of which I will spare you. Suffice to say that an internal disciplinary revue has resolved to deal with her,” Clark said wearily.

There had been a few smirks and smiles among Janice’s co-workers but most were glaring at her.

“Please Mr Clark, I said I would cooperate, there is no need to…” Janice had blushed.

“That’s right and it does you credit and your first informal punishment will take place here,” Clark announced.

“Oh God you don’t mean…” Janice gaped in horror.

The room gasped and few hissed yes or punched the air. Although to be fair a few women had looked apprehensive or sympathetically horrified.

“Janice,” Clark intoned, “Come here please.” He was crooking his finger menacingly at her.

“Mr Clark I…” Janice had replied in a whiney voice while wringing her hands.

“Miss Benton, do you deserve this or not?” Clark asked her with seriousness that belied the informal setting.

Janice gulped and with the reddest face possible gave a small nod.

To be tumbled across the man’s lap in front of all her co-workers had been utterly mortifying. Having her skirts raised and her underwear pulled down to show her bare bottom had been ear meltingly bad. Janice felt dizzy just remembering it.

“Tell everyone you have been a bad girl,” Clark told her.

Janice remembered when Candy Pack had been in a similar position, the only other girl Janice had seen spanked. Candy had given her boss Mr Webber some attitude on that occasion.

“I have been a baaad girl,” she had purred in an attempt to make light if her shame. That girl had paid for her lack of humility.

“I’m sorry,” Janice had squeaked with tight tears pricking her eyes.

“Apologies come later, now what did I tell you?” Clark said sharply.

“I have been bad,” she said in a dull voice as she had addressed the carpet.

His hand had stung her hard and she had yelped, but it was not too bad. Nowhere near as awful as squirming and squealing while her bare bottom was spanked in front everyone. Janice now had no memory of what she had said but she remembered that many people had laughed and that the spanking had lasted a very long time.

“Now stand up,” Clark had finally ordered her.

Janice hadn’t actually been crying, although the sting was enough to make her dance a little and with her bottom still on show it was hard to imagine which end was the most red.

“Now you will apologise,” Clark said sharply.

Janice had dipped her head and sniffed.

“I am so sorry everyone, please… please forgive me,” she had muttered.

“Louder,” someone called out.

Janice had repeated her apology although the words had torn at her lips like barbed things. But to her amazement everyone had clapped and there were even a few cheers.

“Now go and face the wall… leave the skirt up,” Clark snapped once the commotion had died down, “And put your hands on your head. You will stay there until every last person has left tonight, and that includes the cleaners,” she had been told. It had been the longest few hours of her life.

Now Janice found herself mouth-breathing in trepidation for part two of her fate. Surely nothing could be as bad as that day. She eyed the form on the bench. If she filled it out now it would delay her punishment by a week or more. Just by opposing it they would go easy on her, she knew. Why not sign it? It couldn’t be her pride; that had been left in a lake of laughter back at the office.

“I have started so I will finish,” she told herself, but all the same she gathered up the form and put carefully away in her bag as if it were her most valued treasure.

Continued.