Louise Garland was late. In fact she was always late, a habit she was fully inculcating her daughter to follow, she thought bitterly. Ever since her divorce some three years before, her new found business talent and freedom had come at a price. Namely, her domestic situation had gone to hell.

She eyed the stop light with irritation as if by pure force of will she could make it change. “Come on, come,” she muttered. A glance to her watch told her she was already two minutes late; if she didn’t get caught at any more lights then she might just get there by five past.

After one more glance at the light she reached for her compact and popped it open for the mirror. Her war paint was more or less intact and she alternately closed each dark brown eye to squint at her liner. Her hair too, a somewhat mediocre mid-brown was immaculately combed and she decided that she could pass muster for business and certainly a meeting with Karen’s tutor, Dr Archer.

Thoughts of the man made her tummy flip and she told herself it was just another business arrangement, nothing more. Someone behind beeped a horn and Louise startled. The light had gone and changed on her unnoticed.

“Okay, okay, you’re not the only one in a hurry pal,” she growled through gritted teeth.

*

As she stepped from the car Louise smoothed down her tight pencil business skirt and checked the hem in back. Then with a final tongue-wipe of her teeth lest she have any stray lipstick on them she tugged once on her jacket and made ready to cross the street to the lion’s den.

“Here goes,” she muttered and gave a huge sigh.

Dr Archer’s front lawn was manicured and featureless apart from an irregular sweep of paving stones that sat flush to the grass as they formed a curved path to the white planked house.

It looked friendly enough, but the door seemed large and uncompromising like that of a high school principle and Louise caught her breath. For some reason the skin on her bottom tightened and she defended it from an unseen assault with a stray right hand.

“It’s just a chat,” she said aloud as she raised a finger to press the bell.

The door took almost 40 seconds to open, which strangely dragged as Louise composed herself. Then the man was there, larger than she remembered and carrying himself with a stern demeanour she did not recall.

Dr Archer regarded her silently for a moment and then offered her his second best formal smile.

“Mrs Garland, and only seven minutes late today,” Roland Archer said without a hint of sarcasm.

“Sorry I was…” Actually she could not remember why she had been delayed today, but Dr Archer was no longer listening anyway and merely ushered her into the hall.

“Life coaching, wasn’t it?” he said as he waved a casual arm towards a brown leather sofa on the far side of his study. “And time management with a view to personal organising?”

“Yes… I mean I am sure my business organising is less than brilliant, but I have a PA for that and…” Louise was gushing.

Archer held up a hand to stop her and reaffirmed that she should sit. Louise’s daughter Karen had sat on the couch many times, when she had been able anyway, but this was a first in his inner sanctum for her mother.

“I won’t expand upon my methods; you are already familiar through my handling of Karen,” Archer began, “However…”

“Well yes, but surely it won’t quite be the same in my…” Louise began.

Again Archer’s arm went up like a traffic cop and she faltered.

“I think we should get something clear at the outset; that is if we mean to go on with this arrangement,” he said, “When I am talking, you are not, is that acceptable?” He smiled with real warmth.

“Yes, I’m sorry,” Louise made a face of contrition and sat back.

“Look, I have some consent forms and a contract of sorts; the usual stuff, 28 days’ notice to quit and so on… but let’s cut to the chase. We will agree some clear targets and you will keep a journal outlining your progress and noting failures to meet those targets: for instance lateness, prevarication and that sort of thing. I will help you assess your progress and provide penalties and incentives.” Archer pursed his lips and smiled.

Louise swallowed and flushed some as she took this in. “Sounds fair enough,” she said thickly, suddenly having trouble with a dry mouth.

She knew where this was leading but she struggled with him spelling it out. After all, the plan was that the possible threat to her… her comfort would be enough. It would also salve her conscience about signing off on Archer’s handling of Karen.

“Good,” Archer nodded, “Now tell me your views and experience of corporal punishment.” He sat back and regarded her like an oriental monk.

Louise opened her mouth in shock and then closed it again.

“Really,” she said, “I mean I am in favour and all… but I guess I have much the same experience as anyone else.” Louise shifted uncomfortably.

“When was the last time you got a spanking?” Archer asked bluntly.

Louise blushed. “You mean apart from my ex?”

“Were they discipline spankings?” Archer prodded her.

“Kind of… but not exactly…” Louise returned a stiff smile and squirmed.

“When was your last truly disciplinary spanking?” Archer pressed her.

“Look I don’t know…” Louise began, bristling slightly.

Archer sighed and looked at his watch. “It is relevant,” he said.

Louise blew out a slow breath and then shrugged.

“Okay, I was 22 or 23,” she told him, not meeting his gaze.

“After you married?” the tutor leaned forward.

Louise nodded. “I had just had Karen and things weren’t going so well… After a row at home I left my husband…” she snorted mirthlessly, “…quite literally holding the baby.”

“I went back to my parents,” Louise winced, “But they were less than entirely understanding. My father spanked me, and how.”

Louise made a purse of her lips and shrugged again as she looked away.

“Do you want to expand?”

“No,” Louise muttered, “But I will. I had it coming, I know that. My folks said I wasn’t too old for a good sounding spanking and they were right. Pop made me go out to the washroom out back and take my pants down, just like always. I had to bend across the washer just like always, with my bare butt sticking out. Pop gave me, I don’t know… a good workout anyway, with is belt.”

“Did you cry?”

“Oh yah,” Louise pulled a face. “I couldn’t sit down too well afterwards.”

“How did you feel about it?” Archer had picked up a small book now and had begun making notes.

“Like I said, I definitely had it coming, but it was embarrassing… especially as they had me stand in the corner with my red sore hiney on show… it was kind of a tradition in our house growing up.” Louise let out a long slow breath.

“Was anyone else present?” Archer scribbled something.

“Not that time,” Louise said, expressing a long felt relief, “But back when I lived at home only a year or so before, then yeah, anyone who happened to be there got see me get it and definitely saw me in the corner.”

“Then there was Alec of course,” she sighed. “Sooo embarrassing…”

“Alec?”

“My husband, he came to get me you see,” she smiled ruefully, “I was still in the corner when he arrived.”

“How do you feel about it now? I mean what did you learn from the experience?” Archer sounded kind and matter-of-fact.

Louise felt that this was a key question and she took a breath. Be honest, she decided, after all it was why she had come here and it was a core belief, if not a comfortable one.

“I guess… I guess I learned that a girl is never too old for a good old fashioned bare bottom spanking,” she giggled. “I know it did me good and… and although I didn’t appreciate it at the time I am grateful, even for the embarrassment; I kind of needed taking down a peg or two. That’s where Karen is ahead of the game I suppose.”

“Karen? What is she to do with this?” the tutor asked, he was surprised now.

“Why… she kicks up a storm at the time, especially if I spank her, but she always says sorry and an occasionally thank you afterwards. She thinks the world of you… Dr Archer this and Dr Archer that…” Louise forgot her embarrassment and was gushing again.

Archer laughed and nodded. It was his turn to be embarrassed. “Well I never…” he coughed. “So let’s… eh… let’s talk details and… if you like my programme then we can get to the paperwork and settle the financial arrangements,” he added.

*

Louise sighed and put down the pen. “That all seems… well anyway, thank you Dr Archer I think we have a plan.”

Now that she had gone over it, it all seemed rather workaday. All she had to do was set objectives for herself each day, each week and each month and then discuss with Dr Archer what would help and what might hinder her targets. Swot analysis, he called it. Also she had to write down every time she was late in her little notebook and say why she had been late.

“There is just one other thing now,” Archer said as he cast a final eye over the papers and put them in the out tray on his desk for filing.

“Oh yes,” Louise said pleasantly.

“A small matter of you being late here today,” Archer said sharply. His eyes were severe and appraising and Louise could see why Karen was often apprehensive about her sessions with him.

“Yes I am sorry about that, but I was only…” she began; a well-used and meaningless excuse just a tongue-flick from her lips.

“There is no ‘only’ when it comes to you being late,” Archer cut her off. “You are late by habit and I have no doubt that in your case delay piles upon delay until you can never catch-up.”

“But I…”

“Tell me Mrs Garland, why were you late today?” Archer asked her pointedly.

“Well I…” she couldn’t remember, “I just got a bit behind and the traffic was worse than I…”

“The traffic, what in Abraham Heights?” he cocked one eyebrow. “Not one road transport situation in a hundred is ever going to make one more than two minutes late for anything. And in your case even that margin is denied you. From now on you will leave at least a five minute margin for every appointment, no excuses. So see it does not arise.”

“Yes I’ll be sure to…” Louise began.

“No, what you will do is remove your jacket and skirt before putting your nose in that corner,” Archer told her.

Louise closed her mouth and followed his nod to a space between an antique chest and a scroll-arm divan that stood against the wall at right angles to it. Now that she looked, the corner between looked conveniently vacant.

“Surely…” she licked her lips nervously as absently she pointed to the space.

“At 40, was it? You won’t be the oldest girl to stand there, but you come pretty close,” he chuckled, “And you have no idea how often I wanted to see you there. All those times you were late collecting Karen.”

“Dr Archer,” she remonstrated, “Now that I know… I mean I promise that I won’t…”

“No promises, you can’t keep them, if you could we wouldn’t be here. Maybe one or two sharp experiences will ensure that your tardiness is now kept to a minimum,” he said, “And I mean that. It will take more than a couple of good spankings to cure you altogether.”

Louise took a breath and was about to argue, but she knew the look on his face. She had seen it on her parents back in the day and she had even used it herself not so many days before on Karen. She knew then that sooner or later it would come to this and in her heart she had always known it.

“Fine,” she said tartly and strode across to the divan as she divested herself of her jacket.

“Mrs Garland, I really don’t want any attitude from you,” Archer warned.

Louise didn’t answer, but dipped her head to focus on the jacket buttons.

“I am going to leave you to it for a few minutes,” Archer said gently, “Once you have removed your skirt, I want you to remove your panties too, just as you did when you previously under discipline, just as I require of your daughter.”

Just as I require of her too, Louise thought grimly and made a face where Archer couldn’t see. “Yes Sir,” she said without thinking, after all it was how she addressed her father at such times.

*

Louise heard him come in behind her and she drew in a long slow breath and let it out quickly. Between the hem of her blouse and her stocking tops her bottom was bare and to Louise’s mind somewhat too big. It didn’t help that it was emphasised by her garter belt. What had she been thinking? He must think her a… she rolled her eyes and blushed. Without considering it further she pressed her nose tighter into the corner and gripped her hands into the small of her back.

“I had allowed an hour for our first meeting,” he said to her comely backside, “And we seem to be 35 minutes in. But you kept me waiting and I see no reason not to keep you until we are done.”

“No Sir,” she mumbled feeling utterly foolish.

“In future you will have no appointments after this one on a Friday and if that doesn’t suit we can discuss meeting on another evening,” he said in a hard firm voice.

“Yes Sir, that’s fine,” she found it odd talking into the wall, but also strangely familiar. Her father had a habit of addressing her in this position. Over the years it had become no less mortifying, in fact now that she as a grown woman and 18 years beyond her parents influence it was even more humiliating.

“I will keep you there until the top of the hour and then we shall begin,” Archer explained.

Louise made a heavy breathing sound that could mean resignation or sullenness. Archer wasn’t sure and decided to let it go.

“W-what exactly are you going to do?” Louise asked, her voice now small and partially muffled by the walls pressed into her face. It was hard to be assertive when standing in the corner with your bare bottom on show to a man she hardly knew. Gods, if any of her business clients could see her now…

“You know exactly what I am going to do, you have always known haven’t you?” Archer said impatiently.

Louise swallowed and slowly nodded. “Yes Sir,” she said.

It was a long nervous wait for the supposedly mature woman. Each minute seemed like an age, moments that worked on her nerves and occasionally she would let go with a heavy sigh. It had ever been like this and the memories came flooding back, as did the old vulnerabilities.

Corner time was an odd mix of embarrassment, surrender and boredom. After only a few minutes she felt her legs ache and her exposed thigh began to itch. In fact she felt the urge to scratch or rub so many places currently denied to her. Worst of all time dragged and every movement in the room jarred her and brought home that her bottom was bare and completely on show as layer by layer her pride was peeled away.

When Dr Archer finally spoke it came as a shock as if she had forgotten he was there.

“I want you to come here Mrs Garland,” Archer said at last.

Louise was trembling now and he heard it in her breathing. As she turned around she dropped her gaze and moved her hands in front to cover her sex.

“It seems silly calling me Mrs Garland, more embarrassing somehow. My name is Louise,” she said quietly.

“Perhaps later, right now it is Mrs Garland who is going to get a spanking, a young woman who really ought to know better,” Archer said wearily as he beckoned her over.

“Young…?” Louise flushed, but she liked the accusation, even his tone made her feel like a 16-year-old caught sneaking in late.

“You are to me and let’s have less chatter, you’re stalling,” he growled.

Louise crossed the room at a stoop, not daring to meeting eyes and without him touching her she stood adjacent to his thighs and made a half bend until gravity tumbled her across his lap.

“Oh my gosh,” she whispered.

Her full bare bottom was now two hills over his knee and with her head down it felt huge and vulnerable.

“I don’t usually use my hand, but I think a short warm up is called for and then we will proceed to the more traditional hairbrush,” Archer told her. “In future you may just bend across a stool or chair and I will use a paddle, cane or some other implement. Is that clear?”

“Yes Sir,” she replied, her throat tight.

At this she felt a sharp smack to her rear and she blinked. It wasn’t so bad, but she could feel a tang where his hand had landed. The she was spanked again and she squirmed.

The spanking wasn’t as painful as she remembered, although she couldn’t help jiggling her bottom at each swipe and that set her blushing as she wondered what he must think.

But slowly the steady impact of his hand left a burn that did not fade before it was added to and she began to get a little sore.

“Ah,” she sighed as his hand struck a particular tender spot.

After five minutes or so her bottom was becoming uncomfortable and she was aware that she was breathing heavily.

“Hmm,” she groaned and then gave a more heartfelt yelp as she was spanked again.

“Now that I have your attention,” he said in a firm voice.

This was followed by a sudden hard splat that sent Louise bucking. The hairbrush was worse than she recalled and on an already red sore bottom it was purgatory.

“Nooo,” she yelled as he spanked her again and followed it at a steady pace.

“Are you going to be late again?” he asked.

“Oh no Sir, please, really I won’t,” the tone and words were straight from her late teen years.

The hairbrush struck her sharply and she squealed.

“A little undignified don’t you think, does your daughter know you are not too old for a spanking?” Archer sounded amused.

“No,” Louise gasped and a stray tear rolled down a single cheek.

“Are you saying that you’re not too old?” he said casually as he spanked her for a short volley.

“Eee, nooo, she doesn’t know, she doesn’t know…” It sounded more like a prayer than a statement.

“So you aren’t too old for a spanking?”

“No Sir,” she hissed.

She made a mewling sound and through sniffing and gasps she yelled out at each spank now.

“Can you say that more clearly please,” Archer sounded firmly resolved.

“I am not too old,” Louise growled.

“Attitude,” he snapped at her both verbally and with the brush.

“Sorry,” she wept, her voice croaking a little.

“Then say it,” Archer barked.

“I’m not too old… f-for a…” she sniffed, adding in a wail, “a s-spanking.”

Archer picked up the pace now and began to spank her soundly with great sweeps of his arm that thwacked at a point just beyond the surface of her naked bottom.

Louise greeted the onslaught with broken sobs and incoherent pleading.

“Such a cry baby, your daughter has taken worse than this,” Archer sighed.

“I know, I know,” Louise sobbed, “I’m sorry, I’m so bad.”

“Okay, I think we’re done,” he said at last as he set down the hairbrush. “Back to the corner now and then we will talk.”

“Yes Sir,” she said miserably as she hiccoughed a single sob.

“And put those hands right on top of your head,” he ordered.

Louise obeyed, but instead of answering him she burst into fresh tears which continued for some minutes.

*

“Turn around,” Archer said as soon as Louise had stopped crying.

She obeyed almost reluctantly, now feeling much too shy to face him. “Are we done?” she asked.

“Not quite,” Archer said, “In a moment you will turn back and do at least 40 minutes corner time before I dismiss you. How do you feel?”

Louise sucked in her cheeks at this news but thought it prudent to answer the question.

“You mean apart from sore, mortified, embarrassed and ashamed?” she said ruefully.

“Why ashamed?” Archer frowned.

“I let my daughter go through this, admittedly after discussing it with her, all because… because of her tardiness, attitude and general academic failure… because she was so disorganised,” Louise sighed, “And all the time I was just as bad.”

“We can put that right can’t we?” Archer smiled.

Louise nodded and blurted in relief, “Yes.”

Then Archer said, “We will focus on the shame and use it to bring about catharsis. To that end you will write out 500 times: ‘I, Louise Garland, am not too old for a good bare-bottom spanking and to be sent to the corner,’ bring it to me next week” with your journal.”

Louise felt the heat rise in her face but she nodded. He smiled and made a twist with his finger to send her back to face the wall.

“That’s a good girl,” he chuckled.

*

Louise hadn’t been standing there for 10 minutes when the doorbell rang.

“Don’t move,” Archer said sharply as if anticipating a rebellion.

Louise’s eyes went wide in panic as she hissed, “Send them away.”

For an age-long minute she considered if she had time to get dressed, but by the time she suppressed her panic the study door opened and a familiar female voice led the way into the room.

“Oh I see you have a student,” the woman said, “And I see your reputation is true.” Then she giggled. “My, that poor girl won’t be sitting for a week or more. I like a man who knows his job.”

Louise knew the voice and racked her shame-addled brains for the identity, although she would have much rather have been sucked down into a pit of snakes than be there at all.

“Mrs Garvey, I know we spoke on the phone but how can I…” Archer tried to remember the case.

Linda Garvey, Louise suppressed a gasp. A client and an acquaintance from the Abraham Heights Trade Association, she thought, oh God don’t let her recognise me, don’t let her… she prayed over and over.

She had to listen while Linda discussed the discipline requirements for her daughter who was struggling with the transition from high school to college. She sounded an utter bitch and despite her predicament, Louise felt sorry for the poor girl.

“Well I am not sure we need to go that far, but rest assured I will take your daughter’s guidance in hand,” Archer told her as they finished the discussion.

Louise was suspended in horror until she heard the outside door close.

“I’m sorry about that,” Archer said as he came back in, “she wasn’t expected.”

“I damn well know her,” Louise gasped, all but wheeling on him.

“Nose to the wall,” Archer barked. Then more gently he added, “Well I can see that that might be embarrassing for you, but then that is the point isn’t it?”

“Did she recognise me?” Louise wailed.

“If she did, she didn’t say anything,” he shrugged, “But in any case, that is of no concern. Right now you have another… 30 minutes and then you can thank me and go.”

Oh God, what have I let myself in for? Louise rolled her eyes and thought of Karen.