Jack Hatcher ran a hand through a short scratch of salt and pepper hair and stared thoughtfully at the bleak brick edifice sitting hard at the end of the street. There was only a little smoke leaking from an upper right-hand window, but it had been enough for the police to clear the road and keep everyone back.

At almost six feet six tall he had a clear view over the heads of the small crowd, but all the same he wished they were even further back and out of his way.

“Chief Hatcher, do you have what you need?” the street cop asked him, although his eyes too were fixed on the building.

“I can’t say that I have son,” Jack said absently, his gravel voice held a tempered edge of authority. “I have one unit on the scene and two more inbound, best if we hold off.”

The cop looked from the Chief to the building and back again as he nodded sagely, like he knew what he was looking at. “I see,” he said.

“Do you son?” Jack sighed. Was it just him or were cops getting younger, he thought.

“Hey Chief,” called a firm young female voice behind him, “You here to observe?”

Jack half turned to look at his newest Crew Leader. Samantha Bowden was barely 30 and had come up the hard way. She was more than one of the few women fire fighters; she headed up an appliance team and was one of the best.

Although tall, she was more than a head shorter than Jack, but she carried herself with the necessary confidence. Jack noticed she wore make-up and kept her long dark hair in one plait to the side of her head under her helmet. A concession to femininity that as one of the old school Jack found hard to like.

“No I reckon I’ll take the lead on this one,” Jack drawled absently, his eyes now fixed on the end of the street.

“This?” Samantha blurted, “But this is just a routine job, there is no sign it has even taken hold yet.”

Jack barely heard her. Instead his mind was filled the screams of long dead colleagues and the cockiness of another young team leader from so long ago.

“I want three teams on this one, and we don’t move until at least the second team is here,” Jack said at last.

“But Chief, we could lose the building by then,” Samantha protested.

“The building’s empty?” Ignoring her Jack checked with the cop.

The man nodded.

“Wait here until you get the word, I’m going to call for more back-up,” Jack said firmly as he moved off at a slow jog towards his car.

Samantha gaped at the big man’s retreating back and made a gesture of consternation.

“Hey Sam, we going in or what?” one of the firemen asked her.

He was a big guy too, almost as tall as the chief. Jim Parker talked slowly and worked hard and fast when there was a need. His tone seemed to dare her.

“The Chief suggested…” she said hesitantly.

“If that fire takes hold then we could lose the whole shooting match,” Jim said with a casual tone that belied the situation.

Somewhere a few streets back a siren heralded that the back-up team were near. “You’re right,” Samantha said sharply. “Let’s go.”

*

At first there was nothing amiss in the building. They had gained access easily and had made it all the way to the second from top floor before they had even smelled smoke.

“This door is hot,” Jim had said in a calm voice after touching the wood with a gloved hand.

Samantha had nodded. “Circle around and see if the door on the other side is hot too. And you,” she gestured to another man, “Get up to the next floor and see what you can make out.”

That had been the last thing that had been clear to them. There had been a fire ball from above that, luckily, had blown out a stairwell window and diverted it from harm. But what was left of the upper floor was now an inferno.

“On me, on me, on me,” Samantha yelled, “Bring up the hoses… see where B Team has got to…” the rest was lost as she threw herself into the maelstrom.

*

“You saved the building then,” Jack said in a dark neutral voice, “Well most of it anyway.”

He was sitting at his desk at the Fire House glaring at the tall woman standing close to attention in the middle of his fire red carpet.

“Yah,” Samantha said sheepishly.

“And they tell me Jim Parker is going to make a full recovery,” Jack continued. He leaned forward now as if analysing every nuance of Samantha’s face.

Samantha nodded. “We got lucky.”

“And you handled it well,” Jack said quickly. “But as you say, you got lucky. No one panicked and you manged to direct the second team into position in time. Good job they were on station eh?”

“Yes,” Samantha agreed, but she hadn’t known that at the time, she hadn’t waited and they both knew it. “How did you know Chief?”

“What? That it was going to be a big one?” Jack lightened up and shrugged. “Just experience, you’ll get there.”

“Will I?” Tears pooled at Samantha’s eyes and she shook her head. “Jim might have died and…”

“Goes with the job,” Jack cut in. Then he paused. “What doesn’t go with the job is…” Then he raised his voice a mite before adding, “Disobeying orders. I told you I was handling it and I told you how,” he barked.

“Jim said…” Samantha blurted and then blushed. She bowed her head and winced.

“Of course he did, he is a bull-headed hero. It’s your job to keep him back,” Jack sighed. “In my day… hell, I ought to turn you over my knee and paddle your rump for you.”

Samantha blushed. Although she had heard such sexist twaddle all her life, it was hard to tell the chief where to get off when she thought about Jim. All the same she shot back with, “Would you say that to me if I was a man?”

Jack snorted mirthlessly and shrugged. “I guess not. But I would have punched you in the face by now and be out of a job; lucky for us both then.”

Samantha bowed her head again and nodded. “That wouldn’t be fair on one of us, not under the circumstances. Besides I guess I would take that spanking instead.”

It was meant as a joke, but it didn’t sound too funny even to her.

“You know, that might not be such a bad idea after all,” Jack drawled and he stood up as if making a point.

Samantha let her jaw hang for a second and then became torn between fleeing. That in case he meant it; or rounding on him with the full benefit of her outrage.

“You wouldn’t…” she said uncertainly and backed up a little.

Jack folded his arms and pictured her bent over his desk with her uniform pants around her ankles and her bottom all bare and waiting while he plied his service belt across it.

“I could spank you in full view of the men and not one of them would back you at an inquiry,” Jack told her.

She knew that was true and gulped hard.

“I wouldn’t do that,” he told her after a pause. “But I might do it here if you don’t get out of my office in five seconds.”

“Yes Sir,” Samantha gasped and after flustering with the door handle quickly exited.

*

Jim had been a mess; lost beneath a swath of bandages and yellow goo. His wife and daughter had cried throughout the whole visit. Not Jim though, he was full of it and laughing. He was giving it large how Samantha had saved him.

“Hell,” he said, “She saved the whole damn street.”

Samantha had felt sick all the way back to the fire house and all the way up to the Chief’s office.

“Come in,” Jack called from within.

Nothing was said as she entered, she couldn’t even meet his eyes.

Finally she said, “Jim’s going to be alright…” she heaved a sigh that ended in a sob, “But…”

“I know,” Jack said wearily.

Samantha took a deep breath and then finally found the Chief’s eyes. “Were you joking about what you said earlier?”

“Young lady, if you don’t go home right now, you will find out,” Jack scolded.

The pair of them stared each other out for the longest time before Samantha challenged, “You’re all mouth and we both know you wouldn’t dare.”

Jack answered her with a slow shake of his head. Then like before he got to his feet but instead of giving her any regard he moved nonchalantly from behind his desk and slipped off his uniform jacket. Samantha was about to yell at him or say anything to break the tension. Was he snubbing her? Then she noticed he was rolling up his sleeves.

“Listen…” she took a deep breath, “I was just sounding off. I am mad at myself about Jim and I know now that I should have listened to you. Let’s forget this conversation okay…”

While she tried to gather up her composure Jack moved around the room and into the space between her and the door.

“I have had enough of you ‘sounding off,’ you’ve got a big mouth and even bigger boots that no longer seem to fit you,” Jack told her. “I think it is about time someone put you in your place.”

“I know I said, I know… but… now listen,” Samantha batted down the air with her open palms and backed away.

“Young lady, you need a sound spanking on your completely bare bottom, I am the one to do it,” Jack growled.

“Not here… I mean…” Samantha blurted.

“I gave you a couple of chances to duck out and yet you still came back, so now you’re going to get what’s coming to you.” As he made the announcement he made one easy motion to cross the space between them and heft her fireman-style off her feet.

“Noooo Chief, listen…” she squealed. But Jack wasn’t listening, he merely carried to a chair where he took a seat and tossed her gently across his lap.

Her uniform pants slid down easily, as they were designed to and jack took full advantage. Her underpants were high-cut and revealing, but Jack didn’t hesitate. With a quick hook of his thumb he lowered these too until her clothing was bunched around her ankles and her bottom was bared to his gaze.

“Ch-chief, chief, please I… ow!” she gasped as his large paddle-like hand swatted her bare tail.

“You’ve said please, now ma’am, say thank you Sir,” Jack chuckled as he spanked her several times in short order turning her white bottom a healthy deep pink.

“I mean please…ow… stop, not… ooh, ah… pleeeasssse…” Samantha’s tirade ended in spluttering and a rapid kicking of her legs, well as far as she was abled being hobbled by her clothing.

Jack put some power into the swats and fire chief took on a whole new meaning. “And I said, ‘enough with the please,’ I want to hear some ‘thank you Sir’s.’”

Samantha growled in anger and clamped her jaw shut in case she made too much noise. Nevertheless the spanking continued and showed no sign of letting up.

“I get it, I’m sorry,” she sniffed at last.

“And?” Jack warned her, his spanking arm now relentless.

“Thank you Sir,” she gasped.

“And that one?” he spanked her again.

“Thanks… ah… thank you Sir,” she said miserably.

There was along sharp volley of spanks followed by thanks and a very red-bottomed Samantha held fast to the last of her dignity.

“Jim, I’m sorry Jim,” she suddenly wept.

Jack abruptly stopped the spanking and pulled the woman into a hug.

“Okay, okay, let it out,” he told her gently.

Great gouts of well-sobbed tears followed and she hugged into the Chief like she might die. “I’m sorry, so sorry,” she wailed.

It took a while but finally she pulled herself together.

“Can I pull up my pants now?” she asked shyly.

“Not just yet,” he chuckled, “Like I said someone is too big for her boots, so let me see that red behind of yours cooling off in the corner.”

“You’re kidding,” she gaped.

“Oh no, I might even take a snap and send it to Jim and his family,” Jack said in a serious tone as he brandished his phone.

“Oh, y-you wouldn’t,” Samantha gasped, pausing mid-shuffle on her way to the corner.

“I won’t if you do as you’re told,” Jack laughed, “This pleasure is all mine.”

Samantha made a sour face. “I had rather hoped you might buy me a drink after such rough handling,” she said ruefully.

“Later maybe,” he chuckled, “Much later,” he made a twisting motion with his finger, “Now turn around.”

“Oh Jesus, if my team could see me now… ooh,” she groaned in embarrassed frustration as she obeyed.