The Follow-up

A Sequel to The Interview

David examined the girl seated before him over the rims of his spectacles. She looked much the same as last time. No, he realized, she had made some changes.  There was a splash of colour this time- a blue shirt beneath her jacket, a slight but deliberate contrast to the stark black and white number she had worn to their previous encounter.  Her hair, wasn’t it in a bun at the first meeting? She had let it down this time, as he had asked. Though when she shifted in her seat, uncomfortable under his gaze, he noticed the entire thing moved as one unit. Just what had she done to it? He knew that women did strange things with their hair, but had gathered that in general less was more. He stifled a laugh as he thought of just how much of how many products she had used to accomplish her current do.  It was down, yes, but so stiff he thought it would look exactly the same if he hung her upside down by her ankles and shook her. It might come to that if he couldn’t find another way to get through to her, he thought with a slight smile.

Noticing the change in his expression, Sophia piped up hopefully, “Do you approve of my progress?”

David remained silent a moment longer, carefully controlling his emotions. She had made an effort, and to her this was progress. He must be careful not to tread on that, but at the same time she clearly needed more prompting before any meaningful changes would be made.

Deciding to follow her lead and be direct, he started, “I can see you took my advice rather literally.”

“Yes, sir,” she beamed through her nerves.

‘Oh dear,’ he thought, again struggling not to laugh.  She was naive, but she had promise. She had spunk, even if she didn’t yet know it. This same attitude, once she finally learned to relax a bit, could prove quite charming. It would not, however, have a chance of surfacing if he gave any indication of taking her less than seriously. He schooled his expression before continuing.

“Yes,” he finally responded, “but I had hoped that you would think more deeply about what transpired here last time.  “

“I-I tried to. Sir,” she added quickly, her anxiety returning to her face and stiffening her posture even further.

“I’d say so,” David replied gently, “and tried very hard at that. Though I think it may benefit you to exert a bit less effort in some areas. Relax a bit, let go.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, as though looking for a more thorough explanation of the solution to an equation. He half expected her to be taking notes, though he supposed it was probably a sign of progress that she wasn’t. He paused, unsure as to how best to proceed.

“Let’s try something,” David said patiently, considering one last time the wisdom of his plan.  “Remove your clothing.” David watched her response carefully. She was here for discipline, just as last time, and knew that would involve some amount of exposure. For all his experience, this would be new for him, but it might just work.

Sophia gaped at him. “What- what do you mean?” she asked again with even more tension in her voice.

“Exactly what I said, remove your clothing.  All of it.  I want to see who you really are, and this shell you’ve put on is getting in the way. You seem to have a propensity for taking things literally, this may help.” Still she hesitated, so he continued gently, “No need to be shy- I’ve already seen a good part of you last time. I’d advise you to not keep me waiting too long; I’m sure you know what will happen before you leave here, and I’d assume you don’t want to make it more painful than it needs to be.”

Blushing, Sophia rose and turned her back. Slowly, almost painfully, she began to unbutton her jacket, then her blouse. David forced himself to sit still. She was doing as he asked, and clearly this was difficult for her. He would have preferred a more deliberate response, some sense of urgency, but perhaps she needed this time. It was a big step for her.

When she turned back, her hands were tightly clasped around her, trying to hide as much as the could.

“Hands on your head,” he instructed gently. This was about exposure, and her attempts to hide would not help his efforts.

Again, she slowly complied. She was positioned as he instructed, though she kept her back stiff and straight, as if in defiance, and fixed her gaze firmly on a spot on the wall just above his head.

As he scolded, he noticed her gradually tilting her head up to the ceiling, so much that she was staring almost straight up by the time he had finished. ‘She has some nerve to be rolling her eyes, given her present situation,’ he thought, but as the first tear streaked down her cheek he quickly corrected himself as he realized the true meaning of her new posture. ‘Too much, too quickly,’ he chided himself as he reached out and pulled her into a close hug on his lap. With the pressure of his embrace, her silent tears turned to noisy, gulping sobs. He held her tightly. At least this was a change, though he wished he could have brought it about with a less traumatic method.

“I- I’m so-sorry I’m so hopeless,” she choked out between sobs.  “I’ll just go- I don’t mean to waste your time,” she said as she tried to stand up.

Holding her firmly in the hug, he kept her in place.  “Not at all- if I thought you weren’t worth the time, I wouldn’t have bothered in the first place.”

“But I thought you enjoyed. . these things?” she asked.

“Oh, I’m never bored during my appointments, and I won’t say it has no appeal. In fact, some women come just for the spanking part; it’s the sensations that matter to them, not a change in behaviour. I believe it’s a form of stress relief, intimacy perhaps, but that’s all it is. There’s no scolding, no attempt to connect the experience to the rest of their lives.  Nothing wrong with that. Though, despite your hurry to get to the spanking, I get the feeling that you’re looking for something more from this relationship.”

Sophia raised her head to gape at him through her tears. “How did you know?”

“It isn’t that difficult; you asked for discipline, and were perfectly happy to answer my questions about your life.  Never once did you mention spankings in our discussion before I brought it up. Those that come her solely for that purpose often mention it at the first possible opportunity, or else are hesitant to discuss much of anything at all. More importantly, I saw how you reacted to my advice at the end of our last session. You listened, you were interested in what I was recommending, and you acted on it. Someone here just for a spanking would have dismissed that or perhaps taken it lightly as advice from any passing acquaintance. I could see you hanging on to every word.”

Sophia blushed, “ I hadn’t realized you could tell so much. I was trying to be mature about. . .this whole thing”

“Maturity does not imply a lack of emotion, but rather the control of it- something I expect you’ll be quite good at once you loosen up a bit. It’s not control you’re lacking.”

Sophia giggled slightly at this, looking up into David’s eyes through the remnants of her tears to see him smiling back at her.

“There. We’re finally back where we were when we left off last time, and we haven’t even got to the spanking part yet. I’d call that progress, though I hope I don’t have to resort to such drastic measures to get back here next time,” he said as he indicated her nudity with a quick seep of his eyes. His gaze didn’t linger, but Sophia still blushed at her vulnerable position. “If I remember correctly, you were supposed to work  on this, to stay in this mindset once you left.  What happened?”

Sophia’s smile faded as she looked away.  She remained quiet, hoping that David would continue in his lecture, but nothing was forthcoming. When she looked back, the subtle sternness in his gaze made his shift uncomfortably and compelled her to reply.

Glancing down again, she mumbled the only reason that came to mind. “I guess I was scared.” It sounded feeble even to her.

“Odd,” David replied. “I would think you have more to be afraid of here. You do know what’s coming.”

“Well, yes,” Sophia replied, “but it’s just a spanking, you’re not going to judge me.”

“People will always judge you, so why not allow yourself to be judged for who you are? That has to be less stressful than keeping everything bottled up.”

“I guess so,” Sophia finally replied.

“Very well, then.  I think it’s time to move on to your punishment, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Punishment? What for?” Sophia asked with genuine confusion.

“For what you just told me. You made a promise at the end of our last session, and failed to act on it out of fear.”

“But- you know I was afraid. Why- how will a spanking help that?”

“We can be afraid of many things for many reasons, many of them valid, but it’s not the fear that matters. It’s how we respond to it. Acting on fear that keeps you from doing yourself harm is commendable, though acting on fear that keeps you from living up to your potential is not.  If a spanking helps you remember that distinction, I’d say that it’s my role as a mentor to help you in that manner.”

Unable to come up with a response that had any potential to save her bottom, Sophia remained quiet, glancing almost hopefully over at the desk.

Noticing the direction of her gaze, David continued, “I’ll have you over the desk eventually, though for now I think you’d benefit more from a trip over my knee.”

Suddenly wishing to get it over with, Sophia allowed herself to be repositioned into a posture more suitable for the upcoming activity. Shifting slightly, she grasped onto the lower rung of the chair as she waited for David to begin.

David didn’t make her wait long before he started reddening her bottom.  When she started to emit little yelps of protest, he paused and rested his hand on her now warm behind.

“Care to explain again why you’re here?” David asked.

“To become a better person,” Sophia replied, using the same empty phrase she’d employed at the start of their first meeting.

Slightly frustrated, David delivered a few sharp swats to the tops of her thighs. “When I ask you a question during a punishment, I expect you to be more specific than that. I’m looking for reflection and confirmation that the lesson I intend to teach is getting through.  Let’s try again. Why are you here, over my knee?” he folded his hands together, resting his elbows on her back as he awaited her reply.

Glad she didn’t have to face him, Sophia buried her face in her hands, as though that would make her less vulnerable. “Because I didn’t take your advice,” she finally offered. “I was afraid of what people would think if I changed.”

“Much better,” David encouraged. He waited a while longer to see if she had anything else to add before continuing, deciding that he was satisfied with her response for now.

After a few more minutes, he paused again. “How are you feeling?”

Sophia gasped as she tried to catch her breath, her mind too focused on the pain of the punishment to search for a reply.

“How are you feeling?” David prompted again with a few painful slaps.

Wrenching her mind away from the sensations, Sophia tried to come up with an answer that didn’t have to do with pain, though that was certainly a lot of what she was feeling at the moment. “Embarrassed,” she finally replied, “and uncomfortable. And sorry.”

“This is very different from last time isn’t it.  This is real punishment, not just the cute little exercise we went through at out last meeting. Is this making an impression? Are you going to let fear stand in your way next time?”

“No, sir,” Sophia wailed.  “I promise, I’ll do better, I’ll listen this week!”

“Good to hear,” David replied as he returned to the spanking, making Sophia’s legs kick wildly in protest as if they were unaware of her admission that she needed this.

When her yelps grew to continuous sobs, he stopped again, rubbing her bottom as she calmed. “We’re done with this for now,” he said as he helped her off his lap.

Sophia’s hands flew to her behind as she was set on her feet, tenderly cupping the swollen cheeks for a moment before she reached for her clothes.

“Not just yet,” David said, grabbing her arm. “I think you need to know what will happen next time if you fail to act on the things we’ve discussed.”  He gently guided her over the desk.

Realizing what he had in mind, Sophia balked.  David smirked as he gently encouraged her to bend over. “Not so eager to be over the desk anymore are you?”

“No, sir,” Sophia sniffed, stiffening as she heard a rustle of clothing behind her. New as she was to this type of mentoring, it wasn’t difficult for her to puzzle out what that sound meant.

“You’ve already been through a lot today, so this will be just a brief taste, just enough to encourage you to work a bit harder before our next session. I’ll give you six strokes with the belt. Stay in position for all six, or I’ll start over. Understood?”

Sophia nodded, and the silence stretched as David waited for a more vocal response. “Yes, sir,” Sophia finally said. “I understand. I’ll stay down.”

David proceeded slowly, letting the pain of each stroke register and begin to fade before reigniting it with the last. Sophia was sobbing again before the third stroke, though she remained still as requested. When he finished he pulled her up into another hug before handing back her clothing.

Sophia winced as she dressed, swearing to herself that she would do whatever it took to never give him cause to use his belt again. Being over his knee for a hand spanking  seemed wonderful by comparison, and she knew that it could have been much worse.

David smiled again as he watched her, knowing that he had made the impact he wanted, and hoping that the woman who came to their next meeting would look more like the one before him now than the stoic statue that had first entered his office, having put today’s  lesson to good use.