The Party

Lily gingerly picked up the tray of melting cupcakes, looking with disdain at the small pool of frosting that had slopped onto the back seat of her car. Despite her best efforts, her baking never would live up to her mother’s impossible standards. Not that her mother had ever let her disappointment show; she had always praised Lily’s attempts, even though they looked even worse than usual next to her mother’s elegantly decorated creations. By and large Lily wasn’t much bothered by her lack of culinary skills, but every once in a while she wished she had inherited just a bit of her mother’s talent.

She had chosen to make cupcakes to bring to the party, hoping to impress the other guests, or at least to not poison them. Who can screw up cupcakes? As Lily attempted to clean the frosting off the sat with a handful of spare napkins from the glove compartment, she realised that she certainly had made a mess of this batch. At least they definitely looked home-made; no shop would dream of selling something so sloppy. Still, as she gazed up at the meticulously manicured front yard of Miss Robinson’s house, she wished she had just picked up a tray of bland-but-perfect cookies from the supermarket. She had enough to worry about, without having to think about the food.

Lily fired off a quick text to her roommate, letting her know she’d arrived at the party and confirming she’d be home before midnight.  She considered elaborating- though her roommate knew where she was going, she hadn’t said too much about the why.  After a moment’s hesittion, she tucked her phone away.  No questions had been asked when she’d announced her intention to go to the party, though she did get a odd sideways look.  Perhaps next time. . .in any event, this wasn’t the sort of thing to reveal over text.

Heaving a sigh, Lily hefted the tray and closed the car door with shove from her hip before carefully shuffled up the path to the front door, taking great care to not smear any frosting down the front of her dress. As she contemplated the doorbell, wondering how one with no free hands might use the device, the door flew open to reveal a middle aged woman who, judging by her neatly curled hair and crisp blouse, took the same pride in the appearance of her person as in the appearance of her house.

Lily began to feel a renewed rush of shame at the inadequacy of her offering of food, but this feeling was quickly dispelled as the woman’s face broke into a broad grin. “You must be Lily! Welcome, welcome, do come in,” the woman said as she ushered her inside, taking the tray of cupcakes from her without seeming to mind the frosting smeared around the edges. “I’m the Miss Robinson you’ve been emailing, though please call me Kate now that we’ve met. I’m so glad you came! We are always so excited to have new faces.”

As Miss Robinson led Lily inside and magically found space for the cupcake tray on the nearly overflowing food table, Lilly took in her surroundings. The house was bright and open and full of strangers. Not that the people were all that strange, Lily realised with relief. The assembly could have passed for any normal house party. One would never have guessed their reason for coming together just based on appearances. Well, perhaps the group sitting in the corner stripping leaves from a rather large pile of twigs would seem a bit odd, but it could just be a group of friends with an interest in botany. Maybe. Still, there where quite a lot of twigs. . .

“It’s a bit much, isn’t it?” Miss Robinson asked kindly. “I’ll find you a buddy to help make introductions. And don’t worry, there’s no pressure to do anything your first time here. If anyone gives you trouble, come find me,” she said before she turned to catch the eye of a tall, blonde woman across the room who quickly came bouncing over. “Kim, this is Lily’s first time, would you mind helping her settle in?”

“I’m Kim, or ‘Nala’ in this world,” the girl introduced herself. Seeing the look of confusion on Lily’s face, she smiled and explained. “Most people here have a ‘scene name’ that they use online or in larger gatherings up in the city. Out here, though, most people go by their given names. Chances are we’ll run into each other in town at some point, and most of us would rather not have to explain to other acquaintances why some weirdo greets us by the wrong name,” she added. “Besides, if we just went by scene names here, the five ‘Hanks’ would get confusing. I don’t know why so many of them chose that name, I suppose they think it sounds all macho or something. Although, if you want to get any one of them wound up, just call him ‘Hankie,’ but be sure you’re ready for the consequences!” Kim added with a wink and a laugh.

Lily giggled along with her, Kim’s bubbly nature beginning to penetrate the shield of anxiety she had erected around herself.

“There’s a group about to start a scrabble game in the dining room. Would you like to join?” Kim asked.

Lilly felt herself tense up again. Scrabble had been the game of choice among her friends at school, and even though they played for hours on end LIliy had never managed to get a feel for the game, routinely coming in last place by a wide margin.In any event, she knew that if she wanted to make a good impression, this was not the way to do so.

Lily shifted awkwardly in place, wondering what the other options were. What does one do at a spanking party? Other than spanking, of course. Lily knew that if even a scrabble game with these people made her anxious, she was certainly not yet ready for that particular activity. Scrabble at least was familiar. “Maybe… I’m not very good, though,” she offered.

“Oh, that’s no problem at all. I’m atrocious, but it hardly matters. You can help me- we’ll be a team. You’ll probably save my ass,” Kim smiled at her before grabbing her hand and leading her into the dining room, her gait almost more skip than walk.

Kim chatted away as they settled in, introducing Lily to the rest of the players as they arrived. The chatter continued as the game commenced. Lily noticed that Kim seemed to be giving the game only the minimal attention, being more interested in joining in the banter that was being thrown back and forth. Lily smiled as she listened, enjoying the atmosphere but still too reserved to participate more directly. She was reminded of the time she had tagged along with some of her guy friends to a gay club. Even as one of only a handful of women there, she felt completely at ease. There was something about being in a group of people finally able to indulge a side of themselves that was often kept carefully hidden that was contagious.

As promised, Kim was horrible at the game, though Lily wondered if it might have more to do with a lack of focus than a lack of verbal skills. Throughout the game, Kim barely looked at the board, instead making eyes at the man across the table- Mike, otherwise known as one of the Hanks- and kicking him under the table. Lily had been embarrassed at her new friend’s behaviour at first, but when Mark glared at her over his glasses after she’d landed a particularly well-aimed kick that made him grimace slightly, she began to understand that scrabble was hardly the only game being played.

Taking a wink from Kim as an invitation to join in the fun, Lilly kicked out in Mike’s general direction, only to hear a squeal from Kim instead. Alarmed at her mistake at first, Lily soon joined Kim in a fit of giggles at the ridiculousness of the situation.

Lily proved no better at this new game, being far too timid to put much of an effort into it. She did manage to knock into a table leg once though, sending all the tiles skittering askew. The damage was easy enough to repair, though it earned her the sternest glare Mike had yet given, sending her and Kim into yet another fit of giggling.

As the games continued, Lily gradually noticed the crowd thinning. Seeing her concerned look, Kim smirked and explained, “The ground floor here is kept vanilla, a safe haven if you will. Once one of us gets into trouble, we take things either upstairs or into the basement to. . .deal with things.”

Lily found herself unable to reply. She knew this would happen, it was why she was here. Hearing someone explain it out loud made her squirm, though not in an entirely unpleasant way. Hearing the muffled sounds coming from unseen rooms only intensified the squirming.

She turned her attention back to the game, but found that even with her full focus, she wasn’t able to contribute much. Her one moment of glory came when she managed to turn “log” into “flog.” She earned her approving smirk from Mike, but only added a modest score to their total.

Fortunately, the game was soon over, and the woman seated to Lily’s left- Megan? or Melissa? – read out the scores. Unsurprisingly, Kim and Lily had lost spectacularly. Mike, however, despite Kim’s best attempts at distraction, had won hands down. Kim sighed theatrically and began to gather the tiles back into the bag as the crowd drifted away. “Loser cleans up,” Kim explained. Once the game pieces had been stowed safely in the box, Lily found herself alone at the table with Kim and a suddenly hawkish-looking Mike.

“What would you prefer,” he asked Kim with his charming smirk, “shall we get this over quickly or would you like to take the chance that I might forget?”

“I know better by now,” Kim sighed loudly again, managing to do so without giving the impression that she was the slightest bit bored or resigned. “I thought it was a good idea once, but I’m not about to give you another excuse to add ‘interest.’”

Lily stared blankly between the two of them until Kim kindly explained. “The winner gets to spank the loser. Keeps things interesting. And on topic. I just wish the tops weren’t so good- it would be nice to switch things up a bit once in a while.”

“You might as well come along,” Mike invited, “I’m sure Kim, in her duty as your buddy, would be more than willing to show you how it works. Don’t worry, you’re safe this time. Next game though, you’ll need to watch out,” he added with a smile.

Mike took Kim by the hand and led her off. Kim followed, entranced, as Mike opened a door and led them downstairs. Kim shivered at the slight drop in temperature as the descended to the basement, feeling her breathing become shallower as she braced herself for what she might meet in the underground room. Nightmarish dungeon scenes flickered through her mind, but as she poked her head out from the bottom of the staircase, she found herself in a rather cozy den, dominated by a large leather sofa and an almost equally large television.

“Excellent- all to ourselves,” Mike proclaimed as he settled in the middle of the sofa. Lily hovered awkwardly by the door, watching in awe as Kim allowed herself to be lowered over Mike’s lap. Her breath caught as Mike lifted her skirt, revealing the slightest of panties. He took a moment to caress her bottom, making Kim visibly squirm, before lifting his arm to deliver the first smack.

Lily learned many things as that first swat connected.

She learned that it was possible to feel both as a fly on the wall and a deer in the headlights at the same time. Mike and Kim were entirely focused on each other, she wasn’t entirely sure they realised she had followed. The sound of the impact made her jump, triggering an instinctual urge to flee the descending swatter. Yet she remained rooted to the spot, transfixed by the scene unfolding in front of her.

She learned that the house must indeed have very thick walls; the muffled sounds she had overheard earlier bearing little resemblance to the resounding noise of the real thing.

And she learned that, however awkward and nervous she had felt at times, coming to this party was the best decision she had made in a long time.

Mike continued long past the point when Kim’s bottom pinkened, deepening the hue to a blushing red before giving into Kim’s desperate pleas to stop. Kim popped up off his lap the moment she was released, hopping and rubbing her bottom a moment before Mike rose to give her a lingering hug. Lily began to back away, feeling more an intruder on this intimate moment than she ever had during the actual spanking, but they broke apart before she had reached the bottom stair. Kim flashed her a grin. “Now you know what to expect, though hopefully you won’t have to face a meanie like Hankie here for your first time.” Kim yelped as he landed another firm swat on her behind. Bouncing away from the swat, Kim danced past Lily to the stairs. “All this exercise has made me thirsty- punch anyone? And I mean the drink- not anything to do with fists, so don’t get any ideas Hankie” Kim teased as she pranced upstairs and out of reach, cheerful as ever.

Lily remained where she was, mentally replaying the spanking she had just witnessed, as if to permanently fix it in her memory. She jumped as she felt a gentle pressure on her elbow.

“Are you ok?” she turned to see Mike beside her, a look of mild concern in his eyes. “I know it can be a lot to take in the first time. You can relax though, you really are safe tonight.”

“Yes, I mean. . .” Lily paused and gazed at the floor, blushing and carefully avoiding Mike’s gaze as she gathered her courage. “I mean, it’s not fair, is it? Kim didn’t- ”

Mike’s chuckle stopped her mid-sentence. “Kim knew what she was getting into. I daresay she does it on purpose- the girl has an ivy league degree, and yet can’t seem to string more than three letters together whenever we play a game.”

Lily smiled, having come to much the same conclusion herself. “Well, yes, though that’s not what I meant. It was as much my fault as Kim’s. We were a team, I should be held j-just as accountable as s-she.”

Mike moved closer, steadying her trembling shoulders and tipped her chin up to meet his gaze. “Are you sure?”

Lily nodded silently, he voice having been chased away.

Mike nodded back, and gently led her over to the sofa, positioning her much as he had Kim. He lifted her skirt, and Lily trembled at the cool breeze in a rather novel location. Mike stroked her, and she found the gesture calming even though she knew full well that his hand would soon be far from soothing. “Did Kim get around to telling you about safe words?” he asked, bringing her mind back from wherever it had flown to.

“Um. . . n-no?” Lily responded hesitantly.

“Hrumph.” Mike grunted and stopped his stroking. “I’ll need to have a word with her about that. In any event, it’s a simple enough concept. If it’s too much, say ‘yellow’ and I’ll ease up. ‘Red’ and it stops completely. Do you understand?”

Lily nodded. Mike made no reply, his hand still motionless on her behind. “Yes,” Lily finally responded. “Yellow to slow, red to stop.”

“Good girl,” Mike said and she felt his hand leave her bottom. Before she could suck in an anticipatory breath, he began her spanking. His hand stung, though it was hardly unbearable. Lily began to relax over his lap, enjoying the sensations.

Looking back, she couldn’t say when the spanking changed, only that it did. She wasn’t even sure if Mike had changed his technique or if the rain of swats had simply built to an intolerable level. Either way, she squirmed as he continued to spank her, not quite desperate to escape but far from comfortable in Mike’s firm grasp. Not long after she began to whimper softly, Mike stopped, caressing her sore bottom a moment before allowing her to rise. Lily danced much as Kim had, a distant part of her mind wondering it the dance was learned from observation or simply instinctual. Mike rose to hug her, and Lily let herself melt against him.

“You’ve done very well,” Mike told her softly. “You’re one of us now. Welcome to the party.”

Lily pulled away, a large grin on her face to match Mike’s.

“Come along, or Kim might get in trouble for losing you,” Mike said as he led her back upstairs.

“There you are!” Kim exclaimed when they emerged. “What took you so long?”

Lily could only blush, but Kim caught on quickly.

“Oooh! I knew it!” Kim shouted and ran over to hug Lily. “How was it? Are you ok? Was it anything like you thought it would be? And shame on you for not letting me watch- it’d only be fair after you got to see me- I may need to do something about that next time.” Kim finished with a laugh that Lily, despite her embarrassment, easily joined. Despite the ache in her behind, she had to agree with Kim’s implicit assumption that there would be a “next time.” Perhaps not tonight, Lily thought as she looked ruefully at the hard folding chairs scattered around the kitchen, but she was certainly going to be coming back as often as she could.