Embraced by Faulkner, Carolyn (books for 8th graders .TXT) 📕

Loud sniffles greeted that suggestion, but then a soft, “Uh-huh.”

She opened the door to see her best friend lying on her ivory and green wrought iron canopied bed – butt up, of course.

There certainly were no outward signs of abuse. Meg sat gingerly on the side of the bed. “Are you sure you’re ok?” she repeated.

Mandy turned and looked at Meg for the first time. Her eyes were so puffy from crying they were almost swollen shut.

“Oh, Manda, I’m so sorry!” Tears came to Meagan’s eyes, also, as she felt partially responsible for Mandy’s punishment. “Do you want to talk about it?” Meg offered, not really knowing if she wanted to hear or not.

Amanda snorted. “What’s there to talk about? I told you I knew what he’d do, and I was right – he gave me 87 spanks on my bare butt! Do you know how humiliating it is to be put over your brother’s lap bare-bottomed like a five-year-old? And – “ she was beginning to sob again “ – he m-made me count e-each one –“

- 29 -

BacksideOfLove.com

Carolyn Faulkner

While trying to soothe her friend by rubbing her back, Meg suggested, “Did he give you a chance to explain why you got the ticket?”

Rolling carefully onto her side to face her friend, Mandy drew a halting breath. “He always gives me time to talk and explain to him, unless it’s something immediate like sassing him when I was younger, or using foul language. I’ve had my butt smacked in every grocery store in Carverton! With something like this, it’s not like he jumps me when I come in the door. Barrett’s not like that.” She proceeded to recount to Meg what happened.

Mandy followed her brother’s broad shoulders into his sanctuary. She didn’t like the room much, probably because she spent most of her time there over his lap watering the flowers in the carpet pattern with her tears as he rained blistering smacks down onto her defenseless bottom.

They took their accustomed seats, side by side on the comfortable black leather couch. The ritual had been long established. He always listened patiently to her side of the situation first. Barrett’s big beefy hand dwarfed hers in a gentle hold. In a deliberately calm, quiet voice, he asked, “So tell me why you thought it was necessary to go 25 miles-per-hour over the speed limit on a two lane, country road?”

Mandy had to hand it to him. There was no trace of sarcasm in his voice. If she’d been racing to the hospital, sick, or had even a somewhat reasonable excuse, he’d’ve listened and probably let her off with a stern lecture. Unfortunately for her, it really wasn’t a matter of life and death that she get home to keep her best friend from making a fool of herself over her brother.

- 30 -

BacksideOfLove.com

Embraced

She couldn’t meet his eyes until his fingers lifted her chin.

Tears were already trailing down her cheeks. “I- I just wanted to get home to g-greet Meg.”

Barrett enfolded her in a big bear hug and let her cry for a moment within the comforting strength of his arms. The emotion in his voice rumbled through his chest, “And I just want you to get home in one piece. We’ve been through this before, not very long ago, either. It’s been less than six months, hasn’t it?” She nodded her head in shame. “Amanda, I couldn’t bear it if I lost you – or any of my siblings. It would kill me. Maybe that’s why I’ve been so hard on all of you, and why I’m not about to go easy on you now.” He rubbed her back gently, then got up, placing the well-used straight-backed oak chair in the middle of the floor. Mandy was still on the couch, biting her lip, as if waiting for her cue. He stretched out his hand, palm up, saying firmly, “Come here.”

Manda got up to place her trembling hand in his.

He sat down while she reluctantly unbuttoned and removed her jeans and panties in a familiar downward motion, lying across the muscular trunks of his legs. A large paw covered the entire of her bottom, end to end. The softness of the words belied the terror they evoked in her. “I think we’ll keep the ‘one-stroke-per-dollar-of-fine’ rule.”

*WHACK! *

And the spanking commenced.

- 31 -

BacksideOfLove.com

Carolyn Faulkner

Chapter V

eg gulped convulsively, lost in her friend’s story.

She almost felt as if she was the one bare-Mbottomed and vulnerable over the big man’s lap.

Amanda’s voice broke as she remembered the unrelenting, burning pain that accompanied each loud *SPANK* of that callused palm on her tender bottom. “It was awful. And he never let up, not once. If I miss a stroke it doesn’t count, so I probably got closer to 100.”

“Oh, Mandy, that’s terrible!” On second thought, she didn’t want to be on the receiving end of that man’s discipline . . . would she?

“And he scolded me through the whole thing, saying I ought to be more responsible and that if I behaved like a thoughtless, selfish little girl I was going to be punished like one.

When he was done, he- he threatened to take away my car if I get another ticket within a year!” Amanda threw herself into Meg’s arms.

Lead-foot Amanda obey the speed limit? It didn’t bear thinking of. “Oooooh, you’ll have to be really careful, won’t you?”

- 32 -

BacksideOfLove.com

Embraced

“I couldn’t l-live without my c-car, Meagan!” she fairly wailed. That threat seemed to be bothering her more than