A Story by Callipygian
Part One is here.
Avery found the house with a little trouble. The problem was that although the houses were numbered, there were too many gaps, so following a sequence was a challenge. Still all is well that ends well she supposed when she pulled up outside.
The car door seemed loud in the quiet neighbourhood, although she was beginning to realise that all the neighbourhoods of Sparksville were quiet. She approached the house as if approaching the palace of royalty, not out of respect, but in order to get into character.
The door had dried flowers on it, not a crumbling jaded arrangement, but something with some thought in it. Avery knocked.
The lack of answer was a puzzle; there was a Ford Crown Victoria in the drive and seemingly nowhere to go. She knocked again and then listened intently. From somewhere she heard music and on a hunch she ambled around the back.
The woman was in a downward dog on the back porch, complete with leotard and leggings.
“Oh my,” Avery said, “Such accomplishment.”
The startled woman rolled over and leapt to her feet. She was a striking and tasteful redhead with good features. She might have passed for late 30s, but Avery knew that Mercy’s mother would never see 40 again. She had a good figure too, very nice from Avery’s standpoint and she smiled.
“Well I do declare if it isn’t Stockton Grainger, my I am blessed,” Avery dug deep for her hometown roots as she let the polish slip from her voice.
Whatever object or surprise Stockton Grainger might have had melted away as she sensed a fan and turned off the music. “Oh, I wasn’t expecting visitors,” the woman simpered and began to smooth her hands over her ‘superstar’ body.
“I am sorry to intrude,” Avery said, “But I thought I was just come and say hi.”
Stockton Grainger looked uncertain and for several short moments her face ran a gamut of appropriate expressions as she searched for the right thing to say. The initial surprise over, she wondered how this woman came to be here.
“My name is Avery Hamilton,” Avery said, “I am a friend of Mercy’s.”
Stockton was still wary, but somewhat mollified. “Are you one of her teachers?” she asked, but that wasn’t quite right either…
“Mercy isn’t in school anymore,” Avery countered and wondered if the woman might be drunk.
“Darn, no of course, she graduated last year, Hope… you would be hope’s teacher… except you said…” realising that she was rambling and getting her head in the game she said, “How do you know Mercy?”
“Oh she tried to rob me, didn’t she tell you?” Avery said pleasantly, “Can I call you Beth, Mrs Grainger?”
“She tried to…” Grainger tried to roll with this new curve ball, “It is Miss and… yes let’s go with Beth… have you even seen one of my movies?” It was an accusation.
“Not that I recall,” Avery said, “But I looked you up, quite an impressive résumé, nine movies, some of them with name up big… not recently though, a few TV spots too… that guest appearance on…” Avery snapped her fingers as she dredged up the name.
“Mac & Co,” Beth supplied warily.
“You haven’t asked about your daughter, not since I told you she tried to rob me,” the non-secateurs dropping into place jarringly.
Beth sat down and pursed her lips, this was all so much. “Are you here for money or…?”
“Neither money nor…” Avery threw it back to her wondering what she had been thinking.
“She is a good girl…” Beth put in, but she was squirming with the awkwardness of it.
“Yes she is, actually, but you are not surprised by what I’m saying are you?”
Beth stood up and began playing with a packet of cigarettes. “I have been trying to give them up… it has been hard lately… but I am sure the work will…”
“Mercy has a dead end job in a dead end town… the prospects for Hope doesn’t look much better…” Avery said, “Miss Grainger, Beth, why do you keep talking about yourself?”
Beth sat down without lighting up and shrugged. “Miss Hamilton, what do you want?”
“I want to offer you a job, for now,” Avery said, “I know some people, and I have a couple of promos coming up… meanwhile I have bought the diner, you could run it for me. It would give you a chance to get reacquainted with your daughter and give her some more options too.”
“The diner…” Beth gaped, “That deadbeat old place, these days it has more servers than customers and it only has two servers.”
“It is good enough for Mercy and anyway I have a feeling business is going to pick up real soon,” Avery told her.
“Miss Hamilton, please go away, I am an actor, an artiste… you have no idea… my daughters too are my affair…” Beth finally lit the cigarette and broke eye contact as if Avery were now dismissed.
Avery ran a few options through her head and then smiled. “Alright Miss Grainger, think it over, we’ll meet again.”
***
Avery had Beth Grainger’s measure now, but unfortunately the obvious way of handling her was complicated by the fact that she had young daughters. Ironically the only reason she Beth was of interest in the first place. Sometimes, she decided, you had to go the long way around.
She stopped the car at the end of the street and watched a bird worrying at a discarded bag of potato chips. All around wild flowers were bursting through unrepaired cracks in the pavement; little bouquets like gifts to some ancient god to entice a return to reclaim that which was once his. Nature reasserted itself here just as trees were now growing through some of the abandoned houses. Sometimes one had to work with the grain and not against it.
Beth Grainger would not work against her nature, could not. She was the great ‘I am;’ stage hungry and selfish. But perhaps deep down she had a stronger instinct, one that she could be guided to rather than presented with head on. After all, an errant daughter and a niece gone astray were far easier to lead than a lost mother.
Back at the motel Avery noticed the trash had not been cleaned up and Daly took 17 minutes to answer a summons. When Daly did turn up she was flustered and dishevelled.
“Sorry, I have been kind of…” then she saw the stout clothes brush set upon the bedside table, “Oh shoot,” she flushed.
“I am kind of busy too and I have had a shitty day so I am feeling rather cranky,” Avery told her.
“But I…” Daly gestured to something far away, which was where she wanted to be just then,
“Maybe you should wait in the reception with your pants and panties around your ankles as you stand in timeout?” Avery said without looking at her.
“Y-you wouldn’t… I…” Daly’s voice was edged in panic and she actually sounded as if she might cry.
Avery swivelled her fearsome brown eyes to lock onto Daly’s, “Don’t test me,” she said, “I have some calls to make so that corner will do while you wait,” she nodded at the only empty corner in the motel room.
Daly dropped her pants and panties as she sighed. Her hands found her head as she shuffled to the corner of the room.
“Do push that tushie out some, you want to show your best angle if anyone should come in,” Avery said.
Daly dipped her knees slightly so that her bottom stuck out some, an undignified posture that served its purpose well. She might be the motel manager, but Avery was the boss.
***
After 15 minutes Daly was getting antsy, “Ma’am, I really have things to do,” she said.
“I know, you have to stand in timeout like a good girl,” Avery told her as she looked up from her papers.
“But…” Daly tried again.
“One more word and I really will put you in the corner in reception for the edification of the guests,” Avery told her.
Daly nearly blurted out a ‘yes Ma’am,’ but decided not to risk even that. So she gulped it down and nodded.
“Good girl,” Avery acknowledged.
Another 10 minutes passed and Avery sighed, “Okay, you can have a spanking on account and then get back to work, but after hours I want you here with the paddle I bought you so we can have a talk about your attitude, a very nice long talk,” Avery stood up and moved to a chair.
“Yes Ma’am,” Daly agreed
The clothes brush was a bitch, hard unyielding impacts that stung on contact and only got worse with each spank.
“Eeeeie-ooosh,” Daly gasped, she wanted to say more, she wanted to say how much it really, really hurt in one tirade against god and the world and what an absolutely uncompromising sadist Avery was in her humble opinion; or words to that effect. However, she knew Avery might be offended and double down on her already well-deserved punishment.
“You and I have an arrangement, do we not?” Avery scolded her; every word was accompanied by a swat of the brush.
“Yes Ma’am,” Daly agreed in a very strained voice.
“Do you have any complaints about that?” Avery spanked harder as if aiming for a spot under Daly’s hips and her bottom just happened to be in the way.
“Nooo Ma’am,” Daly squealed.
“Are you completely certain?” Avery spanked ever harder and ever faster.
Daly could not force a word from her twisted face and resorted to yelling.
Avery stopped abruptly and asked, “Are you paying attention?”
“Yes Ma’am, I…” this spanking was a bitch and Daly could scarce gather thoughts let alone words.
“Good enough,” the spanking resumed.
Daly began a long series of loud keening wails as she descended into copious tears.
“Next time I get some attitude from you, and please do believe me,” Avery told the now sobbing motel manager, “You will be sorry before, after and for a about a week… and you will be in timeout in reception and I don’t care who knows about it,” Avery sounded genuinely pissed, “Do I make myself clear?” The last words each came with a spank.
“Yes,” Daly yelled angrily.
“What?”
“Ma’am, yes Ma’am,” Daly amended at a shout.
Avery put the brush down and offered some small comfort to her protégé while she sobbed it out.
“I’m sorry Ma’am, sorry about my mouth and my attitude,” Daly said, it felt good to cry.
Leave a Reply