"James!" James looked up from his desk and saw the department's director, Andy's father, gesturing to him from his office at the far end of the floor. He rose and walked over to him.
"Good morning, Mr. Richards."
"Call me David, please. We know each other well enough by now." He gestured to one of the comfortable leather chairs around the circular table in the large office, and they sat down opposite each other. "My son has a dental appointment at eleven this morning, and I was going to take him as his mother's got the flu, but I've just been asked to attend an impromptu board meeting. Would you do it if I gave you the time off? Andrew likes you a lot and would be pleased to see you, I know."
James was surprised, pleased, and a bit flattered. "Sure. Andy is a nice boy and it would be good to see him again. Anything to help, David."
"Good. He's at school of course, so you'll need to pick him up from there. You drove in today?" James nodded. "Fine. Do you know which school he goes to and where it is?"
James did. "Yes, David. I drive past it when I go shopping, so no problem there, but won't the school want to know who I am?"
"Andrew was really happy after you looked after him last time, and as his usual babysitter seems not to want to do it any more, I took the liberty of writing to his school and giving them your name as someone who has our permission to look after him in our absence. Just tell them your name. I know I should have asked you first.... I hope you don't mind."
James didn't mind at all. "No. Thanks, that's quite a responsibility."
"As I said, Andrew thinks of you as a friend, I think, and his mother and I are pleased that he has someone he likes to stay with him when we go out. The rather elderly lady we relied on before was not really his thing, as he would probably say."
James thought that Andy would use rather different language, although he was usually a very polite boy.
"He has to be back at school for afternoon lessons, which start at twenty minutes to two. The dentist is only a few minutes drive from the school, so that shouldn't be a problem."
"We'll go to McDonalds for lunch. Providing he doesn't need a filling and has to have an injection, anyway."
David smiled. "Goodness. Don't tell his mother. She doesn't like him having junk food."
James got up. "It's gone ten. I'd better get going."
"Book it to 'Authorised Absence' on your timesheet. See you later."
James hurried back to his desk and grabbed his coat. Muttering something to the woman in the next desk about taking messages, he strode to the lifts and went down to the car park. It was early March and the day was cold and windy, with a light drizzle making driving as difficult as usual at that time of year. His blue Fiesta was parked next to a lamp post a good two hundred yards away, so he strode to it as quickly as he could without breaking into an undignified run. To his relief it started first time (it didn't like rain) and he drove out of the gates.
It was a good half an hour's drive to the school. James had never been to it before and had to peer around carefully before noticing a row of spaces with a "Visitors" sign above them. They were all empty, so he parked in the one closest to the entrance. It looked a bit forbidding, but James knew that this was a good school with teachers who were strict but kind, so it was probably just because the building was old. He went in and tried to look as though he had the right to be there, before remembering that he did. The secretary's office was clearly signposted and he followed the arrows to the office, knocked, and went it.
"Can I help you?" asked a tall sensible-looking woman of about fifty.
"Hello. My name is James Donaldson and I've come to take Andrew Richards to the dentist."
"Do you have any identification?" James showed her his driving licence. "Thank you. Yes, Mr. Donaldson. Andrew's father has given you permission to act in loco parentis until further notice, as we like to say." This was obviously supposed to be amusing, so James duly smiled at her. "I've asked Andrew to come to the office after his second lesson. Please wait over there." She pointed at a chair in the corner. "He won't be long."
After five minutes or so there was a knock at the door and Andrew bounded in somewhat breathlessly. He looked around, and on seeing James ran over and gave him a quick hug as he stood up. "Hi!"
James was unable to speak for a split second. "Hi Andy. You look smart." As boys always had to be when leaving the school premises during the day for any reason, Andy was dressed in his full uniform of red blazer, grey sweater with red banding around the neck, grey shirt, school tie, grey school shorts, grey socks with red stripes at the top (pulled up properly, this time, James noted) and freshly polished black lace-up shoes.
"He must be back for afternoon school, Mr. Donaldson."
"Yes, I know. His father told me."
The secretary smiled. "Just drop him off at the main entrance door, the one you used when you came in. You don't need to come in yourself as I know you need to get back to work. You need to let me know you're back, though, Andrew." She said, looking at him.
"Yes Mrs. Rotherham."
They left the office and walked out to the car. James unlocked it and Andy settled into the front seat. "Small is beautiful." He said as James sat behind the wheel. "Dad says that all the time."
"Yes, well, I'd have a Jag if I could afford it!"
"Thanks for the twenty quid!" It had been Andy's twelfth birthday the week before and James had sent him a card with the money inside.
"You're welcome. Have you spent it yet?"
Andy grinned. "Of course. I bought a Pet Shop Boys album and a couple of singles."
James started the car and they drove off. "I hope I don't have to have anything done. It's just a check-up but you never know with dentists. Mum thinks they sometimes invent things to do, for the money."
"Could be. Are you worried?"
"Yes! I don't like pain. Or not that sort of pain anyway." They both laughed, and James laughed so hard that his vision blurred and he had to stop the car for a minute.
"I don't understand you at all, Andy."
"You're the one who had a cane in his car! Don't tell me it just happened to be there. You don't buy them at the supermarket."
James looked at him. He was still a boy who wore shorts to school, yet they obviously shared an interest in spanking and James was starting to think of him as a friend. "We can talk about this later if there's time. Now, we need to get you to the dentist!"
They were just in time. The receptionist looked at the clock as they arrived, gave them a disapproving shake of her head, and put a tick against Andy's name. They sat on two of the plastic chairs and Andy put his hands under his legs to cushion them. "I hate this dentist," he whispered. "She always tells me off for drinking Coke and eating chocolate."
"It's been two years since I last went to mine, and I only did so then because I had toothache. Gave me a root canal." Andy looked puzzled. "They take the nerves out and fill down to the root of the tooth."
"Nasty!"
"Very."
The dentist came round the corner and into reception. "Andrew Richards!"
"Here we go." Andy said, and followed her into the surgery. Half expecting to hear the whine of a drill, James was pleased to see him come out smiling after only ten minutes. "Nothing to do! That's it for six more months." Andy had a quick word with the receptionist who confirmed that the bill would be sent to his parents as usual, after which James stood up, and they left with undisguised relief.
They were a few hundred yards down the road when Andy looked at his watch. "It's only twenty past eleven. There's over two hours before I have to be back at school. Can we go to your place?"
"I was going to take you to McDonalds."
Andy paused. He liked hamburgers. "Can't we go to your place first? I'd like to see it."
It would only take about fifteen minutes to get to his house. "OK, but we can't stay very long." Chatting companionably, they turned around and headed for the dual carriageway. There were no traffic problems for a change and they made better time than James expected, pulling up at the kerb outside his front door at just after eleven thirty.
"It's small. Like your car!"
"It's only for me. I don't need much space. But you're right, it's a small terraced house." James unlocked the door and they went inside. Turning into the lounge, Andy took off his blazer and threw it onto a chair near the door before sitting on the sofa. James sat next to him. "What do you want to do?"
"Got any Coke?"
"Sure." James went to the kitchen and returned with two cans. Andy grabbed his, opened it and drank greedily. "Hey, don't give yourself hiccups, Andy!"
"I need a drink after the dentist. It's in the rules." He drained the can and handed it back to James, crushing it as he did so. James hadn't even started his.
"Come on, I'll show you round."
It didn't take long. Downstairs was a lounge/dining room divided by a staircase, with a kitchen at the back. Upstairs were two average-sized bedrooms and a bathroom. When they got to James' bedroom, Andy kicked off his shoes, threw himself on the bed, and bounced. James winced. "Don't break the springs!"
Andy sat up against the headboard and drew his legs up under his chin, looking at James. "Where do you keep it, then?"
"Keep what?" James knew perfectly well what the boy meant.
"The cane of course. Where is it? I didn't get to see it much, just feel it."
James was silent for a long moment. It was in the cupboard in the corner with all his other spanking implements. He didn't know if he should show them all to the boy.
"James? What's the matter?"
"Oh all right. Come here."
Andy slid off the bed and joined him. James opened the door and Andy's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "Wow. Look at that lot! What are they all for?"
"For spanking, of course. Usually me."
"You? You still get whacked? Who by?"
"Friends. It's a kind of hobby. We do it for fun. Never mind that, though."
"Tell me what they're called."
He pointed at the various things. "There's the two canes, of course, these three here with the split tails are called tawses, these are paddles – wooden and leather – this is a riding crop, this is a martinet – used in France – and these are various gym shoes and slippers, as you can see."
"Phew. What hurts the most?"
"It depends who is using it, what they do with it, and how hard they whack you with it, but probably the senior cane and rubber tawse are the most effective overall."
"Did you beat me with the senior cane last time?"
"No. Well, it is a senior cane, but not as senior as the other one, if you see what I mean. The one I used on you is 33in long and 10mm thick, and the one next to it is 36in long and 12mm thick. Ones like that were not usually used on anyone under 15, and in most schools not at all, even in those that used a lot of corporal punishment. It is often called a reformatory cane, in fact, as that is where it was used the most."
"I wonder what it feels like."
"It would hurt like hell. Usually even a very naughty lad would get a maximum of six of the best on the seat of his trousers with this one."
"Can I touch it?"
"Sure." James took it off its hook and handed it to the boy, who flexed it and then raised it over his head and swished it through the air."
"It's heavier than I expected."
"That's right. That's why it hurts so much even over trousers. It's flexible and heavy."
Andy handed it back to James and sat on the bed.
"James?"
"Yes?"
"I've been a naughty boy and deserve to be punished."
"Andy, you've got to go back to school! And this is an old terraced house, I can't have the neighbours hear you screaming."
"I want to know what it feels like to be severely caned, just like you said, and then have to go back to class and sit on those hard wooden chairs. I won't scream, I promise. Give me six of the best, James, I deserve it."
James sat down next to Andy and they looked at each other for a long moment. Finally, James sighed and stood up.
"Richards, you have been sent to me for punishment and I am going to see that you get it! Go downstairs into the dining room."
Andy stood up and did so, turning left at the bottom of the stairs. There was a dining table and four chairs close to one wall, bookshelves against others, and a big rug in the centre, but there was otherwise plenty of room. James held the senior cane and stared at Andy.
"Move over there." He pointed at the far side of the room, in front of one of the bookcases. "Bend over."
Andy complied, clutching hold of his ankles and bending over as far as he could. The seat of his shorts stretched tight over his bottom, outlining it perfectly and presenting an ideal target.
James placed the cane on the centre of Andy's bottom, stepped back slightly, and raising the cane over his shoulder he stepped forward into the stroke and slammed it down as hard as he could onto the seat of the boy's shorts. Andy gasped and lost his grip on his ankles as the force of the blow knocked him off balance and caused fire to explode in his bottom. He bit his lip to stop himself from crying out and quickly resumed position.
With about ten seconds pause James aimed at the same general area and whacked the cane down again every bit as hard as before. This time Andy was ready and stayed in position, but a muffled high-pitched yelp escaped his lip as tears started from his eyes.
The four remaining strokes were all just as hard, all ten seconds apart, and all landed in the centre of Andy's bottom in a grouping about two inches wide. Andy found it harder and harder not to cry out as the caning continued. James heard a quiet anguished "OWWW" after most strokes, and noticed that the boy's face was contorted as he maintained a tight grip on his ankles. He did not scream or shout, though, as he had promised.
"You may stand up, Richards."
Andy slowly pushed himself upright and immediately grabbed hold of his bottom. Tears were running freely down his face.
"Thank you, sir."
The scene was over. James put the cane down and threw an arm around Andy's shoulders. "Are you okay?"
"Yes. I'm fine. Thanks. That really hurt!"
"I told you so. The bathroom's upstairs if you want to use it."
"Do you want to see the marks?"
"Why not?"
Andy undid the clasps at the waist of his shorts and, holding the waistband of his underpants at the same time, gingerly peeled them both down over his bottom. James' aim had been good, and the two inch target area was dark purple, spreading outwards and slowly going black, with angry-looking thick weals where each stroke had landed. "I don't need the bathroom, don't worry," he said, carefully pulled his clothes back up again and gently tucked in his shirt. Apart from the red eyes and drying tears, he looked as if nothing had happened.
James dug another Coke out of the fridge and handed it to Andy, who drained it as quickly as the first one. This time, James drank his as well, just as fast.
Without asking, Andy want into the lounge and lowered himself slowly onto the sofa. "My shoes are upstairs in your bedroom." James went to get them for him, and when he came back found Andy kneeling on the sofa with his knees eighteen inches apart, head down, bottom in the air, shorts stretched tight across it. "Smack me."
James walked quickly towards him, raised his hand, and brought the palm down square on the boy's bottom as hard as he could. "Ow!" He was trying to be quiet, and didn't move. That must hurt on top of the caning, James thought. He raised his hand again and brought it down seven more times. "Ow! Ow! Oww! Ow! Owww! Owww Owwww"
James stopped and Andy sat back down, new tears in his eyes. James sat beside him, and after a minute's snuffling the boy wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and looked at his watch - it was half past twelve.
"I'm starving!"
"You always are."
"If we hurry there's still time for McDonalds before I have to be back at school."
Andy put his blazer back on and walked out to the car with James, limping slightly. He found it difficult to get comfortable on the hard Fiesta seat, and equally hard to sit on the plastic chairs in McDonalds, but James bought him two Big Macs, large fries, and a chocolate shake, which seemed to take his mind off the pain a bit. They chatted non-stop, James talking about work and his social life and Andy about school, his parents and friends. All too soon it was twenty past one. "Come on, we've got to hurry or you'll be late!" said James.
Fifteen minutes later, James drove the car into the school gates. "Made it. See you soon, Andy!" he said.
"Hope so!" the boy replied as he opened the door and got out. Stopping once to wave back at James, he ran into the school. After checking in with the school secretary, he collected his bag from his locker and walked to maths, his next class. His best friend Peter was already at his desk.
"How was the dentist?"
"OK. Nothing to do. We had lunch at McDonalds and I had two Big Macs!"
"Lucky you. We had liver again. It was disgusting. Nobody likes liver, do they, and I think that's why the cook makes it so often."
Andy grinned at him, walked over to the old-fashioned wooden desk he always sat at, and looked at the wooden bench-like seat. Putting his book bag down beside the desk, he gingerly sat down, wincing as his bottom touched the surface. It would be an interesting if uncomfortable afternoon!