James turned the car into the driveway of Andy's house and parked in front of the empty garage. He knew it would be empty as the boy's parents had gone to a dinner in Manchester, where his father would be giving an after-dinner speech. It was a long drive, and as they would be staying in a hotel overnight and driving back tomorrow, he was going to look after Andy while they were away.
It was Friday evening, and he was very tired after an exhausting week. It didn't help that a late April shower had just turned into a downpour, and soaked him as soon as he stepped out of the car. Grabbing his overnight bag from the back seat, he ran for the door. Andy was home, so it was open.
"Andy!"
"Hi Jay! I'm in my bedroom. Come up!"
James put his jacket on the table by the door and trudged up the stairs. Andy was sitting at his desk in his large executive chair. Homework was spread all over it. He had thrown his blazer onto the bed and kicked his shoes off into the middle of the floor, dropping his tie beside them. His shirt was half out of his shorts and he looked decidedly bedraggled. The boy is as knackered as me, thought James, good job it's Friday. He nodded at the desk. "Can I help?"
"Doubt it. It's bloody Geography. About rain and stuff. Boring, boring, boring. We also have to draw a great big diagram, and I'm useless at drawing."
James smiled. "Let's have a look. Shift yourself."
Andy shrugged and moved over as far as he could. James squeezed in beside him, looked at the text book for a moment and soon saw that his young friend was right. "Er.... well, OK, I get the point. How much have you got left to do?"
"Your hair's all wet, Jay! I'm about half done. I did my maths homework first, easy."
"It's pouring with rain. I'll let you get on with it then."
"Stay with me. Put on a CD. I'm sick of working quietly!"
James manoeuvred himself out of the chair a bit awkwardly and looked at Andy's surprisingly big CD collection. "Where's that Pet Shop Boys one you got with the twenty quid I gave you for your birthday? I like them, too.... is this it?" He took what he knew to be their latest from the rack on top of the bookshelf. Andy had several by them, though, so he couldn't be sure without asking.
"Yeah, that's fine."
James put it on the stereo, turned the volume quite low, and looked at Andy, who had picked up a ruler and was obviously about to start that drawing. Not wanting to disturb him, he moved the boy's blazer to one side and sat on his bed. As usual, computer magazines were all over the place, and he picked one up and started to read. He rather fancied buying a computer himself, but was trying to save enough money to move to a bigger house, so didn't want to blow a load of it on one just yet. Still, it was genuinely interesting to him and he became quite absorbed in it.
"I'm going to ask for a computer next Christmas." James looked up with a start. The clock radio on the bedside table blinked at him. It was six thirty, and over half an hour had passed. Andy had swivelled around and was now slumped right down in his chair.
"That's an expensive present!"
"I'll be taking the entrance exam for my senior school next year, and I'll tell Mum and Dad how much it'll help." He grinned. "I'll play games on it most of the time, though!"
"Aren't you taking Common Entrance?"
"No. I'm going to the local private senior boys school. You know that, I've told you lots of times. I don't have to take CE to get in there, just an entrance exam. My prep school is a sort of 'feeder' school for it. That's what my parents say, anyway."
"I'm glad you're not going to a boarding school."
"Me too. My parents don't agree with it. Dad boarded, and hated it."
"I didn't know that."
"He's told me a bit about it. He was at public school forty years ago, and they were rough places, he says. He knows they've changed a bit, but doesn't want me to go though anything like that." James had forgotten that Andy was a late child. His parents were both over 50. "Will you buy me a printer, Jay?"
"What?"
"For Christmas. If Mum and Dad get me my computer, will you buy me a printer for it?"
He was direct, that was for sure. "What a nerve!" he smiled. Why not? "OK."
"Great!"
"But it's not even summer yet. You might change your mind and want something else."
"True! Doubt it, though. Anyway, you'll be the first to know if I do!"
They both laughed. "Have you finished the 'bloody Geography'?" James asked.
"Almost. I'll do the last bit on Sunday evening. Or Monday morning!"
"Are you hungry? Don't bother," he said as Andy started to answer, "you always are. What to you want to eat?"
"Let's go out."
"Didn't your mum leave anything for us?"
"Of course she did. It's only shepherd's pie, though. Like school lunch. I'd rather have something else."
"Such as?" James didn't fancy shepherd's pie either.
"Hamburgers, of course. Not McDonalds, though. There's a new place that's just opened a few miles away. Peter's been there and says it's really good. The burgers are almost an inch thick!"
Sounded good to James. He couldn't be bothered to cook, but driving was somehow different. "Fine. Are you going to get changed?"
"Don't think so." He pointed at his school shorts. "You like me in these, anyway, don't you?"
"Er...."
Andy slipped forward out of the chair onto his knees, stood up, tucked his shirt back in, rustled about in his cupboard and pulled out a dark blue jacket, which he zipped up. It was still raining. He pulled on his trainers, which were already loosely tied. "Come on, let's go!"
They returned two and a half hours later, stuffed to the gills. Andy had rather overdone it with a three-quarter pounder covered in thick barbecue sauce, with fries of course, and had washed it down with two chocolate shakes. James didn't know where the lad put it, as he wasn't at all fat, and had stuck to more modest fare himself, or modest in comparison anyway. He had still had a half-pound hamburger and a large Coke. He was almost 31 and had to watch his weight a bit.
They dumped their coats in the hallway and fell onto the sofa in the lounge. Andy burped. "Turn the TV on."
"You do it."
Neither of them wanted to move. Eventually James looked askance at the boy, who had his legs out in front of him and had slid down so far that he was almost horizontal, and switched it to BBC1. The news had just started.
James returned to his seat, and Andy kicked off his trainers, sat back up, and leaned against him. James raised his arm, and Andy shifted himself under it, resting against his chest. The news finished, and a drama came on. Neither of them wanted to watch it, but they were comfortable and full, so they did anyway.
By midnight the lounge was a bit of a mess. James had got hot chocolate for them both and the empty mugs were on the floor, together with the remnants of a box of After Eight mints which they had found in the kitchen and duly scoffed. The wrappers were everywhere. James was very tired, but Andy seemed to have woken up a bit. He was at the far end of the sofa now, his legs up under his chin, fidgeting. All the sugar, James thought, and sat beside him.
Suddenly Andy turned around to face James, knelt on the seat, and stretched forward across the sofa and over James' lap. "Spank me."
"Andy, I'm tired!"
"I've been a really naughty boy and deserve to be spanked."
The top of Andy's thighs were pressed against his lap and his bottom was in the perfect position for over-the-knee spanking. Tired or not, James had to admit it was a tempting target. He raised his hand and smacked it down. The boy made no sound, just moving slightly as his bottom was hit.
Getting into a rhythm, James smacked the boy again and again. Andy was rubbing against his lap in time with the spanking, and the boy yelped a bit but did not seem to be crying.
"Harder, Jay!"
Putting his body into it, James whacked his palm down hard. "OW! OW! Don't stop!"
James increased the pace, smacking Andy's bottom hard and fast, and the boy started to cry, rubbing himself against James' lap with every whack. The spanking continued for over two more minutes and Andy's cries grew louder and louder, until suddenly he grunted and stiffened slightly before going limp, sobbing quietly. James spanked him throughout, then gave him a final six, extra hard, and stopped.
Andy stayed over James' lap for couple of minutes. Neither spoke. Finally he pushed himself back into a kneeling position and stood up. His eyes were wet with tears and his face was bright red. There was a small damp patch on the front of his shorts.
"Andy...."
"I'm going to bed now, Jay. Thanks for everything. See you in the morning!" Andy said, and hurried from the room.