[Author's note: Thanks to Jonathan for suggesting the story. Note, for anyone picky about local detail, this took place some years ago in the Chilcotin Cariboo area of central B. C. (western Canada).]
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When Aaron got off the train, it was 2 AM and the station was deserted. Not much of a surprise: Williams Lake was not exactly an urban metropolis. Even though the entry point for much of the Cariboo ranch area, its population was only a few thousand.
He walked out through the station onto the street, looking around for the person that was supposed to pick him up. No one was around.
He looked around and walked to a nearby cafe. The waitress was clearing up.
"You know how I get in touch with someone from the Ames Ranch?"
She looked at Aaron with amusement. "You're the new guy?"
Aaron laughed. "I am if I can connect with someone."
She pointed across the road. "He's sleeping in the truck over there. He told me to keep you here if you came. What's your name?"
"Aaron. What's yours?"
"Jezebel."
Aaron looked at her in surprise.
"It's really my name" she grinned. "My mom thought that's what a girl should be called."
He laughed. "Mothers have that right." He looked at her appraisingly. "You don't look like one."
"One what?"
"A Jezebel."
"Oh, don't get into that stuff" she grinned. "Anyway, everybody calls me Jez. I'm just a ranch girl, run away to the city." She laughed. "If you can call this a city."
"It's not Manhattan, that's for sure" Aaron grinned. "What do you do for entertainment here? Anything jumping?"
"You kidding?" she laughed. "Two beer parlours, a restaurant, and a dumpy hotel? The only things jumping around here are the guys who fall drunk into the cactus when they stagger out of the beer parlour."
"There's cactus here?"
"No, I'm kidding. The guys who fall mostly lie in a coma."
"So what do you do for fun?"
"Oh, hang around here, looking for interesting guys. You interesting? Or just a good-looking cowboy?"
He laughed. "What do you mean, 'just a cowboy'? What's wrong with being a cowboy? Especially a good-looking one."
"Oh, nothing" she shrugged. "It's just that most of them are kind of boring. I mean, if all you get to talk to is cows, you sure don't learn much about what's happening in the world. You been a cowboy all your life?"
Aaron shook his head. "No, I'm just doing this for a year. I finished up college and am taking a year off before going to graduate school."
"Yeah?" She looked at him with more interest. "Where did you go to school?"
"Toronto."
"U of T?"
"Yeah."
"Not bad" she smiled. "So how did you get a job at the Ames ranch? They pay really good money."
"I know. That's the main reason I'm here. That and the fact that it should be great experience."
"Yeah, if you don't mind what goes with it. So answer my question. How did a college kid like you land the job?"
Aaron shrugged. "Oh, through a contact of my dad's. My dad knows one of the owners."
Just then a youngish guy walked in, yawning. "Hey, Jez. Anybody show up?"
"This is your man" she grinned. "He's a college boy from Toronto."
"No _s_h_i_t_!" he laughed. He turned and stuck out his hand. "Hi, I'm Buz."
Aaron took his hand. "Hi, I'm Aaron."
Buz looked slender, like a teenager, but his grip was surprisingly powerful. He was several inches taller than Aaron, easily 6 feet 2.
"I'm sure glad to see you" Aaron grinned. "I thought when I came out of the station that I was going to have to walk."
"You kidding?" he laughed. "It's a hundred miles just to where we get the horses."
"Don't we take your truck all the way?"
"Not to where we're going." He looked at me and grinned. "You're getting thrown right into it. It's half a day on horses to where you're going."
"He's going up to the back country right away?" Jez asked.
"Yeah. I hope you like mountain trails."
"Sure" Aaron shrugged. "Trails are pretty much the same, aren't they?"
"Not when they're on the side of a canyon." He looked Aaron up and down. "You look like you're in shape. You ridden much?"
"Some. Not much in the last year."
"You'd better learn fast. Mr Haempel is kind of tough on guys like you."
"Who's Haempel?"
"The ranch foreman. He doesn't have much patience with neophytes. He doesn't take _s_h_i_t_ from anybody, either, so you'd better show respect."
"Respect for what?" Aaron shrugged. "He's just a foreman, right?"
Buz laughed. "You'll find out, kid." He turned to Jezebel. "Two coffees and then we'll go. Any word from Rich?"
Jez shook her head. "None. It's two months now."
Buz grimaced. "Sorry."
Jez put down two mugs. "_s_h_i_t_ happens. Can't do much about it when it does."
"True" Buz shrugged. "But I'm still sorry. He shouldn't have run out on you."
She smiled. "Oh, there'll be others." She grinned at me. "Maybe he'll be one."
"Yeah?" Buz looked at me curiously. "You think he'll stay?"
"Who knows?" Jez grinned. She touched Aaron's cheek. "Stick around, Aaron. Don't let guys like Buz scare you off."
Buz laughed. "It's not me who'll scare him off." He put down some money for the coffee. "Finish that and let's go, Aaron."
Aaron drank the coffee and got up. "Thanks, Jez. See you soon, I hope."
She smiled and touched his cheek again. "I hope so too, Aaron."
Buz grinned as they got to the truck. "You sure hit it off with Jez."
"She seems really nice."
"Jez has a thing about college boys. Her friend Rich was a college boy too. Worked at the ranch for ten months, made out with Jez, made her all kinds of promises, and then ran off without even saying goodbye. Nice guy!"
"Sounds like a prime _s_h_i_t_."
"He is." He looked at Aaron curiously. Do you know anything about what youre going to be doing here?
Aaron shook his head. "Not really. All I know is that therell be lots of riding, the work is healthy, and the pay is great. I need the money."
Buz laughed. "You don't know _s_h_i_t_, then, do you? Throw your pack in back."
Aaron tossed the pack into the back of the truck and got in. The truck drove out onto the highway.
"So how long do you plan to work here?" Buz asked.
"About fifteen months. I just graduated from college. I've got a deferred admission to graduate school if I can save up enough money to pay for it."
"You'll save lots here. You do this kind of work before?"
Aaron shook his head. "No."
"So how did you get the job? Your dad know somebody?"
"Yeah, he and one of the owners are golfing partners."
"He must be well off, then. How come you say you need the money?"
"Because my dad won't pay for graduate school. He doesn't think it's good for anything and wants me to go to work in his company. I don't want to do that. I want to live my own life."
"Sounds like your typical family" Buz grinned. "At least he helped you get this job. How old are you, anyway?"
"Almost twenty-one. I'll be twenty-one in October."
"You're kidding me" he said accusingly. "You graduated from college and are only twenty? Don't put me on."
Aaron shrugged. "I skipped some grades and started school early. I'm not sure it was such a good idea. That's another reason, besides money, why I'm taking the year off from school."
"No _s_h_i_t_." He looked at Aaron and grinned. "How old do you think I am?"
"I don't know." He looked very young. "Nineteen?"
He looked at me with an injured expression. "Come on, I'm older than that."
"So how old?"
"Older than you" he said archly. Then he grinned. "But just by a few months. I turned twenty-one just three weeks ago."
"Yeah? How did you celebrate?"
He shrugged. "I got drunk. And I smashed this truck into a rock. It was an expensive birthday. I had to pay for the damage to the truck. My ass paid a steep price too."
Aaron looked at him curiously. "How do you mean 'your ass paid a price'?"
"Oh, I got it real bad from Mr Haempel. I couldn't sit on a horse for a week without feeling it!"
"You're putting me on."
He looked at Aaron and grinned. "You don't know anything about Ames, do you?"
"I guess I don't. Tell me."
He shrugged. "Mr Ames is kind of old-fashioned. He and the co-owners believe strongly in personal responsibility. That means you pay if you're responsible for doing something stupid or irresponsible."
"That's not unreasonable" Aaron shrugged. "But what's that got to do with your ass? You paid for the repair, didn't you?"
"Oh sure. They're taking that out of my wages."
"And that didn't take care of it?"
"You kidding? I violated a rule."
"What do you mean, 'you violated a rule'? It was an accident, wasn't it?"
"Of course. But I was drunk."
"What rule did you violate?"
"Not to drive after drinking. And definitely not to drive if you're drunk." He looked at Aaron quickly. "You ever done that?"
Aaron shrugged evasively. "Not blind drunk."
"Well, I wasn't blind drunk. But I deserved everything I got. What I did was irresponsible. Stupid, too. I'd never have had the accident if I'd been sober. I was lucky that the damage was minor and that no one was injured. There were two other guys with me in the truck."
"So you actually got your ass beaten for that? You're not kidding?"
"Absolutely not. You get punished for any violation of the rules."
"Sounds like reform school."
"Not really. The rules are reasonable."
"Like not getting drunk? _s_h_i_t_, everybody does that."
"No, like not driving when you're drunk. There's a difference."
"I suppose" Aaron shrugged. "What are other things get you punished?"
"Oh, not respecting ranch property. Doing something that risks lives. Risking the animals. Not taking proper care of your horse or your gear. Not obeying orders. Things like that. Like I said, the rules are reasonable."
"Yeah, but the punishment sure isn't."
"Why not? You think I should have just been patted on the back for risking my buddies' lives?"
"Was it really that bad? How come they didn't drive?"
"My buddies?" he laughed. "They were totally pissed."
"Why didn't you just sleep it off back in town?"
"We'd have broken another rule. Not been back on time."
"So you'd have gotten it either way?"
"You got it."
"That hardly seems fair."
"Why not?" he shrugged. "We knew the rules."
Aaron looked at him curiously. "How did he punish you?"
Buz grinned. "You want a blow-by-blow description?"
"Whatever you feel like telling" Aaron shrugged.
"It could have been worse. I got my ass warmed up real good with a strap, got more than three dozen with a switch, and then got another dozen of the strap. I felt it, that's for sure."
Aaron looked at him suspiciously. "You're putting me on. That's barbaric! Nobody gets beaten like that!"
Buz laughed. "I'm not putting you on. What's with you, anyway? You never get anything on your ass?"
"No, certainly not." Aaron looked at Buz again. "It's not even legal."
"Well, it's legal enough here. You're over the age of consent, right?"
Aaron shrugged. "I guess so. I'm over eighteen."
"Okay, then it's legal. You'll have willingly consented to it."
"No way! That's bull_s_h_i_t_!"
He shook his head. "No, it's not. You agree to ranch discipline by accepting work on the ranch."
"Not to getting my ass beaten!"
He looked at Aaron and grinned. "You'd better get used to it, Aaron. You'll get it on your ass if you screw up while working here. Its part of your employment contract."
"It may be for you. It won't be for me."
He pulled the truck over to the side of the road and turned the motor off.
"Why are you stopping?"
"Because I can turn around and take you back to town if you don't want to work at Ames. How much cash have you got on you?"
"Not much. About a hundred bucks. I've got a credit card. Why?"
"Well, that's about what you'll have to pay to get back to Williams Lake if you go to Ames and then quit."
Aaron looked at him in astonishment. "I'm not planning to quit. Why should I?"
"Because you don't have a choice about accepting ranch discipline. Everybody works on the same terms."
"I can't accept that! I'm not getting my ass beaten on the whim of some two-bit foreman."
"Then I'd better turn around and take you back to Williams Lake."
"_f_u_c_k_ that! I came here to work. I'm not running away just because of what you tell me. Besides, I think what you're saying is total bull_s_h_i_t_." He looked at Buz scornfully. "You're trying to make me run away, aren't you?"
"No, I'm not. I'm just trying to tell you the score."
"I don't believe you. What's the matter? You see me as a competitor for all those tips the tourists leave?"
Buz laughed. "You're an asshole, Aaron."
"Yeah, well, at least I have brains enough to see through your ploy. This job pays way better than anything else I can get, and I badly need the money for graduate school. I'm not giving up that up just because you try to frighten me away. So stop trying! Okay? Let's go."
"Okay, _f_u_c_k_ you" Buz shrugged. "It's your choice."
"_f_u_c_k_ing right it's my choice."
Buz started the engine. "Last chance to change your mind, Aaron."
"You going to get moving? Or are we going to stay here all night?"
He drove back onto the road. "Don't say you haven't been warned."
"Fine, so I've been warned. Let's go."
They didn't talk much after that. Buz drove west on Highway 20 for about an hour, finally coming into a small town.
"This is Hanceville" Buz announced.
"What a dump!" Aaron said sourly, looking out at the town. "What's here, besides a beer parlour?"
"Not much. Gas station, restaurant, convenience store. That's about it. No beer parlour, just a bootlegger."
"Sounds gritty" Aaron sneered.
"Oh, it's not so bad. My buddies and I celebrated my birthday here."
"Why not in Williams Lake? At least there's a little bit of action there."
"Not much. Besides, how would I get there? I couldn't take this truck there, not without special permission."
Aaron looked at him scornfully. "Jesus, you're a wimp."
"Yeah, well, _f_u_c_k_ you too."
"Where do we go from here?"
"Down this way." He turned off onto a gravel road.
They drove for about an hour in silence before finally coming to a turn-off.
"That way goes to a camp site on Chilko Lake. We go this way."
The road got even worse after the turn-off. Buz drove for another half hour before finally turning off into a clearing beside a river. There was a small log cabin on the edge of the clearing with three horses tied outside.
"Get your sleeping bag. We might as well get a couple of hours sleep."
Aaron did that.
"Be quiet when we go in. The guys that brought the horses down will be sleeping inside."
There were two guys sleeping when they went in. Aaron and Buz put their sleeping bags on the floor. Aaron quickly fell asleep.
Aaron woke up to find Buz nudging him with his boot. "Come on, don't sleep all day. Mr Haempel is here and we've got to get moving."
When Aaron walked outside, the sun was high up in the sky. He could smell something cooking on an open fire in the clearing. A guy in his twenties was doing something at the fire, talking to an older man who looked to be in his forties. The older man was leaning against a second truck, parked beside the one they'd driven in earlier. Another guy was standing beside him.
"So this is the new guy" the older man smiled. He stuck out his hand. "I'm Haempel."
"Aaron Goodman. Good to meet you."
"This is Bill. The guy getting us food over there is Jock. Get some coffee for these guys, Jock."
The guy at the fire poured some coffee in steel mugs and brought them over. "There's sugar and powdered milk over on that table if you want it."
"Thanks."
Aaron got both and drank, looking at his new co-workers. Bill and Jock looked like they were in their mid- or late-twenties. They both looked like poster images of cowboys: lean, tall, and wiry, with tanned skin and big grins.
Aaron realized as he looked at them that their lean look was mostly because of their taut stomachs. They both had powerful-looking chests and arms. Especially Jock. He was the bigger of the two, easily 6 foot 6. His leanness was deceptive, Aaron realized as he stared. Jock obviously had very powerful shoulders and arms.
"You like what you see?" Jock laughed.
"I'm sorry" Aaron smiled in embarrassment. "I guess I was daydreaming."
"Yeah? You horny or something? You looked pretty intent. Are you gay?"
Aaron blushed as he shook his head. "No way."
"Too bad" Jock grinned, looking at Aaron appraisingly.
"Jock's coming back to the ranch with me" Haempel stated, looking at Aaron and Jock with an amused smile. "You're replacing him up back."
Aaron nodded. "Buz told me I'd be going up there."
He looked around at the fantastic scenery. The clearing extended to the river, with an open view across the trees on the other side to mountain crags that still had some snow on them. Everything looked pure, almost pristine, in the morning light.
"What a place!" Aaron grinned. "I feel fantastically lucky to have a job here, working with you guys. This country is fantastic!"
Haempel smiled at his enthusiasm. "Yeah, it's beautiful country, all right. You see it at its best right now, before the dry season. The back country grass can get pretty brown in August. We move the cattle back down then."
"How big is the grazing area?"
"Oh, hundreds of sections" Haempel shrugged. "But it doesn't grow quickly, especially up back. We have to move the cattle often. You'll see when you get up there."
"That all belongs to the ranch?"
"Down below, yes. A lot of the back-country grazing is leased public land."
"Food's ready" Jock announced. "Grab plates and help yourselves."
Aaron got a plate and helped himself to scrambled egg, bacon, and toast. "This tastes great out here" he grinned.
"A little different from Toronto?" Haempel smiled.
"I'll say! The air is fantastic! It's a real privilege to be working here!"
"Buz filled you in on what you're going?"
"Not much" Aaron shrugged. "He just said I'd be up in the back country."
"For a few weeks" he nodded. "We rotate guys between ranch and back stations. You're going up there with Bill and Buz."
"What will I be doing up there?"
"Obeying orders" Haempel smiled. "And getting trained."
He pushed aside his empty plate. "Did Buz fill you in on how we work?"
"Some" Aaron shrugged again. He looked at Haempel warily. "He told me a lot of bull_s_h_i_t_ about getting my ass punished."
"Bull_s_h_i_t_?"
"Well, yeah. He said you guys get to beat our asses whenever you want."
"I wouldn't say 'whenever we want'. But that's essentially true. We expect you to be disciplined, obedient, and respectful to guests and superiors. Also, we expect you to behave responsibly. We punish you if you don't meet those expectations." He looked at Aaron and smiled. "That's one reason we start you off up in the back country. There's no one around to hear you. It's a good place to break you in."
Aaron looked at him in amazement. "You sound like you're training a horse."
"It's not dissimilar" Haempel shrugged. He looked at Aaron and smiled. "Most guys shape up fast when the alternative is getting their ass beaten."
Aaron laughed incredulously. "I don't believe this."
"You will" Haempel smiled. "Have you a problem with that?"
"Well, yes! There's no way you're doing that with me!"
"Then I guess we have a problem hiring you. You can't work here without accepting our rules."
"I'll abide by any reasonable rules. I'll obey any orders that aren't unreasonable. I accept all that, Sir. But not corporal punishment! That's _f_u_c_k_ing ridiculous!"
He laughed. "One goes with the other here, boy. You don't have a choice if you want to work here. So make your mind up before we waste more time on this. Do you want to work for us or not?"
Aaron thought about the alternatives. "I want to work for you."
"You're sure? I can take you back to Hanceville if you don't want to do that."
"Yes, I'm sure. I only get it on my ass if I screw up. Right?"
"That's right."
"Okay, I'm signing on. I'm not going to screw up. I can't afford to give this job up."
"Good. You'll need to fill in some forms and sign a contract and a release."
He went to his truck, bringing back an old leather briefcase. He opened it, pulled out a file folder, and passed me a couple of forms.
"You need to fill these out for payroll and withholding tax."
Aaron filled them in and handed them back.
"Now this contract. Read it and sign at the bottom. Buz can witness your signature."
The contract was two pages of legalese.
"It basically says that you absolve us of potential liability for personal injuries and that you agree to pay for any damages caused by negligence or unpermitted acts. You also agree that any liability for damages can be offset against wages owed."
Aaron read the document carefully. "I see it also says that wages are held in trust until the termination of the contract. Don't I get paid directly?"
"No. Read the next paragraph. The ranch pays all expenses, including free board and lodging. You can draw $50 a week for personal use so long as your cumulative wages held in trust exceed any damages set against them. You get the balance when your employment is terminated."
"That's pretty Draconian. Is this legal?"
He laughed. "It is if you sign it, boy. You done reading?"
Aaron nodded unwillingly. "I guess so."
"Then sign it and pass it to Buz."
Aaron signed it and handed it on. Buz signed it to witness the signature and then handed it back to Haempel. Haempel added his signature and then put the contract back in the folder. He then pulled out another form.
"Now sign this release."
It was written in the form of a declaration, stating that 'I, Aaron Goodman' have had the rules governing employee conduct explained and willingly consent to any corporal punishment deemed appropriate by supervisors while employed by the ranch, provided that such punishment was confined to my buttocks and did not result in injury or harm to my body. It also stated that I was of sound mind, over the legal age of consent, and fully aware of my legal right to withdraw my consent at any time, effective immediately at such time.
"I can't sign this" Aaron stated. "This is saying I virtually ask for it. _s_h_i_t_, I'm not a pervert. I'm not asking to be beaten."
"Don't get hung up on the wording, Aaron. We need the legal protection the release provides."
"I don't care. I won't sign it."
"Then you can't work for us."
Aaron looked at the document again. "It says I can withdraw my consent. What happens if I do?"
"You get fired. You don't work for us if you withdraw your consent." He looked at Aaron scornfully. "You going to sign it or not? If not, give it back to me."
Aaron handed it back. "It's too open-ended. I'm not going to work here with something like that hanging over me."
Haempel took it and put it in the folder. "Then you don't have a job. You've just wasted my time, boy. I don't appreciate that."
"Can't we come to some compromise on this? I really do want to work for you. I just can't agree to an open-ended consent to getting my ass beaten."
He shook his head. "Everybody else does. We can't make exceptions."
"Why not? I'm not just some local hick that's dumb enough to take it from you. I'm a college graduate."
He smiled grimly. "You think that makes you better than Bill and Buz here?"
Aaron shrugged. "Better educated, that's for sure. And definitely not as stupid."
"Really?" Haempel sneered.
"Yes, really" Aaron said bitterly. "They've got to be _f_u_c_k_ing stupid if they let guys like you beat them any time you want. I'm certainly not dumb enough to let some two-bit jackass beat my ass whenever he gets a hard-on for that."
Haempel smiled. "So I'm a two-bit jackass with a hard-on, am I? You're being pretty disrespectful, boy."
"I didn't mean you" Aaron said evasively, realizing he'd pushed a bit far. "Come on, you know I'm here on a special arrangement. You didn't hire me out of the local labor pool, like these dumb jerks."
"I certainly didn't" Haempel smiled grimly. "A snotty kid like you is the last person I'd have hired. You're wasting our time, kid. Like I said, there are no exceptions. Sign that release or get in the truck."
Aaron shook his head. "No way. I agreed to work. The ranch agreed to hire me without imposing any such condition. If you don't like the contract, that's your problem."
Haempel smiled thinly. "Show me the contract."
"It's the letter from Mr Ames offering me the job. There's absolutely nothing in his letter about agreeing to corporal punishment. So _f_u_c_k_ your release! I'm not signing it!"
"You got the letter?"
"Sure." Aaron took it out of his back pocket and unfolded it. "Read it!"
Haempel took it and glanced at it quickly. "Nothing special about this. It's just the standard ranch job offer boilerplate."
"That's right" Aaron nodded. "Show me where it says anything about corporal punishment."
"It's implicit. It says that your employment is conditional on your accepting the risks of working here and on your adhering to workplace discipline. It also says you'll be required to sign supplementary agreements on accepting employment. That includes this release. So stop playing lawyer, kid. Sign the release or jump in the truck for a ride back to Hanceville. It's one or the other. Make up your mind."
"Bull_s_h_i_t_" Aaron said stubbornly. "You're way out of line. I think this is your own sadistic little power game. Take me to the ranch and ask Mr Ames. I'm sure he'll agree with my position."
Haempel smiled. "No need. I figured you might be a smart ass and so talked to him about you. He told me very explicitly that you were not to be given any special treatment just because you got the job through your father's contacts."
"I'd still like to talk with him and have him talk to my father."
Haempel smiled. "He's done that already. We run into this kind of situation all the time with college kids who get the job through their parents' contacts. You kids all start off thinking you're privileged here."
"He can't have talked to my father about what this release implies."
"Actually, he did. He always does in cases like this, asking for and receiving a letter confirming your father's agreement with all terms of your employment, including the release you're refusing to sigh. That was a condition of your getting the job offer."
"He did?" Aaron looked at him in surprise. "My father wrote a letter that said that? No way!"
"I'll show it to you. I have a copy here in the folder."
Aaron took the letter and read:
"Dear Mr Ames:
"I'm writing to confirm what I said in our conversation today.
"I understand the nature of your requirements and of course have no objection to the work rules and procedures that you require employees to adhere to. Your work rules are your business. I'm very grateful that you are willing to hire my son Aaron and certainly agree that he should not receive any special consideration. I would be astonished and upset if you treated him any differently than other employees. I am sure he would be as well.
"I appreciate your informing me of the strictness with which you enforce work rules and, in particular, that your staff may from time to time administer corporal punishment to employees that break the rules. I understand Aaron will be asked to sign a letter of consent to such punishment and have no objection if he does so. Indeed, an objection on my part would be both irrelevant and inappropriate. Aaron is a responsible adult, over the age of consent, and fully capable of deciding on his own whether the job is worth the possibility of such punishment. My son has backbone and courage and will, I know, live up to his commitment if he signs the consent you require.
"I will only add that my son is a good young man, if a little _c_o_c_k_y at times. He has little experience of real work and will benefit greatly from learning to work with others in a demanding environment. While I am sure Aaron will be initially shocked by the strictness of your requirements, he is a fast learner and will, I am equally sure, quickly learn to work hard and well for you.
"Again, thank you for offering the job to Aaron.
"Sincerely... "
Aaron looked up from the letter, a look of shock on his face.
"Well?" Haempel smiled. "You satisfied now?"
"I guess I have to be" Aaron said unhappily, handing the letter back.
"Good. Look, we're spending too much time on this. Are you signing the release? Or quitting?"
Aaron bit his tongue.
"Make your mind up, boy."
He looked at Haempel bitterly. "I can't believe my dad actually agreed to letting you beat my ass."
"Did he never talk to you about it?"
Aaron shook his head. "Not really. He just told me to make sure I knew what I was getting into. I was really keen to do this. I do need the money."
"Well, then, you've got a decision to make. Sign or leave."
Aaron looked at him unhappily. "I really have no choice? You'll make me leave if I don't sign?"
"Correct."
He pursed his lips. "Okay. I need the job. I'll sign."
Haempel pulled the release out and handed it to Aaron. Aaron signed it and passed it to Buz. Buz witnessed it and handed it back to Haempel.
"Under the circumstances, I think I'll get you to witness this too, Bill. You too, Jock. You guys can testify that he signed this voluntarily and with full knowledge of what he was doing."
Bill added his signature under Buz's. Then Jock did the same. Haempel added his signature, put the release back in the folder, and returned the briefcase to the truck.
"Okay, that's done." He looked at Aaron and smiled. "In view of all the fuss you made about this, boy, I think we'd better make sure that you'll live up to that consent. Take your clothes off."
Aaron looked at him in shock. "What?"
"I told you to take your clothes off. Don't you understand English?"
"Yes, but ..."
"Then do it."
"But why?"
"Why do you think, boy? You're going to get your ass beaten."
Aaron shook his head. "But I haven't done anything!"
"You wasted my time playing lawyer, boy. You're a smart ass, and you're going to pay for that too. You're also going to learn a little respect, both for me and your peers. Going to college doesn't automatically make you better than anybody else or give you the right to be a smart ass."
"What's that got to do with anything?" Aaron said angrily. "You're way out of line, Haempel."
"It's Mr Haempel to you, boy. From now on, you'll show respect."
"I don't care what the _f_u_c_k_ it is. You're still way out of line."
"You don't tell me what's out of line, boy."
"The _f_u_c_k_ I don't! You have absolutely no reason to punish me! Everything I've done was perfectly appropriate to the circumstances."
"Well, if that's what you think, you've got a lot of learning ahead of you. Including learning how to control your mouth. Are you going to do what I told you?"
"Take my clothes off and let you beat me? _f_u_c_k_, no!"
"You want me to punish you for disobedience too, do you?"
"No, of course not! I'll obey any reasonable orders. But this... No way! It isn't reasonable!"
"You obey all orders you're given here, boy. Without exception. So do what you're told."
"The hell I will! No _f_u_c_k_ing way!"
"We're not going to waste time arguing. Grab him and pull him over the table, guys."
Bill and Buz grabbed Aaron's arms. "No!" he screamed. "Let me go!"
They forced him down over the table.
"Please!" Aaron begged. "What are you doing?"
Haempel got a rope from his truck. "Pull his arms forward."
Bill and Buz did that, leaving Aaron stretched forward over the end of the table. Haempel tied Aaron's wrists to the other end.
"Okay, that should hold him. Pull his jeans down, Buz."
Aaron was sobbing in fear now. "Why are you doing this?"
"Because you didn't obey me. You're going to learn obedience the hard way, boy. From a strap."
Buz unzipped Aaron's jeans and pulled them down to his ankles.
"Underpants too?"
"Sure. Cut them off. Pull that T-shirt up, too."
Buz pulled Aaron's T-shirt up against Aaron's shoulders and then reached into a pocket in his jeans. He pulled out a knife, pulled out the blade, and reached between Aaron's legs to grab the crotch of his underpants.
"OWHH!!" Aaron screamed as the crotch got pulled up hard. "You're squashing my balls!"
Buz reached down and slashed the crotch in two. The front part of the underpants dropped down in front of Aaron's prick, leaving his balls free but totally exposed.
"Thank God!" Aaron sobbed. All he'd noticed was that his balls were now free.
Buz rolled the rear half of Aaron's underpants around the elastic, leaving the roll there to protect Aaron's kidneys. Aaron quivered with fear as Buz patted his naked buttocks, realizing now that every part of his ass was naked and accessible for whatever Haempel intended as punishment. He sobbed in terror as he watched Haempel bring a strap from his truck.
Aaron's terror grew as his eyes followed the strap. The strap was easily two and a half feet long. It was maybe two inches wide and looked thick.
Haempel took the strap out to Aaron's left.
"You're getting fifteen for disobedience, boy. Plus another ten for your disrespect. We'll see after that if you've learned anything."
Aaron's terror turned to anger. "That's outrageous!" he flared. "You can't do that to me! You can't!!"
"You'll see very shortly what I can do, boy."
"You have no right to punish me! I'll file a complaint!"
"Really! That threat will get you another ten strokes after this is over, boy. Keep talking. At this rate, you'll talk yourself into a record-setting punishment."
"I have a right to complain! This isn't fair!"
"Is that right?" Haempel laughed. "You're tied down on that table, with a naked ass presented for punishment, and you think you've got rights?"
"I've got the right to have my complaint heard before you do anything!"
"Bull_s_h_i_t_! Right now, the only thing you have a right to is the right to scream as loud as you like when you feel this strap." He reached back. "Which is what you're going to feel right now."
"NO!!" Aaron shrieked. He watched in terror as the strap flew back behind Haempel's shoulder. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS!!"
"NO!!" he shrieked as the strap shot forward. "NOOOOOOH!"
..SLAP!!
"JESUS!!" Aaron's shriek doubled in intensity. The shock of the impact was worse than anything he'd ever imagined. "CHRIST!! _f_u_c_k_ING CHRIST!!"
The strap flew back and shot forward again. "NOOOH! PLEASE!!"
..SLAP!!
"AOOWWHHH!!" Aaron shrieked, jerking up in shock. "OH JESUS!!" The strap had slashed across his buttocks just below where the previous blow had landed. He watched the foreman reach back again, peeing in terror as Haempel swung.
..SLAP!!
"AIEEEEEOOOWWHHHH!" His legs flew up as he shrieked. He twisted and turned on the table, desperately trying to escape the blinding pain. That one had smashed into the tender flesh of his sitting area, just above his thighs. The pain as it did so had been beyond belief.
He closed his eyes to avoid seeing Haempel swing back, sobbing in terrified anticipation. He knew another blow was inevitable but hoped against hope that the foreman would relent. Oh, please, let him relent! he begged silently.
..SLAP!!
"ARRRGHHHH! AOOOOOWWWHHHH!!" The shock was electric. "OH PLEASE, SIR!" he begged. "PLEASE STOP! PLEASE DON'T DO THIS, SIR!!"
"Sir?" Haempel grinned. "Do I actually begin to hear a little respect?"
"Yes Sir!" Aaron sobbed. "I can't take this, Sir. Please don't beat me!"
He looked back at the stocky foreman, seeing the power in his arms as he reached back. Even more terrifying, he could see from Haempel's grin just how much he was enjoying this. Aaron suddenly realized just how helpless he was. He shrieked as Haempel swung into him again.
..SLAP!!
"NOOOOOOHHHHH!!!"
"You've got twenty-five to come, boy. Start counting."
"OH PLEASE!" Aaron begged, sobbing in terror as Haempel reached back. His eyes were fixated on the way the strap soared out behind Haempel, seeming to be suspended without support. Suddenly, it shot forward.
"NOOOH!!" Aaron shrieked, peeing or trying to pee in fright as Haempel swung the strap into him. He could see the force with which Haempel swung. "OH SIR!" He knew it would be bad. "OH PLEASE, SIR! PLEASE!! PLEASE!!"
..SLAP!!
"OOWWHH!! AOOWWHHH!!" The pain from that blow was like nothing he'd felt before. Haempel had really hit hard, slashing the strap across his sitting area, this time right on top of where a previous blow had landed. Aaron screamed in pain, twisting and turning in agony as the pain washed through him. Oh God, he thought. He tried to remember how many blows he'd received. God! How could anyone survive this?
The worst part always was when Haempel reached back. Aaron shivered in anticipation each time, knowing he was moments away from another terrible spasm of pain. Waiting for the strap to hit was torture, almost more so than the impact of the strap.
Haempel grinned as he saw the boy's terror. "This getting to you now, boy? You beginning to learn something from this?"
"OH, YES!" Aaron sobbed, hoping against hope that Haempel would relent. "Please don't give me any more, Sir! I've learnt my lesson, Sir."
"I don't think so, boy" Haempel laughed. "You're just beginning to learn!"
..SLAP!!
"AOOOOWWWWHH!!! NOOOHHH!!" Aaron couldn't believe the pain. "PLEASE STOP!" He was begging now, utterly terrified. "PLEASE, SIR! PLEASE!! YOU'VE GOT TO STOP!! PLEASE!! I CAN'T TAKE THIS!"
"Oh, you'll take it, boy. You'll take every _f_u_c_k_ing thing I give you. And you'd better learn from it, boy. You sure won't be such a smart ass when I'm through giving this to you!"
"I WON'T, SIR! I PROMISE!"
"You'll learn to obey, too, boy."
"I'LL OBEY, SIR! HONEST, I WILL!!"
"You're just saying that because you don't want more of this."
"NO SIR! I'LL DO ANYTHING YOU WANT, SIR! ANYTHING!!"
"I don't think you mean that, boy. You'll get this until I'm sure you do."
"I DO, SIR! I DO!" Aaron saw Haempel reach back. "PLEASE!!! I DO!!"
..SLAP!!
"AOOOOWWHHHH!!" Aaron was out of his mind now. His pleas turned into shrieks of terror as he bucked into the table in a vain attempt to escape the blow. "CHRIST, SIR! IT'S TOO MUCH! PLEASE STOP, SIR!!"
..SLAP!!
"AIEEEEOOOOWWHHHH!!" Aaron jerked his torso right up off the table as that blow smashed into him. The blow had landed on the underside of his ass, right where his buttocks joined his thighs. "_s_h_i_t_, THAT HURT!! JESUS!! OH, PLEASE! PLEASE, SIR!! THAT REALLY HURT, SIR!"
"It was meant to, boy!"
..SLAP!!
"OH JESUS! _f_u_c_k_ING JESUS!!" Aaron bucked his hips into the table, shrieking from the pain. That had landed in the same place, right on top of the previous blow. "OH PLEASE, SIR!!" he begged desperately. "PLEASE!!"
..SLAP!!
"OWHH!!" He jerked up. "AOOOWWWHH!! PLEASE!! YOU'VE GOT TO STOP!!"
"I don't hear you counting, boy."
"PLEASE DON'T DO THIS, SIR!! PLEASE!!"
..SLAP!!
"AOOOOOWWWHHHHH!!" Aaron's legs were drumming on the ground, held together by his jeans, as he jerked and twisted from the pain. "_s_h_i_t_!! _f_u_c_k_ING _s_h_i_t_!! OH JESUS!!"
"Did you hear a count, guys?"
"Not a thing" Bill grinned. "Maybe college boys don't learn how."
"You got to wonder, don't you?" Jock laughed.
..SLAP!!
"OWWH!! OH GOD! AOOOWWHHHH!! PLEASE STOP, SIR!! PLEASE!! YOU'VE GOT TO STOP!!"
"Okay, boy, I'll stop for a while."
Haempel put the strap down on the table beside Aaron. "Is there still some coffee, Jock?"
"Sure. Enough for all of us."
Haempel and the others had some coffee while they waited for Aaron's shrieks to die down. They waited for some time.
Finally, Haempel stood up. "How're you doing, kid?"
"OH, GOD!!" Aaron sobbed. "GOD!! That hurt, Sir. That really hurt."
"I hope so, Aaron. I was beginning to think you like getting this."
"God, no! No way, Sir! Nobody could ever like that! It was awful!"
"Then why didn't you start counting?"
"I'm sorry, sir! I didn't know how to start. I lost count of how many you've given me."
"That's easy. Just start at one."
"But ..."
"But nothing. You start counting at one and keep counting to twenty. Any time you don't count properly, that blow doesn't count. Understand?"
"I guess so" Aaron nodded, sobbing in frustration.
Haempel picked up the strap. "The correct response is 'Yes Sir'."
"I beg your pardon?"
..SLAP!!
"OOWWHHH!! JESUS!!"
"You answer 'Yes Sir'. You say 'Sir' whenever you address me."
..SLAP!!
"AOOOOWWWHHHH!! OH GOD! GOD!!"
"Do you understand, boy?"
"Yes Sir" Aaron wailed.
"I'd better give you something to help hard-wire that in your memory."
..SLAP!! ..SLAP!!
"AOOOOWWHHH!! _f_u_c_k_ING JESUS!! AOOWWWHH!! PLEASE!! I WON'T FORGET, SIR!"
"See that you remember, boy."
..SLAP!!
"AIEEEEOWWHHHH!!" That had hit down over Aaron's buttocks, down onto the backs of his thighs. "OH JESUS, THAT HURT!! _s_h_i_t_!! _s_h_i_t_!!"
Haempel put down the strap. "Why are you so obdurate, boy?"
Aaron was sobbing so hard it was hard to answer.
"I asked you a question, boy."
"I'm sorry, Sir" Aaron sobbed. "I don't know what you mean."
"You insist on not showing respect. Why? Do you take pride in being such a smart ass?"
"No Sir. I'm sorry if I seem to be one, Sir. I don't mean to be. I'll show respect, Sir. I promise I will."
"Okay. Then let's go with the rest. Are you ready to start counting?"
"Yes Sir. But, please, Sir! You've given me so much. Please let me start at the number you've already given."
"No. Counting starts at one. You have twenty-five still to come."
"Oh please, Sir!" Aaron sobbed. "I can't take that much."
"_f_u_c_k_, boy! Don't you ever learn?"
..SLAP!!
"You're complaining again!"
..SLAP!!
"AOOOOWWHHH!! GOD!! I CAN'T TAKE THIS!!"
"When are you going to learn not to complain, boy?"
..SLAP!!
"AOOOWWHH!! _f_u_c_k_ING JESUS!!"
"Is there something wrong with your mind, boy? That's the second time I've had to tell you not to complain! I'm not interested in what you think you can take. You'll take whatever I give you. Understand?"
"Yes Sir!" Aaron sobbed desperately.
"Without complaint."
"Yes Sir" Aaron nodded abjectly. "I'm sorry, Sir. I won't do it again."
"You'd better not." Haempel reached back. "Ready to count?"
"Yes Sir."
..SLAP!!
"AIOOWWHH!!" Aaron's torso jerked up off the table. "CHRIST!! _f_u_c_k_ING JESUS!!"
The foreman had moved. The strap had slashed down between the cheeks of his buttocks, barely missing his asshole.
"JESUS CHRIST, SIR!! PLEASE DON'T HIT ME THERE AGAIN! PLEASE!!"
..SLAP!!
"_s_h_i_t_!!" Aaron shrieked. That one did hit his asshole. "_s_h_i_t_!! _f_u_c_k_ING _s_h_i_t_!!" The pain was like an electric shock.
"Start counting!"
..SLAP!!
"AOOWWHHH!! CHRIST, SIR!! IT'S TOO MUCH! PLEASE, SIR!! I CAN'T TAKE IT!"
"Stop complaining and start counting, _d_a_m_n_ it!"
"One!" Aaron yelled.
"One, Sir!" Haempel corrected.
..SLAP!!
"AIEEOWHH!! CHRIST!" That one had slashed down over his right cheek into the inside of that thigh. "PLEASE, SIR! THAT REALLY HURT!"
"Good! Maybe you'll start paying attention to what I tell you. What do you say when you address me?"
"Sir!" Aaron sobbed.
"Right. If you don't say 'Sir', it doesn't count. So start over. Don't say 'one'. Say 'one, Sir!'."
"One, Sir."
"Good. You're finally counting properly. Keep counting!"
..SLAP!!
"OOWW!! GOD!!" That had hit the inside of his thigh again. "_s_h_i_t_!! _s_h_i_t_!!"
"Count, goddammit!"
"Two, Sir."
..SLAP!!
"OOWWWHH!! JESUS!!" Aaron jerked up. "JESUS, THIS HURTS!! Three, Sir."
"Keep counting!"
..SLAP!!
"OH JESUS!! Four, Sir!"
"Good. You going to keep counting now?"
"Yes Sir!" Aaron sobbed.
"Okay. Keep counting from now on." He looked at Jock and grinned. "How about you giving him the twenty-five? He should be ready for you now."
"Sure" Jock grinned. "I'd better take this off."
Aaron looked at Jock fearfully as he stripped off his T-shirt. He looked even more powerful now that Aaron could see his shoulders and chest. He was several inches taller than the foreman and had an awesome build. Aaron began to feel very frightened as Jock took the strap from Haempel, grinned at Aaron again, and went out to Aaron's left.
"Okay, Aaron" he smiled. "You know what you're getting. Count after each one, starting back at 'one'. We'll start the count over."
"No!" Aaron sobbed. "Oh, my God! Please!"
"Do what he says" Haempel ordered. "And remember to say 'Yes Sir' when he tells you something. You say 'Yes Sir' to every order, boy, no matter who it comes from. Understand, boy?"
"Yes Sir."
"You're getting twenty-five from me" Jock smiled. "More if you don't count correctly. Understand?"
"Yes Sir."
"Good. You want this, don't you?"
"No Sir! No way, Sir!"
"Come on, kid. You willingly consented to all this, remember. You knew what you were doing, didn't you?"
"Yes, but... "
Jock reached back and swung fast.
..SLAP!!
"AOOOWWWHHHH!!" Aaron shrieked, jerking up off the table. "AIEEEOOOOWWHHHH!!!"
The strap had hit the underside of Aaron's butt and had hit hard, harder than anything Haempel had given him. "OH GOD!!" Aaron sobbed as he slumped back, feeling the pain wash over him. "GOD!! OH GOD!!"
..SLAP!!
Aaron's legs flew up. "AAOOOOWWHHHH!! OH, JESUS!!" That blow was even worse. His legs drummed on the ground as he felt the pain.
"You're not counting, boy."
..SLAP!!
"AOOOWWHHH! OH GOD!! ... One, Sir."
"That's better. Keep counting."
..SLAP!!
"AAOOOOWWHHHH!!" The shock of each blow was so electric and so overpowering that Aaron could only scream. It took several seconds to pull himself together enough to say what he had to say. "Two, Sir!"
By the time he'd counted to twenty-five, Aaron was shrieking in such agony that he was barely able to utter the count. Haempel told Jock to untie him and pull him up on his feet.
"You all packed to go, guys?" Haempel asked the others. "Let's get squared away while the kid recovers from that."
"You think he's ever going to?" Bill asked scornfully. "_s_h_i_t_, he's bawling like a ten-year-old."
Aaron was holding himself up on the end of the table, sobbing in agony from the pain stabbing out of his buttocks. He was still so shocked by the pain that he could hardly stand. He dropped back onto the table, totally overcome.
"He's a bit of a wimp" Jock grinned.
"Come on" Buz shrugged. "He's probably never had anything like that before."
Aaron nodded as he sobbed. He'd never dreamed that anything like that could ever happen to him. Or that it could be so incredibly painful. He closed his eyes and sobbed as the others bustled around.
It took them about fifteen minutes to close up the camp and get everything organized.
"Okay, we're all set" Bill finally reported. "Everything that's going back to the ranch is in Jock's truck."
Haempel got up and smiled at Aaron. "You learn anything from what you got?"
It took Aaron a couple of seconds to realize that Haempel was talking to him, not to the other guys.
"I beg your pardon, Sir?"
"I asked if you learned anything from that beating."
"Yes Sir." He was still sobbing. "I certainly did, Sir."
"Stand up so I can talk to you."
"Yes Sir." Aaron pulled himself up and looked at Haempel.
"What did you learn?"
"To do what you tell me, Sir. Not to complain, Sir. And to be much more respectful, Sir."
"Are you going to disobey me again?"
"No Sir!"
"Good. Then maybe we can get through this more expeditiously. Do you remember what I asked you to do when you disobeyed me earlier?"
"Yes, Sir. You told me to take my clothes off."
"Then do it."
Aaron started to pull off his T-shirt.
"You forgot something. When I or any other supervisor tells you something or gives you an order, how are you supposed to reply?"
"I say 'yes Sir'?"
"Correct. So say it."
"Yes Sir."
"You'll get another five on your ass for forgetting that. Maybe that will improve your memory."
"No!" Aaron sobbed.
"I didn't hear that, boy. I said that will improve your memory."
He looked at Aaron expectantly.
"Yes Sir" Aaron nodded fearfully. "It definitely will, Sir."
"That's better! Now do what I told you. Take those clothes off."
"Yes Sir."
Aaron took off his shirt and sat down to take off his boots. He pulled them off and stepped out of his jeans.
He looked at Haempel unhappily. "Everything, Sir?"
"Did I tell you to leave anything on?"
"No Sir" he sobbed.
He took off his socks and the remains of his underpants. When he stood up, stark naked, he could feel the ground touching his naked feet. Somehow that made him feel even more helpless.
"Nice body" Bill grinned.
Aaron looked at him, realizing suddenly that Bill had a hard-on in his jeans. Bill was looking at his naked body with obvious desire.
"Turn around" Haempel ordered. "Show us your ass."
Aaron did as instructed.
"Nice color, too" Bill laughed.
Haempel shook his head. "Still not red enough. Get back down over the table, boy."
Aaron looked at him in dismay. "You're not going to give me more!"
"Sir" Haempel smiled grimly. "You forgot again, boy!"
"I'm sorry, Sir. I shouldn't have forgotten."
"That's right. You certainly shouldn't have. You just earned yourself another five on your ass. That's another ten for that now."
"Oh, please, Sir! You're not really going to beat me again, are you?"
"Why not? You've earned it. I still haven't punished you for wasting my time."
He was sobbing now. "You've given me so much!"
"No more than you asked for, boy. What you got earlier was for disobeying me. Do you want me to have to punish you for disobedience a second time?"
"No Sir!"
"Then do what I told you. Get down on the table! And do it fast!"
Aaron went to the end of the table and bent over it, sobbing in fear.
"Stretch your arms out in front of you."
Aaron did as he was told.
"Okay, guys. Tie his arms down again, like before."
"Oh, please, Sir!" Aaron begged, sobbing in terror as Bill and Buz tied his wrists to the other end. "Please don't do this! Please, Sir! I really can't take more, Sir."
"Then you shouldn't ask for it."
"Please, Mr Haempel! My ass really hurts! Please don't give me any more!"
"You're complaining again. That's the third time I've had to correct you on that, boy. What's the matter? Don't you have any memory?"
"I'm sorry, Sir!" Aaron sobbed. "I know I shouldn't do it! I can't help it! I just can't take any more, Sir. My ass hurts so terribly much."
"What's that got to do with obedience, boy? I told you not to complain. Why don't you obey?"
Aaron shook his head as he sobbed. "I'm sorry, Sir."
"You will be sorrier still if you don't smarten up. Maybe what you need is a reminder. I think I'll get Bill to give you that right now."
"Cool!" Bill grinned. He took the strap out to Aaron's left. "How many should I give him?"
Haempel shrugged. "I said before he'd get ten the next time he complained. Give him that."
"No!!" Aaron cried. "Please, Sir! I said I'm sorry!"
"Being sorry for disobedience doesn't cut it, son. You disobey or complain, you get punished."
"How about I give him more for being such a smart ass?"
"Not now" Haempel smiled. "Just give him ten."
"No!" Aaron sobbed. "NOOOOH!!"
..SLAP!!
"AOOOOWWHHHH!!" he shrieked, jerking up off the table. "NOOOOOOHHHH!!"
..SLAP!! ..SLAP!!
"AOOOWWHHH!! GOD!! OH GOD!! AOOOWWHHH!!!" Aaron was bucking and twisting as the blows fell, legs flailing as he twisted. "OH PLEASE, SIR!!"
..SLAP!! ..SLAP!!
"OH JESUS!! OOOWWHH!!" Bill was hitting really hard, obviously trying to outdo Jock. "OH GOD!" That one had really hurt. "AOOOOWWWHHHHH!!" The second one was even worse. "OH JESUS!!" he sobbed.
..SLAP!! ..SLAP!! ..SLAP!!
Aaron was beyond himself now, shrieking and jerking on the table as Bill kept slashing the strap across his buttocks. By now, the pain was so acute that Aaron had no idea how many blows Bill had given him. The pain seemed to go on forever.
..SLAP!!
"AIEEEEOOOWWHHH!!" Aaron's legs flew up. His torso jerked up off the table. "OH CHRIST ALMIGHTY!! OOOWWWHHHH!!" That blow had been extraordinarily hard, smashing into the underside of his ass right where his buttocks met the backs of his thighs. So many blows had smashed into him there, the flesh was already dark purple from bruises. "_f_u_c_k_ING CHRIST!!!" Aaron sobbed. He couldn't believe that pain could be so bad. "_f_u_c_k_!! _f_u_c_k_!! _f_u_c_k_!!"
..SLAP!!
"AOOOWWHHHH!!" That blow fell higher up. It was the last of the ten blows.
Bill lowered the strap. "You going to do that again, boy?"
"NO SIR!! I'M SORRY, SIR!!" Aaron was shrieking and sobbing in agony, desperately twisting and turning on the table.
"You going to disobey Mr Haempel again?"
"NO SIR!!" Aaron shook his head desperately, terrified that Bill would start up again. "I WON'T DO THAT AGAIN, SIR! PLEASE, SIR!! I PROMISE I WON'T!!"
"You'd better not." He looked at Haempel inquiringly.
"That's fine for now" Haempel nodded. He smiled at Aaron. "I hope you meant what you just said, boy."
"I meant it, Sir" Aaron promised, sobbing raucously from the pain. "I won't do that again, Sir."
Haempel smiled. "You're going to have a very sore ass if you do." He looked down on the sobbing boy. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you, boy. You just keep asking for more and more punishment.
"I know, Sir. I'll try to do better, Sir. I really will!"
"You've behaved incredibly stupidly. You've earned yourself all kinds of punishment that you could have avoided."
"I know, Sir!" Aaron wailed, totally broken by what had happened. He shook his head as he sobbed desperately, completely bereft of hope. He looked at Haempel pleadingly. "I'm sorry, Sir!"
"Well, you're being obedient now, anyway."
Haempel looked at the boy's crimson buttocks. "I'm not going to give you the rest of the punishment you've got coming to you, boy. You've had more than enough for your first day."
Aaron couldn't believe his ears. "You're not?"
Haempel shook his head. "No. You've learned about as much as you're going to learn in a single day. No sense beating you if you can't learn from it."
"Oh, thank God!" Aaron sobbed. "Thank God!"
Haempel laughed. "Hey, thank me, kid! I was the one who decided this."
"I do thank you, Sir! You have no idea how much I thank you!"
Haempel laughed again. "Oh, I think I have a fair idea. Just don't forget that you'll get this again, the next time you screw up."
"I won't forget, Sir. Oh, thank you, Sir."
"I think you've learned from this, Aaron. At least, I certainly hope so."
"Yes Sir" Aaron sighed, still not believing his luck. "I sure have."
"Good. You can untie him, Bill."
Bill untied the rope around Aaron's wrists.
"Get up on your feet and look at me, Aaron."
Aaron did as Haempel had ordered.
"I hope you've learned from this what discipline means here. Aaron" Haempel smiled. "Things can go wrong fast out here. We can't afford to have orders questioned. We need instant and unquestioning obedience. And so we'll enforce it. I hope you've learned that much, Aaron."
"Yes Sir" Aaron said fervently. "I've definitely learned that lesson, Sir."
"That's the main reason you got this today, Aaron. When kids like you come here with a chip on their shoulder, we have to knock it off. This has been a wake-up call for you, telling you to change your attitude. Understand?"
"Yes Sir" Aaron nodded. "I understand, Sir."
"We've got no room here for smart-ass college kids who think they're better than their co-workers or superiors. From now on, you listen to what you're told by them, learn from it, and obey, no matter who it is who tells you something. And you show them respect."
Aaron nodded as he sobbed. "Yes Sir."
"You have no choice about accepting punishment here. If I or any other guy supervising you thinks you need it, you'll get it and you won't complain. You'll get punished whenever you screw up. Understand?"
"Yes Sir. I won't screw up, Sir, believe me!"
"Of course you will, boy. You screwed up today. And you'll screw up again. Smart ass kids like you screw up all the time before they finally learn."
Aaron shook his head determinedly. "I won't, Sir. I won't be a smart ass again."
Haempel smiled in amusement. "You mean to contradict what I say, boy?"
Aaron bit his lip and shook his head.
"I think you do, boy."
"I'm sorry, Sir" Aaron sobbed. "I won't do that."
"You run the risk of getting beaten every time you're a smart ass and contradict me. Unless of course I ask for your opinion. Understand?"
"Yes Sir" Aaron whispered.
He sobbed as he thought about what he'd anticipated the job would be like: hard work but doing things that were really vacation activities. Riding, chasing cows on a horse, hiking, swimming. The reality of the job felt like entering a harsh 19th century prison.
"You sure you don't want to argue about that too?"
Aaron looked at him bitterly. "I won't argue about anything, Sir."
"You'd better not! Nor complain, either. Have you learned that lesson? Are you going to do that again?"
"No Sir."
Not to Haempel for sure, Aaron thought to himself. If he did ever complain to anybody, it would be to Mr Ames or to his father. And maybe not even them, he decided as he thought about what they'd do with a complaint. They'd almost certainly end up passing the complaint to Haempel, which could be even worse than complaining to him directly.
No, he was on his own, Aaron realized. There was nothing he could do other than to take whatever punishment Haempel and his cronies decided to give him. The only real alternative to that was to quit the one job he'd found which would give him enough money to do the one thing he really wanted to do, go to grad school.
Haempel looked at Aaron appraisingly. The kid had taken a lot and hadn't once threatened to quit. And he'd certainly changed his tune. No disrespect now, that was for sure.
"You're sure you want stay with this job, boy? I can take you back to Hanceville if you want to quit."
Aaron shook his head. "No, Sir, I won't quit. I'm not a quitter."
No, he'd stay and learn what he had to learn, Aaron nodded to himself. The cost of quitting was just too high. He'd grit his teeth and take it.
"Good" Haempel smiled. "You've got courage, just like your dad said. He'd be proud of you, son."
Aaron smiled wanly. "Thanks, Sir."
"Okay." Haempel looked at Buz and Bill. "I've got to take off. You'd better get moving. You're going to get up there way after Darrell's expecting."
Haempel got in his truck. "Oh, Buz."
Buz went over to the truck, waiting while Haempel wrote on a sheet of paper. Finally, Haempel finished and put the paper in an envelope. "Give this to Darrell when you get up there."
"Yes Sir" Buz nodded, folding the envelope up in a back pocket. "Instructions about the new guy?"
"Yeah" Haempel smiled. "I want him to know how much training the kid needs. Also that he's to answer to you too up there. I want you to take him under your wing and be responsible for his training."
Buz grinned. "You want me to punish him too?"
"If you have to" he nodded. "The kid will undoubtedly need taking down a peg or two at some point. But keep it under control, okay? Too much, and you'll make him quit."
"Oh, I know" Buz nodded. "I almost quit the first month I was here."
"Yeah, I know. You'll know the right balance. The trouble with these college kids that get parachuted in by the owners is that they don't know _s_h_i_t_ about anything. You can't expect too much from him. You and the other guys will have to teach him everything."
"I'll do the best I can, Sir."
"I know you will, Buz. You've done very well over the two years you've been here. You've learned a lot and have got along well with everybody you work with. I get nothing but good reports about you. That's why I'm trusting you with this. I know you'll do a good job of training him."
"Thanks, Sir!" Buz grinned at Haempel impishly. "Do I get a raise?"
"Don't push too far" Haempel laughed. "There's still the matter of that truck you almost creamed."
"I think I paid for that, Sir. I can still feel your lesson in my ass."
"Oh, come on, you're exaggerating. That was three weeks ago."
Buz grinned. "Well, maybe I exaggerate a little."
"You guys got everything you need up there?"
"I believe so, Sir. Darrell would have sent a message down if he needed anything."
"Yeah." He looked at Aaron and smiled. "These college boys all need to be brought in line. They start off thinking they're so _f_u_c_k_ing superior."
Buz laughed. "I don't think this one feels superior right now."
"Well, he needed the correction. These kids all come in with a big chip on their shoulder."
"I think today's lesson will have knocked that off, Sir."
"Well, make sure you guys keep it knocked off." He grinned. "I don't think you'll have many problems."
"I'm sure we won't, Sir."
"This has been an unusually severe lesson for him, Buz. It's his own fault, but that doesn't change its severity. He'll need help to get over this." He looked at Buz keenly. "He needs training from someone he can learn to like as well as respect. That's an important reason I want you to take responsibility for him, Buz. You're almost the same age. And you're smart. You two should be able to respect each other."
"I don't know about being smart" Buz shrugged. "Certainly not as smart as he is. He wouldn't have graduated from college this young if he weren't a very smart kid."
"There are different kinds of smarts, Buz. Sure, he's a smart kid, and done well academically. But you're smart too." He grinned. "Sometimes a smart ass, too, like he is."
Buz looked at him and grinned. "Only when I think it's safe. I got this kind of lesson too, Sir. Remember?"
"I remember" he smiled. "That's another reason why I think you could become his friend. He's going to badly need one."
"Yeah, I know" Buz nodded. "He's a good kid. I'll do my best for him."
"Good. I know you will. I'll see you in a week or so."
"You're coming up?"
"Yeah. Not sure exactly when, though."
"Great. See you soon, Sir."
Haempel nodded. "You ready to go, Jock?"
Jock was talking to Bill. "Yes, Sir" he nodded.
He broke off his conversation with Bill and went to the other truck.
Haempel looked at Aaron. "You're going up with Bill and Buz. Who do you answer to, boy?"
"Both, Sir."
"Right. Bill is the senior, so he's in charge. He's only going with you part way. Buz will be responsible for you after that."
Haempel drove off.
Jock grinned at Bill and Buz. "Have fun with the kid. I'll see you in a few weeks." He drove off, following Haempel.
"Jesus, the kid sure got it today" Bill grinned.
Buz laughed. "Well, he did kind of ask for it."
"He asked for it from all of us" Bill smiled. "I hate kids that think they're better than anybody else just because they go to some elite eastern college. You still think that, boy?"
Aaron shook his head. "No. I don't think I'm better than you just because of that, Bill. I was being a smart ass. I apologize."
"Come on, kid, I know we're dumb jerks. You really think we're dumb enough to believe that apology means anything?"
"What do you want me to say?" Aaron shrugged. "I said I'm sorry."
Buz looked at Bill with amusement. "Leave it for later, Bill. We're wasting time. Let's get moving. You can pursue that with Aaron another time."
"Oh, I will" he grinned. "Pull on your clothes, Aaron. Buz is right. We gotta go."
Aaron looked for his clothes.
"I don't see my underpants" he told Bill.
"Forget them" Bill told him. "They got cut off you. They're useless now."
"Where's my gear packed? I'll get one from there."
"No way. Everything's in saddle bags and we're not going to open them up. Pull on your jeans, kid. You can ride naked inside them."
"But ..."
"_f_u_c_k_ it, Aaron! Nobody's going to care what you're wearing on your ass! You can ride naked on the saddle so far as I'm concerned."
Aaron looked at Buz.
"Don't look at me, kid" Buz laughed. "If Bill tells you to do something, do it. You're supposed to obey orders, remember?"
Aaron nodded.
"Maybe I need to beat his ass to remind him" Bill grinned.
Aaron shook his head. "No, thanks. I learned that lesson."
Bill laughed. "Maybe I will anyway. I can do what I like with your ass, kid. You willingly consented, remember?"
Aaron looked at him warily. "I hope you're joking."
He grinned. "You'll find out, kid. Get your jeans on and let's go."
He got his jeans and pulled them with some difficulty while the others got their horses and mounted them. The jeans felt like sandpaper when pulled across the open sores in his butt. Aaron pulled on his boots and climbed onto the remaining horse.
"All set?" Bill asked. "Okay!"
Bill led the way. The three of them rode across a ford and onto the trail to the back range.
As they rode, the motion of the horse kept Aaron's buttocks moving in the saddle, rubbing his jeans painfully against his butt. Every step reminded him painfully of what his ass had received.
Bill turned around and grinned at him. "Feeling what I gave you in your butt?"
Aaron looked at him bitterly. "What do you think I feel?"
He laughed. "Just wait, kid. You'll feel it even more next time."
Aaron shook his head. "There won't be a next time."
"Want to bet?" Bill grinned. "You owe me, kid. Just wait 'til I get you in my crew, alone out on the range. You'll get it from me for sure."
Aaron watched him resentfully as he turned back and joked with Buz.
He kept thinking as he rode about how much he'd anticipated this day, his first day on the ranch. He'd read all about the Cariboo-Chilcotin area, about the fantastic scenery and the ranching. He'd been looking forward to working on the ranch, riding on the range, and learning all the arcane skills of a cowboy while piling up the savings he needed to be able to go to grad school. It had all sounded idyllic back in Toronto. But now...
He still couldn't believe this had happened to him. Judging from the position of the sun, it still was mid-morning. Just eight or nine hours ago, he'd stepped off the train full of enthusiasm, looking forward to the fantastic job he'd have at the ranch. Never in his wildest nightmares had he ever even dreamed that anything like this could happen to him.
There was no way he would ever forget this. The pain that kept stabbing out of his ass would make sure of that for the next few days. But he knew the memory would last long beyond that. He thought about what Bill had said. He knew instinctively that Bill wasn't joking. He shuddered at the thought, knowing each step of the horse was taking him closer to the next time he'd get his ass punished.
.
[to be continued ...]