To be left in the care of their sixteen year old sister for two whole weeks in the summer holidays was, to the twelve year old boys, an exceptional treat. Timmy and Charlie were identical twins. Their parents, and their older sister, Sammy, could tell them apart (on a good day) but practically no one else could, a fact which they took great pleasure in exploiting (particularly when one of them got into trouble at school). They were typical, mischievous and fun-loving boys. They seemed to be in a permanent state of delight about life. When together, they spent most of their time in helpless fits of laughter. They were bright boys, but it has to be said that their schoolmasters frequently had to resort to painful methods of encouraging them to work. No encouragement was required, however, to get them to play. They were fanatical sports enthusiasts. They adored rugby, soccer, cricket and tennis, and they were both very good at all of them. But what they really loved above all else was playing pranks on others. In particular, they got enormous enjoyment out of fooling people into thinking that one was the other. Partly because of their over enthusiastic approach to life when in each other's company, they had been deliberately placed in different sets at school for class work. I fear it would be impossible to count the number of times they had simply swapped places. Timmy was good at maths and all sciences. Charlie was excellent at English, History, Latin and French. Sometimes, but fortunately not often, the timetabling was such that a Chemistry lesson for Charlie took place at the same time, for instance, as a Latin lesson for Timmy. Whenever that happened, you could be sure that Timmy would go to Charlie's class and Charlie to Timmy's. And, more often than not, they got away with it. Of course, when they did not, both would get into trouble. That usually involved a visit to the head's study and a vigorous application of a large plimsoll to the seats of their trousers. But they always ! looked on the bright side and, however sore their bottoms, they tended to rejoice in the number of pranks which had been successful, rather than become depressed about the odd one that went wrong.
During the previous term the twins had had an unusual pact. They had agreed that, when one got into trouble on his own (or with boys other than his twin), and the result was an instruction to attend on the headmaster, the other would present himself for punishment. They had worked out that both were pretty equal when it came to mischief. On the whole, in any one term, each would end up needing punishment about as much as the other. What a laugh, they had thought, if the head could be put in the position of punishing the wrong twin throughout a whole term. And the prank had worked like clockwork. Timmy had merited punishment five times during the term. Charlie had been told to see the head six times. On two of those occasions, both had been caught together, so both had to see the head. But even then, when Timmy had been called in, it had been Charlie who had entered the study and vice versa. On the other occasions, the innocent boy had successfully passed himself off as the guilty one without the slightest problem. There had only been one sticky moment throughout the whole term. That had been when Mr Paxman, the PE master, had sent Timmy to the head for mucking about in the gym. Charlie had duly knocked on the oak door, been summoned in, apologised for his (Timmy's) bad behaviour, bent over, received three of Mr Kennedy's hardest across a bottom clad only in gym shorts and left the study promising to try to keep out of trouble in the future. The sticky moment had come later that day, a Monday, when the Under 13 cricket team had been showering after a highly successful match against a local grammar school. Timmy had finished his shower and was already dressing. Charlie, because he was allowing the rest of the team a good view of his nether regions, was still in the showers. It was at that point that Mr Paxman entered the changing rooms. He went towards the showers to hurry the remaining boys along. He was gratified to see what he took to be Timmy's bottom showing the vivid marks of a v! ery well executed slippering. He told the boys to hurry up and then returned to the changing area. It was then that he noticed Timmy. At first, he just assumed it was Charlie. But then he suddenly realised that the twin was standing by Timmy's locker and putting Timmy's clothes on. He was confused.
"Hey which one are you?", he asked.
Timmy immediately grasped the predicament he was in. He toyed with the idea of saying he was Charlie, but he thought it would be very difficult to come up with an explanation for dressing in the wrong clothes. No, he would have to admit his true identity.
"I'm Hardman 2 Sir". Only surnames were used in the school. Charlie was Hardman 1 and Timmy was Hardman 2.
"So you are the boy I sent to the headmaster this morning?"
"Yes Sir".
"Could you explain, then, why your brother appears to be the one showing off a bruised posterior in the showers?"
It was the question Timmy had been dreading, but he was prepared for it. He looked past the master and saw Charlie coming out of the showers. Raising his voice, so that his brother would hear the story he had concocted, he gave his explanation. "Oh that wasn't from the head Sir. We had an exeat over the weekend and my bro got into trouble at home. Our Pater gave him four with his slipper before driving us back to school last night."
Charlie instantly realised what had happened and he gave Timmy a wink, to indicate that he understood the problem. Then, to facilitate the deception further, he went back into the showers again, only emerging a few moments later, when Mr Paxman was looking towards the showers again. He clearly could not have heard the conversation between the master and his brother if he had been in the showers.
Mr Paxman was still suspicious. But all the masters were when it came to dealing with the Hardman brothers. He decided to try a little gentle cross-examination.
"Ah, Hardman 1, your brother's just been telling me that you had an exeat over the weekend. Was it fun?"
"Yes Sir, at least until half an hour before we left."
"And what happened then?"
"Oh nothing too much Sir, just that I wasn't exactly behaving perfectly and my Pater thought I needed to be put right about a couple of things. I'm sure he was right, but it was a bit sore sitting down in the car for the return journey."
This seemed to satisfy Mr Paxman. He gave Charlie a knowing grin and offered the opinion that the boy's father was a splendid chap who clearly knew how to deal with twelve year old boys.
That had all been last term. Now, the boys were back at home for the long summer holidays. The first week had gone well. The weather was wonderful. There was a river at the bottom of the garden where the family would swim on fine days. Timmy and Charlie had spent large parts of every day frolicking in the water. Amazingly, they had managed to keep out of trouble and were on unusually good terms with their parents. In three weeks time the whole family would be going to Brittany for a holiday in a rented villa. In the meantime, however, Mr and Mrs Hardman were proposing to take a holiday on their own in Jersey. A plan for the boys to go to their uncle and aunt for a fortnight had fallen through at the last moment. But Sammy was now sixteen and, not without some hesitation, the Hardmans senior had decided she was old and responsible enough to be left in charge. In fact, they were actually quite relieved that the boys would be at home with her. They trusted her implicitly, but they knew that she would be bound to spend a lot of time with her boyfriend, Robbie, while they were away. She had sworn that she would not do anything improper with him and her father had emphasised his determination that she should behave herself by pointing out to her that she was not, in his words, "too old to be put across my knee". Even so, they had naturally been concerned about leaving her alone with an undeniably attractive boy like Robbie. The presence of Timmy and Charlie, they reasoned to themselves, would be likely to cramp their sister's style if she found herself being tempted.
So it had been finally agreed that the boys should be placed in the charge of Sammy. It had also been agreed that Robbie should be invited to stay at the house (in the spare room at the other end of the corridor from Sammy's room) in order to provide another restraining influence on the twins. Shortly before setting off for the airport Mr Hardman summoned Timmy and Charlie to his study in order to stress the importance of good behaviour in his absence. So as to make his points even clearer, he had deliberately put his large leather slipper on the study table.
"We are taking a big risk in leaving you two alone with Sammy and Robbie", he had begun. "I will expect perfect behaviour from you both. That means that you will do everything your sister tells you. I have already made her promise to give me a full and honest report of your behaviour as soon as we return. And you must not be in the slightest doubt as to what will happen to you if I discover that you have let me down. I can assure you that I will show no mercy. That", he pointed at the dreaded and all too familiar slipper, "will be put to very painful use without any hesitation at all. I have also told Sammy that she should feel free to call on Uncle Joseph to come and administer any immediate punishment that may be required. So don't think for one minute that my absence will mean that you can do whatever you want."
The boys, though I fear their fingers may have been crossed behind their backs, promised that they would not be naughty at all and the interview came to an end.
Robbie arrived just as Mr and Mrs Hardman were getting into their taxi. Mr Hardman had a special word for him.
"I know you're a responsible boy Robbie. I hope I'm right in thinking that I can trust you with my daughter. I'm not going to make any threats. I'm sure you understand how strongly I feel about her safety and happiness. Anyway, have fun while we're away. Don't take any nonsense from the twins. They can be a bit of a handful sometimes and I won't be at all surprised if there are occasions when you are sorely tempted to knock them about a bit. But I would be grateful if you could try to resist the temptation. You needn't worry that they'll get away with anything. You only have to say the word when we get back and I will administer some vigorous and painful punishment and, as Sammy will explain to you, my brother only lives fifteen minutes away. If the boys need urgent chastisement you only have to give him a call."
Once their parents had gone, the twins announced that they were off to the river for a swim. Sammy was delighted with the news. She hadn't seen Robbie since the previous holidays, although they had corresponded frequently, and she was eager to catch up on all his news. She reminded her brothers to be back at for lunch and happily went into the house with her boyfriend.
The temperature was in the high twenties centigrade. There was not a cloud in the sky. There was only the gentlest of breezes. The conditions were absolutely perfect for a morning by the river. The boys raced down the lawn, climbed the fence into the paddock and got to the river in five minutes. Here, they were completely alone. There was no other house in sight. They could not be seen from their own house. They were in a place of perfect freedom. Neither boy ever bothered with swimming trunks when there was no one else with them at the river. The second they got to their favourite part of the bank they ripped off all their clothes and dived into the icy, clear water. They spent half an hour cavorting around, dive bombing each other and racing from one side of the river to the other. Then, exhausted, they lay, face down, side by side on the grassy bank to dry.
Charlie spoke first. "Hey Timmy, you don't think Sammy would really sneak on us to Dad or Uncle Joseph do you?"
"Not normally, but he's made her promise, so we might be in a bit of difficulty. I don't think she'd ask Uncle Joseph to come and whack us, but she might think she had to tell on us to Dad. Still, one whacking in two weeks' time isn't worth bothering about."
"No, I suppose you're right. Even so, I could do without one of Dad's eruptions when he gets home. I mean, he's been fine so far these hols and it would be nice to keep him that way."
"Of course it would, but I don't see how we can avoid having sore bums when he gets back. After all, we both want to make the most of this, don't we?".
"Sure do, but I still think we ought to try to work a way round so Dad stays all sweetness and light for the rest of the hols. I don't know about you, but I want him in the right frame of mind when he reviews our allowances before next term."
"Good point Timmy. Let's get our thinking caps on."
They lay silent for a few minutes. Then Timmy had an idea.
"Look Charlie", he said, "it's not the whacking itself we mind about, is it? I'm not saying it'll be a piece of cake, but we can both take the odd sore bum. The real thing is to make Dad think we've been good all the time. That way we get good increases on our allowances and he thinks it's OK leaving us alone with Sammy again. Do you agree so far?".
"A hundred percent. But where does that get us?".
"Well, Sammy wouldn't have any reason to sneak on us if we'd already been whacked for whatever we do wrong. So what we have to do is make sure that we get a whacking every time we're naughty."
"You can't mean getting Uncle Joseph to come and punish us? I can't bear all his pompous lectures, and anyway, he'd tell Dad so our allowances would probably be frozen again."
Timmy's reply was immediate and forceful. "I haven't gone round the bend. I swore I'd never get in the position of having to get whacked by Uncle Joseph again after that last time. No, we get someone we can trust not to tell on us to do it."
"OK, good idea, except that I can't think of anyone."
"Well I can", Timmy responded immediately. "There's someone staying right here with us all the time who'd be perfect. Robbie would probably love to have a go with the slipper. He's just as strong as Dad, so Sammy couldn't say he was a soft option. He's a really decent bloke, so he wouldn't go in for boring tellings off. We know he's had the cane at school, so he must know what it's like to be a boy in trouble. I'd much prefer to be whacked by someone like that than by a boring adult."
"What a brill idea Tim. And, even if he didn't particularly want to whack us, he's so potty about Sammy that if she asks him to do it he'd be bound to agree. I vote we ask him as soon as possible. Let's agree on how we put it to him".
As the boys were planning their approach to Robbie, the sixteen year old was sitting in the kitchen, back at the house, watching Sammy prepare the lunch. She was standing with her back to him and he was gazing with undisguised admiration at her perfectly proportioned form. She was tall and slim. Her blonde hair fell to her shoulders. She was not fully formed yet, but she already had a definite waist and below that a bottom, clad in the tightest of blue jeans, which was, to his eyes, one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen. The word "pert" came to his mind as he looked at that slightly rounded, obviously firm and still slim shape. The long slim legs completed the picture of perfection. He sighed with longing as he sat transfixed by the sight. Although he was undoubtedly an honourable boy who would do his utmost to keep his promise to the girl's father, there was no doubt that, were Sammy to prove receptive to any advances, he would find it incredibly difficult to resist the temptation. He knew that he, too, was good-looking. He was not vain about it, but a boy with such an athletic build, sharply defined facial bone structure, clear complexion and winning smile, could hardly be unaware of his attraction. Nevertheless, with typical modesty, he was highly doubtful as to whether Sammy could possibly find him attractive enough to go further than the occasional light kiss on the cheek. As he was musing, Sammy turned to speak to him. He saw again her delightful face. The deep blue eyes. The dimples as she smiled. He looked a little lower and saw the small budding breasts, as yet unsupported by a bra but obvious under the tight white shirt. He nearly sighed again, but managed to stifle it (he would get nowhere, he thought, if she thought him unutterably soppy).
"Robbie, I can't reach that bowl over there on the top shelf", she pointed, "you couldn't get it for me could you?"
He jumped up and headed for the shelf. He had to stand on tiptoes to reach it. He would have loved to have known what was going through Sammy's mind as she watched him from the other end of the room. He, too, was wearing the teenager's uniform of tight blue jeans and T shirt. He was, at 5' 10", slightly taller than her. He was very slim, but not skinny. His shoulders were broad, but not so broad as to mark him down as anything but a boy who had not yet quite reached manhood. His legs were long and rose to, as she thought it, the most attractive boy's bottom in the world. Even in jeans, it was obvious that there was no spare flesh. The slight round mounds of his buttocks were clearly firm and, she guessed, a delight to fondle. She was now the one to sigh. She was determined not to let her father down, but oh how difficult it was going to be. As she gazed at him, she could only think that she would do anything he ever asked her and, if he wanted to take her virginity, she suspected she would be unable to resist.
Robbie managed to recover the bowl from the shelf and brought it towards her. Both, if only they knew it, were thinking very similar thoughts about the other. He smiled as he gave her the bowl. Her heart leapt, as it always did when she saw that smile. The faintest pink blush came to her cheeks. Oh how he longed to reach out and pull her close to him. But he knew he must behave himself.. He thought it would be a good idea to try and get his mind off the only subject that was in his head in Sammy's company. He looked at his watch. It was quarter past twelve. That should give him time for a swim.
"I don't suppose the twins will remember to keep a check on the time. Do you need me her, or could I go and have a dip in the river and bring them back in time for lunch?", he asked.
"Good idea. Lunch'll be ready in about half an hour."
"OK, I'll just go and get my trunks and then go down to join them."
"It's OK, no one can see you when you're at the river. The boys'll be skinny dipping, so I shouldn't bother with trunks. Don't worry, I won't come spying on you."
He managed an embarrassed grin and headed for the door.
Sammy had been quite right. It was only as he got most of the way through the paddock that he could see the twins. They were lying face down, absolutely and unembarrassedly naked, carrying on an intense conversation. He didn't know them that well, but from what he had seen of them and from what Sammy had told him, he liked them very much. They were obviously highly mischievous, but very friendly. He guessed, from their physique, that they were keen sportsmen. All in all, his impression was that they were the very best sort of English prep school boys. As he neared them, he saw that one of them had the very faded marks of slipper or plimsoll on his small round bottom (he couldn't tell which, but it was Timmy). He smiled at this confirmation of his assumption as to their characters. The other boy (Charlie) had an unmarked white bottom, but he guessed that he was probably also not a stranger to corporal punishment.
As he looked at the two naked bodies, Robbie found himself wondering again what Sammy's bottom would look like without clothes. It would be slightly rounder and a little plumper, he thought, but he guessed that it would not be entirely dissimilar to the twins'. He felt the beginnings of a slight stirring in his loins as these thoughts went through his mind. He was not alarmed to find such a reaction on seeing boys' bottoms. His passion was for Sammy, but he had long been aware that he was not unmoved by the firm shape of a slim and fit boy's buttocks. It was a funny feeling. It was not accompanied by any desire to doing anything _s_e_x_ual towards boys. He had never been able to understand how anyone could be attracted in that way towards another boy. But he had to admit that he was occasionally aroused by the thought of younger boys being spanked, slippered or caned. What he felt now was not anything that could be described as out of control. True, it did cross his mind that it might be fun to apply a firm slap to the unmarked bottom now on display. But he was easily able to resist the temptation. And the stirring was only that. There was nothing visible. He got to within a few feet of them before they became aware of him. They jumped as he coughed to draw attention to his presence. But as soon as they saw who it was they were once more at their ease. They certainly did not show any distress at being found naked.
"Hi Robbie, I'm Timmy", the boys had got so used to the inability of others to tell them apart that they often performed this introduction as a matter of course, "are you going to have a swim?"
"I certainly am. I'm absolutely baking. I hope the water's nice and cool."
"It's perfect", this was Charlie, "we'll come in with you."
The twins waited while Robbie undressed. They had decided that their unusual request to him should be made a little later, after he had got to know them better, so they didn't say anything about it now. He was taking his shirt off. The top of his body was obviously muscular, that of a true sporting man. His chest was hairless, but there was no disguising the fact that he would be strong and, both boys thought, a demon with the slipper. He kicked off his shoes and then undid his jeans, pulling down the zip so as to get them off more easily. He pulled them down to reveal blue boxer shorts. Those quickly followed and the boys saw that their sister's girlfriend appeared to be very well equipped for what boys and girls did together. Then he turned and started a running dive towards the river. As he did so, both boys noticed that Timmy was not the only one with the marks of recent punishment on his bottom. Robbie's white buttocks were neatly striped in a sort of faded blue colour. Whoever had given the punishment had clearly been a good aim. There were six stripes, all incredibly close together. As they registered what they had seen, Robbie dived into the water and swam beneath it for several seconds. Charlie turned to his brother.
"Did you see what I saw?", he asked in amazement, "crikey, he must be a good bloke if he's still getting the cane."
"I s'pose it's not surprising really", Tim replied, "He's only just sixteen and I expect boys of his age, at boarding schools, probably do still need the cane sometimes."
The twins dived in after Robbie and all three splashed and frolicked together. After about ten minutes Robbie climbed out to dry in the sun. The twins followed him and lay one either side of him. Timmy could not resist asking about what they had noticed earlier.
"Hey Robbie, when did you get that caning?"
The older boy had momentarily forgotten that his bottom would still be showing the signs of punishment. There was a pause of a second or so. Then he answered.
"Oh that, I got that about eight days ago. It was bloody painful, but I can't complain. I certainly deserved it."
"What did you do?" Charlie asked, fascinated by the wrong-doing of someone so much older than him.
"I got caught in a pub by a prefect. I was with a friend. We thought that all the prefects were at a prefects' meeting up at the school, so we nipped down to the town and got ourselves a pint of bitter each in the Anchor. Unfortunately, we were spotted coming out by this prefect called Butler. He's actually a really top bloke and we guessed that he was probably bunking off for a drink himself. But there was nothing he could do about it. I mean, he had to swish us and we got six each."
Timmy was amazed. "What, you mean you were actually caned by another boy, not by the headmaster?".
"That's perfectly normal. Nearly all the swishings are given by prefects. It actually works very well. You'll find, when you come to Upton, that being swished by prefects is much better than getting it from masters. That's not to say it's softer or anything. Most prefects are lethal with the cane. But at least you don't get all that pompous telling off you get from adults. They just get on and wallop your bum to kingdom come. And when it's all over you can even have a joke with them."
The twins were both struck by the similarity between what Robbie was saying now and what they had been saying to each other before his arrival. Timmy thought it might be worth gently broaching the subject of their own discipline needs during the next two weeks. He started in a roundabout way. He knew the answer to the question he asked, but it would provide a good introduction.
"Yeah, I see what you mean. Will you still be at Upton when we come next year?"
"Yup, in fact, if I'm lucky, I might even be a prefect".
"Crikey", said Timmy, "does that mean you'd get to swish us?". He had quickly picked up the public school jargon.
"Well, that depends on which house you'll be in and, of course, on whether you need to be swished. Most Upton boys get swished a few times in their first year, but you do sometimes here of a boy getting through to his second year without getting into trouble."
Charlie interjected. "Don't worry Robbie, if anyone in our year needs swishing it'll be us. We actually know which house we're going into cos Dad put us down for it last year. It's Mr Killen's house."
"That's mine" said Robbie with a grin, "so, if I am made a prefect it looks as though I might have to swish you."
Timmy took up the questioning again. "Do you ever think about what it'll be like having to whack other boys?"
"Not a lot. I mean, obviously, I do sometimes. Just cos it's something I've never done and it'll be interesting to see what it's like - if I'm made a prefect of course. On the whole, though, you just think of it as one of those things. Teenage boys need to be swished sometimes and it's just the prefects' job to do it. It's a normal part of day to day school life."
Timmy now got closer to the big question. "I bet it would be useful for a new prefect to have had some experience of whacking boys before he started the job."
"I suppose it would, but I can't see how that could happen. You just have to learn on the job."
"Actually Robbie", Charlie took over, "you know what Dad was saying about how you could get Uncle Joseph to come and punish us if we need it, and how Dad can punish us anyway when he gets back?"
"Oh, don't worry about that. I'm not going to sneak on you to some interfering uncle, and I don't imagine that Sammy's the sort to sneak on you to your dad. You'll be OK."
"Well", said Timmy, the boys were now working expertly as a team, "that's the trouble. I mean, we guessed you wouldn't sneak to Uncle Joseph (and Sammy certainly wouldn't), but the real problem is that she's been made to absolutely promise that if we do anything bad while Dad's away, and we haven't been punished for it, she'll tell him about it. I know she tried to get out of the promise, but he said that we couldn't be left alone unless she gave it. She'd never break a promise. Charlie and I obviously don't mind about getting whacked by Dad. We've had that often enough. It's just that our allowances are coming up for review and, also, we reckon Dad'll never leave us with Sammy again if he reckons we haven't behaved ourselves. So we're all stuck, unless we can think of a way out."
"The obvious way out", ventured Robbie, "is for you two to behave yourselves for the next fortnight."
Charlie laughed. "Come on Robbie, hols are for enjoying yourself, not for behaving in the way adults think is best for you. No, there's a much better way out than that."
"What is it?"
It was now Timmy's turn again. "Well, when we go too far, you could give us the slipper. That way you'd get some experience of whacking before you become a prefect and we would have been punished, so Sammy wouldn't have to tell on us to Dad. It's really neat. Don't you think?"
Robbie was not dim. He had realised, several questions earlier, what the twins were working up to, and it has to be said that he was by no means averse to the plan. But he still had one slight concern. It was slight, because he reckoned he had got the measure of the twins and he doubted very much whether there would be a problem. But it was something he would have to clear up before he agreed.
"Well", he said, "I can see where you're coming from and you may well have got your answer, but one or two things must be clarified before I agree. Now don't get me wrong. I'm sure you're well able to take punishment without a fuss (in fact I see that one of you is sporting the results of a recent painful interview with a master), but we all know that there are some boys who are perfectly OK when they are whacked at school but who make a tremendous fuss when they get it at home. I would only go along with your plan if I could be sure that you'd take any punishment I thought you needed without any argument and without any crying."
Charlie was deeply offended by this question. He interrupted in a rush. "Timmy and I have had some of the hardest whackings at our school and neither of us has ever cried. I'm not saying we don't sometimes argue with Dad when he gets his slipper out, but there's no way we'd argue with you. It would just be like getting the whack from a prefect."
Timmy gave a more reserved response. It seemed to him that he could use Robbie's concerns to good advantage, by setting some of his own conditions. "Robbie didn't really think we'd be wimps, he just had to be sure of things. Honestly Robbie, you won't get any trouble like that from us. If we all agree now on what to expect when we're naughty, everything will be fine. I vote we make the rules now. As its the hols, I don't think we ought to get it like we do at school, you know, touching our toes and all that. It ought to be like a normal home whacking. That means we would take our trousers and pants down and lie across your knee. You can use Dad's whacking slipper, it's really hard you know. But we shouldn't usually get more than four whacks, unless Sammy and you both agree that we need six. Does that seem fair?"
"It certainly does", said Robbie, "the only other thing is just to make sure that Sammy agrees and that there is no way your dad will find out. He did, after all, make it pretty clear that punishments should be left to him and your uncle. I know you wouldn't tell him, but we'd better make sure that Sammy doesn't think her promise would mean she had to. Anyway, it's time to get back for lunch. Come on, let's get dressed."
When the three boys got back to the house they found Sammy putting the dishes on the table. You might have thought that she would resent having to do household chores when her brothers and boyfriend were swimming in the river. But, truth to tell, she was rather enjoying playing the mother figure. She greeted the boys cheerily and took her place at the head of the table, indicating to Robbie that he should sit at the other end. Then she served up the cold meats and salad and they all tucked in. It was Timmy, again, who turned the conversation to the great plan".
"Sam, you know about how Dad made you promise to tell him if we were naughty?"
"Yes. I'm really sorry about that, but he forced me to promise. Otherwise we wouldn't have been allowed to be here without adults. There's nothing I'd like better than not having to sneak on you, but a promise is a promise. It's no good expecting you to stay out of trouble, let's just hope I don't catch you when you're up to mischief."
"Can you remember the precise words of your promise?", Tim pressed on.
"I'm afraid I can, and there's no way out of it. I had to repeat after him: 'I promise that if the twins do anything for which they would normally be punished, and if they have not been punished for it already, I will tell Dad as soon as he gets back'. The bit about you already being punished was there in case Uncle Joseph had whacked you. But there's no way I'd ring him, however bad you are. So Dad will just have to be told."
"That's where your wrong Sammy", said Charlie, "we've got a plan. You're promise didn't say 'if they have not been punished by Uncle Joseph' it just said 'if they have not been punished'. So, if someone else punishes us, you don't have to tell. That's right, isn't it?"
"I suppose so, but I don't see how that's going to help. There's no one else, other than Uncle Joseph to do it, and I wouldn't believe you for a second if you said you would rather have him whacking you (and giving you his dreadful lectures) than getting it from Dad."
Timmy's turn again. "In a year's time, when we go to Upton, we're going to be in the same house as Robbie and he's going to be a prefect ..."
Robbie interrupted, "hang on, I never said I would be a prefect. I just said I might be".
"Course you will" continued Timmy, "I can't think there can be anyone else who would be better. Anyway, Sam, one of Robbie's most important jobs as a prefect will be to give whackings to the junior boys. That means he'll have to whack Charlie and me. If he's going to end up doing it anyway, why doesn't he start now? After all, you're having to stand in for Mum, there's no reason why he shouldn't stand in for Dad. We've managed to persuade him, all we need is for you to go along with it."
Sammy had heard about prefects beating younger boys, and she knew, in particular, that Robbie had been caned by prefects several times (he always reported his escapades in his letters). She'd thought it a strange custom, but had accepted that the male of the species was a different race from the female. So she wasn't as taken aback by the plan as she might have been. She thought for a moment or two, and the more she did so, the more the idea grew on her. What particularly appealed, it has to be said, was Timmy's suggestion that Robbie would be 'standing in for Dad'. She rather liked the prospect of she and Robbie being mother and father to the twins. Maybe, there were other things that mothers and father did that they could practice (within reason of course).
At last she spoke. "Well, I have to hand it to you boys, you seem to have cracked the problem. So long as Robbie agrees, I'll go along with it. The only thing I'd say is that I would be breaking my promise if he didn't punish you as hard as Dad would. So if this is just a ploy on your part to get soft treatment, it won't work."
Robbie put her mind at rest. "Don't worry Sammy, if I think the twins need a whacking, it'll be just as hard as your dad would give, and I wouldn't be surprised if that was very hard indeed."
"It certainly is", said Timmy, "he's just as hard as the head. Even when he spanks Sammy, which is just with his hand, it's pretty bad, isn't it Sam?".
Sammy coughed in embarrassment. The last thing she wanted was Robbie to think she was still a child. "As far as I can remember he did used to be pretty hard, yes", she said, in the hope of giving the impression that they were talking about ancient history.
"Come on Sam", said Charlie, "have you forgotten last hols and Dad's eruption at your school report. From all I heard, he had your knickers down and you across his knee in record time".
Sammy was getting annoyed now, but there was no need to. Robbie's reaction to the turn the conversation had taken was not at all the one she feared. The idea of her naked bottom being spanked was one which, far from turning him off, was having decidedly the opposite effect. So much so, that he thought it prudent not to get up and help her clear away the main course. He could see how embarrassed she was. He decided to change the subject, to relieve that embarrassment and, he hoped, to relieve the pressure in his groin. But first, he had to try to put her mind at rest.
"I always think it's unfair that parents go on spanking their daughters so long. I remember my older sister getting whacked when she was sixteen. I think that's too old, for girls. I mean, they grow up much faster than us boys. I never mind getting the cane at school, cos I know I need it sometimes. But sixteen year old girls are so much more mature. Anyway, this is a boring subject", anyone seeing the bulge in his trousers would have drawn a different conclusion. "Come on, let's make some plans for the rest of the hols".
And so they turned to consider how they would fill the idyllic days ahead.
The afternoon was spent by the river again. This time the boys wore trunks, in deference to Sammy's presence. She wore a very skimpy bikini that hardly covered her small round bottom. Robbie was able to confirm that its proportions were very similar to those of the twins'. It was just that little bit rounder and more fleshy. He found himself having to take quite a few dives into the icy water to calm himself down as he thought back to that conversation about her school report.
On the following day the boys and Sammy took a picnic to the woods on the other side of the river. They swam again. Later, they played some fierce doubles on the Hardmans' tennis court and, in the evening, they went into the village, to the pub on the green. It had a beer garden where children were allowed. Robbie somehow managed to convince the landlord that he was old enough to buy drinks and smuggled out shandies for the twins and a pint and a half of bitter for him and Sammy. When they got back home, Sammy served the stew which she had left slowly cooking in the oven. Robbie had bought a bottle of red wine in the off licence part of the pub and they all had a couple of glasses with their meal. When the washing up was completed they played billiards until about 10.30 (the Hardmans, as you have by now guessed, were not hard up). It was now way past the twins' bedtime and Sammy remembered her motherly duties.
"OK Timmy and Charlie, bed time now. See you in the morning". She expected some protestation, but there was none. The twins dutifully said their goodnights and left Robbie and Sammy together.
"I bet you they're planning some mischief", Sammy said.
"Why do you say that?"
"I've never known them agree to go to bed straight away unless they've cooked up some scheme. Do you think I should go and check on them?"
"Come on Sammy, there's no need for us to spy on them. If we happen to catch them up to no good, that'll be fair enough. But I don't think we should go looking for trouble."
"No, I suppose you're right. It's just that I don't want them doing anything silly and hurting themselves."
"They'll be all right. Come on, let's see what the late film's like".
They left the billiard room and went to the small sitting room, which was much cosier than the drawing room, and which had a good sized television.
Meanwhile, the twins were in their bedroom. Sure enough, they were planning an adventure. Neither had undressed. They were sitting on their beds. The door was ajar and they were listening intently.
"Hang on", whispered Charlie, "I just heard them going into the sitting room. They must be going to watch the late film. That's perfect. We'll give them half an hour, just to make sure they get stuck into it, and then we can creep down the back stairs and out of the scullery door. If we take the key with us, we can lock it from outside. Sam will check it's locked and won't be suspicious when she finds it is. If we go the long way round, we can get to the river without passing the sitting room windows. When we come back we can check that the lights are all off downstairs, which'll mean they've gone to bed, and we can get back up here without them ever knowing."
The boys waited patiently. Then, once they were satisfied that the film must have gripped Sammy and Robbie, they silently made their way downstairs. The plan worked perfectly. Ten minutes after setting off they were in their favourite spot by the river. Midnight swimming was strictly forbidden in the Hardman household unless and adult was present, for obvious reasons. When planning the exercise, both boys had agreed that, if caught, they would be likely to find that Sammy and Robbie would think that six were deserved. But that did not put them off. Oh what fun it was to be young and carefree. And, now they were there, they certainly had no regrets. It was a wonderfully balmy night. There was a full moon which was reflected in the surface of the river. They knew, from past experience, that the water, which had felt so cold during the hot day, would now feel much warmer. They did not hesitate a moment. They pulled off all their clothes, put them by a tree, and jumped into the river.
Back at the house, the film had not proved a success. They kept the television on, but neither was following the plot. They had originally sat one at each end of the deep sofa. Gradually, each had edged closer to the other. By the time the boys were making their way towards the river Sammy's head was resting on Robbie's shoulder and his left arm was wrapped round her shoulders. Hoping it would seem to her to be inadvertent if she did not like it, he allowed his hand to stroke her back and move, ever so slowly towards her left thigh. There was no protest. He let his hand wander further. Soon, he was stroking her bottom. Still no protest. He shifted slightly and looked down into her face. Her eyes were closed, but she was obviously not asleep. She had the most contended smile on her face. It was almost a shock to him to realise that she was enjoying this as much as he was. Gently he lowered his lips to hers and gave her the slightest of kisses. Her eyelids flickered, but remained closed. Her smile widened. He bent again. This time, the kiss was harder and longer. He felt her lips opening. He opened his. He felt her tongue on his. Moments later they were wrapped in the most passionate of embraces. His excitement had been growing the closer he had got to her. Now, it was not just obvious to him. She could feel the hardness as his crotch pressed close to her body. She wanted this to go on for ever. But she also remembered her promise to her father. She knew it had to stop before it went too far.
"Darling Robbie", she whispered to him, "this is just fabulous, but I can tell that I'm getting you too excited. It's unfair on you. Why don't we go down to the river. You can have a cool swim and calm down a bit. There's no need for trunks at this time of night. I might even go in myself, so long as you promise to keep your hands to yourself when my clothes are off." Thus was the twins' fate sealed.
Robbie and Sammy had no need to make the secret exit taken earlier by the boys. Neither was there a need to whisper as they made their way to the river. But it was only when they were yards away from the twins that their arrival was heard by the miscreants. Timmy and Charlie were practising their underwater swimming. It was Charlie whose head appeared above water first. He heard the sound of his sister's voice. Timmy's head appeared next. Charlie held a finger to his mouth and pointed to where the sound of voices could be heard.
"Just our luck", he whispered, "try and stay as much underwater as you can. If we swim round the bend we can get out and creep round to our clothes."
"OK Charlie. Good luck." They both dived back under the water and silently swam round the bend."
Sammy and Robbie were standing several yards apart while they stripped off. Robbie was by a tree. His eyes were now accustomed to the light and, assisted by the bright moon, he could see quite well. He had not promised not to look, he thought, and he was staring happily at Sammy's back as she slipped off her shirt. Her jeans followed. Then her knickers. Now he had his first view of that wonderful bottom. His heart beat faster.
"I bet you're looking at my bum" she laughed, "I'm getting in now. Promise you'll turn round and not look any more till I'm in."
He sighed. It would have been nice to see the front as well. Still, he had already got a great deal further than he had expected. He turned and pulled down his own jeans. As he did so, he saw a small heap of something by the tree. He peered closer and realised what it was. There were two pairs of shoes, two pairs of jeans and two T shirts. It didn't take a genius to work out who else was around. He smiled to himself. Then he looked around. There was a hedge a little way off with a ditch running next to it. He picked up the twins' clothes (and his own) and secreted them all in the ditch. He chuckled again and made his way to the river bank.
The twins were moving slowly on the bank, back round the bend and towards the tree where they had left their clothes. As they rounded the bend they saw Robbie's back as he prepared to dive in. They waited for him to do so, and then edged slowly forward to the tree. There were no clothes! The moon may have been bright, but it was not that bright, and they realised that finding the clothes was not going to be easy. Timmy suggested going back to the house naked. But then Charlie pointed out the obvious truth.
"It's no good Timmy. We have been well and truly caught. Our clothes can't have walked. No one else can be here. They must have found them and hidden them. Come on, we might as well give ourselves up." As he spoke, he walked towards the river.
Robbie gave a whispered account of his finding and hiding the twins's clothes to Sammy as they swam side by side. They watched the bank carefully as they waited to see what would happen. First Charlie and then Timmy came into sight. It was Timmy who called out.
"We plead guilty Robbie".
"I can't exactly see how a not guilty plea would have helped you", Robbie replied. "I'm afraid I'll have to deal with you two when we get back to the house. But as Sammy and I are here to keep an eye on you, you might as well come in for another dip."
The twins were happy to put off what they knew could not be avoided for ever. They jumped in and all four splashed and swam relatively happily (Robbie and Sammy, it has to be said, more happily than Timmy and Charlie). But all good things have to come to an end. Eventually Robbie called out.
"I think we'd better be off now". Sammy agreed and they all swam back to the bank. The twins, despite their forthcoming session with Robbie, were amused to see that their sister and her boyfriend were both naked.
Timmy whispered to Charlie "do you think we've interrupted something her?".
Charlie gave a knowing chuckle as he clambered out of the water.
Sammy had brought two towels. The twins had completely forgotten theirs. They waited while Robbie and Sammy dried themselves. Robbie didn't think it would be right for the boys to see him trying to look at their sister's naked body, so he looked away. But now he had something else to look at: two shivering and naked boys who were shortly to have their bottoms well and truly reddened. What a day this was proving to be.
Eventually they were all dressed again (even if the twins were shortly to be undressing once more). They started their walk back. Sammy had said very little until now. She was actually rather distressed about what had happened. What, she thought, if one of the twins had got cramp and the other had been unable to find him in the dark? She was not going to treat this lightly. Eventually she spoke.
"You know how dangerous midnight swimming can be at your age. How many times has Dad told you? Hundreds. I'm sorry boys, but I'm voting for Robbie to give you six."
This did not surprise the twins. They had been reconciled to their probable fate for some time now. But Robbie then spoke.
"Sorry, Sammy, I'm sure you're right, but it needs my vote as well and I'm afraid you're not getting it. Four will be enough this time. Don't worry, it'll hurt a lot."
Sammy could not persuade him to change his mind. She wasn't really sorry about that. She loved her brothers dearly and she didn't want them to be hurt too much. So long, she thought, as she had done her best to ensure proper punishment, all was all right.
Back in the house the twins took Robbie to their father's study while Sammy went to the kitchen to make some hot chocolate.
Once in the study, Timmy went straight to the cabinet where the whacking slipper was kept. He took it out and handed it to Robbie. He flexed it in his hands. He noted the hard leather sole. It was certainly suitable for the task in hand.
Charlie pointed to an upright chair. "That's what Dad sits on when we need to be punished".
Robbie carefully sat himself down. He looked up to see both boys undoing their jeans again. They pulled them down. Their boxer shorts also came down. For the first time, he noticed that both boys had wisps of fair hair already. He found himself wondering whether they had yet discovered the delights of masturbation. Then he concentrated on the job in hand. Timmy stepped forward first and gently laid himself across the older boy's knee. Robbie looked down at the defenceless little bottom. The marks of the school slippering had almost completely vanished now. He tapped the slipper on the boy's bottom and saw the muscles tense for the first blow. He raised the slipper high in the air, paused, and then brought it crashing down. Timmy jerked, but made no sound. The whole of his bottom had turned, in an instant, from white to pink and then to red. Robbie used all his force for all four strokes. But Timmy still made no sound. It must, Robbie knew from all too much personal experience, have been excruciatingly painful. The boy was definitely to be admired.
When he got up, Timmy clutched his bottom with both hands. All he said was "you're definitely harder than Dad, I'm not looking forward to being swished by you at Upton".
Charlie took his place. The whole performance was repeated. As he rose at the end, he too clutched his bottom. It was as sore and hot as it had ever been. He was mightily impressed.
Once the boys had recovered, they, and Robbie, went into the kitchen for their hot chocolate. Sammy looked at them questioningly as they came in. Charlie spoke for both twins.
"You can rest assured, Sam, that both your little brothers have got the sorest bums they've ever had."
All four sipped their drinks in silence for a while. Robbie and Sammy were sitting. The twins preferred not to. Finally, when the drinks were finished, Sammy gently suggested that they might all go to bed. It had been a long and eventful day. No one complained. Robbie would have liked a little more time alone with Sammy, but he knew he should not push his luck. They all trudged upstairs.
As the twins undressed yet again, they admired each other's scarlet bottoms and agreed that Robbie was a real ace with the slipper. Robbie would have been amused to know that they had indeed discovered the delights of masturbation. Both were in a state of early arousal. Each knew that the other drew this comfort from whackings. But they never admitted it. Instead, they spoke to each other of imaginary girls in order to explain the obvious activity under the bed clothes. They were not unhappy with their day.
Sammy was also a contented girl as she lay back thinking of her Robbie and all that had nearly happened. Her resolve was slipping.
As for Robbie. Well, he had spent large parts of the day in a state of considerable arousal. At last he could get some relief. His thoughts were chiefly of Sammy, and how far he would get over the fortnight. But he also pictured those two boys' bottoms turning redder and redder. "That was the best ever" he whispered aloud as the release finally came.