Alex walked into the bedroom with a load of laundry on her hip to find Olivia sprawled out on the bed with one arm over her eyes and her cell phone clutched in her hand, having just hung up with her younger brother, Simon. Alex put the laundry basket on the bed and began to sort through it.
"Hey, babe. What's up?"
"My brother is what's up." Olivia grumbled in an irritated tone. Simon was going to be the death of her.
"You know he's just worried about his kids. I'm sure he doesn't mean to be a pain in the butt."
"Yeah, but can he worry about his kids without screwing with my job? Is that too much to ask?! I mean, seriously, I think when he was very young somebody dropped him on his head. 'I could never lie to my big sister'. Those were his exact words! And it's been nothing but lies ever since!" Olivia realized that she was getting herself worked up, and she took several slow, deep breaths. She held out her arms to her wife. Holding Alex always seemed to calm her.
Alex happily abandoned the laundry and snuggled into Olivia's arms.
"Speaking of butts, how's this one?" Olivia asked kindly, reaching down to tenderly pat Alex's bottom.
"It hurts, but I'm okay," Alex replied honestly. The paddle had done its job well, but she would survive. She always did. "I'm sorry I made you have to paddle me."
"It's forgiven and forgotten, baby," Olivia smiled and kissed Alex's forehead, "I'll tell you what, though, if my darling brother doesn't get his act together you're going to have to save some of that arnica for him."
That night, at around 2:00 am, Olivia's cell phone rang. This was not an unusual occurrence; Olivia was often called in to work at strange hours. Knowing that Olivia would kiss her goodbye before she left, Alex rolled on to her side and drifted back to sleep, hearing Olivia's voice talking on the phone but not really paying attention to the conversation.
"Alex. Alex, wake up, princess." Olivia gently stroked Alex's face to rouse her.
"Hmm? Wha?" Alex mumbled sleepily.
"I have to go in to work, baby. Simon got caught trying to sneak his kids out of state."
"Where is he now?" Olivia asked as she strode into the squad room.
"Holding Room Two. Liv, you didn't have any prior knowledge of this, right?" Captain Cragen replied. He wasn't accusing Olivia of anything, but he felt he had to cover all his bases to help Olivia keep her job safe.
"Of course not! Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to have a chat with my baby brother." Olivia stormed off. Seemingly being accused of breaking the law did not help to improve her mood.
"Liv, let me explain-" Simon started to say when Olivia walked in the room.
"No, Simon, let me explain," Olivia glared at him, "you broke the law. You stole away with your kids in the middle of the night. That's called kidnapping. And my Captain just asked me if I had anything to do with it! If this goes to court and they don't believe me when I tell them that I had no prior knowledge of what you were planning to do, I could lose my job, making this the second time that I've put my job on the line for you! I can't afford to lose my job, Simon. I have a wife to take care of, and you know that we are trying to adopt Calvin. I keep bailing you out because you're my brother and I love you, but you have to stop making these bone-headed decisions before they come back to bite you."
Simon wasn't quite sure how to react to Olivia's lecture. Part of him wanted to tell Olivia off; she wasn't his mother, so who was she to tell him what he could and couldn't do? But another part of him felt relief that someone was calling him out on his reckless behavior and holding him accountable. Simon looked at his big sister and started to feel bad. It was after two o' clock in the morning and here she was, probably exhausted and mad as hell, but still cared enough to try to talk some sense into him.
"Sorry." was the only thing he could think of to say.
"Well, honey, I'm sorry too, but you know, sometimes 'sorry' just doesn't cut it. I had my Captain convince the DA to let me bring you home with me tonight instead of spending the rest of the night in jail, so let's go. We'll talk more in the morning. Tomorrow is my day off and we're going to have a long conversation."
Alex created a make-shift bed for Simon on the couch and the threesome quickly fell asleep. The next morning, Olivia and Alex were talking quietly in their bedroom while Simon was asleep on their couch.
"Would it make you uncomfortable if I did end up spanking him?" Olivia asked.
"No. I mean, he's your brother, but even if he wasn't, you're not interested in his parts, so it's no threat to me." Alex reasoned.
"Good, because I have half a mind to wear him out with your paddle." Olivia declared.
"Hey, I make no claims of ownership to that wicked thing, even if it's my butt that it gets used on! You bought it, it's your paddle!" Alex argued good-naturedly.
"Point taken," Olivia laughed, "I'll go start the coffee."
It was Olivia's day off, but Alex had to work, so she came out of the bedroom wearing her usual pencil skirt and heels. Simon was also awake and standing at the stove, having offered to scramble eggs for breakfast.
"Here you go, baby girl." Olivia handed Alex a cup of coffee with a kiss.
"Thanks, hon." Alex accepted the cup and leaned against the counter instead of sitting in her usual spot at the table, wanting to delay putting pressure on her backside for as long as possible.
"Do you want eggs, Alex?" Simon asked his sister-in-law.
"Yeah, thanks." Alex accepted a plate.
"Did Liv tell you about last night?" Simon asked cautiously.
"Yeah, she did," Alex nodded, "I can't be your attorney because I'm married to your sister and it's a conflict of interest, but I can recommend who to call. You have no prior convictions, so thank your lucky stars you didn't actually make it across state lines, otherwise you'd really be up the creek. Where are Tracy and the kids, by the way?"
"The DA let Tracy take the kids back home. Liv came to the station last night and convinced the DA to let her bring me here instead of spending the night in jail."
Just then, Calvin came out of his room dressed and ready for school.
"Morning, Mom. Morning, Mama. Morning, Uncle Simon…. What are you doing here?"
"I came by last night to talk to your mom and I fell asleep on the couch." Simon figured it would be best if the kid didn't know what had really happened last night.
"Oh. No work today, Mom?" Calvin noticed that Olivia was not wearing her gun or badge.
"Nope, it's my day off. Mama is going to drop you off at school on her way to work, and I'll be there to pick you up after basketball practice."
"Okay. Love you."
"Love you too, baby. Have a good day." Olivia smiled.
"Bye, love," Alex kissed Olivia deeply, eliciting an eye roll from Calvin, and then she turned to her son, "come on, kiddo, grab your books and let's hit the road."
"Seriously, the amount of kissing that goes on in this house is disgusting." Calvin informed his uncle, making all three adults laugh.
"He's a great kid, Liv. You and Alex are good parents." Simon complimented his sister after Alex and Calvin were safely out the door.
"Thanks, we try. So, tell me about last night. What demon possessed you and made you think kidnapping your children was in any way, shape, or form an acceptable thing to do?"
"I don't know what I was thinking," Simon groaned, "Tracy and I got into another fight and she told me that she had filed paperwork to take away my parental rights and I just flipped out."
"Simon," Olivia sighed, "I'm sorry that you and Tracy are going through this divorce. I know it's got to be painful. I would be devastated if Alex left me and then tried to take Calvin away from me. Alex and I have had Calvin for less than two years, but one thing I've learned since the day I brought Calvin home is that parenting requires you to put the kid first. You look out for his best interest. You take care of his needs. You don't 'flip out' and make reckless decisions that turn his life upside down. Your kids are already having their lives turned upside down by this divorce. They don't need to see their father behind bars on top of it."
"I just love my kids so much and I can't stand the thought of not seeing them." Simon's eyes grew misty.
"Alex knows some damn fine attorneys and can hook you up with one that will help you fight to keep your parental rights. We've already talked about it and she's going to make a few phone calls on her lunch break today."
"Thanks. I appreciate that."
"We're family, and families look out for each other. Speaking of looking out for each other, though, I don't appreciate being lied to." Olivia glared.
"When did I lie to you?" Simon asked in confusion.
"When we were on the phone yesterday, remember? I told you not to do anything stupid and you promised me that you wouldn't. I think stealing away with your kids in the middle of the night definitely qualifies as stupid. Besides that, I'm extremely worried about your impulsiveness. You don't think, you just act on spur of the moment emotions."
"I'm sorry I'm dragging you through all this. You must really hate me."
"Of course not! You're my brother and I love you very much! In fact, I love you enough to help you keep your behavior in check, if you'll let me."
"What does that mean?" Simon was confused again.
"I'll be right back." Olivia got up from the couch where the two had been sitting and disappeared into the bedroom. When she returned, she was carrying what appeared to be some sort of wooden paddle.
"I talked to Alex this morning, and she gave me permission to share with you about our relationship. Alex and I have been together for twenty years. For about eighteen of those years, we have practiced what is called Domestic Discipline. Basically, Alex has entrusted me with her behavior. So we have a list of rules that we have agreed upon and when she breaks those rules, she receives some sort of consequence, usually in the form of a spanking. This paddle is one of the implements we use. In fact, it got used just yesterday. Alex will no doubt find it somewhat difficult to sit at her desk today, but you can bet that was the last lie that will come out of her mouth for at least a few months." Olivia paused for a moment to let her words sink in.
"But… wait a sec… I don't understand… I saw her kiss you this morning?" Simon looked bewildered.
"Well, yeah," Olivia smiled, "of course she did. As my son so eloquently put it this morning, the amount of kissing that goes on in this house is disgusting. She's my wife. I love her and she loves me. Just because I spank her when she deserves it doesn't mean that I don't love her or that I see her as inferior to me in any way. She is absolutely my equal, she just chooses to submit to my authority, and since it's her own choice, there's no reason for her to hold a grudge against me when she knows she's broken a rule that she willingly agreed to abide by. Actually, it goes both ways, because spanking kind of clears the air between us. She has no reason to hold a grudge against me for punishing her, and I have no reason to hold a grudge against her for whatever she did to earn a spanking. It cuts down on a lot of arguing, it just took us three years to figure that out."
"So when you say you'll help me 'keep my behavior in check', you mean…"
"Yes, but only if you agree to it. It has to be your choice. I don't want to pressure you one way or the other, so lets just drop it for now. It's only 9:30 and I don't have to pick up Calvin from basketball practice until 4:00."
"There's my beautiful bride!" Olivia smiled when Alex walked in the door.
"Hi, baby." Alex smiled and leaned in for a kiss.
"Perfect timing, too. I'm just getting ready to head off to pick up Calvin. Why don't you and Simon decide what I should 'make' for dinner tonight while I'm gone." Olivia handed Alex a stack of take-out menus to choose from.
"Hey, Alex, can I talk to you about something?" Simon asked cautiously.
"Sure. What's up?" Alex asked as she sat down on the couch.
"Well, Liv and I had a long talk today. Actually, she did most of the talking, basically telling me to get my act together. But then she started talking about your relationship, and basically told me that she thinks I could benefit from the same type of thing because I've been screwing up a lot lately. And I just… I don't know… I guess I don't really know what I'm asking. It just seems… strange. But at the same time, I kind of see her point."
"Liv's pretty good at making her point loud and clear," Alex smiled, "I agree with you, though, it is kind of strange. I mean, you certainly don't hear much about people smacking their partner on the butt when they screw up. Not in general conversation, anyway."
"So, what's in it for you? Why agree to being treated like a child?"
"Liv doesn't treat me like a child. You don't share a bed with a child, you share a bed with a woman. Sometimes I act like a child and then she treats me like a woman who has been acting like a child, but she does it because she loves me and I submit to her because I love her. We want what's best for our marriage. When Olivia and I first met back when she was at the Academy and I was in law school, we fought all the time. I had just gotten out of an abusive relationship and didn't know how to communicate with a partner properly or really how to be in a healthy relationship at all. It took us about three years before we got some sense knocked into us by some friends of ours, Elliot and Kathy Stabler. So we sat down and had a long conversation. We knew that we had to do something or we weren't going to make it."
"Okay, I guess that makes sense. But what about when she screws up? She's human too."
"Yes, she is, and there are consequences when she screws up, just not from me. I am a submissive, I don't discipline people… well, except for my son, but that's part of being a mom. When Liv screws up, knowing that she let our relationship down is really punishment enough for her. She internalizes everything and tends to beat herself up. She apologizes to me, I accept her apology, and we move on with our lives."
"But why are you the one who gets the physical consequences? Why not just apologize and move on, like she does?"
"Because Liv and I are two different people with different personalities and different needs. Liv is naturally more dominant; really the only person she submits to is Captain Cragen. When I am not in the court room, I am naturally more submissive. That doesn't make me weak or somehow inferior to Liv, it just is who I am. There's nothing wrong with needing someone to call you out and tell you to straighten up or else. I need Liv to hold me accountable for my actions, and I embrace my need."
"But doesn't it hurt?"
Alex laughed.
"Of course it hurts! I don't know if Liv told you or not, but I got paddled just yesterday. Now, I'd much rather take a paddling than, say, a caning or a whipping, but I hate that paddle with every fiber of my being. If it didn't hurt, it would be useless. But because it hurts, it's an excellent deterrent."
"But you're a grown woman. Can't you just reason with yourself and deter yourself from screwing up?"
"Sure, I can talk myself out of doing something stupid, and have. But I am human just like everyone else and I am going to screw up from time to time, and when I do, that's when Liv steps in to correct me."
"Okay… so… what happens, exactly? I mean, how does it work?"
"Take yesterday, for example. I broke one of our rules because I was being careless. I didn't exactly do it on purpose, but it wasn't exactly an accident either because if I had been paying attention I wouldn't have done it in the first place. Now, logically, I know that lying is wrong and I know that I should confess to Liv and get the consequences over with because if I tell the truth then the consequences won't be so severe. But because my butt hates being spanked, my brain and my mouth got together and foolishly decided to lie to protect my butt from the spanking it deserved. I am not a person who can live with guilt, and I did feel guilty knowing that I had lied to get out of trouble. So I swallowed my pride and I confessed. Liv was proud of me for confessing, but disappointed that I had lied in the first place, and she sent me to our room to wait for her in the corner. Not all couples who practice Domestic Discipline implement corner time, but Liv does because it gives me time to think about what I've done and it's a location where my mind can't really wander because somehow the corner just does that to a person. It also gives her time to cool off if I've done something that she finds particularly irksome."
"How do you know she won't just get angry at something you've done and take it out on you? You were in an abusive relationship before, isn't this just potential for more abuse?"
"No. My ex beat the daylights out of me because it made her feel powerful to hit another person, and I still have a banged up rotator cuff to prove it. Liv never strikes anywhere except on my butt, it is controlled and methodic, and it isn't to give her a power trip, it is to correct my behavior. Like I said, if I've done something that makes Liv angry, she sends me to the corner in our bedroom to wait while she cools off. But I also have my 'safe word' to help me out if I ever feel like she isn't calm when she starts to discipline me. I can use my 'safe word' to put a stop to any punishment and tell her to take a chill pill. I've only used my 'safe word' once in eighteen years, and I've never been hauled off a person's lap so fast! She's demonstrated to me through her actions that I can trust her not to hurt me, so I do trust her. She doesn't like to spank me, but she does it because I need it just as much as I need air or nourishment."
"What if you think you are being punished unfairly?"
"If I feel that I do not deserve to be punished, then I communicate my point of view to Olivia and we have a conversation about it. Communication is imperative in any relationship, and ours is no different. She listens to what I have to say, and I listen to what she has to say, and then the final decision is hers to make, and I trust her to always be fair. I have never received a spanking that I didn't deserve."
"And you never feel resentful or afraid?"
"Oh, the first couple of times Liv put me over her knee, sure, I was a bit resentful afterwards, even though I had agreed to it, because my butt hurt and I wasn't used to being held accountable for my actions. And afraid? I can think of a few inanimate objects that my butt is distinctly afraid of, but I am not afraid of my wife. She is the kindest, most loving, gentle, compassionate, tender person I know. Some of my most cherished memories are those times after my punishment is over when she holds me and comforts me. She knows that I need to be held after my punishment and reassured that I am forgiven, and she's very good at doing that."
"And then everything goes back to normal, just like this morning." Simon stated more than asked.
"Yep," Alex nodded, "I usually take a nap after my punishments, because spankings tend to really wear me out. But when I wake up, life goes back to 'normal', whatever that looks like when you have a ten-year-old son who can tell you the batting average of every baseball player known to man, but can't remember to put his shoes away in the closet instead of leaving them in the middle of the floor for his moms to trip over."
"Mama, guess what?!" Calvin gushed as he burst through the door with Olivia hot on his heels.
"What, baby?" Alex smiled at her son's impeccable timing.
"I got an A+ on my math test today!"
"Good job, buddy! I'm ordering us dinner soon, so go grab a shower and then hit the books. I want all of your homework done before the food gets here so that you, me and Mom can watch the movie of your choice tonight before you go to bed." Alex knew that they would probably end up watching 'Harry Potter' for the millionth time and Olivia would not be a happy camper, but she wanted to reward her son's good grade.
Calvin wrinkled his nose at the mention of his homework, but he obeyed.
"So, what have you two been doing?" Olivia asked her wife and brother.
"We've just been sitting here talking. Simon had a few questions for me regarding the incident yesterday."
"Oh, yeah? Good conversation?"
"Yeah, Alex helped me out a lot. Um… can I come by again tomorrow? Maybe Alex can take Calvin out to dinner and a movie so you and I can talk privately?"
"Sure, Mama can take me to dinner and a movie tomorrow!" Calvin called from down the hall.
"Mama can also feed you worms and make you watch The Notebook, so get in the shower already!" Olivia called back, rolling her eyes at her son's antics.
"Gummy worms?" Calvin asked, before quickly shutting the bathroom door and turning on the water before his mom could come after him.
"You know, he gets the sass thing from you." Alex grinned at Olivia.
"Nope, he gets that from you, babe. He has my eyes." Olivia joked.
Alex did take Calvin out for dinner and a movie the next evening, and not too long after they left, Simon showed up at the door.
"So, what's up?" Olivia asked, sitting beside Simon on the couch.
"I think I need to be corrected." Simon blurted out before his courage left him.
"Okay, then let's talk about it. What exactly do you need to be corrected for?"
"I broke the law trying to smuggle my kids out of state, and I lied to you. You told me not to do anything stupid and I told you I wouldn't, but I knew the whole time that I was going to do it."
"The court is going to punish you for breaking the law, and it's not my place to double up on their punishment, so we'll just focus on your lying to me and your impulsiveness. And you're absolutely sure that you're ready to accept the consequences of your actions?" Olivia double checked.
"Yes, I'm sure. I don't want my kids to grow up having a father who acts recklessly and doesn't accept the consequences. You and I both know what that feels like."
"You are a much better man than he is, Simon, because you are accepting the consequences of your actions," Olivia assured her brother kindly, "so, did Alex explain at all about what usually happens, or do we need to go over it?"
"She explained it, and I understand it. It's just a whole lot of new all at once."
"Nervous?" Olivia sympathized.
"Yeah."
"That's understandable, but you know I love you and would never hurt you. This is only happening for your own good. Now, to start us off on the right foot, I want you to get up and go stand in that corner with your hands on your head, and I want you to think about why you're going to be spanked. I won't make you stand there bare this time, but if we ever have to do this again, I will." Olivia pointed to an empty corner on the far side of the room.
"Okay." Simon started to get up.
"Honey, I know I'm your sister, but when you're being punished, you will address me as 'Ma'am'." Olivia instructed kindly.
"Yes, Ma'am. Sorry." Simon blushed.
"It's okay this time. You didn't know. Go on, into the corner with you."
While Simon was in the corner, Olivia went to the kitchen and retrieved the wooden spoon. She didn't want to be too harsh with Simon since this was his first spanking, but she didn't want to be too lenient and let him off with just a hand spanking either, so she compromised and decided that the wooden spoon would be appropriate. She returned to her spot on the couch and glanced down at her watch. Simon had been in the corner for just over ten minutes, although she was sure that it felt like much longer to him. Alex always told her that it felt like an eternity when she had to stand in the corner, even though Olivia usually never left her there for more than ten minutes.
"Come here, please, Simon." Olivia called from where she sat on the couch.
Simon turned and walked back over to his big sister, flexing his shoulders a little bit as he walked, not being used to holding his arms in one position for so long.
"Okay, we can do this one of two ways. Either way, you are getting spanked on the bare, so either you can take your pants down yourself and I will take down your underwear once you are over my lap, or you can take down your pants and underwear and then lie over my lap. It's your choice."
Simon didn't relish the idea of his big sister pulling down his underwear, but he wisely chose the option that would afford him the most modesty.
"You can pull down my underwear." Simon blushed at the idea of his big sister seeing his naked backside.
"All right, pull down your pants to your knees, then. Lie down over my lap and put your head on this couch pillow and your feet on that end of the couch. I need your bottom right here so I can get to it." Olivia made an arc in the air over her right knee. Simon took a deep breath, pulled his pants down, and then practically leapt over Olivia's lap before she could even think about looking at him.
"Good boy. Are you comfortable?" Olivia asked, biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from smiling.
"Yes, Ma'am." Simon remembered to address Olivia correctly and blushed at being called a 'good boy', not realizing that he would soon come to love hearing those words from his sister just as Alex loved it when Olivia called her a 'good girl'.
Simon thought it was strange that Olivia would ask if he was comfortable, since she was about to make his backside distinctly uncomfortable, but Olivia didn't want anything to distract Simon from the lesson she was trying to teach him so his comfort level elsewhere on his body was imperative.
"I'm going to spank you with my hand first and then I am going to spank you with this wooden spoon. I love you, so I'll tell you now; you are probably going to cry at some point, and that's perfectly okay. You are allowed to cry and I won't judge you for it. However, I don't want you to kick your feet or reach back with your hand to try and stop me. Those are both dangerous things to do during a spanking and I don't want either of us getting hurt. Understood?"
"Yes, Ma'am. Can I ask a question?"
"Yes, you can. What is it?"
"Well, when I was talking to Alex, she mentioned something about a 'safe word'. Can I have one?"
"Of course you can. I'm sorry, I should have thought of that. You can pick any word you like, as long as it's something you can easily remember. As a general rule 'stop' is not a good 'safe word'. Some people use the word 'red'. Others just pick random words. Alex's 'safe word' is 'chocolate'. What word would you like to use?"
"Um… how about I just use 'red'?" Simon asked. The irony of the word was not lost on him.
"Works for me. The one rule about a 'safe word' is that it is intended to be used only if you feel like you are in danger. It is not intended as a 'get out of jail free' card to avoid the consequences of your actions. I am perfectly calm right now and I am not angry, so you should have no reason to feel like you are in danger, but the 'safe word' is in place to protect us both should the need arise. Now, while you were in the corner, I hope you were thinking about your behavior and how it is going to change in the future. While I am spanking you, I want you to keep thinking about it. Can you tell me why you are getting spanked?"
"Yes, Ma'am. I am getting spanked because I lied to you and because I have been making reckless, impulsive decisions."
"That's right. Now, lift up your hips a little bit so I can pull your shorts down."
Simon blushed, but he obeyed and raised his hips. He was sure he was going to die of embarrassment as Olivia pulled down his shorts to his knees and then instructed him to settle back in place.
"Good boy. I want you to know that I am proud of you, Simon. Accepting responsibility for your mistakes is not an easy thing to do. You recognized that you made some mistakes and you haven't tried to justify them or explain them away. That's called integrity and it's a quality in you that I admire. Now lets deal with the consequences of your actions."
"Ouch!" The first spank was a shock. Simon had no idea just how strong Olivia was.
"I know it's hard, but try not to clench. It will only make it hurt more." Olivia advised.
"Ow! Ouch! I'll make - ow! - I'll make better decisions, Ma'am! Ouch! I won't lie to you ever again!" Tears filled Simon's eyes and spilled over as his big sister continued to spank him. He couldn't believe how much this hurt!
"Glad to hear it. Because the next time you make a stupid decision with potentially life-altering implications, this spanking will seem like a piece of cake. I'm going easy on you this time because this is your first spanking, but I won't be so lenient with you in the future. You are a grown man with a perfectly functioning brain. It's time to stop acting like a child and act like you have two." Olivia reached over and picked up the wooden spoon.
Simon howled when the wooden spoon made contact with his tender backside for the first time, and the tears fell harder.
"And the next time you lie to me, not only will I spank you longer and harder, I will also wash your mouth out with soap. I know you think this hurts a lot, but Alex can tell you from experience that a spanking with this spoon is small potatoes compared to other implements, and I won't hesitate to take any one of them to you if you don't make every effort to straighten up and get your act together." Olivia lectured.
"P-please s-stop!" Simon sobbed.
"No, honey. I'm sorry, but I can't stop just yet. You're being very good; I know it hurts." Olivia sympathized even as she spanked, bringing the spoon down hard and fast.
When Olivia felt Simon finally go limp across her lap, she slowed the swats down until finally she stopped completely. She tossed the spoon aside and rubbed Simon's heaving back until he was breathing somewhat normally again.
"Can you hear me, Simon?" Olivia wanted to make sure that Simon was coming back to her.
"Y-y-yes…." Simon wept heavily.
"You did really well, honey. It's all over. Take your time, there's no hurry, but when you're ready you can stand up."
Simon stayed over Olivia's lap for a good five minutes or so. He finally struggled to his feet and immediately he pulled his shorts and pants into place to cover himself.
"Would you like a hug, honey?" Olivia offered with open arms. Simon found himself surprised that he actually wanted to be held like Alex said she always did, but he wasn't about to refuse the offer of comfort after his ordeal.
"There, there. It's all over, honey. You're a good boy." Olivia cooed to her crying sibling, stroking his hair, rubbing his back, and rocking slowly. Simon reached back to rub his bottom and Olivia gently pried his hand away.
"No, Simon. That's not allowed yet. I know it hurts, but that sting is there to teach you a lesson."
"Please?" Simon pleaded tearfully.
"When you get home, you can rub as much as you like." Olivia always made Alex wait twenty four hours before she was allowed to soothe her sore bottom, but that was an unrealistic expectation for Simon.
Simon reluctantly resigned himself to having a sore bottom and not being allowed to soothe it, so he did the only thing he could do; he cried and let his sister comfort him.
"I'm sorry." Simon apologized tearfully.
"I know you are, and you are forgiven. I love you very much, honey, and I only want what's best for you. I don't like spanking you, but I'm glad that now you'll think twice before you lie or act impulsively again, won't you?"
"Yes, Ma'am." Simon wept, and Olivia smiled.
"It's just Olivia or Liv now, honey. Your punishment is over."
"I-I don't want Calvin to s-see me like this."
"Oh, they won't be back for a good while yet. If I know my Calvin, he probably sweet-talked Alex into taking him to his favorite restaurant which is about forty five minutes away and then to see that new sci-fi movie he's been begging to see, which will last for about two hours."
Olivia knew her son well, because that's exactly what happened.