"She's a discipline problem."

"Her father is the Chairman of the Board of Directors."

"I don't care. Other students are afraid of her. How hard can it be to control an eighteen-year-old girl?"

"Are you kidding? Who told you that? I've never seen her pick on another student," Principal Donnelly said with a scoff. "Where is this information coming from?"

Superintendent Branch shook his head. "That's irrelevent. Just control the girl, Liz. I don't want any more complaints. You do agree she's a discipline problem, right? We're on the same page there, at least?"

Liz ran a hand over her face and sighed. "Yes, she's a discipline problem, Arthur. You would be too if you were raised by a herd of strict nannies while your parents sailed off to Barbados and God-knows-where without you."

"Her upbringing is not my concern. The reputation of this school is. Are we clear on this?"

"Yes, yes, we're clear," Liz waved a hand at him dismissively. "Anything else?"

"Nope. Good day, Liz."

Once Arthur was gone, Liz grabbed herself a soda and sat down to go over Abbie Carmichael's file. The girl was a hellion, there was no doubt about that, but Liz could understand why. She felt sorry for the girl. She'd known Andrew and Rebecca Carmichael since before Abbie was born, and on the occasions she'd been at the house for dinner or some politically motivated party, Abbie had never been allowed downstairs - she stayed up in her room with one of her numerous nannies, several of whom Liz had met and had thought they were highly unsuitable companions for a little girl. But, there was no abuse, and no material neglect, so her hands were tied.

Flipping through the file, she ended at the disciplinary action page, and was surprised to see three new offenses since she'd skimmed the list last week: vandalism, drug possession and theft. The girl had received detention for each offense, as the school's only acceptable punishment, but those were serious offenses. As far as Liz knew, Abbie had never been sent to her office for stealing or drugs before. She really hoped this wasn't the start of a new trend for the unruly girl.

As she was about to send for Abbie, there was a knock at the door. "Come in..."

Mr. Knackley appeared in the doorway holding Ms. Carmichael firmly by the elbow. "Theft, this time, again, Ms. Donnelly," he announced.

"Thank you, James. I'll take it from here. Come in, Abbie, have a seat."

Abbie trounced in and sat down as Mr. Knackley left and closed the door.

Liz stared at the girl, a bright smile on her too-heavily-painted lips; her white polo unbuttoned one-too-many; the waistband of her pink and black plaid skirt folded over twice to shorten its length. Her long dark hair was pulled up, as usual, the curls still reaching mid-back.

"Fix your skirt and button your shirt," Liz said first off. "What did you steal?"

Abbie buttoned her polo with a little scowl and stood up to unroll her skirt, smoothing it under her as she sat back down. "I didn't steal anything," her perky little voice lied.

"What were you *accused* of stealing?" Liz amended exasperatedly.

"Mr. Jackson's toupee," the brunette answered with a cheshire-cat grin.

"You think that's funny?" Liz asked, her eyes widening slightly. "You think it's funny to humiliate an old man, an excellent teacher and one of the most wonderful people you could ever hope to meet?"

Abbie's grin vanished instantly. No one had ever bothered to put it to her like that. "No," she said, her brows furrowing as she mulled it over. "I didn't think of it that way, Ma'am." Abbie had always respected Principal Donnelly, because Principal Donnelly had always given her respect. The one person who had never treated her like she was in the way. Abbie had not forgotten all of the times Ms. Donnelly snuck upstairs to play with her during her parents' snooty dinner parties. "I'm sorry." Her big brown eyes dropped to stare at the carpet.

"You did steal it, then," Liz attempted to confirm.

Abbie nodded. "Yeah. I'm sorry." She still stared at the floor.

"You should be sorry. Not only did you steal something, but you also lied to me about it."

Oh, man. Talk about a heavy hit. The one person whose opinion of her actually mattered to her, the one person she admired above all else, was disappointed in her. That just really hurt. A knot formed in the pit of her stomach, and she slowly forced herself to look up at the principal. "I'm really sorry, Ms. Donnelly. Please." She felt five years old, begging for her daddy's attention.

Liz regarded her coolly. "Are you trying to get out of detention? No other teacher has ever reported hearing an apology from you, Abbie."

Abbie shrugged her shoulders and scuffed her shoes on the carpet. "And they never will. But you know you're different."

"Why am I different? Mr. Jackson deserves an apology, Abbie, not me. He's the one your childish prank will have hurt."

"I can't do that," Abbie whined, starting to attempt an explanation.

"You'll do it," Liz cut her off sharply. "There is no other option."

"I won't," Abbie argued, setting her jaw stubbornly, though her stomach did twitch at backtalking Ms. Donnelly.

"You will, Abbie, or I'll call Nikita and explain what you've done." Liz spoke very deliberately. It was a low blow, and she knew it, but Abbie was asking for it. Nikita was the latest housekeeper (Abbie was too old for nannies now, of course) and Liz knew that if she heard what Abbie had done to Mr. Jackson, she'd haul the girl across her knee and tan her backside good, whether she was eighteen or not.

Abbie felt that betrayal cut through her like a knife, her eyes wide with embarrassment and indignation. How could Ms. Donnelly play that card? Passing her off to the housekeeper to deal with?! "Fuck you!" she yelled, and sprang to her feet immediately after, and the chair she'd been sitting in was hurled across the room with such force that it splintered against the wall... and Abbie stormed out the door, slamming it so hard that the windows rattled.

Liz actually blinked in surprise, at the whole outburst, and she dialed the Carmichael residence, speaking with Nikita, before she thought about what to do with the large, sharp pieces of wood that now littered her office floor.

--

Abbie didn't want to go home. She dreaded the thought. If Liz had really called Nikita, then she could kiss a quiet evening good-bye. Smooth move, cussing out Ms. Donnelly. Really smooth, Abbie...

Making a snap decision, the feisty teenager decided not to go home right after school - instead she drove to the local bowling alley and flirted her way to a beer. She got into a catfight with a girl for looking at her the wrong way, which completely messed up her hair and got a hole scratched in her polo shirt, over the left side of her ribcage. But the other girl was spitting blood, so Abbie wasn't too upset. She had a hundred shirts to replace this one, anyway.

Finally she realized it was after eight o'clock, and she had three missed calls on her cell from Nikita. She didn't bother to check and see if her housekeeper had left any messages. Time to face the music, so to speak... she really had no reason to delay going home any longer.

Taking a deep breath, Abbie pushed open the front door and stepped inside, closing it behind her before calling out cheerily, "Nikita, I'm home, gonna get a shower and--"

Nikita appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. "Go to your room, now," she said sharply, wiping her hands off on her jeans and pointing up the stairs. "I'll be up to deal with you shortly." When Abbie opened her mouth to protest, she cut the girl off with a yell. "NOW!"

Abbie clenched her fists at her sides, anger bubbling up at how unfairly she was being treated, but she knew better than to keep arguing with Nikita. "Fine!" she screamed, throwing down her purse and storming up the stairs, slamming her bedroom door much like she had slammed Ms. Donnelly's office door earlier that day.

Oh no, that girl was not going to stomp around and slam doors, by God. Nikita ascended the stairs right after her wayward charge and entered the girl's room without knocking. She pointed to one corner of the room, uttering one word of command. "NOW."

Abbie gaped at her in shock. She had not been made to stand in the corner since she was... hell, she didn't even remember how old! That's how long ago it was! Her boots seemed rooted to the bedroom floor, she couldn't get them to move.

"You're already getting your butt blistered for that stunt at school today, young lady. Don't make it worse."

Abbie couldn't help the wordless whine that escaped her, even though she had known it was going to happen as soon as Liz had threatened to call Nikita. But having it said out loud like that was just... awful.

Nikita looked incredulously at Abbie, who had still not marched herself to the corner. "You can spend ten minutes in the corner and then be strapped, or you can spend ten minutes with the hairbrush and then be strapped," she said matter-of-factly. "And in two seconds the decision will be made for you."

Abbie gasped and hurried to the corner, placing her hands behind her head. Pride and unfairness be damned... she'd rather suffer the indignity of this than have Nikita's hairbrush anywhere near her. She almost changed her mind when she felt Nikita's hands under her skirt, lowering her panties to her knees, and then the woman lifted the back of her skirt and tucked it into the waistband. The teenager's cheeks flushed hotter than she could ever remember feeling, and it took all of her willpower not to do something, *anything* to get out of this. But what could she do, besides run away, which she wasn't about to do? Nothing. So she stood in the corner for ten minutes, blushing, feeling about five years old for the second time that day. She wanted it to be over, but she remembered what was coming next, even though it hadn't happened in about four years - it was impossible to forget any of Nikita's spankings.

"You're eighteen now," Nikita's voice cut through the girl's thoughts. "You won't be going over my knee. Come here, Abigail, bend over and hold your ankles."

Abbie was trembling as she obeyed, not wanting to make things worse. As she wrapped slender fingers around her ankles, she squeezed her eyes shut tight, trying to block out the part of her that knew she deserved this.

Nikita took the strap from where it hung on the wall in the hallway, and stood beside Abbie, launching into a stern lecture. "Abigail Carmichael, you are not above the law, nor are you above being spanked like a child when you have so clearly behaved like one. I do not want to hear of any more pranks, hurtful or otherwise; I do not want to hear about you giving any of your teachers a hard time; I do not want to hear about you using foul language like an uneducated sloven; and I absolutely do not want to hear about you breaking any more furniture! You are a smart girl, with unlimited talent and power at your fingertips, and I will not have you grasping a criminal life instead!" She raised her hand and brought the black razor strap forward hard against Abbie's naked backside, connecting solidly as Abbie gave a yelp.

A second, third and fourth stroke quickly followed the first, and Abbie bent her knees with each one, biting her lip so hard to keep from whimpering. She would not cry. She would not cry. She would NOT cry. Each stroke of the smooth leather lit her backside on fire - but she hadn't expected an easy go of this. However, that didn't make it any easier to take, and she wished she had a belt to bite down on.

As the fifth stroke cut flames across her thighs, her knees gave out and she landed on them, tears spilling from her eyes despite her resolve to keep them in. "Nikita, please..."

"Up, Abigail. If you are tough enough to steal an old man's toupee, then you'd better make sure you're tough enough to weather the consequences. Up."

Abbie wanted to sob hearing that, but she held it together, struggling back to her feet and resuming the position expected of her. How many more times was Nikita going to lash her? The housekeeper had whipped her plenty of times before, but she had been thirteen years old then, and only now did she realize that Nikita had in fact taken it easier on her when she was younger. It had never hurt this badly. Although maybe that was just because she already felt guilty for what she'd done today.

Six, seven, eight, nine, ten, striping her bottom and thighs a bright, angry red. Eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, and Abbie was no longer trying to hold back the sobs. Tears streamed in steady rivers down her cheeks as she fought to stay bent over for her punishment. "Nikita, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she choked out between heaving breaths, and she felt Nikita's arm halt mid-stroke.

"What did you say?" Nikita asked, her jaw slightly slack. Never in the five years she'd worked for the Carmichaels had she heard those words pass Abbie's lips. Never. Not once. Not during any scolding or punishment, not ever.

Abbie realized her mistake too late, she couldn't take it back - but she really was sorry. She was a very sorry, very sore, very penitent young lady. "I said-- I said--" It was so hard to force the words out now that she was conscious of them, but Nikita had certainly earned them over the years. "I'm so, so sorry Nikita," she breathed, giving a little hiccup through her tears.

Nikita was speechless. She set the strap down on Abbie's dresser, and gentle fingers tugged the hem of the girl's skirt out of the waistband, letting the pink and black plaid cotton fall over her well-punished backside. She rubbed a hand over the crying girl's lower back, finally finding her voice. "Okay, Abbie, stand up," she said gently.

Abbie let out a strangled sob of relief, slowly straightening up with a wince, knowing she wouldn't be able to sit comfortably for awhile. She wasn't sure what to do now, so she just stood in front of Nikita, trembling.

"Pull up your panties, honey," Nikita said, nodding toward the garment that was still around Abbie's knees.

Abbie gingerly tugged her panties up and over her hips, hissing at the contact with her backside, and sniffed miserably, still unsure what to do next. Again, she felt much younger than her eighteen years.

Nikita drew the teenager into a gentle embrace, kissing her forehead. "You know the drill," she said with a little smile when she noticed Abbie's apparent uncertainty.

"I--" Abbie started, then stopped and swallowed, nodding her head as she tried again. "I go to bed early. And-- and no rubbing." It had been four years, but she remembered the rules. However, Nikita had never been so tender with her after a punishment, so she hadn't been sure the housekeeper would send her to bed early this time.

"That's right," Nikita nodded, rubbing Abbie's back for a few more moments before she kissed her forehead again and moved to the door. "Good night, Abbie."

"Good night Ma'am."

Another shocker, and Nikita slipped out the door before Abbie could see the surprised look on her face, closing it quietly behind her.

Abbie carefully stripped off her skirt and panties, and climbed under the covers, lying on her stomach and letting the cool air caress her blazing backside. Fuck, it hurt. But there was also a warm glow in her chest at knowing that somebody cared enough to set her straight. Two people, actually, and Abbie didn't care that it wasn't her parents. And she didn't care that she was being sent to bed at quarter to nine, though she was usually up until at least midnight, on the computer or the phone, or on the rare occasion, studying. Emotional exhaustion took over and she fell asleep on her stomach, clutching her pillow tightly.

--

Liz greeted her secretary pleasantly and made her way into her office, shrugging her bags off onto the floor, and had just sat down in her desk chair when she noticed a long-stemmed red rose on her desk with a note attached. What the hell?

She picked up the note and as she unfolded and read it, a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

Ms. Donnelly,

Thank you.

I'm sorry.

With Love,

Abbie

P.S. My parents can afford to replace the chair in your office, but I'm going to work it off instead.

Liz closed the note with a little laugh, and buzzed her secretary to send for Abbie.

--

Abbie's stomach did flip-flops when she got called out of class to the principal's office. What if Ms. Donnelly had hated the rose? Or worse, what if Liz wouldn't forgive her for the way she acted yesterday? For what she had *said* yesterday... she still couldn't believe she'd said it, but every time she sat down or took a step, she was sorely reminded. All of her friends had asked if she was okay, because of the careful way she was walking. She had blushed every time one of them asked, and mumbled something unintelligible in response. They were all keen to chalk it up to rough sex. That was fine with Abbie.

She had never been nervous to see Liz before, not even when she was in trouble, but it was different this time, and she had to force herself into the office and announce herself to the secretary.

--

"First day of classes, you nervous?"

"Jen, why would I be nervous? We're juniors. We've done this twice already."

Abbie's roommate laughed. "Yeah, but still." Something seemed to occur to her then. "Hey. Why are you still living in the dorms? Your parents have money, don't they?"

Abbie's smile faded slightly. "I don't speak to my parents."

"Oh. Sorry."

"Don't be," Abbie said dismissively. "Anyway, we ready? How do I look?"

Jen raked her eyes up and down Abbie's body. "Scandalous. I think I saw that shirt in 'Ho's Weekly'."

"Perfect. My professors won't know what hit 'em."

"You really like older women, don't you?" Jen asked.

"Oh yeah," Abbie nodded with a grin. "My first real crush was on my nanny, when I was eighteen. Well, my nanny, and my principal."

Jen looked like she was going to comment on the crushes, but stopped and blinked. "Wait. You had a nanny when you were eighteen?"

Abbie would have blushed, but she said proudly instead, "technically she was our housekeeper. But she cared about me more than either of my parents." Abbie really missed Nikita. She had moved home to Russia to take care of her aging parents just after Abbie's eighteenth birthday. She'd never admit it aloud, but there were several occasions after Nikita's departure when she did something she was later not proud of, and on those nights she slept on her stomach, hugging her pillow and wishing she'd been spanked and put to bed early by Nikita.

Jen's voice brought her thoughts rattling back to the present. "We're gonna be late."

"Fuck. Let's go." She choked back the brief flash of emotion and put on a smile, ready to vamp her way through her first day of classes.

--

Liz Donnelly sat waiting for her class to arrive, eager to see Abbie. She had gotten a teaching position at the local university last year, and had discovered that Abbie attended her school! A little ironic, but they'd had lunch together a few times and got caught up on each other's adventures since Abbie's graduation. Liz had been on vacation in Switzerland over the summer, so it had been a few months since they'd spoken to each other.

Abbie and Jen swayed into class and automatically sat down in the back row, which had been their routine for the past two years now. Jen gave a low whistle and Abbie raised an eyebrow at her. "What?"

"Check out the Professor. She's smokin'... Damn! I didn't think they made profs like that in real life!"

Abbie's eyes flicked to the front of the room and she smirked, looking at Liz. "That's my high school principal."

"..........what?!"

"Yeah. You heard me right. Oh shit, she's walking over here. Hide me."

"Are you crazy? Hide you? I think she's already seen you, Abbie... what's wrong with you? I would think you'd take the opportunity to turn on your Carmichael charm... you said you had a crush on her in high school."

"Relax, Jen, I'm kidding," Abbie said, rolling her eyes and standing up to hug Liz when she reached them.

Liz returned the hug, frowning at Abbie's choice of clothing, especially on her top half. "Ms. Carmichael, that shirt... kindly return to your dormitory and put on something more appropriate, please."

Abbie raised an eyebrow, regarding Liz silently for a few moments before she responded. "No."

"Excuse me? This is my classroom, Abbie, and I intend to teach you all, not battle you for the attention of the rest of the students."

"And this is my class," Abbie retorted, crinkling her brows in mild frustration. "I'm an adult now, Liz... I can wear what I want. And you can't exactly call Nikita to take care of it, she moved back to Russia."

Now it was Liz's turn to smirk. "Oh... can't I?" she asked, pulling her cell phone from her jacket pocket and flipping it open. She dialed a number and put the phone to her ear, smiling when someone picked up. "Hey there, it's Liz... I have a situation with Abbie. No, not yet anyway... right now she's dressed inappropriately and refusing to change her clothes. Wonderful, my dear. See you soon." She gave quick directions to the school, and to her classroom, and snapped the phone shut, sliding it back into her pocket. Pinning Abbie with a shining look, she said, "guess who came back to New York this weekend?"

Abbie's throat dropped into her stomach, and her stomach jolted painfully, her face draining of color for several reasons as she stared up at Liz. "What? She-- Liz, is this your idea of a joke? Because it's not f--"

"She'll be here in ten minutes, Abigail. I suggest you gather your things and wait outside the door."

Abbie looked at Jen desperately for help, but Jen had no idea of the history behind the situation, and just shrugged at her. "Uh... good luck?"

Abbie gave a wordless whine and picked up her book bag, shooting one last 'I hope you're not fucking with me' look to Liz as she slipped out the door and leaned against the wall outside, her chest heaving with rapid, shallow breaths.

The rapid, shallow breaths she was taking while waiting for Nikita were nothing compared to the breathless gasp that escaped her when she saw the woman walking towards her. She felt like her insides were constricting, twisting around each other and wringing the breath from her lungs and the balance from her brain. Three years since she'd seen Nikita, but her feelings had only been buried, not erased.

Nikita could see the emotions blazing in Abbie's eyes as she approached. She wasn't sure she was ready to handle them yet... so she would go with the familiar right now, as if Abbie were still eighteen years old and in her charge. She strode up to the young woman and grabbed her firmly by the elbow, ignoring Abbie's rapid breathing and flushed cheeks as she spoke. "I thought I made it clear that I didn't want you giving your teachers a hard time," she said sternly, as if no time had passed between them.

Abbie whimpered, goosebumps erupting along her arms and up the back of her neck. Nikita was here, really here, and she had a feeling she was about to be taken home and spanked. But where was home? Not her parents' house, not anymore. And she did not want Nikita to see her messy dorm room. "I..." she was speechless.

"I don't want to hear any excuses, young lady," Nikita said sharply, marching Abbie away from the school building and toward the parking lot where she had parked her new car.

Abbie squirmed as she climbed into the passenger's seat, dropping her book bag on the floor in the back. She was already anticipating the fact that this was the last time she'd be able to sit comfortably for a while. She lost herself in thought, and looked up abruptly when the car stopped. They were at her parents' house... she wanted to question it, but she got out of the car instead, silently following Nikita inside.

"Go to your room," Nikita said, pointing up the stairs as she closed and locked the front door behind her.

Abbie didn't protest or stomp up the stairs this time. She just whispered 'yes Ma'am' and went to her room like she was told.

Nikita took a deep breath and followed her up a few minutes later, grabbing the razor strap from the wall before stepping into Abbie's bedroom to find her standing in the corner with her hands on the back of her head. Her panties were around her knees, and the hem of her skirt was flipped up and tucked into the waistband.

Not allowing herself to react, Nikita cleared her throat and stood in the center of the room. "Come here," she said sternly, and Abbie obeyed.

Abbie's stomach was still doing flips, squeezing the life out of her nerve endings as she shuffled over to Nikita and bent over without being asked, taking hold of her ankles. She was twenty-one years old, almost twenty-two, but being in her old bedroom about to be punished by her favorite nanny made her feel like she was eighteen again. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the first blow to land, and when it did, the air was expelled from her lungs in a low, tight hiss. "Ow," she whispered, forcing herself to stay still.

"You're dressed like a tramp," Nikita scolded her, delivering another stroke across the middle of her naked backside. "I don't like it, and Ms. Donnelly didn't like it, either. When she asked you to change your clothes, what did you say?" The strap caught the backs of Abbie's thighs, and Nikita heard a sharp intake of breath.

"I-- I said no," Abbie whimpered, her bottom already stinging and burning after just three strokes.

"That's what I heard," Nikita said disapprovingly, landing two more swats, one to each glowing red cheek. "What should you have said, Abigail?"

Abbie yelped quietly and jumped, but quickly settled back into position. "I should have said yes Ma'am," she answered, gritting her teeth as another stroke fell. "Ow!"

"Yes, you should have," Nikita agreed.

"I just didn't think she had the right to tell me what to wear!" Abbie finally spoke up loudly. "I'm an adult now, I'm not a kid anymore!"

Nikita paused the spanking. "Is that so?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well in that case, since you're so clearly an adult, I should be using a hairbrush."

Abbie's eyes flew open and she fought the very strong urge to stand up and cover her backside protectively. "No! I'm-- I can be a kid, I'm a kid!" she changed her mind quickly.

"No, you're right, Abigail, you're an adult now. And you're not sorry at all for backtalking Ms. Donnelly." Nikita placed the strap on Abbie's dresser and picked up the wood-backed hairbrush that rested there.

Abbie wasn't sorry. Not yet. But she knew she was about to be, and her bottom clenched with nervous anticipation of feeling the painful hairbrush. It had only been used on her once before, but that was enough to last a lifetime.

Nikita rested her left hand on Abbie's tailbone to steady her, and then she laid the hairbrush sharply against the girl's red backside, peppering her cheeks with firm, crisp swats, one after another, straying to her thighs every few moments.

From the first swat, Abbie was crying out, almost to the point of yelling each time the brush made contact. It burned and stung like you wouldn't believe, and only Nikita's steadying hand kept her compliant. A few times she lost the battle for control and bent her knees in an attempt to escape the blows, but Nikita only waited for her to stand, and then kept on.

At the point she didn't think she could take any more, Abbie gave in. "Okay!" she sobbed, having given up the fight against tears long ago. "I'm sorry! I was wrong, and I'm sorry! Please, please, no more!"

Nikita put down the brush and gave Abbie ten more good swats with the palm of her hand, just to illustrate who was in control of when the spanking ended. "What are you sorry for, Abigail?"

Abbie gasped at the feel of Nikita's hand on her backside, and had to force her brain to process the question and come up with a suitable answer, because the only thing she could think about was how soft Nikita's skin was... "For backtalking, and for dressing like a tramp, I'm sorry," she cried, though her tears had slowed up a bit.

"Okay," Nikita said with a nod, rubbing Abbie's back for a few seconds before stepping away from the crying young woman. "Into bed, honey."

Abbie almost said that it was the middle of the morning, but she realized that she'd really appreciate a nap and some quiet time, so she stood up and climbed into bed, kicking off her panties as she pulled the blankets up around herself and sniffed a couple times, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Will you be here when I wake up?" she asked, her wide, teary brown eyes searching out Nikita's in question.

"Of course," Nikita said, walking over and leaning down to kiss Abbie's forehead. "Sleep well, little one."

Little one? Abbie almost groaned, but the kiss to her forehead distracted her long enough to let Nikita get out the door, and then once the older woman was gone, Abbie let out a long, shuddering breath and rolled onto her stomach, burying her face in her pillow and trying to calm her suddenly racing heart. She was so head-over-heels in love, even if her ass was bruised and stung like the fires of hell.

She didn't think she could sleep, not with all the feelings swirling around inside her head and her heart, but once again, exhaustion took over (it was hard work being spanked) and she drifted off.

--

Abbie woke up several hours later, a dull throbbing ache in her backside and thighs, and it took a moment for her to get oriented and remember where she was. She rolled out of bed and stripped out of her skirt, rummaging around in her old dresser and thankful to find a pair of loose-fitting sweat pants. She didn't even want to try putting her underwear back on, so she just slipped into the sweats and wiggled her ass a bit at the warm fuzzy feeling of the soft pants. She took off the inappropriate shirt that had gotten her in trouble in the first place, and put on a t-shirt instead. Then she padded in bare feet out of her old room and down the hall to the room Nikita used to have, figuring she would probably be in there if anywhere.

Nikita was lying in bed, reading a book, and she looked up when Abbie knocked softly on the open door. She smiled and took her reading glasses off, setting them and the book on her nightstand. "Come in, Princess," she invited, sitting up and scooting over to make room. She had expected Abbie to want to talk this time, and had been trying to prepare herself for the topic of conversation, to figure out what she should say.

Abbie blushed and made her way slowly to the bed, carefully lowering herself down onto it, with a slight wince even at sitting on a soft mattress with a lot of give. She was well and truly chastised, and would be feeling the punishment for days. She took a deep breath, gathering her wits, and said two words. "Thank you."

That wasn't quite what Nikita had expected, and the surprise showed on her face for a split second before she tucked it away and replied, "for what?"

"For caring enough to set me straight. For always being there for me even though you didn't have to... you worked for my parents, not for me, but I know you were always looking out for me. And for... ssss-panking me." That last one was hard to say, and she choked on it a bit. "Thank you for spanking me," she managed to say again with more confidence. "I really deserved it every time, and... even though I used to hate it at the time, it always made me think twice before I did something stupid." She took a deep breath and looked into Nikita's eyes. "I'd be lost if I hadn't had you."

Nikita was astounded, and she stared at Abbie, not knowing how to feel, besides the obvious 'touched' and 'honored'... She had to wait several minutes before she trusted herself to speak. "I'm... I'm honored, Abbie," she said quietly. The way Abbie was looking at her forced her to close her eyes. "Don't... I don't... I don't want you to mistake your gratitude for something else," she said shakily.

"I'll let you know if that happens," Abbie whispered back. "I'm not eighteen, remember?"

"I remember," Nikita said, her voice still a bit too shaky for her liking. "But Abbie, I'm thirty-two..."

"And all I want right now is for you to hold me and tell me everything's okay," Abbie whispered.

Nikita held back everything she might have wanted to say or do at that moment, and pulled Abbie into her arms, kissing the top of her head. "Everything *is* okay, Princess," she promised.

Abbie snuggled in tight, wrapping her arms gratefully around Nikita, being held for the first time in her life. It felt so good, so safe, so warm... She nuzzled Nikita's neck with her nose and laid her head on the older woman's shoulder. She didn't need words at that moment, because she knew that Nikita understood everything.

They lay like that for quite awhile, and Abbie was actually falling back asleep in Nikita's arms. The older woman looked down at her with a chuckle, brushing back a stray lock of hair and tucking it behind Abbie's ear. "Hey," she whispered. "Wake up, or you won't sleep tonight."

Abbie whined as her eyes fluttered open. "But it's so warm and comfortable..."

"Well that is of course my main concern," Nikita teased lightly, poking Abbie in the ribs, "but I'd really like to go downstairs and have some lunch."

"Oh," Abbie said, her nose crinkling as she thought about that. A shy smile spread across her face as she slid from the bed and stood next to it. "Um... maybe I can make you lunch. What do you want?"

Nikita sat up and shook her head. "Sweetheart you don't have to do that," she tried to decline, but Abbie insisted.

"No, I want to." And then when Nikita still didn't look like she was going to go for it... "Please?"

Nikita laughed and stood up with a stretch and a yawn. "Why don't we cook something together?"

"Yeah," Abbie agreed, her face lighting up as she nodded. "What should we make?"

"Hmm, I think I'm in the mood for grilled cheese."

Ten minutes later, Nikita was seated at the table and Abbie was standing a few feet away, eyeing the hard wooden chairs and biting her lip. "Can I sit on a pillow?" she asked.

Nikita raised an eyebrow and looked at her. "What do you think?"

Abbie blushed and shook her head. "I think, no," she said quietly, easing as carefully as she could into her seat, prepared for the pain but still giving a yelp as she sat down.

"What good would it do for me to spank you and then let you avoid feeling the effects of it?" Nikita asked, and Abbie shivered at that scolding tone.

"I'm sorry, I won't ask again," she promised, staring at her food, an embarrassed flush gracing her cheeks.

"See that you don't," Nikita warned, starting in on her sandwich.

"Yes Ma'am, I mean no Ma'am, I mean I won't," Abbie rushed, suddenly feeling quite flustered.

"Good girl," Nikita said offhandedly, taking another bite of her sandwich, and Abbie almost fell out of her chair.

Holy shit, she wasn't prepared for the bolt of warmth that shot into her stomach upon hearing that from Nikita. Okay Abbie, don't hyperventilate, she just called you a good girl... it's not something to have an orgasm over. Ahh! Did she just think that?! Oh God, she was screwed. Completely screwed. Or not, unfortunately. GAH! Abbie, stop it!

The rest of lunch was pretty quiet, and when they finished eating, Abbie washed the dishes and Nikita dried them. "Okay hon, I'd better get you back, you've missed enough classes already."

"I don't have any evening classes," Abbie said, her stomach dropping at the thought of going back to her dorm room and being away from Nikita.

"But you've got classes in the morning," Nikita pointed out. "Come on, get your stuff."

"It's in the car," Abbie said, looking down and fiddling with the hem of her t-shirt. "But I have all my books and notes, I can study here," she said, trying to sound casual. "A-and you could take me back to campus in the morning instead..."

"Oh, because I don't have things to do in the morning?" Nikita asked, raising an eyebrow as she looked over at the girl.

Abbie felt the sting of tears in her eyes and she spun away from Nikita to hide the fact. She tried not to be obvious about swiping them away, either. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice choked and tremulous. "Of course you have better things to do. I didn't mean to-- I-- I'm ready to go."

Nikita's jaw dropped slightly at Abbie's reaction to her teasing, and she immediately walked over and wrapped her arms around the crying young woman. "Sweetheart, I was joking. What is this?" She gave Abbie a squeeze and turned her around so they faced each other. "Huh?"

Abbie blushed fiercely and tucked her head against Nikita's neck, her cheeks hot with embarrassment. "Oh," she whispered, feeling incredibly silly for not picking up on the joking tone. Talk about over-reacting... "Why do I get so stupid around you?" she finally asked after a few seconds of silence.

Nikita smiled a bit sadly and sighed. "Because you love me."

Abbie froze. There was something about the way Nikita said that. She sounded almost... resigned. Or maybe like she thought Abbie would deny it. Abbie wasn't sure if she liked the tone or not. But the answer made perfect sense. There were a million things she could say, a million things she *wanted* to say, but what came out was "you never get stupid." She did not want to ask if Nikita loved her.

"After you've gone through it a few times, you learn ways around it..."

Abbie gasped, closing her eyes and pressing her lips softly against the side of Nikita's neck, where her face was still buried. The older woman's skin felt so good...

Nikita tried to breathe in, but no air filled her lungs, and tried to form a protest, but no words left her lips. Only a choked sound of realized longing.

Abbie recognized the sound. It was the sound she made when she woke up from an amazing dream and realized it wasn't reality. But this was real. She could feel it. She could hear it and smell it and *taste* it. Nikita tasted so good, she wanted more. Acting on instinct, she trailed kisses up Nikita's neck, along her jaw, and across her cheek, until their mouths met, heat on heat, passion on passion, but restrained and tentative and gentle.

"More," Abbie whispered, the word muffled against Nikita's lips as she pushed her tongue past them and into the older woman's mouth with a moan.

Nikita brought her hands up to push Abbie away, and tangled her fingers in those long dark curls instead, holding the younger woman hard against her as she returned the kiss with a whimper.

"Oh please, oh God please," Abbie begged when she felt Nikita return the kiss. "Touch me, please Nikita, I want-- I need--"

"So it's all about you, then?" Nikita asked, pretending to be serious only for the briefest of seconds before she fulfilled Abbie's request with hands sliding down across the back of her neck, over her shoulders, smoothing their way to a lithe waist and a quivering stomach.

Abbie groaned, dropping her head back as she arched into the touch on her stomach, pulling upward on her t-shirt, trying to get Nikita's hands on her bare skin. After a bit of awkward fumbling, she managed to remove the shirt, and tossed it away, standing in front of the woman of her dreams in nothing but a pair of old sweat pants. Her ass and thighs weren't the only things throbbing anymore.

Nikita had stepped back to let Abbie take off her shirt, and when the garment was tossed away, her eyes were drawn to the stark contrast of hard nipples against soft olive skin. The girl trembling in front of her was not a naughty teenager anymore - she was a beautiful woman. A beautiful woman who was flushed and warm with arousal, taking shallow, rapid breaths. And staring, waiting for her approval and her touch. It was... mind-blowing. "Abbie," she whispered, taking a step closer and drawing one fingertip from Abbie's throat straight down to her navel, shivering herself at the shiver she felt run through Abbie's body.

Abbie thought she was going to explode, or implode, or spontaneously combust, or something equally as devastating. She felt vulnerable, exposed, and full of an aching need that until this moment, she had never wanted anyone else to satisfy. She shook with the force of her emotions, and when Nikita ran one fingertip down the front of her body, her knees buckled.

Nikita caught Abbie around the waist and kept her standing, finally pulling the girl's hips against her, holding her close with one hand on her lower back and one tangled tightly in the hair at the nape of her neck.

"Please!" Abbie nearly yelled, her voice strained with need as she was pulled flush against Nikita's body. Her pulse was pounding in places she never knew existed. She wanted to cry out of frustration at being so close and yet still not having Nikita touching her like she wanted. Needed. She had never even imagined that this could happen, but now that it was, she was terrified that Nikita would change her mind. That would ruin her. "Please," she breathed again, her eyes filling with tears.

"What, what do you want?" Nikita asked, needing to hear it aloud, for reassurance that Abbie knew what she was doing. "How do you want me to touch you? Where, Abigail, tell me...show me..." She placed her hands lightly in Abbie's, ready for direction.

Abbie squeezed Nikita's hands once and then brought them to her breasts, making the older woman cover each one with a palm and rub in slow circles.

Nikita felt Abbie's erect nipples pressing into her palms, and she pulled them away, letting her fingers slide along each breast until she held the hard nubs between her thumbs and forefingers, squeezing and rolling and gently pulling. "Is this okay?" she asked, barely able to get any coherent words past the lump in her throat.

"Yes," Abbie groaned, arching into the touch, using her own fingers atop Nikita's to urge the older woman to pinch a little harder. "Anything. Anywhere you want to touch me. Anything you want to do to me. It's more than okay." Her voice was raspy, almost wanton in its subtle intensity laced with a natural southern drawl.

"Are you sure, Abbie?" Nikita insisted, her voice shaking.

"If you could feel how wet you make me, you wouldn't have to ask that," Abbie murmured, closing her mouth over Nikita's once more, running her tongue along the older woman's lips.

"My God, Abbie," Nikita hissed, Abbie's words sending an unexpected jolt through her entire body.

"It feels like I wet my pants," Abbie crooned back, kissing Nikita harder. "Please... I... please," she begged in between short, rough kisses. "Put your hand in my pants Nikita, please..."

Nikita gripped Abbie's hips for support - her knees wavered dangerously, on the verge of being unable to hold her up. The fingers of one hand curled into the waistband of Abbie's sweat pants, just resting there in case Abbie changed her mind.

"Inside, inside, inside," Abbie repeated, dropping her head forward onto Nikita's shoulder. "You're driving me crazy... for fuck's sake Nikita, please, I need to feel your fingers inside me..."

"Don't talk to me like that," Nikita said breathlessly, pushing her hand fully inside Abbie's sweat pants and gasping at the lack of underwear beneath them. She flattened her palm against the smooth muscled plane of Abbie's lower belly, rubbing back and forth, her touch becoming firmer with each passing second.

"Sorry," Abbie replied just as breathlessly, grabbing Nikita's forearm and urging her hand lower as she rocked her hips forward. "Take me to your bed? I want to lie down and be open for you..."

Nikita's eyes threatened to roll back in her head, and she grunted softly in response, somehow managing to keep her hand in Abbie's pants as they made their way up the stairs and into her bedroom. She gently laid Abbie down on her bed, barely noticing the grimace on the girl's face as her backside made contact with the sheets. "You want to be open for me?" she asked, the shakiness still lingering in her voice as she knelt above Abbie.

"Yes, in every sense of the word," Abbie answered honestly. "My heart and my legs..."

"You really know how to talk," Nikita whispered, running her fingertips down the sides of Abbie's ribcage, curling once again around the waistband of her pants. "You must get a lot of practice." She smirked slightly as she started to tug the sweats down over Abbie's hips.

"Not as much as you'd think," Abbie quipped, lifting her head from the pillow to watch Nikita pulling off her pants. "Be gentle but please, stop torturing me and just take me..."

The pants came off and were placed lovingly to Nikita's left, and when Abbie's words registered in her brain, she froze, staring down at her in shocked wonder. "What?" she exhaled, trying not to over-process the situation. "Are you saying... you've never...???"

Abbie blushed fiercely, shaking her head as she turned away. "It's always been you... no one else ever even came close," she confessed. "I didn't think this would ever happen, but the fantasy of it was better than any other reality with any other girl."

"Abbie," Nikita rasped, tears stinging her eyes at the confession. She didn't know what to say. But the need for words was removed because Abbie slowly slid her thighs apart, and Nikita could see how wet she was. There was no doubt that she was really and truly turned on, not just confused. "Abbie you're beautiful," she exhaled in a rush, instinctively leaning down to kiss the girl's exposed navel.

Abbie's stomach quivered so violently it felt like a spasm, and then the wetness between her legs was renewed tenfold, and a long, languid moan forced its way out into the air around them. "What do I have to do?" she groaned desperately. "I've already begged..."

"It's not that," Nikita said quickly, crawling up Abbie's body to lay on top of her, making sure she didn't settle her weight completely. "I'm just... if you've never done this before--"

"I've done this, I just haven't let anyone inside me," Abbie corrected, on the verge of insanity.

"I'm just afraid I'll hurt you," Nikita explained.

"Nothing could hurt worse than my ass," Abbie nearly whined, rocking her hips up against Nikita's.

Nikita laughed, kissing the corner of Abbie's mouth and sliding one hand between their bodies, crawling down Abbie's stomach to play in the soft curls between her legs. "I'll be so gentle," she promised, kissing the younger woman again, running her fingers up and down through the slick wetness between those parted thighs.

Abbie moaned, low in her throat, her head thrown to the side as she clutched fistfuls of sheets in her hands, arching her back as much as she could while underneath Nikita. She moaned again as she felt one finger probing around her opening, making little circles, not quite penetrating her. "Oh, God, Nikita, s--so good, yes, fuck, unghhhhh..." Her words faded to incoherent noises of satisfaction, which faded into a long, drawn-out groan as Nikita slid a finger inside her.

It didn't really hurt, it just felt tight and a little bit strained, but the knowledge that it was Nikita she was feeling inside her overshadowed any physical discomfort, and she clenched her thighs around the invading finger with a mewl of pure ecstasy. It didn't take her long to get used to the sensation of something penetrating her, but even if it had taken her forever, it was easy to eroticize the discomfort. She was giving her virginity to the woman she'd been in love with for three years, and it was amazing.

Nikita bit her lip, holding her finger very still inside Abbie, making sure she wasn't hurting her, and when she sensed the younger woman relaxing a bit, she started to slowly explore. "Tell me if you don't like it, if you don't like something I do, okay?" she asked, loving affection tainting her words and infiltrating her gaze down at Abbie.

Lips parted in a silent groan, Abbie arched her back up off the bed, rolling her hips into Nikita's probing hand. "Okay," she promised, though she knew it wouldn't happen. Nikita could do anything to her, and even if she hated it she'd love it. When Nikita started slowly moving her finger around, Abbie let out a desperate cry, clenching the sheets tighter in her fists and bucking against the older woman's hand.

As soon as she touched Abbie's clit, Nikita felt the girl shudder and tense beneath her, strong muscled thighs gripping her wrist.

Abbie gasped in surprise as she came, her body straining taut and releasing, a long, low wail torn from her lips.

Nikita was astounded, staring down at Abbie in wonderment, amazed that her touch brought the girl over the edge so quickly. And so erotically. She had never seen anything so beautiful and loving in all her life. "Abbie," she whispered, drawing her finger out slowly as she lowered her lips to the girl's, pressing a deep, tender kiss to those waiting lips.

Abbie was in a blissful haze, and she purred softly when Nikita's tongue pushed into her mouth, claiming her fully, in the one way she'd never been claimed before. Now, she felt she could say it directly, and she waited until Nikita broke the kiss before she breathed, "I love you."

Nikita closed her eyes and rested her forehead against Abbie's, their lips barely touching. She couldn't lie, not after Abbie had given her so much. "I love you," she admitted, and the smile she felt against her mouth was worth every ounce of her willpower that the girl had stripped away.

A warm glow spread through Abbie's chest as she smiled against Nikita. For the first time, she was finally loved, in every way, by the person she most wanted it from, and she hoped she would always be. For the first time, she was really happy.

Fin