A/N: I won't say exactly how many chapters are left, because I'm not entirely sure myself, but we are finally, finally, finally getting towards the end of this story. Thank you to all of my readers who have put up with my extremely sporadic updating and occasional writer's block. :-)
A/N 2: Flashbacks are in italics.
"Are you stressed, baby?" Olivia asked with loving concern, looking into Alex's baby blue eyes for any signs of fear or distress. It wasn't unheard of for Alex to ask for a spanking, but it was rare.
"No, Ma'am. Well, I mean, no more than usual. I just… I just want a spanking before I go to sleep tonight." Alex blushed lightly.
"Okay, sweetie, if that's what you need, then that's what we'll do. Good girl for asking for help properly." Olivia praised.
The rest of the evening passed peacefully enough, and when the evening news was over, Olivia turned off the TV and told Alex to get ready for bed.
"Brush your teeth and wash your face and all of that, but don't put pajamas on. I'm going down to the lobby to get more ice, and when I come back I expect to find you standing with your cute little nose in that corner." Olivia motioned toward a corner of the room.
"Yes, Ma'am." Alex obediently turned to do as she was told.
Olivia took her time going down to the lobby in search of ice and then stopped by the dining hall to pour a glass of milk and heat it up in the microwave. With all of that accomplished, Olivia took the ice and the milk and went back up to their room. She opened the door and was pleased to find Alex standing naked in the corner where she was supposed to be with her hands on her head. The brunette detective set the ice aside, put the glass of milk on the bedside table, and sat down on the bed, watching Alex stand there for a few extra minutes.
"Come here, baby angel."
Alex turned from the corner and draped her naked body across Olivia's lap. Olivia gently caressed Alex's bottom, her delicate skin still slightly damp from the shower.
"Such a pretty bottom. And soon it will be red and hot and sore." Olivia commented, sending shivers of anticipation down Alex's spine, "Tell me how you're feeling inside, little one."
While she listened to Alex pour her heart out, Olivia picked up a bottle of lavender-scented lotion, drizzled some on her hands, and lovingly massaged Alex's back, bottom, and thighs, making certain to take her time. Alex breathed a shuddery sigh as her body relaxed into Olivia's gentle touch and the room was filled with the comforting scent.
"I'm really trying not to be scared anymore, Ma'am, but it's so hard." Alex's lower lip trembled.
"Oh, my angel. It's okay to be scared sometimes, baby. Everyone gets scared, it just means you're human, even I get scared." Olivia soothed.
"You're never scared of anything, Ma'am." Alex said doubtfully.
"I was terrified when you disappeared and I was scared the whole time you were living at the Transition Station. I'm not made of steel, baby, I just like to pretend I am." Olivia smiled.
"You'll get tired of comforting me all the time, though. And I can't even let you touch me down there, so what good am I?"
"Hmm. Maybe I was too quick to let you stop writing those lists, little girl. I love you because of the sweet person you are, not just because of your body. When we get back to New York, you're going to write a list of ten good things about yourself and you're going to do that every day from now on until I say otherwise."
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Good girl. For right now, let's get you settled down for bed."
Olivia raised up her strong right hand and began to pepper Alex's bottom with sharp spanks.
"From now on there is a new rule, little one. Are you listening to me?" Olivia inquired.
"Ouch! Yes, Ma'am." Alex winced.
"From now on, every time you say something negative about yourself, you'll spend fifteen minutes standing in the corner after I've washed your mouth out with soap, and you won't be allowed to rinse until after you've served your time. I don't want to hear anymore of this negative talk, it isn't healthy for you. You can always talk to me or to Dr. Lindstrom about anything you are feeling, but berating yourself will not be tolerated. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Ma'am." Alex tried to blink back the tears that were gathering in her eyes. This new rule was going to be a challenge for her, but she understood that Olivia was only looking out for her best interest.
"Good girl. You are far too intelligent and beautiful to be saying such negative things about yourself. I think between the two of us, Dr. Lindstrom and I can help you build back your self-esteem, but you have to participate by just doing your best and that's all we can ask of you. Okay, baby, time to kick it up a notch." Olivia paused and reached over to pick up the hairbrush.
Alex felt the heavy wooden implement tapping her tender bottom and squeezed her eyes closed in anticipation, yelping when the hairbrush came crashing down.
"Thank you for teaching me and training me, Ma'am." Alex choked out.
"I am always here for you, baby girl. Just try to relax now and when you need to cry you can cry as much as you want. You'll have a nice sleep tonight with a red bottom and everything will be okay, I promise." Olivia replied.
Alex wasn't sure exactly when Olivia stopped spanking her. All she knew was that she was sobbing deeply when Olivia finally picked her up to cuddle and comfort her and her bottom felt as if it was literally on fire. As Alex slowly began to calm, Olivia reached over and picked up the glass of warm milk.
"Here, baby, little sips. That's my good girl." Olivia guided the straw into Alex's mouth and Alex drained the glass.
Finally, Alex was no longer sobbing and was merely whimpering on Olivia's shoulder as the warm milk worked its magic in her belly and made her sleepy. The blonde let out a content sigh. She had a red bottom to go to sleep with and everything was right in her world again thanks to her beloved Mistress's strong right hand.
"Is it a sore bottom, little one?" Olivia asked the next morning.
"Yes, Ma'am." Alex replied honestly, staring down at the carpet as she lay over Olivia's lap while Olivia carefully inspected the marks left by the hairbrush.
"Good. Up you come now, sweetheart." Olivia gently guided Alex to her feet and pulled Alex's panties and jean shorts up over her bottom. She didn't mention that Alex's shorts were just short enough that anyone who cared to look could clearly see a faint red hue peeking out from under the hem on Alex's upper thighs.
The weekend flew by in a haze of fun, and then it was time to return to New York. Olivia unlocked the door of the apartment with Alex trailing behind her carrying their bags and all the mail they had accumulated since they had been gone. Alex put the mail on the kitchen counter and then started to walk down the hall to unpack their things.
"Freeze, little girl. I'll unpack, you find a piece of paper and something to write with and park your bottom at the table. We're home now and you, my love, have a list to write." Olivia instructed. Alex wrinkled her nose.
"Yes, Ma'am." Alex spoke with just a little too much whine in her voice and earned a sharp pop to her bottom.
"Don't whine, just sit down and do as you're told."
"Yes, Ma'am." Alex obediently adjusted her tone.
Alex suddenly got a mischievous gleam in her eye. She found a piece of paper and sat down to write. When she was finished, she got up and went in search of Olivia, her pretty face a mask of pure innocence.
"I'm finished, Ma'am." Alex said, holding out the paper for Olivia to see.
"Such a good girl. See, that didn't take you very long." Olivia smiled.
Olivia wasn't quite sure what to say when she looked down at Alex's list and saw that she had written everything in purple crayon, and she realized that she couldn't really scold Alex because she hadn't specified what Alex was supposed to write with. The brunette detective looked up and saw the mischief dancing in Alex's eyes and she laughed.
"Oh, I see how it is. Come here, you little brat!" Olivia teased.
Alex squealed happily as Olivia caught her around the waist and threw her over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Olivia carried Alex down the hall to the bedroom, giving her bottom a flurry of love spanks along the way. Olivia sat down on the bed, but instead of putting Alex face down over her lap so that Alex was staring at the carpet, Alex found herself lying over Olivia's lap face up staring at the ceiling.
"Uh-oh, it looks like somebody wants to get their sweet little belly tickled." Olivia teasingly lifted Alex's t-shirt up to just below her breasts and began to tickle her sassy blonde's sensitive belly.
Alex shrieked with laughter, and Olivia had to hold her around the waist to keep the wriggling blonde from falling off of her lap to the floor.
"Awww, ticklish baby girl. Tickle, tickle, tickle." Olivia teased.
"Tickles!" Alex squealed.
"I know it tickles, little one, that's the whole point. This is what happens to sassy little girls. Are you ready to be a good girl now?" Olivia inquired, skittering her nails along Alex's sensitive skin.
"Never!"
"Oh, dear. Well, I guess I'll just have to keep tickling you, then. I don't have to go to work until noon tomorrow, I have all night tonight and all morning tomorrow, I'm in no hurry at all." Olivia teased.
"No! NO! STOP! PLEASE STOP! STOP! CHOCOLATE! CHOCOLATE!" Alex suddenly began to scream in fear as her mind flashed back to a day not that long ago.
Alex looked up fearfully when the door to the room she was locked in suddenly opened and a tall man walked in carrying a familiar whip.
"No, no please, please not again!" Alex pleaded.
"You know the consequences for biting, slut. You should thank your lucky stars you're just going to get a beating instead of getting all of your teeth yanked out one by one with a pair of pliers."
Alex tried to run past the man, but she was weak and it was the worst escape attempt known to man as he caught her around her waist, his fingers digging cruelly into her ribcage and leaving bruises.
"Feeling feisty, eh? That's okay, I have all night tonight and all morning tomorrow to beat that attitude out of you, I'm in no hurry at all." the man growled, grabbing Alex by her hair and ripping some out in his hand.
Olivia recognized the signs of a flashback and immediately stopped tickling Alex and, as soon as she heard Alex scream her safeword, she scooped her up to cuddle her in her arms.
"It's just me, baby, I'm right here. You're safe right here in my arms." Olivia assured her.
"PLEASE NOT THE WHIP! NO PLEASE! NOT THE WHIP!" Alex screamed.
"You're just having a memory, sweetheart, it isn't real. Try to come back to me, baby. Find my voice and try to come back to me. You're a good girl. Find my voice. You're a good girl." Olivia said.
It took a few minutes, but Alex eventually stopped screaming and seemed to snap out of her flashback. Panting heavily, she gazed fearfully about the room until her eyes landed on Olivia and she burst into sobs. Whether these sobs were from fear or relief, or both, Olivia didn't know.
"There's my good girl. You're safe, angel, it's just you and me here. You just had a memory, it's all over now. Good girl."
"The whip." Alex sobbed.
"There's no whip here, baby. You know I don't believe in beating my good girl. You're safe right here in my arms. Look at me, lovey."
Alex obediently looked up into Olivia's eyes.
"That's my good girl. Can you tell me where we are?"
"In the bedroom. At home." Alex replied, gazing around the room.
"Look at me, baby. We're going to breathe together. Deep breath in; one, two, three, four. And hold it; one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. And let it out slowly; one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. One more time, deep breath in; one, two, three, four. And hold it; one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. And let it out slowly; one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. That's my good girl."
"I'm sorry, Ma'am." Alex blushed in embarrassment.
"You don't have one single thing to be sorry for, lovey. I'm the one who's sorry, can you tell me what I said that scared you?"
Alex explained what had happened in her memory and the connection her mind had made to Olivia's teasing words.
"I'm so sorry, baby, I promise I'll be more careful. I'm so proud of you for remembering your safeword and using it when you need to, that was a very good thing to do. You can use that word anytime you need to and I will always respect it." Olivia assured her lovingly.
"They never did." Alex sobbed.
"I know, baby, and that was very wrong of them. No one is ever going to hurt you again, I promise." Olivia gently kissed Alex's forehead.
"I'll never be any good for you again. I'm just a stupid slut like they all said." Alex sobbed, and upon hearing this, Olivia sighed.