Again

This is the third story in the series 'Alice'. You can catch up on how she got here below:

https://literotica.com/s/alice-pt-01

https://literotica.com/s/alice-pt-02

Caroline knew that I liked to take it easy at weekends, but she'd been very insistent, pushy even. Why was there suddenly such an urgent need for me to run errands for her? It wasn't a problem exactly and I don't mind helping out, but she is usually so organised and we'd been to the supermarket only yesterday. It always made far more sense to shop for the three of us, once a week, all bundled into Helen's car like a funny little family.

She'd had been in a weird, twitchy mood all day though, it was very out of character. She kept picking up her phone and putting it down again and she kept asking when I was heading out. I didn't understand the urgency at all, but it was creating a bit of atmosphere, so I relented and left her to whatever it was that was bothering her.

Once I was in the fresh air though, I felt better. I smiled to myself as I walked. It had only been a week since Caroline had spanked me, but I felt strangely transformed by it. I couldn't really explain it. The rawness had gradually subsided, first into a deep stinging itch, which I'd found rather enjoyable and actually quite distracting. The rough fabric of my office chair seemed to aggravate the itching through the thin material of my skirt, causing my mind to wander from my work in a most inappropriate fashion. The sensation faded all too quickly though, leaving me with only a residual stiffness in the muscles of my bottom and thighs and a vague and vicarious sensory memory.

It was unseasonably warm outside and I'd made a last minute decision not to bother with a coat, instead opting for only black leggings and a tee-shirt. I'd secretly hoped the the leggings would rub enough as I walked to create some final afterglow of my encounter with the brush, but alas I was back to normal. I realised that normal wasn't how I wanted to feel.

I'm usually quite self-conscious about my body, so when I'm out I tend to cover up, but today I didn't care if my bum was a bit on the big side or if my boobs bounced a bit as I walked, or who noticed either. I could be anyone I wanted to be, because today, I had a secret that nobody knew: I'd been spanked by strong and beautiful woman and what's more, I'd enjoyed it! I felt energised, as if I was wearing a shield.

If you'd suggested such an idea to me before it happened, I'd have been indignant with denial, but I felt like I'd stepped from a rollercoaster, shaking with relief that the ride was over, only to straightaway rejoin the queue and wanting do it all over again.

Caroline's stinging volleys had been overwhelming as I endured them, but the memory of the pain was curiously vague now. I could remember that it had hurt, but not really how if felt. I could remember all the rest though. The nervous thrill of being pulled over her lap and held down like that, helpless, struggling but not also wanting to escape. The embarrassment that I'd felt when she'd pulled my knickers down and then finally letting go completely and just crying in front of her. It was a type of intimacy that I'd never even imagined and the overpowering need to cum afterwards was quite unlike anything I'd ever felt before. It had consumed me, blocking out every other thought and every other desire.

Just thinking about now was making me horny again! It wasn't simply like sex though, it was something more. A different sort of connection. The intense abandon of it certainly did feel sexual, but I didn't think I wanted to have sex with Caroline, not as I understood it anyway. Something had happened to me though and that it was Caroline who had made it happen. I was now certain that I needed to feel like that again and that nothing else would satisfy me.

I snapped out of my thoughts as the supermarket came into view and immediately my heart sank. I had my phone in my hand, but I didn't have any pockets. That meant that I'd left my purse with my cards in my coat. Bugger! Now, I'd have to walk all the way back to the house. Double the trip. There was nothing for it though, so sighing inwardly as I turned on my heel, I retraced my route back home. As I neared the house though, I was surprised to spot Helen's red Mini parked on the street outside. I smirked a little to myself.

"Was this why Caroline had wanted me out of the house then?" A bit of quality time with the place to themselves?

Actually, it didn't seem very likely. Weekend mornings were for sport and Helen could stay over at any time. Hopefully this wasn't something more serious. I didn't want them to fall out again, but it would explain Caroline's weird mood earlier. I loved the two of them being there with me and whatever my new feelings about Caroline were, most of all I wanted her to be happy.

I decided to tread quietly. If I heard raised voices, I could sneak away again and I'd worry about the shopping later. Stepping quietly down the path at the side of the house and carefully edging up the latch on the garden gate, I approached the back door. Silence. I noticed that the top panel of the kitchen window was open, but I couldn't hear voices. I relaxed. It was OK, they were probably having fun upstairs after all. I stepped forward to open the door, but in that moment, something caught my eye through the the windowpane. My heart almost sopped dead at the sight of Caroline - it was unquestionably her, even from this angle.

She was completely naked, bent at the waist over the kitchen table. She appeared motionless, facing away from me, with her arms outstretched, each hand gripping the side of the tabletop. Her was head rested sideways, with her hair mostly obscuring her face. The real shock though was the sight of her bottom. Her poor behind was a mess of tightly spaced welts - angry and swollen. There was barely clear skin between them, just line after thick parallel line. A single diagonal crossed them like a confirmatory tick and a solitary stripe traversed both thighs, broken only by the gap between her legs.

It was obvious, even to me, that Caroline had been thrashed. I felt conflicted. It looked terribly painful, but the sight of her in such a state of submission was seductive, magnetic even. I wanted to touch her. I drifted into a dreamy reverie as I imagined myself kneeling behind her and running my fingers over that ravaged skin and planting soft kisses on each wounded stripe, blissfully licking at her skin as she pushed herself gently backward into my face.

Reluctantly, I pulled myself away. I knew I had to leave, but I was too late. From the hallway beyond, and into the bright light of the room walked Helen. Unmistakeable, clothed in track bottoms and a tight white vest, massaging her right bicep as if she'd been exercising it. She stopped by the table, reaching down to stroke Caroline's long blonde hair, then she looked up, straight at me. I froze in panic, knowing that I'd been seen, but she barely even reacted. She just cocked her head slightly, challenging me to answer her unspoken question:

"Who does she belong to?"

I panicked and ran. Helen had seen me but that didn't mean Caroline knew anything and I truly didn't want her to. Uncontrollable excitement fought with disbelief at Helen's cruelty. Part of me didn't want to believe that such a punishment could take place in our home, but at the same time, I was so aroused by what I'd seen. Anyway, there didn't seem to be much ambiguity as to what had transpired: Caroline had asked me to leave the house, so Helen could drive over with the sole purpose of caning her.

They hadn't been playing games either - and so soon after I'd been spanked too.

"Did that mean my spanking and her caning were connected?" Caroline had said that she always confessed to Helen.

"Was this what 'being dealt with' by Helen involved?", and then the question I knew that I didn't want an answer to:

"Might that happen to me one day?"

With my head still spinning, I walked all the way to the supermarket for a second time. I couldn't even stop for a coffee as I still had no money, so I just turned around and walked all the way back again, this time the long way. I'd need an excuse to explain the shopping. What a day!

When I returned to the house, the back door was wide open everything appeared superficially normal. Helen appeared to be leaving. Caroline, now fully dressed in loose cotton shorts and a tee-shirt, leaned against the table in an attempt to act casual, but her tense expression gave her away. I tried to read the room.

"Hi Alice! Bye Alice!" Said Helen, brightly. Waving at me with a handful of keys.

"Oh. Aren't you staying?" I tried to sound natural, but I felt like a fraud and her face gave nothing away.

"Sorry, just a flying visit. Mercy mission really! I have training but I'll be over during the week".

So she still hadn't told Caroline what I'd seen. Well, that was interesting.

"You girls be good now!" And with that, she was suddenly gone

The energy in the room changed immediately. I turned to Caroline, who hadn't moved or spoken since I'd arrived back. I started to explain about the shopping and my purse and how I'd got all the way round the supermarket before I'd realised, but she just waved a hand and said to forget it. She walked stiffly towards the sink and ran herself a glass of water.

"Mercy mission?" I probed.

"Oh. I've just overtrained a bit" She shrugged. "I've done something to my back. I'll take some pain killers and have a bit of a lie down or maybe a bath". She walked awkwardly away and shuffled up the stairs, one step at a time. The house was suddenly silent and I stood very still, listening. I heard the bathroom door shut and the sound of running water.

I smiled, as I finally threw myself onto the couch. Caroline was going to busy for a while and Helen wasn't coming back, so I l could enjoy letting my mind start to wander back to the things I'd seen earlier. I slid my hand down the back of my knickers. If I squeezed my bottom hard, I could just about feel some residual sensation from the weekend. It wasn't enough though.

Did I dare?

I got up and walked quietly to the kitchen and turned the key in the lock, before closing the window and blinds. I was alone. I turned on the radio and selected a classical channel. I didn't want to hear voices, but some quiet music would offer some cover. I opened the draw where seldom used utensils were kept and selected a large wooden slice. I liked the way it felt as I picked it up - it had a weight to it and I thought about how the wide flat head would feel against my skin. I stood and listened. Not a sound from upstairs. I was probably safe and I was definitely going to do it anyway. I hurriedly unclipped my bra and pulled it out through my sleeve, dropping it at my feet. I then pulled up my tee-shirt to expose my breasts and bent myself over the table, reaching forward to grab the sides, just as I'd seen Caroline earlier. It felt cold against me and my nipples were already hard and I had to stand on tiptoes to get my hips up to the edge of the tabletop. It was a stretch. I thought about how she must have felt as she waited. Knowing what was about to come.

Reaching back, I hooked my thumbs into the waistband of my leggings, slowly lowering them, sliding my knickers down past my thighs at the same time. Part of me couldn't believe that I was doing this,, but even the simple act of exposing myself to the empty room was making me wet and I knew I couldn't stop now.

I needed something else though. Something to make sure that I didn't just take a few slaps and then stop. I knew it would sting badly and the temptation to go easy on myself would be hard to resist. Then I noticed something on the windowsill. It was an old fashioned sand and glass timer. An hourglass, but lasting just long enough to boil an egg. What would that be - five minutes? Could I take five minutes? I could always use the stopwatch on my phone and choose a shorter spanking. But no. I knew what I deserved and I needed to not have any choice.

I placed the timer in front of myself on the table and bent over again, steadied myself and then decisively turned it over, watching as the fine sand began to fall.

Without pausing, I began to smack myself hard with the wooden implement, in a slow steady rhythm. That was the deal that I'd made with myself. It was easier to strike on the right, but the pain mounted quickly and my only alternative to stopping was to spank myself lower down, which hurt even more. I mustn't relent though. So little sand had fallen and I was starting to realise what a challenge I'd set for myself. I could go more gently, but that would be cheating too. A spanking was meant to hurt and I needed to be spanked.

I stretched to reach further to the left. I wanted my whole bottom to sting and burn like it had before. It wouldn't be the same - I missed Caroline's lap, her smell and her touch as she gripped me, but the deep punishing sensation would remind me of all those things when I needed them to. I was reconnecting to my memory. I'd started to slacken my pace and resolved to smack harder again. Left and right, higher and lower. Every new swat hurt more than the last, landing on already sore an reddened skin. I already knew that it was too much to take, but I had to try. Caroline had taken a caning, so I had no excuse.

The timer was barely half way and I already felt I couldn't go on. I was just too sore. I tipped the timer on it's side, halting the flow of sand and rested for a while. My face felt hot and I was out of breath, but I could feel the burning red marks on my behind being soothed by the cool air in the room. I ran my fingertips over myself, thinking about how Caroline might do the same and of the things I'd imagined doing to her earlier. I had to force myself to continue.

Maybe a different implement would help? I went back to the drawer and removed a long, small headed wooden spoon.

"It might be worse", I thought. It would concentrate the impact for sure, but if it felt different enough, that alone might get me to the end. I hadn't really convinced myself, but I couldn't wait. Still no sound from upstairs. If I heard the bath being emptied, I could pull my leggings up fast enough surely? I returned to position and spanked myself again, swinging the spoon smoothly from the end of its handle and letting it's weighted end do the work. Tightly focused knots of pain sprang from every impact as I let it wander over my bottom and the backs of my legs, not really aiming it and enjoying the surprise of each impact.

I could see that the sand was almost gone but if I was honest, I knew I'd gone easy myself towards the end.

"You should pay for that" I told myself. "Ten hard ones".

I steeled myself for what I was about to do.

I raised the spoon as high as I could, before bringing it down with all the force I could manage, five times on each cheek. Knowing it would be ten made it mentally easier to take, but the pain was intense and my knees were shaking by the end. I was incredibly turned on, but my pleasure would have to wait.

"I'm not done with you yet!"

I turned off the radio and shuffled awkwardly across the room. My leggings and underwear were still around my knees, which made it difficult to walk, but I wasn't permitted my dignity. I really wanted to be naked, but I daren't risk it. Placing my hands behind my head, I forced myself tight into the corner, pushing my breasts forward against the cold paintwork, each elbow touching an adjacent walI. I imagined Caroline's finger pushing gently at my back, forcing my compliance without a word. I would wait in silence until the bathroom door opened. Only then would I be permitted to leave. In the meantime I would be left bare and exposed, thinking about my spanking and why I'd deserved it.

Caroline didn't surface until tea time. I'd had time to wash myself and change my knickers. We sat sat quietly at opposite ends of the sofa, feet up, both in our socks, toe to toe. Her secret and my secret. I guessed that her shorts were only just long enough to cover the lowest cane welt. If she leaned forward, I might catch another glimpse of it. I knew it was wrong, but the thought still excited me.

"Feeling better?" I prompted.

"A little" She confirmed, but she looked uneasy, like she wanted to say more, but wasn't sure how to begin. I just smiled and tried to give her the room she needed.

"Actually, I wanted to say something about last week. About what happened. About what I did."

My stomach somersaulted. I hadn't expected that at all.

"I'm sorry. We should have discussed things first. I crossed a line". I noticed that despite the apology, she'd deftly avoided using the word 'spanking' at all, but I wanted to hear her say it. I wanted it to be a word we could use to each other - something between us.

"I need to apologise too...". I fumbled, awkwardly shifting the subject. "...for messing up the shopping earlier." I felt bad about this gambit, but she didn't know what I'd seen and I was counting on Helen keeping it that way.

"I don't know where my head was this morning. I can nip out again now if you like?" I felt suddenly dry mouthed. What I was about to say was bold, but I needed her to understand that even though she felt she'd acted badly, I accepted it.

"Unless you think that I need a little reminder." I made light eye contact as I spoke and tried to look cute. The words were ambiguous, but it gave her an opening if she wanted one. The afternoon's self-discipline had more than whetted my appetite and I wondered what she'd think if she saw my fresh marks.

She looked at me quizzically.

"You're funny one, you are. I think you learned your lesson last time."

I didn't push. I knew what she'd just been through but I wanted her to know that it was okay, that next time I'd expect it and she didn't have to feel like she'd done something wrong or to pay a price for how she felt. I was privately disappointed though. I'd have plenty to think about in bed later, but another spanking would have satisfied me even more.

Little did I know what awaited me.