(Chapter 2 of the Be Careful Series)
Three months had passed since Andrea and Aaron had restarted their Domestic Discipline plan. The genesis of the plan stemmed from their desire to lose weight together. Their initial agreement was that Aaron would lose 1.6 pounds every week and if he failed then he would be subject to consequences. Both understood that corporal punishment was not the only means at Andrea's disposal but they also knew that a good spanking was likely the most effective deterrent. History was proving this belief to be true. Two weeks into the plan Aaron had broken a rule regarding screen time and Andrea had used this as an opportunity to try the techniques she had learned. She had given him a harsh spanking, not out of anger, but to provide the support and education that he had asked of her. He had told her, before that night, that for this plan to work he had to legitimately fear the consequences and be confident that his Mistress had the strength to carry out punishments that would deter negative behaviour.
Aaron had met his goals for thirteen consecutive weeks and was down 24 pounds in that time. They had discussed his success several times and he was adamant that his behaviour was directly impacted by his desire to avoid a similar punishment. He had been red and bruised after the spanking which had included smacks from Andrea's hand, her hairbrush and a belt. It was two days before he was comfortable sitting again and the marks had stayed with him for another seven before fading away. Aaron had checked them every day in the mirror, watching the colour change. Each time he saw the bruises he reaffirmed his desire to maintain the pledge made to himself and his bride. This weight loss plan was part of a bigger picture, to be a better man and a better husband to his beautiful lover.
Andrea had not had the same success in that time frame. She had planned to lose 0.6 pounds each week as they worked towards a healthier lifestyle together. She had missed that goal on the very first week. Aaron had expressed his frustration and encouraged her to make the same deal that he had but Andrea was very adverse to receiving spankings. She was never really able to explain the source of her anxiety, particularly when factoring in that having her breasts flogged was actually one of her favourite sexual activities. She tried to express her emotions but in the end simply asked Aaron to accept that spankings were not on the table. He relented and they moved on, until she missed her weight on week five and again on week seven. The third failure was the breaking point for both of them. Andrea had weighed in that morning and sent Aaron a text message "I only lost 0.2 pounds... I am sorry I let us down!" Aaron had responded, expressing his disappointment and she had answered back "Let's talk tonight, my plans not working!"
Andrea arrived home from work that night knowing what to do. She called Aaron to the bedroom. When Aaron entered he found Andrea kneeling on the floor, hands on her knees with her palms facing up and her eyes cast towards the floor. "Sir, I have let us both down and for that I am sorry!" Aaron kneeled down in front of her and placed his fingers under her chin, lifting her face so he could look into her eyes. Andrea spoke quickly before he could answer or she lost her nerve "Sir, I still can't handle the thought of a spanking... But please Sir, I need a punishment. Something that will help keep me focused on success!"
Aaron was surprised by the request. This was certainly the solution he had hoped for but he never thought Andrea would actually ask for it. He kept his composure thought and slowly stood back up, moving to a position behind her. His pace was measured and carried with it a certain amount of power. But the truth was he was stalling for time to think. He had contemplated dozens of possible consequences during the last several weeks but had not expected to have the opportunity to carry them out. Aaron quickly shuffled through the ideas, he knew that the punishment needed to be immediate and had to be physical in nature. Many of the ideas involved specific times, locations or implements that were not at hand. He also knew that this discipline needed to be memorable, one that she could lean on when she was struggling with the commitments she had made. Finally he settled on one of his plans "Stand up Love and strip down to your underwear!"
Andrea heard the firm tenor of his voice and immediately felt compelled to obey. She was nervous, not knowing what was to come but was happy that her husband was responding with the authority she had hoped for. She stood up and began undressing. As she took each item of clothing off Andrea followed the same strictures she expected when their roles were reversed. She removed one article at a time, pausing to fold each item and placing it neatly on the bed. When she was down to her underwear Andrea adopted the standing submissive pose, her hands behind her back, feet shoulder width apart and her eyes cast towards the floor. Aaron spoke from behind her "You will stand here until I return and you will contemplate what steps you have missed in your weight loss plan and what you will do to ensure they are not repeated!" With that Aaron left the room and closed the bedroom door behind him.
Aaron headed to the kitchen, poured a large glass of water and gathered the single supply he needed to complete todays punishment. He lingered in the kitchen, his thoughts wandering through the activities he was about to embark on. There could be no doubt, Andrea would not like the consequences she had earned. The objective though was premised in the fact that the punishment should be so uncomfortable that the recipient would not want to repeat the behaviours that had caused it. He understood the logic, he had actually encouraged the Domestic Discipline rituals that had led to this moment. Still he felt a sense of dread at how his wife would respond.
It had only been about ten minutes when Aaron returned to the bedroom and found his bride maintaining the prescribed pose. He said nothing as he walked past her into the adjoining bathroom to complete he preparations. Moments later he returned and stood before her. "You have agreed to a punishment for your weight loss failures. I want it clearly acknowledged that you were given the option of a spanking and have turned it down. Is this correct?"
"Yes Sir!" Andrea's whispered response was barely audible above their ceiling fan.
Aaron's voice was stern as he spoke but it was a faΓ§ade, covering for his own insecurities "You will recall that I warned you, if you forced me to be creative with your punishments, you would not like them?"
"Yes Sir, I do!"
Aaron took a deep breath and settled his own nerves "Then we will proceed! You will undress me now." Andrea looked up at him with a quizzical eye. When punishing Aaron, sexual activity was avoided so as not to reward the recipient. His nudity did not necessarily mean sex, but the inference was certainly there. She had only paused the briefest of moments before reaching up to unbutton his shirt. She slid it off his shoulders, folding the shirt neatly and putting it on the bed. She proceeded to his pants, then socks leaving the underwear for last. Andrea was surprised to see that Aaron's cock was not fully erect, but she did not comment on it. Once the last of his clothes were neatly folded on the bed she returned to her submissive pose.
"Tell me again what your safe word is!"
"Red Sir!"
Aaron stood silently, three more deep breaths before he plunged forward. "From this point forward you will not speak unless it is to answer a request from me or to use your safe word. Any infraction on this point will add to your punishment. You will do what you are told without hesitation. If you follow my instructions without fail your punishment should be concluded in under 20 minutes." Andrea let her eyes drift up and make contact with his but she recognized there had been no command to speak and therefore said nothing.
"Very good! Into the bathroom." Aaron took his bride by the elbow and led her towards the corner bathtub. "Step into the tub, careful not to disturb the line of rice!" Andrea looked down and saw a six inch wide line of rice spread thinly across the width of the tub. The confused look on her face let Aaron know she had no idea what was coming next.