"You have completed your apprenticeship, well done."
I was so pleased when my aunt told me, I could not find any words; I could only nod with a silly grin on my face. It had been a long, and sometimes painful, journey to this point, but I was so proud of myself. What a team we would make.
I was sure that under my aunt's mentorship, I would continue my journey of transformation.
Six Months Earlier...
I sat on the train, staring moodily out of the window, my mother's words still ringing in my ears. She had warned me this was my last chance; my aunt had agreed to take me in over the summer. I was to be given a chance to sort myself out and get back on track.
If I were honest, I had badly screwed up, I had been thrown out of university at the end of the Christmas term after failing all my exams. As I had done no work the previous term, it was not surprising. I had then been fired from the local supermarket for arguing with a customer. The last straw for my mother was an official police warning for possession of a small amount of soft drugs. My mother had run out of patience and had called her sister-in-law to ask for help.
I did not know my aunt well, she was always a remote person. She was loving to me, but we did not enjoy a close relationship. I did not even know what she did for a living, but she did live in a nice property in Brighton, so she must have been doing something right. I knew she was in her mid-forties, she always looked fantastic for her age and confidence seemed to shine from her.
In my heart of hearts, I knew I was failing, I was bright when I applied myself. When I tried, I could engage well with people. Although I was never going to win any beauty contests, I was an attractive woman. I needed direction, and then I needed to apply myself. The problem was that I had not yet found anything that appealed to me as a career. Like my mother, I hoped a change of scene would prove an inspiration.
My aunt was waiting for me on the station platform and met me with a big hug and kiss on the cheek. We chatted all the way back to her house in the taxi. I was shown up to the spare room in the attic when we arrived. I was left to unpack and was promised a nice meal that evening at a local restaurant. I felt relaxed and knew that coming here had been a good decision. I was envious in a good way of my aunt, she seemed to have her life sorted out.
The dinner was lovely, with fresh fish that had been caught that morning. The conversation and the wine flowed, and I wondered why I had not spent more time with my aunt. She was interesting; she seemed to have a great life and was great company. While waiting for dessert to arrive, I asked. "What do you do to make a living?"
There was a long pause, and my aunt seemed to struggle with her answer. Then she seemed to reach some sort of decision. "I have two jobs, in the day, I am a website designer, and in the evening, I provide discipline services."
"Sorry, I didn't quite catch that."
She smiled and repeated. "Discipline services."
My mind went into a spin, I tried to think of a logical explanation of what this could mean, but I failed. "What does that mean?"
"I discipline clients for money."
"What, smack them?" I asked.
She smiled and said, "There is a lot more to it than that. I help people fulfil a need they have in their lives, for some, it is discipline, for others, it is a need they have, for others it is motivation. My job is to meet that need. Yes, I do smack some bottoms, more often, I use a tawse or a cane."
I was stunned.
"Many people use my services, and I also enjoy it." Again, there was that smile.
"Does my mother know?" I had the start of a suspicion that this had been arranged.
"Yes, she does."
"Does she approve?"
"Not only does she approve, but I also once disciplined her."
"What you smacked my mother," I asked. I was amazed by this revelation.
"Yes, I caned her, when your father was alive, he was very strict with her. His death left a massive hole in her life. She did a fantastic job of rebuilding and making sure you had a good upbringing, but she did miss the discipline. I helped her fill that gap."
My father died when I was seven years old, he is a very distant memory to me. I never imagined this about my parent's relationship. "Is this why Mother wanted me to stay with you?"
My aunt paused. "Yes, partly. She is worried you are going off the rails. You have so much potential, but you are wasting your opportunities. Dropping out of university and getting caught up with the police. She is terrified for your future and asked if I could help."
"Are you going to smack me?" I could not believe I had just said that.
"I will do nothing against your will. But I do believe you need discipline and direction, and I do think a good smacked bottom, although old-fashioned, is exactly what you need."
Just then, the desserts arrived. I was thankful for the break in the conversation.
While demolishing my Eton mess, my head was trying to digest what I had just been told. Part of me was horrified. How could anyone benefit from being spanked? There was a part of me that knew I had been out of line for some time, and maybe this was what I needed.
My aunt looked at me. "I do not know you well, but from what I understand, you are never going to lead a normal life, you crave the different and unusual. Am I right?"
I nodded, I looked at the lives my friends were leading and almost felt pity for them. I did not want the relationship, career, and buying my own home that were most people's ambitions. I did not know what I wanted, but it was not that.
"I am looking for an apprentice, I have lots of clients, and many others are interested in my services."
Just when I thought this conversation could not get any stranger. Here, I was being offered a job.
"You think I would be interested?"
"I don't know, are you?"
