Healing Her Soul

Author's Note: I like to write stories about people connecting with each other in surprising ways, and this story is no exception. There is plenty of sex which I tried to make as hot as I could, but be warned, the central scene in the story involves some hard spanking. If you care about the way that Carolyn and Joe's relationship evolves, you'll want to read it. But if that kind of thing really turns you off, skip the section subtitled 'Penance'. I hope by the end you'll like these two as much as I do.

Healing Her Soul

** Distress **

I was in town visiting my sister and her family for the long weekend. On Sunday we'd gone out to a matinee and dinner, and decided to call it an evening. She and my brother-in-law had to get the kids to bed, and some other chores to do around the house, so I was on my own for the rest of the night. I figured I'd go back to my hotel and hang out at the bar, hoping that I'd meet someone interesting. If not, I could always go back to my room and surf the internet or watch some TV.

The bar wasn't crowded. There were a couple of groups at tables. I didn't want to be weird and try to get in on whatever conversation they had going on. There was also one really pretty lady sitting at the bar alone. Perfect makeup. Beautiful formal dress. Shoulder length, wavy brown hair, high round cheekbones, big eyes. As I got closer, though, I saw the saddest, most forlorn look on her face that you could ever imagine. I went up to her and said, "I've never seen someone who looked more like she could use a friendly person to talk to. My name's Joe. What's yours?"

She startled a bit at being broken out of whatever train of thought she was mired in, looked me up and down for a second, and said, "It's Carolyn, but you don't want to be my friend. I'm terrible at it."

Based on the slight slur in her words, she was clearly had at least a couple drinks ahead of me already, but I was still curious. I responded "Well, now you've piqued my interest. Do you mind if I join you for a few minutes?"

"Sure, I guess."

I ordered myself a margarita. After the drink came, I asked Carolyn, "So, what brings you here tonight, and why the sad look on your face?"

"My best friend got married here this afternoon. I was the maid of honor. The party's still going on over in Ballroom A, but I needed a break. I've been holding a fake smile on my face all day long and I just couldn't do it anymore."

"Why not? Don't you like the groom?"

"I thought I did, but now I think she's made a mistake. And I didn't say anything."

"And that's why you're upset?"

She let out a slow sigh, and said, "That's barely the tip of the iceberg." Then she stopped and looked at me again and said, "I don't know why I'm telling you all this. It's some pretty personal shit."

"Well, you're clearly upset, and based on that comment you made about being a terrible friend I'm guessing it's because of something you did, or something you should have done but didn't. Confession is supposed to be good for the soul. And maybe a stranger is the best person to unload what's bothering you on as long as he's willing to listen. And I am. I didn't have any plans for this evening, and if I can spend it helping a pretty lady like you feel better by getting something off her chest, I'd consider it time well spent."

She thought about it for a minute and said, "What the fuck. Why not? You seem like a nice guy Joe. So, you want to know why I'm the worst friend in the world? You're not going to believe this story."

She continued, "Mitch, the groom, has been known to have a wandering eye. He's cheated on my friend Shelly at least a couple of times. Why she keeps taking him back I don't know. I think she figured once they were married all that shit would stop. So, at the rehearsal dinner last night she gave me one job. She told me to make sure Mitch didn't run off with anyone else for one last fling. I think she was kidding, since I couldn't imagine that he'd do anything like that on his wedding weekend, but I promised to keep an eye on him until he was safely back at his hotel room.

Everything was going wonderfully. Everyone was having a great time. Shelly and Mitch were as happy as I'd ever seen them. Drinks were plentiful, and I had more than my share. Shelly was ready to call it a night around 10:30pm, since she wanted to try to get a good night's sleep before the big day. Nobody wants to look tired in their wedding pictures, right? Before she left, she reminded me to keep an eye on Mitch. I promised I would.

So, around midnight the party broke up, and I told Mitch I promised Shelly I'd escort him back to his room. He's a handsome guy, and charming. I'd told both him and Shelly a number of times that she was really lucky to have gotten her hooks in this hot guy before I did. So, we were chatting happily on the way to the elevator, and then all the way down the hall to his room."

She paused as the pained look on her face deepened at the memory.

I offered, "So, nothing bad happened yet. Why do you look so sad?"

"Because when we got back to his room, I fucked his brains out."

"Oh, shit, really?"

"Yes, really. He told me he had something he wanted to show me inside, so I came into his room. He went to the bathroom for a minute or two and when he came out he was totally naked, and had a huge hard on. Then he started spinning some bullshit line about how he and Shelly had this agreement that there would be no cheating after they were married, and he knew I was attracted to him, and that this was our one chance to create a memory, because after last night that door was closed forever, and he was sure Shelly would be okay with it since she was the one who told me to take him back to his room even though she knew I'd always been hot for him. Somehow through the combination of his charm and my alcohol consumption it all made sense. And damned if he didn't have a big gorgeous cock, and a beautiful body to go with it."

"So, what happened next?"

"I told you. We fucked."

"And do you feel better for having told me that?"

"Honestly, no. Not at all. I still feel like the shittiest excuse for a human being this side of Mitch."

"Well, maybe you need to make a more thorough confession? I mean, I'm no expert, but it seems like if you describe your transgression in detail, you might really get it off your chest."

"What, you want me to describe our fuckfest? What are you, some kind of perv?"

"I'm not going to lie, having a beautiful woman like you describe how you fucked a handsome guy is a story that I'm sure I'll enjoy, but I really am trying to help you too. You look miserable, and I think it might make you feel better. You did say that you think I'm a nice guy. If you think I suggested this for completely selfish reasons, then you should tell me to fuck off and go back to Ballroom A with your friends. But if there's a chance that this could ease the pain you clearly feel deep inside, then spill."

She thought about that for a minute, looking at me carefully the whole time, and said, "Fine. I'm not sure how this is going to help, but at this point I'm willing to try anything. So, I'm standing there getting horny as hell looking at this gorgeous guy who I've wanted for forever and thought I could never have, and he's telling me that I had my one and only chance right there and then. He'd crossed the room to stand right in front of me as he was spinning his seduction spell. I got down on my knees and got a good look at his cock. I started to work it up and down with my hand, feeling the soft, smooth skin, and the steely hardness underneath. It was big, probably seven or eight inches, a beautiful shade of sort of tan and pink, with a big vein running along the top and other smaller ones that you could see faintly around the sides. Just beautiful. The head would stretch out when I slowly pulled down, and then would relax when I moved my hand up. After a minute of this, I started to lick and suck on the head, and eventually started to slowly suck it down my throat. It wasn't long before he started to thrust, slowly at first, but with increasing intensity. Then he said, 'I'm going to cum'! I love it when I make a man lose control like that with just my mouth and hand. I deep throated him, and felt his pulses as he filled my throat and belly with his load.

When he was done, he lifted me gently by the arms and then pushed me backwards until I fell on the bed with my knees hanging over the edge. He said, 'time to return the favor. I've always wanted to taste you'. He reached under my skirt, pulled down my panties, spread my legs and started working on my pussy with his tongue. Oh my G-d, he was really good! Within a minute or two it was all I could do to keep a grip on the bedspread as waves of pleasure overwhelmed me. My pussy, my nipples, my whole body was tingling. The orgasm that quickly followed was outstanding. Orgasms from oral sex are always better than ones that I can get from a vibrator. I think I laid there for another two or three minutes just trying to catch my breath.

Then Mitch pointed out that he was totally nude, and I wasn't. He'd always wondered what my tits looked like. I eagerly pulled my dress off, and my bra quickly after that. Mitch crawled up and started to lick and suck on my tits, which started to get me going again. Him too, I noticed. That big beautiful cock was rock hard again. He reached over to the nightstand and pulled out a condom, which he put on. I rolled onto my stomach, and he got in position behind me. I could feel his head searching for my hole. When he found it, the sensation of him spreading my pussy as he entered me was glorious. He started sliding in and out slowly. After a minute or two of this, I got up on my knees. Then his thrusting got stronger and more passionate. Eventually he tensed up, and came really hard inside me. It was a fantastic fuck, but a couple minutes later I started wondering what the hell I'd done. I mean, Shelly agreed to this? What kind of bullshit was that? She'd given me one job -- keep him from running off with another girl. And somehow, I had become that girl. The level of betrayal that I'd willingly agreed to was mind boggling. I got up, threw on my dress, grabbed my bra, panties and purse and ran out of there without a word and without looking back."

"Wait," I interrupted. "He pulled out a condom? What the hell was an engaged man doing with a condom on the night before his wedding? Seems like he was planning this. I guess he did have some practice cheating, maybe a lot of practice."

Her eyes widened as she said under her breath, "Oh my fucking G-d, you're right. That

scumbag

! And here I fell for his bullshit completely! I guess I should be glad that he didn't give me whatever might be crawling around in his cheating prick! And I suppose if that's his MO when he sleeps around, he's 'protecting' my best friend, too."

The tears were starting to fall down her face as she continued. "In any case, I couldn't sleep well at all after that, wondering what I should do. Shelly was so happy at the rehearsal dinner last night, and today was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. If I told her, I would ruin all of it. And when she found out that it was me who Mitch cheated with on the night before his wedding, if she never wanted to speak to me again, and I wouldn't blame her. But I love this girl! We've been best friends since grade school! But I knew she was marrying a piece of shit who I didn't believe for a minute was going to be faithful to her. It's been making me crazy all day. I almost worked up the nerve to tell her all the way up to when the minister asked if anyone knew of a reason why these two shouldn't be married. And instead of saying something, I just burst into tears and kept quiet. People cry at weddings all the time, so nobody thought anything of it, I guess. And now I need to 'forever hold my peace' about my betrayal for the rest of my life, and I'm completely fucking miserable about it."

I stared at my drink for a minute trying to think of what to say. She stared at her empty glass in silence too. Eventually I said, "Jesus. That's a hell of a mess. But at least you're not carrying it around all by yourself anymore. Do you feel better for having told me about it?"

Still crying, she said, "I don't know. Maybe a little, but not much. Any other brilliant ideas about how you can help me feel better?"

I stared at my drink for another minute, before she said, "Well? Don't just sit there. Say something!"

"Okay, sure. I have an idea, but you're never going to go for it."

"I told you already, I'd be willing to try just about anything."

"We'll see if that's true when you hear my idea. Before I tell it to you, let me tell you a story first.

I had a girlfriend named Judy in college. We were madly in love. Then one weekend at a fraternity party, with all the booze and drugs that you usually find there, I caught her cheating on me with one of my fraternity brothers. I mean I walked in right in mid-fuck. I freaked out, calling her horrible names and saying I was going to dump her ass on the spot. Some other friends kept me from beating the shit out of my so-called friend, and Judy ran out of there in tears, half naked in front of everyone. She got dressed in the bathroom got out of the house as fast as she could and went home without a word.

The next day she was apologetic as hell, but I still could barely look at her. She asked me to have dinner with her, and I agreed. At dinner I told her that I still loved her, but I couldn't see how we could get past this. Then she surprised me. She told me that she was absolutely horrified by what she'd done no matter what drugs she'd taken, that she was more ashamed of it than of anything she'd ever done, and that she couldn't imagine how much she'd hurt me with her betrayal.

Then she said, 'about the only way I think I could make this up to you would be to let you spank the shit out of me. I mean really take out your frustration and anger, and give me the punishment I've earned. If I can't sit comfortably for a few days, that would probably be about right. I can't think of any other way to show you just exactly how sorry I am, and how sincerely I mean it when I say that I will never do that to you again. If you hurt me as much as I hurt you, I'm hoping that will balance the scales, and as long as you confine the beating to my ass I won't end up in the hospital, even if I deserve it'. I was struck speechless. We'd never done anything kinky like that, and it had never crossed my mind. But, as far as I know she'd never cheated on me either.

So, that night that's exactly what we did. Judy wrote a post-it for my door, obviously in her handwriting saying, "Please do not disturb. I deserve this," and signed it. After I closed the door to my room, Judy undid her jeans, pulled them and her panties down around her knees and laid over the arm of my couch, ass up. I began smacking her over and over, faster and harder, getting my frustration and anger out as she suggested. I didn't stop until both her cheeks were bright red on the verge of turning purple and my arm was tired. She was crying as hard as I'd ever seen her before or since. I didn't give a fuck if the entire house heard, which they probably did. When I didn't have any more punishment left in me to give, she crawled onto the couch and curled up in a fetal position, still crying. Eventually I sat down next to her and started to caress her abused ass, and she calmed down enough to ask me if that was enough penance to show how sincere her apology was. I had to agree that it was. She jumped up into my arms and gave me one of the tightest, longest hugs ever, kissing me all over my face, neck and lips. She told me tearfully that she was afraid it wouldn't work and that she'd lost me forever, and that she loved me, and all that."

"So, you're saying I should get Shelly to spank me," Carolyn asked disbelievingly?

"No, obviously not. We already know you can't tell Shelly what happened without ruining her new marital bliss. If you were going to say something it had to be before the wedding ceremony. And now, the longer you wait, the worse it becomes. No, I was thinking that I'd have to be the one to spank you."

"How the fuck would that help me feel better?"

"Well, sometimes confession isn't good enough by itself, right? Sometimes there has to be penance to go with it. And you've already said that the confession alone didn't do the job. For what it's worth, Judy later told me that in a strange way, subjecting herself to physical punishment sort of made it feel like the pain she felt from feeling guilty was drawn out of her as she was taking her punishment, almost as if it was transformed from a pain in her soul to a pain in her body."

I looked at Carolyn and added, "I told you that you wouldn't go for it."

She looked down at her empty glass for a while, and then said, "I don't know. I can't say I love the idea, that's for sure. But I can't stand feeling the way I do either, and I have no idea how else I can make the hurt go away."

"Look," I said, "You clearly need to think about this. It's about 10:30 now. I'm going to go back to my room. You said that you and Mitch were at his room at around midnight, right? Let's say that if you want to go through with this, knock on my door at midnight. I'm in room 523. For now, paste the smile back on your face and go back to the party. I'm sure by now you've been missed. If I don't see you again, let me thank you for a much more interesting evening than I had any right to expect."

She nodded without saying anything. After I paid my tab, and picked up hers too, I said good-bye and left.

** Penance **

I went back to my hotel room, straightened it up a bit, sat down and started doing some internet research on spanking. I honestly didn't expect Carolyn to show, but if she did I wanted to be prepared, and I really didn't know anything about what I was about to do other than what I learned from the one experience with Judy. I decided immediately that I wasn't going to do some of the wild shit that true BDSM people do -- tying people up, making them crawl on the ground and so on. I also didn't have any of the tools that people use like whips and stuff like that. This was supposed to make her feel punished for her bad behavior, but not to degrade her. She was doing a fine job of that on her own. Maybe if she wasn't getting with the program I might use my belt, but I wasn't even sure about that. I did decide how much punishment seemed right for each of the things that she'd done that made her feel as awful as she does.

At around 11:45pm I filled the bathtub with scalding hot water. If Carolyn actually went through with what I had in mind, a good hot soak might help her recover more quickly afterward, and help her leave feeling better.

Somewhat to my surprise, there was a knock on the door at 11:59pm. I opened it, and said, "Carolyn, come in. I didn't think you'd show up."

"I wasn't sure myself. After you left the bar, I couldn't go back to the party. I texted Shelly complaining of a headache, and said I was going back to my room for some quiet time, which I did. I spent the last hour considering your offer. Ultimately, I decided that if I didn't do this, I was going to spend I don't know how long trying to find ways to punish myself. So, what the hell, let's do this."

I noticed that she sounded like she'd sobered up from when we were talking at the bar. I responded, "Okay, that makes sense."

"And don't call me Carolyn," she said. "Carolyn is a loyal friend who would never do anything to betray someone she loves."

I wasn't sure what to make of that, so I asked the natural question, "Okay, so, what should I call you?"