Our tennis club decided to have a quick knock-out competition one long weekend. The Friday (public holiday) was for the men, the Saturday for the women, and the Sunday for doubles. It wasn't mandatory to put your name down to enter but if you were smart you did so.
I put my name down for the singles match but, being a distinctly average player, there wasn't a rush of people asking me to partner them in the doubles. Being confident that those who knew of my prowess on the court would steer clear of me as a partner I was quite confident that I could register for a doubles match if they needed someone to make up a match, knowing I was safe.
On Saturday, my first match was one of the early ones, leaving me free to exit the tournament and enjoy the other matches. I rolled up on Sunday, ready to enjoy a relaxing day of watching, and the club secretary jumped me as soon as I walked in.
"Stella, just the person I was waiting for. Aaron has arrived and wants to play in the mixed doubles but he hasn't got a partner. I checked and you're down as an emergency if anyone needs a partner. I'll tell him you've arrived and that you've agreed to partner him."
She was gone before I could say yes, no, or who the hell is Aaron? I didn't know any Aaron. We didn't have any members called Aaron.
The secretary came back towing this giant thug behind her. He was well over six foot, and that was across the shoulders. He was a frigging walking mountain and I was willing to swear that I'd never seen him around the club before.
"Aaron, this is Stella, your partner. Better get a move on. Your match will be on soon."
He smiled and rumbled, "Hullo, Stella. Glad you were free to partner me."
"Um, yes, right. Ah, I'm not a top player, you know. Just who are you?"
"I'm Aaron. I've just joined the club. You don't need to be a brilliant player. We're just here for the fun of it, after all."
Our match was called and we went out. I did my best, and was quite shocked to find that we actually won the match, which meant I was going to have to play in the second round, damn it.
We won our second round as well and the third round was the semi-final. (We only had sixteen people in the mixed doubles so we were down to the final rounds pretty quickly.) I could not believe it when we won the semi-final and were going to be in the final. I'm a fun player, not a competitor. I've never even reached a semi before this, let alone a final.
As you can imagine I was a little nervous approaching the final. That was until I checked to see who we were playing. Then I went from a little nervous to frankly terrified. Brad and Simone were playing against us. I hadn't dreamed that they would be in the mixed doubles. They had already won their respective singles and were both ferociously competitive on the court. Even though, at only eighteen, Simone was younger than me, I'd never beaten her on the court in my life, and I didn't expect to start now.
The match started and it was a massacre. I could barely put bat to ball if you get what I mean. The first serve I faced from Simone, my grip on the racquet was so bad that the ball knocked it out of my hand on the way past. Both Brad and Simone targeted me as the weak link on our side and we lost the first set six games straight.
Aaron called for a short break between sets. He wanted a word with his partner about tactics, he said. Simone didn't even try to hide the smirk on her face as she told us to take ten. Aaron hoicked me off the court and into one of the small player rooms where we could have some privacy.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked. "You can play better than that. You seem to have just folded up and conceded the match before the first serve."
I tried to explain. I pointed out that Brad and Simone were both killers and that there was no way in heaven or hell that we were going to be able to beat them. I'd just as soon die quickly and get it over with.
"So who cares if they're better than us? That's no reason to lie down and let them walk all over you. You won't get any better by just surrendering. Show some fight. Make them at least work for their victory."
I dithered and it was rather plain to Aaron that I would continue to dither all over the court unless he found some way to give me a shot in the arm. You would not believe the way he found to motivate me.
"All you need," he said, "is a reason not to give up lightly. I'll provide you with some motivation. It won't matter if we win or lose as long as you damn well try."
I perked up a little, wondering how he was going to motivate me.
"You're scared of Brad and Simone," he told me. "That's why you're not trying your hardest. All we have to do is change that to a fear of not doing your best and you'll play like a lion possessed."
I'm like, "What?" and the next thing I know I'm flying through the air and landing across his knee.
"You will start playing properly or answer to me afterwards," Aaron said coldly and clearly, backing up his order with some pretty hard spanks.
I squealed and tried to wriggle, frantically telling him he couldn't treat me like this.
"You're right," he said. "What am I thinking of. A spanking should be on your bare bottom, shouldn't it?"
With that he yanked my panties down and gave a few more spanks on my now bare bottom. I'm not sure what was redder, my bottom or my face.
"Now we are going out there and we are going to continue the match with you playing with everything you've got. If you pull the slacker routine again I will not only put you back across my knee but I will also screw you rotten. Shall we go?"
He patted my bare bottom and stood me back on my feet. Scarlet faced I quickly hauled my panties back up, glowering at him but two nervous to say anything. I followed him back out onto the court, wondering if he really would try to spank me and screw me rotten if I didn't shape up. I'd have said no, but I'd also have said no if asked if I thought the brute would spank me for no reason. No way was I taking any chances.
My, ah, new competitiveness caught Brad and Simone off guard. They'd relaxed and were just going through the motions and they lost two games before they woke up. After that we all held our serves and we finished off the set six-four, leaving us even with one set each.
The third set Brad and Simone were in top gear. That second set was the only set they had dropped in the entire tournament and they were not happy. I played harder than I'd ever played before, and Aaron was terrific. Pity he missed out on the singles. I'd love to see him go head to head with Brad. They were really evenly matched. The difference in the match proved to be Simone's superiority to me. We lost the third set and the match but it wasn't by much. I was feeling quite pleased with myself. Runner-up in the doubles and we'd forced then to go three sets.
I was also gratified that Aaron seemed pleased with my effort. He didn't seem worried about losing, unlike some people I could mention who go off their heads when they lose. Not mentioning any names but I'd just been playing against one of those types. Simone had been glaring daggers at me after the game, even though she won. She didn't like not having the walkover she'd been expecting.
Please note that although I was pleased that Aaron approved of my efforts, that did not mean that I had forgiven him for his brutal assault upon my person or his even more brutal threats. I would get even with him for that. If I knew which was his car I'd go out there and let down all his tyres.
The men's doubles final finished shortly after our match and then the trophies were handed out. A genuine trophy for me as runner-up. The first trophy I'd ever won for sport. I'd take it with me the next time I visited my parents, because they wouldn't believe it otherwise.
I was heading back to the change rooms for a quick shower before going home when an arm reached out from the small players room where I'd had my earlier chat with Aaron and pulled me inside, flicking the door closed behind me.
"You did well," said Aaron, before I had a chance to say anything and I promptly shut my mouth. Far be it from me to interrupt when someone was telling me I'd done good.
"I thought that it would be only polite for me to check and make sure I didn't leave any bruises earlier," he continued and I was like, "Just what do mean by that?"
I didn't get a chance to ask because he promptly showed me. He settled onto a chair and pulled me across his knee. He was really going to have to stop doing that. With me across his knee he went and pulled my panties down again. He was REALLY going to have to stop doing that.
"No. No bruises that I can see," he murmured, his hand rubbing my bottom lightly.
"Um, that's good. You can let me up now," I said quickly.