However, despite Jean's evident compliance, this certainly was not the last time that Marian spanked her. It seemed that, despite her best intentions, Jean managed to do something wrong at least once a week. She didn't follow through on an assignment or she did something wrong when she did. She broke something or knocked something over. Occasionally, it seemed that Marian just felt like spanking her for no discernible reason. Whatever the cause, the spankings had the hoped for effect on Jean. She was still mortified by the entire experience, but gradually fought and squirmed less and, more importantly, worried less about the inevitable exposure. It still felt wrong to have her panties down and her bottom bare, but she no longer felt that she should have stopped it. Later, when Marian instructed her to remove them prior to a spanking, she meekly complied. Actually, that word "meekly" largely summed up the biggest change: Jean accepted Marian's dominance over her and submitted passively even when doing so seemed "wrong" according to her upbringing. The seduction was well under way. However, there was a limit, a point at which Jean felt compelled to hold the line. That point was reached just before Halloween.
Marian and her husband R. J. Simmons, or "Rob" for Robert, always had a large costume party on Halloween and Jean was expected to serve snacks and drinks. The problem arose when she was presented with a French maid costume, one worn previously by Judy at past parties. She was immediately scandalized when she tried on the dress and saw how scant the coverage would be, The skirt was short, at least five inches above the knee. With it went long fishnet hose and garter belt worn with a pair of ruffled panties. The top was very low-cut, designed to show considerable cleavage created by a built-in push-up bra. Judy had been somewhat larger than Jean and, while the waist and hips weren't too bad, her breasts rested on top of the bra rather than in it. The result – if Jean bent over, the stiff skirt rose up, presenting, at the least, a view of her thighs, and the top fell away, permitting her breasts to swing freely and visible right down to the nipples. There was no way that she could wear such an obscene costume before other people. In fact, she was embarrassed when Jim saw her and she was surprised that he didn't share her total aversion to wearing it. Actually, he said, "Boy you look cute and sexy," a comment that angered (and secretly pleased) her.
Oddly enough, Marian used almost the same words when Jean marched over to show her how impossible it was for her to wear it to the party. She was even reluctant to let Marian see her, but had to prove her point. To her dismay, Marian focused solely of the physical problems, e.g. taking in the waist and hips, and seeing what they could do to tighten the top. From Jean's point of view, she missed the real problem completely. "Good heavens, Marian, I can't wear something like this in public! The skirt's at least eight inches too short and the top would show too much of my breasts regardless of how much it could be tightened! I'm embarrassed to see myself in the mirror – only a tramp would wear something lit this!"
This, of course, was not the most gracious way of expressing her opinion, particularly since Marian had selected the costume in the first place and obviously liked it, but Jean was not in the mood to be conciliatory. She raged on about how unsuitable and how vulgar the outfit was and how she wouldn't be caught dead in it. As she raged on, she missed the signs of increasing annoyance in Marian's face, a face that soon took on the visage of a thundercloud ready for a lightning strike. Her menacing silence finally registered on Jean who suddenly became aware of the frigid atmosphere in the room. When her diatribe hesitantly came to a stop, Marian spoke.
"Now, young lady, I've heard enough of this! That costume in not vulgar, it is not obscene, it is not any of the other terms you have used in your tirade! That is a very nice, pretty outfit that is perfect for serving at our party – and, by damn, you're going to wear it or I'll know why not!"
"It is vulgar and I feel like a prostitute in it, that's why not! Anyone wearing this, flaunting their body, letting people see their breasts, showing their legs and even their panties....I don't know what to call them! There's no way on earth that I'm going to appear in public in it!"
The "conversation" went downhill from there. Finally, enraged, Marian shouted out, "I've heard enough of this. Get over to the bed, take off those panties and bend over!" Surprisingly, Jean did just that. Marian's anger cut through her own fury and, frightened by the consequences of her intemperate words, she did as she had been conditioned to do by the frequent spankings of the past two months. Suddenly, she saw the specter of being fired, losing her home and income and she regretted her vicious comments. However, despite this threatened doom, she simply could not bring herself to compromise her principles and her belief in things being either right or wrong – and this was wrong! She could, of course, have refused Marian's orders and the inevitable punishment and run back to her apartment, but she knew that doing so would bring that doom. Acquiescing was also not an option. She didn't know what to do, so she did nothing – except wait.
