Author's Note: Thanks for reading! I read all comments and appreciate feedback.
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The early morning air was refreshing. Dani pulled her hoodie tighter around her as she walked alongside Kayla, who wore only a thin jacket and shorts like the cold barely fazed her.
Kayla's long strides made Dani almost have to jog to keep up, her friend's lean, strong frame used to hiking trails and scaling rock faces. They had walked together like this since they had met. In high school, it meant they were never late for class. And Dani knew, this morning, it would help her warm up.
"What are you doing this weekend?" Dani asked, settling into the pace.
"Kayaking this afternoon," Kayla said. "With Jamie and some others from work."
"Any rapids this time?" Dani remembered the time they were capsized because they hadn't checked the weather first.
"Ha. No. It'll be calm. Wanna come?"
"No thanks. Just thinking about it is making me cold."
Kayla laughed. "Live a little, Dani!"
They rounded the corner onto Main Street, early light catching in the windows of the local café where they always ended up on weekends. The sign in the window flicked from "Closed" to "Open" just as they arrived. Kayla gave a little bow of thanks to the moustached owner unlocking the door. After ordering, they found a corner table by the window.
Kayla took a sip of her long black, then looked at Dani over the rim of her mug. "So... how's work?"
"Uh. Work's fine."
"That's a weird voice. That's your 'I have secrets' voice."
"I don't have a secrets voice."
"Oh, but you do. And this is it. You also had a suspiciously floaty expression on Thursday when you got home."
Dani looked into her almond latte like it might offer some courage to speak plainly. "So... it's gotten better. Like, significantly better."
Kayla leaned in. "Why do I sense a bomb's about to be dropped?"
Dani hesitated. Then, deadpan: "My boss spanked me."
Kayla took a moment to respond. "Metaphorically?"
"No. She bent me over her desk."
There was a full two seconds of silence before Kayla choked on her coffee.
"WHAT?"
"Keep your voice down!" Dani hissed, glancing around, even though they were still the only two customers in the store.
"Oh my God, Dani!" Kayla whispered loudly. "You can't just drop that like it's casual conversation! Your boss spanked you?!"
Dani winced. "It was consensual! Like professional development. And it's working. My numbers are great now."
Kayla blinked again. "What company are you getting your professional development through?"
"The same company that makes table tennis paddles."
Kayla took a moment to think about that, then laughed. "You say the strangest things, you fucking weirdo." She stirred her coffee with a wooden stick. "I need more context. Like... why?"
Dani leaned in a little closer over the table and lowered her voice.
"I told her I had a crush on her."
Kayla blinked. "Do you have a crush on her?"
"Yeah... look, I panicked, okay?" Dani said quickly, wincing as if an oncoming reaction were imminent. "She noticed I was distracted, my numbers were slipping, and she confronted me in her office. I've never had low numbers. Celina asked me what was going on, point-blank. And I just... blurted it out."
"Oh, Celina," Kayla said, drawing the name out like it explained everything. "That's the manager you said was scarily calm, right?"
"Yes, exactly. The terrifyingly composed one."
"But wait, didn't you guys get her a 'World's Okayest Boss' mug last Christmas?"
"Ha. Yeah, we did." Dani smiled sheepishly.
"Was she the world's okayest boss when she spanked you?"
"She didn't just... throw me over her desk. I think she realized I was floundering, and when I told her--when I admitted the crush--she kind of... thought about it. Then she said, 'Let's try something.' And she laid out the rules. If I missed my targets, I'd get a spanking. One swat for every percent point."
Kayla rubbed her chin. "And here I thought my boss just had me rewrite reports until I wanted to bash my head against a wall. Maybe I need to have a chat with HR."
Dani bit her lip and nodded. "It sounds out there, I know. But it made me feel... seen? Safe? I dunno."
Kayla shook her head slowly, but there was no judgment in her eyes--just surprise and a weird sort of pride. "I mean... Dani, this is wild. I wouldn't want my manager anywhere near my ass, but if it's consensual and it helps you, then yeah, go get it."
Dani smiled then--really smiled--and exhaled something she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. "Thanks. I was scared to tell you."
Kayla reached across the table and squeezed her hand. "Hey. Stop being scared to tell me things. You're my best friend. I will give you shit but I've got your back. Always."
The bell over the café door jingled as more customers wandered in, giving way to gentle chatter and the whir of the espresso machine. The warm scent of cinnamon and butter filled the space as a waiter approached their table, balancing a plate of golden croissants.
Kayla grinned as the plate landed between them. "Bless you, croissant god."
They both grabbed one. Dani tore off a flaky edge and popped it into her mouth, savoring the crisp, buttery bite. There was a pause, soft and comfortable.
"So," Kayla said, mouth half full, welcoming the shift, "while I'm at the lake, what will you be up to? Any more pants-off time with the boss?"
"Well, no more... sessions scheduled for now. But Celina did invite me over to her house tomorrow night. She said her partner wants to meet me."
