A Petty Matter

From Blushes 24, a follow-up to Just the Ticket.

Linda Marshall gasped. She could scarcely believe the evidence of her own eyes. He was standing there, right before her desk. That awful, awful man… the one who had said he had been a Special Ticket Inspector. Linda had often had her doubts about that since that terrible afternoon. When she allowed him to spank her on the train so as to be let off fare-dodging. Even now, three months later, she would still go hot and cold thinking about it.

Now there he was again, right before her, smiling a little knowingly.

‘Well, well, this is a surprise,’ he said. The thought flashed through Linda’s mind that somehow he had deliberately contrived this. Followed her to find out where she worked. So that he could blackmail her. She was filled with a mixture of fury and fear.

‘What are you doing here?’ she demanded in a stage whisper, even though there was no one else in the office.

‘My firm’s doing a special audit on the office accounts,’ said George Denham easily.

Up went Linda’s eyebrows. ‘The last time I saw you, you were some sort of ticket collector.’

‘Gave that up when the firm called me back. They were getting overworked and understaffed. It’s just a temporary thing as far as I’m concerned. I’m retired really, though I don’t mind a part time job. Like that ticket collecting.’ He leaned over the desk and grinned. ‘In fact,’ he continued, ‘you might say, at times, I positively enjoy it.’

Linda flushed scarlet. Anger blazed in her eyes; eyes that were behind rather business-like glasses. ‘Get out of my office!’ she spat out.

‘I’ve a perfect right to be here. Ask your manager.’

‘But… but… it’s after hours…’

‘So what? I work any hours on this job. You find out some interesting things when people don’t think you are about.’

‘You’re not only a pervert, you’re a horrible little snooper as well,’ blazed Linda. Anger was overcoming her shock.

‘I don’t advise you to talk to me like that,’ said George. ‘I’d like to look at your petty cash book. And the cash box.’

Linda’s bright red cheeks turned pale; she felt suddenly very cold inside. There should be £50 in the float but she’d borrowed £30 from it the night before, without putting in any chit. Things wouldn’t balance.

‘They’re locked away in the safe,’ she said rather too quickly.

‘Well, open the safe, Linda.’ He hadn’t forgotten her name.

‘I haven’t got a key.’

George sighed. ‘Well, I have,’ he said. ‘Is there something the matter?’

Linda was beginning to panic. Why the hell hadn’t she put the money back? What a fool she was. ‘No… nothing… but can’t it wait until the morning?’ That would give her a chance.

‘No, it can’t,’ said George. He took out the key that management had given him and opened the small safe. Linda’s surmise that he had deliberately found out where she worked was perfectly true. Once you were on to a good thing it was worth following up. He sensed that this Linda was a ‘bad seed’… and opportunities might present themselves.

He took out the cash box, then, sitting down, checked the contents and the cash book. Linda, heart hammering, continued working away at her electric typewriter. She had left the Church Commissioners and was on a new job in an advertising agency. She liked the work and the money was much better.

‘Thirty pounds short,’ stated George after what, to Linda, seemed an age. ‘How do you account for that, Linda?’

Linda went paler, averting her eyes. ‘I borrowed it last night,’ she said. What else could she say? The truth might be best.

‘That’s not allowed.’

‘I know. I meant to put it back this morning.’

‘But you didn’t. I’m afraid I shall have to report this, Linda. Simply part of my job. That’s why they bring in people like me.’

‘Oh don’t do that, please! I…I’m new here… they’ll most likely fire me.’

‘I’m sure they will…’

‘P-please!’ Linda was experiencing the same kind of desperation she had done on that train.

‘People like you,’ continued George, ‘start by fiddling the petty cash and end up by forging cheques. Oh, I know your sort, Linda. Met plenty in my time. Fare dodging is one thing, stealing’s another.

‘I wasn’t stealing! Just borrowing. I was going to put it back!’

‘So you say. But I can well imagine a few faked petty cash slips might well have been substituted.’

‘No… that’s not fair!’

‘Fair or not, the matter will have to be reported.’ George got up and headed for the door. ‘I’ll see if the manager’s still here.’

As a matter of fact, George knew he wasn’t. He’d checked on that. He and Linda were the only ones in the whole building. That’s how he had wanted it. Then, to his great pleasure, he found Linda putting herself between him and the door.

‘No… don’t… I beg you. Give me a chance! You did once before…’

‘Perhaps I shouldn’t have done,’ replied George. ‘Public disgrace and a big fine might have made you change your ways, young lady. But it seems you’ve gone from bad to worse.’

‘Please… please…’ Linda was holding out her hands imploringly. ‘Give me another chance!’

George stopped in his tracks. He could scarcely have hoped things to turn out better. So quickly, too. He had been prepared to wait some time; till Linda made a mistake. But here it was again, on a plate!

‘Are you suggesting something similar to what happened before,’ enquired George softly. The old adrenalin was beginning to flow. He remembered that lovely young bottom well. Had often dreamt about it since.

Linda clutched at her throat. Was she? Well… was she? Could she possibly let this beastly old man do that to her again? Every instinct cried out against it… yet… oh yet… once again an avenue of escape was opening up.

‘N-no…’ she said automatically.

‘Then kindly get out of my way, young lady. I have my duty to do.’ George sensed that he was already winning.

‘No… no… please…’ Oh Lord, could she go through with it again? There wasn’t only the pain, there was the terrible shame.

‘It made sense last time,’ said George.

That was true, reflected Linda. And she certainly didn’t want to lose this super job. Not get a reference for another one, either. Once again, she thought of her parents. They were sure to discover the reason for getting the sack so soon. More disgrace. ‘Well… maybe…’ said Linda tentatively.

George sat down. ‘Take your time,’ he said. Then he waited, watching the conflicting emotions run over that pretty face. Linda stood there, breasts heaving with the turmoil of her thoughts. Oh what a ghastly decision!

Then, with a kind of wrench in her brain, she suddenly came to a decision. ‘Alright then. If you promise to say nothing.’

George sat very still. He’d won again. ‘Oh I’ll say nothing. Kept my word last time, didn’t I?’. That was also true. ‘Mind you, thieving’s far worse than fare dodging.’

Linda stamped her foot. ‘I tell you… I wasn’t stealing!’

‘Depends how you look at it. The manager will reckon you were, for sure.’

‘Alright… alright… let’s get on with it!’

Still George remained seated. ‘Can’t be so lenient with you this time, I’m afraid, Linda.’ The girl looked aghast as he stood up and went to the door.

‘W-whatever do… you mean?’

‘You’ll see.’ George smiled quietly. A methodical man, he had made preparations well in advance. At the back of one of his desk drawers lay a nice whippy cane. A cane that was going to make Miss Linda’s bottom squirm far more than his palm had done! ‘Just stay where you are; I’ll be right back,’ he said as he closed the door behind him.

He was back in under two minutes, the cane in his hand. Linda uttered a shocked gasp. ‘Ooohh… noo…!’ George took the precaution of locking the door behind him.

‘I’m afraid so, Linda. You see, this is a far more serious matter.’

‘B-but… you can’t use that!’

‘Why ever not?’ enquired George. ‘Girls like you used to be caned every day in school. More’s the pity they aren’t now, in my view.’

Linda was looking at the cane in horror. ‘It… it will m-mark me,’ she said hoarsely.

‘Not for long,’ George assured her. ‘Weals will all have disappeared in a week or so.’

‘It… it’s barbaric!’

‘It’s a punishment you deserve. You’re obviously falling into wicked ways, Linda. I reckon your parents would thank me, if they knew.’ They might at that, thought Linda wretchedly. She covered her face with her hands. Could she make herself do it? Somehow, like on that train, she had to. ‘Come along now. It will all be over in a few minutes,’ said George reassuringly.

‘W-what… what do you w-want me to do?’ quavered Linda. Surely he wasn’t going to use that awful thing on her bare flesh?

‘First of all,’ said George, in as matter-of-fact way as possible, ‘I want you to take your knickers right off. I mean, we don’t want to get them ripped, do we?’

‘You’re going to… going to…’ Linda’s voice trailed off.

‘Cane you on the bare? Yes, Linda. Just as I spanked you on the bare. It’s the only really efficacious way.’ Linda covered her face again and a great sob shook her. Was she going to go through with it, wondered George? Then he waited in nervous impatience for her finally to make up her mind. He ran his fingers along the smooth cane. Mmm… he liked the feel of that. But she wouldn’t! ‘One more minute, Linda,’ he said. Matters had to be forced, one way or another.

The seconds ticked away; then the girl began to sob. As she did so, her hands went under her skirt and down came her knickers. They were rather saucy French knickers, quite unlike those things she had worn that day on the train. ‘There’s a good girl,’ said George. ‘I like one who’s prepared to take her punishment. Now, over the desk you go.’ He forced the girl gently forward and she bent slowly and nervously. Carefully, George lifted her skirt.

Ahh… there was that delightful bottom again. Just as he had remembered it. The same suspender belt still supporting white stockings. Quite sexy. This young lady didn’t seem to go in for tights ever. He saw the nates quivering softly with apprehension. A quite, quite enchanting sight!

‘Y-you wo-won’t do… do it hard… will you?’ It was a plaintive whisper.

‘Not too hard,’ reassured George. He sawed the cane lightly across the flesh and Linda flinched violently. Understandably, she was very nervous. How many should he give her? Probably no more than half a dozen, since she was so inexperienced. But he would take his time over it. There was no point at all in rushing on such an occasion as this!

‘Six… only six, Linda,’ he said. ‘If you’re a good girl and remain bending.’

He was aware, of course, that she was most unlikely to be able to do that — so it gave him an excuse to carry on, if need be. So it proved. At the very first wristy cut he delivered, Linda leapt up, clasped her hands to her bare bottom and waltzed from side to side, gasping and gasping with pain.

‘O-ohh… that hurt…’ she said, looking at him plaintively.

‘I expect so, Linda,’ nodded George. ‘But then, a cane is meant to hurt. You have been very naughty. Now bend over again… and don’t take too long about it.’

‘Not… so hard!’ came the high-pitched plea as Linda bent once more. The cleft of the nates widened as the curves tautened. How sweet! George sawed the cane again and got the same convulsive flinch of dread. He liked that. He kept her waiting for a while, seeing the apprehensive flesh constantly twitching. Her shoulders were heaving, her breath fast and heavy. Then up went the cane again.

Another, similar wristy cut, just a little lower down the buttock cheeks. And the reactions were very similar to those evoked by the first stroke. Oh how it made her dance! Gasping out, head thrown back.

‘Worse than a spanking, isn’t it Linda?’

‘Yes…yes…!’

‘So you will be a good girl in future?’

‘Yes… ooohhh… yes… yes!’ she sounded most sincere. It is a great pity, reflected George, that more girls could not be put on the paths of righteousness by this method.

‘Kindly bend over again, Linda. There are still four more to come.’

Once more, most reluctantly, Linda bent. She was now sobbing loudly. ‘I… mmmm… don’t deserve this!’ she wailed.

‘Oh yes you do,’ said George… and laid on number three.

Oh joy to get such instant and uncontrolled reactions. How that young bottom twisted and jerked back and forth with pain! All too clearly she was feeling the deep, burning sting of it. ‘Halfway,’ announced George. ‘You can have a little rest, Linda. But you must remain bending over the desk.’ Sobbing unrestrainedly, Linda bent. The pain of the weals was so great it had driven away other thoughts concerning her immodest exposure. ‘You’re being a brave girl,’ stated George condescendingly.

The final three strokes took considerably longer to administer than the first three. Partly because George was in no hurry to complete this delicious piece of chastisement but mainly because Linda was ever more reluctant to place herself back over the desk. However, always, in the end, she did.

The final stroke which George laid on was a real cracker…which had Linda gasping and yelping loudly as she writhed right down on to the floor, legs kicking wildly. Yes, thought George as he looked down in satisfaction, those French knickers would certainly have been ripped in half.

In due time order was restored. Knickers were back on, a skirt was dropped, and a tear-reddened face was being attended to. George had been merciful, stating that he thought six strokes adequate. But, as a matter of fact, he reckoned discretion was the better part of valour. Much as he wanted to go on, it seemed to him that Linda was rapidly approaching a state of hysteria.

‘You’ll put that money back in the morning then, Linda?’

‘Yes… yes… of course I will…’

‘And you won’t do anything like that again?’ Linda shook her head. She was indeed beginning to learn that petty crime did not pay off. Or was it that she was simply unlucky? Always bumping into this horrible old perv at just the wrong moment. Life could only improve, surely? Perhaps it might be best to marry Bob. He was quite well breeched.

Pity she wouldn’t be able to see him this week, though.

Just in case he saw her bottom.