« Spanking Stories

Imogen led as she, Takisha and Charlotte served the beautiful girls in evening gowns around the dining table. They laid the starter of Caesar salad in an edible bowl of fried Parmesan cheese in front of each girl and returned to repeat the show three more times until all twelve young women had the starter in front of them.

Retreating to the walls of the Girl Act dining room, the 'waitresses' in little black dresses and neat white aprons stood at ease and observed as the service manager, in a smart black pant suit, introduced the course.

"When do we meet the founders," a blonde on the far side asked.

"After your meal," the service manager replied, and left the room.

"They couldn't be bothered to turn up to the dinner and they question our manners," the blonde said.

"I know," a fiery redhead on the near side of the table said. "It's disgraceful."

Charlotte observed the exchange, keeping her face blank. It was interesting. Was the blond standing up for herself or being a bitch? She couldn't decide.

Imogen stepped forward and poured water for a girl who'd already finished her glass.

"Thank you," the girl said. "You're very kind."

Imogen stepped back, a point in the polite girl's favor noted in her mental record.

As the Caesar salad was almost finished, Takisha, fire still raging in her bottom, observed two girls swap plates. She watched as one girl ate the other's uneaten fried cheese bowl. At a nod from the service manager who'd reappeared, they stepped forward to remove plates, stacking them and completing the removal in one fluid maneuver.

As she picked up the plates from the girls who'd swapped, she heard one of them explain to yet another girl. "I can't eat cheese, but I didn't want the founders to think me ungrateful."

Taking the plates to the kitchen, they all went to the wall of sheets. Stuck to the wall in the kitchen were profiles of all the candidates. They each marked positive and negative points against girls. It pleased Charlotte to see two positive points accrued for Kat.

"What did she do?" she asked, off hand.

Takisha explained about the swapped cheese bowl. "Eating it was a generous gesture to make the other girl comfortable."

They had all put negative marks against the blonde.

"Are we being fair?" Charlotte asked.

"Every word out of her mouth drips with arrogance. She doesn't stand a chance," Imogen said.

"Pity, she sings like an angel."

"Doesn't sound like one."

Put to work serving the main course, they observed several bitchy exchanges as girls under pressure failed to perform. The wine was loosening their inhibitions and not to their advantage.

Only a few girls thanked them as they placed their steak in front of them. It was the finest Wagyu beef for the occasion. There were plenty of comments about the flavorful meat.

As Charlotte withdrew from placing a steak in front of a dark-haired girl sat towards the end of the table, the girl tapped her glass with her knife, and said, "A top up, please."

"Yes, miss," Charlotte replied, not missing a beat. Marking the girl down dozens of points in her mind, she filled her red wine glass half full.

Observing their charges from a close distance, the attitudes emerged. No matter how beautiful the girl, or the gown, manners were not guaranteed.

While they were drinking coffee after their dessert of mixed berries and cream, a girl in a gorgeous full length royal blue gown shifted back from the table with a start.

She didn't cry out or make any greater fuss. She moved her chair back and whispered to the girl next to her. Wanting to know what was happening, Charlotte stepped forward. Before she reached the girls, she heard one tell the other she'd flicked coffee at her dress.

The heartfelt apology earned the guilty girl huge points. Charlotte swept over to the bar, grabbed a bottle of beer and opened it. Crouching beside the girl in the royal blue gown, she said, "Excuse me, miss. Would you like me to remove that stain?"

"Oh, gosh. Can you?"

Charlotte grabbed the girl's napkin, poured some beer onto the corner of it and dabbed at the mark on the front of her dress. It hadn't gone deep, and the swift beer solution drew it out.

"Thank you. You're so kind," the girl said. "I don't want to look inept when the founders get here."

Charlotte smiled, removed the napkin and replaced it with a fresh one from behind the bar.

Imogen crossed the room to stand with Charlotte. "What was all that?"

"Two worthy girls. I'll tell you after we've cleared coffee."

When they'd removed the coffee cups from the table, the real waitresses poured champagne for all the guests while Charlotte, Imogen and Takisha studied their wall of profiles.

Charlotte faced Imogen. "I have to hand it to you. This was the best idea ever."

Imogen basked in the praise as Takisha took down the four standout sheets from the wall.

"Does anyone dissent with the decision," Charlotte asked.

Both girls shook their heads.

"Before we proceed, I must reveal a secret." She tapped the top profile sheet, Kat's. "This is the girl who inspired Girl Act. I faked a wee, so you would judge her for me Imogen when her video came up the first time. I also let you both vote first when we selected the twelve finalists. Yesterday, I had to call her and tell her about tonight, because she'd have recognized me in an instant."

"She's so in," Takisha said.

Charlotte turned to Imogen. "Your decision."

"You did the right thing," Imogen said. "It would have been unfair on her, if she'd earned her place by favor. But she has topped my list all along, and tonight I saw a smart girl at the table."

"Thank you both," Charlotte said. "The deceit has been killing me."

"But you were right not to tell us," Takisha smiled. "We might have looked upon her with too much generosity."

Charlotte relaxed and smiled. "Then we have four winners. Let's do this."

They walked back into the dining room to an expectant atmosphere. The two genuine waitresses topped up all the guests' champagne as the founders lined up across the head of the table, untied their white aprons and dropped them on the floor.

"Good evening, ladies," Charlotte said. "I hope you enjoyed your dinner. We're the founders of Girl Act."

A collective groan went around the table as they each saw their behavior during the evening in a fresh light. Charlotte said nothing while the enormity of their situation sank in.

"It isn't enough to be talented in today's market. Plenty of girls can act or sing. Every single one of you is a talented artist, but it takes more than talent to be a star."

Imogen picked up the reins. "It takes etiquette and flawless manners. If every note of your music is gorgeous, you can still wreck it with the wrong attitude."

Takisha said, "Give your audience your soul. Hand it over and don't expect a reward. Then, and only then, can you be a star."

Charlotte loved Takisha's heartfelt words. None of their dinner guests knew that under her cute black dress, her bare bottom burned from a serious punishment caning only a few hours ago.

"Ladies," Charlotte said. "There are four girls here tonight who deserve their place at Girl Act. When I call your name, please stand."

"Helen," Charlotte said.

The girl in the royal blue gown stood, unsure if she was a winner or a loser.

"Tina," Charlotte called.

Next to Helen, the careless coffee girl stood and exchanged an uncertain glance with her.

"Rose," Charlotte called.

A girl in a tight pink dress stood

"Kat," Charlotte called.

Wearing a stunning green ball gown, Kat rose.

"Ladies, please come here."

The bevy of beauties congregated beside the founders.

Charlotte said, "This evening, these four girls made mistakes. The most obvious was when Tina spilled coffee on Helen's dress. It's not the mistakes that count. It's how you deal with them. Mistakes will litter your careers. Helen, Tina, Rose and Kat, Welcome to Girl Act."

The four girls stood stunned.

"The rest of you, I wish you the best of luck. You've all done well to get this far, but it takes more than talent to be a star."

Imogen took control of their winners, guiding them away to the performance room. Charlotte and Takisha thanked the other contestants while security showed them to the waiting cars to take them to their homes or hotels.

At a nod from Charlotte, Imogen led the winners upstairs to the founders' office. The genuine waitresses brought fresh coffee as they settled the girls around their vast white table and joined them.

"Well done, each of you," Imogen said. "It's been a long journey, but I'm sure we have the best four girls at this table we could have ever hoped for."

Charlotte said, "Out of fairness, I want you all to know Kat and I knew each other at a charity called Girl Plan. During this process Takisha and Imogen judged her application." She pointed to each of her co-founders. "Neither of them knew I'd avoided judging Kat until after the final vote tonight. So Kat be in no doubt you're here on your own merits, and I'll cut you no favors."

"You must have recognized her," Rose said.

"I did. She called me yesterday and told me how tonight would work."

"So you knew to be on your best manners."

"Yes. And if you think that made it easier, think again. I've second guessed every thought and word all evening. It's been hell."

Rose grinned. "I'm glad I didn't know. I'd have been so nervous."

"It wasn't fair," Takisha said, "but life isn't. And your careers won't be fair either. It was the best way for us to judge the true you."

"What happens next?" Helen asked.

Takisha selected four contracts from the pile and discarded the rest. She handed them to the girls. "These are the contracts we'll ask you to sign. We'll give you three days to look it over and decide if you want to proceed. In essential terms you will give Girl Act five percent of your earnings for life, but those earnings will be worthless unless we help you make yourself a star."

"Note Takisha's phrase," Charlotte said. "We can only help you, we can't do it for you. Either you have it in you to be a star or you don't. We believe you all do."

Imogen spoke up. They'd agreed she'd lead this section. "There's one thing we must draw your attention to. Please turn to clause four and read it."

The founders sipped their coffee while the girls read the clause. They'd deliberated over it with incredible care and taken weeks of back-and-forth with their lawyers.

"If we don't learn good etiquette, you're going to beat it into us," Kat said.

"That's rather blunt, but yes," Imogen said. "Each of us has learned etiquette in various ways and places, but we share a common theme. All of us have had our bottoms whacked hard to teach us good manners. It hurts, so read the contract with care."

Rose put her finger on the clause and looked at the founders. "You're saying you'll cane me with a rattan cane and mark my bottom when I make a mistake."

"Yes," Charlotte said. "Not for minor things, but when you deserve to be called to order over something. It hurts like hell, but it does you a ton of good."

"Can I see it?" Helen asked.

Charlotte got up, went to the narrow closet, removed a regular cane and placed it on the table. Helen picked it up and ran her fingers along it. "Why can't you just tell us off?"

"Because it wouldn't last," Charlotte said. "With this, the hurt lasts most of the day and still reminds you when you see or feel the marks for a few days. There's a respectful pride in accepting when you're wrong. Bending over for a formal punishment marks the moment in your mind. If I told you off, you'd carry guilt or resentment around for a while. This cuts through all that and lets you get back to work."

"Back to work, but with a sore butt," Helen said.

"Yes," Charlotte said. "There's something you should know before you get too hung up on this. Our own contracts require us to follow the same rules of etiquette we demand of you and," she paused for effect, "receive the same sanctions."

"You mean you get caned too?" Tina asked.

"Takisha," Charlotte said. "Would you mind?"

Takisha blushed. It wasn't a request from Charlotte, it was a command. Shame plunged down her body as she stood, moved away from the table, turned around and shimmied her dress to her waist, putting her bare bottom blazoned with six thick stripes from earlier on display to all their winners.

A collective gasp overtook the table. Kat exclaimed, "This did that?"

"No," Charlotte said. "We're subject to a tougher cane, as you'd expect."

"What did she do?" Rose asked.

"Takisha?" Charlotte asked.

Embarrassed, Takisha lowered her dress and re-joined the table. "I challenged our chain of command. I chose not to do as Charlotte had asked me."

"And who caned you?" Helen asked.

"Charlotte."

They all looked at Charlotte in a mix of admiration and fear.

"You have three days to decide," Charlotte said. "But we believe in dutiful girls who accept when they're wrong and bend for a sharp punishment. You'll feel no guilt while you're at Girl Act, but from time to time you must all expect to feel a very sore bottom."

Kat had heard of Charlotte's upbringing back at Girl Plan when she'd had to lean on her for support with a girl she'd been mentoring. She'd never seen this coming, but if painful punishment had made Charlotte who she was, she would sign up for the same. Grabbing a pen from the white ceramic tray in the middle of the table, she flicked to the last page of the contract, signed and dated it. Passing her contract to Takisha, she said, "I don't need three days and I accept that sometimes I'm going to deserve a hiding, I only hope I have the dignity to take it with respect."

Charlotte smiled. The firm endorsement from Kat meant everything.

Helen reached into the ceramic tray and took a pen. She couldn't believe she was doing this, but these girls made sense. She wasn't always a good girl and knew it, but nobody had ever sanctioned her for it. The idea of having to face a formal punishment scared her, but also excited her a bit. She signed and handed her contract to Takisha. "I'm in."

Tina and Rose followed suit. Whether it was peer pressure or good decision making remained to be seen, but their rapid agreement delighted Charlotte.

"Cars downstairs will take you back to your hotels and homes. Tomorrow they'll collect you at noon. Those of you who are staying will move into a second house just across the lawn. Those of you who live nearby are welcome to decide if you'd prefer to move in or not. It's up to you. Tomorrow afternoon is time to get settled and explore your unknown world. Then we start work."