It had started off an ordinary lunch break at the financial company where Alexis worked. Nothing out of the usual mold, the TV was on broadcasting a soap opera that the employees favored, the usual few that took their lunch at 11:30 were there. Alexis spotted the day's paper in a pile on the table where Rose, a woman from the next department over, was sitting, her feet up on a nearby chair. "Are you reading this," Alexis asked, motioning to the paper. Rose looked up, and smirked. "No, I'm not eating it," was the response. Alexis froze, regretting having spoken. She was extremely self-conscious about a speech difficulty, or "altered speech" that she had had since childhood and worked hard to overcome. She nodded, picked up the paper, and walked to a different table, determined to not let the younger woman see the pain in her eyes. Neither one of them saw Roberta, Rose's immediate supervisor, enter the room just as Alexis asked her question. Quietly and quickly, Roberta made a mental note to have a word in private with Rose as soon as the woman finished her lunch break. Rose found a note on her desk requesting her presence in Roberta's private office as soon as her lunch break was over. She shrugged, and walking over, knocked on Roberta's closed door. For Roberta to have closed her door was unusual. She never did, unless in conference or doing private work. "Come in," was the muffled response. Rose entered the office. "Oh, Rose, close the door please, and have a seat." Roberta had a very serious look on her face, and Rose didnt like that at all. Roberta was a very pleasant woman to work for, except if she was displeased by a subordinate's performance, and then her whole demeanor changed. One tended to keep out of Roberta's way when she was not in a good mood, and Rose had heard stories about what would happen when Roberta was displeased. Rose waited. "I was in the lunch room a few minutes ago, Rose," Roberta began. "Would you like to tell me what you and the other woman were talking about?" Rose looked quizzically at Roberta. "I...I don't know who you're talking about, Roberta." "I think you do, Rose. She was asking you a question," was the reply. Rose appeared to be in thought, then nodded. "She just asked if I was reading the paper, and I said no." Roberta shook her head. "That's not what I heard, Rose, and you know it. I want to hear what your response was, please." Rose was starting to panic a bit, because some of the stories she had heard about Roberta dealt with employee disciplinary procedures. "I...I," Rose shifted uncomfortably in her seat now. "Rose, I don't have all day. Now, you are normally easy to get along with, but if you insist on dragging this out, I can call the other employee in and have her tell me," Roberta offered. Rose shook her head frantically. "I...I said that I wasn't eating the paper, but...she didn't mind, Roberta, I know she didn't. She just nodded and took the paper then." "Only because she didnt want you to see what I saw, Rose. I saw the hurt in your co-worker's face, and what your statement caused her. Do you understand that what you did was wrong? If this woman makes a formal complaint about it, which I doubt she will, because she's not that type, you could lose your job for harassment." "LOSE MY JOB? That's crazy!" Rose stood up. "I didnt do anything wrong, Roberta. I couldn't understand what she said, that's all." Rose headed for the door. "I'm not finished with you, Rose. Come back here now, please. There's the matter of how we will deal with this to settle it yet. You have a choice." Rose turned around, her hand on the doorknob, a puzzled look on her face. "A...a choice, Roberta?" "Yes. Sit down, please, Rose." Rose was becoming more nervous now, and her palms were starting to sweat a bit. "What kind of choice?" "Two choices. Either a formal reprimand which will go into your file, and may I remind you that your yearly review is coming up, my dear, or a more prompt approach." "What would that be?" Rose's mind was churning. What could Roberta possibly be thinking? She swallowed. "Simple. You report to my office at 5 pm, and agree to a spanking. No one else will be here, we will be quite private, unless you want a witness. We could have the woman you were talking to, as a witness", Roberta added. "A spanking?" Rose was floored. "But...but, that's not fair, Roberta. I just repeated.." she was cut short by a wave of Roberta's hand. "No excuses, Rose. A formal reprimand or a spanking. It's your choice. It will be just my hand, I assure you, but you will feel it." Rose thought wildly. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, what she was being asked to do. Surely the other woman wasn't serious. Or was she? "I'm waiting, Rose." "I...I guess, the s-s-spanking," answered Rose in a very small voice. "I didn't quite hear you, Rose." "A s-spanking." This answer was just a bit louder. Roberta nodded. "Very good. 5 pm then. Would you like a witness?" Rose shook her head. "Are you sure? You don't think Alexis would oblige?" A shrug, then a more definite shaking of Rose's head. "You may go then. Leave the door open, please." From that time until 4:30, normal quitting time, Rose was a bundle of nerves. She went from sheer terror at the thought of such a childish punishment to outrage, back to terror again. It was as if she were a five year old, having been promised a spanking for a misdeed. Nothing seemed to go right. Rose constantly dropped pens, paper clips, her stapler once, used the restroom more frequently than normal, and drank enormous amounts of coffee. On her afternoon break, she smoked five cigarettes, four more than usual. Her best friend, Melinda, looked at Rose strangely, but didnt say anything, for which Rose was thankful. Melinda knew when to keep her mouth shut and when to say something to someone. Finally, five pm rolled around. Rose stayed at her desk with the excuse that she had some extra work that needed to be done that day. Gradually, the office emptied of all except Rose and Roberta. The Fed Ex courier had come and gone on his last run of the day. She was alone with Roberta now. Roberta called her into the office, and told her to close the door. Rose was actually sweating now, shaking visibly. She was given a form to sign, consenting to the spanking. She signed it quickly where it said employee, and Roberta signed in her designated area. "Come over here, Rose, to my right side, please." Slowly, Rose did as she was told. "Lean over across my lap now. That's right." Roberta adjusted Rose to her liking, so that the woman's bottom was directly across her lap. "Now, this will have to be raised," 4. Roberta said, lifting Rose's flowered jumper to expose pantyhose and royal blue cotton bikini panties. Rose squirmed. "No, Roberta, please, not that.." she received a sharp spank for her efforts. "Hold still, young lady. I do not tolerate disrespect and mocking among employees, and you will learn that, however painfully, do you understand?" Rose nodded, putting her right hand behind her, hoping to block the spanks. A bad move, she quickly learned, as Roberta pinned the hand to the small of her back, and delivered another sharp spank to the same area, across the center of the buttocks. A flurry of spanks to the same area caused Rose to kick, and squeal, as a child would. "ow ow owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, Roberta, owwwwwwwwwwwwww." Now the squirming started in earnest. "Oh, come now, Rose. I havent even really started yet." Roberta rolled the woman's pantyhose down now. Another series of spanks now, alternating cheeks, hard and fast. SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK. Rose was gasping, squirming, and tears were starting to fall now. She was pleading for mercy now. "Oh, pleassssssssssssssssssseeee, Roberta, I'm sorry, honest I am. I didnt think...." Another flurry of spanks, harder than before. "That's right, young lady. You didn't think, did you? Did you think about someone else's feelings when you mocked their speech?" SPANK SPANK SPANK SPANK across the thighs now. "Did you?" SPANK SPANK SPANK SPANK "Answer me!" Rose, sobbing by now, shook her head. "Nooooooooo, and I'm really sorry, Roberta, I'll apologize to Alexis tomorrow at lunch." "Not good enough, Rose." The panties were rolled down now, exposing a bright red bottom. "No, Roberta, please, not bare..owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww" as another series of quick, hard spanks fell all over her buttocks this time, turning it even redder. "I think this is the only way of getting through to you, young lady, a good solid bare bottom spanking," was the answer. More spanks now, making the target very hot and sore. Rose would feel this spanking for quite a while. SPANK SPANK SPANK SPANK SPANK SPANK SPANKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK. Rose was sobbing harder, her makeup streaked, her shoulder length dark brown hair in disarray, squirming, kicking, and howling. "Yell all you want, Rose, no one is here except us. The cleaning people don't come in until six pm." She delivered a few last very hard spanks, some across the thighs, and the final three across the middle of Rose's bottom. "Now stand up, Rose. Over to the corner with you, and keep your skirt up." Rose, a thoroughly chastened young woman, did so without argument. "Hands at your sides, Rose." Fifteen minutes later, undoubtedly the longest fifteen minutes in Rose's life, she was told to get dressed and have a seat. A pained look greeted that command, but Rose followed the order, albeit gingerly. "Now, Rose, are you going to EVER mock someone's speech pattern again?" A shake of the head. "No, that's not good enough. I want to hear you say it. Are you going to ever mock some's speech pattern again?" "No," came the sobbing response. "No, what?" "No, ma'am." "That's better. Tomorrow I expect to hear that a written note of apology was placed on Alexis's desk, and I want a copy of it, please. Do you understand me? Do you also understand that if that order is not complied with that there will be a repeat of tonight's session?" Roberta was very serious now. "Yes, Roberta," was the response. Rose still cried, trying to repair what was left of her makeup and failing utterly. "Good. You may go now, and leave the door open. We will not speak of this to anyone." Rose slowly stood up, and painfully left the office, Roberta still at her desk looking after her employee, who was rubbing her bottom gently as she walked. Rose had given up trying to repair her makeup. How dare she? Rose thought. All sorts of revenge flitted through her mind, but she knew that the apology would be on Alexis' desk first thing in the morning. And it was.