“Mr. Porter, I’m sorry for interrupting. I know you didn’t want to be disturbed, but you have an urgent call on line one!” Clete heard his secretary’s normally calm voice over the intercom. He knew she wouldn’t interrupt him without good reason. He looked at the stern-faced men sitting across from him, and smiled apologetically.

“I’m sorry… This won’t take long.” He picked up his telephone, pushed the lighted button and said, “Clete Porter, hello.”

“Clete, we’ve been good friends since kindergarten. I love you like a brother, and I thought having you for a neighbor would be a dream come true… but, man, if you don’t get your ass home pronto and DO something about Jules, I’m going to kill her!”

“What’s she done now, Jack?” Clete asked in resignation, aware the two new clients were hanging on every word he was saying, but very much aware that Jack wouldn’t be calling unless it was something that couldn’t wait until work hours were over.

“Clete… I’m out of patience. Either you come home right now, this minute, and deal with this brat of yours, or I’m going to… and I swear she won’t sit for a month of Sundays if I go after her!”

Clete knew Jackson as well as he knew himself. The threat wasn’t an idle one, and if the easy-going Jackson was angry enough to be threatening his best friend’s wife with corporal punishment, then Clete needed to get home before the man lost his temper completely.

“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes, Jack,” Clete promised, getting to his feet. “Gentlemen, I’m sorry. I have a personal matter that needs my immediate attention. My secretary will be happy to reschedule at your convenience. He grabbed his briefcase, stopped at his secretary’s desk, and then ran for his car, not giving a damn if he lost his new clients. Julia was his wife, his life, and he needed to find out once and for all what was going on inside her pretty head!!!

Since moving next door to Jackson Creigh, Julia had gone out of her way to drive a wedge between the two old friends. She’d wanted a new home for years, and they were finally in a position financially and family-wise that they could do what they wanted to do. Schools didn’t have to be considered now that their youngest was in college, and they could afford to splurge on the home they’d always dreamed of. Julia was so excited on the day they closed the deal for the land, and the contractors started building right away. Everything was perfect… until she learned that Jackson Creigh owned the land next to them, and it was his house being built there. Julia was convinced the old friends had planned it, but nothing was further from the truth. The two men discovered the truth a good three weeks after construction started on the Porters’ new home, and while they were delighted with the discovery, Julia was infuriated. She’d made no bones over the years that she merely tolerated Jack, and Jack wasn’t too partial to Clete’s petite wife, either.

In the six months since they moved into their dream home, Julia had taken to pulling pranks on Jackson. While he was out of town with the football team he coached, she’d covered his newly seeded yard with sunflower seeds. She’d trimmed his hedge, carefully spelling out the words BOOB HEAD. She’d dumped packets of blue Kool-Aid into his pool on the afternoon before he was expecting guests for a pool party. She’d stolen his newspapers on a daily basis, and let Jackson make a fool of himself by complaining to the paperboy’s family… He’d finally set a trap, and caught Julia in the act, and brought her home to Clete, suggesting a good spanking was in order.

Clete had scolded Julia, made her sit and write handwritten apologies to all of Jackson’s blue-skinned guests. He’d paid to have Jackson’s yard treated and reseeded, and new hedges put in… And, he’d stood over Julia while she’d apologized to the newspaper boy and gifted him with a new bicycle. He hadn’t raised a hand to Julia since the early years of their marriage, but he’d warned her after the Kool-Aid incident that just one more prank, just one more, and she was going to get the spanking of her life. Clete was positive the threat of corporal punishment at Julia’s age would be enough of a deterrent to keep her behaving, but from the sound of Jack’s voice, she’d crossed a serious line. Clete couldn’t imagine what Julia had done THIS time, but vowed he was going to keep his promise if she’d done one single thing that involved other people!!!!

He rounded the corner and stared at the cars and vans parked haphazardly on the cul-de-sac in front of his home and started when he saw several news crews standing about. Gamely, he pulled into his driveway, and stared in horror at Jack’s yard. There were all kinds of signs and banners, all rooting for the Bucks, which was Jackson’s biggest competitor in the league. The trees had paper streamers hanging from the branches, all in red and white, the Bucks colors. Clete shook his head in disbelief, then blanched when a Reporter from Channel 7 came running, hoping to get an interview.

“Sir… Sir… May we have a moment of your time? Is it true that the Cougar’s Head Coach, Jackson Creigh, is leaving the Cougars to take a position as Head Coach for the Bucks?”

“No. It isn’t true. This is all some sort of joke,” Clete said feebly, wondering if he looked as stupid as he sounded to himself.

“But, what about the headlines in today’s edition of the Sun?” she continued probing for information.

“I haven’t seen the paper yet. Please excuse me. I need to have a word with my wife.”

He literally ran for the house, and let himself inside.

“Hi, honey!” Julia greeted him with a smile. “I hear Jack is leaving town…?” she said with an innocent expression in her blue eyes, but after nearly thirty years of marriage, Clete wasn’t fooled.

“Are you responsible for this, Julia?” he demanded.

“For what, honey? Surely you don’t think I told Jack to accept the Bucks’ offer…?” she cooed. “It’s all over the paper and the television!”

The telephone rang, and he had to dive to get it before she answered. “Jack, that you?” he asked, then listened as his friend ranted. “I give you my word, Jackson, something like this is never going to happen again.” He hung up the telephone and said, “Jules, you went too damn far this time. The team owners are threatening to fine Jack, if not outright fire him. They think this is a publicity stunt to get more money, and they aren’t happy with his tactics. The Bucks are infuriated, too. YOU, wife, are going outside and start some damage control.”

“I am not!” Julia refused, crossing her arms over her chest in a stubborn gesture of defiance.

“Yes, you are,” Clete said calmly. He took her arm, and in the next second, she was bent over the kitchen table, and his hand was smacking repeatedly on the seat of her tight jeans. “I should have done this six months ago,” he scolded.

“Stop! How dare you! I’m too old for this treatment, Cletus Porter!”

“You are acting like a bratty child, and I’m going to treat you just as you deserve. You are getting spanked until you agree to go outside and tell those reporters this was all a practical joke, a very poor practical joke. You are going to take down each and every one of those signs, and you are going to call the newspapers and admit you made up that story about Jackson!” He spanked her as hard as he could, satisfied he was making an impression when she cried out in pain. “Do you hear me, Julia Porter?”

“Yes! I’m sure all those reporters heard you, too! And they’re probably going to report you for abusing me!”

“I’m not abusing you… yet,” Clete replied. “But I am going to take a few of those stakes you used to put those signs all over Jack’s yard and whip your butt with them… and when this is all over, Julia, you are going to cut a switch, and I’m going to stripe your sweet ass until you see reason. This has gone too goddamned far!” he roared, giving full vent to his temper, and spanking the seat of her jean shorts even harder.

Julia’s pleading finally registered and he jerked her to her feet. “We’ll go and start taking down signs, and giving interviews, Mrs. Porter… and you’d best be convincing, hear me? I mean it, Jules. I’ll give those reporters something to show on the news if you give me the least bit of trouble. It will be you over my knee, getting spanked… I’m sure that will take the focus off of Jackson and put it right where it belongs…”

“No! Oh please, Clete… Please don’t embarrass me like that!” she cried.

“You’ve embarrassed Jackson, Julia. And interfered with his job. You know how much he loves coaching the Cougars! I’m really ashamed of you right now!” He opened the door, and she preceded him outside. She pretended to ignore the reporters, and hurried next door to start removing the signs and banners from Jackson’s yard.

“Ma’am? Would you mind telling us what you’re doing?” the reporter from Channel 7 was the first to reach them.

“I’m removing the signs I put up,” Julia said truthfully. “Jackson Creigh isn’t leaving the Cougars… this was just an ill-timed practical joke.”

“A practical joke?” the reporter asked skeptically.

“Yes… we’ve known Jackson forever… and for some stupid reason, I thought this would be a good joke. I’ve been made aware that it’s having a negative affect on both teams, and I wish you would allow me to express my regrets and my apologies for upsetting everyone. Jackson loves coaching the Cougars,” Julia admitted, looking straight into the camera.

A few other reporters asked questions, and once it was obvious there was no real story to be had, the van’s and cars started leaving, returning their neighborhood to quiet normalcy once again. Julia sniffled, feeling sorry for herself, and Clete didn’t help matters by tucking her under his arm and using one of the slats to wallop her backside. It broke after six good smacks, and he quickly picked up another, and it lasted a whole lot longer. Julia was ouching and kicking, but Clete was keeping his promise. She was already sore, and Clete showed no signs of stopping. He was making her pay for each one of the signs she’d put in Jackson’s yard.

“Jules, I’m mad as hell at you!” she wanted to die when she heard Jackson’s gravelly voice. She didn’t want him to watch while Clete punished her. It was too humiliating. “Clete, you bring her inside and we’re going to have this out once and for all. This can’t happen again.”

“It won’t,” Clete promised. “Will it, Jules?” he applied one of the thin slats to her fanny.

“No! Please stop, Clete! I’m sorry!”

“Now that’s the first sincere sounding apology I’ve heard out of your mouth in six months, Jules,” Jackson chuckled. “You should have spanked her the first time she pulled one of these stunts, man.”

“She’s far from done today,” Clete commented as he guided his wife along and inside his friend’s house.

“I’d ask you to sit down, Jules, but I know you’d rather stand,” Jack said matter-of-factly. “Suppose you tell me why? What did I do to make you so damned mad at me? And God help you if you tell me it’s because I divorced Loraine…” he warned.

“It has nothing to do with Lorain,” Julia stated loudly.

“Then what is it, honey?” Clete asked quietly.

“It’s you two! You always get your way! You were neighbors when you were kids, you roomed together at college, and now… you live side by side… and don’t you dare insult my intelligence by telling me you didn’t know. I don’t like being made a fool of!” she angrily declared.

“How many times do I have to tell you that I didn’t know Jack was building here, Julia? We did not lie to you,” he said so firmly that her blue eyes actually reflected doubt.

“Jules, I swear we didn’t plan this. It’s a coincidence… like both of us buying the same kind of car a couple of times over the years. Clete’s always been more of a brother to me than my own brother. We didn’t lie to you, and we didn’t make a fool of you. We wouldn’t do that, honey,” he added softly. “If you want, I’ll sell out and move. I don’t want to come between you and Clete. He got lucky and found a good woman… and I won’t let him screw it up. You say the word, Jules, and I’ll put this place on the market tomorrow.”

“You would do that?” Julia looked at him in shock.

“Yep. I meant what I told Clete earlier. You came close to me losing my temper with you today. The only reason I didn’t tear a strip off your bare butt is because I love Clete… and you… and it ain’t my place to whip you, no matter how much I think you need a good whipping. I’ll move before I let you provoke me again. I won’t lose my friendship with this man because you don’t want me for a neighbor, Jules.”

Julia looked at him, then at her own husband. They were telling her the truth, and she’d been on a mad for over sixth months for no good reason. “You don’t need to move, Jackson. I won’t be pulling any more pranks to get at you,” she promised, and then added self-consciously, “I’m sorry…”

“Apology accepted, Jules,” Jack smiled at her, and then shook her hand. “I know I’ve been mooching a lot at your place, so why don’t I put some steaks on the grill tonight…? I’ll even order some of Baker’s cheesecake, and we’ll have a regular party.”

“Make it next week sometime, Jack, and you have a date. Julia and I have some unfinished business to take care of, and once that is done, I doubt she’s going to feel much like socializing tonight.”

“I understand, man,” Jackson nodded. “Jules, Clete’s only doing this because he loves you, and you’ve earned a sore backside.”

Julia couldn’t argue with that, and she said nothing when Clete let her outside and into Jackson’s back yard. He took out a pocket knife and held it out. “You can cut a couple nice switches from Jack’s trees, Julia. I want you to know where they came from when you’re getting striped six ways to Sunday.”

“I said I was sorry, and I am, Clete. Please don’t use a switch!” Julia pleaded.

“I told you months ago that Jack and I didn’t know we each bought land here, wife, and you chose to think I was lying to you. You didn’t trust me, and I don’t think I’ve ever given you a reason to doubt my word, have I?”

“No… I’m sorry, Clete,” she whispered.

“You’ll be even sorrier in a little while. I’m disappointed in you, Jules. We planned for years to build this home, and you’ve done nothing but cause trouble and act like a bratty child since we moved here. It’s time to face the consequences. You cut three switches and peel them nice and proper.”

Julia’s fingers shook as she did as she was told, and she just prayed that there were no lingering reporters out and about. She didn’t want to have to explain why she was cutting branches from Jackson Creigh’s trees… and worse, why she was standing there peeling the bark and leaves from them. The task didn’t take nearly long enough, and they were soon inside their own home.

“Clete, please… You haven’t spanked me in at least eighteen years, and I’m so sore already from the boards on the signs. Please…? I’m sorry, well and truly.” Julia could see that her pleas were falling on deaf ears. Clete was angry with her, and making no attempt to hide the fact. “I know I’ve behaved badly, honey… and I probably do deserve a punishment, but I’m really tender already…” she tried once more.

“You’ve been a witch, Julia. You’ve done one thing after another to Jackson for the last six months. He’s forgiven you each and every time… even when you made the paperboy the brunt of his temper… even when you turned his friends blue! He’s let you apologize and accepted my word that you don’t normally act so childish. But this time you nearly cost the man his job, his livelihood, Jules, and I’m not going to let you off. I’m going to stripe you thoroughly with each one of these switches, and then you are going straight to bed for the night.”

“It’s not even five o’clock, Clete!” Julia’s blue eyes were wide. “You can’t seriously expect me to go to bed now!”

“My guess is that you will be happy to go to bed if it means stopping the switching,” Clete predicted.

Julia stomped her foot. “No! I won’t have this!”

“Yes you will have this, and you’ll have a spanking every night for the next week, and one more bit of sass will find you in bed early each night, too,” he promised.

“Oh, Clete…! No, honey! I… I’m sorry!”

“Upstairs, Jules, now. Clothes off. I want your backside bare, and you waiting in the corner when I come upstairs.” The look she gave him did nothing but increase his resolve to deal with her behavior as it deserved. He watched as she ran up the steps, and then he took a few minutes to drink a glass of water. He knew the switching was going to hurt, it needed to hurt, and he wouldn’t enjoy making Julia cry. He glanced through the mail lying on his desk, purposely giving his lovely wife time to think. Once he was sure enough time had passed, he headed upstairs.

Julia was waiting in the corner, wearing nothing but a nightgown. She had it pulled up to her waist, and he could see she was trembling. Since the room was fairly warm, he was certain the trembling was in anticipation of the switching. Her bottom was already red in spots, and he wasn’t surprised. It had been too many years since he’d spanked Julia…

This room was lovely, and Clete was positive Julia hadn’t picked out the soft, rounded sofa with spanking in mind, but to Clete’s experienced eye, it was ideal. He pulled the sofa around a bit… he need room to swing the switch… then called out, “Jules, you can come here now.”

She turned and looked at him tearfully. “Please, Clete… can’t you punish me some other way? Or just use your hand, honey? My bottom is sore already.”

“It is red in spots, and soon it will be even redder and covered with welts. The last time I switched you, Julia, it was for risking your life… Do you remember?”

“Yes. I had too much to drink at Claire’s going away party… and I was so tipsy I fell asleep in the car in the driveway. I was lucky I didn’t kill myself, or someone else… I didn’t sit comfortably for a week that time,” she replied.

“I’ve been trying to decide if this situation is worse, and I’ve come to the conclusion that it is,” he told her. “You didn’t trust me to tell you the truth. You’ve acted like a child, trying to destroy a friendship I’ve enjoyed for fifty years… You risked a man’s job, and embarrassed him publicly. And for what? Why does having Jack for a neighbor upset you so much? Is it Loraine?” he asked, watching her eyes carefully.

“Jackson is wrong about Loraine,” Julia said earnestly. “And she won’t say or do one thing to prove it… and she won’t let me fix it, either!” She stomped her foot in pure temper. “Damn it, Clete! It’s not fair to have Jackson next door and Loraine living a hundred miles away… when it is all a misunderstanding! Jack is pigheaded and I just… I’m so angry with him!” She started crying, and Clete moved to hug her.

“You have to let go of this, honey. You can’t use other people to make Jack pay for being a fool. You went too far… and the consequences are not going to be to your liking. I want you to put yourself over the back of the sofa. Hands down on the seat, honey,” he instructed when she bent over. He pushed her bottom a bit higher, and then pushed her legs apart. They would feel the switches, too.

“Do you feel vulnerable right now, Julia?” he asked.

“Yes! And scared! Please, oh please… Please don’t do this, Clete. I’m sorry, and I promise it won’t happen again!”

“Did you talk to Loraine this morning, Jules?” he asked consideringly.

“Yes…”

“And the next time she calls, you will go on the attack again,” Clete decided. “What we do right now is going to give you a good reason to think before you even consider another prank on Jackson. You are not free to wreak havoc on people, Julia. You caused a lot of trouble today, and you nearly ruined his career. I won’t have my wife behaving like a child having a tantrum.” He brought the first switch down on her rounded bottom, and Julia cried out in pain and shock. The second strip landed below the first, and she yelped again.

Clete wore out the first switch on her backside, then picked up the second and started on her thighs. He striped each one thoroughly, in spite of all the wriggling Julia did. He even landed a few on her calves, making sure she would have to wear slacks or a long skirt when she went out for the next few days… in spite of the warm weather.

“Stop! Oh, Clete, stop! I can’t stand this! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please, please, no more!” she begged for mercy. “I hurt so much!”

“I have one switch left, and I’m going to use it, Julia. If there is a next time, you will cut four switches, and I will wear them out. You have my word. I’m going to hold you down now, and you are going to keep your legs and butt as still as you can. If you don’t move and take your licking, I’ll stop with ten to your sit spot. If you fuss and squirm, and try to beg off, I’ll keep right on until this switch is done for. No joking, Jules… I’m damned disappointed in your behavior, and it ends today. If you earn another switching, I swear it will be worse than this one.” Clete steeled himself to be firm. He hated hurting her, and Julia’s backside was already striped and welted. She’d been a regular hellion… a witch… and he should have spanked her six months ago. It was time to make an impression, and he was determined his wife would NOT dare attack Jackson again. The first stripe landed on her sit spot, and while Julia yelled, she remained in place. He suspected she was eager to have it over with. The second stripe landed over the first, and she sobbed. The third followed, but to the other side, as did the fourth. Julia was limp now, and he realized she’d had enough. The lesson was learned. He followed up with six more, all to her sit spot, and then dropped the used switch on the floor with the other two. All he wanted to do now was hold his little wife and reassure her that he loved her.

Julia sobbed against him, but she didn’t try to reach back and rub her inflamed bottom. She knew from past experience that he would repeat the last ten if she dared to do that. The spanking would have to wear off naturally.

When she quieted, Clete turned down the bed, and gently placed her on her tummy. He covered her with the cool sheet, and then leaned down to kiss her. “I love you, Jules.”

Julia waited until Clete left the room, then hopped out of bed and walked over to the full length mirror and looked over her shoulder at her flaming backside. Her husband was nothing but thorough… She went back to bed, and put her mind to dealing with one stubborn Jackson Creigh. Next time, she would bring the man to his knees!!!