Truth or Dare
© 2001 Mary Catherine Whitney
All Rights Reserved.
(Spanking, M/f, n/c, nosex)

It was a few minutes after five on a stormy Thursday afternoon. Snow had been falling off and on in Central Pennsylvania for the past three days and Saint Francis was blanketed in a thick layer of white fluffy snow. Large lumps outlined the paths between buildings where the previous day's accumulation had been hastily cleared by a group of boys from Saint Sebastian's, the boys school on the other side of the lake. The forecast called for another two feet by the end of the week and, at this rate, it was easily shaping up to be the worst February the area had seen in over a decade.

"There's no way I'll pass my Trigonometry midterm," Mary Catherine said to Kristin as they trudged across the Quad toward the Walker Library. Snow was coming down hard and an icy wind kept pushing them off course. The small, old-fashioned lights that illuminated the path were barely bright enough to see more than a few feet in front of them. Every time Mary looked up it seemed as though they were 50 feet further from the main steps of the library than when they started out from their dorm in Trustees Hall ten minutes earlier.

"Don't be ridiculous, Mary Catherine, of course you'll pass!" Kristin replied over the howl of the wind. She wrapped her thick navy and forest green striped woolen scarf more tightly around her neck. "You're a lot better at Trig than you think. You just need to look at it logically and not get so frustrated."

Mary Catherine pulled her plaid cashmere muffler down just long enough to stick her tongue out at Kristin, and said, "That's easy for you to say. You're a genius, especially when it comes to this kind of stuff. I barely understand what Sister Ruth is talking about half the time. I don't care what you think, math is just NOT logical!"

She paused, and then added, more seriously, "Besides, I can't just pass this midterm, Kristin. I'm barely hanging onto a B minus in Trig as it is. I need at least a B to keep my GPA up, if not an A. Our academic transcripts are going to colleges after this term. I'll never get into Stanford with C's."

Kristin nodded, not knowing what else she could say. These exams WERE really important, even more than normal because they were taking the SAT in less than a month. Mary Catherine was way too stressed about Trigonometry, which worried Kristin. She knew that a bad grade on the midterm could kill what little confidence Mary Catherine had in her mathematical abilities when taking the SAT.

"You'll do fine, honest," Kristen finally said as they reached the front steps of the Walker Library. "If you want I'll help you study."

The girls cautiously climbed the stairs. Even with the layer of salt that had been sprinkled, the stone stairs were slick. One of the freshman girls had broken an ankle yesterday when she fell down the library stairs, and neither girl was anxious to make a trip to the infirmary.

As Kristin pulled open the heavy oak door, Mary Catherine replied, "You're a lifesaver, Kristin! How about we get started tonight after dinner?"

"It'll have to wait until this weekend, but I promise we'll hit the books hard," Kristin quickly responded.

The two girls slipped inside the library. They stopped in the large entryway and quickly pulled off their outerwear as the door slammed shut behind them. Mary Catherine shook the excess snow off her coat as she looked over at Kristin, who was stuffing her mittens into the pockets of her heavy woolen parka.

"How come you can't make it tonight? You and Tim have a hot date or something?" Mary asked teasingly.

"I wish!" Kristin responded. "We've got a joint ASB meeting with Saint Seb's after supper, remember?"

Mary Catherine groaned. "I've had so much on my mind, I forgot all about it. God, it'll take forever. We're supposed to discuss the trip to the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh, organize all those committees for the joint alumni weekend in April, and issue an invitation for the spring turnaround dance. I don't suppose we could try and get in a couple of hours of studying after . . ."

"Hey!" Mary and Kristin turned around just in time to see Mandy leaning over the second floor balcony. She raced down the stairs with her French book in hand. "Where have you two been?! We've only got a couple of hours before dinner to review for Madame Picard's quiz tomorrow you know. Alex and I have been here nearly half an hour!"

"Sorry Mandy, the wind blew us halfway to Saint Seb's." Kristin said. "We'll be there in a minute. Just let us put our coats in the cloakroom and we'll be right there."

Mandy made a face, shifting from foot to foot with impatience. Mary Catherine looked at her and quickly said, "Oh, here, give me your coat, Kristin and I'll do it. You two go upstairs and get started. Are we at our regular table behind the art stacks?"

"Yep! Hurry up so we can get down to work," Mandy replied.

"Start without me," Mary Catherine said as grabbed Kristin's coat and quickly headed off for the small vestibule at the end of the hall reserved for the junior class. The other two girls made their way toward the wide oak staircase in the center of the library.

"Did you ask her?" Mandy whispered to Kristin impatiently as they walked up the circular stairs in the rotunda to the second floor.

"No, I was just about to when you showed up." Kristin replied. "You were right though. Mary is WAY stressed about Trig."

"I told you so! She's been up half the night for the past two weeks working problems and cursing at her textbook. I'm moving out of our room till after exams if she doesn't lighten up soon." Mandy paused for a moment, and then added, "If we could just get her mind on something else for a while maybe she wouldn't be so damn cranky."

"Well I wouldn't normally think this is such a good idea, especially on a school night, but I guess it couldn't hurt as long as we don't stay out too late. Tim said he'd go if I do, so . . . well, okay. Now we've just got to convince Mary Catherine," Kristin said.

"We'll convince her," Mandy said. "Even if we have to tie her up and drag her she's going with us!"

By the time Mary Catherine made her way upstairs, Kristin, Mandy and Alex were bent over their French books, quietly quizzing each other on conditional and imperfect verbs. Mary sat down, opened her backpack, and sighed slightly as she caught sight of her Trigonometry text. Mary shook her head and quickly pulled her French book and flashcards out of her backpack. She shoved her backpack underneath her chair. Math would have to wait. Right now she needed to concentrate on tomorrow's French quiz.

"Bong . . . bong . . . bong . . . bong . . . bong . . . bong . . . bong." All four girls looked up simultaneously as they heard the bells on the Quad begin to chime.

"Oh god, we're going to be late for dinner, and I'm on serving duty tonight!" Kristin exclaimed.

"Relax Kristin, it's Thursday." Mandy said. "You know dinner isn't until 7:30 tonight. We should head out though; I want to change my shirt before we eat. I got marinara sauce on this one at lunch." She moved her plaid tie slightly to the right to show the small red spot on her shirt.

Mary Catherine laughed. "You sure you want to change before dinner Mandy? Chances are you'll end up spilling something else on yourself."

"I will not!" Mandy replied unconvincingly. She managed to spill things on her uniform with alarming regularity. "Besides we won't have time to change afterward. As it is we'll only have about half an hour to bolt down dinner before we need to head over to Saint Seb's. I'll just have to be extra careful tonight and hope we don't have anything with gravy."

"Fat chance of that," Alex said. "I heard we're having meatloaf and mashed potatoes tonight."

Mary Catherine and Kristin laughed. "Gravy and ketchup? You don't stand a chance."

Mandy stuck her tongue out. "Five bucks says I don't spill anything on me."

"Five bucks says you do and it'll be gravy," Alex said.

"I'll take a piece of that," Mary Catherine added. "Five bucks says it'll be gravy AND ketchup."

"Some best friend you are, Mary!" Mandy said.

"Sorry Mandy, I can't pass up easy money," Mary replied laughing.

Mandy pretended to pout, then gave in and started laughing too.

"You want a piece of the action, Kristin?" Mary asked

Kristin shook her head. "No challenge in it."

The girls began to pack up their books, still laughing, confident that they knew the material for tomorrow's quiz inside and out. Kristin and Mandy shot each other a questioning look over Mary's head as she pulled her backpack out from underneath her chair and began putting her textbook and flashcards away.

"You do it," Kristin mouthed.

Mandy shook her head and gestured back at Kristin to bring the subject up with Mary Catherine who was now putting her highlighters in the front pouch of her backpack.

They both turned simultaneously toward Alex, who rolled her eyes. "Oh for heaven sakes, you nitwits, I'll ask her."

Mary Catherine looked up just then and asked, "Ask me what?"

"We've got plans to meet up with some of the guys after the ASB meeting for some fun and games before we have to focus on midterms. You up for a little Truth or Dare?" Alex asked.

"No way, not tonight. I've got to study for my Trigonometry midterm," Mary replied quickly. "It's only a week before the test and I've got so much material to cover and . . ."

"Come on, Mary Catherine, it's only a few hours; you've got a whole week to cram for exams. Besides, Doug's going to be there," Mandy added with a smile.

"Yeah, Doug will be there," Kristin and Alex echoed.

"You know you don't want to miss a chance to see him!" Mandy exclaimed.

"No, really, I can't, honest. Any other time it'd be a different story, but I told Doug I can't see him until after I deal with Trig," Mary Catherine said.

"Come on, it'll be fun." Mandy coaxed. A faint smile came to her face as she asked thoughtfully, "The real reason you don't want to go tonight wouldn't be because you've got something to hide, would it, Mary Catherine?"

Mary dropped her eyes and busied herself with putting the rest of her things in her backpack. There was something that she didn't want the other girls to know about, but she wasn't about to admit it! She'd never hear the end of it and it honestly didn't have anything to do with her saying no. "I don't know what you're talking about," she finally replied.

"Chicken!!! Brraaacckkk . . . braaackk . . . braaaaaaucckkkk, braaccchhhhkkkk." Mandy crowed. She noted with satisfaction the blush that was rising on Mary's cheeks. She knew something was up between Doug and Mary Catherine! Mandy wondered if the two of them had finally gone all the way. Mary Catherine had been acting mysteriously since they'd come back from the Young Woman's Leadership Conference in Los Angeles earlier in the month, but whenever Mandy brought it up, Mary was quick to change the subject.

"Stop it!" Mary exclaimed. "I am NOT chicken, I just don't want to play. I've got too much on my mind right now with exams and everything. Besides, Truth or Dare is a kids game. Don't you think we're too old for that sort of thing now?"

"We've become all grown up since last month?" Alex asked. "Right, as if! You know, I'm starting to think Mandy's right. You're scared of what we might find out. You must be holding onto a really hot secret!"

"Fine, fine, I'll do it," Mary exclaimed, clearly exasperated, "but only for an hour or so and then I'd better not hear another word about Doug or anything else that'll distract me until AFTER exams!"

"Fine," Mandy said smugly. "Let's get moving so we're not late for dinner. Dean Michaels is supposed to be eating at my table tonight and I sure as hell don't want to end up having to sit next to him!"

"What about your shirt?" Alex asked.

"Forget it, I might as well just wear this one. Maybe I won't spill anything else on it. My tie at least hides the spot that's already there," Mandy replied.

The four of them quickly finished loading up their backpacks and headed downstairs to retrieve their coats, talking a mile a minute. Mary Catherine didn't know it yet, but this was going to be a night she wouldn't soon forget.

A few hours later . . .

"Does anyone else have new business to put on the agenda for next time or can we wrap this up?" Olivia asked as she looked around the room.

"No," a weary chorus of voices rang out.

"Good, then I call this meeting of the Joint Associated Student Body Honor Council adjourned. Our next meeting will be," Olivia paused and looked at her date book, "March 26th at 8:30 pm. We'll be at Saint Francis next time in the Alumni Drawing Room."

"CRACK!" With a loud bang of the gavel Olivia closed the meeting and the room was immediately filled with the sound of laughter and boisterous chatter.

"Finally! I didn't think we'd ever be done," Mandy exclaimed as she stood up and stretched.

"Tell me about it," Alex said, "I was starting to think that we'd be here all night.

Mandy looked over at Olivia. She was talking earnestly with Max Gillespie, President of Saint Sebastian's Honor Council, writing notes in her date book as she spoke. "We should get going before 'Liv gets done. If she decides to walk back with us, there's no way we'll ever ditch her."

Kristin and Alex quickly agreed. While they all liked their SA, she was a real go by the book sort of girl and would never look the other way while they broke curfew -- not to mention half a dozen other rules -- no matter how good the cause might be!

The girls quickly moved toward the door. As Mandy passed Paul Sullivan she winked and pointed at her watch. He nodded and turned to talk to Tim Henley.

"Hey, it looks like everyone is getting ready to head out," Doug said to Mary Catherine, who was busy putting on her heavy coat. He leaned over and kissed her lightly, then said quietly, "I'll see you in a few minutes, okay?"

Mary frowned. "I don't think this is such a good idea, Doug. I really need to study."

"Awwww, come on," he said, giving her his best hangdog look. "Just for a little while. Please?"

She looked at him and melted. When it came to Doug she just couldn't seem to say no. "Ok, just for a little bit," Mary Catherine agreed. Picking up her backpack, she gave him a final quick kiss and said casually, "See you later."

Mary quickly joined Mandy, Kristin and Alex. "We ready?" she asked.

"Yeah," Mandy said, "let's go."

The girls headed downstairs. "Where are we headed?" Mary Catherine asked as she pulled on her gloves.

"You won't believe it!" Mandy said excitedly. "Tim's got the keys to the Saint Seb's guesthouse. Mr. Patterson asked him to make sure the place is all set up for some hotshot alumni who are coming this weekend for the opening of their new field house and athletic center. The place is ours for the night. Carson should already be there getting stuff set up. He ordered pizza from Antonio's and everything!"

"Awesome!" Kristin exclaimed as they walked out the door and into the cold night air. "It's been ages since I had Antonio's."

"I'm just glad we'll be in a place that actually has heat for a change," Alex said.

"What, Carson can't generate enough to keep you warm these days?" Mandy asked teasingly.

Alex laughed. "Believe me, generating heat is NOT a problem for Carson."

Mandy didn't doubt it. She'd dated Carson for a few months her freshman year and he was nothing but hormones and hands. From what she could tell two years hadn't changed things much. Alex was constantly trying to hide the latest hickey Carson had planted on her neck.

"Shhhh," Mary said. "We'd better be quiet. You never know when one of the priests will be skulking around campus."

The girls fell silent and quickly headed across the Colonnade. They kept to the shadows and made their way toward the small stone guesthouse on the far side of Saint Seb's campus.

"Hey, it's dark," Kristin whispered as they approached the small building. "Are you sure Carson's inside?"

"Of course it's dark! No one's supposed to be in there," Mandy replied. "Do you think he's going have the drapes open and the lights on inside? Get a clue, Kristin!"

Reaching the door, Mandy quickly knocked and the door opened slightly. "Hurry up and get in here," Carson said impatiently as he glanced over the girls' shoulders nervously.

The girls slipped through the crack in the door and dropped their backpacks in the entryway. They quickly hung their outer garments on the coat rack. It had finally stopped snowing, but it was still very windy and the air had an icy tinge to it.

"Relax, Carson, no one followed us," Alex said.

"Yeah, and the guys will be along in a minute so just chill," Mandy added.

Carson shut the door and pointed down the darkened hall. "I set everything up in the study. You can go in, but keep the lights off for now. Once the guys get here you can turn . . ."

"Knock, knock, knock!"

The five of them glanced at the door. "Shhhhhh," Carson said as he went to open it. Doug, Tim and Paul entered the guesthouse, shedding parkas and backpacks as they stopped next to the coat rack.

"That everyone?" Carson asked as he closed the door behind them.

"Yeah, we decided to keep things small," Doug replied. "Less people here, less chance of us getting caught."

"Besides, that means more pizza for us," Paul added.

"Good point," Carson said.

The eight made their way to the back of the guesthouse. Carson led them into the study and pulled the heavy rolling doors shut behind them.

Tim fumbled in the dark for a moment, then located the light switch on the wall and flipped on the lights. "There, that's much better," he said.

Kristin looked toward the windows anxiously. "You sure it's ok to have the lights on, Tim? What if someone sees us?"

Tim smiled and put his arm around Kristin. "Don't worry, we're at the back of the house. The drapes are heavy velvet and shut tight. There's nothing but woods behind us so there's not a chance anyone will see the lights."

"Hey, who wants pizza?" Carson asked, flipping open three enormous boxes on the desk. "I got a pepperoni and a couple of Antonio's special."

"Did you get root beer?" Mandy asked as she grabbed a slice of pepperoni.

"Of course," Carson replied as he rolled his eyes. "You think I'd go to all the trouble of getting Antonio's and NOT get their famous homemade root beer? Get serious, Bennett."

Mandy stuck out her tongue at Carson. "It was just a question! Sheesh."

"No arguing tonight you two," Doug said as he grabbed a couple of sodas out of the small cooler under the desk and twisted off the bottle tops, keeping one for himself and handing one to Mary Catherine.

"Thanks," Mary Catherine said as she accepted the bottle and put it down on the desk. "You want a slice of each, right Doug?" she asked as she picked up a plate.

"Yeah," he replied, "but make it two slices of Antonio's special if we're sharing."

Mary Catherine quickly added a third slice of pizza to the large paper plate. "Here you go," she said, as she flashed Doug a smile.

He smiled back, and then kissed Mary Catherine as he took the plate out of her hands. He quickly walked over to the coffee table in the middle of the room and placed the paper plate on its gleaming surface.

"What about real beer?" Paul asked as he grabbed a slice of pizza and took a large bite.

"I didn't get any. Things are just way too hot on campus at the moment, you know that!" Carson replied emphatically. "If I'd gotten caught with it old man Patterson would've striped my ass with that cane of his but good!"

"Like he wouldn't do that if we get caught with a bunch of girls past curfew?" Paul asked sarcastically.

"Get caught?" Kristin asked fearfully. "I thought you said it was safe in here, Tim!"

Tim put his plate down and slipped an arm around Kristin's shoulders, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Relax sweetie, I told you we're not going to get caught."

"Tim's right, we're not gonna get caught so come on, let's get started already," Alex said as she sat down on the floor cross-legged.

Everyone picked up their plates and sat down around the coffee table in the middle of the room. For the next few minutes, they made themselves more comfortable, loosening their collars and ties. The room was fairly cold at the moment, so everyone left on their school blazers.

"Nice gravy spot by the way," Mary Catherine said, as she spotted a brown stain the size of a quarter on Mandy's white oxford shirt.

"Oh shut up," Mandy said. She looked down at her shirt and scowled.

"Where's the ketchup stain?" Mary asked casually, trying to hide her amusement.

"Give it a rest, Miss Know It All," Mandy replied tartly.

"Blazer? Tie?" Mary Catherine guessed, not seeing the stain, but sensing she was about to win the bet.

Mandy muttered to herself, then pulled her right blazer sleeve up about an inch, showing a wide red band along the cuff of her oxford shirt. "I did it when I reached for the rolls," she explained amid the laughter.

"Five bucks each," Mary said to Mandy and Alex, once the laughter died away. "You can pay me later."

"At least Dean Michaels didn't show up for supper tonight," Alex pointed out, "or you would've racked up another half-dozen demerits on uniform violations."

"Awwwww, he wouldn't have given her demerits for that," Kristin said. "The Dean's cool -- besides, he knows Mandy can't help being the biggest klutz on the face of the earth!"

"Enough picking on Mandy," Paul said as he snuggled closer to her. "Let's get on with it. Who wants to go first?"

"I do," Kristin replied eagerly. She looked around the room and said, "Carson, truth or dare . . . if you could do one thing you've always fantasized about, what would it be?"

Carson smiled widely. "Oh that's an easy one, Kristin . . . truth. I'd wanna do a threesome."

"Which way?" Mary Catherine asked.

"Me and two hot babes of course! What other way is there?" Carson replied.

"You, another guy and a girl . . . or even you and two other guys," Alex said.

"I don't think so, Alex," Carson replied quickly. "It'd be me and two girls and I'd hope you'd be one of the girls."

"Not likely, Carson! I don't like to share things, especially THAT," she said looking pointedly at his crotch.

"Alex, you are soooooo bad!" Kristin said laughing.

"I know and that's what Carson likes so much about me," Alex replied.

"You got that right, that and the way you can su . . ."

"Carson! Shut up and play!" everyone else exclaimed.

"Fine, fine. Okay, hmmmmm, let's see . . . Bennett," Carson said as he turned toward Mandy with a sly grin. "It's your turn. Truth or dare. Have you ever kissed another girl?"

"Yeah, I have," Mandy replied evenly, not even bothering to look up at Carson as she opened another bottle of soda.

"Really, Mandy? I'm talking about a real kiss, not one of those little cheek-to-cheek things you chicks learned in Europe."

"God, thank you for reminding me once again why I broke up with you, Carson!" Mandy replied sharply. "You are SUCH a pig! How many times do I have to tell you not to call us chicks or babes or girls. We're women. Got it?"

"Women?! Give it a rest, Bennett," Carson said as he rolled his eyes. "And for the record, I broke up with you, remember?"

"Hey, come on you two, I thought we said no fighting tonight." Tim said, clearly exasperated.

"Sorry," Mandy said wryly. "You know it's a fine line between lust and disgust. When he starts in I just can't help myself and . . ."

"Is it true, Mandy?" Paul interjected. He was currently dating Mandy and the thought of her kissing another girl was enough to give him a woody.

"Yeah," Mandy said blushing slightly now. "To answer the question, yes I've kissed another girl. It was a real kiss -- on the lips, no tongue and before the pig asks, no, I'm not going to say who it was because it's none of your business."

"Did you do it on a dare?" Doug asked.

"No, I did it just because I wanted to try it. It's no big deal you know," Mandy responded.

Doug looked at Mary Catherine and whispered, "Was it with you?"

Mary shook her head and looked at Mandy, slightly surprised. Mandy had never told her that before!

"Did you like it?" Paul asked.

"Yeah, but not as much as kissing you," Mandy replied as she leaned over to kiss him. She slipped her tongue in Paul's mouth and pressed up against him closely.

"Hey you two, are we playing here or do you want us to leave you alone?" Alex asked sarcastically.

"Mmmmm . . . playing, playing," Mandy mumbled as she pulled away from Paul reluctantly. "Ok, let's see, who's next? Tim? Nooooo, you've never got anything juicy to spill. The priests must be so proud. How about you Mary Catherine . . ."

Mary looked up briefly as she took a bite of pizza.

"Truth or dare . . . have you and Doug gone all the way yet?" Mandy asked casually.

"Wwhaatt?" Mary Catherine sputtered, nearly swallowing her mouthful of pizza whole. She dropped the slice back onto the paper plate and lowered her eyes to her lap as she felt everyone stare at her and Doug with interest.

Mandy smiled widely; pleased she'd managed to catch Mary off guard. Perhaps she'd finally get a straight answer on the subject.

Mary Catherine swallowed, and then said indignantly, "You can't ask that!" She looked over at Doug slightly panicked. He took her hand under the coffee table and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Of course I can," Mandy said smugly. "Nothing's sacred in Truth or Dare, remember? You get a choice, tell the truth or take the dare. You don't have to tell us anything you don't want to, Mary Catherine."

Mary felt the color rise on her cheeks. She looked up at Mandy briefly and her eyes narrowed. She couldn't believe Mandy had the nerve to ask her that! She knew Mary Catherine felt what was or wasn't going on between her and Doug was private! She shared nearly everything with Mandy, but not that.

Mary Catherine dropped her eyes again and opened her mouth to answer. It was nothing to be ashamed of after all. She wasn't the last virgin on the face of the earth; it just felt like it sometimes! She could feel everyone's eyes on her . . . including Doug's.

"I . . . that is we . . ." she stammered. Doug gave her hand another squeeze of reassurance. "I want to take the dare," she blurted out suddenly.

Mandy looked up at Mary in shock. She definitely hadn't expected Mary Catherine to take the dare!

"You want to take the dare, huh?" Mandy finally replied, as she stalled for time. She was torn. On one hand, Mandy understood. Doug was Mary Catherine's first real, long-term boyfriend and she was pretty shy when it came to boys in general. It wasn't surprising that she was reluctant to give details. Still, on the other hand, Mandy had to admit she was more than a bit pissed. Mary Catherine had been her best friend since the sixth grade, and they'd always shared everything, or so she'd thought. Granted, Mandy hadn't told Mary about kissing Kristen Sumner last term, but that was different, at least in her mind. It hadn't been a life-altering experience for her or anything. Your first time was a much bigger deal than one little kiss!

"Yes, I'll take the dare," Mary Catherine said, sounding more assured this time.

Mandy looked from Mary Catherine to Doug and back again, her mind racing as she tried to think of something, anything. She hadn't thought of anything that would make a good dare because it never occurred to her that she'd need one!

Suddenly Mandy smiled widely. "Ok, Mary Catherine, I've got it. You and Doug have to go upstairs and do something you've never done before."

All the color drained from Mary Catherine's face and her palms began to sweat. She looked over at Doug, doing her best to ignore the suggestive comments and laughter that erupted around the circle.

Doug gave her a slow, sexy smile, the one she couldn't resist, as he winked at her. Mary felt a knot form in her stomach. They'd gone pretty far already . . . nearly as far as possible without actually going all the way. It wasn't as if Doug DIDN'T want to sleep with her -- he did.

They'd talked a lot about it and she wanted to in fact . . . mostly anyway. Mary Catherine just wasn't 100 percent certain she was ready yet. She thought she'd made up her mind to do it a few weeks ago, had even planned for it to happen, but things hadn't gone at all as she'd expected. Thanks to a mix-up, Doug never got within a mile of Saint Francis and Dean Michaels ended up with a particularly embarrassing photograph of Mary Catherine, along with a skimpy thong and a note that all too explicitly revealed just what she'd had in mind for Doug's Valentine's Day present. All she'd gotten out of the experience was a sore bottom courtesy of Dean Michaels via a horribly painful antique hairbrush, along with a new round of doubts over whether or not she was ready to take the next step with Doug.

So far he hadn't pressed her on the issue, but Mary Catherine knew Doug was growing impatient. She'd been too embarrassed to tell him the real reason she'd changed her mind after Valentine's Day and thankfully he had accepted her answer that she had just gotten a temporary case of cold feet. That wasn't about to put him off forever though and she knew that she didn't want to lose him. Despite what Dean Michaels and the nuns said, she knew Doug wouldn't wait for her indefinitely.

Thanks to Mandy's interference, Doug wouldn't have to wait any longer for Mary Catherine to make up her mind. She was now a sure thing.

"Come on Mary Catherine, let's go upstairs," Doug said as he began to stand up.

Mary remained glued to the floor. She gripped Doug's hand tightly and pulled him back beside her. With wide, desperate eyes, Mary Catherine looked over at him and bit her lower lip. She knew everyone was staring at them, but she didn't think she could move.

"What's wrong Mary?" Doug whispered.

She felt her panic level rise. "I want to change my answer," she whispered back.

"Too late for that I think," he said quietly.

Doug looked up at their friends, who were watching the two of them with interest. He lowered his voice even more and whispered very softly into Mary Catherine's ear. As he spoke, her pallor was replaced with a bright suffusion of color that spread across her cheeks and down her neck.

Finally he stopped speaking, stood up and helped Mary Catherine to her feet. Oblivious to everything around her, she allowed Doug to lead her from the study. He pulled a MagliteÒ SolitareÒ flashlight out of his left trouser pocket as they got into the hallway and he deftly twisted the top of the light with one hand to turn it on. It produced a small beam bright enough for Doug to lead her through the darkened house and up the stairs to the master bedroom, without either of them tripping over anything.

"Wait here, I'll be right back," Doug commanded when they got inside. "Don't turn on the lights until I make sure the drapes are secure."

Mary Catherine nodded and watched as Doug walked to the door. It seemed like everything was moving in slow motion.

"Doug?" Mary said, "I . . ."

He walked back over to Mary Catherine and kissed her. "It's okay. I know you're scared, but it'll be fine. I promise not to hurt you."

"Really?" Mary Catherine asked. She was sure it would hurt, even if it was just while it was happening.

"Yes, really." He led her over to the large four-poster bed, sat her down and gave her a final kiss. "Take a deep breath and try to relax. I'll be right back."

Mary Catherine watched his darkened figure walk out of the room. She sighed and lay down on the bed. She put her arms over her head and wondered just how she managed to get into such a mess.

As Mary lay in the dark, Doug hurried down the stairs, collected his backpack from the entryway and headed back up to the bedroom.

Inside the study the game was still going on, albeit with much speculation as to what was going on upstairs.

"Oh come on, they had to have done it by now," Carson insisted. "They've been going out for months and Mary Catherine's a total babe, even if she's sorta flat."

The girls groaned. Sometimes it was surprising that Carson actually walked erect.

"You're a pig Carson - a total swine, through and through," Mandy said emphatically.

"God, you don't know everything, Carson. Not everyone's having sex you know," Kristin added. "Some of us want to wait -- for whatever reason."

"Sure, Kristin, I know some people around here choose to be celibate," Carson replied. "I bet the nuns and most of the priests are going without any, that kitchen lady who always smells like liver sure isn't getting lucky, unless she found a guy who smells like onions or something, and you and Tim, the church's poster children for abstinence, of course. I think it's safe to say that's about it though."

"We're not going there, Carson, it's none of your business," Tim said evenly. He was sick and tired of everyone giving him a hard time because he and Kristin had decided to wait until they got married to sleep together. It was killing him to wait. She was so hot that Tim wanted to jump her every time he saw her.

Kristin's family was so conservative though that Tim was more than a little afraid of what her father and seven brothers might do to him if he decided to act on his impulses. They'd made it pretty clear to Tim when his family spent a week visiting on the ranch where Kristin's family worked last year, that if Tim tried getting fresh with Kristin, he would suffer the same fate as the calves that had been castrated during spring round-up. He'd seen first-hand just how handy Kristin's brothers were with that bone-handled knife. He didn't doubt that the lot of them would rope him, hang him from the nearest tree and cheerfully cut his balls off if he laid a finger, let alone anything else, on Kristin Erickson before she was wearing his wedding ring.

They hadn't announced it yet, but they planned to get married the day after graduation -- roughly 16 months away. In the meantime, Tim took comfort in cold showers and constant masturbation. "Thank God for Playboy and weekly confession," he thought to himself.

"What's being flat-chested have to do with whether or not they've slept together yet anyway?" Alex interjected, effectively ending the impending argument. "I was nearly as flat as Mary until last year and I got plenty of . . . uhmmmmmmm, never mind," she trailed off as everyone started to laugh.

"Come on, let's get back to it," Mandy said, thankful that she had sense enough never to sleep with Carson. She looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully, wondering what was happening upstairs and if Mary Catherine would still be talking to her after what she'd done. "Now who wants to go next?"

"I do, but how about we get a little more heat in here first?" Paul asked.

"Yeah, it's positively freezing!" Alex exclaimed.

Carson got up, and headed to the thermostat, then reconsidering he crossed to the other side of the large room, checked the flue and put an armload of wood in the fireplace, with a quick burning log on top to get it started. Lighting a match he tossed it on top of the fire then turned off the lights before rejoining the rest of the group.

"Do you think that dinky little fire is going to keep me warm?" Alex asked as Carson sat back down beside her.

"If it doesn't, maybe this will help," Carson replied as he leaned over to kiss her.

"Mmmmm . . . better," Alex replied.

Carson slowly reached underneath her skirt and tried putting his hand in Alex's panties.

"I don't need you to make me that warm . . . at least not in front of everyone else," Alex giggled as she pushed Carson's hand away.

"How about after everyone else calls it a night?" he whispered as he moved his hand to her knee.

"Come on you two, we want to play!" the rest of them implored.

Alex nodded.

"Ok Paul, you're up," Carson said as he gave Alex's knee a squeeze.

Laughing, everyone turned their attention back to the game, Mary Catherine and Doug forgotten for the moment.

Meanwhile, across the Colonnade in Headmaster Patterson's cottage . . .

"Thanks for dinner Harold," Andy said as he pulled on his coat and grabbed his briefcase. "As much as I love Mrs. Deavon's cooking, it's nice to just have Antonio's and a beer on a weeknight and enjoy the Penguins/Flyers game instead of eating in the dining hall with 150 boisterous girls."

"I know what you mean. I can't tell you some of the things I've eaten over the years all under the guise of being a good role model to my boys," Harold replied.

"Tell me about it. I know my girls would never let me hear the end of it if they knew I didn't have a salad tonight. I'm always on their case to eat more vegetables."

"Your secret is safe with me, Andrew," Harold laughed, "as long as you never let my boys know that 'Old Man Patterson' spent a school night watching hockey and downing a cold brew. After all, I've got a reputation to uphold as a miserable, insufferable bastard."

"We managed to get some work done tonight, so your reputation should be intact. The opening of the new field house and athletic center is going to be great. It's been a long time in coming and it's a wonderful addition to the Saint Seb's campus."

"Well we couldn't have done it without your help. I want you to know how much I appreciate all your hard work in helping me solicit donations from our alumni, particularly some of our more recent graduates," Harold responded as they walked to the front door. "I still don't know how you convinced Marty and Harrison Fletcher to donate $500,000 each to the fund, but that really pushed us over the top. Thanks to them, we were able to build a top-notch facility."

"My pleasure. I might be the Dean of Students at Saint Francis, but I'm also an alumni of Saint Seb's. You know you've always got my support," Andy replied. "As for the money from Marty and Harrison, I'm sure it didn't hurt that the trustees offered to name the building the Fletcher Field House and Athletic Center in recognition their generosity, particularly in Marty's case. A lot of the priests gave him a hard time when he was in school. Marty spent most of his time dreaming up elaborate pranks and telling jokes. No one ever dreamed that he'd become such a success -- particularly without any help from his father."

"Lucky for us though. Now, you sure you don't want a ride back to Saint Francis?" Harold asked as he opened the door and a frigid blast of air whipped through the hallway. "It's cold out there tonight."

"I think it would take us longer to dig out your Durango from today's storm than it would for me to walk home. I'll just take the lake path back. I should be able to make it back to my cottage in half an hour at the most. Let me know if you need anything else. Otherwise I'll see you Saturday morning at 11:00."

"Thanks again, Andrew," Harold said. He stood in the doorway and watched as Andy walked briskly down the front walkway before he closed the door against the cold night air and headed upstairs to bed. Unlike Andy, he wasn't a young man anymore. He needed a good night's sleep to keep one step ahead of his boys.

Andy put his hands in his coat pockets as he made his way across Saint Seb's campus. Though it was nearly midnight, the moon illuminated the path well and Andy had no trouble seeing where he was going. There were still lights on in Morgan Hall, the senior dorm, and a few scattered ones in what he knew were the Senior Advisors' suites in the other houses, but otherwise the campus was dark and silent. The only sounds were the crunch of fresh snow beneath his feet and the howl of the wind in the trees.

At the head of the lake path, Andy stopped to wrap his gray muffler more tightly around his neck. In the distance, the bells in the Saint Sebastian clock tower began to chime. He looked back toward the campus. The bells could be heard no matter where you were on the school grounds. The sound even penetrated the thick stone walls of his dorm and reverberated through his room. Andy remembered lying in bed at night when he was a student, thinking that he'd never fall asleep. Only once in school history had the bells fallen silent -- on a night much like tonight during his junior year. He, Patrick, Marty and Christian Kelly snuck out of their house and broke into the clock tower, removing the heavy clappers from the bells in one of the most infamous pranks in school history. It seemed a lifetime ago, instead of just barely more than a decade.

Andy was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the haze above the tree line at first. It wasn't until he looked up at the moon and the blanket of stars that he saw the thin layer of smoke. It was coming from the chimney of the Saint Seb's guesthouse. Andy immediately realized something was up. He had been with Harold when Tim Henley came to pick up the key to the guesthouse earlier in the evening in order to make sure everything was in order for Marty and Harrison's visit. Since they weren't due to arrive until tomorrow afternoon, Andy had a pretty good idea that some of Harold's boys were most likely using the cottage tonight for their own private party.

Unfortunately, Andy knew from experience that any unauthorized party would likely include some of his girls. When he'd been a student at Saint Seb's, the guesthouse had been a favorite illicit meeting spot for students. In fact, he'd lost his virginity to Jill in one of the upstairs bedrooms of the guesthouse at the end of his sophomore year. That was the sort of good time he didn't want his girls having any time soon. With that in mind, Andy retraced his steps and headed for the small stone cottage.

Andy took a deep breath as he walked up the path to the guesthouse. This was the one part of his job that he really hated. It was such a difficult balance -- to be friend to his girls and yet be a strict disciplinarian to them when necessary. He knew which one he'd have to be tonight if any of his girls were off campus past curfew. "Please let me be wrong," Andy said to himself. "For once let all of my girls be at home, in bed where they belong."

Reaching the door, Andy weighed his options. Obviously he couldn't knock. Andy didn't want to wait outside in the freezing cold while he waited for whoever was in there to come out though. It could be a while, perhaps all night. Finally he decided to try the doorknob. If it was open he'd go in and bust them himself; if it was locked he'd go rouse Harold. Andy was sure he would have an extra key.

Andy grabbed the doorknob and turned it to the right.

"Click."

The door opened inward and Andy entered the guesthouse. He could see the full coat rack of parkas to one side of the door as he stepped inside. The bulky gray ones were regulation wear for students at Saint Seb's, but he could spot at least a couple of familiar navy woolen coats underneath them, not to mention the distinctive blue and green plaid backpacks all the girls at Saint Francis carried on the floor. Andy carefully closed the door quietly behind him and turn the deadbolt in order to ensure that no one slipped by him.

He stood silently in the entryway for a few moments and let his eyes adjust to the dim light. He could hear the muffled sound of voices and laughter coming from the back of the house and made out a thin shaft of light underneath the double doors at the end of the hall. Taking a deep breath, Andy quietly made his way to the study and carefully cracked open the double doors just enough to peer into the room . . .

"No way, it's just not possible little miss straight-laced. I bet you've never even thought about skinny-dipping, Kristin!" Andy heard a boy exclaim as he eased the doors open a crack.

"Oh really, Carson?" Kristin replied sharply. "You don't know everything. I can be just as wild as anyone else. If I wanted to I could take everything off right here, right now. I'm not always an angel you know!"

"Is that so?" Carson said, laughing. "I might believe you if you weren't wearing your wings and that nice shiny halo all the time."

Kristin rolled her eyes. "Oh puleezzzeee!"

"Sorry, Kristin," Paul interjected, "I've gotta side with Carson on this one. You're not exactly the type of girl to walk on the wild side!"

"That's not true! I do lots of wild stuff!" she exclaimed.

"Fine . . . why don't you put your money where your mouth is then, rebel girl? Twenty bucks says you can't even take off your top in front of us," Carson challenged as he pulled a crisp 20-dollar bill out of his wallet and dropped it on the coffee table in front of Kristin.

"I'll take a piece of that," Mandy exclaimed. "Twenty says she does it."

"Show me the money, Bennett," Carson quipped.

"You know I'm good for it, not that I'll need it since you're going to lose," Mandy replied.

Everyone took a piece of the action. Carson and Paul bet Kristin would chicken out, while Mandy, Alex and Tim bet she'd go through with it.

"Okay, wild child," Paul said, "Up on the table and let's see you lose the shirt."

"Bra too," Carson added quickly.

"No one said anything about my bra!" Kristin exclaimed as she tentatively stepped up onto the coffee table to a loud chorus of whistles and catcalls.

Mandy shot Kristin a determined glance and replied over the din, "Bra too."

Kristin bit her lip. She looked at Mandy and Alex as she removed her school blazer and dropped it to the floor.

"Come on, baby, take it off!" Carson urged as Kristin slowly loosened and removed her tie. "I wanna see some skin!"

Kristin hesitated a moment.

"Come on!" Mandy and Alex urged as they saw Kristin's resolve start to crumble. "You can do it!"

"Oh yeah, I can see it now, Kristin Erickson, schoolgirl stripper -- NOT!" Carson said as he reached out to grab the cash at Kristin's feet.

"Hey! Not so fast Carson," Tim exclaimed. "No one said how fast she had to do it after all." He gave Kristin a confident smile.

"Yeah!" Mandy agreed, "Just give her a chance."

With trembling fingers Kristin began to unbutton her oxford shirt. Andy held his breath and frowned. He'd seen more than enough. Obviously he'd arrived just in time.

"Keep your shirt on, Kristin," Andy said as he pulled the doors to the study all the way open and walked into the room.

Kristin turned red and made a strangled gasp as she jumped off the coffee table and tried to duck behind Tim. Everyone else's mouth fell open . . . silent for a moment, then everyone started trying to explain all at once.

"It's not what you think, Dean Michaels . . ."

"Really, we can explain . . ."

"I know this looks bad, but . . ."

Andy held up his hand, effectively silencing the room. "I'm pretty sure it IS what I think, but I can discuss that with you girls in my office tomorrow and I'm sure Mr. Patterson would love to hear all about what went on here from you boys."

Everyone groaned. They were all familiar enough with life at a Catholic boarding school to know that any "discussion" would involve a long lecture, lots of earnest promises on their part, and a painful reminder of what happens when you get caught breaking the rules.

As Andy went to shut the fireplace screen and doors, Mandy poked Alex in the ribs and rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. Alex shrugged as if to say she had no idea how to get Dean Michaels out of there without catching Mary Catherine and Doug.

"Okay, let's move out," Andy said briskly as he turned his attention back to the room.

The group left the study single file, with the exception of Tim and Kristin, who walked side by side. They made their way to the coat rack, slowly put on their heavy coats and picked up their backpacks.

"I'm glad to see at least that Mary Catherine had enough sense not to join you girls in this little adventure," Andy said as he watched Mandy put on her coat.

Mandy busied herself with buttoning her parka, careful not to meet Dean Michaels eye. "Please don't let him notice the extra coats . . . please . . . please . . ."

Everyone headed toward the door, with Andy now in the lead. He unlocked the front door and opened it wide. He stood back while everyone walked out. Andy exited last and turned to close it behind him. He had it half shut before he realized he'd seen a dark shape on the floor. Andy stopped and walked back inside to look at the coat rack. There were still two coats hanging on it, along with a backpack underneath.

He tentatively picked up the navy and green plaid backpack. Andy traced his fingers lightly over the monogrammed "MCW" stitched in white block letters just below the Saint Francis crest.

"It's not what you think, Dean Michaels," he heard Mandy say behind him in a plaintive tone as she came up behind him.

"Where are they?" he asked simply in a low, quiet voice.

"She didn't want . . . it's my fault, Dean . . . please . . ."

"Where?" Andy repeated in that low tone, but more forcefully this time.

Mandy looked up the stairs tearfully.

"I want you to wait outside with the others," he said as he turned toward the staircase.

"Dean, please . . ." Mandy started.

"I said I want you to wait outside, Miss Bennett."

Mandy turned and reluctantly went outside as Andy pulled a small penlight out of his pocket and climbed the stairs. He paused at the top of the landing and looked in both directions. The dim light revealed that the doors were open to all of the rooms except for the master bedroom at the end of the corridor to the left. Andy took a deep breath and walked purposefully to the closed door.

He reached for the handle and turned it. Locked.

"Oh god, what was that," Mary Catherine said as she flashed a look at the door.

"Relax, Mary, you're imagining things," Doug replied as he put his hand on her thigh.

Andy raised his hand, made a fist and knocked sharply.

"I didn't imagine that!" she said as they both turned toward the door.

"Hey guys, give us a break," Doug said. "We're not done yet!"

The vein that was throbbing in Andy's head felt like it was going to explode. "You have until the count of 10 to get out here, Mr. Abbott and Miss Whitney."

"Oh shit," Doug said. "That's your Dean, isn't it?"

"Yes," she whispered in a panicked tone. All of the recently awakened feelings of arousal drained from Mary Catherine as she heard Dean Michaels voice.

"One . . ." Andy began.

Mary Catherine went pale as she heard Dean Michaels begin to count. "Let me up Doug -- hurry!"

"Two . . ."

Doug and Mary scrambled to make themselves presentable.

"Three . . . four . . ."

"Oh god, where are my panties?" Mary Catherine said desperately as she looked under the bed for her right shoe.

"Five . . ."

"Here," Doug replied as he pulled them out of his blazer pocket. He swiftly slid his blazer on, not bothering to button it.

"Six . . . seven . . ."

Mary looked at him stunned, but quickly pulled them on without comment. They clung to her skin damply, but there was no time to dwell on that particular fact at the moment!

"Eight . . ."

Doug reknotted his tie with fumbling fingers.

"Nine . . . "

Mary Catherine haphazardly shoved her shirttail into the waistband of her skirt with her right hand and buttoned her blazer with the other as Doug zipped up his backpack and slung it over one shoulder.

"Ten."

Andy braced himself to break down the door, when it opened and Mary Catherine and Doug came racing out. Both were flushed and out of breath; their clothes in disarray.

Too angry to even speak, Andy pointed toward the staircase. Mary and Doug went down the stairs, with Andy close behind them. They grabbed their belongings, putting on their coats as they went out the front door.

The others stopped their nervous whispers as Mary, Doug and Andy exited the guesthouse. Tim handed Andy the keys, which he'd retrieved from Carson and he quickly locked the front door.

"Let's go," Andy said, as he took Mary's left hand in a firm grip and half-led, half-dragged her down the path, "and button your coat Mary Catherine. I don't want you catching cold."

Mary struggled to button her parka one-handed as it became apparent that Dean Michaels wasn't going to let go of her other hand. Tears stung her eyes, but didn't fall. She was too frightened to even look at him at the moment, let alone ask him to slow down for her to put her coat on properly!

Andy escorted a very subdued group of teenagers across the Colonnade. No one said a word, but the teens shot each other nervous looks as they made their way toward Headmaster Patterson's cottage.

When they reached the front gate, Andy let go of Mary Catherine's hand and said, "You girls wait here while I speak with Mr. Patterson." He paused and added, "I don't want to hear a sound out of any of you."

Kristin, Alex and Mandy watched as Andy led the boys up the path and knocked on the door. They strained to hear what was being said, but were too far away to hear the quiet conversation. Mary Catherine kept her head down, and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. This was a nightmare. She'd never been so humiliated in her entire life and she'd never seen Dean Michaels so angry!

"Sorry to wake you, Harold, but this couldn't wait," Andy said as he watched the four boys file past Headmaster Patterson and head silently toward his study. "I caught them with four of my girls in your guesthouse."

Harold gave Andy a wry smile. "Bound to happen I guess, with me handing the keys over to Tim, though he usually has more sense. What sort of mischief did they get into this evening?"

"Mostly pretty harmless. No alcohol, no drugs no cigarettes. I caught Tim, Paul and Carson in the study with three of my girls playing Truth or Dare. They managed to get pizza and soda sent out from Antonio's and they broke curfew of course, not to mention my girls being off school property, but much tamer than it could've been. You'll need to send someone out in the morning to clean up the study. I pretty much left things as they were."

"And, Doug?" Harold asked as he focused on the throbbing vein in Andy's temple. Obviously there was something making Andrew look like he wanted to strangle someone.

"Upstairs with one of my girls," Andy answered tersely.

Harold sighed. This was one instance that he was glad he was the Dean of a boy's school. Andrew had things much tougher keeping track of roughly 150 girls, not to mention a lot more worries. It'd be the paddle for the three boys and the cane for Doug -- and restrictions all the way around.

"I'll take care of them, don't worry. Go look after your girls," Harold said as he clapped Andy on the shoulder.

Andy nodded. He wanted to get his girls out of the cold as soon as possible. "I'll talk to you more tomorrow, but I don't want to see Paul, Carson or Tim on my campus for the next two weeks and Doug for at least a month. It shouldn't be hard for them to avoid my girls because they'll be on restriction."

"My boys will be too busy with extra chores and sore backsides to even think about your girls for some time to come," Harold replied. "Get going. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Thanks, Harold. Sorry I had to wake you," Andy said.

Harold watched Andy walk back down the path toward a small group of cold, scared looking girls. He shook his head and closed the door. With a sigh, he headed down the hall toward his study. "So much for a good night's sleep," he thought. He'd read the boys the riot act tonight, but wait until after class tomorrow to blister their backsides for this little stunt when he was up to disciplining all four of them at once.

"Let's go," Andy said, as he reached the girls.

Mary Catherine tried to put herself squarely between the other girls, but Andy reached through them, put his hand on Mary's shoulder and pulled her firmly back beside him. It was obvious he wasn't going to let her leave his side.

The walk back to Saint Francis was long and uncomfortable. The wind whipped across the frozen lake and howled through the trees that lined the lake path. The small forest had protected the vast majority of the path from deep snow, but there were several heavier patches to cross and bits of snow clung to the girls' knee socks and Andy's trousers.

"God, I've never been so cold in my life," Mandy whispered to Alex.

"I wouldn't express that sentiment in front of Dean Michaels," she whispered back. "He might decide to warm you up right now."

"I almost don't care if he . . ."

Kristin elbowed Mandy sharply in the ribs.

"Owww!" Mandy yelped.

"Girls," Andy said warningly.

Mandy and Alex fell silent and Kristin fell back a step to walk on the other side of Andy.

"We're really sorry, Dean," Kristin said quietly.

"We'll discuss it tomorrow, Kristin," Andy replied as he made his way around a fallen log.

Kristin bit her lip. She wasn't the type of girl who got into trouble. In fact, she'd been called in to see Dean Michaels only a handful of times in her almost three years at Saint Francis and then only for infractions of the most minor sort. It was partly because Kristin was naturally well behaved -- polite and respectful of the rules. She also made it a point to not get into trouble because she wasn't like the other girls. Kristin was there on scholarship. She was deathly afraid of losing it and returning to Montana in disgrace. Something like this could just do it.

As if he could read Kristin's mind, he placed his free hand lightly on her shoulder and said, "It'll be okay Kristin. You're in a lot of trouble right now, and you're not going to enjoy learning about what happens when you blatantly break so many school rules, but this is just a little speed bump in your academic career here at Saint Francis. Okay?"

Kristin let out a deep breath and nodded. She didn't realize she'd stopped breathing.

A horrid thought crossed her mind. "What about Mary Catherine?" she wondered.

"Mary . . ." she started.

On the other side of Andy, Mary Catherine gasped slightly as his hand squeezed hers more tightly.

Kristin swallowed her question and picked up her pace until she drew even with Mandy and Alex again. No matter how much trouble the three of them were in, and she didn't doubt that she'd be very unhappy that they ever agreed to meet the boys tonight, judging by the way Dean Michaels was acting Mary Catherine would be absolutely miserable. She didn't think Dean Michaels would actually expel her, but by the time he was through with Mary Catherine, she might wish he had.

At last they come to a halt in front of Trustees Hall. Everyone was cold, wet and exhausted. "Kristin, Alex, Mandy, I want you to go to bed immediately," Andy said. "I'll deal with the three of you tomorrow after classes. Be in my office at four o'clock sharp."

"Yes, Dean," the girls said in subdued voices.

"As for you Miss Whitney," Andy added, "I want you to come with me. We're going to have a serious discussion about just what went on tonight between you and Doug Abbott."

Mary Catherine nodded, cringing slightly. Any hope she had that Dean Michaels would wait to discipline her until tomorrow once he'd calmed down was gone. He was calling her Miss Whitney, never a good sign as far as she was concerned. As for their impending "discussion" Mary had the feeling that Dean Michaels would be the one doing all the talking -- with his voice along with whatever implement he chose to express his displeasure with her.

Andy turned and led Mary Catherine away. The other girls watched as the two of them headed toward the Dean's office in Old Main.

"Oh man, she's in for it big time," Alex said.

"This is all my fault," Mandy moaned as she watched Mary and Andy cross the Quad.

Neither girl answered her.

"Thanks, guys, you could've said something, anything to make me not feel so bad!" Mandy exclaimed.

Kristin gave Mandy a small hug. "I'm sorry, Mandy, that wasn't very fair of us. We're all to blame. We all talked Mary Catherine into coming tonight."

"Yeah, but you're not the one who dared Mary Catherine to lose her virginity!" Mandy said.

"We don't know that's what happened," Alex pointed out.

"Oh come on, you saw Mary Catherine's face when I asked her if she and Doug had done it yet," Mandy replied. "I wasn't sure before, but I'm convinced now they hadn't gone all the way yet."

"Let's go inside," Kristin interjected. "We can't change what happened tonight. Let's just hope that Dean Michaels doesn't kill her. He definitely looked as though he wanted to strangle someone."

"Great," Mandy said as they headed up the steps. She turned and watched as Andy held the door open for Mary Catherine. "Either of you feel like a new roommate? I have a feeling that I'm about to lose mine."

"She won't hate you forever," Alex replied. "It'll probably be only as long as it takes her backside to stop hurting. Judging by how mad Dean Michaels seemed, I'd say next Halloween sounds about right."

"Thanks, Alex. That's just what I needed to hear," Mandy said.

With a click, the door closed behind them and the three of them parted ways, each heading to their dorm room.

"Please let her be all right," Mandy prayed, as she got ready for bed. "Please let her be all right . . ."

"Please let me be all right," Mary Catherine prayed as Andy led her through the darkened administration building. Dean Michaels was so angry with her at the moment. A deep fear settled inside of her. Mary Catherine was sure that she'd wish the Dean had booted her out of school by the time he was finished taking out his displeasure on her backside -- if in fact he didn't decide to expel her after he finished spanking the living daylights out of her!

Andy and Mary stopped in front of his office door. He fumbled through the pocket of his bottle green corduroy slacks until he found his key ring. Separating the old-fashioned door key from the rest he slipped it into the lock and turned it clockwise with a small click.

The door swung easily inward and Andy stepped back, allowing Mary Catherine to enter the darkened office first. She silently walked to the front of his desk and stopped. As he walked across the room to his desk, she dropped her eyes and stared in the general direction of her shoes. She couldn't actually see them, but she didn't want to be looking up when Dean Michaels . . .

"Snap."

Andy turned on the small desk lamp, bathing the room in a dim, amber glow. He took off his overcoat, draped it over the back of his chair and sat down. For a few minutes, he studied Mary Catherine thoughtfully. She was the perfect picture of a contrite schoolgirl at the moment. Head down, fidgeting slightly, biting her lower lip. Her hands were clasped behind her back and she looked very small in her large navy parka.

"Please remove your coat Miss Whitney and put down your bag," he said.

Mary Catherine dropped her backpack to the floor, and then fumbled with her coat, gloves and scarf, which she draped over one of the two chairs on her side of the desk. She quickly straightened her hair and uniform as best as she could, then turned back to face Dean Michaels.

Mary Catherine stole a glance at the other chair, wondering if she should sit or stand, then dropped her eyes again.

"You might as well get used to standing, young lady," he said, reading her thoughts. "I suspect you won't feel like sitting any time soon."

Mary Catherine gulped. She could feel a thin trickle of sweat starting to run down the back of her neck. She knew she was really in for it this time.

"I don't suppose you'd like to explain just what it was that you thought you were doing this evening, would you?" Andy asked.

She shook her head, not meeting his eye.

"Shaking your head is not an answer, is it, Miss Whitney?" he said.

"No, Sir," she whispered,

Andy frowned. "I want you to look at me."

Slowly she raised her head and tentatively met his stern gaze. His tone belied his anger. As always, his voice was calm and low. The look in his eyes though made her shiver. She didn't doubt that somewhere just under the surface he was furious with her. How much of that anger would actually come through when he was disciplining her remained to be seen. She was already sore in half a dozen different places from her adventure with Doug. She couldn't imagine how she'd feel once Dean Michaels spanked her!

"You're going to be severely disciplined for your behavior this evening," he said, confirming her worst fears.

"Yes, Sir," she replied again, her voice wavering slightly as she heard the anger bubble up in his voice.

Andy stopped suddenly as he heard Mary's voice crack and took a moment to regain his composure. It was always a problem to discipline Mary Catherine. He not only liked her, but he felt personally responsible for her because of his friendship with Patrick. There was a connection between them that he didn't have with his other girls and it made him fiercely protective of her.

"You'd be just as upset if it was any of your other girls," he told himself firmly as he stood and began to pace back and forth behind his desk.

Mary Catherine watched as he started to wear a path in the lush navy, forest and sand colored oriental carpet behind his desk.

"Well, Miss Whitney, it appears that you've racked up quite a list of misdeeds tonight," Andy said as he continued to pace. He clenched and unclenched his hands rapidly as he listed all of her transgressions.

"Up past curfew. . . trespassing, gambling . . . oh wait, that one was only the other girls . . . obviously out of uniform . . . and it goes without saying that what you and Doug were doing upstairs tonight goes far beyond breaking the rules."

Andy abruptly stopped. He sat back down and looked at her intently. "I think it's safe to say that this is a new record, even for you, Miss Whitney.

"Am I . . . that is, are you . . . you're not going to expel me, are you?" she asked timidly.

Andy frowned. "If you thought this little stunt would get you expelled, young lady you're sadly mistaken." He replied. "I decided a long time ago that I'd never expel you. For one thing, it'd be too easy for me to give in to you . . . and for another you're much too bright. I'd never let you throw your future away like that."

Mary Catherine gave a small sigh of relief. While she often fantasized about what it would be like to leave Saint Francis, and she had to admit at times she even tried to get the boot, deep down she didn't want to be expelled.

"Besides, I'd be afraid to let you loose on the world for fear of what might happen, to it and you," he added to himself silently. He knew he'd never be able let her go because it would feel like he was turning his back on Patrick's little sister. Andy knew her parents wouldn't be there for her; they hadn't been for Patrick. The way they treated Mary Catherine, it was as if she didn't exist, other than as an inconvenience that money could take care of when needed. Since the day he realized just who Mary Catherine was, Andy had vowed to look after her as though she were his own.

Mary Catherine might think she was all grown up now, particularly in light of tonight's events, but Andy knew better. "I want you to know I'm VERY disappointed in you right now. Especially since we had a long talk about you being responsible when it came to Doug and making good decisions about your relationship with him just a couple of weeks ago. Do you remember that, young lady?"

"Yes, Sir," the answer came, barely more than a whisper now. She certainly remembered the fire he'd blazed across her bottom with a beautiful antique hairbrush made of cherry. It had been quite possibly the most painful thing she'd been spanked with in her life. Despite the spanking, Dean Michaels had been quite understanding with her then.

For reasons she couldn't explain, she'd kept the hairbrush in her dorm room on her dresser. Every time she used it, Mary Catherine thought of Dean Michaels and that day and blushed. Over and over Mary had vowed to throw it away but, as yet at least, she had been unable to bring herself to do so.

Tonight, Mary Catherine realized, there would be no mercy. She found small comfort in the fact that the hairbrush was safe in her dorm room where it could do no harm.

Andy added, "I thought we had an understanding, Mary Catherine."

Dean Michaels sounded hurt! She was so stunned that she didn't even feel relief that he had finally called her Mary Catherine instead of Miss Whitney.

"I . . . I'm sorry, Dean Michaels," Mary Catherine replied, not knowing what else to say.

"I'm sorry too. You really disappointed me this time, young lady. I trusted you to keep your word to me," Andy said as he weighed his options. He wanted to trust her, to give her another chance, but he knew that wasn't possible in light of tonight's events.

Andy stopped pacing and looked her in the eye. "One month on restriction -- no clubs, no sports, no extracurricular activities of any kind. When you are not in class, in chapel, or on work duty, you are to remain in your dorm room, including nights and weekends," he began.

Mary Catherine nodded her assent. "Yes, Sir," she replied.

"You'll be on kitchen duty for breakfast," he continued.

Mary Catherine had to stifle a groan. Kitchen duty meant getting up every morning at five!

"And you'll be working here in the office each day between the end of classes and supper," he said.

"Yes, Sir," she said again. Office duty was one of the less taxing assignments she could pull, but it meant being under the close supervision of the Dean, which was definitely not too desirable at the moment.

"No internet access, except at the library under Sister Angela's direct supervision for class assignments. You'll need a permission slip from your instructor if you have a class project that necessitates online research," he added.

Mary frowned. No email for the next month! She was only able to contact some of her friends, like Alex Martin at Blue Ridge Academy in Virginia, regularly via email.

"Is there a problem, Miss Whitney?" Andy asked, seeing her frown.

"No, Sir," she quickly replied. "It's just . . . well . . ." Mary Catherine stalled, trying to come up with an answer that wouldn't get her into even more trouble.

"Yes?" he said, raising an eyebrow at her.

"It's just that I'm taking Functional Design for the Web this term and it involves a lot of time online. Mr. Phelps has all of our assignments and homework and stuff up on the web and we're working with girls from Blue Ridge, Linden Hills, and Flintridge Prep for this class. It's one of the YWLC-sponsored programs," she responded, relieved to have found a plausible, school-related reason for keeping at least some of her online access.

Andy nodded. He knew how much effort she put into her studies and could understand why being offline would be a worry for Mary Catherine. "I'll make sure you're able to keep up with your web design class and be able to talk to whoever you need to from the other schools, okay?" he replied.

"Thanks, Dean," she replied with noticeable relief. She was genuinely happy that she wouldn't fall behind in class, but mostly glad that she wouldn't be totally cut off from the outside world!

"Now," he continued, "you are not to see or speak or have any contact with Doug whatsoever for the next month. It's time you two cooled things off a bit."

Mary Catherine nodded, miserable at the thought, but in a strange way relieved as well. She loved Doug, and wanted to be with him more than ever, but she wasn't quite sure if she could face him at the moment, in light of what just happened. She was certain that he'd be on restriction as well, so she didn't have to worry about someone, particularly Veronica, trying to steal him from right under her nose!

"Good," Andy said, happy he didn't have to get into an argument over this point. He liked Doug, and even thought for the most part that he was a decent, reliable boy, but -- and for Andy this was a big but -- he was a teenager. It wasn't so long ago that Andy had been a teen himself and he knew that raging hormones controlled far more at this point than the brain when it came to sex.

That was everything then . . . everything except . . . Andy walked around his desk and across the room to a large, ornately carved mahogany cabinet. He unlocked it and opened the doors.

Mary Catherine listened as the doors creaked, but was too frightened to turn around and look. Every girl who visited Dean Michaels office knew that the cabinet contained a large collection of disciplinary implements, all designed to elicit the appropriate amount of chastisement to an errant schoolgirl caught in any conceivable situation.

Andy looked over his choices, running his hands over one implement, picking up another thoughtfully, then returning it to its proper place. He glanced over his shoulder at Mary Catherine one more time, trying to decide what would make the most lasting impression on her. It was glaringly apparent that he must make one this time, or she'd be likely to turn around in another month and do exactly the same thing.

Mary Catherine wiped her palms on her plaid skirt. "Waiting to learn my fate is almost as bad as facing it," she thought.

Finally, Andy carefully selected two items and removed them from the cabinet. He closed the doors, not bothering to relock the cabinet for now, as he'd need to return the implements once he'd finished using them across Mary Catherine's backside.

Mary Catherine looked up as Andy walked back to his desk. All the color drained from her face, and despite her best efforts a small gasp of fear escaped from her slightly parted lips as she saw what he held in his hands.

"I'm sorry this is necessary, Mary Catherine," Andy said. He watched her eyes widen in fear as he placed the slipper on his desk and flexed the heavy senior cane into an ominous looking arc. "What you did tonight is not acceptable behavior for a Saint Francis girl and I need to make sure that you remember this lesson for some time to come."

He paused briefly and set the cane down on his desk with a sharp smack, directly in front of Mary Catherine. Andy knew that even a lesson as harsh as this wouldn't last forever, but he hoped that it would be long enough for her to think about her choices, rather than only as long as it took for her bottom to heal.

"Hhh . . . how many, Dean?" Mary Catherine stammered as she heard the whistle and splat of the cane hitting his desk.

"With my hand and then the slipper long enough to get my point across," Andy replied, knowing that Mary Catherine absolutely despised not knowing how much punishment for which she'd need to be steeling herself. The heavy slipper had a raised rubber sole that burned fiercely and he knew his choice guaranteed that she'd soon be a very sorry young lady. "Then I'm going to give you 12 with the senior cane, Mary Catherine -- across my desk and on the bare.

"Oh God, no!" Mary Catherine half-thought, half-breathed as Andy pronounced her sentence.

"Yes," he replied, hearing the faint whisper of disbelief escape her mouth. He might not want to discipline her so harshly, but he would -- because she'd blatantly disobeyed school rules and had broken her word to him.

Mary Catherine shivered with fear. She'd been caned on three previous occasions at Saint Francis, twice her sophomore year and once last fall just before Thanksgiving. The cane was rare at Saint Francis. Most girls made it through their entire four years without ever seeing it, let alone feeling it on their tender bottoms. Mary unfortunately seemed to attract trouble more than most girls . . . or at least got caught in it more often by Dean Michaels!

On each of the three previous occasions, Dean Michaels had used the junior cane, with a restrained hand. The most she'd received was six strokes. Even with those, her bottom had been sore and marked for days. She couldn't imagine how badly it would hurt for him to use the thicker senior cane for 12 strokes on her bare bottom. It wasn't difficult to figure out that it was unlikely that there'd be enough room to take the entire dozen without some of the strokes crossing each other, or worse, landing on her upper thighs!

"I'm sorry, Dean Michaels," she said, "I'm so sorry."

"I know you are, but this time being sorry isn't enough," Andy said, trying, and failing to forget the disheveled picture Mary Catherine had presented when she and Doug came out of the bedroom. The throbbing in his temple intensified once again and as he stared at Mary, he clenched his jaw. "It's best in the long run, don't forget that," he thought to himself.

Andy locked eyes with Mary Catherine, and forced her to hold his gaze. His emotions were still running high and he was afraid to discipline her until he had them firmly under control. It would be far too easy to hurt her seriously, particularly with the cane.

"I want you in the corner," he finally said. Andy looked at the small collection of antique hourglasses on his desk. His hand lingered at the 15-minute cylinder, then, moved to the 30 minute one and turned it over with a resounding thump.

"Yes, Sir . . . Dean," Mary Catherine replied, with only the faintest amount of relief as she obediently turned and headed toward the far corner of his office. She'd have a half-hour reprieve before he blazed a fire across her bottom.

She reached the corner and pressed her nose into it, grateful for the dark warmth that momentarily enveloped her.

"Skirt up, panties down, Miss Whitney and no fidgeting," Andy added as he watched her settle into place.

Mary Catherine's head snapped around at his words. Andy was now sitting at his desk. He had a large, green leather-bound book open in front of him. He looked up from the note he was making and said, "That wasn't an optional request, young lady. You know the drill. Skirt up, panties down, no fidgeting and keep your nose in the corner."

With shaking hands, Mary Catherine complied. She reached underneath her navy and forest plaid skirt and slowly inched her white cotton panties down until they barely cleared the bottom of her full, rounded cheeks. She then carefully lifted the hem of her skirt, just enough to reveal her now bared bottom as she pressed her nose back into the corner. Try as she might though, she still shifted slightly from foot to foot, in a nervous dance.

Andy had turned his attention back to his notes, carefully documenting just what was happening and why. He found keeping an unofficial accounting useful, particularly when he had to go back and discipline a girl for repeated offenses. Saint Francis had a strict policy that declared the slate, in this case, a girls' record, cleared once she'd paid the price for her misdeeds. It would be hard to forget just what had led up to this particular slate clearing, but he would document it nonetheless.

"I want that skirt back up where it belongs, Miss Whitney," he said suddenly as he glanced over and realized that Mary's bottom was no longer in sight, "or I'll pin it up for you."

Mary slowly raised her skirt a few inches, as she tried to wedge herself further into the corner.

"All the way, young lady," he said warningly.

Mary Catherine pulled her skirt up to her waist as Andy commanded, shivering as she did so.

Andy noticed Mary's shoulders shaking. He realized just how cold it was in his office. To conserve power and save money, the academic and administrative buildings had no heat after the school day was over. While Mary Catherine was sure to be plenty warm shortly, Andy didn't want her to catch cold. Their walk had been a long, wet one between the Saint Seb's and Saint Francis campus. Since he didn't want to override the heating system, Andy got up, quickly laid kindling in the fireplace, and lit it. In a few minutes, a small fire crackled in the hearth.

With a nod of satisfaction, he returned to his desk and picked up his pen . . .

As the grains of sand counted down the minutes, Mary Catherine's panic level rose. She could see the sand flow to the bottom of the glass in her mind. Ten became 15, then 20.

Andy looked up at the hourglass. About four minutes remained. He finished his notes and took a deep breath as he looked over at Mary Catherine, who was now quietly pressed into the corner.

And then he saw it . . .

At first Andy thought he was mistaken. It had to be a trick of light, or a shadow of some sort. He watched Mary Catherine intently as she shifted her weight slightly. Though the light was dim, what Andy saw was clear and familiar.

Silently he got to his feet and crossed the room, stopping directly behind Mary Catherine. With a gentle touch he placed his left hand on her shoulder and his right hand on her bottom, directly over a crisply outlined bright red handprint.

At his touch, Mary Catherine trembled, then started to quietly cry.

"It's going to be okay," he whispered as he moved his hand down and tugged her panties back up.

Mary leaned heavily into the corner. "God, please let this be a bad dream!" she thought as she felt him pull her panties up and loosen her grip on the hem of her skirt. It dropped neatly back into place, covering the painfully obvious evidence of what had taken place tonight.

Andy let Mary regain her composure before gently turning her around and leading her across the room to sit down.

"Let's talk," Andy said, as he stopped in front of the sofa near the fireplace.

Mary nodded numbly. She had no idea what she could say to explain this to him!

They sat down and Andy watched as Mary Catherine stared blankly at the fire. Her cheeks sparkled with the dampness of recently shed tears and her hands were twisted together tightly on her lap. Andy could clearly see her left knee shaking uncontrollably.

"Just what happened tonight, Mary?" he started, speaking as gently as he could.

Mary Catherine shot a frightened glance at him, and then returned her gaze to the fire. He sounded calm now, almost forgiving even, but she knew appearances could be deceiving.

"Come on, Mary Catherine, talk to me. Tell me what's going on with you," he continued, trying to find a way to get her to open up. Obviously there was a lot he didn't know about the girl in front of him these days. Andy wasn't about to jump to conclusions again!

Mary trembled suddenly and Andy frowned. She was obviously scared and he had contributed to a large part of that fear. But still . . .

"Did Doug hurt you?" he asked, afraid that the answer would be yes.

She shook her head violently.

"Are you sure, Mary Catherine? It's obvious that he, well . . ."

"It wasn't like that Dean," she replied, still afraid to look at him.

Andy reached over and put his hand underneath Mary Catherine's chin, slowly turning her around to look at him.

"Mary . . ." he started.

"Can't you just punish me and forget about the rest of it?" Mary interrupted with a pleading tone.

Andy shook his head. "I'm not even sure now just what it is that I'm disciplining you for, Mary Catherine. I don't think you did anything close to what I imagined with Doug this evening."

"Please don't make me tell you . . . it's just . . ." she trailed off.

". . . too embarrassing," Andy finished her reply.

Mary Catherine nodded and dropped her eyes.

Andy gave her knee a small pat. "It's pretty obvious Doug spanked you tonight. It was Doug, wasn't it?" he asked.

Mary nodded her assent.

"I need to know what happened, Mary Catherine and why." Andy paused and when Mary didn't answer, he added, "Doug is due for some serious punishment too you know."

Mary's hands twisted tighter in her lap. She hadn't even thought of that!

Andy gave Mary Catherine a moment to think things through. He knew Mary well enough to know that she'd never allow Doug or anyone else to be disciplined unnecessarily. They would both still be in trouble, but not as nearly as much as they were when Andy thought he'd caught them having sex. Judging by Doug's handiwork, Andy strongly suspected that they hadn't gotten that far before he'd broken things up.

She gulped hard and closed her eyes. "I don't even know where to start, Dean Michaels," she whispered hesitantly.

Andy reached over and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Just take things from the beginning and go slow. We have as much time as you need."

With a deep breath, Mary began to speak, slowly at first, then at a more normal pace as she managed to stop her voice from trembling. She measured her words carefully, telling him the day's events in a calm, almost detached manner. As she spoke though, her mind began to drift back to just what did occur. The black and white tale she was presenting Dean Michaels faded out as the events replayed in full color in her mind . . .

Suddenly she heard herself say, "Yes, I'll take the dare."

Mandy had sat silently for a minute, then smiled widely as she announced that the dare would be for Mary Catherine and Doug to go upstairs and do something they'd never done before. Everyone knew exactly what Mandy had in mind.

Doug began to stand, but Mary Catherine wouldn't budge. Finally he sat back beside her and quietly asked what was wrong.

She couldn't do it. She wanted to, but she just couldn't -- at least not like this. She'd been having a lot of doubts since Valentine's Day as it was, but there was no way she wanted her first time to be on a dare!

"I don't think I can," she whispered in a panicked tone.

Doug looked up at their friends, then leaned closer to Mary Catherine and lowered his voice to the slightest of whispers. His breath was soft and hot against her ear.

"We ARE going to go upstairs," Doug said, "and I'm going to do something to you that I should've done a long time ago. Don't worry, Mary Catherine, I'm not going to sleep with you, at least not tonight."

Mary felt a jolt of relief shoot through her body, though it was short-lived. She frowned slightly, nearly disappointed that Doug was saying no to her instead of the other way around!

"It doesn't mean that I'm not going to enjoy Mandy's dare. You've made me wait too long to have you. If nothing else, I'm going to make you do something that will give me a little satisfaction at least."

"Oh god, he wants me to blow him!" she thought. Mary Catherine had an extremely strong gag reflex and the image of her having to go down on Doug wasn't pleasant, even though she knew it would turn him on. Of course, it was likely to make him want to sleep with her all the more if Mandy and Alex were to be believed, so she wasn't sure how it would be a deterrent.

"Don't worry, Mary Catherine," Doug continued, sensing her thoughts, "I remember how you nearly bit my tongue off the first time I put it in your mouth. I'm not about to let you do any damage down there."

Again, Mary felt a wave of relief wash over her.

Puzzled, Mary whispered to Doug, "Then what ARE you going to do?"

"Simple, we're going to go upstairs," he explained. "I'm going to turn you across my knee, pull down your panties and give you a good, long spanking on your bare . . ."

As Doug continued to speak, Mary's pallor was replaced with a bright suffusion of color that spread across her cheeks and down her neck. "He can't be serious!" she thought, though she quickly discovered that she was mistaken.

"You've been such a little prick teaser this past month, Mary Catherine -- running hot, then cold, then hot again. Every time I turn around you've changed your mind! I can't stand to be in the same room with you and not be able to touch you any more. At least this way I'll get to see if you're as hot under that uniform as I dream you are. And maybe you'll learn to not be such a tease and get me so frustrated I can't even see straight! If nothing else, I plan to make sure that you're sore enough not to think of anything but me when you sit in class tomorrow."

Doug finally stopped speaking, stood up and this time she didn't protest when he helped her up and led her out of the room. It was hard to believe that Doug was going to do that to her . . . had even thought of doing that to her!

"What happened then, Mary Catherine?" Andy asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Mary realized she'd stopped speaking. She'd been so wrapped up with the replaying of the events in her mind that she'd lost track of what she was telling Dean Michaels!

"Uhmmm, well, that is . . . where was I, Dean?" Mary stammered.

"You said that you and Doug went upstairs to the master bedroom in the guesthouse," he replied.

Andy sensed that he was getting a highly filtered version of the events, which suited him just fine. At the moment, he was playing an unedited one in his mind and it sure as hell wasn't anything like when he spanked Mary Catherine! In all honesty, he was picturing how he spanked a couple of his former girlfriends over the years and it was hard to reconcile that act with the girl in front of him now. Despite Mary's overwhelming desire to grow up, he still pictured her as Patrick's little sister!

"Oh, okay, right," Mary continued hastily. "So we went upstairs and then . . ."

"Don't turn on the light 'till I get back, Mary Catherine," Doug said firmly as they walked into the bedroom. "I need to make sure the curtains are pulled tight. The last thing we need is someone spotting the light in the windows!"

"We could, uhm, well . . . do it with the lights out," Mary Catherine suggested, thoroughly nervous now. She'd really hoped that Doug was just kidding about this spanking business, or if not, that he'd change his mind once they got upstairs! It was embarrassing enough when Dean Michaels spanked her. To have her boyfriend treat her like a ten-year-old was mortifying!

"No way!" Doug replied as he headed for the door. "You've made me wait far too long as it is just to see you naked. I intend to enjoy every minute of this, beginning with a good look at your bare ass in the air. Just be glad it's only your backside on display. I could make you strip completely for this you know. Then I'd really get a good look at what you've been hiding under that school uniform of yours!"

Mary Catherine blushed deeply, glad the room, for the moment at least, was dark. She had a pretty good idea of the picture she presented when getting spanked over the knee. That position was always far more embarrassing to her than going across the desk for some reason, perhaps because it seemed so personal. Doug would be getting a very intimate look at her that was certain.

"I don't know if I can, Doug," Mary said.

He walked back over to Mary Catherine and kissed her. "It's okay. I know you're scared, but it'll be fine. I promise not to hurt you."

"Really?" Mary Catherine asked, knowing that there was only so much truth in what he was saying. Spankings hurt, even if just for as long as the spanking was taking place.

"Yes, really," Doug replied, adding to himself, "Not much at least. You'll definitely remember this though baby," He fully intended to get her attention tonight and to make her feel at least a fraction of the frustration she'd caused him to feel these last few weeks. Doug promised to leave her sore, and he would, in more ways than one!

Doug led her over to the large four-poster bed, sat her down and gave her a final kiss. "Take a deep breath and try to relax. I'll be right back."

Mary Catherine watched his darkened figure walk out of the room, took a deep breath and laid down on the bed, put her arms over her head and wondered just how she managed to get into such a mess.

As Mary lay in the dark, Doug hurried down the stairs, collected his backpack from the entryway and headed back up to the bedroom.

Doug was back in less than a minute. Mary Catherine sat up and waited as he quickly checked the drapes. Satisfied that they were shut tight, he walked back to the door and flipped on the lights.

"There, much better," Doug said as he looked around the room and surveyed their surroundings.

Mary Catherine blinked from the sudden light. The room was large and forbidding, almost gothic in appearance. The four-poster bed and matching furniture were made of a dark oak, with intricate carvings. There was a large dresser, two nightstands, a small vanity with matching chair, and a large, full-length mirror.

She watched with a fascinated dread as Doug walked over to the bed and pressed against the mattress to test its firmness. He shook his head and looked around the room again. Making up his mind, Doug walked purposefully to the vanity, pulled out the straight back chair and positioned it in the middle of the room, facing the wall with the mirror. It was clear that he meant for her to see everything he was doing to her from the way he positioned the chair!

"Perfect," Doug said as he took off his blazer and hung it over the back of the chair. He sat down and dropped his backpack on the floor beside him. His shirt collar and tie were already loosened, but Doug reached up and slid a bit more slack into his tie. Since he planned to keep Mary Catherine across his lap for quite a while, he wanted to make himself comfortable.

Mary Catherine watched as Doug worked the button on his shirt cuff and carefully rolled up his sleeve to the elbow. She'd never noticed quite how muscular his arms were -- a result of rowing eights on Saint Seb's varsity crew. Her stomach gave a funny, familiar lurch of anxious anticipation, just like when Dean Michaels was about to turn her across his knee! Suddenly it felt very real to her. Doug actually intended to spank her!

"Come here, Mary Catherine," Doug said with a firm, authoritative tone.

Mary walked slowly to him and stopped, her hands behind her back. Doug never sounded like that before! In all honesty, she was normally the take charge one in their relationship. This was a totally different side of Doug and she had to admit was strangely appealing. Mary Catherine suddenly felt VERY shy with Doug, as if they were meeting each other for the first time. "Stop it you nitwit," she scolded herself. "The way you're acting you'd almost think you wanted Doug to do this!"

Doug patted his lap and looked at Mary Catherine expectantly. She hesitated a moment and gave him a "do we have to" sort of a look, then came forward and allowed Doug to take her across his lap. She slid familiarly into position -- head down, bottom high in the air, her skirt riding up to mid-thigh. Doug settled her onto his lap and wrapped his left arm around her waist, holding her firmly. She gasped with surprise and squirmed when she felt his erection pressing against her hip.

"What?" he said in a slightly annoyed tone.

"You're . . . well, hard!" Mary Catherine replied in a stunned tone.

That was a constant painful state for Doug when he was around Mary Catherine these days. "I told you that you'd become a major prick teaser," he replied testily. Doug slid Mary into a slightly more comfortable position, taking some of the pressure off the uncomfortable bulge.

"I'm sorry, Doug," she said contritely. Mary had never actually intended to waver back and forth on the issue. If it hadn't been for getting caught on Valentine's Day she would've slept with Doug by now. "Damn Dean Michaels for making me so indecisive!" she said to herself.

"I know, Mary Catherine. Sometimes it just seems as if you think it's your sacred duty to stay a virgin forever. I guess being horny 24/7 is my punishment for finding you so hot!" As Doug spoke, he pulled Mary Catherine's navy and forest plaid pleated skirt up to her waist and tucked the hem into the waistband.

Mary Catherine looked up into the mirror. She was a little startled to see Doug staring at her. "I don't think that and I didn't mean to be a tease, honest."

"Meaning to or not, that's exactly what you've been, but no matter. Tonight we'll even out the score," Doug replied with a wicked grin.

Mary Catherine reddened and dropped her eyes.

"Don't do that, Mary Catherine," Doug scolded. "I want you to watch what I'm doing to you."

That made Mary's blush burn even brighter, but she slowly brought her head back up to watch Doug. He winked, then turned his attention to her panty-covered backside.

"Mmmmmm, very nice, Mary Catherine . . . sweet, innocent, proper schoolgirl panties . . . absolutely by the book I imagine," Doug said as he patted the seat of her white cotton panties. He ran his hand down the backs of her thighs, then worked his way back up, slipping his hand between her legs. He spread them ever so slightly, then rubbed her through the thin material.

Mary Catherine squirmed as he touched her. "What do you think you're doing?!" she exclaimed. That's NOT what Dean Michaels does when he spanks me!"

Doug stopped briefly and looked at her. "I should hope not, Mary Catherine. That'd make him a perv. He's an old man for heaven sakes!"

"He's not even 30!" Mary exclaimed.

"Whatever. As for me, I'm only returning the favor, Mary Catherine. You've done such a good job at making me want you. I think it's only fair that you want me as much in return. If you behave yourself, I might even give you some relief, which is more than you've given me, isn't it?" Doug asked.

As Doug spoke, he began to tug Mary Catherine's panties down, tuning out her pleas to let them stay up, until they were resting at the backs of her knees. Doug looked down and surveyed the view. His face lit up like a kid opening his presents on Christmas morning and discovered he'd gotten exactly what he wanted. "God, Mary Catherine," he said, as he ran his hand across her tight, satiny bottom, "I always knew you'd have a great ass."

Her flesh was smooth, warm and well developed, without being muscular from years of riding, tennis and field hockey. He ran his hand across it, making her acutely aware of his scrutiny, then dropped his hand lower in a proprietary way.

Mary grew hot as Doug put his hand back between her thighs and began to stroke her clit. "Oh . . . Doug no, I'm . . . god please."

Doug smiled, thoroughly pleased with himself as he looked back toward the mirror. He could feel how rapidly she was growing wet for him. "Of course, GOOD little schoolgirls don't let their boyfriends get in their panties, do they, Mary Catherine?" he asked rhetorically as he listened to her breath quicken.

Mary moaned as Doug continued to touch her. Squirming across his lap made her thighs part slightly and he took full advantage of her acquiescence. She wasn't sure what she wanted more, for him to continue or to stop! He was making her so hot the way he kept touching her, much more than normal.

"You want me now, don't you, Mary Catherine?" Doug asked, as he continued to tease her.

Mary could feel a deep throbbing between her legs now and she whimpered slightly.

He slid a single finger inside her, just for an instant. "Don't you?" he repeated as he just as quickly withdrew it.

"Yes," she answered painfully. She might not have meant to, but if this was even halfway close to how she'd made Doug feel, she wasn't surprised that he was pissed at her. She was so aroused at the moment that it made her shiver.

Doug removed his hand and patted her bare bottom. "My, my . . . what would your Dean do if he knew his virginal little schoolgirl had her panties off for me and was begging for sex?" he asked with mock seriousness.

Mary Catherine gave a frustrated gasp as she felt his hand slip out from between her thighs. She'd come so close to having an orgasm. She couldn't believe Doug was going to stop now!

"That wasn't an answer, Mary Catherine," Doug said teasingly. He already knew what it was; he just wanted to hear her say it. He slid his finger inside of her a final time, making her gasp. "Now tell me what he'd do."

"He'd . . . spank . . . me," she finally replied through gritted teeth.

"He'd spank you," Doug repeated thoughtfully as he removed his hand from between her thighs completely. Doug reached down, deftly removed her panties the rest of the way and casually stuffed them into his blazer pocket. They'd make a nice little souvenir of the evening and the thought of Mary Catherine walking home with cold air blowing up her skirt on her overheated bottom was an amusing image in Doug's mind. "I think that sounds like a good idea but since he isn't here. . ."

"Smack!" Doug's hand landed on Mary Catherine's left cheek.

Mary gasped as Doug's hand smacked against her bottom firmly. Granted, it wasn't nearly as hard as Dean Michaels, but it still packed plenty of heat.

"Whap!" His hand landed on her other cheek.

Doug fell into a steady rhythm of sharp swats, landing on first one cheek, then the other.

"Smack . . . whap . . . crack . . . thwaaaaapppp!"

Every so often he'd stop and rub her bottom or slip his hand back between her thighs, stopping only when she became visibly aroused again. Doug quickly made it clear though that despite what he said, there would be no relief from him tonight, at least not the kind she craved.

"Smackkkkkk!"

"Whhaaaaaapppppp!"

"What a naughty girl you are, Mary Catherine," Doug said as he paused a moment and slid his hand between her moisture-soaked thighs. "I have to say I'm shocked that a nice, proper Saint Francis girl like you would have your panties off, your ass in the air and your thighs parted to let me touch you like this."

Mary Catherine blushed furiously. Despite herself, she WAS kind of turned on by what Doug was doing, even the spanking part. She felt grown up and sexy, not at all the way she did when she went over Dean Michaels' knee. The fact that she was turned on, and Doug knew it, was really embarrassing though!

Doug withdrew his hand again and steadily increased his tempo.

"Smack . . . crack . . . whap . . . crrraaaaaackkkkkkk!"

"Ouch! Not so hard damn it," Mary Catherine yelped as a particularly hard swat landed on her right check.

Doug stopped and cleared his throat. "What was that, young lady?" he asked.

"I said not so hard!" Mary Catherine replied, trying and mostly succeeding from giggling at Doug calling her young lady.

Doug fired off a dozen rapid spanks across the fullest part of her cheeks, then slowed down to punctuate his response.

"I . . . smack . . . do not . . . smack . . . want . . . smack . . . to hear . . .whap . . . you . . . smack . . . swearing . . . crack . . . again . . . whap . . . Mary . . . SMAAAAAAACKKKK . . . Catherine!" he said emphatically.

Mary Catherine kicked off her right penny loafer as she continued to squirm across Doug's knee. That last one had been harder than even Dean Michaels spanked, and it left a vivid red handprint across her bottom to boot!

Doug stopped for a minute and reached down into his backpack. He fumbled around the bottom and pulled out his small honor council paddle.

"Oh no, you're not going to spank me with that!" Mary Catherine said anxiously, twisting around to try and grab the small paddle as she felt him rub it across her bare bottom.

Doug gave her left cheek a sharp smack in response then handed it to her as she yelped. "I wasn't going to, except for perhaps a few whacks like that one, but now I think I will. Do you talk to Dean Michaels like that when you get a spanking, Mary Catherine?"

"Of course not!" Mary exclaimed. "He'd blister my bottom but good!"

Doug raised his right eyebrow. "So your Dean would heat your backside, but I should just laugh it off? I don't think so."

He handed Mary the paddle. "I want you to hold this while I finish spanking you. When I'm ready for it, I expect you to hand it to me and tell me how many swats you'd get from Dean Michaels for swearing so I know what to give you." He paused then added, "And don't even think of making the number lower than it should be, Mary Catherine, or I'll double the amount!"

"You're enjoying this!" she said suddenly, dismayed at the realization.

"Of course I am, Mary Catherine. I've finally got you where I want you, even if it's not quite how I want you," Doug replied. He was actually a little surprised that he was enjoying the position he'd put Mary Catherine in so much. When he first came up with the idea, it was mostly to pay her back for holding out on him so long. Now though, he had to admit, it was awfully cute to see Mary Catherine squirming and pleading for him as he had his way with her. "In fact, after seeing just how your attitude has changed after a little hands on attention, maybe I'll spank you every time you misbehave."

"What?!" Mary squealed.

Doug opened his mouth to say he was just kidding, but shut it when he heard her vehement protest. Even if he never did this again, it might be useful to let her think he might.

"Did you give Doug permission to spank you?" Andy asked, cutting Mary off from the recounting of her tale.

"Uhm, well . . . yeah, I mean no . . . I mean we just did it," Mary Catherine stammered. She really had to pay better attention to what she was telling Dean Michaels. She was pretty sure she hadn't told him any of that last little bit, but it seemed so real to her that it was hard to be certain.

So she consented to Doug spanking her in a non-consensual sort of way. Andy wasn't sure why he was so surprised. Saint Francis and Saint Sebastian's were very traditionally oriented schools in terms of discipline. Hardly a day went by that someone, somewhere, on one of the two campuses was getting a spanking of one sort or another. He didn't approve of Doug's methods, but in all honesty he didn't disapprove either. He'd much rather have Mary Catherine take a spanking from Doug, as long as she was a willing participant, than sleep with him!

That didn't mean Andy wouldn't have a long talk with Doug about all this, "talk" being a relative concept of course. While it was up to Harold to discipline his boys as he saw fit, Andy was sure in this case that Harold would grant him a little leeway with Mr. Abbott in light of the circumstances.

"So he had his Honor Council paddle with him," Andy prompted Mary Catherine as he made a mental note to discuss Doug with Saint Seb's Headmaster in the morning. "What happened after he handed it to you?"

"He well . . . started to . . . uhmmm, you know, spank me again with his hand . . ."

"Smack . . . whap . . . whap . . . CRAACCCCK!" Doug's hand unleased a crisp volley of spanks across Mary Catherine's bottom as he picked up the pace once again.

Mary Catherine watched in the mirror as his hand continued to rise and fall. It was quite a strange thing to see Doug's hand come up, know it was about to land on her upturned cheeks, then feel the heat rise from the smack. She could see everything except the actual moment of impact from her position, which added an unusually heightened sense of anticipation.

"Smack . . whap . . . crack . . . whap . . . SMMAAAAACKKKK!"

Doug looked over to the mirror from time to time. Mary Catherine was watching what he was doing intently as she bit her lower lip and gave a tiny gasp each time a spank landed on her upturned cheeks.

"Does she always look so cute when she's getting spanked?" he wondered to himself as he continued to redden her bottom. He knew one of the secret tunnels between the schools led to a small room behind Dean Michaels bookcase. He vowed to someday see firsthand just what Mary Catherine looked like when her Dean was spanking her. He was dying to know if those little gasps she kept making were for his benefit or a natural reaction to what he was doing.

"Smack . . smack . . . WHAAAAAPPP!"

As the heat rose across Mary's bottom, her squirming increased and she became quite vocal.

"Ooohhh, owwwww. Stop it, Doug, that hurts!" Mary Catherine exclaimed.

"Of course it hurts Mary, it's a spanking," Doug replied as he landed a stinging smack on her left cheek. He stopped and rubbed the spot. "I have to make sure I do a good job so you don't forget this, right?"

"As if I could forget this! Besides, you promised it wouldn't hurt!" Mary said huffily.

Doug continued to rub Mary Catherine's bottom. "Does it still hurt?" he asked, a little afraid that he'd gone too far. He had no idea how firmly Dean Michaels spanked Mary Catherine and he wanted to make sure that he kept his word about not doing anything that would really hurt her.

"YES, YES, YES, YES . . ." Mary Catherine exclaimed as she dissolved into a fit of giggles. She couldn't help it. The spanking HAD hurt, at least as long as he was doing it. The pain had stopped more or less as soon as he did.

"Fibber!" Doug cried, as he brought his hand down with a loud smack.

"Ouuuuuuch!" Mary Catherine replied with emphasis.

"My god, I almost feel sorry for Dean Michaels if you're such a brat when he spanks you," Doug said, as he began to slowly and firmly spank her again.

"I am NOT a brat!" Mary yelped as Doug's hand landed on her bottom.

"Surest sign of a brat I know is someone who insists that they're not one," Doug replied, doubling his efforts.

Before too long Mary's bottom heated up again and when she pleaded with Doug this time to stop, she really meant it. He had kept his word. She was plenty sore in about a half-a-dozen places now, including the tender skin between her thighs that he'd spent plenty of time rubbing until she was squirming on his lap wildly. Mary was certain that she'd think of nothing but him and what they'd done tomorrow in class and for some time to come for that matter!

"Please, Doug! I'm sorry . . . honest," Mary Catherine pleaded.

"Sorry for what?" Doug asked as he landed a good hard spank on her right cheek.

"I'm sorry . . . for being . . ."

SMACK!

"Owwwwwww! For being such a . . . tease," Mary replied breathlessly.

She gasped as Doug suddenly pulled her upright and settled her into a sitting position on his lap. Her legs were sprawled on either side of the chair and Doug put one hand under her skirt while the other held her around her waist to keep her from slipping off his lap.

"You should be, Mary Catherine. It's been almost impossible to keep my hands to myself," he replied.

Mary giggled, despite herself.

"Is something funny, young lady?" he asked, trying, and mostly failing, to raise a single eyebrow the way he'd seen Dean Michaels do when he was upset with one of his girls.

"No . . . it's just . . ." a long stream of laughter took over her and Mary Catherine had to take a moment to compose herself.

"You were saying, Mary Catherine?" Doug said once she'd calmed down again.

"You don't seem to be doing a very good job in the keeping your hands to yourself department!" she exclaimed, dissolving into giggles once again.

"True, but it's definitely been an interesting evening, Mary Catherine," Doug replied as he looked into her deep blue eyes. "Hasn't it?"

Mary caught her breath as Doug's hand slipped out from underneath her skirt. He put his other hand around her waist and drew Mary Catherine closer in order to kiss her.

"God I want you," Doug said fervently as their lips parted and he coaxed her tongue out of her mouth and into his.

Mary Catherine drew back and dropped the honor council paddle to the floor. She brought her hands up to Doug's tie and unknotted it.

"Mary . . . no," Doug started as she began to unbutton his white oxford shirt. He felt himself harden even more as her legs tightened around his hips. It was beyond painful now. He'd never been so hard in his life.

"No?" She reached down and brushed her hand up against his pants. "It sure feels like a yes," Mary Catherine said.

Doug looked at Mary. He was horny, she was hot, he couldn't believe he was going to do turn her down! "I promised I wouldn't make you Mary Catherine," he said painfully.

"But I want to!" Mary insisted, feeling more certain than she had in weeks.

"I made your body want to, Mary Catherine, not you," he replied. A line of perspiration formed along his forehead. He was dying to have her . . . would give anything . . . do anything.

"That's okay, my body and I both REALLY want to now," she said, as she dropped her hands down to unfasten Doug's belt buckle.

Doug felt his resolve crumbling. In all honesty he was so primed for her now that he almost didn't care whether or not she really wanted to do it. Only the thought of Mary Catherine possibly hating him after she'd calmed down and thought about it kept him from acting on his feelings.

With a swift motion he yanked her back across his lap and re-tucked her skirt into the waistband. "Hand me the paddle, Mary Catherine," he said in a low, firm voice.

"No, Doug, you wouldn't dare!" Mary pleaded.

Doug looked into the mirror and looked in Mary Catherine's eyes. They were wide and disbelieving from the realization that Doug intended to keep his word and paddle her. There was no fear though and in that moment, Doug knew he'd made the right decision.

"I promise, Mary Catherine, someday I'll have you and it'll be worth all the hell you put me through in waiting," he replied. "But I want you to come to me willingly, not because I made you want me or because Mandy came up with this stupid dare. I may hate it, but I'll wait. Just don't make me wait forever, okay?"

Mary Catherine felt her heart pound in her chest. If she'd ever doubted that Doug loved her, those doubts had been put to rest.

"Now hand me the paddle," Doug commanded gently.

Mary Catherine reached out and grabbed the paddle by the handle. She reached back and felt Doug take it from her hand. Their fingers brushed against each other lightly and Mary felt a jolt of heat course through her body.

Doug took a firm grip on the handle and laid it against her right cheek. "How many, Mary Catherine?" he asked.

Mary's mind raced. She really didn't want to tell Doug the truth, because she'd be more than sore by the time it was over if he put any force behind the swats, but after what he'd said, she couldn't lie to him.

"Two . . . dozen," she said in a very small voice as she met his eye in the mirror.

Doug nodded and slowly raised the paddle high. Mary Catherine dropped her hands and wrapped them around the chair legs, watching as Doug's hand began to fall . . ."

"And that's when you knocked on the door," Mary Catherine finished hastily, relieved to finally be through with recounting the evening's events.

Andy sat for a moment and thought about everything Mary Catherine told him and what he should do next. "I'm glad you told me the truth, Mary," he finally said.

"Really, Dean?" she replied. "You don't hate me now because I let Doug do that to me?"

"Of course not," Andy said as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Now, I'm not saying I'm happy about what happened, because I'm not. I think we both know that your breaking the rules tonight put you in a position you weren't ready for with Doug. Didn't it, Mary Catherine?"

Mary nodded slowly.

Andy considered just what to tell her. It was obvious he needed to say something to put Mary's mind at ease over what she'd allow Doug to do. While he firmly believed she was still too young to sleep with Doug, and to have him spank her even, particularly in the way he had done tonight, he didn't want her to keep thinking that the act itself was wrong.

"You realize I still have to discipline you for this, right?" he asked.

"Yes, Sir . . . Dean," she whispered.

"You made a lot of poor choices this evening, Mary, and now you're going to have to live with the consequences," he said.

"I know, I deserve to be punished for doing sick stuff like that," she replied.

"No Mary Catherine," Andy said gently, "you didn't do anything sick or bad or even wrong when you let Doug spank you tonight."

"I . . . I didn't?" Mary stammered.

Andy shook his head. "I don't approve of you doing it, because you're still a young girl and not an adult, but as long as you and Doug both agreed to what he did, I think it's perfectly ok."

"You do?!" Mary Catherine said with disbelief. She couldn't believe they were actually having this conversation!

He reached over and turned Mary's head in order to look her in the eye. "Yes, I honestly do," he replied.

Mary felt a wave of relief wash over her. She was sure that Dean Michaels would be revolted by what she'd let Doug do to her. Despite the fact that they were often at odds with each other, his opinion of her really mattered for some reason. Deep down she liked and respected Andrew Michaels, despite the fact he was her Dean and had been her brother's best friend.

"That doesn't mean you're not in big trouble Mary Catherine Whitney, because you are," Andy continued, raising a single eyebrow. Unlike Doug, Andy had mastered that particular maneuver perfectly and Mary took a deep breath at his use of her full name. Hearing it reminded her just how much trouble she was in and the seriousness of the punishment to come. The knot that had loosened in her stomach tightened and her breath became constricted again. She thought about the horrid slipper and punishing senior cane on Andy's desk and shivered. Sore now, she'd be lucky to sit for a week after he was through with her!

"Yes, Sir," she replied.

Andy gave her a small, kind smile. "It's still Dean or Dean Michaels, okay Mary? I'd hate to think you felt the need to call me Sir, like I was an old man or something."

"Yes, Sir . . . sorry, Dean," Mary Catherine replied hesitantly.

"Now, punishment," Andy said, turning his attention back to the matter at hand. "Like I said earlier, this is a new record, even for you, in terms of how many demerits you've racked up tonight."

"I know, Dean," Mary said ruefully.

"One month on restriction," he continued, "but for each week you go without demerits, I'll let you buy back privileges such as sports or clubs. The confinement to campus though stands, unless you're chaperoned by me for an approved activity and I expect you no have no contact whatsoever with Doug for the next month. I wasn't kidding, you two definitely need to take a breather, Sport."

Mary Catherine nodded her assent. She knew Dean Michaels was going a little easy on her considering how much trouble she was in at the moment. She didn't even complain about Andy calling her Sport, which she despised, and he persisted on using whenever it seemed like he wanted to reinforce that in his eyes that she was just a little girl who needed to be scolded and spanked in order to behave.

"My hand and then the slipper, until I get my point across about what I think of you being off campus past curfew and trespassing," Andy added. He knew now that in light of Mary's earlier spanking at the hands of Doug, and her genuine remorse, it wouldn't take much from either one to make his displeasure fully felt.

"Yes, Dean," Mary answered again, stealing a nervous glance at the senior cane. Even from her vantage point she could see it sitting on his desk. It was as thick as her little finger and very flexible. Judging by the way Dean Michaels bent the cane earlier, she suspected it would hurt like the blazes. Mary wondered if it would be possible to shove a small pillow in her panties to sit on in class tomorrow without anyone knowing the difference or if it was pointless, because even with padding, there was no way she would be able to do anything but stand once Dean Michaels was finished with her.

"Before we get started, Mary Catherine, you are going to go over and pick something from the cabinet that you feel is appropriate for me to use given the seriousness of your misdeeds."

Mary looked at Andy, startled now. "But . . you said . . . the cane . . . that there'd be 12 . . ." she stammered, as she dared to hope that he might be letting her off without feeling it's wicked bite across her bottom.

"The crime has changed," Andy replied, "and I believe in making the punishment fit. So I want you to pick something out that you think is appropriate for what you did tonight."

"You're not going to use the cane then?" Mary asked.

"No, Mary, unless, of course, you'd prefer the cane," he said.

Mary Catherine shook her head vehemently. "No, Dean, I do NOT prefer the cane," she replied emphatically, thankful that he'd changed his mind on that point. The forthcoming spanking might hurt, would hurt in fact, but it wouldn't be the flesh-searing pain she'd been steeling herself for over the past hour.

"Good." Andy said simply. He had to work to not crack a smile over how vehemently she told him she would prefer him not to cane her. "Now, when I've made myself perfectly clear on this matter, I will ask you to hand me the implement you've chosen. You will give me a number and count aloud. I will choose the placement and how hard."

Mary sucked in her breath as she realized Andy was planning on giving her the remainder of the spanking that he'd interrupted from Doug! "Is . . . is that all then, Dean Michaels?" she asked.

"Except for the month on restriction, yes," Andy replied.

Mary Catherine sat quietly until Andy interrupted her thoughts. "Let's get to it, young lady. It's way past your bedtime, and mine too for that matter."

Mary managed to walk calmly across the room to the cabinet and open the double doors. "Where in the world do they get this stuff?" she wondered as she looked over the small collection of rulers, canes, paddles and other less easily recognizable implements. She pictured some sort of convention where Deans and Headmasters met to swap horror stories about their schoolgirls and test the latest corporal punishment paraphernalia. Surely they couldn't just buy this stuff in a mall!

Andy watched Mary Catherine from across the room as she weighed her options. She picked up a small stiff strap and held it with trembling fingers. She knew he'd been given that strap from an Irish Headmaster near Donegal, who was on the Summer at Sea cruise between her freshman and sophomore years. The strap was weighted with a coin sewn in the middle. Dean Michaels used it on her on one previous occasion. It looked fairly harmless compared to some other implements, but she remembered that it had made her cry readily and left small, painful hot spots across her bottom. She put it back quickly and turned to the slender junior cane.

"Oh god, not that," Andy thought to himself as Mary reached up to take the smaller cane off its peg. Her hand trembled and drew back an inch from it as though she had burned herself.

Mary Catherine looked seriously at a small martinet hanging at the back of the cabinet. It would be appropriate she suspected. Dean Michaels had never used it on her, but she imagined that the small, narrow tails would wrap into all sorts of sensitive places -- places that she'd let Doug boldly fondle this evening. She hadn't told Dean Michaels that particular detail though, and she worried that selecting the martinet might lead him to realize just how far she'd let Doug go. If he did, it was possible that he'd decide she should be caned after all!

Finally, Mary's gaze focused on a small box emblazoned with the Saint Sebastian's crest sitting in a corner of the cabinet. She'd never seen it before, at least not that she remembered. Mary opened the box to reveal an honor paddle, similar to the one Doug had wielded earlier. It was made from a slightly darker wood than Doug's and underneath the school seal was the name Andrew Taylor Michaels. She reached for it tentatively and wrapped her hand around the handle. The wood felt warm and alive, its edges well-rounded and smooth.

Andy nodded his approval as she approached; pleased she'd chosen what he would've selected himself. He'd had no idea why he stuck his old Honor Council paddle in the cabinet when he'd found it among a bunch of boxes he was cleaning out last week, other than not wanting to throw it out and not having a place for it in his cottage.

Mary stopped in front of the sofa, noticing that at some point while she'd been looking through the cabinet that Dean Michaels had collected the slipper from his desk. It was now resting on the arm of the sofa, well within Andy's reach. While made of simple canvas and rubber, it was one of the most hated implements at Saint Francis. The sole was heavy and burned hotly when vigorously applied to a girls' bottom. Mary Catherine was all too familiar with that burn, though it had been quite some time since she'd last felt it's unique sting.

He picked up a small, plump pillow and placed it on his lap, then patted it expectantly.

Seeing the gesture, Mary Catherine took a deep breath, held it for a long count of 10 and exhaled. She took his outstretched hand and climbed across his lap. She was a little surprised that Andy wasn't taking her over the knee on his favorite straight-backed chair, but she was grateful. Being on the couch meant she could stretch her body out, without the skin on her bottom becoming taut. It always seemed to make it hurt a little less.

Andy helped Mary Catherine settle into position, sliding her forward across his lap until the pillow was well under her hips. The pillow served two purposes. First, it raised Mary's bottom quite nicely and provided a well-turned up set of cheeks for Andy to spank. Second, and in this case the real reason for it being there, since he was not in the habit of using it, he hid the embarrassing and uncomfortable fact that somewhere in the recounting of Mary Catherine's adventure, he'd become fully erect. Andy was appalled at that fact.

"Pull yourself together damn it!" Andy said to himself sternly as Mary Catherine squirmed, trying to make herself comfortable. "You should be ashamed of yourself. It's not like you're 17 and can't keep yourself under control. She's still just a little girl for heaven's sake!" Andy had learned to keep his emotions tightly in check a long time ago. In his job you had to and, in all honesty, there was nothing appealing or erotic about having to discipline his girls. Yet, somehow, the thought of Mary Catherine being spanked tonight broke his will and he was now uncomfortably aware of the results. He could deal with that . . . just as long as Mary didn't know!

As for Mary Catherine, she was ignorant of the effect she'd had on Andy. She waited anxiously as he positioned her and crossed her arms to lay her head down, the paddle tightly held in her hand.

When Andy was satisfied that Mary was in position, he tightened his left arm around her slender waist. "Now Mary Catherine," he said, as he patted the seat of her skirt, "would you like to explain why it's necessary for me to be spanking you across my knee like a LITTLE girl?"

Mary reddened at his words, particularly his emphasis over the word "little". She felt like such a child when Andy treated her like this! "Because I broke curfew and was off grounds," she said quietly.

"That's right," Andy said. "And what happens to naughty girls who can't follow the rules?"

Her blush grew deeper as she whispered, "They get spanked Dean Michaels."

"You're 17, Mary Catherine. I would've hoped by now you would learn to respect my rules and know they were there for your own good," Andy continued.

"Yes, Dean," Mary Catherine replied, her face hot with embarrassment. It was obvious that he wanted to make her feel like a child and he was certainly doing a good job!

"I'd like to think I'm fair Mary. Are my rules so horrible or hard to live by?" he asked.

"Noooo . . ." she said lingeringly.

"Than why, Mary Catherine? Why is it that I have to put you across my lap time and time again for breaking the rules? You're a junior now, on the Honor Council and a leader on this campus. I expect more from you Mary. You're supposed to be a role model to the other girls and yet I seem to have to spank you more than any three girls on campus combined!"

She knew she ended up across Andy's lap and desk all too frequently. She wasn't even sure half the time how she'd managed to get into trouble, let alone get caught! It just sort of happened most of the time.

"I'm sorry, Dean," she whispered. Her face was crimson now and she felt about six years old listening to Andy scolding her in that gentle, yet disappointed voice. Mary Catherine couldn't believe that the same position such a short time ago with Doug had made her feel so grown up and desirable!

Andy gave her skirt a final pat, then raised it to her waist. "I'm sorry too, Mary Catherine," he said as he slipped her white cotton panties down to mid-thigh. "I wish it wasn't necessary to do this over and over. I'd much rather see you standing up than constantly across my lap."

Right now Mary Catherine sincerely wished that as well!

Andy put his palm on her bottom, his larger hand concealing the vivid handprint Doug left behind. "Try not to make this necessary again," he thought to himself as he brought his hand up and let it fall on Mary's bare bottom.

"Smack!"

"Ohmmm," Mary yelped as Andy's hand fell. She realized just how sore she already was when she felt the sharp spanks start to fall across her backside.

"Smack . . . whap . . . smack . . . smaackkk!" Andy briskly spanked Mary Catherine, quickly re-warming her already well-spanked backside.

Mary jumped slightly and gave a tiny cry of pain every time Andy landed a spank, much to his discomfort. She seemed to be squirming much more than normal, probably because her bottom was already fairly tender. Doug, though inexperienced, had obviously done a pretty thorough job of spanking Mary Catherine.

"Smack . . . smack . . . whappppp!"

"Is . . . smack . . . this . . . smack . . . going . . . whap . . . to be . . . smack smmmmacccck . . . necessary . . . crack . . . again . . . thwackkkkk!" Andy asked as he briskly peppered Mary Catherine's cheeks with spanks.

"Noooo, Deeean!" Mary Catherine said sincerely through gritted teeth.

Mary's backside was heating up quite rapidly and Andy decided it was enough to move on to the slipper. He knew he'd already made his point with the lecture. In this case, her spanking was no more than reinforcement, hopefully memorable, so she'd be less likely to find herself in this position again!

"I certainly hope not," Andy replied, as he picked up the slipper and tapped it on Mary Catherine's bottom. Mary Catherine made a strangled cry as she felt the rubber brush against her bottom.

"You don't like the slipper do you, Mary Catherine?" he asked.

Mary shook her head and said emphatically, "No, Dean Michaels."

"Then lets hope this is the last time you pull a stunt like this," Andy replied as he brought the slipper down with a solid thwapppp.

"Oowww!" Mary cried, twisting to escape the burning sensation.

"Thwapppp . . . Thwaappp . . . Thwaaaaaackkkk!"

"Ouuuwwwwwww . . . Oucccchhhh, oh god!" Mary cried out as the slipper smartly smacked her bare bottom.

"Thwwwwapp . . . Thwwackkkkkk . . . SMMAAAAAACKKKKK!"

"Ooowwww . . Ohh . . . please . . . please, please, please, Dean, I swear I've learned my lesson!" Mary said frantically as the slipper continued to fall on her cheeks.

"I don't want this to be necessary again, young lady" he said as he firmly applied the slipper to her rapidly reddening bottom.

"Thwappp . . . Thwackkkkkk . . . Thwaaaapp . . . SMAAAACKKKKK!"

"Please Dean . . . OWWWW . . . it hurts!" Mary's legs started to kick frantically, a sure sign she was approaching her limit.

Andy smacked her backside with the slipper steadily for a minute and a half before Mary's resolve crumbled.

"Oooowwww . . please Dean, I'll be a good girl, honest! Please stop . . . please!!!!" Mary Catherine pleaded. Her voice broke suddenly and she began to cry in loud, gulping sobs. The slipper burned fiercely, blazing a fire across her bottom. She twisted across his lap, trying to get away from the hateful sting.

Hearing Mary Catherine cry was something Andy absolutely despised. It broke his heart to make someone he cared for so much, in pain and he knew it had to be pretty bad to make Mary cry from a spanking. Knowing it might prevent real harm further down the road was the only thing that kept him from stopping right then and there. He slowed his pace to one spank every three seconds for another minute though, as he eased up on the force behind the swats.

"Thwup . . . Thwwupp . . . Thwwwwackkkk!"

By the time he was finished, Mary Catherine was laying quite still across his lap. She'd stopped struggling when she realized Andy wasn't about to stop until he was good and ready. Her sobs gradually died down to sniffles and her bright red bottom attested to just how sore and sorry a young lady she now was.

"Shhhhhhh . . . it's okay, Mary Catherine," he said gently as he laid down the slipper and pressed his palm against her cheeks. Andy's aroused state was thankfully dampened now. There had been nothing erotic about the pure discipline he'd needed to hand out tonight.

"I'm SO sorry, Dean Michaels," Mary Catherine said as she wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve. Her bottom felt as if someone had lit a match to it and seared the skin. She knew nothing but time would lessen the feeling, but at least she'd be able to sit, albeit uncomfortably, tomorrow in class.

"I know you're sorry, Mary. I really wish I didn't have to do that," he replied as he rubbed the small of her back.

"I wish you didn't either," Mary Catherine said painfully.

"Are you ready to finish up?" Andy asked.

"Nooooo," Mary replied, even as she reached back and handed Andy the small paddle.

He took it from her and rubbed the smooth wood against his palm. It was barely larger than a hairbrush, and much like that implement, could be horribly painful if not applied carefully and with restraint.

"How many, Mary Catherine?" Andy asked as he laid the now cool wood against her fiery bottom.

"Two . . . dozen, Dean . . . but . . ." Mary said hesitantly.

"But?" Andy repeated, hearing the uncertainty in her voice.

She wanted so badly to beg Andy not to spank her any more, but her pride took over. She'd gotten herself into this mess; she wasn't about to let him think she wasn't able to stand up to the consequences. "Nothing, Dean, I'm ready" she finally replied, as she turned her head away from him and closed her eyes.

Andy nodded and raised the paddle high.

"Tap."

Mary Catherine was so startled that she nearly forgot to call out the number one.

"One?" she said, almost questioningly.

"Tap!"

The paddle landed on her other cheek. This swat barely had more force to it than the first.

"Two."

"TAP!"

By the third stroke, it was clear what Andy intended to do. He was giving her the two dozen, each slightly harder than the last. The first six were gentle, the next six mildly unpleasant, the six after that were fairly painful. Judging by the increase in severity, these last six were bound to just plain hurt!

"SMACKKKK!"

"Nineteen!" Mary called out as she twisted her hands together.

"WWHAAAACKKKKK!!!"

Mary gasped. "Nin . . . I mean 20." He was going faster now and Mary Catherine barely had time to recover before the next stinging smack.

"Thwwwwaaaaack!!!!!!!"

"Twenty-one," Mary Catherine said through gritted teeth. "Three more, just three more," she said to herself over and over.

"SMAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCKKKKK!!!!!"

"Owwww! Twenty . . . ttwwwooo," she said in a high, thin voice. Her bottom was blisteringly hot now and she didn't think she could take anymore.

Andy rapidly fired off the final two, one after another.

"CRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAACKKKKKKKKK . . . SSSSMMMMMMMAAAAAAAACKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!"

Twenty-threeeee . . . Oh god, please, Dean . . . OUWWWWWWW!"

Andy put the paddle down and lowered her skirt. "Twenty-four, Mary Catherine," he prompted her gently as Mary Catherine tried to regain her composure.

"T . . . twen . . . ty . . . ffffooourr, Dean," she finally stammered tearfully, thankful it was over.

Andy patted her throbbing bottom over her skirt. Slowly Mary Catherine turned her head and looked behind her. He stared straight into her red-rimmed eyes and made Mary hold his gaze. "Don't make it necessary for me to do this again, Mary Catherine, because if there is a next time all of the swats will be like those last six. Is that perfectly clear, young lady?"

Mary Catherine nodded and whispered painfully, "Yes, Dean Michaels."

"Good," Andy replied. "Now, come on Sport, on your feet.

Andy helped Mary Catherine climb off his lap and stand. Her panties slid down to her ankles and Mary Catherine blushed, staring at her shoes. She knew better than to pull up before Dean Michaels gave her permission.

Normally Andy would give some corner time in order for Mary to reflect on her spanking, but tonight he thought she'd probably dwelled on her behavior and its consequences enough. "You may pull up your panties, Mary Catherine," he said, turning away to give her a bit of privacy.

Mary gratefully tugged her white cotton panties up, sucking inward as the thin material snugly molded to her stinging cheeks.

"You need a moment to use the bathroom to freshen up or do you think you're okay to have me walk you to your dormitory?" Andy asked, once he turned his attention back in Mary's direction.

"I'm fine . . . I just want to hit the sheets, Dean Michaels," Mary said, reddening as she realized just what that sounded like . . . "I mean I just want to go to bed . . . to sleep that is . . ."

Andy flushed faintly at Mary's slip of the tongue. He knew she didn't mean it the way it came out, but given his earlier thoughts, it did set off a physical reaction. Andy quickly donned his coat and bundled Mary Catherine into hers, as he tried to take his mind off the idea of Mary Catherine and bed.

Andy took Mary Catherine's hand in his and led her back across the Quad to Trustees Hall. It had started to lightly snow again and the only sound was the crunch of their footsteps.

"Careful on the stairs," Andy said, steadying Mary Catherine.

They walked inside, shaking off snow. The halls were quiet and glowed in the dim light. In just a few hours they'd come alive again with the sound of teenage girls racing through the corridors on their way to breakfast and class.

"This is me," Mary said, stopping outside her room. She saw the thin shaft of light underneath the door and wondered if Mandy had waited up for her. Mary pulled off her gloves and fumbled in the front pocket of her backpack her room key. Her hand trembled slightly as she tried to put the key in the lock.

"Here, let me do it," Andy said, as he took the key from Mary Catherine's hand and unlocked the door.

They walked in. A small light on the nightstand next to Mandy's bed was on, but it appeared that she was fast asleep.

"Go get changed and I'll tuck you in," Andy said as Mary Catherine yawned sleepily.

"I'm too old for that," Mary protested half-heartedly as she grabbed her pajamas from underneath her pillow and headed to the bathroom to change.

"Humor me, Mary Catherine," he replied as she retreated, "You've done enough growing up for one night."

The bathroom door closed and Andy listened as Mary turned on the taps to brush her teeth. Satisfied that she'd be occupied for at least a few minutes, Andy walked over to Mandy's bed and kneeled down beside it.

"You can stop pretending to be asleep now, Miss Bennett," Andy said to Mandy lightly.

She cautiously opened one eye, to peer at him. "Does she totally hate me, Dean?" Mandy whispered.

"I don't think so," he replied, "besides, why would she be?"

"Because it's all my fault. I never should've talked her into going tonight," Mandy said.

Andy raised an eyebrow at Mandy's response. "None of you should've gone," Andy said, "but I think we both know Mary Catherine well enough to know that she'd never do anything she didn't want to do, Mandy."

"She didn't want to go, Dean, honest. She's been too busy driving me nuts about Trig and exams and the stupid SAT's and getting into Stanford!" Mandy exclaimed. "She's up half the night, every night. I haven't gotten more than 4 hours of sleep a night for the past two weeks. Believe me, Mary hasn't had enough time to come up with a stunt like this. If anyone should be punished its me."

The water stopped and the two of them looked at the bathroom door. Andy heard Mary moving around the bathroom and decided that he probably had a few more minutes to pump Mandy for information.

"You're taking responsibility for what happened between Mary Catherine and Doug tonight?" he asked.

Mandy nodded, unable to meet his eye. "I . . . well, see, I dared them to do it," she replied.

Andy looked at Mandy with disbelief. "You actually DARED them to . . ."

". . . have sex," Mandy finished, cutting Andy off.

He sucked in his breath. "I see," he finally said.

"I know it was really, REALLY stupid. It's just I wanted to know if, you know, they'd finally done it," Mandy explained, "but Mary Catherine wouldn't tell me, even though I'm her best friend!"

Andy frowned. This was obviously one of the parts of the story Mary Catherine had glossed over, not that it should surprise him. "Besides the fact that you girls are far too young to be "doing it" with anyone, what Mary Catherine and Doug do, or don't do, is private. Is that clear?"

Mandy nodded. "Believe me, Dean, I'm going to mind my own business from now on."

"Good," Andy replied. "Just to make sure though, you and I are going to have a little chat tomorrow morning after breakfast about what happens to nosy young ladies who interfere in their friends personal lives."

"Instead of meeting with you, Kristin and Alex tomorrow at 4:00 pm?" Mandy asked nervously.

"In ADDITION to meeting me and the other girls at 4:00 pm," he said.

Mandy groaned inwardly. She had a feeling that she'd be sleeping on her stomach tomorrow night!

"Be sure to bring your hairbrush, Mandy," Andy added ominously. Mandy's groan was vocal this time as her worst fears were confirmed. She vowed to herself to never poke her nose into Mary's, or anybody else's sex life again!

The bathroom door creaked just then and Mandy quickly closed her eyes as Andy crossed over and stood beside Mary's bed.

Mary Catherine entered the room and Andy pulled down the covers for Mary. She gasped as her bottom made contact with the bed. Even the weight of the covers seemed painful at the moment!

Andy watched as Mary curled up on her side, and settled in. She was asleep nearly before her head hit the pillow. He placed Simon beside her and gently pulled up the covers, then turned off the lights and left.

It took a cold shower and a couple of stiff drinks before Andy finally managed to fall asleep. He had a feeling it wouldn't be the last time Mary Catherine caused him a restless night, and he was convinced that the gray hair he'd seen in the mirror was a battle scar from their latest encounter. "I'm too young for this . . ." he thought to himself as he closed his eyes, "and too old," he added, as he felt himself harden again.

Andy knew he was in for a bumpy ride . . .

-----------------------------

One month later . . .

Andy hung up the phone and entered a note in his PDA about his dentist appointment on Friday being changed to 4:15. He stood, stretched and walked over to the large picture window that overlooked the Quad. "I really need to get out, take a walk around the lake or something," he thought to himself as he looked down on the sunny campus. "It's too nice of a day to be cooped up inside."

The weather had turned warm in the past few days -- not yet spring, but after a long, snowy winter it was definitely on the way. Small patches of crocuses were beginning to pop up through the melting snow, adding slashes of color across the campus. Andy unlocked the window and with a creak of protest pushed the wooden frame upward in order to let in some fresh air.

The bells on the Quad began to chime. Classes let out for the day and girls streamed from the academic buildings toward the dorms and athletic fields. Andy continued to watch the activity outside his window. Spring Break started tomorrow. It was scheduled quite late this year, and spirits among the girls were running high.

Andy spotted Mary Catherine among a small group of girls coming out of Trustees Hall about 10 minutes later. They'd changed into riding gear and were headed toward the stables. Mary's month on restriction ended today, and he could see the wide smile on her face as she slung her silver and forest green suede chaps over her shoulder and stuck her riding crop in her left back pocket.

He was glad to see Mary Catherine looking relaxed and happy again. He knew she'd been pretty miserable and stressed this past month between being on restriction and exams. It had been awkward between them at times, no doubt because he'd forced Mary Catherine to tell him about something very private, something no doubt that she'd prefer to forget.

Mary was part of the small group Andy was leading on a spring break trip and he hoped that they could patch things up between them then over the next two weeks.

Andy's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a boy calling Mary Catherine's name from across the Quad. "Doug," he thought, as he narrowed his gaze. It didn't surprise him that Doug already knew Mary Catherine was off restriction today. Even without direct contact, news traveled between the two campuses faster than the speed of light it seemed.

"At least the break starts tomorrow," Andy thought to himself as he watched Mary split off from her friends and head toward Doug, who was now waiting underneath the promise tree in the middle of campus. They'd have little time to get into trouble before then.

Mary Catherine stopped beside Doug and they stood silently for a moment before Doug leaned over and gave her a kiss. Andy was pleased to see that it was relatively chaste. He didn't let Mary Catherine know, but he'd put the fear of God into Doug after their little adventure. It would be quite a while before Doug Abbott tried getting into Mary Catherine's panties again Andy suspected.

Andy was too far away to hear what they were saying, but it was apparent they had a lot to talk about after a month apart. After about 15 minutes a loud voice called out, "Come on Mary Catherine! We're gonna be late if you don't get a move on."

Mary turned toward the sound of Mandy's voice and nodded her assent, then turned back to Doug to say something. He shook his head and held out his hand to have Mary go with him. Mary Catherine stood on her toes and gave him a final kiss before turning to walk away.

Andy stood at the window and watched with fascination as Doug reached out, deftly removed Mary Catherine's riding crop from her back pocket and whacked her sharply across the bottom. Andy's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe Doug just did that!

As for Mary's response, that was equally stunning. She turned back to Doug, flashed him a big smile and let him put the riding crop back in her jeans pocket. They kissed and Andy watched as Doug put his hand on Mary Catherine's bottom and rubbed the spot he'd smacked.

The two of them went their separate ways and Andy headed back to his desk, all thoughts of a walk around campus forgotten at the moment. The two teenagers might have just been playing, but Andy was a bit undone by what just happened.

"Mary Catherine couldn't possibly have liked that," Andy said to himself, as he turned back to his work, "could she?"

Andy only dared to learn the truth to that question in time.

© 2001 Mary Catherine Whitney, All Rights Reserved.

If you'd like to email Mary Catherine about this story or Saint Francis, write: marycatherine@saintfrancis-sfg.net

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