The Cruise Ship

"He wants to see you" said the barman. "Oh God, how did he sound?" asked Kate. "Well, he didn't seem too happy". Kate gulped, she knew she'd messed up. This was her first proper job and she couldn't believe her luck when she landed the position of Purchasing Manager on the Cruise ship 'Asperity'. Unfortunately she couldn't tell the difference between 20 and 200 and had only ordered 20 barrels of beer for a fortnight cruise! It was day two of the voyage and the beer would run out that afternoon, tomorrow if she was very very lucky. But she felt her luck had just run out. She didn't want her first meeting on board with the Master of Provisions to be in these circumstances.

Preparing herself for a difficult encounter, she set out for his office. He had seemed professional but distant at the interview and she hadn't seen him since.
Knocking his office door she shivered nervously as he called for her to enter. She walked in to the office and closed the door.
Her heart which had already been low sank even further - he looked furious, his grey eyes flashing, when he spoke though he was quite controlled.
"An explanation please Miss McCully?" "I am so sorry Sir, nothing like this will ever happen again"
"You are quite correct Miss McCully, I am terminating your contract now, you will disembark at the next port"
Kate's eyes widened and her mouth fell open "Oh please Sir, I promise I won't make a mistake again, please don't sack me"
"I'm sorry Miss McCully but you have no idea how much inconvenience you've caused. You've damaged the liners reputation and I will now personally have to deal with the complaints. Instant dismissal is the only option"
"No, no, there has to be another way, isn't there some other sort of disciplinary measures you can take?" Kate stopped talking, she had no idea what had made her say that, other than that she had to keep this job - she really did believe she would do anything.

The Master was looking at her appraisingly, she wasn't sure she liked the glint in his eye so she looked down.
"Really Miss McCully, any other disciplinary measures? What a quaintly old fashioned term. Are you sure?" Kate was very far from sure but having committed herself she couldn't back down now "Yes Sir, anything else"
"Hmm, well I'll have to think about that. Get out of here and on with your work, report back after your shift and I'll give you my decision"
He was doing this deliberately, leaving her on tenterhooks. Well she supposed a blow job was worth saving her job. She assumed that's what he would want but she just wasn't sure about the way he had lingered over the word "disciplinary". No, no he wouldn't be planning anything like that, would he? Kate considered, he was twice her age and his air of command was slightly scary, especially now she was in his bad books. In her minds eye and completely unbidden came the image of her bent over his desk and looking back at him over her shoulder to see him holding a cane.

Shivering, she left his office and went about her work. She had difficulty concentrating and was dreading her return to await his judgment. As she hurried back towards his office there was a feeling of dread tinged with something she didn't really want to acknowledge in her stomach. The Master was talking to a passenger, as she approached she heard him say "I can only apologise again Mr Fry, the matter will be dealt with and I can assure you it won't be repeated." The passenger left and the Master pushed open his door and nodded her through.
Without any greeting he sat behind his desk and gestured to her to stand in front of it. Then he commenced "Earlier today you requested an alternative form of discipline to dismissal. Are you happy to abide by my decision without question?"
Kate dropped her head, she really couldn't look at him as she struggled with herself. The struggle was brief, she knew she had no choice "Yes Sir". He rose and came to stand directly in front of her, Kate felt a twinge of regret that he did indeed want a blow job and began to sink to her knees. He stopped her immediately with a sardonic look on his face. "Oh no Miss McCully, this is entirely to do with your punishment, any pleasure I experience will be completely incidental" Kate did not like the smirk that lurked around his lips and looked away again.
 
"First things first, while it may appear girlishly charming for you to look away, I would prefer you to look me in the eye when I'm standing in front of you. If you look away again your punishment will be more severe" Kate inhaled sharply and looked him right in the eye. She was beginning to feel slightly scared and a tiny bit excited. His gaze was searching and then changed to a slight smile as if he had found what he was looking for.
"I'd like you to go over to the drinks cabinet behind you and bring me what you find there" Kate breathed out and walked to the cabinet. Opening the door she saw the usual array of gin and whisky but behind that, hanging on hooks were an assortment of implements she had never seen before but certainly recognised. There indeed was the cane she had briefly imagined, and not just one, quite a number and some other things she couldn't name but knew what they were for.
Okay, so now she knew exactly what he was going to do. She still had a choice, she could leave the boat at the next port. Then something else took over, something more primitive than she could understand. "Which one shall I bring Sir?"
"The one on the far right"

Kate took down a long handled cane. It felt light and springy. She held it in both hands, slightly out in front of her body. She returned to where he was standing and held the cane out to him. He took it and looked her in the eye.

"My judgement is this. I've just had my first complaint about the beer running out. For every complaint I receive you will receive six strokes on your bare bottom. You will accept your punishment without complaint or demur. You will make no more mistakes, you will be pleasant with the passengers and staff and you will obey every command I give you at once without question. If this doesn't happen then I will thrash you until you'll need to borrow an icepack from the galley in order to sit down." Kate fought with herself, she had never been so embarrassed in her life, she couldn't believe he was talking to her like this and she wanted nothing more than to look away. But deep down she knew what would happen if she did. She had to go through this and maybe an infinitesimal part of her wanted to find out if she could. So she nodded her head, not sure if she had permission to speak.

"Good, pull up your skirt and bend over the desk. It's my advice that you hold on to the desk edge. It'll give you something to focus on and may stop you jumping up" He walked behind her and waited. Kate braced herself and pulled up her regulation white skirt. She swivelled from the hips and laid her torso on the green leather. In a moment of defiance she laid her palms on the desk top. She waited. There was total silence then she felt his hands on her waist and he hooked his fingers into the waistband of her knickers and pulled them down. She closed her eyes and was thankful she wasn't standing in front of him, she didn't think she could have looked at him she was so mortified. She heard the Master swish the cane through the air and then it struck right in the middle of her buttocks. She gasped out loud, it hurt a lot more than she'd anticipated. Before she had time to recover he struck again just below the first blow. She cried out this time. But he wasn't going to give her time to wail. The third blow whistled through the air and she shrieked, she heard him chuckle somewhere deep in his throat and hated him. The fourth blow had her take his advice and grasp the desk edge tightly. In her head she was urging him on, just to get it over with. The fifth and sixth lashed down and she wailed and struggled not to rise from her prone position. When at last it was over she lay panting over the desk with her face pressed into the leather. It took a good 30 seconds for her breathing to even out. Her backside was on fire and she wanted to die of embarrassment.
"Stand up" came his command.
 
She stood and hung her head, "Tut tut Miss McCully, what did I tell you" and with the ease that can only come from practice he stepped forward bent her under his left arm and delivered six stinging blows to her buttocks with his palm. The tears were stinging behind her eyes now but as he stood her upright she stared him in the eyes. "Good girl" he said and tucked a lock of her hair behind her right ear. The warmth of this gesture made the tears come properly and she was in torment through having to continue looking at him. He turned away brusquely and she felt bereft. "Get dressed and I'll see you back here 30 minutes before your shift is due to start tomorrow". He left. Kate pulled her knickers up and her skirt down. She was dreading tomorrow, or was there a tiny part of her that found pleasure in anticipating further punishment?

Kate deliberately kept herself busy that night making sure she had no time to stop and think about what had happened to her. Everytime she did slow down the images, which she now had to admit she found erotic, intruded and she felt confusing shame. She was horrified when she went for a wee and found her sex juices had flowed freely during her session with the Master. The only worse thing would have been for him to find out. Kate could feel her loins liquify just thinking about him.

But it was with extreme trepidation that she approached the office again the next morning.
"Good morning Miss McCully, would you like to hazard a guess at how many complaints I received overnight?"
"No Sir" she replied being very careful to follow her instructions and look at him. "Four"! Kate gulped.
"Now, that rather leaves you with a dilemma" he informed her. "You are now due 24 strokes. You can leave them 'til later today, or you can have some or all of them now. Of course if you leave them 'til later then I may have had many more complaints and you could be due the thrashing of your life. If you have them now then it might give your poor bottom time to recover before this evening" He raised an eye brow and Kate wanted to damn him to hell. There was no choice in this and he knew it. Almost unconsciously she put her hands behind her back. The ghost of a smile flickered across his face.
"I'll take them now Sir." The smile became slightly more pronounced and he rewarded her with a "Good girl" She felt grateful and then felt totally pathetic. He walked behind his desk and sat down. "Come here" his voice had changed in the twinkling of an eye, it held command and was to be immediately obeyed. Making sure to maintain eye contact she walked towards him.

Reaching into a drawer,  he held up a flat leather strap. "Bend over my knee Miss McCully" Feeling confused and awkward she did her best to obey. He pushed her skirt up over her backside and again eased her knickers down. "So, two dozen then" This couldn't hurt more than the cane was the last thing she thought before the first blow smacked into her right buttock. It was swiftly followed by one to the left. This was very different to being caned but it hardly hurt less. Within a few blows she was wriggling on his knee, then squirming but her fear of him was greater than her fear of the blows. The cane had felt defined, this was all encompassing, every inch of her arse was hot and burning, she felt that he must feel the heat he was generating in and on her. At the beginning she had tried to count the blows but at some point around number nine has lost count. The relief she felt when he stopped was overwhelming but she knew that once again she was very wet. His hand was resting on her burning buttocks. Gently he pushed her off his knee and deposited her on the carpet.
 
"Kneel up Miss McCully" She was glad of this instruction as it allowed her to lift her buttocks from her heels. "Place your hands in the small of your back." With her skirt round her waist, her knickers around her thighs and her breasts thrust forward against her uniform blouse she felt ridiculous and embarrassed.
"Look up too. Now let me tell you how you feel. Your buttocks are stinging and you feel mortified that you've allowed me to do this to you. You would like nothing more than to look away but you're making yourself obey me for fear of further harsher punishment. I also have a sneaking suspicion that other feelings may be stirring"
To her utter mortification he leant forward and ran knowing fingers down into her labial groove feeling the wetness there. "Keep looking at me and bear in mind Miss McCully that you requested this form of discipline." He withdrew his fingers and she gasped, until that point she was totally unaware of how swollen with desire she was.
He leant towards her again, planted the lightest of kisses on the tip of her nose and her heart flipped over. She inclined herself towards him. Ever so slightly he shook his head and again there was the total change of tone.
"Stand up and rearrange your clothes" She did as she was told. "Get on with your work and report back after shift" In some distress Kate turned to leave "Oh and Miss McCully, do not seek to satisfy your desires, believe me I will know if you have" She believed him.

Kate was exhausted when she returned that night. Not just physically but emotionally as well. It had taken some time for her body to return to any sort of normality and she was dreading another encounter with the Master of Provisions for more than one reason.
"Good news Miss McCully, I've had no more complaints, it would appear the furore has died down. Of course the bad news is that the Deputy Purser is ill, you're covering his shifts until he's better. Here is the rota. I'm sure I'll see you around the ship."
Startled at this sudden dismissal, and disappointed too Kate left to start another shift. She was on duty the whole of the next day as well and by the afternoon was dead on her feet. It was just her luck that at exactly the same time she snapped at a junior steward the Master was walking through the galley. He stopped in his tracks and cast a look of wintry disapproval on her.
"My office at once Miss McCully" she trailed after him feeling like a naughty schoolgirl on the way to see the Headmaster.

By the time she followed him in he was already standing tapping a cane against his thigh.
"Strip" he practically barked the word at her. "Sor... sorry Sir"
"You heard me, strip" Kate's mouth fell open and she didn't immediately understand.
"Miss McCully, if you have not stripped bare in 30 seconds I will beat you until you squeal."
Suddenly understanding he was totally serious, she practically scrambled out of her clothes. In less than 30 seconds she stood naked before him.
"Plant your feet firmly about shoulder width apart and fold your arms behind your back."
"Please Sir......." she tailed off.
"You've already earned additional strokes for your insubordination. Do it now, or you will regret it"
Kate did as instructed and wished she was anywhere but in this office,naked and shivering with fear and desire.
He circled her body tapping the cane against his leg all the time. He stood off to one side and flicked the cane at her nipple. She flinched and winced. He walked behind her and flicked the other nipple. She gritted her teeth and then breathed deeply out through her mouth. The swallow reflex took over, she closed her mouth and her eyes, after all he was standing behind her and couldn't see. He ran the cane down the nubs of her spine and began to tease it between her buttocks. Then suddenly he stopped. She heard him walk swiftly towards the cabinet. The next she knew he was standing in front of her holding an entirely different implement.
"Well it seems my efforts to discipline you have come to naught so far Miss McCully. It appears that a much stronger lesson is needed. Do you know what this is?" Dumbly she shook her head. "It's a tawse, much favoured by the Scots. Possibly it suits their colder climate"
Kate's breathing deepened and her skin flushed, she knew what was coming, she knew it was inevitable and she wanted to know "How many Sir?"
"Until you are a nice even crimson colour, how many do you think that is?"
"I, I don't know Sir"
"Well I'd have said at least 20, possibly a few more. I'm prepared to give you a choice. You're nicely positioned where you are at the moment or you can bend over the desk again. Which do you prefer?"
Kate didn't need too much time to consider "The desk Sir" That would afford her some support and she would be able to hide her face from him.
"As they say, assume the position Miss McCully".

The first blow took her breath away, this was worse than caning or slippering. At the third blow she tried to rise but his hand in the small of her back guided her back into position. He whispered in her ear "Bear it well Miss McCully, reward is waiting on the other side". She held on tightly and counted the blows as they fell. She had never known pain like it but mixed in was the erotic thrill that almost made it possible to bear. Her hands gripped the edge of the desk and her nipples pressed into the leather and were swollen and tight as a drum skin. As the pain intensified she couldn't help screaming aloud and her legs curled backwards reflexively. At last he stopped and it was only then she began to sob raggedly into the desktop. He had broken her and she knew it. She was his.
At last, at long last, he raised her up and took her in his arms. She sobbed against his shoulder. He stroked her hair with one hand and the other smoothed over her buttocks. They were so sore this slight touch made her tremble, then he clasped her to him.
"So Miss McCully, now for your reward" Her tremble became a sigh.

Kate had many encounters with the Master over the next two weeks. Always the pain followed by the deepest pleasure she had ever experienced. The severity mixed with kindness never failed to take her breath away.
It was her job to provision the ship for the next cruise. Some devil made her pause; she quickly changed 20 crates of mangoes for 2 crates. This wouldn't cause the disruption that lack of beer had wrought, but it should be enough to earn her a few more visits to the Master's office.


Story submitted by Margaret Jane Young