Claire's Dreadful Misadventures Ch. 01

CHAPTER ONE

Claire's First Punishment

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Disclaimer

This story is dark and contains themes of physical punishment, pain, abuse, and humiliation. Don't read the story if you are not looking for that. Be prepared for lots of punishment, lots of thinking about and dialogue surrounding punishment, and relatively little actual sex in the traditional sense. All characters are 18 and over. Please, relax and enjoy the show!

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Claire Emsworth was born into a modest family of limited means. The money wasn't really there to send Claire to college. She worked hard in school, setting high standards for herself. She dreamed of attending an Ivy League school like Harvard or Yale. But when the time came, she didn't get into any of those dream schools and certainly not with the scholarships she would have needed.

It was at this point that a distant relative named Dr. Victor Earl Thorton made Claire an offer. Dr. Thorton was actually quite wealthy, having made a small fortune on the stock market and in expensive medical technology. The wealth hadn't filtered down to Claire's side of the family on account of an old family rift that had disconnected the various limbs of the family tree. It was for mysterious reasons that Dr. Thorton had chosen to reconnect. More mysterious still was the fact that he had offered to pay for Claire's education. There was, however, one condition. He insisted that he would oversee a kind of academic bootcamp for Claire with special tutors. He said that if Claire dedicated herself to her studies, he would help set her on the path toward a successful college career.

Claire's parents insisted that she stay with Dr. Thorton and take advantage of the opportunity. She had heard that Dr. Thorton was very strict with his own daughters, but nothing would have prepared her for what she witnessed the first night there. Dr. Thorton had two daughters Alice and Rebecca. They were both somewhat tall and quite thin, with fair features and black, straight hair. Claire thought they were beautiful. Claire was a bit shorter and had brown, wavy hair.

At dinner on Claire's first night, she learned that the family had a live-in maid named Nancy. Rebecca showed Claire some pictures of her. Claire thought she was also beautiful, a bit like an angel with long blonde hair. Nancy was perhaps just slightly older than Alice and Rebecca.

After dinner, Ms. Thorton told Alice that her father was waiting for her in his study so that they could deal with the issue from last night. After Alice and Ms. Thorton left the room, Claire asked Rebecca what Ms. Thorton meant by that.

"She's being punished," Rebecca responded nonchalantly.

"Punished? What do you mean?"

"She stayed out past curfew last night. So, she's being spanked."

"Spanked? Your Dad spanks you?!" Claire exclaimed.

"Yeah, your parents don't?"

"No, never. They were mostly pretty relaxed. I got grounded a couple times. That was all."

"Sounds nice. This is a different kind of household. If we step even a toe out of line, we get punished severely. I'm sure you will get the same now that you are staying with us. I mean even Nancy gets it sometimes."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Honestly though, I can't imagine growing up without strict rules. Even though I hate being punished, I actually think I would never have gotten into MIT without the kind of structure I've had growing up."

Claire thought of her own recent failures. She had a hard time believing that spanking was a beneficial practice, but it was interesting to hear Rebecca's perspective. Claire recoiled at the thought that Dr. Thorton might apply his disciplinary techniques to her as well.

"Anyway, let me show you to your room," Rebecca continued.

As they walked to Claire's new bedroom, they came a little closer to Dr. Thorton's study, and Claire could hear a periodic smacking sound followed by Alice's muted cries of anguish. Claire also thought she could hear Alice saying something after every smack, but she couldn't make out the words. This was curious to Claire, and she wondered if a lot of talking happened during these punishments. She considered asking Rebecca about this but couldn't quite work up the courage.

Claire got another taste of the disciplined, serious attitude of the Thorton family in the days to come. Her studies began the following day, and it was immediately apparent that these classes would be much harder than she was prepared for. In particular, she struggled with math. It just wasn't a language that made sense to her brain. Dr. Thorton expected her to study calculus with the other girls, but after an embarrassing first class, it became apparent that Claire needed to be placed in a remedial session by herself. Dr. Thorton made it clear that he still expected Claire to catch up to the other girls and eventually join them once again. Even while being tutored individually, Claire still struggled with the assignments that were given to her. Claire had always been a good student. So, she was surprised and frustrated at the difficulty of the work.

On Claire's third day after dinner, Ms. Thorton told her that Dr. Thorton wanted to see her in his study. Dr. Thorton seemed to be busy nearly all the time. So, Claire had not spoken to him very much so far. Ms. Thorton walked Claire to the study. On the way, she talked to Claire about the family's plans to get Rebecca settled in at MIT during the coming weekend. Ms. Thorton's voice had a warm and friendly tone. They arrived at a hallway.

Ms. Thorton stopped and said, "Okay Claire. Just knock on the door at the end of the hall, and he'll call you in when he's ready. Victor can be a bit stuffy and formal, if you know what I mean, but he really does care an awful lot. If you follow his instructions, he can help you a great deal. Just remember to be very polite with him, you know? He doesn't tolerate anything less. Address him as sir. Don't speak unless spoken too. You know that kind of thing. Anyways, go ahead sweetie."

Feeling a bit nervous, Claire walked up to the door and knocked. She could hear a muffled conversation from inside.

"Well how much are they asking for... that's ridiculous... see if you can get them down to twenty thousand per unit... well, I don't care about the interest rate because we are paying up front anyway... listen Bob let me give you a call back... yeah, I got to deal with something... yeah, family issue... but absolutely do not go with anything above twenty thousand... alright bye.

Come in."

It took a slow second before Claire managed to process that Dr. Thorton was talking to her now. She carefully opened the door and stepped inside. The study resembled a large library and contained multiple floors of bookshelves. Dr. Thorton was dressed in a suit and was sitting behind a large, dark wooden desk. He was just hanging up the phone.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Claire said softly.

"Claire, please come and sit." He gestured toward a chair on the opposite side of the desk.

"I'm sorry I haven't had much time for us to get to know each other yet."

"You must be very busy, sir. Thank you for inviting me to stay here."

"Yes, always too much to do. How has your stay been so far? Do you have everything that you need?"

"Yes, Ms. Thorton offers to provide everything I could have thought of before I can even ask. She's been very kind."

"Good. And the girls haven't been distracted you, have they?"

"No," Claire said sounding a bit unsure. "I mean it has been nice getting to know them. They seem very impressive."

"Well, please feel welcome to share anything and everything that is going on with you. We want you to feel at home here."

"Yeah... umm... I mean... I'll do that, thanks."

"Good. Okay. Claire, there's something we need to address."

"What is it?" Claire asked a little apprehensively.

"I been receiving reports from your tutors and, so far, they are not encouraging. It seems like you especially have some difficulties with mathematics. It looks like you received a C minus? On your last mathematics assignment? So again, is there anything that you need? Anything that would help you to focus on your studies?"

"Oh... um... It's just that... these math assignments are really difficult. It's not like what we did at my old school. I'm not used to it."

"I understand. And I will give you some leniency at the beginning. However, we need to see you performing at a higher level in the future, understand?"

"Yes, of course. I'll do better. I'm sorry."

"Have the girls brought you up to speed on how we can handle discipline in this household?"

Claire blushed.

"Yes... I mean I know that you are very strict and that you punish your girls often with... well..." Claire trailed off not wanting to complete the sentence.

"Yes, we use corporal punishment here. Have they shared any other details about how things work around here?"

"No, not really, I guess."

"Okay, well the first thing we should talk about is your language and tone. You need to address me as 'sir' at all times, understand? And please, speak with clarity. I don't want to hear any phrases like 'I guess' or 'um' or 'it's just that.' Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir. I understand."

Dr. Thorton had been very warm at the beginning of their talk. So, it was striking to Claire that he was being harsher with her now. Claire's heart started to beat a little faster.

"Now, there's another rule. If you are given a grade less than a B minus on any assignment, you will need to be punished. Okay?"

Claire nodded, while looking down.

"Yes, sir."

"For my girls, it's actually anything less than an A minus but, as I said, I will give you some leniency at the beginning. Now, I don't have time to review every one of your assignments. So, it will be your job to let me know if you need to be punished. Generally, after dinner is a good time to take care of that. So, just let me know sometime during dinner, and usually we will be able to address the issue that night. Can I trust you to do that, Claire?"

"Yes, sir."

"Okay, good. Now, have you been spanked before Claire?"

"No... I mean... No, sir."

"Mmhmm. That's pretty much what I expected. This will come as a pretty big transition for you then. Okay, well do you know what a paddle is?"

Claire blushed again.

"Like... a wooden..." Claire was getting quite flustered by all this talk of punishment. She really didn't feel like she had done anything all that bad anyway. She wondered if Dr. Thorton planned to punish her somehow because of the math assignment or if that was just a rule going forward.

Claire tried again, "It's a wooden board that you... that you spank someone with." She finally managed to say.

"Yes. I have a collection of paddles ranging from a quarter of an inch to one and half inches in thickness. I will generally use the thinner paddles for smaller offenses and use the thicker ones for more severe offenses. Or sometimes a severe offense may require the use of multiple paddles in succession. So, considering these rules, do you think you might be able to find a little more motivation in your studies?"

"Yes, sir. I will do better. I promise."

"Okay. Well today Claire, we are just going to do a pretty light spanking." Claire looked up and tensed with anxiety. "Of course, there is the rule about assignments below a B minus but really this will just be to let you know what could happen if you continue to slide into this trend of poor performance or poor behavior, okay?"

"Wait, but please, sir. I'm just getting started, and I promise I'll do better. Couldn't I just get off with a warning since this is the first time? Please, don't spank me." Claire pleaded.

"Once a punishment is decided we really can't change that, Claire. But, as I was saying before, this is really just to introduce you to the idea of the consequences here. This probably won't even be what I would consider a full punishment. It's more of an introduction or a reminder, okay?"

"Okay, sir. It's just..."

"It's not really something that we need to discuss any further in terms of what the punishment will be. That's just something I decide on a case-by-case basis. So, when I make the decision, that's pretty much going to be the final decision. However, we do have some more things to discuss in terms of what will be expected of you during punishments and so forth. So, what I'm gonna have you do is walk over to the fireplace room across the hall and grab the quarter inch paddle on the left. Then come back here, and we can discuss some of the details about what's going to happen next."

Claire's eyes started welling up with tears. It wasn't so much the thought of physical pain that bothered her, it was the humiliation. Claire had always taken a lot of pride in academics, and she was ashamed to be struggling now. And there was just something about the thought of bending over and letting someone hit her, spank her, that was just so degrading. She pushed the emotions down, not wanting to appear weak.

"Okay. Alright, fine. I'll get the paddle," she said while standing up.

"Claire. Keep your composure and remember your language too." Dr. Thorton was somehow comforting in his tone, and yet seemed to be giving Claire a warning at the same time.

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry. Um... Sir, where will I find the paddle again?"

"It's just across the hall. You'll see it hanging up there. Make sure it says quarter inch."

Claire went to the fireplace room and found Ms. Thorton on a loveseat reading a book. Claire saw a dozen or more paddles hanging from hooks across the wall, like a sadistic version of Christmas stockings. Each paddle was labeled with a plaque.

When Claire went over to search for the quarter inch paddle, Ms. Thorton said, "Oh goodness. Is he going to punish you already?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"I had hoped you wouldn't have to go through this so soon, but I suppose it was going to happen eventually. Discipline is a big part of the Thorton household," she said with a mixture of good-cheer and pity.

"Well, sweetie, if you want my advice, now that you are in this position, just listen very carefully, and make sure to obey him to the letter. Don't protest anything that he asks of you in the slightest. Just respond to his directions with 'yes, sir.' Or if you have a question, ask it very politely and let him know that you are not questioning his authority. You just need some clarification about what he wants and then you will do whatever he asks. If you pay attention and are very obedient, you will be okay. I'm sure he'll go easy on you because this is your first time.

I'm just telling you this because I've seen the girls get sent down for maybe just three swats and then they come back after taking ten or twenty because they didn't listen, or they tried to protest. So just... just do exactly what he tells you and you'll be fine."

Claire was nervous before. Now, she was approaching terrified. In a pounding mental haze, she looked for the quarter inch paddle. She found a plaque that said "1/4 Inch" and picked up the long thin paddle that hung there.

"Do you need any help sweetie? Finding the right one?"

"No, I got it. The quarter inch paddle, right?"

"Are you looking for a paddle or a ruler?"

"I'm pretty sure he said paddle."

Ms. Thorton got up from her chair and walked over. "Okay, well what you've got here is actually the quarter inch ruler. That's just what we call the narrower implements. Are you sure he said paddle?"

"Yeah, I mean... pretty sure."

"Okay, because if you bring him the wrong implement, you're gonna get extra punishment for that. Probably, he would spank you with the incorrect implement and then ask you to go back for the correct one. So, that's why I ask. If you are not sure what he said, you can go back and ask him. He might give you a little something extra for not paying attention the first time, but it probably won't be as bad as bringing him the wrong implement, you know?"

"I mean... I really remember him telling me to get the quarter inch paddle. It was supposed to be on the left?"

"Okay, well that would be this one. It's wider than the rulers. That's how you can tell them apart."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Okay good luck sweetie. Try to listen a little better. I just don't want you to get too many extras. Okay, you'll do fine."

Claire nodded and walked back to the study. The door had closed. So, she knocked again.

"Come in."

Claire walked over to the desk holding the paddle anxiously with two hands. Then, she reached out and handed the paddle to Dr. Thorton, who was writing on a piece of paper on his desk. It took a second for Dr. Thorton to look up and take the paddle. When he did so, it was a bit absently. Dr. Thorton set the paddle down on the desk and looked up at Claire for a moment.

"Have a seat. We have a bit more to discuss before we get to it."

Dr. Thorton continued his work while he talked.

"I want to prepare you for a couple things. First of all, any failure to comply with the rules of your punishment will result in additional penalties. A first offense results in one extra stroke. A second offense results in two extra strokes. On the third offense, an additional type of punishment must be administered. At that point, we would stop and have a conversation about what's appropriate.

Also, any stroke where you make a mistake will generally not count and will need to be repeated.

Secondly, after being hit you must count and repeat the phrase, 'Thank you, sir. May I please have another, sir?' And Claire when you are saying that, I want you to really think about it too. I know you might not feel gratitude for this experience right now, but all of the authority figures in your life -- me, your parents, the tutors -- we are all putting in a lot of effort to set you on the right path. And I want you to just hold that in mind.

Of course, you don't have to ask for another if it is your last one.

Okay, let's see what else? Extras need to be counted separately. For example, 'One extra, sir. Two extra, sir.' Make sense? There's a position for you to hold, but I think we can cover that in just a moment.

It is very, very important for you to be perfectly still during a punishment. I need to have control over where the strokes are landing. And obviously, any form of blocking or evading a stroke would be strictly forbidden. If you need to cry out a little bit, that's okay but try not to be too loud. I don't want you to bother people in the other rooms."

Dr. Thorton put away the papers he was working on and looked at Claire.

"Alright, unless you have any questions, I think we are about ready to begin. Is everything making sense?"

"Um... Yes, sir." Claire said quietly, looking back at Dr. Thorton.

"Okay, so when you're ready, please take off your skirt and your panties too. You can set them on the couch over there."

"Wait. I have to take off my skirt?"

"Yes, and your underwear too."

"Wait, wait. Please, sir. Don't make me do that. Can't you spank me over my clothes? I mean..."

"Oh. Well, I understand your hesitation Claire, but, unfortunately, no. That's just not a possibility at this point. These light paddles are designed to produce a stinging sensation. That's why they can be used as a punishment, with some degree of severity. But you just don't get that effect when you strike the paddle over clothes. It's really designed to hit bare skin. You see what I mean? That's just the nature of the punishment."

"But sir. I really don't want to take off my skirt. Isn't there some other way that you can punish me? Or can I at least keep my underwear on, sir? I mean... that's not much... protection, is it?"

"I appreciate that you are generally speaking with a respectful tone. But there's a lot more to respect that we need to teach you Claire. And it seems like what you are really struggling with here is obedience. I've tried to be pretty forgiving with you so far, but now that we are really entering into the formal punishment process and now that you have been introduced to the rules, it's time to get a little more serious, okay? I don't want any more objections or complaints, understand?"