Clares Birthday

Clare rolled onto her back and stretched her hands above her head, slowly opening her eyes to the sunny morning light. A light chuckle sounded beside her and her eyes flew open. "When did you get here?" She demanded.

A soft kiss landed on her forehead. "Happy Birthday".

"Thank you my love." She answered. "Why are you here so early?"

"First of all, 8:00 am is NOT that early, and second, if I didn't get here early, how could I greet my lady with a special Birthday breakfast?" Matt lowered himself onto the bed beside her and helped her into a sitting position.

"Breakfast sounds good." She replied sleepily. "What did you make?"

"Scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, tea.... you know, the usual Birthday breakfast things..." He teased, presenting her a plate covered with a lid.

"That smells amazing, this might just be my best birthday ever." She turned her face to him for another kiss before digging the fork into the pile of scrambled eggs. "Are you eating too?" She asked. There was a lot more food on the plate than she'd be able to finish herself, so she hoped he was planning to help.

"I might take a bite or two." He said, snapping up one of the strips of bacon and biting half of it off, then holding the rest out for her. She held out a forkful of eggs for him and he accepted it. "What does the Birthday Girl have planned for today?" He asked.

"Well, I thought since I am being paid to not be at work today, I need to make the most of it. I was thinking about taking the 'twins' to the splash park this morning, and then for ice cream this afternoon."

"What about your party tonight?" He asked.

"Oh yeah, Taylor and Shannon are cooking something up, but I have no idea what. They think they're sneaky, but I know they have something up their sleeves." She grinned thinking of all the times they'd tried to surprise her with a Birthday dinner, but she'd somehow managed to either find out in advance or spoil it every time.

A few years ago they had enlisted the help of the 'twins' in trying to keep her from coming home before they had the party ready, but she had planned to take the girls kayaking, and finally Taylor had to message her and tell her that there were people at her house waiting for her to come home for her birthday dinner. A smile played across her lips at the memory, the 'twins' were never allowed to be part of the surprise committee since that disaster.

"What was that smile for?" Matt asked.

"Oh, just a visit from the Ghost of Birthdays past." She replied, not wanting to retell the entire story. He'd either heard it already or he'd hear it from Taylor later that evening anyway.

"What's on your agenda?" She asked, wondering if he'd want to come to the splash park if he was free.

"I've got some client calls I need to hop on in a little bit here, but I'm hoping to wrap up early this afternoon, and then I'll be available for whatever birthday shenanigans might follow." His eyes followed her across the room as she opened her closet door and took out a blue sundress and her sandals.

"That's too bad." She said, "If you were free all day you could come hang out with us." He groaned at the suggestion, but the client calls were pressing, and there was no way he could postpone them.

"Maybe I can get them wrapped up earlier before you head back, and I can meet up with you?" She knew it was a long shot, client calls usually got bogged down and took much longer than expected, never less time.

"Don't worry about it my love, I know where your mind will be all day, and I'll see you tonight." She kissed him, and then took her clothes off to the bathroom so she could shower and dress for the day.

As she toweled off after her shower she examined herself in the mirror. She wasn't sure what she'd expected to look like at age 50, but she had to admit, she still looked pretty good. Yes, there were some flecks of gray in her hair now, and laugh lines at the corner of her eyes, but not too bad. "Where did the time go?" She mused out loud, she still felt like she was 19. She pulled the sundress over her head and turned to check herself in the mirror. This was the first time she'd worn this dress, but she already knew it was going to be a summer favorite. She slid her rings back onto her fingers and her bracelets on her wrist, before running the hairbrush through her damp hair.

The sound of the 'twins' dresser drawers thumping brought her thoughts back around to her plans for the day. They loved anything to do with the water, and it wouldn't take much prodding from her to get them into their bathing suits and out the door.

******

When Clare pulled her car back into the driveway that afternoon with two sunkissed teenagers dozing off in the backseat a huge smile crossed her lips. Taylors car was already there, and "Over the Hill" party decorations greeted her. "Of course, Taylor would think 50 is old." She laughed out loud, Taylor was barely 30, and didn't have the same perspective. Clare put the car into park and typed out a text to Taylor. "Can you bring my walker to the driveway? I'm afraid I forgot my cane."

Taylor popped out of the kitchen door and tried to shoo Clare off. "You're home too early, where is Matt? He was supposed to delay you until we're ready."

"Oh Taylor, you know I defy all of your plans to surprise me, no matter who you enlist to help, none of them are up for the task." They laughed, and Clare sent the 'twins' into the house with orders to help Auntie Taylor. "Don't worry Taylor, I haven't seen anything, I'll go take a nap and forget you're here."

Clare tried to nap, but every few minutes Taylor or one of the 'twins' would pop their head into the bedroom to ask her where to find something they needed. She finally gave up, took a quick shower and joined them in the kitchen. Shannon and Tim had arrived, and Matt was preparing to put a massive plate of burgers on the grill.

"Burgers are my favorite." Clare purred, turning her face up to kiss him. He brushed her lips lightly with his and smiled.

"You got some sun today." She nodded, her cheeks were already tingling a bit, even though she'd worn sunscreen and tried to stay in the shade of the umbrella while the girls played in the water. "Can you find the wooden spatula for me babe? It wasn't in the drawer it usually is."

"What are you needing it for?" She asked while browsing through the drawer again, knowing he probably hadn't looked very hard.

"So I can give you Birthday spankings later." He shot back, a little too quickly. Tim and Shannon overheard him and laughed. Clare pulled the spatula out of the drawer where he swore he'd looked and placed it in his hand.

"I might like that." She deadpanned as she left the room.

Matt looked down, contemplating the spatula in his hand for a moment and then nodded at Tim. "Excuse me while I deal with some sass." He said, tucking the spatula into his back pocket.

Tim smiled broadly "Do what ya gotta brother." He chuckled, placing a hand on Shannons bottom almost absentmindedly. Shannon turned to him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Taylor, can you keep an eye on the grill for me?" Matt said as he left the room, not waiting for her answer.

Clare had almost reached the doorway to the living room when she felt Matt's hands grab her arms and propel her past the living room, and down the hall to her bedroom. "What are you doing?" She asked as he closed the door behind them.

Being in a bedroom behind a closed door was against the rules she'd set for them when they started dating. "Dealing with a sassy Birthday Girl." He stated. The look in his eyes showed he was serious, and Clare felt instantly subdued.

"What does that mean?" He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight.

"You said you might like being spanked Clare, and I intend to find out right now." Butterflies filled her stomach and her groin flushed hot when she heard the mention of a spanking. Clare had always been turned on at the suggestion of a spanking, but she'd never admitted that to Matt. She knew she'd have to someday, but felt it was too soon to bring it up. Her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.

"Take off your panties Clare, and hand them to me." This wasn't the first time he'd asked for, and received, her panties. She turned her back toward the dresser, and lifted her skirt just enough to slide her panties down her legs. She didn't want him to see her bare bottom at all, so she carefully reached down to the floor, bending her knees deeply while keeping her back to the dresser. She handed the panties to Matt and he stuffed them into his pocket.

"You're not really going to....." Her words faltered. She didn't know how to finish the sentence. She was afraid their friends hanging out in the kitchen would be able to hear what was happening in the bedroom, and she flushed with embarassment at the thought.

Matt stepped a few feet into the room and sat down on the end of the bed. He reached his hands out towards her. "Come lay over my knee." He commanded, patting his leg with one hand.

Clare stepped backwards, away from him. "Uh uh." She said. "They'll hear it." She looked toward the door, her voice barely over a whisper.

"Clare." He said firmly. "I'll give you a choice. If you come right now, and cooperate, then I'll use my hand and make sure they don't. If you balk......" His voice trailed off as he reached a hand behind his back and pulled the wooden spatula out of his pocket, bringing it around to where she could see it. "I'll use this, and make sure they do hear it." Clares eyes grew big at the sight of the spatula. "What's it gonna be?" He asked.

Her shoulders slumped. She took two steps toward him and gathered the front of her skirt in her hands, pulling it tight to make sure it wouldn't ride up as she laid across his knee. He chuckled softly, "Good choice." He said, brushing her backside with his hand.

"Do you want me to spank you Clare?" He asked. She didn't know what to say, she wanted this more than she could possibly say, but also didn't want to admit it to him. "Clare, I won't spank you if you tell me 'no' right now. If I don't hear 'no', then I'm going to spank your bottom." She drew in a deep breath, but couldn't push out any words.

"So it's a 'yes." Matt said, giving her a soft slap. Four more followed in quick successsion. They were not hard, they did not sting or make much noise at all, the sound dampened by her dress. He had kept his word on that. He was just playing with her. A few more soft slaps landed on her rear and then he sat her back up on his lap. "Now, Clare, are you going to continue being a sassy Birthday Girl this evening, or are you going to be a good Birthday Girl?"

Her eyes sparkled as she smiled shyly. "I'll be a good girl".

"Good." He said as he slid her off his lap and stood up. "I need to get back to the grill before dinner is ruined." He started to leave the room, but then turned back to the bed and snapped up the spatula, returning it to his pocket. "I'm gonna need this for your Birthday spankings later."

He was out of the room before Clare realized he was still holding her panties hostage. She straightened her hair and smoothed her dress out and then followed him back into the kitchen, ever mindful of the spatula in his back pocket. Her body raging like a wildfire as she thought about what he might do with it later.

All through dinner Clare stuck close to Matt's side, and when it was time for cake he pulled her down to sit on his knee. She balanced there, holding her cake plate with one hand and picking at it until she couldn't handle any more of the sugary treat. Matt took her plate and set it on the table beside him, pulling her deeper into his lap and wrapping his arms around her.

The 'twins' started begging her to open her gifts. Taylor set the pile of gifts on the floor in front of her and Jesse handed one to her "Open this one first mom." She demanded. Clare took a look at it and pulled the card off. Taylor was always over the top on birthday gifts for Clare, and she made sure the girls had a card and gift that was "from them". This year was no exception, Clare was spoiled with cards and gifts, and only a few of them were mocking her for being old.

Finally all of the gifts were opened and she settled herself back into Matt's embrace. He kissed her neck softly and said. "There's just one thing left to do baby."

"What's that?" The sugar rush from the cake was catching up to her and she was beginning to feel sleepy.

"Your Birthday spankings of course!" He exclaimed, more loudly than she would have wanted him to. Tim laughed loudly, Shannon and Taylor giggled a little nervously. The 'twins' weren't sure what to do. Clares body flared again, and her face flushed.

"You're not serious!" She whispered, shaking her head "no" as she did.

"Oh yes, very serious. You only turn 50 once, this isn't an opportunity I'd miss." He tugged the spatula out of his back pocket and raised her to her feet. "Now, be careful going over my knee, so Tim here doesn't wind up with a view of your birthday suit." He cautioned.

Clare was so stunned she couldn't even resist. Before she knew what happened she was face down over his knee. He trapped her legs underneath his right leg, not so much because he thought she'd try to escape, but to hold her in position and keep her skirt pulled tight over her backside. He would make sure that no one accidentally saw her bare bottom.

Thwack!

The spatula struck her rear. "One." Said Matt.

Thwack!

"Two." Counted every one in the room.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

"Three, Four, Five." Came the chorus.

Clare's face burned. He was not spanking hard, she barely felt the blows as they landed. This was a ceremonial spanking, a rite of passage, but being positioned over his knee with her backside exposed for all to see was embarassing. She relaxed her body and allowed the barrage to continue.

"Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty".....

THWACK!!

"Twenty-one!" That swat landed hard "OW!" Clare yelped, throwing her hand back and giving her bottom a quick rub. "That HURT!" She said.

"Everyone knows you were naughty on your twenty-first birthday Clare." Matt explained, then moved her hand off her bottom and resumed spanking and counting at the normal intensity.

Thwack!

"Twenty-five." Matt paused, massaging his bicep. "Damn, only halfway done. My arm is getting tired. Anyone else want a turn?" Clare glowered at the floor, she dared not speak, but hoped no one would take him up on the offer.

The room was silent for a second then she heard Tims voice. "Not me brother, you got yourself into this, you're just gonna have to see it through." Clare breathed a sigh of relief. He seemed to have spoken for the entire group.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

"Twenty-six, Twenty-seven, Twenty-eight, Twenty-nine, Thirty." Clare was almost relieved when the spanking continued without Matt handing over control of the spatula.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

"Thirty-eight, Thirty-nine, Forty"

Matt paused again and rubbed his arm some more.

Thwack!

"Thirty-nine"

"You already did Thirty-nine and Forty!" Clare exclaimed. "That was Forty-one!"

"You get those for free then." Matt said, counting the next swat as "Forty." Anyway.

"FORTY-TWO!" Clare protested.

THWACK!!THWACK!!

"Stop arguing." Matt said with a laugh. "You get those free too."

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

"Forty-five. Forty-six. Forty-seven. Forty-eight. Forty-nine."

THWACK!!

"Fifty!"

Clare shot her hand back and rubbed again. "That one hurt too!" She exclaimed.

"Thats because you've been naughty today." Matt laughed. "Now lay still, you have one left." He rubbed her bottom, and then landed a hard slap on it with his hand. "And one to grow on." He said. Everyone in the room clapped, and he helped her turn back over and settle into his lap again. He pulled her hair away from her neck and kissed it softly. "You good?" He asked under his breath.

"Uh huh." She murmured back. He laughed softly.

"Well, that's good baby, because I kinda lied."

"You what?" She asked, confused.

"There wasn't one thing left to do, there were two, now there's one thing left."

"What is that?" She looked at him, puzzled.

"Stand up." He nudged her out of his lap and stood. He turned and guided her back into the chair and then walked to a shelf across the room. He returned with a small gift in his hand, and dropped down to his knee.

"Clare, I can't tell you how happy I've been since we first met. You're an amazing woman, and an amazing mom, and every night I go to sleep thinking how much I want to have you in my life every day. I want you, Clare, I need you, and now I'm asking you if you'll marry me." He stopped talking, and looked into her eyes, searching them for her answer.

She was frozen. Her eyes stung with tears as she tried to find the words to answer him. She was aware that the entire room had gone quiet. Shannon and Taylor were holding their breath. The 'twins' were quiet too. Finally she nodded her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I need to hear you say it Clare, will you be my wife?" Matt asked quietly.

She nodded again then finally breathed out a quiet "Yes, my love." She felt him sliding the ring over her finger and then he pulled her into his arms and covered her mouth with his, kissing her deeply.