Judicial Punishment Lottery

Abigail nervously moved to the side of the bound woman, "he says if I don't do it, he will. I am sooo sorry."

Shona smiled at the poor girl. She looked down for a moment, closed her eyes and sighed in resignation before looking back up at her. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen, I didn't know it would be like this, really. I thought it would be... I dunno, kind of sexy. But this is awful."

"Abigail, wasn't it?"

The girl was trembling now, "Yes".

"Look, it's okay, just go home, I'll be fine."

The young woman cast a frightened glance back at Officer Douglas, "But look at the size of him."

"Oh, he's a sweetheart really. He just looks scary."

The young girl started crying, "I'm so sorry, really."

"Hey, it's okay, just go. I'll be fine, I promise."

"You promise."

Shona smiled and nodded, "Yes."

Abigail turned back to Officer Douglas, "I... I just can't."

He gave her a small smile, "It's fine, just go home, and never come back here again okay."

He watched as the terrified girl stumbled down the ramp and virtually fled the square before letting his chin fall to his chest with a sigh. Looking up he saw Officer Milton staring at him silently, with a cool, appraising look in her eyes. He drew a breath and muttered, "fuck..."

The big man moved across and took up a position at the side of the frame.

"That was a brave thing you did there."

Shona looked at the floor and gave a resigned sigh, "I guess so."

"You know I'm not allowed to go easy on you right?"

"I figured as much."

He shook his head in resignation, "Let's get this over with."

Officer Douglas sized up the target and began. His hard hand crashed down first on one cheek, then the other. Shona howled at the immediate pain and each impact felt like she'd been kicked forward. Tears flowed from her eyes, she sobbed openly and her bottom gyrated as she tried to find some way to escape his hard hands.

Then something odd happened.

The blows seemed just as hard and they sounded horrendous, but for the most part, she barely felt them. She had no idea what he was doing, every blow cracked against her arse with what sounded like a thunderous impact, but there was no sting, no pain, only a very slight slap. A couple landed full strength, but probably no more than five or six of the supposed twenty, enough to get her weeping and colour her bum an interesting shade of red, but nothing more than that. At the count of twenty, he stepped back taking a breath and wiping sweat from his brow as if he'd been labouring mightily. He took a sip of water from a bottle. She glanced up at her and for just a moment she thought he had given her a sly wink, but she couldn't be sure. He turned to the officer in charge, "Punishment complete."

Officer Milton sidled over to him with a carefully hidden grin, "That was a kind thing you did there, thanks."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Yea right."

"Let's just agree it's your turn to buy the fancy cakes tomorrow."

"It's a deal."

The platform was almost eerily quiet. Much of the crowd had dispersed and those that remained were fairly subdued, occasionally Ian moaned piteously, and his would-be supporters had long since deserted him, but otherwise the physical punishments were for the most part complete. Shona estimated that she had possibly another twenty minutes respite before the last lottery winner was called and she looked across at Femi. "Hey Femi, still with us?"

Femi looked up and with an obvious effort she smiled, "Well I thought about heading off for a quick drink but I figured I'd best stay and keep you company."

"Aw, that's nice of you."

"Are you okay Shona, that looked horrible?"

She glanced at Officer Douglas who gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

"It was pretty bad Femi, worse even than that crazy old woman with her cane, but I'm hanging in there. How about you?"

"I'm getting a bit cold to be honest."

"Yea, we should complain to room service."

The two women chatted amiably as if they were waiting for a bus and not strapped naked on public display for onlookers to gawk at. But soon enough the screen flashed and displayed the details of the last of the winning lottery tickets. From among the onlookers, she heard a familiar male voice shout, "Yes!".

A young man literally ran up the ramp and strode towards her and she felt her heart sink as she recognised him. He gave her a nasty grin, "Hey Shona, remember me?"

Shona instantly recognised the man. Brian Willox, her ex-boyfriend. They'd broken up about six months earlier after she caught him cheating on her. She had spoken to the new girlfriend, who was actually quite nice funnily enough and who was horrified at being made to look like some floozy, and Brian had responded by putting some revenge porn on the internet. She cursed her own stupidity about that. She bloody well knew better than to let the little shit take those photographs.

It had all gotten very dramatic, and she had basically chopped him off at the knees, cut off all contact, deleted him from her social media and threatened him in no uncertain terms with Police action if he ever appeared at her door again.

"Brian! What the fuck?"

"Oh, yea! When I heard you were going to be up here, I bought more than a dozen tickets. Wouldn't want to miss a last little escapade with my girlfriend now, would I?"

Shona snarled back at him, "So, you spent like two hundred and fifty quid just so you could torment me one last time? You always were a pathetic weasel."

Tears of shame appeared in the woman's eyes and she snarled in anger and tugged furiously at the shackles as Brian blatantly ran his eyes over her naked body. "Looking good there Shone. But you always were cute, it's just a pity you were such a cunt."

Officer Douglas stirred, "I suggest you modify your language, Sir, profanity won't be tolerated, nor will verbal insults to the prisoner. Have you selected a punishment you wish to administer?"

Brian grinned and fumbled his mobile phone out of his pocket. Shona groaned as he began to focus the camera on her ass, "Yea, sure thing buddy. I'll just snap a couple of pictures first. You don't mind do you, Shona, I can have a wank over them later."

Shona snarled and gritted her teeth, eyes blazing in frustration and fury.

A large hand closed over the phone as Officer Douglas reached across and plucked it from Brian's grip. The huge man looked down at Brian with obvious annoyance and Brian began to realise that antagonising a man who looked like he could tear his head off almost by accident might not be a cunning plan.

Officer Douglas spoke, and his voice carried a definite edge of irritation and warning, "I'm afraid sir that photography is not permitted up here, however, you may purchase a DVD or digital download of the procedure from the Department of Corrections website. Now I believe I asked already, have you selected a punishment?"

Shona spoke up angrily, "He's not allowed to do that, is he? Do I have to let this bastar... er, man well, you know?"

Officer Douglas sighed, "I'm afraid there's nothing in the regulations to prohibit his participation, in fact, it may even be seen to enhance the humiliation and public shaming aspect of your punishment."

Brian grinned. He made a show of picking up the various implements that were laid out, "Hmm, do I fancy spanking your ass? How about the cane? I bet that would sting. Choices, choices."

Officer Douglas stirred slightly, and Brian glanced nervously at the man.

"I think, I'll go with the strap if that's okay officer. What do you think Shona? I quite fancy tanning your ass with a belt. Should be fun."

Officer Milton moved closer and stepped in front of her, "Shona. Look straight ahead. Look at me, ignore him, just focus on getting through the next couple of minutes."

The nurse had almost turned the colour of beetroot with the shame, embarrassment, frustration, and sheer rage she felt. She fixed her gaze on Offer Milton and gritted her teeth to stop unleashing a tirade of abuse at her ex. She began to regulate her breathing, just like she had told many of her patients in A&E and she concentrated on blotting his presence from her mind.

Officer Milton moved closer and whispered, "Keep focusing forward, ignore the little prick," in such a contemptuous tone that Shona almost giggled.

The officer moved back and once again Shona locked eyes with her and concentrated.

Brian picked up the tawse, it was a two-foot-long strip of leather about two inches wide and fixed to a foot-long wooden handle. He swung it about experimentally before giving officer Douglas a happy grin and stepping alongside the bound woman. "Here we are Shona, bet you regret treating me like shit now you little bitch."

Shona stared forward, eyes locked on those of Officer Milton.

Brian drew back his arm and swung with every ounce of strength he had.

The tawse struck the middle of her bottom with a resounding "crack", leaving an immediate red track across both buttocks. Shona grunted and winced, but she made no other sound.

Brian gave a grunt of effort as he slashed the tawse across her posterior again with all the force he could muster. Again, the sound of the impact echoed across the public area.

Shona panted and tears trickled from the corner of her eyes, but she remained fixed on Officer Milton and refused to utter a sound.

"That's two Shona, keep staring at me."

Shona was almost startled out of her fixed concentration when Brian ran his hands across the cheeks of her ass and gave her hips a playful tug, "Just to make sure you're in the right spot Shona, wouldn't want you to miss out on any of this, after all, he taunted."

She ground her teeth together and swallowed her response.

The third blow came in before she had regained her concentration and she released a quickly muffled yelp. She blew out a breath, like a boxer taking a hit and tried to regain her composure.

Brian was becoming frustrated at her silence, and he put everything he had into the next blow, aiming low so it touched the tops of her thighs. Shona jerked in place, her body twisted, and her face screwed up as the agony burned through her, but other than giving a low angry snarl of rage she made no sound.

Brian did everything he could think of to torment the woman, he stroked and caressed her buttocks, he tugged at her hips, he taunted her throughout, and he put his full strength into every single strike, grunting with effort each time he swung the belt.

By the end, Shona's posterior positively blazed crimson and her face was white. Her eyes were screwed shut and she pulled at the shackles until her wrists were red but other than a few grunts of pain and the raw sounds of her breathing she never uttered a sound.

Had Brian looked behind him, he might have thought better of his next action, but he was too angry, too frustrated. He ran his hands between Shona's legs and traced a finger along her vagina, "I knew you'd be wet you little slu..."

His jeering choked off as a gigantic hand took hold of the back of his neck in a vice-like grip and literally tore him from his feet. Startled he tried to struggle and swung a feeble arm at the bearded man holding him. Officer Douglas let the blow land and gave him a truly evil grin.

Brian shrieked as his arm was twisted up his back.

"OFFICER MILTON!"

"Here!"

"Witness this please."

Karen stepped closer and switched on the small camera fixed on her lapel. "Recording."

"Brian Willox, I am arresting you for interference in a Judicial Procedure, Sexual Assault, Resisting Arrest and Assaulting a Corrections Officer, I must caution you that you do not have to say anything in reply to being arrested, but anything you do say will be noted and may be used in evidence, understand?"

Without waiting for a reply, he began dragging the smaller man away.

"See to your custody please Officer Milton, I'll be back in a minute, once I get this 'gentleman' booked in."

"Will do."

Shona was sobbing, "He can't do that, he can't touch me like that."

"It's okay, he's gone, and he's going to really regret doing that."

"But I was supposed to be safe here!"

"Yes, and we failed to keep you safe, so there will be an enquiry."

Shona sniffed, "Will you get into trouble?"

"I don't know, maybe. They like to throw blame around sometimes."

"I'm sorry."

"That's okay, it's not your fault."

"What will happen to Brian?"

"He's fucked! From the look on Morven's face, he doesn't want to throw the book at him he wants to beat him to death with it."

"Morven?"

"Officer Douglas."

"Oh."

"Interference with a Judicial Procedure is an offence against the state and carries a mandatory ten days in short-stay prison. Sexual Assault is a serious charge, that's going to get him a good hundred lashes and will definitely extend his stay in prison, the Resist Arrest won't be worth much when the court sees the size of Morven compared to him. But assaulting a corrections officer carries the same penalty as assaulting a cop, or a paramedic these days, so that's probably thirty with a cane and another mandatory ten days of 'correctional therapy'. I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up with six months to a year behind bars all told, and all because he wanted to be a dick."

She looked disgusted, "What a twat."

Karen waved across to the medic, who promptly made his way across. "Pete, this prisoner has been subject to an Assault whilst in our care. I think it appropriate that medical care be administered."

"Yes, of course."

The medic fumbled in his bag and produced a tube of ointment, "Hey Shona, this should help," he grinned, "but remember I've got cold hands."

Shona gave him a trembling smile, "Thanks Pete," she sniffed and made a deliberate effort to compose herself. She still shuddered in disgust at being touched by Brian, but internally she gave herself a shake, "after all you slept with the prick you muppet! What the fuck was I thinking?"

The ointment Pete applied to her ass was soothing and while it didn't take away all the pain it definitely helped. Her anger and sheer rage she still felt at Brian's antics helped her to crush the feelings of helplessness and she drew a breath before turning her head to look at the medic. "Hey Pete?"

He was concentrating on his task, "Urm?"

"Karen says I should come in and see you about the role of a medic here?"

He grinned, "You trying to steal my job?"

"Maybe."

"Cool. I'll stick a card in with your property, just give me a call any time and we can arrange a visit or run it through Karen. She knows my shifts. Mind me asking what prompted you?"

"Well, the punishments are one thing, and this lottery thing is fucked up, but it's Mary, and it's Femi, I guess. Both need all the help they can get, even if it's just a kind word I guess."

"No argument there."

"Hey Pete?"

"Yuss?"

"Think you could slip some of that ointment to Femi?"

"Well, I can carry out a standard post-punishment examination and if some of it was still on my hands after sorting you out, I can't be held to blame now can I?"

Officer Milton looked away, having apparently decided she'd gone temporarily deaf.

After Pete left Shona looked up at Officer Milton, "Hey Karen, thanks for helping me back there. That bastard would have got to me."

She looked at the nurse for a moment thoughtfully, "Maybe, but I'm not so sure. Anyway, you're welcome."

"Please say you'll come to our girl's night in."

"I can't accept... yet. Ask again in one hour and forty-seven minutes."

Shortly afterwards Officer Morven Douglas lumbered back onto the platform with a broad grin on his face.

Officer Milton spoke from the far side of the pillory, "Officer Douglas, obviously you can't reveal information to a custody about another prisoner, but you mind telling me what happened to that gentleman you arrested?"

"Why not at all Officer Milton, it's funny you should ask, but he's currently lying in a cell crying his little heart out. He goes up before the Sheriff tomorrow morning."

Karen grinned, "Oh, dear, what a shame, never mind."