Over the Lap of Luxury Pt. 05

Asher's eyes went wide. Steal from a guest's purse? A billionaire's purse, no less? Conspire against Mrs. Bennett? His head felt light.

"And don't get caught rummaging around in purses. Servants caught committing more serious offences are given a public and very strict judicial punishment. Neither of you would fare well with that, considering your shyness and sensitive little bottoms."

She ignored the terror behind their eyes and pat them affectionately on said sensitive little bottoms.

Mrs. Bennett was every bit as haughty as Asher suspected she'd be. She was the first to arrive, and yet criticized her chauffeur for taking the slower highway. He politely reminded her that the better one had recently suffered a bridge collapse due to a bombing, but she shook her head. "Just drive around it." Her flummoxed chauffeur only apologized.

Sean, her servant boy, was there in his blue and white uniform, doing his best to be invisible in this moment. He was a touch taller than Asher and about the same post-university age. He wore a worried expression today, and looked paler than the first time they'd met at the cafe.

With Sean, now three servants stood by the back wall, at the ready, hands folded behind their backs. Molly was surely embarrassed about her punishment plug while the room filled with people, and Asher was feeling very ashamed over his chastity device. Sean looked no better himself, and Asher saw him surreptitiously rub his backside over his pants. "She's in a mood today," he whispered once the ladies were back by the front door. "Something about European distribution laws."

Asher nodded and nearly told him Portia's plan to spare his hide, but it seemed the rest of the guests had all arrived one right after the other and they were already returning to the parlour to talk.

There were three other ladies besides Mrs. Bennett, but no other servants joined their ranks by the wall. He saw a lady built like Portia, having the elegance and height of a dancer. He overheard the name Gracelyn, which was fitting. Behind her was a more buxom woman who gave the servants all a curious once over. Then, to Asher's utter horror and shock, he realized that he recognized one of Portia's guests.

She was a girl named Remie from his private high school days, now a grown woman and apparently married to a billionaire. Asher lowered his head at the sight of her, trying to sink into the floor. She was very pretty and smart, with long waves of shining red hair, but she could be a little mean back then. He didn't suspect she'd changed much over the following five years. And at some point today, she'd see him bared and spanked. Asher's heart pounded from the anticipation.

The women sat down and spoke in the parlour about people they all knew, and in that time all three servants were basically invisible. But the conversation soon turned to them. It was hard not to eavesdrop. Asher ascertained a couple of insightful things from their little tittering chat. First, even though not all Portia's friends wanted their own servants, people in her inner social circle seemed to find the concept of dominating them exciting in small doses. Second, it seemed that nobody particularly liked Mrs. Bennett going by the forced laughs alone, but had to humour her for reasons beyond Asher's comprehension. Lastly, her full name was Prudence Bennett, and the sturdy lady was called Meg. She had a habit of constantly eyeing the three standing against the wall.

"You've got a couple of new employees," said Meg.

Portia turned to check on her two servants. "Molly, Asher, come here by my side."

At the sound of Asher's name, Remie looked up and met his eyes. The familiar looking guy in the back of the room finally clicked for her. She smiled at him with a wicked sort of glee as he walked to Portia's side.

Portia must have seen that brief look, or sensed the awkwardness in the room. "Do you two know each other?"

"Back from the academy," said Remie. All the local alumni still referred to the prestigious private school that way. "Well, Asher. Look at you now. A kept boy."

It sounded like a sweet thing, and if he wasn't so mortified he might have seen it that way. He was indeed a type of kept boy - who routinely got punished by Portia. Remie didn't even know just how seriously he was dominated yet. His mistress did so much more than just spank him.

His face quickly went scarlet, which elicited a few quiet laughs from the ladies. It was difficult being talked about in such a way, as though he wasn't even there at all. It was also forbidden to speak unless spoken to, so he couldn't defend himself.

"Well, well," said Portia, raising her eyebrows. "I had no idea you knew him, Remie. I do hope he was a good student back in those days."

"Always the teacher's pet," said Remie.

"Thoroughly unsurprised," said Portia.

Molly huffed out a quiet sigh that Asher knew full well was meant for him. He was doing it again, that sigh told him. He was Portia's pet now.

"It seems he's in trouble today, though," said the elegant woman called Gracelyn, commenting on his red-lettered smart-band. "They both are."

"Last night they got up to no good together," said Portia. "It's a natural consequence of having two instead of one. But, well, I do need two."

"What have you two done?" asked Mrs. Bennett.

The two looked at each other, unsure who she was addressing. On top of that, both Asher and Molly were deeply embarrassed from all the teasing attention. They both stayed silent instead of answering, and for that they were scolded.

"Don't you know to answer when asked a direct question by a superior?" asked Mrs. Bennett. She huffed indignantly and crossed her arms. "Come here."

Molly, still apparently not quite in the servant's mindset, tried to escape her punishment. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Bennett, but I didn't know which one of-"

"Get over here, I said."

"Go now, Molly. If you argue again I'll spank you myself the second she's through with you." Portia fished out the (disguised) red purse paddle from her bag and made Molly hold it out to offer Mrs. Bennett. She did so with a bowed head and a breathy whimper.

"That's better," said Mrs. Bennett.

"She's having trouble remembering her place lately," said Portia. "Please help me remind her."

"I'd be glad to assist in that endeavour," said Mrs. Bennett. Everyone seemed content to watch the exciting moment, though Portia herself looked a little tense.

Molly was rather unceremoniously turned over Mrs. Bennett's knee, her skirt lifted out of the way. Asher was made to stand at attention and wait for his own turn over that very knee.

A very embarrassed Molly let out an anguished moan of shame the second her panties were pulled down to her ankles. There was a quiet gasp as the other ladies saw the flared base of Molly's plug, and then three quiet laughs and one loud, long squeal. Remie was always a bit on the dramatic side.

"That's certainly one way to teach your servants a lesson," said Mrs. Bennett. "Maybe Sean could use a reminder like that." She tapped the base of the plug and Molly went tense as she whined.

The shame and discomfort of the plug may have helped Portia's master plan along. Molly really put on a terrific show as Mrs. Bennett took to soundly spanking her with the little red paddle for her impertinence. She kicked or threw her head back from each of the first slow and hard smacks. Her bottom even quickly warmed to light pink.

Mrs. Bennett, as Portia warned them, did not hold back. Her arm rose so high up for each sound smack that Asher guessed even this (secretly) light implement would still sting quite a bit. Maybe all the wiggling with her bottom plugged like that was punishing on its own. Either way, Molly was crying out loudly from each and every spank. Or her acting was just that good.

Once her spanking was complete, and her bottom a deep and dark pink, Portia ordered her to kneel in the corner. She positioned the humiliated servant girl to spread her legs again, ensuring her plugged and spanked bottom could be easily seen by all who cared to enjoy it.

"Come here, young man," said Mrs. Bennett, beckoning with her finger. Asher figured she'd forgotten his name already, which would be perfectly in line with this level of wealth.

He stepped closer and dutifully handed Mrs. Bennett his blue purse paddle. Asher's heart raced to a degree he hadn't really experienced before. Even getting spanked in front of all the cleaners wasn't this bad. All these wealthy, powerful women would be intimidating on their own, but his old classmate being in the small gathering was a bridge too far. She'd tell everyone, wouldn't she?

Mrs. Bennett was unbuttoning his pants as he stood there quietly, trying to wish himself away into another dimension. Maybe a fire alarm could go off. He could only hope. But instead his pants were pulled to his ankles, and Mrs. Bennett's fingers were reaching for his briefs.

Asher went so far as to cover his face in his hands as he was bared before this small audience. Once he felt the chill of the air on his naked groin and backside, he knew they were all taking in the sight of his chastity device. The laughs that followed echoed in his burning red ears. The entire situation mortified him. The ridiculous sight of the apparatus attached to his most private parts was just as bad as the underlying truth that Portia completely owned him - all the way down to choosing when he could get hard.

There were some questions about his cage, and a guess or two about how he earned it. Portia shared that he was being punished for too quickly and frequently ejaculating without her permission. It was humiliating! The women giggled over it and teased him with some predictable jokes about his sexual stamina. Just like Molly had done, Asher moaned from the shame alone as he obediently lay over Mrs. Bennett's lap for his punishment.

"Servant boys need a much firmer hand than servant girls," said Mrs. Bennett, rubbing his bottom.

"This servant boy has always been a bit of a wimp, though," said Remie.

Asher grit his teeth, closing his eyes. What a time for them to have a chat about his weaknesses! He was already bottom-up over a lady's lap, but Remie had to go ahead and make it even worse.

The spanking that ensued was a little harsher than he'd expected from his practice the night before. He could see why Molly had little trouble acting. The whacks all smarted, but not nearly as badly as they would if his paddle was actually the bright blue model it appeared to be.

The only way to ensure Portia's approval was to put up a big fuss over his spanking, and thus prove Remie right about him being a wimp. So he kicked his legs here and there and complained in sharp yelps about slaps that would normally just make him grimace and hold on tight.

"You were right, Remie. He's a sensitive boy in all kinds of ways," said Meg, making the others snicker.

Asher had no choice but to react as though his bottom were being lit on fire. "Please stop, ma'am! I won't do it again!" The promise caused some giggles, but Mrs. Bennett was very unamused by the begging. She adjusted her knee to bend him over even further, and really laid into his sit spot with slow and resounding whacks. His reactions became real, each severe spank causing a full body jolt and a squeaky cry.

Twenty spanks later, Asher was stood back on his feet and allowed to dress again. He was dazed from the way Mrs. Bennett managed to turn the softest paddle on the market into a deeply punishing experience. Asher wasn't proud, but he began to feel that it wasn't worth the risk of a judicial punishment to swap Sean's paddle. There'd be no way he could handle something like a cane or birch or large school paddle. Sean seemed fine anyway, he thought.

Things aren't always what they appear, however. After an hour of relative peace while the ladies enjoyed more conversation, the mood changed sharply. By that time, Molly was dressed and back with the servant boys by the wall. She gripped Asher's hand a moment when Mrs. Bennett got some kind of notification on her phone and her expression turned bitter.

"Something wrong, Prudence?" asked Gracelyn.

Mrs. Bennett ranted about something going wrong with her European supplier, complained about having to do everything herself in her company, and then hollered Sean's name. The young man beside Asher sighed with a heavy heart before slowly making his way to his mistress.

When he was bared and tipped over her lap, Asher was shocked to see the state of his backside. He was spotted with bruises and old red welts. With no regard for him at all, she spanked him even further. He hadn't even done anything wrong! Mrs. Bennett was using him as a whipping boy for everyone and everything that bothered her in the world. Asher could barely watch as Sean was viciously spanked with her hand, and then that awful little black paddle.

The other ladies seemed to be quiet now too. They had fun teasing Molly and Asher, but now just seemed uncomfortable. Sean gasped or grunted loudly with each spank, but otherwise took his severe paddling rather stoicly.

Something right then happened that Asher had never seen before. Sean's entire smart-band began to beep, buzz, and flash bright red, obviously sounding an alarm.

"I swear that stupid thing is broken," said Mrs. Bennett. She stood Sean up, having abruptly ended his punishment. He swayed for a moment, nearly fell except for a steadying hand from Meg, and then fixed his clothes and quietly went back to the wall.

"Oh, uh," said Portia. "Speaking of broken... you know, I hate to ask this, but could I borrow Sean a moment? He's good with fixing things, isn't he? It won't take but a minute. It's a two man job. Nick's out of town and Raj is hopeless with these kinds of things."

Mrs. Bennett nodded her approval, saying she needed to make a quick phone call anyway.

"I'll only be a moment," said Portia. "I apologize."

She took a compliant Sean and Asher by their hands, leaving Molly to stand at attention and hope she didn't end up on anyone's bad side again. They headed upstairs and down the long hall to the master bedroom.

Asher couldn't help but notice Sean's stiff gait. When they entered the room, all too cryptically Portia told Sean to take down his pants. She was just in a hurry, looking through all her dresser drawers. So Sean obediently lay over the edge of the bed where she pointed. Both his eyes were squeezed shut as if he was waiting for further punishment, but Portia only began to spread some Magic Soothing & Healing Balm on Sean's abused bottom once she'd found it.

"A flashing red band means that a servant has hit their pain limit," Portia explained to Asher. "That or a sudden health emergency. Either way, it's imperative to immediately end a punishment."

Portia took her time, gently massaging Sean's battered red bottom, adding extra cream when needed and focusing most on the welts. This kindness ended up being the thing that set Sean off, as his back began to shake with his quiet weeping.

"Your mistress doesn't always stop when it flashes red, does she?" asked Portia. "Not when you're alone."

Sean wouldn't answer, but his silence answered for him. He was young, healthy, and strong, but no servant was any match for the pure power of wealth and connections. Sean could end up in prison for life just for pushing her away. It would have to be an even fight, someone on Prudence Bennett's own level. Someone like Portia Darrow.

Once she helped dress him again and dried his tears, Portia told Sean their plan. After seeing how serious Sean's situation was, Asher was fully on board once again - even if it was risky and even if it meant a severe and public punishment for getting caught. They were going to swap his black paddle with a secretly white paddle only dyed black. It wouldn't cause nearly as much pain or damage, and all Sean would have to do is play along. Mrs. Bennett surely wouldn't even notice, being so focused on only herself.

"Will you play along and help us help you, Sean?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said. There was confusion in his eyes, but he accepted the help all the same. "Thank you, Mrs. Darrow."

Portia took a moment to reassure him. "A bigger plan is coming. But this is what we can do today."

A bigger plan? Asher shuddered, but he knew better than to bring up his concerns right now. They were already pushing their luck with guests getting suspicious about their prolonged absence. Sean accepted a long and reassuring hug from Portia before they stood again.

Portia gave Asher the details in a hurried whisper. "I'm going to insist on showing my friends something in the gardens. It'll be something quick enough that they'll leave their bags behind. Then you do it. You stay in the parlour and make the switch. Just take the black paddle from my bag and switch it with the one in hers. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said, heart racing with the stakes.

"Do not get caught, Asher."

"Yes, ma'am." Asher's legs trembled with every step downstairs.

There was only a ten minute wait on those shaky legs before Portia began to set the plan in motion. She pointed outside and her acting was just as excellent as Molly's. Everyone got up to look at the rare rose bushes Portia pointed out, heading just outside the front door. Molly and Sean followed them out at their polite distance, and Asher lingered in the parlour.

He tried to be as fast as his racing heart. Just a quick switch from one purse to the next. He checked that the paddles were identical, and they were, other than a nearly imperceptible difference in weight. So he swapped the harsh one into Portia's bag and put the gentler one into Mrs. Bennett's bag.

Just as he stood, a hand gripped his arm, tight and firm. "What are you doing in our purses?" asked a deep woman's voice.

The shock was too intense. Asher was already terrified, and then his worst current fear came true. An image of being tied down and getting his bottom beaten bloody flashed through his frantic mind. His heart leapt up and then suddenly dropped far too still.

He looked at the woman clutching his arm. Not Mrs. Bennett, but Meg. Then he looked to his other side, seeing a blurry Raj rushing his way from the foyer. And then down at his buzzing, beeping wrist, vaguely taking in the sight of his flashing red smart-band. The last thing he remembered was the strange sensation of his legs giving out from under him.

Everyone gathered around the couch where Asher lay pale and oblivious. Just seconds ago they'd rushed in after hearing Meg's surprised call for help.

"I just came back to get my phone for a picture," said Meg. "And... well. I suppose it's a good thing Raj was fast enough to catch him."

"He must have been locking his legs, ma'am," said Raj.

"...Must have," said Meg.

"Common mistake for new servants," said Gracelyn. "From what I've heard."

"It's his very first time attending a long gathering," said Portia, brushing fingers through his hair, coaxing him back to the world of the living. His eyes fluttered as he slowly stirred awake.

Molly didn't know they were doing the trade then, but she could guess now. Meg must have caught him in the act, and Asher didn't take the sudden shock well. The only thing she couldn't understand now was why Meg wanted to cover for Asher.

"What an eventful afternoon," said Mrs. Bennett. It was a bit of a disguised insult at Portia's hosting ability, but Molly was glad to hear it. She was none the wiser that anyone had gone into her purse.

When Asher was roused enough to speak, he nearly gave it all away. He stammered about being sorry, but Raj stopped him, going so far as to cover his mouth. "Asher, rule one please," he said in his dapper British accent. Rule one: Don't speak unless spoken to. Molly always found that one particularly difficult.