Plan B

"What if she tells us she's been spending time with this guy and admits to the kisses, but claims it hasn't gone any further?"

"Then we try to impress on her that she's already gone too far and that it's best she ends it now. We may believe her, but Bob won't. Whatever is going on, it needs to end now."

"I won't believe her. If she isn't having sex with the guy, she's thinking about it."

"I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but if Jase caught me kissing some guy the way she's already been caught he would put me over his knee and tan my backside until I begged him for forgiveness."

"Well, a little of that can be fun! Let's be honest!" That got a giggle from all the sisters.

"Not the way he would do it."

"Remember, no judgment, we love her, and if she doesn't come clean then there's always Plan B."

"God, no! I hope not."

"Well, you know what they say: `If you are going to act like a child, you might as well be treated like one.'"

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

The women all agreed. Conversation turned to happier things and in time Cathy arrived. "Okay, I brought supplies for chocolate chip cookies. Who brought the cheesecake?" It was a good sign. She was in a good mood.

"Jennifer brought everything we need to make a cheesecake, Carol brought the carrot cake, and I'm making two rum raisin apple pies."

"Oh, that sounds good. Who brought the wine?"

"Right here sister-of-mine. Pour yourself a glass and try to catch up."

Spirits were high for the first thirty minutes as Cathy relaxed and everyone made a deliberate attempt to create a warm and loving environment. Eventually, all good things end, and it was time to have the talk.

"Sis, we haven't been completely honest with you. We did get together to bake, and the boys won't be home until it's time for dinner, but the truth is we are all worried about you. You've been seen being way too intimate with a man we don't know. There have been some very unwifely kisses and embraces and the truth is we are all concerned. If anyone sees you and tells Bob, we're afraid of what might happen."

"I can't believe you're doing this. Jason accused me of this, and I told him to keep his nose out of my business. Now you're all doing it, too?"

"We're all worried about you."

"Who else knows? I guess you've blabbed to your husbands. Anybody else?"

"That's mostly it."

"Then I'll tell you the same thing I told Jason: keep your nose out of my fucking business! What I do and who I do it with is of no concern to any of you!" With that she stood to leave.

Two of the sisters moved to block her path. "Cathy, we only want to talk some sense into you. You're playing with fire and you're going to get burned."

"Just stay out of my business. What Bob doesn't know won't hurt him and if any of you bitches tell him then the consequences are on you!"

They were all raising their voices by now. "Will you just listen to reason? We don't want you or Bob hurt. Please, talk with us. Try to see reason here."

"I'm done talking with any of you. Get out of my way!" With that, she tried to push her sisters aside.

"Then you leave us no choice. It's time for Plan B!"

"What the fuck is Plan B?"

With that, all three of the women called out together, "Mom! It's your turn!"

With that, Barb walked out of the kitchen to confront her daughter. The look of shock and fear on Cathy's face was something the sisters would never forget.

"You told my mother?!"

"What choice did we have? She raised you better than this. If you won't listen to us, then you'll have to listen to her."

Cathy's face betrayed a mixture of fear and anger. "Mom, you're not talking me out of this. I deserve this and as long as Bob doesn't find out it doesn't matter."

"What kind of tramps have you been talking with? Who has been filling your head with all that nonsense? Of course it matters! You took vows on your wedding day. They don't just apply to what Bob knows. It's what you do every day, all day, for the rest of your life. You promised to honor him. Do you honor him by messing around with other men? Are you forsaking all others, or just the ones Bob knows about? I raised you better than this, young lady, and I expect you to be the wife you swore to be."

"Mom, you're not talking me out of this. I won't be young forever, and in a few years, Bob will be the only man who wants me. I need to do this while I still can!"

"What you need is to keep your lips to yourself and your knees together unless you're alone with your husband. I am not going to stand for this kind of behavior from one of my daughters and I don't care how old you are, missy! Either you clean up your act or I'll have to treat you like the misbehaving little girl you used to be."

Cathy smirked. That was a mistake because the daughters never smirked at their mother. "What are you going to do, put me over you knee? I'm not a little girl anymore."

"No, you're not, and my knee isn't as strong as it used to be." And with that, Barb nodded to the other women and said, "Girls, you know what to do."

Carol and Gloria each grabbed one of Cathy's arms and began to pull her into the living room. Cathy fought and with a look of sheer determination the two sisters grabbed Cathy under each arm and frog walked her to the middle of the room. Meanwhile, Jennifer had pulled the bench that they used for a coffee table into the middle of the room and swept the surface clear. They laid their sister down on the bench facing the floor and Carol grabbed both her wrists to hold them over Cathy's head. Gloria and Jennifer each took an ankle and before Cathy could do much at all she found herself spread eagle on the bench.

Barb approached her daughter with tears in her eyes. "I've not had to do this for so many years and I had hoped I would never need to do it again. You broke my heart, little girl, but I don't see any choice here. You've behaved like a spoiled little brat and you need to be punished." With that, she flipped Cathy's dress up and grabbed hold of the waistband of Cathy's panties to pulled them down, exposing her bottom to the women.

"No! You wouldn't dare! Mother, I'm a grown woman. You have no right to..."

Cathy didn't have time to finish the sentence. Barb doubled over the belt she had retrieved from behind the sofa and swung it over her head, bringing it down on her daughter's hind section.

SWAT! The sound of belt striking flesh was unmistakable.

Cathy screamed, "Aaiiigh! Momma, no! Don't do this!"

SWAT!

Cathy screamed again and began to convulse with cries and screams, tears running down her face.

SWAT!

"Oooowwww! God, mommy, please stop!"

"Oh, baby, this is hurting me more than it's hurting you."

SWAT!

Cathy was choking on her cries and could no longer form words. Tears poured from her eyes and across her face. She was in pain, but more than that, she was humiliated. Finally, she managed to choke out, "Mommy, please..."

Barb was now crying herself. She was in real pain for what she was doing, but in her mind, there was no choice. She had raised her girls to be upstanding women and this daughter had fallen.

Without saying a word, Barb swung the belt again.

SWAT!

Cathy's cries were nonstop now. She had been reduced to a child again, crying in desperation and shame, pleading for mercy and forgiveness.

When it was over, Cathy had lost all the fight that was in her. She was defeated and lay there on the bench, arms and legs draped to the ground, shaking, tears flowing, her humiliation complete. The sisters gathered the salve and lovingly began to apply the healing cream to their sister's bottom. They were gentle with their hands and there was not a woman in the room who did not have tears in her eyes and across her cheeks. It had been traumatic for everyone, although more so for Cathy and Barb. Barb had thought that she would never again need to discipline one of her children. She had looked forward through those difficult childhood years to the day when she would have an adult relationship with them all and now, she felt her chance to live that life with Cathy was gone. Cathy would never forgive her for what she had done today, but if Cathy put aside the hideous behavior that had started this all then that sacrifice would be worthwhile. The room was quiet as the sisters tended to Cathy's welts now turning red with blood flowing to heal the trauma. In time the skin would heal, but would the heart?

When the sisters could do no more, they gently and cautiously pulled Cathy's panties back into place with a whimper from the patient and another tear from her mother. The room was silent. The sisters wanted to help Cathy off the bench and into a chair, but no one knew if a chair was the right thing to do under the circumstances. They wanted to talk with their sister, but no one knew how to begin.

Cathy slowly climbed off the bench, stood in the middle of the room looking dejected and broken, and finally spoke. "Mommy, I'm sorry. I never meant to disappoint you and I never want to do anything that would hurt Bob. I'm so sorry. Can you forgive me?"

With that simple confession, Barb reached out, put her arms around her daughter, and begged to be forgiven. Barb's own heart was broken. She had reduced her daughter to a crying child begging for her mother's forgiveness and she felt guilt over what she had done.

The women spent the day in conversation that was at first quiet and reflective, each woman describing moments in their own lives that they deeply regretted. It was a time of confession and repentance. Eventually, as each bared their souls and told their stories, their sadness was lifted. Forgiveness and understanding cleansed them all and as the hours passed the laughter came. In time, Cathy was her old self again and the tears she cried were now tears of joy that she had sisters and a mother who would not give up on her. In the harsh light of corporal punishment, she had seen at last how her actions were flirting with the eventual destruction of her marriage. She had risked everything for something of no value. Cathy was ashamed, but she felt loved and began the process of putting her foolishness behind her as her sisters and mother put their arms around her and affirmed their love for her. On Monday she would talk with the suit and put an end to everything. There would be no more lunches, no more kisses or embraces, and most definitely she would never go to that hotel room as they had planned. For Cathy, it was a close call, a near miss, and a save before it was too late. She told her sisters and her mother everything and received redemption in return. She was forgiven as she forgave them because she knew that everything they had done had been out of love. Carol knew that the pain and humiliation she had endured today was nothing compared to what her actions would inflict upon Bob if he ever knew of her behavior. She said a quiet prayer that Bob would never know how close she came to the ultimate act of betrayal and made a new vow never to disrespect him again.

They were still baking when the children arrived home with their fathers, exhausted from their adventures at the zoo and the park. The chocolate chip cookies were ready and quickly consumed with glasses of milk. The carrot cake was cooling and ready for frosting, the cheesecake was in the oven, and the rum raisin apple pie would be served warm after dinner.

The husbands, with the exception of Bob, worried how the day had gone, but would not know the details until after they went home and put the kids to bed. For now, they got only a nod or a wink from their wives and felt relieved. Two of the men cooked burgers and dogs on the grill out back while the others helped with the salads, plates, and such.

Bob noticed a tear in Cathy's eye, walked up behind her and hugged her only to hear a brief, soft whimper from his wife. "Are you okay, babe?"

"Yes, I'm fine... now." Cathy kissed her husband, smiled, and turned back to the work before her. All Bob ever knew was that he had a wife he loved, children that meant everything to him, and a life that any rich man would envy. He had it all and he knew that he would devote his life to his family, seeing that they had whatever they needed. Life was good. It was very, very good. He would never know how close he came that day to losing it all or how he had dodged a bullet that would destroy everything he held so dear.

Cathy wore nightgowns to bed for the next week and was careful to hide her bottom from her husband until the signs of her disgrace were gone. Then, with very little warning and to the great delight of her loving husband, she threw herself at him and left him so exhausted that he was late for work the next day. He didn't complain.

I told you at the start of this story that we never really knew what Cathy was capable of. Looking back, I don't think that's exactly true. What we didn't know was that there was a fear and a pain within her that we didn't understand that drove her to do some things that were out of character for the sister I knew. Without Bob ever knowing, Cathy went to therapy and we made sure to comfort and support her. She got over the fear of growing old that somehow plagued her and she never again considered the mistakes that almost ended her marriage.

*****

Now, I'm no advocate of corporal punishment and when administered I believe the knowledge that the child has disappointed their parents is by far the greatest pain. Still, in desperate times, when the child is behaving especially badly and ignoring all attempts at rational intervention, a parent must do what a parent must do. Like I said, when done properly it is the embarrassment and disappointment that causes the greatest pain. I don't recommend this treatment for errant wives, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Besides, it's just a story, right?

So, a little confession of my own. This began as a radical BTB story about a sister who was a serial cheat. The brothers took matters into their own hands to break the knees of her boy toy only to discover she had another, and then another, and then another. I tried writing that, but it turned into a major crime spree that was too ridiculous to finish. Then I pondered what might be a better solution to a bad girl who was misbehaving, and the result was "Plan B". In hindsight (yes, I said that), I thought this might be more fun.

Last, if you don't know, saying "Mississippi" is how kids count the seconds. It's "One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi..." It can be a habit that stays with you in the years to come.