Switcheroo

***************

"May I sit here?"

I hid my surprise. "Sure" I stood and waved her into the booth, but said at the same time; "You know Lisa and I broke up?"

"Yeah, she told me." She said as she set a drink onto the table and sat down.

"Then aren't you supposed to be shunning me in support of your best friend?" I said as I slid back into my seat.

"Not necessarily. It all depends. She told me that she broke it off with you so that means it could be OK for me to talk with you, unless you are going to tell me YOU dumped HER. Besides, all the tables are full." She beamed the sunny smile that always warms the cockles of my heart.

You know what? I never even knew my heart had cockles before the first time I had seen that smile, let alone the fact that that said cockles weren't already warm enough! Anyway, when she lights up that smile I go all warm and gooey. Yeah. Sappy. I know.

I looked around the crowded deli and noted that all the tables were indeed occupied with people standing and waiting for openings, and then I spoke up as I slid deeper into the high backed booth. "No, it's true enough. She broke it off. She said we weren't compatible, which is also true enough, I suppose. We both knew it was coming, I guess."

"Not compatible! That's not exactly the way she told it to me!" She leaned in closer and lowered her voice so it wouldn't carry beyond the booth. "She told me she called you a pervert."

"She told you that?" I asked, embarrassed.

"Yeah, but if it's any consolation, she also calls me a pervert. I dearly love Lisa but when she was younger she was very involved in a church where the pastor was a controlling misogynistic twit. Unfortunately she bought the whole thing, lock, stock, and barrel. Sex is sinful. It is a duty and isn't to be enjoyed by women, etc. She has only managed to shake off enough to allow herself to be sinful enough to enjoy sex, but not enough to REALLY enjoy sex, despite my best efforts to properly corrupt her. I think you know what I mean."

I half nodded, not sure I really did know what she meant.

"Anyway, since I'm definitely also a pervert by her reckoning, I've been hoping to run across you before you got hooked up with someone else. When I saw your truck parked out there, I had to look around and see if I could find you. I hope you don't mind."

Stupidly, I just shook my head. What? Me mind? Was she coming on to me? The girl of my dreams? I took a sip of my tea to give me a second to try to figure out what was going on here.

She continued very quietly, her eyes never wavering from mine, "I thought you should come to my place and I should give you the spanking you so obviously deserve. And tomorrow is my birthday, so I hoped you'd be willing to give me my birthday spanking, too."

I nearly choked on the tea. It was running down my face and dripping on my shirt. When I was able to breathe again I said, somewhat hoarsely, "She told you about that?! I can't believe she told you about that!" My cock was suddenly rock hard.

"Well, we are best friends; despite her being a bit strait laced while I am definitely not. We tell each other EVERYTHING. So, of course she told me about that, and a bunch of other stuff, besides. Over many months, ever since the beginning of the relationship. I tried to get her to relax and try some of the things she said you suggested but, well, you know Lisa."

I groaned. And blushed. Apparently I didn't know Lisa as well as I had thought.

"Oh, yeah, she told me a whole lot of stuff!" She grinned.

I blushed even deeper and said, "You must think I'm terrible."

"Yup, but not a bad kind of terrible. There was also a tale about a box full of all kinds of kinky toys. Some of them were even very kinky toys!"

When I didn't say anything immediately she added with a wicked grin, "I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours."

"Uh..." My brain was racing a bazillion miles an hour in tiny little circles.

"What about George?"

"Oh, we broke up last weekend." She said airily. "He isn't imaginative enough in bed for me. Kind of the reverse of your problem with Lisa. He was considerate enough and always made sure I got off, but he just has no imagination. My old roomie from college came into town and she and I decided to have some fun in bed. It is something of an understatement to say that George wasn't happy about it, even though he had an invitation to join us."

I nearly choked again.

"Uhum... I might have to impeach George's manhood! I'd have loved to have been a fly on the wall when your roomie was here."

She ignored that and said, "You know, when I heard that you and Lisa had broken up, I called George and told him he should give Lisa a call. I hope you don't mind."

"Uh, why should I mind? If what you say is true, they should be happy together. Lisa and George together make more sense than Lisa and me, anyway. They have a lot more in common."

"So, about that spanking? Those spankings?"

When I hesitated, her face fell and she said, "Or perhaps you'd rather not."

"What? Oh, no, it isn't that at all. I'll go anywhere you want. You can spank me anytime! And I'd be delighted to return the favor. You can peek in my toy box, and I definitely want to see what's in yours." I blushed at bit more and, suddenly realizing where we were, looked around to see if anyone else was listening. "But I'm supposed to be going to help Will, you remember him?"

She nodded.

"Well, he needs my truck to pick up a tool box that won't fit in his car. I was going to pick him up right after lunch and go get it."

"Oh. OK. Well maybe later, then?"

"OK, or we could go now if you'll give me time to drop the truck off and get his car. He doesn't need me, just the truck. I was just going to go along for lack of anything better to do... But suddenly it looks like I do have something much better to do!"

"Sure! Or you could just leave the truck and ride with me if you don't mind risking being stranded with me without your own ride!" A pause "But be careful; I probably have ulterior motives!"

"I think I have cab fare, but I'll risk it whether I do or not." I grinned at her again.

"OK, let's go!"

"What about your lunch?" I asked.

"Oh, I already ate. I told you, I just came in here because I saw your truck and figured you were in here. The drink was camouflage once I saw you were actually in here."

"Did you also arrange for all the tables to be full?" I grinned at her.

"Nah. That was just luck."

We left and she followed me to Will's house. She waited in the car while I knocked on the door and handed Will the spare key to the truck. "Something came up, buddy. It looks like you are on your own. Can you handle it by yourself?"

"Sure" he said, peering at Debra, who waved. "It just wouldn't fit in my car is all. You need my car? No? This looks interesting! Have fun!" he said, with a wink. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Oh, I plan to. Both, I hope! I'll get up with you later about the truck, maybe even tomorrow if things work out, so don't worry about it. Actually, That's the spare key and I may just grab the truck whenever without bothering you and get the key back from you later."

"OK, later then."

I jumped into Debra's car and we grinned at each other like two kids who are getting ready to raid the cookie jar. "Hang on!" and she took off. We rode in silence for a little while until I said, "Um, I'm pretty sure I know where this is headed, but won't you get in trouble with Lisa when she finds out?"

She looked sheepish and said, "Oh, she already knows. That I was going to try to get you to go out with me, I mean. Or, actually, try to get you into bed with me."

"Huh?!!"

"Well," another sheepish look "We've been talking for weeks about how she should have been with George and I should have been with you. She knows what a kinky perverted wench I am. She's told me how uninhibited you are and I've told her how, well, stodgy, George is in bed. Just her style. Besides, they both like to dance half the night while we prefer just a few dances. They just have more in common with each other and we just have more in common with each other. Oh, you know what I mean! You and I spend more time talking and they spend more time talking with each other when we are together than vice versa." Yet another sheepish look. "Uh, I'll take you back to Will's if you want, but we kind of plotted to switch guys after she found your toys. George went with her this weekend."

"What?!!!" She slowed the car and started to turn around. "No, just find somewhere to park." I waved impatiently towards a convenience store. She pulled in and parked out of the way.

She turned to me with an earnest look and said, "Look, she called me, crying, in the middle of the night last Tuesday after she found that box of stuff. I tried to tell her that there really wasn't anything wrong with it, that she should try some of the stuff out, and that she already knew that you would not force her to do anything she didn't want to and would never deliberately hurt her. She said she just couldn't and didn't want to stay with someone who could. I pointed out to her that I not only could but had done some of that stuff and was still her best friend but she said that was different. I hadn't told her about breaking up with George yet so I told her then." She paused; then she went on when I didn't say anything.

"She said 'you did? Then I will too. We might as well be lonely together.' So then we just kind of talked along, you know? And it finally got around to how it was a shame that you guys were getting away when we were both very interested in each other's guys and thought you guys might sorta feel the same way. So we planned to try to do a switcheroo. We even planned what she would say to you, even including calling you a pervert so I could have a quick attention getting way of getting around all the 'but it is my friend' kind of issues. So I called George on Wednesday and told him that Lisa and you had broken up and that he really ought to call her or go see her and that I really wouldn't mind if he went out with her because I thought they would be great together. Lisa didn't think it would be a good idea for her to call you so I told her I would take care of it myself." Another pause. I still didn't say anything.

"So I was going to call you when I got back home, but luckily I noticed your truck parked at the Deli and thought it would be better to see you in person." She paused again and I still didn't say anything.

"So he did and she did and I did and you did and now here we are." She waved her hand around. "But I just couldn't, you know, uh, do all that to you without you knowing first." She was cringing against the door of the car looking very small and vulnerable.

I laughed. No, I didn't laugh, I howled, roared even! I laughed until I had tears in my eyes. I tried to stop and say something, but it just started again. She tried a little smile and I pointed at her and howled again until my face and sides were starting to hurt from laughing so much. She smiled a little more but seemed still unsure of what to make of it. I finally ran down in a string of sniggering chuckles.

"You conniving..." I sniggered again. "You do realize that George and I sorta, kinda discussed the same stuff one night when we were all out at a club. You and Lisa had gone to the bathroom to do whatever it is you ladies do together in there and he said, kind of causally, 'You know, I wonder if we accidentally got the wrong girlfriends, you know, each other's girlfriends. You two do seem to get on well together.' I said, 'yeah, and so do you and Lisa'. I know I thought about it often and I suppose he did, too but we never actually mentioned it again, though there were some knowing looks now and then and we certainly pushed to spend more time together as a foursome. Now you tell me you maneuvered us into exactly what we were thinking about and George and Lisa are off this weekend comforting each other in their joyful misery." I started laughing uncontrollably again.

"So you aren't mad?" she questioned, trying another little smile. Those cockles got warm again.

"Maybe I should be, but, then again, why should I be? You're absolutely right and we all know it. But I should warm your tail with a hairbrush! In fact, I think I will warm your tail with your hairbrush!" I leered at her. "Onward, you conniving wench. Good thing Lisa isn't here, I'd take the hairbrush to her bottom, too, whether she wanted me to or not!"

"Oh, no! Not that! Anything but that! Don't spank me with the hairbrush! I'll be good! I promise!"

"You better be good after all this!"

"Oh, I will, just you wait and see. Uh, you can spank me for Lisa's part, too, sir, since she isn't here. But would you please use your hand too?"

"Count on it."

We rode along in silence for a while, and then I said, "Uh, since we don't know each other's limits, perhaps we should have a safeword. You know what that is?"

"Yes, good idea" She said "though I don't expect to need to use it. How about 'safeword' as the safeword."

"OK. And if it gets used, everything stops."

"Righto. So who gets spanked first, mister?"

"Me, of course" I said, "You made the first offer, after all. Besides I don't want risk your getting revenge for your richly deserved whuppin', missy. You ain't gonna be sittin' down for a week."

"Ain't skeered of you none!" was her tart rejoinder.

"You should be; you should be..."

"Soooooooo" I said after a little while, "What kinds of spankings do you like, little lady? Daddy spanks his little girl, headmaster spanks the recalcitrant student, Boss and the secretary, dirty old uncle spanks the pretty niece while he takes advantage of her helpless position, just a fun birthday spanking or something else?" Little lady, by the way, was a figure of speech. She wasn't little, being only fractionally shorter than I was. She wasn't fat but all the curves were properly padded. Luscious. I was beginning to feel pretty certain that she might not be a lady, either. At least not all the time; not in private.

"Oooo, I like any dirty old man scenario, you know, he spanks me, and then takes advantage of my subservient position and enhanced sexual excitement and does naughty wonderful things to me, orgasms, lots and lots of orgasms." She gave me a really wicked grin. "But daddy can spank me, too. So can the school principal and the uncle and the boss, all together or one at a time, as long as they get horny doing it and take advantage of my helpless situation. It used to drive me crazy when Lisa would tell me about how you wanted to play spanking games. I was incredibly jealous. I really, really tried to get her to try it. I love spanking! I never could get George to do it. How about you? What is your preference? What kind of spankings do you like?"

"Oh, and here I thought all along that you were a lady! Guess I was wrong!"

"Hey! I am a lady sometimes! Just not often and you have to be quick to catch me at it."

"OK. So I'll try to catch you at it, but I probably won't try very hard. Let's see. I guess we are birds of a feather. I go for the power exchange kind of thing. Um, anything that puts me in a position where it is a choice of taking the spanking or the alternative is worse in some way. Doesn't even have to be really believable or even stated, I guess. In fact it really doesn't need a reason at all, just a get over here, Bub, and get over my lap. But I'm the horny ending type, too! Um, might be silly but I like to ham it up, play acting, y'know?"

"Now that sounds like fun!...............Do you always prefer being over the knee?"

"Oh, no. I, uh, like some toys to be used that don't work well over a lap. You know? Too long, lap is too close. But I do like to be over something. Maybe I'm lazy, but the bend over and grab your ankles just doesn't do much for me. I actually built a spanking bench one miserable winter weekend when I was bored and horny. It never got used, though."

"Really? I'd like to see that, too! Um, but I like the lap and the bare hand. Just seems more personal and loving I guess."

"You want me to skip the hairbrush?"

"Um, no. The hand is just the, uh, core, so to speak. I want to try anything and everything."

"You've never been spanked before?"

"Yeah, my roomie knew all about it and would occasionally do fairly elaborate scenarios, uh, sometimes with costumes and play acting and all that. A couple of guys have given me birthday spankings, too, but nothing fancy or lasting. One of them played at spanking at other times, too, but he wasn't really that much into it. Just did it because he knew I liked it. George just plain wasn't interested."

"Mmmm. I've gotten spankings from several girlfriends along the way. But none of them were really into play acting scenarios. They would just spank me occasionally. When I would get into the mood for a spanking I'd just ask and they'd do it. I'd kind of fantasize the scenario without actually playing it."

"Well, time for a fantasy to be realized, then!......We're here. SO GET YOUR ASS INTO THE HOUSE MISTER! YOU ARE IN A HEAP OF TROUBLE AND I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE YOU REGRET IT! IT'S A BARE BOTTOM SPANKING FOR YOU, FOR SURE!"

I looked properly downcast and said, "Yes'm. I didn't mean it. It was an accident!"

"ACCIDENT MY ASS! And you are going to pay for it with YOUR ASS!"

"But, but spankings are for kids!"

"No ifs ands or buts! Do you know what I had to go through to keep you out of REAL trouble? You acted like a kid and now you'll pay the price like a kid! DO YOU HEAR ME?! OR YOU CAN JUST GO BACK AND FACE THE REAL MUSIC!"

Wow! She really got into this! I was impressed with her acting; it was like something had really happened. "Uh, no. But do you really have to give me a spanking? You could ground me or make me do the dishes for a week or something? Yes?"

"Nope. I'm going to blister your bare bottom for you! You'll remember it for a loooong time. NOW GET IN HERE!" She stepped into her living room, walked over in front of the sofa, and turned to face me. "Strip!"

"Huh?"

"I said STRIP!... COMPLETELY!... NAKED!... RIGHT NOW!"

"NO WAY! Taking all my clothes wasn't part of the deal! You said bare bottom! You didn't say anything about NAKED!"

"OK, then" she turned to sit on the sofa "get across my lap, I'll take you pants down myself."

Hey wait! I thought. That wasn't supposed to happen. She had obviously taken me seriously!

"Wait! Pause! I'm stepping out of character for a moment." I brought my arm down in front of my body, made a kind of fake electronic "vrrrrmmmmph" sound as I took a big step straight to one side, grinned at her and then said, "Something else is needed here. We don't have any experience with each other. I propose another 'safe' word, like, uh, maybe yellow alert... or just yellow. Yeah, maybe yellow." I thought out loud, "It'll be like a milder safeword. It won't stop things, but will give a chance to express reservations or limits within the play. It means... It means don't stop the action, just hold or back it up half a step but what is said after it is used isn't just part of the play. It is like a discussion of how the play may continue or change directions or whatever is causing the user to raise caution flags."

"I'm not sure I understand." She said.

"Well, like just now, we were both acting a part. But you don't know if I meant 'no don't do that' or if it was just part of the game. I've never play acted like this before, but how do you know if no means no or if no means I'm still playing the role and it doesn't really mean no? Yellow, or some other word, if you prefer, just gives the opportunity to sort it out on the fly without having to use 'safeword' and actually stopping everything. No yellow; then it is part of the game. Use the word yellow; what ever follows isn't acting but rather is instructions or limits concerning what is going on at the time but don't want