"Harriet," he said, sternly, "this concerns you."

My heart leaped in my mouth. It concerned me? What could it be? With a lurch, a wave of sickness passed over me as I realised what it would be: it must be from Sue.

"It's from Sue, down the road," he confirmed. "She appears not to be very happy with you. 'Dear Sir,' he began to read, 'I hope you won't mind me writing like this, but I feel I ought to let you know how disappointed I was with your slave girl, Harriet, yesterday. I suspect her behaviour might not be to your satisfaction, and felt you would want to know that she had misbehaved. The slave told me of your instructions: that she was forbidden to touch anyone else, or be touched, but that otherwise she should act as requested. Sadly, she didn't obey this instruction.'" My Master paused and looked at me coldly.

"'At first,'" he continued, "'she did as she was told, and did a pretty dance for us. However, when we requested that she pleasure herself for us, she declined and ran from the house. I feel sure you would want to know this, and expect you will take appropriate action. Yours, Sue Thomson.'" My Master stopped reading and looked up at me. "Well?"

"But, Master, it wasn't as simple as that 3;"

"Did you refuse her instruction?"

"Yes, but 3;"

"There are no buts, Harriet. You refused her instruction? And ran from the house?"

"Yes, Master, I did." I looked downcast. I was not going to be allowed to explain.

"Phone her now and ask her to come round, please."

This was awful. I didn't trust that woman at all, and hated her with a passion. But I was going to have to obey: my Master had willed it, so it had to be done. With heavy heart, I checked her number in the book and began to dial.

"Sue?" I squeaked, the nerves affecting my voice. She confirmed it was. "It's Harriet here. I wonder, that is my 3; my Master would like you to come round please. With reference to your note."

I could hear the triumph in her voice. "Certainly, bitch.'" she snapped venomously. "It'll be an absolute pleasure. Two minutes."

And so, a couple of minutes later, I opened the door to this hideous woman and ushered her in.

"I gather," my Master began, after he and Sue had seated themselves, "that you are displeased with Harriet. She failed to act on a request from you?"

"Correct," she replied, staring at me contemptuously. I stood beside them, hands behind my back and head raised, as instructed by my Master. "A simple request to show her appreciation for the attention we had lavished on her by pleasuring herself. My friend and I felt quite slighted. As, I'm sure, sir, do you." That was a sneaky comment, barbed, vicious.

"Indeed. It is a sad state of affairs. It's the first time I've ever known Harriet disobey an instruction. I'm most disappointed in her." He looked at me, his eyes echoing his words. "What to do?" he continued. "She'll have to be punished, of course."

I caught my breath.

"Would you prefer me to administer it, or would you like to?" he asked her.

A look of sheer triumph crossed her face. "Oh, I think, if you don't mind, that I would very much like to administer it myself."

"Very well. Harriet, undress. Completely."

Like an automaton, I began to unbutton my blouse. I slid off my skirt and stood before them in bra and panties. Without pausing, I divested myself of them, and waited, naked.

"How would you like to do this?" my Master asked. "Over the knee?"

Sue paused for a moment, reflecting. "No, I don't think so. I'd like her standing. Here, in front of the window, I think. And bending, holding her ankles. I'd like to use a slipper, if that's okay with you?"

I couldn't believe this. Standing in front of the window, in full view of the close, bent double, with everything completely exposed, and spanked with a slipper. My Master seldom used anything on me but his hand.

"Certainly," my Master replied. "Whatever you think best." My heart sank. "Harriet, you heard Sue."

I crossed the floor and stood before the window. Standing with my legs slightly apart I bent forward and gripped my hands around each ankle. I could feel my arse cheeks wide apart, and knew that everything was cruelly exposed. I felt totally humiliated.

My Master left the room and returned with a slipper. "Twenty will be appropriate," he said. "Harriet will count the number."

Sue hit me for the first time. It was not well timed, but still caught me hard on the left buttock, releasing an excrutiating burst of pain. "One, thank you, ma'am," I counted. She hit again, and again. Her blows were exceptionally hard, much harder than my Master inflicted on me unless I had seriously misbehaved. They shuddered through me, sending lightning darts of pain shivering throughout my body in the instant they fell, to be replaced with a dull, aching, generalised pain where the slipper landed. This pain lingered, gradually gaining in intensity, until my bum was a throbbing mass of pain.

"Four, thank you ma'am, five, thank you ma'am," I counted, as she landed her slipper on me. Until now, each blow had hit alternate cheeks, but I will remember the sixth till the day I die. As I stood, bent over, awaiting the next blow, I tried to guess where it might land. Never in my wildest nightmares did I expect it to hit home where it did: with a lancing, all-consuming explosion of pain, her slipper fell square on my exposed pussy. The agony of it tore through me and I shreiked manically. Nearly toppling over, I struggled to contain myself. I knew if I raised my hand to touch my aching bottom my Master would start all over again. Through gritted teeth, eyes blinded with tears, I continued my mournful count: "six, thank you ma'am."

On and on it went, this torture, the pain ripping through me, taking over all my senses. Sue rained her blows far and wide across my bruised bottom and thighs. I think two more landed directly on my pussy, but by now the pain was so all-conquering I had difficulty telling exactly where I was being bit. By the end, I was numbed with pain and almost faint. "Nineteen, thank you ma'am, twenty, thank you ma'am," I finished, and waited, relief coursing through me, for the instruction that my pain was over.

"That'll do, Harriet," my Master said. "You may stand." Slowly, agonisingly, I stood and stretched my aching back. My backside was throbbing but I knew I daren't touch it.

"Do you think that has taught you a lesson?" my Master asked. I nodded. "Good," he replied. "Sue, perhaps, you'd like to issue your request again?"

"Oh, I would, yes. Slave, pleasure yourself for me now."