Moving to the side, Austin helped Sally pull her pants up, stealing a kiss on her mons as he knelt before her, tugging the reluctant panties and jeans over her stinging bottom. Sally looked down, smiling at his sensuous gesture, and bear-hugged him when he stood up, whispering in his ear.

“I can’t wait for you to take me home and fuck me silly! I might even like another naughty little spanking!”

“My thoughts exactly,” he agreed, “but we should say goodbye to our new friends. I think we’ll see them here again, don’t you?”

“Definitely!”

They were sitting with Carrie and Mark talking about this time and those coming when another person sat next to Austin, who wasn’t initially noticed, but with shock when she was.

“Deidre!?” Austin cried.

“Oh my God! What’re you doing …” Sally added, suddenly feeling more exposed than she had all night.

“Relax, you two! I’m here for the same reason you are!” she replied to faces with mouths still open in shock. “I’ve been a member here for a couple of years! Hey, Carrie! Has Mark already been dealt with?”

“Yes, Deidre, but I think he might need a bit of paddling before we leave. Apparently, you know Sally and Austin?”

“Yes, in another context, of course,” she said without exposing them as work colleagues. “I’m as surprised to find them here as they are me!” she partially lied. Knowing what she knew about them, it was logical that they’d find this bit of spanking heaven the same as she had.

“You’re into … you know, spanking?!” Sally asked, realizing too late how ridiculous her question sounded in their present surroundings.

“Uh-huh,” she replied simply, still smiling at the stunned looks that remained on her co-worker’s faces.

“I’m sorry, Deidre,” Austin started, “I know we shouldn’t act so shocked, especially given your comments about Sally’s writing. It makes sense now.”

“Thank you, Austin. As you can see from the growing crowd, you two don’t have a monopoly on adult spanking, but your confusion isn’t uncommon for first-time attendees here. And then to find someone you know outside these walls only adds to it, doesn’t it?” she replied, making it sound like she felt the same way. She always planned to tell them of her voyeuristic observation of their office play, but hadn’t yet found the right time or place, and decided this wasn’t it either.

“I’m sorry, too, Deidre,” Sally said. “Is your husband here?”

“No. He knows I’m here, but … that’s a complicated story for another time. I have a play friend I meet here regularly, and if I’m not mistaken, we’re up next!”

Though they’d managed to bring their visible confusion under control, inside, they were both still reeling for several reasons. First, of course, was the fact that someone else now knew their secret, and while that was comforting amongst strangers, with someone they knew, it was a different, disconcerting feeling.

The other reasons all centered around learning Deidre’s secret. All they knew about her personal life before was that she was married for quite a few years and had no children. Now, here she was, proudly proclaiming a similar interest in their fetish and about to demonstrate that openly without thought of their work relationship. That she was wearing only light blue, lacy panties and a matching bra in their presence was low on the ‘shocking’ list.

“Deidre and Paul!” Jewel called out to the much larger crowd.

“That’s me! Wish me luck! Paul has promised to blister my backside tonight!” she confessed excitedly.

Not sure if they wanted to leave any longer, but they certainly couldn’t now, with the ultimate proof of this astounding coincidence about to be given.

Paul, an older man than Deidre, was dragging her by the wrist to the chair, with her pulling back in pretend protest. Taking the chair, she was immediately pulled forcefully onto his lap, and the spanking began in earnest. The sight was so compelling that they barely paid any attention to his continued scolding of his ‘naughty little girl,’ whose bottom he promised would be severely spanked. Deidre protested the extreme pain authentically, begging her ‘daddy’ to stop, leaving no doubt that the pain was real, but it was the sight of someone they knew doing what they loved that kept their attention.

Progressing from panties to bare bottom to the hairbrush, it was the most severe they’d seen tonight. Though it seemed to be over quickly for them, they were still dumbfounded when Deidre rejoined them, rubbing her still-bare bottom furiously, with Paul in tow.

“Wow, Deidre!” they said almost in unison.

“Yeah! Wow!” she said, still rubbing, with her face screwed up in agony. “He really did me in with the hairbrush! Oh, this is Paul, by the way,” she said, “Paul, Sally and Austin.”

“Nice to meet you,” he said to their again-incredulous faces. To be politely introduced to him after what they’d witnessed seemed absurd.

“Are you okay, Deidre?” Sally asked genuinely. She’d never received, nor did she want to receive, twenty minutes of nearly non-stop punishment-level spanking. “Oh my God!” she cried when Deidre turned to show her flaming red cheeks with darker red patches, shiny and oozing.

“What? I told you he was going to blister my bottom!” she said as though no other explanation was needed.

“Yeah, but I thought that was just … I don’t know, exaggerating? Bragging?”

“No. That was real! Paul was punishing me, and I deserved it!” she said, and after seeing another question in their eyes, she added, “I can’t tell you why. Not yet, at least. Besides, he’ll get his next time!” She chuckled at their naïve reaction, not tiring of startling them. “I’m a switch! We take turns over each other’s knees. Paul likes the paddle and strap after a suitable warmup. Anyway, you’ll have to excuse us. Paul needs to rub some Arnica cream on my naughty bottom! See you at work?”

“Oh. Um. Yeah, see you at work!” Sally said, answering for the still too-stunned-to-speak Austin.

Carrie and Mark, having witnessed this whole exchange and similarly brutal sessions with Deidre, were smiling gently at their new friends. They recalled the first time they’d seen someone getting so severely spanked, and, at the time, it scared them enough to stop coming a couple of times.

“That’s probably about as extreme as you’ll see at this event. You toured the whole club before, right?” Carrie asked and continued when they both nodded. “Then you know that’s not so intense compared to what else goes on here?”

“Yeah, but …” Sally started but struggled for words. “It just makes you wonder if we’ll all get there someday. You know, over time? Do you find you need more and more pain to continue enjoying it?”

“Mark and I haven’t, and he’s been going over my knee for many years before this club even existed. Only once did we even approach that level of pain, and we both agreed not to do it again.” Sally was unconvinced. “Look, you keep it fun by adding new positions, new toys, trying new excuses and places, and even if you do get there, it’ll be because you both want it, right? That level of trust is a requirement for this naughty game we play!”

Sally looked at Austin and smiled. Yes, she trusted him and leaned over to give him a loving kiss to tell him so.

“Thank you, Carrie. And thank you, too, Mark! You’ve been so welcoming. You really helped ease our fears!” Sally said as she rose to leave, Austin following her lead.

“You’re welcome! See you next time? It’s three weeks from now!”

“I think you will,” Austin replied, speaking for the first time in a while.

“Yes, I think we’ll be here! Bye for now?” Sally added.

They left the club in silence, overwhelmed on so many levels, and it continued for the first few miles of their drive. They both appreciated the cool, sobering air flowing through the car with the top down on Austin’s convertible.

When they finally did speak, their conversation consisted only of recalling the many remarkable experiences they’d had the whole evening. Their contribution to the evening, having been overshadowed by the astonishing display by Deidre and Paul, left them no longer as horny as they had been before but still in need of each other’s love.

After putting aside that extreme performance, Sally was able to revisit what she had done with pride, primarily as a result of them breaking down the barriers they’d feared from such exposure and the welcoming appreciation of a bunch of people she hoped would become good friends.

Austin had a similar mindset, and, proud of his beautiful girlfriend’s rise to the challenge, he nurtured thoughts of love for her. Sure, he loved being with her in whatever manner, but he began to regard their relationship more seriously, while any thoughts of being without her left him utterly cheerless.

Mixed in with all these deep musings was a nagging thought about Carrie spanking Mark that increased with Deidre’s description of her arrangement with Paul. He’d nearly dismissed the idea after Carrie’s performance, knowing that Sally wouldn’t want that; almost but not entirely forgotten. The idea was revived with Deidre’s arrangement with Paul since they’d both give and receive. Just an inkling of interest made him wonder if he’d like to be on the receiving end.

He drove slower than usual, but it was a healing time as they came to grips with all that had happened. When Sally looked over at him, her smile distracted his attention from driving, and he placed his hand on hers, resting on the console. They spent the remainder of the drive thinking about what they wanted to do when they got to Austin’s home, and not surprisingly, their ideas were quite similar.

They walked hand in hand to his door, and once inside, they fell into each other’s arms, kissing tenderly at first, but the passion grew, and soon, he was undressing her. Slowly and seductively, each button, clasp, and zipper was opened with his lips and tongue tasting every newly exposed bit of flesh, leaving Sally a sighing, squirming mess.

Finally naked, his hands found her cheeks still stinging deliciously and pulled her fragrant puss to his mouth, his tongue gently plying her pretty flower about to bloom for him.

“Oh, Austin! I love when you do that!” she gushed when his mouth covered her tasty wet lips while his tongue poked and prodded her slit until, concentrating on her clit, she came. Her body quivered as her hands pressed his face against her until the quivers became quakes, and whether it was a continuation of the first climax or a new one didn’t matter. She was thankful for his supporting hands that gently cradled the cheeks she’d let everyone see tonight.

Austin stood, scooped her into his arms, and tried to walk to the bedroom, but with her arms around his neck and lips kissing his neck, ears, and cheeks, he had to proceed carefully to avoid an unwanted stumble. He laid her on the bed, but she sat up, wanting to undress him in a manner similar to what he’d done for her.

His chest was the first to be exposed, and he drew a sharp breath when her lips nibbled on his nipples a bit more roughly than he was used to from her. His shoes and pants were dispensed with just to get them out of the way, but when it came to his briefs, she licked the tip of his cock, peeking above the elastic waist while caressing his cute butt.

Her hands slipped into the waistband in back and pulled them down just far enough for his cock to pop out, the tip falling into her waiting mouth, while her hands squeezed his cheeks hard enough to hurt.

“Oh God!” he said aloud.

Sally took it as appreciation for her tongue on the tip of his hard cock, but it was actually an involuntary reaction to the memory of Mark and Paul getting spanked over the knees of their women. He realized he’d forgotten Tom, who’d also been punished by his partner for the mutual enjoyment of them and the crowd. The image disappeared as quickly as it came but left him with an unsettling thought, and Sally’s continued manhandling of his ass only made it worse. Or was it better?

Given all they’d seen and done, it wasn’t long before she was sucking down every last drop of salty seed, her hands still clutching his cheeks. She loved the shivers that passed through his body when she continued licking his shrinking dick.

When she stood, they were finally two naked bodies seeking as much contact as possible. Austin put a leg between hers, pressing his thigh into her crotch while she wrapped her leg around his, pulling him in tighter. Her tits were flattened against his chest while four hands roamed all over, teasing and prodding.

“Oh God, Austin! I want you to love me!” she begged and added after a pause, “but I want you to fuck me too!” It was a demand, not a wish, and he felt the same way.

Again, he lifted her and laid her on the bed, this time on her back, and he was beside her in a flash. Their bodies continued melting into the other’s as no place was safe from fingers and tongues. Sally gasped with a nipple in his mouth and fingers curled deep in her cunt while her fingers, entwined in his hair, pressed each tit into his welcoming mouth. Austin jerked when a finger found his anus, rimming and poking at the tight closure.

“Fuck me! Please!” she demanded as she shifted her body to have him between her legs.

Rising above her, he was about to reach for his swaying cock, but she beat him to it, pulling on it to get the tip in, then using her hands on his ass to push him in while she rolled her hips up for better alignment. They fit perfectly, and soon, their hips were doing all the work, sliding together like a well-oiled machine.

He could feel her body trembling when she came, proud of his accomplishment, knowing she’d cum again before he did, but enjoying the feeling of her body’s response.

“Me on top? Please?” she pleaded as she wrapped her arms around him and rolled over. She smiled through her bitten lip as her hips rose and fell on his vertical shaft. “Oh, it feels so good, Sweetie!” she sighed with long, slow strokes.

He loved having her on top, watching her lithe body move so sensuously and her pert tits jiggling when he’d thrust hard up into her. Her hands were on his chest, sometimes just pressing hard with the effort, and others gripping and pinching his nips. When she moved her hands down beside his chest, she leaned closer to whisper in his ear.

“Spank me! Make me cum while you spank me!” she asked with a voice that alone almost had him cumming. “Oh yeah!” she cried as each hand claimed a still-warm cheek, spanking somewhere between playful and real. “Oh! God! Yeah! Do it!” she cried in a continuous stream of lustful gasps as she reacted to each smack and thrust that drove him closer as well.

He pulled her torso down on top of him, just wanting to feel her body against his while his hand kept her bottom warm. Short kisses between labored breaths ensued, and moments later, they were cumming together, each wanting to say something more but afraid to be the first.

“Oh my, Austin! What an incredible night!” she said as they lay face to face on their sides while soothing fingers wandered.

“Yeah! It would’ve been forever memorable after our first time in the chair, but then the second time, Deidre and Paul, switching, and then just you and me here, together, inseparable. It was all amazing, but this … this was so much more. You are so much more, Sally!” he said, feeling the itch of tears in his eyes. “I don’t know … know what else to say!”

“Try?” she urged, hoping he was thinking the same. Their eyes danced as they sought the courage to continue.

“It’s hard. I’m afr … afraid you’ll take it wrong,” he said.

“I won’t!” she promised, dying to hear the words she now knew he was going to say.

“This whole night has been unbelievable. I know how much courage and trust you had in me to do what we did. It sounds silly, like I’m talking to a kid who’s just done his first school play, but I was so proud of you, not just for what we did in the chair, but the whole time with new surroundings, new and old friends. And then … this!” A tear ran down his cheek, and Sally wiped it away with a sad smile. “You are the most wonderful woman I’ve ever met, Sally, and it’s not just because of what we did tonight but of what we are together! I … I love you! I love you, Sally!”

“Oh, Austin! Sweetie! I love you too! So much!” she cried with tears that started moments earlier, now streaming down her face. They instinctively pulled together in a tender, faithful hug. 

“I didn’t want you to think it was just a reaction to the sexy things we’ve done!” he defended needlessly.

“I know! I know you would never do that! I know that I’ve never known a man half as caring, generous, and honest as you. And I know that your love is as real as mine!”

“I love you, Sally!”

“And I you, Austin!”

Another time, such an incredibly sexual night would have continued with many more expressions of their lust for each other, but tonight, they had all they needed, just being together. They’d spent whole nights in each other’s beds but never with the love and comfort they felt tonight, and they slept better than ever in each other’s arms.

Monday morning, they woke to the alarm in Sally’s bed, this time, the first time before a work day. They went about their daily rituals of getting ready for work, but the presence, loving touches, and gestures made them anything but routine.

They’d risen early enough to have time for breakfast at their favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurant and were nearly done when Sally let out a sudden, deep sigh. Austin’s ‘what’s wrong’ look prompted her reply.

“Deidre! We’re going to see her again! Have to face her!”

“I’ve been thinking that too, but I don’t think we have anything to worry about. It’s not like she caught us doing something she wasn’t doing herself. Do you think she’s gonna tell somebody? Hold it against us in some way? I don’t know what she’ll actually do if anything, but I don’t see it as a problem.”

Sally smiled at the wisdom of the man she now loved and trusted implicitly.

They went into the office together hand-in-hand, not trying to hide their relationship any longer, but unaware that nearly everybody in their office knew already.

They arrived early and were surprised to find Deidre waiting for them. Sally’s nerves shot up while Austin was calm and greeted her warmly.

“Good morning to you, too!” she replied, then continued in a low, conspiratorial voice. “Listen, I thought you might be nervous, given what we know about each other now, but I want you to know you have nothing to fear. I hope you realize I don’t want to be outed for our fun fetish any more than you do, okay? It’s not like we’re going to do anything here! Right?” she asked with a smile and raised eyebrows. When their faces fell from the suggestion, she added with a laugh, “It’s okay. I know about that, too!”

“You know about …?” Sally started.

“Relax! Your secret’s safe. I’ll tell you more on Wednesday when I hope to have good news for you both! You’re gonna love it!” she said as she left their area and disappeared.

“Austin! She knows!”

“Yeah. Didn’t expect that, but I don’t think it changes anything. She’s as much at risk of exposure as we are.”

“But we could get fired for what we were doing here!”

“I don’t think so. Even if it became known. We’ve proven our worth to the company recently. It wouldn’t be more than a slap on the wrist and a promise not to do it again.”

“I hope you’re right!”

“I am, Love!” he said before a tender kiss.

“Ooo! ‘Love!’ I like that better than ‘Baby.”

“I do, too, because I love you!”

“I love hearing you say that! And I love you too!” she added, returning the kiss.

The next couple of days were uneventful, apart from the effect their newly declared love had on them while they worked. Smiles, kisses, and hugs were frequent, and they made no effort to conceal them, though, to their knowledge, nobody had seen them.

It was the middle of the morning on Wednesday when they got a meeting invitation from Deidre titled ‘Celebration’ for dinner at a fancy steakhouse they’d never been to. The invitation looked like it would be just the three of them, which, despite the harmless title, had them a little worried again. Austin held to his belief that there was nothing to worry about, but still thought it a bit odd.

The maitre’d ushered them to the table already occupied by Deidre alone with an open bottle of red wine and three glasses.

“There’s my favorite naughty kids!” she said with a laugh as she got up and hugged them both. “Sit! Wine?”

“Yes, please,” they answered in perfect unison, smiling at each other.

“What are we celebrating?” Sally asked.

“A toast first!” she replied, holding up her glass. “To the best marketing team at PWM!” Glasses clinked, and sips taken, she continued, “It’s been three weeks since the last update we did, and the sales are growing every day. Mike told me today that there’s never been such an instant response to a change in marketing direction. It’s one of the most successful campaigns ever!” she declared, a little surprised at the lack of response from them. “And you deserve the lion’s share of the credit! Between your initial idea to make the approach more playful than punishing, your analysis to prove the point, and revamping all the product descriptions, we’ve made this an enormous success!”

“Oh! Wow! Thank you!” Sally said proudly.

“Yeah, thank you,” Austin chimed in, “I’m happy to see Sally getting the credit she deserves!”

“You were part of it, too, Austin! Sure, it was Sally’s initial idea, but you took a couple of clever looks at the data that helped direct the campaign!”

“She’s right, Austin! I couldn’t have done it without you!” Sally said with an adoring look that even a stranger would understand.

“Go ahead! I know you want to kiss each other!” Deidre said, smiling like a proud mother, when they fell into each other’s arms. “You know everyone knows about you two, don’t you?” she asked, chuckling at their guilty faces again. “They know you’ve become quite fond of each other, not your Saturday shenanigans,” she said with an impish smile. “Like I said, I know about that too!” She could feel the mood swing and decided to get the whole thing out of the way.

“Okay, let me explain. I suspected something after that first Saturday, and the rueful look on your face when I suggested you keep the paddles pretty much confirmed it. I set you up for the next time, giving you an extra day to do the ‘work,’ expecting you to prefer Saturday, and when you did, I decided to do a little spying.”

“You saw us?” Sally said with alarm.

“No, but I heard you, and that was enough.”

“That sound we heard. That was you, wasn’t it?” Austin recalled.

“Yeah, that was me trying to bend my not-so-young body under the corner desk. I held my breath while you went into the hallway to reconnoiter. I thought you had me then. I stayed until you took a break, and then I snuck out to the ladies’ room while you did your sweep, Austin. Anyway,” she continued after a pause, “I’m sorry. Really, I am. But I didn’t do it just to spy on you. I had a reason, a business reason, for wanting to know. Trust me on that for a few minutes, okay? By the way, that’s what Paul punished me for at the club.”

They didn’t know what to think. At first, it was a grand celebration, but now, discovering her subterfuge, they weren’t so pleased with themselves or Deidre. Their faces showed all the skepticism they felt.

“I have some other good news for you. Based on the success of this campaign, Mike has authorized me to offer you a promotion to be part of a brand-new team of just the three of us. We will own the ‘Better Impacts’ line, do all the research and marketing to further its success, and get a commission based on improvement in sales!” Their faces lit up slightly, but not as much as she expected.

“How exactly will we work together?” Austin asked.

“Pretty much the same as we have been, except that it’s just us; we make the decisions and reap the benefits of our efforts! And you both get a fifteen percent raise as well!”

“This is all on the level?” he asked, showing interest but still wary.

“I promise. It will be announced at a celebratory luncheon on Friday. If you accept, that is.”

“Austin and I enjoy working together,” Sally said.

“You can move, if you want, to a nicer area or stay where you are, but you’ll still work side-by-side!” They were starting to accept it with small smiles. “Look. I’m sorry about spying on you, but knowing what we know about each other, does it really matter that much? If I’d seen you at the club first, I wouldn’t have had to do the other! Tell you what … you can both punish me at the next Open Chair!” she offered sincerely, hoping they’d take her up on it, but for now, she was happy they laughed along with her.

“You said you had a reason and implied that you ‘had to’ do it. Why?” Austin asked, his skepticism returning.

“Okay. First, I want you to know that what I’m about to say has nothing to do with your promotions. You can turn this idea down, and it won’t change a thing. Okay?” They nodded, and she could see their defenses slowly falling. “Okay. After the first batch of products, the paddles were such a success, I had an idea that I ran by Mike. I suggested that videos of the products in use in the manner of Sally’s concept would make them sell even better. I imagined a couple spanking, paddling, and strapping in a somewhat playful way, using a less threatening surrounding, portraying it as an enjoyable activity.”

“So, you wanted … want us to be that couple?” the astute Austin guessed.