Eyes of Dominance

“It’s bullshit, right? I hate my life…” Lindsey complained from across the apartment.

Christian smiled sympathetically from his seat in the living room, the novel he was formerly engrossed with not ten minutes ago sat forgotten on the cushion next to him. The moment his roommate had bursted from her room, flinging clothes and curses, it was impossible to focus on anything else. Not that he particularly minded.

“My condolences” he called to her, just down the hall. “But you really don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”

Lindsey peered around the corner. Christian could see the tangled mess of clothes fresh out the dryer piled in her arms.

“Yeah… but Mark really wants me to go. Not like he’ll pay attention to me with his friends there, but it is what it is” she vented.

His smile softened in sympathy. “My condolences for that too.”

Lindsey shrugged dejectedly and disappeared again, her footsteps retreating to her room. 

Christian sighed and stood up, making his way over to the kitchen. He reached into the cupboard, his hand pausing halfway into its depths as his eyes panned towards the sink. His full collection of coffee mugs sat stacked in the corner of the sink, as they had all day, and the day before. He rubbed the bridge of his nose in mild irritation before leaning back against the counter. He heard a door close down the hall, and Lindsey appeared after a few moments, finally changed after putting it off for a half hour.

“You good, bro?” she asked, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge.

“Yeah, just suffering from coffee withdraws” he joked. “My mugs have been sitting in the sink for two days now. I would throw them in the dishwasher, except… you know.”

“I’ll do it later” she waved dismissively. “You can wash them out by hand if you really need them. Or… you can just empty the dishwasher yourself…”

“If i continue to do it for you, then what’s the point of dividing the chores again?” he sighed. 

“Yeah yeah, later” she repeated. 

He arched an eyebrow at her from across the room. “How about the washer and dryer, then? Because I’ve been waiting on that all day too.”

Lindsey sighed dramatically and gave him an accusatory look. “I just got my stuff from the dryer. Washer’s gonna have to wait until later too. Dude, you know how forgetful I get with that stuff. It’s not like you’re much better.”

“I used to not be” he corrected her. “But one of us had to pick up the slack when I moved in.”

She smiled. “Then it’s not a problem, is it?” She waved her hand again. “I don’t have time right now, I’ll do it when I get back. Don’t be a dick.”

Christian sighed and let it drop. It was not worth getting goaded into a fight over. 

“So what’s the gameplan again?” he changed the subject back to her plans.

“We’re gonna meet up at his place first, go out for drinks and head back to hang out after." She sighed deeply, then gave him an inquisitive glance. "You sure you don’t wanna come? At least you’d keep me company.”

Her smiled sardonically. “Isn’t that what your boyfriend’s for?”

She rolled her eyes as she took a swig of her water. “You’d think…”

“Well, I’m gonna have to pass. I’ve got work tomorrow, so it’s probably not a good idea to be drinking. And it’d be a bit awkward hanging out with you guys without being invited.”

Lindsey smiled evilly. “Y'know, you don't have to make excuses. If you just want some alone time to jerk off to that weird ass porn of yours, you could just say so. But suit yourself.”

Before he could find a retort, she took a quick glance at the nearby clock. “Shit, I really gotta leave. Probably gonna spend the night over there, but we’ll see. Don’t wait up for me.”

He glowered at her for a moment, but raised a hand in a mock wave. “Have fun. Try not to raise too much hell.”

Lindsey rolled her eyes at him with a smile and hurried out the door. A sudden quiet washed over the apartment, much like the calm in the aftermath of a storm. But Christian couldn’t help but miss the chaos a bit. He sat against the counter, debating what to do with the remainder of his night. He could return to his book, but his coffee cravings were really starting to get to him, and he didn’t want to go another morning without it. 

He looked back over to the sink. It would be categorically unfair to him to do her chores, again, but he doubted they would be done by tomorrow, or even the next day at this rate. With a sigh, he opened the dishwasher and started to put its contents away. If he ran the machine before bed, at least he would have a cup ready in the morning.

The amount of shit I let her get away with, he chided himself. It had been this way since they had met in their college years. They had been introduced during a group meet up with a mutual friend. Lindsey had taken an interest in the quiet guy largely keeping to himself while everyone else mingled. The rest was history.

Of course, their relationship had not started with purely innocent intentions. There had been some flirtatious energy between them for a time, enough so for his romantically oblivious self to pick up on. But within a month of their meeting she had suddenly found herself in a new relationship, limiting their growing dynamic to that of friends. Perhaps he had been to respectful in his pursuit, too slow to make a proper move. Or perhaps it had always been a game for her. He would soon learn that it was not an uncommon situation for a man to find himself in with Lindsey. She had a way of attracting a particular kind of man, only to leave their status in limbo after the initial excitement wore off. He was not the first, nor would he be the last. 

Christian shook his head. Better not to worry about things I can’t change, he reasoned. In his youth, he had felt a bit disappointed about the situation he had found himself in. But he valued his friendship with her more than his feelings, and didn’t want to become one of those embittered men blaming others for his own emotions. So he stuck around, fostering a close friendship with her that had lasted a decade. Even if it was a bit unequal at times.

Still, he had to give himself some slack. Of course he used to have feelings for her. Still did, if he was being honest with himself. But who could blame him? Lindsey was the kind of girl that had a magnetic pull on a certain kind of guy, and Christian was no exception. Bright, beautiful eyes that glistened whenever she was excited. A smile often adorned with a mischievous smirk, whenever it wasn’t cursing like a sailor. A rambunctious energy that swung from exasperated to playful at a moment’s notice, but never lacking passion. Yet despite her forceful personality, Lindsey was far more of an introvert at heart; a bookish homebody when left to her own devices. Infatuation around such a person was natural in his eyes.

That didn’t mean she was without flaws. A fiery temper and an impulsive streak to match meant that Lindsey had a particular penchant for drama. Her combative and argumentative personality often meant that small disagreements had the potential to snowball out of control, and she had a proclivity for going scorched earth in the heat of the moment, only asking forgiveness after the fact. Many times Christian had gotten into a seemingly innocuous fight with her only to fear for the longevity of the friendship by day’s end. Were it not for his utmost efforts to maintain their connection, he wondered if they would have naturally drifted apart after one such conflict.

But she wasn’t a bad person in his eyes. When previously asked that question directly by Lindsey, he had replied that she was a good person with a predilection for poor decisions, a statement he was surprised didn’t blow up in his face. But it was true enough. And besides, the absolute worst of her behavior was largely left in the past… mostly. While her wilder tendencies had mellowed over the years, she still had a bit of an attitude and temper problem, and it sometimes felt as if she took his presence for granted. But she had matured a lot since they had met. 

“…mostly” he said aloud to himself, the dishwasher finally emptied. He began to load the machine.

Their friendship had persisted through the end of Lindsey’s college years. Christian had to withdraw for financial reasons, and had started working odd jobs while living with his family. Lindsey had passed her masters program with flying colors, but student loans had forced her to stay with her aunt and uncle while she centered herself. She had grown up in their care, and as far as Christian knew the relationship was strained. She had talked wistfully for years about finally being able to move out.

Finally, the opportunity arrived a year ago. She had convinced her friend Beth to be her roommate, and they had searched together for the perfect two bedroom apartment in a nice complex close to Lindsey’s job. But as they were getting ready to finalize the process, Beth had to back out for a job opportunity in another state, leaving Lindsey with the apartment to herself. Not wanting to go back with her Aunt, she was desperate to keep the apartment. But rent and utilities were a little more than would have been responsible to take on herself.

Christian was still with his family at the time, finally gearing up to return to university and finish his degree. But hearing his friend’s plight and wanting to have his own space for the first time, he agreed to move in with Lindsey for the rest of the year, allowing both of them to get a little more settled in the interim.

Six months had passed since he had moved in. Christian had not regretted his choice, even if it came with difficulties. Lindsey was an easy person to get along with, so long as your weren’t on her bad side. Which could change at a moment’s notice. But he otherwise genuinely enjoyed her company and could not think of a person he’d rather share a space with… in most ways.

Though neither of them were domestically minded people, Christian had developed a habit of picking up the slack for Lindsey, a favor that was rarely returned. If he was honest with himself, it was a dynamic that ran through their entire friendship. She had a minor habit of taking advantage of his goodwill, a situation he unfortunately enabled through the years. He didn’t think she did it out of maliciousness, though he knew it was a somewhat conscious decision. She was the kind of girl to do as much as she could get away with, and that had proven to be quite a bit with him.

It had started as an earnest desire to put their friendship before any petty drama. With her hot temper, there were certain hills not worth dying on, he had reasoned. But over the years, that had meant that Lindsey had been able to get away with more than she reasonably should with him.  He knew that he should have put his foot down on certain things a long time ago. But he was afraid of damaging their friendship over something trivial. Of course, if he had his way, he would’ve done something about it long ago. He personally knew many ways to bring a habitual brat back in line…

He shook his head again. He was treading a dangerous path of thinking again. Thinking of Lindsey in that context wasn’t very conductive to treating her as a friend. Still, it was in part her fault as of late. He finished loading the dishwasher and returned to the living room.

Christian harbored a secret. One that until recent had remained relatively well guarded. For most of his life, he had successfully hidden his lifelong fascination with spanking. 

From his earliest memories, he had a deep interest in women getting turned over the knee and having their rear ends smacked. He had spent many years justifying his feelings in one way or another, come up with some way to explain it to those not afflicted with the same desires. But no matter the reason, the end result remained the same. Of course, as he aged, his interests in all things kinky expanded bit by bit. Now in his early thirties, he had become quite the connoisseur of illicit interests. But the act of spanking continued to hold the utmost place in his heart to this day.

He was normally very careful about who knew of this predilection of his. A few close friends and a former partner made the short list. Christian had purposefully kept Lindsey out of the loop. Letting her in on his extracurricular interests was an unnecessary risk that he wanted to avoid. He could not anticipate what her reaction would be to learning about that side of him. It was far better to avoid the situation entirely, for the sake of their friendship. So he had successfully kept it from her for years, though she had surmised that he had particular tastes, a fact that he neither would confirm or deny in her presence.

It was his own uncharacteristic carelessness that undid his hard work last month. He had let Lindsey borrow his laptop for work without checking the tabs he had left open on his browser. As a single man, he had certain urges, and videos of a most salacious variety were still open when he unknowingly passed her the computer. He had practically sprinted down the hall when he had heard the telltale sounds of a hairbrush spanking blaring from the speakers in her room, only realizing his mistake too late. 

She had surprisingly been nonchalant about the incident at the time. Only giggled while asking a few rudimentary questions about what she had just seen, before claiming “I knew you were into something, I just didn’t guess this. A bit surprising, but I can get it.” A response that gave Christian false hope that maybe she could handle this knowledge in a mature manner. That proved to be naïve. 

Ever since, Lindsey had refused to let it go. Constantly bringing it up in conversation, making jokes, even going as far to clap her hands together in another room only to ask if it was doing anything for him, or accusing him of enjoying himself whenever she hurt herself in clumsiness. She was utterly relentless in her teasing. Christian knew it was good natured ribbing… mostly. It was quite the salacious bit of information about someone that often presented themselves in a very restrained, daresay boring light. Christian was not exactly the kind of person that one would naturally assume had anything other than vanilla desires. It was understandable to find such a discovery amusing.

Still, her incessant taunting was not helping with his growing desire to see her taken down a peg or two. Lindsey had a way of skirting around consequences that he couldn’t help but be a tad irritated by, even if she was his friend. He could think of no person more in need of a thorough attitude adjustment, if only to humble her just a bit. 

Alas, such a thought was fantasy best not dwelled upon. 

He returned to his seat on the couch and picked up his book. He had work early in the morning, so he doubted he would be up for more than a few hours. Still, his musings had left him feeling rather restless. So he cracked open the book and found his former place, hoping the text would take his mind away from the thoughts that threatened to dominate the rest of his night.

Christian was getting ready for bed with half an hour left before midnight when he heard a loud thump at the front door. He poked his head out of his bedroom hesitantly, relaxing when he heard Lindsey cursing to herself in the living room. Normally he would turn in for the night and catch up with her in the morning. But something felt off. He hadn't really expected her to return tonight, certainly not before midnight. And while he was quite used to her expletive ridden monologues, she sounded more upset than usual.

He glanced at the clock near his bedside, forcing himself to acknowledge the late hour. Tomorrow was the end of his work week, and his body craved rest from the accumulated fatigue. He had no way of knowing if anything was even wrong. Logically, it made the most sense to lay down and check in with her tomorrow. Yet despite his body’s protest, he found himself begrudgingly putting on sweatpants over his boxers and throwing on a nearby tank top. He wouldn’t be able to lay down not knowing if she was alright. At worst, a quick check in couldn’t possibly hurt. 

By the time he had made himself presentable and walked down the hall, Lindsey had made her way into the kitchen, having a one sided argument with herself under her breath as she tore through refrigerator for water. Christian leaned his head around the corner wall.

“Everything okay?” he asked softly, trying not to startle her.

His efforts were in vain. Lindsey jumped and turned around, almost dropping the bottle to the floor.

“Jesus,  you scared me…” she groaned, her cheeks slightly flushed.  

“Sorry…” he frowned. “Just heard you come in and wanted to make sure everything’s good. Wasn’t expecting back this early, if at all.”

She gave him a look that was difficult to decode. Then she sighed.

“Well, I probably just broke up with my boyfriend, and everything sucks right now, so I guess things aren’t going all that well” she said, her words tumbling out in a torrent.

She slammed the cap of her water bottle down onto the countertop, and downed the contents in a long, single gulp. Christian returned her sigh, and sat down at the kitchen table. He did not anticipate getting much sleep tonight.

“What happened, exactly?” he questioned.

Lindsey grabbed another water from the fridge, then leaned back against the countertop.

“Well, I got over to his place, and you know I wasn’t exactly excited to be there already, which Mark didn’t seem to pick up on at all. I was a bit late, so his friends were already there, and we went to that small bar down near the college that we used to hit. We were there for like fifteen full minutes before I realized that he had barely said anything to me. Like five words maximum. Dustin had fucking talked to me more, and I’ve told you about him before; kid is way quieter than even you used to be. Anyway, I’m not sure if Mark was like, mad at me for being late, or if he was just being Mark. You know how he is. But he was basically ignoring me completely. Like straight up, pretending I’m not there to talk to his friends. And like, I already didn’t want to be there, I was only there because he asked. So I started to drink. More than I have in a while. Only way to entertain myself.”

Christian nodded along. In the years immediately after college, Lindsey had become quite the alcohol aficionado. His first drink had been at her urging on her 22nd birthday, and she was often the main reason he ever ended up drunk. In recent years, she had slowed down a lot, but the girl could still drink him under the table any day. He studied her closely; it was evident that she was inebriated on some level, but to how much of an extent he couldn’t say. 

“So we stayed there for a bit” she continued, “but the guys weren’t really trying to be there all that long. Some new game came out recently that they wanted to play back at Mark’s place; I was barely paying attention at that point. We were there maybe an hour tops. So we left and got back to Mark’s, and they started playing. Which, y’know, I normally wouldn’t mind. But he was still fucking ignoring me! Like, I came out here for your benefit, and you have the balls to not even talk to me? I was getting pissed. I tried to say something on the low to him, but I guess I didn’t say it in the right way, or maybe he was looking for a fight for some reason. But he turned around and accused me of patronizing him in front of his friends. Said something like ‘it’s not that serious.’ But like, it kind of was; this isn’t the first time he pulled some shit like this. I tried to get him to step away with me into the bedroom, so we could have a conversation like adults. But then I was ‘trying to interrupt his night.’ So it escalated into an argument in the kitchen.”

She took a deep breath. “And at some point I fucking lost it. I said some fucked up shit to him, he said some fucked up shit to me; the details aren't important. After a while of that, I snapped and told him I was tired of babying him all the time, and that I was done. Walked out and drove home.”

She shrugged. “I’m sure he’s blowing up my phone right now, or will be after his friends get in his ear. But I turned it off; not gonna deal with that shit tonight.”

She looked at him questioningly, as if to invite comment. Christian sat for a moment, processing what he was told. But a certain detail stuck in his mind.

“I’m sorry, but you said you drove here? Didn’t you say you were drinking?” he asked.

“Yeah, but it’s not like I’m that drunk” she huffed. “What do you want from me? I l wasn’t gonna exactly sit there after that fight.”

He leaned back in his chair. “Yeah, but you knew I was home, and it’s not like his place is far. I could have picked you up.”

“Yeah, but you’re working tomorrow” she replied. “Didn’t know if you’d be awake, and I don’t want my car sitting at his place tomorrow while you’re at work. I got here fine, so it’s not a big deal.”

Christian frowned. “Still, even if you feel fine, all it takes is a cop pulling you over for anything, and it becomes a huge problem. You really should have texted me.”

“Well I didn’t get pulled over, and I got here perfectly fine” she snapped at him. “Don’t patronize me.”

He sighed and leaned forward, resting his chin on his folded hands. He genuinely couldn’t tell just how accurate her words were; Lindsey was pretty good at disguising how drunk she was. Regardless of his own feelings on the matter, she made it home, so he decided to let the matter drop again. It wasn’t worth getting into a fight over, at least not while she was this upset.

She tapped her foot impatiently at his pensive silence. “That it? Just gonna lecture me like a concerned parent? Nothing to say about anything else?” she pressed him.

He looked up at her again. “Apart from the intoxicated driving, I’m obviously on your side. It’s a really shitty position to be put into. And like you said, this isn’t the first time that something like this has happened.”

“Right?” she exclaimed. “Like I’m tired of having the same fights over and over again.”

“Do you think you guys are actually broken up, or do you think you’ll move past this?” he asked.

She thought for a moment. “Dude, I don’t even know at this point. I’ll admit I escalated things to the fight. But I’m also kind of done. I feel like I’m just an accessory to him at times. Like we’re together just because he wants a girlfriend, not because he really cares about me as a person. I’m never the priority, unless it’s convenient for him. He’s not committed to me in the same way I am to him. It’s exhausting.”

Christian nodded again. “I see. Well, I guess it’s gonna come down to if you think this is something that you can fix, or if it’s always gonna be part of you relationship. But that really does suck. I’m sorry.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Well don’t act too broken up about it” she yawned mockingly. “When your friend is going through relationship trouble, the least you can do is act like you care.”

He arched his eyebrow at her questioningly. “I… do care? What makes you say I don’t?”

“You certainly don’t seem too upset…” she accused.

“Well, you’ve always known that I’ve never been the biggest proponent of your relationship with him, so I’m not going pretend to be particularly eaten up about him specifically. But I do obviously care for your sake.”

It was true. Mark was a nice enough guy by most accounts, if immature in the way younger men often are. But their relationship never seemed all that deep to him, moreso a coupling born of convenience. Still, he wished for her happiness above all, and hated seeing her in emotional duress.

She clicked her tongue and studied him. “Doubt it. Bet you’re sitting over there trying to figure out how to make your move” she hummed.

Christian frowned at her. This was not the first time she had made a passing comment about his supposed feelings towards her. It wasn’t something he could readily deny, even after all these years, so he often would make a joke and change the topic. But somehow, her tone tonight seemed different, accusatory. He didn’t like the way he sensed this conversation was turning. He knew all too well how a seemingly innocuous comment could snowball out of control. 

“Honestly, I’m a little shocked that you don’t seem more upset, all things considered” he dodged the accusation. “Not that you aren’t of course. But you guys been a thing for a bit now. From your demeanor, you just seem a bit more at peace with it than I’d have guessed.”

Lindsey jumped up and sat on the countertop. “I don’t know. I guess I am. It’s not like I haven’t considered something like this happening at all. And we’re not like, officially broken up yet either, so maybe this is all for nothing. Part of me is just tired of feeling like I’m not really his… wait a minute!”

She slammed her palms down on the counter loudly. “You really think you’re slick, don’t you? Don’t act like you can ignore what I said. Looks really suspicious on your end…”

Christian felt the ghost of a smile creep across his face. “I ignored what you said because it was obviously a joke, and irrelevant to the conversation” he answered.

Lindsey leaned forward and shrugged derisively at him. “Oh, I was joking? Who said that? Are you speaking for me now?”

He arched an eyebrow at her. “My apologies, then” he said evenly, trying to quell the slight irritation he felt at her mounting hostility.

She sat back and turned her gaze aside. 

“Is that why you’re still up? Probably spent all night fantasizing about what you’d do to me if you had the chance…” she muttered.

Christian’s rational mind screamed at him to let the matter drop; say nothing and excuse himself on account of the hour. He could feel the rapid shift in the conversation, the anger Lindsey still had towards Mark being displaced onto him. This was a discussion that could be continued in the morning, when she was not drunk and he was not exhausted. Maybe then they could have a more productive talk. 

But he had a hard time ignoring the indignation building in his chest at her repeated accusations. He knew intellectually this was not the time to feel sore about her barbed comments. It was an impulse he had grown accustomed to ignoring through the years to preserve their friendship. But right now, her attitude stung. Perhaps it was because this didn’t feel like a joke, perhaps it was because of all the teasing she had done over the last month. Perhaps even it was because of how much he had let her get away with similar comments through the years. But he found himself indulging in his frustrations.

“Perhaps a bit” he said, “but not in the way you’re probably thinking. Mostly in response to your recent behavior.”

“Oh, what’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, leaning forward again.

He met her gaze, weighing if what he was about to say was really worth it. He decided to give peace one last chance.

“It’s not that important. Probably not worth discussing when you’re drunk and upset.”

“I’m not that drunk” she growled, “and the Mark thing can take the backseat for a moment. Please, continue.”

He sighed and leaned back. “You’re sure you wanna do this right now?”

“Go for it.”

He took a moment to consider his words. “Well, for a while now, I feel like there’s been a lack of… accountability, on your end.”

Lindsey wore a strange expression on her face. “In what way, exactly?”

He took a deep breath. “It doesn’t seem that you think about the consequences of your actions very often, or who they effect.”

“You gonna get to the point, or keep being vague to annoy me?”

“Well, respectfully, let’s look at tonight” he started. “You ‘forgot’ to do your share of the chores, knowing that I’d pick up after you. You—“

“You and these fucking dishes…” she interrupted. “I said I’d do them later.”

“You also said that two days ago” he reminded her. “As well as leaving stuff in the washer and dryer, and not vacuuming over the weekend despite it being your turn.”

She shrugged, looking a bit uncomfortable. “I’ve had a rough week.”

"Yes, but it’s not just this week” he disagreed. “Ever since I moved in, it’s been like this. I've been picking up the slack, but only because my stuff won't get done if I don't. Beyond that, you drove home tonight after drinking. Regardless of whether or not you feel fine, you ignored the risk that poses to yourself and others. And now you’re trying to antagonize me with accusations when I’m just trying to be there for you over your relationship trouble.”

“Dude, I was joking…” she said, eyes averted. “I didn’t realize you were so soft.”

“I’ve known you long enough to tell the difference between your jokes and intentionally trying to stir up shit. Your comments hardly felt like jokes just now.”

An uncomfortable silence hung in the air. Christian only just noticed his elevated heart rate. He hadn’t really intended to say all of that. But it felt cathartic to finally get some of his grievances off his chest, even if he felt bad about the surrounding circumstances. He just hoped that he didn’t hurt her feelings too bad in the process.

Finally, she looked back towards him. Her expression was curious; a mixture of sadness, embarrassment... perhaps shame? But the moment was fleeting, anger and indignation quickly surged to the surface.

“Okay, but nothing I said was wrong though, was it?” she said quickly. “Don’t lie to me just because your embarrassed I called you out on it… you were having weird thoughts about me!”

Immediately Christian felt his irritation start to return. 

“Lindsey, let's not do this right now. You know exactly what you’re doing.”

“I mean, unlike you, I’m just being real” she said.

He found himself unconsciously grinding his teeth. “There’s being real, and then there’s intentionally being an ass. And you know that.”

“Well, fuck me for not wanting to walk on eggshells when talking with a friend” she shrugged.

“Neither do I” he replied, “but that’s often how I feel when you’re looking for a fight, like right now.”

“Dude, I didn’t even do anything!” she raised her voice uncomfortably high. “Why the fuck are you on my case right now?”

Christian pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to keep himself calm. “You're the one that wanted to have this discussion. I knew it was a bad idea. But you know exactly what you’re doing right now. Either you’re too drunk right now to recognize—”

“I’m not that drunk!” she yelled, kicking her feet against the cabinets beneath her hanging legs.

“Or” he continued, “you’re intentionally playing ignorant. Either way, I’d prefer it if you treated me with some respect. I’m not your emotional punching bag.”

“What the fuck ever” she cursed dismissively. “I’m not gonna take this, tonight of all nights. Certainly not from you.”

Christian glared at her. It was a comment he couldn't ignore. “And what is that supposed to mean” he asked.

“Because of course you would wait for me to have such a shitty night to bring this shit up, when I’m feeling vulnerable. You’re too much of a bitch to do it at any other time.”

He felt his eyebrow twitch. He was nearing the edge of his patience.

“Lindsey, that’s enough. I’m starting to get aggravated.”

“So what?” she yelled. “What are you going to do about it? Lecture me and call me a ‘bad girl’ or some some dumb shit? Beat my ass, or whatever it is that gets you off? We both know you don’t have the balls.”

She glared at him in open challenge. Something snapped within Christian. All his accumulated restraint, patience, and conflict avoidance skills vanished in an instant. He no longer cared for entertaining excuses. At that moment, the girl sitting smugly across from him was not a cherished friend of over a decade. She was a naughty brat that needed correction. And he knew just the solution. He held her gaze from across the room. What he said next surprised even him.

“You know what, I'm happy you brought it up. I think that’s an excellent idea.”

He stood up, turning his wooden chair away from the small kitchen table and facing it towards the center of the room. He then sat down and looked at her harshly.

“Come here.”

Lindsey stared at him incredulously, her attitude sobering quickly. “You’re joking…”

“I’m not” he replied evenly. 

She smirked sardonically. “Then you must’ve lost your mind” she chuckled hollowly.

Despite her nonchalant attitude, Christian could hear the growing trepidation in her voice. His own heart was pounding in his ears, but his mind was steel.

“That very well could be the case. Come here now.”

Lindsey studied him hesitantly. “And why would I do that exactly?” she questioned.

“Because you deserve it, and you know it” he said simply. “I’m tired of you thinking you can talk to me however you’d like without consequence. Enough is enough.”

Lindsey didn’t respond, a tinge of guilt flitting across her expression. Christian steadied himself against his nerves and aggravation.

“I’m not going to ask again.”

They stared at each other in a silent showdown. Christian didn’t actually believe she would capitulate. He fully anticipated her telling him to go to hell before storming off to her room. But at the moment, he was too livid to care. He had to put his foot down on this behavior towards him one way or another.

But surprisingly, Lindsey looked down and silently hopped off the counter. Then she took a tentative step forward. And another. In a moment that would change their relationship forever, she slowly shuffled her way across the kitchen and over to Christian’s side. 

Though his mind was still grappling with the situation at hand, his body began to move on instinct. He grasped the waistband of her leggings and pulled them downwards, her underwear included in the wade of clothes bunched at her ankles. Lindsey barely had time to gasp before she was pulled forward over his lap. 

Staring up at him was the cutest rear end he had ever had the pleasure of seeing. Of course, he had caught glimpses of it as she would teasingly wander the house in her underwear from time to time, but never up close in this way. Under normal circumstances, he might have stopped to fully appreciate the view. But circumstances being what they were, it only took a brief moment for his focus to return. He gripped her hip tight with his left hand, and drew his right high in the air before snapping it down across the center of her ass.

A half dozen slaps rained down on her butt before Lindsey was shaken from whatever trance had governed her obedience. She suddenly started to kick and squirm across his lap. Lindsey was not a weak girl by any means, but in this position she had no leverage, and so Christian was able to easily hold her in place as she struggled.

“W-wait” she sputtered, “can’t we talk about this?”

“What more needs to be said? You know you’ve earned this” he replied, continuing to spank. 

Lindsey continued to squirm.

“Okay, but at least let me pull my panties up…” she whined. 

Christian couldn’t help but feel amused. “You know, you really should have payed more attention to those videos you’ve been teasing me about for a month. If you did, you’d know that naughty girls get punished on their bare butts. Any other objections?”

He waited a moment for her to respond; when she remained quiet, he resumed spanking. He knew that in her silence she had ceded control over to him for the moment, and he was going to make the most of it.

For a handful of minutes, there were no words exchanged; only the sound of his hand clapping against her rapidly reddening backside. Lindsey had taken the spanking better than he anticipated so far, but the tell tale signs of pain and discomfort had started to manifest. Her hips had began to buck and sway with each swat, and her breathing was growing louder and louder as she tried to stifle her grunts of pain. Christian tighten his grip on her waist and continued diligently smacking away. 

After four minutes of continuous punishment, he paused and took a breath. Lindsey’s normally pale skin had taken on a uniform pinkish hue, and was warm to the touch. Perhaps thinking the spanking was over, she attempted to push herself to her feet, only to be put right back into position by the elbow at her back.

“No, Lindsey, we are not remotely done” he informed her, breaking the verbal silence. “You have had this coming for quite some time, and you aren’t getting off that easy.”

Lindsey sighed deeply, making her frustrations clear. But she stayed in place.

He started to spank again, harder this time. The effect was immediate. Lindsey started to squirm anew under his efforts. Suppressed feelings started to bubble to the surface of his consciousness, and without thinking he had started to lecture her.

“Y’know, for the past decade my sole focus has been on being your friend and maintaining our relationship at any cost. But perhaps that’s been a disservice to us both. Perhaps what you’ve needed all this time is an authority figure that’s willing to hold you accountable for once.”

Lindsey gritted her teeth against the pain. “You’re not my fucking parent!” she spat back.

Christian focused his spanks on the top of her thighs, eliciting new cries and yelps. 

“I’m not” he agreed. “That doesn’t mean you haven’t needed this for a very long time. Better me than nobody.”

The poor girl was having a hard time dealing with his new target. She grasped tight to his left left and dug her nails into the flesh of his ankle while he methodically smacked her upper thighs and sit spots. Eventually, it proved too much for her.

“Okay! Okay, you’ve made your point” she groaned. “Don’t you think this is a bit much?”

“Absolutely not” he replied, punctuating his statement with several hard slaps to her sit spots. “You don’t get to decide when punishment is over. I do. You handed that right over the second you bent over my knee.”

“Ouch! Fuck… I didn’t think you’d actually do it!” she complained.

“Well, now you know better” he said. “Next time you think I don’t 'have the balls’ to do something, you can remember this moment. I’ll try to make it unforgettable for you.”

Lindsey’s reply was lost in a series of whines and yelps as his hand furiously peppered her ass with quick, sharp slaps.

A sense of peace had washed over Christian as he continued to smack her ass. It was odd; whenever he had allowed his mind to wander and indulge in imagining this scenario; he had envisioned himself full of passion and excitement, his body and mind alight with adrenaline at the prospect of fulfilling his secret desire. But while there certainly was pleasure in this, he was surprised at how calm and centered his thoughts were. Something about this felt right to him, and conviction built inside him with every swat to her butt. 

He had not realized just how much the imbalanced nature of their relationship had bothered him until now. He had spent so long prioritizing the security of their friendship that he had neglected to consider its health. This spanking felt like the first step into a proper realignment of their relationship, a move towards the dynamic they should have shared from the beginning.

“Now that I have your attention” he started, “we are going to discuss how this is going to work going forward. Your behavior towards me has been unacceptable for months, if not years at this point. I value our relationship, but I’m not gonna let you treat me with disrespect anymore. That means that you are going to watch how you talk to me in the future, and you are going to uphold your end of the household chores, among other things. Do you understand?”

He continued to punish while awaiting her answer. But Lindsey stubbornly held on to her pride, even as she could no longer stifle her pained reactions. Christian stopped for a moment and glanced around the room. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a cooking spoon lying on the countertop next to him, just out of reach. He must’ve moved it when cleaning out the dish washer. Without thinking, he leaned over and grabbed the wooden handle, and harshly drummed the makeshift implement across her rear at blistering pace. 

Lindsey’s legs splayed wildly as she flailed against this new torture, giving Christian a view he had only dreamed of before. But he was completely focused on the task at hand, even as his arm started to grow numb under the repeated impacts.

“We can keep going all night if you want to” he stated simply.

Lindsey’s struggling grew more and more frantic. But no matter how she bucked, twisted, and kicked, Christian held her tightly over his lap, landing smarting swat after swat. Fatigue was starting to become a real concern for him. But he would not stop until she acknowledged his words. The unspoken battle of wills lasted a full minute, until she finally gave in.

“Okay! I’m sorry! I’ll be good!” she whined, barely choking back sobs.

Yet Christian continued, smacking again and again with the wooden spoon until, with a loud crack, it split down the middle. Half of the bowl clattered to the floor, while the other half dangled by a sliver connected to the handle. He set the broken tool aside and inspected the butt across his knee.

His roommate’s ass was a shiny, vibrant red, with several raised ovals where the spoon had struck harshly. It was certainly a punishment she would not forget any time soon. Feeling satisfied, he released his grip on her waist and guided her up to her feet. 

As he stood her up, he caught the first glimpse of her face since the start of the ordeal. Lindsey’s expression was one of guilt and shame. She appeared to have refrained from crying, but tears were not far away. She looked nothing like the fiery woman he had known for all these years, in her place was someone far more vulnerable and subdued.

He felt a strong protective instinct wash over him. He wanted nothing more than to hug her to his chest and reassure her that things would be okay. Under different circumstances, he would have immediately tried to smooth over the conflict; making excuses for her behavior due to the events of the night, claiming equal fault in the preceding argument, placating her bruised ego. 

But he didn’t. Regardless of the circumstances of the night, she had acted like a brat, and had received a brat’s comeuppance. She had practically dared to do it, even acquiesced to the punishment of her own accord. He had to be firm with her. If he were to shower with affection immediately, it would undermine what had just transpired. She needed to sit with what she was feeling, at least for a little while. 

“Now we are done for the night, but this conversation is not over. It’s well past midnight, and I have to be up and getting ready for work in about five hours. So we are going to talk about this further tomorrow after I get home. But there are going to be changes made between us. Understood?” he asked.

Lindsey didn’t reply verbally, but her head nodded once as she looked at the floor next to him, unwilling to meet his gaze.

Christian gathered himself. “Alright. Get to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Without pulling her leggings up, Lindsey turned and shuffled off to her bedroom, giving him one last look at her cherry red ass. He sat and breathed deeply, before standing and pushing his chair in. He stopped to pick up the broken half of the spoon and placed the remnants on the counter rather than throw it away. A reminder to pick up a new one over the weekend. 

He heard the door to her room close, and felt the tension he had been carrying in him release all at once. He leaned up against the counter and closed his eyes, taking a quick moment to relax. His mind wanted to analyze what had just happened, but he couldn't begin to break down the events of the night in his current state. His head was foggy with the desire to sleep, and his body following suit after exerting himself over the punishment. Whatever needed to be pondered, it could wait until tomorrow at least.

Feeling the exhaustion quickly creeping back into his system, he turned the lights off and returned to his bedroom. Closing the door, he wearily slunk down onto his mattress. In the silence of his room, he perked his ears and focused his attention to the adjacent wall, the one separating the two bedrooms. Lindsey’s room sounded quiet, but he could not tell for certain if she had already fallen asleep. Tonight was surely a rough night for her, regardless of perspective, and Christian couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy for her. 

Still, he forced himself to turn his attention away. She had all day tomorrow to recover, while he had to be up again in a handful of hours. A day to decompress and think things over would be good for both of them. He closed his eyes and tried to quiet his mind. 

As he laid in bed letting sleep gradually come over him, his fading consciousness replayed the events of the night. Though the long term effects of his action had yet to be seen, Christian felt certain that he had done the right thing. The spanking had brought a certain clarity that he had lacked before. Though he cared for Lindsey dearly, he had let his fear of losing their relationship warp it into something fundamentally unbalanced. And it was time to fix that. As for the how… that was for the Christian of tomorrow to figure out. So he peacefully drifted off to sleep, knowing that tomorrow would bring a new beginning, one way or another.