Kathy had always been academically average at school. However, her looks were anything but average and her figure curved in all the right places. She was five foot eight inches tall, her legs were sleek and long, her waist was slim, her hair was naturally auburn and her green eyes were enticing and inviting. The local boys had found her very attractive and she wore the styles of the 1960s with ease. She didn't quite make the grade at 11+, so didn't attend the local girls' grammar school, but rather cruised through her secondary modern education, gaining several top grade CSEs.
In her teens she enjoyed the freedom her parents gave her. She left school at 16 and joined a typing pool. Secretarial work didn't really suit her as she found it rather dull and tedious, coupled with the irritation of sexist and vulgar bosses who would pinch or smack her firm, quite ample bottom whenever the opportunity arose. To be honest, her clothes accentuated her derrière, but that was no excuse. One distraction from the hum-drum of working life was the travel agents, which she passed on her way to and from work. She often gazed into the window and felt herself drawn into the far-away places such as Rome, Paris and Morocco.
‘What a life,’ she thought to herself.
A few weeks after her 18th birthday, she saw an advert in the travel agents' window for the position of air hostess with a major airline and during her lunch break she called in for an application form.
Six months later, here she was, a probationary air hostess about to take to the skies. She couldn't help but smile to herself as she put on her uniform, consisting of a thigh-length navy blue dress with red trim and wide black leather belt, flesh-coloured tights and navy blue court shoes. Her make-up was beautifully applied and topped off with red glossy lipstick. With her hair up in a glamorous beehive she confidently boarded the 18.00 flight ND552 from London Heathrow to Rome. Her first flight was to the eternal city and she even had a stop-over in a hotel as her return flight was the following morning. Perfect.
She was, of course, on time and excited as she boarded the aircraft and was greeted by the two other members of the crew. Jacky was about her age and had been working for the company for just over two months. Mandy was in charge of the team. She had met Mandy during her training and had heard her deliver two talks to the trainees, one on ‘Safety in the Sky’ and the second ‘Making it Through Probation’. Mandy was a no-nonsense lady who had been an air hostess for years and was known to the pilots and other girls as ‘Merciless Mandy’, mainly because of the way she dressed down the new girls during their probationary period if they stepped out of line. She was a stickler for the rules and maintaining discipline on board, and the airline bosses always gave the probationary girls at least one flight with Mandy in charge. She looked like one of those teachers in a girls' boarding school who was firm but fair. As Kathy stepped on board, Jacky waved a welcoming hello from down the aisle and Mandy gave her a professional handshake. They went through their pre-flight checks and Mandy reiterated the rules regarding working with passengers, such as not fraternising with the gentlemen, etc. She also took Kathy aside to remind her she was on probation and that she was not to serve any of the valued customers in business or first class. As during training, Mandy's tone was motherly but Kathy was in no doubt that there would be trouble if any of the rules were broken.
Once in the skies, Kathy set about her business of serving teas and coffees to the regular customers in the main body of the aircraft. There was little time to think. An hour or so into the flight, all was going well until one of the kids at the back of the plane had obviously eaten too many sweets and was sick over his teddy bear. Kathy was on hand to clean up the mess and help the mother sort things out. She took the bear and explained she would give it a quick rinse and return it as quickly as possible. The sink was at the front of the aircraft and, as she breezed through first class, she was stopped by a rather handsome businessman who ordered a rum and coke with no ice.
"No problem, sir," Kathy replied and continued forward.
She arrived at the sink, cleaned up the bear, and then remembered the drink for the handsome gentleman. Both Mandy and Jacky were busy so, without much thought, she poured a rum and coke, put it on a tray and, with the bear in her other hand, she returned through first class. As she arrived to deliver the drink the plane hit some turbulence, Kathy jolted forward, the glass slid off the tray and the contents splashed all over the cream, linen trousers of a stylish, Italian lady sitting next to the businessman. All hell broke loose. Mandy appeared and ordered Kathy back to her duties in the main body of the plane with a freezing cold stare that said, "We will deal with this later."
As she trudged back to her duties, Kathy could hear Mandy apologising, offering to get the trouser-suit cleaned or replaced, and giving excuses about the girl being new, etc. What a first flight disaster. Kathy returned the bear to the mother and child who were most grateful and tried to compose herself. She kept as calm as possible during the rest of the flight which passed without incident, apart from the ice cold stares she got from ‘Merciless Mandy’.
Once on the ground at Rome airport, all the passengers disembarked including one very cross Italian lady. It was then that Mandy grabbed Kathy's arm and marched her to the rear of the plane. It was at this point that Kathy realised why Mandy was known as ‘Merciless’, as she received a proper dressing down and could only mumble apologies and look at the floor like a naughty schoolgirl in front of the headmistress. Finally, Mandy gave Kathy a stark choice. Either to have the incident reported to head office with the likelihood that she would be dismissed pretty much before she had started her career, or to report to Mandy's hotel room at 7.00 pm in her uniform for the type of discipline reserved for naughty girls. Mandy said she only gave this option to girls who showed promise but that she could expect a very sore bottom in return for the incident being swept under the carpet as ‘just one of those things’ at the beginning of a promising career. There was little choice.
Kathy arrived at Mandy's room, as requested, at 7.00 pm sharp, in immaculate uniform. Mandy opened the door and greeted her with a smile. She showed her into the room, which had a bed in the corner, an en-suite bathroom leading off through one door, and a sofa which had been positioned in the middle of the room away from the wall.
"Well, you caused quite a bit of fuss today young lady, didn't you?" scolded Mandy.
"Yes ma'am, I'm so sorry," Kathy replied, her cheeks turning red as she looked down at the floor.
"I hope you are grateful that I smoothed it over for you? "
"Yes, thank you," mumbled Kathy.
"Discipline on an aircraft is paramount, and if you break the rules there is a price to pay."
Kathy just looked at the ground and nodded, knowing pretty much what was coming next and knowing she deserved it.
"Naughty girls are naughty girls, Kathy. If you behave like a naughty girl then the punishment is befitting that of a naughty girl. Take your belt off, give it me and then lift that dress up above your waist and bend over the back of the sofa."
Kathy moved slowly to the sofa, took her belt off and lifted her dress. She saw Mandy double her two-inch wide belt over and it became clear that she was going to be receiving a painful lesson.
"Come on," said Mandy. "You must have been spanked at school, so let’s get on with it."
Kathy had been bent over the horse in the gym a few times for a whacking with the slipper, something she had certainly not enjoyed. Now, with her dress raised and her shapely legs on show, she bent across the sofa and reached for the cushions with her hands. This left her on tip-toes with her rather flimsy, white lace knickers stretched tightly across her bottom and clearly visible through her tights. She wished she'd worn knickers that would have offered more protection, like the gym ones she had worn for PE at school years ago. But of course she hadn't seen the need to pack anything like that and these were the only ones she had, except for a similar pair in black.
"I intend to give you twelve strokes with your uniform belt," Mandy continued. "Six for engaging with first-class customers, and a further six for being careless and spilling drinks over customers. All will be across your bare bottom."
Mandy had done this a few times before with promising, young errant probationers and she had prided herself that these girls had gone on to be the best the airline had.
As Mandy pronounced the sentence, she pulled Kathy's tights down, took the doubled-over belt in her right hand and walked round the front of the sofa. Kathy raised her head so she could see her own belt, now transformed into a wicked implement that would soon be kissing her bottom, dangling in front of her.
"OK, let's make a start," Mandy said with a smile. She made her way round the back of the sofa, and Kathy felt her knickers being pulled down. Thoroughly embarrassing, but thoroughly deserved; she knew that. Mandy stood to Kathy's left and looked at the perfect target nicely resting over the sofa and ready to receive punishment.
Kathy braced herself; there was a sudden whoosh as the belt whipped through the air, followed by an audible CRACK as it sliced across the centre of her bottom. She grunted and whimpered, a sure indication to Mandy that the leather belt had been felt. Five seconds later, just enough time for the first stroke to decrease in intensity, another CRACK resounded around the room followed by a louder gasp and grunt as the stroke bit just below the first with enough overlap to increase the soreness. As the first six strokes were methodically applied, Kathy's bottom was certainly warming up nicely, the grunts turned into yelps and Kathy wriggled more and more. Any attempt to rub her bottom was fruitless. She couldn't reach round through fear of over-balancing in an inelegant manner as her legs were held quite firmly together at mid-thigh by her tights and knickers. There was no escape or relief. This was a painful lesson and even more unpleasant than the gym slipper at school.
After the sixth stroke there was a pause and Mandy noted her handiwork with a smile. Kathy remained in position, with tears beginning to form in her eyes. She heard Mandy walking back round to the front of the sofa and, as she looked up, she saw Mandy stood in front of her with the leather belt in her hand.
"Air travel can be dangerous, young lady, and breaking the rules is not an option. They may seem pointless to you but we have them for good reason, both in terms of safety and to make sure our highly valued customers are served as professionally as possible." Mandy spoke with authority. "Do you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am," Kathy mumbled through her tears and with a few sobs, partly because her bottom was sore and also through disappointment in herself.
Mandy returned to the back of the sofa and took her time looking at the bottom where bands of different shades of pink covered the once lily-white flesh. The belt was raised high again and in a flash, CRACK, another stroke was applied.
Kathy howled an apology as her already burning backside was once again branded. She wriggled as much as she was able and the next stroke seared towards the crease between her bottom and the top of her legs. More tears flowed, more howls came forth as the final four strokes were applied with equal measure across the full expanse of the firm bottom. Mandy looked at the sore, and in many places, very red bottom and knew her work was well done. Kathy would be uncomfortable for the next 24 hours, and most importantly would have regular reminders on their flight home, especially when she had to sit down for take-off and landing, that safety and rules were paramount in the aviation industry.
After a few minutes, Kathy had composed herself and stood up. She slowly pulled her knickers back up over her sore and slightly swollen bottom, pulled her tights up and re-arranged her dress. Mandy returned the belt, which Kathy fixed around her waist.
She whispered quietly, "I'm sorry I let you and the team down, Mandy. It won't happen again, I promise."
"I'm pleased to hear it. There is no need to discuss this episode again. Off you go and get a good night's sleep and I'll see you in the morning for the 09.35 flight back to London Heathrow." Mandy hugged Kathy like a mother would do to comfort her daughter and she knew that Kathy was destined to be an excellent air hostess.
The End
© Colin Brooks 2024
Colin is happy to be contacted and take feedback from his stories: colinbrookscp@gmail.com.