Over the next two days, whether by nervousness or carelessness, Emily gave him two more letters with mistakes on them. To most bosses, it would've simply been first week adjustments, but Mr. Caudry was not like most bosses.

"I'm sorry," he told her Wednesday, holding her latest letter with two red circles around the typos, "but this isn't working out. I can't conduct my business when I have to constantly be correcting your typing errors."

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Caudry, please give me another chance! It's all so new and-"

"Grammar is new? Spelling is new?"

She felt her face grow hot. "Un, no, I didn't mean that. It's just that this is only my third day. I'm trying really hard-"

"If you were trying hard, you wouldn't be making these silly errors." His voice was calm, as usual. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to call Mrs. Dowd and ask to have you replaced with someone whose English skills are more solid."

Emily could not face going back out on the job market so soon. "Please, Mr. Caudry! I'll do anything to keep this job! Anything!"

He paused for a long time. She finally glanced up and saw his expression. His head was tipped to one side and he was studying her, like a scientist might mull a thorny problem. She waited breathlessly for him to speak.

"There was one secretary who almost made it," he said at last, wistfulness in his voice. Emily waited, certain she could learn something valuable. "She made mistakes at first, just like you. She also begged for a second and a third chance. She told me she would rather be punished than be fired. It seemed to work for a while."

"P-punished?" What the hell did that mean? Dock her pay?

"Yes. Since she was acting like a child, I treated her as a child. Perhaps that might work for you."

She looked up, confused. "Uh, well..."

"Or we can end it right here." He picked up the phone. "I can ask Mrs. Dowd to replace you. Just tell her it didn't work out and that you'll be leaving immediately."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, sir. Please don't call her." She had too many debts to start over now! If she left, she'd lose her apartment for sure. "I'll do anything to help me learn more quickly," she repeated.

He nodded. After a long minute, he put down the phone. "Very well." He placed the letter in the middle of the blotter, the two pages side by side, and turned them around so she could read them. She could see the two red marks indicating her mistakes.

"I want you to lean over the desk on your elbows," he said. "Put your face down close to your work."

Confused, Emily did as she was told, feeling a thrum throughout her body. She knew this wasn't right, and yet ... something was happening to her. Something she couldn't explain.

"No, closer," he said.

She scooted up until her thighs bumped against the desk and her face was less than a foot from the papers. She realized she was in a very vulnerable position. Emily could feel sweat begin to collect on her upper lip and neck.

Mr. Caudry gave her a moment to study her unacceptable work. Then, with deliberate slowness, he opened the desk drawer and pulled out a thick wooden ruler. Emily's eyes widened and she fought a gasp that bubbled up from within. He held the ruler in his hands for a moment, giving her time to understand her predicament. Slowly, he walked around behind her. That thrumming feeling in her stomach expanded, moving to her loins and breasts and she tried not to shiver from anticipation.

"The rule we came up with, that secretary and I, was one stroke for each mistake, at first. Later mistakes required increasing the number of strokes per incident. It did wonders for her concentration. She reduced her errors almost immediately."

Emily couldn't believe it. He was going to spank her!? That sort of thing wasn't allowed in the workplace! She could sue! She flashed back to a time when she had been nine or ten and her father had spanked her for some transgression. He had wrapped his left arm around her upper body to hold her in place and gave her five quick swats on her bottom through her skirt. She had cried, but it had also made her feel funny inside.

"Mr. Caudry..." she began.

"Of course, it would be far easier just to replace you. After all, this requires a certain amount of work on my part - time I could be spending selling. Did you know I'm the company's number one salesman?"

"Y-yessir," she squeaked.

"So I leave it to you. If you'd like to be trained to be a better secretary, fine. But if you find this too demeaning or objectionable, then you may get up right now and go. I'll let Mrs. Dowd know."

Emily's mind raced. How could this be happening to her? This was the twenty-first century! A voice in her head declared:

Bosses can't treat their employees this way!

But another part of her, deep down inside, told her something quite different - something startling and naughty.

This should not be so arousing!

She squeezed her legs together and realized it was true. It had been true when her father had spanked her and it was still true today. That strange feeling began to bubble up inside her and her pussy grew moist.

"Sir," she finally said, not sure which voice was about to speak, the modern woman or that other voice, the dark one. She felt she could've gone either way. "Sir, please teach me to be a better secretary."

Emily's knees grew weak when she realized what she'd just said - and why she had said it. She needed it. It wasn't as much for Mr. Caudry as it was for her.

"Very well. You made two mistakes today and one yesterday. That's three swats with this ruler. It would be best if you didn't make any noise." He went to a cabinet and turned on a radio. Jazz music filled the air. Emily braced herself. She didn't dare look back. Instead, she kept her eyes on her mistakes.

Whack!

The first blow was a shock, but it was tolerable. Only afterward did she feel the burn of the mark on her flesh, through her clothes. She couldn't help herself, she wiggled her behind, trying to cool the fire. He made no comment.

Whack!

This blow was harder. She bit her lip to keep from crying out. Emily had a sudden image of herself, hunched over his desk, her brown hair in disarray, her peach-shaped ass wiggling at him. She felt embarrassment mix in with arousal in her stomach and loins.

Whack!

The pain was sharp, but she immediately felt better now that it was over. She shook her bottom from side to side, not caring that he was staring at it. She just had to cool it off! The pain softened and spread and Emily realized with great embarrassment it was making her wetter! She pressed her thighs together and hoped he wouldn't notice.

He came around the desk and put the ruler away. "Very well. You accepted your punishment with grace. You may pick up the letter and go make your corrections."

Emily straightened up at once, grabbed the letter and fled. Closing the door behind her, she looked out over the cubicles, certain that everyone would be staring at her. But the office seemed to hum along normally. No one paid her any attention. She ducked down behind her partition and sat gingerly in her chair, wincing at the slight sting. Yet she could not deny the feeling it had given her. Her clit seemed to be buzzing. She wanted to press her fingers against it and come. Debating whether she should correct the letter or make a quick trip to the bathroom, she paused. What would Mr. Caudry want? She made the corrections instead.

She took the freshly printed letter into his office and placed it on the desk. Her insides churned and she hoped she hadn't missed any more errors! At long last, Mr. Caudry nodded and gave her a thin smile.

"See how quickly you learned?"

"Thank you, Mr. Caudry," she said and began to back out of the room.

"But you forgot one thing," he said, freezing her in her tracks.

"W-w-what, sir?"

He held up the letter. "How am I supposed to get this to the recipient?"

She felt a sudden pang of fear. She had forgotten to type up the envelope! How stupid! "Oh! I'm sorry! I'll get you the envelope at once!"

He nodded. She fled.

Emily fed an envelope into the printer and typed out the address, not bothering to sit down. Her body seemed to be on fire, wondering if he would spank her again. It felt strange - part of her was terrified by the idea and another part of her was secretly thrilled by it. Why? Shaking her head, she took the envelope into Mr. Caudry's office.

"Here you go, sir. I'm sorr-"

"Assume the position."

She stared at him, stricken. "Sir?"

"Did you not want to keep your job?"

"Uh, no sir, I mean, yes, sir," she said and quickly moved up against the desk, bracing herself with her elbows. Her heart pounded and her pussy throbbed.

"That's going to be two strokes this time," he informed her, sliding open the drawer and taking out that damned ruler.

He did not waste time. Whack! Whack! It was suddenly over. Emily stayed in position until he gave her permission to rise. When she did, her face red and her body trembling, he gave her another smile. It made her shiver with fear or desire, she couldn't tell which.

"I'm glad to see that you are learning so quickly. There's hope for you yet, Miss Robinson."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." She retreated.

Outside, she paused long enough to grab her purse and headed for the bathroom. Safely inside a stall, she pulled her pantyhose down and flipped up her skirt, twisting back to examine her bottom. Each mark with the ruler was clearly outlined - five in all. Three on her left cheek, two on her right.

Now that she was alone, Emily couldn't stop herself. She sat on the toilet and her hand went between her legs without even thinking about it. Her pussy was dripping wet, as if she had undergone an hour of foreplay instead of a painful spanking. Touching her clit made her shudder with pleasure. Biting her lip to keep from moaning aloud, Emily rubbed herself to a quick climax, right there in the bathroom. It was something she had never done before in the workplace.

What is wrong with me? she wondered.

When she returned to her desk, she realized a precedent had been established. Is that what she wanted? Or should she quit despite her shaky financial situation? Something besides her need for money made her decide to stick it out a while longer. Just to see where this all would lead. Maybe, just maybe, she'd learn so quickly the spankings would stop and she and Mr. Caudry would be able to achieve some kind of détente.

But her pussy told her a different story.