There'll Be Storms (Spanking Story)

Chapter 53

Audrey assured me he was unharmed, but I wanted to hear it from him.

"You're not hurt?"

"No, no I'm not hurt." His breathing increased in short, but fast, increments.

I eyed his arms and exposed skin, looking for any indication of unusual marks. There was a small one near his elbow, an unopened, red lash.

"From a tree branch as we were running through the woods." He explained after noticing my stare, covering it with his hand before nodding. "I'm fine dad, really."

"Good." I rubbed my hand down his forearm. "I'm glad you're not hurt."

Glancing at his closed door, he turned back to me and waited for me to begin speaking or with instruction. But I was scrutinizing, anxious to see how he how would react to my silence. I took a step forward, crossing my arms over my chest while giving him a disappointing scowl.

"I'm sorry dad, I won't do it again! I promise!" Shaking his head, he came forward with his plea.

That's about half of how I expected him to react, though it wasn't what I was hoping for. Instead, I was hoping for something more calm and sincere...something to show me he understood the gravity of the situation, instead of begging to be absolved from his punishment.

"Settle down." I scolded, kneeling down to his height, I grabbed his wrist and moved him forward. "Do you know what happened while I was at work today?"

He immediately buried his chin against his chest, trying to avoid the darkness in my eyes and shielding him from the 'embarrassing' lecture yet to come.

"N-no sir."

"I got a very concerned phone call from mom, she had no idea where you were. She said you were playing in the backyard but then disappeared." Grabbing the underneath of his chin, I titled his head up so he'd be forced to look at me.

"I-I went down the s-street to Mr. Donaldson's yard to play with Ethan."

"And you're not allowed to leave the yard without mom or I with you, are you?" I moved closer to him, trying to break down the situation into every necessary component.

"No sir. But Mr. Donaldson was there and he watched me!" He tried to offer as an excuse, after I released my grip.

"Did you ask mom if you were allowed to go down the street?"

His shoulders slumped and he immediately began picking at his fingernails.

"Eryk, did you?"

"No sir."

"But you told Mr. Donaldson that mom said it was okay." I waited for confirmation, which he returned through a nod. "So you knew what you were doing was wrong."

He nodded, "I'm sorry."

"On top of all this," I paused, waiting for his attention to return to me. "you and Ethan left Mr. Donaldson's yard, without permission. So when your mom finally called Mr. Donaldson, he too had no idea where either of you were."

"We went into the woods in his backyard."

"Somewhere where neither of you are allowed to go because it's a dense area which makes it hard for someone to be seen." My voice increased, causing him to become shrill.

"I-I know, I'm sorry dad." He came to me for a hug, and I let him, but I only patted his back.

"Eryk, listen to me." I commanded, resulting in his obedience as he stepped back, his eyes meeting mine. "You never leave the house or the yard without asking either your mom or I. You are seven-years-old, you're too young to go off by yourself. Even if Mr. Donaldson watched you, you need to let one of us know, and you are to stay where we gave you permission to be. If you want to go anywhere else, then you need to ask for that too."