Barbara's husband Jim had been working from his own home office in the other end of the house, but popped his head in around lunchtime. He hadn't been there when Holly arrived, and as he looked straight at his wife and didn't acknowledge her presence, she guessed that he hadn't noticed she was there. Holly smiled to herself as she watched him; though a decade older than herself, Jim was a handsome man who kept himself in shape.
"Should I make some lunch for us? Anything in particular you'd like?"
She shook her head. "Not right now, thanks."
"Are you going to be working through lunch again? Working so hard you'll forget to eat?" He folded his arms over his chest. "Do I need to put you over my knee and spank you?"
Holly, who had been finishing a report, suddenly dropped her pen, a small squeak escaping her lips as a blush spread across her cheeks. Was this a joke? Was he being serious? Did he spank his wife often? She had never imagined Barbara bending over someone's knee – but now that she did, she found it hard to stop. Jim heard the sound and turned towards her, and from the look on his face, she guessed he wouldn't have made that comment if he'd known she was here.
Barbara shook her head, grinning at him. "Sorry, but being spanked sounds painful, and today, I'm delegating all unpleasant tasks to my executive assistant. Holly, you're up!"
Holly squealed again. The slight blush had now turned into a raging inferno, and she couldn't look at either of them. The mental image of herself over Jim's lap, feeling his big, strong hands on her sensitive bottom, was even harder to dislodge than the one of Barbara. After a few seconds, she glanced at Jim out of the corner of her eye, as if wondering whether he would charge at her and throw her over his knee. He hadn't moved an inch, but he raised an eyebrow as he looked at her.