Andie didn't speak much on the way home. She seemed anxious from the passenger seat, and Eric couldn't help but wonder if it was at all related to how stern he had to get with her earlier. If he thought that she was at all afraid of him, then he wouldn't have been entertaining the idea of spanking her when they got home. If anything, she seemed restless, as if she were entertaining the idea as well.

Eric worked hard to get out of his own head, just as John told him. But he couldn't help but consider every avenue of the thing that lead to discipling Andie. She hadn't listened to him when he told her to come downstairs. That wasn't so bad in retrospect, but then he had to repeat himself, and he received some sass in response.

Normally, that wouldn't bother him. Teenagers were sassy, he saw it in Morgan constantly. He didn't even think that John disciplined his sister for every sassy retort.

But Eric couldn't ignore how much Andie's response had bothered him. He expected more from her. He didn't want her to get as rebelliously bratty as Morgan. He wanted her to address him with respect, but he wasn't sure if he had earned it yet.

Was it too much to ask for too soon?

Mulling it over, he turned the wheel and pulled into the driveway. He shifted the gear into park, and turned off the engine. Before he could open his door, however, Andie spoke up from his side.

"Am I in trouble?" Her voice was soft, airy, and curious. She didn't sound nervous at all.

Sitting back in his seat, Eric felt a sense of relief that Andie had opened the door for the conversation. Still, he wasn't sure what to say.

Pursing his lips, he studied her for a moment before replying with direct honesty. "I'm not sure. I think so."

"Because I didn't come down when you told me to?"

"Because you copped an attitude with me when I had to repeat myself."

"Oh," she breathed, biting her lip and tugging anxiously at her fingers. Eric was certain she wasn't scared, but he had to be sure.

"Are you frightened of the repercussions?"

"No," she answered without hesitation, lifting her head before slowly adding: "I don't think so."

"Then you agree that you deserve to be in trouble?"

She looked away for a moment, as if she were giving it some thought, before offering a small nod in reply.

"Okay," Eric's tone gentled. "Let's get inside then."

Quietly, and peaceably, then exited the car and walked up the path towards the front door. Side by side, they felt very connected. There was no tension, fear, or anger. It was all perfectly normal as if they had just come home from the movies.

Eric let them in, pocketing his house key as he held the door open for Andie to enter first.

"Did you get enough to eat?" He asked her as she past him on her way in.

"Yes," she replied while flipping the house lights on. "Did you?"

"Yes. Are you ready for bed then?"

"I was thinking about taking a shower?"

"Go ahead." He nodded towards the stairs while he moved his way into the kitchen, turning on the lights as he went. She obeyed, but hesitated at the foot of the stairs. When she turned back, her arms were wrapped around her and she looked like she wanted to say something. "Is everything OK?"

"I was just wondering... After my shower...we'll...?"

"Yes, Andie," he reassured firmly, watching the shadow of relief cross her features before she composed herself, nodded, and proceeded up to the stairs.

Bemused, Eric shook his head, nearly baffled by Andie's concern that she wouldn't be spanked before bed tonight. Any self-respecting teenager would fight the very threat of such a childish punishment, but not Andie. She wanted Eric to spank her. And while he didn't understand it at all, he felt that maybe he could make sense of some of it. Strangely, he felt the same way. If Andie told him that she didn't want him to carry out the punishment, then he would be disappointed.

He couldn't make any sense of that.

In the kitchen, Eric leaned into the counter while idly listening to the running shower upstairs. His mind wandered to John and Morgan, and he wondered if it was like this for them. He wasn't sure how he knew it, but he was very sure that it wasn't at all like this between them. There was something more to it for Eric and Andie, he was aware of that, even if he couldn't quite place what it was yet. But he knew it had something to do with their lack of relation. If they were siblings who grew up together like John and Morgan, than it wouldn't be the way it is now.

Fifteen minutes later, the shower squeaked off, and the sound of running water faded. Eric provided five more minutes before deciding to go upstairs.

He gently knocked on her door, surprising her.

"Just a minute!" she squeaked. He waited patiently, resisting the urge to chuckle as he heard her rustling and thumping about wildly in her room. When the door swung open, her cheeks were flushed from the heat of the shower, her hair shiny and damp, and her PJs concealed beneath a short cotton robe.

"Ready?"

Clearly she wasn't expecting that either. Her mouth opened and she seemed short for words in the moment.

"Um, yes," she finally replied, breathless, and then backing up and allowing Eric entry.

"It's late," he explained gently. "I thought we could take care of...what needs to be taken care of. And then you can go straight to bed."

She nodded. "Of course."

"Are your teeth brushed?"

"Yes."

Feeling more confident in himself this time, Eric moved to Andie's bed and sat at the edge. "Why don't you remove your robe?" He suggested, but he had to admit to himself that it didn't really sound like a suggestion. Andie didn't seem to mind, however, so neither did he.

Her white robe slipped from her shoulders and fell to the floor. He had the itch to tell her to pick it up and hang it properly, such a dominant reaction that shocked him some. Pushing the thought away, he found himself easily distracted by the elegant shape of Andie's shoulders and the slender dip of her collar bone. She wore a mint green tank top with matching cotton shorts, and Eric found her...beautiful.

"Come," he ordered gently, and she obeyed. He directed her across his lap, and then she laid her front across the bed. He dragged her hips back, eliciting a soft gasp from her. When she stilled, her legs dangled between both of his, and her bottom perched on his left knee. With his right leg, he could close her legs in, if he wanted to. But he imagined that would never be an issue, for he couldn't see her fighting him on this—ever.

Her cotton shorts were thin, and he wouldn't have to remove them in order for her to feel the sting of his hand. But, Eric made a promise to himself last time. Without her pants, she would feel more of the spanking, and he wouldn't have to discipline her for so long.

Was that the goal, however?

Retracting his former argument, he decided to himself that he wasn't as eager to rush the spanking this time. He would begin her spanking across her cotton shorts, and if he felt that she could stand to feel more of it, then he would remove them.

Satisfied with his decision, Eric gently rest his hand on the back of Andie's thigh; his other hand holding her hip, thus holding her in place. Once again, he felt the urge to confirm the reason behind the discipline, but instead of confirming it for them, he asked her to do it.

"Can you tell me why you're being punished, Andie?"

"I copped an attitude with you," she replied softly, her voice distant as she spoke more to the bed spread than she did to her step-brother.

"I can't hear you."

He could. Why he felt like pressing it, he wasn't sure. But her immediate compliance made him feel...good.

"I copped an attitude with you," she spoke clearer, her head now turned to the side so she could be heard better.

"Good..." he murmured, his hand smoothing up and down her thigh. "How should you respond the next time I ask you to do something?"

"With...respect?"

"Yes," Eric hummed his agreement, very proud of her response. "I would like you to be respectful. Can you do that?"

"Yes," she breathed, and Eric looked back to see her resting her head on the bed, looking about as relaxed as somebody who was prepared to receive a professional massage.

"And if you're disrespectful again?"

She didn't hesitate a second. "I'll get another spanking."

It was then that the groundwork for a solid foundation formed beneath them. A foundation for their new relationship. An unpoken agreement past between them:

If Andie misbehaved, Eric would discipline her. And that discipline would likely always be a spanking.

It felt solid—the foundation—and any doubt or insecurity Eric felt about proceeding melted like snow on a sunny spring day.

Without further ado, Eric lifted his hand, and dropped it soundly across her bottom. He repeated the swat on her other cheek, and then again, continuing the pattern for a long while. Within a minute, her hips were shifting around on his knee. Her face was flushed, and her breath was uneven.

When he stopped, he wasn't finished. It had only been a minute, and he wanted the spanking to last a little longer. So, he smoothed his hand across her bottom, savoring the warmth that radiated from under her cotton shorts.

Looking back at her, he noted that her eyes were closed, and her cheek still lay flat on the bed. She looked relaxed and at-peace.

His eyes remained trained on her face as he pinched the very end of her shorts and tugged.

Andie's eyes opened, slowly—drowsily almost—and blinked into the soft yellow light cast by a small lamp on her desk. When Eric returned his attention to her bottom, a pair of black cotton panties stared back at him.

Eric pushed her cotton shorts to her knees, strangely appreciating the way it looked to keep the shorts partially on her instead of completely off. Then—he resumed the spanking. The difference was small. The cotton shorts really didn't offer any protection. So, he proceeded for another minute, before deciding that her panties should come down as well.

It was such a bold decision, however. So bold, he couldn't seem to bring himself to follow through without her being aware.

"Andie..."

"Yes...?"

Taking a deep breath, his hand smoothed along the cuff of her underwear. "I'm going to spank your bare bottom."

He held his breath as he waited for her reply.

"...Yes, sir."