A Red Hot Fourth of July

The two couples had been friends forever.  Sandy and Liz were both  teachers and had met each other before Kevin and Ben were even in the picture.  When each had met their respective mates they waited a while before they got them together.  When it finally happened the guys were like two peas in a pod.  They bonded immediately and became a fearsome foursome.

They got together often, both together and separately.  The girls often shopped together and since they taught in the same school often saw each other every day. They shared recipes, books, gossip, some secrets and the same sense of adventure. The guys would often play golf on the weekends and then meet the girls afterwards and the girls almost always shared their adventures with the guys. Sandy was definitely the bold one and Liz often went way beyond her comfort level.  There were times when Kevin and Ben were aghast at some of the stories.

When their kids were older the two couples  decided to purchase a cabin in the mountains near their hometown.  Linden Lake had always been a getaway for them. They figured it would be a good place to get together with the older kids and eventually their families.  The cabin was very rough and both families spent their weekends and summers renovating it until it became a real home away from home. This was the first 4^th of July they would be able to really relax and enjoy the holiday. The festivities included a short play,  parade, a craft fair and later in the evening fireworks over the lake.

The 4^th of July parade was a tradition in Linden Lake.  The local service clubs put on a dramatization of the signing of the Declaration of Independence prior to the parade and then the actors would join the parade.  Most of the townfolk would also dress up in costumes reminiscent of the timeframe. 

Sandy, being a history teacher, was in her element with the Linden Lake Parade.  She decided she and Liz should dress up a little differently. One of the English Revolutionary War generals, “Gentlemen Johnny” Burgoyne, was always known to bring along “ladies of the evening” on his campaigns. She thought dressing like these "ladies"  would be so much more fun than the usual costumes people wore.  When she approached Liz with the idea, she was a little hesitant but was bulldozed by Sandy into getting aboard.  Neither of the girls shared the plan with their husbands. When Sandy showed pictures to Liz she blanched.  She knew that Ben would not approve of his wife being attired in such an outfit in public.   Sandy eventually convinced her it that the bathing suit she wore to the last pool party was much more suggestive.  Unfortunately, Sandy did not know the price Liz paid for wearing that bathing suit.  One of the secrets she didn’t share with Sandy was that she had received a good bottom warming.

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On the morning of the fourth, the guys left early to start working on the parade set up.  The girls planned on arriving just before the parade began. The guys would save them a place in the viewing stands. They got quite a few hoots and hollers on the way to the stands. When Kevin and Ben saw their wives both their mouths were agape.  Kevin pulled Sandy down on the bleacher seat so hard she yelped.  He asked her what the hell she was thinking?  She explained to him what the outfit was about but he wasn’t listening.  He just kept lecturing that it wasn’t appropriate to wear at an outing for families. Once he calmed down a little, he had to admit to himself she looked pretty fetching but he wasn’t about to tell her that.  He told her they would finish discussing this later and was just getting up to leave when the parade started and they had to stay put. That is when they realized Dale and Liz weren’t there.

 As soon as Ben saw his wife he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the stands.  He never said a word to her as he led her to the car.   He still had not said a word to her on the way to the cabin.  She knew she was in trouble.  Silence did not bode well for her bottom.  When they reached the cabin, he opened her door and helped her out.  In the great room he led her to the couch and immediately pulled her over his knee.  Then the lecture began.  He must have lectured her for what seemed like hours while in reality it was probably only about ten minutes.  When you are upside down over your husband’s lap, time seems to stand still.  Finally, he began to spank her and he really let her have it.  She was squirming in no time.  The smacks continued to rain down on her behind as she kept asking him to please stop. When he was finished he kept her over his knee.  When she calmed, he helped her up, kissed her and told her he loved her but she knew better and he was very surprised she hadn’t learned her lesson after the bathing suit episode.  She told him she didn’t think it was so bad.  He smacked her bottom and asked her if she wanted more.  She told him no.  He said if she wanted to wear the outfit she could do it in the privacy of their bedroom.  She was told to wash her face, change and they would return to the festivities.

When they got back to town the parade was over and Liz was grateful.  Her bottom was in no condition to be sitting on the hot, hard bleachers.  They caught up with Kevin and Sandy in the parking lot.  Sandy asked Liz where they had gone.  Dale answered for her.  He said he didn’t like his wife in the get up and took her home to change.  Kevin remarked that was where they were headed.  They agreed to meet up later for lunch at the local outdoor grill.

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After lunch, the two couples wandered through the craft booths.  At one of the woodcrafting booths there were all manner of paddles with cute sayings, like “Board of Education”,  “For Unruly Wives”, “For Bear Bottoms” “Attitude Adjuster”  and so on.   Liz tried directing them away from the booth.  Kevin smirked and said he was going to buy the one “For Unruly Wives” because it might come in handy. Ben leaned over and whispered  in Liz’s ear that her face was as red as her bottom had been earlier.  Sandy noticed the interchange but remained silent for the moment.

At dinner they decided to watch the fireworks from their deck instead of dealing with the crowds of people downtown.  It wasn’t quite dark when they returned and as they waited Sandy suggested they play a game of Truth or Dare. Sandy was always instigating and liked to find out everybody’s secrets.  She didn’t think there was any secret she didn’t know about Liz but after that interchange at the woodcrafting booth she wasn’t so sure.  This would be a good way to get the answers.

They all moaned at the suggestion but started to play nevertheless.  Kevin, Ben and Liz all had their turn and were laughing at the silliness of it all. When it was  Sandy's turn she posed her question to Liz. “What did Dale say that embarrassed you today at the woodcrafting booth?” Liz gave Sandy a look that would melt ice.  Sandy ignored the look and asked Liz again.  Liz still didn’t answer.  Kevin stepped in and told Sandy to pose another question.  Sandy said that wasn’t how the game was played and posed the question again.   Ben could see Liz was upset and said he didn’t want to play anymore.  He went out to the deck and Liz followed.

Sandy yelled out spoil sport.  Kevin told her that was enough.  She started to go out on the deck when Kevin stopped her and said to cool off and leave them alone for a bit.  She whirled around and told him she didn't like taking orders and she would do what she wanted.  Sandy went out on the deck and continued to tease Liz about being a spoil sport.  Finally, Liz had enough. She turned on Sandy and told her it was none of her business. Sandy wouldn’t let it go.  Kevin told Sandy that she was being an unruly wife and ruining everybody’s good time.  He told her to remember what he had purchased that day. She told him she remembered but he wouldn’t dare. He just grinned.   

Just then the fireworks started over the lake.  They all oohed and aahed  at the spectacular display.  They could hear the patriotic music playing in the background and it was a reminder of what this holiday represented. Sandy leaned over and whispered to Liz she was sorry she had upset her.  Liz squeezed her hand and all was well.

Next Sandy told Kevin she was sorry she had behaved badly.  When he reached in to whisper something, Sandy figured it was to tell her all was forgiven.  If it hadn’t been so dark, everyone would have seen her face redden.  What he told her was the fireworks were not over and that yes he would dare.