The Birthday Present (a Lady’s Knitting Circle Story) FF/M

(The first installment in the first story of the Ladies Knitting Circle)

“He’s your birthday present, Annie.”

“I don’t understand,” Annie said, looking at Julia and the man standing next to her. He was a bit on the short side but not bad looking. Mid-thirties – not yet gone to seed. Kinda cute, actually.

Julia smiled as the cute guy looked down. “Well, on your birthday, your friends give you these things called gifts, and this is my gift to you. His name is Craig. Say ‘hi’ Annie, Craig.”

The man looked up from his feet. “Hi, Annie,” he mumbled and then made some approximation of a smile. Maybe it was a grimace. Annie couldn’t tell, not being entirely sure what a grimace looked like, but she thought it was the expression on the man’s face.

She looked at her friend, “No, I mean, I know that. But…you can’t give a man…wait a minute is he some type of a stripper and you’re –“

At this, Julia’s smile turned into a full-fledged laugh. “No, he’s not a stripper. Here comes Lottie. She’s gonna explain everything.”

Julia watched as a woman she didn’t know came up the steps holding a large duffle bag. Nodding to the two on the steps, “Julia, Craig…you must the birthday girl, Annie. Sorry I’m late, parking.”

Annie nodded and Lottie continued, “I think you’re going to like your present.” Still puzzled, Annie looked the man up and down. He had turned a dark shade of red. Whatever this was about, he didn’t seem to be enjoying the joke as much as the two women.

The moment held for a second or two longer than it should have before Lottie spoke, “Can we come inside, I want to put this down. It’s kinda heavy.”

Annie lead them into the parlor of her Noe Valley flat where something sort of strange happened: when the man attempted to sit, Lottie stopped him.

“Craig, I want you to stand. There in the middle of the room.” The three women had sat, and Lottie continued, this time to Annie, “I’m sure you’re a bit confused by your friend’s ‘gift’ and I have to admit – it’s a first for us here at the Circle, but I think you’ll enjoy it. Him. Your gift.”

“The Circle?”

Julia spoke up, “The Ladies Knitting Circle. It’s the coolest thing: LadiesKnittingCircleSF.com – It’s like craigslist but well…I’ll let Lottie explain.”

It was as though Craig weren’t even in the room as Lottie spoke, “the Ladies Knitting Circle started here in the City although there are now chapters in LA, Seattle, New York and I think Austin, Texas. It’s an online, social networking site and the way it works is if a woman has a husband or a boyfriend, or in a couple of cases, even a coworker, that needs….”

She stopped and looked at Craig before continuing, “That needs, correction, punishment or even a bit of humbling, she contacts the Circle. We will then take her man and match him with another woman who will basically own him for a set period of time – “

“Own him?”

“Well, not own in a legal sense of course, and everything is with the man’s consent, but he – in this case, Craig here – will be, for all intents and purposes, yours to do with as you like.”

“Mine?”

Julia’s face broke into a huge grin, and Lottie nodded, “You can make him do the dishes, clean your apartment, pamper you – massages are very popular as are bubble bathes, provide ummm…services….to you or your friends. He will have no say in the matter – after all this is punishment – and he must do as you say or face certain consequences that I’ll get to later –“

Julia interrupted, “Make him bawk like a chicken….go on, do it, he’s yours now – it’s funny.”

Annie looked up at the man, who looked like he’d rather be anywhere else. “Ok, make a sound like a chicken.”

“Bwaaawk, bawaak, bawaak!”

Julia laughed and Lottie smiled. Craig looked like he wanted nothing more than to dig a hole and disappear.

Lottie continued, “Craig’s girlfriend has asked that he be given out for a full weekend. Usually its for an afternoon or perhaps a day, but she’s very upset with –“

“Why did she contact…I mean send him…what did he do?” Annie stammered.

Lottie’s answer was to open the duffel and pull out a letter and hand it to Annie. “All of the women write a letter to the woman who will end up with their man, explaining why he’s here and what they’re hoping for.”

Annie opened the letter and began reading:

Hi,

Craig is my boyfriend. At least I think he is and I guess the fact that he let me send him to the Circle shows that he still cares for our relationship. That he’s willing to do something like this, I think it says something. A friend of mine told me about the Ladies Knitting Circle and how she puts her husband in once and awhile, and it just seems to me like the right thing to do in our situation. He needs to learn a lesson and I think he’ll learn it better from another woman – one who’s not me. I don’t know who you are or what you look like but I think this will be good for Craig. Good for us. I’ve thought long and hard about this and the other day, it was such a small thing, but it sent me over the edge, you know straw that breaks the camels back and all that and I was so mad that I finally went online and posted something on LKC site. I guess you’re the one who got him. I want you to go VERY hard on him. Be mean and bitchy. I mean really make him regret the way he’s been the past couple of months. The thing the other day was we were on BART and he spent the whole time – I mean the whole time trying to look up the skirt of this woman sitting a few rows up. He wasn’t even subtle about it. Whenever we’re out is spend time looking at other women. I know he cares for me, but it just really hurts. I don’t know if you can understand, but I hope you do.

Thanks,

Shelly

Annie folded the letter.

“I do.” It was barely a whisper.

Julia looked over at her friend, the birthday girl, “Huh? What do you mean ‘I do.”

Annie put the letter it in her pocket. “Did I say that out loud? It’s nothing.”

Lottie just smiled. “In the bag, you’ll find a number of fun items to use during your weekend as well as a book with many suggestions from our members as to what you might want to do with your boy for the weekend. I personally love page 23. Each man that comes into the program gives us 350 dollars that we give to you to use, so he can take you out to dinner or buy you anything that you might need. Also – and this is what I was saying about consequences if he doesn’t follow your each and every wish or if he’s disrespectful in any way – you’ll need this sheet.”

Annie took the sheet of paper that Lottie handed her. On it were a series of small squares.

“Each time he fails to obey or has displeased you, just make a little check in a box like so. At the end of the weekend, you’ll return him and meet Shelly. At that point, Craig will receive some additional corrective measures based on the number of checked boxes. Oh, and you should also feel free to punish him in any way you see fit at any time – there are several interesting methods in that book I was telling you about. Look at page 82. It’s a doozy.”

Craig fidgeted in the center of the room.

Lottie rummaged around in the bag. “And just so he knows what will happen when we get together at the end of the weekend…Craig, remove your pants and underpants and go stand behind that sofa – “

“But…” It was the non-chicken sound word he had spoken.

Lottie looked at Annie, “Would you please give me that sheet with the boxes on it?” Annie handed it over and Lottie made a large check in the second box. “You already have two checks for Monday, Craig. I suggest you do what I tell you. NOW!”

As the boy removed his pants and moved behind the sofa, Lottie removed a long slender stick with a crooked end from the bag. It was about 3 feel long and half an inch thick. Flexing it in her hands she explained, “It’s a rattan cane, it’s very painful and as a result does wonders for attitude adjustment. For each checked box, Craig will get 10 strokes of the cane on Monday, although I suspect they will be far more unpleasant than the 10 he will be getting now.

She stood behind the boy. “Bend over the couch. Place your hands on the cushions. If they come up or if you lift your feet from the ground we will start over. You are being punished because you have hurt your girlfriend Shelly very badly. You have agreed to this. You will be the property of Annie here for the next 3 days. This is to remind you –

SWISH! (without warning) CRACK!

….of the consequences for each check you receive. Do not displease Annie.”

SWISH-CRACK!

“Uhhhpphhhh!!!!!!”

“For each check you will be given 10 stokes of this cane, although I suspect you will find those strokes…

SWISH-CRACK!

“UGGHHGHHGHHGGHHGHGHGHGHHGHGH!

… far, far more unpleasant than these.”

SWISH-CRACK!

“OH GOD! FUCK GOD THAT HURTS!”

“Silence! None of that! The only words I want to hear from you are ‘thank you ma’am.’”

SWISH-CRACK!
SWISH-CRACK!
SWISH-CRACK!

“By the way, those last three didn’t count. Now where was I? Oh yes….

SWISH-CRACK!

“…right now I’m sure you find it hard to believe that it could possibly be worse, but please believe me when I tell you that…

SWISH-CRACK!

…we have a special Ladies…

SWISH-CRACK!

…Knitting…

SWISH-CRACK!

…Circle…

SWISH-CRACK!

…method that makes this experience many times worse. That method WILL be put to use when we meet again. So I suggest you minimize the number of boxes that need to be checked and be a good boy and learn a lesson or two about respecting women. A lesson that Shelly very much wants you to learn.”

SWISH-CRACK!

There was a fine sheen of sweat on Lottie’s brow. “He’s all yours, Annie. The bath salts and candles we’ve included in the bag are really wonderful. Enjoy.”

Julia clapped and Annie looked up at her gift. He looked nothing more than a little boy in a man’s body. A little man-boy with his face red and twisted in pain. She almost felt sorry for him until she remembered Darrel Jackson grabbing her breasts in 8th grade behind the 7-11 and then telling all of his friends about it. She smiled.

End.