He lets you call your office

Your inconsiderate behaviour oughtn't inconvenience your colleagues and clients, so the policeman agrees that you can contact your supervisor whilst he finishes his paperwork. You hand over your ID and then make the call, not bothering with explanations and simply apologising for your tardiness. Your boss is equally brief and to the point, informing you that you now have a ten minute extension. However, your sigh of relief is short-lived, as he goes on to say that he will get in touch with HR regarding the appropriate disciplinary process.

The officer of the law hands back your ID, along with your copy of the Fixed Penalty Notice and you thank him with genuine gratitude for his help, before setting off at the same pace as the other pedestrians. With every step and the attendant movement of your buttocks, you're aware of the recent paddling, although overall it was rather less harsh than your earlier strapping. You successfully fight the urge to check with your hands whether the skin has been abraded by the slots in the paddle and try not to think about your upcoming punishment.

You finally reach your office building and scan your ID card on the reader by the door. Another change immediately becomes obvious: in addition to a green and a red indicator, there is now also an amber one. This is the one that flashes as text appears on the small screen spelling your name, your company name and a message that reads “SPECIAL EXTENSION, 10 MIN, NO ACTION REQUIRED” making you think that perhaps you've avoided further chastisement after all.

Satisfied that you made the right decision to call your boss, you step into the blissfully empty lift. This is where your relief shatters as a mix of text and illustrations on the poster on the wall explains the true importance of your narrow escape. Serious errors lead to being summoned to HR to be dealt with severely with heavy implements; those who committed less grievous deeds will instead be visited at their desk by an HR staff member who will issue a milder punishment on the spot using office supplies such as rulers or even merely their bare hand. You suppose you can imagine the terror of having to report for a proper whipping or a caning…but waiting for someone to come and spank you at your desk in front of everyone is hardly a good deal either!

Hoping that this is not what you have in store, you make your way through the office to your desk, trying to act as if your bottom is not bare and sore. Eyes stay on you longer than you would normally expect them to, but the situation is clearly not that unusual and a few women wince sympathetically. Once at your desk, you gingerly sit down, blessing the softness of the office chair and open the product summary chart you were working on. You wonder whether you will be receiving a visit from HR; your academic background gives you good insight into their practices, so while you made some great friends there who were happy to finally meet an outsider capable of appreciating their work, with others you have earned a reputation of a know-it-all-from-marketing-who-thinks-she-can-do-their-job-better. Having one of the latter group come to deal with you could well mean more very bad news for your behind. You wonder if you should just take the Rulebook out and erase the changes, but you doubt that will magically bring your clothes back too. Maybe it is better to persevere, at least for now. If you are going to get a spanking, it should only be a light one, after all.

Despite the tension and uncertainty, you manage to lose yourself in work, so when the tap on the shoulder does come, it startles you.

“Ms Cho?” A voice says behind you.