Family: Out of Business

Arranged

Claire's pov

The weekend is finally here and my father has managed to ruin everything. The carnival is tomorrow and my dad is away for the next three days on a business trip. Of course I had to find this out from my uncle, since my dad split town in the middle of the night.

"Uncle EJ, did Dad tell you about the carnival tomorrow?" I asked, really hoping for a miracle at this point.

"No, squirt, he didn't inform me of an event that is of absolutely no interest to me and I have zero chance of attending. Why do you ask?"

"He promised to take me and my friends if I behaved while I was grounded, and I did, so can you take us instead?" I asked super politely.

My uncle just laughed in my face.

"Oh, you're serious," he said, seeing the crestfallen look on my face.

"Please," I begged, literally getting down on my knees.

"Not a chance, brat," he scoffed at the mere thought of doing something nice for someone else. "And get up. You already look enough like a homeless waif, you don't have to act like one too."

All that behaving and keeping my smart mouth in check for nothing, I thought. Neither Dante's nor Samantha's parents can take us either, I already asked.

"Can you just have Driver drop us off there, then?" Total shot in the dark, but worth a stab.

My uncle practically spit his mouthful of tea out all over the table, he was laughing so hard.

"You honestly think I'd let you three idiots loose at a carnival with no supervision, where they're anticipating over one thousand people in attendance this weekend?"

"There will be four of us idiots just so you know and yeah, kinda. I mean, Dad already said I could go, so this'll solve both our problems," I replied super optimistically, not to mention helpfully.

Uncle EJ just shook his head in disbelief at my apparently ludicrous proposal.

"That's where you're wrong, little one. I don't have a problem, only you do. I believe you kids like to refer to that situation as a YOU problem," he taunted, making air quotes around the term you problem as he mocked me.

"You suck, Uncle EJ, and I hate you!" I stomped my foot and crossed my arms as I pouted. This blows. I've been looking forward to this, for like forever, and now I can't even go.

My uncle set his teacup down hard as he glared at me.

"What did you just say to me?" he asked with ice in his veins, his tone was so cold.

Instead of taking this opportunity to cash in my get-out-of-jail-free card, I unwisely repeated what I said verbatim, and with more disdain to boot, "I said, you suck and I hate you."

My uncle was out of his seat in the blink of an eye. He roughly grabbed me by the arm and pulled me out of my chair to stand in front of him.

He spanked my ass hard five times before pointing his finger in my face to sternly warn, "You watch your mouth, piccola ragazza (little girl). Next time you disrespect me like that, I'll slap more than just your ass. Capiscimi (Understand me)?"

"Ow," I whined, rubbing my bottom.

He took the opportunity to spank me even harder as he pinned my hand to the small of my back.

"Answer me!" he barked angrily.

"Yes, alright I get it. I'm not a moron," I spat out my reply with contempt.

My uncle somehow managed to spank me even harder as he delivered three more sharp slaps to my behind.

"Respectfully!" he ordered.