I'm sure that you remember Marcus from the Windsor family. You might recall that some time ago Marcus was given a pretty brutal punishment by this wife for essentially being inattentive to her needs and spending too much time at work. You see, the Windsor family are very rich; billionaires with a 'B' that is. Stinking rich. You also recall that the family is ruled by the matriarch, Mrs. Windsor. She rules with an iron fist and a birch cane, amongst other weapons. But in this case did the punishment actually fit the crime? And did the desired outcome merit the means?

The Windsor family daughters had all selected a promising young man to be their husbands and then they were trained to be the submissive half of the relationship. They were trained to give full and complete attention to the needs of their wives; at the same time they were trained in business and expected to work to increase the family empire and fortunes. And generally they did it well. All except Richard; the outlier; you will recall that the outcome for him was somewhat different.

But I told you earlier all about Richard in painful detail. Misery was inflicted on Richard to the point that he finally found the courage to rebel and leave. But enough about Richard

This short instalment is about Marcus. The much-suffering Marcus. The husband who was unceremoniously strapped to a very elaborate punishment bench and became a broken man at the conclusion of his punishment. And punishment it truly was. It was well beyond the normal discipline that the Windsor men experienced on a regular basis; no, this was punishment. Painful, earth-shattering and terrifying punishment that took poor Marcus to a new place in his mind that made him pray for it to end in some way so that he could find peace. His Friday night, and really his world, was shattered in the space of just over two hours. He went from self-confident businessman to a slobbering mass of flesh that had lost all ability to...well, he just lost it. Lost it all right there strapped to a giant piece of mahogany and leather. His ass beaten to the point that he almost wanted to pray to just pass out. He was saved by the vision of his children. That was the only thing that gave him hope that he would survive the torture that his wife was subjecting him to that night. And why? Why did she order this inflicted on him? Why did she see the need to have him paraded and displayed in such a lewd manner in front of the Windsor women? Even the servants were privy to his indignity. The would always know that he was just something to be used in whatever way his wife wanted.

Marcus and his wife, Emma Windsor, had two children. They were delightful little girls, 2 and 3 years old. He loved them with all his heart. Marcus loved his wife completely. He was devoted to her and only her and their daughters. His planet revolved around them as if they were the sun. They gave him life.

This made the punishment that he received all the more bizarre for Marcus. He thought that he was doing what was expected of him as a husband and father. So, what had he done wrong?

Had he not paid enough attention to his wife and their children; apparently not. As a husband he worked every night to please his wife, well, almost every night. But he recalled after the punishment that their sex life had tailed off a bit in the last few months. Maybe they made love every few days, but at least once a week. He wasn't certain.

Emma was not happy. She had been patient to the point of frustration. She knew she had a wonderful husband, and in her Windsor-woman way she loved him, and only him, and wanted him to know that.

She had several discussions with her mother, Mrs. Windsor, about what her concerns were. Mrs. Windsor left it up to her daughter to decide how she would handle the fact that her husband had lost sight of his primary mission as a Windsor husband; his wife and family. But had he really done that?

Marcus had worked very hard to build the family brand, and with it the net worth that they all enjoyed. They were, as a family, incredibly wealthy. They had massive houses in a compound protected by armed security. They were socially connected to the elite of America and the business world of the planet. Marcus had even expanded the family into the broadcasting business with the next big thing of home renovation programs. It was a segment that was growing exponentially every year.

Marcus had developed programs for the homeless and poor to help them into affordable housing. Mrs. Windsor had reaped the benefit of his efforts and was given the public recognition for the family efforts to help those that needed help the most. When your wealth is counted in the double-digit billions you can well afford to put some of that money to work to benefit those that need help. The family had committed just over $100 Million to projects that would see the construction of homes for single mothers, low-income families, the homeless and those with a need for safe and clean housing. They took on old decrepit run down buildings and renovated them into nice places to live. They helped to build neighbourhoods that were safe and that people could be proud to call home. They enlisted the aid of other wealthy donors to raise a big chunk of money and expand the work that was being done. Marcus was doing great work for the country. But what was wrong at home?

Emma was at heart a kind and loving woman. She doted on her daughters and wanted more children. She revelled in motherhood. She loved her husband and wanted him in a way that was total. She wanted him with her all the time. That might have been a bit smothering for most people, but Emma was not most people. Marcus was part of her. He completed her to the point of ecstasy. When he was away from her she missed him. She wanted him near her. She needed him near her.

So, the punishment that was brought to Marcus was a signal for him. It was not meant to be cruel, but it was cruel. It was not meant to be vengeful, but it was. It was really a misguided way of Emma saying that I love you so much and that this is the only way I know of getting your attention so that you will take notice of what I want. What I need. What I desire. What I know that you want.

Really, that was the misguided Windsor family way taught by the family matriarch. It was ridiculous in the extreme.

At the end of the punishment that Friday night in the mansion, there was a brief moment where Emma went to Marcus, up by his head. She put her hand on his head and caressed it so carefully. She knew that he had suffered. He suffered for her. He has suffered for his daughters. He had suffered in his love of them. And she was hurt too.

What everyone did not see is what she held in her hand that night.

Emma went to her husband and told him that she loved him with all her heart and that she was proud of him for the bravery that he showed in taking his punishment. That she was his and his alone for eternity. She also has something in her hand that she wanted him to see.

Emma crouched down so that she could see his face as much as she could and said to him, "Sweetheart, please look at this if you can, I need you to see this. It's very important to us as a family. So if you can open your eyes please look at my hand and what I'm holding."

Marcus was barely conscious. His ability to generate rational thought was compromised by the application of the paddle, the leather strap, and that damned birch rod. That birch rod was insidious and gave pain a new meaning. Marcus screamed at the top of his exhausted lungs to try to manage the pain but was unable to escape the bonds that held him fast to the mahogany punishment bench. The force with which he strained and pulled would break bones of lesser men.

Marcus' only saving grace was that he was fit and young. His heart was strong and able to withstand the enormous strain of beating at 200 beats a minute as he was being propelled to new depths of the Hell that the birch rod took its victims.

Marcus struggled to hear the words that Emma was whispering in his ear. His heart was pounding in his ears to the point that her words were a muffled unintelligible noise. His eyes swimming in his own sweat and so his vision was blurred and he was unable to see what she was holding up in front of his face.

What Emma held in her hand was something that Marcus would have been overjoyed to see, if only he could. Something that affirmed his worth as a husband and a father.

Eventually Marcus' punishment came to an end and he was quickly attended to by the servants whose job it was to look after the Windsor Family. They knew all too well the role of the husbands but also the high esteem in which they were held by their wives. For the servants it was a huge dichotomy, the punishments that were dealt to the husbands versus the power that the husbands held day-to-day in the world. This family was incredibly different; but they paid very well and they demanded complete secrecy of what happened behind the tall walls that surrounded their lives.

Marcus was helped to get cleaned up and dressed so that he would return to his wife's side and the comfort of their life. When he returned to the main living room that Friday night it was as if his punishment had not occurred at all. The dinner conversation was about all the normal things that the family talked about. Politics, business, family, and the many diverse things that made up their busy lives. Marcus excused himself so that he could remain standing since his ass was on fire. The nurse had applied a cream to his rear that numbs the pain and had given him three very powerful pain killers, but still he needed to stay standing. His mind was torn between trying to balance his time as a husband and father and what was expected of him as a business leader in the family. Where had he failed?

After the dinner was finished Emma and Marcus walked home to their house and their daughters. Marcus went to the bedroom and changed out of his suit into more comfortable clothing. He applied another layer of the antibiotic numbing cream and took two more pain pills.

He went to his wife and asked to talk to her. "Ma'am could I ask you a question?"

Her response was, "Of course Sweetheart, what do you want to talk about?"

Marcus started, "First I want to say that I am very sorry. I know that I have disappointed you and failed to live up to you expectations of me as your husband. I can only hope that you don't think that I have been a poor father to our children. If I have failed them I'm not certain what I could do."

"Marcus, you need to know certain things right now. You must know that I love you, Dear. And I know that you love me. And I know that you love our daughters so much that you would die for them. Did you hear what I said to you and showed you tonight after the brave way that you took the message that I needed to give you?

"I'm sorry Dear, I couldn't hear or see anything after my punishment. I'm sorry for that, I wasn't trying to not hear, it's just that my ears and eyes did not work."

Emma reached into her bag and pulled out the thing that she had held under Marcus' face earlier that night. She walked up to her husband, took his hand and put the small white tube into his palm.

Marcus immediately recognized what it was and his expression became startled.

He looked at it and smiled from ear to ear. He took his wife into his arms and whispered in her ear. "I love you so much."

Emma pulled back just a bit to smile at her husband. "Take me to bed Dad, and fuck me good."

Marcus put the small white object in his pocket and scooped his wife up and carried her to their bedroom. He laid her gently on the bed. They celebrated the news that the small white tube conveyed with a night of lovemaking that was both gentle and fierce. Emma loved this man. She showed it. He completed her and was the father of her children. Marcus loved this woman and figured that even with all of the bizarre ways of the Windsor family he was a lucky man. He had a wonderful wife that wanted him and only him and he had two great little daughters. The three of them were his world. And now the number would increase.

You see, the small white tube that Emma had put in front of her husbands eyes after his punishment had two blue lines in the little window.

Marcus got the message loud and clear.

The next week he hired two new assistants to take the load off him at work and devoted a much bigger chunk of his time to his growing family. Number three baby was a boy and was soon followed by numbers four, five and six. The Windsor family legacy would continue and most importantly Marcus and Emma were happy. As the kids grew Marcus and Emma got them involved in the community and taught them the importance of contributing to society and doing good things for people.

Marcus was never punished or even disciplined by his wife again. His devotion to Emma was never forced or coerced. He loved his wife with his every fibre of his being. And she loved him the same way.

And they were only Windsors to drive a minivan instead of a limousine.

Epilogue

Love will compel people to endure extremes and this is but one example. Power and privilege come at a price, but is it worth it? There is no answer to that.