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Copyright © 1998,   (Snidely).  ALL Rights Reserved
The following story is being published anonymously for the author (Snidely) 
by Mr Double (mrdouble@mrdouble.com).  







                             B & D Academy

                              By Snidely

Chapter 1

The breakfast ordeal was over... Finally. Mariko sat at the table trying to "will" the corn flake off the end of her nose and wondered just how she gets herself into these things. She felt doubly responsible this time because she had gotten not only herself, but her roommate, Courtney Richmond, into this predicament. Mariko looked across the beautifully appointed breakfast table at her friend who was sitting strapped to a high- back leather covered chair identical to Mariko's with a dejected look on her face and oatmeal in her hair. At 22, the blonde girl was two years younger then Mariko and about two inches taller at 5'6". She was the type of girl who seemed to turn men's heads everywhere she went, but she never was never one to notice. They had struck up an immediate friendship and decided to share an apartment soon after they had first met at the job that was to get them into this mess.

Sitting smugly at the head of the table was their principal tormentor, Allison Palmer, owner, president, chief-of-staff and head bitch of B&D (Beauty and Definition) Cosmetics. She was a tall, strong, attractive (in a hard sort of way) redhead with a short flip hair style. She sat with one leg slung over her chair arm, sipping coffee and smirking at the two helpless girls. She had a devious twinkle in her eye, a twinkle Mariko had come to know all to well over the last two weeks (or was it three?). Allison finished her coffee with one final gulp and then rang the little bell that was next to her place setting. When they first arrived at the estate, Mariko had expected a butler in a tuxedo or at least a French maid to respond but instead, the double doors of the huge dining room opened up and as they had in the past, in marched six oriental women, with three coming around behind Mariko and the others taking a similar position behind Courtney. Mariko couldn't decide just what nationality the women were although she had ruled out the possibility that they could be Japanese like herself. They were all squat, rugged farm type girls, probably from the mainland. They just did not fit in these lavish surroundings. Not the Jet-set type at all like Allison and her friends. Or the sympathetic type either.

Both girls were becoming painfully used to this routine, They knew that now was not the time to talk, even though it was one of the few times during the day that they were physically able to, but Courtney seemed determined to press her luck.

"And what's for desert?" she asked Allison with her best sarcastic smile that didn't begin to hide the contempt she obviously felt for Allison. She barely got the statement out before one of the guards grabbed a handful of Courtney's blond hair and yanked her head back, not too hard, it was her one warning for the day. (and it was only six A.M.) "I was only asking!" Courtney blurted defensively, as the guard twisted her hair a bit more.

Allison smiled sweetly and said "Why, I'm having some melon for desert and it's certain to be delicious, But I think, for you two, some red rubber ball will do!"

With that, she nodded to the guards who pounced on both girls, and almost effortlessly stuffed ball gags into their mouths. Mariko couldn't help but notice that Courtney's gag was pulled about twice as tight as her own, not that she had any prayer of extricating the one in her mouth, but any small favor was welcome under their circumstances. Sooner or later Courtney would figure that out and keep her mouth shut.

Allison sat back in her chair and began.

"Y'know girls, I've been thinking... ("Oh shit! Here we go again!" Mariko thought) ...You two have been with me all this time and we haven't even had a chance to tour my stables. I'm really quite proud of them, so I thought that it would be fun to have a nice ride and then a quiet little picnic today... If that's okay with you." She said as she looked quizzically at her guests who could do little more then stare back at her.

"If you don't want to go, just say so!" she blurted out before slapping her knee, and laughing merrily at her own joke. (Nether Courtney or Mariko could appreciate the humor in it!) "There then, its settled, the girls here will get you cleaned up and help you get into some riding clothes and I'll meet you in the stables at nine.

She then nodded again to the guards, who efficiently unbuckled all the leather straps holding our heroines in their chairs then pushed their heads down on the table and pulled their hands up behind their backs to be fastened there with plastic tie-wraps. The chair was pulled away suddenly and Mariko was hustled up and towards the door with one guard on each elbow and the corn flake still plastered stubbornly on the end of her nose. Courtney brought up the rear.

Allison's cheerful "Tah, Tah" rang in their ears as they stumbled down the halls to their rooms.

                               ====== * ======

Both Mariko and Courtney had started work on the same day at B&D Cosmetics although certainly with different motivations. Courtney joined the firm as a student intern in the marketing group, Her plan was to slug her way to the top of the business world and be in the 6 figure salary range by the time she was 25. Mariko was starting as a marketing liaison to the new Far East division. It was her charm and wit, along with a hell of a snow job that had convinced them in the interview that she had grown up in Japan. It didn't really matter that coming to New York was the first time she had left Southern California in her life. Her full blooded Japanese roots, The smooth lines of her face, the gentle slant to her brown eyes and her waist length, jet black hair had done the major portion of the selling. This was actually her second job, but she didn't tell them that. Her first had been with a rival cosmetics company based in California. Ivan Rasovitz, the president of Rasovitz Industries, had recognized her unique potential immediately and taken her under his wing as his personal assistant. During one late night staff strategy meeting he revealed his suspicion that B&D had been stealing his formulas for several years. He hinted that what he needed was a contact on the inside at B&D who could let him know what was going on, maybe even send him back some of the stolen formulas so he could track down the spy in his company.

                               ====== * ======

Mariko sat patiently in the "Dressing Chair" while a fashionably dressed woman applied her make-up (B&D brand of course). The dressing chair was an interesting affair made up entirely of adjustable, stainless steel tubes giving it an ultra modern appearance. It's long legs were securely anchored in the concrete floor of the dressing room making it the only permanent highlight in an otherwise drab room. The chair was really little more then a stool with arm rests as there was only a tiny, uncomfortable seat made up of tubing that converged together to form a small square with no back rest at all for a tired girl to lean against, nor could she put her feet flat on the floor due to the telescoping legs that had been adjusted before the guards had even placed her in the chair. As it was she could barely strain enough to rub the end of her big toes on the floor. The arms and legs were constructed so that they could be twisted and turned this way and that at the operators convenience and with the simple tightening of strategic wing bolts, they could be locked in place holding the unfortunate "Dressee" rigidly in any possible pose. The steel cuffs that held her in the chair only attached to her limbs at the wrist and ankles and could be detached and reattached easily from the chair without ever unlocking them from her wrists and ankles. The unhooking of the cuffs could be accomplished easily by any operator who was standing beside the chair but Mariko could not reach any of the catches from her position seated in the chair. For obvious security reasons, there was no point during the entire dressing procedure where more then one of her limbs was ever released from the chair. In this way she could be completely outfitted in anything from a cocktail dress to a leather cat suit with little or no effort on the part of her hand maidens, regardless of the amount of energy Mariko chose to expend resisting them.

The chair also had many interesting attachments like the one she was enduring at that moment. While she was being made up, a sturdy head rest arrangement was bolted to the back of the chair making her lean forward and pushing her head forward slightly from the back of her neck. A large tray with adjustable lights and all sorts of cosmetics was snapped in place under her chin forcing her head up and back painfully against the neck brace, ultimately holding her head perfectly still while the woman plied her trade. Mariko knew well enough not to complain. On the first day a mouth packed with cosmetic cotton puffs put an unpleasant end to any protests the fashion dummy had to raise. Mariko always prided herself on never making the same mistake twice. So she sat calmly, nude, obediently making faces as the make-up woman ordered. Another taller woman stood behind Mariko and carefully braided her hair into a long ponytail tied at the bottom with a red ribbon. Soon, the two women finished their work and stood in front of her commenting about what beautifully high cheekbones Japanese women have. Mariko didn't know whether to thank them or kick them, (If she ever got the chance!) so instead she just waited. She was getting pretty used to waiting. Finally, after they were done with their discussion on her chances of making it in the modeling industry, they removed the tray and Mariko breathed a sigh or relief as she was able to straighten up.

                               ======= * =======

Mariko had never hesitated, She would have done anything (well, ALMOST anything!) to help this charismatic man who had gotten her started in the business world, Anyway, it seemed a pretty good way to make two paychecks while really working only one job. Besides, all the cloak and dagger stuff was kind of thrilling, in fact, she even made a point of wearing a cape to work her first day at B&D as sort of a private joke. It turned out to be even easier then she had ever imagined to get information on the B&D formulas, she had access to all B&D's computers from the terminal she shared with Courtney and all those computer courses in college had really paid off. She had worked there only a month when she got her first look at the new formulas that B&D was working on. After six months, she was merrily funneling all the new formulas back west. Coincidentally, Mariko had just dropped a package in the mail and returned to the apartment that she and Courtney shared when this all began. She noticed right off that there were some mail and some groceries lying in the middle of the living room.

"That girl's such a slob sometimes." she thought as she picked up the mess. She then went into her bedroom to change out of her work clothes. Mariko opened her closet door and screamed as she looked directly into the gagged face of Courtney Richmond. Her scream was short lived though, as a large hand clamped over her mouth from behind.

                               ======= * =======

The make-up women was busy arranging some clothes on a table behind Mariko. All she could make out over her shoulder while one of the women was showing the outfit to the other was a brown tweed blazer. She could hear the make-up women commenting about how clever the design was and how it should hold "This little one." quite nicely, but she couldn't twist around enough to see. Mariko didn't like the looks (or rather sound) of this so she decided it was time to take a chance and speak up.

"Excuse me, I don't want to interrupt your fun, but I think you should know that I really look terrible in tweed." Mariko said. Both women stopped their chatting and turned to Mariko.

"Did you say something, Dear?" the make-up woman asked pleasantly.

"Why yes!" Mariko said somewhat surprised to finally get some recognition around this place.

"I said that I think I look awful in tweed jackets." The tall woman walked slowly around to face Mariko. She pleasantly brushed a stray hair missed by the braiding out of her face and then leaned forward until she was nose to nose with Mariko and hissed, "Who cares what YOU think, Doll?"

Mariko couldn't mistake the innuendo as she sat naked in front of these two women, about to be dressed just like a toy.

"Will we be needing any cotton today Dear?" The make-up women asked Mariko over her shoulder.

She simply shook her head. She was defeated for now. The dressing could begin.

First came a crisp, white cotton shirt that was quickly slipped over her unfastened hand which was immediately reconnected to the chair arm. Then the unfastening process was repeated with the other arm and Mariko had to shift her weight to accommodate the twisting of her arm behind her to get it into the other sleeve. They then buttoned the shirt up the front all except the top two buttons. Mariko was unpleasantly surprised by the condition of the shirt, two oblong holes had been cut and hemmed neatly in the front of the shirt were there could have been pockets. Out of these strategically placed openings pointed her firm little breasts. Whoever had laundered the shirt had obviously had a fetish for starch because both the collar and cuffs were a consistency reminiscent only of cardboard. The two women were busy carefully arranging the French cuffs of the shirt and tittered pleasantly as they used tiny padlocks for cuff links. ("A little bondage chic." thought Mariko) Next came a yellow wool, V-neck sweater-vest and they, after quite a tussle, slipped it over Mariko's head.

"I'm sorry, this is not really traditional, its just in case its a little chilly out there." Ma'am explained with subtle grins that made Mariko even more uncomfortable about her new apparel. The sweater was a little bit scratchy where it rubbed against Mariko's nipples but it was bearable. Next came the blazer, Mariko calmly cooperated as they threaded her arms into the stiff jacket. When her hands were re-secured to the chair the tall women opened her blazer up and began fishing around in the left armpit of the blazer, and Mariko, who was extremely ticklish, had to fight hard to keep from squirming. Finally the woman produced a thin piece of wire with a clasp on the end. This, she fed into the left arm hole of the sweater, across Mariko's chest and then out the other arm hole. She then fiddled in the opposite arm pit for a moment and yanked the wire. Mariko then realized what was happening. Sewn into the shoulders of the blazer was a horizontal figure "eight" of leather with the cross of the "eight" in the center of her back. Her arms fit through the holes in the "eight" before going into the blazer's sleeves. The wire was attached at the top and bottom of the "eight" and once it was connected Mariko would not be able to remove the jacket without first undoing the wire. Had Mariko been able to peek behind herself, she would have seen that there had been a triangular section about four inches wide removed from the jacket at about her shoulder blade level. This triangle was reinforced with leather around the edge of the opening and had a small metal clip hanging loosely out of it.

The tall woman continued to work, diligently trying to connect the wire when, finally, there was a small "click" as the two ends of the wire connected. The two women soon set their attentions on Mariko's next piece of apparel, this turned out to be a set of black leather riding gloves. Not normal gloves as you may expect, Mariko had no doubt that they would be unique. Once they were worked onto her hands she discovered that the skin tight gloves had no thumbs, rather, the thumb was part of the side of the glove. Although she could wiggle her fingers freely, her thumbs for all practical purposes were gone! The two women used button hooks to close the tops of the gloves around her wrist.

They produced a pair of steel handcuffs and locked one on Mariko's right wrist. Then they unlocked her left wrist from the chair and twisted it to meet the other hand where it was locked up in the loose handcuff. They removed the chair's bracelets from her hands and replaced them on the chair arms ready for the next dressing session. Mariko now sat with her wrists securely handcuffed behind her back and her feet still locked to the chair. When the tall women stepped quickly behind her and pulled her hands up suddenly between her shoulder blades and clipped them to the hook in the back of her jacket. Mariko found that any leverage she could have hoped to have was gone.

The make-up woman glanced at her watch and said to the other woman "Its almost 7:30! We had better finish her up! Would you hand me her tie?" The other woman grunted and handed her a strip of bright red cloth and then took a firm grip on Mariko's ponytail.

"We're gonna make sure your completely tied up, doll... Get it? *TIED* up?" The make-up lady then buttoned up the top two buttons of the shirt, and slipped the necktie under the collar and around Mariko's neck. She then carefully knotted the tie, it took her three tries to get it right, and slid it up tight to Mariko's neck and tucked the necktie neatly into her sweater. She fumbled around in her pockets for a moment and produced a little gold collar bar which she clipped to both sides of her collar under the necktie knot.

"What's that for?" asked the tall woman.

"Allison likes them, she calls them tie locks. She had me put one on Sweetcakes when she took her riding a couple of weeks ago, Sweetcakes rode all day, then spent the night hog-tied in bed and her tie wasn't even crooked in the morning." replied the make-up woman.

"Pardon me, but this doesn't fit right, it's awfully tight." Mariko gulped, (or tried to, it wasn't easy because of the collar.) The make-up woman tucked a bright red, lace hanky into Mariko's breast pocket and pined a carnation to her blazer lapel.

"Your comfort doesn't matter to us, My dear," She said as she worked. "The only thing that is important is that you look presentable while you are with your mistress."

Using a small safety pin she pined the key to Mariko's handcuffs to her necktie, just below the knot but hopelessly out of reach of Mariko's wandering fingers.

"There, finished," said the make-up woman as she stepped back to admire her handiwork. "You look so cute!" she squealed to Mariko as she pinched her cheek and gave her tie one last primp. "Allison's just gonna eat you up!"

"More likely it'll be the other way 'bout!" added the tall woman as she turned towards the door with the other woman.

"Wait a minute, aren't you forgetting something?" asked Mariko. "Oh really! can't you be at all patient?.." said the make- up woman with an exasperated tone "There'll be someone here presently who'll gag you... Can't you wait until then?"

"No, No!" Mariko stammered, "Pants, you forgot my PANTS!" "Oh, you obviously haven't seen them yet, have you?" said the tall woman with a smile as she shut the door.

Shortly, the door opened and in marched the three guards. They walked around her and began to fumble with the riding britches. Mariko tried to turn to see them but she found that this was not a comfortable feat with the tight, starched collar and tie. First, one girl took hold of Mariko's ponytail and pulled back on it forcing her to lean back. The other two pulled short nylon stockings on her feet then pushed her feet into the legs of the britches. They had to remove the ankle cuffs one at a time to yank the pants up to Mariko's knees. Even when the pants were at her knees Mariko knew that they were going to be very tight, but soon her mind was elsewhere. One of the girls came around where Mariko could see her new riding boots. They were made of very shiny black patent leather with heels that were about 5 inches high and no thicker at the bottom then a pencil. The girl was examining the heal more closely and pointed out a curious metal threading something like a screw starting about one inch from the tip of the heal and continuing about another inch up the heel. The three girls (or four if you count Mariko) examined the heels for a moment then shrugged it off and began trying to put the boots on poor Mariko. Every stitch she wore until then had fit her like a glove but these boots were a different story, they were much too small, at least one size, maybe two. Mariko tried to explain this fact to the guards, loudly! The guard holding her hair put a stop to that nonsense with a hand pressed firmly over her mouth. The others pulled, tugged, crammed and finally forced her feet into the boots. They pulled the little straps up and around her calf and put small padlocks at the top so the boots couldn't be removed without the key which was added to the handcuff key pined to her tie.

They stood Mariko up and then re-applied themselves to pulling up the britches. When the pants were just below her crotch they stopped and one of them went over to the table and returned with a small velvet box. When she opened it, Mariko tried her best to bolt for the door and would have made it except for the high heels and the fact that a guard still had a firm grip on her hair. As it was she made it a grand total of about 1 inch. Mariko begged and pleaded with these girls but they paid no attention to her. As the girl with the box removed three shiny steel ball bearings and came towards Mariko with a slight hint of a smile on her face, the other one bent down and grabbed her ankles and forced them as far apart as the tight britches would allow. The first girl quickly and efficiently inserted the Ben-Wa balls and then pressed the crotch of the britches into place to insure that the balls wouldn't pop out. The other two redoubled their efforts at pulling the pants into place. Mariko suddenly realized that the crotch of the pants had been lined with rubber and this, combined with the built in tightness of the pants, was forcing the balls even deeper inside her. They zipped up the britches and Mariko could already feel the rubber doing its best to warm things up. She barely noticed the "click" of the lock insuring that she would be wearing the riding britches for some time to come. A wire hobble of about 18 inches was added to small rings on the inside of the ankles of her boots. The hobble was really unnecessary because there was no way Mariko could possibly run in these boots, in fact she was surprised she could even stand.

Lastly came the riding hat, a derby. Mariko had no delusions about this at all. They plunked the black velvet hat down on her head and a whole bunch of matching leather straps fell around her cheeks. The main strap, which one of the girls was trying to apply to her mouth was connected to a steel bit type of arrangement which popped easily into her startled mouth when she gasped as one of the girls attempted to rearrange her Ben-Wa balls from the outside. The steel bit passed between her teeth and drew her lips back at the corners as the straps were tightened securely at the back of her neck under her ponytail. In the center of the bit was a hard rubber pad that extended forward under the bit, right up to the back of her lower teeth. Right behind the bit the rubber was softer and curled upwards squishing itself against the roof of her mouth. As it worked out the gag was inserted perfectly the first time, the lower pad crushed her tongue against the floor of her mouth and the upper rubber had plenty of room to expand should she try to open her mouth any further. Mariko was limited in that regard because of the tightness of the bit in her mouth where it pulled her cheeks back cruelly. Mariko heard the small click of the lock at the back of her neck and the key to her gag was added to the growing collection dangling from her necktie and our little equestrienne was ready her canter.

Mariko was shoved roughly out the door and into the hall. The guards were content to let her stumble along at her own awkward pace down the corridor. Suddenly a door to her right flew open and Mariko found herself face to face with Courtney. Her heart sank as she looked at her friend who was done up in exactly the same fashion as Mariko except her color was blue, Navy for the blazer, light blue for the sweater and her tie was blue plaid complete with the keys pinned neatly in place. The two prisoners didn't even have time to exchange sympathetic glances as they were marched awkwardly down the hall. The only sound that followed them was the high pitched click of their heels on the concrete floor and the merry jingle of the dangling keys. They were then bundled into an elevator and taken up to the main level of the estate and after another seemingly endless stroll, they were taken to a door that led outside, the first time they had been outside since they had been brought here. Given a choice, Mariko would have hoped that their exit would have been a little more dignified.

They walked down a long stone walkway to where they saw the make-up woman standing on the edge of the white stone driveway. When they arrived the make-up lady made them stand for an inspection, adjusting here and primping there. They then were forced to march back and forth so she could "Get a good look at you" and apparently satisfied, she dismissed the guards who returned to the house. Mariko looked around herself in disbelief as various maintenance people busied themselves around the grounds. They paid no more attention to the two bound and gagged girls then they would to a couple of secretaries out on their lunch hour. Mariko wondered if this sight could be more commonplace around here then she ever imagined. She shuddered at the possibilities. Presently, a golf cart came bouncing up the dirt road and came to a stop in front of the three women. A large man in filthy coveralls smelling distinctly of manure stepped out of the cart and asked the make-up woman, "Are Deez Dem?"

"No," Mariko thought, "It's two of the other sixteen girls standing around in ridiculous looking riding outfits wearing handcuffs and gags."

The make-up woman assured the man that they were indeed the girls he was looking for and then stepped back. He guided Mariko and Courtney to the back of the golf cart then carefully seated them there, facing the rear. Mariko was so relived to be off her already sore feet that she barely noticed as he fiddled with their hobbles and yanked on one end causing a slip knot device on the wire to tighten, pulling the girl's ankles snugly together.

The make-up lady bent down where the girls could easily see her and said, "You two have a nice day and I'll see you this evening... bye- bye!" She turned and then without looking back, walked into the house. The man spent a moment or two talking about the weather with the gardener who was trimming a nearby hedge, then, whistling a little off key tune, he jumped into the drivers seat and turned the cart around and headed off towards the distant stables with two very nervous, very uncomfortable, passengers aboard.

The ride seemed longer the it really was for the girls as they were roughly bounced about by the bumpy dirt road they were being shuttled down. Soon they were passing huge exercise pens bordered with white stock yard fences surrounding bright green manicured lawns. Most of the pens were occupied by varying numbers of beautiful horses prancing about, some being attended by grooms others free to run about. Mariko couldn't help but notice how idyllic it all appeared, and what a distinct contrast it was to their present situation.

Mariko squirmed in her bonds for a moment... testing... hoping the man driving wouldn't notice. (He didn't) But it didn't matter, she wasn't going to get loose now, not a chance. She only prayed that someone would make a mistake and give her an opening for escape. Just a crack, That was all she would need! She could crawl miles to escape, run through streams to throw off the sent of the dogs that were sure to be sent after her. Duck the searchlights! (Hey! this is getting pretty darn exciting!) Then she could climb that last fence and make it to freedom! The golf cart came to a sudden stop and Mariko's momentum made her bump against the back of the seat, causing her handcuffs to click a notch tighter.

"Shit, So much for fantasy. Back to reality..." She thought.

There was certainly more interest here then back at the house. Several trainers walked by slowly, really taking in our heroines predicament. "Hey babe, Goin' Riiiidin'?!" One called out teasingly as he walked by. Mariko tried to meet their stares, but almost immediately she found herself staring at the ground behind the cart trying to make herself as small as possible. The driver was writing something on a pad in the cart and when he was finished he walked to the back of the cart and easily hoisted Mariko over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. With one hand on her rump for balance, he walked towards the nearby barn. As he neared the door he stopped a man who was passing by.

"Yo Karl! Ya got a butt?!"

"Waddya Talkin' about, You already have one right there!" replied Karl motioning to all he could see of Mariko.

The big man fumbled in his pockets for a moment.

"No I don't, I haven't got any smokes." Replied Mariko's chauffeur. "I don't believe this!" Mariko couldn't help say out loud... All that came out was "Eh Dt Bleh Tds!" though, and nobody paid any attention. "Here take one of mine Lou." Karl said as he lit the cigarette for Lou.

"Palmer's going riding today, huh Lou?... Can I have a look?" "Sure..." Lou replied as he turned around and Mariko found herself staring right into the face of Karl, another stable hand.

"Man, what a waste, This ones a ten too, Just like the others!" This was definitely the most bizarre compliment Mariko ever had, and hopefully ever would, receive.

"You have a good time now Ya'ear" Karl said as he walked away. Mariko just wished people would stop telling her to have fun in this screwed up place.

Lou carried her into the barn and walked over to a horse stall in the corner. There he bent over and placed her on her feet in the straw in the middle of the stall. He squatted down and loosened Mariko's hobble out to about six inches, enough for her to shuffle about in the stall and that was about it. He stepped out of the stall and closed the gate, then turned to Mariko and said "I suggest dat ya don't try ta sit down, caus' ya might get dirty. Unda stand?"

"Yes, I understand!" Mariko tried to reply, But all she said was "Yth Eh Nudthd!".

"What?"

"Ydth! NI! Nudthsss!" (She drooled a little).

"What?"

"FHth YYn Athhl!" (She drooled a lot).

"Sorry Honey, can't understand what ya is saying." With that, he turned around and walked out to get Courtney. Mariko shuffled over to the gate and looked longingly at the latch. It was outside, she was inside... No way. "Shthh!"

Almost immediately Lou returned with Courtney under his arm and deposited her in next to Mariko. Then he closed the gate and left. Escape, although it certainly entered both girls minds was out of the question. They stood as close as they could to each other trying to embrace the only comfort they had in this crazy world. The comfort would not last very long. Lou returned carrying two small English saddles and blankets and dropped them in front of the stall.

Then he called out to another man who was walking by the doors, "Hey, Joe! Do me a favor an get Thunder an' Cyclone for me will ya!" Thunder!!!... Cyclone!!!!!... Mariko and Courtney looked at each other in terror! Lou didn't seem to notice though, as he brought out a large crate and put it on the floor in front of the gate.

Then he sat down on it and fiddled with one of the saddles. Joe appeared suddenly pulling two gigantic horses, one black, the other brown. He tied the brown one to a post and led the black one over to the crate and helped Lou saddle it. The horse snorted but didn't resist much. Mariko just couldn't get over how big it was! Joe held the reins as Lou walked into the stall. Courtney panicked and bolted as Lou approached her, shuffling as fast as she could for the corner of the stall. Unfortunately, her mincing steps of six inches was no match for Lou's stride. He simply took hold of the back of her pants and spun her around and steered her towards the gate. Mariko backed away into the other corner. Lou picked Courtney up and stood her on the crate next to the horse and removed the hobble connecting her ankles. Then, with one motion, he stepped up on the crate, grabbed Courtney by the back of the jacket and the seat of the pants and deposited her in the saddle.

"Hey, there little lady," Joe drawled, "Cyclone's a real good horse, why he ain't thrown nobody for a couple of weeks now!"

Courtney was whimpering audibly. Joe continued, "Just don't show him your afraid, an' whatever you do, don't make any sudden movements to spook him!"

Courtney's body went absolutely ridged, not so much as a deep breath passed her lips as the men finished up their work. They put her feet into the stirrups and then Mariko saw what those curious screw things on their heels were for. Lou carefully guided Courtney's heel into a hole on the stirrup and pushed it down until the screw threads came out the bottom. He produced a wing nut from his pocket and tightened the nut on the threads, thus preventing Courtney from pulling her foot out of the stirrup. He walked casually to the other side of the horse an repeated the procedure. Joe took the reins and led Cyclone to the side and tied the horse to another post. Courtney still hadn't moved a muscle. While Joe was getting Thunder into position beside the crate Lou turned to Mariko and said, "Don't keep us waitin' sweetie"

It didn't take a kick in the head for Mariko to realize the futility of resistance. She put her head down to watch where she was going and shuffled forward. By the time she arrived at the crate Thunder was saddled and waiting. The closer and closer she got to her mount the more and more amazed she got at just how big horses really get and just how much she didn't want to see how big it was from the horse's back. Lou settled any doubts she might have had by grabbing her and swiftly depositing her in the saddle.

Momentarily, her feet were secured in the stirrups and Joe cautioned, "Remember, No sudden movements."

The warning was unnecessary as Mariko had been following Courtney's lead from the moment she hit the saddle.

"Remember Girls, Don't spook them!" Joe said as he walked away chuckling. Lou took both sets of reins and led the reluctant equestriennes out of the barn.

The sound of hoof beats thundered up from behind the girls. Neither dared turn to look but their eyes flashed back and forth desperately trying for a glimpse of anything.

"Yo Ho, you two! I see your right on time!" Allison called from behind. Both girls stared straight ahead.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Allison loved bad puns... She slowly coaxed her mount around where her new playmates could see her. Allison was dressed in a old red flannel shirt with a white thermal T-shirt under it, Jeans, Cowboy boots and a beat-up ten-gallon hat. She slowly rode her horse around the girls, checking them out and teasing them a little, "I've got the lunch, The wine, Plenty of rope, I can't think of anything else we could need for our picnic. Can you?"

She reached back into her saddle bag and removed an expensive looking camera and took a dozen or so photos of the girls from various angles. "For my album." Allison explained.

On the third time around she noticed that the only time her little pets were looking at her was when she was directly in front of them. She suddenly stopped short in front of the two girls who sat rigidly in their saddles. Allison leaned forward and examined her captives faces closely.

"They told you the horses names, didn't they?" Both girls nodded ever so slightly. A smile broke across her face and she burst into laughter. Both horses were startled and both riders screamed into their gags but neither horse moved. Allison slowly began to regain control of herself. "Their names are a joke you dummies! These are two big marshmallows!... They wouldn't hurt a fly! They've done this same thing hundreds of times. You can scream and struggle or anything you want and they wont move, they're completely trained!"

It took a moment, but then both girls realized that their captor was really telling the truth. They both slumped in the saddles. "Look at me!" Allison ordered and both visibly relieved girls complied.

"There are about a million and one things I am going to do to you two. And I plan on doing each and every one to you at my leisure... Alison then ceremoniously leaned over, and flicked the button holding Mariko's blazer closed. The jacket then fell open framing her sweatered breasts rather then supporting them. The wire under her sweater ensured that the jacket was staying on. She winked at Mariko then and then repeated the drill on Courtney. I don't want to *TERRIFY* you... just terrorize you! And just remember, I won't need to hurt you to accomplish that." With that, Allison reached down and untied the reins from the post and tied them to her pommel.

"Ready for some fun in the sun girls? What do ya say to a gallop!" Allison shouted as she spun her horse about and headed for the trail with Mariko and Courtney about to begin the ride of their lives.



Chapter 2

The gallop only lasted a few hundred yards but that was more then enough for Mariko and Courtney. It was all they could do to hold on by pressing their knees into the sides of the saddle. The stirrups were attached to the saddle with stiff, leather covered Fiberglas pieces. The use of these were two fold, one was so that the girls could not pull their feet upwards to try to get at their boots but also so that they would have a firm base to hold on to as they didn't have any hands to grip the reins. They were left with enough leg room so they could stand and sit in the saddle as need be during the ride. Both girls became adept at this very quickly. ("Natural riders." as Allison was to say.)

"Isn't it exhilarating to do that!" Allison shouted to the girls as she reined her horse down to a trot, with Thunder and Cyclone instantly responding to the change of pace of Allison's gray mount. Mariko nodded weakly in response but Courtney didn't respond at all because she was too busy screaming and struggling to hear the question. Under the circumstances Allison didn't seem to mind.

The horses trotted on along a trail laid out through rolling hills and past thick woods. The early morning air was still brisk from the night and the last remnants of dew was evaporating in the sun. Allison was in her glory in this environment, the great outdoors, on top of her favorite horse, the quiet of the countryside, her own personal captive audience to listen to her lectures about everything from corporate takeovers to the proper way to prepare tea. Allison seemed to have opinions on everything, (even things she knew very little about) and she always loved a good argument, so long as she won. She found the best way to always come out on top was to be sure that her opponent was just like Mariko and Courtney, intelligent, eloquent, confident, informed, and securely gagged and bound. It understandably took some of the challenge away, but Allison preferred the sure thing, winning at any cost was more her style. So Allison began her lecture about everything, after informing her new pupils that there would be a quiz when they got back. Mariko glanced over at Courtney, she had recovered from the gallop quite well and was busy looking around at the countryside. Eventually, Courtney glanced back at Mariko and then their eyes met. Courtney motioned at Allison's back with her eyes then scowled at her and rolled her eyes in Mariko's direction. Mariko was relieved that her friend had not gone off the deep end as she had feared. Mariko tried to smile to her friend in return but the bit gag was so tight she couldn't do much more then change the grimace on her face slightly. Courtney nodded in return and she grimaced too, then rolled her eyes again about the futility of it all.

The girls were having a wonderful time as the horses plodded along, making faces at Allison's back as she continued to preach about everything. They always managed to be quick enough to look attentive every time Allison would turn around to emphasize a point but after a time they tired of this game and kind of retreated into themselves and their misery.

The Ben-Wa balls were causing Mariko untold discomfort. As a result of her exertion while they had endured their gallop, the balls had slid down enough so that one was exposed to the rubber of the pants. Every time Mariko would miss a beat on the motion of the horse she would hit the saddle hard, it sent quivers from one ball to the other, then to the other and then of course, to her. Something like those toys that used to be a common fixture on corporate president's desks. The stimulation was having the disconcerting effect of making her body betray her. She had expected no less. And really, the sensations weren't all THAT unpleasant! Just very distracting. The rubber lining on the britches held everything in so combination of her perspiration and arousal was making things pretty warm, wet and squishy. Yep, really, really distracting...

On the other hand, when they had first put the shirt on her, she had figured that the breast holes were there for the obvious reason. Then when they had put the sweater on her covering the holes she was totally confused. Now though, she was beginning to realize their true function. Although Mariko had never been particularly well endowed in the breast department, She had always needed to wear a bra. Now, without a bra, on a bouncing horse, her boobs were having a field day, moving up and down with the motion of her mount. With each upward motion her nipples slid upwards across about three inches of Shetland wool. Then they followed the same path downward, then upward, then downward.

At first this was not so bad, the stimulation caused her nipples to harden and become very sensitive. (a somewhat pleasant situation when combined with what was going on between her legs.) But soon she had had more then enough of the wool, but the horse continued along the trail. Upward, then downward went the horse, upward and downward she went. Her nipples began to get very sensitive as the sweater seemed to get coarser and coarser. Upward, downward. Soon, it became almost unbearable, Mariko tried every position she could think of to move her breasts away from the clingy sweater but none helped.

Mariko was sure the tips of her nipples were being slowly scratched away, she expected to see blood any moment but it didn't appear. She looked over at Courtney and could clearly see a tear roll down her cheek, No matter how much discomfort Mariko was in, she realized that Courtney was even in worse shape as her breasts clearly bounced four or five inches. Mariko could only close her eyes and wish that they would get where they were going, but her wishes weren't going to be granted for some time, they just continued to bounce along, Up and down, up and down...

The equestrians eventually reached the top of a hill were Allison stopped her monologue and all three horses. From this vantage point the three girls could look down to a small, sheltered pond, surrounded by rocky outcroppings and moderately thick woods. Mariko and Courtney were just grateful to stop and relieve the rubbing on their tingling tits and were not very interested in admiring the view.

Allison broke the silence, "I just love this place, whenever I need to be alone I pack up a lunch, and head out here. Just to swim and think and relax." Mariko wondered for a moment if Allison considered herself alone right now.

"C'mon!" she said, as if the girls weren't going to follow one way or the other. She prodded her mount down the trail towards the lake. She stopped at a small grassy clearing that was among the trees surrounding the lake. From horse back it was possible to see the lake about 100 yards away but standing on the ground it was unlikely that they would get that view. Allison moved the horses under the limbs of a huge tree.

Then, standing up in her saddle, she reached up above her head and searched among the leaves for something. This produced the end of a rope that looped over a pulley that was attached to the tree limb in a secure notch. Allison backed her horse up next to Mariko and tied the end of the rope to the clip on her back. She then rode her horse over to another tree and tied it there with Courtney's horse still tied to the pommel. Allison approached Mariko and removed the wing nuts from her heels and lifted her feet out of the stirrups. Mariko moved and stretched her legs for the first time in almost two hours, careful not to spook the horse. Allison was all business as she walked to the other end of the concealed rope and pulled on it until it was taut.

"Get ready!" She called to Mariko as she resumed pulling slowly on the rope. Mariko braced herself as well as she could. By pulling down with her fettered hands she could take some of the stress off her shoulders, but she would not be able to keep this up very long. When she was about six inches above the saddle, Allison tied the rope off and hurried over to move Thunder. Mariko dangled about six feet in the air turning slowly. Her eyes were clamped tightly shut and she barely noticed Allison return and put the hobble back between her feet. Finally, Allison lowered her slowly to the ground. She untied the rope from the clip and escorted Mariko over to a grassy patch by another tree and tightened her hobble to two inches, but left her standing.

"Don't go away!" she warned with a wagging finger as she turned to look after Courtney.

The two girls stood stiffly at attention as Allison graciously attended their disheveled clothing, tugging Mariko's jacket down and straightening Courtney's tie and sweater.

"You can dress them up, but you can't take them anywhere!" Allison scolded with a smirk, she had caused all the problems with her unique dismounting technique. She then went over to her horse, leaving the girls standing under the tree, and returned with a check tablecloth and two picnic baskets. She spread the cloth on the ground at the girls feet and sat down. She rummaged about in one of the baskets and pulled out a bottle of wine and a glass. Using a corkscrew she opened the bottle and pored herself a glass of the wine and took a long sip.

"Ahh! I needed that!" she said as she laid back and looked up at the two girls who looked longingly at the wine. (or probably anything else wet.)

"You can have some of this when and if I say! and not before!" Allison said, then continued "We do have something to discuss now though..." With that, Allison opened the other picnic basket and removed four pieces of thin cord. She looped one around Courtney's right knee and then put it around Mariko's left knee. When it was tied off both girls had one knee welded to her partners other knee, left knee to right. Then Allison tightly tied their matching ankles together. They were prepared for a three-legged race... Almost. Allison tied a cord around their elbows where they touched then added another cord from one outside elbow to the other across both of their chests pulling them together. She then knelt and loosened the hobbles out to 10 inches or so.

"Follow me please!" She said as she walked over to her horse. Mariko and Courtney tried to obey but they found that the awkwardness of their bondage combined with their high heels on the grass made movement almost impossible. Allison returned to where the two Siamese twins were trying to develop some coordination and stood before them with her feet spread wide and her hands behind her back.

"So! you're going to be disobedient too!" she said. Both girls tried to apologize profusely, but all they could manage was a little blubbering through their gags.

"No, no, it's all right, I understand about this position..." She said comfortingly to the girls. "What I really want to discuss..." Allison said with an air of confidentiality, "... is how impolite it is to make fun of someone behind their back... especially considering your position!" Mariko and Courtney could feel the color drain from their face as Allison waved her riding crop in front of their faces for emphasis. It looked like this was going to be a awfully one-sided discussion... SNAP!

Allison spent about fifteen minutes walking around the girls alternately snapping them with the crop and scolding them on their behavior during their trip here. She seemed to relish the bound girl's futile attempts at dodging her crop. She would fake, and the two girls would stumble into each other while trying to swing their rears out of harms way, usually hopelessly too late. While they were trying desperately to regain their balance, Allison would strike. Each sharp *SNAP* was followed by a thoroughly satisfying, although muffled, grunt. Music to Allison's ears. This was turning out to be a lovely day. After a flurry of whacks on their derrieres, Allison suddenly, cheerfully, said "Let's have some lunch!" and started preparing the meal. After securing our heroines first, of course.

The two hapless girls knelt on the edge of the picnic blanket as Allison prepared the meal. Mariko was thankful that Allison had forced them to kneel for now because she didn't think her rear end could take anymore abuse. First the damn saddle then the riding crop. (She didn't want to think about the ride home.) Mariko and Courtney were still tied exactly the same way they had been for their discussion, but with one exception. They were still joined at the ankles, knees and elbows, but now their hobbles were tightened as well.

The food looked terrific at any rate. Mariko was famished from her busy day so far. She could tell that Courtney shared her feelings from the rumbling sound that came from her stomach. Allison opened the basket and removed a plate of cold chicken, browned to perfection, A plate of potato salad followed, and some thinly sliced lean ham. From a small container of fruit salad she plucked out a melon ball and popped it into her mouth. Mariko could almost taste it! She pulled a Thermos of hot coffee out of the basket and set it aside as she casually sipped on her wine. Other condiments followed, some crispy celery, some sharp Cheddar cheese and crackers.

"Please, anything, something!" Mariko thought as she could feel Courtney leaning forward a little, hoping to get at least a sniff of the delicious food. Out popped a tiny tin of caviar and some crab meat.

"Crab meat!!! Oh, that's my favorite!!!" Mariko moaned to herself. Mariko could hardly control herself! Allison didn't seem to notice though, as she took a chicken leg and daintily took a bite.

"Hhmmmm... This is the life!" she said "Oh! I almost forgot you two...." Allison actually blushed as she opened the basket up again and withdrew two small square packages wrapped neatly in wax paper. She set them in front of our two starving maniacs. Mariko could only stare in disbelief at the two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches Allison had kindly provided for her guests.

Allison was on her third glass of wine when she finished her meal. She slid across the blanket to where Mariko and Courtney knelt and fumbled with the keys pined to their neckties. She removed one of the keys from each girl and then went around behind them. Mariko's heart leaped at the sound of the padlock on their gags being unlocked, she flinched when Allison pulled it a little tighter to release the catch and she moaned in relief when Allison pulled the bit out of her mouth and removed her derby. Soon both girls knelt on the edge of the blanket opening and closing their mouths and wiggling their tongues. Allison watched this with amusement for a moment, then made the two bound girls open their sandwiches with their own mouths before she began feeding her little slaves the sandwiches.

Both girls knew better then look the proverbial "Gift Horse" in the mouth so they accepted the food gratefully and it did do the trick, filling them up nicely. After a drink of water for each of them, Allison sat back and poured herself another glass of wine and began:

"You two don't know how good you have it."

"Oh sure!" thought Mariko. "This is almost paradise...

After having eaten and seeing Allison in a somewhat relaxed mood Mariko decided to see if she could get herself a little more comfortable.

"Allison, Please, I'm really having some trouble with this tie, it really pinches and I can't breath very well and... and... couldn't you just loosen it a little bit... Just for a minute... Please?" Mariko asked haltingly. Allison seemed to be getting a little drunk on the wine and Mariko decided to take a calculated risk.

"Oh, My! I'm terribly sorry, dear." Allison said as she reached out and loosened the tie and unbuttoned the top button of Mariko's blouse. Courtney looked over at Mariko in amazement.

"Uhm, Mine's kind of tight too... Do you mind?" asked Courtney meekly.

"Don't be silly, I took the time to pick it out for you to wear in the first place, do you actually think I'm going to take it off now just because your a little bit uncomfortable?

"Well, I just thought I'd ask." replied Courtney, disappointed, but relieved that at least for the moment Allison hadn't overreacted, but hoping to change the subject... just in case. Allison took a sip of wine. Then glanced at her watch.

"There, your minutes' up!" she said cheerily to Mariko, and before Mariko could even react, Allison had her buttoned up and knotted up even tighter than before.

"Oh, Swell..." thought Mariko grumpily.

"You guy's don't get it, do you?" Allison continued. "I just love to dress you all up like this. Nice and formal. suits, uniforms..., cute little ties, I just think women are adorable all dressed up in these style clothes. It just exaggerates how cute and vulnerable you look. Now you are my little toys, just like little dolls to dress up anyway I want. It's almost like you're a holiday present, all gift-wraped with pretty bows and layers of things that I get to unwrap. I just love that thought. My only problem is that sometimes it's a bitch to find a tie that will match your gag. You know?"

"We should all have such problems..." thought Mariko.

Allison began another lecture. About her career. She had started with nothing and built an empire on her guts and determination. Allison paused and leaned towards the girls.

"The one thing that keeps you successful is this..." She said as she tapped her finger on the side of her own head for emphasis. "Brains, my dears, being a little ruthless and getting the job done is what keeps you ahead in the world. That's the bottom line for a man or woman regardless. Allison smiled like she was remembering something pleasant.

"See, I figured that out a long time ago, That's why I am where I am today: The owner of a world wide corporation with so damn much money that I don't know what to do with it all..." She said with a snicker, (she just liked how that sounded.) "... and I use it to satisfy my every whim. Look around you..." She said waving her arm to indicate the land they had just traversed. "...all this is mine. And the way I got it was by always staying one step ahead of everyone. I never let anyone ever walk over me. In fact, anyone who ever did me wrong got squashed. Nobody's ever stolen from me and got away with it. Ya know what I mean?" Allison said as she leaned towards her captive audience and sneered menacingly.

"Now that you know a little more about me, how about you? Do you two have anything you want to talk to me about? I think you might..." Mariko briefly considered confessing, but Allison's demeanor didn't do a very good job of convincing Mariko of her compassion. The loyalty she had for Ivan Rasovitz was the main reason she had to hold out. He must have discovered her disappearance by now, and would be coming to save her very soon. She only felt bad because Courtney, an innocent bystander, had gotten caught up in this. Mariko was pretty certain that Allison really wasn't sure that they had even done anything. So Mariko figured that if she kept her mouth shut, maybe they would both get out of this mess pretty soon. She resolved that she would only confess to prevent Courtney from taking the whole rap. Having known Courtney for as long as she had Mariko was sure that she would understand, After all, If the roles were reversed, she would try to help Courtney out of the jam. Allison continued to closely examine both her captives faces. This only went to show Mariko that she was still fishing for the truth.

"Okay, fine... You two don't have anything to say now?" Both girls looked at each other and then back at Allison.

"We don't know what you want, really!" Courtney said.

"That's all right... but I'll remind you that I have plenty of time... ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD!... If I remember, maybe I'll ask you about this again next week!" said Allison, "In the mean time just remember, Ve 'Ave Vays Uf Makik Vu Talk!!"

Allison yawned and stood up, "I think I'll take that little swim now... You girls can take a nap while I'm gone if you want." She took the knife from the blanket and cut the cord binding Mariko and Courtney together. Both girls sighed with relief as they were able to stretch out on their own. Allison allowed them to sit next to each other while she hunted in the second basket for something.

"We do have to make sure nothing disturbs the tranquillity of this place, Don't you agree?" All Mariko could see was the four inch, foam rubber ball Allison had in her hand.

"You don't need that!" Mariko started, but Allison would have none of it. Quick as a wink Allison pounced on her and pressed the ball against her teeth. Mariko fought valiantly to defend the inner reaches of her mouth from the relentless intruder but, in the end, it was to no avail. As soon as the first bit of the foam passed between her teeth she was finished. Allison worked and kneaded the foam until Mariko's mouth was stuffed full of the spongy rubber.

Then Allison grabbed a roll of three inch wide adhesive tape and with trained fingers, slapped the end across Mariko's startled mouth. She then pulled the tape taut and wound it all the way around Mariko's head and back across her mouth again. This was repeated three more times with each turn of the tape tighter then the turn before. When she was finished Mariko's entire lower face was covered by the tape. Her cheeks bulged above it and her jaw was distended under it and she could barely make a peep. Courtney fought like a tiger and Allison had a much harder time installing her gag then Mariko's, but installed it was nevertheless. The two mute girls looked at their captor who sat back to finish her fourth glass of wine. Allison picked up everything except the blanket and put it in the basket which she then tied to her horse.

"Well, I'll be back in a while, You two take it easy." She said as she untied the horses and led them down to the lake so they could drink. Mariko waited until Allison had gone out of sight then she sat up and began squealing frantically to Courtney, "Td uboob orgnt td kne!!!!!!, Td uboob orgnt td kne!!!!"

It didn't take Courtney long to understand... The boob HAD forgotten the key, The handcuff keys were still pinned to their ties! Here was the crack they had been waiting for!

It took some time but through some desperate (admittedly garbled) communication they managed formulate a plan. At first they tried to remove each other's gags but they couldn't get a grip on the tape with their leather covered fingers so the continued as best as they could. Mariko turned her back on Courtney who struggled up onto her knees.

At first Mariko attempted to pull Courtney's tie off so she could get the keys. but unfortunately the safety pin was stuck through both ends of her tie. There was barely an inch of give and Mariko was afraid that she might end up strangling Courtney. On to plan "B". Courtney then tried leaning forward trying to put the dangling keys within Mariko's reach. Mariko had realized that she would have to do this entirely by feel because if she turned her head much at all, her shoulders would follow thus moving her hands away from the keys.

Courtney wiggled close to Mariko then leaned. Her balance was precarious to begin with and when she lost it, both girls tumbled, Mariko onto her side and Courtney onto her stomach. Fortunately, neither girl hurt herself so they struggled back up into position to try again. This time Courtney came closer and when she leaned forward she put her head against the back of Mariko's head. It took a moment, but Courtney finally positioned the keys against Mariko's hands. Without thumbs it was hard to get a good grip on the keys so Mariko fiddled until she felt she had a good grip then she grunted to Courtney who lunged backwards trying to rip the pin from the tie. Instantaneously the key slipped from Mariko's fingers and Courtney was in imminent danger of toppling over backwards, she managed to prevent this but she over compensated forward and she crashed into Mariko and they both toppled to the ground again.

Another try resulted in the same consequences and still no key. Mariko realized that eventually somebody was going to get hurt this way, so as Courtney was repositioning herself for yet another try (Stubborn girl! thought Mariko) Mariko turned around and with a great deal of mumbling and eye flapping convinced Courtney to hold still this time. Courtney returned to the position where Mariko could get her hand on the pin. Mariko was becoming used to the gloves a little and could even make out the pin's position between her fingers. She got the pin between her first and second fingers and squeezed. The sharp end of the pin moved a little inside it's sheath and Mariko felt a wave of optimism come over her! Then the pin shifted in her grasp and she lost it, but this would work! They tried six more times with each time ending with the pin shifting in Mariko's grasp and re- closing. Eight more tries failed, one where Courtney's curiosity got the best of her and she tried to look down and this shift of weight pulled the key out of Mariko's grasp.

"MHmmlD MMmll!!!" Mariko scolded. Many more attempts failed and Mariko's fingers were cramping up and her anger was building rapidly. Then, more out of frustration then anything else she pinched hard and fast rather then slowly and carefully as she had been and she herd the jingle of the keys as they fell onto the blanket. She spun around and looked right into Courtney's joyous, tape covered face. Both girls squealed with delight and tried to hug each other without their hands.

Mariko moved back and looked at the keys piled on the blanket. Luckily the handcuff key was distinctive so she used her nose to push the other two away from it. She then laid down on her back and felt around for the key. It took a few moments in this awkward position before she managed to find the key and get hold of it. When she had, she sat up and motioned Courtney to lay down on her stomach on the blanket.

When Courtney had complied Mariko examined her cuffs. The tiny openings were facing towards Courtney's feet so Mariko positioned herself across the small of Courtney's back propped up on her elbows. The awkward position of her own hands made manipulation of the key a formidable task and Mariko would have given ten years of her life for the use of her thumbs, but she pressed on. By pushing her hands as far out to the side as they would go and by turning her head as far as it could go (ignoring the pull of the tape on her skin) she was able to make out the key and keyhole at the same time. Unfortunately, the closer the key got to the hole the more difficult it was for her to see. For the last six inches she had to go by best guess and it took many misses and several drops before she guessed right. Success! This was it! Their escape was at hand! Many thoughts raced through Mariko's mind, the first was of escape, but then a thought crossed her mind, one of a little revenge before they got away. She pictured Allison dangling by her heels from a tree as Courtney and herself laughed and pushed her back and forth. Yes, revenge would be sweet indeed. Mariko pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind as she turned her concentration to turning the key. She got the key between her first and second fingers and turned. She could see the cuff begin to release and then, Joyously, when Courtney twisted her wrist, it popped open! Free at long last!!! At that very instant, a slender hand reached in past Mariko's head and pressed the cuff closed again before Courtney could even pull her hand out. Allison plucked the key out of the lock, easily avoiding Mariko's desperate efforts to stop her.

"Not bad, Not bad at all!" Allison said looking at her watch. "32 minutes and 18 seconds. That's good enough for second place overall! AND I have it all on film!" She said holding a portable mini video camera up for the girls to see.

Mariko couldn't take it anymore. She had told herself that she could never cry in front of Allison but this was to much. Courtney was rolling around like a mad woman, she had come so close, but for Mariko the tears were the only release. As the two girls handled this setback in their own way Allison was calmly fumbling in the pack she had with her.

"Really, you two were terrific, you should be proud of yourselves. Most of the time I get bored watching, but you two were amazing! It usually takes twenty minutes just to decide who is going to untie who. Fantastic!!" Allison pulled another blanket out of the pack and spread it out on the ground under a tree about ten feet away from the one the girls were on. She returned and dragged Courtney, who was calling Allison every name she could think of, over to the other blanket and dropped her on it. Even with the tight gag anyone could understand what Courtney was attempting to say.

"My, My!... such language! I can see we are going to have to have our mouth washed out with soap tonight eh?" Allison scolded. Courtney couldn't have cared less, she kept up her tirade which was lost somewhere between her brain and that soggy packing in her mouth (more likely the latter). Allison shook her head as she pulled a long piece of rope from her pack and threw it over the tree limb above Courtney's head. Allison calmly pushed Courtney down on the blanket and rolled her onto her stomach. Courtney could guess what was coming next but there was little she could do about it. Allison ran the rope end through the clip holding her hands and pulled the end down between her feet catching the shortened hobble that pined her feet together and pulled back. Courtney looked like a pretzel as her feet were pulled up within inches of her bound hands. Allison tied the end of the cord off where Courtney couldn't possibly reach then walked over to the blanket where Mariko sat still sobbing softly. Allison knelt down and collected up the scattered keys then looked at Mariko.

"It's Okay" she said softly. "I would never have respected you at all if you didn't at least TRY to get away. If it's any consolation, you never had a chance. I've done this type of thing too many times before to screw up now. That's why I changed your gags, With your mouths all taped up there's no way you can use you teeth to bite the pins. As you can see, I don't make mistakes."

Allison returned to Courtney and re-pined the keys back on her tie, then pulled on the free end of the rope taut and tied it off, thus Courtney was doomed to remain in the tight hog-tie with only her belly resting on the ground for the time being. Allison returned to Mariko and embellished her bondage with identical results.

"Now that I'm sure that you two will stay out of mischief, I think I will really take that swim now, Ciao!" Mariko struggled around and watched Allison head back the same way she had left earlier. She could hear Allison's steps recede from the camp and she heard the rustling of her friend struggling with her restraints but Mariko was just to exhausted to fight anymore today. The last thing she heard was the cheerful singing of a bird before she was fast asleep. Mariko awoke to the sound of a horse whinnying. She was still bound as tightly as she had been when Allison had left her. She looked around to see Allison busily moving a horse into position to except a reluctant rider again. Courtney stood on her tip toes, trying to relieve the strain on her shoulders from the hoist rope. Mariko also noticed that Allison had amused herself at Courtney's expense once again. Big, smiling lips had been painted on the tape over her mouth with bright red lipstick. When Cyclone was in position, Allison hoisted Courtney up and secured her in the saddle. Allison returned to Mariko's side and began to loosen the rope.

"Did sweetie pie have a nice nappy?" Allison asked teasingly in baby talk. Mariko chose not to respond.

"C'mon! get up! I lost track of the time and we have to get back for dinner! Lets go!" She shouted as she dragged Mariko over to the spot where Courtney had, until recently, stood. She tied the hoist to Mariko's clip and plunked the riding derby back on her head. There was no time for formalities as ten minutes later the three riders were on their way back to the house.

When they arrived at the stables only Lou remained to take the girls down off the horses. He simply pulled them down (after removing the wing nuts.) and stood them to one side as he took all three horses away.

Allison went over to the door and turned back to the two girls, "C'mon you two, I don't have time for your dawdling!" she said as she motioned to the door with her head. Courtney went first and Mariko despondently followed as the two girls followed Allison outside. Parked right outside the door was a Rolls Royce silver shadow convertible. Allison opened the door but prevented the two exhausted girls from entering. She positioned both girls sided by side, with their stomach's pressed against the rear fender of the car. She looped the ankle hobbles through the rings again and pulled their legs together as tight as they would go.

Without a word she took hold of Courtney's shoulders and began to push her towards the waiting door but suddenly it seemed she had second thoughts. Allison looked at the gaping door then at Mariko and Courtney and then at the rear of the car. She propped Courtney back against the fender then reached into the car and pressed a small button on the dashboard. Immediately the trunk popped open and both girls moaned simultaneously as they realized exactly how they would be riding. Allison half carried, half shoved the two girls into the trunk. In answer to the two sets of misty, pleading eyes that looked up at her from the trunk, Allison smiled.

"Because I *enjoy* being a pain in the ass, that's why!" she said in response to the unasked question as Mariko and Courtney were plunged into the darkness of the trunk.



Chapter 3

The car ride was short and predictable. When the trunk was finally opened Mariko was right where she had expected to be, just outside the garage. Mariko blinked her eyes against the glare of the setting sun as she looked up at the three oriental guards. Mariko's personal attendants (Mariko began to think of them as her very own "Three Stooges") pulled her out of the trunk and stood her up to loosen the hobble. After they had her legs separated, she was pulled towards the house leaving Courtney behind with Allison. The four girls entered through a door in the side of the house and passed through the kitchen where a large meal was being prepared. Once again, no one paid any attention to Mariko's plight as she was quickly pushed out into the hall leading to the elevator. Mariko's high heeled, riding boots made almost no sound as she walked down the long, carpeted hall. (she was surprised at how she was becoming accustom to walking in the boots) When they stopped in front of the elevator and waited for it to arrive, she was able to look past the guards and into a large hall mirror at herself. She shook her head in disgust at her own naivete. In the mirror stood the reflection of an exhausted looking, dust covered girl with a rumpled riding outfit. Mariko looked at herself and blushed with embarrassment as she examined the smiling, cherry red lips carefully drawn on the tape sealing her own lips. It seems it wasn't only Courtney who had received Allison's attention with the lipstick.

The guards pushed Mariko into her room and set about releasing her. One of the girls took a strange pair of scissors out of her pocket. They looked something like barbers scissors except the blades were shorter and rounder and on the tip of one blade was a blunt flattened area. The girl pushed this blunt part up between the tape and Mariko's cheek and cut through the tape. After she had sniped through the tape the stickiness of the tape kept it firmly plastered over Mariko's mouth but most of the strain was gone. Meanwhile, another of the girls unpinned the keys from Mariko's necktie and handed them to the third girl who was, at that moment releasing the handcuffs from the clip holding them in the center of Mariko's back. They deftly removed the leather gloves from Mariko's hands and she savored the new found joy of being able to wiggle her thumbs.

At this point, one of the girls spoke in halting English, "You make bath... 30 minutes all done. Okay? she said. Mariko nodded, she was much too tired to fight.

"We bring clothes later okay?" Mariko nodded again.

"Fine, fine," she mumbled through the gag.

With that, the guard with the keys placed them on the table and the three girls turned and left the room. Mariko could hear them bolting the door from the outside. Mariko slumped in one of the two small, sturdy wooden chairs in the room and let her head drop to her chest for a moment. Then her stubborn resolve began to surface again.

"They aren't gonna break me!" she thought. "I'll never give in... never tell them about Ivan and the formulas, even if they keep me like this forever! Hmmnn, Forever... now that's an interesting thought..." Mariko tried to visualize herself at eighty, the mental picture of herself trying to blow out her birthday candles with a gag in her mouth made her chuckle to herself. "Naw, it'd never happen. I'll bust outa this joint before they know I'm gone!"

Mariko suddenly realized that she was wasting precious time. A bath would be wonderful, not to mention getting out of these horrible clothes. She managed to pluck the handcuff key from the table with surprising ease. With her thumbs free she made short work of the handcuffs even with them still secured behind her back. She dropped the cuffs and keys on the table and went after the tape that was wound around her head. Mariko pulled the tape slowly off her mouth. As it was, she felt her skin being pulled by the stubborn cling of the tape but finally, as she reached the section over her lips and chin where the adhesive was dampened by her own drool, the tape popped off her mouth. She gingerly, with two fingers, pulled the gross, soggy mass of foam rubber ball out of her mouth with an unintentional groan and dropped it on the table after having second thoughts about the floor. "No telling when we'll meet again." she said to no one in particular.

She had a heck of a time pulling the tape from where it stuck to the back of her neck. It was inevitable that the short thin hairs that clung to the tape would go with it but at least Mariko could be more gentle then the Three Stooges would have been. Next came the necktie, Mariko took great pleasure in pulling it loose from her neck and she savored the refreshing coolness of the air on her neck as she unbuttoned the collar of the shirt.

"I can't understand how men can stand wearing those things!" she thought briefly.

Mariko quickly removed the rest of her riding clothes stumbling only on the wire holding her jacket closed. When she removed the sweater vest she had expected that her nipples would surly be worn down to nothing but they were completely unblemished somewhat to Mariko's surprise, although they were a little bit more sensitive then usual. They even began to stand at attention as the cool air from the room caressed them. After she peeled off the riding britches she examined the little pinch lines that had been caused by the overly tight rubber lining. Mariko wondered if that was what a girdle felt like, if it was, she just thanked heavens that she didn't live 20 years ago when they were part of every woman's "uniform". At last, she was able to get at the things that definitely were not part of every woman's wardrobe. She examined the Ben-wa balls for a moment before putting them on top of the sweater on the table.

"Weren't these invented by the Japanese?" she wondered to herself, then shrugged it off. "At least the day wasn't a total disaster..." she smiled.

As she had expected, the bath was heaven. The hot soapy water did wonders on her tired aching muscles as it closed over her shoulders. Mariko sat like this for some time, submerged up to her chin in the tub as she studied her surroundings. She had not spent much time in this room since she had arrived, only to sleep (although not always) and to bathe. Up until then she had been forcibly bathed by the stooges, this was the first time the bath was a pleasant experience. The room she was in now could be considered her bathroom. It was only supplied with a commode, that was directly in line with the door, a bathtub and a sink. Actually, there wasn't a door, just a large opening in the wall that led out into the main room. You could consider it a door, Mariko supposed, only there was no door to close. The tub Mariko still occupied was against the wall beside the toilet. High on the opposite wall was an industrial air dryer like the kind in public washrooms and the small sink. There were no other accouterments in her bathroom.

The main room of her "suite" was just as sparsely furnished. There was the bed, a pedestal arrangement with a thin mattress on it. At various points around the base were small steel rings set on hinges. The use of those were certainly obvious to all concerned. There also was a sturdy table and two wooden chairs. The door to the hallway was opposite the door to the bathroom.

"Whoever designed this dump sure didn't have privacy in mind!" grumbled Mariko.

The water was beginning to cool off, so Mariko reluctantly decided it was time to get out. She went over to the dryer and gave the button a punch. Immediately she was surrounded by hot swirling air. She knew that it would not take very long to dry off under this rush of air, even with her long hair. As she was finishing up, she heard the door unlock and open up. One of the stooges appeared behind her and handed Mariko a toothbrush. Mariko obediently scrubbed her teeth under the watchful eye of the guard and when she was finished she handed the brush back to the guard who conducted the nude girl out into the main room where the other two waited patiently. One held a black silk dress in one hand and a pair of black high heel shoes in the other. "You want us go sit you in dressing chair now?" the first guard asked Mariko.

"No, that won't be necessary, I've had my fill of fighting for today, thank you... I'll dress myself." replied Mariko. Mariko put the things on as the guard handed them to her. First came the lacy black garter belt, then the natural colored silk stockings. Mariko had never put on stockings before, (She had worn them before but she had some unappreciated assistance in putting them on) but she didn't have any trouble figuring out what went where.

Next came a pair of matching bikini panties with little ribbon ties, one on either hip. Mariko tied these as tight as she could, a little precaution to avoid an embarrassing moment later on. The guard handed her the dress and Mariko stepped into it from the rear and pulled it up. When the guard had zipped it up the back Mariko discovered that this too must have been made especially for her. The dress was a black silk frock, very tight in all the wrong places, (Only in Mariko's opinion... Certainly nobody else's!) with a deep V-neck that showed plenty of cleavage before ending just below her bust-line, and spaghetti straps. The hemline stopped about mid thigh and just barely covered the tops of her stockings. Mariko hoped she wouldn't have to do much bending. The guard handed her the shoes and Mariko sat on the chair to put them on. These were open toe sandals with thin ankle straps and heels that were even higher and thinner then the boots she had suffered with all afternoon.

When Mariko stood up her weight was precariously pitched forward and she had to grab the guard's shoulders for support. She became gradually accustom to the shoes and walked unsteadily around a little for practice. One of the stooges stopped her and handed her a beautiful pearl choker and matching earrings which Mariko was happy to put on. These were followed by a pair of black opera gloves that stretched well above her elbows when she had finally worked them on. The other two stooges stood behind Mariko on either side and when she finished putting on the gloves, they simultaneously grabbed both her arms and pulled them roughly behind her back.

"This isn't necessary! I'm cooperating!" Mariko winced. The girls ignored her pleas as they encircled her wrists with a black plastic tie-wrap and wretched it down tight around her wrists. They repeated the procedure on her elbows with another tie wrap pulling them tightly together. The girls weren't finished yet as they used two smaller wraps to pin Mariko's middle fingers and even her thumbs together after which they used a pair of cutters to remove the unsightly excess plastic wrap. Then one of them lifted a white ball gag over Mariko's head from behind and dropped it in front of her face. The three girls laughed at her as she, without thinking, opened her mouth to accept the gag only to have the girl buckle the strap loosely around her neck so the ball rested on her chest. The girls motioned Mariko to sit on the chair and she complied, finding, much to her distress, that her dress immediately slid up around her hips and exposed her stocking tops. Mariko didn't have long to wait in this uncomfortable pose as the door opened and in strode the make-up woman.

"Oh, I see you're being a good girl!" said the make-up woman as she spread her tools out on the table.

"Well I'm trying," replied Mariko. "By the way, since we seem to have become such fast friends, I'm kind of upset that we haven't been properly introduced. I think you should know my name is Mariko Aniko. I'm afraid I don't know what your name is though." The Make-up woman looked at Mariko for a long moment.

"You may call me Ma'am," came her measured reply "You know, like in: Yes ma'am or No ma'am... Understand?"

"Yes Ma'am."

Mariko felt particularly foolish calling this woman, who was no more then three or four years older then herself, Ma'am. The Make- up woman... "Ma'am" ...was busy adding all the touches to Mariko's face, a little blush and eyeliner and of course the mandatory red lip-gloss. When she had finished she nodded to the guards who began fiddling with the gag strap.

"Ma'am, couldn't we pass on the gag this time? It is dinner time after all." said Mariko.

"Nope, afraid not. We are still required to remind you to keep your mouth shut." came the reply.

"How about if I cross my heart?

"Nope. Besides, the white of the gag really shows off those pretty lips of yours." said Ma'am. "Now don't smear your lipstick!"

"But... ULP!" Mariko was cut short as the ball passed into her mouth and was buckled tightly behind her head under her hair. Ma'am clipped a thin leather leash around Mariko's neck and with a light pull, coaxed Mariko to her feet.

"Come along dear," Ma'am said as she led Mariko towards the door.

"its almost time for cocktails!"

Mariko clumsily followed Ma'am out into the hall. She had to concentrate on her pace as Ma'am didn't seem to be paying much attention to her plight. Mariko could probably have balanced well enough on the spike heels under normal circumstances, but with her arms tightly locked behind her back by the plastic tie wraps and unable to provide any assistance in her counterbalance, she was helpless to resist the light but steady tug of the leash around her neck. Mariko had been pulled off balance by the initial tug as they had exited her "suite" and Ma'am kept the pressure on her as they walked down the hall. She found herself in the untenable position of more or less "careening" along behind Ma'am. She had no way to check her forward motion because the height of her heels kept her leaning precariously forward. Ma'am stopped abruptly at the elevator doors and Mariko suddenly realized to her horror that she was about to crash into her from behind. Before she could grunt any warning though, Ma'am, with the practiced ease of experience, casually took one step to the side and Mariko crashed headlong into the doors of the elevator with a resounding thud. Ma'am steadied Mariko back up and smiled innocently at her.

"Are you all right My Dear?" She asked the stunned (but unhurt) Mariko.

"Yeph!" Mariko replied with some annoyance. The ball in her mouth was smaller then usual and really not too terribly uncomfortable at all. Mariko knew that it would not prevent her from making loud noises but it was certainly effective in preventing anything intelligible from passing her lips.

"You should really make an effort to learn how to walk on those shoes, Dear. Why don't you give it a go right here, while we are waiting for the elevator?" said Ma'am as she nodded with her head for Mariko to walk about in a circle around her. Mariko sighed and began to walk slowly around Ma'am.

"Put your head up! shoulders back! chest out!! You're a beautiful girl Mariko, you should be proud of it, Walk proud!" These compliments didn't really do much for her self esteem, but that was understandable under the circumstances. Being led around by a leash doesn't help one's ego very much.

Finally, mercifully, the elevator doors opened and Ma'am motioned Mariko inside, then followed her aboard. The practice had helped as Mariko was beginning to feel a little more comfortable with the height of her new footwear. When they reached their floor Mariko found herself walking with more and more ease as they strolled down the hall towards the back entrance to the library. When they arrived, Ma'am knocked on the double doors and hearing no reply, opened them and pulled Mariko in after her. At this point she dropped Mariko's leash and quietly shut the doors behind them.

"We're a little early, the others will be here soon and we can make our grand entrance." Ma'am said as she was hooking the end of Mariko's leash to what looked like a parrot's perch in one corner of the room. Mariko casually leaned back and pulled the leash taught while Ma'am looked away for a moment and she discovered, (not really to anyone's surprise by now) that the perch was firmly implanted in the floor.

"I guess there'll be no browsing through the books tonight!" she thought. Ma'am glanced at her watch as she approached Mariko. "If I take this thing out of your mouth for a while, do you promise no nonsense?" she asked. Mariko nodded vigorously.

"Will you keep quiet and take it back in when I say, with no back-talk?" Mariko nodded even harder. (although perhaps not quite as sincerely)

"Very well, just to show you I'm not completely heartless, Turn around." Mariko joyfully complied and Ma'am quickly unhooked the gag and let it drop from Mariko's mouth. She re-hooked the buckle on the last notch as it hung around the Japanese woman's neck and turned her around and dabbed at the dribble on her chin with a hanky.

"Remember your promise!" Ma'am warned again as she returned to the couch.

"I will..." said Mariko as she reveled in the unaccustomed joy of an unpacked mouth. "... and thank you Ma'am."

"Your welcome Dear, now please be quiet! I didn't say I wanted to chat with you." Ma'am said.

Ma'am sat leafing through some magazines on the table for a time while Mariko amused herself by shifting her weight from side to side and wiggling her tongue. Then suddenly, Ma'am got up and turned towards the door that they had recently entered and started to leave the room.

"You stay put and keep that lip zipped Y'hear? I'm going to see what is keeping everyone." she said as she headed out the door.

"Yes Ma'am!"

Mariko stood alone in the room now and she took this time to really examine her surrounding. The room looked as big as her mouth felt now that it was unfettered by the white ball. There were literally hundreds of old books of every possible shape and size adorning the bookcases surrounding the room. There were several overstuffed leather couches and an large antique desk in the center of the room. Mariko was a little surprised by the obviously masculine decor of this room as opposed to the rest of the house.

"That girl sure is full of surprises!" Mariko said out loud to herself, just a test so she could be sure she wasn't dreaming and really could talk. She could faintly hear footsteps approaching from down the hall in the same direction that she had recently passed. It struck Mariko as funny, how obvious the sound of fettered feet was beginning to sound to her. She was certain that she would soon be joined by another bound girl and she had little doubt who that bound girl would be. The door flung open and in stumbled (can you guess?) Courtney. Mariko had all she could do to retain her poise in front of her friend and her outlandish outfit. It was tough to know where to begin in describing Courtney's predicament.

Courtney's outfit was punk from head to toe. They had teased her hair up so it went in a thousand directions and sprayed it a bizarre shade of metallic pink. She wore black fishnet stockings under a super short black leather mini-skirt and on her feet were a pair of black leather ankle boots with spike heels (not quite as high as Mariko's shoes, but close) joined together by 15 inches of thin silver chain. Hanging from her ears were six inch lengths of similar chain. On her body she wore a red leather straight jacket modeled after a motorcycle jacket except that it zipped up the back. Courtney's arms were sealed inside the sleeves of the jacket and these were wrapped around her body and met in back in the small of her back where they were pad locked to a ring protruding from the back of the jacket. A wide studded leather belt wrapped around her hips and was held together by a pair of handcuffs. The belt did nothing to add to her restraint but it did wonders for the punk illusion. She wore a matching, studded leather collar around her neck and from this hung a thin leather leash, similar to Mariko's. Courtney was held silent by a tight black leather strap pulled cruelty across her mouth and sunk deeply into her cheeks.

The Tall woman entered behind Courtney and pushed her over next to Mariko where she tied her leash to the perch together with Mariko's own leash.

"No gag?" The Tall woman asked Mariko skeptically.

"No, Ma'am said I could rest for a while." replied Mariko. She hoped that the tall woman wouldn't take matters into her own hands. "Hmmm... I suppose it doesn't really make much difference here." said the tall woman as she turned Courtney around and began fiddling with her gag.

"No B.S. from you!" she said menacingly into Courtney's ear. Courtney meekly shook her head then held still as the Tall woman unbuckled the strap and placed it around Courtney's neck in a similar fashion to the way Mariko now wore her gag.

"Where's Ma'am?" said the tall woman, directing the question to Mariko.

"I really don't know, she said something about looking for you when she left." replied Mariko.

"Did she say me specifically?"

"No, she said she was going to look for 'everyone' and I just assumed..." replied Mariko as humbly as possible.

"Oh! I know where she went... I'll be back, don't go anywhere!" said the Tall woman as she went out the door leaving the two girls alone, together and without gags for the first time since the had been brought to this bizarre place.

The instant the door closed, Courtney began stamping her feet and made futile little attempts at spitting on the plush oriental rug. "Are you all right Courtney?" Asked Mariko who was a little frightened at her friend's sudden change in demeanor.

"That damn Bitch! If I ever manage to get my hands on her, I'll.. I'll..."

"I guess you're okay, Huh?"

"Y'know what they did?" She asked Mariko. "Cunt!, Bitch!!, Arrgh!!!" Courtney growled at the closed door.

"No, but I suppose I'm game. What did they do?" asked Mariko.

"Those shit-heads!! I'll tell ya what they did, I'll tell you what they did!!" said Courtney with her voice rising with anger "They said I had a dirty mouth! That's what!!... Bitches!!" she shouted at the door. Mariko looked at her irate friend with some confusion.

"So?"

"So!.. SO!!! I'll tell you so! So they washed my friggin' mouth out with soap! That's so!! Arrghhh!!!"

"I think I'm beginning to sense some hostility here..." "Look! I don't need this shit from you too!" Courtney panted, She was getting a little out of breath.

"Sorrrry..." said Mariko just gushing insincerity.

"Oh Mari... I KNOW your just kidding, but they just really piss me off!!" Courtney said with a stamp of her foot. "Can't I get mad too? Just who do they think they are?"

"I'm a little bit frustrated too, You know..." said Mariko "... But I keep my head and try not to let them get to me. They'll make a mistake sooner or later and we'll get out of here."

"Sure, just like this afternoon."

"Yea, sure... But we almost made it!" insisted Mariko. Both girls paused and mulled over just what could have happened that afternoon. They had been so close. Just the thought was depressing.

"By the way, I like what you've done with your hair." Mariko said meekly. Courtney smiled, then began chuckling, The ridiculousness of their situation began to poke through Courtney's temper and she saw what humor was there. (However little it may be)

"If we ever get out of this, I'm gonna slap you! Then I'll buy us the best dinner we can find!" Courtney said with a smile. That was the first time in a while that Mariko had seen Courtney smile, It made her feel much better to have at least helped her get through a little while longer. The sound of hurried footsteps wafted down the hall and into our heroines ears disturbed this carefree moment.

"Shit! here we go again!" said Courtney.

"I wonder what they have planed for us now?" said Mariko past a turned up nose.

The footsteps reached the door and it opened up as if by itself. Around the corner came Ma'am and the Tall woman who briskly marched up to the two bound girls and set about readjusting their gags. Courtney winked at Mariko as she calmly opened her mouth even before the tall woman had loosened the gag from her neck. The tall woman looked at Courtney with some suspicion but seemed to forget about it very quickly as she pressed the leather wad into a surprisingly willing mouth. Courtney grimaced a bit as the gag entered her mouth, Mariko supposed that it was probably from a residual of the soap left on the gag from before.

Suddenly, a white sphere popped into Mariko's line of sight and she kept her promise and opened up her mouth to accept the ball. Ma'am and the Tall woman set about checking their charge's appearance. Courtney was beginning to perspire from the heat of her leather cocoon so the tall woman wiped her glistening brow with a handkerchief. Ma'am adjusted Mariko's hem a bit and then went and sat on the edge of the desk.

"Good thing her make-up is waterproof huh?" said Ma'am, indicating Courtney.

"Yeah" said the Tall woman "I'd hate to have to go through that all over again!" Courtney glanced over at her friend, shrugged and modestly kicked at the floor.

Then, from down the hall came more footsteps, many footsteps, and they were heading towards the library very rapidly. Mariko and Courtney drew closer together with apprehension about what was about to happen. Ma'am and the tall woman stood casually and turned to face the door to the hall where the shuffling of the feet had stopped. When the doors were opened by one of the three stooges, Mariko and Courtney looked at each other in disbelief. In walked five women, each of whom stared at Mariko and Courtney with the same surprise as our bound heroines stared back with. They really had no choice in the matter as all five of these women were as tightly bound and gagged as Courtney and Mariko.

The first girl into the room was a slightly plump redhead. She was very young, probably not much more the nineteen, and certainly younger then both Mariko and Courtney. She walked with an impish bounce and the air of a mischievous nature that did not stop even when she came face to face with Mariko and Courtney.

"This has to be Sweetcakes" thought Mariko. Sweetcakes was dressed in a shiny blue satin poof dress. The dress's hem line ended about mid thigh, it was a little shorter then Mariko's dress. Her outfit was accessorized with a red belt, red shoes and even a small red purse. She carried the purse behind her back where her hands were locked securely in handcuffs. There was a small chain that ran from the middle link of the handcuffs down to where she wore a pair of matching leg irons. Sweetcakes was silenced by a wide strip of white adhesive tape pressed tightly across her lips.

The second woman was a little older, probably in her late twenty's or early thirties. Although she was kind of plain looking with longish straight brown hair, she did have a nice trim body. She was dressed in a yuppie suit, a beige wool suit jacket with a coordinating slim skirt and matching high heel pumps and a white lacy front blouse with a high lace collar. She was bound with three leather belts, one on her wrists, one on her elbows and another around her body pining her arms to her back. Her feet were unfettered and she was gagged by a thin leather strap with what looked like a leather wad sewn to the middle of it. From the moment she entered the room she did not take her eyes off of Courtney and Mariko. Mariko hardly noticed though, as there were more surprises in store.

The third girl was very tall and thin with blond hair. This fact was determined by the color of her ponytail and not much more. She wore a leather helmet of sorts, it started under her chin and covered her entire head except for an oval opening in the front that exposed her eyes and nose fully but tightly covered her mouth (as well as the rest of her head). Her hair stuck straight up out of a hole in the top of the helmet and was braided a little way up out of the hole and was tied there with a red ribbon. The rest of her hair flopped loosely around the top of her head. The blond wore a bulky red turtleneck sweater and a short gray skirt, gray stockings and black pumps. Around her waist was a tight black leather belt. Attached to this belt was a pair of leather cuffs at the center of her back and these were closed with small padlocks. Also, on her right ankle was locked one side of a normal pair of handcuffs, with the loose side opened and waiting to be attached to her free ankle.

The last two girls entered together, They had no choice, there was a thin piece of white rope connecting them at the neck. The first girl was a striking black girl. She minced in wearing a long, white, off the shoulder dress with a slit running all the way up to the top of her hip. With almost any movement the dress would open up and expose the fact that she was also wearing stockings and a garter belt. The stockings probably didn't provide much protection from the rope that securely bound her knees together under her dress. Likewise her arms were bound with the white cord, several turns on her wrists and elbows secured with tight hitches. A piece of adhesive tape covered her mouth which was clearly distended around something. "Probably a ball." discerned Mariko.

Her partner was a short girl with olive skin and shoulder length, very curly black hair. She was dressed in tight black pants and an even tighter black button down vest. It seemed that if she moved the wrong way she would easily pop right out of the vest. around her neck was a black bow tie to complete this formal look. Her arms were secured to her side at two places. On her upper arms, just above her elbows, were two tight leather bands. These bands were attached together by a chain running across her back. Matching leather wristbands were attached by a loop of chain to each hip with the chain loop running between her legs. Her knees were also pinned together by a similar arrangement to her elbows only with a much shorter chain. She was gagged with a large red ball gag.

Mariko and Courtney looked at each other in disbelief, then at their new acquaintances and then back at each other. This was too much to for the girls to believe. "How could Allison possibly get away with holding this many girls prisoner without someone escaping and getting in touch with the authorities?" Mariko wondered. Allison's keeping Courtney and herself under lock and key would have been tough enough, but seven women!

Ma'am and the Tall woman were busy lining up the newest recruits by the doors that would lead into the living room. Each girl was completely obedient during this time, holding perfectly still as Ma'am prodded and nudged them into position in line. When they were all ready Ma'am and the tall woman came over to Mariko and Courtney and undid their leashes from around their neck. They were then gently guided to the end of the line with Mariko positioned behind the black girl and Courtney behind Mariko. Ma'am and the Tall woman then walked forward to the front of the line and took positions beside either door. After a pause of a few minutes there was a small sound that resonated from the other side of the door, the sound of a delicate bell being rung. At the sound of the bell Ma'am and the Tall woman pulled the doors open and Sweetcakes started into the living room with each bound girl following in turn. When it came her turn Mariko simply shook her head, swallowed her pride and forged ahead after the black girl.

"Time for a Bondage Parade!" She mumbled to herself as she stepped ahead into the next room.



Chapter 4

Mariko couldn't believe her eyes as she entered the living room. It was a huge room, much larger then the library. Directly across from the door they had just entered were several over-stuffed couches. Off to their right, the floor was raised by two steps to accommodate a beautiful grand piano in front of some elegant bay windows that overlooked a small patio. Against the far wall next to the doors that opened out into the front hall was a lighted bar complete with many crystal decanters and carafes. Placed strategically near the bar were several big armchairs arranged in a half circle facing towards the couches and our heroines. It was pretty obvious to Mariko and Courtney that there was a party going on here and undoubtedly they were to be the guests of honor, regardless as to whether or not they cared to be. There were several groups of people all around looking at the girls as they stumbled into the room... Sitting around this huge living room were four men and two woman and they seemed very pleased to see the girls even though they made no overt actions towards them. Amazingly, the guest were all SMILING at them!! Mariko only recognized Allison (besides her jailers) but the others seemed to recognize each other as each of the bound girls seemed to head in one particular direction or another.

Sweetcakes made a beeline for an older, (probably in his sixties, although he seemed fit for that age) distinguished looking man who sat in a large armchair by the bar. He watched her approach with an unblinking gaze and a small crooked smile on his face. Behind him leaning on the bar was a stocky, rugged looking man with dark hair who was casually sipping his drink.

The plain girl approached the clearly most handsome of the men in the room. He was tall and dark with a thin mustache and impeccably dressed, he stood now behind the couches. They certainly seemed to Mariko to be an unlikely couple at best.

The blonde girl approached a very casually dressed man seated on the couch. Judging by his dress, this man had to be a rock musician. He wore his hair long, almost to his shoulders and was wearing more gold jewelry than Mariko had owned in her lifetime.

The two tethered girls went directly to the woman who was seated at the other end of the couch. This woman was probably in her mid forties and she looked awfully bitchy. Mariko decided immediately she didn't like her at all. (Kind of a silly thought, considering how much she enjoyed Allison's company!) Mariko couldn't decide just where to go until she felt a gentle tug on her arm as Ma'am conducted her over to where Allison sat twirling the ice in a Manhattan. Mariko and Courtney stood to one side of Allison as the girls all reached their destinations around the room. Each girl stood quietly at attention for a moment then, in unison, curtsied gracefully in front of their admirers. Mariko and Courtney watched this spectacle in quiet disbelief until they both began to feel somewhat uncomfortable, as if there was someone looking at them. Simultaneously, both girls turned and looked down at Allison who glared back at them for a split second with a look of unmistakable anger. Her expression changed instantly to a warm smile, but the message was clear, Mariko and Courtney felt their faces turn various shades of crimson as they both, in unison and to the best of their abilities, curtsied to Allison.

As the party continued on, both girls stood beside Allison quietly chewing on their gags as they watched what was transpiring around them. The bitchy woman stood and conducted her two girls to the rear of the room where a grand piano sat on a raised section of the floor in front of some huge bay windows that looked out into a formal garden where the moon could be seen rising in the distance.

"Richard, could you help me?" said the woman to the man who had been standing next to the bar, he was so far in the background that Mariko had barely noticed him when she had entered. The man stepped forward to meet the three women at the piano. Richard was a young man with a weathered, handsome face, and rugged features. He walked up to the women with the smooth grace of an athlete and waited quietly at their side. The older woman removed the rope tether from around their necks and guided the Italian girl to a seat on the piano bench. The woman briskly set about removing the chains that pinned the girl's wrists to her thighs. One chain was looped once around her waist where a padlock was threaded through both ends closing the chain tightly around her waist. Before the lock was closed she clipped one end of the other chain to the piano bench and then attached the free end to the girl's new belt, and only then closed the lock.

"Would you please be a love and put Annette up here." said the woman to Richard indicating a place on top of the piano. Richard easily scooped the black girl up in his arms and seated her gently on the piano. He modestly recovered her legs with her long skirt where it had slid off her knee as he lifted her onto her perch.

"Thank you Richard." said the woman as she moved toward Annette and using the tether she had taken from her neck, crossed and tied Annette's ankles. Richard moved back to his place beside the bar.

"You may begin now, Gina." said the woman to the girl seated at the keys who managed to start to play a soft, beautiful love song, despite the outlandish condition she found herself in. Mariko couldn't believe she could play this well with her elbows still bound.

The woman reached to Annette's face and slowly peeled the tape off her mouth. Under the tape was a red plastic ball crammed deeply into her mouth and in the center of this ball Mariko could make out a small hole. The woman was fiddling at Annette's mouth for a moment and when she stepped back Mariko could see that she had screwed a matching plastic ring into the hole. Mariko was a little confused by this because now nothing prevented Annette from pushing the ball out of her mouth with her tongue, but for some reason Annette still sat with the ball wedged in her mouth. The woman stood for a moment admiring her work then suddenly reached forward and gripped the ring.

With a sudden movement she yanked the ball out of Annette's mouth hard enough for Annette's head to be pulled forward. When Annette raised her head she, without a moment's hesitation, began singing the song Gina was playing on the piano. She came in right in the middle and exactly in time with what Gina was playing. Her voice was beautiful and Mariko was amazed at her range as she continued into the next song Gina started.

After a few moments of this the woman held the ball abruptly to her lips and Annette was cut off in mid note as the woman stuffed the ball back into Annette's mouth and walked back to her seat on the couch. Mariko looked about herself, most everyone was watching Gina play with extraordinary grace and determination. Allison had moved away from Courtney and herself and was now talking with the old man. Sweetcakes had knelt at their feet upon Allison's approach and she remained there with her eyes downcast as they chatted. The plain girl stood with the handsome man who was speaking quietly, privately to her as he absently played with her hair.

As Mariko watched them from the distance she was somehow gratified by what she was feeling as she watched, They both stood, looking deeply into each others eyes, it was like they were... were... Well, it was a private moment and Mariko felt like she was a peeping tom intruding on two lovers, so she quickly looked away. A subtle moan caught her attention and she followed the sound with her eyes until her gaze fell upon the blonde girl and the rock star. The blonde was kneeling at the side of the couch on "Rocky's" left. He had, at some point unnoticed by Mariko, locked the open handcuff around her free ankle and was as of now casually rubbing and pinching her right nipple through her sweater. Mariko could not believe that he had managed to find the exact spot where her nipple was located through the bulky wool sweater but it was pretty obvious that he had managed.

"Must be radar!" Mariko thought to herself as the blonde struggled and writhed on her knees in front of the man. She struggled like a tiger, her hair flopping all over, first in her face as she lowered her head then behind her head as she threw her head back. Even though her hair pointed straight up out of the top of her helmet it still flounced around her shoulders where it was loose. This whole scene seemed out of sorts to Mariko though, because no matter how hard the girl struggled she never seemed to be quite able to move out of his reach.

"Odd," thought Mariko, "She isn't tied THAT tightly..."

The older woman stood again and went to Annette to remove the ball that she had patiently held in her mouth for all this time. She immediately began singing the chorus to the song, right along in time with Gina. She sang with such vigor and polish that Mariko was sure that she could have done it professionally. (Singing that is!) A amusing picture crossed her mind of Annette, who hops out to stage front and center in a huge stadium filled with screaming teen-agers. Suddenly! a spotlight hits her and the place goes into bedlam, then slowly, out of the shadows comes her lead guitarist (Rocky, of course) who reaches out and peels the tape from her mouth.... "No! No!! NO!!! this is crazy!" Mariko thought as she looked at the beautiful black girl who was still seated on the piano, singing her heart out.

The cocktail hour continued with all the guests talking quietly among themselves and moving slowly from group to group. Allison approached Courtney and Mariko and put her arms around their waists and guided them around the room to conduct the introductions. The first group they approached consisted of the Odd couple and the old man and Sweetcakes.

"May I interrupt?" Allison began. "I would like present my two newest pupils... Courtney Richmond and Mariko Aniko."

"Pupils????" thought Mariko apprehensively.

"Mariko, Courtney... I would like you to meet Sir Reginald Baisterbrook and Miss Kelly McVee and also Dr. Steven Farmington and his lovely wife, Kimberly." Both Men gallantly acknowledged our heroines and both Sweetcakes and Kimberly executed polite little curtsies.

"Their charmed I'm sure..." finished Allison dryly, speaking for Courtney and Mariko. "As you can see they are very new here and still need to be taught some of our special rules of etiquette, but I'm sure we'll be able to WHIP them into shape..." Everyone chuckled politely at Allison's little joke.

"If you ever need a guest spanker, I will gladly offer my services." said Sir Reginald with a short bow.

"I will definitely take that into consideration Reggie." said Allison.

"My pleasure!" added Sir Reginald.

"Now if you will excuse us, dinner is almost ready and we do have other introductions..." said Allison as she swung both captives around and headed towards the other group of chatting guests seated on the couch. The group consisted this time of the bitchy woman, the rock star and the quiet man. Half sitting, half laying against the rock star's feet was the blonde in the leather helmet. After the introductions, Mariko and Courtney knew that the woman was Helen Krabbe, a name familiar to both of the girls. Helen owned and operated the Emporium, an unbelievably exclusive fashion salon in the heart of New York. Only society's elite were permitted in the front door of that place and usually by invitation only. But when they did enter they would receive the most exacting care imaginable. The designers and tailors would create an exclusive wardrobe especially for each buyer, with each piece designed and constructed by hand for the wearer, and the wearer alone, No two pieces were ever alike. Everything from lingerie to shoes and hats all made, piece by piece by skilled craftsmen to suit the personal taste and style of the wearer. Needless to say it would probably take five years of Mariko's pay just to get a spring wardrobe from the Emporium.

The rock star was Johnny J., the lead guitarist for the band Iron Lung, a hot heavy metal band. Although he was disheveled in his appearance, (not to mention a little repugnant to Mariko) he obviously had some money. He wore several huge, gaudy diamond rings on his fingers and had a matching ring in his ear. Allison introduced Mariko and Courtney to the group, but when she tried to introduce the others she stumbled because she couldn't seem to remember name of the girl who was curled at his feet. For a moment it seemed to Mariko that Johnny couldn't remember either. (besides, he seemed more interested in leering at Courtney) The blond looked up at him hopefully as he looked blankly down at her. Then, after an uncomfortable pause he sniffed.

"Ehrrr, dis is Linda, Right?" he said, glancing down at the prone girl who nodded her head affirmatively. Mariko had a feeling that she would have said yes if he had said Drucilla.

"Ya, Linda. That's the ticket." Johnny said as he reached out to pull up the hem of Courtney's skirt. Courtney leaned away from his groping fingers and he was too lazy to chase her.

The final introduction was the quiet man, his name was Richard Blair. Allison informed everyone that he was a professional photographer who had done a great deal of work for her in the past, both in a professional relationship and also some excellent work in a more private setting. He acknowledged the compliment modestly and then went back to absently sipping his drink. Mariko stared at him for a long moment. He didn't seem to fit in with these other people, in fact if the situation had been different she probably would have found herself attracted to him. (Well, maybe the situation didn't make much difference one way or the other)

While Mariko was checking him out he seemed somewhat oblivious to what was going on around him as he swirled his drink. Mariko was beginning to get the impression that he was a bit uncomfortable around here, that perhaps he was not like the others, her heart was beginning to beat more and more rapidly at the thought, when he glanced up and caught her looking at him. When their eyes met her hopes here somewhat dashed when he simply looked deep into her eyes, smiled, and winked pleasantly at her.

Mariko's attention had been distracted for the moment and she had not been paying any attention to the conversation that had been going on around her. She was jolted back into the conversation when she heard Helen say "Japanese".

"Oh, these two have both been with me about two weeks now, and they are just finishing up their indoctrination." continued Allison.

"Well, have you decided what kind of specialized training they are going to receive?" asked Helen

"No, not really, I have some ideas but..."

"In that case, I might suggest some things. This one, (indicating Mariko) would look adorable in a maid's uniform. In fact she would be a simply lovely decoration in my home. Let me send over a few outfits that you can put her in. A trial run if you will..." Helen said. Mariko thought she was going to puke.

"If you insist Helen, I do have some special plans for her, but maybe we can work something out." replied Allison. Mariko had about as much as she was going to take at this point. Courtney had her own problems as she was still trying to avoid the wandering hands of Johnny. As she was formulating a plan, (That included a smoke grenade, some karate and hot wiring a car...) the doors leading to the hall opened and one of the three stooges entered and announced that "Dinner 'e serve."

"Shit!" thought Mariko, "Too slow again." Leading the way and with Mariko and Courtney in tow as usual, Allison headed across the main hall to the formal dining room.

The seating arrangements were rather obvious as they entered. Around the twenty foot long table was seating for fifteen in sturdy, high backed chairs. Every other chair had a wide leather strap with a buckle attached to the top most part of the backrest of the chair. Allison took her place at the head of the table and Mariko and Courtney were forcibly seated in the chairs directly on her left and right. Ma'am buckled the collar snugly around Mariko's neck while the tall woman similarly affixed Courtney who was looking with some consternation at the dining partner who was sitting down next to her. Johnny J. had left Linda to hop behind him as he hustled to be seated next to Courtney. Mariko watched in amazement as the blond girl hopped carefully to the seat on Johnny's right and waited patiently until the Tall Woman finished with Courtney and then helped her into the chair and buckled her in. Richard sat down next to Mariko and soon everyone was seated around the massive table. Allison and Sir Reginald were seated at opposite ends of the table. Facing Mariko directly across the table was Courtney, followed to her right, by Johnny J., then Linda, The Tall Woman, Dr. Farmington, and Kimberly. On Mariko's left was Richard, followed by Gina, Helen, Annette, Ma'am and finally Sweetcakes, who was seated next to Sir Reginald. As the Stooges began to bring out the food, Mariko was astonished to feel Richard reach back into her hair and fumble around to find the buckle to her ball-gag, but was he was quickly stopped by Allison.

"Richard, Please! My two newest guests will be remaining on their diets and we don't want to give them any unnecessary temptation. Now do we?"

"No I suppose not." said Richard sitting back and examining Mariko closely, "But I think you look great just the way you are." Mariko tried to thank Richard for the complement but her unintelligible reply was preceded by a torrent of the spittle that had built up behind the ball. Allison quickly used Mariko's napkin to wipe her chin before the drool could reach her lap.

"That's really gross!" exclaimed Johnny J. followed by a long sniff.

"You will have to excuse Mariko. As you can see she still needs a lot more finishing." said Allison as Johnny went back to pestering Courtney. Everyone nodded in agreement and went about their business preparing themselves for the meal that was being served. Mariko watched, resigned in the fact that She would probably be hungry once again, but at least she was not alone in that matter this time. Then, to her amazement, the other diners, with the exception of Johnny, turned to their partners and began to remove their gags. The Tall woman took over from Johnny when she noticed that he seemed much more interested in making Courtney squirm in her bonds then in the well being of his date. She unbuckled the straps that held the leather flap tightly across Linda's face. When she had managed to loosen the panel and began to pull it away from her face it began to be apparent to Mariko that there was an enormous leather wad sewn to the inside of the flap. There was no need to remove the entire helmet from Linda's head as the flap hung down under her chin when the gag had been pried from her mouth.

Soon, to Mariko's surprise, everyone at the table had been un- gagged except for her dieting cohort and herself and the meal was preceding smoothly. Conversations covered every topic imaginable, from politics to movie trivia. Mariko was amazed by the completely relaxed atmosphere. If she had closed her eyes she could imagine this same conversation going on around any table in the world. It was when she forced herself to look around that she realized what a bizarre situation she had gotten herself into. She found her eyes continually drawn to the couples at the opposite end of the table. Steven Farmington had removed Kimberly's gag and was now lovingly spoon feeding his wife. Mariko studied them closely as he carefully cut the portion on her plate and gently held the fork up so she could eat. On occasion he would slip accidentally and a small smear of gravy would appear on her lip only to be instantly wiped away as he would delicately dab the corners of her mouth with her napkin. Mariko couldn't understand how they could sit together among all these other people and still seem to be completely alone together. Mariko was also very amused by the conversation between Sir Reginald, Sweetcakes and Ma'am. Judging from her accent it seemed that Sir Reginald had brought Sweetcakes in to the U.S. from his home-land in England. What's more, she was making up for lost time (or perhaps gagged time) by talking almost nonstop.

"..So there I was, coming out of the 'otel all decked out in the school uniform an' I hops in the back with Sir Reggie 'ear. I thought the bloody cabby was about to 'ave 'eart failure! An' that was nothing! After Reggie 'ear slapped me inta' the cuffs, The bloody cabby wanted to..."

Mariko's attention was suddenly drawn back to her end of the table as Johnny was getting particularly obnoxious in his man-handling of Courtney. Allison finally stepped in and tried to quiet Johnny.

"Johnny, please, I would really prefer more decorum at my dinner table!" Allison said, in no uncertain terms. "besides, Linda looks kind of hungry. Why don't you take care of her?"

"Awww, she's okay! Joan's taking good care of her." replied Johnny. Mariko glanced over at the topic of the conversation. If Linda heard what had just transpired between Johnny and Allison then she wasn't letting on. At the moment Joan, the tall woman ("Finally, her secret identity is revealed." thought Mariko.) was feeding her from her salad bowl.

Johnny didn't pursue the matter with Allison and apart from a few little prods, kept his hands to himself while everyone ate. Mariko studied everyone around that table very carefully as the meal transpired. Allison seemed to be enjoying herself, playing matriarch to this bondage family. Johnny, the spoiled brat that he was, just sulked over his meal and didn't talk to anyone. Joan had taken complete charge over Linda and was having a wonderful time teasing her while the poor girl was trying to eat.

The conversation at the far end of the table was by far the most animated with Sweetcakes doing most of the talking but with Sir Reginald, Ma'am, Helen, Gina and Annette all partaking. Even Dr. Farmington and Kimberly had come out of their own little world and had joined in with the chatting and laughter. Only Richard didn't seem in a laughing mood tonight, he sat and ate quietly, watching the others.

Occasionally, he would glance in Mariko's direction but he tried not to let her catch him looking at her. This, of course, was totally pointless because Mariko knew right away just what he was doing and that began a dinner long flirting session that seemed to grow in intensity moment after moment. Mariko was having a heck of a time trying to figure him out, and she wasn't being very successful. In fact she was having trouble coming up with any rational explanation for everything that was happening with her life at the moment.

"Time for brandy and desert in the living room!" Allison announced. With that, a groan went up from everyone in the room who would be sinking their teeth into leather or rubber or worse for desert. There was some halfhearted pleading but it was to no avail as one by one the gags were re-secured on the girls. Mariko watched as Joan slowly pressed the huge leather wad into Linda's mouth. As if by reflex, Linda's eyes bulged over the leather flap as Joan tightened the straps behind and on top of her head. Sir Reginald had removed the strap from around Sweetcakes neck and had reached behind her to take the small red purse that she had been holding all this time and began fishing around in it. Shortly he pulled out a roll of three inch wide adhesive tape and he began to rip a piece from the roll.

"Reggie dear," said Sweetcakes, in her most coy of voices. "Would you be a love this time and wind the tape all the way 'round my head? You know how much I hate that..."

"With pleasure, my dear!" replied Sir Reginald "But first... Allison, Would you mind awfully if I borrowed one of these dinner napkins?"

"Not at all Reggie, you should know by now what's mine is yours!" said Allison with a smirk. Mariko couldn't help but think Sweetcakes had bitten off more then she could chew as Sir Reginald (with some enthusiastic assistance from Ma'am) pounced on the poor English girl and began stuffing the napkin into her mouth. Mariko wouldn't have though it was possible if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes. It took some minutes, but they successfully stuffed an entire linen dinner napkin into her mouth. Sir Reginald stepped back and Mariko could see that Sweetcakes mouth was pried as far open as it could possibly go. Ma'am casually held the wadding in place with one finger on the wad and the other firmly on the back of her neck as Sir Reginald pulled a long strip of tape away from the roll without ripping it. He stuck the loose end onto Sweetcakes left cheek and then centered it across the wadding.

As Ma'am moved her finger out of the way he pulled it tight across her mouth, so tight in fact the tape forced the wadding deeper in and the tape ended up between her teeth. He then wound the tape around her head five or six times until her mouth was completely sealed and the skin bulged over the edge of the tape. After he had ripped the tape off the roll he stood her up and he put both hands on her shoulders and turned her to face Allison where Mariko could really see her face. Tears had begun to well up in the English girl's eyes due to the tightness of the gag.

"Bravo!! " shouted Allison as she began to applaud. Mariko was aghast at the sudden act of barbaric cruelty she had just witnessed until she spied Sweetcakes hands, still tightly handcuffed behind her back, slowly reach out, searching, seeking and finally finding their mark. Mariko couldn't believe her eyes! Sweetcakes gently, unobtrusively, was fondling Sir Reginald.

"I'll probably be needing the napkin for a day or two?" hinted Sir Reginald.

"Take as long as you need Reggie! I know it'll be put to good use..." said Allison. "...Very good use!"

The party moved slowly back into the living room. Drinks were served and the merriment continued unabated. Mariko found herself seated on the center couch squeezed between Helen and Joan. When they had arrived in the living room, Johnny had pulled Linda over to the piano and made her lay on her stomach across the bench. He pulled a short chain out of his pocket and clipped one end to the back of her belt the other end he connected to the handcuffs confining her legs. Thus she was forced to endure this stringent hog-tie balanced precariously atop the bench.

"Hey Reggie baby! Give me some of that tape!" He shouted, he was getting quite drunk. Sir Reginald complied but not without an obvious look of disgust. Johnny missed the roll of tape when Sir Reginald tossed it to him but he quickly retrieved it. He ripped two small pieces of the tape off the roll and used them to tape Linda's eyes shut. He then turned his attention to Courtney who attempted to back away as he approached her menacingly. Mariko, along with some of the others looked towards Allison who only shrugged her shoulders in defeat, as if to say "What use?" Johnny took Courtney by the elbow and pulled her to a plush easy chair in the back of the room where he sat down and then pulled Courtney into his lap. Mariko could hear the sound of Courtney's nylon covered legs swishing and her muffled grunts and breaths as she attempted to resist the onslaught of Johnny's groping hands.

Mariko's arms were beginning to throb a bit due to the fact that they were still pressed into the back of the couch. She shifted her weight to attempt to relieve some of the pressure on her arms and shoulders. Unfortunately, although this made her arms more comfortable, it also caused her skirt to slide up high enough so her stocking tops were completely exposed. She wished she hadn't moved at all because Helen couldn't seem to resist running her fingers along the naked skin of her exposed thigh. Mariko stoically endured this as she figured things could be much worse. (Courtney was still grunting and squealing in the back of the room.)

Allison seemed none the wiser as she used Gina as a demonstration to show the proper way to bind someone with their hands in front of them. First, she had Gina place her hands together with her touching the backs of her wrists together. Allison used thin drapery cord to bind her wrists in that position. She then took some fishing line to tie her thumbs and pinkies together (She said ordinary sewing thread could be used in an emergency and that small tie-wraps could be used successfully also.) She took some more of the drapery cord and tied a double loop around Gina's waist ending up in a knot at the small of her back. Allison took the ends of the rope and ran it between her legs and up and over the rope binding her wrists. She pulled the loop back over the wrist windings and pulled the loose end back between her legs and tied it to the knot at Gina's back. Her arms were now inescapably secured to her belly. Allison then wanted to test her work so she told Gina that if she was able to escape she would receive a special reward. Gina struggled for a while but everyone could tell the attempt was halfhearted. Helen informed Gina that she would be happy to punish her if she didn't escape. It was amazing just how much energy Gina was able to muster after that, but unfortunately with the same results.

Other "Shows" went on during the balance of the evening with most everyone participating. Sweetcakes had her rear pinkened with everything from a hand to a small whip. The goal seemed to be to turn both her ass cheeks a consistent shade of red, with no blotches or unblemished spots. In the end, it couldn't be done. Annette sang once again, This time as she was spread-eagled between two pillars at the end of the room. It took some coaxing by Helen but she was really able to hit some incredibly high notes! (Even while Ma'am was tickling her.)

When the clock struck one, Allison stood and announced to her guests that she must end the party. There was a collective groan from all the guests, mostly of disappointment but a few of discomfort.

"After all, remember it's a school day for the girls tomorrow!"

"What?!?!" wondered Mariko.

Allison cheerfully put her arm around Gina who was still bound as securely as when she had started her Houdini act and was now glancing apprehensively at Helen.

Everyone seemed to agree and began to collect their things in preparation for departure. Ma'am and Joan gathered up Mariko and Courtney and after straightening up their clothes, dragged them to the front door of the house. Allison arrived momentarily, and took a place right next to the door. She was preceded by Joan then Courtney, then Ma'am and finally Mariko. The first guests ready to depart was Johnny and Linda, Johnny started down the line to say good-bye pushing his bound friend in front of him. Linda paused in front of Mariko and then suddenly leaned towards her. Mariko was taken somewhat aback by Linda's action and her natural reflex was to back away. Ma'am reacted quickly by taking a hold of a hand full of Mariko's hair and she straightened her up and then held her firmly in place. Mariko looked into Linda's eyes and could clearly see that Linda was hurt and embarrassed by her reactions, and Mariko felt bad when she realized what Linda was trying to do. Ma'am comforted Linda and coaxed her to go ahead and say good-bye to Mariko. Linda was hesitant at first but when Mariko nodded her approval to her, her eyes gleamed with relief, she cautiously leaned forward and pressed her leather sealed lips to Mariko's equally gagged mouth. Mariko was a little touched by this, she had, without speaking communicated with another person, someone who had badly needed some approval from someone. (She certainly wasn't getting it from Johnny!) Johnny simply pinched Mariko's nipple as he passed by. Linda continued down the line, gently gag- kissing Ma'am on the cheek, then Courtney, and Joan as she went. Johnny was polite to Ma'am and Joan but he couldn't resist molesting Courtney one last time before he said good-bye to Allison after Linda had hesitantly kissed her on the cheek. Allison took a moment to warmly hug the teary eyed girl before coolly shaking Johnny's hand. Mariko could just barely see out the door as Johnny roughly shoved Linda across the parking lot to his Mercedes.

"That jerk..." Joan whispered under her breath and Allison and Ma'am both nodded their agreement.

While they watched Johnny and Linda cross the driveway, out of the living room came Sweetcakes and Sir Reginald followed closely by Dr. Farmington and Kimberly. Sweetcakes gamely attempted the good- bye kisses but Mariko could easily see, by the bulging of her eyes, the strain on her neck as she attempted to turn her head was pulling the tape tighter thus pushing the napkin deeper into her mouth. Sir Reginald gave Mariko a tender peck on the cheek and wished her well. Mariko then exchanged polite gag-kisses with Kimberly and even found herself nodding farewell to Dr. Farmington as well. She then turned and watched the procession as Sir Reginald shook hands with Allison.

"Allison dear, Kelly here was telling me what a lovely time you two had riding the other day, You see, I haven't been in the saddle since my old military days and I was hoping that you could get some free time soon and we could all go for a little jaunt together." Sir Reginald was saying as Sweetcakes was vigorously nodding her approval.

"Why Sir Reginald, I had no idea... I would be delighted. I'm not sure when my schedule will permit but I will call tomorrow and let you know. Of course, you understand that you can use my trails any time you want, all you need do is call the stable master and make the arrangements." said Allison.

"Why Thank you, I may just take you up on that. I may need some practice to keep up with you." Sir Reginald said with a smile.

"Oh! you charmer!!" said Allison.

Dr. Farmington and Kimberly greeted Allison.

"Allison, on behalf of my wife and myself we would like to thank you for the wonderful time we had tonight. We would love to attend again but..."

"But what Steven?" asked Allison with a look of concern on her face. Sir Reginald and Sweetcakes stopped abruptly and turned back to the group.

"Well, I really don't know whether it is proper to say this, but we enjoyed everyone's company with the exception of Mr. J's. In the future, we would be grateful if you would tell us if you expect him to attend as we would rather not associate with him again." said Dr. Farmington firmly.

"Here here!" concurred Sir Reginald. "The American's famous bluntness in action no doubt!"

"Well, I have been having the same thoughts recently. But I would hate to loose touch with Linda. I think she really needs our support right now." replied Allison.

"Yes, darling child." said Sir Reginald sadly, "That blighter doesn't deserve her!"

"Agreed, but that doesn't change my feelings." said Dr. Farmington.

"Perhaps we can arrange something, but please remember that one bad apple is no reason to throw away the bushel. said Allison.

"By no means! "We love the apples... We just want to avoid the bad ones because they can give all of us a bad name." said Dr. Farmington with a smile.

"Yes, I'll see what I can do." said Allison. "Don't worry." With that, the four guests turned and left the house. Mariko watched enviously as Sir Reginald opened the passenger door of his Bentley and helped Sweetcakes slide into the passenger seat and put her seat-belt on. Dr. Farmington on the other hand stopped with Kimberly at the rear of their car and he opened up the trunk. To Mariko's surprise though, that was not where she would be riding, Dr. Farmington turned her around and began removing her leather restraints, casually dropping them into the trunk. She waited calmly, not moving, until he had removed all the cuffs and finally her gag. He leaned and whispered something softly into her ear and she turned back to him suddenly and they embraced passionately. After a long, loving kiss, they both waved to the group standing in the doorway and got into their car and drove away.

Mariko shook her head and tried to sort out her feeling. Somehow she liked some of these people. They seemed the most honest, open people she had ever met. (A little kinky perhaps, but...) This was something she was not used to but she found it very refreshing. She was suddenly startled by a touch on her shoulder, she spun around and looked directly into the face of Richard. She could feel her heart fluttering madly but she just figured it was because she was so jumpy. Richard paused and looked at her for a moment. Mariko couldn't help but wish she could speak to him but she wasn't sure just what she would say if she could.

"It's been a pleasure meeting you..." Richard began, "I hope I'll see you again soon." he said as he took her chin in his fingers and gently kissed her forehead. Mariko felt her knees get a little wobbly but that was surly because she had been standing on those high heels so long. Mariko, almost against her will, and without taking her eyes off of Richard found her knees dipping slowly, and when she came to her senses she found herself blushing uncontrollably as she realized that she had performed a perfect curtsy in front of Richard. He only smiled and moved down the line and left quickly after saying good-bye to Allison.

Mariko didn't remember much of saying good-bye to Helen and Annette and Gina. She remembered only the look on Richard's face as he passed by. Suddenly, the front door shut with a bang and this awakened Mariko from her daydream. Allison called for the stooges who were waiting just around the corner.

"Get them ready for bed," she said as the stooges took Mariko and Courtney under tow. "You two have a busy day tomorrow. Your first day at school!"



Chapter 5

Mariko shuddered at the thought at what lay ahead as they stumbled back to the elevator and took the long trip back down to their rooms. Sleep had not been a very pleasant experience during the past few nights and Mariko was not looking forward to it.

"This'll probably be the caper of an all-around lousy day..." thought Mariko. "...And tomorrow will probably be worse." The stooges half walked and half carried Mariko down the hall and shoved her into her room while Courtney and her entourage continued on to her room. Once they were inside the bed room, one of the guards reached under the bed and pulled out a single locking cuff with a long chain attached to it and locked it on Mariko's ankle. Completing this, they took a small pair of clippers and sniped the plastic wraps that held her arms. To her surprise though, they all turned towards the door while she was rubbing some circulation back into her limbs and as the last girl was leaving, she turned back to Mariko.

"You be good girl, put dirty clothes on chair, then go to bed. Okay?" Mariko nodded her head and the guard stepped out of the room and then closed and bolted the door. Mariko couldn't believe that this was all she was going to have to endure, a simple ankle chain, but she figured she had better make the best of it. Out popped the ball gag, and for some reason her jaws didn't seem quite as sore as they had been in the past.

"Maybe it's that the ball is a little smaller... Or maybe, (gulp!) I'm just getting used to it!" said Mariko out loud. She was beginning to forget what her voice sounded like. Mariko made short work of her clothes, all except for the stocking on her right leg that had to be fed carefully through the cuff on her ankle. She piled the dress and everything on the chair and then tested the length of the chain. She found that the chain was anchored to the foot of the bed and although she could easily move about in the room, she could not quite reach the door to her cell unless she laid down on the floor and stretched as far as she could. At that, when she did this stretch, all she could manage was to touch the bottom of the door. Not much help at all. She went and used the bathroom to get ready for bed, she brushed her teeth and combed her hair and washed up. She found herself finally beginning to relax as she prepared herself slowly, lazily for bed. Just as she was finishing up brushing her hair the lights suddenly snapped off and there was nothing Mariko could do but follow the chain back to her bed in the pitch blackness. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was asleep.

Mariko awoke to a annoying buzzer. Her first reaction was to try to shut off her alarm clock but it wasn't on her night stand as it usually was. She groped around for it with closed eyes savoring the lovely feeling of her soft warm bed. She was beginning to get a bit annoyed that nothing in her bedroom seemed to be where it was supposed to be. As she started to roll over to look for the clock, the cuff on her ankle pinched her and she was startled back to reality.

"Okay, Okay!" I'm awake!" She said out loud grumpily to no one in particular. As soon as she said that, the annoying buzzer ceased it's incessant racket. Mariko laid in bed for a while trying to rub the sleep from her eyes, when one of her senses jolted her awake. Her keen sense of smell had detected the unmistakable aroma of bacon, clearly close by and maybe even within her reach. She sat up hopefully and looked about. There, on the table was a tray loaded with covered plates. Mariko sprung from bed and rushed to the table, almost tripping on her tether where it was caught in the blankets of the bed. She saw that there was a note with her name written on it, propped against a small plastic vase with a rose in it. Mariko decided that it would be smart to read the note first, just in case.

The note read:

Mariko,

You will follow this set of instructions implicitly.

You may eat your breakfast first, but then you will bathe to prepare yourself for school. Then, you will dress yourself completely in the uniform we have provided for you. You will use the handcuffs we have supplied to lock your hands behind your back. All of this should be completed by 7:30 AM and no later. You will then wait for someone to come for you.

A

Mariko warily spied the garment bag slung across the back of the chair and then up glanced at the clock. Luckily it was only 6:05 so she had plenty of time for all she had to do. She took her own sweet time, enjoying every morsel of her bacon and egg breakfast and the long bath that followed. When she was finished she reluctantly placed the garment bag on the bed and with a deep breath, opened it. Mariko rummaged around inside the bag until she found a pair of white cotton panties and a bra. The panties were frilly and much too small for her, as was the training bra they gave her but she struggled into them anyway. Next she found a white cotton blouse. Around the collar was a blue and gray striped necktie. Mariko sighed and despondently buttoned the blouse up and put the tie on. She looked around for the stockings but all she found were a pair of gray knee socks.

"This is getting more depressing by the moment." Mariko thought as she pulled the gray socks on, having quite a difficult time getting the one sock under her ankle cuff. The next bit of apparel that came out of the bag was a scratchy, gray wool jumper, with a pleated skirt that Mariko was dismayed to find cleared her knees by a good six or seven inches. Last out of the bag was a blue blazer with gold buttons and a patch on the pocket.

"Next their gonna want to call me Muffy!" she thought as she examined the patch.

The crest was that of the school she was no doubt enrolled in. Inside a circular rim of golden embroidered chain was three sets of linked handcuffs intricately embroidered into a triangle around a rendition of a red ball-gag. On the upper left side of the triangle was an ornate letter "B" and on the upper right side was an equally beautiful "D". Finally, across the bottom was the word Academy.

"Gee, I wonder if they're fully accredited." asked Mariko rhetorically as she did the inevitable and slipped the blazer on.

"Hmmmn. Seems they forgot something." Mariko thought as she searched the bag for a pair of shoes. She found them in a zippered pouch in the bottom of the bag along with a pair of handcuffs which she tossed on the table without a glance. Her new shoes fit the outfit perfectly as they were a pair of black patent leather shoes with a one button strap and no heels.

"Wonder why Allison didn't put little mirrors on them... Seems that would be more her style." our heroine wondered to herself as she slipped the shoes on her dainty feet. As she sat on the side of the bed to button the strap, Mariko glanced up at the clock and it was 25 past 7.

"Perfect timing, as usual! I wonder what the bitch has in store for us today." she thought as she ran a finger around her collar. Mariko then took up the handcuffs and for the first time examined them. She hadn't noticed before that there were three cuffs linked together at their center from the middle link of chain, If she had one cuff on each wrist there would still be one cuff dangling loose.

"They couldn't want to put that on my foot? Could they? thought Mariko. She knew full well that they could, and would if they wanted to. She only hoped that was not part of their nefarious plans. Mariko took the cuffs and placed an open one onto her left wrist and then squeezed it until it clicked down close to her skin. She took a moment and checked the fit, she found that she could turn the cuff all the way around her wrist without it pinching at all.

"I guess I might as well face it." she said out loud to herself as she brought both hands behind her back and laid her wrist into the other open cuff. She took a long moment to get her nerve up and then with a deep breath she closed the cuff on her right wrist as well.

"Shit!" she said to no one in particular.

She moved around a bit trying to test the cuffs. She realized that if she tried hard enough she may have been able to pull her hands out of the cuffs, but it would take some privacy and more then a little luck. She also discovered the misery of wearing panties that are too small. As soon as she had made the slightest bit of movement both sides of her panties retreated into her crack and no amount of squirming would get them back out. She tried to slide down on the bed and raise her skirt up so she could get her hands back there but as she did the door opened up and Ma'am was standing in the doorway. Ma'am burst into laughter at the sight of Mariko's contorted position and continued her chuckling as Mariko attempted to regain her composure.

"Get up!" Ma'am commanded as she stepped into the room. Mariko struggled to her feet and faced the advancing woman. Ma'am casually walked up to Mariko and then spun her around grabbed the handcuffs and lifted Mariko's hands up towards the ceiling.

"Not bad my dear... Not bad..., but not quite good enough!" she said as she clicked both cuffs two notches tighter. "You may have been able to pull your little hands out of those. I'll just assume that you didn't do that on purpose, okay?

"Oh, Of course not Ma'am!" sprouted Mariko cheerfully, "After all, I can hardly wait to find out what you have in store for me today and I certainly wouldn't expect any unfair advantages." she added sarcastically.

"That's the spirit my dear! Your finally getting the hang of this!" said Ma'am as she pulled the two chairs close together and motioned to Mariko for her to sit.

Ma'am proceeded to apply only a minimal amount of make-up on Mariko's face, mainly only a little blush on her cheeks. She produced a wide red ribbon and tied it into a bow in Mariko's hair on the top of her head.

"Doesn't that clash with my outfit? asked the captive schoolgirl, it actually clashed more with her sense of dignity.

"Well, yes, it does a little, but it still looks awfully cute." replied Ma'am as she used a bobby pin to insure that the bow would stay in place. She rummaged around in her bag for a moment and then pulled out the inevitable roll of tape. Mariko had figured this would happen sooner or later so she was prepared for it... or at least she thought she was. Ma'am ripped off a small piece of the tape and leaned towards our little heroine. Mariko immediately noticed that this tape was much narrower then the stuff she was used to, maybe only one inch wide. Ma'am made a face to Mariko indicating that she should pinch her lips tightly together, and when Mariko had done this she carefully stuck the tiny rectangle of tape over her lips. Mariko couldn't help but giggle at this ridiculous attempt at silencing her. This gag, compared with any of the others she had endured wouldn't keep her quiet for a second! She was tempted to show Ma'am that right then by simply opening her mouth. As Mariko, with a bit of a feeling of victory, looked up at Ma'am she was suddenly taken aback by Ma'am's smiling face and negatively shaking head.

"Before you try that," said Ma'am, as if reading Mariko's mind. ("How does she DO that?!!" thought Mariko angrily.) "Let me explain. The gag you're wearing now is one of our most effective ones. You see, it is what we call a volunteer gag, it's sole purpose is as a reminder to you that you have been forbidden to speak and that's about all. I'm sure that you're thinking that all you have to do is wiggle your little nose and that tape will pop right off your face... and you're probably right. But, if you do, I assure you that within moments you will be wearing a real gag. One that is designed first to be uncomfortable, and second to keep a talkative little girl silent." Ma'am said bluntly. "If you choose not to believe me just go ahead and open your mouth." Ma'am watched Mariko closely as the now securely taped girl sat and stewed over this turn of events. A resigned grunt from Mariko spurred Ma'am to continue.

"Well I'm glad, Your finally getting smart." Ma'am said "Besides, look at this face..." She continued as she turned her head from side to side so Mariko could see her smiling face. "...How could it lie!" Ma'am chuckled over her joke as she took out a gray wool beret which she put on Mariko, stylishly cocked to the side. She reached down and unlocked the cuff on Mariko's ankle using a key she had brought with her. Ma'am then stood and motioned Mariko to the door. Mariko obeyed with only a sigh of protest and she marched out into the hallway where she was met by one of the guards who was carrying a blue book bag bearing the same emblem as the one adorning Mariko's breast pocket. She stuck the bag into Mariko's fettered hands and then guided her down the hall by her elbow towards an uncertain future.

Mariko stumbled along like this for a while, the heavy book bag she carried bumped annoyingly into the back of her legs with each step, but she didn't complain. After she took one look at the scowling guard she realized she wouldn't be getting much sympathy. After a long walk on the same sub-basement level they came to a small bolted door. The guard stopped Mariko in front of the door and then tugged at the bolt and opened the door and shoved Mariko in. It took only a moment to regain her composure and take in her surroundings as the door slammed shut behind her. Mariko found herself standing in a tiny, window-less cloak room. There were clothes pegs all around, with some of them holding various coats and hats and such. Standing closely together in the center of the room were all of the reluctant guests from the dinner party. Each girl wore a uniform identical to the one Mariko sported and was restrained with the same three part handcuffs that she also wore. The only difference was that none of the other girls had her mouth taped shut as Mariko did. They all stared silently at the newest addition to the room until Kelly stepped forward slowly. When she did, Mariko caught a glimpse of Courtney's scowling face from where she had been standing in the corner, blocked from Mariko's view by the group. At least now Mariko wasn't the only one with tape stuck on her face. Kelly approached Mariko slowly.

"You have to take your hat off and put it on a hook before they open the doors." she said sweetly, not at all demandingly. Mariko realized that she was trying to be nice, letting her in on a rule before it got Mariko into any trouble. Mariko briefly thought about how she was going to perform that miracle without the use of her hands when Kelly continued,

"We usually try to help each other, here, let me turn around then you bend down." she said as she turned her back to Mariko and raised her hands up. Mariko bent forward and put her hat into Kelly's reach and Kelly carefully plucked it off of her head. Mariko watched as Kelly gracefully hung the hat on a peg on the back wall and then smiled to Mariko. Mariko tried to say thank you to Kelly but all she could manage was "Mmange mmuu!" The group giggled at her mumbling, but she wasn't taking any chances with loosening the tape, at least not until the right moment.

"Your welcome. Anytime." said Kelly as she stepped back to the group who went back to chatting. Mariko kept one ear on the conversation as she edged her way around to where Courtney stood and after a nod and a tapped smile they both listened to the conversation that was going on.

"So anyway, as I was saying," began Kimberly, "The walls are Egg- shell white and I found these beautiful taffeta curtains that matched the carpet perfectly, When I found out the price I almost fainted. I was looking for something else when Steve came up out of the clear blue and said we would get the ones I liked. I almost died. He's the..."

Kim was rudely interrupted as the door behind where Courtney and Mariko were standing opened up. Immediately, all the girls fell absolutely silent and they formed a line facing the open door. Mariko and Courtney had been startled by the door and they retreated to the end of the line where they could watch the goings on. Annette was the first to enter the room followed by Gina, Linda, Kimberly and finally Kelly. Mariko watched the procession with amazement as they calmly entered the next room.

When Kelly reached the doorway, Mariko could finally see what was going on. Inside, the room was decorated to appear like an school classroom. There were chalk boards on two walls and a podium against the far wall. Next to the podium, in the corner beside the blackboard was a high wooden stool. In front of the podium were three neatly lined up rows of desks, with four in each row. The desks were the modern kind, made up simply of a chair and a flat section on one arm, to write on. Mariko could see both Ma'am and Joan here, they were both dressed in long, flowing black graduation gowns and those silly square hats with the tassels, Mariko couldn't remember what they were called. Kelly stepped up to Ma'am as Joan was finishing guiding Kim to her seat. All the other girls stood rigidly beside their desks. Ma'am ripped a small piece of tape from a roll and held it up to Kelly's face.

"Thank you Professor Ma'am!" said Kelly (It sounded more to Mariko like 'Thank yuh Prefsser Mum' because of Kelly's accent) before she pursed her lips together and Ma'am pressed the tape into place. Joan came up and took Kelly by the elbow and led her to the second row of desks and began seating her in the first desk. Ma'am took hold of Mariko and pulled her into the room. First she inspected the tape on her mouth to see if it had come loose at all (Mariko was thankful now that she hadn't given in and loosened the gag herself) then she led Mariko to the third desk in the second row where she would be beside Kimberly who was beside Kelly. She stood Mariko beside her desk and then squatted down at Mariko's feet. Mariko watched in fascination as Ma'am reached under the desk and pulled out a set of wooden stocks that attached to the front legs of the desk. The stocks slid out perpendicular to the seat. Ma'am opened the stocks then coaxed Mariko's ankles into them and locked them shut. Mariko was now committed to stand beside the desk. Meanwhile, Joan had brought Courtney in and was at that moment, adjusting her set of stocks at her seat in the first desk of the third row. Ma'am took Mariko's school bag and took out a notebook and a pencil and put them on Mariko's desk top. She then went to the front of the room and stood by the podium.

"Good morning class!" Ma'am said in an artificially nasal voice. Everyone except Mariko and Courtney responded as best they could, mumbling "MMnnig fmfff Mmaaammm!" Luckily it was loud enough so that no one noticed that Courtney and Mariko hadn't responded on cue.

"You may be seated class." said Ma'am and Mariko watched as everyone turned their hips sideways and sat down on their chairs and then pulled their fettered feet in under them. Mariko tried this and she found that it was easier then it looked to sit in that awkward position and that her foot-stocks slid easily in under her chair. Joan walked around the room kicking a little catch on the base of the chair that each girl sat in and then she clipped the free handcuff onto the support of the backrest of the desk. When she got to Mariko, she kicked the catch on the chair and Mariko realized that the catch locked the stocks in place under the chair and that if Mariko wanted to stand the catch would first have to be released so she could slide her feet out from under the desk. After she had locked the loose handcuff to the backrest she pulled a leather strap with a buckle out of her robe and lashed Mariko's right elbow to the side of the arm rest and unlocked her right wrist from it's confines in the cuffs. Mariko slowly moved her arm up onto the desk top where she could reach the notebook and pencil.

"You'd better take good notes." said Joan as she walked away towards the front of the where she searched in Gina's bag and found a pair of eye glasses that she put on Gina before releasing her one hand. With the class finally settled, Ma'am was able to begin her lecture.

The routine was pretty much set at the B&D academy. The opening one and one half hours was devoted to a lecture on bondage physiology with Ma'am covering one specific part of the body and how it relates to bondage as a whole. At this lecture she described the physical make-up of the human wrist and it's strengths and weaknesses where it came to the binding of the wrist. She talked at length about different key pressure points and how certain situations should be avoided. Mariko couldn't help but think that although she had endured almost continuous bondage over the last few weeks, she had never experienced any major problems with lack of circulation. This is not to say she didn't experience any discomfort, but now that the topic had come up she had never had any limb fall asleep on her. Ma'am continued, explaining that there was always an outside possibility that some day they would find themselves bound by more inexperienced hands then they were accustom to, there were some tricks that they could use to relieve any undue stress they might be experiencing... Mariko was amazed by what was going on around her, "There's a damn science to all this!" she thought. All this time she figured that all they were doing was spontaneously trussing her up for the hell of it. Now she was beginning to realize just how dangerous this activity potentially is, and how concerned about her safety her captors really were and how carefully they "did her up".

Mariko was jolted back to the present by an open handed swat on the back of her head. It wasn't very painful but it did scare the hell out of her, she hadn't noticed Joan sneaking up behind her.

"So! You don't feel it's necessary to take any notes I see! Do you think Ma'am is up there for her health?" Joan growled into Mariko's ear. "Well, we will see about this. 10 demerits!" she said as she took out a little black book and wrote something into it. ("Demerits?!?!? thought Mariko.) "Perhaps a pop quiz is in order, What do you think, Ma'am?" finished Joan. The entire class groaned when she mentioned the word "quiz".

"Well, I'm feeling a little magnanimous this morning, perhaps we can give them another chance, Joan." said Ma'am to the nodding approval of everyone in the room, including Courtney and Mariko.

"I suppose we could continue this lecture tomorrow. Besides, we have a book report due today, don't we Gina?" Gina nodded and reached into her book bag and withdrew several neatly typed pages. "You know... I think an oral presentation would be a nice change of pace this morning." Ma'am said. With that, Joan walked over to where Gina sat and took the papers away and handed them to Ma'am, then returned and twisted Gina's free arm back behind her where it was re-locked into her handcuffs. After this was accomplished, Joan removed the leather strap from where it held her elbow on the arm rest and then unlocked the cuff that was attached to the back of the chair. With a casual tap with her foot, Joan released the lock holding Gina's stocks in place under the desk and Gina, with a grace gained only through practice, slid her feet out from under the desk and stood up. Joan reached around her and peeled the tape off her mouth and left it hanging on her cheek held there by a tiny bit of adhesive.

"Remember now Dear, Good posture and speak from the diaphragm so that everyone can hear you." said Ma'am. "You may begin."

"My book report is on the novel 'Meter Maids in Bondage' written by Jack Ovski, published in 1979 by Sleazeball Press. New York, New York." Gina began in a surprisingly sexy, husky voice that surprised Mariko because it didn't seem to fit with the appearance of this petite Italian girl dressed in the silly little school uniform. Mariko concentration on the book report lasted only a few seconds. She found herself thinking about the events of the last few weeks. One thing that stood out in her mind was an image, That of escape. It was odd though, that rather then daydreams she had in the past, her new fantasy was one of rescue and not of flight. The events that went on around her in her little dreams were totally out of her control and she somehow found that a bit thrilling. She pictured herself kind of like the heroine who found herself tied to the railroad tracks, helplessly bound and gagged, waiting for her hero to arrive to carry her away to freedom. (only Mariko never remembered those movie heroines having her elbows tied so that they touched...) Mariko had never had a hero before. She had always been too busy looking out for herself to waste a lot of time thinking about such things. But now, with very little time to do anything other then think, she found herself carried further and further away with these thoughts. The faceless hero would race into the picture to dispatch the villain with one carefully placed punch and snatch her away from her impending doom just in the nick of time as the train rumbled by spewing dust and steam. He would carry her off in his arms to where they would live happily ever after.

"Hummnn..." mused Mariko pleasantly, her smile hidden by the tape on her lips. "It's just that it's my daydream and I can't ever seem to get him to untie me!" Mariko became a little annoyed at herself for enjoying these fantasies a little more then her conscience should have allowed, but the stirrings she felt when her mind wandered were slowly breaking down her defenses.

Mariko awoke from her little daydream to Ma'am's exuberant clapping and several grunts of approval from the other members of the peanut gallery. Ma'am continued as Joan set about putting Gina back into her seat.

"Excellent, excellent! my dear!" said Ma'am as she sat behind the big desk in the corner of the room. Gina curtsied politely in response to the compliments and then returned to her seat where Joan re-applied the adhesive tape to her lips.

Mariko concentrated as hard as she could on the lessons at hand. Ma'am's next lecture regarded etiquette as it pertained to the daily life of a slave. When it suffices to curtsy, or when it is necessary to kneel. The rules of conduct for the well trained slave seemed to be very formal to Mariko as she scribbled frantically in the notebook. She wondered for a moment or two whether she would be able to remember all of them...

"Wait A Minute!!... What's the matter with me!..." Mariko muttered, berating herself. "I don't want to remember ANY of these, for crying out loud!"

Mariko looked down at her notebook in amazement as she realized that she had written down almost everything that Ma'am had said over the last forty five minutes. She looked up at Ma'am who was still droning on about the proper way to kneel while attending a Mistress. (On her right, about three feet away with hands folded in lap) Ma'am had a strange look on her face as she continued with her lecture, she was looking steadily at something to Mariko's right. She continued with the lecture as she slowly approached the blackboard behind the podium. Mariko, as subtlety as possible, turned her head to see what Ma'am was so intent upon.

All the other girls were writing for all they were worth and Joan was reading a book in the front corner of the room and was oblivious to what was transpiring in the class. Mariko turned a little further to her right and she could finally see the object of Ma'am's attention. Courtney sat slumped in her seat at the rear of the classroom with her head bobbing up and down as she was obviously slipping off to sleep. A cold chill ran down Mariko's back as she realized her friend's impending doom. Suddenly a chalkboard eraser flew across the room and bounced resoundingly off Courtney's noggin. The sequence of events that followed could best be described as slap-stick. Courtney jumped as high as a girl bound to a chair possibly could, sending her pencil and notebooks crashing to the floor and she let out a scream that would have awakened the dead. The tape on Courtney's lips proved itself about as effective as a candle in a hurricane as it almost flew off her face. All that did was scare the heck out of everyone else in the room, Joan jumped to her feet so fast it seemed like she had sat on a firecracker. Everyone turned to look at Courtney as she slid down in the chair with a horrified look on her face as the chalk dust settled all around her. It was obvious she knew that she was in some very deep shit...

The days seemed to run slowly together. Mariko was getting used to the routine of the school days. It seemed the only thing that changed was the uniform. It was always a variation of the English public-school girl outfit they had worn the first day. Other times, seemingly at random, they would be wearing another variation of the school uniform: a gray skirt and gray pullover sweater in place of the wool jumper of the other variation. Of course, it also had the same blue and gray striped necktie and blue blazer with the ever present B&D Academy crest on the pocket. Courtney, as had become the norm, sat stiffly at attention on the stool in the corner. Just as she had that first day. This time Joan and Ma'am had been more methodical than they had been on the first day. They had removed Courtney's blazer so that she only had the sleeves of the thin sweater to cushion the bite of the thin leather belt that welded her elbows together behind her back. Identical belts pinned her ankles and knees tightly together. They strapped a leather collar around her neck that was very stiff and high in the front so it forced her to hold her head up in a statuesque fashion. A thin strap ran from the back of the collar into her mouth to hold a large blue ball securely in place. As the final punishment for not having memorized her lesson for the day she had been bent over the stool and smacked 25 times with the dreaded B&D Academy paddle. She had then been forced to sit on the throne, shifting her weight from one sore buttock to the other in a futile attempt at finding a comfortable position. The pressure exerted by the elbow strap didn't help as it pulled her shoulders back and forced her breasts up and out against the clingy sweater, perfect targets for Ma'am, who took great pleasure in poking and prodding the helpless girl with her pointer at every opportunity.

Mariko had other things on her mind as she busily scribbled in her note book. Time was running out and she had to finish her creative writing assignment before the end of the week or else she would certainly get enough demerits to wind up there beside Courtney. Her first story had warranted the punishment... it got an "F". It was about a girl who was mistakenly arrested and handcuffed by a policeman. Ma'am said it was a nice start, but unfortunately, it was Joan who was grading the papers. She said that the content was weak, the spelling atrocious, the grammar unintelligible and the plot implausible. (unlike OUR little story...:^) It got Mariko two days on

"THE STOOL". Her second story was about an over bondaged judge who ordered the unruly female defendant bound and gagged for the remainder of her trial. Then, when the female defense counselor argued a little too long, the judge issued another "GAG Order" and dictated that she be restrained as well. The prosecution (You have two guesses what gender the prosecution is...) argued that the defendant couldn't possibly get a fair trial with her lawyer tied and gagged, So, the judge simply evened things up by........

("...And the unprecedented trial is now in it's 107th day".)

"Much better!" said Joan.

Mariko was putting some of the finishing touches on her next story, a science fiction, entitled: MARS NEEDS WOMEN! when Joan interrupted everyone.

"That's enough for today girls! Put your notebooks away..." She said as she clapped her hands with authority.

"We have a little surprise for you this afternoon." With that, Ma'am came up to the front of the room with a big jumble of leather straps which she placed on the front desk.

"I just hate these surprises!" thought Mariko. Out of the pile fell a blue ball gag that was quickly snatched up by Joan who casually brushed it off and waited as Ma'am helped Linda out of her seat.

"Ma'am and I decided that since it was such a lovely day outside, We would take you for a Nature walk." she began. "There are countless examples of flora and fauna to be discovered on the estate, and maybe we'll be lucky enough to be able to find some of it."

"HUmmp, I'll bet there's someone named Flo and Fawn tied to some tree out there..." Mused Mariko. It would be typical.

Linda was marched up to the front of the room as Joan and Ma'am set about getting her ready for her "Outing". Joan removed the tape from Linda's mouth and held the ball-gag up to her lips. Linda reluctantly opened her mouth and Joan deftly inserted the plug and tightened the straps around the back of her neck, under her hair. Ma'am was busy on the floor as she used a pair of ankle cuffs with about eighteen inches of chain to hobble the girl. After Joan had gagged Linda, she pulled a narrow belt out of the pile and put it around Linda's waist. Attached to the center of the belt was a metal ring which stuck out of the flap in the back of her blazer. Ma'am then reached up and locked the loose cuff to the ring. Therefore, Linda's hands were loosely but inescapably attached to her body. Joan used a small lock to prevent anyone tampering with the belt. Ma'am went and got Linda's hat, A straw "Skimmer" type hat with a blue ribbon that hung over the rim in the back, and popped it on the blushing school-woman's head.

"If we're not careful, their gonna come and scoop us all up in a net and take us away!" thought our soon-to-be, courageous, butterfly hunter.

Soon, the entire class was outfitted for their trek. Mariko chewed on the ball trying to work it into a more comfortable seating in her mouth, without much luck. She looked around at the others as Joan and Ma'am had left them locked in the cloak room for a few moments. Courtney had the dubious distinction of being the only one in a unique situation. Their two "Head Mistresses" had determined that she still had some more discipline time coming so they had only deemed it necessary to remove her ankle strap so she could walk. As it was, she was tottering around like Frankenstein because of the neck brace. Everyone else milled around waiting for their guide's return, making slurping sounds while trying to become accustom to the things that had been imposed on their oral cavities.

Before long the main door to the cloak room opened and the girls were greeted by the sight of Ma'am and Joan who had changed into matching Khaki safari outfits with leather boots, gun belts (complete with cap pistols.) and safari helmets. The guides were all business as they herded the bound girls into a line and the party was off on a trip to adventure.

Joan led the party out of the house and followed a trail out through the garden and down a path into the woods. They marched wearily along, stopping periodically while Joan pointed out something of profound interest to the unimpressed hikers. Ma'am spent most of the tour walking just behind Mariko who was dawdling at the back of the line of girls.

The class had not traveled very far when from behind them, one of the oriental guards jogged up the trail to our intrepid little band and called out for them to stop.

"Ma'am!" the guard began. "Mistress Allison, she send me find you, She say you bring Miss Sweetcakes to her right away."

"Right now?" Ma'am questioned.

"Yes, now." the guard nodded.

"Well, I suppose, but will you be all right with all of them Joan?"

"Sure, no problem... Just leave Ting-le here with me." answered Joan.

"Okay, Sweetcakes! Front and center!" Ma'am shouted even though everyone was right there. Kelly stepped reluctantly forward.

"We have to make some time dear." Ma'am said as she knelt to remove Sweetcakes hobble. Ma'am snapped one end onto Kelly's wrist and using it as a leash, pulled Kelly off in the direction of the house, turning back only to wave good-bye to the expedition. So the group forged ahead.

After about twenty minutes of following the winding trail they came to the edge of the woods where it bordered the estates stable area. The parade proceeded along beside one of the white stock fences that made up the horse runs. In the next pen Mariko could see Richard fiddling with one of the legs of his camera's tripod as he was preparing to shoot some pictures of one of Allison's mares. When he heard the clinking of the girl's hobbles he turned suddenly as they had surprised him. When he saw who it was, a wide grin came across his face as he finished his adjustments and rose to intercept the group as they passed by.

"Good afternoon ladies!" he said magnanimously as the group neared him. Joan stopped short in front of Richard and tipped her hat. All the school-women stopped and faced Richard and politely curtsied to him. Mariko made it a point to dip just a little bit lower then the others, She hoped he wouldn't overlook the significance of it. Richard looked over the whole motley crew. When he reached Mariko his eyes lingered. "And how are you today... " he said, addressing the group but never taking his eyes off the petite Japanese woman.

"We're all fine! " replied Joan, but Richard didn't respond. He was only asking one member of the group and when Mariko nodded he smiled. "Nice hat." he said to Mariko who blushed about four shades of red, and then he turned to converse with Joan.

"I'm so happy to hear that Joannie dear, but I was wondering if I could borrow one of these lovely ladies to give me a hand here while I work." Mariko perked right up! "Oh Please..." she thought

"I'm sorry Richard but that is out of the question! I'm in charge, and these girls are out here to study, not play games! " replied Joan abruptly. Mariko's heart sank. If only she could be alone with him for a few moments. She had so many things she wanted to tell him. And escape was one that was pretty far down on the list

"It's not games! It's real work. Honest!" countered Richard with a demeanor that only lacked a glowing halo over his head

"Sure... Work... " replied Joan. "Not today Richard. C'Mon girls, we've got a lot of ground to cover. Let's go!" With that Mariko felt a shove on her shoulder and she reluctantly followed the group back along the trail and into the woods. Mariko glanced back several times as she was prodded off. Richard waved and watched the procession as they continued off into the woods before he went back to work setting up the shoot.

Mariko was having trouble keeping her bearings as the little band of explorers proceeded through the woods to another clearing. There Joan stopped the group

"This is a good place to take our break." She explained as she sat down on the grass and laid back. "You all can look for interesting plants and such and when we get started again I'll explain them to you... Ting-le, you watch the group as they work.

With that, the uniformed girls began to spread out in a vain attempt to find something interesting. Mariko looked about for a few moments as she drifted over nearer the woods. As she drifted further away she nonchalantly glanced back at Joan, who seemed intent on taking a nap and then at the guard who was walking in distracted circles kicking at the ground. The moment was at hand. Mariko suddenly met eyes with Courtney who was in the center of the group. With her knees and elbows still strapped tightly together, she didn't have a prayer of getting very far. Courtney obviously knew exactly what Mariko was planning and she nodded intently to her friend. Mariko had reached a small rise on the edge of the field close to the woods where she paused and looked back. At that moment Courtney let out a scream and fell forward. It was now or never!

Mariko broke for the woods and in seconds was out of sight of the group. She felt a rush of exhilaration unlike anything she had ever experienced before in her life as she rushed on through the trees as fast as her hobbled legs could carry her. She found that she moved most effectively when she did a little gallop step rather then attempting a full run which was noisy and more awkward as her feet reached the end of the tether. She fell twice but luckily she landed on soft ground and was unhurt. Another problem quickly arose as she hurried along, the ball, still strapped securely in her mouth, was preventing her from getting all the air she needed and therefor she was becoming winded quickly

She decided she had better stop for a moment to rest and decide on a strategy for escape. She spied a dense clump of bushes that would afford some cover so she stepped into them to rest. The first thing was to try to get the damn gag off. Actually it was the only thing she could do because every thing else she was wearing locked. She tried to pull her hands around far enough to reach the gag but while she was running her blazer had slipped off her shoulders and was caught halfway down her arms thus hampering her movement even more. She couldn't get her hands up anywhere near her face. She then tried to pry the gag off using a nearby branch but the strap was far too tight to get a stick between her cheek and the leather strap. It was hopeless to try this route anymore. Obviously, there wouldn't be any getting loose without help. Now she had to figure a way out of there. It didn't take long for her to realize that she really didn't have any idea which way to go. Mariko had little choice but to just choose a direction and hope for the best

Mariko picked herself up and started walking in a direction away from the way she had just come. She moved along at as quick a pace as she could stand and tried to keep going in a straight line. Eventually she would have to reach somewhere where there would be someone to help her. Suddenly she heard the sound of a horse whinnying

"Oh NO!" thought Mariko. "I've headed right back!" she moaned.

Sure enough, Mariko reached the edge of the woods and she was right behind the stables about 150 yards away from where they had seen Richard. Directly in front of her was a big red barn with an empty corral next to it. Off to the right, Mariko could make out a ranch hand. She thought it was that guy, Karl, who she had met before. Suddenly she saw a flash of light way off to the left in the corral where Richard had been working, He was still there! That was that! Mariko instantly decided what she would do. She would make her way over to him without being seen. He was sure to take her gag off and then she could explain and get him to help her.

Mariko crept out of the woods and as quickly as she could, she made her way to the back of the barn. She crept quietly around the side of the barn and out to the front where the horse path was enclosed within two fences. Mariko would have to cross this path and then go the 100 yards or so to where Richard was working, This was obviously the most dangerous part because it was all in the open, but she had to try. Mariko crept forward and was about to squeeze between the slats in the fence when, from around the corner of the barn came the thundering of hoofs.

Mariko was just barely able to throw herself backward behind a bale of hay as three horses thundered by and off down the trail. Mariko peeked up from her hiding place to see Allison, in her typical jeans and cowboy hat riding attire leading Sir Reginald, who was also casually dressed in hacking clothes, who was pulling the reins of a third horse carrying Kelly. She was in personalized, formal fox hunting clothes, a long white riding skirt, Black high heeled boots and a tight red jacket. Her white cravat had pulled loose and was flapping over her shoulder and across her face in the wind. There was little she could do about that annoyance because her jacket had no sleeves, only a square pouch in the back into which Kelly's arms were folded. She was also wearing a riding/discipline helmet similar to the derby Mariko had grown to despise over the course of her trip with Allison. Mariko couldn't help but shake her head in amazement. Kelly was even riding side saddle, "Now that had to be scary!" thought Mariko!

As the sound of the hoofs faded, Mariko picked herself up and moved forward, intent on continuing with her plan. She looked carefully to the right and then to the left to where the horses had just passed and then she began squeezing through the fence again

"Whoa there, my little filly!" came a voice from behind her as a hand tangled itself in her hair and pulled her back through the fence.

"Just where do ya think you're goin'" Mariko suddenly found herself face to face with Karl, who kept a firm grip in her hair almost lifting her off the ground. "What's say you an me have a little party!

This was trouble!! Mariko's eyes flew open and she screamed as loud as she could but most of the sound was smothered by the ball in her mouth. Karl wrapped his arms around Mariko's waist and easily lifted the desperately struggling girl off the ground "I ain't never had one like you before..." he whispered in her ear as he carried her towards the back of the barn. Mariko was desperately trying to kick him, but her fettered feet were almost no use at all. She kicked both feet into the side of the barn in an attempt to knock Karl off balance but to no avail, all it did was make some noise. Karl carried her to the back of the barn and then dropped her down into some hay. Mariko's mind was screaming as she desperately tried to get up but Karl had one foot firmly planted on her ankle chain preventing her from standing up.

"I always wondered about the type who likes the rough stuff. But hey Baby-san, If that's what you want, Ol' Karl's ready to provide." he said as he leered down at the prone girl. "Get yourself ready for the wildest ride you ever done had!" With that, Karl knelt down next to Mariko and pushed her sweater up around her neck and ripped open the buttons of her blouse. He pulled her bra up over her breasts and began pulling and pinching her nipples between his callused fingers. Mariko struggled, but he easily kept her pinned to the ground. When he turned his attention to ripping her panties she could do nothing more the screw her eyes shut and try to shut out the sound of his grunting breaths

"What da F..." THUD!!!! All the weight suddenly disappeared from Mariko's side.. The prying fingers were gone. The sound was that of a body crashing against the side of the barn. Mariko opened her eyes and through a veil of tears she saw two men facing each other off.

"You Mother! She's mine! Get away from her!" shouted Karl.

"No... You're not gonna hurt her. You wanna try, Your gonna have to go through me!" replied Richard through gritted teeth. Mariko crawled back, away from the two men as the tears continued to well up. Karl reached around into his pocket and pulled out a knife. Richard didn't move

"I'll cut you!" shouted Karl "Get away!" Richard still didn't move. Karl suddenly lunged at Richard. Richard stepped back and to the side and faster then Mariko could follow, his foot flew up and knocked the knife right out of Karl's hand. With the same motion Richard spun around and planted his other foot directly in the center of Karl's chest with enough force to send him crashing back into the side of the barn. Mariko had never seen karate in real life before but it was obvious that Richard was giving Karl a lesson right now. Karl stood dazed as Richard moved forward and spun again, kicking him across the face. Karl crashed back into the barn wall then crumbled forward to the ground, unconscious

Richard came and knelt next to the sobbing girl, he gently lifted her head into his lap and cradled it there for a moment while he pulled her sweater back down to cover her

"Don't worry, you're safe now, he can't hurt you." Richard said soothingly. "It's a good thing I heard you. There, there... it's all right now." He lifted her head again and pulled the gag strap loose and as gently as he could, pulled the gag loose. Mariko looked up at her rescuer as her mouth moved wordlessly. The last thing she saw was Richard's comforting eyes as the darkness fell around her. Richard could only hold her close as Mariko slowly fainted.



Chapter 6

Mariko slowly began to regain her senses. After a few moments she came to the realization that they must have brought her back to her little bedroom in the basement of the estate. The events of the day all seemed like some type of terrible nightmare now and she was glad to be finally safe again. She could hear that there were several other people in the room and curiosity got the best of her so she didn't want them to know she was awake just yet. She simply kept her eyes shut, feinting sleep and she listened to the conversation that was going on beside her

"I don't care what happened! It's your responsibility! She could have been hurt... or worse!" Allison shouted

"But Ting-le was supposed to be watching them while Ma'am was gone." said Joan defensively

"No! You were both supposed to be watching... If it wasn't for Richard..."

"Really, I'm sorry Allison. It won't happen again. I promise."

"Yes, I know you're sorry, but that doesn't fix anything. I've got some hard decisions to be made about this." said Allison angrily.

"But it was Ting-le who was supposed to watch her." said Joan with a desperate sound in her voice. "She's the one who should be in trouble!"

"Don't you worry about little Miss Ting-le, she's being taken care of right now." said Allison, "I'd be more worried about myself, if I were you!"

"I wonder if Mariko is awake yet?" asked Joan, obviously trying to change the subject

Allison quietly approached Mariko and gently touched her shoulder.

"Mariko, Mariko, wake up dear...

Mariko decided that it was pointless to continue her charade so she opened her eyes and sat up

"Dear girl, I'm so sorry this happened..." began Allison, Mariko was a little surprised by her demeanor, Allison was truly sorry. "We didn't mean for this to happen. We try to take all precautions. Nothing like this has EVER happened here before. And I'll see to it it never happens again!" She said as she glanced intensely at Joan

"But I didn't mean it!" said Joan desperately. "It was an accident!"

"It doesn't matter what I believe now does it?" replied Allison. Mariko thoughts had drifted away from the two bickering girls. She was trying to put the terrible events of the day out of her mind and she didn't want anything to rekindle them. There was only one thing she wanted to remember, and that was the sight of Richard, Her brave, powerful Richard, risking his life to save her. Mariko had never felt this way before. She couldn't get the thought of him out of her mind, and she hoped she never would be able forget him. What's more, she resolved that she had to see him again, to tell him how she felt. That, suddenly, took over all her thoughts, she decided it was worth anything just to see him again! Even if it meant having to stay here a little bit longer. (Uggh!)

"You believe me don't you?" said Joan, interrupting Mariko's day- dream.

"Yeah, sure..." replied Mariko sarcastically. She didn't for a moment doubt Joan's sincerity, but she wasn't about to let her off the hook so easily.

"Really! I wouldn't want that to happen to anyone! Please! I'm sorry..." Joan said as tears welled up in her eyes. Mariko suddenly felt bad about pushing her a little too far

"It's okay Joan, I'm all-right. I'm sure next time you'll just watch me a little more carefully." Mariko said "Ehrrr, Wow! I can't believe I just said that!" shaking her head

Allison couldn't help but smile at all this. This little Japanese girl was a lot more then she had expected

"That's enough for now." said Allison, applying her stern face again. She turned again to Joan and said "Why don't you go down to the kitchen?, Pierre has some chores for you.

Joan groaned but she understood that this was not a request, so she turned and hurried out the door. When she was gone, Allison turned back to Mariko.

"If you'll dress, I would love to have you join me for dinner." Mariko knew she couldn't turn down such a gracious request, so she hurried and changed into the simple skirt and blouse that Allison had provided for her. After she had finished, Allison took out a pair of steel handcuffs and came towards out heroine. Mariko, more out of habit then conscious thought, turned her back to Allison and raised her hands up to be secured behind her back

"That won't be necessary tonight dear," Allison said, "In front will suffice.

Mariko couldn't pass this up! After being done up with everything from rope to tape, steel, cloth, rubber and canvas. This comfortable, (albeit boring) restraint would be just heaven

After locking the cuffs in place, Allison led Mariko out of her room and headed to the elevators. As they approached, the elevator doors opened and two of the oriental guards exited. They came down the hall and stopped in front of one of the cells where they pulled the bolt to unlock the door. Mariko couldn't help but notice that one of them was carrying the biggest vibrator she had ever seen, along with a handful of spring clothespins. They were both giggling as they pulled the door open and Mariko was able to glance past them. Inside, there was a figure bent over at the waist, who was wrapped up in tape from her navel to her eyes just like an Egyptian mummy. The mummy's arms were pressed together behind her back and like the rest of her, completely wound in the sticky white tape. A thin cord ran from the end of her taped fingers pulling them up towards a steel ring embedded in the ceiling and then back down to where it was tied to a tuft of her black hair forcing the unfortunate girl to bend forward to relieve some of the pressure on her shoulders. The only exposed parts of her upper body were her nipples, nose, eyes and the top of her head. Even the majority of her hair was caught up in the wrappings. Her feet were stretched wide and tied to rings anchored in the cold stone floor of the cell. Mariko couldn't help but remember Allison's statement. Ting-le was indeed, being well taken care of. Mariko was going to enjoy this dinner, she could just tell. The food was wonderful and not being tightly restrained and force fed was a rare privilege. It was a little awkward using cuffed wrists to cut her meal but the joyous freedom the loose cuffs provided was well worth that minor annoyance. Allison and Mariko spoke briefly about the day's happenings but both girl's seemed relieved to put it behind them. Allison had pooh-pooh'ed Mariko's suggestion that she should be released after what had happened. (Somehow her response was exactly what Mariko had expected) Security had been doubled and Karl was long gone, Richard had seen to that. Allison would never have employed someone who could not control himself (or herself). That would have been an unacceptable danger to the girls who came to the Academy. All of her employees were screened carefully and regularly to ensure their stability. But unfortunately, in Karl's case, one had slipped through the cracks

The two girls ate and chatted about all kinds of subjects, Allison talked at length about some of the current events that were going on around the world during the previous two months that Mariko had been indispose. Mariko sat half listening to Allison and thinking about Richard, her thoughts were only about when she would be able to see him again

"Allison," Mariko began, "I would really like to thank Richard for what he did today. Is there any way I could see him?

"Well, actually Richard has been called back home on business for a couple of weeks. He has a job on the west coast you see. It was really a stroke of luck that he was even here today. He was just finishing up a layout as a favor to me." replied Allison

"It seems we were both fortunate doesn't it?

"Yes, of course. But anyway, I'm quite sure that Richard understands your feelings and appreciates your errr... our, gratitude. said Allison.

"Sure that's good but I'd still like to thank him myself, If I can."

"Of course, I understand..." replied Allison. "I'll make it a point to arrange a get together as soon as he comes back.

"Thank you Allison, it would really mean a great deal to me..." said Mariko. At least now she knew that she would see her knight again. All she would have to do it wait a little while longer. With that in mind Mariko continued. "So, what's gonna happen while we wait? I have some idea's."

"Yes, I'm quite sure you do, My dear... but I think the best course is to get right back on the horse. So to speak..." said Allison

"I didn't know I had gotten off!" replied Mariko holding up her cuffed wrists

"That's the spirit! I knew you wouldn't really want to leave us just yet." said Allison triumphantly

"I wouldn't go so far as to say that!" said Mariko, but she really didn't sound very convincing, even to herself

"Nonsense, You can hardly wait to see what's around the next corner." said Allison knowingly. "That's what I've been trying to get you to realize all along. The Suspense! The Mystery! The Expectation, that's where the excitement is. That's what bondage is all about. I think your finally beginning to realize it!

Mariko had to admit (to herself anyway...) that what Allison said was true. It was like being blindfolded all the time. She never knew what was about to happen and this was, in a way, thrilling to her. She was constantly amazed by what she could bear. So far they had not won. She had never given up or given in. No matter how outrageous her captors had gotten. So far, Mariko could proudly say she had taken their best and had not told them about her connection with Ivan Rasovitz. So far, she had won.

"Well, I would love some coffee before we get desert, Would you like some?" said Allison

"Yes, I would like some." said Mariko, suspecting some kind of a trick.

Allison reached forward and took up a bell and rang it briskly. With that, Mariko heard the click of high heels approaching from the kitchen, along with the sound of an answering bell that somewhat corresponded to the sound of the steps as they approached. The door to the kitchen opened slowly and the sight that met Mariko's eyes brought joy to her heart. Into the room stepped the tall figure of Joan, who was wearing what could only be described as a caricature of a maid's uniform. It was black satin with white lace trim and a white, starched apron. The neckline plunged well below her ample breasts which were supported by a push up bra. Under her tiny skirt were layers of petticoats which ballooned out around her nylon covered thighs. Her hair was piled high on top of her head in a beehive hairdo held in place with what looked like a gallon of hair spray and a lace headpiece that matched the rest of the lace on the uniform she wore was pinned to the crest of her hair.

As she shuffled towards the dinner table Mariko noted with a smile that Joan was carrying a tray that contained all the ingredients for their after dinner coffee. Actually, carrying was an incorrect choice of words. She was "bearing" a tray similar to that of the old fashion cigarette girl. A strap ran from the front of the tray up around her neck, and another strap circled around her waist. As she teetered forward, Mariko noticed the pair of high heel, ankle strap pumps with heels about six inches high that encased her feet. A thin chain about 10 inches long connected her feet together making walking, at best, difficult. Joan tottered over to Allison, who began serving the coffee on the tray.

Mariko looked up at Joan's face where beads of perspiration rolled down her forehead and streamed unchecked by the huge false eyelashes into her fluttering eyes. A tight black rubber strap was pulled tightly across her face and her cheeks bulged out over it. Under the strap, Mariko could clearly see the impression of her mouth, distended around a hard rubber ball. While she marveled at the size of Joan's gag, Mariko discovered the source of the sound of the tiny bell. It hung from a gold ring that hung from the center of Joan's nose with one prong entering each of her nostrils.

"Cream?" asked Allison casually, as she turned towards Mariko who was staring at the ring in disbelief. Allison chuckled and reached up and took hold of the ring and before Mariko could even gasp she gave it a steady pull, forcing Joan to dip her knees so as not to spill the coffee on the tray.

"You didn't think this was fake, Did you?" She twisted it gently, coaxing Joan to turn her face for Mariko's inspection. The sturdy ring was an loop of gold . Where the two ends met there was a ball of gold to hold the two ends firmly together. It passed right through Joan's septum

"I just love this kind of thing..." Allison began "Something that annoys the wearer, that dominates her thoughts, that she would give anything to remove, but because of her circumstances there isn't a darn thing she can do to be rid of it. It makes her totally dependent on me for her relief. I can't think of anything that impresses helplessness on a slave better then something like this. It's not like whipping or other crass things like that, this is just so, so... subtle. Don't you think." Said Allison emphatically as she motioned to Joan to lean forward. Joan complied by bending her knees and squatting gracefully so as not to spill any of the tray's contents. When she released the ring Joan grimaced as it seemed that the slightest little twist on the ring was uncomfortable.

"We must try one on you sometime, so you can see just what I mean." said Allison enthusiastically as Joan struggled back upright

"Gee, I can hardly wait..." said Mariko sarcastically trying to hide the fear

"Splendid! Then I'll have to remember to bring some along sometime..." Mariko wondered just when she would be smart enough to keep her big mouth shut. (It seems there's never a gag around when you really need one!) Allison handed Mariko her coffee and curtly dismissed Joan who turned to walk away. Mariko laughed out loud as Joan turned her back on the two diners.

Mariko's source of amusement was the back of Joan's dress, or rather, the lack of it. There was absolutely nothing covering the cheeks of her derriere. Below the huge white bow where her apron strings were tied, all the petticoats and outer skirt stopped as they curled around her back forming an up-side down "U" out of which stuck her little bum. To prevent her from covering herself, both her arms were caught up in a matching black satin bag which kept her hands up and out of the way and it must have been effective given the shade of pink her backside glowed. There were several ugly red ovals spaced evenly around her ass cheeks as well, but Mariko was uncertain what could have produced them.

When she reached the door a tall man wearing a white suit with a chief's hat opened the door for her. Before she entered the kitchen Joan turned and looked back at the grinning gloating Mariko with a look that sent chills down the little Japanese woman's spine. With that, the chief sent her on her way with a little smack on her backside with a big oval wooded spoon and then followed the maid into the kitchen.

"Oh well," thought Mariko, "I guess I might as well enjoy this while I can..." The girls then enjoyed their coffee together

"Do you know what I'm in the mood for tonight?" Allison suddenly blurted.

"Debauchery?" thought Mariko. (It was a reasonable guess

"It's almost too sinful to consider... but...."

"This ought to be a good one..." thought Mariko. She didn't bother to worry any more

"...ICE CREAM!!..." said Allison conspiratorially

"That's okay, Allison... You said that I should stay on my diet. I think I have the will power to resist." said Mariko, knowing full well it wouldn't make any difference

"No, I think I must insist. You see I feel much less guilty when I can share the blame." responded Allison

"Oh great! More blame for me...

Allison clapped her hands to summon two of the oriental guards. "Tell Ma'am to bring the Town car around front. And take my friend out to the car, We're going for ICE CREAM!

Mariko was walked out to the front hall by the two guards. When they reached the front door they detoured into a walk-in coat closet where they forced her to kneel and unlocked her handcuffs to transfer her hands behind her back. Once she was secured, one of the guards pulled out a 1 1/2 inch, plastic coated, steel ring with two leather straps attached to the sides and held it up to Mariko's face.

When it was secured, Mariko's mouth was held three-quarters open and she could stick her tongue out through the center of the ring, but this was only momentary as there followed a rubber ball which was exactly the circumference of the inside of the ring. This was held in place by a Velcro strap that stuck from one cheek strap to the other. Mariko tried, but her tongue was not strong enough to break the grip of the Velcro strap. Once she was suitably silenced the guards set about the next stage of preparation. They stripped her. It happened almost too fast for Mariko to resist.

First they unbuttoned her blouse and pulled it back to the struggling girl's cuffed wrists. They produced a set of Velcro cuffs that they attached to her elbows, pulling them together behind her back. When they touched, the girls removed Mariko's steel handcuffs and pulled the shirt from her hands. The steel cuffs were discarded in favor of a set of Velcro ones identical to the ones on her elbows. They made short work of her skirt and stockings, leaving Mariko to stand before them tied, gagged and nude except for a pair of red high heel pumps who's color came close to matching the shade of her face. With little ceremony, they grabbed Mariko's arms and forced her outside and down the walkway to where a long gray limousine waited. Mariko had never felt this naked before.

The cool breeze blew across her skin and she could feel every hair on her body stand and tingle, and her nipples pop erect. The guards half walked, and half carried the girl to the car and as they got there, the driver's door suddenly opened and out stepped Ma'am, who went to the back of the car to open the door. She was dressed in a tight gray chauffeur's uniform with two rows of brass buttons running down the front of the high necked jacket and with high heeled black boots and a chauffeur's cap to complete the look. Mariko was quickly shoved inside, but not before she noticed that all the rear windows of the car were completely blacked out. It was impossible for anyone to see inside. Her consternation grew as she was seated on the plastic coated seat and more Velcro straps were used to strap her ankles together and then they used two wide seat belts, one just below her navel and the other under her breasts to hold her in her seat

"I don't think I like the looks of this..." She thought as the guards and Ma'am withdrew leaving her alone in the huge car

Mariko took a moment to look around at her surroundings. In the back of the driver's seat there was a TV set that was turned off, and next to the TV was a fully stocked bar. There was a magnetic bottle opener stuck on the top of the bar which Mariko tried to reach with her feet but it was too far away. There was also a phone that she could reach with her toes, but besides knocking the receiver off the hook and trying to dial a call to Japan in an attempt to run up Allison's phone bill, it was of little use to the gagged girl. Mariko was amazed with the windows of the car. Although it was next to impossible to see inside from the outside, it appeared that there was only a very slight tint when looking out. At that moment, Mariko could see Allison as she hurried out of the front door and rushed down the walk. Ma'am stepped out and opened the door for Allison who climbed across Mariko and into her seat, buckling herself in with a seat belt.

"There! I guess we're all set!" she said cheerily as Ma'am slid into the driver's seat and started the car

They must have rode for about ten minutes before they finally reached the front gate of the estate. Mariko was amazed by the size of the place, she figured it would have taken her days to reach the edge of the property with her ankles hobbled as they had been that morning

"Quite a ride eh?" said Allison as if she was reading Mariko's mind again.

"As you can see, I really do enjoy my privacy.

Mariko nodded her understanding in return

"I really am a little uncomfortable riding around with you all tied up like this. Of course, I trust Ma'am's driving implicitly but we always have to worry about the other guy while we're on the road. What with all the incidence of drunk driving we must all be a bit more careful while we travel. We always try to be very careful with our most valuable cargo. You know?" said Allison. "I can have you loose in a matter of seconds with those Velcro straps if need be." She said

Mariko had never really thought about it much, but she was a little surprised and flattered by Allison's concern. She was forever amazed at how thorough her captors were. They always seemed to put just as much emphasis on her safety as on her discomfort.

They proceeded down the highway, occasionally passing cars and trucks where Mariko could clearly see envious faces turn and gawk at the stretch limo with it's beautiful blonde chauffeurette behind the wheel. Mariko couldn't help wonder how they would react if they knew that there was a nude girl, tightly bound and securely gagged in the back seat looking back at them helplessly. She wondered how many would be aghast at her bizarre circumstances, how many would be thrilled?..., how many envious?..

"Perhaps, most would think I was lucky..." she thought. "Naahh, I doubt that it'd be MOST... but it might be more then I'd expect.

Suddenly Allison exclaimed "OH!!" and began rummaging around in her purse

"I can't believe it! I almost forgot!" she continued and she frantically searched in her bag. Mariko waited with semi-baited breath as Allison finally removed a folded wad of tissue from her bag.

"Tah DAHHH!!!" Allison said ceremoniously, as she unfolded the tissue and removed not one, but three of the rings that Joan had been (and probably still was) wearing

"You looked so anxious to try these at the dinner table that I decided that there was no time like the present, so I dug these up for you! That's what took me so long, I had a dickens of a time finding them.

"You needn't have gone to all that trouble for little ol' me!" thought our considerably apprehensive heroine. Allison grabbed a handful of Mariko's jet black hair and pulled it back, forcing Mariko's head to follow

"Here, all you have to do is tilt your head back and I'll do the rest." Allison said as her deft fingers pressed the ring against Mariko's septum

Mariko realized that this ring was somewhat different then the ring Joan wore. It was a loop of sturdy metal that, where it came together had two tiny balls of metal that gripped onto whatever was forced between them. These rings would not pierce the skin of her septum, but rather would clip to it. There was an uncomfortable pressure as Allison forced the ring to spread around the wide lower part of her nose. Suddenly, the ring snapped down on the tender inner portion of her nose and the pressure was replaced with an equally uncomfortable, continuous pinch

Allison sat back smiling as Mariko thrashed her head back and forth trying to dislodge the offending object. The gay jingling of the tiny bell was a counterpoint to the gagged grunts of the struggling girl. Mariko tried to rub the ring off on her shoulder but with her elbows still touching, she was unable to twist her head far enough to reach. She brought her knees up and tried again to rub the ring out of her nose but all she was able to do was twist the ring and make it pinch even more. Finally, she simply sat back and glared at Allison who was thoroughly enjoying Mariko's contortions

"I wish I had my camera!" exclaimed Allison merrily

"I bet you do!!!!!" Mariko shouted, but all that came past the ball was "NI wethh NU Nuu!" followed by a stream of dribble. Allison calmly wiped Mariko's chin and continued to smile at the helpless girl who was scrunching her nose and crossing her eyes in a vain attempt to see the insidious little device that was already driving her out of her mind

"Be careful or else you eyes will stick like that!

"MMMAARRRRGGHH!!!!!

Mariko was finally beginning to calm down and resign herself to the fact that the stupid ring wasn't coming off. She turned and looked away from Allison resolving that she wouldn't give her the satisfaction of being able to look at her handiwork

"Yoo Hoo!" said Allison after a moment

"Humph" replied Mariko as she tossed her head back and turned her face further away accompanied by the ever present "ting-a-ling" of the bell

"Psssst!..." Mariko deemed not to look back. "...Hey, look!" said Allison. She was very persistent. Mariko would never give her the satisfaction. There was a long pause, then there was only the tinkling sound of a bell, unfortunately, this time Mariko hadn't moved. She spun around to face Allison, this movement caused the little bell hanging from her nose to ring incessantly. As Mariko stared in horror at Allison, the bell hanging from her nose slowly quieted, but the sound of a bell ringing hadn't ceased. The sound came from the other two rings Allison held in front of Mariko's pleading eyes. Mariko sat beside her grinning captor with her face pursed and her eyes shut against the continuous pinch of the ring in her nose and the annoying sound of the bells that now dangled from each of her nipples. With every breath, the bells reminded everyone of their location, to Mariko's chagrin and to Allison's continued glee

The limo pulled into the parking lot of the outdoor ice cream stand. There were not many people at the little stand but those who were there were clearly intrigued by the sight of the long gray limousine as it rolled to a stop close to the stand. Ma'am had parked the car far enough away so as to discourage anyone approaching the car without looking really conspicuous, but close enough so they could still get a good look. Ma'am turned and lowered the small window that allowed her to speak directly to Allison but did not expose the passenger compartment to any prying eyes. After she had received several dollar bills and Allison's selections for the flavors of the day, Double German Chocolate cake for herself and Vanilla for Mariko, she slid the window closed and stepped out of the car. Mariko had never seen anyone stop traffic before, but that is exactly what happened the moment the statuesque blonde chauffeurette stepped out of the car. Mariko sat and admired Ma'am's poise as she calmly strutted to the ice cream stand and took her place in the line. The people there stood and gawked at her with little thought of filling their gaping mouths with any ice cream. To her credit, she simply looked around at all of them coolly, as if to say "Wasa matter? you never saw a chauffeur before?" She passed several teen-age boys who stepped out of the line to let her by. Mariko could see they were intimidated by being that close to the image of a woman they may have fantasized about. (Or soon would!) Ma'am conducted the business at the window and returned with the two cones to the car.

She passed the cones discreetly back to Allison, who began to lick the tiny ice flows off the melting cones. At that same moment, a car load of people, boys and girls, probably from the nearby collage pulled up next to the limo and began to pile out. As the first young man got out of the car, he bent down and squinted as he looked into the back of the limo. Mariko felt a rush of adrenaline as he nonchalantly saluted the unseen passengers in the back of the big gray car. He did a double-take when he passed the front of the car and spied Ma'am who continued to stare straight ahead, ignoring him. Following him were three giggly girls, "Obviously freshmen..." thought Mariko. None of the three showed any 'cool' whatsoever as they all pressed their noses against the blackened window. Mariko found herself struggling and screaming for all she was worth until the sound of Allison's laughter and the tinkling of her jewelry forced her back to reality. The girls continued to wave and make faces at the two shadowy figures until Ma'am rolled her window down and shooed them away

"Wouldn't they have been in for a surprise if I'd rolled your window down for them!" laughed Allison. "I guess you didn't realize that this car is almost totally sound proofed, did you?" "Humph!" grunted Mariko. She really should have known

Allison reached up and took hold of the thin Velcro strap that trapped the ball in her mouth and peeled it away

"Here give me the ball, gently now!" she insisted as she put her fingers to Mariko's lips. Mariko was more then willing to oblige and she pushed the ball slowly out of her mouth with her tongue.

"There, now you can enjoy the best ice cream you've ever had!" exclaimed Allison as she held the cone up to Mariko, who didn't think it would be a very good idea to point out that Allison had already eaten part of it. As well as she could, Mariko stuck her tongue out through the center of the ring that was still strapped between her teeth and licked the cone. She thought of what would have happened if Allison had opened the window in front of the unsuspecting girls. At first, she had a picture of the girls screaming and running away... but then, her thoughts were rudely interrupted as Allison pressed the cone against her weirdly grinning lips. As she absently licked at the cone, some uncontrollable thoughts entered her little noggin.

"What if they hadn't run away? What if Allison had simply made up a story about her Japanese friend who enjoyed this kind of stuff..." ("Hey, this ice cream is pretty good!") "... And what if they had bought it? Would they want to do things to me?? Or maybe they would want to try my gag on..." ("Yummm, this is real good ice cream.") she thought. Mariko decided that she wouldn't like that. "After all it is MY gag!" she thought for a brief moment before returning her concentration to the cone that Allison was offering

Mariko was having quite a time trying to eat the ice cream cone. She had discovered long ago that it was extremely difficult to swallow while your mouth is open, but with all the practice she was getting, she had becoming pretty adept at it. Allison would offer the cone to Mariko who would strain her tongue out to swirl through the golden confection. She would then press her tongue against the roof of her mouth and tilt her head back to allow the melting cream to slide down her tongue and then, she was able to swallow. Before long, Mariko had as much ice-cream smeared on her face as she had managed to swallow, and Allison made no effort to deter this embarrassing mess. Everything became more difficult as the cone got smaller. Besides having to be more precise with her tongue Mariko also had to contend with Allison's diminishing interest in feeding her companion

As Allison began to loose interest, she tended to talk about things that got her enthusiastic but were of little interest to Mariko. Mariko became pretty good at nodding at just the right time to give the impression that she was listening intently to Allison's rambling while still trying to get her "Licks" in on the remainder of the cone. Allison, on the other hand, was getting more and more agitated about what she was talking about and as she became more excited she tended to wave her hands around for emphasis. Whenever Mariko would get the cone lined up in her sights, Allison would suddenly wave it away. When the inevitable finally happened and the cone slipped from Allison's hand, Mariko did her best to attempt to dodge the frozen missile, but as is typical to Mariko's luck, her bonds held her fast and the cone flew directly into the center of her chest and splattered ice cream all over both of her breasts, and the remainder of the cone dropped into her lap. Mariko screamed and tried to buck the cone out of her lap but it's weight and stickiness prevented dislodging the freezing object from the vicinity of her very private parts

"Oh, dear! Look what I've gone and done!" exclaimed Allison as she looked around for some napkins

"Get it off! Get it off!" Mariko shouted. The ice cream resting between her legs was melting rapidly but wasn't warming up much at all. (Good thing for the plastic covers on the seats, maybe this could have happened before?) Unfortunately for Mariko, Allison misunderstood the garbled words

"Well, if you insist..." she smiled as she ran her tongue over her lips, "...We don't have any napkins anyway." Allison deftly plugged Mariko's mouth with the ball again, after all, there wasn't any ice cream left and there wouldn't be any need for talking for a little while. As the limousine pulled out of the parking lot and onto the highway, one of the college girls turned to her friends, "I wish I could go for a ride in that car someday..." she said innocently. Her friends concurred..

Ma'am brought the big car to a halt at the end of the front walk to the estate. The sun had set and the walk was illuminated by the a single light throwing a soft golden glow on the gate. Ma'am jumped from the driver's seat and hurried around to open the door for her passengers. As the door opened Allison stepped gracefully out and smacked her lips as she strutted up the walk at a quick, bouncy pace. Ma'am waited as two of the guards came down the walkway and climbed into the back of the car. She glanced at her watch and tapped her foot impatiently as the two girls dragged the quivering bowl of Jell-O that just a short time ago, had been a fiery Japanese girl. Ma'am had to laugh to herself as she saw the flushed face and glazed eyes that stared vacantly off into the darkness, as usual, there wasn't a speck of the ice cream remaining.



Chapter 7

It wasn't as if things stopped for our heroines on the weekends, but as Mariko fell into the routine of the Academy, those days seemed somehow, more relaxed. There were no classes to attend and Ma'am and Joan tended to go easy on their charges. They usually just gave them some sort of mundane task to perform. Cutting leather patterns, polishing shoes or chains, oiling leather items or some other such nonsense. "Busy hands, Happy hands..." was Allison's much quoted motto

The sun rose on the newest Saturday and found Mariko snuggled in her bed. She had long come to enjoy the 6-7 hours of freedom and respite that her bed provided. Goodness knows, she paid dearly for it during the other eighteen hours of the day. Her dreams of lying on a big, beautiful, white sand beach were rudely interrupted by a jostling hand on her shoulder

"Wake up! Wake up!..." whispered Ma'am as she gently rubbed Mariko's shoulder

"Humm... Ohhh... Just five more minutes..." Mumbled Mariko without opening her eyes. (being a notoriously slow riser) And unbelievably, the hand disappeared. Mariko's mind was not quite clear and she momentarily wondered if she had dreamt about Ma'am. After all, it was usually a buzzer that got her up in the morning. Mariko dismissed the disruption as her imagination as she drifted back to the beach. She was dozing back to sleep hearing only the cries of the gulls and rumbling of the waves when a huge slosh of cold water enveloped her head. Sputtering and shivering, she sat bolt upright in her, now soaking wet bed. Ma'am was there, smiling down at the stunned girl.

"Now was that really necessary!?!" stammered Mariko as she ran her fingers through her hair attempting to strain out as much of the icy water as was possible

"Well, No, I suppose it wasn't... But I've just always wanted to do that." giggled Ma'am as she put the pail down on the table.

"And anyway, today's Saturday, you're not supposed to be mean to me today." Whined Mariko

"Gee, who made up that rule?" wondered Ma'am. "Because if that's what you expected, your in for a big disappointment... You have 45 minutes to eat and get cleaned up. So you had better hustle."

"Oh, swell. Could you at least tell me what's going on?

"Well, let's just say that you are in for a very interesting day and leave it at that... Why spoil the surprise?" replied Ma'am as she headed for the door. "You have 44 minutes...

Mariko hurried over to the table and peered despondently at her breakfast. Boring old corn flakes. She had found through experience, that it was better to eat what they provided rather then to refuse it, whereas she would either go hungry or be "Coaxed" by her captors. She was in the final stages of drying herself under the air dryer when Ma'am appeared again and led Mariko back into the main room. Two chairs were arranged facing each other and the standard cosmetics were arranged on the table. With a despondent sigh, Mariko assumed the position and Ma'am began applying her Make-up. Glancing behind Ma'am as she was applying a pink lip-gloss to her lips, Mariko spied a guard pushing a cart with several hangars of clothes. The guard pushed the cart into the corner and then departed. Undoubtedly Mariko would be dressing up for whatever they had planed. Ma'am finished her work and told Mariko to stand up

Mariko complied as Ma'am went to the cart and returned with a white garter belt and stockings, and handed them to Mariko. As she had on each and every day, she turned up her nose at her captors choice of attire

"Look," said Ma'am unemotionally "We can do this the easy way or the hard way, It doesn't matter to me..." But it certainly did to Mariko. She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled the stockings up her leg. The stockings turned out to be much shorter then usual. The reinforced area that usually was positioned high on her thigh, was only an inch or so above her knee. Luckily, the garter straps were long enough to reach. Next followed a pink shirt with a starched white collar. If it was possible there seemed to be more starch in this one then all of the others Mariko had endured before put together. At least it had a full front to it this time. Mariko reached behind her to smooth out the tail of her shirt. Unfortunately, and not to her surprise, there was no back tail to the blouse. Just an up-side down

"U

"Uh, Oh..." thought Mariko. "I don't think I like the looks of this...

Ma'am stood watching Mariko button the blouse up and observed Mariko's resigned glance at the black silk necktie Ma'am had hung on her finger

"You know, I'm really getting sick of those." Mariko said as she buttoned up the top button of her blouse

"Yeah, I understand, I am too, but I get the feeling that someone around here really likes them on you..." (The two girls pause, look at each other, then turn and glare at SNIDLEY, Who sheepishly grins and shrugs in return... :^) "...So, on it goes!" continued Ma'am as she stepped forward and put the tie around Mariko's neck

Mariko obediently held her chin up and stood still as Ma'am pulled the knot tight and then clipped the gold collar bar in place. Mariko tried to run her finger around the inside of her collar but it was far too snug. It briefly crossed her mind that she would trade this collar for a leather one any time. The leather ones never seemed to be this constricting. Ma'am interrupted this thought as she handed Mariko a pair of gold cuff-links. Each was in the shape of a little horse's head. Mariko groaned

"Allison's not gonna make me go riding again, is She?" whined Mariko

"Nope, You won't be riding any horses today, that I can assure you." Ma'am said with a smirk as she handed Mariko a black skirt. This skirt was heavy and stiff and surprisingly long for once, with two black satin stripes running down along the outside of her leg. Mariko unzipped the side zipper and slipped the skirt up her legs. With a roll of her eyes she shook her head at the construction of the skirt. Although it ran all the way to the lower part of her calf, It had no back. When she looked in the mirror she could see her cheeks outlined by the elongated "Heart" shaped panel that had been removed from the back of the skirt. The top of the heart curved around the top of each cheek and the point at the bottom of the heart ended just above the back of her knees. She couldn't see the back of her blouse that she had tucked into her skirt. Both her ass cheeks stuck prominently out of the heavy black garment. Ma'am smiled and patted Mariko's bum as she handed her a vest

Mariko slipped the pink vest on and buttoned it up the front, capturing her dangling necktie. It contrasted with her shirt by the thin black piping that ran along it's edges. Mariko hadn't noticed the laces in the back but Ma'am hadn't forgotten. When she was done the vest was tight and formed around Mariko's waist and hugged her tits in a restrictive way. Mariko could still move about but she was conscious of her every breath in this outfit. Ma'am was enjoying the sight of the petite Japanese girl as she squirmed in her new getup. Mariko couldn't seem to decide what was more uncomfortable, the collar and tie, the tight little vest, or the skirt that exposed almost as much as it covered. The only thing that she seemed to not be bothered by was her feet. (Heh!) Time for her boots

Ma'am plucked them off the shoe tree on the cart and handed them to Mariko. Mariko sat down on her chair to put them on. She ignored the feeling of her bare cheeks rubbing against the cool wood of the chair as she pulled the boots on. The heels were very high, about 5 inches, but surprisingly, the boots were not all that uncomfortable. Given a moment, Mariko discerned that although the heels were high, the leather that surrounded her feet was a little softer then what she was accustom to and also, instead of being tight, the boots were just a little bit loose. (In other words, they fit.) Mariko stood and walked about for a moment. Perhaps things were getting better. Then again, perhaps not..

Ma'am held both her hands out towards Mariko, A black leather glove held open between them. Mariko held out her right hand and pressed it into the glove with Ma'am's help. Her fingers found their way into their allotted places and then her thumb slid into it's billet, tucked securely and helplessly out of the way. Ma'am buckled a small strap around her wrist and then held out the other glove. Mariko realized that as soon as she put her other hand in it's glove she was as good as bound. She would be almost completely helpless to anything Ma'am would choose to do to her. Now was the time to resist if she was going to... Mariko sighed and pressed her hand into the glove. Ma'am tightened the glove's wrist strap around Mariko's wrist and then smiled at the little slave

Without even letting go of Mariko's wrist, she easily spun the Japanese girl around and yanked her hands behind her back. Mariko felt the leather strap wrap around her wrists and press the smooth cotton of her shirt into her wrist as Ma'am tightened the strap. Ma'am followed that strap with the obligatory one around Mariko's elbows. It was of no surprise to Mariko, in fact, she would have been even more surprised if Ma'am hadn't. Ma'am tugged the strap until Mariko's elbows touched and then tucked the strap end into it's holder. With a light shove on the shoulder, Ma'am pushed Mariko out into the center of the room

"Now, let's see, what have we forgotten?" Ma'am said as Mariko squirmed against the straps. There was never a millimeter of give but somehow it always made her feel better to struggle at first

Mariko glanced at herself in the mirror. She couldn't help but admire herself for a moment. It was funny, but although she would never have selected an outfit like this for herself, she was beginning to relish how conscious of her body she felt when they did this to her. And how sexy. All her clothes were tight, so compressing, that sometimes it was uncomfortable to breath, but they never looked like they were too small. Her vest for example, felt to her as if the buttons were about to pop, but to an outside observer all the edges laid flat and the vest just looked very tailored. Her skirt pressed against her thighs and tucked in smoothly as she legs narrowed at the knee. It didn't buckle or wrinkle along the front and hung loosely down to the middle of her calf's where the kick pleat allowed her to walk easily. Even the shirt and tie was becoming part of her. It no longer looked silly or butch to her, the look had become rather coy and cute. Now if it wasn't so damn uncomfortable

Ma'am suddenly appeared in the mirror behind Mariko and knelt down. Mariko watched as Ma'am began fiddling with the kick pleat in her skirt. Buttoning buttons. When Ma'am stood again, Mariko realized what she had done. Mariko was now as securely hobbled as she had ever been, only there was no cord between her ankles. Her steps were limited to about 10 inches before the skirt "popped" and she would have to step again. Mariko tested this as she walked about for a moment, swaying from side to side with each step

"Well, I've got a bunch of other things to do..." Ma'am said, interrupting the mood, "Allison will be here to get you in an hour or so. Now, come here so I can put a gag on you...

"Oh, come on Ma'am, I won't talk or anything. If you are just going to leave me here, what difference does it make if I'm gagged or not?" Mariko pleaded. Ma'am paused and thought for a moment, then reached for the door. "Phew..." exclaimed Mariko, as she turned back to look at herself in the mirror. Suddenly Ma'am was behind her again.

"Well, If it really doesn't matter, then you may as well be gagged, eh?" said Ma'am as she roughly spun Mariko around to face her and then forcefully pressed a leather wad into Mariko's mouth

The thin strap was tightened at the back of her head under her hair and then a second strap, about 2 1/2 inches wide crossed over her mouth again covering up the cruel looking packing and making the gag look very tidy. Ma'am spun Mariko back to face the mirror again. This time to admire the suppressing gag in her mouth

"Now don't you dare mess up your outfit!" Ma'am said as she shook her fist at Mariko. Mariko wasn't particularly threatened by the fist, although she was most certainly convinced that she would be better off if she followed the advice

It was amazing to Mariko just how slowly time passed when she was bound and gagged like this. Mariko did her best to pass the time. She kicked a chair over in front of the mirror so she could sit comfortably and really study herself. She tried to figure out what was so appealing about her predicament. To no avail. After a little while of this she decided to try to get some rest. She sat down on the edge of the bed and carefully laid down onto her side, so that her arms would not be compressed under her. She was careful not to wrinkle her clothes as well. Better safe then sorry

Mariko awoke to a fumbling at the door. She sat up quickly and glanced at her clothes. Still tidy. So far so good. The surprise was that it was Allison at the door, She had on a black blazer and khaki riding britches with a crisp white shirt with an open collar and a paisley ascot. A black derby was cocked nattily on the side of her head

"Up, Up, Up!..." Allison chattered as she entered. All business. She grabbed a pink coat off the hangar and approached Mariko. She spun Mariko around and held the coat open. Mariko, confused at first, did nothing. She hadn't bothered to examine the coat while it was on the rack. With her arms tied behind her, she would not be able to slip her arms into the sleeves. Allison was insistent though, as she held the coat out. What Mariko hadn't bargained on was that she didn't have to worry about the sleeves, all she had to do was stick both her arms down the sleeve. The jacket was constructed with only one sleeve that ran down the center of her back. Allison slid the jacket up Mariko's arms and onto her shoulders. Mariko was somewhat surprised that the jacket fit so well. It was as if it was tailor made for her, and her arms and unfortunately... her bum

The coat, although it hung to her knees, had the same upside-down

"U" as her skirt in the back. Mariko's buttocks stuck right out. Allison buckled a little strap onto Mariko's gloves. It was attached at the back of her hand and ended at the wrist strap. When it was tightened Mariko's wrists turned upward pulling her hands away from her buttocks, eliminating the possibility that she would be able to cover herself with her hands. Allison turned her around again (Mariko was beginning to get dizzy) and buttoned the single button on the front of the jacket. With her arms tied behind her as they were that single button was as insurmountable as a padlock. This coat was not coming off. Allison went behind Mariko again and pulled her hair back and tied it with a pink ribbon. She then produced a derby for Mariko and plunked it down on her head and brushed her hands with a satisfied sigh

"There, just some final primping. We'll fix you tie, and smooth your skirt and we'll be all set for the show." Allison said as she did just that

"Show?" thought Mariko apprehensively. "She couldn't possibly mean...

"Yep, We're having quite a competition today. I'm basing it on a horse show. You and I are going to be a team." Allison said with a smile. She opened the door to Mariko's suite and motioned for Mariko to precede her. This didn't bode well at all

The golf cart squeaked to a stop behind one of the particularly large barns behind Allison's estate. Allison hopped out of the passenger seat and came to the back of the cart to collect Mariko. As soon as Mariko was on her feet the cart zoomed away and back towards the house. Mariko waited as Allison opened the door and then she was shoved inside. They walked down a short hallway and then entered a small plain room. Allison went to a table in the corner and returned with several small objects

"Hold still!" Allison admonished as she removed the stud earrings from Mariko's ears. Confused, Mariko waited as Allison pressed an object against Mariko's ear lobe. It was a ring. Similar to a small hoop earring, but of a much heavier gage wire. It took some prodding, but Allison was finally successful in inserting it through Mariko's pierce. As she began working on the second ear, Allison began to explain about the competition

"The "Show" is going to be divided into two sections, The first section is called the "Display" section. You are going to be judged in three categories during Display: appearance, discipline, and compliance." Allison explained as she worked on Mariko's ear rings.

"The appearance part is simple. You are judged on how pleasing you look, everything from your physical attractiveness, to your attire, to your carriage." Allison continued as she finished putting the other earring into Mariko's ear. "We start out with a 100 point score, and then points are deducted for any flaws the judges may find on you. For instance, we will loose points on your score if your outfit is sloppy or if you don't smile while you are performing." Mariko did a bit of a double take on that one. Smiling, under the circumstances was difficult, if not impossible. Allison smiled at Mariko's astonished expression and then added, "Your attire is my responsibility, obviously. Things like crooked ties, loose buttons, stuff like that all loose points. But the smiling part is yours. You can smile with your eyes if you try hard enough." Mariko nodded, she knew she would have to try

"They will also judge your carriage. That is how you move and stand. We'll go over that in a few minutes

"Discipline is very simple for you. Simply put, when you are in a pose, you will stay in that pose until you are given a verbal or physical cue that you are to move

"Compliance is judged by how quickly and proficiently you respond to orders. Some orders will be verbal, some physical, and some simply implied, so you had better be on your toes!" Allison glanced down at Mariko's five inch heels. "I mean alert...

"The "Compliance and Carriage" parts are what we will go over now. One of the most important rule is that you will look straight ahead. Keeping your shoulders square, your chin up and your head straight. Unless you are given specific orders, you will not turn your head!" Mariko groaned inwardly, this didn't look like it was going to be a very fun afternoon. "Let's practice now, and I'll show you what I mean." Allison said as Mariko scowled at her. "Hey, I could have entered us in the girl-roping event..."

"Lets try it... Head up! Eyes front! Shoulders back! Chest out! Get that head up! Higher!!" Allison decreed, like a drill sergeant barking orders. "Put you weight on your left foot! Slide your right foot forward slightly! Not that far! There, that's good." Allison walked slowly around her charge, inspecting her. Mariko held perfectly still as she had been told. Allison slowly moved to face Mariko. She reached out and fiddled with Mariko's necktie, wiggling it a teeny bit tighter and smoothed it into her vest. "Smile dear... I want us to win this show really bad, but it is going to take both of us to pull it off. If it'll take any of the pressure off you, you should know that no one else competing has ever done anything like this before. I've just recently come up with the idea." Allison said proudly. "So everyone that is competing really has the same chance. But *I* won't settle for anything less then the blue ribbon!" Allison stated firmly.

"And winning is in your best interests too... If we win, I'll see to it that you enjoy life for a while, If we don't, you can rest assured that your existence will become pretty miserable." Mariko gulped behind her gag and turned to look at Allison with apprehension. "But don't worry, I'm sure you will do your best... NOW EYES FRONT!!! and don't forget to smile..." Allison said sweetly as she walked over to the table and picked up a small object

"Now this," said Allison as she stepped behind Mariko "...is how I'm going to direct you around the ring." Mariko could feel her fussing with the back of her gag strap, tying something to it. As she finished, she moved to Mariko's right ear, attending to the stout ring she had already inserted there. After doing the same to the left ring, Allison squatted and unbuttoned the hobble skirt so Mariko could walk. Then she stepped into Mariko's line of sight. In her hand was a hand-grip of sorts. It was in the shape of a half circle approximately 8 inches in circumference. On closer examination it resembled a "D" with the grip on the curved section. On the flat section there were three holes. One in the center and one on each end, where the flat part joined the curved parts. Going into the center hole was a single line of stout fishing line. Clear nylon thread. Out of the other two holes was a whisper thin filament following the same path as the heavier line. The lines passed from the hand-grip, around Mariko's side and behind her. Mariko had a very bad feeling about this. There were two buttons on the grip. Allison pushed one of them with her thumb and moved over to the table with the three lines spilling out of the grip to accommodate the distance between them.

"It's all so clever, and simple." Allison said "When you feel this..." Allison said as she gently twisted the grip to the right. "You turn right." Mariko felt a steady pull on her right earlobe drawing the lobe back. She turned her head to accommodate the tugging on her ear, only to arouse Allison anger. "Keep that head straight! Remember what I told you!" Mariko complied, turning her head back straight. With the pull remaining as steady as before Mariko was compelled to turn her whole body to the right. "Very Good!" The tugging returned, this time on her left ear. She turned to the left. "Excellent! You're a quick learner. There's only one thing left..." Mariko closed her eyes and contemplated her lot. Mariko silently rued the day she ever took the job at B&D Cosmetics, She really couldn't imagine anything being any worse then this.

Then, there was an odd sound in the room: Vhoooiish... Vhoooiish... Vhoooiish... *THWICK*. It was worse. A fiery slice across both her ass cheeks made her jump forward and scream into her gag. Mariko turned, wide eyed towards Allison, who held a long smooth stick, about 5 feet long in her hand. Depending from stick was an equally long filament. Allison smiled,

"Well?..., Giddyeup!

At first Mariko tried to dodge the whip, but that turned out to be hopeless. Allison was an expert. She had no choice but to run. Run at any pace Allison chose. If Mariko moved too slowly, the whip would kiss her cheeks, If she moved too fast, it would crack scant inches in front of her face. The lines that ran from her gag and ears determined the arc of the circle she followed and which way she headed as she strutted around Allison. Mariko's blood boiled with frustration as she marched to Allison's biddings, She didn't dare waver as the whip would follow any lapses without hesitation. Soon Allison was perfecting her performance.

"Lift those knees!" *Snap*! The whip just flicked against the back of her legs, striking as a pinpoint, a bee sting, as opposed to the full length slap that had come to denote speed. "Wiggle that butt!" *Snap*! "Faster!" *THWICK*

This ordeal went on for hours in Mariko's mind, but in reality it only lasted 15 or 20 minutes. Mariko was indeed a quick study. Allison continued to brief Mariko about what she was to do

"The second section of the competition is the more physical part." Allison began. "You will have to move through a course under my direction. There will be random obstacles throughout and your performance will be timed. Whoever has the best total score on the two sections will be..." Allison was interrupted by a knock on the door. Allison opened it and was handed two cardboard ovals. "Five Minute." said one of the guards. Mariko would recognize her voice anywhere. Allison shut the door and returned to Mariko's side

"Look! My lucky number!" declared Allison as she held up the card. A big black number 69 was stenciled on the white disk

"Figures..." Thought Mariko. Allison pinned the card onto the back of Mariko's jacket, and then removed her own and pinned it on her own as well before putting it back on

"Well, here we go! Remember, *Big Smile*..." She said as she flicked the whip across Mariko's rear

Mariko was forced to precede Allison down the hall with the point of the whip-stick jabbing her at the top of the crack of her ass. Allison prodded her along down the hall in this method. Whenever they would come to a turn in the corridor, Mariko would feel a tug on the appropriate earlobe. Right, then left, then right. Mariko found herself heading down a long dark corridor, with a brightly lit but somehow, menacing doorway at the end. From the other end, two figures entered the corridor from the lighted area, but because of the lighting, Mariko was unable to make out more then their silhouettes. As they got closer, Mariko realized, none to her surprise that one girl was being driven along in the same manner as Allison was prodding her. As they grew even nearer, Mariko's worst fears were confirmed. It was Courtney

Her outfit very similar to Mariko's, only a lovely pastel lavender. Mariko tried to convey her sorrow for getting Courtney into this, but simultaneous lashes on each girls bums discouraged any such expressions and hurried the two girls in their opposite directions. Mariko was surprised for an instant as Courtney's handler passed by, The tall, auburn haired woman was a complete stranger. She wore a outfit similar to Allison's only the jacket was a deep purple velvet material. She grinned wickedly as she prodded Courtney past. As the lighted doorway loomed more intensely that ever, Allison decided to hurry the pace. Vhoooiish *THWICK*! Vhoooiish *THWICK*! *THWICK*!! Mariko doubted she could move any faster on the high heel boots, but Allison coaxed her on. With unabashed gusto

Mariko broke out into the blinding light, She entered a large ring, with high wooden walls and what appeared to be seats rising up above the walls. The floor was covered with a thin coat of sand, perhaps 1/2 an inch deep. under the sand, the floor seemed to be hard wood or maybe concrete. An instant after Mariko entered the ring, she was surprised when a loudspeaker blared:

"NOW ENTERING THE RING... NUMBER 69... MaaAARRRRIKO! A TWENTY-FOUR YEAR OLD FILLY... HANDLER: OUR OWN... All*IS*ONNnnn..."

The announcement simply surprised Mariko, but what followed appalled her. Applause, thundering applause. Coming from behind her. Allison's coaxing whip kept Mariko scurrying forward, unable to see where the sounds were coming from. As Mariko neared the far wall she felt the slight pull on her left earlobe. She complied, as much out of necessity then direction. If she didn't turn soon, she was going to crash into the wall.

As Mariko continued on the wide arc, she slowly came to face the direction of the applause. There were stands behind the entrance to the ring, and they were full of people! Mariko's best estimate was that there were easily more then 100 people seated in the stands. Men and women, some old, some young, some bound, some free, all that were able were applauding enthusiastically. Allison had stopped at the center of the ring and Mariko trotted in a circle around her. Allison kept the pressure on her with the whip, and even reminded Mariko to high-step with several bee-sting snaps to her bum. As Mariko reached the furthest point in the room away from the crowd, she felt a hard pull on her left ear again. It could only mean one thing. Mariko turned hard left and ran to where Allison stood facing the audience. The lines that controlled her were automatically spooled back into the hand grip as she drew closer to Allison. Allison held out her arm as a signal for Mariko to stop. Mariko had no choice. She stopped beside Allison. Allison then proceeded to bow to the audience.

At the low point of the bow she whispered "Curtsy!" so that only Mariko could hear. Mariko sighed and did as she was told... To more thundering applause. Allison then began adjusting Mariko's stance. She tapped Mariko's foot with the whip-stick, coaxing it forward. She flicked under Mariko's chin to remind her about her posture. "Smile!" she whispered as she turned her back to the audience. Mariko did her best. Allison stepped back and with great pomp, Mariko was presented to the judges

Five strangers, four men and a woman stepped forward. Each had a clipboard and scribbled notes on them as they approached. Each had a different style of judging it seemed. On man stood back, just looking. One man and the woman walked slowly around Mariko as she stood at attention, but trying to act indifferent. The other two men stood to Mariko's left and right, looking her up and down. They looked, frowned, then scribbled. Mariko had never been the center of such intense scrutiny before. The crowd in the stands was hushed, so quiet in fact that Mariko only was aware of them because she could almost feel their eyes bearing down on her. The Judge on Mariko's right slowly moved across to the judge on the left, and they studied the bound girl together for a moment.

Then one Judge whispered something to the other and they both laughed. Mariko blushed, she couldn't help it. She was both thrilled and mortified by the attention she was receiving. All these people, staring at her. Her heart fluttered and her breaths came very short. Hot flashes rolled down her spine as she began to perspire under the scrutiny. One thing stayed in her mind though. Allison's words, she couldn't move, no matter what, unless she was told. The judge that had been a bit reticent suddenly came face to face with the bound girl. Mariko's eyes widened in apprehension as this man examined her face from mere inches. He didn't speak, he didn't touch her. He just looked. Mariko's concentration faltered under the pressure. Her head dropped and she looked down. Allison stepped up and tapped under Mariko's chin with her finger restoring Mariko's posture. All the judges jotted notes on their pads. Mariko groaned softly into her gag. She prayed that she hadn't blown it.

"Turn around..." said the judge. Mariko complied instantly, turning her back to the audience. There was a smattering of applause, as well as some wolf whistles. The woman judge was standing directly in Mariko's line of sight. She stood with her hands on her hips, her eyes panned slowly down Mariko's body. Then back up to her blushing face. The judge's face showed no emotion at all, or at best the emotion of someone deciding the quality of melons in a supermarket.

"Turn around..." Mariko again wheeled on her heels to face the audience again

"Separate your legs." said the judge. Mariko complied. Two of the judges wrote something down

"More!" Again Mariko did as she was told. Her knees were as far apart as the hobble skirt would allow. The cool air caressing her pussy. Mariko had been too distracted to notice, but she was becoming wet and the air reminded her with a chill. "It has to be sweat, I can't believe I'm getting..." Mariko's thought was disrupted by a goose, a *GOOSE*! The Judge behind her had almost succeeded in impaling Mariko with both his thumb and forefinger at the same instant. Mariko's eyes almost popped out of her head and her shriek of surprise wallowed behind her gag, but she barely moved, only raising her weight onto her toes. It really hadn't been that much of a surprise under the circumstances and she quickly regained her composure as the crowd thundered its approval

As the background noise diminished the judges withdrew to their table and sat down to watch again. Allison stepped back into the center of the ring. Mariko knew what was coming but she waited for it. A sudden yank on her left ear, followed by Vhoooiish *THWICK*! Mariko turned and trotted the circle once again. Several *SNAPS* reminded her to keep those knees high as she tried to keep her balance on her heels. Her skirt hampered her movement and basically exhausted her as she worked her way around the circle. After 1 and 1/2 more revolutions Allison tugged hard on her left ear and Mariko was obliged to join her at the center of the ring. Allison turned and faced the audience and bowed as she had when they had entered. Mariko didn't have to be told what she was supposed to do... Her curtsy was elegant and impeccable. When Allison had straightened, She turned and faced Mariko.

"Face me." she whispered. No one could hear but Mariko

"Now, kneel." Mariko carefully bent and knelt at Allison's feet. She tried to look as proud as she could. Allison slowly slid out her foot towards the kneeling girl

"Kiss..." She whispered. Mariko closed her eyes. She had endured many hardships here at the Academy, They had bound her, they had gagged her, they had forced her to experience things she had never dreamt of. She had endured every humiliation, every torment... but she had never submitted

"Kiss!..." Mariko opened her eyes and looked up at Allison. Allison's eyes focused across the room, aloof, indifferent. Mariko's eyes welled up with tears that no one could see. She buckled forward and pressed her gagged lips against Allison's boot, and held them there. The ovation was deafening, whistles and cheers, the stamping of feet, people standing

Allison stepped back as the thunder continued. Mariko didn't rise, she couldn't. The snap of Allison's whip beside her ear brought her back to reality. Allison tucked the end of the stick under Mariko's chin and encouraged her to rise. Once Mariko was on her feet, Allison reached down and brushed away the residue of sand that clung to her skirt

Vhoooiish *THWICK*! Left ear... Mariko trotted towards the door. Vhoooiish *THWICK*!, Right ear. Mariko turned down the corridor and out of the ring. She was totally dependent on Allison's navigating as her eyes were lost to the tears. Once they were well into the corridor, Allison pulled back on the tether obliging Mariko to stop. Allison spun Mariko around and threw her arms around her

"Excellent! Superb job! I'm pleased..." Allison said as she released Mariko and propelled her down the corridor to their room.

"We're halfway there!

Mariko soon found herself back in the holding room. Allison left her there in quiet contemplation. There were no chairs in the room and Mariko's feet were beginning to get tired so she minced over to the table and awkwardly slid up onto it. It wasn't long before Allison returned. She carried with her an odd looking leather strap.

"Good, you're sitting down." Said Allison as she approached and took Mariko's hat off. In her hand was a complex leather mask of sorts. Allison held the strap up to Mariko's face and buckled the straps at the back of her head. The front of the mask was about 2 inches wide and fit tightly across her nose. Directly in front of her eyes were two smallish squares of leather, extending out perpendicular from her nose, somewhat similar to eyeglasses. Mariko's forward sight was completely blocked. To see, Mariko had to turn her head to the side and peer out of one eye. Sticking out at right angles to her head were two more of these flaps. As Mariko watched, Allison reached out and flicked the flap closed, so that it laid flat against Mariko's head, closing off this angle of sight. All that remained was a 1/8th of an inch vertical slit that was approximately 1 inch high to provide Mariko with any visual frame of reference. When Allison had shut the other side, Mariko's entire view of the world was through the two of these slits. unfortunately, these slits were positioned so that she could only see through one at a time. If directly in front of Mariko was 12 o'clock, the two slits were positioned at 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock. Mariko soon realized that these slits were good only as an aid to her equilibrium. They were almost useless for actually seeing anything

Allison took up her reins and whip and went to the center of the room

"March Mariko!" she said, punctuating her order with a *THWICK* across her ass. "When we get out in the ring you had better react really carefully to my orders. There are going to be obstacles and hazards for you to avoid. If you pay attention and trust me, then you will be fine. If you don't, then the results may be very unpleasant. Nod your head if up understand." Mariko nodded. They practiced for a while. In an almost empty room Mariko had no problems, but she was worried about being in the big ring. Allison explained that each contestant would be timed as they made their way through the course. She explained the different signals that she would be using throughout. Mariko concentrated on her lessons as her well-being depended on her response. Before long Allison was satisfied with Mariko's performance and halted Mariko's marching

"Okay, that's enough for now. You hop up here and rest while I go check out the competition." Allison said as she helped Mariko sit up on the table. Then she left the room. Mariko slumped and tried to relax. She had become very adept at falling asleep during these lulls, but, for some reason this time she could not drift off. Allison had not been gone more then 5 minutes when Mariko thought she heard a rustling at the door. Since it was probably Allison just coming to get her for her event, Mariko didn't look up. It took a moment but Mariko began to feel uncomfortable. Someone had definitely turned the door lock and entered the room, but it couldn't have been Allison... She tended to make entrances.



Chapter 8

Mariko was anxious to get to bed. She hadn't been able to catch up on her sleep ever since the late night Allison's dinner party had forced on her. (It was after two A.M. when the guards finally came to take her down off the rocking horse, and she hadn't slept all that well afterwards... Because her darn bed seemed to keep rocking!) Mariko sat on the edge of her bed wondering what was going on. After her bath, the Stooges had come into the room and had encased her hands in leather "mittens". They had then clipped them together behind her back. This was very much out of the routine. She just wished that someone would come and release her so she could go to bed and she just hoped that she wouldn't have to wear these all night. Finally, the door opened and Ma'am and Joan came into her bedroom. Without ceremony, they gagged her with a wad of cotton and taped her mouth shut

"Looks like I won't be getting to bed just yet..." thought Mariko as they stuck adhesive eye patches over her eyes. They threw a short woolen cape over her naked shoulders and she was taken outside. She was then bundled into the back seat of the limo and felt another bound body pushed in beside her. Mariko had no doubt that the other body was that of Courtney

The girls were pulled out of the car about 30 minutes later and hustled up a flagstone walkway and taken inside a building. Mariko was surprised to hear a familiar voice guiding the procession. Kimberly Farmington had received them at the door and brought them into another room where Ma'am and Joan pulled off both girls capes and pushed Mariko onto a floor covered with industrial weight carpet. She smelled the antiseptic air of the room as they tightly hog-tied her. Mariko listened as Courtney was hustled out of the room and taken to see (or more accurately, be seen by,) Dr. Farmington. Mariko hadn't realized that the Dr. stood for a D.M.D., a dentist, when she had first met him. This revelation occurred with the buzzing sound of a dentist's drill from the direction that Courtney had been taken. Mariko had never particularly liked going to the dentist, but this was like a nightmare, She lay bound, gagged and blindfolded on the waiting room floor as the sound of the drill sent quivers up and down her spine. Suddenly, amidst the drill buzz, there was a piercing scream, then another then another. Mariko's heart leapt into her throat as she struggled frantically. The drill sound continued, punctuated by an occasional scream or moan. Perspiration rolled down Mariko's face as she squirmed impotently. Then, as the sound of the drill continued, there was the swish of nylon as someone approached Mariko and squatted beside her. Mariko froze

"Don't get too upset," Kimberly's voice whispered in her ear.

"Those meanies are only teasing you." Kimberly said kindly as she patted Mariko on the top of the head. Then she sneaked back into the examining room. Mariko slumped and blushed, they had gotten her again. Sooner or later she wouldn't fall for such obvious tricks! After about an hour, Courtney was brought out into the waiting room and secured into a hog-tie just like Mariko's. Mariko could tell from Courtney's grunts that hers was just as tight as Mariko's. Mariko was then released and guided into the examining room. Her hands were unclipped from behind her back and she was pulled into a dental chair. They used tape to affix her mittened hands to the armrests and they taped her ankles to the footrest. Mariko was shocked when she recognized Kimberly's voice as the dental hygienist as she peeled the tape from Mariko's mouth and removed the cotton wad

"What are you..." Mariko started to say

"Open wide..." Said Dr. Farmington, interrupting her

"But...

"No buts!... Open Wide!" Dr. Farmington commanded. Mariko sighed.

"Ahhhhhhhhh

Dr. Farmington pushed a small, hard rubber block between Mariko's teeth. Ma'am, Joan and Kimberly chatted amiably, occasionally tweaking Mariko's naked body as Dr. Farmington worked to wedge Mariko's mouth open with the dental blocks. At one point, Ma'am amused herself by pressing the saliva tube against various parts of Mariko's anatomy. When she reached Mariko's clit, provoking Mariko into quite a ruckus, Dr. Farmington interrupted and scolded Ma'am as he continued his work.

"This is not the time to be fooling around." He said "That will come later." He was very serious about his work. Ma'am giggled nonetheless. He did a quick inspection and took impressions of her mouth. He found the beginnings of a cavity and asked if he should fix it. Ma'am and Joan accepted his offer, to Mariko's chagrin, but as it turned out he was very gentle and not once during the procedure did Mariko feel any pain at all. She would recommend him to anyone. After he had finished with the cavity, he worked to cement little metal bands around four of her back teeth, two on upper teeth, and two on lower teeth. The little bands lined up when Mariko closed her mouth. While they were waiting for the cement to harden, Mariko lay in the chair with a tiny rubber band wound around each nipple and a saliva sucker set to "high" stuck between her legs. Somewhere, through her embarrassingly orgasmic haze, Mariko over heard Dr. Farmington explain something about "twisting the wire tightly" and how she should

"keep the cutters available in case of an emergency" to Ma'am. After he inspected the cement, Joan began releasing Mariko from the chair. Mariko didn't really understand what he had been talking about so she wasn't about to worry about what they had in store for her... just another cross to bear. She had more important things to think about. Before the hour was out, she was in her little bed, fast asleep, dreaming of saliva suckers

The next morning the girls returned to their primary source of entertainment, The B&D Academy. Allison made certain her charges were kept very busy while they received a well rounded, bondage finishing school education. Along with the most rudimentary classroom subjects like GAG 101-102-201-301, (Just think of what went on in 301!...) there were more advanced courses like STRAIGHT JACKET, SLAVERY 100-300, B+D FASHIONS, CREATIVE(BONDAGE)WRITING. Of course, there were also crafts courses like DESIGNER LEATHER. They even got to cover some of the humanities, like BONDAGE ART APPRECIATION, and elective extra curricular activities like Glee Club. Glee Club, in Mariko's personal experience, appeared to be mandatory. But Ma'am stubbornly insisted that it was strictly voluntary. Even though there was little choice in who participated - Everyone. Mariko could never understand why ANYONE would willingly join a bondage Glee club. Glee is supposed to mean "fun" isn't it? and this club could be called many things, but none of them began with fun. Gross, disgusting, rude, messy, all come to mind, but not "FUN". (We can only leave the details to your fertile imaginations!)

Mariko sat at her desk listening half-heartedly as Ma'am finished her lecture about tape. She glanced around the room at her other classmates. Ma'am had used a roll of 4 inch wide, white adhesive tape as a tactile aid in her instruction on gagging techniques. Each girl had a wad of cloth stuffed in her mouth and had their lips sealed with the sticky tape. Mariko chewed on her wadding, trying to work it into a more comfortable position. The wetter it got, the tighter and more compressed it got, so after 1/2 an hour, it almost became bearable. The class was not very interesting and Mariko began to drift away mentally. She had been held at the Academy for what seemed like years, but more likely it was only a few months. She began to wonder what was going on in the outside world and Ivan suddenly popped into her mind again. It seemed so long ago that she was loyally sending the B&D Cosmetic formulas to him so he could catch Allison in the act of stealing his work. She only wondered why he had not sent help for her yet. Perhaps he couldn't find her, and that thought bothered her. She could only imagine the panic he must be feeling, Not knowing what happened to her or where she was. She only wished that she could get word to him, just to let him know she was all right. But if she did that, Allison might have found out and then Ivan would never be able to find the spy

Mariko suddenly realized that the room was very quiet. When she looked up she saw Ma'am looking about at everyone with a perturbed look on her face. Mariko gulped to herself and looked around. All her classmates were in various stages of consciousness. No one was paying much attention to their teacher

"Okay CLASS!" Growled Ma'am. "If we aren't going to pay attention, then we can just put our books away and we'll have a quiz!" With that, muffled groans when up around the room. Mariko glanced over at Courtney who looked as bewildered as Mariko felt (Quiz?!?). She simply shrugged her shoulders and turned to watch what was about to happen. Joan jumped up and with a big grin on her face rushed out of the room, her long black gown flowing behind her. She returned with two high stools and set them down beside the teachers desk, and then went for more. Ma'am was busy clearing off the teacher's desk, putting the books, papers, tape and the "dreaded" paddle on the floor in the corner. As Joan was arranging the last of the stools around the desk, Ma'am set about re-cuffing the girl's hands behind them and unlocking their ankle stocks. As each girl was released she went to the front of the room and sat quietly on a stool and allowed Joan to tie their ankles and click the third handcuff to the back leg of the stool. Mariko and Sweetcakes were the last released and were, therefor the last to pick their stool. The only two remaining were at the two heads of the desk. Mariko looked around at her classmates. She wondered for a moment what someone would have thought if they had walked in at that moment. Sitting in a circle around a big oak desk were six grown women, wearing silly little school girl blazers and ties. Each handcuffed, each with a wide swatch of tape across her mouth, all obviously about to have their collective dignity bruised. Mariko sighed to herself, she was becoming accustom to it. Ma'am and Joan stood outside the circle arguing about something.

Mariko saw a coin flip through the air and then heard Joan say "Heads!... Damn!". Ma'am squeezed between Sweetcakes and Tina and slid up onto the desk. She looked slowly around the table at all the bound girls with a broad grin on her face. She lingered a moment when she looked at Mariko, but she suddenly spun about and faced Sweetcakes square on. Ma'am reached up and took the tasseled cap off her head and handed it to Joan. She then methodically slipped her hands inside her long black gown. With a smile that brought a glower to the face of Sweetcakes, Ma'am slowly lifted the gown over the top of her head. To Mariko's shock, Ma'am was naked under her robes. She tossed the robe to Joan and then lounged back onto the desk, stretching slowly and sensually. She writhed and purred as she moved, eyes closed as she made herself comfortable on the desk. Mariko found herself staring at the woman who lay on the table. Mariko realized to her surprise, that she had never seen a woman this beautiful before. Ma'am had always simply been one of her tormentors. Mariko had never bothered to really look at her this way before.

Now she couldn't take her eyes off her. Ma'am ran her fingers through her thick wavy blonde hair. She opened her eyes occasionally to look at one of the girls surrounding her. Ma'am looked into Mariko's eyes for just a moment, then her eyes paned down Mariko's body and then back up to her face. Ma'am's bedroom eyes closed slowly and she ran her tongue across the corner of her lip as she turned away

"For you new girls, this Quiz..." Ma'am said slowly, "Will cover oral sex." she said smiling. "The grading criteria is thus: If I simply cum, You'll get a "D". If you can make me scream, You'll get an

"A". If you get a "D"..." she said pausing to chuckle, "There'll have to be lots and lots of homework..." She continued looking about at the helpless faces around her. "...As a matter of fact, if you get an "A" there'll still be lots of homework." She said smiling. "But if you get an "F"... Well, we just won't allow anyone get an F, we'll all just have to stay here until you get a "D". Okay?" With that, she smiled at Sweetcakes and slowly peeled the tape off her mouth and pulled the wadding free

Sweetcakes strained forward and started into her work. Mariko's embarrassment got the best of her and she looked away from what was transpiring scant feet in front of her. Joan grabbed the back of her neck and turned her back to face the show. "You'd better pay close attention..." she whispered into Mariko's ear. "'Cause I'm next." She said with a sly grin

After about 15 minutes, Ma'am's breathing became noticeably more rapid and she writhed to Sweetcakes tongue. Ma'am reached up to her right and pulled the tape off Annette's face and plucked the wadding from her mouth. She grabbed hold of Annette's tie and pulled her face down to her breast. Annette began circling her tongue around Ma'am's nipple. Faster and faster she twirled, Ma'am's rock hard bud folding back and forth under the pressure. Ma'am suddenly reached to her left, and pulled the tape from Linda's mouth. Linda didn't even have a chance to push the packing out of her mouth before her lips were pressed onto Ma'am left nipple. Ma'am put both of her legs on top of Sweetcakes' back but because of Sweetcakes' position she couldn't get a hold on her. Joan took the initiative to brace the back of Sweetcake's head and pushed her face squarely into Ma'am's pussy. Ma'am shuddered and grunted as she pressed against the three girls. Her back arched and she quivered and spasmed as the orgasm overtook her. Ma'am let go of Annette and Linda. Both girls breathed a sigh of relief and sat up only to have Joan immediately re-gag them securely. When Sweetcakes sat up Mariko was aghast. Sweetcake's face glistened from her forehead to her chin with Ma'am's sexual secretions. Joan wiped the sheen from Sweetcakes face with the wadding that had been in her mouth just moments before. She then pressed it back into Sweetcake's mouth and taped it shut. Ma'am, in the mean time, had recovered enough to sit up. She sat facing Sweetcakes for a moment, then patted her on the head

"Not bad dear, I think it rates a B." said Ma'am. From Mariko's experience she would have given it an A+. Ma'am slid off the desk and put her robe back on. Mariko was trying not to look at Joan but she could feel her eyes bearing into her. When she summoned the courage, she glanced up only to be proven correct. Joan smiled and winked at the bound girl as she slipped the black gown over her head and slowly climbed up on the desk and stretched out on her stomach facing Mariko. She lay there for a long moment, her elbows on the table and her chin resting on the backs of her fingers. Her legs were crossed at the ankles, lazily waving about in the air behind her. Mariko looked up sadly, Joan simply smiled, an ear to ear grin that reminded Mariko of the Cheshire cat. Mariko would remember it for a long time to come. Joan spun around onto her back and then sat up to take hold of the corner of the tape covering Mariko's mouth. With one quick jerk, she snatched the tape off the Japanese girl's mouth and plucked the wad from inside her mouth

"Get to work!" Joan ordered, and Mariko was in no position to refuse

Forcing herself to ignore the stinging that surrounded her lips, Mariko bent to her task. With her wrists cuffed to the back leg of her stool she had to stretch uncomfortably forward to reach Joan's pussy. As she neared the target, she couldn't help but whiff the pungent aroma of Joan's body. Mariko had never been this close to another woman's vagina before, and was surprised how strong her scent could be, especially from this perspective. Mariko's inexperience began to show as she hesitated two inches away from her target. Joan resolved Mariko's indecision for her, She grabbed two handfuls of Mariko's hair and pulled Mariko's face hard into her pussy. For the first few seconds Mariko was unable to do anything, Joan was basically masturbating with Mariko's face. Mariko's mouth was pressed hard into Joan's pussy lips and her nose was buried in Joan's pubic hair. That worked well as a way of breaking the ice. When Joan released her grip, Mariko was able to move her head around a bit more. She began with lightness, flicking her tongue out to stroke the smooth skin in front of her nose. Her dancing tongue stroked Joan's pussy lips, sliding up and then down their exterior letting them flop back and forth. Mariko enjoyed being teased like this herself, so that was what she tried to do with Joan. Rhythmically, her tongue flicked about on the outside, then, without warning Mariko drove her tongue out and hard between Joan's lips, lapping solidly. Joan shuddered momentarily, but otherwise didn't respond. Mariko guessed more drastic measures were in order. She let her tongue slide up and out of the love canal and as if accidentally, flick across Joan's clit. A soft murmur from above convinced Mariko she was on the right track

Mariko stole a glance at her subject. Joan was kneading a bored looking Tina's breasts through her sweater with one hand and pulling hard on her own with the other. Mariko had never realized how much work went into bringing a woman off, She was really working up a sweat, and her tongue was beginning to cramp up. Desperation began to set in and she became more and more frantic with her sucking. Slowly, Joan's hips began to rock with the rhythm of Mariko's play. Mariko increased the intensity, pulling the folds of Joan's vagina between her lips with rapid changes of suction. in out, in out, in out. Joan's breathing became more shallow almost gasps. As Mariko's jaw cramped, Joan gasped and then held her breath, the muscles in her legs tightening around Mariko's head. Mariko felt Ma'am's hand press at the back of her neck, preventing any possibility of withdrawal. Joan's hips rose off the desk and pressed into Mariko's helpless face and then began sliding up and own across Mariko's lips and nose. For a terrifying few seconds, Mariko's nose was sealed in Joan's pussy and her lips were pressed into Joan's ass. Mariko helplessly endured until Joan's muscles suddenly went lax and she collapsed on the table. Mariko was dazed as she looked up at the gagged faces of her classmates. Their eyes betrayed a mixture of emotions, from amusement to boredom to a sudden concern (From Courtney). Ma'am used the discarded wading to wipe the product of Joan's orgasm from Mariko's face. Joan sat up in front of the drained Japanese woman and smiled casually. She solicitously reached out and tugged Mariko's disheveled necktie straight and tight again

"I'm afraid that was only a C- dear, but don't worry, You'll get better, I'll just keep you after school to practice." Joan said with a twinkle in her eye. Mariko opened her mouth to respond but was cut off as Ma'am pressed the stale packing between her lips. Joan ripped a fresh strip of tape from the roll and roughly pressed it across Mariko's mouth

"And that's the thanks I get?" thought Mariko as Joan slid off the desk and slipped the robe over her head. Mariko looked up at Courtney, who breathed a long sigh of relief and visibly relaxed as Ma'am and Joan began unlocking the single cuffs that kept the girls seated on the stools. Mariko, noticing Courtney's relief, was a bit aggravated that she had gotten out of this with only her breasts fondled. Obviously, Courtney was having the same thoughts as she smugly smirked at her friend. The smile turned to chagrin as Ma'am cheerfully hoped back up on the desk

"Rotate Right!" she chirped and each of the girls hopped to the next stool, All but Courtney, who was about to take her place on the

"Hot Seat". Joan put her arm around Courtney's shoulder as Courtney stood up. "Awww, What's the matter? Did you think you weren't gonna get a chance?" she said as she pushed Courtney up onto the "head" stool and locked her to it

After their Quiz, the class moved on to one of the many other parts to the day that the girls looked forward to. It was time for dance class, 1 1/2 fun filled hours where Joan would teach a different type of dance style every day. One day, the class would cover Tap, then on the next, Aerobics, the next day, Jazz, followed by Ballet, the day after that would cover Ballroom dance. The girls all hated Ballroom class the most, when the other topics were covered they were all permitted to change into more suitable (and usually, comfortable) attire and restraint. For Ballroom class though, Joan generally insisted that they remain in their school uniforms. They didn't really work hard enough to get all sweaty and she felt that they could fit in an extra fifteen minutes of class if they only changed into their dancing shoes

Mariko felt ridiculous as she stood against the wall of the dance studio, waiting for Joan to pick her dance partner for the day. She looked into the huge mirror that covered one entire wall of the dance studio and blushed as she examined her predicament. The bored looking girl who stared back wore the almost standard English public school uniform, a blue blazer, gray pleated skirt and a gray V-neck sweater over a white blouse and a blue and gray striped necktie. On her feet were a pair of matching gray knee socks and her dancing shoes, a pair of black, patient leather pumps with 4 inch heels and little bows on the toes. Joan said that a proper B&D Academy graduate would never dream of stepping on a dance floor without her heels

Joan had insured cooperation in class (not to mention decorum) by using thin leather belts to strap each girl's arms together behind her back at both the wrist and elbow. Each girl was also fitted with a pair of thin steel ankle cuffs that were locked on each of her ankles. There was no hobble (yet...), but there was a little ring on the front of each cuff to receive one. Mariko looked slowly around the room at all the cheerful, smiling faces of her dance class partners, or at least their seemingly smiling faces. She wasn't actually able to discern anyone's lips, but none the less, all the dancers still clearly wore big broad grins. They had been painted on the white rubber straps that sealed each of the dancer's mouths shut. Joan always been a stickler for appearance, she liked to be reassured that everyone in her classes were enjoying themselves

"This is another fine mess you've gotten yourself in!" Mariko thought as she chewed on the rubber prod in her mouth

Mariko popped back to reality as Joan dragged the reluctant Sweetcakes over by a pigtail and both girls awkwardly faced one other for a moment. Joan took matters into her own hands and nudged Sweetcakes with her elbow.

"Mmne ni Mhvve TH Hmmnr MOV nths NAnssss?" Sweetcakes mumbled from behind her weirdly grinning rubber lips. She combined this mumbled statement with the obligatory curtsy and followed it with a sarcastic roll of her eyes. Mariko didn't have the slightest idea what Sweetcakes had just said so she looked to Joan who just glared back at her.

"Aren't you gonna answer her? She just asked if she could have the honor of this dance!" said Joan impatiently. Mariko looked in amazement at Joan... What were they going to think of next?

"Mariko, your proper response should be: 'I'd be delighted.' then you curtsy. Okay!... Do it!

"Mni Nee MUthnind!" Mewed Mariko. "This is SOOooo embarrassing!" she thought to herself as she politely curtsied

Joan coaxed the two dancers closer together and then she bent down and clipped a pair of foot long, black sticks between their ankle cuffs, with one running from Mariko's right ankle to Sweetcakes left, and likewise on the other ankles. Joan then reached into the girls sweaters and pulled out the short ends of their neckties

"This type of dancing is usually done cheek to cheek!" Joan explained as she knotted the ends of the ties together so Mariko and Sweetcakes were nose to nose. Mariko tried to lean back a little but as soon as she did the extra stain caused both ties to pull a little tighter and Sweetcakes shot Mariko a dirty look as if to say "Nice move..." The ritual was repeated with all the other couples and the class would spend the next hour and fifteen minutes swirling around the dance floor with everyone doing their best imitation of Ginger Rodgers.

As the music played, Joan walked around the room inspecting each couple's progress as they stumbled over each other while trying to keep up with the pace of the tune. Joan clapped her hands rhythmically in time with the music, coaxing the dancers on. Mariko found that they were most comfortable when she rested her head on the slightly taller Sweetcake's shoulder. This lessened the strain on their necks and they were able to keep the rhythm of the dance better when they were as close as possible. Unfortunately though, this also caused some unforeseen side affects as Mariko began to detect Sweetcake's breath becoming more and more rapid and uneven. After the first circle they made around the room, it seemed that Mariko could also feel the beating of her dance partner's heart as they rubbed against each other.

Almost unnoticed, Mariko found herself in the predicament of becoming more and more aroused as they rubbed themselves intimately together while they swirled around the room. To her dismay, she began unconsciously sucking harder and faster on the smooth rubber prod that was sealed in her mouth. This only seemed to intensified the burning feelings that had begun between her legs. She suddenly realized how she must look to her dancing partner and turned a glowing shade of crimson as she glanced up at her. Mariko's embarrassment immediately disappeared as she looked up at her taller partner. Sweat was pouring down past Sweetcake's wide green eyes as the red rubber lips that were painted on the gag strap bulged and puckered as Sweetcakes desperately sucked on her own prod.

Once they realized their needs were the same, the rest was easy. With their inhibitions down and with some intense cooperation, they were soon able to find the proper swaying motion that would give them the maximum stimulation for their efforts. Their only problem was to try to hide what they were doing from Joan, who certainly would not have taken kindly to the two girls were up to. (Not paying any attention to what she was teaching, Obviously!)

No one even noticed as the two girls simultaneously lost all their coordination and came very close to falling down. It took them a few moments, but they were finally able to regain their composure and balance as they looked at each other's sweaty, flushed faces. Joan continued to clap rhythmically to the music and Mariko and Sweetcakes returned to their hampered attempts at waltzing. Somehow, it just wasn't as much of a chore as it had been only a short time before and Mariko could clearly see the sincere smile on Sweetcakes face. It could no longer obliterated by the cruel rubber strap. Before long, Mariko and Sweetcakes found themselves looking forward to their next Ballroom dance class. Unfortunately, that was a whole week away.

There were plenty of other activities to keep the students busy at the B&D Academy. Ma'am had explained many times during her lectures that it was always necessary for the body to be kept in top physical condition to be able to endure the almost constant restraint that the students were enjoying.

"ENJOYING?!" thought Mariko on more then one occasion, "Expand on enjoying!" Dance class certainly helped, but Ma'am strongly believed that dance alone was not enough, so the girls also had a gym class daily. Mariko had decided that it was more like a bondage Olympics. The girls were all outfitted in tight, spandex straight jackets made of bright, multicolored spandex with the colors scheme depending on whether they were doing teams sports or individual ones. The individual sports were the Track and Field events, like the 100 yard straight-jacketed dash, (Courtney always won that one, prompting Ma'am and Joan to be sure she was kept on a short hobble at all other times.) and the 1000 meter stampede, a distance event that always ended with Courtney and Annette battling neck and neck. And the 100 meter walk, probably the most boring event ever known to man, the contestants see how fast they can complete the allotted distance with their knees strapped together to prevent cheating. Sometimes it took over two hours to complete just one heat and that was with Ma'am and Joan standing by with switches to discourage dawdling.

There was always incentive for the athletes to try their best, as the winner would usually receive some reward for their efforts, although the judges seemed to put more time and energy into devising intricate penalties for the losers. The rewards were usually some free time without any restraint or a stylized Get- out-of-Jail pass that would get them off some penalty of their choice in the future. This was certainly coveted among the athletes as Ma'am and Joan took great pleasure in coming up with penalties that struck terror into their victims.

A favorite penalty was to send one of the girls on a scavenger hunt in a large mall under some unorthodox circumstances. Like the time Sweetcakes went wearing her B&D Academy uniform, or when Linda went with a piece of tape over her mouth so she had to negotiate with the store clerks with hand signs. Ma'am was kind enough to dress Linda in a sorority sweater so it only looked peculiar or even cute to the passers-by, not necessarily kinky. Mariko and Courtney never got this sort of freedom, because the others, you must remember, were attending the Academy by their own choice, unlike our two heroines.

The girls also participated in some team type sports as well. The most enjoyable for Mariko turned out to be soccer, although there were some rule changes that they all had to put up with. The most obvious was the no-hands rule. This was strictly enforced by the use of lace up single sleeves that were the same colors as the girl's uniforms. (Come now, are you really surprised?) A thin belt ran from the tip of the fingers of the sleeve up between the player's legs to a belt around her waist, this helped to impress both the agony and ecstasy of team sports on the contestants. To keep the players from giving any lip to the officials each was fitted with a stout whiffle ball held in place by a thin vinyl strap. The holes in the ball enabled the players to breath freely through their mouths and from a distance it appeared that each girl was gagged by a miniature soccer ball. Very fitting. The teams were three on three with the extra girl lucky enough to act as a cheerleader for both teams. Whoever's turn it was, was dressed up in a white turtle-necked sweater, a red and white pleated skirt and red and white saddle shoes. Her arms were then drawn back behind her and into a leather tube that held her forearms parallel to the ground. The tube was connected to a harness that went around her shoulders. Under her skirt was a snug little leather crotch strap. The cheerleader also had a pair of big Pom Poms sewn onto the elbows of her sweater so she could wave them around while she cheered. Well, grunted was more like it as the cheerleaders were gagged with the same whiffle balls the players wore. The cheers had to pass through and around the ball and still be recognizable. If the her cheers weren't somewhat recognizable or if the cheerleader stopped her sideline antics for even a minute the umpire would immediately stop play, approach the unfortunate pep squad member, lift the front of her skirt and adjust her crotch strap one notch tighter. This would usually instill some extra vigor into the cheerleader's performance. When it was Mariko's turn to cheer, play was interrupted six times. It was after Mariko's soccer team's latest triumph that Ma'am pulled Mariko and Courtney aside. Courtney had been the cheerleader at this game and Mariko could tell that she was anxious to get out of the silly uniform and back into her equally silly school uniform, but for the time being their attention was unavoidably on Ma'am.

"You lucky dogs!" she began enthusiastically.

"Whoa boy, look out now!" thought Mariko as she glanced over at her equally apprehensive partner.

"You'll never guess, not in a million years, what the surprise I've got for you is.

"Hummm?" replied Mariko quizzically.

"Oh, Okay, I just can't keep it from you... It's too good! Allison's decided to go all the way out to California to go to a party... A very special party, a big costume party...

"Big deal," thought Mariko, "Who cares?

"But you don't understand how special it is," continued Ma'am. "You see, she has decided to take you two along..." She looked around cautiously, "... See, She's decided that you're both going to be part of her costume!"



Chapter 9

The two girls waited patiently on the settee against the wall in the front hall of the estate while people buzzed about like busy little bees in their attempt to get the last of the preparations finished for their trip. Mariko and Courtney had both had a very long morning, trying to be patient with Allison's indecision about what their traveling outfits should be. She had finally settled on a secretarial look for her companions after ruling out, one after another: The girl's B&D Academy uniforms with handcuffs and ball-gags (Too obvious), Flight attendant's uniforms with bondage mittens and adhesive tape (too boring), A cape raincoat and shoes - nude otherwise, with single sleeves and pump gags (too crass...).

With each new request, Joan and Ma'am would scramble about collecting the outfits and restraints that Allison had requested and then, with the help of the stooges, they would get Mariko and Courtney completely dressed and bound only to have Allison enter, inspect our heroines and shake her head, "Nope... It still doesn't work for me... Try this..." and Ma'am & Joan would hurry off in search of more paraphernalia. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when Allison announced, "I guess this will have to do!

Mariko squirmed in her bonds for a moment. Allison had dressed her in a bright blue, silk, double breasted suit with a short, tight skirt, matching high heel pumps and a white silk blouse that was barely visible under her jacket. They had meticulously bound her with thin white cord at the wrists, elbows, knees and ankles. They had also wound some cord around her body with three passes above her breasts and the same number below. This pined her arms securely to her back. She was a little afraid that these ropes would wrinkle her suit but no one else seemed terribly concerned. After they had pressed a knotted cloth into her mouth and tied it at the back of her neck any protests had become academic. Mariko glanced over at Courtney. Her blonde friend had been outfitted in a slinky white knit dress, with a hem line that was considerably shorter then Mariko's, a red patent leather belt and matching ankle-strap pumps. The perfect outfit for the office tease. She had been tied up in the same secure way that Mariko had been except her rope was red, to match her accessories, even her gag was red cloth. Mariko had little doubt that given some privacy so they could squirm around, they would have been out of these ropes in a few moments but unfortunately the guards at the Academy was constantly popping in and out as they brought various suitcases, trunks and other items into the foyer and piled them around the two seated girls.

"This is Soooo humiliating," Thought Mariko as the pile around them grew steadily. "I wonder if they consider *US* baggage too?!" Her question was answered when one of the stooges appeared and began writing out labels with Allison's name and address, which she stuck to each of the suitcases. When she finished and started to walk away, she suddenly smiled and turned back. When she turned to leave again, Mariko and Courtney both wore a shipping label plastered across their foreheads. Ma'am and Joan, (Who was wearing the chauffeurette uniform) both passed by and chuckled at the two girl's predicament but did nothing to rectify the situation. Mariko and Courtney generally didn't worry about such petty inconveniences anymore. When their captors were ready they would be relieved of the stupid labels.

Allison arrived shortly to survey the scene, she seemed a little surprised by the volume of luggage that she would be dragging across country with her entourage, but obviously everything was absolutely necessary.

"What the heck is this!" She laughed when she noticed the shipping labels that clearly clashed with our heroine's outfits. Ma'am stuck her head in the door, "Myong's idea of a little joke... So they won't get lost..."

"Oh, come on, We wouldn't dream of letting them out of our sight, so how could they get lost?" Allison replied as she pealed the sticker off Mariko's face and then removed Courtney's also.

"Thanks for the small favors." thought Mariko

Ma'am appeared around the corner with capes for the girls, Joan and the stooges were loading the limo as Allison and Ma'am stood the bound girls up and wrapped the capes around their shoulders and wound woolen scarves around the girls necks to help hide the gags they wore. When the car was fully loaded, Ma'am came up to the two girls who were still balancing on their high heels. (so far, so good...) She removed the cord binding their ankles and knees to replaced it with two feet of clear nylon fishing wire. >From a distance of six feet or more the line was all but invisible. Ma'am then put her coat on, and drove the reluctant travelers on their way to the first leg of their journey. Joan drove the limo while Allison and Ma'am rode in the back with the two bound girls. They had traveled for about an hour when they pulled into a small but busy airport.

As they rode on the circular road that surrounded the runway, Mariko was amazed by the number of small planes that were parked all about. She had only flown once before, and that was when she came east for her job at B&D Cosmetics. She had traveled on a huge passenger plane but, as she looked about, she was wondering how a big plane like that would even be able to land here, not to mention how Allison was going to explain two tied and gagged girls to the crew and other passengers. She only had to wait a moment before she got her answer. The limo suddenly turned out on the tarmac and sped to a tiny jet plane parked at the end of the runway. There were several men inspecting the aircraft as they pulled up and Mariko decided that she would try to scream and run to them when they got out of the car. She figured that the knotted cloth in her mouth would only stifle her a little and the men would surely hear her cries. As the car pulled to a stop a few hundred feet away from the plane, Ma'am produced the roll of the fishing line that still hobbled the two girl's ankles and proceeded to cut a long piece of it and fashion it into two slip knots, with one on either end and with about six feet in between. She put one around Mariko's neck and the other around Courtney's. Both girls knew exactly what to expect from this leash arrangement, if they so much as took a misplaced step the loop would tighten and cut off their air

"Okay, so much for the running part!" thought Mariko, "I can still shout!" Allison glanced about briefly then turned to Ma'am, "Are you ready?" Allison questioned.

"All set."

"Get them right into the plane... No fooling around."

With that, Allison opened the door to the limo and Mariko's best laid plans were dashed before her ears. The plane was revving it's engines and the roar was almost deafening, there was no possible way for anyone to hear her muffled shouts.

"*Sigh* Oh well, I wonder what the in-flight movie will be?" thought the disappointed Mariko.

Ma'am made short work of dragging the two girls out of the car and discreetly up to the plane where Allison helped bundle them in. Once they were inside, Allison removed their scarves and capes and buckled them into their seats. Mariko took a moment and glanced about at the luxurious interior of the airplane. There was seating for eight passengers although there were only the four girls, Mariko noticed Joan drive away from the tarmac and off down the road. At that moment, one of the pilots climbed aboard and made his way towards the cabin. Mariko felt another glimmer of hope as he passed by and paused to smile at his reluctant passengers. Her hopes were shattered once again when the handsome pilot simply remarked, "Hey Allison, this one's almost got her gag worked loose."

"Oh dear!" replied Allison with a mock concern and she came forward and re-tightened Courtney's gag, and then Mariko's also, although it didn't really need it.

"Wonderful!" thought Mariko sarcastically.

"We'll be taking off in a few minutes, so please take your seats and put your seat belts on. Okay?

"Sure, I'd be happy to." replied Allison as she returned to her seat. A few minutes later the travelers were airborne and winging their way west.

The trip was long, bumpy and boring for the girls. Allison and Ma'am sat a few seats away chatting merrily away, impervious to the glares of the two hapless, silent girls. Mariko amused herself for a while watching the land pass beneath them and then she glanced over at her "partner in misery" who was sound asleep. Mariko decided to try to join her.

Mariko was jolted awake as the wheels of the plane touched the ground with a squeal and the engines roared as the tiny jet rolled to a stop. She shook her head to awaken herself. (She was a notoriously slow riser!) The knot of cloth in her mouth had become soaked and a little sour during her long nap but she had a feeling that she would be putting up with it a little while longer. Allison and Ma'am had already removed their seat belts by the time the plane rolled to a stop on the edge of the tarmac. This airport was completely unfamiliar to Mariko but somehow she got the feeling that she had returned home to California.

While she sat and daydreamed a bit about her childhood a small van approached the plane and parked nearby. Allison and Ma'am set about releasing the girls from their seat belts and then they pulled them to their feet. After having been bound in the same position for over five hours, Mariko and Courtney were understandably unsteady on their feet so Allison and Ma'am helped support them as they staggered around the compartment. When they were reasonably steady on their feet, Allison put the capes back on their shoulders and Ma'am replaced the fishing line leashes on the girls and then pulled them to the exit of the plane.

When they reached the ground Mariko glanced about and noticed that they had parked the plane about 100 yards away from the terminal, but unfortunately, there was no people around. Ma'am hustled the captives over to the van and into the side door. Both girls had a difficult time climbing into the van with their ankles hobbled but Ma'am was more then willing to oblige with a well placed hand on their derrieres.

Once inside, the captives were pushed onto their stomachs and their feet were rebound and then their security was all but insured by a stringent hog-tie. Allison then climbed into the passenger seat and the doors were closed from the outside. Impulsively, Mariko glanced back to where Ma'am had just finished her hog-tie when she spied the leather blindfold that was approaching her face, Mariko always tried to hate blindfolds more then anything, but she never could. This was when she felt the most vulnerable, when she had no idea what was going on around her. But the suspense was so deliciously awful. It was just so erotic. She could hardly wait! (Any small pleasures!)

Moments after the soft foam backing of the leather strap pressed over her eyes, Mariko heard the drivers door open and felt the van sag under the weight of the driver. (Mariko was amazed by the fact that all her other senses became so much more aware when she was blindfolded) She heard the driver exchange a polite kiss of greeting with Allison and then he started the van. (She could tell it was a he by the extent of the van's sag and by the tell-tale aroma of his after shave... Look out Sherlock Holmes!) She suddenly realized where she had last smelled that scent, and when the driver finally spoke she joyfully realized that her deductions were correct... She was finally reunited with Richard. Mariko and Courtney both spent an uncomfortable hour riding in the back of the van. During the entire trip Richard, Allison and Ma'am chatted merrily about many things and basically ignored the two packages in the back. Mariko didn't mind, all she wanted to do was listen to the sound of Richard's voice, his laugh, his breathing. She had never felt this way about anyone before, she was simply happy to be near him, even under these circumstances

The van turned off the smooth highway and onto a gravel road, Mariko discerned this by the sound of the pebbles bouncing off the bottom of the truck. She also began to smell the ocean, with its cool salty aroma. The van finally rolled to a stop and Mariko could hear and feel the doors open as her captors began to disembark. When Ma'am opened the side door of the van Mariko was shocked by the icy wind that blew into the van from the ocean, Ma'am cut the cord that bound her ankles and Allison dragged her out to stand beside the van. Her cape was of little protection against the wind as it blew in and caused the cape to billow out away from her body. Mariko was shivering uncontrollably when she felt Courtney's body bump into her and then felt Allison's fingers tighten on her shoulders and begin to steer her towards some unknown location. The party proceeded up a short flight of wooden steps and then across a wooden deck and entered a warm, cozy house.

Mariko could hear the wind howling outside, but none of it was able to break in to disturb the calm atmosphere inside. The girls went up another flight of stairs and Mariko heard a door close behind them. At that point Allison unbuckled that blindfold strap and Mariko was able to see her surroundings for the first time. The room was decorated in a very rustic fashion, with two large, soft beds with rough wood posts and antique dressers and chairs. Allison and Ma'am set about putting some of their things away and Mariko shuffled over to a nearby window. Her breath disappeared when she glanced out the window, the house was perched on the edge of a cliff, overlooking a windswept ocean. Rain had begun to fall and the sun was almost set. Courtney had joined her at the window and Mariko heard her gasp as she took in the breathtaking view. This place was just like a dream.

They were both startled back to reality by Allison's abrupt hand clap. She motioned Mariko to be seated on the bed as Ma'am set about untying Courtney. When Ma'am was finished she ordered Courtney to strip so she could take a shower and Courtney gladly cooperated. They locked a pair of simple, steel handcuffs on her ankles and Courtney hopped into the adjoining bath and soon Mariko heard the water running. Within a few moments Mariko was looking forward anxiously to her turn in the shower.

After her shower was completed, Mariko hopped out into the bedroom to rejoin the group. Courtney sat on the edge of one of the chairs in the corner, they had dressed her up in a gray plaid, wool skirt and a matching sweater over a white blouse with an upturned collar, Mariko's outfit was laid out on the bed, and for once she was excited as she donned the garter and stockings, silky pink camisole, the furry white sweater and the snug white wool skirt. The chill in the air was a delicious contrast to the warmth of her clothing and when she looked into the mirror she couldn't help but be pleased. Her long black hair spilled down to the center of her back and was a perfect contrast to the white of her outfit. She barely noticed when Allison slipped the handcuffs onto her wrists. Allison applied her make-up while Ma'am was in the shower and as Ma'am was drying her hair Allison reached into a bag on the table and took out a pair of ball gags. She approached the two seated girls who gave some halfhearted pleas for mercy, but, as usual, they fell on deaf ears. The only excitement left for the girls was Allison's startled shriek moments after she stepped into the shower.

"What's the matter!?" Ma'am shouted as she rushed into the bathroom. Mariko and Courtney both waited anxiously for Ma'am's return. When she reappeared, she was chuckling.

"Ran out of hot water!" she said as she motioned over her shoulder to the bathroom. All three girls shared a hearty laugh at Allison's expense. It served her right.

Their entrance was grand to say the least, Richard knelt at the fireplace stoking a roaring fire that filled the living room with warmth. Rain splashed against the widows and the cold wind howled outside as the guests of honor took their places around the fire. Richard rolled onto his side and watched the four attractive women take seats on the overstuffed couch that faced the fire.

"Your home is so much more then you described Richard," began Allison "We're so pleased you offered to put us up while we're in town for the party, this is so much more cozy then a impersonal old hotel."

"My pleasure Allison," replied Richard as he stood up and headed for the bar. "I wish you could visit more often. What will everyone have?

"We don't get the opportunity for parties like this very often back east. It seems California has a patent on them." piped in Ma'am.

"Nonsense, You yourself have thrown a few memorable bashes that I've had the pleasure to attend..." Said Richard, as he prepared a round of drinks for everyone, Scotch on the rocks for himself, a vodka martini for Allison, a gin and tonic for Ma'am and a glass of white wine for Mariko and Courtney. Mariko thought back briefly to the party Allison had recently hosted. Richard sure knew what he was talking about. The girls realized right away that their drinks were provided just to be polite because no one lifted a finger to remove their gags and it was useless to try to get at the wine with their mouth's wedged open by rubber balls.

The drinks flowed and the talk rambled for several hours. Richard had earlier sat beside Mariko on the couch where she snuggled up next to him and was nodding off into a cozy, contented sleep when she was startled awake when he carefully lifted her lip with his finger.

"Oh yes, I see now, there it is..." Richard commented as he peered into her mouth. "Ingenious! But is it effective.

"Certainly!" replied Allison, "And totally undetectable.

"Yeah, I guess it'd work pretty well, too bad I won't be around to see it." Said Richard as Mariko returned to the present.

"Yes, that is too bad but there will be other times." countered Allison. While they were chatting, Richard was absently rubbing Mariko's arm, and as the conversation wandered, so did his hands. Mariko didn't protest... this was exactly where she wanted to be, where she felt most content, In the arm's of her strong secret lover. The vulnerability caused by her bondage only caused her to feel more secure under his protection.

"Well, I'm bushed!" Announced Allison. "I think it's time to hit the hay.

"Yeah, me too..." said Ma'am on cue as she shoved Courtney out the door. "We do have a busy day tomorrow.

Mariko desperately looked up at Richard, the look in her eyes told all to everyone in the room. Richard's eyes never faltered either, never moving from hers. Allison's voice seemed very far away to Mariko but nonetheless she heard it clearly.

"You know Richard, it almost slipped my mind, Mariko here asked if she could thank you for your heroics back home, I guess that you two would prefer to discuss this alone." she said as she discreetly followed the other two girls to their bedroom.

Richard's passionate gaze turned a bit more quizzical as he looked at the beautiful girl who lay in his arms. Mariko quivered as she nodded to the unasked question, it was the only thing she wanted in the whole world right now. Richard's indecision melted as he scooped her up in his arms as easily as if she were a child and carried her up the stairs to his loft and placed her gently on the bed. He sat down next to her and cradled her head in his arms.

"Are you sure this is what YOU want?" he whispered gently. Tears welled in her eyes as she as she pressed her cheek into his chest, her eyes said volumes as she slowly looked up... "PLEASE!"

His hands were soft and gentle as he stroked and massaged her naked skin. She had never experienced a lover like Richard before, so tender, so caring, so demanding, so loving, such a tease! Mariko was in ecstasy every moment with this man. His experienced hands sought out places on Mariko's body that she had never known before, or known the joy they could bring. Her head swum and her breath was short, when his hand finally found the strap that held her voice in check, Mariko realized that words would have no meaning. There was nothing that could express what she was feeling... Her most burning desire was to kiss her love, this man, who was at once, her lover, her captor, her rescuer, her master, her slave, her joy. When the gag fell away, their passion soared as their lips met, and they seemed not to part as their love continued for the rest of the night. She had finally escaped... Mariko snuggled under the blankets savoring their warmth for a few moments. She slowly reached out her foot and was a little frightened to find that he was not there, but then she heard some rustling about in the bedroom and she slowly poked her head out from under the covers.

"Good morning sleepy head!" said Richard with a smile. "Pleasant dreams?

"Yepht!" Slurred Mariko... She cursed herself for her foolishness, Why, OH WHY, had she asked him to put the ball back on last night? Richard came and sat on the edge of the bed and gently stroked Mariko's disheveled hair and warmly smiled. It was a smile that made Mariko's heart soar like a bird. Suddenly, he turned more serious.

"I don't want to tell you this, but, I have to go now, and I won't be able to be with you for a little while longer." He reluctantly began. "But only for a little while, I promise..." Richard leaned forward and pulled her close. and whispered in her ear, "I promise, I'll be back for you." He then kissed her gently on the cheek and hurried to the door where he paused to look back at Mariko who could see him through a veil of tears.

"I love you..." he said as he reluctantly opened the door. Mariko was alone for a long time, she thought long and hard about what she had experienced over the last couple of months but she couldn't sort out her feelings. Things never seemed to work out the way she planed them, they probably never would either. Perhaps it would be best to just go with the flow for once... There was a soft knock on the door then Ma'am slowly poked her head inside.

"Morning," she said softly as Mariko sat up to great her. Ma'am approached and unbuckled Mariko's gag. "It seems you made quite a conquest..." She said.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, I don't know," Smiled Ma'am "But I do know that a lot of people have tried to get to Richard, so far no one has..." she said with a smile, "That is, until now." Mariko sat back, and let Ma'am tug at her disheveled clothing. (they had forgotten the key to the handcuffs the night before, so they had to make do.) After a few aborted attempts, she pulled Mariko out of the bed as it made more sense to go look for the key. Mariko stumbled along towards Allison's room barely noticing that she was still almost completely nude.

"Conquest??" she thought, "How can a girl, who's helplessly bound conquer anyone, let alone a strong man like Richard." (She really did know, as we all probably do, but she still refused to admit it!) The four girls had a wonderful time that day, playing around Richard's magnificent cliff-top home. They all enjoyed a pleasant brunch on the open patio after dressing up Courtney in a lacy sun dress with a wide brimmed hat and Mariko in a traditional silk kimono that even made Courtney jealous. Apart from having their hands tied, Mariko and Courtney were free to chat and move about freely. Allison and Ma'am took great delight in feeding their guests, and the day proceeded pleasantly.

It was about 2 P.M. when Allison decided that it was time to start getting ready for the party. Mariko and Courtney balked a little but they had to admit they were curious about what was in store for them. After a bath, they were lightly toweled off, and then they were led into the den that they had been in the night before. Allison was there, holding two aluminum rods about two feet long with a leather wrist cuff on either end and two cords that ran up over a pair of beams in the ceiling on opposite sides of the room. When they were secured, both girls faced each other standing on their tip toes with their arms stretched high over their heads. Allison and Ma'am slowly dragged a huge steamer trunk into the room and opened it in such a way that neither girl could see what it contained, but that was surly only a matter of time.

Allison dug around in the trunk for a moment and handed Ma'am a pair of silk stockings that were destined to adorn Mariko's legs, supported by a pair of lacy garters. The next piece of apparel were her shoes, a pair of white, antique granny shoes that were made of hard leather and laced up the front, making them impossible to kick off. Mariko, by now, was used to five inch heels, in fact, they were more comfortable then balancing on tip toes. Now that Courtney and Mariko were wearing shoes, their captors strapped their ankles together to eliminate any thoughts of kicking. Ma'am was first back to the trunk and when she emerged, she was carrying a collection of silk and canvas pieces connected together with what looked like hundreds of laces. Ma'am wrapped the corset around Mariko's waist and began to close the catches.

"This is a little silly, don't you think? Or are you trying to tell me I'm fat?" Mariko began, she barely weigh 100 pounds soaking wet.

"No, of course not. These can serve more then one purpose you know...

"Yea? like what?" asked Mariko.

"Posture control of course, as if you didn't know." replied Ma'am.

"Uulp! I didn't...

"No matter, You will." replied Ma'am pleasantly while she whistled a little tune as she began to lace the corset up. The corset ran from the center of Mariko's shoulder blades, cut down under her armpits and looped down to form a pair of breast cups that pressed Mariko's breasts up and to the center. The corset ran to Mariko's upper hips and was so heavily boned that she was confident that it would be almost impossible to bend at the waist. Ma'am started lacing at the center and worked her way upward where she tied the string into a bow at Mariko's shoulder blades.

Then she repeated the procedure on the lower portion, tying the bow just below her rump. She was able to draw the center string on the lower portion a little tighter then on the top portion so this caused some slack to appear on the upper part so Ma'am simply started the upper side again, drawing out all the slack. This, not surprisingly, produced more slack in the bottom section, so, of course, Ma'am had to readjust the bottom of the corset again as well. It seemed to Mariko that this could go on until she was cut in half but thankfully, just before the last breath was squeezed from her breast Ma'am tied off the laces and declared herself finished.

As Mariko was futilely attempting to catch her breath, both Allison and Ma'am approached menacingly. Ma'am grabbed Mariko's hair and roughly pulled her head back and when Mariko yelped in protest Allison was ready with a plastic mouth piece that popped in place against the roof of her mouth in seconds and fit so snugly that it seemed to be made for her. (Mariko's mind flashed back to her trip to the dentist. Undoubtedly it WAS made for her!)

When she closed her mouth she found that the bottom of the plug fit the lower part of her mouth just as well. There was even a place for her tongue to fit comfortably. Ma'am reached her finger into the corner of Mariko's mouth and drew her lip back. Allison then pushed a piece of thin wire into the small metal loops that had been cemented to her teeth by Dr. Farmington.

When she twisted the ends of the wire together with a small pair of pliers Mariko could feel her jaws being pulled shut around the plug. Ma'am snipped the wire and put a little piece of wax over the sharp point left on the end of the wire. Mariko used all her strength to try to break the grip of the little wire bands firmly cemented to her teeth but it was impossible. This gag was one of the most insidious she had ever experienced. From all outside appearances, she appeared perfectly comfortable and normal but in actuality, with the plug firmly implanted, she couldn't make more then a "NNNnnnggg" sound.

"What a deal!" thought the gagged girl. Within moments, Courtney was "NNNnnnggg-ing" on her own and Ma'am and Allison were busy pinning her hair into a tight bun on top of her head. The two women attended Mariko with identical results and went to the trunk once again and withdrew two huge wigs, tall curled Victorian style powdered wigs. Ma'am used about 30 bobby pins to hold it on Mariko's head.

"Why don't you just staple it on!" suggested Mariko sarcastically after Ma'am had jabbed her with the pins. All that came out was.

"NNNnnnggg!" though, and Ma'am just ignored her.

What followed was one of the most elaborate costumes Mariko had ever seen before. Allison pulled a stunning dress out of the trunk, blue satin, lace and bows everywhere, petticoats, petticoats and more petticoats. Even a bustle! Allison and Ma'am took her down off the bar to push her arms into the puffy shoulders of the dress and then into matching shoulder length gloves. The front of the off the shoulder gown plunged down to expose more cleavage that Mariko would have ever believed she was capable of having. The two women pulled her hands behind her back and tightly strapped them there with a blue strap that was almost invisible next to the gloves she wore. The girls wound some hairy hemp rope loosely around her wrists, giving the appearance that Mariko was tokenly tied, while it hid the fact that she was, in fact, quite securely bound.

"This is getting really weird!" Mariko thought to herself. Ma'am took a small bottle of a clear liquid and withdrew a tiny applicator brush which she held up to Mariko's face. She dabbed the liquid beneath Mariko's nose and then spread it around evenly to her upper lip. She touched the liquid with her finger and Mariko discovered that it was becoming very sticky. Allison twirled a red chiffon scarf in her hands as she came up to the confused girl. She carefully pressed the center of the wispy scarf onto Mariko's upper lip and the scarf clung to the glue and hung down like and enormous red mustache while Allison moved behind her and then tied the loose ends snugly behind the back of her neck. Mariko was then relegated to the role of a spectator as the girls turned their attention to Courtney. This brief respite gave Mariko a chance to dissect her predicament.

"What a ploy! They want people to think I'm pretending to be tied up and gagged when I really *AM* tied up and gagged!" She deduced.

"This is really too much..." She thought as she pulled at the strap on her wrists, there wasn't an inch of give.

Ma'am and Allison made short work of Courtney and before long Mariko was studying her friend's condition. She had been dressed identically to Mariko except her dress was the most vivid red she had ever seen. To anyone's unconcerned glance it looked as if she was wearing a movie pretend gag and someone had looped rope around her wrists as a joke. But unfortunately for our heroines, it was all to real.

The two bound girls waited patiently for their chaperons return and Allison and Ma'am didn't keep them waiting for long. The doors flung open and in marched Allison in full costume. She was the pirate queen. The short black jacket with brass buttons and the tassels on the shoulders, the striped jersey, the tight white pants and black boots. She even had an eye patch. Ma'am followed closely behind as a mate with a sword and a bandanna on her head and some more hairy hemp rope that she set about tying around the captives waists for leashes.

"Shiver me timbers! Ye land lubbers! Are ye ready to shove off? Allison drawled. And as soon as the limo arrived, they did.

The intrepid band of sailors reached their destination without incident. As they approached the entrance to the sprawling mansion, Mariko was somewhat taken aback by the number of cars parked on the grounds of the huge house.

"This could be a fun one, every one has to come as their favorite kink." Allison said. "But there are all sorts of people here tonight, a lot who aren't into our scene so we should stay low key until we get into the flow of the party." Allison said to Ma'am. As if planning a strategy. Ma'am nodded in return.

"No problem."

Mariko put aside any hopes for escape. Even the most observant guest would have thought that she and Courtney were simply going along with the game. ( "Surely they can really talk around those scarves if they really WANTED to!" ) When they rang the bell they were greeted by Allison's old friend Charlotte. She was wearing a tiger skin and red high heels and mask.

"Why Allison! I'm so glad you could make it. Come in dear." Allison tugged on the rope that connected her booty together at the waist and pulled them in behind her as they entered the strangest party Mariko had ever heard of.

There were well over a hundred people of every shape, size, color and persuasion. There were gorilla suits, business suits, there were bare breasts, there was a suit of armor. A woman dressed in black leather passed by, followed by a man in white silk. In the corner there were two men dressed like women talking to a woman dressed like a football player. Allison made the rounds of the party, exchanging pleasantries with everyone she came across. Ma'am had wandered away to the bar and was chatting with a woman wearing a toga and carrying a trident. There were people necking in the corner. There was even a midget. Suddenly, a woman who seemed to be wearing nothing but shaving cream ran by hotly pursued by a man in a trench coat. This was amazing. Several men approached Courtney and Mariko and attempted to strike up a conversation. Allison put an abrupt end to this by pulling them closer with the rope. Courtney and Mariko weren't very upset at this. Those guys just weren't their type.

Over the top of the crowd Mariko could make out a pair of long, pointed, green bits of satin moving towards them zigzag fashion through the mass of people. When the last person blocking the girls view stepped aside, both Mariko and Courtney were flabbergasted to be face to face with their old friend, Kelly McVee, Sweetcakes to her friends.

"Allo! An' what do we got 'ear!" She shouted as she threw her arms around the two bound girls. "Me ol' Pals... I thought it was you." Mariko and Courtney nodded their greetings and took in their school chum's outfit. The two satin points they had seen were ears, two bunny ears that came out of the top of her head. She was decked out in a Playboy bunny's costume, a tight, tight, TIGHT, one piece costume that just barely held her breasts in check and had just enough cloth running between her legs to only be considered obscene. Around her neck was a stiff white collar with a green bow tie and on her wrists were matching white cuffs complete with cufflinks. She even had a puffy white cotton tail. During this commotion Allison turned to greet the little bunny.

"Why hello there Sweetcakes! It's so good to see you.

"Gud evenin' Mistress." replied Sweetcakes formally as she turned her eyes to the floor. Within seconds, Allison's attention was focused elsewhere to someone she knew and she forgot about Sweetcakes. Sweetcakes face re-lit as Allison turned away.

"Ear' now!" Sweetcakes shouted as she spun around to face a burly man who had just pinched her little cotton tail. "You keep them 'ands to ya'self!! There's only one pair 'o' hands that can pinch me bum, an' they ain't yours!" she said as she poked the man's chest with her finger. Sweetcakes backed the man right down, then turned back to our friends.

"So, an' what brings ya at this neck o' the woods?" Sweetcakes inquired.

"NNNnnnggg!" said Mariko.

"NNNnnnggg! NNNnnnggg!" added Courtney. Sweetcakes looked a little perplexed at their response. She leaned in and whispered to the two girls.

"Are ya really gagged?" Both Mariko and Courtney nodded.

"Noooo!" she said in amazement, "An' done up for real too?" Courtney pulled at her wrists for emphasis.

"That Bitch!" Sweetcakes snarled. "This party was supposed to be fun for..." Sweetcakes was cut off in mid sentence as two tiny, red light bulbs that were sewn onto her bow tie began to blink slowly and rhythmically, and Sweetcakes eyes crossed in her head. After a long moment the blinking stopped and her eyesight seemed to return to normal.

"As I was sayin'... This is supposed to be fun for everyone, Ya'know?" She stopped and glanced at the puzzled look on Mariko's and Courtney's face.

"Sir Reggie wen' an put one of them vibratin' eggs in me before 'e stuffed me in this suit. Now 'e controls the bloody thing by remote con..CC..CCC." The rhythmic blinking returned for a moment and again Sweetcakes shuddered. When the lights stopped, she smiled to the two girls.

"What we gotta put up with! Just for a little fun! I gotta go, before he turns the bloody thing up a notch. See ya!" Sweetcakes said as she hurried off in search of Sir Reginald.

Presently Ma'am wandered back into the picture and Allison handed her the rope that leashed the two girls together.

"I want to wander a bit, keep an eye on these two while I'm gone..." Ma'am reluctantly accepted the leashes as Allison headed off to another group of chatting people. Ma'am sighed as she pulled on the leash, "That'll probably be the last we see of her tonight." Ma'am said under her breath to her two charges, "She just want's the grand entrance, then it's every woman for herself... Oh well, we might as well make the best of it." She said as she pulled the two leashed girls towards the buffet. As was reasonable to expect, the girls remained on their diets as they followed Ma'am around.

As the three girls wandered about the party, Mariko kept getting a strange feeling of deja vu, she couldn't quite pin down what was so familiar, but there was something. As they would approach a corner she would get this strange feeling but when they turned it, the feeling would be gone. Perhaps it was a smell, (There were certainly many sweaty people there) or perhaps a sound. Curious. It was not very easy going for Mariko and Courtney as they tried to worm their way through the crowd behind Ma'am. The huge full skirts and high heels served only to knock them off balance, and with the stiff corsets and no hands to balance them they seemed to take turns stumbling into each other or worse, someone else. Invariably, whenever they would teeter, there would be several pairs of male hands to steady them, usually copping a feel as an unoffered reward. As the night wore on the girls began to not even notice these affronts to their dignity. Certainly, there was nothing they could do about it.

The recognition hit like a ton of bricks. The thing that was driving Mariko crazy was not a smell but rather a sound, Mariko could hear a laugh through the din of the party that was so distinctive that she was certain of it's origin and it took only seconds from her realization for the verification to be at hand. The crowd parted and through this opening stepped Ivan Rasovitz. The same Ivan Rasovitz who had sent Mariko to spy on B&D Cosmetics, the same guy who had gotten her into this damn mess in the first place. He was dressed like a Greek God.

"That figures!" thought Mariko. He had his arm around a gaudy woman with bleached blonde hair and a T-shirt on that said "I sleep with the boss!

"Hi Diane... I heard you were here. How's the ass!" Ivan said cheerfully as he approached. For a moment Mariko was infuriated that he could, after all she had been through for him, forget her name. But, to her surprise, he was not talking to her, but to Ma'am.

"Hello Ivan, long time, no see..." Ma'am replied coolly. "Still hanging out at the toxic waste center... looking for hand- outs?"

"Naw, I've moved up to bigger and better things. Now I'm so important, they deliver." He replied.

"IIiiivannn! You're always so rude!!!" the floozy interrupted in an high squeaky voice, punctuated with a snap from some chewing gum.

"You never introduce me to any of your friends... My name's Ima... Ima Lay." she said as she offered her hand to Ma'am.

"And I'm not surprised." replied Ma'am dryly as she shook her hand.

"So, Diane, I see your still hanging around with Allison, You two can't seem to get enough of each other Eh? and she's still up to the same old tricks." Ivan said indicating the bound girls.

"Yeah, when I find a good thing I always stick with it. Loyalty pays off in the end. But what would you know about that?" replied Ma'am.

"Well, if you had stuck with the best, who knows where you'd be now? I'm not usually this magnanimous, you know, but there is still a place for you at Rasovitz Industries. Go ahead, call me a softy..."

"Maybe you are soft, and maybe I just got smart. There's no way I'm gonna be stupid enough to let you take advantage of me again." said Ma'am angrily.

"Hey!" Ima said abruptly, interrupting Ma'am. "Are you tryin' to make fun of my name!?!" Ma'am simply ignored her.

"You don't know what your missing." said Ivan. "Besides you have to take advantage of the situations as they arise. Take my little pal Myako here..." he said as put his arm around Mariko's waist and pulled her to him. "I knew that Allison would love her cute little oriental ass, and hire her on the spot. That way, I got to replace you and get some more formulas, and if she gets caught it's no loss. To me, that's just smart business." Ma'am looked at Mariko with surprise.

"What?!" thought Mariko angrily.

"Yeah, She didn't get me as much as some of the others." Ivan mused, "She was loyal, just a little dumb. I knew she wasn't gonna be of any use to me any other way. Except she does have cute tits..." He said with a leer and a pinch of Mariko's nipple.

"That bastard!" fumed Mariko "This is what I've been protecting?."

"Besides, she probably still hasn't told Allison that she was working for me!" Ivan said with a smirk. Mariko couldn't take this any more, She pulled away from Ivan and faced him angrily. All the revelers in the vicinity turned and watched the confrontation.

"Nnnnmeggnn! Nnnummnmh!! NMGNNNGNH!!!! MMNE NNGHGGBNF!!!!" Shouted Mariko. (Narrator's note: These were all cuss words, as if you couldn't guess!

"Are you trying to tell me something?" said Ivan with a condescending wink. With that remark, Mariko hauled off and kicked Ivan as hard as she could in the shin. She only wished that her skirts hadn't prevented her from kicking him higher up. Everyone watching broke into laughter as Ivan hopped back holding his shin and Mariko jumped towards him for a second shot, She was certain she could get higher *THIS* time! Ma'am and Courtney acted swiftly as they blocked Mariko's advance and began pushing her back away from the battle. Ivan rolled back and tried to cover his head with his hands.

"NDHHNNGG! MMMNNGG, MLMNHGG!!!!!!" shouted the infuriated Japanese girl over their backs at Ivan as they pushed her away. Ivan smiled and blew Mariko a kiss as she was being dragged away. The last thing Mariko heard was Ima saying, "Mummy kiss an' make all better. Mummm mumm mumm...

"What the heck is going on around here?" demanded Allison when she found the girls in an empty bedroom attempting to cool off.

"Awh, it wasn't nothing," drawled Ma'am, "We just had a little fight.

"What? With who?

"Good ol' Ivan Rasovitz, in his usual creepy fashion, made a comment about how he felt about Mariko here, so she kicked him."

"Where?" asked Allison

"In the living room."

"NOooo!... *WHERE*?"

"Oh, In the shins." replied Ma'am.

"Too bad," Allison said, turning to Mariko. "I guess next time we should dress you in pants." Mariko nodded emphatically. "It look's like you've got things under control, why don't you stay here with Mariko so she can cool off. I'll take Courtney back to the party with me...

"Okay," said Ma'am. "Is it all right if I take her gag off?"

"Sure, it'd be pretty boring otherwise." Allison said as she picked up the rope leash and pulled Courtney out of the room behind her.

Ma'am removed the scarf that covered Mariko's mouth, then took a small pair of cutters out of her pocket and carefully snipped the two thin wires that held Mariko's mouth shut and removed the plug. Mariko sat for a moment opening and stretching her jaw muscles.

"I see you know Ivan too." said Ma'am.

"Yes I used to work for him, the bastard!" replied Mariko.

"Spying?" asked Ma'am.

"How did you know????" asked the surprised Mariko, "I never let on..." Ma'am let out a small laugh, and walked over to the mirror, "That's how I met Allison, I was working for Ivan about four years ago and he told me that he suspected that he had someone stealing his formulas and selling them to B&D Cosmetics. He wanted me to get a job with B&D, so I could help him track down the crook by sending back the stolen formulas. He had done so much for me, giving me a job right out of college, promoting me, teaching me, that I had to do it for him. In fact, I did it for almost a year before Allison caught me."

"Wow! I barely made it about six months. But, if that is true why didn't he come and help you?...Or me? and why did he act that way tonight?"

"You still don't get it???" asked Ma'am. "Remember, he never asked for any specific formulas, We just sent them ALL to him! Allison wasn't copying any of Ivan's work... He had us stealing Allison's line so *HE* could copy it!

It all came together for Mariko now, she had been protecting a crook with her silence. She shook her head in disgust at her own naivete.

"There's still one thing I don't understand," began Mariko slowly, "Why did Allison go through all this trouble, kidnapping me, and making me go through all the crap I've been through at the school. Why didn't she just call the police and have me arrested.

"Well, several reasons, she knew you were tricked into stealing the stuff from her, and although the stealing really pissed her off, she didn't think it was worth sending you to jail, just because you're naive. But she did want to be sure you were punished... and as we're all well aware, she's kinky enough to really *ENJOY* punishing you."

"Oh, so it was a favor, not to send me to jail for a year or two but instead she can keep me like this forever?" blurted Mariko angrily.

"No way, she would never had done that!" responded Ma'am "All she was waiting for was for you to admit what you had done and say you were sorry. That's all, then she would have let you go with only a promise not to give her any trouble in the future, like going to the police, otherwise she would have to go to the police and press charges for the spying.

"And I was too stubborn to give in and tell... and she knew all along.

"Right! She wasn't about to let you even think you got better of her. She won't ever let someone beat her.

"But what about Courtney, what did she do to deserve this?" asked Mariko.

"I really don't know, But she had to have done something. Allison doesn't always tell us everything, in fact, I didn't even know we both worked for Ivan until we saw him down stairs.

"Wait a minute! That's right!" Mariko shouted. "You did the same thing I did! Why aren't you wearing this stupid outfit?

"Hold it right there! I did wear things like that! In fact, you have it easy compared to the way it was in the old days! Joan and I didn't have cuffs like yours, with a lock and key, ours SCREWED together, we wore them for days at a time! Even our pajamas had only one sleeve, if you know what I mean. So don't try to tell me we got off easy!

"How long did you go through that?" Mariko asked "And how did you get to where you are now?

"We've been Allison's slaves for about three years now..." noting Mariko's surprise at 'slaves', Ma'am continued. "Yes, we're her slaves too, Joan and I, we get more freedom then you do but we're still absolutely under her control and I myself wouldn't have it any other way.

"What?!" gasped Mariko.

"Oh come on, don't tell me you haven't thought about it, It's a special thing, giving yourself to someone totally, total trust, without reservation, and no restrictions. And have that person return your gift by paying total attention to you, to care for you, protect you, and love you. One thing I realized right away was that Allison and her friends had something that I had never come across before, total honesty, what you see is what you get... You know when she's mad, you know when she's pleased, she doesn't pull any punches. It's hard to express, but I can't see my life without her now.

"You mean you love her?" asked Mariko incredulously.

"I don't love all the things she's done to me. But that's her... Open, honest, well meaning in a way. I guess that's what I love. She's just a little kinky, you just have to put up with that.

"I don't know if I can do that, Put up with it, I mean." said Mariko.

"You may not have to much longer. I think Allison made her point, or Ivan did it for her. She may be satisfied now and let you go."

"Does that mean I might be able to get a job like yours?"

"Oh, I doubt that..." smiled Ma'am as she stroked Mariko's cheek.

"Some have it and some don't. I think you were born for your lot, Sorry... Anyway, don't you feel better now?

"Just different I suppose, more then better, I'm really not mad anymore. To be honest, I don't think I have been for a while."

"Same thing happened to me, it's really not so bad. You'd realize that sooner or later... Want to go back to the party now? I'm going to gag you again if you do." said Ma'am as she twirled a ball gag around her finger.

"Sure, why not..." said Mariko with a shrug. As Ma'am buckled the strap tightly behind her neck Mariko noticed that it didn't seem too terribly uncomfortable at all.

The two girls descended the stairs and they immediately noticed that the party had thinned out considerably. It seemed to Mariko that the majority of the people who remained were those who's costumes leaned towards bondage. At the bottom of the stairs they passed Sir Reginald who was conferring with two other men while they fumbled with some small object. Mariko over heard Sir Reginald, "Blasted gadgets!!" he said as he concentrated on what they were doing so much that he didn't even notice Ma'am and Mariko pass by.

Presently, they found Allison and Courtney chatting with Charlotte. After a few moments and some warm thank you's and good- byes Allison and Ma'am prodded the exhausted Mariko and Courtney towards the exit. As they crossed the living room they could see a pair of green satin ears poking up from the back of a plush easy chair. Mariko was surprised as they passed in front of the chair where they could see Sweetcakes, she was covered with perspiration. Her hands were secured behind her by the white cuffs, cleverly connected by the trick cufflinks, and silenced with the wad of fluff that had been her cotton tail. Her face was flushed red and she was panting frantically through her nose. The two tiny bulbs on her bow tie were now brightly lit. Seems she was an example of the pitfall of faulty technology. She opened her eyes for the briefest of moments and met eyes with Mariko. She smiled weakly at her friend, shrugged as if to say "What's the use...", and then orgasmed again.

On the flight back to New York, Mariko spent a long time in thought. Her life had been changed so radically in the last few days that it would take her a long time to sort herself out. If she would ever be able to understand all that had happened. She ultimately figured that all she would need was time. When they finally pulled up in front of the estate, Mariko spied her old friends, the Three Stooges, waiting for them. Allison and Ma'am both got out of the car without saying a word and went into the house leaving the oriental guards to conduct Mariko and Courtney down to their rooms. They seated Mariko on one of the chairs next to the table and handcuffed her ankles together. She already wore a pair on her wrists connected to a ring on the back of her belt. She still chewed on the red rubber ball they had locked on her that morning in LA She looked around the room that she had become so accustom to over her stay with Allison, the small platform bed, the simple table and chairs, and the un-private bathroom, with no door opposite the locked exit.

"I wonder if I'd miss this place?" she thought. There was a rattling as the door was unbolted from the outside. It was Allison. She walked in slowly and came up to stand in front of the cuffed girl.

"Here," she said, placing a key ring with three keys on the table beside Mariko. "Now that you understand. The choice is all yours..." There was no trick, her freedom was at hand. Allison turned and walked out past the door leaving it ajar. Mariko sat for many moments and stared at the keys. Many thoughts raced through her head as she contemplated her future. She tried to remember the past, of Ivan, of Richard, of freedom, of bondage, This was the crossroads of her life. But the die was cast and Mariko knew it. She leaned forward and pushed the keys to the edge of the table. She reached down and by pushing her tongue out under the ball she was able to scoop up the keys and pin them against the ball with her tongue. She slowly stood up and shuffled over to the door to her room with tiny mincing steps. When she reached the threshold of the door she awkwardly knelt down, facing the door. The adrenaline raced through her body and her head pounded with excitement. Minutes seemed like hours as she squirmed on the floor. Finally, the door creaked as it opened and Mariko looked up directly into Allison's curious face for a long moment. There was no more time, What should be done, would be done... Mariko leaned forward and let the keys slip from her mouth. The sound of the keys hitting the floor at Allison's feet was almost deafening, and Mariko strained forward and pressed her nose and cheek against Allison's boot. Her freedom willingly gone forever.

There was a long pause before Mariko was able to open her eyes, and when she did they were filled with tears, tears of joy. She had found the strength to do as she wanted. She looked up at Allison who loomed over her for a moment then knelt down beside Mariko and warmly hugged her.

"Welcome to my family..." Allison said as she kissed her on the cheek. "I'm so glad you decided to stay." she said as she stood and helped Mariko back to her chair. Allison then smiled and turned to the door. "I'll send the girls down to take care of you... You'll be dressing for dinner tonight!

"Oh my! What have I gone and done????" thought Mariko happily. Suddenly, the door was unbolted and a blonde head poked inside. It was Courtney. She still wore the dress she had on for their trip and she carried a big paper bag in her arms. She was without the handcuffs. She was without the gag. To Mariko she just didn't seem like Courtney anymore without them. She set the bag on the table and leaned down to Mariko.

"I'm outta here!" she said with a smile. "Allison told me that you were staying and what you did, I guess you can never figure anybody huh? I certainly never figured you as a spy." She smiled. "Ya know... I'll bet you could never guess why Allison was so pissed off at me?... Well?" Mariko figured it was pointless to guess because she was still gagged so she simply shrugged her shoulders.

"Remember those trips I took to Atlantic City?" Mariko nodded.

"Well, see, I had this little problem... See, I figured that I'd just borrow some money for a little while, and I did it so good, I even set up a little tiny advertising company, so I could cash the checks... I was gonna pay it back with my winnings, only I didn't win... " Courtney said as she blushed "Then I borrowed some more and lost and before long I had borrowed quite a bit. BUT I WAS GONNA PAY IT BACK!! Really!! It wasn't embezzlement like Allison said, Gee, I hate that word..., it was borrowing!" Courtney said emphatically, but still blushing. "Anyway, Allison and I worked this deal, she said I could leave as long as I promised to pay her back. She even gave me a job! Seventy five grand a year! At that rate, if I pay her back fifty grand a year, I should be all square in about five years... That's not so long!..." Mariko wondered if Courtney had given much thought about the interest.

"Anyway Mari, I can't wait to get outta here. Look!" she said as she waved her arms above her head. "I've forgotten what this was like! It's fabulous!" With that, Courtney bent over and hugged Mariko and kissed her on the cheek. "I know your going to be happy staying here, it's just not for me, You know?" she said as she turned to leave. As she passed by the table and picked up her bag the load slipped from her grasp and crashed to the floor. Out of the bag skittered a gleaming rubber ball with a leather strap running through the center. Courtney scrambled to snatch up the ball and then turned to face her friend with a face as fiery red as the ball she plunged back into the bag.

"It's only a souvenir! Really! Allison said I could!!" Courtney said weakly. Mariko nodded, and smiled.

"Anyway, I'll see ya Mari!" Courtney said as she closed and bolted the door behind her. Somehow, Mariko was sure that that she would be seeing Courtney again... Soon.

The End
















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