The Ruined Man
by Annabelle

This story is a sequel to Catturata.

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It has to be my favorite way to wake up.

Slowly coming awake, feeling warm and comfortable and still... with the weight of my lover pressed against my back, his arm around my waist, his naked body pressed tightly against mine. And while I lay awake enjoying the moment, he is still asleep, our breathing synced because of our contact, our closeness.

I could stay that way for hours, drifting back and forth across the border between wakefulness and slumber, so easy to simply slip back to my dreams. While my lover, totally oblivious that I am awake and aware while lying underneath him, sleeps on.

It is... one of the safest feelings I know... but it doesn't last.

I had to pee.

I didn't want to wake him though, and took great care in slowly moving into a position where I could shift his arm enough to slip free, noticing with amusement that for once I wasn't sleeping with my hands cuffed behind my back. The hardest part of getting out of bed was pulling my hair out from under him. I love my long, black hair, but at times like this it could really be a nuisance. A little patience though and it was free, and so was I.

I heard him grumble a little as I slipped from the bed, sliding out from underneath him as gently as I could. But he didn't wake as I stood up, and I stood shivering for a moment in the cool air of his bedroom, so warm his body had been. We had slept without any covers on the fitted silk sheet that covered his mattress, but climbing out from under him had felt like climbing out from under the several blankets I used to use back when I lived in Kansas during the winter.

I paused, standing naked next to the bed to see if he would wake, and when I saw that he wasn't I made my way to the bathroom.

Sunlight streamed in, the day already started, as I padded past clothes strewn all over the floor. After a quick stop in the spacious bathroom, I went to the kitchen and started some coffee before heading back to the bathroom for a much needed shower.

There was no tub, but the shower cubicle was huge, with lots of shower heads at various heights and in so many places you didn't have to turn around to be pummeled all over. I turned them all on and closed my eyes, enjoying the sensations of all those water sprays hitting me at once. But the noise must have woken him up, because I heard the shower door slide open, then close, and a moment later two arms wrapped themselves around me.

"Morning, beautiful," he said with a chuckle as he pressed his naked body against mine.

"Morning, Joe," I replied, turning to face him... and we kissed.

The first time I used Joe's shower I wondered if he had had it custom made, because the three walls and door that enclosed it were not like any I had ever seen before. They were made out of the usual stuff I expect all waterproof shower walls are made out of, but they were contoured a lot like a Jacuzzi is, with bumps and shelves which were practically seats if used a certain way... and that certain way was to be pressed against a wall, perched on one of those 'seats' that just so happened to be the perfect height for me to spread my legs while Joe slipped easily into me. The 'seat' made it so very easy for me to wrap my legs around him and hold him close to me as we made love in the water for what, the fourth time since I got there... and I'm not counting the times we had sex outside the bathroom either. ;)

But somehow, that shower also always made me wonder just how many women Joe had fucked in there since he got it. After all, if you were going to go to the trouble and expense to have a shower stall created specifically for sex, you were going to use it, right?

Such thoughts usually gave way pretty quickly to passion though, and once we had our fun Joe left me to clean up properly. He even had a decent selection of women's shampoos and care products... a very courteous lover was Joe. By the time I was done, Joe had dressed and gone out. I found a note on the kitchen island letting me know he had stepped out to get us some breakfast, so I stood nude, still toweling my hair, wondering what to do.

Coffee. I wanted my coffee. A life-giving brew that re-energized, and I needed it. My body still glowed from our morning sex, and it was with a contented smile that I took my first sip and wandered about Joe's apartment.

Joe's apartment in Scottsdale... I just have to say a few words about it because I had never seen a layout like it before. Joe lived on the top floor of an office building, now owned by Jason. It wasn't actually the original top floor, it was just a penthouse that somebody had built on the roof. The elevator only went up to the floor below, so you had to climb stairs to get to Joe's apartment. The outside walls were huge floor to ceiling windows, so it was like standing outdoors in a way, something that made me conscious of my nudity, since except for the bathroom there was no spot in the entire apartment that wasn't exposed to the outside world. This would actually have scared me if it wasn't for two things. First, the windows were tinted so that during the day no one could see in. And second, we were in the tallest building for blocks, so there was no one close by to look anyway. Still, anyone with a good telescope would be able to see in after dark, and I hoped they learned a thing or two from my night with Joe.

Heck, I was sure that most nights Joe gave lessons that almost any voyeur would be taking notes on.

But it wasn't just the location that made Joe's place so unique. It was also the layout of the rooms. The apartment was shaped like a rectangle. At one end were the stairs you came up to enter it. They opened directly onto his living room, which took up basically one third of the floor space of the entire place.

Only the kitchen island separated the kitchen from the living room, the kitchen being very open plan except for a wall it shared with the bathroom. The bathroom, like I said, was enclosed, but on the other side of that was Joe's bedroom, which was the same size as the living room and took up the space at the opposite end of the floor. The kitchen and bathroom existed as a sort of island in the middle of the apartment, with window-lined hallways passing on either side. The only door in the entire place, apart from the front door at the bottom of the stairs, was the one to the bathroom.

It was a very open, very modern, very exposed sort of a place to live... yet I loved it! So I sipped my coffee and simply walked slowly around, doing laps, while admiring the artwork Joe had put on the few walls he had. Not caring that I was walking naked past all those windows with the entire city of Scottsdale looking on.

I was just pouring my second cup while thinking about getting dressed when I heard Joe come up the stairs.

"I got bagels," he said matter-of-factly.

"You know, I could have cooked something!" I replied, playing at being offended.

"Hmmm," he said, giving me that 'Oh God he's so Sexy!' look that he does so well. "A naked woman cooking in my kitchen, how domestic!"

I laughed. "Yes, you missed your chance... not that you have much food here anyway!" I wasn't joking... some of Joe's kitchen cabinets were being used as extra closet space. The first time I ever came here, I opened a drawer expecting to find spoons, and discovered socks.

"Why cook when there is a great deli just two doors down," he replied, emptying the bag he carried of its sweet smelling contents.

I sighed, the professional chef in me feeling a little slighted. "Remember who you are talking to!"

Sitting down in an easy chair and grabbing a bagel, Joe looked up at me. "Oh I remember okay, every single inch of you!"

I blushed and looked away from him, knowing the truth of it. And suddenly felt... well... pretty horny. God, that man, he was a walking aphrodisiac!

Joe just chuckled, knowing full well the effect he was having on me. "Come on, eat up. We have to go pick up Jason at the airport soon."

That made me smile. Jason Laird was my real reason for moving to Arizona... my lover, my benefactor, my friend. Along with giving my career a boost by being the silent partner and owner of my first real restaurant, he was also the man that truly understood and connected with my submissive side and love of bondage games. And he didn't let his sixty plus years slow him down. His hair may have become almost all white with age, but he was as physically fit as a man twenty years younger!

My home was a small house especially fitted out for our play, which sat on several acres of land where Jason also lived, but in a much bigger house. Some people might think of me as his bondage slave, especially since a shiny steel collar that I didn't have a key for was locked around my neck. But I felt it was more of a partnership than anything else, with each of us bringing something to the relationship that the other needed.

So, why was I here with a man called Joe? Those of you who have read my other stories know who Joe is already. But for the benefit of new readers... Joe is Jason's... well... right hand... I think. Actually, I was never quite sure what Joe did for Jason. Oh, I knew Joe drove Jason around when Jason didn't want to drive himself. Joe was also a pilot, and flew Jason around in Jason's little private plane. (I called it that once in front of Joe and he was very offended. He said Jason's twin turboprop King Air cost $5 million, and was not 'little'.)

Joe also acted as Jason's trainer, and at least twice a week the two of them would go running together, and often Joe would help Jason in the private gym Jason had in his house. And I think that Joe sometimes acted as Jason's bodyguard, although I am only speculating there. I knew Joe could handle himself, I had seen it first hand at the Sandhills Spree when Joe saved me from some guys who were trying to take advantage of the fact that I was naked and chained up! But otherwise, Joe simply... did stuff, whenever Jason needed things to be done.

That still didn't explain why Joe and I... well... why we had sex at least... oh God... eight times in the last ten hours, if I was supposed to be committed to Jason! Well... you have to understand Joe, which Jason did very well. If I had done this with any other man, Jason would have been hurt deeply, and our relationship would most certainly have come to an end. But Joe was different because he loved women for the fun he could have with them and the pleasure he loved to give them... no strings attached. Jason knew full well that Joe and I would never actually form any sort of relationship that would threaten Jason in any way. Sure, Joe and I were good friends, but that friendship had little to do with what we did in bed... or on the dinner table, or in the shower, or that one time in the women's restroom at the post office... oh God... Joe was an alley cat, an incredibly sensuous, attractive, masculine creature that rarely failed to get any woman's pulse racing. Jason knew that to be offended by Joe and me having sex, was like him being offended by my using a vibrator to get off... and Jason had bought me most of the vibes that I have... lol.

Jason knew and trusted that it was just sex, just fun, between two people he... well... loved... and that he knew it wouldn't come between us in the slightest.

Anyway, getting back to my little tale...

"It's been a long week," I said, chomping on the delicious bagel Joe had bought for me, while I tried to let my chef's palette figure out the recipe. "I hope he got Chris sorted out!"

Jason had gone to New York the week before, to help his thirty year old son Chris sort out some things about Chris's collapsing life. Chris himself had come out here to Scottsdale back in November to break the news to his father that his business had collapsed because he hadn't been faithful to his girlfriend of the time... a girl whose father was a major client of his stockbroker firm.

He didn't stay long, leaving shortly after a special event we held at the restaurant, and I hadn't seen him since, which was good. Chris Laird and I hadn't met under the best of circumstances and his opinion of me was one of gold digger and... slut. The latter because he found out about how Jason and I lived, and I guess he didn't approve... although I saw the way he looked at me, especially when I was nude, and I wondered about other motives he may have had. It wasn't just hate in his eyes.

And to make things worse, I'm still not sure how I feel about that guy, considering that he not only looks like his father only younger, but he also carries that same intense, self assured masculinity that Jason has in spades. Jason used his to create several profitable business which made him rich, and Chris... didn't.

Still, if it wasn't for his attitude I might have been attracted to Chris Laird. And if it wasn't for that and another incident. I'm really not sure, because I was tied up and blinded by a bag over my head at the time, but I think Chris raped me, making me think it was Jason I was making love to. But, I just can't be sure that it wasn't Jason either! And I didn't want to ask Jason if it had been him that night!

What if he said it wasn't?

But I'm babbling, when I should be going on with my story.

"No idea," Joe said, finishing his bagel. "But we should get going pretty soon, I want to meet his plane."

"I suppose I should get dressed then," I said with a sigh and a wriggle of my hips.

Joe grinned and gave me another of his famous sensuous looks. "Wait here, I'll find something for you to wear," he ordered.

"But I have clothes here already!" I told him.

"I have something better for you to wear to the airport," he replied, heading down the hallway to his bedroom.

I wondered what it could be. The entire wall his room shared with the bathroom was one long closet, and I knew from peeking that there were some women's clothes hanging in there. Probably left by the scores of women Joe had entertained here. But I wasn't sure how I felt about wearing something left behind by one of Joe's former conquests. I needn't have worried, because what Joe brought back certainly hadn't been worn by anyone before... probably.

"A suitcase?" I said with disbelief.

"The perfect thing for visiting a busy airport!"

I laughed. "Okay... funny. Now I'm going to get dressed," I said, heading for where my clothes lay scattered on his bedroom floor.

But Joe grabbed me in his strong arms and carried me wriggling and fighting to the couch, where he bent me over the back, bringing my arms behind me. One strong swat on my butt, and I stopped struggling and started giggling.

"Joe!" I cried out. "What are you doing? I'm not going into that suitcase!"

"Oh yes you are! It's the perfect outfit for a bondage lover like you!" he said, laughing and preventing me from moving. "Besides," he continued, whispering in my ear, "It's not like you have a choice, is it? You like it when you have-no-choice."

His closeness, my nakedness, his breath on my neck, and his strength in holding me down... all conspired against me. I felt the familiar stirrings deep inside that told me that I was going to give in, and I just nodded. The thought of being trapped in that suitcase surrounded by hundreds of people... warmed me, and I hated my body for making me feel so good about what was a really crazy idea!

"Hey, don't worry. I'll make sure you are okay. You know I'll protect you, don't you, Annabelle?" Joe said in all seriousness.

I sighed. "I know. But if I find myself on a plane to... Panama or someplace, I'm going to bite your dick off!" I said, stifling a giggle.

"Hey, the woman who's jaws are strong enough to bite my dick off is a woman I want to meet!"

I laughed, thinking he may be right. Joe's cock, considering all the workout it gets, was probably too tough for anyone to mess with.

"Okay, no biting. But before you put me in that thing, I want to put up my hair. I don't want it stuck in a zipper or anything!"

"Deal!" Joe replied, letting me go. And with another sigh, I got ready for my next adventure.

* * *

I've been ball tied before, but being shut in a suitcase is very different. It was so tight my knees pressed against my chest and my shoulders were squeezed together. And it was very stuffy, with each breath an effort. And I couldn't even shift a little bit to make anything more comfortable, because before I went in Joe tied my hands behind my back. So I didn't have any leverage for anything.

But the suitcase he chose was a hard-sided one, which was good. There was a lot of room for my head, which made a world of difference. I've never been claustrophobic, but I don't think I could have stood the sides of a soft-sided case pressing against my face, not with everything else. With my head free, I could turn it a little if I had to, and there was nothing against my face to impede my breathing any further.

There was even a little light; it snuck in through the holes Joe had put into case earlier. Evidently this little trip to the airport had been planned well in advance. Of course none of the holes were where I could look out of them, but the small amount of light they let in also helped keep the inside of the suitcase from seeming like a tomb.

I could get through it.

It was scary though. Here I was completely nude and locked into a suitcase... and there were people standing not even a foot away from me, not realizing I was there! I could hear them all around me as I waited in the terminal for Jason's plane to arrive, naked and helpless in a crowd.

It was thoughts about that that helped get me through it too!

Of course, the ride out had been interesting too. Joe first had to carry me into the elevator. Then all I could feel were the bumps in the floor as Joe wheeled me along, my body tilted to the side. Now I knew that Joe drove a Range Rover, he liked it for its power and he said it helped him impress women, although I couldn't see it myself. But I also saw the night before that one of Jason's SUV's was sitting outside Joe's building too. And I was pretty sure that's the vehicle we took as I heard the back gate open and I was lifted into it. Joe set the case so that I was lying on my back, closed the SUV door, and off we went. And all I could do was lie there hoping Joe didn't get into an accident.

I had only been to Sky Harbor Airport once before, the first time I had flown out here to be with Jason. But I knew when we got there because of the parking garage. Even though I couldn't see it, that long spiral ramp felt unmistakable, a long hard turn that had me pressed against the side of the case which Joe had considerately stored standing upright.

And then there was a long walk and an elevator ride, and then the crowds.

"You still alive in there?" Joe asked at one point, his voice close, which meant he must have been crouched down beside me.

"No, I'm dead," I replied, wondering if I was still enjoying the experience.

"Just checking," said Joe. "I could always have just opened the case to check. I still could, you know!"

"Don't you dare!" I hissed, and Joe laughed.

I tried again to move to a more comfortable position, but there wasn't one. I was stuck until someone let me out... but that was the point, wasn't it... that was what I liked about my lifestyle and bondage in general, and once again I wondered about how sane I really was to feel the way I do.

"Maybe I should check you in some place," continued Joe. "Or leave you next to a nice big pile of luggage while I go get some coffee."

"NO... please, don't!" I cried out, afraid of being left alone. I didn't want to be mistaken for a bomb, or end up on a plane to Africa or some place.

Joe laughed again, the evil ass. "Then shut up, I think someone heard you!"

I shut up, afraid he was right. It would be horribly embarrassing to be discovered this way, and airport security people probably had a low tolerance for people joking around at the moment.

But why was it taking so long? I had no real sense of time as I sat in my dark prison, but it must have been at least an hour since we got to the airport. All I could do though was concentrate on my breathing while trying to ignore the pain in my arms and shoulders.

"Okay, he's deboarding," Joe eventually said, and I felt myself moving again. I stayed quiet as we traveled with a lot of people toward where Jason obviously had to collect his luggage, and again felt both scared and aroused by the fact that I was surrounded by so many people that had no idea I was there... that I was trapped here!

Yes, okay, I was having fun.

It was as we stopped and waited again that I had my moment of panic.

Those of you who have spent any real time tied up, or chained up, or tightly restrained in any way, know what I mean. It's that 'I want out now' moment that suddenly flashes in you, and in almost a panic you begin pulling and tugging at whatever holds you.

For some, that's the time you find out that you aren't as secure as you thought you were, as a knot comes free or a hand slips out of a loop. Or this is when you grab for those safety keys that you swore you weren't going to use this time. Or... this is when you find out that you are well and truly stuck as you struggle and pull, only to end up in exactly the same position that you started in.

I don't think it has anything to do with fear, this urge to escape. I think it has a lot more to do with our body's reaction to the unnatural restrictions we place on them in bondage. But it can and does happen, and it doesn't matter if you are professional bondage model or playing self bondage at home... you will have this moment from time to time.

I had mine in that suitcase, a sudden urge to just get out! And I pulled hard at my bound wrists for just a second while kicking out with my legs. Of course I didn't get anywhere, I had absolutely no leverage to make any impact at all on the hard-sided suitcase I was locked in. But that didn't stop me trying for a second before I got myself back under control and calmed down.

I knew I didn't really want to escape, that I was okay and safe and all, so it was easy to get control back. Besides, if I had broken free it would have left me naked and bound in the middle of a crowd in an airport terminal, a recipe for disaster! Not only would Joe and I have been arrested, but our reputations and Jason's would have been ruined. It was too horrible to contemplate! So I had to stay hidden, stay in control, despite any discomfort.

"Hey Joe, am I happy to see you!" I heard, a familiar voice that made me smile and calm down even more. It was Jason, finally, and that made me very happy.

"It's good to see you too. How was New York?"

"Every time I go there it reminds me why I moved out here," Jason replied with a chuckle that I could hear even over the voices of the crowd around us.

"Not surprising," Joe said. "Christopher, nice to see you again, I didn't know you were flying back as well!"

Chris Laird was here too! Oh crap! I squirmed a little inside the case. I thought I had seen the last of him for a while.

"Joe," Chris replied simply.

"Where's Annabelle, Joe?" Jason asked. "I thought she was coming too!"

"Oh... she's here," Joe said with a chuckle, and I felt and heard him tap the side of the suitcase with his foot.

"You're kidding!" Jason said, and I could hear Joe laugh.

Chris said, "I don't get it. You guys are crazy."

"She's really in the case?" Jason asked, and Joe must have nodded or something because a moment later I heard Jason talk to me, close up, which meant he must have crouched down. "Annabelle?"

"Hi," I said quietly.

"You okay in there?" Jason asked with obvious concern.

I thought about how cramped up I was getting, and how scary it was being like this... yet... "I'm okay," I eventually said.

"Jesus, Annabelle! This is a bit risky, isn't it?"

That made me laugh. Like it was my idea! "Talk to Joe!" I told him.

Jason chuckled. "Well, it's a wonderful surprise you meeting us like this. But let's find a quiet corner where we can get you out and I can get a hug."

"NO!" I cried out. "We can't!"

"Why not?" Jason asked.

"Cos... I'm naked in here!"

Jason laughed again, and from the sound of it stood up as he did so. "Christ Joe, you could have let her wear something!"

"She wouldn't fit with clothes on," was Joe's lame excuse.

This made both men laugh, while Chris said, "It seems pretty stupid to me, Dad!"

"No one asked you, Chris," Jason said firmly. "Come on, I want some coffee."

Crap, I was hoping we would go straight home. But instead I was tilted onto my side again as someone grabbed my suitcase, and I felt myself being wheeled along once again. I pictured what we looked like, three men pulling suitcases on wheels and carrying whatever else they may have brought with them. Making their way through the crowd, looking completely normal among the hundreds of other people doing the same thing... only no one else had a naked girl locked in one of those suitcases... at least I thought not.

My fantasy mind began to wonder about that, if there were any other girls being transported that way today. I thought about the men stopping at a coffee shop, casually setting my case down. And while the men drank and talked, I would start to hear a whimpering from close by, the soft sobbing of another girl, obviously trapped as I was in another nearby suitcase.

Maybe that would be how bondage slave girls like us were required to travel by air, not in soft airline seats, but packed away as luggage in a pressurized area of the plane, along with people's pets. Tucked away in our suitcases, not needed until we reach our destinations.

Perhaps there were a lot of us here that day, getting on a plane, getting off... wheeled about the country like our owners' underwear.

Sitting in that suitcase while Jason and the others had their coffee, I let my thoughts drift about that fantasy, and I felt rather owned.

Eventually though, we moved on, and after a long walk and another elevator ride I felt the floor under my wheels change and I knew we were out in the parking garage again. My suspicions were confirmed when we stopped and I heard the tailgate of Jason's SUV open up.

A sudden jerk and lift, and I was up in the vehicle, set upright, and soon I heard the scraping and bumping of other luggage being loaded in with me.

"I'm sorry Annie," Jason said as this was going on. "I thought we might be able to get you out here. But there are too many cameras about."

"That's okay, I can manage a little while longer," I called out.

"Good, because we have a few stops to make, and I want to go to lunch. The airline food was terrible!"

"WHAT?" I yelled, and this time I heard all three men laugh.

The jerks.

"We should make a grocery run too, Jason," Joe said, probably smirking as he did so.

"Good idea, and I want to stop at the office to drop off some paperwork," Jason added.

And even Chris got into the act, suggesting they leave the SUV there and go hire something a bit more stylish for the day.

Yeah, funny... but there was nothing I could do about if they did decide to leave me, except pee inside Joe's suitcase. And I wasn't cleaning it up.

They didn't leave me though, despite all the teasing, and after a drive that still seemed too long we eventually stopped and I somehow knew we were home. I thought they would open the case in the back of the SUV to let me out, but instead I was carried up onto the porch. And when the case was finally opened, I blinked hard at the bright sunshine while enjoying the rush of fresh air over my naked body.

Jason and Joe had to help me out though; I was so stiff from being squeezed into a ball for so long that my legs hardly worked. They lifted me out and set me on a chair while gently helping me extend my legs, and I glanced up to see Chris watching me closely as I was handled.

Chris has seen me naked and bound many times, but the way he looked at me sometimes still had me nervous and embarrassed, and my mind was never far from that early morning incident that I wasn't sure about anymore.

"Get her a drink, Joe," Jason ordered, massaging my shoulders, and Joe left us alone.

"Thanks," I said, stretching as best I could. "I don't suppose you could untie my hands though, could you? Please?"

Jason blinked. Asking to be released... well, it had become an unwritten rule for me that I wasn't supposed to do that. But Jason knew full well that I never asked lightly when I did ask, so he nodded and untied my hands.

It felt so good to stretch my arms. But now that I was completely free a part of me missed the closeness of being in the suitcase, and I knew that I would try it again sometime.

Following my little adventure we all had lunch on the patio behind Jason's house.

Now I'd love to tell you how I cooked for the men, naked and chained next to the grill. I'm sure the thought of a naked girl serving rare steaks to three very masculine men while chained by the neck to a ring in the flagstones seems pretty good to you! Well, it does to me too, to be honest, but in reality it wasn't like that at all.

For one thing, Jason sent me off to get dressed, and I lunched with the men in a cute denim skirt and red halter, although I stayed barefoot. And the other reason that little fantasy didn't happen was that, even though I am a professional chef, with my own restaurant and everything, I still haven't managed to figure out how to cook steaks properly over a charcoal grill. At least to Jason's standard, that is. I tend to overcook, he says. But then our definitions of what constitutes a rare steak is pretty different. For me, a nice brown surface and cooked to the proper internal temperature is how it is supposed to be done. While to him, passing the steak through a warm room is going too far.

One time, I simply took a steak out of the cooler and put it on a plate for him without putting it on the grill at all. He wasn't amused, and since then I've been banned from touching it. So now when the grill is in use, I get to sit back and enjoy being cooked for like a normal person.

But then, isn't a grill guys' territory anyway? ;)

However, not cooking gave me more time to watch the men, and I could see that not all was well between Jason and Chris. They hardly ever exchanged words and I got the impression that Jason was pretty angry with his son, although he was all sweetness with me. And Jason would especially glare when he caught Chris staring at me, which was why, I guess, that Jason had me dressed for a change.

So as nice as it was to spend some normal time with two of my favorite men, it was actually a relief when Chris excused himself and lunch broke up. Joe said he had some work to do and also disappeared, so Jason and I left everything for Mrs. Ramirez, Jason's housekeeper, to clean up, and at his suggestion we headed up the hill to another part of his property.

"When do you have to be at work?" Jason asked me as we strolled along, my arm in his.

"The usual, I should be there at two," I replied, happy to have some alone time with him.

"You can be an hour late," he told me with a grin.

"Jason..." I started to say, but he shushed me.

"You don't have to be there for every prep," he went on to say. "I'm sure your crew knows by now that you are willing to do every job they are doing. You don't have to prove it every day!"

"I really should be there," I countered.

"Why? You're not a sous chef any longer, so quit thinking like one. You're the top chef at what is becoming one of Scottsdale's top restaurants, and your position means that you don't have to do all the grunt work anymore, that's what your staff is for!"

"But..."

"But nothing, Annabelle. I commend you on your commitment to the job and your loyalty to your crew, but it is time you let them do their jobs without you looking over their shoulders all the time. Besides, what are you leaving your sous chefs to do, if you are doing it all yourself? It's not just your career you have to look out for, but their's too, and you aren't doing any of your people a favor if you don't give them room to do their jobs!"

I sighed, knowing that what Jason just told me was true, yet finding it hard to give ground. "I assume there's a reason for your lecture?"

"Lecture? Sorry... I didn't mean it to come out that harshly," Jason replied, trying to smile, although I could see that his inner thoughts were not on me or my career. Something was definitely up between him and Chris.

Following the path that wound between the native creosote bushes and cactus, we ended up at our favorite terrace. A couple of weeks before Jason left for New York to see about Chris, Jason had some workmen up here adding a large stone arch, which now gave the place a sort of Roman amphitheater look. I quite liked it! Some all-weather storage bins were also added, disguised to look like stone seating, and inside them were all manner of bondage toys since this terrace was where we did most of our outdoor play.

I didn't think it was a coincidence that Jason had subtly steered us here.

"I still think you're going to be late for work though," he said with a more relaxed smile, and I knew I wouldn't be dressed for much longer.

Very soon, I was once again nude while Jason used rope to tie me to the arch. He wrapped plenty of rope around each of my wrists and bound me in place with my arms outstretched to the sides. He then did the same to my ankles, leaving me standing in a very spread, very exposed position, with the sun bathing my naked body and distant Scottsdale staring back at me. And yet again I wondered if I was putting on a show for any of our neighbors with a telescope. It didn't really matter though, and I was still embarrassed as Jason ran his hands all over me before gathering up my long hair and tying it to the arch above my head with more rope.

Testing my bonds I knew I was completely helpless in front of him, and yes, that got me excited, and I wondered what he had planned this time.

Before lunch Jason had changed out of his traveling clothes of slacks and shirt and into his home clothes of slacks and shirt. And from one of his pockets he produced a paper-wrapped package.

"I picked these up while I was in the City," he said happily, and he carefully unwrapped the paper until something shiny was revealed.

Of course I was excited, what girl doesn't like shiny things, and I grinned as he brought them close enough for me to see. I expected it to be a set of earrings or something like that, but I began to blush when I realized that what he was showing me was a lot more intimate than that.

"This one," he said, lifting one of the beautiful jeweled pieces up from the paper, "goes on your clit. The others go on your nipples. Beautiful, huh?"

They were. Red rubies and what I hoped weren't real white diamonds, clustered together and attached to tiny clips. I wasn't intimately pierced, and didn't think I would ever want to be, and Jason knew that, so if I was to wear anything down there, it would have to be on a clip. Still, the thought of wearing something so beautiful like that, made me flush even more, and I swallowed nervously.

Jason chuckled. "Here, let me," he said gently, and he put down the nipple rings before reaching for me, his rough fingers sliding along my already wet pussy lips as I stood helplessly spread in the sun. I squirmed a little and closed my eyes at his touch, but it felt oh so very, very good as he stroked me gently, making me jump and shiver and sigh.

He even knelt down at one point and started to suck at me, his teeth pulling at my clit, making me moan as my arousal built, and not for the first time I found myself frustrated by my bondage as I wished he would hurry up and make me cum.

But Jason didn't make me cum. Instead, when he saw I was ready, he took that beautiful piece of art he had bought for me, and slipped it onto my engorged clitoris, pressing the clip closed so that it would stay there. It didn't hurt, not a bit, but the pressure on that sensitive nub of flesh made me feel like he was continually holding me in his teeth, and when he let go of it I almost died with pleasure, as it swung free, sending waves right through me.

And then he moved to my nipples, first one, then the other... teasing and sucking and pinching, not that he really needed to do anything to make them erect at that point. Jason just liked to play with them. And it wasn't until he tightened the clips down that I noticed that he had slipped my new nipple jewelry on too.

It felt delicious, and sexy and sensual and crazy and overwhelming all at the same time, and I groaned in my bondage as he stepped back to look at me.

"You look... absolutely beautiful!" Jason said with a certainty that made me blush, and I opened my eyes and looked down at myself, amazed.

None of the pieces were very large, and really hardly weighed anything, but the way the rubies and diamonds shone against my tanned skin in the sunlight, was wonderful. And I blushed as I realized just how much these shiny things highlighted those most intimate parts of my anatomy. Anyone's eyes would be drawn directly to them, which I guess was the point!

And when I gave my body a slight shake, which was the best I could do in my current bondage, I could feel my new jewelry, as light as it was, subtly stimulate me, and I figured that for as long as I wore them, I would always feel horny. Another point.

When I looked up at Jason, my smile was warm and deep... and a little breathless. "Thank you, Sir," I managed to say.

Jason just smiled and stepped in close, taking me in his arms and kissing me. "You deserve it," he said when we stopped to breath. "In fact, at our next nude dinner at the restaurant, I want you to wear them."

"What?" I gasped. "I'd never get any work done!" I exclaimed, thinking about how distracting they were right now... and how embarrassed I would feel being in front of people, especially my crew, wearing his jewelry and nothing else.

Jason laughed. "Good. Like I said, you have a good crew working for you. They can do all the cooking and serving, and you can just look beautiful for me!"

I giggled as he kissed me again, but just as things were getting even hotter we were interrupted.

It was Mrs. Ramirez. "Phone for you, Mr. Laird," she said, standing at the edge of the terrace, a very neutral look on her face, although I could tell she didn't approve of what we were doing. "It's Mr. Crane, calling from Boston." She held out the cordless as if it was a dead rat, and I wondered if she disapproved of Mr. Crane, Jason's East Coast lawyer, too.

"Damn it!" Jason said under his breath as he stepped back, and I had to smile when I saw the frustration on his face, happy to know I wasn't alone.

He shook his head and then reached for my ropes... then paused. "No, you'll be okay here for a while, and this shouldn't take long," Jason said with an evil smile. "It'll make it easier for us to pick up where we were, too!"

I almost protested but laughed instead. On one hand it was rather embarrassing standing naked and spread out in broad daylight, especially with my new jewelry on... yet it was also exciting too. Besides, I had already asked Jason to let me out of bondage once today, I didn't dare ask again.

I felt safe though, this was private property and it certainly wasn't the first time I had been left alone out here in bondage. My only real worry was that it would probably push back my getting to work even more!

So I nodded, giving Jason the okay to leave me here as I was, something that those who think of me as Jason's slave would be shocked to hear about. But it was more about reassuring Jason that I was okay with it, than it was about giving permission.

Jason nodded, reassured, then turned and took the phone from Mrs. Ramirez. "Damn it, Denny, what now? I thought we had that settled!" he said as he headed back to the house.

Mrs. Ramirez stood and looked at me for a moment, our eyes meeting, before she shook her head and followed Jason in.

And I was now alone.

I don't know if you have ever been tied up like I was, but I have to tell you it isn't the most comfortable way of passing the time. Even though ropes held my arms up and out, my shoulders still started to ache after a while. And standing with my legs spread eventually made my hips hurt too. Add to that having my hair holding my head up, with the inevitable single hair that pulls more than the others, and it all becomes one frustrating, aching mess.

So you try to find relief somewhere, rotating your shoulders as best you can, getting up on your toes and trying to stretch, shaking your head in an effort to pull that hair free... but all that really happens is that you end up right back where you started... if you are tied up properly.

Still, other distractions can make the time pass nicely too. The jewelry hanging from my nipples would swing back and forth as I wriggled around, and felt very nice on my sensitive breasts and nipples. But the cluster hanging from my gently throbbing clit was slowly gaining more and more of my attention. The way it tugged and swung focused my mind like nothing else, and the longer I stood there the hotter I became... at least for a while. Because it didn't take long before no matter how I moved, I couldn't gain any more stimulation, or relief from the aches and pains of my predicament.

So I simply let myself relax into it, the sun baking my bare body, the warm air caressing every intimate part of me while Jason's ropes held me prisoner and Jason's jewels kept my passion's simmering... and I accepted who I was.

I was just a girl... not a chef, not a business owner, not someone responsible for anyone or anything... at that moment, I was just... a girl.

And I felt free.

I know... how could I be free when I was tied up spread eagle to a stone arch?

My freedom wasn't about what my body was doing, but about the bondage my mind and soul had been in until that moment. Tied to business and people and responsibility, it was like dragging around a huge ball and chain. But because I could now do nothing at all, I was responsible for nothing at all... all I could do was... be. And it was like waking up from a dream.

I suppose some might call it slipping into sub space, whatever that is. Me... I thought of it more as just finding that center where all is still and alive... my happy place maybe.

"Ahem," I heard a voice say, and I opened my eyes, my warm and fuzzy brain not yet working fast enough to be alarmed by who I saw. It was Chris, nicely dressed in a suit of all things, sitting still on one of the stone benches circling our amphitheater. He looked like he had been there a while, staring at my naked body as I stood bound and spread, and as he continued to stare at me I began to feel very uncomfortable, especially with my intimate jewelry on.

Of course, I tried to pull at my bonds to cover myself, and of course they resisted, that's what they were for.

"You looked like you were enjoying yourself," Chris said calmly, and once again I was reminded of Jason, in the way he spoke and the way he looked. Chris was very much the younger version of Jason... in body at least. But in the little time I'd known Chris, I found them to be two very different people.

Chris confused me. At times he could be a friendly, understanding guy. Yet more often I could see a resentment in his eyes when I was around. Then of course there was that... rape?

"Go away, Chris," I said, squirming a little in my ropes and of course getting no where, "Jason will be back soon."

"Dad is going to be on the phone for a while, slut. That idiot lawyer of his in Boston will see to that. So Daddy's little sex toy is going to be on her own for a while... well, not completely on her own," and he smiled and stood up.

"Jason doesn't want you around me," I told him, lying a little, but not much I hoped.

Chris started walking toward me, slowly. "Dad doesn't give a fuck. You're just the house plaything. We had a lot of fun on the plane on the flight back, him telling me stories about stuff you'd done. It was a riot, had a lot of the guys surrounding us on the plane panting and wanting more!"

I was stunned! Jason wouldn't have, would he? No, Chris had to be lying, that I could believe.

"You're lying!"

"Am I, Annie? He keeps you naked, he keeps you tied up and he fucks you whenever he chooses. He can't think much of you to do that, can he?"

"It's what we both want," I tell him softly, getting more frightened the closer Chris gets to me.

"Sure it is! Or else that fool wouldn't get any at all! He pays you off with your restaurant and a place to live, and you willingly fuck him anyway he wants. Pretty good gig, Annie. They have a word for that, you know, trading sex for money and stuff. What is it?"

"Fuck you!"

"No, that's not it," Chris answered, and he grabbed my nose and twisted. "What's the fucking word, Annie?"

"OW! What's WRONG with you!" I cried out, trying to pull my head away, but with my hair bound to the arch, I couldn't move it much at all and it hurt!

"Tell me, Annie! Who gets paid for sex?"

I didn't want to tell him, but the pain was too much. "Prostitutes!" I eventually cried, and he let go.

"A good word, whore is a better one, much less respectable."

"What's the matter with you?" I said, wishing I was free to grab my nose, and looking out in vain for Jason to come back. "Why are you doing this?"

"Yeah, like you don't know," Chris answered, and he began to toy with my jewelry, flicking my nipples and clit and stimulating them even more.

If I could, I would have kicked him in the balls, but I was bound in about as vulnerable a position as a woman could be tied in, and could do absolutely nothing as he touched me, except squirm and... suffer?... the pleasures his touch gave me.

"If I scream, Jason's going come running!" I said angrily after a moment.

"Go ahead, scream," Chris said casually.

So I did, or at least I tried to. I opened my mouth and took a breath, and at that exact moment Chris punched me in the stomach. It wasn't hard, and only hurt a little, but it completely took my breath away and I hung gasping for air in my ropes like a fly in a web. My feet even came out from under me, and it took be a few moments to find my precarious balance again, not easy when spread so wide.

In that time though, Chris left me to walk around where I couldn't see him, and I was only partially aware of him rummaging through the outdoor storage bin at the edge of the patio where we kept a lot of the toys we played with out here. And by the time I got my breath back and was about to try screaming again, he appeared in front of me and punched me again.

It was like drowning, I just could not take a breath, and I panicked and pulled hard on all my ropes. Jason always did good work though and nothing at all would give, and only the pain in my scalp from my bound hair reminded me that I could hurt myself even more if I didn't gain some control.

Meanwhile, Chris waited patiently, a calm expression on his face, until I could draw breath again, before pushing a large ball gag into my mouth and buckling it behind my neck.

I didn't need the additional challenge to my breathing at all, but could do nothing but force air through my nose while I stared angrily at him, not understanding what was going on. Why was he doing this, didn't he care that I would tell Jason afterward, no matter what he did to me?

And then I got really scared when I thought that maybe he didn't care because I wouldn't be able to tell anyone! I started to struggle yet again, feeling the ropes burn into my wrists and ankles, but still there was no give, no release at all.

"You know, Annie, in other circumstance, I could have liked you," Chris said, walking around behind me again. "If you had just been a regular girlfriend for Dad, it wouldn't have been a problem. You'd have come and gone like a few others I could tell you about, and you would have been no threat at all to the family trust. Hell, I doubt it would have been much trouble for me to have seduced you myself, so even if Dad left you something, it would still have come to me. But, you had to play the submissive card, didn't you!"

He appeared again in front of me, and what he was carrying had me moaning and shaking my head. He had in his hand a long thin stick cut from a mesquite tree branch, a homemade cane. And he held it like he knew what he was doing.

"Heck, I could have even worked with that, Annie!" Chris continued. "The submissive thing. Did Dad ever tell you that we share that little personality trait? Did he share that gem with you while he was fucking your brains out in your cage? DID HE?" he suddenly yelled, and he swatted me across the breasts with the cane, making me scream behind my gag.

The pain was so intense I almost didn't feel it at first, but then it began to glow like a line of fire and I started crying.

"Answer me, slut, or you get another one!" Chris said slowly, and I frantically shook my head.

"Really? I would have thought Dad would have shared everything with you! But that's okay. Of course, he is a lot more into the dom/sub thing than I am... all these whips and chains and things. Personally, I just like a woman to be obedient!

He stepped close and ran a finger along the welt he had just created, making me cry out. "Are you an obedient woman, Annabelle?" he whispered.

I nodded, hoping that it was the answer he wanted.

"You would do anything you are told to do, wouldn't you?" Chris whispered again, his lips to my neck, his hands on my back, the cane tapping against my butt.

I nodded again... so scared.

"If I told you to suck my cock, right now, you would, wouldn't you?"

I started to cry again. I didn't want to suck him, I didn't want anything to do with him at all... yet, I was so scared! So I nodded, slowly, feeling defeated and helpless.

"If I told you to fuck me, right now, you'd do that too, wouldn't you, Annabelle?"

A resigned nod as I felt his force against me, his anger against my fear.

"Well," Chris chuckled, "I've already had that pleasure, and pleasure it was, Annie. You are a fine piece of ass, especially when chained down to a bed!"

So it WAS him, not Jason, who had taken me that morning, and I felt shame rush through me. I closed my eyes, not wanting to look at Chris any longer.

"But a slut does what she is told, and you are such the slut, Annie," Chris said, stepping back. "And because you're such an obedient slut, you're going to do something for me very soon. When I untie you, you're going to pack your things and leave town. Go back to Kansas or wherever you're from, and not see my Dad again. I want you out of our lives!"

I shook my head, not wanting to leave Jason or my restaurant.

"So... you'd fuck me if I told you to, cheating on my Dad while you did it, by the way. Yet you won't leave his money. Kinda shows us who you really are, doesn't it, Annabelle!" Chris said, moving again. "But I need you more obedient than that, so I guess I'm going to have to convince you how serious I am."

With my eyes closed, I didn't see the first strike coming, but I felt it across my belly and I screamed into my gag. He didn't stop there either, he kept going. Several across my breasts and belly and the front of my thighs, before walking around to work on my back and buttocks.

With the gag in my mouth, I could barely breath as he beat me, and in my pain I kept my eyes closed until I heard some running steps, and I opened them just in time to see Joe dashing across the patio toward Chris.

Chris saw him too, and actually smiled, swiping out at Joe with the cane, stopping Joe in his tracks.

"Fuck off, Joe!" Chris said, more calmly than I thought was normal. "You have no business here!"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO HER?" Joe shouted, staring in horror.

"Family business, Joe. Nothing the hired help need worry about. So FUCK. OFF!"

"BULLSHIT!" Joe cried, stepping toward Chris.

Chris took another swipe at Joe, but the bigger man didn't flinch and actually caught the cane in his hand, dragging it away from Chris in the process. I thought Chris was going to attack Joe again, but instead he just stood there laughing. "Go ahead, rescue the slut! I'll just string her up again tomorrow after I have you sacked today!"

Joe and I both looked at Chris strangely, not believing what we were hearing.

"Go on, take her down," Chris ranted on, "I'll just visit her in her cage tonight, where animals like her are meant to be kept. I can teach her how to properly behave there!"

Joe glanced at me, an angry look in his eyes, before shaking his head and moving toward Chris. "FUCK that!" Joe yelled and he punched Chris once, throwing the man back onto the ground and knocking him out cold.

And despite all my pain, I smiled as Joe started to free me.

* * *

I woke up later in Jason's bed, with no bondage at all except for my collar, my new jewelry also gone, but still nude because it hurt too much to dress. Chris's cane had cut me in a few spots, but mostly it was just welts that would pass in time, and my wrists and ankles were sore from rope burns. Honestly, it had been the fear of the situation that had hurt me more, but I felt safe again, which counted for a lot.

I was alone in the room, but I wanted company, and as I slipped out of bed I looked at the bedside clock and saw that I was very late for work indeed, an odd thought, but an honest one.

Pulling a blanket over my shoulders, something I wouldn't normally be allowed to do, I left the room and headed for where I thought I might find Jason. And sure enough, he was in his study. He and Joe were both there, whiskeys in hand, and of Chris there was no sign.

"You should be in bed, girl," Jason said, looking up in concern as I entered the room.

"I've slept enough," I replied.

Jason sighed. "I am SO sorry that happened to you, if he had..."

"Jason, please," I interrupted. "It wasn't your fault, you didn't know that Chris was going to go nuts and beat me... did you?"

"NO! I certainly did not!" Jason answered firmly.

"Good," I replied, looking at him. Then I turned to Joe. "Thank you, again, for saving me!"

Joe shrugged. "You in much pain?" he asked.

"Some, but the pills you gave me have helped a lot," I said with a soft smile.

Jason stood up. "Let me see, drop the blanket."

Something about the order, or just the tone Jason had used, made me flash back to Chris and those moments at the arch and I hesitated, a stab of fear suddenly flashing through me. But this was Jason, not Chris, so I obediently dropped the blanket, revealing myself to both men, the puffed up red lines across my body both front and back, and the deep red marks around my wrists and ankles.

"Christ!" Joe exclaimed. But Jason said nothing, he just kept his expression grim before picking up the blanket and handing it back to me.

Grateful, I wrapped up again and collapsed into one of the easy chairs and looked pointedly at the drink in Jason's hand.

"I want one of those," I said, closing my eyes.

"You shouldn't, not with those pills you took," Jason replied, but he got me a drink all the same.

"I don't care," I said quietly, sinking back into the chair and taking a sip of sharp, amber liquid. "Where is he?" I asked after a moment of silence.

"Gone, he won't be back," Jason said quietly.

"Why did he do it?" I asked the air.

Neither man answered for a moment, but then Jason spoke up, very reluctantly. "He's a ruined man, we couldn't salvage his career and he has nothing left in New York anymore. And... I guess that he didn't like it when I told him on the flight back that you were in my will."

Jason's will. My mind was too fuzzy to focus on that, it drifted to something else. "So you guys didn't brag about me on the plane?" I asked.

"No, of course not!" Jason replied, indignant.

I giggled. "Pity," I head myself saying, "I bet that would have raised a few eyebrows of your fellow flyers."

I didn't see both men exchange looks and wink, and I didn't really notice when one of them took my drink away. And by the time I was put back in Jason's bed I was deep asleep.

I never did get to work that night. I hope someone called the restaurant!

The End

Copyright© 2012 by Annabelle. All rights reserved. I welcome your comments. Email me at settlementgirl175@yahoo.com