Dah... deeee... dahhhh... the pager jarred me awake. I rolled out of bed, glanced at the clock and grabbed my clothes all in one, practiced motion.
"Shit, only 10:30," I swore softly, but in good humor. Since my wife had been killed ten years earlier I had started talking to myself. In her memory, I had founded the ambulance service that now called and demanded my undivided attention.
"The tone," the dispatcher started, "is for ambulance 69A1 respond code 3 with duty crew to 19 Maple Lane for a possible heart attack. Maple Lane is off Deer Run Road. To all responding units be advised the roads are snow covered and very slippery. Repeating. . ."
In the kitchen, I slipped into my boots and heavy jacket. Grabbing a flashlight, I stepped into the garage and hit the door switch. My big four-wheel drive pickup started instantly. I didn’t pick up the plow mounted on the front. Instead, I drove out and started plowing snow as I went. The deep, but light snow rolled off the road in front of me in one continual wave.
It was a rough two-mile drive to the ambulance bay, but I could do it in my sleep. As I drove into the yard, I hit the door opener and the last big bay door on the left rolled up. Picking up the plow, I drove straight into the bay and parked at the rear. When I had decided to start the ambulance service, I had found this defunct truck service center ideal. My construction crew had converted the garage into a first class ambulance garage and training center. However, I had them leave several of the bays open so the volunteers could park their cars inside on nights like tonight. When it was finished, I donated it to the town. Over the years, I was able to recruit nearly 30 people to serve with me.
Right behind me was Penny. She’s 19 and had joined right after her 18th birthday. She had proven to be smart and a very good EMT. Best of all, despite her age, she was one of the best drivers on the service. After all, she had started driving her dad’s tractor when she was ten and then graduated to racing four-wheel drive trucks on the local dirt tract. I think one reason she didn’t have a full time boyfriend was she intimidated them with her beauty and talent to do almost anything well. She was in short the all-American farm girl next door.
I started the ambulance and opened the bay door. Penny jumped in the passenger’s seat. Picking up the clipboard, she started making notes.
"Know where this place is?’
"Yeah, it’s old man Paine’s place -- the one they just built houses around."
"69A1 to Jackson dispatch," I radioed in to tell them they were on the air.
"Go ahead 69A1," Jackson answered.
As I was calling in, Ruth, the third and last member of the crew pulled in.
"69A1 is on the air and responding with a crew of three."
"69A1 is on the air and responding with a crew of three at 22:45. 69A1 be advised PD was responding, but they slid off the road at Gray’s crossing and are waiting for a tow."
"10-5 (message understood), any update on the call?"
"Negative, the calling party was upset and it sounded like a bad connection. She did say that the victim was on the floor unresponsive."
"OK, we’ll be there as soon as we can."
I found the old house easily. The porch light on nineteen Maple St. was on. It was one of the oldest houses in town. It had been the Paine homestead until the he sold out the farm. My architectural/construction firm had built several houses in the area the year before. The snow was deep, but I was able to back into drive way. Penny and Ruth grab the jump kits and other gear they might need as I informed dispatch we had arrived.
Wary, Penny and Ruth were waiting on the porch for me. Several lights were on down stairs.
I banged on the door; "Ambulance! Anybody home?"
A muffled voice called; "Come in, hurry!"
Reluctantly, I tried the door it swung open easily. I wished the cops had been able to respond. We live in a small town and violence was not common, but it pays to be careful. I can still remember the night a cop and I followed a trail of blood drops around a big old house looking for the suicidal owner.
"Hello!" I called, wondering which way to go.
"In here, first door on the left," a woman’s voice called.
A wide arch way opened into a lit room on the left. The sight that greeted us stopped us in our tracks; Penny and Ruth bumped into me. The room was clearly some sort of living room. In the center of the room was a fat man laying on his back. A woman, her left side facing us, kneeled over him. What stopped us was how the woman was dressed or perhaps more correctly what the woman was wearing. She had on some sort of straight jacket and a pair of leather shackles around her ankles with short chain connecting them. Other then that she appeared to be nude.
"Hurry! I think Harry is having a heart attack," she said as she glanced up to look at us.
As I looked the woman over I noted the jacket she was wearing pinned her arms behind her back and held them tight to her body. I wasn’t that familiar with straight jackets, but I knew the arms normally went in front. It was clear when she stood she wasn’t wearing anything below the waist. She made me a bit uncomfortable. I was very aware that she was a very beautiful woman with long slim legs and small bare feet. Of course, it was hard to tell what she had on top.
Penny, the unflappable, recovered first and pushed by me. She and I went to Harry. Penny started checked for breathing and a heartbeat while I pulled out the BP cuff and stethoscope.
"He’s breathing, but it’s shallow and rapid. He’s got a pulse, but the beat is so rapid I’m having trouble counting the beats," Penny reported.
I decided to skip his blood pressure and go directly to the defibrillator. Penny grabbed the BP cuff while I put the pads on.
While we were busy, Ruth began to question the woman. Although I was busy with Harry, I listened to Ruth’s interrogation, hoping to make sense out of what was going on.
"What is your name?" Ruth began.
"Zoë," miss straightjacket responded.
"Zoë, I’m Ruth; that’s Mike and Penny working on Harry. What is his last name and how old is he?"
"His last name is Brown and ah... I think he is two years older then I am, which would make him 37."
"Did he give any indication he was having a problem?"
"Not really. He just grabbed his chest and said, ‘Oh, God.’"
"What happened then?"
"He sat on the couch and then slid onto the floor. His eyes glazed over and he became unconscious. I know he had a heart attack three years ago, so I called 911."
We all turned and looked at her.
"What?" Zoë asked. "Oh, how did I call 911? I go barefoot a lot and I’m really good using my toes to pick things up. So I knocked the phone on the floor and dialed. Oh shit, the operator is still on the line." She turned and pointed toward the end of the couch with her foot.
Ruth went over and picked up the phone. She spoke to the operator and hung up.
Returning to her questions she asked, "How did you get like this?" Ruth waved vaguely at Zoë.
Ruth was sort of the grandmother on the service. She had a daughter who was nearly as old as Zoë and she was a good, conservative woman. I’m sure a nude woman in a straight jacket went against her grain, but she was very professional and didn’t let it interfere with her note taking.
Zoë seemed a little embarrassed for a moment, but answered quickly. As many people she wanted to please and told us more then we really needed to know.
"I’ve been into nudity and self bondage since I was 16. Over the last few years I’ve sort of lost interest. No matter how good I am at tying myself up, I always needed to be able to release myself. About a year ago, I met Harry at this artist group. There’s about nine in the group and they took turns modeling for each other. I decided I’m not a very good artist so I agreed to model for the group. I hit it off with Harry and finally got up the nerve to ask him to help me put on this jacket. I bought it a year ago, but..."
I sent Penny to get the gurney.
I was astonished at her candor. I found myself being drawn to her. Perhaps it was my overdeveloped sense of wanting to help. Bondage had never been part of my life; my wife would have tossed me out of the house if I had mentioned it. I found Zoë; I guess I would use the word "forward." I had grown up in a staid small New England town where everyone knew everything, but no one really talked--they talk around whatever the subject might be and you had to figure out what they meant. It was refreshing to listen to a woman who spoke her mind.
"We are nearly ready to go. Where are the keys to that jacket? Ruth can get you out of it while we load Harry." I asked Zoë.
"Ah... that’s impossible."
"What do you mean," Ruth asked her sharply, showing her displeasure at Zoë’s predicament. I was right Ruth was upset by Zoë’s condition.
"The keys are frozen in a jug of water in the downstairs freezer. Besides it will take you 15 minutes to unlock and remove it."
"How about the keys to the ankle cuffs?" Penny asked.
"Oh, they are in another jug. But I wear them all the time and didn’t plan to take them off until Monday morning."
"How long do you think it will take us to c..." Ruth never finished.
"Noooooo!" Zoë wailed, "this cost me a lot of money and you aren’t going to cut it off!!!
"But we can’t leave you here," Ruth told her.
"Yes you can!"
I was stumped. Zoë was not injured and wasn’t in immediate danger. There was no reason she needed to go to the hospital.
"Is this your house?" I asked.
"Yes"
She was in her own home and didn’t appear to be in any danger. I’m not a police officer and I couldn’t put her in protective custody. Anyway, I doubted any cop would want to get into that legal tangle. On the other hand, Harry was in urgent need of advance care and we needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible. In the end I decided we had no choice, we would leave Zoë, I didn’t have time to fight with her about cutting the jacket off. I didn’t think Harry was going to make it, but the only chance Harry had was getting him to the hospital.
"Are you sure you’ll be OK? I’ll be back as soon as I can."
"I’ve spent a lot of time in bondage and this is nothing. Please take care of Harry."
With a shrug I turned and help Penny loaded Harry on the stretcher and hauled him out to the ambulance. Penny jumped in to drive while Ruth climbed in back to help me.
Zoë watched the lights of the ambulance quickly fade into the snow.
"Why didn’t I go with them?" she asked herself aloud. There were several answers to that question ranging from the cost of the straight jacket -- this was the first time she had worn it and it would have been a waste of big bucks for someone to cut it off to modesty. Nevertheless, modesty was the least of her fears. She had never been modest and was comfortable with her body. Perhaps the best answer to her question was the risk. This was the first time in all the bondage she had done that she had no chance of escape. Harry had done his job very well and she was very secure. She could not get free and she couldn’t go anywhere in this snowstorm to get help. Of course, she could call 911 again, but the cops had not been able to make it last time, it seemed unlikely they could make it now. She would just have to wait and hope what was his name--Mike kept his promise to return and free her. Thinking about him made her wet.
"He sure is handsome," she thought out loud. Glumly she went on. "I’ll bet he’s married." When one of her friends asked her why she had never married she always told them she and never found the right person. But then again she liked living alone, it had many advantages; she could go nude most of the time, she could indulge in her self-bondage and she didn’t have to answer to anyone.
Zoë wandered around the house and noticed how many light were on. She started to turn off the ones with wall switches. It is a bit hard on the nose she though with a giggle. The table lamps she could do nothing with, except one where the cord ran to a plug, she could reach with her toes. Finally, she knocked the remote control for the TV onto the floor where she could reach it with her feet. After turning the TV on, she used her toes to flip through the channels until she found an old movie. Crossing her legs, she sat cross-legged on the floor. The movie wasn’t very interesting and she began to daydream about Harry putting the jacket on her, but quickly Harry morphed into Mike.
Despite the storm, Harry had been right on time, 7 sharp. She had met him at the door in a simple dress, barefoot, already wearing the ankle cuffs connected by the chain. In fact, most weekends as soon as she arrived home she put on the cuffs. At bedtime, if she wasn’t already handcuffed, she locked her wrists behind her in leather handcuffs. Unless she was going somewhere or planned on having company, she would take off her dress and spend the weekend nude. Zoë had picked the house because it was secluded and she could go outside nude if she wanted to. Shortly after she had moved in she had the gazebo out back screened in. Many warm summer nights she spent out there, nude and in some form of bondage. She had been doing bondgae since she was 15 and was so use to it that if she was away and couldn’t, she didn’t sleep well.
Harry had brought a bottle of wine with him. Zoë had the jacket laid out on the dinning room table. The day before she had hung the keys in a jug of water and put it in the freezer downstairs. After showing it to him, she went into her bedroom and pulled the dress over her head, dropping it on the bed. Returning to the dinning room, she held out her arms so Harry could slide it over her arms. The feel of the leather felt good against her skin. He buckled the back of the jacket together. She turned around, her arms at her side. Harry nodded approvingly. Zoë turn her back to him again. He pulled her right arm behind her and fastened the strap sewn around the wrist, trapping her hand in the end of the sleeve.
"Make a fist," he commanded her.
She did as she was told. A broad flap buckled across her knuckles preventing her from opening her hand. Taking a third strap, sewn onto the material at the back of the hand, Harry drew her arm across her back and buckled it to the jacket above her left hip. He repeated the process with her left hand and arm. Zoë loved the feeling building inside her. Her arms were crossed behind her back. This jacket even had a strap sewn in the middle of the back that went around her crossed elbows, holding them together. Most jackets have a strap the goes between legs to keep the jacket from being pulled up over the head. Instead hanging from this jacket was a strap down the outside of each leg. At the bottom of the strap was a belt. Harry took the left belt and ran it around Zoë’s thigh, buckling it back into itself. He repeated the process on her right leg. These straps did the same thing as the crouch strap, but left access to the crouch free. Harry check all the buckles again and then locked each one with small lock. Zoë wanted to insure taking the jacket off would take a long time, so each lock was keyed differently. Harry would have to unfreeze the whole jug and then start trying the keys one by one. Harry had one last surprise for her. He pulled a stand set of ankle shackles from his jacket pocket. Zoë gave him a quizzical look.
"What are you going to do with those? I’m already wearing a pair of shackles."
"Oh, these aren’t for your ankles."
She watched with interest as he locked one end of the shackle around her right elbow and then led the chain around in front of her and locked the other end to her left elbow.
"Don’t want you getting away do we?" he asked her. They both laughed at the absurdity of the statement. "I’ll get us a drink."
Harry stood in the middle of the room for a few seconds and then put his hand to his chest.
"Oh my God!" He sat heavily on the couch, and then slid onto the floor.
She called 911 with her feet as she had explained to the ambulance people and here she was wondering if he was dead or alive and wondering when her prince would come to save her. She giggled at the direction of her thoughts.
The movie droned on. She tucked the heel of her right foot tight against her pussy and began to rock against it. Zoë could feel the juices running down her foot. Suddenly she realized she was fantasizing about Mike again. She pulled and fought the jacket with all her strength, but the jacket didn’t give. Moaning loudly she reached her orgasm in just a few minutes. Spent she leaned back against the couch, eyes closed, a smile playing across her face Harry’s fate forgotten for the moment.
A loud commercial on the TV roused her. In the past she would have gone to find the knife or key to set herself free, but tonight it didn’t matter if she had the keys and all the knives in the house--she wasn’t getting free without help. Zoë felt herself get wet and ready again. She wanted more, something to fill her pussy would be nice, but without hands, she was stuck. Suddenly she remembered the wine bottle. Where was it? More turned on then she had been in years she went looking for it. Harry had left it on the kitchen table.
"What now girl?" She asked herself aloud.
She couldn’t reach it with her feet chained together as they were and if she knocked it off the table, it might break and make a mess. Carefully she opened her mouth and grabbed it. It was heavy, but she didn’t have any problem carrying it into the living room. She sank to her knees and placed the bottle on the floor. Backing away, she got to her feet and squatted over it. Slowly she slid it into her. "Good thing I’m wet" she thought. Zoë found a rhythm and began rocking up and down. The further down she could go the better it felt. In a few minutes she exploded into a wild orgasm. As her body went limp she managed to roll sideways with the bottle still inside her. Twenty minutes later, she recovered enough to struggle back to her feet. The bottle slid out and left her feeling empty. Thirsty she padded to the kitchen, but nothing suggested a way for her to get a drink. Returning to the living room, she looked down at her glass lover.
"Hummm, I wonder..."
Zoë got down on her knees and with some effort, the bottle didn’t want to hold still, she managed to get it upright. Once it was upright she was able to hold it with her knees while she worked on the cork with her teeth. Harry and her impromptu love session had pushed it most of the way back in, so it took some work to get it out. Spitting out the cork she wrapped her lips around the bottle and carried it into the kitchen. In the kitchen, she placed it on the table, still holding it in her mouth she squatted slowly until the wine ran into her mouth. It was a good wine and there was more then a hint of her own juices from the neck of the bottle. Satisfied she left the bottle on the table and went back to the living room.
Zoë was dozing when shortly after twelve-thirty, according to the cable box, when the lights flickered once and then the house went dark. Startled she struggled to her feet. The hobble chain had become wrapped around her left foot and it took her a few minutes in the dark to free it. Even at full length, the chain gave her only 14 inches between her ankles.
The house was very quiet. Zoë became acutely aware of the lack of normal sounds, no TV, no refrigerator, no water pump, and no furnace. No longer muted by the mechanical noises in the house, the noise of the raging storm drew her attention. The wind howled through the trees and she could hear them crashing together. She could even hear the branches rattle against each other. There was also a low hissing which she didn’t recognize at first. Standing in the middle of the room she wondered what it could be, suddenly she realized it was the snow being driven around the house. She shivered at the thought of how cold it must be out there.
"Speaking of cold," she said aloud, "No electricity means no heat! Shit I hope Mike gets back soon or I’ll freeze!"
Zoë sat on the couch. With her teeth she pulled the blanket off the back of the couch. It took some effort, but she managed to cover her legs. The warmth felt good. Leaning back, she dozed, listening to the raging storm.
Some time later, the sound of a heavy motor roused her. Lights played across the ceiling--she hoped it was Mike. Zoë tried to get up, but she was tangled in the blanket and fell off the couch onto the floor. It took fifteen minutes of struggling to free her feet from the blanket. By that time the sound of the truck was starting to fade. As she staggered to the window, she realized it was Freddie from down the hill who plowed her drive. She could see he was just finishing up. There was nothing she could do as he drove away. If she had been able to get to the door sooner, she thought she could have flashed the outside light, but now it was too late. Zoë giggled at herself.
"Dumb girl -- there ain’t no lights!"
With a sigh, she went back to the couch. Shivering she didn’t try to pick up the blanket. Instead, she grabbed a pillow off the couch with her teeth and dropped it on the floor. Laying down she grabbed a corner of the blanket with her toes and rolled over several times. With her teeth she was able to pull the pillow close enough so she could use it. It was colder on the floor, but she was too lazy to get back on the couch. Zoë had heard about hypothermia during her lifeguard training, but though you could only get it camping or do something outside. She didn’t know she was already in the early stages.
Suddenly there was a very loud crash and the whole house shook. Startled Zoë struggled to get up. After just a few minutes she stopped. The house had been hit by something, but it was still standing and she was still alive. Vaguely she was aware there was a new draft coming from somewhere. Getting her breathing under control she tried to stop shivering, but couldn’t. She actually felt warmer for some reason. Nothing made sense anymore and she didn’t care. Dimly she realized there were lights on filling the room again.
"Zoë?!?"
A voice called her name. Puzzled she wondered why it was coming from such a long distance. A figure loomed over her.
I found her still form on the floor, almost in the same place Harry had laid hours before.
"Zoë? Are you OK?" I touched her. Her skin was ice cold and she was shivering hard. In one motion I picked her up and hurried out to the truck. I put her on the passengers’ seat, then reached over and turned the heat up high. I also pulled the blanket away from her legs so the heat could reach them. Returning to the house, I heard a noise upstairs. Following the beam of my flashlight, I went up to investigate. A branch had smashed several panes of glass out of the hall window. Searching around I found a cardboard box in a closet. After another short search, I found some packing tape. I taped the cardboard over the broken window hoping that it would stop the snow from blowing in. Hurrying downstairs, I found the door to the cellar. She had said the keys were in the basement freezer and I hoped I wouldn’t have to look to long.
In the basement there was a large chest freezer and in it were several milk jugs. I grabbed the one with a J on it hoping it was the right one. As I turned to go back upstairs, I noticed the water tank. Walking over to the tank, I found a switch marked pump and flipped it off. I also opened the valve on the bottom of the tank. Then I did the same with the hot water heater. I didn’t see any point in letting the pipes freeze.
On my way through the kitchen, I opened the kitchen faucet. As I went out the front door I noticed a jacket hanging on the wall and grabbed it. Zoë would need something to wear home.
In the truck Zoë seemed to be doing better. She had stopped shivering, which could have been a bad sign, but her color was better and she was more awake. I checked her feet and found they were warmer. I pulled more of the blanket away from her so the heat of the truck could reach her. I could also smell her musk. I pulled the seat belt across her and buckled her in. I slipped the truck in gear and headed home. It had been a rough night and it was only 3:30am.
By the time they reached my house Zoë was feeling better. She was still cold, but recovering. I had found her just in time, another 15 minutes and she might have been too far gone. I backed into the garage and shut the truck off. Going around to Zoë’s side, I opened the door and lifted her out gently. In the kitchen I pulled out a chair with my foot and set her on it. She opened her eyes.
"Did Harry make it?"
"No, I’m sorry, he was too ill."
Zoë started crying. I dropped my jacket on a chair and took her in my arms. Crying or for that matter any sort of physical activity would help warm her. She was doing pretty well. Picking her up I carried her into my bedroom. I could feel the sobs racking her body as she cried for her friend. I wondered if he was also her lover. In the bedroom I put her on the bed then went to the closet. On the top shelve was an electric blanket. After throwing it over Zoë I plugged it in and turned her side up to medium. Too much heat can be just as bad as too little in Zoë’s case. Shedding my clothes I climbed in beside her. She moved awkwardly into my arms, the leather jacket felt strange against my skin. She was still crying, but not has hard as before. Slowly her breathing stilled and she slid into sleep. I considered keeping her awake, but I felt she was going to be ok. I lay there for a few minutes wondering what strange road I’d started down this time. It was strange to be lying next to a woman -- ten years had been to long. I reached out with my foot and found hers. It was nice and warm.
Zoë woke to the sun shining in her eyes. Groggy and unsure of where she was she just lay there for a few minutes trying to figure it all out. Slowly her head cleared and she remembered Harry was dead and she must be in someone’s bed. It must be Mike. She didn’t remember too much, but she did remember he said he would come and get her. She was very hungry and could smell coffee coming from somewhere, but first she needed the bathroom. It was a bit of a struggle, but she managed to get out of bed. A quick search revealed which door was the bathroom.
"I hope the lid is up," she said aloud, without her hands, the hobbles where to short to permit her to lift it with her foot, but luck was with her and it was up. Finished in the bathroom she made her way out into the hallway and followed her nose to the coffee.
"Morning," I called to her as she entered. "How are you doing?"
"Better, what happened?"
"Well after you lost power the house got cold and you became hypothermic."
"I thought you could only get that outside."
"No," I grinned at her. She liked his smile. "You can get it anytime the temperature is colder then your body temperature and you aren’t able to move around."
Zoë nodded. "What’s to eat, I’m starved."
"Well, how about the Saturday morning house special? Eggs over hard, home fries, steak, toast, and coffee."
"Sounds good - got any OJ?"
"Yep. Whole Wheat or Rye and how do you like your steak?"
"Rye sounds good and make the steak rare please."
"Coming up."
Zoë wandered over to the window and looked out at a wonderland of white so bright it hurt her eyes.
"That was some storm."
"Yeah, knocked out power in two states and it will be days before it comes back on."
Zoë eyed the electric coffee maker and the electric toaster.
"How come you have power then?"
"Oh, there’s a diesel generator beside the garage. It’s big enough to power the whole house and comes on seconds after the grid goes down. Can I ask you a question?" My curiosity was killing me.
"Sure, what is it?"
"Well, I don’t mean to pry, but you aren’t dressed the way most women I’ve met." I hoped she wouldn’t mind my curiosity.
Zoë just giggled. Then she cocked her head to one side, I had noticed the habit before and found it endearing.
"Do you want the whole story or just the nickel tour?"
"I think we got time for the whole thing. Oh, before you start, I just brought in this jug and put it in the sink; I hope it is the right one."
Zoë walked over and looked in the sink. A jug with a J on it sat upside down in a colander, it had just started dripping.
"Yes, that’s the one, but ah . . . there may be a problem."
I turned around sharply from the stove. "What?"
"That’s the right jug for the jacket, but you see this chain around my middle?"
"Yeah."
"Well that was Harry’s idea and I don’t know where the key to it is. Unless we can find it, I don’t see how we can get the jacket off."
"Where do you think he put it?"
"I hope it wasn’t in his pocket when you took him in."
"He didn’t have a jacket on and I didn’t see a key when they went through his pockets at the hospital."
"Maybe it’s in his jacket then. His car keys have to be someplace and it might be with them."
"I did pick up a jacket last night thinking it was yours. You will need something to wear home, I’ll get it."
I went and got the jacket in the mudroom. In the right hand pocket was a set of keys. Zoë looked at them and quickly spotted the key.
"That one," she pointed with her nose.
I tried it and the leg shackles opened. I examined them and then put them on the table. I’d seen them on prisoners at the county jail, but never held them
"Step one!" I said, "How about that story now?"
"Sure. It started the summer I was fifteen." Zoë shifted on her chair, as I went back to the stove and stirred the home fries.
"We lived in Ridgewood, New Jersey. Dad ran a garage and never took a vacation. My aunt had a place in the Catskills. It was a big old farm, but they didn’t do any real farming. Of course, my aunt had a big garden and I loved to help her. My Uncle taught anthropology and archaeology at a small college. During the summers he was often away conducting digs and teaching. So the women of the family would get together on the farm. My Mother had two sisters and each of them had three kids. Oddly, each sister had just one boy and they were close in age. The boys were great friends and went to Scout camp together. So there were three women and five girls. My Mother was a hippie and that was the way I was raised. When I was growing up, I didn’t have a pair shoes until I went to school and then I had only a pair of sandals until the snow came. Then my Mother bought me a pair of boots."
I interrupted her; "How do you like your coffee?"
"Cream, two sugars please."
I put a steaming mug of coffee in front of her. She bent and blew into it, then took a tentative sip.
"Ummm... you make great coffee! Thank you. I really love it up there. No one made fun of me for going barefoot," she paused. "You must think I’m nuts because I keep mentioning going barefoot." She watched for his reaction.
"No, not really. My wife rarely went barefoot, but I liked it when she did. It’s sort of like someone who likes a certain kind of car. It is only natural you talk about it often."
She nodded her head in agreement. She had never thought about it that way before.
"Anyway, the summer I was fifteen I changed. The boys were off to Scout camp. One night we took tents and sleeping bags down to the river that ran through the property. After getting to the camp site all of us went skinny dipping. When we got done swimming, we put up the camp nude. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen my Mom nude, she often wandered around the house that way in the morning. And it wasn’t the first time I’d seen my Aunts nude. But seeing them nude this time made me realize it was all right. I wasn’t a freak or something because I hated to wear cloths. They were just like me! Anyway, we built a campfire. My cousins and I sat around listening to them talk. I was feeling shy, not because I was nude, but because I was the oldest at fifteen and not quite a woman, but not a little kid anymore either. So I sat behind everyone in front of my tent. When it got chilly, I had put on a sweatshirt, but other then that I was nude. I picked up a stray piece of clothesline that I’d used to tie up my sleeping and started playing with it. Timmy, who was off at Scout camp had shown me how to do a lashing and I wondered if I remember how to do it. I didn’t have two sticks handy, so I used my ankles. After wrapping the rope around my ankles, I wrapped it between my ankles. By the time I was done, my legs were nicely tied together. I spent sometime, I don’t remember how long, pulling the ropes trying to free myself and getting very hot."
I put two plates of food on the table and started to take the seat across from her, then with a grin moved around to sit beside her.
"I’ve never fed anyone before, so this ought to be fun."
"Sorry to put to through all of this."
"That’s OK, I’m beginning to enjoy myself."
"You’re kidding; right? You don’t mind taking care of me? I know you don’t have to do this."
"No I’m serious. It has been ten years since I’ve had company like this for breakfast. I really enjoy having you here and listening to your story." I definitely understood her loneliness and her need to tell me her story. I had never studied psychology, but I realized she had a need to validate her life to me. "Besides if I wasn’t helping you, how would you get free?"
"I don’t know. Do you want me to go on?"
"Yes, please." I began to cut up her food and feed her. Between bites she continued, "My girl friend had taught me about masturbation and having my feet tied together really turned me on. So I slipped back into my tent and took off my shirt. I started to play with myself in just a few minutes I had a super cum! After that I started tying my feet together and cumming almost every night." She looked down at her plate and then up at me, "I still do."
I just smiled and scooped up another fork full. What could I say?
"Anyway, the next summer I packed only a sweatshirt and wore shorts and a tee shirt up to Aunt Pegs. I use to sneak away so I could strip and run around in the woods nude. My mother caught me and asked what I was doing. I told her I preferred to go naked. ‘So why all the sneaking around? If you want to be naked, then go naked, nobody here cares,’ she told me. So I did for the rest of the summer. It was great! By this time I was beginning to learn how to tie my hands behind my back."
I got up and checked on the keys. "Looks like another hour should do it. All but three are free."
Zoë just nodded, almost sad that her sojourn in the jacket was nearly ended, but hopefully there would be another.
"I need to plow the drive," I said before she could start her story again.
"Can I go with you?"
"Ah," I didn’t know what to say at first, "I guess so, I can’t think of any reason you shouldn’t. I’ll turn up the heat in the truck."
I picked up the dishes and piled them in the sink then led the way out to the garage.
"Wow, the floor is warm!" Zoë exclaimed as she stepped on to the garage floor.
"Yeah, it has a coil of pipe under it, in fact the whole house is heated this way."
"I’m not sure what you mean."
"Well when I built the house I had pipes installed under the floors. Hot water is piped through the pipe and heats the building."
"Neat, I expected the floor to be cold."
With my help she managed to clamber into to the truck. The short chain between her ankles made impossible for her to step in.
We spent the next hour listening to the radio and plowing the driveway. Neither of us said much, we just enjoyed each others company. When we finished I backed the truck back into the garage. I had to open the door for Zoë, but she managed to hop out on her own.
In the kitchen, I checked the keys and found all of them free. I picked them out of the colander and started to dry them off.
Zoë stood watching for a minute and then said; "Do you want the rest of my story?"<
"Sure, I’m beginning to understand a little bit."
"The summer I was 18, I graduated from high school and went to work as a life guard. I had big plans to go to college in the fall and needed money." Zoë sat in her chair.
"Why doesn’t that surprise me; you could go barefoot and wear just a bathing suit." I grinned at her.
"You got it," she blushed. "Anyway, about the second day on the job I fell for this hunk of a guy. He was two years older than I was and he ran the kiddy program. One thing led to another and we ended up in bed a few times."
"Did he tie you up?"
"No, I never mentioned that to him," she shrugged, "I don’t know why, but I’m glad I didn’t. By the middle of August I knew I was in trouble. I started bleeding like I had my period, but it didn’t stop. After two weeks I went to a doctor and found out I was pregnant. It was an eco... eko..."
"Ectopic?" I offered.
"That’s it. They had to take the baby and they found I had cysts on both my ovaries. In the end they had to operate and take them out. My ‘hunk’ was nowhere to be found, he went in the Navy and I never saw him again. I guess that is why I don’t trust most men."
"But you must have trusted Harry."
"Harry was different. He was gay and very nice, but he was just a friend."
I smiled to himself. I had wondered why Zoë had not made more fuss over his death.
"Anyway, as soon as I could get out of the hospital I went up to Aunt Pegs and spent seven years there; helping her out and working at whatever I could find that was outdoors. There were still a few truck farms around and I learned a lot about farming. Four years ago they decided to move west and I couldn’t afford to buy their place. And I knew it was time to move on. Peg was very good to me. I didn’t think she had a clue about my bondage, but when I turn 25 she gave me these," Zoë lifted her feet to show off the cuffs, "and matching wrist cuffs. Her only comment was ‘These wouldn’t leave marks like rope does.’ I’ve worn them to bed and around the house ever since. They didn’t like the west coast and managed to buy the farm back. I still go to visit for a few days each summer."
I carried the keys to the table and laid them out on a paper towel.
"Any idea which one fits what?"
"No," she giggled, "that’s the fun part, trying each one in a lock until it opens."
"Where should I start?"
"Nowhere?" she asked hopefully.
"Well we do need to get you out of the jacket. You haven’t been in it long enough to cause long-term problems, but I think you should stretch your arms."
"Could we put it back on sometime - soon?"
Mike looked at her for a long time, or it seemed along time to Zoë. Then smiled at her, he found he was beginning to really like her. She was a ray of sunshine in his gray world.
"Sure, anytime you want. Maybe we can try some other things." I’m not sure why I said that, but maybe I realized it was time to expand my life. It was clear bondage was a big part of her life and if I want to be part of that life I had to come to terms with it. The more I was with her, the more I wanted to be part of her life.
While I tried the keys she went on with her story.
"I moved to Jackson because there’s a Junior College there. I had no idea what I wanted to do, but I did know I wanted to do something that would get me a job right away. I ended up in accounting. It’s funny, but when I graduated I ended up at a health club life guarding again! It was the only thing I could find," she smiled at my chuckle. I was thinking how it was another barefoot, bathing suit job.
With a click the first lock opened and her elbows were no long pinned together.
"I was there about six months when the bookkeeper quit. Eve asked me if I wanted the job, but I would still have to fill in at the pool once in a while. I thought about it for a while and then made a deal with her. The deal was I could keep going barefoot and wear whatever I wanted to. She agreed and I haven’t worn shoes to work or anyplace else in three years."
Another click and her left arm was no longer locked to the jacket. Slowly I helped her bring it to her side. She just let it hang there, surprised at the light pain. It wasn’t great, but the muscles didn’t like being moved.
"You go barefoot in the winter."
"I own a pair of clogs and a pair of boots. During the winter I keep the clogs in the car in case I have to walk, but yes I dash out barefoot to start my car in the morning and then drive to work barefoot. I only wear the boots if I want to hike or snow shoe. In the summer I do a lot of hiking, all of it barefoot. I can’t imagine hiking with boots."
Another click and her right arm was hanging at her side. I started on her hands. Suddenly an idea came to me. It wasn’t really a new idea, but one I had never acted on.
"How would you like a new job?"
Zoë turned to look at me. "A new job?"
"Yeah, I’ve needed a bookkeeper for years, but... well I never did anything about it. I’ve been paying a guy in Jackson to do my books, but it would be great if I could have them done here."
A click and her she could unfold her right hand.
"I have an office over the garage with a new computer and all the software. About the only thing," I paused as the lock on her left hand opened with a click, "I use it for is email and doing some of my estimating."
"I’ll have to think about it, but I like the sounds of it. Can I keep going barefoot?"
"Sure you can do it nude and you can wear your cuffs. If you want to," I was half teasing her, but realized from the expression on her face that she was seriously thinking about it, "nobody will be here during the day."
With a few more clicks the back of the jacket was open. Carefully I eased it forward over her shoulders and then down her arms.
I massaged her shoulders as she tentatively moved her arms around to get the kinks out.
"Are you serious?" Zoë asked me.
"Yes very."
"Let me think about it. You were right, it feels good to move my arms again. I wonder how long I could wear it."
"OK?"
Zoë shuddered a bit. Suddenly she felt shy standing nude in front of him. She didn’t know why, but she was. Maybe he wouldn’t like what he saw, now that he could see all of her. She wanted very badly for him to like her.
"Cold?"
"A bit chilly."
I left her for a few minutes and then returned with a blue work shirt. I noticed she had nice breasts that didn’t need a bra. All in all she was a really beautiful woman. I helped her put it on, but I noticed she didn’t button it. She turned to face me. I knew she was watching my face, as I appraised her nude form under the shirt, she closed her eyes and offered her lips to me. Our kiss was tentative at first, but when she parted her lips, my tong found hers. I folded her in my arms.
I was worried. Zoë hadn’t called Monday night. After the kiss I took her home. The power had been turned back on and the furnace was working. I turned the water back on and made sure there was no damage. It took some effort, but I managed to pull the window sash out of the frame and replace the broken glass. Zoë had busied herself with cleaning up the house and picking up the broken glass. Then as a thank you she fixed dinner. I marveled at how quickly and easily she move around the house in nothing but my shirt and her ankle shackles. Dinner finished I helped her stack the dishes next to the sink. Suddenly my ambulance pager sounded off. I wasn’t on duty, but there had been a bad car accident and I had to go. Quickly we kissed and I left.
"I’ll call you Monday," I heard her call.
It was 5 o’clock Tuesday night, when I reached for the phone. I thought about waiting for her to call, but I wanted to hear her voice. Even if she didn’t want to see me, it would be hard, but better then not knowing what was going on.
I jumped, my hand was just inches from phone as it started ringing.
I snatched it up, nearly dropping it; "Hello?"
"Hi, it’s me. Sorry I didn’t call last night. I had to work late and then the cops came to see me and took a statement." It all came out in a rush.
"That’s fine. I was just reaching for the phone to call you."
I heard her giggle, "Cool. I gave a week's notice yesterday. Was that OK?"
"Yeah, when you start you can set everything up; you know IRS and all that for yourself."
"OK. I’d like to see you," her voice softened.
"What would you like to do?"
"I don’t know, you want to go out?"
"That sounds like fun. Where do you want to go?"
"There’s a new steakhouse in Jackson that sounds good. Everyone at work talks about it."
"Ahhh..." I hesitated. "I’ve been thinking..."
"We’re in trouble now," she teased me.
"I’ve been thinking about bondage and I’d like to know more. I’ve never really thought about it before."
"What do you want to know?"
"Well, I’m not really sure, but what turns you on comes to mind."
"It’s 5, when can you come over?"
"Sorry, but I’ve got a couple of things to finish up. Why don’t I call the steakhouse and make reservations for 7? I’ll pick you up at 6:30 and we can talk on the way."
"Sounds good to me, you know the name of the place?"
"I think so, it’s the place on South Street?"
"Yep."
"See you at 6:30."
"Love you, bye."
I stared at the dead phone, then repeated. ‘Love you.’ "Movin’ kind of fast," I mused out loud, "but I think I like it."
I didn’t have time to pick up flowers, but I was on time. I didn’t even have time to knock when the door swung open. Zoë stood looking up at him. She was carrying her bag and a pair of clogs.
"Looks like you’re ready."
"Yeah."
I stepped out of the way and she stepped out, pulling the door shut behind her. I followed her to the truck marveling that anyone could walk through the snow barefoot the way she did. She wore a dress or skirt; I couldn’t tell which, and a jacket, but from the knees down she didn’t wear anything.
"Don’t your feet get cold?"
"Of course, sometimes, but I don’t think that much about it."
"I’ve never met anyone so obsessive about going barefoot before."
I just caught the hard look Zoë gave me a hard look out of the corner of my eye.
"What did I say wrong?"
She paused for a few seconds and then said; "You don’t understand. I’m not obsessive about going barefoot. I don’t think about it! When I go to bed at night I’m barefoot, when I get up I don’t think, ‘Oh I’m barefoot!’ I just am. About the only time I think about is on a night like tonight. I’m not sure this place will let me in barefoot, so I brought my clogs just in case. You think it’s strange," she paused for a second and went on, "did you get up this morning and say, ‘I’m not wearing a hat, great!’ No, you didn’t even think about it did you?"
"Sorry, you’re right. It just seems odd, but I think it’s neat. Just give me some time to get use to it."
Zoë answered that with a smile. "He might be OK." She thought.
"We were going to talk about bondage?" I asked as I helped her into the cab of the truck.
"What do you want to know?" Zoë asked softly.
"Well I guess, why, is a good starting point."
"When you made love to your wife do you remember how it was just before you came? You had all this built up tension and all of a sudden it exploded in a great orgasm!" Zoë glanced over to see him smiling at the memories. "Bondage does that for me, but the feeling or tension doesn’t last for just a few seconds, it last for hours. I think it is the feeling of helplessness that does it for me."
I slowly shook my head. I could relate to that.
"What? You don’t like that?"
I chuckled. "No, it isn’t that. I just can’t imagine we're having this conversion. I grew up near here and I can’t imagine having this conversion with any of the women or girls I’ve known. You are the most forward and interesting woman I’ve ever known."
Zoë was thoughtful for a moment.
"My mom was a hippie and a feminist back in the 60’s. She protested the war and fought for civil rights. She always told me to speak up and stand up for yourself. So that is the way I am." She finished, a defiant note in her voice.
I nodded. "That is what I enjoy about you the most." Returning to our conversation I asked her, "Aren’t you afraid when you are tied up? After all it must hurt and it seems to contradict what you just said."
"I view it as a means to an end. And once in a while it does hurt, but you learn to turn the pain into pleasure. I think it is the contradiction that is important. It forces me to remain still and silent if I’m gagged. As for fear, I’ve never been afraid and that has become part of my problem. In fact that is why we met," she smiled at the memory, "I’m pretty good at tying myself up, but I always need to be able to free myself. That takes some of the spice out of it, so I started searching for a better way. Harry was part of that, but now he’s gone."
"You’ve never been afraid?"
"Well not of being tied up. I did have a nightmare once where I was in the water and couldn’t get out. I went to visit my Aunt and stayed for a party. It got very late and I was too drunk to drive home. When I went to bed I didn’t have my cuffs with me and I doubt if I could have put them on anyway. Sometime during the night I had a dream I was tied up in the water and couldn’t get out. It was so bad I woke myself up and discovered I was horny. It took only a few flicks of the old finger to get off. It was the most I’ve ever come without being tied up!"
"Have you ever tried anything like that?"
"Nah, it wouldn’t be safe to do alone. But it would be fun if I had someone to do help me if I got in trouble."
"How about fantasies?"
"I guess the biggest one is to be able to do some sort of bondage 24/7."
"24/7?"
"Oh, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week."
"I see, but aren’t you going to something like that next week when you come to work for me."
"Yeah, sort of," she paused for a few seconds, cocked her head to one side and went on. "I guess beyond that it would be a cage."
"A cage?"
"Yes, a cage. A cage just big enough for me. Or maybe it would be better to have more then one. One I could stand up in and one I had to curl up in."
"Bound?"
"Of course, is there any other way?" she giggled. "I’d be on my knees, hands chained behind my back, my legs spread and secured to the sides just to start. Oh, and I’d be in there for at least a week, but maybe longer if my Master wanted me to be. I’d never safe word out either!"
"Safe word?"
"A word you don’t use often which means stop everything and free me."
"Why? Can’t you just say no?"
"Well I might say no, but not really mean it. So you stop and I’m just getting ready to come -- a real bummer."
I turned into the steakhouse. I had a lot to think about, Zoë lived in a world I didn’t understand and had never visited before. The meal was good, even if a bit overpriced. We talked about all sorts of things and found we had many views in common. I took Zoë home she invited me in. One thing led to another we soon found ourselves in bed. The rest of the week we kept in touch over the phone. Zoë had to close out the books for the gym and turn them over to someone new. I had a house that I needed to finish.
The following Monday I was pleased Zoë arrived right on time. I wasn’t surprised when she pulled her ankle and wrist cuffs from her bag and handed them to me. I found them to be very worn and smelled faintly of leather and of her. I put them on her and then added the keys to my key ring.
As soon as Mike was out the door, Zoë set to work. She soon found most things were in order, but the accountant had been charging a great deal more then he should have. Well that was over with and the guy was history. About mid morning, while she was fixing a cup of coffee in the kitchen the front door bell rang. Zoë’s heart skipped a beat, "Who could that be?" she wondered. "Maybe just UPS." She spoke out loud to herself. Suddenly she heard a click and the door swung open.
"Zoë?" A female voice called her name.
"OH shit!" Zoë screamed to herself. She had no place to go and while she didn’t really care if another woman saw her nude or even in chains, this was her job and it sure wouldn’t look right to be found nude in Mike’s house. "And who the hell is this woman?" She decided was the more important question, she knew the door had been locked.
"Zoë, where are you?"
"In the kitchen," Zoë answered, there was no use hiding. I hope Mike isn’t too pissed when he finds out she thought. She padded toward the dining room. She heard muffled sounds from the hallway and then a soft whispering sound as the woman crossed the living room.
"What kind of shoes is she wearing?" she wondered, there was any click of heels or thud of boots.
Zoë was halfway through the dining room when a figure appeared in the doorway.
"Hi Zoë, remember me? I’m Penny; I was there when your friend died. I’m so sorry, but there wasn’t anything anybody could do." It all came out in a rush, a clear indication of how nervous Penny was.
Surprised by the younger woman all Zoë could manage was; "Yeah, I remember you."
They stood for a few minutes measuring each other. To Zoë’s surprise Penny was barefoot. When she noticed Zoë looking at her feet she said, "Oh I like to go barefoot too! And I don’t like clothes either."
Zoë glanced up at her smiling face. Was this Mike’s old girlfriend? A chill ran down her spine. But she was so young, still just a teenager.
As if reading her thoughts Penny spoke; "We, my mother and I, take turns cleaning house for Mike, that’s why I have a key. After he lost his wife, he was pretty lost, so we helped him out. He’s been very good to the town and to us. When we got in trouble with the farm he helped us out with a low cost loan."
Zoë knew that was true, it had all been noted in his account books.
"Anyway, when I saw Mike this morning at the coffee shop he told me he had taken you on as his bookkeeper. I’m sorry I embarrassed you, he didn’t tell me you were into bondage or nudity. He thinks, because I’m only nineteen, that I don’t know about these things, but I started surfing the net when I was sixteen. I’ve never told anyone, even him, but I guess I’m a secret computer nerd."
Zoë relaxed a bit, gathered her wits and said, "Would you like a cup of coffee? I just made a fresh pot."
"Please. Do you mind if we talk about bondage? I just stopped by to say hi, but I’d like to know more about it. I’ve only seen it on the net and I’ve never done anything even close in real life."
"Sure, I don’t mind. You gave me a start coming in like that." Despite the shock, Zoë found herself warming up to the younger woman.
"I’m sorry. Man is it warm in here. Mind if I take my shirt off?"
"Oh, sorry, I keep it warm..." her voice trailed off. The reason she kept it warm was obvious.
"Well when you live in an old farmhouse heated with wood, anything above 65 is warm." Penny finished with a smile as she pulled the sweatshirt she was wearing over her head. Under it she was nude.
Zoë wasn’t sure about her feelings. She had always been a mix of loner and social gadfly. Shy and preferring to be alone most of the time; however when in a social setting she covered her shyness with a gregarious outgoingness that fooled most people. The fact that she had little modesty just added to her mysterious nature. Zoë had never had a real female friend. Her Aunt was as close to one as she had ever come. But she had never discussed her bondage or nudity fetish with her. Now suddenly here was a young woman who seemed to share her interests and it threw her into confusion. Penny stood, at ease her hands at her side not trying to cover her beautiful breasts with her arms, watching the emotional play across Zoë’s face.
Shaking herself back to reality Zoë said, "Coffee, oh yeah, let’s get some." She turned and headed for the kitchen. Penny paused and then with a smirk unbuttoned her jeans and pealed them down her legs. Stepping out of them, she tossed them on the chair with her sweatshirt. Nude she followed Zoë into the kitchen.
"So," Zoë, collecting her thoughts, began, "what do you want to know about bondage?" Turning she handed Penny a coffee. She noted the nudity, but didn’t comment. "Sugar is on the table, and the ‘Half and Half’ is in the fridge."
"Well, I guess I want to know how it feels. I’ve only read stories about it and seen pictures." Penny helped herself to sugar and milk.
"I’d say the best way to find out is to do it. That is sort of how I got started."
Penny smiled and nodded her head in agreement. "Ok. When?"
Zoë thought for a moment and said, "How about right now. I’ve got work to do and I could tie you up."
"You’re kidding! You can tie me up? Your hands are cuffed close together and..." her voice trailed off, unsure of what else to say, hoping Zoë was honest with her.
"No problem. When you have been doing this as long as I have, it’s a piece of cake. You are already nude, so let’s go upstairs and get started." Zoë decided the best way to deal with this woman was to give her what she seem to want. If she liked it, then maybe they could be friends. If not, then she would have to talk to Mike and see what he had to say. She knew she would have to talk to him anyway, but just tying Penny up wouldn’t hurt anything.
Carrying her coffee Zoë led the way up to the office. She opened a small door that led a space under the eves of the garage. She pulled out a cardboard box, which contained all the toys she had collected over the years. She had brought them over this morning in her car and had retrieved them after Mike left. From the box she selected several six-foot lengths of soft cotton rope. Dumping them on the floor, she told Penny to hold her arms out, away from her sides. Selecting the longest length of rope, she had Penny hold the end between her breasts. Zoë wrapped it around her several times above her breasts and several times below. Taking the end from Penny, Zoë threaded it under the lower rope, then back up several times, squeezing her breasts.
"What do you think?" Zoë asked stepping back.
"Neat, what’s next?"
Taking another length of rope Zoë ran it around Penny’s waist and tied it off in front, just below her navel. The excess she ran down between her legs and up in back where she threaded it between Penny’s back and the waist rope. The end she let dangle for the moment. Picking up a new rope she moved back to the breast rope and wrapped the end of the new rope around it, but this time on the outside of her left breast. The extra she flipped over Penny’s left shoulder so it hung down her back. She repeated the process outside her right breast. The rope forced Penny’s medium size breast to stick out away from her body. Penny shook her chest, watching her newly enhanced breast sway from side to side. The feeling was one of tightness, but no pain. She had never dreamed it would be like this, she smiled to herself. Happy she had had the courage to talk Zoë into it. Mike had not told her anything about Zoë, but when Penny saw her nude and in chains, all caution had flown out the window. She could feel herself getting wet instantly.
Zoë walked around behind her. Selecting two short lengths of rope she simply wrapped them around Penny’s arms above her elbows. Next she pulled her arms behind her and had Penny hold her wrists back to back. Quickly she lashed her wrists together; included in the lashing where Penny’s thumbs. This meant she couldn’t twist her hands or use her thumbs to free herself. For good measure, Zoë lashed her wrists to the rope between her legs knowing that when Penny pulled on it, it would rub on her clit. Moving down to her legs, she lashed Penny’s knees together and then her ankles. Holding Penny by the elbow Zoë helped her lay face down on the floor a few feet from her desk. Pulling her legs up over her back Zoë ran the ends of the breast ropes, she had left earlier through the ropes she had lashed above Penny’s elbows and then tied them to the ankle ropes, completing the hog tie. Whenever Penny pulled with her legs, it pulled her elbows together and pulled on her breasts. When she pulled her wrist, she pulled on the crotch rope.
"How does that feel?" Zoë asked, stepping back.
"Good, I never dreamed it would be like this. What’s next? How about a gag?"
"Sure we can do that," Zoë stepped over to the toy box and pulled out a ring gag. Penny opened her mouth so Zoë could install it. Penny could still make noise and even tried to speak, but it was unintelligible. "Oh, how long do you want to stay like this?" Zoë had been so caught up in tying Penny up she had forgotten about safe words or time.
"Lunnn?" Penny mouthed as best she could.
"Lunch? Ok, that’s two hours away. I’ll keep a close eye on you since this is your first time and if you have a problem I’ll let you go right away. OK?"
Zoë stepped back and went to her seat. She started working on the computer again. Suddenly it crossed her mind that she hadn’t relocked the front door. Getting up she went downstairs and locked the door.
Penny, as soon as Zoë finished, began to rock back and forth. She loved what Zoë had done to her. For a few minutes at the beginning, she was frightened, but that soon passed and now she found herself on the edge of the most massive orgasm she had ever experienced. As it rolled through her she struggled against the ropes enjoying the feeling of tension and realizing there was nothing she could do she let go.
Returning Zoë found Penny thrashing on around on the floor. Thinking she might be in trouble, she approached her, but quickly realized that she wasn’t in trouble. She could smell her aroused musk. Zoë had been in this spot before, but had never seen herself this way. Suddenly she too was wet. Circling around behind Penny so she was out of Penny’s sight, Zoë sank to her knees and reached between her own legs. The orgasm wasn’t long in coming. She closed her eyes and let the sensations flow through her body, never dreaming that the sight of a bound, struggling woman would affect her so much. Coming down off the endorphin high she slowly opened her eyes. Penny was laying stock still in front of her humming to herself.
Zoë got up and went back to work. Finally lunch time arrived and she untied Penny. Together the went down and ate. Penny was happier then she had ever been in her life.
The winter seemed to take forever to pass, but suddenly it was the end of May and the forecast was for a late spring heat wave. Zoë’s job was a fantasy come true. It had been 4 weeks since she had worn anything more then her cuffs. In fact she had gotten to the point where it seemed unusual to wear clothes and she couldn’t wait to strip when she did.
Penny all but lived at the house. She still had to work the farm with her mother, but they had sold the cows and planned to move into truck farming. Mike had been upset at first, but realized that like Zoë, Penny was happiest when nude and bound. For the first in her life Zoë had a girlfriend who shared her interests.
While the job was going well their love life wasn’t. Zoë was becoming restless. Mike was, if anything to nice. They made love often, but he rarely bound her beyond the cuffs and chains she wore everyday. Occasionally he would lock her wrists behind her back, or maybe spread eagle on the bed, but that was about it. Zoë decided they would have to have a talk with him.
"I’m not made out of glass and I’m not going to break." She reasoned aloud one day as she sat behind her computer. "It’s going to be a nice weekend so maybe we can talk."
It was Friday afternoon and Mike came home early. After a hug and kiss that threatened to become more, he pulled out his key ring and removed her cuffs.
"Get dressed we are going out for the weekend."
"Wh..." Mike put his finger to her lips and shook his head.
"You’ll see."
Zoë dashed into the bedroom, grabbed her dress, and tossed it over her head.
"Should I do makeup or anything?" she called to him.
"No, the dress is all you need."
A few minutes later he led her out to the garage and held the door of the truck open while she climb in. She wondered where they were going as they turned away from town and headed south on the main highway. She also noticed he hadn’t brought the cuffs. After an hour they turned into a dirt road. For another half hour, they bumped down an old road past several farms. Finally, they turned down a narrow road. A gate barred their way. Mike got out and opened the gate, drove the truck through and then shut and locked the gate. This road was slightly better then the last, but it was still a rough 20 minutes before they pulled up in front of a rustic cabin. Beyond Zoë could see the glint of water.
Mike stepped out of the truck. Zoë jumped out by herself and walked around it until she was standing beside Mike.
"Welcome to Ye Old Hunting and Fishing Camp," he said with a grin.
"Is this yours?"
"Yeah, I knew the old man that owned it, the lake, and 600 acres around it. He gave me my first job and we became good friends. When he died he left it to me in his will."
"Wow, you hear about places like this, but you don’t think they really exist."
Mike rubbed his hands together; a habit Zoë knew meant he was getting ready for something special.
"Take off your dress and put it in the truck," he said without even looking at her.
Quickly she did as he requested. As soon as she shut the door, she heard the electric locks click on the door. Together they walked to the door of the cabin. She loved the feel of the pine needles under her bare feet. Some of them were covered with pitch and stuck to her soles. She didn’t mind and kept walking.
The cabin had three rooms downstairs and a sleeping loft. Zoë barely had time to look around as Mike led her right through and out on to the porch. The lake was a blue jewel with flashing points of light in front of them. Zoë didn’t have time to admire the view as Mike led her off the porch to the right. About a hundred feet from the cabin was some sort of shed. Zoë thought it looked kind of strange, but wasn’t sure why. She thought maybe it was used as some sort of deck or sleeping platform. From the direction they were approaching, she could only see what appeared to be the solid back wall with a door on the left side. Mike pulled the unlocked door open. As Mike led her up the one-step, she was dumbfounded. The shed had only one side, a wall across the rear. The other three were open to the world. Beyond the front edge the ground dropped off to the lake. What focused her attention was the cage standing in the center of the deck. It was constructed of black steel with some sort of box on top. A cable led up to beams supported by four telephone poles at the each corner of the deck.
"You asked for a cage my dear and here it is."
Zoë was speechless as she walked around it. It looked exciting and frightening at the same time. As she studied it, she realized it would be a tight fit for her.
Mike stepped forward and unlocked the door. Without hesitation, she turned around and stepped in backwards as he indicated with his hand. With the door still open, he began to secure her. A steel yoke ran across the back of the cage just above her shoulders. It had three positions in it, two for her wrists and one for her neck--all lined with soft foam rubber. The front part of the yoke had some sort of mouthpiece protruding for the center. As Mike swung the front of the yoke closed she open her mouth for the gag. Once it was securely in her mouth, he finished closing it and locked it. Next, he strapped her head firmly to the yoke. He attached a pump to the gag and inflated it so it was snug in her mouth. Her fingers now stuck up on either side of her face, but not close enough for her to touch her face or anything else. The gag prevented her from turning her head. Finished with her head he bent and secured her ankles to the sides of the cage, next her knees, then her thighs and then a band around her waist and chest. There were even straps to secure her arms to the cage. She knew that even with the door open, she could not escape and she could feel herself being turned on. Mike pulled a down as strange looking device from the top of the cage and plugged it into the gag.
"Breathe through your mouth, the gag is a diver's mouthpiece and you can breathe through it," he explained. "If you push up on the bar above your tongue you can get a drink. Give it a try."
Zoë tried it and found it easy to use. She was surprised when Mike fitted a clamp over her nose. Now the only way she could breathe was through her mouth. For the life of her she couldn’t figure out what he was going to do to her. She really liked the cage though.
Mike stepped back swung the door closed and locked it. It hugged her so closely her breast stuck out between two carefully planned steel circles formed in the bars. The circles were really clamps. Mike closed them and carefully tightened them until her breast ballooned out. They felt secure, but certainly not that tight.
"You are going to be in there for a long time and so I’m not going to tighten the clamps as tight as I could. A few things you should understand. The cage is hooked to a computer. It will go up and down in a random pattern programmed into the computer. It can stop and remain in any position from full up to full down for any length of time."
"Do you understand?"
She tried to nod, but the yoke prevented her from doing so.
"Blink you eyes twice if you understand," he told her.
She blinked twice, but was puzzled. What did it matter how much the cage moved, she couldn’t see or feel anything that would make a difference to her. "OK Mike I know you are new at this," she thought, "and I’m getting turned on by the cage, but you are going to have to do better then this. Of course, just hanging around like this for the weekend will be interesting. But at least put some nipple clamps on. Please." She tried very had to send her thoughts to him and it seem to work at little, he smiled at her.
He turned and disappeared from her sight. When he came back he was carrying something. He held it to low for her to see it clearly, it seemed to look like a nice size dildo.
"Ah," she thought, "now we’re cooking with gas."
Mike reached between the bars and stroked her pussy. When he inserted a finger he found her wet and ready. He pushed the dildo in and secured it to the cage. Once again he disappeared behind her. To her surprise he began playing with her ass. She had never explored that area. She felt him put something around her anus and then pushed his finger into her.
"Ohhh... this is different." She smiled behind the gag.
Gently, but firmly he pushed the butt plug in and secured it to the cage.
Mike stepped back and pulled a control out of his pocket. He did something and the cage rose several inches off the deck. She heard a noise, but couldn’t figure out what it was.
"Ah, this is more fun," she thought, "it swings!"
The cage began to move again. With relief she saw it was going up, higher into the shed. It didn’t go far, perhaps two feet when it stopped. Then it began to descend slowly.
When it didn’t stop where she though it should, back on the deck, she couldn’t figure out where it was going. Suddenly she felt something around her feet. "It feels like water, warm water," she thought. Without thinking, she tried to pull up her feet, but she didn’t have any slack. The cage kept sinking.
"Yep, it’s water all right," the voice in her head, observed. "OH SHIT!!" the voice screamed. "It’s just like in my dream, he’s going to drown me!!!" She fought her bonds with all her strength, but the steel was unforgiving. Luckily, she didn’t have the leverage to seriously hurt herself. Mike knew she would fight and had planed the bonds so she couldn’t hurt herself.
Mike, carefully watching her actions, stepped forward. "Easy Zoë, remember to breathe through your mouth and you’ll be OK. Blink if you understand."
She managed to get herself under control and blinked twice. He stepped back.
The water rose above her breasts and then her neck. Once again, she fought the restraints, but it was no use as the water slowly covered her face and then she was completely underwater. Panic-stricken she fought harder then ever. Mike watched her in the clear water and worried she would hurt herself. He nearly hit the override button to raise her when he saw her begin to calm down.
"Calm down!" she commanded body. "You’ve got to calm down." she thought. "You can breathe and the water is nice and warm." She had her second orgasm. The first had been when he shut the door.
Suddenly the dildo began to pulse and something tickled her clit. If she had been in any shape to notice she would have seen the stream of bubbles. The dildo was air powered and the exhausted air was directed at her clit. "Oh, my God," her mind screamed as another orgasm rocked her.
Suddenly the cage began to go up. Soon she was completely out of the water. Mike stepped forward and added a blindfold. Her last view of him told her he was really enjoying this.
"I didn’t want to add this at the beginning," he told her. "I knew you would be panicky enough. Now that you know what is going on you wouldn’t have any distractions."
Without sight, the only clue she had that the cage was going to move was a faint click and then a hum as the motor that controlled it started.
After the second dunking, even these clues were taken away from her. Mike put a pair of ear muffs on her. His final torment were a pair of clips on her nipples. These she soon discovered where no ordinary clips. As long as she was out of water they gave her mild shocks at random intervals.
During the third dunking, the butt plug came to life and added its undercurrent to the song her body was singing. Zoë lost all track of time or space. Sometimes she didn’t know if she was hanging above the tank or in it. Her body had reached the point of sensory overload. Finally, she became aware that something had changed. The cage had bumped to a stop on the deck. Mike had slid the cover over the tank. Dimly Zoë wondered what he would do next, maybe he would free her so they could eat supper, she realized she was hungry as her body had used a great deal of energy. She felt the pressure on her breasts ease as he released the clamps and then pain crashed through her nipples. Then the door swung open and in a moment she was free.
When she could see again she was startled to find it was dark. Just the soft glow of a candle lit the platform.
After he freed her hands and neck he gathered her into his arms. She was too weak to walk, so he carried her to a futon he had placed at the front of the platform.
"How long," she croaked?
"Only three hours. You looked pretty wasted so I figured it was time."
"Thanks," Zoë began to cry. Looking at him she said, "I love you."
Mike bent and kissed her. "I love you."
Mike gently laid her on the futon and then pulled her wrists behind her where he cuffed them together. Then he did the same with her ankles. Finally he stripped off his clothing and lay down beside her, gathered her in his arms and they slept.
Zoë woke with a start. Without opening her eyes she checked her body. The fact she was bound felt good. She was stiff, but not in too bad shape considering her ordeal the night before. Zoë knew she had never been pushed so far or so hard in her life. She opened her eyes. Mike was sitting on the edge of the futon watching her.
"Morning," he said softly. "You OK?"
"Ummm... never better. But I’m hungry, what happened to supper?"
Mike chuckled "I guess we missed it. It may be a while before we eat."
Mike leaned forward and reached across her body.
"This lock," he fingered the lock holding her hands together, she couldn’t see it, but had explored it with her fingers, "is a combination lock. The combination is on the island across the way. We are going to have to take a nice morning dip to get it."
"You’re kidding!" Zoë was now wide-awake and not to happy.
"We’ll call it ‘swimming for breakfast’. What do think?"
"Not much," she tried to keep her face stern, but spoiled it by breaking into a fit of giggles.
Mike pulled a set of keys from under the edge of the futon and unlocked the lock holding her ankles together.
"Let’s go."
They walked down to the dock. It was a wonderful summer morning. Zoë wondered if the water was cold. Before she had to time to think about it, Mike pushed her off the dock and jumped in after her.