It was strange ad, I have to admit it.

«You could use some extra bucks but don’t know how to have it? Do you have a small yet stylish apartment? Would you like your house to appear in a new famous series? Then hurry up and call 55-333-211! We will contact you and make you a few interview. If both parts are still interested, we’ll visit your house and offer you the contract of your life. 20,000$ in cash!

What are you waiting for? Call us»

Curiosity caught me instantly. I called them and made the interview. Still don’t know what the series is about. They were very clear, I wasn’t supposed to know or see anything at all. But still, I felt like a great chance, so I decided to give it a try.

So here I am now, waiting for the director and actors to come and tell me what they needed and, specially, bring me the contract I expected to see.

Finally, at six p.m., the doorbell rang and I opened the door. The director, that I had met before, carried a black bag and came in with two women in a very strange outfit. They were wearing ninja costumes and masks over her mouth and noses, black hair in a pigtail. One of them carried a briefcase in which interior I supposed where the 20,000$.

“Hi, Debra! Nice to see you again” cheered Tom, the director. “These are Pam and Janice, the two actors that will make this specific scene. As you can see, it’s kind of a ninja themed series, but I’m afraid I can’t say anything else”.

“Oh, my! I’m so excited, I’m already eager to watch it!”

“It will be a blast, I can tell you that”. He then opened his bag and took a document that I instantly recognized. My contract! “Now, what I’m sure you’re expecting, the contract of your life”.

“Yaaaaay!” I cheered.

“Take it, read it carefully and let me know if there is anything you don’t understand”.

“Ok, thanks Tom”.

I began reading. It all seemed normal, or as normal as a mysterious series can be. However, I stopped when I got to clause 14, last one of them.

«The home host will allow the actors to bind, gag and blindfold them in order to prevent her/him to sneak around the house and peep over the filming. She/He will also allow the actors to put on some earphones, listening to radio or unspecified music, so that she/he can’t hear anything. Knowing this is an extreme measure, it will ensure the house host not to know anything about the filming. She will be released when the camera gets turned off.»

“What?” I shouted, not being able to hold myself. “Do I have to be tied up and gagged?”

“And blindfolded” the director added, “didn’t I mention that in the interview?”

“Nope. You sure didn’t”.

“Oops, my mistake, sorry about that. Now, Debra, if you are not interested in going on with this process, I totally understand. We will take the 20,000$ and never know about us again. Ladies”.

The two ninjas moved up from the couch they were sitting on, but, in which I’m sure wasn’t an accident, the one carrying the briefcase drop it, making it open and showing off the treasure. Countless 100 dollars bills made my eyes turn into the $ symbol.

“Wait, wait, wait” I found myself stating. “How long would I have to be like that?”

“Well I’m not sure, maybe two hours at the most”.

Two hours?? Fuck, that was too much. But it also was too much money. I could use those 20,000$ pretty well.

“Fine” I said lowly “fine, I’ll do it”.

“Great! You won’t regret that, Debra, I assure you that. However, I must ask you one more question. Is anybody coming home in the next three hours? Because, as you know, this is a top secret series, so we wouldn’t want someone to know about it before they should, you know?”

“Don’t worry, Tom. I live alone, I don’t expect anyone coming home any time soon.”

“Brilliant! So, we can start. But I think that, since we are to film in here, the living room, we should have you secured in your bedroom, is that fine for you?”

“Yes, perfect. I’d be more comfortable then”

The four of us addressed to my bedroom. There, Tom emptied the bag he had brought with him, showing several coils of rope, scarfs and rolls of duct tape.

“Wow, you guys came prepared” I stated.

“We take privacy very seriously, lady. Now, if you may lay down over the bed, hands behind your back, ladies can take care of you”.

“Cool… I…. guess” Still doubtful, I complied.

Laying on the bed, I felt the two ladies grabbing ropes and using them to bind me. I felt Pam tying my wrists and Janice doing my ankles, or vice versa, I didn’t remember who was who. What I did know they were freaking good at binding ropes.

“Wow. This is too tight!” I protested, “can’t you loosen it a bit?”

“I’m afraid not, Debra. We have to be sure you can’t scape at all”.

"Alright, alright. As you say. Keep gouuhhhhhh". One of the masked ninjas had pressed my elbows together and bound them with another rope. Next, she made something similar to a rope harness, making my breasts to stand out. I was feeling embarrassed. I had decided to wear some shorts and a very tight pink top, so my left boob was about to escape its covering.

"Fuck, you weren't kidding, were you? Totally trussed up".

"Just as the contract specifies, ma'am".

"Sure, not complaining. Just an observation".

In a matter of barely ten minutes, my wrists, knees, thighs, ankles and thumbs were tightly trussed up. Next, Tom took one of the scarfs and handed it to one of the ninjas. The actresses hadn’t even spoken yet.

“Now, if you open up, Pam will stuff this scarf in your mouth”.

“Wait, what? I thought just one scarf around my head would do”.

“I’m afraid not, ma’am. We have to be sure not an intelligible word escapes your mouth”.

“Bupffffffff” I couldn’t finish my sentence. Pam fastly stuffed the scarf inside my mouth.

“I’m sorry, miss Debra. We’re running out of time”

“Ngghever” ‘Whatever’ I intended to say, not to mention it was impossible to understand.

Janice then took the roll of duct tape and the sound of the tape being peeled off got was enough to get me on my nerves. I expected her to put three or four stripes over my mouth. If only…

As if duct tape was the cheapest invention ever, she began to wrap the roll around my head, sticking to my blonde medium-length hair. My poor hair! I don’t know how many loops she did, I stopped counting when I got to ten. Not happy with that, Pam also took another scarf that she applied over my already taped mouth and my nose. The result was, at the least, comical.

“If you may try it”.

“NGHPMMMMMMMMHHH” I complied, checking that the gag fulfilled its purpose even better than expected.

“Great, Debra. Now, before the blindfold, we also need to keep you from hopping and get to the filming location. So, Janice, if you will…”

“MPHHH?” ‘This is ridiculous’ I thought.

Janice obeyed her boss and, with what I supposed was another coil of rope, she attached my bound ankles to the back part of my chest harness. Even though I tried to stretch my legs, it was impossible.

“Great. So, let’s now add the blindfold and put the earphones, and let’s keep moving, ladies”.

Great. So I couldn’t even watch the TV of my bedroom. I was soon blinded by another of the scarfs they had brought with them, and soon enough I was deprived of my sense of hearing too. They connected the earphones to some electronic device that I, obviously, couldn’t see. I only knew they were playing David Guetta.

From this point on, whatever the director and the two ninjas got to do remained a mystery to me. Deprived of almost all my senses, the only thing I could do was lay down and wait.

I began to wriggle around and struggle against the ropes, not really wanting to get free, just testing the knots. Beginning to regret my decision, only thinking of the 20,000$ I was about to get could be of some relief.

“MPhhhh” I moaned softly. I didn’t want to ruin the filming, after all.

Time passed. Dua Lipa was now singing out loud in my ears. It was the second time I listened to ‘New rules’ while bound and gagged. How much time had it passed? After that, ‘Titanium’, once again. What the fuck was going on?

“MPHHHHH?” I asked out loud. Didn’t care about the series anymore. Just wanted to be let go. Then, suddenly, music stopped. A male voice spoke in the radio.

«Breaking news! We’re sorry to interrupt this unstopping music session, but we need to warn every listener about this new gang acting around the city. They publish an ad in the newspaper, pretending to be a serious filming producer, with the only purpose to get into the houses, leave their hosts bound and gagged and rob the place. And the worst part is… it’s all legal! They play tricks on the hosts to allow them to go through all of this due to a contract. Stay tuned for further information».

No. No, no, no. This is not happening, tell me this is not happening, please.

“MPHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

It was impossible for anyone to hear me with that gag. I began struggling against the bed, rubbing my bindings, gag and blindfold against the quilt. After several attempts, I managed to take my blindfold off. That’s when horror shocked my eyes.

My TV! It was gone! And my drawers were opened and empty! All my jewels, my saved money!

“MPHHHHHHHHHHH MPHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” I screamed, as loud as I could through my multi-layer gag.

They had even taken my drawings and posters. The only thing they had left behind was the wall-clock. It was half past eleven! I had been tied up for more than five hours! Oh, shit!

Then I looked in front of me. There, over the quilt of my bed, was the contract I had signed before. Only this had another clause. One that had been covered by a piece of paper that I hadn’t seen before. How was I so stupid?

Clause 15 read: «If, after twelve hours after the signing of this contract, the host doesn’t claim the money or the items removed from her house during the filming, she will lose the right to get them».

WHAT? So, I would not only have gone trough all this for nothing, but also to get robbed ‘legally’? I only had 6 hours to get free. Then, it would all be lost.

“MPHHHHHHHHHHHHh” I tried again. Nope. Nothing. Fuck.

Wait, the clause that stated that I had to be tied up during the process. It also read that I was to be let go afterwards. I read it again.

Clause 14: «The home host will allow the actors to bind, gag and blindfold them in order to prevent her/him to sneak around the house and peep over the filming. She/He will also allow the actors to put on some earphones, listening to radio or unspecified music, so that she/he can’t hear anything. Knowing this is an extreme measure, it will ensure the house host not to know anything about the filming. She will be released when the camera gets turned off». 

I sighed, kind of relieved. If I managed to get free some way or another, I could claim my money, since they hadn’t complied with untying me.

But then, again, horror shocked my face. I turned my face to the right. There stood the camera, over a tripod, a red light on. «When the camera gets turned off». 

“MPHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!”