Once they had left the building, Yuen and Cheng separated and searched the streets for traces of the vanished girls. Whilst Cheng was heading for the less frequented parts of Chinatown, Yuen went for the harbour. He had no particular reason for going there, but his instincts led him. Though Yuen looked like a brute and didn`t talk much, he was quite an intelligent and sensitive man. He had never had problems in abducting and selling white girls, but the Princess was a different matter. Yuen really did not want her to get harmed.
Suddenly, he saw something that caught his eye: a rowing boat was leaving the harbour. Of course, this was nothing unusual in a harbour, but this boat was pulled by four Chinese men whilst a White was sitting in the back. There was no sign of the Princess, but Yuen was sure that a bundle lying in front of the nan had just moved a bit.
The boat was already some 300 yards away and though Yuen was an able swimmer, he knew they would be faster than him. He also knew that if his instincts had just fooled him, he was hunting after a chimera whilst the Princess was hiding elsewhere. But Yuen was intrigued by that boat. He could see that it headed for a small brigg some mile away.
Yuen thought about taking the next boat, throwing the owner into the sea if necessary and row to the ship. Then, he hesitated. If they saw him, they would shoot him or, even worse, hurt the Princess. So, he went for a hidden part of the harbour, took off his clothes except for his loincloth and put his knife between his teeth. Then, he slid into the water and started to swim.
***
When the cellar`s door opened, the girls did not trust their eyes. That is, Jody, whose vision was blocked by Myra`s thighs and crotch, could not see what was happening. But the others viewed two Chinese men bringing in a naked and struggling Madame Yini. She was thoroughly gagged and the men led her to a device that consisted of two wooden beams connected by a hinge and with four holes in it. It was a stock, like the ones used in earlier times to restrict prisoners.
The men forced Madame Yini to sit on the floor and opened the stock. Then, despite her heavy resistance, they forced her arms and legs in the openings and closed the stock, securing it with a padlock. Now, Madame Yini had to sit with her upper body bent forward and her legs slightly spread, her hands and feet protruding on the other side of the stock. She could move her head, but not rub her gag against the edges of the stock, let alone reaching her hands or feet. It was an inescapable position, but the men were not finished.
One took a long rope, doubled it up and slung it around Madame Yini`s waist. The stock blocked from view what he did when he bent down to her, but her frantic moaning and her widened eyes told the other girls that he was working the rope between her legs. And indeed, when he rose, he held the rope ends in his hand and pulled upwards. Madame Yini yelped as the crotch rope tightened and her butt was lifted from the ground. The man led the rope over a hook in the ceiling. Once or twice, he pulled, forcing Madame Yini to bob with her butt. Then, he tied it off and the two men left.
„Mmmhhrrrrrr! Uuuhhmmmmph!“
Madame Yini cried with frustration and fear. Within just two hours, she had been stripped of all her power – not only literally. After Cheng and Yuen had left, they had told her about the plan they had contrived. Cheng, who had no possibility to return to China, would stay here and become their partner. He had promised to Yuen that the Princess would not be harmed and that they would run the tea house and her other business as partners with equal rights. Since that was an improvement towards the salary she had paid, they had agreed. Madame Yini shuddered when she remembered Hu`s last words:
„We will see what is your part in all that. Maybe, you will do a trip back to our old home country the next night.“
She pulled to get her arms and legs free, but the heavy stock did not move an inch. The crotch rope was adjusted in a way that it did not lift her butt from the floor which would have been real torture. But it cut deeply into her labia and chaffed her thrust out butt and also emphasized her helplessness.
„Mmmhhmmmmmph! Uuhhmmmmph!“
Madame Yini cried through her gag, but she knew that her equally naked bound and gagged companions were not only unable to free her, they also felt not a bit of compassion for her.
Drawing by hugues66
***
Lien had climbed over a few roofs when she decided that she would have to act more strategically. She knew that in a man-to-woman combat, she could defeat most men and so, she didn`t fear Mr. Wong`s henchmen. But wether she wanted to call the American police or try to find the Princess herself, she would need clothes. Now, wearing a pair of white knickers and a cloth tied over her breasts, she would have looked indecent even in a brothel. So, Lien decided to steal some clothes from a clothline.
However, when she was just about to leave the roofs at an abandoned little yard, she saw a man coming. It was Cheng. Usually, Lien would have jumped to the ground and requested him to a fair duel. But now, there was no time for chivalry. Lien waited till he was directly under her feet and jumped.
She hit his shoulders quite precisely, but the small and petite Lien only weighed some 90 lbs and so, the blow wasn`t as hard as it could have been. But it was a hard push anyway and normally, the attacked person would have landed on the ground where she could have kicked or beaten him unconscious.
However, Cheng did not just fall. Instead, he lissomly made some kind of somersault and now stood face to face to her. Lien prepared for combat.
„I told you to never turn your back to me again!“
Cheng smiled and said:
„Well, I am still standing.Perhaps, you are more successful in attacking me frontal.“
For a while, the two Chinese circled around each other, Lien with her hands raised and ready to attack, Cheng letting his arms dangle almost provocatively. Then, without warning, Lien launched her first kick. He dodged her without difficulties, but it had only been a distraction for Lien`s real attack and her fist landed in his stomach.
Obviously, Cheng was more muscular than he looked, for he took that blow with nothing more than a grunt and jumped back from her again. Lien now almost was in high spirits. She loved a good fight and she definitely preferred having opponents to having victims.
It turned out that Cheng was indeed a worthy opponent. Though he was not able to hit her, he always blocked or dodged her beats and kicks. Had there been anyone but the two at that yard, they sure would have applauded.
However, Lien had the intention to win, no matter what it costed. So, she decided to play rough. She grabbed a large splinter from the ground and used it like a knife. Now, Cheng concentrated on staying away from her. Finally, when she had forced him into a corner, he could only save himself by a daring jump. When she spun around, he was some five yards away. His shirt was ripped and a bloody scar on his side told her she had at least wounded him, though not seriously.
When he darted forward, Lien jumped. Then, Cheng proved that he was more than just quite good in martial arts. He did half a salto and hit her with his back. Still in the air, his legs trapped her arms between his thighs and lower legs and he grabbed her ankles. When they landed on the ground, he scraped his shins, but now, he was sitting on her chest, her arms still wedged between his legs. Lien beated him, but she could only move her lower arms and so, she could not inflict damage and only scratch his legs a bit. She tried to free her legs, but he held her ankles in a vice grip and now bent her legs and forced them to the ground, testing her litheness to the limit. Lien squirmed and bucked, but she had to realize that she was trapped. She looked up to Cheng in disbelief:
„Y-you are the first man who defeated me.“
Cheng smiled. His lip was bleeding and he panted, but his eyes were twinkling almost ironically.
„Maybe, I will be also the first man who will be able to restrain you properly.“
Before Lien could react, he quickly released her ankles and pinched her carotid arteries. With a last spasm, Lien fell unconscious.
***
In the Bay of San Francisco, the sea was under the influence of a steady flow from the tides and so, even a strong and persevering man like Yuen needed some 90 minutes till he was near the ship. The waves protected his head from being detected and besides, he had swum a turn and was now approaching from the starboard side which was turned away from the harbour. As an additional precaution, he hadn`t swum in the direct course of the boat but had used a slightly longer route where they wouldn`t look for any possible persecutor. To his surprise, they had made a short stop at a buoy, but he had not been able to see anything from the distance.
Now, he had reached the ship`s stern. There, he could not be seen from above and he just relaxed for a while. It was still early afternoon and he could not climb aboard before dusk and so, he had to wait, though everything in him told him to go forth.
However, after only some half an hour, he could hear an approaching steamboat and could hear a shot. Yuen then saw a small steam barge filled with some 20 people. When the boat came close, he could see that they were a group of Chinese, all armed and in the bow, a large fat man was standing: Mr. Wong.
„Mr. Dew, I hope you haven`t forgotten about our agreement. One of my men saw you and your entourage leave the harbour quite hasty. He also said that your men were carrying something. Maybe, just a sack of rice, but maybe, a Princess.“
From above, Yuen now could hear a man answering back. He spoke Chinese, but with an English accent.
„What are you thinking of me, Mr. Wong. I would never betray a business partner. But since you seem to be a bit suspicious about me, I invite you and your men to come aboard and have a look if there is any female character aboard. Except for Lucy, our ship`s cat, I mean.“
Mr. Wong did not answer, but the boat came alongside and he and some dozen of his men went on the brigg. For a moment, Yuen thought that it was a ruse by Mr. Dew to kill the Chinese, but he guessed that there were not more than some ten men aboard the ship. Even if they would attack by surprise, it would be a massacre with an uncertain end.
His next thought was discouraging: both he and Mr. Wong`s henchman had misinterpreted the whole situation and the boat really had transported a sack of rice. But then, another thought came up in his mind.
The buoy! Why on earth should they have stopped at a buoy when their ship was in reach and their boat wasn`t sinking? From his position, he could not see the buoy that was some half a mile away, but here, he couldn`t do anything for the moment and at least the crew and Mr. Wong`s men were distracted by searching the ship. So, he took his knife from where he had rammed it between the planks and swam away.
After some 30 minutes, he could see the buoy. It was a huge barrel with a red flag on it`s top. The upper rim of the barrel was some 20 inches above the surface, but he could see the barrel was some two yards deep and obviously anchored to the ground.
„If I am thinking totally wrong, at least I can rest there till sundown“, he thought.
When Yuen had reached the barrel and pulled himself up to have a look, he could see that it was open on the upper side. In it, he could see a burlap sack. The sack slightly moved.
Electrified, Yuen climbed into the barrel. Now, the sack moved more and he could hear a faint moaning.
„Mmmhhmmmph! Uuhhhmmmm!“
„Well, that really isn`t a sack of rice!“
He cut the burlap open and his eyes fell on a pair of small, but nicely shaped breasts. He ripped on the cloth, increasing the opening. Now, a head appeared, half hidden under a mass of black, dishevelled hair and a pair of brown eyes stared at him.
„Mhhmmmmph!“
„Princess Jinjin?“
„Mhhmmmph! Uuhhmmmm!“
The girl obviously was not sure if Yuen was a kidnapper or if he had come to rescue her. But now, he had completely freed her from the sack and could see it was indeed the pretty young Princess, though she did not look that Imperial at the moment.
Jinjin was stark naked. Her arms were tied behind her back at wrists and elbows and obviously connected to a rope that circled her waist and from which another rope disappeared between her legs, bisecting her crotch. Her legs were tied at knees and elbows and she was hogtied, too. A cloth that looked like as it had been a sleeve of Madame Yini`s dress had been tied between her lips, holding in her mouth a mass of silky cloth that looked like one of these European underpants for women Yuen had occasionally seen on his former Mistress who was not very shy about her body.
Jinjin however seemed to be shy for she was blushing slightly when he looked at her nude forms. Yuen pulled himself together and said:
„Your Imperial Highness, I am unworthy to lick the soles of your feet. However, we are living in unruly times and so, sometimes an unworthy peasant is the best one can get. I am no noble man, but I am not poor either and I will promise you to do my best to treat you like the Princess you are.“
„Mhhmmph! Uuhhmmmmm!“
„Sorry, but if you scream, we are doomed. But now, for something else: can you swim?“
„Mmmhhmmm?“
Jinjin seemed to be totally confused now, but after a few seconds, she slowly shook her head. Yuen smiled. In his job, looking like a grim butcher had it`s advantages and so, he hardly smiled, but now, he did. It made him look much more intelligent, friendly and almost handsome.
„Well, I am the best swimmer in a radius of 1000 yards. Allow me to take you to your new life. Zou will not be killed and no one will take you back to China, unless you want that.“
Jinjin was overwhelmed with the whole situation and so, he just loosened her knee tie. When he had released her feet, he did not let her go, but crossed her ankles instead before he tied them again. The Princess mmphed with protest and looked questioningly, but Yuen released her elbows and her hands, but left the crotch rope in place. Deep inside, he was a bit shy, and it irritated him to see his beloved Princess in the nude. The crotch rope covered her most private parts at least a bit.
Ignoring her protests, he tied her wrists in front of her, but prevented the girl from reaching for her gag. Then, holding her bound hands in his right, he stepped between her legs.
„Mmmhhrrrr! Uuhhmmmph! Nnngggg!“
Jinjin screamed through the knickers filling her mouth and squirmed violently. He could see that she was staring at his middle. Yuen looked down and could now understand her exitement. His loincloth did little to hide the fact that he was physically attracted by the pretty naked girl. Sure, she thought he would rape her.
Yuen shook his head and put her bound arms over his head. Then, he reached for her thighs and pulled her up till her legs were clasping his belly.
„I need my arms free for swimming“, he explained her and managed to heave his body to the rim of the barrel. Jinjin panicked when he slid into the water, but he kept her tightly embraced and he swam backstroke to keep her head clear of the water. After a while, her flailing and moaning decreased and she seemed to recognize that she would not drown. Yuen could feel her legs pressing at his sides and the rough hemp of her crotch rope pressed against his belly, but luckily, she could now not see his manhood. Her nipples, hardened from the cold water, poked his chest and he could see her beautiful brown eyes just inches away.
Looking at the ship now some kilometre away, he could see that Mr. Wong was still there. The flood assisted his swimming and he was sure he could reach an abandoned part of the shore within an hour or so. He would have to wait for the dark, but then, he could bring Jinjin to the tea house and then-
„My Imperial Highness“, he whispered and smiled at her.
Jinjin could not answer, but the look in her eyes and her now calmer heartbeat told him that she had almost relaxed. Perhaps, he had already taken the first steps on the ladder leading to her heart.
***
„Time to wake up, Ladies!“, Cheng shouted when he, Hu and Tian entered the cellar. It was unnecessary to wake the women since none of them had found much sleep, despite their exhaustion.
Myra had finally dozed off, but whenever her upper body had sunk deeper, Jody`s head was trapped between the other`s breasts, loins and thighs and she had been barely able to breath. So, she had shaken her head and screamed through her gag, keeping Myra awake for the next few minutes.
Andrea, Zenobia and Vanessa had found out that sitting on one of the stools now was an act of acrobatics. Whenever Zenobia wanted to sit down, both Andrea and Vanessa had to open their legs and try to sit on the Black`s thighs. In addition, this position tightened the chain between their legs. In the other direction, it was even worse since Andrea and Zenobia were tied face to face. They could not bend their legs in the same direction, making it nearly impossible for them to sit on Vanessa`s lap. Though they all hated the even closer intimacy of these exercises, they had from time to time been forced to do so, since it was the only way to relax their feet for a while. Finally, both stools had fallen off, forcing them to stay in their standing position.
And all the time, Zenobia had been pressed against Andrea`s hot, sweaty and tempting body. She was almost cracy from desire and her oppressed arousal and she was almost thankful that the entering men prevented her from throwing the remnants of her diffidence overboard.
Madame Yini, who had been brought just a few hours ago, had of course not even thought of sleeping. She fumed at the men, but her eyes also showed fear. What did they intend to do with her?
„Ladies, the good news is that you will leave this cellar now and maybe forever. Another good news is that we talked to our partner, Mr. Kane, who on his part has talked to the Captain who will take you to your final destination. A rich noblemen will buy you all, so you all will stay together!“
Cheng waited for the moaning of the exited women to die down before he continued:
„We will now take you one by one and prepare you for the trip. As soon as you are all securely stowed, we will leave.“
Without any further word, they freed Madame Yini from the stock and took the moaning and flailing woman with them. The other five`s frantic mewing ended abruptely when the door closed behind the men and their captive.
***
Lien tried to find a possibility to work on her ties and gag, but again, she wasn`t successful.
When she had recovered from her unconsciousness, she had already been in the bedroom where she was now tied up and gagged. She had been stark naked and the foul taste in her mouth had told her that Cheng had crammed her knickers into her cheeks and throught. Though her muscles had been relaxed, he had needed all his strength to get all of the silk mass into her rather small mouth. Above that, her breast cloth was tied, cutting into the corners of her mouth.
Her arms were folded behind her back and he had tied her left wrist to her right ellbow and vice versa. Lots of tightly applied ropes encircled her parallel forearms in addition. The position wasn`t as straining as an elbow tie, but now, she would not be able to use both her hands together to work on her knots.
When Lien tried to move her feet, she recognizet they were folded into a lotos position and her ankles were crossed. He had made her feet rest on her thighs and tied her lower legs about midways between her ankles and knees. A noose around her neck was fixed to a ceiling beam.
„I am not ready yet, so please, be patient.“
Lien did not make a sound. Did he really think a tie could hold her for long?
Cheng forced her hands into fists and wrapped them with two silk scarves, then, he secured these with straps of wet leather. Then, he took a long rope and wrapped it three times around her waist, tightly. When he knotted it off behind her back, Lien expected him to crotch rope her, but that was not his only intention. He threaded the rope between her forearms and her back, then, he pulled it through her cleft and up over her pubic mound. When he had worked the rope through her waist rope again, he pulled with his right and prised her labia apart with his left to ensure the crotch rope was as tight and uncomfortable as it could be. Lien uttered a small grunt. Then, the rope was slung over her bound lower legs before it went through the waist rope again. Cheng pulled until her calves touched her pubic mound, then, he threaded the rope once again between her legs before he knotted it off to her forearms.
Lien found that this position was not only straining, but it also kept her quite immovable. She could only move her head and her feet, but both would not help her to reach any of the knots.
„Mph!“, she moaned with upcoming resignation.
Cheng now took a strap of wet leather and tied it over her gagged mouth before wrapping a long white silk bandage over it. That, he secured with another wet leather band.
„So, that should keep you occupied for a while. But for one last thing.“
He grabbed Lien`s hair, firmly, but not brutally. Her hair was Lien`s pride and it almost reached to her knees when fully combed out. Cheng took the noose from her neck and tied it around her braid before he fixed it to the ceiling. Then, he put a knife and a lotos flower on the floor, about one yard away from Lien.
„If you can get free, you may use that knife on every part of my body you like. But if not – well, this might be the beginning of a long relationship.“
He left her and after a long and intensive, yet futile struggle, Lien had found out that she would not be able to loosen a single knot. Lien, the fighter had found her master.
Drawing by hugues66
„If I only knew the Princess is alive and save, I could really think twice about this strange kind of proposal“, she thought with a mixture of fear for her Princess, frustration and a feeling she had never thought it could be caused by being naked, bound, gagged and helpless in a man`s hand – anticipation.
***
Zenobia was the last one to be taken from the cellar. Though they had put the stool back into place and let the crotch chain quite loose, she had not been able to relax. She was worrying about her friend and their uncertain fate.
When they brought her upstairs, she saw four women lying on the bed on their backs. All were stark naked and had their hands tied behind their backs, but obviously not their elbows. Their ankles were cuffed and their heads were completely wrapped in silk. The four women mmphed softly, but seemed a bit absent-minded. Though their heads were hooded, she could see that Andrea was second from the left and that one woman was missing – Madame Yini.
Unbeknownst to her, Madame Yini was only some ten yards away. She was tied up exactly the way Lien was, but with a variation. She was not sitting on the floor, but on a tottery stool. If she struggled too much, she would fall off and hang from her hair.
Madame Yini sat behind her one sided mirror and could see the guests in her tea house, only a few yards away.
„Relax and look how good we run business without you. We won`t ruin what you have built up.“
Cheng had told her that they would not sell her to China, but would keep her. However, her new job would be to serve as a maid to the Princess and to Lien – once they had persuaded these to become a part of the recently founded „Tea & Damsels“-business. And once they could be sure of her „loyalty“. Until then, they had told her, she would stay naked, bound and gagged – and even afterwards, if her new Mistresses wished that.
Zenobia was quickly ungagged and given a few minutes in the bathroom for relieving herself, to drink some water and to eat some fruits. They left her alone, but let the door ajar and the room had no window anyway. So, she returned to the sleeping room when they called for her.
„Good girl“, Cheng said when he cuffed her hands behind her back whilst Tian tied her feet. The men had found two more pairs of uphostered handcuffs in Madame Yini`s night drawer, for whatever that meant.
Zenobia moaned softly when she was once again gagged with Vanessa`s sodden knickers. Then, she was tightly cleave-gagged with a scarf and a belt was buckled over that, followed by a silk bandage and another belt. They tested the efficiency of her gag by squeezing one of her nipples, but seemed satisfied that she could not make a sound worth mentioning. Then, Cheng stuffed some cotton wool into her left ear. Before he did the same to her other ear, Cheng pointed at Andrea and said:
„This one said she would like to travel with you. She really insisted on that.“
he stuffed her right ear and blindfolded her with a scarf, followed by another with which he completely encased her head before knotting it off at her neck.
Blindfolded and deafened, Zenobia was now reduced to her sense of touch. She felt that her handcuffs were loosened and her body was pressed against that of another woman. Andrea! Even blindfolded, she could distinguish her beloved from thousands. Her wrists were cuffed behind Andrea`s back whilst the reporter was forced to embrace her.
The men now brought in three large boxes. They were meant for transporting tea and the logo of a Chinese tea company was written to the sides in big letters, but they had changed the interior a bit.
The boxes were padded with some bedsheets to prevent the girls from getting hurt or from alerting someone by knocking or kicking. Since their captives would have to stay inside for some day or so, they had decided to gag them securely, but not to tie them up too harsh. Since it were three boxes for five women, they had decided that Vanessa would have to travel alone.
They tied Jody and Myra in a close embrace like Andrea and Zenobia and heaved them into one of the boxes. They could lie on their sides quite comfortable, but could not keep much distance between each other. Their moaning was almost inaudible when they put the false lid over the box and nailed it shut. Then, they filled the remaining space with tea bags and closed the real lid over that. If a controller would not lift up the box and recognize the difference in weight, the cover was quite effective.
They then stowed the other girls and camouflaged them likewise. Since Vanessa could move around more, they hogtied her and also applied a crotch rope to help her against her loneliness. Now, the strenuous part began.
Although they still had four hours till they had to leave, they carried the boxes from one place to another without longer pauses, though they were soon sweating from the effort. But Cheng had told them that the damsels would think that their journey had already begun. On every stop, they would think that there were people around and would try to alert someone. When the real trip began, they would be too exhausted and frustrated to draw anyone`s attention.
Inside the moving box, Andrea and Zenobia were rocked and shaken, but Zenobia wasn`t angry about that. Andrea had insisted on travelling with her and soon after their departure, she had felt Andrea`s fingers claw into her butt and pull her closer.
„Oh, Andrea! Here we are, naked, bound and gagged and on our way to China! But we are together, we will stay together and you feel like me! Beloved, beloved Andrea!“
All fears and worries were washed away by the overwhelming happiness and Zenobia responded to her lover`s tender caresses.
The End