Into the Fire

Preface:

One of my readers, Spudz1442, told me that he would like me to continue one of my first stories, »Indian Summer«, since it was left ambiguous what exactly happened to Linda in the end. So, I finally decided to give it a try and tell her story, hoping that more than one person will like it.

It is still the summer of 1906 and the story begins near the city of Muscat, today the capital of the Oman, by then controlled by the British. Previous knowledge of what happened in »Indian Summer« is not necessary, but will help to get an even better image of Linda Dellert.

Chapter one

Hamad sneaked over the upper deck of the »R.M.S. Princess of East India«, a big modern passenger ship heading to the Southern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. In a few hours, they would reach Muscat where he would perhaps be allowed to visit the city, too.

Actually, Hamad had no reason to sneak, for he was a cabin boy and therefore allowed to be here, even when he was not on duty. Usually, the upper deck was reserved to Whites only, but of course, the passengers wanted their drinks and so, the 18 years old Arab in his white uniform had to serve them, together with some dozen of his colleagues. However, what he had in mind had nothing to do with his duties as a cabin boy.

The cabins of the first class were equipped with an elaborate ventilation system that consisted of a system of air tunnels directly over the cabins` roofs. If some repair had to be done, these tunnels could be entered via a gate that could be entered by an opening that was secured by an iron grid. And Hamid had just stolen the key to the padlock that kept the grid shut.

Carefully, he looked over his shoulder. If a passenger would see him, he could pretend that he was just controlling something, but one of the crew would of course know that Hamad had no right to be there and he would be punished.

Seeing he was alone, Hamad quickly opened the padlock and crawled inside the tunnel. Then, he locked the grid behind him and started to crawl.

»Damned!«, he hissed after just a few yards. There had been a nail or screw and he had just ripped his trousers. Hamad thought of returning, but since his clothes were ragged now anyway, he could also go forward.

Another crew member had told him that there were openings in the roof of every cabin. Openings through which one could peep into the room unseen. Hamad did not know exactly what he would be able to see, but he hoped that it would be exiting and something to boast around with. Perhaps, he would get a glimpse of a woman changing her clothes or something even better.

However, it seemed that whoever had constructed the ventilation system had thought of curious young men, too. When Hamad reached the first opening, he found it was covered by a cloth from the other side, thin enough to let the air circulate, but also opaque enough to block his sight. He could hear a man snore directly from under his feet and smiled. However, this was not worth being punished for his ripped pants. Hamad crawled on.

It turned out that the cloth covering the next opening had a little hole in it. And when he bent forward, Hamad could see a small reflection, like that of a golden ring. Carefully and without a sound, he brought his eye as close as he could.

»Yes!«

The small hole only allowed him to see a spot the size of a plate, but what he could see was marvelous: he looked directly on the belly of a woman. A naked woman! Or at least, her belly was naked. The reflection had been a small Sapphire that ornated her belly button.

Hamad almost dislocated his neck when he tried to see more, but there was just this naked belly – and then, a hand brushing over it. This hand definitely belonged to a man. A man that was just touching this woman, this naked woman, less than two yards away from him! He felt his cock harden by the thought what he would witness now!

However, just seeing the woman`s belly was not enough. So, always anxious not to produce a sound, Hamad reached for his pocket knife. The blade was just some two inches long, but he could enlarge the opening with it and see what exactly was going on there.

He carefully began to saw through the cloth. When the opening became bigger, he could see a pair of breasts – bare breasts. Hamad hadn`t seen many boobs in his short life and never before those of a European woman. In addition, these marvelous mounds were round and firm and quite big, considering that the woman was lying on her back. Hamad gasped. This definitely was worth some damaged trousers; it was worth even getting punished by one of the petty officers!

He could see the woman`s bust heave, as if she was nervous – or, to be correctly, aroused. However, she did not move much, though Hamad had once more seen the hand of the man; obviously, he was busy with her lower body.

»What is he doing?«

Driven by curiosity and his growing arousal, Hamad cut the cloth in the other direction. He knew from one or two occasions how women looked there, but now, he nearly dropped his knife and it took him several seconds of waiting before he felt sure that the couple under him had not noticed anything.

The woman`s middle was naked, too, but Hamad could not see much, for it was covered with some white cream. A cream the man was applying with a shaving brush, humming a melody.

»Will he – will he shave her – there?«, Hamad thought. He tried to see more, but that very second, he could hear a faint roaring.

When his heartbeat had calmed down a bit, Hamad felt relieved: it was early in the morning and soon, the temperatures would be unbearable for the European passengers. So, each morning at 7:00 o`clock the ventilation system began to work and now, he felt a cold breeze.

»No, please not – wow!«

The breeze had caused the cloth covering of the opening to billow and so, he had lost eye contact to the woman`s naked creamed pubic mound. However, he had been able to see something else: this woman was tied to her bed spread-eagle and she was also gagged!

Now, Hamad was sure that his bumping heart could be heard from below, but the man hadn`t stopped humming, so, he obviously hadn`t recognized him yet.

When Hamad continued watching, the flapping cloth offered him a variety of glimpses that added to a picture both fascinating and terrible: the woman was indeed securely tied, her wrists and ankles tied to the four posts of her bed. She had long blonde hair and blue eyes – eyes that looked big and frightened – and the lower half of her face was hidden under a colored cloth that seemed to hold some amount of packing in her mouth.

Hamad knew that this sure was a crime and that he should report it to one of the officers, but he was just fascinated of what the man did now. With a razor, he approached the woman`s pubic mound and began shaving it, slowly and thoroughly, all the time continuing to hum.

He seemed to enjoy his work – well, what kind of man wouldn`t? – and he did it with great care, always stretching the woman`s skin with his free hand before using the blade. Hamad saw her slightly reddened skin, smooth and bold, and he could also see the brownish flesh of her – he searched his memory for the word – labia. Never before had Hamad seen these intimate parts and he licked his dry lips.

Now, the man put away his razor and reached for something small that Hamad could not see properly. Then, he said towards the bound and gagged woman:

»Sorry, this will perhaps prick a little, Beloved!«

Beloved? So, he was watching some kinky stuff between lovers? Hamad got however distracted when the man bent over the woman`s crotch. Now, he could see what he was holding in his right: it was a pair of pincers.

He could hear some faint whimpering from the gagged blonde as the man plucked the few hairs he had not reached with his razor one by one. Then, when her pubic mound was as bold as it could be, he gently placed a kiss on her clit before lubing the reddened area with some transparent cream.

Hamad stared at the freshly shaved pussy when the man was putting away the things he had used for shaving the woman. The labia seemed to him like a vertical mouth and he suddenly had to fight down the urge to climb down and throw himself upon the helpless woman. The fact that she squirmed and shifted her hips the little her stringent ties allowed didn`t help the matter. It seemed that this vertical mouth was calling for him to come.

His leg cramped from the inconvenient position he had kept for some time now and he carefully rose. Panting, he thought what he should do next.

»Sure, this is some kind of weird game! He sure will now release her and then, they will have sex!«

Hamad was definitely anticipating that, but more and more, he was sure that this was not consensual. He had seen that this man had a dark complexion. He was an Arab or maybe, an Afghan or Persian! Nobody a respectable European Lady would be together with!

Suddenly, he became more worried and less aroused by the second. This was a crime and he had something to do about it! But whom should he tell about it? The Captain or any of the officers would slap him for talking to them before he could even finish his sentence. Then, Omar came to his mind.

Omar was a Steward, the only Arab in such a prestigious position. Though only some 25 years, he had acted like a father towards Hamad when he had started working on the ship three years ago. Omar would know what to do!

Quickly, Hamad crawled back and left the ventilation tube. Then, he ran for the breakfast room where he knew Omar would be at the moment.

»Omar, I-«

The Steward quickly pulled him behind a column and hissed:

»Hamad, are you mad? Running around here like that?«

He looked at Hamad who was covered with dust and dirt and whose trousers were ripped. However, the boy began to tell him hastily what he had seen. Omar listened carefully, then, he pulled Hamad with him to a storage room where they could talk in private.

»Are you sure about that? You know, if they are just, well, some honeymooners with strange habits-«

Hamad repeated his report and now, Omar seemed to think about something. Then, he put his hand on Hamad`s shoulder and asked:

»Do you trust me, my friend?«

»Well – yes, of course!«

Omar smiled, then, he bent forward and whispered:

»You sure understand that this situation has to be handled with great discretion. Not only will the Captain be angry if the other passengers hear about a crime – think of the poor Lady! If we storm to her cabin now and break the door to free her, it would be more than embarrassing for her! No, we have to think of something else!«

Hamad protested, but Omar made him swear by his mother`s life that he would not do anything on his own nor tell anybody about the bound and gagged Lady. Then, he smiled and said:

»Speaking about your mother – I`ve got good news for you!«

Hamad`s parents lived at Muscat and the boy hadn`t seen them for about half a year now. Omar, who knew that, told him that he would definitely be allowed to visit them, to even stay for the night with his family.

»For two days, I can do your duties, too. I can`t leave the ship anyway, for I have to take care of this little problem you discovered. Be sure, when you come back, everything will be fine. But now, you better should change clothes, otherwise your mother will think that you are serving on a pirate ship now!«

Hamad ran for the cabin boy`s chamber and Omar smiled, this time more sardonically. This boy was a bit naïve and in addition, he loved his parents. So, he could be sure that until tomorrow, nobody would know about the bound and gagged woman except for Hamad and him. And Hamad would soon leave the ship for the night.

»Hamad, my friend«, Omar thought, »you will be quite surprised about the solution I found. Unfortunately, I won`t be there to see your reaction.«

***

»Now, you look nice again, Beloved!«

Linda did not answer to Kazeem. She couldn`t, even if she had wanted to, for she was thoroughly gagged, as she had always been since the former counselor had overpowered her in her own bathtub four days ago. He had narcotized her before she had even been able to yell and when she had awakened, she had once again found herself in a living nightmare.

Still stark naked, she had been lying on her bed, her limbs tied to the posts by strips of her ripped silk gown. The material was surprisingly strong and besides, she was not alone as Kazeem had been sitting by her bed, watching her. When she had blinked, still groggy from the ether, he had smiled and greeted her.

Drawing by Hugues66

Again, Linda had been gagged. Something big stuffed her mouth to the bursting and the taste told her that she was once again chewing on her worn knickers. Kazeem had tied a tight silk scarf between her jaws to keep the gag in and another one above it, covering her face from nose to chin. So, all Linda had been able to do was to moan with fear as she finally recognized who had once again got her into his clutches.

She could see that he had changed his appearance, no longer wearing a beard and dressed in a modern suit. In addition, she recognized that Kazeem now had a scar on his face and that he limped. Obviously, he had survived his involuntary bath in the mountain river, but had suffered a few injuries.

»Just an ankle sprain«, he had explained to the helplessly squirming and whimpering Linda. He had then explained more to her: how he intended to keep her prisoner in her own cabin until the ship would reach Muscat where he wanted to leave, taking her with him. Obviously, he wanted Linda to become his bride.

Linda had screamed through her gag and thrashed in her bonds, remembering only too well what being in this man`s clutches meant. When she had fallen in his hands for the first time, he had prepared her for his master, an Afghan Emir. This Emir had made her his concubine and Linda had quite well adjusted to that position, since it meant a life in luxury.

However, a series of intrigues had followed and Linda had found herself naked, bound and gagged almost nonstop for several days. First, Kazeem had punished her for rising against how Fatima, the other concubine, had treated her – Linda still shuddered from the memory of what he had forced her to do. Then, after he had fallen from the Emir`s grace, he had left and taken her with him, again naked, bound and gagged and stuffed into a small trunk until she had been rescued by the British more or less accidentally. And now, he had again stepped into her life.

She had been sure that sooner or later, someone would find her in her predicament, but unfortunately, Linda herself had told the Steward that she did not wish to leave her cabin before the next stop. So, all Kazeem had to do was to write orders for food in a feigned female handwriting and place them at her doormat so the cabin boy could get all they needed to stay inside her rooms.

During the last four days, Linda had found herself in a bizarre routine. Most of the time, she had to lie on her bed, naked, gagged and spread. Only in the morning and in the evening, when Kazeem fed her, the dreadful knickers came out of her mouth, but he had placed a vicious looking dagger on her naked belly, threatening to cut her tongue if she would try to scream.

After the meals, Linda was released for a few minutes and was allowed to stretch her limbs and walk around in the room a bit. Kazeem even allowed her to use the chamber pot in private, reminding her always that even if she managed to alert someone, he would still be able to take care she would not be happy about it. The look in his eyes had told Linda that this had not been just an idle threat and besides, even when she was given her five minutes in the bathroom, she was gagged and had her ankles tied.

Kazeem took care of her other physical needs, too, washing her every day. Of course, he took his advantages by touching her everywhere, and he took some pleasure in making her feel helpless. Once, he had been massaging some perfumed oil into her skin and when he had kneaded her breasts, he had continued until Linda`s nipples had involuntarily grown hard and erect.

»So, you like that, Beloved?«, he had asked her. Linda had shaken her head no and with a shrug, Kazeem had stopped – only to place two clothespins on her nipples, causing her to squirm and scream through her gag with pain. Mercilessly, he had watched her silently for an entire hour before he relieved her from the clothespins. Then, he had begun to gently knead her breasts and had licked and kissed her sore nipples. Linda had whimpered as the pain changed into a tingling that was not unpleasant. Then, a long, deep moan had emerged from her throat and Kazeem had stopped and looked up to her.

»So, do you like it now?«

This time, Linda had nodded reluctantly. Kazeem had smiled and caressed her hair. Then, he had looked into her eyes and suddenly, his smile had disappeared. Tightening his grip on her scalp, he had shaken his head:

»You are nodding, Beloved, but I see that you do so just to avoid pain, not because you mean it. And that means you are lying to me!«

Despite her muffled pleading, he had again placed the clamps on her nipples.

»This time, it`s two hours! And the next time I think you are lying to me, you will get whipped!«

Trembling and biting down on the knickers stuffing her mouth, Linda had considered her options. If she resisted, she would get punished. But if she feigned submission, she would get punished as well. The only way to avoid pain would be true, deep submission to Kazeem.

Sometimes, she had to suffer from other inconveniences that had to do with Kazeem not wanting her to escape, since he sometimes had to go to his own cabin to fetch some things. Before leaving Linda, he controlled her ties, then, he further secured them by tying leather thongs to her wrists and ankles. Since the silk ties upholstered these thongs, he pulled them extremely tight and took care that all knots were out of reach. Having done so, he pulled a second pair of her discarded knickers over her head and tied another thong over her mouth, pulling that tight, too. It pressed her gag even deeper into her throat and Linda could now only utter the faintest of sounds.

Kazeem then had given her another proof of his cruelty. He had slung a doubled rope around her waist and created a crotch rope. Then, he had taken the ends and pulled her upwards. Linda had groaned, but he had lifted her butt some foot from the bed before he knotted the rope off to a ceiling beam. Now, Linda only could choose between resting uncomfortable on her arms and legs – or dangling even more uncomfortable from the rope between her thighs.

»We both know that you can have some fun with such a rope, Beloved. However, this is not meant for you, at least, not now!«

To Linda`s surprise, he had taken a small bowl, filled it with a red liquid and placed it on her belly where he balanced the bowl so it would stay as long as Linda kept perfectly still.

»It`s just some water with a little color in it, it`s completely harmless. However, the more you spill whilst I am away, the harder you will be punished. Did you get me?«

Linda had just stared at him with fearful eyes and so, Kazeem had taken the bowl with one hand, put the other under her dangling butt and given her a slap to her buttocks. Though he had had almost no possibility to raise his hand, it hurt and Linda had let out a muffled squeal. When he had asked her again whether she had understood him, she had nodded. Smiling, he had placed the bowl on her belly again.

To Linda`s relief, he had only left for less than an hour, but it had been agonizing to keep balance and not to twitch. She had managed not to spill any of the liquid and so, Kazeem had released her and gently caressed her, had even kissed away her tears.

This night, Linda had been lying awake quite long. She had looked at Kazeem who was sleeping on the couch. What did the former counselor have in mind for her? He told her that he wanted to keep her, but in which function? As his wife, as a concubine or as a slave? He always called her »Beloved«, but on the other hand, he never called her by name. He sometimes was gentle, but if she did not obey his orders – or if he just thought that she did so not deliberately enough –, he punished her. And all the time, he kept her naked, bound and gagged, of course. Linda wondered why he didn`t use her sexually. Of course, he touched her everywhere, often in an intimate way, sometimes just to arouse her, but somehow, this just seemed to be a part of getting her obedient.

Then, on the fourth day of their bizarre journey, Kazeem had risen quite early and not only washed her, but also taken great care in removing all her body hair. Linda had got used to this procedure when she had been in the Emir`s harem, but at that time, a slave girl had done it to her. It was strange to see Kazeem using his razor on her legs, her armpits and finally on her pubic mound. She had been frightened and fascinated at the same time, but despite her trembling, he had not cut her even once. When he had massaged some perfumed oil into her skin, he had said:

»I think we will reach Muscat at around noon. However, I will have to do some preparations before we can leave, Beloved. But I will be back for you in the evening and then, your new life will begin.«

Luckily, he did not expect her to show her true feelings and just allowed her a short trip to the bathroom before he restrained her for the next hours. To her surprise, he made her lie on her belly before tying her wrists and elbows to the bedposts. He then loosened her cleave gag, only to stuff the wadded panties even deeper into her mouth before tying the scarf even tighter between her lips. He then wrapped an entire bandage around her lower face before tying another scarf over the whole gag. As an additional layer, he buckled a narrow leather belt over the massive gag. Then, by pinching her nipples, he ensured that Linda could not make a sound that could be heard through the cabin`s door, at least not when the ship was in a crowded harbor. Kazeem then once more tied leather straps over the scarves binding her arms and legs.

»Will you miss me, Beloved?«

As always when the man asked her something and Linda wasn`t sure which answer he wanted to hear, she shuddered. Then, she nodded slightly. His reaction was a hard slap on her naked butt that made her squeal through her gag.

Linda let out a sigh of sheer frustration. If she had told him that she would never miss a brute like him, he would have spanked her, too! Kazeem raised his hand and Linda twitched, but he stopped short before hitting her and just gently padded her buttocks.

»You still don`t know exactly what I am expecting of you, do you, Beloved?«

With a small whimper, Linda shook her head, this time quite sure that it was the correct answer. Kazeem bent forward and kissed her neck.

»You will learn, my dear, you will learn!«

He stood up from the bed and put on his jacket and his straw hat. Then, he reached for his cane, since his ankle still hurt a bit. He went back for Linda and kissed her again, this time on her forehead.

»You will learn – but it won`t be easy!«

Without warning, he again slapped her on her butt with considerable strength. Linda squealed and he left, chuckling. As usual, he quickly checked the corridor before he stepped out of the room. He was an Afghan and therefore not allowed in the First Class, but as the times before, he managed to get on the deck unseen. Since Kazeem was wearing European clothes, people didn`t really recognize him.

The »Princess of East India« was too big to enter the harbor of Muscat, but the gangway had been lowered and there were dozens of small boats offering to get passengers and crew members to the city. Kazeem waited for one of the bigger boats, one that looked clean and was equipped with an engine. The owner helped him to get on and soon, Kazeem was on his way to the coast.

»Remember what you have sworn«, Omar whispered into Hamad`s ear. The boy, now dressed in his best uniform, was standing in the queue for the boats, too. Before he could say something, Omar handed him a small parcel.

»Didn`t you tell me that your parents both love Assam tea? Well, now, you won`t have to visit them empty handed.« With a grin, he added:

»Let`s just hope that the Captain won`t find out who took it from the Officers` mess!«

He then pointed at the leaving motorboat, ensuring Hamad that, as long as the man with the straw hat was on land, he could not harm the kidnapped Lady. He had secretly observed Linda`s cabin and therefore knew that it was the man with the white suit and the straw hat he would have to have an eye on.

»Perhaps, you will find some time to observe him, Hamad! Maybe, you can help detecting a White slavery ring and become famous!«

The boy seemed to like the idea and without further hesitation entered the next boat. Omar smiled: now, he could be quite sure that Hamad would be busy for the next hours, either by visiting his parents or by running after the ominous man.

Now, Omar slowly strolled towards the upper deck where he met with a man wearing the same uniform as him. Indeed, the blonde Arthur was a Steward, too. Despite their different races, both men had become quite close friends – or, to be precisely, accomplices.

»Are you ready, Artie?«, Omar whispered after he had checked they were alone. The other man nodded and showed him a small flask.

»Of course I am! Do you have the key?«

Getting one of the ship`s master keys had been an easy task for Omar and a few minutes later, they were at the corridor to Linda`s cabin, pushing a laundry trolley. Usually, work like cleaning the rooms or changing the sheets was done by the maids, but Omar had taken care that these had started on the other side and so, the corridor was empty, since most passengers were either on their way to Muscat or at least standing on the railing and enjoying the view.

»Room service!«, Arthur yelled after he had knocked on the door. They listened carefully, but they could hear nothing but the noises of the people on deck. Arthur nodded and Omar opened the door. Then, they pushed the trolley inside and closed the door behind them before they entered the sleeping room of Linda`s suite.

»Room servi- oh my God!«

»Mhhmmmm!«

Omar had been prepared from Hamad`s story for what would expect them, but when he had told Arthur about it, he had not told him everything – for example that the damsel in distress would be stark naked. Arthur just stared on Linda`s naked butt whilst the blonde was moaning and her cheeks were blushing from embarrassment.

But though this was humiliating, Linda was preeminently relieved. These men would see her in the nude, but they were both dressed in white uniforms, so, they were members of the crew. In a few minutes, her ordeal would be over!

She saw that the smaller, dark haired one was poking his colleague`s side and whispered something into his ear. To Linda`s surprise, he took a small flask from his pocket.

»It`s nice of him to think I could need a drink, but could they please free me first?«

Then, her eyes widened as she saw the blonde man take a rag and carefully soak it with the liquid from his flask. Before he approached her, she sensed a sweet smell and knew what he intended to do.

»Uuuhmmph! Nnngggg!«

Linda squirmed in her bonds and moaned frantically, but the man just grabbed her hair and pressed the wad over her mouth and nose. The other one bent close to her face and said in a friendly tone:

»There is good news and bad news, Miss. The good news is that you will no longer in the clutches of the man who tied you up and gagged you. However, the bad news is that this doesn`t mean you will be freed!«

»Mhhrrrmmmmm!«

»Out of the frying pan and into the fire – isn`t that how the English say, Artie?«

»Exactly!«, the blonde agreed, still pressing the wad on Linda`s face. Her flailing now became weaker and Omar could see that her eyes were blinking. Soon, she would have passed out completely. With a last effort, she bucked in her bonds and sent a last muffled scream through her gag. Then, Linda collapsed and everything went black in front of her eyes.

Arthur waited for another minute before he took the rag from her face. Quickly, Omar cut her wrist ties loose and used them to tie Linda`s hands behind her back whilst Arthur tied her ankles. Then, they tied these ropes together, hogtying the girl. Arthur wanted to grab her shoulders to get her to the trolley, but Omar raised his hand.

»Let`s turn her on her back!«

Arthur whistled when he saw Linda`s large and firm boobs and he could not resist touching them. Omar, however, examined her loins. As Hamad had told him, the girl`s pubic hair had been completely shaved off.

»That`s an interesting feel«, he said as he brushed over her smooth pubic mound. Arthur also cupped Linda`s pussy and chuckled:

»At least, you won`t choke from a hair if you go down on her!«

They both laughed, then, they heaved the unconscious Linda into the linen sack that was attached to their trolley and covered her with the bed sheets they ripped from the bed. After that, they quickly rummaged the room and found some money they put into their pockets before they left the cabin, pushing the trolley through the corridor.

Omar still wondered about the great coincidence that had offered him that beauty on a silver tray. Of course, they had now crossed the path of another criminal, but with a little bit of luck, he would never find out about who had stolen his prey. Omar thought by himself:

»If it will be as easy to get the other one as it was kidnapping that blonde, this could be one of the easiest ways to make a fortune!«

***