Bound on the Nile

In 1906, Egypt is officially still a part of the Ottoman Empire and its ruler, the Khedive, a vassal of the Turkish Sultan. However, the de facto rulers are the British, represented by their Consul-General. Linda Dellert and Emily Starling have luckily escaped their perils described in »Into the Fire« and are now in Cairo, the capital of Egypt. But their break from binding thrills will not be long…

Chapter one

»Phew, I never would have thought that an interest in an ancient culture could be straining physically, too!«

A bit unladylike, Linda sat down on a timeworn sandstone block and dabbed the sweat from her forehead. The heat was terrible, though it was well before noon, but she had to admit that the pyramids were really impressing.

She and Emily had arrived at Cairo three days earlier and had both more or less recovered from their ordeal when both had been kidnapped by slavers. Then, after they finally had been freed, even the British officer, angry about one of Emily`s articles, had kept then in a veritable torture chamber for an entire night, demanding an excuse for Emily`s text that had insulted him.

The redhead had persisted and Linda had been with her, as an act of sympathy. So, when they had been escorted to their ship to Suez, they had managed to keep their dignity – at the cost that both girls had not been able to sit for two days, Emily because of the spanking she had received from the Colonel and Linda from having to sit on a Spanish Horse for endless hours.

On the ship, they had been able to relax and even enjoy the beauties of the Red Sea and the African coastline. However, Linda had not dared to speak about what had happened between them during their abduction – when they had kissed, not in the way that could be called »just friendly«! She felt that Emily had similar feelings for her than she had for her, but none of them had so far done more than occasionally holding the other`s hand.

»I told you not to wear a corset«, Emily now whispered and Linda felt her fingers brush over her side. She smiled, blushing slightly. Emily was a Suffragette, an activist for the rights of women and so, she rejected things like corsets. Linda, however, did not dare to go without one in public.

»What do you think, can we trust these traders to sell us something clean to drink?«

As on keyword, several kids and youngsters were gathering around the two young women with their sun umbrellas, offering snacks or drinks. Before either of the girls could say something, a large bulky man shooed them away and said:

»Ladies, please, good tea and coffee!«

So, he was another shop owner who saw potential customers in them. But he did not look worse than others and his kaftan looked clean, just like the man himself. He told them to remain seated and then served them two glasses of hot, heavily sugared peppermint tea on a tray.

»Ladies, if buying souvenir, first glass for free!«

The tea did indeed help and after some more attempts to lure them into his shop, the man accepted their promise to do so after they had visited the Pyramids.

Of course, there were some more people, most of them Europeans, standing around, whilst some native boys offered their services as guides.

»What would you say, can we still afford to pay – Emily?«

Her friend had suddenly stopped and the umbrella had fallen from her hand. She looked as if she had petrified, staring at the Pyramids with widened eyes. Linda wanted to ask her what was wrong with her, but suddenly, Emily began to twitch.

»Emily, oh my God, what is wrong with you?«

For a moment, Linda thought that Emily had an epileptic attack, but instead of spitting foam or squirming on the floor, she suddenly gathered her skirt and lifted them. Then, a clumsy parody of a Can-Can dance followed.

»Emily!«

Now, other people saw what the redhead was doing and a crowd was building, watching with a mixture of fascination and disgust as Emily exposed her gartered stockings and even allowed a glimpse on her knickers whilst she was dancing before she quite unceremoniously landed on her backside, still flailing with her legs. The crowd now either hooted and laughed or seemed concerned, more for the violation of modesty than for the girl`s health. Suddenly, a loud voice said:

»Please, give way, I am a doctor!«

A man in a beige suit worked his way through the crowd and bent down to Emily who nearly kicked him in the groins. Now, another man, dressed in a white kaftan, approached and the first man said:

»Ibrahim, a hand, please!«

The man in the kaftan had little difficulties in grabbing Emily`s wrists and ankles and loading her over his shoulders, as a shepherd would do with a lamb. Then, whilst he held the still squirming girl in a firm grip, the doctor turned to the crowd:

»It`s a heat stroke, Ladies and Gentlemen, but I will take care of the young Lady in my hospital!«

They began to move away and the people let them go, but now, Linda stopped the man:

»Please, she`s my friend, what is wrong with her?«

The doctor, a young brown-haired man that looked British, repeated:

»It`s the heat, Miss! But don`t be afraid, we will take care of her, in a few days, she will be okay, I promise!«

Whilst talking, the two men had walked to a small cab and now, Ibrahim opened the door, trying to get the still restless Emily inside.

»Please, I want to come with you!«

The man took Linda´s hands in his and said urgently:

»Miss, I don`t want to make you feel even more worried, but time is on the agenda! And the cab has hardly enough room for your friend, Ibrahim and me! But of course, you may look after her whenever you want! Just ask for Dr. Seward!«

He reached for his pocket and handed Linda a visiting card. Then, ignoring her further objections, he jumped on the driver`s seat and made the horse walk on. For some yards, Linda followed the cab, but it accelerated quickly. Panting, she looked at the card:

»Dr. John Seward, Carfax Private Sanatorium, Cairo.«

There was no address, just a Rod of Asclepius. Linda looked around for a taxi cab and told the driver:

»Get me to Carfax Sanatorium, quick!«

The man scratched his head and raised an eyebrow.

»Carfax? Never heard of! No exist!«

Linda uttered a curse in German and went to the next man. He was more fluent in English and offered to get her to whatever hospital or sanatorium she wished – except for one called »Carfax«. He even asked his colleagues, but all of them insisted that such a place didn`t exist in Cairo. Linda felt a cold shiver run down her spine. She sank down and one of the taxi drivers reached for her arm. Linda breathed:

»Get me to the nearest police station!«

***

Emily slowly regained her consciousness. She had been in a strange, almost hallucinating dream, with her dancing and being surrounded by flashes and clouds in all kinds of colors. It was the worst nightmare she had ever had, but now, she just felt exhausted and thirsty. She wanted to lick her lips, but something was blocking her tongue.

»Mhm?«

She tried to touch her lips, but felt that her arms did not obey her. Blinking, she saw the leather cuff around her wrist.

»Uuhhmmm! Mmhhmmm!«

Emily now quickly came to life, only to realize that she was bound and gagged. Her wrists and ankles were tied to the four ends of a white metal bedframe. She looked around, pulling on her bonds and tried to scream but only a moaning came out of her.

Now, she could feel the straps that held a big leather ball in her mouth. Two cut into the corners of her mouth, whilst two more met at her forehead and went over the top of her head. A third strap was buckled under her chin, forcing Emily to bite down on her gag.

»Mhmmmph! Uuhhhmm!«

Again, she squirmed and moaned and now, a brunette woman in a nurse`s outfit entered.

»So, you are awake, Miss?«

The nurse smiled at her and looked so calm and matter-of-fact that Emily could not help to just stare at her for a few second before she again demanded to be freed. The nurse just said:

»Don`t worry, Miss, the doctor will see for you any second!«

Indeed, now a young brown-haired man in a white smock entered, smiling at her. He whispered something into the nurse`s ear and the woman left the room.

»Mhhmmm! Mph!«

»I am sorry, Miss, but it`s for your own good! When we brought you here, you had completely lost control over yourself. We had to prevent you from hurting yourself or biting your tongue!«

Again, Emily tore on her bonds and groaned, but the doctor just continued, now lowering his voice:

»I am sorry to mention this, Miss, but you even – wet your clothes!«

Emily fell silent and now, she realized that she was dressed only in a white nightgown. It was plain, like hospital garments usually were, but it was a bit skimpy, as it had no sleeves and just two straps and the skirt ended at her knees. In addition, it was slightly transparent and Emily could see the dark aureoles of her breasts. She blushed when it came to her mind that the doctor could also see that.

»However, you are now in good hands!«

He sat down on the bed and bent over her.

»Most of my colleagues prefer stethoscopes, but I like to feel the heartbeat of my patients!«

He pushed his hand into her gown and touched her left breast. For a second, the girl believed that he was really just feeling for her heart, but then, he began to knead her breast and touched the right one, too. She bounced and screamed into her gag, trying to get the man off her. He smiled sardonically and whispered:

»You don`t like that, Missy?«

With a furious groan, Emily shook her head. He once more groped her breasts and hissed, still smiling like a Cheshire cat:

»That`s good! It will make my experiment even more convincing to the audience!«

He pinched her nipples and then, he rose and yelled:

»Nurse Melissa! She has got another fit! A hand, please!«

The nurse rushed in and Emily screamed through her gag as she saw the woman hold a syringe in her hand. She tried to squirm, but the doctor held her steady as the nurse got the syringe ready and approached her upper arm.

»Soon, you will feel better, Miss!«

He tightened his grip, allowing the nurse to prick the needle through her skin. Then, she pushed down the piston and Emily felt a strange warmth stray through her arm.

»In a few moments, you will feel better, Miss! Thank you, Melissa!«

The nurse left and the doctor again bent over Emily. She tried to bounce, but suddenly, her limbs felt heavy and she could hardly move them. Frightened, she let out a small croak.

»Don`t worry, Missy, the drug will not render you unconscious. It will just cause your muscles to relax, but you will still be able to use your senses. Some even say that the senses are sharpened by that medicine!«

Again, he pushed his hands into her gown and kneaded her boobs. Emily tried to fight him off, but to her horror, she could hardly twitch whist she could feel the massage and though she only could gasp, it was like the bit of an iron clamp as he squeezed her nipples again.

»You are so paralyzed I could do anything to you!«

He withdrew from her breasts, but only to gather her gown and cup her pubic mound. She could see him frown and take a look. Then, he put his hand back between her legs and smiled:

»It`s quite unusual to see a European girl that has removed her pubic hair – but I like it!«

Emily felt her cheeks redden. She had not done so on purpose, the slavers who had kidnapped her had forced Linda and another girl to do so – they had forced them to remove her pubic hair with tweezers! But then, she got even more dismayed when she felt the doctor gently massage her clit and labia. However, he withdrew his hand after a short while.

»Don`t worry, Missy, I could do anything to you, but I won`t. Actually, I don`t like it if my partner`s too passive! But the drug will help you to relax until the evening, when the experiment will start. Then, you are invited to be as active as possible!«

Having said so, he left, whilst Emily lay there, staring at the ceiling scared as never before, but unable to flail or even to scream into her gag.

***

»Carfax Sanatorium? Dr. John Seward? Sure he hasn`t mentioned his colleague, Professor Abraham van Helsing?«

First, Linda had thought that the police Sergeant, a middle aged British, looked quite competent and willing to help, but when she had told him about the ominous doctor and showed him the visiting card, he had burst out laughing.

»Sergeant, I can`t see anything funny in the disappearance of my Miss Starling!«

Though scared as hell, Linda had so far managed to remain calm. The policeman wiped his eyes and said:

»Excuse me, Miss, but this must be a joke! Both ›Carfax‹ and ›Dr. John Seward‹, you won`t find in Cairo, but here!«

He turned to his shelf and picked a book with a yellow cover that he handed over to Linda. She read:

»Dracula«

»A horror novel, written by an Irishman named Bram Stoker, some ten years ago. So, whoever made this visiting card, he`s a fan of it, too!«

He then became more serious and noted a description of Emily, since there still was the problem that she had no idea where she could be. The Sergeant promised her to ask at every hospital in Cairo and send her a note to her hotel. Then, he offered her to get her there by one of his men, but Linda refused. She was much too upset to just sit in her hotel room and wait.

With a cab, she went back for the Pyramids, but there was no clue either. The man who had offered them the tea had disappeared and though some of the guides could remember the strange dance of the English Lady, they could not help her to find out more about Emily`s whereabouts. Finally, she sat down on a rock and wept.

Where could Emily be? Had she been kidnapped or had the doctor just been someone who had played a prank on her whilst he was really taking care of Emily? And what had caused the strange attack that had befallen her friend? Linda thought that the man could have put something into their tea, but she had also sipped from it.

»Miss? Can I help you?«

It was a man wearing a suit and he had spoken English without any accent. He was blonde and tall and he looked at her with an expression of concern.

Linda shook her head. She had no nerve for doing small talk, but the man insisted:

»Miss, if it has anything to do with your friend – perhaps, I can help you!«

Linda jumped up from her seat and grabbed the man`s jacket.

»Emily? You-you know where she is?«

»No, sorry, but I know someone who perhaps does!«

He made her follow him for a cab. it was bigger than the usual taxis and drawn by two horses. The curtains of the windows were closed and the man now opened the door for her.

However, Linda`s eyes had fallen on the driver on his seat. He had pulled his hood deep into his face, but now, she could see him better.

»Th-That man! He`s the one that offered us the tea!«

She tried to run away, but the man in the suit now grabbed her arm. Linda screamed and tried to fight him, but now, the bulky man jumped from the seat.

»Let her go!«

The loud, but calm order made all three petrify and it was Linda who first recognized that it had been a female voice. It belonged to a tall woman who was dressed in a strange way. She sported black lace boots, khaki trousers and a matching shirt and she was wearing her black hair in a ponytail. The man in the suit, still holding Linda in a vice grip, said:

»This is not of your business, Miss – or should I say ›Mister‹?«

»You should let her go«, the woman calmly repeated. Now, the other man stepped towards her, but then, suddenly the woman raised her leg and kicked him between the legs. With a groan, he landed on the ground, his hands pressed against his balls.

The woman now jumped forward, trying to attack the other man. The same moment, Linda tried to break free again and, surprised, he let her go. She stumbled into the strange woman and prevented her from hitting the man. Before she was ready to attack again, he drew a knife.

Without showing fear, the woman pushed Linda aside and faced the man who now attacked her – only to get the knife kicked from his hand. Then, she punched him hard in his chest.

Now, the other man came to his feet and the woman slowly retreated, facing her enemies and shielding Linda with her body.

»Eh, what is going on there?«

One of the cab drivers had seen the fight and approached, followed by some of his colleagues. The two men exchanged a look and then, they jumped on their cab and a second later, it started and they disappeared. The woman now turned to Linda:

»Are you all right?«

Linda nodded, too confused to thank the woman or to say anything else. The black-haired woman now got rid of the cab drivers, except for one. It was not before she was sitting in the cab, beside her rescuer, when the woman asked her for the name of her hotel. Linda told her and the cab drove off.

»So, you drew the attention of these men?«

»Well, y-yes, I – oh my God, they have my friend!«

Sobbing, Linda told the strange woman everything since the strange attack had befallen Emily. To her surprise, the woman just nodded, as if Linda`s story was just proving something she already knew. But before Linda could ask anything, the cab had reached her hotel. The strange woman paid and led Linda to the room she and Emily had shared.

»Who are you? And who are these men? Are they – are they slavers?«

The woman raised an eyebrow.

»You can call me Melanie. And to be honest, I have no idea what these men have in mind with your friend, but I am quite sure that they are not interested in selling her into some brothel or so. If they were – why haven`t they taken you instead?«

Linda felt herself blush slightly. Melanie let her eyes wander over her in a way that made her feel a bit uneasy – and also a bit flattered. She looked closer at her rescuer. She was not as tall as she had thought before, perhaps one or two inches taller than Linda with her 5`6``. Melanie had a slim, well-trained figure that was hardly hidden by her trousers and the tight shirt. It was an outfit that women usually didn`t wear, especially in a Muslim country. Now, Melanie smiled and it made her look much more female and soft.

»You are wondering why I am dressed the way I am! Well, it has two reasons – first, it is more convenient for some of my duties – climbing, jumping, rescuing pretty blonde damsels…«

Again, Linda blushed and Melanie smiled. A dimple appeared at the corner of her mouth and Linda thought for a moment that she was indeed very attractive. But then, she listened when Melanie continued:

»Second, walking around like this has some recognition value. Now, these two men can definitely give their boss a good description of who got into their way!«

Linda looked puzzled. She would have guessed that when dealing with criminals, it would be better not to expose like that. Melanie seemed to read her thoughts and explained:

»For some time, I have been hunting for them now. I only know that there is a criminal organization that has kidnapped two women during the last four days. Now, with your friend, it`s three. And all I could find out so far is that they are no white slavers or something like that. But now, thanks to that little fight, they may come from their hole and try to get me!«

She sounded as if this weren`t a threat, but a welcome way to get the criminals in her hands. Linda asked:

»But – who are you? Whom are you working for? Are you – a policewoman?«

The idea of a female police officer sounded strange in Linda`s ears, but Melanie again smiled and shook her head.

»So pretty and yet so curious! All you need to know is that I am on your side – or rather, that I am an enemy of those who abducted your friend. So, finding out where Emily is is of my interest, too. But now, you should relieve yourself!«

»Pardon?«

The last sentence had come completely out of nowhere and Linda doubted if she had understood Melanie right. The black-haired woman smiled and said:

»I will now leave the hotel through the main entrance, so that everybody can see me. I am quite sure that the clerk will look after a woman dressed like me. So, they will all see me leaving, but I will come back to you through your window – so, if you want to use the chamber pot in private, you could do so now!«

Now, Linda felt like a stupid child, but Melanie had already reached the door.

»See you, lovely Linda!«, she purred and left.

Linda suddenly wasn`t sure whether she should not better run for the door, leave the hotel and hide somewhere. The help of that woman seemed to come with some uncanny side effects.

***

Mad with fear, but unable to move or scream, Emily had been lying on her bed, bound and gagged and with no idea where she was. She had managed to turn her head slightly, but all she could say was that her room looked like that of a typical hospital. The curtains were closed, but according to the sounds, they were in a rather crowded area, for she could hear street noises.

Suddenly, the door opened and the doctor entered, this time followed by a tall man that looked like an Egyptian. He was wearing a white kaftan and in his hands, he held a bundle with straps dangling from it.

»Time to get you prepared for today`s experiment!«

Emily croaked and weakly moved her limbs. The paralyzing drug had worked off a bit, but still, she could hardly move and so, she remained lying on her bed when the doctor released her wrists and ankles. Meanwhile, the other man shook out the bundle and Emily shivered: it was a straightjacket, made from heavy canvas.

»Allow me!«

The doctor removed her nightgown, leaving Emily stark naked. This time, however, he did not touch her breasts, but just lifted her upper body, assisting the other man to put the straightjacket on her. Her arms were shoved into the sleeves that ended in tight fingerless mittens. Then, they forced her to sling her arms around her body and pulled the several straps tight before buckling them at her back. Now, Emily could see that this straightjacket was custom made: at the front, it had two seamed openings that left her breasts bare. Emily groaned when the doctor reached between her legs and a last strap was tied tightly over her crotch.

Now, the assistant lifted her over his shoulder and like that, he followed the doctor to the corridor and down some stairs. Then, they entered another room that was already lit by electric lights.

Emily, who more and more regained control over her body, squirmed when she was sat into a chair, but obviously, the chair was custom made, too. A strap was tied over her waist, fastening her to the backrest. Two more straps followed, above and below her breasts, rendering her upper body immobile. Emily weakly flailed with her legs, but these were strapped to the chair`s front legs at the ankles and knees, forcing her to sit motionless with her crotch open. She tried to rock the chair, but it seemed to be fixed to the floor. However, as the doctor now proved, it could be turned around its axis.

Now, Emily could see the room. It was quite big and there were ascending rows of benches and small tables, arranged in a half circle. Her chair was in the middle of a podium in the center. It was a lecture hall. The lights only lit the area around the podium, leaving the seating rows in the dark, but as her eyes adjusted to the dark, she could see that ´several people were sitting on the benches. Emily moaned and writhed in her unyielding bonds, desperately trying to get help. But the men – and also two or three women – seemed to be just interested, though some of the men grinned and obviously discussed her boobs.

»Mhhrrmmm! Uuhhhmmm! Mph!«

»Ladies and Gentlemen, dear students of medicine, I am glad that so many of you found time to visit today`s lecture, though it is rather late. On the other hand, it is never too late for doing science!«

There was some polite laughter and the doctor seemed to wait a few seconds, just to enjoy the admiration of his students. Emily once more screamed through her gag, but still, nobody made an attempt to protest, let alone helping her.

»As we have already discussed in theory, many diseases we associate mainly with women – headaches, bad moods, restlessness, etc. – have their origin in the uterus or Hystera! That`s why these diseases are subsumed under the word ›hysteria‹!«

Under normal circumstances, Emily would have become angry now. In her eyes, »hysteria« was just a word men used to describe women with an own mind, not a medical diagnosis. But now, bound and gagged, all she could do was to listen further.

»Soon, you will be responsible of patients, of whom of course about one half will be women. Often, it will be women suffering from hysteria. And your business will be to get them relief by the so called ›hysterical paroxysm‹!«

He paused to write the word to the blackboard and for a short while, only the scratching of pens on paper could be heard. Emily tried to articulate her protest once more, but the doctor now stepped close to her and padded her head.

»Luckily, this young Lady from the lunatic`s asylum is here to illustrate my lecture. She is incurably mad, but as you easily can see, she is also in a state of great restlessness. In other words, she`s hysteric!«

Now, a loud buzzing could be heard. Emily`s head spun around and she could see that the assistant had pulled a lever on what looked like an electric generator. In front of it, there was a small table with a strange object on it. It looked like a big doorknob, but had an electric cable fixed to one end. The doctor now took the object and held it up so the audience could see it.

»This helpful device will enable me to trigger the hysterical paroxysm, even to a hysteric person that is unwilling to cooperate! This unfortunate woman does not even understand that I want to help her! She thinks that I want to do her harm!«

The doctor now loosened the strap between Emily`s legs, exposing her pussy. Some of the men murmured and more than one bent forward to have a better look. She squirmed and screamed into her gag, but to no avail. With horror, she realized that the students obviously believed the doctor`s lie that she was a madwoman and not the victim of a madman.

The doctor now made a sign towards his assistant who pulled another, smaller lever. Now, the button in the doctor`s hand began to buzz and vibrate. He went closer to the first row of students, allowing them to touch the knob.

»You see, though driven by electricity, it is completely harmless. It`s just a device that helps us to set off the hysterical paroxysm, hygienic and easy to handle!«

He slowly stepped beside Emily and waited for the audience to calm down again. Then, he pushed the vibrating knob against her right breast, causing her to squirm in her chair.

***