Back to the Present 4

»This is maybe the weirdest story I ever heard – and yet, I somehow can`t help believing you!«

Jelena had told Aurora almost everything about their unwilling time travel and their adventures since then. She had left out some of the spicy details, but Aurora now knew that both Jelena had spent a good deal of their time in the year 1525 bound and gagged and that they also had had several sexual encounters, whether they had liked it or not.

Aurora had also asked Jelena about what she knew about the things to come. Jelena had not known too much, since she was a linguist and Tabea the historian (the fact that a woman could attend a university had amazed Aurora nearly as much than the idea of time travelling being possible), but she could at least tell her that Gritti would live another 13 years.

»So, my future may be save, if I manage to still attract him.«

Of course, Jelena felt no sympathy for the man who currently had her friend in his torture chamber, but Aurora tried to soothe her anger:

»Polpetto isn`t a bad man. He just has to be ruthless for the best of the Republic. However, in the case of your friend, it might be – different.«

Jelena bent forward and at the same time, she glimpsed at the door, waiting for the guards to storm inside any second. She was afraid that the tortures may have made Tabea talk about her whereabouts. Aurora took Jelena`s hand and said:

»Despite his age, Polpetto still is quite interested in the pleasures of the flesh. I am his Mistress for 12 Years now, so, I should know. However, in his long life, he has experienced almost everything and he is not easily aroused by just a pair of breasts presented to him. During the last years, we often just talked when he visited me.«

Jelena frowned. It was not unusual that an aging man had problems in the bed and was looking for an excuse. But what had this to do with Tabea`s fate?

»Yesterday evening, however, Polpetto was – well, like he was 20 years younger. And all the time, he talked about your friend, though he tried to disguise his fascination by being interested in what news she had to tell him.«

Now, Jelena took another sip of the Grappa they had nearly emptied during her story. With a scoff, she said:

»He`s keen on black flesh!«

Somehow, putting Gritti`s lust for Tabea into such words helped her cope with the situation. However, Aurora shook her head.

»I am afraid it is more than that. If he wanted to be with a black woman, he could sure get one from the brothels. But there was a glistering in his eyes – a look I last saw some ten years ago, when he was more a lover than a – a customer.«

Aurora spat the last word and Jelena shuddered. Could it be that she feared Tabea would take her place? Aurora seemed to have read her thoughts, for she tightened her grip on Jelena´s hand and forced herself to smile.

»Yes, I fear that Polpetto wants to replace me and I don`t want to go back to where I came from. But that doesn`t mean I want to harm Tabea.«

»I doubt she has interest in becoming his Mistress anyway!«, Jelena replied, but she knew that Gritti could do anything trying to persuade her, either friendly or by force. And if he couldn`t break her – well, it wouldn`t have been the first time rejected love turned into hatred.

»So, by helping you two, I am also helping myself!«

It took a few seconds before Jelena realized what Aurora had just said: she had offered to help her in rescuing Tabea and to escape afterwards!

»Wha-what can we do? Do you have a key to the torture chamber or-«

»Easy, girl! If we want our plan to succeed, we have to think ahead of Polpetto – and he sure is no fool!«

The idea of sitting around whilst Tabea was tortured by Gritti drove Jelena mad, but she forced herself to remain calm. Together, the two women began to develop a plan.

***

Tabea tried to fight it. The guard had taken the feather and brushed over her right breast, encircling her nipple. It tickled a bit, but it was okay. Tabea even arched her back the little she could to thrust out her chest. As long as the man concentrated on her boobs, he wouldn`t-

However, he then turned to her armpit and when the feather brushed over her tender flesh there, Tabea could not help taking a sharp breath and twitching slightly. With a grin, the man noticed it – and slowly let the feather wander down, along her sides.

Now, her breath accelerated and she bit down on her enormous gag when she felt the tickling touch of the feather`s tip. With a whimper, she finally cringed, cursing her treacherous body. The guard grinned, encircled her belly button and then, he wandered up her left side, again causing her to react.

Tabea panted when he withdrew, but then, her eyes widened: the man had plucked a second feather and now, he attacked both sides at the same time. She cringed and tried to dodge, but to no avail. A helpless giggling, stifled by her gag, escaped her throat and again, she panted heavily. She writhed in her bonds and the man continued to tickle her with the feathers until she almost choked from enforced laughing and only the next man who had three of a kind saved the girl from wetting herself.

However, the next guard would not be able to do whatever he had in mind. The chamber`s door opened and someone stepped in. Tabea, who was trying to catch breath, took some time to see it was Gritti himself.

»What is going on here? The other captive is still on the run and you are sitting here, drinking and gambling?«

The guards quickly left and both Luigi and Lorenzo stood there like school boys, waiting to be reprimanded. However, Gritti had only eyes for the naked Tabea who still was panting and now was glistering from sweat. He let his eyes wander over her, in a way that made her feel very nude and vulnerable. Involuntarily, she tried to get her thighs closer together and she very much felt the iron plug in her rear now. Gritti stepped closer and said:

»These men are unable to add three and five, but when I give an order, they immediately find any leeway in it!«

Gritti sounded as if the guards had just taken an apple more than he had allowed them to do. Tabea, however, knew that tying her up like this sure had been his order. Otherwise, he would have been angry and not just rather amused. She raised her head and tried to look at him as calmly as she could.

Gritti now turned towards his henchmen and whispered something into Lorenzo`s ear. The thin man nodded and he and his bulky comrade quickly left the torture chamber. At first, Tabea was relieved, but then, she realized that this made it less likely that Gritti would release her. Now, the man sat took a chair, placed it close to her and sat down with an ache.

»You may be pleased to hear that we haven`t found your friend yet. Well, she has of course better chances to disguise as an ordinary maid.«

It wasn`t mockery, just a statement. Tabea knew she should have felt joy for Jelena still being free, but Gritti´s reference to her skin color made her feel even more helpless. Gritti may not be a racist, but as he had pointed out, even if she somehow could escape, he would find her.

She wondered how Jelena had managed to get away from Gritti`s Mistress, but now, the man continued:

»Well, even if we don`t find her – I am sure she doesn`t know anything you don`t know either. And whoever is behind you, he sure already knows that I have you and so, she`s no great loss. In fact, on second thought, the information you have doesn`t sound too spectacular to me.«

»Mhhmm?«

The day before, it had seemed that Gritti was willing to torture any bit of information out of them. The man now smiled surprisingly friendly and said:

»Treating you a bit more harshly yesterday was more some kind of a test. I wanted to see if you are really as resourceful as I imagined.«

Now, Tabea frowned. Even if this was true, he should be as interested in Jelena as in her; after all he couldn`t know whose plan it had been to overpower the maids.

A knock at the door interrupted the talk. Gritti slowly rose from his chair, but didn`t seem too surprised when Lorenzo opened the door. He didn`t enter; instead, now two other familiar figures stepped through the door: Ornella and Fiamma.

When the door closed behind the two girls, Tabea could see that they were still only clad in their slips and gartered stockings. The cloths she and Jelena had used to gag them still hung around their necks and now, they gazed at the naked Black with widened eyes. Gritti made an inviting gesture.

»Ah, Fiamma and Ornella!«

The two girls still seemed puzzled, but they both curtseyed reflexively. Gritti made them come closer and explained to them:

»I have sent for you since today, I might need a – more female touch than usual. After all, I am quite sure you want me to forget about your carelessness this morning!«

The two girls shivered, either from having to stand on the cold stones in just their stockings, from the memory of being bound and gagged or from what Gritti would do to them if they refused to assist him in whatever he had in mind with Tabea.

»From what Lorenzo told me, you two are no longer virgins?«, Gritti abruptly changed the topic. When he looked at them, Ornella lowered her head and Fiamma turned as red as her hair. Gritti smiled:

»I am not accusing you for – giving away what you should spare for your future husbands. In fact, your experience could become – quite helpful!«

He now looked at Tabea and this time, it was three pairs of frightened eyes that looked at him.

***

Both Jelena and Aurora looked through the Mistress`s room. One of the two clothes chest had been toppled, dresses and pieces of garment were lying everywhere and some of the perfume bottles were smashed, spreading an overwhelming scent in the room. Aurora nodded.

»It looks convincingly enough to me!«

Jelena, who was just busy ripping down the curtain strings, also nodded, though she was less calm than her new friend. The whole plan seemed more than hazardous to her.

The first idea had been the most obvious: Jelena should just get out of the palace, dressed in one of the dresses of Aurora`s original Lady`s maid and equipped with the few coins Aurora had in her room (most of her money was invested in her share of a Venetian trading company), and try to find Janika and Bela. However, Aurora had voted against it.

»With these few coins, you can barely get a new dress for Tabea. You will have to leave immediately after you have freed her and therefore, you will have to work together with people who don`t ask questions. In other words, you will need money!«

She then had opened a small chest and had taken a few golden rings from it, together with a diadem decorated with little diamonds and a long golden necklace that had a big emerald dangling from it.

»Polpetto loves to see me wearing nothing but these – but I will lose it one way or the other. If he replaces me by Tabea, he will make her wear my jewelry and so, I prefer giving it to you. That way, I will at least keep my position, my monthly income and the little palazzo near Padua he bought me eight years ago.«

The problem was, however, that Aurora could not just give the jewelry to Jelena without being able to explain where it was if Gritti asked. Jelena, still overwhelmed by Aurora`s generosity and also her matter-of-fact way dealing with her position as a courtesan, had proposed that she should tell she had stolen it, but Aurora had had a better idea.

»If I tell him someone else broke in and took it, it will distract Polpetto from even thinking of you – perhaps, he will even feel so much pity for me that he forgets about Tabea!«

She had explained to Jelena that in Venice, like everywhere in Italy, the noble families held grudges against each other, some of these feuds lasting for centuries.

»Like in ›Romeo and Juliet‹!«, Jelena had thought, but not mentioned it for it would be another 39 years before Shakespeare would even be born.

The Doge`s Palace was of course well-guarded, but it wasn`t completely unlikely that two noble good-for-nothings managed to slip through the guards, attack Aurora and run away with her jewelry, thus insulting the Doge. Aurora said that she would tell she hadn`t recognized her masked attackers and so, Gritti would suspect several families whilst having no proof against any of them. In addition, he would be distracted from Tabea, making it easier to get her out of the torture chamber unseen.

»Now, tie me up, Jelena – and better do a good job! It has to look convincing, too!«

Aurora placed herself on the bed and Jelena tied her wrists to the bed posts with the curtain strings, pulling the ropes tight and taking care the knots were out of reach. Aurora pulled on her bonds and squirmed on the bed, but obviously found the ties sufficiently tight.

»Are you – sure that this is – enough?«

Aurora slightly ached from the ropes` tightness, but Jelena just shook her head. Tied like that, Aurora would be able to get free very soon. So, she took two of Aurora`s silk stockings. With one, she tied her ankles, the other one, she used to secure her legs to the lower bed frame, ensuring that the woman was pulled tight and could only squirm a little now. Then, she turned to her and said:

»I- I should g-gag you, too!«

»You sure should!«, Aurora agreed. So, Jelena collected another stocking and then, her eyes fell on the camisole that had distracted the guard earlier. The flimsy material would make up a good gag. Jelena balled up the silky garment and approached Aurora who opened her mouth widely.

»I am doing this for Tabea!«, she assured herself. She hated doing this to Aurora who had been so kind and generous to her, but thoroughly, she shoved the gag deep into Aurora`s mouth. The woman remained calm, but panted through her mouth and made small retching sounds. When her mouth was packed full, Jelena wound the stocking twice between her lips and around her head and knotted the ends tightly at Aurora`s nape.

»Mph!«

Quickly, Jelena wrapped the jewelry into a cloth and hid it under her dress. Then, she looked at Aurora and suddenly, she had an idea. Just a detail that would make things even more convincing.

»Forgive me, Aurora!«

»Mhhmmm?«

Jelena stepped forward, grabbed the cleavage of Aurora`s dress and ripped it open. Out popped her breasts and though she squirmed at the first shock, Aurora quickly calmed down and though she was blushing slightly, she also nodded approvingly.

»Thank you for all you did!«

Jelena bent forward and kissed Aurora`s forehead, trying not to touch her bare breasts. Then, she rushed for the door and carefully looked at the corridor. When she found it empty, she left the room without another look at Gritti`s Mistress.

***

»Ornella, come here!«

Gritti`s voice was friendly, yet determined. The maid approached and gulped when the Doge stepped behind her, putting his hands on her bare shoulders. He then loosened the broader cloth that had been tied over her mouth and now hung loosely around the girl`s neck. This cloth, he tightly tied over her eyes. Then, he blindfolded Fiamma the same way.

»For what I want you to do, you won`t need your eyes!«

Gritti went to a nearby table and picked some pieces of rope. He then took Fiamma`s arms and brought them behind her back. She didn`t offer any resistance, but she gasped when he tied her wrists together. Then, she let out a louder moan and her breasts rose when he brought her elbows close together and tied these, too. Tabea noticed that the redhead`s nipples were hard, clearly noticeable under her slip.

»It must be the cold«, she thought and looked down on her own nipples that also stood proud and erect. Certainly something Gritti might misunderstand.

To her surprise, he then tied Ornella`s wrists in front of her body. Then, aching from the effort, he bent down to the floor and picked up some silky scraps. It were remnants of Tabea`s camisole, the parts Luigi hadn`t used to wrap her gag with. Gritti balled the rags up and then approached Tabea. She watched him nervously as he dabbed her sweaty body with it before approaching Ornella. Gritti put one hand at the back of her head, surprisingly gentle. With his other hand, he held the wad to her nose.

»Can you guess what this is, Ornella?«

For several seconds, the blindfolded girl just stood motionless, but then, she stammered:

»S-some sweaty c-cloth, Y-Your Highness!«

Gritti caressed her head and Ornella gasped.

»Do you like the scent, Ornella?«

»N-no, Your Highness!«

»Well, maybe, you prefer the taste!«

Gritti now held the cloth wad to Ornella`s lips and at the same time, his grip on her neck tightened. Ornella ached, but then, she began to kiss the silk and explored it with her tongue. Gritti forced her to do so for some minute; then, he grabbed her head and arched back her head. When the girl opened her mouth, he gently, but firmly shoved the wad deep into her mouth. He then secured the gag with the cloth that still hung around her neck, pulling the rag tight between her lips.

»Mph!«

When he let her go, Ornella could have easily removed her gag, since her hands were tied in front of her, but obviously, she didn`t dare to do so. Gritti now maneuvered her to Tabea`s right, followed by Fiamma whom he positioned at her left.

»You know, for what you did – sleeping with my guards, showing negligence when in custody of prisoners –, I could have you whipped and then throw you out of my palace. Then, you would end up in the gutter or maybe some harbor brothel. However, if you now show true obedience and do what I say, I will not only forget about your failures, but also pay each of you 100 Scudi!«

Fiamma opened her mouth and Ornella let out a muffled mew. Tabea knew that a Scudo was about as much as an ordinary worker would earn per day. So, this offer was quite generous. However, she shivered from what the girls would have to do to earn this money.

»Tabea`s different from you – and I am not talking about her having a darker complexion. She`s a fighter, tough and resourceful. However, deep inside her, she is also a devoted, loving woman. And you will help me to awaken this part of her!«

He now stood directly in front of Tabea, each of his hands resting on one of the girls` shoulders. He waited a few seconds before he continued:

»Ornella, you can`t see, but you can feel. reach up for Tabea`s arm.«

The girl obeyed and after some feeling around, her fingers touched Tabea`s elbow. Gritti now turned towards Fiamma.

»Fiamma, your hands are tied, but I have heard that you have soft lips and an agile tongue. Get down and kiss Tabea`s ankle!«

Blushing at Gritti`s dubious compliment, Fiamma knelt and then bent forward to get her lips in contact with Tabea`s lower leg, right above her ankle tie. Gritti then looked at Tabea and took her bulging cheeks between his hands, caressing her skin. She looked at him, trying not to show any reaction.

»Now, you, Ornella, will caress her. Start at her arm, work your way downwards her side and back again. React to what she does and follow your intuition.«

»Mhhmmph!«

Tabea glimpsed at the girl who indeed started to brush over her arm. Gritti continued caressing her cheeks before he went for her ears, playing with her earlobes.

»Fiamma, you will kiss and lick up her left side and when you have reached the top, you go back to her ankle again. Take your time, but show some effort!«

Tabea felt Fiamma place a kiss on her ankle, then another. Gritti`s fingers slowly wandered to the sides of her neck and she couldn`t help shuddering when he caressed her there. With a smile, he looked at her eyes. Then, he slowly bent forward and kissed her forehead, followed by her cheeks. It weren`t the kisses of someone about to throw himself upon her, but gentle, tender kisses. Tabea let out a moan. Gritti placed a playful kiss on the tip of her nose.

»It will be wonderful if your behavior allows me to ungag you and to kiss that lovely lips of yours!«

»Uuuhhmmm!«

Tabea wanted to shake her head, but Gritti just looked at her whilst he still brushed over her carotid arteries. She felt some drool run down the corner of her mouth and her cheeks reddened. Meanwhile, Ornella had reached the top of her arm. Tabea shuddered and let out a fluttering breath when she felt the girl`s fingers brush over the sensitive skin of her armpit.

At the same time, Fiamma had reached her left knee. She obviously did indeed follow her intuition, as she now bit into Tabea`s kneecap. Tabea twitched and regretted it immediately, for this made her feel the plug she was impaled on even more.

Ornella`s nimble fingers at her armpit caused a tickling feeling, though it wasn`t unpleasant. Tabea could not help shuddering and then, Fiamma let her tongue brush over the back of her knee.

»Ooouuuhhmmm!«

The backs of her knees were one of Tabea´s most erogenous zones and the touch made her writhe. She now felt that Gritti`s hands had wandered to her breasts and when he kneaded them, he adjusted to her breath. The massage was not as gentle as his caresses before, but he wasn`t a brute and Tabea felt a growing warmth in her boobs, accompanied by a tingling.

»Oh no, this can`t be true, I am – oouuhhhhhh!«

Now, Ornella`s fingers brushed along her side and the ticklish girl squirmed, arching to her left. Ornella kept on touching her there: not to torture her, but to send thousands of small sparks through her body. She writhed, literally riding on her butt plug, whilst Gritti continued massaging her breasts, now also kissing, licking and playfully biting her nipples. Tabea moaned and arched her back against the man`s hands when he pressed her against the wall.

»Uuuhhmmm! Mhhmmmmm! Ooouhhmmmm!«

She had at some point closed her eyes and now, her other senses seemed to have sharpened, intensifying the touches of her three tormentors. There was a short breathing break when both Ornella and Fiamma had reached her hips and waist and even Gritti seemed to have slowed down a bit. But then, she felt Ornella caress her right knee and at the same time, Fiamma`s tongue brushed over her side in a long, tickling stroke that ended at her armpit. Tabea reared up and screamed through her gag. Getting tickled had only ever made her feel helpless and sure, this was the case now, too. But somehow, the strays it sent through her nerves added to the growing fire in her loins. A fire to which her three tormentors – partners? – added more and more oil.

Gritti still was kneading her right breast whilst his mouth was busy with her left. His right hand now slowly went down her belly, stopped shortly at her belly button before wandering further down. When his fingers brushed over her landing strip of pubic hair, he withdrew and Tabea arched towards him. Then, his hand cupped her pubic mound and she felt his fingers explore her labia.

»Uuuuhmmmmm! Mmhhmmmmmm! Hrrrrrmmmmmm!«

Tabea felt the butt plug thrust inside her, back and forth, at a steady rhythm. She was not really aware that she herself caused that, by getting up to her toes and then back to her feet repeatedly, but she continued to do so, the feeling in her rear adding to the mélange of sensual stimulations she more and more fell victim to.

»Ooouuuuuhhmmmmmm!«

The throaty groan was surprisingly loud when Gritti now pushed his index and middle finger deep inside her, lifting her up a few inches when he did so. He then slowly withdrew, squirming his fingers and ar the same time pressing his thumb against her wet, swollen clit. Also, lowering her down made the butt plug thrust deeper inside her. The little lightnings that shot through her nether regions found each other, tried to connect to one big tsunami of an orgasm Tabea felt was building within her.

Though they didn`t speak or even look at each other, Gritti, Ornella and Fiamma now worked together as if they were one body – a body with four hands and two mouths that seemed to know every part of Tabea`s body. Ornella still caressed the back of her knee, brushing over the soft skin there. Fiamma now had positioned herself in a way her head was pushing into Tabea´s armpit whilst she was kissing and licking a point at her side that made Tabea writhe helplessly when the redhead just poked it with her tongue.

Gritti meanwhile kept on thrusting his fingers into her. Each deep push was accompanied with him squeezing her right breast whilst he pressed his mouth on her left. The withdrawal was more slowly, as he eased his grip on her breast whilst plucking on her nipple with his lips. At the same time, he pulled back his fingers, but by squirming them, he brushed over her upper vagina and this sent almost agonizing waves of pleasure through her body – accompanied by the sensation of the iron plug that now pushed deeper inside her rear.

»Hhrrrmmmm! Uuuhhmmmm! Mhhmmm! Mph! Mph! Uuuhhmmmm!«

Tabea begged for relief, but obviously, the three wanted her to get more and more aroused, allowing the waves of pleasure to only get closer to the top of the wall millimeter by millimeter. Then, as if on a given command, all three suddenly accelerated in their effort.

It felt like an explosion. When the wave of pleasure that had grown gigantic now washed through her body, she wasn`t sure if her eyes were open or closed, as she could only see sheer, garish white that however did not hurt her eyes, though there were also spirals of all other colors in it. She felt as if she was hearing spherical, unearthly music and the strays of pure, intense joy seemed to reach every part of her body, causing her to stiffen and spasm as if someone was forcing a strong electric current through her.

Tabea`s climax lasted for more than a minute before the girl finally collapsed in her bonds, having fainted from both lack of oxygen and the sheer impetus of her orgasm. Fiamma had staggered back and had landed on her backside whilst Ornella was kneeling on the floor. Gritti had stepped back, too, watching the disheveled, sweat-covered, totally exhausted bundle of fulfilled lust that Tabea had become. He looked down on his clothes that were covered with Tabea`s sweat and other juices. The wide cut of his robe covered his own arousal, but he knew that he would have to change before he went for his Mistress.

When Tabea slowly regained her consciousness, she took some time to realize where she was. She had no idea how long she had been out, but she was still tied up and gagged as she had been. Tabea hung from her bound wrists and her neck ring, the board still attached to the chains, and her feet were still tied with the spreader bar, though her legs were too wobbly to carry her weight.

Tabea blinked and needed some more moments to sense that something else had changed. The butt plug was no longer inside her and only a sore, slightly numb feeling in her anus reminded her of its former presence. Unbeknownst to her, Tabea had bucked so hard she had ripped it from its attachment to the wall and then, her contracting muscles had pushed it out of her. Metaphorically speaking, Tabea had emasculated the Wall of Sodom.

»Ah, you are awake, Tabea!«

It was Gritti, who now put his hands under her armpits, gently lifting her up. Tabea did not dare to look into his eyes, but when, after some time, he asked her if she could stand on her own again, she nodded slightly. Gritti let her go and a few seconds later, a bucket was pushed between her open legs.

Too weak to even feel embarrassed, Tabea relieved her bladder. She now raised her head a little and could see Fiamma and Ornella stand close. Both maids` slips were wet and crumpled. They still sported their blindfolds and were tied as they had been. Ornella also still was wearing her gag. Both girls seemed a bit strained and were squeezing their thighs together.

When Tabea was finished, Gritti placed the bucket behind Ornella.

»You may relief yourself, too!«

Blushing, the girl gathered her slip, crouched over the bucket and peed. Then, it was Fiamma`s turn and though her cheeks also reddened when Gritti helped her to gather her garment, she also relieved herself with a sigh. Then, Gritti put the bucket aside and turned his attention back towards Tabea. He again caressed her cheeks and then, he felt for her mouth. Slowly, he turned the screw of the choke pear and when it became smaller, the sudden ability to move her jaw again sent a sharp pain through Tabea`s lower head. When he had screwed it back, it took Gritti some effort to pull the still sizeable gag from her mouth, as she could not assist him in the slightest. Her jaw felt numb and her tongue could hardly move, though it was no longer pressed down. Drool ran over her parched lips, but when Gritti now took his head into his hands and made her look at him, he seemed as if he was watching something extremely beautiful.

»Those beautiful lips of yours, Tabea!«

She let out a croak, unable to resist when Gritti slowly brought his mouth closer and closer to hers. Then, he gently kissed her.

***