The Little Death 15

Though Sophia knew that Ingrid did things the way she did just to make her and Luana even more nervous, she had to admit that it worked.

Held at gunpoint by Greg, they had been led into the room Sophia called by herself the torture chamber. There, Ingrid had taken the gun, but just sat down on a stool and kept an eye on the captives whilst Greg had pushed some of the contraptions aside to make room at one of the walls. There, two long horizontal boards had been screwed to the concrete wall, each some three yards long. One was close to the floor, the other at about the height of Sophia`s and Luana`s neck.

From a box, Greg now took several iron bands that had holes in them, a box of screws and a cordless screwdriver. Then, also taking a metal cutter, he made a waving gesture towards Luana. Reluctantly, the Taiwanese stepped towards him.

Greg made her stand close to the wall and then screwed one of the metal bands into the upper board, close to her neck. The girl gulped as he then bent the band, so it formed an iron noose around her neck. Then, he screwed it at the other side, too, and cut the end. Now, Luana`s neck was trapped. The noose was wide enough that she could breathe and if she remained still and leaned against the wall, it didn`t even touch her skin. However, squatting or getting away now was impossible.

The man was far from finished. He used two shorter metal bands to secure her wrists in a similar way and in the end, Luana stood as if someone had ordered »Hands up!«. Then, her ankles were secured to the lower board in a similar fashion and some two feet apart from each other. Sophia could not help thinking that Luana looked as if she was doing jumping jacks.

It didn`t come as a surprise that she then had to position herself left of Luana and was also secured to the board. However, Sophia immediately had an uncomfortable feeling when the iron band closed around her neck and her chest heaved when her breath involuntarily accelerated. Though the band hardly touched her, it felt as if at any second, the noose would tighten. When Greg had secured her arms and legs, she was covered by a fine layer of sweat already. The whirring of the screwdriver alone had made her shiver with fear.

When Ingrid, ostentatiously slowly, began to arrange two laptops on a table she had positioned in front of them, Sophia wondered that she and Luana had kept their clothes. Not that there had been much to keep: Luana had just a red lacy thong, if one didn`t count the high heels, whilst she was clad in a transparent black pantyhose and an equally see-through bustier, plus high heels as well. At one point, Ingrid approached and took her glasses, but at the short distance, she could still see what was happening. And Sophia definitely didn`t like the implications of the variety of cables Ingrid had attached to the laptops and that each ended in either a probe or a small clamp.

»Ah, there you are!«, Ingrid broke the silence as Lan, clad in her uniform and carrying her leather bag, entered the room. Once she had positioned herself beside Ingrid, the blonde told Greg that she wouldn`t need him any longer and the man left the room. Now, Ingrid approached the two captives and smiled.

»Maybe, you have already guessed what I meant by the ›Goldilocks-problem‹. If not, it`s quite simple: in the fairytale, Goldilocks find`s the bears` porridge bowls, but one is too hot, the other too cold and the third is quite right.«

Sophia blinked. She had of course known the story and she had also some ideas what this could have to do with their project. However, none of the associations made her feel relaxed.

»Now, the two components that cause the relaxation of both the body and the psyche are quite well established medications and thus, we more or less know how they work and how we can dose them. Of course, one has to consider side effects and allergic reactions, but I think I can already say that 90 percent of our potential customers will have no problems with these components of LD.«

The pause she made was just meant for Sophia and Luana to react and whilst Luana managed to remain calm, Sophia could not oppress a faint moan.

»The actual aphrodisiac, however, is a bit tricky. Too less and it might feel just like you had a glass of Champaign – whilst too much could drive you insane from overstimulation!«

Sophia glimpsed at Luana and could see that now, the Taiwanese was also showing signs of nervousness. They had both participated in the research and they knew that Ingrid didn`t mean »insane« just metaphorically.

»As you know, we have an estimated amount of the ingredient that should have the desired effect. At least Luana already knows that it works quite well.«

Again, she paused, allowing Luana to slightly blush from embarrassment as she remembered how she had been unable to fight down the effect and had even forced Sophia to join in.

»Now, since we need results, there is only one way to find out. So, I prepared these!«

Sophia now remembered that Ingrid had repeatedly worked alone when they had been in the lab. She now presented a small box. It contained tow small elongated objects that looked rather like-

»These are suppositories. They not only work faster than pills, but Luana seemed to have enjoyed her butt plug and for you, Sophia – well, sometimes, doing research can be a pain in the ass!«

Her giggling drowned the muffled protests of her captives. Now, Lan came to action. She slowly put on thin rubber gloves and then put some lube on her left palm. Taking one of the suppositories into her right, she approached Luana.

»Nngggg! Uuhhhmmmph! Mph!«

She squirmed in her unyielding bonds, but Lan had no difficulties in pushing her hand between the waistband of her panties and her buttocks. The girl`s eyes widened as she rubbed the lube into her rear. Then, accompanied by a whimper, she inserted the suppository.

»Too cold?«, Ingrid asked mockingly as Luana shivered. Then, she stepped aside to make room for Lan. The Chinese carefully removed the gloves and put on some fresh ones, but though this was for hygienic reasons, Sophia felt as if she was watching an inquisitor showing the instruments.

Lan didn`t play along as she inserted the second suppository and the lube took care it didn`t hurt, but nevertheless, Sophia panted and her cheeks burned from the humiliation. Again, Lan slowly removed her gloves and threw them away whilst Ingrid pressed a few keys on the laptops.

Sophia forced herself to breathe more calmly. She could sense the suppository, though she knew it was rather the memory of getting touched there than its actual presence. And yet – was there a slight warm tingle or was that just her imagination?

»Since we are here for scientific reasons«, Ingrid murmured and began to place some of the probes on Luana`s body. Each was secured in place by a small round piece of tape. One, she taped to Luana`s forehead, a second to her carotid artery, one to her left breast, close to the heart and a fourth ended inside her panties. Luana moaned and Ingrid brushed over her head.

»These are just for measurements, Dear! Currently«, she returned to the laptop and checked the screen, »Currently, you are showing an accelerated pulse and heartbeat, but a low level of arousal. Just as one could have expected.«

She then took four other probes and connected them with the second laptop before approaching Sophia. She noticed that two had clamps on their ends. Once she had taped the conventional probes to Sophia`s forehead and neck, Ingrid shrugged.

»I really would have spared you that, but you insisted on getting clothes and I never break an agreement!«

Having said so, she placed her hand on Sophia`s left breast, trapping her nipple between two fingers. Then, she let the crocodile clamp snap open and close in front of the helpless girl`s eyes before slowly approaching the nipple. Suddenly, she began to sing a tune that sounded like a nursery rhyme.

»Sorry, I just had to remember that song. It`s silly, but it was popular in Germany when I was a child. It`s called ›Snappy, the little Crocodile‹. Can you imagine why I had to think of it now, Sophia?«

»Nnnggg!«

»Snappy!«, she once again let the clamp get open and close, »Snappy!«, she encircled Sophia`s nipple, »Snap!«

»Uuuhhmmmmm!«

Sophia writhed in her unyielding bonds as the clamp bit into her bud. Ingrid watched as her chest heaved, obviously checking if the probe would remain in place. Then, she took the last cable that also had a clamp on its end.

»I would also have spared you that clamp, but the pads only stick on smooth surfaces!«

Ingrid pushed her hand into the front of Sophia`s pantyhose and she groaned with reluctance as the German raked through her pubic hair. Then, she mewed with alarm as she felt her touch her labia.

»Consider it foreplay!«, Ingrid purred as she fixed the clamp to one of Sophia`s labia, quite close to her clit. Then, she returned to the laptop:

»As expected, you are also showing a slight reaction to the pain stimulation. But in a few minutes, the LD should begin to work!«

Lan had meanwhile placed her bag on a chair and rummaged through it, but she had opened the lid in a way that shielded what she was doing. Sophia took a deep breath.

»After all, what can they do what they haven`t already done to me?«

They wanted her to orgasm, but they had already forced her to climax and they had also watched her doing so. Thus, the humiliation would be something she had experienced before. Except that now, she was under the influence of LD, too.

She felt a slight warmth stray through her body, a feeling that felt not unpleasant, though she was sweating slightly already. The pain in her nipple and labia had ceased, though she still felt the presence of the clamps, but it was tolerable. Sophia looked to her side and saw that Luana was also trying to stay calm, though she could almost feel her co-captive`s tension.

Ingrid now stepped in front of them and clapped her hands, though both Luana and Sophia were staring at her anyway.

»Now, we are trying to kill two birds with one stone – though we of course hope that you will only die in the metaphorical sense!«

Ingrid paused and licked her lips and Sophia suddenly noticed that she had put on a coral red lipstick and matching nail polish.

»Luana, in your case, the dose I consider appropriate for a woman your size and weight is cut in half. We already know that you have a strong will and can resist stimulation for quite a while. On the other hand, you reacted quite nicely to the normal dose. So, we will see how low we can go, especially if the recipient is quite reluctant!«

Luana didn`t twitch. Like Sophia, she had endured that before and she had already decided that she would not add to her captors` pleasure by prolonging her resistance. Then, Lan stepped forward. In her hand, she held a rather large cardboard and she stepped so that Luana could look at it, but not Sophia.

The Taiwanese`s eyes widened and she let out a gasp. On the cardboard, several photos had been placed, showing people of all ages and both sexes. All looked Chinese and some showed a more or less strong resemblance to her. It was her family, or rather the part of her family that still lived in Taiwan.

»As you can see, they are all here. Don`t worry, none of them is in danger right now and currently, they are all totally unaware that some of my colleagues have an eye on them at all. Now, why did I show that to you?«

Lan put the cardboard away and went for her bag. When she returned, she held one item in each hand. Luana`s eyes widened as she noticed what it was and Lan showed a fine smile.

»When you and I had our first – encounter, you seemed to respond best to two things: first, a little massage to your vital spots!«

Lan switched on the electric toothbrush and pressed the head against Luana`s neck. She wasn`t ticklish, but the brush caused a slight tingle that was not unpleasant and under other circumstances, she would have enjoyed it. Lan, as she had told her, knew quite a lot about the points and meridians on which acupuncture was based. Luana had always considered acupuncture to be more of a placebo than actual medicine, but nevertheless, the toothbrush sent shivers through her neck, though she definitely wasn`t up to it.

»Second, a little pain to spice things up!«

The second item was something that every seamstress possessed: it looked like a handle with a small, teaspoon-like part to put the thumb on it and a small, spiked wheel. Usually, these things were used to mark where to cut a cloth to create a dress, but Lan now let the wheel run over Luana`s armpit, putting enough pressure on it that she writhed and moaned.

Luana wasn`t masochistic and it would never have turned her on if Lan had spanked, let alone whipped her. But slight pain, just a little painful tingling, was a different thing. It added nicely to the more gentle stimulation of the brush and in addition, it seemed that some of what Lan said about points and meridians was true. It seemed that the simultaneous use of the toothbrush to one spot and the wheel to another sent signals through her nerve pathways that somehow ended up in her womb.

»On this first encounter, it took me exactly 73 minutes to get you over the brink. Now, I know better what you like and in addition, you might think that it is better to get this over as fast as possible. However, we want to know whether half the dose of LD is enough to break reluctance. So, here`s the deal: if you manage to hold back your orgasm for more than 73 minutes, you are playing for your family!«

Lan put both the brush and the tracing wheel into Luana`s panties and went back for her bag. From it, she took an alarm clock that showed a counter. It showed »minus two minutes« and counted down as Lan pushed a button.

»Once it has reached zero, I will start working on you«, she said, taking her torture devices from her victim`s panties. »And as I said, if the clock reaches 73 minutes and you still haven`t reached the peak, for each additional minute, one member of your family will be left off the hook. That, I promise! As long as you help developing an LD that really works, they may all live long, peaceful lives and die from old age!«

Luana didn`t look at Lan, but at the cardboard leaning against the desk. It was turned so she could not see the photos, but of course, she didn`t need pictures to imagine her family. A family she loved very much and for which she would do everything.

Lan placed the head of the switched off toothbrush at Luana`s belly button and held the wheel a few millimeters above her victim`s thigh. With one eye, she watched the clock and counted the seconds.

»Ten – nine – eight!«, she started the countdown and smiled.

Sophia, though less than a yard away, hadn`t noticed anything about these games, as Ingrid had approached her. She had flexed her fingers, fluttering with her long, coral red fingernails.

»You got the double dose, Sophia. As I could see, you are easier to arouse than Luana and we have to see what an overdose can do. After all, we have to write something on the package leaflet!«

Sophia gulped. Her cheeks reddened when Ingrid mentioned that she was easy to arouse, but at the same time, she felt something else – or rather a variety of somethings.  Though without her glasses, she suddenly noticed small details on Ingrid, like the star-shaped earrings or a loose thread on the collar of her lab coat. She smelled that obviously, she had eaten a Tic-Tac, though Ingrid was some two feet away. At the same time, she suddenly felt the clamps biting into her nipple and labia more than before, also the touch of the iron band around her wrists and neck and even the soft brush of her hair on her shoulders when she moved her head.

»Oh no, that`s the LD! My senses have indeed sharpened!«

Despite the soothing effects of the other components of LD, Sophia now felt very alert and awake. Ingrid seemed to have noticed that and she whispered:

»Now, you feel even the slightest touch double as intense!«

She formed her hands to what looked like a parody of the gesture Italians used when driving, bringing the tips of all five fingers together. then, she touched Sophia`s armpits. She squirmed as even that triggered her ticklishness. She saw the smile on Ingrid`s face and knew what would come next.

»Uuuhhmmph! Nnngggg!«

Sophia shook her head, but Ingrid slowly opened her hands, brushing over Sophia`s soft armpits with her long nails. Sophia thrashed in her bonds, twitched and sent high-pitched noises through her gag. Even under normal circumstances, this would have been torture, but now, it felt much, much worse.

Ingrid withdrew, but only to repeat the procedure, this time at the insides of Sophia`s knees. Now, Sophia wailed and giggled helplessly whilst she was desperately trying to shake Ingrid´s hands off.

»Too bad I can`t reach your soles!«, Ingrid meant when she paused and watched the panting Sophia. Already, sweat was building on her forehead and she nervously blinked at the blonde German. Now, she formed rings with her thumbs and index fingers and brought her hands to the sides of Sophia`s waist. Then, she slowly went from the waistband of the pantyhose to the lower seam of the bustier, alternately letting her index fingers snap against her victim`s naked sides, again forcing her to writhe and cringe.

»Does it already have an effect on you, Sophia Dear?«

Ingrid pushed two fingers between Sophia`s legs and raked along the sides of her labia. Sophia panted and mewed, though this touch felt almost pleasant in comparison with the tickling. And yet, she felt a tingle stray through her middle and she involuntarily wriggled her hips slightly at Ingrid`s caresses.

The German withdrew and held her two fingers in front of Sophia`s eyes. She could indeed smell a slight specific fragrance; perhaps, it was just her overly sensitive senses.

»I really would like to help you to climax, Sophia – but unfortunately, my fingernails are too long. I mean, imagine my claws inside you! So, I have to think of – well, alternatives!«

Sophia frowned and then, she screamed and twitched as Ingrid once again brushed over her armpits. Then, she paused and encircled the right nipple that was not covered by the clamp.

»Either it`s cold in here or you are getting into the game!«

Indeed, Sophia`s nipples had hardened and the slight tickling of Ingrid`s finger mixed with the painful bite of the clamp on the other bud. The girl panted, but at the same time, she felt that if Ingrid had now kneaded her breasts, she would have moaned with pleasure.

»Now, here is what I am trying to do – with your kind help, of course. I will try to stimulate your erogenous zones by sending impulses from – nearby!«

Ingrid brushed along the inner sides of Sophia`s legs, starting below her knees and teasing her sensitive skin with her nails until she stopped just below her crotch. Then, her hands softly went over her sides, from the bustier to the pantyhose`s waistband. Sophia was gasping and her chest heaved as she finally stopped the tickling.

»As said, I won`t touch your pussy and you can`t touch it or rub against something either. So, all you can do is to focus on getting all the stimulation from my tickling between your legs until you reach the outburst by sheer willpower. If LD can cause that, it is really what we have been looking for. If not – well, I hope that I will not cause you to choke!«

Again, she brushed over Sophia`s sides.

***

Since he had no intention to mount his bike again and it was just a mile walking, Mike went to Isabelle`s apartment house on foot. His hotel was located in the outskirts of the city, but Isabelle lived even more apart from the city. The area wasn`t run down, but Mike could see that here, people with small incomes were living.

»If she weren`t that stubborn, she could live in a nice apartment in shouting distance of her work!«

He had offered her to pay her rent, but Isabelle had refused to take money that he had earned with illegal activities. Perhaps, she had just tried to stay independent.

»Let`s see if she enjoys her independence so much that there is no longer a place for me!«

Mike had reached the street and could see the concrete silo right in front of him. He knew that Isabelle lived in the third floor, but from the distance he could only see that she was not standing in the open window to wait for his arrival. The flat had only one of these French balconies that were too small to even place a chair on it.

He approached the entrance and felt his heart accelerate. On the parking lot, he had detected Isabelle`s small Peugeot. So, if she hadn`t decided to go for a walk, she was at home!

Taking a deep breath, he pressed the bell button, but there was no reaction. He rang again, but neither the door opened nor did she ask who he was via the intercom.

»Perhaps, she still is at work and has taken the bus!«

It was now 5 pm and Mike had no idea about Isabelle`s shift that week. At that moment, he heard some talking and laughing and two children, a boy and a girl, left the house. Before the door fell shut again, Mike slipped into the lobby.

From the letter box of apartment 3F, he could see a protruding brochure. Similar brochures were in about half of the other letter boxes, but for Mike, it was a sign that she hadn`t come home yet, for Isabelle usually threw such advertisement away immediately.

»I could wait for her. Not the entire evening, just for, let`s say, one hour!«

Since he did not want to linger around in the lobby, he took the elevator and entered the corridor he had seen last after their split, or relationship pause, or whatever the fuck it was. The door looked exactly like the others, except for a postcard showing a sleeping cat.

To make sure, he knocked, but there was no Isabelle that had perhaps not heard the bell because she had been in the shower. Mike was about to sit down on the doormat when something came to his mind.

When Isabelle had moved here, she and he had been happy together still. So, she had given him a key to the apartment and when they had split – made a pause –, she hadn`t asked it back from him, simply because neither he nor Isabelle had thought of it and then, he had went to England anyway.

Mike hated it to carry several key rings around and so, Isabelle`s key was on the one with the Sheffield Wednesday emblem. The one he had in his pocket right now, too.

»Well, the premise is still the same: she can`t do more than to tell me to fuck off!«

Mike slowly opened the door and listened. There was no sound coming from inside and so, he entered the flat. In the corridor of about a square meter, he saw two jackets hanging and a few pairs of shoes on a low board. It looked as if the apartment wanted to prove that nothing strange was going on.

He stepped into the next room that was a living room with kitchenette and here, he frowned. As far as he knew, Isabelle was a bit messy, but obviously, she hadn`t had visitors for quite some time, nor had she expected any. On the table, her favorite coffee mug stood beside a plate with a half-eaten croissant, two used wine glasses and an empty bottle. Beside the kitchen sink, Mike saw three or four more bottles and some dirty dishes. Isabelle had no dishwasher and obviously, she had delayed washing up for some time.

The couch was free, but on the couch table, he saw another wine glass and two empty crisp bags whilst a chair was literally aching from the pile of clothes lying upon it.

»So, you let yourself go a bit since I left, Belle! I wonder whether that`s a good or a bad sign!«

The bedroom looked better, though the bed hadn`t been made and in a corner, sport clothes were waiting to be put into the washing machine. Mike also noticed that the curtains were closed, though Isabelle usually opened the windows as soon as she got up in the morning.

Just to complete his investigation, Mika also looked inside the bathroom where it was the same: messier than he had ever seen it, though not terribly messy. Smiling, he looked at the edge of a white pair of panties protruding from the laundry basket, but he resisted taking them.

Back in the living room, he frowned as he gave the table a closer look. The croissant wasn`t only half eaten, it had been covered with flies and when he touched it, he knew it had been lying in the open since the day before.

»What is it, Belle? An important case that kept you at the Office for the night, a drinking tour or have you found someone new?«

His eyes fell on the telephone. The answering machine was blinking three times in a row, indicating that Isabelle had missed three calls. Mike hesitated. Up to now, he hadn`t done anything she could blame him for, but if he would listen to the messages, he was disrespecting her privacy.

»Fuck it! Belle knew that I am curious and if there is some Philippe or Mathieu, telling her to keep the bed warm until he arrives, I at least know where I am!«

He took a deep breath and then, he pressed the button. The first one was indeed a man, though his name was Christian. He obviously was a colleague and he asked Isabelle whether she was ill and wished her to get well if that was the case. Another man followed, sounding a bit angry and more »official«, so to say. It was a Colonel Beranger and Mike remembered that he was Isabelle`s superior. He also asked whether Isabelle was sick and reminded her to call the secretary as soon as she was able to. Each message told Mike the exact date of the call and so, he knew that Isabelle hadn`t attended work at all today.

The last call was a female voice he knew: Samantha was reminding her elder sister of their mother`s birthday and asked whether they should get a present together. Mike knew that Isabelle and Samantha also had quarreled and when he had last spoken with Samantha, some three weeks ago, she had told him that it had been because she had been more on his side than that of her sister. Obviously, Samantha was now trying to break the ice, for Mike was sure that the birthday of Maman Marceau was in early December.

»So, she hasn`t been on her cell phone since yesterday afternoon and hasn`t been to work today. And she isn`t sick, because she would be here then.«

At least, he now knew that she hadn`t just ignored him, but her being absent for a complete day left some conclusions that weren`t pleasant either. For a moment, he feared that she had had an accident, but then, he thought that in such a case, the doctors sure would have informed the Police and her colleagues would know that she was in hospital.

»So, where are you, Belle? Sleeping with some Frenchie or are you in trouble again?«

It was a bit of a dilemma: on the one hand, he preferred her to be well and save, but on the other hand, saving her felt better than to accept that someone had taken his place.

»And at the same time, there is also the small thing that I am actually on a mission for my country where time is on the agenda and I only have a rather vague idea where my target is!«

***

There had been no need for either girl to hold the other`s hair, but the thought that Sophia, Sistine and Luana were still in the clutches of some unscrupulous kidnappers had a sobering effect. So, Isabelle and Lioba had decided to force themselves to have a coffee and something to eat to diminish the effects of the alcohol before they would decide what to do next.

Though they had seen (and felt) each other in the nude for quite some time, both decided it would be less awkward if they had their improvised meal dressed up and so, they had went for the other room where they had found that the gangsters had not only taken the cameras and microphones with them. Lioba`s landline telephone was missing and when she opened one of her drawers, she cursed.

»These bastards! They cut the waistbands of all my panties!«

Her other wardrobe was intact, except for the bottoms of her two bikinis that had been destroyed, too. In the bathroom, the laundry basket had been emptied to the floor and though there was a variety of bras, blouses, pantyhose and other garments, all her used panties had disappeared.

»One should have thought they already had enough to get stimulated from the video footage of the two of us!«

Anyway, they had no other choice than to put on the panties they had been gagged with. With a grimace, Isabelle put on her still damp panties and when Lioba offered her the hair dryer, she chuckled, but finally used it to dry them a bit.

Lioba, who had the choice between three of her thongs chose the one she had been wearing the day before, just because it had been the one that looked best. Still a bit tipsy, the two girls giggled as they used the hairdryer on their panties. Then, they quickly dressed; whilst Isabelle put on her old clothes, Lioba chose black pantyhose together with a green knee-length dress that was made of pure silk.

»Not bad«, Isabelle commented and Lioba showed a weak smile.

»The silk feels very soft, and the rope marks still hurt a bit!«

Now, Isabelle felt a bit guilty, for it had been her who had made Lioba`s rope harness tighter than necessary. She put on the coffee machine whilst Lioba made some sandwiches and soon, they sat together and ate.

»Sorry, I am not the best cook«, Lioba apologized.

»Oh, I am sure Ozzie always prepared something nice for the two of you!«, Isabelle thought. Though they had spoken about what had been between Lioba and Mike, and though there hadn`t happened much, Isabelle still felt the sting of jealousy torture her. Lioba had admitted that she had wanted Mike – maybe, still wanted him right now. And they had kissed. Maybe, Mike had felt remorse, but he had had his tongue into that other woman`s mouth!

»Now, what are we going to do now? Get to the next public phone and call your colleagues?«

That would have been an obvious and reasonable idea, but Isabelle shook her head.

»I think I should start remembering that I am a Policewoman myself. So, if you are already able to drive and can bare my presence a little longer, I`ve got another idea!«

***