Not quite a Honeymoon 3

Shortly after their early meeting, Julie N`Kono had also retired from the office and went home. Her colleagues had assured her that they could run the newspaper for a day and she definitely needed a break. Julie was no stranger to nights filled with work, but she would never have thought that being bound and gagged would be so exhausting, both physically and mentally.

»It seems that poor Mathilda is suffering even more than me!«

For a moment, she considered looking after the girl. She knew that Mathilda lived not too far from her own apartment. However, Julie decided that she needed a shower and a change of clothes. In addition, she had to phone Laila who still was in France and maybe hadn`t heard about what had happened yet.

So, she went straight home, but once she was lying on her couch, her first action was to call Laila. She had already read some of the articles published by the other newspapers and had already tried to reach Julie at the office.

»You mean, they stole all our confidential data, only to send it to literally everyone? But why? I mean, we are just a small newspaper and not the Government!«

This was a question Julie had asked herself multiple times, but she didn`t have the glimpse of an answer. So, she added:

»All I can say is that our attackers were two women – both were white and the little they spoke sounded like British English, but that doesn`t really narrow it down! The Police would pick up my charge and then do nothing, except for maybe sending someone to have a look for a few days!«

Laila fell silent for a few moments; then, she asked:

»Do you remember when I was – in trouble?«

Julie noticed that Laila still had problems in addressing what had happened to her during her kidnapping. It was something Julie could now perfectly understand, though her ordeal had only lasted for some 90 minutes.

»You said that this guy asked for me – the one my Dad hired. Well, he showed up here in France – and he saved the day!«

Julie had a vague memory of the man Laila was referring to: he had introduced himself as a private detective, but according to what Laila had told her, there seemed to be more about him. She asked:

»So, you think I should contact him? But how?«

Instead of an answer, Laila sent her a cell phone number that was simply marked »Mike«.

»I can`t promise you anything, but he`s the only one that could perhaps be helpful, is not related to the Police and whose number I have! And for all I know, he has plans to return to England, at least for a short time!«

Julie ended the call and looked at the number. Though she had already talked to that Mike, it felt inappropriate to call a complete stranger. So, Julie decided she would get a second opinion on that.

»If I bring some sandwiches and coffee, Mathilda will sure not mind if I show up uninvited!«

***

Lalita could not be called secretive and so, when they had reached their destination, Isabelle knew indeed a few things more about Mike: obviously, he had bought not only his parents` house, but also that of Lalita`s parents plus that of another family and therefore, they had been able to stay where they had spent all their lives, despite rising rents and gentrification.

»He says that he`s working for the Government and has made some money! Well, he`s not the best businessman, for he could demand much more rent than he does!«

Isabelle thought about it. She knew where Mike`s money came from: one of the criminals she had been chasing, an evil businesswoman, had ended up in the clutches of her former husband – kidnapped by Mike. And though Guylène definitely deserved punishment, she also knew that this had been the point where she had left the path of right and justice. Had she still been the Policewoman she had considered herself to be, she should have brought Mike to justice.

»And yet, I love him and want to spend the rest of my life with him!«

Lalita tore her from her thoughts, pointing at a shop. Since Isabelle was in London for the first time in her life, she only now noticed that they were not in one of the roads where one expensive shop was beside the other, but in a quarter where she looked more exotic than Lalita, for there were more Asians than Europeans filling the streets.

»So, she`s just taking the opportunity to sell me her own stuff, or that of one of her relatives!«

Indeed, the small shop was run by two Indian women. One of them, an elderly matronal one, approached them and once Lalita had said a few words in Hindi, she seemed to have forgotten about her other customers and for the next 30 minutes, the matron and Lalita treated her in a way that Isabelle would not have been surprised if they had suddenly swung magic wands or sung »Bibbedy Bobbedy!«.

»It`s so simple!«, Lalita told her, »The whole secret is to emphasize your assets and to conceal the problem zones! Luckily, you are a natural beauty! I mean, I wouldn`t ask you if I needed a leg model, but the rest is lovely!«

Isabelle smiled a bit insecure. She would have added a few more optical flaws to that list: she was small in general, had freckles and though Mike had forbidden her to even think about it, she considered her breasts to be too ample for a petite woman like her.

She felt a bit abashed on how the two women had literally stripped her down to bra, panties and pantyhose and then tried a variety of clothes on her. It seemed that neither Lalita nor the matron was interested in her opinion.

»Let us do the magic! Just look how you get even more beautiful!«

At least, she was allowed to answer questions about her preferred shoes and jewellery. And in the end, she had to admit that obviously, the two Indians were indeed fairy godmothers.

»Wow!«

The dark emerald green silk shimmered iridescently in the neon light and the fine cloth caressed her in a way she felt marvellous. Isabelle usually didn`t think of herself in words like »gracious«, but now, she was the perfect mixture of seductiveness and elegance Mike always pretended she was.

»You should try it without the bra!«

Usually, such an idea would have sounded indecent in Isabelle`s ears, but now, she thought of giving it a try. Not now, but in the evening. It would emphasize the feeling of being naked and covered at the same time.

»Are you doing wedding dresses, too?«, she breathed.

The two women nodded, but to Isabelle`s slight surprise, they weren`t as excited as she would have expected them to be when she mentioned her wedding. Lalita just picked up her original clothes and said:

»Just let Benisha mark where she has to make a few changes! Whilst she is doing the sewing, I will show you a little surprise!«

The matron had already picked some needles and a few minutes later, she withdrew, taking the dress with her, whilst Isabelle put on her old clothes, feeling a bit shabby and uncomfortable in them now.

»I told you that I am trying to become self-employed! I mean, I also work for Benisha and the dress you just chose was my design, but my true passion is a bit more – special!«

Isabelle thought of telling her that it had been Lalita who had chosen the dress, but the Indian just took her hand once she had put her shoes back on and led her into the bowels of the building. When they walked along a dark corridor, Lalita told her:

»So far, I can only afford one of Benisha`s spare backrooms, but I already have an online presence and I hope that in a few years, I will also have a real shop with windows!«

They stopped at a door that looked as if a broom closet was waiting behind it. Lalita opened and switched on the light.

»Welcome to ›Lolly`s Panty-Monium‹!«

Isabelle blinked at the surprisingly bright light. The room was bigger than she had expected, but was stuffed with all kinds of things. There was a large desk with a sewing machine and hundreds of drawings on it and there were some cupboards and shelves, all crammed with colourful clothes. One wall was left free and there, a spotlight and a camera on a tripod were positioned. Isabelle now could see some of the garments lying around and she understood.

»Panty-Monium? You mean-«

»Yes, I am doing designer panties!«

»Oh!«

Isabelle was a bit abashed and she looked around. Obviously, Lalita hadn`t specialized on a specific style, for she could see everything, from French knickers to tiny thongs. Lalita put her arm around Isabelle.

»Aww, you look as if I had just showed you a secret meth lab! Are you shy?«

»A – bit«, Isabelle admitted. Now, Lalita stepped opposite to her and put both arms around her. Though they just knew for a few hours and though their breasts now touched, Isabelle didn`t feel uncomfortable, for Lalita behaved more like her sister than as if she was trying to seduce her.

»I knew you are shy the moment you took off your jeans. I mean, where did you get these panties? At the supermarket, 3 pieces in a box?«

Isabelle blushed slightly and Lalita loosened her grip, but kept her hands on her shoulders.

»Two hours ago, you blamed Ozzie for considering your clothes as packing material! However, the way you cover your private parts, I can`t blame him!«

Usually, Isabelle would have felt offended, but Lalita had been so kind and her new dress was so beautiful that she allowed her words to sink in. Since she had met Mike, her choice of underwear had changed from »Nun« to »Modest School Girl«, but still, her bras and panties were meant to conceal and not to tease. Mike had never complained so far and she told Lalita that.

»Of course not! He would still admire you if you`d wear burlap! But I am talking about you! You should do the best you can to yourself!«

Now, Isabelle smiled.

»The best I can – or the best you have to sell?«

Lalita also smiled.

»Admittedly, I am also seeing you as a customer. But since you have just bought a dress and more or less ordered a wedding dress, I could make you an offer you can`t refuse!«

***

Being a petite girl, Mathilda had slender wrists and so, she hoped that she could slip her hand through the handcuffs. However, it seemed that Adele and her henchwomen had thought of her size and brought the models for women that could be tightened more. She could get them to the joint of her thumb, but then, she only could have succeeded if she had dislodged her thumb and Mathilda could not go so far. Not if the alternative was just two hours of waiting.

Of course, it wouldn`t be pleasant hours. The hogtie was inconvenient, being gagged was very inconvenient and despite her elegant appearance, Adele`s pantyhose tasted vile. Then, there was the vibrator. It didn`t hurt and they had not gone so far to push it inside her. Mathilda shuddered from that thought. No, it just rested between her legs, massaging her labia and just touching her clit.

»If I wanted to feel it more, I had to thrust out my pelvis!«

It was an irritating thought, but when she shifted her position, she indeed felt the vibrations come closer to the right spot. Mathilda mewed and for a while, she tried to just relax, as far as her restraints allowed it.

»What does Adele still want from me? I have done everything she said and yet, she is still haunting me!«

She knew that she was a traitor to Julie, but she had never wanted it to end that way. It had been just a phone call back then. And the second deal had been more or less forced upon her. In addition, Adele had promised her 20.000. Mathilda felt the envelope shoved into her panties and tears filled her eyes.

»They have even betrayed me of most of my money! I will maybe lose my job and Julie`s trust, just for less than a month`s salary!«

She squirmed and wriggled herself forward, so she could see the glass of iced water. Mathilda was sure that not much time had passed, but she just had to know if perhaps, it had already begun to melt.

She peeked over the edge of her bed and saw the pile of clothes on the floor. At least, she could roll from the bed without getting hurt. Mathilda leaned to one side until gravity took over and she landed on her belly, upholstered by her discarded clothes.

Now, all she had to do was to crawl forward. Mathilda squirmed until she had herself cleared of her entangled clothes – then, she twitched. Once she was lying on the sheer carpet, the way her belly and womb were pressed against the floor made the pressure of the vibrator intensify. She began to work herself forward, closer towards the glass. To do so, she had to move her hips, and her pubic mound grinded over the carpet, causing the vibrator to massage her even more.

»Come on, it`s just three yards!«

Progress was slow, but finally, she reached the glass. With her nose, she knocked it over and a bit of water dripped onto the floor. There was still a massive block of ice inside the glass.

»I should have stayed in bed!«

Now, she had to lie on the linoleum, and no position could be called comfortable. She regularly had to shift and each time she moved, this had consequences on the vibrating torpedo between her legs. The exhausted Mathilda just tried to ignore it.

»It isn`t that bad! It`s just a slight massage! If I would use it by myself, I would-«

The thought was inappropriate, but Mathilda caught herself, that she had moved her hips – rhythmically. As if she wanted to feel it more. She shuddered, but at the same time, a warm feeling strayed through her womb and a voice inside her began to whisper:

»Time would pass faster! You are alone, who could blame you? It`s your apartment, you can do whatever you want!«

»Mmhhmmmm!«

Mathilda forced herself to lie still. She had to swallow some saliva and the thought it had been filtered by Adele`s pantyhose made her retch. However, though her nausea distracted her from indecent thoughts, these thoughts were more pleasant and then, the voice inside her said:

»You could show Adele and her two bitches! They tried to torture you – but you even found some pleasure!«

Mathilda shook her head. However, when she looked at the ice block once again, she then closed her eyes. Her limbs ached and she moved her hips, just a bit, so the tender massage would distract her from her strained muscles.

Soon, her breathing was more a panting, her moans and sighs no longer sounded as if she was suffering and her movements began to accelerate. It was then that the doorbell rang, followed by a hard knock at her door.

»Mathilda, I – oopsie!«

When breaking into her apartment, it seemed that the two women had somehow broken the locking mechanism of Mathilda`s door. When she had entered it, accompanied by Adele, Mathilda hadn`t noticed it, but now, Julie`s determined knock made the door fly open. Julie stood on the doorstep, in her left a bakery bag and balancing a tray with two coffee mugs. She stared down on Mathilda who in return was looking at her employer with eyes like saucers. Her usually pale cheeks were flaming red and the faint buzzing of the vibrator was echoing in the room.

It took Julie a few seconds until she was able to move again.

»Mathilda, oh my God, what happened?«

»Mmhhmmm!«, the girl responded, cringing as she noticed that her panty-clad middle was pointing directly at Julie, the bulge caused by the vibrator as accusing as the treacherous wet spot.

Julie was an emotional woman, but she was neither a fool nor easily frightened and so, she quickly managed to do something she thought was right. She crouched beside Mathilda, bent over her and reached for her handcuffs.

»Poor thing! Where are the keys, I-«

»Mmhhmph!«

»Oh, of course, sorry!«

She searched for the edge of the tape and began to unwind it from Mathilda`s mouth, trying to find a compromise between working fast and taking care of her hair and skin. Finally, she looked at the beige wad crammed into the girl`s mouth and with pointed fingers, she plucked it from Mathilda`s mouth.

»Is that – a pantyhose?«, she thought and dropped the sopping gag with a shudder. Mathilda panted and wanted to thank Julie, but instead, she breathed:

»D-door!«

Julie understood and pushed the door shut. Then, she turned her attention back to her trussed up employee. Her eyes fell on the glass and she noticed the key inside the ice. Half a minute later, she had turned on the water boiler and had placed the glass in the sink.

»In a minute, you will be free! Oh, Mathilda, who did this to you? Was it these women that attacked us?«

Mathilda croaked something. She had turned on her belly and though Julie hadn`t mentioned it, she still heard the vibrator`s buzzing as if it was a jackhammer. She could not ask Julie to switch the damn thing off. Not only was it embarrassing – she also remembered the envelope that would raise questions.

Luckily, the hot water made short work of the ice and so, Julie could unlock the cuffs. Mathilda came to all fours and then, before Julie could ask whether she needed help, she darted into her bathroom. There, she ripped the vibrator from her panties and threw it into the dustbin, accompanied by the envelope. She looked around for fresh clothes, but only found her bathrobe. With a sigh, Mathilda took off her clothes and when the fragrance of her wet middle reached her nose, she jumped into her shower and turned the water as hot as she could bear it.

When she finally staggered out of her bathroom, clad in the bathrobe and feeling as if she had just run a marathon, Julie had cleared her desk and arranged some sandwiches on two plates. The coffee mugs stood there, too. Julie said:

»I can also prepare tea if you-«

Mathilda staggered and when Julie approached her, she flew into her arms and sobbed. Julie slung her arms around her and though the gesture felt good, it added to Mathilda`s grief that the woman she had betrayed – was still betraying! – treated her so tenderly and understanding.

However, she also remembered Adele`s threat all too well and so, she told Julie only the parts of the truth she couldn`t deny anyway. In her version of the assault, it had been just the two women waiting for her. She also informed that they had told her the whole action wasn`t meant to help Pearce, but for some obscure reasons.

Julie got up and went for the window she had opened when Mathilda had showered. When she had first seen Mathilda, she had for a terrible second thought that the girl was experimenting with self-bondage. Julie had seen the vibrator in her panties and the scent of the girl had been the reason she had opened the window.

»This attack on you is more than strange! If it is not meant to get Pearce out of prison, why is anyone attacking us? I mean, we are a small newspaper! If someone fears our concurrence, he would perhaps launch a smear campaign, but that? These are real criminals!«

»So – you will call the Police?«

Julie slowly turned towards Mathilda. The petite girl in her bathrobe and with the wet hair made her feel pity, but she shook her head.

»No. I have thought about it – and it`s not because I fear they are still resentful because of this article we wrote last year. After all, I made clear that there is 20 to 50 honourable Policemen on every rotten egg. However, we also know that they are overworked and so, I will call someone else. A specialist!«

Mathilda had heard what Julie said with mixed feelings. Now, the last words made her frown.

»What do you mean? A private detective?«

Julie smiled enigmatically.

»Even better. You may not remember him, but shortly after Laila – disappeared, a man showed up and asked for her.«

Mathilda shuddered. This man, or rather her informing Adele about him, had been her first step into the abyss. Julie continued:

»Well, he not only found Laila and helped to free her, he also was responsible for Pearce and this Saudi Prince now being behind bars. In addition, he didn`t even aske for money! So, he`s not only better than an ordinary private eye, we can also afford him!«

Her confident smile froze when she saw Mathilda sink to the floor. The girl hadn`t fainted, but she was trembling and looked paler than ever. Julie, not quite sure what to do, sat beside her, pressed a cold washcloth to her forehead and instilled her some tea until some colour came back into Mathilda`s cheeks.

»You poor girl! I can`t leave you like this!«

Mathilda thought that she was talking about getting her to hospital, but Julie proposed that Mathilda should spend the next few days with her.

»It`s not a palace either, but they will less likely try to attack us again if we are together! Besides, I would also feel saver if I am not alone! So, you`d do me a favour!«

Of course, Mathilda now felt guilty again, but she also had to admit that Julie was right. She would be saver if they were together and perhaps, Adele didn`t even know where Julie lived. So, though she felt terrible, she agreed. Julie discreetly waited on the corridor whilst Mathilda got dressed and packed a few things. Deep inside her pocket, she had hidden the envelope with the money. It still had a specific fragrance and it had cost her all her strength to even touch the money, but she would feel a bit less like a treacherous parasite if she could pay for a few things whilst she was at Julie`s apartment.

The two women left the house. Since none of them owned a car, Julie proposed to call a taxi, but Mathilda, who knew that Julie lived only a few streets away, said that the walk would do her good.

None of them noticed the woman that followed them from the distance. But even if they had, they would not have recognized her, since of course, she wasn`t wearing her black mask in public. The blonde woman saw the bag Mathilda was carrying and when both were not heading towards the Underground station, she concluded that they were going to Julie`s apartment.

Whilst still following the two women, she sent a WhatsApp into the group that only consisted of Adele, Alinda and her:

»J and M are heading towards J`s. A3.«

The answer came immediately; obviously, Adele had been waiting by her phone:

»Observe bitches, but wait for further instruction. A1.«

She smiled. Unlike herself who always referred to their targets by their initial letters, Adele insisted on calling them »bitches«. Well, she had no personal grudge against any of them, but Adele paid well and in addition, she could more or less work in her old profession.

She saw Julie and Mathilda enter a building that looked slightly more inviting than the one where Mathilda had her room. The street had several cafes and she sat down in one of them where she could have an eye at the door whilst she ostentatiously opened her laptop, pretending to write something. The little masquerade would allow her to spend a few hours without looking suspicious.

She texted her position and looked at the icon of the WhatsApp group. It showed a small battery, a reference to their nickname: Triple A. It had been a sheer coincidence that their names all started with an A: Adele, Alinda – and Amelia, aka Amy.

»Now, the boring part begins!«, she thought, looking at the door of Julie`s house.

***

Mike had successfully absolved the meeting with his bank and also found a decent suit when he checked his phone. There were two messages, one from Isabelle. The other was an unknown number. He frowned, since not many people knew his number, but decided to read his fiancé`s message first:

»Having lunch with Lolly, will be at the hotel at 4pm. Love you, Belle!«

The message was adorned by a few hearts and Mike smiled as he sent her an equally short, but, as he hoped, equally kind answer. Then, he opened the second message:

»We don`t really know, but Laila Steele gave me your number. We once met, I am Julie N`Kono, her employer. Could you call me back or, even better, come over asap?«

The message ended in an address. There were no emojis and it was rather cryptic. Mike remembered his visit at the rooms of »Changing World« where he had talked to Julie N`Kono.

»Does she want an exclusive interview?«

After their adventures at the bunker, he had only seen Laila Steele once. She had told him to tell her father that she was all well and loved him, but would have to stay in France for another few weeks. Mike had seen Tintin wait in the car and had assumed that her involvement in the trial against Pearce and Harun ibn Badr wasn`t the only reason she delayed going back to England.

He checked his watch and then called a taxi. The address was in the East End, but with a little bit of luck, he could be back at the hotel before Isabelle showed up. So, once the taxi drove off, he sent an answer to Julie N`Kono:

»On my way, expect me in about 45 minutes!«

***

»What the-«

Amy had expected to spend a few tedious hours at the café, until either Adele sent her additional orders or Alinda would come and take over the observation. But then, after just little more than an hour, a taxi stopped right in front of the café. She wouldn`t have bothered, but then, she recognized the man who got out of it.

»Mike fucking Dunbar!«

Amy could all too well remember the only encounter she and this man had had: a few months ago, she and Mike had both been chasing a former secretary of a high-ranking member of the Secret Service. The girl had seduced the man and gotten secret information she had tried to sell. However, Mike`s intention had been to also keep his former superior out of the scandal whilst Amy had considered it an opportunity to boost her career.

Whilst chasing Cassandra, the secretary, she and Mike had teamed up, but also fought against each other. Once, she had shot him at blank distance (the bastard had, however, worn a bulletproof vest), but in the end, he had sent her out on the streets – naked, her arms bound and she had been gagged with another woman`s used panties.

The humiliation had burnt inside Amy. She had been »Amazing Amy«, an ambitious secret agent on her way up! However, Mike had not only stripped her physically. She had lost her job at the Service, accused of attempted murder on a colleague, though Mike had just suffered a bruise. Amy had managed to avoid getting imprisoned, but the humiliation of having to be freed whilst she still was stark naked had been hard to swallow. Then, back in England, she had had no idea what to do until she had found Adele – or, maybe, Adele had found her. Anyway, Adele needed qualified women who had no problems in bending the law – it was a match made in heaven, or rather in hell.

Amy wasn`t the least surprised when Mike entered the building she was observing. She was professional enough not to storm outside the café, but whilst she still pretended to surf the internet, she thought by herself:

»I will still take your paycheck, Adele – but from now on, it`s personal!«

***

Mike entered the building after Julie N`Kono had answered to the bell. It was one of these 19th century houses that had been turned into several apartments and it had definitely seen better days. Obviously, being the boss of a small newspaper didn`t really pay off.

She waited for him at the corridor and put a finger to her lips before she shook his hand. In a lowered tone, she said:

»Mathilda`s sleeping! Thanks for coming, Mr.-«

She was sure that »Ironside« had been an alias and Mike just told her to call him by his first (or rather second name). She smiled.

»I am Julie!«

At their first meeting, he had noticed her West African accent and now, she pronounced her first name the French way. Mike could see that Julie had had a rough time recently. Her clothes looked as if she had slept in them, but though she had put up some makeup, her eyes behind the glasses rather gave the impression she hadn`t slept at all.

Julie led him inside a small apartment and pointed at the living room where he could see a person, covered by a blanket, sleep on the couch. Obviously, that was Mathilda, though he had no idea which relation she had with Julie.

The Black escorted him inside the kitchen and closed the door. She offered him a coffee and quickly reported what had happened to her and Mathilda, leaving out the juicy details.

»I gave Mathilda a sleeping pill, but I think the poor girl must be almost dead anyway! I mean, getting bound and gagged once was no picknick, but twice!«

She scoffed and Mike had to think of Isabelle who could easily top that number. Then, he asked:

»So, what do you want me to do? I don`t know what Laila told you about me, but I am rather no bodyguard!«

Julie straightened. She was two inches taller than Mike and quite buxom. The look of her brown eyes was determined as she said:

»I hope that now that we are here together, Mathilda and I are save! But I want to know who is trying to ruin my newspaper – and since I am no man, I am not too stubborn to ask for help!«

Mike grinned.

»Bashing my toxic masculinity whilst you are in dire need of a White Saviour?«

After a short attempt to glance at him, Julie´s lips trembled and she smiled.

»Okay, one point for the toxic white male. So, will you help us? I am, however, afraid I can`t pay well – if at all!«

Mike bought a few seconds by emptying his coffee before he answered:

»Well, the good news is that I have money, though my fiancé is currently doing a shopping trip on my account. However, it depends on her whether I can help you. We are on our trial honeymoon and if she insists that I spend my time with her, I will have to obey. But I will try my best to split up between her and you!«

Julie seemed disappointed, but she nodded.

»I think that`s all I can ask for. Well, thank you anyway!«

Mike took her hand.

»My beloved fiancé`s a Policewoman. So, I think if it comes to fighting criminals, she will let me off the leash a bit. I will try to be here tomorrow at 8am!«

Now, he could se a glimpse of relief and gratefulness in Julie`s eyes.

»Take care until then!«, he said and left the apartment.

***