Minor Changes 2

Monica Bloch let the links of her chain wander through her fingers. It was fixed to the wall, whilst the other end had been cuffed around her right ankle. The cuff was upholstered, but nevertheless unable to remove.

The chain was just long enough that Monica could walk a few steps in her prison and even use the small chemical toilet behind a door with a small opening for her chain. She could also get up to the second of the stairs leading up to the ground floor; when they were at home, their captors usually left the door open.

Monica`s hands were free, but her gag was secured by a small padlock, and there was nothing inside her prison that she could have used to open it. On the first day of her capture, Monica had screamed her lungs out, but the only reaction had been that the blonde had asked her whether she needed a suppository.

She remembered little of her kidnapping; all had happened so fast. Monica had used the public bathroom at the University, when she had suddenly heard someone enter the cabin beside hers. There had been some rustling, and then, a roll of toilet paper had rolled over to her, causing Monica to bent forward and look what was going on. At that moment, something had pricked her neck, and within seconds, everything had turned black.

When Monica had woken up, she had been tied to the bed, stripped to her underwear, cuffed, gagged and hooded. They had left her like that for some hour, letting her thrash and scream until exhaustion had stopped her. Only then, the hood had been removed, and she had seen her kidnappers. One had been a blonde who had looked vaguely familiar; only after a few seconds, Monica had realized she was wearing her clothes. In addition, she had quite a resemblance to her: not in a way anyone would have confused one for the other, but she was also a tallish blonde with long hair and blue eyes and her clothes seemed to fit her.

»Now that you have calmed down a little, we may introduce us! You may call me – Moni 2.0!«

The other woman was clad in black from head to toe: not a spandex suit, but tight jeans and sweater, and she was also wearing a black hood that only showed her brown eyes. Monica had seen something fixed to her belt she had seen before in some movies, and as on keyword, the masked woman had switched on the teaser, allowing Monica to watch the blue lightnings and listen to the crackle.

»Madame X hates violence as much as I do, Moni – but we both hate failure even more!«

Madame X! Under other circumstances, this would have been ridiculous! However, the masked woman had remained a silent threat. So far, she had never said a word, and only showed up when Monica was allowed some freedom, like at the meals or when she was allowed to clean her teeth and was temporarily freed from the harness gag and the sodden cloth it held inside her mouth.

The rules of her imprisonment were simple: as long as she behaved »like a reasonable adult«, she was left free except for the gag and chain as long as her captors were at home, and they at least left her alone. If not-

Monica shuddered when she remembered the first time they had freed her hands. She had tried to attack them, but »Madame X« had just grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm. They had then tied her back to the bed, and then, the masked woman had brushed over her naked belly with the taser. She hadn`t switched it on, but »Moni 2.0« had bent over her and brushed over her sides, causing her to cringe and mew. Then, Madame X had switched on the taser and held it close to Monica`s pubic mound.

»If you struggle too much, or if you lose control over your bladder, you may get grilled down there!«

She had continued to tickle Monica, and she had bitten down hard on her gag, trying to squirm and twitch as little as possible, as the electric Sword of Damocles was just millimetres away from her panty-clad crotch. The torment hadn`t lasted long, but since then, Monica had behaved.

It didn`t spare her all ordeals, of course. Moni 2.0 not only always placed the vibrator inside her panties before she was left alone, she also had a way of touching her with a casualty that was even more humiliating than a gleeful assault would have been. For example, in the midst of talking to her, she suddenly pushed her hand inside her panties, just to feel if Monica was shaved down there.

The masked woman didn`t seem interested in kinky games, but she always seemed to wait for Monica to make a mistake, allowing her to punish her. So far, Monica had been able to fight down her will to escape and to figure out what this was all about.

She had asked her captors, of course, but so far, they had dodged her questions and just regagged her when she had asked too much. All Moni 2.0 had said was that if she would do as they told her, she would be left with nothing than a few bad memories after a few more days.

So far, she was only sure that they had preyed on her on purpose: her prison didn`t contain anything but the bed and the few accessories she was given for her personal hygiene – and a small collection of books that had all in common that they were written by her or at least contained essays by her.

Monica`s specialty was literary adaptations of crimes, but since she focussed on established literature, these cases were usually at least 50 years old and so, she doubted that she had interfered with the criminals behind it. Her current project, for which she had taken her sabbatical, was intended to do research about the background of a very recent novel, »The Lost Library« by Moses Arnstein, but this book also played in the 1930ies. It told the fictionalized story of a Jewish antiquarian that had hidden a precious collection of old books from the Nazis; the book was okay, but Monica considered it was hyped by many just because it was written by the great-grandson of said antiquarian and critics were afraid of being called antisemitic if they didn`t praise it.

However, she had done some research, including some correspondence with Moses Arnstein who, despite being born and raised in Israel, now lived in New York, and she had found out that there had indeed been a Samuel Arnstein who had worked as an antiquarian in Würzburg. Unlike his alter ego in the novel, the real Samuel Arnstein had escaped Germany in 1938, but had died in Jerusalem in 1948, three days after the state had declared its independence. On his deathbed, he had told about his precious books he had left behind, but he had died before he had been able to become more specific.

So far, Monica had found out that Arnstein had sold his library to the University – unofficially, and for a tenth of its real value. The University had then started to evaluate the treasures they had just bought, but the war had interrupted the research, and during the infamous air raid in March 1945, all traces seemed to have been destroyed, except for an ominous file note from 1943 that mentioned the books to be stored at a save place.

Monica`s plan had been to do some research on these books: if she hadn`t found out anything after a month, she still had enough time for some more serious publications that would justify her sabbatical. And now, she had ended up in some windowless cellar, half naked, bound and gagged, whilst some criminal was acting as her!

The door opened and Moni 2.0 entered, carrying Monica`s laptop.

»When I told your students that they could send me questions via email, I thought this would be rather rhetorical, but indeed, you got four mails! Okay, two of them were just telling you that they liked the lecture, but one had a question about the subject! I hope the answer I gave him was satisfying enough. The last one, however, is rather personal, and so, you may help me in answering it!«

The laptop was placed on the bed, and Monica sat down to read the mail Moni 2.0 already had opened. Carefully, her captor looked at her as she read the few lines.

»So, this Marlene`s an old friend of yours?«

She bent forward and read:

»Nee Frankenheim. So, did you lose contact when she married, because you no longer could have her for yourself?«

Monica shook her head, unable to oppress her slight blushing. Moni 2.0 giggled and said:

»All water down the bridge! However, I couldn`t help noticing your reaction on Marlene mentioning wine with jellybeans. I mean, the combination sounds disgusting, but your reaction was a bit – strange. Is this some kind of conde between her and you?«

Monica just stared at her. She hadn`t thought about Marlene for years. In fact, she had considered Thomas to be a bad choice and therefore allowed the contact to cease after Marlene`s marriage. Of course, they would have talked if they had accidentally met, and so, her message was just normal – except for the jellybeans. Marlene didn`t like any combination of wine and sweets, let alone such a weird one. But what did she want to express by this? Had Marlene noticed that the woman holding the lecture hadn`t been her, and wanted to give her a chance to send a call for help?

The problem was that her captor was no fool either. Now, Moni 2.0 pondered.

»Tell me, Moni, if you had been holding the lecture for real, would you have recognized Marlene?«

After a few moments of hesitating, Monic nodded. There was no point in lying: people didn`t change that much between the age of 27 and 37. Sure, Marlene could have gained or lost some pounds, or could have changed the cut and colour of her hair, but she would have recognized her; maybe not on first sight, but for sure after the lecture had started.

»I think so, too. So, it`s quite likely that Marlene also recognized you – or rather not you. The question is now: will this be a problem?«

»Mph!«

Monica shook her head, but her captor just closed the laptop and walked for the door. She placed the computer on the stairs and yelled for her accomplice.

»Madame X, I need a hand, please! We must make sure our guest is comfortable whilst we two have a closer look for one of her old friends!«

***

When Zara and Marcus had entered the kitchen, Marlene had left shortly after, but had asked whether Silvana would also like to do an extra Zumba lesson on early afternoon the next day. Silvana had agreed, and Marlene had left; more out of politeness, she had asked:

»It`s women only, I am afraid, but if you`d like to come too, Zara?«

»Thank you, but no, thank you! I will use my new connections to get free access to the Residenz!«

The Residenz, the former Bishop`s palace, was one of Würzburg`s main attractions. Marlene and Silvana had been there repeatedly, but for Zara, it was of course new. Marcus explained:

»For my thesis, I have also to do some research at the library of the Faculty for Old History! And so, I am working there for a few hours in the week. I can only get Zara access to the side wing, but at least, she won`t have to pay!«

»On a Saturday?«, Silvana wondered, and Marcus sighed exaggeratedly:

»Some researcher has booked two hours of private access to the library – and since I get paid minimum wage, it`s on me to keep an eye on her!«

Silvana knew that Marcus` job consisted on sitting on his desk and occasionally putting a book back on its shelf. So, he could either chill or work on his thesis whilst earning a few Euro. Again, she felt the little sting of jealousy, for he had never invited her to visit the library, but she doubted that he and Zara would have sex on the librarian`s desk.

Marlene now left, and Silvana stood in the door when Marcus added:

»Somehow, her name rings a bell: a Dr. Monica Bloch!«

Luckily, the others didn`t see Silvana`s face when she pretended that she had to tell Marlene something important and rushed down the stairs to catch her at the parking lot.

»Really? You mean, Moni will be at the Residenz? Now, this is getting weirder by the minute!«

Quickly, they decided what to do and came to a conclusion: Marlene would go home, look for any photo of Monica she had and send them to Silvana who would by tomorrow also be at the residence and have an eye on Marcus` mysterious guest.

»If something has happened, and they drew conclusions from your mail, they will maybe look for you, but they don`t know about me! Besides, I will only be at the parking lot, within lots of other people, and will only see whether the person is your old friend or not. If she seems to be Moni, I will speak to her, and if not – well, we will meet at Zumba then, and decide what to do!«

»Sounds like a plan!«

She could read her own feelings from Marlene`s face: the fear of chasing a chimera, mixed with concern that indeed a crime was happening – and also some excitement.

»There`s really a crime waiting behind every corner!«, she sighed, and Marlene scoffed:

»Let`s hope that by tomorrow, my worst encounter will be Moni laughing at my blooming phantasy!«

Spontaneously, they hugged, and Silvana returned to Marcus and Zara. They seemed a bit suspicious, but suddenly, Silvana had an idea:

»Would you mind if I`d disturb your togetherness tomorrow for a few minutes?«

She quickly improvised a story that for didactics of History, she had to copy an article from the real Realenzyklopädie of Ancient History and try to transfer it into something a primary pupil would understand.

»I think I will take ›Limes‹ or ›Colosseum‹, but our Professor insists that we also show him the original source, so, I would need some five minutes to photograph the articles! After that, the library will be all yours!«

She showed her innocent girlie smile, and Marcus and Zara also didn`t seem to mind. Marcus told her that he could also copy the articles for her, but Zara just shrugged and laughingly said that she would forgive her for stealing five minutes of her time with Marcus.

»However, it will cost you a high price!«

Silvana smiled insecurely, and Marcus also looked a bit puzzled. Zara chuckled and said:

»It means you`ll have to cut the onions for our dinner!«

»You want to make me cry!«, Silvana playfully protested, and as they all laughed, both the slight flirting between Zara and Marcus and Silvana having a little secret seemed forgotten. Silvana indeed had to wipe a tear from her eyes when she cut the onions, but at the same time, she grinned inwardly: now, she could have a close look at whoever pretended to be Monica Bloch, whilst she would still be save!

***

Monica had felt that her captors had something mean in their minds, but she had not resisted when they had forced her to lie down on her bed again and had once again cuffed her wrists and ankles. Then, the masked woman had produced a long, thin chain with an eyelet on one end. This chain, she had slung around Monica`s waist, threading the end through the eyelet and pulling the slack out, until Monica felt the chain links cut into her waist.

»Uuhhmmph! Nnnggg!«

She had protested when the woman had then pushed the chain under her butt, pulled the chain between her legs and then worked her through the chain belt. However, worse had come when she had then put the chain over a ceiling hook and pulled.

»Mmhrrmmm! Gghhnnnnn! Mmmhhmmph!«

Monica had whimpered and desperately tried to ease the pain by thrusting out her pelvis when the masked woman had lifted her entire middle from the bed, so she was dangling from her crotch rope. Moni 2.0 then had grabbed her ankle and waved the fingers of her free hand.

»Just a glimpse of what may happen if you try to warn your old friend Marlene!«

She had then tickled Monica`s sole, and she had twitched and squealed, mixed with mews of pain when her flailing made the crotch chain cut even deeper into her soft flesh. They had let her go when she had gasped, lowering the crotch rope so much her buttocks touched the bed, but she still felt its presence that was very dissuasively.

»Just keep that in mind, Moni! Now, we have to go! Feel free to experience how much fun this chain can bring!«

They had spared her the hood, but switched off the light, leaving her in darkness as they went up the stairs, carefully locking the door and placing the mirror in front of it. The woman took off her mask and quickly brushed through her black curls.

»Phew, this thing is really inconvenient! However, I still don`t want her to see my face!«

The blonde shrugged.

»She`s no fool, and so, she would know that I look like her anyway! And since we will both no longer be here when she`s discovered – don`t bother, Madame X!«

The black-haired woman smiled.

»I could get used to that name! how about you, Moni 2.0?«

»Oh, I definitely prefer being Benita 1.0!«

She also checked herself in the mirror, noticing her slightly reddened cheeks and her hardened nipples. Playing with Monica always felt intriguing to her. She smoothed her skirt, and then, she patted the laptop.

»Now, let`s see what the WWW says about Marlene Gutermann!«

***

The dinner with Marcus and Zara had been nice and funny, and though she had felt a little regret for leaving the two alone, Silvana had retreated quite early to check her mails. Marlene had indeed sent her a few photos, together with the message:

»Remember I was young, too!«

She chuckled as she opened the images. One was showing a younger Marlene standing beside a tallish blonde. Both were sporting raffia skirts and had flower chains around their necks, whilst each held a coconut with a protruding straw in her hand. Though it was clearly visible that both wore bikini tops under their flowers, Silvana was sure that Marlene wouldn`t have liked if this picture would find its way to her colleagues, or, even worse, to some parents.

Since the picture was also the best of Monica, she tried to imagine how she might look today, 15 years later. She compared the young Marlene to the one she knew and had to admit that she had aged quite well. There were a few grey hairs at her temples (though currently dyed over), a few wrinkles, and she perhaps had had a trimmer belly back then, and maybe, her breasts had defied gravity a little more. However, there wasn`t much difference between now and then, and though she was trying to focus on Monica, she hoped that she could say the same about herself in 20 years.

Monica was slender and more athletic, and Silvana guessed that the raffia skirt hid a pair of shapely legs. Her breasts were smaller than Marlene`s, but still nice, at least, they seemed to be under the flowers. Monica`s smile was pretty, but it also showed that she wasn`t just a dumb blonde. A pretty girl, who sure would look similar to the pretty woman that had held the lecture.

Silvana forced herself to forget about the other woman. Instead, she copied the face of young Monica and with the help of Paint, she tried to add a few wrinkles so she would look older. Silvana had no ageing program, but she hoped it would work, for even now, she could see that Monica had fuller lips and another nose than the woman from the lecture. Similar, but definitely not the same.

Silvana knew she wouldn`t be able to sleep, but she only had a bunch of unattractive alternatives: she could try to phone Sibel, but her friend would sure explore the nightlife of Cambridge, together with Rosalie. She could go down to the dorm`s bar, but there, she would either have to do small talk, or she would be considered weird if she sat there alone, drinking herself to sleep. Perhaps, Marcus and Zara would still be at the kitchen, but she feared that she would feel like she was disturbing them, even if they perhaps really wouldn`t mind.

With a sigh, she undressed and, still stark naked, she slipped into her bed. As usual when she touched her belly piercing, she was reminded of how she had found it – in the sand, under a rock, where she had been hiding from her abductor, naked, bound and gagged.

The jewel had saved her life, or at least, the part that mattered. Karl, despite his name a real Egyptian, had left no doubt about the fate he had planned for her: selling her to the highest bidder, so she would end up as a sex slave, until her pretty days were gone.

Silvana shuddered. Despite describing a horrific crime, the word »sex slave« sounded also a bit intriguing. She hated that thought, even more as Karl had given her a glimpse of what was waiting for her. Silvana closed her eyes and groaned as she felt the slight tingle in her loins.

Karl had not been a gentle rogue, not in the slightest. But when he had touched her, he had known where and how – and she had reacted to it. In fact, she had exploded in an orgasm she had never experienced before. And as she could feel right now, her nether regions hadn`t forgotten either.

»What if I will never be able to differ between this memories and – new experiences?«

Her hand found its way between her legs, and as on several occasions before, Silvana felt that she wasn`t immune to touches, at least not to her own. The girl knew that she would cry afterwards, but on the other hand, this was perhaps a way of coping with the whole situation.

»At least, it will make me a bit more tired!«, she sighed as she continued massaging her clit, trying to keep Karl`s face away from her inner eye.

***

»Thank you very much, and please excuse me for disturbing you at such a time! Goodbye!«

Benita put down the telephone receiver and sighed, though at the same time, she showed a triumphant smile.

»What a chatterbox! But she indeed had some information for me!«

Benita and her colleague had googled Marlene, only to find out that she obviously was quite sensible about her digital footprint. However, they had found an old picture of her when she had still been employed at her old school, telling them that she was living in the suburbs, at an address that matched the one from the old phone book.

Finally, Benita had called the number, only to be answered by a Mrs. Müller. Quickly, Benita had decided to try something and pretended to be an old friend of Marlene Gutermann. Since Mrs. Müller was indeed both talkative and guileless, she had told her that she had bought the house from Marlene only recently. To Benita`s delight, she had not only been able to give her Marlene`s number, but also her new address.

»Hofmeisterstraße 9!«

A quick search on Google Maps showed them it was an apartment building close to the city centre. Benita smiled at her accomplice:

»Since Marlene had already seen me, this seems to be a job for Madame X!«

So, the black-haired woman had gotten into her car and driven to the street where Marlene lived. It was a bit bothersome to find a place to park, even now, at 11 pm, but finally, she stood in front of the house that looked as if it had been built in the late 1900s, with some stucco decorations.

She checked the name plates at the doorbell and saw a handwritten sign taped over one of them:

»M. Gutermann!«

If the house was like most other houses, the fact that this bell was the lowest would indicate that Marlene lived at the ground floor. The woman frowned. Beside the house was a door that obviously led to the back garden that was surrounded by a thick hedge.

»I must talk to Benita about how we share the money! After all, she can tickle Moni, whilst I get tickled by twigs!«

However, she was not made of sugar, and so, she found a place where she could easily squeeze herself between two bushes, allowing her to look into the garden. There was a piece of grass, neat and freshly mowed, followed by two adjacent verandas, separated by a wooden wall to allow some privacy though both apartments had access to the same garden. Behind one of the windows, she could see light.

She looked up to the other apartments. Behind a few more windows, she could either see the blue shimmer of a TV, or just ordinary light. However, she also saw a garden table behind which she could hide, and she also knew that it would be hard to detect her if people looked from their brightly lit rooms into the dark.

»After all, this is Germany! Nobody will shoot at me, and if someone yells, I just run away!«

Carefully, she approached the lit window and peeked inside. Since Benita hadn`t seen Marlene, she only knew that she had to look for a woman in her late 30ies. And there, on the couch, was a woman that seemed to fit that description.

She seemed to have dozed off, and she could also see a half empty glass of wine on the couch table beside her.

»At least, no jellybeans!«

Marlene was of medium height, had dark brown curls and even though she was sleeping in a slightly crouched position, she seemed to have quite ample boobs. It took her a minute to take a few photos, not only of Marlene, but also of the veranda door and the panorama window.

»I don`t think it will take me long to get inside if it may become necessary!«, she thought as she found her way back through the bushes and to the street. Still, nobody had noticed her, and once again, she wondered how people in one of the richest countries of the world could be so careless.

***

The next morning, Silvana woke up early, but forced herself to wait until half past eight before entering the kitchen. Marcus had to be at the Residenz at 10 am, and they had decided to take the 9:40 bus together.

She saw Zara, alone and in an oversized T-Shirt and shorts. She was alone, and somehow, Silvana was sure that she had spent the night alone.

»I made some coffee if you want some«, Zara yawned and stretched herself.

»Tonight, I chatted with some friends from Tel Aviv, so, excuse me for being«, she yawned again, »a bit sleepy!«

Silvana, who still felt the irrational relief for Zara not having spent the night with Marcus, would have forgiven her if she had fallen asleep over her coffee mug. She tried to get a little more information out of her new friend:

»Was it just friends – or your boyfriend?«

Zara smiled and cocked her head.

»If I had a boyfriend, he would not dare to stay on another continent. Nah, I am free as a bird – but don`t worry, I am not into girls, not even into pretty blonde ones!«

»No Aryan poster girls for you?«, Silvana joked lamely, feeling a bit concerned about Zara admitting that she was both single and interested in men. Men like Marcus, perhaps.

»Damn it, what is wrong with me? I barely know him, I just consider him quite nice!«

»Not even if they have traces of Mascara around their eyes!«, Zara replied and blew an air kiss to Silvana who reached for her eyes. She had forgotten to remove her makeup before sleeping, and the combination of that and having cried obviously was showing. Hastily, she finished her coffee and then entered the bath, so she could make herself presentable before Marcus would see her.

»I am the nightmare of every emancipated woman! All my thoughts are revolving around how I look for a man that doesn`t even seem interested in me!«, she thought as she stood under the shower, but when she chose her wardrobe for the day, she knew that she wasn`t just picking what was on top, but what would emphasize her assets and hide areas she was less proud about.

»Maybe, I should tell myself that I am doing it just for me, over and over, until I maybe believe it, too?«, she thought as she chose between two of her skirts.

***

»Madame X, she`s getting lazy again!«

Shrugging, the woman that now was wearing her mask again tickled Monica`s soles, so the helpless blonde mewed and squealed, sending the desired vibrations through her ball gag.

In the morning, they had woken up Monica quite early and even allowed her to spend some time ungagged, for she would once again be alone for a few hours later that morning. The atmosphere had been as relaxed as it could be between a gagged captive and her two captors.

Then, at nine o`clock, Benita had told her to lie down and once her limbs were tied, she had taken off her shoes and climbed onto the bed.

»I have to leave in 15 minutes, but until then, I can try to figure out something: so, you don`t like the vibrator?«

Monica stared at her; then, she vigorously shook her head. Benita smiled sardonically.

»Maybe, you would enjoy it more if you feel how good a little buzzing can do! Well, we have just enough time for a quick lesson in vibrating!«

»Mhm?«

Monica`s amazement turned into horror as Benita kneeled on her arms and then lifted her skirt, revealing her white panties, looking greyish under her black pantyhose. She lowered her body, so her crotch touched the protesting Monica`s chin, and she draped her skirt over her, trapping her head in a dark, stuffy prison.

»Now, shout, scream, or maybe cite your publications, but just talk!«

»Hrrrmmmmm! Mmhhmmmmm! Nnnnggg!«

Monica tried to turn her head away, or to shake Benita off, but her head was trapped between the other`s thighs, and she lasted on her chest with her body`s weight. Her lips and chin touched the soft nylon-covered mound of Benita`s crotch, and she wailed with horror and disgust, causing the very vibrations her tormentor desired.

»You are lacking a steady rhythm, but you definitely show some potential!«

After some time, exhaustion forced Monica to catch breath, and she also calmed down a bit, realizing that the ordeal was humiliating, but not life-threatening. That was when Benita brought her colleague into action, who, by tickling the helpless woman`s sole, or, even worse, between her toes, caused her to scream into Benita`s lap again. Finally, Monica could just gasp, forced to breathe in the stale air under Benita`s skirt that was smelling from a specific fragrance that sent shivers down her spine.

»Ah, some months of training, and you could start a second career, Moni! ›Dr. Bloch, the Human Vibrator! Without plasticisers!«

Chuckling, she dismounted Monica`s reddened and sweaty face and placed a kiss on the heavily panting woman`s forehead.

»Cheer up, Moni! I now have to spend a few hours in an old musty library whilst you may chill on the bed! Are you sure you don`t want your electronic friend inside your panties?«

Too exhausted to even groan, Monica just stared daggers at her. Benita dropped a curtsey and put her shoes back on before she and her silent companion left the cellar, once again leaving Monica in the dark.

***