Venetian Carnival 10

A nail protruded from the wall Silvana had been leaned against; it didn’t hurt her, but it had hooked in the belts immobilizing her arms, and it prevented her from sinking to the floor. So, she had to remain standing, helplessly watching how the two criminals now grabbed Marlene and cut her toe tie. Then, she had to lie down on the bed on her belly, an order the exhausted woman followed quite willingly, for it allowed her to hide her nude front for the moment.

They tied her ankles to the lower bed posts, with Shannon taking great care in the exact length of the ropes. Silvana was almost surprised that they didn’t take advantage of Marlene’s exposed soles this time.

The zip ties on her arms were removed, but the relief was short-lived, as Shannon encased her arms in a nylon stocking and then again tied three cable binders around her wrists and above and below the elbows, pressing the joints together. Then, black tape was used to wrap her arms from above her elbows to the tips of her fingers. Once her hands were tightly wrapped, they sat Marlene up and then carefully lowered her, so she was lying on her bound arms, her head resting on the bed’s lower board and her legs bent and spread. Her ample breast, thrust out by the elbow tie, pointed at the ceiling where the hook seemed to wait for joining the perfidious game.

Mariko tried to put up a fight when they came for her, and she even managed to land a weak kick on Shannon. The brunette grabbed her scalp with one hand, whilst the other held the anal hook. Like that, she forced Mariko to bend over her knees as she sat down on a chair.

»Erik, I think she needs a lesson!«

Erik even rolled up his sleeve before he stepped behind Mariko who was now staring at Silvana. His hand landed on her buttocks, and when he withdrew, Shannon pulled on the hook, so it penetrated her further. When, after a few seconds, Erik hit her again, she loosened her grip, and like that, they did ten times. Silvana now could see tears glister in Mariko’s eyes, and she didn’t resist as she was placed on the bed opposite to Marlene, though her head was placed between the other’s open thighs.

In her case, they did tickle her soles once her ankles were tied. Mariko squirmed and mewed, panting into Marlene’s lap and rubbing her face over the other’s pubic mound and inner thighs. When they stopped, Mariko not only was covered with sweat, her cheeks also burned from humiliation.

Once her arms were encased, zip-tied and taped like Marlene’s, Shannon and Erik now sat both girls up and forced them to kneel face to face. With encouraging slaps on their butts, they forced the two to get as close as their ankle ties allowed them, and despite both trying to avoid it, the tips of their breasts touched whilst their loins were also just inches apart. Now, Shannon produced a long, thin rope and tied one end around Marlene’s waist before she tied knots in it, about 20 or 30, with about an inch distance between these knots.

Marlene gulped, knowing what would come next, but her chest heaved, massaging Mariko’s boobs, as Shannon pulled the knotty part between her buttocks, then between her legs and she groaned and shook her head as the brunette splayed her labia to nest the rope there before pulling it upwards. She climbed onto the bed and led the rope over the ceiling hook, and as she pulled the slack out, Marlene had to straighten, and also, she had to move her crotch closer to Mariko’s.

Silvana, hardened by several such situations, feared that now, Shannon would tie the other end between Mariko’s legs, but she did something even worse: she loosened the cord that was loosely tied around Mariko’s neck and held the anal hook in place. Then, she threaded Marlene’s crotch rope through the eyelet and carefully, but with considerable glee began to tighten it. Mariko’s eyes widened, and she squirmed and moaned, but she also had to straighten up. Satisfied, Shannon tied the rope off and cut the dangling end. She couldn’t help admiring her work.

As long as both girls remained still, leaning boob to boob, nothing got too tight, but once one of them lowered her body, both suffered the consequences. Also, the perfidious rope tightened the more they tried to part their loins, so, to avoid worse, they had to get so close that Marlene’s pubic hair brushed over Mariko’s shaved pubic mound, and Marlene’s knotty crotch rope also tickled her clit. Despite their breasts now mashed together, both couldn’t help panting.

»Aren’t they lovely?«

Erik rubbed his chin.

»If you allow me to add a little improvement-«

Shannon raised an eyebrow and made an inviting gesture. Erik opened the window beside the bed, causing a little draught. Then, he took a light silk scarf and let it flutter In the air. As the end brushed over Mariko’s flank, the girl twitched, and immediately, both captives writhed and moaned, as this had consequences on their crotch respectively rear. Erik tied the scarf off to the window frame. Now, once and awhile, and never predictably, it would either tickle Marlene, or Mariko, or both.

»Now, they can vary between slow Tango and something faster from time to time!«

They loosened Silvana from the nail and helped her to sit down, leaning against the wall. Still, she had to stare at the bed where Marlene and Mariko were moaning, squirming and panting. The two criminals sat beside her, and Silvana mewed as she felt two hands touch her pubic mound.

»As I said, there will be only winners this time!«, Shannon purred.

***

Both Hilmar and Marcus had found out it was rather hard to be a ruthless kidnapper, and so, they had lowered Brenda so she could sit down after Hilmar had pulled up her panties again; not so much for modesty reasons, but to no longer have to look at the reddened buttocks he was the reason for. On one side, the knickers got stuck in her cleft, but none of them wanted to adjust that.

For a while, they had been sitting and waiting, with the two men having a whispered discussion in German whether they should spend a visit to Shannon.

»She’s not operating alone, and there are two houses we know of – plus maybe a dozen we don’t know!«

Both not only feared that the captives were kept somewhere else, but that they would be observed if one of them tried to get to Shannon’s apartment. And maybe, the kidnappers would consider this a breaking of the rules and thus would make Silvana, Marlene or Mariko suffer.

»Uuhhmm! Mmhhmm!«

Debra, who had been sitting still for a while, now once again moaned and shifted unruly on her chair. For a while, they tried to ignore her, but she continued to mew and so, Hilmar finally approached her and shouted:

»Shut the fuck up, Missy! We won’t let you go!«

»Mhhummm! Hhrrrrmmm!«

Debra thrust out her chin, and at the same time, she squirmed on her chair. Hilmar felt a little pity, and in a calmer tone, he added:

»And we also won’t negotiate! We have to wait for Shannon’s next orders! And whatever you may offer to us, it can’t be half as much as we can expect from Shannon!«

Now, Debra shook her head, mewing, and now, Hilmar noticed how she was squeezing her thighs. He patted Hilmar’s shoulder.

»I think I know what she’s trying to tell us.«

And to Debra, he asked:

»Do you need to go to the bathroom?«

A bit reluctantly, the blonde now nodded. Her pantyhose hood hid her head, but a pink rash on her neck and cleavage showed she was blushing all over.

»There is one little problem – we don’t have a bathroom in here!«, Hilmar whispered. Marcus shrugged and looked for a bucket, but then, he pointed at the edge of the pier. Hilmar still seemed sceptical.

»Last time we released her legs, she kicked my balls!«

With a sigh, Marcus stepped over to Debra and put his hands under her armpits, lifting her up and carrying her over to the pier’s edge. As he made her crouch, Debra shook her head and mewed.

»Don’t worry, I am holding you – and I also look another direction!«

»Nngg! Mph!«

»Oh, I see! My colleague will help you with your panties!«

»Such things never happen in the movies!«, Hilmar sighed, but he approached and peeled down Debra’s knickers. Marcus then lowered her a bit, and as promised, he and Hilmar stared to the ceiling of the boathouse until they heard the sound of splashing water, accompanied by a deep, long sigh of relief. Hilmar suddenly had to oppress a chuckle.

»Perhaps, one of us should whistle the melody of ›Under Pressure‹!«

This nearly caused Marcus to let Debra slip into the water, but in the end, They managed to pull her panties back in place and sit her back on her chair. Still, they both grinned, though they knew that they actually had very little reason to laugh.

***

Marlene thought that the saying of »the lesser of two evils« had come to a new level, though she couldn’t say which evil actually was the lesser, though she had so many to choose from.

If she kept her eyes open, she had to look at Mariko’s eyes, brown like her own, and slightly almond-shaped. The eyes of the girl that had slept with Hilmar. Marlene knew that this was her least problem, and she should be angrier with Hilmar, but she couldn’t help focussing all her rage on her young co-captive. Whenever Mariko mewed or sighed, she had to imagine her making these noises when Hilmar had-

Another thing she could see was the rope dangling in front of her eyes, taut and so close she could see the fibres of the rough hemp. The rope that was the most distressing factor of their current predicament.

However, closing her eyes was also no real option. If Marlene did so, her other senses seemed to sharpen instantly, and these impressions were ranging from irritating to horrifying. Her panties, though resting in her mouth for so long now, still tasted vile, and each time she had to gulp, it sent a shiver down her spine. Listening was also reduced to heavy breathing, the slight rustling of the bed or their grinding bodies, or their moaning and sighing, accompanied by helpless explosions of oppressed laughter when the scarf brushed over one of their exposed sides. Her nose could only sense a mixture of sweat and perfume, but worst was what Marlene could feel.

There was Mariko’s nose that occasionally touched her chin, since the Asian was a little smaller than her. Mariko’s breasts that pressed against her own; both had tried to lean back, but not only had this forced them to get their loins even closer, it also had very inconvenient consequences on the rope. In addition, they couldn’t part completely, for the tips of their breasts remained in permanent contact. Marlene could sense every breath Mariko took, and she was sure that she felt the pressure of the other’s hardened nipples.

»Most likely, mine are hard, too! I mean, they are getting massaged for quite some time now!«

As on keyword, she felt a tingle in her breasts, and she slightly moaned. Then, She heard a squeal, and Mariko reared up. Obviously, the fluttering scarf had now touched her, and she had to react to the tickling attack. Both girls squirmed and grinded, rubbing their sweaty bodies against each other, until the slight breeze moving the scarf ceased, leaving them alone for a while again. Then, the cloth would once again tease one of them, and the next involuntary dance would start.

Getting tickled that way was evil, but worse was down below. The knotty rope chaffed her cleft, her soft flesh and her clit seemed to be trapped between two of the knots, so, no matter if she sat straight or lowered her body, there was always one to rub over it. More and more, it felt harder to resist the urge to wriggle her pelvis, so the itching and tingling would be quenched. Marlene let herself sink down, only to hear a groan from Mariko who thrust against her as the hook was pulled deeper into her rear.

Mariko wasn’t better off. Unlike Marlene, she hadn’t been in such predicaments before, and so, the overwhelming load of terrifying and intriguing new experiences were driving her crazy. Being gagged with another girl’s panties, tied to a nude woman – the woman with whose boyfriend she had slept! – and being forced to join all her movements. The worst thing, however, was the hook.

She still blamed Marlene, but of course, it had been Shannon who had applied her with the damn thing. Never before had Mariko even allowed a finger in her rear, and now, a steel finger, topped by a ball, moved inside her ass, back and forth, back and forth-

»Uuhhmmmm! Mmhhmmmmmm!«

Mariko shuddered. The hook didn’t hurt; Shannon had put enough oil on it, and now, it seemed that her body kept things moist. The relentless moving of the iron intruder felt – Mariko wanted to oppress the thought, but once it was there, it grew and grew – like the moves of a man inside her, though on the wrong side.

»Not so wrong at all!«

Where had that thought come from? Mariko blinked, but the sight of Marlene’s eyes made her close her eyes again. As soon as she was back in her dark world, the thought came back, adjusted to the rhythm of her moving body. Not so wrong, not so wrong, back and forth, back and forth-

»Uuuhmmm! Mmhhmmmmmm! Mph!«

A tingle radiated through her rear, and when she thrusted forward, her clit touched  the knotty rope and brushed over Marlene’s pubic hair. And again, instead of feeling appalled, Mariko sensed a slight, blissful shiver, and she didn’t shy back.

Silvana watched the close, involuntary dance of her friends with horrified fascination. However, she wasn’t just a watcher, for Erik and Shannon each had one hand on her middle. She had tried to squirm, but the little wriggling she was able to do only made things worse. Also, she had screamed through her gag, but the collar pressing her jaw close only allowed throaty groans and chortles that mixed with the sounds of the others and didn’t seem to bother anyone.

What made things worse was that she couldn’t lower her head and see what they were doing, though she could feel it very well and intense. Both were exploring her pubic area, and the fact that her legs were tightly tied together didn’t keep them from trying to get a finger between her legs, too.

Silvana had been touched there before, with or without her consent, but it was a new experience that there were now two individual hands who weren’t connected. Though of course, Erik’s and Shannon’s hands touched, they didn’t seem to be interested in each other. Shannon felt a bit absent-minded, as if she was just flexing her fingers and exploring the area without really caring about what she was doing, whilst Erik seemed to be keen on causing a reaction.

And, naturally or perversely, this reaction came. Watching her friends in their naked, intimate predicament was terrible, but also exciting, and Silvana couldn’t help remembering how she and Marlene had been tied together. How they had finally reacted to the vibrator tied to their crotch rope, and how-

»Oouuhmmm!«

Silvana felt a tingle in her loins, and as she involuntarily reared up the little her bondage allowed, she felt that now, Erik’s index finger had slid inside her, whilst his and Shannon’s thumb still massaged her clit. Silvana mewed and wriggled her hips, but now, each move only intensified the touches.

Marlene now had closed her eyes, and her movements had found a steady rhythm. No longer did she try to hide her arousal, but she rubbed her front against Mariko’s whilst she rode the crotch rope. Mariko also no longer fought it, but she rocked her hips, bobbing up and down according to Marlene’s rhythm so she got impaled the way she wanted, needed it, and both no longer seemed to bother keeping their pussies in close contact. In their growing arousal, they even ignored the scarf, or maybe, the occasional tickling even spurned their excitement.

Erik, who couldn’t take his eyes from the scenario, had adjusted to the rhythm of the two women, too. Shannon had withdrawn as this came too close to holding hands with him, and instead, she now massaged Silvana’s right breast, kneading it not too gently and slightly pinching her nipple. She was also watching the two on the bed, but her goal was a more game-oriented one.

Shannon could not be called easily aroused, but she had a sense for other people’s feelings and she liked playing with those. So, when she sensed from Silvana’s heavy panting and her accelerated pulse that she was not far from the peak, she gave her nipple one last pinch that made her squeal and then, she got up. She stretched and yawned, then, she fetched a leather band and stepped beside Marlene and Mariko. Both had closed their eyes and their cheeks and throats were reddened. The scent of female arousal was overwhelming, and both were dripping with sweat. Marlene was now riding the rope, whilst Mariko had found a way of bobbing up and down; also, both girls had found their common speed they now both accelerated.

Shannon looked at Silvana who also had her eyes closed. She couldn’t move much, but she seemed to thrust her hips towards Erik’s hand the little she could, her chest was heaving like mad, and her nipples looked as if they would burst. Soon, she would have reached the peak – most likely before her friends. Shannon raised the leather band.

»Come on, you sluts, show some effort!«

She started to whip both women’s asses, not so hard it would leave marks, but hard enough they moaned and squirmed. As she had guessed, it was too late for them to stop, and relentlessly, Shannon now spanked them closer to Mount Pleasurest. Finally, after two last strokes on both Marlene’s and Mariko’s rears, the two crossed the edge at the same moment, and with a pleased grin, Shannon saw that Silvana also twitched, forced to climax whilst hardly being able to move.

Heavy spasming and muffled screams filled the room, and Shannon grinned on her defeated prey, to which she somehow also counted Erik who could not hide how playing with Silvana and watching the show offered to him on the bed had aroused him, too. In her eyes, he was weak; but for the moment, she still needed him on her side.

When the joy ride was over, Both Marlene and Mariko were leaning against each other. Shannon cut the rope, and with a squeal of surprise, both dumped on their backs, panting heavily through their noses. Silvana also hyperventilated, since the tight tape corset prevented her from taking deep breaths, and she also looked sweaty and dishevelled.

»Only winners, as promised!«

Shannon clapped her hands, and Erik looked up to her, grinning sheepishly and trying to position himself in a way the bulge in his trousers looked less treacherous. She smiled sardonically and then collected a few clothes from her drawers.

»It has become late, so, we better get ready for departure! I will take a shower and change clothes now. Erik, if you can’t wait until you can use the bathroom – there’s some ice in my fridge!«

When she had left, Erik came to his feet. He looked at the two completely exhausted women on the bed, and let his eyes wander over the equally groggy mummy to his feet.

»Damn, this Shannon is imaginative, but I don’t think this is the beginning of a wonderful relationship! The sooner Marlene and I are alone again, the better!«

***

»No matter it is Carnival, I still consider this a sacrilege!«

Daniele Conti had moored the boat at the place the foreigner had told him, and now, all he had to do was to deliver the keys to the address some 300 yards away. It would make him five Grand richer, and it wasn’t illegal, but still-

Venice had two cemeteries, the old one on the island of St. Michele, and a more modern one on the mainland. Though the latter could also reached by car, there were still many people who insisted that true Venetians did their last journey on a boat, and so, there were several hearse boats, from the ornated Gondola Funebre to more modern and plain ones. Daniele’s boat was modern and had an engine, but it had a canopy and a podium for the coffin.

Now, the podium had indeed a black coffin with carvings on it. The foreigner had told him that this was part of a little prank they wanted to play on Rose Monday, but still, Daniele felt that it was wrong to mock with death. However, 5000 Euro would allow him to get on a nice holiday with his wife and his four children, and this counted more in Daniele’s eyes.

»Signore Conti?«

Daniele twitched, though he knew the man, and he didn’t look scary in the slightest. He shortly looked at the boat; then, he nodded approvingly and asked for the keys whilst he handed an envelope to Daniele.

»We will return the boat on Ash Wednesday! Grazie mille, Signore Conti!«

Daniele watched the foreigner unmoor the boat and disappear into a side canal. Still, he had the feeling that this was wrong, but the 25 200 Euro quits he was now counting looked very real to him, and so, he thought that he could live with perhaps having participated in a little profanity.

***

 Marcus was getting hungry and he just considered to get to the next petrol station to buy some snacks when suddenly, he got a message from the kidnappers, most likely from Shannon. The picture showed Silvana’s breasts again, but this time, they were glistering with sweat, and he saw two white straps crossed between them. The text said:

»Sorry, I got a little tied up, so to say! We will do the exchange at Midnight, just look out for a boat with a blue light. Until then, do exactly as the file says!«

He let Hilmar read the message, then, he opened the attached text file. It was quite long and very detailed. The last sentence said:

»You will sure find everything you need at the boathouse!«

»Great! They couldn’t just fall into the hands of some ordinary criminals, no, Marlene and Silvie had to choose veritable madmen! What’s next, shall we put on costumes, too?«

Hilmar walked a few steps to calm down, but suddenly, he stopped in motion. Marcus followed his looks, and he was staring at the Motorcycle.

»Wait a minute!«

Marcus stepped beside him and looked at the bike, too. Apart from the dildo attached to the passenger seat, it looked quite ordinary to him. Hilmar pointed at the license plate.

»The bike’s from Würzburg! And a friend of mine works for the Police! I helped him through his exams at school, and so, he will do a minor illegality and tell us who the owner of the bike is! Give me your phone!«

Luckily, he knew the number of his friend by heart, and even more luckily, he felt for his story that someone had scratched his car with his bike and then left, but he had remembered the sign. However, since it was just a scratch, he wanted to get it handled without the Police and just ask for a compensation. His friend even drove to the Police Station and checked the plate number for him.

»Are you sure it’s just a scratch? Maybe, you want to tell him your car is totally ruined, and you need a new one!«

»Eh?«

»The owner of the bike is Erik von Peters! I don’t know much about him, but what I do know is he’s a millionaire! Some spoiled brat, though he’s in his 40ies now! Let’s be glad he doesn’t do worse things than scratching cars. Or have you changed your mind and want to report him for hit and run driving?«

Hilmar thanked his old friend and hung up. Then, he told Marcus what he just had learned.

»So, it’s Erik and Shannon then! Somehow, they seem less threatening if you can name them!«, the younger man scoffed. Hilmar nodded grimly.

»At least, we now know something that can help us bringing them to justice! So, all we have to do is play their game, get the girls back, and once they are save, we just call the Police!«

Marcus looked at Debra who was still sitting on her chair, bound, gagged and clad in just her white frilly knickers.

»I propose that before we call the Police, we bring one or two borders between us and the Italians! Call me a coward, but I don’t want to end up in prison for participating in a crime!«

Hilmar nodded again, also not seeming so happy with what they had to do next. Then, he slapped onto his thighs and got up.

»So, let’s get this done! At least, some handicraft will help us pass the time until we will meet our girls again!«

***

Silvana stared at the bed where Marlene and Mariko were lying, too pumped out to do more than a little squirming. She was exhausted, too, but even more, she was ashamed. Erik had made her climax, and she felt guilty to have allowed that to happen.

»Back then, with Karl, I was completely without experience – but now? What will Marcus think of me? Am I a slut?«

She got, however, distracted by Shannon and Erik who returned to lay her straight onto her back. She had brought her bag with her, and she said in a mysterious tone:

»Time to prepare the mummy for her final voyage!«

To Silvana’s relief, the neck collar was removed, but then, Shannon held two things to her face: Mariko’s thong and a pair of green panties she recognized as those who had previously hooded Marlene.

»Ancient mummies were covered with all kinds of perfumes, and so, you will be granted a very lovely fragrance!«

She dabbed over both Marlene’s and Mariko’s moist bodies and then, she pulled the thong over Silvana’s face, placing the smelly crotch part over her nose. Before she added the other pair, Shannon pushed a plug into Silvana’s ear and then filled her auricle with some clay-like substance.

»The outer world no longer matters now, Silvie!«

She plugged and sealed her other ear, rendering Silvana completely deaf. The panties were then pulled over her head, and now, the musty smell almost took her breath. The next layer was a scarf tied over her mouth and nose, and then, a stocking was pulled over her head. Finally, Shannon wrapped her entire head with white tape, leaving only her nose free. Blindfolded and deaf, Silvana felt how the neck collar was reapplied, and now, she couldn’t move her head at all.

Her scream, half from pain, half from surprise, was inaudible to her, and her captors also just hear a faint humming. Shannon had applied little hats with tassels on her nipples, but instead of glue, these were held by crocodile clamps biting painfully into her nipples. Then, Silvana felt a hand between her legs. She stiffened and screamed into her massive gag, but she couldn’t avoid getting greased with some oil or cream. Then, she felt that something was shoved into her vagina. It was moved back and forth a few times; then, she was turned onto her side and more oil was rubbed on her buttocks and cleft. The girl cringed and shuddered when now, another object entered her anus, also smooth and maybe the size of a man’s thumb.

Shannon now worked a silk cloth between Silvana’s legs and then tied a tight narrow belt around her waist she could tuck it under. Now, the ends dangled down over her pubic mound and butt, adding some modesty, but also the cloth between her legs keep the two vibrators inside the girl. Shannon switched them on, laughing as Silvana twitched, but could only wriggle a little, and not make a sound worth mentioning.

Silvana, still trying to cope with the buzzing inside her, now felt that she was grabbed by her shoulders and legs, and then carried down the stairs. She was then placed on a soft surface, and then, there was only silence. Silence, darkness, and two vibrators working inside the helpless girl.

***

Under other circumstances, Marcus and Hilmar would have found some fun in their work, for they had built a raft. Indeed, they had found everything they needed at the boathouse.

They had tied several empty plastic canisters to a wooden pallet, so they had a floating rectangle of some square meter. In the middle, they had screwed a wooden post, some two and a half yards high, and four inches thick.

»Looks like a stake!«

Hilmar scoffed. That came close to what it was meant for. At least, they wouldn’t have to burn Debra.

On top of the post, a large piece of cardboard had been applied, and with big letters, Marcus, who had the better handwriting, had painted:

»Debra Fuoco, 34C, Slut!«

Shannon’s instructions had been very precisely, and now, it came to the most important part: the passenger of the raft.

Debra had remained quiet when the men had worked on the raft, but now, she mewed and squirmed as she was carried over to it and leaned against the post. Near the top, Marcus had screwed an eyelet and, aided by Hilmar, he now freed Debra’s wrists, only to tie them crossed above her head to the eyelet, using rope he pulled tightly and cinched before securing the tie with two cable binders.

Two more eyelets were at the raft’s edges, and they were meant for Debra’s ankles, but before, they had to do something else.

»Hhrrrmmm! Uuhmmmmph! Nnnnnngggg!«

The woman squealed and bucked as again, her panties were pulled down once the belts were loosened. They decided to leave the stockings in place, but despite the woman’s frantic flailing, they managed to tie her feet to the eyelets, forcing her to stand with her legs obscenely spread.

»Just for three more things!«

They both knew the instructions by heart, and so, they quickly worked together. Whilst Hilmar removed Debra’s blindfold, Marcus slung a doubled rope around her waist and pulled it tight before he threaded it between her splayed legs and up her back. He pulled the ends through the eyelet and pulled. Debra groaned, but he pulled again, hating what he had to do, but he only tied the rope off when the crotch rope had literally disappeared between Debra’s labia, and she was now also pressing down on it with her body. Again, the woman, now still gagged with the two pairs of panties and the knotted scarf, wailed, and Hilmar secured her gag with some tape before the final touch was added: he picked up Debra’s knickers and pulled them over her head, making sure the crotch part was over her nose.

»Uuhhmm! Hhrrrmmmm! Ghhmmmm!«

Debra vigorously shook her head and pulled on her bonds, but the men forced themselves to continue. Using the electric winch, they watered the raft, and, after some bobbing and swaying, it turned out it swam quite good.

»All right!«, Hilmar said, checking his watch, »It’s a quarter to 12! We better start looking for a blue light now!«

They towed the raft to their boat they had earlier checked for leakage, and since they didn’t have a package lying in it this time, they could use the oars properly and leave the boathouse, pulling the raft with its writhing and moaning passenger behind them.

The night wasn’t entirely dark, though there was no moon. Some light came from Mestre behind them, and at the horizon, they could see the lights of Venice. There were, however, very few boats, and none of them came close enough to see Debra.

When they were some 300 yards away from the shore, Marcus stopped pulling, as Hilmar pointed at a blue light that was approaching their boat.

»Showtime!«, he muttered, and Marcus also turned around, to await their opponent.

***