Combining Business and Pleasure 12

Martin Conradi nodded towards Davenport as they met in the corridor on the lower deck where usually no passengers were hanging around. It was where the arrest cells were located, and by accident, both he and his business partner had decided to visit their respective henchmen at the same time.

He was convinced that Davenport was behind the now successful attempt to steal the folder, but he couldn’t prove it. And if he would accuse him and it had indeed been some unknown third party, he would appear both weak and untrustworthy. So, he hid his suspicion behind a grim face and waited for Davenport to speak to Jeb, as the American had promised he wouldn’t take long.

Indeed, Davenport didn’t even bother to ask for being let inside the cell, but only made the seaman open the lid. Then, he barked at Jeb, telling him that he would stay incarcerated until the ship would dock in Porto, and that he was considering having Jeb pay back the money he had paid for the damage his henchman had caused. To Conradi, it sounded as if he was putting up a show and wasn’t really mad at Jeb.

»Maybe, because he’s joying about having finally gotten the folder!«, Conradi thought as Davenport told Jeb »to think about what he had done« before he slammed shut the lid and left the arrest room’s lobby, patronizingly pushing a note into the seaman’s breast pocket. Conradi could see it was 200 Euro, and the seaman made a bad attempt to hide his joy about the unexpected tip.

»I need to talk with Mr. Sato – alone! I promise he won’t try to escape!«

The man opened the cell door for him, and Sato rose from his bunk bed, bowing towards Conradi. The businessman waited until the door had been closed behind him.

»Why, Ataru?«

Even when they were alone, Conradi rarely used his henchman’s first name, and now, he did so to tell him he really wanted to know what had caused the outrage. Sato looked at him, his stoic façade unable to completely hide the guilt he felt.

»Jeb touched her – and I lost my mind!«

»Her? Whom are you talking about?«

He had gotten a summary of what had happened, and according to that, the two men had had a fight in the corridors, but there had been no woman involved. Sato now seemed puzzled, too.

»The woman in my cabin! I tried to prevent you from getting harmed, but then – things developed their own way!«

Conradi now regretted his mutual agreement with Sato that as long as it served his interests, he didn’t know the details of the Japanese’s actions. He made an inviting gesture, and a reluctant Sato added:

»She was trying to spy on you, and so, I tried to give her a warning! However-«

Conradi chuckled involuntarily.

»However, you suddenly discovered you are capable of other feelings than loyalty! Bad timing, Ataru! Bad timing!«

He gave him a short summary of what had happened since Sato had left Babette alone with his wife, and Sato didn’t try to mitigate the accusation by telling him that actually Leonora had sent him away. Instead, he straightened, and for a moment, Conradi feared he would offer to redeem himself by committing Seppuku.

»Martin-San – will you allow me to try my best in making amends?«

Conradi quickly considered his options. It would be quite easy to get the Captain into releasing Sato, if he paid a bail. However, what could he do? Enter Davenport’s suite, to either rummage through the drawers or to try to intimidate the American? Even without Jeb, he doubted that Davenport would be that silly and careless, and it could end up at a level of violence he didn’t want it to reach. Bending the law and avoiding taxes was one thing, but this could become bloodshed. In addition, Davenport was the one who was familiar with that kind of business, not him.

»I think I have to focus on damage control – and you have just proven that this is not your strong suit!«

To his surprise, Sato now grabbed his lapel.

»Martin-San, please! Four eyes see more than two, and I-«

»You would only search for that ominous woman! Mr. Sato, you have shattered my trust in your loyalty – and I will have to think about our future relationship!«

Conradi hadn’t reached the position he held by being soft, and his stern voice and expression made Sato let his lapel go, step back and bow. Conradi signalled the seaman to be let out, and, since Davenport had set an example, he also paid the man 200 Euro.

Once he had left, Sato sank down on his bunk, burying his head in his hands. He didn’t weep, but currently, he wasn’t sure whether there was light on the end of the tunnel.

***

Perhaps, it would have meant some solace that Johanna was indeed thinking of him at that very moment. She had gone through different emotional extremes and through strenuous efforts during the last hours: coping with her new kidnappers groping her breasts and touching her everywhere they pleased. The pain caused by the clothespins on her nipples had ceased to a dull throbbing, but they reminded her of how exposed she was, as did her aching legs, tied ankle to thigh, and splayed so wide it not only made her muscles cramp, but also left everything on display.

She had been scared from the very beginning, but hope had been worse, as the adjacent room had filled, and Johanna had screamed her lungs out as there had been more and more people dancing to some faint music, only yards apart. It had taken the desperate woman some time to realize that she was staring at her potential rescuers through a one way mirror, and that their prison was obviously soundproof.

She had tried to work on her bonds, but the knots Sato had tied were still in place, and her new captors had trussed up her even more. Her gag had now reached an almost unbearable level: in addition to having her own used panties stuffed into her mouth, secured by three layers of cloth, she was now also hooded with a smelly pantyhose, and rounds of sticky tape not only pressed on her lips, but also fixed her head to the backrest. For every 30 seconds of struggling, Johanna paid with several minutes of hyperventilating and trying to catch breath.

She could not even turn her head and look at her fellow captives of whom she heard an occasional sigh or grunt. She knew they were also naked, hooded and tied, and she knew that rescue would not come from one of them.

Her thoughts wandered to Sato, and she wondered why she wasn’t silently cursing him. Before he had stepped into her life, her greatest fear had been to be recognized as Joanne von Gröbern, and even spying on Conradi and Davenport had been little more than an exciting game. Then, he had pointed a gun at her, forced her into his room, tied and gagged her.

However, the most dominant memory was how he had massaged her feet, so tender and caring, and how he had attacked the man who had stripped her naked and tried to molest her. Also, when the Chinese woman had pulled on her crotch rope, Johanna hadn’t just felt fear and embarrassment, but she had also considered it a desecration of Sato’s ropework.

The rational part of her mind just hoped that anyone would find and rescue them – but deep inside her, she imagined Sato step through the door, and she knew that then, the faint Techno beat from the adjacent room would turn into spheric music.

***

Second class passengers had to pay an additional fee for cabin service, but John hadn’t hesitated and even paid a considerable tip to the boy who had just brought him an extended breakfast for two. He balanced the tray into the bedroom.

»Even the busiest workers deserve a break, sweet Babsi!«

Babette only answered with a grunt. She was sitting on the chair in front of her laptop, comparing Excel charts, and trying to get a sense into the contents of Conradi’s folder. She knew that something was odd, but she couldn’t yet put her finger on it – and to John, the columns of numbers were like Hieroglyphs. She was still naked and had only tied her hair to a ponytail. Said ponytail, John now twirled around his finger and gently pulled, forcing her to arch back her head and look up to him.

»Didn’t you say that you are as keen as me to know what secret is hidden behind these files?«

John brushed over her exposed throat, and Babette felt a tingle stray through her upper body. She knew that if he continued, her nipples would grow hard.

»Didn’t you say that you were starving, even before we – burnt some calories again?«

Babette smiled. Obviously, John had an urge to brag a bit about his qualities as a lover. However, as long as there was some substance behind his bragging, she wouldn’t complain. And three orgasms within less than 24 hours could be called substantial.

She closed her eyes and his hand on her throat did increasing circles, his fingers getting closer and closer to her breasts. Babette wanted to sigh, but down below, her stomach demanded its right and grumbled.

»Okay, you are right! I am starving!«

They enjoyed their meal on the bed, and though John was gentle, he didn’t try to feed her strawberries or kiss the crumbs from her cleavage. Obviously, he wanted her to quench her hunger, so she could get back to her work, and Babette felt a wave of sympathy for him. He was respecting her for her skills, not only seeing her as a pretty bombshell.

»Maybe, this cruise will not only change my career!«, she thought.

***

Having talked to Sato, Conradi had returned to his suite, trying to avoid meeting Davenport. He had started to figure out how much damage the stolen folder could cause when his eyes fell on his wife’s handbag she had been carrying with her at breakfast. Frowning, he peeked inside, seeing both her wallet and her phone in it.

Like him, Leonora also kept her cabin key inside her wallet, and so, she had just locked herself out. Only now, he realized that it had been more than two hours since he had discovered her. Where had she gone, in just her underwear?

Of course, Leonora could have asked for a bathrobe and was currently at some quiet place, but then, another thought came up in his mind. This masseur she had made him pay 20 Grand to! It had been obvious that he was not just massaging her shoulders, but with his fake affair with Babette, he hadn’t been in a good position to negotiate and therefore paid.

During the last years, he had cheated on her repeatedly, and it had always seemed as if Leonora accepted it as long as he was discreet and kept up the façade of a functioning marriage. So, it was only fair that she was looking for some fun aside the marital bed, too.

However, Conradi felt a slight jealousy, and he had to think of Sato. Hell, even this block of ice seemed to have some feelings hidden inside him!

He now remembered how he had shown little to no care about his wife being bound, gagged and humiliated by the intruders. All he had cared about had been the damned folder, and this only meant the loss of some money. A huge amount of money, but he would not end up begging in the streets!

Conradi rose and left the apartment. At one of the ship’s florist shops, he bought a bunch of red roses, and then, he attended the massage studio. A red sign had been taped over the schedule table, announcing »Sorry, temporarily closed due to illness«, but Conradi nevertheless knocked at the door, and after a few seconds, the door opened, and a tall man with Arabic features looked down at him, his face showing a curious smile.

»Oh!«, was all he said, and Conradi realized he was still holding the bunch of roses in his hand. He lowered it and cleared his throat.

»Excuse me, Mr.-«

»Just call me Karim!«

Conradi also introduced himself and then added that he was looking for his wife.

»She had an appointment with you«, he tried to get closer to the obvious, oppressing the urge to slam his fist into the man’s face to wipe the grin from it. This bastard had banged his wife!

»Mr. Conradi, your wife was indeed here – and she seemed quite upset to me!«

He lowered his voice and added:

»I even had to borrow her a bathrobe and some flip-flops before she left! Also-«

He stopped, and now, Conradi was tempted to grab his lapel and shout at him to spell the beans. Karim took a deep breath.

»Mr. Conradi, in one condition, a masseur is like a psychotherapist! My customers quite often tell me about what bothers them and well, Leonora told me that she had to think about a few things – including her marriage!«

Conradi left without saying any further word. The answer of Karim had hit him like a punch to the stomach. So, Leonora wasn’t playing tit for tat, or just seeking some erotic distraction, she was doubting their marriage!

»Sir? Your flowers!«

Startled, Conradi looked at the young woman in the white uniform. She was a member of the deck crew, and he realized that he was carrying his bunch in a way the flower heads scraped over the ground.

Pulling himself together, he raised the roses and forced a smile on his  face.

»Please, take them, Miss! In exchange, you can show me the way to a bar where an old fool can quietly get drunk and question his life!«

***

Once he had closed the door behind Conradi, Karim turned the key. Then, he walked through his studio into the small room that acted as his office.

»A smart decision not to make yourself noticeable, Leonora!«

»Mph!«

Leonora was sitting in his office chair, her hands tied behind the backrest and lashed to the centre foot, with another rope forcing her elbows as close as the backrest allowed, and two more ropes securing her upper body to the chair. Her legs had been bent over the armrests, tied at the knees, so she was fully exposed to his looks. Leonora still wore her garter and stockings, but they had taken the bra and panties from her when they had restrained her.

She was still chewing on Melissa’s panties, but Karim had added an additional washcloth and secured the packing with an entire medical bandage and some rounds of tape. Nevertheless, she could have mewed and raised attention when he had been talking to her husband – but Karim, who obviously could switch from charming to gruesome within the blink of an eye, had made clear to her that even if he got caught, he would find enough time to severely punish her before. The gun and the knife on his desk reminded her of his threat.

Karim bent forward and she twitched back as his hand approached her face. He scoffed and gently brushed over her cheek.

»A tear, sweet Leonora? So, you heard it was your husband I was talking to? And you also heard he was concerned about your whereabouts? You should cheer up, for this is a good thing!«

»Mph!«

Karim had explained his change of plan to Andreas, not bothering that Leonora was listening. He wanted to blackmail Conradi, one Million in exchange for his wife!

»Are you mad? Do Sammy and Yema know?«

»If you tell them, they will«, he had replied.

»Look, with Melissa, our quota is full, and you don’t need me for the rest of the job to be done! Also, you now only have to divide the money by three! I am satisfied with what the love-hungry neglected trophy wife gets me!«

Andreas had been hesitant to accept Karim’s withdrawal from their original plan, but Karim had just pointed at the large aluminium box beside them and reminded him that if he would wait for much longer, Melissa would wake up again. So, the petty Officer had pushed the box to the next elevator whilst Karim had found delight in explaining his plan in detail to Leonora.

»It will be the good old ›We’ve got your wife, pay 1 Million or she dies‹-kidnapping! However, your husband will think that you’ll be held at Porto, whilst you will be here, with me!«

The idea had come to Karim the day before, when Leonora had made Conradi pay 20 Grand to him, just for a few special massages. So, if this guy had money to burn, he sure could help.

Of course, he had to take a few precautions: first was that Conradi would think Leonora had just tried to keep some distance from him until the ship would have left Porto again. Otherwise, he would decide to stay in Porto and therefore, Karim would not be able to send him messages.

The kidnapping of the other girls also played in his cards: sooner or later, they would be missed, and maybe, one would combine their disappearance with that of a few crew members. And if the Captain would alarm the Police in Porto, and rumour would have it that there had been a White Slavery ring operating on the »Mauretania II«, they would assume that Leonora had also be kidnapped by them, and nobody would suspect him.

His only problem would be how to get the transaction done, and how to leave unseen once the ship had reached Tenerife. However, he would think about that when it became acute!

He stepped behind Leonora and cupped her breasts. She mewed and weakly flailed her unbound lower legs.

»You feel tense, are you nervous?«

He started to knead her boobs, and whilst Leonora whimpered faintly, he continued:

»You only have reason to be nervous if your husband is unwilling to pay, or if you try anything, or if I have to take care nobody suspects me before I have made my way out! If everything goes well, you will soon be back in his arms. If not – well, to get you rid of the tension you are feeling right now could be a real challenge!«

He poured some massage oil on his palms and then turned his attention to her breasts again. He remembered all too well how she wanted to be touched, and he knew that if he could break her resistance now, she would be very easy to handle.

***

Hannah, Johanna and Suzette heard the quarrelling before the door opened and Sammy, Andreas and Yema entered, pushing a large metal box inside the room. Obviously, they were angry about something. Yema now raised her hand.

»We should not discuss this in front of our guests! Let’s get Melissa ready!«

Melissa! Hannah and Johanna were startled as they heard the name of the security woman. The box was opened, and the two men pulled out a naked woman. She was provisionally tied at wrists and ankles with tape, and her mouth was covered with some tape, too. For a second, they feared she was dead, but then, as they had placed her upon the weight bench, they saw her chest was heaving.

Sammy and Andreas grabbed her wrist and tied them to the weight bar, as far apart as they could, using rope to do so. Having done so, they taped her fingers, so she could not pick on the bonds. Yema had meanwhile crossed her ankles under the bench and tied them, so Melissa had to half lie, half sit on the bench with her thighs open.

Little later, she regained her consciousness, and she immediately pulled on her bonds and screamed into her gag. She fought so hard Sammy couldn’t even grope her breasts, and so, Yema grabbed the rope. Positioning herself so Melissa could see her, she tied a hangman’s noose.

She approached the squirming Policewoman, and though she tried to turn her head, she managed to throw the noose over her head. Once it was around her neck, it tightened from her struggles, and her muffled screams turned into gurgles and retching.

Yema pulled the other end under the bench and tied it off to her bound ankles. Then, she reached for the hangman’s knot and loosened the noose a bit. Melissa panted heavily, and she knew that once she struggled, she would strangle herself.

In enforced helplessness, she then held still, fuming as Sammy massaged her breasts, announcing she was all natural. Andreas, who had checked her bra label at Karim’s studio, added that Melissa was a 34C.

»And a nice landing strip!«, Yema added, raking over Melissa’s pubic mound with two fingers. Then, she reached into her frock and produced a white piece of cloth. It was a pair of cotton panties, plain, and cut at the seams.

»These, I found when I cleaned the room where Andreas picked up Johanna! I think they are yours?«

She looked at Johanna who felt her cheeks redden, though this was by far not the greatest humiliation of this day. Yema sniffed on the panties.

»A strange melange! Sweat – a little arousal – and a man’s deodorant! Seems our busty blonde is kinkier than these prudish panties signal!«

 The men chuckled, and Johanna blushed even deeper. Yema balled the panties and approached Melissa who stared daggers at her. Andreas stepped behind the girl and Melissa reflexively squeezed her eyes when he ripped the tape from her mouth. She tried to work something red and black from her mouth, and when it landed on her chest, it turned out to be a pair of panties, red with black lace trimming.

»You baaauuhmmph!«

Andreas pulled on the neck rope and pinched her nose shut at the same time. Yema pressed Johanna’s panties against her lips, and when Melissa had to gasp, she had lost, for now, Andreas forced his thumbs against her cheeks, so she had to keep her mouth open, and Yema stuffed and prodded. Johanna’s panties were bigger than Leonora’s, but she crammed the whole wad into her mouth.

The damp red and black panties were then pulled over her face before a harness gag was forced on the girl, with all straps pulled tight. When Melissa once again groaned, Yema added a medical bandage that also covered her nose and finally, the gag was sealed with some rounds of tape.

»You are feisty, Melissa! I am sure you’ll be bought by someone who also likes to break horses!«

»Mmmhrrrmm!«

»We still have some time to pass! So, we could also give you a little glimpse of what lies ahead of you! When it comes to taming horses, one common approach is the carrot and the stick! We have to bend this a little, but it will be the same idea!«

She went to Sammy and Andreas and whispered something that made them grin deviously. The petty Officer went for the cupboard and returned with two sticks and handed one to Sammy. They were about one foot long, and on one end was what looked like a tassel.

»These are Martinets, used for getting dust from clothes – and abused ever since!«

As if to prove her words, the two men positioned themselves at Melissa’s sides and started to whip her. The brunette managed to remain calm, and the little whips were not meant to cause lasting damage. However, it was humiliating as they slapped her breasts, arms and sides.

»Sooner or later, many little slaps will add up to one terrible pain!«, Yema, who had also gone for the cupboard, crowed.

»If so, you will need some distraction – and you have to admit it at least has the shape of a carrot!«

In her hand, the Chinese held a vibrator. Melissa still didn’t utter a sound, but Hannah, who was close enough to see the whole ordeal noticed that her breath had accelerated.

***

Though John had willingly provided her with drinks, snacks and even shoulder massages, Babette needed hours to find the irregularities documented in the papers. Now, her butt felt sore from continuous sitting on the inconvenient chair, and she urgently needed to pee, but suddenly, all made sense.

»That’s it!«

She pressed save, and then, she rushed to the toilet and relieved herself before returning to John who looked at the data on her computer. Babette slung her arms around him from behind and pointed at a row of numbers.

»What do you see there?«

»Some seven-digit numbers! I guess that these stand for money!«

Babette patted his shoulder.

»Exactly! And to spare you the adding, in the end, it’s a little more than half a Billion!«

John whistled through his teeth. Before he could ask what the problem was, Babette pointed at a sheet from the folder. John checked it, and he saw that it was the same numbers. He frowned and looked at her.

»Where’s the cheating?«

»And you want to be an investigative journalist? Look at the sheet!«

John playfully pulled on her ponytail.

»Babsi, as much as I would like to see you in nothing but a deerstalker hat, you are enjoying this a little too much!«

»Elementary, my dear Mr. Beauregard! The sheet is from 1999, and it is from Italy! It explains why the transaction is documented on paper, and there is something else of importance! 1999 was way before 2003!«

John groaned, and Babette giggled.

»In 2003, most countries in the European Union, including Germany and Italy, switched from their local currencies to the Euro! However, these numbers, and those on the computer, which are from last year, are the same!«

Now, John was able to figure it out by himself: he didn’t know how many Italian Lire one Euro was, but it was close to 2000. So, whilst the properties in Italy were worth half a Billion Euro, they were declared as being worth half a Billion Lire, or just 250.000.

»So, Conradi owes the state quite a sum in taxes! I once had to learn the formula for that, but right now, I think I have worked enough!«

Babette yawned heartily, and John looked as she stretched her still nude body. With a grin, he looked at the sheet.

»Whoever possesses this could easily blackmail Conradi!«

Babette slapped his fingers.

»Bad boy! I think we have no reason to be disappointed! The state will get its money, you get your story – and I will get a nice bonus!«

They kissed, and then, Babette turned serious.

»We have to leave the ship in Porto!«

John nodded. Conradi sure was searching for her, and for him, it would also be too dangerous to stay on board. In addition, he had to get back to the US, to sell his story.

»Maybe, you want to spend your bonus on a trip to the States, to see the Deep South! Louisiana is nice in fall!«

She sighed. Even if this was an option, they would not see each other for quite some time. With a slightly hoarse voice, she said:

»Right now, we only have a few hours left!«

»And some of the time, we have to spend on packing and trying to sneak to the gangway without being noticed by Conradi and his bulldog!«

They kissed again, and John took her arm, leading her to the bed. There, he stepped behind her and loosened her ponytail, brushing over her earlobes.

»Our last time for months calls for something a little – extravagant, Babsi! Are you feeling experimental?«

»Depends«, she answered, her tone signalling that she would not be appalled by  something a little kinky. John went for the cupboard and returned with a silk scarf.

»Trust me, Babsi!«

He stepped behind her again and blindfolded her. Babette had never tried this, and she felt a blissful curiosity. John playfully slapped her buttocks and told her to get on her hands and knees. Once she had positioned herself, she heard him take off his clothes.

»Don’t worry, I am taking the front door – just from the other side!«

Babette chortled at his way of expressing it, and she felt his hands caress her body whilst he positioned himself behind her. She felt a little nervous, though she also was curious. Though she could not be called prudish, her relationships had all been quite vanilla, and so, this was something new to her, as was being blindfolded.

It was exciting to be reduced to her other senses, and she felt John’s hands more intense. He pressed against her backside, and Babette sighed as she felt his manhood. John bent forward, his hands cupping her breasts, and then, he carefully entered her.

»At least, he had better access to my breasts – ooohhh!«

She gasped, which turned into a sigh, when John thrust deeper inside her. Babette had heard that doggy style allowed the man to get in deeper, and the angle was different. Whatever, it felt great, and she knew that it wouldn’t take her long to reach the peak.

Babette rocked back and forth, half driven by John’s impetus, half by her own, and she moaned with pleasure. John slowed down a bit, waited until she uttered a protest, then, he accelerated again. It was as if he was trying to get the most out of their last time for months; perhaps, he was imagining the most unerotic things in life to persist longer. He drove her close to the brink, only to deny her relief, and each time he started again, Babette grew more vivid to get what she desired, moaning and writhing to spur him.

Then, she knew that this was the final cliff before the peak. Babette’s moans turned into high-pitched screams, and she shuddered before she exploded in a climax she had never before experienced. The blindfold was pulled from her eyes – and she saw a man stand only inches in front of her face.

It was Davenport, and he held a gun in his right that pointed at her. He grinned lewdly, and Babette experienced something else for the first time: The fall from Mount Pleasure to the Abyss of fear and embarrassment within a few seconds.

***