Wine and other Goods 1

»At least, he wasn’t completely making things up!«

Though not being vain, Laya Potu liked compliments, at least those that showed a little subtleness. And now, as she walked along the mirrored wall, she couldn’t help checking the way she walked.

Peter Graf, one of the clerks, had obviously googled the meaning of her first name, Tamil for »rhythm« or »grace«, and he had told her that the name fit to her. Poor Peter was far from what Laya considered a potential date, but he had tried to be nice, and he was rather clumsy than creepy, and so, she had shown him a broad smile before she had left the lobby.

At least, her three years at a big company in Frankfurt had paid off: she now could walk perfectly in high heels, and her only problem was that her buxom forms forced her to wear even more conservative attire than the unwritten rules of her new company required.

Not that Laya would have complained: affording a decent flat was far cheaper in Bingen than it had been in Frankfurt, the landscape was beautiful, and she definitely didn’t miss the Frankfurt Underground. However, in Frankfurt, she had enjoyed more anonymity and not drawn so many looks of people considering her somehow »exotic«.

Laya Potu was from Sri Lanka, but 21 years ago, when she had been 2, her parents had fled from the civil war and escaped to Germany where her father had some friends. She had grown up at Dortmund, and at both Kindergarten and school, there had been several kids with a darker complexion. Usually, she was mistaken for an Indian, sometimes also an Arab or a Turk, but all in all, she had a typical upbringing.

Having passed High School, Laya had decided not to study but to do an apprenticeship as a bank clerk instead, and though her bank would have taken her when she was finished, she had accepted the better paid offer of a big company in Frankfurt, until she had changed to her new job at a wine dealer at Bingen, the town where the most beautiful part of the Rhine began.

So far, she hadn’t seen too much of the famous landscape and the equally famous vineyards, for her new job consisted mainly of looking through old dusty file folders and to decide whether it was worth digitalizing the contents or if they were to be shredded.

Laya was completely with her CEO, Luna-Marie Carstens, who had taken over the post from her late father, that the company needed a modern  accounting to prevail on the market, but she did not like getting a coal miner’s lung before she was 30, and she also hated the long extra hours, though they were at least correctly paid.

»I am earning more money, and I have no time to spend it! And if I continue like this, I will also have an excellent workout!«

Laya was referring to the two heavy folders she was carrying. It were some of those on which Mrs. Carstens would have to look at, to decide what to do with them. She decided that after she had visited the CEO’s office, she would call it a day.

It was about 11pm, and she guessed that she and Mrs. Carstens were the only people in the building. Back in Frankfurt, this would have slightly scared her, but here, close to the inner city and with only ten minutes to walk to her apartment, it was just an annoyance. Laya oppressed a yawn and shifted the folders, so she could knock at the office door.

There was no answer, and Laya took a deep breath. Back in Frankfurt, entering the CEO’s office without being called in had been a sacrilege, and when Laya had done her first shift in the dusty archives and had gotten no answer to her knocking at Mrs. Carstens’ door, she had left. The next day, her CEO had informed her that she often wore headphones during her work and therefore, Laya should just enter anyway.

»I promise, you will not disturb me doing anything inappropriate with one of the younger employees«, she had joked, and indeed, Luna Carstens was embodying modesty and correctness. And yet, just entering her office still cost Laya some overcoming.

»Mrs. Carstens, I-«

The door opened to a short corridor, and Laya could see that the chair at the computer where Mrs. Carstens usually sat was empty, and she was also not handling the coffee machine.

»Maybe, she’s in the bathroom! I will just put the folders on the table!«

The office was dominated by a large cherry wood table on which conferences were held. Laya approached the table, but froze in her tracks when she had fully entered the room.

Beside the table was a wooden pillar, and Luna Carstens was leaning against it. Even more disturbing was that the lower half of her face was covered by rounds of grey duct tape.

»M-M-Mrs. C-Carstens-«

»Uuuhmmph!«

The CEO writhed, and Laya realized that her arms were tied behind the pillar. She opened her mouth to scream when she felt something cold touch her nape. Something cold and metallic, like the muzzle of a gun.

»So far, you acted perfectly right, my girl – staying calm and not trying to yell! And if you continue being cooperative, you won’t get hurt!«

The voice came from a black-clad figure that had suddenly materialized from behind Luna Carstens. The tight fitting clothes didn’t hide she was a slender, athletic woman, but a black hood mask covered her head, leaving only the eyes free.

»You may put the folders onto the desk!«, the woman pointing the gun at Laya’s neck stated, turning her proposal into an order by pushing the barrel against her nape. It was also a woman.

Laya staggered forward and rather dumped than placed the folders on the plate. She stared at Luna Carstens, but the CEO just writhed and mumbled something unintelligible  through her gag.

»Just let me finish this, and I am right there for you!«, the first burglar said matter-of-factly, turning back to what seemed to be an open safe that had been hidden behind a wall painting. Whilst she rummaged through some papers, packing some into a gym bag, Laya kept staring at her employer in silent panic.

Physically, Luna Carstens seemed unhurt, she even was still wearing her glasses. These had been one of the first things Laya had recognized when first meeting her – the black-rimmed glasses in the cat eye design, a relic from the Swinging Sixties, but looking fancy on Luna Carstens. Now, they slightly exaggerated the strained look of her grey-green eyes.

Something seemed odd, nevertheless, and it took Laya a few moments to notice: Luna Carstens had her breasts thrust out in a strange way, and Laya realized the way her shoulders were pulled backwards. It seemed the burglars had not only tied her wrists, but also her elbows.

The sound of the first burglar putting her bag on the table made Laya gasp, and the second one patted her shoulder from behind.

»Relax, Cinnamon! We are not here to hurt you!«

»That’s racist!«, Number One scolded her accomplice, »I am sure our beautiful new guest has got a name!«

She had to look at Laya for some seconds before the frightened girl noticed that this had been a question.

»L-Laya Potu!«, she breathed. The burglar nodded.

»So, Laya, we now have to make sure that you can’t raise the alarm and then, we are gone!«

The meaning of these words reached Laya’s mind when the woman placed a roll of duct tape and a few cable binders on the table.

»N-no! Please, no!«

However, the masked woman just focussed her.

»Remove your jacket!«

When Laya stood motionless, the woman lost her calm for the first time.

»Get moving, or you are losing the skirt, too!«

With trembling fingers, Laya unbuttoned her suit jacket and handed it to the woman who neatly draped it over the backrest of one of the upholstered chairs. Her blouse was moderate and opaque, and yet, Laya felt the two stare at her ample breasts.

»Now, get onto the table!«

»Eh?«

Number One tapped on the plate, and reluctantly, Laya climbed onto  the large table. The smooth cherry wood smelled slightly of polisher.

Ordered by the woman, she lay down on her belly and crossed her wrists behind her back. The burglar wound a few rounds of tape around them, then took one of the cable binders.

»We have to make sure – but now, it hurts less!«

She put the cable binder around her taped wrists and pulled it tight. Laya gasped, but as promised, the duct tape prevented the zip tie from cutting too deep into her skin. The burglar grabbed her left arm and wound one round of tape around her elbow.

»Now, let’s see how lissom you are, Laya!«

Laya ached when she forced her elbows together. In fact, Laya was quite supple, and she could make her elbows meet behind her back. When she had been 14, it had taken her a while to realize that her classmates had repeatedly asked her to prove it just because it forced her to thrust out her breasts.

Nine years later, she felt equally embarrassed as her captor secured her elbows with a few rounds of tape and another cable binder. Laya’s shoulders were strained, and her breasts now pressed uncomfortably against the table plate. She considered turning onto her side, but then, the women would have stared at her boobs.

Number One bent over her and brushed over her cheek, causing Laya to turn her head away.

»We just have to gag you and to tie your feet, and then, we are gone! BTW, do you like your CEO, the lovely Luna?«

Laya was flipped, so she had to look at Luna Carstens who writhed in her bonds as Number Two had stepped beside her and was undoing her scarf.

»I think this will become a nice packing for your lovely mouth!«

Laya pleaded. Getting gagged was horrifying, but getting something stuffed into her mouth was even worse. Number Two shrugged.

»So, you prefer her pantyhose then?«

She let her hands wander down the mewing Luna’s hips, towards the hem of her skirt. Laya shrieked; then, she managed to gasp:

»N-no! I-I prefer the scarf!«

Despondently, she watched Number Two wad the scarf between her fingers. It was made of fine silk, but it was also quite big. Number one took her head between her hands and forced Laya to arch back her head, so she involuntarily opened her mouth.

Slowly, but thoroughly, Number Two worked the mass of silk into Laya’s oral cavity. The scarf smelled of an expensive perfume, and Laya could also taste a little sweat. She retched and tried to fight the gag with her tongue, but Number Two just pushed harder, and her accomplice threatened to pinch Laya’s nose shut if she didn’t be obedient.

Her cheeks puffed, and her tongue was blocked in the back of her throat when Number Two had finally stuffed the entire wad behind her teeth. Number One whispered:

»Now, hold still, so I can take care your hair doesn’t get taped! Otherwise, undoing that gag will be no picnic!«

The gag was secured with ten tight rounds, and when they let Laya go, she panted heavily through her nose, making small sounds through the massive packing. Fearing she would choke, she was still coping with her gag as she felt that Number two was removing her shoes.

»Mmmhhmph! Nnnggg!«

Ignoring her pleas, they wound tape around her ankles and secured it with a zip tie. Number One closely inspected Laya’s bonds whilst her comrade had taken one of the high heels. She sniffed and playfully waved her hand.

»Phew, Laya! Must have been a long day, hm?«

Though she had more severe problems, Laya blushed. After twelve days, no shoe smelled of roses, but nevertheless, she felt embarrassed. Number Two approached Luna.

»You really can’t say that your employees aren’t spilling their sweat for you!«

Luna moaned and shook her head, trying to avoid smelling on Laya’s shoe. Number One interrupted the molestation.

»Let’s keep this professional! There are a few things about Laya I am concerned about!«

She bent over the table, and with nimble fingers, she removed Laya’s scarf. Unlike Luna’s, it was a long oblong one.

»What if you tried to get from this table and accidentally hanged yourself? We might be criminals, but we won’t risk your life!«

She tossed the scarf to her accomplice who let it run through her fingers. Turning towards Luna, she asked:

»Now, what can we do with this nice piece of cloth? How about a blindfold?«

»Uuuhmmph! Nnngg!«

Luna shook her head, and Number Two shrugged.

»So, we are enacting evil plan B!«

She squatted and tied one end of the scarf around Luna’s right knee, just below the hem of her skirt. The CEO’s legs were unbound, and by using the scarf like a leash, she could force Luna to raise her knee. Laya could only see the burglar’s back and hear Luna’s desperate mews and squeals as the other end of the scarf was tied around her neck.

»Don’t worry, I tied a Bowline, it won’t tighten!«

She stepped back, revealing that now, Luna’s right leg dangled from the scarf, her knee at the height of her breast. Her skirt had hiked up to her hip, and Number One whistled.

»Eww, Luna! What do we have here?«

Laya couldn’t help staring at her CEO’s middle, too. Instead of pantyhose, Luna Carstens wore gartered stockings, the lacy garters framing a matching pair of black silk panties. Luna cringed and blushed, but she couldn’t get her skirt back in place to cover her crotch.

»Very kinky, Miss CEO! But did you think of a matching bra?«

The burglar unbuttoned Luna’s blouse, until a pair of black lacy cups were revealed.

»I wonder if such underwear is mandatory in this company!«

Laya mewed when her skirt was hiked up. She wore an ordinary pantyhose, and since it was slightly transparent, the two women could also see she was wearing plain white panties with only a little lace trimming.

»Quite an anticlimax, compared to Miss Sexy CEO!«, Number Two yawned. She picked another cable binder and, not bothering to put her crumpled skirt back in place, they threaded it through Laya’s ankle bonds, folded her legs and secured them to her wrist ties, putting her into a tight hogtie.

»That should keep you from considering to get from this table and over to your garter-loving boss! Now, for one last thing!«

Number One produced two small boxes from her gym bag. Opening one, she approached Laya and began caressing the girl’s left ear. When Laya tried to turn her head, she felt a slight pain at her earlobe, and Number One scolded:

»Hold still, or you get hurt!«

She removed Laya’s left earring, a small silver Creole, and put it into the box. When she then removed Luna’s left earring, Laya suddenly remembered that this had been the second thing after the glasses she had noticed about her new boss: Luna had a large collection of extravagant yet elegant earrings, and these were no exception. Small silver birds with emerald eyes, and delicate dangling chains as the tails. Somehow, with just one earring, Luna looked even more ragged that with her blouse open and her panties showing.

»If your other employees are on time, you should be found by 8 or 9 in the morning! See you, girls, and don’t chitchat too much!«

Giggling, the two masked women left the room.

***

Wheezing, Laya let her forehead sink down onto the table. For several minutes, both she and Luna now had fought their bonds, but to no avail. The tape and zip tie bands around their limbs were as tight as ever, and their gags were still firmly in place, reducing their frantic screams to muffled grunts and moans.

With the cherry wood’s texture looking like a surreal painting so close to her eyes, the girl forced herself to stop struggling and to work on her bonds more methodically. By flexing her fingers, she could reach the tape around her wrists and also her ankles, but the zip ties were the real problem: the tape, she could rip  off, even if she risked breaking a nail, but the hard plastic bands were unable to break.

Laya concentrated on her gag and tried to push against it with her tongue. Some saliva ran down her throat, and she retched as she remembered the cloth had soaked off Luna’s sweat before. The packing had shrunk a bit, due to the dampness, but still, it filled her mouth to capacity, and with the rounds of tight tape, it would stay there as long as she either had her hands free or someone found them.

»How long are we lying here now? Ten minutes, 20?«

She had last looked at her watch before getting to Luna’s office, when it had been shortly past 11pm. Even if 30 minutes had passed, and even if binding her up had taken a couple of minutes, this meant that right now, it was barely midnight. It would be eight or nine more hours until someone would find them. Laya groaned.

Sure, neither of them would die from thirst, and after the initial panic of having her mouth stuffed full, she also knew that she wouldn’t suffocate. But her limbs already hurt, her fingers felt numb, and having to stay like this for hours on end was horrifying.

»Uuhhmm!«

A moan from Luna reminded her that she was better off than her boss. Luna had to stand on one foot, and that would become agony soon. And what if nature called before they were discovered?

Laya panted, and she needed all her remaining self-control to fight down a panic attack. After some time, she was able to breathe calmly again, and she looked up to Luna whose exposed lacy panties were just one yard away from her face.

She wriggled herself forward, to the edge of the table. It was just some three feet to the ground, and the floor wasn’t lava, but a carpet. However, whilst Laya was willing to risk a few bruises if she could get over to Luna where they could perhaps work on their bonds together, she feared that she might do worse, since she had no chance of controlling her fall. What if she broke a bone, maybe even her neck? Sure, it was unlikely, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t happen at all.

The table’s edge was smooth, and so, her attempt to perhaps peel off the tape was to no avail, too. She looked at Luna who now had single pearls of sweat on her forehead, and her shapely left leg was trembling, whilst her other leg swayed around. Some time during her struggles, Luna’s shoe had come off, and Laya could see that she had painted her toenails in the same blood red as her fingernails.

She wondered if someone would miss her soon. Since she was only in the factory for two months, Laya hadn’t talked about personal things with her CEO, and her new colleagues had also not known much about her, apart from her having studied at Munich and Stanford, and that she was the daughter of the late Mr. Carstens, the founder of the company. Apparently, she was married with her job.

Laya lived alone, too. Her contacts to her old friends was restricted to WhatsApp and occasional video chats, and so far, none of her colleagues had become more than an acquaintance.

»Right now, I would even appreciate if Peter showed up!«

Though Luna had other problems, and though it wasn’t intentionally, Laya felt strange by constantly looking at her CEO’s panties, and she shifted her position, so she looked at the other side of the table instead. Then, she frowned.

The place on top of the table was of course reserved for Luna Carstens, though she preferred working on the small desk near the window if she was alone. She hadn’t even changed the bulky leather armchair of her father, a relic of earlier decades where CEOs had worn vests and smoked heavy cigars. In front of the chair, admitted to the plate, was a metal panel with a few buttons and a protruding microphone.

Luna Carstens preferred calling employees to her office via mail, but obviously, they could also be called the old way, by making a call through the entire building. Laya was intrigued.

»There must be someone inside! A night guard, or maybe just someone working overtime!«

Panting and grunting, Laya began her way of slowly worming up the table, crawling on her belly. It was just five yards, and the table was smooth, but nevertheless, it was a strenuous task. A positive side effect was that her skirt that still had been bunched around her hips slowly slid back in place, but the girl hardly noticed.

Twice, she had to stop her journey, once to catch breath and once to blink the sweat from her eyes, but finally, she had reached the panel.

»At least – these bastards – didn’t switch off – the light!«

Beside the microphone were a switch and a button, and Laya thought with relief that this looked similar to the device they had used at her old school to make announcements. She stretched her head, and at the second try, she managed to touch the switch with her nose.

A faint atmospheric swoosh indicated that the microphone was ready. Laya took a deep breath and then screamed into her gag at the top of her lungs.

»Mmhrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmm!«

She waited for some seconds, then moaned again, until she had to stop from exhaustion. From the other side of the room, she heard Luna mumble something into her own gag, and she desperately listened for any sign that someone had hear her.

There was nothing but their heavy breathing, and Laya felt deep despair grab her heart like an iron fist. She couldn’t hold back her tears, and one of them landed on the panel.

It landed on the button. The small green button beside the switch.

»Of course, I have to push that before I can talk!«

Her throat felt sore, and she wasn’t sure whether she could make noise at all, but she bent forward and concentrated on pressing the button with her nose. After a few seconds, there was a »beep!«, and Laya once again let out a hoarse groan.

»Uuuhmmmm! Hrrmmmmmm! Mmhhmmmmmph!«

She had to stop, and bright rings appeared in front of her eyes because of hyperventilation, but this time, she had heard her muffled cries echo through the corridor. It had worked.

Minutes later, she heard the sound of steps, and when the door was ripped open, followed by a man yelling »Oh my God! Mrs. Carstens! What happened?«, Laya sobbed with relief.

***

Though the young woman was wearing civilian clothes, Laya knew that she was a Policewoman. She was waiting in the open door and had just knocked at the frame.

»Excuse me, I wanted to ask how Miss«, she checked her notebook, »Potu’s doing! My name is Kommissarin Verena Beil, Bingen Criminal Police!«

The medic, a young man who had already checked that Laya was physically unharmed and who had given her a mild sedative, looked questioningly at her, and Laya nodded weakly. Of course, she wasn’t okay, but she could have been worse, and she knew that the Police needed her statement asap.

»I think I can answer a few questions!«

Forcing a smile onto her lips, she added:

»I will try not to burst into tears!«

Verena Beil smiled and showed a pack of handkerchiefs.

»Crying would be a natural way of coping with stress! Anyway, would it be possible for you to get back to – to Mrs. Carsten’s office?«

Laya shuddered at the mentioning of the place of her ordeal, and the Kommissarin smiled apologetically.

»Mrs. Carstens agreed upon doing her statement, but she insisted on doing it at her office! If it’s okay for you – it would save me some time if I could interview the two of you!«

Laya nodded, and with a little help of the medic, she got to her feet. The Policewoman escorted her, and at the office was a member of the Evidence Collection Team just packing his belongings. Laya trembled when her eyes fell on a transparent evidence bag containing a crumpled coloured lump – Luna’s scarf she had been gagged with.

»Ah, Miss Potu! Please, sit down and help yourself!«

Luna had a small bathroom at her office, and not only had she rebuttoned her blouse and adjusted her skirt, but she had also refreshed her makeup. Except for the missing scarf and earring, she looked as usual, except for her pale skin and the strained expression on her face. Her slender fingers held a crystal tumbler filled with an amber liquid, and beside it stood a matching carafe and a second glass.

Laya hardly drank alcohol, but she decided that this was an opportunity to do so, and though she coughed on the first sip of the strong Whiskey, the drink also warmed her belly and helped her to steel herself for the interview.

The Kommissarin still had a whispered talk, and he obviously showed her some of the collected evidence. Luna cleared her throat.

»By the way, your idea with the microphone was very imaginative! Without you, we still had some six hours more bound and gagged ahead!«

Laya thanked her, unable to do more than breathe. Before she could ask if Luna had an idea who the attackers had been, Verena Beil appeared. To the women’s surprise, she accepted some Whiskey, albeit a very small one.

»It will mix lovely with all the coffee! So, since you are no suspects, there is no need for a lawyer, but of course, you can call one, and also, you may deny saying anything that might charge yourselves!«

Neither Luna nor Laya insisted on a lawyer, the latter not even knowing whom to call. Also, they had no issues with Verena Beil recording the interview, and the Kommissarin begged them to tell what had happened.

Laya now heard what had happened before she had stepped into the office.

»It must have been some 30 minutes before Miss Potu appeared. I was wearing headphones and working on my computer, and so, I only noticed they were there when I had a gloved hand clamped over my mouth, and a gun at my temple!«

She giggled, as if this had been a clumsiness by her instead of an assault. After another sip from her drink, she continued by reporting how the two women had tied her to the pillar and gagged her before opening her safe. Verena Beil frowned.

»The safe is hidden behind a picture – and how did they know the combination?«

»There is no combination, just a key, and that was in my handbag! And the safe – well, perhaps, they had been here before, when my father still ran the place, or they just considered it the obvious place to hide a safe!«

The Policewoman wrote something down in her notebook, and Laya was wondering whether Luna was trying to hide something from her.

»What did they steal, Mrs. Carstens?«

Luna scoffed.

»Some random documents from my latest transactions! I mean, this is a wine sales company, not a military science lab! Maybe, I will have to spend some time and maybe a grand to get new documents, but so far, they neither damaged my business, not did they take anything of real value!«

Looking at Laya with a wryly grin, she added:

»Except your and my earrings, of course!«

Verena Beil leaned forward, focussing both women.

»I know that this next question will not be easy for you, but according to your report, and that of the night guard, they also played some – weird sexually related pranks on you! Especially on you, Mrs. Carstens!«

Hastily, Luna emptied her glass, and Laya felt her cheeks burn, though the Policewoman tried to be sensitive.

»Mrs. Carstens, do you have any enemies you know of? Or anyone who maybe had some beef with your father and is now preying on you?«

Luna shook her head, and Verena Beil rose a bit abruptly.

»Thank you for your cooperation, this must be quite an ordeal for you! May I give one of you a lift to your respective home?«

Luna thanked her, stating that she had her car on the lot, but Laya was grateful not to have to walk home on her own and accepted the offer. Once inside the car, Verena asked:

»How long are you working for Mrs. Carstens?«

»Two months!«

When the Policewoman wrote that down, Laya wondered whether she assumed that Luna, her, or maybe the two of them knew more than they had told – and according to Luna Carstens, she had the same suspicion.

***