Wine and other Goods 9

At around noon, all interviews were done, and at the shelter room, the five women were getting an impression of what being imprisoned meant.

Of course, this was an exaggeration, simply because the iron door wasn’t locked; each of them could decide freely to leave the room at any time she wanted. However, none of them had dared to do so yet.

Laya was sitting on one of the camp beds, sipping from her coffee and feeling a bit guilty: whilst the others had to rely on plastic mugs from an automat, she had been given a freshly brewed one in a porcelain mug by Colin who had apologized that he had no more time to look after her until the late evening. Laya had to admit that his friendly face had indeed cheered her up a bit after the embarrassing interview.

She had needed a little break, and she could overhear anyway what the others were talking about. The room’s thick walls blocked any Wi-Fi signal, but Verena had sneaked upstairs and organized a map of Bingen, and they now marked potential spots where Kaede could have been held prisoner.

So far, they had narrowed it down to three areas: two allotment garden companies and one spot in the outskirts of Bingen that was still rather rural. Verena knew that, despite her suspension, she should be upstairs and discuss this information with her colleagues, but Kriminaloberrat Meyer had spent a short visit at the shelter room, begging her to keep her head low. In fact, he had spoken quite frankly:

»Right now, you are one of the victims! I must not let you get involved, for you could be biased in the investigation!«

Those were the rules, but Verena felt as if he had called her a liar. So, she stared at the map with an intensity as if she wanted to force it to show her the place she was looking for.

»I wonder why they let me go!«, Kaede addressed the elephant in the room. Of course, this had been a topic in her interview, just another riddle in this case. It excluded some of the obvious reasons for an abduction like demanding a ransom or preventing her from identifying someone at court.

»They got what they wanted«, Luna stated, »We did what they forced us to do! I mean, it had no other effect than to humiliate us in public, but at least, there is some consistency here!«

Kaede wanted to apologize, but Luna stopped her:

»I can’t say that I have done what I did deliberately, but after all you went through, I should be the one who apologizes! You are my guest, and now-«

Verena was getting annoyed by that, but before she could tell the two where to put their apologies, there was a knock at the door.

»I go!«

Laya jumped up and quickly checked her looks in the mirror over the sink before she opened the heavy door. Somehow, she hoped it would be Colin.

It was indeed a young Policeman, but someone she had never seen before.

»Kommissarin Verena Beil?«, he asked into the room, and when Verena approached, he seemed to stiffen a little. She sighed.

»So, you have seen the video, too?«

The young man lowered his head and held a small folded note to her.

»I shall give you this!«

When the door had fallen shut, Verena unfolded the note, surrounded by the others who of course were curious.

»If you are willing to pay, I have some interesting information! E. G.!«

Verena knew that the initials stood for Erik Gabelstein, and she informed the others that he was the leading forensic and excellent at his job.

»What do you think he has? The criminals’ DNA, a match that leads to one specific hotel, or what?«, Angelina asked, and Verena hesitated. She hadn’t told her new friends everything – especially not what Gabelstein considered a fair price.

So, she took a deep breath and put the note into her pocket. Putting on her coat, she explained:

»Gabelstein will not talk to me if you are with me!«

She was not the least sure whether that was true; perhaps, the old pervert would have appreciated to see the owners of the panties he had just examined. However, she didn’t want the others to witness her payment.

Of course, the others were concerned about her going alone, but Verena just pointed at the door.

»The lab is just 100 yards away from here, and usually, there are other people! All I hope is that they won’t recognize me!«

With a scoff, she added:

»At least, I am decently dressed for a change!«

So, she left, feeling her curiosity struggle with her worries about what Gabelstein would want as a payment, and if she was willing to pay the price.

***

The cellar room had a small bathroom with a toilet and a shower, so they could shower one by one. No one wanted to deny Kaede, who had been in the kidnapper’s clutches for an entire night, the right to go first, and so, the other three went to the basement, to attend the Ladies’ bathroom there, and to check their phones.

The latter left Luna quite concerned.

»Two voice mails from Peter Graf!«. Noticing the questioning look of Angelina, she explained that he was one of her employees.

»Obviously, they have problems running the company when I am not there! OMG, what am I paying the Junior CEO for?«

Said »Junior CEO« was in fact a man in his 50ies, and he had shown some issues with Luna’s pan of digitalizing the whole accounting system. Luna seemed to hesitate: on the one hand, she had no intention to leave the inconvenient security of the shelter room; on the other hand, she was still the head of the company, and she was responsible for some three dozen employees.

»All right!«, she finally stated. »I will call a taxi, get to the company and will be back asap, also by taxi! As long as I am not attending a Mercedes run by women in chauffeur’s uniforms, I should be safe and sound!«

Laya offered to accompany her, but Luna wanted to spare her the embarrassment if some of the men had seen the video of her. So far, her own humiliating clip of her peeing into the bottle hadn’t appeared online. She sighed; perhaps, this was the problem why she had been called.

Angelina and Laya insisted that Luna would inform Kaede, and that she would wait inside until the taxi had arrived, though none of them thought that the kidnappers would dare to strike at the Police Department.

To Luna’s surprise, Kaede insisted on accompanying her. After her shower, though with still damp hair and having to wear some clothes borrowed from Luna, she seemed refreshed and determined.

»If it is a business problem, that’s my field! In addition, it might help that at least, your deal with Japan is still valid!«

So, the two left little later, and Angelina looked at Laya.

»That leaves the two of us! Shall we draw matches who may shower first?«

Laya brushed through her dishevelled hair with her fingers.

»As much as I would love to, my hair will take ages to dry! And I haven’t even thought of taking my hairbrush with me!«

Angelina pointed at her handbag.

»You may have mine! And maybe, we can use the hand dryer as an improvised hairdryer!«

Laya smiled wryly, and Angelina cocked her head.

»It’s just – didn’t this young Police Officer say that he would show up once his shift ends? I just assumed that you might want to look as beautiful as possible on that occasion!«

»There’s nothing!«, Laya replied, but she blushed slightly, and when she looked at the mirror, she decided that her long hair was indeed in a mess. So, she decided that a long hot shower would indeed help her to cope with the latest ordeals.

***

»You are a fucking bastard, a pervert and a creep!«

Gabelstein, not the least offended, toasted to her with the Whiskey tumbler in his right. He was sitting in his armchair, legs crossed and obviously completely relaxed. With a grin, he stated:

»Curiosity kills the cat – or, in this case, moistens the pussy!«

Verena showed him her middle finger. The problem was that Gabelstein was right. He had told her that he had found some very important information, and of course, he would present it to the task team at the next meeting at 10 am the next day. However, if Verena wanted to have the information some 20 hours earlier, being the only one except Gabelstein to have it, she would have to pay.

She had no doubt that the forensic had indeed found something important. He was a pervert, but not a bragger. And as he had stated – she was curious. She had tried on insisting that he would have to spill the beans asap anyway, but Gabelstein had told her that he had done extra hours to get the results earlier, something he was not obliged to.

»In addition, I did not just examine today’s evidence and showed some initiative instead! The credit for doing so could go to you – if you want!«

It was a poisoned apple, but a delicious one: knowing something important before anyone else did, and leading to an arrest out of being suspended. It sounded like a Hollywood story – well, except for what she had to do next.

Forcing herself to keep eye contact, she quickly stripped down to her bra and panties, doing it matter-of-factly, and trying not to put up a show. When she unclasped her bra, she smiled coldly and threw the garment at Gabelstein who caught it with surprising dexterity. Now, Verena only wore her panties – a plain white cotton thong.

»You might leave that on, but it may become a bit uncomfortable if you – succeed!«

»Perverted bastard!«

Gabelstein toasted, and Verena took off the panties before she sat down on the couch opposite to him. Her hand wandered to her pubic mound, but not to shield it from the man’s eyes.

»Show me how you help yourself when you have special desires and no man in reach!«, had been Gabelstein’s demand in exchange for what he had found out. He would not touch her, nor take any pictures of her masturbating, he would just watch.

»Just don’t insult my intelligence by trying to fake it!«

Verena felt for her middle, and she turned her head to the ceiling, closing her eyes. Gabelstein remained silent, allowing her to block out his presence.

»I am doing it for Kaede – for Luna and the others – for the triumph of justice – and, last, but not least, for my own career!«

With more determination than tenderness, she massaged her private parts, and after some time, she achieved what could technically be called an orgasm. Panting, and with a fine film of perspiration on her forehead, she opened her eyes and looked at Gabelstein.

»Well, not the firework I had hoped for, but you fulfilled your part of the contract!«

He handed her the tumbler, and Verena emptied it with one sip. Then, she grabbed her clothes and though the man had seen everything already, she hid behind the couch to redress. Gabelstein left the room, only to return with an envelope.

»Now, prepare to meet one of the criminals you are hunting!«

***

At her company, Luna was surprised that Peter Graf was waiting for her and Kaede at the side entrance that she had chosen to avoid meeting potential customers who might see her in her slightly dishevelled look – or, even worse, some journalists.

»Mrs. Carstens, the people who want to talk to you said that their matter of concern is a bit – delicate! Also, they preferred not to be meet with anyone but you!«

He looked at Kaede who, having to rely on Luna’s clothes that fit more bad then good, looked a bit more dishevelled than the CEO. Luna focussed him.

»Mrs. Miura has my fullest trust! She will accompany me – or these ominous persons may withdraw where they have come from!«

Graf seemed a bit abhorred by her reaction, and Luna forced herself to soften her expression.

»Sorry, Mr. Graf, the last days have been a little tough! Anyway, where are these delicate people? At my office?«

The young man shook his head.

»They feared that if you showed up  there, after one day of absence, you would be interrupted by someone having a request every few minutes! So, I told them to wait at the lounge!«

Luna nodded approvingly, though she wondered how these ominous visitors had known about her absence so far. The idea that they might have seen a certain video sent a shiver down her spine. Well, there was only one way to find out!

The »Lounge« was located on the second floor, and they could get there the easiest by taking the stairs. The room had some comfortable armchairs and looked like an English club, but Luna hardly went there, because it reeked of the thousands of cigars her late father and his friends and business partners had smoked there.

She dismissed Graf and approached the room, followed by Kaede. At least, she could avoid running into one of her employees before she had spoken to the strange visitors. Taking a deep breath, she opened the room.

»Mrs. Carstens?«

One of the chairs could be rotated, and it had been placed in a way that the backrest pointed towards them. It now slowly turned around, and Kaede gasped at the sight of the woman sitting inside it. Though she was wearing a business jacket and a matching skirt, this was definitely Marina, her former captor. Before she could scream, however, she noticed the gun in Marina’s hand.

Behind them, the door fell shut, and when Luna turned around, she could see a brunette, also wearing business clothes and also holding a gun.

»Great you could make it! And even greater you brought a friend! No need to introduce us, Elena and I know Kaede – or ›Cherry Blossom‹, as we prefer calling her!«

***

The small bathroom offered no shelf or stool, and so, Laya had placed her clothes and the towel on the closed lid of the toilet seat. The water was rather lukewarm than hot, and the shower gel was some cheap »3 in 1«, but nevertheless, it felt good to be able to wash herself. She knew that Kaede was maybe suffering from it, too, but to Laya, it felt as if she was still sensing the other’s toes and heels at her pubic mound.

She forced herself to think of something else – or rather someone. Colin appeared in front of her inner eye, and Laya wasn’t sure what she should think about the young man. Sure, he had been kind, and he obviously was not indifferent towards her.

»At least, he – EEEK!«

Laya shrieked when suddenly the light went out. Then, she let out an annoyed groan.

»Aww, Angie, how very grown up of you! Please, turn it on again!«

There was no reaction, and Laya blindly felt for the wall, to switch the light on herself if necessary. The switch was on the outside of the room, but the door was just a yard away.

She shrieked again when the door was suddenly opened, and she saw a shadow and the blinding light of a torch. The intruder had already left and once again slammed the metal door shut before she had recovered from her shock.

»Angie? Angelina? This isn’t funny anymore!«

Laya stretched out her arms and felt for the door handle. To her horror, the door didn’t move an inch. She was locked – locked inside the pitch black bathroom!

»Come on, this isn’t funny! Let me out! Please!«

She noticed that her voice had become a bit shrill, and she forced herself to remain calm. She had no  idea why Angelina was pulling such a mean prank, but she would not give her the satisfaction of sobbing and crying.

So, she turned off the water and sat down on the toilet seat, hoping that her not getting hysteric would make Angelina to switch the light back on soon.

The plastic of the closed lid under her damp buttocks felt strange, and after a few seconds, the girl realized what it meant: the intruder had stolen all her clothes, and also the towel.

***

»Holy Fuck!«

Gabelstein had told her that, when a Policeman had brought him the latest evidence and he had seen it had contained some more used panties, he had decided to put them on top on his priority list.

»Luckily, I started with yours – and voila, it didn’t just lack proper covering of your lovely buttocks, but something else!«

Verena groaned, her contempt for both Gabelstein and herself for having masturbated in front of his prying eyes fighting with her growing curiosity. Gabelstein grinned.

»According to what Angelina Neumann said, she had been gagged with them – and well, there was no trace of saliva!«

He left it to Verena to get the conclusion.

»You mean – it hasn’t been in her mouth?«

»I had to run another test, but I guess she just held them under the tap, so they looked moist – but neither she nor any other human being ever chewed on them!«

The whole story made no sense in Verena’s head.

»But – why?«

Gabelstein tapped on his report.

»I am sure that the other evidence from her room – the lipstick-stained tape, the ropes – will also show some irregularities, but I focussed on something else!«

From his lab coat, he produced two evidence bags, each of them containing a pair of panties. Both were Lycra, one peach coloured, the other one lilac. Verena’s jaw dropped.

»You – you mean-?«

Gabelstein nodded.

»The tall woman that assaulted you in your apartment and the woman calling herself Angelina Neumann are the same person!«

Verena’s legs suddenly felt wobbly, and she sat down on the armrest of the couch. Angelina! It sounded ridiculous, impossible – but then, some things suddenly made sense: how easy the kidnappers had gotten access to Luna’s house, why they had known about the guesthouse at Klausenfeld-

An ice cold shiver ran down Verena’s spine as she realized something else: right now, Angelina was alone with her friends!

***

»As a good host, you sure want to make your guest comfortable, Luna! Please, help Cherry Blossom out of her jacket!«

Marina had risen from her chair whilst Elena was leaning against the exit. Both still aimed at their victims, and so, Luna reluctantly approached Kaede. When the Japanese wanted to unbutton the business jacket, Marina interrupted, and so, Luna had to open the two buttons before she could remove the jacket.

»There’s a plastic sack over there! Put it inside!«

Said sack was a large blue one, and Luna had a foreshadowing that it would be filled with more than just their jackets. And indeed, the next item were Kaede’s shoes. Like everything the Japanese currently wore, it were actually Luna’s, a rather plain pair of black leather pumps with moderate heels.

»Put these on the table – for further use!«

Kaede, who remembered all too well how she had been forced to smell the scent of her own shoe, this made her blink nervously, and Luna also wanted to protest, but Marina interrupted her.

»One of the specialties of our plan is that it would also work if you get killed! In fact, it would perhaps even make it work even better! However, we are trying to keep things as bloodless as possible! So, if you agree with us on this point, you better do as we say and keep your mouth shut!«

With her fingers slightly trembling, Luna removed the coloured silk scarf from Kaede’s neck. Unsurprisingly, it also ended on the table, »for further use«. Still, Kaede looked quite decent, but that was now going to change.

»Now, the skirt!«

Luna tried to avoid touching Kaede more than necessary when she opened the zipper and then shimmied the skirt down her hips. Marina told Luna to hold the sack open, so Kaede could place the skirt inside, using her foot to do so.

»You seem not to like touching Cherry Blossom’s skin with your hands – so, cross your wrists behind your back!«

Luna obeyed, and Marina used the scarf to tie her wrists. Then, she pointed at the partially clad Japanese.

»Now, undo her blouse!«

When Luna looked puzzled, she laughed pearly.

»A CEO like you sure has got a nimble tongue! Now, get to work!«

She slapped Luna’s buttocks to emphasize on her order. Luna looked at Kaede who showed a grim smile.

»I don’t blame you – and I still won’t withdraw from the deal with your company!«

Luna involuntarily smiled nervously, too. Then, she approached Kaede’s chest. Unfortunately, the white silk blouse had very small buttons, and Luna blushed when she realized that she was drooling all over Kaede’s cleavage when she had just opened the third button.

»You may also rip it open – since neither of you will wear it again, a few missing buttons won’t matter!«

Kaede nodded slightly, and Luna grabbed the lapel with her teeth and pulled, tearing the blouse open and ripping it from Kaede’s shoulders. She now wore a black lacy bra and matching panties, plus a pair of transparent Nylon sockets. It had felt strange enough for her to borrow Luna’s underwear, and she had refused to wear garters and stockings, too.

Still keen on further humiliating her victims, Kaede now had to fold her hands behind the back of her head and to raise her right leg as high as she could, so Luna didn’t have to bend forward to pluck the socket from her foot. She had to spit it onto the table before the procedure was repeated at the other foot. Then, Kaede had to stand with her arms dangling, and Luna had to step behind her.

»Please, read the label to me when you unclasp her bra!«

It was Luna’s bra, and though she was five inches taller than the Japanese, their breast measurements were the same.

»32B«, she stated before she tried to open the clasp without too much tongue to skin contact. Kaede held still, allowing her to pull the garment from her shoulders and to put it into the sack. Despondently, she looked at the last piece of clothing – Kaede’s, or rather her, black lacy silk panties. She knew what the next order would be – and where they would most likely end.

»It will help you to get accustomed to the taste, Luna – or do you prefer a fancy nickname, too?«

»I prefer being called Mrs. Carstens!«, Luna replied with as much calm dignity as her current predicament allowed. Marina didn’t say anything, but her triumph was short-lived as she still had to remove the panties from Kaede – with her teeth.

She stepped to the Japanese’s side and grabbed the waistband with her mouth. Kaede let out a fluttering breath, but managed to hold still when Luna pulled the garment down to her ankles. Once Luna had placed the panties on the table, Marina freed her wrists.

»You are an excellent assistant, Luna! Now, take that gym bag and take one of the handcuffs!«

When she rummaged through the bag, Luna could see the contents, and they made her tremble: coiled ropes, several pairs of handcuffs, some rolls of tape and more things that would soon come to use in restraining them.

Kaede had to sit down in the chair Marina had sat in, and Luna had to cuff her wrists behind the backrest. The petite woman had to stretch her arms and to press them against the padding before Luna could close the cuffs around her wrists. They were padded on the inside, but nevertheless very tight and firm, and Kaede could now barely move her arms at all. The backrest also had ears on the top, so she would also not be able to get her arms over it.

Marina checked the cuffs and turned each side one notch tighter. Then, she told Luna to get a chain from the bag. It looked similar to the handcuffs, with a padded manacle on both ends, but the chain was some yard long.

Kaede had to put her legs over the armrests, and the Japanese blushed and panted at the way her crotch was exposed by the position. Luna avoided looking at her middle when she cuffed her left ankle, led the chain behind the backrest and then tied her other foot, too, forcing her to keep up the undignified and uncomfortable position. Marina inspected her work and chuckled, staring blatantly at Kaede’s splayed thighs.

»I always thought that Japan is against an Open Door Policy!«

Kaede managed to keep eye contact, but the crimson on her cheek deepened. Marina slapped on Luna’s buttocks.

»Time to gag your friend – and you sure know what we will use for that!«

Looking apologetically at Kaede, Luna staggered towards the table to get the panties, but Marina stopped her.

»No, these are meant for you!«

Luna groaned, and with a hoarse voice, Kaede breathed:

»Just do it – I won’t die from it!«

Luna reached under her skirt. As she was used to do, she had put on the panties first and then clipped the garters to her stockings, forcing her now to undo them before she could peel down the garment. She managed to do so without exposing herself, but the red spots on her cheeks had appeared, and she was panting when she approached the Japanese.

»I am so sorry!«

Kaede just opened her mouth, so Luna could stuff the panties inside. The Japanese’s chest heaved, but she only retched once. Marina looked over Luna’s shoulder and pondered.

»Some more packing, I think! Poor Cherry Blossom sure feels underdressed, the last thing I want is that she feels undergagged, too!«

From her breast pocket, she produced a pair of lacy white panties, and she shooed Luna away, so she could stuff them into Kaede’s mouth, too. She did so deliberately slow, enjoying the helpless chortling and retching from the Japanese. Over her shoulder, she ordered:

»Get the scarf, and tie a triple knot in the centre! Once I am done here, you press the knot over her mouth and tie it off at her nape – tightly!«

She managed to get the giant wad a little deeper into Kaede’s mouth, and a trembling Luna then tied the scarf on top. Marina groaned.

»What part of tight you do not understand? Bend over the table, so Elena can punish you until I have fixed your mistake!«

She loosened the knot at Kaede’s nape, grabbed the scarf’s ends and yanked on them, repeating this until the knot was firmly wedged between Kaede’s teeth. When she finally knotted it off, the Japanese’s eyes bulged, and she gurgled faintly whilst her chest was heaving.

Meanwhile, Elena had spanked Luna’s butt. Having to hold her gun, she had used her left hand, and Luna had still been protected by her skirt, but though the slaps had only caused some tingling, the spanking had nevertheless been humiliating.

Kike on autopilot, she then finished off Kaede’s gag by taping five pieces of duct tape over her stuffed mouth before wrapping an entire red vet wrap bandage over the lower half of her face. Luna never before in her life had fainted, but now, she would have almost appreciated such a temporary escape from her ordeal.

Marina had meanwhile rummaged through her gym bag, and she hid something in her hand she now presented to both Luna and Kaede. It was a pair of vicious-looking metal clamps, with small teeth on them.

»I am sure Cherry Blossom remembers all too well how these feel on her – buds! However, I am in a good mood, and if you are willing to do something in exchange, I will spare her these awfully tight and painful clamps!«

She placed her hand on Luna’s shoulder.

»All you have to do is kiss her nipples!«

***