Dappled sunlight reflected off the ocean flickered off the paneled walls of the Harris' living room. A lone gull sailed through the air in search of food, and in the distance a thin wisp of smoke marked the passage of a northbound freighter. In short, this was the sort of Saturday morning that Tony liked best. Sucking noisily at his first beer of the day, he momentarily diverted his attention from the seascape before him to watch Kay, his lovely redheaded wife, who was busy sampling the efficacy of a new bondage configuration. Tied in a straight-backed chair with her hips far forward in the seat, she was totally exposed and inviting with her legs pulled up and apart and secured to the rung back. Tony grinned.
You've done it again, you clever bastard, he congratulated himself. Kay noticed his pleased expression and winked playfully at him over the heavy wrapping of plastic tape encircling her lips. She'd given up testing the bindings now, and was quite evidently waiting for further developments.
Tony set his beer down and stood up, grimacing momentarily at the slight discomfort caused by the understandably sudden tightening of his whipcord jodhpurs. It was a bit early in the day, but he rationalized, anything to keep the home happy. At that moment the postman's whistle sounded outside. With an annoyed sigh, Tony blew Kaye an apologetic kiss, and went out to collect the mail.
"Let's see what we have today," he murmured as he returned to the living room. "Two letters for 'Occupant', forget it. 'You May Have Already Won!', yeah, tell me about it. Gas bill... what's this? A card from Rick and Marsha. We're invited to a masquerade party day after tomorrow. 'Dress as the person you fantasize yourself to be'. Sounds interesting, what do you think, slavekin?" He gently peeled the tape away from Kaye's lips.
She nodded her head. "For sure! I've got an idea, boss man. Why don't we come out of the closet, shake them up a little? Who knows? It might even turn them on a bit. I could wear the outfit you made me last month, and I know you'll come up with something kinky for yourself."
Tony took his time replying as he began to release Kay from the intricate bindings. "I'll buy that, lady. In fact, this afternoon, while you're trying on your new harness, I'll drive into Boston and buy my outfit. It'll be a surprise. You won't see it until the afternoon of the party."
"Aw, I couldn't take the suspense. How's about a little hint, okay?"
"No deal. Besides, you didn't precede the request with, 'Please, Master.'" He pulled Kaye to her feet, hands still tied. "And now the moment you've all been waiting for... the Big Deal of the day is behind door number one!" He gave Kaye a playful spank to propel her through the bedroom door. The weekend was underway!
Several hours later, Tony eased the Cobra into the driveway chuckling to himself. He'd spent a bundle, but it was worth it. The costume could always be used later for a photo session or just for play acting. The dude in the surplus store had sworn the whole thing was authentic. Ought to be at that price?! With the bulky box tucked under his arm, he entered the house and stowed the package under the living-room couch. That'll be the safest place; she never vacuums under here, he told himself with a twinge of regret. He'd have to do something about that later.
In the bedroom, Kaye was immobile and ecstatic in a close-fitting rubber strap harness that held her arms to her sides, flattened her overripe breasts against her body, pinned her wrists to her upper thighs, and insinuated itself against her more vulnerable areas. A matching scold's bridle encased her head as if it had been molded in place. Her hazel eyes lit up with pleasure as Tony entered the room.
"Glllumph... mmmmhm?"
"Do tell, now," Tony teased, as he unbuckled the bridle. "Try it again in English, hon."
"You'll have to take a Berlitz course in Muzzle," Kaye snickered. "I asked whether you got it or not."
"Yep. But no teasing for a preview showing. We have more important things to think about just now." Tony unstrapped Kaye's ankles, flipped her over on her back, and splayed her legs out to the corners of the bed where he tied them in place with the leg straps.
"Animal! Again?" Kaye tittered.
"Hey, you're like peanuts, you know? Once I get started, it's hard to quit." Throwing his clothes off in haste, Tony remembered that they were out of Polaroid film. Damn!
Kaye preened before the full-length mirror in the bathroom. The outfit would be a smash! Her hands ran up and down the sides of the mini dress, reveling in the sensuous slick coldness of the dog chains from which Tony had made it. Cut high in the front and dangerously low in back, it sported two fair sized holes in front to accommodate her breasts. Kaye's legs were encased in knee-high black boots with towering platforms. Two small chrome 'D' rings on the inside of the ankles permitted quick hobbling with snap swivels from their boat. She toyed with the idea of wearing eight button opera gloves, then decided against it. Bare arms would set off the chains better, she thought.
"Tony?" She called. "Are you ready yet, boss?"
As if on cue, Tony entered the bathroom, dressed in the black dress tunic and riding pants of a SS officer. Orders and decorations bespangled both chests, a black dog whip dangled from his wrist, and the riding pants were neatly stuffed into mirror shiny jackboots."
Well?" he laughed. "What's the verdict?" He adjusted the overseas cap on his head to a more rakish angle.
"I love it!" Kaye breathed. "I'm glad I didn't see it until now, it's great. Is there a gun in the holster?"
Tony unbuttoned the flap and opened it. "Nope. There was just room to stash a half pint inside, in case they run short on hooch. If you're all ready, captive mine, we'd better get started."
Route 3 was fairly crowded, and the long drive to Duxbury took even longer than usual. Most of the late February snow had melted, except for a few patches here and there on the low hills on either side of the highway. Kaye turned to Tony suddenly.
"Oh, Tony, I forgot the handcuffs!" She wailed. "The whole effect will be ruined!"
Tony reached over and opened the glove box. "There's a spare set in there. Can you fix 'em yourself?"
"No problem," Kaye replied with a sigh of relief. She threaded the cuffs through a largish chrome ring set in the lower front of the chain dress, then snapped them in place around her wrists. "There... all set. Oh, Master, I can't wait to see Marsha's face when she sees us. Or Rick's for that matter. They come off so straight. This will really set them on their tails! Here's our turnoff, Tony." He eased the car off the freeway, up a low hill, and into heir hosts' driveway.
"As they walked up the path to the front door, Kaye shivered. "It's bitter cold! Wish I had something on under these chains."
Tony shook his head in mock disappointment. "And you were the one worrying about spoiling the effect?" He rang the bell and adjusted the hang of his Sam Browne belt.
Mike Forsham opened the door. The noise crashed out at them suddenly, surprisingly. "Tony! Kay! My God, what a pair you make!" Mike was wearing faded denims and a frayed Stetson. Ushering the pair inside, he handed them drinks from the sideboard.
"Where are Rick and Marsha?" Tony asked, nodding his thanks.
"You guess," Mike answered disgustedly. "After the first guests showed, they disappeared into the bedroom. Said they didn't want to show until everyone was here. I guess you two make a full load. Hey, everyone... look who's here!" the assembled guests, already deep in conversation and drinks, crowded around, exclaiming in surprise at Kaye's garb.
"You mean you two... why, we never guessed," blurted Helen Greeley. Her husband Fred, who fancied himself something of a gourmet and was dressed in a chef's outfit, shook his head in bewildered admiration, silent for a change.
Lydia Barnett turned to her best friend Mona and whispered, "Now that really intrigues me. Totally helpless, almost totally exposed, and look at Tony, would you? He looks positively savage!"
Mona bobbed her head in agreement. "I wish my Bill would come up with something like that. He's so prosaically dull, I could just scream." The ladies freshened their drinks and continued to admire the pair.
Mike banged on the bedroom door. "F'Chrissake, folks, everyone's here. You want to come out now, or you need some help?" he giggled drunkenly, then almost lost his balance as the door opened inward. Kaye, basking in the adulation of the other guests, gasped and grasped Tony's elbow, "Boss man -- LOOK!"
Dressed in a longshoreman's faded work clothes and wearing an aluminum hard-hat, Rick wheeled a small handcar into the living room. Standing on the platform and strapped to the upright was his slightly pudgy but attractive wife Marsha. She was totally enclosed in a brown leather restraint suit, her arms folded inside, straitjacket-style. A closely laced leather helmet covered her head, with buckled coverings over eyes and mouth. He stopped short, his eyes riveted on the newly arrived couple. Then his face split in a delighted smirk. "Tony - sonofabitch, guy! It looks as if we had the same idea. Love the dress. You make it yourself?"
"Sure," Tony conceded. "And, working your own upholstery firm, I imagine you made the suit, too." As Rick nodded, Tony went on, "Look, fella, we both wanted to come out in public tonight so maybe we'd better find out what these people would like to know." At that, the guests renewed their eager questioning of a few moments ago.
"Wait a minute," Rick laughed as he unbuckled the strap over the mouth covering on Marsh's helmet. "We'd better handle them one at a time, now."
Lydia ran her hands over Marsha's suit, exclaiming at the soft finish of the leather. "How did you begin to take an interest in this, Rick? Did it develop, or did someone turn you on to it?"
"I guess it just grew on me," Rick answered. "I've been interested in restraint and discipline for years, and as I went along I picked up more ideas, until I sort of developed my own style."
Lydia's forehead puckered, "but what actually generated your interest? I mean you had to start somehow."
"I can't really remember. One day I suddenly realized that this was my particular thing. What matters is that I wasn't afraid to try new methods, new ideas, and to discuss it with Marsha. When I did talk it over with her, I found she'd had fantasies about bondage even longer than I'd had."
Fred Greeley plucked Tony's sleeve. "Just how effective is that dress, you have on Kaye? Seems to me she could just slip out of it if she had a notion to. Don't get me wrong, it's a great contrast in textures, between skin and metal, but it just doesn't look like it holds her too well."
"Oh, no?" Tony asked, one eyebrow raised quizzically. "Honey, oblige Fred and try to get free. You see, Fred," he continued as the group watched Kaye pull up on the cuffs to try to raise the dress, "first of all, the cuffs themselves are inescapable. We can accept that as a basic proposition. Now, she can raise the dress a certain amount, as you see, but past that point the material would have to turn in on itself to move further and the chains simply won't do that. Finally, even if she did by a fluke manage to get the arrangement off, she'd still be shackled to it, and naked, to boot!"
Mona turned to Kaye. "What's your interest in this, Kaye, how are you turned on by it?"
Kay had finally stopped her efforts, now that Fred was satisfied with Tony's explanation. Her face glowed with pleasure. "Haven't you ever had fantasies about being raped, about being held captive by a complete stranger? Okay, then. That'll give you some general idea. There's such a great area for experimentation, and for acting. I never know what's going to happen to me next. Tony never tells me in advance what he has planned, and a great part of the thrill for me is the uncertainty. One Sunday morning, when I was doing the dishes and thought Tony was outside playing with the dogs, he sneaked back into the house, grabbed me, and tied me up. After he blindfolded me, he threw me on the living room floor and left me for what seemed like hours. Later, he told me it was only forty minutes. All the while, I was half petrified, but I knew he wouldn't do anything to seriously hurt me. What's frightening, and yet exciting, about a situation like that is that you're completely helpless to stop it from happening. Bondage is an extension of our love, it doesn't replace it, and we don't use it exclusively even though it plays an important part in our lives." Tony patted her rump approvingly and nipped her once, sharply, on the neck.
Marsha spoke for the first time, eyes still covered by the upper portion of the helmet. "As for me, it's more of an experience of the sensations. I love the feel and smell of leather, and it magnifies the sexual experience for me. First, though, I have to be teased, and I mean unmercifully, before I can even consider sex. Bondage, for me, makes it impossible to escape the teasing or to beg Rick to stop. He seems to know just when I'm going to need him, and when my struggles stop being play and become real. As far as our restraints go, he bought them at first, but for the last eight or nine years he's made them all."
Looking sharply at the back of Kaye's dress, Rick flipped four large chrome rings with his finger. "What are these for, Tony" for attaching other restraints like the cuffs?
"They could be used for that." Tony lit a cigarette before going on with his answer. "Actually, they're for attaching to our block and tackle when I want to hang Kaye up. That way, the dress distributes the strain evenly on her body and she doesn't get marked too badly. The links are close enough together to prevent their digging into the flesh. I don't hang her up often, and I only do it when we're playing a specific little private game we have."
"Games..." Fred broke in. "Kaye mentioned acting and games before. Do you always have to fantasize or act things out? Sounds almost like psychotherapy!" He looked pleased with his insight.
"Well, you can or not, depending on what you like. Variety is important to us, so we're always inventing new games to play. Like tonight. Cruel German and his captive in chains. It's a very stylized example, but you get the idea. At other times, we might not practice bondage if we get temporarily bored." Tony shrugged. "I guess that should answer most of your questions. Why don't we get down with the party, now?" Rick disappeared into the kitchen, came back with a plate of hors d'oeuvres, and passed them around while Tony helped Mike break out more liquor.
Some time later, Rick clapped his hands for attention. "Hey, everyone, there's something I didn't mention. We're going to vote on the best costumes. Marsha and I, being the hosts, won't participate. I'm going to pass out some paper and pencils and I want everyone to vote for the best male and best female costumes."
It was unanimous. Tony and Kaye had stolen the show, and Rick presented them with a bottle of Courvoisier. "Way to go, folks. Now that I know where your heads are at, you should try to make it down a little more often, all right? I've got a hunch we can swap notes and really come up with some interesting things."
"You got it," Tony quipped. "We really like you two, but for the longest time we thought you were a little too straight laced. I guess that was just protective coloration. I work leather a bit, myself, and maybe I can fix up a few goodies you haven't had time to make yet."
Kaye nudged Tony with her elbow, "Boss man...."
"What is it, doll?" She leaned up and whispered in his ear. Tony grinned, then began to laugh uncontrollably.
Rick smiled a bit himself in anticipation. "Well, Henny Youngman? Want to let us in on it?"
"Uh-uh. Sorry, Rick, but we'll have to cut the stay short. Tomorrow's Saturday, why don't you and Marsha drive up and spend the rest of the weekend with us?"
"Sorry to see you go," Rick said, "but if you gotta, you gotta. Sure, we'll try to be there before eleven. See you then, and thanks for coming!"
Marsh's voice came hollowly from the helmet. "Take care, folks. I wish I could have seen that dress. It sounded smashing!"
As they walked down the gravel walkway, Kaye teetering on her platforms, Tony grinned benignly at her. "Little minx. You were so cold when we got here, but I guess you're not now, are you?"
She turned her face up to him, "all that talking about us and what we do.... Just get me home, boss man, and FAST! Her eyes shone with anticipation, and suddenly Tony realized just how busy he was going to be that evening. Ah, life!
The End