by Snidely

Illustrated by Tarsus

Originally Published in Bondage Life No. 33, August 1988

Transcribed and Scanned by guardian46w, Monday, July 23, 2018

Story Codes: F/ff, bdsm, bondage, rope, chains, cuffs, shackles, gags, rivals, spies, n/con, captive, enslave, pony, race, public, X

After enduring a month at the B&D Academy, then the harrowing experience of running the Big Race, Mariko and Courtney were ready for a little R&R… but now it's time for their graduation party, where R&R stands for Ropes and Revelations!  The epic three-part tale concludes, with plenty of bondage, explanations, and just desserts for everyone!

Chapter Four

Graduation Blues

OR

You Call This A Party?

Again, Mariko was nude.  Freshly bathed, scrubbed and brushed, she felt infinitely better, the incident in the hall with Courtney all but forgotten.  What had happened on the track still haunted her, but she was a practical girl and knew she had to put it out of her mind until she had more time to examine it.

Her oriental handlers, or “the three stooges” as she had taken to calling them, were laying out the costume she was to wear to the post-race party.  She had pleaded with them to allow her to dress herself just this once, but this was apparently too novel a concept for them to assimilate, and they had ignored her.  Once again locked into the contraption they called a “dressing bench”, she could only watch as white silk stockings were slid up her legs, then attached in place by a white industrial-looking garter.

Mariko swallowed hard when a heavy white girdle was wrapped about her middle.  It seemed to contain real whalebone, or something like it, and as they began lacing her into it the unnatural hourglass shape, it began to mold her body unmercifully into that same awesome shape.  Her waist became more and more compressed until soon she was reduced to the absurd dimensions of a cartoon character.

She felt like Betty Boop.  She stared, wide-eyed, at the narrow column her waist had become, then at the stooges, who were still lacing, tugging for all they were worth at the long lacing and giggling.  Mariko fought down a moment of panic as it seemed she could no longer breathe.  Her face and breasts became flushed for a moment, but soon, by pure willpower, she was able to calm herself and control her breathing.  The breaths she was allowed were shallow but were sufficient so long as she didn’t become excited.  Now she knew why the ladies from around the turn of the century were so prone to fainting.

Now the stooges were loosening the twist-clamps that held the metal arms attached to her ankles.  Suddenly the arms swung freely outward and up, until Mariko was hanging in space by her wrists and ankles, her legs spread wide, her hips much higher than her head.  Again, her face was suffused with red, not so much because it was now the lowest art of her body as because of the indignity of the pose, the most humiliating posture a woman can assume, and even though she had dangled like this more than a dozen times in the past month, it never lost its potency for her.  The stooges left her like that, tidying up the dressing room and laying out the final items of her costume, ignoring her splayed nakedness completely.

Some time later the door opened, a woman entered briskly.  Even from her upside-down point of view, Mariko recognized her immediately as the dark-haired beauty who had been Courtney’s jockey during the big race that afternoon.  She set the case she was carrying, the makeup lady’s oversized makeup case, on the dressing table and turned to Mariko.

“Congratulations,” she said, her eyes traveling appreciatively over the view so blatantly offered.  “You ran quite a race today.  You’re a big winner.”

“What do I win?” Mariko asked before she could stop herself.

The woman looked at her sidelong for a moment.  “What you win is the pleasure of not being punished for losing.  A pleasure I’m afraid you friend hasn’t enjoyed.”

This answer subdued Mariko considerably as she remembered the last time she had seen this woman, disappearing behind a locked door with Courtney.

“I think we’ve gotten off to a bad start,” Mariko said finally, determined to maintain some element of dignity in spite of her position.  “I’m not usually so flip.  My name is Mariko Aniko, I’m afraid I don’t know your name thought.”

The woman casually stepped over to her so that, looking up the length of her body, Mariko could see her smiling face framed between her open thighs.  Nonchalantly, the woman’s hand came up to gently stroke the delicate pink treasure that Mariko’s position bull’s-eyed so blatantly.

“You can call me Ma’am,” she said softly.  “You know, as in ‘Yes, Ma’am’ and ‘No, Ma’am’, understand?”

“Yes Ma’am!” Mariko gasped, the woman’s casual, almost absent-minded touch sending sky-rockets of pleasure through her often teased but never fulfilled body.

“My, my,” said Ma’am appreciatively, “aren’t we the responsive one.” I've barely touched you, and you're opening up like a flower in the sunshine.  I think you're really going to like what I've got for you…”

As she stepped away, Mariko shuddered, her rose-tinged face buried in her shoulder, her humiliation overpowering her.  A moment later she felt a strap being buckled about her waist, then the cool, grabby smoothness of rubber being slowly, carefully stretched upward between her bottom cheeks.  The rubber closed tautly over her slick, open petals, flattening them beneath its tension as the end of it was snapped in place to the front of the belt at her waist.

Then, just a Mariko was adjusting to the sensation, the rubber strap was pulled apart.  As it was stretched laterally, it became evident that it was split down the center, and as Ma’am snapped it in place where the belt met her hips on both sides, it opened, its two sides pulling her lips wide apart and pinning them in place.

Mariko twisted fretfully in her bonds.  This was even worse.  Now, not only was she spread wide, she was opened as well, and the cool air of the room moved gently against a part of her that had never felt air before.  But Ma’am still wasn’t finished.  Now another attachment was being snapped in place on top of the rubber one, and suddenly Mariko felt the delicate touch of soft fur against that most tender of places…

“There now,” Ma’am said as she stepped away.  “That should do it.  I just wanted to make sure you enjoyed tonight’s party as much as you should.” She snapped her fingers, and the three stooges resumed their task of dressing Mariko.

Right side-up once more, she was quickly fitted with a series of petticoats, an old-fashioned pair of lace-up boots, a high-piled braided and bowed wig, which she was sure looked absolutely ridiculous with her clearly Asian skin and features, and a stunning blue-and-white satin eighteenth century style dress.  Between the dress and the corset underneath it, Mariko was apparently blessed with more cleavage than she had ever thought of having before.

As she marveled at this, her hands were efficiently drawn behind her, fitted with elbow-length blue satin gloves, and then strapped tightly together at the wrists with a blue plastic strap that all but disappeared against the material of the gloves.  Over this was wrapped a fat, hairy length of hemp rope, tied loosely.  To the casual observer, she realized, it would look as though she were only pretending to be bound, while in actuality she was quite helpless.  Finally, a big foam-rubber ball was stuffed in her mouth, filling it completely.  Her lips were sealed shut with a piece of adhesive tape, and then a broad linen gag was tied around her head, hiding the tape and again creating the illusion that her gag was more for show than function.

Released from the dressing bench at last, she was led out into the hall by Ma’am.  Courtney was waiting there, dressed in a costume just like Mariko’s except that it was in red and white.  She stood tied to a ring on the wall by a length of thick hemp looped tightly around her waist.  Ma’am now untied the hemp from the wall and looped it around Mariko’s exaggeratedly slender waist, then taking the long free end in hand, she led the two girls off down the hall like a matching pair of poodles on a single leash.

There were women in G-strings, men in chains, transvestites in wet suits and tutus.  Intermingled throughout the assemblage were women who, apparently, were in the same situation as Mariko and Courtney.  They wore various forms of restraint, their mouths gagged, and were either being led on leashes or were following obediently at the heels of someone who was apparently their master or mistress.

As Mariko and Courtney were led, wide-eyed, through the crowd, it soon became evident that these others weren’t of quite the same status they were.  The distinction was that these others were apparently willing captives.  Their attitude was often playful, sometimes adoring, always obedient and eager to please.  Their bondage was, as far as the girls could see, real and effective, but they wore it proudly and were enjoying their roles.

Mariko was more mystified then ever when suddenly the crowd parted and Allison was there, grinning from ear to ear.  She seemed happy to see them, and she hugged them both warmly while they glanced quizzically at each other.  Was this sudden display of affection all for show, or did she suddenly love them now that they had “graduated” form her little academy?

Allison was dressed as a pirate queen, complete with eye patch, short jacket with brass buttons and striped jersey.  As she took hold of their leash rope, they realized how her outfit matched theirs, and that she had planned to escort them about herself.  Ma’am gave them over gladly and went off in search of someone.

“Come with me, you ravishing pair of booties,” Allison quipped in her usual fashion, “I want to introduce you around.”

The first introduction was to a handsome fortyish gentleman in full kilted Scottish regalia who was introduced as Richard.

“I was quite impressed with their performance in the race today,” remarked Richard.  “Especially the little oriental one.”

“Yes,” laughed Allison, ruffling Mariko’s wig affectionately, “she really is something.  She put everything she had into that race.  I’m so proud of her.”

“Thanks, a heap,” thought Mariko, trying to smile sweetly around her gag.

“Now that she’s graduated,” said Richard, leaning forward, “What do you plan to do with her?”

Allison laughed casually.  “That’s going to be up to her, naturally.”

“Of course,” nodded Richard.

“It is?  Thought Mariko.

“Would an interested party be allowed to attempt to help her with that decision?” asked Richard, a crafty look in his eye.

“Why, Richard!” said Allison in mock surprise.  “You?  After all the girls who have graduated from my academy and been offered to you, you decide you want this one?” They laughed together a moment.  “Seriously, Richard,” said Allison, “I’m afraid this one is one of those special cases.  Possibly later she may become available, but right now…”

“Ah, well,” said Richard, gazing at Mariko wistfully, “Perhaps another like her will come along someday.”

There were several more introductions, none more enlightening that this one.  Both girls were complimented a number of times on their performance in the race.  Allison exhibited great pride in them, pride which seemed to be sincere.  Why she’d never shown it till now was another mystery.

There were so many questions.  Hints and tidbits of information would come out in conversation, and Mariko wished more than anything that she could spit out the giant foam ball that filled her mouth and ask these people just how she and Courtney fit into this bizarre scene.  She learned, by chance comment, that all the other bound girls at the party were graduates of Allison’s B&D Academy, but that all of them had enrolled of their own free will, were willing and wholehearted participants in their own bondage and apparent enslavement.  What’s more, everyone was assuming that they were, too.  No wonder Allison never allowed them to be ungagged around the other.

This little revelation, of course, only brought on another question… why?  Why had Allison taken the law into her own hands and risked exposure of all this by putting them through her obedience training course against their will?  Did she think they preferabled this to arrest and imprisonment, but what of Courtney, whom Mariko knew to be innocent?  What would happen now that they had graduated and Mariko had still not confessed?

For the first time, Mariko began to seriously consider confessing to Allison.  There had been no word from Ivan, no indication that he had made any effort to locate her.  If she confessed to spying for him, Allison would have no choice but to release Courtney.  Then, either she’d have to make Courtney a great offer for a settlement, or Courtney could sue and the whole mess would be exposed.

As for herself, the worst Mariko could expect would be to end up like these other girls, kept in bondage, perhaps by Richard… A little shiver of excitement shot through her, surprising her.  Somehow, that alternative didn’t seem so bad, although she realized that her judgement was probably being affected by her present state of arousal.

The strip of fur between her legs fit loosely, so that every step she took made it move against her most intimate flesh.  She was finding that even when standing in one place for an introduction, she couldn’t keep still, she found herself unconsciously shifting her weight from one foot to the other.  She glanced over at her friend Courtney, who was apparently similarly outfitted, for her hips were making a constant, subtle rolling motion beneath her skirts.

Allison was momentarily distracted, involved in a conversation Mariko couldn’t follow, when she and Courtney were approached by a buxom redhead with green satin bunny ears on her head.  Mariko and Courtney nodded their greetings and took in the redhead’s outfit.  She was decked out in a Playboy bunny’s costume, a tight, tight, tight one-piece costume that just barely held her breasts in check and had just enough cloth running between her legs to not be considered obscene.  Around her neck was a stiff white collar with a green bow and on her wrists were matching white cuffs complete with cuff links.  She even had a puffy white cotton tail.  Allison turned to greet the little bunny.

“Why, hello there, Sweetcakes.  It’s so good to see you.”

“Good evening’ Mistress,” replied Sweetcakes formally as she turned her eyes to the floor.  Within seconds, Allison’s attention was focused elsewhere and she forgot about Sweetcakes.  Sweetcakes’ face relit as Allison turned away.

“’Ere now!” Sweetcakes shouted as she spun around to face a burly man who had just pinched her little cotton tail.  “You keep them ’ands to ya’self!  There’s only one pair o’ ’ands that can pinch me bum, an’ they ain’t yours!” she said as she poked the man’s chest with her finger.  Sweetcakes backed the man down, then turned back to the girls.“So, an’ what d’ya think of the Academy?”

“NNNnnnggg!” said Mariko.

“NNNnnnggg!  NNNnnnggg!  added Courtney.

Sweetcakes looked a little perplexed at their response.  She leaned in and whispered to the two girls.  “Are ya really gagged?”

Both Mariko and Courtney nodded.

“Nooo!” she said in amazement, “An’ done up for real too?”

Courtney pulled at her wrists for emphasis.

“Wow!” Sweetcakes marveled.  “Most folks’ve ‘ad it with ropes an’ gags by now.  You two sure must be into…”

Sweetcakes was cut off in mid-sentence as two tiny red, light bulbs that were sewn into her bow tie began to blink slowly and rhythmically, and Sweetcakes’ eyes rolled back in her head.  After a long moment the blinking stopped and her eyesight seemed to return to normal.

“As I was sayin’…” She stopped and glanced at the puzzled look on Mariko’s and Courtney’s faces.  “Sir Reggie went an’ put one of them vibratin’ eggs in me before ‘e stuffed me in this suit.  Now ‘e controls the bloody thing by remote con… CC… CCC…” The rhythmic blinking returned for a moment and again Sweetcakes shuddered.  When the lights stopped, she smiled to the two girls.

“What we gotta put up with!  Just for a little fun.  I gotta go before he turns the bloody thing up a notch.  See ya.” Sweetcakes said as she hurried off in search of Sir Reginald, whom Mariko vaguely remembered being introduced to.

Presently Ma’am wandered back into the picture and Allison handed her the rope that leashed the two girls together.  “I want to wander a bit.  Keep an eye on these two while I’m gone.”

Ma’am reluctantly accepted the leashes as Allison headed off to another group of chatting people.  Ma’am sighed as she pulled on the leash.

“That’ll probably be the last we see of her tonight,” Ma’am said under her breath to her two charges.  “She just wants the grand entrance, then it’s every woman for herself.  Oh, well, we might as well make the best of it.” She pulled the two leashed girls toward the buffet.  As was reasonable to expect, the girls remained on their diets as they followed Ma’am around.

As the three girls wandered about the party, Mariko kept getting a strange feeling of déjà vu; she couldn’t quite pin down what was so familiar, but there was something.  Perhaps it was a smell or perhaps a sound.  Curious.  It was not very easy going for Mariko and Courtney as they tried to worm their way through the crowd behind Ma’am.  The huge full skirts and high heels served only to knock them off balance, and with the stiff corsets and no hands to balance them, they seemed to take turns stumbling into each other or worse, someone else.

Invariably, whenever they would teeter, there would be several pairs of male hands to steady them, usually copping a feel as an unoffered reward.  As the night wore on the girls began to not even notice these affronts to their dignity.  Certainly, there was nothing they could do about it.

The recognition hit like a ton of bricks.  The thing that was driving Mariko crazy was not a smell but rather a sound.  Mariko could hear a laugh through the din of the party that was so distinctive that she was certain of its origin and it took only seconds from her realization for the verification to be at hand.  The crowd parted and through this opening stepped Ivan Rasovitz.  The same Ivan Rasovitz who had sent Mariko to spy on B&D Cosmetics, the same guy who had gotten her into this damn mess in the first place!

He was dressed like a Greek god.

“That figures!” thought Mariko.  He had his arm around a gaudy woman with bleached blonde hair and a sequined gown with a cut-out that left her hug breasts bare.

“Hi, Diane, I heard you were here.  How’s the ass?” Ivan said cheerfully as he approached.

“Hello Ivan, long time no see,” Ma’am replied coolly.  “Still hanging out at the toxic waste center, looking for handouts?”

“Naw, I've moved up to bigger and better things.  Now I’m so important, they deliver” he replied.

“You're not as funny as you think,” the woman on his arm interrupted in a high voice.

Ivan ignored her.  “So, Diane, I see you're still hanging around with Allison.  You two can’t seem to get enough of each other, eh?  And she’s still up to the same old tricks,” Ivan said, indicating the bound girls.

“Yeah, when I find a good thing I always stick with it.  Loyalty pays off in the end.  But what would you know about that?” replied Ma’am.

“Well, if you had stuck with the best, who knows where you’d be now?  I’m not usually this magnanimous, you know, but there is still a place for you at Rasovitz Industries.  Go ahead, call me a softie.”

“Maybe you are soft, but only in a place or two!  There’s no way I’m going to let you take advantage of me again,” said Ma’am angrily.

“You don’t know what you’re missing,” said Ivan.  “You have to take advantage of situations as they arise.  Take my little pal Mariko here…” he said as he put his arm around Mariko’s waist and pulled her to him.  “I knew Allison would love her cute little oriental ass and hire her on the spot.  I got some more formulas, and she ended up living happily ever after in lesbian bondage… amazing how things work out, isn’t it?”

That was when Mariko drove the spike of her heel into Ivan’s foot.  Ivan screamed, leaping back and bowling over the woman he was with.  Before he was out of range, she gave him a knee in the region where it would do the most good.  He went down, eyes bulging, and then she could really begin to kick him.  After a while, Ma’am reeled in her Japanese hellcat by her leash.

“NDhhhnngg!  MMmnngg, MLmnhgg!” shouted the infuriated Japanese girl over her shoulder as she was dragged away.

“What the heck is going on around here?” demanded Allison when she found the girls in an empty bedroom attempting to cool off.

“It was nothing,” said Ma’am, “WE just had a little fight.”

“What?  With who?”

“Good ol’ Ivan Rasovitz.  She kicked him.”

“Where?” asked Allison.

“In the living room.”

“No!  WHERE?”

“Oh, just about everywhere, I guess,” replied Ma’am.

“Good!” Allison said, a broad grin spreading across her face.  “It looks like you’ve got things under control.  Why don’t you stay here with Mariko so she can cool off?  I’ll take Courtney back to the party with me.”

“Okay,” said Ma’am.  “Is it all right if I take her gag off?

“Sure,” Allison said as she picked up the rope leash and pulled Courtney out of the room behind her.

Ma’am removed the cloth that covered Mariko’s mouth, then peeled away the tape and plucked out the foam ball.  Mariko sat for a moment opening and stretching her jaw muscles.

“I see you know Ivan too,” said Ma’am.

“I used to work for him, the bastard!”

“Spying?” asked Ma’am nonchalantly.

“How did you know?” asked the surprised Mariko.  “I never let on…”

Ma’am gave a small laugh and walked over to the mirror.  “That’s how I met Allison.  I was working for Ivan about four years ago and he told me that he suspected he had someone stealing his formulas and selling them to B&D Cosmetics.  He wanted me to get a job with B&D so I could help him track down the crook by sending back the stolen formulas.  He had done so much for me, giving me a job right out of college, promoting me, teaching me, that I had to do it for him.  In fact, I did it for almost a year before Allison caught me.

“Wow!  I barely made it six months.  But tonight, he was like a different person.  I couldn’t believe it.  To think I went through all this for him, waiting, counting on him to come through to help me.  That bastard, he never had any intention of helping me!  Now that I think of it, he never asked for any specific formulas.  I just sent them all to him!  Allison wasn’t copying any of Ivan’s work.  He had us stealing Allison’s line so he could copy it.”

It all came together for Mariko now; she had been protecting a crook with her silence.  She shook her head in disgust as the own naivete.

“There’s still one thing I don’t understand,” began Mariko slowly.  “Why did Allison go through all this trouble, kidnapping me and making me go through all the crap I've been through?  Why didn’t she just call the police and have me arrested?”

“Several reasons.  She knew you were tricked into stealing from her, and although the stealing angered her, she didn’t think it was an offense worth sending you to jail for.  Allison has her own sense of justice, and with the B&D Academy already set up and operating, she had the perfect way of carrying it out.  Of course, it’d be silly to pretend she didn’t enjoy putting you and Courtney through the Academy.  Most of the girls don’t get the kind of personal attention you two have gotten from her.  Can’t say I blame her for that, either.  You are adorable!”

“That’s a little high handed of her, isn’t it?  Taking the law into her own hands for her own enjoyment?  Jail only lasts a couple of years; how long did she plan on keeping us here?  Did she think we’d just slip into a life of slavery and forget about all this?”

Ma’am laughed, returning to take Mariko by the shoulders.  “Of course not, silly!  Allison knows what she’s doing.  She was just waiting for you to confess what you’d done.  If you’d confessed a month ago when she first gave you the opportunity, she may have still put you through the Academy to teach you a lesson, but at least you’d have known what was going on, and it’d be over by now.  Allison is a very proud woman, and she doesn’t like to lose… at anything.

She was certain that you’d have confessed by now; when you hadn’t, it was like a challenge to her.  She couldn’t allow you to be more stubborn than she is.  That was why she invited Ivan to this party.  You don’t think he’s on her list of friends, do you?  She figured if you ran into him it’d get things out in the open.  Your beating him up was an unexpected bonus, which she’s enjoying immensely right now, I’m sure.”

“But what about Courtney?” asked Mariko.  “If Allison knew all along that I was the spy, why did she drag her into this?”

Ma’am smiled.  “Another of Allison’s ploys.  She thought that if you thought Courtney was here because of you, you might confess out of guilt.  Actually, Courtney is guilty of embezzling!  She was using the computer to transfer funds from the company into her own account.  What’s more, she thinks you are innocent, and being put through this because of what she did.  Pretty slick, eh?  Now you know why the two of you were never allowed to talk to each other.”

“Wow.” Mariko had to sit down on the bed to digest this.  She didn’t like being played for a fool, but she was so relieved by these revelations that she couldn’t be angry.

“What happens now?” she asked finally.

“That depends.  Do you want to confess to Allison?”

“I guess I do.  I mean, of course I do!”

“She’s going to make you get down on your knees and apologize to her, you know.  She’s waited a long time for this.”

“And then?”

“Then she’ll offer you a great job at a high salary!  She admires your stubbornness and tenacity a lot, you know.  She’s been planning for this for a while now.”

“Well,” Mariko sighed, standing up, “Let’s get this over with, then.”

Ungagged but still bound, Mariko went back out to the party to seek out Allison.  The party had thinned out a little, but those who were left were a lot looser.  Near at hand, white haired Sir Reginald had fallen asleep in a plush velvet chair, an empty glass in one hand, a small black plastic rectangle in the other, on which a little red light was flashing rapidly.

Beyond a high archway, in the largest part of the main room, most of the revelers had turned to dancing, or at least something like dancing.  It was also something like a standup orgy set to music, with pieces of costume flying out and littering the floor around the wildly moving group, Mariko edged around the mass, Ma’am following, till she could get to the lounge, where there were fewer people and a little more order.

Peering through the dimness and the smoke haze, she almost tripped over a writhing figure laying half on, half off one of the couches.  She was surprised to see that it was Sweetcakes, green satin ears all askew on her head.  She was wet with perspiration, flushed red and panting frantically through her nose.  Her open mouth was stuffed full of the white fluff ball that had been her cotton tail, and her wrists were attached behind her by the cufflinks which had obviously been made with this purpose in mind.

The little red lights on her bowtie were flashing rapidly and brightly.  For a moment her eyes focused on Mariko and widened in recognition, her eyebrows going up in mute appeal, but then her eyes went out of focus again and with a “What’s the use” expression she lapsed into another shuddering climax.

Ma’am nudged Mariko and pointed to the far corner of the lounge.  Through the haze she could just make out the unmistakable figures of Courtney and Allison.  Courtney’s wrists were no longer bound, and she as kneeling before Allison, who was stroking her blonde hair affectionately.  Evidently, Courtney had already confessed, apologized, and been forgiven.  Mariko turned and smiled at Ma’am, who was grinning.  Then she turned and, with a heavy sigh, began to make her way across the room toward Allison.

The End