by Tantalus

Illustration by Tarsis

Originally published in Bondage Parade No. 35, 1990

Transcribed by guardian46w

Story codes:  M/f, bdsm, cons, bond, chair, ropes, gag, acting, roleplay, X

"You've got your lines memorized, already?" Anne asked Michael almost incredulously.

"Just about," he replied.  "I have to rely on my memory quite a bit for my job, so it comes easily for me.  And I love being the villain, it's just like being a kid and playing games again."

"You are a swine, Victor!" Anne resumed reciting her lines.

"Mary, my sweet, if I can't have you then no one shall!" Michael continued.

"Uhm... Do what you will to me, but you'll not get my family's land or... uhm."

"Escape the hangman's noose."  Michael finished the line.

"Or escape the hangman's rope," She insisted.

"Noose."  He contended.

"Rope."  Anne surprised herself with the solicitous tone she used to say the word.

"Well, that's noose to me," he joked.

"Vile scoundrel," she said, breaking character, "your true villainy is those rotten jokes."

"Sorry, it's a defense mechanism," Michael apologized.  "Anne, if you're having trouble with your lines, maybe we could work on them later."

"Hey Anne."  Gary, who played the hero, John, entered the scene obliviously.  "Looks like we won't be able to rehearse later, something else has come up."

"It's no problem, Gary," she responded flatly, knowing that he actually meant he'd found someone else to sleep with that night.  Anne then turned to Michael.  "How about tonight?"

"Fine."  He smiled.  She looked into his eyes, the one part of his outward appearance that denied he could ever truly be a villain, and she noticed a certain gleam.

"All right, people, the break's over!" the directory called out.  "Let's pick it up from the beginning of act one, scene three!"

After the community theatre group was dismissed for the night, Michael suggested that he and Anne walk to a restaurant nearby.  They sat at a table in the back, where they shared a few drinks and a long conversation.

"So, are the rumors true?  Are you really involved with Gary?" Michael asked.

"I thought I was," Anne replied.  "Then I found out he was too in love with himself to become interested in anyone else."

"Well, he his is a very handsome guy," Michael conceded.  "He's got the classic hero look.  Blonde hair, square jaw and muscles.  He runs a fitness center or something, doesn't he?"

"Please... " Anne rolled her eyes.  "He'd rather be pumping iron than... never mind.  Anyway, he's definitely lacking in imagination."

"But is he jealous?" Michael asked.  "I mean, will he really beat me up on stage if he finds out we had drinks together?"

"Considering he's probably out with some bimbo tonight, I doubt he could care less."  Anne flashed a knowing smile.

"Well, it's getting late," Michael observed, "and you know we haven't actually worked on your lines yet."

"I don't think this atmosphere is very suitable for rehearsing.  Why don't we go back to my place?" Anne offered.

"Mary, I thought your heart was so pure."

"And, I thought yours was so wicked," she responded.  At the auditions, Anne had found Mike to be very attractive, with his sharply defined features, dark hair and brooding good looks.  Yet, it was Gary who'd pursued her actively.  Now that Gary was fading from the scene, she again found herself drawn to this shy, funny and somewhat enigmatic man.

Back at Anne's apartment, Anne and Michael sat a respectable distance from each other on the couch as they started running their lines.  Anne had experienced a rather awkward and embarrassing scene with Gary when she broached the subject of bondage, so she decided not to tip her hand too quickly this time.  She could feel her heart beat faster as they approached the end of the second act, when Mary is taken captive by the evil Victor.  Finally, after what seemed like ages later, they reached the stage direction - Mary is bound and gagged, and Michael paused.

"Should I tie you up for this?" he asked with a sly grin.  Michael gave her an appreciative cursory glance.  Anne had gone to the rehearsal directly from the office that night, and she was wearing hose, 4-inch heels, a silk scarf, and a short cotton dress that complimented her luscious figure and legs.

"Sure, why not?" Her reply was cool, but the look in her eyes said, 'I thought you'd never ask.' Michael tried to hide his pleasant surprise at her response, thought at that moment he felt he could've been knocked over with a feather.

"Will my necktie do?" He asked.  Anne's pulse raced faster still.  She was tempted to tell him about the ropes she had in her bedroom, but she thought better of it.  She didn't want to reveal too much about herself just yet, or to scare Michael off.

"Yes, of course."  Anne answered.  Michael removed the tie knotted loosely around his neck and moved closer to Anne as she crossed her wrists behind her.  She could feel her breath becoming staggered as his strong hands firmly wrapped the smooth, synthetic material around her wrist.

"It's not too tight, is it?" he asked.

"No, it's fine."  She tried not to make her reply sound too enthusiastic.

"Well, it usually feels like it's strangling me during the day."  Michael said as he pulled the knot closed.

"I think you've been practicing this," she teased as she twisted her wrists against the bonds.  "Now, what about the gag?"

"How about the scarf you're wearing?"

"Okay, but if any of my friends suddenly drop by, you'd better get me out of this so fast..."

"Yeah, it could be a problem," Michael admitted.  "I wouldn't have anything to tie'em up with."

"Mike, your jokes are the... mmmnph."  Anne's criticism was cut short as Michael loosened the scarf around her neck, drew it thin, and brought it between her teeth.  He knotted it firmly behind her long, auburn hair.

Their eyes met, and for a moment time seemed to stand still as the delightful realization came to both of them.  Anne's beauty, undeniable by any standard, took on a new dimension with her consented helplessness, and the passion and excitement she exuded made her completely irresistible.

"You look very pretty like that."  Michael finally managed to say.

"That's not in the script," she teased him, articulating the words as well as she could through the scarf.

"Lousy cosmetic gags," he grumbled.  "May I kiss you?"

"Don't you think you should take the gag out first?" She asked.

Michael put his hand at the side of her neck, his thumb brushing her cheek and the silk as he slid his hand under her hair and gently pressed his lips to hers.

"You're really into this, aren't you?" he asked softly.

"Uhm-hm," she answered.  "Why do you think I tried out for the play?"

"Let me take this scarf out for a minute."  Michael said as he lowered the cloth from her mouth.

"Make love to me, Michael."

"Now that's not in the script," he smiled.

"Never mind that," Anne said, "we'll write our own script."

---

The director of the play, Peter, was a plump, cheerful-looking man with a balding gray head and an impish smile beneath his gray mustache.  During the first rehearsal with props, his concentration seemed particularly intense as they neared the end of the second act.  He barely looked down at the notes he was scribbling as Victor tied Mary to a chair and lit the fuse to the dynamite.  When they had finished the scene, Peter broke in with a brief critique.
"Victor," he began, "we all secretly suspect you're into this sort of thing, but when you're tying up Mary, try not to be so gentle about it.  Use more energy, more aggression.  After all, this woman has just spurned you.  And try to fit the action a little more with your lines.  Tie the ropes a little bit faster."

Peter's initial comment, generally regarded as a joke, caused a wave of laughter to run through the cast and crew.

"Maybe we can practice later," Michael grinned and playfully rubbed the back of Anne's neck, bringing on another ripple of laughter.  Anne gave him a sidelong glance and smiled beneath the gag, trying to hide a blush.

"And Mary," Anne, still tied hand and foot n the chair, shifted her weight slightly in an attempt to get more comfortable.  "Try not to be so submissive about being tied up and struggle more, especially after Victor's got you tied.  And, shake your head a little, as he gags you.  This is probably one of the most dramatic moments of the play, so you've got to give it a lot of energy.  Play it to the hilt."

"Okay," Anne said through her gag, a couple of cast members mimicking her muffled delivery.

"Oh yes," Peter added, "as I'd mentioned earlier, the photographer from the newspaper is here tonight.  I think this would be a good time to take advantage of this photo opportunity.  Uhm, Mary, you don't mind being tied up a little while longer, do you?"

"Well, that's show biz," she enunciated the words as clearly as she could.  Michael could hear Gary in the wings making a snide remark.

As the young photographer walked up on the stage, Anne felt a little self-conscious, but it wasn't all together unpleasant.  From the moment Michael first tied her to the chair, it seemed to her that everyone's attention was focused on her.  And who could blame them?  With her hands tied behind her, her breasts stuck out prominently, even beneath her loose sweatshirt.  She was wearing shorts, sneakers and bobby socks, and with her legs bent at a forty-five degree angle and her toes bent, her shapely legs looked very attractive.  The bright white gag and the brown hemp ropes contrasted against her white socks would make for a very striking photo, she thought.

"John," Peter directed, "You stand behind Victor, and grab a chair as if you were going to hit him over the head with it."

"Can I really hit 'em?" Gary half-joked.

"Hey, I won her fair and square," Mike responded, both men fully aware of the serious undertone of the seemingly humorous exchange.

"Victor," Peter said, "move in closer to Mary, rub your hands and look sinister.  And Mary, make your eyes wider and try to look helpless."

"Look helpless?" Anne thought.  Peter apparently had no idea how adept Michael was at tying knots.

"Can I get an eight-by-ten of this?" Michael asked the photographer.

After the photos had all been taken, Peter called for a ten minute break before going into the final act.

"Mike," Anne said through the gag, "if you leave me like this I won't talk to you."

"Hmm?" Michael responded absent-mindedly.  "I'm sorry, Anne, did you say something?"

"You heard me."

Michael stroked her cheek and spoke softly enough so no one else could hear, "If you were gagged, really gagged, you wouldn't be talking to me anyway.  Is this a serious threat?"

"Michael!"

"It's an old theatrical tradition to leave the damsel in distress tied up during the breaks.  Didn't you know?"

"If you untie me now, you can tie me up again later tonight," she promised with a seductive, if somewhat muffled tone.

"Oh, that is a tempting offer," he taunted, "but, I'm trying to brush up on my villainy, live the part, y'know?"

"I have to go to the bathroom."  Saliva trickled down from the corner of her mouth.

"Oh.  Well, in that case, I'll let you go," he said.  "My villainy does have its limits."

"Victor!" Peter called from the back of the auditorium.  "Stop gloating over your captive and turn'er loose.  You can tie her up again for the third act after the break."

"My thoughts exactly!" Michael called back.

---

Anne's costume for the melodrama consisted of a white blouse with large, puffy sleeves and a cameo at the front of the high collar, a dark ankle-length skirt and a ruffled petticoat.  Beneath the petticoat she wore hose and a garter belt, purely for Michael's enjoyment, and black lace-up boots of the period with two-inch heels.  Her long tresses were pinned up in a Gibson-girl style.  Anne looked very feminine and appealing in the costume, and she and Michael joked about absconding with their costumes for a night after the play was over.

She thought Michael looked very dashing as the villain dressed all in black, the tight fitting frock coat hugging his slender, muscular body, the black pants and tall, shiny riding boots, the snug leather gloves, and of course the requisite waist-length cape.  The stove-pipe hat and the extra ends the make-up people used to augment his mustache didn't do much for him, yet it was still quite striking to see the archetypical villain in the flesh.  However, Anne couldn't help but see through the costume and make-up, to see the true Michael... the gentle yet sexually voracious man who fulfilled her innermost desires and fantasies.

As for the performances, Anne felt exhilaration when the bondage scene came up.  She could almost feel the tension in the air as it grew nearer.  She listened for the nervous chuckles from the audience as Mike bound her to the straight backed wooden chair, and strained her eyes to see past the bright lights, trying to see all the eyes riveted on her.  Anne couldn't help but wonder how many fantasies this scene inspired, how many couples would go home and perform a somewhat modified re-enactment, or how many members of the audience were watching, wishing they could be in her place at that moment.

"Now, my sweet," Michael said as he held the long fuse to the dynamite, "Say that you'll be mine, and I will spare your life!"

"Never!  Never!" Anne cried, bringing her wrist to her forehead, "I could never be happy with such a black-hearted fiend as you!"

"Then you have sealed your fate, my pretty!" Michael said, then turned in the direction of a sound offstage, "Wait!  What's that?"

"It's John!  He's coming for me!  I knew he would!  And now you, Victor, will pay the consequences!" she said defiantly.

"Silence, woman!" Michael pulled a white scarf from his cape and quickly gagged Anne.  She grabbed his wrists, but then he pulled her arms behind her and sat her in the chair, pulling two short lengths of rope from his cape.  He crossed her wrists and tied them to the chair-back, then tied her ankles together to the rung of the chair as he completed his line.  "This will be perfect!  That meddling fool will come in here and perish by your side, and I'll be rid of the both of you once and for all!"

Meanwhile, Anne was squirming in the chair, tossing her head and articulating softly through the gag.  Just for fun she made an earnest effort to escape her bonds, but Mike had done an effective job.  He chided Anne later for this, as her attempts left marks on her delicate wrists.

"Mary?  Mary?  Are you in here, my love?" Gary called out.

"Mmmmnnph!  Mmnf!" Anne replied.  But in the convention of the melodrama, the unwary hero couldn't hear her stifled warning, and Michael sprang on him, feigning a blow with a short club that sent Gary crashing to the floor.  This gratifying moment was Michael's second favorite in the play.

"Sweet dreams, my friend.  I fear they shall be your last!" Michael said to the unconscious hero, all the while twirling his mustache, "And, as for you, my dear Mary, I may not have your love, but I shall have all else!  And now I fear I must bid you both a fond adieu."

Michael lit the fuse to the dynamite and beat a hasty exit as Anne thrashed helplessly in the chair and the curtain slowly drew to a close.

---

After the cast party, Michael took Anne back to his apartment where they shared a shower, removed the residual make-up and cold cream from the evening's performance.  They adjourned to his bedroom, where this time, without costumes, hostility or hurry, Michael tied Anne spread-eagled on his bed.  Her smooth skin glistened, with the baby-oiled he lovingly applied over her shapely body, quoting lines from the play out of context and giving them new meaning.

"How about that?" Michael asked.

"What?" Anne responded.

"The bad guy gets the girl this time."  He laughed.

"Ho, you're not such a bad guy."  She assured him.

"Oh," Mike groaned.  "Where is that gag?"

THE END