I'm such a damn fool!

Melanie Grayson, a Junior Partner in a Chicago-based law firm, was in a very compromising situation. Standing in what could only be described as a BDSM dungeon beneath the home of her long-time friend, Emelia, her wrists were cuffed and clipped to a chain hanging from the ceiling, and her ankles were cuffed and attached to poles rising from the floor on either side of her. Despite her repeated attempts to free her hands, the means of freedom was beyond her grasp. The position of her hands prevented her from reaching the sturdy clip that secured the wrist cuffs to the chain. She was helpless.

How could she do this to me?! Why would she do this to me?!

Dressed only in her bra and panties, Melanie fought to control a growing sense of panic. While a million thoughts were flashing through her pretty head, there were two that most revolved around:

First, she had put herself in this position by asking Emelia to have her "owner" flog her. Emelia had been the one to use the term "owner", and Mel had played along, assuming her owner was James, the boyfriend she had served when they were in college. They had still been together, what was it...four years ago? The female voice who had just called down to Emelia from the floor above was obviously not James. So...who was she? James' wife? Another assumption was that Emelia and James were still together, as a couple. By exclusively using the word, owner, Emelia had purposely hidden the fact that she served someone other than James. Why?

Second, she feared the situation this exposure was putting her in. Assumptions!! Since she knew James she would assume he wouldn't use the knowledge of her secret fantasies against her. He already knew of her involvement with Em in college, and the bondage games they played. Who knew what this woman would do? She could blackmail her...she could ruin her career! Everything she had worked for would be in the shitter because she had some stupid fantasy of being flogged!

Another thought crept slowly through the maelstrom in her mind until it was all she began to think about. Emelia. Regardless of the compromising situation she was in, the thought that Emelia would put her in any danger was just so unbelievable that it was incomprehensible. Okay, there was a tiny little voice way off in some dark recess of her brain that was trying to tell her Emelia was up to no good, probably at the direction of this unknown woman, but the other ninety-nine-point-nine percent of her brain was telling her that was ridiculous.

Emelia's last words played back in her head: This is what you wanted, sweetie. This is what you need. Trust me.

It was exactly what she wanted, and she did trust Emelia with all her heart, and yes...it's what she needed. It's just not what she had expected...but wasn't that part of the excitement? The unexpected?

I can do this!

Countless times she had met with clients and adversaries and not known what to expect. Sure, she tried to be prepared for each encounter, but there was always that sliver of the unknown that would give her butterflies in her stomach. What if they bring up something I'm unfamiliar with? What if this, and what if that? The stakes were always high, and the thought of not being quite good enough was terrifying. But each time she marched into the encounter knowing she was good...no, damn good...the best, and she would handle everything they threw her way.

This was no different!

Somewhere behind her, the bound woman heard the creak of a door and then the sound of footsteps descending the stairs.

Who was she kidding? This was much different!! The panic returned, but she stood still. Struggling to free herself had already been proven to be pointless. Emelia had just told her she had tried countless times to free herself from the same overhead chain and had never done it. Why waste the energy? She just had to try to calm down a little; try not to appear panicked to whoever this woman was coming down the stairs.

Melanie began taking slower, deeper, breaths. If she could smile with the large ball gag in her mouth, she would. Breathe...ha! How many bondage stories had she read where the Master tells the sub to breathe? Don't tense up. Relax. Breathe. WHACK...WHACK...breathe.

"Grrrr...woof! Woof! Woof, woof, woof!" More barking from Emelia as the footsteps left the stairs and crossed the floor.

"Come girl," the woman said, her voice softer than Melanie expected. "How's my pet today, did you have a good day?"

Melanie heard some shuffling on the floor behind her, and then soft panting with a little bit of whining mixed in.

"Do you like being my pet, pet?" More whining. "You can speak."

"I like to please you, Mistress," came Emelia's hushed voice. The question of who the woman was to Emilia was answered with her first words.

"That wasn't my question." Stern, but still very quiet.

"No, Mistress, you know I don't like pet-play. I never have." Emelia's voice was a whisper now, as if she wanted to keep their conversation private.

"Yet you do so well at it," the woman cooed, equally hushed.

"Like I said, I do it to please you, Mistress."

"You please me very much, Em. Here, let's take this off, and we can be done with this game for awhile."

"Thank you, Miss."

"You're welcome." There was some quiet sounds, a little jingling, something falling to the floor, and then the sound of a little bell ringing. "There you go, better?"

"Yes, Miss, thank you."

"Bring me my flogger."

"Yes, Mistress."

During this time, Melanie could only listen to the sounds and voices behind her. With her legs bound to the posts, and her arms stretched upward and slightly behind her head, she was unable to turn far enough to get a look at the two as they interacted. What she heard, though, was the affection in their voices, the closeness, and the absoluteness of their roles as Mistress and submissive. Melanie knew at that moment that her friend was living her life exactly how she always wanted to.

With her concentration momentarily distracted by Emelia's good fortune, Melanie jumped when she felt the woman's hands on her bare sides. Her first instinct was to twist away from the hands, but she willed herself to be still. She fully realized her helpless position and understood no amount of twisting and turning was going to benefit her. Besides that, she was consciously trying to keep her panic to herself and not give this woman the benefit of reveling in her discomfort.

"So you've come to play with us, toy?" The woman's soft voice whispered in Mel's ear from her position behind her. "I like new toys." The warm hands ventured downward until they were on her hips, the fingers dipping close to her flesh so that they went under the fabric of her panties along her sides. Continuing their downward movement, the fingers pulled Melanie's panties down with them. When the panties were partially on her thighs, the hands came back up to feel her bare ass.

"Over there, slave!" the woman growled, startling Melanie. "Present it to me." The woman's hand came up and an extended index finger pointed to a spot on the floor in front of her.

There was none of the previous affection in her voice now. Something told Mel that the woman had switched gears from loving Mistress to stern Dominatrix. As if to confirm this assessment, the woman pulled back on the bra strap crossing Melanie's back and then released it, snapping the elastic against her back. The air behind her got cooler for a moment as the woman left her, and then she felt something cold and hard against her flesh. Seconds later she heard a 'snip' and her bra slackened. Two more snips over her shoulders and her bra fell away completely. Two snips at the sides of her thighs and her panties fell away. Melanie could feel the hot flush of her face in the cool air of the room as she looked down to see her nakedness. If it hadn't been real enough for her before, it certainly was now!

The woman had removed her last bits of clothing in a matter of seconds leaving her completely naked. During those few seconds, Emelia had come around in front of her and was now kneeling on the floor with the flogger resting across her upturned palms. Her hands, which formed a perfectly flat 'table', were raised so they were a little higher than her bowed head. Melanie guessed this was how she had been trained to 'present' the flogger to her Mistress.

There was no denying that she was very, very, nervous about what was in store for her, but there was a portion of her mind that couldn't help soak in everything that her friend was doing; things she had been trained to do. Also noticeable now was the source of the jingling she had heard earlier. Emelia's 'pet' collar had been replaced with a worn brown leather collar with a small silver bell hanging from the d-ring in front. It tinkled when she moved, but it was presently silent.

"Well, let's have a look at the toy my slave has brought me," the woman said as she came around to view Melanie from the front. "Ooo, very nice."

Melanie was thinking the very same thing as she got her first view of Emelia's mistress. The woman was about the same height as her, just under six feet tall, but her muscle tone was much tighter in all the right places. The jet black spandex leggings she wore showcased her long slender legs from the tops of her high-heeled half boots to her waist. Above that, a black sleeveless halter top clung to her upper torso, revealing an ample bosom and well toned shoulders and arms. A black half mask covered her face from the tip of her nose to where her long curly red hair covered her head. The green eyes that looked at Melanie through the oval holes in the mask were beautiful. Even with the mask covering half her face, Melanie could see her beauty would easily match that of her eyes.

The room was quiet as the two women assessed each other. Finally, the woman spoke, "I'm guessing you were expecting Master James?"

Melanie nodded.

The woman reached with both hands and took a hold of Melanie's exposed nipples. The pain was instant and severe, causing the bound woman to yelp through her gag.

"The gag does not prevent you from speaking, just from speaking clearly. You will address me as Miss when you speak to me. Understand?"

"Yeth mith!" Melanie said quickly through the gag, causing drool to spittle out from the edges of the large ball and drip down her chin. The woman still held Melanie's nipples between her fingers, but was not pinching them hard like she had been before. Melanie was stunned by how much pain the woman had inflicted so quickly.

"Do you know what the phrase 'mutually assured destruction' means, toy?" The woman released Melanie's nipples and massaged them lightly with her open palms and then hefted a breast in each hand, feeling their weight, while she watched for Mel's reaction to being handled.

The intensity of the woman's eyes was a little unnerving as they looked directly into Mel's eyes. Melanie was a fairly good judge of character and it was plain to see that this woman was in her element. She was supremely confident in her role as the Dominant. Her fingers returned to Melanie's nipples and the bound woman knew she must answer her question quickly...or else!

"Yeth mith." An attack prompts a counter-attack, resulting in the destruction of both. Melanie knew it usually referred to nuclear weapons, but the phrase could really be used for any conflict.

"I know who you are, toy. I know you are an intelligent woman and have already considered that since I'm not Master James you're more vulnerable than you had anticipated. You're hoping you can trust me not to expose your little fetish desires. But how can you be sure of that?" Her fingers released Melanie's nipples and traced lines around her areolas, tickling the nipples they surrounded into aroused stiffness.

"I'm a wealthy woman, toy. I have a career and am active socially, and yes, I have a secret kinky life. To tell you the truth, I don't enjoy hiding behind a mask, so if you're willing to trust me with your secrets, I'm willing to trust you with mine."

The woman reached up and pulled the half-mask up and over the top of her head, dropping it to the floor beside her.

"You would have little difficulty discovering my identity, and you already have an idea of where this house is. You're here because I trust my slave more than anyone in the world, and know she wouldn't do anything to harm me. That trust is being extended to you." Her fingers returned to Melanie's nipples and the pinch became harder and harder until Melanie began to try and avoid the grip. "If you betray that trust I will destroy you. Do you understand?"

"YETH!! YETH MITH!!" Oh god!! Mel twisted and bucked but the vise-like fingers followed her every movement.

Satisfied that her new toy would honor their treaty, the Domme released Mel's tortured nipples.

"Thank you, dear," the woman said as she took the flogger off of Emelia's hands. "Go prepare my dinner."

"Yes, Mistress," Emelia responded and immediately rose to her feet and scampered up the stairs to the main level.

With the flogger in her hand, the Mistress moved in to stand close to Melanie. One hand slid around to her back to hold her around the waist. The other hand directed the end of the flogger up to Melanie's chin and pressed upward. The leather strands of the flogger drooped downward to brush against the tops of the bound woman's breasts.

"It's just us now, toy," the woman said, watching Melanie's eyes as the bound woman scanned the room she was bound in. "I'll ask this once and only once, do you still wish to continue?"

This was her 'out' if she needed one, and Melanie had to focus her thoughts to block out all of the things she had seen and heard in the past several minutes so that she could analyze the question. The person holding the whip was not James. But did that matter? Not really. Did it matter if she was whipped by a man or a woman? No. She didn't know this woman, but Emelia knew her quite well. Even though she was surprised by how everything had suddenly changed, the thought of backing out hadn't really crossed her mind. Being given a choice didn't change that now. This might be her only chance to fulfill a fantasy she'd been dreaming of for a very long time.

"Yeth Mith, ah oo."

"You do?" The flogger was removed from under Mel's chin. "That makes me very happy." The woman stood back and held the flogger handle in one hand and the long leather strands in the other, stretching them out. "I'd like you to shake your head back and forth for me."

Melanie shook her head back and forth and stopped.

"Not good enough. This is your signal that you want to stop. Imagine the pain is too much and you need to tell me. It's urgent! Now shake your head! Yell for me to stop!"

This time Melanie shook her head violently back and forth while yelling, "OPP! OPP!" through the ball gag.

"Much better. If you do that, the session is over. But you're not going to need that are you? You're not going to make me stop because this is what you want, isn't it?"

"Eh ith," Mel said as she nodded her head.

"Of course it is."

The long strands of the flogger began to sway back and forth as the Domme seemed to be surveying the body held in place between the upright poles. There was a look in her eyes; a sort of hungry look mixed with a sense of contemplation that made Melanie feel as though she was eager to start but planning out in her mind exactly how she was going to go about it. Melanie's eyes followed the woman, her Miss, until she walked around behind her and out of sight.

Seconds later she felt the tips of the strands brushing against her buttocks. The strands were being rotated vertically so that they were striking her ass from the top down. From watching a gazillion BDSM videos, Melanie could picture the Domme's wrists rotating and the strands of the flogger swishing around in a circle. The tickling sensation that the tips of the strands produced soon began to sting as more and more of the leather made contact with her fleshy buttocks. It seemed as though the woman was easing in on her target.

The rotation continued for a few moments and then Melanie yelped as a harsh lash was delivered horizontally across her ass, striking from the side. That had caught her totally off guard, but she somewhat anticipated the matching lash to her other side. The rotational swats resumed with the landing of the leather becoming increasingly harder and harder, and the cross blows coming more frequently. The sounds of the leather striking Melanie's exposed ass began to fill the room, and as the intensity of the strokes increased those sounds were mixed with her grunts.

Just as she had tried to conceal her panic earlier, she was now trying to suppress any expression of pain. This effort was becoming increasingly difficult as the leather strands repeatedly struck her naked ass. It didn't take long for the pain to exceed anything that Emelia had inflicted on her in college, but she was certain that Emelia had withstood far worse and that helped her put up a brave front. Melanie gripped the chain over head and steeled herself against the fear that was growing with each painful lash from the whip. Was it too much already? Should she shake her head? NO!! Someone deep inside of her yelled out. You're not there yet. Hold on a little longer.

SMACK! SMACK! The leather strands whacked her ass even harder, causing a frantic yelp to escape the gag. As the minutes passed and the flogging continued, tears welled up in her eyes and she tried to blink them away. Her breathing was heavy and saliva spurted out from around the ball gag. Earlier she may have been aware of this and attempted to avoid dribbling spittle, but now her only thoughts were of catching a full breath regardless of how much saliva oozed out and down her chin. She knew she was a sweaty mess at this point and somehow that thought caused her to drift back to her fantasies.

It wasn't exactly a conscious decision she had made to block out the pain and the fear, those just seemed to fade into the background as her head drooped down. She saw her naked breasts, jiggling slightly with each stroke of the whip, and the sheen of perspiration on her flesh. Another string of drool dripped off her chin and barely brushed her breast as it fell to the floor. She admired the cuffs around her ankles and the way the short chains secured her legs to the upright poles. It was amazing to her how quiet the room had gotten...and warm, too. She felt very warm, but mostly warm between her legs. It was the same feeling she got after she had been fingering herself for awhile. What a nice warm feeling that was...

"Toy...."

The air around her had gotten a little warmer, and there was a shadow forming beside her.

"Toy, look up at me."

It was her Miss, speaking to her. Melanie sucked in a gurgled breath and lifted her head to see Amelia's mistress standing next to her. It took a moment to focus on her lovely face. How long had she been there? When had she stopped flogging her? Was it over? The woman was standing in front of her now, holding her, and Melanie let her head roll to the side a little so that it rested on the woman's bare shoulder. Her Miss' hands were on her back, and she felt so secure in that embrace. It felt wonderful, and safe.

"Let's get this off you, my little toy," Melanie heard the softly spoken words, and then felt some tugging behind her head.

"Okay, here we go," her Miss said as she pulled the straps of the gag forward and eased the ball out of her mouth. A flood of saliva followed the ball and spilled out over her chin.

"We don't want any red marks in the corners of your lips tomorrow, do we? That might be embarrassing. It's better that you don't wear the gag for too long." The Domme took a small towel and wiped the wetness from Melanie's cheeks and chin.

Melanie licked her lips and worked her jaw a little, surprised at how sore her jaw was when she moved it. She hadn't even considered that the straps of the gag would leave red marks on her lips and cheeks, and was grateful that her Miss was thinking of those things. Her earlier thoughts that Emelia was living her life just as she always wanted returned. For someone as submissive as her friend, this woman would be a dream come true. What stroke of good fortune had brought the two of them together? However it happened, she was so happy that it had.

Her Miss stood and held her for a few more minutes and the dreamy state that she had been in seemed to pass. Had she passed out? She didn't think so. Lifting her head, Melanie looked at the woman that had just beat her.

"Are you with me again, Toy?"

It was impossible not to smile now as Melanie answered, "Yes, Miss. I'm with you."

"Good girl." The red-head stepped closer and her hand dropped down to cup Melanie's crotch. When a finger sank between her fleshy folds, Melanie jumped a little but then calmed herself.

"Mmmm, that's what I thought." A second finger joined the first and they proceeded to sink in a little deeper. "Keep your eyes open, Toy. Look at me, there you go. Good girl."

Warmth in her cheeks told Melanie that she was blushing furiously as the woman stroked her sex with her fingers. It was embarrassing for her body to be announcing her arousal so blatantly, but in her present condition of confinement there was nothing she could do to stop the woman from doing as she pleased. The more the fingers probed her, the more Melanie became convinced that it pleased her Miss to arouse her even more. In fact, if she didn't stop soon she was going to cum all over her fingers! Her mind was fully alert now as her arousal grew and grew. Her heart beat wildly as the reality of what was happening to her flashed through her consciousness. She was naked and bound in a stranger's fucking dungeon. She had just been flogged, she would say - harshly, and now her captor was finger fucking her and there was nothing she could do to prevent her, other than shake her head and yell 'stop'!

But she was not going to do that.

The woman continued to stroke pussy with her fingers and when those fingers grazed over her clit, Mel moaned involuntarily. As if that had been a sign the woman was waiting for, she withdrew. Melanie finally broke eye contact with the Domme as she looked over to see her hand reaching for the flogger that hung on a small hook on the pole next to her. Having been totally relaxed, and very aroused, Melanie felt a pang of anxiety as she realized that the flogging was not over.

Their eyes met again as the Domme said, "Having your ass whipped is one thing, but you don't know what helpless is until the leather is directed at more intimate regions."

Melanie watched as the woman's arm went up, flogger in hand, and then arced downward until the leather strips struck her crotch. It was not a hard stroke, but in such a sensitive area it was still a jolt! The woman's green eyes sparkled as she watched Melanie's reaction. Another stroke, a little harder this time, smacked against the wet flesh between Melanie's legs. The sensation of the leather felt as though the strands were striking deep inside her pussy, but then she realized that the Domme's caresses had most likely exposed her inner tender flesh to the flogger. This was quite devious, and Melanie admired the woman for playing on her lust to disguise her true intentions.

The third and fourth stokes made the bound woman shrink back in an attempt to avoid the fifth. The Domme's free hand was behind her, though, pushing her forward as the fifth stroke was administered.

"Oww!" Melanie cried out. "Oh fuck!" Another hard smack made her buck against her bonds, her bound hands pulling against the chain they were clipped to. There was nowhere for her to go as the flogger swept in again. "Owww!" Swat! "Owww!" Swat! "Damn!" Melanie tried not to comment after every stroke of the leather thongs but couldn't stop herself. It really hurt!

When the Domme's arm came up again Melanie cried out, "No more, please! No more!" But the flogger struck again with more intensity than before.

Tears flowed freely down Mel's cheeks as she struggled to avoid the flogger. "Please..." her voice trembled.

As the flogger was raised again the Domme asked, "You remember what you have to do to end this, don't you?"

Shake my head and yell stop. She remembered. But while her instincts were to cry out for the abuse to stop, the lust for more was overpowering those instincts. She did not want it to stop. Not yet. She hadn't arrived at the place she needed to go.

"Don't stop!" Melanie moaned, "Please...don't..."

The tortured woman looked down to see the Domme on one knee in front of her. "Push your hips outward, toy!" she growled. "Present that pussy to me and I will continue, otherwise, we're done!"

Melanie quickly pushed her hips out towards the kneeling woman. We...are...not...done!

No sooner had she pushed her pelvis forward than the woman released the strands of the flogger that she had been pulling back on. The result was that the leather strips flew forward with blistering speed, thwacking solidly against Melanie's pubic mound.

"Owww!!" she cried out in pain.

"Again!" the Domme commanded.

Fuck! Is she crazy?! Mel saw the woman, still kneeling, pulling back on the flogger, stretching the leather and getting ready to deliver the next lash.

"Do it! And stay there this time!"

It was an order Mel knew she had to obey or else her time with the Domme would be over. As it was, she reasoned that the woman's time was limited and that Emelia might come back at any moment to announce that her dinner was ready. This opportunity was too valuable to squander, so she pushed her pelvis forward as ordered.

The pain was as instant as it was intense, yet she didn't budge. One, two, three, damn! The fourth stroke really hurt!! Five, six. The red head stood and hung the flogger back on it's hook on the pole, and then stood close to Melanie; one arm behind her and the other in front.

"I'm quite impressed, toy," she said as she fondled Melanie's breasts and smeared a mixture of saliva and sweat over them. Her nipples were stiff and the woman's fingers flicked them as they brushed against them.

Not knowing if she was suppose to reply or not, Melanie kept quiet. In some stories she had read the slaves were only to speak when told to do so, like when asked a question. Others allowed the slave to respond with 'Thank you' or similar forms of gratitude. A common thread connecting them all was that, if done wrong, the Master or Mistress would be happy to correct the behavior. Since Emelia's Mistress was still amusing herself with her breasts and nipples, it could be assumed her silence was okay.

Having thoroughly coated her helpless victim's breasts in her own fluids, the Domme step over to a wire rack on the wall and selected a different flogger. The new whip was much lighter and the flails were shorter and thinner than what she had used before.

"Try not to move, dear," the woman said as she began to flick the strands towards Melanie's breasts. When they finally made contact the flails stung, but didn't cause a lot of pain.

"Is that okay?" the Domme asked.

"Yes, Miss," Mel replied. "You could go a little harder, I think." The pain was not that great yet.

The woman continued to deliver light, stinging, swats to her breasts, making the fleshy orbs bounce slightly with each stroke.

Without breaking her concentration, the woman said, "I may not be able to fulfill your fantasies, toy." The tips of the flogger strands brushed even more lightly across Melanie's aroused nipples before returning to the fleshy meat of her breasts. "I find fantasy to be more extreme than what can safely be done in reality. Do you understand this?"

That was a somewhat sobering thought, but one that was hard to disagree with. It was very reassuring to have this pointed out by the person holding the whip, though!

"Yes, Miss, I understand."

"Good girl."

The next four quick strokes caught Mel completely by surprise as the strands struck with increased severity. The woman grinned as she lowered the flogger and walked around behind her. A sound in the room caught Melanie's attention and she realized Emelia had returned. There was some whispering, and then Emelia came around in front of Melanie, cautiously checking her out. When it was apparent that her friend was holding up okay, Emelia's look of concern was replaced by a smile. She stepped up to Melanie and hugged her for a second before lifting her hands so that they held onto the back of her friend's shoulders.

The reason for placing her hands and arms off to the side became clear when Melanie felt the tips of the flogger striking her upper back. The flails seemed to be brushing against her in a rotational pattern as before, and then Emelia looked into Melanie's eyes and whispered, "Here you go, sweetie."

Here I go? The question was about to leave her lips when the flails struck her back.

"Oww!! Oh shit!" The strike took her breath away. The second one made her grunt because she still hadn't inhaled.

"It's rubber, sweetie," Emelia said into her ear as she held her even tighter. "It's going to sting a lot more."

The blows were landing on the same spot on her back, two or three inches to the left of her spine. The accuracy of the strikes was notable as each one fell on the same spot, increasing the sensitivity of that spot with each lash. Melanie gripped the chain overhead and felt her friend's nakedness pressed against her and her arms holding her tightly. The lashes began falling on the right side of her back, resulting in a fresh blast of agony. After several hard lashes the Domme began alternating the strikes between the two sides, which Melanie could only imagine how red her back was becoming.

To keep her toy off guard, the red haired Domme delivered several hard lashes to her exposed ass, causing her target to jump and screech. Returning to her back, the rubber strands continued to land in a rhythmic pattern which elicited sounds from groans to squeals. She glanced occasionally at her slave, and finally received a nod. Tossing her flogger towards a nearby table she advanced on the naked women and pressed up against Melanie's backside, sandwiching the bound woman between herself and Emelia.

Leaning to the left to see around Mel's upraised arms, the Domme's lips met her slave's in a passionate kiss. Breaking off the kiss, her lips pressed against the back of Melanie's neck, and kissed her several times there.

"Use my slave how ever you wish tonight, toy," she whispered into Mel's ear.

Melanie was still recovering from the blistering attack she had just experienced and hadn't yet formed a response when she sensed that the Domme had already departed.

"Let's get you down and into a bath, sweetie," Emelia said as she gave her friend one last hug. Reaching up, she fumbled with the clip between Mel's cuffs until she was able to work the release mechanism.

"Hold onto the posts while I release your ankles."

With her wrists free at last, Melanie felt the tingling that came with restored blood flow. She shook one hand and then the other, careful to be holding on with at least one hand. She felt wobbly on her feet, and her back and ass felt as though they were sunburned. When her ankles were finally released, Mel allowed Emelia to guide her down a hallway and into an small elevator.

"Who can walk up stairs after a workout like that?" Emelia asked, her smile lighting up the dim elevator car. She pressed a button and the door closed behind them.