I slowly closed the door, hand resting on the wood as my brain ran in circles. I didn’t turn around as the girl obediently sank onto her haunches and crawled past me, or as David made a noise of surprise through his gag, just stood there, staring into the middle distance.

Plan Eliza. You need a plan.

It’s what we’re good at, doms. We have a plan, everything is organised down to the last degree. For so many doms, that leaves them dead in the water if the plan, as it inevitable does, goes off kilter. Good doms have a back-up plan. Spectacular doms can improvise. Time to work out which I am. I straightened my shirt and pulled on my game face, then turned on my heel.

The girl was knelt next to David, the look of terrified excitement on her face not hidden as well as she thought. I hoped that I was doing better as I strode towards her, surveying her. She was gorgeous, with a heart-shaped face, dotted with golden freckles, huge green/brown eyes with golden eyelashes and scarlet arching eyebrows. Her body was just as pleasing, slightly pear-shaped, with petite apple-sized breasts, a trim waist, large hips and I betted that there was a nice butt back there too. She had pale, creamy skin with sparkling golden freckles that continued all the way over her body, and she almost seemed to glow next to David.

“Well, you clearly need whipping into shape,” I snapped. “Call that a slave position? Sit up, shoulders back, knees splayed,” I knocked her knees apart with the toe of my boot. “And, if you’re not restrained, hands laced behind your head.”

To my amusement, I saw David adjust himself and had to hide a smile. The girl scrambled to obey, lacing her fingers behind her head, adjusting her posture.

“I don’t know your name,” I held up a finger as she opened her mouth to reply. “That wasn’t an invitation to speak.”

I picked up a riding crop from the side table and swished it absentmindedly through to make it whistle impressively.

“Now, this is a lesson that my slave has already learned,” I remarked coolly. “And one you need to learn fast, or prepare to receive more careful instruction. A lack of gag is not permission to speak. Isn’t that right Davey?”

David gave a nervous nod and I returned my attention to the girl.

“Like I said, I don’t know your name,” I continued calmly. “So, I’m going to give you one. From now on, for as long as you’re with me, your name is Red. What is your name slave?”

The girl swallowed.

“Red.”

She yelped as the crop slapped against her thigh.

“Care to guess what your mistake was Slave?” I smiled as Red mutely shook her head. “I’m amazed Mistress Caitlin didn’t tell you this one. You will always address me as Mistress. More often than not it will be the first and last word out of your mouth. Do you understand?”

“Mistress, yes Mistress,” Red said with a slight smirk, then yelped as I slapped her with the crop again, this time hitting the side of her breast.

“Cut the sass,” I ordered coolly. “Smartarsery is a one way ticket to pain.”

In the corner of my eye, I saw David nod slightly and smacked his upper arm with my crop. David squeaked and returned to an upright position, head facing front.

“So, Slave, what is your name?”

“Red, Mistress.”

“Better,” I smiled. “Now Red. I’m going to step into the next room to make a phone call. When I come back, if you’re not here, I will be disappointed, but unsurprised. I will not mention it to Mistress Caitlin, no harm, no foul. If you’re still here though then I will count it as you ticking the little box saying you accept all the terms and conditions. You become my slave for the day, and you have chosen to play the game, with all that entails, no backing out, no second chances. Am I clear?”

“Perfectly Mistress.”

“Excellent,” I glanced at David. “In case you were wondering, you don’t get that option. If you sneak off on me, I will hire Mistress Caitlin to hunt you down and flay you alive.”

I gave an evil laugh as David shuddered and sauntered out of the room on my heels, keeping my ears pricked for the sounds of the door opening. I made it to the phone by the bed and dialled reception.

“Mistress Eliza, how can we help?”

“Is Playroom Monkey 3 available?” I asked, toying with the phone cable.

“I’m afraid not Mistress, but I can open Monkey 1 for you?”

I tugged absently on the phone cable, mulling it over.

“That… could work,” I said after a moment. “Please do.”

“You are aware that you require 2 slaves for Monkey 1 room?” The receptionist asked.

“Perfectly,” I said with a small smirk. “Could you have some gear ready as well as the key for a bondcon chastity belt?”

I thought that I detected a matching smirk as the receptionist replied.

“Certainly mistress.”

I hung up, that smirk still lingering on my lips. I turned on my heel and paused to pick up two leads from the chest at the bottom of the bed. I trotted out to where the two subs were still sitting, unmistakable nervously excited looks on their faces. Clicking leads to each of their collars, I released the straps holding Davey in a frogtie, then gave a gentle tug to invite them to their feet. I casually led them down the hall and called the lift, but as I did I slipped my bondcon bracelet off my wrist. Inside the lift, underneath the rows of buttons was what looked like a coin slot and I slid one side of the handcuffs into it. The lights behind the buttons all went out, apart from the one marked ‘P’. Normally, this would take you to the car park beneath the hotel, but now… I pushed and held the button. David looked at me nervously and I winked.

“I haven’t done this before,” I admitted with a grin. “This is going to be fuuuuuun.”

From the terrified look in David’s eyes, he didn’t agree with my assessment. The lift didn’t stop at any of the other floors, plunging us deep down into the basements of the hotel. When the doors opened, it led us into the exact duplicate of the lobby upstairs, the same deep purple plush carpet, same dark mahogany furniture and heavy plum drapes… except all pretences had been dropped. The guy behind the reception desk was wearing the same uniform as all the other bondcon staff… only it was made out of leather and rubber. The lobby seats had been replaced with leather and latex couches and bondage horses, and while most of the clientele were still in sharp business suits, more of them were attired in David and Red’s style of outfit.

I sashayed up to the reception desk. The receptionist was drop dead gorgeous, probably Italian with dusky skin, slightly curling brunette hair and deep brown eyes… only problem was that he was very aware of how good he looked. I do like a bit of vanity in a man, but I also like to beat it out of them. He gave me a flash of his brilliant white teeth. I held my wrist out to him, along with the bracelet. It was hard enough to do up with both hands free, let alone while towing 2 goggling slaves.

“Do me up,” I commanded.

“Certainly ma’am.”

He immediately leant forwards and replaced my bracelet, taking care not to pull it too tight.

“Mistress Eliza,” He bowed politely to me. “The Monkey Suites are to the left, here’s your key.”

He held out a key. Attached to the normal-looking room key was a heavy pewter statue of a monkey, his hands clamped firmly over his eyes.

“Can I bring you some drinks?” The Receptionist asked.

I paused, thinking about it.

“Right, listen to me closely,” I ordered, flicking my hair back. “Get a gin balloon, put a handful of ice into that. One shot vodka, one shot midori, splash of orange juice – the smooth kind, then add Sprite to roughly half-fill the glass. Think you can manage that?”

The receptionist quickly scribbled it down.

“Certainly ma’am.”

“Excellent. Oh, and be sure to have it prepared after I’m finished prepping my subs, I don’t want to find a watery mess of a cocktail waiting for me,” I commanded regally, twirling the key between my fingers. “Thank you darling. Red, close your mouth.”

Red jumped from where she had been thoroughly checking out the receptionist and blushed as red as her hair. She tripped hastily after me as I sauntered across to the left of the desk, nodding to a pair of guys were swinging around on a suspension rig with all the meanings of gay abandon. Tucking both of the leads into my belt, I slid the monkey key into the door of Suite one. It was a set of big wooden double doors and I pushed these open at the same time, absurdly feeling a bit like Aragorn from Lord of the Rings.

We entered a small ante-chamber, easily 24 foot wide, but no more than a couple of feet deep, with 2 doors. It was dressed up like the lobby, with deep purple carpet and purple and silver wallpaper in a large repeating pattern, a row of wooden wardrobes on one wall in the same heavy dark furniture, and well worn antique furniture, a chesterfield sofa, 2 dark brown leather wingback chairs, and a glass-topped coffee table, underneath which were an array of vintage toys. I hooked the loops of both of their leads over one of the arms of the hatstand inside of the door. It was a beautifully shaped thing, vaguely art nouveau in it’s style, but I thought it was probably made to order. Especially given the way it was bolted to the floor.

I locked the double doors with the monkey key and tucked it away in my waistband for later, then turned to face my expectant subs. Red was looking around interestedly, David, however, was watching me, very closely. I grinned at him, and he shuffled nervously. I would have bet my butt that underneath his hood, he was blushing.

“Something more interesting than me over there Red?” I asked archly.

“Oh, no Mistress,” Red snapped back to look at me quickly.

I raised my eyebrow and she licked her lips nervously, and then blurted out;

“Mistress, where do those doors go?”

I grinned, following her gaze. In the far long wall were 2 doors. One, the furthest away, was wooden with a brass door knob, an ornate pattern engraved in the wood, stained deepest, darkest brown. The other was sheet metal. It wouldn’t have looked out of place in an air-raid bunker or a bank vault, with hidden hinges, big lock with sliding bolts at the top and the bottom and, despite the shine on the metal surface, the dints and scratches on the surface.

“Beyond those doors is a game. To beat it, you will have to co-operate, which will teach both of you a valuable lesson, and provide me with a hell of a lot of entertainment.”

I looked at the pair of them, then looked back at David, taking in every inch of his red catsuit, white rope harness, white collar, red Gwendoline hood, pushed out slightly by the ballgag securely buckled into his mouth, and those big concerned green eyes.

“Speaking of working together David, I think it’s time we levelled the playing field.”

He looked terrified, and that just made my smile broaden. I made a twirling motion with my index finger and he, slowly, reluctantly, turned his back to me. I unlocked his collar enough so I could pull the neck of the catsuit out from under the hood and partially unzipped it, before locking it back up tightly over his hood. I unpicked the knot holding his bondage harness together and unravelled it, then did the same for the ropes holding his arms in the box tie behind him.

“And back,” I commanded calmly and David nervously turned back towards me.

I leant down and unlocked his heeled boots, then stepped back.

“Red’s shown you hers Slave, now it’s time for you to show her yours,” I stated.

David’s eyes widened, clearly horrified and I gave him a cold glare.

“That wasn’t a suggestion, slave,” I tapped the top of his head. “Hood stays.”

David looked nervously at Red, who, to her credit, gave him an encouraging smile. He reached back and slowly started to slide the zip down his back. It wasn’t easy to peel yourself out of a rubber catsuit, especially after wearing it for a long day, but he bravely persevered. He looked nervously at me and I nodded, and he continued shedding the top half before realising that he needed to undo his boots. I could see the look of panic and embarrassment on his face.

“Can I get those for him Mistress?” Red asked.

I glanced at Red, then back at David, and then grinned at the brilliant red he was flushing beneath his hood. I grinned despite myself.

“Yes, why not,” I said calmly. “Thank the nice lady slave.”

David gave a muffled thank you which made me internally squee. Red knelt down in front of David and started to calmly unlace his boots. He looked down at her, then up at me, wide eyed and I gave him a small smile behind Red’s back.

“It’s okay slave,” I said reassuringly.

He locked eyes with me and I met them steadily. I think I understood; it was freaking him out that there was some-one else in play, that it wasn’t just me and him, a pair of bondage freaks in a dungeon. Now I was dealing other freaks in, and switching things up – changing the normal again. Red patted his still rubber-clad leg.

“Okay, all done,” She said chirpily.

David jumped, and then stepped out of the boots, and then slipped his hands under the catsuit again. He’d worked his red second skin down as far as his waist, and now he hesitated. He looked up at me and I folded my arms, tapping my foot.

“Come on,” I said warningly. “Get on with it, or I’ll go over there and do it, and trust me, you won’t like it if I do it.”

David still hesitated. I tilted my head on one side.

“Come on,” I coaxed. “Let’s see that gorgeous body of yours.”

He slowly started to inch the rubber down over his hips, and then hesitated, looking at me again, just before exposing his groin, and the cage still tightly locked around his dick. I nodded and he took a deep breath and inched it over the rest of his lower torso.

“Good boy,” I purred. “Such a good boy. Well done. Now, keep going.”

He nodded and started to drag the sticky material off his legs. Red, very wisely, was keeping quiet through this, although I noticed she was paying close attention. I gave her a sharp tap with the side of my foot.

“Keep those eyes in your head,” I said sharply. “You getting above your station is what landed you in this mess, remember?”

Red instantly dropped her gaze and I saw David give me a small grateful look. Eventually he stood, naked except for his cock cage before us. He went to cover himself, then froze at my raised eyebrow and slight shake of the head. He was a good looking boy, my boy. Still lightly tanned, skinny, but a nice shape, tidy waist, long legs… he was skinny, I supposed, but not so skinny he seemed fragile, or Jack Skellington-like – there was enough muscle and fat there to make him such a tidy morsel. I gave David a glowing smile and saw him straighten up, just a little bit.

“What do you think of my boy Red?” I asked, still smiling at him.

“He’s okay, MIstress,” Red said mildly.

I stalked around her to glare at her.

“Okay?” I demanded. “Okay? I think we can do better than that!”

Red shrugged.

“I just like my men more muscled is all,” Red said with a shrug. “Mistress.”

I scowled at her, grabbing her by the collar imperiously.

“I didn't kidnap him for you,” I snapped. “And you didn’t seem to care all that much when you were trying to take him off me earlier, now did you? Apologise to Davey. Now.”

I yanked her sharply forwards so she was on her hands and knees infront of David. She looked up at him, then at me, then back at him.

“Sorry,” She said quietly. “I didn’t mean to be mean. You’ve got really nice legs.”

David blushed even brighter under the hood and I rolled my eyes.

“That’s enough of that…”

I grabbed Red by the shoulders, pulling her to her feet. Surprised, I grabbed her upper arms and slammed her against the wall. She froze in surprise as I pressed my lips hard against hers. She moaned softly and I converted my hold, grabbing both of her wrists in one of my hands, holding them above her head as I ran my hands over the straps of her harness, weighing one of her breasts in my hand and gently running my thumb over the sensitive skin of her areola. At the sharp intake of breath she gave as I did, I felt a surge of triumph. Called it, she was definitely into nipple-play. I pulled sharply back, and was surprised to see that she stayed upright.

“Are you gay, Red? Or Bi?”

“Pan, mistress.”

“How inclusive of you,” I said with a smirk. “But it does make you much easier to distract.”

Red looked up and tugged on her arms. What had initially looked like an intricate piece of wall décor was now snapped around her wrists, forming a pair of tight cuffs. I grinned, pausing to admire her, then stepped forwards to unbuckle the leather harness around her, leaving her totally naked apart from that metal and leather chastity belt. Red caught my gaze, and gave a little… kind of shimmy, swaying those full hips and tidy waist, showing herself off to me. From behind me I heard a soft… sigh from David. I grinned at her, and then turned to a wardrobe on one side of the room, and opened it, surveying the contents, pulling out a few other accoutrements.

“What about you, mistress?” Red asked after a moment.

“Oh, I’m old school,” I replied. “Bi – I slightly prefer boys, but there is just something about the female form…”

“Every-one likes boobs,” Red said sagely.

I leant around the door, raising an eyebrow and she squeaked.

“Mistress!” she said quickly. “Every-one likes boobs mistress.”

I piled the items ontop of each other and set them down calmly on one of the leather wingback chairs.

“That’s it,” I said with a smirk. “You clearly can’t be trusted with control of your own mouth.”

I slipped a ring gag into her jaw and buckled it tightly off behind her head. She squirmed slightly, testing the gag, cautiously poking her tongue through it. I grinned, then pressed my finger to my lips.

“Shhhh,” I told her. “While I wrap Davey back up.”

I turned and beckoned to David and had to fight back a laugh at the eagerness he displayed in practically running over to me, as much as his lead would allow. I picked up a midnight purple catsuit and gave it a delicate flick.

“Let’s try this on for size.”

Getting David into the suit was a lot easier than getting him out of the other one, even if he did jump a little bit as something cold touched various places (including his nipples) from the inside of the suit. He frowned at me, but I just grinned mysteriously, zipping the suit up firmly and tucking it under his collar. It might have seemed a bit pointless for him, swapping a red catsuit for a purple one, but he didn’t know what I knew. As far as he was concerned, the only difference was that this suit left his hands uncovered. Unclipping his lead from his collar I pointed to the back of the chesterfield sofa.

“Hands on the back Slave, and lean forwards,” I commanded.

David looked hesitantly at me, then obediently complied, leaving his butt very available for me. Sliding the opening over his butt open, I removed the security plug. David gave a muffled moan as it was removed, swiftly followed by another moan as it was swiftly replaced with a long, thin, curved probe that brushed nicely against his prostate. He gave a soft whimper, shivering slightly as it moved against him, and I grinned. Careful to block Red’s sight of his butt with my body, I took a wire from the inside of the catsuit, and plugged it into the vibrator. I sealed the opening calmly and then picked up a blindfold from the chair, buckling it tightly around his eyes.

“Right then Slave…” I guided him so he was infront of the sofa. “Sit down.”

David slowly sank onto the sofa, whimpering again as the probe shifted inside him. I guided him to lie down on the sofa, then picked up a set of straps, cinching them around his chest and upper arms, waist and lower arms, hips and wrists, and then his thighs, shins, and finally his ankles. Stopping to tug on each strap to make sure that they were secure, but not too tight, I admired my strapped up slave, then sighed. Back to work.

“Lie there,” I commanded. “I’ll be back for you in a second.”

I picked up the second catsuit and a purple key from the pile on the chair, I turned back to Red. In her excitement, she had managed to drool all over herself through her ring gag, and her wrists were faintly red from pulling on the restraints. I sighed and pulled a handkerchief from my sleeve, carefully wiping the drool off her front, taking special care over her breasts.

“You just had to make a mess of yourself…” I tutted, and then tucked the handkerchief into her mouth through the gag. “Hold onto that for a second, would you?”

She squirmed in place and I paused to admire her lithe form. I slipped the catsuit’s feet over hers, slowly working them up to her knees, then paused, running my hands over her calves.

“Mhmmm,” I murmured. “I can’t wait to see what you look like in heels Red.”

I took the key and slipped it into the front of her shiny chastity belt and it gave an obedient click and popped open. Red’s eyes widened as I eased it away. Fear… and excitement.

“Oh yeah sweetheart,” I murmured, raising my wrist to show her the bracelet. “I’m a platinum member of bondcon. I get an all access pass. And I mean – all access.”

I gave her butt a sharp smack as I spoke, working the catsuit up her nicely chunky thighs, savouring every inch of her hips and waist. Don’t get me wrong, I loved every second of David’s body too, but there really was something different about female bodies, they were just so squishable.

“I think I need to get a permanent female slave…” I said thoughtfully. “Or maybe use one more. What do you think Red – fancy being my property more frequently?”

At her garbled defiant response I laughed and tweaked her nipple, getting a sharp gasp from her. I worked the suit up further, before unclipping one wrist to feed it into the suit. I didn’t anticipate a fight from her, but all the same, you had to treat every slave as reluctant. She did give a momentary struggle, but I think she wanted to know what it was like inside the suit more than she wanted to fight, and I soon had both arms in, had it zipped it firmly up and locked it up at the neck. I removed her collar and threw it over with the discarded red catsuit, before returning to the chair, setting some toys on the arm of the chesterfield, in easy reach, before picking up a pair of singing scarlet 6 inch heeled boots and a red latex underbust corset. Unseen by her, I tucked a pair of handcuffs into the top of my skirt, wishing I was wearing my jeans and still had goddamn pockets.

“We have to have some red in your outfit, after all,” I told her, slipping the boots onto her feet and lacing them up tightly. “I was right about your calves, I see.”

She wobbled slightly on the high heels, but rapidly got her balance. I locked the boots with tiny padlocks at the top, then attached the chain trailing from one heel to the other heel, locking that with another tiny padlock. I wrapped the corset around her waist. It was very loose, of course, I needed to get to her back to tighten it up, but I liked the look.

“Very nice Red,” I said approvingly. “I think we can move onto the next step…”

I reached up… and the wall cuffs released. She brought her arms down, only for me to grab her by the wrist and neatly twist them behind her. She gave a moan of surprise as I snapped a pair of handcuffs around her wrists, then marched her forwards and pressed her against the back of the sofa, bending her front over it, holding her in place with a knee in the small of her back. I heard the skirt rip slightly with these antics and sighed. Oh well…

“You know,” I said conversationally. “There are pulleys and winches in the next room designed for this, but what’s the fun in that when you can use makeshift stuff to your advantage?”

I picked up the toys I had left on the back of the sofa and slid the crotch in her suit open.

“Deep breaths sugar,” I murmured, lubing up the large dildo, although, going by the state of her slit, she was definitely moist enough without my help.

I ran the head of the phallus along the length of her vulva, feeling her shudder with pleasure at the pressure on her already swollen labia, then slipped it slowly, centimetre by centimetre until it was consumed by her, the flared base just standing proud. I took a wire from the inside of the suit and plugged it into the base of the dildo. I slipped a little plastic capsule in next to her clit and likewise plugged that in. I sealed that section of the opening in the suit and then picked up a weird looking cylinder and I grinned, giving it a slight shake. As I did, it rattled and clinked, like there were a number of tiny metallic objects inside.

Red gave a garbled noise and I grinned.

“What’s that?” I interpreted her question. “You’ll have to wait and see Red.”

I carefully slid this cylinder into the remaining orifice. Red whimpered, drooling onto David’s latex clad legs. I pushed it in as deep as it could go and sealed the remainder of the slit up. Giving her a moment to adjust, I picked up a pair of gloves up and slipped them on her too, locking them at the cuffs. They were gloves in the loosest possible sense, basically forcing her hands into flat dishes.

“Deep breaths Red,” I reminded her, before yanking hard on the laces on the back of her corset, using my knee to get more leverage.

She squealed under the pressure as I painstakingly cinched the laces tighter, and tighter and tighter until I was satisfied it was as tight as it could be. Breathing hard myself now, I let her up and sauntered back to the chair. Red skittered on her heels, breathing hard at all the unexpected stimulation inside her, making her breasts, suddenly so enhanced by the corset, bounce pleasingly as she was forced to breathe from the top of her chest.

“You’re a beautiful girl Red,” I told her, admiring my red and black beauty. “It’s just a shame you can’t see how gorgeous you are right now.” I sauntered back to the chair and picked up a hood and a posture collar. “Because you’re not going to be seeing much from now on. This is the part of the show where it becomes much less sensory for you…”

I paused right infront of her, watching her reaction closely.

“Bet you wish you’d taken the option to bail now, huh?” I asked with a small smile.

Red met my gaze and shook her head firmly. My eyebrows shot up and I grinned.

“Well, trust me sugar, by the time this is over, you will do.”

I slipped the hood over her head. It was a total sensory deprivation hood, complete with an inflatable butterfly gag that I slipped through the open ring-gag, but didn’t yet pump up. The next step was the posture collar. Tugging and lacing it and the hood tightly, I paused to listen. Her breathing was rapid and she was shaking, but there were no sounds of panic. Good. I stepped back to admire her. She did truly look a picture. The black latex suit clung to her curves, the bright red corset, collar and boots acting as a glorious contrast. I paused, then shrugged.

“What’s the point in being domme if you can’t enjoy yourself…”

I ran my hands over her, cupping her breasts, her butt, her waist, she did just look so perfect… I clipped her lead through the posture collar and gave an insistent tug, leading her through the wooden door and into the room beyond.



When I got back, David was still leading peaceably on the sofa, and he almost gave a protesting moan as I unbuckled the straps.

“On your feet soldier,” I murmured softly, hooking my finger through the loop on his collar to guide him up.

He stood up for me and I undid the blindfold, then unbuckled the ball gag. He shifted his jaw around, it giving an impressive click. As he turned back to look at me, opening his mouth to say something, I gently kissed him on the lips.

“Hey handsome,” I said with a small smile. “Ready to play?”

He looked at me nervously and I laughed.

“You can really tell the difference between the practiced and unpractised slave…” I remarked.

“I mean, of course I want to play whatever game…”

“David, shush,” I said with a smile, stroking my thumb across his cheek. “I’m not mad.”

He smiled shyly at me.

“I know, Mistress,” he said seriously.

“Good boy. Now,” I picked up the remaining hood. “Let’s get this on you.”

Compared to the normal hoods I had him wear, this was lightweight, a thin leather skin that left both his eyes and mouth uncovered and had spacious gaps for his nostrils, and I could see the disappointment in his eyes as I snugged it down.

“Goddamn hood junkie,” I muttered, grinning despite myself.

“Sorry mistress,” his eyes momentarily met mine and then flicked away.

“Hey,” I stepped closer and kissed him gently on the lips. “Don’t tell me it doesn’t have its advantages, eh?”

He ducked his head, blushing and I smiled, fussily checking the fastening and tightening it off, then looped my finger through his collar.

“Come on you.”

He followed me, meek as anything as I lead him across the room and beyond the metal door and pushed him into the chair in the centre of the room. It was a tiny room, maybe 3 metres square, the walls, floor and ceiling polished concrete. Asides from the leather and metal chair in the centre, it was completely devoid of furniture, and 3 doors led off it, one, the one we had just come through to the left of the chair, one dead infront of it, and another door, to the right, propped ajar. All of the doors, from this side, were unbroken sheet metal, no doorknobs, no openings, clearly unopenable from this side.

“Ready to play?” I asked him as he settled back in the chair.

He hesitated and I grinned.

“Yep, you can definitely tell the difference,” I said with a grin. “Red’s all like “Yes, bring it on” and you’re all “I want to know all the terms and conditions”. Glad to know I’m having an effect on you.”

I paused, feeling a slight flinch at the mention of Red and put the chair straps back down. Well. Time to address the elephant in the room. I leant over David, putting my hands on his shoulders and pressing him firmly back against the chair, sliding my knee in between his legs to lean over him.

“Look, David,” I said quietly. “This changes nothing.”

David looked at me.

“Mistress?”

“I know there are a lot of changes at the moment, I know the routine is getting shaken up, but I want you to know that it changes nothing. This is our game David, yours and mine, not Red’s or James’, not even Caitlin’s, it’s ours. Sure, they’re playing a part in it, but they’re props, David. They’re just an armbinder or a fancy new gag, they’re an aspect of the game, just an element. They’re a side-scrolling level in an FPS, or a random zombie DLC – they’re something to shake up the norm, but the main elements, we stay the same. We are the core, our little partnership. I know it’s a weird little partnership, where you do what I say and I beat you up, but…” I hesitated, running a hand over my hair. “I had this little speech planned and it’s going completely to pot, but I think the main part of it is this. I picked you for this game. I wanted you so badly that I kidnapped you. Not Red, not James, you. There were plenty of people I could have taken, plenty of people who would even have wanted to be part of this, but I chose you for my game. I might be dealing other people in right now, but never forget, I chose you.” I gave a little giggle. “You’re my charmander, okay?”

David squirmed, and then, to my utter surprise, looked up and flashed back a genuine little smile.

“I was always more of a bulbasaur fan…”

“Shut up. No-one’s a bulbasaur fan. Keep telling me these lies and I’ll beat you,” I warned him, gently tapping his nose, and then continued seriously. “I want you. I chose you. And I don’t regret it. I’m not trying to swap you out for some-one else David. This is our game, so shut that noggin down, and relax into it. This is for you as much as it is for me. Yes I like Red, she’s got a fantastic body, but…” I ran a hand down his chest. “I like my little Rocky Horror.”

“Mistress, you do realise that that movie didn’t end well…”

“This is our movie, we say how it ends,” I leant forwards and kissed him firmly. “Or, more importantly, I do, so suck it up.”

“Yes Mistress,” He said.

I nodded and then started strapping him into the chair. His hand slipped out and closed around my wrist. I paused, looking at him.

“Thanks Mistress,” He said quietly.

I smiled at him.

“You’re welcome.”

The straps on the chair were all searingly bright, the strap across his chest was a bright neon orange, the straps at his wrist were bright green, and the straps around his ankles were lurid pink. They gave a sharp snap as they closed and I tugged them tight. David looked down and frowned slightly as I popped up off the chair. It was a weird chair, chrome and black leather, and it wasn’t overtly bondagey. It just held the person securely in place. At the end of the arms was a set of 5 buttons, splayed so each could be accessed by a separate finger when some-one was secured into it.

“Okay, listen closely, I will say this only once,” I said with a grin. “Right hand fingers are pleasure, left fingers are pain. Index is nipple, middle is clit, fourth is vagina and fifth finger is all of the above. Thumbs allow you to toggle your view, right for forwards, left for back. I trust all that is clear?”

David gave me a panicked look and I grinned.

“Fabulous.”

I crouched down and discretely plugged a cable from the chair into a socket on his left ankle. When I straightened up, I brought a headset with me. It was a VR headset with a microphone attached, and I slid this over his head. He gave a sharp gasp as he saw the image of Red, sat in another room, tightly wrapped up and sat on a bondage horse. I grinned, picturing the scene myself.

“The rest of the buttons won’t come online until I finish the pre-amble,” I told him. “But feel free to cycle through the images. I’ll see you on the other side hun.”

I patted his thigh and slid through the ajar door and padded up the stairs beyond.  It opened into a glorious semi-circular viewing area. There was a huge glass dome projecting into the darkness of the room beyond, made of a geometric spiderweb of black metal and glass, beyond which, all was dark. In the middle of the room were 2 big comfy velvet chairs, big enough to curl up in, an ornate table stood between them. On the table was a bright green cocktail in a gin balloon. I regally took a seat in one of the chairs, then picked up the cocktail and grinned.

“Son of a…”

Instead of ice cubes in the glass, there were whisky rocks, in several different beautiful colours. That smartarse receptionist… I shrugged and sipped the cocktail. Making a ‘not bad’ expression, I set it back and picked up a microphone also on the table, which I knew linked to both of the hoods.

“Lights.”

Beyond the dome, the lights turned on, revealing a maze of rooms, in the far left of which, Red was still regally perched on her bondage horse.

“Okay boy and girl,” I said with a grin. “This Monkey 1 playroom – also known as See No Evil. There is a maze with 6 rooms, each of which you will have to navigate to get to the final room. You must complete the maze within an hour. Red, you will have to closely follow the instructions Davey gives you to navigate the maze, and Davey, you will need to use your equipment to get Red through it. If you don’t complete the maze in time, there’s a penalty room both of you will have to face.”

I paused to allow myself a wicked grin.

“Just to add a little spice to the challenge, along the way in each of the rooms, there is a key. These keys unlock the straps holding Davey in his chair. These keys will lock out 10 minutes after entry to the room, or if you fail the room. You will need 3 of these keys in order to unlock the straps, and, if you successfully navigate the maze and Red releases Davey with the keys, you will both get a reward. Davey, the little companion in your rear will vibrate when Red gets near a key. You will have to make the judgement call over whether you have enough time left to retrieve it before completing the maze. To pass this test you’re going to need teamwork and perseverance, and may the odds be in your favour,” I grinned. “Let the game begin.”

The code phase spoken, a red countdown clock flickered into life on one of the panes of the dome. Beyond, the chains holding Red to the bondage horse released and she staggered off it, shuddering on her heels. Through the speakers in the walls, I could hear David giving her instructions and sat forwards in my seat to watch. The first room was a laser grid, and Red instantly stumbled into one, breaking the light. A claxon went off and Red gave a yelp through her thick gag as her suit dealt her a sharp shock. There was also a yelp through the speaker. I picked up the mike.

“Oh yes, did I forget to say,” I said with a smug grin. “Your suits are linked. Every shock Red gets, Davey gets. So don’t you try to punish her by intentionally making her fail Davey, because those shocks will get progressively stronger as you come closer to failing the room.”

Red gave a soft moan, this time of pleasure, and I grinned.

“The buttons on the chair only effect Red, though Davey,” I remarked. “Sorry to spoil your fun.”

I frowned and looked up at a knock on the door. Turning the mike off, I got up and opened it. A foot man in the livery of the hotel was stood there, a business card in the centre of his silver platter.

“Apologies for the disturbance ma’am,” He held out the tray to me.

I picked up the card. It was a completely blanket white rectangle of card, until I turned it over and saw the embossed pattern picked out on the opposite side. It was a stylised bird, made of sweeping lines in almost a tribal tattoo-style design, all in solid black. I felt my heart skip a beat. I’d seen that design used as a signature on the bottom of the invoices I had sent only a few weeks ago.

The Raven was here at Bondcon. And he wanted to talk to me. My mind went completely blank for a second and then… I looked at the doorman.

“Send him down at his earliest convenience,” I said quietly.

“Very good Ma’am.”

I slowly shut the door and walked back to the centre of the room, my heart skittering like a flag in a gale. It wasn’t long before I heard a swift tap at the door and then it opened. He was… immaculate. That was the first thing I noticed about the Raven. Not that he was tall, easily 6 foot, or that he was the colour of milk chocolate, with eyes the tawny gold of strong whiskey, or that he had large, graceful hands. Nope, the overriding impression was just of how perfect he looked. He was wearing a dove-grey, double breasted suit, a white shirt and a smokey-grey tie with blue swirls. His shoes were nicely polished, but not shiny, and around one wrist was a bracelet the twin of my own.

“Mistress Eliza, I believe,” He inclined his head towards me. “I’m sorry to disturb your fun, but if it’s any consolation, I have had to leave my own mutts in the middle of a training session with Lady Amelia, so it’s not without a personal loss on my side.”

“It’s a pleasure,” I said after a moment. “I’m sorry, I’m not sure how to address you…”

“Raven,” He assured me, extending one of those elegant hands. “Just the Raven.”

I took it nervously, and then gestured to the other chair. He walked straight past it and looked out, only to see Red topple over and contort wildly as the shocks ran through her suit. His slight sadistic smile brought a gleam to his golden eyes.

“Ah, Monkey Room 1,” He said with a smile. “I must run my mutts through it. How are they faring?”

“They’ve only just started… and they’ve managed to fail the first room, so I’m saying not too well,” I said with a smile. “I’m sure they’ll improve.” I looked at him. “Can I get you a drink?”

“No, thank you,” He turned back to me. “With your permission, Mistress Eliza, I’ll cut straight to the chase. I know this is hardly the best time for this, but I want to thank you for your work on my home, give you a piece of information and a piece of advice, if you’ll forgive my impertinence.”

I found myself gripping the back of the chair I had been just sat in, watching him levelly. The Raven lowered himself into the opposing chair and met my gaze frankly.

“Lyra speaks highly of you,” He said after a moment.

I blinked in surprise. I’d never met Lyra personally, the Raven’s aide-de-camp, but over the phone, she sounded terrifying.

“That’s… good to know.”

“And rare,” The Raven continued. “I could count all the people Lyra considers not to be a waste of space on one hand, it’s quite a compliment, and partially why I’m here today.”

“I trust your system is working to your specifications.”

“No,” Raven said coolly. “It is not.”

He gave me a slight smile, cutting through the numb shock that had driven into my heart like ice.

“It goes over and above my specifications. I haven’t had one mutt even get close to escaping, I’m considering laying off some of my security staff the system is that good,” He remarked. “Thank you, for all of your diligence in this.”

“You’re very welcome.”

He looked at me, then glanced out of the dome.

“Where did you get your slaves from?” He asked apparently off-handedly, surveying Red.

“Red’s on a loan from Bondcon, and Davey…” I paused. “Well, let’s just say he was a private acquisition that I took much pleasure in personally collecting.”

He looked at me and gave a low chuckle.

“Oh, now that I admire,” He said. “You wanted him, so you went and got him?”

“That’s about the size of it,” I agreed.

“So you never had any dealings with the Kraken Club?”

“No.”

“Heard of it?”

Those lion-like eyes weren’t so relaxed now, they were sharp on mine.

“Yes,” I said slowly. “I did consider using it, a long time ago, but at the end of the day…” I paused. “I know their services are highly sought after, they find you a slave to your specifications, train it, wrap it up, send it home and then protect your house for you, the full package, and for reasonable prices, but at the end of the day, that’s the bit I enjoy doing. I enjoy kidnapping my prey and training them, and keeping them, what’s the fun in having one already broken? So no. I didn’t use their services and saved myself an ongoing yearly fee for upkeep.”

The Raven smiled.

“I wish I had met you before April last year,” He said with a smile. “One of my mutts was no longer entertaining me, so I sold him on, but wanted something… instant to take his place. I went to the Kraken Club to fill my need, but they, regrettably, had already sold my order at the designated time of collection, despite having my money and assuring it was mine. Lyra didn’t take well to that. She’s quite loyal and felt my disappointment quite keenly. She therefore took… compensation.”

My eyebrows shot up.

“The consequence of this is that I have been barred by the Kraken Club in the future, that’s no loss to me,” He said with a carefree shrug. “But it has had some irritating side effects. Have you ever heard of my Art Exhibition down in Wessex?”

I grinned.

“I might have heard rumours.”

He smiled back and then sighed.

“My old Chief of Security used to work part time for the Kraken Club. When they barred me, he had to give his resignation, hence why we had to rapidly replace our old system and needed your services,” He explained. “The other side effect is that they are now seeing my little… exhibition as direct competition. Not only have they let slip about my house photographer’s indiscretion, they are making it hard for me to acquire my exhibits and informing some of my regulars, clients of theirs, that they would not look well upon their attendance. It’s had a surprisingly bad effect on my customers, who I all thought had much stronger backbones, but here we are.”

He looked at me.

“They know that you designed my security system Mistress Eliza, and that’s why they’re making moves to obtain the company you work for with a direct intention to acquire your services,” He said calmly. “That was my information, this is my advice. Hand your resignation in the moment you get back from Bondcon and avoid being in their grasp. The job will come with numerous perks and with a metric tonne of non-disclosure agreements and binding contracts.”

“And how would you know that?” I inquired.

“Information is everything,” He remarked. “That was my advice. Do with it as you will. I would say however, if you were to be… job hunting in the future, I would be very much interested in acquiring your services, to the point where you could set your own salary if you came onto my personal staff.”

My eyebrows shot up and I gave him a sceptical look. He gave me a small, humourless smile.

“I am not jesting, Mistress Eliza. You name it, and I will pay it,” He said calmly. “However, I already know your answer. It wouldn’t suit you. You are your own master, and you only tolerate the boss you have because he leaves you alone. I would say, however, that I would also be interested in hiring your services should you go… self employed. My exhibition is coming up soon, and I am still needing security advice. I would be very interested in hiring you for the week preceding the event, and the week itself.” He pulled a Mont Blanc fountain pen from his top pocket and neatly traced a figure onto the back of one of his business cards. “This is the figure I would be prepared to pay for your services, and this is my personal phone number. Call me.”

He handed me the card and rose, tucking the pen away again.

“I am again, most sorry to have interrupted your fun,” He said smoothly.

I paused, tapping the card against my nails.

“It wouldn’t have anything to do with the absolute discretion of the hotel and the Bondcon privacy agreement, would it?” I asked calmly. “Just in case any of the Kraken Club members might be keeping an eye on the pair of us?”

He gave me a serene smile.

“I couldn’t possibly say,” He put his hand on the doorhandle, and then looked back at me. “Consider it, Eliza,” He said quietly. “Consider all of it.”

I stared at the wood of the door for a long moment after he had vanished, and then looked down at the card. It was hard telling the difference between which was meant to be the payment, and which was the phone number. There was a knock at the door and I looked up to see the Raven had returned, a pained look on his face.

“Sorry,” He said mildly. “I just had to say; were you aware that your skirt has ripped?”

“I was,” I admitted sheepishly. “But one can’t expect to get down and dirty with their slaves without getting a little mussed up.”

The Raven shuddered delicately and withdrew again. I blew out a long breath.

“Wow.” I whispered. “Just wow.”

I jumped about a mile out of my skin at a loud yelp and burst out laughing as I saw Red flailing around, setting off all the alarms possible. Tucking the card away in my breast pocket, I resumed my seat, picking up the mike and returning to the mayhem my sweet little subs had caused.

“Oh dear,” I purred into the microphone. “This doesn’t seem to be going to plan, now does it?”