Monday Morning
Splosh splosh splosh splosh splosh splosh splosh…
The paddle wheel underneath Kay’s seat churned the water and pushed the pedalo forward at a dismally slow speed for the effort she and Jocelyn were putting into it. Kay’s judged their speed to only be about two knots and it was over a mile from the boating beach at the hotel to the inlet on the adjacent island that was their destination. That would mean a good forty minutes or so of pedalling and Kay’s legs were tiring before they were even half way. The air was still and the sun shone down on the calm, azure sea. Despite the moderately early hour, it was already getting hot and the sweat was building up under Kay’s straitjacket. But she couldn’t slow down. There was a second paddle under Jocelyn’s seat and the two were not physically connected. If Kay didn’t match Jocelyn’s effort then the boat would simply go round in circles, and Jocelyn seemed to be pedalling away in a zoned-out trance, no doubt some sort of army training to keep going no matter how tired she felt. Kay saw the boat starting to head out to sea again and redoubled her efforts to balance the meagre thrust from the two paddles and turn it back towards the island. She looked at Steve who was lying stretched out on the bow with his sunhat over his face and tried to distract herself from her aching legs by thinking about the state of their master-slave relationship.
This was the make or break day. At its end, she would either be here in this luxury resort, living out her week of fantasy slavery to her loving and slightly mean master, or she would be hanging around in Dubrovnik airport trying to get a flight back to London where she would start the painful process of getting divorced. Her marriage and indeed her whole life, seemed to be poised delicately on a knife edge. Was Steve really going to get on the ferry? After all the fun they had had the day before, after the perfect windsurfing and the great sex? And after she had sucked his cock? What greater sign of love and devotion to her man could a woman give than to take his cock in her throat and swallow his cum? And yet the tension had remained. Steve had participated in the game; he had led her around on a leash, kept her gagged, and bound her to a post, but always there was an air of distain, and of only doing it because of the “rules”. It was only in the evening when she was hooded and hobbled that she had sensed him starting to really relax, and it was last thing at night before his guard had finally slipped completely.
The sex they had had in their room after dinner had not been a loving exchange of pleasure between husband and wife. It had been a man venting his pent up lust on a woman without regard for her feelings or enjoyment. It had been the first time Kay had experienced anything that could be considered “rough sex”. Apart from Steve’s asking if she was “still in slave mode”, he had not sought her consent or cooperation, and other than granting her request for a gag, he had acted without consideration for her pleasure. He had simply forced himself into her, slaked his lust, and finished. It had all been over before she had had time to gather any energy herself and she had attained no climax. She had just been used. Not that she minded though. Wasn’t that what she had come here for? To be a slave and to be used as her master saw fit? And it had showed that despite his puritanical disapproval of all things kinky, Steve had been driven to a sexual high by his wife in her bondage. She wondered if it had been the hobbleskirt or the hood, or both that had done the trick. Or maybe it had been the cumulative effect of all the day’s perversions. Whatever had pushed him over the edge, he was down from his ivory tower now. A pervert just like she was, and all the better for it.
After their rough sex, Steve had taken Kay to the bathroom where he had removed her gag, brushed her teeth and sat her on the toilet, unbuckling her strappy sandals while she peed. After that he had put her into bed, still wearing the hood and the hobbleskirt. Not a word had been spoken. He hadn’t even asked if it was okay for her to remain hooded. Kay thought he might have sat out on the balcony for some time and she didn’t remember him getting into bed.
Kay had spent the whole night in her hood. It was only after Steve had got her up and taken her to the loo that he released her from it and from the hobbleskirt. He had then disappeared off to get breakfast. While he was gone, Kay had thought about how to play things when the day eventually got going. She could have had it out with Steve first thing. Was he going or staying? But what would it have achieved? If he was staying then all well and good, but if he was going then the rest of the day would just be arguments and sulking. If he was undecided then raising the issue and possibly fighting about it would have pushed him towards going. She had decided to just play the game and try to enjoy being a slave in bondage for another day, even if it was to be the last. She had resolved that she needed to be gagged as soon as possible so there would be no possibility of any discussion that might spoil the fun.
And now here she was out on the water, pedalling away for all she was worth. Whether or not it was actually fun was open to question, but it was certainly exhilarating to be a modern day galley slave, dressed in a straitjacket, gagged with a big red ball, and with her wonderful hiking boots laced tightly onto her feet. The bondage slave image was however somewhat tarnished by the lifejackets that the beach staff had insisted the two restrained women had to wear. Galley slaves were supposed to be chained to their vessels so that they couldn’t escape overboard. At least today Steve, always so concerned for her safety, had given her a hat to keep the sun at bay. If only his safety worries hadn’t extended to insisting on the ballgag rather the penis gag that was much less jaw-stretching to wear. He said he didn’t like it because it sealed her mouth and she might suffocate if her nose became blocked, whereas the ballgag would still allow her to get at least some air between it and her lips. Whilst that was just about true, Kay was pretty sure the real reason was just that the ballgag turned him on more, and it was a sign that he was perhaps starting to succumb to being her master and putting his own preferences before hers. She hoped so.
Kay watched her husband as he lifted the hat off his face and sat up to see how far they had got.
“This the life eh?” he said to Jason.
“Sail fast, pedalo slow,” replied Jason. “Our two slavepower inboard engine isn’t going to worry any enemy ships if we call for ramming speed.”
Jocelyn snorted at him through her gag.
“They do look prettier than an old British Seagull outboard, and quieter too, but the speed is about the same,” said Steve. “Not sure which would be the easier to get started though.”
Steve’s apparent good mood and bad humour hid some serious thoughts that were going on in his head, as he reflected on how he had treated his wife when they had got back to their room a little over ten hours earlier. How he had used her, and how good it had felt. He had spent much of the previous day fighting against his arousal, trying not to give in and admit to his wife how sexy she was as she played at being his slave in bondage. And twice he had slipped and she had got the better of him, but the sight of her in that skirt had been too much to resist. He knew as soon as he saw her in it that he was defeated and would have to acquiesce to her demands for kinkiness, even though he knew the bad place that that might lead to. But then the hood had been added and suddenly she was no longer Katarina his wife, but just an anonymous female body that was helpless and could be used and abused without consideration or compassion. Or love. And he had used it, and afterwards he had kept it covered up so it would stay anonymous and he would not have to answer to his conscience.
But his conscience was bothering him anyway. Not because of his misogynistic treatment of his wife while he relieved himself of his pent-up desires, but because he had left her to spend the whole night in a hood just so he could avoid looking at her face and feeling bad about mistreating her, even though that was what she wanted. There was no doubt that this was a strange and mixed-up place, and it brought him strange and mixed-up feelings. Feelings that he didn’t know how to deal with, and didn’t really want to deal with. The ferry was coming in the afternoon and despite the amazing things he had experienced and his wife’s amazing sexual exploits, they would have to leave. To stay would only make it harder to keep Kay appeased when they got home. She would be heartbroken to leave, but he would mitigate things by promising to get some bondage gear at home and put her in it now and again. Just something simple like some handcuffs and maybe a mild gag of some sort, and a strict limit of just once a month so that she couldn’t creep into wanting to spend every night in bondage. That might just assuage her desires enough to keep their marriage together. And for the rest of the morning he would be mean to her. He would show her that being a slave wasn’t fun after all, and that might take the edge off his cutting the holiday short.
“Come on Kay,” he said cheerfully. “Put some effort into it. We want to get there before winter.”
A snort of indignation forced its way past Kay’s gag, but Steve noted with satisfaction an increase in the sploshing noise from beneath her seat. She might have only been playing at being his slave, but she was putting her all into it. The pedalo crept slowly onwards in a style rather the opposite to that of a swan, for while a swan moves serenely through the water with its effort all hidden and silent, the pedalo was all effort and splashing but little in the way of serene movement. Eventually though they closed and then rounded the headland of the small island and Steve found himself looking into an impossibly beautiful, steep-sided inlet. Nestled in amongst the brown Mediterranean scrub and cypress trees was a garden of vibrant green. The head of the inlet was a lush meadow fringed with birch and rowan trees and littered with brightly coloured flowers. At one side, a small waterfall dropped onto a pebble beach and opposite was small, wooden jetty.
“Amazing isn’t it,” said Jason.
“Incredible,” replied Steve.
“Mr Yens says that the island is formed on a fold of impervious rock and the hill is made of some other rock that holds water. It’s like a sponge sitting in a funnel and the water all drains out here. The springs flow all summer and keep the ground wet enough for all this lot to grow, when everywhere else is parched.”
“Yeah? It’s really something.”
The galley slaves brought the pedalo in to the jetty where Jason and Steve tied it alongside. Kay’s legs were burning and she was soaked with sweat, but she stared with wonder at the place they had arrived at. She had never seen anywhere so beautiful, but she had little time to appreciate it, for as soon as the boat was secure Steve was clipping the lead to her collar and tugging her from her seat.
“Come on Slave. No slacking. There’s picnic bags to be carried,” he said coldly.
Kay found herself pulled to the side of the boat where Steve lifted her over the low rail onto the jetty, which consisted of wooden planks with stiletto-swallowing gaps between them. She stood while Steve removed her lifejacket and then with a hard yank on her leash he walked briskly along the jetty forcing her to almost run after him on her tiptoes to avoid getting her heels stuck. The top of the jetty merged into a beach of large pebbles which were almost impossible for Kay to walk on in her hiking boots but Steve ignored her grunts of despair and forced her to walk across it anyway, towards the waterfall.
“You’re all sweaty,” he said. “Get under that waterfall and wash yourself off.”
Kay wondered what had got into him. His usual aloof, but caring persona seemed to have been replaced with something rather sinister. Was he mad at her for something, or was he just playing at being her evil master, just like she was playing at being his slave? Whatever the answer, the thought of cooling herself down was certainly not unattractive and she hobbled across the pebbles to the waterfall.
A scream bottled up behind Kay’s gag as she reached the waterfall. It was freezing cold! Cooling down was one thing, hypothermia was another. She jumped back from the frigid water and nearly lost her balance on the pebbles.
“Come on Slave,” shouted Steve. “Obedience. Get under that water and stay there until I say you can come out.”
Kay looked round at Steve. This was the first time he had ordered her to do something she really didn’t want to do. Pedalling the boat, carrying his golf clubs, and the prospect of carrying the picnic bag up this hill shortly were all very humiliating and sexy, but this was different. The water was agonisingly cold, but her master had ordered her, and she had to obey or else stop playing at being his slave. Was that his game? To out play her and make her fail? To force her to admit that she wasn’t really a slave, or that she was only a slave when it suited her? Well she wasn’t going to fall for that. The water couldn’t be that cold.
But the water was that cold. It had spent the summer underground, hidden away from the sun, and it had just popped out a few minutes ago. Kay bit down on the ball in her mouth and forced herself to stay under the deluge of cold. The initial shock passed, but it still took all her resolve to stay in the falling water. She looked at Steve, hoping for some sign that he was satisfied, but there was none. He wasn’t even watching her and seemed to be talking to Jason. Kay saw Jocelyn walk across the beach towards her and there was a muted yelp as the frigid water found another victim. Kay couldn’t take much more. She was on the verge of quitting the cold shower when Jocelyn came to her rescue. Through the curtain of water she came and stood close in front of Kay. The two women pressed their bodies together. Folded arms met folded arms, breasts met breasts and face met face, and though little of the freezing deluge was kept at bay, the moral support of her companion in bondage fired Kay’s resolve to stick it out to the end. She pressed her cheek firmly into Jocelyn’s and felt warm and aroused. She pushed her hips forward until she felt Jocelyn against her. If only her arms were free so she could pull this wonderful woman even closer. Kay felt herself shivering but she didn’t think it was from the cold.
Steve was unaware of just how cold the water he had ordered his wife to stand under really was, and he had been deliberately trying to look disinterested in how she was fairing by chatting to Jason about nothing much. When he looked round to check on her, the sight that met his eyes was like something from a porn film. Two women standing under a waterfall pressing themselves together like they meant it. As he watched in amazement, he wondered how he felt about it. If Kay had behaved like that with another man he would have been beside himself with jealousy, but with another woman it somehow seemed okay. More than okay actually.
“You seen this?” he said to Jason, gesturing towards the waterfall.
“My God. That is a sight to see.”
“You okay with your wife behaving like that?”
“Oh hell yeah. That is if you’re okay with it of course.”
“I don’t know. I think I’m okay. I’m just thinking how typical of Kay. I’m trying to be mean to her this morning, you know, treat her like a slave and all that, and I tell her to stand in the waterfall just to be a bit nasty, but she manages to turn it into something beautiful and sexy like that. What a woman.”
“You’re a lucky guy Steve. Hell we both are. But I think we need to break it up. I’ve stood under that water and it’s fucking freezing.”
“Yeah? I thought it would be quite warm.”
“Come on girls. Keep it for later. I’m wanting a picnic on the top of this hill and I ain’t carrying it up there.”
The two women stepped out from under the waterfall. Jocelyn headed across the beach towards Jason, but Kay hesitated and looked at Steve, waiting for his permission. Steve nodded and waved her forward. Kay began to try to pick her way across the beach, but found herself shivering uncontrollably and couldn’t manage to walk. She felt her legs weakening and sank to her knees before collapsing on the beach. Steve was across the beach in an instant. He helped her stand and pushed his arm under the falling water.
“Oh fuck Kay. I’m so sorry. I had no idea it was so cold. I’m so sorry.”
He picked her up and carried her over to the jetty which was bathed in the hot sunshine. He removed her ballgag and she smiled at him through shivering lips. She knew now. He wasn’t really angry or sinister, he was just playing at it. He had tried to out play her and she had won. And it felt good. Bloody cold, but good. Jason fetched a towel from the pedalo and they dried her off and let the sun do the rest. Soon Kay was feeling warmed up again. Jocelyn came and sat down next to her and drowned out Steve’s relentless fussing by just looking at Kay.
“Could I have some water please?” Kay asked Steve. “I’m thirsty after all that pedalling.”
“Sure. I’ll get the picnic bags from the boat.” Steve got up walked along the jetty to the pedalo.
“You want some too honey?” asked Jason to his wife.
Jocelyn nodded and he bent down and removed her ballgag.
“I’ll go and give Steve a hand with the bags,” he said and walked off along the jetty. Kay knew that Steve didn’t need a hand. Jason was just giving the two women a moment alone.
“You’re sure you’re okay?” asked Jocelyn quietly.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just got a bit cold that’s all. Strange, it felt kinda hot under that waterfall.”
“Yes, funny that.”
Jocelyn used her feet to slide her ballgag across the planking until it was next to Kay. Then she slid Kay’s gag over to where her own had been. Kay looked at her and a cheeky smile crept across both women’s faces.
“Closest we can get to a kiss without them seeing,” said Jocelyn.
The men returned with the picnic bags and pulled out bottles of water which they held to their wives’ lips so they could drink.
“Okay, I’m ready for duty again,” said Kay.
“You sure?” said Jason. “You were pretty chilled.”
“Yeah, I’m fine now. And the walk up the hill will chase away any last cold bits.”
“Okay, let’s get going then. Come on Major Burns, open up. I don’t want to have to listen to you complaining about your tired legs all the way up.”
Jason picked up Jocelyn’s gag and offered it up to her. She looked at Kay and winked slightly as she opened her mouth and Jason pushed the ball inside, and she moaned contentedly as he tightened the strap. Jason helped her stand and then lifted his picnic bag, which was actually a rucksack, onto her back before leading her off along the jetty. Kay watched them go and then turned to Steve.
“My turn now,” she said and gestured to the gag sitting on the planking beside her.
“Kay, you don’t have to do this. I’m sure Mr Yens’ silly rules don’t apply over here and you nearly froze yourself a few minutes ago. We can just stay down here and relax and talk if you want.”
No that was absolutely not what Kay wanted. Especially the talking bit. And now she had another reason for wanting that rubber ball in her mouth. And she wanted it in before it dried off in the sun.
“What, and miss the view from the top? Come on Mr Master. I came here to have fun and be a slave in bondage. Please gag me up and load me up. Pretty please?”
“You’re incorrigible,” he said with a sigh as he picked up the gag and pressed it to her lips.
Kay opened her mouth wide and allowed the rubber ball to be pushed inside. It felt wonderfully intimate to have Jocelyn’s gag in her own mouth and to know that their salivas were mingling, just as if they were kissing passionately. And the fact that it was all being done secretly and right under their masters’ noses made it all the more special. She and Jocelyn might only be fantasy slaves, but their bond was real, and it was becoming stronger.
Steve lifted Kay to her feet and began fitting the rucksack to her back. Kay felt the rush of excitement as she was prepared for her beast of burden role again. The thought of being pulled up that hill on a leash, wearing a straitjacket and silly boots, gagged and loaded with her master’s picnic bag was starting to have its not unexpected effect on her.
“What happened on this beach, this is why I don’t like bondage Kay,” said Steve seriously when they were ready to go. “It starts as a bit of fun, and it ends up with someone getting hurt. Or worse.”
And with that he led her along the jetty towards the beach. This time though, he went slowly, allowing her time to pick her footing on the planks and over the pebbles to the path that led up the hill. Kay thought about his words. It seemed a strange thing for someone with no experience of bondage to say. She couldn’t think about it too much though. The path was steep and rough and she had to concentrate on where she was putting her feet in her sexy, but ultimately rather silly boots. As they climbed, Steve’s caring and worried persona reverted slowly back to Mr Mean. He tugged her leash hard and muttered at her for slowing him down. It wasn’t long before Kay was sweating away under the leather of her jacket, and her legs, still tired from pedalling the boat, began to ache and feel heavy.
About half way up the hill they caught up with Jason and Jocelyn, and Kay was grateful to be able to slow down to their gentler pace. On some of the smoother bits of path, she was able to look up past Steve to see Jocelyn’s curly blond hair and the rounded curve of her bottom, with the red flange of its plug showing between her cheeks. It was the first time that day that Kay had noticed the plug and it began to fire her imagination and fill her with questions. How big was it inside? How would it feel to have something like that in her own bottom? Who would she want to put it there, her master or her fellow slave? And whom did she love more, her husband or his new friend’s wife? Kay sucked hard on the ball in her mouth and revelled in the intimacy it brought her. She wondered what else she might get to suck on before the holiday was over.
With her mind occupied and her gaze split between the ground she was placing her feet on and her fellow slave’s bottom, Kay hardly noticed the vegetation thinning and the lush trees of the lower slopes giving way to scattered olives as the ground became dryer. It came as quite a surprise when she realised they were at the top, where there was a flag pole and a wooden seat nestled under the partial shade of an olive tree. Having seen the view from the top of the big brother island, Kay had some idea what to expect, but from here it was just incredible. Behind her the path snaked down into a tree-lined ravine with its Garden of Eden at the bottom. To her right was the rock infested strait between the islands with its patches of turquoise water, and beyond it the slopes of Big Brother rose precipitously from the sea with their bands of climates laid out like a layer cake. Kay could see some of the greens of the golf course and the little shed where she had waited before that ride on the cable. Ahead of her was the blue gulf and the mainland, with the Dinaric Alps rising up beyond, and to her left a line of rocks and shallows stretched away from the island, peppering the deep blue water with blotches of green, cyan and turquoise, many ringed with white as the swell broke over them. At its end stood a small lighthouse and beyond, on the horizon she could see clouds rising over the Italian mountains almost a hundred miles away.
Kay’s appreciation of the view was however cut short when Steve suddenly pulled her hairband down over eyes and turned it into an improvised, but highly effective blindfold.
“Slaves are here to carry the bags, not admire the view,” he said.
Kay couldn’t believe what was happening. The bastard! How could he be so despicable? She mmmmed as loudly and as indignantly as she could, but all that happened was her leash pulled tight and she had to stumble blindly across the thankfully flat ground until she was pushed down onto what she assumed was the wooden seat and her rucksack was removed.
“Ha Ha,” chortled Jason. “I think you’re onto something there Steve. Naughty slaves don’t get privileges, and these two have been oh so naughty this morning haven’t they.”
“Indeed. This one can just sit there quietly while we enjoy our picnics. If she’s very lucky, I might give her some water.”
Kay was fuming. She wiggled her eyebrows around frantically, trying to dislodge the blindfold but it stayed stubbornly put. The seat shuddered as someone else sat down beside her and a muffled grunt told her it was Jocelyn.
“Now sit still and no hanky-panky with Kay,” said Jason.
There was a grumpy sounding “mmmm” and then all was quiet. Kay sat and began to calm down. It was incredibly frustrating and unfair to have walked all the way up this hill and then be blindfolded just when she could start to admire the view, but she had after all come to this place to be a slave in bondage, and she was only getting what she had asked for. She was certainly in bondage, and now she was being treated as a slave. And the dampness between her legs wasn’t forming because she was sweating. She listened to the sounds that came from the men as they opened their picnic bags and unwrapped their food. The hiss of drinks cans being opened and exaggerating eating noises followed. Apparently she wasn’t getting anything, and neither it seemed was Jocelyn. Kay wondered how far along the seat she was sitting and pushed her foot discretely in Jocelyn’s direction to see if they could touch. She found a training shoe and it moved closer so that their calves met and rubbed gently. Kay enjoyed the touch of her friend and she sucked on her ballgag.
Suddenly Jocelyn withdrew her leg and Kay guessed the picnic was over. She heard footsteps approach and then Steve’s voice.
“Thirsty?” he asked.
Kay nodded.
“I suppose you should be watered then,” said Steve.
Kay felt her gag being unbuckled and then the ball was prised from her mouth to be replaced with the nozzle of a water bottle. She sucked greedily at the bottle, realising just how thirsty she was after a morning of heavy activity in mostly hot conditions.
“I suppose I should water mine too,” said Jason, “but I think I could combine it with a little punishment for her promiscuous behaviour earlier.”
Kay heard Jocelyn moan but couldn’t work out if it was a moan of approval or disapproval.
“Oh yes?” said Steve. “What you got in mind?”
“I’ll show you when you’re finished with yours.”
The bottle, which judging by the angle she was having to hold her head at was nearly empty anyway, was immediately pulled from Kay’s mouth. She wondered whether to say thank you or to complain that she hadn’t had enough yet, but the sudden pressure of a rubber ball on her lips meant she got to do neither. Moments later the strap was being fastened and Kay was silenced again, helpless to do anything but listen to the sounds emanating from the activity beside her.
“She’d had enough anyway,” said Steve.
“Okay Joss,” said Jason. “Time for drinkies.”
Kay felt the seat wobble and heard Jocelyn grunt and moan.
“Come on. Push it up,” said Jason. “That’s better, now don’t move.”
“You’re not going to…” said Steve.
“I sure am. Watch this.”
“MMMMmmmm!”
“Eearh, gross. That thing’s huge.”
“Yeah, it’s a constant reminder for her of who’s in charge. Now then, we just slip this little sucker up here like that…”
“MMMmmmmm.”
“…and we’re ready to go. We’ve even got a handy olive tree to wedge the bottle in. Need a bit of height to get some pressure up.”
“This is without doubt the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Well it wouldn’t be a holiday on Susac without a bit of weirdness. That’s flowing quite well. Shouldn’t take long.”
“Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.”
“Always best to keep ‘em gagged when you’re doing this. Especially if the water’s cold.”
“You do this often do you?”
“Nah. We don’t do it at home. It’s not a good idea to do it indoors because it can get very messy, and our garden’s not private enough.”
“I can see you’d want somewhere very private.”
“Mmmmmmmmm!”
“Nearly there Joss. Only a little bit more.”
“Mmmmmm.”
“You might want to not stand there Steve. You’re right in the line of fire when I pull this out.”
“Oh shit. That wouldn’t be good.”
“No.”
“The bottle’s empty.”
“Okay, we just ease this out and get the stopper back in quickly.”
“MMMMMMMMMMMMMM!”
“All done.”
“You just leave the water in there?”
“Sure. She’ll soak it up and it’ll get into her system.”
“Weird. Just weird man.”
At first Kay was curious as to what was going on, but as it dawned on her what was being done to her friend she became angry and frustrated at her inability to intervene. Her anger faded quickly though and she reverted to just being curious as to what it must feel like to be filled up with water through her bottom. It seemed like nothing was beyond consideration on this voyage of self-discovery she was embarked on.
“You should be glad you didn’t have to see what just happened here,” said Steve with a slight chuckle.
He lifted the hairband up off Kay’s eyes and pushed it back into her hair. She squinted for a moment when the bright sunlight hit her eyes as she looked around. She was indeed sat on the wooden seat under the partial shade of the olive tree. Jocelyn was sat beside her and to Kay’s surprise she didn’t look distressed or even unhappy. The men wandered off to their picnic site on the other side of the summit underneath a larger and shadier olive tree. Kay looked at Jocelyn who smiled back with her eyes and made a gesture of mock exasperation. She was obviously still enjoying herself, but Kay felt the need to slide along the seat and sit up against her friend to give her some comfort after what must surely have been an ordeal. As she did so, Jocelyn suddenly closed her eyes tightly and an expression of agony came over her face. It lasted for several seconds before there was a loud gurgling from her tummy and her face returned to normal. Her ordeal apparently wasn’t over yet. Kay pressed her thigh against Jocelyn’s and tried to rest her head on her friend’s shoulder, but the collar of her jacket was too tall and stiff to allow that.
They sat and waited while the men finished their own drinks and packed their picnic stuff back into the rucksacks which, after some apparent discussion, they hoisted onto their own backs. They walked back towards Kay and Jocelyn brandishing the womens’ leashes.
“Time to head down ladies,” said Jason. “Now because the path is steep and rough, and you two are, shall we say, a little challenged in the freedom of movement department, your considerate masters have decided to carry the bags ourselves and instead of clipping your leads to your collars, we’ll clip them to the straps on the back of your straitjackets and you’ll go in front. That way, if you slip and fall forward we can pull you back and save you from tumbling down on your noses and nipples, because they are very cute little noses and nipples and we wouldn’t want them to get broken. You really are very lucky slaves to have such thoughtful and caring masters and I’m sure you’ll be spending the trip back thinking of ways to show your appreciation tonight.”
Jocelyn gave one of her derogatory sounding snorts which Kay took to mean “pompous git” and they stood up to allow their leashes to be fastened. As they did so there was another load gurgling noise from Jocelyn’s tummy.
“Off you go then Kay,” said Steve. “Let’s see if those off-roading heels have a hill-descent mode.”
The walk down was an extremely anxious, and at times rather scary experience for Kay. Jason’s words about falling on her nose and nipples kept coming back to her as she negotiated the steep and rough path, unable to use her arms to help balance and acutely aware that she couldn’t use them to protect herself if she fell. Several times her boots slipped on loose stones and she felt Steve yank her back by her leash which was fastened to the strap that linked her arms behind her. It felt odd to feel her arms move slightly as this happened. She had been in the straitjacket for less than two days but already she seemed to be forgetting what it felt like to have sensations from her arms. It was with considerable relief that she made it back to the jetty unscathed, except for her badly aching feet.
The afternoon breeze was starting to blow as Steve pushed the pedalo off from the jetty, and Kay wondered how they were going to get back. There was no way she had the strength left in her legs to pedal fast enough to avoid being blown out to sea, and she couldn’t imagine Steve and Jason doing the pedalling themselves. Jason’s solution was however simple and elegant. He lifted a cover at the stern of the pedalo and revealed a well with an outboard motor in it. Kay was incensed. All that pedalling she had done earlier when there was a bloody engine! The bastards. The insult seemed somehow worse when the outboard burst into life with an effortless electric starter. She stamped her foot on the deck and ‘mmmmed’ her indignation but the men just laughed and bundled her and Jocelyn onto the bench seat at the front of the boat, where Kay’s anger dissipated as she snuggled up to her friend for the duration of the trip back to the hotel, which was rather quicker than the trip out.
They parked the pedalo on the jetty by the boating beach and the two couples headed back to their rooms to freshen up. Kay noted Steve’s uncommitted and ambiguous response to Jason asking if he would see him on the water later. As she was led up the stairs to their room, she tried to prepare herself to face the elephant that she knew was lurking there and couldn’t be ignored any longer. Was Steve getting on the ferry or not?