– on the mattress. So the tension built all night while she twisted and tugged at the straps.
‘Deborah put all this into her diary, which she kept until she was married, and then later showed to her husband. The account stops shortly after then. She records only that my grandfather understood her and did his best to make her happy. And I saw for myself that she – they – were still practising bondage even after they were both middle-aged.’ Rachel paused. This was clearly the end of the story.
‘It looks as if you’ve come to the right place,’ Harriet said as the silence threatened to become awkward. ‘And you’ve suggested the approach that would suit you best. I think we should try two “implements” on you. When I’m finished with you I’ll be going out for a bit and you’ll be alone here. You’ll have time and privacy to work out how it feels and to think about whatever else you might want to try. I won’t strap you to the bed, so you’ll be able to twist and turn as much as you like. And you’ll be safe. The house will be locked and no one else has a key.’ She thought of Tom when she said this, but she didn’t imagine he would come by now without her permission. She continued. ‘When I come back you can tell me how you got on and we’ll see if anything else has occurred to you. And if things don’t work out, we can try something else. There are lots of things we can do. Will that be all right?’
Rachel nodded, looking both eager and apprehensive.
Harriet rose and beckoned the other woman to follow her, leading the way upstairs to the guest bedroom. The other possibility was to take Rachel downstairs to her cellar, where the really serious bondage gear was kept, but Harriet thought a gentler initiation was called for. If Rachel liked bondage, there would be plenty of time to introduce her to the real thing. Upstairs she allowed Rachel to look over the guest bedroom. The younger woman probably didn’t appreciate the heavy door with the sturdy lock and the lack of a handle on the inside, but she couldn’t help noticing the two hooks set into the ceiling and the thick glazing in the window.
‘This is a secure room, Rachel. I use it for visitors who want to try B&D for a few hours. When I leave you I’ll lock this door as well as the entrance doors to the house. It would take a serious attempt, with heavy equipment, to get into this room through the door or the window. So no one will be able to get at you while you’re helpless.’
Rachel shivered slightly at that idea, but Harriet thought she was more interested in the possibilities than frightened by them. Good. Rachel might well discover a whole new aspect to her sexuality, for that was the basis of her urge. There didn’t seem to be any other reason why people sought out the opportunity to be bound and imprisoned – at least none that Harriet was aware of. It all came down to some twist in the sex urge, and sooner or later her visitors realised that, or else they never returned. Being tied up for hours at a time was boring unless there was some underlying sexual motive.
Rachel stood near the window, waiting to be told what to do.
‘Why don’t you start by taking off as much of your clothing as you’d like,’ Harriet suggested. It might be instructive to learn about Rachel’s preferences that way. And Harriet could always make further suggestions – or give peremptory orders, if it came to that. But not just yet.
Rachel had clearly not considered this eventuality. ‘My clothes?’ she said hesitantly. ‘You mean, get naked?’
‘Well, somewhere between that and fully clothed, at least. Don’t worry about me. It’s all girls together, and I won’t eat you – unless you indicate that’s what you want! This is a trial. Go as far as you like. If you’d prefer, you can go into the bathroom and get undressed. Come back here when you’re ready. It would be a good idea to go to the toilet beforehand anyway. That might
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