B&D Academy

Courtney and Mariko didn't really care to go riding today. They weren't
too much interested in a pleasant afternoon picnic under a tree or a
refreshing dip in the lake with their all-to-cheerful hostess Allison
Palmer. If anyone had asked them, they'd rather have been released from
their constant state of bondage and gaggage. Of course, nobody asked them...

-------------------------------

The breakfast ordeal was over... Finally. Mariko sat at the table trying
to "will" the corn flake off the end of her nose and wondered just how she
gets herself into these things. She felt doubly responsible this time
because she had gotten not only herself, but her roommate, Courtney
Richmond, into this predicament. Mariko looked across the beautifully
appointed breakfast table at her friend who was sitting strapped to a
high-back leather covered chair identical to Mariko's with a dejected look
on her face and oatmeal in her hair. At 22, the blonde girl was two years
younger than Mariko and about 2 inches taller at 5 feet 6 inches. She was
the type of girl who seemed to turn men's heads everywhere she went, but she
was never one to notice. They had struck up an immediate friendship and
decided to share an apartment soon after they had first met at the job that
was to get them into this mess.

Sitting at the head of the table was the orchestrator of their
predicament, Allison Palmer; owner, president, chief-of-staff and head bitch
of B&D (Beauty and Definition) Cosmetics. She was a tall, strong, attractive
(in a hard sort of way) redhead with a short flip hair style. She sat with
one leg slung over her chair arm, sipping coffee and smirking at the two
helpless girls. She had a devious twinkle in her eye, a twinkle Mariko had
come to know all too well over the last two weeks (or was it three?).

Allison finished her coffee with one final gulp and then rang the little
bell that was next to her place setting. The double doors of the huge dining
room opened up and, as they had in the past, in marched six oriental women,
with three coming around behind Mariko and the others taking a similar
position behind Courtney. Mariko couldn't decide just what nationality the
women were, although she had ruled out the possibility that they could be
Japanese like herself. They were all squat, rugged farm type girls, probably
from the mainland. They just did not fit in these lavish surroundings. Not
the Jet-set type at all, like Allison and her friends. Or the sympathetic
type either. Both girls were becoming painfully used to this routine. They
knew that now was not the time to talk, even though it was one of the few
times during the day that they were physically able to, but Courtney seemed
determined to press her luck.

"And what's for desert?" she asked Allison with her best sarcastic smile
that didn't begin to hide the contempt she obviously felt for Allison. She
barely got the statement out before one of the guards grabbed a handful of
Courtney's blonde hair and yanked her head back, though not too hard; it was
her warning for the day. (And it was only six a.m.). "I was only asking!"
Courtney blurted defensively, as the guard twisted her hair a bit more.
Allison smiled sweetly and said "Why, I'm having some melon for desert and
it certainly will be delicious. But I think, for you two, some red rubber
ball will do quite nicely!" With that, she nodded to the guards, who pounced
on both girls, and almost effortlessly stuffed ball gags into their mouths.

Mariko couldn't help but notice that Courtney's gag was pulled about
twice as tightly as her own, not that she had any prayer of extricating the
one in her mouth, but any small favor was welcome under the circumstances.
Sooner or later Courtney would figure that out and keep her mouth shut.
Allison sat back in her chair and began, "Y'know girls, I've been
thinking... ("Oh great! Here we go again!" Mariko thought) ...you two have
been with me all this time and we haven't even had a chance to tour my
stables. I'm really quite proud of them, so I thought that it would be fun
with you." She looked quizzically at her guests, who could do little more
than stare back at her.

"If you don't want to go, just say so!" she blurted out before slapping
her knee, and laughing merrily at her own joke (neither Courtney or Mariko
could appreciate the humor in it!). "There then, it's settled, the girls
here will get you cleaned up and help you get into some riding clothes, and
I'll meet you in the stables at nine." She then nodded again to the guards,
who efficiently unbuckled all the leather straps holding our heroines in
their chairs, then pushed their heads down on the table and pulled their
hands up behind their backs to be fastened there with plastic tie-wraps. The
chair was pulled away suddenly and Mariko was hustled up towards the door
with one guard on each elbow and the corn flake still plastered stubbornly
on the end of her nose. Courtney brought up the rear. Allison's cheerful
"Tah, tah" rang in their ears as they stumbled down the halls to their rooms.

Both Mariko and Courtney had started work on the same day at B&D
Cosmetics, although certainly with different motivations. Courtney joined
the firm as a student intern in the marketing group. Her plan was to slug
her way to the top of the business world and be in the 6 figure salary range
by the time she was 25. Mariko was starting as a marketing liaison to the
new Far East division. It was her charm and wit, along with a heck of a snow
job, that had convinced them in the interview that she had grown up in
Japan. It didn't really matter that coming to New York was the first time
she had left Southern California in her life. Her full blooded Japanese
roots, the smooth lines of her face, the gentle slant to her brown eyes and
her waist length, jet black hair had done the major portion of the selling.
This was actually her second job, but she didn't tell them that. Her first
had been with a rival cosmetics company based in Califomia. Ivan Rasovitz,
the president of Rasovitz Industries, had recognized her unique potential
immediately and taken her under his wing as his personal assistant. During
one late-night staff strategy meeting he revealed his suspicion that B&D had
been stealing his formulas for several years. He hinted that what he needed
was a contact on the inside at B&D who could let him know what was going on,
maybe even send him back some of the stolen formulas so he could track down
the spy in his company.

Mariko sat patiently in the "Dressing Chair" while a fashionably dressed
woman applied her make-up (B&D brand, of course). The dressing chair was an
interesting affair made up entirely of adjustable stainless steel tubes,
giving it an ultra-modem appearance. It's long legs were securely anchored
in the concrete floor of the dressing room, making it the only permanent
highlight in an otherwise drab room. The chair was really little more than a
stool with arm rests. There was only a tiny, uncomfortable seat made up of
tubing that converged together to form a small square, with no back rest at
all for a tired girl to lean against; nor could she put her feet flat on the
floor due to the telescoping legs that had been adjusted before the guards
had even placed her in the chair. As it was she could barely strain enough
to rub the end of her big toes on the floor. The arms and legs were
constructed so that they could be twisted and turned this way and that at
the operator's convenience, and with the simple tightening of strategic wing
bolts, they could be locked in place, holding the unfortunate "Dressee"
rigidly in any possible pose.

The steel cuffs that held her in the chair only attached to her limbs at
the wrists and ankles and could be detached and reattached easily from the
chair without ever unlocking them from her wrists and ankles. The unhooking
of the cuffs could be accomplished easily by any operator who was standing
beside the chair, but Mariko could not reach any of the catches from her
position seated in the chair. For obvious security reasons, there was no
point during the entire dressing procedure where more then one of her limbs
was ever released from the chair. In this way she could be completely
outfitted in anything from a cocktail dress to a leather cat suit with
little or no effort on the part of her hand maidens, regardless of the
amount of energy Mariko chose to expend resisting them.

The chair also had many interesting attachments, like the one she was
enduring at that moment. While she was being made up, a sturdy head rest
arrangement was bolted to the back of the chair, making her lean forward and
pushing her head forward slightly from the back of her neck. A large tray
with adjustable lights and all sorts of ccsmetics was snapped in place under
her chin, forcing her head up and back painfully against the neck brace,
ultimately holding her head perfectly still while the woman plied her trade.
Mariko knew well enough not to complain. On the first day a mouth packed
with cosmetic cotton puffs put an unpleasant end to any protests the fashion
dummy had to raise. Mariko always prided herself on never making the same
mistake twice. So she sat calmly, nude, obedientIy making faces as the
make-up woman ordered. An other taller woman stood behind Mariko and
carefully braided her hair into a long ponytail tied at the bottom with a
red ribbon.

Soon, the two women finished their work and stood in front of her,
commenting about what beautifully high cheekbones Japanese women have.
Mariko didn't know whether to thank them or kick them (if she ever got the
chance!), so instead she just waited. She was getting pretty used to
waiting. Finally, after they were done with their discussion on her chances
of making it in the modeling industry, they removed the tray and Mariko
breathed a sigh of relief as she was finally able to straighten up.

Mariko had never hesitated, she would have done anything (well, almost
anything) to help this charismatic man who had gotten her started in the
business world. Anyway, it had seemed a pretty good way to make two
paychecks while really working only one job. Besides, all the cloak and
dagger stuff was kind of thrilling; in fact, she had even made a point of
wearing a cape to work her first day at B&D, as sort of a private joke. It
turned out to be even easier than she had ever imagined to get information
on the B&D formulas, as she had access to all B&D's computers from the
terminal she shared with Courtney. All those computer courses in college had
really paid off! She had worked there only a month when she got her first
look at the new formulas that B&D was working on. After six months, she was
merrily funneling all the new formulas back west.

Coincidentally, Mariko had just dropped a package in the mail and
returned to the apartment that she and Courtney shared when this all began.
She had noticed right off that there was some mail and groceries lying in
the middle of the living room. "That girl's such a slob sometimes," she had
thought as she picked up the mess. She then had gone into her bedroom to
change out of her work clothes. Mariko had opened her closet door and
screamed as she looked directly into the gagged face of Courtney Richmond.
Her scream was short lived though, as a large hand clamped ever her mouth
from behind...

The make-up woman was busy arranging some clothes on a table behind
Mariko. All she could make out over her shoulder, while one of the women was
showing the outfit to the other, was a brown tweed blazer. She could hear
the make-up woman commenting about how clever the design was and how it
should hold "This little one" quite nicely, but she couldn't twist around
enough to see. Mariko didn't like the looks (or rather, sound) of this, so
she decided it was time to take a chance and speak up. "Excuse me, I don't
want to interrupt your fun, but I think you should know that I really look
terrible in tweed." Mariko said. Both women stopped their chatting and
turned to Mariko. "Did you say something, Dear?" the make-up woman asked
pleasantly. "Why yes!" Mariko said, somewhat surprised to finally get some
recognition around this place. "I said that I think I look awful in tweed
jackets." The tall woman walked slowly around to face Mariko. She pleasantly
brushed a stray hair missed by the braiding out of her face and then leaned
forward until she was nose to nose with Mariko and hissed, "Who cares what
YOU think, Doll." Mariko couldn't miss the innuendo as she sat naked in
front of these two women, about to be dressed just like a toy. "Will we be
needing any cotton today Dear?" The make-up woman asked Mariko over her
shoulder. She simply shook her head. She was defeated now. The dressing
could begin.

First came a crisp, white cotton shirt that was quickly slipped over her
unfastened hand, which was immediately reconnected to the chair arm. Then
the unfastening process was repeated with the other arm, and Mariko had to
shift her weight to accommodate the twisting of her arm behind her to get it
into the other sleeve. They then buttoned the shirt up the front, all except
the top two buttons. Mariko was unpleasantly surprised by the condition of
the shirt. Two oblong holes had been cut and hemmed neatly in the front of
the shirt where there could have been pockets. Out of these strategically
placed openings pointed her firm little breasts. Whoever had laundered the
shirt had obviously had a fetish for starch, because both the collar and
cuffs were of a consistency reminiscent only of cardboard. The two women
were busy carefully arranging the French cuffs of the shirt and tittered
pleasantly as they used tiny padlocks for cuff links. ("A little bondage
chic.")

Next came a yellow wool, V-neck sweater-vest and they, after quite a
tussle, slipped it over Mariko's head. "It's not really traditional, it's
just in case it's a little chilly out there," they explained. The sweater
was a little bit scratchy where it rubbed Mariko's bare nipples, but it was
bearable. Next came the blazer, and Mariko calmly cooperated as they
threaded her arms into the stiff jacket. When her hands were re-secured to
the chair, the tall woman opened her blazer up and began fishing around in
the left armpit. Mariko, who was extremely ticklish, had to fight hard to
keep from squirming. Finally the woman produced a thin piece of wire with a
clasp on the end. This, she fed in to the left arm hole of the sweater,
across Mariko's chest, and then out the other arm hole. She then fiddled in
the opposite armpit for a moment and yanked the wire. Mariko then realized
what was happening. Sewn into the shoulders of the blazer was a horizontal
figure "eight" of leather with the cross of the "eight" in the center of her
back. Her arms fit through the holes in the "eight" before going into the
blazer's sleeves. The wire was attached at the top and bottom of the "eight"
and once it was connected Mariko would not be able to remove the jacket
without first undoing the wire. Had Mariko been able to peek behind herself,
she would have seen that there had been a triangular section about four
inches wide removed from the jacket at about her shoulder blade level. This
triangle was reinforced with leather around the edge of the opening and had
a small metal clip hanging loosely out of it.

The tall woman continued to work, diligently trying to connect the wire
when, finally, there was a small "click" as the two ends of the wire
connected. The two women soon set their attentions on Mariko's next piece of
apparel, which turned out to be a set of black leather riding gloves. Not
normal gloves probably, Mariko had no doubt that they would be unique. Once
they were worked onto her hands she discovered that the skin-tight gloves
had no thumbs, rather, the thumb was part of the side of the glove. Although
she could wiggle her fingers freely, her thumbs, for all practical purposes,
were gone! The two women used button hooks to close the tops of the gloves
around her wrists. They produced a pair of steel handcuffs and locked one on
Mariko's right wrist. Then they unlocked her left wrist from the chair and
twisted it to meet the other hand where it was locked up in the loose cuff.
They removed the chair's bracelets from her hands and replaced them on the
chair arms ready for the next dressing session.

Mariko now sat with her wrists securely handcuffed behind her back and
her feet still locked to the chair. Then the tall woman stepped quickly
behind her and pulled her hands up suddenly between her shoulder blades and
clipped them to the hook in the back of her jacket. Mariko found that any
leverage she could have hoped to have was gone. The make-up woman glanced at
her watch and said to the other woman, "It's almost 7:30! We had better
finish her up! Hand me her tie, would you?" The other woman grunted and
handed her a strip of bright red cloth and then took a firm grip on Mariko's
ponytail. "We're gonna make sure you're completely tied up, doll ...get it?
Tied up?" The make-up lady then buttoned up the top two buttons of the
shirt, and slipped the necktie under the collar and around Mariko's neck.
She then carefully knotted the tie, (it took her three tries to get it
right,) and slid it up tight to Mariko's neck and tucked the necktie neatly
into her sweater. She fumbled around in her pockets for a moment and
produced a little gold collar bar which she clipped to both sides of her
collar under the necktie knot. "What's that for?" asked the tall woman.
"Allison likes them, she calls them tie locks. She had me put one on
Sweetcakes when she took her riding a couple of weeks ago. Sweetcakes rode
all day, then spent the night hogtied in bed and her tie wasn't even crooked
in the morning." replied the make-up woman.

"Pardon me, but this doesn't fit right, it's awfully tight." Mariko
gulped, (or tried to, it wasn't easy because of the collar.) The make-up
woman tucked a bright red, lace hanky into Mariko's breast pocket and pinned
a carnation to her blazer lapel. "Your comfort is of no concern to us, my
dear," she said as she worked. "The only thing that is important is that you
look presentable for your mistress." Using a small safety pin, she pinned
the key to Mariko's handcuffs to her necktie, just below the knot but
hopelessly out of reach of Mariko's wandering fingers. "There, finished.''
said the make-up woman as she stepped back to admire her handiwork. "You
look so cute!" she squealed to Mariko as she pinched her cheek and gave her
tie one last primp. "Allison's just gonna eat you up!" "More likely it'll be
the other way rbout!" added the tall woman as she turned towards the door
with the other woman. "Wait a minute, aren't you forgetting something?"
asked Mariko. "Oh really! Can't you be at all patient?" said the make-up
woman with an exasperated tone. "There'll be someone here presently who will
be happy to gag you. Can't you wait til then?" "No, no!" Mariko stammered,
"Pants, you forgot my pants!" "Oh, you obviously haven't seen them yet, have
you?" said the tall woman with a smile as she shut the door.

Shortly, the door opened, and in marched the three guards. They walked
around her and began to fumble with the riding britches. Mariko tried to
turn to see them but she found that this was not a comfortable feat with the
tight, starched collar and tie. First, one girl took hold of Mariko's
ponytail and pulled back on it, forcing her to lean back. The other two
pulled short nylon stockings on her feet, then pushed her feet into the legs
of the britches. They had to remove the ankle cuffs one at a time to yank
the pants up to Mariko's knees. Even when the pants were at her knees Mariko
knew that they were going to be very tight, but soon her mind was elsewhere.
One of the girls came around where Mariko could see her new riding boots.
They were made of very shiny black patent leather, with heels that were
about 5 inches high and no thicker at the bottom then a pencil. The girl was
examining the heel more closely, and pointed out a curious metal threading,
something like a screw, extending about one inch up from the tip of the
heel. The three girls (or four, if you count Mariko) examined the heels for
a moment, then shrugged it off and began trying to put the boots on poor
Mariko.

Every stitch she wore until then had fit her like a glove, but these
boots were a different story, they were much too small, at least one size,
maybe two. Mariko tried to explain this fact to the guards, loudly! The
guard holding her hair put a stop to that nonsense with a hand pressed
firmly over her mouth. The other pulled, tugged, crammed and finally forced
her feet into the boots. They pulled the little straps up and around her
calf and put small padlocks at the top so the boots couldn't be removed
without the key, which was added to the handcuff key pinned to her tie. They
stood Mariko up and re-applied themselves to pulling up the britches. When
the pants were just below her crotch they stopped, and one of them went over
to the table and returned with a small velvet box.

When she opened it, Mariko tried her best to bolt for the door, and would
have made it except for the high heels and the fact that a guard still had a
firm grip on her hair. As it was she only succeeded in falling hard on her
butt, then getting dragged painfully back to her feet. Mariko begged and
pleaded with the girls, but they paid no attention to her. As the girl with
the box removed two shiny steel ball bearings and came towards Mariko with a
slight hint of a smile on her face, the other one bent down and grabbed her
ankles and forced them as far apart as the britches would allow. The first
girl quickly and efficiently inserted the Ben-Wa balls, and then pressed the
crotch of the britches into place to insure that the balls wouldn't pop out.
The other two redoubled their efforts at pulling the pants into place.
Mariko suddenly realized that the crotch of the pants had been lined with
rubber, and this, combined with the built-in tightness of the pants, was
forcing the balls even deeper inside her. They zipped up the britches, and
Mariko could already feel the rubber doing it's best to warm things up. She
barely noticed the "click" of the lock insuring that she would be wearing
the riding britches for some time to come.

A wire hobble of about 18 inches was added to small rings on the inside
of the ankles of her boots. The hobble was really unnecessary, because there
was no way Mariko could possibly run in these boots, in fact she was
surprised she could even stand. Lastly came the riding hat, a derby. Mariko
had no delusions about this at all. They plunked the black velvet hat down
on her head and a whole bunch of matching leather straps fell around her
cheeks. The main strap, which one of the girls was trying to apply to her
mouth, was connected to a steel bit type of arrangement, which popped easily
into her startled mouth when she gasped as one of the girls attempted to
rearrange her Ben-Wa balls from the outside. The steel bit passed between
her teeth and drew her lips back at the corners as the straps were tightened
securely at the back of her neck under her ponytail. In the center of the
bit was a hard rubber pad that extended forward under the bit, right up to
the back of her lower teeth. Right behind the bit the rubber was softer, and
curled upwards, squishing itself against the roof of her mouth. As it worked
out, the gag was inserted perfectly the first time, the lower pad crushed
her tongue against the floor of her mouth, and the upper rubber had plenty
of room to expand should she try to open her mouth any further.

Mariko was limited in that regard because of the tightness of the bit
where it pulled her cheeks back cruelly. Mariko heard the small click of the
lock at the back of her neck and the key to her gag was added to the growing
collection dangling from her necktie, and our little equestrienne was ready
for her canter! Mariko was shoved roughly out the door and into the hall.
The guards were content to let her stumble along at her own awkward pace
down the corridor. Suddenly a door to her right flew open and Mariko found
herself face to face with Courtney. Her heart sank as she looked at her
friend, who was done up in exactly the same fashion as Mariko, except that
her color was blue; navy for the blazer, powder blue for the sweater, and
her tie was blue plaid complete with the keys pinned neatly in place.

The two prisoners didn't have any time to exchange sympathetic glances as
they were marched awkwardly down the hall. The only sound that followed them
was the high pitched click of their heels on the concrete floor and the
merry jingle of the dangling keys. They were then bundled into an elevator
and taken up to the main level of the estate and after another seemingly
endless stroll, they were taken to a door that led outside, the first time
they had been outside since they had been brought here. Given a choice,
Mariko would have hoped that their exit would have been a little more
dignified.

They walked down a long stone walkway to where they saw the make-up woman
standing on the edge of the white stone driveway. When they arrived, the
make-up lady made them stand for an inspection, adjusting here and primping
there. They then were forced to parade back and forth so she could get a
good look at them and, apparently satisfied, she dismissed the guards who
returned to the house. Mariko looked around the grounds. They paid no more
attention to the two bound and gagged girls then they would to a couple of
secretaries out on their lunch hour. Mariko wondered if this sight could be
more commonplace around here than she ever imagined. She shuddered at the
possibilities.

Presently, a golf cart came bouncing up the road and came to a stop in
front of the three women. A large man in filthy coveralls smelling
distinctly of manure stepped out of the cart and asked the make-up
woman,"Are deez dem?" "No," Mariko thought, "it's the other sixteen girls
standing around in ridiculous riding togs, wearing handcuffs and gags." The
make-up woman assured the man that they were indeed the girls he was looking
for and then stepped back. He guided Mariko and Courtney to the back of the
golf cart and carefully seated them there, facing the rear. Mariko was so
relieved to be offher already sore feet that she barely noticed as he
fiddled with their hobbles and yanked on one end, causing a slip knot device
on the wire to tighten, pulling the girl's ankles snugly together. The
make-up lady bent down where the girls could easily see her and said, "You
two have a nice day, and I'll see you this evening... bye-bye!" She turned
and without looking back, walked into the house.

The man spent a moment or two talking about the weather with the gardener
who was trimming a nearby hedge, then, whistling a little off-key tune, he
jumped into the driver's seat and turned the cart around and headed off
towards the distant stables with two very nervous, very uncomfortable
passengers aboard. The ride seemed longer for the girls than it really was,
as they were roughly bounced about by the bumpy dirt road they were being
shuttled down. Soon they were passing huge exercise pens, bordered with
white stock yard fences, surrounding bright green manicured lawns. Most of
the pens were occupied by varying numbers of beautiful horses prancing
about, some being attended by grooms, others free to run about. Mariko
couldn't help but notice how idyllic it all appeared, and what a distinct
contrast it was to their present situation. Mariko squirmed in her bonds for
a moment, testing... hoping the man driving wouldn't notice. He didn't, but
it didn't matter, she wasn't going to get loose now, not a chance. She only
prayed that someone would make a mistake and give her an opening for escape.
Just a crack, that was all she would need! She could crawl miles to escape,
run through streams to throw off the scent of the dogs that were sure to be
sent after her. Duck the searchlights! (Hey! This is getting exciting!) Then
she could climb that last fence and make it to freedom!

The golf cart came to a sudden stop and Mariko's momentum made her bump
against the back of the seat, causing her handcuffs to click a notch
tighter. "Well, so much for fantasy. Back to reality." she thought. There
was certainly more interest here than back at the house. Several trainers
walked by slowly, taking in our heroine's predicament. "Hey babe, goin
ridin'?" one called out teasingly as he walked by. Mariko tried to meet
their stares, but almost immediately she found herself staring at the ground
behind the cart trying to make herself as small as possible. The driver was
writing something on a pad, and when he was finished he walked to the back
of the cart and easily hoisted Mariko over his shoulder like a sack of
potatoes. With one hand on her rump for balance, he walked towards the
nearby barn. As he neared the door he stopped a man who was passing by.

"Yo, Karl! Ya got a butt?!" he yelled. "Waddya talkin' about? You already
have one right there !" replied Karl, motioning to all he could see of
Mariko. The big man fumbled in his pockets for a moment, "No I don't, I
checked already," replied Mariko's chauffeur. "I don't believe this!" Mariko
couldn't help saying aloud. All that came out was "Eh dt bleh tds!", and
nobody paid any attention. "Here, take one of my smokes, Lou," Karl said as
he lit the cigarette for Lou. "Palmer's going riding today, huh Lou? Can I
have a look?" "Sure." Lou replied as he turned around and Mariko found
herself staring right into the face of Karl, another stable hand. "Man, what
a waste, this one's a ten too, just like the others!" This was definitely
the most bizarre compliment Mariko ever had, and hopefully ever would
recieve. "You have a good time now, ya hear?" Karl said as he walked away.
Mariko just wished people would stop telling her to have fun in this
screwed-up place.

Lou carried her into the barn and walked over to a horse stall in the
corner. There he bent over and placed her on her feet in the straw in the
middle of the stall. He squatted down and loosened Mariko's hobble out to
about six inches, enough for her to shuffle about in the stall and that was
about it. He stepped out of the stall and closed the gate, then turned to
Mariko and said, "I suggest dat ya don't try ta sit down, 'cause ya might
get dirty. Undastand?" "Yes, I understand!" Mariko tried to reply, but all
she said was "Yth eh nudthd!" "What?" "Ydth! Ni! Nudthsss!" she drooled a
little. "What?" "Fhth Yyn Athhl!" she drooled alot. "Sorry honey, can't
understand what yer saying." With that, he turned around and walked out to
get Courtney. Mariko shuffled over to the gate and looked longingly at the
latch. It was outside, she was inside... No way. "Shthh!" Almost immediately
Lou returned with Courtney under his arm and deposited her next to Mariko.
Then he closed the gate and left. Escape, although it certainly entered both
girls' minds, was out of the question.

They stood as close as they could to each other trying to embrace the
only comfort they had in this crazy world. The comfort would not last very
long. Lou returned carrying two small English saddles and blankets and
dropped them in front of the stall. Then he called out to another man who
was walking by the doors, "Hey Joe! Do me a favor an get Thunder an' Cyclone
for me will ya?" Thunder!!!... Cyclone!!!... Mariko and Courtney looked at
each other in terror! Lou didn't seem to notice though, as he brought out a
large crate and put it on the floor on front of the gate. Then he sat down
on it and fiddled with one of the saddles. Joe appeared suddenly pulling two
gigantic horses, one black, the other brown. He tied the brown one to a post
and led the black one over to the crate and helped Lou saddle it. The horse
snorted but didn't resist much. Mariko just couldn't get over how big it was!

Joe held the reins as Lou walked into the stall. Courtney panicked and
bolted as Lou approached, shuffling as fast as she could for the corner of
the stall. Unfortunately, her mincing six inch steps were no match for Lou's
stride. He simply took hold of the back of her pants and spun her around and
steered her towards the gate. Mariko backed away into the other corner. Lou
picked Courtney up, stood her on the crate next to the horse, and removed
the hobble connecting her ankles. Then, with one motion, he stepped up on
the crate, grabbed Courtney by the back of the jacket and the seat of the
pants and deposited her in the saddle. "Hey there, little lady," Joe
drawled, "Cyclone's a real good horse, why he ain't thrown nobody for a
couple of weeks now!" Courtney was whimpering audibly. Joe continued, "Just
don't show him you're afraid, an' whatever you do, don't make any sudden
movements or you'll spook him!"

Courtney's body went absolutely rigid, not so much as a deep breath
passing her lips, as the men finished up their work. They put her feet into
the stirrups and then Mariko saw what those curious screw things on their
heels were for. Lou carefully guided Courtney's heel into a hole on the
stirrup and pushed it down until the screw threads came out the bottom. He
produced a wing nut from his pocket and tightened the nut on the threads,
thus preventing Courtney from pulling her foot out of the stirrup. He walked
casually to the other side of the horse and repeated the procedure. Joe took
the reins, led Cyclone to the side, and tied the horse to another post.
Courtney still hadn't moved a muscle. While Joe was getting Thunder into
position beside the crate, Lou turned to Mariko and said, "Don't keep us
waitin' sweetie." It didn't take a kick in the head for Mariko to realize
the futility of resistance. She put her head down to watch where she was
going and shuffled forward. By the time she arrived at the crate Thunder was
saddled and waiting. The closer she got to her mount, the more amazed she
was at just how big horses really get, and just how much she didn't want to
see how big it was from the horse's back.

Lou settled any doubts she might have had by grabbing her and swiftly
depositing her in the saddle. Momentarily, her feet were secured in the
stirrups and Joe was cautioning, "Remember, no sudden movements ."The
warning was unnecessary, as Mariko had been following Courtney's lead from
the moment she hit the saddle. "Remember girls, don't spook them!" Joe said
as he walked away chuckling. Lou took both sets of reins and led the
reluctant equestriennes out of the barn. The sound of hoof beats thundered
up from behind the girls. Neither dared turn to look, but their eyes flashed
back and forth desperately, trying for a glimpse.

"Yoo Hoo, you two! I see you're right on time!" Allison called from
behind, but both girls still stared straight ahead. "What's the matter, cat
got your tongue?" She slowly coaxed her mount around to where her new
playmates could see her. Allison was dressed in a red flannel shirt, jeans,
cowboy boots and a worn cowboy hat. She slowly rode her horse around the
girls, checking them out. "I've got the lunch, the wine, plenty of rope; I
can't think of anything else we could need for our picnic. Can you?" She
reached back into her saddle bag and removed an expensive-looking camera and
took a dozen or so photos of the girls from various angles. "For my album."
Allison explained. On the third time around she noticed that the only time
her little pets were looking at her was when she was directly in front of
them. She suddenly stopped short in front of the two girls, who sat rigidly
in their saddles. Allison leaned forward and examined her captives' faces
closely. "They told you the horses' names, didn't they?" Both girls nodded
ever so slightly. A smile broke across her face and she burst into laughter.
Both horses were startled and both riders screamed into their gags, but
neither horse moved. Allison began to regain control of herself.

Their names are a joke, you dummies! These are two big marshmallows! They
wouldn't hurt a fly. You can scream and struggle, or anything you want, and
they won't move. They're completely trained!" It took a moment, but then
both girls realized that their captor was telling the truth. They both
slumped in their saddles. "Look at me!" Allison ordered, and both visibly
relieved girls complied. "There are about a million and one things I have
left to do to you two. And I plan on doing each and every one to you at my
leisure, but I'm not going to hurt you!" With that, Allison reached down and
untied the reins from the post and tied them to her pommel. "Ready for some
fun in the sun, girls? What do you say to a gallop!" Allison shouted as she
spun her horse about and headed for the trail. Mariko and Courtney were
about to begin the ride of their lives...

CHAPTER TWO

Annnnnd... They're Off!!! or, So Close, Yet So Far?

The gallop only lasted a few hundred yards, but that was more than enough
for Mariko and Courtney. Their stirrups were attached to the saddle with
stiff, leather-covered Fiberglass pieces. The function of this was two-fold;
one, so the girls could not pull their feet upwards to try to get at their
boots, but also so that they would have a firm base to hold on to, as they
didn't have any hands to grip the reins. They were left with enough leg room
so they could stand and sit in the saddle as need be during the ride. Both
girls became adept at this very quickly. ("Natural riders," as Allison was
to later say.) "Isn't it exhilerating to do that!" Allison shouted to the
girls as she reined her horse down to a trot, with Thunder and Cyclone
instantly responding to the change of pace of Allison's gray mount. Mariko
nodded weakly in response, but Courtney didn't respond at all because she
was too busy screaming and struggling to hear the question. Under the
circumstances Allison didn't seem to mind.

The horses trotted on along a trail laid out through rolling hills and
past thick woods. The early morning air was brisk, the last remnant of dew
evaporating in the sun. Allison was in her glory in this environment; the
great outdoors, on top of her favorite horse, with the quiet of the
countryside, and her own personal captive audience to listen to her lectures
about everything from corporate takeovers to the proper way to prepare tea.
Allison seemed to have opinions on everything (even things she knew nothing
about), and she always loved a good argument, so long as she won. She found
that the best way to always come out on top was to be sure that her opponent
was just like Mariko or Courtney; intelligent, witty, confident, informed
and securely gagged and bound. It understandably took some of the challenge
out, but Allison preferred the sure thing, winning at any cost was more her
style. So Allison began her lecture about everything, after informing her
new pupils that there would be a quiz when they got back. Mariko looked over
at Courtney, who had recovered from the gallop quite well and was busy
looking around the countryside.

Eventually, Courtney glanced over at Mariko, and then their eyes met.
Courtney motioned at Allison's back with her eyes, then scowled at her and
rolled her eyes in Mariko's direction. Mariko was relieved that her friend
had not gone off the deep end, as she had feared. Mariko tried to smile to
her friend in return, but the bit gag was to tight, she couldn't do much
more then change the grimace on her face slightly. Courtney nodded in
return, and she grimaced too, then rolled her eyes again about the futility
of it all.

The girls were having a wonderful time as the horses plodded along,
making faces at Allison's back as she continued to preach about everything.
They always managed to be quick enough to look attentive every time Allison
would turn around to emphasize a point, but after a time they tired of this
game, and retreated into themselves, and their misery. The Ben-Wa balls were
sending tingles of eroticism that began to blend with Mariko's discomfort,
in a foreign, but not entirely displeasing way. As a result of her exertion,
while they had endured their gallop, the balls had slid down enough so that
one was exposed to the rubber of the pants; and every time Mariko would miss
a beat on the motion of the horse she would hit the saddle hard, sending
quivers from one ball to the other and then, of course, to her. She found it
very distracting.

On the other hand, there was the shirt to consider. When they had first
put it on Mariko, she had figured that the breast holes were there for the
most obvious reason. But then, when they had put the sweater on her,
covering the holes, she had been totally confused. Now though, she was
beginning to realize their true function. Although Mariko had never been
very well endowed in the bosom department, she had always had to wear a bra.
Now, without the bra, on a bouncing horse, her breasts were having a field
day, moving up and down with the motion of her mount. With each upward
motion her nipples slid upward across about three inches of Shetland wool.
Then they followed the same path downward, then upward, then downward.

At first this was not so bad, the stimulation caused her nipples to
harden and become very sensitive (a pleasant situation when combined with
what was going on between her legs). But soon she had had more than enough
of the wool, as the horse continued along the trail. Upward, then downward
went the horse, upward and downward she went. Her nipples began to get very
sensitive as the sweater seemed to get coarser and coarser. Upward,
downward. Soon it became almost unbearable. Mariko tried every position she
could thing of to move her breasts away from the clingy sweater, but none
helped. Mariko looked over at Courtney, and she realized that Courtney was
in even rougher shape, as her breasts clearly bounced four or five inches.
Mariko could only close her eyes and wish that they would get where they
were going, but her wishes weren't going to be granted for some time. They
just continued to plod along. Upwards, then downwards.

The equestrians eventually reached the top of a hill, where Allison
stopped her monologue, and all three horses. From this vantage point the
three girls could look down to a small, sheltered pond, surrounded by rocky
outcroppings and moderately thick woods. Mariko and Courtney were just
grateful to stop and relieve the rubbing of their tingling tits, and they
were not very interested in admiring the view. Allison broke the silence. "I
just love this place, whenever I need to be alone, I pack up a lunch and
head out here. Just to swim and think and relax." Mariko wondered if Allison
considered herself alone right now. "C'mon!" she said, as if the girls
weren't going to follow one way or the other. She prodded her mount down the
trail towards the lake, and stopped at a small grassy clearing that was
among the trees surrounding the lake. From horseback it was possible to see
the lake about 100 yards away, but standing on the ground it was unlikely
that they would get that view.

Allison moved the horses under the limbs of a huge tree, Then, standing
up in her saddle, she produced the end of a rope that looped over a pulley,
that was attached to a tree limb in a secure notch. Allison backed her horse
up next to Mariko and tied the end of the rope to the clip on her back. Then
Allison rode her horse over to another tree and tied it there with
Courtney's horse still tied to the pommel. She approached Mariko, removed
the wing nuts from her heels, and lifted her feet out of the stirrups.
Mariko moved and stretched her legs for the first time in over two hours,
careful not to spook the horse. Allison was all business as she walked to
the other end of the concealed rope, and pulled it until it was taut. "Get
ready!" Allison called to Mariko as she resumed pulling slowly on the rope.
Mariko braced herself as well as she could, for what, she was not quite
sure. Allison tied the rope off and hurried over to move Thunder. Now Mariko
dangled about six feet in the air, turning slowly. Her eyes were clamped
shut tight and she barely noticed Allison's returning to put the hobble back
between her feet. Finally, Allison lowered her slowly to the ground. She
untied the rope from the clip and escorted Mariko over to a grassy patch by
another tree. She tightened the hobble to two inches, and left her standing.
"Don't go away!" she warned with a wagging finger as she turned to look
after Courtney.

The two girls stood stiffly at attention as Allison graciously attended
to their disheveled clothing, tugging Mariko's jacket down, and
straightening Courtney's tie and sweater. "You can dress them up, but you
can't take them anywhere," Allison scolded with a smile, knowing she had
caused all the problems with her unique dismounting technique. She then went
over to her horse, leaving the girls standing under the tree, and returned
with a checkered tablecloth and two picnic baskets. She spread the cloth on
the ground at the girls' feet, and sat down. Rummaging about in one of the
baskets, she pulled out a bottle of wine and a glass. Using a corkscrew, she
opened the bottle, poured herself a glass of the wine, and took a long sip.
"Ahh! I needed that!" said Allison, as she laid back and looked up at the
two girls, who were looking longingly at the wine. "You can have some of
this when, and if, I say. And not before!" she said, then continued, "We
have something to discuss right now, though..."

With that, she opened the other picnic basket and removed four pieces of
thin cord. She looped one around Courtney's right knee, and then put it
around Mariko's left knee. When it was tied off, both girls had one knee
welded to her partners', left to right. Then Allison tied their ankles
together. They were now ready for a three-legged race, almost. Allison tied
a cord around their albows where they touched, then added an-other cord from
one outside elbow to the other, across both oftheir chests, pulling them
together. She then knelt and loosened the hobbles out to 10 inches or so.
"Follow me, please." Allison said, as she walked over to her horse. Mariko
and Courtney tried to obey, but they found that the awkwardness of their
bondage, combined with their high heels on the grass, made movement almost
impossible. They fell almost immediately to their knees. Allison returned to
where the Siamese twins were trying to develope some coordination and stood
before them with her feet spread wide, her hands behind her back. "So you're
disobedient too!" she said. Both girls tried to apologize at once, but all
they managed was a little blubbering through their gags.

"No, no, it's all right. I understand about this position," she said
comfortingly to the girls. "What I really want to discuss," Allison said
with an air of confidentiality, "is how impolite it is to make fun of
someone behind their back, especially considering your positions!" Mariko
and Courtney could feel the color drain from their faces as Allison produced
a wicked-looking riding crop, and strutted slowly around behind them. It
looked like this was going to be an awfully one-sided discussion... snap!
The two hapless girls knelt on the edge of the picnic blanket as Allison
prepared the meal. Mariko was thankful that Allison hadn't made them sit
down for this part, because she didn't think her rear end could take anymore
abuse. First the damn saddle, then the riding crop. She didn't want to think
about the ride home. Mariko and Courtney were still tied exactly the same
way they had been for their "discussion", except that now their hobbles were
tightened as well. Allison had spent about fifteen minutes walking around
the girls, alternately snapping them with the crop, and scolding them on
their behavior during their trip there. Then, after a flurry of whacks on
their derrieres, Allison had suddenly, cheerfully said "Let's have some
lunch!" and started preparing the meal.

The food looked terrific. Mariko was famished from her busy day so far.
She could tell that Courtney shared her feelings from the rumbling sounds
that were coming from her stomach. Allison opened the basket and removed a
plate of cold chicken, browned to perfection. A plate of potato salad
followed, and some thinly-sliced lean ham. From a small container of fruit
salad, she plucked out a melon ball and popped it into her mouth. (Mariko
could almost taste it!) She pulled a Thermos of hot coffee out of the basket
and set it aside as she casually sipped her wine. Other condiments followed,
some crisp celery, some sharp cheddar cheese, and crackers. "Please,
anything, something!" Mariko thought as she could feel Courtney leaning
forward a little, hoping to get at least a sniff of the delicious food. Out
popped a tiny tin of caviar and some crab meat. "Crab meat! Oh, that's my
favorite!" Mariko moaned to herself. She could hardly control herself!
Allison didn't seem to notice though, as she took a chicken leg and daintily
took a bite. "Hhmmmm...This is the life!" she said. "Oh! I almost forgot you
two," and Allison actually blushed, as she opened the basket up again, and
withdrew two small square packages wrapped neatly in wax paper. She sat them
in front of the two starving girls. Mariko could only stare in disbelief at
the two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches Allison had kindly provided for
her guests.

Allison was on her third glass of wine when she finished her meal. She
slid across the blanket to where Mariko and Courtney knelt, and fumbled with
the keys pinned to their neckties.She removed one of the keys from each girl
and then went around behind them. Mariko's heart leapt at the sound of the
padlock on their gags being unlocked, she flinched when Allison pulled it a
little tighter to release the catch, and she moaned in relief when Allison
pulled the bit out of her mouth and removed her derby. Soon both girls knelt
on the edge of the blanket, trying futilely to unwrap their sandwiches with
their mouths. Allison watched this with amusement for a moment, then began
feeding her little slaves the sandwiches. Both girls knew better than to
look a gift horse in the mouth, so they accepted the food gratefully; and it
did make them feel better. After a drink of water for both of them, Allison
sat back, poured herself another glass of wine, and began, "You two don't
know how good you have it." "Oh sure!" thought Mariko. "This is almost
paradise." after having eaten, and seeing Allison in a somewhat relaxed
mood, Mariko decided to see if she could get herself a little more
comfortable.

"Allison, please, I'm really having some trouble with this tie, I can't
breath very well and... and, couldn't you just loosen it a little bit.
Please?" Mariko asked haltingly. "Don't be silly, after I took the time to
pick it out for you to wear in the first place, do you actually think I'm
going to take it off now just because you're a little bit uncomfortable?"
"Well, I just thought I'd ask," replied Mariko, relieved that at least for
now, Allison hadn't overreacted. "But now," Allison said, sitting forward
with a sudden intensity in her attitude, "since you seem in the mood to
talk, is there anything either of you want to say to me?" Mariko briefly
considered confessing to the entire espionage, but Allison's demeanor didn't
do a very good job of convincing Mariko of her compassion. The loyalty she
felt for Ivan Rasovitz was part of the reason she had to hold out. He must
have discovered her disappearance by now, and would be coming to save her
very soon. She only felt bad because Courtney, an innocent bystander, had
gotten caught up in this. She figured that if she kept her mouth shut, maybe
they would both get out of this mess soon. She resolved that she would only
confess to prevent Courtney from taking the whole rap. Mariko was sure that
Courtney would understand. After all, if the roles were reversed, she would
try to help Courtney out of the jam.

Allison continued to closely examine both her captives' faces. This only
went to show Mariko that she was still fishing for the truth, that she
really didn't know who was the guilty one. "Okay, fine, you two don't have
anything to say now?" Both girls looked at each other and then back at
Allison. "We don't know what you want, really!" Courtney said. "That's all
right, but I'll remind you that I have plenty of time. Plenty of time! I'll
ask you about this again next week sometime. Just remember, Ve 'ave vays uf
makink yu talk!" Allison yawned and stood up. "I think I'll take that little
swim now. You girls can take a nap while I'm gone if you want." She took the
knife from the blanket and cut the cords binding Mariko and Courtney
together. Both girls sighed with relief as they were able to stretch out on
their own. Allison allowed them to sit next to each other while she hunted
in the second basket for something. 'We do have to make sure nothing
disturbs the tranquility of this place, don't you agree?"

All Mariko could see was the four-inch foam rubber ball Allison had in
her hand. "You don't need that!" Mariko started, but Allison would have none
of it. Quick as a wink Allison pounced on her and pressed the ball against
her teeth. Mariko fought valiantly to defend the inner reaches of her mouth
from the relentless intruder but, in the end, it was to no avail. As soon as
the first bit of the foam passed between her teeth she was caught. Allsion
worked and kneaded the foam until Mariko's mouth was stuffed full of the
spongy rubber. Then Allison grabbed a roll of three-inch-wide adhesive tape,
and with trained fingers, slapped the end taut across Mariko's startled
mouth. This was repeated three more times. When she was finished, Mariko's
entire lower face was covered by the tape. Her cheeks bulged above it, and
her jaw was distended under it, and she could barely make a peep. Courtney
fought like a tiger and Allison had a much harder time installing her gag
than she had had with Mariko's. But installed it was, and the two mute girls
looked at their captor, who sat back to finish her fourth glass of wine.
Allison picked up everything except the blanket and put it in the basket,
which she then tied to her horse. "Well, I'll be back in a while. You two
take it easy," she said, as she untied the horses and led them down to the
lake so they could drink.

Mariko waited until Allison had gone out of sight, then she sat up and
began squealing frantically to Courtney, " Td uboob orgnt td kne! Td uboob
orgnt td kne!" It didn't take Courtney long to understand. The boob had
forgotten the key. The handcuff keys were still pinned to their ties! Here
was the chance they had been waiting for! It took some time, but through
some desperate (admittedly garbled) communication they managed to formulate
a plan. At first they tried to remove each other's gags, but they couldn't
get a grip on the tape with their leather-covered fingers, so they continued
as best they could. Mariko turned her back on Courtney, who struggled up
onto her knees. She then leaned forward, trying to put the dangling keys
into Mariko's reach. Mariko had realized that she would have to do this
entirely by feel, because if she turned her head much at all, her shoulders
would follow, thus moving her hands away from the keys. Courtney had wiggled
close to Mariko, and leaned.

Her balance was precarious to begin with and when she lost it, both girls
tumbled; Mariko onto her side and Courtney onto her stomach. Fortunately,
neither girl hurt herself; so they struggled back up into position to try
again. This time Courtney came closer and when she leaned forward again, she
put her head against the back of Mariko's head. It took a moment, but
Courtney finally positioned the keys against Mariko's hands. Without thumbs
it was hard to get a good grip on the keys, so Mariko fiddled until she felt
she had a good grip, then she grunted to Courtney who lunged backwards
trying to rip the pin from the tie. Instantaneously the key slipped from
Mariko's fingers and Courtney was in imminent danger of toppling over
backwards. She managed to prevent this, but she over-compensated and crashed
into Mariko, and they both toppled to the ground again. Another try resulted
in the same consequences, and still no key.

Mariko realized that eventually somebody was going to get hurt this way,
so as Courtney was repositioning herself for yet another try (stubborn
girl!), Mariko turned around, and with a great deal of mumbling and eye
flapping, convinced Courtney to hold still this time. Courtney returned to
the position where Mariko could get her hand on the pin. Mariko was becoming
used to the gloves, a little, and could even make out the pin's position
between her fingers. She got the pin between her first and second fingers
and squeezed. The sharp end of the pin moved a little inside it's sheath,
and Mariko felt a wave of optimism come ever her! Then the pin shifted in
her grasp and she lost it, but this could work! They tried six more times,
each time ending with the pin shifting in Mariko's grasp and re-closing.
Eight more tries failed, and Mariko's fingers were cramping up and her anger
was building rapidly. Then, more out of frustration than anything else, she
pinched hard and fast, rather than slowly and carefully as she had been, and
she heard the jingle of the keys as they fell onto the blanket.

She spun around and looked into Courtney's joyous, tape-covered face.
Both girls squealed with delight and tried to hug each other without their
hands. Mariko moved back and looked at the keys piled on the blanket.
Luckily the handcuff key was distinctive, so she used her nose to push the
other two away from it. She then laid down on her back and felt around for
the key. It took a few moments in this awkward position before she managed
to find the key and get hold of it. When she had, she sat up and motioned
Courtney to lay down on her stomach on the blanket. When Courtney had
complied, Mariko examined her cuffs. The tiny openings were facing towards
Courtney's feet, so Mariko positioned herself across the small of Courtney's
back, propped up on her elbows. The awkward position of her own hands made
manipulation of the key a formidable task, and Mariko would have given ten
years of her life for the use of her thumbs, but she pressed on. By pushing
her hands as far out to the side as they would go, and by turning her head
as far as it could go (ignoring the pull of the tape on her skin), she was
able to make out the key and keyhole at the same time. Unfortunately, the
closer the key got to the hole the more difficult it was for her to see. For
the last six inches she had to go by best guess, and it took many misses and
several drops before she guessed right.

Success! This was it! Many thoughts raced through Mariko's mind. The
first was of escape, but then a thought crossed her mind, one of a little
revenge before they got away. She pictured Allison dangling by her heels
from a tree as Courtney and herself laughed and pushed her back and forth.
Yes, revenge would be sweet indeed. Mariko pushed these thoughts to the back
of her mind as she turned her concentration to turning the key. She got the
key between her first and second fingers and turrled. She could see the cuff
begin to release and then, joyously, when Courtney twisted her wrist, it
popped open! Free at long last!

At that very instant, a slender hand reached in past Mariko's head and
pressed the cuff closed again before Courtney could even pull her hand out.
Allison plucked the key out of the lock, easily avoiding Mariko's desperate
efforts to stop her. "Not bad, not bad at all!" Allison said looking at her
watch. "32 minutes and 18 seconds. That's good enough for second place
overall! And I have it all on film! she held up a portable video camera for
the girls to see. Mariko couldn't take it anymore. She had told herself that
she could never cry in front of Allison, but this was too much. Courtney
tore at her bonds in frustrated anger, but for Mariko the tears were her
only release. As the two girls handled this setback in their own way,
Allison was calmly fumbling in the pack she had with her. "Really, you two
were terrific, you should be proud of yourselves. Most of the time I get
bored watching, but you two were amazing! It usually takes twenty minutes
just to decide who is going to untie who. Fantastic!"

Allison pulled another blanket out of the pack and spread it out on the
ground under a limb, about ten feet away from the one the girls were on. She
returned and dragged Courtney, who was calling Allison every name she could
think of, over to the other blanket and dropped her on it. Even with the
tight gag anyone could understand what Courtney was attempting to say. "My,
my! Such language! I can see we are going to have to have our mouth washed
with soap tonight, eh?" Allison scolded. Courtney couldn't have cared less,
she kept up her tirade, which was lost somewhere between her and that soggy
packing in her mouth (more likely the latter). Allison shook her head as she
pulled a long piece of rope from her pack and threw it over the tree limb
above Courtney's head. Allison calmly pushed Courtney down on the blanket,
and rolled her onto her stomach. Courtney could guess what was coming next,
but there was little she could do about it. Allison ran the rope end through
the clip holding her hands, then down between her feet, catching the
shortened hobble that pinned her feet together, and pulled back. Courtney
looked like a pretzel as her feet were pulled up within inches of her bound
hands. Allison tied the end of the cord off where Courtney couldn't possibly
reach, then walked over to the blanket where Mariko sat, still sobbing
softly.

Allison knelt down and collected up the scattered keys, then looked at
Mariko. "It's okay," she said softly. "I would never have respected you at
all if you didn't at least try to get away. If it's any consolation, you
never had a chance. I've done this type of thing too many times before to
screw up now. That's why I changed your gags. With your mouths all taped up,
there's no way you can use your teeth to bite the pins. As you can see, I
never make mistakes." Allison returned to Courtney and re-pinned the keys to
her tie, then pulled the free end of the rope taut and tied it off. Thus
Courtney was doomed to remain in the tight hogtie, with only her belly
resting on the ground, for the time being. Allison returned to Mariko and
embellished her bondage with identical results. "Now that I'm sure you two
will stay out of mischief, I think I will really take that swim now. Ciao!"
Mariko struggled around and watched Allison head back the same way she had
left earlier. She could hear Allison's steps recede from the camp, and she
heard the rustling of her friend struggling with her restraints, but Mariko
was just too tired to fight anymore. The last thing she heard was the
singing of a bird before she was fast asleep.

Mariko awoke to the sound of a horse whinnying. She was still bound as
tightly as she had been when Allison had left her. She looked around to see
Allison busily moving a horse into position to accept a reluctant rider
again. Courtney stood on her tip-toes, trying to relieve the strain on her
shoulders from the hoist rope. Mariko also noticed that Allison had amused
herself at Courtney's expense again. Big, smiling lips had been painted on
the tape with bright red lipstick. When Cyclone was in position, Allison
hoisted Courtney up and secured her in the saddle. Allison returned to
Mariko's side and began to loosen the rope. "Did sweetie pie have a nice
nappy?" Allison asked teasingly. Mariko chose not to respond. "C'mon! Get
up! I lost track of the time, and we have to get back for dinner! Let's go!"
She dragged Mariko sver to the spot where Courtney had, until recently,
stood. She tied the hoist to Mariko's clip and plunked the riding derby back
on her head. There was no time for formalities as ten minutes later the
three riders were on their way back to the house.

Upwards, then downwards. Upwards, then downwards. It was a very subdued
pair of captives that at last plodded up the familiar drive, down which they
had galloped so early that morning. When they arrived at the stables only
Lou remained to take the girls down off the horses. He simply pulled them
down (after removing the wing nuts), and stood them to one side as he took
all three horses away. Allison went over to the door and turned back to the
two girls. "C'mon you two, I don't have time for your dawdling!" she said as
she motioned to the door with her head. Courtney went first and Mariko
despondently followed, and they followed Allison outside. Parked right
outside the door was a Rolls Royce silver shadow convertible. Allison opened
the door but prevented the two exhausted girls from entering. She positioned
both girls side by side, with their stomachs pressed against the rear fender
of the car. She looped the ankle hobbles through the rings again and pulled
their legs together as tight as they would go.

Without a word, she took hold of Courtney's shoulders and began to push
her towards the waiting door, but suddenly it seemed she had second
thoughts. Allison looked at the gaping door, then at Mariko and Courtney,
and then at the rear of the car. She propped Courtney back against the
fender, then reached into the car and pressed a small button on the
dashboard. Immediately the trunk popped open, and both girls moaned
simultaneously as they realized exactly how they would be riding. Allison
half carried, half shoved the two girls into the trunk. In answer to the two
sets of misty, pleading eyes that looked up at her from the trunk, Allison
smiled, then shrugged. "Because, I enjoy being a pain in the neck, that's
why!" she said, and then Mariko and Courtney were plunged into the darkness
of the trunk.