Paradice Lost Pt 8 by A Pensive Pen

[A Pensive Pen]

Part Eight: Bait and Switch

   Gabrielle stared at the ceiling. It was early—so early, in fact, that the orange sun was still seeping through the gap in the curtains. She watched a stripe of sunlight crawl up her still legs. There was little else to do. She laid on her back in Cheri's bed, arms and legs pinned to her sides by straps every foot or so on her naked body. Her hands were tied together and pressed into her stomach while further straps pinned her to the mattress. There was no gag, but Gabrielle was still quiet. She didn't really know what to say.
    They'd been so nice so far. She hadn't even spent very long in that hogtie, all things considered. They'd fed her and bathed her and left her in a decently comfortable position. But they had also planned something for her that they refused to share, and between all of Cheri's coffee shop stories and an overactive imagination, Gabrielle found herself unable to sleep. Instead she wondered, back and forth, whether they actually intended what Laura had first suggested. Retribution three times over? Was that even possible?
   Whatever was coming, waiting for the hammer to fall felt a little like watching that orange patch of sunlight. It snaked toward her slowly. If she watched it then it would never move, but the moment she forgot about it, it jumped much closer than before.   
   "Good morning!" Cheri's voice floated in as she entered.  She looked completely different from the previous day, with unkempt violet hair and a slinky turquoise nightgown. To be frank, Gabrielle had always found the idea of lingerie boring before she discovered it needn't be satin or lace. Cheri noticed her contemptuous look.
   "What?" she gave a playful twirl. "Can't wear latex every day, and I got my fill, didn't I? We have something different for you, too."
   Cheri placed a small pile on the bed. Gabrielle stared at it. She spoke at last, "I assume you will all roll ze dice for me? It will be ze same mistake as always."
   "I told you, Gabrielle," Cheri returned, fiddling with a clump of nylon. "we only play Dice with each other. With you we're just going to do whatever we want. Besides, you were right about one thing. We all need to be a little less submissive and learn to take control. Of you."
   "I could do so much more if you let me."
   Cheri paused and whispered, "I know. I just don't want you to."
   Gabrielle stared fiercely, "Tell me you did not like it."
   "When did that ever matter to you?" Cheri snapped.
   "Always, mon Chéri."
   "Don't call me that," Cheri leaned over Gabrielle.
   "Tell me you 'ated it, Cheri. My touch-mmmmph—" Cheri surprised Gabrielle from behind and worked a simple red ball gag between her teeth. Gabrielle jerked her head around in protest but once the straps were buckled she became much more cooperative.
   "You manipulated me," Cheri hissed into Gabrielle's ear. "You violated me and my friends. You made me watch you hurt them, and made me a part of it. I hated it."
   Gabrielle looked stunned for a moment but her expression then hardened, as though Cheri was clearly lying. Indeed, Cher could have elaborated a bit, but she wouldn't give Gabrielle the satisfaction. Instead she began preparing Gabrielle for her upcoming adventure. Gabrielle was freed except for her wrists and made to sit on the side of the bed. The clump of nylon stretched into a black shear bodystocking which Cheri worked up Gabrielle's shapely legs and waist before preparing tall leather ballet boots. Gabrielle craned to watch as her foot was placed into each impossibly high heel, so high that her toe would only sink into it when Cheri lifted her off the bed and put Gabrielle's full weight behind it.

Cheri had to brace Gabrielle on her teetering toes while she laced the boots incredibly tight around her ankles and up to her knees. Gabrielle knew these would get uncomfortable but doubted she would be let out of them quickly. She was right: once laced Cheri locked a pair of ankle cuffs in place and attached a short chain between them.
   Gabrielle's hands were let out of their cuffs next, not that she'd be running anywhere in her footwear. Cheri stood her up and the bodystocking soon covered her body to her neck, except of course for her crotch, in black nylon. Next came a tangle of leather straps which turned out to be a harness. Cheri pressed its front against Gabrielle's chest, squeezing each of her ample breasts through two gaps in the web of leather while the rest crisscrossed over her body. Two large loops wrapped around her thighs, lifting her ass provocatively and leaving her pussy exposed. Once the harness' many buckles were snugly fastened, Cheri reappeared with cuffs. For a moment it looked like Gabrielle might resist, but Cheri held a fierce expression, as though daring her to try. Gabrielle faltered in her towering heels and harness, and her hands were promptly cuffed and locked behind her back. Surveying herself, Gabrielle felt quite different than she had in her red teddy.
   Cheri bade Gabrielle to sit in a nearby chair and she did thankfully, already looking to relieve pressure off her boots. There Cheri applied some makeup, concentrating on Gabrielle's eyes, and tied Gabrielle's black hair into a very high ponytail.
   "You had one thing right with that outfit of yours, babe," she said eventually, "Presentation matters." After the makeup, Cheri fit a new set of cuffs onto Gabrielle's elbows and drew them together as tight as she could manage. She also prepared something else, which Gabrielle couldn't make out.
   "You remember Silence Dogood, right Gabrielle?" Cheri asked from behind. Gabrielle immediately stiffened. "That wonderful, restrictive hood that was so tight we had to name it something special?"
   Gabrielle shuddered and turned her head. Cheri was clearly holding something black in her hands. The smell of leather filled her nostrils. She cried out and shook her head. Not again! Her only reply was a black mass descending over her head. But then...light.
   "Relax, this isn't Silence," Cheri cooed, adjusting the hood and pulling Gabrielle's ponytail through a small gap at the top. "This is our Gwendoline hood, but we can't really call it that for obvious reasons."
   Her eyes uncovered, Gabrielle looked around. Only her eyes and nose remained uncovered by the hood while her ponytail fed through a small hole at the top. Her head and mouth all disappeared beneath jet black leather. As Cheri laced it, the leather stretched across her jaw until the round orb of her gag bulged beneath it.
   "Well," Cheri continued, "you've convinced us that, like Silence, this hood needs a better name. We've decided on Gabbi, in your honor. We're going to reserve Gabbi for people who really, really need to be taught a lesson."
   Gabrielle squeaked. Cheri finished the lacing and buckled a thick collar around the base of the hood to hold it in place. Once finished with her, Gabrielle was made to stand.
   "Are you ready?" Cheri asked pleasantly. Gabrielle hardly felt feisty anymore. She mewed reluctantly for Cheri. "Relax. We're going to take care of you. Just like you took care of us."
   At long last, Gabrielle realized how scary that prospect could be.

*   *   *

   Everything in the living room had been moved. The sofa and armchairs now formed a large circle around the center of the room, where the large pedestal Gabrielle had ordered now stood. Its many straps and the spreader bar's manacles stood open and ready. Beside the pedestal, the coffee table now displayed a variety of neatly arranged tools and toys. When Gabrielle was led into the room in wobbly steps and saw the setup, she whined and struggled against Cheri's grip. She felt like she was being led to the gallows. Maybe she was.
   Gwen was already there, sitting comfortably in an armchair with her legs crossed and a caring smile on her face. She wore a long satin chemise, white with black lacing, over white stockings and heels. Her short hair had been styled into an elegant bob. She looked, honestly, kind of sweet, like a newlywed on her wedding night. Not what Gabrielle was expecting at all.
   "I she's scared of her own contraption," Gwen mused.
   "That's funny, seeing as you were planning to stick us in it, right, Gabrielle?" Cheri scolded. Gabrielle just groaned and stared at it fearfully. Nevertheless, she was brought to stand right in front of the pedestal.
   "Hold her for a second," A voice floated in from the hall before the straps could be touched, and Laura strolled gracefully into view. For a moment Gabrielle could only gape. Laura was not like Gwen at all.
   Deep magenta lipstick and shimmering, ghostly blue eye shadow. Laura's long golden hair cascaded down her shoulders in soft helixes which framed her gaze. The inky latex stretched across her chest wasn't shiny. Baubles were shiny. Fickle, disposable trinkets were shiny. Laura's corset glowed evocatively, its wet shimmer contrasting pale skin and tracing the curve of her back. Her chest was well-concealed by the overbust shape, clarifying that it, like the rest of Laura, was there to take but not to give. It flowed down her frame and over her waist until it trickled into garters. The bikini cut panties matched it perfectly in both material and deceptive modesty. A nondescript choker peeked through twirling locks.
   Laura's hands were encased in short, tightly fitting latex gloves. They gave her no trouble at all as Laura twirled a crop dexterously between her fingers. Lustrous black stockings hugged Laura nearly to the tops of her thighs and sank, at their other end, into ultra-feminine pumps. Gabrielle couldn't make out where stocking ended and heel began and, frankly, it didn't matter.
   Raw sex and raw sexuality, it seemed, could be very different things. Laura was glass and yet stone, with a dark luster that only looked fragile. Hidden in plain sight was a magnificent, daunting razor. Gabrielle was left with but one instinctual thought: Laura was not to be crossed.
   The obsidian woman stepped lithely toward them. By all rights hot latex drips should have trailed her. The carpet crushed under her heels, the material strained against her skin, and her eyes were ever fixed on her astonished prey. For a moment, the pedestal stood entirely forgotten.
   "Good morning, Gabrielle," Laura spoke softly. "Are you ready?"
   Gabrielle came to her senses enough to shake her head.
   "Mmmph."
   "Of course you are," Laura glided over and sat herself on the vinyl pads on the pedestal before Gabrielle. She crossed her legs gracefully. "You've been hoping for this from the start, haven't you?"
   Gabrielle tried to stare down Laura confidently. Laura surely didn't think she would fall for her own tricks? Gwen rose off her chair as well and moved to stand behind Gabrielle. A pair of hands slid over her hips.
   "You've become obsessed with bondage," Laura continued, leaning in closer. "With the power, the trust—
   "And the pleasure," Gwen cooed.
   "—And the pleasure.  You took all of those things from us, but they were ours alone to give."
   "And now here we are, and here you are," Gwen finished. "It's all so familiar that we can't help but ask ourselves: would you? Would you give yourself to us? To Cheri, or Laura? To me?"
   Gabrielle's breathing was heavy as Gwen's hands explored further. Eyes locked on Laura, she gave the briefest shake of her head.
   "Mmmph..."
   "Liar," Cheri voiced from afar. She'd donned a plushy robe and settled into Gwen's armchair before the pedestal.
   Laura grinned wickedly as she searched Gabrielle's face. "Yes, that's it right there. I just knew I had to leave your eyes uncovered. To see that expression. That timid curiosity that tells me you wanted to have us, but you also wanted to feel what it was like to be us."
   Laura placed her hand gently on Gabrielle's cheek.
   "You're going to find out today, Gabrielle, because I'm going to show you. I'm going to give you that bittersweet punishment you've earned. You're going to feel whatever I want you to feel. It won't be easy, or comfortable, but it might be a little fun."
   Gabrielle whined haplessly and flinched as Laura's crop suddenly brushed across her pussy.
   "...But you will be ours, a helpless little toy for us to play with. Isn't that just a little bit intriguing?"
   The tip of the crop ground against Gabrielle until she squirmed uncomfortably. Laura raised the tip of the crop for all to see. It glistened with arousal.
   "I see it is."
   "Don't be shy," Gwen sang into Gabrielle's ear. "Being helpless isn't all about control. There's also trust." Gwen's hands rose to meet Gabrielle's breasts over the stocking. "Do you trust us to give you everything you need?"
   Gabrielle moaned softly but still shook her head. Soon she felt the crop insisting upon her sex again.
   "And everything you deserve?" Laura added menacingly.
   Laura rose off the pedestal and Gabrielle felt her hips being pressed irresistibly against the pedestal before her. Gwen fed the straps around each of her upper thighs so they were held tightly against the padding. Gabrielle squirmed.
   "Don't fight it," she whispered. Yeah, right.
   Gabrielle's ankle cuffs were removed. She'd have kicked but Laura and Gwen each gripped a leg. Each was pulled until it reached the ends of the spreader bar and locked into place. Gabrielle could barely balance in the ballet boots but the manacles, for better or worse, rooted them firmly onto the carpet. Laura then finished tightening the straps on Gabrielle's thighs so there was no mobility. Not that Gabrielle didn't put up a fight.
   "Mmph! Nmmph...uhm...MMMMPH!" Gabrielle could barely make out what they were doing until she felt an unexpected hand press against her back. She toppled forward until she leaned over the pedestal, her head and chest hanging over the other side. One set of hands remained on her back. Another gripped her wrists and raised them off her back while the third applied yet more straps across her hips and waist. Gabrielle had custom ordered this contraption with Cheri in mind, thinking hungrily of binding her friend to it for hours at a time, but she'd never really appreciated this side of the equation. What exposure felt like, not what it looked like. The straps kept her bent over with her spread legs straight. Her ass rose prominently off the pedestal, making Laura's crop only too real, and the straps on her thighs put her pussy onto magnificent display. Gabrielle let her head hang and saw her ample breasts dangling before her. She was never meant to be here. It felt strange.
   Gabrielle's arms were lifted uncomfortably from her body, but her hopes that they'd be let down were soon dashed. Gabrielle felt a rope attach to her wrists cuffs. A moment later she groaned as her arms lifted further until they were nearly vertical in the air. Gabrielle struggled but once it was tied she couldn't do a thing to lessen the strappado.
   Laura then appeared in Gabrielle's limited range of vision. She held a mess of leather straps that looked like a gag harness, yet there was a large silver ring instead of a ball. Without a word, Laura pressed the ring over Gabrielle's mouth so that it rested against the orb within. The first strap went around the back of her head and drew incredibly tight. While Gwen held the strap, Laura diligently pressed the ring against Gabrielle's grunting jaw until she managed to work it between her teeth over the hood. Gabrielle groaned miserably through inscribed lips, filled with the taste of leather and the resignation of a mercilessly tight strap. Then came the other straps under her chin and over her head, and Gabrielle was thoroughly stifled. And of course, everything tightened further once Laura tied a rope from the top of the harness to her elbows, forcing her head back. Gabrielle stared as Laura stepped back to admire her work.
   "What do you think, girls? Tight enough?" she asked jovially.
   "It's a bit mean," Gwen said thoughtfully. "But at least the view is good." Gabrielle could only look straight ahead but wondered how ridiculous she must look like this.
   Cheri studied Gabrielle's face. "She can handle more."
   Gabrielle scowled, but Laura ignored her. "Soon. We'll get there. First I want Gabrielle to get properly acquainted with her new friend."
   Gabrielle shuddered as she felt a stiff, narrow strip of leather graze her upper thigh. It wandered over the flesh of her rotund behind and suddenly pressed harshly into her skin. Gabrielle's recoil was largely symbolic.
   "Don't pretend you haven't earned this," Laura taunted. The crop lifted only to reappear between Gabrielle's legs. The crop rubbed back and forth. "Every. Little. Bit."
   Gabrielle bucked and gave a long grown that dissolved into a yelp when she felt a hard whack against her left cheek. The tip of the crop traced the fledgling red streak.
   "Yes, you have," Laura taunted savagely. "In fact, how many of those has she earned, girls? Thirty?"
   "Fifty," Cheri's tone was darkening by the minute.
   "Any other bids?" Laura mused.  Gwen silently rubbed Gabrielle's shoulders. "Fifty going once...going twice...sold! Fifty strokes for the condemned mademoiselle."
   Gabrielle whimpered. Laura walked along her prostrate body, the tip of the crop tracing its victim's curves.
   "Now Gabbi—may I call you Gabbi?—" she said into Gabrielle's ear, "we're going to have to work together on this. I'm going to be so preoccupied with making each little kiss of this crop memorable that I might not remember how far we've come. So I need you to keep careful count for me. Got it?"
   Gabrielle whined and shook her head, but Laura had already straightened up.
   "Let's practice." Whack.
   Gabrielle yelped in surprise and struggled. Her ass was bound firmly in place. Laura had total control. "Now Gabbi," Laura reminded her, "If you don't count it, it's not part of your fifty. And if you're looking for extra then, well, I'm going to have to step things up, won't I?"
   Cheri giggled from her chair. All she was missing was a big bowl of popcorn. Gwen, however, leaned next to Gabrielle and encouraged her. "C'mon, sweetie, you can do it."
    Gabrielle never felt so powerless. She closed her eyes and relented. "Wmmph." One.
   "Good! Let's try again."
   Whack. Two. Gabrielle winced.
   Whack. Three. The sting was incredible. Laura found a new spot with each stroke of her crop, and the nylon was no veil. Gabrielle knew she'd run out of virgin skin long before fifty. The waiting was almost worse than the strike. She was back there, and Gabrielle could only wait. Every rustle of cloth, every wisp of air made her twitch. Her muscles quivered.
   "Uhmph! Fmmph." Four. And there it was. Red on red. Raw power on raw skin. Seconds passed as Gabrielle braced for number five. Damnit! she thought wildly. Where was five?!
   She felt Gwen's hand suddenly on her tender backside and jumped. It was almost soothing. Her fingers quickly descended until they brushed Gabrielle's bare sex.
   "Oh, you are so very wet," Gwen commented to the others' delight. Gabrielle couldn't help but mew gratifyingly at Gwen's magic touch. A single finger buried itself into Gabrielle's folds and she purred almost instantly. Laura took it as a sign. "Isn't it a wonderful feeling? The good and the bad swirling together inside you. It's like you're hardly being punished at all."
   Gabrielle felt it. Clashing sensations barreled along her nerves. She'd give anything for Gwen to keep caressing her, and steal it back to keep Laura at bay. Cheri took notice.
   "She wants it bad, Laura," she tattled from afar. "I think you'll need to be a lot stricter with her."
   The gravity of those words didn't sink in until Gabrielle felt another smack of the crop, much harsher than its predecessors. Five. Gabrielle groaned and heard rustling behind her. Laura came round to face Gabrielle and bent over gracefully until their eyes met. Gabrielle felt the tip of the crop lifting her chin.
   "I hope you're comfy. You've got more than a little spanking in store for you." Laura grinned. Gabrielle shook her head as she heard metal clinking behind her. Gwen must be mounting one of the stand's attachments: a gliding track made to hold a wand vibrator. Gabrielle struggled as she heard the track slide upward and something smooth and firm press against her pussy. She whimpered and searched Laura's gaze for mercy. Instead she felt the tip of the crop tapping each of her nipples in turn. As they stiffened reluctantly, Gabrielle sensed Gwen close by.
   "These should help take your mind of the crop, dear," Gwen's tone was sickly sweet as she held up clamps for Gabrielle to see. The bound woman shrieked and struggled but Laura and Gwen each gripped a nipple with impunity and fitted the clips in place. This was definitely something Gabrielle had never experienced before. No wonder the other girls had squirmed so much when she applied them. A short chain jingled between the clamps for a moment before Laura grasped it and tied a thin rope at its middle. Feeding the other end through a small hook at the base of the stand, she pulled callously. Gabrielle yelped as the clamps tightened from the tension, moaning her protest as a slip knot was tied.
   "These are clover clamps, Gabbi," Laura explained, "so they get tighter as more tension gets applied to them. We'll get them nice and tight before long, but I wanted to start you off light."
   Gabrielle winced. This was light?
   Cheri called from her chair. "I don't think she's worn nipple clamps before. She looks surprised." Laura gestured to the circular metal ring in Gabrielle's mouth. "I don't think she can help that."
   Gwen produced a corded dimmer switch and slid it up a little. The vibrator sprang to life for a split second. Gabrielle lurched and immediately felt a sting as the movement yanked her tits. Laura and Cheri both giggled.
   "Oh, sorry, babe," Gwen warned, "you'll have to watch out for that." The vibrator switched on again to a low intensity.
   "Still, feels good, right?" Gwen offered. Gabrielle couldn't help but purr, at least until the crop returned. Six. Gabrielle reeled. Laura waited for the wand to draw soft moans from her captive before continuing.
   Seven. Eight. Gabrielle couldn't help but tug at her chest with every stroke of the crop. Her mind filled with her own exquisite image. She truly was helpless. Whatever else it was, it was damn sexy.
   Nine. Nine was a sharp one. Gabrielle's nipples already ached. The vibrator whirred away on her exposed clit, driving her mad. Gabrielle's toes ground into the floor. A faint glimmer of bliss appeared on the horizon. The wand wasn't discouraging her at all. Her eyes closed as the waves begin to crest.
   "Careful. She's getting close," Cheri announced. Instantly the wand went still. Gabrielle's ocean calmed, and she glowered at the traitorous Cheri until Gwen's smiling face filled her vision.
   "Now, now, Gabrielle. I want you to enjoy yourself but if you go too far I'll have to take the vibrator away. Do you want that?"
   Gabrielle whined and shook in her restraints.
   "Well, do you?"
   Reluctantly, Gabrielle shook her head.
   "Perhaps a little reminder of who's in charge," Laura scolded. Gabrielle abruptly felt the clamps tighten. The tugging she'd desperately tried to avoid became the new minimum.
   "It's for your own good, sweetie." Gwen kept right on smiling. Gabrielle whined pitifully but no one was listening. Another savage smack from the crop made the clamps yank that much more. Gabrielle groaned and tried to keep very still.
   "Don't waste my time, Gabbi," Laura warned. "You're not counting!"
   Whack.
   "TMMPH!" Her eyes watered. Ten. The wand suddenly revved up to full intensity. Gabrielle tensed up her body began to tingle.
   "Embrace it, Gabrielle," Gwen coached as she walked away.
   Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Gabrielle felt like she was on fire. Each blow blended with the vibrator to overwhelm her. She thrashed in her restraints, finding even orgasm impossible as her synapses overloaded. Finally Laura relented, and Gabrielle felt the whirring vibrator being lowered on the track. She moaned in longing for the one toy she didn't want out of reach. Laura appeared before her again and bent to face her plaything. Gabrielle felt Laura's hand on her chin.
   "Much better. Are you going to be a good little toy and wait for me to say you can cum?"
   Gabrielle groaned. Laura straightened up and demonstrated how far the crop could reach. Sixteen.
   "Are you?" Gabrielle nodded fervently. Anything to make Laura stop.
   "I don't believe her," Cheri chimed in.
   "Mph!" Gabrielle whined and nodded again.
   "Only one way to find out," Laura disappeared again. "Gwen, I think it's time for us to play our little game."
   Gabrielle looked around with wide eyes as she felt the wand slide up against her again. Gwen offered an explanation. "We don't have a name for it yet but the rules are simple. To win, Laura and I need to bring you as close as we can to orgasm without letting you actually cum. Sound fun?"
   Gabrielle shook her head furiously. She was already aroused out of her mind. Gwen frowned at her playfully. "C'mon, Gabbi, give it a chance and I know you'll love it!"
   Somehow Gabrielle doubted that but the wand quickly stripped her resolve. Gwen slid the switch up and down unpredictably, delighting in Gabrielle's reluctant and hungry moans. When Gabrielle's body finally tensed with impending bliss, the crop descended upon her spitefully. Seventeen. By the time the sting receded, the vibrator had fallen agonizingly still.
   Gwen and Laura did it again. Eighteen. By then Gabrielle was trying desperately to resist the wand, knowing what followed her submission to its pleasures, but Gwen adapted quickly. Nineteen...Twenty...Twenty-one...
   Finally, the wand ceased and did not start again. Gabrielle dripped with absolute, caged need.
   Gwen's voice brought her back to earth. "How about a short break before we continue?"
   Gabrielle groaned absentmindedly, longing to soothe her raw, pink rear end. She felt Laura lower the wand away from her.
   "I think you've earned it," Laura glided the wand down its track. "Now, we'll just—oh! What's this?"
   Laura's grip somehow disengaged a latch on the wand's mounting, and the whole track pivoted up and away from the stand until they were parallel to the floor. Now, instead of sliding up and down, the wand slid toward and away from Gabrielle's waiting pussy. The change seemed trivial at first, but Laura was disproportionately excited.
   "Oh, what fun!" she exclaimed while Gwen and Cheri looked on curiously. "Gabbi, your wonderful toys are just full of surprises. One of you hand me that attachment. No, the pink one. Yeah, thanks!"
   Upon seeing it, Cheri understood and grinned like a schoolgirl. Gabrielle struggled to see but only caught a bright blur being tossed to Laura. Laura fitted the attachment onto the head of the wand. It was a soft, gel-like silicone molded into a six inch shaft accompanied by a long tongue. The entire thing was covered in bumps of every size arranged in a spiral pattern converging on its bulbous tip.
   "This should liven you up a bit, Gabbi," Laura sang ominously as her fingers found Gabrielle's pussy.
   "Mmph!" Gabrielle tried anxiously to speak. She didn't think she could handle any more livening. Her entire body tingled and however much she resented Laura right now, the woman's fingers felt absolutely heavenly. Plunging in, they soaked in Gabrielle's flowing juices before the slick digits came out to massage Gabrielle's longing vulva and clit. Gabrielle writhed passionately, too distracted to realize what Laura was actually doing.
   The fingers disappeared and then Gabrielle felt something new pressing into her, sliding effortless between her pussy lips and into her. Gabrielle moaned involuntarily as inch after inch of the attachment massaged itself effortlessly into her, as the massive pink tongue pressed against her clit. At first she didn't care what could possibly feel so wonderful after all her teasing, but once she heard the click of the wand's track locking into place, Gabrielle realized she was in deep.
   "Didn't even need a drop of lube. You must be eager to get started," Gwen walked in front of Gabrielle, the switch for the wand in her hand. Her thumb slid the dial up slightly, and Gabrielle's pleading stare promptly rolled back into her head. She twitched and groaned as hundreds of tiny bumps cavorted within her, sending waves of pleasure throughout Gabrielle's body. As best she could, Gabrielle stared longingly at the switch in Gwen's hand. Half an inch, probably less, of movement from Gwen's thumb and Gabrielle could finally achieve orgasm. Her hands clawed for it pointlessly.
   The thumb did twitch, just not the way Gabrielle wanted. It danced up and down and the wand's hapless victim danced right along with it. Gabrielle soon craved release more than any time in her life. She transfixed on Gwen, her only hope, and moaned loudly. Gwen surely must understand how much Gabrielle needed this. This...bondage, game, revenge, whatever they wanted to call it—it wasn't funny anymore. Laura would never understand, but surely Gwen could recognize that enough was enough?
   Muffled pleas filled the room until Laura's crop intervened. Rather than strike, Gabrielle felt the stiff tip on her right breast. It traversed her sensitive skin until he found her clamps. Even its slight nudge on her trapped nipple felt like an electric shock. Abruptly the wand stopped and the nudges weren't so slight anymore.
   "Now, Gabrielle," Laura warned over her complaints, "Gwen's being very nice with that wand. Much nicer than I would be."
   The crop now found Gabrielle's left breast and began lightly tapping its clamp. Gabrielle tried futilely to escape the sensations.
   "You don't want to look ungrateful, do you?" Gabrielle shook her head emphatically. Anything to make Laura stop.
   "Or pushy?" More head shaking. Suddenly the crop smacked Gabrielle's breast smartly, soliciting a wail.
   "MMPH! Uh-uh. Uh-uh!" Gabrielle attempted sincerely. "Twmmph Tmph..."
   Twenty-two. Luckily, Laura seemed to agree that using the crop on Gabrielle's chest counted, too. "Good," she said emptily.
   "We'll tell you when it's time, we promise," Gwen said sympathetically. Laura indicated her agreement on Gabrielle's other breast. Twenty-three.
   Laura moved back behind Gabrielle, who braced for another. But it didn't come. Instead, Gabrielle heard a strange, high pitched whirring and then a sudden tickling sensation traveling down her back. The sensation focused on a small area of skin at a time, yet was quite powerful for its size. It bristled down her spine until it reached her backside, and only then did Gabrielle recognize the sound. It was her electric toothbrush. Guess it'd be time to change out the head again.
   Gabrielle squirmed as the brush skirted her red ass. The tiny firm bristles grated across her skin at thousands of RPMs, making her tingle and clench.  At least it felt better than—
   Twenty-four. Twenty-five. After each stroke with the crop, Laura placed the toothbrush right where Gabrielle's skin smarted. Gabrielle groaned and recoiled as it grazed across her tender skin. She heard Laura laugh, but then the brush disappeared. When it resurfaced, Gabrielle jumped and moaned very much in spite of herself.
   Laura now traced the brush along the quivering lips of Gabrielle's pussy, right where her skin wrapped around those first inches of her dildo. That brush was apparently a two-way street. What Gabrielle wouldn't give for that wand to join in...
   "Isn't this what you wanted for us, Gabrielle?" Gwen sat herself elegantly on the floor before Gabrielle's captured body and met her gaze. The switch for the wand was still in her hands. "Mix the good we want with the bad we don't? To train us to give you total control, to look to you for both the pleasure and the pain?"
   Laura massaged away. Gabrielle looked weakly into Gwen's eyes and muttered, "Plmmm..."
   "Are you ready to cum, Gabrielle?" Gwen asked kindly.
"Mmhmm—" Twenty-six "—MPH! Ymmph!"
The wand hummed slowly to life within Gabrielle, and Gwen gave her benevolent permission, "Go ahead, Gabbi, try. Don't be afraid."
Gabrielle squirmed in frustration. She wanted so badly to climax but the wand was simply too low. A small groan, luckily, seemed to convince Gwen, and she felt the vibrator slowly build within her until its heavenly work filed Gabrielle with absolute bliss. Gwen smiled encouragingly.
"That's it. It's right there, I can tell," Gwen cheered on. Gabrielle felt like she was swimming. Her pussy tightened wonderfully around the vibrator, soaking in every tremor, sensing the coming orgasm as though it were a train until, devastatingly, the vibrator vanished. Gabrielle barely had time to process it before the crop smacked her ass very hard. Twenty-seven.
Gabrielle screamed in anguish and thrashed about in her restraints. The vibrator whirred on. Gwen's expression mimicked actual concern. "Don't stop now, Gabrielle, you were so close!"
Gabrielle cried out in frustration, unsure whether to curse Gwen or continue begging her for release. Either way, she wanted desperately to be let go.
"Hmm," Gwen looked up to her accomplice, "she's having trouble keeping still."
"I can fix that," Laura said ominously. A moment later Gabrielle felt a hand grip her already incensed breast and pull it slightly away from her chest. Gabrielle groaned as she felt something wrap around the base of her breast and tighten savagely. Laura used straps to cinch Gabrielle's breasts snugly so they bulged beneath her. Within seconds the clamps felt even more constricting, but Laura wasn't done. A second later Gabrielle felt a heavy tug on each of her nipples as Laura attached weights to each clamp. They dangled and swayed at the end of short chains below Gabrielle's tits, every undulation clenching and tugging at the clamps above. Her only modicum of relief required staying completely still so the weights stopped swaying, and her protests fell on deaf ears.
   "There, that should help you concentrate," Gwen said acidly. "Ready to get back to the game?"
   Gabrielle shook her head vigorously but the wand sprang back to life. Within seconds her eyes lost focus. It was too much, and her body ached too badly for it.   
   Twenty-eight. Laura didn't wait this time. While the vibrations teased her, the crop made Gabrielle jump and tug brutally on the clamps without thinking. The wand revved up as the weights rocked below her. Gabrielle could no longer tell whether these torments distracted her from thoughts of orgasm, or made her need it all the more. Twenty-nine did nothing to break the stalemate.
   "C'mon, Gabrielle, you can do it. It's time," Gwen crept forward on the floor and settled herself right before Gabrielle's pleading eyes. Setting the switch down and resting on her knees, Gwen continued coaching her captive, inviting Gabrielle to chase her orgasm. Though she couldn't look down, Gabrielle felt Gwen's hands appear on her breasts. Gabrielle shuddered as they massaged the overly sensitive orbs. Between strap and clamp and weight, Gwen's fingers felt so acute that Gabrielle couldn't help herself. But still, it wasn't torturous or mean. Gwen's hands melted across Gabrielle's chest, flirting expertly with the line between pleasure and discomfort. Their owner couldn't help but moan gratefully at Gwen's touch until suddenly the hands squeezed. Gabrielle expected this to be agony, but it wasn't. Gwen's vicelike grip on each orb shocked Gabrielle, making her eyes widen. It pulled the clamps and sent the weights flying, yes, but it wasn't painful. It was incredible. Gabrielle screamed in ecstasy as her breasts flared beneath her. She was the absolute captive, held prisoner by her own arousal as much as anything else, and it felt wonderful. Her existence boiled down to two laws: keep count, and try to cum. It was so simple.
   Gabrielle purred for Gwen. The orgasm would transcend anything she'd ever felt before. She felt one breast being released from Gwen's hand. Gabrielle wished it would stay. Keep squeezing. Harder even. Let the pleasure engulf her like a warm blanket...
   Thirty. Thirty-one. By the time Gabrielle returned to her senses, the vibrator fell devastatingly weak. Gwen's divine hands were gone. Gabrielle pled and struggled for more, but Gwen's words now sounded like empty platitudes. Nor would Laura wait any longer. The brush reappeared, rising up Gabrielle's left thigh. Gabrielle felt the jelly tongue on her vibrator being unceremoniously peeled away until the blur of bristles delved into her. From the moment they touched her clitoris Gabrielle cried out in strained ecstasy. But Laura only lingered for seconds before moving on to something much worse.
   For a moment Gabrielle couldn't sense her, but then the brush reappeared on her right breast, following the edge of the strap cinching her soft, taut skin. Gabrielle reeled. Her breasts were bound so tight that the tingling of the brush nearly overwhelmed her. This wasn't Gwen's pleasant touch. These were tiny firm needles prickling her. Gabrielle groaned, caught between her desire to recoil and the tug of the clamps, but Laura was far from finished. Slowly, portentously, the whirring brush moved in from the strap, working its way slowly toward the peaks of Gabrielle's captured tits.
   From the second she realized where this was headed, Gabrielle begged with all her might for Laura to stop. The brush's departure from her skin gave that split second of hope, but when those bristles met Gabrielle's pinched areola, everything else faded away.
   Gabrielle screamed. There was nothing else to do. It overwhelmed her completely. Gabrielle eagerly accepted the lesser evil of the clamps. But Laura simply followed her movements and soon placed a hand on her back to hold Gabrielle in place. Gabrielle's eyes closed as the brush chose one nipple, then the other. Her every nerve ignited, and even when Gwen turned up the wand considerably she barely took notice. All she could feel was her own absolute vulnerability.
   Laura took her time and left no stone unturned. When she finally relented, Gabrielle hung in her restraints, panting.
   "Don't stop now!" Cheri's voice could be heard. "She was just starting to like it."
   "That's plenty for now," Laura assured. Gabrielle sighed audibly in relief. "We can even call that number thirty-two." Of course, that didn't stop the prompt arrival of Thirty-three and Thirty-four. Gwen kept the wand going just long enough for Gabrielle to start craving the sensation again, then shut it off.
   "Having fun?" Gwen said after a moment or two. "You came really close to getting off that time. I'm proud of you!"
   Gabrielle groaned weakly. Gwen was undeterred, "Ready to try again?"
   Gabrielle shrieked into her gag indignantly. It was all too much. Her head spun like a top. Everything ached and she wanted an orgasm more than ever before in her life, but these bitches just kept toying with her! Gabrielle thrashed angrily until the crop silenced her. Thirty-five.
   "I don't think she wants to play anymore," Cheri translated.
   "Well we're not finished yet, I'm afraid," Gwen said to a distraught Gabrielle, who shook her head thunderously.
   "Someone's a little obstinate," Cheri offered.
   "Then someone must want her clamps tightened," Laura moved toward Gabrielle, who yelped and tugged sharply on her chest without meaning to.
   "Wait!" Gwen cut in. "I want to try something."
   Gwen knelt down before Gabrielle and reached for her bound tits. Gabrielle braced for the worst but instead felt Gwen loosen the knot holding her nipple clamps. Gabrielle winced as their jaws relaxed considerably but after the initial sting, they felt much better. It had to be a trick of some kind.
   "There, isn't that better?" Gwen soothed, taking a moment to rub Gabrielle's breasts tenderly. They were still strictly bound but comparatively, this was heaven. Next Gwen rose and tended to the ropes above. First the cord holding Gabrielle's head back disappeared, and then the strappado rope was loosened enough to lower Gabrielle's arms several inches. By now they were so sore that Gabrielle wasn't sure they'd be able to lower at all.
   Finally, Gwen unbuckled the ring gag harness, leaving Gabrielle only in her hood and gag. Gabrielle couldn't help but be suspicious, but that didn't stop her from looking gratefully into Gwen's eyes.
   "Would you like to cum, Gabrielle, for real?" Gwen asked kindly. Gabrielle nodded emphatically. "I have a little game planned and if you play along, I'll give you control of the vibrator. You can cum as much as you like. Would you like to play?"
   Gabrielle shifted uncertainly until she yelped out in pain. Thirty-six. Her backside was so raw now that each smack of the crop was insufferable.
   "She wasn't really asking, dear," Cheri reminded her wickedly.
   And so she wasn't. Gwen walked behind Gabrielle who, though she could turn her head again at last, had trouble seeing what was going on. A hand traced her back affectionately before Gabrielle felt something hard and plastic by her hands, of all placed. Gabrielle snatched at it but Gwen yanked it away. Then the wand turned on again at a very teasing pace.
   "This, honey, is the switch for the vibrator, and it's hanging just inches from your hands," Gwen explained, holding up the switch by its cord. Laura said nothing but kept brushing the crop menacingly up and down Gabrielle's thighs. "If you want it, come and get it."
   Gabrielle outstretched her fingers but felt only air. If she strained her head she could make out the white blur of the switch in her peripheral vision. Gwen was definitely holding it there but she couldn't get a good look at it. She had to reach blindly.
   Her arms were stiff and numb. Gabrielle stretched as best she could but still felt nothing. Whining helplessly, she arched her shoulders uncomfortably and reached but still...nothing. The vibrator revved up a little as an incentive. Gabrielle moaned. Her longing only compounded with the thought that the switch might actually be in her reach. Besides, Laura would probably start swinging again if Gabrielle didn't try hard enough.
   Gabrielle's back arched, creaking against the straps holding her waist down, and her arms moved back a little. It was the only way. Pressing harder, Gabrielle lifted her body slightly off the stand only to feel a burst of pain on her nipples. Gwen had only loosened that rope so much and Gabrielle realized the more she pulled back, the more viciously those clover clamps would bite.
   "Don't stop now, you're so close!" Cheri cackled.
   Gabrielle steeled herself and yanked her body back. Her fingertip brushed the plastic, sending the switch swinging, and the clamps pinched so hard that Gabrielle collapsed back forward. Undeterred, Gabrielle tried again. Her arms reached back, fingers probing. Her back arched and the clamps tugged savagely. Eyes closed in concentration, Gabrielle cried out as her breasts stretched downward. Her fingers brushed the switch, sent it flying again. Gabrielle shook in frustration, the weights swinging wildly on her chest. She thought she had the switch between two fingers...
   Thirty-seven. The crop hit Gabrielle's right breast and she tumbled forward back onto the stand. Grunting angrily, Gabrielle counted and tried again. She made about the same progress before Thirty-eight rapped across her ass, and Laura let out a satisfied giggle.
   Gabrielle was enraged. Enough was enough. She wouldn't be their doll anymore. Sore from her toes to her fingertips, she'd been spanked, clamped, teased, tormented, lead on, let down, and mocked from moment one. Gabrielle was helpless, aroused, and humiliated. She couldn't get herself free, and she couldn't stop them from doing their worst, but she could stop playing their sadistic games.
   Gabrielle struggled. She cursed them through her gag and did her best to ignore the persistent wand. Laura smacked her hard with the crop and though Gabrielle yelped, she didn't count. Again, and no counting. She just shook her head defiantly.
   "Isn't that cute," Cheri mocked from afar. "She's done. Remember what she said when we didn't want to play anymore?"
   Gabrielle whined resentfully. That was different. They needed Gabrielle's help.
   Didn't they?
   Laura grasped the rope suspending Gabrielle's arms and pulled it back until the bound woman reluctantly lifted off the seat. Fingers grasped but there was no switch to be found. Gabrielle recoiled as her toothbrush appeared on her taut, clamped breasts. It circled a nipple but Gabrielle remained defiant.
   "You really want to do this, Gabbi?" Laura threatened. "We're not so far from the end."
   Gabrielle shook uncomfortably but stood her ground.
   "Alright," Laura let her go. "Then I'll need to make our remaining playtime very memorable...and give you a special incentive to participate."
   Gabrielle trembled and soon felt that vibrator sliding out of her. She couldn't see it, but behind her Laura produced a large nondescript tube and squeezed a white cream out of it along the length of the dildo. She coated the phallus liberally in the white substance before wiping the remainder on her gloved fingers directly onto Gabrielle's vulva and clit. Gabrielle felt strange as the dildo was inserted back into her, smothering her pussy in the slick substance. Within seconds Gabrielle felt a warm tingling sensation that seemed to build.
   "Feel good?" Laura asked. "A few months ago I got my hands on this cream. I found it, poetically enough, on Kickstarter, where some scientist was trying to get funding for mass production. The project fell through but I was his biggest donor, so he sent me a sample of the stuff as a thank-you."
   Gabrielle moaned softly. The tingling was building intensely. She was already sweating. The vibrator wasn't even on at the moment, but all her thought dwelled on the way it filled her.
   "It's this wonderful, highly potent aphrodisiac. Don't worry, it's perfectly safe. I tried it on myself once and, I must say, it works. Really, really well. I was horny out of my mind and neither Gwen nor Cheri knew why at the time. Of course, I only used a little drop while you...well, I gave you a bit more. But you knew that part, didn't you?"
   Gabrielle was panting now. All her aches seemed to disappear. All she could think about was her deep, animal desire. Her loins were aflame—not uncomfortable but alight with absolute need for release. Gabrielle didn't know what the hell this cream was, or what was in it, but it worked.
   Laura and Gwen both leaned close to Gabrielle's hooded face. She moaned desperately. What she wanted now didn't involve the least bit of talking.
   "Shall we continue, Gabbi?" Gwen whispered into her ear. "You look like you want something."
   "Are you going to be a good little toy?" Laura whispered into the other ear. Gabrielle nodded and moaned vigorously. Anything. Anything they wanted.
   "I like that stuff!" Cheri giggled.
   "Let's see if she means it," Laura walked back behind Gabrielle. Thirty-nine. Gabrielle shouted the number to the rooftops. Her rear burned like hell, but God...now even the crop fueled her lust.
   The vibrator turned on, its every twitch majestically amplified by the cream. Gabrielle felt like she might burst. Wrenching her head to the side, she saw the switch was back within reach and lurched backward. Forty surprised her, but Gabrielle just moaned in response and continued. The clamps went taut on her breasts, but Gabrielle didn't care anymore.
   Cheri rose from her seat to observe. Gabrielle's head tilted back as she reached behind her, clawing for the switch. Cheri's hand brushed her leather-clad cheek.
   "A rare gift, isn't it?" Cheri asked quietly. Gabrielle stared at her with wide, hungry eyes.
   Cheri eyed the tight clamps below. Her hands descended.
   "Tell us you want to cum, Gabrielle," Cheri commanded. Her hands wrapped themselves around Gabrielle's bulbous globes. Gabrielle groaned continued to stretch. Her hands rapped against their coveted plastic pendulum.
   "Tell us," Cheri repeated. Gabrielle cried out frantically to oblige. She'd never wanted anything more in her life.
   "And what if I say no?" Cheri asked, looking to Gwen. Suddenly Gabrielle didn't feel the switch anymore. Gwen had taken it away. She shrieked and stared at Cheri with wide eyes. Forty-one.
   "What if I say you should be teased?" Cheri's hands gripped Gabrielle's breasts and squeezed. Gabrielle groaned agonizingly but kept stretching back. They were in total control. Her body was theirs to play with. The only path before her was perseverance, to reach and stretch and hope. Cheri finished, "Would you believe me? Trust that whoever binds you best, knows best?"
   Gabrielle whimpered, searching Cheri for mercy and release. Cheri nodded to Gwen again and the switch reappeared. Gabrielle lunged but Cheri moved her hand to grasp the chain between the clamps. She yanked it forward until Gabrielle's body was pulled too far to reach the switch. Both sets of eyes watered.
   "Maybe...some day, you'll thank me, Gabrielle." Forty-two.
   Cheri let go and Gabrielle, panting, reached back again. This time, at long last, the switch tumbled into her grip. With both hands Gabrielle held on for dear life and, finding the switch itself, slid it all the way up.
   The wand exploded within her, and Gabrielle exploded with it. She craved it from head to toe so badly that her body quaked long before the orgasm itself arrived. Passion surfed along her every nerve. Muscles flared as she thrust against the vibrator as best she could. Cheri's hands returned but Cheri welcomed the distraction of their discomfort.  She might have moaned but she couldn't. The voice of her release devolved into passionate grunts and squeals which filled the room. The switch slipped from Gabrielle's hands and she collapsed forward, weights shivering with the rest of her.
   Her mind was empty in the way she'd always wished for Gwen, Laura, and especially Cheri. To be freed from everything but the serenity of bondage and pleasure. To be filled with need only to have that need satisfied blissfully. Only when Gabrielle's bliss faded, her need remained. The cream's seductive effect on her body lingered, more insatiable than ever. Panting and exhausted, Gabrielle's returning mind knew she could bear no more, yet her body screamed for it as though she'd never climaxed at all.
   Gabrielle lifted herself back again, eager to pacify her narcotic desire, but the switch was gone. Instead she felt hands all over her body. Her arms were yanked back into the strict strappado and tied there. The rope on her nipple clamps was pulled tight again—tighter than before. And, devastatingly, Gabrielle felt the vibrator cease and slide out of her pussy completely. Gabrielle shrieked in protest. She'd suffer any position, any torment, but she needed release. It consumed her every thought.
   "Plmmph!" she cried, her head spinning about to try and find her captors. Forty-three.
   The tingling persisted. Gabrielle's first orgasm was totally forgotten. All that mattered now was the next one.
   "Plmmph!" she tried again. The crop brushed light against her back before sliding over her crimson ass. Even its tiny graze stung. Gabrielle didn't care.
   The silent crop moved to her thigh, travelling upward sensually until it flicked against Gabrielle's quivering sex. There it pressed for what felt like an eternity. Even its threatening contact tempted Gabrielle's arousal, until finally...
   "Plmmph!" Forty-four came quick as a flash. The crop slapped Gabrielle's pussy smartly. The captive protested her unbearable treatment.
   "PLMMPH!" Gabrielle screamed. Forty-five rapped across her helpless vulva, and Forty-six didn't wait for her to plead. Gabrielle reeled in desperation, her every aching inch begging for both more and less. A helpless tear splashed into the fibers of the carpet below.
   Laura appeared before her, crop still in her hand. Laura bent down to Gabrielle's level and used the crop to lift her chin until their eyes met. At last, something besides Gabrielle's sharp exhales broke the silence.
   "Gabrielle," Laura said sternly. "You stole something from each of us, and today we take it back. Once we have it, we will get you dressed. We will drive you to the airport, where we've booked you a flight back to France. And we will never see or think about you again. But before you go, I think you owe each of us an apology."
   Gabrielle let Laura's eyes bore into her. She saw an incredible spirit, beautiful and confident. She saw the sexy woman who'd found the will to face her fears and risk escape, who had born Gabrielle's worst punishments and emerged as fiery and determined as ever. A wild horse who still needed to be broken.
   "Uhm...uhm srrmhy," Gabrielle stammered.
   Laura seemed satisfied and moved out of view. Forty-seven struck her unsympathetically.
   Gwen appeared, and Gabrielle saw a measured woman who chose her moments carefully. A patient woman whose trust needed to be earned, yet who also succumbed quite easily to a dominating presence. Someone who could yet be turned.
   "Uhm srrmhy," she lied. Forty-eight.
   Cheri was last. Mon Chéri. In her Gabrielle saw the most peculiar strength. A person for whom friendship was everything, who gave of herself eagerly and wholly to those she cared for. Someone who would walk through Hell to save a soul that wasn't hers. Someone Gabrielle loved dearly.
   "Nuh-uh," Gabrielle choked. She couldn't do it. She couldn't apologize to Cheri, even as a lie. It would be a betrayal.
   "What did you say?" Laura thundered from afar.
   "Nuh-uh!" Gabrielle yelled defiantly. Forty-nine.
   "I told you she wouldn't understand," Laura said dismissively. Cheri looked incredibly hurt.
   "Cheri," Gwen's voice could be heard. "You were still right. We had to try."
   "I know," Cheri said dejectedly as she walked out of view.
   "We could show her what it felt like until the end of time, but she'll always find some way to rationalize it," Laura said, "all that's left for us is to make things even."
   "Yeah," Cheri said at last. "I guess you're right. Let me do that last one."
   Gabrielle didn't really understand any of this. It didn't sink in. The only clear thing to her was Fifty.

*   *   *

   Gabrielle thrashed and moaned fanatically. The vibrator was back in place and working its full magic on her. It was hard to complain given that the cream still drove her mad with desire. The pure pleasure of her first orgasm had been replaced with the fatigue and overstimulation of its second, third, and fourth siblings. Clamps tugged, weights swung, and her toes dug resolutely into the floor. And while Gabrielle was vibed relentlessly, her three captors watched and waited for the orgasms to stop being so fun. Once it was clear Gabrielle could endure no more, they left the wand to drag her once more to the edge before turning it off.
   "Hmm," Laura mused at last, pacing around Gabrielle's quivering, defeated body. "Looks like we finished ahead of schedule. We have some extra time on her hands, girls!"
   Cheri and Gwen giggled as their prisoner struggled uncomfortably. Whatever their original plan for Gabrielle, it had run its course. Now they spoke as though she wasn't even there.
   "Still plenty of time before we need to take her to the airport," Laura continued. "I thought by now I'd be tired of punishing her. Thought she might sleep a tiny bit before we shipped her back to France no worse for wear...mostly."
   Gabrielle groaned miserably. Now all she could think about was being set free.
   "I know what you mean," Gwen agreed. "Now that I'm here, I don't really feel ready to let her go yet. How bout you, Cheri?"
   There was a pause before Cheri spoke. "I just keep thinking what she would do, if our places were reversed and, well, I don't think she'd have any pity. I wanted to be nice but...not anymore."
   Gabrielle shook wildly in protest only to go instantly still when she felt Laura's crop press into her tender backside.
   "All in favor of extending our guest's sentence until it's time to leave?"
   Gabrielle couldn't see their vote, but she didn't need to. Not that she didn't loudly protest.
   Cheri leaned close. "Sorry babe, guess we're not quite as submissive as you thought."
   "Great!" Laura announced, "Now that's settled, any thoughts on how best to use our extra time with our guest here?"
   Cheri was tired of being a spectator. She paced around Gabrielle, running a hand along the parade of skin, nylon, and leather.
   "Why choose?" she asked idly. "I think we can fit in an entire encore performance. That's a nice, French word, isn't it, Gabbi?"
   Gabrielle bucked and whimpered at the prospect. Her head shook back and forth as much as it could. She wanted to collapse, but instead found the ring gag harness being fitted back into place.
   "Ooooh," Laura nodded in agreement. "It'll be close timing. You think we can squeeze it all in?"
   "Absolutely," said Gwen, finding her zeal returning, "if we all pitch in this time. I'll work the vibrator."
   "I can give those tits my undivided attention," Cheri said with wicked relish, picking up the toothbrush.
   "And I," quipped Laura, "well, you already know, don't you, Gabrielle?"
   With that came a sharp whack of the crop. Gabrielle screamed into her gag. Her bottom already crimson and sore, the crop's touch was searing.
   "Count," Laura commanded menacingly. Gabrielle sniveled as she felt the other two captors stirring around her, preparing to join in the fun. Gabrielle jumped as she felt what must be Cheri's hand squeeze her breast brusquely.
   "Count!" Cheri spoke right into her ear.
   "Wmph!" Gabrielle sobbed mechanically.
   One.

*   *   *
   
   Gabrielle walked back from the check-in kiosk with her luggage checked and boarding pass in hand. She showed it to Laura glumly and in turn was handed a small silver key.
   "This will open your luggage when you receive it in France. Never come back."
   Gabrielle looked like she wanted to say something, but Laura turned on her heel and walked away without a second look. Once outside, she got in their car and Gwen immediately pulled away from the curb.
   "Thank God that's over," Cheri sighed, "Look, I really am s—"
   "No, Cheri," Gwen said sharply. "No more apologies. It's done."
   Cheri smiled weakly as they wove through the ramps and back toward the interstate.
   "Bitch was crazy, though," Laura eventually quipped to break the silence.   
   "Yeah!" Cheri laughed. It was her first real laugh in days. "I still can't believe some of the nonsense she was spewing."
   "I don't know," Gwen said, "I think, at times, she was on to something."   
   "What? You think she was right?"
   "She was sadistic and crazy," Gwen clarified, "But there was a bit of truth mixed in there, too."
   "About what?" Laura asked skeptically.
   "About us, and about the game," Gwen replied, "We were going too far, Laura. Playing so often, pretending the dice were deciding who did what when really, it was just us. We just wanted to play around and pretend we were following some stupid rules. Gabrielle was right: none of us wanted to take responsibility for what we were trusting each other with."
   "Are you saying we shouldn't play it anymore?" Cheri asked with a hint of resentment.
   "No," Gwen held her ground, "but maybe if we're going to play, we should do it for the right reasons. And maybe it shouldn't always be necessary."
   Laura and Cheri weren't hostile to this or anything, but this was difficult to hear.
   "Fine," Gwen said at last, "I'll just say it: I like bondage. Sometimes I like the idea of being tied up, and sometimes I like the idea of doing the tying myself. And I shouldn't need to play some game to act like it."
   Cheri and Laura shared a look. Clearly this wasn't a revelation, but still...
   "All I'm saying it maybe I should just talk to you both about something I like and want, instead of ignoring my chores on purpose."
   Laura turned to face her.
   "You did that on purpose?" Laura asked slyly.
   "Oh, honey..." Gwen gave her a look.
   "I like bondage too," Cheri piped up, her eyes engrossed by the dashboard. "I don't know about being Ms. Cheri-the-dominatrix so much, but being tied up tight...I like that a lot. More than a lot. And it sure as hell wasn't hard for Gabrielle to figure that out."
   "I'm gay," Laura blurted out. She looked around nervously as they sped down the highway, bracing for the uncomfortable silence.
   "Yeah?" Gwen and Cheri both said together, as though Laura must have more to say.
   "I'm...I'm gay? A lesbian?"
   "Yeah, so?" Gwen watched the road passively.
   "We know, Laura," Cheri said in a motherly voice.
   "Wait. You know? But...how?"
   "Who you talking to?" Gwen grinned.
   "Why...why didn't you ever say something?" Laura stammered. She looked like she'd been hit with a brick.
   "We wanted to let you be you. We knew yYou'd share that part of you when you were ready."
   "Doesn't mean we couldn't figure it out, though." Gwen quipped.
   Laura felt as though a weight had lifted from her body...except for one sharp corner. She turned to Gwen.
   "Look, some of the things Gabrielle made us do—"
   "—were very...intriguing, I have to admit, no matter how they happened," Gwen cut her off.
   "But it wasn't—"
   "Laura, even if I don't go for women doesn't mean what we did together wasn't wonderful. You and Cheri are both...special to me. You two can do anything to me."
   "Me too," Cheri said.
   Laura just looked at them like they were crazy, tears streaming to the corners of her unshakable grin.
   "See?" Gwen joked again, "Don't put us in your little box. Just don't tell Shawn. He'll get ideas."
   Laura laughed again. Really laughed.

[feline]

Wow, wibble, bloody hell!  Woohoo!

The eventual roll reversal worked well, but what really strikes me here is the emotional power, the depth, the sheer umph of what has just happened.  This was a very long part, but it never felt long, it never felt forced.  Instead it all felt natural, proper and well earned, just as it should be.

Seeing Gabrielle start to understand some of what she did to the friends, start to realise that it feels real, powerful and difficult, to be used and displayed like this...  none of this would have worked so well without the earlier parts, without the history and connection I feel for and with these characters.  There were moments when Gabrielle could almost have been discovering her submissive side, but then they passed again, the trust and connection were just not there.

But they have never been there, this has always been something fundamental that Gabrielle never understood, never grasped or shared with anyone.  The disconnect between what the three friends share, and what Gabrielle thought was going on here is as striking as ever, as obvious and powerful as ever.

Watching the friends torment and demand from Gabrielle was awesome.  It also shows that the concept that Gabrielle had that the friends were not strong and forceful in their own right was completely wrong.  Yes, the game had become an excuse, but it is very hard to grow past the need for an excuse, to find the strength to simply accept, own and state what you want and need when it comes to something so "wicked" and "unacceptable" as bondage and punishment.  So finally getting the friends to admit and own this is a massive step forward, a "gift" that they have gained via this journey, even if the journey was far more, and far harsher, than they would ever have looked for or asked for.

This has been one hell of a sexy and powerful ride, and I do find myself wondering what more you have left to say and to share about these people in the last part.  In a sense this has brought things to a very natural and reasonable conclusion.  I don't want things to stop here, but it would make some sense if they did.

Again, wow!  An awesome instalment