Part Six
It was a long night. I kept waking up - I'd never slept bound and gagged before - and it sets you to struggling pointlessly against your bonds until you realise you're tightly trussed with a big gag in your mouth. You quieten down, and fall asleep for a while, then wake up and it starts all over again.
I dreamt about Alex, his handsome, boyish face, big brown eyes and perfect body - broad shoulders, slim waist. It's amazing what you remember from a quick look. Of course, I dreamt we were making love, on one of the gorgeous beaches here. My hero was pretty damn good - magical, sensual, caring - your dream lover, basically, but the dream of course ended with him saying he had to go, and me being hauled off to an imaginary dungeon, to be clapped in irons and left, with a nasty maid telling me I'd never see Alex again.
I woke up in hopeless tears, awoken by a maid unlocking the door.
'8 o'clock, rise and shine!' said an annoyingly cheerful blonde maid, welcoming me to my first full day on the Island. Her beefy, red-headed companion and she untied me. 'Leave the gag in please. Here's your menu for today. Please read it to us,' said the ginger girl with cropped hair. She looked mean, so I complied.
I sat on the side of the bed and, in gag talk, read out the words: 'After breakfast in your room, you will participate in an advanced gagging workshop for other guests. As you are a beginner, you will be used as the demonstration model, in order to 'learn the ropes'. After lunch, you will rest in our Total Relaxation programme, where the strains of the world will all be forgotten. The rest of the day is open if you wish.'
Oh God. I looked around. There was still no chance of escape, and I didn't like the look of that big girl. So I showered, after being allowed to remove the gag -on pain of silence - and dressed in the next hideous uniform; an orange jumpsuit as worn by prisoners. I ate a small breakfast, then, like a prisoner, I was wrist cuffed to a waist chain, attached to ankle cuffs.
'Hey, what's this? I've done nothing wrong!' I protested.
'Don't say that,' said Red. 'This is all for your own good. Miss Irving is lecturing, and we want you to be all gag-free for her when she starts, no marks or anything. So you will have to be quiet - understand?' she added with a hard stare.
'Why?'
'Enough! Just shut up, or you know Miss Irving will make things hard for you, and so will I. Now, come this way and it will be over quickly.'
So, clinking and clanking, I was taken to what looked like a conference room in a smart hotel. There were 15 or so well-dressed women of all ages - they looked a bit like Stepford Wives - in the room, chairs arranged in a half circle around one chair. I knew that was for me. Miss Irving came in and the maids left.
'Do sit down Veronica,'she boomed, removing her now legendary black bag as if from nowhere. It was very full indeed, and as she removed miles of white cotton rope, I knew this would be a very unpleasant, if educational, experience.
With a sigh of resignation, I took a seat in front of my audience. They looked keen to learn, I was, as usual, embarrassed and humiliated, blushing red. Miss Irving unlocked my chains, and barked: 'Hands to the side of the chair, Veronica!'. They were there quick as a flash, grasping the sides of the padded, armless furniture, typical of the kind you find at naff conferences.
'Now Katharine and...yes, you Barbara. Come and make Veronica secure in the chair; show me you've taken in what I've taught you on this course. Chop, chop!'
And two of the smart women - I'd guess in their forties, typical surburban housewives (what on earth where THEY doing here? I wondered...)sprang up and did their stuff. Me and the chair became as one as they wrapped the rope around my wrists, chest, waist and thighs. They tied and cinched my ankles,tying them to the front left leg of the chair. I tried to look at the floor as all this happened - still trying to pretend it wasn't happening,just emitting the odd grunt as they pulled my limbs into place against the chair.
Miss Irving was giving a running commentary to her students, on the ties,how well the ladies were doing. They stood back to admire their handiwork, and the other women applauded warmly. What could I say? I knew what was coming next...and I spotted that, yet again, my ordeal was being videoed. A large camera stood in the corner of the room, pointing at me in the chair. Great - that's what I call an educational video.
'Now ladies, it's Gagging 101! In this class,I'll be demonstrating all the basic techniques you'll need to gag and silence successfully. Don't forget, never leave a gagged subject alone - that's the first rule -but anything goes! Each gag silences in a different way - a cleave is simple and not very silencing, whereas heavy muffling and wrapping will make Veronica here a Trappist nun!'
Laughter from the students. A glare from me. But no backchat, it seemed pointless, resigned to a selection of silencing.
'First, the simple cleave,' said Miss Irving, whipping a thin red silk scarf from her bag. 'It's easy to get in, even when the subject is difficult.'
Of course, I clamped my lips together in a reflex action. Miss Irving stood behind me, the scarf at my lips. She just pulled it into my mouth, between my lips,and pulled hard as I 'awwwwed!' into it. She tied it tight and I felt my face grimace as the silk bit into my cheeks.
That was the start of a full programme and a full mouth for me. Next was a thicker cleave, then a knotted cleave - that was a big one, after which Miss Irving asked me to perform 'some gag-talk, like a good little gaggee. Does that feel very nice, Veronica?'
'Ery ais is erring.' I mouthed, trying to sound sarcastic. No point.
'Good girl,' she replied, patting me on the head. 'Now the ballgag.'
She asked a student to apply a big red one. The woman had difficulty in getting it in, especially as I wasn't playing ball (ha ha). So I bit her hand - it made me feel better, but led to more trouble. Why did I do this to myself?
'VERONICA!!!' yelled Miss Irving as I cowered as much as a bound woman could, and instantly regretted what I'd done. 'THAT WAS WICKED! YOU WILL BE PUNISHED FOR THIS!'
My blood ran cold. 'Sorry, Miss Irving, sorry, sorry..'
'Too late,' she said, taking out the leather blindfold and applying it tightly and viciously. 'You won't learn anything if you can't see, and it's your loss! Now. Open. Very. Wide!'
I opened my mouth and the ball plopped in, and was pulled so it hurt a lot. My teeth found a way of living with the intruder, and I felt totally objectified.
'A good time to take a break, ladies. Let's go and take coffee,and we'll reconvene here in half an hour,' said MIss Irving. I heard the women leave, chatting excitedly, and the door close. 'What happened to leaving a gagged girl alone?' I thought. I was scared and started to cry under the blindfold, but as ever, realised it could be the end of me, and calmed myself down. Yet the strings of drool were starting to form, and I felt them dripping down my front like a running tap. After half an hour I felt sopping wet, a lovely sight for the women coming back.
'Look at her!' laughed one. 'I didn't realise that happened!' No, neither did I until I was kidnapped...
'You can see, ladies, that the ballgag is very successful. Not only aesthetically pleasing, but gags in two ways, with the drool as well. Say how you like it, Veronica.'
'aw awww awww aww aw aww aw'= I don't like it, you stupid cow!
'Good girl,' she replied, patting me on the cheek, as I felt her unbuckle the gag. It was replaced by a harness ballgag, and a muffling Bishop buckle ballgag, a new one even for me. It felt awful, claustrophobic, and, blindfolded, I was totally helpless. I'd lost all will to be difficult, and just did as I was told, waiting for the next silencing device.
'Now our final gag du jour!' said Miss Irving, removing the Bishop and the blindfold. I blinked, the fluorescent light blinding me. Miss Irving wiped my mouth as one would a baby that one had just fed. My limbs were numb, and I was tired, looking forward to the last leg.
'I always save what I think the best for last, ladies - some smashing stuffing and muffling!'
'Oh God...' I moaned.
'Now don't be difficult. You know you like it really, Veronica. Now, I reckon we can get three or four scarves in the subject's mouth to pack it fully - we are aiming for a look of cute little hamster cheeks, really bulging! Then we shall apply a cleave to keep the packing in, then some tape for the classic Dominic Wolfe appearance, then some lovely bandages. How does that sound ladies?'
Lovely, great, very nice, huge, muttered the audience. I shut my eyes as Miss Irving implored me to 'open extremely wide!'
I felt her poke a silk scarf into my right cheek. Then one into my left. I had to open my eyes and looked right into hers; mine were full of hatred.
'That gets a fourth scarf for you!' Miss Irving fumed, packing away. A third made my mouth feel massive; a fourth was too much. I could see my cheeks filling up and couldn't keep my mouth shut.
'Now a cleave. We'll need a deep one to keep Veronica's mouth-packing in, about three inches. Like so,' she said, folding a long blue silk scarf into a bandage. 'Do try to close your lips, you stupid girl!' she said. I tried. I barely moved them. 'Oh, that will do!' she snapped, standing behind me and drawing the scarf over my full mouth, tying it so tight I made a muffled moan. My mouth was history, and was even more so as duct tape was wrapped three times around my head, pulling my face out of shape and distorting the already distorted, my cheeks bulging hugely over the top.
An elastic Ace bandage was then applied, so ,so tight, and clipped into place.
'Now say mmmph!' joked one of the students.
'Well, Veronica?' replied Miss Irving. 'Do as you're told'
'Mmph. Mph' I said, in a tiny, tiny muffle. I couldn't even try to form words, so packed and misshapen was my mouth. A final humiliation was another Ace bandage wrapped round my face, from my chin, over my head and round at least five times. This tightened up my head and made things immoveable and totally silent. The next request got the tiniest gurgle from my throat.
'Well ladies, I hope you've learned lots today,' said Miss Irving.
Oh yes, marvellous, most educational,buzzed the women.
'Veronica has loved helping you, and I'm sure you'll say hello if you see her around. Do forgive her if she doesn't say goodbye, won't you?' Laughter. 'Now feel free to go. Veronica can't.'
Laughter. Most of the women trooped out, but as always, one creepy one stayed behind.
'Miss Irving, can we take her gagging one step further? I'd like to see if you can do any more,' said the creep.
'Well Dee, if you really must - you are keen to learn.'
They looked down at me with glee. Miss Irving got her bag and took out black leather. 'This is a nice Gwen Hood. I think this is as far as it ought to go. Do put it on Veronica, Dee.'
She slipped it on, pulled the laces tight, and I had yet another constricting layer around my face. My eyes and nose were all you could see. I must have looked so stupid, but the ladies were delighted. So delighted was Dee that she had her picture taken with me by Miss Irving, who exhorted me to 'smile! Say cheese!' as the flash went off. I could just see the picture in her album, titled All My Own Work. Bitch.
Dee skipped off, bloody teacher's pet, leaving me with Miss Irving, all alone.
'You've been a pain in the arse, Veronica,' she scolded. 'I've never known anyone be kidnapped but still as wilful as you. You really will have to learn how to behave, and to punish you, you won't have a lunch break. Normally, you'd be untied and ungagged, but I really feel I'll have to keep an eye on you during MY lunch hour. I can't tell you how inconvenient it is, but ....it's the only way.'
She then made a phone call for maids to help her. The two from this morning entered, and untied me from the chair. I was so grateful and just sat there for a moment, relishing being able to move. Then, Miss Irving brought in a wheelchair and smiled. 'Come on Veronica, be a good, gagged girl and come and sit down.'
I shook my head, but as the girls took my arms, I knew protesting would not be possible, muzzled and mouthpacked as I was. I sat down, and was taped into the chair with the remaining duct tape at the wrists, elbows, chest and ankles.
'Walkies! This is so much easier,' said Miss Irving, turning the chair around and wheeling me off. 'I take a quick tour of the hotel now, then stop off in my office for some relaxation,and you're coming with me.'
At least nobody knew who I was under the hood. I was wheeled around the hotel, being left outside rooms as Miss Irving supervised holidaymakers and maids. I coudn't hear much. I felt like a big doll that nobody took any notice of, and my train of thought came to an abrupt halt.
Mindlessly, I was wheeled off to Miss Irving's office. Horribly pink and girly, surprisingly, with a big desk and two big chairs with arms for visitors. I was wheeled past those into a side room that held a photocopier, filing cabinets and a fax machine. 'I need some time to myself, so you be good.' As if I had the choice. The door was almost closed, leaving five or six inches so Miss Irving could hear if I was choking to death. How thoughtful.
She'd been gone for about ten minutes when the fax machine whirred into action. How old fashioned, I thought. The only time anyone uses these any more is if you're sending through a contract, that much I knew from my business dealings.
And so it was. I was close enough to read what it said. 'Dear Miss Irving, I can confirm that we shall be able to take three items of the merchandise from you. It will be collected from you on Thursday, 17th March; please make sure it is in a saleable and easily transported state, of top quality and exactly to the specifications we discussed. Yours sincerely'.....squiggly signature.
As the only business here seemed to be bondage and kidnap, I thought the only 'merchandise' could be women. This was what Alex was talking about! God, I wish he was here! I'd seen the evidence, I could tell him. Tell him if I wasn't gagged within an inch of my life, that is.And by my calculations, it was the 15th today - we only had two days to stop this happening!
I heard footfalls quickly coming towards the door. I pretended to be asleep. I didn't want to be one of those girls going off to a holiday they'd never come back from.
Luckily, Miss Irving was convinced, and I heard her take the paper away into her office. I had to pretend to be out cold, until she came in again to tell me that it was time for my afternoon programme.
'Now, ready for some more fun?' she smiled as I pretended to wake up. I nodded groggily - brilliant acting - as she turned the wheelchair around and wheeled me towards my room.
'Do be good this time, won't you?'
I nodded. This gag was getting too much. I wondered what was next, but what was keeping me going was the thought of when I could tell Alex what I'd discovered and getting out of this bloody place...