Freedom… Of A Sort
By Jeb
Freedom.
Carol finished brushing her glossy, shoulder-length brown
hair, and cast a glance at the clock on the bathroom wall: 7:15 am; in another
hour, she would start her last school day of the year, and then—a month of
freedom, before she started her summer school schedule. She could practically
taste the lazy days, the sleeping in, the utter relaxation… the total absence
of responsibility! Day in, day out, the education of a couple of dozen high
school students carried a lot of pressure with it; even two weeks away from
that would seem like heaven.
Buttoning up her blouse, now, Carol gave her profile to the mirror. Sometimes she wondered if her favorite part of the job wasn't the way she looked in the tight-fitting white blouse and trim navy skirt. Approaching thirty, she could honestly say she still had the body she'd had a decade before; and her determination to keep it that way was partially fueled by…she had to admit it… some of the her students.
No point in kidding herself there, one reason she loved teaching was the way it allowed her to indulge her favorite guilty pleasure: delighting in the young, strong bodies that paraded past her in the halls. She sighed… it wasn’t that she didn’t find men her own age attractive, but so many had lost the sense of freshness, of discovery that was still so vital in these young men. If even one of the guys she dated had even half the energy that she saw in these young men every day…
For the last day of school, of course, the teenagers that had been stumbling sleepily into the classroom for months were suddenly replaced with a high-spirited group, laughing and joking, bursting with youthful eagerness to experience their own summer freedom. As they boarded, there were several who took furtive glances at the curvaceous figure standing in the door of the classroom—doing Carol’s ego no harm in the process!
The seniors. She’d been watching them for four years, now, as they’d gone from being nervous children to confident, almost arrogant, near-adults… or actual legal adults, she realized. Derek, Greg, Patrick… Carol sometimes found her mouth going dry as they sauntered past her to their seats: she took in the tanned, strong-looking arms, and snuck guilty peeks at the denim-clad buttocks and…other male endowments… that the boys rarely took pains to disguise. It was disappointing to think this was the last time she’d see them.
And Carol had noticed that, as the boys got older, they were more likely to glance back. To the freshman, she was an authority figure, just like principals and teachers. By the time they were seniors, though, she knew that they saw her differently: besides the authority, they were seeing the trim figure in her curve-hugging outfits, the lustrous dark hair pinned up on her head… oh, there was no question that some of these beautiful boys—men, now, she reminded herself—were “checking her out”. Ridiculous to think of it going further, of course--- No harm in daydreaming, though, was there? God, sometimes she felt like a cradle-robber! But this was just fantasy, wasn’t it?—and fantasy involving boys who were, after all, of legal age. And if she was fueling their fantasies of forbidden romance with an older woman, well that was only natural, wasn’t it?
Of course, there were the girls, too. Carol had never been especially attracted to other women, but she didn’t have to be to appreciate the lush bodies, breasts pushing against tube-tops and blouses, slender legs, and luxuriant hair that seemed to wash in waves across every girl’s shoulders. That was one reason Carol always wore her starched blouses and her hair up: it served to set her apart from her young charges, and remind them that she was the “adult” here, the one “in charge”. Still, she heard the mutterings that went on, the girls that were jealous of the fascination she held for their young men— more fuel for Carol’s ego, she grinned to herself.
As Carol made ready to close the door for class to begin, she noticed one straggling latecomer: an Asian girl, whose solemn face was in marked contrast to the jollity around her. Tina Chan swept by Carol in a blur of waist-length hair and jasmine scent, and took her seat in the back.
Carol sighed. Of all the girls she’d shepherded through the years, Tina had proved to be the biggest handful. Carol doubted there was another girl in the school that she’d had to discipline as often; how many times had Carol looked into those sullen eyes, glaring back at her as she absorbed another lecture about her behavior? Tina wasn’t tall, but her athlete’s body always carried itself defiantly in the face of any adult’s attempt to control her.
Finally, the end of the day arrived. There was laughing, joking, and a few “goodbyes” directed toward Carol as she saw the students off for the final time this year. The time fairly flew by, and Carol realized that only one student remained. Tina Chan, for some reason, had quietly moved from the back of the classroom to take a seat right by Carol's desk.
“Tina, you do know you can go, now, don't you?.”
“Oh… yeah.” The girl paused. “So… MIZ Forrest,” Tina drew the name out in what almost sounded like a sneer.”I guess you’re gonna miss all this, huh?”
“Of course, Tina,” Carol was surprised, and answered as formally as she could. “I take my responsibility to all of you very seriously.”
“Oh, come off it, you know what I’m talking about!” Carol’s eyes widened, not used to this kind of backtalk from her young charges. “You’ll miss getting your jollies checking out all the boys’ butts when they go by… and I never noticed you close your eyes when my ass went by, either.”
“Wha--?” Carol was speechless.
“Did you think we hadn’t noticed? Hell, every girl in school sees you throwing your tits out just a little farther when Greg or Randy walk by. You’re a damn cocktease, MIZ Forrest—lording it over all of us, just cause the guys wanna fantasize about an ‘older woman’.” Before Carol could respond, she was surprised to see Tina’s face soften, and a look of regret come into the dark eyes. “You know, it’s a shame you couldn’t just lighten up and be friends with us. I think we all could have had some fun together.”
Carol had been about to kick Miss Chang’s cute little butt right out the door after her insulting tirade, but the change of attitude stopped her. It was certainly out of character for Tina… and maybe an encouraging sign that Carol’s efforts had had some impact on the girl, after all.
“Well, Tina…” Carol began awkwardly, “I’m glad that you’ve come to think better of me after all this time, and I hope that—“
“Well, why don’t we go for a drink?” The girl’s face didn’t change expression.
“A drink?” This was so unexpected that Carol wasn’t sure she had heard correctly.
“Yeah, you know. After hours type thing, away from this place. Maybe it’s not too late for the two of us to become… well, pals.”
“Well, I don’t…” Carol didn’t know what to say. In her position, she knew that fraternizing with students could only lead to trouble. But she had to admit, there was something tantalizing about being seen together with Tina in another environment; showing the young girl how a woman of her “advanced years” could still turn heads. And it wasn’t like she had any other plans today. “All right, Tina. I suppose I’d have time for one drink together.”
Tina had done a good job selecting their rendezvous. The Copper Penny did a thriving lunch trade, but late afternoons were quiet; for all that, when Carol arrived, she didn’t see Tina until the waitress escorted her to the secluded table in the back where the young girl sat, her large school backpack on the floor beside her. Carol wondered idly just why she’d needed to carry so much stuff with her on the last day of school.
Carol smoothed her skirt, self-consciously. She had deliberately decided not to change out of her starched skirt and blouse, and still wore her hair pinned up on her head—these were symbols of her authority that she was not yet prepared to relinquish in Tina’s presence.
“Hi, there, Ms. Forrest.” Tina’s voice was more relaxed, her manner eager.
“Hello, Tina.” It struck Carol for the first time that Tina wasn’t even a high school student any more. They were, now… contemporaries, weren’t they? An odd feeling… and a slightly unsettling one.
“Sit down. It’s nice to see you somewhere besides on that bus.”
“Oh, well, yes… it is kind of different for me, too.” Different, and… disconcerting? Before Carol had to think further on it, the waitress came for their orders. Tina obviously knew better than to try something alcoholic with Carol sitting right there (though the older woman suspected that was the only thing stopping the girl), and ordered raspberry iced tea.
“It’s really good,” she smiled at Carol. “Try some?” Not having any better idea, Carol agreed, and the waitress left.
Carol doffed her light jacket, and draped it across the back of her chair, waiting for a conversation to start itself. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Carol said, “So, Tina, what sort of plans do you have now that school is over?”
“Well--” the girl began, and as the waitress brought the drinks, Tina launched into a discussion of the pros and cons of various institutions she was considering. Carol interrupted her briefly to reach behind the chair for her purse; when she turned back, Tina was leaning slightly over the table, her hand extended in Carol’s direction. The move puzzled Carol, but Tina laid a hand gently on the older woman’s arm; the girl’s curtain of hair swept across Carol’s arm, too, leaving a strange tingling sensation on her skin.
“Don’t be silly—this is on me!”
“Why… thank you.” With a smile and nod of her head, Carol sipped at her tea, and settled back into her chair.
Tina had changed the subject, from her future college plans to the friends she’d be leaving behind, and Carol found it surprisingly relaxing to listen to the bell-like voice as it prattled on. In fact, Carol couldn’t recall the last time she’d felt so relaxed… must be that “end of school” syndrome. She found herself propping her head on one arm, and Tina paused in her monolog.
“Why, Ms. Forrest… or can I call you ‘Carol’?”
Carol knew she should resent the impertinence, but she found it easier just to shrug.
“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever really seen you relax, before. On the bus, you always seem so tense and uptight.”
Carol heard herself mumble a response, in a voice that sounded surprisingly far away. Tina smiled at her, and stood up.
“I’ll be glad to help you relax.” Almost before Carol realized what was happening, Tina had gone behind her chair, and she felt small, strong fingers begin to knead at her shoulders.
“There. How does that feel?”
A good question. Carol couldn’t remember the last time anyone had given her a massage, and it felt so good she wanted to float away on the sensation; on the other hand, it seemed a bit over-familiar, coming from an 18-year-old girl. For all the wonderful physical sensations, Carol knew that she ought to be asking the girl to stop, to sit down, to resume her place… and then, the fingers moved from her shoulders, and she felt Tina gently pull at the pins in her hair. Carol felt the long tresses come loose, and Tina’s fingernails grazed her scalp, sending a delicious shiver down Carol’s spine.
Stop that! Carol could hear a voice inside her snapping at Tina. It was the voice of Ms. Forrest, who wanted to keep this child in her place; but that voice was only heard in Carol’s mind. Outwardly, the only sounds she could produce were sighs of pleasure as Tina’s fingers continued to massage her scalp and shoulders.
“I’ve never seen you with your hair down before,” Tina giggled, and Carol realized how strangely vulnerable she now felt. It was true—wearing her hair up in a simple bun had almost been a badge of authority for her, and as Tina spread the soft tresses across her shoulders, Carol became aware that something had changed in the way Tina was treating her, handling her…
But who cares? Some part of Carol’s brain wanted to sound alarm bells, get up and leave, with a few sharp words for Tina… but her body wasn’t listening. Instead, Carol found herself succumbing to Tina’s ministrations as though she were sinking into a lovely, warm bath. She felt the fingers at her shoulders again, then moving slowly down her arms. Tina pulled gently at Carol’s arms, drawing them behind her back, as though to give the muscles a luxuriant stretch. Carol was so enraptured by the physical sensations that it took almost a full minute for her to realize that Tina hadn’t released her arms yet. They were still behind her back, and the girl’s fingers had shifted their grasp to Carol’s wrists. There was a moment of electricity in the skin-on-skin contact, and then Carol felt Tina’s fingers busily doing… something… odd.
What’s going on here? Carol’s tiny voice was asking herself. She knew that there was something very alarming happening to her, but she couldn’t bring herself to resist… or say anything… in fact, holding her head upright seemed to be about the most effort she was capable of making at the moment, and even that was problematic. The strange sensation at her wrists had finally crystallized, though—Tina had used some sort of cord to tie them together! She could feel that her wrists had been crossed over each other, and her dulled senses nevertheless told her that the bonds were tight, and unlikely to yield. And surely that was wrong, wasn’t it? Young girls shouldn’t go around tying up adult women, should they?
“Feels strange, huh?” Carol could only goggle in disbelief at the casual nature of the question. She tried to turn her head to look behind her, but found it just too much effort. In the next moment, though, Tina was back in her chair, facing her. The girl was smiling as though nothing untoward had happened. Tina nodded toward Carol’s empty glass.
“Your first ‘rufie’, I take it.”
Carol wanted to ask what the hell she was talking about, but no words would form. The look in her face must have communicated her confusion, though.
“Rufie. Rohypnol. ‘Date-Rape drug’. I got it from some frat guys I know, and spiked your tea with it.” Carol gazed in horror at her glass, the cubes of ice glittering with an almost mocking brightness. But why couldn’t she--?
“You won’t be able to fight the ropes—not just yet.” Tina was continuing in a matter-of-fact way. “The drug won’t put you to sleep, but your muscles won’t respond very well until it wears off. I thought about giving you something to knock you out altogether, but I wanted you to be aware of everything that was happening to you.”
No. This couldn’t be happening, Carol told herself. She was not sitting at this table, across from a beautiful young Oriental girl with her hands tied behind her and her mind fogged with drugs. It made no sense! Why would—
“Of course, you’re wondering why I’m doing this.” Carol widened her eyes. “It’s pretty simple, really—I’m kidnapping you.”
Carol’s stomach turned over. She desperately tried to command her legs to move, to get up from the table, but they refused to do respond with anything but the slightest of twitches; helpless, she listened in horror as Tina went on.
“I’ve thought about this for quite a long time, you know. I’ve watched you—always so in control, and always looking to control all of us; the girls with your authority, and the boys by pushing your titties and tushie at them every chance you get. Well, now, you’re going to learn what it’s like to have someone else in control.” Even through the haze of drugs, Carol could hear no anger in Tina’s voice: it was as though she was about to take Carol on some sort of adventure. “I’m going to take you away from here, and away from your self. Your mind and body are about to take a journey that’s like nothing you’ve done before.”
“Now, I think we’ll be going.” Tina stood up, briskly. She opened Carol’s purse, and took out the car keys. “We’ll take your car—it’s bigger than mine. I’ve arranged for my car to be picked up.” Tina walked back behind Carol’s chair, and took the bound woman by the shoulders. Carol registered some faint surprise at how easily the girl pulled her to her feet, her legs trembling. Carol weaved a bit, trying to get her feet under her, as she felt Tina drape the light windbreaker over her shoulders.
“Now, dear Carol, we’re going to leave. I’m going to take you out to your car, and when we get there, I’m going to use the rest of this rope I brought with me to finish tying you up so tightly that even when the drug wears off, you won’t be able to move. You’ll try, though.” Carol stared uncomprehendingly. “I want you to try.”
Tina was standing at Carol’s side, now, using an arm about her shoulders to steady the drugged woman.
“Now, I really don’t know if the people in this place have even noticed us, but I don’t want them spoiling our fun, so…”
Carol felt strong fingers buried in her hair, and her face was pulled aside and down to Tina’s.
“Oh, honey,” Tina was clearly speaking for the benefit of the other patrons, “I’ve told you to watch how much you drink.” The girl then placed her soft lips on Carol’s mouth, so that even the tiny moans that the captive made were lost in Tina’s mouth. The kiss was fierce, but not really erotic— instead, it bespoke control and power. In this strange posture, Tina led her captive out the door. Carol could see the patrons, embarrassed at what they thought was a lesbian love scene, gazing down at their tables, ignoring the kidnapping taking place right under their noses.
Carol fought. She fought as she never had before. With every fiber of her being she strained against the ropes that bound her, and pulled madly at Tina’s grip… at least, that’s what her mind screamed at her body to do; instead, though, her muscles dozed slackly under the drug’s influence, and Tina’s grasp on her never wavered as she guided her captive, stumbling out the door.
In the parking lot, Tina removed her mouth from Carol’s, and led her forward by the hand still fixed in her hair. Carol gasped for breath, and tried to call out for help, and could have wept at the pathetic slobbering noises that were all she could make.
Tina had chosen her spot well: the parking area was quiet and secluded, and Carol’s inability to do anything but stagger along, moaning, in Tina’s wake made it dreadfully certain that they would not be disturbed while the young girl did… what?
With an ease that suggested practice, Tina used the keys to unlock Carol’s car, never relinquishing her hold on her captive. Carol heard the rear door of the car open, and she felt herself spin crazily as Tina pushed her into the car, face-down on the rear seat. Carol tried to flail her legs, but they only slid sluggishly across the seat; Tina easily gathered them up, held her ankles together, and began to fasten them as she had Carol’s wrists.
“Now, you probably don’t yet realize just how tight these ropes are,” Tina continued her bizarre tutorial, and Carol felt the ankle rope cinched tight; more rope was wrapped about her legs just above the knees. “That’s because your muscles are so relaxed right now,” Tina’s nimble fingers finished securing Carol’s legs as she went on. “Pretty soon, though, as the drug wears off, you’re going to find this a bit of a strain, especially this next part.” As Tina spoke, Carol could feel her arms being drawn more closely together behind her, and the rope was now looped about her upper arms, and tightened so that she could feel her elbows nearly touch. “You’re not going to find it easy to remain in this position, Carol dear; you won’t have any choice, though.” With her face nearly buried in the seat cushion, Carol was already finding her position difficult; as Tina drew her ankles up over her back, and fastened wrists and ankles together, she realized that it was not likely to improve.
“You know, the kids will never believe this,” Tina continued her monologue as she tightened the knots restraining Carol’s limbs. “They said I’d never really do it.” Even Carol’s drugged brain realized what the girl was saying—she had told others about her plans to do this! “Boy, won’t they be surprised!” After a moment, that sunk in, too—how would “they” be surprised? Was she going to boast to her friends about kidnapping Carol? Or… the pit of Carol’s stomach chilled as another possibility occurred to her—that Tina might be planning to SHOW her friends just what she had done!
Before Carol had a chance to digest the implications of this, she felt Tina take her by the shoulders, and roll her onto her side; with her hands and feet tied together, there was no way she could lie on her back. The girl was kneeling down beside her—god, they were still in the parking lot! Was there no one to see what was happening?—and she smiled at Carol, running a finger along her slack lips.
“You know, since the first day you yelled at me, I have wanted to put a gag in that pretty, stuck-up mouth of yours.” Tina conveyed this information as though she was complimenting Carol on the color of her lipstick. The bound woman tried to move her head away, but Tina again locked her fingers in Carol’s hair and held her fast. Her other hand dipped to her bag, and brought out a white plastic ball, about two inches in diameter, perforated with holes, and with leather straps and a buckle hanging from it. She held it before Carol’s terrified eyes. “You’ll find that the holes will make it easier for you to breathe, while you’re drugged. It won’t keep you as quiet as some of the other gags do, but we’ll have plenty of time to experiment.”
Carol thought she must go mad as Tina’s fingers brought the plastic ball to her mouth. Somehow, the idea of the gag was the last straw—up to this point, barely able to even feel her bonds for the drugs, she had half-convinced herself that this was all a monstrous dream. This ugly appliance held before her lips, though, was inescapable reality, and the word “experiment” was ringing in her ears as she felt Tina’s fingers in her hair again; this time, they took a fistful of the long tresses, and Carol found herself with a good view of the car’s ceiling as her head was forced backwards. Tina’s grip was so firm that Carol felt little pain, only the unrelenting pressure… though it scarcely mattered, since the drug made it impossible for her to close her mouth against the intrusion, anyway. Her jaw hung slackly as the plastic was inserted between her teeth; she could hear her captor humming to herself as her fingers worked the ball deeper, making certain that it snugged firmly between Carol’s back teeth. Carol could feel the leather straps dangling at her neck as Tina wedged the ball in place; then, Tina gathered them up and pulled them around Carol’s head. The straps pinned her hair against her skull, and bit into the corners of her mouth as Tina buckled the gag in place. She released Carol’s head, and rolled the helpless woman back onto her stomach, her head facing the open door.
Tina was still crouching by the car, now, still too secluded for anyone to see them. She was stroking Carol’s hair, and Carol burned with shame at the condescending touch; she was no happier about the saliva that was beginning to dribble from around the ball in her mouth.
“It’s begun.” Tina’s voice betrayed her excitement. “In just a few minutes, the drug should start to wear off. That’s when you’ll begin to realize just what I’ve done to you. You’re not a teacher, now.” Carol’s eyes bulged over her gag, incomprehendingly. “Really, you’re not at all who and what you were.” Tina leaned over Carol, now, checking her bonds; the curtain of perfumed hair swept luxuriantly across Carol’s face. “And as you struggle with those ropes, as you fight that gag in your mouth, as I enjoy watching all this… you’ll find things inside yourself that you never dreamed of. It won’t come easily… for you.” She smiled. “For me, it will be delightful.” She leaned over and planted a kiss on Carol’s forehead. “For me and… some others.” With that, Tina took a thin blanket from her backpack and gently laid it over her captive, hiding the bound woman from passersby.
As Tina got into the driver’s seat, Carol laid her head helplessly on the car seat. “Others”, Tina had said. Oh, God, what have I got myself into? As the car pulled out of the parking lot, Carol began to weep, in her dim prison.
To Be Continued…?