THE PERILS OF JESSICA SANTANA

By

J.R. Francisco

****

CHAPTER ONE

Somewhere in time where the past meets the present . . . and the present meets the past.

The beige 1968 Firebird convertible pulled into a parking space behind the Desert Shadows Diner. Gut-rolling rock music blared from the radio. After an intense guitar solo, the music ended with a resounding percussion segment. The driver killed the engine and opened the door. A pair of tanned, shapely legs clad in a short skirt and strappy sandals stepped onto the cracked pavement.

An attractive brunet wearing stylish sunglasses exited the car. She sported a form-fitting aqua waitress uniform that showed off a curvy figure and plenty of eye-catching cleavage. She glanced down over her body and sighed. She tugged down the hem of the skirt, wiggling her hips. Despite her efforts, the skirt came down to mid-thigh. She rolled her eyes, shook her head, and adjusted the frilly white apron that completed the outfit. A name tag above her left breast read: JESSICA.

Jessica Santana entered the Desert Shadows Diner through the back door, which the owner and manager, Chester Waltrip, kept unlocked. Not exactly safe, but it was his business. That was Waltrip's final statement after disregarding every suggestion Jessica made. Today, nothing could bring her down--not even an accidental butt slap from the rowdy male clientele. Jessica's days of serving up greasy food were almost over.

She made a quick detour to the bathroom and stood before the mirror, reflecting on the recent events in her life. It had been six months since her boyfriend back in Texas had broken her heart. Up to that point, everything was going well in her life. After graduating from college with a journalism degree, she returned to her home town of Berlington to "cool her heels" and decide what to do with her life. She got a job at the town's only newspaper and moved into her own apartment.

One day she met a good looking young man at the public library. His name was William Lockwood and he was a loan manager at a bank. They had much in common and Jessica immediately accepted his date offer. Things quickly escalated and within a few months they were seeing each other exclusively. For the first time in her life, Jessica Maria Santana was in love.

But that all came crashing down on Will’s birthday. Jessica left work early that day and went home with the intention of surprising her boyfriend, who got home from his job before she did. Jessica slipped into sexy lingerie and threw a trench coat over it. She quietly let herself into his apartment with the key he had given her.

She heard faint jazz music as well as sharp moaning coming from Will's bedroom. Her heart rate increased as she made her way toward the closed bedroom door. The moaning evolved into cries of elation. Her head buzzed with mounting dread when she realized the cries were distinctly female! The passionate sounds were accompanied by familiar grunting.

Jessica pushed the door open and stormed into the bedroom. Her eyes widened and she gasped with shock. William was laying on his back in his bed with a naked blonde woman straddling his hips. Their passionate cries filled the air and Jessica felt physically ill. Will spotted Jessica and froze, his face expressing embarrassment and shock. The blonde continued bouncing up and down on top of Will. Jessica was speechless, glaring at Will, her eyes burning with rage and pain. She wanted to scream but was numb with shock.

The blonde finally realized something was wrong. She followed Will's gaze and turned around. She jumped and gasped when she spotted Jessica. The woman rolled off Will's middle, scrambling to cover herself with the bed-sheets. Jessica had never seen or met the woman before but she expressed shame when she noticed Jessica's hurt face.

William tried to explain but Jessica was having none of it. She stormed out of the apartment, devastated, her eyes filling with burning tears. She refused to speak with him and decided it was time to leave Berlington and start over. She wanted to focus on her goal of being a magazine writer. She packed her few belongings into her 1968 Firebird convertible, which had been a college graduation present from her father, and said goodbye to her small Texas town.

Now here she was, working as a waitress in the big city. Jessica strolled past a supply room and stepped into the kitchen area. Chester Waltrip and two other employees, a cook and the dishwasher, were already hard at work. Waltrip, dressed in a white t-shirt, which not only displayed his discarded belly but also his tattooed forearms, stood over the flat grill, flipping burgers as he puffed on a cigarette. Not exactly sanitary, but it was his diner.

Waltrip spotted Jessica and scowled. He took the cigarette out of his mouth and exhaled a puff of smoke. "Took you long enough to get here," he growled. "Where the hell were you?"

Jessica flashed a tight-lipped smile. "And a good afternoon to you too, Mr. Waltrip."

Waltrip grumbled and seemed to be in his usual foul mood, which was not very becoming for a middle-aged, balding, and overweight man. He often bragged about his days in the Navy and all the places he had seen and all the women he had "nailed." Time and age had not been kind to him, or maybe it was the two-pack-a-day cigarette habit and the booze he kept hidden in his office that were responsible for his physical demise. Whatever the reason, it was not a pleasant sight.

"Get out there and help your friend," Waltrip barked at Jessica. "That broad has to be the worst waitress in town. If she didn't have a great pair of knockers I would have fired her ass four months ago."

Jessica glared at Waltrip. He was, of course, referring to her best friend, Janie. She desperately wanted to tell Waltrip what he could do with his job and the sexist waitress uniform. She would . . . in due time, but not just yet. She grabbed a notepad and pen from a counter. As she made her way to the dining room she accidentally dropped her pen. Jessica paused and sighed. Not a good start to her evening.

Waltrip shifted his attention to Jessica's backside as she bent over to collect the pen. The short skirt rode up, displaying the rest of her athletic but shapely legs, along with a perfect outline of her round buttocks. Jessica gathered the pen and turned back towards Waltrip, who smiled knowing at her. She exhaled with disgust and made her way to the dining room.

****

"What a day," Janie whined. "I don't want to be a waitress anymore." She placed her hands on her hips and mimicked an array of disgruntled voices. "'Miss, where's my food? It's been thirty minutes. My steak is under-cooked. My steak is over-cooked. I wanted mayonnaise not mustard. There's mold on my bread? My chicken is dry. What's your number, babe?'" She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Like that's gonna work on me."

Jessica fought back laughter as she glanced at the blonde young woman sitting across the table from her. Even in the dimly lit dining room Janie Salsbury radiated beauty. Shoulder-length blonde hair framed an angelic face with expressive deep blue eyes and sensuous lips. Janie had also been blessed with well-developed breasts, long legs, and a perfect rear-end. She certainly did the waitress uniform justice.

While Jessica never compared herself to other women physically; she was not lacking in the looks department either. She had inherited the best features of her Hispanic father and Irish mother. Shoulder length dark hair complimented her heart-shaped face and large baby brown eyes. A distinguished nose and ruby lips added further character to her striking countenance. Her body was athletically toned and shapely--thanks to a ruthless running and aerobic regiment.

The diner was now closed and the two young women were alone, sitting in the dining area, taking a much needed break. The other employees had finished and gone home. Chester Waltrip had left early, leaving Jessica and Janie to close up. He claimed he had a date tonight. If that was true, Jessica felt sorry for the woman who had the misfortune of dating Waltrip.

Jessica sipped her coffee. "We'll both make it. Maybe sooner than you think."

Janie caught Jessica's subtle hint. "What do you mean?"

Jessica shrugged nonchalantly. "I have an interview tomorrow morning at AweZome Magazine."

Janie's face lit up. "Oh, Jessica, that's great! I knew it was only a matter of time!” Janie suddenly feigned being hurt. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?”

"I don't have the job yet. It's just an interview."

"You're going to get it," Janie said confidently. "You're a great writer and you're hot. What else do they want? What are you gonna wear?"

Jessica shrugged. "I don't know."

"You can borrow one of my outfits," Janie offered.

Jessica smiled politely at Janie. "We'll see."

While Janie had been Jessica's roommate and friend for over six months, they had different tastes when it came to fashion. Her friend's wardrobe consisted of short skirts, tight tops, and low-rise jeans. Not that Janie was by any means a "loose" girl or a typical dumb blonde. She exuded confidence and took pride in her appearance without deliberately flaunting her body.

Like Jessica, Janie Salsbury was looking for her big break. In Janie's case it was a sportscaster career. That was the last thing Jessica expected to hear when she met Janie after answering the ad for a roommate. Janie had been an athlete in college and wanted to pursue her dream of hosting her very own television sports show. Jessica admired her determination and they immediately hit it off.

Since Jessica needed money for bills and rent, she took the waitress job at the Desert Shadows Diner. Janie quit her low-paying cashier job and joined Jessica at the diner as well. The pay was not all that good, but their looks earned them plenty of tips, along with plenty of unwanted attention from the predominately male working class customers. Still, there were harder ways to make a living.

"Let's go out and celebrate." Janie offered. “My treat. What do you say?"

Jessica chuckled. "Let's wait until I have the job first."

"A mere formality," Janie declared, beaming with pride. "You're gonna knock them dead. Wait, I’ll be right back.”

Janie stood and headed toward the kitchen entrance.

“Where are you going?” Jessica called out.

Janie disappeared into the kitchen. Jessica heard pots and pans rattling. A moment later, Janie returned with a bottle of vodka and two glasses.

Janie lifted the bottle. “Let’s toast. Compliments of Chester Waltrip.”

“Where did you get that?”

Janie sat down at the table. “From his secret stash. Like it’s a secret.” She poured a generous amount of vodka in the two orange juice glasses. She handed one to Jessica and lifted her own glass. “Here’s to better days ahead.”

They touched glasses and drank. Janie downed the liquor in one swift gulp. Jessica shrugged and did the same, which she quickly regretted. Her throat burned and she had a bitter taste in her mouth. She coughed, grimacing with discomfort.

Jessica exhaled, shaking her head. “Holy crap. What’s in that?”

Janie chuckled. “Didn’t know you were a light weight.”

“Now you know.” Jessica placed her glass down, still recovering from the burning sensation in her mouth and throat. “Let’s lock up and get out of here. I can use a long hot shower.”

"That sounds like a good idea," Janie agreed. “I recorded Thursday night football. I'm gonna make a big bowl of popcorn and watch the game. Wanna join me?"

Jessica gave Janie a curious look, wondering about her friend's sanity. “Thanks but I’ll pass. Maybe some other time."

"You two babes aren't going anywhere!"

Jessica and Janie jumped, uttering startled gasps when they heard the gruff voice. They turned towards the entrance leading into the kitchen and spotted two men standing there. They were dressed in dark shirts, slacks, and black leather blazers. The only difference between the men was a slight height discrepancy between them. Jessica noticed that the taller man held a dark, black gun aimed at her and Janie.

"Oh, my God!" Jessica exclaimed, her voice full of fear.

"Shut up!" the gunman ordered.

Jessica flinched at the man's harsh tone. She gave Janie a side glance, surprised that her friend appeared calm and in complete control of her emotions--or so it seemed. Jessica fought through her fear and tried to clear her head. At twenty-five she was two years older than Janie and took it upon herself to display enough courage for both of them. 

"Don't move or make a sound," the shorter man warned.

Jessica and Janie sat still as the two men approached. Jessica studied the men carefully. They both had straight dark hair, which was slicked back and well-groomed. Serious expressions were plastered on their faces, which under any other circumstances she would have considered handsome. Judging from their classical facial features and complexions, Jessica guessed the men were of Italian descent.

The taller man looked about the diner. “Alright, where is he?”

Jessica swallowed. Her mouth and throat suddenly dry. "Who?"

"That fat slob Waltrip," the taller man demanded. "He owns this dump, doesn't he?"

Jessica shifted her gaze from the gun to the man's intense face. "He already left. We just work here."

"Is that right?" the shorter man chimed in. His face softened and he flashed a leering smile. "Waltrip's food sucks but the help is definitely tasty."

"He said he had a date," Janie explained calmly. "He left about an hour ago."

Janie's confidence surprised the taller man. "You two broads wouldn't be lying, would you? Waltrip isn't hiding somewhere in here, is he?"

Janie frowned, annoyed at being accused of lying. "We’re telling the truth. And we're not 'broads'. That term went out like . . . I don't know . . . fifty years ago."

Jessica turned to her friend. What the hell was Janie doing? The guy had a gun! Jessica knew Janie had a sassy side but the current situation called for discretion.

Jessica prayed this was a simple robbery. “Take whatever you want and don’t hurt us.” Of course the two men did not look anything like typical robbers. "Mr. Waltrip takes the money with him at the end of each day."

Jessica's words amused the shorter man. “Do we look like low life robbers? We're not here to rob this dump." He looked about the diner, unimpressed. "What the hell would we get?" He shifted his attention back to the two young women. "You two babes work here? What a waste."

Jessica didn't know whether to be relieved or unsettled by the man's words. If they were not burglars then what . . .

Janie glared at the man. "And what do you do for a living besides threatening women with guns?"

Jessica flinched, wishing her friend would quit goading the men.

“We have a live one here,” the taller man announced. He went serious and said, “If I tell you we’d have to kill you.”

A chill went through Jessica. Were these men . . . hit-men? Had they come here with the intention of hurting Waltrip? If that was the case, then what would happen to her and Janie?

"We just work for Mr. Waltrip,” Jessica told the men. “We don't know anything about him or what he does in his personal life. We don’t--”

"Shut up!" the shorter man interrupted.

The taller man chuckled. "We wouldn't hurt two good looking babes like you two? It's not your fault Waltrip is a deadbeat piece of shit."

"What are you going to do with us?" Janie asked

The shorter man’s face darkened. "You’re going to give Waltrip a message on our behalf. Stand up."

Jessica did not like the sound of that. "What for?" 

“Shut up and get into the kitchen," the taller man commanded, his tone all business. "We don't have all night."

Janie shook her head. "No! We're not going anywhere with you."

The taller man gazed at Janie with amusement. “I like your spunk, baby, but it’s getting annoying.”

He raised his gun and pulled the trigger. Jessica and Janie jumped, squealing with panic when they heard the booming gunshot. The bullet zipped between them and struck the diner wall. After the deafening sound subsided, Jessica braved a look at the two men. Her heart was racing and her breath came in short spurts. She noticed Janie's defiance had been replaced with fear.

"We're not playing around here," the taller man said firmly. "Now move!"

Jessica and Janie stood. They walked past the two men and headed towards the kitchen area. The shorter man shook his head and whistled, taking in the sight of Jessica and Janie in their uniforms. They followed the young women into the dark kitchen, which smelled of cleaning products and grease.

The shorter man stepped past Jessica and Janie, noticing a closed door near the back of the diner. Jessica realized the two men had entered through the back kitchen door, which Waltrip had left unlocked. She silently cursed her boss, vowing to give him a piece of her mind for that.

"What's in there?" the shorter man asked, gesturing to the door.

"Storage room," Jessica replied quickly.

Originally, the room did not have a door, but Waltrip installed it two months ago to prevent his employees from stealing--so he claimed. That said it all about Chester Waltrip. He had sense enough to install a door leading into a storage room, but was dumb enough to leave the back door of the diner open. The man was a piece of work, Jessica mused.

The shorter man grabbed the doorknob and opened the door, surprised to find it unlocked. He turned to Jessica and Janie. "Get in there," he ordered.

Jessica and Janie walked into the storage room, shooting nervous glances at each other. Metal shelves containing canned foods, breads, and other dry products lined the walls of the storage room. The two men entered the room and stood near the entrance. The taller man found a light switch near the door and flicked on the bare light bulb in the ceiling. Jessica and Janie backed away from the two men as far as they could.

The shorter man looked about the storage room. He stepped toward a shelf and grabbed a roll of duct tape from the top rack. "Must be our lucky day."

Jessica sighed inwardly when she spotted the tape. Duct tape was used for only two things: temporarily fixing broken objects and binding people. At least that's what it was used for on TV shows. Since the two men did not intend on repairing anything it was obvious they planned using it for the latter.

The shorter man held up the tape. "We're gonna make sure you babes stay put until tomorrow morning when Waltrip gets here."

Jessica sighed. "You don't have to do that. Just lock us in here." She reached inside the pocket of her short skirt. "Take the keys if you want."

The shorter man stretched his hand out. "Don’t mind if we do. Toss them here."

Jessica tossed the keys to the man.

The man shoved the keys into his front pocket. He tossed the roll of tape into the air and caught it. "Okay, who's first?"

Jessica looked on with despair. "Please don't tie us up," she begged. "Just lock the door. We won't go anywhere. We promise."

"Oh, come on," the shorter man countered. "Be a good sport. There are worse things that can happen to a woman besides getting tied up."

"Screw you!" Janie shot back, her face angry and defiant

The shorter man chuckled. "I'm really going to enjoy this."

Jessica knew it was pointless arguing with the man. She and Janie were about to be tied up and that was final. She was actually relieved by that. She would take that over being raped or murdered. She recalled reading somewhere that robbery victims should never allow themselves to be tied up. Whoever wrote that advice probably never had to stare down two dangerous-looking men armed with guns.

"But first," the shorter man said, pausing for dramatic effect. "Let’s make things a little more interesting. Strip down to your underwear. Both of you."

"What?" Jessica asked, hoping she had not heard correctly.

"You heard him," the taller man spoke up, grinning. He reached inside his jacket and retrieved his weapon. The gun looked even more menacing in the lit storage room. "Take off those cute little uniforms."

"No way," Janie shot back, reasserting herself once again. "You can tie us up, but we're not stripping."

"Come on," the shorter man prodded. "Don't be shy. You two don't look like you have anything to be ashamed of."

Janie placed her hands on her hips. "We're not taking off our clothes and that's final.”

Jessica gave her friend a side glance, "Janie . . . " she warned.

The taller man leveled his gun at the two young women. "I've had enough of your lip, blondie! Loose the clothes! Now!"

Jessica and Janie eyed each other with resignation. Jessica exhaled and nodded at Janie, attempting to reassure her friend, not that she needed it. The two young women turned away from the two men and unbuttoned the single-piece dresses. They wiggled sensually as they peeled the dresses down their bodies. The bunched up waitress uniforms hit the floor at their feet.

Jessica blushed with humiliation. She sported a powder blue lace bra with a matching pair of cheeky panties. The panties were called "cheeky" for good reason, leaving most of her round buttocks exposed. Jessica stole a quick glance at Janie, who looked more angry than embarrassed. Janie's underwear consisted of a red lace bra and matching thong. The skimpy bra and panties left little to the imagination, making Jessica's underwear seem conservative by comparison.

Janie shook her head with disgust. "You guys are really something. Forcing women to strip at gunpoint."

The taller man shot Janie a piercing look. "If you don't shut your trap we're gonna do something more besides making you strip." He eyed Jessica and Janie with appraisal, studying their flawless figures. "You two chicks are wasting your time working in this dump. Face the front so we can get a good look at you."

Reluctantly, Janie and Jessica turned toward the leering men. Jessica's embarrassment gradually turned to anger. How dare these bastards humiliate them like this? What had they done to deserve this?

The shorter man eyed Jessica and Janie with pleasure. “That's better. Take the rest of it off."

Jessica looked up, expressing shock and dread.

The shorter man addressed Janie. "Thong girl. You first. Let's go."

Janie tilted her head and frowned. "My name is Janie.”

The men laughed. "Okay, Janie," the taller man taunted. "Take off that cute underwear . . . unless you want my friend here to give you a hand?”

Janie reached behind her back and unclasped her bra. She slipped it off her shoulders and let it drop from her breasts. She blushed briefly as a pair full breasts with over-sized nipples spilled into the open air. She then stripped off her panties, her breasts jiggling as she stepped out of her thong. She stood naked but defiant before the two men.

The shorter man stared at Janie with appraisal. "At least the drapes match the curtains."

Janie shot daggers at the man with her eyes but remained silent.

The taller man focused on Jessica. "Your turn . . . Jessica, is it? That’s what your name tag says. Let's see what goodies you're hiding."

Jessica undid her bra with resignation. Her humiliation had now been replaced by loathing towards the two leering perverts who watched her. She stripped off the bra, revealing a pair of medium-sized breasts with delicate pink nipples. She hooked her fingers inside the waistband of her panties and peeled them down her shapely legs. She stepped out of her underwear, revealing a shaved private area, and stood up straight. Unlike her friend, Jessica covered her breasts and private area with her hands, attempting to salvage some modesty.

The shorter man whistled. "Lord, have mercy! This is definitely our lucky night. Okay, let's make sure you both stay nice and quiet. Pick up your panties and stuff them in your mouths."

Jessica uttered a startled gasp and shot the shorter man a pleading look. She was about to protest but stopped when the taller man glared at her. Reluctantly, Jessica and Janie gathered their respective panties off the floor. Jessica sighed and hesitated, hoping this was some sort of sick joke.

"Let's go," the taller man ordered.

Jessica steadied her nerves and wadded up her powder blue lace panties. She closed her eyes and reluctantly stuffed them into her mouth, groaning with disgust. She gagged slightly as the panties expanded and filled her mouth. Janie followed Jessica's lead and stuffed the skimpy panties into her mouth, her face contorting with disgust and anger. She had a tougher time with the task, retching several times. When she finished she glared at the two men, which they found amusing.

"Nicely done," the shorter man taunted, focusing on Janie. "That outta keep your smart-mouth quiet. Now, sit down on the floor."

Again, Jessica and Janie obeyed. They reluctantly sat on the storage room floor. Jessica shuddered when she felt the cold, hard floor on her bare backside and legs; but that was the least of her worries. Her only goal was to get this over with and end this humiliating ordeal . . . for now.

The man knelt behind Jessica and roughly gathered her arms behind her back. She grunted as the thug crossed her wrists and taped them together. The tape screeched loudly in the silent storage room as he applied several turns of tight tape around her wrists, each turn feeling tighter than the previous one. After he finished with her wrists he wrapped tape around her body, pinning her arms against her sides. Jessica winced with discomfort as the man wrapped the duct tape above and below her straining breasts. He tore off the tape and then added several more cinching loops around her waist and arms.

After finishing with her upper body the thug secured Jessica's shapely legs. He quickly and expertly wrapped duct tape around her bare thighs, above her knees, and ankles. Jessica did not have to test the bindings to know she was tightly trussed up with bands of unyielding tape. The entire process had taken no more than a few minutes.

The thug placed the loose end of the tape over her panty-stuffed mouth. “Okay, here comes the best part.”

Jessica closed her eyes and moaned as the man applied layer upon layer of tape over her mouth, wrapping the tape around her head. Before he even finished she realized there was no way she would be able to remove the gag on her own. Jessica wondered if the man had done this before? The thug examined his work with a critical eye.

He turned Jessica away from him and encased her fingers with duct tape. Yes, he's definitely done this before, Jessica thought with despair. She guessed he was binding her fingers to prevent her from grabbing or picking at anything that she might be able to use to free herself.

The man exhaled. "One down, one to go."

He shoved Jessica on her side and playfully swatted her shapely rear with his open palm, producing a sharp smacking sound, along with a muffled shriek from Jessica. Her eyes expanded with anger when she felt the burning pain on her rear end. She wiggled on the floor, straining against her bonds.

"You should feel her ass!" the man exclaimed, glancing up at his friend. He gave Jessica another butt swat for good measure. "Wow!"

"Mmmmphhh!" Jessica mewed, her eyes livid. She rolled onto her back and glared at the man, attempting to kick him with her bound legs. "Uurrrrmmmphhhh Mmmphhh!"

The man laughed, relishing Jessica's indignation. He casually grabbed her legs and pushed them aside. "Yeah, whatever." He focused on Janie. "Okay, blondie, your turn." The man caught himself and said, "I'm sorry. I forgot your name again.”

"Gmphh Umm Hmmmp!" Janie cursed. The best her panty-stuffed mouth could do with, "Screw you!" 

The man disregarded Janie's ire, gathered her arms behind her back, and bound her wrists with the duct tape exactly like he had bound Jessica. He then methodically wrapped tape around Janie’s upper body, applying several loops of duct tape above and below Janie’s naked breasts. Janie moaned and squirmed as her arms were pinned against her body.   

He ignored her muffled protests and shifted his attention to Janie’s flailing legs. It took some effort, but he grabbed Janie's silky smooth limbs and lashed duct tape around her thighs, knees, and ankles. Janie finally stopped struggling and remained still, breathing heavily through her nose, her blue eyes burning with frustration and anger.

“Open your mouth,” the thug told Janie. “I got something else for you and that smart mouth.”

She gave the man a side glance but didn’t comply.

The man sighed. “Open your fucking mouth.”

His tone was dark and serious. Janie sighed and parted her mouth. The thug placed the duct tape between Janie’s parted mouth and wrapped the duct tape between her lips. He wrapped several bands of duct tape around her head, making sure each layer went between her opened mouth. Janie winced but the man was relentless, wrapping at least eight bands of tape around her head. The tight gag distorted Janie’s face, crushing her cheeks harshly, giving her a strange appearance.

After gagging the girl he finish by lashing her fingers together. Satisfied, he pushed Janie on her side. She hit the hard floor with a muffled grunt. Janie's backside did not escape the wrath of his hand, and he delivered a hard but good-natured swat across her bare buttocks. Janie flinched involuntarily, squealing angrily.

“See what happens to smart mouths like you,” the thug taunted.

He smacked Janie’s shapely ass several more times. Janie grunted and squealed through the panty-gag, her eyes burning with outrage. She wiggled and squirmed on the floor but that only made her ass a more inviting target. The thug finally stopped spanking her, leaving her ass burning and glowing with a reddish color.

“Alright,” the other man said. “Enough playing around. Let’s go.”

The man stood and gazed proudly at his handiwork. He tossed the duct tape away. "Good old duct tape. What are the other 99 uses again?” He addressed the trussed up and gagged young women. “See, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

The taller man nodded with approval. "Nice job. I don't think these two broads are going anywhere tonight." He stood over Jessica and Janie. "Okay, ladies, listen up. When that fat slob Waltrip gets here tomorrow morning, and hopefully finds you here, tell him we were looking for him."

The shorter man gave Jessica and Janie a final taunting look. "You girls have fun tonight. I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of each other."

The men turned and exited the storage room, leaving the light on. Jessica heard the door slam shut and then a sharp click as it was locked. She finally exhaled with relief and attempted to calm her nerves. She had been on edge throughout the entire ordeal, fearing the men might take liberties with her and Janie. Now that they had gone, Jessica felt more at ease and could think clearly again.

Jessica still had no idea who the two men were or what they wanted. She didn't really care. Her immediate concern was the fact that she and her best friend were laying in a storage room, bound, gagged, and nude. Jessica winced when she realized her breasts were crushed under her against the cold floor. She grunted and rolled onto her side, facing Janie.

Jessica watched as Janie kicked, wiggled, and tugged at her bindings with everything she had. Jessica had never seen someone actually tied up for real and fighting to break free. Janie's blonde hair fell across her straining face and her nostrils flared, but Jessica knew it was hopeless. They were both bound tight and no amount of tugging and squirming would change that.

Janie finally ceased struggling and collapsed, breathing heavily as a result of her outburst. She gazed at Jessica and shook her head in frustration, mumbling incoherently through her stuffed and taped mouth. Instinctively, Jessica attempted to speak. After uttering a string of unintelligible sounds she sighed and fell silent, cursing the gag that prevented her from communicating with her friend.

Jessica gave her own bindings an experimental tug but, as expected, they did not give an inch. Those bastards really did a job on us, Jessica thought angrily. Her plan of pulling each others gags off had been dashed when their fingers had been encased with duct tape. There would be no escape or relief, at least not anytime soon. She and Janie would have to wait to be rescued.

The thought of that sexist pig Chester Waltrip finding them like this tomorrow morning sent a chill through Jessica. This isn't happening! her mind screamed, envisioning Waltrip’s eyes on her nude body. Jessica suddenly bucked and squirmed, grunting through the wadded up panties and duct tape covering her mouth.

Jessica's frenzied struggles re-energized Janie and she too thrashed about on the floor of the storage room. For the next few minutes, the two girls rolled along the floor, straining and groaning desperately. When it was all said and done they were still securely bound and gagged, panting with exhaustion, their bare breasts heaving as they lay on their sides. Janie uttered a frustrated grunt and choked back a muffled sob.

So much for that, Jessica thought bitterly. Thanks to her sudden but futile outburst, the panties in her mouth were now completely soaked with saliva and extremely uncomfortable. She finally accepted that neither she nor Janie would be able to free themselves on their own. They were in for a long night of waiting and discomfort. Then more humiliation when Waltrip found them in the morning.

Jessica suddenly realized she would not be able to make her scheduled interview tomorrow morning at AweZome Magazine. She expressed her displeasure by uttering an angry grunt through her gag. Not only was she going to spend all night tied up and gagged, but her hopes of landing her dream job were in jeopardy.

Jessica heard Janie grunting next to her. She watched as her friend raised herself to a sitting position and leaned against a shelf containing sacks of flour and sugar. Janie jiggled her arms and rocked from side to side, moaning with frustration. She still had not accepted defeat. This was consistent with Janie's background of being a former athlete. She never gave up.

Jessica remained laying on her side as her friend squirmed and thrashed about in a last-ditch effort for freedom. Janie's breasts swayed and bounced, but the end result was the same as before. Janie sagged against the metal rack contents, panting with exhaustion. Her blue eyes blazed with anger and frustration. She bounced up and down, stomping her feet as she cursed. Janie glanced down at Jessica and shook her head, exhaling with exasperation.

Jessica propped herself up to a sitting position. She scooted along the floor on her rump until she was sitting next to Janie. She accidentally brushed Janie's outstretched legs and trembled when she felt her friend's warm, silky skin on her flesh. She hoped the close proximity to each other would relax and comfort Janie. Although Jessica herself could use some comforting.

Janie snuggled next to Jessica and placed her bound legs over Jessica's legs. The storage room was chilly and Janie was simply following a basic survival rule: sharing body heat in order to keep warm. Jessica followed her friend's lead and pressed herself against Janie's body. She immediately felt Janie's soothing body heat. The two friends rested their heads against each other, making themselves comfortable for a long night.