It was quiet in the room, now. The only sound was breathing: three gagged women taking air in through their noses, and Linda's harsh sobbing.
"Linda…" Antonia had laid a hand on Linda's shoulder. When the weeping woman didn't respond, Antonia's other hand found its way to Linda's other shoulder, and the strong fingers began to gently knead the trembling muscles.
"You did very well today, you know. I love watching your fingers at work, and I love the sight of your shoulders moving under your blouse." She paused. "Linda, it's your turn, now."
Reddened eyes looked up at Antonia. "What?"
"We're not quite done, here. Michelle and I have to finish up, and I'm going to need to be sure you stay out of trouble. Hush," she stifled Linda's weak attempt to protest. "Let's just get it over with." Linda turned away, and leaned her forehead against Rachel's bound body.
"Do what you have to," she muttered. "I don't care anymore."
"Don't say that, Linda," came Antonia's whisper in her ear. "It's very important to me that you care." Linda didn't know what to make of that remark, and didn't bother responding.
In a moment, Linda felt Antonia's hands on her arms, and her arms were pulled behind her back. Rather than continue to lean on Rachel's naked body, Linda allowed herself to kneel upright. Her wrists were crossed over each other, and rope was criss-crossed, tying them just as she had tied Roz and Lauren. How strange. It was all so strange. Linda had nothing left, now. Just a few hours ago, the idea of a jewel thief tying her up in her own house would have too bizarre to contemplate. Now, somehow, it almost felt normal. After what she'd been through so far, today, it almost seemed right to be tied up along with the others. Antonia finished tying her wrists, and let go of Linda's arms. Linda pulled at her bound wrists. So, she thought, this is what it feels like. Exhausted as she was, and certain that she was drained of every drop of emotion she possessed, Linda was surprised to find that she had butterflies in her stomach, as her helplessness at Antonia's hands was brought home to her.
Antonia's strong fingers returned to massaging Linda's shoulders. Linda let her head droop forward, telling herself that her captor was simply taking pity on her sore muscles. After a moment, the fingers left her shoulders, and Linda could feel Antonia's fingernails grazing her scalp. The blond jewel thief then began to slowly run her hands up over the top of Linda's head.
"You have such lovely hair, Linda." Antonia's voice whispered in her ear. Startled, Linda felt Antonia's face nuzzling the back of her head. "You smell wonderful." Before Linda could decide to pull away, Antonia's fingers were in her hair again. This time, after the nails slowly made their way up the sides of Linda's head, she could feel Antonia tighten her hands into fists, imprisoning Linda's hair. Gently but firmly, Linda felt her head pulled back, and she was looking into Antonia's eyes.
"What---what are you doing?"
"Oh, come now." Antonia's face was close to hers, now, and she could feel her breath as she spoke. "I should think that was obvious." Antonia had pulled Linda's face so close, now, that she could feel the blonde's lips caress her cheek as she spoke. Suddenly, Linda felt herself thrown backwards, landing on her bound hands. Antonia scrambled across the floor, clambering onto Linda's lap before she could sit up.
"Please--" Linda's voice sounded impossibly weak and distant to her ears: was she simply exhausted, or was she unsure of exactly what she was pleading for?
Antonia was looking directly into Linda's eyes as her hands drifted down her captive's chest. With cool deliberateness, Antonia began to undo the buttons of Linda's blouse. Now, Linda's feeble protest came from a mouth too dry to permit anything more than a cracked whisper. Antonia inclined her head. "Did you say something?" she giggled. When Linda found herself unable to answer, Antonia gently opened Linda's blouse.
"Well, this is certainly convenient," she murmured. Linda's bra fastened in the front, making it that much easier for Antonia to begin to undo it. Now Linda squirmed to try and pull away, but Antonia was sitting too heavily on her to allow her any room to move. The rubberized fabric fell away, and Antonia reached out a hand, and slowly ran a fingernail across the top of Linda's right breast.
"Aaaaahhhh!" Linda had found her voice again. "Please let me go… please let me-- let me--" Antonia hadn't even paused. With both hands, she was now caressing the tops and sides of Linda's breasts. She cupped her hand under one breast, and passed the other hand to within a millimeter of Linda's nipple, without touching it.
"Please let me--" Suddenly, Linda couldn't hold back. "Please let me touch you! Oh, God, please-touch me! Touch me, and let me touch you! Please!!!"
Antonia's smile was gently cruel. "Oh, no, Linda. The ropes are part of the romance." She watched, delighted, as Linda pulled and strained uselessly at her bound wrists. "In fact, I think we need to take things just a bit farther." At that, Antonia shifted her weight enough that she was able to reach Linda's waist. Still moving slowly and deliberately, she unbuttoned Linda's jeans, untucked her blouse, and finished unbuttoning it. After spreading the blouse and bra as far open as she could, Antonia then tugged Linda's jeans so that they were nearly to her knees. As Linda fought against sensations she had never imagined existing, Antonia took hold of her panties, and ripped them from her. Linda closed her eyes, moaning, waiting for Antonia to take her. Instead, she felt the blond thief slide off her body. Linda opened her eyes to see what was happening, when she found herself rolled over onto her face on the carpet. Her long hair fell over her face, obscuring her view. She could feel Antonia on her back now, tying more rope around Linda's wrists. Antonia reached a hand under Linda's belly, passing the rope around her waist and tying it once, pinning Linda's hands against the back of her waist. Linda's fingers fluttered uselessly, trying desperately to reach for her tormentor. Instead, Antonia pulled on the length of rope around Linda's waist again, and this time she slid it between the bound woman's legs.
Linda was sure her head had exploded. Antonia pulled the rope sharply up into Linda's sex, and her captive let out a frenzied roaring. Linda bucked and thrashed, equally desperate to get the rope out of herself and to bury it farther inside.
"Take me! Oh, God, Antonia! Take me! TAKE ME!!!" Linda flailed her unbound legs to try and move closer to her captor. Instead, Antonia moved deftly aside, and embraced Linda from behind. She whispered in Linda's ear.
"Take you? Me? Is that what you really want?"
"OOOhhhhh, god-YES! YES! YES!"
Antonia's whisper was like a bucket of ice water: "But what about David?"
Linda twisted herself as far as she could, to look behind her.
"Wha---wha-what do you mean?"
"Well, I just wonder what a man would think who is being held prisoner, threatened with a terrible death, and his wife is making a little whore of herself with one of the gang who did it-and a woman, no less."
Linda thought the ceiling had fallen on her. "But-but-oh, god, Antonia."
"What? All I'm doing is reminding you of your wifely duties."
Linda's face burned with humiliation. How could she do this to David? How could she ever face him after this? How-
"Nnoooooo!!!" Her reverie was broken off as Antonia seized the strategically placed cord and pulled it further into Linda. The blond thief forced Linda back to the floor on her back, and knelt over her prize. Antonia reached up and unpinned her hair from its bun; it fell in pale waves around her face and shoulders. She then reached down and took hold of Linda's right nipple.
"AAAAAaaaahhh!" This scream was so loud that Michelle actually went to the window to be certain no one was nearby.
"What about David? Would he do that to you, if he was here?"
Tears poured down Linda's face: guilt, shame, desire, they were all the same now. "Why," she sobbed, "what are you doing to me?
Antonia's face, framed by tumbling blond locks, grinned down at Linda.
"What did you think this was, Linda? Did you think we were starting some glossy lesbian 'relationship'? That we're 'in love'?" The smile grew almost demonic. "You're my toy, Linda, that's all. My pretty little toy. I am going to play with your body-and with your mind. I don't want you to 'surrender' to me, to 'give yourself' to me-that's too easy. I want you to hate your body for desiring me. I want you to hate me for robbing you and your friends; I want you to fear me for threatening your husband's life, and yours; and after all that, I want you to need me, and to curse yourself for needing me." Antonia thrust her face down on Linda's, silky blond hair caressing her captive's cheek, and kissed her roughly. She pulled back, and laughed. "Guess I'd better finish tying you up, so we can get back to counting our loot."
Linda gave up. The war inside her between desire and duty was too much. Let Antonia do as she would, Linda couldn't control her body anymore. She was too weak to resist as Antonia rolled her back onto her stomach, and tied her at the ankles, and above and below her knees. She didn't even try to move to a more comfortable position when the blonde scrambled across the floor to get something from her bag.
In a moment, Antonia was back. She brushed Linda's long hair from her face. In her hand was a red rubber ball, with buckled straps hanging from it.
"I saved this one for you." Antonia held the object in front of Linda's eyes. "It's a ballgag. It probably won't keep you any quieter than the ones your friends are wearing, but I always figure that a gal wearing one of these feels just that much more helpless and humiliated."
Linda tried to croak out one last "Why?", but it caught in her throat as Antonia jammed the ball into her mouth. Linda found enough strength to try and move her head away from the vile thing, but, bound as she was, she had no chance. Antonia's strong fingers soon forced the hard rubber past her lips and back deeply between her teeth. Linda's head was pulled up and back as Antonia tugged on the strap, to make certain that the gag was firmly lodged in Linda's mouth. Linda felt the strap encircle her head, and Antonia buckled it in back, underneath Linda's hair.
The blonde then ran her hands through Linda's hair again, as she lay across her captive's back, and whispered: "Try not to drool too much. We have company."
The front door opened.