From his seat on the deck Mike Briar could see the light house beacon spinning over Alcatraz Island like a friend on the dark of the bay giving directions to boats in the night. One of the boats cutting a wake towards Sausalito, and Mike's place on the deck, held commuters and party-goers returning to the North Bay from the sparkling lights of San Francisco.
Mike's pint of Marin Pale Ale settled nicely into the sore spots in his muscles after a long day of kayaking on the bay. Aboard the ten o'clock ferry five friends laughed and enjoyed the cool October night near the bow of the red and white fleet vessel.
Kyla was trance-like as she watched the bright red lights that read "Port of San Francisco" become eclipsed by the dark of Alcatraz' silhouette. Mira noticed Kyla mentally leaving their company.
"Hey, Kyla, where're you off to?"
The ladies' eyes were all on Kyla as her focus shifted from the Alcatraz light house back to her old girls club.
"Miranda..." She used Mira's full name for emphasis, "Miranda Black, I asked you ten times now; How in the hell did you do that?"
A wry smile crossed Miranda's face. "Trade secret babe."
"No!" Kyla said with a smile and shaking her head, tossing her short, dark hair back and forth, "...you tell me!"
Four sets of eyes now settled on Mira.
"Look," Mira said "you know the oldest rule in the book is about not revealing the secrets to these things."
"No way. I mean, it felt as if I was the prize steer at a rodeo. I mean, who the hell could tie those knots that fast? Who do you have backstage anyway?"
Mira took a swig of her Anchor Steam beer as if trying to savor the moment. "Sorry girlie, it's just magic." Mira then casually handled the green crystal which hung around her neck and rubbed it nonchalantly between her thumb and forefinger.
After the show Mira had changed into some" "LA Blues" jeans and a casual tan blouse. The Bay Area was granting them a rare night of comfortable temperatures and no chilling fingers of fog reaching through the gate.
The ferry cut its diesel engines and drifted into the dock next to the Sausalito Brewing Company where Mike was just ordering another pint.
"Hey," Mike grabbed the waitress by the forearm, "make that six pints of ale please, not one."
Mira, Heather, Kyla, Natalie, and Lisa joined the people in business suits and dresses heading for the aft ramp.
"Ladies!" Mike shouted to Natalie and her entourage, "Pints are on the way!"
"Mike!" Natalie waved back.
Natalie spun to face her friends faces. "I told Mike to meet us here. He's our ride to my place tonight." As the ladies headed up the ramp towards the brewery a cell phone chimed in Kyla's purse.
Eyes belonging to a lady clad in black watched from the docked ferryboat as the beautiful "rock jock" fumbled for her phone in her hand bag.
"Yes ... yes ... well, can't it wait?" Kyla protested into her phone. "O.K., for that I'll do it, but only Saturday morning!"
To the disappointed looks of her friends Kyla apologetically began, "Ladies ..."
"Oh no! We promised." said Heather. "Tonight we stay at Natalie's and then we kick around Sausalito tomorrow and get ready for Saturday night,"
"I know, but listen" said Kyla "we'll have all weekend. It's some rich client who's paying an unbelievable amount for 'Three hours with the best lady climber in the city.' This could totally help with paying my bills on that new gym."
After protests, then agreement that Kyla would be back in Sausalito by early Saturday afternoon, Kyla said her good-bye's, waived to Mike, and hopped the ferry as it made its last return to San Francisco for the evening.
"Hey girls...you coming or what?" Mike yelled from the deck.
"O.K. ladies, it's down to four of us until tomorrow." said Natalie.
Natalie introduced Mike to her friends as a tour guide and was quickly reminded by Mike, with a smile, that he preferred the term "Adventure Kayaker."
Over their pints Mike told them about that days' clients who were tourists from New Hampshire that he brought around Angel Island. Natalie met Mike in Sausalito and, though he would have wanted more, they were simply good friends.
After an hour at the pub and a lift from Mike back to Natalie's home, four friends staggered with clacking high heels and slightly blurry eyes into a hillside home with a commanding view of San Francisco. They'd all brought satchels with some clothes for the long weekend at Natalie's hide-away, and agreed that they would pack lightly and buy clothes on Saturday at some of Sausalito's shops along the waterfront.
As they poured through the double doors and Mike drove off to giggles and waves, the ladies tossed their bags like they were spreading seeds around for planting. Miranda's bag was meant to land on the long sofa, but, instead, missed its' target and bounced off a nearby, crystal coffee table. The impact opened the clasp on her black leather bag and some of her weekend clothes spilled out along with an amazing assortment of straps, handcuffs, ropes, scarves, and even a harness gag.
This stopped the chattering and all eyes turned to Mira.
"What?" said Mira. "They're tools of the trade."
Natalie picked up a handful of Mira's bindings.
"This is trick stuff, right? From a magic shop or something?"
"Nope. That's the real thing" said Mira. "I picked up all that stuff in Northbeach before the show. Everywhere from the hardware store to those little adult shops down there."
"Yeah right." said Heather, joining the conversation and her friends by the edge of the sofa. "If they're real how do you get out of them.?' Heather said in a challenging way.
"That's just my job Heather. Just like you know all about art, I know all about those."
Mira gestured towards the collection of straps and then up at her friends from the sofa.
"Why don't you check em; out for yourself?"
Lisa was sitting in a plush chair across from her friends. She had just kicked off her heels and was getting ready to shed some more clothes when she joined in.
"Oh, c'mon, they sell those things at magic stores and there's always a trick to them, you just have to find it."
Natalie laughed. "Hey, I've been trussed up once already tonight, why don't you get over here?"
Lisa was the next athletic of the group next to Kyla, and with Kyla back in the city until the morning the torch had been passed. If it had been her, after all, she'd would not have ended up hog-tied on stage.
"Fine." said Lisa, as she moved her bare feet across the carpet and knelt down next to Mira's collection.
Lisa had on a thin, white blouse with short sleeves and a man's tie hanging loosely around her collar. Her skirt was a short, black wool blend than cam just above her knees. Lisa's years of competitive swimming showed through not only in her toned arms and legs but in her attitude that seemed to seek out competition anywhere she could.
"Get over here Heather." said Natalie.
Heather's red hair swung around her head as she was in mid sentence with Mira when she received Natalie's order.
"What are you talking about?" she laughed to her friend.
"Lisa seems to think that she would've been able to get out of that tie in about two seconds, I suppose you feel the same way?"
"Of course." said Heather, looking through her glasses. "Heck, I wouldn't have let myself get tied up in the first place. Besides, Lisa's right, they've gotta be those kind that you can get out of easily." said Heather, as if she was reading from one of her books.
Heather was still wearing her heels and was in a blue dress that sported a wide sash across the middle. Lisa had made a joke earlier that Heather "...looked like a naughty librarian."
Heather also knelt besides Natalie and the pile of ropes.
"O.K., I'll show you both. Give me your worst."
With that Heather presented her upturned wrists together to Natalie.
"Hey, what about me. I can get outta anything you can throw at me Mira. Not like Nat-Natalie and Kyla tonight!"
"I'm not having a thing to do with this." said Mira as she lounged on the sofa. I'm tired and I can laugh at you two until I doze off.
"O.K., me first." said Heather.
Heather reached down and offered a handful of hanging straps and rope to Natalie.
"Tie me up like you were tied tonight and I'll bet I can be out in two minutes." said Heather.
"I'll be out in ONE!" exclaimed Lisa. With that, Lisa also went to gather ropes and straps.
"Fine" said Natalie. I'll do Heather first.
Natalie gathered up a pair of handcuffs from the pile and shook the rest of the clinging straps free from them.
"I assume you have the keys somewhere?" she said the Mira.
Mira laughed. "I told you, it's magic and those are real. I'm not going to help with a thing."
Natalie first knelt in front of her bookish friend Heather and said, "O.K, let's see those wrists again."
Heather complied with a smile and Natalie wasted no time in closing a cuff around her right wrist. Then, Natalie fumbled for the other dangling cuff and closed it loosely around the left wrist, leaving Heather's long sleeve from her dress through the cuff to protect her skin.
"Hey, that's too loose!" protested Lisa. "This has to be tight." said Lisa and she reached over, balancing on one knee and tightened the cuffs until they were snugly enclosing Heather's wrists.
"Hey, watch the dress!" said Heather, only half kidding.
"O.K." said Natalie, "Lets keep those arms down at your sides.
Lisa and Heather then stretched out long lengths of the white, cotton rope that was in the bag and began winding it several times around Heather's frame. Heather's handcuffed wrists were held low as several turns of rope went around her, first above her breast and then below. When Lisa and Natalie were done they tied off the rope at Heather's waist behind her back.
"How's that?" asked Natalie.
"Not too tight." replied Heather as she twisted her wrists a bit. "Once I figure out the cuffs this will be a slice of cake to get out of."
"We'll see." said Lisa.
With that, Lisa took two belts from the pile. She crossed her friends ankles behind her and began winding the leather belt around the small of her ankles above her blue high heels. The belt was able to make four turns before it was time for the clasps to meet and complete their binding.
"Better" said Lisa. "Now help me roll her over." she said to Natalie.
When Heather had been rolled into a sitting position on the floor, with her cuffed hands in front of her and her belted and bound ankles stretched in front, Lisa took another belt and wrapped it around Heather legs just above her knees.
"Nice touch!" said Natalie.
"Child's play" said Heather with false confidence.
This time the belt was only able to make two loops around Heather's legs before Lisa had to clasp the ends tightly together.
"O.K., two more things." said Lisa.
Lisa then took from her own waist a belt that she wore only for decoration her short skirt. Lisa found the center link to Heather's hand cuffs and threaded the belt around them.
"What are you doing?" said Heather.
"You just watch."
Lists then pulled on the belt around Heather cuffs, which had the effect of pulling Heather's upper body down close to her knees. Then Lisa took the belt that ran around Heather cuffs and ran it around the doubled belt that held Heather skirted thighs together.
Lisa then found the clasp and realized she could probably run it around twice before cinching it.
"Oh, hey. Wait. That's not fair." protested Heather.
"Are you kidding" said Lisa. "Did you see how well Kyla and Natalie were tied tonight?"
"Lisa's right." agreed Natalie. "It's only fair you have at least some challenge."
With that, Natalie, who was behind the seated Heather, had pulled from the pile a device that looked familiar.
"And now," said Natalie, "something that looks like it came from my stable."
Mira laughed from the couch as Natalie picked up a leather bit gag with all the buckles and straps from the floor.
"You wouldn't believe the shop I had to go into to get THAT one." said Mira.
Everyone laughed except Heather.
"No way, this is good enough."
"Forget it kiddo." said Natalie. You saw the gag I was wearing a few hours ago. "Besides, you forget, I'm an equestrienne. I'm good with these things."
"Yeah, on Shadow at the stable, NOT on me." said Heather.
Before Heather could make another protest, Natalie reached around her and inserted a long, leather gag into Heather's mouth."
"Hey, mmmmph, mmmmmmm." were the only sounds that came from Heather after that.
""O.K., this goes here, and this goes over there ..." said Natalie as she expertly worked the leather straps.
A leather browband went around Natalie's forehead, just under her red tresses. Underneath the bit gag had a throat latch that came up to meet the halter near the side of Heather's head. All of it met in a crown or head piece that could be, and was, cinched tight behind Heather's head.
"Mmmmmmph, mmmmm ..." began Heather as she squirmed a bit and began to struggle.
"No struggling yet!" said Lisa. "We'll start trying to escape at the same time once I get tied and see who is really harder to hold."
Natalie then walked on her knees over to Lisa who was already beginning to tie up her own ankles with some of the rope from the bag. Once she had tied her own ankles with several turns of a leather chord Natalie got behind her with the second pair of cuffs.
"Alright," said Natalie, "put your hands behind your back."
"But Heather has hers in front." said Lisa.
"Yeah, but you're more confident, and besides, were almost out of rope so I wont be able to wrap up your middle like we did her." said Natalie.
"Fine, I'll get out anyway." said Lisa as she leaned forward to balance herself and put her wrist behind her back where they were quickly found and secured with the cuffs by Natalie.
"O.K., ankles and wrists are done, now what?" said Natalie.
"Mmmmmmph, mmm, mmmmmm!" was the only sound from Heather.
"Ah yes, a gag!" said Natalie.
Mira, who had been watching from the sofa and had been having some wonderful laughs, reached down and tossed Natalie the last of the bag's contents, a silk scarf.
"Ooh, just like in the movies." Lisa said, as Natalie wound the scarf.
"Open wide." Natalie said the Heather.
"Oh man, Kyla should see this!" said Lisa as she prepared to accept the scarf.
The white scarf was long enough for two winds around Lisa's head before being tied off with a knot behind her. Just then a flash brought all of their heads up. Mira had snapped a picture.
"Something for Kyla." she said. "Now, ladies, begin your struggles!"
Natalie rocked back and forth and then lost her balance and fell off to her right side while trying to get to the leather belt that held her cuffed wrists close to her knees.
Lisa, meanwhile, threw herself into the struggle with all of her strength, ending up on her tummy and with her fingers searching vainly for some latch on the cuffs.
Natalie and Mira sat back on the sofa laughing and offering encouragement while their friends struggled for first one minute, then two.
"It's been over two minutes ladies, care to give up?" said Mira.
"Mmmmm mmmmmm" came the joint response.
Lisa began rubbing part of her gag against the side of the sofa and in another minute it was out of her mouth and below her chin.
"O.K., what's the tick to these things?" she said to Mira.
"No trick, girl. I told you, they're the real deal."
Heather was efficiently gagged and her harness was not going to budge.
Heather's legs flailed and her knees straightened and bent but Natalie could not get the leather to give.
"What do you say, Mira? Are you getting tired?" said Natalie to Mira.
Mira smirked. "Why yes, quite tired." she agreed. Let's head to the bedroom.
"Ha, ha. Very funny." said the now ungagged but still cuffed and tied Lisa.
"Oh, yes. It is funny how tired we are." said Natalie with a smile on her face. "Goodnight girls."
Heather's blue eyes suddenly grew wider and her Irish temper came through.
"Mmm mm mmmm mm." was all Heather could manage.
"The clock is still going." said Natalie and her and Mira rose from the couch and walked towards to hallway.
"That's really not funny." said Lisa. Don't you dare leave this room!"
Natalie and Mira gave some fake yawns and they walked off the carpet and across the hardwood floors to one of the large bedrooms in the house on the hill. The they giggled as they left two struggling friends writhing and rolling on the living room floor in front on an unlit fireplace.
"Goodnight girls."