It was dark in the room that Lady Charlotte had called her Dungeon, but I could tell from the sounds I heard that at least one bound and gagged captive was a prisoner in there. I wondered if it was Ines, whom I hadn't seem for a long time now, but as we entered, a light switch was flicked on, and the spotlights that illuminated the space showed no sign of her.
However I could now see who was held prisoner here. Lying on a padded table in the centre of the room was Jackie in her pink revue bar uniform, wrists crossed above her head, tied with rope. Straps secured her body to the table, passing through gaps in the padding so that they were tight against her form rather than reaching out to the edges of the table. A rope also passed round her waist and through her crotch, and looked to be cruelly tight. She was not gagged and as the lights came on, she spoke, clearly distressed. "Charlotte, please, let me go, I've done nothing!" Lady Charlotte ignored her for the moment, gliding instead over to the far wall, where Nicole was chained, spread-eagled, facing the wall. "Hello Nicole, been out for a ride?"
Nicole's hair was now in flowing curls and she wore shiny black riding boots over clingy cream lycra riding pants, and a short-sleeved black lycra crop-top. I knew she owned horses but I guessed she had not dressed like this voluntarily. She tried to turn her head towards us and I could then see that unlike Jackie she was gagged, with a large red rubber ball. Her head was constrained by a leather neck collar which was connected by a chain to the wall, as was a further chain around her waist. I assumed she had been deemed to be a plaything: she was not the kind of girl who would cause trouble to deserve such treatment as a punishment. She moaned into her gag and her eyes pleaded for release but I was not in a position to help her.
Racks on the other walls held a variety of whips, ropes, and implements. On a table rested a number of dildos, gags, handcuffs, and two hand-held hair dryers. I focussed on those for a moment remembering my previous treatment at the hands of this gang in Donna's salon. Under the table was a large grey metal cabinet. There were two chairs in the room, one padded and one not, the latter a stark wooden upright chair, with fixings for ropes at numerous points on it. There were various hooks and rings in both ceiling and floor, and I was fascinated by the place for a moment, but then I looked down on Jackie and decided that all in all this might not be a nice place to be detained.
Lady Charlotte addressed me. "Jackie is being punished for being stupid. She allowed her picture to appear on publicity posters for that whore-house that she works at, and this led you and Ines to her. This could have had a serious effect on our plans. However I believe she did not act deliberately, but we need to be sure." At this the door opened and Nesrin and Edward the taxi driver entered. "So she will be interrogated. Please Gina, sit." She gestured towards the padded chair, and I sat, uneasy. Edward went to the cupboard and took some large purple candles from it and lit them with a pocket lighter. Handing one to Nesrin, they stood on ether side of Jackie whilst Lady Charlotte unfastened Jackie's pink blouse and pulled down her brassiere, exposing her pert breasts. Jackie struggled and again asked to be released, panic in her voice this time. Nesrin spoke. "We need to know that you're not a traitor, Jackie. Are you a traitor?" Frantically Jackie shook her head and shouted "no, no!". They began to drip wax onto her chest circling the nipples prompting more struggling and pleading. "I swear, I've not done anything" she cried, "I didn't know they were going to use my picture!" From her pocket Nesrin produced two clothes pegs, and clamped first one and then the other onto Jackie's nipples. Jackie squealed and squirmed and a sudden thought crossed my mind that I might like to be in her place, but wisely I kept my mouth shut; this game was getting unpredictable and extreme. "I'm not a traitor, I'm not!" she went on, "Remember I got the Van Tassell woman's money. I was the one who got you into the Valencia Club." I guessed these must have been some of their previous 'stings'.
Both Lady Charlotte and I had been staring intently at Jackie, lost in reverie until finally Charlotte intervened, breaking the spell. "Enough. Yes Jackie dear you are important to us and I believe you are innocent. However we shall leave you here to think about your mistake. You put us all at risk, this is not acceptable. Come Gina." She took my hand and we left, but not before Edward strapped a large rubber ball into Jackie's mouth, then picked up and examined a cane which he handed to Nesrin, taking another himself. They both then moved towards Nicole, the poor girl, chained to the wall.
We ascended the stairs to the foyer, and up the grand staircase, passing windows covered by heavy curtains, and coming at last to a large bedroom at the front of the house. This was furnished predominantly in shades of pink. Lady Charlotte sat down in one of the plush armchairs, having locked the door behind me. I stood in the middle of the floor, hands clasped in front of me. I could feel my hair drying under the towel I still wore, and I wanted to brush it and untangle it, but I felt unable to move. How ironic, the one time I needed a hairdryer and could not bring myself to ask for it, knowing how this gang used such devices as instruments of torture. Summoning up an ounce of courage, I blurted out "I would like my jewellery back please." I tried to sound calm and collected but my voice wavered.
"Of course my dear, it's here on the dressing table, I intended to return it to you now we're friends." And indeed my possessions were there, amongst the other trinkets, perfume bottles, lipsticks and such that were massed on the table. I felt guilty for a moment, assuming they meant to steal it, but later on reflection wondered if I was just being manipulated again. How could we be friends suddenly? I put on the necklace, ear-rings and choker, grateful to have the familiar objects again.
"Let me tidy up your hair. Wet hair can be so sexy don't you think, but we need to sort it out. Please, sit." I sat in front of the dressing table and stared at myself in the mirror. I was flushed from the shower, and from seeing the Dungeon, and put my hands to my hot face. Lady Charlotte removed the towel and rubbed my head firmly but gently with the soft pink material, and then began to run a brush through my hair, carefully and professionally. Our eyes could not help but meet in the mirror, and I blushed all the more, my feelings confused.
"Gina I want to make you an offer. You're a sensible woman, and I know you have, shall we say, enjoyed some of our hospitality tonight. Earlier this evening I perhaps gave the impression that we meant to do you harm." I made no reply and she continued.
"I have some friends in the far east of Europe, more business associates really, and they pay rather well to take Western women like yourself to work for them, and help other women set up their own businesses. You have the skills that they need, you see. They've expressed a real interest in you darling, you're very lucky, many others don't even get considered. It's all above board of course, and legal, and all I would take for arranging this is a small percentage of your salary, which I'm told would be a very large sum. Now of course you realise that you can't go back home now, since you know so much about us.
The alternative is to stay with us here, perhaps helping us with our business. As Donna would tell you if she were here, you could be very useful to us."
I remained silent. It was obvious she was either going to sell me into slavery or keep me in her dungeons as a clave of her own. I had to get out, I needed time to think.
"What about Ines?" I asked.
"Your friend has already made her decision, and wishes to leave the UK." The blood drained from my face and I began to feel faint. There was a knock at the door. She unlocked it and let Nesrin in.
Lady Charlotte continued. "I don't expect you to answer straight away, nevertheless you must stay here with us tonight." She turned to Nesrin who came forward with a coil of rope. I tried to make for the door but they caught me and bound my wrists, then led me to the bed, made me lie down on it, and then secured the rope and my wrists to the bedhead.
She climbed onto the bed and sat on my ankles, running her hands up my legs and pulling down my knickers. I felt her breath on my thighs, as, at the same time, Lady Charlotte straddled my stomach and lifted the flimsy silk camisole, exposing my breasts. I protested but could already feel my nipples hardening as if to betray me. But they didn't receive any attention as we then heard noises outside the room and the taxi-driver, Edward, burst in, shouting "it's the police!" There was chaos for a few minutes as the three of them ran out, but all I could do was lie there, tied to the bed, garments all asunder, and await rescue. Eventually a heavily armed police man rushed in, and, satisfied that the room was empty apart from me, quickly withdrew, to be replaced by a policewoman. My ordeal was over.
As quick as I could I got them to check the Egyptian sarcophagus and we found Ines still entombed, and released her. Nicole, too was released, but after being caned by Nesrin and Edward, she found it difficult to sit down for some time.
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Three days later Ines and I were in central London, sitting in the office of a senior police inspector in Scotland Yard, who explained what had been going on. The two ringleaders, Lady Charlotte and Donna, had been into all kinds of white-collar crime and had expanded their activities over the last 12 months to extortion, kidnap and slave-trading. "It was a good job we got to you when we did", he said in a concerned voice. "In the garage of the house we found three large packing cases and specialist medical equipment. It would appear that this gang had intended to drug you both, and Nicole, and ship you off as slaves to eastern Europe. We think Nesrin has family connections in the countries east of Turkey, and Interpol are on that trail. They're also looking for Donna who didn't return to Lady Charlotte's house after the charity dinner. We think she took off with some rich business man to fleece him, so we're following leads. But you can relax now, the others are all under arrest, including one of our own detectives, much to our shame." So Donna was still on the loose. This was a grave concern.
As Ines and I walked down Victoria Street towards the station, we passed an electronics store. The TVs in the window were all showing the news of a minor war that had occurred in some small country east of Turkey. I stood and watched the silent screens through the glass, enthralled by the coincidence. The UN were involved as peace keepers, and some officials in the local governments were to be tried for war crimes. Pictures of men and women flashed up, some under arrest, some on the run. One looked very like Nesrin…..
THE END