All At Sea: Topaz

By Curt

(To get the background for this story, read Part One of All At Sea).

Jennifer Topaz stood at the rail of the Promenade, Fifth Tier. Her long raven-black hair fluttered lightly in the warm sea breeze as she brushed the stray locks from her eyes, watching the setting sun. Catalina was a dot on the horizon as the great orb melted into the sea, casting a reddish-orange glow across the ocean. Topaz smiled, sipping at her crystalline glass…

Life was good…

Light strains of music danced delicately about her, filtering from the party in the Hall of Poseidon behind her. One of many parties throughout the ship; the Silicon Star, largest and most uninhibited ship in its line, in fact, the world.

They were just a few hours out of port, from Long Beach, where the massive ship had loaded and launched with a fanfare not seen since the Second World War. It was a cavalcade of Hollywood stars and scores of press cramming the docks for the christening and launch of the fabulous ship. Even Topaz had marveled at the grandeur and the enormity of it all as the Star had passed the once great Queen Mary, dwarfing the smaller ship again by half. Helicopters had followed the ship's progress as it had churned towards the shipping lanes, on the first leg of its maiden voyage to points East. A few had even landed on one of the many pads provided on the great ship's many leveled decks, letting off passengers; additions to the elite guest list that swelled with each hour, pressing the ship's capacity to its limits.

Topaz swirled the ginger ale in her glass, turning to watch the party through the huge glass partitions set into the deck. The Great Hall of Poseidon was filled with the rich and famous; a veritable 'Who's Who' of anyone who was anyone in this day and age. She sipped at her glass, casually watching a pioneer of the computer industry making a fool of himself before his supermodel date. Near the bar, an aging rock star and his current fling were arguing about something trivial, oblivious to the crowd they were gathering, or ignoring it at least. Near the kitchen door, a well-known millionaire chatted idly on his cell phone, a striking blonde looking dejected as she clung to his arm. There were senators and governors, heads of state and ambassadors. There was even a king. So many to choose from…

She ignored them all, beyond noting their frailties and insecurities. She would log all of their faults, filing them away for another time when they might be put to use. For tonight, she had her agenda, and her target…

Topaz scanned the crowd for her victim. She had the woman's image etched in her mind; blond, blue-eyed, a chiseled body and a perfect smile. There were dozens flitting about even now in her line of sight. Dozens that fit the image in her mind's eye, laughing and flirting, and drinking too much. Perky blondes, it seemed, were a dime a dozen in sunny California. But throw in a sizable amount of money, a jealous and noteworthy husband, and a penchant for living fast and loose, and one had the perfect ingredients for a plate of blackmail and a side of extortion.

And there she was, suddenly. She was surrounded by a gaggle of half-drunk men, all laughing and smiling and waiting on her next slightest whim. She played the role of the flighty blonde well, giggling sweetly at their jokes while blocking their advances with a flair that few could achieve over a lifetime. She was good, and perhaps that was why the 'Lady' had chosen her above all the potential rabble that had crowded aboard the ship.

The tabloids had named her 'Nadine Thorsen- Diva Divine'. She was heiress to a family fortune, in her own right, and wife to an oil magnate, who paid good money to keep his wife happy and upright. He would pay anything, rumor had said, to keep his wife's name clean and pure…
He would pay more…

Casting her glass over the rail, Topaz uncoiled, like a snake ready to strike. She strolled slowly across the deck and through the tall doorway into the Hall of Poseidon, allowing the slightest smile to cross her full lips as nearby conversations ceased and red-rimmed eyes turned her way. She was dressed in black, a floor length gown that trailed behind her and bared her right arm. Silver trim sparkled in the strobing lights of the party with every step she took, and the slight jewelry she wore shined with every movement. Her polished heels clacked as she strode across the white marble floor, drowning out the music to any who cared to listen. Where she stepped, the crowd parted.

Nadine glanced up as she approached, her gaze quickly scrutinizing this new rival. When their eyes met, the sneer on the blonde's lips vanished, quickly replaced by a warm smile as recognition lit her eyes. Topaz smiled back, moving into the woman's circle of admirers. Topaz had planted the seeds of acquaintance and friendship before the ship had even left port. As per her instructions, she had 'bumped' into Nadine on the docks, as the woman was directing her luggage on board. Just a bit of conversation, but enough that it was not socially wrong for Topaz to later join the heiress at the rail for the ship's departure. Later, the two had chatted as Topaz passed the blonde's table during dinner, and again, later on the deck, where they had shared a bit of wine and a laugh. The Thorsen woman was actually pleasant, and not quite as stupid as she played at. It was almost a pity…

"Jennifer!"

Jennifer Topaz could smell the alcohol on the blonde's breath. She was drunk already, or well on her way, and weaving slightly as she stepped forward to kiss the air at Topaz's cheeks. Topaz mimicked the action, one of the little things she hated so about these people; the rich and their façade of gilded plastic.

"Hello, Nadine," Topaz smiled, eyeing the circle of men who were in turn eyeing her lustfully. "I see you're keeping yourself busy." Nadine blushed and giggled merrily.

"Of course, Dear. A girl has to keep herself entertained, you know. And what better way than with a lot of pretty boys around?" Nadine giggled again, pinching the cheek of one of her fans as Topaz nodded in agreement.

"So true. But why so many, when one can easily fill the bill?"

"If you can find the right one, Dear, then I suggest you hang onto him," Nadine responded. "I've been positively frazzled, one pretty face after another all night long, but nothing seems to jump out at me. They are darling, don't get me wrong. But I'm looking for something a little different tonight, I think. Something a little daring… and naughty."

"Then I think I have just what you might be looking for…Dear…"

It had been so easy. Nadine was perhaps not quite as smart as Topaz had first thought, or maybe she was a bit more drunk. When she had leaned in close, breathlessly whispering into the blonde's ear about the man she had waiting back in her cabin, she could hardly contain her laughter. The woman's eyes had grown huge as she described his body, and she shivered with lust as Topaz explained how he was tied to her bed with silken scarves waiting for her return; bound, gagged, blindfolded… Nadine dismissed her flock of followers immediately, with a wave of her hand and had rushed out of the party on Topaz's heels, chattering like a schoolgirl.

It had been so easy, fumbling with her card in the computer lock and laughing at her own false foolishness as Nadine urged her to hurry. Topaz had held the door wide, the darkness within revealing nothing as she let the unsuspecting woman go first to savor the initial sight of their love toy for the night.

So easy… Agate had stepped from behind the door in the darkness and wrapped one meaty arm about Nadine's waist, trapping her arms at her side. Topaz heard the woman's champagne glass bounce off the carpet as she drew a deep breath to scream, even as the faint odor of the chloroform tickled at her nose. Topaz closed the door as she stepped into the cabin and flicked on the overhead light, smiling evilly at the scene playing out before her.

Nadine was struggling wildly, but Agate was a big man, standing well over six feet and well endowed with muscles. The inebriated young woman did not stand a chance as she kicked and thrashed in the man's grip. He held her fast, easily, all the while pressing the chloroform soaked rag over her mouth and nose. Topaz watched intently, feeling a familiar warmth as she strolled to the bed and sat, draping one long leg over the other.

Nadine's eyes were wide with fear, but fluttering, becoming glassy and unfocused. She stared at Topaz, first with hope, and then confusion, and finally with a woeful understanding. Slowly, after only a few more moments, her struggles weakened and finally ceased. Agate held her for a few more seconds, then looked to his accomplice for guidance.

"Put her on the bed," she said, getting up and checking the woman's eyes for signs of alertness. Satisfied, she continued- "then get the camera set up. I'll take care of the rest."

The big man grunted, nodding as he half-carried, half-dragged the unconscious woman the few feet to the large bed and dumped her unceremoniously onto the rumpled blue comforter. He then shambled off to a shadowed corner of the room and began to remove several cameras from a suitcase that had been hidden there upon his earlier arrival.

Topaz paid him no heed, instead intent on the woman slumbering peacefully on the bed. She seemed beautiful in her dreams, and Topaz almost had a moment of doubt and regret. Almost. Then she remembered the money, and the next step became all the more easy.

She began by first stripping the woman; not a hard job really, as Nadine's evening gown was little more than a sheer bit of fabric held up by strings over her shoulders. With a few quick tugs, the heiress was down to her silken panties and strappy, high-heeled sandals. Apparently she did not wear brassieres nor hose very often, as Topaz could see no sign of tan lines anywhere on her body. No matter.

Topaz crawled onto the big four post bed, over the woman's body, hiking up her own gown and letting her leg poke freely from the slit up the side as she straddled Nadine, sitting on her stomach. She reached forward, pulling Nadine's limp arms to the headboard and letting them flop into position as she reached for the silken scarves already knotted to the corners. That much at least, had been true.

It was a simple matter to bind the unconscious woman's arms to the bed frame, then securing the knots tightly after first wrapping the material several times about her wrists. Topaz pulled the scarves tight, then redoubled the square knots tightly at the back of each hand. With her arms flung wide and separated by the width of the bed, there was no way that the heiress would be able to free herself, and Topaz wanted her secure for the duration.

Satisfied that Nadine was at least partially helpless, the villainess spun about, repositioning herself on the other woman's legs, and repeated the binding process on her ankles.

Topaz checked the knots on the bedposts, then stretched the scarves to their limits before wrapping them about the woman's feet. She had left Nadine's high-heeled sandals on for a whim, and used them now as a part of her bondage; twisting the length of strong silk under the heel of the shoe and then about the woman's slender ankle. She was not as careful with the knots on her feet, as even if the heiress got a foot free, there would be little she might do.

Topaz climbed off of the bed and gave Nadine a final glance. The captive woman's breathing was steady, and her slumber deep. She was dreaming, apparently, as her eyelids flickered slightly with the rapid movement of her closed eyes.

The kidnapper turned, barely giving Agate a glance as she strolled casually to his over-sized bag. Peering inside, she quickly spotted something that caught her eye and withdrew it: a red ball fitted with long black leather straps that would lock with a buckle. Topaz twirled the ball gag at her side as she lazily approached the bed again.

With the big red ball jammed firmly and deeply between Nadine's full lips and the straps buckled tightly behind, Topaz finally turned to her accomplice. He had set up a video camera, linking it to the television and focusing it on the helpless damsel on the bed. The television screen captured the scene with a crystal clarity, and there would be no doubt as to the woman's identity, even with her mouth bulging around the gag. Agate was busying himself with a hand held digital camera, adjusting the view for the room's lighting.

"Are you about ready?" Topaz asked, and the man grunted in the affirmative. "Good. Start the video recording, then take some shots of her while I get undressed."

Again the grunt, but the man did as he was told. Topaz much preferred working with Stone or even Iggy. They were obnoxious, but at least they spoke.

Topaz sighed, watching her assistant as she slid the shoulder strap and sleeve of her gown down and away, letting her long black dress slide to the floor at her feet. She stepped out of the gown and deposited it on one of the room's chairs before stepping before the mirror. She stared wistfully at her reflection, smoothing down her black leather corset and adjusting her garter belt. She put a leg up on the chair and ran a hand up the length of her leg, straightening and smoothing her nylons. She wiped away a speck of dust from the toecap of her pump, then, satisfied with her appearance, stepped back to the bed where Agate was busy at work.

Glancing at her accomplice, Topaz saw him quickly avert his eyes. She grinned mischievously, slipping her fingers under the elastic of her thong and gave it a slight hike and a snap, jutting her cheek in his direction. She smirked as sweat beaded on his brow as he watched her climb up on the bed.

Topaz dipped her fingers in a glass pitcher of water waiting on the nightstand and flicked droplets over Nadine's face and chest. She then took a pillow from under the woman's head and shoved it beneath her body, pushing her pelvis higher. Tilting Nadine's head back slightly, Topaz then lay beside the woman and positioned herself seductively. Though Nadine was still totally unconscious, Topaz knew that a little positioning of the body and a dash of water in the right places would convince anyone seeing a photograph that the woman was in the throes of ecstasy. Nothing special in Nadine's case. It was the Diamond Lady's idea, however, that though Thorsen might turn a blind eye to his wife's dalliances with men, it would be another matter entirely if she were caught in a liaison with another woman. The tabloids would burn Thorsen alive upon learning that the 'Diva Divine' was a lesbian. He would be ruined, and she would be chastised by the very society she craved, becoming a social pariah. He would be willing to pay blood to squash the story and get the photos of his wife. And the Diamond Lady would be more than willing to make him pay.

Topaz glanced back at Agate who was watching her, shifting his weight from foot to foot as he impatiently awaited her command to start.

"All set?" she asked, tracing a fingernail down Nadine's bare chest. The captive woman stirred at the tickling sensation, lolling her head and moaning lightly into her gag. Agate nodded, bringing the camera up to better see the view screen.

"Then let's get this over with." She said, sliding a leg over Nadine's helpless body, inching her way up until their faces were inches apart. Topaz glanced back. "And try to get my good side this time." Topaz bent low, brushing her lips across the captive woman's cheek as the camera whirred and flashed in the background.

It all took awhile…