It's a team thing | tight bondage story | bound, gag, rope escape

"Gluhhhh…" Her eyes rolling wildly, my colleague's disbelieving, heavily muffled gurgle only just escaped the corners of her tight gag, echoing around the conference room while my hands were bound together behind my back. Kathryn's neat purple blouse was askew as she futilely strained against her bonds. A couple of buttons had already given way under the pressure, inadvertently displaying her lacy bra. The cords were very white against the soft, smooth satin. More ropes circled Kathy's slim waist, pinning her tightly bound hands against the small of her back. Kathryn's slim, shapely legs were logs; bound together at ankles, above her knees and thigh height, she was going nowhere fast.

Another piteous mewing noise escaped Kathryn's mouth as she helplessly squirmed from one side to another on the floor. Her sensible skirt had ridden up, exposing her matching silky French knickers (Simone Perele perhaps?) and I averted my eyes before gazing around the conference room which was to be our prison. I'd never realised that she wore stockings until today either. My head spun as the room circled me like something straight out of a Harry Potter novel. Indeed, I could not believe that this was happening! It'd been a normal day, like any other - until now.

Meetings, helping prepare a new TV campaign for Dell – 'Tell your friends it's a Dell!' (corny huh? - I'm in advertising by the way and that's the kind of thing we do here), going over a set of preliminary sketches for another media campaign – and another stupid team-bonding exercise scheduled later for today, among other things. Nothing out of the ordinary there. Any day that I wasn't run off my feet with work was a cause for concern. Sometimes people don't realise what an intensely competitive world advertising is. There is no such thing as client loyalty – everyone wants results and if that means ditching their preferred agency for another, so be it. Unsurprisingly, corporate espionage is also a problem as everyone vies for that coveted edge which will set them apart from their rivals. Clients also want to know what their competitors are doing as well. The life of an ad-man – or woman is not an easy one. It's hard, tiring, and stressful – but the pay's great.

Sometimes though I wonder if its worth the stress – and ulcers they produced. I'd actually wanted out for a long time but I knew of no other job or career to sustain me in the manner I was used to. It was partly my fault though. I had few interests outside work and none which helped reduce stress. The one interest that I did enjoy was not the kind I could share with anybody though. I was always on the go, go, go – and my doctor said that I needed something to take my mind off everything – what, I had no idea though. I don't enjoy reading and I can't sit still at places like resorts for long. Work was my life right now, with everything that entailed. Like this new team building thing.

We've gotta work together as a team like no other industry I know. Success is everything – and it's only possible by pulling together. Hence the recent emphasis on all this team-bonding bullshit. We'd gotten along well enough without this kind of thing for years but it was the latest terribly 'in' corporate fad - and we followed the crowd like so many sheep. There was nothing in the least surprising how competitive this team-bonding stuff was, as our contemporaries vied with each other to out-do everyone else – climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge, paintball warfare, army boot camps, white-water rafting and so on. That's the ad game for you. It was all about one-upmanship, just like the latest, biggest and most expensive boats my bosses bought – and never used. One guy I knew owned a ten million-dollar hundred-footer – and as far as I knew, his beautiful vessel never left the marina where it lived. Boats should be used and enjoyed, not showed off like this. Oh well.

Today though, team bonding was the last thing on my mind as I paid off the cabbie who'd delivered us here. It was raining – again. My clear plastic raincoat glimmered with moisture as each horizontal drop struck the hood which I'd tightly tied in place around my head with a musical 'pitter-patter' before streaming downwards. It'd been seeing a lot of use lately. So much for global warming, I irritably thought as Kathy fussily adjusted the hem of her blue plastic jelly jacket before opening her umbrella with a loud 'pop!'

My boss had called me earlier with an urgent request – a new client wanted to see us and could I go out with someone from the art department? Of course I could – and it was so how I found myself out here with shy, studious Kathryn. Thin, petite Kathy looked like the slightest breeze would blow her away any moment. How she'd found employment here, I had no idea. Advertising is an industry for the extroverted. We had some real mouths in here; smart confident people who knew the right moves, the right words, the right everything. People who could woo the hardest clients at the drop of a hat. Katty Kat was none of these things and I inwardly sighed. Her wide, round glasses were misting up already and I wondered if she had the backbone for this job.

My irritation grew as the taxi roared away, annoyed because we hadn't left a tip (instead paying by card, which would require him to declare his income). We'd only wanted a ride across town, not a Formula One demonstration. Didn't they understand that I was a busy gal? I had my hands full with the demanding Dellies (as some unkindly termed the computer giant) and Security had been on my back lately relating to the most recent incident of corporate espionage – nothing major, just another hacker attack, but they'd been unusually persistent. I would have to change my password later. Just another headache among many. I even had a security guard accompany me everywhere around town during one particularly bitter corporate war before it fizzled out. I carry a lot of secrets and my firm wanted to keep me safe – 'protecting our interests,' as my less than sensitive boss once observed. As the biggest, priciest firm among many, it was par for the course. Now I was out here visiting some nothing firm – why?

My puzzlement – and unease grew as I gloomily surveyed the mean streets. Garbage choked the gutters struggling to cope with the heavy rainfall. Almost every business was boarded up – although lights illuminated the dark, graffiti-covered walls here and there. A nondescript truck rolled out of a nearby warehouse before turning and disappearing down the road. A parking ticket decorated the windscreen of an old Ford that its owner would never drive away – its wheels had vanished, leaving it perched high and dry on several blocks of wood. The scene was positively Gothic and I shivered. Real Godfathers stuff. It was exactly the kind of place where one might be abducted and… Come on! I chided myself. I knew that I was being silly. I've got an overactive imagination – an essential prerequisite in advertising but occasionally it could be a curse.

"Not a very cheerful day, is it?" Kathryn timidly offered as another blast of wind struck us with a shower of rain and hail.

"How observant," I sarcastically replied before regretting my words. It wasn't Kathryn's fault that we were out here. More gently, I said, "Maybe the ducks'll be happy though. Now I just wonder where this place is."

"Who are these people anyway?" Kathy curiously asked.

"All I know is that its some Chinese company or other," I replied. Why did I have this bad feeling in my stomach? I wanted to turn and run – but of course, I could do no such thing.

"I think we just passed them," Kathy said, pointing upwards and I squinted into the rain doing its best to drown me.

Ka-Ching Trading – Import and Export. The faded sign was so nondescript and faded that I could hardly read the lettering with its Chinese equivalent just below.

"Yep, that's the one," I smiled, relieved that we'd found them so quickly. Their warehouse was simply one among many – although no graffiti covered its dirty red brick walls. A blackened door offered the only means of ingress that I could see and I nervously rang the doorbell. My antennae were twitching and I've learned the hard way never to ignore them. Surely nothing could happen here though? Chinese were always mysterious bastards anyway. The wealthiest individuals (some of whom we regularly worked for) never, ever advertised their wealth, unlike most of my showy colleagues.

An intercom rudely buzzed us and I jumped. "Yah?" a distinctly Oriental voice said.

"Hi, it's Tara Moss from Denison and Denison!" I yelled back as a truck roared by.

"Ok, wait!"

"I don't like them," Kathy muttered. "They are so rude!"

I nodded. "It's just the way they are."

Suddenly the door was flung open. Taken aback, I instinctively stepped backward before realising that the sweet young thing holding it open couldn't possibly harm us. Her delicate, inscrutable Oriental features might have been carved out of stone for all the emotion they displayed. Her white cheong-sam with its classic Mandarin collar served to merely highlight her beauty. The girl was lovely, an exquisite Oriental flower and I began to relax. I'd been imagining things as usual.

Her sweet, ruby Suzie-Wong lips opened. "Come."

"Thanks," I replied, ushering Kathy through before gratefully stepping out of the driving rain.

"May I take your raincoats?" Suzie Wong offered. Her English was excellent with only the faintest trace of an accent betraying her origins.

"What is your name?" Kathryn cheerfully asked, obviously determined to make an impression as the girl took our dripping rainwear.

"My name is May May," she replied in a flat, emotionless voice. "Please follow me. Shu Qui is expecting you."

"Shoe what?"

May May's lips wrinkled with contempt but she remained silent as she ushered inside a gleaming, stainless steel lift. Unlike the drab exterior, the interior of Ka-Ching Trading was clean and modern, if fussily decorated with the usual Chinese gee-gaws. A tank of large, somnolent, obese goldfish shared one corner with a couple of massive, snarling stone lions. I'd heard of Feng Shui but this was ridiculous. A wide, crescent console occupied the center of the room – obviously the receptionist's desk. All par for the course - except for the silly d?cor.

My bad feeling returned as soon as the metallic doors slid open with a smooth hiss. The dimly lit, dingy corridor with its black lino floor and bare brick walls seemed to close in on us as soon as the doors closed behind us. A couple of heavily barred windows actually deepened the gloom, rather than lightening it. This wasn't some kind of trap, was it? "Third door on your left," May May said in her soft, lilting voice before departing as quietly as she'd greeted us.

No, of course not. They'd been nothing but professional, if not exactly friendly, in their dealings with us. The warehouse – or whatever they did here was old but again it was hardly unexpected. Why pay more for flashy new premises when you could save heaps by building or renting elsewhere? Chinese didn't get rich splashing their cash around like water. They were frugal people. I knew that much from my limited contact with them.

Kathryn did not look happy either as we cautiously advanced down the corridor. The click of my high heels was shockingly loud in the unnatural silence, echoing around the walls. Anyone waiting for us would have long since been forewarned of our arrival.

The door was the same unprepossessing shade of black as the floor and I wondered what horrors lay behind the dark, embossed metal as I tentatively approached it. The faintly musty air was so still that we could have been inside a tomb and I impatiently shook my head to clear away the fog. I was behaving like the six-year old schoolgirl scared of the monsters hiding under the bed (why did my mother ever have to buy 'Wild Things' for my brother anyway?). 'Just get on with it,' I sternly told myself. The sooner we dealt with these people, the sooner we could be out of here. We might, God forbid, even find time for a late lunch. I hoped that Kathy wouldn't notice the distinct tremor in my hand as I briskly rapped the unyielding metal with one, then two knocks.

"Come in," a female voice immediately replied and I pushed the door open.

The sight that greeted me was so astounding that I stood rooted to the floor with utter shock. I wanted to run but my feet would not move. Two stunningly beautiful Asian women occupied the large room but it was not their sleek jet-black catsuits or the armful of very white cord one of them was carrying which caught my attention as much as the pistol the taller of the pair was aiming in our direction. Her hand, I noted, was rock steady and I had no doubt that she knew how to use it. Oh no… my heart sank as I desperately gazed around the room, hoping against hope for a way out. The door behind us had already closed with an audible 'click!' which told me that it wouldn't open, at least not by our hand. It was a set up. How could my boss have fallen for their ploy? It was the oldest trick in the book and we'd walked right into their trap like a pair of na?ve schoolgirls.

I barely noticed the details of the wide spacious room as she motioned us forward with a cool smile. Heavy drapes covered the windows, adding to the suffocating atmosphere inside while an immense, dark mahogany conference table occupied the center. Its smooth, unblemished surface showed no sign of any joins. Twenty matching red velour chairs marched down each side of the long table. The only illumination was provided by a series of red lanterns casting an eerie red glow over the polished expanse of the table.

Noticing my interest, our captor said, "It was carved in 1883 from a single tree. Please do join us. We have been looking forward to meeting you." Her anthracite eyes bored into mine, suggesting that she felt anything but.

Eventually I managed to find my voice. "What the hell is going on here?" I exclaimed.

"That is for us to know, and for you to find out," the woman calmly replied. "Allow us to make your acquaintance. My name is Shu Qui and my assistant is Mo Mei Hua. I presume that you are Kathryn and…" Her eyes met mine again and my stomach crawled. Shu was as pretty as sin but there was nothing kind or gentle about her. Shu's curvaceous figure looked as if it'd been poured into her tight-fitting PVC catsuit. The shiny PVC gleamed wickedly beneath the dim glow of the lanterns. "Tara Moss. Now… if you will please be so good as to sit, then we will begin."

"Begin what?" Kathryn asked. She was bearing up well, I noted.

"You gweilo are so uncultured," Shu Qui coldly observed. "Always so impatient, always rushing headlong into matters which are of not any concern to them."

"What do you want of us?" I sighed as we settled ourselves into the richly upholstered chairs. Mo Mei Hua had not moved. She was a statue. I could not tear my eyes away from the armful of rope that the girl was carrying. It was unlikely that they had any washing in mind.

"So many questions," Shu Qui replied with an aggravating calmness. "You have been sent here for a purpose. That purpose, you will presently discover in due course."

"Oh, stop talking in riddles!" Kathryn banged her heels hard against a table leg. "Just get on with it and let us go!"

"Oh, but we will," Shu Qui said with a chilling smile. "Tie them up." She pointed to Kathryn. "Her first."

"But you… you can't!" I burst out as Mei Hua advanced on Kathryn before pulling her upward.

"Let me go!" Kathryn indignantly shook Mei Hua's arm away. "He-" Her yell was abruptly cut off with a shocked squawk of despair and outrage as Mei Hua moved with a rapidity I thought existed only in celluloid. It happened so quickly, I barely had time to comprehend how she'd done it. I could only stare as Mei Hua knelt on my wriggling, struggling companion before forcing Kathryn's hands behind her back. Rope snaked around her slim wrists, drawing another outraged squeal as they tightened.

Mo Mei Hua ignored Kathryn's angry screams, instead tightening her grip and I stared with utter fascination as she bound my colleague's hands together with a chilling expertise. She'd done this before, that much was certain. Despite my shock and fear, I could not help admiring the neatness of Mei Hua's economical rope work. She'd lashed Kathryn's wrists together in a 'X', tightly cinching her bonds to prevent wriggling out of anything.

"Untie me!" Kathryn screamed.

"Her voice is very loud," Shu Qui observed. "Gag her."

Mei Hua did not reply, instead pulling her bound captive around until she was lying on her back. An impossibly large wad of cloth had appeared from nowhere and I disbelievingly watched as Mei Hua pushed all of it inside Kathy's mouth, virtually cutting off her outraged protests. She was far from finished though, forcing another, much longer piece of cloth between Kathy's lips before drawing the training ends behind her neck and tying them brutally tight. If not for the seriousness of our situation, I would have laughed, Poor Kathy looked so funny; her rolling eyes very wide above her cleaved, distended lips. The gag had forced back Kathy's lips into a rictus but Mei Hua was not in the least moved by her discomfort. Another tight knot followed the first before a second length of cloth appeared. It was wider and longer than the first and I wondered how Mei Hua could possibly silence Kathy any more than she already had. Without any difficulty, it appeared. Mei Hua was all business now, passing the cloth over Kathy's severely gagged lips before repeating the procedure several times, reducing her protests to a heavily muffled, incoherent gurgle. There was no way anything would be coming off soon.

All the fight had gone out of Kathy and she miserably allowed Mo Mei Hua to finish tying her up. I felt just as helpless as my unfortunate companion; I couldn't move because Shi Qui was watching me like a hawk. Her gun was always there, its dark barrel no uncertain reminder of the power it possessed. Mei Hua's quicksilver fingers were a blur as they continued weaving more and more rope around Kathy's legs. I had a grandstand view of the whole process but even my eyes couldn't always follow her progress as more and more of Kathy's stockinged legs disappeared beneath successive bands of white cord. Mei Hua's work was neater and more precise than that of my grandmother who used to love embroidery so much. Every wrap, every cinch, every series of tiny, tight knots were a work of art. Ankles, knees and thighs – Mei was really doing the job on her, wasn't she? God, those cords were tight – and I swallowed. My turn was next. I could see the way they compressed the soft flesh of Kathryn's shapely thighs. She'd left absolutely no slack or anything. Thank God for her stockings though. Kathy didn't appear to be in any pain, although I could tell that she wasn't happy with her gag.

Mo Mei Hua pushed my unresisting colleague upward before selecting another, immensely long piece of cord and I wondered what she was going to do with all that rope. Mei was 'doubling' everything into two now. A second later I found out. Mei Hua looped the ends between the doubled end before passing the newly formed loop around Kathy just below her breasts. Kathy's eyes were downcast as Mei began wrapping everything around and around her slim body like a spider securing one of its victims. Although she only had two arms compared to the eight legs of an arachnid, Mei was no less efficient with tying up Kathy. Each precise loop was as neat - as it was tight. After completing four or so loops, Mei moved upwards before repeating the procedure – just above Kathy's breasts, further pinioning her arms tight against each side of her body. Although Kathryn is a very petite girl, the same could not be said about her tits. As each set of cords marched downward, they squeezed her breasts further together – and outward. A button popped and Kathy groaned before hotly flushing.

Mei was tying a knot in the center just above the valley of Kathy's breasts and I wondered what she was doing until I found out. The young Chinese beauty methodically looped the trailing ends over Kathy's left shoulder before running everything beneath the cords out of sight behind her back and throwing them over the other shoulder. Mei Hua stopped only long enough to adjust the cords so that they would not loop over each other or pinch Kathy's skin before pulling everything tight, forcing the cords beneath her breasts upward. I could see the method behind her seeming madness now. Mei was making sure, very sure that Kathy would never wriggle out of anything. There was still five or so feet left and the girl leisurely wound the ends around Kathy's shoulders again before tying yet another series of very tight knots. When Mei was finished, there was perhaps half an inch of rope left. There was no way that Kathy could reach anything with her heavily gagged mouth, much less her tightly bound hands.

Mei stood up before stretching her arms with a satisfied grunt as Kathy slumped sideways on the floor. Kathryn resembled nothing so much as a log. Bound hand and foot with a million miles of rope, she was going nowhere fast and I felt my stomach turn over itself. It was such a powerfully affecting sight that I could not drag my gaze away. My heart was strangely tight as I studied the ropes circling my friend's body. Kathy's unhappy eyes imploringly met mine and I smiled, more out of providing support than any real hope.

Shu Qui's eyes were watching me and I boldly returned her gaze. "Is this really necessary?" I coldly asked. "Tying us up like this and…"

"Oh yes, Miss Moss, I assure you that it is very necessary," she smoothly answered in flawless English and I squirmed beneath her concentrated scrutiny. Her dark eyes were mesmerizing, almost hypnotic. I felt as if she could see right through to my soul, unlocking every secret so carefully hidden away within the deepest recesses of my brain where I thought nobody could see them. Surely…?

"Tie her up," Shu Qui eventually said after a long, drawn-out silence. "Tie her very well."

I gulped before half-standing and looking around.

"Please cooperate, Miss Moss," Shu quietly said. "Mo Mei Hua is an adept in The Way of the White Crane."

I had no idea what Shu meant but I'd seen enough Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan movies to understand her veiled threat. I sullenly rose as Mei gripped my arm before towing me over to a clear space. Shu's eyes never left me as Mei gently guided my hands behind my back where she wanted them. Thinking that she wanted to tie me like Kathy, I instinctively crossed them over each other, just like the girls I'd seen in dozens of films – but Mei Hua had other ideas, positioning my wrists parallel to each other. This was it. The moment of truth. I was about to be tied up very well. What did Shu mean by that anyway? Surely it wasn't possible to bind anyone much more securely than my helplessly wriggling, squirming partner?

Rope hissed around my wrists and I felt my chest tighten as my wrists were securely tied together. One wrap became two, three then four. Mei was using thin cotton sash cord – and I felt my heart sink as she carefully passed the trailing ends between my wrists before pulling – cinching everything tight along the way. A second cinch swiftly followed the first. My bonds were sickeningly snug now and I knew that I could never hope to wriggle out of anything. My only hope of release would have to come from another agency – and I doubted it would be Shu or Mei.

Knot. Another knot. Mei's fingers were confidently tugging each tiny knot tight between my bound wrists – just above the tight bindings securing everything together. I would need fingers a foot long to reach even a single knot. Even then success was problematic. I hoped that Shu would not notice my reaction. My knees felt as if they were made out of jelly while Mei yanked the last one tight.

Mo Mei Hua's lovely Oriental face was expressionless, devoid of any emotion while she carried on tying me up. She glanced sideways before selecting another hank of soft cord.

Tie her very well. Shu's words kept replaying in my stunned mind while Mei fastidiously split everything into two. The second piece of rope was marginally longer than the one used to secure my hands. What was Mei Hua going to do now? A second later, I found out. Mei stepped up behind me before looping everything around my arms, just above my elbows and I gasped as they were slowly drawn together. Shu's eyes were hot coals, burning into mine as Mei lashed my arms together. I felt as if my arms had been welded together as my elbows inched closer towards each other with each tight wrap. Suddenly they actually met and I allowed a groan to escape my lips, hoping it might elicit some sympathy but it was not forthcoming. Instead, Mei Hua calmly threaded the ends between my arms before dragging the first cinch tight. Then another – and another, tightening everything along the way. My useless, tightly bound arms were logs now and I opened my mouth to complain. "That's too-"

Mei beat me to it. "Open," she said before peremptorily pushing a damp wad of cloth inside, packing my mouth full to the point of overflowing. I could feel my cheeks bulging as I vainly tried to assimilate the size of my awful gag. Before I had time to spit anything out, I felt Mei place a much longer, torn strand of cloth between my lips before passing the ends behind my head, twisting them and pulling in one fluid, graceful movement. My lips were instantly pulled backward and I miserably moaned again before frantically trying to prevent the cloth stuffed inside from choking me. Mei, however, was not sparing the rod. A second wrap swiftly followed, tightening my gag even more. I felt tears filling my eyes as she rather theatrically snapped another long piece of cloth open before passing it over and around my mouth. Even if I'd been able to dislodge the first gag cleaving my lips, pushing anything outward was impossible now.

I couldn't face Kathy's stunned expression as Mei pulled the last knot tight. I closed my eyes before gustily exhaling through my nose. There was ab-so-lute-ly no way I would get my gag off on my own. I experimentally essayed a yell but all that escaped my lips was a even more heavily muffled, indistinct gurgle that sounded something like, "Grmmplllmmmpphhh."

There I was, arms rigidly bound behind my back with the most enormous – and horribly tight gag filling my mouth while I desperately gazed around for a salvation which I knew would never arrive. Gradually I became aware of another, strange sensation. My cruelly bound arms were doing their damnedest to pull my shoulders out of their sockets, at least they felt that way – but they in turn had somehow managed to dramatically alter my posture, forcing me to stand perfectly straight like a Army recruit on parade. I was acutely aware of my breasts proudly thrusting outwards like a pair of… well, breasts. But I couldn't remember seeing my boobs from such an unusual perspective. If only the guys at work could see me now. I would rock their socks right off!

Mei Hua wasn't wasting any time, immediately looping still more cord around my body and arms before snugging up everything just below my breasts. She was really doing the job on me now. The strangest thing about my bonds was the way that they felt like an extended hug, despite the tightness of everything – my bound arms were already crushed hard against my back although I could still move my wrists around a little. Even stranger was the illusory sense of safety and security that my ropes offered. They wouldn't be tying me up like this if they really meant any harm – handcuffs would do the job just as well. On the other hand… Chinese did not think like us. Maybe they felt that using handcuffs was beneath them. It was clear that our captors obviously derived pleasure from drawing everything out this way. That professional pride thing as usual. In many ways, I also felt that much more helpless and vulnerable being bound like this - handcuffs just didn't offer the same look or feel (I tried a pair on at a party once for a joke) as rope. Maybe it was psychological as well. After all, it was their race that invented "water torture".

Whatever. Speculating wasn't making me feel any better. I had no idea why I'd been kidnapped – but it couldn't possibly be good. Shu Qui was indolently reclining in one of the large, soft chairs. Her face was an expressionless mask and I uncomfortably glanced away. I could not meet those eyes. Her gun had also disappeared. Well of course! I was no longer any threat to anybody. Breathing was also increasingly difficult – several times I instinctively tried through my mouth before realising I wasn't going to receive any air this way. It was just all simply overwhelming and nerve-racking.

To take my mind off the perilousness of my situation, I turned my attention to my bonds. I should pay attention to what Mei Hua was doing. Maybe it might help me escape later – assuming of course they allowed any such attempt. I didn't think that they were that foolish. These girls were pros. The Chinks always trained the life out of their operatives, although I couldn't, for the life of me, see how they could be involved in any kind of corporate turf war… Unless they'd been hired… My blood ran cold.

No, concentrate! I told myself as Mei pulled hard again, almost sending me spinning. She'd almost completed the circuit just below my breasts. My nips were hard, I noted, but I didn't have time to dwell on these as Mei progressed upwards, binding me above my breasts. Two neat bands of thin white cord circled my body, gently but inexorably squeezing everything together. Apart from my tightly bound arms, she was tying me up the same way as Kathryn but much more strictly. I couldn't understand the need to tie me up like this! What on earth was going on here anyway? I wearily shook my head, vainly trying to clear my foggy, confused brain. I needed all my wits about me if I was going to get out of this one.

Mei Hua passed the dangling ends over my shoulder before retracing her progress, pulling everything tight along the way. Despite my growing fear, I couldn't help admiring the neatness of her work from a professional point of view. The girl was an artist. Nothing overlapped each other, despite the increasingly complexity of her ropework. I'd been tied up a few times as a kid (cops 'n robbers, that kind of thing, and I'd enjoyed myself too) but this was like nothing else I'd ever experienced. Mei's artistry was light years away from the loose cords and clumsy, ineffective knots of my playmates that usually loosened as soon as I applied any real pressure on them. One thing was certain though: her expertise boded ill for us.

Was it possible to tie me up any tighter than Kathryn? I wondered as Mei Hua leisurely selected another hank of cord. Kathy's dismayed eyes were wider than ever while she watched me being bound. I understood exactly how she felt – how long would we be here for? A quiet voice whispered in my head, 'A long time.' They would not be going to this much trouble on our behalf unless they really wanted to keep us.

I glance downward just in time to see it looping around my waist in the same manner as before – doubled into two, each end drawn through the loop before being drawn tight around stomach height, not far above my hips. Mei Hua wound everything around me once – before going in for the kill. The next loops settled directly above my already tightly bound wrists before tightening and I inwardly groaned. Escape had never seemed further away. Around and around Mei went, the ropes always tightening with each loop. I could not move my wrists at all and I knew that the cords were not simply decorative, they had been designed to deliberately impede escape.

Suddenly Mei stopped and I wondered what she was doing – my tormentor was making doubly sure that I wouldn't wriggle out of anything. She was actually cinching the ropes circling my waist between my back and wrists. Everything dramatically tightened, jamming my bound wrists hard against the small of my back.

Oh my God…

Only an hour earlier, it'd been another ordinary, uneventful day. Perhaps I'd been too quick dismissing the drudgery of my daily routine. I wished that I was anywhere, especially deep within the comforting security of the cubicle some optimists called an office. Now here I was being bound and gagged within an inch of my life. Judging from the pile of rope resting atop the table, those mean girls were far from finished with me. They reminded me of the creatures I'd seen in the film of the same name.

Cinch. Knot. Mei passed the trailing ends around my body again before securing the last couple of inches somewhere almost directly above my navel where I had no hope of reaching anything. Almost immediately, another longish piece of rope appeared in Mei's hands. Her fingers were a blur as she doubled everything before passing it between the ropes circling my waist before pulling the ends through and knotting them in a larks head knot.

My nose was twitching now and I uncomfortably shook my head as it began to itch. It was only a minor itch, nothing that a single scratch would not have cured, but now with my hands bound behind my back it assumed the potency and malignancy of a deadly spider crawling over my skin. It was all but unbearable. I angrily shook my head, hoping against hope that it would go away. If only I could ask Mei to provide relief but my gag was too thick, too tight. The most I could manage was a heavily muffled, totally unintelligible, 'Mmuuuumffff!' I sounded like a baby.

Mei totally ignored my discomfort, instead kneeling and… Suddenly I forgot my itch.

I had bigger things to worry about. Mei pushed my skirt upward, exposing the lovely soft cream knickers that I enjoyed wearing before making her move.

Her lovely face was a mask as she pushed each twin strand between my thighs before threading everything between my bound hands and the ropes pinning everything against my back. I could only stare as my tormentor fastidiously positioned those cords dead center in the middle of my crotch, directly above my embarrassingly exposed crotch. I knew exactly what was coming but I had no way of avoiding or preventing the inevitable. The room was very quiet now. The loudest sound was Kathryn's ragged breathing. She hadn't moved but her eyes never left me while I was being tied up. They were saucers. Mei Hua positioned herself behind me and I tensed as she gripped the dangling ends. It was as shocking as it was acutely embarrassing.

The explosion was as sudden as it was volcanic as Mei pulled my crotchrope tight. Somehow she'd positioned everything where they would create the maximum possible amount of damage.

I screamed. I yelled. I walked on eggshells. But none of it made any difference as Mei calmly tugged on those awful ropes, pulling them deeper within my aching, tingling crotch. My crotch had been split into two separate halves in a most undignified impression of a camel's cloven hoof and I felt my face burning as Mei twisted the cords, tightening everything that much more before securely knotting everything, one, two, then three times. Apparently satisfied that her knots wouldn't slip, Mei quickly ran the trailing ends around my behind before passing then between my thighs again and repeating the procedure. I incredulously stared downward. My horribly tight, embarrassing crotchrope formed the centerpiece of an arrow – with the shaft piercing the most tender portion of my anatomy.

Oh my God… This was – not – happening. The slightest twitch was enough to send a bolt of pure electricity spearing throughout my clit before spreading outward. Incredibly, Mei was still far from done. While I mutely gazed downward, she'd picked out another long piece of rope and she was attaching it to the 'T' junction of my crotchrope. Mei looped the cords around the ropes helping 'support' my breasts before snugging up everything so that nothing would slip. On she went, weaving, working me into nothing so much as a harness of rope. I felt my heart sink again as Mei connected and interconnected everything into an unbreakable spiderweb of rope – effectively ensuring that nothing would slip or loosen no matter how hard I tried to escape. No amount of wriggling or struggling would ever shift or loosen anything.

The whole process had taken hours but in reality I knew that barely ten minutes had passed since giving her my hands for tying. Clocks never lie.

Mo Mei Hua had reached my legs now and I silently watched while my thighs were tightly bound together, the cords sinking deep into the soft flesh of my legs. Each cinch was tighter than the last and when she knotted the last remaining inches off in front, I knew that I had no hope of reaching them.

Balancing was increasingly difficult and I swayed before almost falling but Mei was ready for me, gently lowering me to the floor and pushing my legs together in a single graceful, almost balletic movement. I barely had time to assimilate what was happening as Mei swiftly tied my legs together with a brutal efficiency, leaving them bound at thighs, above and below my knees and ankles.

I was a log. I could not move. I could wriggle and squirm, that was about it. I'd never felt as helpless all my life since setting fire to the kitchen as a six year old which my screaming mother promptly extinguished before the flames had any chance to cause damage.

I'd almost forgotten Shu Qui. While Mei Hua half carried/dragged my struggling partner away before depositing her some 30 feet away, she rose before coolly studying me.

"It was a pleasure making your acquaintance," she eventually said after a pregnant silence during which her eyes dissected me like a scalpel. "But alas, I fear that we must depart now." She paused before lifting a bulky and obviously heavy object, and I gasped with shock and horror as it hovered in full view of my eyes before vanishing out of sight above. The red tubes and wires were unmistakable. Wile E. would have loved it – but there was nothing cliched about the real thing.

Shu Qui leant over the bomb before returning to me. "Adieu Miss Moss. You have two hours before this-" pointing to the bomb, "detonates, by which time we will be far away." She smiled but her grin contained not one iota of warmth. "Perhaps, by some miracle, you may escape before then." Shu Qui allowed herself another chuckle, as if suggesting that any such feat was totally impossible. What on earth was going on? Why was this happening to us? I struggled wildly on the soft carpet but all I succeeded in achieving was tightening everything that much more. My bonds were solid bands of steel and about as breakable.

"I can tell that you must be wondering why this is happening. I am very sorry but this is real life, not one of your reprehensible Hollywood films where the villains tell all before leaving. Suffice it to say that we are fulfilling a client request, that is all we have to say. Goodbye."

The door closed with an ominous, solid click, leaving us helplessly bound – and very, very alone.

Trussed up like a pair of hogs, we were going nowhere.

Kathryn's eyes met mine from the other end of the room. Their appeal was as plain as if she'd shouted each word out aloud. 'Help me!'

I inwardly sighed before trying to roll sideways - but I could barely move because I'd been so tightly bound that obtaining any leverage was just about impossible. How were we ever going to get out of this one? Aware that panicking could – and almost certainly would be fatal, I carefully inhaled through my nose. My gag was so tight and I groaned again. My tightly bound arms were also beginning to ache as well from being pulled backwards. I couldn't possibly see how I was going to escape. Mei Hua really knew the ropes. Ha ha. Bad joke. Another time, it would've been funny. Under these circumstances, it was anything but. Not only were my bonds tight, I could not reach a single knot that I could take advantage of. She'd also cunningly connected and interconnected every rope to prevent loosening anything. No spider could've done as good a job of wrapping me up. Mei Hua had layered everything so that before I could even think about freeing my hands, we would be forced to locate and untie each set of ropes in turn.

Now I knew why they didn't want to use handcuffs. Too easy to up and hop away. The deviousness of their minds was brilliant. Ropes helped create the illusion of escape, when in fact we had Buckley's chance.

Well. I had to try. Anything was better than lying here and doing nothing. I closed my eyes before fiercely concentrating on my bonds. If I could just find even one knot that I could loosen, then I would be on the way. I frantically fluttered my fingers between twisting and turning like a baited worm. Nothing. I hadn't expected to find anything but the news came as a bitter shock. I couldn't believe that I'd been tied up without any hope of escape or release. Surely there must be some way out?

I didn't want to believe or accept that we would die a horrible, lonely death. I knew what bombs could do. My best friend was been in Bali when they struck the Sari Caf?. She'd been less than 50 metres away from Ground Zero, if one could call it that. Although she'd escaped without a scratch, the same could not be said for her mind after seeing the devastation – especially the ghastly sight of dozens of body bits, most not much larger than a box of tissues strewn across the road. They hadn't done much for her sanity and I shivered with fear.

I did not want to die, not like this. I just hoped it would be quick.

Kathryn clearly shared my fear, for she too was struggling wildly – but she made about as much impression upon her cords as me. I pulled against my bonds again before giving up. It didn't matter how hard I tried; nothing loosened the slightest. The ropes were unrelievingly tight – they would never shift or budge in a million years – at least not without help. My heart was a heavy, cold ball of lead plummeting through five miles of ocean. If Kathy couldn't free herself, I definitely had no chance.

Help… The chimeric thought slowly invaded my consciousness while I wrestled my bonds. They were solid bands of iron. Ignoring my crotchrope was also vitally impossible – it was doing terrible things to my body. No matter which way I moved, the cords tied deep within my tingling pussy massaged my clit with a horrid, unrelenting insistency which made me feel like screaming. They wouldn't shift or budge – the only way I could really avoid their… caress (for want of a better term) was when I laid perfectly still – but under the circumstances, it just was not an option.

Help… Yes… Our only chance was helping each other get out of this. If (and it was a big if) we somehow managed to reach each other then… we could help untie each other. It was a long shot but I couldn't see how else we were going to get out of this. I certainly wasn't going to escape this bind by myself. I pursed my lips. I owed Shu Qui big time. Just wait, you cow.

Damn this gag! It was so tight! I had no idea how to convey what I wanted Kathy to do. The most I could manage was a totally unintelligible gurgle. I had no way of pushing out the cloth wedged in my mouth – Mei Hua had seen to that all too effectively. Kathy's eyes met mine again. They contained a helpless, doe-eyed appeal that was impossible to resist. I bit down on the cloth forcing my lips backward before ruminatively chewing on everything. Hopefully Kathy would understand what I wanted her to do. I jerked my head backwards, indicating that she should try and join me here.

I could see the gears inside Kathy's brain turning and I nodded again, desperately hoping that she would take the hint. Her face was a picture of confusion while she tried to work out what I was trying to say and I squirmed uncomfortably. That bomb was merrily ticking away and I didn't think that it would turn out to be a dud like the computer I'd just bought – thanks for nothing, Bill! I savagely thought. Wish I knew what was going on here though. This was so strange.

Suddenly Kathy's face cleared and I badly wanted to laugh as her cheeks dimpled. If only Kathy knew how funny she looked, smiling with a whacking great gag plastered across half her face. There was nothing funny though about the way Kathy was wriggling towards me. If only I could cheer her on. Kathryn was much less tightly bound than I was and I incredulously watched as she humped and wriggled and squirmed in my direction. Kathyrn's eyes never left mine as she inched forward with a surprising rapidity. She abruptly stopped before clearly motioning me forward and I flushed. Dammit, I hadn't thought about that. The quicker we got going, the sooner we would be out of here.

Deep breath… Come on, just do it. Without realising that I'd unwittingly aped Nike's slogan (that's the power of advertising for you), I struggled to rise before giving up. I just couldn't move. Oh God… Kathy was bouncing along on her bottom now, with her back to the wall providing support. Hope flared in my heart. We were going to make it after all! Up yours, Shu! I thought. I just couldn't wait to show up Shu Qui. Wouldn't that malicious little minx be disappointed when she found out how we'd cheated death? Kathy was already almost a quarter of the way across and I gathered myself before rolling sideways like a log. Yeeesssss! I could do it! Kathy's eyes filled with pleasure and relief as we inched towards each other.

I was surprised how quickly we managed to join each other. Kathy was overjoyed to be with me again. I knew how she felt. Kathryn was only just out of university and this was a challenge that the halls of academia would not have prepared her for. She silently pressed her cheek against mine before anxiously grunting.

Oh God… My heart sank again. Kathy was clearly trying to say something but the little sound she was capable of producing was so thoroughly garbled that I could not understand a single word. "Mmhhoooh-oohmmm aaahhaaaaaa!"

Instead of panicking, Kathy's expressive face was surprisingly thoughtful. I could tell that she was thinking about something and I impatiently waited for her to roll around so we could try undo each other's hands. We were wasting time. I struggled around, hoping that she would take the hint but a frantic "Mmhhnnooohh!" stopped me in my tracks. "Aaayyyhhhh," Kathy mumbled before wriggling away from me.

I was speechless. What on earth was Kathy doing? More than ever, I felt entirely powerless and it was not a good feeling. I'd never felt so helpless during all my life, and I wasn't sure how to handle the new emotions and feelings raging unchecked throughout my body. I was more aware than ever of my crotchrope burrowing deeply into my clit. I'd never realised that an ordinary piece of rope could have that much of an effect on anybody. Kathy was nearing the giant table and I incredulously watched as she squirmed around before facing the heavily carved, ornate middle leg. Ohhhh… Now I could see what Kathy had in mind. There was method behind her madness after all.

Each carved table leg ended in an ornate, curved 'hook' and Kathy was trying to catch the edges of her gag on it. I had to hand it to her; I would never have thought of it myself. I watched with breathless, increasingly hopeful anticipation as Kathy carefully, methodically worked the tightly drawn edges of her gag beneath the rounded, blunt hook. My gag was so tight! – I was under no illusions how hard it would be dislodging anything.

In the end, pulling her gag off was so easy that it was almost anti-climactic. Almost. Kathy's first attempt ended in failure when she couldn't hook the curved point of the leg under the tight fitting cloth wrapped around and around her jaws. Instead of giving up, she wriggled closer before trying again with renewed determination. She had more room to move and it showed. Carefully, ever so carefully, Kathy somehow snagged the slightly frayed edges of her gag on the hook before rhythmically rocking her head from side to side to push it deeper. Her eyes met mine and I nodded. Yes. Go for it. She pulled – hard and the whole roll abruptly slid away before draping itself around her shoulders.

My joy was short-lived. I'd forgotten about the second, much tighter gag cleaving Kathy's lips so far backwards that they'd been pulled into a grotesque, grinning rictus. Beneath the wide band of sodden cloth, I could just make out the wadding they'd stuffed inside her mouth. She certainly wasn't going to push it out with her tongue. Kathy must've come to the same conclusion for she returned to her task with renewed determination. Her horribly tight cleave-gag, however, was a much harder nut to crack. It'd been wound so tightly around her mouth and lips that unhooking everything was much more difficult. The cloth was also narrower as well. I was acutely conscious that the time was steadily ticking away. Perhaps sensing my desperation, Kathy redoubled her efforts. Her face was slowly reddening with exertion as she tied to create extra leverage with her tongue between trying to repeat her earlier success with the hook. It was a balancing act which required a lot of finesse and not a little coordination. Suddenly, Kathy hooked her gag on the point before pulling it free with a loud cry of triumph. She didn't waste any time spitting out one wet wad of cloth after another before groaning.

"Oh God… Oh my God… that's much better. Tara are you OK?" Her voice was full of concern and I tried to smile before nodding.

"Oh, good… Thank God I can breathe now." She groaned again before sighing. "My mouth tastes like a camel shit in it."

I badly wanted to laugh. It was clear that my ebullient, feisty colleague had lost none of her sense of humour.

"C'mon, Tara. You have a go!" Kathy urged me on. "Then we'll work out what to do."

I nodded before wriggling over. It was a sensible plan. Kathy was already working on the knots between her bound wrists although she didn't appear to be making much progress.

Working my gag off was much more difficult than I thought it would be. The first later wasn't so hard but the second almost defeated me. It didn't help that I was also much more tightly bound than Kathy was. She, at least, had more wriggle room, in a manner of speaking. Eventually after several unsuccessful attempts, I finally succeeded in pulling it free but I was blowing heavily by the time it finally came off.

"Well done," Kathy smiled and I shakily tried to return her grin. My half-numb jaws were aching like anything and I gingerly worked them upwards and downwards.

"Th- thanks. That was so clever. I would never have thought of that," I complimented my assistant.

"Aw, it was nothing. We were lucky it was there," she modestly replied although I could see a slight flush tingeing her rosy cheeks.

"It's exactly the kind of initiative we're always looking for at work," I smiled. It suddenly seemed very far way and I couldn't help feeling somewhat bizarre praising my shy, diffident assistant while bound hand and foot with a ticking bomb for company.

Kathy grinned. "I'm putting in for overtime when we get out of here."

Not if, when. I began to like Kathy more and more every minute. "Yeah… Speaking of which… we haven't got much time left." I hurriedly said. "I don't think I can free myself – not without help anyway. What about you?"

"Nope, I can't do anything either. I can't reach the knots." Her eyebrows furrowed while she studied me. "Wow… they really did the job on you, didn't they?" she exclaimed, examining the ropes circling my body. Her eyes flickered to my crotchrope and I felt my face warming again.

Why was it affecting me so much like this? There was something about being tied up which really did it for me. "They sure did," I slowly sighed.

"Yeah, I kinda noticed," Kathy mused before pausing. "Ok, how about I try untie you first?"

I shook my head. "No. That Mee girl, whatever her name is, really knew what she was doing. I don't think even you could get me out of this one, unless you've got a knife." Ropes creaked protestingly, tensing here, loosening there as I wrigged from one side to another to make my point.

Kathy nodded reluctant agreement. "Yeah, I agree. Mmmm… you could say that we're in a real bind, aren't we?"

Not to be outdone, I fired back with; "It's a knotty problem, isn't it?"

Our laughter was the tonic we both needed and I began to feel that we could make it.

"Ok… if we both just roll around," Kathy carefully said, "then you could reach my hands that way."

"I hope so," I sighed as I flexed my half-numb fingers. How was I ever going to manage the way I'd been tied up?

"You never know until we try," Kathy brightly said. "I think it's our only chance. I certainly can't untie your hands because of the way Mee-wah tied you up."

I nodded again before smiling encouragement. I was beginning to not feel good about this again. "Ok, shall we?"

"She tied the knots between my hands," Kathy urgently said. "I can feel them but I can't reach them, that's the problem."

"Ok, so you want me to… try undo them so you can… try loosen the rope?"

"Yep, once you get those knots, I shouldn't have too much trouble," Kathy quickly replied. She too, was aware that time was not on our side. "Ok, let's do it!"

It was really mission impossible, I bitterly thought while I strained to reach the brutally tight knots located right between Kathy's bound wrists. Oh God, oh God, ohmyGod… There was no way I could do it. Sweat stung my eyes while I frantically tried to reach them. Problem was, I just could not find the vital leverage I needed. Kathy was obliging, lying on her side and holding her hands out for me – but I just couldn't do it. With my hands bound hard against the small of my back, there was no way I was going to untie Kathy, much less escape myself. I could hardly move. I could only just reach those awful knots but picking them loose was the hard bit. I'd managed to pull one strand partially loose but I was certain that Mei Hua wouldn't have stopped there. I remembered the way she'd methodically knotted, then re-knotted the cords lashing my wrists together. I just wanted to cry. Sobbing with frustration, I angrily banged my hands on the soft carpet.

"Tara!" Kathy hissed.

"What?" I impatiently asked.

"Just… relax," she hurriedly replied. "I can feel one knot loosening. Just take your time, don't rush it."

Good advice. I instinctively nodded before realising that Kathy wouldn't be able to see me. My nose was itching again and I rubbed it against the carpet before breathlessly replying. "No worries… You're right. It's not easy though, I'll tell you."

"Yeah, I can guess," Kathy sighed. "Thank God she didn't tie me up like you."

"I don't think Shu liked me much."

"Yeah, I could tell."

I groaned before uncomfortably shifting position. The slightest movement was enough to bury my crotchrope deep within my private bits, each strand massaging my hot, tingling clit in the most embarrassingly intimate manner. If not for the gravity of our situation, I had to admit to myself that I kinda… liked being tied up. Dammit… This was just so confusing! I bit my lip before inhaling then gustily exhaling with a whistle of breath. One thing at a time. Undo Kathy's bonds. Then mine. "Ok, lets have another go," I eventually replied after I'd caught my breath. Slowly but surely; that was the way to go.

Concentrate, I told myself as I began the painstaking job of freeing Kathy. The knots were still as stubbornly tight as ever but I was beginning to get the hang of it. I didn't want to see the effect that the effort was having on my fingernails though. It was unrelentingly hard work. The thin ropes that she'd used were devilishly difficult to unpick. Slowly, ever so slowly, the cords began loosening before unravelling. One knot became two – then three.

"Come on, Tara!" Kathy enthusiastically urged me onward. "You're going great! We can do it!"

"Can you loosen anything yet?" I asked.

"Not yet, she really tied my hands too tight. You'll have to undo the last knot before I can loosen anything."

"Ok, wait!" The last knot was the hardest. Perhaps anticipating that we might make it this far, Mei Hua had pulled the cords savagely tight – but eventually – I have no idea how – I finally managed to pick it free. My breath was coming in great gasps now as I hurriedly helped loosen the cinched cords.

"Oh, Tara… You are a legend!" Kathy breathed. "We're going to make it after all!"

"Yeah, it was a real team effort," I smiled. "Thanks for helping. "I don't think I could've dome it without you."

"We couldn't have done it without each other, you mean. Oh my God… I can't believe it! I'm free now!" Kathy triumphantly pulled herself upwards. "Come on, I'll do you now!"

"No wait…" I hastily replied. "You've got to untie just about everything before doing my hands. It'll take too long! Untie your legs first. Then do mine. The main thing is just get out of here first."

"Sure?" Kathy anxiously asked. "You must be awfully uncomfortable." Her eyes roamed over my crotch again. "I can't believe the way they tied you up."

"I'm fine… Honestly," I sighed. "Thanks for your concern though. Let's get out of here first then we'll worry about everything later."

Kathy nodded. "You're right." Her twinkling fingers were already dancing over the cords that bound her legs together now. "Let's show 'em up, huh?"

"You said it," I grinned. "OK pardner, its time to get out of Dodge City."

"No time like the present. There!" Kathy's triumphant cry echoed around the room as she flung the last cords aside. "Give me your legs then I'll do you."

"At last!" I exclaimed as the last cords sloughed away from my ankles.

"We're almost there now," Kathy beamed.

"Yep, we sure are," I grinned, delighted that I'd put one over Shu Qui and Mei Hua. "How much time have we got left?"

Kathy quickly pulled her mobile out. "Not long, I think," she sighed.

"Not enough time to do my hands," I replied. My bonds were still as tight as ever – especially my crotchrope, and I couldn't help feeling a sneaky admiration for the girl's skill. "I think we should just…"

"I'm not leaving you," Kathy interjected.

"I never said anything about that," I smiled, pleased with her loyalty. "If you could pull me up, then I could walk out of here."

Kathy nodded before positioning herself behind me. "Ok… ready?" she asked after I scrambled into some kind of sitting position with my legs inelegantly splayed out in front of me.

"Ready… ok, one, two…"

"THREE!" Kathy yelled before hauling me upward with a loud grunt. Suddenly I found myself on my feet again and I awkwardly stepped forward before swaying and almost falling. I'd never realised how hard it is keeping your balance with my arms tied together behind my back. They'd been lashed together like a pair of logs and it was a totally disconcerting sensation, not to mention somewhat disorienting.

"Careful," Kathy murmured. "C'mon, I'll help you – lets split now."

"You said it," I said with some feeling as I stumbled along besides Kathy. My clit was on fire now but it was the least of my worries. "Up yours, Shu Qui," I said a split second before the door opened in our faces.

Time stood still as our tormentors entered the room. Shu Qui was smiling.

"Oh no…" Kathy groaned.

So near… so far… My heart plummeted to its lowest level. I remember being busted for speeding a couple of years ago and that's how I felt when I saw the lights appear behind my car. I couldn't believe that we'd made it this far before falling at the last hurdle.

"Congratulations," Shu Qui said after an awful silence. "I see you managed to escape."

"Yes we did, as you can see!" Kathy heatedly replied.

"Such spirit for one so young," Shu Qui calmly remarked, not in the least offended with her outburst. She glanced downward before consulting a clipboard. "You will be happy to know that you recorded the quickest time of any we've received."

"Huh?" I didn't understand. None of this made any sense. My head spun. I felt as if we'd been transported to some Alice-in-Wonderland world.

"Your initiative and teamwork was also outstanding. Again, the best that we've recorded."

"What?"

Shu Qui's smile was as warm as it was beautiful. Her lovely, fine features glowed as she opened her mouth to speak. The change was as remarkable as it was stunning. Why so friendly now? My puzzlement grew as I stared around the room. It was quiet again. I couldn't hear the infuriating ticking noise anymore – how come?

"We specialise in team bonding." Shu Qui turned to face Kathy. "In case you were wondering, it was your boss who organised your training session."

Oh my God… I was so stunned that I couldn't speak. Suddenly every piece of the jigsaw clicked home. How could I not have realised?

"We look for things such as initiative, cooperation, team work, problem-solving and so on. There's more," Shi qui smiled, "but I think you get the idea. As I have already stated, you both scored very highly on every criteria – particularly Kathy."

"But… why the…?" Kathy was floundering.

"The deception? I apologise for being a little rough with you," Shu Qui smoothly replied. "But it was necessary to maintain the fiction that you really were in mortal peril in order to encourage and foster the cooperation that we were looking for. Simply tying you up and timing your escape would not have created the sense of urgency that we are attempting to create."

Mei Hua strolled over before delving into the pocket of her jumpsuit. "Here you are. A souvenir of your adventure," she said before handing us a pair of DVD tapes. "We hope that you enjoy watching them."

Kathy was giggling uncontrollably. "I can't believe this."

I disbelievingly shook my head before awkwardly shifting position. I'd almost forgotten that I was still tied up. I felt positively bizarre talking like this whilst tightly bound like this and I hung my head. Suddenly I didn't want to lose my bonds – especially my crotchrope which was sending seismic tremors throughout my body each time I moved. I bit my lip before replying. "Yeah, talk about one-upmanship. I don't think anyone's ever done this before!"

"Yeah, I'll say!" Kathy grinned before convulsing with another spasm of laughter.

"Now I know why he sent us here," I sighed.

It was Shu Qui's turn to laugh. "We have not been in business for long but everyone who participated in our… programs said they enjoyed themselves very much." Her beady, ebon eyes bored into mine. "Some, of course, enjoy themselves more than others."

Ouch. Talk about a blow below the belt. Again I felt as if Shu Qui could see straight through my soul.

"It was good fun," I carefully replied.

"I was scared at first but… I really enjoyed the challenge of escaping," Kathy smiled.

"I really thought you had us at first though," I ruefully admitted.

"But we still managed to escape though," Kathy smirked. "Think you could do better?"

Famous last words.

Shi Qui made us pay for Kathy's boast – big time.

I spent half that long weekend lying on my stomach in a punishingly tight hog-tie. Kathy and I were still there when Shu Qui and Mei Hua came for us some eight hours later. Neither of us had made the slightest impression on our bonds – how could we? Tied up with exacting precision, we couldn't even move, much less wriggle out of our achingly tight bonds. With my bound arms fastened to my body above and below my breasts and waist, another precisely placed crotchrope splitting my crotch in two, coupled with a set of cords lashing my hands and feet together – with a huge red ball very securely strapped between my jaws with seemingly dozens of straps and buckles, escape simply became a far distant fantasy. And I wanted it no other way.

The tape Shu Qui gave us afterwards shows me wriggling, squirming – and humping my way to half a dozen orgasms, each more stunning than the last.

I'm busier than ever nowadays but I'm also a happy camper. I'm actually enjoying my new job and that makes all the difference. My ulcers vanished ages ago. My doctor also says that my blood pressure is right down and that's great too.

After untying us, Shu Qui said that I possessed every attribute that they were looking for – would I be interested in working for them? They needed someone experienced in marketing and advertising, they said. I accepted on the spot – along with Kathy. That Shi Qui's one sharp cookie – she really had me sussed out from the start, didn't she?

I'm tied up every day with work now. We run half a dozen programs ranging from relatively undemanding one hour fully supervised escape attempts to full day adventures during which each participant is tightly bound, gagged and blindfolded before being left to fend for themselves. They're very tough on our clients but the popularity of this program is directly measurable in the number of repeat bookings we receive. You'd be surprised how many people receive a real kick out of being helplessly bound and gagged, and we usually discreetly refer them to the Staiputt Resort in the Philippines (which I later learned Shu Qui regularly visits with Mei Hua during their annual break – I'm going with them later this year). We even receive credits for every guest we send – imagine that!

We're actually booked solid for the next six months (we even receive bookings from overseas) – but there's nothing like the job satisfaction that I receive. Tying up my posturing boss was retribution of the sweetest kind – I'm afraid that we were a little hard on him but that's the luck of the draw.

The perks are also great as well. I love Chinese food and Mo Mei Hua is as skilled in the kitchen as she is with the ropes. She also graciously binds and gags me for a couple of hours every evening so I can unwind after work. Sometimes Shu Qui joins me and we spend a few hours in companionable silence (unless you call 'gag-talk' silence) before reviewing the day's events when Mei Hua arrives with dinner.

We're opening another branch soon. Yes, I'm earning more than I ever did with my old work – isn't that amazing? I hope that you enjoy reading my story and that you will join us soon. You're bound to enjoy yourself with us!

Warmest regards, Tara.

END

Did you enjoy reading 'It's a team thing'? If so, e-mail me {here}

Author's note: I came up with this plot out of nowhere really; I just happened to be reading about team bonding in the newspaper several weeks ago (it's the real 'in' corporate fad of the noughties) and I couldn't help wondering how it might be adapted to my favourite obsession... namely bondage!