Bonds of Love | rope bondage escape story | bound together

Chapter One - Memories

I'm stuck… A sudden, glacially cold ball of fear congealed the woman's heart while she wildly glanced around the still, silent room. The loudest sound was the soft, measured 'tick… tock…' of the old mahogany alarm clock and it unemotionally informed the woman about the nature of the fate awaiting her if she did not find the precious object she was seeking.

It was a hundred, a thousand times more valuable than the entire contents of King Solomon's treasure because it was the key to her survival.

Of course, this was assuming she found the stupid thing in the first place.

A pocketknife. One tiny little knife lying amidst the detritus of her life. It was hidden somewhere on the floor of her haphazardly decorated living room and the girl knew she had no alternative but to keep looking. She had to locate that blade otherwise… The alternative did not bear thinking about.

Without that knife, the girl was painfully aware that she might as well give up all hope because… She strained against her bonds again before stifling a thin, terrified cry of rapidly increasing panic. She had no way of freeing her hands from the cruelly tight set of cords pinning them together like a pair of iron manacles until she found the instrument of her freedom.

Making her task more difficult was the way her bound wrists were held together. Her hands were tied behind her back and they felt as though they'd been glued together. The cords that held her wrists togther were tightly cinched (a clever – too clever, slip-knot had done the trick) and she could not wriggle her wrists out of the ropes circling them. She could wriggle her fingers about one way - as if she was directing a Punch and Judy show from behind the scenes but it was the extent of movement available. Obtaining leverage was impossible because several loops of rope wrapped around her slim waist pinned them against the small of her back. She didn't want to think about the way it would make her search more difficult as well. Her feet and legs were also similarly tightly tied together. Worse still, a short length of rope ran from her bound ankles to her wrists and it forced the girl to arch her back like a gymnast. The same piece of cord also effectively meant that she would never be able to lever herself upwards because her legs were bent so far backwards that she could almost touch the heels of her feet. All she could do was shuffle sideways like an arthritic crab. A de-clawed arthritic crab at that.

The girl tried not to think about the analogy while she considered her position.

It was hopeless.

She did not have to feel the tightness of the cords cutting her wrists to realise she was in serious trouble.

She was going to die right here, friendless and very, very alone. Perhaps this was her punishment for…?

The blinds were partially closed and the girl knew that no one would be able to see or… hear her because a huge wad of cloth filled her mouth and another long, wide band of cloth stuffed between her drawn back lips held it in place. As if this level of torment wasn't enough, several layers of duct tape covered everything below her nose. The tape had been wrapped around and around her face and the back of her neck. Therefore, there was also no way her gag would be coming off without outside assistance. It was so tightly applied that rubbing it against some sharp protruding object was out of the question. There were no loose edges she could exploit. Aware of the fact, a heavily muffled, terrified gurgle escaped her mouth while she strained harder than ever against her unyielding bonds.

No burglar ever did such a thorough job upon her.

It was not a good feeling being held captive against her will. In fact, it was downright scary. Sweat tricked down her forehead while she fought back another wave of terror.

Panic would kill her. She had to stay calm and figure out the situation.

Even so.

Escape suddenly never seemed further away and she could not help wondering what it was that compelled her to… behave like this.

Taking her clothes off, tying herself up, blindfolding herself and chucking the knife away across the length of the spacious living room had seemed like such a good idea at the time but that was ages ago.

Sureerat Vilaijaroentrakul bitterly regretted the impetuosity of her actions while she continued blindly groping around for the instrument of her freedom. This damsel-in-distress fantasy was getting out of hand. It was a challenge that might ultimately prove fatal and she vainly tried pushing out the cloth wedged in her mouth so that she would be able to breathe a little better. However, the layer upon layer of duct tape covering her cleave gag also ensured that nothing would budge no matter how hard she tried to expel it. Sureerat squeezed her eyes shut as if it might help make the blindfold covering them vanish. If only she'd less enthusiastically wrapped that tape around and around her head at least a half a dozen times. .

After catching her breath, she flopped sideways again before reaching under a chair as best as she could. Ordinary objects such as chairs, the couch, the TV were massive, invisible obstacles that somehow had to be negotiated if she was going to find that knife and it was heavy going.

Suddenly, her questing fingers closed around the bone handle of the razor sharp knife and she cried out with delight and sheer relief before pulling it close.

The rest was easy. Sureerat quickly maneuvered the knife until the blade was pointing away from her before carefully cutting the hogtie rope attaching her hands to her feet. Pushing her hands out between the looped coils of rope surrounding each slender wrist was simplicity itself after relieving the unrelenting pressure of the hogtie rope tightly holding each together.

Although Sureerat was happy that she'd somehow escaped despite her earlier stupidity, she could not help feeling deeply, desperately sad while she set about untying her long, slim legs. Nowadays the only way she had of obtaining any kind of sexual charge out of being tied up was doing it herself. Granted, self-bondage was good fun but it was also inherently risky. Not good. Close shaves like the one she'd just experienced were increasingly common because she always had to take things that one step further, see how tightly she could tie herself without any possibility of escape. That was real bondage of the kind she craved. Self-bondage also did not quite do it either. It did not provide anything like the unique sensations that being properly tied up gave her. Obviously, she could not tie the ropes around her body or hands in the same way she'd enjoyed earlier. Role-playing was also much more fun if there was someone who would pretend to be a burglar or something like that and the exhalation of air through her nose was so sudden it ruffled the pages of a magazine lying on the nearby coffee table.

How much nicer it would be if she had a man who would bind and gag her if only for the pleasure that she derived from being tied up? Sureerat thought. Like Andy… Andy… Sureerat closed her eyes before sighing again and trying not to think about the young man she'd once loved with heart and soul before he was cruelly snatched away.

Years later, the pain and guilt surrounding his loss was still as bright and sharp as a freshly honed knife.

It was all her fault.

This was her punishment. She had no one to love or care for. No one who would tie her up because…

Sureerat was painfully aware that if she been a little stronger, obeyed the strictures of her teachers and religious clergy who visited her school, this might not have happened. All because of the tying up games she'd enjoyed with Andy right until… Bondage was just plain weird, if not outright wicked, the things that being tied up did to her body.

Pleasure and guilt. They were synonymous and Sureerat could not reconcile each with the other. However, the pleasure always won out.

In the same way other girls her age enjoyed pastimes such as cross-stitching, cooking, swimming or reading romantic pocket books, she adored being tied up above all else.

Tied up as in bound hand and foot so tight she could hardly move a single inch in any direction. It was her Nirvana.

Being tied up was her magnificent obsession, her streetcar of desire. Nothing else made her body react like this. It was an obsession that began during the most impressionable years of her life and Andy was the unwitting catalyst. He was solely responsible for introducing her to the incredible, indescribable pleasure that being bound hand and foot generated deep within her young body. Sureerat enjoyed the first couple of times she was tied up so much that she ended up wanting more - more, much more. At a time when the deeply impressionable and vulnerable young woman was just beginning to explore her burgeoning, although somewhat nascent sexuality along with learning about the vital functions of her body with a greater interest than ever, being tied up left a huge impression upon her mind.

The tying up games she enjoyed with Andy (Sureerat was not to learn there was a special word for such things until much later) was the catalyst that drew out her sexuality and played such an instrumental role in shaping the rest of her life.

This tying-up thing was something that Sureerat knew would never leave her. It was as much a part of her make-up as the rosy, round breasts defining her as the woman that she was. Bondage was her life and that was that. There was nothing she could do about it. The siren song of the ropes was a call that not even Theseus could resist.

She had no real idea why she felt so strongly about the whole business of bondage. All Sureerat really understood was how much she loved being tied up and it was something that occasionally made her question her sanity as a person. It was such a… strange and weird thing to want.

Nevertheless, being tightly bound and gagged always made her feel extremely good, wonderfully warm and tingly all over. There was nothing else that created such an incredible warmth and rapidly building arousal deep within her most private parts. Best of all was the ultimate high that always arrived when she climaxed whilst helplessly tied up. It was an exquisite feeling that Sureerat knew that she would never adequately be able to explain or describe. Bondage was a fix that Sureerat could not get enough of, in much the same manner a drug addict constantly thinks about scoring the next hit.

There was nothing better than being tightly, inescapably bound hand and foot before being kept tied up as long as possible. From that point of view, some domination was necessary because it really helped add to the absoluteness of her bondage and she yearned for a Master who would tie her up and… leave her helplessly, inescapably bound as long as it pleased him to do so. That was real bondage and it was the one element missing from her life ever since she was old enough to understand the meaning of the word. Andy, oh Andy, where are you? I wish so much you were here to tie me up again. You were so good at it as well and I really enjoyed it when you tied me up.

Andy… The spark that lit the flame and it was still burning as brightly as ever, years down the track. Sureerat could feel the room, clouding, dissolving around her until a swimming pool replaced the view.

Sureerat's journey began one sweltering summer day when Andy unexpectedly arrived while she was enjoying a relaxing afternoon siesta by the pool located out back of the sprawling hilltop villa she called home. The sprawling garden and pool was her favourite place because it commanded a view of the beautiful beach far below; especially during this time of year when the tropical heat attempted to boil everybody alive. The still, azure sea was a mirror. It shimmered under the heat of the day and she could not tell where horizon and sky began. While great waves of sticky heat made everything dance in the distance, the inviting cool blue of the pool was the only thing that even offered the slightest illusion of coolness.

Because it was a Sunday afternoon, Sureerat was surprised to see Andy and even more surprised when she saw what he was carrying. A couple of short poles, both about two feet long and rope – a lot of braided brown rope.

What's going on here? Sureerat could not understand why he was carrying something as unusual as rope. It certainly made a change from the textbooks her conscientious friend normally brought around before studying together.

However, Sureerat was also well aware that Andy was a member of the fledgling Indonesian Scouting movement. Chances were the stuff he was carrying had something to do with getting his latest badge or something like that and she smiled again. It was his latest passion, one that showed no signs of waning so far. Andy really enjoyed this Scouting thing and camping out. It was something that he talked about a lot and she studied her old childhood friend with greater interest.

Andy and Sureerat had known each other since they were little because his family lived several kilometres down the road leading to the beach. They could not have been more diametrically opposite; Sureerat's family had money. Lots of money. It was also the best kind of money. Old money always conferred a social respectability out of all proportion to the amount they'd actually earnt themselves. However, Mr. Vilaijaroentrakul (his adopted Indonesian surname was less out of a respect for the heritage of his country than the pragmatic consideration it would make him appear less Chinese in a land where his hardworking, wealthy countrymen were not always universally admired) was equally as thrifty, canny and hardworking as his Chinese merchant father who'd settled here years ago. Unlike others who frittered away their inheritance on wine, women and song, he'd actually built upon the family fortune. Therefore, their house was one of very few with ducted air-conditioning throughout. A huge generator located inside a sound-proof shed a hundred metres from the house provided back-up power when one of Semarang's not infrequent "brown-outs" occurred. Electricity was as scarce as it was expensive in rural Indonesia so it was a real luxury they all appreciated. Best of all, the sprawling Vilaijaroentrakul residence also came with a large in-ground swimming pool that complemented the outstanding coastal views it enjoyed.

Andy's parents were Javanese fishermen of the old school, which meant they preferred traditional methods of pursuing their prey. The only reluctant concession to technology his father made was the buzzy old Evinrude outboard that roared like a swarm of angry mosquitoes homing in on their prey. It could be heard miles away and everyone knew all was well when the angry buzz approached from out afar for he never returned without a boatload of fish.

They lived down the rougher end of Semarang, by the water where the often-itinerant fishermen kept their boats. Like others of their ilk, his family was poor. Only Andy's father's skill as a fisherman kept the family afloat. Their home was a flimsy shack with a corrugated iron roof and it had no power or air-conditioning. Like other families of their ilk, they all ate, slept sweltered and fornicated whenever possible during the heat of summer or the killing days before the onset of the annual monsoon rains in the one room of their shacks. Privacy was a low divider (a tattered, threadbare curtain) that kept the parent's bed separate from those of the children. Fresh water was a hundred yards away and it had to be pumped out of the ground, deep below. The technological marvels of the twentieth century along with the increasing industrialisation of Indonesia had yet to reach the poorer districts of Semarang and Andy, as was family custom, naturally followed in his footsteps whenever possible as long as it did not interfere with his studies. He had a good brain and his proud parents hoped that he would develop a good life outside the occasionally perilous and always hard career of fishing. Perhaps he would become a doctor or a dentist; they earned good money and everybody respected such people.

Coincidentally, both Sureerat and Andy also attended the same elementary school while they were younger and they immediately hit it off together after meeting. It was an association that lasted throughout their teenage years. At long last, they were completing their final year of high school. Sureerat and Andy should have finished much earlier save for being held back by a virulent bout of malaria that knocked each around so badly, it was months before they eventually recovered and it was another bond that held the two together like glue. Although Sureerat and Andy occasionally fought, they grew ever closer and closer during the long years of their friendship.

Their friendship was the one great constant of her young life and it was one Sureerat hoped would last forever. It was like a comfortable old blanket; it was always there, providing comfort and reassurance throughout the upheaval of the Suharto years during his attempts to modernise Indonesia. Politics was a subject she neither liked nor understood; as long as they were left alone, she didn't care who ran the country. The ruling elite might as well have governed from the moon for all she cared about their doings or edicts.

Andy was seventeen; going on eighteen and Sureerat had already come of age only a couple of months earlier. Although she'd seen him only a couple of days earlier, it was only rarely Sureerat saw him wearing anything but his school or Scout uniform. He was only wearing an old pair of cut-offs and thongs, perfect for this time of year and a very strange sensation that Sureerat could not identify rolled throughout her suddenly tightening chest while she mutely studied his muscular chest. Andy's arms and chest were beautifully developed with a physique any bodybuilder would admire. His nice physique came from no gym. Instead it'd been sculpted during the long hours helping haul in full fishing nets and Sureerat felt her stomach sliding again while she surreptitiously continued examining his slim body. Completely effervescent and as bright and bubbly as a freshly opened bottle of sparkling lemonade, Andy enjoyed life to the full and he was game to try everything at least once. His brilliant flashing smile and ready laugh was another thing that Sureerat liked very much about him. All in all, he was such a handsome man and Sureerat bit her lip while he casually strolled around the pool before nearing the leafy gazebo where she was sheltering from the worst of the blazing sun.

Sometimes Sureerat could not understand what Andy saw in her. She was not good looking. She was not even pretty, whatever that word meant. She was as slim and supple as a reed and there was nothing wrong with her nice breasts but… The huge, round Coke-bottle spectacles and braces she was forced to wear were not beauty aids designed to capture the heart of any guy. Her mother said she might be like an ugly duckling now but look at what it became, a swan! She would going to be beautiful once her braces came off. Sureerat did not believe her. Mom was only saying that just to make her feel better. Sureerat was also regarded as somewhat studious, another deadly sin as far as her classmates were concerned. Teacher's pet, they said. She wondered if Andy liked her because she was a good listener. Everyone also said she was also easy to talk with as well. Whatever. Sureerat knew she was very lucky to have someone like him.

The sudden ache afflicting her heart was something that she was totally unfamiliar with and she was momentarily bereft of something to say while she examined his face. It was an honest, open face and one that she liked very much. His nose was a little too flat to be called really handsome but it was his twinkling eyes that people noticed and Sureerat could not help flushing while they studied her with an equally frank candour. Andy wore his hair long, as was customary throughout the youth of Indonesia at the time and it gave him a faintly piratical, swaggering appearance although she knew he was anything but.

Despite his looks, Andy was actually a gentle, caring and thoughtful person. However, the qualities that Sureerat loved about him were also traits generally unappreciated by his generally much more macho classmates who considered women an inferior species, something to be bossed about or screwed if one got really lucky. Which was a highly irregular occurrence within the God-fearing, almost universally and devoutly Muslim nation of Indonesia although it didn't dampen their ardour the slightest. He never saw Sureerat as anything other than the person that she was rather than the sex object that she was acutely aware she already represented from the point of view of half the school population. If it had tits and a fanny, it could be shagged. It was simply another thing that she appreciated about him very much. Therefore, Sureerat felt comfortable around her oldest friend in a way she found impossible with almost any other guy; even her somewhat mischievous brothers called Tommy and Benny. Consequently, although she was only wearing a bikini, she did not bother cover up while he unhesitatingly approached before sitting down. After all, they'd skinny dipped together often enough since the age of two so she was unconcerned about her appearance whenever he was around.

However, most of all, he was somebody whom she could really talk to and it was another thing that Sureerat adored about him. Andy was always good company and her pleasure increased while he self-consciously shifted position before speaking.

"So, how are you today?" he asked before absentmindedly glancing around.

"Kabar baik terima kasih…" she smiled. "Nice to see you again."

"Same here," Andy replied.

"I wasn't expecting to see you today," Sureerat commented. "I thought you would've been doing your homework or something like that."

"Not much this weekend!" Andy grinned and Sureerat laughed. There was nothing wrong with his academic ability, save for one small thing and it was his acute dislike of study. Andy was forever complaining about the amount of work that he had to do although he also invariably completed everything upon time. And he invariably achieved much better grades as well, which was a major sticking point with her. She was the student; Andy was anything but.

"So you're happy now?" she giggled.

"Oh absolutely. Very."

"I'm sure you are," she teased before curiously asking, "By the way, what's all that… stuff for?"

"Knot tying. For another badge," Andy explained. "We've got a meeting coming up this week and they're going to test me."

"Oh yeah? Good luck," Sureerat smiled before adding, "I hope you do really well."

"So do I," Andy smiled. "I've been practicing all week."

"Is it very hard learning how to tie knots?"

"Not really… once you get the hang of it," Andy slowly replied. "Its mainly the… procedure I've got to remember. The rabbit goes through… you get the idea."

"A bit like Maths," Sureerat mused. "I find it so hard," she sighed. "I always have lots of trouble remembering what I'm supposed to be doing."

Andy's smile was sympathetic. "A bit like that, yeah," he agreed. "It's hard, isn't it? Anyway, I was hoping… that you might be able to help test me?"

"How?" asked Sureerat. "I… uhmm, I don't know anything about knots."

"I've brought this book along with me," Andy replied. "It explains how to tie various knots. Anyway, I was hoping you might be able to check my progress."

"Sure," Sureerat smiled. "You want me to make sure you're following the right steps along the way?"

"Like that, yep," Andy grinned and Sureerat felt her stomach lurch again. Strange. Very strange. I hope I'm not going to be sick again. The vendors of the large, teeming local wet market where they bought everything considered hygiene as an unnecessary evil, something that only interfered with profitability. Consequently, food poisoning was far from an uncommon occurrence around Semarang, particularly when the hot summer sun attempted to cook every fish and chicken long before arriving upon the dinner table. What the boiling sun failed to do, each endless swarm of flies buzzing about like a million dive-bombers invariably finished off the job. It never occurred to Sureerat that there was another reason her stomach was behaving anything in but a normal manner and it had nothing to do with flyblown fish.

"Ok, show me what to do," said Sureerat.

"Well, I don't think you'll have any problems," Sureerat mused while she carefully examined a square lashing that held each inch-thick pole in the shape of an oversized 'X'. Andy's rope work was neat and tidy; not one band of rope overlapped another and his knots were equally economically tied.

"I hope not," Andy worried.

"Oh come on!" Sureerat exclaimed. "You'll be fine; really."

"I suppose so," he reluctantly allowed before critically examining his handiwork. They'd been practising for an hour or so and boredom was rapidly settling upon the pair like the still, oppressive air surrounding them. Tying up a pair of sticks was not really all that challenging. They did not resist nor fight back and that was that. In a way it was a pity that he did not have a chance to really develop his skills further. What if it fought back? Tried to escape? That would be a much more interesting test of his skill. Tying up something that actually tried to get away represented a challenge that he badly wanted to try out and Andy's eyes travelled around the peaceful surrounding of the pool before alighting upon Sureerat. What if… ? Nope. It was just a silly thought and he peremptorily dismissed the idea.

"What are you thinking about?" she suddenly challenged. "You look very thoughtful."

"It's not… very exciting," Andy sighed. "I mean, once you get the hang of it, it's so…"

"Easy?" Sureerat answered his unspoken thought before he had a chance to continue.

"Yeah…" Andy mused. "Easy like that."

"Practice makes perfect," she giggled.

"Exactly," Andy smiled before mildly complaining, "What else is there to do now I've got the hang of it?"

"Have a swim?" Sureerat suggested. "Race you around the pool?" She glanced around the garden before sighing. "I'm bored."

"That makes two of us," Andy grinned and Sureerat smiled. His grin was positively infectious. It always made her feel better.

Years later, Sureerat had no real recollection what made her say it. Perhaps it was the stifling enervating heat or the sudden boredom afflicting the pair that led to her uttering the fateful words that would ultimately change her life. "Or maybe you could tie me up instead?" she giggled. "Like the people on TV. See if I can get out or not. That would be a real test for you."

"Oh no, I couldn't," Andy objected. "I can't tie you up!"

"Why not?" demanded Sureerat.

"Because… I don't want to hurt you."

"Oh, come on!" Piqued with Andy's reluctance, Sureerat impatiently shook her head. "It'll be fun and besides, I'm bored. By the way, weren't you complaining how it wasn't exciting anymore just now?"

"Well, yes…" Andy reluctantly conceded. "But I've never tied up anybody before."

"There's always a first time," Sureerat laughed while she studied the rope lying nearby. Why was her stomach knotting up like that? It was just a piece of rope like any other she saw every day around the clotheslines festooning Semarang or the nearby harbour. Strange. After all, it was only a game. Or was it? Suddenly Sureerat could hardly wait to see what being tied up might feel like and she picked up a short piece of rope before handing it to Andy. "I've never been tied up either so that makes us even. So, are you going to tie me up or not?"

"Yeah, ok…" Andy slowly replied. "I'll tie you up."

"Terrific," Sureerat happily enthused before cheekily adding, "I bet I escape though."

"Hey!"

"That's more like it," Sureerat giggled. "Come on, have a go and see if you can tie me up any good at all."

"Don't worry, you won't escape."

"Yeah, sure!" Sureerat laughed. "Well, what are we waiting for then?"

"How should I go about doing this?" Andy worried.

Sureerat sighed before glancing around and rolling her eyes. "You're the one who's supposed to be tying me up! Not me! Some kidnapper you would make," she jeered.

"Ok, Ok! You've made your point!" Andy laughed and Sureerat grinned. She enjoyed laughing and bantering with Andy very much. He always managed to make her laugh. Some guys took themselves so seriously but not Andy. He rarely, if ever, took offence, no matter what she said. More importantly from her point of view, Andy was no shrinking violet. Although he didn't mind being the butt of the joke, he was also perfectly capable of giving as good as he received and it made Sureerat wonder how he would react to her teasing.

"Ok, I'll tie you up now…" he said. "Your feet first…"

"At long last," Sureerat teased. "Tie me up any way you like but remember I'll end up escaping. I'm a super secret spy and I can escape anything," she boasted.

"We'll see about that..."

"Words, words!" Sureerat jeered. "Action, don't you know it's action that counts?"

Without another word, Andy abruptly pulled her legs together and she grinned before leaning back on her arms so that he could do her feet. It'd been shaping up to be another boring day and she was glad of the break in the otherwise monotonous routine that her life had been taking lately. Eat. Sleep. School. Study. The occasional film or outing with her girlfriends. Besides, being tied up might be fun although she had little idea what to expect. It would be even better fun if she escaped as well. It was something that definitely would make her day.

Sureerat was a person who relished any competitive challenge, even one as unusual as this and she eagerly settled down to see what Andy would do.

Andy was tying her feet together, around the ankles but… he was looping the rope very loosely around them before passing the ends through. Hmmm… Her bonds were far too loose. If anything, they were more for show than anything else and she frowned.

"There, how does that feel?" Andy suddenly asked.

Sureerat experimentally pulled one leg up before pushing back downward again and pulling them apart from each other. No good. Escaping would be like taking candy from a baby. However, she did not want to hurt Andy's feelings so she mildly said, "Perhaps it's bit… loose."

"I know…" Andy sighed before looking up and facing her. "It's just that… I don't want to hurt you."

"Dearest Andy," Sureerat smiled. "Look, the reason you're my best friend is coz I know you would never deliberately hurt me. That's why I trust you so much."

"Really? Thanks…"

Was that a blush she could see forming around Andy's cheeks? Sureerat gave him a warm smile before continuing. "Look, tie me up as tight as you like. I mean that. Tie me up good and tight. Please. I'll let you know if it's hurting me, ok?"

"Sure?"

Sureerat could sense the doubt his voice carried and she moved to reassure Andy. "Look, it's only a game. Tie me up any way you like and I promise to let you know if it's bothering me, ok?" Before Andy had a chance to reply, she hurriedly added, "Besides… aren't you supposed to be kidnapping me? A kidnapper would not care how tight he tied up anybody he'd kidnapped, would he?"

"I suppose not," Andy agreed. "Ok, I'll do your feet again but if it's hurting, tell me ok?"

"Promise," Sureerat smiled before leaning backward and extending her legs outwards again. "Tie my feet like you did with those sticks so they don't slip."

This time Andy did a much better job and she was pleased with the way he'd bound her feet. She could feel his bonds pressing against the skin around her ankles and it was a somewhat strange but not unpleasant feeling. "That's much better," she said. "Nice and tight. I can hardly move them at all."

"Doesn't hurt?"

"Nup. Feels fine," Sureerat mused while she wriggled her legs about before noticing that there was almost a foot separating her knees. "Maybe you should tie them here as well," she suggested.

"Where?"

"Just above my knees."

"Ok," Andy smiled. "You really want me to tie you up, huh?"

"Yes please!" Sureerat's reply was enthusiastic. This was fun! However, she could not work out the very strange messages that her tightening chest was sending while she studied her bound ankles. There was somehow something wrong about the way she was feeling although she couldn't pin anything down with certainty.

Meanwhile, Andy was uncoiling another, slightly longer piece of rope and Sureerat forgot about the funny feeling assaulting her stomach and chest while she watched him looping it around her legs just above her knees. He was tying her legs the same way as her ankles and Sureerat watched with increasing interest while he tied them together as tightly as he dared. He even tied rope between everything, cinching her bonds tight. There was no give or slack whatsoever and Sureerat could not help comparing the difference between actually being bound and playing with the poles that they had cast aside. This was much, much more interesting by far.

"How you feeling now?"

"It's much tighter," Sureerat thoughtfully replied. "I can't move my legs at all."

"Not too tight?" Andy asked. "I could loosen it a bit if you want?"

"No-oo…" Sureerat carefully tried moving her legs about but they hardly shifted at all. She could also feel each individual loop of rope cutting into her bare skin but they did not hurt. Rather… they were providing a pleasant, warm feeling, one she could not understand at all. "It feels just fine, thanks."

"Want me to do your hands now?"

"Um… sure." Sureerat hesitated before replying. This was the moment of truth. So far, it was still only a game but… Somehow there was something very final about having her hands tied together. This was as exciting as it was slightly scary. Nevertheless she badly wanted to find out what really being tied up was like. Just like the people she saw on the movies. Especially other girls like her. They always looked so helpless. "How do you want to do them?"

"Uh, behind your back?" Tommy hesitantly replied and Sureerat smiled. Why was the bulge in his pants growing like that? Why was his thing getting so large? It was another mystery she could not understand save for the fact it was a phenomenon that occasionally afflicted guys at the most inconvenient times. Like that guy who had a woody when he was writing an answer on the blackboard the other week at school and everybody, even their teacher, was laughing when they saw what was happening below. He was so embarrassed as well.

It was probably something like that and she tactfully pretended that she hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary before replying, "Yeah, ok. So it's harder for me to escape?"

"Yeah, something like that," Andy awkwardly replied.

Ok, go ahead, do them now," Sureerat said before shifting position and awkwardly leaning forward so that he would be able to do her hands.

She could feel her heart beating much faster than normal while Andy carefully untangled another piece of rope. This tying-up business was really affecting her and she could not understand why. It was terribly exciting but… scary as well and Sureerat bit her lip again while she waited for Andy to begin tying her hands together.

"Um… could you put your hands behind your back now?" Andy said.

Sureerat closed her eyes before taking a deep breath and obediently placing her hands behind her back for binding. A moment later, she felt her wrists being crossed over each other, forming a 'X' and effortlessly held there before a slim length of cord looped around them. Sureerat could not help gasping out aloud while Andy continued tying them together. This was like nothing else she'd ever experienced. However, before she really had any chance to react, her hands were tightly, inescapably bound together and that was that.

Several bands of rope crisscrossed each slender wrist and Sureerat almost panicked when she realised that she would not be able to pull them loose. Andy had bound them together the same way he carried out his square lashing exercises and Sureerat instinctively realised that she would not be able to escape. Her bonds were… tight and she could hardly move her hands about other than wriggling her fingers around. She was really tied up now – hand and foot! Her heart was a drum, like the ones the old Indonesian hill tribes played up in the wild highlands of Java and Borneo. Thumpthumpthumpathumpthump…. The rhythmic drumbeat of her heart was shockingly loud and she was quite sure Andy must be able to hear how fast it was beating. She could also hear her breathing hissing out between her lips like a steam engine while she vainly tried to calm down. So this is what it feels like being tied up… Tied up. I'm really tied up now. How am I ever gonna escape?

"Are you all right?" Sureerat could hear Andy's voice surrounding her but it was under a hundred feet of water. It was very far away but there was no mistaking the note of concern it held and she forced a brief, swift smile before replying, "I… I'm fine… Bet I can escape though."

"Let's see you try then," Andy grinned and Sureerat felt her head clearing while she studied her friend. His face wore a sudden expression of smug confidence that she was determined to erase. Forgetting about her sudden helplessness, Sureerat squirmed about like a hogtied pig going to market before realising that untying her hands was impossible. Not only were her bonds so tight that she couldn't wriggle out of anything, every knot was also way out of reach. Thank you, Andy… Sureerat thought before thinking, unless I reach the knots with my teeth. But how? It was the sixty-four dollar question and she briefly thought about it before realising that the only way she was going to escape would be if she could bring her hands around in front of her.

Suddenly, it occurred to Sureerat that if she tried passing them under her bottom and bringing them under her legs… Yes! Excitement filled her racing brain while she thought about the delicious prospect of escape and proving Andy wrong.

Sureerat wanted to laugh when she saw the increasing expression of curiosity upon Andy's face before it began changing like the chameleons that lived in the nearby jungles of Java when he finally realised what she was doing. While Andy helplessly watched, she wormed around into a kneeling position before carefully bringing her hands under her bottom. His face was increasingly worried while she flopped about until she was lying on her side before triumphantly passing her hands below her legs and pulling them around until they were facing her again. It was the work of seconds to unpick every knot with her teeth before gleefully flinging the cord aside. "You'll have to do a lot better than that if you want to collect your ransom," she playfully jeered.

"Go straight to jail, do not collect two hundred bucks," Andy sighed.

"Got it in one," she giggled. It was a pity it was all over so quickly and Sureerat suddenly realised that she wanted to have another go. There was something about being tied up that was deeply affecting although she still could not understand what was causing the feeling. "Um, want to have another go?"

"Sure, why not?"

Andy looked pleased and Sureerat suddenly realised that he was also enjoying himself although how just much was hard to tell. However, that thing wasn't going away. If anything, it was bigger and she hurriedly averted her eyes lest she embarrass him.

Despite the twinge of guilt affecting her brain, Sureerat could not resist a tiny sigh of pleasure after Andy tied her hands together again. She liked the way being tied up felt. Although there was almost certainly something wrong about actually enjoying the experience, it was also terribly exciting. Being tied up was good fun and she was glad that Andy was so willing to have a go. However, she could not help wondering what he was going to do this time. Simply tying her hands behind her back was not quite enough. Escaping was just far too easy and a small twinge of disappointment crossed her mind while she waited to see what he was going to do next. Was Andy really that unimaginative? His sudden indecision was not at all typical of him.

Suddenly, he picked up a very long piece of rope before smiling. "I'm going to do your arms so you can't wriggle out that way."

"Ok, why not?" Sureerat snickered. "Either way, I'll escape."

"Not this time," Andy promised. "I've learnt my lesson. This time I'll collect."

"Your ransom?"

"My ransom," Andy confirmed while he shook out the rope until loop after loop of cord lay tumbled around his feet. "Five hundred million rupiah."

"That's all?" Sureerat teased. "Only five hundred million?"

"You're only worth a few rupiah at most," Andy jeered. "That way I figure I'll keep you forever."

Sure closed her eyes before allowing a tiny, dreamy sigh to escape her lips. It was a fate she would not mind whatsoever. "Really?" she giggled. "What if I escape?"

"You won't," was Andy's calm reply. "Wait till I finish tying you up."

Sureerat could not believe that it would be possible to tie her up with the huge amount of rope Andy was untangling. There was so much! It had to be hundreds of feet long. Thousands of feet long. Surely he wasn't planning to use that much upon her? And it didn't even look as though he had anything to cut it with. It presumably meant he intended to use every inch of cord available and she swallowed before gulping. Being tied up was… fun but perhaps this was a little overkill?

Nevertheless, Sureerat knew that she would have to go through with it and allow Andy to tie her up so that she would not appear as a complete wussy in his eyes. However, Sureerat was also aware that Andy would never do anything to hurt her. In fact, Andy originally objected to the whole idea of tying her up in the first place in case he inadvertently hurt her. His gentleness and attitude made her feel much better about everything and she decided that she would see this out. After all, Andy would untie her any time she asked and that was terribly reassuring. Besides it was also an adventure and it was something which had been completely lacking during her relatively uneventful, blameless life so far. Suddenly, before she had time to think much further about what she was doing, she felt rope looping around her body and being drawn tight.

It was surrounding her body and her arms, above the junction of her elbows and she bit her lip while Andy continued wrapping still more rope around and around her. Half was going above her breasts. The rest, below and Sureerat suddenly realised Andy's boast might not be the hollow, empty promise that she had originally assumed it would be. This was suddenly anything but a game and could not help feeling scared while Andy lashed her already practically immobile arms that much tighter against her body with each loop of cord that he was passing around her. Sureerat bit back a small cry of fear while he carefully untangled a small knot before continuing. There was still so much rope left… Unaware of her sudden distress, he pulled each loop tight before beginning the process all over again.

Nevertheless, Sureerat could not help admiring the neat, methodical manner that he was tying her up. As usual, there was no overlap and despite her partial state of undress, she couldn't feel anything pinching her skin, despite the increasing tightness of her bonds. Several tight bands of rope now surrounded her just above and below the delicious swell of her young, nubile breasts and Sureerat could not remember ever feeling quite as helpless before or since while Andy continued wrapping her up with all the enthusiasm of a spider immobilising its victim.

The pool, the world was revolving crazily around her head while Andy tugged upon the rope binding her and pulling each loop that much tighter during the process. Sureerat could not understand why she felt as strangely lightheaded, even dizzy while he continued tying her up. The only thing that she could remember even being half as frightening was the time that she had been required to abseil a short but steep cliff during a school camp. The feeling of fear and lightheadedness was almost exactly similar - followed by an immense relief that it was all over and Sureerat briefly wondered if she would feel the same way about being tied up once he'd finished. Strangely enough, the second time around, she'd thoroughly enjoyed rappelling down the same hill once she knew what to expect.

However, this was very different… radically different. It was really not much fun being unable to move or control her destiny unlike the abseiling exercise when she still had the ability to move about, along with the wonderful freedom of the decision making that this exercise entailed. In fact, being so thoroughly tied up was downright scary and Sureerat felt her face heating up while still more adrenaline continued flooding her system. Even her glasses were misting over from the hot flush warming her face.

Not only that, being tied up hand and foot was extremely disorienting. She hardly dared move in case she fell and hurt herself although Andy was right there alongside her. Andy was already knotting everything off and she could not see what he was doing. Normally, Sureerat had no problem sensing the movement and position of her arms, hands and legs but everything was way out of kilter and that was scary as well. She had no way of knowing that her behaviour was nothing out of the unusual or the fact that a phenomenon called 'kinesthesis' was responsible for thoroughly disrupting the ability of her body to sense the position of each part and what it was doing.

It did not help that she was acutely aware of everything going on around her – the way her bound legs felt, the way her body and arms were being squeezed together by her increasingly tight bonds. The amazingly heightened, vivid state of alertness that being bound was causing her was almost exactly the same as that earlier point of no return when she'd reluctantly eased herself over the edge of the cliff before committing herself to negotiating the precipitous and terrifying descent. That was years ago now but she still remembered the rough crystalline texture of the weathered granite, the lush emerald green of the grass below and in some ways, the situation facing her was not that much different.

Her bonds were all. They'd suddenly assumed the sole focus of her existence while Andy continued adding what had to be one knot after another. Nothing else, not even the inviting cool blue of the nearby pool, the myriad swarms of dragonflies buzzing around the surrounding vegetation or the sticky, cloying heat surrounding them like a blanket existed. He was tying yet another tight little knot way out of reach of her bound hands but it hardly registered upon her overloaded, overwrought brain because she had already been so thoroughly and helplessly tied up. Sureerat could not help groaning with disbelief and fear while he pulled the last knot taut before stepping backwards. She was never going to escape this.

Suddenly, Sureerat felt, rather than noticed one strong arm cradling her before Andy's worried face appeared and she gratefully sank into his embrace. "Are you OK?"

She tremulously nodded, unable to trust herself to speak. This was all terribly strange. Yet it was not an entirely unpleasant feeling either.

"Sure?" Andy's voice was extremely doubtful and Sureerat smiled before allowing him to continue holding her. Although it was not the first time they'd hugged each other, it had never felt anything quite like this and it was not just because she'd been tied up as well. She was used to exchanging a quick embrace between each other before saying goodbye or stuff like that but this was the longest he'd ever held her and it was a very nice feeling. In a way, being tied up hand and foot and being held by Andy was like being hugged twice and she began to feel much better. It wasn't hurting and there was no immediate danger either.

"Yes, I… I'm sure," Sureerat sighed. I guess… I just got a bit… scared…. Coz it's all new to me."

"Mm, I see," Andy mused. "Want me to untie you now?"

"No, no!" Sureerat emphatically shook her head "Not yet! Besides, I'll be all right. It just takes a little getting used to." She studied Andy's concerned face and a warm glow filled her heart. He's so nice. He really cares about me. Besides… Andy still looked a little uncertain about the wisdom of leaving her tied up so she smiled before cooing, "Besides… it's much more fun escaping first…"

"Ha, ha!" Andy laughed. "Let's see you get out of that!"

Sureerat grinned before casually commenting, "He who laughs last, laughs longest." Andy looked much happier and that was good. Nevertheless, she could not understand why her heart glowed with a brightness that warmed her whole body each time he put his arms around her. Strangest of all was the sudden heat radiating outward from her crotch while she tentatively tested the strength of her bonds. Sureerat was sure it was not just Andy who was making her feel that way either and she tried not to think about the way her body was betraying her feelings while Andy gave her a last, quick cuddle before letting go.

Suddenly, Andy released his grip before scooting backward and settling down to see what she would do. "Ok, Miss Smarty-pants, let's see how you go now," he smiled. "I don't think you'll escape but you're welcome to try."

Sureerat could not help feeling slightly bereft without the comforting, protective warmth of his embrace but obtaining eventual freedom and proving a point or two was temporarily much more important than her own feelings concerning the guy. Ever competitive, she'd always hated losing and Sureerat was determined she wouldn't give Andy the satisfaction even if he was her best friend. With that in mind, she leant forward before taking stock. Those ropes were tight! They gripped her body with a strength the professional wrestlers would've had trouble emulating. He'd obviously taken her advice to heart and for one long moment, Sureerat wondered how she was ever going to escape while her stomach knotted up with excitement. She was really tied up now! Her arms were so tightly pinned against the sides of her slim body that there would be no repeat of her earlier escape. The leverage she'd enjoyed earlier was gone. She could not reach the knots that Andy had tied well out of reach after tying her hands together. That meant… she somehow had to get rid of the ropes surrounding her body before she could do anything about freeing her hands.

But how? Sureerat had no idea what to do and she racked her brain while she squirmed about one way and that. Suddenly, she noticed that one strand of cord had slipped, ever so slightly and it gave her heart. Sureerat gathered herself before breathing as deeply inwards as possible and pushing her arms outward before flinging herself one way and that like a dog shaking itself dry after having a bath.

Yes! Sureerat could not help crying out with delight after noticing that several loops of rope had slipped and were hanging drunkenly down one side of her body. Much more importantly, everything else was also that much looser and she glanced over where Andy was sitting before trying again. The confident smile decorating his face a couple of minutes ago had vanished like a desert mirage and he looked worried. Sureerat looked away before grinning. This really was much more fun than she had ever thought it might be. Sureerat could not understand why she'd behaved like that a couple of minutes ago. Suddenly energised, Sureerat sucked in her stomach like a belly dancer before straining even harder against her bonds.

Suddenly, she felt everything slipping downward and she wanted to cheer. This was going to be nothing like as hard as she'd thought it would be. Only a few loops remained and they were all above her breasts. However, each was significantly looser and after catching her breath, she happily shook everything off like a dog shaking itself dry after a swim.

After pushing everything downwards, it was but the work of seconds to bring her hands around before unpicking the knots tying her hands together. "Sorry, Andy, better luck next time," she giggled after casually tossing her bonds aside again.

"Aw, geez, I really thought I had you then," he complained.

Sureerat laughed. "Don't worry, you did a much better job this time," she consoled him. Andy looked so disconsolate that her heart automatically went out to him. "I really thought I was gone there as well."

"I know, I know… but… you still managed to escape."

"I was probably a bit lucky," Sureerat gently allowed. "You did a good job. It wasn't your fault that I somehow managed to get out of this. It wasn't that easy, I tell you."

"But it still wasn't good enough," Andy sighed and Sureerat grinned. Andy was such a perfectionist. If something was worth doing, it was worth doing right. It was also one of the reasons he did so well at school or sport. Suddenly, she noticed that her legs were still quite tightly tied together and she leant forward to untie them before hesitating. For a reason that she could not identify, Sureerat was suddenly reluctant to undo her bonds and end the game before it really had time to begin. A frisson of excitement, fear and not a little guilt filled her tightening chest when she realised how much she wanted to be tied up again, find out what it really was like being tied up without any chance of escape whatsoever. There had to be a way but… Sureerat felt her face heating up with embarrassment while she surreptitiously studied Andy's face. She did not know how to tell him how much she wanted him to have another go.

Andy also looked indecisive and uncertain and Sureerat could not understand why he was behaving so strangely. Normally, he was as bright, effervescent and bubbly as the Coke they drank out the always icy-cold bottles supplied by the nearby corner store. He was looking at her bound legs as well and shuffling about. "Are you OK?" she asked. "There's nothing wrong is there?"

"We-ell… not really," Andy sighed before scratching his chin. There was something about the sight of Sureerat bound hand and foot, which he found powerfully affecting. She looked so beautiful all tied up like that and he couldn't understand. The medley of emotions decorating her face whilst bound reminded him of the doe-eyed appeal on the faces of the girls he saw tied up on TV. However, her face held no fear of the bonds. If anything, she was enjoying herself very much. He bit his lip before glancing around and returning to her face after surreptitiously admiring her svelte legs wrapped in rope at ankles and knees.

Suddenly their eyes met and she held her breath while they exchanged a silent, wordless understanding. Suddenly, he blurted out, "Could… Could I have another go? I mean, tie you up again?" before hotly flushing and looking away.

Sureerat was as stunned as she was delighted. He wanted to tie her up again! However, she was afraid to let on how pleased she was about enjoying another tying up game together and she bit her lip again lest she reveal her true feelings about being bound. She liked being bound hand and foot so much! "Why not?" she replied with a calmness that she did not feel. "Think you can do better this time?"

"Absolutely."

"Hmmm, we'll see," Sureerat giggled before leaning forward. "Tell you what. You tie me up again but… if I escape…"

"If you escape? What?"

Andy was clearly puzzled and Sureerat grinned. "If I escape, it's my turn to tie you up. How's that sound? Fair's fair after all."

Reluctantly, "Yeah, I suppose so."

"Put it this way," Sureerat giggled, "it gives you a real incentive, doesn't it? Coz you know what will happen if I escape."

"Yep. I sure do," Andy laughed. "Ok… but… If I tie you up and you can't escape, you have to stay tied up for another hour as well as the time I'll give you for escaping."

"Oh… Ohhh." Sureerat hadn't expected Andy to meet her challenge head on and she quailed. If she lost, it meant she would stay bound at least one or two hours. Possibly longer. Could she handle it? Sureerat hoped so. She would be completely helpless, without any means of escape whatsoever. However… it wasn't such a bad thing was it? In fact, it would be good fun. Suddenly, Sureerat realised that she was actually looking forward to being tied up again – really looking forwards to being bound hand and foot again, and she hung her head before timidly glancing upwards. There was nothing that said what they were doing was wrong but… she instinctively realised that it was somehow just not right feeling that way about being tied up. That strange heat was back, where she occasionally touched herself and Sureerat did not have to look to know that if she put her fingers down there, they would come away wet. That wasn't right either was it?

Nevertheless, the sudden urge to be tied up again was so strong that it overwhelmed every other consideration. A gusty sigh escaped her lips before she bit down upon then again and swearing under her breath. It was a very bad habit, one that her despairing mother had been trying to break for years but she could not help instinctively biting them whenever she was worried or uncertain about something. Andy was clearly waiting for her to say something so she forced a smile before carefully replying, "Ok… but how much time do I get to try and escape?" Even before the last words left her mouth, Sureerat found herself secretly hoping that she would be unable to escape whatever he had in mind for her.

"Hmmm… how about thirty minutes?" Andy suggested.

Thirty minutes! That wasn't anywhere near long enough! "How about an hour or so?" Sureerat timidly replied. If he said yes, it meant she would be tied up for two hours and she shivered with a deep pleasure that shook her body upon realising how long she would have to stay bound.

"Wow! You really need that much time?" Andy teased and Sureerat grinned.

"Oh, shuddup!" she laughed. "If you do a good job, I might need every minute of that hour."

"Oh, better make that two then…"

"Yeah, yeah!" Sureerat jeered between silently deciding that she would help Andy with tying her up. Provide some ideas, hints. After all, two brains were always better than one, weren't they? What was it called? Yes, brainstorming. Between the two of they would find a way to tie her up so that escape would be out of the question and she only just managed to stifle a nervous giggle lest Andy discover that her motives were less than altruistic.

"Ok, one hour then," Andy smiled before picking up the rope he'd used to bind her hands earlier. "If you're still there once time's up, you stay tied up another hour. Maybe even two. Depends how I feel," he teased.

"And if I escape, I get to tie you up!" Sureerat tartly replied while her brain ran amuck with the delicious possibilities that this game was offering. Three hours? Oh my God.

"I don't think so." Andy's reply was calm but Sureerat thought that she detected a note of excitement while he prepared to bind her again. His posture had changed as well. Andy was now kneeling in such a way that it was difficult to see if he was still as excited as ever and she could not help blushing after realising how much this was affecting her as well.

"Well, are you game? Is it a deal?" Andy asked.

"Uhmmm, I suppose so," Sureerat slowly replied while her skin tingled with excitement. Being tied up was one thing but losing control of her fate for as long as three hours was something else again.

"No problem," Andy smiled. "It's a deal then. Anyway, I'll do your hands now," he added before she had time to back out. Sureerat closed her eyes before taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling. This was it. Andy was going to tie her up again and she could not help quivering with excitement like one of the young puppies that they kept around the place before hurriedly pulling off her bikini top. The silly thing only got in the way and it would be much easier tying her up without it getting in the way. After removing her top, her young breasts burst out exuberantly and Sureerat glowed with pleasure while the warm sun bathed each with a soft glow that made the dark chocolate brown of her areolae and swollen, excited nipples stand out in bold relief.

"Ok, you can tie me up now," she said before turning around and presenting her hands for tying. Therefore, she never spotted the thin sheen of sweat suddenly erupting around his forehead nor the way his hands suddenly trembled with a violence that belied his normal relaxed calm. Sureerat was so used to going naked around Andy and skinny-dipping together, it never occurred to her the effect that partially undressing would have upon him. After all, this tying up business was only a game. The competitive element was exactly the same as Monopoly even if the latter failed to excite her anything like the way it was affecting her body.

Expecting that Andy would repeat his square lashing with her hands, she crossed them over each other before impatiently waiting for the rope to loop around them again but Andy did no such thing. Instead he took each wrist and placed them parallel to each other before looping the cord around them.

A soft, involuntary sigh of pleasure and excitement escaped Sureerat's lips while everything magically tightened. Suddenly, Andy said, "Enjoying yourself, huh?" and she flinched as if shot. That was too close to the bone. Much too close and Sureerat was suddenly very glad that Andy could not see the look of guilt decorating her face. It was a book; one that he'd learned to read ages ago.

Saying 'no' would… only get her untied and it was something she definitely didn't want. Therefore, Sureerat decided to temporize. "Well, of course I am!" she brightly said. "This is really good fun."

"It… sure is isn't it?" Andy's voice was shaky and Sureerat smiled. Was he feeling the same way about this as well? Surely not? It was impossible. Besides, explaining away the damp spot forming around the crotch of her bikini bottoms was just something she felt incapable of doing. This was all embarrassing beyond belief and Sureerat hoped that Andy would not notice what was happening while he continued binding her hands together.

There was nothing unusual about the way that he was tying them together. Although Sureerat could not see what Andy was doing, she had little difficulty working out that he was doing her hands the same way as her feet and legs. Wrap. Cinch. Knot. Another knot. Sureerat bit her lip before stifling another involuntary cry of pure pleasure while he knotted everything way, way out of reach of her fingers. Each knot was located between the inside of her arms where reaching them was out of the question.

After checking that everything was secure and shipshape, Andy said, "Are you OK so far?"

"I sure am," Sureerat happily nodded while she carefully flexed her hands and wrists. There was no give or slack whatsoever and she secretly rejoiced the way that she was being tied up. Nice and tight. It certainly felt secure enough but… making sure she couldn't escape was something else again. She could see Andy wrestling with the same problem while he nervously fiddled around with the rope that he'd used to tie her arms only minutes earlier.

"Good, good," he absently replied before looking up. "Sorry I'm taking so long…" he apologised before continuing. "I'm trying to decide how to…"

"…tie me up so I can't escape?" Sureerat finished the sentence for him.

"Exactly. But you escaped last time so I'm not sure what to do now," Andy complained and Sureerat grinned. Not again… She wanted to make sure she stayed bound this time, even if it meant helping him along the way.

"It's a hard one, isn't it?" she teased before thoughtfully adding, "It seems to me that what you've got to do is stop the rope slipping down my arms like last time."

"Absolutely," Andy agreed. "But how? That's the thing."

"I've got an idea," Sureerat carefully mused. "Start doing my arms like you did before and I'll tell you what to do once you've only got a few feet of rope left."

"Yeah, ok…" Puzzled, Andy began wrapping it around her body again before another command stopped him.

"Tight. Don't forget to tie me tight otherwise it'll slip again."

"Sure?" Doubtful.

"Yes, I'm quite sure," Sureerat gently replied. "Don't worry, I promise to tell you if it's really uncomfortable or hurting, ok?"

Sureerat could not resist allowing another sigh of pleasure and contentment to escape out her nose while Andy pulled everything much tighter. Her bare breasts were being squeezed between each neat band of rope looping around her body and it was a very nice feeling. Despite Sureerat's ever present worry that this was not right, that behaving like this was wrong, she could not help feeling strangely… safe while Andy continued tying her up. Nothing was capable of hurting her while she was so securely and snugly wrapped up. A cocoon of rope. Like the cocoons she enjoyed watching the caterpillars weaving before they re-emerged as butterflies. In a way, being tied up reminded her more than ever of the hugs she received from her mother when she was very little.

Eventually, only ten or so feet of rope was left and Andy was about to complete wrapping the last couple of loops around her body when she said, "Stop!"

"Huh?" Confused.

"I was just thinking…" Sureerat mused. "Now… Just so it doesn't slip like last time… what if you pass the ends over my shoulders so that no matter how much I wriggle about, it won't slip?"

Andy was immediately enthusiastic. "Hey, that's a great idea!" he exclaimed. "So I loop it over one shoulder – then?"

"I've never done this before either," Sureerat replied before thinking. "Make a knot in front of me first, just under my… breasts."

"Ok," Andy replied.

Why was Andy behaving like that? Sureerat wondered. His face was unusually flushed and his suddenly husky voice sounded like the frogs that lived down by the creek, near where they lived. His hands were also shaking while he tied a small knot immediately under the deep valley separating the glorious swell of her breasts. That was strange. After all, she was the one being tied up, not him. Maybe it was the heat. It was hotter than ever and she knew it affected people in different ways. Sweat was oozing down her shoulders and she could see the light sheen it left upon her breasts and nipples. That was funny. They were swollen and rock hard. Another mystery she would just have to work out later.

"Now what?" Andy suddenly asked after gently looping the trailing end over her right shoulder.

"I think… try passing it between the rope going around me and my body before pulling upwards," Sureerat carefully replied.

"I think I get it now…" Andy smiled and Sureerat felt her heart tightening with an ache that left her slightly giddy and lightheaded. Andy had such a beautiful smile and it was something that she really loved about him. It was such a strange, funny thing that they were doing, tying her up but… Despite her guilty feelings about the whole thing, it also felt... right. Although she was used to spending almost half her spare time with him, she could not remember feeling ever as close to Andy as the time he began tying her up.

It was all terribly confusing and Sureerat could feel her head spinning until Andy rescued her. "…en I pass the rope the rope over your other shoulder and make sure its tight enough so it won't slip?"

"That's right. Exactly right," Sureerat beamed. "That way, I won't be able to slip out."

"Anyone would think you don't want to escape," Andy giggled and Sureerat could not stop her cheeks heating up until each felt as though they were burning. He was exactly right as usual but… how could she tell him that?

"I do want to escape but… I also enjoy a challenge as well," she carefully replied and she was rewarded with another heart-warming grin. How often had they sat together and shared ideas, thoughts like these? If only Andy knew the real reason why she was helping him instead of treating this as simply another intellectual exercise… For her, it was no longer the competition it was supposed to be. She just wanted to be tied up, end of story.

"Fair enough," Andy grinned. "Ok, let's see how this goes."

An immense wave of pleasure surged throughout Sureerat's slight body while Andy carefully tightened up everything until her new rope harness sat snugly around her arms and shoulders. She could see each strand of cord separating her breasts but even better was the way that this arrangement actually supported everything and it was a quite heavenly feeling.

There was still a few feet of rope left so Andy repeated the exercise before pulling everything tight and knotting everything out of reach where she could not see or reach the seemingly Gordian mass of rope accumulating behind her back.

Sureerat badly wanted to say, 'Mmmm, that feels so good…' but she dared not say anything of the sort because that would be a dead giveaway how she was feeling about being bound. Instead she contented herself with, "That's not bad. I think I might have trouble getting out of this one," before experimentally twisting her bound hands one way and that.

Andy was frowning and Sureerat stopped. "Why are you frowning like that?" she asked.

"Your hands," said Andy.

"My hands?"

"They're too… loose." Andy quietly mused, clearly uncomfortable with his explanation.

"Too loose?" Sureerat pulled hard against the rope binding them together. Nothing budged so much as a single millimetre and she knew that they would be staying tied together unless she got a chance to unpick the knots holding everything together with her teeth. "But you've tied me so tight! I can't loosen anything!"

"No, no… I mean… you can move them about too much," Andy quickly replied.

"Ohhh… " Sureerat giggled. "I see what you mean now. Worried I might escape?"

"You've already escaped twice," Andy sighed. "Not again."

"Third time lucky, huh?" she giggled.

"Yep. Third time lucky," Andy absentmindedly replied. "Heyy… I've got an idea."

"What?"

Andy was smiling and that worried her more than his previous state of mind.

"Turn over," he suddenly said. "Lie on your stomach."

"Huh?"

"You'll see," Andy smiled.

"You'll have to help me," Sureerat worried. "I can't move much." She was still sitting upright and crouching slightly forward so that she would not lose balance.

"Ok, now what?" Sureerat asked after Andy gently helped lower her sideways before rolling her onto her stomach. Although the tiled floor of the gazebo was hard, he'd thoughtfully provided a soft, thick mat, taken off one of the large lounges for her to lie on so that she would be relatively comfortable. He was already attaching a piece of rope to her hands and she was dying to find out what his plan for trussing her up involved.

Suddenly, Sureerat felt her legs being bent backward below her already bound knees and Andy was… He was passing the rope between her ankles before looping them around the cords cinching everything tight. Suddenly Andy began pulling hard on the rope and she realised what he was going to do. He was tying her hands to her feet and that meant…

No squirming or wriggling out of this one.

He had her this time and the knowledge produced a secret smile.

Sureerat glanced around the quiet room and sighed so hard that her breath whistled out between her lips like a kettle. Her heart was heavy while she studied the photo of a smiling Andy decorating the wall above the fireplace. "Dearest darling, you really did the job on me that time didn't you?" she whispered before sadly studying the ropemarks banding her arms and wrists. Each provided a vivid reminder of her very first 'real' bondage and it produced a brief smile.

After looping the rope around her ankles, Andy passed it around her hands again before pulling everything so tight that she'd been able to touch the heels of her feet without much trouble. As if this wasn't enough, he'd made sure that she was quite unable to do a single thing about her position after taking the last couple of feet of rope around the tangled web of cord not far below her shoulders and tying everything off far, far out of her reach. She'd felt like a beached turtle after being tied up. All she could do was helplessly wave her hands and feet about in the air.

Sureerat silently inhaled before thinking about Andy's last words after he'd finished tying her up. 'Ok, try and escape that,' Andy teased after pulling the last knot tight. 'Let's see if my knots are any good after all.'

"Oh they were, they were," Sureerat smiled. "You were so pleased weren't you?" She allowed her gaze to roam around the room again before returning to her partially unbound legs. Although it almost six years ago now, she still remembered every detail of that glorious day with crystal clear clarity. It was a movie that she never tired of replaying in her brain, over and over.

While Andy continued performing a passable imitation of Jacques Cousteau, completing one underwater lap after another, Sureerat could not resist happily squirming about one way and that. Everything was wonderfully, amazingly tight and she instinctively realised that escape lay very far away. It was a mirage that forever remained out of reach and she could not help crying out with pure, unalloyed pleasure while the ropes that were supposedly holding her prisoner provided a totally unexpected freedom that she'd never dreamt of receiving when they'd begun. It was very liberating being so thoroughly and tightly tied up. Even the pressure of school and exams no longer mattered because all she could do was lie back and wait until eventual release. There was nothing that she could do about her situation; ergo, all she could do was relax and savour the exquisite feeling that being tied up hand and foot provided. Apart from the absolute helplessness of her position, it really was just like being cosseted and hugged from head to toe.

However, most of all was the constant stimulation that she was receiving from her bonds and Sureerat felt her cheeks warming with an equal mix of guilt and pleasure while she tried not to think about what was happening below. Although the workings of her most private parts largely remained a mystery, she was already aware that some things like plastic raincoats (school rules required every student to wear a yellow raincoat to school if it was raining because Indonesian roads and the lack of road laws governing them made them extremely dangerous places to be during the heavy rains of the annual rainy season) also made her hot and it was something she could not work out either. All Sureerat knew was that whenever she pulled her old but still extremely shiny, smooth yellow plastic raincoat on, a strange wetness invariably appeared in the same place that was also warming up her body. Now the same thing was happening here as well and it was something that she was having trouble dealing with, despite the immense pleasure that being bound provided.

Nevertheless, the pleasure that she was receiving was so overwhelming that it troubled her slightly while she patiently waited for Andy to complete his swim. Oh well. She was content to savour the moment while it lasted, although she was aware it was an issue that she would have to address later. Being tied up was so much fun even this worry began receding out of sight while she pulled and strained against her bonds as if her life depended upon escaping before the bomb was detonated.

Eventually, Andy emerged from the pool and he grinned after realising that Sureerat was still lying where he's left her. "Aha! Having trouble escaping, huh?" he teased.

"I'm afraid so," Sureerat giggled while her chest tightened until she thought it must burst any moment. Andy was lying down alongside her and cuddling her and she awkwardly shifted position until she was lying upon her side, legs tightly drawn back behind her and attached to her hands, so that he could hold her more easily. Although his affectionate embrace was nothing out of the ordinary given their closeness as friends, it appeared to take upon an extra significance while she continued straining against her bonds. Sureerat was acutely aware of his closeness, even the curly hairs decorating his chest and it made her wonder if he felt the same way about her. His… thing was pressing against her and she subtly shifted position so that it would press against her aching crotch.

Andy's face was unusually flushed, despite the cooling swim he'd just enjoyed and before he had time to pull away, Sureerat gently said, "I don't think I'll be able to escape."

"That's the general idea." Andy's laughter was nervous, uncomfortable and Sureerat smiled again.

"I give up… I can't escape. Will you untie me now?"

"What about our bet?"

"Mmm, I suppose so," Sureerat giggled. "I think you'd make a very good kidnapper as well."

"Thank you," Andy smiled. "By the way, are you OK?"

"It's pretty tight," Sureerat admitted. "But really, I'm fine. By the way… are you enjoying yourself?"

"Uhmmm… yeah, I am."

"Same here," Sureerat smiled. "I… I'm really enjoying myself."

"You are?"

"Yeah…" Sureerat could feel a hot flush heating her cheeks and she hoped that Andy wouldn't notice. "It's… really good fun."

"You like being tied up?"

Why did Andy have to ask such an embarrassing question? Sureerat silently raged. It was a question with no answer. She was caught between a rock and a hard place. Say 'no' and… Andy probably wouldn't believe her either. But… what if she said 'yes'? How could she ever explain away the way that being tied up felt? Her sudden need? The deep feelings that it created? Aware that Andy was watching her reaction, she hurriedly extemporised, "Well… yes, it's good fun." Perfect. Say yes but in such a way it only makes it sound like it's just a game.

"That's good," Andy smiled. "Perhaps I'll leave you here a little longer since you seem to like being tied up so much."

"No, no!" Sureerat giggled. "I hate being tied up!"

"Good!" Andy teased. "I think I will leave you a little longer then since you love being tied up so much."

Andy kept his promise - in spades and Sureerat smiled again. I really got my wish didn't I?

Three hours. Three heavenly hours helplessly bound hand and foot throughout. Sureerat thought about how she'd been left bound practically all afternoon while she absentmindedly picked away upon the cords helping secure her ankles together. He'd never left her side throughout. Much more importantly, he'd also enjoyed himself as well and Sureerat grinned with the memories that thinking about the moment provided. She remembered feeling positively bizarre chatting about this and that, exchanging local gossip whilst she remained helplessly bound hand and foot. Eventually weariness claimed her and she'd actually fallen asleep before waking up and wondering why she could not move. Andy said that he was so surprised she'd fallen asleep whilst tied up but he hadn't had the heart to wake her up. "That was funny…" she giggled before another tidal wave of loneliness overwhelmed her. "Dearest Andy…" she sighed. "I miss you so much…"

After waking and reluctantly allowing Andy to untie her, (asking if she could stay tied up would have been a dead giveaway) they enjoyed a leisurely swim together between chatting about school and what their friends were doing until Andy had to go home for dinner. The subject of the tying up 'competition' that they'd just enjoyed together never rose although it was always there. The untidy tangle of rope and a series of vividly red corrugated bands decorating Sureerat's flawlessly smooth skin at wrists, ankles, knees and her upper arms provided an all too visible souvenir of her very first real bondage. In fact, it was several hours before each set of ropemarks branding her body finally faded away until only a faint tinge of red remained to mark where she'd been tied up. Each zigzag pattern that the woven hemp cords left on her soft skin looked the same and she could not help surreptitiously admiring each set of red ropemarks with an endless fascination. Therefore, Sureerat was almost glad when it was time for Andy to leave because she was acutely aware that she might well have ended up begging him to tie her up again and that really would not have done.

"Oh, that was so good…" she mused out aloud. The warm glow that precious memory provided made Sureerat think about the very long week she'd endured after being tied up for the very first time ever.