The Shibari Knot

by Eliza Master

  Renata choked out, “Send me the photos.”

  “Send them to this number?” the man on the phone said.

  “Yes, please.” And then they were there on Renata’s phone. Next to a cold campfire was a pile of bloody fur. It looked like a skinned bear; but was it Kamber? She remembered the spicy must and the softness of her pelt.

  What kind of horrible person would do this to any animal? She wanted to stop looking at the photos, but couldn’t peel herself away from the images. The last photo was of Kamber’s head. It was intact except for the eyes. Insects had chewed them out, leaving two dark, fleshy holes.

  Renata staggered to the bathroom and threw up. When she had finished heaving, she headed straight back over to Nima’s. She didn’t feel safe at home anymore.

  26

  On to Europe

  At Agri-Gen, Renata was looking for some new farmland to expand Agri-gen’s experimental farm crops, but her heart wasn’t in it. She still felt traumatized about Kamber and her time in Brazil, and then seeing Katrina everyday and all the other robots at Agri-Gen just made her more depressed. And without Erik there, the job wasn’t fun anymore.

  Gayle was away somewhere when Renata put in her two weeks’ notice by email. There was no response from Gayle, and she didn’t tell Erik. Quitting a good job was something even she didn’t know how to justify. Fortunately she had plenty of savings, but even so, nobody she knew would tell her it was a good idea to quit a successful job without another one lined up.

  The only thing that made her feel good these days was the shibari with Dmitri, so Renata decided to go on the European tour as their opening act. Since she would soon be unemployed, why not?

  At home she poured attention on Nima. Living together made it easy for them to become besties. Nima dressed up in some of Renata’s clothes and became a sexy woman. Her face was soft and her figure petite. Renata and Nima both loved men, and went out together to singles bars, though Renata wasn’t really looking for anything more than conversation.

  She focused her attention on creating an opening act that would impress Dmitri.

  She didn’t want to do a landscape, like Dmitri’s, or use his crew. She had noticed that during shibari practice, Nima watched Dmitri intently in admiration. Maybe he was something of a father figure for her. Renata practiced tying Nima up at home. One night she used silk cord under her breasts, bolstering them like a push-up bra. Then she looped between her legs and secured her penis in a centered, pushed backwards position.

  Nima was very comfortable with Renata’s touch. After securing the man parts, Renata created a rope mini skirt. Then she took separate cords and made knee socks and a halter. Nima had been growing her hair out, so Renata wrapped it in two ponytails, leaving the ends long and swingy. The outfit was very flexible, and Nima danced around the apartment. She put on the Beach Boys and sang into an electric razor like it was a microphone.

  Other times, Renata tied Nima into a wedding dress; a pinup swimsuit; a dominatrix outfit complete with a whip. She felt Nima expand and grow into each of the roles, which made them even more exciting to tie.

  Renata’s favorite part of rope-dressing Nima was her transformation. It reminded her of evolution, how humankind had grown and changed. For a potential opening act, she considered roping Nima into a Cro-Magnon cave-dweller outfit and then have her peel off the ties into a modern outfit. Then she could tie on top of that. Or perhaps she could start with a baby’s swaddling, then move on to a wedding and a death to finish. She would have to talk to Dmitri about how much stage time she would have.

  27

  China

  Gayle packed her suitcase with summer clothes and walking shoes. It would be her first time going to China. She needed a face-to-face with Mr. Lu, from Black Lotus Pharmaceuticals. She would make sure they hadn’t been in contact with whoever else was pursuing sildenafil-V. Or was that what they’d meant when they told her about it in that email? They’d said it might be an American; maybe they had a name already. Once she was in Beijing, she would pump Mr. Lu for the details. If only it wasn’t such a long flight.

  Maybe she could even work out a deal with her competitor, since Renata’s pregnancy hadn’t panned out, and she’d gone and quit Agri-Gen too. They already had extraneous proteins if she wanted them, and anyhow they didn’t respond reliably for the S-V growth. Gayle wouldn’t waste any more of the precious powder on her.

  She only had one baggie left, and it had become a habit. Gayle took a spoonful every day and it perked her up. She emptied a container of baby powder and put the gray substance in there for her China trip. She would check her bag and wasn’t worried at all.

  Katrina had become a burden. She texted constantly, even after losing the baby, as if they were friends. That had been a dead end. Sorry Katrina, but you are no longer needed at Agri-Gen, Gayle texted. That was easy. She hoped she wouldn’t hear back. But Katrina called her immediately. She didn’t answer.

  Then Katrina texted, Why am I being fired?

  You are not being fired, you are being laid off, replied Gayle. Being laid off was understandable – Renata had quit, so she didn’t need an assistant anymore. Gayle threw a bone. Today will be your two-week notice. So you will be paid through that time. Gayle Agri-Gen’s bookkeeping wouldn’t even notice, so why not?

  “Damn it,” Katrina said out loud from Renata’s empty office. It had lost its charm now that there was nothing personal in it. She would go home right now and never come back. She stole a handful of pens and put them in her bag. Then she took the stapler and tape dispenser. If she could have smuggled out the monitor, she would have taken that too.

  With Gayle and Renata both gone, no one would be checking on her at all. But how would she pay rent after two weeks? She wondered if she were pregnant from Jamie, then would Gayle be interested in hiring her again? Or could she sell the baby to someone else? She was out of the powder capsules and hoped that didn’t matter. Without them, she felt sluggish and had gained weight.

  Katrina stopped on the way home and bought a pregnancy test. After paying $20, her wallet was empty. She still had $200 in the bank, and that last paycheck coming. Rent wasn’t due until the 5th, so she had ten days to get that figured out.

  At home, she ripped open the package and ran to the toilet. It said to pee on the stick for 5 seconds, so she did. Then there would be a pink line if the test was positive. But there wasn’t any pink line. Katrina reread the box; it said wait ten minutes. She emptied her purse. One pen left a line on her new table. She really didn’t need any office junk, but Agri-Gen owed her, she thought.

  She checked the test again, but it was still negative. A retest in a few days might give a different result, she reasoned. Maybe it just hadn’t been long enough yet.

  Hey hottie. Miss you. I’m going on a road trip. Should I cum visit? Katrina texted to Jamie. She wanted to leave town anyway, and he was kinda cute in a rough way. Maybe she could stay on the ranch for a little while or find a new boyfriend there.

  28

  The Show In Amsterdam

  Tonight was the grand opening for Shibari Spectacular, and Dmitri had booked the Casa Rosso theater in Amsterdam. Casa Rosso was located in the red light district, which was just waking up as Renata and Nima strolled by. Almost all of the shop windows along the streets had their curtains closed because it was still early. Inside an open one, a woman waited in a tiny room. Another window showed a girl talking on her phone. She was a cute dark-skinned girl in a bikini. She barely glanced at Renata. But a British guy waved at her, and she ushered him inside through a door in the glass. Then she pulled the shade. They must be doing it in the cubicle, thought Renata.

  All kinds of questions arose about legal prostitution, but she didn’t want to spend her time in the red light district. After all, this was her first time in Europe. Renata was entranced by Amsterdam. The buildings were fairytale-like and leaned with age. She placed each foot carefully on the cobblestone streets. On the canal was a houseboat that
looked like a church, next to humbler boat homes. The water was brown and murky, but reflected the morning sun.

  Dmitri had booked rooms for his crew, but Renata and Nima were staying with Adam’s father, Jeff. He had a family house in the center of Amsterdam, and Renata and Nima were his guests. He had retired, but was a geneticist and born in Holland. The house was three hundred years old with steep stairs. Jeff had been confined to a wheelchair after breaking a hip last year, so he’d had the first floor of the house adapted to make it wheelchair-friendly. That left the upper two floors empty for Renata and Nima to spread out. Probably his wife still used the upper floors sometimes, but she had business back in the US this time, and wasn’t around.

  Jeff had provided Renata with a list of all the famous people that had lived in the city and a sightseeing map. First, though, they stopped in a coffee shop for espresso and apple cake.

  “Let’s go see Rembrandt’s house!” Renata exclaimed excitedly. One of the libraries she went to in Idaho had a reading area decorated with posters of his paintings.

  “Uh, okay, sure.” Nima seemed less excited. “You nervous about tonight?” This would be her first time being tied publicly. Nima had helped Dmitri set up and manipulate the shibari-ed women back home, but performing in front of an audience was totally different. And it would just be the two of them on stage.

  “Not at all,” said Renata confidently. Because she was just the opener and Dmitri had three acts, her stage time was only twenty-five minutes. In that time she couldn’t perform her whole idea of primitive human to trans woman; that routine had too many un-tyings involved. Instead she had planned a shortened version.

  She reviewed the act in her head while nibbling the apple cake. The coffee was good but tiny, and expensive. It was definitely better at home. Nima was sipping loudly, barely touching her cake.

  Renata went over each step of the show. Nima would be dressed in fur, like a cave dweller. She would come down off a fake boulder and lope towards Renata. Then Renata would shibari over the fur with fat jute, two inches in diameter, and tie a simple harness. Next she would attach the harness to the rock, and Nima would pull it off stage. After, she would return without the boulder and mime asking for help to get the heavy rope off. Renata would carefully remove it and then help her out of the fur too. Underneath she would be clad in basketball shorts and a polo. Renata would offer high tops, and Nima would put those on and do a male strut around the stage.

  Starting with new rope, Renata would secure an end to quick-release anchors on Nima’s clothes. She’d had to buy the shorts and shirt from a male stripper supply outlet. The outfit was velcroed together, and it was a perfect fit on Nima. She would coil loops on her torso while walking around her. Next was the hardest part for Nima. Renata would stand back and pull the rope, while Nima spun like top while unwinding. Fortunately she was a good dancer and naturally graceful.

  The last part of the routine was Renata’s favorite. Nima would be left topless with her nipples lipsticked red, like Dmitri’s crew. That had been her choice, and she felt a certain solidarity after working with them. On the bottom, she would wear matching red panties. Renata would tie her using only female knots to make her nipples perk and swell. Then she would wrap a rope mini shirt, and gladiator patterns on her arms and legs, leaving her limbs free to move. Lastly, she would tie Nima’s hair into a quick updo. For the finale, they would play Lola by the Kinks, and Nima would dance cabaret-style as the curtain went down.

  Her act relied to a great degree on Nima and her abilities. “You going to be okay tonight?” Renata checked in. Nima was chewing a fingernail.

  “Yeah, I will. Let’s go see the place you wanted to go.” The streets were filling with bike traffic. They whizzed by in huge groups, nearly as hazardous to pedestrians as passing cars. At the Rembrandt House Museum, though, there was an hour-long wait, and jetlag was starting to sink in.

  “Want to go back for a nap?” Renata asked.

  “Yes, please. I’m so tired. I need my beauty sleep for tonight.” Nima winked.

  Renata hailed a cab and soon they were back at Jeff’s house.

  “How do you like Amsterdam so far?” he said as he greeted them.

  “Very much.” Nima yawned. “But right now, I’m going to turn in.” She went upstairs.

  “Can I show you something?” Jeff asked Renata. “It’s in the library.” Renata followed his wheelchair to the back of the house.

  “Please sit down.” He gestured towards a loveseat. Renata settled in on one side. “Okay if I sit here?” The old man worked himself out of the wheelchair until he was seated next to Renata. He was too close, but she ignored it. “So, Adam told me about the REN DNA before he died.”

  “Oh.” She wondered how much Jeff knew. That was a chapter she wished she could forget about.

  “Yes, and I did some research; there’s actually a group in Amsterdam that’s working on that sort of thing. But not with REN; just the idea of it.” Now Jeff scooted closer to Renata and put his hand on the seat next to her. The hand was uncomfortably close, and Jeff was leaning in towards her. His breath was stale. He went on. “They call their organization Genesis.” He rested his hand on her leg lightly.

  “Umm?” Renata cleared her throat. Jeff was Adam’s father, and he was married; was the touch a fatherly gesture? Was he making a pass at her?

  “Thanks for telling me.” Renata stood up, pretending she hadn’t noticed his hand on her leg. “I really need a nap. See you later.” It was true she was exhausted. And she didn’t have the mental energy to think about Jeff.

  29

  A Deal Is Made

  Robert Johnson was getting tired of the female Viagra project. But the interaction with Renata and big money at the end made it worth it. Plus he was in the home stretch. If he could make this deal happen, everything would fall into place. Work trips to Brazil are a lot nicer than this, he mused, as he rolled over in the Chinese hotel bed. He would change to a tourist place later, where they had longer beds and bigger rooms. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to stay in Beijing after his meeting with Mr. Lu.

  Robert had monitored the efforts towards procuring sildenafil-V from Renata. Both Fitzer and Gayle Anderson had failed to create a source for the valuable drug. The threatening notes to Miguel had been a waste in some sense, but they’d been enough to have him keep Renata’s pregnancy and birth out of the public record, so there wouldn’t be any more opportunists trying to compete.

  But that didn’t matter now; a boy baby was useless for production anyhow. He was disappointed in Gayle that she would have let a male be conceived; he would never have let that happen. She had no idea he was reading her emails, he was sure. Robert snickered when he thought of how he’d planned to steal the project in the end by undercutting Gayle’s deal with Black Lotus. But now they had both lost on the Renata bet.

  Robert had been ready to give up on the project when Mr. Lu suggested an alternative course of action. His brother was a high official with access to all of China’s health records. His idea was to search for another with the same rare cell type as Renata.

  After just a few weeks, Mr. Lu had located a pregnant woman with the same potential. He offered to make Robert his partner. First they were to meet in China and hammer out the contract details. They had moved the pregnant woman to an Amsterdam laboratory to have the baby, and it would be Robert’s job to go there and manage the experiment. He would personally oversee the DNA extractions from the Chinese baby.

  Robert dressed and took a cab to Mr. Lu’s office downtown. The elevator buttons were marked in Chinese, so Robert had no idea which one was Mr. Lu’s floor. He pressed the top button, and the elevator glided up soundlessly. The doors opened to a penthouse office with wall-to-ceiling windows. Robert’s eyes took a moment to adjust to the bright light flooding the room.

  A woman greeted him from behind a moon-shaped reception desk. “You must be Robert Johnson.” She came around and offered her hand to shake.

  �
��Nice to meet you, I’m here for Mr. Lu.” Of course he’d have the penthouse office.

  “Of course. Right this way,” she said. Behind the desk was a black wall with a large door, and she gestured him inwards.

  Mr. Lu was seated in front of a stunning view of Beijing. There was a golden statue of a Chinese goddess on his desk. The city looked so much cleaner and more spacious from this vantage point that Robert thought he might like it here after all. Because the view was overwhelming, he hadn’t noticed the other guest.

  “Have you met Gayle Anderson?” Gayle rose from her chair.

  “Robert Johnson. Nice to meet you.” He shook her hand and then Mr. Lu’s. What the hell was she doing here? wondered Robert. Was Mr. Lu trying to bring her in on the deal? Would he have to split his percentage, and work with that awful woman?

  “Anyway, we were just discussing sildenafil-V potentials. Gayle says her source might still be a few months off.”

  “But I’ll have it for sure,” Gayle confirmed. Yet Robert knew her experiments hadn’t worked. He hoped Mr. Lu hadn’t told her about the pregnant lady in China.

  “I thought that the three of us could work together for sourcing. Maybe form a United States and China company, a joint venture?” Mr. Lu said congenially.

  That’s never going to happen, thought Robert. There was no way Robert would work with Gayle or share profits with her, so he said, “Perhaps we could discuss this later, privately?” to Mr. Lu, who raised his eyebrows in question but said nothing.

  “Hmmph,” Gayle grunted. She wasn’t about to get muscled out of this deal after all her work and flying halfway around the world.