The Shibari Knot

by Eliza Master

  She stood up again and said, “No need to talk privately. I’m the one with the source, and I don’t need a partner.” Her voice was too loud even in the spacious room.

  Robert met Mr. Lu’s gaze, and nodded his head. Mr. Lu nodded back, giving him an opening.

  “It’s you we don’t need, actually.” Robert stood and faced Gayle. “You can go now.” He dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

  “I won’t be going or have you taking my project!” Gayle shouted.

  Mr. Lu came around from behind his desk and walked to the office door, looking alarmed.

  “Who are you, anyway? And what right do you have to any of this?” Gayle challenged.

  Robert took a step toward her. “Sit back down,” he commanded.

  “No!” Her nostrils flared and she stood up straighter. Robert pushed her back towards the chair, and she grabbed for his shirt, but missed.

  “Excuse me,” called Mr. Lu from the door. As Gayle looked towards Mr. Lu, Robert picked up the goddess statue and swung it against her temple, hard. She stood upright for a moment, looking confused, and then crumpled to the floor. Robert raised the sculpture and struck her in the head three more times. A puddle of blood was forming at his feet.

  “Well, then,” said Robert. He turned to Mr. Lu, who was staring at the dead woman.

  “Well, then, indeed,” said Mr. Lu. He walked back behind his desk, and said with a calm assurance, “I can take care of this.”

  Robert got the feeling this wasn’t the first unscrupulous deal Mr. Lu had been involved with.

  “You’ll go to Amsterdam, then?” he asked Robert, ignoring the dead woman on the carpet. Rules were different here, Robert thought. He was impressed with the executive’s ability to take in the situation and move forward.

  “Yes, yes. I will. Do we have a deal? I want 50% of the company’s gross profit. ”

  Mr. Lu offered his hand. “Deal.”

  30

  Abramo Gets Involved

  Miguel returned to the Governor’s mansion after visiting his parents and Renata’s daughter, Renée. He had asked his parents to watch over her until he could find a family to adopt her. But so far, he hadn’t looked for an adoptive family, and his parents hadn’t brought it up either. They had fallen in love with little Renée, and Miguel knew it was only a matter of time until they asked to be her legal parents.

  At three months old, she already looked just like her mother, with jet-black hair and hazel eyes. Miguel enjoyed the baby and went to visit almost every day. Whenever he held her, Renée made little puckers with her lips, like she had something to say.

  He felt guilty that he had lied to Renata and that she wasn’t there to hold her daughter. Miguel reassured himself it was for the protection of both mother and daughter. And after all, Renata hadn’t asked about the child at all.

  The two threatening letters had scared Miguel. He gave them to his good friend, the police chief, Abramo, whose lab had actually found a faded fingerprint on the envelope of the second one. It turned out that the fingerprint belonged to Robert Johnson, the American pedophile from the Lizard Lounge who had disappeared more than a year ago. Since Miguel hadn’t told Abramo about Renata’s special DNA, the police chief assumed Robert was trying to steal babies for some pedophilic purpose. He told Miguel that in some places, it was thought that having sex with a baby could cure AIDS. So now Miguel knew that Robert Johnson was after Renata’s child; but for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why.

  Abramo had a buddy in the American Homeland Security office. They had met years ago when they were both in the police academy. Abramo had set him up on a blind date with a classmate, and they’d ended up getting married. Abramo was careful not to abuse the friendship, but this case had gotten under his skin. He called his friend, who tracked Robert for him. He said that Robert had flown to China and was due in Amsterdam in a few days.

  Miguel’s phone flashed Abramo’s name as it rang. He tapped the answer button and said, “Hello, Abramo.”

  “Have you gotten any more letters?”

  “No,” said Miguel. “Do you think he’s still coming after the baby? Does he know that she’s still in São Paulo?”

  “That I don’t know. But I do know he’ll be in Amsterdam soon.” He’d caught a quaver in Miguel’s voice, so he changed the subject. “Renée is fine.” It wasn’t a question. “I’ll keep her safe, I promise,” said the police chief.

  That night, Abramo had a bad dream. There had been an earthquake in São Paulo, and everyone was running. He was separated from his wife. Looking everywhere, he came to a quarry where a backhoe was digging into the bottom of a cliff. It extracted a boulder and revealed a cave. He was scared because it was dark, but he forced himself to go inside. There were passageways that he could see in. Then he heard a baby crying from one of the tunnels. He raced down to find her, but when he got there, the way was blocked by barbed wire. Through the wire he saw Renée tied to a wooden board and his wife weeping next to her. Then he saw other babies in the room; one had her head sliced and bleeding.

  Abramo’s heart raced as he dreamed. A man crossed in front of him and moved towards Renée. Abramo shouted, “STOP!” The man turned, and Abramo saw that it was Robert Johnson. He would kill this man right now! His reached for his gun, but it wasn’t there. Robert came towards him as the barbed wire disappeared.

  Abramo shouted again, but this time out loud, “No!” He woke up on sweating, and the sheets were drenched. He had to do something. From bed he made some calls. Within an hour, he had three cops committed to helping him off record. This wasn’t the first time he had operated off record and used the police account to pay for it. As long as he kept bringing in bad guys, though, no one questioned him. He booked their flights to Amsterdam. They would leave that night.

  31

  The Armory

  “Wake up!” Nima shook Renata’s shoulder. “Time for our big show.” She smiled widely as Renata yawned. It had been a jetlagged sleep. She had not dreamed, and her body felt paralyzed. Because she was stiff, she did a few sun salutation and a brief Zazen meditation.

  Since Renata wanted Nima to be the audience’s focus, she dressed herself in just a simple black leotard, accessorized with turquoise silk cord, a rope belt, and a choker. She wore black Chinese slippers that would keep her movements quiet.

  Once she was satisfied with her own understated appearance, she went to Nima’s room to tie her. It would be easier to do it here at Jeff’s, rather than the theater, which she hadn’t seen yet. There they might not even have a private dressing room.

  Nima already had on the stripper shorts and shirt when Renata came to check on her. “So you did the nipples?”

  “Yes, all painted. And panties, too.” Nima smiled, but Renata could tell she was still nervous.

  It was Renata’s job to keep her subject comfortable. She put her arms around her friend and said, “Can I help you with the fur? We can do the fat rope when we get there.” She picked up the cave-dweller suit. “Here you go.” She dressed Nima like she was a child, carefully helping her into the suit and zipping the back.

  Renata’s phone rang. “Taxi outside.” The driver spoke in English, which was a relief.

  “Ready?” She hugged Nima once more before they went downstairs to the cab.

  It turned out that Renata and Nima did have a dressing room at the theater. Her suitcase of rope was standing up in the middle of the floor. She lay the luggage down and opened it. For the show, she only needed the fat rope and the thinner spinning-top rope, which were coiled on top. Underneath she had packed a few skeins of back-up, just in case she needed them. There was more turquoise silk and white cord along with hand-sized bundles of bright twine. Touching the rope relaxed Renata. She was excited and not at all scared. Meanwhile, it seemed like Nima was having a panic attack.

  “Do I look okay? We’ll start exactly at eight. Should I stand on stage or wait for Dmitri to call me?” She was turning back and forth in the mirr
or, looking at the fur. “If I put on eyeliner and mascara, will it mess up the caveman look?”

  They had already talked about this, and Renata was fine with whatever Nima wanted to do with her face, figuring the audience would be focused on the tying. Anyhow, part of the act was for Nima, like a coming out party. It was important that she was comfortable.

  “Do whatever makes you feel the best.” Renata reached under the fur and massaged Nima’s shoulders. “You okay?” she asked. Then said, “Are you ready?” It was five minutes to curtain call.

  They waited in the dark behind the curtain. The fake rock was already on stage. Renata stood still with the heavy skein of rope that she would tie into a harness.

  The curtain went up, and the lights brightened. Renata waited for the music to start. For this part, she had chosen a simple drum beat. Her eyes adjusted and she was happy to see that the theater was full, with everyone’s attention focused on her as she walked out with Nima. Even though she knew they were here for Dmitri, she still let all the attention soak in.

  She turned to Nima, whose eyes were popping in stage fright. Renata offered a private nod to encourage her down the rock. Her hesitancy worked with the caveman character, but Renata hoped she would loosen up for the other transformations. She felt like a puppet master, pulling the strings.

  Nima faced Renata as she tied on her harness and connected it to the rock. Then Nima dragged the boulder off stage, and the audience clapped. Quickly, Renata grabbed the thinner rope and led Nima back on stage without the rock. She untied her and helped her out of the fur to a club beat. Then she tied Nima and wrapped her for the spin. Renata pulled, and Nima spun perfectly, dropping out of the stripper outfit at the end. The audience applauded again.

  To Renata’s relief, Nima was smiling. It was time for the finale. The music faded to quiet. Her footsteps were the only sound in the theater. Here she took her time, tying perfect diamonds. The knots were strong and symmetrical. Nima was ready, all dressed in shibari. On an impulse, Renata placed a soft kiss on her lips before walking off stage to a few cheers.

  Next was Lola. Nima bounced her hips while throwing her arms in the air. She pranced in a 360, caressing her own nipples and hips. After a few more moves, she danced off stage. Renata’s act was over, and it had gone perfectly. Nima and Renata held hands and went center stage for a bow. There was applause as the curtain went down, and then lights went full on for an intermission.

  Behind the curtain, Dmitri’s stage crew came on to set up the playground scene. Nima had to help with the swing, so she put on black pants and T-shirt to climb in the rafters. Since Renata was done for the night, she retreated to the dressing room. On an impulse, she texted Miguel, Just did a show in Amsterdam. Wish you could have seen it! She wanted to send a message to Erik too, but needed more time to think about what exactly to say. For now, Renata silenced her phone and stashed it in her purse. She sat in a folding chair on the side of the stage to watch the rest of the show.

  Miguel was starting breakfast at home when he got the text. Why was Renata in Amsterdam? Could Robert Johnson be going there to hurt her?

  He typed into his phone, Get out of there! But he deleted it before sending. Renata wouldn’t listen to something like that. He had to warn her somehow, though. So he texted, Abramo told me Robert Johnson is alive and he’s in Amsterdam too. Please be careful! He pressed send. Then he wrote, I can get you a ticket if you want to come back down here. But Renata had put her phone on silent, and was sitting in side stage to watch Dmitri’s performance.

  It wasn’t the best angle to watch Dmitri’s show from, but Renata didn’t mind. She enjoyed the energy of the crew. They were excited and well organized. She let Dmitri’s shibari ease away her stress. He was a master, and he looked very sexy tonight.

  The final act was over, and Dmitri’s crew flooded the stage for a bow. He came out last, gesturing towards his crew before bowing himself. The audience stood in a standing ovation. Someone ran out and gave Dmitri a bouquet of red roses. He laughed, looking a little surprised.

  The curtain went down, and Renata heard the spectators leaving. As Dmitri made his way off stage, Renata captured him in a hug.

  “Congratulations! You were amazing!” she told him.

  “Thank you. Thank you,” he said. “Come celebrate with me. Nima too.’ Dmitri knew they were a pair. “I got an invitation to a party. It’s at a place called The Armory. Give me ten minutes, and we can get a cab there together.”

  It was dark, but there was traffic on the cobblestone streets. The taxi drove around people outside of a small club with music blaring. They rounded a corner and parked in front of The Armory. The building was made of rough bricks of black stone with no windows on the ground floor, except for a small triangular one next to the door.

  Renata got out of the taxi with her friends and walked towards the thick wooden door. She wondered what type of weapons had once been stored here and by whom. There was a historical plaque under the window, but it was in Dutch, so she couldn’t read it. A man wearing a fake police hat greeted them.

  “Good evening.” He spoke with a heavy accent.

  “We’re here for the upper floor party,” said Dmitri.

  “Which room is that, sir?” The man appraised Dmitri and stepped a little closer.

  “Sixty-nine.” Dmitri smiled into the man’s face. Renata noticed the guard was cute, and wondered if Dmitri was interested.

  “Right this way and up the stairs.” He held open the door. As Dmitri passed he said, “I’m Hans. Maybe see you later?”

  Dmitri shook his hand. “Sure.”

  “You coming?” Renata asked Dmitri, as she and Nima climbed the stairs.

  “Yes,” said Dmitri, catching up.

  At the top of two short flights was a door with the number sixty-nine painted in black. It swung open easily with a soft push. Inside was a large open room with small groups scattered around. The largest circled a young lady in a blue dress.

  Renata joined the observers just as a Dominatrix said to the girl, “You want to be a slave for these people, right?” Then she slapped a grass whip against her legs. Renata watched the girl flinch, but saw that she was all in. “Are you having fun?” badgered the Dominatrix.

  “Yes, I am.” The girl was leaning against a pole.

  “Turn around and grab the pole.”

  “Yes, madam,” said the young woman, and did what she was told.

  “Do you want to have more fun? You don’t need this dress, do you? Let’s ask them if they want you to keep it on.” Then she turned to the circle. “Do you want her to take the dress off?”

  “Yes,” said one man. There was a murmur of consent from the crowd.

  The Dominatrix pulled a pair of scissors from her corset and cut the skirt of the dress upwards. Renata couldn’t help thinking it was a waste of a good dress.

  “Should I keep going?” she asked, and Renata saw that she looked at Dmitri when she did. He nodded his head. The shibari show must have fortified him; it seemed like everyone was trying to get his attention. He did look fantastic – lithe and sexy. Renata watched him instead of the woman cutting the dress off. Nima stood beyond Dmitri, hypnotized by the act.

  “Now lie on the floor!” the Domme shouted at the girl, who was now completely naked. Renata wondered what would happen next. “Does anyone want to help me?” There was a bin of clothespins.

  A woman approached her and knelt down. “Can I put this here?” She pinched a nipple hard.

  “Yes, madam.”

  Were those the only words she knew? thought Renata. Then a guy came to the other side of the girl and clothes pinned her other nipple without asking. Could that be the woman’s husband? Were they here for a romantic evening?

  “Who wants to help them?” asked the Dominatrix. Three more people surrounded the girl. “Do you want to please them?” she asked the girl on the floor.

  “Yes.” The spectators put the pins down both of her sides in a line pattern. That m
ust hurt, thought Renata.

  “Do you want them to touch you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Yes isn’t good enough. Tell them what you want them to do.”

  “Please touch me,” she said.

  The one Renata had thought might be a husband put his hand between her legs and massaged her. She closed her eyes.

  “Does it feel good? Do you want to cum?” the Dominatrix pressed.

  “Yes, yes, I do.”

  “But you aren’t allowed to cum until I say so.” Then she brought out a wand vibrator and offered it to a hefty guy standing near Renata. He mumbled something that sounded like German and took the wand.

  The Dominatrix spread the girl’s legs and put a chair between them. The man sat on the chair and thrust the wand into her cleft. The girl started to moan. Then the man who had clamped her nipple removed the clothespin. He lowered his face and sucked on her nipple while staring at his lady friend, who undid the clothespin she’d placed and sucked the other nipple. The girls moaning got louder.

  “Are you cumming?”

  “Yes, yes, I am.” She had her eyes squeezed shut, and a tear dripped down one side of her face.

  Nima pulled Renata’s sleeve. “Let’s go over there,” she said. Across the room there was a bed with large wooden posts. There was a simple shibari canopy made of red rope, tied between the bedposts, which looked like very much like Dmitri’s web. Renata glanced back at Dmitri as Nima led her across the floor. Dmitri nodded and followed them like a puppy.

  Renata saw two women on the bed caressing each other. They were topless and playing with each other’s nipples. A third sat on the edge of the bed, patting the ass of one of the women.

  “Oh, wow!” exclaimed Nima. Renata saw that the trio were trans women like Nima.

  Renata put her hand on Nima’s back and said to the group, “Can she join you?”

  “Of course,” said the seated woman.

  She gave Nima a little push. “Go – have fun.” Dmitri watched the interaction with a small grin.