The Scarlet Anniversary

by Lubowa M. Planet

  ‘No.’

  ‘Why not? Listen David, you can keep me for as long as you want to. I will be your toy if you want. I just do not want to die. I will come home with you if you want and you can keep me tied up for as long as you want to. I will be what you want me to be, wear whatever you want me to wear. I’ll be yours and I’ll never tell because you can film me killing her. I’ll be yours forever.’

  ‘Shut up Portia!’

  She sat up on the table and looked at him; He still had his back to her. ‘Think about it David – whenever you wanted to, you could have me! You can use ropes, chains, straps, anything you want and when I am helpless you can do what you want – I won’t mind. I won’t complain. You will never have to worry about me running away from you because you’ll have my mind, body and soul in your possession.’

  She stood up and moved so that she was standing directly behind him, her breasts and left thigh positioned in such a way that they were brushing gently against him. ‘I’m ready to be tied up again David.’

  There was a moment of tension that resonated between them like something physical, she could sense his breathing change and she took a slight step forwards again. ‘David, please, tie me up!’

  He span around, his face wracked with rage and fury and Portia had a moment to back away before his fist connected with the side of her head. She cried out as she fell to the side. She looked at him, genuinely shocked, and he grabbed her and pulled her round so that she was facing away from him. She yelped in pain as he twisted her arms behind her and spoke in her ear.

  ‘I’m a married man!’ He hissed. ‘You’re spoiling everything! I don’t want you to spoil anything! Do you understand me?’

  She nodded and whimpered. ‘I don’t want to die David.’

  ‘What you want hardly matters. Does it?’ He whispered, hatred dancing on every word like fire.

  ‘David – please – I’ll do anything you want me to.’

  ‘I know that, because you won’t have a choice in the matter.’

  He finished binding her hands and then he placed the poncho back over her head. ‘We’re going to the house again, do as I say!’

  ‘I will, of course I will.’

  He nodded and then pushed her gently towards the door.

  YYY

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Katie was already at the dining table by the time that Portia and David arrived. She was bound to the chair with rope and her expression showed that she had been broken, there was no spark in her eyes and all she did was stare ahead. She briefly acknowledged them as they entered but nothing was said. Portia had the poncho removed and then sat on the chair and allowed David to use a long length of rope to secure her to the wooden chair. As she was bound she smelled the unmistakable scent of bacon and eggs being cooked and her stomach growled hungrily at the scent.

  Once she was helpless again David turned and walked into the kitchen leaving the captives to sit looking at each other.

  ‘Katie?’

  The Australian brunette turned her stare towards Portia.

  ‘What did they do to you?’

  ‘We’re going to die Portia,’ her voice was flat and full of acceptance. ‘She showed me what they’ve done and we’re next and then they’ll do it again and again.’

  Portia nodded slightly. ‘Listen, we are going to get out of this, I promise you.’

  ‘What happened to your face?’

  ‘He punched me,’ Portia paused. ‘I told him that I wouldn’t do what he wanted until you were safe and he punched me.’

  ‘Sorry.’

  ‘No, it’s not your fault,’ Portia smiled a little, her face stinging as she did so. ‘Listen to me, I know how we can survive but you have to do as I say. No more escaping and no more making them angry.’

  Katie closed her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks. ‘It’s pointless Portia – we’re fucked. Truly fucked!’

  ‘No we’re not,’ Portia glanced towards the kitchen door. ‘Katie, tell me about your family.’

  Katie looked at her and Portia shrugged as much as the ropes would let her. ‘It will give you focus on why you have to survive this. Where did you grow up?’

  ‘A small town called Bundanoon; it’s not far from Sydney.’

  ‘I have always wanted to go to Australia, and I will.’

  Katie looked at her and smiled a little. ‘You should, it’s God’s own country. I don’t know why I left. My dad was a police officer, he never had much to do because nothing much happens in Bundanoon but he liked it. My mum was a teacher. I have three brothers; one of them is my twin.’

  ‘I’m an only child, I always wanted a sister – someone to share secrets with and steal their clothes. My mum couldn’t have any after she had me. So, you’re an actress?’

  ‘I guess I am,’ Katie looked around. ‘I’ve not had much paid work but I’m determined you know? I always thought that I might make it.’

  ‘You will Katie,’ Portia looked at her with sincerity. ‘If nothing else, you can use this as a life experience. I can hazard a guess that Cameron Diaz or Keira Knightley have never spent almost twenty four hours being held hostage by two middle aged perverts!’

  Katie laughed a little and Portia smiled at her. ‘So, tell me more.’

  As Katie began to regale her with the boring details of her inconsequential life, Portia stopped listening properly, occasionally she interjected with a platitude or a sympathetic comment but her mind was planning ahead. David would crack given time and incentive, but at the moment, his devotion to his wife was too well formed. Portia needed to get some time alone with Maddy and find out what cracks were there. Katie burbled on and Portia hated her with every stupid word that she said.

  ‘Maddy, we need to change what we had planned.’ David looked at his wife as she cooked their breakfast.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘The blonde is trouble, she’s not reacting like she should and the brunette has already tried to escape. My leg is throbbing and my knees about the size of a beach ball. I don’t think we can risk taking the entire weekend with these two.’

  ‘Don’t be silly,’ Maddy looked over her shoulder at him, a sunny smile on her face. ‘They’re both tied up and the brunette has seen what we’ve done – she’s aware of her future and that’s taken all of the fight from her.’

  ‘We should kill them today, this morning.’

  ‘David.’

  ‘Seriously, I don’t like this at all,’ he massaged his knee as he spoke. ‘They’re both trouble!’

  ‘We’re in charge.’

  ‘I know, listen we can kill them and I’ll drive back and get another one. It’s Saturday, by tonight, the streets will be full of drunken bitches and I’ll take one of them.’

  ‘No,’ she turned and faced him. ‘We are sticking to the plan. We’ll have something to eat. Give them their porridge, give them a bathroom break and then we’ll take them back and we’ll start.’

  ‘Maddy – please…’

  ‘The matter is closed David. I’ll take the blonde and you can take the brunette – or we can change them about if you want, but we will take the whole weekend with them.’

  ‘Why won’t you listen to me? This doesn’t feel right. ’

  ‘I’m not listening because it’s our anniversary tomorrow and I want it to be perfect.’ She smiled. ‘It will be perfect. Now you go through and I’ll bring the food through.’

  He looked at her and shook his head with quiet resignation. He knew that her mind was made up and when that happened he would have had more luck diverting stampeding horses that change it for her. She was probably right, they would be tied up and he wasn’t stupid enough to be swayed by whatever Portia (the blonde one his mind reminded him) said.

  ‘You can keep her tied up for as long as you want!’ A voice whispered.’ She can be yours forever – she’s beautiful and she’s sexy and she wants to be your toy David.’

  He shook the idea from his head and gazed at his wife. Her h
air was tied up in a ponytail and the way the sun caught it as she cooked was beautiful. He loved her. In fact, seeing her here in a tight black t-shirt and jeans had a stronger effect on his libido than the fetish underwear she had worn last night. She was sweet and funny and incredibly strong and willful. Sometimes she felt more like his mother than his wife, but on the whole he didn’t mind that. He loved her with all his heart.

  ‘She doesn’t love you though – if she did she would listen!’

  He sighed and turned his gaze out of the window. He wished that she would listen because Portia was dangerous. It didn’t matter how much ropes and chains were around her body. It didn’t matter whether she was gagged because he could see that she was always thinking. In fact what she had said had made some sense. If they let her kill Katie, then she would be bound to them forever. It wouldn’t matter what she said to anyone in the future because she would always be the one that had delivered the killing blow. He shook these thoughts away. That was stupid and made absolutely no sense – if she was dead, then there would be no danger whatsoever. However, he thought about the way that her eyes shone above the gag and the way her legs looked in the sheer, silk stockings – ‘imagine having that in your power whenever you wanted’. The voice whispered.

  Maddy wouldn’t accept it though. In fact it was weird as she seemed to be almost drawn to the brunette rather than the blonde and that was a deviation from the usual routine. Whether it was because she had shown some fire and made an escape attempt, whether it was because briefly she turned Maddy into a hostage, a victim in the truest sense rather than the little play that they performed with each of the women they brought her, or whether it was because the brunette was perhaps the most beautiful one they had managed to take, he didn’t know. He also had to admit that as soon as she had kicked his knee and ran, he wanted her dead. Deep within his psyche, he knew that was because she had destroyed the fantasy at that moment. She had basically done the same thing as Samantha had done; Defied him. That was not something that he found exciting.

  David knew that this weekend was not going to be what either had planned and there was still a strong, damaging seed of doubt that this might turn out to be their final time of taking and killing someone. That made him sad, but also gave him a sense of quiet relief. He sometimes wondered if they had perhaps gone too long and killed too many and he thought that his wife did too. She had only really come alive when this had started going wrong and that couldn’t be a good sign.

  ‘Go through to the dining room,’ she smiled. ‘I’ll bring breakfast through to you.’

  Katie stopped talking and turned her head to the door as David walked into the small dining area. He looked tired and his limp was quite pronounced and she felt satisfaction at the fact that in some small way she had managed to hurt the bastard. He moved to a sideboard and picked up two lengths of black cloth. Both had been knotted in the middle and she realised that they were going to be gagged again. He moved over to Portia and she opened her mouth to accept what was happening and as David gagged her, tying the cloth tightly at the back of her head Portia stared at Katie with calm blue eyes. When David moved around to behind her, Katie briefly considered resisting but she knew it would be futile and she allowed him to gag her. Once they had both been silenced, he sat down and sighed, staring ahead and avoiding eye contact with both of them. A few moments later Maddy moved into the room. She was carrying a plate that was full of bacon, scrambled eggs and mushrooms. She placed it in front of David and then retreated back into the kitchen. The smell of the food was almost torture as Katie’s stomach grumbled. She hadn’t eaten for twenty four hours and even though she hadn’t felt hungry, the sight and scents of the breakfast were awakening the need for food. Maddy made another two journeys to the kitchen, bringing through toast and fresh coffee first and then her own plate of food. She sat down and poured herself a glass of orange juice and took a long drink, smiling at the taste. She glanced at Katie and winked a little before turning back to David.

  ‘It’s going to be a beautiful day,’ she said lightly as she began to butter some toast. ‘Maybe we can have a barbecue tonight? That would be nice, wouldn’t it?’

  ‘Yes, that would be good,’ David replied, his voice flat and emotionless sounding.

  ‘I have some burgers in the freezer and we will both be hungry,’ Maddy continued before putting a mouthful of bacon and egg into her mouth. Both the bound women watched as she ate. She was very much relishing the food, almost comically so and even though it was a patent ploy to enhance both of their hungers it was working. The breakfast continued, inane but loaded small talk dominated the conversation, mostly delivered by Maddy and replied to by her husband, but the oddness of the situation and the depth of the hunger that gnawed deep at both the tied up women gave the domestic scene a charged, surreal and sinister feeling. Outside, the birds were singing and Katie wondered if they would stop at the moment of her death.

  ‘Oh, I needed that,’ Maddy said as she finished her coffee. ‘Have you had enough darling?’

  ‘Yes, that was great – thanks,’ he smiled weakly and then she turned her attention on Katie. ‘I suppose that it needs food now? We can’t have it fainting with hunger, can we?’

  She smiled, singing a song that Katie didn’t recognise as she cleared up the dishes. ‘We’ll feed the blonde one first.’ She said as she walked through to the kitchen and David got up and tied a napkin around Portia’s neck. He removed her gag and sat down again. His head turned away so that he was staring at Katie. Maddy re-entered carrying a glass of water and a bowl. She sat down, pulling her chair so that she was three quarters facing Portia.

  ‘Now then, are you going to be a good girl?’ Portia looked at her and nodded. ‘Good – now then open wide!’ She moved a spoon that was dripping with a disgusting grey foodstuff and Portia opened her mouth, closing it as she took the porridge. She winced a little as she swallowed it but she had no choice to refuse more as the spoon was back at her mouth again.

  ‘Here comes the train – into the tunnel!’ Maddy chuckled as she shovelled the next spoonful into the blonde girl’s mouth. Katie could only watch as the procedure was repeated until the bowl was gone. Portia looked more humiliated now with porridge dripping down her chin than she had at any other point of this ordeal and Katie closed her eyes. She would be next and she wondered if the food was drugged or poisoned (in fact she knew it wasn’t poisoned because that would take some of their fun away). Maddy dabbed at Portia’s chin and then gave her some water. ‘This one needs a toilet trip!’ She said to David. ‘You feed the brunette one, will you?’

  ‘Of course,’ David nodded and got up from his seat before limping through to the kitchen. Katie could only watch as Portia was untied from the chair, her hands remaining bound and led from the room by Maddy. David returned with the bowl and glass of water. As he sat down, Katie could see that his eyes were full of resentment and misery and she didn’t think they were aimed at her.

  YYY

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Portia almost stumbled as she climbed the narrow wooden steps but Maddy caught her before she fully fell. ‘Clumsy!’ She said as she hauled Portia back to her feet. ‘It needs to be more careful; doesn’t it?’

  ‘Sorry,’ Portia mumbled as she carried on up the narrow staircase. At the top, Maddy opened a door that led to a surprisingly wide bathroom and pushed her inside. She looked at Portia.

  ‘Does it need to go to the toilet?’

  ‘I do, thank you!’ Portia turned her back to Maddy expecting her hands to be untied but to her surprise she felt the woman lift her skirt up, exposing her upper thighs and buttocks.

  ‘Sit down,’ Maddy said. Portia could do nothing but comply. She sat down and looked at Maddy who stood in front of her.

  ‘What happened to its face?’

  ‘Your husband punched me.’ Portia lowered her head and stared at the floor.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘It
must have misbehaved, did it try to escape?’

  ‘No, my hands were behind my back and he just spun me around and punched me.’

  ‘It will have worse things happen before today is finished,’ Maddy said and Portia raised her eyes to see that there was a look of confused anger playing in the woman’s eyes.

  ‘May I ask a question?’

  Maddy just stared at her, offering no real reply to her question.

  ‘Sorry – but I was wondering, does he like blondes or brunettes because I saw that he had an erection when he tied me up but not when he tied Katie up.’

  ‘It will shut up.’

  ‘He had one when he punched me, I could feel it against my bottom as he tied my hands.’

  Maddy looked at Portia, her heart beginning to fill with rage. The one rule that they had both agreed on, her and David was that there was never anything sexual about these women. They were just toys to be bound and tortured; they were nothing more than elaborate action figures and if her husband had been getting erections as he tied this one up then the rules were being broken. When he tied her up, as a loving couple, then a hard-on was allowed; In fact it was compulsory, but not when they were tying up one of these things.

  ‘It needs to finish its business!’

  ‘I’m sorry, I think I might be too tense to go,’ Portia allowed herself an embarrassed smile.

  ‘If it doesn’t go now then it will go in its dress later!’

  ‘The thing is, I don’t – when I felt his penis was hard, I was scared that he would rape me,’ Portia looked at the floor again. ‘I’ve never been with a man before – I don’t like them, not sexually.’

  She raised her eyes and saw that Maddy, while maintaining a stony faced superiority, had definitely reacted to this. Her face was a little flushed and her pupils were dilated. Portia decided that the best thing to do was to be quiet now and leave the conversation to her captor.