by Van © 2015
		Chapter 5

Agatha Schmeling was FREAKING OUT!

Not really, but her heart was doing a drum solo and she was panting through her nose, the white hankie stuffed in her mouth, and the scarf cleave-gag keeping it there.  Also, her naked, rope-framed and slightly rope-pinched breasts were heaving like crazy.  Her eyes were as big as the proverbial saucers (she imagined), and she was squirming and struggling to escape the Kinbaku demonstration that had been perpetrated upon her naked body by her BFF and (apparently) Nefarious Kidnapper, Chibi Chiba!

Firstly, Chibi had tied a combination kimono- and box-tie, pinning poor, innocent Agatha's upper-arms against her sides, yoking her shoulders, lashing her crossed wrists between her shoulder blades, and depriving her of the use of her fingers, hands, arms, and upper body in general.  Secondly, Chibi had led her bound and gagged dinner guest to the bathroom, plunked her down on the commode, and waited while she emptied her bladder.  Thirdly, Chibi had "dragged" Agatha to her neatly-made bed, "forced" her to recline, and tied her legs from thighs to ankles using what she called a "combination ladder- and kikkou-tie."  The result was a web of horizontal and diamond-hitch rope strands binding her legs tightly together.  Adding insult to injury, Chibi used a length of thin cord to bind Agatha's big toes!  And she never translated "kikkou" into English, so Agatha still didn't know what was what with respect to her below-the-waist bondage, other than the fact that she couldn't separate her legs.  Agatha hated unanswered questions, like "What does kikkou mean?" or "What are you going to do to me next?"

It was all just TOO MUCH!

But not really.  Last night, back at Sinister Stirling Mansion, Karli (aka The Shieldmaiden) had stripped Agatha naked and cuddled with her all night!  At least Chibi wasn't going to...  Oh.  Agatha watched, squirming in her Kinbaku-bonds, as Chibi removed her jeans, blouse, bra, and panties, dropped them in her clothes hamper, along with Agatha's jeans and blouse, then strolled into the bathroom.

Agatha listened to the various wet noises emanating from the bathroom that cataloged Chibi's preparations for bed.  She isn't! Agatha thought.  She won't!

Smiling brightly, Chibi left the bathroom, turned off the lights, then turned on a small nightlight in the form of a glowing... something, one of those weird Japanese animal demon monsters that were equal parts cute and creepy.  Agatha was sure there was an entertaining story and/or traditional legend behind the dimly glowing thing—which was something like a chubby cat with a duck's mouth—but Agatha had much greater concerns... like the fact that Chibi was pulling a Karli!  She was climbing between the sheets... naked!  She is! Agatha thought, and she will!

Two nights in a row of naked bondage!  Two nights in a row of naked cuddling!  Agatha shivered in her inescapable bonds.  She was terrified... and, she realized, a little wet between the legs.  Specifically, her pussy was a little squishy.  "Mrrrk!"  That had been something of a gagged squeal, because Chibi had, indeed, embraced her bound body from behind and was giving her a tight hug!

"You're as nervous as a cat at a dog show," Chibi giggled.  Her lips were less than an inch from Agatha's left ear.  She paused to remove both of their glasses, fold them flat, and set them safely on the nightstand.  She then resumed the embrace and planted a delicate kiss on Agatha's ear before continuing.  "You need to relax, or neither one of us will get any sleep."  She gave her captive house guest's bound body a squeeze, followed by another kiss, this time on the side of Agatha's neck.  "Not to worry.  I know just what to do."

"Mrrrk!"  It was another squeal.  Chibi's hands had cupped Agatha's breasts, and were gently squeezing!  This did nothing to help Agatha's shivering problem.  Next, Chibi started playing with Agatha's nipples, and now the prisoner found she had an erect nipple problem... as well as a quivering and definitely wet pussy problem.  Also, waves of... something were rippling up and down her spine and through said pussy.  Okay, okay, it was pleasure, satisfied?  The something was pleasure.  It felt good to have Chibi snuggling against her body and exploring second base.  Go figure!

"I've always liked your boobs, Munchkin," Chibi whispered in Agatha's ear.

Somehow, the mocking aspect of the hated nickname bestowed on poor Agatha by The Shieldmaiden was entirely gone.  "Munchkin" was now Agatha's pet name.  Go figure!  Agatha resolved to think of an equally descriptive and precious sobriquet for her BFF, but seriously doubted she'd ever come up with anything remotely as cute and appropriate as "Chibi."

"And your skin," Chibi continued.  "I've always liked your skin."

Agatha continued shivering.  Chibi's left hand continued exploring second base, but now her right hand was sliding towards home!  "Mrrrf!"  That was Agatha's third gagged squeal in a row, but this time there was an unmistakable aspect of... delight?  No, I'm just nervous, Agatha decided.

Chibi's right hand caressed Agatha's lower tummy, her fingers slid through the quivering captive's pubic bush, then her fingers and palm caressed Agatha's labia.  Agatha's bound legs and clenched thighs were a bit of an impediment, but Chibi managed.

"Mrrrrr."  That was not a squeal, but more of a gagged purr.

"I'll make it low and slow, Munchkin," Chibi whispered.  "Frustration makes the inevitable outcome all the more intense... and relaxing."

Agatha tugged on her bound wrists and wiggled in Chibi's embrace.  The tactile stimulation—both between her legs and with respect to her rigid, tingling nipples—was anything but relaxing, but it certainly felt good!

Chibi smiled.  Her efforts were bearing fruit, so to speak.  She might even have to back off, to slow the pace of her sliding hand... and twiddling fingers.

"You're something of a randy little weasel," Chibi purred, "aren't you, Munchkin?"  Her hands continued their respective tasks, and Agatha continued squirming and fighting her bonds.  "Not to worry," Chibi continued.  "If you cum sooner than I intend, we'll simply start over.  Practice makes perfect."

Upon being released from the basement bondage table, Catherine had retaliated against Karli-the-rebellious-maid.  Once the ropes were neatly coiled and properly stowed, Catherine had taken a firm grip on Karli's long, blond hair and dragged her upstairs to the master (or in this case, mistress) bedroom.

Karli's response was predictable.  Impeded by her slave-chains, she clinked and clanked as quick as she could in the immediate wake of her naked and furious (or a reasonable facsimile, thereof) Mistress.  "Ow-ow-ow!  Cath-erine!"

"Quiet, you," Catherine huffed as they crossed the threshold into her bedroom.  This was all melodrama, of course.  Karli's chains were real, but Catherine's fury was an act, and Karli knew it, and Catherine knew Karli knew it.

Mistress dragged her wayward slave to the foot of her bed, forced her to her hands and knees on the soft carpet, then reached under the bed and pulled out twenty feet of steel chain.  The size and weight of the links more-or-less matched Karli's slave-chain set, one end of the chain was solidly bolted to the underside of the foot of the bed-frame, and soon, its other end was padlocked to the ring in the front of Karli's collar.  The naughty blonde was now both in chains and tethered to Catherine's bed.

Karli watched as her naked, beautiful Mistress stomped (padded) into the master-bath.  Catherine's body was beautiful, even with her tan, smooth skin crisscrossed by rapidly fading rope-marks.  Catherine was always beautiful, but Karli found her Vengeful Mistress persona to be especially beautiful.  The sound of splashing water started and Karli surmised Mistress was taking a refreshing shower.  She heaved a sigh and settled down onto her left side on the carpet.  She could have stood and dragged the chain and herself to the bed, of course, but she was a Naughty Slave-girl.  It was not her place to rumple Mistress' neatly made bed without her explicit permission.

Catherine took her time in the shower, dried herself, including her hair, then strolled from the bathroom directly to her walk-in closet.  She ignored Karli during the brief journey, of course.  Catherine quickly dressed in panties, jeans, and a tank-top (which was doing a heroic job of containing Catherine's bra-less breasts), then took a certain something from a certain drawer of a certain closet cabinet and returned to the main bedroom.

The certain thing in question comprised the majority of the mansion's dedicated "hobby equipment."  That is, if one excluded The Table in the basement and the steel hardware currently locked around Karli's neck, wrists, and ankles, the thing was more or less it.  Their extensive collection of rope, cord, and various rolls of tape would also have to be excluded, of course, but those things all have multiple uses.  "Hobby equipment" has only one use.  Anyway, the item in Catherine's hands was... "The Hood."

Karli's eyes popped wide when she caught sight of The Hood and Catherine's evil smile.  They both hated The Hood, when it was their turn to wear the wicked thing, but not surprisingly, they loved it when it was their turn to use it on their partner.

The Hood was a top-of-the-line isolation helmet made from both glove-soft leather and thick, strong, latigo straps.  It covered the wearer's head completely, with a zipper running up the back, smaller zippers over the ears and eyes, and an integrated leather harness that included a blindfold, ear muffs, and a panel-gag.  The hood alone covered the wearer's eyes and ears and it incorporated a rubber ball-gag, so the harness' thick pads and mouth-compressing panel were overkill.  The main zipper and all of the harness' buckles could be secured with optional padlocks.

Karli was torn between an angry pout and a pathetic, begging whine, but the issue quickly became moot.  She was still debating her response when Catherine thrust the ball-gag into her mouth, pulled the hood over her head, and zipped up the back, being careful not to get any of her long, blond hair tangled in the zipper.  Karli sighed through the grommet-lined breathing holes directly over her nostrils as she felt Catherine tighten and buckle all the various straps of the harness, including the hood's broad, stiff collar.  Catherine left the ear-pads for last, and Karli felt her unzip the zipper over her right ear, thrust a compacted foam earplug into her ear, then close the zipper.  Catherine then turned Karli's hood-encased head and unzipped the left ear-zipper.

"Here's the drill, darling," Catherine whispered, her smiling lips an inch from Karli's ear.  "Once I've finished fitting you with your pretty hat, I'll give you three taps.  Then, I want you to start playing with yourself, and don't stop until you cum.  And don't cheat.  You know I can tell when you're cumming and when you're faking it.  Then, count to 100... slowly... and do it again.  I'll let you know when you can stop, and don't forget, I'll be watching.  Do exactly as you're told, or I might decide to punish you.  Understand?"

"Mrrrf!"  It was both an acknowledgement and a well-gagged pout.

"Very well."  Catherine leaned close, extended her tongue, gave it a wet twirl inside Karli's left ear, then compacted and thrust the second foam plug into place.  She then restored the zipper and buckled the ear-pad strap, tight.

Karli had shivered in her chains during the wet intrusion of Catherine's tongue, but she had to admire the ingenuity of her punishment.  Why didn't I think of this? she wondered, the last time it was my turn to punish Catherine?  She heard and felt click after click as Catherine padlocked each and every one of the hood's buckles.  Now, despite being "only" in slave-chains, Karli couldn't remove The Hood.  She also couldn't see or hear anything to speak of, nor could she speak.

There was a pause... then something (Catherine's riding crop?) slapped Karli's right butt cheek three times.  The captive heaved another gagged sigh, then began caressing her labia with her fingers.  Her manacles and the connecting chains didn't encumber her efforts, but she very much knew they were there... and she was helpless... and Mistress was watching.

Catherine enjoyed the sight of her naked, chained, and hooded lover pleasuring herself for several seconds... which turned into a minute.  She then slowly tiptoed around Karli, not wanting the vibrations of her footfalls to disturb her slave's concentration, and exited the bedroom.  She knew Karli wouldn't dare deviate from her instructions, especially if she thought Mistress was there, watching.

Catherine's intention was to make herself a nice sandwich, return to the bedroom, and enjoy the floor show.  It was an open question as to how long Karli could keep pleasuring herself before succumbing to physical exhaustion, erotic exhaustion, or deciding enough was enough and throwing an old-fashioned slave-chained and isolation-hooded tizzy-fit.  In any case, it was going to be fun.

Agatha had fallen asleep in Chibi's naked embrace... and her ropes... after a crashing multiple orgasm.  Actually, she fell asleep after three orgasms of diminishing intensity, but the first one had definitely been multiple.  Also "fallen asleep" was less accurate than "passed out."  Agatha had somehow made it through a very bizarre Thursday, followed by a stressful Friday, culminating in a world-class weird Friday night.  Of course she'd passed out.  A person can only take so much kidnapping and naked bondage at the hands of beautiful near-strangers and finger-fiddling from her BFF before succumbing to exhaustion.

Anyway... Agatha opened her eyes.  She didn't have her glasses—they were on the night-stand, next to Chibi's—but she could see well enough in the darkened studio apartment.  The Japanese cat-duckling demon nightlight was still glowing and its light was more than adequate for Agatha's dark-adapted eyes.  Chibi was sprawled next to her on the bed, by all appearances fast asleep.

Oh-by-the-way, Agatha was free!  That is, the ropes that had formerly bound her naked body from head to toe (including the toe-cord) were now a tangle of hemp or jute, sharing the bed with Agatha and her former kidnapper.  The elements of Agatha's former gag, the crumpled hankie and narrowly folded scarf, were also part of the clutter on the bed.  Anyway, Agatha was free!  Naked and free!

Agatha eased herself off the bed.  This failed to awaken her hostess/captor, but Chibi did react.  She stretched like the proverbial kitten, then squirmed in the tangle of rope and rumpled sheets.  Agatha donned her glasses, stared down at her BFF... and smiled.  Chibi Chima was a mess of sprawled limbs and tangled hair, and she was adorable.  A thrill rippled through Agatha's pussy as she gazed at the sleeping pixie—and Chibi is, indeed, a pixie, Agatha decided.  Her BFF might have an inch of height on Agatha, but Chibi was a pixie.

Chibi's right arm was tangled in a couple of coils of the loose rope.  The twisted strands were no more an impediment to the slumbering beauty than the tangled sheets, of course, but... the rope was there.  Agatha imagined her friend bound and gagged as she had been, only it was Agatha who had captured and expertly restrained the squirming, mewling prisoner... and it was Agatha's turn to take liberties and have her way with her BFF.

The pussy-thrill returned, in spades, then Agatha shook her head, turned, and padded to the bathroom, moving as silently as she could.  She eased the door closed behind her, relieved herself, took a drink of water and splashed her face, then eased the door open and returned to the bed.  She removed her glasses and placed them back on the night-stand, eased down onto the mattress, slid between the covers—and realized Chibi was awake and smiling at her.

"Hey there," Chibi purred.

"I'm not talking to you," Agatha huffed.

"You're not?" Chibi giggled.

"No, I'm not."  Her face set in an epic pout, Agatha pulled the top sheet over both their bodies and (to her great surprise) leaned close and planted a kiss on Chibi's smiling lips.  "Never again.  Total silence."  A couple of turns of the tangled rope were grinding into her hip, so Agatha reached down and pulled them from under her body.  "I ought to tie you up and see how you like it," she muttered.

"But you don't know how, do you?" Chibi said quietly.

Agatha heaved a sigh of heartbreaking proportions.  "No," she admitted, "I don't.  Not really."

Chibi pulled Agatha into another embrace and returned the kiss.  "Well, I guess I'll have to teach you," she sighed.

Agatha blinked in the near darkness.  "Teach me?"

"Not tonight, Munchkin," Chibi purred.  "Go to sleep."

Agatha couldn't think of a snappy comeback, so she closed her eyes.  Chibi's naked body felt very good snuggled against her own naked body.  Bondage lessons... cool.  And with that, she drifted off.  Agatha really was exhausted.

The next morning, since Agatha's jeans and blouse were a rumpled mess and were in no way suitable for a third day of store clerk duty, with or without underwear, Agatha was forced to borrow some clothes from Chibi.

Agatha had wakened to find Chibi emerging from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her torso and another around her hair, turban fashion.  "The shower's all yours, sleepyhead," Chibi announced, then opened the top drawer of her chest of drawers and started rummaging through the contents.  "Well?" she said after a few seconds.

Agatha had hoped to spend a couple of more minutes in bed (and an opportunity to watch Chibi get dressed had nothing to do with it), but she hauled herself to her feet, stretched, and stumbled towards the bathroom.  She would have taken a long, hot, sinfully wasteful shower, but was second in line and the capacity of Chibi's hot water tank wasn't up to the task.  Anyway, refreshed, toweled dry (with the partial exception of her still slightly damp short hair), and her towel wrapped around her torso, Agatha returned to the main apartment and the now neatly made bed.  The ropes were gone.  Agatha assumed they were coiled and back in their Rubbermaid tote in the closet.  And waiting on the bedspread were the clothes her hostess had selected from her wardrobe for Agatha to wear.  They were:

1. A pair of Hello Kitty® panties, predominately in salmon-pink, but with yellow daisy accents.
2. A gauze-thin, pink bra with a lot of frilly lace.  No cartoon felines were in evidence, but color-wise it was compatible with the panties.
   
3. A pair of white anklets with lace trim.
4. A Navy-blue dress with white trim, a feminized sailor suit which Agatha recognized immediately as a Japanese schoolgirl's uniform!

Agatha's sneakers were on the floor beside the bed, waiting to complete the ensemble.

"You have got to be kidding me," Agatha huffed, then shook her head.  "No way."

"What?" Chibi inquired.  She was in the kitchen area preparing a breakfast-for-two of bacon, scrambled eggs, toast, and coffee.  Her outfit was typical Chibi: sneakers, jeans, and a black, French-cut t-shirt with the fierce image of Usagi Yojimbo emblazoned on the front.  Agatha knew Chibi owned at least three different jackets that would complete the look. Both costumes, Chibi's and Agatha's potential outfit, were well within Finley's dress code, but...

"A Japanese schoolgirl?" Agatha whined.  "Get me something else."

Chibi shook her head.  "I don't have anything else, except my kimono and prom dress.  Everything else is dirty."

"Liar!"

"Well..."  Chibi smiled.  "Yeah, but you'll look so cute in that dress.  Please, for me?  Also, you'll make Finley smile, and she might let you out of the doghouse."

"Not likely," Agatha muttered, still wearing the towel and still staring at the clothing on the bed.

"Ya never know," Chibi giggled.  "Time off for cute behavior?"

Agatha couldn't help but smile.  Actually, her lips curled and cheeks dimpled in "grin-smirk #7," two parts wry amusement and one part respectful acknowledgement of a nice turn of phrase.  She picked up the panties and began to dress.

When the girls arrived at Bibliophile Books, Agatha's sailor-suit dress was a smashing success, the relevant metric being its ability to elicit smiles and chuckles from both Finley and Edwina.  Both managers agreed that while Agatha's knees were a little knobby (which Chibi assured her BFF in a whisper that they most assuredly were not!) she looked precious in the uniform, with its pleated skirt, jumper-style top, and cute little scarf.  Agatha blushed, executed a shuffling pirouette at Finley's command, then blushed some more.

Anyway, Finley had big news that eclipsed the issue of Agatha's undeniable cuteness: Finley had decided to hire additional staff!  Apparently, the store was doing really well, bucking the national trend for bookstores.  Also, maybe now Chibi would shut up about not having time to adequately maintain and expand the store's website.  Finley had been joking about that last part, as everyone knew she was entirely satisfied with Chibi's web-mistress efforts, but the bombshell had still exploded.  More staff!  Finley and Edwina had already conducted an interview and the first provisional hire was set to start work tomorrow.  So... more staff!

Needless to say, the rest of the day passed in something of a buzz.  Agatha confided to Chibi that while it was certainly a good thing that Bibliophile Books was a success, and they did need more clerks to put more flexibility in the work schedule, she hoped Fin and Ed hired nice people.  Chibi nodded gravely and said she agreed entirely.  After all, she pointed out, Finley had hired Agatha, so who knew what sort of borderline sociopath she might hire next.  This was hilarious, of course, but Finley gave Agatha the Evil Eye, all the way from across the store, preempting the retaliatory tickling Chibi so richly deserved.

The news was almost enough to make Agatha forget recent events, meaning the various kidnappings, bondage, naked cuddling, and finger-fiddling she'd endured—NOT!  For one thing, she was still in Finley's doghouse.  For another, Chibi kept teasing her.

And then, just before closing, the second bombshell of the day exploded.  Edwina called Agatha over and handed her a large padded mailing envelope.  It was heavy enough to contain an oversize book.  The envelope had been opened and resealed, and stapled to one edge was a piece of Bibliophile Books notepaper with a name and address printed in Edwina's neat hand: "Catherine Stirling," and the address was Sinister Stirling Mansion, itself!

"Finley says you're to deliver this on your way home," Edwina said.

Agatha blinked in surprise.  "What is it?"

Edwina smiled.  "Gee, I'm not sure, maybe... a book?"

"Uh... okay," Agatha sighed, taking custody of the package.  Sinister Stirling Mansion was not on her way home, nor was it high on the list of places she wanted to go anywhere near anytime soon, but when you're in Finley's doghouse, all roads lead to wherever she says you need to be.  Agatha sighed and hefted the package.  It wasn't all that heavy.

"Don't worry, I'll go with you," a familiar voice announced.

Agatha rolled her eyes and turned to frown at her BFF.  "You do that on purpose!" she accused.

"What?"

"Sneak up behind me," Agatha huffed.  "Stop it!"

"If you insist," Chibi giggled.  She took the Mysterious Package while Agatha donned her trench coat.  "At least it's not ticking," she said, holding the envelope to her left ear.

"Very funny," Agatha huffed, then jerked the package from Chibi's hands.  "Let's go."

Chibi was already wearing the corduroy jacket and raincoat she'd chosen to complete her ensemble.  "Don't worry," she said gravely as they left the store.  "I won't stand idly by while The Shieldmaiden and Catherine-the-Hot have their way with you."

Agatha rolled her eyes and shook her head.  That last jab wasn't worth a response, although, truth be told, Agatha was very grateful for Chibi's presence.  The prospect of returning to Sinister Stirling Mansion without backup was... disturbing.

"And remember," Chibi said as they strolled down the sidewalk, "we aren't leaving until you get your underwear back."

Agatha rolled her eyes, again (and blushed).  "Shut up."

All too soon, Sinister Stirling Mansion loomed before them, dominating the peaceful urban neighborhood like... like...  Okay, it was just a Victorian-style house.  It wasn't painted in depressing shades of gray with a front garden of thorn bushes and a circling flock of cawing ravens; but it was home to a pair of gorgeous Nefarious Kidnappers!

"Courage to the sticking place," Chibi giggled as they mounted the steps to the front door.

"Keep your Shakespeare to yourself," Agatha huffed as she reached for the door bell.  She paused to heave a nervous sigh, then pressed the button.  She expected deep, rather funereal bells to sound, but instead there was a rippling, rather pleasant series of chimes.  "Remember," she whispered to Chibi, "We hand over the book and split.  Got it?"

"Got it," Chibi said gravely.

The front door opened—Agatha blinked and stopped breathing—and Karli was standing in the threshold, a broad smile on her angelic (demonic) face.

"Munchkin!" The Shieldmaiden gushed.  "And you've brought a friend.  Come in, come in!"

"No!" Agatha wailed, swallowed, then tried again.  "No, thank you.  I'm just making a delivery."  She presented the mailing envelope, and—"Hey!"—Karli had taken the envelope with her right hand, draped her left arm across Agatha's shoulders, and more or less swept her into the house—and Chibi helped by pushing her from behind!  "N-nooo!"

"Don't be rude," Chibi giggled, then helped defeat Agatha's halfhearted resistance as Karli divested her of her trench coat.

"Oh, what a cute little outfit," Karli gushed.  She was referring to Agatha's sailor-suit, of course.

"W-we're not staying!" Agatha insisted, her hands at her sides and clenched in tight fists.

"I said, don't be rude," Chibi whispered to her BFF, then smiled at Karli as she removed her raincoat and hung it next to Agatha's trench coat.  "Hi, I'm Alice, but my friends call me Chibi.  You must be Agatha's new girlfriend, Karli."

Agatha's face burst into flame.  That is, she blushed.  "Chibi!"

"Pleased to meet you, Chibi," Karli chuckled.

Agatha blinked in surprise (if she'd ever stopped).  Was it her imagination, or was Karli also blushing? ...just a little?

"Mistress Stirling is in the Garden Parlor," Karli continued.  "If you'll come this way..."  She placed her arm back across Agatha's shoulders and politely guided her down the hallway.

Agatha heaved her best pitiful, pouting sigh as she was dragged kicking and screaming through the house.  Actually, she went quietly, but her heart was hammering in her chest.  She looked back over her shoulder and sent a dozen visual daggers in Chibi's direction.  They were the Oriental kind, with razor-sharp double-blades that curved back and forth like slithering snakes.

The mailing envelope in her right hand, Chibi-the-Traitor smiled back, impervious to Agatha's lethal stare.

They entered the parlor and Agatha stared in surprise, meaning even more surprise!

The parlor was like the rest of the mansion, Victorian in style but without being cluttered or oppressive.  There were French doors and a wall of windows looking out on a charming deck and the well-tended garden beyond.  The furnishings were the usual: a comfortable-looking settee, a pair of winged chairs, and tables with lamps and candle-holders.  And oh-by-the-way...

Sitting in a straight-back chair was Catherine Stirling, the Mistress of the Mansion!  She was naked—totally naked—and lashed to the chair from ankles to shoulders by enough white nylon rope to rig a small sailing sloop!  A strip of Elastoplast covered most of her lower face, but as always with such tape, the outline of her lips stood out in three-dimensional detail.

"Have a seat and I'll brew some tea," Karli suggested.

"How very kind," Chibi said as she settled into one of the wing chairs.

Agatha stared at Catherine, whose eyes smiled back above her gag, then watched Karli leave the parlor by another door, apparently headed for the kitchen.  Agatha's heart was tripping like a hammer, again, and her breasts were heaving.  She looked back the way they had come.  The entryway was visible at the end of the hallway.  It was entirely possible she could sprint for the door, pause only long enough to grab her trench coat, and be out in the street before Karli even knew she was making a break for it.

And speaking of breasts...  Catherine had breasts, very nice breasts, and they were framed by neat, multiple horizontal and diagonal strands of white rope, and they were naked... and nice.

Also, fleeing would mean abandoning Chibi to an uncertain fate in the depths of Sinister Stirling Mansion.  Of course, Chibi was (apparently) a no-good-rotten-traitor!  But she was still Agatha's BFF.

Also, Catherine's skin was smooth, and firm, and tan, and there was a lot of it.  And the rope binding her to the chair was tight, and redundant, and exquisitely well-placed, and there was a lot of it.  And Catherine's eyes—those gorgeous blue eyes—were still smiling.

Her heart still hammering, Agatha settled onto the settee, her knees demurely together and hands in her lap.  "I guess we can stay a few minutes," she said quietly.