by Van ©2014
		Chapter 5

Jodi awoke to find herself under sheets and a light blanket and snuggled against Eleanor's naked body.  She was mildly surprised to feel as refreshed as she did, and to not be even a little disoriented by her naked and bound condition.  The memory of the previous day was quite clear, including the glorious night of bound pleasure that had followed.  And while she might have been physically restrained in inescapable leather during the process—hence the bound pleasure characterization—emotionally, Jodi's pleasure had flown as freely as the proverbial bird.  And Jodi was sure Eleanor's pleasure had been equally unrestrained.

"Good morning, Little Nymph," Eleanor said quietly.  Obviously, she was awake, and had realized her "guest" was awake as well.

"Morning," Jodi answered.  Apparently, "Little Nymph" was now Jodi's pet name.  She wasn't sure how she felt about that.  In fact, at the moment, just about everything was up for grabs... so to speak.

"It would appear it's still raining," Eleanor stated.

Jodi lifted her head and gazed out the bedroom window.  The drapes were open, and even from the bed she could see a stretch of garden and the forest beyond.  The morning sky did appear to overcast, and if it was raining, it was only a light drizzle... not that it mattered.

"Did you enjoy yourself last night?" Eleanor purred.

Her cheek resting against Eleanor's breast, Jodi allowed several seconds to pass before answering.  "You have to ask?"  Jodi couldn't see her kidnapper's (and lover's) face, but she knew Eleanor was smiling.  Of course she was smiling.  Jodi wanted to smile, but managed to stifle herself, as would be proper for a naked and bound distressed damsel, but of course Eleanor was smiling.

"Tell me about the games you play with your sister," Eleanor purred.

"I'd rather talk about you letting me go," Jodi huffed.

"Same thing, Little Nymph."

Jodi frowned.  "Huh?"

"You take turns tying each other up, correct?" Eleanor inquired.

"Uh... yeah."

"Naked?"

Jodi felt her cheeks blush, and wondered if Eleanor could feel the added heat against her breast.  "Not completely naked.  We wear panties... usually."

"And why is that?" Eleanor asked.

"The panties?"

"The nakedness."

Jodi frowned, again.  "Well..."

Eleanor answered her own question.  "It's to enhance the feelings of vulnerability and helplessness, Jodi.  Am I correct?"

"Well... duh!"

Eleanor chuckled and kissed the top of Jodi's head.  "A damsel in distress is never more vulnerable than when she's naked."

"And bound and gagged," Jodi sighed, then blushed, again.  Why the hell did I say that?  Stupid, stupid, stupid!

"Just so," Eleanor purred.  "And the nipple clamps?"

"W-what nipple clamps?"  Obviously, Libby had told Eleanor about the vibrating nipple clamps she'd taken home from Leatherosity the Night of the Armbinder.  Come to think of it, the pair of clover-clamps they'd been playing with off and on for months had also come from the shop, so Libby could have spilled the proverbial beans about those as well.

"Adding a little teasing spice to the festivities is fun, isn't it Little Nymph?"

"Okay," Jodi whispered.  "I'll go with fun... within limits."

"And speaking of limits," Eleanor chuckled, "what's the longest game you and your sister have ever played?"

"Uh... ten hours?" Jodi answered.  "Yeah, ten hours.  Overnight."

"Never longer?"

Jodi sighed and snuggled against Eleanor's body, and her hostess/captor gave her a hug in return.  "Well, usually, one of us has to go to work, somewhere, no matter who's tied up.  It's okay to leave the little dweeb tied to a chair or on her bed and go out for a while—"

"Like a brief trip to Leatherocity?"

"Yeah, but not to go to work."  Jodi stretched her bound body.  "I might be asked to work a double shift."

"Or Candy might start practicing with the band and loose track of time," Eleanor suggested.

"Yeah."

"Do you prefer rope, leather, or steel?" Eleanor asked.

"Uh... all we have is rope," Jodi admitted, "and one leather gag."

Maintaining her gentle embrace, Eleanor slid her right hand over Jodi's bare shoulder, down her upper arm, and came to rest on the leather cuff buckled above her elbow.  "Properly applied, rope is like a living thing."  She gently squeezed Jodi's body.  "It moves with you, and doesn't let go... when properly applied."

"I know what you mean," Jodi sighed.

"Well designed leather restraints can be the same," Eleanor purred.

Jodi squirmed and weakly tugged on the leather cuffs and binder that had bound her folded arms behind her back and hobbled her ankles all night... while she sucked face with Eleanor... and Eleanor frigged her pussy until she screamed and writhed in orgasm.  Jodi squirmed against her captor's body, snuggling in Eleanor's warm embrace.

"Steel, however," Eleanor continued, "is different.  Steel is impersonal, hard and cold until it's warmed by the skin.  The experience is different."

Jodi thought back to the steel cuffs and collar she'd worn yesterday.  They were the first steel she had ever worn, but it didn't take a lot of experience to get at least part of what Eleanor was saying.  "I guess."  She couldn't think of anything else to add.

"I have so much to show you, Jodi," Eleanor sighed.

A thrill rippled through Jodi's pussy and she shivered in Eleanor's embrace.  And speaking of things between her legs...  "Uh, can we start with the bathroom?" she asked.

Eleanor chuckled, kissed the top of Jodi's head, then pulled back the covers.  "Of course, Little Nymph."

Breakfast was light, a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal with milk, and then— "Mrrrpfh?" —out of nowhere, Eleanor popped a ball-gag in Jodi's mouth.  She buckled the strap at the nape of Jodi's neck, tight enough to make her cheeks bulge, then buckled a secondary, narrower strap under her chin.

Eleanor stepped in front of Jodi, cupped and lifted her chin with her left hand, and used her right to comb the glaring prisoner's bangs with her fingers.  "You look so cute like that, Jodi," she sighed, "all naked and helpless... a little angry... a little frightened."

Jodi gazed into Eleanor's eyes.  She was right, of course.  Jodi was, indeed, angry and frightened.  Actually, she was more miffed than angry, and more scared than frightened, assuming those weren't the same thing, which they were.  Anyway, Jodi wanted to go home... kinda.  And she was scared in the way she felt when sitting in the theater and waiting for a scary movie to start.  The problem was, of course, that this wasn't a movie, it was The Game... and she had no idea what Eleanor was going to do next, what was going to be her kidnapper's next move.

"Adorable," Eleanor sighed.  "Well, I suppose we better get on with our tour, or all of this is going to take... days."

Jodi wasn't fooled at all, not even a bit, not even a teeny-tiny bit.  Eleanor wasn't going to keep her a bound prisoner for days... probably.  No, she wouldn't!  She couldn't!  Could she?

Still smiling her superior, infuriating, hot smile, Eleanor released Jodi's chin.  "There are other very interesting machines and complex devices down below," she purred, "in addition to my rack, horse, and iron maiden; but today, I think we'll concentrate less on the elaborate and large, and more on the... intimate."

Jodi realized her heart was hammering, like yesterday.  Intimate?

Eleanor took a step to the side and made a sweeping gesture.  "You remember the way to the library, don't you, Little Nymph?"

Jodi looked at the kitchen door, then Eleanor, then the door, again.  Finally, she turned back to Eleanor and slowly nodded.

"Go, Little Nymph," Eleanor chuckled.  "Don't make me get a collar and leash."

Jodi sighed through her gag, then minced towards the door, being careful not to trip on her hobble.

They trekked to the library, through the secret door in the closet, and down the stairs to The Dungeons—and yes, Jodi had decided to christen Eleanor's subterranean complex of playrooms "The Dungeons."  It was descriptive, albeit not particularly original or creative.

Eleanor wasn't in her dominatrix outfit, but a variant of the casual-at-home clothing she'd worn for most of yesterday; specifically, sandals and designer jeans.  However, instead of a cotton blouse, she was wearing a body-hugging tank-top that made it very clear she was not wearing a bra.

Jodi was in her birthday suit and the same leather box-tie cuffs, hobble, and ball-gag.

Anyway... another day, another dim corridor, and another steel door studded with bolts.

Jodi watched as Eleanor unlocked and opened the door, then stood aside and gestured, indicating that she should enter first.  Jodi minced across the threshold and into the chamber beyond, and found herself staring at two vertical posts solidly set in the floor and affixed to the ceiling, about six feet apart.  They were the same polished and stained wood as the rest of the mansion's furniture, paneling, floors, and woodwork.  A stout, horizontal stainless steel bar linked the posts, about five feet off the concrete floor.

Jodi jumped, nervously, when the chamber door closed behind her, then watched as Eleanor stepped behind the posts and started doing something to the bar's attachment points.  There was a metallic click and she lowered one end of the bar a few inches.  Then, there was another click, she lowered the other end, and the bar was once again horizontal.  She then walked to a wooden cabinet, opened its door, and returned to the bar with a stainless steel... something.  There was another click, a very solid click that may have been more than one click close together, then Eleanor took a step back, turned to Jodi, and smiled.  "Let's see if I've correctly estimated your height," she purred, "shall we?"

Jodi realized the something in question was a stainless steel posture-collar, a steel neck-brace.  It was hinged on one side and was open.  All its edges were smooth and well-rounded, open and waiting for... for her!  "Nrrrrr!"  Jodi shook her head and took a hobbled step back, towards the closed door.

Eleanor continued to smile.  "Adorable," she chuckled.  "Now, how would you like to play this, Little Nymph?  Are you going to bravely and defiantly surrender to the inevitable, or would you like me to grab a handful of hair and drag you to your fate?  Either option works for me."

Jodi stared at the collar.  Seconds passed... then she sighed, glared at Eleanor, minced to the bar, turned around, and placed the back of her neck in the collar.

"Good damsel," Eleanor chuckled as she swung the front of the collar closed.  It closed with another click.  "Good, I haven't lost my touch.  The height is perfect."

Jodi's hobbled feet were flat on the floor.  The collar encouraged (meaning required) her to lift her chin, and was a tight fit.  It wasn't strangling tight, of course, not even close, but tight.  Also the interior and edges were as smooth and rounded as they'd looked.  Jodi squirmed and rolled her shoulders, slightly, just to test her condition, and found the collar was solidly attached to the bar, which was solidly attached to the posts.  Nothing rattled or moved, not even a little.

Eleanor stepped forward and cupped Jodi's breasts.  "There are additional bars in the cabinet," she explained, "as well as manacles, fetters, and a waist belt, all in stainless steel."  She gently squeezed Jodi's breasts.  "The system is perfect for restraining a damsel in any one of a variety of convenient positions."

Jodi shivered in her leather restraints and the immobilizing steel collar, her eyes locked with Eleanor's.

"I could restrain you further," Eleanor continued, "but it isn't necessary, is it, Little Nymph?"  The question was rhetorical, of course.  "Anyway, I didn't bring you here to demonstrate the frame.  I have other things to show you."  She released Jodi's breasts and strolled to a different, smaller cabinet.  It was something like a large tool chest resting on a wooden stand, with drawers and a lid.

Jodi watched as Eleanor lifted the lid, picked something up, returned to the frame, smiled, and held what was in her hand for Jodi's inspection.  "Urrk?"  Jodi beheld a pinwheel of needle-sharp spikes that turning on a forked handle, all in stainless steel.  Jodi knew what it was, and exactly what it was for.

"A Wartenberg Pinwheel," Eleanor purred.  "Terry used to delight in teasing my entire body with these things."  She used the tip of one finger to give the wheel a spin.  "There's one in the collection with seven wheels.  I suppose you might call it a Wartenberg Roller."

Jodi stared at the blur of spinning spikes with wide, horrified eyes.

"Have you ever felt a pinwheel on your skin, Jodi?" Eleanor asked.  "Blink once for yes and twice for no."

Jodi continued staring at the wheel, then shifted her gaze to Eleanor and slowly, deliberately blinked twice.

"Well then," Eleanor purred, "I assume you're curious."

"Nrrr!"  Jodi blinked twice, again.

"No need to blink 'yes' more than once, Jodi," Eleanor chuckled.  "I know you're curious."

Jodi glared at Eleanor, then her eyes popped even wider.  "Mrrrf!"  Something—obviously the pinwheel—was pricking the skin of her right breast!  She shivered, quivered, and tugged on her wrist and arm bonds.  It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!  It was horrible, but actually didn't hurt as much as she thought it would.  The worst part— "Nrrrm!" —was the way the wheel kept gliding over her breast!  Eleanor teased the side slopes of her boob... and her nipple... and the underside, and she didn't stop!  Jodi closed her eyes, shivered in her bonds, and did her best to ignore the prickling sensations marching across her skin.

And then, it was over.  Jodi opened her eyes to find Eleanor holding the wheel before her panting face, once again.

"On one very memorable occasion," Eleanor said, "Terry clamped me in this frame with my arms raised, my neck locked in that very collar, and my ankles locked in shackles about two feet apart.  He put plugs in my ears, then strapped a leather isolation helmet with a blindfold and earmuffs over my head.  I was gagged, of course, so I couldn't beg for mercy.  He left me like that for an hour, and then..."  She gave the wheel another spin.  "He used this wheel, or one like it, to tease my entire body... for a very long time.  Breasts, nipples, armpits, ribs, thighs, the backs of my knees, my pussy...  for a very long time.  Did I mention I was naked?"

Jodi stared at the turning wheel and continued panting through her gag.

"I really don't know how long he teased me like that," Eleanor continued.  "I was... distracted... and lost track of time.  Anyway, suddenly, the stimulation stopped.  He left me like that again, trapped in the frame and helmet... dripping with sweat... so horny I thought I would die... for another hour.  Then, her released me from the frame, tied my hands behind my back, took me upstairs to the bedroom, and fucked my brains out.  Oh, Jodi, it was glorious."  She turned and strolled back to the open tool chest cabinet, returned the pinwheel to whatever tray-slot or cubbyhole she'd taken it from, selected something new, and returned to the frame.

Jodi's eyes popped wide, again.  "Urrm!"  She was staring at what was unmistakably a pair of clover-style nipple-clamps joined by a light chain!  They were much like the nipple-clamps back home, the clamps the Hodges sisters used on themselves (meaning each other); however, Eleanor's clamps were somehow... nicer.  They were silver, rather than steel, or perhaps a steel alloy with a silver finish.  Also, the mechanisms were more complicated, with little gears that turned as Eleanor pressed on the sides of the clamps, rather than simple springs.  Finally, the tiny oval gripping surfaces of the pads were lined with teeny-tiny conical spikes!

"I forgot to tell you how Terry led me upstairs," Eleanor purred.  "He didn't use a leash clipped to a collar or the hood.  He used a leash clipped through the chain of these very clips."

"Nrrrrf!"  Jodi whined as Eleanor's hands dropped from her collar-restricted line of sight, and her fingers began teasing Jodi's right nipple.  Her eyes were on Eleanor's beautiful, smiling face, but Eleanor's gaze was lower, on the breast in question.  Eleanor manipulated her nipple, pulling it between the clamp's open pads.  Then, slowly, the clamp closed.  "Urrk!"

Truth be told, Eleanor's clamps weren't any worse than the pair back home, but Jodi was caught up in the drama of the moment... as well as her bonds, the gag, and the frame's posture collar.

The second clamp closed on Jodi's left nipple, after the obligatory finger manipulation, of course.  Jodi shivered in her bonds and batted her eyes in distress.

Eleanor leaned close and whispered in Jodi's right ear.  "Who do you think you're fooling, Little Nymph?  You know you're enjoying yourself like never before."

I am?  Jodi squirmed in her bonds, causing the chain connecting her new tit jewelry to sway.

"You'd like me to remove the clamps, of course," Eleanor continued, "and you'd remove them yourself, if you could."  She kissed Jodi's forehead.  "But you can't... because you're my prisoner... and you're bound and gagged."

Jodi was panting through her gag, and her nipple-clipped breasts were heaving.  She was terrified, frightened, and aroused.  Yes, once again, her damn pussy was thinking only of itself.  Jodi's brain and nipples would just as soon pass on the current situation.

Eleanor turned and walked to the chamber door, pulled it open, and paused in the threshold.  "I have something else to show you, Little Nymph.  Wait here."  And then she was gone, leaving the door open behind her.

Oh yes, the classic 'wait here' witticism, Jodi sighed.  She'd used it countless times on her kid sister, and Candy had used it on her in return.  Jodi rolled her eyes and sighed.  She didn't bother promising herself not to do it again.  She knew she would.  Her nipples were complaining about the clamps, but she couldn't do anything about getting them removed, not at the moment, anyway.  Also, she actually was curious to see what Eleanor had gone to fetch... and her pussy was really curious.

The pain inflicted by the evil, insidious nipple-clamps on Jodi's poor, innocent nipples was absolute agony!  Okay, the clamps hurt a little, but the melodramatic aspect of the exercise was important, as important as the physical presence of the clamps themselves, so "absolute agony" it was!  Anyway, after only a few seconds, the sensation settled down to a low burn.  The clamps were definitely there, dangling from her nipples with the connecting chain swaying whenever she moved, but given some sort of distraction, Jodi knew she'd be able to pretend they weren't there.

The problem was, at the moment Jodi had very little in the way of distraction.  Eleanor had abandoned her!

Her nipples burned... as did her traitorous pussy, but in a different way, of course.  It was infuriating!  How could her pussy, meaning Jodi, possibly be enjoying herself?  She'd been kidnapped, by a beautiful, hot, experienced older woman, with luscious, full lips, and magnificent breasts, and...

Enough!  Jodi tugged on her bonds with all her strength, then sighed through her gag.  Other than making her tit-clamp chain rattle and sway, she'd accomplished nothing.  She might as well have tried teleporting herself back to her apartment by wiggling her nose.

Just then, she heard Eleanor's sandals in the corridor, her captor reappeared in the doorway, and in her hands was— "Urrk?" —something that definitely qualified as a distraction.

Eleanor was holding a stainless steel bra!  It wasn't just a metal copy of a normal bra, nor was it part of the costume of a Valkyrie in one of Wagner's operas.  As Eleanor carried it closer, Jodi could see that the bra's cups were half cage and half spiral domes.  The thing was really quite beautiful, in a world class sinister sort of way, and sinister because the interiors of the bra's cups were lined with countless needles!

"Oh, Jodi!" Eleanor chuckled, "you should see your face."  She turned the bra in her hands, so Jodi could examine every aspect.  "Your breasts are very nice, Little Nymph, with a pleasing, perky shape."

'Perky,' Jodi thought.  Never heard that before, but what's it got to do with that... thing?

"Yes, I find your girlish figure quite attractive," Eleanor continued, "but I'm afraid your sweater puppies, as adorable as they might be, are too small for you to fully appreciate my punishment bra.  Sorry."

Sorry?  Are you kidding me?  Jodi stared at the countless tiny spikes lining the bra's cups, and the chain-mail shoulder and back strap.  Too small for me?  NOT sorry.

"Terry had this custom made to my exact measurements," Eleanor explained, "and once it's locked on my body, with every motion the needles prick the skin of my boobs.  If I stand perfectly still, I can ignore the sensation."  She reached out with one hand and gently tugged on the connecting chain of Jodi's nipple-clamps, and her captive audience winced in response.  "Just as you can ignore these things."  She released the chain and continued slowly turning the bra, so Jodi got a good look at every single tiny needle-sharp spike.  "It's like a thousand ants crawling over your breasts, Little Nymph," she continued, "and when you lift an arm, twist at the waist, or lean forward or back... the ants bite."

Jodi's heart was hammering, again.

"Once, we hosted a dinner party for several friends," Eleanor said.  Her eyes were on the needles, like Jodi's.  "Some of our guests were old friends who shared our, shall we say, hobby, but others were very much what you would call 'vanilla,' even straitlaced.  Dress was casual, and I was in jeans and a sweater... and Terry's bra.  Some were in on the secret, and knew what I was going through, but the others did not.  It was a memorable evening."

Jodi watched as Eleanor carried the evil bra to the small cabinet and set it down atop the closed lid.  She then returned to Jodi and smiled.

"After our guests went home," Eleanor continued, "Terry took me to the bedroom, ordered me to strip, then tied me to our bed."  She stepped forwards, cupped Jodi's crotch, and began a slow, gentle massage of her pussy.  "He finally unlocked and removed the bra, then rubbed ointment on my poor breasts."  The massage continued.  "I think you can guess what happened next."

Obviously, Jodi thought.  Poor, pathetic Eleanor got her brains boinked out.  She closed her eyes and shivered in her bonds.  Okay, Jodi had been kidnapped, stripped, bound and gagged, yadda-yadda-yadda, that didn't mean she couldn't have a good time.  That's right, now her brain was agreeing with her pussy, at least for the moment.

Suddenly, Eleanor's hand disappeared.  "Nrrf?"  Jodi opened her eyes to find all of Eleanor disappearing, out the door!  How rude!

Jodi stood in her bonds, trapped in the posture collar clamped to the bar between the two posts... and waited.  No other options were available.  She stared at the steel bra atop the cabinet.  Not my size, huh?  What a tragedy.  Her thoughts were sarcastic, of course.  Jodi was curious about Eleanor's hobby collection, but she wasn't that curious.

Seconds passed... and turned into a minute.

Finally, Jodi heard Eleanor's sandals in the corridor, accompanied by a jingling sound.  And then, Eleanor was in the doorway, and in her hands she held— "Urrk?" —a canvas jacket, as in a canvas strait-jacket!

Eleanor smiled and strolled into the chamber.  The jacket's many dangling straps and buckles were the source of the metallic music, of course.  "I think you've worn those cuffs long enough, Little Nymph," she purred.  "Time for a change."

Once again, Jodi was stomping down the corridor behind Eleanor.  Okay, she was mincing.  The padded ankle cuffs and leather hobble-strap were still in place.  She was mincing.  Jodi was getting very tired of mincing.

Back in the post chamber, Jodi had allowed Eleanor to remove her leather wrist and upper arm cuffs and the tube of leather buckled around her forearms, then dress her in the straitjacket.  Of course, she was still locked in the posture collar with her ankles cuffed and hobbled and the ball-gag in her mouth, so she was hardly in a position to resist... or complain.  Also, ever the considerate hostess, Eleanor had offered to fetch a riding crop if incentive was required.  Not wanting to be a rude guest, Jodi had declined, and cooperated.

Eleanor the Cruel had removed Jodi's nipple-clamps before dressing her in the jacket.  Thankfully, it wasn't too bad... in an Ow-ow-ow-it-hurts-it-hurts! sort of way.  Jodi knew the clamps would hurt worse coming off than going on, they always did, but still...  What a bitch!  What a beautiful, incredibly hot bitch!

Anyway, the jacket in question was heavy, natural canvas, with brown leather straps and trim.  It was also a very good fit, not in the least bit baggy or one-size-fits-all.  Jodi found this a little surprising, as most of what she'd seen on her tour had been sized to fit Eleanor's incredible body, if it was the sort of thing that had a size; but the jacket was different.  Jodi didn't see an actual label as she put her arms in the sleeves and Eleanor pulled in onto her body, but it was a good fit.  She assumed Eleanor had an entire rack of the things somewhere, from extra-small maiden to tall and beefy amazon.  Anyway...

The jacket had an open collar, almost a scoop collar, and it buckled closed in the back.  Jodi counted six buckles, and after they were secured the jacket hugged her torso evenly from shoulders to hips.  It also squashed her breasts a little.  For once, she was quite glad they were "perky."  The sleeves were equally tight, with integrated leather cuffs that buckled around her wrists and upper arms.  The sleeves were closed at the ends, of course, with the fabric doubled and with long, dandling leather straps solidly attached.

The sleeves' straps didn't dangle for long.  Jodi's arms were crossed in front, under her breasts, and the straps buckled together behind her back.  It was the traditional self-hug, and it was tight, like the jacket itself.  Secondary straps were threaded through slots in the wrist and upper arm cuffs and reinforced the arrangement.  Another strap tucked her forearms against her tummy.  And finally, a pair of straps passed between her legs, to either side of her pussy, and buckled in the back.  Jodi knew Houdini could escape from this sort of attire, but there was no way on earth The Great Jodi Hodges would be wiggling out of this particular jacket.

Eleanor led Jodi upstairs, taking the stairs to the linen closet.  It occurred to Jodi that she needed a tour of the rest of Eleanor's mansion nearly as much as what remained of the dungeons below.  Her mental image of the de Vries estate's layout remained rather sketchy.

Anyway, their destination was some sort of exercise room.  It was similar in size and decor to Eleanor's yoga studio, but without the aromatherapy candles and with the addition of an entire wall of windows that looked out on the forest.  Jodi recognized a stationary bicycle, a rowing machine, some sort of universal resistance machine that was very complicated, and an inclined treadmill.  Everything looked very expensive and top of the line.

Without a word, Eleanor led Jodi to the treadmill.  The straitjacketed, ball-gagged, hobbled, and otherwise naked captive stepped onto the rolling track and watched as Eleanor stretched chains from the side-rails of the machine to D-rings sewn into the the straitjacket and adjusted the chains' lengths until Jodi was centered on the track with only an inch or two of slack in any given direction.  Two additional chains were attached to D-rings at the jacket's shoulders, and they stretched up to a motorized winch system discreetly blended into the decor, as discreetly as such things could be blended into the decor, that is.  Without prior knowledge of Eleanor's hobby activities, Jodi might have taken the metal rails and winch overhead as a means of repositioning the heavy exercise machines.  Of course, the system's moveable winch and dangling chains could also be used to ensure that any helpless damsel Eleanor wished to remain upright in a given location would remain there.

In short, Jodi was on the treadmill and was there to stay.  She watched as Eleanor knelt and removed the eight-inch leather strap hobbling her ankles.  The padded cuffs remained buckled around her ankles.  Eleanor stood upright and smiled.  It was obvious what was coming.

"Neither one of us has gotten much exercise since you've arrived," Eleanor purred.  She reached out and combed Jodi's bangs with her fingers.

Jodi met her captor's smile with a gagged grimace.  Eleanor seemed to derive a great deal of pleasure out of messing with her bangs, and Jodi didn't like it... or felt she ought to at least pretend she didn't like it.  It made her feel like a pet of some sort.  Of course, there were worse things than a beautiful, hot lady running her fingers through your hair.

"I'm going to change," Eleanor continued, "and while I'm gone..."  She reached over to the treadmill's control panel and pressed a red button.  A small screen began to glow, and Eleanor rapidly tapped her way through a blur of menus, too quickly for Jodi to follow.  Obviously, her kidnapper/hostess was quite familiar with this machine.  With a final tap, the entire machine began to hum, the word "WARMUP" appeared, and the track began rolling under Jodi's feet.

"Nrrrf!" Jodi complained.  She had no choice but to start walking.  Jodi jogged on a regular basis, solo or with Candy as company, but she didn't like gyms.  Not coincidentally, the Hodges sisters couldn't afford gyms.  Anyway, exercise was one thing.  Being forced to exercise was something else.  And, Jodi realized, an entirely new aspect of The Game that had never occurred to her before.

Meanwhile, still smiling her gloating (and hot) smile, Eleanor was strolling towards the door... and then was gone.

The control panel chimed, the screen cleared, and an animated graphic appeared.  A teeny-tiny cartoon hiker was trudging along a mountain trail.  There was also a caption: "Mountain Trek #1 (Beginner)."  For the moment, the trail under the tiny hiker's feet was level, but a gentle rise loomed ahead.  The rolling treadmill under Jodi's bare feet was also level, but it was a sure thing that that would soon change.