by Van ©2014
		Chapter 9

The Hodges sisters had a lot to talk about.  Unfortunately, they were both ball-gagged, so their vocabularies were severely limited.

In addition to filling in the fine details of her experience as Eleanor's prisoner (not counting the erotic bits, of course), Jodi very much wanted to share her thoughts about Eleanor's offer of the self-bondage safety app for their phones.  It was a good idea, she supposed, but more important was its implicit promise that Eleanor was going to set them free... eventually.  Otherwise, what was the point?  Jodi and Candy wouldn't need Eleanor's app if they were destined never to leave the dungeons of Chateau de Vries.  She could tell her kid sister was still conflicted about their unfolding "adventure," but it would be nice to be able to reassure her that they would be going home... eventually... probably.

Candy was indeed conflicted.  Being "kidnapped" by Libby and transported to Eleanor's lair had been exciting, in every sense of the word, but Libby's role in her capture had been more or less the same as Jodi's when it was Candy's turn to be the distressed damsel.  Anyway, Candy had more or less volunteered to be bound in leather.  Eleanor, however, had handled her like a pro!  And that was new!  Granted, Candy hadn't really tried to contest the issue when Eleanor stripped her naked, but she knew resistance on her part would have been a totally useless gesture.  So... 

Kidnapped!  Yipee!

Kidnapped!  Oh no!

The sisters cooled their heels—their naked, bound and gagged heels—for an hour.  Anyway, it felt like an hour.  It may have been less, but they couldn't compare notes.  Finally, Eleanor returned, and Candy's eyes popped as wide as they'd ever popped in her young life.  Also, Jodi's pussy purred with delight.

Eleanor had changed into her dominatrix outfit!

Jodi had already seen the black leather thigh boots, smoky black pantyhose, strapless bustier/corset, leather opera gloves, and spiked collar, of course, but the sexy, menacing ensemble was a novel experience for Candy.  Eleanor's hair was combed back and pulled into a tight bun, a sinister smile curled her full lips (sinister given the context), and a riding crop was in her gloved hands.

Jodi was thrilled to see Eleanor back in Dread Dominatrix mode.  She was also a little terrified.  How could she not be?

Candy wasn't sure what she was feeling.  Okay, she was terrified, and any excitement she might be feeling at the sight of their kidnapper's supremely hot appearance was very much taking a back seat to her bondage-frustrated flight response.

Eleanor stepped close to Candy and smiled down at the naked, bound, and gagged captive.  She then used the flat tip of the riding crop to lift Candy's chin and placed two fingers of her free hand against Candy's throat, just above her collar.  "Oh, Candy," she chuckled, "even through these gloves I can feel your pulse.  And just look at your pretty little breasts bob and heave."  She shifted the tip of the crop from Candy's chin to her right nipple.  "Remember, tiny damsel, I swore to you and your sister that you wouldn't be harmed, and I meant it.  However, while we play our game, that doesn't mean you can't be hurt.  I insist on complete obedience, tiny damsel, and failure to obey on your part will have...consequences."

Candy watched in horror as Eleanor lifted the tip of the crop, paused, and gave her nipple a gentle tap.  She turned her head and found Jodi watching in helpless, bound and gagged horror, then lifted her chin and locked eyes with Eleanor.

"I'm perfectly serious," Eleanor continued.  "I expect you to follow every command I give you.  And when I remove your gag and give you permission to speak, you will address me as 'Mistress.'  Do you understand?"  She tapped Candy's nipple, again, this time with just a tad more force.  Neither tap had been even remotely painful, but the threat was explicit.

Candy nodded several times, her eyes still locked with Eleanor's.

"Good girl," Eleanor chuckled, and let the crop's handle fall from her gloved hand to dangle from her wrist by its attached strap.  "A little added spice.  I hope you don't mind."  She shifted her evil (and hot) smile to Jodi.  "That goes for you too, Little Nymph.  Complete obedience."

Jodi heaved a sigh, then nodded.

"My precious Little Nymph," Eleanor chuckled, then shifted her gaze back to Candy.  "Hmm... Tiny Damsel.  That will do for now.  Come."  She released the ceiling cable from Candy's corset, took hold of the leash still dangling from her collar, and led Candy to Jodi's chair.  "Stand right here, Tiny Damsel," she said, pointing to the side.

Her heart still pounding and her naked breasts still heaving, slightly, Candy stood perfectly still and watched as Mistress Eleanor knelt and untied Jodi's ankles, then used the same rope to bind her big sister's knees together.

"Up you come," Eleanor said as she helped Jodi to her feet.  "You know the way to the Library," she purred, making a sweeping gesture.  "Lead on, Little Nymph."

Jodi gazed at her sister, then turned and shuffled towards the door.  She was encumbered by her knee bondage, but could still walk.  However, running was out of the question, even if she was willing to abandon "Tiny Damsel" to the tender mercies of Mistress Eleanor.

Eleanor followed in Jodi's wake, with Candy mincing behind at the end of her leash, hobbled by her ankle-cuffs and their connecting strap.

Candy's amazement at the secret door in the back of the library closet and the subterranean dungeons down below was as might be expected, even though she had been forewarned by Jodi's story.

Jodi's reaction was more subdued.  Not only had she been down in the dungeons before, but she was preoccupied with worry about what Eleanor had planned for her sister.  She didn't believe Eleanor would use anything in her collection to torture the naive little twerp, but Candy looked scared—and not in the good way, not in the damsel-in-distress way—and Jodi was concerned.  This entire "game" was getting way too complicated and out of hand, and Jodi couldn't see a way to slam on the brakes.  Mistress Eleanor was in charge, and the Hodges sisters had zero control of the situation.  All Jodi could do was lead the way down the filthy dungeon corridor and hope for the best.

Eleanor directed Jodi with the occasional verbal command to make a left or right turn when they came to junctions in the corridors—reinforced by light taps on the appropriate bare butt-cheek, of course.  Finally she ordered Jodi to stop.

The Hodges sisters exchanged a look of gagged apprehension as Mistress Eleanor unlocked one of the ubiquitous steel doors studded with bolts, threw back the bolt and pulled it open, then motioned for them to enter.  They minced and shuffled across the threshold and into the chamber beyond—and froze in horror!

The room was about thirty feet on a side and without furnishings, other than a wooden cabinet against one wall and a large, complicated, hand-cranked winch mounted on another.  A mechanism of unknown function was integrated into the winch design.  It had counter-weighted lever arms and a large, stainless steel cylinder sliding inside a set of vertical steel rails.  But that technological mystery was nothing compared to the terrifying (and erotic) spectacle in the center of the chamber.

Libby was naked, totally naked.  Her ankles were about two feet apart and buckled in leather cuffs separated by a spreader-bar, her wrists were buckled in leather cuffs behind her back, and she was bent forward at the waist with her arms raised and the wrist cuffs linked by a taut steel cable to a pulley in the ceiling.  The cable crossed the ceiling to a second pulley, then down to the complicated winch.

Jodi recognized Libby's predicament as what Eleanor had called the "strappado."  She didn't know if Candy knew the word, but little sister's vocabulary took a back seat to what was happening to poor Libby.  She was up on her toes, her arms were raised and strained to what looked like the limit of her shoulders, and clover-clamps joined by a light chain dangled from her nipples!  Finally, Libby's mouth was plugged by a ball-gag much like Jodi and Candy's, so any expressions of displeasure she might wish to share were severely limited.  Libby's long black hair hung in a tousled mass, partially obstructing Jodi's view of the strained victim's gagged face, but she could still read Libby's expression.  Under a mask of gagged stoicism, the proprietress of Leatherocity was frightened... maybe.

Jodi had always thought Libby Chao was hot—not Mistress Eleanor hot, of course, but hot—but seeing her in naked, bound and gagged distress was something else.  The chamber was somewhat overheated, hotness of the occupant aside, and Libby's skin glistened with sweat.  Of course, her strained predicament may have contributed to her overall dampness.  Libby's breasts, which were about the same size as Jodi's, hung like modest bags of tan flesh, the nipples only slightly stretched by the clamps.  A quick glance at Candy confirmed that she was also impressed, and terrified.

Both Hodges sisters flinched when the chamber door clanged shut behind them.  They watched Mistress Eleanor stroll to Libby's side, turn, and smile in their direction.

"I wanted to impress upon you two the gravity of your situation," Eleanor purred, "and Libby was nice enough to volunteer for a little demonstration."  She turned her head and smiled at Libby, who had turned her head and was glaring at the gloating dominatrix.  "Granted," Eleanor chuckled, "she probably didn't understand quite what I had in mind, but she did volunteer."  She pointed to a corner of the chamber.  "Over there, Tiny Damsel," she ordered.

Candy looked at her sister, then at Eleanor, then minced to the corner indicated.

"Sit," Eleanor ordered, then helped Candy settle to the dirty floor.  Candy's hobbled ankles were in front and her legs folded in a semi-lotus.  Eleanor passed Candy's leash through the hobbling strap, pulled until she had no choice but to lean forward, then tied a saddle-hitch to keep her in that crouching position.

Eleanor smiled at Jodi.  "Your word of the day is 'ebi,' Little Nymph, Japanese for 'shrimp.'  See how she's curled up like a cocktail shrimp?  No?  Anyway, for that reason, this basic position is called a 'shrimp-tie,' and this is a very loose, somewhat kind example.  Please, join us.  Stand next to your sister."  Her smile broadened when Jodi seemed to hesitate.  "Now, Little Nymph," Eleanor chuckled.  "Don't make me plant you next to Candy in a much more stringent version of the ebi."

Jodi heaved a gagged sigh, then shuffled to Candy's side and stood with her back to the wall.

"Such a good Little Nymph," Eleanor chuckled, leaned close and kissed Jodi's forehead.  She then turned and strolled to the cabinet.

Jodi and Candy had a perfect view of Libby's dimpled rear and legs.  She really was in good shape, her figure lithe and trim and her muscles well-toned.  She wasn't a bodybuilder, not by any stretch of the imagination, but she was fit... and hot... and sweaty.  Also, she had something of an overall tan.  That is, Libby Chao had no visible tan lines.

Meanwhile, Eleanor opened the cabinet door, removed the riding crop from her wrist, and placed it within.  From their position in the corner, the door blocked the sisters' view of the cabinet's interior.  Eleanor took something from inside, closed the door, and—  "Nrrf?"  —strolled back to the sisters.

It was Candy who had attempted to find voice for her distress and amazement, but Jodi had very nearly joined in.  In Eleanor's gloved hand was a multi-tailed leather flogger!  It had a braided handle and twenty or more ribbon-thin thongs, each about twenty inches in length.

Eleanor gave the Hodges sisters several seconds to examine the flogger as she slowly turned it in her hand... then gave it a flip.  The leather tails rattled as they came together and swayed.

"There is a continuum to this game," Eleanor lectured, "in the larger sense.  All that you girls have done up until now, all the times you've played together, all the times you've tied each other up and left each other bound, gagged, and helpless, all of that is only the beginning.  As you gain experience, you'll discover new levels of pleasure and pain, new realms of dominance and submission."

Jodi and Candy stared at the flogger with wide-eyed horror—then became aware of a curious muffled sound—and realized Libby was laughing through her gag!  Either that, or she was having some kind of seizure.

Eleanor rolled her eyes, then strolled to Libby, took a handful of her black hair in her free hand, and lifted her gagged head.  "Too much?" she asked with a coy grin.  "I'll try again later.  Now—"  She released Libby's head, turned, and took a few steps behind Libby's back (and butt) and away from the watching sisters, then began rolling her shoulders.  Obviously (and ominously) it was a warmup exercise.  "I guess we should get on with the demonstration."

Jodi and Candy involuntarily flinched as Eleanor drew back the flogger and delivered a very businesslike smack to Libby's left butt-cheek!  Libby mewled through her gag— "Mrrpfh!" —and shivered in her bonds in response.  The first blow was followed by a second, then a third.  A total of six blows were delivered, then Eleanor smiled at the quite obviously horrified sisters, took two steps to the side, and delivered six more smacks to Libby's right butt-cheek!

Libby continued reacting to Eleanor's blows, cringing and tugging on her bonds and grunting and moaning through her gag.  Her hanging breasts wobbled and the chain joining the nipple-clamps swayed, as did her tousled black hair.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Eleanor asked the Hodges sisters, then began thrashing Libby's back and thighs.  It was a rhetorical question, of course.

The flogging continued for several minutes.  Libby developed an angry blush in the affected areas, but Eleanor didn't break her skin.  Jodi decided Mistress was as skilled with the whip as she was with rope, which is to say, she was expert.

Finally, the flogging ended.

By this time, Libby was even more sweaty.  Her lower back, butt, and thighs practically glowed a rosy pink, and she was panting for breath.

Mistress Eleanor was also showing signs of her strenuous efforts.  A sheen of perspiration glistened on her shoulders, chest, and smiling face, and her breasts were testing the confines of her leather corset/bustier with every breath.

Jodi looked down at her sister and could tell she'd won their earlier argument.  It was clear that Candy wanted to go home right now!  Of course, at the moment, neither of them were in a position to beat feet for home.  They remained Mistress Eleanor's bound and gagged prisoners.

Meanwhile, Eleanor had returned the flogger to the cabinet and closed its door.  She strolled to the winch, smiled at the sisters, and indicated the overly complicated mechanism.  "Terry designed this thing," she explained.  "Terry was my late husband, Tiny Damsel" she added for Candy's benefit.  "The pawl locking the drum is held in position by a weighted lever."  She pointed at the top cylinder running in the vertical rails.  "If the water in the cylinder is allowed to drip into a reservoir down below, the cylinder will rise in its track, and eventually the reservoir's increasing weight will be enough to pull the lever.  The pawl will be released, the drum will spin free, and poor, pathetic Libby will finally be able to lower her arms and come down off her aching toes."  Eleanor threw a small switch, then smiled at Jodi and Candy and strolled in their direction.

All present in the chamber could now hear the hollow, echoing sound of water slowly falling into the reservoir, drop... by drop... by drop.  It was impossible to judge how long it would take for the mechanism to unlock the drum, which would release Libby.  Mistress hadn't said.  Jodi's assumption was that Libby would remain suffering in the strappado position for some time to come.

The sisters watched Mistress Eleanor approach.  "Stay here, Tiny Damsel," she ordered, smiling down at Candy, then placed a gloved hand on Jodi's shoulder and led her forward to stand in front of Libby.  "The Tiny Damsel is for you, Mistress Lotus," Eleanor purred, addressing Libby.  "After you've freed yourself, you may take her to the guest room overlooking the side garden with the birdbath."  She led Jodi to the chamber door.  "Little Nymph and I will be in my bedroom.  We have much to discuss."

Libby sighed through gag.

Candy's eyes popped wide, again, and she squirmed in her bonds, her captive body rocking back and forth and side to side on the hard floor.  "Mrrrf?"

Jodi was reluctant to abandon her sister, but couldn't prevent Eleanor from leading her through the chamber door.

"Don't worry, I won't lock you in," Eleanor chuckled as she pulled the heavy steel door closed.  That pronouncement had been for Libby and Candy's benefit, of course.

Eleanor led Jodi down the corridor, one arm across her rope-yoked shoulders, and Jodi looked back at the closed door for as long as she could.

Jodi made the trip to Eleanor's bedroom in something of a daze.  She was trying to process what she'd just seen, but had the definite feeling that important information was missing.  Obviously, with respect to the Big Picture, Libby was in on what was happening.  Yes, Libby was definitely in on the kidnappings, and while she might have agreed to take part in Eleanor's "demonstration," did she really volunteer to have her fanny whacked?  Anyway, Mistress had said they had "much to discuss," so Jodi figured she might as well wait until they reached the bedroom—then she realized they already had reached the bedroom.  In fact she had just sat down on Eleanor's bed.  She really had been in a daze.

Jodi watched as Mistress Eleanor, incredibly hot in her dominatrix outfit, knelt and began untying her knee bonds.  The bands of conditioned flax melted away, then Eleanor sat on the bed next to her and began untying the box-tie.  The complex web loosened as knots were released, cinches pulled free, and the doubled strands of rope slithered away.  Finally, the rope was a tangled mass, half on the bed and half on the floor, but none of it binding poor, innocent Jodi.  Next, Eleanor released the ball-gag's buckle, gently removed the foam and rubber plug from Jodi's mouth, and dropped it on the mattress.

Then, Eleanor stood, sauntered to an easy chair near the window, sat, and crossed her booted legs.

Jodi stared at her kidnapper, lover, and Mistress for several seconds... then stood and stretched.  Wonder of wonders, Jodi was finally, gloriously, rope free.  She was still naked, of course, but so what?  Also, Eleanor was still sexy, menacing, and hot.  That hadn't changed either, however...  Candy!

Jodi glanced at the closed bedroom door, then at Eleanor.

"I gave you my word, Little Nymph," Eleanor purred, as if reading her mind.  "Your sister is perfectly safe."

"She's terrified," Jodi said, almost in a whisper.

Eleanor's smile continued.  "Do you really want to spoil this experience for Candy?  Do you really feel you need to rush back down to the dungeon and rescue her?"

Jodi stared daggers at her Mistress.  Eleanor's gloating attitude was infuriating.  "Yes!" Jodi barked... then heaved a sad, confused sigh.  "No."

"My Little Nymph," Eleanor chuckled, then spun her right index finger in the air.  "Pirouette for Mistress, would you please?"

Jodi favored her kidnapper with a disapproving pout, heaved another sigh, and slowly shuffled in a full circle.

"None the worse for wear, it would appear," Eleanor purred.  "Your rope marks should fade quickly.  I really am an expert with rope, don't you agree?"

Jodi's answer was to cross her arms under her breasts and continue to pout.  "When are you gonna let us go?" she demanded.

Still smiling, Eleanor beckoned Jodi to her side.  "Come, Little Nymph."  Jodi padded forward and Eleanor pointed to the carpet next to the chair.  "Sit."  Again, Jodi complied, settling onto her butt with her legs folded to one side.  "Hands on top of your head," Eleanor purred, and again, Jodi did as she was told.

Jodi had no idea why she was being so submissive.  The obvious Top/Bottom dynamic aside, why didn't she want to rebel?  She wasn't scared, not really.  Nor was she concerned that Mistress Eleanor would retaliate for any hypothetical resistance on her part by doing something nasty to Candy.  It just seemed like the right thing to do as Eleanor asked.

From the comfort of her chair, Eleanor gazed at Jodi for several long seconds.  "Adorable," she said finally.  "Libby tells me you're having difficulty finding full-time employment."

"I have prospects," Jodi muttered.

Eleanor's smile continued.  "Have you ever considered domestic service?"

"You mean... as a maid?"

"The Victorians had an arrangement," Eleanor explained, "sometimes referred to as a 'Lady's Companion.'  A well-to-do woman might hire someone of comparable social rank to act as her secretary, but usually it was more for company than to handle her affairs.  Often, it was a favor to a friend without prospects; however, a companion was not a maid.  Think of the companion as the modern evolution of the lady-in-waiting."

Jodi nodded.  "I see."  Her eyes widened.  "Oh, I see."

"Adorable," Eleanor chuckled.  "You may lower your arms, Little Nymph."

Jodi did so, her eyes locked with her Mistress.  "Uh... are you offering me a job as your... companion?"

"Yes," Eleanor answered.

Was it Jodi's imagination, or was Eleanor blushing?  Was the Dread Dominatrix Mistress Eleanor actually nervous?  In any case, at the moment, she couldn't possibly be more nervous than Jodi herself.  "Really?"  It came out as something of a squeak, and she could tell her cheeks were definitely blushing.  Also, once again her heart was thumping.

"I have a guest bedroom I think you might like," Eleanor continued, "and I can offer room and board, the use of one of my cars, full medical and dental coverage, and a monthly stipend."

"Wow," Jodi said quietly.  "Lady's companion."

"I don't need your answer right this second," Eleanor said.  "Why don't you take a shower, then we can talk some more and—"

"Yes," Jodi interrupted.

Eleanor blinked in surprise.  "What did you say?"

"Yes," Jodi reiterated, then surged to fer feet, plopped herself onto Eleanor's lap, and pulled her into a deep, wet kiss.

The kiss was returned, with both the naked Jodi and her dominatrix-costumed Mistress hugging each other with fierce enthusiasm.  Their lips smacked and tongues probed, and the kiss continued for all of eternity, meaning nearly a full minute.  Finally, Eleanor came up for air.  "Did Mistress tell you you could move, Little Nymph?" she demanded.  Her smile effectively defused the rebuke.

"Just being companiony," Jodi purred.

"There's no such word as 'companiony,' Little Nymph," Eleanor chuckled.  She planted a quick kiss on Jodi's smiling lips, then nodded at the bathroom door.  "Shower," she ordered.  "You need it."

"Yes, Mistress," Jodi chuckled, then climbed to her feet and padded to the bathroom—but skidded to a halt with her hand on the doorknob.  She turned to face Eleanor.  She was not smiling.

Eleanor's smile faded.  "What is it, Little Nymph?"

"Candy," Jodi said.  "I can't leave her alone in that apartment.  And she'll have to quit her singing career, if you can call it that.  And if I can't find a job..."

Eleanor's smile returned.  "I have more than one guest bedroom, Little Nymph, and this place could use a maid."

Jodi's smile returned.  "A singing maid?"

Eleanor shrugged.  "What a maid does in her off duty hours is her own business."

Still smiling, Jodi turned the doorknob.  "She might take some persuasion."

Eleanor's smile widened.  "I have my ways."

Candy squirmed and tugged on her bonds now and then.  It was more an effort to find some degree of relief from the bent-over position than to escape.  Her leather bonds remained more or less comfortable, but the "shrimp-tie" Mistress Eleanor had imposed on her naked body was starting to get old.  Granted, there was slack in the leash linking her ankle cuffs to her collar, she had some wiggle room, but her lower back was starting to complain.

Time passed.

Candy gazed at naked, sweaty, post-flogging Libby, standing stoically in her strappado bondage... not that Libby had much choice... meaning any choice.  And not that there was anything else in the chamber as interesting (or erotic) for Candy as the sight of poor Libby.  The rosy blush the caress of Mistress Eleanor's flogger had imparted on Libby's helpless form had started to fade.  Her rump, back, and thighs now looked like they had somehow acquired a selective sunburn.  There were no weals, stripes, of bruises—not that Mistress Eleanor's Evil Accomplice didn't deserve them, of course.  Libby was in cahoots with Eleanor.  Candy had to keep that in mind.

The monotonous drip... drip... drip... coming from the winch's supposed release mechanism continued.  Every now and then a set of gears would grind and the cylinder running in the vertical tracks would rise a fraction of an inch.  Presumably, if Mistress had been telling the truth, progress was being made towards Libby's eventual release.

More time passed.

Candy continued gazing at Libby's smooth, glistening, athletic form.  Even stretched as she was, Libby was beautiful.  The lack of tan lines remained a mystery, and Candy liked her fellow prisoner's and kidnapper's allover tan.  I wish I could tan like that, Candy thought.  Candy's complexion was decidedly fair.  She wasn't freakishly pale, by any means, and she could tan, just a little, but usually, by the time she figured out it was time to find some shade, she was already as red as a lobster.  Jodi's complexion was similar, although she could take more sun and develop an actual tan, if she was careful.

Suddenly, finally, a metallic ping sounded from the winch, the pawl released, the drum turned, and a couple of inches of cable played out.  With effort, Libby coaxed more cable from the drum and lowered her arms.  Eventually, she was able to stand upright, and Libby made it manifestly obvious that the change of posture was a very good thing.

Even though Libby's hands were still behind her back, the slack in the winch cable and six inches of additional slack allowed by the chain separating the wrist cuffs made it possible for her to start releasing the cuffs' buckles.  Candy realized this was a deliberate "flaw" in her bondage, and it made sense.  Why have an elaborate release mechanism built into the winch if the victim couldn't free herself?  Anyway, Libby succeeded in freeing her wrists, leaned down and unbuckled her ankle-cuffs, then stood upright and unbuckled and removed her gag.

Totally free, Libby pulled back her hair, letting it slide through her fingers, then arched her back, raised her arms, and executed a full-body stretch, spreading her fingers and reaching for the ceiling.

"Eyaaaaah!"

The obviously very satisfying stretch over, Libby rolled her shoulders and twisted at the waist a few times, then turned and smiled at Candy.

Candy watched as Libby padded forward, placed her hands on her hips, and continued smiling down at her.  Helpless, bound, and gagged, Candy gazed up at her... rescuer?  She could only hope.  Candy noticed the clover-clamps were still squeezing Libby's nipples!

"Well, I hope you enjoyed the show," Libby purred, a coy smile curling her lips.  She realized Candy was staring at the nipple clamps.  Still smiling, she reached down and released the right clamp... then the left. 

Candy winced in sympathy, even though there had been no change in Libby's smiling demeanor.  Talk about stoic, Candy mused.  That had to hurt.

Libby knelt and released the hitch securing Candy's leash to her ankle hobble, slipped the loop in the end of the leash over her right wrist, and helped Candy to her feet.  "I think we've both had enough of this particular chamber," she chuckled as she used her fingers to comb Candy's hair from her gagged-face.

Candy gazed up at Libby.

Libby gazed down at Candy.

"Well," Libby said, finally.  "I suppose I should take you upstairs.  I know you have a lot of questions, and I have at least some of the answers."  She leaned close and kissed Candy's forehead.

Candy's response was to continue her rather dazed, gagged stare.  Her eyes remained locked with Libby's.

Libby grinned, spun on her heels, and headed for the door.  "C'mon, little one," she purred.  Candy had no choice but to mince in her wake.  "We both need a shower."

As far as Candy was concerned, truer words were never spoken, and if felt very good to no longer be bound in the permanent crouch of the shrimp-tie and to finally be moving.  She stared at Libby's dimpled rear and long, well-toned legs as she paused to open the chamber door.  As Mistress Eleanor had promised, it was unlocked.