by Van ©2015
		Chapter 8

Hayden had to work in the morning.  Her fellow librarians would be counting on her.  She was tired, but she was also frazzled.  Sleep was elusive.  She lay on her back and stared up at the dark ceiling of her attic bedroom.

Helpless, naked and tied up more elaborately and effectively than I've ever been tied up before!  Squirming in Andrea's embrace as the Pink Hobbit slides a vibrator against my rope-cleaved pussy!

Andrea, naked and hooded and in chains!  A captive slave-girl serving chili, tortillas, and beer!  The others gloating and laughing and clearly enjoying Andrea's humiliating condition!

Sharon talking me into undergoing trials!  First as Dorothy's plaything, then as Chloe's!  Category five or six bondage!  And I agreed!

Stop it! Hayden chided herself.  Stop thinking about it!  And stop thinking in sentence fragments!  You're a librarian, dammit!

Hayden realized her hand was sliding against her labia, just like Andrea's vibrator, earlier.  Maybe I need to... relax... so I can sleep.  Her fingers and hand continued to slide.  Apparently, they were ahead of her brain, had already decided what she needed.

Hayden squirmed under the covers, remembering the feel of Andrea's ropes—the way the crotch-rope had slithered through her pussy whenever she tried to move, whenever she struggled—the way Andrea's hands had squeezed and caressed her breasts—the way she'd been in the Pink Hobbit's complete control—the way...

Hayden body went rigid, then she shivered as waves of pleasure rippled through her pajama-clad body.

Finally, utterly spent, Hayden closed her eyes.  Slowly, her breathing returned to normal... then deepened.  Her final coherent thoughts were about Dorothy, the Brown Hobbit, the one that Mistress Sharon had decreed would "go next."  What's she gonna do to me? Hayden wondered (and worried) as she finally drifted off to sleep.

Hayden's next day off was a Wednesday, and by a remarkable coincidence (expedited by a phone call from Sharon to Cody Archer), so was Dorothy's.

As she went through her morning routine, Hayden decided she was silly to have worried about it all this time.  Whatever Dorothy had planned, it couldn't possibly be that bad.  Could it?  Of course not!  Dorothy was nice, really nice, and Sharon would protect her.  Wouldn't she?  Of course she would!

Hayden had been having those same thoughts ever since the day (and night) of what she now termed "The First Trial," the day the Pink Hobbit had hogtied her, gagged her, blindfolded her, and almost vibrated her to orgasm, the day she was half-rescued by Sharon.  Even at work she had those thoughts.  Even at work she fretted about what was in store.  It wasn't like she was worrying herself sick.  And dare she even think it?  Anticipation had crept into the mix.  And it wasn't like she was finding secluded sections of the stacks and playing with herself while she imagined herself as Dorothy's bound and gagged prisoner.  Okay, there was that one time, but she'd only "adjusted her panties and skirt" for a few seconds.  She hadn't actually played with herself... much.  That would be unprofessional.

Anyway, today was the day!

Dressed in her usual jeans, blouse, and sneakers, her hair loose about her shoulders, Hayden made her way down to the kitchen.  To her surprise, Chloe had already left for work and Sharon and Andrea were getting ready to go out.  Dorothy was preparing a breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast.

"We're going shopping," Sharon explained as Andrea helped her on with her coat.

"Also to breakfast at the Sunrise Cafe," Andrea added in a somewhat disappointed manner.

"Why so glum?" Dorothy asked, grinning at her fellow Hobbit.  "You love the omelets at the Sunrise."

"Shut up," Andrea huffed as she pulled on her own coat.

Hayden couldn't help but smile, despite her nervousness.  She knew why the Pink Hobbit was grumpy.  She wanted to stay and watch.

Both Sharon and Andrea were wearing sensible heels, skirts, and blouses.  Sharon was gorgeous and sophisticated.  But then, Mistress was always gorgeous and sophisticated, even barefoot and wearing faded jeans and a loose blouse.  And Hayden decided the Pink Hobbit looked very cute "all dressed up," not that she wasn't always cute.

Sharon and Andrea said their final goodbyes, then Dorothy and Hayden were alone.

Hayden poured herself a cup of coffee, sat at the table, and waited for Dorothy to finish cooking.

"Nervous?" Dorothy asked as she carried the food-laden plates to the table.

Hayden blushed.  "No."  She sipped her coffee, again, then sighed.  "Yes."

For once, Dorothy didn't giggle.  In fact. she reached out and took Hayden's right hand.  "Do I really need to tell you that none of us would ever do anything to hurt you?"

Hayden's blush didn't go away, but she did manage a weak smile.  "I know."

Dorothy's giggle returned.  "Good, now eat... so I can do horrible things to you."

Hayden's smile morphed into a wry smirk as the soon-to-be-helpless-damsel picked up her fork and sampled her eggs.  They were delicious.  Dorothy was a good cook.  Hayden chewed and swallowed.  "Uh, what are you gonna—"

"Like I'd really tell you," Dorothy interrupted with a grin.

Hayden affected her best pout.  She was no Andrea, but she could pout if the situation called for it.  "Okay, but where are you gonna—"

"Your bedroom," Dorothy answered.  "Now, eat."

Hayden heaved a tragic sigh, then followed the tiny Hobbit's order.

Breakfast over and the kitchen clean, Hayden and Dorothy trooped up to the attic bedroom.

"Okay," Dorothy said, once they'd arrived, "change into your birthday suit, put your clothes away, and wait for me in the middle of the room.  Position one."

Hayden frowned.  "Position one?"

Dorothy smiled, but didn't immediately answer.

Hayden felt a blush touch her cheeks.  "Oh.  Feet apart?  Hands on top of the head?"  She'd seen the others do it before, especially Andrea.  The Pink Hobbit always seemed to be in trouble for something.

"Position one," Dorothy confirmed, then scampered out the door.  "I'll be back!" she called back as she bounced down the stairs.

Hayden sighed... then carried out Dorothy's commands.  In short order, her clothing was removed and returned to the chest of drawers and the closet hangers from which they'd so recently come.  Completely nude, Hayden positioned herself in the middle of the bedroom, facing the door, spaced her bare feet about ten to twelve inches apart, placed her hands atop her head with her fingers interlaced, and heaved another sigh.

Dorothy returned almost immediately, carrying two black canvas duffel-bags.  Smiling brightly, she dropped them to the carpet a few feet from Hayden.  They landed with a well-muffled tinkling sound.

Hayden watched as Dorothy knelt, unzipped one of the duffels, and pulled out what appeared to be...  Hayden frowned.  A leather mitten?

"Left hand," Dorothy ordered, and Hayden complied, extending her left hand and leaving her right atop her head.  "There's an individual channel for each finger," Dorothy explained as she held the mitten for Hayden to slide her hand inside.  "It's also a tight fit."

"No kidding," Hayden huffed as she wiggled and squirmed her fingers and hand into the leather sheath.  The leather wasn't padded or especially thick, but it was, indeed, a tight fit.  Finally, the channels bottomed out and Dorothy wrapped the mitt's integrated cuff around Hayden's wrist and buckled its three small buckles.  The final result was Hayden's hand encased and trapped in a flipper-like position.  She could wiggle her fingers, just a little, but the cuff portion was thicker and stiffer than the glove/mitten portion and more or less immobilized her wrist.  There was a D-ring dangling from the mitt's fingertips and a second, larger and heavier D-ring sewn into the side of the cuff.

Encasing Hayden's right hand was the next order of business, which wasn't exactly a big surprise, and now Hayden realized her hands and fingers were more or less useless.  She gazed at the leather mitts, admiring the leather's smooth, slightly pebbled finish.  They were at once utilitarian and stylish.  She had no choice but to admire the workmanship.  "Where did you get these?" she whispered.

Dorothy was busy unzipping the second duffel.  "All of this is Sharon's stuff," she explained.  "I think she has a friend at La Roque.  The fashion house?"

Hayden nodded, still staring at the mitts.  "I know La Roque.  I almost bought a very nice La Roque jacket, in butternut, but it was too expensive."

"Apparently," Dorothy continued, "they have a kinky division."  Meanwhile, accompanied by more tinkling, this time not at all muffled, Dorothy pulled a rather large tangle of black leather straps from the duffel.  "This is complicated," she warned as she began sorting out various straps and buckles, "so bear with me."  She then stepped behind Hayden and dropped the assemblage over Hayden's head.

Hayden held her arms to either side, cooperating as Dorothy threaded various straps and secured their buckles.  Soon, the naked librarian was wearing what amounted to a body-harness.  Horizontal straps passed under her armpits and around her torso above her breasts, below her breasts, and around her waist.  Diagonal straps yoked her shoulders, and all the various components met at a series of three steel rings forming a vertical row down her front—the first above her breasts, the second below, and the third framing her bellybutton.  A buckle dangled from the navel ring and what Hayden suspected was its matching strap dangled down her butt.  This was confirmed when Dorothy pulled the strap between her butt-cheeks, through her crotch, and threaded it through the buckle in question.

Hayden wiggled and squirmed, noting several D-rings with no apparent purpose sewn into various parts of the harness.  The crotch strap wasn't especially tight, but it was definitely there.

Dorothy had returned to the duffels, and was now buckling a wide strap around each of Hayden's upper thighs.  Next, she buckled wide cuffs around Hayden's upper arms, just above her elbows.  The thigh-straps and upper-arm cuffs included secondary, somewhat narrower straps, which Dorothy threaded through D-rings in the mitten-cuffs and the upper harness. respectively.  This pinned Hayden's arms to her sides, but Dorothy wasn't finished.  The serenely smiling Brown Hobbit pulled more straps from the duffels and began threading them through the previously unused D-rings of the harness.

Hayden squirmed, again.  "This is tight," she huffed.

"Oh, really?" Dorothy giggled.  She then began going back over the harness and added straps, loosening the buckles and pulling the straps even tighter.

"Dorothy!" Hayden whined in complaint, stamping her bare feet.  Oddly, she didn't try to kick her captor or otherwise impede the process of rendering her ever more stringently helpless.  "Dorothy!" she whined, again, as the last buckle was tightened.

"You can breathe, can't you," Dorothy giggled.

"Yes, I can breathe," Hayden pouted through pursed lips.  The straps were dimpling her flesh, everywhere.  It wasn't too bad, but it was tight.  The sole exception was the crotch strap.  Dorothy hadn't tightened that one.  Thank god for small favors, Hayden thought.

"On the bed," Dorothy ordered, then picked up the open duffels and strolled in that direction.  She dropped the duffels to the carpet, then turned and smiled.  "Well?"

Hayden rolled her eyes, sauntered to the bed, and sat.

"On your back in the center," Dorothy instructed, then began pulling more straps from the duffels.

Hayden flopped onto her back, lifted her legs, and squirmed and wiggled until she was in the mandated position.  Her head was comfortably cradled by her pillow.  The bed was still fully made, but was no longer quite as neat.  She watched as Dorothy buckled cuffs similar to the mitten and upper-arm cuffs around her ankles.  The cuffs were joined and quite effectively bound her ankles together.  Next, Dorothy tightened straps around Hayden's legs, across her shins and calves, immediately below her knees, immediately above her knees, and around her mid thighs.

Hayden squirmed and tested her bonds.  The leg straps were just as tight as the body-harness system.  Dorothy hadn't bothered "tricking" her by making them initially loose, but had gone straight to flesh-dimpling tightness.  She heard a metallic creak followed by a pair of solid clicks, paused in her struggles and noted that Dorothy had disappeared.  "Dorothy?"

The Hobbit's grinning head reappeared from somewhere below the mattress and near the floor.  "I bet you didn't even know these steel side rails were here, did you?"

Hayden watched as Dorothy stood, scampered to the other side of the bed, then dropped from sight, again.  "S-steel side rails?"

There was another creak and two more clicks before Dorothy answered.  "Chloe made them."  Dorothy popped back into sight and smiled, brightly.  "They reinforce the bed-frames and have scads of attachment points.  They fold up under the frame and out of sight when not in use.  All the beds have them."

All the beds? Hayden thought.  Even Sharon's?

Meanwhile, Dorothy had returned to the duffels and pulled out two bundles of thick, black, braided nylon rope.  Hayden wasn't into mountaineering, but to her they looked like climbing rope.  The leather-bound prisoner watched as Dorothy released one bundle, leaned down and tied one end to something at the head of the bed, threaded the entire rope through a D-ring in the strap yoking Hayden's left shoulder, down to somewhere below the mattress, up and through a D-ring in the top strap pinning Hayden's arms, back down to the side, etc., etc.  She repeatedly threaded the rope until it formed a zigzag pattern down Hayden's entire left side, from shoulders to ankles.  Dorothy then picked up the second coil, released its retaining hitch, walked around the bed to the other side, and repeated the process.

Hayden was now a tightly strapped bundle pinned loosely in place.  Then, Dorothy went back over the ropes on both sides, pulling out slack until the ropes dimpled the edge of the mattress, just like the leather straps dimpled Hayden's skin, and the captive was tightly pinned in place.  Obviously, Dorothy had used the "attachment points" on the hitherto unsuspected "steel side rails."  Hayden could shake her head, flex her feet, and wiggle her toes, but was about it.  She shook the tousled hair from her face, and focused on her smiling captor.  "Wow," she said in a quiet voice.

"Wow, indeed," Dorothy giggled, then reached back into the duffels.  "Almost finished," she said, then reappeared with another, somewhat smaller, tangle of straps.

Hayden watched as Dorothy straightened out the tinkling mass, then her eyes popped wide.  The thing in the Brown Hobbits hands was quite obviously another harness, a head harness, like a bridle for a horse, only made for a human!  And it incorporated a gag, a black rubber plug and a flat, smooth panel that would go over the wearer's lips and mouth, over Hayden's lips and mouth!

"If you give me any trouble," Dorothy purred, "I might inadvertently pull on your hair.  That would hurt, and we don't want that, do we?"

Hayden swallowed nervously, then shook her head.

"Good girl," Dorothy giggled, then climbed onto the bed, straddled Hayden's helpless body, and began the rather involved process of caging Hayden's head and gagging her mouth.

Hayden gazed up at her captor's smiling, pixie face as the plug slid into her mouth, straps tightened across her forehead, under her chin, to either side of her nose, and across the crown of her head.  Dorothy was careful to gently pull the long, underlying strands of Hayden's hair free of the straps as she worked, so as the final element of the harness, the mouth panel, was buckled tight, the captive's long, red curls fanned out from the pillow on all sides.

"Very pretty," Dorothy sighed, leaned close, and planted a kiss on the leather panel covering Hayden's plugged mouth and compressed lips.  She then climbed off Hayden's body and the bed and strolled towards the door.  She paused in the doorway and smiled.  "You have one hour to escape," she announced, "then I'll be back to torture you."  With that, she closed the door and was gone.

Hayden heard the lock turn in the door.  Torture?  She squirmed and struggled.  Was she as helpless as she's been in Andrea's box-tie-hogtie-frog-tie (with crotch-rope), or was she more helpless?  At some point, she decided, helpless is helpless... and inescapable is inescapable.  She continued writhing on the bed, if you could call her pathetic efforts writhing.  Hayden knew full well her struggles were pointless, but it was a damsel's duty to try.  Also... torture?

The hour passed slowly.  Hayden's apprehension remained.  Torture?  And it was joined by an element of... dare she even think it... arousal?  As she wiggled, squirmed, and tested her bonds, the semi-loose crotch-strap slid against her pussy, just a little.  That's why she left it loose, Hayden surmised.  That's why Dorothy didn't pull it as tight as all the others.  And the other straps were tight, that was for sure.

And speaking of arousal, Hayden noticed that her nipples were somewhat erect... and throbbing, just a tad.  Was it in reaction to the shivering and quivering rippling through her pussy caused by the gliding leather?  Was it in anticipation of Dorothy's return?  Torture!  Maybe... probably... but one thing was for sure: Hayden couldn't pretend she wasn't having fun... of sorts.  The strap wasn't enough to bring her off (Dammit!), but it was being very friendly.

Also, she found she wasn't frightened or terrified or anything of the sort—unless you count apprehension.  She knew Dorothy wouldn't hurt her.  None of them would ever hurt her... but that didn't mean they couldn't and wouldn't do nasty things to her!  And she was helpless!  She was bound and gagged and helpless!  And Dorthy was coming back!  Hayden continued squirming in Dorothy's (Sharon's) straps.  Bound!  Gagged!  Horny!  And she could do nothing about it—nothing at all.

Eventually, the hypothetical future became the very real present.  Hayden heard footsteps on the stairs, the bedroom door opened, and Dorothy had returned!

Hayden lifted her head, gazed down her strapped and helpless body, and her eyes popped wide!  The Brown Hobbit had changed clothes.  Instead of the jeans and blouse she'd been wearing before, she was wearing thigh-boots, a bikini-bottom, a corset, opera gloves, and a collar, all in smooth, tight, black leather!  Her hair was combed back and controlled by a tiara-like, golden headband.  Gold rings dangled from her nipples, as always, as well as her earlobes.  Finally, the tops of her ears were now pointed, like a "real" Elf or Hobbit.  Obviously, she'd applied the appliances Hayden had been told about earlier, and the prosthetic "ear points" were very realistic.

"Do you like?" Dorothy purred as she strolled to the bed and struck a seductive pose.  "It's one of my Foxwood costumes."  She performed a slow, graceful pirouette, so Hayden could take in every detail.  "I'm half Drow and half Hobbit.  You know the Drow, don't you?  The Dark Elves?"

Her eyes still wide, Hayden nodded her harnessed and gagged head.  In AD&D—meaning the fantasy role-playing game, not the specialized damsel-in-distress version played at Tauton House—the Drow were an evil race of Elves.

Hayden noted the exquisite detailing of Dorothy's costume.  She'd initially taken the leather for black, but now that Dorothy was close, she could see a gleaming, subtle mottling of deep indigo and very dark purple.  Also, the boots, gloves, and corset were tooled in a spiderweb pattern.  Again, it was very subtle.  The leather bikini briefs and the collar were decorated with tiny golden spiders, and the web and spider motif was carried forward by the headband-tiara.  Finally, a tiny golden spider on a short, very light golden chain dangled from each of Dorothy's earrings and nipple rings   The costume, especially as seen hugging the petite, perfect body of Dorothy Robinson, was amazing... and arousing.  It would win top prize at any cosplay competition—and cause a riot.

"Obviously," Dorothy purred, leaning close to tease Hayden's nipples with her gloved fingers, "this is a diamond or fantasy scenario.  You're a Human damsel captured, no, enslaved by the Drow, and you've my plaything."  Hayden squirmed while Dorothy continued gently stroking and tugging on her nipples.  "It's my job to break the spirit of new pleasure-slaves," she continued, "and instruct them in their new duties."  She grinned and made a sweeping gesture of the bedroom.  "Sorry I didn't have a chance to redecorate.  Imagine you're in a deep, dark cavern dungeon, lit by flickering globes of Drowish fire magic."  She stopped toying with Hayden's nipples, reached into one of the duffels, and pulled out a curious object.

Hayden's eyes popped even wider.  "Mrrrf!"  The thing was quite obviously a dildo, and it was clad in translucent purple latex!  Actually, it was a pair of dildos, one long and one short.  The longer shaft wasn't all that long, nor was it all that thick, but it was substantially longer than the second.  That one was little more than half a pinkie finger.  They were both attached to a flat, narrow strip of more of the purple latex.  Hayden watched in horror as Dorothy carefully threw a tiny recessed switch in the base of the longer dildo, and a tiny red LED flashed at the tip of each of the blunt shafts.

Dorothy smiled at Hayden and held up the dildo duo for the captive's inspection.  "Vibrators," she explained, "with a USB connection for power and computerized control.  Or, for the purposes of our game, powered by Drowish magic!"  She plugged a long, black cable into the base of the device and it locked in place with a solid click.

Dorothy then reached back into one of the duffels and produced a tiny plastic bottle with a snap-cap.  "Lube," she explained with a sinister grin.  "I can tell your pussy is already more than wet enough, but the other place?  Not so much.  Anyway, it's better to be safe that sorry."  Hayden watched with horror as Dorothy dribbled a generous dollop of clear gel onto the business ends and shafts of both intruders, snapped the cap closed, then tossed the little bottle back into the duffel.

Dorothy then climbed onto the bed, straddled Hayden's body, and unbuckled first the strap around her mid-thighs, then the crotch-strap.  "These would have been a lot easier to install before I strapped your legs together," she giggled, "but it is possible.  I know.  I've done it before."

An epic struggle ensued, one in which for the first time, Hayden offered real, genuine resistance.  She had the supposed advantage of having her legs strapped together, but Dorothy-the-Drow had the actual advantages of experience, small hands, and cuteness.  That last attribute was psychological but real.  Hayden was distracted by both the feel of Dorothy's leather-gloved hands sliding between her thighs and the concentrated expression on the Brown Hobbit's pixie face.

In any case, the struggle reached its inevitable outcome.  The short phallus first nudged, and then slid into Hayden's anus—"Mrk!"—and its senior partner parted her labia and slid into her pussy!  "Mrrrrrk!"  Hayden shivered in reaction as Dorothy threaded the crotch-strap through slots in the base of the invaders' mounting flange, then buckled the strap to the body-harness' navel ring, and this time she pulled it as tight as the other straps.  "Mrk!"

"Oh, settle down," Dorothy giggled as she climbed off Hayden's body and pulled a small, dark-gray laptop from one of the duffels.  "Like my new MacBook?" she asked as she plugged in the cable trailing from the phallus now embedded between Hayden's legs.  "USB-C port!"  She powered up the MacBook and began tapping the keys and using the glide-pad.

Hayden wasn't interested in the technical aspects of the little computer, but she was very much interested in what was happening between her legs!  "Mrrrpfh!"  She wiggled and squirmed and fought her tight, inescapable bonds.  Both intruders were vibrating!  "Nrrrrf!"  And then they stopped.  She gave a final shiver, then glared at her torturer—she meant fellow gamer.

Dorothy placed the still open MacBook somewhere out of sight, probably atop one or both duffels, then straddled Hayden's body, once again.  "Test complete," she giggled, then reached out and cupped Hayden's breasts.  "The control program has started," she added.  "After a brief pause..."

"Mrrrk!"  The vibrators were buzzing again, but at very low power.

"There we go," Dorothy said with a broad smile, then squeezed Hayden's breasts.  "Don't think I haven't noticed you admiring my nipple-rings," she purred.

Hayden shivered in her bonds and gazed at the rings in question, as well as their tiny, swaying and shaking pendant spiders.

"Sharon did them for me," Dorothy explained.  "I was strapped to a hard table in a harness much like this one, and gagged by a head-harness, also much like this one.  Andrea was naked and tied to a straight chair so she could watch.  Category-six.  Lots and lots of rope and cord, and she was gagged with a sponge and two rolls of Vetwrap.  Also category-six.  Her head was mummified, except for her eyes.  I was helpless, Andy-bear was helpless, and all she could do was watch.  It was horrible."  She gave Hayden's breasts a tight squeeze, then released them.  "It was also wonderful."  Dorothy's smile turned somewhat evil.  "How would you like your nipples pierced, Titian?  I'm pretty sure I remember how Mistress did it."  She gave Hayden's nipples a gentle squeeze.

Hayden shivered in her bonds, again, not that she'd ever actually stopped shivering and wiggling.  The vibrators were still buzzing... and they might be slowly gaining power.

"There are other things I could pierce for you," Dorothy continued.  "Your tongue?"  She continued teasing Hayden's nipples.  "Also your bellybutton, clitoral hood, a row down both labia...  Labial rings are particularly useful.  You can use tiny little padlocks to lock them together.  It's better than a chastity belt, in a way."

Hayden's wiggling became squirming.  The vibrators were definitely gaining power... definitely!

Dorothy climbed off Hayden's body, stooped down, and returned with yet another strap.  This one was thin, like the straps of the head-harness, and included two circular leather disks padded on one side with wool fleece.  Hayden realized it was a blindfold!  "Nrrr!"

Another struggle ensued, with the same result.  That is, Hayden lost and Dorothy won.  The strap of the blindfold was threaded through slots in the head-harness and buckled tight, and the pads now covered and gently pressed against her eyes, rendering Titian-the-Human-Damsel effectively blind.

"There," Dorothy said.  "Now, the program is going to play with you a while, and if you don't mind, I'll going to sit here and watch."

"Mrrrpfh!"

"I'll take that as a yes," Dorothy purred.

Hayden continued squirming and fighting and getting absolutely nowhere.  And the vibrators, both of them, continued buzzing.  She knew that eventually, inevitably, she would cum, and all she could do was let it happen!  And the evil Brown Drow-Hobbit was watching, and smiling, and gloating.  And there was absolutely nothing she could do about that, either.

"Mrrrrrpfh!"

Hayden did cum, several times.  Over what period of time, she was never sure.  At several points during the "ordeal" she felt hands, Dorothy's hands, obviously, playing with her nipples, stroking her thighs, caressing her flat belly, etc.—but it was usually at or near the height of the vibration cycle, so she was understandably distracted.

The power of the buzzing intruders would build and build—with the major instrument in her pussy and the minor instrument in her anus varying in intensity and timing in a spiraling arpeggio of stimulation—she'd hold out for as long as she could, usually with the program seeming to cooperate with her "resistance" by backing off now and then, adding passages of deliberate frustration to the erotic symphony—and finally, she would cum!

And there was nothing she could do to make it stop, neither the buzzing vibrators and the Drowish magic (computer program) controlling them, nor the wet tongue and leather-clad fingers toying with her helpless anatomy.  It was horrible!  Wonderful!  Intense!  Exhausting!

Hayden lost count of the number of times her bound, gagged, and blindfolded world turned inside-out in a crashing orgasm.  It, all of it, went on and on.  There were programmed rest intervals so she could at least partially recover, but then it would start again, and it went on and on!

Towards the end, before she succumbed to exhaustion and finally drifted into blessed slumber (or a post-orgasmic coma), Hayden thought she felt a tongue and lips flicking, teasing, and sucking on her right nipple—a set of leather-clad fingers toying with her left nipple—and another set of lips and tongue licking and sucking on the toes of her left foot!  But that was impossible!  How could her half-Drow, Half-Hobbit mistress be doing all that at once?  Hayden pondered this conundrum with what was left of her frazzled and overtaxed faculties... then drifted into blessed unconsciousness.

Slowly, Hayden opened her eyes.  She realized three things, in no particular order.

1. It was late in the day, nearly evening, nearly time for supper.  Her empty stomach growled in agreement.
   
2. Her head was free.  That is, the head-harness of thin straps with its mouth-plug, gag-panel, and blindfold was gone.
3. Sharon was unbuckling the straps still pinning her to the bed.

"Congratulations," the Mistress of Tauton House purred, smiling her usual smile as her deft fingers worked their way down Hayden's limp body.  "You passed the trial."  She was dressed in the same skirt and blouse she'd been wearing when she went out for breakfast and a day of shopping with Andrea.

Belatedly, Hayden realized there was a fourth item.

     4. The twin vibrators had already been removed from her pussy and anus.

"How did that not wake me up?" Hayden mumbled under her breath.

"Excuse me?" Sharon inquired, continuing to release the buckles.  She was down to the strap just above Hayden's knees.

"Nothing," Hayden answered with a sigh.

The remaining straps surrendered to Mistress Sharon in short order, then she helped Hayden roll off the bed and stand.  "Take a nice hot shower, get dressed, and meet us down below.  Chloe brought home takeout from the Shanghai Palace."  She then pulled Hayden's naked, slightly strap-marked body into a warm embrace, kissed her lips, then released her and strolled towards the door.  "Take your time, dear.  We'll keep everything warm 'til you're ready."

And then, Hayden was alone.  She gazed down at the tangle of straps and ropes still on her bed.  For the first time she could see one of the hidden side-rails Dorothy had used to bind her in place.  It amounted to a steel pipe or length of rounded bar on a pair of brackets, one at the foot of the bed and the other at the head, and welded along its length at regular intervals were D-shaped pad-eyes, more than a dozen, maybe as many as twenty.  Hayden didn't really care, not at the moment.

Hayden followed Mistress Sharon's instructions, but didn't linger in the shower.  It would be inconsiderate to keep the others waiting.  Very much refreshed but still somewhat tired, she dressed and made her way to the kitchen—where she was enveloped in the collective love of her fellow residents.  There was no other way to describe it.  Everyone, both Hobbits and Chloe, gave her welcoming hugs and kisses.  Sharon had already done the same up in the bedroom, but she went in for seconds.

Hayden almost cried.  She had a second family.  More than friends, her fellow residents and their Mistress were now her second family.

They enjoyed the delicious meal, making small talk about this and that but not discussing the trial Hayden had just endured.  Nor did they discuss the coming trial, the final trial, the trial in which Chloe would be the one in charge.

After dinner, Sharon suggested (ordered) that Hayden take a sauna, and she had no reluctance whatsoever doing so.  She went upstairs, undressed, and changed into her robe, then made her way down to the basement.  The sauna was already at peak temperature.  Apparently, Sharon had ordered it turned on before freeing her from Dorothy's web of rope and leather.  Hayden entered the cedar-lined furnace, wet a section of the upper bench opposite the door, sat, and settled against the built-in backrest.

A minute passed... two... three... more than enough time for Hayden to start sweating.

Suddenly, the door opened and Andrea and Dorothy entered.  Hayden smiled, but was too relaxed to shout the traditional greeting of "Close the door!"

Without saying anything, the naked Hobbits wet the bench and backrest on either side of Hayden, then climbed up next to her.  Dorothy leaned against her left side and rested her head on Hayden's shoulder.  Andrea reclined on her back and rested her head in Hayden's lap.  Hayden gently combed her fingers through Andrea's hair.  No words were spoken.  None were needed.

When Hayden returned to her bedroom, she found the straps, ropes, and duffel-bags were gone, the side-rails folded up under the bed-frame and out of sight, her bed was neatly turned down, and a pair of her pajamas were neatly arranged and waiting to be donned.  Obviously, Sharon or Chloe had done the deed.  It had probably been Chloe, at Mistress' command, but Hayden thought it was very thoughtful.

The next day at work, Hayden's fellow librarians remarked that she seemed especially well rested from her day off, and Hayden agreed.