by Van ©2013
		Chapter 6

The casual midnight stroll to Professor Pappas' house happened without incident.  A couple of cars purred past, but the drivers never even turned their heads.  With Pappas walking at her side and Clem's hands behind her back, apparently steadying the weight of her laptop/messenger bag, none would suspect that Clem's wrists were cuffed together, that she was Pappas' prisoner.

Truth be told, Clem wasn't sure she was Pappas' prisoner.  Okay, she was in handcuffs, but Pappas hadn't done the deed.  It was Tori the Crazy Campus Cop who had captured her.  And Pappas didn't have the key, or so she said.  Clem glanced to the side, focusing on her faculty adviser's pretty, forty-something face.  I suppose she's my rescuer, Clem decided, but the fact that Pappas might also be her co-kidnapper remained a distinct possibility.  In any case, Clem trusted Professor Kimberly Pappas.

Kim noticed her student's gaze.  "What?" she smiled.

Clem blushed.  "Uh, nothing.  So... who exactly is this 'Phantom?'  Do I know her?"

"Let's talk when we get home, okay?" Kim responded.  "Sound carries at night."

"Okay," Clem sighed.

"We're almost there," the professor reassured her charge.

They were almost there.  After only one more block of suburban sidewalk, Clem found herself on the front walk of what looked to be a very nice house.  It was night and the closest streetlights were screened by several mature trees, but Clem could tell the style was vaguely Modern, probably built in the fifties or sixties, and it was big, as in several bedrooms and more than Pappas could possibly need for herself.

It occurred to Clem that she knew almost nothing about Kimberly Pappas, other than she was an excellent lecturer and mentor.  She wasn't married, or didn't wear a wedding ring, anyway.  Also, she was a bestselling author, academically, that is.  But that was about it.

Pappas unlocked her front door and stood aside so Clem could enter.  "Welcome to my home," she said as she closed the door behind them.  She lifted Clem's bag off her shoulder and hung it from a coat hook, then gestured down the entry hall to her living room.

"Uh, not to be insistent," Clem said as they entered the living room, "but you were going to tell me more about—"  She skidded to a stop and frowned.  "What's she doing here?"

Officer Tori Ballantine was smiling at Clem from the center of a spacious couch, comfortably reclined with her legs crossed and her arms spread to either side and resting atop the backrest.  She was in uniform, the same uniform she'd worn when she slapped Clem in cuffs, gagged her, and tied her to a support column in the Room of Requirement.  "Hello to you too, Clem," she chuckled.  "To answer your question, I'm here to get my handcuffs back."

"You're welcome to them," Clem muttered, staring daggers at the grinning blond.

Pappas gestured towards an easy chair, then sat in the chair's nearby twin.

Rather than sit, Clem walked to the couch, turned her back, and presented her cuffed hands.  "Get them off, now," she huffed.

"Not now," Tori chuckled as she rose from the couch, grabbed Clem by the waist, and flopped back down, taking Clem with her.

"Get your hands off me—Mrrrgh!"  Tori had one hand clamped over Clem's mouth and the other around her waist.

Dr. Pappas heaved an exasperated sigh.  "Tori, would you please stop manhandling my student?"  She focused on Clem.  "And Miss Ricci, please control yourself."

"Of course, professor," Tori chuckled, and released her hand-gag.

"I'll 'behave' myself when she gets me out of these—Uff!"  Tori had tossed Clem off her lap and onto the couch to her right.  "I mean it," she huffed.

Pappas smiled.  "Please, Clementine, allow me to explain."

Clem tugged on her cuffs, then focused on the professor.  "Okay, explain away."

"Thank you," Pappas nodded.  "Now, The Phantom wants her party to unfold according to a prearranged script."

Clem frowned.  "A scripted party?"

"Think of it as performance art," Pappas continued.  "Some of us will have specific roles, and some will simply be guests."

"I opt for guest," Clem said evenly.

"But you've already been assigned a role, Clementine," Pappas sighed.  "You don't want to spoil the party, do you?"

"And it's not like you have a choice," Tori chuckled.

Pappas frowned at Tori.  "You're not helping."  She focused on Clem and her smile returned.  "At least hear me out."

Clem heaved a sigh, then nodded.

Pappas beamed.  "Excellent.  Your role is a blend of three of what The Phantom calls her damsel-in-distress archetypes, specifically, the 'Nancy Drew' or 'Nosy Snoop,' the 'Captured Sidekick,' and the 'Innocent Pawn.'"

Clem frowned.  "Huh?"

"I don't want to reveal more," Pappas continued.  "I want you to enjoy the experience, form your own opinion, and make an analysis... as a learning exercise.  Afterwards, you can read her dissertation."

"I look forward to it," Clem muttered.

"Excellent," Pappas beamed.  "The party is tomorrow night, and I'd appreciate it very much if you'd help me prepare.  The food's being delivered by a caterer, but someone needs to help me serve after the guests arrive."

"What about Gwen?" Clem demanded.

"Miss Percy will be too busy to refill glasses and carry trays of hors d'oeuvres."

"That's not what I mean," Clem huffed.  "I want to see her."

"Miss Percy is with The Phantom," Pappas answered.  "I assure you, she's perfectly fine.  You'll see her at the party—"

"Will you ever," Tori interrupted.

Pappas glared at the grinning cop.  "Stifle yourself, please," she said evenly, then smiled at Clem.  "You'll see her at the party and you can compare notes afterwards.  Okay?"

"This is crazy," Clem muttered under her breath.  She heaved a sigh, then nodded.  "Okay.  What now?"

"Wonderful," Pappas gushed, then rose from the chair.  "Tori, be a lamb and show Clementine to her room, would you please?"

"Sure thing, Doc," Tori responded, then climbed to her feet.

Clem gazed up at the two smiling "kidnappers" looming over her.  "Uh, I take it I'm spending the night?"

"C'mon, kiddo," Tori chuckled.  "We'll stop at the 'little damsel's room' on the way."

"Crazy," Clem muttered as she hauled herself to her feet.

Gwen opened her eyes.  It was impossible to tell what time it was, not in the subterranean depths of The Phantom's Lair; but her internal clock told her it wasn't yet dawn.  Inga was snuggled up against her side, still naked.  They were both naked.

Inga had removed Gwen's ankle cuffs and the bolero-straitjacket.  However, she had first taken the precaution of locking a steel collar around her throat and transferring the chain from the D-ring of the straitjacket to said collar.  The round steel torus was a little heavy, but not too heavy.  It was also a good fit, but not uncomfortably tight.  Gwen was still limited to the reach of the chain, but hadn't yet had an opportunity to determine that reach.

Gwen sighed, and couldn't prevent a smile from curling her lips.  She was a funky, tousled mess, as was Inga.  We made love! Gwen thought, and a thrill rippled through her pussy and up her spine.  I've been kidnapped by a beautiful, beautiful villainess—and we made love!  Then, she noticed Inga's eyes were open—her beautiful, pale blue eyes—and she was smiling.

"A penny for your thoughts," Inga purred.

Gwen smiled back.  "I'm thinking maybe I ought to wait 'til you go back to sleep, then strangle you with this chain."  She fingered the chain in question and a few of the links clinked together.

"I'm not Jabba the Hutt," Inga chuckled.

Gwen sighed.  "And I'm not Princess Leia."  Her smile curled into a saucy smirk.  "Maybe I'm Jar-Jar Binks."

"Never," Inga said with a grin, and kissed Gwen's lips.  "You're my beautiful, captive, enslaved Princess Leia."  She frowned.  "Darn!"

"What?"

"I wish I'd thought of that before," Inga sighed.  "It's far too late to change costumes."

"Huh?"

Inga kissed Gwen's lips, again.  "Never mind.  Go to sleep."

"Okay," Gwen whispered.  The thrill returned when Inga gave her a hug, then turned away.  They were still side-by-side, but now Gwen was facing the tousled mass of her captor's blond hair, and the smooth, graceful curves of her back.  I'm her enslaved Princess Leia, Gwen thought, and the thrill intensified.  Enslaved!

Gwen closed her eyes and eventually drifted off to sleep, a smile still on her angelic face.

Clem stomped down the hallway with Tori a step behind.  Her hands were still cuffed behind her back.  Given the plush carpeting under her sneaker-clad feet, maybe "stomp" was a bit of an exaggeration, but she wasn't happy, that was for sure.

"Here we are," Tori said as she opened a door on their left.  Beyond was a typical residential bathroom with washbasin, commode, and combination tub and shower.  "Sit on the crapper and I'll remove your shoes."

"Or, you could unlock the damn cuffs and I can do it myself," Clem muttered.

Tori smiled.  "Don't be a spoilsport."

Clem sat on the commode, then favored Tori with a sullen stare.  "I've given it careful thought and have decided I don't like you."

Tori knelt and began unlacing Clem's sneakers.  "You hardly know me," she chuckled.

"I know you well enough."  Clem watched as her sneakers and socks were removed.

Tori stood, helped Clem to her feet, then began unbuckling the belt of Clem's jeans.

"Hey!" Clem objected.  She tried backing away and almost stumbled on the commode.  She had nowhere to go.

"Hold still," Tori ordered, still smiling her lopsided, infuriating smile.  She succeeded in opening Clem's jeans, then pulled them down, followed by the blushing coed's panties.

"Again," Clem said coldly, "if you'd just remove these damn cuffs—"

"Quiet, please," Tori purred.  She was clearly enjoying herself.

Clem was furious, not to mention embarrassed and humiliated.  She watched as her smug handler lifted the commode's cover.

"Sit."

Clem complied, then glared at Tori.  "Well?"

Tori's smile became even more smug, something Clem hadn't thought possible.  "Well what?"

"Get. Out."

"Not likely," Tori chuckled.  "I can't leave a prisoner unattended.  Number one, please."

Clem's blush deepened.  "I can't...  I..."

Tori strolled to the bathroom door.  "Flush when you're finished.  I'll be right outside."  She stepped across the threshold and closed the door.

Clem managed to empty her bladder.  She stood and flushed the toilet, then glared at Tori as she reentered the bathroom.

Tori wet a washcloth in the sink, then approached Clem.  Her intentions were clear.

"No!—Hey!"

Tori embraced Clem with one hand and used the other to clean the blushing brunette's crotch.

"You just can't keep your hands to yourself, can you?" Clem muttered through clenched teeth.

"I do what's needed," Tori whispered in Clem's right ear, then dropped the washcloth in the sink.  She then pulled Clem's jeans and panties down to her ankles.

"No!"

"Yes," Tori grinned.  She placed her right boot on the crumpled denim.  "C'mon, we don't have all night."

Clem had no real choice but to lift her legs, one by one, and step free.  Clem was still wearing her jacket, blouse, and bra, but nothing else... except for her glasses.  "I said no!"  Tori was peeling her jacket off her shoulders and unbuttoning her blouse!

"I have to get you ready for bed," Tori explained.  She continued removing Clem's clothing, pulling the jacket and blouse off her shoulders and down her arms.  She then unclasped Clem's bra, lifted it over her head, and it joined the tangle of clothes at her cuffed wrists.

"I'm gonna scream," Clem warned.

"Then I'll gag you," Tori said.  "You don't want to disturb the professor or her neighbors, do you?"

Clem wasn't at all sure what she wanted to do.  Things were happening too fast.  Speaking of which, something was tightening around her upper arms, just above her elbows, and it was pulling them together.  Vrrrrrrip.  Her elbows were now nearly touching.  She looked in the mirror above the washbasin and could see that her elbows were bound by a pair of joined plastic cable-ties.  She recognized the sort of disposable restraints cops used when they made mass arrests at protests.  Not from experience, of course.

Tori unlocked the steel cuffs on Clem's wrists, returned them to the case on the back of her belt, then pulled Clem's jacket, blouse, and bra free of her hands and dropped them on the floor.

Now totally nude—but for the black plastic bands binding her arms behind her back—and her glasses—Clem was led from the bathroom and down the hallway.  Her heart was pounding and she was afraid she very well might scream, for emotional release if not for help.  But she managed to control herself.

Meanwhile, Tori had a businesslike grip on Clem's left shoulder.  She opened a door and led her prisoner into a bedroom.

Clem looked around.  Like the rest of Professor Pappas' house, the decor was tasteful, but not representative of any formal style of interior decorating, not in Clem's opinion, anyway.  The furnishings were the usual chest of drawers, dressing table, a couple of chairs, and two twin-sized beds.  One bed was neatly made, and the other—

"Oh!" Clem gasped.  The bedspread and top sheet of the second bed were pulled down and four tan leather cuffs with white padding were secured to a pair of taut, tan leather straps stretched across the surface of the mattress and secured to the lower bed-frame on either side.

"You're going to strap me down?" Clem asked in a small voice.

"I'm certainly not going to stand watch over you all night," Tori responded.  "Down you go."

"Huh?"  She was still staring at the cuffs.

Tori smiled and rolled her eyes.  "On the bed."

"Oh."  Clem made no move to lie down on the bed in question.  She continued staring at the open cuffs, deep in thought.

Seconds passed, and all Tori did was watch Clem mull over her options.  Finally, her amused tolerance at an apparent end, she cleared her throat.  "Ahem.  You don't want to ruin the professor's party, do you?"

Clem heaved a sigh.  "I guess not," she said in the same small voice.  She sat on the edge of the bed, scooted to the middle of the mattress, then placed her feet near the lower pair of cuffs.

"Good girl," Tori chuckled, then lifted Clem's left foot and placed her ankle in the left cuff, closed the padded inner cuff, then buckled the outer strap.  Clem's right ankle was secured in the right cuff, then Tori pulled out her keyring and unlocked the flex-cuff binding Clem's elbows.

Clem frowned.  "I thought you had to cut those things off."

"These are the more expensive, reusable kind." Tori explained.  "The ratchet mechanism is like most cable ties, but designed so the locking flanges open with the turn of a standard handcuff key."

"The wonders of modern technology," Clem muttered.  She lay back on the mattress and watched as Tori secured her right wrist in the right wrist-cuff, then walked around the bed and secured her left.  She was now flat on her back with her ankles about eighteen inches apart and her wrists a foot to either side of her hips.

"Such a pretty little gingerbread girl," Tori chuckled, then stooped, grabbed hold of the folded covers, and pulled them up and over Clem's body, leaving only her shoulders and head exposed.  "Oh!" Tori gasped.  I forgot to fluff your pillow!"  She leaned close to Clem's glaring face.  "Will you be alright?"

"Bite me," Clem huffed.

"Unfortunately," Tori purred, "Doc won't let me."  Her smiling face was still inches from Clem's.  "Maybe after the party.  We'll see."  She removed Clem's glasses, folded the earpieces, and carefully placed them on the nightstand.  "See you at breakfast."  She smiled down at the prisoner on the bed.  "You should look into getting contacts.  You have a very pretty face."

Clem's basic mood was unchanged.  "Bite.  Me."

Tori laughed and left the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

Clem gazed at the closed door—the not-quite-in-focus closed door—then gave her bonds a halfhearted tug.  The covers moved a little, but that was it.  The padded leather was tight.  Comfortable, but tight.

Just then the door opened and Kim Pappas entered the bedroom.  She'd changed into a very pretty silk robe.  It was a dark slate-blue, and Clem suspected her faculty adviser was wearing little, if anything, underneath.

"Okay, then," Pappas said as she sat on the bed.  "The Phantom was quite specific as to your sleeping arrangements, so..."

Clem watched—again, with everything not quite in focus—as Pappas pulled a thin, wide strip of paper-backed plastic from her pocket.  It looked sort of like a very large band-aid.

"I'm glad you're taking all of this so well," Pappas said, smiling at Clem.

"I'm not, really," Clem mumbled.

"But you are," Pappas continued.  She reached out with her left hand and straightened Clem's hair with her fingers.  "I'm perfectly serious when I say you don't have to participate in any of this.  Say the word and I'll set you free and you can get dressed and return to your apartment.  I'd very much appreciate it if you wouldn't ruin my grad student's party, and Miss Percy should be allowed to make her own decision, but..."  She continued combing Clem's hair with her fingers.  "I will let you go if you ask."

Clem swallowed before answering.  Professor Pappas was wearing perfume.  Not a lot of perfume, but the fragrance was—she was—very nice.  "All I need to know is that Gwen is okay," she said, finally.

Pappas leaned close and kissed Clem's lips.  "I promise," she whispered.

"Alright, then," Clem muttered.  "As long as I'm here, I might as well stay."  She managed a shy smile.  "Besides, who isn't up for a party?"

"Who, indeed?" Pappas chuckled, then peeled the paper backing from what was now revealed to be an approximately seven by three inch strip of lightly textured, not quite transparent plastic.  "Lips together, please."

Clem complied, then her eyes widened as Pappas stretched the strip over her mouth, covering her lower face from nose to chin and nearly from ear to ear.

"This is a new form of wound dressing from Salamandras Medical's R&D department," Pappas explained as she gently smoothed the film over Clem's lower face.  "It's very gentle to the skin, but the adhesive is super strong.  Yet, it peels off without much trouble."  She finished smoothing the strip, then lightly traced an orbit of Clem's closed mouth with her index finger.  "It's nearly invisible, once in place, and I love the way the contours of your lips remain visible.  You'll find it's a very effective gag, as single strips of tape go."

Clem's heart was pounding, again.  The situation was... wicked.

"A friend of mine gave me a case of the stuff, several dozen individual strips and twenty large rolls," Pappas said.  "You'll meet her at the party.  Now..."

Clem watched as Pappas opened the drawer of the bedside table and produced four small steel padlocks, all open.  Clem's eyes widened, again, as the professor stood and folded back the covers, exposing her naked body all the way down to her thighs!

Pappas clicked a padlock through the small hasp in the tongue of the buckle of the left wrist cuff, then walked around the bed and locked the right wrist cuff.  She then folded the covers down even further, leaving Clem completely exposed, and padlocked the right and left ankle cuffs.

Clem was blushing like crazy.  She couldn't help it.  Also, she noticed her nipples were embarrassingly erect, standing at attention, and the air in the bedroom was not cold.

Pappas returned to the left side of the bed and sat on the mattress, again.  "You have a very beautiful body, Miss Ricci," she remarked, then reached out and lightly rested her left hand on Clem's flat tummy.

Clem flinched at the contact, ever so slightly, and a delicate shiver coursed through her body.  Pappas' smile had broadened, but she was not gloating.  Professor Pappas was not Officer Ballantine.

"Given the circumstances," Pappas continued, "Miss Ricci seems a little formal.  May I call you Clementine?"

Clem nodded.  She'd tell her she preferred "Clem" when she wasn't tape-gagged—or naked—or strapped to a bed.  That shiver was back, and this time it was localized between her legs.

"Excellent," Pappas sighed, "and please call me Kim, except in an academic environment, of course."

Clem nodded, again.  Of course.  Pappas'—make that Kim's—hand wasn't moving; but it was soft, and warm, and above all, it was there.

Finally, Kim stood, lifting her hand as she did so, then leaned close and kissed Clem's tape-gagged lips.  "Good night, Clementine," she whispered, then restored the covers, turned, and walked to the bedroom door.  She clicked off the overhead light and left, closing the door behind her.

Clem heard a key turn, presumably locking the door, then silence.  The only illumination was a blue-green nightlight somewhere close to the floor and near the bed.  Kim had left her slightly more exposed than before.  Now her head, shoulders, and the top slopes of her breasts were exposed.  Luckily, the air was warm... maybe a little too warm... or was it Clem who was too warm?

Kidnapped, naked, her lips taped together, and strapped to a bed...  Not the way she'd thought she'd be spending the evening.  That shivering thrill was back, and Clem tugged on her wrist cuffs... her locked wrist cuffs.  The thrill would have to wait.  There was nothing she could do about it at the moment... and probably for a good many moments to come.

All Clem could do was lay in the darkened bedroom and think about Gwen, and Tori (her nemesis), and Kim (her anti-nemesis), and wonder about... The Phantom.

Kim pocketed the key she'd used to lock the bedroom door, then padded down the hall to the master bedroom, her bedroom.  She opened her bedroom door—and froze.

Tori Ballantine was reclined on the queen-sized bed.  Her strong, toned, yet very feminine body was totally nude, and a sexy (sinister) smirk curled her lips.  The muscles of her arms, shoulders, and legs were well-defined, but Tori Ballantine was no bodybuilder.  Her ab muscles were also defined.  Her breasts weren't especially large, but their shape was very pleasing.

Kim's pussy quivered, almost as if she'd been touched.  "I thought you were going home," she muttered.

"It's late," Tori answered.  "What's the point?  I have to be here in the morning to handle Clementine, don't I?"

Kim entered the bedroom and closed the door behind her.  "Speaking of which..."  She strolled to the bed, pulled the key from her robe pocket, and placed it on her bedside table.  "Remember to keep your hands to yourself.  That's Inga's plan, and you agreed to follow it."

"Oh, I promise," Tori chuckled.  "I'll keep my hands off Clem, except as needed to control her, of course.  Yes, I'll keep my hands off Clem."

Kim managed to keep the thrill that had returned to her crotch from showing on her face, she hoped.  "Well, you're welcome to use one of the other bedrooms, or the couch."

"I'm fine right here," Tori chuckled.  "Lose the robe, Doc."

Kim affected an expression of Proud Disdain.  "Are you telling me what to do in my own home?"

Tori continued to smile—then erupted off the bed, spun Kim around, and pinned her arms behind her back with her left arm around her elbows.  "Don't bother, Doc," she purred as she reached around Kim's body with her right hand and pulled apart the bow securing the robe's belt.  "I'll peel you out of the robe myself."

"Ahhhh!"  Kim shivered in Tori's grip.  The blond had reached under the gaping front of the robe and was gently squeezing her right breast.  "Not with Clementine here," she objected.

"I don't plan on making any noise," Tori whispered in Kim's right ear.  "If you like, I'll gag you, but I'd rather your mouth was free so we can suck face and you can suck my pussy."

"Ohhh!"  Tori's hand had left Kim's breast, slid down her abdomen, and was gliding across her labia.  "You monster—Ah!"  Tori had jerked the robe from her body and tossed her face down on the bed.  Vrrrip.  A flex-cuff had tightened around her right wrist, then Tori had seized her left foot, brought it close to her right wrist, and closed the flex-cuff's second band around her ankle.  Vrrrip.  It was a punishing pose, rendered only mildly punishing by the twenty-something years of yoga that was a regular part of her workout routine.

"I assume you meant 'monster' as a term of endearment," Tori purred, then rolled Kim onto her back, climbed onto the bed, and sprawled half atop her squirming body, being careful not to crush her bound wrist and ankle with their weight.  Tori was always a considerate "monster."  She kissed Kim's lips.  "I left one hand free so you can do things with it.  Don't disappoint me."

Kim smiled.  "And my free leg?"

Tori smiled back.  "I don't think you'll be hopping away."  She kissed Kim again, this time with tongue.  The face-sucking had begun.

Kim's left hand slid across Tori's smooth, strong back... clutched her left buttock... then slid around Tori's hip and began frigging her pussy.

The rustling of the bedclothes and quiet creaking of the mattress were the only sounds in the bedroom, together with the smacking of wet lips and the occasional quiet moan.  Thus far, Tori's tongue was the only gag required to prevent Kim from disrupting the neighborhood peace.