One Love
Shona was angry
with herself – angry that she had not realised something was wrong when she
came into the flat, and angry that someone had broken in, and was waiting for
her.
It was early
evening, and she was sitting in the front room of her flat, her hands on her
lap as she looked at the young man standing in front other. He was in his early twenties – about her age
– and wearing a blue denim shirt and jeans, as well as white latex gloves – and
a stocking pulled down over his head. He
also had a gun in his hand, as he said for the fourth time “don’t do anything,
and I won’t hurt you.”
“So what are
you going to do,” Shona said quietly.
Her long dark hair was falling over the shoulders of her black mohair
jumper, the sterling silver chains hanging loosely round her neck, while the
hem of her black and white hound’s-tooth skirt had risen slightly as she sat
down, exposing her dark hose above as well as below her knees to the top of her
black patent leather boots.
The man grinned
as he rubbed his covered chin, and said “I think I’m going to make sure you
cannot raise the alarm. Slowly, pass me
your handbag.” He held his hand out as
Shona passed him her cream bag, watching as he removed her mobile phone and put
it in his own pocket, before he said “You got any rope or tape in this place?”
“Yeah – there’s
some washing line in the kitchen,” Shona said, and then she realised her
mistake as he smiled.
“Good – I want
you to take off your chains and rings, and out them into this bag.” He took out of a holdall a small velvet bag,
and handed it to Shona, watching as she placed her jewellery inside it. “Now, lie face down, and put your hands
behind your back.”
“Why?”
“Do you think
I’m going to let you move round while I find the rope?” He took out of his pocket a roll of black
electrical tape, and said “just do it.”
Shona nodded as she lay on her stomach, feeling him put her wrists
together behind her back before she felt the tug on her skin as the tape was
wound tightly round them.
She then felt
her ankles as they were forced together, before she rolled onto her side and
watched the masked young man walk into the kitchen. She tried to wriggle and force her arms
apart, but the tape held firm, as she heard him looking in the cupboards.
He came back
in, carrying a large kitchen knife and the washing line, and smiled at Shona as
he started to cut lengths of cord from the line. “Now,” he said with a smile, “perhaps you can
tell me where…”
Both of them
then heard the apartment door open, as he grabbed a cloth and pushed it into
Shona’s open mouth, making her unable to do more than mutter as they both heard
a female voice say “hey Shona, are you back yet?”
“Ghtthhhfhrrr,”
she called out, but the cloth was too well stuffed into her mouth as the
intruder stood behind the room door, waiting as it opened and a second young
woman walked in. She was wearing a black
puffer jacket over a long white grandad shirt, black leather trousers, and
black laced shoes with purple socks just visible. The most striking thing about her, however,
was the black, grey and white tartan scarf that was wrapped over her head and
round her neck.
“Hey Shona, are
you…” She stopped as she saw Shona lying
on the couch, the corners of a cloth sticking out from between her lips, before
she heard the pressure on her back as the intruder said “and what do we have
here? What’s your name?”
“Amy – please,
don’t hurt us…”
“I’m not going
to hurt you,” he said with a smile, “but I am going to make sure neither of you
can raise the alarm now.”
“Listen,” Amy
said, “I won’t try and stop you, but please, let me talk to Shona.”
“Okay then –
you walk round and take the cloth out of her mouth.”
Amy nodded as
she walked round, seeing the masked young man for the first time before she
reached down and gently pulled the now wet cloth out of Shona’s mouth.
“Has he hurt
you?”
“no – well, I’,
tied up, but he hasn’t hurt us,” Shona said quietly. “What are you doing here?”
“I thought
there were things we still needed to say to each other – the door was open, so
I just came in.”
Shona blushed
as she said “I… I guess there are, but
is this the place?”
Amy smiled as
the man walked said “take the jacket off, then put your hands behind your
back.”
“I get the
feeling there may not be a better time,” she said quietly as she removed her
coat, placing it on a chair before she felt the man cross her wrists, “but I
also realised I may have shocked you with what I said.”
“I’m not sure
shocked is the right word,” Shona said quietly as Amy felt cords been pulled tightly
round her wrists, “I don’t think I do have the words to express how what you
said made me feel?”
“Well,” Amy
said as she made a little smile, “try just saying how you felt.” She glanced over her shoulder as she felt the
intruder take the rope between her arms, grunting as it was pulled tighter.
Grace shifted
round and then looked at the young Muslim woman, before she said “I felt –
flattered, if truth be told, but also surprised. I mean, your faith does have a few things to
say about…”
“It does,” Amy
said quietly, “but I’m a convert, remember?
I felt this way about other people before I accepted this faith, and I
cannot change that. What I do not know
is… OH…”
Amy gasped as
she felt the rope pulled tighter round her arms and body, the band sitting
below her chest as her arms were forced into her sides there. It gathered the shirt under her breasts, but
as the masked man wound the rope round her body time and again, above and below
her chest, she noticed the way Shona was looking at her.
“Penny for
them?”
Shona shook her
head as she saw the way the shirt was been stretched tight over Amy’s chest,
the ropes pressing down and forcing her breasts out, before she said “I… Do you mean what you said?”
“I do,” Amy
said with a smile as the rope was passed under one arm, up and around her back
of her neck, and then under the other arm, so that the ropes acted like a
harness. “Does that disturb you?”
“No – I’m
flattered and…” She watched as the man
made Amy sit in a chair, and then sat her up before she saw the rope coming down
over her head, and pulled tight. “And I
find you attractive as well.”
“Like
this?” Amy wriggled round, feeling the
ropes rub on her as Shona laughed.
“Well, it’s
certainly a different look for you,” she eventually said as Amy saw the way Shona’s
jumper was being stretched over her chest by the ropes, “but yes, I find you
attractive.”
“So?”
“So – look,
we’re been tied up by a masked intruder here,” Shona laughed. “Do you see the absurdity in this?”
“I agree, it’s
an unusual situation,” Amy said as Shona felt the ropes tighten still further,
smaller lengths of rope tied between her arms and bodies, “but it does have one
advantage.”
“What’s that?”
“You can’t run
away.”
Shona looked at
Amy and then laughed as she felt the tape cut away from her wrists – and then
the rope as they were lashed together.
“I don’t think you will be able to either soon,” she said as the man
leaned down with another length of rope, and started to bind Amy’s ankles to
each other.
Shona twisted
round, her boots squeaking as Amy said “so, I’m going to ask you again – want
to go and get a drink some time?”
“Yeah – I’ll
let you know when I’m free.”
“Now who’s
dropping the bad jokes,” Amy laughed as she felt his gloved hands on her legs,
taking the rope between her ankles and pulling it tighter as he secured the
ends together. She then felt the second band
below her knees, the rope tightening over her pants as she saw them gather.
“Seriously – I
don’t want to get you in trouble with anyone…”
“Want to know
something? The Quran doesn’t actually
have any verses that proscribe this.”
“IT doesn’t?”
“Well, it does
have a lot to say about Sodom and Gomorrah,” Amy said as she looked at Shona,
her jumper tight over her chest now, “but there it talks about man on man
action. Woman on woman action? Not quite as much.”
“But what
happens in some countries…”
“Is a zealot
interpretation of the verses. You have
the same problem with parts of the bible, True?”
Shona nodded as
the masked man came back to her and started to bind her legs together below her
knees with the rope. She watched as the
hose lightened under the pressure of the ropes, before he cinched it between
her legs and tied it off. Taking the
last length, he cut the tape away from her ankles and then lashed them tightly
together as well.
“Right,” he
said as he stood up, “your valuables?”
“Bedroom,”
Shona said quietly as he walked out, and she started to twist round, the
leather squeaking – joined by Amy as she twisted her legs.
“Hey.”
Amy looked at
Shona as she said “I’d love to go out with you – in fact, I find you attractive
as well, but wasn’t sure what to say about it.”
Amy nodded as
she said “understandable – perhaps we should do something about it?”
Shona smiled as
the masked man came back in, and put some items into his bag, before he went
back to the kitchen, holding up a roll of silver tape.
“Well, guess we
really are going to be quiet now,” Amy said with a smile as he tore the end of
the tape roll free, and then wound it tightly round her head, trapping her
hijab against her head as she was silenced.
“Yeah – yeah,
we are,” Shona said as he wound the tape round her head as well, lifting her hair out of the way so that it
fell down over the silver band behind her neck.
She looked at Amy, an eyebrow raised as the man picked up his gag, blew
a kiss to them both, and then walked out.
She twisted round, and tried to call for help, but the ropes and gag
were too tight – and the way the ropes were rubbing on her was making her feel
giddy…
“Hshnnhe.”
She looked up
at Amy as she slowly pushed herself up, and then jumped over to the couch she
was sitting on, allowing herself to sit next to her as their eyes met.
“Whhttth?”
She saw the
smile under the tape over Amy’s mouth before she leaned over and pressed her
tape covered lips against Shona’s cheek, then looked at her.
“Dhhhlhktht?”
Shona blushed
as she slowly nodded, and then returned the gesture, her taped lips on the side
of Amy’s cheek before they looked at each other. She then turned her head and closed her eyes
as she pressed her lips against Amy’s, the other girl returning the gesture as
they twisted round.
She then rested
her head on Amy’s chest and oved it from side to side, Amy closing her eyes and
moaning softly before she felt the tape on there as well. She longed for them to be free, so that they
could tell each other properly – but for now, they could show how they were
feeling in this way…
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