In Their Own Words 3

Welcome back to In Their Own Words - real stories, real danger, and real victims. Later in the shoe we hear what happens when a party girl meets the wrong sort of guy, and how one mother and daughter spent a very restrictive Saturday, but first we turn to the tale of an au pair who found her work interrupted by a cleaning firm - the type that cleans out homes Soo Lin picks up the tale....

My employers had left for work, but they had informed me that a specialist firm was coming round to clean the Persian rugs, so when the front door bell rang I did not suspect anything out of the ordinary. I wish that had been the case, I really do.

But it wasn’t and when I opened the door it was not a pair of cleaners, dressed in overalls, but a pair of very large, very strong men dressed in overalls with nylon stockings pulled over their heads!

They picked me up under my arms and carried me back into the house, through the corridor and into the kitchen, before forcing me to sit at the kitchen table. “Put your head on the top, your hands on your head, shut up and stay still,” one of the men snarled at me as the other started to search through the kitchen drawers, looking for something.

I wasn’t going to move - I was too terrified to anyway, especially when I saw the large guns that they had tucked into the belts they were wearing. What on earth were they looking for anyway?

I got an answer of sorts when one of them pulled my head back, making me wince as he pulled at my hair, and said “Where’s the nice stuff, babe? Where’s the jewellery?”

“I... I think it’s upstairs,” I said through my tears, “I don’t know where the mistress keeps her jewels, honestly.” He glared into my face, as if he was trying to decide if I was telling the truth or not, before he said “Fat lot of good you are” and forced my head back down. “Tie her up while I look upstairs.”

The next thing I felt was my hands been pulled roughly behind my back, making me yelp as they were held behind my back and I felt rope been pulled round them. I had on a white cardigan over a red checked sundress, but he pushed my sleeves up so that the rough cords cut into my skin as my wrists were pulled tightly together and my palms were pressed together.

“Please, you’re hurting me,” I called out as I was pulled upright, and he wound some more rope round my arms and waist, pulling them tightly into my side as the rope went below and above my breasts. As he did this, my cardigan was pulled back at the front, revealing the shoulder straps as it did so. I felt the ropes digging into my arms as well, making me cry out in pain again, but that seemed to infuriate him all the more.

“I told you to shut up,” I heard him say before something wet and greasy was stuffed into my mouth. It took me a minute to register that it was the dishcloth I had used to wash the breakfast bowls with before opening the door. I wanted to gag, if you will excuse the word, to throw up, but before I had the chance he pulled a white napkin tightly over my mouth, forcing the cloth in as it pressed against my lips and was tied over my short brown hair at the back of my neck.

“Whtsggnngnn,” I mumbled, trying not to be sick as he pulled me out of the seat and frog marched me across the floor, making me sit against the back door before he took more rope and wrapped it round my bare ankles, the rope biting in a sit was tightened and forced them together. By now I was too scared to even mumble, as he wrapped the rope around and between my legs to secure them in place.

He then pulled off my shoes, and bound my legs together above my knees as well, making sure it went between my legs as around my ankles. I tried moving them apart as he stood up, only to feel the rope rubbing against my bare skin as I twisted them round.

The second man came in and looked at me, as I bent my legs and stamped them on the floor. “Cute,” he said as he leaned down and tickled the back of my knees, making me squirm even more before as he laughed. “Leave her there,” he said as the two men walked out, leaving me trying to scream for help from anywhere.

The only person who answered was the cat, who came through the flap and curled up at my feet, the tears flowing down my cheeks as I screamed out again...

Soo Lin was finally freed after two hours - none of the stolen items were recovered.

For Sophie, a Sunday morning call from someone she thought had come to buy her car turned into a far more prolonged visit...

I live alone, and was trying to sell my house through a reputable web site, so when I had a call from a potential buyer asking if he could come and see my car I thought nothing of it, and said he could come on the Sunday coming.

I’m not what you call a beauty - I’m six foot tall, with long brown hair and glasses. Short dresses and so-called “cool clothes” are not my style - I prefer to be casual, and this particular day was wearing a light grey blouse over a roll necked purple sweater, old jeans and trainers. I also need glasses, and at the time was wearing a black octagon rimmed pair.

I was expecting him at ten thirty, and at ten thirty on the dot there was a ring at the doorbell. I opened it to a man, about five foot eight with red hair and a neat beard, dressed in a jeans and t-shirt with a rucksack on his back.

“Sophie? I spoke to you on the phone,” he said as he extended his hand. “You have a car to show me?”

“Of course,” I said as I shook his hand, “come with me.” I let him in, closing the door behind me, and asked him to follow me through the kitchen and into the garage. My Daimler was parked there, so I stood back and let him walk round, looking under the bonnet and along the rim as he did so.

“Yes, I think I’d like this,” he finally said as he slipped his rucksack off his back and put it on the bonnet as he unfastened the straps at the top. “I believe you’re looking for six thousand?”

“That’s right,” I said as he opened the top, “I hope that’s not too unreasonable.”

“It’s a fair price,” he said as he looked in the bag, “but I wish to make a counter offer.”

“Oh, what’s that?”

“You give me the car,” he said as he pulled a pistol out and pointed it at me, “and you get to live to tell the tale.”

At first, I thought he was joking, but the stern look on his face told me that he actually meant what he was saying. I slowly raised my hands, as he used his finger to call me over to him.

“Turn round,” he said as he tipped a load of lengths of rope onto the car bonnet, “and put your hands behind your back.”

“Please, don’t do this - you can lock me in a room or something.”

“Sorry but I need to be sure you can’t raise the alarm - now turn round and put your hands by your side.”

As I turned round to look at the car, he put the gun down where I could see it, and he could reach it, and moved my hands behind my back, resting my forearms in my hands before he picked up a length of rope and shook it out. He then wrapped it round my forearms, pinning them together as he pulled tightly. I was grateful I had the blouse and jumper on, but I could still feel the ropes pressing against my skin and muscle as he tied it tightly round and between them.

There was an old wooden chair in the garage. Taking me by the arm, he forced me to go over to the chair, which he turned so that the back was facing the windshield. “Sit down,” he said as he forced me to sit with my chest pressing against the back of the chair. I watched as he took a long length of white rope and tied the end to the joint between the seat back and the chair, and began wrapping it round my body and the chair back.

With each pass he pulled me tighter against the wood, so that eventually I could hardly breathe for the way the wood was pressing into me. He’d wrapped it around my arms, back and waist, as well as the chair back, so that I could only squirm from side to side.

He leaned down in front of me and pushed my legs against the chair legs, securing them in place with shorter lengths of rope, and then stood up, brushing the hair away from my frightened eyes.

“Thanks for the car,” he said with a smile, but all I wanted to do was spit in his face - which I did. He wiped the spittle away from his cheek, and I thought for a moment he was going to kill me. Instead eh went back to the bag, drew out a red bandana with a white pattern, and folded it into a thick band. Walking to my side, he pulled it over my mouth and tied the ends under my hair, patting me on the head as he finished. I stared at him as he opened the car door, put the keys in the ignition, and started the car, reversing out as I tried to call for help. The slowly closing door cut me off from the outside world as I struggled, tilting the chair from side to side as I moved....

Sophie’s car was used as the getaway vehicle for a raid on the main branch of Bank of America later that day, and was found abandoned in the next town. Sophie herself was released by the police, when they came to her house hours later to see if she knew her car was missing.

For our main tale today, we hear from Denise and her daughter Dee Dee, whose plans for a Saturday were cruelly changed without warning. We start with Dee Dee, as she describes the events of the first part of that morning....

Mum had been up for an hour when I finally appeared in the kitchen, stretching and yawning as I pulled the bottom of my black short sleeved blouse down and tucked it into the waist of my skirt. I had a couple of hours to kill before I needed to be at Dad’s office, and he insisted that even family members were dressed properly.

My skirt was a grey pinstripe, which came down to my knees, and I was also wearing dark hose and a pair of high heeled pumps. “Is there any coffee left,” I said to Mum as I sat down at the table.

“In the pot,” she called out without turning away from the sink. She had on a black sleeveless coat dress with white polka dots, made from a very thin material so that I could just about make up the straps of her red bra under the material.

As I poured myself a cup of coffee, she turned round and slipped her feet into a pair of black Mary Jane shoes that were on the floor. “I need to go into town for an hour,” she said as she grabbed the car keys from the table top, “so I’ll see you when you get back tonight. Tell dad not to be late.”

“I will if I see him,” I said as I drank from the mug, flipping through the paper as I heard Mum walking out of the front door. A few minutes later I heard the door open again, so I called out “Did you forget something” without looking up.

There was no answer at first, so I called out “Mum?” This time I looked up, and I realised it was not Mum who had come in. There were three women standing there, smiling as they looked at me. They were incredibly well dressed in Armani trouser suits and leather pumps, and two of them were carrying small handguns while the third had a holdall in her hand.

“You must be Dee Dee,” she said with a smile. “Now, you’re not going to scream or shout or make a fuss, are you?”

I honestly did not know what I felt like doing at that point, so I just sat there, nodding slowly. “Good girl,” the woman said as she put the bag on the table and opened it, taking out a long length of white rope. “Just put your hands behind your back, and we can get started.”

“Started with what,” I said as I felt my wrists been crossed behind my back, and the rope been pulled against my skin as they were forced tightly together. “You’ll see, young Dee,” the woman replied with a smile as the rope was wound around and between my arms by one of the armed ladies, The other took two of our white dining chairs and carried them into the front room - which is where I was taken when they had finished, my arms chafing as I tried to twist them round.

When we walked in, I saw the two chairs had been positioned back to back. At that time, I have to confess it did not occur to me why there were two chairs, and not just one. The thing that was occupying my mind was that I was been made to sit down, as my arms were held behind me and guided over the back of the chair.

The two other women got to work again, as one of them wrapped rope around my waist and wrists, pinning me to the chair back, while the other slipped my shoes off and tied my ankles together, side by side, the rope clearly visible over my dark tights. IT did not feel too uncomfortable - at least until the person behind me tied some rope around my wrists and passed it over my shoulder, down my front and tucked it through the rope belt I was been forced to wear, and then back up the other side. At the same time, the second woman pulled my ankles right back under the chair seat, until my toes were clear of the floor, and secured them to my wrists as well with another length of rope. I now felt as if my entire body was been held by my wrists, and it was not a great feeling.

There was a strange ripping sound, and I turned my head to see the woman who seemed to be their leader tearing the end loose on a roll of shiny red tape. “Close your eyes,” she said as she walked over, and stuck the tape to the side of my head. As I closed them, I felt the tape been wound around my head, covering my eyes as well as trapping my long blonde hair against my head. It felt so tight I wanted to scream, but she said “Just stay cool and calm - mummy will be home soon,” I realised I needed to be quiet. Then I sat still, listening to them talking until there was a key turning in the door.

Denise takes up the story

I had been shopping, and returned expecting Dee Dee to be out of the house. So when I came in the front door and heard talking in the front room, I figured she had just been held up. I walked in to see what the problem was, and - well, I saw what the problem was.

Dee Dee was sitting in one of our dining chairs, her wrists crossed and bound tightly behind her back and secured to her ankles, which had been pulled up under the seat. She also had rope round her waist and upper body, and a band of red tape covered her eyes and head.

“Mum?” she said as she turned her head in the direction of my voice, “get out - they’re still here!” I turned to leave, only to walk into one of three stunningly beautiful and immaculately dressed women, two of whom were pointing guns at me!

“Turn round, Denise,” the third woman said as she smiled at me, “and put your hands behind your back. We need to make you - comfortable.”

“What’s going on? What’s this all about?” I said as I stared at her. She said nothing, pout turned me round and pulled my hands behind my back, holding them as I felt some sort of rope been used to bind them tightly together.

“We have business with your husband,” the woman said as I felt the rope digging into my bare wrists, “and you and the lovely Dee Dee here are part of what we wish to talk to him about. Now be a good girl, and stay quiet.”

“Mum, I’m scared,” Dee Dee said as I was marched to an empty chair, a little back from her, and made to sit down with my arms guided over the back. The two armed women out their guns where I could see them and got to work on me, securing me in place.

The first one wound a long length of rope around my waist and the chair, pulling me back so that I was held firmly against the chair back. I could feel the material of my dress been pulled in, as the shoulders were pulled down when my wrists were wrapped round with the long length of rope.

At the same time, the second woman took my left ankle and tied one end of a length of rope round it, securing it tightly before she pulled it back and tied the other end round the chair where the metal leg met the plastic seat. This meant my toes barely touched the floor, but as she walked round and repeated the process on the other side I knew I was not going to be able to move it very easily at all.

I heard Dee Dee gasp as the leader pulled the end of a roll of tape - black this time - and said “Close your eyes” as she walked towards me. “All right, but don’t hurt us,” I said before closing my eyes, trying not to listen to the half ripping, half peeling noise as the tape came away from the roll and was wrapped tightly over my eyes, head and hair.

I was pushed back, and with my fingers I found those of Dee Dee, giving them as much of a squeeze as I could. “Are you all right,” I said as I looked over my shoulder.

“No, Mum, I’m scared,” Dee Dee said as she squeezed my hand back. I nodded my head and said “be brave” as I heard the telephone ring.

“Mister Barnes,” I heard the woman say as she answered the phone, “I believe my colleague is with you?

“Oh, you do not believe us? Perhaps your wife can persuade you?” I felt something cold against my ear as I heard my husband say “Denise? Are you and Dee Dee all right?”

“We’re here, and we’re all right for now,” I said, “but we’ve been tied up, there’s tape over our eyes, and there are three armed women here, Please, whatever it is, just do it and let us be free.”

“Sensible advice, Mister Barnes,” I heard the woman say as the phone was taken away from my ear, “now here’s what I want you to do. I want you to give my associate exactly what she tells you to, and then you get to see your wife and daughter again.

“Very sensible of you, Mister Barnes. Now don’t call until we call you.” I listened to the footsteps receding and returning, and then the voice say “Open up.”

Something that felt like a sponge was pushed into my mouth, and I heard the sound of tape again as it was wrapped tightly round my mouth and jaw. I heard Dee Dee say “Please, don’t”, so I gave her hand another squeeze to show I was there as I listened to the sound of the tape again.

We sat still, listening to the sound of the three women sitting and talking for what seemed like hours, with the occasional tug on our ropes to make sure they were still tight. After a while, however, there was silence except for the occasional moan or grunt from me or Dee Dee, neither of us wanting to speak in case they were still there...

In fact, Denise and Dee Dee had been left alone, abandoned by their captors following a successful raid on the family business. It was conjectured that they were working on the orders of a woman known only as Madame X, but nothing was ever proven.

For our final story, we tell the tale of a woman whose night out almost went horribly wrong.

I had been on an office night out at a local club, wearing my favourite silver pants with a long sleeved pink top and black patent pumps with four inch heels. My legs were encased in black hose, not that you could tell as the legs of my pants covered my shoes almost completely.

Anyway, I was sitting talking with the girls when I saw this man looking at me. He was tall, thin and quite good looking, and he seemed to wink at me once or twice, so I actually thought I may be onto a good thing here. Especially when I went up to the bar and he offered to buy me a drink.

We chatted, had a couple of cocktails, and one thing led to another - so that I eventually said goodbye to my friends and invited him back to my place for the proverbial nightcap.

“So what’s your name,” he said to me as we walked out of the club.

“Cassie - what’s yours?”

“Dave - so, where do you live?”

It was a short walk from the club to my apartment block, and we stopped at the doorway as he kissed me gently on the lips. I returned the favour, before we walked into the lobby, took the lift to my floor and into my apartment, at which point he took me in his arms and kissed me again.

It was beautiful, as we embraced in the hallway, our lips locking as we embraced each other. Eventually we broke off and I looked into his eyes as he said “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course Dave,” I said with a sly little smile, “what do you want?”

“Tell me where your jewellery is.”

I looked at him, wondering what he was saying, and why he was asking - which was when I felt the point against my stomach, and looked down to see the blade he was pressing against it.

“Open the door,” he said as he nodded to his left, “and no funny stuff.” I walked slowly to the door, opening it to find a woman I recognised from the bar waiting there. She walked in and closed the door, looking at me before she said “Any trouble, Dave?”

“No problem love,” was his reply as he embraced her and kissed her passionately, before they both looked at me. She was wearing a red leather bustier dress with a black leather jacket and over the knee tight boots, with black fishnet stockings.

“Go and see if you can find something to tie her up with,” he said as he took me by the arm, “while we go and have a look in her bedroom.” He dragged me towards the door as his girlfriend made her way into the kitchen.

“Kneel down in front of the bed, hands behind your head,” he said as he pushed me towards my bed. I did as he asked, dropping to my knees as he started to pull drawers out and tip the contents on the floor.

“Look what I found,” his girlfriend said as she came back in, and I groaned as she held up the coils of rope I had bought a couple of days before for a team building exercise at the office. “Brilliant,” he said as he looked at her, “you know what to do.”

I saw a big grin n her face as she threw the coils on the bed spread, taking one and shaking it out as she crossed my hands behind my back. I clenched my hands into fists as she wrapped the rope tightly round my arms, making them hold firmly together as the rough cords pulled the cuffs of my top around them.

“Good girl,” she said with a sarcastic tone as she then wound some rope around my arms and chest, below my breasts as she tugged my arms tightly into my back. That was bad enough, but she then tied a third length to the band behind my back, took it under my arm and pulled it up and over my shoulder, round my neck and back under my other arm.

That was tight enough, making it hurt whenever I breathed, but then she took the rope back over my neck, down the front of my jacket and under the band of rope between my breasts, before pulling it back up and round my neck again, then tying it off behind my back. The effect was to pull my breasts up as I knelt there, trying hard not to speak as the rope rubbed lightly against my throat.

She then made me turn round and sit down, watching as she tied my ankles tightly together over my jeans. That made the cuffs of my pants rise up slightly, revealing my stockings as the rope went round and between them. I looked up and cried as I saw her boyfriend, the man I thought I would be in bed with, taking all my lovely jewellery and stuffing it into his pocket, while this tart tied my legs together below my knees.

“Please, just go,” I cried out as she stood up and laughed at me. “Got something special for her, Dave,” she said as she looked t the man, who winked as he threw her something from my underwear drawer.

That something was two pairs of my white undies, which she pushed together into a big pad. “Wrap your lips round this,” she said as she held the pad in front of my mouth, “his lips are all mine.” I clamped my mouth shut and tried to twist away, but she just gripped my nose, holding my nostrils closed until I was forced to open my mouth, allowing her to push the huge wad in. I could hardly close my mouth over it - not that mattered. They had something else I mind.

I had a roll of clear packing tape in the room, from some stuff I had packaged up a few days ago, and I watched as he tore the end loose and knelt next to me, tearing a long strip off and pushing it down from ear to ear over my mouth. More lengths followed, sealing the white pad in place as I looked pleadingly at both of them.

“Been a real pleasure,” Dave said as he pushed me over onto my side, laughing as I grunted and turned to call out for help. But I was powerless as they walked away, laughing as they turned the lights off...

And that’s all we have time for on this edition. Join is again soon as we hear more tales In Their Own Words...

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