In Their Own Words – The Bank Manager’s Partners

This week, on In Their Own Words, we return to a favourite subject of the past – the experiences of partners of bank managers in various locations. For our first tale, we head to Bavaria, and allow Greta to tell her story.

I was preparing to go to a party with my husband, but he had to work late at his branch, so he was going to meet me there. It was a rather - intimate affair with a few close friends, so I was wearing a very special dress.. It was a wrap minidress, cream with black diagonal stripes, and with a black belt round my waist which was laced at the front. I was also wearing a pair of tight over the knee black leather boots, with a chain choker round my neck held by a clasp at my throat. I had at that time long blonde hair, and believe me – the dress was tight, and left little to the imagination.

So you can imagine my surprise when I walked out of my bedroom, and someone grabbed me from behind, slapping a leather gloved hand over my mouth and holding me with his other arm round my waist. I tried to get free – and then he told me if I did not stop struggling, he was going to hurt me.

The tone of the voice was quite persuasive, so I stopped struggling as he told me to face the wall, and put my hands behind my back. As I did so, I felt some sort of plastic going round my wrists, and then heard a rasping sound as they were suddenly and tightly forced together.

I was then turned round and saw him for the first time – he was wearing a black leather jacket over a sweater, pants, shoes – and a black stocking pulled down over his head. He also had on black leather gloves over his hands, as he peeled from inside the jacket a length of silver tape and then pressed it firmly down over my mouth, before he made me walk back into the bedroom.

He made me lie face down on my bed, and then I felt my ankles being forced together as well, again with that rasping sound – and then my legs below my knees, before my ankles were pulled back. There was the rasping sound again, and then I realised my ankles were secured to my wrists.

I felt round with my fingers, and felt the thin plastic which made me realize he had used zip ties to secure me. I rolled onto my side to see him taking a picture of me on a mobile phone, and then he put it to his ear.

“Hast du das Bild bekommen?

“Gut - und du hast es ihm gezeigt?

“Sie haben ihm klar gemacht, dass sie diejenige sein würde, die den Preis bezahlt, wenn er nicht tut, was Sie gesagt haben?”

I then realized what was happening – he was working with someone who was with my husband.

“Sobald er den Tresorraum geleert hat, stellen Sie sicher, dass er keinen Alarm auslösen kann, und rufen Sie mich an, sobald Sie frei sind.”

He ended the call and looked at me as I started to shake, but I had to control myself – I did not want to add to my husband’s fears. All I could do was hope he would not do anything else to me…

It was after dark when he got another call, and then he left me there - and another hour before the police arrived to free me. We never got to the party – but when we were reunited, my husband and I made sure we both knew we were loved…

For Doris, she was in a very unusual position – she was at the branch with her husband when the raiders struck…

I worked at the time as a legal secretary in a nearby firm, so I had arranged to come to meet Peter at his branch office just before it closed, and then we would leave after they had made sure everything had been finished for the night.

I remember I was wearing my usual style of clothing for work – a fawn coloured jacket over a purple bow-neck blouse, a knee length grey skirt, dark tights and knee length black leather boots. Peter greeted me with a kiss as I came in, and we went through to his office while his staff dealt with the last customers and locked up.

He was wearing a dark suit, white shirt and tie, and as we sat in his office we talked about what we were going to do that night – although hose plans changed as we heard some shouting from outside.

Before we had a chance to do anything, the door to his office was thrown open and three men walked in, wearing boiler suits, and with balaclavas over their heads so that only their eyes and mouths were visible. They also had sawn off shotguns, as they ordered Peter to sit with his hands on his head, while one of them took my hands behind my back. I heard the ripping sound and the tug on the skin of my wrists as they were taped tightly together, and then the silver tape was wrapped round my body to keep my arms against my sides.

I was then forced to sit on the floor as one of the men forced Peter out of the office, and I watched as another one used silver tape to secure my ankles together, and then my legs above and below my knees. He then wrapped the tape round my head to keep me quiet, and then stood guard until Peter was brought back.

Like me, had his arms and mouth taped, and like me he was made to sit down and his legs secured, before we were both made to sit back to back and taped together. We held each other’s hands to provide some sort of comfort – I learned when the police arrived the other staff were similarly bound at the front of the branch. But that was after we had to sit in the office while it got slowly darker…

Unusually, Doris was also the victim of a robbery at her husband’s branch some months later – but this time they were at home, and they were not the only ones there…

The second time? It was about six months later – but this time we had our granddaughter staying with us. April was about ten years old at the time, and her parents had gone on a cruise, so she was staying with us.

Which presented a problem one night, when Peter and I had to attend a dinner with other senior staff. So we arranged for Lucy, the daughter of another manager, to come and babysit for her. Lucy was nineteen, a nice girl with long brown hair, who was wearing a black jumper over t-shirts as well as jeans. April was wearing a blue sundress with matching slippers.

It would have been – what, about seven when they saw me and Peter walk into the room. While Peter was smartly dressed, I was wearing a red silk sleeveless dress, patterned stockings and my long length black leather boots.

I kissed April on the forehead, told Lucy to make sure she did not stay up late, turned round – and there were three people standing in the room, two men and a woman. They were wearing business dress, suits, the men wearing shirts with ties, the woman an open necked blouse, and dark shoes – and they had stockings pulled down over their heads, as well as pistols in their gloved hands.

Peter and I looked at each other, and we knew what was going on, so I held April and asked what they were going to do. The masked woman smiled as she said she was going to stay with us for a while while Peter went with her partners – but she had to be sure we could not raise the alarm.

I gripped April’s shoulders, and asked her not to hurt us. She just smiled again as she told all three of us – April, Lucy and me – to kneel down in front of the couch, and put our hands behind out back. I told April to be brave, as the woman put a pilot’s case she was carrying down, and I saw her take lengths of curtain cord out.

She knelt behind us, and one by one made sure our wrists were secured together behind our backs. April and Lucy were crying, but I told them both to try and keep calm, as we also had our arms forced against our sides with longer lengths of the cord.

I then heard her tell Lucy to open her mouth, and turned my head to watch as she was cleave gagged with a rolled up white scarf. I told April we would be fine, then watched as a second scarf was pulled between her lips, and the band tied tightly round her head.

I was then gagged in the same way, before I was sat on the floor next to April, and Lucy was told to lie face down on the couch. We both watched the masked woman as our ankles were secured together, as well as our legs below our knees, April then resting her head on my shoulder as the masked woman bound Lucy’s ankles and legs as well.

I remember trying to ask April if it hurt – although all that came out was “Dhshshthrht?” April shook her head and then rested her head against my arm as the two men took Peter with them, and our captor sat to keep watch over us.

She did turn the television on, however, so we were slightly distracted watching something until she left. April and Lucy had both fallen asleep, and I could see the dark grey at the corners of April’s moth where her scarf gag had soaked up the saliva in her mouth.

It was late when we were rescued…

Of course, partners of bank managers do not have to be of the opposite sex – ask Lorna…

I was getting ready for a cinema date when it started. I’m forty years old, with straggly blonde hair, and I was wearing a cream wrap top with little multi-coloured polka dots and a black lace trim, as well as old jeans tucked into over the knee black suede boots.

Smiling, I put on my favourite tan leather jacket, and stepped out of the house – but before I had walked more than about a hundred yards, someone grabbed me from behind and a damp cloth was pressed down over my nose and mouth. I opened my mouth to scream - and that was when my mind started to feel as if it was made of cotton wool, and I slipped into unconsciousness…

When I came to, several things were clear. One was the fact my arms and legs were stiff and would not move. Another was the feeling as if my mouth was full of marshmallows, and the third was the tugging on the skin round my mouth.

But there was something else – a mewling, pleading but muffled sound. IT took a few minutes for me to focus as much as I could without my glasses – and then see my partner was lying opposite me, and she had bands of rope around her arms and body.

She was dressed for work – a black jacket over a white blouse, although the jacket had been forced open across her chest by the tightness of the ropes. There was also a silver band around her head, covering her mouth and pressing her black hair against the back of her head – and I suddenly realized why the skin on my mouth was being pulled at, why it felt as if I was eating cotton wool – something was in my mouth, and the tape was round my head as well.

As I flexed my fingers, I felt the heels of my boots – and I realized I was hogtied, the bands round my legs, my chest , my wrists. And it was equally obvious my love was in a similar predicament – so I tried to look round – and I realized I was in a vault.

The vault of her bank. We looked at each other as the noise went on behind me, and then I saw four men walk past, wearing boiler suits and carrying bags – in the top of which I could see wads of bank notes.

So they were bank robbers – and I had the sickening feeling I was the way they got her to cooperate. I looked into her eyes, and said “hmsshhrrhheeee,”

Well, that was what came out through the tape and whatever. She looked at me and said “htssnhtuhffhlt” before she pushed herself over and pressed her tape covered lips on mine.

It was the next morning before one of her colleagues found us, and some considerable time in the hospital after that. She later told me they had come into the branch and shown her a photo of me – and she had gladly opened the vault doors in return for my safety. Only to end up like me in every way.

I really do know she loves me…

Not all bank managers, of course, are married – some live with relatives, a sister for example – like Hattie…

I’ve lived with Eric all my life -he’s two years older than me, and we inherited jointly our parent’s home when they passed away. While Eric is a manager at a bank, I teach piano at home, and I was never so glad my last pupil had left than that afternoon.

I was wearing a grey wool cardigan, fastened at the front with three buttons and a lace tie, over a white roll neck jersey dress that came down to my knees, and a pair of black leather boots with a leather band near the top of each one. As I said, my last pupil had left, so when I heard the ring on the front door I thought she had just forgotten something.

She had not – but it was not my pupil, it was a young woman wearing a black leather jacket over a t-shirt, jeans and trainers – and who had a gun in her gloved hand as she told me to walk back in and turn round.

Well, she certainly took me by surprise – but the gun was very persuasive, as I turned round and heard her close the door, then I heard the ripping sound before she taped my wrists together behind my back.

Actually, that was the second thing she did – the first was to tape my elbows together, so my shoulders were pulled back, my chest forced out, my cardigan forced open. It was a most peculiar feeling – only added to when I saw her gloved hands take the tape round my body so my arms were fixed in place – and the bands framed my chest as well.

I tried twisting round, but instead she ordered me to go to my bedroom and then sit on my bed. I watched as she knelt in front of me and taped my ankles together, as well as my feet – she wasn’t wearing a mask or any disguise, and as she looked at me she seemed to be enjoying what she was doing.

She then taped my legs together below my knees, before she stood up and looked down at me.

“Your brother,” she said quietly, “is going to call in a few minutes, to ask if what he has been told is true. You will confirm you are being held hostage, and he is to do what his visitors say. Understand?”

“And then?”

She just smiled as she said “wait and see…”

A few minutes later, the phone did ring, and she held it against my head as I talked to Eric. IT was an emotional call, but when it ended, the woman just put the phone down, and then covered my mouth with one hand – and rubbed the other over and across my chest. IT was a totally unexpected move, and I struggled to try and stop he r- which meant my chest rubbed on her gloved hand even more.

“Whuhhuhrruhduhhn,” I mumbled into the cotton, but she whispered into my ear “you enjoy this, don’t you” as she squeezed my chest and I felt a shiver run through my whole body.

How did she know?

“Unmarried, lives with her brother – it’s like a seventies sitcom which nodded and winked,” she whispered into my ear as I groaned and her grip on me tightened. “I can continue – after I make sure you stay silent.”

Why I nodded at her suggestion, I had no idea, but she removed her hand and I pursed my lips as she pressed several strips of duct tape down over my mouth. She then started t massage my chest, and I closed my eyes.

After all, if I could not stop her, I may as well enjoy what she was doing…

Finally for this week, Maggie actually is the bank manager – but it was after she left work to meet her husband that things got very strange…

It had been a long day – hell, a long week – and I was ready to party after I finished on the Friday. At work, I dress conservatively – in this case, a in stripe jacket and skirt with a blue blouse. But for my weekends, even though I’m he wrong side of fifty, I like to be wild.

So once everyone had gone, I changed into a different outfit – starting with a black body stocking. Over that I put on a pair of grey leather shorts, and a tight black jumper – and over the jumper, a black leather biker jacket.

The final part of my outfit was a pair of straight leather boots, with a two inch heel. I felt good, I looked good – and as I stepped out of the rear entrance, the alarms all set, I was looking forward to a good time.

I was not looking forward to someone pressing something against my back, and telling me to put my hands behind my back. But I needed to let him do what he was going to do, so I complied, and then felt the rope as my wrists were bound tightly together.

I then felt the rope round my body, and glanced down to see the thick white bands as my arms were pulled against my sides. Whoever it was took the rope round and round me, above and below my chest as it was forced out, the jacket opening up to the sides, the bands pressing up and down. A most peculiar feeling – and one I confess I found not unpleasant.

The bands tightened behind me, and then I felt the rope being fed under one arm, before it was pulled up and taken round the back of my neck, under my long brown hair. It went under my other arm – but dear lord it made the ropes so much tighter. IT then went over one shoulder, m as the man walked in front of me.

He was dressed in black – including the balaclava – as he fed the rope round the lower band between my breasts and took it back up again. I was groaning now – as the ropes were tied off, and I was told to open my mouth.

That allowed him to push a compressed sponge ball into my mouth, and then as I closed my lips he smoothed micropore tape over my mouth and then my eyes. Gagged, blindfolded, I was walked to something, and made to sit down before I felt my ankles and my legs being secured together, and then I was made to lie down.

Doors closed, engine started, and I was aware I was being driven somewhere. All I could do was wait to see what was going to happen…

About an hour later – the news had been on once – whatever I was in stopped and I was lifted out, then carried somewhere before I was helped to sit down. I wondered where I was, what was going on – but I also felt warmth, and heard something like a crackling sound.

And then I felt the lips on my covered ones, as the tape was peeled from my eyes, and I saw my husband dressed in black.

“Hmmghhnhkhlluh…”

“I have a better idea,” he said as he held my head and kissed me again, and I returned the gesture…

Sometimes, an abduction is for a game, or a sign of love, not greed.

This has been In Their Own Words – until next time…

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