Mother and Daughter Moments 22

IvyTheTerrible
Hi everyone – I got a message from ViTheFirst to say she would be back next week. She’s fine – just needs some time to recover from the flu. So who’s new today?

CuteCara
Hi - I’m Cara, and I was just telling the others here why I had come to join this group today.

IvyTheTerrible
Welcome Cara – so have you met one of them or have a dream of meeting one of them?

CuteCara
A bit of both actually – I mean, I had read about them, but never ever dreamed I would actually meet one of them. And then, last week...

Let me start at the beginning, I’m eleven, and live with my Mum in the suburbs of Birmingham. Mum works as an area rep for a cosmetics firm, and she’s brought me up single handed. She has long black hair, while mine is curly, and we get by. I have an aunt – well, I call her Aunt Cara, and I’m named after her, but she’s my mum’s friend since she went to school. She has an eight year old daughter, Emma – a real cute kid.

IvyTheTerrible
Okay – so what happened?

CuteCara
Well, it was last Thursday, and Mum picked me up from school. It was a warm day, and my school doesn’t have a uniform, so I was wearing a white polo shirt, knee length Khaki shorts and black trainers. Mum – well, Mum is Mum. Apart from her large hoop earrings, she had on a short black dress with a neckline that showed her chest a bit too much, and a long black cardigan coat. She also had on a pair of knee length black leather boots, with white socks pulled up over her knees.

Anyway – as we walked away from the school, she told me that we needed to stop in with Aunt Cara. The two of them were going to be spending the day in the city, and Emma was going to be spending the day with me at Emma’s grandmother. So I guessed they needed to sort out the details of how we were going to meet up, so I nodded as we walked round to her house.

Aunt Cara lives in a lovely house a little way from the school, and we always just come in the door and call out for her. It was the same this time, as we went in and Mum called out for Aunt Cara. There wasn’t an answer immediately, but we could hear the television was on, so we just walked in.

“Hllntsmmee. Mpllngngegm.”

We both stopped and stared at Emma, who was sitting in a chair while the television was on. She was wearing a purple blouse with elbow length sleeves, a pair of Khaki trousers and matching trainers, but that wasn’t the only thing she was wearing.

We could see that her hands were behind her back, and she had a very unusual belt on her trousers – a rope belt. She also had some rope around her ankles, holding them together side by side, and a second band around her legs below her knees. As we walked over to look at her, I could see the rope was also going between her legs – and there was a far more visible band around her arms and stomach, keeping them against her body.

“Emma? My lord, who did this to you.”

“Sami, Cara – I see you’ve seen the game that Emma and I are playing.”

IvyTheTerrible
And now begins the fun – so the Games Player was actually visiting your aunt, and you walked in on it.

CuteCara
I figured that bit out pretty quickly, as Mum and I turned round and looked at Aunt Cara. She was wearing a light blue blouse with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, over a striped t-shirt, jeans and knee length brown leather boots, with her long brown hair over her shoulders. But she also had her hands behind her back, and a rope belt.

But it was the man behind her I was looking at. He smiled at me from under the stocking that covered his head, and said “so your name is Cara as well? Are you named after Emma’s mother?”

“Cara,” Mum said, “what’s going on?”

IvyTheTerrible
You’ve met the original Games Player – did he scare you?

CuteCara
At first, but I could hear Emma giggling, or as much as she could with a wide strip of white tape covering her mouth.

“This man’s an actor,” Aunt Cara said as she looked at Emma, “it seems my loving husband booked him to pretend to be a robber, and we’re playing along. Would you like Aunt Sami and Cara to play along as well Emma?”

We both turned and looked at Emma as she nodded, and I knew then that I was going to join this group.

“It’s all right Mum,” I said as I held her hand, “let’s play along and keep Emma happy.”

IvyTheTerrible
Good move on your part – so what happened next?

CuteCara
The man looked at me, and then said “Your mummy and I are still playing upstairs Emma. Would you like Cara to stay with you while I take her mum with yours?”

Emma nodded as Aunt Cara said “thank you, Cara – I know Emma’s having fun, so you’ll have fun with her, right?”

“Sure Aunt Cara,” I said as the man walked behind Mum, and I watched him pull her wrists behind her back. A few minutes later, he tied a rope belt round her waist, and then he smiled as he came over to me.

I felt him cross my wrists behind my back, and then I felt the rope on my wrists.

IvyTheTerrible
I imagine you were wondering what was going to happen by that point?

CuteCara
Well, it was a new feeling, that’s true. IT didn’t hurt that much, but it was tight, and I could feel him pull the rope between my arms as well before he tied it off. I then had a rope belt as well, which I now realised was there to keep my wrists against my back.

IvyTheTerrible
Did he tie your arms to your side then?

CuteCara
No – he told me to go and sit next to Emma, so I sat on the seat with her and wriggled back, while he took some more rope from his jacket pocket and tied my ankles tightly together, the rope ribbing on me as it went between my legs. He also tied my legs together below my knees, before he took from his other pocket a wide roll of white tape.

He told me to put my lips together, and then he tore a strip off and pressed it down over my mouth with his leather gloved hands. It stuck really well, and as I looked at Emma I guessed she could see my lips in the same way as I saw hers.

IvyTheTerrible
Yeah – that tape really does help keep you quiet. So what happened next?

CuteCara
He asked Aunt Cara and Mum to come with him, which left me and Emma to watch the television. I could hear them walking about downstairs, but Emma nudged me and I watched what she was watching, enjoying the fact we were together like this.

IvyTheTerrible
So what happened when they came back?

CuteCara
Well, when they came back down I saw that Mum and Aunt Cara both had some more ropes tied round them, above and below their chest, and there were ropes between their arms and body to make it look even tighter. They also had a strip of the white tape over their mouths, but it looked as if there was something else in their mouths that the tape was covering.

IvyTheTerrible
What made you think that?

CuteCara
Their cheeks were bulging like a hamster. They said “Hlll” as well as the man told them both to sit on the long couch, before he put a bag down. He then took some more lengths of rope from that, before he knelt down and crossed Mum’s ankles.

We both watched as he tied them tightly together, taking the rope around and between her legs in the same way he did for Emma and me, and then tied her legs together below her knees. He then tied Aunt Cara’s legs in the same way, before he looked at us and smiled.

He then went out of the room, coming back with two cartons of Ribena with a straw in them, and peeled the tape away from our mouths.

“Thank you,” Emma said as she took a drink, “you kept your promise.”

“Of course I did,” he said as we both took a drink, “now, for the next part of the game, I need to make sure that none of you can move from where I leave you, so I’m going to use a little more rope on each of you, and then I’ll tell you what’s going to happen next, all right?”

“This is fun, isn’t it Emma,” I said, Emma nodding before we both finished the drinks.

IvyTheTerrible
So what were your mum and your Aunt Cara doing while you had your drink?

CuteCara
They were wriggling round, and watching us, but they were smiling as well – I could see that under the tape.

Once we had finished, the man took another length of rope, and he tied it round my upper arms, forcing them into my side as he did so.

“Would you like to sit on Cara’s lap,” he said to Emma, and she nodded, so he lifted her up, and waited as I moved myself into the centre of the seat before he sat her on me. He then found another piece of rope, and used it to tie us together round our tummies, with Emma’s hands tickling me a little.

Then he used one more piece to tie our legs together, above Emma’s knees.

IvyTheTerrible
I bet that made sure you both stayed there?

CuteCara
It certainly did. He then said he had to make sure Mum and Aunt Cara could not move, but before that he put new strips of tape over our mouths, so that we were kept quiet.

He took a cushion and put it on the floor, before helping Aunt Cara to lie on her tummy with her head on the cushion. He then pulled her legs back, and tied some rope from her ankles to the ropes around her chest.

As for Mum, he helped her to lie face down on the couch, and then pulled her ankles back before he tied some rope between her ankles and chest as well. I couldn’t move with Emma on my lap, and she was tied to me, so all four of us had to stay where we were.

He then said he was going to pretend to leave, and we could try and get free, but someone would come to end the game in a little while.

IvyTheTerrible
So how long were you like that before someone came?

CuteCara
Well, he put Toy Story on for us to watch while we were waiting, so it must have been about two hours before a nice policeman came in, took the tape from our mouths and then started to untie us.

When he took the tape from Mum’s mouth, he also took a folded scarf out of her mouth, and the same for Aunt Cara – so I was right.

IvyTheTerrible
So the question is Cara – did you have fun in the end?

CuteCara
Oh yes – it really was great fun, even if it was a real robbery.

IvyTheTerrible
Welcome then, to our group...

********

Sleepovers – I know Steve has had great fun with some families in the past in that situation, but recently one family I paid a visit to were having their own sleepover, and it meant I had to do some slightly different things with them.

The family in question were the owners of a nice real estate business – and a very profitable one, given their location on the South Downs, which gave some unusual opportunities as well. They lived in a cottage, the man of the house often staying away overnight if he had business in London or elsewhere.

I also had other commitments to make that day, which meant this would have to be an evening visit, but with luck Esther and her three daughters, seven year old Irene, ten year old Poppy and eleven year old Toni, would still be for a little game playing as well.

Even with that, however, it was starting to get dark by the time I got to the cottage. I had already decided to dress in black for the visit – black sweater, leggings and boots, with a leather jacket and gloves, as well as the stocking mask. As I parked the car in the driveway, I could see the lights were on in the downstairs front room, and I could hear music as I passed it by to make my way to the back door.

It was unlocked, so I was able to pull my mask down and get in without any problems. There was definitely music and laughter at the front of the house, as I walked slowly down the corridor – which, of course, was the moment the door opened and a young girl ran out, wearing a pink one piece sleep suit with red dots, collar and sleeve cuffs.

I just had time to hide in a room as an older woman came out – I recognised Esther from her pictures – wearing a pink one piece sleep suit with a picture of a Scottie dog embroidered on the left breast.

“Come here little Irene,” she said as she caught the girl and picked her up, “you want to dance to this song as well.”

“No I don’t,” the little girl giggled, and as I heard the Birdie song start I had to admit, the girl had a point. Looking round the room I had ducked into, I saw it was an office, so I quietly started to search for things.

A few minutes later, I heard Esther say “I’ll go and get the drinks now,” and then stood by the doorway as she went past. I sneaked out and followed her into the kitchen, taking her completely by surprise as I put my gloved hand over her mouth, and said “Not a word – don’t struggle, keep calm, and do as I say, understand?”

I felt her head nod under my hand, so I said “when I take my hand away, speak quietly and calmly.” She nodded again, so I took my hand away and she turned round, looking at me as she said “What do you want?”

“Your valuables – and to make sure your girls don’t get scared, so we’re going to tell them this is a game you and your husband have arranged.”

“You’re her then – the Games Player?”

“That’s right – so will you help me to keep your daughters calm, or do we tell them this is a real robbery?”

“But Irene’s only seven...”

“If you follow my lead, they will think it’s fun – understand? Now, you’re all having a sleepover?”

“That’s right...”

“Well, take them their drinks, and say I’m part of a big surprise you and your husband have arranged. Then follow my lead, all right?”

Esther nodded as we walked back into the front room, where Irene was playing with Poppy and Toni. Poppy was wearing a pale pink top with a picture of a snowman on the front, and red bottoms with pink dots, while Toni was wearing a pair of checked bottoms and a peach coloured top.

“Who’s the lady, mummy,” Esther said.

“Daddy and I have a surprise for you,” Esther said, “this lady is pretending to be the Games Player, the woman who come to the homes of families and takes their things, while stopping them from moving or speaking. Would you like to all play a game of hostages?”

“What do we have to do,” Poppy said as she looked at me, her fingers to her mouth.

“Well, I need to make sure the three of you stay in this room for a little while,” I said with a smile, “and then Mummy and I will take a walk round. You can watch something together if you want as well, but first have your drinks.”

“We won’t be able to move,” Toni said as she looked at me.

“Not really – but it’s all pretend, just that I do it as if it was real. I promise it won’t hurt – let me show you.”

Taking my rucksack off, I took out a length of cord and asked Toni to walk over. As she turned round, I gently moved her hands behind her back, crossed her wrists and secured them together.

“See – does it hurt,” I said as I tied the ends off, and she tried to move them.

“No – it doesn’t,” she said as she looked at me.

“So who wants to be next?”

“I will,” Poppy said as I secured her wrists together behind her back, and then Irene walked over, looking nervously at Esther as I secured her wrists.

“It’s not too bad Mummy,” she said as she walked round, “now what?”

“I need you three girls to sit on the couch now, because the bad Games Player has to stop you from walking around.”

As they sat side by side, I crossed and tied their ankles together. Irene sat right back so that her legs rested on the cushion, Poppy had her feet over the side, and Toni most of her lower legs. I also tied the legs of each of them together below their knees, so that they were held firmly together.

“Now,” I said as I looked at them, “can I trust you three to sit here and keep quiet if I put one of your favourite films on?”

“A real robber would stop us calling for help,” Toni said.

“True – but I won’t do that unless you all want me to.”

Esther watched, not believing it as all three nodded – so I took out a roll of white tape, and smoothed a length over each of their mouths, before I put on the Frozen Blu-ray that was in front of the player.

“Will you girls be all right?”

“They will if they sit still,” I said, “now have fun.” As I escorted Esther out, I also said “and it is practice for later, because I have to make sure all four of you are gagged before I go. Now – where are your valuables?”

“In my bedroom,” she said quietly as the television played.

“After you then...”

Half an hour later, I came back into the room with Esther, the girls looking at her with interest. I had crossed and tied her wrists together behind her back, and also tied some ropes around her arms and upper body, the bands sitting above and below her chest.

“Are you enjoying the film,” she said as she sat in a chair, the three girls nodding before I removed the tape from their mouths.”

“Why is Mummy like that,” Poppy said.

“Well, it makes it more difficult for her to move her arms. Would you like to try it?”

“Poppy, you don’t have to...”

“No – I want to try it.”

So I took some more rope, and walked behind the couch, the young girl sitting up as I secured her upper body like her mothers. Well, Irene insisted it was done to her as well, and then Toni shrugged her shoulders and allowed her arms to be secured to her sides.

“When the film finishes,” I said quietly, “we’re all going to go up to Mummy and Daddy’s room, where I’m going to leave all four of you like a real robber would.”

The girls nodded as we sat and watched the rest of the film, before I said “can you three move your feet so you can stand up?”

They managed that as I challenged them to hop to the staircase and get up the stairs, Esther and I watching as they did that. When they reached the top, they stopped and waited for us to walk up.

“I’m tired Mummy,” Irene said as she blinked.

“Let me carry you then,” I said as I lifted her up, allowing Toni and Poppy to hop along the hallway as we walked beside them.

When we got into the room, I laid Irene on the bed, and then smoothed a fresh strip of white tape over her mouth. “Fnkuu,” she mumbled as she eyes slowly closed, and she went to sleep.

“Please, sit on the bed while I deal with your older daughters,” I said to Esther, and then turned to Poppy and Toni.

“Can you two sit on the floor, then lie down, and finally roll onto your stomachs?”

They looked at me and nodded as they did that, and I found a couple of pillows to put under their heads. I then gently pulled their bound ankles back, and put them both in a loose hogtie, their feet able to move a little. They too then had a fresh strip of white tape pressed over their mouths, before they watched as I tied their mother’s ankles together, and then her legs below her knees.

“Now, when I say, you can start to try and get free if you want,” I said quietly, “but remember your youngest sister is sleeping, so no loud noises.”

Both girls nodded as they swung their legs to and fro, and I looked at Esther. “Open your mouth,” I whispered, and as she did so I pushed a small sponge ball in, before I smoothed the tape over her lips as well. She lay on her side, watching Irene as I secured her ankles to the foot of the bed, and looked at all of them.

“You can start if you want,” I said as I made my way to the door, but the girls seemed to fall asleep, as I left them and collected the things I had taken.

It was after ten as I left the house, with the bedroom light on, and got into my car. Once I got home, I used a mobile phone to call the police – I wonder when they got there...

********

Do I sometimes work over the Christmas holidays? It has happened, but if either Janna or I do we have a rule that we never touch anything that is wrapped as, or looks like, a Christmas present. Even if we make it as much of a game as possible, it’s just wrong to spoil the fun the family want to have at that time of year.

Let me illustrate with a visit I paid last year, and what happened there. This was in Hampstead, and the home I was visiting was the family home of a Harley Street physician. I had researched this family very carefully, including his wife Anna and their two daughters, eleven year old Ophelia and ten year old Gaea.

Yes, their daughter was named after the Earth goddess. Anyway – it was a few days before Christmas, and I knew the man of the house was holding a late clinic, so I decided this would be a good night to visit. From my car outside the house, I could see the lights on inside, so I took a deep breath, and got out.

It was dark outside, so I decided that this would be one of the occasions when a direct approach to entry would be best – and save some time. So I checked I had the stocking down over my head, my gloves in place, and knocked on the front door.

It was opened by Anna, who was wearing a black round necked top and a red knee length skirt, with dark tights and black heels. Her black hair was cut short, and she had a gold chain round her neck.

She looked at me for a moment, before I walked in and closed the door, pointing my starting pistol at her and saying “not a word please Anna – keep quiet, and listen to me for a few minutes, all right?”

She kept looking at me, nodding slowly as I said “Good – now, let’s be honest. I am here to rob you, and I am going to have to make sure you and anybody else in the house cannot raise the alarm for a while. But I am only after your jewels and money – anything else, and especially the gifts, are safe.”

“Oh god – the girls...”

“Will, if you do as I say, they will be able to keep clam and think of this is as an adventure, not as a thing to be afraid of. I need you to tell them that I am pretending to be someone the Grinch has sent.”

“The Grinch?”

“That’s right – he wants me to steal everything for Christmas, but I don’t want to do that. Instead, I’m going to get everyone in the house to play hostages, but all their Christmas gifts and fun are safe. Do you understand, Anna?”

She nodded slowly as another woman said “Anna, who was at the door?”

“Who is that?”

“My mother – she’s staying for Christmas.”

“Okay – well, she needs to play as well. So, first thing first – turn round, slowly, and put your hands behind your back.”

As Anna turned, I took a length of cord from my jacket pocket, crossing her wrists behind her back and securing them together as the rope went around and between her arms.

“Now then,” I said quietly, “what are you going to say when we go into the front room?”

“You’ve come to pay a game, where you’re going to disobey the Grinch, and we’re going to play at being hostages.”

“Good – and make it convincing,” I whispered as we made our way into the front room. An older woman, who looked very like Anna, stood up as we came in, and said “what the...”

“Mama, girls,” Anna said quietly, “we’re going to play a special surprise game. This man is an actor, hired by me and your father.”

I looked at the three other occupants and smiled. Anna’s mother was wearing a red silk blouse, the top two buttons open, and a knee length black skirt. She also had on dark hose, but no shoes.

Ophelia was wearing a baggy red jumper, with black cuffs and collar, and a pair of black leggings, while Gaea was wearing a knee length dress, with a red skirt and side panels, a white blouse and blue stripes down the front, and a red belt. She also had a pair of white socks on her feet, while Ophelia was bare foot.

“Hello there,” I said, “I’m afraid The Grinch has asked me to steal Christmas from you.”

“Oh no,” Gaea said as she put her hands to her face.

“But I’m not going to,” I said with a smile, “because Christmas is very special, isn’t it?”

The room had a large Christmas tree in the corner, properly dressed, and tinsel hung from the ceiling.

“So if you’re not going to steal Christmas,” Anna’s mother said, “what are you going to do?”

“Well, I need to look as if I am, and you’ve all seen me, so I’m going to ask you all to play a game of hostages. That means I make sure that you all have to stay in the same place, and you won’t be able to say anything for a little while, but it’s all a game, and everything will stay where it is.”

“And you and Dad arranged this, Mum,” Ophelia said as she looked at Anna, who was trying to move her wrists.

“I did – and we can all play together, all right Mama?”

The older woman nodded, as I said “Well, we need to start playing the game now. I’m going to ask your grandmother to sit with your mother, with her hands on her head, while I get you two prepared.”

“Why can’t Mum put her hands on her head”?

“Because she has already started playing,” I said as Anna turned round and showed the family her bound wrists.

“It’s all right – it doesn’t hurt,” she said as she sat on the couch, her mother sitting next to her while I took my rucksack off, and put the starting pistol in the pocket of my jacket.

“Now then,” I said to the two girls, “can you both stand in front of your mum and granny, and let your arms hang by your sides?”

“What do we do when we can’t move,” Gaea said as I guided her arms behind her back, and crossed her wrists, before taking some cord and tying them tightly together.

“Well, I can put the television on, and you can watch something with your granny,” I said as I tied the ropes off, and moved over to Ophelia, “because your mummy is going to walk me round the house. The Grinch might be watching, and I want to at least look as if I’m doing what he wanted.”

“That sounds fair,” Ophelia said as I tied her wrists together, and then tied some rope round the waists of both girls to keep them locked in place. As they looked at each other, Anna was relieved to see them both smile, as I used some longer lengths of rope to tie their upper arms to their bodies, and two shorter lengths each to tighten them between their arms and body.

“Now then,” I said as the girls turned and looked at me, “I’m going to ask your granny to stand up, and then I want you both to sit on the couch next to mummy, all right?”

As she stood up, I whispered “what’s your name?”

“Marta.”

“Well, Marta, put your hands behind your back – and let me say thank you for playing the game with your family.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” she said, looking at the girls and smiling as I secured her crossed wrists together behind her back, and then wrapped more rope around her arms and chest, making sure they were locked firmly in place, and using short lengths to cinch those bands under her arms as well.

“Now then, Anna, will you please stand up, and you mother will sit with the girls?”

As Anna stood up, the girls shuffled to each end of the couch, Marta sitting between them.

“Girls, Marta, I want you to cross your ankles please.”

As they did so, Anna watched as I bound their ankles tightly together, cinching the band between their legs, and then tied their legs together below their knees, also cinching that band between their limbs as well. Ophelia and Gaea’s feet were over the edge of the seat, while Marta sat as well as she could.

“Now, Mummy and I are going for our walk,” I said as I turned the television on, “but I need you three to keep nice and quiet, so I’m going to put something in your mouths as part of the game. Will you all keep that in your mouths until we come back, and then I’ll give you both a drink?”

“We’ll do that, won’t we girls?”

As they nodded, I took three clean cloths and put them in their mouths – and then opened the handbags and took out the mobile phones, Marta groaning as I put them in my pocket. Flipping through the channels, the girls nodded when I found something they wanted to watch, Marta nodding as she said “ltssnglng.”

Anna and I left the room, me closing the door as she said “Mama will play along as well – but what will you do before you leave?”

“You will see,” I said quietly, “but for now, show me your jewels and cash.”

When we came back in, the girls and Marta looked at Anna, with her arms already tied tightly to her sides and cinched under her arms.

“Have a seat,” I said as I helped her into an armchair, and then used two lengths of rope to bind her ankles and legs together. Leaving the room for a moment, I returned with some cartons of juice, the straws in, and removed the cloths from the mouths of the other three before letting the girls have a drink.

“That was different,” Ophelia said, “are you going to put the cloths back?”

“I am – but I also need to do something to help the cloth stay there,” I said as I took a roll of white micropore tape from my rucksack. Tearing off two small pieces, I stuck them to the legs of the two girls, and said “does that hurt?”

“No,” Gaea said as I looked at her.

“Good – so if both of you open your mouths...”

I waited as they did so, and put the cloths fully into their mouths, waiting as they closed their lips together before I smoothed a long, wide strip of the tape over their mouths. Both girls had long dark hair, but I felt one strip would be enough.

“Granny’s turn now,” I said as I picked up the third cloth, and then gagged Marta with that and the white tape.

“When I’ve kept Mummy quiet, I’m going to turn off the lights,” I said, “so you can watch the television with the tree lights shining. That way, The Grinch will be looking for me, rather than you.”

The girls nodded as I put a cloth into Anna’s mouth, and then smoothed the tape over her lips, before I switched the tree lights on and the main light off. The tree lights twinkled as I saw the girls rest their heads on Marta, as she looked at me.

“Have fun, and Merry Christmas,” I said as I went out, putting my gains into my rucksack and leaving them to have a good family time...

********

Steve’s not the only one with a Christmas tale to tell – mine just involves some very creative thinking to deal with the situation I found.

I’d checked on this particular family, given they lived in the Greater Manchester area, which I was at for a shopping weekend. Trafford Centre – great place. So I took some time out and took a bus out to their home. I knew the husband and daddy would be working late – he was the Menswear manager for a certain large retailer in the Trafford Centre, and this was a late opening night.

I was dressed for the weather – a brown leather jacket, over a black jumper and leggings, and tan leather boots. As I came up to the house, I could see lights on in the front room behind the curtains, so I stopped for a moment, pulled on my leather gloves and a tan stocking over my head, and tried the front door.

It opened easily, so I slipped inside, and made sure the telephone was disconnected from the wall before I walked past the door to the front room and looked in. There was nobody there, but I could see the remnants of wrapping paper. I had brought something with me appropriate for the season, but seeing that gave me an idea.

“Who are you?”

I turned to see the mother standing there, looking at me. She was wearing a red long sleeved dress, which came half way down her thighs – and the bottom of the dress was a white lace part that looked as if she was wearing a tunic over a lace underdress.

She also had on a pair of black leggings and brown suede ankle boots, and a white and gold necklace round her neck, her long blonde hair hanging over her shoulders.

“Hello Kay,” I said as she looked at me, and then saw the gun I had removed from my pocket, “please, no noise, no sudden movements – come into the room, and sit down with your hands where I can see them.”

I watched as she swallowed, and then nodded while she walked into the room.

“How do you know my name?”

“Oh I know a lot about you Kay, and your daughter. Cilla, nine years old, right?”

Kay nodded as I said “so let me explain what’s going to happen. I am going to rob you, but not the presents. In order to do that, I need to make sure you and Cilla cannot raise the alarm, but if you do as I say, then this will be like a big game for her, which means she’s less likely to panic and hurt herself, and you’ll be less worried about her and yourself.”

“A game? What are you going to do?”

“How is the present wrapping coming along?”

“Almost there,” she said as she looked to the tree, and I saw the brightly wrapped parcels underneath.

“And when does your husband finish work?”

“Nine – he’ll be back by ten.”

I looked at the clock, which showed it was six thirty.

“Okay – where is Cilla?”

“In her room – why?”

“Call her down please – and then tell her I’m here to play a game of Cops and Robbers.”

Kim nodded as she walked to the door, and said “come down please Cilla – we’re going to play a game.”

“Okay Mum,” I heard a young voice say, and then Cilla came into the room – wearing the same style of dress as her mother. In her case, it came to her knees, the black leggings visible under the lace lower panel. She had on a pair of knee length tan leather boots, the top of her white socks peeking over the top, and a set of beads round her neck.

“Hello – why are you dressed like that?”

“Cilla,” Kim said, “we’re going to play a game of Cops and Robbers – and this lady is playing the Robber. She’s going to pretend to rob us, and that means she’s going to make sure we can’t move for a while.”

“But I want to do it in a way that will be a big surprise for your dad when he comes back with the cops,” I said with a smile. “I’m going to leave you and your mum like parcels for her to unwrap. Does that sound like fun?”

Cilla looked at the two of us, and then smiled as she nodded.

“Good – Now, I will start by stopping both of you from moving for a little while. So, why don’t you put on the television and see if you can find something to watch Cilla, while I show you what’s going to happen on Mum?”

So, as Cilla went to find a program, I asked Kim to cross her wrists in front of herself, and then took a length of cord from my bag to bind them tightly together. I then crossed and tied her ankles together, finishing off with a band of rope around her legs below her knees.

“That looks like you can’t move Mum,” Cilla said as she came over and sat next to her mother, watching as I secured her wrists and legs in the same way.

“Now, one more thing,” I said as I took two more lengths of rope, and tied Kim’s wrists to Cilla’s legs, and visa versa. It wasn’t very tight, but tight enough to stop either of them raising the arms.

“Now, I’m going to find something to wrap the parcels in,” I said as I looked at Cilla, her own blonde hair falling over her shoulders. “Watch the television with Mum until I come back, all right?”

“We’ll behave,” Kim said as I took her handbag with me, removing and disabling her mobile phone while I made my way upstairs.

I found a reasonable set of items in the bedrooms, but before I came down I went to a cupboard, and took out two blankets. Carrying them in my arms, I went back into the room, and said “now to make you into presents for Daddy to open. Would you like to go first, Cilla?”

The little girl nodded as I laid a blanket on the ground, and then untied her wrists from her mother’s legs. Lifting her up, I laid her out on the blanket, and secured her wrists to her own leg binding, before wrapping her tightly up in the blanket as Kim watched.

From my bag, I took out a large roll of red tape, and started to wrap it round the blanket covering Cilla’s ankles. More bands of red went around her calves, thighs and waist, before I helped her to sit up and taped the blanket around her upper body.

“There,” I said as I picked her up and put her in an armchair so she could watch the television, “I’ve almost made you into one parcel for your daddy to open. Want to see Mum become a parcel as well now?”

Cilla nodded, wriggling round as I laid the blanket on the couch, and then helped Kim to lie on it, securing her wrists to her ankles before I wrapped her in the blanket and taped it in place in the same areas.

“Now, we need to make sure your daddy gets as big a surprise as the coppers when they arrive,” I said as I looked at Cilla, “so you and your mum are going to have to be helped to stay very quiet. Watch what I do to Mum.”

Turning back to Kim, I asked her to open her mouth, and pushed a folded cloth in, before I covered her mouth with strips of red tape. She looked over at Cilla, and said “sslrrhttdrlnnlthrrdths.”

“Okay,” Cilla said as I put a second cloth in her mouth, and covered her lips with two strips of red tape, Cilla giggling as I smoothed them into place.

“Now, I’m going to pretend to go,” I said as a film started, “and Daddy will be home soon, so you tell him about your fun game. All right?”

Cilla nodded as she got comfortable, and Kim moved onto her side, before I left the room, collected my bag, and walked out of the house. I then took the mask off, and walked to the bus stop, thinking Steve would not be able to top me.

And then he told me of the triple bed...

********

While Janna was making her visit, I was making the preparations for a visit of my own, to the family of a stockbroker who lived near Osterley Park in London. Tamara Walker was in her late thirties, and they had a nine year old daughter called Astrid. I happened to know this particular evening that the man of the house was at a party with his colleagues – which made this the ideal opportunity to drop in and offer some pre-Christmas fun.

I had intended to get to their house in the early evening, but I got delayed with a work assignment, so it was nearer to eight o’clock when I pulled up outside. The lights were still on, and it was dark outside – the local council having decided to turn off the street lights to save money.

So I was able to pull down the stocking mask and put on the gloves in the car, get out and grab my bag, and then make my way up to the front door, opening it quietly and letting myself in as I listened to try and work out where they were.

I could hear Tamara and Astrid talking in the front room, so I decided that it would be best to take a direct approach. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and walked in, saying “I am sorry I’m late Mrs Walker – do you wish to continue with the booking?”

Astrid was sitting next to her mother on a couch, cuddling a Raggedy Ann doll under one arm as she held a glass of milk in her other hand. What struck me immediately was that all three were wearing the same pyjamas – pale blue with a brown reindeer print on them. Astrid had her brown hair in two plaits, held by bands, while Tamara had her hair tied back with a matching pale blue ribbon. The only other difference was that while Astrid was barefoot, Tamara was wearing a pair of white slipper socks.

She looked at me for a moment, before she realised who I was, and said “I wondered what had happened – I just presumed the agency had cancelled and not told me.”

“I’m afraid it was a far more prosaic reason – traffic,” I said with a smile.

“Mommy, who is this man?”

Tamara looked at me, so I said “Your mum has hired me, Astrid, because she wants to play a game of robbers – and to give a big surprise to Daddy when he comes home. What’s your doll’s name?”

“Annie,” Astrid said as she cuddled the doll, “so how do we play robbers?”

“Well,” I said, “when you’ve finished your milk, we’ll all go up to your mummy’s room, and I’m going to make sure you all stay on the bed. You also won’t be able to talk for a little while, but it means Daddy will want to give you both great big hugs when he sees you.”

“Is that right Mummy?”

Tamara looked at her daughter, then hugged her as she said “that’s right – in fact, if you can look after Annie, then would be even better, wouldn’t it Mister Robber?”

“Of course,” I said, “so while you finish your milk, Mummy and I need to talk in the hallway.”

I motioned to Tamara to follow me, closing the door before she said “Oh god – this is real isn’t it?”

“It is – and you need to keep pretending this is a game to keep her calm, understand? When does she normally go to sleep?”

“Soon after her drink – what are you going to do to us?”

“I’ll show you – your handbag please?”

Tamara passed me her bag, watching as I took her mobile phone out before we went back in, and Astrid said “Annie wants to know what you’re going to do?”

“I’ll show you if you both sit on the couch,” I said as I took off my rucksack, and took out some lengths of thin cord. “Can you cross Annie’s wrists in front of her for me?”

“The nice man won’t hurt you Annie,” Astrid said as I took some cord and tied the doll’s wrists together in front of her, and then tied some round her arms and body, making sure I tied it between her limbs and trunk as well.

“That doesn’t hurt, does it Annie?”

Astrid looked at the doll before she said “No – will you tie her legs as well?”

Nodding, I tied the ankles and legs of the doll, before I said “now, I think what Annie wants is to be really tightly hugged by you tonight. Is that right?”

Astrid nodded as I said “Well, I think what we need to do now is go up to Mummy’s room, and we can see what happens there.”

“Come on, we’ll all be together,” Tamara said as she took one of her daughter’s hands, the other arm holding the tied up Annie as we al walked up the stairs.

The master bedroom was huge, with a triple size bed in the middle. “Oh I think you’re all going to be nice and comfy on there,” I said with a smile. “Now, Astrid, can you sit on Mummy’s bed for me, and give Annie a nice big hug to tell her it’s all going to be fun? Mummy will sit next to you for a few minutes.”

“Okay,” the nine year old said as she and her mother sat on the bed, and I watched her hug Annie while I took two small lengths of cord from my bag. I arranged her arms so that her hands were at her elbows, before I tied her wrists to her elbows on each side.

“What if Annie wriggles round?”

“I can fix that,” I said as I took a longer length of cord, and tied it round the doll’s waist, before taking it round Astrid’s body and tying it on Annie’s belly button. I then took a still longer length of cord, and tied Astrid’s arms to her body, taking the rope over Annie as well.

“Still think she might slip away,” I said as I tightened the rope with two lengths under Astrid’s arms.

“No,” Astrid said as she kissed the top of Annie’s head, “I’ll make sure she stays safe as well.”

“That’s good,” I said with a smile, “but it’s time for Mummy to start playing. Now, it’s not going to be very comfy if she hugs you as well, so I’m going to do something slightly different for her.”

“Will you tie my legs as well?”

“Once Mummy is like you, and can’t move her arms or hands,” I said as I looked at Tamara. “Turn round a little, and put your hands behind your back.”

Astrid watched as I took Tamara’s wrists behind her back, crossing them and tying them tightly together with the rope going around and between her limbs, and then another length around her waist held them firmly against her back.

“Is that different, mummy,” Astrid said as Tamara twisted round.

“A bit, but I can still have you cuddle up to me and kiss you,” Tamara said with a smile as I started to bind her arms to her sides, taking the rope above and below her chest before tightening it under her arms as well.

As I tied the ropes off, Tamara looked over her shoulder and whispered “now what?”

“Now for the next part,” I said, “can you both lie down with your heads on the pillows? I think Annie’s quite comfy where she is Astrid?”

The little girl nodded as she lay down, Tamara lying on her side and talking to her as I began to tie her ankles tightly together, keeping the rope over her pyjama bottoms, and taking the rope between her legs as well. I also tied her legs below her knees, Astrid looking and twisting as she said “now I’m really like Annie.”

“That’s right – now I need to do the same to your mummy.”

“Then we all will have to stay here,” Tamara said as she kissed Astrid’s forehead, the little girl smiling as I bound her mother’s ankles tightly together, and then secured her legs below her knees.

“Right then,” I said as I looked in my bag, “because I’m a robber, I need to make sure you all stay quiet and tell anyone I’m here – and can’t warn daddy of the surprise waiting for him.”

“How will you do that,” Astrid said, her eyes widening as she saw the roll of white tape I took from my bag.

“Anything you want to say to your mummy before I do this Annie?”

Astrid looked at her doll, before she said “Annie says you’re a very nice robber.”

“Thank you,” I said as I tore a length of the tape off, and smoothed it over Annie’s mouth. “And now?”

“She can’t say anything,” Astrid said, “is it my turn?”

“It is – so put your lips together and smile for me please.”

As she did this, I tore a strip of the tape off, and then pressed it gently over her mouth and jaw so that the shape of her lips could be seen underneath. She nodded and then cuddled into her mother as I tore a third strips off, and gagged Tamara in the same way.

“Ucnccdlluwnt,” Tamara said to Astrid as I said “now, one more thing.” Walking behind Tamara, I pulled her ankles back and tied them to her chest ropes, before saying “I’ll come and check you in a few minutes – have fun with each other.”

I went and searched the rest of the house, finding a few things – but by the time I had returned Astrid was asleep, her head resting on Tamara’s chest as she looked at me.

“Your jewellery?”

The mother nodded as she indicated where I should look, Astrid turning and gag kissing Annie’s head as she started to gently snore. Once I had what I wanted, I nodded and turned the light off, leaving them for her husband to find later...

********

As the Christmas season was coming to a climax, Steve and I were looking through our possible places to visit, when one caught our eyes. It was a family who lived near York, and we were going to the market there on the Wednesday before Christmas anyway, so we decided to combine the trip with one more games session.

The person concerned was Toni Adams, an actress who lived alone with her two daughters, Mitzi and Connie. Mitzi was eleven, and Connie ten, and they lived near the University campus. Their father had left some years before, but Toni made enough from her TV roles to keep them accustomed to a nice lifestyle.

For a change, we decided we would ditch the usual black clothing, and try to be festive. I wore a red fleece and crimson jeans, with a pair of knee length red suede boots, while Steve wore a red jumper and black jeans, with red trainers. Naturally, we both had on our leather gloves, and both had a stocking to pull down over our heads.

As we arrived at the detached house, Steve drove round the back and parked in the back alley, before we both got out and put the stockings down over our heads. There was a high fence with a gate, but it was an easy one to open, Steve carrying the bag as we made our way up to the back door of the house.

There was no light in the kitchen, and the door was locked, but there were lights on elsewhere, so I waited until Steve managed to open the door and we slipped inside. He closed the door behind himself, and then nodded to me as we listened in the hallway.

“I’ll be down in a few minutes girls,” we hard Toni say from upstairs, so we moved quickly down the corridor to look in the front room. Mitzi and Connie were watching television – both wearing identical dresses. They were made of cotton, and had a blue skirt with long, wide sleeves, the blue covered with little white polka dots. The body of the dress was made up of red and white zig zags, the same pattern on the hem of the skirt, and a red waist band, the skirts of their dresses reaching to the top of their footwear. They also both had a red, white and blue floral headband keeping their long light brown hair away from their eyes.

We looked at each other, and smiled as we walked into the room, Steve walking behind both of them as I said “hello girls.”

They both suddenly looked at me, their eyes wide open as Steve put his gloved hands over their mouths, and said “let’s stay nice and quiet girls – your mum has asked us to come and play a very exciting game with all of you. If you promise to listen and not shout out, I’ll take my hands away, all right?”

They looked at me as I smiled and nodded. “This,” I said as I pointed to the stocking, “is part of our costume, so don’t be scared by it, all right?”

They both nodded as Steve took his hands away, and I said “your mummy wants you to have a really exciting Christmas, so she wants you all to start today with this game. My friend and I are going to pretend to be robbers, and that means we need to make sure you and your mummy stay together in one place. Then you can try to get free when the nasty robbers have gone.”

“And it’s all a game?”

“And it’s all a game,” I said with a smile. “Now, we’d like to start now, and then when mummy comes down she will join in as well, all right?”

“When you say we won’t be able to move...”

I looked at Mitzi, who was wearing a pair of soft black mid-calf boots, and said “let me show you.” Steve handed me a length of cord, and the two girls watched as I quickly tied the older girl’s ankles together.

“See – do you think you will be able to walk now?”

She tried to move her ankles, and then shook her head as Connie said “my turn.”

I soon had her ankles tied together, the younger girl wearing a pair of brown suede boots with a white fur trim, before I said “when we have finished, both of you and mummy will have to stay exactly where you are – we’ll put the television on, and leave the Christmas tree and other lights on for you as well.”

“For the next part of the game,” Steve said, “we need to make sure mummy can’t see your hands, and you can’t use them, so I need you both to shuffle forward and put your hands behind your back.”

“Okay,” Connie said as she moved herself forward, and I heard movement on the stairs. I nodded and made my way to the hall, while Steve said “now, this won’t hurt a bit...”

I just had time to hide before Toni came down the stairs. She was also wearing a blue dress with white polka dots, her one only blue and white with elbow length sleeves, and a pair of black leather boots cut like cowboy ones, but obviously softer.

“All right girls, I’m coming in,” she said – and then she gasped as she felt my leather gloved hand over her mouth, and I whispered “before you join Connie and Mitzi, Toni, I need to have a little word with you.”

“Hthhllrruu?”

“The Daily Mail likes to call me and my friend – who is with the girls now – the Games Players.”

I felt her tense as I said that, so I continued “be assured, all we are after are your valuables – the Christmas gifts, anything wrapped, for you and the girls remains. But they think this is an exciting game you have planned to start their holidays with a bang. Do you think it would be a good idea to have them think otherwise?”

I waited as Toni thought, and then shook her head from side to side.

“Good – so you are going to pretend this is a game as well. I promise we won’t physically harm you or the girls, but we will make sure none of you can move, and that you cannot raise the alarm. In return, we’ll arrange for your rescue after a suitable interval. Understand?

As she nodded, I removed my hand and opened the door, saying “look who I caught coming down the stairs.”

“Look at us mummy,” Mitzi said as she turned and showed Toni her bound wrists, “the bad robbers have tied our hands and feet.”

“So I see,” Toni said with a smile, “the lady told me we’re all going to have to stay here – but I’ll be with both of you, and we’ll sit together, all right?”

The girls nodded as I took some cord from Steve, and gently took Toni’s wrists behind her back, using the cord to secure them together as Steve took two more lengths, and knelt in front of the girls, folding their skirts back and tying their legs together below their knees before he folded the skirt back.

“We can’t move our legs,” Connie said as she looked at me. “What’s the long rope for?”

“Well,” I said as I shook it loose, “we need to make sure mummy can’t move her arms as well, so I’m going to tie them to her body. My friend here’s going to do something similar for you both, so lean forward.”

So, as I wrapped the rope above and below Toni’s chest to secure her arms in place, Steve used more rope to tie the arms of Mitzi and Connie to their bodies, wrapping it around their arms and stomach in a double figure of eight and making sure it was tight, but comfortable.

“Okay girls,” I said as I tied some shorter lengths between Toni’s arms and body to make it tighter, “cam you move either side of the couch so that Mummy can sit next to you?”

They both wriggled themselves over, their bound ankles hanging over the edge as I sat down and bound Toni’s ankles tightly together, the rope sinking into the soft leather as it compressed the material around her legs and held them in place.

“So what can we do while we’re like this mummy,” Mitzi said.

“Well,” Toni said as she tossed her long dark brown hair to get it from her eyes, “we can watch the television. If the nasty robbers keep us quiet, we can at least try and sing along to some songs.”

She then watched as I folded her skirt back, and tied her legs together below her knees, and then folded the skirt back. “My friend is going to pretend to look for nice things to take now,” I said as Steve left the room, and I turned the television on, “so what would you like to watch?”

“DISNEY MOVIES!!!”

“Okay then,” I said as I turned the television to that channel, and they started to watch Cinderella, while I went to the kitchen and found two fruit drinks. Putting straws in the cartons, I came back and made sure they had a drink, while Toni watched.

“I’m afraid it’s time to keep you all nice and quiet now,” I said after a few minutes, “so watch what I do with mummy.”

From the bag, I took out a black silk scarf, rolling it into a band and then tying a knot in the middle, before I eased it into Toni’s mouth, and tied the scarf tightly round her head, securing the ends at the base of her neck and letting her hair fall over it.

“Dntwrreeglssslrrt,” Toni said, both Mitzi and Connie giggling as I took out two more black scarves, rolled them into bands and tied knots in them, and used them to gag the girls.

“Thsswwntkppsvreeqwet,” Mitzi said as she tried to talk.

“Ah – but I’m not finished yet,” I said as I took out a roll of black electrical tape, and wrapped that round their heads as well, keeping the cleave gag in place and lifting their hair out of the way as I did so.

“Kkesssbtrrr,” Connie said, Toni nodding as the two girls cuddled in with her and watched the television.

As Steve looked in and motioned to me, I said “the bad robbers are going to pretend to leave now – you can try and escape or stay there if you want, until the policemen come to end the game.”

The two girls nodded but didn’t move as we left the house, went out of the kitchen and down the back garden, and into the car.

I heard they stayed there until the police responded to our call a couple of hours later – all three had been so relaxed they fell asleep. So let me and Steve wish you all a Merry Christmas – and we’ll be back in the New Year with more tales...

********

Sometimes, it’s not the mum or the aunt or the grandmother I meet when I visit a house – there are occasions when I visit and it’s the babysitter or the au pair. Last summer was one of those occasions, when I happened to be in Chester on business.

Janna and I sometimes wonder what it would be like to visit houses outside our area, and one of those was the home of a certain actress in a well known soap opera set in the Manchester area. She lived alone in the outskirts of the city, with her ten year old daughter and a live in au pair. The daughter’s name was Rebecca.

Now, I was going to visit one afternoon when my research showed mum would be filming, but the daughter was off school, so my plan on this one was to get the au pair to play the role of the lead adult. Accordingly, I had a slightly different outfit when I got out of the car, and took a brown cardboard parcel from the back of the car, along with my bag. I was wearing casual clothes, with a woollen hat over my head – one I pulled down after I walked to the front door, leaving only my eyes and mouth visible as I stood there.

When the door opened, I smiled as I said “hello – please, no noise, simply walk backwards,” to the blonde who was standing there. She was wearing a sleeveless top with a grey pattern on white, and a different more classic pattern at the sides, black leggings and lace up Doc Marten boots.

She could see the gun in my gloved hand, and slowly walked backwards as I came in, closing the door behind me.

“What’s your name?”

“Annie,” she whispered.

“Okay Annie,” I said quietly, “I need you to remain calm and quiet. Where is Rebecca?”

“She’s upstairs in her room – why?”

“If I put the gun away will you do what I tell you to do?”

She nodded slowly as I put the gun in my pocket, and put the cardboard parcel down.

“Here’s the deal, Annie – I’m going to rob your employer, and I need to make sure you and Rebecca stay out of the way. But I don’t want to scare her as you are, so I need you to pretend this is a game you’re both going to play. Understand?”

As she nodded slowly I said “Good – now, turn around, and put your hands behind your back.”

As she did so, I took a length of cord from my bag, crossed her wrists and used the rope to bind them tightly, but firmly together.

“What sort of game are we playing?”

“Robbers,” I said as I passed the rope between her arms and tied it off. “I’m going to keep you both in her room for a while, nice and quiet and unable to move, and then when I give the signal you can try to escape. But you need to make sure she treats it as a game, understand?”

Annie nodded as I then took a longer length of rope, and used it force her arms against her body, taking the rope above and below her chest as I pulled it tighter with each pass, and then tied the rope off behind her back.

“Now then,” I said as I disconnected the telephone, “we’re going to go upstairs, and you can tell Rebecca this is a game.”

“Will you let me say it my way?”

I nodded as we walked up the staircase, and we stopped outside a bedroom door.

“Rebecca? May I come in for a moment? There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Sure, Annie,” a young voice said, and as I opened the door we both walked in. Rebecca had long brown hair, and was wearing a blue long sleeved top with a white puppy pattern on the front, a pair of cream pants with a pattern of multicoloured splashes on it that looked like paint splatters, and white socks.

“Rebecca,” Annie said as she stared at us, “do you remember a month or so back, when your mum was robbed at home in the series?”

“Yeah I remember – the men left her tied up on the couch, and with something in her mouth to stop her talking. Is that’s what’s going on here?”

“In a way – it’s a surprise game for us,” she said with a smile. “This is an old college friend, and he agreed to play the part of the robber.”

“He’s a good actor then,” Rebecca said, “he looks the part, and it looks as if he saw how mum was tied. Do you watch the show, mister?”

“From time to time,” I said with a smile, “so would you like to play like your mum did?”

“Okay – will you stop us talking as well?”

“Well, that’s part of the game,” I said with a smile. “As you can see, I’ve already started with Annie, and if you want to play, it’s your turn. Annie can sit in your chair while I start to take care of you, all right?”

Rebecca nodded as Annie sat herself down by the young girl’s desk, and I put my bag on the bed, taking some rope out as I crossed her wrists behind her bag and started to tie them together.

“Is that uncomfortable,” I said as I tied the knot off, Rebecca shaking her head as I took another length of rope and started to tie her arms to her side in the same way as Annie. As I pulled them into her sides, she smiled and said “we’re both going to be the same, aren’t we Annie?”

The older girl nodded as I tied the bands off, and then said “I want you to lie on your bed for me, Rebecca, and you can watch as I make sure Annie cannot move for a while.”

“Okay,” the young girl said as she lay on her side, watching as I asked Annie to sit on the floor, before taking more rope and tying her ankles tightly together, side by side. This was followed by another band around her legs below her knees, each band cinched between her limbs as well.

“Your turn now,” I said as I took two more lengths of rope from my bag, using them to tie Rebecca’s ankles and legs as she talked to Annie about what was happening. She giggled slightly as I took the rope between her legs, but soon they were both secured – except for one more thing.

“I need to use one of your pillows for Annie – do you mind Rebecca?”

The young girl shook her head as I put a pillow on the floor, helped Annie to lie on her side with her head resting on it, and then pulled her ankles back before securing them to her chest ropes.

“Are you all right like that Annie?”

“I am, Rebecca,” the au pair said with a smile as I did the same to her charge, “but I get the feeling the bad robber is going to keep us quiet now.”

“I’m afraid so – when your mum had this happen to her in the series, what did they use to keep her quiet Rebecca?”

“They tied a scarf in her mouth.”

“All right – don’t move,” I said with a smile as I left them and went to the master bedroom, returning a few minutes later with two of her mother’s scarves. I rolled them into bands and tied a knot in the middle, before using them both as cleave gags, the two trying to talk to each other as I searched the house.

Before I left, I looked in and said “you can start to try to escape now if you want – enjoy the game.”

I read about it in the papers later – Rebecca’s mother saying how brave her daughter had been. Personally, I knew she thought of it as a fun thing at the time...

********

This was another of those times when I mixed up looking for a venue for our reception with a little home visit. This time I was out near Beaconsfield, looking at a hotel – but near the hotel lived John and Jane Smith.

Plain names – but John was a major player in the Money Markets in London, and we had been looking very carefully at them. They had an eight year old day daughter called Tracy, but both Steve and I figured she would be able to cope with a little game.

So after I had visited the hotel, I drove to their house in the nearby village. It was a detached house, with a wall round the garden, but I was prepared. For the hotel meeting, I’d worn a grey trouser suit with a dark grey jumper underneath, and grey ankle boots. All I needed to add to that was a pair of gloves, and the stocking mask, and I would be ready.

So I pulled up in the driveway, and stopped to see if anyone would come out as I waited behind her car. When the door didn’t open, I got out, taking my large handbag with me as I walked up the side of the house, pulling the stocking down over my head as I did so.

Through the kitchen window, I could see Jane with her back to the garden. She was wearing a red dress with a floral print, a thin cream leather belt round her waist and the skirt coming to just above her knees, dark tights and black heels. Her long light brown hair fell over her shoulders, and she seemed to be making something.

So I walked quietly round, took a deep breath and walked in, Jane turning and looking at me as I closed the door.

“Who are you,” she said angrily – and then she watched, her eyes widening as I took a small gun from my bag and pointed it at her. I could now see her dress was a front buttoned one, the collar open.

“Good morning Jane,” I said quietly, “please, no more raised voices – I don’t think you want to scare Tracy, do you?”

She shook her head as I said “now, to answer your question, I am going to rob you – and yes, it means I need to stop you and Tracy from raising the alarm. But as I say, I don’t want to scare her, so we’re going to pretend this is a game you asked a friend to play with both of you. We’ll pretend I’m a woman who poses as a cosmetics saleswoman, and then takes nice things from the houses she visits.”

“You’re her, aren’t you?”

I nodded as I said “so, let’s start – if you promise me not to do anything to raise the alarm, I’ll put this away.” She nodded slowly as I put the gun in my bag, and said “so where is Tracy?”

“In the front room – I was making her a snack,” Jane said as I saw the sandwich and drink.

“Okay – let’s take it through, and you can tell her about the game.”

Jane picked up the food and drink, as we walked to the front room, me holding the door as she went in. Tracy was sitting on the couch, wearing an outfit made from the same material as Jane’s dress. It was a long sleeved coat, over a dress with a white upper part, a red belt and a long skirt. The young girl was also wearing white tights and shoes.

“Here’s your snack Tracy,” Jane said as she gave the young girl the food and drink, “now, let me tell you about my friend here.”

“So we’re going to play a game,” she said as she looked at me.

“That’s right – once you’ve had your snack, we can play,” I said with a smile as I put my bag down and sat in a chair. “So, would you like to see what I’m going to do?”

Tracy nodded as I took a length of white cord from my pocket, and said to Jane “Would you cross your ankles please?”

As Tracy sipped her drink, she watched as I knelt down and bound her mother’s ankles tightly together, the white rope sitting snugly over the black tights as it went round and between her legs.

“Does it hurt mummy,” she said as I tied the ends off.

“No,” Jane said as she held her ankles up for Tracy to look at. The young girl ran her fingers over the rope, and then said “what else will you do to our legs?”

“Let me show you,” I said as I took another length, and tied Jane’s legs together below her knees as she kept her legs up. She then lowered them, sitting like a lady with her ankles to one side as Tracy finished her sandwich.

“I’m going to do the same to you now while your mummy watches,” I said as I took two more lengths of rope out. Tracy had her blonde hair held back by a hairband with a red flower on it, as she watched me cross and tie her ankles together, and then her legs below her knees.

“Now,” I said as I sat back down, “the lady then has to make sure neither of you can use your hands very much for a while. Do you want me to show you with mummy, or do you want to go first this time?”

“Can I go first mummy,” Tracy said, and as Jane nodded I said “can you put your hands together in front of you like you’re praying?”

As she did this, I took some more rope and tied it round her arms, holding them together as it went around and between. She giggled and said “this is fun” as I tied the ends off, and then took another length of cord out. I tied it from her wrists to the rope around her ankles, as she wriggled round.

“Now, a big question for you Tracy,” I said quietly, “do you want to sit on Mummy’s lap or not?”

She looked at Jane, and then shook her head as her mother hugged her.

“Well then, I need to ask mummy to put her hands behind her back,” I said as I looked at Tracy, and brushed her hair from her face. “Because she’s older, it’s a little different, but she won’t be able to move her hands either – and once I’ve done that, I’ll make sure you cannot move your arms either, all right?”

She nodded as Jane moved round, and I bound her wrists tightly together behind her back, making sure it was snug and comfortable as Tracy watched. I then tied rope around her arms and chest, making sure they were kept firmly in place. The young girl giggled as she said “you look nice like that mummy.”

“Thank you,” Jane said with a smile as I finished by tying some rope around Tracy’s arms and upper body as well, just like her mum. I then said “now comes the really fun bit. Both of you need to be nice and quiet, and I’m going to help you both do that.”

“How,” Tracy said as she looked at her mother.

I took a roll of white tape from my bag, and tore a strip free. “Watch,” I said as I looked at Jane, who nodded as she put her lips together, and I smoothed the tape firmly over her face.

“I can see your lips mummy,” Tracy giggled, Jane laughing as she said “Tssntgnnhrt.”

“You sound funny as well.”

“It’s your turn now,” I said as I took another strip off. Tracy nodded and closed her mouth, sticking her jaw out as I pressed the tape gently into place, and then she put her head against her mother.

“Now, why don’t I put the television on while I pretend to have a look round,” I said, finding CBeebies as Tracy started to try and sing along with the music.

A short while later, I looked in to see Jane rubbing her head on Tracy’s head.

“The bad robber is going to leave you alone soon,” I said as I took one more rope, and tied their ankles to each other, “but the nice policewoman will be along soon. Are you enjoying the game?”

Tracy nodded and said “fnku”, her lips moving under the tape as Jane shook her head.

So yes, I left them and called the police once I had returned home. As for the hotel – I also made the booking there...

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