One Dark Night

As Janet Dubois knocked on the wooden edge of the screen door, she hitched her satchel back over her shoulder with her free hand. She did not particularly want this babysitting job tonight, but she needed the money, and her mother had promised to come and pick her up later that night, so it only mean a walk of a few blocks for her.

She watched as the door opened and Mrs Jenkins looked at her. “Come in, Janet, come in,” she said with a smile as she opened the screen door, standing to one side as Janet came into the house.

“Thanks for doing this,” Mrs Jenkins said as she looked at the seventeen year old, “I had to go and meet John at the last minute, and there was no way I could leave the kids on their own.”

“It’s all right, Mrs Jenkins,” Janet said with a smile, “I can keep an eye on them for you.” She smiled as she looked in the living room, where Jack and Jill were sitting watching television. Jack was fourteen, and Jill twelve, both wearing t-shirts and shorts.

Janet went to the local catholic school, so her uniform was a stricter affair. She was wearing a short sleeved white cotton blouse, buttoned at the front with the collar open and the lapels flat against her chest, a blue and red pleated tartan skirt that came halfway down her thighs, white knee length socks and flat black shoes. The white blouse and socks contrasted with her own dark skin, while her long black hair was tied back in a ponytail that fell down her neck.

“I’ve left some money to order some pizza with,” Mrs Jenkins said as she pulled along dark overcoat over her dress, “and they need to be in bed by nine. I should be back by ten - when’s your mother coming round?”

“About seven thirty - her flight touches down at six,” Janet said with a smile. “I hope you don’t mind her staying over until you get back?”

“Of course not,” Mrs Jenkins said as she went for the door. “I’ll say you later - bye kids. Remember to do whatever Janet tells you.”

“All right Mum,” Jack called out without turning his head from the television screen. Janet watched as Mrs Jenkins ran out of the house, then sat down and looked at the two kids.

“What are you watching?”

“Just a Disney film,” Jill said as he turned round and looked at Janet. “So what are we going to have for dinner?”

“I’ll phone for a pizza in a little while - you can tell me what you want. What would you like to do after that?”

Jill looked at her brother, who turned and said “Can we play a game after that? There’s nothing on television anyway.”

“All right,” Janet said as she smiled at the two children, “but you need to go to bed after that. Now, what do you want?”

As Janet picked up the pizza boxes, she looked at Jack and Jill, sitting at the table as they ate the last slices of Pepperoni pizza.

“Now,” she said as she sat back at the table, “What sort of game did you have in mind?”

Jack looked at the young sitter, before saying “Can we play Cops and Robbers?”

“I suppose we could,” Janet said with a smile, “How do you play that game?”

“We like to be the robbers first,” Jill said with a sweet smile on her face, “and you can be the housewife we surprise. Then we come back as the cops and rescue you.”

“Rescue me? From what?”

“From the ropes the robbers left you tied up in.”

Janet looked at the two kids sitting there, before saying “Do you play this game with all your sitters?” She had heard a few stories from her friends, but they had all said it was just harmless fun.

“Sure we do,” Jill said as she continued to smile, “and they all like it too. Please say you’ll play with us, please, please, please...”

“All right,” Janet said as she threw her hands up in mock horror. “What do you want me to do?”

“Go and sit in the front room and watch television,” Jack said as he stood up, “and we will surprise you.”

“Well, if I do this, then you have to wash the dishes up, and I have to be free before my mum arrives, all right?”

“All right,” Jill said as she got up from the table as well. “Go and sit on the couch - we won’t be long.”

Janet walked into the living room, turning the television on and watching the news as it came onto the screen. “It’s just a little game,” she said to herself as she watched the latest news of President Obama, “What could possibly go wrong?”

“Hands up, Lady!”

She turned and saw Jack and Jill standing there, each with one of their mother’s stockings over their head. Jill was carrying a pink bag on her back, while Jack was pointing a toy pistol at Janet.

“Oh my God,” Janet said with a smile as she raised her hands, “What do you want with me?”

“Just do what we tell you, lady,” Jack said with a snarl, “and you’ll be just fine. Turn round and put your hands behind your back, slowly.”

“All right,” Janet said as she did as Jack had said, “Just please don’t hurt me.” She looked over her shoulder as Jill took off her rucksack and opened it, taking out a length of thin white cord and doubling it over. She crossed Janet’s wrists behind her back before passing the rope round, pulling them tightly together as she continued to bind them.

“Hey, that’s tight,” Janet said as she saw the cords against her dark skin. It was also not too uncomfortable, but she was beginning to get a sneaky feeling she may have been tricked into giving up control of the evening as she felt the ropes been cinched between her arms.

Turning her head, she saw that Jack had taken a second length of rope, and was crossing her ankles before wrapping the rope around them over her socks. “Please, don’t hurt me,” she said in a scared voice as she felt her ankles been drawn together as well.

To her surprise, she could feel her arms been drawn together behind her back, and as she looked over she saw that Jill had wrapped some more rope around her elbows, forcing them together and pulling her shoulders back as she did so. “Hey, I didn’t say you could do that,” Janet said as she felt her chest been forced out and the front of her blouse stretching over her breasts.

“I think she’s going to give us some trouble,” Jill said to her brother, “you need to shut her up.”

“Shut me up? Kids, I promised to play this game, but I didnmmdsamsdm.” Janet’s eyes widened as Jack stuffed a cloth into her mouth, before picking up a roll of white tape from the bag.

“Dntudrrdttt,” Janet mumbled as she watched him tear a length of tape from the roll, before holding it in his hands and standing in front of Janet. She shook her head from side to side, but as Jill held her head from behind she was unable to stop Jack smoothing the tape over her lips, the material pulling at her skin as she watched him take a second length of rope and start to tie her legs together above her knees. She also saw rope pass over her head and felt her arms been pulled into her side as Jill worked from behind her.

“That ought to hold her,” Jill said as she tugged one last time on the ropes, and Jack stood up in front of her. Janet stretched her legs out in front of her, looking at her crossed ankles and the white rope against her dark thighs, and glared at the two kids as they watched her.

“Ntimnw,” she screamed through the gag, but that only seemed to make them laugh. “Come on,” Jack said as he took her sister’s arm, “Let’s get all her stuff and get out of here before the cops arrive.”

The two children ran out of the door, leaving Janet twisting on the couch, beads of perspiration forming on her dark skin as she twisted round. She had agreed to play a game, yes, but these kids knew what they were doing - the knots were out of the reach of her fingers, and no matter how hard she tried she was not able to loosen any of the binding. She finally sat back, screaming in frustration and anger and wondering how long this was going to carry on for, when she saw the door to the living room open.

“Janet, are you in there,” she heard her mother say, and she called out “NHRRRR” as Catherine Dubois walked into the room. She was dressed in her airline uniform, of a light blue silk blouse that was open at the collar, a darker blue silk scarf worn as a cravat around her neck, a tailored dark blue jacket and knee length skirt, and a pair of black leather heeled boots that came up to just below her knees.

“Janet, are you - oh dear, have the Jenkins kids been playing Cops and Robbers again?”

“Uknw?” Janet stared wide eyed at her mother as she walked round in front of her and looked down through her horn rimmed glasses, her greying black hair tied in a bun at the back of her head.

“I’ve heard their mother telling others about this - didn’t she warn you?”

“Nshdddnt - ntem!!”

“Well, well - looks like Mummy came home.”

Catherine looked to the door to see Jack and Jill standing there, the stockings still over their heads and Jack holding the toy gun. “I guess we’ll have to take care of her as well.”

“Oh dear,” Catherine said as she raised her hands, winking at her daughter as she did so. “Please don’t tie me up as well.”

“Dntdtmmm,” Janet tried to call out, but her pleas fell on deaf ears as Jack said “Kneel down, lady, and put your hands behind your back.”

“Hgddddd,” Janet moaned as she watched her mother slowly drop to her knees, then move her hands behind her back as Jill took another length of rope from her rucksack and started to tie Catherine’s wrists together, keeping the cords over the cuffs of her blouse as they stuck out from her jacket sleeves. “It’s just a game, dear,” she said as she looked at her wide eyed daughter, “They don’t mean any real harm.”

“Tlthmtthttt,” she moaned as she watched Jack begin to tie her mother’s ankles together side by side, the rope squeaking as it rubbed against the leather. “Please, just leave my daughter and me,” Catherine said as she felt her arms been tied to her side by Jill, “I promise we won’t raise the alarm.”

“We know you won’t,” Jack said as he tied a length of rope from Catherine’s wrists to her ankles, before pulling the scarf off from around her neck, rolling it into a band and tying a knot in the middle of the band. “Open wide lady - we need to keep you quiet.”

“Please,” Catherine pleaded, but with a hint of laughter in her voice Janet found surprising, “Don’t pllmmmdmsgmmgsmg.” As Jack pulled the knot into her open mouth, he quickly passed the band around her face and tied the ends tightly together at the base of her neck, before the two kids helped Catherine to lie on her side, looking up at her daughter as they put a cushion under her head.

“Now don’t move, either of you,” Jill said as the two kids ran out of the room again, leaving Catherine and Janet alone.

“Jstpllng,” Janet heard her mother say as she looked up at her, “Thermmlbhmsn.”

“Sefrutsa,” Janet said as she twisted her body round again. She could feel the top bottom on her blouse starting to give, and did not relish the prospect of a fourteen year old boy seeing her bra and breasts.

Catherine lay still, the front of her jacket open and sweat visible on her dark neck. She occasionally pulled her legs down, forcing her back to arch, but she seemed resigned to a short period of time like this before the game became boring.

As the door opened again, she looked towards the gap, hoping to see Jack or Jill come in. Janet looked at her, wondering why her eyes were widening with very real fear in them, when she heard a deep make voice saying “And what do we have here?”

She turned and looked over her shoulder, to see a tall, broad shouldered man standing there in a dark boiler suit, looking down at her and her mother through a black balaclava that only shoed his grey eyes. “FKKKKK” she screamed out as she tried to twist round, looking at her mother as she started kicking out on the floor.

“I found two kids upstairs,” she heard a second man say, “so I forced them into their mum’s closet and locked the door on them. What did you - oh my, what a pair of beauties we have here!”

Catherine could see the second man behind the first, leaner and taller but with the same cruel look in his eyes. He walked over and tugged at the ropes around her daughter, making her squeal through the tape gag as she felt her breasts been pulled up.

“Did those kids do this?”

“Must have - talented pair of brats, aren’t they?”

“Yeah - but I can do better. You get what you can and I’ll make these two a little more - comfortable.”

Catherine screamed out “dnttshhhmdohtr” as the taller man pulled a long coil of rope from his pocket, chook it out and passed it over Janet’s upper body, pulling her arms even tighter into her side as the bands above her breasts forced them out even further. She could feel these were much tighter, as the rope went between her upper body and her arms under her shoulders, cinching them tightly into place before she saw the ends falling in front of her over her left shoulder.

“Fcccknhlll,” she screamed as he pulled the ropes through the bands around her lower chest, making a “V”-shape that ran down the centre of her chest before pulling it up and back over her right shoulder, the ropes forcing her breast even further up and out as she screamed in pain. The sweat on her body was glistening under the lights, and she could see a small damp patch forming on the breast pocket of her blouse on each side.

“Plsss, plsssdnthrthr,” Catherine pleaded as Janet was forced to lie face down on the couch, her ankles pulled up and back as the masked man placed her in a hogtie, the ropes from her ankles tied to those in the centre of her back. “Your turn now mummy,” he said as he picked up the roll of tape that was lying on the floor, “but first we need to make you a little quieter.”

“Dnttshmmmm,” Janet screamed as she watched him tear a long strip off the roll and then press it over her mother’s lips, the tape covering her mouth and the dark blue band between her lips. Three more strips followed, covering her lower jaw before the man walked back over and squatted in from of Janet.

“You,” he said as he slapped her bottom, “need to be quiet as well.” Her eyes widened as she watched him tear another, longer strip off the roll and smooth it over her mouth, repeating it twice until she could barely mumble through the white band on her dark skin. She could feel the hot tears running down her cheeks as she watched the masked intruder walk back to the mother and proceed to tie her arms tightly to her side as hers were, the front of her jacket opening to the side as the ropes pulled her own large chest up and out. As this happened, the top button on her blouse came undone, showing more of her dark skin and the white bra she was wearing underneath. Once this was done, he bound her legs together above her knees, ignoring the squeaking from Catherine’s boots as she tried to free her legs at the same time.

“Nice work, kid,” the older man said as he came in and dropped a leather sports bag on the floor with a loud jangle. “But we need to get out of here - fast.”

“I’ve got an idea.”

“What?”

“Remember that guy you told me about - the one who was a collector?”

Janet and Catherine looked at each other, hoping they were talking about some jewellery or antiques the other guy had found.

“Yeah - you think he might be interested?”

“Could be - let’s find out.”

Catherine watched as the smaller man picked up the roll of white tape, and tore a long strip off before kneeling in front of Janet. She heard him say “Close your eyes” and Janet’s muffled pleas, but when he stood back up he could see he had blindfolded her, the tape covering her eyes.

“You wait here, momma,” the man said as he and his partner picked up Janet, the younger girl struggling as they carried her out of the house. She screamed into her own gaga and tried to struggle free, but to little avail. After five minutes, the two men came back in and Catherine watched as another strip was torn off the roll, and she heard the same message.

“Close your eyes.”

As he smoothed the tape over the older woman’s eyes, he turned and looked at his partner.

“You’re right - he’ll love these two. Schoolgirl and air hostess - I don’t think he has them yet.”

“Even if he does, he likes spares,” the other man said as they carried Catherine out of the house, her struggling useless as they walked towards the van that was parked on the driveway. It was dark outside, so nobody noticed the two men as they dropped Catherine next to her daughter on the dirty mattress, closing the door on them as the taller man went back to close the house door. The other man pulled the balaclava off his head, running his hand through his pepper grey hair as his son pulled the hood off his own head.

“Let’s go,” he said as they climbed into the front of the van, turning onto the road as they switched the headlines on and driving down the street of houses.

“Do you think those two kids are going to be all right?”

“They were scared out of their wits, Dad - they may have been playing Cops and Robbers but the sight of a real robber just turned them into gibbering wrecks.”

“You didn’t...”

“Didn’t need to - they just did as they were told, and I made sure they were able to breathe by opening the slats on the doors before I locked them.”

The older man nodded. “Good - I wonder what their mum will say when she gets home.”

“Who can say? Anyway, we may have a little extra profit for ourselves tonight. She had some nice jewellery, and then there are those two in the back.”

As the van went down the highway, they passed a billboard, not noticing the bike that came out from behind and started to follow them down the road.

“Damn,” the older man said as he looked in the side mirror, “Did you fix that tail light like I asked you to?”

“Didn’t get a chance - why?”

“Because we’ve got a traffic cop on our tail,” he said as he watched the bike approaching, “Get in the back and keep those two quiet while I take care of this.”

The younger man nodded as he climbed behind the seat, while his father slowed down and stopped at the side of the road, looking in the mirror as the bike came to a halt and the rider got off, walking towards the door. He could see the tan coloured shirt and trousers, and the dark knee length boots, but as he watched the officer approaching he saw something else that grabbed his interest.

“Can I help you, officer,” he said with a smile as he wound down his window to look at the cop, standing there with a white helmet covering her hair.

“Did you know your tail light isn’t working, sir?”

He looked at the black name badge attached to the chest pocket of her blouse. “I’m sorry, Officer Hope,” he said as he continued to smile, “I haven’t had a chance to fix it yet. I’ll take care of it first thing in the morning I promise.”

“Do you mind if I ask what you are doing in this area at this time of night sir?”

“I was just making a late delivery to a customer - and al I really want to do know is head for home.” As he spoke, his eyes looked up and down Officer Hope - she looked about five foot ten tall, piercing blue eyes and dark skin that was illuminated by the light from his cab.

“Well, I’m afraid I’ll need to write you up a ticket,” she said as she pulled a pen from her breast pocket. “Can I see your licence and registration please?”

“Of course, Officer Hope,” he said as he reached up and pulled the documents from the rear of his sun visor. Handing them to her, he watched as she wrote the ticket out, her breasts moving up and down with her breathing as she did so.

As she tore the ticket off, Officer Hope handed it to him, saying “Get that light fixed as soon as possible,” but as she turned around she heard a thumping sound coming from the rear of the van. “Is there something in your van, sir,” she said as she turned back to the window.

“It’s just some boxes falling over, officer - nothing serious.”

“If you could step out and open the back, sir, I’d like to make sure.”

“If you insist,” he said as he opened the cab door and stepped out. He looked at the police officer, standing there in front of him, and noticed especially the knee length brown leather boots she was wearing. Walking to the rear of the van, he grabbed the handle before saying “Perhaps you should stand here, Officer, and then you will be able to see the boxes.”

Officer Hope stood there, her torch in her hand as he pulled the handle down and swung the door open. She shone the torch in, gasping as she saw Janet and Catherine staring back at her as they lay on their stomachs on the mattress.

“Not a word, officer,” she heard him say as she felt a cold metal ring against her back. “Slowly, very slowly, remove your gun belt and hand it to my son here.”

She looked to her side to see a younger, taller version of the driver standing next to her. Reaching to her waist, she slowly unbuckled the heavy leather belt and handed it to the young man, the revolver still in the holster and her radio sitting on the small purse that was attached to the belt.

“Take your helmet off,” she heard him say, and she reached up to remove the crash helmet, her long red-brown hair falling around her face as she did so. The younger man took possession of the helmet as well, saying “thank you” as he carried them off.

“Hands behind your back, Officer Hope.”

“You know kidnapping is a federal offence,” she said as she felt her own handcuffs been fastened around her wrists, holding them together tightly. “If you take me that makes three counts.”

“Well, that kinda sorta presumes they’re going to find you doesn’t it Officer Hope.” She looked at the two women lying on the mattress, mewling through the white tape covering their mouths as the tears glistened on their dark skin.

“What do you expect to gain from taking us prisoner,” the officer said as she watched the man take a coil of rope from the back of the van and pass it over her arms, pulling them tightly into her side and stretching the fabric over her chest as the ropes bit in.

“You’ll see,” the younger man said as he returned. “I’ve hidden the bike and other stuff off the road, dad.”

“Good work, son,” the older man said as he yanked down hard on the rope, making the police officer cry out as he did so. “Help me get her into the back of the car, and we can make her nice and uncomfortable.

The two men forced Officer Hope to climb into the van, making her sit against the side as Janet and Catherine watched from their prone position. The older man took the rope down and around her upper legs, just above her knees, while the younger man picked up a dirty looking cotton rag and folded it into a pad.

“You can’t be serious - I am not putting that in my mouaaarghhhhmdmsamdsmmf.” Officer Hope screamed as the younger man pulled back on her hair, forcing the smelly rag into her mouth as his father tightly bound her ankles together. As he slapped a layer of tape over her lips, he secured the final end of the rope to a small ring in the floor of the cab, leaving her trussed and gagged on the floor.

“We’ve really scored tonight, son,” he said as the three women called out through their gags, “three beauties to pass on.”

“Pity we can’t have more fun with them,” the younger man said as he knelt next to Janet, making her cry as he grabbed her breasts from behind and massaged them, “I bet we could have given them a real good time.”

“Lvmydautralnubstrd” Catherine called out as she tried to kick him in the side. “She’s a wildcat as well,” the older man said, “but what does he say?”

“He wants them as they are, so we’d better leave them,” his son said as she climbed out of the van. “Come on - he’s expecting us.” The van doors slammed shut, leaving the three dark and trussed beauties in darkness as the van drove off again.

How long the journey took, they could not say, but eventually they felt the van stop and saw the rear doors open. A strong torch was shone into the back, making them squint as they heard a cultured, refined voice saying “Excellent - they will fit in very nicely. Bring them in so that I may see them.”

Janet felt her legs drop as the rope holding her in a hogtie was relapsed, before the father and son carried her out of the van. She saw the star filled sky as she was carried across the courtyard, struggling in their grip as she did so, before she was carried down a corridor and into a large, well lit room where three camp beds had been laid out.

She was placed on one, and watched the two men walk out. There was a third person standing there - a tall, thin African American women in a black maid’s dress with a white apron on the front, fishnet tights and high heels. She stared back at Janet, shaking her head silently from side to side in answer to the question. The answer had to be non-verbal, given the large leather pad that was strapped over her lower face.

She watched as her mother was carried in, and laid on the bed next to her. “Rulrrgntjnt,” Catherine said as she looked at her daughter, her eyes red from the tears.

“Mscrdmmm, whtshpngn?”

“Dntkn - bbrff.”

As they carried Officer Hope in, her boots squeaking as she tried to kick her legs apart, they got their first good look at their fellow captive. In return, she looked at the schoolgirl and stewardess beside her, trying to look reassuring even as she was conquering her own fears.

“Oh how simply delightful.”

The three women looked at the small, slightly fat man who was standing in the doorway, a cravat tucked into his smoking jacket as he looked at them. “Three more wonderful young ladies for my collection.”

“Whtdumnnn,” the police officer screamed out as she looked at the man.

“Do you see my servant here,” he said as he walked over to the maid, pinching her bottom as he stood there. “She was the first - I love women in uniform, especially those of dark hue such as yourselves. As my great-grandpappy used to say, they have their place in my household, as will you.

“I‘ll introduce you to the other six later - Once my nurse has finished examining you, I’ll have new clothes made for you in the same style as these. Y’all have a good sleep now - you have a lot to do tomorrow morning.”

He walked out of the room, the maid following as he ignored the screams of the three captives. “Secure them to the beds,” he said to the two robbers, “and then come and see me for payment.”

Walking down the corridor, he opened a door and looked at the nurse, gymnast, waitress, driver, minister and lawyer strapped to their beds. “You get to meet your new friends tomorrow - good night now,” he said as he closed the door and walked away, the maid following behind.

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