Seventies Bound VIII

Georgia made her way down the sun drenched street, smiling as she heard the wolf whistles from the builders working nearby. It made her feel good, appreciated, and liked - one of the many reasons she was wearing the dark grey satin hot pants that day. The tight fitting light grey t-shirt also helped, making her breasts seem to be more appealing to the men as they glanced at her chest when they walked by.

Why she needed to do this, she wasn’t sure, but she did. Maybe it was because of the time - 1972 was not a great year all round, and people needed cheering up. Maybe they just liked looking at a pretty girl, and Georgia certainly felt she was. Her hair was light brown, fine, and cut short at the front but long at her neck and shoulders. Her outfit that day was completed by a pair of dark tights, her knee length brown suede boots with the three inch heel, and a black and yellow bomber jacket which she wore open at the sides.

Her black croc leather handbag was slung in a casual manner over her shoulder, as she made her way through the streets to her favourite clothes shop - Bella Issimo. A trite name perhaps, but her friend Belle did stock all the latest fashions. Or at least, very good copies of them.

Opening the door, she pushed her way past the beaded curtains and looked round at the mini dresses and other clothes on display. Sitting on a low shelf were a pair of over the knee purple suede boots, which Gloria made her way over to have a look at. She held them in her hands, wondering if they would fit her at all.

“I’m not sure, Gloria - they may be a tad too small for you.”

Gloria smiled as she heard Belle, turning round to look at her. “Oh come on, I can...” She stared at her friend. “Where on earth did you get that outfit?”

“In the states - I had to do a coast to coast flight, and the air hostess had to wear this. When I got off, I persuaded her to get me a set of her clothes.

Belle was wearing a tan coloured short sleeved top and hot pants, with a wide leather belt hanging loosely on her hips. A large shawl was tied over her neck and shoulders, blue with white polka dots in the centre and a white edging, and she had an Alice band holding her long black hair back.

The most unusual thing was the boots she was wearing. Made of white PVC, they laced up the outside, while on the inside was a black detail with a leather thong criss-crossing it.

“They make those poor girls wear that at 30,000 feet,” Gloria said as she looked at the three inch stacked heel.

“Yup - and it’s murder on my feet right now. So, what can I do for you today, Glor?”

“I was wondering if that Bibi dress I had ordered had come in?”

“I’ll go and check,” Belle said, but as she turned to go to the storeroom the door to the shop opened and closed. She heard the click of the lock as it was turned, and both women spun round to see two men standing there, stockings pulled over their heads and a sawn off shotgun in the hands of one of them.

“In the back,” he said with a thick Scottish accent, “and be quick about it - we haven’t got all day!”

“What the hell is going on,” Georgia said, but instead of a reply she was grabbed by the arm and frog marched into the store room at the back of the store, the other man pushing Belle in with the end of the gun.

“Get on the floor, on your knees,” the man said as he waved the gun at them, “and out your hands on your heads.”

“But what are you...”

“I said,” the man said as he pushed the sawn of shotgun barrel into Georgia’s face, “to shut the hell up. See if you can find something to tie these two beauties up with, Joe.”

The other man started to search through the room, as Belle looked up and said “I don’t understand - why are you here? We don’t have anything.”

“You do,” the armed man said as the one he called Joe came back and pulled Belle’s arms down behind her back. She felt something thin biting into the bare skin of her wrists as they were forced roughly together, and looking over her shoulder she saw he had found a ball of twine and was using that to bind her crossed arms.

“That hurts!” she screamed out as he tugged the twine tightly between her arms, before letting them drop down her back and pulling Gloria’s jacket off her, throwing it to one side before he forced her arms back and crossed her wrists. She also yelped in pain as the twine bit into her flesh, her arms pressed tightly together as he did the work.

“It’s meant to,” Joe hissed in her ear as he tugged even tighter, making Gloria squeal before he pulled her elbows together behind her back, making them touch as he used the twine around them. As he did this, she kept saying “Oh God, Oh God, Oh God” to try and distract herself from the pain and the way her chest was been forced out.

“I don’t understand,” Belle said as she felt her own elbows been pulled together, “I really have very little money here, and you don’t look like you like the clothes I have, so what is going on?”

“We need to do a little business at the place next door,” the armed man said as the two girls were made to move round and face each other, “so we’re going to use this as a place to bring certain things. Tie their ankles.”

“NO, please,” Gloria said as she felt her ankles been drawn together, the twine forcing her ankles together as it gathered the suede around her ankles. Joe made sure the thin cord went round and between her ankles, and then round the soles of her boots as well so that her feet were effectively welded together. He then walked round and did the same to Belle, the PVC squeaking as her own ankles were pulled together.

“I don’t understand,” Gloria said as she watched the armed man looking round the store room, “What are you going to do to us?”

“Shut you up, for one thing,” he said as he grabbed some scarves from a rack and threw them to the man called Joe. “Stuff them into their mouths and then make sure it stays in.

“You don’t have to do that, I’ldldfmmmfmmdmdmfg,” Belle said as a brown scarf was stuffed into her mouth, the edges peeking out from between her lips as Joe took a long blue chiffon scarf and pulled that into her mouth as well, the edges pulling the corners of her moth back as he tied it tightly, forcing her hair against the back of her neck as he did so. Gloria chose just to stare angrily at him before a blue silk square was pushed into her mouth, held in place by a red chiffon length.

“Make sure they really can’t move,” the armed man said as he headed to the door that led to the back yard, “I’ll be back in a minute with the first of the birds from next door.”

Joe grunted as he picked up the ball of twine again, and ran a length from Gloria’s wrists to her ankles, taking it back and forth as she felt it tightening. Looking into Belle’s eyes, she could see the real fear as Joe knelt behind her and repeated the process, making her yelp out “Thbllddeehrts” as he did so.

“Shut up,” he said as he pulled her hair back, “or I’ll find something to make you shut up.” Belle nodded as he let her head go, and the two girls just looked at each other. This lasted for a while, until they heard a muffled scream and the door to the yard opening.

The armed man pulled a girl Belle recognised as Cathy, one of the two women who worked at the bookkeepers next door. She was a Jamaican, and about six feet tall as she stood there, staring wide eyed at the two captives. She was wearing a blue long sleeved mini dress, with a large white leaf motif printed on the fabric, and knee length tight black leather boots. Her mouth was covered with what looked like grey tape, as she mumbled “Shhtnfccckwhstgngnn?”

“A robbery, you stupid cow,” the armed man said as he pushed her into Joe’s arms. “Make sure she can’t do anything,” he said as he walked back to the door, “her friend’s going to wonder why she hasn’t come back from her fag break in a few minutes.”

As the door closed, Joe forced Cathy to put her hands behind her back. Instead of reaching for the twine, her grabbed a leather belt from a storage box and used it to strap her wrists together. The other two could see as her palms were pressed together, as she stood with her back to them, and then as her elbows were drawn tightly together by a second belt around her arms. One more went round her arms and body, below her chest, as they were forced tightly against her back.

He then turned Cathy round and made her sit down, crossing her ankles and forcing them together with another belt. They could all hear the squeak of leather rubbing against leather as Cathy tried hard not to cry out in pain, her ankles lashed tightly together and then her legs below her knees.

She watched Joe as he knelt next to her, the smile under the stocking mask on his head growing wider as he stroked her frizzed afro hairdo. As his gloved hand touched her cheek, she tried to turn her head away, only for him to force it back as he stared into her wide eyes.

“Hey,” the armed man said as he came back into the doorway, “Hands off. We have a job to do, remember?”

This time he had with her another girl with long brown hair, her eyes wide over the tape gag covering her mouth as well. She was wearing a chocolate covered short sleeved mini dress, with a brown suede studded belt around her waist, and knee length faded buff suede boots.

“Oshhtttmreenn,” Belle said as she recognised Marion, the other female worker from next door. Her arms were already pinned behind her back as the armed man held her wrists together, pushing her into the room as he kicked the storeroom door closed behind him.

“Right then,” he said as he forced Marion to lie face down on the floor and placed the gun down on the floor where she could see it, “A little less complaining and a little more co-operation please. Hands behind your back, fingers crossed - NOW!!”

Marion slowly moved her hands behind her back, as Joe tossed him the roll of twine. “Make yourself useful,” the armed man said as he started to wind the twine round Marion’s wrists, “Go and empty the cash register out there.” Joe walked to the front of the shop as Marino called out “URHRRTTNGMMMM” through the tape covering her mouth.

“That’s the idea,” he said with a snarl as he pulled the twine tightly between her arms, then pulled her feet up and crossed her ankles before taking the twine out and wrapping it around and between them. She looked at the other three girls, eyes wide with fear as she felt her legs been pulled so far back her fingers could feel the heels of her boots.

“Well now,” the man finally said as she stood up and smacked Marion on the bum, “You four stay here and have some fun. Don’t try to get free -we're just next door and we’ll know if you do.”

The four girls watched as the men walked out of the back door, leaving it ajar as the sounds of the back lane drifted into the dusty storeroom. Belle looked at Gloria, mumbling “Whtrwgggntd,” through her stuffed mouth.

“Dntknnn, dmmtt” Gloria said as she looked over at Marion, feebly trying to find the knot holding the rope tightly round her wrists, while Cathy put her head out and let out a loud, muffled call of “HHHLLLPPPPPPPPPP”, hoping somebody, anybody would hear it.

There was no response however, as Gloria tried to move her legs around. As eh knees scuffed on the hard wooden floor, she winced in pain at the way the flagstones tore at her hose and knees, making a red stain on the floor before she stopped.

Belle looked round the room, and then at Cathy as she twisted herself round. “Cfeee,” she said as she looked over, “neechncewucnmvurslf?”

Cathy looked over and nodded in reply, as she tried bending and flexing her legs. The leather straps bit into her flesh as she did so, but eventually she managed to push herself away from the boxes she was leaning against and shuffle along the floor.

“Fucngtttshpflr,” Belle said as she indicated towards the beaded covering at the far side of the room, “umtbltrssalrm.” Cathy nodded as she bent her legs and pushed herself along the hard floor, her boots squeaking as the leather straps rubbed against them.

As she did this, Gloria shuffled over to where Marion was lying, her sobs audible to all. “Dncrrmreen,” she said as she managed to sit down, her legs out to the side as she touched her back, “wrrlllhrtgfr,lrrt?”

Marion looked round and nodded, the mascara stains running down her cheeks as they watched their only hope for rescue disappear through the beads into the shop out front. As Gloria heard the sound of glass rattling in wood, she saw to her side a gleam of light on the blade of a Stanley knife, and she started to edge towards it, a plan forming in her mind...

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