Chapter 1

“Okay, honey, I'll let you get some sleep,” Kirsten said into the phone. “I already miss you.”

“I miss you, too,” replied Robert on the other end. “It’s only two nights, and I’ll be home on Thursday.”

“I know, Kirsten sighed. “I just don’t sleep as well when you’re not here. Good luck with your meetings tomorrow. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” said Robert

Kirsten blew a kiss and hung up the phone. Her husband Robert was out of town on business and had just arrived at his hotel. Kirsten herself had just finished showering, and laid on her bed in a pair of panties and an oversized T-shirt, idly stroking her long damp hair.

This wasn't anything new for her. Robert was the head of his company's sales force, and several times a year they needed him to woo a difficult client. In fact, he’d used similar tactics to convince her to marry him nearly twenty years ago.

Kirsten got off the bed and lifted her shirt. Gently stroking her toned belly, she smiled at how the last year of daily workouts was paying off. Although in her mid-forties, Kirsten had a figure that rivaled some of the twenty-somethings she saw at the gym.

It was nearing eight o'clock, and Kirsten figured she'd sit down and watch one of those sappy chick flicks that Robert typically hated.

As she left the bedroom, someone shoved her back-first into the wall. A gloved hand clamped over her mouth, and the masked man held a large hunting knife in front of her face.

“Not a single word,” the man growled. “Understand?”

Chapter 2

Kirsten nodded, her eyes locked on the blade.

The man slowly removed his hand from her mouth and said, “Now turn around and put your hands behind your back.”

Kirsten did as she was told, trying to keep herself under control. The man put his knife into a belt sheath before taking some rope out of his back pocket. He crossed Kirsten’s wrists and began tying them together.

“What do you want?” Kirsten asked.

The intruder jerked the knot tight, saying “I thought I told you to keep quiet!”

Kirsten saw a red bandanna come over her face which was then pulled tightly between her lips.

“This should help you follow instructions,” muttered the man, knotting it snugly behind her head.

Kirsten whimpered through the gag wondering what the man had in store for her.

He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her away from the wall. “Now, get back in the bedroom,” he ordered. He led Kirsten to her bed. “Sit,” he barked.

After Kirsten sat down, he knelt in front of her and tied her ankles together with more rope.

He stood up and glared at Kirsten. “I don't care if you sit or lie down, just stay on that bed until I tell you otherwise. Am I clear?”

Kirsten nodded.

The intruder glanced around and spotted Kirsten's phone on the bed. “You shouldn't be using this either,” he said as he picked it up and placed it on top of the dresser across the room. Then he left, leaving Kirsten to her thoughts.

Chapter 3

Kirsten waited a few moments after he left and tugged at her wrists. Her captor did his job well, and she felt no give at all in the ropes. She looked at the window. Maybe if she was lucky, someone would be outside and she could get their attention.

She scooted forward and slid off the bed onto her feet. Wobbling on her bound legs, Kirsten hopped toward the window. The curtains were drawn, but she could easily move them aside. With any luck, she could also open the lock despite the limited mobility in her arms.

Kirsten approached the window and turned around with her back to the window. She leaned forward and reached up with her hands trying to find the lock.

Of course, as soon as she did this, the man returned.

“I thought I told you to stay put!” he bellowed.

Kirsten whined as the man bent down and grabbed her legs, hoisting her up on his shoulder. He carried her back to the bed and dropped her onto the mattress.

“So much for me tying you up nicely,” he grumbled.

The man pulled more rope out of his pocket and tied Kirsten's knees together. Then, he sat Kirsten up and wrapped rope around her shoulders above and below her bustline. Finally, he drew the ends down to her wrist bindings and pulled upward until her arms were tight against the ropes around her chest.

He began untying Kirsten's gag, and she wondered if he was he giving her the opportunity to speak. Before Kirsten could say anything, he wadded the rag and shoved it in her mouth. Then he took another rag and tied it over her mouth, sealing the first rag in place, and silencing her completely.

“Maybe now you'll do as you're told,” he grunted. He pushed Kristen down onto the bed and left the room again.

Kirsten sighed. She looked toward the dresser at her phone. It was a long shot, but maybe she could get her phone and text someone to call the police.

She slipped off the bed and into a standing position again. With her knees and arms more securely bound, her balance was less steady than earlier. She took one uncertain hop and almost fell over. Her next few hops were shorter, but she slowly made her way to the dresser.

The phone lay back against the mirror. Testing her range, she pushed back with her hands. She could only reach around six inches away from her back. She huffed, looking at the dresser. Seeing no other option, she realized she needed to get on top of it and slide back to reach her phone.

Shuffling around until her derriere was against the dresser, she took a deep breath through her nose. She lunged upward, but misjudged the height and jumped too high, landing on top of it with a loud thud.

Her heart sank as she heard the man's feet stomp down the hall.

Chapter 4

Kirsten grunted as she tried to relieve some of the tension on her back, but nothing seemed to help. Enraged, her captor had returned and thrown her back onto the bed. He had removed the rag covering her mouth and replaced it with several strips of duct tape, sealing the rag already packing her mouth nearly airtight, making it difficult for her to breathe heavily.

He had then rolled her onto her stomach and hogtied her wrists to her ankles. Still unsatisfied at her level of movement, he had tied a rope to the one binding her knees and looped it over the back of her neck, tightening it until Kirsten was in a tight ball and effectively immobilized.

That was an hour ago, and Kirsten had barely moved after she had been rolled up and left facing the door. She tried wriggling her hands free again, but it was obvious she wasn't going anywhere.

Hearing footsteps in the hallway she looked up toward the door. The intruder stood there looking at her.

"It's almost midnight," he said. "Have you had enough, or would you like to pay for another hour?"

Kirsten nodded.

"Another hour?" the man asked.

She nodded again.

"Okay, but I can't stay past one o'clock," he replied. "See you in an hour." He then left Kirsten to her thoughts.

If only she could get Robert to play tie-up games with her, then she wouldn't have to pay someone to do these scenarios every time he was out of town. She sighed, savoring the ropes' embrace and wondered how she was going to spend tomorrow night.

The End

Credits

• Cover image created with Canva.

• Captive girl image from Pardon My Blood, by Paul Whelton, 1954.