Dan Morgan was sitting on his bed when he heard the crash. He looked up from the laptop, cocked his head to one side and listened. The noise had come from the apartment next door. He’d normally just ignore it-part of the background noise of apartment life. But he was ‘plant sitting’ for Alice, who lived next door while she was out of town.
Hearing nothing else, he turned his attention back to the screen. Tomorrow morning he’d go clean up whatever fell. He was busy chatting with his girlfriend of eight months, Jordan. She was going on about something at work that he was only paying half attention to.
Jordan’s face filled the screen, long blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. “What was that?” she asked curiously.
“Dunno,” Dan answered. “Something fell in Alice’s apartment.”
“Alice? Who’s Alice?” came the suspicious query.
“Just the woman next door. I’m watching her plants while she’s out of town.”
“What’s she look like?”
Dan sensed the growing danger. Jordan was pretty, with a killer body. But she was almost pathologically possessive. “Oh, I don’t know,” he said as casually as possible. “Kinda short, black hair.”
“Is it long like mine,” Jordan interjected.
“Uh, no it’s like shoulder length, I guess. And she’s a bit on the heavy side.” This last statement was only a bit of a lie. Alice wasn’t model thin like Jordan. But she carried her weight in curves that were not unpleasant to look at.
This last statement seemed to mollify Dan’s girlfriend. She was fanatical about her figure. Knowing the woman next door was ‘fat’ removed her as a threat.
They were just getting back to Jordan’s office travails when Dan heard a thump. It came from Alice’s apartment. Dan hit his mute button, leaving Jordan a soundless talking head. The sound was repeated several more times.
Something was definitely odd. Alice wasn’t due home until Sunday, two days from now. As the sounds continued Dan decided he’d better investigate. He tapped the talk button. “Hey Honey, there’s a noise coming from next door still. I’m gonna check it out. I’ll call you right back.”
He broke the connection without waiting for Jordan to stop her inquiries. “God, she can talk,” he muttered as he pulled his jeans on. He padded to the front door, grabbing the key to Alice’s from the sideboard. In his mind he tried to think of what the sound could be. Did he leave a ceiling fan on and now it was malfunctioning? Had the refrigerator motor gone bad? He just couldn’t figure it out.
‘Well, I’ll know in a minute,’ he thought as he turned the key in the lock. The door swung open with a creak worthy of a horror film. The entryway light was on. Had he left it on? He stepped quietly into the apartment. It was a mirror image of his own, a hallway leading to a small living room and a kitchen to the left. The bedroom and bath were to the right.
Dan froze as he stepped into the living room. There was a suitcase open on the floor. Clothing was scattered randomly about it. Alice must have come home sooner than expected. He felt suddenly awkward. He was also wishing he had put on more than just a pair of jeans to come prying into his neighbor’s business.
The thumping started once again. It was coming from the bedroom. Dan had the sudden horrifying vision of interrupting some sexual encounter, being branded as some kind of creepy voyeur. In a panic he turned and headed for the front door. But instead of padding softly in retreat he found the floor rushing up to greet him as he tripped over the open suitcase.
Dan groaned as he pushed himself to his feet. The thumping had stopped. A muffled voice called out, but Dan couldn’t hear the words clearly. “Uh, it’s Dan from next door,” he stammered. “Sorry to interrupt, I didn’t think you were home yet. I’ll just let myself out. Sorry.”
A high pitched cry from the bedroom sent him rushing down the hall. He was almost to the door when he stopped. The voice from the bedroom continued, but now it repeated the same word over and over. To Dan it almost sounded like ‘help’.
He stopped undecided. It might just have easily been ‘out’. But suppose something was wrong? Maybe his neighbor came home early because she was sick. And now she was having some sort of medical emergency. What if she died because he slunk away when she needed help?
It was this last thought that propelled Dan back down the hall. He approached the bedroom door warily. It was open just a crack. Dim light escaped the room. Knocking lightly on the door Dan called out, “Alice, is everything okay? It’s Dan from next door.”
An unintelligible squeal drew him into the room. The space was lit from a lamp that had toppled off its nightstand. The bed was a rumpled mess. And on the bed was a little pink device that hummed quietly. ‘Oh God,’ thought Dan, ‘I have interrupted something.’ But where was his neighbor? “Alice?” he called out quietly. “Are you all right?”
The sudden thrashing and garbled cries brought Dan around the far side of the bed. He stopped and blinked several times, trying to process. There on the floor was his neighbor. She was quite naked. Not only that, Dan saw that her hands were tied behind her back. Her feet were bound as well, attached to her wrists by a short cord.
“Holy shit!” Dan exclaimed. He rushed to the bound woman, turning her over on her side. Wide gray eyes looked up at him in panic. Her mouth was sealed with surgical tape. “Who did this to you?” Dan asked as he peeled the tape back.
Alice spit out a pair of wadded up panties. “Doesn’t matter,” she gasped. “Just untie me, okay?” She rolled onto her stomach, presenting her blue tinged hands to Dan.
Dan worked the knots. “We should call the police,” he said as he struggled. “Man these knots are tight.”
“No! No police,” Alice replied in a panicked voice. “I can take care of it. There’s a pair of scissors over by the lamp, use those.”
Dan spotted a pair of EMT shears on the floor next to the fallen lamp. He went to work cutting the cords that bit into Alice’s flesh while trying not to stare at the curvaceous backside before him. But he couldn’t help noticing the rope that bisected her cheeks. Should he remove that too? No, better not, he decided.
Once freed, Alice seemed to become more self conscious. “Ah, could you get me my robe? It’s hanging on the back of the bathroom door.”
Dan realized he was staring.”Oh, uh right,” he mumbled as he rushed to comply. “You know you really should report whoever did this to you,” he said as he went to the bathroom.
Alice watched him go. As embarrassing as her situation was, she couldn’t help but admire the trim physique of her neighbor. It didn’t hurt that he was blond haired, blue eyed and sporting only a pair of jeans. But she had to do a bit of damage control to keep him from messing up her life. “No, seriously,” she answered. “It’s something I’ll deal with. Just a mistake is all.”
Dan returned and handed her the robe. He was both relieved and disappointed when she covered her ample chest. The robe was short enough that her thighs presented a fair amount of flesh to him. He found himself staring once again.
“Uh, well if you’re sure you’re okay,” he said awkwardly. “I’ll be going then.”
Alice was in a similar state. What was the Emily Post thing to do when your neighbor finds you naked and tied up on the floor? “Okay, well thanks for rescuing me,” she said lamely as they walked to the door.
Dan cracked a smile, “Yeah, anytime,” he said as he stepped into the hallway.
Jordan’s call was waiting for him when he settled in his bedroom. “What took you so long?” she complained. “And what was the big noise?”
“It was really weird,” Dan replied. He stopped himself. Explaining the bizarre situation to Jordan would be close to impossible. Just the fact that he’s seen his neighbor naked would surely set her off. “Oh, uh, Alice came home early,” he stammered. She dropped some pots in the kitchen while making herself a late dinner.”
“That figures,” Jordan sneered. “Anyway, I hope you had more on than that when you went over there.”
Dan looked down at his bare chest. “Of course,” he lied. “I don’t go running around the building like this, you know. That’s only for you.” The line sounded lame to him but it had the desired effect.
“That’s my baby,” Jordan crooned. They said their goodnights and broke the connection. Dan fell asleep thinking about who had tied up and assaulted his neighbor. He tried not to think about how nice she looked in the nude.
Sleep did not come as easily for Alice. Once the tingling in her fingers abated she went to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine. “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” she chided herself. “What’s the one rule? Don’t play when you’re tired.” She sighed, “And now I’ve got the guy next door thinking God knows what. At least I kept him from calling the cops.”
Alice downed the wine, enjoying the warm glow. “Maybe I’ll just tell him the truth,” she giggled as she dropped the glass in the sink. Then she shuffled off to bed. Sleep found her dreaming of a handsome man riding to her rescue.
The next morning Dan was about to toss his jeans into the hamper. He always checked the pockets before he did. This time a key spilled into his hand. “Ah I forgot to give her back the key,” he mumbled.
Dan decided he would return it right after breakfast. If nothing else it would give him an opportunity to check on his neighbor. There was something odd about their encounter last night that nagged at him. (As if finding a naked woman tied up in her bedroom wasn’t odd enough.)
After breakfast he showered and shaved. A fresh shirt and jeans were selected. He wondered if he was stalling. Or did he want to look more put together than last night when he was barefoot and shirtless?
Feeling he was finally ready Dan marched next door and knocked. He waited a good minute and was about to turn away when the door opened. Alice stood before him clad only in a long black tee shirt. The white lettering on the shirt stood out boldly across her breasts, “Stick and stones may break my bones.” There was more print below that Dan couldn’t read without being rude.
“Uh, hi,” Alice said as sleepy eyes popped open. She self consciously ran fingers through her tousled hair.
Dan felt as if he were intruding once again. He held her key before him like a talisman. “I came to return your key.”
“Oh, yeah,” Alice paused. “Why don’t you hang on to it. I might need to go out of town again,” she smiled shyly. “Or need rescuing again.”
Yeah, okay,” Dan said slowly. “So about last night…” he began.
“Would you like some coffee,” Alice interrupted. “I’m just brewing some.” Without waiting for an answer she retreated down the hall. Dan couldn’t help but watch as her thighs and backside tested the limits of her tee shirt. He followed as she called out, “Let me just put some pants on!”
Dan stopped at the kitchen. The coffeemaker wheezed asthmatically, discharging the aroma of fresh brewed coffee. Feeling awkward just standing there, he grabbed a couple of mugs from the dish rack and poured.
Alice cursed herself as she retreated to the bedroom. “Oh my God, I look like shit!” she wailed. She ran quickly to her dresser and grabbed fresh panties. She was about to discard the shirt when she glanced at its message. She left it and pulled on a pair of yoga pants before running a brush quickly through her hair. Makeup was out of the question.
Alice returned to find Dan sitting at her little dining table, two cups of coffee waiting. “I didn’t know what you take in your coffee.”
“Hot, black and bitter works for me,” Alice answered as she slid into the other chair. She eyed the man across from her. He seemed like such a nice guy. His only concern for her last night was for her safety. Maybe that’s why she started the conversation. “So about last night,” she began.
“If you don’t want to talk about it that’s fine,” Dan quickly responded. “I know things like that take time to process.” If he was expecting some warm and touching response Dan was destined to be disappointed.
Alice leaned back in her chair and laughed. Her laugh was a merry, bell-like sound. It gave Dan a full view of her ample chest and the rest of her shirt’s message, “But whips and chains excite me.” He sat there in dumb confusion.
“No one broke in, and no one sexually assaulted me last night,” Alice paused, her courage failing, “except me.”
Dan blinked several times and cocked his head to one side. Jordan called it his “dog look” and it drove her crazy. “Yourself? Like you did that?” he asked in puzzlement.
Alice felt her will to bare her soul evaporating. She stared at the table, unwilling to meet Dan’s gaze. “Yeah. I don’t know why. But it’s a real turn on for me.”
“But how, with your hands and feet tied tight like that? It seems, well kind of a stretch.”
Alice looked up sharply. Here she was spilling her innermost secrets. And his response was to accuse her of making the whole thing up? Defiance pushed shame aside. “I can prove it if you like!”
“Uh no, that won’t be necessary,” Dan responded uneasily.
“What’s the matter?” Alice teased, “Afraid to be caught with a tied up woman in her apartment?”
Dan hadn’t thought of that aspect of the situation. He could just imagine what his girlfriend would say if she found out. “No, it just doesn’t sound like a safe idea is all.”
“But it’s perfectly safe,” she chided him. “You’re here to untie me. I’ll make a bet with you. If I can tie myself up-really tight and then escape you buy me dinner.”
“And if you can’t?”
“Then I’ll buy you dinner.” She didn’t wait for his response but hopped up from the chair with a, “Be right back.” She left Dan staring after her, wondering what door he had stepped through to end up in the Twilight Zone.
Alice was back before Dan could think to retreat to the sanity of the real world. He watched as Alice placed the EMT shears he had used last night about five feet from the living room sofa. She then sat on the sofa and began to bind her ankles together.
“My mistake last night was being overtired. I placed my shears on the night table by mistake,” she said as she cinched her ankles together with a long cord. “When I tried to get them I knocked everything off the table.”
Dan watched in growing fascination as Alice formed a second rope into a series of loops. She slipped one hand through before adding the end of her ankle line. Before slipping her other hand through the loops Alice rolled onto her stomach.
Alice dropped her ankles. The line from her wrists had a slip knot at the end. It closed about the cords encircling her wrists, cinching them tight. She gave a few experimental twists of her wrists to satisfy herself that the knots would hold. “Oh shit,” she said aloud with a hidden smile.
“What’s wrong,” as Dan in concern.
“I forgot my gag.” She looked up at Dan with her best doe eyes. “Would you mind?”
“Uh, well, I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” He glanced uneasily to the end table where a pair of black panties and a roll of surgical tape waited.
“Oh come on, help a girl out,” Alice pleaded. “I won’t bite.”
“Yeah, well you’ve proved your point without the gag. So show me how you can escape.”
“I dunno, I can get real loud when I’m struggling. I might even start screaming for help.”
Dan had a moment of panic. The optics on the whole situation looked bad. Who would believe that he passively sat there while this woman tied herself up? But he’d never tied a woman up before, never mind gagging her.
“Or I can just talk non-stop at you until you get tired enough to gag me,” Alice goaded him. “Blah, blah, blah, what a nice day, wonder what I’ll have for dinner,” she rambled on incessantly. When that didn’t work she started out in a louder voice, “Help! Oh help, a man has tied mmpph.”
Dan clapped his hand over her mouth. “Okay, okay, you win. I’ll gag you. Just no more yelling okay?”
Alice nodded her head mutely. She thought she might climax right then and there. Tied up with a strong hand clamped over her mouth-she was in heaven.
Dan picked up the tape and tore off a six inch strip. He leaned down to place it over Alice’s mouth when she stopped him. “Un uh,” she said to him. “The panties have to go in first.”
“But what if you choke?” Dan protested.
“I won’t,” she reassured him. “I’ve got a well trained gag reflex,” she smirked. “Stuff me,” she commanded, opening her mouth.
Wondering for the tenth time what he’d gotten himself into Dan picked up the panties. They were soft and silky in his hand. Remembering crime dramas he had seen, he wadded up the undergarment and pressed it to Alice’s lips.
Alice opened her mouth wide. She could feel Dan’s hands tremble as he pushed the cloth into her mouth. She closed her eyes as he placed a strip of tape across her mouth. ‘So much better than doing it myself,’ she thought.
Dan smoothed the tape with his fingers. Ignoring the sweat that had broken out on his back he said, “How’s that?”
“Hor hape,” Alice mumbled. She jerked her head in the direction of the tape roll to get the message across.
“More?” he asked as he picked up the roll. Seeing her nod of affirmation he tore another strip from the roll. Recalling the gag he’d peeled off the night before Dan placed a strip diagonally, followed by a second. They formed an X over Alice’s stuffed mouth. Deciding it couldn’t hurt he added two more horizontal strips just to neaten things up.
“Okay,” Dan said as he stood up. “Now let’s see you escape.”
Alice started by testing the ropes at her wrists. She knew they were too tight to slip out of. But that little bit of struggle-the kidnapped damsel just realizing her predicament, always put her in the right headspace.
Dan, not wanting to loom over the struggling woman, retreated to the nearby dining chair. He watched with growing fascination as she arched her back, testing her bonds, thrusting her full backside up in the air as she maneuvered on the sofa.
Alice glanced over her shoulder making sure she had her neighbor’s full attention. She let out a little moan, half distressed and half sensual. From a strictly technical standpoint he had done an excellent job gagging her. Pushing the panties to the front of her mouth did nothing to dislodge the tape there.
Dan got up from his chair as Alice began to slide off the couch. He made a move to catch her but stopped when he saw it was more of a controlled fall. She let out a little grunt as her shoulders followed her butt onto the floor.
As Alice began to squirm towards the waiting scissors Dan moved his chair to get a better view. He placed it over by the shears so her struggles would take her towards him. Sitting back down, he surreptitiously adjusted himself. Although he never had an interest in such things before, he found Alice’s struggling very erotic.
Alice, excited by Dan’s obvious interest, put on her best damsel in distress act. She looked up at him with wide, sad eyes, she moaned through her gag, she twisted her body in ways that were completely unnecessary to reach the shears. And she noticed by his furtive movement that it was having the desired effect. She wished she’d put on a crotch rope to keep herself entertained. But that might have scared the guy off. She had to settle for a bit of pelvic grind as she moved across the floor.
Dan watched with growing excitement as Alice struggled towards her goal. He looked at yoga pants with new respect as they hugged Alice’s curves with shiny spandex. Jordan wore yoga pants, but only to the gym. Perhaps he’d ask her to wear them to bed some night.
As Alice approached her goal she shifted about. Inching toward Dan and the shears, she went feet first. This had the desired effect of bunching up her tee shirt just below her breasts. Her bare stomach was there for anyone to see, her breasts almost exposed.
A skittering metallic sound caught her attention. The scissors that were almost in reach were now several feet down the front hallway. Dan sat with one foot off to the side, looking away with a guilty, “who me?” expression.
Alice wanted to shriek with glee with this new development. She settled for a pathetic whine of distress. The poor damsel had been so close to freedom. She rewarded Dan by turning on her side and twisting slightly. The tee shirt hiked up obligingly, exposing the lower part of one breast. ‘Take that, wise guy,’ she thought. His widened eyes told her the bolt had hit its mark.
But a tease was all Dan was getting. Alice heard his sigh of disappointment as she turned over on her stomach and inched forward. Like the curtain on a peep show her shirt slid down to protect her modesty. She wondered if Dan would step in to change that situation.
Dan’s mouth was dry as he watched the bound woman inchworm past his seat. He had never been particularly interested in kink. That movie Jordan had dragged him to about the rich guy who abused his girlfriend had bored him to tears. But this-this was something different! The way Alice pushed her round ass in the air as she inched towards the shears was incredibly erotic. He thought of the previous night and the rope pulled tight between her legs.
Alice eased her body up to the scissors that would free her. She felt a mix of triumph and disappointment. She was happy to show her doubtful neighbor that she could escape from the self imposed captivity. But she had really hoped Dan would do more than just watch.
Shears in hand, Alice cut the cord that held her ankles to her wrists. From there it was a simple matter of working the slip knot free. She peeled the layers of tape from her mouth and spit out the sodden panties. Looking up at her neighbor she announced, “I guess you owe me dinner.”
“I sure do,” Dan agreed quickly. “That was pretty impressive. How about tonight?” He stopped himself. He had dinner and a movie with Jordan that evening. “Uh, better make it tomorrow night.”
Alice was slightly disappointed at the sudden change, but agreed that the next night would be fine. They agreed that he’d pick her up at six o’clock. There was an awkward moment of leaving-a hug, a handshake? What was the appropriate gesture when you’ve just watched your neighbor struggle across the floor while bound and gagged? In the end it was a limp wave and a stuttering goodbye that left Dan feeling like a nervous schoolboy.
Dan spent the rest of the day doing those little chores that fill up the weekend. He took a few minutes out to do some internet research on the subject of self bondage. There were plenty of sites with scantily clad women putting themselves in challenging predicaments. But there were plenty of severe warnings from the more “how to” sites telling of the potential hazards of playing solo. By the time he was done reading he was both aroused and worried.
The evening with his girlfriend went fairly well. While Dan ordered and devoured a steak, Jordan got a salad and ate only a small amount before declaring herself full. The movie was a forgettable bit of fluff. Dan used the time to make several unsuccessful attempts to make out with Jordan. Her response was a hissed, “Later- this is the good part!”
Back at Jordan’s place they had climbed into bed together. Things had gone well until Dan tried pinning her hands down. That earned him a sharp rebuke which threw cold water on his libido. He managed to rally, but only by thinking about watching Alice’s performance that morning.
Sunday passed slowly for Dan. Part of him felt guilt for taking another woman to dinner. But it wasn’t like a date or anything, he thought to himself. It was simply paying off on a bet. Which was probably why he tried on three different shirts before he found one that he liked. Yup, a totally normal honoring of a debt.
Alice had spent the day in anticipation as well. She knew nothing about her neighbor. And he now knew her secret. Would he keep it to himself or blab it to the world on social media? Oh, why did she have to tie herself in front of him like that? Deep down Alice knew the answer.
At six o’clock Dan knocked tentatively on his neighbor’s door. It sprang open almost immediately. Alice stood before him, blushing slightly at her eagerness. Dan took a moment to admire her outfit. Alice had donned a white satin blouse that strained to contain her charms. She had paired it with a black skirt that hugged her hips and ended just below her knees. Stockings and high heels completed the look that screamed ‘sexy secretary.’
“Wow, you look great,” Dan said. He was glad he’d discarded his jeans for a pair of chinos at the last minute. “You ready to go?”
Alice colored at the compliment. “Yes, let me just get my purse.” She turned away, retreating down the hall. It gave Dan a perfect view of the hip hugging skirt and the seams on the back of her stockings. “Holy shit,” he whispered to himself.
They chose a local restaurant that had good, if standard pub food. But there were intimate little booths that gave a measure of privacy. ‘And it’s someplace Jordan would never go,’ Dan thought guiltily.
They talked through dinner. Dan saw that Alice wasn’t shy about doing justice to her meal. Slowly they began to gather background information on one another.
Alice was a graphic design artist but was currently working for an ad agency. It wasn’t tremendously artistic but it paid the bills. Dan was a fabricator at a local engineering firm. He really enjoyed the challenge of taking plans and turning them into reality. As far as hobbies were concerned, he sheepishly admitted that he got together once a week with a group that played Dungeons and Dragons. Alice laughed before telling him that she did cosplay, going to multiple conventions every year. That was where she was when he was house sitting for her plants.
“Yeah, about that,” Dan started. “I’ve been doing some research and what you’re doing is really dangerous. The stories of people getting injured are all over the net.”
“It can be more dangerous doing it with the wrong person,” Alice muttered darkly.
That caught Dan by surprise. He wanted to ask for details. But they had really just met. (The Friday night rescue could hardly be counted as an introduction.) “But I have to say I’m worried that something bad will happen to you. You could easily choke, or fall and hit your head. And no one would know until the smell got so bad that they called the cops to investigate.” He paused to catch his breath. “What would you have done the other night if I hadn’t been around?”
“Okay, I made a stupid mistake,” Alice said defensively. “But you were there and it worked out fine didn’t it?” She smiled impishly. “I got a free dinner out of the deal, didn’t I?”
“There’s got to be a safer way for you to do your thing,” Dan countered. “Isn’t there some kind of club, or-or a service or something like that to help you?”
“In this little town?” she laughed. “They’ll start rolling up the sidewalks any time now. No, what I need is some sort of guardian angel, someone who can rescue me when I’m in trouble.” Alice looked at Dan with raised eyebrows. “Know anyone like that?”
“Now wait a minute,” Dan backpedaled. “I don’t…”
Alice interrupted him. “I’m going to do it anyway. And you’re right next door,” she rushed her words out. “I can text you when I’m starting and tell you when to come free me. That way I won’t have any escape failures. What do you say: want to play Superman to my Lois Lane?”
Dan felt as if the floor was slowly tilting beneath him. Any moment things would start to slide across the table. How had he gone from hearing a crash in the neighbor’s apartment to shepherding a very strange woman’s self-bondage adventures? It was all too much.
But if he didn’t agree to help and something terrible happened-could he live with that? No one else would know he’d refused. But he would know. Dan didn’t think of himself as kinky in any way. But he couldn’t deny that Alice’s struggling the other morning had definitely aroused something in him. With a resigned sigh he said, “Okay Lois, but don’t be disappointed if all you get is Clark Kent.”
Alice gave him a beaming smile. “Clark was Superman. The people around him just didn’t know it.”