story continued from part two
Part Three
One that I thought was going well over the next six months or so. Mary was becoming a frequent visitor to the house. In fact one day I’d arrived back from work expecting them to be home but Bob was alone. Querying this he seemed surprised then admitted she’d gone dress shopping. “Not for THAT type of dress love…,” he said quickly enough but I suspected an announcement might be sooner than later. Downstairs too was becoming interesting. Not just Dad and Mary, but Ms Harrison and myself! I’d surrendered my vibrator to her one morning, spending the rest of the next two hours regretting this. “Come on love, just one more for the sisterhood, surely you can take it…” she muttered as I hung there blown away by a series of explosive ones! While she didn’t understand my coffin and the ideas behind it she didn’t mind if I played in it. The two of them locked me in one afternoon and I lay there listening as he took her circuit training, round the playroom rather than a gym. Over the next what seemed to me like hours he tickled, thrashed, more tickling then finally vibrated her to a climax! Her squealing woke me up from a snooze! Once I thought it long enough I quietly knocked on the lid (my wrists were not secured) and Bob released his girl. Me looking at a tired Mary wrapped in blankets and asleep on the bondage bed. We cuddled and I asked if I should free her. Bob cruelly shook his head no then carefully padlocked the cage shut with my assistance. Leaving her cellphone dangling off the bars. Upstairs much later on I received a call from a desperate lady who needed the loo! They got engaged on Christmas Day, fifteen months after our USA trip. Bob having asked me first if I minded. Of course I didn’t, she loved us both now and I was in tears when he popped the question after a great dinner made by me and she’d said yes. “Least you’ll be able to remember that date,” I laughed and got hugs for that. The wedding was planned for the summer but I was amazed when in March Bob announced he was selling his company and retiring. He’s only 55 I thought and was a little dismayed at that. “Oh, I thought you’d be happy that I’d be here. As you’ll be leaving too, we’re gonna have more than enough money for years to come, yes?” I wasn’t however. My role might be small in the company but I’d earned it on merit and was proud of that. While being ‘the boss’ girl had helped there were some who’d thought otherwise but I proved to them that I was capable, now he was taking it away. Didn’t he understand that I wanted to earn my own money, also you easily get bored if playtime is all the time and we had a frosty talk that afternoon and he groaned when I got stroppy. “I’ll help Mary with her work as she wants me and Milly to model the restraints for the calendar, but I’m not leaving, OK?” He sighed and nodded then left me be. My pigheadedness came back to haunt me. Within two months of him leaving I was forced out, devastated to have been told I was being demoted to secretary rather than the managerial position I occupied. The new owner regarded women in engineering companies as ‘tea-girls and typists’ so if I didn’t comply then tough luck. A long tearful chat with Mary and Bob that night was enough and my notice went in next morning. So now unemployed but after moping about getting in Bob’s way I decided to have a weekend in the coffin to do some thinking alone. He seemed quick to comply and helped set things up on the Friday, the drinks and stuff much tastier now I’d worked out how to get it right. Also teaching Mary how it worked. The lid went down and he screwed me closed. I half hoped he’d bury me but instead shifted the casket to one side and they didn’t use the basement at all. A nice quiet weekend followed and I was much happier when freedom came on the Sunday night. Mary moved in two months before the big day as she had offers for her place. A fat cheque landed in our accounts even after the eye-watering tax bill and she was quick to see I got a share. Grateful for that we went to for a little dinner to celebrate. Both of us looked great, me in my black dress, Mary in the midnight blue outfit worn the night we’d had in San Francisco. After the meal I bumped into a couple of former work colleagues and decided to allow the others to go home while I stayed out for an hour or so. “You behave yourself, young lady,” he grinned waggling a finger and Mary chuckled. “Nearly thirty now, I can cope! Besides I’ve had my regulation two drinks, I’m only on the coffee now,” I grinned and waved them off, Margie and Katryn waiting patiently by the door. We went back in, sat down with a steaming jug of best Colombian brew and I caught up on news from ‘the coalface’ Marge saying it was bad there now, both women were thinking of quitting. “You got out just in time Sally love, we’re going to give it another month then I‘m out too. Kat will probably follow,” and I saw her nodding. A tray of cocktails arrived twenty minutes later and I looked at the others, none of us had ordered and I was puzzled til the bartender said three guys in the corner had sent them across. We turned and saw my nemesis from the company and two of Bob’s engineers, one who’d left shortly before me, Maurice raising his pint glass in salute. “Guess it’s a ‘no-hard-feelings’ round,” I joked and the others grinned. We dithered as they were rather OTT for us, blue green and lastly an orange one with cherries and stuff jutting out on sticks. “Girlie drinks, for girlies I’ll bet they’re probably saying,” Kat joked and we all giggled. “Well, a shame to waste them…girlies…” I smiled so picked the green one, Marge went for blue leaving Kat, with orange. “Bottom’s up…” Katryn said then I daintily sipped mine, hoping it’d be some sort of mint flavouring. I rolled it over my tongue… “Oh bloody hell…” I wheezed, trying not to cough, “It’s foul, what the heck is it…?” and Marge stared at me having knocked half of hers back. “Water…quickly Sal…” she muttered and thankfully this place has iced jugs of the stuff on a central table. I came back and she grabbed a glass and put that back in one. “I’m gonna complain ‘bout these,” Katryn growled and I was nodding, water being drunk now as I tried to get the taste out of my mouth. Margie sat there staring at the remains of her drink and I thought she was shaking. “You alright Ma…?” I began and she shook her head. “No, I feel rubbish…” she muttered and I turned to look at Maurice’s gathering to see what their reaction was, only to see they’d gone! The bartender wiping down the table as he cleared the glasses. We needed help and I went across, not feeling that brilliant myself now as I reached him. “Excuse me buddy,” I said, tapping his arm. “Those drinks you gave us that these guys bought, I think they’ve been spiked. My mates are in trouble,” and he turned to look in surprise. Seeing me standing there, looking peaky and his face fell as he peered over my shoulder at Marge who was leaning back, eyes closed with Kat coughing too. “OK missy, you go sit down, I’ll call for an ambulance, OK?” I nodded and thanked him, wobbling back to the corner, falling into my seat and I looked back to see him on the phone, waving off a customer who wanted serving. He came across with a bucket and towels, just in time as Margie grabbed it and threw up, thankfully straight into it. “Right, done the call love, they’re a bit busy so it’ll be as fast as poss, OK?” Well it wasn’t but at least he was serious and I thanked him, asking the guy to shoo off a couple of people watching us. He did so and they left, one saying women shouldn’t be drinking if they couldn’t handle it! I told him in no certain terms to clear off and a few people stared at me. Feeling shameful seeing Kat was crying, Margie slumped against the cushions and she really was shaking now. I was pleased to hear sirens getting closer and soon I was wincing as they were right outside, the lights flashing SO brightly. Two guys thundered in, hi-viz jackets a welcome sight as their bags dropped onto the sofas and they began working on us, naturally Margie was first while an arriving police officer sat down and tried talking to me about what happened. I wasn’t really in the mood, my mouth was dry despite the water but I gradually told him. Naming the three guys but the copper said he didn’t believe me! “You girls just cannot handle your booze! I’ve seen it too often in this town.” Even the bartender got brushed off when he tried to confirm what I’d said was the truth. Raising his voice and the officer told him to back off. I was getting anxious now, tears not far away because of his attitude. “Think you better ring his station, get a real one here, not a guy on a power trip” I said to the barman who did his best not to grin. Only for officer idiot to reach over and jab a finger into my chest telling me to shut up. However it went further forward than he expected and it poked me on the nipple. “You dirty bastard!” I shouted, making more people turn and stare. I also swatted his hand away and he jumped to his feet while I staggered to mine. “Right, you’re under arrest love…” he snapped, reaching for his cuffs and even the paramedics looked up from their work on Katryn and one protested, “she’s done nothing wrong, leave her be…” But before I could react he’d cuffed my left arm and was twisting it behind me. I squealed and he grinned then grabbed my other arm, slapping it in and securing them tight. Now I really screamed as he pushed me down onto the sofa, my head striking the side and I felt faint now as he stood there warning me not to struggle or else. Getting on his radio to try calling for reinforcements. The only help that arrived was for me. Several guys came over having realised what was happening, two of them grabbing the officer and wrestling him to the floor and now it really kicked off. Someone, an older lady even helped me sit down, my head pounding and I felt sick, but with the damn cuffs on could do nothing except cry and she wiped my eyes with a tissue, that bit of kindness probably stopping me freaking out. A hulking great guy found the handcuff keys in the struggling policeman’s uniform and freed me, saying he was actually a fellow officer, a Detective Inspector no less but from a different station and he’d sort this out. Showing the ambulanceman his warrant card and Jason, the kindly medic nodded to me. “It’s gen missy and thanks Sir, now lets get you treated love.” My wrists had marks on from the cuffs and he fed me painkillers or something like that. Making me drink way too much liquid too and I desperately needed the loo. The lady who’d done my face took me there, turned out she was the D.I’s wife and we vanished into the disabled cubicle where I vomited explosively into the bowl. I didn’t realise that was the intention, to flush the drugs out of my system but she waited till my heaving stopped, turning round and I paused… “I’ll wait outside honey,” she chuckled and stepped away, closing the door allowing me privacy. Emerging after a clean up, with empty bowels I grinned tiredly but was worried about what Bob and Mary would say when they found out. Mrs D.I helped me reaffix my slap then led me back to the bar. Most of the crowd had gone, so had Margie and Kat in the ambulance but I shuddered on seeing more policemen there, convinced they would arrest me again. But my helper’s husband was doing a sterling job, having witnessed the whole thing and soon I watched my second nemesis being cuffed and led away by others. I gave a statement then asked about getting a taxi home, only for Bob and Mary to come in moments later and they looked aghast. I burst into tears again, rushing into their arms and hugging both tightly to me. The D.I sat us down and assured me that no further action was being taken against me, but that it was unlikely that they’d be able to prove it was Maurice or his cohorts who’d drugged our drinks. Even the barman was appalled, he’d deposited the tray on their table, only to be called five minutes later and told to bring them to ours. “It HAD to be them, Sir,” he stormed and I nodded in agreement but just wanted to go home and forget about it. Mary drove us back and I thanked them with hugs before fleeing in tears to my room. Bob later knocked on the door but I refused to open it and he said if I needed him I just had to ask. Right now I wanted to be alone and politely said so, blew a kiss then threw myself into bed. That event really battered my self-confidence, way more than the demotion. I was convinced everyone had it in for me and panicked when asked to go to the shops. Mary did a magnificent job and after two weeks of ‘house arrest’ she coaxed me into town to pick up the dress I’d be wearing for their wedding. Not quite a bridemaids’ one but an outfit to do me justice. The smile I had on modelling it in the shop proved that maybe I was getting over it now. Not so when we got confirmation that the inquiries were being dropped and I began to worry again. Even Bob was starting to get concerned. They were due on honeymoon three days after the wedding, but if I couldn’t get a grip then they might have to cancel it. “Well how else can we get round it?” he sighed in the kitchen. I managed not to throw a strop and said I would consider staying in my coffin for that time til they returned. Mary was amazed at the idea. “But it’s almost three weeks darling, surely your food and stuff would run out?” she said but I shook my head. “No, I’ve been tweaking the system for a long time, testing it for ages. It’s why I haven’t used it for a month while checking out ideas. I know it’ll be fine, trust me guys.” They sent me outside to cut the lawn and discussed it and on return an hour later gave their consent. But suggested I Skype Milly first to ask her opinion. Mary knew I talked often with the Californian so that night I called her. Upset to discover Mil couldn’t get a visa to attend the wedding having been invited so commiserations were offered. We talked for ages and I said what I’d proposed. “Well if that’s your way of dealing with it Sal, and your folks okay it then I guess it’s a yes from me too. You’re a wacko love, just let me know when you ‘return’ OK?” I agreed, waved her goodbye and switched off. I went downstairs and looked at them. Mary knew and came across and hugged me. “OK honey, we’ll do it.” Bob nodding and I challenged him to make me safer than ever before. “Yes sweetheart, I’ll try to do that. I promise.” The wedding was a quiet affair. Just them and me, two of my girlfriends and some of Bob and Mary’s closest acquaintances at the registry office. I managed not to sob as I handed the rings over, feeling nice in my new dress and heels. Once the event was done we had the reception at a local pub and soon they retired to the house, I went to a hotel with my friends to give them space and this time we managed not to get in any trouble! Since deciding to ‘go down’ for the time required I’d been asked not to go below stairs. Bob worked tirelessly alone doing heaven knows what. Mary and I went out frequently at his request sometimes all day and I’d love to know what he was up to. But a promise of ‘no peeking’ was to be obeyed or I’d have to stay up. Now the day dawned and Mary helped me dress. And what an outfit too, not a real bridal gown but a formal silk one all the same. No train or veils but it looked stunning and I cried when she first showed it to me. “I read the stories love, it’s the best I could do…” she said and got buried in hugs. Make-up and hair followed then finest underwear was supplied and she allowed me to fit the tubes alone. I was trembling as finally I was eased into the frock and it was drawn around me and zipped to my neck, lastly stepping into three-inch heels. Going to my dressing table I grabbed one of Donna’s favourite lockets from my jewellery box and slipped the necklace around. Dropping it inside the dress where it nestled into my cleavage. Mary took many photos then showed me them and I nearly wept again. “Don’t you dare smudge…” she joked, holding hands as I promised her I’d be alright. “I know darling, its going to be painful for us to be apart but I understand.”
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