by Robin Roseau
"I'm pretty sure those were almost your exact words," Maggie said. "Wasn't she supposed to tell, Cassidy?"
"I punish her for profanity," Cassidy said.
Maggie's eyes grew wide. "How?"
"Mean tickles," I said. "Electric toothbrush between my toes."
"Oh, no!" said Maggie. She squirmed. "I'm sure I was paraphrasing, Cassidy."
Cassidy laughed. "What else has she told you?"
"That sometimes you tie her up." Maggie began to blush. "She said she likes it."
"You want to see the tickle bench."
"Yeah," Maggie said. "I mean. If that's okay?"
"I suppose," Cassidy said. I was ready to have a heart attack. I hadn't told Maggie that Cassidy had an entire room. And I really hadn't mentioned all the other things she had. "But I put the tickle bench away. I wasn't planning on using it tonight." I barely suppressed a snort. It was a rare night I didn't spend part of the evening locked in that damned thing. "And I'm self-conscious about my storage room. So I'm going to go pull it out, and I'll let you know when you can see it."
Cassidy got up from the sofa then turned and gave me a quick, quite unsatisfying kiss. Maggie and I watched her go, and then Maggie took my old seat.
"I shouldn't have asked."
"It seems to be all right," I said. "Feeling better?"
"Yeah. She didn't tell me anything I didn't know, but hearing it from her helps."
"I know what you mean."
Cassidy was gone perhaps five minutes. Maggie and I talked quietly, but then Cassidy returned. "All right. I had to hide the half-folded laundry."
"I didn't mean to put you out," Maggie said.
"Don't worry about it. Come on."
"I'll wait here," I announced.
"You will not," Cassidy replied. So I sighed and climbed to my feet.
* * * *
I didn't know what to expect. Cassidy had moved the bench. I don't know how she did it, as the thing was darned heavy. But it was sitting in the family room all by itself, although some of the things she liked to use to tickle me were on a table nearby. I breathed a silent sigh of relief we weren't showing Maggie the playroom, but I wondered why the tickle toys were out.
Cassidy gestured, and Maggie stepped forward, walking slowly all around the tickle bench. Finally she came to a stop. "How does it work?"
"Well, we'll have to show you," Cassidy said. She stepped over and moved the leg lock out of the way. "Astrid. Lie down."
"Oh, I don't think so."
Cassidy pointed, saying nothing.
"No way. The two of you will tickle me."
"Undoubtedly," Cassidy agreed. She stabbed her finger at the bench. Then she used my own safe word phrase. "I'm serious."
I stared at her for a good ten seconds. Then, grumbling, I stepped forward. But I was blushing long before I bent over the bench.
At least Cassidy hadn't ordered me to get naked.
"That's better," Cassidy said. "First we have to latch her wrists. You do that one. It works like this." She did my right wrist, and on the other side, Maggie fumbled with it for a minute, but then she did my left. "And now her feet." That involved closing the leg lock, then they each lifted an ankle and pressed them into place. Cassidy closed the leg stocks, and I found myself locked in.
"This is enough to hold her, but she squirms a lot like this," Cassidy said. I hadn't seen them, but she produced the straps she used on me, and soon she had me strapped tightly to the bench. "There we go. Now she can't get away."
I had no idea what Maggie was thinking about this, but then the tone of her voice gave her away. "Do we get to tickle her?"
"Of course," Cassidy said. "Let me show you what she likes."
"What I like?" I asked, my voice squeaking. "What I like?"
"First," Cassidy said, "We have to undo her blouse, so we can reach her sides."
"No!" I protested. But a moment later she was reaching underneath me, unbuttoning the buttons one after another. "No!" I complained again.
She didn't pull it from me -- she couldn't have, after all. But she pushed it up so my midriff and sides were bare.
"And now her shoes," Cassidy said. And I was helpless to stop them as they each removed one of my shoes.
"I can't believe I lay down on this for you," I muttered.
"Is she real ticklish?" Maggie asked.
"Find out."
And damned but if she didn't. She started on my sides first, and it didn't take long until I was screeching and complaining. But then Cassidy told her to try my feet, and she went to work on my sides.
I have no idea how long they tickled me. All of us were laughing, two of us with far more glee than the third one. Maggie decided she really liked the toothbrush, and she went to town with it, which soon left me panting and unable to breathe.
And so they tickled me, and while it wasn't remotely as long as it would have been if Cassidy were doing it alone, there were two of them, and they were both determined.
Finally Cassidy put a stop to it, or perhaps just a pause. "Do you think she's had enough?"
"I think she had enough before we started," Maggie replied, still giggling. "I can't imagine being that helpless."
"You don't have to imagine," I panted. "We could easily trade places."
"No, I don't think so," Maggie said. "Cassidy is anxious to have you to herself, after all."
They both giggled.
I rattled the bench. "Going to let me go?"
"We could leave you here while I drive Maggie home," Cassidy suggested.
I didn't say a word. I didn't care for the suggestion at all, and Cassidy knew it. I also didn't think she would do it.
"Well, maybe not," she added. "Did you want to get her feet for another round, Maggie?"
"I think she's tickled out," Maggie said.
* * * *
"Please kiss me," I said a half hour later. Cassidy led me to the sofa, where we engaged in a good old fashioned make out session, during which she also got half my clothing off me. I barely noticed.
"Are you spending the night?" she asked when we both came up for air.
"I was thinking tomorrow night," I said. "I have to ask you about something else."
"Oh?"
"Spring break is coming up. My last exam is a week from next Wednesday, and break lasts until Sunday, a week and a half later."
"Ah."
"And I wasn't sure what I was going to do."
"What have you decided?"
"Well, I don't know. I didn't know if you wanted me."
"Of course I want you," she said. "You had to wonder?"
"You'd be stuck with me the entire time," I said. "We can't get in the dorms."
"So you're not going to head off to Daytona Beach or something?"
"The money you're paying me is for school," I said. "Not to become a jet setter. So no. I had no intention of flying to Florida."
"Well, yes, I want you. Yes, I want you to stay here with me."
"Are you sure? We haven't been doing this that long, Cassidy. I didn't want to assume."
"Why did this come up now?"
"Maggie's mother offered to let me stay with them. I told her I would first see if I was spending it with you."
"You are. If you want to."
"I want to," I said. I laughed. "I almost died when you offered to show her the tickle bench."
"That was some fast thinking," she replied with her own laugh. "I wasn't sure how to respond at first. Even if she knew about the playroom, I wasn't going to show it to her."
"Thank you for that."
"Come with me," she said, standing up. We stepped from the room. I thought she was going to lead me to the playroom, but instead she led me upstairs to her bedroom. Once there, she turned to face me, and I recognized the look.
She pointed to a place in the middle of the room. "Stand there, looking straight ahead."
I moved into position, and then Cassidy slowly walked around me, looking me over. She began a
second circle but stepped up behind me and wrapped arms around me. "I want you," she said into my ear.
"Good," I whispered.
I started to turn towards her, but she tightened her hold and said, "No. Face forward. Straight ahead. Back straight." I straightened, and a moment later she began unbuttoning my blouse.
Cassidy undressed me slowly, caressing the freshly available bare skin as she did so. She took her time, but still it wasn't long before I stood entirely naked.
"Stay right here," she ordered with a nibble of my earlobe.
She stepped away to her closet. I heard sounds, and I thought she was undressing. But then she approached again. I was tempted to turn and look at her, but I did what I'd been told. She stepped up behind me and set a hand on my ass, caressing.
"Mine, aren't you, Astrid?"
"Yes, Cassidy."
"I want to ask you something, and you're going to tell the truth. Do you hate what I do to you?"
"No. I told you the first night-"
"I know what you said.
"Did you hate what Martha did to you?" Martha was the woman she'd spent those six years with, the one who had helped guide her career.
"Some of it," she said. "But I cherished most of it, but not necessarily at first. I saw her as old."
"I don't see you as old. I see you as mature and confident, at least most of the time. Cassidy, I will tell you what I don't like."
She removed her hand, and the next word was said roughly. "What?"
"I don't like it when you doubt me, Cassidy. I want to be here. At first, I was worried. Even when I signed up, I was worried. How would I be treated? Well, I like the way you treat me."
"Even when I order you into the tickle bench and team up with your friend to tickle the crap out of you."
"Are you going to punish me for that?"
"No."
"Then while I wouldn't necessarily volunteer to be double teamed, everyone had fun. Everyone. Am I clear?"
"So if it happens again?"
"Then it happens again. But Maggie wouldn't have minded taking my place."
"That isn't going to happen, Astrid. You are the only one who will ever experience that position while I own that piece of furniture. Understand?"
"I understand."
"Good. Put your hands behind your back and clasp your elbows."
As soon as I did, she began to tie my arms in place.
She was very thorough.
Summer
May arrived, and summer would be close on its heels. I was seeing Cassidy for proper dates three times a week, and she took me to lunch or coffee once or twice more each week. Sometimes she brought me shopping, usually for new clothing, the sort of clothing I wouldn't have bought on my own budget, but that I loved wearing when we went out.
Our dates were eclectic. Dinner out was common, although we also cooked in quite a bit. She taught me to eat sushi, and my enjoyment was surprising. She took me to the theater. We saw a play at the Guthrie, a musical at the Orpheum, and a modern dance performance at the Music Box Theater. We spent one Saturday afternoon visiting art galleries until she found the perfect painting for her living room. We attended a comedy club one night and sang karaoke another. A lot had happened in just a few short months.
Nights in also showed some variety although with some similarities. I was naked a lot of the time, even if Cassidy wasn't. And I spent a goodly share of time tied up or in some other way helpless and vulnerable.
Cassidy took great delight in the things she did to me, but she wasn't the only one.
Oh, we made much tamer love, too, but the ratio was about two to one. And I consistently came out of the sessions with a mix of confused emotions.
* * * *
"Please hold me," I whispered. "Don't stop holding me."
Cassidy gathered me into her arms. This time we were on her bed, but I'd said those same words from the floor of the playroom more than a few times, and she would simply join me on the floor and hold me there. She would hold me as long as I needed before I was ready to move upstairs.
But this time we were in bed, and I tightened against her, clutching at her firmly.
"I want to feel your skin," I whispered. I waited for her to nod before I began to release her buttons. Sometimes she undressed during these sessions, but she didn't usually. So I began unbuttoning and then whimpered a little when she had to pull away to pull off the blouse and bra. She slipped out of the slacks but then climbed back into bed with me, pulling the covers up around us as I moved back into her arms.
"Hold me," I demanded. "Please hold me."
"Oh, my darling," she said. "Of course I'll hold you."
I clung to her, trembling a little, clutching at her, my eyes forced shut. Oh, she hadn't hurt me. She never hurt me. She was very careful. But... "I can't get close enough to you."
"Oh, darling," she said again, tightening her arms. "I'm right here."
"I know," I whispered. "Please don't hate me."
"I couldn't possibly hate you, Astrid. How could you worry about that?"
"I'm so needy," I said.
"Oh, darling," she said. "I'm getting very good at making you needy. I have this gorgeous woman clutching at me and begging me to hold her. Why ever do you think I do it?"
"You do?"
She chuckled. "Of course. Well, and I love listening to the little sounds you make when you come."
"I don't make little sounds when I come!" I said. "I make pretty big sounds."
She laughed. "Yes, you do. And I love it."
"I feel selfish."
"Good," she said. "You should. That makes you far more likely to say 'yes' when I tell you what I want."
I laughed. "It does not."
"When was the last time you turned me down?"
I never turned her down. It had grown increasingly difficult for me, actually, and I found myself doing absolutely anything she asked. And I didn't mind, either. "Hold me tighter," I said in answer.
She chuckled and pulled me just a little closer to her, and then we lay together as I slowly regained my composure.
"My sweet darling," she murmured. "You're safe here with me."
"I know," I whispered.
Eventually, we slept.
* * * *
It was over breakfast that I asked her a favor. "Will you help me find an apartment for the summer?"
She looked up from her coffee. "Maybe," she said slowly. "What about if you moved in here for the summer."
"I already thought about that."
"And?"
"And you have a life outside of me."
"And you have one outside of me."
"Yes, but that wouldn't stop me," I said. "But I'd feel like shit if you told me to get lost when your family came over. And I don't think you intend to introduce me to them."
"I could tell them I'm your mentor. It would be the truth."
"I'm pretty sure they'd take one look at us and know it's more than that."
"I don't know when it was the last time I had family here."
"You told me you had them for Christmas," I said. "And you went to your sister's for Easter." She hadn't invited me. "Your sister also held Mother's Day, so won't Father's Day be your turn? And who will host the family 4th of July festivities?"
"I don't know. I'll be at a resort with my girlfriend." It was said a little harshly, and I looked down. "I'm sorry," she added. "I'm not mad at you. I wish I could tell them, but frankly, my sister is a bitch, and I don't want you to have anything to do with her. Hell, I don't want anything to do with her."
"You just swore, and I'm pretty sure I'd be in trouble for the B-word."
"Yes, but we both know this isn't an even relationship. Don't change the subject."
"I want to spend as much time with you as you'll have me," I said. "But I'm not going to respond well when you set me aside. As far as I'm concerned, you're my girlfriend, and I'm going to be upset when you leave me home for family events or to see your friends. If
I'm not living here, it won't be obvious."
She nodded. "All right. That's fair. How are you going to fill your days?"
"I don't know. I've always had summer jobs. But I don't think I could find a job that would be flexible." That and it would be hard to find passion for a minimum wage job when she was already paying me so much just to spend time with her. "I suppose I'll get a jump on my fall classes."
"All right," she said. "Do you know what features you want in an apartment?"
"I don't know," I said. "It needs to be close to grocery shopping, I guess."
"Why?"
"I don't even own a bicycle," I said. "I did, but..."
"Right." She paused. "You have a driver's license, right?"
"Yes, but I don't have a car."
"That's not what I'm suggesting." She crooked a finger. "Come with me." At that point, I followed her to her garage. I hadn't really paid much attention to what she kept out there. She used one stall for her car and the other for her yard stuff such as lawn mower and snow blower. She walked around that and then peeled a tarp off of something against the wall.
"It's a scooter!"
It was shiny and red and really cute. I walked over and looked at it.
"It's fun," Cassidy said. "I don't ride it anymore, but I keep it maintained anyway. I don't know why I didn't sell it years ago. I'm not giving it to you, but I'll loan it to you over the summer, if you want it."
"I don't have a license."
"It only requires a driver's license," she said. She pointed. "There's enough room for a bag of groceries in the cargo box, although it can take a little creative packing. And it only goes about 30 miles an hour, so it's not like you can zip all over town with it. You would have to stay off any streets with higher speed limits than that, or you'll get run over by the cars."
I admired the scooter as Cassidy explained more. But then I hugged her. "Thank you. I love it. When can I try it out?"
"Maybe after I let you get dressed," she said with a grin.
"Yeah, maybe that's a good idea." I wasn't naked, but I wasn't wearing a whole lot, either.
* * * *
We did our initial apartment shopping online. We called several places and they tried to tell me they wanted a one-year lease. After the third time, Cassidy started placing the calls, starting over from the beginning. The calls for her went far differently from mine.