As some of you have no doubt noticed, I've been away for a while. This was due to
a variety of reasons, not the least of which was the stunning birth of the most
beautiful baby girl in the world, my daughter. Needless to say, she asserted
herself in the Dragon household and has been running the place, leaving precious
little time for such mundane tasks as posting semi-erotic fiction.

Having said that, let's continue. First some obligatory preamble, then onto the
new story.

This was meant to be an experimental piece. I'm not really sure what it is all
about, so I guess you'll have to let me know what you think of it.

This story contains adult situations. Minors need not apply.

This story also contains sexual situations between male/female and female/female
participants. It is all consensual. It also contains some descriptions of light
bondage. Having said this, I'm not sure if this story really qualifies as
erotica. Nevertheless, if any of this is going to offend, then you know what to
do. Lots of ways to delete a file.

I originally envisioned three parts to this story. Whether I ever write or post
the other two, I suppose is for time to tell. This piece is independent, though,
so that shouldn't affect your reading.

This story was proof-read by Munk and Mike Ink and Mat. I am indebted to them for
their wonderful suggestions and their comments. But, as always, they are free of
blame for this writing. I take full responsibility for errors herein.

As always, this story may be archived provided that no charge (including AVS
systems) are placed in the way of access. This story may not, under any
circumstances, be used in a capacity that can be construed as procuring business.
You may not change the story in any way. If you are going to repost or feature it
on a free website, I'd appreciate knowing about it. Of course, if you are going
to repost it, please maintain appropriate authorship credit, and this preamble.
If you have any questions about this policy, please contact the author at the
address below.

Comments are welcome at dcrimson@yahoo.com

My previous musings, for those interested, should be available free of charge at:

http://www.asstr.ml.org/~Crimson_Dragon

- Crimson


Colours of the Soul (MF, FF, cons, light bond, colours)

(c) August 1998 - Crimson Dragon (dcrimson@yahoo.com)


It was an unusual rainbow, the colours shifting in iridescent patterns, in
blatant defiance of physics, dancing with the sinking sun. The band of colour had
formed after a brief afternoon shower, prismed into existence as the sun settled
to shine brightly beneath the swollen overcast. The fiery spectrum sparked once
and settled into a red as fierce as a ruby upon the finger of a princess.

---===***===---

"Have you ever been tied up?" Brian asked her, smirking from behind his Styrofoam
coffee cup.

Jaime shivered slightly, almost afraid to answer. She nodded her head
affirmatively, her eyes glancing nervously around the coffee shop.

"Really?" he asked. A look of surprise graced his strong features.

She nodded again, shyly, unsure of what he was asking. He joked around far more
than he was serious. It was one of the reasons she was dating him.

He laughed, the surprise melting off his face. "I don't mean cowboys and Indians
in the old neighbourhood when you were ten years old."

She swallowed heavily. She wanted to tell him, but she had never admitted it to
anyone. Not even to her female confidantes. Not even to her roommate. To nobody.
She shook her head.

He looked at her strangely, his eyes glittering in amusement. This was another
game to him. Nothing more. She sighed inwardly. His game meant far more to her.

"My brother, the big idiot, used to tie me up occasionally, usually to keep me
out of his way. He wanted to bring over a girl and didn't want me to tease him,
or maybe he didn't want me to walk in on him."

Brian cocked his head to the side, his blue eyes bright.

Jaime gathered her courage and took a deep breath. She glanced once more around
the coffee shop and determined that even the closest tables couldn't hear her if
she whispered.

"But he never tied me up without my clothes."

***

Jaime lay quietly on the bed, not having much choice. She idly scanned the
discoloured ceiling above her as she waited not so patiently for Brian to return.

Tentatively, she pulled at the soft cord which encircled her wrists and ankles,
holding her deliciously to the bed. She knew that she presented a picture,
completely naked, stretched out, and helpless. She wished that she could see
herself, wished that the closet door mirror were closer. She sighed inwardly,
resigned to her limited view of the rise of her bare breasts and her poking
nipples.

She took a deep breath through her nose. Even if she tried to call out, her voice
wouldn't carry through the heavy dorm room door. Even if the red rubber ball
wasn't wedged behind her teeth. She pulled at her ankles, flexing her toes. She
could see her toes above her breasts if she lifted her head. She shivered as she
considered that Brian would probably suck gently on her toes. She normally
squirmed away when he did that to her, but today she wouldn't be able to.

She'd practically begged him to do this to her. She wanted to be restrained, had
fantasised about it since the coffee shop. The butterflies of anticipation
fluttered about aimlessly in her insides. Her body was drenched in anticipation.
Brian would return from his five minute run to the pharmacy, and open her door,
his bright blue eyes shining at her predicament. He'd tease her, make love to
her, perhaps leave her again, perhaps sit quietly and watch her. She didn't mind
what he did, as long as he satisfied her. Eventually.

Her body throbbed as she glanced around the room. She was aware of herself,
especially her exposed nipples and between her spread thighs. She strained, half
wanting to rise and surprise Brian with a hug and a kiss, and half wanting to
stay exactly where she was. The anticipation was killing her. A low moan escaped
around the intrusion wedged in her mouth.

She watched the bright red numerals flash beside the small bed. He'd only been
gone four minutes, but it seemed like eternity. She could feel her heart
hammering uncontrollably in her chest. What if he didn't come back? What if there
was a fire drill? Did they do a room check in the case of a fire drill? She
shouldn't have nodded when he told her that he needed to go to the drug store.
But she had wanted to be alone for a while. It was part of the game. She'd been
alone when her brother had bound her so long ago. She had felt exactly like this.
Hot and bothered and unable to do anything whatsoever about it. Delicious
anticipation. Of course, back then, she'd been forced to satisfy herself after
everyone else went to sleep, and after she'd been freed. This time it would be
different.

She glanced around the room, trying to distract herself. Ellen's side of the room
was neat and tidy in sharp contrast to her own. She could see Ellen's clothing
neatly folded and lying atop Ellen's chest of drawers. The floor on Ellen's side
of the room was spotless. Jaime's clothing was strewn across the floor by her bed
- underwear, jeans, skirts and blouses a rainbow of colour across the worn
carpet.

After Ellen had left, Brian had watched quietly as she had dropped the short red
skirt and blouse from her body, adding them to the general disarray. He'd watched
her with diffused light reflecting from those blue eyes of his. He'd watched as
she stripped for him, and then offered herself, body and soul to the restraints.
The red skirt and blouse radiated their colour from amongst her other clothing,
beckoning her to gather them up and put them back on. She couldn't, even if she
wanted to.

Jaime tried to ignore the throbbing through her bound body. Ellen had left after
a happy phone call about a half hour ago, promising to be out all night with some
new guy named Steve. At that point, Brian and Jaime had exchanged knowing glances
and smiled. Ellen had smiled as well, knowing full well what they would be up to
in her absence. Jaime reflected ruefully, Ellen had only known part of it. She
glanced at the clock again, feeling the odd sensations of moving her head with
her gagged mouth.

Six minutes. She shivered. Brian should be back any minute. The pharmacy was on
campus, only a three-minute walk.

She was humming to herself through the gag when she heard the door rattle. Jaime
felt the heat flood through her system, anticipating the look on Brian's face,
anticipating the touches, the caresses. She closed her eyes, pulling gently at
her restraints.

She heard the click of the key in the lock, and the door swung slowly open. She
tried to smile around her gag, and began to open her eyes, ready to flutter them
prettily at Brian.

Instead, her eyes flew wide open at the startled female gasp which emanated from
the open doorway. Ellen stood framed by the arch of the door, her jaw dropped and
her body trembled.

"Jaime?" Ellen spoke quietly. Confusion laced her voice.

Jaime flushed from her bare toes to the tip of her nose. She could feel the flood
of crimson rise through her bare skin. She pulled frantically against the ropes.
She couldn't get enough air. Her arousal was gone; it hadn't faded, it had flown
away like a frightened sparrow. Her cry was muffled by the damned red ball in her
mouth.

Ellen's face was a mask of grief, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. The tears
were there before the sight of Jaime, caused by something else, not Jaime's
position, not her humiliation. Ellen was barely looking at her. She seemed almost
preoccupied. Jaime moaned through her gag, wanting desperately to be anywhere but
here. She could feel her openness and her exposure like she was on display, which
she supposed she was. She simply wasn't supposed to be on display for Ellen.

Ellen managed to control her tears for a moment, concern and confusion flashing
to replace the dismay on her face.

"Are you all right?" she asked tentatively, her voice quivering. She remained in
the open doorway making no move to approach the bound girl. She stammered, "I ...
I saw Brian ... he didn't answer when I called to him. I ... thought you were
alone. I mean, you are alone, but ..." She furtively glanced over her shoulder as
if expecting someone.

Jaime wanted a blanket, or clothing, or to be free of the ropes. She wished that
she were in Florida or somewhere far away. At least, she wished futilely, she
wanted the rubber out of her mouth, to explain herself. But even if the ball
wasn't between her teeth, what could she possibly say? She was anything but all
right.

Fighting her deep flush, Jaime slowly nodded, silently telling Ellen that she
wasn't in danger. She couldn't do much else.

Ellen inhaled sharply and blushed as realisation of her trespass flooded into her
face. "I ... I didn't know. I'm so sorry."

She turned and fled. The door closed quietly behind her.

Jaime lay her head back and moaned through her gag.

***

She was looking forward to his return, but for different reasons now. Her eyes
snapped eagerly to look at the door as she heard rustling at the knob. Ellen had
disappeared only a few minutes ago, but it seemed like an eternity she had lain
here alone and helpless.

"Hi babe! You look good enough to eat," Brian remarked jovially as he entered the
small dorm room. He was carrying a non-descript paper bag, probably with the
protection that they both favoured. His smile was easy, and eager.

Jaime opened her eyes and mewled through the rubber filling her mouth. She pulled
desperately at her bonds.

"Feisty?" Brian grinned at her.

"Mmmmppppphhhhh," even her full scream of frustration fell muffled into the room.

He smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed, between her outstretched arm and
her thigh. He traced her bare breast with a fingertip, then slipped down her
tight skin over her ribs and then toyed with her fine pubic hair.

She cried out again, trying to put anguish into her mewls. She fought against the
ropes, finally getting his attention again to her face.

She couldn't help it, the tears began. Large silent tears coursed down her
cheeks.

At her tears, he finally realised something was amiss.

"You don't want to do this anymore?" he asked her.

Angrily, she shook her head. Immediately, he lifted her head and began to work at
the clasp of the gag. When it was free, she pushed it out with her tongue. It
fell beside her throat on the bedsheets. She could feel the leather lightly
tickling her neck.

"What's the matter?" he asked. His fingers fumbled with the bonds around her left
wrist. He was stroking the skin where it disappeared under the ropes more than he
was attempting to free her.

Her dismay at Ellen's entrance had transformed to anger. Her eyes flashed ruby as
she fought to control the tendrils of irrational emotion.

Her voice bit at him. "You ... I ... fuck ... Ellen fucking came in. She saw me.
Like this."

Brian pulled back from her, leaving her still bound.

"She did? Didn't she have a date?" he looked surprised but unconcerned.

"She was supposed to. Shit. She saw me like this, tied up like some sort of slut
... like some sort of animal. Let me out. Now."

"Babe. Calm down. You wanted to do this, not me."

"The hell you didn't. You led me to this with your joking around. I'm sorry I
ever told you. Let me out. Now. I don't want to do this."

"I do," Brian spoke quietly, making no move to release her.

Jaime lay stunned for a moment, not quite believing what she'd heard. A moment
later, fear flashed through her mind. Images of her being raped flooded through
her head. Images of her struggling against her bonds. Images of Ellen's quiet
scepticism. Ellen had seen her bound, but she'd told Ellen nothing was wrong. She
was probably the biggest pervert ever, in Ellen's eyes. Her heart hammered in her
chest, threatening to jump out between her heaving breasts.

Jaime lowered her voice, fighting the rising butterflies of fright, making her
tone as menacing as she could.

"Let me go. Now. And then get out." Even to her ears, she could hear the
frightened waver in her voice.

Brian looked at her, letting his eyes wander from her toes to her hips to her
breasts and finally to her face. She was squirming, pulling at the knots,
fighting with them. He traced her bare breast once more with his finger, touching
the sensitive but no longer erect nipple. She flinched, hoping that he wouldn't
re-gag her if he was going to rape her. At least she could scream without the
gag. Maybe someone would hear.

He let his index finger trace down her body, circling her belly button and
lightly stroking her sex. She shivered at the touches and closed her eyes,
squeezing out the remaining tears.

"Please, Brian, let me go. I don't want to do this anymore." Even to her, her
voice didn't sound completely sincere. "I have to find Ellen."

He looked up at her face remaining silent, his finger still lightly caressing her
private parts. She cringed, the sensations doing nothing beyond irritating her.

"You can't do this to me." Brian spoke to her as he might a child.

At first, she was puzzled, caught in disbelief. Couldn't do what to him? Then it
dawned on her what he was saying. "I can, and I will. Let me free. Now." She
tried again to control her anger and fright. She was so damn helpless, and she
wanted her freedom more than anything else in the world.

He sighed, a long heavy sigh. His face flashed indecision and a touch of anger.
He didn't want to stop, and like a child, he was petulant. He dropped away from
her and knelt on the floor beside the bed. He looked down at her.

"You really do want out, don't you? What happened to our plans?"

"Ellen happened to them." She felt her disappointment and it translated into
bitterness and anger at Brian. She was going to offer to continue later, when she
felt better, but the feelings caused by his unrelenting advances hadn't faded
yet, even though he'd stopped touching her body. She lay back her head into the
pillow and stared at the ceiling. She wasn't sure she wanted to be this helpless,
at least with Brian, ever again.

"This isn't part of the game anymore, is it?" his frustration was apparent in his
poise and his voice.

"What the hell do you think?" she lashed out at him in the only way she could,
her eyes flashing. She was getting tired of the gentle approach. She was afraid
that he wouldn't stop, take her anyway. Leave her there for Ellen to free
whenever she returned. She couldn't do much to stop him.

He took a deep breath and traced up her bare leg again, caressing her skin in a
gesture that she'd normally enjoy and welcome. His fingers strayed to the inside
of her thigh. This time it felt forced, and she tried to pull her leg away,
unsuccessfully.

"Brian, please," she finally fell into begging, her tears beginning again from
her reddened eyes. She held herself as stiffly as she could, not encouraging him,
holding her anger and fear in check. She shuddered despite her control.

He swallowed heavily and reluctantly began to loosen her left wrist. The knots
she couldn't reach came free easily for him, and soon her hand was no longer an
extension of the bed. She covered her breasts as best she could with her free
hand and turned her face toward him.

"Get out. Now."

"Jaime ..."

"Out."

He rose to his feet and walked slowly to the door. At the door, he turned to her,
his face showing the first signs of true anger. He was still carrying the useless
pharmacy bag.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled but it didn't sound sincere. She could tell that he all
really wanted to do was call her a "bitch" and then leave her. It was written
across his face.

Turning her head away from him, she fought to control her rising anger. She
didn't want to yell at him, but anything she said now, even with the best of
intentions, was going to be hurtful. Visibly struggling, she managed to keep her
impotent flush at bay. She felt his eyes, like eels, travel her bare body once
more, and then she heard the door snick shut leaving her alone.

She let out her breath, and finally allowed herself to really cry.

---===***===---

As the sun continued its slow descent to transcendence with the horizon, the
rainbow shivered again, shimmering from bright crimson into an emerald green
risen from the depths of Neptune.

---===***===---

It had taken awhile, but she had managed to free herself. If Brian had freed her
other hand, or she were left-handed, it probably would have been easier.

After tossing aside the last cord, she had curled up on the bed and cried until
there were no more tears. At last, she had slowly risen to her bare feet, and
pulled on clothing from the floor. Blue jeans, a light green blouse, ankle socks,
and Nikes.

She ran most of the way to the central library on campus, her running shoes
pattering through the twilight. The sky above her glowed with a soft emerald
light as the sun began its descent below the horizon. The motionless evening air
surrounded her and filled her senses with newfound freedom and relief.

She glanced around the nearly deserted library lobby - only a few freshmen
hunched into carrels.

One girl looked up briefly at Jaime's breathless entry. She was a young girl,
probably eighteen, blonde. She quickly looked away, but it was enough for Jaime.

"Excuse me," Jaime spoke in a hushed voice.

The girl's eyes travelled to the red marks around Jaime's wrists but she didn't
comment. To Jaime, at least, the marks were like a brand; everyone could tell
what she had been doing. She flushed slightly and held her hands behind her back,
moving the telltale marks out of sight. The girl's eyes travelled to Jaime's
face, ignoring the flush rising there, but taking in the bloodshot eyes.

"I'm looking for a friend of mine. Would have come in here about twenty minutes
ago, crying maybe? Short. Blonde hair." Jaime tried to keep her voice steady.

"I think I saw her. Don't know where she went, though." The girl looked
uncomfortable, making connections in her mind that may not have appealed to her
conventional views of society.

It was enough that Ellen was in the library. Jaime thanked the bewildered
freshman and walked swiftly to the elevators. The wait was interminable, and
Jaime had impatiently moved towards the stairs, when the elevator doors rattled
opened. She stepped inside and pressed the numeral six, the top floor of the
building. The ride up was slow but no other students joined her.

She glided out of the elevator, and glanced around. The top floor appeared
deserted and quiet. But then, libraries normally were quiet.

She began to walk the familiar route toward the east side of the stacks. All the
aisles were deserted. Jaime turned down the last aisle, walking slowly towards
the windows. Her running shoes squeaked as they moved across the tile, the noise
shrill through the silence.

"I'm over here," a quiet voice spoke off to the right. Jaime turned and spotted a
pair of bare legs in the shadow of a study carrel. A pair of running shoes was
placed neatly beneath the chair.

As she approached the carrel, Jaime heard a deep sigh.

"I'm getting predictable. You found me," Ellen spoke from behind the enclosed
study desk.

Jaime lowered herself into the chair beside Ellen. Now that she was here, she had
no idea what to say to her roommate. The silence stretched into an uncomfortable
void.

"Jaime, I'm sorry for walking in on you like that. I ... I was upset and didn't
think. I ... knew what you were up to tonight. I'm sorry I ruined it."

Jaime recoiled in surprise. No mention of the bondage. No mention of her
kinkiness. No accusing voice. No wanting out of the rooming arrangement.

Jaime couldn't find her tongue. It was caught somewhere between her molars and
her front teeth, immobile.

After a moment of silence, Ellen ventured another quick word.

"What happened? Why are you here? I wasn't expecting you for hours. Is Brian
pissed?"

Jaime licked her lips, feeling the tears again.

"He ... he was going to rape me, I think, after I wanted out. After you ...
surprised me. I'm not sure, but I think he's pissed at me." Ellen looked up, her
face still tear streaked from something inside herself. Her eyes grew wide, and
she shuddered.

"He was going to rape you? Like ... that? Oh my God. Why didn't you tell me when
I came in? He didn't, did he?" Her own tears had ceased for now and her face was
a mask of anger and pain. Jaime provided her something else to concentrate on.

Jaime shook her head. "He didn't. Thank god. I have no idea why. Maybe I managed
to shake him up. I was pretty angry." She flushed deeply. "I ... let him tie me
up. It ... was after you walked in that I wanted out and he wouldn't stop."

"You must be shaken up."

"A little. Mostly angry. I'm all right. At least I am physically." She flushed
again, examining her wrists. "Other than a few rope burns."

Ellen sighed, reassured. She bent her head back down and pretended to be reading
the thick book on the desk in front of her.

"Aren't you going to ask why I was like that?" Jaime asked tentatively.

Ellen looked up, her face red. "I ... I know what you were doing. And why. It's
all right. I understand. It's normal as far as I'm concerned and I won't tell
anyone. I just didn't know that ... you liked that kind of stuff. Now I do."

Jaime breathed a huge sigh of relief, mostly because Ellen didn't think she was
completely insane. Ellen looked back to her book quickly, avoiding further
discussion of the matter. Jaime glanced over Ellen's shoulder.

"The collected works of Shakespeare? Again? Last time it was your break up with
Anthony, and you were reading Romeo and Juliet. Only that time it took me hours
to find you. I didn't even know you liked Shakespeare."

Ellen looked up, tears flooding back into her eyes.

"It was Anthony again. I ... I saw him at the theatre ... with another girl. She
... looked a little like me. Then Steve ... the guy I was there with ... noticed
me staring and he got pissed at me. Understandably. I told Steve to go to hell,"
Ellen smiled ruefully. "Quite a pair tonight, aren't we? At least you still have
your guy."

"I'm not so sure about that. And my guy was about to rape me. I'll trade you any
day. Anthony might be an insensitive lout, but no means no to him, at least." The
girls lapsed into silence. After a time, Jaime rose and hunted down the familiar
stacks, running her finger over the dusty book spines. She pulled out a volume
and returned to Ellen. She settled into the chair beside her, kicked off her
running shoes, and opened the collected works of Keats.

"Keats?" Ellen asked softly.

Jaime nodded, and felt the tears begin again. She watched as the first moisture
dripped from her chin, splashing gently onto Keats. The words of the poet
blurred, but she kept reading anyway.

***

She hadn't heard from Brian all week. She'd left a few messages for him with his
roommate and had even taped one to his door. But the phone remained stubbornly
silent. She was distracted, but she persevered, gamely going out to the
BombShelter with Ellen after class, hoping that Brian would show up. They needed
to talk. After sleeping, and awakening to her bed that still had rope attached to
the bedposts, she needed to know what he'd intended that night with her. What
would have happened? Whether it was part of his game, or whether he really would
have raped her if she'd given less resistance? She wasn't sure how she felt
anymore. Confusion dominated her thoughts. Maybe she had led him on, even with
her denials. She had to talk to him.

She shook herself out of a daydream and picked up the phone. Calculus could wait.
Ellen, already in her bright green nightgown, was brushing out her blonde hair
while she read her assignment for the next day. Ellen glanced up at her, and
sighed.

"The guy tried to rape you," Ellen spoke quietly. "Leave it, forget him."

"I need to know," Jaime replied softly as she punched the numbers on the phone.
It rang three times before it was picked up.

"Jaime?" the voice on the other end of the phone wasn't Brian. Ted, his roommate,
was an art major, pierced and purple haired. She liked him well enough, but at
the moment, Brian was using him to screen calls. She was sure of it.

"How did you know it was me?" she asked.

"I didn't, but you are the only one to ever call here."

"Can I speak to Brian, please?"

Ted sighed and spoke gently. "Jaime, Brian isn't here right now."

"He is. Please let me talk to him?"

Another sigh. "Jaime, darling. This time he isn't, truly. Which is why I'm going
to level with you. Brian would kill me if he knew that I'd talked to you. OK?"

She mumbled non-commitally.

"Darling, I like you, and I wish that Brian wasn't such an idiot. For your sake.
You are far too nice to put up with his shenanigans. You deserve better than him.
He's been seeing another girl."

The silence stretched until Ellen spoke softly, from the other side of the room.

"Is everything all right, Jaime?" she asked.

Jaime swallowed heavily. Ellen's voice brought her out of a shocked trance and
crashing headlong back into reality. She spoke quietly into the phone.

"Ted. How long?"

"About a month maybe two. I'm sorry, Jaime."

"It's OK. I should have known."

"Take care, Jaime. Take care."

She settled the receiver into the cradle and lay back on her bed, staring at
nothing. Ellen tentatively lowered herself to Jaime's bed and touched her
shoulder. Jaime rolled over, away from Ellen, hiding her face. She felt the other
girl rise off the bed and return to her own bed across the room. The lights
extinguished as Ellen crawled between her sheets.

"Good-night," Ellen whispered into the silent room.

***

She'd begged the guy to tie her up. She'd told him things that nobody else in the
world knew. She'd slept with him. She'd even loved him. And he was seeing another
woman the whole time. She'd trusted him, dammit, more than anyone else in the
world.

Waves of jealousy intermixed with anger and envy flowed through her. She could
feel the tingles and the mixture of the emotions flooding her senses.

The other girl was with him, probably right now, perhaps dancing, perhaps making
love, her nails scratching down his back. It wasn't fair.

The first tear slipped from her eyes into the darkness, falling unheeded to the
sheets.

Ellen lay awake silently, trying not to hear the gentle sobs from Jaime's side of
the room.

---===***===---

As the sun caressed the water with its ethereal rays, the rainbow began to fade.
In a flash of light, the moisture in the air picked up the reflection from the
calm ocean. Dazzling blue, as bright as a sapphire, the rays blazed across the
sky in a last attempt to light the unseeing world.

---===***===---

They sat at a small table for two, sipping Rickard's Red. They hadn't spoken much
since he'd picked her up from her dorm room. Ellen had raised an eyebrow at his
appearance, but hadn't said anything.

"Jaime, I've already apologised a million times for not calling you back. I was
busy. School. Remember?"

She sat back in her chair and regarded Brian. It had been his looks that had
attracted her, originally. She was sure of it. Even now, he was physically
attractive to her, his blue eyes shining in the dim light. His easy voice sounded
so sincere and believable.

She took a deep breath. "You scared the hell out of me."

"I've explained that as well. I thought it was part of the game. I thought you
wanted me to plow through resistance."

She sighed. "Maybe I did. And maybe it's my fault. I don't know. I didn't have
the right to get that angry with you. I was the one who begged you to tie me up
in the first place." She glanced around, self-conscious of the intimate small
room. Other patrons could probably hear her, but this time at least, they weren't
on campus. She could raise a few eyebrows without too much concern of what other
students thought of her. "And it isn't your fault that Ellen came back early."

Brian sat back, a satisfied smirk on his face.

"Back to being friends, at least?" he asked her.

Jaime pursed her lips. She had hoped to hold off discussion until after the show.

"Can we talk about this later? More privately?"

A huge grin took over Brian's face. "How much more privately?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter," she replied with an edge to her voice.

His smile dropped a notch. "We can try it again, if you like. We can talk about
it with you tied down on a bed. We can ensure that there aren't interruptions. I
promise not to leave you again." His grin was playful.

She looked up sharply at him. His eyes sparkled with that easy sense of humour
she had always loved. How had she ever mistaken that sparkle for caring about
her? Anger flooded her again. She fought it, but her mouth engaged before she was
able to stop it.

"What about your other girl? Shall we tie her down as well? Maybe on top of me?
You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

Brian's smile dropped twenty notches and shock registered across his face.

"Does she look like me?" Jaime couldn't stop herself, her voice rising. "Does she
FUCK like me? Does she let you tie her to the bed?"

Heads turned across the small theatre. A few people coughed nervously.

Brian swallowed heavily and turned red.

Jaime hissed at him, "Where did you meet her? When were you going to introduce
us? Who is she?"

Brian took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Jaime. You weren't supposed to find out. Ted told you, didn't he?"

"I found out. You were going to rape me, weren't you?" Her voice startled an
elderly couple next to them.

Brian spoke in a whisper. "Christ. Keep your voice down. I didn't rape you. And
even if I had had sex with you, it wouldn't have been rape."

She felt like slapping him. She felt like throwing the rest of her beer in his
face. She felt like crying.

"I was tied down, yes, by my choice. But that doesn't give you the right to have
sex with me, or even to touch me, if I say no," she whispered at him angrily.

She began to rise to her feet, ready to get the bartender to call her a cab.

Brian was faster, rising to his feet, an angry flush rising on his cheeks. She
sat back down quickly, hurting her bottom as she dropped to the hard seat.

"I should have raped you, you little slut," he hissed, loudly enough to rattle
the elderly couple next to them.

As he stormed out of the club, a few patrons close to her table clapped
sporadically. Jaime lowered her crimson face to the table and struggled to
control the shaking.

When the lights dimmed, she slowly lifted her tear-streaked face, trying to
ignore the surreptitious glances of the other patrons. She turned towards the
stage and tried not to think about what had just happened. She felt terribly
alone, and bitter.

A woman in a bright blue sequinned dress climbed to the piano on the stage. She
carried a wireless microphone. A man, also in blue, joined her, sitting at the
keys. The woman in blue leaned back on the ebony wood and stared out at the
crowd, quieting the murmuring with her presence.

Her voice was as clear and controlled as any professional artist. It was a dusky
voice, like none other. Blues notes washed over Jaime, melting her anger, her
hurt, her betrayal, her fears. She lost herself into the piano and the sultry
voice, falling down away from Brian, away from her life. The blues uplifted her,
sent her heart somewhere else, somewhere safe and comforting. She wanted to go
home, not to her dorm room, but home.

***

The light touch to her shoulder surprised her, and she almost broke the magical
atmosphere of the music with a screech. She was prepared to lash out at Brian
physically, if necessary. Her wrist was caught mid-flight by a soft hand that she
could easily have overpowered in her emotional state.

"Ted called me," Ellen spoke quietly, just above the singers amplified voice. "I
think he gave Brian a sucker punch for you. You don't need to hit me, but if it
will make you feel better, I'll let you."

Jaime felt all the muscles in her body relaxing as her hand was gently released.
Her fingers fell out of the clenched fist as quickly as they had formed it. Tears
welled up her eyes, partially in relief, partially in gratitude, partially in
response to her soul music.

The music ended with a long perfect drawn out note from the girl on stage.

"My name is Mona, and I sing the blues. Hope you enjoyed the set," the dusky
voice was no different in speech than it was in song. "I'll be back in five
minutes."

There was a moment of silence as the patrons recovered, and then the applause was
deafening. Even Ellen, recently arrived, was clapping. Mona blushed, bowed, and
retreated from the stage with a flash of blue sequins.

Ellen settled into the chair formerly occupied by Brian, and gently took Jaime's
hand. The girls didn't speak; it wasn't necessary.

***

It was one in the morning when the girls returned to the dorm. Both had residual
tears in their eyes from Mona and her blues.

The door to the room clicked shut behind them and they stood quietly in the dark.
Jaime felt soft lips brush hers, and she felt odd tingles running through her
body, down her spine, tingling from the tips of her breasts to the centre of her
being. She kissed back, unable to stop herself, not wanting to stop herself.

Ellen pulled away slowly. Jaime could sense her standing just out of reach,
towards the neat side of the room.

"Ellen?" Jaime spoke softly towards the shadow.

Ellen took a deep breath. "I want to, Jaime. But not tonight. I know what you
went through this evening, and I'm not sure I'm ready for this either. I'm
frightened. Frightened I won't feel this way in the morning. Take it slow. OK?
Lots of time. Maybe some day we can play, when we are both ready."

Jaime felt Ellen's fingers touch her hand and she was guided towards Ellen's
small bed. The girls lay down together, still fully dressed from the theatre,
Jaime engulfed in Ellen's arms. Ellen's scent was light and unlike any that Jaime
had ever smelled before. The physical closeness was comforting.

Jaime felt her tension falling, feeling safe and secure for the first time in
weeks. Her eyes felt heavy, a kaleidoscope of reds and greens and blues
converging beneath her lids. Then everything faded to darkness, only disturbed by
Ellen's regular breath against her neck.

---===***===---

As the sun fell to the west, the rainbow shimmered, all colours becoming distinct
and brilliant. Its radiance bathed the lush, pristine, landscape below, shifting
from crimson to violet in a blaze of light and hope. The arch of silky light,
pulsed one last time, almost as though contented at last, and shimmered out of
existence as the sun surrendered to the quiet of night.

The sun would rise again, bringing with it a new day, and the promise of a new
rainbow.