A Most Unusual Afternoon (MF, cons, bond)

(c) July 1998

By Crimson Dragon (dcrimson@yahoo.com)

"You want me to WHAT?" Darren spoke with incredulity evident in his
voice from his seated position on the floor.

Darlene sighed, afraid of this reaction. His harsh words did
absolutely nothing to help the butterflies fluttering through her
guts. In fact, the damn things nearly flew up her throat at Darren's
words. She bit down her sharp retort and lay back on her bed. She
closed her eyes and tried to calm her erratic breathing. Getting
upset wasn't going to help her cause.

Her parents had finally left for the afternoon. She'd tried her best
to find out when they'd be back, but they had been vague, as usual.
She didn't need to arouse their suspicions, so she had let it drop.
They would be gone for a few hours at least. That's all she knew for
sure, but it should be plenty of time.

Ever since her parents had announced their plans this morning, her
stomach had been in knots of heady anticipation. But everything had
to go right, and Darren was the key. And he was sitting there on her
floor, fidgeting and waiting for her to confirm her request.

She took stock of herself. Did she actually want to go through with
this? Darren's reluctance bothered her. He was rarely wrong. The
insistent throbbing between her legs bellowed a resounding yes, while
her more rational mind agreed with Darren - it was dangerous. But
since when had she ever played anything safe? Safe was Boring, with a
capital 'B'. She'd been seeing Bradley forever. And she wanted to do
this. It was safe dammit.

She slowly opened her eyes and glanced down at Darren still sitting
cross legged on her beige carpet. Darren looked up at her with those
eyes that she saw in the mirror every morning. Their eyes were the
only way that you could tell that they were twins. His piercing blue
eyes, full of life, full of intelligence, were the same as her own.
Beyond the eyes, they shared a special bond of complete trust and
sharing, like only twins could. She often felt like they were one,
despite their interests diverging over the years. She could feel him
almost as though he was part of her. She cherished that.

And there he sat, his face open in dismay, unable to fathom what
she'd asked of him. She couldn't do it without him, and she trusted
nobody else enough to ask. She felt the butterflies leave her to
bother someone else far away as her mind collapsed into the
inevitable. She had known that he would balk. He had always been
protective of her, despite being essentially the same age. Fine, he
was two minutes older, but that didn't give him the right to ... she
forced herself to check her emotions. He was only doing what he
thought best for her. She couldn't blame him. Had he asked the same
of her, she'd have balked just as surely as he had. She had no choice
but to accept his reaction.

She took a deep breath, too aware of her breasts rising as they
rubbed against her sweater. She let her pent up breath out in a big
whoosh and turned back to face him.

"Darren, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked at all," Darlene spoke
quietly from the pillows. Her eyes had begun to tear up, her
disappointment evident. She tried to will it away; she honestly
wasn't trying to make Darren feel guilty. She loved him too much for
those silly games.

He swallowed carefully and licked his lips. "No, sis. I'm sorry.
We've never kept anything from one another. Why should sex be
different? You ... just surprised me, is all." Despite his words, he
still looked awkward sitting down there.

She felt the butterflies begin to return at the prospect that he
hadn't outright refused her. She pressed her lips together, thinking.

"Do you know what you are doing?" he asked quietly.

She thought about it. She'd been seeing Bradley for over a year. She
trusted him, and she wanted to do this. At least, her body wanted to
do this. And she felt safe enough. Darren's uncertainty was enough to
make her pause and think. What if ...? But time was ticking away for
her. Her parents would be back eventually and that didn't leave her
much time if she wanted to keep a safety zone. She had to be sure,
and quickly.

She propped herself up on her elbow and tried her best to smile at
her brother. She nodded carefully in the affirmative.

Darren seemed at war with himself as he sat there looking over at
Darlene. His face was a mask of concentration and uncertainty. He
would do anything to protect her, she knew that. They had been
together all the way from the womb to this juncture - a journey
spanning from before kindergarten to this last year of high school.
And he'd always been there for her. She knew that they'd be apart
soon anyway, his interests being at Queen's, hers at Lakehead. She
was going to miss him terribly. It hurt to even think about that.

Darren had been unsure of Bradley since she'd introduced them about a
year ago. He'd kept his opinions to himself, but she could tell. With
twins, it was nearly impossible to hide your true feelings. She'd
tripped over it enough to know. Luckily, she approved of Beth, his
current girlfriend, and he was well aware of that. In the same
manner, she knew that Darren had some reservations about Bradley. It
wasn't that he didn't like the guy, but he wasn't as openly
enthusiastic as he had been with previous loves of hers. She didn't
know the details of his apprehensions, but assumed that he was simply
being over-protective, as always. She didn't mind too much. He'd
never tell her who to go out with, and no matter what he'd support
her wishes unless, God forbid, she managed to get into an abusive
relationship. God help the guy. It was nice to know that he would be
around if she ever got herself in with an unsavoury character.

She could see Darren mulling over his problem - her. She could read
his face like a book. He was wishing desperately that he was
somewhere else, out with Beth perhaps. Anywhere but here stuck
between disappointing the person he loved more than life itself, or
going along with her and getting her hurt. Maybe badly.

"I. I don't think this is such a good idea. I ... I know Bradley ..."
the words fell softly from his lips.

She took a deep breath, not wanting to get into an argument over
Bradley. Darren had tried to keep his feelings about Bradley under
wraps but she had always known what they were. And she loved Darren
for trying for her. She sighed. What had she really expected? She
didn't quite know. She only knew what her desires were right now.

She whispered quietly, "I understand." And she did. It was unfair to
ask Darren at all. She'd figure something else out.

Darren inhaled deeply, his blue eyes watching his sister. She was
hiding her disappointment well, but it was there. She had been unable
to completely hide it, though God knew she had tried. She watched him
as he slowly rose to his feet. She held back as long as she could,
until he had completely turned to leave. She felt the single tear of
hopeless disappointment as it coursed down her face. It wasn't just
the failure of her afternoon plans but more importantly that the
twins had separated a little further. They had always been there for
one another, no matter what, and that was beginning to end. She felt
responsible. Her request had been too much for him, and she was truly
sorry that she'd imposed. Yet she had wanted to be honest with him,
share her desires with him. She felt a deep sadness, as though she
was losing a lover as he moved away from her bed.

He turned at the doorway and she wasn't quite quick enough to wipe
away the tear. She hadn't expected him to turn. He stood outlined in
her doorway, a similar sad set to his face. She sensed that he was
feeling the same things as her, regret at refusing her, a sense of
moving apart. He didn't want this any more than she did.

She was about to apologize again to him when he opened his lips to
speak. She was almost sure that he was going to apologize to her for
refusing her. Then walk back to his room to suffer.

"Call Bradley," he whispered to her instead of the expected apology.

She heard his feet as he moved away from her room. She thought she
heard him moving down the stairs, towards the lower floors.

Suddenly she felt a wave of guilt wash over her. She didn't want to
drive Darren away by asking things that made him uncomfortable.
Bradley wasn't worth that. It wasn't worth an afternoon of experience
and pleasure. She nearly called Darren back, but she again felt the
throbs of anticipation between her thighs. Darren would understand,
and perhaps ask her a harder favour someday. She'd do her best to
help him when he did. She swore it, no matter what he asked. She'd
still give him a chance to back out of this, though. She owed him
that.

She paused for a few moments, gathering her courage. She had to steel
herself to ignore the residual sadness and heartache she felt for
Darren. It wasn't easy, but she managed to fight it off, determined
to feel it later instead of now. There were other things to do, and
not much time. Darren would understand, he always did.

She picked up the phone sitting on her bedside table. It buzzed
insistently in her ear until she dialed the number that she had
memorized so many months ago. Bradley picked up with a gruff
greeting.

"Hi, Bradley. Guess whose parents are away," she spoke quickly before
she lost her nerve.

His voice seemed distracted. "Um. Yours? Mine are downstairs."

"Yes, silly. Want to come over?" she continued almost as though she
hadn't heard his reply.

He seemed to be missing the point here. "I've kind of got plans."

Shit, she thought. Why can't my plans ever turn out simple for me? It
isn't the world I'm asking. First Darren's reluctance, then Bradley
being dense. What else could possibly go wrong? Well, nothing worth
doing was ever easy.

"What plans?" she asked patiently.

"Waxing my car. You can come over to help, if you want," he
grudgingly offered.

Christ. Was he being purposely dense?

"My PARENTS aren't home. Hello?" she had to fight down the urge to
scream at him.

It finally dawned on him, but he was still reluctant for some reason.
"Darlene. What about Darren?"

Darren is supplying the surprise element, she thought to herself, her
guts churning even thinking about it.

"He's, uh, going out as well. Leaving in a few minutes."

Bradley sighed and spoke heavily. "Alright. I'll be over soon."

She couldn't understand his lack of enthusiasm but she was quite sure
it would return as soon as he saw her and her surprise.

"Let yourself in. It will be unlocked," she added quickly before she
forgot.

He hung up without a good-bye. She slowly returned the receiver to
the cradle, unsure of herself and whether she actually wanted to go
through with this after all. The phone call hadn't gone exactly as
she'd planned, but then again nothing had today. She felt a little
uneasy, but wrote it off to those silly butterflies. She touched her
breasts through her sweater, noting that they were heaving
erratically again. Step two complete. The butterflies intensified for
a moment then resumed their normal nervous fluttering. Her decision
made, she settled back to wait for Darren to return.

She could hear Darren moving around in the basement, digging through
the old boxes in her father's workroom. She could almost see him
shoving through the crates cursing at their lack of organization.

She rose off the bed and began to pull off her sweater. She wasn't
shy of her body, never had been. Darren had seen her nude many times,
and she him. If her parents weren't at home she never bothered with
modesty if she had to take a shower, or was simply lounging about. It
seemed natural to her. They'd been naked in the womb together, after
all. What did she really have to hide? But this time she sighed and
lowered the base of the sweater before it revealed her breasts. She
was going to give Darren one more chance to back out, and it wouldn't
be fair if she was sitting here nude when she gave him that chance.
She forced herself to be patient.

In minutes she heard his motions clomping up the stairs. She held her
breath until he appeared in the doorway carrying some items in his
hands. His face looked pained, but he stood in her doorway trying to
be strong for her.

"Darren? You don't have to do this. I promise I won't be
disappointed."

"I'm just worried about you. At least let me stay in the house?" he
pleaded.

"Yeah, and Bradley won't do anything then," her voice was accusing
though she desperately tried to control it. She forced herself to
look at Darren.

"I didn't mean ..." he stammered, taken aback a little by her sudden
ire. He sensed it more than most people would have, she actually had
done a decent job of burying it.

"I know. If you don't want to do this, that's alright. I'll find some
other way to keep him amused. I already phoned Bradley," she spoke
softly, more gently, her voice apologizing for her earlier tone. She
honestly hadn't meant to snap at him. She was on edge a little.

Darren looked at his sister. It was so hard to tell that they were
twins. She was so small and delicate. He was tall and strong. Her
hair, long and chestnut brunette curled gently over her shoulders.
His hair was course, short and beach blonde. His face was rugged,
hers feminine and soft. Male and female - fraternal twins. No reason
for them to look the same. Why they had the same eyes was a mystery
to both of them. But they cherished the qualities they shared. Her
eyes were looking at him now, intense and full of her desires.

"I'll be alright," she whispered to him. It seemed to make him more
accepting of it, and he entered the room.

He showed her what he had in his hands. "Will these be alright?" he
asked.

She nodded, trying to control those pesky unwelcome butterflies. "You
ready?" she asked quietly.

He watched her as he nodded. "Are you?"

In answer, she completed the maneuver she had started earlier. Her
sweater fell from her body in one fluid motion, fluttering to lay on
the carpet. She had dressed casually on a Saturday, no bra. He made
no comment on her firm body. Being her brother, he was somewhat
immune to her sexuality, though he knew exactly how desirable she
would be to anyone else. She stood and slipped her jeans down her
legs. No panties either. She had been ready for this. She smiled and
pirouetted for him, even though she was well aware that he was immune
to her nudity. She wouldn't have been doing this otherwise. He
whistled in mock admiration and waited for her to settle herself. She
pulled off her socks with her toes and took a deep breath. She
lowered herself slowly to the bed, spreading herself out, reaching
for the bedposts with her bare toes and fingers.

Darren sat down on the bed beside her. From the pillows, she watched
his face. He seemed to be in a dilemma. He wanted to chastise her for
being dangerous, and yet didn't want to condemn her for her choices.
He was at a loss for words, she could tell by the tiny dimple forming
in his left cheek. She nearly spoke some words to reassure him, but
nothing came to mind. How? She was old enough, his age, to make these
decisions about her own body herself. Anything she said would only
make him feel more guilty. She kept silent and waited patiently for
him to either say something or do what she had asked.

He leaned over her body and began to wrap her right wrist with the
soft cord he'd dug up in the workshop. Without looking at her, he
moved around the bed and secured her other limbs to the bedposts. She
tested each restraint, ensuring that she could neither reach the
knots nor pull free.

The butterflies multiplied as she realized just how vulnerable she
was. She was open, and naked, and helpless. Tiny shivers and thrills
pulsed down her body as she imagined Bradley's face as he walked in.

She pulled idly at the ropes and looked up to see Darren staring at
her. She flushed a bit, but only at his scrutiny. She was used to
being seen naked.

He spoke quietly, shaking his head. "Sis. I hope you know what you're
doing." She looked so small and helpless lying there. His eyes
betrayed his emotional state. How could he protect when she was like
this? She felt his dismay and felt badly for him. How else could she
do this with any semblance of safety, though? She'd wracked her brain
but this is ultimately what she'd wanted.

"I do, Darren. I know what I'm doing. Bradley will let me go when
we're done. He would never hurt me. And he'll be here soon. What are
you going to do?" She forced her voice to be strong and sure for
Darren. He seemed to need the reassurance.

"Maybe dinner and a movie with Beth," he replied quietly. The twinkle
in his eye said that dinner and a movie could easily be only the
beginning.

"Have fun," she smiled up at him waving her trapped fingers.

"I will. You take care. Last chance ..." he cautioned her.

"I'll be fine. Enjoy your movie," she tried to reassure him.

He bent and kissed her chastely on her cheek. She tried to give him
one back, but he'd moved away and she couldn't follow.

She heard her bedroom door closing and then a few minutes later the
front door closing. The house was silent around her. She again tested
her bondage, wondering what drove her to do this. She fantasized
about it nearly every night. Being restrained, being totally
helpless. Where do these fantasies come from? At least she trusted
Bradley to not hurt her. She smiled as she considered what his face
would look like when he saw her.

***

She couldn't see her clock radio. It was angled away from her, and
she couldn't exactly reach out to turn it towards her. Bradley was
taking a long time. She squirmed on the bed. What if he didn't show
up? What if someone *else* showed up. The front door was unlocked.
Shit, she hadn't thought of that.

Her heat intensified. She didn't want to be raped, but fantasies flew
unasked for through her mind. She squirmed a bit more, trying to
reach the knots her brother had tied. She couldn't and realized it
was a lost cause. She'd told him to make it so she couldn't get free.
She was stuck here until someone let her go. She just hoped that it
would be Bradley. She tried to settle herself a little more
comfortably to wait.

She tried to amuse herself by closing her eyes and picturing the sky.
The outdoors. She pictured her nude body bound hand and foot to a
tree while a hot wind gently caressed her. It didn't help with her
arousal, but it helped her pass the time. Bradley should have been
here by now, dammit.

A vague noise broke her concentration. A car? A knock? Someone
breaking a window? Dammit, she hadn't been paying enough attention
while in her erotic daydream.

She held herself still, straining her ears to pick up the slightest
noise. The front door suddenly opened sounding like a cannon through
the silent house. She had to bite back a scream.

Who the hell was it? Bradley? Her parents? Darren? A burglar?

She held her tongue, not daring to cry out. She was so damn
vulnerable. Why had she done this? Her arousal was beginning to fade
with her fear. Not much, but she felt the constant heat between her
legs diminish a little as she strained to detect the slightest
vibration in the house.

"Darlene?" It was Bradley's voice floating through the quiet house.

She breathed a sigh of relief. Finally. She kept quiet, hoping that
he'd be smart enough to come up to her room. It wasn't as though
she'd been subtle on the phone.

"Darlene? Damn it?" his voice called more urgently. A trace of anger
tinged his voice this time.

She whispered, "Up here." She quickly realized that he couldn't hear
her if she whispered. She cleared her throat. "Bradley?" she called
in a stronger voice. "I'm up here."

"Come down. I'm here," Bradley shouted up from the bottom of the
stairs.

"Come up here," she responded back trying to put a sexy waver into
her voice. She didn't think she'd succeeded with the waver, but at
least she'd tried.

"Damn it, Darlene, we have to talk. Come down here," Bradley sounded
exasperated downstairs.

Her mind flipped into overdrive. Have to talk? Shit ... no good
conversation ever started out like that. The last thing she wanted to
do was talk.

"Bradley? Please? Come up here. I can't come down right now," she
called out. She tried to put some authoritativeness into her voice.
She didn't feel particularly authoritative the way she was, naked and
bound. Great time to want to talk, Bradley. Don't let him leave.
Please?

She heard him muttering as he began to climb the stairs. Closer and
closer.

She felt her body quivering. She couldn't stop it. Her arousal was
back, and she couldn't wait to see his face as he saw her like this.
She couldn't remember if she'd ever felt this aroused before. Her
nipples were like chips of stone which she couldn't reach.

Almost in slow motion, her door knob gently turned and the door swung
open. Bradley stood there, the sight of Darlene naked and tied to the
bed stunning him. His mouth dropped in a cartoon-like gesture.
Darlene giggled as she pictured him using a hand to prop back up his
jaw. She squirmed in a way that she hoped was inviting, pulling
against her restraints, wiggling her breasts as best she could.

"My hero, come to rescue me!" she giggled at him. The butterflies
again had disappeared as the moment of truth had come and gone.
Bradley was here, he hadn't panicked, and there was no turning back
now. He'd definitely seen her.

He actually did push his jaw up with his hand, almost absentmindedly.
He stepped into the room, his face a mask of concern.

Darlene giggled even more at his gesture. She felt giddy and aroused.
God, what if he sucked on her toes? She couldn't stop him, and she
felt sharp spikes of arousal running down her spine as she lay there
and considered it.

He swallowed and spoke quietly from the center of the room.

"Are ... are you alright?" he asked her.

"I'm fine, silly. What did you think?" she spoke from the bed.

"Who? Never mind. I think I know. Why, Darlene?" he asked her
quietly.

"For you. For me. I wanted to surprise you," the naked girl squirmed
a little in her ropes wondering if perhaps she'd made a mistake.
Wasn't it every guy's fantasy to have his girlfriend helpless for his
affections? She was sensing something odd from Bradley, something she
hadn't ever sensed consciously before. Not danger ... he wasn't going
to hurt her. Or was he? She tingled again.

Bradley bowed his head and sat down heavily on the floor, exactly
where Darren had sat earlier. Completely out of reach.

"Darlene. I ..." his voice trailed off.

"Shhhh. Just come here and touch me. Okay?" Darlene whispered.

"I ... I can't," Bradley seemed miserable.

"Excuse me? I'm here. Hello? Naked, willing female, tied to her bed?"
Darlene couldn't quite understand this reaction. She was prepared for
rejection. If he just wanted to release her and then make love, she
would have been fine with that. She'd prefer being tied down for it,
but simply being helpless this long had aroused her enough. She'd
even been prepared for condemnation. Why was the lummox just sitting
there when she was up here, willing and able? Didn't make sense.

"Perhaps it's better this way," he remarked almost casually.

"Huh?" she couldn't think of a more intelligent answer. She was
getting a really bad feeling about this. She could sense it. Didn't
take women's intuition to see that this wasn't going according to
plan. She couldn't even rise off the bed to find out what the matter
with him was. She pulled at her bound ankles.

"Darlene?" he seemed at a loss for words. He never was at a loss for
words. There was only one reason for his hesitation and she knew what
it was. Somehow, she simply knew. She'd been through this before,
though never tied down naked to a bed. Her heart began to beat faster
than her arousal had previously driven it. She could hear her own
pulse pounding in her ears.

"Please no. Not like this," Darlene raised her head, trying to see
Bradley more clearly. He wasn't looking at her.

"Darlene? I ... I appreciate this. More than you can know. And I
really wish that I could take advantage of you like that. But I
can't," he spoke with regret filling his words.

"Bradley? Let me go? Come untie me and we'll talk," the inevitability
of talk was sinking into her. She didn't want to talk, especially not
about what she feared this was about. But she couldn't do anything
about it if he truly wanted to talk to her. May as well accept it,
for now. Maybe she could still reason with him. The insistent
throbbing was still buried between her thighs where she had no hope
of reaching without his help.

He took a deep breath and sat still, not making the move she had
suggested. The damn ropes bit into her wrists and ankles. God, how
could she have been so dumb? How could she have let herself be so
vulnerable? So helpless? Christ. Why hadn't she worn old clothes at
least? Something he could have cut off her if it all worked out? At
least she'd be clothed now. Who had these kinds of talks when you are
defenseless and naked? She was at a loss, completely off balance
mentally.

"I ... we have to talk, Darlene. We do. I tried to tell you earlier,"
Bradley's voice began earnestly.

Tears came in a rush to her face. She lay back her head into the
pillows. Not much she could do about this if he wouldn't untie her.
Tears of frustration had formed in her eyes. All her previous arousal
had finally faded to a slight pulse between her legs. She felt
cheated and frustrated. Even her sensitive nipples had flattened on
her still heaving bare breasts.

"Bradley, please untie me," Darlene spoke to the ceiling. She knew
what was going to happen, and it was probably inevitable, but she
couldn't do anything about it while tied to this damn bed. She fought
down a flash of anger. Anger wasn't going to get her anywhere,
either.

"It's better if you are like that. Do you want me to cover you?" he
asked gently.

Anger welled up again at his suggestion. "I want you to untie me,"
she struggled again unsuccessfully for the authoritative hint in her
voice. Her words came out like a pleading whine, at least to her
ears. She pulled ineffectually at her bonds, chafing her wrists.

"If I do, then you'll hug me and kiss me and try to make me change my
mind. And I will. I won't be able to help it. But it's not right.
I'll untie you after we talk. Okay?" he almost pleaded with her.

She held her anger in check, pulling again at her wrists. She shook
her head. It wasn't okay, but there wasn't much she could do about
it. The bitch of it was, he was right. She would do everything he
said she would to avoid a disagreement. Then, she'd never know what
this really was about. Maybe she could salvage this. She'd listen to
him, and she'd tell him whatever he wanted to hear, as she should
have done from the moment she had telephoned him to begin this mess.
She just hoped that it wasn't about what she thought it was.

She unconsciously tried to turn towards him, but her left wrist and
ankle prevented that. She turned her head, seeing his face over her
right arm.

"Darlene ... we ... God, this is hard. We can't see each other
anymore," he spoke in a whisper so low she wasn't even sure she'd
heard correctly. Maybe she simply didn't want to hear it.

Even though she'd been expecting it, she suddenly felt insecure,
helpless to stop it. It was a tidal wave of emotion washing over her
and she couldn't even move to avoid it. Her heart skipped a beat. She
loved Bradley, or she thought she did. How couldn't he love her back?

She forced back the tears and tried to speak in a normal voice. Weird
situation, normal voice. "Was it this?"

He looked up, confused. She saw his confusion and raised her right
wrist as far as the ropes allowed. She wanted to make sure it wasn't
this display that had spooked him, though she knew in her heart that
it wasn't. She'd been sensing this for a week or so, and
unconsciously thought that this sexual stunt might pull him back to
her. She wanted it too, with all her heart, but she wouldn't have
risked it yet if she hadn't been sensing a withdrawal from him
lately. Realization of her behaviour flooded over her with the
clarity of a biblical revelation. She felt ashamed that she'd not
realized sooner. Like before she'd gotten into this mess.

He smiled weakly. "Darlene, it isn't that. Actually, in other
circumstances, I'd be all over you." She felt a tingle race through
her body at his words. She shivered, not wanting to feel that way
right now.

"What then?" she spoke quietly to him.

"I do love you ..." he began quietly. She felt like screaming at him,
"Then what's the damn problem?" but she knew it wouldn't do any good.
It would only make him hate her.

She swallowed as his voice trailed off. She found her voice as it
trembled from her throat. "Someone else?"

He nodded miserably. She felt betrayed. She'd been seeing him for
over a year. Sure it was a high school romance, but dammit she
deserved some loyalty. Look what she'd done for him. What other girl
would tie herself to a bed for him? She pulled in frustration at the
ropes holding her. Maybe it was best that she was tied down. She
would have slapped him. Maybe he deserved it, maybe not. But either
way slapping him would have been wrong. It wasn't as though he'd
ravaged her and *then* told her. For once he was actually trying to
be a gentleman. His only fault was that he just wouldn't untie her.
Hot tears ran down her face as she struggled to control her raging
emotions. If he would just untie her.

"Please Bradley. Untie me," she pleaded through her tears.

"Darlene, I'm sorry."

She couldn't tell if he was sorry for not untying her or sorry about
his betrayal.

She sighed as she fell back into the pillows under her head. She
wanted up from this bed. She wanted her clothes. She wanted Bradley
back. Part of her was telling her good riddance, but most of her was
aching.

"Who is she?" Darlene asked again to the ceiling.

There was a silence from the man she thought she knew so well. She
squirmed around after a few minutes, again trying to adjust her
position. So shamelessly open.

"Bradley? Who is she?" she repeated quietly.

"I ... I can't."

"I'll know eventually, and I promise I won't do anything stupid," she
whispered as tears again overtook her senses.

"You won't know," he mumbled.

She licked her lips. "I have to know. I deserve to know." But she
didn't want to know. Not really.

"It's not just someone else, Darlene. You'll be going to university
next year. I won't. You'll meet new people. I ... I can't do long
distance relationships. You knew that."

I didn't, Darlene thought to herself bitterly. Do you think I'd have
put myself in this position if I had known that? She took a deep
breath.

"Why now, Bradley? Why with me like this? Please untie me," she
pulled again at her bound ankles in frustration.

"I tried, Darlene. I thought we'd be alone without your parents. I
didn't know you'd be like that. I just wanted to talk to you. I tried
..." his voice trailed off as though he was ashamed of keeping her
like this.

Darlene sighed. He was right. She'd put herself into this. He was
simply taking advantage of it. He wasn't leering at her or anything.
He was just taking advantage of having her immobile to talk to her.
She was well known for avoiding an argument. How many guys would give
their eye teeth to break up with a captive female? No worries about
being slapped. Plus, she had to listen to him, like it or not.

"Who is she?" she repeated through her tears. At least she wasn't
sobbing. Instead, big fat tears slowly rolled down her face. She
couldn't stop them. She couldn't wipe at them. They simply rolled
slowly and unheeded down her cheeks.

Bradley ignored the question, continuing in hushed tones. "And we
aren't quite right for one another. I'm ... I'm not sure I'm in love
with you anymore."

"I still love you," Darlene spoke almost by instinct and without
hesitation. She thought she did still love him. A part of her did,
anyway.

"But that isn't enough, Dar. Don't you see that?" Bradley implored
her.

She did. She didn't want to, but she could see that. Her love wasn't
enough to build a relationship. He had to love her, too. She couldn't
love for the both of them. She'd been blind, just like Darren had
been trying to tell her. When was she going to learn to trust Darren?
If she'd listened to him, instead of forcing the issue, she wouldn't
be tied to this damn bed. These words had been coming for a while,
and she'd been ignoring the warning signs and avoiding the issues
with Bradley. Just like she always did. Darren had seen it. He just
didn't know when it would happen. He'd probably seen it a year ago.
He'd tried to warn her and she hadn't listened.

She cried for a while silently on the bed. Bradley sat and tried not
to look at the girl he'd loved. Darlene knew that he hadn't wanted to
hurt her, but these things hurt. No matter if the girl was tied to a
bed and frustrated, or not.

She turned her head, sensing that this was it. It was over.

Completely.

Irresistibly.

Over.

There was nothing more she could do. She would accept that, given
time.

"Bradley?" she called quietly.

He looked up at her face.

"Who is she? The other girl?" she pleaded. For some reason it was
important to her. She wanted to know as much as she didn't.

She half expected to hear that it was her best friend. That would
have capped off this lovely afternoon.

He spoke quietly, flushed. "His name is Adrian. You don't know him."

Her mind whirled at the words, not quite understanding, but
understanding too well. She'd caught him a number of times looking
too fiercely at a guy on the street - guys she'd look at if she'd
seen them first or wasn't with Bradley. It made sense now. She knew
that somewhere deep inside herself, had she been looking at a woman
that way what it would mean. But she hadn't seen it. Hadn't guessed.
Hadn't realized. God, at least she'd protected herself when Bradley
and her had first ... oh God.

Bradley rose to his feet and walked over to her. He tried to keep his
eyes on her face but didn't quite succeed. She felt a hot flush
rising over her as he approached.

"I loved you, Darlene. And I didn't want to hurt you. I never cheated
on you," he spoke as softly as a summer breeze. She still loved his
voice.

She swallowed. He'd hurt her badly. But she'd survive. She always had
survived before. Her tears fell hard down her face and into her hair
and the pillow beneath. She wanted to curl up, to forget about today,
to lie in the dark, make it go away, and cry all night. She couldn't
even bring her arms in to hug herself.

Bradley bent and softly kissed her wet cheek. "But I love him more,"
he whispered into her ear.

She felt his fingers scrabbling at her wrist, attempting to let her
free finally from her bonds.

She swallowed, a lump in her throat that wouldn't go away. Her brain
wasn't functioning properly.

"Just go," she whispered.

He continued to work at Darren's knots. She tried to pull her hand
away from his touch and succeeded in only tugging the knots from his
fumbling fingers.

"Bradley? Just go. Please?" she begged through her tears. She didn't
want him to see her like this any longer.

He rose silently to his feet, looking one last time into her tear
streaked face.

"Are you going to he alright?" he asked.

She nodded. "Somebody will untie me. Probably Darren. I don't care.
Just go."

He turned one last time, asking a different question with the same
words, "Are you going to be alright?"

"I hope so," she responded in a whisper before the tears that she
couldn't wipe away flowed from her eyes again.

She vaguely heard the front door close quietly in the silent house as
she lay on her bed and wept.

***

She'd regained some sanity after a few more hours stuck on her bed.
She had enough sense to try and hope that Darren showed up before her
parents. God, how would she explain this? She wished that she'd let
Bradley release her. She wished for so many things that she ached.
She pulled for the millionth time at the cords holding her down. What
a stupid, stupid idea. But she didn't regret it. Not really. She at
least had time to think. She lay there, feeling her bed, feeling her
helplessness, aware of her body. Her face, dirty and tear streaked,
stared up at her ceiling in the fading light. Afternoon was quickly
fading to evening.

The phone had rung twice since Bradley had left. She idly wondered
who it had been. Her parents? Darren? Or Bradley? She mentally
shrugged. Not much she could do about it. They'd leave a message if
it was important. She would regret it if she'd missed a call from
Bradley, but perhaps it was for the best. Her arms ached from her
immobility, and her feet had fallen asleep a while ago. What if
nobody came by to release her? What if Darren and her parents stayed
out all night?

She felt fatalistic and helpless lying there. Not much else she could
do. They'd come home eventually. She just hoped that it was Darren,
first.

She closed her eyes and dozed, fending off another wave of grief.

***

The soft closing of the front door woke her from a hazy dream of
flowers and hay. A summer rainstorm had been approaching and,
someone, she couldn't remember who, was waiting for her in the hay.
Her mind was still a little foggy. Linda? She didn't know anyone
named Linda.

She held her breath, hoping beyond hope that the front door had been
Darren. It was pitch dark in the room. Her night vision hadn't kicked
in yet and night had fallen while she had slept. In other
circumstances she might have fantasized a blindfold and been aroused,
but now the darkness was simply frightening. She glanced over. Her
bedroom door was wide open; she could see the soft glow of the night
light her parents kept in the main bathroom through the open doorway.
Bradley hadn't closed her bedroom door on his way out. If it was her
parents she'd have some explaining to do. If it was a burglar, well
not much she could do about that either. Prepare to be raped. She
shuddered at the thought. Her earlier fantasies were far less
palatable in the middle of the night. The front door had been shut
with care to be silent. Still could be anyone. It was only because
she'd been in a light doze that she'd awakened at all.

She couldn't tell if it was one set of feet or two climbing the
stairs. Her parents? Her brother? Someone more sinister? A male form
silhouetted in her door frame. Her breath caught in her throat as she
envisioned the big dark-clothed break-and-enter artist who wouldn't
hesitate to break and enter her. She shuddered. She didn't want to be
raped. She silently prayed to herself and bit back her voice that
wanted to scream out in terror. A tiny moan escaped her throat.

"Darlene? You awake?" a male voice spoke quietly. It took her a
moment to place the whisper. She tried to calm her hammering heart.

She swallowed and nodded. Realizing that her nod couldn't be seen in
the dim glow of the clock radio and the bathroom night light, she
whispered instead. "I'm awake."

He stepped into the room quietly. She could hear his stocking feet
whispering against her carpet. She flexed her numb toes. She was
thirsty beyond belief.

"Oh my God. You're still tied there?" Darren whispered to her as he
settled onto her bed.

She nodded. This time he was close enough to see her. She couldn't
see well in this light but her night vision was improving the longer
her eyes remained open. His night vision was probably improving as
well.

"What happened?" he asked urgently as his fingers found her right
wrist. "I knew this was ..."

She cut him off from saying the equivalent of "I told you so."

"Bradley broke up with me," she spoke quietly. Her words again
brought tears to her eyes and this time she began to sob as she
hadn't allowed herself to since Bradley had left her.

Darren's fingers abandoned her wrist leaving her bound. He gathered
her into his arms as best he could and hugged her tight. "I'm so
sorry, Sis. I may not have liked him, but I knew he was important to
you."

She cried on his shirt until her shoulders ached so much that she had
to lower herself back to the bed. She wanted out of the ropes, wanted
to be held properly. She lay still while he released her. It didn't
take long, even though he left her bedroom lights off and had to work
some of the knots through by feel alone.

She sat up crying, reaching for her brother. He moved to get up.

"Please? Where are you going?" she asked quietly through her tears.
Her voice betrayed her concern that she'd disappointed him so much
that he was going to leave her, the same as Bradley had. She accepted
it, couldn't blame him, but it made her cry even worse. She felt so
terribly alone.

"Just getting you a robe," his soft voice came from above her.

She reached and pulled his sleeve. In the darkness he couldn't see
her anyway. And she didn't care. She'd been nude the entire day. She
wasn't shy. She wanted to be held now more than she wanted clothing.
She cried out softly as feeling began to return to her numb hands and
feet.

He settled back to the bed and let her melt into his strong arms. He
gently stroked her hair as she cried, letting her soak the shoulder
of his rugby shirt with her hot tears. They rocked silently together
for an hour or so, words unnecessary, until she finally sighed and
squirmed out of his arms. She was mostly cried out. There simply
weren't any more tears. She knelt up on the bed facing him, knees
pressed tightly together, her hands clasped together in her lap.

"You were right," she whispered. "It was a dumb thing to do."

"He didn't ..." Darren began awkwardly.

She shook her head.

"But he left you like that? Jesus Christ. I'll tear him limb from
limb." His voice was full of anger and hurt. He couldn't understand,
couldn't imagine what Darlene had been through this unusual
afternoon. Rage seethed behind his eyes at Bradley. How could he have
done something like that?

"Darren. You can't. You can't hurt him. He tried to untie me. I
wouldn't let him," she softly explained.

Darlene watched silently as the sudden anger faded behind his face.
His face became softer and more concerned for her.

Darren just stared at his sister as his anger faded. She'd never
cease to surprise him. Here she was protecting the guy that had just
dumped and rejected her. Despite her trembling, her inner strength
was ... admirable.

"I. I wasn't exactly thinking straight. It was my fault," Darlene
continued with regret in her voice.

She could see his remorse flashing across his open features. She
wasn't quick enough to prevent him from speaking softly. "I'm so
sorry, Darlene. I shouldn't have left you." For perhaps the first
time in their lives, he'd failed her. He hadn't been there to protect
her when she had desperately needed him. His voice was brimming with
his regrets.

Darren leaned forward and kissed Darlene gently on her wet cheek. She
was still crying gently, but most of it was out of her system. She
wiped gently at her eyes, finally having the freedom to do so. She
kissed his cheek softly, accepting his apology though it wasn't
required or expected as far as she was concerned. Her eyes felt heavy
from the tears that still leaked slowly from them. She felt drained,
emotionally and physically.

"You need some sleep, kiddo," he remarked gently as he held her.

"I've been resting and sleeping all day. What time is it?" she asked.

"3:30 in the morning."

"Excuse me?" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"3:30 in the morning," he repeated, turning her clock radio and
pointing at it glowing in the darkness. Sure enough, it winked out
'3:28 AM' at her in dim red digits.

"Oh my God. Where's Mom and Dad?"

"Asleep in their room, I guess," Darren spoke softly. "As we ought to
be."

"You're kidding." They had to pass her room to get to theirs. They
couldn't help but see their daughter naked and roped to her bed. Her
door had been wide open. Why hadn't they woken her and freed her?

"Have you ever known them to be out later than midnight?" he
ventured. He didn't want to upset Darlene, but he couldn't lie to her
either. The parents were home. No doubt about it. Their car had been
in the driveway as he had quietly walked in.

"Christ," she swore to herself.

"We'll deal with it tomorrow, if there is anything to deal with. Go
to bed. Okay? Things will look better in the morning," Darren tried
to reassure her.

She reluctantly crawled between the covers that she'd laid upon most
of the day. She realized with a start that she was cold, her nipples
aching as they touched the cool sheets. She didn't bother with her
nightgown. Her family respected her privacy as long as her door was
closed. Even Darren knocked. She pulled the covers up to her chin and
curled up like a kitten.

Darren tucked the sheets around her body. Again, he kissed her cheek,
softly. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Me too," she answered as he slipped out of her room and shut the
door quietly.

***

She hadn't done this for years. But she couldn't sleep. The tears
wouldn't stop and she didn't want to cry herself to sleep again. She
had to distract herself, somehow.

She felt her fingers trailing over her bare skin, igniting her
through her tears. Her nipples, aroused despite her weariness and
sadness reacted to her soft pinches. She knew what and where to touch
herself despite her long absence from this simple pleasure. She
gasped quietly as her fingers found her soft, firm, moist lower lips.
She wasn't very surprised that she was aroused down there either. Her
finger found her clitoris, swollen and ready for her touch. She
slowly circled herself, caressing her breasts softly while her middle
finger slowly stroked sensually between her legs and deep inside.
Shivering, she tilted her head back and arched her body as though
accepting a lover. Her mind was filled with images of her bound to
the bed all afternoon, her danger, her vulnerability, her
helplessness, her absolute trust. She had been stupid, she knew that,
but she was still here, unviolated, alive and well. She'd learned
something about herself. She silently sent up a thank-you to the
angels who had watched over her today. Her breathing slowly increased
as she teased herself. She knew her own rhythms and knew her point of
release. She held herself there, relishing her freedom but still
feeling the soft constricting ropes against her wrists and ankles.
She concentrated on her light dancing finger tips, on her hardened
nipples, on her soft belly, on her aching center.

Her mind exploded in a thousand blue lights as her climax crashed
over her. She struggled to control her voice, not wanting to wake the
house with unbridled cries of passion. She pressed her hand over her
mouth to help. Her fingers continued to stimulate her senses until
the last involuntary muscle contraction had taken her. She finally
collapsed exhausted back into the pillows, letting out her breath and
moaning quietly to herself.

As the relaxation and peace from her climax flowed over her body she
knew that she'd be fine. She'd go on, and there would be a tomorrow.
She still felt the loss, but it would fade. Her consciousness faded
and she fell into a restless sleep.

***

"You were home late," her father remarked at the breakfast table.
There was only a slight edge of accusation in his voice. She was
getting too old to baby any longer. It was getting to the point that
she could make mature decisions on her own, at least in his eyes.

The rope marks had faded from her wrists and ankles as she had slept,
only a faint red mark betrayed her activities of the previous
afternoon. Her eyes glued to her right wrist and the faint red line
there as her fingers grasped her cereal spoon tightly. In a quick
flash of irritation she almost snapped that she'd been home before
Darren - that she'd never even left the house. She almost remarked
that he'd been the one to wander in at 2:30 in the morning, not her.
She caught a quick mischievous smile from her brother across the
table. She took a deep breath and shot him a glance of malice. Why he
always got away with being late, she'd never figure out. They were
the same age after all. Because he was male. She knew that it was
inevitable to be treated differently. As a female she was more
vulnerable? It wasn't fair. But she hadn't exactly proven the point
yesterday.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," she replied quietly. She slowly realized that her
parents had assumed that her darkened room had been empty. Perhaps it
had been. She wanted to forget yesterday's unusual afternoon, but she
knew that she never would. Darren smiled gently at her when their
father glanced back at his paper. Tears threatened again, but this
time she willed them back.