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On Location

A Weekend Trip

"So when am I going to find out the where the surprise destination is?" Darleneasked. She and Joe Riordan, the owner of the movie prop house, were the onlytwo left in the building on a late Friday afternoon. She was sitting at herdesk in the rear of the building, in the accounting department behind the warehouse.Joe sat on the edge of her desk.

"Not just yet. I do have some coming attractions though. Want to hear thetrailer?" Joe had taken over the family business a few years ago from his father.The main business was providing various props to movie and television productioncompanies. A lucrative sideline was selling old movie memorabilia, primarilyon the internet. Darlene, an aspiring art director, was hired to catalog propsas they were used in order to document the provenance, the proven history,that movie fans demanded.

Joe and Darlene had become close friends, and lovers, since Joe had rescuedDarlene when she had been locked in the warehouse one weekend. Darlene hadbeen the impromptu damsel in distress when Joe had shown up as the proverbialWhite Knight. Since then they had grown close and usually spent weekends together.

"Yes! Show me some thrilling scenes that will make me come back for more." Darlenelaughed as Joe shook his head. She loved the movies, especially the technicaland production side. The job in the prop company had been a dream come truefor her. Joe's stories about his own and his family's experiences with thestudios were as much a treasure as the old movie scripts and props she handledeach day.

"Okay, remember the movie that got you in so much trouble that night we met?" Darlenenodded, remembering how she had mistakenly found the box for BabesIn Cages , a 60's women in prison exploitation movie. She had triedon the female lead's costume, including the handcuffs and leg irons, and woundup trapped in them when the keys were accidentally picked up by a customer.Joe had come to her rescue, driving out to the movie location in the middleof the night to find the box with the keys she needed.

Joe continued. "Well, I found the sequel. I didn't know there was one untillast week. We recently won a bid on acquiring the inventory of a bankrupt company.That's where I've been this last week. It turns out the building for this companywas often used for location shooting by low budget producers. I obtained alist of movies made there from a collector friend of mine. Imagine my surprisewhen I found Babes In Cages II: Insanity Plea on thelist. Knowing how involved you were with the first movie, I had to get a copyof the second one."

"Joe, now you know it was pure chance I even watched that movie. I am notobsessed with it. You've made me curious though. Do you have a copy?" She leanedback in her chair and looked up at him.

"The same collector made a copy for me. For the finale," he paused for effect, "weare going on location this weekend. I want to go over what we've bought inmore detail. It's supposed to be full of specialty items stretching back overa hundred years. I think we'll get a lot of period set work from it."

Darlene was puzzled. "I don't get it, what's so special about this place?Is it an office building?"

Joe laughed. "No, it's definitely not an office building. Trust me; you willhave a good time. And don't ask, because I'm not going to tell you what kindof business it is, or was."

She narrowed her eyes as she stared at him. She could tell he was leavingout some crucial details. "Okay, you talked me into it. When do we leave?"

At the Gates

After the turnoff on the highway the drive down a narrow twisting two laneroad had been long and boring. Other than a few farms Darlene had seen no signsof civilization, not even lights in the gathering dusk. For the last twentyminutes she hadn't even seen a car on the road. She looked over at Joe. "Howmuch further?"

"Patience, we're almost there. Isolation was a necessity, given the lineof business they were in. You'll see why in a moment." He reached over andpatted her knee. "I'm looking forward to this."

She put her hand over his. "I can tell. I admit I'm stumped. I have no ideawhere we are or what this place is."

Joe slowed at a curve in the road. In the headlights she could see why. Alarge iron gate set in high brick walls barred the way. He stopped the carin front of it. "I have the key. Just a moment while I let us in." He openedhis door and got out.

The car lights answered one question as Darlene read the large sign on thegate. New Ashford Institute for the Criminally Insane itread. Below the name was another placard warning passersby that no one wasallowed inside the gates. A guard shack on the left side of the road was closedand dark. She watched as Joe swung the gates open.

Back in the car he pulled forward and got out to close the gates. Furtherup the drive Darlene saw a large brick building, from the architecture apparentlydating back over a hundred years. The front was dark except for lights at thefront entrance. Now it made sense why Joe would bid on the inventory. If thiswas an old hospital the basement and storerooms would be a treasure trove ofrare and unique antiques.

After locking the gates behind the car Joe drove past the front entranceto an open garage in the back of the building. "The caretaker told me he'dleave the garage door open so we could park inside. Figured it out?"

Darlene nodded. "A mental hospital, and by the looks an old one. Spooky atnight; I can see why it was used for movies. What happened to it?"

"It was built in 1901 by a private company. They had a contract with thestate to house mentally deranged criminals and violent mental patients. Fromwhat I've read it was a grim place, as bad as a maximum security prison exceptthe inmates all had indeterminate life sentences. The state yanked the contractin 1974. It struggled along until last year as a private detox clinic for secondrate alcoholic celebrities between their stints on afternoon game shows.

"The building is going to be torn down in a few months time. Until then weget to take out anything we want. Whatever we leave behind gets bulldozed orsent to a scrap dealer. I have some idea of what's in here from the books anda quick look around but I want to do a more thorough inspection."

Darlene opened her door and got out. The garage was large enough for a schoolbus. Some of the overhead lights were burned out, giving the place an ominousfeel. A massive steel door set in the rear wall was the only entrance intothe building. "Is anyone still here?" she asked.

Joe closed the car door on his side. "Nope, all gone. The caretaker was thelast one. He left this morning, off to retire and enjoy fishing with the grandkids.He sent me the outside keys. There should be a full set inside so we can exploreanywhere we like." He opened the trunk of the car and took out a large gymbag. "I'll get the rest of our stuff later." He closed the trunk.

"There aren't any towns nearby and no neighbors, so we won't have any visitors.Utilities will be shut off when we finish moving out all the goodies. For nowit looks like it's just you and me." He took her hand and headed for the interiordoor. Next to the door was a switch for the garage. He pressed the button andturned to watch the noisy metal garage door rattle down. "At least it's beenmaintained." Joe used a key to open the door.

The inside entrance opened onto a small room. At one end a counter ran alonga wall. The opposite wall contained reinforced glass windows into another room.Darlene could see wire embedded in the glass.

"This is where the ambulance unloaded the patients. The room behind the glasswas for guards. The patient was processed here before being admitted to therest of the hospital." Joe dropped the gym bag on the counter and unzippedit.

Darlene shivered as she looked around the room. How many poor tormented soulshad passed through this room to spend the rest of their lives in the hospital?The grey paint on the walls and the beige tile gave the room an antiseptic,cold impersonal feel. She turned back to watch Joe as he took something outof the bag.

The something proved to be a long white lab coat. He put it on and buttonedup the front. What was he doing?

Joe looked up as he noticed her watching. The evil grin on his face warnedher something was about to happen that she might not like. He pulled out avideotape from the bag and dropped it on the counter. "This is the sequel.We're going to see it, but not in the way you expect. For the next two days,I'm going to be Dr. Joe. And you," he leered in a way that made her excited, "arethe newly arrived patient Darlene, wrongly accused but recently exoneratedin a sensational and gruesome murder trial by reason of insanity." He tookout a plastic bag and placed it on the counter.

"Welcome to the New Ashford Institute. Regulations require that you wearan approved uniform at all times." He put a hand on the bag. She could seea light brown garment inside. "Please disrobe. It will be necessary to searchyou to ensure no contraband is brought into the facility."

Eyes wide Darlene began unbuttoning her blouse. She looked at the tape, wonderingwhat the plot line was. She suspected Joe, Dr. Joe now, was playing one ofthe characters, likely the chief villain. And he intended for her to play thepart of the victim. It sounded like fun. "Yes doctor" she answered in a meek,intimidated voice.

She took off all her clothes and carefully folded them on the counter. Thiswas probably close to the real thing, which explained why the counter was onthe wall. She turned away from the windows, imagining the guards behind thesafety glass who would have been ogling her. She finished by placing her shoeson top of her clothing.

"Face the wall, place your hands on the counter." Joe came up behind her. "Spreadyour legs." He used his own foot to push her ankles apart and back. She hadto lean against the counter in order not to fall. He began running his handsalong her arms. She shuddered, excited by his touch and the erotic surroundings.The tile felt cold on her bare feet.

When his hands lingered over her breasts she pushed into his grasp. Whenhis hands dropped below her waist she had to stifle a moan. He ended his entirelyunnecessary search by slowly running his hands down each of her legs. Darlenehad to bite her lip in order not to cry out. If that part was inthe movie , she thought, it must be X rated .

He left her in the awkward position as he picked up a clipboard on a nearbydesk. "No contraband. Patient appears to be in good health. No tattoos or distinguishingmarks." Out of the corner of her eye she could see the grin on his face. Therewas no doubt he was enjoying the playacting. After his hands on search shewas beginning to get into the part too. He took hold of her arm and helpedher stand up. "You may dress now." He handed her the uniform.

It was a two piece outfit, white blouse and a skirt in a light brown color.She put on the blouse and buttoned it up. It proved to be tight fitting, sleevelessand with a low cut neckline. The skirt was short, not quite a mini but notoffice length either. It was Hollywood's typical version of a female prisonuniform, designed to show off the actress as much as possible. No underwearof course. Joe reached in his bag and handed her a pair of low heeled sandals. "Yourshoes. The floor will be cold and dusty."

"Thank you, Doctor." That was sincere. He was right, the tile floor feltcold to her bare feet. She slipped them on. He closed his gym bag. What washe going to do next?

She stood next to the counter and watched as he crossed the processing roomto a storage cabinet. When he opened it she couldn't make out what was in theplastic bags on the shelves. He picked out several items and closed the cabinetdoor. When he turned around she saw what looked like a white jacket and a leatherbelt.

"I apologize for this, but since you have been judged to be violently unstablewe have to take certain precautions." The belt he dropped on the counter wasa wide heavy leather strap with matching fleece lined leather cuffs on eachend. Each of the cuffs had a metal buckle. The jacket he kept in his hands.It was white, canvas, with a red stripe around the neck. Straps hung from theclosed sleeves. She knew what it was, a straitjacket. He unfolded it and heldit open.

Darlene had never seen a straitjacket before, except fleeting glances onTV and once at a magic show. It opened in the back, straps on one side, rollerbuckles on the other. Two additional straps hung down from the bottom. Thesleeves were long and closed at the end. She held out her arms, unsure howshe was supposed to put it on.

Joe answered that question by sliding the jacket over her arms and then turningher around. She could feel the jacket tighten against her chest as he pulledon the rear straps. Her arms dangled at her side. When he finished in backhe took hold of her left wrist. She hadn't noticed a reinforced area in frontuntil he guided her sleeve covered hand through it, followed by her right armin the other direction. Still behind her he took hold of the straps at theend of her sleeves and pulled them tight. Her arms were pinned against herbody, folded under her breasts. The wide strip of canvas in front preventedher from moving her arms up and down.

There were still two long straps hanging down in front. Joe studied themfor a moment, apparently unsure as to how they were used. She could tell theywere meant to prevent an attempt to pull the jacket up and over her head, butshe couldn't see how they would go over her skirt. Joe solved it by simpleunzipping the side of her skirt and letting it fall to the floor. Then he passedthe twin straps between her legs and pulled them up in back. She could feelthe pressure on her shoulders as he tightened them. Finished, he pulled herskirt back up, over the bottom of the straitjacket, and zipped it closed.

Darlene started to turn toward the guardroom to catch her reflection in theglass but Joe stopped her. "Not yet, I have something more to add." He grabbedthe leather belt and knelt down next to her. Looking down she watched him opena leather cuff, wrap it around her left ankle snugly and then close it withthe buckle. He pressed a button on the buckle to lock it. He repeated the procedureon her right ankle, securing her legs together. Finished, Joe stood up andwiped his hands on the lab coat.

"There, that should do it. Are you okay? Is the jacket too tight? Can youbreathe? Try taking a few steps to see if you can walk."

Darlene tried to move her arms around. The straitjacket was loose enoughnot to interfere with her breathing but she had little arm movement. With hishand around her arm she took a step. The leather felt stiff and restrictivebut she could walk. "I'm fine, Doctor. I can walk if we go slowly. I don'tthink I can climb stairs though."

Joe put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. He steppedout of character as he said, "tell me right away if you have a problem, okayDarlene? I don't want you to get hurt. Be careful, medical restraints are justas effective as police ones."

"Yes, Doctor." She stayed in character, letting him know she wanted to keepgoing. She did know how well police restraints worked from the night she hadspent locked in handcuffs at the company warehouse.

"Good, then we're ready for the introductory tour. Here at New Ashford wetake pride in our mix of new and old ideas, as you will see." With one largehand firmly wrapped around her upper arm he led her toward the room's exit.

Upholstered

"This room is something special," Joe told her as they stood in the corridoroutside a door. Like most of the patient rooms in this wing it had a largedeadbolt lock on the outside and an observation window insert at eye level.Unlike the other rooms this one had a metal plate closed over the observationslit. "It's been soundproofed with extra insulation. You can scream as loudas possible inside and barely hear anything out here. But that's not the bestpart. Look." He unlocked the door.

As the door swung open Darlene saw why. The floor and all four walls werecovered in what looked like upholstery. "Wow! A padded cell! I didn't knowthey really existed." Even the inside of the door was covered with thick padding.Standing in the doorway she leaned in for a better look. The high ceiling,at least ten feet above the floor, appeared to be panels of translucent plasticcovering fluorescent lights above. The wall padding stopped flush with thepanels.

"Too bad we don't have any way to save it. Take your shoes off and you cango in."

Fascinated by the room Darlene forgot she still had the straitjacket on.She actually tried to reach down to take off her shoes but the jacket sleevesput a quick halt to that. She turned back to Joe. "Could you help me?"

"Sure," he answered. He knelt down and slipped off her sandals. He set themon the floor to one side of the door. When he stood up he surprised her bypicking her up at the waist and setting her down on the padded floor. "Tryit out. You can even bang your head against a wall if you like."

Darlene decided to take Joe up on his suggestion. She walked over to thefar side and threw her shoulder against the wall. She bounced off with no damagebut the uneven footing on the padded floor combined with the restraints onher ankles made her trip and fall. She landed on her back. Startled Joe tooka step into the room but Darlene sat up and started laughing. "I'm okay. Justa little clumsy. No thanks to this fashionable designer jacket." She tuggedon the sleeves that bound her arms.

"Feel free to take it off if you want. I'm going to get the rest of our stuffout of the car. While I'm doing that you can spend some quality time here.Try yelling, you'll see what I mean by the soundproofing."

"No, wait…" She watched helplessly as the door swung shut. Awkwardlyshe managed to stand up and go to the door. There was no handle on the inside.She pushed against it but the door didn't budge. He must have locked it. "Joe!Wait, take me with you!"

There was no answer. If he was still out in the hall she couldn't hear him.She hit the door again, with her shoulder. Nothing happened. She tried to lookout the observation slit but it was shut tight.

"Joe! Joe, open the door!" She screamed as loud as she could. The door remainedclosed. Darlene was locked in. Until he came back she couldn't get out. Ina single moment what had been a play room was transformed into a prison. Shewent to the far wall and sat down so that she could watch the observation slit.

Leaning against the padded wall she could feel the buckles on the back ofthe straitjacket. Take it off if I want, he says. And just how amI supposed to do that? Darlene leaned her head back against thewall and closed her eyes. How long would he be gone? How long had she beenwaiting so far? She touched the canvas covering her hands. Naturally none ofthe buckles keeping her captive inside the jacket were anywhere near her limitedreach. At the magic show the escape artist had somehow managed to slip an armover his head in order to free his arms. The way this straitjacket was constructedshe couldn't move her arms up or down, much less over her head. Twisting fromside to side didn't help at all either. The straps between her legs, underher skirt, didn't allow for more than a few inches of movement.

Darlene struggled to her knees and then to her feet, using the wall to braceherself. Slowly she walked around the room, keeping close to the wall. Anyonewho wanted to bang their head against a wall wouldn't get much more than aheadache. Curious, she lifted a foot and tried a backward kick. Her heel bouncedoff the padding. Because of the restraining belt between her ankles she couldn'tkeep her balance and slid down the wall to the floor.

A flash of movement drew her attention to the door. She could see a pairof eyes in the observation slit, watching her. Darlene made it to her feetagain and carefully walked toward the door as it opened. She practically fellinto his arms at the doorway.

"You're back! I was so scared in there." She laid her head on his shoulderas he held her in his arms.

"Now you call tell all your friends you actually spent time in a padded cell.Not many people can claim that experience these days." He stroked her hairas he whispered in her ear.

She leaned her head back so she could look up at him. "Thanks, but I'd rathernot share. What took you so long? I must have been in there for hours. It reallygets to you after a while, almost like it's haunted."

"More like twenty minutes. As for being haunted, I've never heard of a paddedcell that could contain a ghost. I unloaded the bags from the car and put themin the staff living quarters. The director had a nice room for himself."

"I hope it's not upholstered." Darlene giggled.

"C'mon. I'll take you there and we can sit down for a snack. I brought somemunchies. If you're extra good maybe I'll take off the jacket."

Darlene rubbed up against him. "And what if I'm extra bad?"

She was rewarded with an enigmatic smile. "In that case I have somethingin mind as well." He bent down to pick up her shoes. "Let's go. There's a TVand VCR set up so we can watch the movie. I think you will have a newfoundappreciation for it."

At The Movies

"Sit down on the couch and I'll make us some nachos." Joe headed into thekitchenette in the director's apartment. Darlene heard him pour some chipsonto a plate. She started to ask if she could help but stopped before she saidit out loud. In her current condition she couldn't offer much assistance.

She still had the straitjacket on but Joe had removed the restraints on herankles. The couch was large and comfortable so she curled up with her legstucked in to one side. On top of the TV was the tape of the movie. She couldsee part of the lurid cover but couldn't quite make it out. After the microwavebeeped she could smell melted cheese in the kitchen. She looked over her shoulderto see Joe coming out with a plate and two glasses in his hands.

He put the food on the coffee table and went to the TV. The opening creditsbegan as he sat down beside her. "Hungry? I added just a touch of salsa." Hepicked up a cheese laden corn chip and held it out to Darlene. "And," he continued, "whenyou get thirsty, I came prepared." He reached into an inside pocket on hislab coat and pulled out a straw.

"So you have me eating out of your hand once again." She grabbed the chipout of his hand with her teeth and began eating.

"If you would rather feed yourself then you could ask me to let you go." Hepicked up a chip for himself.

"May I be released from this thing?" She knew the answer.

"No. I like you as you are. But I'll be fair. We'll take a vote, everyonein favor of letting Darlene go, raise your hand." He looked around, as if therewere a crowd present. "Okay, now all those in favor of leaving her as is, raiseyour hand." Joe raised his hand. "One to nothing, looks like you've been outvoted."

Wrapped in the straitjacket Darlene couldn't move her arms. "The vote wasrigged but I guess I'll have to concede. Can I have something to drink?" Heheld up her glass so she could sip some iced tea from the straw.

She knew he wouldn't release her. In fact she would have been worried ifhe had taken the jacket off. The more time they spent together the more shefelt driven to please him, any way she could. In their time together she hadseen how he liked control over her. Physical control especially, where shewas helpless and had to depend on him for everything. Times like now, whenshe couldn't use her hands or arms.

Darlene would never admit it to anyone else but she enjoyed it as much asJoe. He had proven she could trust him. That trust gave her the freedom toplace herself in his hands without fear. The uncertainty of not knowing whathe would do was exciting, something like a thrill ride on a roller coaster.It looked and felt dangerous but she knew no harm would come of it.

One side benefit was that she didn't have to worry about doing things heliked. He simply told her what he wanted, or even forced her if he felt likeit. She never would have thought he would get a kick out of feeding her untilthat first night when he had stopped for fast food while she had been shackledhand and foot. And now he was handing her nachos while they watched the movie.As the title credits came to an end she turned her attention to the movie.The opening scene was in a courtroom.

Joe leaned back and put his arm across Darlene's shoulders. The movie beganwith the scene where the star is deemed insane and sent to the hospital. Thestar's boyfriend, now her lawyer, vows to prove her innocence. There were plentyof camera shots of the young starlet and her late 60's style mini-skirt andgo-go boots. He tuned it out and looked over at Darlene.

He'd take her over the movie actress any day. She would do anything he askedof her. Most amazing of all, from what he could tell she wanted, even encouragedhim to indulge himself. In the processing room there had been no hesitationwhen he told her to put on the uniform. And she had given her enthusiasticcooperation during the body search. More like foreplay, too bad he didn't havea copy of it on videotape.

The canvas jacket covering her shoulder felt rough under his hand. It mustbe uncomfortable yet she didn't complain. She glanced up at him, smiled, andthen went back to the movie. His intention had been to take it off as soonas they sat down, assuming she could last that long. But seeing her calm andrelaxed he chose to leave it on, purely for his own selfish reasons.

That was what made Darlene so precious for Joe. He could indulge himselfand not even feel guilty about it. In the past he had suppressed his inclinationto be controlling, believing that it was wrong. Consensus and compromise wereproper behavior; always ask, never tell. Not with her though; if he acted likethat she got a nervous, worried look. When he acted in a decisive, confidentmanner then she would, in her own fashion, do the same by trusting and deferringto him. It was her single most compelling attraction, drawing him in and bringingthem closer together.

He held up another nacho for her. Making her eat out of his hand was a wayto remind her of how much she had to depend on him. He liked that, especiallywhen she had no other choice. No doubt one component was a certain sexual attractionin being able to control her, but there was more to it. For Joe there was asense of satisfaction in earning her trust so that she would allow him to placeher in bondage. Added to that was his own need to provide for her and protecther. All the better that she seemed to thrive when submitting to his commands.

He picked up the VCR remote and froze the picture. "Recognize that scene?" heasked. On the TV screen the police cruiser with the main character in the backwas stopped at the hospital gates.

"This place, isn't it? Aren't those the same gates, with a better lookingcoat of paint?" She looked up at him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"That's right. Thirty some years ago the place wasn't quite so run down.There were still violent patients committed here. A few of the more docileones even appear as extras later on. I doubt if it was legal but it saved theproducer a few dollars. I think you'll recognize the next shot too." Joe startedthe tape playing.

In the movie the car parked in the same garage. The two guards pulled thepoor unfortunate heroine out of the car and dragged her to the door. As Darleneexpected the actress wound up in the processing room. Except this time theguardroom on the other side of the windows wasn't empty. When the actress protestedthe indignity of being forced to strip in front of the male guards two waitingorderlies rushed into the room, dragged her to the floor and forced her intoa nearly identical straitjacket.

"So that's where you got the idea for this?" Darlene asked Joe while nudginghim in the ribs.

"Yup." On the TV the heroine struggled with the orderlies. For her troubleshe was carried down the hall and bodily thrown into the padded cell. "Seewhat might have happened if you chose not to cooperate?" The scene faded outwith the young actress huddled in a corner, crying, while the two orderlieswalked away laughing.

Sequels never had the same size budget as the original movie. In this casethe screenwriter must have worked for beer and hamburgers. The hospital director,some unknown actor with a vague resemblance to Vincent Price, was busy developinghis secret anti-psychosis serum. In the course of the movie the heroine makesfriends with another female patient, who in turn becomes the mad doctor's nextguinea pig. It was the typical fate of supporting actresses in these typesof movies. Instead of a cure the drug sends her into unpredictable murderousrages. The doctor refines his mixture and decides to test it on his next subject.

Joe stopped the tape just as an orderly began strapping the star onto a gurney. "Whowill save her from the clutches of the demented doctor? You'll have to waitto find out."

"Don't stop when it's getting to the good part!" Darlene said with a lackof sincerity. She didn't think there was a good part to the movie, except perhapsthe ending credits.

"I think it's time you fall into the clutches of crazy old Dr. Joe. But it'sgetting late and we need to start early tomorrow. I'm going to save the bestpart for tomorrow."

In The Basement

The next morning they went to work. Darlene and Joe went through the mainbuilding room by room, making notes on anything that caught their eye. It wasboring, dirty work and took them all day. Joe finally called a halt at dinnertime. They headed back to the director's apartment. While Darlene took a showerJoe warmed up some frozen food.

Darlene came out of the bathroom just as the microwave beeped. "Good timing," hetold her. "We got quite a bit done today, more than I planned on. I'm prettysure we'll at least break even on the deal. The only problem I see is warehousespace."

Darlene nodded as she sat down at the small dining table. "I'll be busy catalogingfor months. Where are you going to store all this stuff?"

Joe sat down next to her. "Some of it I'll sell off to collectors immediately,either on the internet or at auctions. That'll generate enough cash flow tocover expenses and reduce the space we'll need. I just want to make sure wedon't let any real rarities slip by unnoticed."

Darlene nodded. "I figured that was your plan. Most of the stuff we saw todaywasn't all that rare or valuable. I thought you said there were some old storerooms?"

Joe smiled. "There are, in the basement. After we finish eating we'll takea peek. I thought it would be appropriate to wait for dark. You know, whenall the ghosts come out to do away with those who dare disturb their eternalrest?" He laughed.

" The House On Haunted Hill ? Yeah, I remember thatmovie. Back when the TV stations ran fright night movies on Fridays, when Iwas a little girl, one time I stayed up till 1a.m. to watch it. I was so scaredI wouldn't go into the basement for weeks afterward." She shivered.

"Well, no departed spirits here. The caretaker told me as far as he knowsthe only deaths in the hospital were from natural causes. Anyway, last weekI got a quick look down there. There is one item I want you to see. It mightbe the single most valuable piece in the whole inventory. I cleaned it up justbefore I left so I could get some pictures to send off to a few museums." Joelooked pleased.

"Sounds interesting, now you've got me curious. What is it?" She knew ithad to be something special judging by his expression.

His only answer was an enigmatic expression followed by a shake of the head. "Nope,better you see it without preconceptions. All I'll tell you is that I'm sureit's at least a hundred years old. When it was new in psychiatric circles itwas considered an advanced therapeutic tool. Today…well, it wouldn'tenjoy quite the same reputation."

When they finished dinner Joe gathered up a pair of flashlights and a largekey ring from the director's desk. "The basement does have lights but someare burned out." He handed a flashlight to Darlene. "Take one of these justin case."

A door in the main hallway opened onto stairs which descended into darkness.Joe turned on the lights but the stairway still had too many shadows for Darlene'staste. She knew it was just an overactive imagination fueled by movie stereotypesbut every dark corner seemed to transform into a waiting demon. To her disappointmentthe stairs ended at a mundane looking furnace instead of a yawning pit glowingwith devilish fires.

"The furnace kept the air dry. I'm sure it was just coincidence, but thestorerooms were perfectly placed, cool, low humidity and out of the sun. Ithelped to preserve all the treasures down here." Joe walked past the furnaceand unlocked a metal door.

Following behind Darlene peeked in as the door swung open. At first she couldn'tsee anything, but when the overhead lights flickered on she realized they werein a part of the building that had never been renovated. A narrow corridorran along one wall. From her vantage point she could see the barred doors ofthe cells that were now storage rooms. She trailed behind Joe as he went throughthe entrance.

"This was the maximum security lockup ward, where the genuine psychos wereoriginally kept when the place first opened. They were some of the most dangerouspeople alive. Psychopaths, people with no conscience, who would kill or maimwithout the least feelings of remorse. The patients who made it to this wardwere considered incurably and criminally insane." Joe stopped in front of thefirst cell door.

Looking through the bars Darlene could see boxes piled up to the ceiling.From the markings they appeared to be paper records going back over twentyyears. Heavy inch thick reinforced steel bars covered the entire front of theroom. The door, also of bars, was mounted on sturdy hinges and secured withsome type of lock.

Joe noticed her staring at the door and rattled the key ring. "That's whyI had to bring these." He held up the ring, which had over a dozen oddly shapedkeys. "Keys for the cell doors. It was too expensive to dismantle the cellsso the management just left it as is. Theft down here was very light, you cansee why. That's why I have high hopes of finding some intact antiques in excellentcondition."

"That makes sense." She doubted any of the staff ever came down to this placeby choice. There seemed to be a cloud of bleakness and depression hanging inthe air. "I hope they aren't all full of boxes of paper."

Joe shook his head. "Nope, the previous owners were supposed to take therecords with them. Some kind of law about maintaining medical files, I thinkit was microfilmed. All that's left are some old accounting files, the trashin here. It's supposed to be destroyed when the building is demolished. Thiscell we don't have to check. C'mon, the one I wanted to show you is at theend of the hallway." He pointed with the flashlight.

As they walked along the corridor Darlene glanced at the contents of thecells they passed. All she saw were cardboard boxes, wooden crates or largeritems covered in sheets. The last unit was different. When they stopped shecould see someone had been at work. The space had been cleared and swept cleanexcept for one large object in the center of the room. Since it was coveredwith a sheet she couldn't make out what it was.

Joe fumbled with the ring of keys, looking for the right one. Darlene hadto smile at his eagerness to show it off, whatever it was. He swung open thedoor and gestured to her. "Ladies first."

Something told her it wasn't courtesy at work. His mood was too playful.He had something planned, something that would involve her. A sidelong glanceat his face as she walked into the cell told her he was excited. He was rightbehind her, even putting his hands on her shoulders as he began his presentation.

"Back in the early days of this hospital they didn't really have any wayto treat mental illness. For the violent ones, the best they could do was experiment.One of the prevalent theories was that a patient had to be calmed, to helpsuppress their aggressive nature." He reached out and pulled off the sheet.

At first Darlene thought it was a plain if overbuilt wooden chair. Then shesaw the straps, and the cutout in the seat. There was some odd type of boxon top of the back. "Joe? What is this, an Electric Chair?"

"Nope, it was called a Tranquilizer. In the days before they had drugs apatient would be confined in it for days, sometimes weeks, unable to move.Doctors believed it helped to cure psychotic episodes. Quiet, isolation, andimmobility were the prescribed treatments. Several of these chairs were madeand used in institutions both in the U.S. and Europe for many years. As medicineprogressed they were discontinued. Nearly all were destroyed. I know of onlyone in a museum in Britain."

Studying it Darlene could see it was no ordinary chair. The legs, thick squarebeams of pine, were bolted to the floor. The seat had to be two inches thick.The wide armrests were braced at several points to the rest of the chair. Theback was solid and higher than normal, with what looked like a box on top.

The numerous leather straps and buckles attached to strategic points demonstratedit was designed to be a restraint device. As she walked around it she couldtell no one could possible escape from it. Looking up at Joe she suddenly realizedwhy he had brought her.

"You've been on your feet all day. Why don't you sit down and rest for afew minutes?" His tone was so innocent sounding she almost laughed. One thingshe was sure of, he wasn't acting out of concern for her sore feet. Of coursethere was only one chair. Darlene was sure if she did sit down she would notbe getting back up anytime soon.

Still the chair, the Tranquilizer as he called it, looked intriguing. Themore she stared at it the more she imagined the feel of being held captiveby the leather and wood. And then there was Joe. He wanted her to do it, butwouldn't come right out and ask. Probably thinks I might be afraidof it , she thought. And maybe he's right, I am nervousbut I can't tell him no .

"I would like to sit down for a few minutes." Did that sound as corny tohim as it did to her? Even a third rate hack scriptwriter could do better. "Umm,what do I have to do, Joe?"

The way his face lit up with excitement she could tell those were the exactwords he wanted to hear. The conversation had sounded innocuous, but she knewit really meant she had consented to whatever he had in mind. He had a fascinatingif devious mind, one that surely had more in store for her.

"It would be best if you took off your clothing. I wouldn't want you to geta bruise or cut from being pinched if any skin got between clothes and thechair."

She knew that's what he would say, but for once his reason actually madesense. A tight blouse would be uncomfortable. She unbuttoned the blouse first,followed by the skirt and her underwear.

"Good, now, just sit down, get situated, and I'll do the rest." The woodof the chair felt cool to the touch. The seat was contoured, as were the armrests.She leaned back and looked up at the box above her head.

"What does that part do?" She looked up at the mysterious upper part of thechair. From below she could see a cutout in the base of the box.

"We'll get to it later. First the basics, is that a comfortable position?" Darlenenodded. "Okay, to begin we need to make sure you sit up straight." From behindher he knelt and looped a wide leather belt across her waist, pulling it tightthrough slots in the chair back. He did something with a buckle before standingup. "Tell me if it's too tight."

It wasn't much worse than a seat belt. "I'm okay," she told him. "What next?" Sheran a hand along the waist strap.

Joe frowned. "I think your hands should be next. They might get in the waylater." He leered at her and she almost burst out laughing. At the end of eacharmrest was what looked like a baseball glove. He opened the wrist strap onthe right side first and by holding onto her wrist guided her hand into theleather mitten. He finished by tightening the strap on her wrist. Going tothe other side he did the same for her left hand.

The stiff leather forced her to keep her hands spread and flat. When shetried to raise her hands Darlene discovered the gloves were somehow fastenedto the end of the armrest. She couldn't pull her hands out either. He finishedtying down her arms with a leather strap above her elbow and another on herforearm, halfway between elbow and wrist. She couldn't move her arms or handsno matter how much she struggled.

"I'm sure you realize this is for your own good. It will help you relax.Trust good old doctor Joe." Darlene rolled her eyes; he was off on a moviescript again. Only deranged hospital doctors said something like that, justbefore the poor sacrificial patient met with some terrible fate. With her armstied down she would have to trust him though. It was too late to do otherwise.

He knelt in front of her, to one side. "I need you to move your feet a littlefurther apart." Leaning forward she spread her legs till her ankles were linedup with the straps on the chair. Quickly he wrapped the leather around herankles, trapping her legs. He followed that with straps below her knees andacross her thighs. The finishing touch was a loop across each foot to holdit in place. As with her arms her feet and legs were now immobilized.

Joe stood up and with arms folded looked down at Darlene, now helpless inthe grip of the chair's restraints. She tried to wriggle a bit but gave up.Other than her head she couldn't move. "Is that it? Am I supposed to be tranquilnow?"

He shook his head. "Not quite everything." He unfolded his arms and wentaround behind her again. Confined to the chair she couldn't see what he wasdoing. "You were curious about this last part. Let me show you what it does." Heopened a latch and the box above her head swung apart, split vertically. Shefelt him unscrew something on the back of the chair as the box slid down torest on her shoulders. She could see thick padding inside it.

"The important point is being forced to sit completely still." He closedthe box around Darlene's head. "That means not even turning your head." Shecould breathe, but her eyes were complete covered. The padding held her headrigid. She felt him do something to hold the box closed. When he finished shecouldn't move her head up or down either.

A click and a small door opened in front of the head restraint. It was justlarge enough to expose her face from her mouth to her eyes. "This is how thepatient was fed," he explained. "I'm sure you can appreciate what it wouldmean to have a few brief moments of light if you had to sit here all day longin the dark."

She struggled but it was useless. Darlene knew she had no hope of escapingfrom the chair. It was as if she were paralyzed and unable to move a muscle. "Idon't think I could take sitting in this thing all day long, much less a week.They really believed this was some kind of cure?"

"Psychiatry wasn't much of a science back then, more trial and error thananything else. My guess it did work for a few people, one or two times, soit became standard practice. You should read about it sometime. This was tamecompared to some of the other methods."

He brushed his fingers across the inside of her exposed thigh. Darlene closedher eyes and hissed through clenched teeth as she took a deep breath. In hercurrent state it took very little to stimulate her sexually. When she openedher eyes he was gone. "Joe?"

"Behind you. Listen carefully Darlene. Do exactly as I say. I want you toclose your eyes and open your mouth wide."

She did as he ordered. She wasn't sure what to expect next, maybe a pieceof candy. What she got was something large and tasting of foam rubber shovedin her mouth before he closed the faceplate. She tried to push it out withher tongue but the inside of the closed box held it in place. She tried tocall out Joe's name but only a garbled sound escaped. He's made mewear a gag! That was something new.

"It's surprising what you can take when you aren't given a choice, Darlene.Why don't you sit here and think about it. Take all night, and tomorrow, ifyou like." The covering around her head blocked out most sounds but she distinctlyheard the cell door slam shut.

Outside Looking In

Joe shut the cell door but left it unlocked, taking care to make as muchnoise as possible so Darlene would hear it. Then he quietly walked back aroundin front of her and sat down on the floor. From the muffled sounds she wastrying to shout. It sounded like his name, but it wasn't intelligible. At themoment she wasn't struggling, but that might be due to the delayed reactionto the shock of being abandoned. If he remained silent she would have no cluethat he was still in the room.

When he had found the chair it had been in bad shape, beyond hope of sellingto a serious collector. With little to lose he had decided to refinish it himselfand use it as a unique movie prop instead. It was still mostly authentic, thoughhe had modernized it in a few respects. Adding the leather mitts to cover thehands on the armrests was a nice touch to increase the sense of complete vulnerability.

Darlene was stirring in the chair, pulling against the restraining straps.He knew there were too many and too well placed for her to free herself. Shehad to know it as well, but still she tried. Joe leaned back against the brickwall and watched, studying her reaction to what she believed was happening.

He had fully intended to scare her with his parting comment. Inside the enclosurearound her head she must be going through the full range of emotions, fromfear to anger to resentment and back to terror. Without the gag she would bescreaming for him, and at him. His one regret was that the chair did not allowhim to actually see her face. Her body language was telling a story though.Her struggles were more pronounced; he could even see a bulge on the top ofher hand coverings. She must be trying to make a fist or turn her hand around.

It didn't take her long to realize fighting the chair was pointless. He sawher relax as her shoulders slumped in resignation. Joe leaned forward. Thiswas the point he had been waiting for. What would she do next?

His gag had been intentionally crude; a wad of foam held in place by thechair's head box. She should be able to push it out with her tongue if shewas patient and worked on it a bit at a time instead of all at once. Apparentlyshe had come to the same conclusion as he could see slight tremors in her neck.There was a gap between her face and the box where she could work the end ofthe foam rubber out of her mouth.

"Joe? Are you still here? This isn't funny. Get me out of this thing!" Thesound of her voice, still garbled but now understandable, told him she hadbeen partially successful. "Joe?" The demanding tone switched to pleading. "Please,I don't want to sit here all night long."

He had no intention of leaving her there for any great length of time. Anhour, maybe two at most, and then he'd let her go. But confined inside herlittle prison time would be moving at a slower pace. Minutes would become hours.Joe looked at his watch. An hour from now she would be convinced it was earlymorning. Sensory deprivation usually played tricks with a person's sense oftime.

"Damn it Joe, let me go right now!" Darlene never cursed, not that he couldremember. He looked at his watch, five minutes. Her angry tone hid an underlyingdesperation. He was sure she didn't know he was in the room, but she mightbe counting on him listening from the hallway.

Another five minutes and the crying began. A tear streamed down her neck,followed by sobbing sounds. The full weight of her predicament was hittinghome. Joe nodded to himself. What came next, what he expected to come next,would tell him what he wanted to know.

The crying soon passed, replaced by silence for the next half hour. Thenin a voice so low he could barely hear, "Joe? " He almost gave in when he heardher, but this was a chance he'd never have again. He had to know.

"I'm sorry Joe, for whatever I did. Am I being punished? Did I make you mad?Was it something I said?" He had read about a sort of compulsive guilt complexin submissive women, a tendency to blame themselves regardless of who was atfault. Now he was seeing it surface in Darlene. "I'll do whatever you wantJoe. Anything. If you want me to stay in this chair, then I'll do that too.As long as you want; I'll sit here all day long." There was a long pause. "Ilove you Joe. I'll be quiet now."

There was no doubt in his mind she meant it. He stood up, unable to watchher suffer any longer. At her side, he started to reach for the head releasebut stopped as a better idea occurred to him. Instead he reached down betweenher widespread legs and softly rested his palm on her thigh.

He felt and saw her whole body jerk in surprise. Joe smiled; she really hadno idea he was there or even listening. "I'm here Darlene. I never left. Iwon't ever abandon you." He released the latch on the head enclosure and swungthe parts open, releasing her head. She blinked a few times as the light hither eyes. The tracks of tears still marked her cheeks. He gently brushed herhair aside as it fell over her face. "You see Darlene, I love you too."

The torrent of curses and accusations he expected to hear next didn't arrive.Instead she looked up at him for a moment, and then lowered her eyes. "I saidsome stupid things." She looked back up at him. "Is it morning yet? Could Ihave a drink of water before you put the gag back in?"

Ending The Night

Joe snatched another grape from Darlene's fingers. They were both in bed,Joe on his back and Darlene on her side, with a bowl of chilled fruit in between.He had no idea what time it was but the hour had to be late. They had spentmost of the night talking in between long bouts of making love.

"You know, I really thought you were going to leave me in that chair allnight long. I was terrified at first, but when I calmed down and could thinkthe whole scenario through, I just knew there had to be more to it than whatI could see. Or not see; that was mean, blindfolding me so I wouldn't knowyou were right in front of me." She handed him a slice of orange and took anothergrape for herself.

"Guilty, but the means justified the ends. For quite some time I've thoughtabout the type of woman I'd want at my side. I'm sure it's no surprise to youI'm attracted to the submissive type. I can be pretty stubborn, okay obnoxious,about getting my own way. I'm not willing to change so I figured I better findsomeone who likes that type of man, instead of all the friction and grief causedby incompatible personalities." He ran his hand through her long hair.

"Demanding, take charge, obnoxious, you? I never would have guessed!" Sheended her sarcasm with a girlish giggle.

"I have remarkable self-control," Joe answered in mock offense. "Besides,it wasn't me that was dressed in little more than handcuffs and shackles whenI found you in the warehouse late at night."

She ran her hand across his wide chest. "And who'd have thought a stupidstunt like that would wind up like this? Do you think we might have gottentogether if you hadn't found me that night?"

He thought for a moment. "Hard to say. The few times we talked I didn't haveany idea who you really were. It seems a happy series of coincidences saveda lot of time."

Darlene seemed to run out of questions. She continues to rub her hand overhis chest but said nothing more. He reached up and laid his hand over hers,both hands crossed over his heart. "What if I had left you down in the basementall night?"

"Then I would have sat there. It's not like I had a choice." Joe startedto say something but she put her fingers over his lips. "I know; you wouldhave let me go if I asked. That's not what I meant. It's hard to explain, butsomething happened to me. Even before you touched me and I knew you were there,all I could think about was how I could please you, what I could do for you.

"You said you wanted me to stay there through the night and the next day,so I had to get through it. Trust me; it's miserable being trapped in thatthing. But I had to do it, for you. I didn't want to think about disappointingyou. Does that make sense?"

Joe sat up and pulled her close, his arm around her. "Yes it does, Darlene.I'll tell you a secret. The reason I enticed you into that chair was to seewhat you would do. If you got mad at me, if resentment won out, then I'd knowyou and I never would get along. And when I uncovered your head, if you hadassumed it was over and acted as if I was going to let you go, then I'd haveknown you were just tolerating my idiosyncrasies. There were any number ofwrong responses, but only one right one. I risked losing you, but I got thatone right answer. You accepted who I am and submitted to me, to what you believedwould be one of the worst nights of your life, for no other reason that I wantedit. You got it right the first time."

Darlene brightened, "Really? You mean it? I was so scared when I asked youfor a drink of water. I was sure you were going to close that box around myhead again. If I hadn't been tied in so tight I would have been shaking."

Joe had released her from the chair the moment he was certain she was willingto stay in it. "There was no reason to continue. Now it was tempting, seeingyou there, so helpless, but it struck me as senseless cruelty."

She propped herself up on one arm and looked at him. "Joe? If you reallywant me to, I can do it. I wouldn't be scared if I knew you were there. Butthat gag, it left an awful taste in my mouth. Could you use something else?"

Joe laughed and smacked her behind playfully. "No, no more chair. Now wedo have some more work to do tomorrow, so we better get to sleep. And maybein the medical supplies that are left we can find you a tastier gag."

A Modest Request

Sunday morning they slept in. Darlene was still asleep when Joe slipped outof bed to take a shower. When he came out she was awake but still in bed. "Howabout some breakfast?" he asked.

She grabbed him and tried to pull him on top of her. "How about you comeback to bed and I make you forget about food?"

He grabbed her wrists and pinned her down on the bed. "You are tempting me!" Hekissed her long and hard.

"I'm trying. Is it working? Cataloging can wait, come back to bed with me."

"Yes it is working, and no, we can't spend all day in bed. It seems I'veopened up a Pandora's box and out jumped Insatiable along with Lust." He letgo of her wrists and bent down to pick up the towel he dropped on the floor. "Gotake your shower." She made a pouting face before getting up and going intothe bathroom.

Joe sat on the edge of the bed and listened to the running water. He couldn'tfault her, because he had been the one to strip away her inhibitions. If theywere to get anything done today he'd have to take some steps. Fortunately he'danticipated the problem and had what he hoped would be the solution. He heardthe water shut off in the shower and saw the towel disappear from the rack.

She came out of the bathroom still drying her hair with the towel. When shestarted to reach into her suitcase he stood up behind her and gently put hishands on her arms. "Before you get dressed there's something I want you todo."

She turned around to face him and put her arms around his neck. "Somethingpersonal, I hope? Very personal."

"Yes it is, as personal as it can get. You said anything Darlene, now I'mgoing to hold you to your promise."

Seeing the serious look on his face she dropped her arms to her side andtook a step back. "I meant it Joe. Tell me what it is."

"I want you to stand here, in the middle of the room. Spread your feet andput your hands behind your neck." Puzzled as to what he had in mind, she didas he ordered, holding her arms wide apart with her hands behind her head. "Good,but move your feet further apart." She widened her stance. "That's right. NowI want you to stand there and don't move or talk. Okay?" She nodded in agreement.

He opened the closet and took out a large, plain looking cardboard box fromthe top shelf. She watched as he sat down on the bed and stared at her, thebox sitting in his lap. "What I'm going to ask of you will be difficult, butI want you to know it's very important to me. I put a lot of thought into this.It was a tough decision, but I think the right one for the two of us." He smiledat her. "This isn't making any sense to you, so here goes.

"Going through this hospital and reading up on its history gave me some insightinto who I am, what I want out of life, and the type of person I want to shareit with. You Darlene, you are the woman I want. And I want you on my terms.Not very politically correct, but I won't apologize for it. You know what I'mlike, yet you stayed by your own choice. I can't say I really understand whyyou decided to put up with me, but I'm glad you did.

"Okay, enough rambling." He stood up and opened the top of the box. She stillcouldn't see what was inside. The device he pulled out looked unfamiliar atfirst, until he turned it right side up. Her eyes went wide when she recognizedwhat it must be, even though she had never seen one before.

It was made of some kind of metal, stainless steel judging by the shiny greyfinish. There was a horizontal band and a wider bisecting vertical piece. Theinterior was lined with some type of padding. In the front it all fastenedtogether with some kind of lock. Joe took a key out of the box and opened it.

"I'm going to put this on you now. You are to wear it until I take it off.Understand?" She looked at Joe, then the chastity belt, then back to Joe. Forbiddento speak, she nodded in agreement.

Standing behind her he pulled open the waistband and put it around her, aboveher hips. She could feel the weight of the bottom piece hanging from the back.Moving back in front of her he pulled the waist band closed before reachingbetween her legs and pulling up the shield part. It completely covered hergenital area but there was a narrow vertical slit down the front. Joe attachedthe shield to the front of the waistband and closed the lock.

"You can put your hands down now. Move around and see how it fits."

Darlene ran her hands over the steel belt around her waist. It was a snugfit but not uncomfortable. The portion between her thighs was also a tightfit but didn't interfere with moving her legs. When she tried to bend overthe front cover plate dug into her stomach, but if she kept her back straightand bent at the knee the belt didn't interfere. When she tried to push thebelt down it wouldn't budge; her wide hips held it firmly in place. She noticedthe sides of the belt were bent out slightly to accommodate the curve of herlegs.

Overall it wasn't as bad as it looked out of the box. Darlene had to admitit really wasn't much worse than a bikini, except for the additional weight.She started to say as much but remembered Joe had told her to be quiet. Shelooked a request to him, for permission to speak.

"Is it too tight? Does it chafe anywhere?" His anxious tone of voice andconcerned look seemed to indicate he was more worried over the belt than shewas.

"It fits pretty well Joe, but I'll have to move around a while to see ifit needs adjustment. I…uh, what about the bathroom?"

He reached into the box and took out a small paper pamphlet. "There shouldbe an explanation in here. Why don't you look through it? Listen, you tellme the moment you have a problem, okay?"

She sat down on the bed and glanced through the instruction booklet. Accordingto the manufacturer it was possible to wear the belt for an extended period,though the hygienic procedures were involved. Nothing she couldn't handle,with a little practice. She placed the booklet on the bed and tried to spreadher legs. The belt was cut high enough that it didn't interfere. However, whenshe tried to cross her legs the width of the cover proved to be a problem.

"I won't be able to cross my legs." She felt the front and sides of the belt. "Tightjeans are out of the question. I'm not too sure about shorts either."

"I don't see that as a problem," Joe added. Darlene nodded; she knew he likedher in dresses. Of course he wasn't the one who had to wear it. As long asclothes weren't too short or tight fitting she should be able to keep someof her modesty and not be embarrassed by revealing her steel panty line. Thetough part would be breaking her habit of crossing her legs when she sat down. Kneestogether and ankles crossed like a proper young lady , the voiceof her mother came back to her from childhood. She wouldn't be able to ignoreher mom's lecturing now.

"Will you do this for me, Darlene? You understand I'm not going to give youthe key."

"Yes Joe, I'll do it. As long as you want. Just don't lose that key. Andyou'll still open it once in a while?" She knew exactly what he was asking;relinquish sexual control of her own body. Three months ago she would havebeen outraged at the suggestion. Even a week ago she might have hesitated.After the previous night it was a foregone conclusion she would do it. Sheran her hands around the gleaming waistband. With it locked on her body therewould be no temptation to take it off when alone. That would make it easierto obey him.

"Yes I'll let you out, but only on my terms. When and where is up to me alone.Now you get dressed while I cook up some eggs. Omelet or huevos rancheros ?" Joeheaded for the kitchen. "And Darlene? Wear one of those hospital uniforms today.Look in the closet. Who knows, maybe Mad Doctor Joe will show up this afternoon."

"Okay, and I'll take huevos ." Both she and Joe shareda love of Mexican food. On a shelf in the closet were several two more plasticwrapped uniforms in her size. Unwrapping one she slipped on the blouse andskirt. Using the bathroom mirror she checked to see if the belt would showunderneath. As far as she could tell it remained hidden. Pulling her brushout of the suitcase she began to comb her hair. The smell of cooking eggs andsalsa made her hungry.

"Come and get it," Joe yelled from the kitchen. Normally she'd feel guiltyabout not fixing breakfast but he loved to cook. She smoothed the wrinklesout of the skirt, took a look in the mirror, decided to open one more buttonon the blouse, and then went out to the small dining table.

He was dishing out the eggs from the frying pan as she walked in. The tablewas set for two, with a plate of toast and orange juice next to a cup of coffee.He stopped as she sat down, smiled at her, and then finished scooping out therest of the eggs onto his plate. "I forgot flour tortillas so we'll have tomake do with some rye toast." He sat down next to her.

The eggs delivered everything the tantalizing aroma promised. While theyate Joe talked about the plan for the day. He wanted to go through the storeroomsin the basement and have her make notes on the laptop about the potentiallyvaluable items. He had brought along a digital camera too, so they could getimages out to some potential buyers as soon as possible. "I'll pick throughthe junk pile. When I find something interesting, you take pictures and typein the manufacturer, serial number, dates, anything that looks significant.I have outstanding requests from collectors of old medical instruments so we'llpay special attention to anything like that."

Swallowing a bite of toast she asked, "Is there anything else I should lookout for? What about old books?"

Joe thought for a moment before answering. "I'm not sure. I don't know toomuch about medical texts. Why don't you enter the title, author and copyrightdate for now. I can email the list around and maybe post it on the website.Who knows, maybe we'll find some equivalent of a first edition Mark Twain." Hereached over and put his hand on top of hers. "I like it when we work together.Even if you are a distraction. I don't remember so many open buttons the firsttime you put on that uniform."

Darlene felt her face redden. She had to look down at her plate. Didn'tyou want him to notice? she chided herself. You madehim look, and he did . She started to button up but he stoppedher.

"No, leave it like that. Let's clean up so we can get to work. You wash,I'll dry."

After cleaning up the kitchen Darlene picked up the carrying bag with thelaptop and camera. Joe brought the key ring and a few tools. They headed backinto the basement. Even though it was still dark just knowing the sun was shiningoutside made the shadows less sinister for her.

Once they got organized the inventory went fast. Darlene found a roll-aroundtable and office chair. She set up the laptop and camera on the table, wheelingit along the corridor as they progressed to the next cell/storeroom. Joe sortedthrough the piles in each room, placing the important items outside the doorfor her to catalog. More than once they would stop to puzzle over some curiositywith no obvious purpose.

Once she found a large leather bound book full of beautifully illustratedcolor plates. He had ignored it but she noticed the mixed color pattern ofthe paper edges. Joe had her put it aside as one they would take back immediately.When he told her "we make a good team" and "good thing I brought you along" thecompliments made her warm inside.

During a break Joe came out and sat down against the wall, next to whereDarlene was typing in a book title. When she finished he ran his hand aroundher waist. "Doing all right? Any soreness?"

Absorbed in her work Darlene had completely forgotten about the chastitybelt. Standing up she twisted back and forth. "No, I don't think so. It doesn'thurt."

He stood up and put his hands on her hips. He could feel the steel band underthe thin cotton material of the skirt. "Is it distracting?"

"Only when a certain man gets me all hot and bothered." She studied his face. "You'redoing that deliberately! You know I can't do anything when you have me lockedup tight."

An evil grin confirmed her accusation. "You could persuade me to find thekey. Now where did I put it…" Joe stared up at the ceiling as thoughlost in thought.

She hit him playfully on the shoulder. "You better not forget where it is." Slippingher arms around his waist she pressed tightly against him, rubbing her legagainst his. "Does this help you remember?"

He sighed. "Yes it does. Now I remember why you are wearing the belt too.C'mon, we have to get back to work."

Doors Have Two Sides

It took most of the day but they managed to finish all the basement storerooms.Back in the apartment they washed up and had a light dinner. Afterward theysat on the couch and watched the end of the movie.

When he had stopped the tape the star was in the process of being restrainedon a gurney. In his lab the mad doctor was preparing his serum, which wouldsurely leave her with permanent brain damage. Meanwhile the boyfriend was sneakingover the outside wall.

"So do you think he'll find her in time?" Joe asked, munching on popcorn.

"He's a wimp. I hope the doctor injects him instead." Darlene laughed asshe grabbed a handful of hot buttery popcorn from the bowl.

Igor the repulsive half-witted hunchback orderly had both her ankles andone hand secured in the restraint straps when he decided to take advantageof the heroine. Being particularly stupid as most movie molesters were, hehad neglected to finish tying her down first. She was valiantly trying to fendhim off with her one free hand when the head nurse showed up to chew him out. "Savedin the nick of time by Nurse Cratchett" Joe added. Darlene nearly lost hermouthful of popcorn as she burst out laughing.

To the sound of ominous music the actress was wheeled into the laboratory.In a cutaway the boyfriend found an unlocked window and was peeking out theroom's door at the front desk nurse. The moment she left to take a break hedashed out and grabbed the convenient ring full of keys hanging on a hook nextto the desk.

"Look at that continuity," Darlene pointed out. "When he leaves the roomthe hallway light is off, when he comes back the same way the light is on.That's sloppy."

In the lab the crazed doctor is well into his ranting soliloquy on how themedical world has ignored him but now he'll prove them all wrong. Uninspiredterror grips the cute young actress as she struggles in vain to escape hercertain fate. "Ever notice how villains are so long-winded?" Joe pulled Darlenecloser to him. "That must explain why politicians never pass by an opportunityto give a speech."

"Don't be so cynical," she answered, jabbing him in the ribs. "Our hero needstime to find her."

Meanwhile the boyfriend has found the unstable but sympathetic friend lockedup in the padded cell. He lets her out, unaware that she's been injected withthe serum. She eagerly volunteers to lead him to the laboratory. In the labthe doctor is drawing the deadly potion into a syringe. He is just about toinject the helpless victim when the door bursts open.

The cavalry rides to the rescue as the boyfriend batters the evil doctorto the floor and then rushes over to release the love of his life. In turnshe screams as the doctor recovers and lunges at the boyfriend's back whilebrandishing the syringe. But before the boyfriend can react the supportingactress conveniently goes into one of her rages, picks up a handy scalpel,and stabs the doctor in the heart. Both collapse onto the floor. The endingcredits roll as the female lead and boyfriend walk out the door, hand in hand.

"I bet this was a hit with the dollar per carload Saturday night at the drive-incrowd." Darlene shook her head. "I've seen game shows with better productionvalues."

"Who's being cynical now?" Joe asked. "I'm sure it paid the rent for thosedrive-ins. Besides, you think the teenagers were actually watching the movie?" Hegot up to rewind the tape.

"Now that you've seen the movie version, I'm going to show you how the movieshould have been scripted." He held out his hand. "C'mon, let's see if we canimprove those production values of yours." Darlene let him pull her up offthe couch. She had no idea what he meant.

He led her out into the corridor and through several doors to the patientwing. Joe slowed as he checked room numbers, finally stopping in front of one. "Herewe are." Like all the patient room it had a stout lock and a small window infront. He opened the door with a key. Darlene followed him in as he turnedon the lights.

Rather than the usual bed and desk this room had one of the same gurneysas the movie. "This is the real thing," Joe said as he went to one side andlowered the railing.

Darlene stopped at the foot of the mobile bed/table and studied it. Unlikethe one in the movie this version had rails that raised and lowered on thesides. At the foot a wide leather belt ran across the mattress. Close to theedges were thick padded leather cuffs. About midway another heavy leather beltwas in place. It also had smaller versions of the ankle cuffs. The other differencewas a waist belt. Finally there was a third belt at chest level. A folded sheetlay on the bed. The real life version looked imposing compared to the on screenprop.

Joe picked up the lab coat draped over the head of the gurney and put iton. "I trust you'll cooperate? I don't want to use force but I must insistyou get in."

Darlene looked at his face. Was he playing the doctor, or the orderly? She'dfind out soon enough. "I won't be any trouble." She still wore the skirt andblouse uniform from that morning. "Do I need to disrobe?"

He shook his head, which surprised her. "No, that won't be necessary. Pleaselie down and I'll do the rest."

He must be plotting something but she couldn't figure it out. With his helpshe got in and stretched out. She slid up until her wrists and ankles linedup with the restraints.

He began with her wrists, fastening both tightly in the stiff leather. Inthe movie the cuffs had simple buckles; this version had locks. Next he securedher ankles, forcing her legs apart. That was followed by a strap across herwaist and another just below her breasts. When he finished all she could movewas her head. The finishing touch was the sheet he used to cover her belowthe neck. By outward appearance she was simply lying down.

She saw him bend down to retrieve something under the bed. "As I see it,the first problem is the victim, you in this case, keeps asking the doctorpointless questions to distract him. Or you start screaming, which is justas irritating. So," he paused as he stood up and reached toward her, "we needto remedy that problem first." In his hand was a real, purpose-built gag. Thefront went in her mouth, hard rubber with some kind of foam covering. He liftedher head to fasten the retaining strap in back. It was lodged firmly in hermouth. When she tried to speak only a meaningless muffled grunt came out. Sheprobed at it with her tongue but this gag wasn't coming loose.

"The second problem, she always seems to communicate something crucial toher rescuer with nothing more than a facial expression." Once more he bentdown. "How do we handle that?" This time he had a blindfold. The room wentblack as he covered her eyes. "Simple, keep the victim unaware of what's happening.Now isn't this much more realistic than the movie?"

Darlene tried to answer but any effort to speak was hopeless. Hearing herattempt Joe laughed. "Sorry, I meant that as a rhetorical question. To continue," hepulled the sheet down to her waist. Darlene clutched at it with her bound hands. "Igordid just about everything wrong. He should have started earlier, so he'd havemore time." He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand as he whisperedin her ear, "We have all night." Darlene's body shook involuntarily, anticipatingwhat was to come. Yes! Yes! He's the orderly.

Ever so slowly he opened the buttons on her blouse, one at a time. She foughtthe cuffs holding her wrists, not to escape but to help him finish. She triedto turn back and forth to make him hurry, but Joe would not be rushed. It seemedto take hours but he finally had her blouse open. Darlene gasped around thegag as he drew one finger between her breasts. "Igor left one hand free. Dumb.This way there's no interference. Don't you agree?" He was talking to her asif she were a disinterested observer. All Darlene cared about was that he didn'tstop.

When he suddenly grabbed both her breasts she tried to arch her back, topress against him. She clawed at the sheet tangled in her hands, trying topush it aside so she could touch him. If not for the gag she would have letout with a passionate scream.

Dimly she felt him pull the sheet up, uncovering her legs from the knee down.When she felt the soft touch of his fingertips run up the inside of her legshe lost any remaining self-control. Ignoring the gag she begged him, pleadingwith him to take her. All Joe heard were incoherent moans but from her warmflushed skin he knew what she was saying.

He pulled off the sheet and threw it on the floor. "Now Igor will have hisway with you," he whispered as he reached for her skirt. In the throes of uninhibitedpassion Darlene fought the restraints in her single-minded determination toget to Joe. His hand touched her thigh as he grabbed hold of the hem. Arousedby her helpless but inviting writhing on the bed he yanked up her skirt toher waist and prepared to mount her. Except…

Under her skirt and closed tight between her legs the cold impenetrable barrierof steel that was the chastity belt stopped him. Frustrated he reached forthe key he kept around his neck. When his hand closed on empty air then andonly then he remembered leaving it in his suitcase, so it wouldn't get lost.Cursing his own stupidity he slapped the palm of his hand against the railing.

Darlene sensed something was wrong. Coming out of her haze she was able tofocus again. At first she didn't understand what had gone wrong. When he slippedhis fingers under the front part of the belt and pulled against it while mutteringsomething about double-edged swords, she realized what had happened. He didn'thave the key with him. Fortunately she still had the gag on or he would haveheard her laughter. It was a movie ending she would never forget…andshe'd make sure he never forgot it too.

Heading Home

"Do we really have to go back today?" Darlene nibbled on Joe's ear as theysnuggled in bed, unwilling to get up and start packing for the return trip.

"Afraid so. We're going to have a busy week ahead. You have to get the booklist and pictures up on the website. And I need to make the rounds of our bestcustomers for advance notice of what we'll be offering." Joe stretched outhis arms and then suddenly threw off the blankets. "C'mon, let's go."

Darlene sighed. It had been a wonderful weekend, just the two of them workingside by side. She didn't want it to end. "Okay, but let me cook breakfast.You can get cleaned up first."

When he came out into the kitchen she had hash and eggs ready. Joe seemedpreoccupied and left most of the talking to Darlene. When she asked him aboutit he made some excuse about planning the trip home. She wrote it off to embarrassmentover forgetting the key to her belt last night and went into the bathroom toclean up. Meanwhile Joe packed some of the more valuable items they had foundinto the car.

He was putting the laptop and a few other items in the gym bag when she cameout of the bathroom. Her suitcase was on the bed. She noticed he had laid outthe hospital uniforms next to the suitcase. She started to reach into the closetfor her one remaining outfit still on hangars when he stopped her.

"Before you get dressed, I want you to turn and face me." From the commandingtone of his voice she dropped the towel in her hand and turned toward him withouthesitation. "Spread your legs, hands behind your neck. You know the routine."

Darlene did recognize the routine, and what was coming next. She obeyed hisorders without making a sound. Once more he pulled the chastity belt out ofthe box and opened it. For a brief moment he stared into her eyes; she methis gaze without flinching or looking aside. Not in defiance but with prideshe stood waiting, her arms wide as she displayed herself to him.

The steel waistband felt cold as he slipped it around her body. An involuntaryshiver ran through her as the bottom shield portion slid into place againsther sex. The click of the lock as he fastened it was loud in the room. Oncemore he was in physical control of her body. This time he dropped the key,dangling on a chain, over his neck. Despite his poor timing last night shehad no qualms about wearing the belt. It went on with her full and eager cooperation,for he had already taken possession of her heart.

Joe backed up and looked her up and down. He folded his arms, taking thetime to fully admire what now belonged to him. The gleaming metal lines bisectingher body only enhanced her natural attraction. She drew back her elbows, stillspread wide to either side of her head, a barely perceptible amount. The neteffect, to draw attention to her breasts, was not lost on him. Darlene's abilityto keep within the letter of his command yet still add her own spirited interpretationimpressed him every time he saw it.

"You can put down your arms and get ready. I'd like you to bring back theuniforms, but you don't have to wear one today. It's a long drive so put onsomething comfortable."

Darlene shifted the waistband a small amount to one side to better fit itagainst her hips. There was little slack. Apparently he had decided she shouldwear the belt the rest of their vacation. Comfortable would be problematic.She had brought a pair of shorts but those wouldn't be practical. The patientuniform was tempting but chances were good they would stop to eat, and shedidn't want to walk into a restaurant making a fashion statement from 1970.It would have to be the sun dress. She took it off the hanger.

Watching her Joe marveled at how easily she adapted to the changes he hadimposed on her life. No protests, no refusals, not even a request to discussor a suggestion of compromise. He did pause to consider the risks in holdingthe proverbial tiger by the tail. In return for what she had given him, hemust deliver on what she would expect in return. If he failed then one dayshe would be gone. He couldn't let that happen. The surprise in the glove boxin the car would make clear to her his intentions. Bu that was for later.

"What? Is it dirty?" She looked down at herself, brushing an imaginary speckoff her clothes. "Do you want me to put on something else?" She had mistakenhis absentminded stare as some sort of mild annoyance.

"No, no, that's fine. Just lost in thought. I'll take some of the bags outto the car." He picked up the duffle bag and his suitcase. "I'll be right back."

"Can you leave the laptop in the back seat? I might want to check somethingon the way," she yelled at his retreating back.

Alone for a moment she stopped and looked at herself in the bathroom mirror.Something had happened to her, something he released that had been living deepwithin her. She had done the unthinkable, handing her life over to a man practicallya stranger. It was like winding the clock back a hundred years. Orback to medieval times , she thought ruefully, feeling the linesof the chastity belt under her dress. He owns me, and I think it'sthe most wonderful moment in my life. I just lost my union card in the feministmovement . The feeling of freedom at being able to finally letgo and trust someone to lead her was the opposite of what she had been taughtto expect. Domineering men were supposed to be cruel and heartless oppressorsof womankind. Oppression was supposed be unrelenting misery. Try as she mightJoe just did not fit her picture of a malevolent tyrant.

She picked up the hospital uniforms and folded them neatly before placingthem in her suitcase. Maybe it was the association with the scenes in the movie,or the events the last few days, but they did bring out certain emotions asshe handled the clothes. She was glad Joe had ordered her to include them.

He came back into the bedroom. "Anything else?"

Darlene closed the top of her suitcase and handed it to Joe. "That's it,unless there's something left in the kitchen?"

He shook his head. "We'll be back before the place is demolished. I'm goingto leave the food and utensils behind." He picked up her luggage. "Ready?"

"Ready." She slipped her arm through his as they walked out of the director'sliving quarters. "It's kind of a shame the place is being torn down," she saidas they walked down the hallway to the garage exit. "I'll have some specialmemories of it. Thanks, Joe, for bringing me here. And for everything else."

As they pulled away from the closed iron gates she took one last wistfullook at the hospital. Two days hadn't been enough; two weeks wouldn't havebeen enough. She turned on the radio and started to hunt for a good station.She still one more day with him before going back to work.

In daylight the scenery was every bit as uninteresting as in the dark. Itwas over an hour before they passed the first town and got onto the interstate.

There were so many questions left unanswered about the weekend. During alull in the conversation Darlene decided to confront the most immediate oneright away. "Joe, are you going to drop me off at my apartment, or are we goingto your house first?" She dreaded spending the night alone. She didn't wantto leave his side, not for a minute.

He didn't answer immediately. Traffic was light, but she didn't want to distracthim while driving. The expression on his face was hard to make out.

"Is there anything you need at the apartment?" He finally asked her.

Answering a question with a question didn't exactly tell her what she reallywanted to know. "Something to wear for work tomorrow, I can't think of anythingelse."

"Okay, we'll stop there first and you can get whatever you need before wego home. We'll move the rest of your stuff this coming weekend."

That was simple, she was moving in with him. I wonder when he plannedto tell me. Still she had to ask, "Uhh, Joe? I can keep theapartment if you want. In case…"

"No." He didn't let her finish. "Besides, what would people think? I'd bethe laughingstock of the office if everyone knew my wife preferred to livein her own place."

Darlene stared at him, eyes wide in shock. Wife? What does he mean? Shedidn't know what to say. Was he joking?

"Open the glove compartment. There's a white box in there." She took it out. "Lookinside."

The ring was a band of gold, with a solitaire diamond mounted on it. "Nowput it on. Left hand, you know which finger. I hope I got the size right."

Moving in a daze she did as he told her, slipping it on her finger and holdingit up to the sunlight. "It's beautiful!" Tears welled up in her eyes. "ButI can't…"

"The ceremony is in six weeks. You meet with the wedding planner tomorrowafternoon to go over the plans. I'm putting you in charge of all the details.All I want to know is when and where to show up. Any problem with that?"

"No, no problems. Umm, should I say yes?" She wiped her eyes. From the wayhe talked it appeared to be a fait accompli ; whethershe liked it or not the marriage was going to happen. If he was proposing itwas the strangest way she had ever seen.

"Not necessary, it wasn't presented in the form of a question. You're myresponsibility now. I've decided it's in your best interest to marry me. Selfish,but then I think you are well aware I can be self-centered when it suits me."

And that ended the discussion. She had intended her initial question to bea subtle way to find out if he wanted her to move in. Instead she found herselfengaged and about to be immersed in all the work that went along with a formalwedding.

The sunlight gleamed off her ring. If she held it just right she could seea rainbow pattern. The more selfish he was, the better off she seemed to be.Joe and Darlene Riordan, Mr. and Mrs. Riordan , it hada nice rhythm. "As far as I'm concerned Joe, you can be selfish all the time."