Yeah. And as soon as I left, she'd be calling 911. She had no idea that it would do her no good. n.o.body moving about to answer 911 calls. I motioned for her to continue. Tears now falling like rain from her eyes.

She closed her eyes again and hooked her fingers into the waistband of her track pants. She slowly lowered them to her feet and stepped out of them. No panties either.

"Socks too."

She bent at her waist and peeled the woolen socks she was wearing from her feet. She had a nice body. Not unpleasant on the eyes at all. Especially for a recent mother.

"Turn around."

Her face flushed, but she did as she was told.

After a complete revolution I ordered her, "Kneel."

She fell to her knees on the tile.

"Please. What do you want?"

"I have what I want. You."

"Oh G.o.d. Please. I'm a recent mother. Have some mercy."

At her last words, I narrowed her time bubble and she lapsed into silence kneeling immobile on the floor. I wandered back to Amy and Elizabeth. They were both pulling on the chain holding them to the closet.

"She's a mother for Christ sakes." Elizabeth exploded. "Don't you have any compa.s.sion."

"I haven't hurt her yet."

"Making her worried sick about her kid and stripping her naked isn't hurting her?"

"Perhaps you'd like to join her?"

Elizabeth went white, but bravely continued. "I'm not a mother, but I am naked. I know what it feels like. Humiliation to the nth degree."

I began to free the girls from the connecting chain between them and the closet. Soon they were only held by the handcuffs behind their backs.

"Come on." I grabbed Elizabeth by the upper arm and propelled the struggling girl to the kitchen. Elizabeth stumbled along. Her eyes widened as she saw Karen kneeling on the kitchen tile. I sat her in a chair and began to tie her into it. Spreading her legs and tying them securely with the soft cord. Elizabeth squirmed but by now was used to being tied up in revealing positions. She cried out a bit as I tightened the rope on her right ankle. She squirmed in her ropes, but didn't complain. I knew that I had her a bit tighter than I normally would have tied her.

I wandered back to the front hallway. Amy was still standing there. Nude. Hands cuffed behind her. Waiting. I released the cuffs.

"Can I ask what you did to Elizabeth?"

I nodded. "She's just tied to a chair. Nothing bad."

"Are you going to hurt us? Her?"

"The ropes are probably uncomfortable."

"I see. What do you want me to do?" She was rubbing her wrists.

"Go upstairs. Get the baby. Be careful with her. I don't want her hurt. Her name is Autumn and I just want to scare the mother. That's all. Try not to wake her. You know how to carry a baby don't you?"

Amy nodded. "You are a b.a.s.t.a.r.d. You know that? Threatening a child."

"I just want the mother's cooperation for a few minutes. That's all."

"What are you going to do to her?"

"Make her scream."

"Oh G.o.d. That will wake the child you know?"

"Not if she's in slow time, it won't."

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d." Amy turned on her bare heel and headed upstairs. I followed. When we reached the baby's room, Amy walked in giving the typical female "Awwww. She's so cute."

"Go on. Get her. Try not to wake her up."

I released the sleeping child from the time block. She resumed breathing quietly.

Amy gathered the child, blankets and all, into her arms. Actually smiling. Probably forgotten the purpose of all this.

We returned to the kitchen.

Chapter 74.

Elizabeth's eyes widened as Amy and I walked into the kitchen. Amy was holding Autumn, still sleeping in her arms. I considered how best to proceed.

"Amy?" I addressed the nude girl softly. "Why don't you wait out by the stairs with Autumn. I'll call you when I need you. Try not to wake her."

Amy nodded and padded back out to the foyer, her bare feet whispering on the tile.

Elizabeth was looking up at me from her chair. "Please. You don't have to do any of this. Please let me out."

"Elizabeth, darling. This is just pure play time. I'm going to have some fun with you and Karen here. If you behave and obey, then you don't have to experience any punishment. After that, we go back to the house and you can do whatever you like. Honest."

"But the kid. How can you possibly justify that? It will kill her." Meaning Karen.

"It will frighten her. I have no intention of hurting the child. I'm not a complete monster."

"I can't make you change your mind? Can I?"

"You have no idea what an appealing picture you present. Naked and tied to that chair."

She squirmed. "Please. I'm uncomfortable. I'll do whatever you want without the ropes. I swear it."

"You'd torture this new mother?"

Elizabeth swallowed. "How?"

"You'd whip her b.r.e.a.s.t.s? Threaten her child?"

"Oh G.o.d. Leave me in the ropes. Please."

"Alright. I'm going to unfreeze Karen. It would be a really bad thing to wake up the baby. Let's see if we can keep her quiet. Okay?"

I concentrated and released the bare kneeling woman from her time prison. She snapped to life. Her eyes immediately taking in Elizabeth. Her eyes widened. Fear and confusion. Whatever she was planning on saying died on her lips.

She finally spoke from her knees. "Wh-what happened?" To her it would have looked like Elizabeth just appeared, nude and bound to the chair. Quite disconcerting I would imagine. "Are you some sort of magician? David Copperfield or something?"

Elizabeth spoke up from her chair. "Karen? That's your name, isn't it? Karen?" The naked woman on the tile just mutely nodded. She looked like she was fascinated that Elizabeth could even talk. That she wasn't some kind of pretty doll. "You have to listen to me, Karen. This guy. He's dangerous. He is sort of a magician. Christ, he sometimes can even tell what you are thinking. You have to listen to him. Do what he says. Karen. Honey. You are going to think you've gone to h.e.l.l. Believe me. He's going to ask you to do things that no sane woman would do. Please. No matter how insane it sounds. You have to do it. You couldn't imagine what he's capable of. He'll hurt you. Badly. But please. You have to just do it. Trust me. It will end. He'll let you go. Your daughter too. Just try and remember that. Whatever he makes you do. Can you do that Karen?"

Karen spoke softly from the floor to Elizabeth. "Please. My daughter."

Elizabeth spoke from her bonds. "Karen. Honey. You have to do what he says. He's a monster. Please. He will hurt you and your daughter if you don't do what he says."

Karen mutely nodded. "I'll do whatever he wants. I swear. Please. Can I see my daughter? Please?"

I finally spoke up. "Karen. Dear. I am going to let you see your daughter. But I don't want any funny business. She'll be fine if you behave."

"Oh G.o.d. Please. I'll do whatever you want. You can hurt me. You can even rape me. I don't care. Just don't hurt Autumn. Oh G.o.d." The tears began to run down her face again. Pitifully sobbing. I watched as Elizabeth cringed, afraid of what I was going to make this woman do for me. I really believed that Karen would do anything to protect her daughter.

"Amy? Come here a moment." I raised my voice slightly so the girl out by the stairs could hear me.

I watched as Karen's face registered confusion through her tears. Not realizing that there was yet another woman in the house with us.

I turned to the entrance of the kitchen as Amy walked gingerly through. She was cradling the infant against her bare breast. Trying her best not to wake the child.

Karen closed her eyes as though she was in pain. Perhaps the sight of Amy, a stranger, nude, cradling her child caused her distress. Not having the control of the situation to protect her daughter.

Without permission, the nude woman rose to her bare feet and practically ran across the kitchen. Whispering her daughter's name. She reached for the sleeping child which was so unaware of the drama taking place around it.

Amy looked at me, seeking permission to let Karen hold her child. I nodded and Amy carefully pa.s.sed the sleeping girl to her nude mother. Karen was openly weeping now. Her tears tracking down her cheeks. Nearly sobbing at the unfairness of it all. Having to seek someone's permission to hold her own child. Whispering that it would be all right. Convincing herself. Not understanding.

I walked over to the women. I carefully stroked Karen's long hair and she shuddered at the touch.

"Karen? You have to let her go. It's best for her. Okay?"

"Please don't do this?" she implored me. "You don't have to do this. You can just go. Leave me and Autumn. I swear. You can take whatever we have. I won't report it. I swear to G.o.d. I won't."

I actually believed her. If I left her and her daughter alone and took everything from her. She'd be happy. She actually wouldn't call it in. She wouldn't try and report it. Not that it would do her any good. But her intention was there. Her entire world was pressed against her chest. Quietly sleeping.

"Karen. I swear. If you do what you are told, I won't let any harm come to Autumn. She'll be fine. And if you behave yourself, you'll be fine as well."

"What do you want?" she asked me with trepidation in her voice.

"Right now? I need you to give Autumn back to Amy. That's all. We can't have our fun if you are holding her. And I really don't want to have to take her away from you. Might hurt the baby."

Karen gave her daughter one last soft hug and kissed the top of her head. She closed her eyes, tears still leaking from the corners. She carefully handed her child back to Amy who held the still sleeping child to her breast.

"Please. Take care of her? While I can't? Please?" Karen pleaded with Amy.

Amy replied as kindly as she could. "I'll take care of her as though she was my own. I swear it. She won't know any of this." Amy shot me a withering look. Hating me for doing this to this woman who didn't deserve this worry and pain.

"Karen? Go kneel over there. Okay?"

Through her tears, Karen managed to understand and walked slowly back to the other side of the kitchen, slowly sinking to her bare knees on the tile. Her eyes never leaving the child.

I whispered in Amy's ear. "Put her back in the crib and come back here."

"What if she wakes up?" Amy hissed.

"She won't."

Amy nodded. Understanding that I would slow Autumn's time bubble to prevent her from knowing anything about this horror that her mother was about to go through. Amy turned carefully and headed back upstairs, still holding the infant to her.

I turned back to the mother who was quietly weeping on her knees on the tile, her eyes lowered.

"Karen?"

She just continued to cry. I let her for a few minutes. The woman was going to need to cry more than once.

Elizabeth spoke up from the chair after a few minutes. "M-Master? Can a girl speak?"

I turned to Elizabeth. "What is it?"

She paled a bit but continued. "Please. I know that it probably won't do any good. But can I offer myself? I'll do whatever it is you want Karen to do. Let her go to her daughter. Please? I can't stand to watch this."

I walked over to the bound redhead and looked down at her. I bent and kissed her forehead. She let me. Hope shining in her eyes. Hope that I'd finally let her take someone else's pain. That she could feel good about herself; even if the agony that I inflicted on her was unbearable. Sometimes doing something, even something unpleasant, was preferable to seeing an innocent suffer.

"Elizabeth. Sweetheart. You know I can't let you do that."

I heard a soft voice from behind me. "Thank-you. G.o.d bless you for trying." It was Karen. Thanking Elizabeth for her chivalry. I pursed my lips and turned back to the woman on her knees. Her eyes had taken on a note of defiance. Elizabeth's brave offer seemingly bringing back Karen's spirit. Coaxing her to just endure this and get it over with.

She spoke to me from her knees. "Just do whatever it is you are going to do to me. Let's get this over with."

As she spoke. Amy walked back into the kitchen. Karen's eyes watched her enter. Hoping for some indication from the girl that her daughter was all right. Amy spoke to me softly. Karen could hear her from her position on the floor.

"Autumn is back in her crib. She was beginning to fuss a little in her sleep. She's going to be awake soon. But for now she's sleeping."

Karen spoke from the floor, entreating me. "Please. Have some compa.s.sion. Let me feed her, if she wakes. Please."

She wouldn't wake. But I turned slowly and looked at the woman on her knees. Tears forming in her eyes. Probably humiliated that she had had to beg to feed her daughter.