The trapdoor creaked open with the heavy resistance you would expect of a door long hidden. Jenna peered down into the dark room below. The smell of dust and stale air rose up to meet her, laced with something a little sweeter. The inky blackness of the room covered the bottom of the step ladder. It looked very much like a secret room someone forgot about. 

This was her first time in this building, and it was only by chance that her foot tripped on the edge of the carpet to reveal this door. The keys from the realtor jingled in her pocket as she had explored what could be her new bar. Now, she wondered if she had found something more. 

Lifting her phone like a torch she descended into the darkness, holding tightly to the rungs of the ladder so she didn’t fall into the unknown below. The descent was shorter than she thought as her sneakers touched the dirt floor waiting at the bottom. She swept the beam of light around the room. 

The room was longer than she imagined, stretching back beyond the meager light of her phone’s flashlight. Barrels lined the walls stacked two high on either side. She reached out and ran her hands over the old writing, labeling each cask as some type of alcohol, mostly wines, and a few whiskeys. As she made her way down the row she realized why this room existed. The building she was in must have served as some type of speakeasy in the 20s. 

Walking down the aisle she felt like she was going back in time. As she reached the end of the chamber the walls felt closer and she was a little dizzy. She couldn’t see the ladder anymore. In front of her were a table and chair. She sat down for a minute to clear her head, resting her phone on the edge with the light facing upward. 

On the heavy looking table in front of her was an old fashioned oil lamp and an ancient book encased in dark leather. An old fashioned feather quill and ink pot were dried up, resting to the side. Maybe this room was older than she thought, there were certainly pens in the 1920s. 

Gently lifting the cover of the book she felt the pages crinkle as they parted. The scent of old books filled the air in front of her face as she ran her fingers over the first few pages. Neatly written rows of numbers flowed over the unlined pages. Dates, times, and what appeared to be counts of the goods that surrounded her. A little further on were what appeared to be recipes. A stained red ribbon stuck out halfway through. Grasping it, she gently turned to the marked page. 

The numbers were gone and there were images of ropes. Illustrations of different types of ropes and knots. Each one more intricate than the last. Like a sailor had started to record all the different tying methods. Or a very overzealous ancient Boy Scout. 

Curious, she turned the pages and the knots gave way to new illustrations of people. They weren’t very detailed but they seemed to depict people tied up with the various types of knots. She leaned closer, fascinated by this bizarre collection of images that slowly progressed into a kama sutra of bondage. Her face burned from embarrassment but she couldn’t look away. Her head started to swim again as the dizziness got worse. What kind of place was this? 

Suddenly her phone’s light went out and the room was thrown into darkness. It must’ve timed out, she thought to herself as she groped for it in the dark. Finding it, she pressed the button and tapped the screen, but the light stayed out. The phone was dead. 

Her breath quickened as she tried not to panic. It was very straightforward. Just walk up the row and back to the ladder. The trapdoor was still open so she would see it as soon as she got closer. Her head suddenly felt like it was splitting open from a sudden headache and she briefly rested it on the table. 

Suddenly, the headache cleared and she felt completely normal. The air seemed lighter and less stale. Standing up, she used her hands to find a wall of barrels and started to make her way back in the direction of the exit. Abruptly she stopped. There was a light making its way toward her, flickering in the complete darkness. Her heart was in her throat as it moved closer. There was nowhere to hide in this room so whoever it was would surely find her. She hoped it was the realtor, coming by to check on her. 

As the light approached it became clear that it was not the young realtor she had met the previous day. It was a tall man, maybe 6’4, holding an oil lamp in his left hand. The light flickered off his shockingly handsome face and she could see his dark hair and dark beard clearly. 

“Ah, Elizabeth. This is where you been hiding. Overeager for our next lesson, I take it.” His voice was deep and rich as it slid over her in the darkness. She didn’t know who Elizabeth was, but at that moment she wanted to be her. 

“I… I don’t know….” she started to say, but he quickly moved up close to her and put a rough hand over her mouth. The heat of his body was intense and he smelled like spices and water. She looked into his hazel eyes and completely forgot what she meant to say. 

“You know better. Don’t make me gag you,” he said and let his hand fall. He turned away to put the lamp on the table and go to one of the barrels in the corner. 

Obviously, she wasn’t supposed to speak to this stranger. But by now she was very confused and also unbelievably intrigued. Something seemed different about the room, now that she had some light back. The barrels didn’t seem as old, and the dust wasn’t as heavy. They were also standing on a large oriental rug that covered the floor under the table and extended out several feet. 

Watching him carefully, he took several lengths of rope and other items she couldn’t quite see out of the barrel and laid them on the chair. Then in one motion he reached up and removed his billowing white shirt. 

His back was strong and tanned but crisscrossed in scars and markings. She watched as the muscles strained and his rough hands worked the ropes he had taken from the barrel. Turning back to her, she enjoyed the strong curve of his biceps and the lean hardness of his upper body. 

His face looked disappointed. His hazel eyes frowning at her, “Ah Elizabeth, why do you make me wait.”

She was so intoxicated by the sight of him she barely moved as he came and lifted her t-shirt over her head. When the air hit her bare skin she seemed to come to her senses a little bit.

“What is going on he-“ But before she could get the rest of it out, he had inserted a red piece of silk in her mouth and fastened it behind her head.

“You seemed like you might be in a chatty mood. The only input I want from you is a nod, a shake, or any noises you can’t control understand?” 

She nodded slowly. Whatever was happening she was confused, excited, and so undeniably turned on by this stranger. He didn’t seem like he was trying to hurt her or Elizabeth, whoever she was. If anything this seemed like some kind of game they play. Maybe he was the writer of the book. The thought gave her another wave of desire and excitement.

She shivered as he ran his hands down her bare back and unhooked her bra. His hands lingered over her skin and she leaned her upper body back against his warm chest. 

“I will never understand women’s fashion,” he said, almost to himself before biting her hard on the shoulder. She jumped, and let out a small moan.

He chuckled darkly to himself and began to pull off her pants sliding them down over her hips and thighs, but leaving her panties in place. He moved around to the front of her and ran a hand over breasts. 

In response, she reached out her hands and ran them over his chest, fingers lingering above his pants. He caught her hands in his and she could feel the callouses of hard work. Holding her wrists together, he grabbed a rope from the chair and quickly bound her hands together in front of her with one of the fancy knots. 

She tried to say something but the gag held back her words. The rope dug gently into her wrists but wasn’t too tight. The combination was exciting for her. She had never been tied up before but had always wanted to try it. He drew her in by the knot. 

She raised her lips expectantly, hoping for a kiss. He leaned in towards her, but at the last moment turned her so she faced the table. Pushing her down so her stomach and chest rested on the table, he reached his hand over her and hooked the rope on a latch under the table. She was stuck laid over the table, her ass in the air like an offering. 

He ran his hand down her neck and back, coming to rest on her hip. She heard him give a sigh of pleasure immediately before he smacked her on her ass. She jolted at the motion and gave a little yelp that was stifled by the silk in her mouth. 

He laughed. “Now, what should I do with such a perfect display before me?” 

She couldn’t speak so she moaned into the silk, quite sure he could do whatever he wanted and she’d love it. She tried to look behind her and could barely glimpse him taking off his pants. She felt his hands return and start to pull down her panties. 

The motion made her writhe her hips in anticipation. She felt him place the tip of himself at her wet opening and tried to push back to meet him, going up on her tiptoes. He immediately pulled back and she made an impatient noise.

“You haven’t remembered your lessons, have you? Patience.” 

She felt him move away from behind her and come back. Suddenly several soft pieces of fabric touched her back. It felt like a mop or something. Craning her head, she could barely see the ends of a leather whip with several strands. Cat o’ nine tails she thought to herself. 

The strands gently caressed her back and she shivered as the warm leather touched her skin. It was like multiple fingers touching her at the same time. He ran it down her back twice, the second time moving it all the way down her leg. He raised it up to do it again and snapped it to bring it down on her ass.

She jerked against the restraints as the pain flashed through her. It was momentary, but it was there. He struck her again and she felt the sting of it. After the second strike, she felt him move the handle between her legs, moving it back and forth, teasing her lips. Her breath caught and she moved her hips against it, forgetting the sting from the whip.

He stopped and she heard him set the whip down next to her hip on the table. 

“Still so greedy. I guess I have to tie your legs too.”

He grabbed more rope from the barrel and completed another complicated set of knots, different from the first. Leaning down he secured each of her legs to each of the table legs. With her legs tied to the table and her wrists hooked underneath, she can barely move at all. 

He picks the whip back up and gives her three quick slaps with it across her ass. She whimpers slightly, and he groans in response. Grabbing her hips with both hands, he kneels and licks her dripping opening with one quick motion. 

The quick change from pain to pleasure is intoxicating. His hands squeeze harder as he gently probes her with his tongue. She moans against the silk in her mouth trying not to make too much noise. The sensation is incredible as he works his tongue back and forth, while his hands painfully grip her hips.

Her hips push back into him and she moans louder as she feels the pleasure start to rise up inside her. He moves his mouth quicker, and just as she is about to come, he pulls back. This time the whimper is from frustration.

He moves back behind her and she can feel him start to slowly press himself inside. Suddenly, the whip snaps across her back and she cries into the silk. It comes down again and as it hits her, he forces himself completely inside of her. 

Squirming on the table, she feels her body try to adjust to his size. He seems impossibly wide, and it is almost painful. She feels like her body will explode just from all the sensations. He draws back slowly out of her, almost completely away from her body, before slamming back in at the last second.

The force of the second thrust was enough to send her over the edge, as her body tightens around him in orgasm. She moans into the silk as her legs shake in response. 

Coming to her senses a bit she can hear him chuckling. She moans more as his body shakes, as it is still buried deep inside her. He draws out again and begins a slow rhythm that is also cruel in its pace. Her body, still not recovered from the last round starts to respond all over again, small moans escaping around the edge of the silk.

He lays the whip across her back and presses down on either side so the strands press deep. It is a different kind of pain, but she barely registers it as he continues to move inside her in a painfully slow motion. If she could move she would’ve been speeding things along with her own movement. But she is helpless at the mercy of his slow and torturous determination.

She closes her eyes and moans long and low into the silk, knowing there is nothing she can do.

“Do you want an end to this?” he whispers down to her. 

She nods vigorously and tries to say please.

“Have you learned a lesson today?” 

She nods again, thinking she would agree to anything to make this stop. She will probably go mad if this continues much longer.

His hands grab her hips and he starts to thrust faster, picking up the pace with each motion. Each stroke, getting deeper as her breathing gets heavier. She is practically panting on the table as he mercilessly continues. 

She can feel the wave of pleasure coming over her and does nothing to stop it. She comes screaming into the cloth as he follows two seconds later, filling her up with his release. Her head swims from the pleasure, making her dizzy. Instead of fighting it, she allows herself to pass out on the table.

**********************

The light from the window is startlingly bright as it lands on Jenna’s face, she is laying on the oriental rug. Blinking rapidly, she tries to sit up and get her bearings. She is surrounded by a few old barstools and some tipped over tables. She is in a dusty old bar on the far side of town.

Her head starts to clear as she realizes that this is the bar that she was looking at buying, and today was the day she decided to come to check it out. The realtor had left the keys at her office yesterday.

But how did she end up on the rug? She didn’t even remember coming to this place. Although now that she was here, she really loved the place. It was the perfect place for a bar, or maybe even a club if she could come up with a clever theme. Maybe if she stayed long enough she could find some inspiration. 

That was for another day, she decided. This place was her’s. The sooner she could get to the realtor’s office and put in an offer, the happier she would be. She went to the door to lock up and head out. 

As she stood she realized her back was sore. Reaching back under her t-shirt she felt several long welts rising from the skin there. As her fingers moved over them, she was surprised to feel a thrill of pleasure all over her body, and she could swear she heard a man chuckling in the next room.