Continuing misadventures of plucky amateur sleuth, and professional submissive, Tess.
Disclaimer: Any resemblance to any persons who actually exist is purely coincidental.
-X
"Cannibals?" Tess repeated, staring in shock at the man sat across from her.
The pub was not crowded mid-week but was noisy enough that they could have their conversation without fear of being overheard.
Mark was sat next to her, sniggering quietly into his pint.
Simon, sat opposite, was grinning at her in delight.
The man, Mr Reece, (who Simon said was not actually his boss, except on a temporary basis), was nodding at her seriously.
"Well, yes," he said, clearly uncomfortable.
Tess frowned and wrinkled her nose in disgust. This was clearly too much for Simon who tipped his head back and laughed out loud.
"I don't find this amusing, Hinder," Mr Reece snapped out, and Simon immediately sobered his expression.
"I'm sorry, Sir," he said, contrite, "it just seems so unlikely."
"And this man is sure?" Tess asked.
Mr Reece had told them of a report from a member of the public, who feared he had gotten in over his head with a group of people who enjoyed sexual perversions.
Tess and Mark were no strangers to that which many would consider perverted, but this group enjoyed role play based around the idea of roasting willing victims.
The group who were unknown even to each other, apart from to their leader, would regularly recruit a submissive or two, men and women, via the paper and go off for a weekend jolly.
Out in the woods they would build a fire and tie their volunteers to a pole, then pretend to roast them while getting hammered and telling tall tales.
The whistle blower had admitted that these weekends had been taking place for over three years and no one had been harmed, but he was starting to feel more and more uncomfortable.
A couple of times recently they had engaged submissives who had seemed a little too willing to be sacrificed.
The group leader had seemed a little too enthused, and a couple of the subs had been slightly singed through being tied too close to the flames.
The concerned informant was a butcher by trade, and it was his job to prepare the actual meal, which was always a hog roast.
He had lost some memories during more recent weekends and started to have nightmares that he could not recall.
The events were becoming wilder. The orgies that went on all night were rougher.
It was starting to feel very dark and dreamy.
When the group leader had arrived at his home unexpectedly one night and left him with a book on New Guinea and another on anatomy, suggesting that their period of play and practice was coming to an end, the man had panicked and gone straight to the police.
"And you believe him?" Tess asked.
"I believe that something is going on, and I suspect it has gone far enough," Mr Reece confirmed.
Simon leant forward, more serious now, "Our suspicion is that that members of this group are being drugged. If they are experiencing hallucinations and memory loss they could be putting themselves at risk."
He glanced at Mr Reece, then continued, "They also may not know they are being drugged. Our informant was adamant he had never knowingly taken any drugs."
"Whether drunk or drugged they are at risk," Mr Reece confirmed, "how long before someone stumbles into the fire pit, or break their neck wandering about in the woods at night?"
"Or gets bitten somewhere uncomfortable," Mark muttered to Tess.
"What was that?" Mr Reece demanded, as Simon pressed his lips together and looked away.
"I said that would be rather uncomfortable?" Mark said, raising his voice.
Simon, still avoiding eye contact with Mark (Tess sighed, the two of them were thick as thieves since becoming friends), shifted forward a little more, his voice lower now.
"Look. I don't buy into this cannibal business. I think Mr Reece's informant is letting his imagination run away with him. No one, even drugged, would allow something like that. But if people are being unknowingly drugged by the chap that runs the group we need to act."
He made eye contact with both of them now," We need to get someone in there."
"Why can't you do it?" Mark asked.
"I'm the control, and I doubt I could pull it off. They want submissives," he winked as Mark snorted into his beer, "Plus they have advertised for a couple."
"My informant has gone to ground," Mr Reece told them, "Will you try?"
Tess and Mark glanced at each other. No more was needed.
Another investigation with Simon at the helm, of course they would try.
"I have no idea if I can pull submission off," Mark admitted, "but I can follow Tess's lead there. We have to apply and pass the interview first. We will go for that and then decide."
"Fair enough," Simon nodded.
"Thank you," Mr Reece stood and shook hands with Mark and Tess, before nodding at Simon, "Keep me informed."
"Yes, Sir."
They watched Mr Reece leave before re-taking their seats.
Tess rolled her eyes as Mark and Simon took one look at each other and started laughing.
"Honestly," she chided, "can't you grow up?"
"I'm sorry," Mark said, clearly not sorry at all, "but I can't believe he's taking this seriously. Who is he?"
Simon shrugged, "He was my bosses mentor and that's the thing. He's getting on a bit, but I've been told his instincts were always 100%, no one better."
He sipped his drink, "The truth is I think this missing butcher believes the risk, and that's why Mr Reece is so concerned."
"Plus he's right," Tess added, "even if the idea of cannibals in England is utter tosh, this group leader is clearly taking advantage of people and possibly putting them in danger."
Mark nodded, "Well we can only do our best at getting the job, then we shall see."
-X
That night after Simon had gone home and Tess was snuggled in Mark's arms, safe, sore, and well used, she let her mind wander back over the early days of their friendship.
Tess and Mark had first met Simon at a club they sometimes frequented.
The owner had been delighted to recommend them to each other and Tess had been excited by how much freedom Mark had given Simon and had thoroughly enjoyed the evening.
They had parted company with no plans to meet again.
Three days later, Tess, having had her regular trim, had gone to meet Mark in the park and found him sat chatting to Simon.
Simon invited them to afternoon tea, and they had discovered that they had so much in common. Particularly regarding their sexual interests.
Of course Simon and Tess found each other attractive, but they were friends who enjoyed each other sexually rather than lovers.
Mark was the love of her life, and much more her type.
Tess had always been drawn to the dark, dangerous, and dominant. Mark's tanned skin, thick black hair and piercing green eyes were a drug to her. One look and she had been his.
Whereas Simon was lighter, with his honey gold hair and blue eyes. His deceiving aura of innocence.
Tess adored his body, something Mark had no problem with at all, but outside of the bedroom, dungeon (or wherever their nefarious activities were taking place), she felt quite sisterly towards him.
He was tremendously glorious to admire though and he had punished Tess on more than one occasion for calling him pretty.
That second meeting had led to them taking Simon home with them for the first time.
Tess had quickly been stripped by the two men, who were teasing and testing her as they pulled her clothing free, with kisses, light slaps, and pinches.
By the time her hands were pulled behind her back she was already sobbing and panting.
Mark had mercilessly pushed deep into her throat, even as Simon was still securing her wrists.
Tess was on her knees on the bed, Mark gripping her hair and fucking her mouth as Simon, holding her bound wrists in one hand, began to alternately spank her bum and finger her.
Moaning around Mark's cock, she had spread her knees and willingly given herself over to the two men.
Simon had forced three orgasms before Mark shot down her throat and Tess had collapsed on the bed, her bum glowing and bruised.
Simon had thanked her, kissed her, and left. Mark had left Tess in her restraints as he rolled her over and took what he jokingly called his husbandly rights.
That had been the start of Simon joining their games and becoming a good friend.
He had been interested in their unusual lifestyle.
Mark wrote pornographic romance that was published, mostly in South America and Asia, under a female pseudonym. He worked from home and considered his BDSM interests as much research as pleasure.
None of his work had ever been published in England, or even in English. Had he tried, he would have quickly fallen foul of the Obscene Publications Act, which had been introduced in 1959 on the very day they got engaged.
Tess had never worked officially.
Despite being a natural submissive, she had a low tolerance for rudeness and stupidity and had quickly discovered that an awful lot of people in managerial roles were both rude and stupid.
She had inherited a private income and would never want for money. She also considered herself quite lazy.
However, her laziness was often overridden by her inherent nosiness and sense of justice.
She had a reputation in their local area as a bit of an amateur sleuth and was known as Miss Marple since tracking down the person responsible for stealing the vicar's fishing tackle.
Simon had quickly taken advantage of their interest in solving mysteries and some exciting adventures had followed.
Tess sighed and snuggled closer to Mark. Running her hand gently over his arm where he had a scar having been shot during their last undercover investigation.
The bullet had only just caught him, but seeing Mark collapsed on the deck of the ship, covered in blood had terrified Tess.