Note: I am David Punter who wrote the story "Tied Up For The Day" in the BDSM section - but I forgot my password! Hope you enjoy this story and please give feedback, and vote too!
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If she was honest, Kate was pretty fed up and bored. No, make that very fed up and very bored. But she was shy and quiet, even with her husband Ed. Even after seven years together she didn't usually say what she felt. It wasn't as though she wasn't an attractive woman, although Ed had ceased to comment on the fact. She was good looking, curved in the right places, but generally felt less attractive than she actually was. Ed had given up on the compliments, not because he no longer loved her, but because he felt she didn't believe him. Like so many, she lacked any sense of her own beauty and worth.
Mind you, Ed was the same, only a little more confident than his wife. They were known to their few friends as "the quiet ones". Not given to partying. Very conservative in dress and taste. Never heard to swear or even make the odd critical comment. In fact rarely heard to say anything
But Kate was close to saying something today. Or doing something rash. Anything to relieve the boredom.
She had nearly said something yesterday but she had bitten her tongue. It would just be a moan and would only make things worse. After all, it had been her idea to come on the cruise and it was a gift from her pop that had paid for it. If she complained now Ed would say it was her idea and their relationship would be even cooler for the rest of the trip.
But here they were, three weeks into a six week cruise that should be the trip of a lifetime and they were both bored. They should have been enjoying it, of course, but once the novelty had worn off in the first few days, nothing seemed especially exciting . Lots of days at sea and not enough to do. They had both forgotten to bring something to read - War and Peace might have helped - and although there was plenty of organised "fun", none of it appealed to their reserved natures. They were not the type to sit in front of the television but there wasn't one anyway. This was a holiday for extroverts and they were totally out of place.
Of course they could sunbathe but Kate wasn't keen to even show a knee or an elbow in public, let alone sit in public gaze in a bikini. She hadn't even brought one on the trip. Why had they come?
Kate was reflecting on this when the woman from the couple at their dinner table suddenly said "So... are you going to the magic show later tonight?"
Ed waited for the predictable negative response and was surprised to hear his wife say "Yes."
Almost as though she had sworn in front of royalty, Kate immediately blushed and lowered her head but looked at her husband. "Er,, that's if you..."
"Er.. I... Yes, I guess it might be interesting." He was not sure himself, but it might relieve the boredom, which was why Kate's "no" had turned into a surprising "yes."
The woman's husband saw the discomfort in their companions' responses and sought a way to ease the mood. "I hear he's very good. Got on at the last port of call. Apparently he basically does a one-night slot on cruise ships - jumps from ship to ship you might say. Just does the one night and then moves to the next ship at the next port."
His wife backed up her husband's attempt to raise the mood. "Should be great fun. We could call for you at 9 o'clock and go together. What's your cabin number?"
Kate felt trapped. It seemed stupid but she had already decided that having said "yes" they could just stay in their cabin anyway. Now it would be rude to turn down this offer.
"That would be okay, I guess." said Ed, feeling the same way. "171"
"Oh, we're in 161 just down the corridor and round the corner." glowed the woman.
Kate shuddered inside. She had not wanted to make friends on the trip.
The man offered a hand to Ed. "Tom Rhodes. And this is Ellie."
Ed nodded. He knew he should have said something but his shyness had really kicked in now.
"And you are..." encouraged Ellie.
"Er... Ed and Kate."
Tom pushed his chair back. "Nine o'clock, then. 171." As he stood up he leant forward conspiratorially and whispered in Ed's ear. "They say this magician guy has a gorgeous assistant. Great tits."
It was a stage whisper and Kate heard it too. She felt herself redden and she inserted a finger into her collar as though to loosen it, which although high was not really tight.
Tom failed to detect the awkwardness and left the table. Ellie followed. Ed and Kate said nothing.
When Tom and Ellie called later, Kate had changed from her dinner dress into something more comfortable. It was hot and she had put on a wrap-around skirt and a t-shirt, two of the more brightly coloured items among the clothes she had bought. As she opened the door she wondered if maybe she should still be wearing her dress for the "show" but noted with relief that Ellie was wearing something similar, although her skirt was much shorter. The other difference was that Kate felt self-conscious in her t-shirt - her largish breasts seemed too visible even though she knew the t-shirt was not that tight. She hated drawing attention to them and she had added a cardigan.
"Hi, Kate" gushed Ellie. "My, you must have cold blood... or a cold cabin. It's too warm for cardigans tonight."
Like many times in her life, Kate felt trapped. Take it of and feel embarrassed or leave it on and seem rude. But she kept it on.
They made their way to the on-board theatre where a sizable crowd had filled the auditorium. The lights were dim and the noise of the PA was loud and made conversation difficult. So Ed and Kate found it impossible to argue - not that they would - when Tom and Ellie led them down to the centre of the front row, the only place where they could find four seats together.
The lights dimmed further and the show began. The magician was surprisingly good and Ed and Kate found themselves relaxing. Undemanding entertainment they could relax and enjoy. No conversation needed either. It was very hot, especially so close to the stage lights, and in the darkness Kate felt able to discretely slip off her cardigan.
At a brief lull in the show Ed was pondering that the gorgeous assistant with the "big tits" hadn't appeared yet, when some stage hands brought on a large upright box, probably big enough to hold a person comfortably. He was surprised to find himself getting mildly excited at the prospect that the glamourous assistant was inside, and especially if she wore little clothing, like many such magician's ladies.
He was not disappointed. After showing an apparently empty cabinet and closing the doors, the magician threw them open again to reveal a very sexy woman wearing just a gold bikini and high heels.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my beautiful assistant Lara." declared the magician with a flourish. There was enthusiastic applause and some wolf whistles. "Now I need some help from a young lady in the audience. Lara, please select someone."
The beautiful Lara ran gracefully down some steps at the side of the stage, looking for her "victim". To Kate's horror, Lara grabbed her hand and within a moment she was being pulled from her seat and towards the steps. She started to protest. "No, I...." but her hesitant words were lost in loud applause. This was her worst nightmare. But while she was too shy to get on stage in front of an audience, she was also too shy to protest further.
As Lara let go of her hand and left the stage, the magician took Kate's other hand and turned her to face the audience. She was slightly relieved to discover that the dark auditorium and bright stage lights combined to render the crowd almost invisible, except of the first row or two. She could make out Ed and their new "friends". Ed wasn't smiling but his eyes were very wide. He looked shocked and paralysed.
"Now, my dear, what's your name?"
"Er...em... Kate." she whimpered.
"Speak up. Everyone wants to know the name of such a beautiful specimen of womanhood."
"Kate." she said, only slightly louder.
"Well, Kate, I won't ask your cabin number. After seeing you up here you might have lots of gentlemen callers."
Kate was already considering staying in the cabin for the rest of the cruise.
"Now, beautiful Kate, I need your help with the next part of the show. You aren't claustrophobic are you?"
Kate shook her head meekly. She knew that even if she had been, she would have still not admitted it.
There was gentle laughter from the audience, as though they had picked up her nervousness and wanted to affirm her.
