Chapter 18
Once through the gates of the high walled compound, the days work became obvious. The roof looked to have all its tiles in place, with little silver brackets to house solar panels spaced along it, and the ground floor windows now had glass in them. The dug up channel across the courtyard had been filled in and the mound of rocks had disappeared from sight.
Tess followed Ingrid out of the motorhome being cautious on the steps as she set foot on the ground.
"We have a working toilet and an electric water pump." Ally bragged. "Yes you heard me right. We have electricity."
Ally skipped to the side of the main building and pointed to a generator and battery cluster on the ground with wires leading to and from it.
Tess only had one thing on her mind.
She ignored Ally's rejoicing and shuffled over to the old ammunition store where at least six inches of stone now lined the walls of the dugout pit. Once through the wrought iron gates, she had to turn sideways to walk down the significantly narrowed staircase, breathing in the musty smell of drying mortar from the thick walls as she descended the crammed passageway.
The room opened out into an eight foot by ten foot, roofless chamber housing no apparent features other than two, low down gleaming chains set into the back wall, greeting her as she entered.
Ally hurried around the top of the walls to get through the bared gates of the old ammunition store and join her down in the open-air room.
Surprised by the narrow girth of the staircase, he also had to turn sideways to skip down, but turned to walk normally as the room opened out and the feminine form of Tess's crouching behind, greeted him.
With the manacles around her wrists still unattached to each other, she fingered the first low lying chain she came to, tugging at the security where it appeared through the cement from behind the heavy bricks of the wall.
"Hey. Be careful with them." Ally said approaching the back wall. "The mortar mix might not have fully set yet."
Tess let the length of chain hang back down to the ground again and spun her head around to see Ally standing next to her.
"Definitely don't touch these ones." He said.
From her crouched position Tess watched his fingers gently take the weight of a single chain link hanging out of the wall in front of his face. She needed to stand and have a closer look.
"I didn't notice that one." She replied positioning her head in front of his to see only half of the chain's adjoining link protruding through the cement in the wall. Terrified by the short and extremely restrictive objective of this individual feature, horrified her that it had been placed at this height to attach the dreaded collar that she hugely feared he still intended using on her.
"Yes, these are from the last chain to be put in, so probably won't be set until morning."
Tess looked across the wall, slightly past Ally, conscious of his reasoning for looking away whilst speaking to her. There she saw a matching ringlet hanging down out of the wall, no less than two feet away.
Praying that the only logical reason he'd requested two of these to be placed in his dungeon, would be for him to shackle her wrist cuffs.
This crucial snippet of information, gave her the urge for immediate clarification.
"Are those for my wrists?" She suggested, throwing away any mention of her worst neck collar fears by pointing towards the second ringlet in the wall. With her shaking fingers she reached up to gently touch the other sole free chain link protruding from the joint in the brickwork.
"Whooa." Ally said quickly stepping forward to make sure she didn't disturb the fresh cement.
"I'll be careful." She assured him, turning her back against the wall and holding her hands out in line with her shoulders, not quite high enough to reach where they would be locked. "A little higher I know, I'm just getting a feel for it. Don't worry I won't touch." Her head looked left, right and above. "Is this what you want?" she asked, distracting him into never considering the collar by giggling her newly enhanced cleavage in front of his face.
Ally stood speechless, admiring her willingness to take the initiative of pleasing him by asking. Tess knew his body language by now and allowed herself to go limp in his arms after he flung them around her back and took her weight. Tess breathed out through her nose and giggled aloud through her mouth. "You're such a big softie aren't you?" she laughed. "Promise me you'll never hurt me."
Ally grabbed the back of her ponytail, inhaled a lung full of her intoxicated alcoholic breath and looked her lovingly in the eyes. "Nobody will ever hurt you." He replied, "You are far too precious to me for that to happen. Let me be the one who provides for you and looks after you, and I'll keep you safe from any injustice out there." He said, pointing generally in the direction of Tiout, the closest town outside of the fortifications. "Just promise me you won't step outside these walls without me being with you. Because I warn you, on your own, especially looking like you do, you'll be snatched up and taken away in no time, even by the police."
"I know. I won't." Tess replied. "I've had a taste of that already, remember."
Tess looked down at the lower chains that hung to the floor. "Are those supposed to be positioned for my feet?"
"Something like that, yes." He explained, "You see I couldn't let the contractors know my ulterior motive so I had to tell them that the chains were for securing gas bottles."
"Ha ha ha. That's funny. You comparing my legs to gas bottles." she chuckled, looking back up at him. "So just remind me exactly what it is you want from me in return?" her drunken mind demanded, putting him on the spot. "Because if I'm going to be spending time down here, then we need a safe word."
Ally found an amusing escape from answering the intoxicated girl's question when she touched her nose against his and tilted her head sideways, causing the horizontal line of their eyes to go all awry and lopsided. She knew exactly the sexual duties she'd be required to comply with, but her inebriated imagination wanted gratification by hearing him saying it to her once again.
The mere thought of him fulfilling this incredibly bold and mutual fantasy of theirs, began to turn her on. Unable to wait for him to describe how he wanted her to be his obedient wife in chains, she held his head tightly and planted her open lips on his.
Ally used the time wisely to think about his response.
"Put your hands behind your back." He said, almost speaking directly into her mouth having his still in such close proximity.
"How about NO?" she shockingly replied.
Blaming the alcohol, Ally gave a little leeway for her abnormal bravery. "Did you just say no?"