Birdcage

Hey all,

Bit of a longer one this time, to make up for my delay.

This will be a 13 chapter series I think, so buckle up.

Reminder to please vote, comment and leave feedback when/if you're able. It makes a huge difference to authors <3

Happy fapping,

G

Music I listened to writing this chapter:

Alt-J, Every Other Freckle

Alt-J, Breezeblocks

Alt-J, Deadcrush

(had an Alt-J week so kill me)

Vera Sola, The Cage

MISSIO, Bottom Of The Deep Blue Sea

Nothing But Thieves, Crazy

Fleurie, Sirens

Asknikko, Daisy

Hozier, NFWMB

*

Chapter 8. Suka

Joni woke the following day feeling strangely worse for a nights sleep. Her head throbbed and she felt parched. It was a welcomed sight when the Hands started bringing in breakfast trays of porridge, bottled water and dates. A feast compared to some meals they were served.

"Morning sunshine!"

Joni turned to see Marnie with tray in hand, her tangled hair falling in messy waves down her shoulders and her eyes still dark with last nights makeup.

"Hey!" Joni felt herself lighten; the darkness of the previous day washing off her at the sight of Marnie's bright smile.

"Wow. Good batch today guys!" Marnie held the spoon of her porridge and tipped the bowl over on itself. The contents didn't move.

"I really do worry about what this does to our insides." Joni grinned back, trying to wrestle her spoon free of the mixture.

"J? You've been...weird lately. Is everything ok? What was that shit in the club? And with the white knight? Can you...talk?"

Joni slid her tray to the end of her bed and brought her knees up to her chest.

"I wish I could Marn, I would give anything to talk to you about this right now...it's all fucked. Like even more than usual."

"Okay...so how about you start with the white knight. You saw him?" Marnie lowered her voice to a whisper, checking over her shoulder that nobody was sitting too close.

"Yes..."

"Okay. So like who is he? Is he hot?"

"Yer...you thought so too. You know him."

"What?!" Marnie swung her legs over her bed, and moved to sit next to Joni.

"Okay...so you remember that night when you slept with the trans guy? You said you saw someone outside the lounge...you called him 'dark, dangerous and A+ fuckable'...do you remember? You've seen him a hundred times Marn."

Marnie eyes darted around the floor for a moment as she searched her memory. Her eyebrows were knitted tightly up, but after several seconds her eyes widened and she gasped loudly.

"Joni! Are you kidding? Him? But he's..."

"Yer I know...and I like him Marn. I think I really like him. And he likes me."

"Mindfuck J. How did this happen?"

"I don't even know. But he's...good. He's not like the others. And now we're trying to figure out...how...to do that thing I said I wanted to do, that you never wanted me to."

"You mean?-"

"SHH! Don't Marn." Joni pressed her palm to Marnie's mouth for a moment, containing the incriminating words.

"But...how?"

"I don't know yet. We're figuring it out...for all of us. Marn I'm sorry, I've been desperate to talk to you." Joni's eyes filled with tears, and the first rolled unhindered down her cheek, settling into the corner of her mouth.

"It's ok J. You're ok." Marnie slung her tiny arms around her and held her there while the other tears fell.

"What I said before...it still stands J. It's too dangerous. We can't." She spoke quietly, her face still buried in Joni's neck as they embraced.

"With his help though...I think we can."

Marnie gripped Joni's hand tightly in hers and squeezed.

Before she could say any more, the door had swung wide open and the guard on the other side of it beckoned her up. She stuffed 2 dates in her mouth and joined him.

- - -

Joni sat back into the moulded chair, the metal cool against the backs of her thighs. She shifted uncomfortably. Her stomach turned at the thoughts of answering 2's questions again. Despite her advice for Joni to 'sleep on it' she hadn't actually used any of that time to conjure up a better reply than 'I don't know what you're talking about'. Joni had the feeling that 2 wouldn't take that answer as well as she had the first time.

In front of her was a sleek laptop. It was turned away but she could see the bright blue light reflected in the glossy shine of 2's chair. For a small moment Joni considered tiptoeing around the desk. She was sure that there had to be something of use on there; an email trail? A map location? A contact list? Her muscles flexed involuntarily towards the desk and she leaned forward an inch, her heart beating wildly in her chest.

"Hello again slave." 2's voice was deafening as she swung open the door and breezed into the office. Taking her place at the desk, she slammed the laptop lid down shut and smiled at Joni.

"I have some wonderful news."

Joni's blood cooled in her veins. Any news that 2 considered good was surely anything but.

"I have spoken with my colleagues, and we have made the decision to remove you from the care of 4. We feel that with the allegations against him, and our ongoing investigation, he doesn't need to also bear the burden of a virgin. There's a lot involved in a sale such as yours."

Joni's heart stopped altogether now. The image of Henri hung up in shackles briefly crossed her mind, and then the image of him cuffed to the bed in the white room, as she had been. Her mouth hang limply open as 2 continued to speak.

"The good news is that you will now be under my care! As we have had dealings in the past, we felt it appropriate. I will expedite the proceedings of your sale, and after we have some final identity documents arranged for you, you will be on your way...isn't that marvellous."

2 crossed one long leg over the other and leaned back into her chair. Her grin infuriated Joni, and she had to snap her mouth shut to hold back the words that threatened to escape. She took a steadying breath and arranged her face into a small polite smile.

"Is that all Mistress?" She used the words she had heard others speak to the female heads before. Drawing back her anger into herself, containing it as much as she could.

2's face paled and a thunderous expression glazed over it as Joni had seen before. Once more she took a second to compose herself, and then she stood, brushing out the wrinkles in her pencil skirt.

"Yes slave. That's all for right now. You will play chaperone to one of my clients this evening. He is attending one of our events, and likes to have a girl to escort. He asks for naive, and it seemed a job that would suit you. I expect your best behaviour of course...and Joni, I am not 4. If you cross me, you will receive more than a few light spanks on your pale little arse...GUARD."

Joni jumped in her seat as 2 shouted the last word. She cast her one more glance and was led roughly up and out of the room.

As she exited, another guard was leading a small ebony skinned boy into the room after her. He had a bewildered look on his face, and his eyes searched hers frantically as their shoulders brushed. It was clear he was new; the 'standard issue' brown sack they were gifted on arrival told her that. Joni felt a surge of sadness for him, and her chest tightened as the door was slammed behind her. She knew the fates awaiting those who came into this place now, all too well.

- - -

Joni was usually given her outfit to dress herself, however this time one of the Hands approached her and started peeling down the dress off her shoulders.

"Thank you, but I can do it myself." Joni whispered politely, her eyebrows knitted together. She wondered if the girl was new.

"No Miss, you will need help. Let me." The Hand unzipped the garment bag to reveal a tangled mess of glossy black leather and several flashes of silver. Joni sighed, nodded, and allowed her to continue to slip the dress down, letting it fall in a puddle at her feet.

When she looked in the mirror next, she gasped. Rarely was she shocked anymore by the indecent outfits they put her in, but this one was different. It was even worse than she had imagined when she had seen it hanging up. It consisted of a bodysuit, made up of leather straps criss-crossed tightly down her body. At seemingly random intervals, there were small decorative silver buckles, and at her throat was a thin silver collar, with a ring pull hanging at the front. The boots matched the bodysuit; another series of leather straps lacing up her legs, stopping mid thigh. The only saving grace was that two slightly thicker straps across her breasts covered her nipples, and the straps around her inner thighs and hips didn't chafe nearly as much as she thought they would. Her hair was pulled into a severely high ponytail that made her head ache, and both her eyes and lips were heavily coated in dark vampy makeup.

"Are you kidding me?" She spoke mostly to her own reflection, but the Hand kindly patted her shoulder and assured her she 'looked badass'.

- - -

When Joni arrived at the doorway of the 'event', her outfit made perfect sense. Along the hallway a queue had formed of similarly dressed young ladies, hanging off the arms of darkly suited men. Leather and latex as far as the eye could see. The only other colour dominating, other than black, was nude; a spectrum of pink, beige, and brown skin. It appeared than Joni was one of least scantily clad attending. For a moment, she was thankful for her outfit.

"Mr. Sato, Joni for you." The guard at her side gestured his hand towards her, and she turned to see an older asian man facing them.

"Good evening. Excellent...yes you will do just fine. You are not my slave tonight but for all intents and purposes, you are my 'equal'..." Joni noticed the mocking tone as he spoke the last word.

"...so you may stand with me, and you may touch me. But you may only refer to me as Sir. Understood?"

"Yes Sir." Joni smiled and hooked her hand over the outstretched arm offered to her, as he led her towards the door.

As they waited for the guard to check their names off the list, Joni's eyes were drawn to one of the posters that hung either side of the doorway. It was a plain black background, and in the centre was a single strange steel object, that looked like some sort of medical device. It had a long silver handle, and at the top was a wheel of small metal spikes. It reminded Joni of cowboy spurs. Across the top was a string of Russian words.

"It says 'Suki Lyubyat Ostry Nozh'."

Joni looked up to see Sato watching her. He spoke in a perfect Russian accent, and his eyes were alight with dark humour as he said the words. It set Joni on edge, and her stomach rolled over on itself nervously. She simply nodded and allowed him to continue them on, through the doors.

The room itself was less of a room and more of a theatre, seats in a grand circle, tiered, and surrounding a circular stage in the centre. As Sato led them down the steps, Joni's blood cooled in her veins, and an icy chill swept up the back of her neck. The stage housed a single chair; a large brown leather seat tipped back and with stirrups. It looked like a prop from a medical horror movie, and was complimented by 3 large stainless steel wheeled carts, the tops glittering with polished steel instruments.

"Here we are." Sato pulled them up to a row two back from the stage, and seated them in their assigned seats.

"Would you care for a drink my dear?" He beckoned a passing Hand over, and looked expectantly to Joni, who was still entranced by the stage props.

"No, thank you Sir-" The words skipped out of her mouth without thought.

"-wait...actually yes please. A glass of water?...please Sir" In the moment she realised how parched she was, and her dry throat tickled as she spoke.

"Of course." Sato relayed their order to the Hand, which included a whisky for himself, and then he settled back into his seat, offering Joni his open hand.

It felt far too intimate to hold hands, far more intimate than some of the worse things she had done there, but not daring to refuse, Joni pressed her palm lightly into his and allowed him to rest their joined hands atop the armrest between them.

"Have you been to an event such as this before?" He brought his mouth closer to her ear, to be heard over the clamour of the other guests taking their seats.

"No Sir."

"Ah you're in for a treat. Particularly good one tonight by the looks of it. They only host it biannually, but it's always very popular. I clear my calendar for this one."

Joni smiled politely, her eyes following several men in discrete black clothing, who were milling about the stage adjusting the chair and arranging the instruments on the carts.

"Tell me...what are you into?"

"Into Sir?"

"Yes. I'm aware you're a virgin...a prize to wear on my arm tonight of course...but what are your kinks?" His hand flexed against hers.

"I don't really have any...Sir."

"Oh come now, of course you do. What turns you on? What do you enjoy? I don't believe that you've never watched porn or pleasured yourself before?"

"I like...bondage, Sir." Joni wasn't entirely sure where the words had come from. They hadn't got as far as her brain before they spilled out of her mouth. She had watched bondage porn in the past, mild stuff, but her mind took her back to the white room before anywhere else.

"Ah, lovely... In Japan, we have something called kinbaku. It's very beautiful. It's the binding with ropes, sometimes involving suspension. Its often very intricate, and can take many hours to complete. The west likes to demonise it, but we see it for the art form it really is. It is not used as a way of holding a slave captive, but rather allowing a submissive to relinquish control...to trust in you completely. It's a conversation, you must say how the ropes feel, what is too tight or too loose, and he must listen. As everything with BDSM, it is the submissive that holds the control."

"We don't hold any control here." Again Joni spoke the words before her brain could compute what she was saying. She felt strangely candid with this man.

"You have more than you think."

Joni opened her mouth to speak, but just at that moment the lights in the room dimmed, signalling the start. A doorway at the back creaked open in the sudden silence, and a young woman was walked up the narrow walkway between the tiers of seats. There was only silence still when the guard sat her into the chair and began buckling her arms to the struts either side, and her legs into the stirrups at the end. The girl looked as if in a trance; glazed vacant eyes, and mouth open a fraction. She had a sleek curtain of ginger hair down her back, and skin like polished ivory. Nude except for a small triangle of strawberry curls at the apex of her thighs. She was beautiful. A pang of unexpected jealously caught Joni by surprise.

When the buckles were pulled tight, the guard brought a gag over from one of the trolleys. It had a large cherry red ball in the centre that he slotted into her open mouth, and he pulled the straps tautly around her head. She offered no resistance, no darting looks of fear in her eyes either. Joni mused that she may have been on drugs, but that wasn't something she had heard mentioned at The Fort before. Perhaps the girl was simply well practised.

"Sir."

A Hand to Joni's right whispered over her to Sato, and handed him their drinks. He passed the water to Joni, and took a long swig of the golden liquid at the bottom of his short glass. Joni took a small sip of hers, and found that it eased the nervous rolling of her stomach. She wished that she had ordered something stronger as she looked on at the girl on the stage. She could smell the whisky on Sato's breath already.

Joni noticed that at that moment the thrum of low steady beats began from somewhere above her. The music increased until it was just loud enough to disguise the noises of the audience and the 'show' seemed to start. One of the men on stage moved forward and removed something from one of the drawers and as he turned Joni thought it looked like some sort of whip. It was a heavy looking black leather handle, with many long, thinner strands of leather hanging below it.

"They will warm her up first." Sato whispered into Joni's ear, his fingers flexing once more against hers.

*THWACK*

The noise of the flogger slapping down onto the soft flesh of the girls breasts set Joni's heart racing. Her palm began to sweat against Sato's.

*THWACK*

Again, but this time across her stomach.

The man twirled the leather gracefully over his shoulder each time, with practised motion. He brought it down again and again over her pale skin, leaving streaks of hot pink flesh in its wake. The girl stayed silent, occasionally squeezing her eyes tightly shut, or clenching her jaw around the gag, but not a sound.

*THWACK*

The noise set Joni on edge. The harsh slap echoed through the room over the low music, and seems to reverberate up Joni's body.

*THWACK*

The flogger came down firmly between the young girls legs, scorching the pale delicate skin there and turning it almost instantly to a scarlet red.

*THWACK*

Once more between her legs, and this time the girl grunted behind her gag, her back visibly arching away from the chair. Joni gasped.

"It doesn't hurt much. It warms the skin...brings the blood to the surface. It makes everything more sensitive for what is to come. It can sting in certain places...but barely."

Again Sato leaned closer to Joni, to whisper into her ear. Goosebumps rippled down her neck and it took everything she had not to cringe away from his lips. She wondered if he had ever been on the receiving end to truly know how it felt.

The man on the stage moved away and as he discarded his tool, and another man took his place, bringing on a small dark pouch with him. He emptied out the contents onto the top of one of the trolleys and rolled it closer to the girl. It appeared to be a pile of glittering silver clips or clothes pegs, and a neatly tied knot of thick string. He took one of the clips in hand and moved it purposefully towards the girls nipple.

"Beautiful breasts." Sato uttered under his breath.

The clamp was fitted tightly to the girls nipple, and the man tested it by pulling roughly. It didn't budge, but again the girl grunted against the gag, her eyes opening to look down at the clip. He did the same with the other nipple and then began unwinding the length of string.

Joni's breasts ached in sympathy, and she allowed herself the relief of looking away from the stage as the man was looping string through the end of each clamp. She was desperate to remove her sweating palm from against Sato's. Looking around the room she saw several other darting sets of eyes. Women just like her. Some seemed desperate to look away from the scene, whilst others appeared genuinely disinterested. The men's eyes generally seemed fixed on the writhing pale form in the chair.

As she scanned the front row directly across from her, she caught his eyes. Icy cold and glacial blue. She didn't know how she hadn't seen him before. His gaze was unmoving, focused only on her, and it sent a familiar warmth up her thighs. His mouth was set into a hard line, and the muscles of his jaw were pulled taut.

Henri.

His name echoed in her mind, and she bit down on her bottom lip when the word threatened to escape.

"Another please."

The sound of Sato's voice snapped Joni back out of her reverie, and she tore her eyes away to look at him. He was ordering a drink and looked expectantly at her.

"Oh...no thank you." She lifted her still full water in answer, looking back to the other side of the room. Henri's eyes were still firmly fixed on her, and the warmth now crept up her chest and neck, finally colouring her cheeks.