"Trust me," Kei whispered. "I'll be just fine."
She had told me several times in recent months about the "special place" not far from her second home on the mountainside. When we stepped out of the car, I could feel the energy and magic of the area, but it was unlike anything I had ever previously experienced. I had to wonder if this was one of those fairly rare areas in which two realms converged: the mid-century realm we both knew extremely well and some distant past or distant future realm with nearly-identical topography and atmosphere to enable the overlap.
Since our arrival nearly two hours earlier, the sun had finally begun to set. After dinner, I held my occasional partner close as we stood on the back porch, looking across the valley floor to the mountains in the east. The young Asian made sweet little sounds as I touched her, worshipped her with my hands, and we both knew that it was simply foreplay for the main event of the evening.
Eventually, she retrieved the small duffel bag she had brought with us and simply said, "It's time."
There was no trail, but Kei's body language assured me that we were moving in the right direction. A ten-minute hike brought us to a place which practically reeked of magic, strong enough that it was practically buzzing deep within my bones. It was a form of magic unknown to me, but I was certain that it was somehow linked to what would soon be taking place.
"Right here," she said, still with a notable accent despite having moved to the States when she was three years old.
We had come to the edge of a small clearing, perhaps six car lengths wide and four car lengths between the tree line and a small stream. Shudders of power rose up through my legs, such was the strength of the latent magic in the immediate area. Kei smiled, and I could tell by the expression on her face that she could also feel it; the difference was that I was experiencing such power for the very first time.
The natural daylight was dimming, and the plethora of trees on the mountainside created even more impending darkness. I was so thankful that the first thing Kei produced from the duffel bag was a fairly hefty battery-powered lamp, which she activated and hung on a the stub of a branch of a nearby tree. Returning to the duffel bag, she then produced some items which were quite familiar to us both: leather ankle and wrist cuffs, a blindfold lined with fake fur, and plenty of rope.
I smiled. "I had a feeling you'd want me to tie you up out here," I admitted, "but why now as night's falling? And why in a place so full of this... this strange magic?"
"You'll see," was my companion's only response. Then she added: "Help me undress?"
"Of course. Always glad to oblige."
We shared a warm kiss, and I took the opportunity to gently squeeze a breast before I began to unbutton Kei's shirt. Actually, it was one of my old shirts, and given our height difference, it was definitely oversized for her small frame. Once fully unbuttoned, the garment found its way to the ground, pooling behind her on the grass.
She had definitely planned ahead, for I saw that Kei was wearing a front-hook bra. We shared a smile as I reached for and soon released the clasp; as she slid the straps over her shoulders and discarded the supportive garment, I took a few moments to enjoy the warmth of her breasts and gently toy with her nipples. It was more than enough to make her whimper softly, but she did not allow me to touch her for very long.
She clearly had a timetable in mind, and was trying to remain on-schedule.
The sandals were next. I bent down to unbuckle the straps and helped her out of the footwear. I also took the opportunity to toss the sandals and the discarded clothing aside, out of the way, just in case.
Next came the jeans and her lacey panty, both being removed at the same time to reveal her most prized treasure. As usual, she was perfectly shaved with the exception of a short thin horizontal line of black pubic hair - "my third eyebrow," she had once called it jokingly. Once the final garments had been cast aside, I remained on my knees, wrapping my arms around Kei's thighs and kissing her just above the third eyebrow. Her hands reached down and she toyed with my hair for a moment before descending to her knees as well so that we could embrace anew.
Daylight continued to fade, while the light of the lamp grew in counterpoint. Clearly, Kei had infused the lamp with magic - that was something I would typically have felt, but the magic of the clearing and the surrounding area was far too powerful and far too strange for me to focus on the lamp with my magical sense.
"Tie me to a tree," Kei whispered. I had figured that she would have such a request, once I had seen the cuffs and the rope. She may have come to this location multiple times previously, but even with her magical abilities, she could not restrain herself to a tree - at least, not with mundane things such as ropes and cuffs.
"With pleasure," I quipped, although it was certainly true: I thoroughly enjoyed having Kei tied down, especially when she was naked. There was something about her helplessness, her vulnerability, and her inherent trust in allowing me to restrain her which made me feel even closer to her than our nearly twenty years of friendship and more would otherwise indicate. Having Kei restrained in some way added an extra layer of enjoyment to our sexual escapades, especially after I had teased her mercilessly and had driven per practically into a frenzy.
We rose as one. "You pick the tree," I said as I stepped the short distance to where the bondage items had been placed.
As Kei stood naked with her back against the semi-rough bark of a tree, I took my time in applying the ankle and wrist cuffs, and continued that practice as I secured my companion's wrist cuffs together with rope so that she was basically giving the tree trunk a reverse hug. The same was done to connect her ankle cuffs, although I purposely did not pull her ankles back nearly as far as I had done with her wrists. Just for good measure, I added several more ropes, crossing her body just above and below her breasts and just above her navel.
Stepping back, I admired my handiwork. Kei was still able to see, but for long.