Chapter 26

It was several days later—the locked door situation remained the same—when I saw him again. It was a warm afternoon, and I was feeling fairly good, when the door was unlocked and he appeared in the doorway.

“Would you like to go outside?” he said.

I stared, my mouth open, not because of his words, but because he was holding a long coil of rope in one hand.

I hesitated, my mouth dry, and then nodded.

He bound me with the rope, around my waist, one leg, both shoulders, and down my back and between my legs. The rope, while snug, was not tight, but I was aware of the slightly prickly sensation of the hemp against my skin. After an initial shock of being thus bound, I had two principal reactions. First, the sense of being constrained made me feel subordinated, controlled, and this was deeply satisfying; it released me from responsibility, ironically setting me free—free to surrender deliciously and shiveringly.