Page 130 of Off the Rails

But since we’d taken stewardship of the park, I’d turned it into my own personal jungle gym.

The tracks that once shuttled coasters through the space were now rafters webbed in ropes and chains. Tess covered her mouth as she stepped forward into the clearing at the center of the coaster, looking up at the beheaded dolls hanging from the ceiling above us.

“Don’t worry, Trinket. I’ll be gentler when I string you up. Not much gentler, but…” I traced a finger under her chin, feeling her throat bob at the promise.

“That’s your big plan? Tying her up?” Nash yawned.

“You find this boring?” I narrowed my eyes as I crossed the room. “Tess, do you think this is boring?”

She shook her head hard, practically cowering under the heat of my gaze.

But Nash was too much of a sore loser to let it go. “I mean, I just think if you wanted an excuse to practice your Boy Scout skills, you didn’t need to waste a whole Fright Night on it.”

Scowling, I pulled down a rough, crimson rope from the rafters. The tail thudded to the ground, making Tess jump and me smile. “We’ll see how boring you think this is when our little doll is tied so tight that she can’t fight back.”

“Now, that sounds promising.” Nash licked her lips as she watched Tess cower.

It was clear that Tess was weighing her urge to run against her desire to submit. But for all her bravado, Tess was a very good girl… when she wanted to be.

Tonight, I won’t give her a choice to be anything else.

Snapping the rope taught between my fists, I leered down at her.

The quiver of her lip told me the mask frightened her. And I liked her fear.

She knew she could ask for anything, but she wouldn’t — the way that she was squirming told me that she liked the fear too.

“Here’s how this goes. You are going to stay very, very still while I work. When I tell you to bend, or to lift, or to hand something over to me, you don’t waste my time. Have I made myself clear?”

“Yes,” Tess nodded, trying hard not to shrink away.

“Good. Then strip.” I paced circles around Tess, winding the rope up in my hands as she peeled off her clothes. “Faster.”

Nash could hardly contain herself. “Fuck she looks good.”

And she did. By now, I was no stranger to the gentle slopes and long lines of Tess’ body. But it didn’t stop me from feeling that same jolt of excitement I’d discovered the first time she bore herself to me.

Once she was naked, I approached a long, iron chain hanging from the ceiling: this one had small circular bells clipped along its links. Unclasping a bell, I gave it a rattle before pressing it into Tess’ palm. “If you drop that, everything stops.”

She looked down at it before lifting those gorgeous blue eyes up to meet mine through the mask. “Understood.”

“Then let’s get to work.” Crossing behind Tess, I reached my arms around her and pulled the rope firmly against her upper chest. Letting the rope glide through my fingers, my hands slid under her arms and toward her back, keeping tension on the rope. I aligned the bight with her spine before fastening the lark’s head knot.

As I adjusted the tightness of the first bind, Tess let out a small gasp. I could see her ribs contracting and expanding, just the slightest hesitation in her lugs as they pushed against the rope’s force. “Too tight?”

“No…” she shook her head. To test her, I adjusted the rope again, letting the rough surface graze over her soft skin. But there was no wince of pain — just the gentle prickling of goosebumps down the expanse of her back.

Shit. She’s perfect.

I couldn’t wait to see her in the full harness. I’d been planning out this tie for weeks. It was hard to keep my fingers from shaking as I wound the rope around her body: under her perky tits, back around her upper chest, and then diagonally across her back again.

Her nipples were already hard: there was no doubt that the rough rope had been a good choice. As if the soft little moans she released weren’t sign enough of how excited she was getting.

I need to calm down and focus.

I was no stranger to rope play, but this tie was serious. I wanted Tess to have a good time, but I also wanted her to be safe. And safety required self-control.

That was exactly what I liked about this practice. The hunts were a high: a time to channel my most base, animal instincts.