Stories of Tie Up Games

Hey, everyone! Good news! I randomly got inspired and decided to make a little series out of my stories involving Sana, Lillie, Emily, and Camila. A series that will now be abbreviated into: SLEC. Part one of this third installment will also be my 100th post here (so yay). I'll try to post part two soon, and I have at least one more sequel planned for the future.

For those who are unfamiliar, you can find the first story here: /viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2743&p=24501#p24501
And the second story here: /viewtopic.php?f=8&t=4232

Enjoy your reading!




Despite her desperate protests, the gag would only allow her to produce an inaudible moan. She squirmed and twisted her body, but the ropes had no give either. Her pitiful struggles only succeed in demonstrating that she would never get out on her own.

So instead, she leaned over and let the spinning cogs from the doomsday device of Nefarious Darius cut through her ropes.

Emily rolled her eyes and snorted, but her daughters didn’t notice. They were completely immersed in the show’s thrilling climax. As the music picked up, Agent Gloria Victoria pulled off her gag and the remaining ropes in a matter of seconds. Emily might have scoffed at that too, but it was some of the shoddiest ropework she’d ever seen, so that much was relatively believable.

From there, Agent Victoria was able to save the day by putting her life on the line with ultimately zero consequences. Alas, Darius eluded her capture, but Emily was pretty damn certain that the heroic agent would get another shot at him next week.

The credits started rolling, and the moment Emily had been waiting for was finally here. “Alright, girls, that’s the end of your TV time. Time to go play elsewhere.”

“Yes, Mom,” they both moaned.
Her two daughters were clearly saddened, but Jayden and Peyton knew from experience that there was no winning against Emily. They got up off the floor and headed up the stairs. Emily was glad to see that they had chosen to play in the basement, since that meant the least amount of noise possible, but she got concerned when she saw that they weren’t bringing any toys with them.

“And no fighting in the house,” Emily shouted, “You save that karate practice for your classes!”

“We know, Mom,” Jayden called back.

It had been good to see both of her daughters not only commit to a sport together, but fully embrace it. If only they had gone with something less violent than karate. Still, one broken drinking glass had been plenty enough to teach the girls to hold back their inner warrior, and that had been a decently cheap lesson.

Emily loved to complain, but she was proud of her two daughters. They had both inherited their mother’s crimson hair and emerald eyes, which was why Emily had wanted to name her first-born ‘Jade’. Her husband didn’t care much for that same, so they settled on Jayden. They were graced with Peyton the next year. The girls were both dressed in light blue t-shirts, shorts, and white ankle socks.

Confident that they weren’t up to no good, Emily sank into the couch, more than ready for her own TV time. Her husband, Brad, was out with his friends, and she had nearly five hours to herself before they got back for dinner.

Brad had figured out long ago that Emily’s ‘book club’ wasn’t a book club at all, but that was about all he figured out. He just assumed that his wife was having a girl’s night out once a month, and demanded that he in turn have a monthly guy’s night out. Fair was fair, and so Emily was alone with her kids today.

Summer was in full swing now, so her husband and his friends were either at the golf club, or the shooting range. They’d be back at 4:30 to prepare a gourmet meal fancy enough for their collective foodie tastes; and then they’d undoubtedly be off to a sports bar, comparing Matt Chapman to Alex Bregman or something like that for the rest of the night.

Emily started by picking up her latest book, and moving the bookmark about forty pages ahead. She still had to keep up her façade for the kids, and that was easy enough. From there on out, she sat back, and silently cheered on her favourite Big Brother contestants. Emily had been busy last night, and had to record the episode. Not ideal, but at least now she was able to pause it on a whim whenever her phone buzzed.

Towards the end of the episode, a snap from Lillie caused her to do just that. Emily hit the pause button, and the room fell silent as she looked at her phone. As she thought up a witty response, a distant taunt carried over between walls and floors, and reached her ears.

“Struggle all you want! You’ll never escape!” By the sound, it was Peyton who had said that.

Emily looked up from her phone, forgetting about Lillie’s message in an instant. She had heard that line before, and always under circumstance that she never imagined her girls in. Emily’s curiosity was beyond piqued, and she headed straight for the basement.

Catching a child red-handed is like hunting a rabbit with a knife. One must be a master ambusher, and Emily took every stealthy precaution to avoid creating any sound during her approach. Peyton’s room was first, and Emily could hear her make-believing as some villain on the other side of the door.

Like drop-dead gorgeous Indiana Jones getting ready to snatch the Golden Idol, Emily hovered her hands up close to the door knob, and shot into the room like a SWAT leader. Peyton spun around, visibly scared from the surprise, and shouted, “Mom! Why didn’t you knock!?”

Just as Emily had suspected, Peyton was standing over her sister, who laid silently on the floor, bound hand and foot with shoelaces and a pink scarf tied over her mouth. The ropework was, even worse than a super villain’s, and Emily involuntarily cringed at it. The sour look didn’t go unnoticed, and Peyton started to panic.

“W-We’re just playing! Jayden let me tie her up! Really!”

Jayden nodded in agreement as Peyton calmed down and put on a guilty face. “Are we not allowed to do that?”

Emily paused in the doorway. She took in a long breath, trying hard not to grin as the gears in her head spun at a mile-a-minute. Finally, she spoke up. “No, dear, you and your sister are allowed to tie up each other for fun.”

Peyton’s frown spun upside down as though someone had flipped a switch, and she nearly jumped from the floor with excitement. They both let out an ecstatic squeal, including the one wearing a fake-ass gag.

The celebration ground to a halt as Emily raised a hand, and spoke up. “Not so fast! This is a special kind of game, and if you wanna be able to play, you absolutely must follow the rules. Untie your sister, and we’ll go over them together…”

What followed, was a laundry list of regulations. Despite the list’s length, it actually didn’t take very long at all to convey. Whenever their father taught them something, he always made certain that by the lesson’s end, they fully understood the reasoning behind it. Emily did not share that patience, and instead relied heavily on the quick and efficient ‘because I said so!’

Admittedly, it was a lot to take in, and the girls had to stop and jog their memory more than once, but Emily was satisfied when they correctly answered every question:

“Now,” Emily had said, “what must we never do?”

“Never tie anything around our necks, leave a tied up person alone, or put anything in our mouth that could make us choke.”

“What else?”

“Don’t tell anyone about it. It’s our secret game.”

“Good. And what do you always check?”

“That the rope’s not too tight. Always fit a finger under it.”

“And what needs to happen every single time you play this game?”

“Wear long sleeves, long pants, and tell you what we’re doing.”

There would undoubtedly be more rules in the future, but Emily was content with her daughter’s performance for now. She did add one more question for her own pleasure. “And who’s your favorite parent?”

Neither of the girls had to think on that one at all. They knew exactly what Emily wanted to hear. “Mom!”

“Why, thank you.” Emily made a smug grin. “You can play now. Just let me see you tie up your sister so I know for sure that you know the rules.”

“Wait,” Jayden exclaimed. “Remember yesterday, how we asked if you’d play with us today, and you said that you would if we were good?”

Emily raised and eyebrow. “I said I might play. But yes…”

“Well, we’ve been really good so far, right?”

Emily paused again before crossing her arms and leaning against the door frame. “I suppose you could say that.”

“Can you please play with us,” Jayden asked.

Peyton’s face lit up at the thought. “Oooh, yeah! You could be the spy and we’re the bad guys. You wanna arrest us but we catch you and tie you up first! Please?”

And in that moment Emily felt an excitement in her that she hadn’t felt in ages. Sure, she got similarly giddy at every book club, but this was a more playful feeling from so long ago. She knew that it would be smart not to let them start with her, but the joyous nostalgia was so strong.

“Okay, girls. I’ll play along.”

Fun start, let's see what part 2 brings.
Congrats on #100.

Woah! I've just started reading the stories of the SLEC saga and I'm loving them. Good job! (Also, congrats on your post #100!)

Thanks you two for the feedback. Part 2 is taking a little while, but I'll have it up shortly!

From the very first time she had been tied up, Emily had discovered sheer euphoria in the challenge of escaping. It was like a non-violent battle. A puzzle that she could solve either by being a strategist or a berserker depending on her mood. One way or another, the vulnerability provided a thrill, the struggling blew off steam, and actually breaking free was oh so satisfying.

But nowadays, she only ever got to experience two of those three pleasures. Emily and her friends had played their games countless times, and very rarely did anyone ever get loose. Her friends all knew exactly how tightly they could bind her without causing harm, and they always knew how to tie the knots far from her reach.

But Jayden and Peyton? Green as they come. Emily loved her girls, but there was no denying that they did not know how to properly tie someone up. Their mother was proof enough of that. She sat on the floor with her back against the wall, her feet and hands bound identically with shoelaces and secured with nothing but shoe knots.

Perhaps she should force them to join the Girl Scouts…

Emily smiled at the thought of what was to come. It would be all too easy, but she would get to indulge in a nostalgic great escape without even having to wait for the next book club. Her grin was noticed by neither Jayden nor Peyton, because they had covered her mouth with the pink scarf from before.

As they had tied the OTM gag behind their mother’s head, her mind returned to the thought of clear communication. Emily had declined to include that topic in the rules because there was no way she was going to hear her babies using ‘safe-word’ lingo or the like.

Alas, she knew that that lesson would inevitably have to come up if these games continued in the future, but she wasn’t too concerned at the moment. The girls had chosen the most fake gag in the long, loud history of fake gags, so Emily just planned to yell or break loose if it became necessary.

Until then, she had one line: “MMNPH!”

Emily squirmed back and forth, pretending to fight her bonds and faking muffled screams as her daughters giggled with excitement. They had wasted no time jumping to the part where they captured their hapless prisoner. A scene that their mother was well acquainted with.

“Hold it right there, intruder! We have you surrounded,” they had shouted. Hard to surround someone with only two people, but whatever. Emily went with it and surrendered almost immediately. The rest, was history.

Jayden and Peyton seemed to be having an extraordinary amount of fun watching their mother wriggle around. That made Emily happy too. Not so much due to maternal empathy, but more because this level of enjoyment from her children would normally come with an unfortunate price tag.

As she feigned despair and panic, Emily read her daughters expressions. They were glad, to be certain; but predominately, they seemed proud. Emily silently wagered that it wasn’t the ropework that had them well-pleased, but rather the fact that they now had their greatest authority figure at their mercy. A delusion that Emily couldn’t wait to shatter.

Jayden was the first to remember how they’d gotten here, and resumed her game of make-believe. “You’d best make yourself comfortable, because now there’s no one to stop us!”

Snapping out of her trance, Peyton joined in. “Y-yeah! Now you enjoy your front-row seat for…”

She paused and the two sisters looked at each other, realizing too late that they hadn’t really planned out their story at all. Seeing the freeze-up, Emily considered breaking free just to keep the flow going. That proved unnecessary, as Peyton practically jumped out of her writer’s block and shouted, “for our terraforming machine!”

“Mmmph,” Emily whined, trying to hide her perplexity. Did the kids even know what ‘terraforming’ was? They must have heard that on TV somewhere. One way or another, they began searching the room for something to serve as an appropriate prop for their imagination.

Unwittingly nailing the role of a cartoon super villain, Jayden and Peyton turned their backs on their prisoner without leaving someone to guard her. Emily saw an opportunity like no other. She pulled on the ends of the knot which bound her wrists, and they came free instantly, with her hands free, her gag and ankle bindings came undone almost as fast. It was now Emily’s turn to boast triumphantly.

The girls both heard something approaching behind them, but they were snatched up before they could turn their heads. They let out shrill screams of shock and thrill as Emily scooped them up and spun them around in her arms.

Emily couldn’t deny that it was getting pretty hard to pull off that move; but she could still pick up her babies, no matter what Brad said!

“Not so fast, evildoers,” Emily cried. “You let your guard down, and now I’m taking you to jail!”

“No way,” Peyton shouted. “How’d you get free so fast?!”

“Secret spy training,” Emily smiled. “Now c’mon. Upstairs, girls.”

Emily put her children down, and wearing a mischievous grin, pointed them up the stairs. So many times had she taken that pose when disciplining the children, but nobody felt like they were being punished now. Jayden and Peyton ran up the stairs, giggling uncontrollably. If only they knew that their mother was every bit as elated as them.

She followed them upstairs and led them to the living room, pulling down all the blinds as she made her way. Once she told them to stop, they spun around and faced her with eager grins. They weren’t exactly scoring points for acting, but Emily found the site before her much more endearing anyways.

“Now,” Emily said, “I have you in my custody, so that means you have to do what I tell you.”

The girls nodded, and she continued. “Close your eyes and cover your ears. No peeking until I tell you, or the game will be over.”

The little threat was more than enough to earn their complacency, and Emily was confident that they wouldn’t cheat while she retrieved some items.

Over the years, Emily’s stash of hemp ropes had gotten frayed, stained or otherwise damaged. As she replaced them with new rope, she gravitated more towards silk rope; which was harder to knot, but was much softer and way less itchy. It got to the point where her few remaining hemp ropes didn’t match the rest of her stock, so she simply stowed them away for the sake of consistency. Now, they’d make a comeback.

To accompany the rope, Emily grabbed two of the white rags that she kept around specifically for gags, and two soft toy balls. A mouth stuffer that her book club favoured quite a bit for their practicality.

She returned to the living room and found the girls right where she’d left them. Emily had expected them to become curious and move around a bit, but shockingly, they seemed to have actually obeyed their mom.

Having already concocted a little fib about where the rope had come from, Emily decided to start with Peyton. She placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder and whispered, “Okay, babygirl. You can look now.”

Peyton threw her hands down and her eyes shot open. “Hey! Are those the balls that we lost years ago?”

“Yup. Found ‘em,” Emily blurted. “Now, turn around and stay still…”

There were three different kicks that Emily got from being tied up, but there was a fourth pleasure in tying others up. Just the whole role in general was so much fun. Taking charge over someone else, teasing them and making them her plaything, and the immense blend of pride and satisfaction when they can’t get out.

True, Emily was happy to be on either side of the rope, and her children were rather low-hanging fruit; but it had been months now since she had gotten to restrain somebody, and at least this way, the ropes would be tied properly.

But when taking everything into consideration, Emily decided to hold back. She simply pressed her daughter’s palms together behind her back and tied her wrists before cinching them snug. She then tied Peyton’s ankles very similarly. Her daughters were about to learn first-hand the effectiveness of a proper two-column tie.

But that wouldn’t be their only lesson today. “Open your mouth like you do for the dentist,” Emily said as she squeezed a ball down to half its size.

“Why,” Peyton asked, confused.

“Because I said so.”

Peyton paused for a moment longer before opening her mouth. “Ahhh-mmn!”

Peyton was surprised by the ball being shoved into her mouth, and tried to spit it out, but Emily was too quick for her. She pulled a cloth between her teeth and tied it fast into a snug cleave gag. The girl’s eyes widened as she tried to push the ball out to no avail, and the sight stretched Emily’s grin from ear to ear. In that moment, she may as well have been telepathic. She knew that her daughter was only beginning to realize just how trapped she was.

Peyton was quite effectively muted, but a new voice chimed in to speak her mind. “Oh wow! She’s really tied up!”

Emily spun on Jayden and shouted, “You weren’t told to peek yet, you little sneak!”

Her volume may have been loud, but her tone was very playful, and Jayden joined in the fun out of instinct. She giggled and turned to run from her ‘angry’ assailant, but Emily grabbed her arm and said “Oh no you don’t! It’s your turn now.”

Jayden kept up her defiant act and demanded to be let go, but everyone knew better, and in no time at all, she was bound and gagged just like her sister.

“Mmph. Grmph!” The girls played their roles and fought as Emily lowered them to the floor. She laid her daughters next to each other and sat back onto the couch, crossing her legs and casting a satisfied grin at her new prisoners.

Jayden’s fists became tightly clenched as she pulled against her ropes, and Peyton began kicking her legs out. Neither of them could reach their knots, and their experience as escape artists was clearly minimal. They were not going anywhere.

She may have pulled her punches, but Emily could already tell that this would be one of her most memorable games ever. As a mother in desperate need of some peace and quiet, she had been tempted to do this so many times. Now it was reality, and even better than she imagined. Jayden and Peyton still made noise as they fought their bonds, but their gags reduced the grunts and growls down to tiny mewls. It was downright precious!

The girls were still immersed in their game, but Emily was basking in her victories. She had found two new playmates who’s games would surely carry on into the future, she had shown her kids who was boss, and she’d guaranteed a quiet, orderly house for the next little while.

Beaming shamelessly, Emily took a deep breath and sank back into her spot. She was in for an amusing show, and her seat felt more comfortable than ever…
 

  It was a sting in the back of her head that woke Emily up. A sharp pain that she recognized, but didn’t bother to inquire on. She was groggy and confused, and there were many questions flooding her mind. 

  What happened? She didn’t know. 

  What was the last thing she remembered? She was relaxing as Jayden and Peyton struggled on the floor. 

  Why was she so tired? Had she fallen asleep? Oh God, how could she have fallen asleep!? 

  Why did her mouth feel funny? There was something in it. 

  Oh no… 

  “Yaaay! We did it!” 

  A pair of juvenile cheers jolted Emily all the way back into complete consciousness. She would have jumped off the couch, but found that that wasn’t much of an option. Her hands were tied behind her back again, but much more effectively this time. In fact, she couldn’t move her arms all that much either. 

  Looking down at herself, Emily could see why. Those cheaters had used belts as well as rope! She could see the hemp ropes wrapped around her ankles, and feel them around her wrists; but there were also three belts wrapped around her legs, and two belts in tandem circling around her torso, pinning her arms to her back. 

  “MNN TMMPH!” Emily’s heart sank as nothing but muted growls escaped her lips. There was no acting in that. This time she was really gagged! 

  Through her sense of touch and years of experience, Emily could tell that she was wearing another OTM gag, but this one was layered over a cleave gag, which held in a sizeable stuffing. The stuffing itself was harder to identify. It might be a sponge, but it could also be a large ball of cloth. 

  If those little brats had used her stockings, there was going to be hell to pay! 

  “Ha,” Jayden laughed. “The tables have turned now, criminal mastermind!” 

  “Yeah,” Peyton chimed in, no doubt parroting one of their stupid shows. “You underestimated the power of our teamwork!” 

  It was then that a mortifying thought occurred to Emily. She spun her head around and looked at the clock.  

  4:24.  

  She only had six minutes before Brad and his friends came over, and that was if they didn’t show up early. The thought of Brad finding her like this wasn’t the worst thing that could happen, but him and all his friends was a whole other story. Even if she explained that it was just a game, she’d never live that down. 

  Emily scowled at her children and attempted a shriek that would reduce them to trembling whelps. Sadly, all that came out was, “MNTHM MHN THFF MNFTMNT!” 

  On any other day, that yell would have ground their fun to a screeching halt, but now, it only got them more excited. It was at this moment that Emily knew she should have included safe signals in her lesson. 

  She had to break free fast, and by Jayden and Peyton’s taunts, they clearly weren’t going to help. Emily felt at her bonds, and quickly detected something wrong with the ropes behind her back. 

  Shifting herself off the couch, Emily rose to her feet and began hopping towards her room. That was where she’d find the closest mirror. Her clumsy hops were undoubtedly creating some tremendous thuds, but those noises were drowned out by the children’s cackling. Both Jayden and her younger sister were practically falling over with laughter at the sight of Emily hopping around like a human pogo stick.  

  ‘Laugh it up, you little twerps,’ Emily thought as she trudged on, silently hoping that they would both split their sides from cracking up so hard. 

  Having more experience than most with this particular skill, Emily kept her balance with ease, and made it to her mirror in no time, She twisted herself around, and the reflection confirmed her suspicion. Her daughters had learned from her technique, and cinched her wrists this time. Unlike her own ropework though, they hadn’t placed the knot out of  her reach. Instead, the dummies had tied knots over knots repeatedly until there was practically a rope tumour dangling from her wrists. 

  She had been smart to go for a mirror. Without a clear sight of it, she would have been fighting that knot for ages; but now, she was already manipulating the ends. Still, she knew that she was in for a struggle. Beads of sweat formed on her brow as she unraveled knot after knot. The kids followed her into the room and started jumping all around her, screaming with excitement. Emily blocked them out and focused. There was no time! 

  By the time she had reached the last knot, her neck had grown sore from looking back so much, but the smell of freedom kept her going. She tore that knot apart and pulled against the remaining rope for all she was worth. With some quick shuffling, the rope came off and Emily was soon able to pull her arms out of the belts. 

  Jayden and Peyton let out a loud groan as they saw their mother break free. Silently, they both tossed around the thought of overpowering her and starting again, but their risk/benefit calculations were soon pushed aside bye awe. The two of them nearly dropped their jaws as they watched Emily shred away at the restraints on her leg at break-neck speed. She was like a bear mauling a hiker, and her occasional gagged growls certainly added to the imagery. 

  With the last of the ropes of her ankles, and the belts long gone, Emily ripped off her gag and yanked a sponge out of her mouth. No sooner had it hit the floor were her eyes on the girls. 

  “Where are those balls?” 

  The girls paused in confusion. Emily had blurted her question too fast. Jayden was the first to respond. “Wha--“ 

  “THE TOY BALLS THAT WERE IN YOUR MOUTH! WHERE ARE THEY?!”  

  The girls’ confusion was replaced with fear. They knew that their game was beyond over. “Th-They’re in the living r--“ 

  “HIDE THEM!”  

  “Hide everything that we used today,” Emily shouted as the girls scurried out of the room. She held her volume back this time, realizing that although she hadn’t heard her husband arrive yet, he may be within ear shot. 

  She checked the clock. 4:32. Brad and his friends were late, but she had no idea how long that would last…  

  What followed was a calamity of wild panic and thorough examination. Emily looked herself over to make sure that her recent restraint wasn’t apparent in any way. Confident in her clean appearance, she threw all of her bindings beneath her bed and shot out into the living room. The girls had cleaned up just as she ordered. They knew that disobeying her was the worst thing they could do right now, and everything looked just the same as in the morning. 

  A thought occurred to Emily just then. She had just scared her kids so much that Brad was bound to notice. She’d have to make something up, and the mental energy for that simply wasn’t there anymore. Instead, she swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and spoke up. “Kiiiids…”  

  Small, rapid footsteps pattered through the house and the girls lined up in front of her like soldiers on drill. Very well disciplined, but  obviously fear-driven. That wouldn’t do at all. Mustering all the willpower left between her ears, Emily forced a cheeky smile and squatted down to her daughters’ level. 

  “Good job getting out of this ropes! You two are naturals at this game.”  

  The two redheaded girls shot each other a brief look of surprise before turning back to Emily. “Y-you aren’t mad at us?”   “Ohhhh, heavens, no,” Emily beamed. “It’s all a game after all.” 

  She pulled back the curtain for a moment and slowly spoke, “Our secret game.” 

  Her tone didn’t go unnoticed by Jayden nor Peyton, but Emily’s reassurance had been enough to get them to relax. At least enough so that Brad wouldn’t notice. Probably. Maybe.  

  It would have to do, because the sound of visitors entering the porch jolted Emily up to full height. She spun towards the door and threw her false smile back on.   

 “Hello, dear!”
 
 

lol, fun story  
 

Did she clean up enough or not... time will tell.
Good story, thank you.

Thanks a ton. The final part is coming along nicely!

This is awesome. Emily and her daughters are among my favorite characters here now. Can't wait for the conclusion!

Thanks! My main reason for writing this is because I felt Emily wasn't getting much time to shine, so that comment means a lot.

Brad was the first one through the door. A tall fellow with a full head of well-combed brown hair, matching eyes, and a goatee with a frightening development of grey in it. His friends galumphed in behind him, swiftly transforming the peace and quiet of Emily’s home into nothing but a fond memory. She wasn’t particularly mad about it though, since she still remembered a time when they were all far messier. The company of her husband’s old friends wasn’t Emily’s ideal party, but it was always nice to be reminded that out of all of those guys, she hitched the hottest one.

“Did you have a good game,” Emily asked with a contrived interest. She knew that any signs of mischief would probably go unnoticed if she could get the boys started about their sports.

It worked. “Yes n’ no,” Brad laughed as he pointed back to his friend, Henry. “We just drove around and had fun while Flubs McDuffer over here played army golf all day.”

Emily had hoped to keep them going for more than one sentence, but she was already lost. “What golf?”

“Army golf,” another guest named Farley spoke up. “This hacker had no control of his loft, and he kept hittin’ hot until he was in airmail city!”

“Quit exaggerating,” Henry exclaimed, red in the face. “Worst I ever got was a double bogey.”

“Yeah, ten of ‘em!”

That last comment from Brad sent the lot of them in a frenzy of laughter. Emily joined in, though very unclear as to what was so funny. During the bout, she glanced over and noticed that her daughters hadn’t budged at all since she had last spoken. Worried that someone might notice, she waved a hand and practically shooed them away.

“Go on and wash your hands, kids! We’re going to have dinner soon!”

That wound up being a lie. Dinner wouldn’t come for another hour and a half. Given the amazing summer weather, Emily had expected her husband and his posse to head outside and grill steaks on the double. Instead, they were apparently in the mood for sous-vide chicken and asparagus with a portobello mushroom and white truffle risotto with a truffle velouté.

Emily was only able to remember all that because they wound up repeating it six times.

The saving grace was that they had brought their own ingredients, so all Emily had to contribute was the utensils. That, and a whole lot of feigned interest as they talked each other’s ears off. A cacophony of restaurant reviews and sports commentary.

By the sheer amount of knowledge her husband possessed about Aaron Donald, Emily could swear that he was in love with the NFL star. She would know, because she knew just as much trivia about Channing Tatum.

For quite possibly the first time ever, the ones who benefitted the most from having to wait so long for dinner was Jayden and Peyton; and they didn’t even realize it. They couldn’t comprehend the scope of the wicked revenge that had been concocted in their mother’s head, only to be pushed aside by their guests.

Fortunately for the girls, this gourmet dinner gave Emily plenty of time to calm down and reflect. She wasn’t really mad at them. She was just mad at herself for falling asleep while her children were bound and gagged. They had just been playing a game all along. After all, at no time had she included consciousness in the rules. A mistake she would need to rectify once Brad had left.

No pun intended, but there were still some loose ends that needed tying up. The kids might not be at fault, but there were lessons that they needed to learn, and Emily was more than willing to take them to school…

After a meal which taste quite frankly did not make up for its extra cost, Brad and his friends hit the trail once more. This time, to the bar. Brad was pleasantly surprised when Emily had volunteered to do the dishes herself. It didn’t even occur to him that that his wife might just be eager to get rid of their company that much quicker.

Still, she had enough self control to make sure the girls put all their wares away before leaving the kitchen. Excited that they had the house to themselves again, the duo frolicked out of the kitchen, not noticing their mother following them.

The girls would normally get to watch a movie on a Saturday night such as this, and so they headed for the living room. However, they had barely left the kitchen before Emily’s devious chirp stopped them dead in their tracks.

“Oh girls? Where do you think you’re going?”

Jayden and Peyton both turned and looked up at their mother, looking through their memories to figure out what they’d done wrong and how best to respond. Before either one could put their finger on it, Emily answered for them.

“Our game isn’t over yet.”

The girls looked at each other with uncertainty, and then Jayden spoke first. “I-I thought it was over when we stopped for dinner?”

“Oh, nooo,” Emily shook her head. “The game ends when one side surrenders to the other!”

Peyton looked genuinely perplexed. “The rules didn’t say that.”

“The rules have changed,” Emily snapped. “Because I said so!”

The girls flinched slightly, and Emily immediately regretted her choice of words. She used those words when she was putting her foot down, not when she was having fun, and her daughters recognized that. She quickly thought up a diversion to put things back on track.

“Tell you what: We’ll play hide-and-seek at the same time! You two go hide while I wait in my room for two minutes. If I can’t find you, I’ll surrender and you can pick out a movie; but if I find you, I get to tie you up again and the game will go on!”

Her plan worked. The idea of merging their new game with another sent a fresh new wave of excitement through Jayden and Peyton. Emily knew it would work. She had her friends had used that tactic to keep their tie-up-games interesting for years.

Once they had calmed down, Jayden and Peyton practically shoved Emily into her room, chanting ‘hurry up’ and other such things as they herded her. Emily certainly didn’t appreciate that behaviour, but that only made her anticipate the next step even more…

She bothered to yell “No hiding in the forbidden places!” before closing the door and starting a timer.

She did not go to retrieve the hemp rope that she had tersely hidden earlier. Years of use, and abuse from Camila’s stupid cat, had left her with not enough hemp for what she had in mind. Instead, while her victims hid, she went and gathered up her “book club” materials.

When the two minutes was up, she didn’t go searching for her daughters. At least, not at first. First, she got their small wooden time-out chairs.

The time-out chairs were called that because they had been specifically crafted for that. The words, ‘TIME OUT’ were carved in front, and behind each chair’s backrest. Emily had seen them at the mall while pregnant with Peyton, and found them irresistibly cute. Over the years, they had certainly pulled their weight too.

The thin layer of dust on their seats reminded Emily of just how long it had been since their last use. The girls had arguably outgrown the chairs, but unfortunately for them, they would still fit. Even less fortunate for them, was that the chairs had armrests.

Once she had prepared her daughters’ future seats, Emily practically strutted through the house as she went through her daughter’s favourite hiding spots. Neither Jayden nor Peyton were as sneaky as they thought, and their growth had only stunted their hiding advantage. It was hardly any time before she tracked down Peyton.

Her youngest daughter wanted to moan upon her discovery, but Emily quickly clasped a hand over her mouth and shushed her. Without a word, Emily took her by the arm and led her back to the living room, where she had set up the chair, and piles of soft white rope.

Peyton frowned at the unpleasant memories that chair conjured up, she looked up at Emily and asked, “Am I being punished, Mom?”

Emily responded with another quick hand gag and whispered, “Of course not, sweet-pea. But sometimes, punishment is part of the game. Let me show you…”

The first rope secured Peyton’s abdomen against the chair’s back. The second one coiled around her right wrist in a special tie Emily had learned which left a flat bottom. Perfect for lashing an arm to an armrest. Emily found that she even had enough excess length to bind Peyton’s forearm as well. Once the third rope had bound Peyton’s left arm in the same manner, Emily grabbed a longer strand and worked at tying the upper body.

Peyton had been silently observing her mother at work. Perhaps her tongue was held out of awe, or fear. But whatever the reason, it subsided, and she began spewing out questions.

“Where did you get so much rope? Have you always had this? Do you tie people up a lot? Who do yo-mmph!”

Emily planted her hand over Peyton’s mouth once more and whispered, “That’s three strikes, kiddo…”

Peyton didn’t get the chance to speak another word. A new soft ball was shoved into her mouth the instant Emily removed her hand. Not ready to be gagged just yet, Peyton tried to spit the ball out, but it never made it past her lips before they were sealed shut by a strip of silver duct tape.

For a while now, Emily had debated whether or not she would wrap the tape around her daughter’s head. She was certainly tempted to punish the kids, but she now knew from experience that any new tricks she showed them would likely be turned against her in no time, and that thought didn’t sit well with her.

Ultimately, she was nice, and opted to stick just one more strip on. Emily couldn’t help but giggle as Peyton repeatedly attempted in vain to pull her lips apart.

From there on, the girl’s inaudible mumbles were the satisfying soundtrack to Emily’s work. She finished pinning Peyton’s chest to the backrest before tying her calves and ankles to the chair’s respective legs, and topping it all off by securing her thighs to the seat. The result was perfect!

Emily bent over and pinched Peyton’s cheek, smiling as she whispered, “Stay put while I’m gone, babygirl.”

With that final tease, Emily stood up and walked away. Now it was Jayden’s turn.

During her earlier work, Emily had heard a small clatter below her, so she knew that her oldest daughter had changed spots somewhere in the basement. That narrowed it down to about three possibilities.

It was under the girl’s bed where Emily found her. She had shushed Peyton earlier because she wanted to keep things mysterious for Jayden while she hid. There was no need to maintain such enigma now, and she let Jayden scream and laugh as she picked her up and hurled her over her shoulder like a kidnapper. Emily had always wanted to do that, but not even Sana’s weight permitted it.

Because of how she was carried, Jayden couldn’t see where they were heard or just what lay ahead. Thanks to a ball and some tape strips, she couldn’t quite hear it either, so she was naturally taken aback when Emily put her down face to face with her thoroughly bound and gagged sister.

“Holy crap, Mom! How did you do that to her?!”

Emily smiled as she shoved Jayden into her chair. “It’s a grown up trick.”

Following her intuition, Emily went for Jayden’s wrists first. She tied the first one down and already her daughter began to test the ropes. By the time Emily had bound the other hand, Jayden knew that she couldn’t get out.

“This isn’t fair,” Jayden cried. “You’re so good at this!”

Those words spread a smug grin across Emily’s face. Her daughters once again understood who was in charge, and this was the perfect time to end the conversation. Emily plucked up another ball and leaned next to Jayden’s ear.

“I’m glad you noticed.”

And within seconds, Jayden was gagged just like her sister. Emily hummed joyfully to herself as she proceeded to tie Jayden down just as she had with Peyton. Even if it was her little girl, it still felt great to overpower and subdue a struggling victim.

Emily’s father had always joked about an efficient approach for maintaining order in his house: choke the big one in front of the little ones. It was just a joke, but there was some truth in its effectiveness. That’s why the girls were positioned face to face. Peyton could do nothing but wiggle and mumble helplessly as she watched her mom swiftly tie up her older sister. Emily went out of her way to tie the girls identically, as she didn’t want to hear any more gripes about fairness.

Emily stood up, wiped off her brow, and smiled down at the four pleading eyes starring back at her. She had made the mistake earlier of letting the girls roll around enough to untie one another; but this time, they couldn’t move a muscle.

The girls made a shrill squeal as Emily spun them around to face the wall, as though they really were in a time-out.

Emily’s next words were cheerful in tone, but they were very much a taunt. “Okay, girls, have fun! And let me know if you decide to surrender.”

The gags certainly did their job. Emily could barely hear a thing from the kitchen, where she went to pour herself a pot of coffee. It didn’t matter that it was already evening. There would be no accidental naps this time.

Upon her return, the girls were still trying their best to escape, and still getting absolutely no where. Her ropework allowed them to clench their fists and turn their heads, but that was about it. Oh, and protests too. There were a lot of muffled protests.

‘Like mother, like daughter,’ Emily thought to herself as she sat down and sipped at her mug. Still, the girls should be just fine. There were over a dozen stricter ways they could have been tied up after all.

As Emily passed the time by liking relatable memes and playing on her phone, she could hear the struggling die down and give way to pleading. Jayden and Peyton had no hope of escape, and they knew it. Still, she planned for their begging to be every bit as paltry as their struggles for the next ten minutes. It would be a good way to teach them the importance of safe signals and reading your victim.

Yeah, sure. That’s why. It’s not a punishment, it’s a lesson! Well, maybe there’s a little punishment in there…

This was Jayden and Peyton’s first day of tie-up games; and in any other case, ending their first attempt at a new activity with total, humiliating defeat would surely result in them swearing off it forever. But Emily wasn’t too worried. She predicted that no more than a month would pass before they approached her again asking for the ropes. The thrill of the struggle and the hope of victory far outweighed the cons of bondage.

Emily couldn’t actually read her daughters’ minds or anything, but she still knew how’d they’d feel at the end of the day. After all, they were her daughters.

This is terrific.

Any chance we'll fast forward to the future and see the girls as teens?

Thanks, man! I don't really have plans for that, but we'll see if there's enough demand for it.