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What they can’t see
Chapter 1 - Hidden in plain sight
What they can’t see
Chapter 1 - Hidden in plain sight
Joan stood in the bathroom, looking at the mirror above the sink. She was looking at her own reflection, as if seeking for some confirmation, some reassurance, some kind of sign. Dressed in a figure-hugging red turtleneck and black slacks, her blonde locks falling just short of her shoulders, there wasn’t really anything extraordinary about her slender frame. But now, the friendly smile she often had on her face was replaced with an expression of nervous determination. ‘Am I really… yes. Yes, I am. Yes.’
She looked down and picked up the sponge ball from the edge of the sink. Turning on the tap, she put the sponge underneath the stream of water for a few seconds. Water flowed over her hand as she raised the wet sponge and pushed it into her mouth, letting it settle behind her teeth and closing her lips around it. She could feel the ball expand and fill her mouth, pushing her tongue down against the bottom of her mouth. She swallowed the few drops of water that flowed down her throat and then picked up the roll of white microfoam tape. She pulled a piece of tape off the roll, cut it with nail scissors and then smoothed the tape over her closed lips, pressing down on it to make sure it adhered properly to her skin.
She lowered her hands and looked at the mirror again. Instead of the usual sight, she was looking at a woman whose lips were hidden behind white tape. She could feel butterflies in her stomach and sighed. One last look in the mirror and she walked out of the bathroom.
Joan put on her black-and-white checked overcoat and slid her feet into her black canvas sneakers. She picked up a disposable covid mask from the cardboard box on the shelf and put it on, concealing her secret behind the white mask. She peeked one last time at the mirror to make sure the tape wasn’t visible from beneath the mask and seeing that it wasn’t, grabbed her purse and walked out the door.
Walking down the stairs had never felt this nervous. She didn’t know many people in her house, but she was petrified with the prospect of meeting one of them. When she finally made it to her car, she had to sit down for a while to get her breathing and heart rate under control. She looked at herself in the sun visor mirror, once again checking that her gag wasn’t visible. She tried to speak, but the foam ball in her mouth made it impossible. She could try to press against the sponge, even shift it a little, but once she relaxed, the foam expanded instantly, once again pushing her tongue down. All that came out was muted mumbling. Joan smiled, feeling the butterflies in her stomach go crazy… and the tingling begin in her crotch.
It was hard to concentrate on driving. She’d made the trip to the mall more times than she could remember, but it had never felt this difficult. She had to force herself to concentrate on traffic instead of savoring the feeling of the fullness in her mouth - and its implications. A horn behind her yanked her once again out of her daydreams and she noticed the light had changed. Embarrassment flushed her face as she waved her hand and drove through the intersection. ‘I should have waited until the mall to do this’, she thought, but at the same time wouldn’t have missed this feeling, this experience for the world. ‘I’m driving around gagged, silenced, unable to speak… fuck this is hot…’ She drove into the garage and parked into the rear corner, as far as possible from the entrance to the mall itself.
As the engine fell silent, Joan leaned back in the chair. She tried to move her tongue around in her mouth, feeling the unrelenting pressure of the sponge ball that silenced her. She closed her eyes. ‘I’ve thought about this for.. what, at least a year… and now it’s happening…’ She realized her right hand had slid between her thighs, rubbing lightly on her pussy through the slacks and panties. Embarrassed, she pulled the hand away. Taking a deep breath, she picked up the purse from the passenger seat and opened it. ‘There.’
She picked up the shiny steel handcuffs and turned them over in her hands. They felt hard and solid. She knew from experience that once they were on, they weren’t coming off no matter what she did. ‘Not without the key.’ She fished out the small chrome-colored key and dropped it into the cupholder in the center console. Taking one last deep breath, she ratcheted the cuff shut around her left wrist, soon followed by her right. She picked up the key and engaged the double locks to make sure the cuffs wouldn’t tighten any more. Then she dropped the key back to the cupholder and placed an empty cardboard mug atop it. ‘Oh shit, I’m really doing this… I’m really doing this… I’m really doing this…’ She opened the door, stepped out and closed the door behind her. She locked the doors, dropped the key into her purse and, clutching the purse in both hands to camouflage the cuffs, she headed toward the doors to the mall.
Walking through the doors from the grey and echo-y garage into the light, airy mall had never felt like this. For Joan, stepping through the door was the final confirmation that she was really, really, really doing this. Living out her fantasy. She tried to walk as normally as possible, although in the back of her head she was sure everyone around her could either see that something was wrong with her - or outright knew her secret.
She walked a few meters past the doors and sat on a bench set at the wall. Trying to conceal the cuffs as best as she could, she opened her purse and fished out the small folded piece of paper. Opening it, she saw the handwriting inside.
‘My lovely pet, I am so proud of you finally doing this for real. Now, I want you to do the following. Walk to the candle shop at the end of the southern wing. Buy two candles. Then go to the coffee and tea store at the end of the northern wing. Buy a packet of your favorite tea. Once you have made these purchases, you may return to the car and take off the cuffs for the ride home - BUT keep your gag on until you get back home. I will want a detailed report when you get home. With love, Mistress.’
The note was in her own handwriting. She’d spent weeks trying to come up with the words, trying to get the letter to sound like it had been written by someone else. Someone who had ordered her to do this. Both stores mentioned in the letter were places she’d visited several times before and she’d chosen them specifically to make herself walk through the entire mall. To reach them, she’d have to first walk to the central plaza, then walk all the way through one wing and back, then the other wing and back, and finally through the eastern wing of the T-shaped mall before she could reach her car.
Taking a deep breath, she stood up and began walking. People walked past her in both directions, some walking with purpose, clearly headed somewhere while others ambled along peacefully, stopping to inspect the display windows. Joan walked as calmly as she could, trying to blend into the crowd, trying not to attract attention. With one or two exceptions, everyone was wearing a mask. The disposable masks were by far the most common, but there were also fabric masks and the occasional clear visor. Joan couldn’t help but admire some of the fabric masks. Even though they were said to be less effective, some of them were strikingly beautiful.
The masks that really caught her eye, however, were the flat black fabric masks. They were common enough that she saw one every few minutes. In Joan’s eyes, there was something about them that suggested the wearer was gagged underneath the mask... exactly like she was. Joan stopped briefly at a display window of an empty shop. The dark room behind the glass made it a decent mirror. Looking at herself, Joan could just barely make out the outline of the rectangle of tape that covered her lips underneath the mask. She felt a surge of arousal wash through her. ‘Here I am… gagged, handcuffed and in public.’ She thought briefly what it would be like to walk here like this with someone else. Someone who held the keys to her cuffs. The cuffs that held her wrists… behind her back, underneath the coat, empty sleeves tucked into pockets to camouflage the restraints… walking along the aisle all by herself, the person holding the keys somewhere behind her, following her... She tried to stifle a moan, but a small noise escaped her lips nonetheless. Joan looked around her, blushing, and moved on, shaking her head briefly to force the image out of her mind.
She could see the sign of the candle store at the end of the long aisle. She stopped briefly to let a warehouse trolley pass her and then made her way to the candle store. She paused for a moment at the display window, taking a deep breath to calm herself down. There was a discount basked right next to the door. ‘I can just grab something, pop in, pay and be gone…’ she thought, but stayed put. ‘No. I’m going to walk in, walk to the back where they have those nice handmade candles and buy those. I’m going to do this right’, she thought. With butterflies in her stomach and an unmistakable wetness between her legs, she stepped into the store.
The candle wax had an aroma of its own, especially when there was so much of it. “Welcome”, the salesman behind the counter greeted her. Joan nodded to him and made her way past the shelves, heading further into the store. She found the candles she was looking for and stopped in front of the shelf. Reaching up to pick the candles she wanted, she was struck with a fresh dilemma - how was she going to carry two candles to the counter, pay and take the candles with her without anyone noticing the cuffs? She took a deep breath to tamp down the first signs of panic. ‘One thing at a time. Let’s take this one thing at a time.’ She looked down into her purse and fished out her debit card. Then she took the candles - a red and a purple one, both of them about five centimeters in diameter and twenty centimeters tall.
There were other customers standing in line to the counter. Joan stood at the back of the line. Her heart started beating faster and faster, the closer she got to the counter. ‘What am I going to do if he notices the handcuffs?’ The lady in front of her paid and left with her purchases. Joan stepped up to pay - just as a phone rang behind the counter.
The cashier looked down at it and then at Joan. “Is it okay if I take this? I can ring you up at the same time.”
Joan nodded. The man answered the phone and started to talk. He took the candles from Joan. The blonde breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the cashier was concentrating on the call more than on her. He was looking around the store as Joan paid for the candles, swiping her card over the contactless terminal. The call was still ongoing as the man put the candles in a small paper bag and handed it to Joan. Joan nodded her thanks and walked out of the store.
She turned back the way she came, walked for a few meters and then moved to the side of the aisle, sitting down on a bench. Her heart was pounding in her chest, her chest was heaving up and down, she was taking in air in giant wheezing breaths - and she was certain she’d leave a wet spot on the bench. Going into the store had been SCARY! She’d never realized just how much she usually spoke with the salespeople. Having to go into such a situation knowing that she wouldn’t be able to speak even if she’d wanted to had been nerve-wracking… but, especially now that it was over, it had also been a rush. She could feel her panties had become wet.
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...and that's it? Noooo, not quite. The conclusion of the story should be up on Wednesday. Have a good one, everybody.
