Part 19 - Andrea and the Long Journey

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The Stories of Bound Friends

Part 19 - Andrea and the Long Journey

By JessBaby

“Tell me again why we need to be packed so early? I get that it’s an international flight, very very international,  but it still seems like you are trying to get us going awfully early. You said passports and visas are all good? Do we still need to do stuff at the airport for them?” Andrea said as she sat and watched Zainab finish packing.

“No, your passport’s should be fine. Megan’s too. And my dad fast-tracked the visas by sponsoring you and Megan personally as our guests. You’ve got nothing to worry about in that regard, probably. Me and my parents got diplomatic passports though so we normally get a special line.. that’s why they’re not coming as early as we are, they’ll be done in about 5 seconds flat. You should be good, but what do I know! Thus, one of the reasons for all the extra time.” Zainab said, packing her last case closed. “And you remembered to put your change in the carry-on?”

“Yes, it’s in there. I got everything together just waiting on you. Megan packed last night and she’ll be back here with some breakfast shortly.”

“We have time,” Zainab said checking her phone. “I told her to give us some privacy, so she shouldn’t come back till she’s supposed to.”

“Ohh.. is this one of the other reasons why we’re getting things done early? Maybe a little morning quickie before the flight” Andrea asked.

“Maybe a little one,” Zainab said, switching to a slightly more seductive tone.

“Mmm, Ok one last one for the road,” Andrea said  flinging her shirt off with a smile. Zainab reached into her top drawer and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. She sat on Andrea’s lap and gently pulled Andrea’s hands around behind her, slipping the cuffs around them gently. She reached over to her phone and turned up both of their NESICs. It caused them both to moan in delight.

Zainab got up, and seductively stripped out of her jeans. She wore a pair of purple lace panties that she was only too eager to tease Andrea with. She slipped them off, giving Andrea sight of her ass as she bent at the waist to remove them. She walked past the nearly panting Andrea, brushing a hand along Andrea’s cheek as she flopped down on her bed. She lifted one leg and then beckoned Andrea to come closer with a finger and a raised eyebrow.

Andrea strained against her cuffs, pulling at them with frustrated satisfaction, trying to turn and crawl towards her. Zainab sat up to help guide Andrea down to her stomach, preferring she make the landing gracefully and not plunge headlong into what might have been a painful accident. Andrea brought out her tongue and began to tease around, licking in such a way as to use her ball bearing piercing against Zainab’s clit. Zainab moaned as she ran her hands through Andrea’s hair. She simply closed her eyes and enjoyed.

As Zainab built towards orgasm, she began to breath heavier. Andrea suddenly felt a whack on her ass, followed shortly by another. She tried to turn her head to look, but found Zainab’s gripp too much to overcome. It felt like a cane, hitting her with the thin layer of sweatpants protecting her from the full stinging force of it. The hits seemed to get closer and closer together as Zainab got closer and closer. Eventually, Andrea felt Zainab drop the cane on her back, placing both hands around her head and pulling tightly on her hair.

Zainab grunted as she finished, throwing Andrea’s head away from her now sensitive clit. She reached for her phone to turn her NESIC off while leaving Andrea’s on. Andrea’s head lay on Zainab’s thigh as they both caught their breath.

“Um.. Mistress?” Andrea asked after a quite had taken hold. “Is there.. any way you could.. let me? I mean.. is there anything you might want me to have? or..”

“Yes yes.. impatient one.” Zainab said stroking Andrea’s hair once more before sitting up. Zainab flipped Andrea and began to rip her pants and panties down to her ankles in a single motion. She helped Andrea out of one leg but seemed content to leave the clothes around the other ankle. She yanked Andrea forward so that both knees were off the bed. “I’ve created a little game.” she said as she opened one of her drawers and pulled out a blindfold. “Without peeking, I want you to try and guess what I’m using on you. Sound like a fun game?”

Andrea smiled and sat up, nodding her head in approval. Zainab put the blindfold on before pushing her back down onto the bed. Zainab crawled between Andrea’s legs and began to lick her.

“Mmm, that’s easy.. that’s my Mistress’s tongue,” Andrea replied quickly.

“Very good,” Zainab said, backing off and sticking three fingers into Andrea’s cunt.

“Ooh.. that’s two.. no three fingers.” Andrea said.

Zainab sat up and reached into her desk to grab the final toy. It had been a new purchase, and one with a very specific job in mind. The plug was metal and slightly pear shaped. It was bulbous at one end but narrower at the other end like a butt plug would be. It had a long bar across the base, again much like a butt plug would to ensure that it never accidentally slipped all the way in. Below it, a metal rod extended for just shy of two inches. She took some of Andrea’s pussy juices and used them to lube it up.

“Oohh.. oh I don’t..” Andrea said as she felt the metal toy go in her. She tried to discern what it was, but apart from it feeling metal because of its coldness she had next to no idea which one of Zainab’s toys it was. “I.. I don’t know what this is..”

“It’s all right, just think about it a bit longer,” Zainab said as she reached back into the drawer to get the final two pieces. She grabbed the toy by the base and began to push on the metal rod protruding from it. As she did, the device slowly widened inside Andrea into three pieces.

“Oh.. oh this is weird.. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this..” she said, dumbfounded by what this thing could be. Once the bar was pushed in as far as it could go, the sides pushed on Andrea’s inner walls slightly. It was moderately uncomfortable, and very unusual, but not actually painful either.

Zainab grabbed the tag and lock, running the lock through the hole in the rod and base to ensure it couldn’t close. She placed the metal tag through the lock before closing it. “Give up?” Zainab asked.

“Does it mean I lose if I do?” Andrea asked, sitting up slightly on her elbows.

“Well.. I’m sorry to say but yeah you’ve lost.”

“What? What do you mean?” Andrea asked, reaching up and removing her blindfold.

“It’s a kind of pear device. It expands out inside you so you can’t really remove it until the rod is pulled back out and it gets narrow again,” Zainab explained as she toweled herself off before getting another pair of panties to change into.

“So I can’t take this out then? Oh it’s locked?” Andrea asked as she looked down at the device.

“You remember when we were visiting Sophia.. and you cuffed me.. and you thought it was so hilarious and I vowed to get you back?”

Andrea’s face went white. “No.. you can’t be serious!”

“This would be the main reason why we’re so early.. I don’t expect airport security will be all that fun for you slave.”

---

“You’re actually doing this?” Andrea asked in the car to the airport.

“Doing what?” Megan asked.

“Yes I actually am. And the clothes are absolutely necessary too,” Zainab said, putting her arm around Andrea’s bare shoulders. Zainab had made her wear a strapless tube top dress of sorts. It was held up by elastic at her breasts and went down only to her mid thigh. Andrea sat with her legs closed, causing the pear to press a little firmer, but shielding the fact that she did not have any underwear on.

“Please.. at least tell me the combination.. incase they ask for it?” Andrea asked.

“I’ll keep it but I’ll be near. Besides, it’s the kind of luggage locks the TSA can open if they need to,” Zainab replied in a satisfied tone.

“What’s going on?” Megan asked.

“Punishment.. aparently this is the form it’s taking for having turned on her when we were up with Sophia,” Andrea explained. “I’ll just leave it at.. you should probably go ahead of me at the security line.”

“I know this might be funny coming from me.. but you could try saying no..” Megan said, turning back from the front seat to look back at Andrea and Megan.

Andrea looked over at Zainab  and then down on the floor. She ran her fingers across her necklace, she hadn’t taken it off since she got it, and at times almost forgot it was still there. “You know.. she’s right.” Andrea said, looking back up at Zainab.

Zainab blankly stared back. She tried to not intimidate, wanting to hear more from Andrea before responding. She began bouncing her leg, growing impatient and nervous by the silence.

“But if I said no.. what kind of slave would I be for my Mistress?” Andrea said leaning up against Zainab.

Zainab grabbed Andrea by the back of the neck, and maneuvered her around to give her a deep passionate kiss. “Besides..” Zainab whispered quietly in Andrea’s ear after the kiss. “You know you love it.”

Andrea turned and whispered back her response. “Not as much as I know I love you Mistress.”

---

Andrea felt dirty as she walked through the open terminal. Zainab had attached something metal to the lock. It meant that without panties to keep them still, nearly every step they not only pulled at her but it jingled. It sounded not much worse that someone with a lot of change in their pocket, but it still put Andrea on alert. Scanning around occasionally, wondering if anyone was noticing her. It was, annoyingly, quite a thrill.

She walked close to Zainab as they approached the security line. “Sorry,” Zainab said as the reached the entrance to the long maze of belt stanchions leading to the security gates. “I’ve got a different line to go through,” she said, kissing Andrea quickly.

Zainab leaned in a little closer and brought her hands up to Andrea’s necklace. Andrea was thankful she at least wouldn’t have to explain her inability to remove that particular item as well. Instead of removing it however, Zainab actually turned up Andrea’s NESIC before pressing her thumb to lock it where it was. “This should make it a little more fun,” Zainab whispered in Andrea’s ear. Zainab began walking towards the far side and waved back at them, “I’ll just be on the other side if you need me.”

“What’s all that about?” Megan asked.

“Never mind. Lead on…” Andrea said, following behind Megan. Her hands shook nervously as she held on to her backpack with both hands. The embarrassment now annoyingly mixed with feelings of arousal and yet she was unable to change any of it right now which only made the feelings stronger. Megan ended up at a different gate, both of them waiting behind only a few people. Andrea put her backpack on the conveyor and nervously walked through the detector. It beeped as Andrea knew it would, and the man in front of her held out his hand to get her to stop moving forward.

“Any metal jewelry, watches, please take them off and walk back through,” he said resignedly. His shaved head made it difficult to tell his age, but his forehead wrinkled as he raised his eyebrows in a tired frustration.

“I don’t.. have anything like that I can take off.” Andrea said.

“No, you can’t take that necklace off? Or you just don’t want to?” he asked in a tone that said he really hoped it was the former.

“Can’t.. sorry, this.. it’s fingerprint coded and not to my fingerprint.” Andrea meekly explained. She began to blush uncontrollably as the man began to examine her up and down.

“Well that’s a new one.” he said as he reached over for a wand. “Put your arms out for me,” he said miming the position.

Andrea complied and swallowed nervously as it began to run over her breasts. Her piercings she had switched out for hard plastic one to try to not bring attention to herself, but she knew that when the wand reached lower it wouldn’t be so quiet. The wand beeped rather frantically as it approached her crotch. The man continued his scan down her legs but gave her a very inquisitive look.

“Would you please step behind this privacy screen over there,” he said pointing to a small three fold privacy screen that was set against a flat panel. It only reached to about eye level but it looked like it would provide cover for the important bits.

“Um.. with you?” Andrea asked.

“If you’d rather you can wait and I can get a woman,” he said as he continued to walk.

Andrea looked around. The line wasn’t long, but it was only that way from a buzz of activity. Everyone was occupied and moving along. It seemed already that she was attracting attention as people noticed her holding things up. She decided that she would rather get this over with that make it longer than it has to. She confidently marched behind the screens and nodded her head.

The man began to pat her around her crotch, trying to feel for what might have been setting things off. He wore gloves and began to run his hands up her legs. Normally Andrea wouldn’t find it sexual, he was being professional enough. But she knew what he would find, and she also felt a constant arousal from her NESIC that she could not turn off. As his hands reached closer and closer to her damp sex, she wanted more and more to feel his touch there. She looked around and could see everyone else going about their way. She saw Megan picking up her bag and continuing on past security. It was all so public but a part of her wanted to reach between her legs right then and there.

“May I ask what this is?” he said as he began pressing on Andrea’s lower gut. He felt something hard, much to hard to be organic.

“It’s.. kind of tough to explain..” Andrea said, to nervous right then to say more.

The man knelt down and lifted her skirt to take a better look. Andrea bit her lower lip as his gloved hands began to feel around. As a thumb pressed against her clit, Andrea couldn’t help but rub herself against it. She turned beet red at the lude action, looking away not wanting to see the reaction it caused. She felt him tugging at the lock and metal tag. He seemed to hold it there for some time. Andrea looked down and saw his lips moving as if reading something he couldn’t believe.

“So this thing.. whatever it is.. it’ll come out if I unlock this?” he asked. Andrea nodded her head. “And what’s the combination?” he continued. Andrea looked away sheepishly, telling him without words that she didn’t know what it was.

“But you should be able to unlock it right? It’s one of the kind you can unlock?” Andrea asked.

“Yeah.. I can, but you’ll have to wait while I get the keys,” he said. “Now.. are you sure there’s nothing more I can do without them?” he asked, placing his hand back over her pussy with his thumb placed directly at her clit.

Andrea began breathing heavy. When she had grinded her hips the once she wasn’t sure it registered. He hadn’t mentioned anything. Now it was clear not only had he noticed, he seemed to be inviting her to repeat her humiliation.

She began to slide forward, only an inch maybe less, locking movement to just her hips. She began to slide them more freely, looking around and not seeing anyone notice her depravity. But she stopped herself soon after. Finding the thrill overwhelming but not so overwhelming she would try to press her luck while she was so exposed. “Ok.. maybe you should just get the key now.” she said, causing the man to stand up and began to speak into his shoulder mounted walkie-talkie.

“Hey Mike, bring a set of luggage lock keys up would you?”

---

Andrea looked around her, her eyes just taller than the privacy screens that hid the two of them. She still breathed deep and heavy, watching all the people pass her by and even catching Zainab and Megan looking her way from the other side of security. Zainab waved with a coy smile that Andrea couldn’t help but feel flustered over. She was as she promised, near by. But that wasn’t going to make this any less humiliating.

“You know.. you really shouldn’t be doing this..” the security guard said as he stood there waiting for Mike to arrive. “And if there’s anything up there you should have..”

“No sir, I swear it’s nothing like that,” Andrea said quickly. “Please.. it’s just a.. just a um.. well a...” she said, embarrassed to find the words. She leaned in a little closer to whisper “a sex thing.”

His eyes went a little wider, he could tell she was embarrassed, but given how she had been reacting he believed her. “So.. you’re getting off on this then?” he asked.

Andrea blushed and nervously nodded her head. She felt humiliated to admit it but it was the truth. Zainab had set all this up beautifully, and she couldn’t help but enjoy it. Particularly when she tried to think about what Zainab must be thinking, watching her trapped waiting where she is.

“Prove it,” he said as he walked forward again and returned his hands to her crotch. Andrea was floored, she looked up at him wondering if she should be insulted, intimidated, flattered or fuming. Maybe all of them. He just returned a dead face, not helping betray his emotion in the least.

“You’re.. you’re serious? Can you do that?” Andrea asked quietly.

“You.. are trying to bring a concealed metal object into an airport, I’m trying to find out if you’re telling the truth about what it is.” He said coldly. It wasn’t mean or angry, it simply.. was. She still couldn’t tell if he was in any way joking.

Joke or not though he left his hand there, and his utter confidence was.. something. She was already rather aroused by what had already happened, a part of her began to scream about how good it would feel. She looked around one last time, not seeing anyone in a TSA uniform coming up, no obvious “Mike” in sight. She grunted in resignation as she gave in and began to grind once again on his hand. The full feeling in her pussy was hard to ignore, but she wasn’t sure anymore if she liked it.

She nearly jumped as another man walked into sight. He was short, black with buzzed hair. He gave her a once over before looking at his colleague. “Just testing out a theory..” the man said as he pulled his hand away. “Besides, she’s into it.”

“Whatever Seth. I brought the keys, where’s the suitcase?” the man Andrea deduced was Mike asked.

“Oh.. no allow me,” Seth said as he squatted down and lifted up Andrea’s skirt.

“What the hell?” Mike said in disbelief.

“She says it’s a ‘sex thing,’ gets real red in the face if I ask any more about it. Here take a look at that,” Seth said before placing his other hand out and grabbing gently the lock and metal tag.

“A straight up lock on her box. Ok, this is a new one,” Mike said as he pulled out a set of keys from his pocket. He slipped a key into the lock and unlocked it. He fed the lock out through the hole in the metal and Andrea immediately felt relief as the plug inside her began to narrow. “Why is it popping out like that?” he said as he looked at the metal rod that had begun to extend down as soon as he released the lock.

“Here..” Andrea said, finally interjecting herself actively into what’s going on. She pulled the rod as far down as it could go, closing the device to as small as it could go. She then began pulling it out by the base, allowing it to slide out of her to the astonished faces of both men. Andrea demonstrated how it opened and closed, showing them there was nothing else inside of it. Seth went back to get the wand, prodding around and finding no more metal. He grabbed a bag and handed it over to the other side of the conveyor belt, where a man walked it around, allowing it to go through the luggage scanner.

Andrea walked over to pick up her backpack that had been waiting for her for some time as well as her new device that she kept in its plastic bag and quickly stuffed in her backpack.

“You almost forgot this,” Mike said, handing her back the lock and metal tag. Because of where it was, Andrea hadn’t had a chance to examine the tag before. It was thin, metal and inscribed:

This woman is being punished by her Mistress. She enjoys humiliation but she means no harm.

Andrea smiled, putting the tag in her bag along with the lock before running up to meet Zainab. “Well, flight’s not for a while still, glad everything went so.. smoothly,” Zainab said, walking forward and pressing her finger to the gem on Andrea’s collar. Andrea quickly rushed up to pinch the right spots to turn it all off, breathing a sigh of relief at the quiet.

“Do you mind at least if I get change back? I don’t want to get on the plane dressed like this,”

“Then why’d you wear it?” Megan asked a little confused.

“Blame her for it, it’s her stupid game.” Andrea said, pointing to Zainab.

“Well you still got plenty of time till we meet my parents before the flight, I made sure we had enough time in case things got hard in line,” Zainab said checking the time.

“I’m pretty sure at least two guys are hard in line..” Andrea teased

“You want me to send you back for seconds?”

“I’d rather just get dressed back into some normal clothes,” Andrea said.

“Fine, we’ll scope out some seats by the gate, meet us there.”

---

“You’re staring..” Zainab said as she took her headphones off and looked beside her seat at Andrea.

“Well.. you look nervous. You almost never look nervous. Is it about going back to Surda? I mean you do still think of it as home right?”

“Yeah.. it’s home I guess. I lived there till I was 14. My dad had started taking postings overseas and at first my mom didn’t want us to join him but she changed her mind after a year and a bit with just me and the extended family.”

“I bet you could have driven her quite mad if you wanted to,” Andrea said leaning over.

“Actually I was kind of a different person back then, kinda restrained, kinda a follower.. not wanting to stand out if you can believe any of that.”

“You never told me that.. I kind of assumed you were just.. always this over the top,” Andrea said, curling up on the seat to better face Zainab. “Is that why you’re nervous? Do you stand out now? Cause they’re all.. like uptight religious… ok stop me if I’m getting offensive..”

“No no, you’re nothing like that. I guess I stand out a bit but really not that much. Surda’s never really been very uptight. You’ve got a mix of people, Hindu and Muslim.. not exactly known for getting along well without both sides compromising a little. But that’s mostly in the past. No I just.. I think everyone’s a bit more content with not paying much mind to the outside world. Not like thats always a bad thing. For families like mine, families with money, it’s.. it’s really a paradise. There’s a reason it’s got the reputation it’s got, perfect weather, any luxury you’d ever want. I just never, I guess.. never that content to stay in one place I think or something. Though, that’s probably more my issue than theirs. When I was young, like around 9.. I used to look out over the water sometimes. I’d see boats coming and going and I’d notice all the flags. I’d go like look them up.. I could name about a hundred flags. I don’t know, maybe it’s a grass is greener thing. It’s home, as much as anywhere’s home to me, I’m just.. I guess I’m not much of a ‘home’ kind of person,” Zainab explained slowly, varying her mood from giddy highs to embarrassed lows as she went.

“Aww.. my Mistress is all introspective this morning..” Andrea said as she lay down along the bench seat, placing her head on Zainab’s lap. “So is that why you’re anxious? Cause you looked anxious.”

“No.. not that.. just a lot on my mind,” Zainab said, brushing Andrea’s hair out of her face. “I mean.. I’ve never like.. brought someone back with me like this. Not as anything more than a friend. And.. a few other things.. and.. yeah just a lot more on my mind than usual is all.”

Andrea reached out and grabbed Zainab’s hand, pulling it down to her gut with both hands. She began to interlock her fingers with Zainab while the other hand stroked the back of her hand lovingly. “Anything you wanna share or is this all silent brooding kind of thoughts that are better left alone?”

“No, nothing that harsh. No I’ll be fine, I just need a distraction or something I think.”

“Well,” Andrea said, sitting up just enough to whisper in Zainab’s ear. “I’ve never.. joined the mile high club. I’m sure that could distract your mind couldn’t it?”

Zainab smiled and exhaled deeply, closing her eyes. “Yeah, that ought to do quite nicely.”

Andrea caught Zainab’s parents approaching out of the corner of her eye and quickly bolted upright to greet them. Neither of them were particularly tall, but they were both still a good bit taller than Zainab. Her father Farhad wore a cleanly tailored button up shirt and suit pants, conspicuously missing the tie that almost always accompanied such outfits whenever Andrea had seen him. He was clean shaven as always but had let his short, curly hair go much more unmanaged than it usually was. Leyla wore a much more comfortable looking outfit, matching brown sweatpants and thin sweatshirt over what looked to be a plane cotton shirt. She wore her hair in the same kind of long french braid Zainab usually wore. She outstretched her arms as she approached them, embracing both of them in a hug one at a time as she said hello. “So there was no problems with the papers or anything then?” Farhad asked about the time Megan had gotten up to join them.

“No.. everything about those at least went smoothly,” Andrea answered. She had never fully gotten at ease with him, he seemed to alternate between a chill, relaxed guy and one who was clinically professional with no time for this thing called “fun.” Leyla seemed much more a reflection of Zainab, someone lively and joyful. She seemed much easier to read, and seemed to have warmed up to Andrea. She never directly brought up the relationship, and aside from only a few questions from Leyla they never seemed to either.

“I just got off with Omid, everything’s looking good from their end,” Farhad said quietly to Zainab.

“What’s looking good?” Andrea asked.

“Oh.. I was just.. we.. we were asking..” Zainab fluttered.

“We trying to get you girls upgrades on the flight,” Farhad explained, cutting off his daughter’s rambling. “We wanted to bring you all up to first class with us, my brother was just confirming that it went through.”

“Really? Zainab said we already were going to be up with the rest of you..” Andrea said, slightly skeptically.

“OK, so I may have.. jumped the gun a little,” Zainab replied. “I just really hoped he’d be ok with it so I told you before it was actually a done deal.”

“Oh is that so?” Andrea exclaimed in phaned outrage.

Zainab shrugged her shoulders. “Have your fun now.. see how much you hate me when you see it.”

---

Andrea followed behind Zainab and her parents as they boarded, immediately shocked by the size of the semi-reclined seats to her left. To the right looked to be doors for some kind of storage. Her jaw dropped entirely as Farhid and Leyla opened one of the sliding doors, revealing a two seat compartment inside. The chairs faced each other, but one was closer to the door while the other one was closer to the window. It gave each seat unrestricted leg room by not facing directly at the other seat, and from the look of things a footrest would have room to go up as well. Zainab opened the doors of the cabin just past her parent’s one and walked inside, gesturing for Andrea to follow her inside. “I.. I didn’t even know this was a thing planes did!” Andrea gushed.

“Is there a third seat?” Megan asked looking in.

“Not a proper one no, you’re.. well just check the ticket.” Zainab said.

Megan pulled it out, looking at her seat number and finding it just a bit beyond their cabin facing them. It angled a bit and had a small barrier dividing it from the seat beside it. She looked over and could see Andrea, just as awestruck as her, sitting in the seat facing backwards while Zainab was obscured from view entirely.

“Sorry to leave you out all alone there Megan, these private sections are sold in pairs and you’re the odd one out.”

“That’s more than ok,” Megan said, leaning back on the soft leather.

“Wow.. this is seriously..” Andrea said, trying but failing to properly find the words.

“Yeah, get comfortable because it’s a long flight. But these make the 14 hours not seem quite so bad. You can even get some halfway decent sleep. Try to remember, when we arrive it’ll be morning again so try to think of it as night no matter how bright it might be out the windows if you want to get on local time quicker. It’s why I had you and Megan stay up so late last night,” Zainab explained, stashing her small backpack in the overhead bin. It seemed to be limited to their cabin only, being inaccessible from outside.

“This is so cool,” Andrea said, embarrassed at how insufficient those words felt to describe what she was seeing. “How’s yours?” she asked, leaning out to look at Megan through the thin stream of people still boarding behind them.

“Are you kidding, I could get used to this..” Megan said rubbing her hands up and down the seat.

---

“So is it real yet?” Zainab asked, breaking Andrea’s concentration as she watched the last spits of coast pass by out the window.

“What’s that?”

“You said the other day you probably wouldn’t believe this is real until we’re actually over the ocean, believe it yet?”

“I mean.. I never thought you were actually lying or anything,” Andrea said, leaning forward a bit. “It’s just.. I’ve never been outside the US. Now I’m on a flight to Dubai as just the first leg! I’m in a private cabin, and I didn’t know planes did that,” Andrea explained

“Yeah.. this is really the only airline that does it, but my parents tried it once and now they say they can’t go back. This is my first time having one of my own actually, so I’m right there with you believe it or not. I’m usually out where Megan is,” Zainab replied with a giddy grin.

“Well at least you’re not jaded to that,” Andrea teased.

“And hey, now that we’re cruising, check this out,” Zainab said, pressing a button on the outside armrest which brought up the footrest and began leaning the platform forward. It continued to slowly slide forward until it flattened out, just reaching the end of the cabin, resting on a small outcropping. Andrea quickly looked for the same button on her own seat, mirroring what Zainab’s seat did. With both seats down it created a nearly contiguous flat double wide surface. The inside armrest flipped up, and Zainab grabbed blankets and pillows to set things up as a continuous covered surface. Andrea flipped around once everything was in place.laying her head on the pillow beside Zainab. With the sheets it seemed to be one continuous surface, and was surprisingly rigid with the footrests laying on a small ledge at the far side for support.

“How would you like..” Zainab said before reaching for a touch screen beside her seat. The TV in their line of sight turned on slowly. ”Why don’t we invite Megan over and we watch something.”

“But.. what about..” Andrea said as she turned over and placed her arm gently around Zainab.

“Trust me, we got time for that too. It’s a long flight.”

---

“So what now?” Megan asked, as the credits began to roll.

“You hungry?” Andrea asked. Megan shook her head, the small meal they ordered near the start of the movie was still more than enough for her.

“Well.. this might be an awkward.. time. But between Zainab telling me to stay away earlier.. and thinking about your little adventure in security..”

“Oh then I’m sure that one scene at the end there didn’t help, where she’s tied to the pole in that soaked white t-shirt.. and in a rare surprise a mainstream hollywood movie they actually did some proper ties?” Zainab added.

“Exactly, it did not. Well, Ega.. could you make some time for your slave?” Megan asked. Andrea looked over at Zainab, not really sure how to respond to that. “I mean, like I also just don’t know.. is there going to be much of a chance to.. do any of that on the trip? You did say we’re staying with your family so I don’t know if that.. like precludes anything from happening.”

“No, you got nothing to worry abou there,” Zainab said. “If you want to wait till we’re there, then wait. But if you want to do something now as well I won’t stop you two.”

“I assume you’ve got something in your bag I can barrow?” Andrea asked.

“You assume correctly,” Zainab said, partially standing up partially to grab her and Andrea’s bag from the overhead bin. “It’s not much but I got a few things, you got anything?”

“Only the collar. Well then, strip slave!” Andrea said quietly but still commandingly.

Megan smiled and quickly began to remove her clothing. As she always did she remembered to fold it and place it in a neat pile as she went. Once she was naked she turned her back to Andrea and lifted up her hair, letting Andrea place the collar around her neck. Andrea brought out the combination lock that had been used on her earlier, and used it to lock the collar buckle shut.

“And what’s great slave? I don’t actually know the combination to that lock,” Andrea whispered in Megan’s ear. Megan audibly gasped and ran her hand up to her collar.

“But Zainab does right?” Megan asked through labored breath.

“Yes.. but it certainly adds to things doesn’t it. Your Ega isn’t able to take this off now without her cooperation. Megan bit the side of her lip, sitting back up and placing her hands behind her back. She closed her eyes, wanting to be surprised by what it was Zainab had been resourceful enough to pack. She felt a coil of rope pull her hands together palm to palm. It wrapped several times around before cinching the tie tight. The rope continued to her surprise though, wrapping around her waist once pinning her arms close to the small of her back. Andrea helped her down to her stomach before moving down and adding a second coil of rope around her ankles. It wrapped around four or five times before being tied off. Like the hands, this rope still had a bit of slack left, and Megan felt her legs pulled up into a hogtie as the spare rope tied to the top of her wrist coil, keeping the knot near the one keeping her hands at her waist, both of which were out of easy reach from her fingers.

Megan could hear Andrea and Zainab talking softly, she couldn’t make out the content and so she didn’t try very hard to. Especially when her attention could instead be focused on her simple but effective tie.

Andrea and Zainab both stood up on either side of Megan. The reache their hands under her, gripping her at the chest and upper thigh. The two lifted her up before eventually Andrea took the bulk of the weight. Megan looked up and saw the overhead bin was still open, and shuddered as she watched herself be pushed up into it.

“Are you sure this will hold?” Megan asked.

“Trust me, it will,” Zainab said, walking around to join Andrea in Megan’s limited line of sight.

“Well it looks like my slave is nice and secure, I hope you enjoy the flight.. as cargo.” Andrea said, trying to sound cold and intimidating. Megan was meeting her halfway and took it as such. She felt objectified, quite literally.. treated as luggage. As the light faded with the closing of the door, the feelings only intensified. The rumble of the plane blocked out every other sound. Even the faint sound of her piercings rubbing up against the hard plastic floor barely registered.

Megan grinned and settled in, stretching her arms and pulling at her legs until her feet bumped against the low ceiling. A thought occurred to Megan, she could cut the ropes and still probably not have the room to straighten her legs. “You can still hear me right?” she called out, testing the sound-proofness of her new confinement.

“Little mumbled but yeah,” came the barely discernible dull sound of Andrea. It may not be the loudest response but it calmed Megan down immensely to know she could still call out for help if it was needed. Andrea.. Ega.. would protect her slave.

---

“So was that all you had?” Andrea asked quietly as the two lay down looking up at the luggage compartment.

“Hey.. I didn’t know for sure I’d be doing anything, let alone that I’d have to bring anything for her too. I’d say two coils of rope is plenty as an emergency stash,” Zainab said, turning to her side to face Andrea.

Andrea turned to her side as well, smiling and brushing stray hairs back behind her ear. “Well thank you even more for them in that case,” she said, inching herself a bit closer. “Hey.. this might sound.. whatever. But your family, they’re not going to have a problem with me right? I mean I sometimes worry about your dad, he’s kinda hard to read.. I mean do I need to.. I don’t know worry?”

“Where’s this coming from?” Zainab asked with a concerned look.

“I don’t know, your mom seems to be fine but you’re dad’s kind of cold and.. I don’t really know very much about the culture over there and how tolerant it is.. I mean they’re not all like you so.. where does that leave me?”

“It leaves you..” Zainab said as she placed her arm around the small of Andrea’s back and pulling them together. “Well it leaves you as my girlfriend. I’ve.. never brought back someone I was in a serious relationship with before. Mostly because I never took relationships very seriously. That’ll make you stand out more than just because you’re a girl not a guy. I don’t expect.. I mean some people are a little more ‘traditional’ but it shouldn’t be a problem. And my dad, you’re seriously worried about him?”

“I don’t know.. I always feel a little uneasy around him.”

“That’s because you.. I think he’s just a little worried sometimes ‘cause you kind of stole his only daughter’s heart..” Zainab said, blushing as she finished.

“I did that, did I?” Andrea said in a teasing tone.

“Kind of yeah. I mean it’s kind of a big deal,” Zainab said in nervous laughter.

Andrea closed what little distance remained, moving in for a deep and passionate kiss. She ran a hand along the back of Zainab’s neck, holding on to her tightly. When she finally pulled back, she rested her forehead against Zainab’s. They breathed heavily into each other, “I love you too you know,” Andrea panted out.

Zainab rolled on top of Andrea, straddling her just below the waist and sitting up. She began to frantically remover her top, causing Andrea to sit up and do the same. Andrea bent forward, taking Zainab’s pert nippls into her mouth and nibbling them lighly with her teeth. Zainab couldn’t help but moan.

Zainab moved away, frantically unbuttoning and unzipping her pants revealing the pink briefs she wore under her tan pants. Andrea, began unbuttoning her own jeans, pulling them off with her underwear at the same time. The two woman sat up naked,  moving back together to once again kiss each other deeply. They ran their hands tightly against each other’s backs, pulling themselves tight against the other.

To fit, Zainab had hopped up onto one of Andrea’s legs, pressing her own leg under Andrea’s crotch. Andrea was overwhelmed with desire. She began to grind back and forth, stimulating her on sex as well as beginning to tease Zainab. Zainab broke off the embrace, attempting to reposition themselves, locking their crotches together. it meant that Andrea could no longer kiss her, but she grabbed on of Zainab’s legs to make up for it. They began to grind against each other, faster and faster.

Andrea let go of the foot, sitting up and pulling Zainab back towards her. Their legs were now in a more awkward state, but the two did not care. They continued to rub against each other, while Andrea began to nibble on Zainab’s neck. She slowly worked her way around, first by one ear and then the other.

Zainab grabbed Andrea with both arms, holding her tight as she pushed through a final few thrusts before she was treated to a warm and loving orgasm. She held her cries as Andrea followed behind soon after. The two didn’t reposition or let go of their tight grips even as they rested themselves. Their brows were sweaty, their breaths labored, but the two could not break the lock each had staring into the other’s eyes.

---

The two girls lay silently beside each other. Andrea’s arms wrapped securely around Zainab’s naked form, intertwining fingers with Zainab. Zainab felt Andrea’s body heat against her back as their flesh pressed against each other. They both still had a warm glow from their activities and both were rather content to stay put.

“Is it 14 hours yet?” Andrea whispered sarcastically.

“No.. but late enough you should probably figure out what you’re doing with Megan.” Zainab replied back in a soft voice, not turning her head in the slightest.

“I’m.. i’m working on improv here.. I honestly don’t know what to do.. but it was a loose tie, she’s probably still fine right?”

“Yeah.. I was watching. It was loose. Your rope works getting better, got everything locked so it shouldn’t tighten under struggling. I promised you I wouldn’t interfere but it almost looked escapable.” Zainab explained.

“Well when you got both sides for experience..” Andrea replied, squeezing Zainab’s hand a little tighter.

Zainab smiled. “To bad airplane mode kills the NESIC possibility.”

“I mean.. unless I just turn airplane mode off,” Andrea said. “I mean, will the airplane police come by and put me in airplane jail? And it’s a very specific signal, it shouldn’t be screwing with anything.”

“Your slave, your call.”

---

Megan lay contented in the small confines. It was small, and it was getting a little muggy, but it also gave the thrill of total darkness and occasional bumps. And with the noise of the engine she couldn’t hear almost anything else. Andrea and Zainab were not being particularly loud, and the isolation that brought was amazing.

“Megan,” came the murmured voice of Andrea to break through the background noise.

“Yeah?” Megan replied.

“From now on, the first time I hear you make any noise is when I call an end to things until after we land,” Andrea said. “Do you understand? And a response to this obviously wouldn’t count.”

“I understand Ega,” Megan said, intrigued by the new requirement. She wondered if she could fall asleep like this. Like Zainab had insisted, none of them had gotten almost any sleep the night before to make it easier to sleep on the plane and adjust to the time zone. She was getting tired, and the ropes were certainly not distractingly tight. If she could have stretched out her legs she was sure without question that sleep would come easily.

Her contemplation was interrupted though as she felt her NESIC turn on. It startled her and nearly caused her to yelp, but she maintained silence. She smiled realize better what Andrea intended. A particularly favorite game of hers. She was still not sure if this was simply meant to tease or if it would let her cum, but either way she pulled at her bonds in anticipation. The phone app came with many pre-set programs, some of which were meant to tease only, while others cycled through orgasm after orgasm until you turned them off. Then of course, there was always the chance that Andrea was controlling it manually.

Megan began to squirm, trying to move herself down the compartment slightly. In the middle was a small ridge, that had been an annoyance for her thighs, but with her clit piercing still on it might just prove to be something she could maybe create a little friction against. The extra effort was exhausting and slow. sweat was beginning to form already, making her slippery and her work even harder. At some point she simply gave up. Her NESIC had gone from medium to high, and at this rate it was an automated program it would either make her cum very soon, or reveal that it was nothing but a tease. Megan grabbed hold of the rope connecting her ankles to her wrists, pulling and making the hogtie even stricter. She clenched and flexed her legs as she was helpless to speed or slow the pace of what was being done to her.

She bit down hard and held her breath as the chip sent her the signal to orgasm. She gasped loudly as it passed, hoping that the breathing was not loud enough to overcome the ambient noise. It was now very humid inside, sweat was on nearly every part of her. The small compartment was heating up as well as getting more humid.

After the orgasm, the chip returned to medium and began the gradual climb back to high and to orgasm. Megan tipped onto her side, facing the side with the door. It was very disorienting, to know that it could open but not even seeing an outline of where the floor ended and the door began. She began going cross eyed as she reached the height of the cycle again. She tried to brace for the orgasm but still could not anticipate it fully. Her helpless state made the orgasms so much better, and needing to keep quiet made her want to scream about them even more.

As she came down again she felt nearly light headed. A thought began to cross her mind.. suddenly wondering if such an active thing was smart in such a confined space. Before she got too lost in another cycle, she decided it probably was smart to call out now. “Ok.. enough…” Her chip very quickly turned off, and the compartment opened very shortly after.

The cool air rushed in and Megan even saw droplets beginning to form inside the compartment. The air felt invigorating. Andrea and Zainab were naked, and together helped slide her sweaty body out and lift her gently down to the bed. Andrea began to untie Megan while Zainab began getting dressed again.

“Was that what you were hoping for?” Andrea asked as she finished untying Megan’s legs and began to untie her wrists. Megan simply smiled and nodded her head.

“Now.. are you going to tell me the code Zee?” Andrea asked as she held the luggage lock in her hand.

“You’re just going to have to start at ‘0-0-0’ and work your way up,” Zainab said with a coy smile.

“You can’t actually be serious though right?” Andrea asked as she aligned the numbers to 0-0-0 to start the arduous process. “You will tell me after…” Andrea began to say until the locked opened on the first try. “The combination was really 0-0-0 this whole time?” Andrea asked. “I thought you said you’d set a new one I’d never guess!”

“Ok, so maybe I lied and maybe I don’t actually remember how to change the combination, but you both still had your fun with it right?” Zainab asked. Megan looked up at Andrea and then they both shrugged their shoulders in agreement.

---

“Andrea..” Zainab said poking lightly at her sleeping girlfriend. “Andrea, we’re gonna be landing soon.”

“Hrrrmmm,” Andrea groaned as she stretched out to wake up.

“Sleep alright?” Zainab said as she began removing the blanket covering her seat.

“Surprisingly? Better than I thought at least… I’ll have to see in a few hours if it was actually good sleep. Only getting like.. two hours the night before might have helped. What time is it?” Andrea asked.

“Where we are now?” Zainab said as she opened the windows letting the glaring sun pour into the cabin. “Just a bit after 8am.”

“Oh.. I could use a shower..” Andrea said as she began removing her blanket as well to bring her seat up for landing.

“Well, luckily we have time before our next flight,” Zainab said as she began to sit her chair pack up as well.

“Yeah.. wait really?”

“Benefits of first class, the first class lounge in the airport has showers and a spa. But I think we’ll only have time for the showers,” Zainab said as she stared out the window.

Andrea opened the door to look out into the main cabin. Everyone seemed to be reshuffling their belongings and slowly sitting their chairs back up. Megan seemed to be sitting up already and looked mostly awake, even if she looked a bit disheveled. “Hey Megan,” Andrea said leaning out the private door. “We get showers in the first class lounge after we land!”

“Sweeeet..” Megan replied quietly.

“That’s why I told you to bring a change but not to put it on yet.” Zainab explained. “I also got something else I’ll show you two when we get there.”

---

“So.. before you two go,” Zainab said, stopping Andrea and Zainab before they left for the shower stalls. “I realised I’ve told you some about.. like what you're expected to wear and stuff,”

“Right,” Megan said. “You said it’s pretty loose, toplessness by water’s ok, western clothing’s fine, and to try to stick to cotton or linen I think.”

“Well, yes there’s all that. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to bring it up.. but as it got closer.. I kind of..” Zainab said, struggling to get the next words out.

“What’s wrong?” Andrea asked, coming in a little closer.

“I know your piercings are like.. important to you right? Like a solidarity thing?” Zainab asked.

“Yeah.. kind of.” Megan replied.

“And I certainly don’t want to mess with that… but, in Surda piercings have kind of a.. a connotation. Like a really low class stigma. Might go back to.. a mark of a servant or slave used to be a ring through the nose, it was like a sign in the culture. Don’t know why just us.. but still it kind of hasn’t completely died out as a symbol. It doesn’t stop everyone from getting them though, and I don’t want to get, like, in the way of your solidarity, but I got these,” Zainab explained before bringing out two bags. Each bag had several clear stud piercings. They were very minimal, and as clear as glass. The exception being the tongue piercing which seemed more or less the color of a tongue. “I don’t know if the important part is just having the piercing, or the physical pieces themselves.. but I thought I should.. I guess warn you and give you an option. You’ll get a much bigger pass because you’re obviously not from here, but it’s..”

“Would it make you more comfortable if we wear these?” Andrea asked taking hold of one of the bags.

“At least for today.. it’s a holiday, and it’s first impressions and.. it would.. I’m probably just overthinking.” Zainab mumbled.

“No it’s fine, I’ll do it, at minimum for today.” Andrea said.

“Sure.. why not,” Megan said, grabbing the other bag from Zainab.

“Thanks.. I know this might sound paranoid or whatever,” Zainab said before giving the two a light hug. “Anyways,  now let’s hit the showers. We don’t have *that* long of a layover!”

---

“Is that it out there?” Megan asked as she looked out the window. The plane was descending and had just passed through the last of the white clouds. Andrea and Zainab were seated in front of her in the small plane with Andrea just as locked on the window now as Megan.

“That’s it. It’s the only land anywhere close to around, so if you see land that’s probably it,” Zainab said, doing her best to look out the window as well. “Yep, just a narrow little chain of rocks surrounded by nothing but Indian Ocean. I live out on one of the wider islands, Madtha, but even there you’re never more than long walk from water one way or another.”

“Looks almost like one of them’s on fire,” Megan said.

“Yeah.. that’d be one of the smelters I’m sure. That ore doesn’t exactly process itself. Thankfully, we tend to keep them at either the far north or far south tip, so most of the people who live in the middle few islands don’t get the fumes. With all the money that’s been flowing in many of us have been converting some to a greener option but it ain’t law so not everyone’s been doing that. If it’s making enough smoke to look like it’s on fire I’d bet thats one of the Dalal plants, they haven’t done any converting. But considering Gahish Dalal went from being just some guy to a literal billionaire in his lifetime I guess you can’t fault him for being ruthlessly bottom line.” Zainab explained.

“So that’s the super-rich neighbor?” Andrea asked, recognizing the name but not the details.

“Yeah, they live near by, and they’re one of the few families with more money than us,” Zainab answered.

“The water looks so blue,” Megan said, noticing the very different collar inside the shallows of the protected bay compared to the open ocean.

“Just wait till you see it, we got to catch a boat from the island where the airport is over to our island. If anything, it’ll look brighter with the sun reflecting off it at that angle.”

---

After a surprisingly uneventful trip through customs, the five of them all made their way with their bags down towards the water. The airport was tightly fit against the coast and while there was what looked like a passenger ferry service nearby, Andrea and Megan followed Zainab and her parents as they walked to another dock beside the public one. There were only a few boats parked, but a man was there to greet them all. He and Farhad hugged and exchanged greetings in Surdanese. He led them down the gangway and helped them with their bags as they got into one of the boats.

“Salam, welcome” he said with a heavy accent as Andrea and Megan made their way to the boat. “May I?” he asked as he offered to take their bags. Andrea handed him her bag and slowly followed him onto the boat. It had an open back half with a closed compartment at the front half of the ship. The man loaded their bags into compartments and then began to untie the boat from the dock.

“I just realized..” Andrea said as she took a seat next to Zainab. “I’ve never actually been out on a boat.”

“Well it’s not too long of a trip, see that island in the distance, we’re going just to that point up at the far side of it,” Zainab said, pointing out into the distance. “Want a life vest?”

“I can swim.. I’ve just only ever done it in a pool,” Andrea said. Just then the boat’s motors started behind her giving off only a quiet whirl from the two large electric motors.

“Megan you can swim well?” Zainab asked. Megan nodded her head. “Alright you two, follow me.

Andrea and Megan followed Zainab up towards the man who was driving. The boat was still moving quite slow as it pulled away from the busy harbor area. Zainab said something to him in Surdanese before moving down to the covered cabin. Andrea and Megan followed inside, taking some time for their eyes to adjust to the dark room. Zainab had already removed her shirt and was just about to remove her bra.

“What are you doing?” Andrea asked quietly. “This cabin doesn’t have a door, and your parents are just right outside!”

“If you want to truly feel how great it can be to travel on a boat, nothing quite beats the feeling of doing it topless.” Zainab said, pausing her undressing to explain.

“I don’t know.. just.. your parents.. and..” Andrea said, really not wanting to say no but also never saying yes.

“Hugh.. alright fine. Not like it’s the last chance. Well if we aren’t going topless, least we can do is get some vests on,” Zainab said, pointing to a narrow compartment that held several foam and plastic life vests as she put her own shirt back on. They all three put them on, before Zainab reached up and opened a hatch in the ceiling. A small ladder descended that she used to pull up herself through the hole onto the bow of the ship. Megan came up next with Andrea not far behind. Once they were all up there, Zainab closed the hatch and gave a thumbs up.

All at once the boat opened up its power. Megan and Andrea both slid back, not wanting to stand, and leaned up against the angled glass partition. The boat began to bob somewhat, bouncing over the minor wakes created by other ships in the surprisingly busy bay. The salt water sprayed up on some of the larger crashes, and the girls even felt like they were getting air on some of them.

“See? How cool is this?” Zainab asked, sitting cross legged and near the door. “Now just imagine that instead of these vests you were completely bare chested, the wind whipping across your breasts, the ocean splashing your skin and the sun warming it back up?

“Ok.. yeah this is pretty cool. Does he have to go this fast?” Andrea asked, gripping onto a small bit of metal frame.

“Well no he doesn’t have to.. it’s just more fun when he does.” Zainab looked back at the driver and gave him a signal to slow it down just a bit. It was not a huge difference, but it was enough to rather drastically cut down the amount of splashing going on.

Andrea noticed as boat passed by, about the same size as their own heading in some other direction. The women there had on only bikini briefs while the men all wore short swim trunks. They all seemed to be dark skinned like Zainab, and didn’t seem to notice or care about covering up in the least as the passed closely to each other.

“This is much more relaxing speed,” Megan said as she began to lighten up and enjoy the ride.

“Yeah.. here Zee, come sit between us,” Andrea said as she scooted a little further over to make room. Zainab crawled up  and turned around, sitting back against the glass like her two friends had been. “And I think you might have been right, topless seems like it would have felt amazing,” Andrea leaned over and whispered to Zainab.

“Told you.”

---

“And here we are..” Zainab said as the boat slowed down and turned around the last bluff. A massive stone building sat at the edge of the land, extending with what looked like a stone plaza over what would otherwise be water. A very small wooden dock protruded out from the only doorway that seemed to exist at water level. The boat seemed to fit against it perfectly, and there was another man walking down to meet the boat and tie it off.

The wooden dock had a small metal gangway up through a stone arch opening at the top of a set of stairs. The stairs would normally have descended down to the water to meet the boat directly if the dock weren't there. The bottom three steps were covered in algae, the bottom two covered by the water as well, after which the stares simply disappeared into semi-deep water.

 Zainab stood up and threw her vest down the hatch before walking around the side of the ship and hopping off onto the dock. Andrea and Megan, albeit less confidently, were quick to do the same. A lot of the wetness they had gotten from splashing ocean was still visible, and Andrea was only happy she wore a blue shirt and not a white one. Megan was regressing the white shorts, particularly in combination with white panties. Thankfully nothing was too visible, but Megan still felt conscious about it.

Megan and Andrea offered to help by carrying their own bags as they were offloaded from the boat, but the others insisted it wasn’t a problem. They followed the group of people up the gangway and into the stone hallway. There were thick wooden doors painted green with bronze rivets at the top of the stairs, the kind of doors that looked like they should be repelling a battering ram. The bright tan stone was rough and worn, it looked old and weathered from the salt air. Andrea felt like this hallway should have been lit by torches, but the lighting was all disappointingly modern.

“Baba, where are we staying has it been worked out?” Zainab asked turning to her father.

“I think they have some rooms set up on the second floor, southern side of course,” said the man who had met the boat at the dock.

“Great. Alright, this way’s a shortcut,” Zainab said as she walked past the stairs they were approaching and further down the hallway.

“Actually he’d like to meet with you first,” the same man said as he began ascending the stairs carrying bags.

“Who are we meeting?” Andrea asked.

“That would be my uncle, Omid. After all this whole thing is his house.”

---

Andrea walked close to Zainab, not sure what to expect. The floor above was considerably more ornate. The ceilings were higher, the ground had changed from rough stone to smooth marble topped with large and intricate carpets. Zainab and her parents turned left before one of the men carrying the bags spoke up. “Actually, pardon sir, but your brother is in the great hall.”

Farhad looked away and seemed to huff. “Ok.. alright this way girls,” he said before turning right and leading the brigade.

“Zee, what’s all this,” Andrea asked nervously.

“Nothing to worry about.. probably. Just be yourself and try to keep it together.” Zainab said before dashing up to her father. The two spoke briefly in Surdanese before Zainab slowed down to meet back up with Andrea and Megan.

As they rounded the corner there were two men standing at either side of the rather ornate bronze coated door. The two were dressed in white robes with a green sash around the waist and crossing over their right shoulder. In unison the two reached over for the handles and opened the twin doors, revealing a tall entrance into a large room. It was mostly empty now, but had great glass doors on one side facing out towards the sea. letting in just a light breeze.

At the far end of the room, directly centred with the doorway was a raised platform with four steps to ascend. In the middle is what could rightly be considered a throne. It was massive, covered in bronze with decorative flourishments. The man who sat in it was dark skinned with greying hair and a whitening beard. He was dressed in a green robe with bronze colored flourishments and patterning throughout. To either side of him stood two strong looking men, dressed exactly as the doormen had been, standing perfectly still slightly behind him.

“Come forward,” he called out with a slightly English accent. Andrea and Megan were without words. Andrea grabbed hold of Zainab’s hand to coax herself to move forward. Megan eventually did the same with Andrea. They couldn’t say why they were suddenly so petrified, perhaps the alienness, perhaps the fact that it gave Farhad pause to hear we would be meeting in this room and not whatever room it was they had simply assumed they were going to.

They came to a stop just a few steps before the stairs began. They stood there waiting for something, for anything to happen. “Which one of you is the one going out with my niece?”

Andrea stepped forward, “That.. that would be me. Um.. sir”

“Then you must be her roommate,” he said as he pointed to Megan. “Tell me, have they told you much about me?”

“Um.. not really, just that you’re her uncle.”

“Just her uncle am I?” he said incredulously before standing up and walking to the edge of the platform. “I am Omid Roha Tahrini. I am the Wali of Madtha as was my father before me and his father before him. And you are guests in my house. So I ask you now to show me the proper respect. Kneel,” he said in a commanding voice, assertive but not hostile or hateful.

Megan fell to her knees without another thought, and Andrea followed soon behind. There were butterflies in their stomachs, they knew they were coming to a strange land but were simply not prepared for this.

Omid walked back to his chair and retrieved a slightly curved sword from behind the chair. Not nearly as curved as many, but not arrow straight either. It had a decorative handle with what looked like intricate bronze metalwork. “Now as is the custom.. you must all kiss the sword. This sword has been in our family for centuries, and every guest who seeks shelter under our roof must do this. For 600 years it has kept us safe. It is said that the person who.. who kisses..” He continued, before pausing as if trying to remember the words he wanted to say next. “Oh.. god damn it Farhad!” he suddenly shouted as he burst out laughing. “God damn.. I was so close.. if you couldn’t keep a straight face at least turn around or something and let me finish!” He exclaimed with a jovial light hearted tone totally unlike what he had been using.

“You brought out a damn sword? Where’d you even dig that thing up?” Farhad asked as he walked around the kneeling girls and went to hug his older brother. “For 600 years blah blah blah..”

“Please, I think it was in one of those displays or something. I don’t even remember, I just saw it and thought.. perfect.” Omid explained

Zainab had also been laughing, only able to hold it in as long as the rest of the room was silent. She had seen her uncle do this once before and nearly had to run out of the room to let him get through it. She walked over and helped Andrea and Megan back to her feet. “What.. just happened?” Andrea asked.

“I must beg your apology, it is a guilty pleasure of mine. I get the opulent chair out, I put on a nice show, clear out the rest of the room, it’s actually a lot of work. Very rarely do I meet people here at my home who I’ve never met before, who might believe this,  but who I also know I probably wouldn’t offend with the deceit,” Omid explained. “Please.. here here let me say hello more properly.” he said walking  over and hugging the two girls in a group hug, one in each hand. “And it’s also not every day someone like you comes along,” he said backing up and looking straight at Andrea. “My niece has always been a little flighty and I hear from my brother that you might finally be an exception.”

“Deai joon, please...” Zainab said as she blushed.

“Of course, you’ll have to forgive me, I’m apparently an embarrassment to her you know. All this genuine caring and wanting what’s best for her.. somehow that makes me simply unbearable..”

“I missed you too,” Zainab said as she went up and hugged Omid.

“So please girls, I’m sure the trip must have been exhausting. These two will show you to your rooms. You each have separate rooms, but don’t read into that anything more than it’s what’s customary and we have.. lots of rooms. I’m sure your body clocks are all turned around but if you want anything to eat Zainab can always show you to the kitchen. Rest up, relax, there’ll be a big feast tonight and I hope you can be there for it.”

“I’ll make sure these two don’t miss it,” Zainab said to Omid.

“You coming?” Andrea asked.

“I catch up with you in a second just want a moment with my uncle first,” Zainab said. Andrea shrugged and walked on as the two of them began talking quietly but jovially.

---

Andrea wasn’t really paying attention as she was led this way and that. They went up some stairs, turned a few times, she was so preoccupied by looking at everything it wasn’t really registering to her where they might be with regard to the rest of the building. It all seemed massive and not especially well laid out. At one point they stepped down slightly as the walls changed to a different kind of stone, one slightly less smooth or polished. They heard the sounds of water as they approached a double doored archway. The frosted glass doors were closed and let light through but obscured almost beyond recognition what might be on the other side.

“Your rooms are at the last and the just before last on this side of this hall. Please close the doors behind you,” one of the men said in slightly broken English, setting down their bags and pantomiming which side he was referring to. Andrea looked through and vaguely saw the outline of two open blue doors down at the other side and she nodded her head. He smiled and with his colleague walked back the way they came, leaving the bags behind.

Andrea and Megan were a little confused but they grabbed their bags and walked through the doors, making sure to close them again. The found themselves on the second level overlooking an open plaza. Down below was a pool that looked more like a large fountain than most any pool Andrea could remember seeing. But there were at least three women in it, all of them visibly topless. At one end was a large bronze fountain of a rose. Water flowed gently out it’s top before twisting around the pedals and falling gradually in various channels before finally spilling into the pool.

The courtyard itself was drenched in sun. On three sides it was surrounded by thin columns and ornately patterned arches holding up the balcony the girls stood on. Along the fourth side, the side with the bronze fountain, a round room protruded out. The balcony on either side stepped down to a level halfway between the first and second floor where a single doorway into the round room existed. The raised level then descended on either side of the fountain down to the first floor. Andrea and Megan walked along the tile balcony, wheeling their bags down to the two open doors. Megan took the first open door while Andrea took the second. They weren't overly large but they were certainly not cramped. The floor was a step up from the balcony, covered in wood with the occasional rug scattered across the room.

What drew each of their attentions was the back of the room. It had large arch windows facing out onto a different courtyard decorated with low hedges, roses and date palms that reached as high as they were. Just through the trees, they even had a view out to the sea.

“Not bad right?” Zainab said as she walked in and saw Andrea staring of into the distance.

“You can say that again..” Andrea said dumbfoundedly.

“Ok, so I talked with my uncle, the um.. the thing I thought was happening right away is actually going to be a bit delayed. So.. how are you, tired? Sleep well on the plane?”

“Zainab this place is unbelievable. When you said it was basically a palace I thought you were exaggerating,” Megan said as she came over from the room next to them at the sound of hearing talking.

“Yeah.. it’s the real deal. Our family’s been.. I guess the western equivalent would be duke? Something along those lines. We’ve occasionally married members of the Sultan's family going back centuries.. it’s I’m sure got to sound kind of crazy when you say all that aloud. This part of the building I think is maybe.. I want to say 1700s? Certainly before the British started being a major factor, pretty sure everything here’s from before then... Back when some rose bushes, a steam room and a pool with a fountain were considered the height of entertainment and luxury.” Zainab rattled off, nearly causing her friend’s mouths to collapse to the floor. “What.. I’ve told you two a lot of this stuff before right?”

“Yeah, but I think a part of me just assumed you were.. like exaggerating or something. You do tend to embellish and make things seem grandiose on occasion,” Andrea said.

“What? How dare you! Why I’ve never embellished a single thing! This is the greatest slander to befall any person at any point in history from the dawn of man until the end of time,” Zainab huffed furiously, if also sarcastically. “No but more seriously, now that you’re both here, how tired are you?”

“Well, after we were done in your cabin I kind of just went right to sleep, so I’m actually feeling very well rested,” Megan explained.

“I’m.. not as great. I slept alright but you said there’s a lot of stuff today?” Andrea asked. Zainab kind of nodded her head. “Then.. it cool if I just take it easy for a bit?’

“Want company?” Zainab asked.

“If you stay it’s probably not going to be as low key as it should be. I might straight up take a nap. How long from now is this thing we need to be at?” Andrea said as she walked back and lay down on the bed.

“Not 100% sure, but I’ll come get you when we need you, maybe hour or two. Sound like a plan?” Zainab asked, Andrea simply replied with a thumbs up.

“So.. what should we do?” Megan asked.

“I could show you around,” Zainab said.

“Would you mind waiting for me on that?” Andrea asked as she collapsed into the bed.

“Sure.. it can wait,” Megan said as she walked to the doorway and looked out at the pool.

“We could go for a swim, if that’s what you were thinking,” Zainab said

“Yeah sure,” Megan said, walking over to her room.

“If you change your mind you know where we’ll be,” Zainab said as she closed the door behind her.

Megan had already gone into her room and was getting out her suitcase as Zainab walked in. “Let me just get my bathing suit out,” she said before noticing Zainab beginning to simply strip down.

“No need for that,” Zainab explained as she slid down her last article of clothing. “No men allowed in this area of the home, so usually we just go naked. I guess though.. if you want if you’re not comfortable..”

“No.. that’s fine. I mean, if that’s the custom..” Megan said before stripping down as well. “Lead the way.”

---

Megan let out a thankful sigh as she lay back in the hot water. The round room was steamy, tiled with intricate patterns leading up to an arched roof. The door to the prominent round room was the only way in or out. It’s modernity might have looked just a little out of place, but the tight seal it created more than made up for it. The steam rising from the pool and elsewhere enveloped everything, with only a very small vent in the roof to let any of it out.

The water was much hotter than a typical hot tub, and it was recessed into the ground in a small circular deep tub. It looked only big enough for maybe four or five people if they all squeezed together. There were stone steps in a perimeter around it, allowing Zainab to sit higher up and only dip her legs into the water. The two enjoyed the silent relaxation of the room.

“I feel like I could just melt into this water..” Megan said as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

Zainab slid forward off her seat, getting into the water more directly. “I know what you mean. I’ve felt like that frequently myself.”

“So.. about the rest of the day,” Megan asked after allowing a few more minutes of silent relaxation to happen. “It’s a kind of new year’s dinner, and it’ll have whole lot of your extended family but then..” Megan continued before having her focus interrupted as the door opened.

Leyla rushed inside before quickly closing the door behind her. She was naked and seemingly unashamed of the fact. “Mind if I join you two?” she asked as she dipped a foot into the water.

“Come on in,” Zainab offered as she scooted over slightly to make more room. “Megan was just asking about today,what to expect..”

“Well there’ll be a fire later, I believe I already saw them setting up for it,” Leyla added. “So, how are you finding the place, a little overwhelming yes?”

“Yeah.. you can say that again,” Megan said as she stretched her arms out of the water and onto the step around the edge.

“When I used to live here, I came here almost every morning.. and I’m still not tired of it,” Leyla said. “You soak for a bit, take a break if you need to but just keep breathing in the steam, then quickly bolt out to the pool. Nothing quite so invigorating!”

“I’m sure..” Megan said as she nodded her her head. The truth was the water was getting a little too warm for her, but she felt a little self conscious with Zainab’s mother sitting right beside them.

“And how are your nerves with all this?” Leyla asked, catching Megan off guard. “I’m sorry is that to personal?” she asked after a few seconds of silent pause.

“Where is that.. coming from?” Megan asked, feeling uncomfortable with the attention.

“Well she never mentioned you by name, but I could guess. She came to me a few months ago, worried about one of her friends having problems with panic.. I knew there were only a few people she knew well enough that she’d get worried on their behalf. You were one of the few, and you always seemed a little.. high strung. And I know for some people getting away can be relaxing, others it’s amazingly stressful, so I was just hoping this hasn’t been the latter..” Leyla explained as she sat up a little taller, bringing her arms up to float on the surface.

“Well.. I.. um, I mean I was feeling a little better..”

“I’m sorry dear, did I ruin that? Forget I said anything, I just wanted to make sure everything was going fine,” Leyla said before hopping up most of the way out of the water leaving only her lower legs in. She leaned back much liker her daughter was, letting the steam envelop them. She was slightly taller than Zainab, though sitting you’d hardly notice. She was not as slender waisted either, though her legs and arms seemed much more well defined. For her age she was in great shape from her regular yoga and jogging. Megan, Andrea and Zainab had joined Leyla once for one of her morning jogs through Rock Creek Park. None of them could quite keep pace with her and she was still less winded by the end of it.

Megan was now the only one submerged in the water. She was getting very hot, but still didn’t want to get out. But as she looked at how red she seemed to be turning, she decided that there was a limit. She got out entirely and sat back on one of the benches that encircled the pool just beyond it. She noticed Leyla seeming to scan her vaguely up and down, causing her to instinctively put an arm over her breasts and her crotch.

“Haha.. sorry that must have looked strange. I was merely noticing how red you had gotten. Don’t worry you won’t get any judgement from me..” Leyla said as she pointed to her own nipples.

“What?” Megan asked, slightly confused.

“Those piercings.. I noticed you had some months ago when they seemed to poke a bit through your shirt. You and your friend. Don’t worry, I don’t care that you have them..” Leyla laughed as she got out of the water entirely. Megan brought her hands down as she tried to relax. “Really, you were just very red and with such pale skin it really shows,” she added before going back into the water. “Id probably be turning red too if I had skin like yours,” she added after a few moments of awkward silence.

“So are you saying now you’re ready to switch?” Zainab asked.

“Sure.. Megan come here.” Leyla said, getting out of the water as she called Megan over. Megan got up and walked over to her. “Now, the trick here is not to wade in when switching to the pool. You want to jump in! Fortunately the fountain side of the pool is the deep one, so we can do just that. Now it’s still warm out there, but compared to here it’s going to be nearly a refrigerator, so move quickly but without running. That’s stone out there, it really hurts to slip on. Ok?”

“Got it..” Megan said as Zainab walked over to join them by the door. Leyla opened the door and walked out quickly. The sun was angled to be hitting them right away, but it did feel almost cold. Holding onto the railing, Megan followed behind Leyla as they descended the half flight of stairs at the right edge of the bronze rose fountain. Leyla walked around before reaching the edge of the pool and leaping into the blue water made bluer by the deep blue tiles that made up the pool. Megan waited till she was above water and then jumped in to one side, gripping her knees in a kind of half hearted cannonball.

The water jolted Megan’s system like a sharp sting of needles. The sharp contrast of temperature felt like throwing boiling oil on a bag of ice. Her eyes went wide as she came up, just in time to see Zainab jump just to the other side of her mother and come up with a look of similar apiphany.

“Hey..” Andrea called from up on the balcony. “Turns out not as tired as I thought, mind if I join you?”

“Sure strip down and come on in, the water’s great!”