Piecemeal Maiden
Chardonnay smiled at her new volunteer. “Thank you, Lisa! Ladies and gentlemen, please give her a hand!”
The brunette, hair in a ponytail, waved at the audience. She was wearing a loose-fitting blue blouse with elbow-length sleeves, black slacks, and heels. She smiled, then turned back to the magicienne as she started to speak.
“Now, at this point,” Chardonnay said, “I’d normally have my assistants restrain me for an escape… but, alas, no assistants.”
Lisa seemed to bounce a bit on her feet. “You want me to help tie you up, then? Sure!”
“You’re very eager, Lisa! I like that. But rope, as you can imagine, isn’t the most difficult restraint to escape from. I’m using something a bit less flexible.” Chardonnay picked up two oddly shaped shackles that were sitting on a thin wooden board that was mounted on casters. “And the whole thing is sort of complicated for a volunteer to figure out.”
Lisa nodded.
“So,” Chardonnay continued, “Why don’t I show you how you’ll be restraining me? I can demonstrate on you first, and you can tell the audience for yourself exactly how securely trapped and helpless I’ll be once you put them on me.”
Lisa paused, then said hesitantly, “Well… okay, I guess. I’ve been in tight spots before.”
Chardonnay beamed. “Wonderful! But I’m a little worried about those slacks. These shackles might pinch the fabric.”
Lisa stared. “You want me to take off my pants?”
“You’re wearing underwear, I assume, Lisa. Anyway, your top is pretty long, so it should cover up everything down to mid-thigh.” Chardonnay blinked seductively, smiling. “I don’t see why you wouldn’t want to show off those legs of yours.”
Lisa sighed, and took her shoes off. “You have a point. These slacks were pretty expensive.” She reached under her blouse to unbutton them, and slid them down her legs, then put her shoes back on. The audience applauded. Lisa waved back. “I don’t know how I constantly let myself be talked into these sort of situations.”
Chardonnay smiled, “Well, we are in Vegas, and they do give away free drinks if you’re playing in the casino. Have you been lucky, lately, Lisa?”
Lisa looked down at her bare legs, then up at the audience, then back to the magicienne. “I guess that depends on what happens next,” she smirked. The audience laughed.
“Here, Lisa. See how these fit on your ankles,” Chardonnay set the shackles down on the board. Lisa slipped off her shoes and stepped up onto the board, sliding her heels into the boxy back part of each shackle, then bending over to shut the metal straps in front of her ankles, leaving the front part of her feet exposed.
“They’re snug, but not too bad,” Lisa smiled.
Chardonnay handed her two more shackles. “Try these on your wrists, then.”
The volunteer slid the metal over her hand. “These look more like fingerless gloves than shackles. I can wiggle my fingers, but not move my hand or thumb…”
Chardonnay stepped up and touched the shackles on her wrists. There was an audible click, and two padlocks suddenly dangled from the latches. “Hey!” Lisa started to say, when Chardonnay bent over, giving the audience a view of the black thong on the back of her costume, and padlocked the shackles on Lisa’s ankles.
“There! All latched tight!” Chardonnay smiled. Then from behind her back, she pulled out a power screwdriver, and, bending over again, drove screws into two rings on either side of Lisa’s ankle-cuff, firmly attaching her right foot to the board.
“Wait- what are you doing?” Lisa said, startled.
“Just move your left foot over a bit- there.” Chardonnay screwed her other foot securely in place. “Perfect. Now, how secure would my feet be restrained if it were me in those, instead of you, Lisa?”
The brunette looked down, and bent her legs, tugging. “Well, the wrist cuffs keep me from unlatching anything- and I can’t lift my feet. I can wiggle my ankle a bit, though… I think you’d be pretty secure.”
Chardonnay smiled, “Only pretty? I wonder if there’s a way to make me beautifully secure. One moment- I have an idea.”
The Magicienne stepped away, and came back with a small palette covered with metal parts. She picked up a long tube which tapered slightly at the mid-point to one of the ends. She looked through it at the audience, then opened it, since it was hinged along its length. Stepping behind Lisa, she placed it around the girl’s right leg, then closed and latched it. The tapered end locked into place around her volunteer’s right ankle cuff. The whole of the tube extended nearly to Lisa’s crotch.
Lisa tentatively moved her legs. “Okay, that would work for you, I think,” she said, bending her left knee slightly, then wiggling the toes on her right foot. “I can barely move my right leg at all.”
“Excellent!” Chardonnay clapped her hands. “But we want more than my right leg to be secure.” She picked up another tube, and slid it around Lisa’s left leg, locking it in place the same way. “And now both legs are secure- but I’m sure you know an esca