David was tired of Christmas shopping; of cruising the parking lots looking for a space to park, of trying to find suitable presents for his many relatives, and of struggling through the crowds of people. He decided he needed to clear his mind; to get away to somewhere quieter and more peaceful.

It was late on Sunday morning, a few days before Christmas, a fine cold day with a clear blue sky and a chilling wind. He drove out to Johnson Park and parked his aging Ford Mustang in the lot near the entrance. There was one other car in the lot, parked near the trailhead. As he passed he couldn’t help noticing the two lovers in the front seat, entwined in a passionate embrace. He felt a twinge of jealously and wondered if he would ever find love.

David was a computer programmer working for a small telecommunications company. He spent most of his days with his eyes glued to a computer monitor. His work days gave little opportunity to meet girls, and after work he was equally unsuccessful. He did not mix well and felt lonely in a crowd. Although he was reasonably handsome, he appeared to be introverted and girls found him a little nerdy.

His great passion was history, particularly the history of the Persians, and he read everything he could about them. He much preferred reading a good book to hanging out in a bar with one of his few friends.

As he climbed the trail that led to his favorite spot, a lookout point high on the mountain, he could feel the padlock touching his inner thighs. It was firmly locked around his balls, and would remain so until he returned to his apartment wherein lay the keys. Lacking any other sexual outlet, he relied on masturbation spiced with bondage. He reflected on how sexy the padlock had been when he first used it to trap his balls. But recently it had begun to seem normal. Just like shoes. He thought that shoes were a form of bondage; restraining the foot and preventing the toes from curling. But having worn them from infancy, few people regarded them as such. He decided that he needed some novelty to reawaken the eroticism of his ball bondage, he would order one of the heavy metal split collars he had seen advertised on the Internet.

The trail as it wound uphill through the oaks and beeches provided him with the exercise he felt he needed. The crisp air felt fresh and clean, and as he ascended he felt it dispelling the depression that had afflicted him earlier. He was closer to the majesty of nature, and people seemed less important.

The mountain was more of a hill than a real mountain and half an hour later he arrived at the lookout point. He was both surprised and disappointed to find that he was not alone. An old man was sitting on the bench, hunched forward and studying the town spread out below. He had short white hair, a stubble of a white beard, and was dressed in old and shabby clothes.

David stood, breathing hard, and looked out at the distant hills made crystal clear by the coldness of the air. The higher elevations were snow covered, and a nearly perfectly straight line delineated to lower edge of the snow. He waited a few minutes till his heart and respiration rates had slowed to normal and ventured a remark. “It’s a fine view.”

“That it is,” said the old man without looking up. Indeed it was; the absence of leaves gave the viewer a broad and detailed perspective, from the town nestled in the valley and straddling the river to the far peaks of the mountains.

Observing that the old man seemed to be staring hard at the town, David ventured another remark. “You can’t see the people from here, it all looks so peaceful.”

“That it does,” replied the old man without shifting his gaze.

Despite the shortness of the old man’s replies, the friendly tone of his voice encouraged David to continue. “This is one of my favorite places; I like to come here when I want to be alone.” Although this was true, he immediately realized he shouldn’t have said it. It expressed his disappointment at the presence of the old man.

The old man raised his head and looked at David for the first time. He had the most piercing blue eyes that David had ever seen; they seemed to penetrate to his very core. “We are never alone,” said the old man emphatically.

“What do you mean?”

“We are all connected. It’s just a matter of finding the right connections.”

David wondered if the old man was some kind of crank; his meaning seemed quite obscure. David dropped his gaze and looked at the old man’s clothes. The day was cold and, except for his feet, the old man was not appropriately dressed. He was wearing fur-lined boots, but he had no jacket or gloves, just gray pants, a red shirt and a thin gray pullover. In contrast David was wearing a warm winter jacket, gloves and a scarf.

He felt sorry for the old man. “You look cold. Here take my jacket. I don’t need it. The climb up here warmed me up and I’ll soon be going back down to my car.”

The man took the offered jacket and put it on. “That’s very kind of you.” He turned round and once more began to stare down at the town. David was beginning to get chilled from the wind when the man said, “Tell me young man, what do you want for Christmas?”

“I don’t really know. I suppose I could do with a new car.” David laughed. “But that’s not going to happen.”

“That’s not what you really want, is it?”

David was surprised at the old man’s perspicacity. He was thinking how lonely he was, and what he really wanted was a girlfriend. “I suppose not.”

“I’ll tell you what to do young fellah, go and buy your mother some flowers.”

“Yes she likes flowers.”

“Go and buy some now, time’s a wasting.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just as I said, time’s a wasting. Go now if you know what’s good for you. And thanks for the jacket. It’s not many who has the true spirit of Christmas.”

David resented the dismissive tone of the old man. He felt he was being ejected from his favorite place. “You’re welcome, and merry Christmas,” he forced himself to say.

“And merry Christmas to you, I’m sure you’ll be very happy.”

David wrapped his scarf around his neck and set off down the trail to his car. His car was alone in the lot; the lovers had departed. David wondered if they were having an illicit affair that compelled them to hide from prying eyes.

While driving home he recalled the strange conversation with the old man and remembered his urgent admonition to buy flowers. He thought his mother would appreciate some for Christmas so decided to order a bouquet. There was one florist on the North side of town, Jane’s Floral Arrangements, run as the name implied by Jane, a middle-aged lady. He thought it was normally closed on Sundays, but it was the peak shopping season and shops tended to open at additional times. It was not too much out of his way so he decided to check it out.

He drove to the strip mall that contained the florist’s shop, and parked his car directly in front. It appeared to be deserted, and a notice on the door said “Closed”. Another notice gave the opening times as Monday to Saturday 9 to 6. He felt disappointed that his small detour had been wasted.

Experimentally he tried the handle and was surprised when the door opened. He stepped into the shop.

It was deserted. “Hello,” he said in a loud voice, “anyone here?” But there was no response. The shop was silent except for the hum of the refrigeration unit keeping the flower case cool.

He looked around. The shop appeared tidy except for a vase and some wrapping paper on the counter.

He thought Jane must have forgotten to lock up when she left the previous day. He was about to leave when a thought struck him. He had just seen a story on TV about a shop owner who had been attacked and killed by robbers. They had dumped the body in the back room, cleaned out the till and left. He looked at the till and was tempted to open it, but decided not to. It would probably be empty whether or not there had been a burglary, and he didn’t want to be caught apparently trying to rob the place. The front of the shop was all glass and the interior was quite visible from the outside.

There was a door at the back of the shop. He felt he ought to check what lay behind it in case Jane had been attacked. Covering the knob with a handkerchief to protect any latent fingerprints, he cautiously opened the door and looked into the room beyond.

He was stunned by the sight that greeted him. In the center of the room, amid a clutter of packing material, was a heavy iron chair. Tied to the chair and facing him was the sexiest young woman David could imagine.

Except for her eyes she was completely covered in a tight black latex cat suit. Her waist was constricted by a red and black striped corset which was tied to the back of the chair with several turns of white rope. Her knees were tied out to the sides of the chair, her legs bent up and her ankles tied to the seat. Her arms were behind the chair and a rope under her shoulders and above her breasts pinned her upper body back to the chair. She seemed to be struggling to escape but stopped after a few seconds and sat motionless looking at him with a frightened expression.

David felt a flush of sexual excitement and his penis rose to an erection. He was at a loss for words, but after the girl stopped moving he asked, “Are you all right?”

“Mm-mm,” the girl said quietly, indicating she was not.

He wondered if he was intruding on some private fetish scene, but since the girl had indicated she was in trouble, stepped forward into the room and examined her more closely. Her latex hood was tight around her face and he could make out the outline of a gag strap beneath it. The combination of her tight corset and the rope around her upper body forced her breasts forward. They moved as she struggled to breathe, further emphasizing them. Her head faced up at him, held rigidly in position by a shiny black posture collar.

David walked slowly around her, curious about her bondage and wanting to see how her arms were secured. She tried to follow him with her eyes, but her collar prevented her turning her head. David paused when he was behind her. He saw that her wrists were locked in handcuffs, and the handcuffs themselves were padlocked to the back of the chair, pulling her arms down. She seemed to have almost no freedom of movement. On the floor, below her handcuffed hands, were two small keys.

David deduced she had probably put herself into bondage and had dropped the keys while trying to free herself. He was so turned on by the sight of this helpless girl that he felt close to an orgasm. He brushed the front of his pants with his right hand, feeling his rigid penis.

The girl whimpered. She sounded afraid.

David realized that he ought to reassure her. He picked up the keys and walked round to her front. “Do you want me to release you?” he said holding up the keys.

“Mm-mm,” she said, indicating that she did.

“You look very sexy.”

The girl whimpered again and looked down.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you, I was just admiring your clothes and the way you’ve tied yourself up.”

She looked up at him with an expression he could not interpret.

He walked quickly behind her and unlocked her handcuffs. She flexed her arms and brought them round to her front. She began to fumble with the knots that secured the rope above her breasts, but was clearly having a difficult time.

“Here, let me help,” said David, and undid the knots taking care not to touch her breasts. As he did so he noticed that she was flexing her fingers as if trying to restore feeling to them.

She reached behind her neck and struggled to unbuckle her posture collar. David intervened, undid the buckle and removed the collar.

The girl bent her head forward then reached up and slowly removed her latex hood, exposing her gag and her red and sweaty face. She reached round to the back of her head, undid the gag strap and pulled out the red rubber ball of the gag itself. She shook her head and her auburn hair fell down, but remained damp and tangled. She moved her mouth but didn’t say anything.

She appeared to be about twenty, and despite her disheveled appearance, David thought she looked beautiful.

She took several breaths, as deep as her corset permitted, then said, “Thank you. I thought I was going to die.”

“It looks as if I came just in time.”

“Yes you did, I was having trouble breathing. You’re my knight in shining armor.”

“I don’t know about that. My name’s David by the way, I’m glad to meet you.”

“My name’s Emma, and I’m very glad to meet you.”

Emma began to fumble with the ropes holding her ankles up.

“Here let me help,” said David.

“Oh thank you. My knees are killing me.”

David undid the rest of her ropes. Underneath the waist rope was a narrow chain circling her waist. It was padlocked at the back. “Do you have a key for this,” David asked fingering the padlock.

“No, it’s back in my apartment.”

Emma put her feet on the floor and massaged her knees. “This is the first time I’ve gottten really stuck. I’ve always managed to escape before.”

“How long have been tied up?”

“Since last night. I thought I would have a short bondage session before I went home, but I think I closed the handcuffs too tight. Anyway, I dropped the keys and that was it.”

She tried to stand up, pushing down on the chair, but lurched forward into David. He caught her and put his arms around her to hold her up.

“Oops, sorry; my legs don’t seem to be working,” she said.

David pulled her closer to him. He felt her breasts pushing into him and his erect penis pressing into her. His hands explored the back of her corset. He could feel its stiff bones beneath the latex covering. The narrowness of her waist excited him further.

“I think you like this,” Emma said putting her arms around him and hugging him. She looked up at him and smiled.

“I like it very much.” The proximity of her lips and the sensations he was feeling were too great to resist, his lowered his head and kissed her. She responded and they remained locked in a passionate embrace for several minutes.

“I think I need to sit down,” Emma said, and David helped her sit back on the chair.

“How did you get into the shop?” Emma asked. “I thought it was closed.”

“You left the door unlocked. I came in to see if I could buy some flowers for my mother.”

“Oh, wow. I’ve never done that before. Someone must be looking out for me.”

David thought of the old man. “Do you have any relatives around here?” he said looking into her eyes and noting they were brown.

“Only my mother, she owns this shop.”

“You’re her daughter?”

“Yes.”

“Where is she?”

“She’s on holiday taking a cruise. I’m looking after the shop while she’s gone.”

“Do you have a father, or grandfather?”

“No, they died a long time ago. You’re very curious, why do you ask?”

“Oh, nothing.”

They lapsed into silence.

“Did you say you came in to buy flowers for your mother?” Emma asked, breaking the silence.

“Yes.”

“The least I can do is make up an arrangement for you.”

They discussed the flowers, and agreed that Emma would deliver them Christmas Eve.

“What are you doing on Christmas day?” David asked.

“Nothing much. My mother’s away and I’m pretty much alone.”

“Why don’t you come and have Christmas dinner with us? I’m sure my parents would be glad to have you.”

“Isn’t this a bit sudden? Inviting me to meet your parents when we hardly know each other?”

“Yes it is. We should get to know each other first. Would to you like to have dinner with me tonight? Or we could go to a movie?”

“I’d like to, but I didn’t get any sleep last night and I’m really exhausted. I think I need to rest today.”

“Oh.”

“But I’m sure I’ll be recovered by tomorrow, if that’s OK?”

“Yes, that’s great. I’ll pick you up after work.”

“Make that seven. No, seven thirty. It’ll give me time to get ready.”

When David picked her up the following day she was waiting for him dressed in a dark gray coat and black high heels. Her coat came to mid thigh exposing her legs.

They kissed and, after she ostentatiously locked the door to the shop, he helped her into his car. He took her to his favorite Italian restaurant. When he removed her coat he observed she was wearing a white top and a very short leather skirt. Her waist was again slender and was circled by a wide leather belt. He helped her sit down and as she did so her skirt rode up revealing a little white flesh above the tops of her nylons. These were held up by garters. She looked up at him and smiled.

David’s penis rose in its sheath, he felt she had dressed sexily just for him, and wondered how the evening would end.

For the main course she ordered fish and David ordered the calamari. He asked if she would like some wine, and was both surprised and pleased when she declined. Surprised since Emma seemed to be the kind of person who liked to live life to the full, and pleased because he was wearing latex briefs that were difficult to remove, so didn’t want to drink much to avoid going to the bathroom.

During dinner their conversation covered a range of topics. He quickly discovered that she was a graduate student working toward a Ph D. Her thesis topic was the influence of the Etruscans on Rome. Her ambition was to become a professor; teaching history and doing research. They went on to discuss Xerxes, one of David’s favorite subjects.

Emma didn’t finish her fish.

“Aren’t you hungry?” asked David.

“I’m wearing a rather tight corset,” replied Emma. “I can’t eat too much when I wear it tight like this. It’s a good way to remain slim.”

“It gives you a nice shape.”

“Thank you. I like the way it feels.”

Emma declined desert and coffee. She fished in her pocket book and produced a small package wrapped in Christmas paper with a red bow on top. “Merry Christmas,” she said handing it to David.

“Thank you,” said David. He wondered what was inside. The package was so small he thought it might be a tie pin or cuff links, neither of which he used.

He started to unwrap it when Emma stopped him. “Don’t open it now, I’ll tell you when.”

“Do you want to go to a movie?”

Even though they had eaten but one course, they had taken a long time over dinner, and the evening was well advanced. “I’m still rather tired,” Emma said.

“You can come back to my place if you like. We can have coffee there. Or wine if you prefer.”

Emma paused, and for a moment David thought she was going to decline. But then she said, “Sure. I’d like that.”

David drove her back to his apartment. Once inside the door he helped her take of her coat. He felt excited by her presence; his heart was beating rapidly and he was breathing with fast and shallow breaths. He turned to embrace her and they kissed. He pulled her close to him; he wanted to feel her breasts and slender waist again. His penis pressed into something hard, he though it must be the front of her corset. Once again his hands began to explore the back of her waist. He left something hard under her leather belt. Emma reached behind her and removed his hands.

She broke the kiss and said, “I’d like to see your apartment.”

It was a two-bedroom apartment. He slept in one bedroom and used the other for an office and to store his junk. He showed her into his bedroom first, being rather ashamed of his messy office. She walked over to his bed and sat down. Her skirt rode up revealing not only the tops of the stockings and the garters holding them up, but something metallic covering her pussy.

“Yes, it’s a chastity belt,” she said when she saw that he had noticed. “I don’t really know if I can trust you.”

“I’m sure you can’t,” said David. “I feel so turned on by you that I want to make love to you right now.”

“Come and sit down,” she said patting the bed beside her. David sat and embraced her. They began to kiss and he pushed her over backwards so that she was lying on the bed. With his left hand he gently massaged her breasts.

She began to pant. “Oh David, do you know what I want?”

“What’s that?”

“I want to be tied to your bed. Do you have any rope?”

“I think so.”

“Then get it. You can tie my legs out to the corners.”

David got up and went into his office. He selected two pieces of nylon rope and two handcuffs. Returning to the bedroom he tied her ankles out to the posts at the bottom corners of his bed. He left her shoes on; she was otherwise fully dressed and he thought she looked sexier that way. The process of tying her delicate ankles so excited him that he thought he might have an orgasm.

“No, tie me tighter, it want to be stretched out more,” Emma said.

David shortened the ropes pulling her legs further apart, then lay on the bed. He kissed her and began to fondle her breasts again. He felt her nipples harden.

“Do you want your arms tied too? I can tie them to the top of the bed if you like.”

She looked at him. “That sounds good. But can I trust you?”

“Well, since you’re wearing a chastity belt, there’s not much I can do.”

“You saved my life. OK tie my arms.”

David held up the two handcuffs. “Do you mind if I use handcuffs? I think they’re sexier than rope.”

“You’ll release me if I ask?”

“Of course.”

“Go ahead.”

David clicked a cuff around her right wrist, pulled her arm out then locked the other cuff around the iron corner post of the headboard. He kissed her. “Now for the other one.”

He locked her right wrist in the other handcuff and locked that to the other corner. She did not resist.

She looked at him and smiled. “Now I’m really at your mercy.”

“No you’re not.” He lifted her skirt and examined her chastity belt. Its waistband was tight around her corseted waist; there was no way it was coming off without a key.

“If only I had a can opener,” he said and lay down beside her.

“I don’t think a can opener would work.”

“I was only joking,” he said and kissed her again. He rubbed her breasts and found that her nipples were still hard.

She began to pant and said, “David, it’s time to open your present.”

David retrieved the present from the kitchen table where he had left it and began to unwrap it in front of her. Removing the wrapping paper revealed a small gold-colored box. David opened the box and found a key inside. He held up the key.

“Is this what I think it is?”

“Yes.”

“Before I use it I want to show you something.” He undressed to reveal that he was wearing tight latex briefs. His erect penis stuck out in front encased in a red latex sheath. “I thought you liked latex, so wore this specially for you.”

“I do, I love latex, I can’t wait to feel it.” She thrust her hips up a couple of times.

David unlocked her chastity belt and carefully removed it. He hadn’t seen one before and it seemed to him to be sexiest piece of bondage gear. He gently touched her pussy and found she was soaking wet. He lay on her taking his weight on his arms. He kissed her forehead as he entered her.

He slid easily into her. He was so close to coming he resolved not to try anything too energetic, but his plans were upset when she began to thrust upwards into him. After only three thrusts he felt he was going to come and began to thrust in return.

Emma and David came together in an incredible sexual crescendo, making the bed almost bounce off the floor. Emma cried out as she came.

When he had finished he lay quietly on her feeling his penis gradually going soft.

He kissed her and noticed tears on her cheeks.

“Are you OK?” he asked.

“Yes,” she sniffed. “I’m fine. I’m more than fine, I feel like I’ve waited all my life for this.”

“Me too,” said David. “Do you want me to release you?”

“No. I’d like to stay all night like this if I may.”

“Of course.”

“Set the alarm for six, you can release me then. I have to be in the shop before nine.”

“I’ll release you, but I may put your chastity belt back on. I want to keep you all for myself.”

“I do have another key. But who knows, maybe I’ll give you another present some day.”

And so began the life-long love affair between David and Emma, their passionate and fulfilling sex enhanced by their mutual interest in latex and bondage.

He told her about the old man and the strange conversation on top of the mountain. Although he visited the lookout point on many occasions, often with Emma, he never saw the old man again. One snowy December after their first child was born, he found footprints in the snow and an impression on the bench where the old man had once sat. He tried to follow the footprints, but they didn’t seem to lead anywhere, they just circled around. For the rest of his life he tried to persuade himself that what the old man had said was just a coincidence, the ramblings of some senile tramp, but deep in his heart he knew he had met the true spirit of Christmas. Emma was the best Christmas present he ever received.