The doorbell rang. "Come in!" I yelled, "It's unlocked!" Leah was already setting her shoes by the door before I finished the sentence. Chinese people don’t like to wear shoes inside for some reason.

Leah raced across the room in her cute little yellow tennis outfit and jumped into my lap. Putting her arms around my neck she said, "David, can we play 'Seat Belt' tonight? My back hurts and it would really help."

"I was hoping we could play 'Monday Night Football'" Leah frowned. "Or maybe 'Cannibal Cookout'?" Of the many bondage games we played those two were my favorite.

"Please, David?" Leah used her sweetest little-Chinese-girl voice. "I had a really rough match today."

Well, Seat Belt was the most therapeutic game for someone with an aching back. "You know we could always play 'Piñata'." I grinned sheepishly.

"We are NOT doing Piñata!" She put her hand on her hip. "My bum hurts just thinking about it!" She sat up with a big grin, "If you play Seat Belt with me I'll let you win a match."

I chuckled. Leah Wang was now ranked the fifth best women’s tennis player in the world. She had been kicking my butt up and down the tennis court since the day she first arrived. She let me win from time to time - it was her way of boosting my fragile male ego. But I was okay with it. Because I did have one authentic "win" in my column. And that was the win that changed our relationship forever.

My lone victory occurred about a year ago...

My name is David Mayer and I'm an aspiring tennis pro - although I'm usually better known as the heir to an enormous meat and cold cut fortune. Although I try hard to stay “normal”, having access to a huge trust fund has spoiled me. I guess I could have gone to school and become a lawyer or something but I hate school. And I have no need for it. If I need a lawyer I’ll hit “8” on the speed dial.

There are two things I do love and therefore excel at. The first is tennis – I’m a damn good tennis player. The second is creating and playing bondage games. I love tying up pretty girls and having fun with them.

Since money is no object I decided to pursue my first love by attending the Balltierro Tennis Academy in Miami. It’s the place where many of the world’s best tennis pros go to hone their skills. That’s how I met Leah.

Leah was a child tennis prodigy in Shanghai and she dominated the Chinese Tennis scene throughout her teens. World class Asian tennis stars are rare so the Chinese government shipped her over to the states for proper coaching. Not wanting to squander a national resource, they sent her to train at the best tennis school in the world. Leah showed up at the Balltierro academy about a year after I did.

At first all the guys wanted to "court" Leah. She is gorgeous. But not like the small, thin Asian girls you might see in a Hong Kong beauty pageant. "Shanghai girls are big" she once told me. Leah has a full chest, slender waist and well proportioned hips. She was also just as tall as the western girls.

But her popularity was short-lived. Leah was focused on just one thing - becoming the number one tennis player in the world. Her intense practice regimen left little room for extra curricular activities. She also destroyed most of the men she played against - few guys could stomach being trounced by a girl.

We hit it off immediately, though. For several reasons I think.

First of all, I didn't mind being trounced. After a year of playing the best of the best, I had no illusions that I was going to excel at the professional level.

Secondly, Leah knew I had a reputation for seeing a variety of women. I wasn't looking to get tied down (excuse the pun). Leah wasn't either. This understanding took a lot of pressure off of us and somehow helped our platonic friendship flourish.

And lastly - and I hate to say this - but I had a lot of expensive toys and fun things that she never got to play with in China. Being loaded does have its advantages.

Leah's quarters on campus were very nice. But I had a huge house within walking distance of the school. When Leah got tired of using her free time to practice serves or play the ball machine she would come over to hang out. We'd watch DVDs or play on the PlayStation or just talk. Her English was very good. "There are more people who speak English in China than in America!" she proudly asserted.

From time to tome she'd find pieces of bondage gear that I'd forgotten to put away from the night before. I'm sure she noticed the strange "modifications" to my couch. But she was content to never ask about my “other” life.

On one occasion Leah found a pair of handcuffs in the couch between the pillows. "I don't understand why girl's let you do things like this to them." When I asked her if she'd like to try them on she frowned and handed the cuffs back to me. "No thanks."

I sensed that deep down Leah was curious about bondage but I never pursued the issue. It was fun to have a beautiful girl to hang out with who was "just friends" and I didn't want to spoil that.

Okay, I admit it - that’s a load of bullshit. Let's just say, from years of experience in these matters I knew it was pointless. Leah was far too driven and disciplined. I dropped very subtle hints every once in a while - mostly jokes that I hoped she might take seriously - but she never took the bait.

It was a warm, breezy summer day. I was sitting on a bench at the centerline of tennis court number 8, waiting for Leah to arrive. We had planned to play a practice match. I came early to warm up and hit a few serves. Leah rushed through the gate and ran towards me. I don't think I ever saw her so excited. "David, the Shanghai Ballet Company is coming! This is so great!" She was literally jumping. "Can we go to see them? Can you take me please?" Leah asked with an expectant smile.

Okay, I'm not a big ballet fan. "Aren't Chinese ballets just a bunch of people running around in platform shoes singing funny?" I said jokingly. Leah playfully smacked my shoulder. "Ouch!"

"Please David; I know you'll like it."

I was such a pushover when it came to Leah. In an effort to dodge the question and start playing tennis I waved my hand over the court. "Tell you what. I'll play you for it."

Leah smiled brightly, knowing the odds on me beating her in this match were about the same as the odds of it snowing. "Whatcha wanna bet?" she asked playfully.

"Tickle Party", I replied.

"Is that one of those games you play with your girlfriends?" She put her hands on her hips. "Okay, what's 'Tickle Party'?"

"It's fun. I tie you up naked for a half hour and tickle you."

"You're strange, David" she said, laughing. "Okay, you're on!" There was no hesitation.

My mouth fell open, shocked that she accepted my wager. I probed, "Who are you kidding, Leah? You wouldn't follow through in a million years."

"What difference does it make?" Leah said. "You know you're not going to win."

She had a point. But the remark did sting a little. Sensing the insult, Leah softened her tone. "I'm sorry" she said. "If it makes you feel better, I swear on my ancestors that I'll do your Tickle Party if I lose. Okay? Now let's play!"

Her first serve was a blur - Ace. She smiled and moved to her next service position. Throughout the first set she played well. But I sensed there was something not quite right with her game. Her shots lacked their usual precision and spin. She won the first of three sets, 6-3.

My game, on the other hand, was phenomenal. I couldn't miss. My serve was smoking, my shots dropped perfectly and even my backhand rocked. The second set came down to a tie breaker. After Leah planted an easy lob return directly into the net, I won the second set 7-6.

Leah seemed quite nervous now, and more serious than I had ever seen her. Her first serve wasn't scoring and she double-faulted several times. At one point she dropped her racquet in disgust. When the dust finally settled I had won the third set 6 to 4 - and with it the match.

As I walked to the net to shake her hand, I could see that she was visibly shaken. She shook my hand and walked off the court with her head down. I tried to comfort her.

"Its okay, Leah. You just had a bad day." No response.

"I would love to take you to the ballet." Still no response.

"You know I was just kidding about the Tickle Party." She gave me an angry look.

We packed our gear and started walking toward my house. Nothing I said or did seemed to console her. I felt like such a jerk. I finally decided to embrace the silence.

"You played very well, David" she finally said, her eyes down. "And I intend to honor our bet."

"Look", I replied to the obviously distraught girl, "you don't have to go through with it. Besides it's really no fun if you're not a willing participant."

"You don't understand, David. I swore on my ancestors. For me that is a very serious thing. If I don't do as I promised, my ancestors will not be pleased. My luck will be bad and I'll never win again." She looked directly into my eyes. "My career and my life depend on having their favor."

I fidgeted a little. I was torn between being a good guy and being a selfish jerk. The latter option was very appealing here. But bondage games really aren't any fun unless both people are into it. "Okay, I'll do it. But you can stay dressed and I'll take it easy on you."

"NO!" She grabbed my arm. "You will do to me your very best Tickle Party." She spoke quietly, "You must, David! Tennis is my life. It's all I have. Please understand."

I knew Leah well enough to know that arguing at this point was futile. I didn't agree with her beliefs - okay, I found them nuts - but it was what she and about a billion other people believed. So I had to accept it. We silently completed the ten minute walk to my house.

As soon as I closed the front door Leah asked "How do we start?"

"First", I replied "We take showers!" I got a large bath towel out of the closet and threw it towards her. "You use the downstairs shower and I'll use the upstairs one." I started up the staircase. "There's a blow dryer in the cabinet under the sink. When you're done just come out with the towel wrapped around you - and we'll go on from there."

I stood in the shower wondering how did I get myself into this. How could a dumb little joke ruin our friendship? And like this! Tying up Leah was something I'd fantasized about for months. I laughed at the irony. Well, I wasn't going to let her down.

I dried off, got dressed and immediately began to collect my "tools" - a comb, a couple feathers, an electric toothbrush, a vibrator - and put them in a small laundry basket. The tools were joined by several lengths of soft cotton rope, a black ball gag, some hairpins, and a digital stopwatch. I topped off the basket with a few props that I thought might come in handy.

I could hear the blow dryer running as I descended the stairs. I pulled a large white comforter out of the closet and laid it out square in the center of the great room. Having completed the preparations I fell back onto the couch and waited.

Leah walked out of the bathroom. The towel was wrapped tightly around her. She sat down at the other end of the couch, pushing the towel between her thighs as she sat. I handed her the hairpins. "Please put your hair into a bun and fasten it with these" I instructed. Although she was visibly nervous she complied without complaint.

I considered offering her an out but though better of it. This was now our destiny and it had to play out.

"Okay, Leah, now please lay down on the comforter - face down with your arms at your sides." Leah promptly stood up, walked over to the comforter and laid down as instructed, being careful not to loosen the towel in any way.

I liked it - but I didn't like it. The whole atmosphere was just way too serious for me. A part of me wished we could have downed a couple bottles of wine or something - anything to break the solemn mood.

But another part of me was enjoying this immensely - like I always did. I grabbed a length of rope and straddled her from behind sitting just above her lovely towel-covered rear end. She did not resist as I pulled her arms together and began wrapping the cord around her wrists. Leah winced as I cinched the loops and skillfully tied the knots out of her reach. Next I moved behind her and fastened her ankles together with another length of rope.

Leah remained quiet throughout the whole thing, staring blankly to the side. I took my last piece of rope and used it to connect her ankles to her wrists. I looped it around about three times and tied it once. Then I knelt down and lifted her legs so that they sat on mine. This caused her back to arch and brought her wrists and ankles together so they touched. Leah winced again as I pulled the slack out of the connecting cord and tied it tight.

One last thing. I grabbed the ball gag and knelt at her side. I put my hand on her back. She gave me a sweet but sad smile. "I know this is all a bit new to you but..." I couldn't think of anything to say. Good grief. What the heck was I doing?

"It's okay David. Don't let me down, okay?" She lifted her head back and opened her mouth wide. I pulled the ball gag past her teeth and fastened it behind her head. She laid her head back down on the comforter.

I set my tools out on the edge of the comforter, side by side, and picked up the stopwatch. "Okay, Leah. Time to start our Tickle Party." I held the stopwatch in front of her eyes. The bright red LED display read 30. "Thirty minutes... starts ... now!" Click. The stopwatch started counting down.

As I said before, I really wasn't too happy about the situation - it felt so dark and solemn - but I had a weird feeling it was all going to work out. The way the whole thing just fell into place - there was some strange cosmic reason we were here now. I started to feel inspired.

My mind went to work immediately. I realized this situation required a serious shot of levity. I walked toward the couch and picked up the props; a white lab coat, a stethoscope and some wire rim glasses. I put on the lab coat and glasses, and hung the stethoscope around my neck.

Without a second thought, I rolled Leah onto her arms and removed the towel. Her eyes got wide and she squealed softly as she found herself completely naked and vulnerable. My eyes widened, too, as I examined her incredible body for the first time. Leah had an athlete's physique; she was lean and muscular. Her breasts were full and perfect, her abs flat and solid, and her shapely hips created a superb hourglass. Her pubic hair was well trimmed - there was just a trace leading down toward her pussy.

I slowly I walked around the frightened, helpless Chinese girl. Her eyes followed me as I walked.

"Vell, vell, vell. Vhat haff vee here?" I said in a horrible German accent. "Yes, you had better be afraid my pretty little Chinese SPY!" I put my hands on my hips and leaned over her.

Shaking my finger at her I continued, "Coming here to steal all our tennis secrets so you can rule de verld! Diss iss no small matter." I was really sinister. Leah looked at me like I was crazy. "Well, the evil Dr. Von Mayer has vays of making you tock!" I could see the fear start to subside and for an instant I thought I saw an amused look cross her face.

Cool! It was time for the evil doctor to get to work. I kneeled down next to my lovely nude prisoner. First I did some exploratory tickling. I started with the feather to her breasts. Instantly she chirped and tried to move away. Not bad. Next I squeezed her near underarms, around her firm tummy and along her sides. Strong reactions everywhere. I moved my fingers into the crease where her legs met her torso. "NNNnneeeeeeee!" Wow. And I hadn't even begun to touch her thighs, let alone the soles of her feet. Leah was breathing rapidly.

"Who sent you here?" I asked while the feather worked its magic.

"Hhhmmm, hhhmm, hhhmm!" She said with wide eyes, her breasts becoming visibly aroused. She strained mightily against the ropes binding her.

"Vhat iss diss 'hmm, hmm'? I need a name!" I started in under her armpits. Leah bucked and began laughing uncontrollably. She shook her head "no". I kept it up, tickling her sides, tummy, and armpits in turn. Leah howled into her gag.

"Is there another mole in the Academy?" I gave her a short break to catch her breath while I questioned her.

"Woe, woe, woe!" she replied through her gag, shaking her head "no", still laughing. She was starting to get into it.

"You lie! We know there is a mole!"

"Weff, weff, weff!" shaking her head yes. Tears were coming from her eyes, she was laughing so hard. "EEEEEEEEEEE!" I came after her again.

I kept this up for quite a while. The stopwatch never left my sight. At fifteen minutes Leah was covered with sweat. She seemed to be lost in the game - and enjoying herself immensely.

"You're hiding something! I just know it!" I tickled her upper thighs and slid my hand between her legs. "My verd, Miss Vang, vhat have vee here?" She was very wet. I entered her with my finger. Leah blushed and moaned. "I think there's something here. Let me see. This might help." I grabbed the vibrator and held it to her clit. She responded like an electric shock hit her.

"Mmmmmmmmhhhhhhhh!" her eyes bulged.

I pulled back and set the vibrator down. "I knew I'd find something."

I got back into the tickling, utilizing my full arsenal on the helpless girl. Leah struggled furiously. I sensed that she was reaching her limit. Over twenty-five minutes of laughter and relentless attention from the good doctor had worn her down.

I rolled her back onto her arms. "Spread your legs please Miss Vang." My exhausted prisoner spread her knees as far as she comfortably could. My left hand massaged her breasts while the vibrator did its duty between her legs. Leah was moaning loudly, building up to a crescendo. As she was nearing climax, I put the vibrator at its top setting and held it to her engorged clit.

"AAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" she screamed into the gag. Her body shuddered, her eyes closed tight, her muscles tensed. Leah’s orgasm was a wonder to behold. Slowly her body relaxed and her ecstasy receded.

"Beep, beep, beep, beep..." I turned off the stopwatch. Pretty good timing!

I examined my exhausted, nude, bound and gagged friend. She was no longer a prisoner - the evil doctor had left the room. Leah's eyes were closed and she was breathing peacefully. Leah was out.

I delicately untied her wrists and ankles and gently removed the ball gag. She didn't seem to notice. I put a pillow under her head and folded the comforter over her motionless sleeping body. She rolled over into the fetal position and snoozed.

I dimmed the lights and strode upstairs to put away my tools. My bed looked inviting so I fell back onto the mattress, turned on the TV and started flipping through the stations. Not that I could actually concentrate on anything. I couldn't help but wonder, what now? I had no idea what was ahead for me and Leah.

I woke from my slumber a few hours later. When I went to check on Leah downstairs I found the comforter neatly folded on the couch. Leah was gone.

The next day I called Leah but she didn't answer or return my calls. When our paths crossed on campus she politely smiled, lowered her head and quickly moved on. I could tell she wasn't ready to talk to me. I got the feeling that it might be wise to leave her alone for a while.

Two weeks later I was practicing serves back on court number 8 when Leah walked up with her tennis bag. She approached me with a big smile. "I want a rematch!" she proclaimed.

"For the Ballet?" I asked.

Leah nodded.

"What do I get if you lose?" I gave her a sly smile.

"Chinese dinner!" she replied with a smirk on her face.

"That's fine", I chuckled. It was good to have her back. "How about a quick game of ping-pong?" Ping-pong was an abbreviated version of a tennis match that we played. The first person to get 21 points wins.

Leah tossed the balls over to me. "You can start."

I think I would have done just as well had I sat on the bench. Leah played like I'd never seen before - with a passion and intensity that amazed me. Before I could blink I was down 12 to 2. Leah was poised and confident. I didn't have a prayer.

In no time the score was 18 to 8. At this point Leah seemed to change her strategy. Her perfectly placed returns began dropping just outside the line - but not by accident. She had perfect control.

"You're toying with me!" I yelled over the net.

"Just play tennis, David!" she laughed.

Soon the score was tied at 19 - one of her shots accidentally scored. I braced myself for the inevitable trouncing. But her next return went wide. I was leading 20 to 19 and was on the brink of taking the game.

Leah seemed not the least bit concerned. I served the ball to her forehand. Leah teed off, WHACK! The ball sailed over the net, over the fence, over several fences and landed about five courts away.

"Whoops!" she said with a big grin. "I guess you win again."

I walked over to the bench somewhat stunned. That was nuts. Leah came over and sat next to me. She moved close, kissed me on the cheek and said "Thanks for the game, David."

Then she reached into her tennis bag and pulled out a well worn comic book. It was a Hong Kong Kung Fu comic that I wasn't familiar with. She opened it and flipped to the section she wanted me to see. I couldn't read the Chinese characters but I was able to follow the story from the graphics. Our Kung Fu heroine had been captured by the bad guys. I turned the page. In the next frame our heroine was naked, gagged, and tied spread eagle to one of those large, circular Chinese dinner tables.

Pretty good stuff. How come I'd never heard of this comic?

The next frame. Our helpless heroine struggled and looked distressed while different Chinese dishes were placed on and around her. As the bad guys feasted she was soon covered with food - which the bad guys cleaned off in a most arousing way.

Leah clasped her hands behind her back. "So,” she said as she leaned forward and inconspicuously rubbed her chest against my shoulder, “can I be your ‘Chinese Dinner’?"

"Chinese Dinner, huh?" I replied, "I like it. Can I invite my friends?" A mischievous smile crossed her face as she smacked me on the shoulder.

"Ouch! I guess that’s a no.”