Page 5 of Tie Me Down (The AfterGlow #1)

nico

A knock sounded at the door as I pulled a plain white T-shirt over my head. Liv was already untied and back in her skimpy lingerie set, waiting on the bed for what was to come.

“I got it,” I rushed out and headed for the door.

When I asked Bridgette about a private session, I expected to wait weeks, but she fit us into her busy schedule without issue. A cancellation had come up last minute, and I snagged the spot immediately.

I gently opened the door and there was Bridgette, no longer dressed in her fancy underwear like before for her performance, but in comfortable clothes more suited to teaching—black leggings and a matching tank top—so all the focus would be on Liv.

“Nico,” she said warmly, reaching out to shake my hand.

“Bridgette,” I said, accepting her handshake, “thank you so much for seeing us tonight.”

She flashed her perfect smile. “Of course. I’m excited to work with you both.”

“Come in,” I gestured to the room, stepping out of her way.

“Thank you.” She nodded and entered, making a beeline for Liv.

“Hi Olivia. Are you excited to be trying out some new things this evening?” she asked, taking Liv’s hands in her own.

“I am, but I’m also a bit nervous. Is that normal?” Liv asked.

Bridgette tilted her head before answering. “You’re going to try something new. Of course it’s normal. Those feelings are nothing to worry about.”

I sidled up beside Bridgette and handed over our folded-up ropes.

Liv had picked them out a couple months ago before we started taking classes.

The options were endless in colour, design, and texture, but she opted for a pastel rainbow made of bamboo.

The cord was softer, a bit slipperier than other materials, and looked great against her skin.

The soft colours matched her personality—full of life but not over the top. Sweet and sensual. My pretty girl.

“We’re going to be doing a Hishi Karada. It’s a harness with a beautiful diamond pattern, almost like a corset made of rope, which is why I suspect Nico chose it,” Bridgette explained, running our rope through her hands.

I nodded at her. That was exactly the reason I’d chosen the harness. The way it would hug her curves and divide her body into sections had me salivating.

“He also mentioned wanting to suspend you. Is that something you’d like to try?” Bridgette asked Liv.

My woman nodded her head. “If you think I can handle it.”

“It’s more about how you feel, Olivia. So, we can try it, but I need you to be honest with me and communicate as we’re going through the tie,” Bridgette warned.

“I can do that,” Liv answered.

And she would. It took a couple weeks for her to find her voice during our rope play, but once she had, she hadn’t backed down.

Telling me when she was experiencing negative discomfort or unenjoyable sensations was something she was gaining confidence in.

Still, I would cue her throughout, as I’m sure Bridgette would, too.

“This isn’t a harness you would suspend, but Nico was very set on doing this tie.

So, I will show him a partial suspension after using one of my jute ropes and suspend you from that.

Your anchor points are above the bed, and we’ll tie off with an emergency munter hitch so Nico can lower you quickly and safely if you need to get down without warning,” Bridgette explained.

“Why jute?” Nico asked. “We brought our own bamboo ropes.”

Liv loved the cord she’d picked out. Said it was sexy and girly at the same time. I didn’t want her to be uncomfortable unless it was a design of my making. Purposeful.

“Bamboo isn’t safe for suspensions. Jute is non-compacting, meaning it will hold its shape under strain.

When you suspend someone from it, the knots will maintain their shape, and you can undo them more easily.

” She reached for the rope in my hand and I gave it to her.

With expert ease, she tied an overhand knot and tightened it.

Then tightened it more and handed it back to me.

“With bamboo, the fibres compress, causing the knots to get tighter the more strain they are under. That makes it very hard to undo, and can lead to dangerous situations. Does that make sense?”

I fiddled with the knot in my hand. It was locked in incredibly tight and took me longer than I was comfortable with to undo. “Perfect sense. I can see why this wouldn’t be ideal.”

“Exactly.” Bridgette gestured to the built-in hooks in the ceiling before asking, “So, does this sound like something you want to try?”

Olivia’s eyes sparkled under the lights of the room as she came to stand in front of her. “Let’s do it.”

“Alright. Nico,” Bridgette started, “follow along with me. I’m going to get the harness started, and then I will demonstrate what to do next. You can take over from there while I guide you along.”

“Sounds good,” I replied, stepping beside her to carefully watch every move she made .

She tied a quick overhand knot in the middle of the rope and draped it behind Liv’s neck. This allowed the knot to rest between Liv’s shoulder blades and the two tails to fall between her breasts.

“We’ll begin with the core harness,” she said, handing the ropes to me. “Tie an overhand knot underneath her collar bones, then do the same between her breasts, in line with her waist, and ending with one resting against her belly button.”

I did as she said, meticulously spacing each knot so they were even against Olivia’s body and tying them all the same way so they were symmetrical. Making sure they were not only correct, but beautiful as well, was important to me.

My fingers brushed her soft, supple skin with each tie.

She shivered when I paused to draw small circles against her waist. When I finished, Bridgette had me run the tails between Liv’s legs, up her back, and through the loop between her shoulder blades.

I ensured the ropes were flat against her skin, no tangling or twisting, before moving on to the next step.

Bridgette murmured directions to me while I threaded my lines in the space between the first two knots.

Looping them around Liv’s back, I tied a cord square knot at the back, then repeated the actions in the next space.

The process was almost hypnotic. Over and over.

Front to back. Weaving the diamonds against Liv’s skin.

“How does it feel?” I whispered to Liv, checking in for any discomfort.

“Good. Tight, but not too tight. I like the pressure,” she assured me.

I adjusted, tightened, and created a bodice made of rope and tension. The lacing in the back accentuated her body perfectly. Everything was even on both sides. I couldn’t help but smile at my handiwork.

“Not bad for your first harness,” Bridgette said.

“Thank you.”

“Turn her around and examine her front,” she directed.

I placed my hands on Liv’s shoulders and spun her around to face me.

Taking one step back, I raked my gaze over her body.

The lines cut into her skin, making it bulge slightly around where the ropes pulled against her.

The diamonds flowed down the center of her body while my laces wrapped around her back.

Her tits were perfectly framed and on display.

She was a goddamn picture and, if phones were allowed in the club, I’d snap one.

Immortalize her like this. But I could always do it again at home—and I would.

I adored seeing her like this. Wrapped up in ropes that I weaved with my own hands.

“You’re gorgeous,” I breathed, reaching out to adjust the tension of the ropes at her waist. “The harness looks fantastic on you.”

I stepped out of her way and allowed her to take a good, long look at herself in the mirrored wall.

Her gaze softened and her eyebrows turned up as she stared at her reflection. She took a few steps closer, spinning around to see the back of the harness.

“I love it,” she whispered, one hand on her cheek, before she turned to Bridgette. “Thank you for showing him how to do this.”

She nodded. “Of course. It’s always my honour to work with new couples and open them up to the world of shibari.”

“So, you wouldn’t suspend a person from this?” Liv asked, sticking a thumb underneath the rope at the top of her chest .

“No. This harness is made from single strands and would cut into you if we were to hang you from it. Riggers should always use multiple strands for a suspension—anywhere from four to even eight strands around. That way, there is a wider strap to better distribute the force. Understand?”

I nodded alongside Liv.

“For safety, since this is your first suspension, I will tie while Nico observes. Then, I’ll run him through the anchor points and emergency hitches. After we suspend you, I’ll leave, and the rest of the night is yours to play.”

Liv toyed with her fingers, wringing them back and forth in each palm. “And if something goes wrong?”

“Good question. If you can’t get out of your ties, you always have the option to cut them.

But we have a lot of processes in place tonight, including quick-release knots and emergency hitches.

Nico will be able to get you down. And if something doesn’t go right, I’ll be in my office at the other end of the service hall for the next couple hours. If you feel you need me, come get me. ”

Liv blew out a breath. “Okay. That makes me feel better.”

“We’re good to move ahead?” Bridgette clarified, looking from me to Liv.

“Yes,” Liv and I said at the same time.

Bridgette clapped her hands together and grinned. “Let’s get you ready to go.”