She met Chrstina at the train station, and was surprised at what she looked like. Amy was not sure what she had been expecting, but it wasn't the elegantly dressed woman waiting there. Christina had light brown hair, tied up conservatively, slightly taller than Amy herself, with the hints of a good figure beneath her clothes.

There was another woman there. Younger, maybe twenty, with blond hair and a magnificent body clearly visible through a low cut blouse, open jacket and short skirt. She was standing a few steps behind Christina.

"Oh, God!" Christina cried, as Amy approached them. "You look so young. I thought you'd be older than that. Asian, too. I knew it. All your heroines were Oriental. You look just like Star Lily."

Amy blushed slightly. Star Lily was the heroine of Castle of Slavery, one of her favourite books, one of the best-selling as well. Star Lily was incredibly beautiful, and brave, destroying the reign of the sorceress Senyakhaz. The editors kept demanding a sequel.

"You're too kind," she said, quietly, already thinking this was a mistake. She had changed her mind several times about this on the train, but it had been too late then. She moved forward with her bags.

"Katya will take your bags." The blond girl stepped forward and took them from an unresisting Amy, smiling broadly. "She's my maid," Christina added. "Oh, I've waited so long to meet you. Come on, we'll get a taxi back to mine."

Christina talked a lot along the way, lapsing into occasional moments of starstruck awe that Amy found very embarrassing. She had clearly not only read all of Amy's books many times over, but had practically memorised them all.

"One of my clients is a big fan as well. Last time she came, we re-enacted the scene from Songs, you know, the one where Chase is tortured by Wranna."

"I know the one," Amy admitted uncomfortably. She'd written that whole chapter in a few hours, not stopping for a break once.

"Castle was my favourite. Or maybe Panthers. I loved Star Lily. You really should write a sequel. What happened to her after the castle collapsed and those slavers caught her?"

"I might write a sequel some day," Amy admitted. She didn't add, "if I ever get rid of this writers' block."

Still, Christina didn't talk about any of her great ideas for A Flower Chained, and Amy was too polite (not to mention, nervous) to press her on them.

Christina evidently lived further away from the station than Amy had thought, because it was dark when the taxi arrived.

"This house is huge," she breathed, looking up at it.

"My job pays well," Christina replied. "Besides, I work from here, so it needs to be big enough to encompass all my clients' fantasies."

"Ah, do you have any. ah. clients booked for.?"

"Diary's clear. I'm not letting anything get in the way of this. Oh! I've wanted to meet you for such a long time. You look just like I imagined, you know. Sort of a cross between Star Lily and Miria."

The constant references to Star Lily puzzled Amy. Her heroines were all beautiful, tall, voluptuous, athletic, pretty. Most of them were Asian, true, but that was where the similarities ended, at least as far as Amy saw it.

"You must be tired. Katya will take your bags to your room. Do you want a drink? Tea? Coffee?

They settled in a large living room, Amy looking around wide-eyed. This was nothing like she'd expected a dominatrix's lair to look like. She'd half-imagined a place looking like a scene from her books. This was pleasant, casual, nicely furnished.

Katya returned with a drink. Amy sipped at it. "You, ah. you said you had some ideas?"

"Oh, plenty of time for that later. I've really looked forward to meeting you, you know."

"Yes," Amy smiled, feeling uncomfortable with all the praise. This really hadn't been a good idea. The sooner she could leave, the better. Perhaps she could manufacture some family emergency that would necessitate her leaving.

She sat there awkwardly, drinking her tea, listening to Chrstina's praise. Finished, she set the mug down.

"You must be tired. Travel always makes me tired."

"Yes," Amy said. "I am a. little." Her head was swimming, suddenly, a giddiness sweeping over her.

"Katya will show you to your room."

Amy stood up, to follow the girl. She took a step, and almost fell over. Everything was blurring around her. She took another step, and completely collapsed. She felt Katya pick her up, and she was sure Christina said something, but she had no idea what it was, as sleep took her.

-

Amy woke up to total darkness, her head pounding. The floor was cold beneath her. She tried to stand up, and found that she was bound. Chains were wrapped around her, a short length holding her wrists behind her back, fixed to a metal collar around her neck; a slightly longer chain between her ankles. Other than the manacles, she was completely naked.

She tried to calm herself. She had put many of her heroines in this position before, but she had never thought to experience it herself. She had never had bondage fantasies at all.

This was a joke. That was all. She ran that thought through her mind several times, and even spoke it out loud. This was just a. joke.

"Hey!" she said, a little too quietly at first. "Hey!" she called out louder. "Someone let me out! Christina! This. this isn't funny!"

There was a sudden rectangle of light from one side of her room, and then a door opening, revealing a female form silhouetted in it. Amy closed her eyes rapidly, and so did not see the woman who came to her and pulled her from the room, one strong hand around her bound arm. Amy's feet caught in her chains, and she stumbled, being caught by the woman.

When her vision cleared, she looked around.

The woman was Katya, but dressed completely differently. She was wearing a tight leather bustier that barely concealed her impressive bosom, pushing her breasts up and out. Also a short skirt, also leather, and boots that came up to just under her knee. A thick belt around her slim waist held an item that could only be a coiled whip.

"What is this?" Amy said, wishing she had been able to sound firmer than she had. "Is this some sort of joke?"

Katya pushed her roughly against the wall, and Amy cried out with the impact. "Her Majesty demands your attendance, Lady Flower. What Salome wants, she gets."

Flower? Salome? Characters from her book. But what?

Her head cleared, and she realised this was the scene, the one she had had trouble with.

"Katya, please," she said. "This isn't funny. Let me go. please." She sounded pathetic, and was instantly disgusted with herself.

Katya pulled at her collar, and dragged her behind her.

Amy stumbled and staggered as she was pulled along behind the blond woman. This was all just a joke, perhaps a misguided attempt by Christina to help her writers' block. She would explain this wasn't necessary, and get Christina to let her go. She wasn't into this sort of thing, whatever the contents of her books. That was just for the money.

Oh, my God! She was naked, completely naked in front of this woman. Christina would see her naked as well. She couldn't even cover herself up with her hands.

Oh, no!

"Golden Flower," said a deep, sultry voice. "The pleasure is mine."

Amy looked up. She had completely lost track of where she had been taken. She had expected the living room, or perhaps Christina's bedroom.

Not this.

The room was long, covered with shadows, lit only by several flickering candles, decorated in an ornate, Arabian style. Manacles hung from the walls and ceiling, hooks were set into the floor. Silken draperies hung everywhere. The walls were covered with pictures, each one, Amy was terrified to notice, featuring beautiful women in bondage.

At the far end of the room, lounging on a long couch, sat Christina, except that she looked completely unlike the woman Amy had met at the train station.

Christina was wearing mere scraps of silk, one wound around her impressive bosom, providing the merest hint of concealment, the other around her waist, wisping over her loins. Her legs were bare, one stretched out, brushing the floor, the other folded beneath her. Her face was made-up to make her look sultry and powerful, her long hair hanging loose around her face and shoulders.

She looked like a queen, a powerful and dangerous woman.