The July sun was hot as Ryan made his way into his favorite pub on a Saturday afternoon. His t-shirt clung to his athletic frame and he ran his hands through his blonde hair, slick with sweat from the short walk. The air conditioning was just slightly too cold, but he was grateful for both that and the two open seats at the bar.

“Need a beer list?” asked the bartender as he sat down.

“Do you still have the Smuttynose Old Brown Dog on draft?”

“Yeah, just tapped a fresh keg this morning.”

“Great, I’ll have one of those. And I’m saving this chair for a friend.”

“No problem.”

Minutes later, fresh glass of beer in his hand, Ryan spotted the distinctive curly red hair of his friend Natalie at the front door. He waved her over, and she gave him a quick hug before sliding into the barstool next to him.

“Hey. Good to see you.”

“You too, Nat. What are you drinking?” He tried to flag down the bartender, but Natalie had beaten him to it.

“Hi, give me a pint of Guinness, please, and two shots of Jameson’s.” The bartender immediately flipped two shot glasses onto the bar and filled them with whiskey.

Ryan looked at her askance. “Shots?”

“We’re celebrating. It’s Sarah’s birthday!”

“ ... isn’t Sarah’s birthday in August?”

“Yes, which is why we’re doing shots in July.” She handed one to Ryan, quickly clinking the other glass against his and throwing her shot back, slamming the glass back down on the bar. Ryan followed suit more slowly, shivering at the harsh flavor.

“Okay, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, explain yourself.”

“It’s Sarah’s birthday!”

“You said that already, Nat.”

“Consider this your invitation to her party.”

“You didn’t ask me to meet you at the bar just to make me drink Jameson’s and invite me to a birthday party that’s a month away.”

“No I did not,” Natalie said, grinning. “I also have something I want you to do for me.”

Ryan took a sip of his beer and considered Natalie over the rim of the glass. Nat, as everyone called her, was one of the worst instigators among their circle of friends. She kept tabs on all of the gossip and rumors, the comings and goings, and who was secretly lusting after who. That meant if you needed to make something ‘special’ happen, Nat was your best bet. However, she also had a habit of using things against people that they didn’t want other people to know ... which meant if you needed to make something ‘special’ happen, Nat was your best bet.

The fact that Natalie was coming to Ryan to ask for a favor about Sarah made Ryan nervous. Natalie was one of the few people that knew about the time that Ryan very drunkenly asked Sarah out and she very drunkenly turned him down. Ryan had never mentioned it again, which meant it was only a matter of time until Natalie made use of that fact.

“So what’s the favor?”

“Well, you see, it’s a very special kind of party.”

Ryan smirked. That particular emphasis meant that Natalie and Sarah were planning some kind of sex party, and given the fact that Sarah was one of the kinkier folks in their social circle, it was really just a question of what kind. “Oh really? How special?”

“So special that you’re the only guest.”

Ryan choked on his beer. “You’ve got to be kidding. There’s no way Sarah would have asked you to set her up with me.”

“She didn’t. Not exactly.” Natalie was still grinning like a maniac, which didn’t make Ryan feel any better.

“I can’t wait to hear how you’re going to explain this.”

“Does that mean you’re in?”

“What, just like that?”

“You’re either in or you’re out. Right now.”

“Come on, Nat. This isn’t Ocean’s Eleven, you’re not George Clooney, and we’re not robbing Las Vegas.”

Natalie laughed and sized him up. “You’re not a bad replacement for Matt Damon, though.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere.”

“Come on, Ryan! This is a perfect setup. You’ve been after her for years and this is totally your chance. I guarantee she’ll be into it.”

Ryan squinted at her. “ ... you’re serious.”

“Have I ever lied to you?”

“You don’t want me to answer that.”

“Okay, fine. Look, Sarah was over my place last week...”

“Damn, girl. We need to get you laid.”

Sarah groaned. “I knowwwww.”

“What happened to Robbie? You liked him!”

“I did. He took one look at my box of toys and ran for the hills.”

“Oh. That’s probably for the best, then.”

“ ... Nat. Nat! No. I know that look.” Sarah set down her beer and pointed accusingly at Natalie, who had started staring off into space.

Natalie blinked. “What?”

“You’re trying to figure out who to set me up with. Stop it.”

“Are you really telling me you want to go stag to your own birthday party?”

Sarah groaned and ran her hands through her pixie cut. “No, not really...”

“You want me to find a bunch of hot guys to invite so you can bang one at the end of the night?”

“Ugh, no. I’m probably going to be drunk at the end of my birthday party, and you know I don’t like having sex when I’m drunk.”

“Ooh I know, let’s flip the script completely. I’ll throw you an orgy, but you’ll be the only girl there and I’ll get a bunch of hot guys to service you.”

“Nat!” Sarah blushed.

“What? Sarah, this is like your number one fantasy. How many times have you told me you wanted to be laid down on a bearskin rug and ravished by six or seven hot guys who are just there to pleasure you?”

“I don’t think I quite said it like that.”

“No, you’re right.” Natalie had crawled across the couch and gotten very close to Sarah, and now she lay her hand on Sarah’s narrow wrist and softly grabbed it. “Usually when you say it, you want to be tied up first.”

“Nat...”

“You want to be tied down to the bed so that when each one slides his hard cock inside you, you’re completely powerless to resist.” Natalie knew exactly how to push Sarah’s buttons, and not only was she being merciless about it, it was working.

“Fuck, I never should have told you about that...”

“You want to feel their hot come spray all over those small tits of yours and your tiny, prone, helpless body, don’t you? You want to be a little cum slut for—”

Sarah turned and sealed her lips over Natalie’s, shutting her up. Natalie pressed down on Sarah’s wrist, surprised by the passion in her kiss, even as Natalie was intentionally stoking the fires.

“You are the worst.” Sarah put her other hand on Natalie’s chest and pushed her away.

“No, you’re right, I would totally insist on being there too, and then you wouldn’t get to be the center of attention.” Natalie grabbed her own generous rack and shook it at Sarah.

Sarah laughed. “Yes, that’s definitely what I meant, and not at all that you’re making me stupidly horny.”

“Great! So we’re on for the orgy, then?”

“You are not throwing me an orgy for my birthday, Nat.”

“Are you sure?” A thoughtful look came across Natalie’s face. “Or maybe ... maybe we don’t exactly throw you an orgy...”

“I can’t believe I’m even asking, but what do you mean ‘not exactly an orgy’?”

Natalie’s expression changed to a grin, which got wider as she kept talking. “Okay, dead serious for a second. You really like being fucked while you’re tied up, right?”

“I mean, yes, it’s super hot, with the right person. But who are you going to—”

“No no, that’s the brilliant part. You don’t know.”

“What’s to know? You just came up with this idea.”

“No, I mean you won’t know. It’ll be a birthday surprise! I’ll find somebody who knows that it’s your birthday and tell them all the things you want them to do to you. Then I’ll tie you up and blindfold you, leave the room, and this guy can come in and fuck you however he wants.”

Sarah’s eyes were wide. “Okay, I know this is just the hormones talking, but fuck that’s hot. Dammit, Nat. Now you’ve got me thinking.”

“I know, right? It’s brilliant, isn’t it?”

“I’d need total control over what he can and can’t do.”

“Of course. We’ll write up like, a script, or a checklist, or something. ‘Yes’ and ‘no’, ‘green’ and ‘red’, that sort of thing.”

“Would it be someone I know? He’s got to be unattached. Or at least have a girlfriend that’s cool with it. And he needs to get tested first.”

Natalie started to bounce in her seat. “Leave that to me. I swear, I will not let you down on this.”

“And you can’t leave. I mean, like, you can leave the room, but you can’t leave leave. I need to know you’re there, or at least within earshot.”

“Okay, but am I allowed to watch if I want to? Wait, I’ve got an even better idea. Do you still have that strappy leather belt thing? The one with the clips you can lock that holds a dick inside you?”

“ ... maybe.”

“I’ll lock that on you, and then I’ll give the guy a key. If he can open the lock, you’ll know it’s the dude I picked. And I’ll keep the spare key in case anything goes wrong.”

“Fuck, Nattttt...”

“So? Can I start looking?”

Sarah bit her lip.

Ryan shook his head. “I don’t believe you.” The bar had mostly cleared out in the mid-afternoon lull between brunch and dinner, and as the alcohol had soaked in and fewer patrons were seated near them, Natalie’s story had gotten more and more explicit.

“Well you certainly can’t go ask Sarah, that’s entirely contrary to the point of this thing.”

“No, I mean I can’t believe you talked her into this.”

“It wasn’t that hard!” Natalie laughed.

“Have you mentioned this to anyone else?”

“Are you kidding? You know me: I keep secrets, I don’t share them. You’re the first person I’ve told, because you were the first dude I thought of. Hell, I had you in mind before Sarah even said ‘yes’.”

“I’m ... charmed? Honored? Something? I think?”

“No, seriously, you tick all the boxes. You’re not attached right now, you’ve been wanting to fuck Sarah for years, you won’t be put off by me demanding you get tested, and you’re exactly the right kind of kinky bastard that’s really going to get off on this. You have to do it.”

Ryan blustered for a few seconds, trying to find a way to deny anything Natalie had just said, but failed completely. “Okay, fine. You’re right, I can’t pass this up. But how’s Sarah going to feel when she finds out it’s me?”

“Well ... I left that part out. She and I still have a bunch of details we need to work out, including what’s on that red/green list. I might not be able to get the list to you until a few days beforehand, and I suspect she’s going to reserve the right to chicken out of individual things day-of. So there will be some sort of master list in the room when you get there, and you’re expected to keep to it.”

“That’s fine, I can roll with that. Makes sense.”

“On the other hand, that means if you have any particular, you know, requests, you can let me know and I can see about getting them on the list. No promises, of course, but I’ll try.”

“Geez. I mean ... if I’m getting tested anyway ... and she’s as into, uh,” Ryan looked around the bar and lowered his voice. “ ... into playing with come as much as you said, does that mean I don’t have to use a condom with her?”

“Again, no promises. But I suspect it’s safe to get your hopes up on that one.” Natalie grinned and playfully punched Ryan in the stomach.

Ryan groaned. “Fuck, Nattttt...”

“As far as the other thing goes...” Natalie took another drink. “I don’t think even she knows how she’s going to feel about having sex with someone totally anonymously. Right now it seems hot. Maybe she’ll want you to take off the blindfold when you’re done, or maybe that goes on the ‘red’ list. Or maybe she never wants to know. If you have strong feelings about it one way or the other, tell me and I’ll try to work that into the negotiations, but I have to go with her needs first on this, okay?”

“Yeah, okay. I’ll think about it.”

“Oh holy fuckballs, Ryan, this is gonna be great. You will not regret this.”

“Is it just me, or are you more excited about this than Sarah was?”

“Nah, trust me, she’s stoked.”

“So am I,” he said, reaching out to clink glasses with Natalie.

Ryan took a shower and got dressed. Looking himself over in the mirror, he realized that he’d gotten dressed up for a date, but the person he was going to see wasn’t going to even notice, so he took everything off and switched into a casual outfit instead. Something easy to get out of, he thought.

Then he started puttering around his apartment, waiting for a text message from Natalie. Should he eat something? Probably a glass of water was a good idea. Maybe just a snack. He grabbed a handful of peanuts and sat down in front of the TV, turning on his gaming console to settle his nerves.

Finally his phone beeped at him. He paused the game and dropped his controller to pick up his phone.

“ready for you”

Curiously, the message came from Sarah’s number, not Natalie’s. But before he could think much about it, his phone chirped again, and the photo attached to the second message made his eyes bug out like a cartoon character’s.

Sarah’s place was only a short walk away, but Ryan made it there in record time. Natalie greeted him at the door, wearing a pair of cut-off shorts and an extremely loose-fitting sleeveless t-shirt that showed more than it covered. Her hair was tied back in a bun, and she grabbed Ryan by the hand and pulled him inside, surprising him by mashing her lips against his. When her tongue darted into his mouth, he tasted something, and he suddenly broke off their kiss.

“Nat! Did you...”

Natalie’s eyes were on fire, but she shushed him. “Don’t want to give your identity away so soon, do we? Besides ... she needed a little warmup before I slid that giant dildo of hers into her cunt. Don’t worry, stud, she’ll still be nice and tight for you,” she said, reaching down to stroke Ryan’s cock through his shorts. “Now c’mon, we have a couple things to talk about before you go in there.”

Natalie turned and walked down the hall, leaving Ryan standing there, dumbstruck. She stopped at the first closed door, looked back at Ryan, put one finger to her lips and pointed at the door with the other hand. Then she walked towards the back of the apartment.

Shaking his head, Ryan followed her. When he got to the first door, a humming sound caught his attention and he stopped briefly to listen. Natalie had definitely left some sort of vibrator running in there, and Ryan was pretty sure he could hear Sarah gasping softly. Before he could make a move towards the door, though, Natalie coughed and beckoned him further down the hallway.

They settled into a different bedroom; Ryan sat on the bed. Natalie handed him a clipboard with the hand-written red/green list on it, which she had helpfully marked up with a few cross-outs and arrows, noting places where some items had moved from one column to the other. There was also a brand new ‘yellow’ section that caught Ryan’s eye.

“I take it we need to talk about this bit down here, huh?” Ryan asked. The only thing he’d thought to ask for was to see if Sarah was into anal sex, and while both ‘butt (fingers, toys)’ and ‘butt (cock)’ had originally made the ‘green’ list, the former had been moved to the ‘yellow’ section and the latter to ‘red’.

Natalie winced. “Yeah. Sorry for the last-minute changes there—”

Ryan waved her off, unconcerned. “It’s cool, you warned me this might happen. Toys are on the ‘yellow’ list?”

“To be honest I’m surprised that didn’t also wind up on ‘red’, but I think she felt bad about taking it completely off the menu. If you want to go there, just take your fucking time, okay? Lots of lube, don’t force anything, and don’t be stupid about what toys you use.”

“Got it. So then...”

Given the way Natalie had talked it up before, Ryan wasn’t surprised to see ‘cum (face, tits)’ on the ‘green’ list, although he guessed that the double underline and green highlighter were added after the last time Sarah had seen this list. When Ryan had gotten his first look earlier in the week, he had been incredibly excited to see that ‘cock (no condom)’ was on the ‘green’ list, but he also thought he remembered seeing ‘cum’ without any qualifiers. Today, he noticed that the ‘yellow’ section had a new entry: ‘cum (inside)’.

Ryan dropped the clipboard to his lap and looked at Natalie, silently prompting her to explain. Natalie grinned at him.

“Okay, so, you’re in luck here. She really does love the feeling of come on her skin, and if you’re only going to blow one load, I’m supposed to ask you to make sure it’s outside. Her face is fair game, but if you force yourself into her mouth, probably better not to come down her throat or she might choke.”

Ryan matched Natalie’s grin. “Shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Good, because this is where it gets tricky. You figured out that I texted you from her phone, right? So once we’re all done she’s going to know who you are.”

“Right.”

“But before that, the anonymous thing is a big part of this for her, okay? You don’t want to say too much too soon, or she’ll recognize your voice and it’ll ruin the illusion. However. If and when you decide you want to come inside her, you have to ask her first.”

“Um. Ask her?”

“There’s more, so pay the fuck attention, okay?” Natalie moved next to him on the bed, picked up the clipboard, and pointed to the ‘red’ list where it said ‘humiliation (name calling)’. “You are absolutely not allowed to call her names. But...” She traced her finger from the ‘red’ list to the ‘green’ list, where it said ‘humiliation (helpless)’. “If you are going to talk to her, make her feel out of control as much as possible. Talk dirty all you like. Describe what you’re going to do to her in graphic detail. Tell her she doesn’t have a choice. And if you are going to come inside her, tell her you’re going to do it.”

“You said ‘ask’, though.”

“Right. When you say you’re going to come, listen to what she says in response. If she begs you, and in particular if she uses the word ‘please’, that’s a green light. She’ll probably say ‘please don’t’ or something like that, but ‘please’ is the keyword. If she doesn’t say anything, or if she says ‘pineapple’, treat that like a soft safeword. Nobody’s expecting you to stop cold; it’s fine to keep going, just pull out and come on her stomach instead.”

“Okay ... I think I got it. What’s her actual safeword?”

Natalie tapped the corner of the paper, where the word ‘hedgehog’ had been written in red marker and circled. “Didn’t I send it to you already?”

“Yeah, just wanted to double-check.”

“Cool. Any other questions?”

“What’s the plan for the big reveal?”

“Don’t take her blindfold off. When you’re done, leave her exactly as she is, tied up and hopefully drenched with your come, and meet me outside. I’ll tell you the rest then.”

“Okay.”

“And obviously, if you need to tap out for any reason, same deal – just come get me, and I’ll take care of her.” Ryan nodded. “Great. Bring that clipboard with you in case you need to refer to it. Sooo...” Natalie grinned at him again, “you ready, stud?”

Despite how worked up he’d gotten earlier in the afternoon, with all the conversation and logistics, Ryan was slightly disappointed to realize he’d gone rather soft. The idea of fucking Sarah while she was tied up and helpless beneath him was one he’d gotten himself off to many times in the past, and here he was about to make that into a reality. He heaved a big breath.

“Yeah, I know, that was a lot,” Natalie said, dropping to her knees in front of Ryan.

“Nat, what are you—”

Before he could even finish the sentence, Natalie had popped the button on his shorts, dropped his zipper, and was fishing his cock out of his underwear.

“I figured you might need some help. Come on, take these off. She’s not going to see them anyway.” Ryan lifted his hips from the bed and Natalie slid everything down to his ankles and off, tossing them into a pile.

“Besides, you know where my mouth was right before you got here, don’t you?” Natalie purred. She grabbed Ryan’s rapidly-stiffening cock with one hand and cupped his balls with the other, leaning in close. “It’s going to feel so good when you slide that helpless little cunt. I know you’re looking forward to fucking her bareback, and I can still taste her come, so just consider this a little preview of what’s waiting for you in that other room.” She ducked her head down and took Ryan into her mouth, sliding her wet tongue all the way down until the head of his cock bumped the entrance to her throat. She cupped his balls with one hand and jerked the base of his shaft with the other, causing him to twitch in her mouth.

“Nat! Fuck!” Ryan’s hand flew out and he grabbed a fistful of Natalie’s hair, holding her in place and clenching his abs to try to stave off his orgasm, which she was threatening to pull from nowhere. Natalie took the hint and opened her mouth to let go of his very hard cock.

“Sorry, stud. Got a little carried away there,” she said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “But you should be all set to go now!”

Ryan caught his breath, still staring at Natalie on the ground between his knees. He stripped off his shirt and threw it on the same pile as the rest of his clothes, eliciting a grin from Natalie as she stood up.

“Oh! One more thing. I nearly forgot.” Natalie reached into the pocket of her shorts and pulled out a small metal key. “You’ll need this.”

“What’s that for?” Ryan said, getting to his feet.

“Didn’t you see the photo? Never mind, you’ll figure it out when you get in there,” Natalie laughed, slapping him on the butt. “You just knock twice on the door if you need anything, whether it’s a towel, a bottle of water ... or a little help getting back up for a second go. Or third,” she said, winking.

“Right,” Ryan said, turning to stride down the hallway with a purpose.

Sarah heard Natalie talking to someone loudly at the front door. It had to be her mystery guest. She strained to listen, but couldn’t make out the voice with any clarity. She couldn’t even hear what they were talking about, much less what they were saying. Footsteps went past the door to her room, and her heart leapt into her throat in anticipation ... but then they continued down the hallway, leaving her alone in her predicament.

Being blindfolded wasn’t so bad, but the fact that Natalie had eaten her out to a screaming orgasm before sticking the largest dildo Sarah owned into her cunt and locking the whole thing in place with a bullet vibrator taped over her clit was a constant distraction. Sarah had been on the edge of coming for ... who knows? Thirty minutes? Ten? An hour? It was impossible to tell.

She flexed her muscles, trying to keep her circulation up. Natalie had frog-tied her legs and pulled them open to the corners of the bed, leaving her wide open and exposed, if not for the leather ‘chastity’ belt holding the toys in place. Sarah’s arms were pulled up over her head and her wrists tied loosely together, but then Natalie had surprised her by bending her arms at the elbows and tying her wrists to a loop of rope around her neck as well. Sarah could move her hands a fair bit, but every time she did she felt the rope rub against her neck and it reminded her how trapped she was. And also how much trust she was putting in Natalie to keep her safe.

Even if she’d wanted to yell out for help, she couldn’t. After locking the belt in place, Natalie had cranked the vibrator up to full and started playing with Sarah’s nipples. Pretty soon, Sarah found herself crying out her second bondage orgasm of the afternoon, at which point Natalie had stuffed a ballgag in her mouth, pulled the straps nice and tight, and then locked it in place too. “All to make sure that only Prince Charming can rescue you,” Natalie had joked, while turning the bullet back down to ‘low’ and leaving Sarah at a hot simmer. Just being left alone like this had almost been enough for Sarah to get off again.