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| The Ballet Mono-Shoe |
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Ballet shoes are kinky, but this new Mono-
Shoe is quite another story! |
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| 26 Oct, 2005 - Introduction by Mark, article by Hogtie.dk |
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ust when you think you've seen it all, along comes a new piece of gear to pique your interest and, well, keep you "on your toes." Yes, you heard the name correctly - the "Mono-Shoe" consists of a pair of ballet shoes |
rigidly connected, sharing the same sole. For all practical purposes, once your feet are laced into the Mono-Shoe they become one, and walking - which was hard enough to do in ordinary Ballet Shoes - becomes completely impossible. Standing in the Mono-Shoe is still possible, albeit in an awkward and uncomfortable posture at best. |
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The Mono-Shoe was created by my friend hogtie.dk, and his personal web site, based in Denmark, is dedicated to sharing one man's kinky ideas with the rest of the world. |
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It's always of great interest to me to learn about another's fetish, especially when it falls outside the normal 'Bell Curve' of kinkiness. I hope you'll find Hogtie.dk's interests unique, and that this article broadens your view of what's possible once you put your mind to it. |
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We all have childhood stories about how kinky interests are started, and my story isn't much different than many others. I can pinpoint my first experience in kindergarten, when I saw a classmate with a broken leg, who was confined to a wheelchair by some kind of harness. I wondered what the wheelchair and harness felt like, and secretly wished I could experience it myself. |
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As I grew older, my interest in physical restraint stuck with me, and by age nine I had a pair of toy handcuffs which I attempted to modify to make more inescapable, then found a wicker chair and some old leather straps which I used to create my first bondage chair. The slots between the wicker slats allowed me to thread the straps through the chair and around myself - or any of my friends who were game for this kind of seemingly innocent childhood play. I often wonder how many of my young friends crave bondage experiences today as a result of my early research and development projects. |
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By age fifteen I'd amassed a large collection of home made bondage and fetish gear, which I naturally hid from my parents. As I matured I discovered adult shops in Amsterdam, where I was able to purchase fetish items rather than making them myself. This was around 1975, long before the Internet, and the major drawback to visiting these shops were my bright red ears - indicating my extreme embarrassment. I was very shy at the time, and didn't realize that kinky interests were actually quite common. As a matter of fact, my embarrassment was so strong that if I saw someone on TV who was tied up, I would make a point of commenting out loud to my family how repulsive and unacceptable the bondage was in an effort to cover up my own interest and excitement. My parents probably saw right through these awkward rants (because of my red ears?) but luckily for me the never said anything about them. I would have died with embarrassment if they had. |
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Now at age 41, I'm over my embarrassment and have a large collection of custom fetish gear that takes up most of the closet and drawer space in my apartment. As a matter of fact I will soon need to sleep in the hallway or my car! Since I don't smoke or drink, my primary source of amusement is dreaming up new and bizarre fetish gear which I purchase or have custom made. Since I live in Europe I have relatively easy access to some of premier stores and manufactures like TopToBotom, FetteredPleasures, LittleShoeBox, and NoEscape. |
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As a teenager I recall seeing a photo of what I would describe as a leather "foot mitt". The mitt wasn't really a shoe because it didn't have a sole, but it forced the wearer's feet together into one unit, making conventional walking impossible. Years later I can't seem to get the image of this unusual foot restraint out of my head, so recently embarked on a project to recreate this bizarre shoe, calling it a "Mono-Shoe". This name reminds me of the popular bondage 'mono-glove' or 'single glove armbinder', so the name Mono-Shoe seems to be the appropriate. |
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The Mono-Shoe shares one sole, but retains two separate heels. An outer sleeve of leather and lacing covers the individual shoe lacing, adding additional strength and binding the feet more tightly together. In addition, lacing in the rear pulls the ankles together and provides visual balance and symmetry to the image of the shoe. |
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I enjoy the restriction of conventional ballet shoes and the fact that I can barely stand in them - resulting in the need to crawl on the floor. However, my Mono-shoe is much more severe and prevents me from doing even that. |
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While I was designing the Mono-Shoe I felt that it was necessary to retain two separate shoes rather than creating one that both feet would fit inside. Two separate shoes provide much more restriction than would be possible with a single unit and both feet squished inside. In addition - and go ahead and call me ultra kinky - with two shoes there is no flesh-to-flesh contact which adds to the unusual feeling that my feet are each held captive inside their own strict leather restraints. Awesome! |
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As a side note, I'm reminded of the American comedian Steve Martin who coined the term "Cruel Shoes". Indeed this name seems to aptly describe my Mono-Shoe invention. I own other traditional ballet shoes, including a pair of the new "wedge heel" boots, but this Mono-Shoe is currently my favorite. |
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In order to have the Mono-Shoe manufactured, I paid a visit to a small shoe shop in London called The Little Shoe Box. This shop has been in business for at least 30 years, and it's THE PLACE to have custom shoes made to your own specifications. The shop is deceptive - it's not much to look at from the outside, and once you're inside there's nobody around to serve you. However, once you pass through a door at the back you enter a giant workshop with 5 or 6 older guys with big mustaches, all wearing leather aprons and smoking cigars and all working on kinky shoes. It's nothing less than unbelievable, like something out of an old movie. These guys are real, long-time craftsmen with many years of experience making fetish footwear for Europe's nobility, high-society types, and occasional common folks like you and me. Clearly these gentleman were more focused on their craft than maintaining a nice storefront shop, and their fine reputation has allowed them to do as they pleased and work at their own pace. |
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I could feel the history oozing from the walls of their workshop as leather dust and kinky shoes were laying all over the place, and the odor of leather cement permeated the air. The workshop was crowded with big machines for setting grommets, industrial sewing machines, and piles of leather hides stacked all the way to the ceiling. Overhead, skylights allowed rays of sunlight to beam across the room which made the contrast of the men and their machines even more eerie. If only the walls could talk. I wondered what famous politicians or movie stars have passed through the door of their shop in disguise |
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so they wouldn't be recognized by the proletariat. Had Betty Page or Irving Claw ever blessed this shop with their presence? How about Imelda Marcos? We will never know, and the guys in the shop aren't likely to divulge their celebrity secrets anytime soon. |
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Years before, this same shop had made a pair of custom knee-high boots for me, so I was already familiar with the store and it's owner. When I entered, the owner looked up and greeted me, and so I assumed that he recognized me for he sauntered over with his hand extended in greeting. After exchanging some pleasantries I jumped right into my Mono-Shoe idea, pulling out a few rough sketches I had created. It took him only a few short minutes to fully grasp my explanation - probably because he's seen every kind of kinky shoe idea under the sun. As it was, my Mono-Shoe idea didn't impress him in the slightest, for he didn't even raise an eyebrow. I found this to be a little disappointing, because after all, as far as I was concerned my idea was an absolute revolution in kinky footwear. |
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I explained every minute detail of my crude sketch. My idea was to have the standard ballet shoe lacing covered by an extra layer of leather and lacing, plus more lacing on the back for visual balance. After finishing my lengthily explanation he took only two measurements of one of my feet with a cloth tape, then jotted them down in a small book. Without missing a beat he threw the book on the floor, then asked me to and stand on one of the pages. He traced around my foot with a pencil, and that was it. "Six weeks" he said. There were no other measurements and since kinky shoes are all they manufacture, I guess no other conversation was deemed necessary. My Mono-Shoe was ready in six weeks, and as you can see, it is indeed a beauty. |
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As you've probably surmised, I love tight leather bondage and I'm especially attracted to gear that's a little complicated to apply; straitjackets, sleepsacks, corsets, hand mitts, fetish boots, and shoes. When I combine these various pieces I can create bondage situations that are quite restrictive, but over time the lack of movement and relief makes them extremely hard to endure, which is naturally, part of the fun! |
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Following these ideas, one of my favorite bondage scenarios incorporates a home-made bondage chair, with the idea of being kept in a rigid and stiff position. As can be seen in the photos, the Mono-Shoe acts to achieve this effect rather quickly. |
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Nylon straps and cinches make this chair completely escape-proof. Very little effort is required to tighten the straps but must be taken to ensure that blood circulation isn't restricted, for the straps can be easily over tightened. Note how the Mono-Shoe itself is prevented from any type of forward or backward movement by the straps connected to the chair's legs. This creates a wonderfully kinky feeling. |
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In the photo below and to the right please note the high collar of my leather shirt. I enjoy high collars and their restrictive effects, more about this to follow. |
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Additional fun with the Mono-Shoe can be seen below. When my feet are laced into the shoe, I experience a wonderful feeling of bondage, fetish and fashion all rolled into one. I often wish I could be fitted with my Mono-Shoe then displayed in a store window in Paris, allowing shoppers to see what trendy fashion is all about. |
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She's a super wonderful person who I love very much and who had already begun exploring her own kinky interests in the local BDSM scene when we met. She's 38 (I'm 41) and we're both bisexual and polygamous. We've been together for a year now and shared many wonderful experiences both in and out of scene play, and with a mutual interest in bondage we are very compatible. |
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My girlfriend loves my imagination and never seems to tire of learning about my new inventions. One of these is the vertical bedroom bondage post, for what is a bedroom without one of these items? In the photos below it can be seen that the post is anchored to the wall and the floor, and is capable of rotating through 360 degrees; to locked into any of four positions. A variety of different hardware may be mounted on any of the four post's sides, so that by turning it, various bondage functions can be easily implemented. |
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One of my favorite scenes is to be tied against the post while wearing six or seven inch heeled shoes and one of my high collar shirts, then being forced to stand in discomfort for hours on end. While in tight bondage and restrained to the post, there is no possibility for relief |
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as my feet are tied tightly together so no shifting of my weight is possible. My record, to this point, is 3 hours in shoes with 7 inch heels (check out the photos on my web site titled "High Heels"). |
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My girlfriend loves to strap me to the post so I'm on "display" and then goes to watch TV, read a book, or have something to eat. She knows that I get extremely aroused when I'm helplessly immobilized like this, and she especially enjoys flirting with my shyness and humiliation as she wanks off (masturbates) in front of me. I told you she was kinky! |
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I have two basics or foundations for my kinky games; one being high collars and the other bondage. My attraction to high collared shirts goes back to a fetish I acquired many years ago. For some reason I was attracted to shirts with stiff collars which could be buttoned up tightly and as a result restrict the movement of my head. I suppose the original turn-on was a wearing a restrictive garment, in public, and suffering under the social control and obligations of the people who I was with. |
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Now you're probably wondering what I would be doing in public today, wearing such an odd and uncomfortable collar. Well, my original fetish for high collars is still as potent as it was when it first started. The game is to venture out into public with my girlfriend while wearing a highly restrictive collar, and although others may view me as just someone with bad taste in clothing, for me it's a humiliation scene - needing to keep my head up and high while my girlfriend enjoys my blushing face and red ears. |
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Naturally, over the years my collar fetish has grown as has the height of the collars themselves, and I have finally exhausting all of my options for purchasing pre-made high-collar shirts in retail stores. So, the answer was to have custom shirts made with collars of any height I wished. The highest collar I was able to purchase from a retail store was 4-5cm, whereas my most recent custom-made shirts have incorporated 12cm collars. For those who understand fetishes, I'm sure you can appreciate my unyielding desire for the ultimate collar. |
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As you may know, the problem with pursuing any fetish is that you can wander down a path that's far more involved than you had originally imagined. My custom made shirts were a wonderful solution but they turned out to be only a partially satisfying. The nagging question seemed to be: was there a way to make a custom, high collar, that I would be unable to remove myself? The answer was a two-collar solution - an outer, dress collar for the public to see, and a second stiff leather collar underneath which would be securely locked. I hear you chuckling to yourself. |
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It took a while to perfect this idea because I needed a way to lock the leather collar but not reveal unsightly bumps or bulges on the outer dress collar. The answer ended up being rather simple - nylon cable-ties, or quick fasteners, which are quite sturdy yet maintain the required low profile. I could fasten the stiff leather collar with 4 or 6 of these then button the outer dress collar over the whole assembly. Naturally, the only way to remove the leather collar is to cut the nylon ties with some sort of tool, but of course I don't carry these with me in public. |
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This lengthy evolution of my collar fetish has has been quite satisfying and now my girlfriend parades me around in public and people think that I'm simply wearing the newest fashion trend! In one case, someone thought I had a strange medical problem and held doors open for me. My girlfriend and I are careful not to force people into our kinky escapades, but to instead use them as passive puppets without them being aware that they are part of our fun. Naturally, the game is simply that I'm forced to wear uncomfortable and odd-looking shirts which I can't remove because I don't have the tools available. She loves to take me out on the town, knowing that this is my main fetish and really enjoys my humiliation. To add some spice she often puts me into situations where I need to directly confront other people, such as asking for the time, ordering food, or purchasing train tickets. I'm sure you can appreciate the novelty of this harmless little game of embarrassment, however, there's so much more to it than what I've told you thus far ... |
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I have also created special jackets in which the pocket liners have been removed which allows my wrists to be cuffed to my waist with a strong leather strap underneath, thus keeping my hands inside the jacket pockets and raising the ante of our little game. From the outside, people see me in the strange and uncomfortable high collar shirt with my hands in my jacket pockets, but what they don't see is that my wrists are actually in bondage and my hands are not free. Obviously this little scenario raises my fear, anxiety and humiliation to levels that are hard to describe and naturally my girlfriend enjoys my helpless dilemma, wallowing in delight when she sends me on a mission or to ask someone for directions. |
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At this point you're wondering why I would be so foolish as to submit to her requests, but we have added yet another level to our little games! She straps a remote control, e-stim (electro-stimulation) ET-302R receiver to my belt, behind my back, and it's wires run down between my legs to an electro-stimulation egg which is has been appropriately inserted into my body. With the e-stim remote transmitter, she can control and force me to follow her every wish. If I hesitate or avoid the assignment, she can zap and motivate me to follow her instructions - either from up close or a respectable distance. |
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I find the use of this remote controlled e-stim unit (available from SexTek.com) to be extremely intimidating, for it completely eliminates any ability to delay, negotiate, or resist any request/command. Although we appear to be a normal fun-loving couple out for the evening on the town, little do onlookers know that my high, uncomfortable collar, bound wrists and internal e-stim egg are a nightmare of strict control, fear and submission. They assume that our laughter and lighthearted conversation reflect our youthful romance - but in fact it only serves to keep my anxiety in check. With her hands in her pockets and a ready finger on the remote, she can easily direct my every move with effortless pleasure and never-ending amusement. Strange as it may seem this situation has proven to be a lot of fun for us both. |
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My girlfriend is nothing if not inventive and occasionally enables the built-in microphone on the ET-302R so that it will give me a programmed shock whenever the ambient sound reaches a certain level, such as a car honking or a door being slammed. I experience nothing less than a total loss of control, and the threat of the shocks will make me submit to her completely, without hesitation. While I'm helpless and in my jacket bondage and high collar shirt, she may decide to send me on an assignment or to talk to a stranger. Of course my fear is that because I'm so close to them, they may somehow discover that I'm in bondage or may try to hand me something. Needless to say I wouldn't be able to remove my hands from my pockets and thereby be put in an extremely awkward and unexplainable situation. Just knowing that she has the remote control under her finger and knowing the consequences of the shock makes me submit to her with no question. Another wonderfully nightmarish feature of the ET-302R is that the main unit (attached to my body) has only an "On" button, and the only way to shut it down is with the "Off" button on the remote control unit in her possession. There is absolutely no possibility of escaping her attentions, however severe they may be. |
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Although the games we play are sometimes intense and scary, the trust in my girlfriend is the quintessential ingredient which allows me to fully enjoy our experiences together. I forgot to mention that I'm extremely claustrophobic, and that adds yet another dimension to our wild escapades and has also forced me to create strict ground rules. When we follow these I can go very far with our bondage play. As an example: Rule number 1 is to NEVER leave me - never even joke about leaving me in bondage. Rule number 2 is to have heavy sheers (scissors) very close at all times, so I'm sure that my bondage can be cut away quickly if I panic. It helps immensely that she reminds me frequently during our play that she will not hesitate to cut away and destroy my bondage gear if I need to be released quickly. |
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I've shared my love for leather and strict bondage throughout this article, but also enjoy other materials such as canvas and the associated medical-oriented bondage gear from Segufix.de. One of my recent acquisitions is a custom denim straitjacket from NoEscape which can be seen in the photos below. I love this type of restraint, and as can be seen have combined it with my fetish for high collars. |
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Naturally I don't wear this denim straitjacket in public, but it's a lot of fun to wear at scene parties and events where it can be fully appreciated by my kink friends. Once again, the focus is humiliation - the denim fabric is a painfully awkward attempt to create a 'normal looking garment' which, in turn, makes the straitjacket appear rather strange and draws attention. I've gone one step further and requested that the manufacturer add ruffles around my neck, which only ads to my uncomfortable situation and draws particular focus to my high and uncomfortable collar. Being a man, the ruffles are also viewed as a kind of 'forced feminization'. |
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As you might expect, my scene friends stop and stare, whispering to themselves and this only adds to my enjoyment. Because I'm restrained in the straitjacket, I'm unable to escape their stares. |
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The denim straitjacket has been constructed with a button-up, two-flap collar and underneath it is a 3 to 4 mm thick secondary leather collar secured by the nylon quick fasteners. Over time, all of the manufacturers who create my gear have come to realize that high collars are a mandatory requirement for any of my projects. Although many of my kink friends are acquainted with my high collar fetish, they're always fascinated and entertained by them because they are so extreme and unconventional. |
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This distinctly unusual straitjacket is actually made of two layers of denim to give it both power and strength, and as can be seen, it's closed and secured at the front, rather than the back as with traditional straitjackets. Full closure of this straitjacket is achieved with buttons as well as straps in order to satisfy my button-up shirt/collar fetish - the requirement being the buttons extending all the way up the front of a garment including the high collar. Notice that the straps and buckles across my back for securing the arms are covered with an additional denim flap which is zippered closed then buttoned down. As mentioned earlier, this detailing and complexity are important factors and must be included when I have the actual equipment created. |
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This garment is nothing less than a 'full package' of stimulus - buttons, a high stiff collar, embarrassing ruffles and no way to escape. |
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I own another custom designed straitjacket which I call the "Maid". It's made of black canvas covered with black satin, and can be seen on my web site. |
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As with any sport, there is always a need to "up the ante" thus keeping the game fresh and alive. That being said, yet another kind of bondage play is to leave me stranded in public, on my own, while locked in my collared shirt, wrist restraints, and high heel shoes or boots. During this particular game it's ok for my girlfriend to leave me alone in bondage even though I'm claustrophobic. The foundation of |
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my claustrophobia is a fear of fire, and so since I'm mobile and not restricted to one area this type of bondage scenario works fine for me. |
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Our latest scenario begins with us walking a few kilometers away from my apartment during the middle of the night, and I'm already wearing one of my high collard shirts with my hands stuffed into leather 'helpless' mitts, these locked to my body under one of my special jackets. Upon arriving at a desired location, my girlfriend then removes my normal walking shoes and replaces them with high heeled ankle boots. And if this isn't enough, she has also fitted me with a tightly laced corset under my regular clothes. |
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After a complete inspection, she leaves me, walking away quickly and returns to the apartment. Naturally I'm left behind because the high heeled boots prevent me from keeping up with her brisk pace and as a result I'm forced to walk home on my own. This of course is very scary because the high heels make a distinct, feminine walking sound that cannot be avoided. I generally try to bypass the illumination of street lamps and this forces me to move down the street in a zigzag pattern. Fortunately for me, that particular time my girlfriend didn't employ the ET-30R and activate it's microphone. However, I was already in strict CBT bondage which she had applied before we had left the apartment. |
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Naturally, I encountered a few people on the way home, but make many detours to try and limit the number of direct confrontations. As can be imagined, my primary fear was being seen |
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by anyone at all. Perhaps my major fear was to be discovered in bondage. I was completely dependent on myself and tried not to panic, but it was difficult to keep a cool head and get home as quickly and safely as possible. |
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That 45 minute walk home was both terrifying and exciting, and as I neared the apartment I knew my girlfriend could hear the tapping of my heels on the sidewalk through the open balcony window while I labored up the street with my sore feet. She buzzed me into the building, however, getting inside turned out to be quite a chore using just my elbow to push down on the door's lock. |
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No sooner had I entered the safety (or so I thought) of my apartment, she grabbed me by the arm and pulled me out onto the balcony. She immediately used a nylon strap to fasten me to the railing, then produced a second strap which she used to tie my ankles together and because my hands were still in the leather mitts, restrained in my pockets, there was no way to reach either strap to free myself. Luckily the balcony was in darkness and so no one could see me or my plight. She left me out there for an hour or so, then brought me back inside where the games continued far into the night. |
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As you can see, my girlfriend is every bit as kinky as I am, perhaps more so. |
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Naturally, this kind of play is on the edge for me, as it would be for most people. Although we both enjoy these kind of games, I'm not suggesting that anyone else try them. I hope you've enjoyed this article about some of my adventures, but please do NOT do as I do, for these are very personal and well thought out scenarios. Play safe, enjoy life, and please visit my web site for for further updates: Hogtie.dk. |
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CAUTION: The scenes which hogtie.dk describes in this article are dangerous risky. Do not consider this article as a suggestion or guide for your own play. Standing bondage can be problematic because of fainting, and public play can pose unexpected |
hazards like a trip and fall, crowd panic, robbery, or traffic accidents. Play safely, expect the unexpected, and play at your own risk. Seriousbondage.com and hogtie.dk assume no responsibility for your actions. |
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