Free Safe Word by Christie Grey

rope.  She stared at them lustfully, those fingers she had imagined doing obscene things to her naked body on numerous occasions.  She wished they would stroke her instead!
    “No, never,” she replied.  “I...don’t know a whole lot about it, to be honest.”
    “Normally at this point I would ask you about your limits, but I suppose you don’t really know,” he surmised as he gazed down at her.  “So this is going to play out a bit differently than I’m used to, and your safe word is going to be extra important.”
    “My...safe word?” she repeated uncertainly. 
    “Yes.  It’s going to be...let’s see,” he said, pausing to think about it.  “It’s going to be raspberry,” Zane told her in what Melody was certain was a reference to the raspberry cheesecake ice cream they had shared at the riverside months earlier.  “If you ever feel uncomfortable and want to stop what we’re doing, say your safe word.  Got it?”
    “Yes.”
    Zane took her hand in his, his fingertips tracing delicately over Melody’s soft skin.  Then he wrapped a piece of rope around her wrist.  He quickly secured the end of the rope to the headboard, tying the knots with ease.  It was clear this wasn’t his first rodeo.
    In no time, Zane had both of Melody’s wrists bound to the headboard.  Her arms were raised above her head, her elbows on either side of her ears.  She tested her bonds tentatively and found they held tight. 
    There was no getting loose until Zane let her go.  The thought was both exciting and frightening.
    “How does it feel?” Zane asked, inspecting the rope where it encircled her wrists.  “Is it too tight?” he asked as his fingertips slid over her inner arm and down to her wrist to check.  “I don’t want it cutting off your circulation.”
    “It’s not too tight,” she assured him.
    “Good.  What’s your safe word?” he asked, testing her.
    “It’s raspberry.”
    “Very good,” he murmured, his praise making her face warm.  “And when do you use it?”
    “I use my safe word when I want you to stop,” she told him, reciting what he had explained.
    “Yes, that’s right.  You’re a quick learner.  I like that.  Alright, that’s enough talk...it’s time to put what I just told you into practice.  Let’s give it a go,” he said.  “I want to make sure you understand.”  Then he reached out and suddenly began to tickle her sides.
    Fortunately for Zane – and unfortunately for her – Melody just so happened to be very ticklish.  She let out a shriek and began to struggle against her bonds, but of course it was no use.  The rope held firm and limited her movement, meaning she was unable to do much more than squirm and squeal.
    “Stop!” she cried out through her uncontrollable laughter, pleading with Zane for mercy.  She kicked her legs uselessly, and then suddenly stopped and clamped her thighs together.  “Oh my God, stop it, you’re going to make me pee myself!”
    He ignored her and kept right on tickling her. 
    It was downright sadistic, the way his very capable fingers explored her naked flesh, seeking out and finding the most sensitive spots so that he could torture them.  Poor Melody’s mind was racing as her brain was overloaded from the overwhelming sensations Zane was causing. 
    Melody’s adrenaline was surging through her body and she felt totally out of control.  She couldn’t stop giggling even though she desperately wanted him to stop.  She didn’t know what to do and momentarily panicked.
    Then she remembered Zane’s instructions.
    “Raspberry!” she finally managed to sputter as her body thrashed helplessly atop the mattress.
    No sooner than the words had left her lips, Zane stopped what he was doing.  He sat there gazing down at her as she recovered, and then wordlessly reached out to brush a lock of hair off her sweat-drenched forehead.
    “I think you’ve got the hang of it,” he told her with approval.
    She glared at