About a year ago I experienced a very unusual incident over which I had no control and was taken completely by surprise. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to find myself in such a circumstance. I work in the city for a financial institution in which I enjoy a senior position with no little esteem and I am highly regarded throughout my profession as a competent and skilful manager of business and people. I get on well with my colleagues as long as they carry out my orders in a prompt manner. I live on my own in a very nice detached house in the suburbs from which I travel to the city each day by commuter train. I usually start early and arrive home late and having a little supper before retiring to bed. I am a man of routine

This particular night was a Wednesday mid way through a cold January when I trudged from the station up my garden path, unlocked the door and stepped into my hallway. I was dressed as normal for a winter’s night, pinstriped suit, shirt, silk tie and black woollen overcoat. When I switched on the light I was surprised to see a man dressed in jeans and a pullover wearing gloves standing in front of me. If this wasn’t unusual enough he had a woollen mask over his head with holes in for his eyes and mouth.  I was about to ask him what he was doing when he saved me the trouble by offering the information. In a cool clear voice he said,

“I   am robbing your house. Put your brief case down and kick it to me, stick your hands in the air and stand with your back to the wall”

I did as I was told, or at least I thought I did.

“Don’t put your hands half way up; stretch them as high as they will go”.

As I did my overcoat rose to my nose but I saw him open my briefcase take out my lap top and put it on the telephone table. He rummaged inside and decided there was nothing else he wanted so he turned it upside tipping my papers out over the floor. I had neatly sorted them in order but I didn’t think it was wise to complain as he walked over to me. He unbuttoned my over coat and jacket and frisked me. He found my wallet in the inside pocket of my jacket and took out the money, checked that there was no other valuables and discarded the wallet on the floor. Next he found my mobile in my jacket side pocket and this went straight into his pocket.  He started to feel my bottom and discovered my credit card holder in the back trouser pocket.

“Write the pin numbers to each card down”, he commanded

“They all have the same number”, I said and I wrote it on the paper by the phone which I keep for jotting notes. I returned to my position by the wall.

“Right”, he said, “I need to keep you quiet do you have any thing that I can tie you with.

“There’s some washing line in the cupboard under the stairs” I offered. It was the thin line covered with plastic which if tied tightly would cut into my skin. Then I remembered I had some Duct Tape. I had bought 5 rolls about a month ago they were £1 each or £5 for 4 and never wishing to miss a bargain I had gone for the savings. There would be enough for a lifetime, or would have been if this incident didn’t happen. I told him about it, (not the price saving of course just that I had it), and it was in the kitchen under the sink. He told me to walk there in front of him which I did still with my hands stretched in the air.

When I retrieved the tape he said,

“Put that sponge in your mouth “, it was the sponge for cleaning the dishes.

“Can I put a clean one please”, I said amazed at my bravery.

It was the last thing I said for some time.

“Just put one in and wrap the Duct tape around. Use plenty of Duct tape I don’t want you to be able to make a sound. And I will check”

He locked the back door and went into the lounge.

I stuck a clean sponge in my mouth and started to wrap the duct tape around my head covering my mouth. After a few rounds I tried to speak and although no words came out I could still make a sound so I wrapped it round ten further times until there was only silence when I attempted to speak. He came back in the kitchen and checked my gag, was happy with the result and pushed me into the lounge

“Sit down on that chair” he pointed to one of the large oak dinning chairs. He instructed me to wrap the duct tape around my ankles, knees and thighs, using plenty of tape so that I couldn’t move them.

I did as he commanded. First my ankles, round and round until they were stuck as one, then below my knees the same and then I slid forward on the chair to do my thighs. My legs were stuck together I was unable to separate them even a millimetre.

While I was doing this he had unscrewed my flat screen TV from the wall and assembled it with the DVD recorder, Xbox and music centre by the door  

“I will need your car to take all this”, he said, “where are the keys”

I nodded towards the dresser.

“Go and get them”, he said

I hoped over, feeling extremely stupid. I kept the keys hidden in a secret draw in the side of the dresser in case I got burgled when at work. I opened the draw and handed him the keys. This amused him.

“Good hiding place, you never know what types are about nowadays” he chuckled and gave me a slap on my rump as I hopped back to the chair.

“We are doing well” he said and he was right we were working as a team. He was robbing me and I was tying my self up. This was very efficient use of time but I claim no credit for the system.”I have to go up stairs to see what you have there for me. You fasten yourself to the chair with tape around your body, thighs and ankles, and I don’t want to see any ability of movement”.

I nodded meekly.

He disappeared and I took the tape. My ankles were most difficult as these had to be secured to the chair and they were tied together in between the chair legs. I wrapped the tape in a figure of 8 around my ankles and the chair legs until I had used a whole roll of duct tape. My objective had been achieved I could not move my ankles as he had ordered. I wrapped tape over my thighs and under the seat of the chair very tightly until I was stuck to the chair. I would not be moving until I was rescued. I then breathed in and pulled the tape over my chest and stretching to the back of the chair where I grabbed the reel with my other hand and stretched the tape tight. I did this many times until I was pinned to the chair completely immobile.

I sat with the reel of duct tape on my lap listening to my subjugator rummaging through my belongings occasionally bringing things down to the hall to join the mountain of items that would soon no longer be my belongings.  When he had finished he entered the lounge.

“Almost there”, he smiled as if I should be pleased with the situation we had arrived at.. “Just need to finish you off and I will be away. Put your hands behind the chair”.

He wrapped tape around my wrists and elbows and some around my stomach so that my arms were fastened to the chair.

“It’s been a pleasure to have done business with you”, he beamed, “just one more thing. He disappeared into the kitchen and came back with a pink plastic bucket. . That went over my head and I felt him taping the handle to the chair so it would not move.

“Consider yourself lucky”, he said, “You would have been in much more pain if I had used the washing line”. And he was right.

Then there was silence. After a while I went through the futile attempt of moving to free myself but soon gave up. I had been brought under complete control left helplessly bound and gagged without mercy. 

Although we had worked together resourcefully he had not been rushing but making sure that he did not miss a thing. He had done the job and me very professionally. I reckoned it was about 2 am and my cleaner Mrs Cambell would arrive at 7 am so I had 5 hours of captivity to endure. I could breathe OK and I was comfortable, I just couldn’t move. Eventually I fell asleep and was awoken by a tapping on my bucket. Mrs Cambell called my name. “is that you” she said.

Shortly after the room was full of police and I was carefully cut free. I gave statements and a description but they never caught my captor. The incident was nobody’s fault as a few weeks previous Mrs Campbell had lost the keys to my house and as she cleaned several house she wrote the address on the key tab. The thief had found the key and taken full advantage of his find.

 I recovered physically very quickly after a cup of tea and a sleep and most of my belongings were insured. The humiliation of being completely submissive took longer but I went to a group where others had had similar experiences. None of the others had suffered the indignity of having to tie themselves up however. In the end I felt that it was one of those things that happens, I must admit the thought of being completely mastered against my will was a little exciting and I was glad I complied with my captors instructions.

I am completely recovered now, I have the latest alarm system in my house and if someone overcomes the system, breaks in and needs to tie me up I always have extra rolls of Duct Tape available which after all is not so uncomfortable and somewhat thrilling.