Alex returned the key to his pocket and slid back the molding into its original position.Alex returned the key to his pocket and slid back the molding into its original position. Then Alex opened the hidden door fully. Behind it was a stairway leading down and back toward and under the dining room. Alex flicked another switch and lights illuminated the way down. Susan let Ally down as Alex closed the door behind them. Susan felt Ally's breathing quicken and she told her to try and relax. When they reached the bottom of the stairs Susan reached for a switch on her left. Several overhead lights came on revealing the workshop where Ally would be measured. The workshop was about fifty feet long by thirty feet wide. The walls were all lined with wood paneling and several harnesses, paddles, whips, and other 'tools', some of which Ally was sure would be used on her. Toward the rear and off to the left was an archway that led into darkness. Along the wall next to the archway were two leather office chairs, a table, and two more leather chairs. But dominating the room were three tables in the center of the room. All three were lightly padded and upholstered in black leather. The center table was the largest, easily capable of holding a person. The sides of the table were enclosed in cherry veneer and had several drawers in it. At the end of the large table there was a similarly padded shelf that protruded from the end of the table and was supported by some sort of bracket from underneath. There were three or four straps hanging from the edge of this small platform. Ally surmised that this was to hold a person's head. Additional straps hung from the main part of the table as well. Plus there were several eye hooks at various places around the table. The two other tables were shorter and didn't have the head support. They still had the hooks however The table to the right had two steel columns three inches in diameter at the end that stood about six feet high and a third steel column at the center on the opposite end of the table. |