Tanith awoke, blinking under the glare of blindingly bright lights. The last thing she remembered was getting into the limo at the airport. Now she found herself locked into unyielding steel restraints, her body provocatively displayed in revealing lingerie. All thoughts of protest stifled by the mouth-straining rubber ball gag strapped tightly within her mouth.

Suddenly, from out of the darkness, Tanith heard a man's voice, "I see that our latest victim is finally awake. Tanith, perhaps before we begin your coming ordeal we should take a moment and introduce you to tonight's audience."

"As a ruthless personal injury attorney, Tanith has made her considerable fortune on the misery and suffering of others. However, it was her most recent case that finally brought lovely Tanith to our attention. Prosecuting a small town pediatrician for negligence in the unfortunate death of a young child, Tanith willfully concealed evidence that would have proven the doctor's innocence. The jury awarded damages of 30 million dollars to the young child's parents of which Tanith kept 30 percent plus expenses, more than 10 million dollars. After the verdict was announced, the doctor, his business in ruins and his life savings spent in legal fees, committed suicide. Of course, not that Tanith would have noticed, she was already on vacation in the Cayman Islands."

"Of course, even if you manage to survive this night I can't allow you to return to your old profession. To that end and if you survive, I've orchestrated a little career change. In the morning the district attorney's office will be receiving the evidence that Tanith so cleverly concealed from the court in her latest case, evidence sufficiently incriminating to get Tanith disbarred and likely sent to prison. I've also taken the liberty of informing the IRS about Tanith's secret bank accounts in the Cayman Islands, accounts where she's hidden several million dollars in untaxed income."

"But Tanith needn't worry about her pending legal problems. If she manages to survive the night I've arranged a new identity for her, one in which her past legal expertise will be of little value, a career as a submissive slave prostitute in one of Bangkok's most infamous and brutal S&M brothels."

Enjoying the obvious look of terror in Tanith's lovely eyes her unseen captor continued, "But before Tanith can begin her new life of prostitution she'll need to survive the night. So now, before the watching eyes of the audience, Tanith will at long last atone for her sins, perhaps even at the cost of her life."

"Tanith, you stand locked into a fiendishly diabolical death machine. Beneath your heels lie the pressure activated switches. You now have 30 seconds to raise the heels of your shoes off the switches before the machine activates. And to survive this night you will need to keep the heels of your shoes from touching either of the switches until sunrise."

Smiling darkly as he watched the muscles in Tanith's calves tighten as she desperately struggled to lift the tall stiletto heels of her shoes off the activation switches, her unseen captor continued, "Should you foolishly allow your heels to touch either of the activation switches that spike-lined waist band you see around your waist will close to crush your abdomen as it drives it's razor-sharp spikes deep into your guts. And while hideously painful, those spikes also act as hypodermic needles that will begin to trickle a steady stream of powerfully corrosive acids to slowly and painfully dissolve your internal organs. The acid is mixed with a massive dose of powerful stimulants to ensure that you remain conscious and feel every agonizing sensation until the brutal end."

Watching the look of horrified disbelief in Tanith's eyes her unseen captor continued, "One hour after the spike-lined waist band crushes your belly, the deadly sharp saw poised between your thighs will automatically switch on and begin to move upward toward your crotch. Who knows, if your luck continues, you may still be alive to feel the blade as it bisects your pelvis."

Tanith could feel tears of desperation welling up within her eyes as she felt the muscles of her calves already starting to burn.