MADELEINE BOULLIER<br/><br/>The collar, cuffs and anklets Mai wore in public could pass as jewellery until you looked closer. I had had them made of stainless steel rod by a small company that had a forge in the south of England. They were merely a centimetre or a little less diameter steel rings. The collar was a circle but the four cuffs were slightly oval and designed to be a snug but loose fit around Mai's limbs. Each was made in two parts and the semi circles slotted together with neat dovetail joints and were held closed by a tiny but strong pin with a screw thread and Allen key release. Once in place they looked seamless until you examined them closely. Each had two small loose rings welded on 180 degrees apart and the collar had four equidistant ones. Currently only two of the rings on the wrist cuffs were in use - joined by a small padlock and the front collar ring - for a leash.<br/><br/>As plain highly polished metal and somewhat loose fitting they could be worn permanently even when bathing. I had removed them only our first week here to save Mai getting tan lines but unless I needed to do something particular with - or to her - they were permanent. With skill and a little care it was even possible to pull on stockings under the ankle rings so the ring rested outside the hose.<br/><br/>Originally I had intended to sell the collar and cuff sets on the website but the wrist and ankle rings really needed to be custom made. The collar was a success but I had only made a few full sets. The need to make each set bespoke made them expensive. They did look beautiful though and shone with a bright chemically applied chrome.<br/><br/>We finished the salads and our drink and I stood up and stretched a little.<br/><br/><strong>"Too hot in the sun now. Let's go back to the apartment. I... have a use for you. Up."</strong>I pulled on the leash and nodded a goodbye to Ekira, dropping money from my purse on the bar.