[ CW ] Write yourself into a corner .

When she was sure the locks were secure, my assistant stepped lithely back into the shadows. I posed dramatically, the crowd oohing and aahing at the rough white material binding my arms to my back. The lights around my spotlight dimmed further still, and a steady drumroll came rolling in from the far edges of the stage. 
 
 I struggled a little bit for effect, even threw in a grunt or two, and the crowd ate it up. They were on the edges of their seats, and I could feel excited whispers buzzing between them like electricity. They loved it. They loved *me*. I was the master of this domain, and the whole world knew it. 
 
 I waited until the tension in the room was almost unbearable. Then I reached easily into the hidden pocket on the back of the straightjacket – and my stomach gave a horrible swoop when I realized the key was n't there.
