Consensual Consequences
Published by Clare de Luna
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2011
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is intended for adults only! If you are under the age of 18 or are offended by sexually explicit material, please do not read any further.
Table of Contents
09 – The Aftermath: A Retelling
Sandy couldn’t wait for Friday to come. It was her birthday and for the first time in her life she had enough money and enough independence to throw a real party. She had just started a job as a secretary for a successful business woman and, while the pay wasn’t fantastic, it was more than she had ever made before. It was enough to have an apartment of her own and, for the first time ever, she didn’t have to depend on her parents at all – she was on her own and loving it.
So when her 23rd birthday rolled around, she decided to celebrate in style. She invited all of her girlfriends over and even decided to invite her boss as a kind of “thank you” for taking a chance on someone just out of college with no real experience. Then, she had bought a bunch of liquor – the real stuff, not the schnapps and spritzers that she had had in college, but a real bar: tequila, vodka, gin, whiskey, etc. Maybe she had spent a little more than she wanted (she was just an office assistant, after all), but this was about more than just a birthday, this day represented an awakening – an opportunity to finally find out what and who she could be. She was ready to experience new things and be open to whatever opportunities for self-discovery she stumbled upon.
Maybe that was why, as she searched the internet to try to find some entertainment for the big night, she found herself strangely intrigued when she stumbled upon a website about a hypnotist who, in addition to her regular, clinical practice, also performed at parties and clubs.
Sandy knew it would probably cost way more than she could afford, so she kept browsing for other options. There were plenty of sites dedicated to hiring male strippers, but that wasn’t really what she had in mind. She found some interesting places that she and her friends could go to: bars, clubs, restaurants, but she really wanted to party in her own apartment – it represented the independence that she was celebrating.
Throughout all of her searches, though, the hypnotist stayed in the back of her mind. She wasn’t sure why, but there was something about the idea that just kept drawing her back to the web site – the thought of one of her friends (or maybe even herself!) with her eyes closed, following someone else’s commands just affected her somehow. Whatever the attraction was, it kept pulling her back to the website. Finally, tired of staring at the number, listening to her heart thud in her chest, she decided to call.
“If it’s too much, I’ll find something else, but it can’t hurt to learn just a bit more,” she thought. “After all, trying new things is what this birthday’s all about.”
So she dialed the number. A woman picked up on the other end and, in a very professional manner (Sandy made a mental note to try to emulate this greeting when she was answering the phones at work) said, “This is Eve at the Hypnosis Boutique, are you calling about an appointment at our center or to schedule entertainment?”
“Entertainment, I guess.” Sandy was a little shaken – she didn’t necessarily want to schedule anything – just ask some questions.
“Will there be a stage or is this a private engagement?”
“Um… private?”
“The Mistress does three types of shows: a humorous show, an erotic show, or an exploratory show, the first two can involve either individual or group hypnosis, whereas the exploratory show only involves one subject with almost no exceptions.”
Sandy’s mind was reeling. Mistress? What did that mean? And why had Sandy’s heart skipped a beat when Eve mentioned an erotic show? And what did Eve mean by “almost” no exceptions? With her heart pounding she said in a shaky voice, “What is an exploratory show?” Even as the words left her mouth she realized that this would have been an opportunity to ask about pricing, or scheduling, or anything that would let her get a better sense of what it all entailed, but it was too late now. Eve answered:“The exploratory show is less of a performance and is more about demonstrating the power of hypnosis. The Mistress will take a volunteer into a deep trance and let the subject’s own subconscious control the direction of the show. It can sometimes end up being very similar to either a humorous or an erotic show, depending on the subject’s expectations, but it is always more intense.”
So many questions were flooding Sandy’s mind at this point that the thought of asking about prices had more or less left her head. She had thought that hypnosis shows were almost always just about a good laugh, but now she couldn’t help but let her imagine race as the term “erotic show” continued to flow through her mind. Still more, though, the idea of an exploratory session intrigued her in a way that she couldn’t explain. She started to stutter on the line as her confusion threatened to overwhelm her until finally she tried to rescue the situation by blurting out the first question that formed completely in her mind. She surprised herself by asking, “Why do you call her Mistress?”
“At her shows she goes by Mistress Catherine. While working with clients at the boutique she is Dr. Chambers. She will be Mistress Catherine to you.”
It briefly entered Sandy’s mind that Eve hadn’t directly answered the question as it was asked, but amidst all of her other confusion she let it go. Eve once again took control of the conversation.
“Is this booking for a special occassion?”
“Um, it’s for my birthday party.”
“And when is your birthday?”
“This Friday.”
“That will be fine. The Mistress will arrive at ten o’clock. Would you like to experience the exploratory show?”
Sandy was desperately trying to figure out what to say. She was just trying to call for information and here she was booking a Mistress to come hypnotize her (for the first time she realized that she had apparently been assuming that she, rather than her friends, would be the subject) and she still hadn’t asked how much it would cost. Once again, she stumbled with her reply,
“Y-yes, the, um, the exploratory show. I mean, um, h-how much is it?”
“For one as eager as you, it will cost very little.” Was Eve’s mysterious reply. “I have you down, we’ll see you at 10 o’clock on Friday. Thank you for calling, the Mistress and I will be looking forward to seeing you.”
“T-thank y-you.” Was all Sandy could manage before the line went dead…
At long last the night had arrived. Sandy checked over the apartment one more time just to be sure everything was perfect. She had an impressive assortment of wine and liquor and a beautiful tray of finger food arranged on her modest coffee table. She had brought in several chairs from the dining room to make sure that everyone would have a place to sit. Plus, the dining room chairs would be easy to arrange once the entertainment arrived – she wanted to make sure everyone could get a good view. For now, though, she had the chairs arranged in a circle so that everyone could comfortably face each other as they talked – no TV or board games this evening – this was to be a sophisticated social gathering in keeping with Sandy’s newfound adulthood. As she finished arranging the chairs the thought suddenly entered her mind that at some point this evening she would probably be sitting in one of these chairs hypnotized. Again, she wondered why she had always assumed that she would be the Mistress’s subject, but pushed the thought out of her mind even as it sent shivers up and down her spine.
Sandy had spent the whole day cleaning and getting ready (her boss had given her the day off since it was her birthday), and decided that in the hour before the party she would indulge in a nice long bath – it was her day, after all. As she lay in the bubbles and let the warmth of the bath surround her she began to muse on the evening ahead. She had been so thrilled to know that her boss, Penny, had agreed to come, but as she reflected in the dreaminess of the bubble-bath she also realized that she was somewhat nervous about Penny coming this evening – after all, she would have to make a good impression. She knew that her friends wouldn’t do anything to embarrass her, but what if the wine wasn’t expensive enough or the conversation not adult enough?
For a moment she felt a brief burst of panic – what would her boss think about the hypnotist? Would she find it silly? Sandy started to worry – after all, her boss had overlooked her age and lack of experience in hiring her. What if seeing that her new “adult” receptionist was into juvenile party tricks like hypnosis made her rethink Sandy’s potential?
And what if Sandy said something damaging while she was hypnotized? She didn’t have any concerns that she might reveal some kind of negative thoughts about her boss because she really didn’t have any. She admired Penny tremendously – she was a young, successful woman who had never shown Sandy anything but respect and kindness. But what if Sandy, while in a trance, revealed too much about her own insecurities? She was doing her best to be a professional, and to live up to Penny’s expectations, but she was always worried that she didn’t have what it took. She feared that Penny – a strong, independent woman who seemed so powerful and in control – might learn that deep down, Sandy still felt like she did her freshmen year at college as she tried to adjust to being away from home.
The more she thought about it, the more she realized that there was really only one solution: she would have to let someone else be hypnotized. Penny might find the whole thing a bit juvenile, but Sandy could always tell her that she was catering to some of her friends or something. As long as she wasn’t in trance herself, the damage would be minimal. Penny had always been so kind to Sandy that she didn’t think one off-beat night could possibly ruin their working relationship.
Upon making this decision, though, Sandy realized that the excitement that had steadily begun to course through her had diminished a bit. The flush that had come over her when she had thought about hypnosis had returned as she had soaked and thought about the night – even intensifying a bit as she thought about what she might reveal to her boss while she was under. But when she realized that she couldn’t possibly be the one to be hypnotized as long as her boss was around, some of that excitement was gone.
There was nothing to be done about it, though, so Sandy tried to push all of her worries and desires regarding hypnosis to the back of her mind and to focus on the other aspects of the night to come. Her other friends, Shirley, Mila, Casey, and Mindy were all roughly her age and were similarly trying to really make it on their own for the first time. They would all really enjoy the very adult kind of party that Sandy was trying to throw here – she was sure that they would appreciate its symbolism as much as she did.
The real unknown, Sandy realized, was the hypnotist. Sandy really didn’t know much about “the Mistress” and hadn’t been in control of the conversation with Eve. She wasn’t even sure what it was that had drawn her to the idea of hiring a hypnotist as entertainment in the first place. She had to admit, Eve was one heck of saleswoman. Sandy had only intended to make a very simple phone call to get some preliminary information and ended up making a booking for an “Exploratory Session,” which was supposed to be the most intense of the options available.
It suddenly struck Sandy that she had never even learned how much this was going to cost! Eve had managed to get her to agree to the booking without ever mentioning price. Yet, somehow, Sandy felt that it would all turn out fine – Eve had been so assuring and seemed to know what was best. Somehow Sandy trusted her and was willing to follow her lead. Ironically, Sandy thought to herself that if the receptionist had been this incredibly persuasive just imagine what “the Mistress” could do!
That rush of excitement that she had been trying to push to the back of her mind rushed back undeniably at that thought. Why was she so turned on by all of this?
“So that’s it, ” She thought. “I guess I just admitted to myself that I find this arousing. But why? I’ve never really thought about hypnosis before. Here I am making my start as an adult in the world and suddenly I’m turned on by stuff I used to see in cartoons.”
Whatever the reason, the realization that she was drawn to hypnosis on some kind of sexual level only strengthened her resolve. She had to resist the temptation to be Mistress Catherine’s subject. Eve had said that the direction of the “exploratory” sessions were governed by the subject, and she was starting to get an idea of the direction that her session would take. Her girlfriends would probably find it all amusing, which would be fine with her, but she couldn’t let her boss see her like that.
Maybe she could explore this newfound fetish on her own once the party was over.
Getting out of the tub, Sandy started getting herself ready for the party. Since she wasn’t headed to a night on the town she didn’t feel that she needed to get too dolled up – just some stylish jeans, and a simple top would do. She put on some light makeup and did her hair in a simple, slightly tousled look and was, in the end, pleased with what she saw in the mirror.
A little bit later the guests started to arrive. Mila and Shirley arrived together and Casey showed up shortly thereafter. Penny came almost exactly on time. She was well aware of the possible awkwardness of the situation – being at the birthday party of her employee – so she had done her best to put everyone, herself included, at ease with her dress and appearance. She had decided to forgo the business attire that Sandy had always seen her in and, instead, to simply wear jeans, a simple top, and some modest heels.
She was actually looking forward to the evening quite a bit. She really liked Sandy, and was happy to have hired her. She had sensed, though, that Sandy found her a bit intimidating, despite Penny’s best efforts to always be as genuine and respectful as she could be. Penny saw this party as a chance to break down some of those walls – to get to know Sandy on a more personal level so that they could enjoy working together that much more.
Though only thirty-two herself, Penny had come to think of Sandy as a kind of protégé – someone in whom she saw herself when she was younger and wanted to pass on what she knew. She had been impressed with Sandy when she applied for the job and, though there were more qualified applicants, decided to go with the energetic young woman who seemed so eager to make a start in the “real world.”
So far she hadn’t been disappointed at all – Sandy was an extremely hard worker and very eager to please. At times Penny almost found it overwhelming – as though Sandy looked up to her so much that it was almost a responsibility unto itself. But this was a small price to pay for a personal assistant who was so willing to take on extra work and with whom there seemed to be such a special personal bond. Though they’d only been working together a short time, Penny already felt a sense of protectiveness over Sandy, and really wanted to see her – and to help her – succeed in reaching her goals, whatever those might be.
Upon arrival at the party she saw that three of Sandy’s friends had already arrived. Sandy made quick introductions and Penny was soon welcomed by Shirley and Mila, who were seated on the couch with plates of finger food and glasses of wine, and then Casey, who had just finished putting food on her plate and was headed towards the wine.
“Here, let me get that for you.” Sandy said to Casey.
“Sit down, would you?” Casey replied. “It’s your birthday, for god’s sake, we should be waiting on you.”
“You’re her boss,” Mila quipped, “can you order her to sit down and relax for a bit!”
Penny laughed as she made her way to the table to get a glass of wine for herself.
“I’m not her boss tonight – we’re out of the office so right now she’s just a friend.”
Sandy beamed at Penny’s comment before replying, “Okay, fine. Mila can get her own drink. But Penny, please do let me get you something – I wouldn’t feel right about not being a good hostess to you.”
Penny had already pored herself a glass of wine and didn’t plan to have any of the food, so she simply replied, “Too late” before sitting in the chair next to the one Casey had recently occupied.
“Can I make you a plate of food?” Sandy asked eagerly.
“No thanks, just the wine for me.”
Sandy’s face seemed to fall and Penny quickly realized that she had taken the refusal as a comment on the quality of the food. Quickly she added, “Everything looks so wonderful, but I ate right before I came here so I just don’t have any room right now. Maybe later in the evening once the wine has loosened me up a bit.”
Penny had really refused the food because she was trying to watch her diet – unlike the other women at the party, she wasn’t in her early twenties and if she had a figure to match theirs it was only because she passed on these kinds of treats. But her comment had seemed to quell Sandy’s anxieties and her mention of loosening up a bit seemed to make her young assistant all the more happy, although the truth was that Penny was already starting to loosen up – this seemed like a nice group of young women and she was looking forward to seeing how the night would go.
A little while later Mindy arrived.
“Only twenty minutes this time,” Sandy said to Mindy as she waltzed into the living room. “I wasn’t expecting you for another ten minutes at least.”
Blushing slightly, Mindy replied, “Oh, shut up you… oh, and happy birthday!”
“Thanks.” After a brief but awkward pause, Sandy continued, “Oh, Mindy, this Penny, my boss.”
Penny stepped forward, offering her hand. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
“You too,” Mindy said enthusiastically. “Sandy’s told me so much about you. She really thinks the world of you.”
Penny noticed Sandy blushing very deeply, but also caught a strange look flitter across Mindy’s face as well.
Before she had time to think about it, though, Sandy spoke again. “First you show up late, then you embarrass me in front of my boss!”
“Hey, I wasn’t late – you said yourself you didn’t expect me for another ten minutes. The way I see it I’m early.”
The two young women continued to bicker in this friendly way, and Penny couldn’t help but smile. It was fun to see Sandy relaxed and talking to her friends so easily and playfully. And Sandy and Mindy seemed to be really close – more so than even the other girls. This was fun, Penny thought, and I am, indeed, getting to know Sandy better. As everyone settled down and started to chat, Penny was feeling really relaxed; genuinely enjoying being there.
After getting some food and wine for herself Mindy turned to Sandy and asked, “So what did you decide on for entertainment tonight?”
Sandy could feel an inexplicable blush rush through her face and even her chest as she quietly replied, “A hypnotist.”
“A what?!” Exclaimed a shocked Mindy.
“A hypnotist.” Sandy repeated, a bit more assertively this time.
Penny seamed as shocked as everyone else, but while the rest of the women broke into a kind of excited chatter about what the hypnotist would be like and how the show would go, Penny couldn’t help but feel a certain uneasiness. There was something about a hypnotist that she found oddly compelling, but at the same time she also felt a strange anxiety. Part of it seemed to stem from her protectiveness towards Sandy – she sensed that someone as trusting as Sandy might really get taken in. But it was more than just that. Penny had somehow come to feel very guarded about the prospect of watching hypnosis and felt for some vague reason that she would have to be careful to keep an eye on what happened; to be ready to be the voice of reason if things started to get out of hand. What that meant, exactly, she wasn’t sure, but something seemed to be lurking in her mind that she just couldn’t place. She had told the girls that she was just another guest, but she suddenly realized that she would still have to be the adult in the situation and watch over these younger women.
But after a while her fears started to ebb as the evening continued to be full of fun conversation. Though all of the girls were significantly younger than her, Penny was enjoying herself and was very impressed with all of them. Already on her third glass of wine she had almost completely forgotten about the hypnosis show until the doorbell rang at exactly 10 o’clock.
Sandy eagerly moved to the door and flung it open only to be met with an incredible sight. Standing in front of her was the most striking woman she had ever seen, she was slightly above average in height with long, dark hair and dark eyes that seemed to simply draw the light, as well as anything else, into them never to return. Her face was beautiful in a statuesque kind of way and she was clothed in an elegant gown that enhanced her flawless figure while also giving her an air of power. Every inch of this woman commanded authority. She was strong, commanding, and utterly in control. She seemed to be maybe a year or two older than Penny, but still somehow embodied the youthful vigor of Sandy and her friends while also exuding the presence of someone much older. She was simply overwhelming.
Sandy blushed deeply when she realized she had been staring at this beautiful woman in her doorway – staring into her eyes. Tearing her gaze away from the sight in front of her she looked past the woman in the doorway to see that just a few steps behind her stood another beautiful woman just a few years older than Sandy – in her mid to late twenties perhaps, and possessing an almost inhuman calm.
Still blushing furiously, Sandy turned her gaze back to the sight immediately in front of her and said, “You must be the Mistress?”
“I am. Mistress Catherine. And you already know my assistant – Eve.” She indicated the woman behind her. Sandy nodded and found herself once again staring at Mistress Catherine’s eyes. Trying to control herself she mumbled, “P-please. C-come on in.” Her heart was racing and her knees felt weak. The thought of this hypnotist coming to her house had had a strange effect upon her all week but now that she was face to face with Mistress Catherine she wasn’t sure if she could control herself, she almost felt as if she were in a trance already.
Catherine entered the apartment with Eve close behind carrying a large bag. When Eve had told Catherine about this booking she had informed her of just how easy it had been to manipulate Sandy – that she seemed to be a natural subject, infinitely suggestible. Catherine had been thrilled to hear it, but hadn’t realized the extent of it until just now. She would have to be careful. Sandy’s reaction to just seeing Catherine standing in the doorway had been so intense that Catherine would have to be careful not to simply overwhelm the girl. She had initially intended to use her considerable charisma to take control of the evening but now realized that she might need to change her approach if she was to truly make the most of the evening.
After stepping into the room she surveyed the other guests – one by one she sized up the other women in the room, noting that they all seemed to be about Sandy’s age and all a little awed by the hypnotist standing in their midst – although none reacted as strongly to her presence as Sandy had.
Then her eyes fell upon a slightly older woman who seemed to be glaring at Catherine in an odd manner. Sensing something she couldn’t quite place, Catherine decided to begin her introductions to the guests with this woman. She strode confidently up to the still seated woman and offered her hand, saying “Hello, I am Mistress Catherine.”
The woman just looked back and with a slight roll of the eyes said “Nice to meet you,” while hesitating to take the hypnotists offered hand.
“I’m not going to perform a handshake induction on you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Catherine thought she might have noticed a slight blush rise to the woman’s cheeks as she offered her hand and replied, “Oh, my apologies. How rude of me! My name is Penny. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Catherine held Penny’s gaze for just a moment longer than was necessary, before letting her eyes go with a blink and a slight turn of her head. Freed from her gaze, Penny glanced protectively in Sandy’s direction.
“You seem tense.” Catherine observed casually.
“What?” Penny replied. “Oh, no, not tense. Um… skeptical is all. I don’t really believe in this stuff.”
“Perhaps you should be my subject, then. The skeptical ones are the most fun to hypnotize – and the most interesting.”
At this suggestion Penny seemed to pull back and a look of nervousness crept into her eyes. Again, she glanced in Sandy’s direction, but this time there seemed to be something more than protectiveness behind the look.
“No that’s okay.” Penny said, feeling her heart race. “I think I’ll just watch.”
“So be it.” Catherine moved away from Penny and gave her assistant, Eve, an odd but meaningful glance before making her introductions to the rest of the group.
Penny began to sip her wine a little bit more liberally than she had before, hoping it would calm her nerves a bit. She wasn’t sure why the Mistress… no, Catherine, had affected her so much, but something told her she needed to stay alert. For Sandy’s sake.
While Mistress Catherine finished up her introductions, Eve began arranging the chairs in a semi-circle. Sandy rushed over to help, but Eve calmly refused.
“Thanks for the help, but the Mistress likes the chairs arranged in a very specific way so I’ll take care of it all. You just enjoy yourself and prepare for what you’re about to experience.”
Remembering her determination not to be the one hypnotized tonight, Sandy started to say, “But I’m not the one…” but realized that Eve had already moved away and was calmly, but purposefully, arranging the chairs in the room. When she had finished with that, Sandy noticed that Eve had gone to the bag that she had had with her when she arrived and taken out a few items. She quickly assembled what seemed to be two sets of retractable poles, and affixed what looked like a set of spotlights on the top of each pole. She then placed each of these slightly behind the semi-circle of chairs.
After just a few more moments of small talk, Mistress Catherine walked to the front of the room and declared “It is time to begin.”
Each of the women took a seat in the semi-circle of chairs that were all pointed at Mistress Catherine. Sandy sat in the middle, with Penny just next to her on the right. The Mistress walked over to Penny and asked, “Will you please stand up?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I’m really not interested in being the subject tonight – I wouldn’t want to rob one of these girls from having her fun.” Penny replied, diplomatically.
With a small but affecting laugh, Mistress Catherine calmly replied, “My dear, I wasn’t asking you to be my subject – I was asking you to stand so that I might use the chair. We can’t have hypnotized girls falling onto the hard floor, now can we?”
Under the power of Mistress Catherine’s gaze Penny seemed to take a bit longer than usual to compose her thoughts, so she quickly complied and stood up before realizing that if the Mistress took her chair she would have nowhere to sit. Seeming to read her mind, Mistress Catherine explained,
“My assistant has already pulled up another chair for you, but I need this one since it looks more comfortable – someone can really curl up in this chair – curl up and let go.”
That phrase – “let go” – seemed to echo in Penny’s mind. Mistress Catherine had such a presence, but it was a presence tinged with something that made Penny nervous. She didn’t like where this evening might be headed, and the show hadn’t even started yet. Maybe it was just all the wine, but she was starting to get the impression that there was more going on here than the other girls realized. She moved to the new chair that Eve had placed on the edge of the semi-circle and put her half-full glass of wine on a nearby end table – determined not to drink any more until this hypnotist had left.
Having moved the other chair into the front of the room, Mistress Catherine looked out at the girls and asked Eve to turn off the lights, which her assistant quickly did. Catherine’s assistant then walked carefully over to the two spotlights and turned them both on.
Penny was now on high alert. The wine had given her a slight buzz, but it wasn’t enough that she couldn’t pull herself together. She didn’t know what it was about Mistress Catherine, but something about the striking hypnotist scared her.
Standing in a pool of light, Mistress Catherine commanded the attention of everyone in the room. For several moments she simply stood still, letting the light wash over her dark hair and eyes, letting everyone else in the room simply gaze at her. Her face was expressionless and she stood with a statuesque bearing – she was in command of the light, she was in command of the room.
Sandy simply stared at her, and as she looked upon the powerful woman who now seemed to almost paradoxically radiate light out of her dark hair, clothes, and eyes, she felt the flush of excitement that she had felt all week whenever she thought about the hypnotist. Only now that excitement was far more intense – in much the same way that this experience – this woman – were more intense than she had ever imagined when she had made that fateful phone call just a few days before.
Just as the other women in the room were beginning to feel uncomfortable in the silence, Mistress Catherine’s stoic face broke into a warm and inviting smile. While she never lost even a bit of her power, the shift in her expression nevertheless was startling in its contrast. This change seemed to stun Sandy – for a brief moment Mistress Catherine reminded her of her boss, Penny. Like Penny, Mistress Catherine could combine strength and power with friendliness and kindness.
This thought only briefly flitted across her mind, though. Her boss had a strength and control that Sandy admired, but Mistress Catherine had something else – this was something that Sandy had never experienced. That smile had done something to Sandy – she knew she wasn’t hypnotized, at least not yet – but she felt somehow open, exposed to this woman whom she suddenly realized had turned her beautiful smile, and thus dark, depthless eyes, towards her.
“Sandy, would you care to come sit in the subject’s chair?” As she asked the question Mistress Catherine took Sandy’s hand and gently drew her out of her chair.
For a brief instant, all of Sandy’s thoughts about not being the subject of tonight’s performance raced through her mind. She knew that her boss was sitting just a few feet away, and there was no longer any way that she could deny that this whole experience was exciting her sexually. But even as these thoughts passed over her, she felt herself walking towards to the chair, led by Mistress Catherine.
“Please, sit,” Mistress Catherine’s voice was calm and reassuring. Sandy knew she would obey, but still cast one last glance towards Penny, hoping for something, although she wasn’t quite sure what that something was.
As soon as she caught the gaze of her boss, just visible at the edge of the pool of light, Sandy knew what she had sought. Penny was watching her intently, protectively. Her boss cared about her, and wanted what was best for her. Sandy didn’t need to worry about embarrassing herself in front of Penny because Penny wouldn’t let that happen – if things started to get out of hand, Sandy knew that she could count on Penny to put a stop to them.
Sitting – almost collapsing – into the chair with a sigh, Sandy resolved to let herself enjoy this experience; to give herself to it as completely as she could. Seeing Penny’s alert and protective gaze gave Sandy the confidence that she couldn’t possibly give too much of herself to this experience, to her desires, to Mistress Catherine, because Penny wouldn’t allow that to happen. Freed of that responsibility, Sandy relaxed and prepared to be hypnotized.
Mistress Catherine had watched all of this very carefully. She had seen Sandy’s stunned look when the hypnotist had allowed her face to break into a smile, and had coaxed the young woman out of her chair before she could collect herself. She perceived the momentary struggle as Sandy wrestled with her earlier resolve not to be hypnotized. And she saw the look of resignation, even excitement, as Sandy accepted her position, and yielded to whatever Mistress Catherine had in store for her.
Mistress Catherine didn’t say a word as she positioned herself at Sandy’s side while drawing something out of a small pocket in her gown. Holding her hand behind Sandy’s head she gently let go of the object, which was attached to a chain, and gave it a few moments to steady its swing.
Sandy was completely unaware of all of this. She simply sat in the chair, expectantly – and nervously. In the silence, she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do. She tried to glance at her friends, but she couldn’t see them in the darkness that enveloped the pool of light that she now shared with Mistress Catherine. She glanced upward, towards her hypnotist, but Mistress Catherine didn’t seem to be moving, or speaking – her warm smile revealed nothing about what she was expected of Sandy.
Still unsure of herself, Sandy’s eyes turned towards the one figure that she could make out on the edge of the pool of light: Penny – her source of safety and strength in all of this. But just as her eyes fell on her boss – no she reminded herself – her friend, something else moved into her line of vision: a glittering pendant!
Still Mistress Catherine said nothing. Sandy stared at the pendant as it twirled slowly before her – it’s surface reflecting the light in a variety of patterns. With so little else that she could see in the darkness, she allowed her mind to simply focus on the pendant, to let it become the only thing that she saw, the only thing that really mattered. The dim form of Penny that had hovered in her vision, just at the edge of the light, no longer had any meaning for her. She stared at the glittering crystal in front of her, letting it trap her eyes, waiting for Mistress Catherine to tell her how to let the crystal hypnotize her.
At the edge of the light, Penny, too, found herself staring at the crystal for a brief moment. However, she had prepared herself for this, and had even made a mental note to do everything she could to avoid getting pulled into anything during the show. She didn’t believe in hypnosis, and knew that she was far too strong willed to ever allow herself to fall into a trance, but, for Sandy’s sake, she had to make sure to be aware of more than just the show – she had to be on the lookout.
But the crystal was inviting, with its delicate beauty, and those many facets reflecting light of all colors into her eyes. And there were so few things to look at… except the crystal. It seemed to be twirling, gently, on its chain, first one way, and then the other. Back and forth. Back and forth. Penny continued to stare at the lovely pendant, letting it hold her gaze, letting the light capture her eyes…
With an extreme act of willpower, Penny’s conscious mind fought through the haze that was starting to descend upon her. She couldn’t get wrapped up in the pendant, Sandy was counting on her! She had seen Sandy cast one last, helpless look in Penny’s direction before sitting in the subject’s chair and knew that it was up to her to protect her young receptionist. She had to remain in control. She had to look away from the pendant. She had to look at Sandy to make sure she wasn’t letting this take her too powerfully. Using this protectiveness to empower her foggy mind, Penny blinked (how long had it been since she’d blinked?), breaking the pendant’s spell, and her eyes quickly sought out Sandy. She easily found Sandy’s slack face and glassy, staring eyes in the pool of light…
…but in the same direct line of her vision, was the pendant. It’s facets began to draw her focus, even as her mind once again began to struggle against its pull, but just as this conflict began within her mind a voice, quiet but commanding, rang throughout the room.
“Look at the pendant.” After standing quietly at Sandy’s side for quite some time, Mistress Catherine, following a mysterious nod to her assistant, had begun her induction.
“Look at the pendant… See it turn… see the light... See it turn one way… See it turn the other... See it turn back and forth... Back and forth... Watch it turn back and forth... Back and forth…”
Eve quietly moved behind Penny, whose mind was too wrapped up in its own internal struggle to notice. The other women in the audience were so enraptured by the performance in front of them that they, too, failed to take notice.
For the moment, Mistress Catherine turned her attention to Sandy. Keeping her right hand in position, she knelt slightly so that she could take Sandy’s hand in her own. Holding the young woman’s hand gently in her palm, Mistress Catherine began to gently trace circles on the back of Sandy’s hand with her thumb.
“Back and forth the pendant turns… back and forth… Back and forth… In little circles… back and forth… Stare at the pendant, making these circles… back and forth… and as these circles draw you… you might feel them on your skin… circling back and forth… back and forth...”
Mistress Catherine was no longer paying much attention to Sandy. She still circled her thumb on the back of the young girl’s hand, but she knew that Sandy had submitted. One look at the girl’s face betrayed how far gone she already was – her eyes locked on the pendant, gentle sighs occasionally slipping out of her mouth, which hung slightly open, her stare glassy and vacant. Mistress Catherine could plunge Sandy into trance at any moment, it was simply up to the Mistress to decide what that moment would be.
But Mistress Catherine had turned her attention elsewhere. She was watching another young woman fall under her spell: Penny. She had noticed the young woman’s valiant attempt to escape the pendant’s power, only to fall back into its spell as she found it in the line of sight between herself and Sandy. Seizing this opportunity, Mistress Catherine had begun the verbal induction at that moment, further capturing her.
But Penny was strong. Not wanting to succumb, she fought, once again to escape the beauty of the pendant. Even as the mistress’s words drew her in, and even as the pendant captured her gaze, her conscious mind struggled to regain control. Even as the pendant turned back and forth… back and forth… conscious thoughts managed to penetrate: she had looked back at the pendant because her eyes couldn’t find anything else, if she looked at Sandy, she’d be drawn to it again… summoning the depths of her willpower, she tried to do more than simply avert her eyes, she attempted to turn her whole head away from the hypnotic scene in front of her. Struggling against the pull of the crystal, and the insistent commands of the Mistress – “stare at the pendant, making these circles” – she forced herself to turn away.
But even as her willpower enabled her to slowly turn herself away from the crystal, a soft pair of hands at either side of her head gently drew her eyes back towards the crystal. Penny let out a small gasp of realization and fear. She was suddenly aware of the hypnotist’s assistant standing behind her, holding her head, forcing her to stare at the pendant, and was also suddenly afraid – she hadn’t simply slipped and let herself fall into this induction – Mistress Catherine and Eve had planned it – they were trying to hypnotize her!
The shock of this realization would have been enough to jolt Penny out of the trance, if not for the words that suddenly entered her mind: “as these circles draw you… you might feel them on your skin… circling back and forth… back and forth...”
At that same moment, a pair of fingers began tracing small circles on her temples. Another gasp – this one more of a sigh – escaped Penny’s lips. Throughout the struggle, she had been staring at the pendant and now, with no hope of escape, it filled her focus more than it had at any other point. It twirled before her, and her gaze was rapt.
“Circles back and forth… back and forth… drawing you in… hypnotizing you…”
Yes, Penny realized, that was what was happening. She was being hypnotized. The pendant was so beautiful. So entrancing. So hypnotic. She could not look away. It circled back and forth, just like the sensations on her temples – circling, hypnotizing. Sometimes those sensations became caresses down her face, over her jaw, but always, they returned to the gentle circles. The hypnotic circles. She was falling into hypnosis. Just like Sandy.
Sandy!
She thought of Sandy and could, if she fought hard enough, still make out her shape behind the pendant – her young receptionist was totally limp in the chair, her eyes staring helplessly at the pendant. Sandy was clearly hypnotized, quite deeply. Unlike Penny, she hadn’t put up any fight, she had let herself go and had gone quite deep, as her completely helpless and vacant expression indicated. She had gone that deep, because she trusted Penny to protect her. Penny had to fight!
But at just that moment, she lost sight of Sandy. The pendant was growing! It grew until it completely blocked out the image of Sandy.
Mistress Catherine had had enough of this game. With Sandy so helplessly entranced, it was time to turn her full attention to Penny. Letting go of Sandy’s hand, the hypnotist had stood and walked towards Penny, always keeping the pendant in both of the women’s lines of sight. The pendant seemed to grow in Penny’s vision until it was all she could see. That combined with Eve’s gentle circling of her temples and gentle caresses were more than even her strong will could handle. Mistress Catherine was impressed with the resistance that she’d shown. But now, she had her.
This was a critical moment, though. Up to this point, the other women in the audience had been so intent upon what was happening to Sandy, that none of them had noticed the battle of wills taking place just a few feet away in Penny’s chair. Some of them had been so wrapped up in watching their friend give herself to hypnosis that Mistress Catherine was certain that she could have placed a few of them in a trance as well, if she had wanted to.
But now she was revealing that Penny, too, had become one of the evening’s hypnotic subjects, and this would snap the rest of the girls out of their intense interest in the show. If she didn’t handle things correctly, some of them might begin to question what was happening. Some of them might even see Eve and realize the struggle that had taken place.
Mistress Catherine was not going to let that happen. As she took the final few steps towards Penny, Eve stepped back into the shadows. Even with Eve’s caresses no longer soothing her, Penny’s will was already too far gone to resist.
Nevertheless, Mistress Catherine took Penny’s hand and began to circle it with her thumb. Feeling these circles on her skin, just as the voice had said, caused Penny to sigh again, falling further.
“Have allowed yourself to become hypnotized, Penny?”
After one final moment of hesitation, Penny succumbed.
“Y… yes.” With admission, Penny let go completely.
With no knowledge of all that had transpired between Penny and her hypnotist, the other girls in the room simple giggled a bit – enjoying the show.
“Good girl.” Mistress Catherine cooed, as she pulled on Penny’s hand, drawing her out of her seat. Still holding the pendant in her right hand where both of her subjects could see it, Mistress Catherine led a hypnotized Penny to the front of the room. The hypnotist turned back towards her audience, with one entranced woman sitting limp in a chair to her right, and another standing unsteadily to her left. Mistress Catherine slipped her left arm around Penny’s waist, in anticipation of what was to come.
She resumed her induction.
“Stare at the pendant… the pendant that has hypnotized you… let it draw you down… deeper into hypnosis… deeper and deeper… and as you stare at the pendant… as it draws you deeper and deeper… your eyes will begin to feel heavy… you will begin to feel very sleepy… heavier and heavier… as you become sleepier and sleepier… as you go deeper and deeper…”
Catherine could feel Penny’s muscles relaxing and her stance becoming less and less steady. Meanwhile, Sandy’s eyes were barely staying open.
“You are getting sleepier and sleepier… but you must not allow your eyes to close completely… you must keep staring at the pendant… it has not yet released you…”
Sandy’s eyes fluttered a bit, fighting to stay open, struggling to reconcile the command to still watch the pendant and to feel sleepy. Penny, too, was fighting to keep her eyes on the pendant. Without support from Catherine she would have collapsed onto the floor.
“Sleepier and sleepier… you want so badly to give in… to just drift into a deep, deep sleep… but you can’t… not until the pendant allows you to… the pendant has hypnotized you… so you must obey the pendant… when your eyes close, you will still be hypnotized… but you will not see the pendant… when your tired, heavy eyes finally close.. the pendant will have given its power to someone else… it will have given its power to this voice… when you finally surrender to your hypnotic sleep… you will give yourself to this voice… to my voice… to the voice of your hypnotist…”
Sandy’s eyes were so glazed and her eyelids so heavy that it was all she could do to keep them open – to keep obeying the pendant. Penny was almost completely limp in Mistress Catherine’s arms. One last time, the hypnotist droned “deeper and deeper…” as she raised the arm holding the pendant as high in the air as she could. The eyes of both hypnotized women followed it up. After holding it there for just a second, Mistress Catherine let go of the pendant, letting it fall to the floor and, at that same moment, she declared, in a powerful, commanding voice, “Sleep!”
Sandy’s eyes slammed shut and her already limp body became even more lifeless. As her head fell to her chest her whole body began to keel over in its seat – only Eve’s attentive presence prevented her from falling to the floor. Penny, meanwhile, had let go completely, her eyes fluttered closed, her head lolled backwards, and her arms dangled limply beside her as all of her weight came to rest in Mistress Catherine’s arms.
Sandy and Penny were deeply hypnotized, and at the mercy of their powerful hypnotist.
With the induction complete, Mistress Catherine could now address the audience that was staring, stunned, at the two hypnotized women before them.
With a playful smile she asked, “Is there anyone here who doesn’t believe in hypnosis?”
The women watching the spectacle in front of them merely laughed.
“So whatever shall we do with these two?”
There was a brief moment of silence before Shirley broke the ice: “Tell Penny to give Sandy a huge raise!”
This got everyone laughing, even Mistress Catherine. Suddenly, all of the girls started piping in:
“Can you get them to do that stiff as a board trick?” Mila asked.
Casey chimed in, “How about making them cluck like a chicken?”
Mindy interjected with a voice that Mistress Catherine thought might have a bit of breathiness to it, “How about getting them naked!”
This caused all of the girls to laugh… except for Mistress Catherine, who simply eyed Mindy for a moment before turning her attention to Penny, whose limp body still rested in her hypnotist’s arms.
“Before we do anything, I’d better find a place for Penny. Eve, would you be so kind?”
Eve promptly moved the chair that Penny had been sitting in so that it was right next to Sandy’s in the middle of the pool of light. Once it was in place, Mistress Catherine gently lowered Penny’s comatose body into it. Before turning back to her audience, she took this opportunity to put her subjects still further under her power.
Crouching in front of her subjects, she took the hand of each woman and began to once again trace small circles as she quietly spoke: “Go deeper… with each breath… deeper… and deeper… and as you go deeper… you will start to count down from one hundred… count quietly to yourself… with each number… you will go deeper… and deeper.”
Both women’s lips began to move slightly, and Mistress Catherine could hear them both counting backwards softly under their breath. Satisfied that her subjects were doing as they had been told, Mistress Catherine turned back to her audience. Before she could do or say anything, though, Mila spoke up.
“Can I ask a quick question?”
“Sure,” Mistress Catherine replied.
“How did Penny end up hypnotized?”
“That’s an excellent question. First let me assure you that no one can be put into a state of hypnosis against her will. So, Penny went under because she wanted to. During my induction of Sandy, Penny watched and listened and fell into a trance just like Sandy did.”
With a slightly confused expression, Shirley spoke next: “But Penny said she wasn’t interested in being the subject.”
“Yes,” Mistress Catherine replied, “that’s what she said. It’s probably even what she thought. But on some level, maybe quite deep down in her subconscious, Penny wanted to be hypnotized tonight. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be in the trance she’s in right now.”
“So why didn’t any of us go under?” Mindy asked.
Mistress Catherine looked into the darkness just outside of the pool of light to fix Mindy with an intense look as she replied: “On some level, some of you might have. But I noticed Penny going under, so I turned my attention, and my induction, to her, and brought her to this deep trance. Had I noticed you first, it might be you up here…”
Mistress Catherine reveled in imagining the flush that must have crept over Mindy’s cheeks as she thought about what the hypnotist had just said.
“So what’s next?” Casey asked.
“Ah, good question.” Mistress Catherine replied. “When Sandy asked me to come here tonight, she didn’t specify exactly what she was looking for in terms of the type of show. That being the case, we’ll let our subjects decide what comes next. After all, they went under because they wanted to, so we’ll find out why that was the case.”
Mistress Catherine knew that while what she was saying was true, the direction of the show was already quite clear in her mind. She had learned through experience that those women who were interested in being hypnotized were usually looking for one of two things: they were either interested in an excuse to act funny and be the life of the party, or they were somehow attracted, on a sexual level, to the notion of being at someone else’s mercy. The deep flush that covered Sandy’s face and even her chest upon Mistress Catherine’s arrival made it quite clear to her that Sandy fell into the latter category.