As always: Thanks to rf-fast for the editing work. Your insights are what prevents this story from being mindless drivel.
*****
"And now you are a dog!" Marvelous Merlin the Magnificent Hypnotist declared.
The crowd roared out in laughter as the beautiful blonde woman fell to her hands and knees. She was wearing a tight red dress that hugged her hourglass figure delicately which made it that more difficult for her to make the transition. It also made it even funnier.
For the life of him, David Pearson had no idea why his wife, Grace, was subjecting herself to this. It was his surprise 40th birthday party and she had booked a banquet room at the Dunesbury Hotel - on a Monday no less. Family, friends, and relatives all showed up to celebrate. He hated parties, especially if they were for him, but he pretended to enjoy himself. After dinner was served, she had leaned in and said, "I got you something you've wanted to see for a long time." She had smiled and went up to the front and announced that Marvelous Merlin the Magnificent Hypnotist was present and looking for volunteers. She had stayed up there to be his first.
After thirteen years of marriage, this stunned David more than if he had woken up one morning and realized he had turned into a dog himself. He had no idea what would make her think that he had ever wanted to see a hypnotist act. He hated the idea of hypnotism. No, that wasn't correct. He hated the idea of not being in control. In business, he always portrayed the shrewd, confident man and as a head executive with Arden Acquisitions, it was a great personal asset to have. At home, he was quite different. He wouldn't have minded the absurdity, but now his wife was making a fool of herself for all his employees to see and he didn't like it.
David leaned into Alyssa, his secretary of three years, and the only person he opened up to at work about any and everything. She knew everything about the man sitting next to her left, even in which leg his penis hung. Not that she saw it personally, David would never cheat, but she has seen him subtly adjust it from time to time. She leaned her slender form into his in anticipation to what her boss was going to say.
"I know she talked to you about setting this up, otherwise half these people wouldn't be here. So be honest, did she mention why I might enjoy seeing her demean herself in front of everyone."
"No." Alyssa lied. "She didn't mention what kind of entertainment she booked. If she had, I certainly would have objected. I know how much your reputation at the office means to you." She couldn't help the sly smile that appeared on her face. Her plan was in full swing and she knew that soon she would have the man she was desperately in love with, David Pearson.
Alyssa fell for David the very first day she was assigned to be his secretary. She was a failure at college, dropping out after one year due to her poor grades. It was too much of the party scene and not enough studying. She tried desperately to find a job that didn't require her to say, "Do you want fries with that" but was unsuccessful in all her interviews. It was only dumb luck, her accidentally hitting the wrong key on the computer when she happened across the listing that Arden Acquisitions was hiring for secretaries. That and the fact the company was so desperate, the human resource director didn't even check her fake references. And so, she was the new secretary of David Pearson. She felt fortunate because if it was anyone else, she would have certainly been fired before the first day was even over.
At first, it was just lust for Alyssa. David's rugged good looks and toned body made for a handsome man. It didn't matter that he was seventeen years older than her - nine if you went by her fake resume. It became love after he showed compassion. Not knowing what she was doing, her day was a disaster. She was having trouble keeping up and it wasn't even noon yet. The last straw was when the copier jammed and the page that was stuck became shredded. She was nearly in tears when she stood in front of his desk with the unfortunate news. David just laughed saying, "That damn copier got you too, huh?" He then stood up, told her "Not to worry about it" and even took her to lunch. And not one of those fast food places or little diners either. He wined and dined her at Giovanni's, the expensive Italian restaurant in town.
Mostly they talked about business; David's expectations and what Alyssa's responsibilities would be. But he also let his guard down and talked about his life as well. Alyssa loved everything he said until he mentioned he thought he had the perfect marriage. She knew she was falling hard for her boss and that statement felt like a dagger to the heart.
Over the next year, Alyssa tried to ignore her feelings; tried to be the good employee. But David made it difficult. He always seemed to be complimenting her work even though she knew it was subpar. What was worse is she could hear in his voice that it was genuine. The second year, Alyssa tried to seduce him. It was in vain. She did everything except post a 'Fuck Me' sign to her body. The third year, she began to plot. And that led her here. She gave Grace the surprise 40th birthday party idea and even revealed she had heard David mention that he would like to see a hypnotist act and implied she should be one of the volunteers so he would know it wasn't fraudulent. She even gave her the phone number for a hypnotist that was so good as he had performed in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas part wasn't true, but the lie worked enough for Grace to call Alyssa's best friend, Dustin who went by Marvelous Merlin the Magnificent Hypnotist since they were in High School together. Hypnotism was more of a hobby for him as he actually was working as a bus boy to earn his way through college.
"Now I want you to speak!" Dustin commanded.
"Woof, woof." Grace then panted. "Woof, woof."
"Oh, what are you doing?" Grace tilted her head to one side at the hypnotist's response. "You are a small French Poodle, not some big German Shepard. Be yourself and don't try to act all big and tough."
David let his frustration go for a moment and inwardly smiled. If anybody knew how true that statement was in terms of their sex life, everyone would have been laughing harder than they were. He wished Grace would be a little more aggressive in the sack, but no, she was like a French Poodle in that regard.
"I'll be right back, I need to use the ladies room," Alyssa interrupted David's thoughts and he nodded to show that he heard her. Alyssa stood and made her way to the nearest exit.
"Arf, arf, arf," Grace barked from the stage.
"All right; now like all bitches do, you are now in heat."
Grace rubbed up against the hypnotist's leg. David was furious. No one called his wife a bitch. And no one for damn sure was going to get away with making her nuzzle up against another man's leg. He stood, not caring about anything but ending this party and punching the hypnotist unconscious. He took two steps toward the stage and the fire alarm went off. The sprinklers opened up and water fell on all the guests.
Dustin leaned down to Grace, "Remember, you are merely a dog in heat until I say otherwise. Alyssa is your Master and all dogs obey their Masters. Every instance you are treated like a dog, your trance will deepen with all prior memories disappearing. It will become your reality. It is what you are and you are happy." He petted her now wet golden locks and scratched behind her ear. "Good girl," he added before scampering for the nearest exit.
As soon as he left, Grace tried desperately to hide under a chair from the falling water, only getting her head and arms to be covered.
David hurried to the stage, threw the chair out of the way and picked up his petrified wife. She whined like a dog in his arms and he carried her outside.
Alyssa watched in amusement from the exit doors. She ran outside right after she had pulled the fire alarm so she could see the effects of Dustin's work on David's wife. He assured her it would be permanent but the degree in which the suggestion would take hold depended on how much she was treated like a dog. She saw her boss and ran over to him.
"I'm glad you two are all right." Alyssa glanced at Grace and felt elated that she was still under. "What happened to Grace?"
"She thinks she's still a dog and I can't find the hypnotist anywhere," David's head was on a swivel, looking in all directions at once.
"In this commotion, it will be hard to find him. Besides, with there being a fire, he probably took off already. I know I was going to but I wanted to make sure you two were safe." Alyssa's head moved from side to side. She wasn't looking but wanted it to appear that she was. "I can see if I can track him down in the morning."
"Arf. Arf." Grace happily licked at Alyssa's cheek when David had turned slightly, allowing her to do so.
David rolled his eyes at his wife's outburst.
Alyssa pushed a tendril of hair behind Grace's ear. "Do you need me to come with you tonight to help with her, Boss?"
