Chapter 8 - Hell Hath No Fury...
There are people that say they can sense weather shifts in their bones, others state they have "gut feelings" whenever something bad is about to happen. Clarissa Barnes claimed neither, yet she had been in duress all day, and it wasn't arthritis.
She stretched in a brown chaise longue, a ragged flowery dress from five Summers ago wrapped around her body, reading glasses glued to her forehead, and a small book about fractionation resting in her lap. The more she delved into the subject, the more fascinated she became, even if most of it still flew her by. It was hard to believe she had found a new hobby at her age, but it was true. And with new hobbies, came new Internet searches, and even more discoveries waiting for her.
The latest one had been hypnotic femdom porn videos. More than exhibitions of pendants, sultry breasts, and tantalizing voices, the images on display contained suggestive images and themes that made her pussy burst into flames. Though she had turned off the browser right away, embarrassed at her own sex drive, it still aroused her and she couldn't get enough.
With so many lascivious fantasies running inside her mind, it was only natural for her thoughts to wander. Angela and Jonah and what they were trying to accomplish together was a recurring idea and if hypnosis could do that, then anything was possible. Perhaps her daughter would be so kind show her a thing or two more in her spare time.
"Shall I call her?" she thought. "No, it's the weekend. Let her rest," she immediately objected, yet the prospect of doing so never left her mind. In fact, both bones and gut appeared to be demanding she made that call.
Clarissa resisted the painful temptation and continued reading. The paragraphs were dense, confusing even, with examples of linguistic commands designed to bypass the critical faculties of the conscious mind. She scribbled a few notes on the right margin, a habit she had never lost since college days and pondered on all the applications of such techniques. "Maybe I can use something like this to get myself a new audition."
She missed acting. it had been a year and a half since her TV show - a modern-day drama set in a fictional New York suburb - had been cancelled. With two consecutive Emmy nominations for best Actress, one would expect job offers to fall on her lap the moment she became a free agent, yet that hadn't happen and with each passing day, the fear of perpetual irrelevance crept in.
The thrill of role-play was as real as it could be, a second and third skin superimposed on her dull routines. As she grew older, she often dreamed about dying in the middle of a performance, surprising everyone with the authenticity of her last hurrah, yet the wonders of hypnotic trance had her consider other ideas, a joyful new life. There were so many suggestions waiting. She had to learn them all.
Clarissa's book slipped through her fingers, her daydream interrupted by a blaring phone call. It was Angela, and she was glad for now she could talk about everything at will with her and not feel bad about disturbing her weekend. Or so she thought. Hearing her voice on the line proved to be anything but comforting, and the pain plaguing her joints increased tenfold.
"Hello, mom."
"Angie? Is everything okay?"
"Everything is fine," Angela replied in a monotone.
"And Jonah? Is he with you?"
"Yes, he is. We completed another therapy session just now. He's thrilled."
"I take it that means it went well."
"More than well. Everything is fine."
"You've already said that," Clarissa noted.
"Did I?"
"Yes. Why are you calling, Angie?"
"I would like to see you. Please come to my house."
"Now?"
"Yes, please."
"I'm grateful for the invitation yet also surprised at how unexpected it is. Did something bad happen?
"Nothing happened, bad or otherwise. Everything is fine," Angela droned.
"Again with that?" Clarissa muttered to herself. Where she came from, saying three times in a row that "everything was fine" was the first evidence to the contrary. And was that a whispering female voice in the background?
"Mom, please come, and I'll explain everything."
"Why can't you explain it now, my dear? I thought I heard another woman's voice. Is there someone else with you?"
"It's just me and Jonah, mom. Please come. We'll be waiting. I have to go, now."
"Wait, Ang..." silence fell down. Clarissa looked at the phone, in dismay. "This was anything but normal," she concluded.
Although her successful career had been a stroke of luck more than anything, the Barnes matriarch knew acting when she saw it or, in this case, heard it. She was sure someone else had been standing next to Angela, almost as if reminding the young hypnotist her lines, but who and to what end?
One of the videos she had seen earlier in the morning depicted an elaborate mind control fantasy conspiracy where unsuspecting men were drawn by mysterious calls, only to end up in the clutches of a vile mind-controller, eager to play forceful brainwashing games.
Perhaps it was just paranoia talking but how strange of a coincidence was it to hear her daughter, one of the most intelligent women she knew, speaking on the phone with the human voice equivalent of a lifeless answering machine, and suddenly inviting her over? Too strange, and too big. Clarissa disliked coincidences as much as they disliked her.
"What's going on, Angela?"
Mama Barnes tried calling her back, but no one answered. It was always like that in movies and TV shows, too. The sexagenarian left the comfort of her seat and hurried to the bedroom to change. If she was about to walk into a mesmeric trap, at least she had to look presentable.
* * *
Meanwhile, Gail was lashing out on her new mindless pet, and not in a metaphorical way. The oiled leather's sting hit Angela's hands. The happy hypnotized hypnotist didn't waver, instead remaining docile and compliant.
"You were too obvious."
"Forgive me if I did anything to displease you, Goddess."
"I forgive you," Gail lied. The second sting hit harder and the sadistic bitch grinned. "When she gets here, be sure to distract her long enough for me to inject her, do you understand?"
"Yes, Goddess."
Gail rewarded the hypnotist's automatic subservience with a gentle caress on her hair. The sudden disparity of sharp pain and erogenous pleasure melted her mind even more. "Good. I think you and your brother should worship me at the same time now."
"What would you have us do?" Jonah queried, no longer doubting his subservient position at all times.
Gail ditched the boots, perfect little toes ready to play. "You can have the left. Slave girl, take care of the right one."
"Yes, Goddess," the two hypnotized servants replied in unison, pushing each other to see who would get to kiss them first. Jonah was faster, memories of the Olympic training taking over his muscles.
"No tongue!" Gail commanded. "You don't deserve that yet."
