Rediscovery 2

Sylvia

This was officially the longest drive of my life. Fine, not literally, but anxiety and impatience tend to mess with my head a bit, and today I was feeling plenty of both. Work at the lab seemed to drag on, I failed to avoid a small talk ambush on the way out, and we were already scheduling tonight's hangout a week later than expected because of last-minute family plans. No matter though, today was the day.

I met Mark a few months ago through an online form. I'll be honest, bridging the gap to meet in-person wasn't something I had been crazy enough to try with anyone in the past, but we shared some niche interests and conversation between us flowed easily. Plus, I had the ever-vigilant Allison looking out for me, offering unsolicited but sound sanity checks before I could get myself kidnapped. We decided on a few public dates to get to know each other, and had been tentatively dancing around the one topic I couldn't get off my mind - hypnosis. It was the subject that first got us talking, a few back and forth comments revealing a mutual, mild obsession. It had taken a backseat to the cordial ebb and flow of feeling out a potential romance, but tonight my anticipation was back in force.

So yeah, that's what I meant by niche interests. As it turns out, it's hard to come by people with such unique kinks, and more so to find people willing to talk about them openly. This was the first chance I had to explore one which seemed for so many years like pure fantasy.

I had been to his house a few times before, and we'd experimented a bit already. The first time he put me under... God, he hadn't even touched me and it was still one of the more intense nights I can remember. As it turns out, to my mind, "your hands are glued to the chair" also meant "you are absolutely insanely horny". That one threw him off for a minute; I guess he was expecting a more benign practice round, but he quickly recovered, with some assurance that my mind would usually be in the gutter.

We had a few other sessions, bits and pieces of which tend to slip my mind, but I was apparently an enthusiastic subject. So we'd kept it casual for a while, but decided that we were both ready to go a lot further. Honestly, I sometimes freaked myself out imagining a whirlwind romance with a not-so-ethical mind controller keeping me unaware until the last moment. Well, I guess we all have to draw the line on fantasy somewhere.

And finally I arrived. Made sure I was in the right place, double checked my makeup, and got ready for a night of wi...

ring

...luh? I was definitely getting ready for something, right? Mark and I had a pretty similar taste in movies, so maybe that was it. I felt a little overdressed, though. What did we watch last week again? Well whatever, he'd probably remember.

Mark

Three staccato knocks on the door, an over-punctual 10 minutes early, just like last time. I admit it sent me into a bit of a panic to finish tossing the remaining clutter out of sight, but it was a nice reassurance that she was as excited about this as me. I opened the door and she breezed through, sparing me a warm, rosemary-scented hug before interrogating my movie shelf for the newest additions. "So what are you feeling tonight? I'd personally pick a comedy, but your collection is looking a little slim. I do love a good thriller. Ooh, you've got The Thing!"

Of course she'd go for the movies. It was an easy excuse, and we honestly did share a few favorites. I still couldn't believe how well Sylvia was taking this in stride - she really was a natural. "Mark? Buddy?" I'd been woolgathering. "Sure, let's do that one! I'm skipping the dog scene though, alright?"

Sylvia

I plopped down on the couch after tossing my choice on the coffee table. Oh, a text from Allison. "Thanks for checking in, hope you have fun! And UPDATE ME this time or I WILL come find you." Did I text her before? I was just hanging out with a friend, we usually only send updates on a maj....

ring

...or... date? Whatever, she was probably talking about something else. Phone tabled and forgotten, I decided to sink into my seat and relax a little. Sitting here made it seem so easy.

As Mark bustled around in the kitchen, I wondered at how great of friends we'd become after just a few months. Ever since we met onl...

ring

...igh? Where did we...? Right, it was at Gene's Pub. He wasn't part of the regular crowd and neither was I, just a crazy coincidence when we sat next to each other at the bar and got into a huge mock-fight about the city's signature pizza. Gross. I grinned at the memory as I took in his living room - it was a well decorated place, for a single guy. A fireplace, some nicely framed art, a side table with a rubik's cube, some family photos, a cute little bell. Wait, what was so fam...

ring

...illl... Maybe it wasn't that familiar. Must have seen it last time. I turned back to face the kitchen a little stiffly, eyes slightly glazed. "Anything to drink?" His words snipped through my scattered thoughts. "I've got gin, rum, a few mixers maybe..."

As he rummaged around, his hands caught my eye, something alluring about the precise movements. "Oh, I didn't know I had a bartender for the night. New hobby?"

"As of Paul's party last weekend, yeah. I took over for the last half. Guess I'm a quick study, that or taste stopped mattering by then."

The end of his sentence blurred as something snagged my attention. Study. Study? I was searching for something, but what? I scanned the room, his overflowing bookshelf catching my gaze. What was I looking for? My eyes plucked randomly from the rows. Uninteresting, boring, nope, hyp... Hypnosis? Some kind of manual? I felt the uncanny sensation of my brain zooming in, a binocular dial on my perception. Mark knew about that kind of stuff? Psychology had never been my thing, and I'd never really contemplated it much, but now...

"Mark! You didn't tell me you knew anything about hypnosis. Does that stuff really work?"

Mark

Yes! I was feeling confident before, but now I was sure this would work. I could feel myself smirking like an idiot, so I turned and faked a poorly timed cough. "Oh-ahem, yeah, it works. I'm kind of an amateur though, I took one class and read up on it, but it takes a good subject to get anywhere." Great, Mark, keep that up and you'll blow the perfect cover.

"Interesting. That actually sounds really cool. I'm not sure if I could even do that. I'm all over the place, and it always sounds like you need such intense focus. Have you tried it before?"

Yes again! I anticipated this. She was echoing the same points she made when we first tried an induction. What worked once, then.

"Well, yeah, and focus does tend to be a major part of it. But you'd be amazed at how many people with concerns about attention span or focus can do amazing things when their distractions are taken away."

"How do you hypnotize someone? Is it like the movies where you just swing a watch? That seems way too easy. Could you grab that book for me? I want to study it a little. We can watch a show later, something about this is just so intriguing."

I handed her the book and launched into a diatribe on what was honestly one of my favorite subjects, or at least one of the many I could speak at length on. I would say it's nice to have a captive audience, but she contributed more than her share in peppered questions, the result of years of simmering interest. I loved how hyperactive she got with a new subject. The cute foot tapping, the way she leaned in... Wait, I was getting off topic. This didn't happen last time, did it? We'd just jumped right in. Oh, duh, part of tonight's script. Enough distractions, then, time for the next step.

"If you're that interested, it might not hurt to experiment a little."

Sylvia

There it was again. Something about one of those words. But this time, it was like something

clicked

into place. Experiment. Huh. I absolutely did want to experiment, and I felt a familiar bolt from my toes through my entire body. Shit, was this turning me on? Why hadn't I thought of this before? I never had an interest in anything like that. Wouldn't I have figured this out when someone else casually mentioned hyp...

ring

...nos...

ring

...uh...

Of course. This was all new to me. My vision felt hazy, thoughts whirring slowly back to life, but the desire to experiment was an ever-present beacon in my mind. I saw Mark raise an expectant eyebrow. "Yes, I would love to experiment with hypnosis." I could tell I sounded subdued and robotic, and hoped it didn't come across as apathy. I was just a little more focused than usual for some reason. I really wanted to test this out. Even with my more interesting research papers, I hadn't felt this level of hyper-fixation in a while.

"Great! I have the perfect method." He vaulted the couch with an alacrity that may have set off some alarm bells, had I not been so immersed in my own strange and unexpected reactions to our conversation.

Mark

I decided not to rehash the induction from last time. She was halfway there already, so I could afford to get creative.

"Since you're worried about distractions, I have a simple solution. You can talk me through your inner monologue."

"Sounds simple. Won't that be a little one sided, though? I can bore you with my schedule for the next month. Or we can try fun facts about aquarium maintenance. Not that I don't want to try! Sorry, I'm just skeptical. I really, really want this- experiment- to work."

This time, her hesitation on the word was obvious, as if she were sounding out a new concept. The last trigger was working overtime, then. Noted. "You're completely right. As compelling as your train of thought sounds, I'll have to interrupt you."

Sylvia

Even his explanation had me hanging on every word. I leaned forward, chin in my hands. What did he mean, interrupt me? Was this what it was like to discover a new kink? The idea of a trance seemed to unlock new pathways in my psyche I had never even dared touch before. How had I not tried this? Wait, he was still talking. Did I miss something? No way! As I opened my mouth to ask him to repeat himself, I saw him reach for the bell. Why did I feel like something was going to...

"When your thoughts get too disorganized and I need to bring you back, I'll just"

RING

Shit. Oh, God. My thoughts just dissolved for a second. The bell was a lightning bolt, buzzing directly on my clit, obliterating every other point of focus. I could still feel the fading shock as it rang out. I made an attempt to gather my thoughts, remembering where I was.

"Whoa, wait, what was that? That felt..." I shifted in my seat, suddenly aware of his eyes burning into me. "kind of strange just now. Did you do something already?"

Another of those poorly hidden smirks. I felt an air of slight condescension that I found incongruously attractive, then a spark of indignation at my reaction. Calm down, he's just a friend. "That's surprising. You did seem to be in a light trance a moment ago, and I suggested that the bell would make it difficult to hold on to individual thoughts. Did you feel anything else?"

Okay, he definitely knew something, but wouldn't budge. Fine then. Should I end this little experi...

ring

...muh? No. Of course I still wanted to experiment. He didn't want to give me answers? Fine, I would get them myself. I straightened in my seat. "Nope, doing great! Let's keep going."

Mark

It was impossible not to catch her reaction - even I wasn't that oblivious. But as I hoped, she made it clear that we weren't going to broach the subject of this being a turn-on yet. To her, this was still just an innocent night with a friend. I almost felt sorry until I recalled her describing this, giddy with anticipation for tonight.

"Alright. So before we start, a few ground rules. One: As I explained, you give me an unfiltered stream of consciousness as best you can. No planning allowed."

I toyed with the bell in thought, being careful not to ring it and blow away her attention to my instructions.

"Two: when I ring the bell, you lose your train of thought. Do your best to clear your mind and start again."

Sylvia watched with such rapt attention it almost made me self-conscious, although I couldn't be sure if it was because of the previous suggestion, or if this was all getting through.

"And three: If I rang the bell last time you had a certain train of thought, try to steer clear of it for the rest of this session."

My heart was pounding as I reviewed my memory for any missed details. This would work, right? She was incredibly deep last time, but this was a complicated task for a seriously altered state of mind. I shouldn't have worried.

She looked as self-assured as when she had walked through the door. "Sounds easy enough. When do I start?"

Sylvia

I could totally do this. If only he would stop toying with that stupid bell, I could focus on his instructions. Should I be writing this dow-

RING

"-arting now, your speech is your stream of consciousness, completely unfiltered."

"Wow, I can't get used to that bell at all, but I kind of want to hear it again. It's making me incredibly horny and I think I might be wet and oh my God I can't believe I just said that! I'm so embarr-"

RING

"I... Ugh! That bell keeps-"

RING

"Wha...? I was saying something about a b... Huh. I hope the cats are okay. I put their food ou-"

RING

"Oh. I um... sent that one email, right? I was planning on ta-"

RING

"... He's looking at me pretty closely. Oh no, did I do something emba-no. But he's still looking. Can he see my-"

RING

"Feel so weird. Floaty. The... TV is co-"

RING

"... w-... ohh..."

Mark

That worked quicker than I expected for someone with such an active mind. Maybe she was overwhelmed by thinking of what to avoid?

"Can't... Think..." Her voice pulled me from my reverie.

"That's perfect. Exactly what we were trying to do, remember? If you don't have thoughts, you can't be distracted by them. Now then, how many fingers am I holding up?"

"Thr-"

RING

"-right. You don't need to see anything specific, just ignore it all. Only hear my words. No distractions, my words are your thoughts. Repeat that."

"My words... Your thoughts..."

Amazing. Still cheeky, even this far under hypnosis. I guess I'd do it her way.

"Repeat after me. The bell dissolves all my thoughts."

"The bell dissolves all... My thoughts."

"When I hear the bell, I will feel as I do now."

"Bell... Feel like now."

"When I have a physical urge, I will act on it. It will feel completely normal to do so."

"Physical... Urge... Normal?"

"I will wake from this trance when I hear the bell ring next. I will remember everything from this trance."

"Wake... Remember."

RING

Sylvia

I woke with another jolt. My thoughts slowly filtered back in, as if through a sieve. Oh. He'd actually done it. That was so cool! He took away all my thoughts. Made me completely empty. And said things...

I glanced down. My hand had crept into my panties, and I was slowly massaging myself. That was... Normal? Yeah, he gave me that thought. And it was absolutely necessary; that session had done a number on me, and I needed to clear my head if I wanted to keep experimenting with this new kink.

"So, it looks like you enjoyed that quite a bit. How are you feeling?"

Oh, Mark was here! And so far away! I scooted to the cushion directly next to him, leaning up to my good friend's shoulder, re-adjusting the hand in my skirt.

"Great! That was SO cool, you're like a hypnosis expert! I didn't even think it was possible to do it that quickly. So all you have to do is ring that and I'll go back under?"

Mark glanced at the bell, and I took the opportunity to give the obvious bulge in his pants a cursory stroke. I was always curious about those - why was I so reserved?

He jumped, bell in hand, producing a muffled ding and muttered curse, while earning a breathless giggle from me. "Is it always so sensitive?"

"To your two questions, yes and no. I can put you back under anytime I feel inclined, so go easy on the teasing. And seeing a girl touch herself might have something to do with the second one."

"Yeah... I guess you're right. But it's normal for me to do this. You even said so when I was empty and open and... Unh..."

I found a nice rhythm and felt the urge to let myself go. I added another finger and leaned hard against Mark, panting into his side. Just a little more... Oh! I came a little, and had a brief out of place feeling. Was that really nor-

ring

-muh? I slumped as my mind relented. Yes, of course taking care of my physical urge was normal. It did take the edge off, too. Finally, I could think clearly.

"So in the name of fair play, since you touched mine, it's normal for me to touch yours, right?"

I guess that was technically fair, but I've never been particularly patient. I had other priorities. I was buzzing with possibilities, like my mind just couldn't slide off the idea of experimenting, exploring this kink in its entirety.

"Fine, but only if you promise to put me under again. I want to see what it's like to move around while I'm like that. Will I be able to balance? What about more complicated instructions?"

As I drew up my plans to explore this newfound interest, his hand roamed my body, drawing symbols on my neck, my chest, cold metal scraping my stomach. That felt so nice. His hands really were precise. In fact... Wait wait wait. We were wasting precious time! I nudged back and disentangled slightly, still breathing hard against his chest.

"Alright, you've had your fun, hands off. You're pulling up my shirt too. Touching is normal and healthy, but I didn't come over here to give you an eyeful. Now, back to hypnosis! I want to know everything."

"Fine, but only because I promised. After this trance, we'll have to move on."

"What do you mean, got some big plans you haven't told me about? Because I've got all ni-"

RING

Mark

As Sylvia's body stilled and eyebrows furrowed, I took the opportunity to admire my movie buddy. Her cheeks and neck were slightly flushed, mouth slowly muttering half-formed thoughts until her eyes found mine and they were forgotten. I forgot to speak for a moment

"Remember: the words you hear are your own thoughts."

"Words I hear... thoughts."

"You get a little petulant when you're pulled off subject, don't you?"

"Petulant... subject?"

"Not a command. But I will have to be a little more careful with my instructions. So tell me, now that you're like this, do you still want to experiment?"

"Experiment. Yes."

"I'll make you a deal. I'll take the lead and let you experiment, but after every few commands, I get to add a new suggestion. Fair?"

"...Fair."

"I'll take that as a yes. Stand up and turn to me."

Wordlessly, she stood and turned. Alright, no problem with simple motions.

"Mind grabbing my drink from the table?"

"Don't mind", she muttered, lazily strolling to snatch the glass. So she could still parse questions. It was hard to tell what was feigned ignorance rather than actual confusion, coming from such a clever subject. She set down the drink, barely avoiding sloshing it over the edge, then straightened and stared forward with an expression of pure bliss.