"Lights out." I snapped my fingers, and Aaron's eyelids dropped shut, body slumping back against the couch.
"How do you feel?" I asked, my voice soft and easy.
"Mindless..." her tone was quiet and relaxed, and I could feel myself getting hard at the sound of it. "Obedient..."
"And horny," I added, forcing my voice to stay level.
"Horny..." she murmured, shifting in place as a wave of arousal washed over her.
"Very good," I told her. "You're a very good girl."
Aaron sighed with pleasure at my praise. "Very good girl..."
* * *
Even brainiacs have to go to class, and I had just gotten back from my Experimental Psychology lecture (had just slung my backpack down on the kitchen table, in fact) when there was a knock at my door. Glancing through the peephole, I saw Aaron Dimakos, probably the prettiest girl from my Experimental Psychology class, standing uncomfortably out in the hall.
The tall brunette looked a little nervous, so I put on an approachable smile as I opened the door and raised my eyebrows questioningly. "Hey," I said, letting my expression ask the implicit question.
"Hey," she replied, throwing her long, silky hair over her shoulder and shifting her weight. "I... um, wanted to ask you something." She seemed hesitant, and I was intrigued.
"What's up?" I asked with studied nonchalance. "Do you want to come in?" I gestured to the inside of my apartment and she nodded, coming inside.
"Do you want some water?" I offered. "A nice cool beverage is the least I can do for someone who followed me home." I gave her a teasing grin.
She blushed, her tanned skin turning a slightly darker shade. "I didn't want to weird you out by coming up to you right after class." Her voice was subtly tinted with an accent I couldn't place. I found it very... alluring.
"You're right," I nodded. "Trailing me back to my apartment was much more normal."
I poured myself a glass of water and one for her as well. She took it and sipped nervously.
"Well?" I asked, hoping she would get to the point. Despite my outward ease, I was burning with curiosity.
"I want you to hypnotize me!" Aaron blurted out, and then immediately took a sip of water, as though she could swallow back down her words.
My eyebrows shot up and I took a long draught of water to hide my interest. It wouldn't do to seem too eager.
I guess once she'd started, Aaron decided she had to keep the ball rolling if she was going to finish, so the rest of her story came tumbling out. "It's just, I saw you hypnotize Jessica during class for Professor Doherty, and you seemed so confident and good at it..." she trailed off, then the rest came out in a rush. "I need you to help me quit smoking or my boyfriend's going to break up with me."
I nodded several times and sat back, sucking on an ice cube while I contemplated the situation.
Aaron was referring to our lecture today, where students had volunteered to demonstrate the subject material from our last few lessons — hypnosis. Most of the class was made up of giggly psych-majoring coeds, and there was no shortage of volunteers to be put under. No one, however, seemed willing to take on the role of hypnotist, and after a moment I sighed and raised my hand. Jessica was a great subject, and since I've dabbled in hypnosis (even before taking the Ex Psych course) it was easy enough to put her under, give her a few suggestions and bring her out again.
"Why not just ask Professor Doherty?" I asked Aaron innocently. "He's got way more experience than I have."
She made a face. "He's so old and creepy," she said. "And you're... Not." she trailed off lamely, but I knew where she'd been going. Since I had developed and began to use Evolve, a chemical hormone that boosted testosterone, muscle growth and fat loss, I'd grown accustomed to women finding me more than a little attractive. (For the record, Professor Doherty was a fine-looking man in his mid-forties, not the decrepit perv Aaron made him out to be.)
"So let me get this straight," I asked, leaning forward with my forearms on my knees. "You want me to hypnotize you to help you quit smoking, so your boyfriend doesn't leave you?"
Aaron to a gulp of water (for courage, I suppose) and nodded. "Please?" she begged. "I don't know what else to do..." Her dark eyes were gorgeous and deep as they fixed me with a pleading puppy-dog look.
I pursed my lips, as though considering, though my mind had been made up the second she'd asked. "Alright then," I told her, trying to look casual as my mind cavorted off into fantasy land. "When did you want to do this thing?"
* * *
Aaron was over at my apartment late that evening, sipping at the glass of wine I'd offered her. I knew she a little nervous, despite her boldness when she'd begged me to help her earlier, and the wine should help take the edge off.
"Your boyfriend?" I asked casually.
"Away for the weekend with his frat," she replied, sighing. "He gave me until Monday to decide — cigarettes or him. I want to celebrate with him when he gets back by throwing them all away."
I nodded, letting out an internal sigh of relief. I didn't need an angry fratboy pounding on the door halfway into our evening demanding why his girlfriend was over this late at night with a glass of wine. Especially considering what I planned to do with this beauty once we were through. I let Aaron get through most of the glass before settling down next to her on the couch and offering her a reassuring smile. "Ready?" I asked.
To my surprise, she nodded eagerly and placed the glass of wine carefully on the coffee table. "Yes." Her accent still intrigued me, and I couldn't wait to hear her responding to me in the blissful monotone of the entranced.
"Alright," I said, already letting my voice slip into its calm, soothing, hypnotic tone. I pulled a box of matches from my pocket and lit one of the candles I'd set on the coffee table before Aaron arrived.
Aaron sat forward, her elbows on her knees, and watched with interest. "This isn't how you did it in class," she offered.
"If you prefer a pendulum or pocket watch I'm afraid you'll have to go to Professor Doherty," I responded with a smile.
She mock shuddered, relaxing a little bit more at my joke, and I nodded approvingly. "Now, lay back," I ordered, letting an edge of authority enter my voice. She did as she was told, reclining against the armrest and, at my gesture, putting her feet up on the cushions.
I placed the candle on the edge of the coffee table, not two feet from the couch. I got up and dimmed the lights in the whole apartment, so the only true source was Aaron's candle.
"Now, eyes on the flames," I commanded Aaron gently, and watched as she focused on the flickering light. The fire was a good focal point — stationary, but changing enough to keep her attention from wandering.