"You look comfy."

"Yeah, after being in those ridiculous dresses for the show, I really like to just... not be in those. Changing into a hoodie is like coming home and taking your bra off. It's freeing."

"I bet. I'm mostly just dressed up because I'm out seeing a show. Normally I just wear whatever."

"Really? You look cute when you dress up. I think you should consider doing it more often. That dress really suits you."

I blushed a little as I walked next to Linda. We we're at an awkward distance from each other as we strolled through the warm night air.

"I know a few places right near here. I know I originally said coffee, but how do you feel about pie?"

"Like.. Apple?"

"Sure, or chocolate, or cherry, or whatever you want. They have so many different kinds."

"Dessert sounds great, actually."

Linda grabbed my hand and started leading me down another street. "Pie it is!"

"Linda, slow down! I can't run in these"

Linda paused and looked down at my shoes.

"Right, yeah sorry. You don't have to walk on stage in heels six nights a week."

I shook my head no. Six? That's impressive.

We slowly made our way towards pie. To some extent, I was regretting choosing to wear these heels, but the way Linda kept slowing down to take care of me helped a lot. I definitely caught her checking out my legs a few times, too. After a few minutes, we reached a diner, decorated to look like it was straight out of the 50s. We grabbed a booth in the back and sat down.

"So Alexa, what do you want to ask first?" Linda smiled at me, leaning back into the soft cushion of the booth.

"I want to know what I did but also, why don't I remember it?"

"Hypnotic amnesia is a really interesting phenomenon. Some people have difficulty remembering what they did in trance naturally. Some people can be made to forget what they did in trance."

"Did you guys-"

"A little bit. You're going to remember everything tomorrow morning when you wake up. That was part of Mesmer's last command. But for now, you're own natural level of hypnotic amensia and some of Mesmer's commands have left the night blank, I'm guessing."

I nodded. "Yeah I remember getting into the chair and I remember leaving the chair and that's about it." I paused. "Wait so could you make someone rob a bank and then-"

"Forget they robbed the bank? Not exactly. Not with the stuff we were doing on stage, anyways. There's a statement that you can't hypnotize someone to do something they are unwilling to do, which isn't entirely true. Given enough time and enough skill, you could bend someone to do something they would never do, like rob a bank. But that would involve horrible amounts of abuse and psychological manipulation, not hypnosis."

"But, say for example, we're up on stage and we have a fake bank, and big orange plastic guns? Sure, we could hypnotize someone to rob that bank. The subconscious knows it's safe, that no one is really being hurt."

I nodded. "Would you say you bent me?"

Linda paused. She had a slight frown on her face. "I want to be honest with you here. Definitely a little bit. I-"

A waitress wandered up to our table. "Y'all know what you'd like to order?"

"A slice of chocolate pie, and Alexa, you said you liked apple, right? They have the best apple pie in the city."

"Aww Linda, you're too sweet." I looked over with surprise at Linda. 

"I eat here a lot. I know Margie and a lot of the late night staff here." Linda turned to Margie, "How's Glenn doing? How's his new baby?"

"He's still got another week with the kid. We could really use him back, we need all the help we can get. So that'll be one slice of chocolate, one slice of apple. Anything else?"

"What do you want to drink Alexa?"

I turned to Margie, "Do you have any fruity teas?"

"I'll see what I can find. And your usual coffee Linda?" Linda smiled. "Yes please!"

With that, Margie went back to the kitchen to place our orders.

"Anyways, as I was saying. I think we pushed you a bit, but you were also a pretty amazing hypnotic subject. I'm not saying this to insult you, but as a kid, did you have an overactive imagination?"

"I'm not sure why you would think I find that insulting, but yeah, I was a bit of a daydreamer."

"You got pretty into being up there on stage. The audience loved you." She chuckled as my face went red.

"I want to know, but also I really don't want to know."

"No matter what, you're going to remember tomorrow morning so... it's up to you if you want to hear it now."

"How about this, we start from least embarrassing to most embarrassing, and if I can't handle it, we can stop before I die."

"I'm not going to tell you about the really embarrassing stuff until you're slowly sipping your tea."

"LINDA!!!" She cackled at my outburst.

"First on the list, let's see, you basically smelled something awful every time you heard a farting sound effect on the speakers. You made some pretty funny faces."

I rolled my eyes a little at that. "Doesn't sound like that was too bad." I took a swig of water from my glass.

"At one point you couldn't remember your name unless you were squeezing your breasts." I spit my water out over the table. I looked sheepish as Linda sighed and cleaned up the mess.

"I didn't actually think you were going to do that."

"I'm really sorry. But hey, that has to be the most embarrassing thing I've done tonight."

Linda giggled. "Not even close. But I'll let you think that for now."

Our drinks and pie came, and damn, she was right. It was good apple pie.

"Ok, so let's hold off on the stories for a few minutes. How long have you been in Vegas?"

"I actually went to college out here, and then I ended up working a couple of odd jobs on the strip before I ended up in the Hypno-tainment industry."

"How do you end up as the assistant to the great Mesmer?"

"That's a really long story. The short version is, I asked."

"And the long version?"

"I had a grad school stint in psychology. I was thinking about going into therapy, and ended up reaching out Mesmer to talk about hypnosis for a school project. Mesmer agreed to an interview, and we got to talking about everything from psychology, to the theory of the mind, to our favorite flavors of ice cream. I asked what it takes to become a hypnotist, and Mesmer gave me a demonstration. Stuck my hand to the chair I was sitting on. We talked theory and practice and I became hooked. I volunteered to do some work backstage, and after a few weeks of helping out behind the scenes, Mesmer found a way for me to assist in the spotlight."

"Wow. How long have you been doing it for?"

"I've been Mesmer's assistant for a year and a few months. I've been learning and practicing hypnosis pretty much non-stop during that time period. I've even been working on new routines for the show."

"You can have a routine in hypnosis?"

"So there are classic, pretty common suggestions in hypnosis. Things that are pretty basic. With a stage show, there are suggestions that a lot of people use, from being stuck to a chair to being tickled by invisible hands. Once you've seen enough people get tickled, it stops being quite so funny. So the big acts, like Mesmer's, have to figure out how to add props or do new things."

"So what sort of routines have you added?"

"Well, I was the one who figured out how to get a stripper pole on and off the stage. So it's my fault you spent some time as a stripper, gyrating on the pole."

Once again, I could feel the blood rushing to my face.

"You kept on all of your clothes, don't worry. But you have some sweet moves. Ever thought of being a professional stripper here?" she teased.

"I figured out how to make the props necessary work, I got them ordered and set up, and we gave it a go, and it's been a hit ever since."

"What does a more fundamental routine look like?"

Linda paused, and nibbled her lip. "Do you mind if I demonstrate? I'd be putting you into a light trance and waking you right you back up."

I must have had a strange look on my face, she looked really worried.

"I want to build trust with you. I want to be honest and upfront with you. No surprises unless you want them. I'm not here to shock and amaze an audience. I'm here today to show you how cool the human mind is, and what it can do."

"I trust you." Her eyes sparkled as I said that. 

"I want you to put your hands one or two feet apart. Keep them flat, palms facing each other, like you're holding a box. Now, I want you to focus on the space in between your hands. Really concentrate on that space. Now, close your eyes, still focusing on that space in your mind. Now, picture your hands as magnets, attracted together, attracted to that space in between. Keep concentrating on that space, feeling your hands drift closer and closer. And the closer they get together, the harder it is to separate them. Just like magnets, they keep pulling each other in. Pulling each other in, getting closer and closer and almost touching and SLEEP!"

"... and wide awake. How are you feeling Alexa?"

My eyes fluttered open, and I looked around. I was at the diner still. Everything was still normal, as far as I could tell. 

"Relax Alexa. Exactly as I said. I woke you right back up. No triggers, no hypnotic suggestions."

"Whoa, what was that?" 

"That was a version of the magnetic hands suggestibility test. In the most basic version of it, you can see how good of a hypnotic subject someone might be by how they react to the test. Your hands drifting together like they did is the sign that you're good at being hypnotized. From that stage, there's a lot of cool stuff we can do."

"Like what?"

"Well, that depends on what you want. If you wanted we could find somewhere quieter, and we could discuss what you'd be comfortable with experiencing."

"What I'd be comfortable with?"

"Well, I'd want to make sure it's stuff that seems fun for you. You know, not doing anything like the bad smell hypnosis."

It was late, but I didn't really have to do too much with the conference tomorrow, and I did like spending time with Linda. 

“Yeah, that sounds like it could be fun.”

She reached across the table, her hand touching mine. Her skin was incredibly soft, and her touch was warm and comforting.

“I want to be explicitly clear here. I want to hypnotize you and potentially have some very sexy times with you.” I bit my lip, my face felt flushed. I’m sure I looked nervous, because I certainly felt it. “Before we go anywhere else, I want to make sure that’s something that you want. I want to establish boundaries. I want to make sure you have a really, really nice time."

She gently squeezed my hand. I was extremely nervous. I'd never known anyone to be so... so forward about this sort of thing. 

I started to stammer. "I uh, it's... uh... been years since..." I was bright red, "the last time I did anything... with anyone and uh I'm not very..."

She waited patiently for me to finish my thought, gently running her thumb along the back of my hand.

"I'm not sure what I want?"

"And that's ok. You can take your time. We can go slow. We can establish some good boundaries, give you a safe space to just be. Let me ask you a couple of questions. Breathe, think about them, and give me an honest answer. You're the star tonight"

I was still a little on edge, but I nodded.

"Do you have a habit of picking up from the show?"

Linda giggled. "You're the only one whose ever caught my eye." Yup, that's all of the blood in my body, just going straight to my face. It seems like it just lives there now.

"Let me ask some basic questions first. How do you feel about hand-holding?"

"Hand-holding is nice." She squeezed my hand as I responded to her.

"Cuddling and spooning?"

"I'm comfortable with that."

"Are you a big spoon? Little spoon?" 

"I could go either way."

"Now, how do you feel about touches on the forearms? Shoulders? Neck? Back?"

"That all seems ok."

"And if something isn't ok, or you change your mind? Say something, please. If I'm making you feel uncomfortable, I want to know. This is about making you happy."

I squeezed Linda's hand back. As embarrassing as it is to talk about this sort of stuff, I was starting to feel much more comfortable.

"Legs? Thighs?"

"I'm not sure?"

"Then we'll hold off on that for now. Breasts? Going below the belt?"

"I'm not sure about my breasts, and I'm really nervous about... you know..."

"Then we'll 100% stay away from that. To be honest, I don't need to touch you at all to make you feel really good. You don't even need to touch yourself."

I felt like I was going to die from embarrassment. Linda took her other hand and touched my forearm. 

"But only if that's something you want. You're safe with me. We can make this as erotically charged or as light and fluffy as you want."

I held my breath for a moment. What did I want? Even though I was going to be hypnotized, I was the one in control here. 

"It's really my choice?"

"I'm not here to make you do ridiculous things in front of 100 people. Well, not unless you want me to. I'm just here to make sure you have a great time that you'll never forget."

"And I won't forget this time?"

"I'm going to make sure you're very aware of how much fun you're having."

"I think I'd be comfortable with it on the more erotic side."

"That's very much something I can arrange. Where are you staying?"

"My hotel is actually a few blocks away, I picked the show because it was nearby."

"Great, let me pay for us and we'll go. I'm treating you, since you're from out of town." She winked at me and went up to the counter to pay. 

A few minutes later and were walking towards my hotel. This time she had laced her fingers with mine. I'm sure my hand was gross and sweaty, I was so nervous. But she didn't rush me, and we took our time making my way back. The entire time we talked about Vegas, and she acted as my personal tour guide, telling me about the various shows and performances that have been in the area over the years. It definitely put me at ease.

We walked into my hotel and I could feel my heart racing in my chest. We stepped into the elevator, and she leaned up against my shoulder. A gentle hand rubbed the small of my back. The elevator doors opened up and she practically dragged me out. I stumbled up to the door and fumbled with my wallet, searching for my room key. When the light on the door handle turned green, she practically slammed the door open and ushered me inside. I was worried that she was going to pin me to a wall. Instead, her whole demeanor changed. Now that it was just us, she slowed down, carefully looking around the room. My suitcase was open on the ground and I had some clothes strewn about. I really wasn’t expecting to have anyone else here.

“This is really cute!”

“Yeah, and it wasn’t too expensive either.”

“Why don’t you take a seat.” She gestured to the arm chair sitting by the window. I walked over and sat down. Instantly I felt better. I don’t think I’ve ever walked this much in heels in my life.

“My feet are killing me.”

“It’s a lot to get used to,” she said kneeling down by my feet. “Do you want some help taking these off?”

“Yes please. I don’t think I could bend down to work the mess of straps.”

Linda delicately removed my shoes. I wiggled my toes in my tights. It felt heavenly to be free.

“Doesn’t that feel better?”

I sighed and nodded. Sitting down just felt so good.

“And so you still want to continue with what we discussed earlier? It’s ok to say no.”

“I do.”

“Mmmm. Good.” She stood and got behind the chair, and started gently rubbing my shoulders. 

“And how does this feel?”

“It feels really nice.”

“Good. Now I want you to start to focus on a spot on the wall. Pick a spot and concentrate on it. As you focus your attention, let your mind drift to your breathing. How you breathe in... and out. Breathing in... and out... Each breath in brings you relaxation, and each breath out removes the stress and tension from your body. Breathing in relaxation, and breathing out the aches and pains of the day. And as you breathe, find yourself focusing on that spot. And as you focus, you start to blink. Each blink making your eyes heavier and heavier. Each breath making your eyes so heavy... just feeling so good to relax and drift... listening to my words...”

“... and Wide Awake Alexa. How are you feeling?”

I shook my head. I was still in the chair, but it felt like I was coming out of a nap. 

“A little groggy to be honest.”

“That’s all good. I want you to know you’re doing very well.” She squeezed my shoulders to emphasize how good I was doing. 

“So I made it so you can drop back into trance with just a word. But I wanted to talk about what I’m doing next, and to check I’m with you. I wanted to demonstrate something you could be awake for and still experience. Do you want to hear more?”

“I trust you. I’m up for a little surprise.”

Once again her eyes lit up. “Then Alexa, take a deep breath in... and SLEEP”

“... and Wide Awake Alexa. How are you feeling?”

I stretched my arms and wiggled my toes. 

“I’m feeling pretty good!”

“Great! Now, Alexa... Right Arm Bound.”

I felt my right arm stiffen at the wrist. 

“Go ahead and try to move it from the arm rest. You’ll find it’s tied down and the harder you try to struggle, the more stuck you become.”

I started to struggle, but no matter what I tried, my arm was stuck in place. Linda giggled at my ineffective attempt to escape.

“It’s really cute how hard you’re trying. Release!”

My arm flew off the armrest. I shook my hand, making sure I could actually move.

"What was that like?" Linda asked.

"It was weird. I could feel my muscles tensing up but my arm wouldn't move from that spot. It was completely stuck."

"Stuck like this? Arms bound to the chair, legs bound to the chair."

My arms felt like they were pulled down to the armrests and locked into place. My legs pushed into the bottom of the chair. Try as I might, they couldn't move. I jerked my hips around, trying to find any leverage to escape, but it was useless.

"See how all of your struggling just makes it worse? You're completely stuck. All you've done is mess up your hair. Full Body Lock."

My whole body stiffened. I was completely frozen, unable to move. My eyes could look around the room, and I could breathe, but that seemed to be it. I watched as Linda came up next to me and started brushing my hair with her fingers. She took her time, playing with it a little as I sat there, completely frozen and unable to move.

"Release!"

I stretched, suddenly happy I could at least tilt my head.

"Woah. That was intense."

"You're doing really well," said Linda as she rubbed my shoulder.

"I could just move my eyes and breathe."

"We could try a more intense version of that, if you wanted."

"One where I can't breathe?"

"No, oh no no no no. There are other things to freeze besides your breathing. Given your talent for being hypnotized, it'll be pretty cool."

"I trust you." Once again that warm smile lit up the room.

"Then, Alexa, SLEEP!"

"... and Wide Awake Alexa. How are you feeling?"

I smiled. I felt really incredible, and pretty energized. "I'm feeling awesome."

"Great! Let me help you up." Linda pulled me off of the armchair and got me to my feet, and gently led me to the center of the room. She stood in front of me, smiling. Then she vanished.

I quickly looked around to see Linda right behind me.

"Holy shit what did you how what."

Then she was gone again. I spun around, and she was casually lounging on the bed.

"Linda are you a-" and then she was standing right in front of me, grinning. 

"witch? How did you do that?"

"I'm not magic. I'm just making you turn into a blank statue. Your thoughts and body are frozen. So when I unfreeze you, it's like no time has passed. here, let me show you. May I borrow your phone?"

I unlocked my phone and handed it to her. 

"Now please, do your best statue pose."

I placed both feet firmly on the ground and lifted my arm into the air triumphantly.

"Great and..."

"Great job Alexa!"

"I'm guessing you did it?"

She smiled and started to hand me my phone. "Yup! Press play on the video!"

Sure enough, there was a video of me, standing there as Linda circled me, taking video the whole time. I didn't see her move at all but the proof was right in front of me.

"That's incredible!"

"I know, right? You're really doing great. I have one more thing I'd like to show you, if you're up for more."

"Yes please!"

"Then hop up onto the bed Alexa, and let's set up those pillows so you can rest up against them."

She helped me arrange the pillows into a comfortable pile. I sat on the bed, using the pillows to support my back.

"This next one is going to be so fun. Alexa, SLEEP!"

------

Alexa's head slumped down as she collapsed into the pillows.

"Doing so good to just follow my words and drop deeper and deeper down. Ten times deeper than before as you SLEEP. Feeling so good to fall this deep under. Now Alexa, when I say the word Pleasure, you're going to find a wave of warm arousal start to fill your body. Pleasure is going to send sparks of Pleasure and arousal throughout your body, from your toes all the way to the top of your head. And every time I say Pleasure, that arousal is going to build in intensity. It's going to get stronger and stronger each time I say it. This is your reality. Pleasure is going to fill you with ecstasy and arousal the more I say it. However, no matter how turned on you are, no matter how close to the edge you are, you won't be able to cum until I say Orgasm Now. When I say those words, it'll trigger a massive orgasm. Pleasure builds your arousal, building and building until Orgasm Now releases it. Be a good girl and nod your head if you understand."

Alexa gave the cutest, sleepiest nod of her head.

"Good girl Alexa, feeling so good to let these words become your reality. Now, I'm going to wake you up on the count of 3. You're going to feel refreshed and amazing, and every time I say Pleasure, you'll get more and more aroused, but you won't be able to cum until I let you. Now, waking up on the count of 3. 1, slowly becoming aware, 2, more and more awake. And 3... Wide Awake Alexa. How are you feeling?"

She gave the cutest stretch. I loved seeing her come out of trance with that small smile on her face.

"Good. It's been a good day."

"I'm really glad to hear that. Because I'm about to be a big, mean jerk to you. Arms spread and bound to the headboard. Legs spread and bound."

Alexa's arms stretched out as she pinned herself to the headboard, and her legs spread wide. She was helplessly stuck again.

"Good Alexa. Doesn't it feel good to be stuck like that?"

Alexa rolled her eyes at me. "Sure, and I also like Mondays."

"Mondays give you Pleasure don't they?"

A small moan escaped her mouth as I said her trigger. I grinned at her sudden confusion.

"Should we call it Moanday then? It must give you so much Pleasure if it makes you react like that"

Alexa moaned again, a little louder this time. I cupped her chin with my hand.

"How are you feeling now? Turned on? Aroused? Filled with Pleasure?"

Her hips bucked a little, punctuating her loud moan.

"Yes," she said, her eyes filled with need.

"Pleasure." She gasped, still bound in place, unable to do anything but experience new levels of growing arousal.

"Pleasure." Another loud moan escaped her lips.

"It gets stronger each time I say it. Pleasure, doubling now. Pleasure, tripling. Pleasure, Pleasure, Pleasure!"

Alexa was biting her lip, head tilted forward, eyes wide with ecstasy. I moved closer to her, gently running a finger down her right arm towards her neck as I inched closer.

"Pleasure." Alexa mewled, as I placed myself right in front of her, one hand at the small of her back, the other on her shoulder. I was sitting on my knees, right in between her spread thighs. I rubbed the small of her back and caressed her shoulder gently.

"Pleasure. Ten times as strong now. Pleasure. A hundred times as strong!"

Alexa was moaning, her hips were gyrating harder and harder with each use of the trigger.

"What would you give for release right now? What would you give to cum?"

Alexa moaned as I rubbed her shoulder.

"Please let me cum. I'm so horny I need-"

"Pleasure." Her sentence was cut off by a moan and more bucking.

"So needy huh. Do you want to be a good girl and cum for me?"

Alexa was shaking her head yes. She was panting and desperate.

"Good girl Alexa. Pleasure!"

Her moan was sweet music to my ears.

"I'm going to count from 10, all the way down to 1, and then I'll let you cum. And with each number, the Pleasure is going to increase ten times. Feeling so good and hot right now aren't you?"

Alexa nodded, completely lost in the feeling of lust taking over her body.

"10. Feeling so much Pleasure and arousal."

Alexa squirmed, her breathing getting heavier now.

"9. Feeling that Pleasure intensifying, building you towards that edge"

Alexa was holding onto the bars of the headboard for balance, her forehead resting on my shoulder.

"8. Pleasure growing even stronger now. Getting closer to the edge"

Alexa moaned. I could feel her hot and heavy breath on my chest as she shivered.

"7. Pleasure intensifying. Starting to ride that edge"

Alexa's hips were starting to buck. She was looking for anything to grind against, but I was too far away, leaving her bucking desperately into the air.

"6. Pleasure increasing ten fold. Riding that edge"

Alexa's each breath came with a delightful little moan. I bit my lip, trying not to let how turned on I was creep into my voice.

"5. Pleasure keeping you trapped on that edge. Desperate and needy.

Alexa moaned and pulled her head back. I could see drops of sweat starting to form on her forehead. 

"4. Pleasure increasing by a hundred times. Stuck on the edge."

"Pleaaaaaaaase" she whined. Her hips kept bucking desperately, but with her arms bound to the bed, she wasn't going to be able to find relief.

"3. Pleasure increasing by a thousand times. Getting so close."

Alexa let out a whimper. She needed to cum so badly, I could tell.

"2. Pleasure increasing even more. Almost over the edge now, filling up with so much Pleasure. Alexa, Release and feel Pleasure."

Instantly she wrapped her arms and legs around me, desperately grinding her hips against my thigh. She pressed her face into my shoulder. I held my finger and thumb next to ear, preparing to snap as I said the final trigger.

"Pleasure. Pleasure. Pleasure. And 1. Orgasm Now"

Alexa screamed into my shoulder as I snapped. Her whole body shook as she squeezed me, her breasts pushing into mine. I could feel her desperate hips grind into my thigh as the hypnotic orgasm rocked her whole body. I held her tightly while she shook, until finally the last waves of pleasure died down. I gently rubbed her back and pet her hair.

"You did so good Alexa. You did so good."

She just held onto me, shaking a little from the intensity of the orgasm. I helped her lie down, and cuddled her from behind. 

"I'm really proud of you. You did so well."

I wrapped my arms around her as I let her be the little spoon. Her heavy breathing slowly eased up. I reached down and pulled the covers up over us. I knew Alexa would just want rest after that, and I stretched past her to shut off the light.

"Did you have fun Alexa?"

"Mmmmmm." She pressed herself up against me, burrowing herself further into my embrace. I placed a gentle kiss on the back of her neck, and she giggled softly. We lay there for a few more minutes, neither of us saying anything, until I heard a soft snore. Alexa must have been exhausted to have just fallen asleep like that. I sighed quietly to myself. Today was really special. I held Alexa tightly, determined to enjoy what time I had with her as I too drifted off.