Now – Thursday, 6:59pm

"Fuck! Case!" Alison called into the kitchen. She scuffed her mouse, jabbed at the Escape key repeatedly, tried Ctrl-Alt-Delete, then smacked her keyboard with an open palm. Nothing. Her desktop monitor remained frozen. "Of all the… goddamnit! Casey!"

"Hang on!" her roommate yelled back. "Muffins! Two minutes!"
Alison let out a long exhale and reclined in her gamer chair, placing a hand over her heart. She swiveled back and forth, studying the minuscule cracks that crisscrossed the ceiling. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing, trying to find calm. A knock at the door.

"Come in," Alison said, sitting forward. "I told you, Case, you don't have to knock."

"Kinda do, Ali," Casey said. She wiped her floury hands on her apron. "I mean…" She gestured with an open palm, up and down, indicating Alison's… everything. "Look at you."

"What're you… oh." Alison looked down. Her hoodie was unzipped past her navel, and one hand had wandered inside, absently massaging a bare breast. From the waist down, she had nothing on but a pair of boy shorts and a single green sock. "Right. Sorry," Alison said, turning pink. She hastily withdrew her hand and zipped the hoodie up to her chin, pulling the hem to mid-thigh. "Sorry, Cici."

"It's fine, Adie," Casey said. "I've walked in on worse. What’d you need?"

"It’s this fucking… thing." She waved a hand at her streaming rig. "My VPN’s acting up again, or it’s got a virus or something. Always something, as usual. Could you…?"

Casey sighed. "I’ll have Cal look into it. What time do you go live?"

"I’m thinking maybe nine? Ish?"

"Until?"

"'Question mark!" Alison smiled wide. "Gotta make that rent. I’m so glad you’re cool with it still, I mean, I know it sometimes can be awkward–"

"Ali." Casey gave her a small, resigned smile in return. "I’ll be fine. I’ll be home late, and if you’re still at it I’ve got my headphones charging, and my Nothing-Is-Happening-Everything-Is-Fine playlist already cued up."

"Oh come on, I don’t make that much noise when I'm on stream." Alison said. "I mean, at most all I’m doing is–"

"Noooope! Nopenopenope. Don’t need to know, Ali."

"Okay, okay. Got it. Shutting up. Thanks, Case." Alison paused. "You know, sometime when I'm camming, if you ever wanted to…"

"Ugh. I'm not going to join in, Ali." Casey pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "For the millionth… I might be a lowly adjunct, but I don't need extra money that badly."

"Ha! I just meant you could watch the show sometime, Case, see what it is I do. VIP access, on the house, I wouldn't even have to know you were signed on. But now you mention it, with those tits…" Alison's gaze drifted downward. Under the floral apron, Casey's breasts strained against a tight sweater. She imagined Casey in the apron and nothing else, busy at the counter making a quiche or whatever. "We could…" Imagined kissing down the hard knots of Casey’s spine to her tailbone, nudging the taller girl’s legs apart before lowering…

Casey watched her, one eyebrow raised, waiting.

"We'd, uh, we’d make money faster than we could spend it," Alison said at last, her daydream evaporating.

"Yeah, thanks, no, sorry, it’s still a no. To both. Not watching, definitely not going on camera." Casey crossed her arms. "It’s been years, Ali. When are you going to stop asking?"

"When you say yes, Caseygirl." Alison smirked. "I'll change your mind someday. You'll see. Show you what you've been missing."

"Sure, you do that. So long as it's after finals. Did you need anything else? Muffins are cooling, and I still have to put the lasagna in the oven and get back to grading."

"Nope, that’s it, thanks," said Alison. "Get outta here. Gotta get busy dyeing."

"Oh right! What color did they pick?"

Alison ran a hand through her short, freshly-bleached hair. "Blue this time. By fourteen percent. But shhh! It’s a secret! You can’t tell, anyone, not even–"

"I'll call him right now, and I promise not to tell."

"Love you, Cici," Alison said, distracted, tapping away at her phone. "I owe you one."

*             *             *

Yatter post from @AliCat19 - 7:06pm: The votes are in! New bra, new hair! Showtime in T-minus 2 hrs! xoxo #hairreveal #tangerinedream #yellowfever #ijustbluemyself #notezbngreen #redscare #youreturningvioletviolet #silverfox #goldengirl #cutenomatterwhatcolor

*             *             *

Casey closed her bedroom door and leaned her weight against it. She and Alison had been friends since first grade, and had seen each other naked plenty of times, but still. It was the way Alison looked at her recently, that longing, that hunger . It was… different.

No. Focus up. Call Cal .

"Aria?" Casey called out. Her phone chirruped. "Call Cal. Put it on speaker."

"Calling Cal," the phone said in a metallic voice.

Two rings, then Cal picked up. "Yeah?" He sounded busy, impatient.

"Heeey, little brother."

"This again. We’re six minutes apart, Case. Six. What’s up?"

"Hang on, putting you on speaker." She untied her apron and hung it on a hook. "I need to get ready for class while we talk."

"What’s on the bill tonight?"

"Double feature," Casey said, shrugging out of her sweater. "Atanarjuat and The Thing, eighty-two. Carpenter’s their reward for making it to the end of term and handing in their essays on time."

"Sounds snowy."

"It felt appropriate. You looked outside?" she asked, peeking through her curtains. The falling snow showed no signs of slowing.

"Yeah, it’s still coming down pretty hard. You going to be alright getting to campus?"

"Should be. I think I’ll walk it. Love the snow, hate driving in it. I’m heading out now, gotta set up the projector and maybe get some grading in. Talk soon!"

"Um, Casey…? Big sister? You called me…?"

"Oh! Duh! Right! It’s Ali, she needs–"

"Fuck me, it’s Thursday, isn’t it? Tech support?"

"Got it in one. She’s going live at nine. Do you think you can come over?"

"What time is… shit. I’m supposed to meet Jeff for coffee in half an hour." The sound of typing in the background. "Give me… just a sec…"

"It’s okay, I’ll tell her you’re busy. Maybe she can use her phone or something…"

"No no, it’s fine, I can take care of it from here."

"Thanks, Cal. I’ll owe you. I made a batch of those cranberry orange muffins you like. Ali knows – she sniffed them out – but I’ll try and save you some." Casey, down to her utilitarian bra and panties, went over to her closet. She selected a bulky cardigan and a gray button-up blouse. "You still coming over on Sunday? I’m doing carbonara."

"Wouldn’t miss it. I’ll bring that wine you like."

"Can’t wait! Bring extra, I’ll be finished grading by then and we can all celebrate. Ali says she misses you, whatever that means. Listen, I really need to get going. You sure you can…?"

"Tell Ali I’ll call her in a few. Need to sort out a few things on my end first."

"Thanks, little brother." Casey stood before a full-length mirror, studying herself. She ran a hand down her stomach. Thank god Cal can’t seem me like this. Unconsciously, she removed her bra tossed it away. She lifted her naked breasts and pressed them together, creating a deep cleft. "Hey, uh, before you go? Ask you something?"

"Mm-hm?" He kept typing.

"Ali's cam shows." With those tits… Casey turned to the side. "You've never watched them, have you?"

"Jesus, Case! No! She's like a sister to me, you know? Besides, it's not like she ever goes past the underwear stage on cam, and I've seen that much at your apartment." More clacking, then a pause. Cal laughed. "Waitasec, why? Have you?!"

Lost in her own reflection now, breasts full, hair untamed, Casey barely recognized herself. It took her a moment to process her brother's question. "What?! No, I've… I'd never. She's like a sister. Like, uh, like you said. Anyway. I'll tell her you’ll call. Um. Yeah. Bye. Thanks. Bye. Aria, hang up." Her phone bleeped.

Casey shook her head, trying to clear it, then checked the clock: twelve after seven. Less than two hours until Ali would be on camera, gliding her hands over her body, and then that familiar moan through the wall…

Casey briefly considered Ali’s offer, that lust, that want she’d seen in her roommate’s eyes. How easy it would be to blow off tonight’s screening, to take those five steps across the hall and join her roommate, showing themselves off in front of… what was it? Dozens of strangers? Hundreds? She rubbed herself through her panties, feeling the first pricklings of arousal. Anyone could be watching them… her professors… her students… her brother…

Casey let out a soft, involuntary moan, breaking her reverie. No. Don't think about that. You have work to do. She pulled her hair into a tight ponytail and reached for her blouse, her bra forgotten in the corner.

*             *             *

Alison heard the knock and lowered her headphones "Yeah?" she said, swiveling in her chair.

Casey stood in the doorway, done up in her charcoal overcoat and red pompom hat. "Cal said he can help," she said. "He’s gonna call you in a few."

"Ugh," Alison grumbled. "Who even calls anymore?"

"Hey, be nice! He’s doing you a favor. I’m headed out, dinner’s in the oven, timer’s set, needs another forty-five minutes. Got that? Forty. Five. Minutes. Listen for it this time. Oh, and don’t touch the muffins."

"Promise." Alison gave a mock salute.

"I’ll probably be back late. And Adie?"

"Cici?"

"Answer your phone!"

Alison grumbled again and put her headphones back on.

*             *             *

Yatter post from @AliCat19 - 7:21pm: Less than 2 hours! Time to dye! Get your Credits ready! #remotevibes #buzzmein #demtittays #hairreveal #fuckyoupayme  

*             *             *

Alison was just stepping out of the shower when her phone buzzed, playing 'Cat Party' and vibrating off the counter. The screen lit up with a blurry photo of a dark-haired man, overlaid with the words ‘Tech Support.’

"Goddamnit," Alison muttered. "Your timing sucks, dude." She scooped the phone off the bathmat and tapped the screen.

"Igor! How’s my loyal servant?"

"Hey, Ali. Are you there? You sound like you’re in a cave."

"Got you on speaker. I’m in the bathroom, getting ready for tonight’s show." Alison draped a frayed bath towel over her shoulders and headed for her bedroom, naked and dripping. "You know, you could’ve just texted like a normal person."

"Look, do you want my help or not? It’s faster this way, trust me."

"Sure, fine, whatever. So Case filled you in?"

"Sort of, she said your computer was locked up. Did you try–"

Alison huffed. "Yes, Calvin, I tried–"

"Just Cal."

"Yes, Cal, of course I tried rebooting it. Like nine times. It’s good for a minute or two, then bam, it’s fucked. Frozen solid. What time do you think you can get here?"

"No need. I put in a backdoor last time I was there, just a few lines of code I wrote that give me remote access to your system."

"Remote access? A backdoor?" Alison wrinkled her nose. "Sounds kinda shady, my dude."

"Look, it’s not… nevermind. It only works if you give me permission. Now, I need you to hold down the question mark and tilde keys – tilde’s the little squiggle thing, top left–"

"I know what the fuck a tilde is, Cal. Done. Now what?"

"Hit Enter, the one on the numpad, and that’ll–"

"Give me a minute, my hands are too small." Alison bent forward and pressed the Enter key with tip of her nose. The screen flashed to life, then displayed a dark green background with white text.

"Perfect," Cal said over the faint clatter of his keyboard. "I can see you on my end."

Alison squeaked, panicking, reaching out to cover her webcam with one hand and her breasts with the other.

"Um, not literally, Ali."

"I knew that. Shut up." Alison dropped her arms, briefly wondering if she’d have minded that. Or liked it, even.

"Now, you should see a popup asking if you want to allow me to take over your desktop. Click ‘Yes’."

"Aaaand… clicked."

"Okay, so you see the mouse cursor?" The small black arrow flitted back and forth across the screen. "How it’s moving on its own? That means we’re linked up. I see what you see. I’ve got a diagnostic running now that should take care of any viruses, malware, whatever you’ve… contracted. That little box up in the corner there? That’s its progress, so we’re looking at about forty-five, fifty minutes for a surface scan-and-scrub. You’re live at nine, right?"

"Ish, yeah. There’s some wiggle room."

"I’ll need to run a deeper scan at some point, maybe next time I’m over, but this’ll get you to where you need to be in time for your stream. I’ve gotta go in a minute, but the program’ll take care of itself, so you can go blue yourself or whatever you need to do. In the meantime, do me a favor, going forward?"

"Skoden."

"Don’t click on every weird link these guys send you."

"Hey, all part of the job. Can't promise anything. No risk, no reward. Speaking of, I owe you big for this. You want me to chuck you a VIP pass, let you watch all the naughty bits for free?"

"Alison. Ali. I’ve told you, I don’t watch you cam. Like I said to Casey, you’re basically family. It’d just feel… wrong."

"Okay, liar, if you say so. I see you checking me out, that little crush you have on me. It’s cute. I really wouldn’t mind, you know, if you did want to watch me. In fact, Cal?"

"Hm."

Alison’s voice went husky, conspiratorial. "It turns me on a little bit, thinking about it…"

"Aaaand that’s my cue. I’ll see you guys on Sunday."

"Your loss," Alison said. Cal had already hung up.

*             *             *

Alison ran a last-minute equipment check as the onscreen countdown clock reached three minutes. She tested her headphones, her ring light, her mouse and keyboard. She toggled between her desktop, her webcam feed, and the tripod-mounted handheld pointed at the bed behind her. The color-coded buttons of her stream deck twinkled – mute, BRB, banhammer, kill switch. She was ready.

Two minutes. Whatever Cal’s program had done seemed to have worked. Everything was running without a hiccup – if anything, running even more smoothly than it had when he'd first helped her with her setup. A box in the corner of her screen blinked: ‘Remote Link Active - Scan Progress 100%.’ Alison minimized it.

One minute. Alison flipped to the webcam feed, and her image filled the screen. She wore her trademark purple hoodie, unzipped over a partially-buttoned white dress shirt over a low-cut black tank top over a translucent baby blue half-cup bra. She’d learned on day one that the more clothes you started with, the more you got to take off. The key was finding the right balance – show just enough to keep them interested, while teasing that the privilege of seeing what was hidden was worth paying for.

Forty-five seconds. She brought her legs up into the chair with her and hugged her knees. Her winter-pale thighs were hidden under a pair of tearaway track pants – one of her signature moves was to face away from the camera and then rip the pants off in one go, revealing her pink-and white knee socks and matching thong.

Thirty seconds. She ruffled her still-damp hair and tucked an errant strand behind her ear. The dye job had left it a vibrant, almost neon blue. It made her already luminous cobalt eyes seem even brighter.

Fifteen seconds. She tucked her hair under a plain black beanie, hiding it for the big reveal.

Five seconds. She hovered the cursor over the ‘Go Live!’ button.

Zero. Go.

*             *             *

9:00 PM: Alicat19 has logged on!

Viewer count: 51

Tonight’s Topic: Hair reveal @ 10pm Eastern! Bra reveal @11!! Tip right now!!! READ THE RULES!!!!

Trigger vibe (fast) – 5 seconds: 1 Credit. Trigger vibe (slow) – 5 seconds: 1 Credit. Butt Flash: 3 Credits. Breast Flash: 5 Credits. Foot show: 10 Credits. Spank show: 20 Credits. Tit Play: 25 Credits. Rub Over Panties: 30 Credits. Rub Over Panties: 50 Credits. Current Room Goal: 500 Credits, strip down to Bra & Panties. Private Chat: 10 Credits/minute.

*             *             *

"They’re a thirty-four C, PigShoes," Alison said, pulling her tank top and bra back down after flashing the camera. She had already lost her hoodie and dress shirt, and she wasn’t even an hour into her stream. "Sometimes a D, depending on the bra. Or what time of the month it is. Thanks for the five."

YouCantFaxGlitter: They seem bigger 2nite

"Full confession? I just housed a couple muffins and like, a third of a lasagna before the stream. So yes, I’ve put on a little weight lately. Upside? It always goes straight to my tits." She stood, sticking her ass out. She gave it a playful slap. "And to my butt. I’m lucky that way. Complaints?"

But_Black_Dynamite: Daayum!

PigShoes: zero complaints here

YouCantFaxGlitter: Good genes. U shud thank ur mum

P3nny-Dr3@dful: Jealous on this end, Alicat.

OnlyJoking tipped 2 Credits - Vibe

"I’ll do that, Glitter." Alison sat back down. Her remote vibe pulsed in her pussy. "Ungh! Th-thanks, OJ."

OnlyJoking: Don’t call me OJ

OnlyJoking: J/K

OnlyJoking: :p

BourgeoisDimwit: LOL OJ LOLOL

Butthead_AstronomerCS: haha OJ pwned

TheMongus: What about your hot roommate?

"What about her, Mongus?" Alison took a drag on her vape pen. "Whatcha wanna know?"

TheMongus: how big is she?

"Dunno," Alison said, exhaling a plume of vapor. "I don’t like to go snooping. I’d guess an F or G. Heh. That sounds weird. Eff-or-gee. Effigy. Eff Orgy."

But_Black_Dynamite: DAAAAYUMMM!

PrayDater: you seen em?

"Her tits? Only once or twice, sadly."

P3nny-Dr3@dful: Any chance she’ll make an appearance 2nite?

"Guys, Penny, I’ve asked, believe me. I don’t think there are enough Credits in the world to get her to say yes."

P3nny-Dr3@dful: We should start a fundraiser.

P3nny-Dr3@dful tipped 20 Credits: – ‘Getting the ball rolling’

"Penny! Thanks, but no."

PigShoes tipped 10 Credits: – ‘I’m in’

YouCantFaxGlitter tipped 10 Credits: – ‘Samesies’

BourgeoisDimwit tipped 15 Credits: – ‘stoodis’

"Guys, that’s really sweet, but she’s pretty uptight. You’re lucky she even puts up with me doing this."

OnlyJoking tipped 20 Credits for a Spank Show: – ‘I bet you can convince her.’

Alison sighed. She stood and bent at the waist, pulling her pants down below her cheeks and pointing her thong-covered ass at the camera. She braced herself on her desk and gave her left asscheek a quick, hard slap. THWAP! "Ungh! One!"

OnlyJoking tipped 50 Credits – ‘Keep going. Is she home right now?’

THWAP! "Two! N-no. She’s not." THWAP! "Ohhh… three…"

OnlyJoking tipped 50 Credits – ‘Shame. More where that came from if you can get her on.’

"Guys," Alison said. THWAP! "F-four. Guys. Ladies. You’re being really generous tonight. My bank account thanks you, truly. But seriously, she’s a hard, hard no." THWAP! "Ffffffuck! Five!"

Alpine_Stranger: look at that handprint

PrayDater: think she’s cummin me boys

"N-not quite, Pray." Alison pulled her pants up and collapsed into her chair. "Got me close, though."

OnlyJoking: I can help with that.

OnlyJoking tipped 2 Credits – Vibe (fast)

OnlyJoking tipped 2 Credits – Vibe (slow)

OnlyJoking tipped 2 Credits – Vibe (fast)

OnlyJoking tipped 2 Credits – Vibe (slow)

OnlyJoking tipped 2 Credits – Vibe (fast)

"Oh fuckingfuck! Ohhmygodshitfuckingshit!" Alison’s hips rose as she came, her pussy contracting around her vibrator. As her orgasm faded, she sank gingerly back into her chair, savoring the sweet, lingering soreness of her ass.

OnlyJoking tipped 2 Credits – Vibe (slow)

OnlyJoking tipped 2 Credits – Vibe (fast)

OnlyJoking tipped 2 Credits – Vibe (slow)

Alison’s pussy, still twitching with the aftershocks of her last orgasm, rose again. "Ohfuck!" she cried, cumming again. Her hands moved with a mind of their own, setting her aching breasts free and squeezing them roughly as she came. Her world went white, her body wracked with bliss, and a strange, stray thought came unbidden to her mind: What if it was Cal watching me right now?

But_Black_Dynamite: dayum

P3nny-Dr3@dful: Gorgeous.

YouCantFaxGlitter: Perfection

OnlyJoking: You’re welcome.

"OJ, you…" Alison took another drag from her vape. She slumped in her chair, smiling weakly. "Only, sorry. Gonna need a minute or five. BRB. Talk amongst yourselves."

*             *             *

Alison came back in from the cold, still feeling rattled. She was about to click back into the stream when she noticed a private message notification from OnlyJoking. She clicked it.

OnlyJoking: Want to go private? Double rate, 20 minutes?

The fuck? The guy had been one of her earliest followers, and while he wasn’t as regular as, say, Penny or Glitter, he was fairly consistent. Tonight, though, he seemed different, almost… aggressive. She typed back:

AliCat19: Don’t think so. Still pretty worn out. Maybe next time.

OnlyJoking: No playtime. Nothing explicit. Just want to talk. I’ll make it worth your while.

Alison hesitated, looking at her userlist. Almost thirty people had dropped off after she’d cum, and all that was left was her five or six die-hards and a handful of newbies.

OnlyJoking: Triple. 30 Creds/minute, half-hour minimum.

Alison did the math – that was 900 Creds at least. Over two thousand dollars, enough for her share of this month’s rent and the next, all in one night. On the other hand, where was all this coming from? Dude was background, a wallflower on the best of nights, and now this?! She reached for her keyboard:

AliCat19: OK

AliCat19: I’m in.

AliCat19: Just to talk. No funny shit – nothing explicit, no fetish stuff. Money up front.

OnlyJoking sent an emoji of a man holding his hands up, palms out, fingers spread. I surrender.

OnlyJoking: Strictly honorable, trust me. I’m a man of my word.

*             *             *

After informing the rest of stream that she was going private, Alison clicked over to the private chat and started the clock. The window expanded, filling her screen with static.

"Hey Only, you there? Only? I think something's wrong on your end," Alison said. She leaned forward and fiddled with the stream deck’s settings. "I'm not getting any video. Are you seeing me? Hello? You there?"

"I'm here," said a voice into her headphones, "and I can see you." The voice was modulated, not recognizably male or female, yet also somehow both. Underneath the voice, a low hiss and what sounded like a chorus of whispers.

"Yeah? Well, I can't see you," Alison said, growing uneasy. The voice was… off. Wrong. And yet… somehow familiar. She hovered a hand over the kill switch. "Gotta say, this is creeping me out a little. You sure your camera's alright?"

"One moment, I'll take care of it," the voice said. "Trust me. Just watch your screen, and tell me when you see or hear anything different. Relax."

To Alison's surprise, she did. It felt right. She heard the voice not only in her ears, but somehow deeper, bone-deep, reverberating in her mind. As she watched the static, she started to notice patterns, overlapping, coalescing, receding, and she found herself trying to follow them. Wanting to follow them.

"Now," the voice said, "tell me, do you see anything different?"

Cloudy pastel shapes began to surface through the static, leaving the chat window an ocean of writhing, twisting, borderless hues. The hiss in Alison’s headphones ebbed, leaving only the whispers and a soft, ethereal music. "C-colors," she managed. "Moving. Music." Her eyes widened. She tried to follow the colors, to make out the whispers, to find some pattern to latch onto, but her thoughts slipped away like water through a closed fist.

"What is… I can't… unh… feel weird… I can't think…" Alison murmured. She tried to look away from the monitor, but the colors kept pulling her in, pulling her under. "I can't look away. I have to… no, have to… to…"

"Relax," said the voice.

"Yeeeah. Relax." That did sound good. "Have to… relax."

"Listen to me, and repeat. You can trust me."

"Listen. Repeat. Trust… you. I listen to you. I trust you. Yes."

"Very good. It feels good to trust me. To do as I say.."

"Trust you. Feels good. Do as… do as you say."

"Yes, you feel pleasure when you trust me."

"Pleasure… yes… when I… trust you…"

"Perfect. You’re doing so well. You’re loving our little talk, aren’t you?"

"Talk… loving… what are you… I can't… unh… can't think…" Alison’s thoughts slowed. She felt oddly calm, like what she imagined being hypnotized would feel like. Hypno… tized…

"N-NO!" Alison cried, snapping out of her trance. "I’m not… I don’t do that! I won’t let you…ungh… let hypnotize… me… you can’t…" Her hand moved toward the kill switch.

"STOP!" said the voice.

Alison froze, the button glowing cherry-red mere inches from her fingertips. Her actions seemed distant, as though she were watching herself from the outside.

"Drop your arm," said the voice. "NOW."

Alison obeyed at once. What had she been…?

"Watch the screen, Alison. Follow the patterns. You don’t want to look away."

"I… I can't look away. I have to… no, have to… to… unh… wait, how did you…?"

"How did I…?"

"M-my name. Never told… told you… my name."

"There, there. You don’t have to worry about that. Forget all about it. Trust me, it’s not important."

"Not… unh… n-not important," Alison repeated, the last embers of her will fading. "Don’t have to worry. Forget… trust you."

"It feels so good to trust me. So good to obey. You want to do as I say."

"Yesss. So good. Trust. Obey. I want to obey. I want to… want to–"

Ca-aat Par-taaay! Alison’s phone sang, vibrating across the table. She frowned, trying to hold onto those four tinny, chirpy notes in her mind. She knew that she knew those sounds, that they meant… some…thing…

"Hang up the phone," the voice said calmly, firmly. "Do as I say."

"Yes," Alison said, and declined the call without a second thought. "I want to do as you say."

"And how does that make you feel?"

"Peaceful. Happy. Calm. S-safe."

"Go on."

"I trust you. I want you to think for me."

"Good. Now, I want you to tell me your name."

"My… name. Name is Ali… Alicat…nineteen…"

The voice gave an exasperated sigh. "I know that. Tell me your real name. You trust me."

"My… real name. Is… I…trust you… I shouldn't." A thought, a last flicker of resistance, and in her mind Alison reached out for it. "Nuh… no. I shouldn't tell you. I can't."

"You can. You trust me. You feel pleasure when you trust me. When you obey. Watch the colors, Alicat."

"Yes… I… the colors… I trust you. Pleasure when I, unh, when…" Alison shuddered, sinking deeper again, her voice going monotone. "I… shouldn't… watch… obey you… but… the rules… can't tell anyone… my name…"

"But you trust me. And we're alone here, in private. There's no one else here, is there?"

"Trust… alone… yes… private… no one else…"

"That's right. And when you're alone, when no-one's watching, you can do what the customer says. What I say. So you're not breaking your rules, right?"

"Alone… do what you… unh… what you say. Won't break…"

"And they pay you, don't they, to do what they say, to follow their own wishes, their own rules. And it brings you pleasure to follow. Pleasure to obey."

"Pay me… do what they say …follow their rules." Alison's mind was cloudy as she tried to follow the voice's logic. "P-pleasure… follow… obey… yesss…"

"They tell you how to touch yourself, don't they? How to touch your pussy? And it feels good, pleasing them, making yourself cum for them. Because you're doing as you're told."

"Tell me… how to touch my pussy…feels good pleasing them… making myself cum… do as I'm told"

"And it feels so good to cum for them, doesn't it? It makes you so hot, so horny, like you want to get fucked. You imagine them fucking you as you play with yourself. You want it. But you can't play with yourself unless they tell you to. Unless I tell you to."

"So good… so hot… horny… want to, to get fucked. I want to get fucked." Alison stared wide-eyed at the swirling colors. She ran her hands down her sides, over her thighs, feeling herself growing wet as she pictured it. "Fucking me… can't play with myself…unless…" A note of desperation crept into her empty voice. "I can't…. play with myself unless… you tell me… tell me to…"

"You may touch yourself now. You want to cum, you get so close, but you can't."

"Touch myself…" Alison's left hand dove beneath the waistband of her panties, rubbing her throbbing clit. "Ahh… Want to cum." With her right, she rubbed her nipples through the thin fabric of her bra. "Want to cum… so close…" she whimpered. "Can't…"

That's right, you can't cum. You need to, but you can't. And you want me to tell you why, don't you?

"Yes, tell me… can't cum… I need…"

"You need to be naked. It feels so much better to touch yourself when you take your clothes off. We both know how you love to show off your body."

"Need to be naked… feels so much better… but I… touch myself… can't… the rules…" Defiance, lust, and submission warred behind Alison's eyes, but she still stared placidly at the screen, her face twitching as she struggled. "Can't take my clothes off… I… wait… both know… how did–?"

"Shhh, calm yourself. Don't think about it. I'm not asking you to take off your clothes."

"Don't… think." Ali's expression softened. "You're… you're not asking?"

"No. I won't ask you to do anything you don't want to do. When – or if, rather – you do take off your clothes, it will be your choice. I simply want you to relax and feel safe. You are alone with me, and you know you can trust me, obey, me cum for me. How do you feel now?"

"Feel good… safe… relaxed… horny… trust you… want to obey…want to cum…"

"And because I'm here to keep you safe, you don't need to worry about anything. You don't need to think. Just keep playing with yourself."

"I… don't need to… think? Don't… worry?"

"That's right, I can think for you. Let all your worries drain away. It's so peaceful here, now that you don't have to think. It's like you're all alone inside your mind. Like I'm not even here. Let your eyes close."

"Yes…" The colors went away as Alison’s eyes slid shut. "Peaceful…" There was only the music now, and the voice.

"You're alone now, aren’t you? I've left you here, all alone. Alone and horny."

"I’m all alone," Alison breathed. "So turned on…"

"And what is it you do when you’re alone and horny?"

"I… I masturbate…"

"Do you like to wear clothes when you masturbate?"

Alison shook her head. Her hands reached for the hem of her tank top. She peeled it over her head and it fell to the floor, followed soon after by the brand-new, baby blue half-cup bra, the one she was going to reveal to –

"That’s much better, isn’t it?" the voice said.

Alison nodded. Better. Natural

"Open your eyes now. Look down at them."

Alison’s eyes fluttered open. In her peripheral vision she saw the colors, again. Shifting on her monitor, the pretty… spiraling… colors…

"Look…" Alison turned her head, captivated once again by the screen. Her thoughts slipped. "Can’t look away."

The voice sighed. "At your tits. Look down at your tits."

"My… tits?" Alison obeyed. The room was dim, and the screen’s colors played across her cleavage. The room was cold and her pale pink nipples were hard. "Yes… look at my tits."

"You want to touch them. Play with yourself. Play with your nipples."

"My… nipples." Alison pinched them, feeling a twinge in her pussy.

"That’s it. You’re very turned on. You want to put one hand in your underwear. Feel how aroused you are. Tell me how it feels."

Alison’s fingers eased past the waistband of her track pants and into her panties. "I’m… uhnnn… I'm so wet…"

"Feel your arousal building. You’re all alone. No-one will see. You want to cum, don’t you?"

"Want to cum." Her clit throbbed between her fingers.

"Why don’t you take the rest of it off? the voice asked. "You don’t want to make a mess, and it will feel so much better. No-one will see."

"So much better," Alison echoed. She lifted her ass and pulled off her pants and panties, then kicked them away. It was a practiced motion, almost Pavlovian, one she associated with hearing the front door slam whenever Casey left. "No-one will see."

"Good. Keep touching yourself. Looking at your body, watching how the colors dance on your skin, drawing you deeper. I’m going to talk to you some more. You don’t need to think, just keep stroking and listen."

Alison nodded and resumed rubbing her nipples, sliding two fingers into her pussy. "Deeper." She added a third finger, stretching herself. Her wetness leaked onto the chair.

"Deeper. You’re so horny now, all alone, playing with yourself. Go deeper. No-one can see what you’re doing, can they?"

Alison shook her head. Her pussy clenched.

"No-one knows your secrets. Deeper. You have secrets, don’t you?"

Another nod. "Secretsss… nngh! Deeeeper…"

"And since you’re all alone, you can let go of your secrets, can’t you?"

Nod. "Yess… I can… let go… ungh! I want to let go."

"You’re so close now, so close to cumming. You want to let go. Let go of your secrets. It will make you cum."

"Let go of my secrets… please, I’m so close!" She curled her fingers inside herself, finding her spot. "Make me… aahhh… please make me cum!"

"I want you to tell me a secret, and then you can cum."

"Anything!" she pleaded. "I’ll tell you anything!"

"What is your name?"

"A-Alison!" She shuddered as her orgasm washed over her. "Uhnnnnn! Alison Day!"

The voice was silent. Alison’s breath slowed as she recovered. A light sweat gleamed on her forehead. "Th-thank you," she said.

"Shhh, it was nothing. That was just the beginning. Now, I want you to get cleaned up, then come back here and watch the screen. You have two minutes. Our session is far from over."

*             *             *

In the bathroom, Alison took off her knit cap and ran a hand through her newly-blue pixie cut. A shadow of a thought came to her: My chat. I left them there. My hair, I was supposed to… do something… supposed to… to show them, before…

An memory of the screen swept the thought away. She remembered her purpose, what the voice had told her do. Her thighs glistened with her wetness, and she cleaned them with a fistful of toilet paper. Her pussy throbbed with that sweet soreness that always followed when she came.

Her task done, Alison checked the hallway, as she reflexively did when leaving the bathroom naked, and tiptoed back to her bedroom. She slipped her headphones on and sat back down in her chair, with a stray thought that she should put down a towel next time. Next time…

Her features went slack as she stared into the monitor once again. The swirling, neverending pinks and oranges and violets were reflected in her dull eyes as she waited for the voice. With a last bit of thought, she watched the onscreen timer tick over. Forty-two minutes… and one second… two seconds…

A private message pinged from P3nny-Dr3@dful. Penny! On instinct, Alison’s hand reached for her mouse and–

"Welcome back," said the voice. Alison’s pussy twitched. Her hand dropped. "Wonderful. You've done so well. I like the new look. You’re still so horny, aren’t you?"

Alison blushed, both from the compliment and from the renewed lust that suffused her. "I-I am," she stuttered. "Still so horny."

"I’m going to let you rest for awhile. We need to talk some more. You may play with yourself if you like, but I need you to focus. Can you do that?.

"Yes," Alison said. She began to massage her breasts, gently teasing their soft, firm flesh. Her nipples and pussy ached pleasantly, too sensitive for any more attention right now.

"Perfect. You have a roommate, don’t you? Tell me her name."

"Her name is Casey. Casey Carroll."

"She is very beautiful, isn’t she?"

"Yes… she’s so pretty…"

"As you touch yourself, I want you to picture Casey Carroll in your mind. Do you see her?"

"I see her," Alison said with a wistful sigh.

"You love her, don’t you? You’ve always loved her. She’s like a sister to you."

"Yeah. Always loved her. Like a sister."

"Have you ever felt anything more for her?"

Alison’s brow furrowed. "I… no, I haven't, I…"

"Shhshhshh. Watch the colors and go deeper. You must obey."

"Must obey."

"I want you to speak freely. You trust me."

"Speak freely," Alison said in a lilting monotone. "I obey you. Trust you."

"That’s right. Casey isn’t here right now. Tell me honestly: have you ever kissed her?"

"Yes," Alison said, blushing again. She’d always cursed her fair skin, how easy it was for the world to see when she was embarrassed, or angry, or… "Yes, I have."

"I want you to remember it now. Feel good, feel pleasure as you do. Remember, and tell me."

*             *             *

"It was… a few years ago," Alison began. She was in a light trance, like a hypnotherapy patient, still fondling her breasts. "It was Christmas. We’d been roommates for a while, and we were watching horror movies and splitting a bottle of… rum, probably? I was pretty slutty back then…"

"Was? Back then?"

"…but also kind of sad. I’d been through all these guys and girls but nobody ever stuck around. I was feeling all sappy, and I asked Case if she thought I was pretty. She was kinda drunk, too, and she said yes. We kept talking, and basically… basically what it is is I told her I loved her." Alison let go of her breasts, going quiet.

"And what did she do?" the voice asked.

"She said… she said she knew, and asked if I wanted to make out. She’s pretty buttoned up usually, and had only been with, like slept with, a few guys. I thought it was going to be all businesslike, but," Alison shivered at the memory, "it wasn’t. We kissed for hours and then never really talked about it again. That’s about it."

"Thank you for telling me that. It… changes things," the voice said. "I need a few minutes. Need you to wait. Can you do that?"

"I can do that. I will wait. I will obey."

"Alright, here." The sound of… typing? The colors on the screen flickered off, then returned, deeper, bolder than before, turning in a slow, chaotic spiral. "Watch the screen. I won’t be long."

*             *             *

"I must obey. I want to submit. Go deeper. I must obey. I want to submit. Go deeper. I must…"

Alison chanted, lost in the image on the screen. The voice had done… something to it. A different program, maybe? There were words among the colors now, and it felt good to repeat them. They kept coming, like the tide, bleeding over, through, into the multicolored whirl, in and out and around, and she followed them, echoing them, being pulled closer… closer…

*             *             *

Alison was leaning forward in her chair, inches from the monitor now. Her still-sensitive nipples grazing the cold wood of her desk. All sense of time had drained away. Her private messages were piling up, flashing and pinging and chiming at her. Oblivious, Alison continued to chant, continued to stare.

"I'm here now. You can stop." the voice said.

"Must obeeeeyyy…." There was a trace of disappointment in her tone as Alison trailed off. She resumed her former posture, back straight, eyes empty.

"Sorry about that," the voice said. They sounded… flustered. "Back now. So. Yes. Casey Carroll."

"Casey… Carroll…" Alison smiled.

"We’ll get to her. For now, I need you to think back to when we started, earlier tonight. Stay so, so deep, and think back. So deep, so calm for me. Can you do that?"

"Yesss…" She sank deeper into trance. "For you."

"You got angry at me. Said I was doing something to you. Do you remember what it was?"

Alison’s forehead creased. "You were… it was… something against my rules." She frowned. "I started feeling so good, calm, like I was… was being…"

The voice was silent, waiting.

"Like you were h-hyp… hypnotizing… me. Like I was being hypnotized. I was… I was scared… wanted to… I didn’t want you to… hypnotize me, make me… make me submit, obey… I… I…"

Silence.

"… I obey. Hypnotize me. Make me do what you want. Want to… I want to submit. You were going to… you wanted to hypnotize me. Make me obey you, so I only… only…" Alison, deeply entranced, faltered. "Only… you… hyp…notized me. I wanted to obey you. Only. Wanted to do as you say. I’m not, I…" Her shoulders fell. "I was scared."

"Why were you scared, Alison?"

"Heard… stories. Other girls getting hyp… hypnotized. For real. Made to do… things. I don’t… didn’t want to do… those things."

"What sorts of things, Ali?"

"Things. Stuff. Sex stuff. On… on camera… I’ve thought… I don’t… want… when I’m hypnotized… sucking his dick… having a guy, a guy on stream, with his… I… my rules, I shouldn’t… they can’t…" Alison’s voice got soft. "It turns me on. Scares me. S-some guy controlling me. Making me fuck him. Making me submit. Making me want it."

"Alison. Hey. You feel calm. Calm and good. You’re not afraid. You’re safe now. Feel calm. Feel safe. You trust me, right?"

Alison sniffled. She nodded. Her eyes shone, blue and dark. "I trust you."