With jittery breath you walk up the sloped path to Lila’s front door. You take a deep breath to calm down. Why are you so nervous? You’ve already been on a date, it went well, she didn’t notice you kept glancing at her long body and staring into her deep violet eyes.

It was Lila’s idea to spend your second date at her place, a more relaxed setting where you could be yourselves, perhaps snuggle together for a movie. You shiver at the thought of her cuddling around you, sinking into her soft grasp.

You ring the doorbell. Lila opens the door, her radiant face smiling as she stands before you on her long, scaly tail.

“I’m so glad you made it,” your lamia date says.

Although at rest she “stands” about your height, she could rise higher on her midnight indigo snake body past her waist, her long tail trailing back in a slithering path to the kitchen. It was the first thing you noticed when you met her, long enough to wrap around a bus at least once, but you quickly noticed her calm purple eyes behind her red-framed glasses, too.

Most lamias have hypnotic powers, flashing swirling colors from their eyes to lull someone to sleep. Just the idea of letting one hold your mind with their eyes while they hold your body in their tail sends you into a tizzy. Of course, you never told Lila that. You’ve only been on one date. You would die if she found out you have that kink, especially if she thought that was the only reason you dated her.

What really stunned you when you first met was her singing, her voice gentle enough to lull the audience but strong enough to rise above other sounds. Her voice seemed hypnotic itself, so smooth and confident, but when you met her after her performance she became all nervous chuckles and could hardly finish a sentence.

You were both nervous, at your first meeting and first date, and she switched between skittish laughs and a flooding river of words. She slowed down when you get lost, though, and you wondered if her confidence was on full display at home. She certainly seemed excited to have a date in a private, relaxed atmosphere.

You follow as she slithers over her hard carpet, the furniture spaced out to make room for her big tail. Her dark hair, highlighted in iris colors, sways down to arm’s length; she normally binds it in a plait, but tonight she lets it flow in a wave, only her shrimp hair clip to keep it out out of her face.

“You look stunning tonight,” you say. She turns and grins, the fluffy lower half of her violet dress twirling around the base of her tail.

“You look amazing yourself.” She squeezes the end of her tail under your chin. You smile rigidly, heart thumping as her soft scales caress your face. You never know where her tail will be waiting to brush you, but her gentle touch is always a treat.

“Have a seat,” she says, “I’ve almost finished dinner.”

You stand near the dining table. “Do you need any help?”

“No, I’m good,” she says. “You’re my guest, sit and relax.”

She baked a hot, tangy orzo casserole, as moist as it is mouth-watering. The aroma hangs long after the meal, though as you sit next to her on the firm couch her flowery fragrance overshadows the savory casserole scent. Already warm inside from the meal, you blush as her tail slithers and scrapes along the couch. The tip of her tail is as thin and prehensile as a finger, but on average her tail is as thick as a pillow. Behind you rests some tail thick enough to make a pillow look like a sheet.

You’d give your own mind to sink into a full-body hug from her tail, wrapped up and held by her scaly weight. Well, you’d just love to give your mind to her, staring into her hypnotic, flashing eyes. It feels much too early to bring it up. You decided to take things slowly and wait until she offers. You don’t want her to think you just see her as a coily tail and pair of pretty eyes.

“So did you have a movie in mind for us?” you ask.

“Actually,” Lila said, shuffling closer, “I thought maybe we would just talk tonight. We can get to know each other much better in private.” She holds your hands and looks into your eyes. You stare back.

You can just imagine her eyes flashing in beautiful, alluring colors, sucking your mind in. Your heart races at the thought that she could do it any time. You can see it so clearly, too, as if she really did release hypnotic rings through her eyes, one-by-one pulling you under her spell . . .

“S-Sorry.” You realize you’re staring and look away, blushing and shaking. “I-I’m just really nervous.” The tables have turned; as nervous as Lila was on your first date, now it feels all the confidence is in her.

Lila grins. “Aww. Well, hmm.” She leans closer, sliding an arm around your shoulders. With her pillow-soft touch and easy breaths, her body rising and falling in rhythm so near to you, you feel even more jittery. You smile at her gentle attention to your nervousness, like massaging the lumps out of a pillow. She speaks and moves like a calm river compared to the worried rapids of your first date. “I know some ways to help you calm down.” She grazes her hand along your chin to draw your gaze to her eyes.

“Just take deep, slow breaths; draw them in, exhale out. In… Out… In… Out… Follow my words, let my voice soothe you . . . Breathe in . . . out . . .”

You stare into her deep eyes, letting everything else drop out of focus. Every word she speaks calms you; your breathing slows to match hers, as do your thoughts. Despite sitting so close, as long as you let her guide you you’re unable to panic.

“When I count to zero,” she says, “you’ll be perfectly relaxed . . . ten . . . nine . . . eight . . .”

You blink.

Your head leans back against Lila, tilted up to her as her soft arms cuddle around your shoulders. Your legs are held in a heavy blanket, soft and cool as a dream. As binding as her hold and the blanket are you feel like you’re floating.

“Wow, that was really relaxing,” you say. “I feel perfectly calm.”

“Mmhm,” Lila says with a smiling nod. “I’ve loved learning more about you.”

You frown. You don’t remember telling her anything. In fact, you don’t remember her counting to zero. You brush it off, no need to break the mood, and you ask about her interests.

“I already told you about my love of the sea on our last date,” Lila says, “but I never got to tell you about my love of the sky.” She nestles a hand under her chin. “I love the idea of relaxing high up in a tree . . .” She brushes a hand along your cheek. “Perhaps pulling someone up to share the privacy with.” She giggles and squeezes her arms and blanket around you, her cool scales caressing your skin.

Your eyes widen and you blush: Lila’s arms and the blanket are actually her tail wrapped around your body, her heavy hug binding but gentle. Lila holds your chin and turns your face to meet hers as her tail nestles closer, her smile wide and eyelids lowered.

“I’ll bet you’d enjoy that, too, wouldn’t you?”

You chuckle. Your nervous jitters return, although between her encompassing hug and a soft daze in your head it’s not as strong as before.

“Uh, Lila,” you say, glancing between her eyes, her tail, and the floor (where her thick twisting tail rustles against the carpet and sofa), “when you said you enjoyed learning more about me—er, what did I tell you?”

Lila giggles and leans closer. She whispers, “Nothing I didn’t already suspect.”

You gulp. Your jitters increase from her encompassing touch and surrounding whisper. You hope she’ll help you relax again. Your heart pounds as her tail slides further around your shoulders, wrapping higher and growing the coils around your legs and hips thicker. She squeezes a gentle but firm hug around your chest, your arms and legs bound in heavy coils.

“But I did enjoy learning about your body.”

Inching along your skin she wraps around your neck like a hugging, scaly, flexible neck pillow. She nestles the end of her tail against your face, your mouth locked in a smile. Her cool scales barely offset your burning blush. She was so shy and unsure on the first date, nervous to even touch you, but now she’s leaning all in. It’s so easy to let her confidently take control.

“Would it be okay if I learn more?” she asks.

You nod in a stiff rhythm against Lila’s tail. She giggles and pets your head; you moan before you can stop yourself. Maybe you should spend every date in a private setting.

As you shake in her encompassing hug she leans closer. You feel her breath as your faces nearly touch, her eyes taking your focus.

“And would you like me to help you relax with my eyes?” she whispers.

You give another jerking nod. Lila holds your face still as her coiled tail pushes your gaze to her eyes. You couldn’t move your head to look away if you wanted to, but all you can think about is how much you want to look at her.

“Then just look deep into my eyes,” she says, a stunning violet filling her eyes, “let your mind sink”—a soft blue expands from the center of her eyes—”let me cover your mind with my spell”—blissful lavender in her eyes, followed by repeating lovely flowery ripples—”and relax.”

Relax . . .

You stare, eyes wide in fascination at the colors, so vivid as to burn themselves into your sight. They soak into your eyes and sink into your head and soon snake in swirling, squeezing patterns through your mind. It’s hard to think; Lila’s eyes hold down your thoughts, and you feel her presence settle over you as her tail settled over your body. Now all you can think about is looking only at her. Never moving your gaze. Watching her, only her, your stare locked to her. Your rigid, nervous smile relaxes into a soft, wide grin, dropping open until Lila, with a giggle, taps your mouth shut.

“That feels good, doesn’t it?” Lila asks.

“Good…” you mutter, the colors of her eyes shimmering at the edge of your vision, the world filling with a brilliant haze. The colors are stirred into your mind, taking hold of your focus. Only Lila is in focus now. Only Lila should be in focus. Your head fills with lovely overwhelming thoughts of how wonderful she is. Any other thoughts are muffled, coaxed asleep into a cozy daze. All you see is Lila’s perfect smiling eyes, all you feel are her massaging scales, all you hear is her melodious voice, all you smell is her flowery scent, all you taste is her caressing tongue. Your senses tune only to Lila, tune to her spell, pleasure soaking through your mind from the colors.

“Just relax,” Lila says. “Second dates are the fun ones.”

Just relax and let your gaze
Fill with such a pretty haze,
Let my voice so soft and smooth
Gently drop you down and soothe.
Stare at me, sway with me,
Let my soft tail massage you,
Sink until I’m all you see,
All you hear is my soft croon . . .