Morgan dug through the cabinet and withdrew an extra placemat and napkin. The soft, floral fabric brushed her fingertips as she laid them out before Katherine. Her sister waited anxiously at the table. 

“Are you really sure there’s nothing I can do?” Katherine squeaked in a small voice. Katherine had gotten used to doing all the housework, so being a guest like this was disorienting. 

Morgan looked at her with brown eyes full of pity. “You don’t need to do anything, Kat. You’ve been through enough. Just let Ethan and I take care of you.”

Kat swallowed hard. “Thanks M. But you’re already doing so much, taking me in after everything that happened with Mike. The least I can do is set the table.” 

Morgan put down a set of silverware and pulled Kat into a gentle hug. Then she pulled back enough for them to lock eyes. “Fuck Mike. He never deserved you, and what he did just proves that. Don’t waste another breath on that asshole.” 

Kat held her breath to keep back the tears, but she managed to nod. 

“You’re welcome to stay with us as long as you need until you figure something out.” 

“I can’t thank you enough,”

“No thanks necessary,” Ethan’s baritone voice called as he strode confidently into the room. He wore a pair of bright blue oven mitts and an apron over his button up shirt. The mitts carried a steaming tray of baked ziti, which he set down delicately on trivets at the center of the table. “Careful, it’s hot.” 

Kat stared down at the pasta, pangs of hunger rumbling in her stomach. “He even cooks. You really landed the perfect guy M.” Katherine couldn’t remember the last time Mike had cooked for her, provided frozen pizzas didn’t count. 

Ethan chuckled as he removed his mitts and apron and sat down. “Oh, I’m far from perfect.” He exchanged a knowing look with Morgan, like they were laughing at some private joke. 

“He’s just being modest. Ethan’s pretty great,” Morgan chimed in. 

“I dunno. It looks pretty perfect to me.” 

Morgan dimmed the lights in the dining room, reducing the harsh overhead glare down to a warm, amber glow.  The three of them sat down to dinner. While Kat did her best to make conversation, her mind was elsewhere. 

A steady hum of jealousy thrummed under the surface of her calm veneer. It all seemed so unfair to Kat. She had always been the popular one, while Morgan had been so awkward with boys growing up. How did Morgan land such an amazing guy, while Kat had married a cheating douche like Mike. She loved her sister and she was happy for her. Of course she was. But still that drumbeat of jealousy persisted. Why not her? 

As the meal finished, Kat and Morgan both reached for the spent tray at once. “Let me get the dishes,” Kat offered. 

“Really Kat, it’s no trouble. You just relax,” Morgan said gently. 

But Kat refused to relinquish the pan. “No, please let me. I want to feel useful. It gives me purpose to do something.” 

Morgan opened her mouth to object further, but Ethan interjected. “Let Kat take care of it. She just wants to help. Besides, you had such a long day at work. Surely you want to rest your head?” 

Kat watched as the energy drained from her sister. One moment she had been full of life and the next she looked about ready to pass out. “Sheesh. You’re right babe. It all caught up to me at once. Thanks for pitching in, Kat. I think I’m gonna turn in early.” With that Morgan excused herself, long chestnut hair swaying over her shoulders as she walked away. 

Ethan showed Kat to the kitchen. “Your room is upstairs. It should already be set up with sheets and towels and all the other modern luxuries.” 

“Thanks, Ethan. Morgan showed me earlier.” 

He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Ethan paused for a moment. Kat could have sworn his eyes were lingering on her, sizing her up. Then he shook his head and turned to leave the kitchen. “Well, I suppose I should go join Morgan. Thanks again for doing the dishes. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call housekeeping.” He said, pointing to himself and laughing. After that, Ethan excused himself to the bedroom and closed the door. 

Kat became suddenly aware of the heat flushing her cheeks. What was that look just now? Surely she must have imagined it. She slipped on a pair of latex gloves and tried to distract herself with the task before her. 

Even through the gloves, the heat of the water caressed her skin. Kat retraced her memories, trying to find any sign that Ethan had an interest in her. Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t really seen him that much, only at holidays and big family gatherings. Even those were larger affairs without a ton of time to talk one on one. The more she thought, the less she realized she knew about him. 

The soap formed into a haze of suds and bubbles, covering everything in the sink in a reflective fog. It made some level of sense to Kat. After all, she and Morgan could almost pass for twins. If her sister was his type, it stood to reason she would be too. Kat realized with a start that she had been gripping a plate especially hard.

It all just felt wrong to her. She had always been the more popular one, confident, pretty, in-demand. At least until Mike. He took everything she did for granted. It had slowly eroded her self image. A tiny part of her wanted to seduce Ethan just to prove she could. 

Kat washed the suds away under the stream of hot water. She shook her head, trying to clear the fog from it as well. She knew she shouldn’t even be wondering about things like this. She decided that it was just her recent divorce from Mike, leading her to crave validation. She must have imagined the look. 

Finally all the dishes sat white and sparkling in the drying rack. When Kat turned off the water, a faint noise greeted her ears. It sounded vaguely like talking. She couldn’t make out the details. It was probably just Morgan and Ethan having a conversation. Kat dried her hands and tried to ignore the muffled voice. She turned to leave the kitchen, but found herself lingering. 

The voice hadn’t stopped, hadn’t changed to another person, had barely paused. She was sure now that it belonged to Ethan. It was downright peculiar. Intrusive thoughts began to spiral in her mind. Was Ethan talking about her? Maybe he was complaining to Morgan about having to take in her sister. What else could it be? She had to know. 

Slowly, delicately, she padded her way over to the master bedroom. With a ginger touch, she crouched down and pressed an ear against the door. The sound still came through muffled, but she could make out the words now. 

“That’s it Morgan, you’re doing so well. Just relaxing and sinking down for me. The more you listen to my voice the easier it is to keep listening, to let your focus narrow to just my voice.” 

Kat’s confusion only grew. 

“All of your attention is completely focused on my voice now. The longer you listen, the quieter your own thoughts become. It’s so much work to think for yourself, so hard to form those ideas into words. It's so much easier to just let your mind relax and follow the soothing tones of my voice instead.” 

Carefully, she leaned further against the door to hear Ethan better. 

“Go ahead and let those heavy eyes close for me. You don’t need to see anything or look at anything. Closing your eyes just helps you focus on my voice all the more. And the more you focus on my voice, the more peaceful and relaxed you feel.”

Kat wasn’t sure why Morgan would need to close her eyes, but closing her own seemed like a good idea. It would help her focus on Ethan’s words and get to the bottom of this, whatever it was. 

“Good girl, Morgan.”

That sent a shiver down Kat’s spine. She never knew her sister liked being talked to like that. 

“Now that your eyes are closed, you can see my words in your mind’s eye, like they’re floating in the air in front of you. The more you imagine them the more real they feel and the more distant and dream-like everything else becomes.”

To Kat’s amazement she could see the words floating in the void of her mind. She imagined them as if they’d been inked by a quill pen. As Ethan spoke the letters scribed into existence with elegant strokes before gently fading back into a blank, white, nothingness. 

“And every word you picture just drifts deeper and deeper into your mind until nothing else matters, nothing besides my words. Your mind is totally blank outside of my words, just waiting for my next instruction.”

Kat let out a relaxed sigh. She didn’t need to try and figure it out, she could just focus on the words. Then surely she’d understand eventually, or not. What did it matter?

“And all the focus builds around one very important word now. That word is sleep. It’s the only thought in your mind. Just let yourself sleep. Your only desire is sleep. All you can do is sleep.”

Kat slumped towards the door, pressing the whole side of her face against the smooth surface. She could still hear the voice filtering through to her ear. 

“Now I want you to imagine the words flashing in your mind, with a brilliant light. Every pulse of light sends my instructions, my commands deeper inside of you. And the first word you see is ‘obey’. You see that word flashing in your mind, searing itself into your consciousness. You want to obey. You need to obey. You can only obey”

The word consumed her. “Obey,” became Kat’s only thought. 

“Are you ready to obey for me, my good girl?”

The faintest murmur of a response escaped Kat’s parted lips. She couldn’t hear if Morgan answered or not. 

“Then strip for me,” Ethan commanded in a firm tone. 

Kat obeyed clumsily, but she knew she needed to obey. She lifted herself off the door and began pawing at her sweater. With some effort she was able to pull it over her head and toss it to the carpet. Her bra soon joined it, letting her ample breasts fall free. The pants proved problematic. Kat felt too sleepy to stand up. So instead she unclasped her jeans on the floor and wriggled her way free, kicking loose one leg and then the other. Her sleep addled brain still felt surprised at the small, damp patch she found on her panties as she slid them off. But that thought too disappeared into the waiting oblivion of obedience. Having completed her task, she melted back against the waiting panels of the door. 

“That’s it, my good girl. You obeyed so well for me. Now kneel before me.” The voice boomed in Kat’s head now. Every pulse of obedience drove the compulsion further into herself. Groggily Kat rose to her feet. Her eyes drifted open but remained widely dilated and half-lidded. Without a thought her hand reached out and wrapped itself around the brass door knob. She turned the knob and opened the door. 

Ethan turned with a start to see his wife’s naked sister stumbling into their bedroom. “Kat?” He asked, smooth confidence faltering. “What are you doing?” 

“Kneeling,” she mumbled in a dull monotone. With no further deliberation, Kat lowered herself to her knees before Ethan. Scratchy carpet fibers chafed against her delicate skin. But that did little to distract her from the depth of her trance. As she reached the ground, Kat became dully aware of Morgan, kneeling opposite her. 

Her sister’s posture looked more poised than her own. Her arms were locked behind her head. Morgan had her legs spread as far as they could go, exposing her already dripping pussy. For her part Morgan seemed to show no awareness that Kat had entered the room. 

Everything went quiet as Ethan looked down at the two naked women. After a moment he broke the silence. “Kat, can you hear me?” He asked hesitantly. 

“Yes,” she replied in a vacant drawl. 

“Were you listening to us just now?” he said. 

“Yes.” 

He massaged his stubbled chin in thought. “I see. I see. Have you ever been hypnotized before Kat?”

“No.”

“So, you really had no idea what you were doing. And yet here you are.” Ethan turned to face her. He gently slid a hand under Kat’s chin and raised her gaze to meet his. 

Kat didn’t respond, she just stared up blankly. 

Ethan’s eyes poured over her naked form, drinking in every curve. His gaze lingered between her legs, noticing the slickness that had already built up there. “Kat are you turned on right now?”

“Yes,” she sighed. 

Ethan bit the corner of his lip. “Oh Fuck me, Kat. I mean damn you’re gorgeous, but Fuck.” 

Kat stumbled to her feet and moved to press herself against her sister’s husband. He tensed under her touch, but it did little to disguise the growing tightness in his pants. “Kat, Stop!” He managed to husk out. Kat froze in place, one arm wrapped around the back of Ethan’s neck. 

“You were really gonna do it weren’t you?” 

“Yes,” came the simple response. 

Ethan pulled away from her and began nervously pacing the room. Morgan meanwhile remained motionless and kneeling. “Fuu . . .” Ethan caught himself narrowly before repeating his mistake. “Frick, Kat. You shouldn’t have eavesdropped. You have no idea what you’re doing to me.”

No response came. 

“I love Morgan. Really I do. But you’re reminding me of the old days, before I committed to just hypnotizing one woman.” He furrowed his brow. “It would be so easy. So easy,” He muttered to himself. “I mean you basically did all the work for me.”

Kat continued to stare blankly, only the insistent thrumming of obedience in her mind. 

He turned to face her once again. His hand hovered in the air above her ass. “But I can’t. I can’t. I’m not that person anymore. I’m . . .” His eyes met hers. Apprehension and longing filled his, while hers remained glossy and vacant. That did it. That look of complete submission. Ethan’s hand came down on Kat’s tight ass with a smack. The force of his grip pulled her into his arms. “Kiss me like you mean it,” he growled. 

Raw instinct drove Kat forward. Her arms wrapped around Ethan, fingers running through his short hair. Her lips kissed with a surprising intensity for someone so blank. Her tongue pressed its way to meet his and the two of them danced together with ravenous hunger. 

When Ethan finally pulled away, he turned to his wife. “Morgan, everything that’s happened and will happen tonight is just a dream. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Master,” Morgan answered flatly. 

“Now Kat, I’m going to wake you up. When I do you’ll know you were hypnotized.” He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “And that fact will turn you on more than anything in the world. You love the feeling of my control. You love the feeling of pleasing me. You long for it. You need it. Understand?”

Kat just gave a soft moan. She could see his words writing themselves into her pliant mind. As soon as he spoke them, they were true. They were to be obeyed. 

“Kat, wake up.” Ethan snapped his fingers by her ear. A small tremble ran through her body as she returned to the room. 

“You hypnotized me. I didn’t think that was real. I’m naked! And oh, oh.” Her voice fell to a whisper as the memories came back to her. “What are we . . .”

Before she could finish the thought Ethan gripped a tuft of her hair and forced her into another passionate kiss. Neither one pulled away for a long time. 

When Kat came up for air she stammered, “Ethan this is wrong. We need to stop.” 

He stared into her eyes with a burning intensity. “Tell me honestly, do you really want to stop?” 

Kat cast her eyes down, afraid to meet the hunger in that look. “I, I mean, no. No, I don’t.” As soon as the first no escaped her lips, Ethan’s fingers flew to her breast and began teasing her nipple. Kat answered with a meek whimper. “But Morgan,” she protested weakly. 

“Morgan, everything you see in this dream turns you on more than you can imagine. Nothing that happens in the dream can disturb you. Now wake up,” Ethan commanded. 

Morgan’s head shook. She took in the scene before her. “Wow. My imagination is more active than I thought,” she mumbled to herself. 

Kat trembled at seeing the power Ethan had over her sister. “Am I going to end up like that?” She whispered. 

“You already are,” Ethan shot back. “Now strip me out of my clothes, both of you.”

Morgan complied instantly. “Yes, Master.” She rose from her kneeling position quickly and inserted herself into their embrace. Kat stood stunned and still for a moment before joining her sister. Morgan was already working the buttons of his shirt, so Kat reached down to undo his belt. She crouched down to pull his pants free. Ethan stepped out of them. As he did, Kat realized her proximity to his dick. She could see it twitch beneath the tent of his boxers. 

She tried to rise to her feet but Ethan placed a firm hand on her shoulder, holding her down. “No, you’re right where you belong,” he growled.” Morgan had finished with the shirt and busied herself planting a row of kisses down her husband's neck. 

Kat looked between Ethan’s eyes and his member with a nervous energy. Ethan glanced towards his boxers with a deliberate and calm focus. Kat understood immediately, but she still hesitated before reaching up for the underwear. Somehow this felt like the point of no return. 

But then she thought of her desire to please him, her desire to obey him. The thought of submitting to Ethan’s control lit a fire between her legs, and that fire burned away the last of her reservations. Her trembling fingers tucked into the waistband of his shorts and pulled them down. 

The falling fabric revealed the beast that had hidden within. It stood straight in the air like it was reaching out for her. Kat felt its pull, drawing her towards it. Or maybe that was Ethan’s grip on her shoulder gently guiding her onwards. Kat gave one last look up towards her sister, but Morgan paid her no attention. Somehow that eased the guilt in the back of her mind. With that small reassurance, Kat surrendered to the pull and opened her mouth. 

With a practiced ease she wrapped her lips around Ethan. Her tongue ran up and down his shaft, savoring the taste. His hands gripped her hair and he began setting her pace. Feeling his control in this moment elicited a muffled moan from Kat. Even in her service to him, he had control over her. What had Morgan called him, Master?” That word popped unbidden into Kat’s mind, not that she could say it at the moment. 

Instead she opened her throat and pulled Ethan deeper inside her mouth. A trace of salty flavor tickled her tongue. She knew she was getting close. She stole a glance up at her new Master. His eyes had closed. His body tensed as Morgan was running her hands across his chest. Still Kat knew his reaction was for her and not Morgan. That knowledge gave her a smug satisfaction. 

She quickened her pace. Ethan’s endurance gave out and jets of salty warmth filled Kat’s mouth. She swallowed with a voracious fervor, savoring the forbidden taste. Kat took her time, making sure to capture every ounce. Finally she looked up with a grin. A single pearly drop rolled down her cheek and onto the carpet. 

Ethan reached down and gently cupped Kat’s cheek. She looked up at her master with gleeful satisfaction, her sister draped over his arm. He spoke in an even, commanding tone. “We’re going to have a lot of fun together. But first,” he paused, raising his fingers. “Sleep.” 

To Be Continued