Natascha’s legs burned as she rounded the final flight of stairs to her apartment. Platform shoes might make walking places a pain, but damn if the confidence boost wasn’t worth it. She unlocked the door and went inside.

She set her purse down on the counter, tapping her shiny black nails on the hard surface. Click click click. It rang out through the empty apartment--

“Nasha?” said a wavery voice. It was Mina, her girlfriend.

Natascha looked over the counter to see Mina sitting on the couch, huddled under a pile of blankets. “Mina? What are you doing here so early?”

Mina blinked up at her with red-rimmed eyes, like she was trying to cry but couldn’t quite find the energy, or she was too scared. “I… work was...”

Natascha settled down onto the couch next to her girlfriend, wrapping her arms around the blanket pile. “Do you want me to help you get the words out? I know how you clam up...” The blanket pile nodded.

“Well then… you can always open up and tell me, you know.” Mina shivered as the hypnotic trigger took effect, letting her set aside those worries and speak freely. 

“There was this … super cute girl at the shop, super goth and all like you, and … I just got thinking about how you rock your outfits, strutting around at work and all … and how I’m just too timid. How I need confidence to dress like that, and dressing like that might give me confidence or it might just scare me… and how I have the outfits, I just never wear them... and I just got stuck thinking about that, and you know how I get... And Liam said he’d cover my shift. So I went home.”

“Aww…” Natascha scritched at where Mina’s head probably was under the blankets. Mina shivered again as a tingle of pleasure rushed through her. She had a trigger to amp up the nice feelings of headpats. They were calming, centering. “I remember that feeling. Needing confidence to do the things that would get you more confidence... It’s hard to get your foot in the door, isn’t it?” Mina nodded.

“Now, what to do... I could talk you through it, Mina. Help ease you into dressing more and more confidently. Or, we could do it the fun way. Which do you prefer?”

“...I pick the fun way…”

Natascha giggled. “Good girl. Get nice and comfortable, darling.” The blankets shifted, revealing more of Mina’s slim frame. 

“All ready?” Mina nodded. “Good! So, relax for me, and… ” Snap. “Drop.”

---

Mina woke up slowly, gently, rising out of the warm fog of trance easily. Awareness returned to her bit by bit. She was still where she had dropped, still looking up at Natascha. She vaguely remembered … the memories slid away as she grasped at them. Something about … confidence?

“Welcome back, darling. Did you remember what happened this time?”

“Not much… just like usual I guess.”

“That’s alright, sweetie. I much prefer to teach by example, anyways. Would you like a demonstration?” Mina nodded.

Natascha reached into her purse and took out a tube of black lipstick. “Hold still, darling,” she said, “or I’ll have to make you hold still.” Mina squirmed a little as Natascha uncapped the lipstick and pressed it gently against Mina’s lips.

Mina felt a rush go through her, a sweeping up of her psyche. Natascha applied the lipstick slowly, teasingly slowly. The smooth feeling of the lipstick rubbing on her sparked up shocks of … pleasure? warmth? confidence? Something wonderful in any case, something so wonderful that flowed down her spine and rushed through her body. It was all she could do not to squirm… or was it? As Natascha applied more and more, Mina felt … stronger. That was the word. Stronger. More capable of seeing herself for who she was: strong and capable and confident.

Natascha finished at the corner of Mina’s mouth and capped the tube. Mina got up. “I’m going to go see how I look,” she declared, and walked off to the bathroom. Natascha smiled.

“Oh my god!” Natascha heard Mina cry with glee. “Nasha … oh my god I look so good!”

Natascha laughed. “You do, don’t you? How about we get you dressed up and even more spectacular?”

Mina ran back to the couch. “Please!”

“Well then… meet me in the bedroom. Oh, not that kind of meet me in the bedroom … but we’ll have time for that later.”

---

Mina and Natascha walked down the strip mall together. The sun was just setting, oranges and pinks shining off their outfits. They looked spectacular together.

“How are you feeling, Mina?”

Mina smiled. “I’m … well, I’m a little nervous. But mostly, I feel really … confident. Sexy.”

Natascha smiled. “I’m glad! And about the worry… well, hypnosis isn’t magic. But--”

“But it certainly helps?”

“Of course. And I suspect as you go and do this more often, that worry will fade.”

“Mmm… Y’know what? Even if the little bit of fear never goes away, this is so worth it. I would love to do this more often.”

“Well, darling … I would love to watch you.”

Mina pressed her head against Natascha’s. In turn, Natascha bent in for a kiss.

“Mmm… I love you, Mina.”

“What a coincidence! I love you too. And… thank you. Thank you very much.”