As much as a part of Samantha wanted Mary to exercise her control, to show her just how owned she really was, it was hard for her to not be grateful Mary wasn’t finding more excuses to sneak downstairs.

She could still hear them talking upstairs, but it was easy enough to tune them out. They weren’t being too loud, and Samantha had plenty of practice.

Chanelle really keeps writing the most amazing stories…

Comfortably bundled up in her favorite corner of the couch, Samantha was once again distracting herself with her favorite hobby: reading. She wasn’t very far into the book yet, but already she was losing track of the world around her as she flipped through the pages.

You really shouldn’t be doing this, Jamie… Samantha’s eyes hooded as she lingered on a page, savoring its words and the images they formed in her mind. Lilia is waiting for you!

Though her thoughts said one thing, and she spent several moments trying to believe that was how she actually felt, what she hoped for was something else entirely. It wasn’t helped that Violet, the woman trailing fingers along Jamie’s cheek, was so much younger than her. It wasn’t to the point of being illegal, nor even on the cusp, but it didn’t need to be. Even without anything else in the scene, from the sounds of the rain, to the chill of the room with their only heat being each other, and just how close their lips were to kissing, the dynamic did things to Samantha.

If she were alone, truly alone, she’d be squirming so much under her large, fluffy blanket. Even if she would have some plausible deniability, the last thing she wanted was for Hellen to make her way downstairs and give her a raised eyebrow.

You need to stop this now, Jamie…

Samantha’s breath caught in her lungs as on the page Violet closed her eyes, slowly leaning in towards Jamie in a way unmistakable for anything but a kiss. It wasn’t the deepest betrayal of her absent lover, but it was where all of those deeper, more dramatic betrayals would begin. There was no reaching more without that first kiss, without that first act of surrender to the younger woman’s lust.

She has to give in, I know… The book is called Embracing the Forbidden on a Rainy Afternoon but it’s not fun if I’m not rooting for her to do the right thing…

It’s more fun when it’s wrong.

A shy laugh escaped her lips. She couldn’t forget that she wasn’t being very faithful herself. Janice was across the country.

Caring about that was difficult when Mary made her feel so alive.

Violet’s lips finally met Jamie’s. It was a slow kiss, tender and warm, making Jamie’s body open in ways it never had for Lilia. Samantha pursed her lips, intensely focused on every agonizing detail from the way their bodies pressed together to the way Violet’s hair teased Jamie’s cheek.

Then, on the small table to the side of the couch, Samantha’s phone quietly vibrated.

I could just leave it… No one needs to know I’m sitting directly beside my phone, only reading… at least until the end of the scene…? She quietly sighed, slumping as she shook her head. It could be Chloe asking for something, and I need to make sure I’m being a good mom now more than ever.

Setting the book down on her lap, Samantha swallowed. It wasn’t Chloe.

It was Mary.

“Kiss, kiss, Samantha~”

Samantha’s eyes fluttered, and she nearly dropped her phone before her loose, quivering hand clutched it in a death grip. Mary’s lips, or an illusion of how Samantha remembered them, pressed so tenderly into her lips. Her thighs trembled. Her heart skipped a beat, only to speed up so much quicker after as if to make up for the time slacking off.

That was just a text…!

She glanced worriedly towards the stairs, and then towards the ceiling. It wasn’t easy to identify five girls all talking through so much material, but no one seemed to be heading down and there was still plenty of sound from upstairs.

Her reaction seemed safe from any notice but her own.

She quickly typed back a response. “Mary!”

Upstairs, Mary couldn’t stop herself from grinning. Another message arrived in short order. “What? Do you not like it when I kiss you now?”

Samantha whimpered. Even the word used in a question, not offset by anything else, even just a part of a text message, it was still enough to set off the programming tucked deep inside of her mind. Nothing about it felt fair.

That made it so much better.

“I didn’t say that.”

Even she had to frown at her own text. Her cheeks were burning, but even she had to admit that was a weak response.

“Then tell me.”

Another message arrived from Mary right after the first.

“Tell me you love it when I kiss you.”

Before Samantha could recover from the fluttering of her eyes and the flush of warmth across her chest, another message had already arrived.

“Be a good girl, and I’ll reward you.”

What would a reward even be…? There’s only two triggers in my head… She shuddered, teeth closing around her lower lip. Right? I haven’t forgotten anything we’ve done yet, have I? I never want to forget any of it, it’s all so good, but it would be so hot to forget something because she told me to…

I want to be harder for her control, but it’s so hard to say no when it’s what I want... She shook her head, trying to stop herself from letting her thoughts wander too much. Reward, reward, right… What could she do besides another kiss? A gift…?

Images of collars filled her head, leashes, clamps on her nipples all through the day, toys hidden in her panties, and Samantha rushed to type out a response. “I love when you kiss me, Mary. It makes me feel so wanted.” She paused, her thumbs hovering over her phone. When Mary didn’t respond right away, and she heard more laughter upstairs, Samantha tapped out more. “I’m still not sure why you want to spend time with an old woman like me, but I’m glad you do.”

Setting the phone in her lap, Samantha lifted back up her book. Even if she could only read a few more lines it would stop her from being swallowed up by the anticipation.

Just getting her attention feels like a reward…

She tried to concentrate on Violet’s hand drifting down from Jamie’s face to her shoulder, to her breast, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t keep her imaginings accurate to the story, anyway. Violet didn’t have short blonde hair like Mary. Jamie didn’t have wavy brown hair and brown eyes.

It was too easy to substitute them into the story, just like it was easy to imagine the reason that Jamie couldn’t say no was because Violet’s seductive words were melting away at her thoughts.

Wish she could trance me again right now… I know she was going to do more before we were interrupted… Samantha sucked in a sharp hiss of a breath. I want that more…

Her phone buzzed, and Samantha instantly regretted placing it in her lap. There was still no one coming down the stairs, but that didn’t stop her from feeling incredibly self-conscious. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire—and so did her chest.

“You don’t need to know, Samantha.”

Mary was already typing another message as Samantha read the first. The second arrived almost the very moment she finished.

“All you need to do is obey. Kiss. Kiss. Kiss!”

Samantha groaned, her whole body clenching and trembling. Kiss after kiss pressed into her body, into her mind, and all that she could do was react. She tried to kiss back, but there was nothing there to press against. There was no one there to pull closer. There was just her phone to squeeze, the couch to writhe against, and the blanket for her nails to grasp.

The first two would have been enough to have her trembling on her own, but the third felt like it burned right into her clit.

Breathlessly, Samantha stared up at the ceiling. Somehow she’d ended up in a position with the top of her head against the back of the couch. She didn’t remember the mechanics of that, but there had been a lot of movement and her mind still felt hazy.

Nothing about the kiss trigger was supposed to make me feel… like I want to be mindless for her… was it…?

The smooth white ceiling was a certain kind of calming. In its smooth surface was a certain simple serenity that Samantha’s mind craved. She didn’t need to look back to her book. She wasn’t really reading it anymore, anyway. It was just as easy to imagine herself and Mary instead of Jamie and Violet.

Whatever guilt she felt over what she was doing wasn’t enough to overpower the warmth that Mary sent burning through her veins.

Just breathe… just relax… Samantha sighed. Mary’s text was a better reward than she’d imagined possible from a short, simple message so soon after they’d started their unusual relationship. Without another message, or anyone else to jostle her, Samantha was free to stay focused on the ceiling. It’s just… so… blank…

How would it feel to be that blank…

So…

Blank…

Falling into the same thought patterns that Mary used to control her had Samantha’s eyes turning glassy and distant as she sank deeper into the couch. It was easier to forget the book in her lap, and the phone in her hand. It was easier to forget about Janice, or why Chloe might not like hearing about her mother having sex with her best friend.

Instead, Samantha’s mind was wrapped around the idea of blank.

Calm.

Empty.

Feels… nice… Samantha sighed, too relaxed to manage a smile but her happiness was no less genuine for it. She even managed a quiet, distant sort of giggle. Really nice… blank… so… blank…

Time lost all meaning as she gazed helplessly at the ceiling without a worry or care in the world.

All of that ended when she heard the telltale laughter of teenage girls making their way down the stairs. “Bwuh…!” Samantha fluttered her eyes, shaking her head as she dropped her phone onto the couch and struggled to find her bookmark. Place saved, she set the book down beside her and tried to calm her heart from the sharp spike.

Really need to stop being taken by surprise… it’s not good for my heart!

“Thanks for letting us hang out, Miss Kerr…!” Jennie waved towards Samantha as she pulled on her shoes.

“Yeah, it’s always really nice to hang out here with everyone…!” Willow quickly chimed in. She didn’t rush to pulling on her own shoes, instead watching Jennie. She didn’t leer, but there was no mistaking that she waited longer than she needed to follow suit.

Samantha shyly laughed, waving towards them. Standing up felt like a very bad idea while her head was trying to pull out of being so fuzzy. “It’s really no problem when you’re all such great guests! Come by any time, just make sure that you don’t stay so late your parents get upset—or your homework doesn’t get done!”

Chloe and Willow groaned, but Hellen smirked and nodded in agreement instead. Hellen was already tapping the tips of her shoes down into the floor when one of Willow’s shoes were half in place. “Don’t worry, Miss Kerr. We can behave.”

As if to disagree, at least where she was concerned, Mary met Samantha’s eyes and gave a weak shrug as she grabbed up her backpack. “Sometimes, anyway. It wouldn’t be any fun if we did what we were supposed to do all the time. Defying expectations can be a good thing.”

It took all of Samantha’s self-control and concentration to keep herself from showing any sign of just what Mary’s words were doing to her.

Chloe helped, her bright, cheery laughter something else to focus on as she wrapped an arm around Mary to squeeze her in a side hug. “Thanks for stopping by, Bestie! Tomorrow’s an early day, but you can still come and see me before you leave, since it’s so early, riiiiight?”

Samantha quietly sighed. I’m so glad that those two get along… and that I can trust Mary to not actually be a bad influence. She’s pushed me a little, but…

Mary smirked, turning to pull Chloe into a tight hug. “Alright, just this once? I promise that I’ll hang out with you a bit before I go tomorrow. In the future… it’ll depend on how I’m feeling.” Mary’s words managed to make Chloe’s expression shift into an excited smile, only for it to swiftly turn into a pitiful pout. “Even when it’s a half day? Sometimes I just wanna get home and finish my homework before face planting into my pillow.”

“I knooow…” Chloe sighed, squeezing Mary a little tighter before pulling away to dole out hugs to the rest of their friends. “I just like seeing my best friend. That’s all! Especially since you don’t like hanging out at practice. I need to take it where I can get it.”

Samantha couldn’t help but laugh. No matter what complicated situations were going on between her and Mary, this was the kind of thing that would always make life feel a little bit better. Mary is so good to Chloe… she’s a good friend, a good lover… a great hypnotist… Her teeth closed around her bottom lip. Probably a better idea to stop thinking things like that.

“You’re going to come to at least some of our games when the season actually starts, right?” Jennie raised an eyebrow.

“Proooobably?” Mary smirked, waving back to Samantha as she made her way to the foyer. “Thanks again for letting me borrow the book! And for the best friend? Guess you’re responsible for that, too!” She shot a finger gun over to Samantha.

“I… guess so! I don’t get thanked for that enough, do I?” Samantha grinned playfully as she rose up from the couch, careful to not end up tangled in her blanket as she pulled Chloe into a tight hug that was quickly reciprocated. Chloe might have rolled her eyes, but that didn’t stop her from quietly giggling. “Take care, all of you! Come back soon!”

Before long it was just Chloe and Samantha, with the sounds of Chloe’s friends talking as they moved further and further away.

Samantha’s phone buzzed, and she moved over to grab it back up.

“Remember to leave your phone on!”

There was nothing she could do to fight the blush, so Samantha didn’t even try. Chloe was distracted, anyway, moving into the kitchen and calling back to her mother. “Thanks for letting me have my friends over without needing to make plans or anything like that.”

“Of course, sweetie! Especially now that you’re an adult…” Samantha’s smile softened. “This is your home, too. Though… I will encourage you to go get your homework done.”

Chloe whined, and Samantha laughed as she settled back into the couch. Before too long she’d be hopping up to make dinner, but before then… she was in a horrible place to stop reading. It wouldn’t take too long, and then she could make something quick.

Before she could get back into her book, Chloe spoke up again. “What do you think about Mary?”

Samantha blinked, careful to not damage the book as her hands clenched tight. “I think she’s a very thoughtful young woman, and I’m very glad that you’re friends with her. I hope that she’s the sort of friend you can keep for a very long time—even after you graduate.”

Hopefully nothing we’re doing right now gets in the way of that…! She resisted the urge to shyly laugh, but only just barely. I really do hope that. They’ve been good friends for a long time. It would make me feel awful… I’d tell Mary that we need to stop because of that, but she would just say that’s not what I really want. It wouldn’t matter…

I’m hers now…

A shudder shot right down her spine, making Samantha’s toes curl and her eyes quickly flutter. She’d been eager to see what Mary had in mind to night before, but every time a thought like that hit her it multiplied her eagerness tenfold.

Whatever Mary had in mind, she knew she was going to love it.

“Aw… well, I’m glad to hear it! I feel like that, too.” Chloe smiled, making her way out of the kitchen with a glass of water. “I really feel like she’s someone that I could keep in my life, just… forever? She’s a really good friend, and I knew that, I just wanted to know if you agreed. Thanks mom, going to go do my homework!”

“I’m always here to support you, Chloe!” Samantha’s smile grew as she watched Chloe making her way upstairs. “Remember to slow down and take your time! You’ll be graduating soon—aim for the best transcript you can have when you start looking for colleges!”

A groan was the first response Chloe had, and the only one for a long moment as she squeezed the hand railing on the stairs and slumped as though wounded by her mother’s words. “I know! Thanks mom! Let me know when dinner’s ready! I have to get started on all of this homework!”

Samantha laughed to herself as she curled back up under her blanket.

Mary takes good care of me… I’m sure she’ll take good care of Chloe, too. She giggled quietly to herself as she pulled open her book, finger gliding down to the last line before she decided to restart from the top of the page instead. Everything is a little bit easier when I know that Mary is ready to look out for both of us… even if Janice isn’t.

Allowing herself a moment to feel bad about that, and guilty for the thought when Janice was across the country on a trip that helped pay for their home, Samantha soon put all of that focus instead on her book.

Her phone sat close by, ready and waiting.