Katy didn’t know much about basketball. But she could tell the game was close. There hadn’t been a smile on the court in minutes, the friendly, bantering rivals of the first three quarters replaced by hard-faced women who only spoke in terse grunts and piercing cries. As she watched them pound up and down the cracked asphalt, sprinting with the desperation of troops across no-man’s land, Katy felt her stomach tighten with sympathetic anxiety, her small hands clenching and twisting the battered bookbag on her lap.

It was just a game, she reminded herself. A friendly, intramural contest between fellow students. There were no championships hanging in the balance, no stakes higher than bragging rights and maybe a minor wager or two. Why, then, was her pulse racing as if she was the one leaping and sprinting and diving after every ball? Why couldn’t she help glancing at the portable scoreboard like a ticking time bomb? Why had she even bothered showing up in the first place, having no knowledge of sports beyond how confusing and stressful they could be?

The answer came with the swish of a basket. Katy turned, and saw the most beautiful woman in the world at the three-point line, fist pumping in triumph as she prepared for the next play. Her pale skin was glossy with sweat, loose strands of black hair clinging to her forehead and face, her tank-top soaked and sticking to her sides. Yet despite the tinge of pink in her cheeks and the heavy panting from her lips, she didn’t seem worn or fatigued at all. In fact, as the grey clouds parted above, her body seemed to glow with ambient energy, graceful limbs and azure eyes shining in the afternoon sunlight.

“G…” Katy swallowed, then forced herself to her feet. “G-go Jo!” she managed to cry.

The dark-haired beauty looked to the bleachers, offering a grin and a wink to Katy before returning to the game. The overstimulated spectator wobbled, then sank back into her seat with a sigh, burying her burning face behind her bookbag. She wondered if any of her neighbors had noticed, if any of them realized what they’d just seen. Probably not—even if they’d caught the exchange, there was no way they understood its meaning. Never in a million years would they think that Jolene Roux was Katy Tapper’s girlfriend.

An understandable mistake—Katy could hardly believe the pairing herself. It just didn’t make sense, no matter what angle she considered it from. Jo was a goddess among mortals: tall, athletic, and beautiful to boot, every part of her elegantly aligned and perfectly proportioned. Katy, meanwhile, was a sidekick from a second-rate rom-com: short, soft, and blatantly bespectacled, her body a bouncy assemblage of chubby hips, rippling thighs, and heifer-grade tits. Jo’s hair was a glossy raven black; Katy’s was a tangled mousy brown. Jo was fierce, fashionable, and free-spirited; Katy was anxious, awkward, and antisocial. If it wasn’t for a random stats class throwing them together, the two opposites probably never would’ve attracted, not in a million years. Yet somehow, not only did Jo tolerate Katy’s insufferable nerdiness and inscrutable flirting, but she apparently found them endearing. Or something.

That was why Katy was sitting here, surrounded by people she didn’t know, watching a sport she didn’t understand, suppressing fears about the exam she still hadn’t studied for. There would be plenty of other tests, she assured herself, plenty of other chances to bolster her wavering GPA. Having a girlfriend like Jo though—that was an opportunity Katy couldn’t afford to squander.

The portable scoreboard buzzed and the bleachers erupted into cheers. Startled, Katy shot to her feet with her neighbors, only to freeze as she realized she had no idea who’d won. Searching for a sign, she was relieved to see Jo jumping with joy, laughing in that innocent, effortless sort of way that always made Katy’s heart pang with longing. Grabbing her bookbag, the lovesick nerd stepped down the seats to meet her champion, only to squeak as a mob of Jo’s teammates cut her off, surrounding and celebrating their goddess of victory.

Katy waited. Took a step towards the crowd. Then retreated. Half-waved when she thought she caught Jo’s eye, only to cringe as she realized she was mistaken. After what felt like an eternity as the Pluto of a sweaty solar system, the orbit of cheering planets finally broke, revealing the burning, dazzling star at their center.

“Hey!” Jo exclaimed, her smile almost too bright to look at. “Katy! You came! I thought you had a Biochem exam to study for.”

“Uh.” Katy’s throat made a sound like a laugh. “I did. I mean, I do. But. It’s, y’know. Whatever. I’ve got the class pretty much on lock, so…no problem!” She hoped.

“That’s great!” Jo threw an arm around the babbling nerd. “The perks of being a girl genius, huh? Hope the game didn’t bore you too much.”

Katy swallowed. “N-no it was…uh, it was fun. You were great. Like, MVP for sure. No one else could even touch you.”

“Of course not.” The grinning beauty leaned over, lips brushing Katy’s ear. “Only a certain, special someone gets to do that.”

That special someone’s head spun. She leaned against Jo for support, amazed that a woman could be so sweaty, and yet smell so good. “Y-y’know, I-I was thinking. You must be, like, crazy hungry after that game, right? Maybe we could, um, grab lunch or something? My treat?”

“Mm, you know I love it when you treat me, babe. But I should probably head back and shower first.”

I could join you, Katy’s brain said. “Oh. R-right,” her lips mumbled.

“Also, I need to post the pics and vids from the game. Plus there’s some homework I’ve been putting off all week. But hey! I’m free later if you wanna hang out tonight. And if you still feel like treating me, maybe we can do a little…y’know?”

Katy thought she did, though the arch of Jo’s eyebrow was giving her second thoughts. “Uh…sex?”

Her girlfriend laughed, rolling her eyes. “Well, yeah, but also…you know…” She wiggled her fingers mysteriously.

Understanding crashed into Katy like lightning. “Oh. That.”

Jo’s leading grin vanished. “Or…not? I thought you were down to give it another shot.”

“I-I am. Of course. It’s just…so soon.”

“But we got super close last time! You read those guides I sent you, right?”

“Uh. I mean…I skimmed them. But then things got really busy and…”

“That’s alright—skimming’s good. Vic always said you learn more from doing than from studying anyway.”

Katy tensed, the name like a splash of cold water on her skin. Ah, yes: Vic. Victoria Summers. The ex that wouldn’t stay dead. The specter that haunted Katy’s worst nightmares. The grinning profile pic burned into the back of her eyelids.

“But hey,” Jo continued, attempting nonchalance and doing a terrible job of it. “If you don’t feel up to it then…”

“It’s fine,” Katy blurted. “I’ll do it. Third time’s the charm, right?”

Another shining smile. Another hook in her heart. “Right. See you then!”

A quick peck on the forehead, and the two women parted, diverting down separate paths through the buzzing campus crowd. Katy adjusted the straps of her bag, shoulders suddenly heavy with the weight of what she’d just promised.

Jolene Roux wanted to be hypnotized. And Katy had less than six hours to figure out how.

“Katy? Katy!”

The startled nerd withdrew from the fridge, belatedly discovering she was no longer alone in the kitchen. “Becca! Wh-when did you get home?”

“I’ve been here the whole time.” Her freckled roommate frowned. “Where were you? I thought we were reviewing Biochem together.”

“Uh, right. Sorry. Something came up.”

“Something involving Jo?”

Katy took a hurried bite of her sandwich, obscuring her answer through a mouthful of BLT.

Becca sighed. “Can we at least run through the study guide while you eat?”

Katy slowed her chewing, struggling to stall long enough to escape. “S-sorry. Can’t.”

“What?! Why not?”

“It’s—there’s…I’m busy, okay?” She brushed past her gaping friend, scurrying across the cramped apartment.

“It’s because of her, isn’t it? Jesus, Katy. Why do you let her treat you like this?”

“It’s not like that,” the retreating roomie insisted, struggling to open her door while juggling a soda and sandwich. “I’m doing this because I want to.”

“Uh huh. More like you’re too scared to tell her ‘no.’”

“That’s not true.”

“You gotta start setting boundaries, Katy. Otherwise, people will end up drawing them for you.”

“Thanks for the advice, but I’m fine.” The door finally swung open. “Sorry for being flaky. I’ll make it up to you later.”

“You could start by doing your share of the chores. I’m not cleaning the kitchen again just because you—”

“Will do. Later.” The door closed with an authoritative click. Katy exhaled, slumping against the solid wood surface, hoping the ensuing silence would soothe her jittery nerves. But it was no use—the voices in her head were already roaring back to life, shattering the quiet with their ceaseless, panicked prattling.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck. What was she going to do? How the hell was she supposed to learn hypnosis in a single afternoon? It was impossible—after weeks of trying, Katy had barely been able to mumble her way through an induction, much less make any of it stick. Deep down, she’d hoped that her previous failures would be enough, that Jo would realize it was a lost cause and allow their normal, non-somnambulic sex-life to return. But apparently, this whole hypnosis thing wasn’t just a fleeting fantasy—it was a full-blown fetish.

This was all Victoria’s fault. The perverted bitch. If she hadn’t corrupted Jo with her stupid kinks, Katy wouldn’t be struggling so hard to escape her shadow. Sometimes, she wondered if Vic had somehow hypnotized Jo into sharing this particular proclivity, thereby setting a standard that no future partner could meet. Of course, that was just paranoia talking. Hypnosis didn’t really work that way.

But what if…?

Tight. Katy’s clothes were too tight. How the hell was she supposed to think when it felt like her jeans were trying to squeeze the life from her? Setting her lunch aside, the flustered nerd quickly stripped, peeling the denim from her thighs and pulling her top over her head. She unclasped her bra, sighing with relief as her heavy breasts fell free, gently massaging the aches and wire imprints away. Breathing easier now, she searched for a nice pair of sweats to slip into, only to be diverted as another wave of worry crashed through her.

The guides. She should review the guides Jo had sent her. If Katy could master at least one of their techniques, at least she could prove that she was trying. Racing to her desk, the scrambling student threw open her laptop and navigated to her email, taking another hasty bite of sandwich before clicking on every link her girlfriend had sent. No sooner had she begun reviewing their contents, however, than Katy felt her gaze sliding from the screen, lines of text blurring and swimming as her skull throbbed in fear.

This wasn’t going to work. Far from providing reassurance, all these tutorials did was make her even more hopeless. Each article proposed a different solution, none of which promised the sure-fire success she was seeking. There was no way she was confident enough to pull off an instant induction, and confusion techniques were impossible to follow. An Ericksonian approach seemed nice in theory, but she’d never really been much of a storyteller, and was far too anxious to pull off a progressive relaxation script.

Fuck. Fuck shit fuck fuck shit. Almost an hour had passed, and Katy had absolutely nothing to show for it. She needed a miracle. A silver bullet. A savior. Fingers flying across her keyboard, she typed a hasty plea for help, posted it to every erotic hypnosis community she could think of, and sullenly resumed her lunch. No sense cramming on an empty stomach, after all.

Her plate now clear of its contents, Katy sat back with a sigh, licking her fingers clean as she checked for reply notifications. The meal had relaxed her somewhat, but a knot of dread still sat heavy in her stomach, growing tighter with every click of her mouse. Responses were few, unsurprisingly, with most pointing her to the same unhelpful resources she’d already abandoned. Hopes rapidly fading, she tabbed over to the last of her posts, the one that she’d lobbed into a seemingly dead Discord. To her surprise, someone had actually replied. More shocking still, the link they’d posted was one she didn’t recognize.

“I was struggling to hypnotize my partner for years,” the message read. “But everything changed after I took Master E’s course. Try it here.”

Master E? God, the names these people came up with. Still, beggars couldn’t be choosers, and Katy had literally been begging moments earlier. Swallowing her doubts, she double-checked her network security settings and clicked the link.

She blinked. Then squinted. Then frowned.

What the hell? This had to be one of the most abstract websites she’d ever encountered. The background was an undulating mess of rippling colors, their paths distorted by various links and menus drifting to and fro. The effect wasn’t…unpleasant exactly, but it did make navigating between pages a chore. Skimming the various sections, Katy learned that “Master E” was an experienced hypnotist and instructor who sold online courses and sessions. What exactly these offerings entailed, however, would have to remain a mystery for now; despite her best efforts, Katy’s eyes kept crossing after reading more than a sentence or two, the screen melting into a mass of swirling color, pulling her attention and cursor to the blinking “Free Trial!” offer at the top. The third time this happened, the exasperated nerd finally gave in, clicking the banner before her skepticism could stop her.

Instantly, she was transported to another page, the cacophonous colors resolving into a shimmering, harmonious blend. The change was such a relief, Katy actually sighed aloud as her vision blurred, easing muscles she hadn’t even realized she’d been straining. When the screen came into focus again, it was auto-playing a video labeled “Lesson 1.” The shifting hues continued their dance as soft, soothing music emanated from her speakers, gradually giving way to a deep, sonorous voice:

“Welcome to the first lesson of Hypnosis Made E-Z. I will be your guide for this course. You may call me Master E.”

Katy snorted. Fat chance she would be calling him anything like that. Still, she admired his dedication to playing the part. Clearly, he’d practiced his delivery quite a bit, ensuring every word was pitched and paced to be both calming and commanding at once.

“This free trial will introduce you to of the basic foundations of erotic hypnosis,” the video continued, “as well as provide a step-by-step guide for a simple scene you can perform with your partner. Or by yourself. I won’t judge, I promise.”

It was barely a joke, but Katy still found herself smiling. Was he using some kind of speech filter? It was subtle, but she swore she could detect a trace of reverb at the edges of his words, a faint echo that seemed to harmonize with the background music. However he’d achieved it, the effect was impressive. And very…intriguing…

“Before we begin, it’s important that we establish the proper instructional environment. To that end, I ask that you only watch this video in a quiet, private place. Additionally, for the best experience, please make sure that you are wearing earbuds or headphones for the duration of the lesson.”

Oh. Right. Katy had been so caught up in the video’s momentum, she’d completely forgotten that it was blaring from her laptop. Quickly, she donned her Bluetooth headphones, cringing as she wondered if Becca had overheard anything. With any luck, she was studying in her own room by now, too absorbed in her work to…

Whoa. The instant the audio output switched, Katy felt as though she’d been transported. She hadn’t realized how rich and…deep of a soundscape Master E had constructed. It seemed to envelop her head as she listened, filling the space between her ears with soothing, seductive song. And when her instructor spoke next, it sounded like the voice of God reverberating from above.

“These kinds of details may seem frivolous,” he said. “But I promise they’re crucial to the learning process. Which is why I must also request that you dim any lights and close any blinds or curtains you might have.”

An annoyed pout sat on Katy’s lips, her eyes drifting reluctantly to the nearby window. She’d finally felt herself sinking into the moment, and now she had to get up? What a pain.

As if reading her thoughts, the video chuckled. “I know I’m asking a lot of you, but please do your best to follow my instructions. What I’m offering is a chance to make your wildest fantasies a reality. The least you could do in return is humor me a little, right?”

Katy supposed there was no arguing with that. Pushing herself up from her desk, the unsteady nerd swayed to the sunlit glass, drawing the blinds closed and plunging the room into darkness. Her laptop screen was the only source of light now, its rippling colors easily recapturing her gaze as the lesson continued:

“Very good. Thank you. Now, take a moment to make yourself as comfortable as possible. Maybe you have a favorite blanket you’d like to wrap around your shoulders, or a pillow that supports your head just right. Whatever you need to help you relax, go ahead and do it now. Don’t worry—I’m not going anywhere.”

Again, Katy smiled. She had to admit, regardless of its efficacy, this was definitely the most pleasant lesson in hypnosis she’d ever received. After considering her options for a moment, she decided on relocating the remainder of the lesson to her bed, slouching against a wall of pillows before balancing the laptop on her soft, bare belly.

“That’s better, isn’t it?” Mater E asked. “Feeling nice and comfy now, aren’t we?”

Yes, Katy’s mind answered. “Yes…” her lips breathed.

Wait, had she just said that out loud? It was hard to tell over the music and the colors and…

“Very good. I can already tell you’re going to be an excellent student.”

Katy’s chest fluttered. For some reason, being praised by Master E felt really nice. And…kind of exciting, in a weird sort of way. At the edges of her vision, she noticed that her nipples were now stiff at attention. Which was…strange given how…warm she felt…

“And because you’re such an excellent student, I don’t mind telling you that you’ve already experienced your first lesson in hypnosis. The technique I’ve just demonstrated is known as ‘priming.’ By having you fulfill several simple requests, I’ve established a pattern of behavior, one that ‘primes’ your mind to listen and follow my instructions.”

If Katy’s eyes hadn’t felt so heavy, they would’ve widened in surprise. Master E was right—she’d been responding to his commands without thinking, completely oblivious to the fact that he was influencing her. It was wild. Incredible.

And maybe…worrying?

“Additionally, by revealing this to you,” the video continued. “I’ve not only further primed your brain to recognize this pattern, but deepened our trust as well. After all, if I was secretly trying to manipulate you, I wouldn’t draw your attention to it would I?”

Oh. Right. Katy exhaled, relieved to learn that she wasn’t being manipulated. It would be so much easier to absorb Master E’s teachings, now that she knew she could trust him.

“Priming is an excellent way to begin a session. When hypnotizing a subject you could, say, guide them through a simple breathing exercise, or ask a few easy, leading questions. If I was trying to guide you into trance now, for example, I might ask: ‘Are you listening to me closely?’ And you would say…”

“Yes.” The word was quiet, distant, but clear. Katy knew she’d answered aloud this time, but no longer felt any reflexive embarrassment.

“I might ask: ‘Do I have your undivided attention?’ And you would say…”

“Yes.”

“I might ask: ‘Is your mind open and ready to learn?”

“Yes.”

“Will you be a good student for me?”

“Yes…”

“Very good. Once successfully primed, a subject is ready to be guided into trance. But before we get to that, I have something very important to share with you. Would you like to know what it is?”

“Yes."

“I knew you would. You’re such a good student, aren’t you?”

She smiled. “Yes.”

“Wonderful. Now, what I am about to tell you is the cornerstone of the Hypnosis Made E-Z method. If you take nothing else from this course, I hope you will keep this single lesson with you wherever you go. Will you do that for me?”

“Yes.” Of course she would. She was a good student, after all.

“Excellent. With that settled, I can confidently tell you that the secret to a strong, satisfying session—for both hypnotist and subject alike—can be condensed into two simple words: don’t think.”

Don’t…think…?

Katy’s brow furrowed.

“It might seem confusing at first,” Master E admitted. “But hypnosis is more art than science. The trance state is not engineered or equated—it is created, explored, and dreamt. And like any dream, the whole thing dissolves under too much scrutiny. An overthinking subject will never be open enough to experience the full power of hypnosis. And an overthinking hypnotist will never have the confidence necessary to wield it. I imagine some of you have already struggled with this in your own sessions, yes?”

Katy cringed. Once again, Master E was right—during her previous sessions with Jo, she’d been barely able to string two sentences together without faltering, her train of thought constantly derailed by doubt, careening and crashing through all the tips, tricks, and tactics she’d crammed into her head.

A sympathetic sigh washed through her headphones. “That’s what I thought. Don’t be too hard on yourself, though. Instead, next time you’re feeling flustered or confused, just remember: don’t think.”

Don’t think, Katy reminded herself.

“Don’t think.”

Don’t think.

“Very good. I knew you were fast learner. So let’s move on to what you’ve been waiting for: a Hypnosis Made E-Z induction.”

A shiver of excitement tickled Katy’s back. On screen, the rippling colors gradually faded, replaced by a close-up shot of a lit candle, its tiny flame bright against a backdrop of shadow.

Her instructor explained: “Today, we’re going to learn a simple, visual fixation induction. Candles are one of my favorite tools for this. Not only are they cheap and easily available, but there’s something so…captivating about them, isn’t there? Notice how the light quickly captures your eye; how it remains static, and yet ever-changing, swaying and shivering against the dark.”

Katy nodded, gaze fixed tightly on the flame, feeling almost as if it was pulling her in.

“As your subject watches the candle, continue guiding and deepening their focus. Instruct them to follow the fire closely, to see if they notice any patterns in its dance. Ask them to take a nice deep breath, and observe the flame’s reaction as they exhale.”

Distantly, the mesmerized girl noticed her own chest swelling, hills of soft flesh rising and falling as she let out a long, languid sigh. Wait—did candle actually flicker just now? Or was she imagining things?

“Engage your subject’s imagination,” her instructor murmured. “Tell them to picture that with every inhale, they are gathering up their cares, their concerns, their worries and their doubts. And with every exhale, they are expelling all of that stress and strain, releasing it into the fire, allowing it to burn away and leave nothing behind but warmth and light.”

Warmth and light. Katy blinked. The longer she stared, the larger the flame seemed to grow in her vision. Was the camera zooming in? Or was the fire simply absorbing more and more of her attention?

“Eventually, your subject will begin to show early signs of hypnosis. Their eyes may begin to tire; their jaw may begin to slacken; their shoulders may begin too droop.”

Huh. That was weird. Master E was describing Katy’s subject, but he just as easily could’ve been describing her. She hadn’t really noticed before, but her chin was now low and resting on her collar, her mouth hanging open as slow, lingering sighs drifted from her lips. Her exhausted eyes struggled to remain focused, their heavy lids threatening to stay shut after every languid blink.

“Notice these involuntary responses. Understand that they are indications of suggestibility and a readiness to drop into a deep, relaxing trance.”

“Uh…?” Katy gaped. She was finding it suddenly difficult to follow her teacher’s words. It was as if her head had been slowly filling with cotton, smothering and crushing her thoughts into soft, fluffy oblivion. She felt so drowsy, so dreamy, so docile and dumb and…

What…was going on? What was…happening…to her? Was this video…was Master E…?

Don’t think, a distant voice reminded her.

Katy stopped thinking.

Bzzz. Bzzz.

What was that sound?

Katy grunted. Shifted. Craned her neck towards the noise, and noticed her phone across the room, lit screen vibrating against her desk.

Someone was texting her. A lot.

The dazed nerd sat up, and was surprised to feel a wet trickle down her cleavage. Confused, she drew a finger up the trail, hurriedly wiping her chin as she realized what it was.

Drool. She’d been drooling. Apparently, a steady stream of saliva had been slipping from her lips, pooling on her chest as she lay inert, only to spill down her tits the moment she’d straightened.

But…wait. For there to be this much, she would’ve had to have been lying here, mouth open and unmoving for almost…

Wait…what time was it? Katy rubbed her eyes, then squinted at her laptop screen. A static title card informed her that her free trial had concluded, and that she would need to purchase future lessons. And beneath that, the clock read…

Oh shit. It was almost 8:00PM. A bolt of panic pierced the fog in Katy’s head, jolting her onto her feet. She and Jo had agreed to meet over a half-hour ago—no wonder her phone was blowing up. The muzzy nerd wobbled to her closet, still drowsy and disoriented as she struggled to piece together an outfit. Vaguely, she was aware of the strangeness of her situation, how odd it was that she’d somehow dozed off and drooled all over herself while watching a hypnosis tutorial. Under normal circumstances, that would be cause for concern—but at the moment, her tired mind could only afford one source of worry at a time, and an imperiled date night took priority.

With an exasperated sigh, Katy settled for a tight black dress and pair of matching thigh-highs, the closest she had to “Hypnodomme Chic.” The deep scoop of the outfit’s neck made her chest feel exposed, and the tight stockings only accentuated the soft squish of her thighs, but it would have to do. She didn’t have the time or mental capacity to figure something else out. Not when Jo was waiting to be hypnotized.

Hypnotized…

The tardy nerd paused in the mirror, adjusting her hair and licking her lips. For some reason, in a way she would’ve never expected…

She was starting to get excited.

“There you are!” Jo exclaimed, shaking her head in the half-open doorway. “I was worried you were ghosting me.”

Katy bowed apologetically. “S-sorry. I was, uh, practicing for tonight and…lost track of time.”

The slim beauty gave a comical sigh. “Well…alright. In that case, I suppose I can forgive you. C’mon in, dinner’s waiting.”

Katy did as bidden, mumbling thanks as she stepped past her girlfriend and into the apartment. Having just left her own small, boxy domicile, the spacious rooms and looming ceiling made Katy feel as though she’d just stepped into a two-bedroom palace. The furniture was rich and regal, dark woods and fabrics lending the space a sophisticated, slightly gothic air, only slightly compromised by the light fixtures and cables awkwardly shoved into one corner. Apparently, even the most image-conscious of influencers made some concessions to convenience.

Jo waved towards the living room. “Grab a seat and find something for us to watch. I’ll get our food.”

Katy nodded. “Any preference?”

“Whatever you want. Oh, but nothing complicated or sad. Or with subtitles. Actually, can you just queue up the next episode of Traitors? Thaaaanks!”

With that, Jo skipped off towards the kitchen, offering one last glimpse of her tight, shapely ass before it bounced out of sight. She was dressed in one of her go-to outfits for “hanging-at-home” shoots: a pair of tiny black sweat shorts and a cropped tank-top to match, casual enough to be convincing loungewear, while still showing off her taut stomach, pierced navel, and floral tattoos winding up her hip and arm, drawing the eye to the graceful sweep of her leg and delicate lines of her collar. Of course, her makeup was similarly subtle, yet effective, emphasizing her already pronounced cheekbones and somehow adding even more sparkle to her eyes, their azure depths so magnetic one could be forgiven for missing the shining nose ring through her septum.

Katy sighed. Though familiar with Jo’s tricks of the trade, the flustered nerd was no less vulnerable to their charms. Even now, she was tempted to follow the humming enchantress into the kitchen, crawl across the spotless tiles, and beg to worship every inch of her smooth, porcelain skin.

Alas, there would be plenty of time for that sort of thing later. She hoped.

“Ta-da!” her hostess sashayed into the living room moments later, two overflowing bowls of leafy greens in hand. “You didn’t answer my texts, so I just ordered your usual from PureGreens. I hope that’s okay.”

“That’s fine,” Katy answered through a tight smile. In truth, after rushing across campus in a panicked sprint, she’d really been hoping for something a bit…heartier. Or homier, at the very least. But honestly, that was on her. What had she expected? That Jo would make the time to cook? That she would ever order something that wasn’t low-fat, low-calorie, and low-everything-else-that-actually-made-food-good? Katy had no reason to be surprised, and no right to complain. The salad would be fine. It was fine. She’d enjoy it as best she could, and look forward to the rest of the evening.

Oh shit.

The rest of the evening.

A half-chewed strip of kale fell from Katy’s mouth. That’s right—she hadn’t just shown up here to eat rabbit food and watch reality T.V. When this was over, she’d promised to hypnotize her girlfriend. And though Katy had somehow convinced herself that such a thing was achievable, now that she was sitting here, shoulder-to-shoulder with her subject, she realized…

…She had no fucking idea what she was going to do.

“Who do you think’s gonna get voted off next?” Jo asked, finally digging into her salad after snapping several photos. “My money’s on Drag Queen Bob.”

“Huh? Oh. Yeah. Probably.” The wide-eyed nerd had barely heard the question. Her mind was racing, frantically trying to recall whatever she’d learned just hours earlier. Why was that proving so difficult? She remembered starting the Hypnosis Made E-Z course, could practically see the rippling colors and hear Master E’s words. But when she tried to reconstruct the details, to place them into a coherent plan of action, all she came up with was—

Don’t think.

No. That couldn’t be it. There was more to it than that—she knew there was. He’d said…something about…priming. Right. She should prime her subject first. Then there was…the candle and…he’d been describing how it could be used to…to…

Don’t think.

Dammit! What was wrong with her? Had she actually fallen asleep and missed the entire lesson? Impossible—she’d never done something like that before. Not even that interminable Ethics in Science lecture had bored her to the point of unconsciousness. So then why—?

Don’t think.

“Katy? You okay?”

The flustered nerd looked up from her bowl. “Uh, yeah. Just…a little nervous about…you know…”

Jo nodded sympathetically, giving her girlfriend’s thigh a squeeze. “Don’t worry. Just do your best. Everything will work out just fine.”

“R-right.” Katy wanted to believe that was true, or at least that her expectant subject did. But no matter what assurances she received, the floundering hypnotist couldn’t shake the feeling that the shot clock was winding down, and if she didn’t sink this next basket, then…

Dear God. She was having an easier time ginning up sports metaphors than hypnotic techniques. What the hell was her problem?

This question, like many, proved unanswerable within the span of a single reality T.V. episode. Left with nothing but a dull, impending sense of doom, Katy prepared to meet her fate as best she could, dimming the lights and placing a small candle on the coffee table as Jo cleaned up in the kitchen.

“Ooh, I like the mood lighting,” the beaming host observed upon return. “It feels very…enchanting. Do you need more candles? I’ve got a bunch, y’know. Maybe we could put another couple here and…”

“Uh, just one is fine. It’s for the, um.” Katy gestured vaguely. “Induction.”

Full lips parted into an excited grin. “Ahhhh, you have been practicing. Okay!” Jo bounded to the couch, bouncing in her seat like an impatient child on Christmas. “Ready when you are, Miss Hypnotist.”

“O-okay…” Katy swallowed. Her mouth felt sticky and dry. If there was ever a time for sudden inspiration or divine intervention, now was it.

She waited. And waited.

Her mind spun in pointless circles.

Her subject shifted, peering over her shoulder. “Are we doing this?”

“Uh…” the would-be hypnotist croaked. It wasn’t working. Nothing was working. Oh God, she couldn’t do this. Not again. “A-actually, I…”

Jo’s face fell. “You what?”

Katy cringed. “Do you think we could maybe…do this another night?”

A chilling silence. The raven-haired beauty scoffed. “You’re kidding, right?”

“N-no, I mean…”

“You said you’d been practicing.”

“I was.” If falling asleep and drooling counted as practice. “It’s just…I’m not sure I’m feeling up to it tonight. Maybe if we…”

The trapped nerd froze, excuses withering in her throat as her gaze met Jo’s face. It was like staring into a black hole where a galaxy of stars once shone, all traces of glitter and light extinguished, replaced by an icy, contemptuous void.

Katy took a step back, feeling as though the air had been torn from her lungs. “N-n-never mind!” Her shivering lips managed to stammer. “W-we can s-still give it a shot. Sorry, I-I-I’m just anxious, I guess.”

A pause. Jo’s lips curved into a smile, though her eyes remained flat and unmoving. “It’s okay. Just do your best, and everything will work out, remember?”

“R-right. Um.” Katy balled her fists at her sides, nails digging into her palms to stop them from shaking. “I-In that case, p-please, uh, look into the candle for me.”

Her subject did as instructed, the frigid pressure of her gaze alleviating, at least for now. Katy almost staggered, feeling suddenly light-headed as blood pounded in her ears. This was a disaster. Not only could she not recall the rest of Master E’s induction, but she’d already messed up what little she actually remembered. Her subject was neither primed nor relaxed—if anything, Jo was radiating more tension ever before.

It was all falling apart. And Katy had no idea what to do. All she knew…all she had left was…

Don’t think.

Katy blinked.

She hadn’t noticed it at first, but her attention had instinctually drifted over Jo’s shoulder, locking onto the tiny flame dancing before their eyes. The sight was…comforting. Or maybe…something more. The longer the struggling hypnotist stared, the more she felt as though she wasn’t struggling at all. Maybe this wasn’t as complicated as it seemed. Maybe the blankness in her head wasn’t a terrifying abyss, but an unmarked canvas. And maybe, like applying heat to a page of invisible ink, all she needed to do was hold the candle in her mind, and let the way forward reveal itself.

“Are you listening closely?” She asked. There was no telling where the question had come from—it’d just popped to her lips of its own accord.

A pause. Jo cleared her throat. “I’m listening.”

Another question, as immediate and unbidden as the last: “Do I have your undivided attention?”

“Yes.”

“Is your mind open, and ready to follow instructions?”

“Yes.”

“Do you promise to be a good subject for me?”

A quiet sigh, a whispered answer. “Yes…”

Katy exhaled. Vaguely, she was aware that her chin was beginning to droop, her half-lidded eyes struggling to keep the candle centered in her sight. Even so, she made sure to keep her gaze fixed on the flame, as though divining the induction through its shimmering glow.

“Focus on the light,” she instructed, her own words beginning to echo in her ears. In a way, it felt as though she was speaking to both herself and her subject. How odd. “Notice how it captures your eye; how it remains static, and yet ever-changing, swaying and shivering against the dark.”

She heard Jo sigh again, and Katy’s eyelids fluttered.

The fire really was very…captivating.

So much so, in fact, that she seemed have drifted off a little while staring into its depths.

But that was okay—apparently, her mouth hadn’t missed a beat, hushed words continuing to spill from her lips in a steady, seductive stream. She could barely recognize what she was saying, but it all felt right, somehow, each sound and syllable falling exactly where it should, like a beautiful song in a foreign language.

Her subject too, seemed to be taken by its effects. Katy couldn’t really make out Jo’s expression, not with the flame filling so much of her vision. But her hands could feel how loose and limp the beauty’s head was, how she yielded so effortlessly to her hypnotist’s touch, breath warm and wet against the finger sliding across her lips.

Wait…when had Katy started stroking her girlfriend like this? She certainly had never planned to smooth her hands down Jo’s slackened jaw, smiling as a low moan rumbled deep in her slender, pale throat. And yet, the moment Katy’s concern arose, it seemed to dissipate just as quickly, vanishing beneath a hazy memory, a reverie of phantom fingers gliding down her own neck and shoulders, grasping and squeezing her soft, sensitive breasts as she continued to stare and drool and…

“Awake,” a familiar voice uttered.

Katy blinked. She was seated on the couch now, cradling her subject’s head in her lap, caressing dark strands of hair like the silken coat of a cherished pet.

How…had they gotten this way?

And why were they both naked?

Before Katy could attempt an answer, Jo suddenly stirred, long limbs stretching as a happy murmur rose from her lips.

“Mmmm,” she purred, turning and nuzzling against a pillowy thigh. “That was…amazing!”

Was it? The baffled hypnotist would have to take her subject’s word for it. Already, the memory of their session seemed like a fleeting dream, a blurry collage of sounds and sensations that struggled to cohere.

Though…now that Katy thought about it… she did feel pretty amazing. Really amazing, even. A little fuzzy and floaty, but in a good way. A wonderful way. It reminded her of how she’d felt after Master E’s lesson, minus the buzzing phone in the background. And the stream of drool between her tits.

Although—wiping her jaw now, she realized she had let a little trickle out.

“Where’d you learn to do that?” Jo asked, wide eyed and adoring.

“Uh…well…” What could Katy say? That she’d forgone her girlfriend’s assistance in favor of a random Discord post? That she’d learned her first induction from an online course she couldn’t remember finishing?

Then suddenly, the answer became clear:

“You don’t need to think about that,” Katy uttered, as if reading the words in the air.

Jo’s long lashes fluttered. “Don’t…think…?” she faintly echoed.

“That’s right.” It was, wasn’t it? “Remember what the most important rule for hypnosis is?”

“Don’t think.” The repetition was stronger this time, more confident.

“Exactly. Thinking too much about what I’m doing or how it works will just make this harder for both of us. Better to enjoy the mystery and let Mistress take care of things, right?

Jo’s brow rose in surprise. Then her eyes closed, a shiver passing from her bitten lip to her toes. “Yes, Mistress. Ooh, I like that. Since when do you have me calling you that?”

The self-proclaimed “Mistress” said nothing. In truth, she had no idea when she’d decided to title herself thusly. It’d just seemed like the thing to say.

When the silence persisted, her subject frowned. “Can you at least walk me through what we did today? Honestly, after you lit the candle, it’s all a little…” she motioned to her head “…blurry in there. Should I be worried about that?

Once again, Katy was faced with a question she had no answer to. And once again, she was struck by one anyway.

“It’s normal to forget things during hypnosis,” she muttered.

“It’s normal to forget?”

“That’s right.” Katy confirmed, as though suddenly remembering something very important. “During a good session, both the hypnotist and subject enter a sort of flow state, where the passage of time and memory can get a little mixed up. That’s why it’s normal to forget.”

Jo’s concern melted into an easy smile. “It’s normal to forget,” she agreed.

“It’s normal to forget.” Katy grinned. She was so glad that was settled. What an amazing session they must’ve had, if neither of them could remember it. Recognition of that achievement bubbled within her, pride and contentment swelling and pushing two simple words from her lips: “Good girl.”

This time, Jo didn’t have the chance to be surprised before another powerful shiver raced down her body. “Oh fuck…” she moaned. “What was…how did you…?”

Even if Katy had wanted to answer, she wouldn’t have gotten the chance. No sooner had the question registered than a sympathetic shudder of arousal seized her, teasing her bare flesh with aching heat. She looked down at her subject, too hazy and hot to keep herself from saying:

“Instead of asking so many questions, why don’t you put that mouth to better use and thank your Mistress properly?

Never had Katy seen Jo rendered so speechless. Nor seem so excited.

“Yes, Mistress…” the blushing beauty breathed, sliding from the cushions to the floor. She knelt at her superior’s feet, meeting her eyes as if asking permission before gently parting her thighs.

Katy giggled, half in delight, half in delirious disbelief. What was coming over her? Since when did she talk to her girlfriend that way? And why was it so fucking hot?

Questions for another time. For now, Jo’s tongue was teasing her clit, and Katy was getting too horny to think straight. She closed her eyes, riding waves of pleasure as her subject thoroughly expressed her gratitude.

And for some reason, even though she knew it was no longer lit, Katy swore she could see candle flame, still flickering in the dark.