Marian pulled her Cadillac up to the fire hydrant at exactly 7:03. And of course Gideon wasn’t ready. 

Pretty flighty for a ‘dom,’ she thought, irritated.

Marian didn’t think much of newer doms. Especially hypno doms. They were too caught up in the fantasy of themselves. Gid was a decent guy, and she’d seen him do some interesting things with subjects, but he couldn’t even be on time. That didn’t bode well.

“Fuck it,” she said, and started thumbing an angry text. Before she could finish it he tumbled out the door of his building, only half into his jacket, and hurried to her car.

Mariah resisted a WTF gesture as he settled in beside her. She needed an ally tonight.

“Buckle up,” she said, pulling the long blue car into traffic and heading for the bridge out of town.

He’d looked over at her a little too long. Thirsty little bitch, she thought.

“This is gonna be a great party,” he said. “The moon is full and Sarah said she’ll put out some outdoor heaters.”

Mariah glanced into the rearview and changed lanes.

“Yes, about tonight’s party.”

Gideon looked at her. She could feel his eyes trying to keep above the green satin blouse.

“Billie Doyle is goiing to be there,” Mariah said.

There was a moment’s silence, and Gideon asked, “And?”

Mariah glanced at him. She knew he was fascinated by her eyes. She had played with the idea of breaking him, but he was still too new to count as a real dom. There was no challenge to him.

“She’s … she’s been trying to put me under,” Mariah said. “You know how she is. Always trying to impress the group. Now she’s got her sights on me.”

Gideon looked forward. She thought he swallowed a bit too hard.

“She’s got a rep for that,” he said. “Hasn’t she? Breaking doms?”

Mariah nodded.

“And, like an idiot, I had a chat with her the other day. I was about to undo my dress before snapping out of it.”

He was quiet for a moment.

He’s probably fantasized about Doyle putting me under, she thought. All turned on by the idea of me kneeling for her.

“So, I can hang near you,” he said. “If it looks like anything is … happening … I can interrupt.”

She breathed out a sigh of relief.

“Thanks, Gid,” she said. “You’re the only person I can trust.”

“Really?”

She didn’t say, “Because Doyle wouldn’t have bothered with you yet.”

Instead she gave him a smile, the kind she knew he liked. He looked like he was about to melt.

Yeah, she thought, when he’s an all-grown-up tist I’m going to wrect him.

Half an hour later they were in the burbs. Another few minutes on a county road. Then Mariah pulled into the long driveway. 

Sarah’s husband, whose name she’d forgotten, was parking cars. The knees of his pants were scuffed. He’d obviously gone down early to some tist.

Sarah came up to take their jackets. When she looked at Gideon her eyes glazed over a little. She was one of his first captures, and was still enamored of him.

“Master Gideon,” she breathed, before turning to Mariah. “Mistress M.”

Gideon sent her away with their jackets, and they wandered into the party.

In the living room a pretty little brunette with glasses and nothing but heels was standing in a pose, reciting poetry. Her tist, Helena, was rubbing her fingertips across her lower abdomen. 

Mariah had a moment of feeling her stomach go to liquid. Helena had one rubbed her fingertips across Mariah’s skin, and could easily do so again. Mariah didn’t mind occasionally being captured, but she preferred her tist to be a little prettier than Billie Doyle.

She poured her usual red and wandered into the back yard.

Sarah had put out the heaters, and above hanging lights the moon was beautiful. She glanced back. Gid was about six feet away.

Maybe the little dom-boy deserved an evening on his knees, she thought.

“Well, Mariah.”

Mariah turned and saw Doyle sitting at a glass-topped patio table. For a moment her throat felt like it had a catch in it.

“Sit down.”

Doyle had caught her a week ago and Mariah had almost sunk into her words. She was a great fucking tist, and had broken most of the doms here. Which was the real reason she had to rely on Gideon. Any other dom would help Doyle trap Mariah, and she couldn’t have that.

Mariah had sat without realizing it. Doyle had gotten in far enough to make her vulnerable.

Doyle leaned forward.

How can someone so butch look so damn seductive? Mariah thought.

“You look wonderful,” Doyle said. “So beautiful. Skin so smooth.”

Mariah tried to think of something else. Baseball. The Queen.  Getting dicked by a tree stump.

Gideon stepped behind Doyle, wandered around the table. Mariah took advantage of the distraction and glanced at him as if to say, “hi.”

She turned back and reached for her wine.

She didn’t see how it was sloshing a little.

How it wasn’t at the same level as the drink she’d poured.

And she didn’t detect any taste as she took a big gulp.

Mariah set the glass down.

Doyle leaned back, smiling confidently.

“You will give in, you know.”

Mariah looked away.

“Maybe. I’ve done it before. But probably not.”

“Have I ever told you about how I got into this?”

Mariah shook her head. Origin stories weren’t her thing.

“Lovely woman. Red hair, just like yours.”

Mariah took another sip.

“Her eyes were blue, though. Your’s … they seem to change color with the light.”

Mariah gave a polite smile. People were always falling for her eyes.

“And they may just capture you,” Mariah said. “A little turnabout.”

Doyle looked a little turned on.

“Turnabout is so sexy,” she said. “I dream of meeting someone, someday, who can do a turnabout on me.”

Doyle’s voice was getting smooth again, but Mariah couldn’t focus on turning away from it.

“You could have been the one, you know.”

Mariah felt her tongue heavy.

“Could have, but there’s this new thing. Luna, heard of it?”

Mariah had. Some new hypnotic drug. Miracle worker, some dom had told her.

“You’ve just drank some. And I can see in your pupils that it is working.”

Mariah wanted to pull her gaze away to look at the wine glass, but Doyle’s eyes were firm and held her tightly.

“And now you’re as doomed as any little sub-slut.”

Mariah felt it deeply. Doyle wasn’t lying.

“Don’t,” she said, a little pleading in her voice.

Shit, she thought. Help me Gid.

At that moment someone pulled her hair. Hard, a little turn-on kind of hard. She looked up into Gideon’s concerned face.

“You asked me to look out for you,” he said.

“I did,” Mariah responded, lookng at him intently. “Can you save me?”

That awful pleading in her voice again. God, please let me get through this, she thought.

“Come.”

Gideon’s voice was firm, broke through the Luna or whatever. Mariah stood up, followed him into the house. She half-expected a scene with Doyle, but nothing happened.

“Luna,” Mariah whispered to Gid. “She gave me something called Luna.”

He searched her eyes thoughtfully and nodded.

“I know something about that. It acts fast. Let’s get someplace where I can help you work through this.”

He pulled her by the hand toward the stairs.

Leading me up the stairs, she thought. She was so lucky she could trust Gid.

They went into a guest room.

“Sit on the bed,” Gideon said.

Mariah felt the little burn of humiliation, delicious humiliation, as she obeyed.

Obeyed.

He sat beside her.

“This stuff goes through the liver fast. Your best bet is to do some breathing excersises and to focus on staying here. In the real world. With me.”

Mariah nodded. Gid would get her through this.

“So just inhale slowly.”

The breath was cool in her lungs.

She could do this.

“Exhale.”

She breathed out.

“Relax.”

For a moment she got suspicious and glanced at him.

“Luna uses stress and anxiety. That makes it difficult to process out of if you don’t relax.”

Mariah nodded and tried to relax.

“Breathe in again. In and out. Slowly, carefully, focusing on the air going through your nose.”

That cool spot, she thought, right where the nostrils flare.

“Breathe and relax.”

It felt good.

“Breathe and relax … and feel your shoulders going slack..”

No, she thought.

“Your shoulders relax and your arms go limp.”

Mariah tried to glance at him again, but her head was so heavy.

He stood and pulled a chair in front of her, looked into her eyes.

“Just let go,” Gideon said. “Let go and give in. There is no way to resist. Just give in.”

She begged with her eyes.

He smiled.

There was a small knock on the door. Gideon got up, let Doyle into the room.

Doyle sat beside Mariah, stroked her hair.

“Such powerful stuff,” she said.

“It is,” Gideon responded.

Mariah realized she’d gotten to Gideon earlier. Maybe even just the day before.

She’d never had a chance.

Then Gideon took Doyle’s chin and turned her to face him. He just waved his fingers down her face and Doyle collapsed back on the bed.

Oh holy fuck, Mariah thought. No, no, no.

As he had taken Doyle’s chin, Gideon took her’s. He pulled her into an obedient standng position.

Please, Gid, please, don’t do this to me!

Gideon brought his face close to her’s. He stared into her eyes.

“Kneel.”

Mariah felt her knees melt as they went to the floor. Gideon’s erection brussed her cheek through is pants, and Mariah’s fingers went to the zipper obediently.