"I'll be honest with you, Henry, I didn't think I'd be seeing you here again." Octavia set down two cups of coffee on the little table in her studio. She was wearing a striped, form-fitting dress over some dark leggings this time.

He gave her a confused look as he sat down, and asked: "You don't get many return customers?"

"I do, actually. My return customers are my livelihood." Octavia smiled and blushed. "But I've never had a request like this before."

He drank from the coffee and then put the cup back down. "Well, I consult with martial artists, acting teachers and choreographers for my roles. I would like to consult you on this role."

"I'm flattered and intrigued." Octavia leaned back in her chair and sipped her coffee. "What are you interested in learning or training?"

Henry leaned forward with his hands on his knees. "So this role, it's a fantasy show, so it's not about the believable portrayal of hypnotism, per se. But the character has been mind controlled. And there are moments throughout the show where he falls back into that trance. I want to give a genuine reaction, not the cartoonesque portrayal of mind control one usually sees in fantasy."

Octavia giggled. "Some people are into that…"

"No doubt, and I mean no disrespect to them." He shifted uncomfortably in the chair. "I just feel that wouldn't fit with the spirit of the show. I want to deal with some of the more serious aspects of it, relapsing against my own better judgement, shame, the addictive aspects of it."

Octavia gasped. "I didn't know you were so method. How seriously do you want to pursue this? Several sessions of consulting?"

He reached for the coffee and drank from it, thinking. "If you were a martial artist helping me prepare for a fight scene, we'd spend at least ten hours on it, practicing technique until I got it right."

"But this is not one scene." She studied his face and his body language. "You're talking about shame and addiction, those are long-term effects. How do you envision practicing this? Safely?"

He gave her a serious look. "Well, I came to ask your expert opinion. How would you go about giving me a taste of these experiences?"

"Many things are possible." She put her empty cup down on the table. "With hypnosis and dominance, I could give you a glimpse of dependency. But I am not willing to take the risk of creating any effects that would last longer than a few days."

He nodded. "I'm trusting your judgement. A glimpse is fine."

"First things first." She gave him another keen look. "The mind control. What should it be like? Is your mind controller seductive or forceful? Is it insidious? I'm assuming she's a woman. Does she use him and discard him, or is there tenderness?"

"In the beginning it's forceful, as if she drugs him. She does use him, but she becomes attached and that's when the tenderness comes in. When he tells her he feels used, they fight." His eyes stared off into space, thinking about the script, no doubt. "They have a problematic relationship."

Octavia folded her hands in front of her mouth, thinking. "We can use this session to explore what the mind control feels like, plant the seeds for the next session when we'll explore the relapses. How does that sound?"

Henry smiled widely. "Thank you, Octavia. I know this is an unusual request."

"Don't thank me yet," she said quickly. "Tell me about the quality of the trance. You said it was like a drug. Do you faint? Do you become a mindless, obedient drone? Or is it more like the adoration of falling in love? Is there memory loss? Do you want to experience that?"

"Yes." He blushed, looking for the right words. "I mean, can we touch on all of that? So that I can feel what it's like?"

With a slight nod, she muttered: "Could be a long session…"

"I can afford your rates. Or did you have other appointments planned?"

She stretched and straightened up in the chair. "No, but we might have to call for takeout…"

He chuckled, lowering his eyes.

"You're giddy," she said with a cheeky smile.

He nodded. "I am. This is exciting."

"Have you finished your coffee? Do you want to change into something more comfortable before we try a thing?"

"I'll do that." Henry got up to take his shirt off and change into his slacks. 

Octavia watched him, she didn't often get the chance to work with such a beautiful, bulky man. 

When he noticed that she was looking at him, he paused to give her a sideways glance. "Enjoying the show?"

She grinned wickedly. "This is not a chore. I like a bit of role reversal."

He chuckled again as he continued changing. "Are there men who come here to watch you undress?"

For a moment, she shifted in the chair, thinking about whether to tell him any anecdotes, and how to phrase them to respect her other clients' privacy. Then she said: "Do you know that scene from True Lies?" She laughed.

"I love that movie!" He laughed awkwardly and stood there, barefoot, wearing only his slacks. "So… Now what?"

"Well, if you're consulting with me, we could do a warmup exercise, right?" She got up and stretched a bit.

Henry smiled. "Yes. Good."

"Is my carpet comfortable enough for you?" She looked at the floor.

For a moment, he blinked at her. "I've fallen and wrestled on much rougher surfaces. But are you expecting us to get down on the floor?"

"I'm expecting to drop you." She grinned. "That's hypnotist jargon."

With a deep breath, he looked at her expectantly. "I'm ready for you."

She stood across from him in the open space and held up her hands, palms open and towards him. "Press your hands against mine and try to provide the right amount of counterpressure. This is an exercise in balance, in feeling what I'm doing and matching it."

Henry stepped up and placed his palms against hers. Their hands started to tremble from the pressure, with an occasional shaky jerk forward or backwards.

"You are stronger than me, so you have to regulate it. Feel for what I'm doing." She stared at him with a grin. Their hands almost stayed motionless for a moment, and then she stopped pressing forward for a second, and he stumbled towards her.

"You can feel that coming, if you focus. Let's try again."

As they got back into position, he muttered. "I had not expected this kind of exercise."

"Oh good." She let him find the balance and after a while, she very slowly started to move away from him. He stepped in and followed, their hands still touching in the same way.

"Well done," she said, and started in the other direction, forcing him backwards. He got the hang of it quickly, and they moved back and forth a few times.

"This is like dancing," he mumbled as he looked into her eyes.

She sighed dramatically at him. "Don't tell me you are good at that too. Are you Superman or something?"

He laughed and lost his balance for a second.

She waited for him to start again. "Is that where you learned to look into your partner's eyes like that? It's good for this exercise, keep doing it."

They went silent as they moved back and forth, and Octavia fixated him with her piercing hypnotist stare. They moved across the open space, their hands touching, in tune with each other. Slowly, she guided him to a halt in the middle of the space, as she noticed that his eyes had stopped blinking. She inclined her head to one side and varied the pressure of their hands a little, to check his responses. He matched her movements perfectly, completely focused on the exercise.

She dropped her hands and quickly stepped aside. As he stumbled forward, she grabbed him by the shoulders and guided him to the floor. "Very good. Just fall. Let me guide you to where you need to be. Just drop. Down."

As he collapsed on the floor, she kneeled down beside him and stroked his hair. "Savour that falling sensation, I'm here with you, to guide you into trance. Focus on what you're feeling. The laserfocus in your mind. The limp heaviness in your body. It's easy to follow my guidance. Just drift here for me for a second." 

She noticed that her inadvertent stroking had moved from his hair to his forehead. Every time she stroked from his nose up to his hairline, his eyelids fluttered. So she slowly continued doing that. "I want to lay some groundwork now. So pay attention to this touch. Wallow in this feeling. I want you to be able to remember this vividly later. Because even after you wake up in a moment, whenever I touch you like this, you will find yourself dropping, falling, drifting, just like this. You're doing so well."

She stopped stroking him and he exhaled and slumped a little. Then she patted him on the shoulder. "Take a deep breath. Notice how you're lying here on the floor. Feel the texture of the carpet against your skin. Notice the light on the other side of your eyelids. Take a deep breath in and wake up."

His mouth opened and he licked his lips. Embarrassed, he kept his eyes closed as he sat up. He took a moment to rub his face and then asked: "So, that was the point of the exercise?"

"To drop you, yes. I said so from the beginning." She grinned at him.

"Is that a technical term?" He mumbled and ran a hand through his hair.

Octavia rose from the floor and went over to the corner. "Do you want a drink of water?"

"Yes, let's." He got up and did a few stretches.

As she handed him a glass of water, she looked up at him. "So, do you remember the whole thing?"

He paused with a frown. "Yes… Why do you ask?"

"Spontaneous amnesia is rare, but I always check." She gulped her water down and put the glass on the table.

"What's next?" He asked before following her example.

Octavia stroked her chin, thinking. "I can now show you some aspects of being under my control. You were wondering about a feeling like being drugged?"

"Does this exercise involve dropping me again?" He asked, glancing at the carpet.

"They all do. That's why you came to me, Henry." She chuckled. "You want to be dropped."

He blushed and lowered his eyes. "I guess so." He stepped into the open space, his knees loose, his hands open and by his sides. "I'm ready for you."

Octavia grinned at him and laid one hand casually on his shoulder and she started to pace in a circle around him. "That is the problem, of course." Her tone of voice was slow and melodious. "You are prepared for something to happen. The actor is prepared for the scene. But we must remember that the character does not see this coming. I want you to imagine the scene in your head. What is your character doing? What is your adversary doing? How is the drug administered? Can you see it coming at all?"

She watched him like a hawk, noticing the minute changes in his face and body language. His eyes moved, became distant, imagining the scene. His body settled in this position, relaxed by her slow footsteps around him, by the gentle touch of her hand on his shoulder. 

"Is there a sensation that creeps up on you? A sound or a smell? Perhaps you don't even know what it means at the time. The actor may know that it's the drug, but you don't realise it yet. It just seems odd, you wonder what it might be. Then you start to notice stronger sensations in your body. You become dizzy, lightheaded. And then…" 

She reached up to touch his forehead, stroking upwards. His eyes tried to follow the feeling, rolling up into his head. When his eyes slammed shut, his knees went weak. She caught him and guided him to the floor again.

"It overwhelms you. Being drugged is such an overpowering sensation because it's a chemical reaction happening in your body, and no amount of willpower can slow it down or stop it. You are helpless against it, you have lost control of your body. It takes you over and you have to just ride it out." 

With a self-satisfied smile, she observed the limp heap of a man on the floor, and she shifted his position, to make him more comfortable. She sat down beside his head and absentmindedly stroked his hair as she wove the suggestions into the feelings he told her he was looking for.

"Now, I don't know how you might be feeling right now, how many thoughts there are still going on in your head. I imagine that Henry the actor is a little excited by everything that's happening, and I think you'll find it's easy for Henry to take note of all of these things and remember them for later use. But your character… You must be feeling so helpless right now. Drugged, overpowered and helpless. I wonder if you're even capable of coherent thought right now. Is the drugged haze in your mind so thick that you can't even form words?"

He stirred under her hand. His lips moved and a drip of drool ran out. 

"The thing is, when you're mind-controlled, you don't need to form words." She paused, noticing that her hand strayed to stroking the toned muscles of his chest. She knew she mustn't let any of this become too sexual, so she reigned her touches back in. "Your mind is too muddled to reason, as if you have no will of your own. And the most powerful feeling in your drugged head right now is this calm, this serenity. You feel so submissive. You may not be able to think, but you don't need to. You do as you're told, and that is exactly as it should be. You have no choice, it happens automatically. As you drift in this mindless haze, your body recovers and regains its strength, your senses wake up. Completely mind-controlled. Ready to obey."

She got up from the floor and sat down on the tip of a chair, watching him. Giddy with excitement, she said in a clear voice: "Get up."

A series of twitches in his arms and legs. And then, mechanically and haltingly, he sat up and rose to his feet. His eyes were open, but his head didn't move, as if he hardly saw anything. When he was on his feet, he turned towards her and waited there.

With her chin in her hand, Octavia commanded. "Come closer and look at me."

He took two lumbering steps towards her, and his head moved. His eyes were hollow and started straight through her. His lips parted and a sigh came out.

She shuddered with arousal. Unable to control herself any longer, she got up and embraced him, her fingers digging into his beautiful shoulders, pressing her body against his motionless mass. With her lips brushing the skin of his cheek, she whispered. "I want you to realise how helpless you are right now. I could make you do anything right now. I could do anything to you." One hand crept down over his slacks to grab his buttock as she pressed her hip against his crotch.

Another exhale escaped his lips but he didn't move. He couldn't.

Her voice raw and low, she continued: "Picture in your mind now, the things I would make you do. And how you would feel while mindlessly carrying out those orders. Unable to stop your body from complying. Perhaps you're even feeling happy and free on the inside. You have no control, no responsibility. You only obey. That is your sole purpose. To do as I say." She kissed him, and grabbed him by the hair.

His mouth opened, his neck moved to accommodate her, but no other reaction. Well, nothing else besides the erection growing in his slacks. When she ended the kiss, she slowly stepped away from him. She had to focus, he was putting such trust in her. Sitting back down, she looked at his vacant eyes.

"Take two steps backwards," she ordered him. 

The mechanical quality of his movements still excited her. She stared at this beautiful private show, feeling so blessed that such a skilled actor chose to be here with her like this.

"Now drop to your knees."

She wanted him to hurt himself, just a little. And she was not disappointed. The heavy thud as he sank onto the floor was almost as delicious as the blank expression on his face, completely unaware of it.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she closed her eyes and tried to relax on the chair. "Now pay attention to a new sensation that is starting, growing on you. It's wearing off. The haze is slowly clearing up. Pay attention to your body as you're regaining control. Let the realisation of how helpless you were just now, sink in as it wears off. You are left with the lingering memories of what has happened, what I have done to you, and what I could have done. As you wake, you start to understand the extent of my power over you." She folded her hands and stared at him, observing every little movement and reaction.

It started with heavy blinking, and then his hands clutched his face. A groan, and he hung his head. He leaned forward on his hands, to move his weight off his sore knees. Then he shifted to a sitting position and rubbed his face again. One of his legs moved, trying to mask the erection in his pants. He stammered and shook his head, but no real words came out. When he hugged himself, she could finally see his face. The way he bit his lip and averted his eyes, that was unmistakably shame.

She picked up the glasses from the table and brought them to the corner to fill them, turning her back on him. "Do you like chocolate?" She asked in a light tone. As she looked into the cabinet for the brownies she had stored there this morning, she gave him some time to compose himself. When she returned to the table with two glasses of water and two brownies, he was sitting on the other chair, wiping the sweat off his brow.

"Do you need a moment to process all of that?" She smiled at him.

"Yes, thanks." He stuffed the brownie into his mouth and leaned forward on his knees, staring at the floor, thinking.

Octavia sat back on the chair, waiting patiently as she ate her brownie.

Finally, he said: "It's remarkable what you can do when I gave you so little to work with. I didn't tell you anything about the script of the show."

"I don't need to know much." She reached for her water and took a sip. "Everything happens inside your mind. I just nudge you."

He shook his head. "That's not what it feels like from my perspective right now."

"I'm not good with compliments." She shifted uncomfortably in the chair. "I know we've achieved what you asked, and it was teamwork."

Henry gulped down his water and stared into the glass. "That was really something. But I feel like we could do more today."

Returning her glass to the table, she took a deep breath. "We can. But I want to give you a warning first. We are going to have another session soon. Let's plan that before you leave. And there are going to be some lingering effects in that time. Like muscle aches after a workout, you may feel things during that time. Emotionally. I want you to remember that these are effects of our sessions and that it's temporary." She gave him a serious look. "That's the disclaimer. Do you accept?"

He blinked at her. "Where did the jokes go all of a sudden?"

"That was to break the ice." She held his gaze. "This is the expert you're consulting informing you of the risks."

He put the glass down thoughtfully. "Emotional after-effects."

"That's right. Think about your schedule in the coming days. Is it acceptable if you feel emotional during the next couple of days?"

He frowned at her. "You can't tell me anything more precise than 'emotional'?"

She shook her head. "I don't want to dictate or suggest what you'll be feeling. I have an idea, but we have to let it run its course naturally. Know that you can always message me during that time."

He sat up straight. "Alright, let's do this. I trust you, you've given me exactly what I asked for so far. Let's plan another session in three days."

With a nod, Octavia rose from her chair. When he moved to do the same, she raised her finger at him, and he remained seated, looking up at her. With slow steps, she walked up to him and climbed up on his lap, straddling him, all the while staring him down. His breathing quickened as he sat passively under her paralysing stare. Her hands pressed on his chest as she leaned on him.

"We spoke about the adoration of falling in love." Her voice dropped to a sultry drawl. "Adoration is a form of mind control, the way it makes you abandon all reason. It can easily grow to infatuation, the person you desire, me, occupying your thoughts at all times. That is a form of mind control. Your urge to compliment me, to worship me. You can't say no to me. Why would you want to? You desire me, you welcome my attention, in any shape or form. You'll let me do anything to you…"

She caressed up over his throat, over his chin and his lips. A sigh. His eyes grew wide and he shuddered under her touch. She caressed up over his cheek and when her touch reached his forehead, he melted. His head tipped over backwards and his arms dropped to the sides of the chair. 

"Mine." She whispered as her hand traveled down to touch his chest again. "That is all you aspire to be now. Anything for me. Anything I want. Your body, your soul, you'll give me everything. Thinking about me drives you mad with desire. My touch makes you swoon. Revel in this feeling and let it grow inside you. Let it grow into an obsession. You want to be mine." She ground down on the bulge in his crotch for emphasis.

He gasped and shook under her. 

She took a deep breath and rose from his lap. Backing away into the open space of her studio, she said to him: "Take a deep breath. Explore how this feels. What it makes you do. Just like before, Henry can sit in the back of your mind and observe and remember all of this while you are experiencing it. Get up from the chair, now."

He sat up like a coiled spring, energetic. He quickly looked around the room and locked eyes with her. Immediately, he stood up and came towards her. He would have embraced her and kissed her, had she not raised a finger at him.

"Kneel for me," she ordered.

The way he dropped to the floor was subtly different from before. Smooth, elegant movements, he was fully in control of his body this time. He reached out to take her hands, desperate to touch her somehow, and kissed them. 

She pulled her hands loose and immediately grabbed him by the throat. He swallowed and trembled under her touch, looking up at her with large eyes.

"What do you want?" She stared him down, squeezing his throat just enough to be uncomfortable, but not enough to choke him.

His voice was breathy and soft. "I want to be yours. I want to serve you. Do anything you want. Please. Take me."

Her heart skipped a beat. Clenching her jaw, she let go of him and backed away. He stared up at her as she did so, desire in his eyes, waiting.

"Stand up," she ordered, and he complied immediately. It gave her pause. What to do now? How would she leave a lasting impression without crossing a line?

She held out her hand. "Give me your arm."

As he rested his forearm in her hand, the inside of his wrist and elbow exposed, his eyes never stopped staring at her.

She grinned at him, showing her teeth as she lifted his arm up towards her face. She chose her words carefully, speaking softly. "You're doing this for me. This is your gift to me. Your devotion to me." She opened her mouth and bit down on the inside of his forearm as hard as she could. As he grunted, trying to reflexively recoil, she held on tight, making the deepest, nastiest bitemark she could muster. She wished she could see the pain on his face.

She let go of him and he stumbled backwards for a second, nursing his arm. 

She stroked his cheek. "Very good. Well done. Tell me something, my dear."

It was as if he stood to attention, his eyes, his shoulders, his erection, everything facing towards her.

"Would you do that again if I asked?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

Sweat glistened on his face and his chest heaved as he breathed. Without a word, he offered her his other arm, the vulnerable inside of his wrist towards her.

She bit her lip and shook her head. She needed a moment to gather herself, and all the while, he waited anxiously, his arm still out towards her. 

She embraced him and hugged him. When he gratefully returned the hug, burying his face in her neck, she reached up to touch his forehead, and whispered: "Shh. It's so easy to drop into trance whenever I touch your head like this. Shh. It's so easy to remain standing here, safely in my arms. Let everything just fall away as you drift here safely in my arms."

He sagged against her a little and then stood still, letting out a deep sigh.

Softly, she stroked his hair as she spoke to him. "I'm done playing with you for now, Henry. Why don't you take a moment to let all the effects I've had on you today just fade away. Remember that we did this so you'd know what your character would feel like when this happens to him. And that you, Henry have been observing and making notes. Everything we've done this session is in the past now, and though you remember it clearly, it no longer affects you. There may be feelings you still need to process, emotions you need to work through, and that's fine. You'll deal with that when it comes up. Now in a moment, you'll wake up. We can sit back down and talk about this, process it and make an appointment for next session. Take your time. It's easy to tell me what you need."

She held him and continued to stroke his hair until she could feel him move. Then she let go and backed away, looking at him. "You alright?"

He looked at her for a second and then examined the bitemark on the inside of his arm.

She smiled apologetically as she turned to refill their water glasses. "It will heal like any other bruise. I chose an easy to hide spot. I hope."

"It's not the first time I end up with bruises after a training session. But I don't quite get why you did it." He sat down, still staring at the bitemark, and he poked it with his finger.

With two topped up glasses of water, she returned to the table. "Tangible proof that you would do anything for me, even to your own detriment." She deliberately kept her voice flat as she said it.

He picked up the glass, but just sat in the chair, holding it for a moment. "I think I understand why you felt the need to check whether I really wanted to go through with this…" His voice died away and he stared off into the distance.

"I meant what I said," she reassured him. "You can always message me when you need me. And I will remove any lingering effects at the end of next session. But you wanted to explore this. So we're leaving it like this for now."

He smiled widely at her. "Let's plan that session."

She gave him a naughty grin. "Are you sure you're not a masochist?"