Henry came into the studio dressed in a black suit and tie. He locked the door and sat down at the coffee table without even taking his shiny dress shoes off. With a smug grin, he looked over to the corner of the studio.

Octavia stood at the counter waiting on the coffee machine. She was dressed in a little red dress and fishnet stockings. "Be still my beating heart…" She mumbled as she stared at the pure white shirt under Henry's suit jacket. "I daresay I've never seen such a well-dressed client here."

"Is it too much?" He ran a hand through his hair.

She smiled and shook her head. "I love it!" 

As he waited, he crossed his legs and shifted on the chair. 

Octavia brought the coffee to the table and studied him as she sat down. "Are you nervous?"

He closed his eyes and nodded with an embarrassed smile. "This is quite possibly one of the scariest things I've ever done."

"Oh, come now! No helicopters, Henry!" She chuckled and sipped her coffee.

He burst out laughing. "I suppose you're right. This is a different kind of fear, though."

Octavia patted him on the leg. "I want you to feel safe with me. Always. Take a moment to think back to our previous session. Was that fun? Did I take good care of you?"

"You did." He stared into his coffee cup. "That's why I dare ask for this now."

"And you're quite sure you want me to undress you this time?" Octavia looked at his suit, the smooth fabric of the shirt, the silk tie, the slacks, all of it.

Henry nodded without looking her in the eye. "Yes please."

A quiet moment passed and then Octavia put down her empty cup. "How did you come up with this idea, if I may ask?"

"I eh… I read some fanfic… I had never thought of humiliation like that before..." He glanced at her for a fraction of a second and then gulped down his coffee. 

"Oh Henry…" She reached out to touch his hand. "I don't think it's a great idea to read fanfic about yourself. That's bound to make you uncomfortable."

He cleared his throat and straightened up. "I'm too self-conscious to talk about it anymore. We discussed everything in online chat, so you couldn't see me blush. What do you want to do for the preparation?"

Octavia waggled her eyebrows at him. "I want to drop you, of course."

He chuckled and shifted in the chair again. "Yes, of course. But how? What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing." Octavia leaned forward to focus all of her attention on him. "I want you to sit there, relax, and think of absolutely nothing."

He put both his feet on the floor and rested his hands in his lap. Closing his eyes, he listened intently and breathed quietly.

"Of course, thinking of nothing is not that easy." Her voice softened into that smooth hypnotist tone. "There's always something on your mind. Even if it's just the way you're sitting in the chair. The tightness of your suit. Anticipation, for that feeling of being deeply hypnotised that you enjoy so much. Or just your breathing. There's always something on your mind. But I asked you to think of absolutely nothing, and I know you want to do that. I think you'll find that it's actually easier to think of nothing if you cheat, just a little. You can think of the word 'nothing'. Nothing. And maybe it helps to repeat it to yourself a few times."

"Nothing." Henry muttered slowly under his breath, his eyes still closed. "Nothing. Nothing."

"That's a good exercise, isn't it?" Octavia watched him closely, blushing because even with all her experience, hypnotising someone was still exciting. "I'm sure you've done something similar in acting classes. Saying the same word over and over again until it loses all meaning, just for the sound of it. Just as an exercise in enunciation. Here's another word for you to practice. Blank."

"Blank." There was a long pause before his lips started to move again. "Blank." His voice faded into a whisper and he sat so very still. "Blank."

Octavia laid her hand on her chest, as if that would keep her heart from beating faster. It did help her keep her voice steady and soft. "The funny thing is that even though you are thinking absolutely nothing right now, and the words you are saying mean nothing more to you than sounds you make with your mouth, the meaning of the words is not lost." She slowed down for emphasis. "Because there are no other thoughts in your mind right now, these words can just reverberate in your empty mind until your feel them all over. Say this word. Deeper."

"Deeper." There was a slump in Henry's chest as he breathed out. "Deeper." His chin sagged down to his chest and his hands slipped off his lap and fell to his sides. "Deep…" His voice died away.

"Very good, Henry." She licked her lips and took a deep breath. "So deeply hypnotised right now. So empty and open to my words now. I want you to think of a feeling you undoubtedly know. That feeling when you're rehearsing a scene and you know it's your turn to speak, but for the life of you, you can't remember what you're supposed to say. That feeling. Exactly."

There were tiny movements in the muscles of his jaw and his eyelids, but otherwise he sat perfectly still.

Octavia spoke slowly and clearly, to make sure it was exactly as she had prepared it. "For today, while I am playing with you here, I want you to feel that exact confused, blank feeling whenever I ask you a question. No matter what the question is, you have no idea what the answer is. It's a little embarrassing to admit. It makes you doubt yourself. And every time it happens, that feeling of confusion about what you're supposed to say, what you're even supposed to be doing here, what this whole scene is about, that feeling just keeps on growing more overwhelming every time. It makes you meek. And shy. Perhaps even a little speechless. Every time I ask you a question. And now that you've internalised all of this, you don't need to consciously remember it. You were just repeating words as an exercise, after all. Say this word. Forget."

For a moment, his lips trembled and then he found a way to breathlessly say it. "Forget... Forget." The second time was easier, and the third was a little louder even. "Forget."

"It's funny how the word affects you so deeply, even though your mind is so empty. Say this one. Waking."

"Waking." Henry stirred, his head lifting up a little as he spoke. "Waking." His pronunciation became clearer as his voice grew louder. "Waking."

"You're doing so well. And now the last one. Thinking." She leaned forward as she watched him.

"Thinking." Henry started to frown as he said it. "Thinking."

Octavia clapped her hands and Henry jolted from the sudden noise. "That was a good exercise." She said in a cheerful tone as she stood up and picked up the coffee cups. "Now we can get started. Tell me if there's anything you need me to know right now."

He cleared his throat and gave her a dazed look. "I'm not sure I remember all of what we just did…"

With a mysterious smile, she turned to bring the coffee cups to the counter. "Very good, Henry. Get up so we can get started."

He laughed awkwardly as he paced the empty floor of the studio. "You know, I don't remember agreeing to any wrestling or dancing either. The suit may be too restrictive for that."

"It's a good thing you've agreed to remove the suit then." She drew up close to him, grinning impishly. She stared up at him and ran her hands over his jacket.

He took a deep breath. "Yes… Good…" He looked into her eyes but he hardly moved, leaning into her touch.

"Henry." She narrowed her eyes at him as she slowly wrapped his tie around her hand. "Do you remember agreeing to taking off the suit? Do you remember our plans for today?"

He blinked. His eyes moved around as he thought about it. He licked his lips and then hesitantly said: "I eh… I don't, actually."

"You should let me take the lead then."

He blushed and nodded. "It's strange… I could have sworn I knew what we had planned when I walked in here, but now…"

Octavia pulled him closer by the tie and hungrily kissed him. With her other hand, she grabbed his butt and pressed her hip against his crotch.

He embraced her almost in a reflex. He seemed surprised by all of this, but happily so. When the kisses finally ended and she pulled his tie loose, discarding it to the floor, he seemed to breathe more easily. With his hands still on her back, he groped for the zipper of her dress.

"What do you think you're doing?" 

Her stern tone startled him. He let go and backed up a step. "I… I'm sorry, I thought…" He stammered, blushing.

Her hands on her hips, Octavia gave him a piercing look. "You thought? I'm curious. What were you thinking?"

He swallowed and it made the collar of his white shirt move up and down. His mouth opened and closed but he didn't manage to say anything coherent.

"Nothing. That's what I thought." Octavia said with a grin. "You were thinking absolutely nothing."

Henry's eyes blinked heavily. He reached up to clutch his forehead for a moment and swayed on his feet.

Octavia's mind was racing. As beautiful as it was to see how her words affected him, she didn't want to drop him back into hypnotic trance. She would have to push the scene in the right direction.

"Take off your jacket." She sat down on the edge of the bed and crossed her arms. "Just put it on the chair and stand here before me." 

She watched him move across the room, put the jacket down and come back. He was quick and amenable about it, as could be expected from someone who spent his working days doing exactly what the director said. Following orders seemed to make him more comfortable, he seemed less flustered and more at ease as he stood in front of her now.

"You're so very handsome." She smiled and when she saw how he quietly thanked her for the compliment, she continued: "You do know what to say now, don't you?"

Again, his eyes searched the room, looking for a hint. He wrung his hands and shifted on his feet, blushing again. "I'm sorry, I can't seem to…"

Octavia laid her hand on the bulge in his crotch. It made his breath hitch and he looked at her with large eyes. His mouth opened but he remained silent when she shook her head at him. 

"Very good, Henry." She dropped her voice to a low, sultry tone. "You know that I only want your obedience. That is all I need from you."

He closed his mouth and swallowed again as he lowered his eyes to the floor and put his hands behind his back.

Suddenly, she got up from the bed and grabbed him by the belt while groping him through his shirt with her other hand. She stood on tiptoes to kiss his cheek and whispered: "Tell me that you obey me."

With a sharp intake of breath, he attempted to turn away, but her hand on his belt stopped him. He shuddered under her touch, his face reddening and his jaw tightening, but he said nothing.

She touched his chin to make him look into her eyes. "Is there perhaps something else you wish to say? Is there some reason you shouldn't acknowledge that you obey me?"

The confusion in his eyes was thick and tangible for a long moment. Something twitched in his pants, making the belt move in her hands. Then, he took a deep breath and said: "I obey you, Octavia."

"Good boy." She let go of his chin and started to open his belt. "I really enjoy hearing you admit how helpless you are right now. It seems to turn you on too."

He let out a breathy chuckle. "I do feel rather helpless."

She froze and gave him another piercing stare. "You are helpless."

Trapped in her gaze, his breath quickened. The collar of his shirt moved again as he tried to swallow. In a breathless whisper, he replied: "I am helpless."

With a swish and a thump, the belt and slacks fell down to his ankles. Releasing him from her gaze, she looked down to unbutton his shirt. "Undo your cufflinks for me, dear."

He fiddled for a moment with his hands behind his back and then his cufflinks fell on the floor with two tiny thuds. 

Moaning softly, she looked up at him again as she opened his shirt and let her hands roam over the skin of his chest. "You must have done a few love scenes on stage and for the camera in your time, Henry."

He lowered his eyes and his shoulders made a tiny shrug. He didn't want to say or do anything that would make her stop. 

Embracing him, she dug her fingers into the skin of his back as she pressed her body against his. The smooth fabric of her dress brushed against his chest and belly and the bulge in his underwear. Softly, she whispered in his ear: "Would you say that you are a skilled lover?"

Henry shuddered and opened his mouth, but whatever he wanted to say seemed to get stuck in his throat. A sweatdrop ran down his temple as his eyes searched the room for the answer to her question, and then he said in a small, soft voice: "I don't know."

Octavia opened the shirt and pulled it off while she pressed her body against his crotch and chest. She indulged in touching him for a moment. The sweat on his skin glistened in the soft lighting of her studio. Then she stepped away and sat down on the edge of the bed again.

"Do you know what you're supposed to do now?" She inclined her head as she looked up at him.

Nervous twitches jumped across his body, his jaw, his neck, his shoulders. With baited breath, he finally turned his large eyes to look at her and shook his head.

She took her time to look at him standing there, his pants around his ankles, the erection straining against his underwear, the helpless slump in his shoulders and the fear in his eyes. She licked her lips and then found the cruel tone of voice to ask the final question: "Do you know anything about sex at all?"

His chest heaved as he tried to breathe. He bit his lip and there was a tremble in his jaw. He didn't dare to look away from her, but he also didn't dare utter an answer.

"Do you realise," Octavia watched him like a hawk, painfully aware that she would need to stop soon. "That you are standing here, in the studio of a sex worker, and you know nothing about sex at all?"

He lowered his eyes and his jaw tightened as he shook his head. "Superman…" He mumbled as he sank down to the floor to sit with his head in his hands.

Immediately, Octavia dragged the blanket off the bed and wrapped it around his shoulders. She made soft shushing sounds as she sat down beside him. "Everything is alright, Henry. Hush now. You were so brave. This was so beautiful. You did so well. Hush now." She cuddled him and rocked him in her arms. "Let me take care of you. I'll make everything right again."