Eliana sighed, finishing her second cup of leftover wine. Today had to compete for one of the worst days of her life - almost as bad as when she first filed for divorce five years ago, but worse than missing an entire line in her portion at her Bat Mitzvah when she was 12.

Fired.

Eliana worked her ass off during college to get top scores, get whatever internships or experience she could acquire, and finally land her dream job. For a while, things were incredible. She now held the job and title of her highest fantasies, and even at the company she wanted to work for the most. But things were more idyllic at first, and slowly she became overburdened by overbearing managers, gossiping coworkers, and crappy office politics. Her work suffered greatly. The termination email she got was inevitable. But it still fucking sucked a lot.

It didn't help that her job severely underpaid her. Even after an initial promotion six months into her job, she barely made enough to cover rent and bills. How was she going to survive now? In college, she'd constantly have to choose between eating and electricity. She never wanted to live like that again. And yet... here she was. Jobless, saving account-less, and romance-less. More than ever, she felt lonely.

And then, as if some higher power were listening, the doorbell rang. Eliana instantly perked up, excited to have some company. Of course, she hoped they weren't debt collectors or anything... anxiously, she swung the door open and saw a thankfully familiar face.

"Rebecca!" Eliana exclaimed. Seeing her best friend -- and lowkey crush -- and her cute face instantly put a spin on her terrible mood. Rebecca grinned back, her adorable dimples pinning the corners of her lips. "What a... oh, gosh, thanks for coming over."

Notably, in her hands, Rebecca held a giant gift basket. Eliana stared at it curiously... though she figured she'd get more answers about that when they sat down and talked. Eliana felt a weight lift off her chest.

"No problem at all!" Rebecca invited herself in -- not that Eliana complained about that. "I heard about what happened and wanted to come over. Fuck those jerks."

"You're so, so fucking sweet," Eliana said. She would have embraced Rebecca if she weren't holding a massive gift basket. Eliana ushered her inside and sat her best friend down. "Let me get you some wine. But, first, um..."

Eliana eyes the gift basket as Rebecca set it down on the table. "Happy Purim!" she exclaimed. "My synagogue did a charity drive for these, so I wanted to grab you one, considering everything."

"Happy..." Eliana narrowed her eyes. Was it Purim recently? God, she was so tied up with her now-former job that she didn't even have time to remember her favorite Jewish holiday. "Oh my god. I can't believe I forgot. And I missed your party too, I'm so--"

"Shh, no more words," Rebecca teased. "Just open your gift basket. No sorries or excuses!"

Eliana sighed as she undid the ribbon tying the plastic together. "Thank you. This is so generous of you."

Rebecca giggled. "And there's another surprise for you once you go through everything." Eliana had to wonder what the surprise meant... but she shook her head. Fatigue claimed her long ago and she was too tired to attempt to answer her own questions.

Eliana didn't doubt that it'd be something thoughtful and meaningful. Since the two met at a hypnokink munch, bonding over being the only two Jewish people present, they were all but physically attached to each other. Dating never came up -- Eliana's job took over her life, and Rebecca had an equally demanding position as a well-respected doctor at her hospital's rheumatology wing.

"Hold on," Eliana interrupted the gift basket opening. "Why am I so rude? Let me put on some food to return the favor." She stood up and was already in the kitchen, pulling out some pots and pans. "Shakshuka okay?"

"When it's yours? Always," Rebecca giggled, reclining in her chair.

Eliana didn't take her sweet time, and threw it in the oven at near light speed. The smell of cooking tomatoes filled the apartment in seconds. Shakshuka didn't take much time, and besides, Eliana was quite skilled in the kitchen. Distantly, she thought about how nice it'd be to have someone cooking for her. She shook the thought out of her head and came back to the table.

"Now, let's see..." She tore the plastic off and began going through the gifts -- two wine bottles, both of which were sorely needed; some fresh fruit that must have come straight from the farmer's market; five general gift cards for $50 and a $200 grocery store gift card; and most importantly, jam-filled cookies.

"This is..." Eliana tried to find the words for it. 'Generous' didn't quite cover it. "Wow. You totally did not have to-"

"Yessss I did," Rebecca teased as she stole a cookie from her own dang gift.

"I... thank you so much, Rebecca." Eliana stood up and embraced her friend. "This is kind beyond belief. You are so... so sweet." She went the corners of her eyes well up with happy tears before she brushed them away.

Rebecca stood up to return the hug properly. "And there's one more thing I have for you."

"Yes?" Eliana smiled. "What is it?"

Whatever she expected the answer to be, it absolutely wasn't what Rebecca would say next.

"My mind."

Eliana blinked, sitting back down. "Your... mind?" The gears in her head turned. Surely she wasn't asking for... sure, Rebecca was the subbiest bottom Eliana had ever run into -- which worked nicely, the taller Sephardi girl being a top-leaning switch. But neither of them had ever spoken about their apparent mutual attraction until now.

"My mind, Eliana. We've been flirting for years--"

"We have?"

Rebecca sighed. "Yeah, yeah, we're both Jewish disaster lesbians, I get it. I've... I guess I've been interested in you for a while. And with me on Sabbatical, and you in the situation you're in... I guess I want to help out a bit."

Eliana tried to hide her gaping bewilderment. First of all, as much as Rebecca loved teasing, she was not the kind of person to easily confess her feelings to someone. It took her three months to confess to her last crush and even longer to confess to Eliana. But... she couldn't deny her own feelings, either. And how much something like this would switch her mood around instantly.

"I... I think that would be nice," Eliana smiled gently -- a bit of dominance sliding into the corners of her lips. "It'd be nice to have an obedient plaything at my service."

"I think so too," Rebecca clasped Eliana's cheeks and rubbed them gently. "I'll do all the housework around here, and take very, very good care of you, and you can focus entirely on getting back on your feet. And throw me around a bit too, if you want."

Eliana tapped a finger to her chin. "So... you're thinking of a lifestyle D/s relationship. And you want me to hypnotize you into being obedient to my commands. Is that correct?"

"Of course. Nothing like, extremely intense. But something like that." Rebecca paused. "If you want, of course. I mean, I'll understand if you say no, and it won't impact our friendship or--"

Eliana stood up, towering over her prospective sub. "Oh, I absolutely want to. In fact, why don't we get started right now?" This is why Eliana always kept her favorite pocket watch on her -- so she could easily slide it out at moments like these. She held a silver pocket watch with the shape of a four-leaf clover in front of Rebecca's eyes. "This is the best gift you could have given me. And all I need you to do for me, plaything, is listen to my voice..."

Rebecca's eyelids already went slack as she obeyed. She stared at the watch, and mindlessly listened to Eliana's voice.

"There you go," Eliana cooed. "Nice and sleepy. Just relax on the couch, Rebecca. This won't hurt - not after you gave me such a generous gift. I'm just going to make you more... you."

Rebecca nodded, and slid onto the couch to sit down. Eliana sat right next to her. She tilted Rebecca's head to face hers, and more importantly, to face the pocket watch. Rebecca's head was so malleable, almost like it melted right in Eliana's hands. The pocket watch swang back and forth. Rebecca could do nothing but helplessly watch it.

"That's it. Just stare blankly ahead. Let my words seep into your brain, taking root in it. Allow yourself to feel my suggestions becoming truth, binding yourself to my will." Eliana slid effortlessly into hypnotist mode, her voice shifting to a soft, soothing one.

"I think you like the idea of serving me. I don't have to hypnotize you to enjoy it. But rather, I'm going to hypnotize you to enjoy it in a new way. Even just the idea of obeying me is going to feel pleasurable to you. Not in just a friendly, helping me out way. You're going to feel your body rack with pleasure every time you obey an order. Every time you follow my commands, it's just going to feel so, so good. Nothing else will matter - no shame, no hiding, nothing. All you're going to feel is the pleasure of serving me. And soon enough, you'll be craving my orders more... but we're not quite there yet."

Eliana's thumb gently stroked Rebecca's cheek, making the smaller girl giggle a bit. She giggled too, vicariously enjoying the induction.

"And you're not going to just want to obey my orders, plaything. No, you're also going to want to get touched by me. I know you well -- you're a cute little cuddleslut -- so I'm going to take advantage of that. In a way that's hot for both of us, of course."

Eliana quickly thought of where she could take that. Distantly, she formed the idea to come up with three triggers. She knew Rebecca well, and she knew that Rebecca melted in the touch of someone she loved. Three was a good number -- at least, a good number to start with.

She touched the tip of Rebecca's chin, soft enough for it to register, but not hard enough to make Rebecca feel any sort of pressure. "When I touch you here, you're going to feel the urge to kiss me. And you're going to know, that when I touch you here--" she tapped the spot for emphasis, "--you'll know that kissing me will be how you obey me. When I touch the tip of your chin, your mind will follow through immediately, because obedience is pleasure. Obeying your Domme is pleasure."

Rebecca giggled, took the hint, and - even in her deeply hypnotized state - followed through. She kissed Eliana. Obviously it was a welcome kiss, though Eliana didn't expect it to work quite that well. It was the first kiss the two ever shared, and yet it felt... natural. Like they had been together for a long, long time. It just felt right.

"There you go," Eliana chuckled, taking her finger off of Rebecca's chin. "See? Didn't that feel good? Didn't it feel good to obey me?"

"Yessss," Rebecca drawled out.

"Next - I'm going to touch your hair, if that's alright."

Rebecca nodded, giving Eliana the permission she needed. Eliana reached behind Rebecca and lightly touched her dark, curly hair. Rebecca stiffened at the touch, and then slowly eased into it.

"When I touch you here, you'll know instantly that your Domme wants something. And what your Domme would need..." Eliana quickly pulled something out, a trigger she'd been wanting to give someone for a very long time. "Is affirmation. When I touch your head, it means I want you to shower me with admiration. I want you to tell me everything you like about me. From the freckles on my skin, to the way my dominance impacts you. Whatever you can think of, whatever lovely, kind thing you have to say about me... I'll want to hear it. And you'll know that obeying that silent command will be your pleasure. Understood?"

"Yessss," Rebecca moaned out again, adding, "my loving, kind, beautiful Domme."

Eliana chuckled as she took her hand off. She didn't know how much she needed to hear that. "Just like that. Obedience is pleasure, Rebecca. Obedience is pleasure. Obedience is pleasure."

"Obedience is pleasure," Rebecca mindlessly repeated as it were true.

"And I have one final gift for you. One final suggestion. And this is one I think we'll both quite enjoy."

Eliana put her hands firmly on Rebecca's shoulders.

"Kneel."

Rebecca’s glazy eyes shifted imperceptibly, curious for an explanation. “When I put my hands on your shoulders like this, you’re going to kneel in front of me. Maybe I’ll have you give me a foot massage, maybe I’ll just want to stare down at your poor, cute, obedient face as I give you more orders, or maybe I’ll just want you to kneel in front of me. Whatever the reason, you’re going to follow through, until I say the word ‘rise’. Do you understand?”

That was an order Rebecca couldn’t follow through immediately, being seated on the couch next to Eliana, but she giggled and nodded. That was all Eliana needed to hear to know Rebecca understood the order. As Eliana kept her hands on Rebecca’s shoulders, she gently massaged them, rubbing reassurances into her muscles. Rebecca sighed blissfully, sinking further into the couch as she let the suggestions take hold in her brain.

“We’ll have so much time to play more later – for me to play with your mind…” Eliana removed her hands from Rebecca’s body. “But for now, I think I want to play with those three. And more importantly, I think I just want to have my sweet, darling plaything fully present with me.”

“Okayy,” Rebecca exhaled.

“On the count of five, you’re going to be right back up, ready to serve and obey. Ready to be my loyal companion.”

“Loyal… companion.” Eliana could tell Rebecca liked the sound of that. Good, she also liked it.

Eliana counted up, starting slowly from one to two. As the count up increased, the intervals between the numbers grew shorter. There was barely a pause between four and “five, awake!” with a snap of Eliana’s fingers.

Rebecca’s eyes lifted, her eyelids still slightly heavy. “Mmm… you’re even better at hypnosis than I thought,” she complimented sleepily.

“Thank you,” Eliana smiled as she massaged Rebecca’s slack hand. “How are you feeling?”

“Good, and more importantly, ready to be useful. Should… should I call you ‘Miss’ or anything?”

Wow, Eliana thought, she really wasted no time.

“Miss sounds great,” she answered with a smile. “I think I’d like that too.” Eliana reached to gently grab a fistful of Rebecca’s hair. “For now, I think what I’d most like is some compliments and affirmations for your Miss. Understood?”

“Of course,” Rebecca started. “I’m just so happy to be with a Miss as loving and wonderful and talented as you.”

Eliana could already tell she was going to enjoy this.

~~

Rebecca stayed over Eliana's place that night, though they didn't go too much further into their dynamic. Eliana toyed with Rebecca's suggestions a bit, just to make sure they worked -- or to reinforce them with praises. Though, Eliana had one last idea that appealed to both of them. Every time Rebecca obeyed an order past perfection, going out of her way to truly make Eliana happy, she would get a spare hamentashin from the gift basket. To make it better, Eliana would feed it to her sub.

Along with many sweet words, kisses, and cuddles.

Neither of them were morning people, but Rebecca seemed determined to become one. She was the first to slide out of bed, teasing Eliana awake. "Morning, sunshine."

"Morning," Eliana murmured, closing her eyes again.

"Would you like me to get you some breakfast, Miss? How about some biscuits and gravy?"

Eliana's first instinct was to tell her to skip breakfast, she could some eggs and toast from the local diner when her body wanted to wake up. But... here she now had this obedient, subservient plaything. One that was willing to make her a home-cooked meal. Eliana pushed the thoughts of her usually depressing morning routine and smiled. "Yes, actually. I would love that."

Before Rebecca could go away, Eliana grabbed her nightshirt and pulled her close. "You're usually so indecisive... but you knew at least what I would want to eat. You can be so smart when you try, plaything."

Rebecca flushed red and nodded. "Y-yes, I guess I can be."

"Good plaything," Eliana smiled, touching their noses together, and released her sub. "Get to it, then."

It took a few more minutes for Eliana to get out of bed, but soon enough, the promise (and smell) of cooking biscuits was enough to get her out of the sheets. She threw on an outfit nice enough to look presentable, combed her hair, and brought her laptop into the living room.

It'd be nice if her new toy could resolve all her problems. Sadly, no, she still had to look for a new job. The day after she got the boot, too... She opened up her most reliable job hunting site, scrolling through the many opportunities as she rubbed her eyes.

As the food cooked, Eliana got a few applications in, and even went out of her way to draft a cover letter for one of them. (A cover letter! Who the hell needs a cover letter in this day and age? Just look at my damn resume!) After the fifth application for jobs she probably wouldn't get... just as she was about to throw her head back in frustration, two plates were set in front of her. One with the biscuits and gravy as promised, and another omelet with ketchup writing -- "Good luck!"

Eliana looked up at Rebecca, relief and gratitude washing over her. "Dear, this looks so good. Thank you so much."

"I hope it is!" Rebecca grabbed her two plates and sat down next to Eliana.

Eliana grabbed Rebecca's body and stared intensely into her. In a good way.

And then she tapped the bottom of Rebecca's chin.

Rebecca obediently followed the trigger and kissed her Miss.

"Good plaything," Eliana released her. "You're so sweet and good. It'll be so, so nice having you at my service while I get through these terrible job applications."

"For me, too," Rebecca chuckled. "Thank you, Miss."

~~

"No way," Eliana gasped as she checked her email later that evening. Neither of them had even noticed the hours passing by.

"What?" Rebecca turned around from watching TV. "What happened?"

"I got an interview!" Eliana exclaimed. "For a job I actually want!"

"That's incredible!" Rebecca gasped, standing up to embrace her Miss. "I knew you could do it. You're so smart and capable, any job would be lucky to have you. This calls for a celebration!"

"Hell yeah it does." Eliana tapped Rebecca's chin again. Rebecca kissed her. Rebecca got a hamentashin and some patronizing praises. Then they paused. "Wait, did you... have an idea?"

"Well..." Rebecca tapped her fingers together. "While I was looking through your stuff, I found your kink drawer with all the costumes..."

Eliana raised an eyebrow. "Really? I... completely forgot I even had any kink costumes." A part of her wanted to scold Rebecca for going through her stuff, but the second she realized where Rebecca was going with this, the thought disappeared. "I see what you're saying."

"So... can we--"

"Yes. Get those costumes out and lay the ones you like on the bed, plaything."

Rebecca nodded and all but sprinted out. As she began laying the costumes on the bed neatly, Eliana responded to the interview offer with a few potential times. Then she shut her laptop down -- it was past 5pm anyways, and she had a feeling she wouldn't hear back until the day after.

Eliana walked back into her bedroom, just in time as Eliana finished setting up the costumes. She was surprised just how many she'd collected over the years. Fortunately, she and Rebecca were about the same size, so size wouldn't be a problem.

"Which one would you like me to try first?"

Eliana rubbed her chin, looking inquisitively at all the costumes. First laid out was a catgirl costume, and one that didn't leave much to the imagination. "I could use a nice little kitten... why don't you try the cat one first?"

"Of course, Miss," Rebecca grinned. She stripped to her lingerie, making sure to put on a show for Eliana. Eliana noted Rebecca's wonderful curves, the light stretch marks covering parts of her body, her freckles covering her chest and arms. Rebecca threw the cat costume on, putting the ears on last. She made a little kitty pose with her hands as paws.

"Meow!" she squealed. "What do you think?"

"Oh, you are such a good kitten," Eliana gave her best Dommey laugh. "So cute and obedient. I could just throw a yarn ball your way and watch you play all day with it. But... it's not quite perfect. Not as perfect as you."

Rebecca purred, almost trying to playfully convince Eliana to let it stay on. But Eliana had other plans. "It might not be a kitty outfit, but... why don't you put on this latex catsuit next?" Eliana picked up the garment and held it up.

"Oh, um..." Rebecca flushed red. "You think I'll look... good in that?"

"Dear, you'll look good in anything, but you'll especially look good in something I pick out for you. If we change costumes, it's only because you'd look better in something else. Understood?"

Rebecca nodded meekly, covering her face with her hands.

"Good," Eliana smirked. "Then put it on."

Rebecca obeyed the order, taking off the cat outfit -- and her lingerie in the process. Eliana gazed at her bare body. All she could think about was throwing Rebecca onto the bed and taking over every inch of her. But... not yet. For now, she wanted to see Rebecca all cute and dressed up like a doll.

Rebecca modeled the latex catsuit once it was on her. It covered every inch of her up to her neck. Eliana tapped her arm with her finger. "That looks incredible. Don't you think?"

"Y-yeah," she murmured in response. "I guess it does fit pretty nicely, huh?"

"It does." Eliana tapped her sub's chin and earned herself another kiss. "You're doing so well for me, darling. You were so scared before trying that outfit on, but look at you now -- you look fucking incredible. Just as I told you you would. Don't you feel incredible, too?"

Her sub didn't answer that with words, rather with a muffled moan that Eliana could only take as agreement. "Good plaything. Let's keep that on, then, and try something over it?"

"What... do you want to put over it?" Rebecca meekly asked.

Eliana pondered. There were still six or seven costumes left, and combinations ran in Eliana's mind. What would look best over a latex catsuit? She looked between the costumes -- various pet play outfits, some sexy profession outfits, and then...

At the end was the perfect answer. A skimpy, two piece maid outfit. "This."

Eliana picked it up and held it up for her submissive. Rebecca's face flushed as she looked at the costume. "Oh, wow, that would look..."

"Amazing. For a sub as service-oriented and eager to obey as you, is there even a better fit for you than a maid outfit? I kind of just want to make you wear it around all day, make me food with it, clean up my place... all that stuff," Eliana's grin only widened with every word she spoke. "What do you think? Will you put it on for your Miss?"

Rebecca didn't have to think twice to answer. "Of course, Miss." She took the outfit and slid it over the catsuit. The top part of it was a crop top with an apron hanging from on top of it and frilly sleeves. The bottom part definitely looked like a maid's skirt, but much shorter, and barely covering Rebecca's ass.

"Oh, plaything. You look amazing. But... how do you feel?"

"Like..." Rebecca flustered. "Like I want to just be like this. All day and all night. Just serving you and making you happy. And... making myself happy by doing so. I love you, Eliana, I only regret not... not doing this sooner."

Eliana smiled, and tapped Rebecca's chin again. As the kiss broke, she answered that confession. "I regret it as well. But we might as well make up for lost time, hmm?"

Rebecca chuckled nervously. Before she could say anything else, Eliana held the tops of Rebecca's shoulders firmly. Without thinking another thought, Rebecca fell to her legs and knelt in front of her Miss, her new lover.

"Worship me," Eliana said. She grabbed the back of Rebecca's hair again. "And tell me how much you love me."

"I love you so much, Miss," Rebecca answered as she slid compliments in between kisses and licks to her Domme's thighs. "You are so special to me."

"Oh, Rebecca," Eliana smirked as she leaned into the scene. "Your mind was the best gift you could have ever possibly given me."