“I’m sorry to just come over like this,” Lauren said anxiously, as she walked past Glen into his flat. “But I really needed to talk to someone...”

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” he replied, frowning with apparent concern. “I’m here for you any time. What’s the matter?”

Going through to the living room, she sat down on the sofa with an exasperated sigh, shooting a look of distress at her friend. “Tom and I had a huge row. He’s been such a tool the last couple of months - ever since you started hypnotising me...”

Glen’s eyes narrowed as he sat in the armchair. “Really?”

“Yeah, he doesn’t like the way I’ve been acting with the whole underthink trigger. And he won’t shut up about these knickers, which he swears were mine! He thinks you’re manipulating my mind, brainwashing me.” She snorted derisively. “He actually said the word ‘brainwashing’ - like, not jokingly, either!”

“I see,” Glen said, stroking his goatee worriedly. “And how did you react?”

“Oh, I defended you, don’t worry! I mean, he’s just being utterly stupid. You can’t hypnotise someone into doing something they don’t want to do - you told me the first time you did it!”

Glen nodded. “Exactly. I’m sorry he doesn’t get that. But to be fair, you didn’t know very much about hypnosis to start off with...”

“Yeah, I guess...” She sighed. “It just makes me so cross. You’ve helped me so much, and I’m the only person who seems happy about it! Tom doesn’t trust you, my co-workers think I’ve gone nuts - oh, that’s the other thing. Using that card on my lanyard didn’t really help - they’re still really weird around me. And my boss isn’t ill any more, and when she came back and saw me under the trigger’s influence, she got really concerned. She tried to arrange for me to see a counsellor! I refused point blank...”

She sank back wearily. “I just, it feels like everything’s falling apart. But it’s not because of the hypnosis - things were already going crazy before that, that’s the whole reason we started! And when I’m underthinking, I’m happy - I’m content! It’s the only time I feel right. But it keeps wearing off, and then things start getting messy again - with my job, with Tom...”

“Well, I don’t think you’re the problem, Lauren,” Glen remarked, smiling sympathetically. “So I hate to say it, but maybe it’s the job - maybe you’re just not suited to that work? You might be better off with something slower-paced - something where you can think less without worrying anyone!”

She bit her lip. “Yeah... yeah, maybe. I mean, I don’t want to quit. I’ve made friends there, and I used to like the work. But now... I dunno.” She exhaled loudly. “It’s so much easier knowing what to do when you use the trigger on me!”

He gave her an understanding smile. “Well, I’m more than happy to use it again for you. Do you want me to put you in trance first, chill you out a bit?”

She nodded eagerly. “God, I could really use that! Honestly, I was hoping you’d be free and willing to - I brought a hundred quid for you, and I’ve been practicing my cock-sucking.” She giggled. “Got through a lot of ice lollies lately!”

He burst out laughing. “Well, that’s one way to practice!”

“Seriously, thanks mate, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. A hundred pounds and a blowjob doesn’t seem like enough - I feel like I owe you so much more than tha-”

“Lights out,” he interrupted.

“Aah,” she gurgled, her eyes dropping shut as she slumped sideways, lying limply on the sofa.

He grinned, licking his lips. Don’t worry love, he thought maliciously. You’ll be repaying me in full, before too long...

“Sit up straight, Lauren, and open your eyes.”

“Yes, Master.” Her loose limbs stiffening with purpose, she lifted herself up in fluidly mechanical movements and returned to a rigidly upright position, her vacant eyes drifting open. Sliding forwards to perch on the edge of his own seat, so as to be closer to Lauren, Glen reached out and rapped on her forehead three times. “Nobody’s home,” she droned.

He ran his fingertips over her lips, and then reached down and groped her tit through her white jumper. “How do you feel?” he asked.

“Like an empty toy,” she answered, continuing to stare straight ahead as her trusted friend rubbed her boob from her left side.

“Good girl. These doubts you have about your job, and your boyfriend - they’re already so strong, but they’re going to grow even stronger. When I bring you out of trance, you’ll be so sick of NatWest that you’ll want to quit as soon as possible - and so disgusted with Tom, you’ll want to break up with him. You’ll want a simpler life, living with someone easygoing who doesn’t judge you, with an easy job that you don’t need to think hard about.

“Because that’s the real problem - everything in your life is making you think. You don’t like thinking - it stresses you out, it makes your head hurt, it makes you miserable. You crave a life where you can underthink to your heart’s content, without causing problems or attracting concern from others. And you know that the only person who gets that... is me. Glen, your friend, your hypnotist, your confidante. I accept what you want out of life, and I’m more than willing to help you get it.”

His breathing sped up excitedly, and he squeezed her breast harder, as he said the next suggestion. “In fact, if you could live with me, and get a job working for me, that would solve all your problems! Do you understand everything I’ve told you, Lauren?”

“Yes, Master,” she replied robotically.

“Fantastic,” he smirked, relinquishing her tit and sitting back in his chair again. “One, two, three... wake.”

Blinking, Lauren yawned and stretched. “Oooh, that’s nice,” she giggled softly. “My brain feels all fuzzy...”

Glen chuckled. “You feeling a bit better?”

“Oh God yeah, more than a bit!” She gazed at him appreciatively. “Thank you so much. Honestly, I don’t know what I’d do without you!”

“Aw, mate,” he smiled. “You won’t have to find out - I’m not going anywhere!”

She laughed weakly. “Maybe I’m the one who should go somewhere. Away from Tom, and NatWest.”

“You sound pretty sure about that...”

“Yeah.” Her tone was a little uncertain, but then she said it again, more firmly. “Yeah. I’m just, I’m done. I’m quitting the bank - it’s not the right fit for me any more. And I’m breaking up with Tom. I don’t want to be with someone who makes me feel uncomfortable about being hypnotised - if he can’t accept the thing that’s making me feel so good, then we just aren’t gonna work!”

Glen faked a sad smile. “Well, that’s a shame, but I think you’re making the right decision...”

“Totally,” she said, nodding. “To be honest, I don’t even feel that sad - just relieved!”

“What are you going to do for work now?”

She shrugged, pulling a face. “I dunno...” Then she smiled hopefully at him. “I don’t suppose you need someone to work for you? Like, as your assistant, or something?”

He chuckled. “Well, I’m not sure - I don’t even have my own business...”

“You could! You could be a paid hypnotist - I bet loads of people would want to hire you. I’ll recommend you to everyone I know, and I could be, like, your secretary, handle your bookings and stuff...”

Glen nodded thoughtfully. “It’s worth considering! I’ll think it over...”

“You do that. I’m gonna think as little as possible,” she laughed.

He raised an eyebrow. “On that note... shall I use the trigger now?”

“Please, yes!” She bounced in her seat excitedly, grinning at him.

“Alright! Underthink.”

Lauren went a little cross-eyed as the trigger hit her, wiping away most of her mind. She sat and dreamily gazed into space, waiting for what remained of her brain to be engaged with a job.

“How you feeling, Lauren?” Glen asked.

Her eyes locked onto him, registering that she now had the task of talking to him. “So fucking great,” she said with a grin.

Reaching out, he pushed her sideways. She toppled over onto the couch, lying flat on her back. “Good!” he said, standing up and walking over to her. “I’m really glad I’ve been able to help you.”

“Oh, ‘help’ is an understatement - you’ve changed my life!” As she spoke, he unbuttoned her jeans and slid them down her legs, leaving them bunched up around her ankles. “I mean it, anything you need, I’m there.”

“Well, now that you mention it, I did just think of a job that I think would be perfect for you.” Pulling his own jeans down and freeing his erect cock, he clambered on top of her, lowering himself down. “It wouldn’t require you to think hard - just work through a series of tasks every day, with very little variation.”

She unknowingly let out an ecstatic gasp as he penetrated her cunt. “Sounds fantastic! What is it?”

Gazing into her eyes, he began to thrust inside her, making her whimper and moan softly. “I want you to become my live-in maid,” he grunted.

Lauren’s eyes shone as she breathlessly replied, “When can I start?”

***

Three months later

With the padlock put to one side, the cage door swung open, and Master greeted Lauren with a broad smile. “Good morning!”

“Good morning, Master,” she grinned back at him, crawling out of the cage and towards the end of his bed. He sat down and spread his legs, and she nestled between them and opened her mouth to engulf his morning wood.

As she administered the now-routine breakfast blowjob, she found herself reflecting on how dramatically her life had changed - for the better. No longer the stressed, out-of-her-depth young bank employee-turned-temporary-manager, she was now a live-in maid for her best friend Glen. (Although she called him ‘Master’ now, because that just made sense - he was the Master of the house, after all.) The job was perfect for her - monotonous and routine, it required practically no brainpower. Plus, living with Master meant that he could trigger her whenever her brain started to get too active.

She had brought only a handful of her own belongings with her when she moved out of her and Tom’s house. Almost all of her clothes had since been donated to charity - she didn’t need many, after all. Master had her wear a uniform of his choosing almost all day every day, unless he wanted her to wear some of her old clothes, just to switch things up. He’d selected a few of her garments that she used to think of as her sluttier clothes, back when she made a habit of thinking, for this purpose. Sleeping in her cage at night, she wore a fluffy dog onesie.

As for her books, and her laptop? Master had kept them. She didn’t need them any more - her new job kept her busy enough that she didn’t have time for hobbies. Besides, reading and using a computer required thinking, and she’d given that up cold turkey. For the same reason she’d given him her bank details and her debit card - she wouldn’t be able to think about what to spend her money on, so he could decide.

That thought brought home an annoying realisation: she was thinking. Not much, but more than usual. Recalling the events that led to her current circumstances was a sign that her brain was starting to think along multiple lines at once, and that just wouldn’t do.

As Master finished in her mouth, she swallowed his cum and then gazed up at him plaintively. Once he regained his composure, he noticed her pleading eyes. “Yes, Lauren? What’s the matter?”

She grimaced. “I’m thinking again, Master.”

“Oh dear,” he chuckled. “We don’t want that, do we?”

She shook her head adamantly. “Please can you stop it?”

He cupped her chin with his hand, staring adoringly at her face. “Of course, sweetheart. Underthink.”

Lauren sighed with relief as she felt her mind slow and still, narrowing down to a single point.

“Now, get dressed and get on with your duties, maidservant.”

“Yes, Master!”

***

A few hours later, Glen entered the kitchen with a glass of cold Diet Coke in his hand, to find Lauren hard at work cleaning every inch of the surfaces. She’d cooked him a full English breakfast, and was diligently ensuring that every trace of dirt and grease was wiped away.

She now wore her standard uniform - a French maid’s costume. A simple black dress, with a white crinoline underneath and a little white apron over the skirt; gleaming black high heels; and a hairband with a white doily attached.

Utterly focused as ever, she didn’t look round as he approached her, or consciously react as he groped her through her outfit, the crinoline making a crinkling sound as he did so. But her body reacted - her nipples grew hard, and she let out a soft gasp. He lifted up the back of her skirt and dealt a hearty slap to one of her bare arse cheeks. “Thank you, Master,” she murmured automatically, having been hypnotically programmed to say that when he slapped any part of her, and to not even know she was saying it.

Reaching under her, he teased his fingers along her snatch, rubbing back and forth until she was nice and wet. Then he withdrew his hand and brought it up to her face, shoving his fingers into her mouth and wiping them clean on her tongue. As she stared intently at the countertop and continued to clean it, her slack mouth drooled on her Master’s hand. “Such a needy bitch,” he teased his oblivious maidservant, as his fingers worked their way inside both her cheeks, coating them in saliva. “Such a stupid whore...”

Finally, he took his hand out of her mouth, wiping it on his jeans. “Refocus,” he said. She immediately dropped the cleaning wipe she was holding and turned to face him, standing at attention and awaiting her next order. Her eyes were wide, her lips parted in a little pout, her back straight, her feet together, her arms at her side, her hands held flat in mid-air and pointing away from her hips. The pose completed the effect her costume was already conveying - she was every inch the French maid. Just seeing her like this was enough to turn Glen on.

He gestured downwards. “This floor needs wiping. Start over there.” He pointed to the far corner of the kitchen.

“Yes, Master,” she said with a dutiful nod. Turning to a cupboard behind her, she took out a packet of larger cleaning wipes, specifically designed for cleaning the floor. Crossing to the corner, she got down on her knees and began to scrub the lino.

Watching her work for a couple of minutes, Glen eventually said, “Refocus.” Instantly, Lauren let go of the wipe in her hand and stood up straight again, adopting the same pose as before. “Wipe the counters,” he commanded her.

“Yes, Master.” And she trotted back over to the counters and resumed her original task.

She had been going for no more than ten seconds when he said again, “Refocus.” Before she could fully turn to face him, he said, “Wipe the floor.”

“Yes, Master.” And she headed back to the corner. As she passed him, he put an arm out to interrupt her progress and slapped her arse again. “Thank you, Master,” she said dreamily, as she continued walking. Kneeling in the corner again, she picked up where she’d left off less than a minute ago.

He chuckled merrily. “Refocus. Wipe the counters.”

“Yes, Master.” Back she went.

But just as she picked up a wipe, before she could even use it - “Refocus. Wipe the floor.”

“Yes, Master.” And up she got, and back she went.

Back and forth, he sent her. No sooner would she take hold of a wipe, than he would order her to return to the other task. She mindlessly obeyed, ignorant of the fun he was having with her, not anticipating that he wouldn’t let her even begin her new task, not remembering the times she’d looped through the same actions so far.

“Refocus. Wipe the counters.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Refocus. Wipe the floor.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Refocus. Wipe the counters.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Refocus. Wipe the floor.”

“Yes, Master.”

Every time, she answered just as brightly and obediently. Every time, she did just as he asked him. Not once did she realise what he was doing to her.

Finally, Glen tired of the cruel game - or, more accurately, he pulled out his cock and came hard, so turned on was he by his maidservant’s dutiful, blank-minded back-and-forth. His cum rained down on Lauren, trickling through her hair and down her face, and on the floor, where she soon wiped it up.

Glen tucked himself away. “Refocus,” he said one last time. “Wipe the counters.”

“Yes, Master.”

As she returned to the counters, he strolled out of the kitchen. She didn’t even notice he was gone. She wouldn’t notice when he left the flat, either. She had her tasks to perform, ingrained into her subconscious even though she only remembered each one as she was doing them.

Glen left his home, grinning with eager anticipation. As Lauren had suggested, he’d started a business, using his hypnotic talents to help locals. His client that afternoon was an eighteen-year-old who was home from university for the spring. Nice girl - performing arts student of Greek heritage. The poor thing had been suffering from anxiety at uni.

He began to plot what he would do with her once he had her under his hypnotic influence. After all, one could never have too many free use toys...