"I think today is going to be very productive."

To a busy, occasionally infamous workaholic like Jon Task, such a term ranged anywhere from innocuously forgetful to optimistically fruitful, typically the sign of a good-spirited workday ahead. Of course, it would seem strange to hear it from anyone else on a Saturday, where the only real motivation to get things done would be based on completing stiff deadlines and overtime pay, but some would call that a worthy sacrifice.

But that sentence was spoken by Sabrina Marks, the one person who redefined "infamous" in Jon's mind in dozens of ways over time. They walked toward the office as she spoke it, and the words almost made him stop in his tracks, taking note of the gait of her walk, the kind of stride you see of someone highly anticipating...something. And his mind played over and over the way she said it, matter-of-factly, but still something there that had alarm bells grow louder in his head, making his resistance wonder what would be afoot. 

It was then he wished Bevy hadn't announced that productivity was behind and a few volunteers were needed to help catch things up. Sabrina had to know that even she had things to do that day, and had to realize there was basically little time for her brand of play.

But that was rational thinking, the kind Sabrina's thinking had a suspiciously consistent habit of overruling.

Not 20 minutes into being there, things were already awry for Jon. He was pulling up reports and trying to conference with the two gabby employees who actually volunteered for working Saturday, who usually spent hours going on about how spectacular their typical Saturdays were. They probably only agreed to working just because both of them could still ramble on like usual. As the phone rang steadily, Jon wondered if their talking was going to be limited to just between the two of them. 

Frustrated at no one picking up, he got up from his desk and walked into the sea of cubicles to their stations, to find the epic discussion left to the redhead standing in-front of them, the only one talking, softly, using coercive language, gestating with her hands in motions two pairs of eyes seemed to follow along with from his view. Jon couldn't believe that she was taking time away from work that needed doing, but he was so surprised to see the magic being worked on the jabber-jaw couple, jabbering halted due to relaxed, approaching slack jaws.

Jon briefly remembered mention of Sabrina's office influence spreading to the older ladies, making it easy to understand how not even a ringing phone right next to them could disturb their engaged disposition. He also remembered how she said she hypnotized them to lessen the talking and increase their work-flow; despite all the reasons to get upset at the opposite flow of working, he couldn't help but watch her work. It was times like then when he realized how rare it was for him to be the third party, the observer rather than the subject, to see what she could do to others. Past her shoulders and outstretched arms, he saw lost faces perfectly content with a lack of finding anything, reacting to the only flotsam they had, a voice that took its time to emphasize words that meant so much to them. 

Jon could tell he'd walked into what was probably midway into a hypnotic evocation.

"You love that lazy feeling, yes, that do nothing and letting yourself be yourself feeling. It comes to you like it has in every adventurous Saturday you have, strengthened with every weekend excursion, unbeknownst to your heads, enhanced every time you choose to discuss it at work. The glimmer of light off my nails reminding you of the glimmer of hope you have to feel that being yourself. When you are here, when you're not, it doesn't make a difference. The where matters little compared to the how, how good you feel when you do things I suggest. The who, who you focus on in those wonderful moments, who you want to be, and me helping you to who you want to be. And the why, feeling this way, doing what I tell you, because why not? Why deny yourself the pleasure of following my suggestions. Every time you do, you get that *snap*, that surge that just *snap* fills your body, a ripple effect that starts *snap* and spread outward, a reminder to follow what you feel, and a reward *snap* for following. I bet that glimmer of hope shines even brighter when you see my fingertips *snap* don't they? It sure looks like they do to your laser-focused eyes and dreamy, lost faces."

"So maybe today, you feel like you're actually having another wonderful Saturday away from the office, visiting that hiking trail or state attraction you can't shut up about, somehow more exciting than ever today. You can be there and do your work today. The better work you do, the more you'll enjoy the trip you're already on, earning it with gusto. And the next time I *snap*, you're going to turn around and resume working, silently, only hearing the sights of your trip, whatever you need to ensure your work is done well, and my voice guiding you only to those things you need and want."

*Snap*

The pair wrapped in dreamy lassitude turned in their chairs to go to their screens, blissfully unaware of anything that didn't come from Sabrina's lips.

"And now for my next magical trick," Sabrina playfully said, turning to address their supervisor.

"I think I'll make you believe that what just took place was a mini-seminar about improving work habits."

Jon tried to interject with righteous indignation, but it was located a distance away from his mouth that couldn't utter more than "But-", still stunned by being witnessed to Sabrina's showcase.

"Because I think all it will take with you is getting a little bit closer to you, talking a smidge lower, letting you get a more intimate look at my eyes like you love, cause that's all it takes right? I could give you all that I have, like I've had to before, but maybe I won't need it because I know you want what's coming, don't you?"

She inched closer till they could feel each other's breath.

"Don't you?"

The confident whisper somehow sparked his resistance to respond and lean in to show features of indignation across his face willing to fight, belying what he mostly felt under his skin, the joy of reacting to whatever she wanted of him that had become routine, just like the initial bout of resistance. In this case though, it was stronger than before, his own confidence in fighting her rising to match her levels. It rattled him a little that she thought he could be taken down so easy, whether it was true enough or not. The conflict of his pride and her charms crashed into each other, blurring everything about himself and his hypnotist for long seconds, until it suddenly came to a head, with his consciousness coming out on top.

The routine she'd conditioned him to had become broken, and his head jolted back as he realized his mind was still his own. Stepping back from Sabrina, both seemed surprised at what he just accomplished.

"Did you...did you just resist me?"

She spoke like he had never tried before, really meaning that he never really succeeded, at least in her eyes.

He didn't have an answer for her, what had occurred was so foreign to him, he wasn't sure either. Convinced that he did, she came up to him again, not for a second attempt, but  for something else.

"Congratulations," she patted him on the head, as if proud of his accomplishment.

"We'll have to discuss this at length later, or sooner."

She walked away, back to her office, leaving him standing watching the quiet ladies working, feeling unfamiliar pride, and a nagging sensation of regret for not having let go to trance from the outset. Jon walked back to his, trying to get his mind back on why he was there in the first place. It took a while for his inspired erection to subside, but he had to remind himself that opportunities to indulge in it were not so far away, once he got some work done. 

About 20 minutes later, he called someone else he knew was working today as well, going over some figures over the phone with him. 

"Yeah, thanks Owen. The excel has just about everything. What about the figures on tab 3?"

"Those look good too, Jon. Kind of surprising; I'd thought things would be more dire today the way they asked for overt-hang on. Hey."

Jon didn't hear a voice reply back, just three crisp finger snaps, an audible sigh, and then some inaudible whispers. The next thing he could clearly identify was a set of voices, one speaking what sounded like repeating quietly to themselves.

"Feeling like this feels good. Feeling like this feels right. Thank you Sabrina for helping me feel this way."

The other voice was clearly directed at Jon.

"I'm sorry, Owen is unavailable to answer the phone at the moment, but if you leave your mind, will, and ability to resist aside, I'll be sure to make you feel as good as he does right now. Please surrender at the snap."

*Snap*

"Because you really want to. I know it, you know it. Face to face, or phone to phone, doesn't really matter much, you know this voice, and you know what it does to you."

"Feeling like this feels good. Feeling like this feels right. Thank you Sabrina for helping me feel this way."

"You can already hear what it's doing to happy, old Owen here. He wishes all his breaks were like this, dreams of me coming over to do exactly what I've done, and make the rest of the day seem like he didn't come in to work at all. He'll hold on to this feeling for as long as he can."

"Feeling like this feels good. Feeling like this feels right. Thank you Sabrina for helping me feel this way."

"He'll hold onto it like you're holding onto that phone. Arm comfortably at rest, unable to move, cause what part of your body doesn't want to hear what I have to say. It'll just stay there and listen, no resistance, n-"

Jon quickly shook himself awake to hang up the phone immediately. Deep breaths were taken automatically, practiced breathing that usually took him deeper under Sabrina's direction. That empty pride inside of him that celebrated successful resistance yet again was still coupled with the side that wanted to let go to her, but didn't. It was joined by what amounted to abject fear. He couldn't ever remember something as rude as hanging up on Sabrina, so he shifted uncomfortably in his seat at what sounded like heels clicking, approaching his office door.

Too late to duck under his desk like the coward he wished he could be for that second, red hair and a stern look peeked in to address the office occupant. She held that look, knowing it seized him with dread, to a similar degree that her charm could. Jon waited for her to do something beyond that thousand-yard stare, but it unnerved him compared to all the other outcomes to see her gently smile and utter

"Congratulations on that resistance," she walked into his office and patted him on the head, bearing a precarious smile, barely letting up on his reason to feel apprehensive.

"We'll most assuredly talk about this soon."

Once she left his office, Jon had to excuse himself to the restroom to use the facilities and decompress. He wished splashing the cold water on his face and a few slaps to right himself would help, but not by much. He looked in the mirror to see if he could find the man with his former frame of mind, who was more feared than fearful if need be. The reflection bore a slight resemblance to that man, but the differences were clear in the shape the cunning enchantress had left him in; a meekness tied to an excitement not under his control, an the ease to laugh at his conditioning. There was some comfort in knowing she wouldn't be stopped, making it easier to back back out into her playground, probably wrought with sexy havoc.

He headed back to his office, feeling more of the being denied that signature cusp of trance he was so used to when Sabrina took control. It nagged at him like times he'd been sleep-deprived and needed a nap, not nearly as annoying, but present all the same. He thought about cheating and trying to let himself fall into an inadvertent trance without Sabrina, searching for his phone through things Sabrina sent him in the past that still had a profound effect. To his surprise, all of it was gone. He searched every directory he could, but it seemed effectively gone, almost strategically sanitized in-fact. Giving up on his phone, he sat at his desk and tried shutting his eyes, trying to force a memory of trance back to him, before he could get anywhere with it, he quit, thinking how stupid it was to even try, feeling that denial stronger.

The phone ringing at least distracted him for a little bit.  

"Hello?"

"Jon, Mr. Bevy asked if he could see you in his office for a minute."

"Sue? You're working today too?"

"Yeah, one of those Saturdays," the secretary spoke with less annoyance than he expected.

"Sure, I'll be right there."

He hoped talking to his boss could take his mind off things, at least in a professional way, at least until he saw a shadow of Sabrina walking a bit ahead of him, what looked like her walking in the same direction. He followed, past the quieted, working pair, past the Owen who whispered to himself as he worked, smiling.

Turning the corner to Bevy's office, he saw Sabrina addressing the secretary.

"You remember 'do not disturb,' don't you? Of course you do. Because nothing can disturb this state for you. You want nothing to, you look at yourself in this place with my power this place is my power, your dwelling, your paradise. And since I give you this, you'll give me and Mr. Bevy, and anyone else in the office the privacy we need, as usual, yes?"

Sue was so happy to respond positively.

"Susan?"

"Yes Sabrina?"

"Is Jonathan right behind me?"

"Yes."

"What's he doing?"

"Looking at you."

"How does he look?"

"Shocked."

"Please inform Jonathan that there's nothing to worry about."

Sabrina turned gracefully to meet Jon's gaze with her own azure one, emphasizing her stare with the secretary's soft, assuring words.

"Jonathan, there's nothing to worry about." How foreign it sounded to hear someone other than his mental Mistress refer to him by his gentlemanly name, especially in what was such a submissive, subdued tone of voice, didn't phase him like he thought it could. It just couldn't at that moment. Sabrina let long seconds of eye-gazing between them linger before breaking the silence.

"What do you think Jonathan? If you look long enough this time, will Susan be right?"

That surge of resolve kicked in out of nowhere, letting him respond as confidently as he was regarded.

"Couldn't tell you at this point."

"Hmm..." she blinked a few times. "That should've worked," she spoke to herself.

"Well, congratulations anyway," she patted him on the head again, not disturbing Sue, but greatly annoying Jon.

"Let's go Jonathan, Bevy called us both in."

Reluctantly, Jon followed her into Bevy's office. 

"Hey Jon, Sabrina, need some help with something. My memory is really failing me today."

"I'll bet it is," Jon uttered under his breath, making Sabrina smile.

"I know Sabrina is our resident head-shrinker, but I feel like it had something to do with you too Jon."

"Really?"

"Yes, it's really getting to me.

Jon felt like he knew where this was going, but decided to pretend the scene was being played straight.

"Would it have to do with the Carole report we've been working on?"

"No...don't think so."

"The Dickson report?"

"Now that you mention it, A report is involved. Just which one is the question."

"To my knowledge, that's all we've had on our plate this week, and-"

"Maybe you should finally try that mantra." Sabrina interjected. "The one I've been telling you can help with recovering or keeping ideas you've lost?"

"For something like this?"

"C'mon Peter, when have I ever steered you wrong?"

Jon wanted to snicker, but turned his head away from them and kept his lips shut.

"Ok," Bevy sighed, thinking it was unnecessary, but was willing to give it a try.

"Report to Sabrina,
to help with what you're looking to find.
Report only to Sabrina,
which means she owns your mind."

"Report to Sabrina,
to help with what you're looking to find.
Report only to Sabrina,
which means she owns your mind."

"It would probably help if you close your eyes while you did it," Sabrina suggested, and Bevy's eyes shut faster than he expected. 

But his lips kept up the prose that left Jon looking unamused at the words spoken with the speaker not having an ounce of consideration for the meaning of the words. Those words faded into the background as he leaned over to whisper at Sabrina.

"You say I'm helpless sometimes, but you really can't help yourself with this stuff."

"I don't say you're helpless 'sometimes,' and why should I hold back from some good, clean fun?" She replied in her own whisper.

"Sometimes your brand of 'fun' scares me."

"Sometimes that's the point, dear," she gave him a naughty grin. "But you certainly can't tell me that everyone here is having the most fun Saturday possible, given the circumstances."

"I don't think anyone is having more fun than you right now," Jon looked at her pointedly.

She tried thinking of a retort, but shrugged her shoulders in that nonchalant way he should've recognized would be a pre-cursor to a more engaging Sabrina.

"And I'm very inclined to share that fun instead of keeping it to myself. Is that supposed to make me a bad person? Of course not, when there's a smile on my face, I like to spread it around and inspired more smiles. No one in this office is frowning but you Jonathan, and you know I know how to fix that. Just look at our esteemed boss Bevy; he's smiling more and more as he's repeating something that gives him purpose. He's smiling inside and out, or for his case, from the inside out. He knows what he's feeling, expresses it, and feels better doing so knowing it's out in the open. It's a beautiful feeling, to feel the truth, and express it. Feeling it on the inside..."

It was as if Sabrina's whispers and Bevy's rambling took turns fading out of comprehension to Jon's ears. Sabrina's whispers were compelling, but almost too low to hear, even as they weren't that far apart. Bevy's words were loud and clear, but needlessly spoken. It was the same truth spoken over and over, no less factual than the first ten times he said it, regardless of if it would get stronger the next ten times.

Jon's brain at some point realized where his logic was being taken, and shook his head free of the wavelength he'd almost been trapped in yet again. Slit, accusing eyes stared at the woman who'd stopped speaking, but kept the naughty grin which turned into a smirk as she realized her attempt failed yet again. 

She snapped her fingers in Bevy's direction, and his lost memory kicked in finally.

"Ah! Dammit, that's what it was."

Jon and Sabrina sat quietly in their seats, keeping up the illusion that it wasn't more than a minute that he spent speaking.

"Jon, we actually didn't need to come in today. The report revealed that we're actually ahead, and today's work puts us even more ahead. We're all getting paid the overtime rate, but you can tell everyone that they're free to leave in a few minutes if need be. I'll tell everyone else on Monday we did an excellent job today."

Jon remained wide-eyed and silent as he took in words that brought his companion in the next seat to deep snickers. She had to cover her face as if to save some kind of dignity, despite it leaving Jon deeply annoyed and deeply perplexed.

"Did...I say something funny?" Bevy blinked in confusion.

"You did," Sabrina replied helpfully.

"Oh, I did. Thanks."

Jon's own indignant snicker leaked out as he mumbled excusing himself out. Sabrina followed him out, and leaned into Jon's shoulders outside to quiet herself, despite Sue still being oblivious.

"What is wrong with you?" Jon asked trying not to smile.

"Everyone's so easy; that's what's wrong with me." Her candid statement got him to crack a smile.

"Except you, mister. Congratulations on resisting me yet again. I must be losing my touch today," she spoke, patting his head, letting out another snicked as he uttered a sad whimpering without thought, based on the part of him that wanted to be hypnotized being denied, being the strongest feeling to feel. Instead of slapping himself to suppress the weakness, he asked Sabrina to wake everyone up and let them go home, since it would be more effective coming from her.

"Of course; at least some people listen to me," she stuck out her tongue at him. "But I've got a client coming in a minute, so I'm going to be a little preoccupied. Feel free to listen from the hallway though, see what you're missing. Or hear. You know what I mean."

He made his way to his office, smiling on the outside, confused and needy on the inside. He leaned back in his chair, trying as hard as he could to summon his mental version of an aggressively hypnotic Sabrina that was in the mood for no backtalk or willpower, to overcome his stubborn will once and for all. He imagined her using everything he remembered responding to before, her eyes, her blue crystal, triggers that may or may not have a potent effect, making him fixate on the body that took him deeper as he pleasured every inch of it. Several times he got close, feeling like she was finally going to take his cares away, but it was always snatched away as his winning resolve poked at his thoughts, righting him back to the solid self he'd always been.

Tired of this, he didn't even bother to get up and wish those walking by his door a good weekend as they said their enthusiastic thank yous to Sabrina, whether or not they knew why. For once in all his time with Sabrina, he was jealous of how deep she'd taken them. Such a turn, Jon laughed to himself, from willing to kill to not be in her hands, to resorting to self-hypnosis to place himself gift-wrapped in hers. 

Noticing Sabrina walking back towards her office, leading on the former client she mentioned, he knew what he could do, and wondered if he was desperate enough to do it. It turned out to be a stupid thought since he moved to do what he wondered about, slipping quietly into the vacant office next to Sabrina's, where the walls weren't thick enough to not hear anything. He quietly set up a chair against the wall Sabrina was closest to, hearing them share pleasantries and hearing how their lives were going. 

Something she said, or the way she said it, made the man gasp, and comfortably sigh as if aroused. The reaction made Jon close his eyes and lean his head back against the wall, wishing he was in the man's place, in the man's head, to be surrounded by Sabrina's voice, not cursed with such a strong will that could resist.

Jon heard every word, trying to replace the name spoken with his own, imagining himself laying on the floor or kneeling in front of a seated Sabrina, ready to be given a mantra, a breathing pattern, an elaborate command, anything that could take him into the once easily-accessible world of trance. Jon's eyes occasionally rolled themselves back into his head to try to feel it, to prompt it, but he kept coming back to what was. Time and everything else left his mind as he envied the joyous sounds the man was making; he imagined it'd been so long since he tranced with a talent like Sabrina. It was probably only a week since Sabrina played with his mind, but it felt like years just a few frustrating hours into a working Saturday. 

Limbo was all that Jon felt after a while, not feeling much, but not reaching the goal of what he was meant to feel. He didn't know if there was even an exit to it, until he became aware of his cheek, or really something digging into it gently.

"Wha-what?"

Jon nearly leaped out of his seat to see a calm Sabrina waking him, smiling sympathetically down at him.

"Did you enjoy your eavesdropping?"

"I was just in the....ugh," he didn't bother with even starting the charade.

"Yes, but did you enjoy it?"

"...tried to, but...?"

"But....congratulations?" She asked, only a little mischief in her voice.

He just closed his eyes and sunk defeatedly into the chair.

She patted him on his head, less adding insult to injury as she caressed his hair, scratching his scalp affectionately with her nails.

"Why don't we get going and we can try again?"

"Thank you..." she helped him up and retrieved all their stuff before locking up. 

On the car ride back, she stroked the back of his neck and spoke to him soothingly, giving him some aftercare after such a rigorous, experimental condition she left him in. She watched his eyes flutter and breath slow to that pace she loved. Her careful eye spotted his right hand rising, looking for exposed skin to poke with sufficient, but not painful pressure, to reinforce his imposing "resistance."

His normal resistance, as strong as it was, was one of the most attractive things about Jon to Sabrina, someone that could be a genuine challenge, someone that could raise the level of their play. Neither had any idea how elated and flushed it made her to turn that resistance against him like that, and how even more attractive he'd become in his disposition. He'd soon find out though, just as they'd both soon find out how much more of resistance he could muster. They had all weekend to play, maybe even all of Monday since they worked on Saturday. Sabrina planned to hypnotically make the most of it.

If she could.