“Your offer is most unexpected, Mistress Octavia.”

“That’s neither a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’, Patrick, and the question was simple enough,” she insisted. “I won’t ask again.”

“Okay, sorry. I would definitely love to experience your hypnotic charms, but I don’t think I can afford your rates right now, so I’ll sadly have to decline.”

“Interesting...” she continued dangling her foot from left to right and right to left as if it were a hypnotic pendulum.

“What is, if I may ask?”

“I said nothing about payment and but you brought it up anyway and I can tell you were being genuine about it. I like that a lot.”

“You make it seem like what I said was unusual.”

“It is for some people. Do you know the thing most Dommes and other sex workers have to worry about?”

“Dealing with payment processors?”

“That too, but I was thinking about time wasters and freeloaders. I truly loathe self-centered pricks that think they’re entitled to everything for free and don’t respect other people’s work. They’re a scourge on this earth and often ruin the fun for everyone involved.”

“That’s disheartening to hear. If you’re providing a service, naturally you deserve to be paid. I hope you don’t deal with people like that all the time.”

“I don’t though I’ve had my fair share of annoyances. Thank you for showing me you’re not one.”

“You’re welcome.”

“My offer still stands, though. We can worry about the details later if you wish.”

“You’re most kind. I appreciate that as well, but my answer remains the same for now. If we could get that follow-up going, that would be great.”

“I’ll have to look into it. Will you be so kind as to contact me again in, say two weeks’ time? I should have a clear answer for you, then.”

“Very well. In the meantime, I’ll mull on everything we discussed today and start preparing the article.”

“You do that, and be sure to keep thinking about my offer as well. Thank you, Patrick. This was fun.”

“I’m the one that should be thanking you for the time you’ve given me. You gave me a lot to consider, and I only wish this interview had lasted longer than it did.”

Mistress Octavia stood up and gently pointed to the nearest exit. “Please allow me to walk you out.”

“You don’t have to do that, Mistress Octavia.”

“I insist, and I only do the things I truly wish to do. This way.”

He followed her quietly, keeping his composure as best as he could. She truly was a remarkable woman, and it was no wonder so many people wanted to spend time with her. Was he making a mistake by not accepting her generosity from the start? Perhaps, but then again he felt he had done nothing to justify it, and work had to come before pleasure. He left the manor in good spirits and eager to review the events of the day with a smile on his lips. Fate was on his side, for he got his wish granted.

* * *

One week went by and Patrick’s thoughts were overwhelmed by fantasies of the Nubian Goddess with a warm voice and mesmerizing feet. He found himself dreaming of her every night but also during the day, looking absently at the calendar on the wall every five minutes as if doing so somehow made Time run faster. All the preliminary work on the article was completed, but there were too many missing elements for him to be pleased with. A proper interview required at least one hour or more. If she indeed agreed to see him again, he would need the extra time.

While he dreamed and waited, and dreamed about the waiting process becoming more bearable, he browsed her website and checked out her social media profiles. Mistress Octavia didn’t have much of a presence herself with most of her publicity coming from her fans, pets, and slaves. Messages of praise were easy to find and there was commentary for all tastes from simple reviews of her sessions that were only a handful of words long yet said enough, to exuberant exercises of purple prose that couldn’t be more overblown and made him cringe. Either those who had written them were trying too hard to get in her good graces or they were so brainwashed and enamored by her status that they couldn’t control themselves. The first option was something he avoided at all costs, for fake compliments were the same as no compliments, but the second... well, the second was hot.

There was no other way of putting it. The mere suggestion of losing control of something as simple as normal speech and writing patterns was downright alluring and if she were ever to entrance him, her beautiful toes slowly becoming the only thing he could think of, who knew what could happen next? While he said to himself he had no desire to become a groveling sycophant, an addiction started with simple gestures, and the rabbit hole was usually deeper than at first glance. 

He read the colorful messages over and over, bouncing from one to the next in the utmost silence. The minutes continued to move slowly, his nights falling into an eerie pattern of restlessness, unlike anything he had ever experienced before. When the two weeks were up, the first thing he did was reach for her smartphone to shoot her an e-mail, but he pulled himself together at the last minute. Desperation was the last thing he needed, so he waited for the sun to go down again, and when the night was lit by the most intoxicating full moon to ever grace the skies above his apartment, there was a faint knock on his door, followed by the most unexpected of surprises.

Mistress Octavia stood at the threshold, looking as regal as ever in a strapless lace evening dress in shades of white and light gray and rocking a pair of vertiginous black heels. The resplendent make-up highlighted the most exotic traits of her beautiful visage and he momentarily lost his balance upon seeing her once more. Similar visions had crossed his mind since the last time they had been together, but this realization was more powerful than any fantasy he could muster. 

“Good evening, Patrick. May I come in?” she asked.

“Hmmm... are you really here?” he mumbled.

“I assume so, though who knows what reality is? How have you been doing?”

“I’m okay, but confused about why this is happening. Forgive me, Mistress Octavia, but why have you come?”

“Let me inside and I’ll tell you.”

“Ah, of course. Be my guest. As strange as it is that you’re here, it’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“Thank you. You have quite the nice place here,” she noted, admiring the mix of rustic and modern design he had incorporated in almost every division of the house. 

“It’s nothing compared to yours.”

“Don’t say that. It’s quite cozy and friendly, the kind of house that makes you feel safe the moment you walk inside.” She stopped by the unlit fireplace and leaned against the carved mood mantle. “I think it’s the perfect place for the rest of our interview.”

“Oh? Pardon me but you seem a bit...”

“Overdressed for the occasion? Yes, I was on my way to a party when it hit me it was going to be a waste of time anyway, so I decided to look you up. Weren’t you supposed to ask me something today?”

Patrick closed the door and joined her in the living room, restless hands behind his back. “Yes, but I chose to wait a little longer just in case you were too busy. The last thing I want is to be a nuisance.”

“There you go again, not so subtly demeaning yourself. I appreciate the concern, but the fact I chose to come here should be enough to put you at ease. Do you think I would show up if I thought you were a nuisance?”

“No, I suppose not. Please sit wherever you like. Can I offer you anything to drink? I have water, apple juice, and I think there’s a bottle of wine here somewhere too.”

“I’m good, thank you. And I prefer to stand for now.”

“Are you sure? With those heels...”

“I see you noticed them,” she smiled. “Lovely, aren’t they? A late birthday gift from a dear friend. They don’t look like it, but they’re surprisingly comfortable, too.”

“I’ll take your word for it. If you’re standing, then so will I. Let me just grab my notepad.”

“Take your time, dear. Unlike last time, I’m not in a rush today.”

“That’s great.”

Patrick disappeared from view for a little less than a minute, returning with his tools of the trade and a childlike wonder plastered on his face. When he came back, she was still in the same position, arms spread out, but with her right foot slightly up and free from the confining shoe in the most tantalizing way possible. He stopped in his tracks and stared helplessly at the perfect vision before him.

“I can almost hear your heartbeat, you know?” she giggled. “Are you blushing too?”

“Hmmm, sorry, I didn’t mean to...”

“Stop apologizing if you don’t want me to get mad. Your attention is neither unwanted nor offensive, Patrick. I’ve loved those puppy eyes on my feet from day one.”

“It’s just that I don’t understand why they’re so...”

“Hypnotic? Well, we all have our predilections, our little fetishes, or latent tendencies. Why we gravitate towards some and not others is something that often defies explanation. Attraction is more natural than Reason because it’s raw and pure and not compartmentalized. Whenever I get started with someone new, one of the first things I tell them is to let the heart be in charge and not the brain, for all hypnotic effects are stronger the less you think about them. Most of us prefer solid shapes and tangible things we can hold on to, but I’m attracted to smoke, shadows, and the hint of a breeze rushing through your hair that’s invisible yet undeniable. What’s fleeting and can’t be seen but only felt is the most erotic thing in the world.”

“If that’s so... if emotions are the key, then the rest doesn’t matter?”

“It matters less than the importance we give it, and even my question was redundant in a way. You see, I’m not really interested in understanding your unmistakable desire towards my feet but simply use the power that comes from it to offer you an escape, a moment of deliverance that calls to another, and another... Trance begins when your mind drifts from one focus point to another, and then repeats the process, automatically, not questioning where the feelings came from or where will they lead you. The purpose of my query was to set the mood by bringing about the initial thought only for it to flutter and fade in and out. If you try to follow it, it disappears, and once it’s gone, you need not worry about it any longer. Anyone that can shift their attention like this can and will be hypnotized if they so wish. Do you, Patrick? Do you want to go down right now?”

“What about our interview?”

“This is the interview, sweetie, but when you ask something to a hypnodomme, you’re always the one giving the answers. Yours have been splendid. Don’t you like following my instructions to the letter?”

“I don’t get it.”

“It’s all about respect and doing the right things for the right reasons. As a fan of your writing, I knew we had to meet and I’ve been testing your responses from the very first question. Kindness and compassion never go unrewarded, and neither does curiosity. The final test was to see what you would do after I told you to wait and you took it like a man. I’m sure it was hard for you given the seed I planted in our last conversation, but you still resisted the temptation and followed my lead. Anyone that does so is a worthy candidate for my attention and here I am. You’re a beautiful soul, Patrick, and beauty should be preserved. I want a piece of it and I can tell you wish to give it to me. Take the gift and let’s create something new.”

“Tempting but what I said before stands. Not if I can’t pay you for this.”

“You will in time, I’m sure, especially after you publish your article.”

“I can’t compete with the Grammy Awards, Mistress Octavia.”

“I don’t expect you to. You shouldn’t even compete with yourself, but simply be yourself so you can kiss my feet. In trance, anything is possible. Embrace it with me.”

“How? What do I need to do?” he blurted.

“Exactly what you’re doing, listening and nodding, accepting that what is meant to be is always happening. The worst disservice you can do to yourself is believing your desires aren’t valid, and that your attraction is unjustified. You may stare and you may sink and you may worship, going deeper and deeper the less you fight it. That’s all it takes. You’re hypnotized from the moment you decide you want to be and then I take it from there, guiding you, weaving you into my web of sensual seduction and before you even begin to process the emotional avalanche bursting from within, you’re already on your knees and your lips are on my toes. Down... down... down... no more questions, Patrick. Come to me.”

Notepad falling on the carpeted floor, all rules forgotten in favor of something bold and new, he dropped before her, ripples of unbridled ecstasy coursing through his veins. From its flow came blankness, and from blankness came Paradise. Mistress Octavia touched his forehead as he sunk, unveiling the first and most important truth of trance. You are what you imagine and what you imagine is always real.

As he drifted senselessly, he savored the first toe, salty tongue sliding through the cracks and taking on the arched sole. He pursed his lips for the first kiss of many, lost to the moment but not completely oblivious to ignore her last remarks.

“Tell me what’s on your mind right now,” she cooed.

“I want this feeling to last forever,” he replied, her delicate fingers buried in his hair. “Can we?”

“No, my dear. Forever is a long time, but there are ways to make the pleasure last for as long as you can take it, and the only thing you need to do is to let me be in charge.”

“You already are...” he panted, cock hardening with every kiss, every lick, and every tap of her fingernails on his skull.

“The correct answer as always. God, you’ll be so much fun, pet!”

Patrick’s heart skipped a beat as he envisioned himself taking the sweet Pekingese’s role, cuddling between her feet as she melted all the minds that caught her eye. If that wasn’t true bliss, then nothing else was.

The End