Something was off.

“I agree, Cassie, I definitely felt like all the talk of lakes and oceans and whatever other aquatic imagery ties in with Imogen’s desire for a fresh start. For the open expanse of the sea, for water to come and wash away all that’s tying her down in that city.”

The other members of their little reading group hummed and made generally thoughtful motions to Jess’ commentary. It had been her suggestion to try What the Sirens Brought by Emily Trant, about a CPA named Imogen who has her life turned upside down when she starts hearing an alluring voice calling to her in her dreams. It was inflected with magical realism elements and had won a couple awards. She relished the chance to get to discuss something a little bit higher-brow than the romance backwash they usually concerned themselves with. It had been a little slow going at first, but by their third session with it they’d all managed to find something they connected to about the narrative. While most of the other members used their weekly meetings primarily as a social excursion, Becca had gotten into it for the love of the literature itself.

She would have been able to appreciate it more had something not been nagging at her for weeks now.

Anh chimed in with “That reminds me of the passage where…” she quickly flipped to a page she’d hastily dogeared. “…right, the passage where she talks about the numbers swimming around on the page when she tries to work.”

That was a good observation. Normally Becca lived for this kind of stuff rather than the gossip these get-togethers typically devolved into.

Imani nodded, setting down her coffee. “What did y’all think of the guy she was talking to at work?”

Cassie, ever the drama queen, groaned at the mention. “You mean…what was his name, Erhard? I couldn’t stand him.”

While she wouldn’t go that far, Becca wasn’t terribly fond of that character either. Anh silently nodded, her eyes lidding before they all turned to Jess as she chuckled.

“I don’t know, I didn’t mind him too much.”

“What do you mean?” Cassie boggled. “He’s so pompous and douchey! Who talks to their coworkers like that?” She scoffed. “God, he reminds me of Gavin…”

Most of the group scowled in mutual distaste of her ex-husband, but Jess merely shrugged. “The guy knows what he wants. Very much unlike Imogen, I might add.” That caused a few arched brows in the group as she had a sip of her drink. “I’m glad you’re getting so invested for once, Cassie.”

The previously aggrieved woman broke down into laughter which spread through the sunroom. Even Becca had to crack a smile.

“Guilty as charged, I guess. I like this more than that historical fiction Imani brought last time, at least.”

“Oh shush,” she fired back. She’d endured plenty of teasing before for liking ‘Dad books’ set in the 1800s. Her attempts to ingratiate her girlfriends to such exceptionally dry prose had not gone over well.

Becca wasn’t focusing on their inter-group squabbling anymore, though.

Nathan had entered the other room.

Every other member of their book club was left with an empty nest at the moment. Cassie and Imani were putting their kids through college, whereas Anh’s daughters were both living across the country. Imani at least still technically had her husband, but his work had him traveling for many months out of the year. Anh and Cassie couldn’t say the same, they were widowed and divorced respectively. The more they all met up, the more it became obvious that they all needed each other’s company, so they’d become fast friends.

As for Becca herself, she’d never really had the time for such endeavors. Her two black labs kept her busy enough, thank you very much.

Perhaps that was part of why Jess’ son coming back home after school stuck out like a sore thumb. She was a single mother of an only child, so maybe more intimacy than usual was to be expected. Maybe a couple overfamiliar moments could be explained away. Hell, maybe a too-long hug or an excessive kiss on the forehead or an oddly charged compliment which created an oddly warm blush on her cheeks was normal here and there. But it had been three straight months of this behavior by now. Something wasn’t adding up.

Before, Becca got the impression that Jess was a perfectly normal mother to a perfectly normal if unexceptional son. She’d known her for years at this point; this simply wasn’t like her. And if this was what she was doing around her friends, who knew what was going on behind closed doors?

Nathan didn’t seem to notice her eyes on him. He was too busy putting his eyes all over his own mother.

Jess was wearing a tight tank top and shorts that only made it halfway to her knee, while everyone else was dressed much more appropriately for October in Wisconsin. As Becca looked closer she confirmed that her friend wasn’t even wearing a bra. What the hell was going on here?

“You know, I saw him with his new girlfriend at the store the other day,” Cassie swore.

Imani scoffed. “That’s what, his third in the last year? Was she in her 20s too?”

Another groan of discontent followed the gossip’s nod.

“I don’t know what I ever saw in him,” she began. Another rant about her admittedly very irritating ex was to follow. Becca kept her thoughts about how if she wanted to get over him it’d be best to let this kind of thing go to herself.

She was busy scoping out Nathan’s behavior.

He’d cracked open a book on the side table. She couldn’t make out the spine, but an abstract drawing of the brain was on the front cover. Come to think of it, hadn’t he majored in Psychology or something? Was he emotionally manipulating Jess? Did he have something on her? Even an innocuous action like underlining a specific passage in pen now seemed suspicious to her. What was so important about that section in particular? Was that where they kept all the ‘how to make your mother act weird’ instructions?

Maybe she was being paranoid. After all, upon trying to subtly bring this up to the others when Jess went to use the bathroom during last week’s meeting (and came back with her hair all mussed up, but whatever), no one had noticed anything unusual. Cassie shrugged it off as simply a redirection of her normal affection now that her kid was back home. That was true enough, she supposed. Jess was always the one throwing events and buying people gifts and whatnot.

Speaking of.

“Oh, before I forget,” Jess began, setting down her drink. “Did you all get the email about doing ‘ladies’ night’ once we finish the book?”

Everyone nodded with varying degrees of excitement. Cassie was on one side of the scale and Becca on the other.

“Great!” she responded, not noticing her oldest friend’s trepidation. “It’ll be in four weeks. Thought it might be fun to kick back, y’know? I’ll bring a bottle of chardonnay but you all can add whatever you want on top of that.”

Cassie giggled. “Don’t get me started, girl. Be glad none of us are working the day after.”

“Sounds like you have the drinks covered, then,” she teased. “No takebacks. Imani…?” Jess prompted.

“I’ll bring some games and fire up the barbecue,” she finished without second thought. She was always willing to drop whatever to help out; Becca admired that about her.

“Amazing. Anh, can I count on you to bring that delicious dessert you made last time?”

She nodded proudly. “You know I’d never miss an opportunity to bust out my bà’s banana cake.”

“Mhm…and Becca,” she turned to her friend, mulling over her words for a second before simply smiling. “Normally I’d ask you to bring Zulu and Kiwi, but maybe it’d be best to make sure they don’t eat all the food,” she chuckled.

Becca chuckled back, forgetting about her worries for a moment. “Maybe, yeah. How do you want me to pitch in, then?”

“Aw, don’t worry about that. You being there with us is plenty as it is.”

The group cooed at her kindness. Becca’s face flushed. “Um…thanks, Jess.” She didn’t usually show up to their more ‘girly’ events honestly. Wine and cake and fussing over guys wasn’t her deal. Despite that, her friends were just as willing to extend such grace to her. Maybe this could be a good time after all.

Imani’s phone buzzed. Upon checking she went “Oop! Sorry y’all, yoga’s starting in twenty minutes. I have to get going.”

“Oh, did we go over?” Jess checked the clock to confirm that yes, it was actually ten after their usual stopping time. “My bad, everyone.”

Everyone soothed her worries before picking up their stuff, be it a showy Burberry handbag for Cassie or a simple thrift store purse for Anh.

“See you all next week, same time same place! We’re going up to Chapter 7, I’m pretty sure,” Jess quickly confirmed with her copy. “Mhm, Chapter 7. Brassbound in the Doldrums.”

Upon standing up, Becca saw back into the living room, reminding her of what had bothered her so much, but Nathan had since left anyway. Originally she’d wanted to bring up the issues she was having with Jess, but she was in a good mood now. There was no need to force the iss-

“Actually, Becca,” her friend said, walking over to her while the other club members bid adieu, “Is it okay if I talk with you for a second in private?”

“What?” she was stunned into silence for a moment. Cassie surreptitiously grabbed a few of the mints in a bowl by the door before leaving. “I mean…sure, yeah. What is this about?”

Jess looked over her shoulder to make sure everyone had left before sighing. “I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay. You seemed kinda out of it during the meeting.”

Becca suddenly felt bad for suspecting the worst. “Oh, no, it’s nothing like that at all.”

Her friend hummed. “No exes giving you trouble or anything?”

“No, really, Jess, I’m doing fine.”

After a brief pause, seemingly trying to get a read on her, she smiled. “Cool. Wanted to make sure. We gotta stick up for each other, you know.”

Becca appreciated her friend’s worry to an extent, but after a moment she realized there may not be a better time to pop the question. “Actually, I wanted to check in with you about something.”

Jess arched her brows. “Oh?”

“I…um…” There wasn’t really a good way to ease into something like this, was there. She cleared her throat. “It’s about, uh, you and Nathan.”

She looked confused but started smiling. “What about us?”

After a little bit more hemming and hawing, Becca began with “You two are pretty close, yeah?”

Her brows arched a little bit more before she nervously chuckled. “…I haven’t really thought about it that way, but yeah, I guess we are. You know, it’s just been me and him in this place for twenty-something years now.” She looked around the room nostalgically. “Honestly, when he was at school I didn’t have anyone around most days. It was really hard coming home to an empty house every day after work, and I have to thank you all for keeping me company then.”

Becca’s heart hurt for her friend, who she brought into a hug. And yet, as sweet as this was, something was still wrong, and she knew it. “I’m really glad to hear that, Jess, I am…but…when your displays of affection are so physical, it’s hard not to think that maybe something is…”

“I’m sorry, what are you getting at?” she said it as sweetly as she could, but they’d been around each other long enough that her sense of minor exasperation didn’t go unnoticed.

Becca sighed. It was time to rip the band-aid off. “Jess, is he taking advantage of you somehow?”

A dark cloud came over her expression. “What?” She seemed completely and totally at a loss. “No, he isn’t taking advantage of me. Why would you think that?”

Lacking any better ideas, she gestured to the aforementioned tank top. “Aren’t you cold in that?”

“No, not really. I usually keep it pretty warm inside…are you implying that he made me wear this? What are you talking about?” While she was being as patient as possible, it was clear that this was getting to her somewhat.

“Jess, I’ve known you forever, and I’ve never seen you act like this. For God’s sake, just a couple weeks ago he said ‘Geez Mom, you look like you could be one of my friends’ girlfriends.’”

“That’s just how we talk to each other! With all due respect, you’ve known me for a while, but you’ve never really known me with him around, Becca.” She seemed hurt.

Becca sighed, holding up her hands in defeat. “Alright. If I’m wrong, I’m wrong. Sorry for making such a thing of it.”

She sighed. “It’s…it’s okay.” After a brief glance to the door, she leaned in closer. “Tell you what. If I ever think he oversteps my boundaries or does something I’m not totally, 100% okay with, you’ll be the first person to know, okay?”

Try as she might, Becca couldn’t interpret those words as anything less than completely genuine. “…okay. Thank you, that helps ease my nerves.”

“No problem.” Her smile brightened up the room, driving away the tense atmosphere. “See you next week.”

“You too, Jess.”

She wanted that to soothe all her worries, she really did. As she got into car and backed out of the driveway, Becca wanted to feel like there was nothing else happening. When she saw her closest friend watch her from the window, she wanted to see it as just her looking out for someone she cared for.

Yet part of her couldn’t help but feel like she was just waiting for her to leave.

Slave waited just long enough for Becca to be out of sight before speedwalking to the living room, positively giddy.

“She’s gone, Master!”

Her knees bent automatically as he came downstairs, grinning from ear to ear. Once he stepped down to be level with her, they gave out completely, leaving her to gaze up at the man she adored from the floor.

“Did you have a good time with your friends, Slave?” he teased.

She moaned submissively. “Yesss, Master…it was hard with you in here, though. I wanted to please you so badly, but I gotta act normal around them…”

Master chuckled. “Of course. I have to test you to make sure you can still pretend not to be my personal fucktoy when you’re with other people. We need to exercise some discretion now and again, you know.”

Some of his talk went over Slave’s head as her gaze drifted to his cock, already tenting his shorts. “May I pleeease service you, sir?”

Another deep chuckle came from him as she began to drool. “Do you think you’ve earned it?”

Her eyes glazed over as he caressed her cheek. The edge of trance felt so amazing, and she dropped so easily when given even the slightest stimulus. “…yes, Master, I did everything you told me to do…I did all the chores, I sent out the invites, I wired you my paycheck, and earlier I…I edged myself before book club…”

He raised an eyebrow. “Hmm, and you still didn’t falter? I guess I have no choice but to reward you…” He reached for the drawstring of his shorts and untied them, revealing his underwear-covered bulge.

A groan of ecstasy rumbled through her entire body, from her lips all the way down to her toes. She moved her head closer, running her hands up her Master’s legs to bring it down.

His cock bounded out at her, his smirking face looking down at her devout worship. Before she could take it into her mouth, though, he grabbed the back of her head. “Take your shirt off, slut. I want to see my slave’s tits while she sucks me off.”

Her head bobbed even more than before, sputtering out “Y-yes, Master!” as she tossed her tank top off as quickly as she could. Her breasts spilled out immediately after, her nipples already hard merely from being exposed to him. She leaned over to lick his cock soon after, only to be held back.

He snickered. “Not quite yet, you horny bitch. Tell me what you’ll do to make sure all your book club friends get to be my slaves with you.”

Catching her breath, she let out with what he had firmly programmed into her. “Yesss, Master…my Master deserves as many women as he wants…I’ll help you hypnotize them into obedient slaves, just like me…I’ll bring them all around to service you, whenever you want…I’ll make sure you get alone time with all of them, so they can all see how good it feels to be a submissive, brainwashed plaything for you…I’ll do whatever you say, Master, whatever you need from your slutty mother…”

He held her there for a moment longer, letting her stew in her own prostration, before pressing her face into his cock. “Mhm. That’s exactly right.”

As soon as she was allowed, she bobbed her head on his shaft, going down as far as his grasp would allow her – and soon as far as she could make it once he began fucking her mouth proper. She loved to serve her Master like this more than anything else in the world, in part because here she wasn’t being stimulated by his cock. She could feel the raw pleasure of pure obedience, undiluted by any other sensations. It was perfect.

He grunted while fucking her face, thrusting into her greedy, lascivious mouth. “Mmm…As much as I like calling you Slave, Slave…once all your friends are my slaves, there might be some confusion…I’ll have to give you all new names…true names…”

Slave gagged on his length, but stayed on, exactly as he’d trained her to do. She couldn’t wait to learn her new name; to learn how all of her friends would serve her owner. Ideas of her own flashed through her head, for their aliases and for their ideal roles. She made a note to bring it up to her owner as soon as he came down her throat. That wouldn’t be long now, his grunts were getting louder and louder.

The noises he made while filling Slave’s mouth were like a beautiful sonata to her. It was probably the twentieth time that week, but it never got any less special for her. In accordance with everything he taught her, she opened her mouth to let him see his load before dribbling some onto her tits and swallowing it all down. His cum was her favorite snack in the whole wide world.

Before she could bring up any of her ideas for her friends, though, Master tersely commanded “Get on the couch, Slave. You need some more training.”

All those clever ideas fell out of her head while she squealed with joy. “Thank you so much, Master!”

She scrambled up onto the couch as fast as her legs allowed her, eyes on her son while he walked over to her side.

His expression was more reserved thanks to post-orgasm clarity. As much as he tried to act like her depraved pleasure was beneath him, she could see how eager he was every time he took his pants off.

She giggled. Her son was just as horny as she was.

“You know what’s going to happen,” he reminded her as he sat down next to her. Without warning, he brought up his index finger and placed it in her peripheral vision.

“Yesss…” Her eyes began to unfocus automatically, staring off towards the mantle.

“You already know to try to focus as hard on my finger as you can, but keep staring forward. Keep doing this even as it drifts in and out of sight. You know this because I have told you.” He reached up to her neck and massaged the side of her head.

Contentment filled her whole being. “I already knowww…”

“You know that because it takes extra effort to focus here, your mind will fully dedicate itself to that task. You know this because I allow you to know it.”

Another ditzy giggle left her lips. “You allow me…”

His hands drifted up closer to her scalp. “You know to say the word ‘precipice’ when you’re right on the edge of falling under my control. You know this because I own your mind and your thoughts, and they are mine to play with as I desire.”

“…my thoughtsss…play with…” It wouldn’t be long now.

Her soupy vision could barely catch his sharp grin. It was easier to hear in his words. “You know that you are falling deeper and deeper. And you know that you feel so, so tired. It’s so hard to focus. Why do you know this?”

“…because…because…” Slave had to put her whole mind to work to find out the answer. It came to her after a particularly good massage right on the top of her head. “…because you’re my Masterrr…’n’ because you’re always right…” Her eyes lidded, but she didn’t slack on her duty. “…precipiceee…”

Her Master laughed as the word slid off her tongue. “You know that when I snap my fingers, you will fall into trance for me.”

She began responding, only to be interrupted by the sound which controlled her every move. The sound which she obeyed wholeheartedly, which represented the sum total of her Master’s prowess and of her dutiful submission. The sound which owned her.

*snap*

He caught her head as it fell backwards, eyes closing and soaking her whole world in his power. She was a blank, empty doll for him, and he had cut the invisible strings tied to her mind.

“Good girl,” he murmured, tilting her head towards his. She felt it shift in the dark. “Open your eyes.”

When she did so, letting some mental energy flood back to her with the light, he was staring at her tits. A weary smile arose on her lips. To think only a couple months ago she hadn’t known how much her son loved them.

They wouldn’t distract him for long, though. “Time to give you a little test, Slave. Let’s start with yes-or-no. Say yes if it’s true and no if it’s false.” He cleared his throat. “You are my sex slave.”

“…yes…” Obviously. That was an easy one.

“Your body is my property.”

“…yes…” Another softball.

“Your mind can be changed at my whim.”

“…yes…” These simple questions gave her enough mental energy to think about why her Master was approaching it this way. Maybe if she was just repeating what he told her, it wouldn’t stick as well? He didn’t want her to be some mindless automaton, he wanted her to be a well-trained slave. That was what it seemed like, at least. She wasn’t a fancy psychologist like him.

“You love being hypnotized.”

“…yes…” He’d told her to love it, but honestly she loved it anyway. It was relaxing and it let her be completely submissive. Win-win.

“You love hypnosis.”

A little bit more abstract, but she got there after a moment. “…yes…”

“Anyone can hypnotize you.”

“…no…” The rhythm had nearly thrown her off.

He was amused once more. “Exactly. Only I can hypnotize you.”

“…yes…”

“Good girl. You got them all right.” He squeezed her tit as a reward, only to cut her off in the middle of a moan. “Let’s do some open answer ones next.”

She prepped herself to say more words than the two she’d previously been allowed.

“What is my name?”

“…Master…” ‘Nathan Elias Ericsson’ flashed in her mind, but even before being made his slave she wouldn’t call Master by his full name if he wasn’t in trouble.

He nodded. “What is your purpose?”

How to put it best? “…to serve you…to do whatever you tell me…to be your sex slave…” That was what she was, after all.

“Yes it is. Did you know that that was your purpose before I started hypnotizing you?”

“…no…you helped me realize it…”

“And is there any problem with that?” He waited with bated breath.

“…not at all…” It was perfectly alright that he had hypnotized her into being his sex slave. That was what he deserved, and she absolutely loved it.

“Mhm…” He rubbed her tit a little more, though not squeezing it this time. “Why are you going to help me make your friends my sex slaves?”

“…because you want it…I will obey…” That was all that mattered.

“Why do you think I want to hypnotize your other friends into being my sex slaves?”

That was the most open-ended one yet. She hadn’t really considered it, honestly. Why he wanted it didn’t matter, all that mattered was that he wanted it. And so she would obey. She came up with an answer soon enough, though. “…because you can…because it would make you feel powerful…because you want to be able to use me whenever you want…because they’re attractive…”

His brows arched. “Are you attracted to your friends?”

“…no…” No hesitation. She was straight.

He stared at her for a moment longer before chuckling. “I’m not sure I like how good you are at knowing how I feel, Slave. Maybe I should make you dumb enough that all you care about is my cock.”

No reaction. If he wanted that she would comply without a second thought.

After a bit of mulling it over he shook his head. “No, I kind of like still seeing that side of you. After all, even if you’re my sex slave, you’re still my Mom.”

They both laughed at that.

“Everything seems to be in order, though.” He brought his hand back in front of her face. “When I snap my fingers, you will…?”

Fill in the blank. “…come out of trance, feel incredible pleasure, and forget everything…”

He nodded before considering it a moment longer. “Actually, you can remember it this time, Slave.”

She didn’t have time to process that before the wonderful sound turned her mind back on and she felt the usual rush of ecstasy that had made her beg to be hypnotized by him more and more.

This time it was different, though. This time, instead of it all fading away like an unmemorable dream, it stuck in her head. She excitedly grinned at her son.

“Wow, Master…is…is that what my training is actually like? It’s amazing!”

He sat back, smugly satisfied. As well he should be. “That’s what some of it is like, at least. Figured you deserved a treat for being such a good girl today. Now.” Her wonderful owner nodded his head towards the kitchen. “I’m hungry. Go make me lunch.”

“Yes, Master!” She was off to the kitchen at once, loving how her son’s eyes stayed glued to her tits while they bounced. The back pain was absolutely worth it for his pleasure.

The pasta was well on its way when her Master looked over again with something on his mind. “Slave?”

She turned around, an apron now covering her bare breasts. “Yes, Master?”

“In your book club, who’s the mouthy one with big tits?”

Her eyes widened before she giggled. “Oh, that’s Cassie, Master. Why?”

He snickered under his breath.

“I think you already know.”

Slave licked her lips. She sure did.