The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Slowly I got up, and walked over to the door. I locked it and then returned to my seat on the sofa. I sat there looking at the rings lying in their box, occasionally shifting my eyes to glance again at the lab report that lay beside the jewelry box. Slowly I reached out with my hand to close the box. I was surprised at how badly my hand was shaking. That box scared me! My mind might not have admitted it, but my body knew that for a fact. I had to take a couple of deep breaths, and close my eyes before I could calm myself enough for my hand to stop trembling. I opened my eyes, and looked at the rings once more as they lay in on that black velvet, inside the box. I reached out again, and this time I was successful in closing the lid of the box. Not being able to see the wedding bands any more seemed to help. I stood up and headed to the kitchen. I might not know what my answer to Andy’s question was, but I knew what I was going to do right now. I was going to make myself a cup of tea. Rather a fresh cup of tea. I picked up the cup and saucer from the coffee table and quickly drank down the remaining lukewarm tea in the cup. I then picked up the empty glass that Andy had used and headed off the kitchen.

Once I arrived in the kitchen I started collecting the various items I would need for a cup of tea. It was this normal everyday routine event that helped to restore a little bit of balance to my troubled mind. I concentrated only on what I was doing, every step of the way. The mundane task of getting a cup and saucer from the cupboard. (I suppose I could have used the cup I had just brought into the kitchen, but I wasn’t exactly thinking clearly at this point. I was on automatic pilot, so to speak.) Obtaining a spoon from the silverware drawer. Filling the kettle with water and plugging the kettle in. Waiting for the water to boil. Pouring the water into the cup. Getting a tea bag and placing it in the hot water, in the cup, and finally setting the timer for three and one half minutes. I stared at the water getting darker as the tea steeped. The timer went off, and I spooned the tea bag out of the cup. I placed the tea bag in the garbage. Finally I added one teaspoon of sugar to the contents of the cup, and stirred it.

I took my hot cup of tea and sat down at the kitchen table. As I waited for the tea to cool enough for me to take a sip of it, I was amazed at how much calmer and more peaceful I felt. The simple act of making a cup of tea, had been a much more soothing event that I thought it would have been.

Rather than attempt to deal with the question that Andy had asked me, I let my mind drift and my attention wander. I sipped the tea. It was wonderfully warm as it slid down my throat. I found it relaxing, and comforting. As I wallowed in that wonderful state of peace and calm, I decided to sleep on the question, and face it tomorrow. With any luck the morning would bring a new perspective to me, and I’d be more able to deal with such a complex question. After changing out of my suit shirt and tie, I spent the evening soaking in a hot bath, reading a book. I kept away from the living room where a small black box sat on a coffee table, waiting for me. I managed to fall asleep without too much difficulty.

When the alarm went off the next morning, I awoke feeling a bit tired. I had woken up several time during the night. I had fallen back to sleep, but the night had not been as restful as it normally was. Small wonder, considering what I would have to think about today. I went through my morning ritual, of taking a bath, shaving, and getting dressed. I prepared my usual breakfast, and sat down to eat it after I retrieved the morning paper from the hallway outside my apartment.

Finally, though, I could put it off no longer. I walked out to the living room, wearing my faded blue jeans, athletic socks, and a Maple Leafs hockey team T-shirt. (What can I say? I dress down on the weekend, especially when I’m not expecting company. Is it necessary for me to mention that I was wearing underwear as well?) I sat down on the sofa and looked that that little black box. It was time for some hard thinking, about Andy, about me and about us. I looked at the clock on the living room wall. It read 10 AM. I tried to imagine what life with Andy would be like. I knew that it would not be exactly the same as it has been these past four months. There would be changes, and I was not sure exactly what they would entail. I knew that I did not want to give up hypnotizing men other than Andy. It was an activity of mine which I had come to enjoy and I wanted to keep in practice. I helped at lot of guys using hypnosis (and especially super hypnosis). Besides it was a lot of fun, even if it did border on sexual play sometimes. Early in our relationship Andy had said that he did not expect me to give up this hobby of mine. I wondered though, if that was going to change now that Andy wanted me to wear his ring.

There were too many unknowns for me to even guess at what our future relationship was going to be like. So, I looked at the other side of the coin. I imagined what my life would be like without Andy in it. I knew that if my answer was ‘no’ Andy and I would part company. He was a man of his word, as I had discovered over the past four months. The outlook was bleak and depressing. Life without Andy in it was going to be as empty and lonely as it had been before, only now I would be much more aware of just how lonely and empty my life had been. Not a pleasant picture at all. I sighed silently to myself as I tried to make up my mind. I looked at the small black box and opened it. The two wedding band still lay where Andy had placed them the night before. (Was it only the night before? It felt like it had been a lifetime ago.) I looked at the wedding bands as they lay there. Slowly I reached out and picked one of them up, pinching it between my thumb and forefinger.

The metal was cool and hard to the touch. The golden band glinted as I looked at it. I took the band and slipped it on the ring finger of my left hand. It slid on easily, even over my knuckle, since the ring was easily a couple of sizes too big for me. (Well, how could Andy have known? He’d never asked what my ring size was. After all, if he had asked me what my ring size was, it would have spoiled the surprise.) I spent some time looking at the ring as it lay there encircling my finger. This wasn’t helping any. I took off the ring and looked at it again. I blinked in surprise as I thought I saw some engraving on the inside of the ring. I turned on one of the living room lamps, and held the ring up close to it, examining the ring carefully. It was daylight and the curtains were open so the lamps really did not need to be on, but every little bit of extra light helped.

“Grow old along with me!” I read silently to myself. It was a line from a poem by Robert Browning. My throat tightened with emotion as I recalled the lines of that poem

“Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, the last of life for which the first was made.”

“Dear Lord, how could I have ever doubted how Andy felt about me?” I asked the silent room. “I should have said, ‘yes’ then and there. I should have just gone with my feelings and said ‘yes’.” But back in my mind remained that nagging little doubt. The doubt that kept reminding me that I had never had any serious long term relationship in my life. I’d had a few short failed relationships, but nothing like what Andy was asking of me. I had to be careful. I had to be sure, in my own mind, that this was ‘the one’. I was starting to fall back into that confused state I’d been wallowing in last night. It took some effort, but I managed to clam down and think clearly about how I felt about Andy, and what I saw happening with us. Was it worth the risk? Yes, unquestionably. Was I ready to take that risk? I sat there trying to come up with an answer to that question. I wasn’t sure. I thought some more about Andy, and the times we’d spent together, the joy and happiness we’d discovered in just spending time with each other. That had to mean something, didn’t it? I thought back to our first date, the dinner that Steven and Jack had set up, and I smiled at the memory. I thought about the other times we’d spent together. Then, in a moment of crystal clarity I recalled what I had said to Andy, when he had confessed to me that he was afraid of choosing between his love for me, and his love of his duty.

“Don’t you know I’d rather have five minutes of wonderful with you, than a life time of loneliness and emptiness, such as I’ve known?” That is what I had said to him then, and at the time I’d meant every word.

The words seemed to burn in my mind as I remembered the feelings that had overwhelmed me when I’d spoken those word to Andy. The words were as true now, as they had been then. I wanted whatever time I could have with Andy, however short it might be. I was too concerned with losing what I had, to see what it was that I could be passing up. I got hold of myself and looked at the clock. It read 11:30 AM. I grabbed the phone off the nearby end table and dialed Andy’s number. I’d made my decision, difficult as it has been to do that. Now, I had to break the news to Andy. I only hoped he’d be as thrilled and excited about my answer as I was. On the third ring the phone was answered.

“Hello?” Said a commanding male voice, which was not Andy’s.

“Yes, uh, hello.” I answered. “Maybe I please speak with Andrew Anderson?” I asked.

“Might I ask who is calling?” Inquired the voice.

“This is Paul Walton.” I answered.

“Hello, Paul. This is Chuck Chatterly,” the voice replied. “I’m sorry but Andy’s not in right now.”

“Oh I see,” I said, somewhat surprised. Chuck’s voice seemed somewhat more distant and cooler than normal, almost as if he didn’t really want to talk to me. “Would you be kind enough to give him a message for me?”

“Okay. Please hang on while I get a pencil and paper,” Chuck answered. A few moments later he was back on the line. “Go ahead. I’m ready.”

“Could you please ask Andrew to drop by my place at about 2 PM this afternoon? I have something I want to talk to him about.”

“Fine, I’ll give him the message.”

There was a loud click and the line went dead. I held the handset away from my head in surprise. Chuck has been rather abrupt, almost rude with me. It was not at all like him. I hoped I hadn’t caught him at a bad time. I hung up the phone and decided to watch a few movies to kill the time until Andy arrived.

At 12:30 PM my doorbell rang. I turned my head in surprise at the sound. The doorbell rang a second time. I pressed the stop button on the VCR and stood up. It couldn’t be Andy. I went to the door curious as to whom it could be. Imagine my surprise when I looked through the peephole in the door and saw Charles (Chuck) Chatterly standing on the other side of the door. He was the last person in the world I expected to see. I opened the door.

“Hello Chuck,” I said to him once the door was open. “This is a surprise. Why are you here?”

“Could I come inside so we can talk about that?” He responded, avoiding my question.

“Sure,” I answered, and gestured him inside. Once he was inside, I closed and locked the door. Then I turned around to get a good look at him.

Chuck, who was just shy of six feet all, still towered over me. (Actually, Chuck was only an inch and half or so taller than I was, so he didn’t exactly ‘tower’ over me. It just seemed that way, for some reason.) His clean good looks were pleasing to look at, but they were in no way outstanding. He was wearing a black leather jacket hanging open. Beneath the jacket I could clearly see the plain light blue knit shirt that he was wearing. The shirt had a three button placket, but I could not tell if it had short or long sleeves, since Chuck had not removed his jacket. The shirt was tucked into a pair of light blue jeans. Chuck was not wearing a belt in his jeans. The jeans looked to be close fitting but not tight. (Well, you can’t have everything.) It took only a moment or two for me to take all this in.

Chuck bypassed the front hall closet and headed directly for the living room, slipping off his black leather jacket en route. As I followed Chuck into the living room, I was pleased to note that from the back at least, his jeans were close fitting in a very nice way. They were not tight or snug, exactly, but they did follow the curve of his butt, without any sagging or bagging. I really don’t like pants that sag or bag around a man’s butt. It strikes me as sloppy, somehow. I quickly glanced down and made note that Chuck was wearing a pair of nondescript sneakers. They were more gray than white, which suggested that they had seen plenty of use.

Chuck sat down on the left end of the sofa and made himself comfortable. He placed his jacket off to his right, and looked up at me, as I continued walking into the living room. I sat down in the swivel rocker chair next to Chuck, and made myself comfortable as I looked at him. Chuck’s shirt had turned out to be a short sleeve knit shirt after all. It fit him well, too. Like his jeans it was close fitting but not tight. The shirt hung off of Chuck’s shoulders and bagged only slightly at the waist where it was tucked into his jeans.

“So, what did you want to talk to me about, Chuck?” I asked him after a short pause.

“What did you do to Andy?” Chuck asked me in a no nonsense tone of voice.

“Excuse me?” I asked dumbly. I was taken aback at the bluntness of Chuck’s question.

“It’s a simple enough question,” Chuck replied. “So why not just answer it.”

“I haven’t done anything to Andy,” I answered truthfully. “Well, nothing I’m likely to tell you about, anyway,” I thought silently to myself.

“Sure you did,” Chuck answered, with a touch of annoyance in his voice. “You hypnotized him. I know that you did. Don’t try to deny it”

“Who told you that?” I asked still puzzled. “And if I did, what business is it of yours?” I shot back, not bothering to hid the tone of annoyance in my voice as well.

“Well, Andy told me that you hypnotized him,” Chuck answered. “A while ago I noticed how much better he seemed to be coping with things and when I asked him what his secret was, he told me about you. He explained how you helped him to relax and deal with the pressures of his job. He was most enthusiastic about it.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that Chuck, but it doesn’t explain why you are here,” I said to him.

“Andy’s been spending a lot of time with you, lately, " Chuck said, his voice remaining frosty. “It’s not like him. I want to know exactly what goes on in these so called sessions of yours. I’ve checked up on you, and you are not a licensed therapist. Andy’s my best friend, and I keep an eye out for him.”

“Ah, I think I see,” I said as understanding finally started to dawn on me. “You are a bit worried about Andy, and that he might be getting into trouble.”

“I suppose you could put it that way,” Chuck agreed some what reluctantly. “So what does go on during your sessions?” Chuck asked again.

“Exactly what Andy has told you,” I answered as I avoided Chuck’s question. “I don’t discuss the details of my sessions with anyone. It’s up to the subject to decide if he wants to talk about the sessions, and to whom.”

“Sorry, but I don’t buy that line of bullshit,” Chuck responded, and his face started to take on a slightly mean look. “Andy might trust you, but I don’t. I want to know EXACLTY what goes on in these so called ‘sessions’ of yours.”

I swallowed my natural impulse to snap out some smart ass remark. I paused for a few moments before replying to Chuck’ statement. I realized that for some reason he was not willing to take ‘no’ for an answer. I tried to think of something to tell him, since I could not tell him the truth. I would never betray Andy’s trust in me, and besides it was none of Chuck’s business. “To be blunt, Chuck,” I said timidly, not wanting to escalate the situation. “It’s none of your business. What happens during Andy’s sessions with me, is a private matter.”

“I’m making it my business, Mister,” Chuck responded, his voice starting to heat up. The emphasis on the word ‘making’ was clearly evident. “I’m not leaving here until I find out what the story is with you and Andy.”

“Oh boy, would you ever be surprised!” I thought to myself. But I couldn’t tell him the truth. Andy would never forgive me. I looked at Chuck and a surprising thought popped into my mind. Maybe I could tell him the truth, if I could make him forget it afterwards. I’d already proved to myself that I could do that with some guys. With any luck Chuck was not immune to my powers like Andy was. A quick and harmless test would be enough. I looked at Chuck, directly into his eyes as he waited for my response. “Stand up and bow to me, then sit back down. You will not remember doing this.” I pushed the commands into Chuck’s mind as quickly as I could, and waited to see what would happen.

Chuck looked at me and his face took on a blank and empty expression for a moment. His face remained expressionless and zombie like as he smoothly stood up and turned slightly to face me. He bowed to me in a fluid and even motion. He stood back up, and looked at me blankly for a moment before he sat back down on the sofa. Chuck blinked his eyes a few times as the spell wore off and he returned to normal. His face quickly reverted back to that slightly mean expression that he’s been wearing on it for the past few minutes. It was a sure sign that Chuck was back to normal and didn’t have any idea or memory of what had just happened. As for me, I’d experienced a sudden surge of sexual excitement while all this was going on. (Like you expected me NOT to react? Hey, I’m not a monk, after all.) So, I knew now that I had a safety net if I needed it. I could use my super hypnosis powers on him, if it became necessary. However, I still didn’t have an answer for Chuck, and he looked like he was getting impatient with me.

“I’m not leaving until I have an answer, you know,” Chuck reminded me needlessly.

“No I suppose not,” I sighed. “I am surprised, though, that you expect me to betray Andy’s trust and tell you about our sessions. How can you even think of putting me in such a position? Why is it so important for you to know about this?”

Chuck looked at me right in the eye for a few moments before he spoke. “Andy could wind up in a lot of trouble, if it were discovered that while he was hypnotized he talked about his job.”

“You need not worry about that,” I said with sincere relief in my voice. “I am well aware of ‘The Oath Of Secrecy’ that binds an RCMP constable. I know that because of that oath Andy cannot talk about his work, to anyone other than another police officer. I do not know how much you know about hypnosis, Chuck, but I cannot force Andy to do anything in hypnosis that he would not otherwise do. I can’t make him talk about his job. I consider Andy my friend, and I would never even think of asking him about his work, hypnotized or not.”

Chuck studied me for a minute or so after I’d finished speaking. “I suppose I’ll have to accept you at your word. But should I ever find out otherwise, you will live to regret it.” he warned me, in a chilling tone of voice.

“That sounds like a threat, Chuck,” I said trying to match the chill of Chuck’s voice.

“Consider it some friendly advice, which if you are wise, you will take to heart,” Chuck replied, his voice a few degrees warmer than before. He stared at me silently as I looked back at him.

“Understood,” I said, letting my voice warm up as well. “Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?” I asked him.

“No, I think that about covers it,” Chuck answered. “I am sorry for coming on so heavy handed, but I worry about Andy. This is a nice apartment you have by the way.”

“It’s understandable, I suppose,” I replied. “No offense taken. And thank you for the compliment.”

Chuck gave me a very small smile in acknowledgment that we had a truce between us, as far as Andy was concerned. He looked around at the apartment a bit more taking in the decor and the various objects scattered about the living room. “What’s this?” he asked as he plucked up the small black jewelry box from the living room coffee table, where I’d left it from the night before. “Planning on asking the big question are you?” He asked as he grinned at me wolfishly, as he opened the lid of the box. He looked at the two gold wedding bands and a look of stunned surprise came to his face. “Two wedding bands?” he asked me in a puzzled tone of voice. “No engagement ring? What type of woman wants to wear a wedding band, instead of an engagement ring?”

An icicle of fear stabbed through my heart as I tried to think of something to say to explain the two wedding bands, but I was fresh out of ideas. Then I calmed down as I realized that I didn’t need to explain anything to Chuck. It was none of his business in the first place. “She’s an unusual lady, and I’m too much of a gentleman to say anything more,” I replied with a secretive smirk on my face.

Chuck threw an “Oh, I see” expression at me, as he picked up one of the wedding bands to examine it more closely. He held it up to the light. It was a forgone conclusion that he had noticed that there was something engraved on the rings and he wanted to read what it was. Chuck gulped as he read the engraving. He looked at me with an unreadable expression, which for some reason I found disquieting. He quickly grabbed the other ring and held it up to see what had been engraved on it. Chuck’s face suddenly drained of colour as he read what was on the second wedding band. I was more than puzzled by this reaction, since I hadn’t examined the second wedding band myself. I had no idea what the engraving on it said. It had never occurred to me to even look. I just assumed that the second wedding band was engraved the same as the one that I had examined.

Slowly Chuck replaced both wedding bands in the box and closed it. He gently put the box on the table and slowly turned to look at me. His face was unreadable. I guessed that he was upset or in some kind of shock, but it was difficult to be certain. As I sat there bewildered, looking at Chuck, an all too familiar feeling returned. It was that eerie feeling as if something was crawling over my forehead. I knew what it meant, and I gulped nervously in spite of myself. Someone in the immediate vicinity of me, was having less than friendly intentions towards me. I didn’t need three guesses to determine who it was. For the life of me though, I couldn’t imagine why Chuck suddenly felt that way towards me.

Chuck stood up suddenly and turned to walk away from me.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, the concern in my voice unmistakable.

“Give me a second, will ya?” Chuck blurted out at me, as he finished turning away from me. All I could see was his back, and it looked stiff and tense. I stood up and looked at Chuck’s back as I pondered what to do. I let the empty minutes drag by, and finally my compassion got the better of me. I softly walked over to where Chuck stood, and placed my left hand gently on Chuck’s right shoulder.

“If there is anything I can do to help,” I started to say, but my words were cut off. Choked off would be more accurate. With the speed, strength and dexterity that comes from long hours of practice and a lot of experience, Chuck grabbed my right hand with his left hand and pulled me about, spinning me around in the process so that I wound up in front of him, with my back to him. In the next second, Chuck’s right arm was clamped around my neck, and applying pressure mercilessly. (All of this happened much faster than it took to describe it, of course. It is only by thinking carefully about what must have happened that I can guess that this must have been the case.) For a second or two I was in shock and unable to understand what had just happened. By the time I realized that Chuck was using a form of police restrain known as carotid control on me, it was too late for me to do anything about it. I could not break free of the grip that Chuck had on me, since he was stronger than I was, physically. As for my mental powers, I normally need to make eye contact to insert my mental commands into a subject’s mind, which is rather difficult to do, when you are facing away from the subject. My next thought was to set up a powerful compulsion field in the room that would force Chuck to release me. Compulsion fields don’t require eye contact to be created, but they do require some time to set up. The fastest that I’d ever set up a compulsion field was in 30 seconds, and that was 18 seconds longer than I had, but still I did my best. It just wasn’t good enough. I was just beginning to project the field when my vision started to dim, and my body started to feel numb and rubbery. I had barely registered those feelings when my world went dark and I slipped off to oblivion.

For those of you who are not familiar with it, ‘carotid control’ is a restraint method taught to the RCMP. This method allows a constable to hold a suspect and apply pressure to compress the sternocledo mastoid muscles against the carotid arteries in the suspect’s neck. This painless, humane and effective hold, restricts the blood flow to the suspect’s brain. After about twelve seconds, the suspect becomes unconscious and thus much easier to handle. This was the unfortunate position that I found myself in. (You’re probably wondering how it is that I know so much about this. Well, let’s just say there are some advantages to dating an RCMP constable, okay? Knowing what was happening to me at the time though, didn’t help me any.)

I slowly climbed out of my enforced slumber to discover that I was sitting in a chair. I blinked my eyes and tried to move, as I became fully conscious. That was when I discovered that I wasn’t just sitting in a chair, I was tied to the chair, and gagged to boot! A piece of cloth, probably a dish towel from the kitchen, had been forced between my lips, across my mouth and tied at the back of my head. “It’s a good thing I did the laundry a few days ago and washed this dish towel. At least it’s clean,” I thought to myself. It was a silly and useless thought, but it popped into my head nonetheless. To judge from the feeling in my wrists and ankles, Chuck had used some type of cord to bind my writs together behind my back, and to tie my ankles to the legs of the chair I was sitting in.

I blinked my eyes a few more times and the room finally swam into focus. I was in my dinning room. A wave of relief washed over me as I realized that Chuck had not kidnapped me. I didn’t know what was going on exactly, but I was still at home and that was a comfort. I turned my head to the right and then back to the left as I looked around searching for Chuck. I couldn’t see him anywhere and that did concern me I wondered what else he might be up to. I took a few relaxing breaths as I calmed myself down. I couldn’t do anything at the moment, so it was best to wait and see what developed.

I could not see the living room wall clock, and I certainly could not check my wrist watch with my hands tied behind my back, so I had no idea how long it was before Chuck finally made his appearance. It could have been three seconds or thirty minutes. My first instinct was to make eye contact with Chuck as quickly as possible in order to use my super hypnosis powers on him. Once he was under my control, it would be a simple matter to have him untie me. (And yes, I did think of taking some revenge on Chuck for doing this to me. I’d be lying if I said that such thoughts did not cross my mind.) I fought down the panic that was behind this urge and waited to see what Chuck was going to do. He wanted something from me, otherwise he would not have gone to this much trouble. The question was, “What did he want?”

“You’ve recovered, I see,” Chuck said to me as he walked around and into my field of view. Chuck stopped when he was directly in front of me, standing a couple of feet away from me.

I nodded my head in silent agreement. There wasn’t much else I could do now, was there?

“I know that you’re wondering why I’ve tied you up and gagged you,” Chuck said in a cold and unfriendly voice. “It’s simple. I’m going to ask you a few questions and you are going to answer them with a simple yes or no. You can still nod your head or shake it, so you’ll be able to answer. The gag is to prevent you from trying to hypnotize me with your voice. You see, Andy’s told me how powerful a hypnotic voice you have. As for tying you up, it was the only way to be sure that you wouldn’t try something, such as trying to call for help.”

Chuck paused for a few moments as if he were making up his mind about something. “I know what you did,” he said in a deadly quiet voice. “I know what you did to Andy.”

I looked at Chuck and blinked at him stupidly. I had no idea what he was referring to.

Chuck walked over to stand just in front of me, and looked at me coldly. Suddenly his right hand came up and he slapped me painfully across the left side of my face!. As my head rocked painfully to the right with the force of the blow, I wasn’t sure which was stronger, the pain I felt or the surprise. As I slowly turned my head back to the left to look at Chuck, the left side of my face became washed with stinging pain. I looked up at Chuck. I felt more confused than hurt.

Suddenly Chuck’s left hand came up and he slapped me across the right side of my face! The blow was much harder this time, and I gasped with the pain and shock as my head rocked to the left. I let my head hang there for a moment as I gulped in air, confused and hurt. I slowly turned my head back to face Chuck more confused now than ever.

“I KNOW!!!!!!!” Chuck screamed at me, as he thrust his face just inches from mine. “I RECOGNIZE THOSE WEDDING BANDS!!! ANDY BOUGHT THEM!!!!” Chuck continued to scream at me, as spittle flew from his lips and sprinkled all over my face.

I swallowed as fear suddenly gripped my belly and settled down in my stomach like a small ball of ice. Chuck looked like he was losing control of himself, and I wasn’t exactly in a position to defend myself. All I could manage to do was to keep looking at Chuck and listen to him rant. Chuck took a couple of quick breaths before he continued to address me.

“Andy told me that he was going to give those wedding bands to someone very special in his life,” Chuck said as he finally managed to stop screaming at me. “Andy said that he couldn’t marry this ‘special person’ of his, and the rings were the best he could offer. I was thrilled for him when he told me all this and showed me those rings. I was looking forward to meeting this ‘special person’ of his.” Chuck looked at me as he paused for breath, and I could see the anger flair up on his face.

“AND NOW I FIND OUT IT’S YOU!!” He screamed at me as he raised his right hand and slapped me across the left side of my face again. The blow was even stronger this time, and I heard a very faint ringing in my ears.

“YOU!” He cried out as he slapped me across the right side of my face.

“HYPNOTIZED!” He screamed, while slapping me across the left side of my face.

“MY!” He ranted as he slapped me across the right side of my face.

“BEST!” He raved on, and slapped the left side of my face yet again.

“FRIEND!” He shouted out, and slapped me across the right side of my face once more.

“AND!” He continued to scream, slapping the left side of my face even harder. My head was starting to feel like a Ping-Pong ball.

“TURNED!” He stormed at me, followed by another slap to the right side of my face.

‘HIM!” He boomed at me. The now expected slap to the left side of my face followed almost immediately.

“GAY!!!” He howled at me, with even more fury and venom than before. The last word was followed by a long series of slaps. So many that I soon lost count. It could have been ten, it could have been twenty. I was in too much pain to know or care at the time. Eventually though Chuck stopped slapping my face. I didn’t know if it was from exhaustion or because his hands were starting to hurt. All I knew for certain was that my face hurt, my ears were ringing and I couldn’t seem to think at all. I just let my head hang there in pain, and let time pass me by.

“I’m right, aren’t I?” Chuck voice inquired after several moments of silence.

I shook my head in a silent ‘no’, keeping my eyes closed against the slow steady burning pain in both my cheeks. I flinched in pain and fear as I felt Chuck’s hands cup my face and draw it upward. Resignedly, I opened my eyes as my face was raised upward. I gazed into Chuck’s eyes and for a heartbeat I considered using my powers on him. I couldn’t bring myself to do it, though. He was Andy’s closest friend. It would hurt Andy terribly, if he ever found out. It would break Andy’s heart, and I couldn’t bear the thought of that happening. Besides, Chuck hadn’t really hurt me all that much. He was just angry and upset with me about what he thought was a betrayal of Andy.

“You know that I’m right,” Chuck insisted, in a very quiet and calm voice, all the more menacing because it was so calm. “All you have to do is admit it, to me. Admit what you did to Andy, and change him back to normal of course. Once you agree to that, all this will be over.”

I shook my head ‘no’ a second time. What else could I do? I couldn’t talk with that gag in my mouth.

“Look, Paul,” Chuck continued in that same quiet and calm voice. “It’s the truth and we both know it. Admitting the truth is not that hard. Sure, I was a tad upset with you a few moments ago, but that’s understandable, I think. Surely you can see that this is what is best for Andy, can’t you? After all, turning someone into something that they are not, isn’t really fair now is it?”

I stared at Chuck for a moment, puzzled at his line of reasoning. It was clear that he did not know that Andy was gay. Even if I told him that Andy was gay, Chuck would never accept it. A sudden sinking feeling overcame me, as I realized that in order to get out of this situation I would probably have to use my powers on Chuck. I shook my head ‘no’ at the prospect of that idea.

“I’ll tell you what,” Chuck said after a few moments of thought. “If you give me your solemn word, that you will not try to hypnotize me, I’ll take the gag out of your mouth so that you can talk. If you do try anything at all, any type of suggestion, the gag goes back in and stays in. I know that your voice is your main tool to induce hypnosis. So, do we have a deal?”

I slowly nodded my head ‘yes’. It would be good to have that dish towel out of my mouth, and maybe I could explain things to Chuck. It was a long shot at best, but it was worth a try. Chuck walked over to me and slowly removed the dish towel gag from my mouth. He dropped the towel on the carpeted dinning room floor a foot or so away from me. Silently Chuck offered me a drink of water from a glass that he must have carried in from the kitchen. It felt good to get relief from the dryness in my mouth. Chuck was careful in how he held the glass to my lips. He made sure that the water did not pour into my mouth too quickly and cause me to either choke or dribble the water down the front of my shirt. (He was a thoughtful son of a bitch, if nothing else. Well, how else would you have thought of him? The man attacked me, tied me up and slapped me around. And now he wanted to ‘talk’. He wasn’t exactly doing his best to convince me that he wanted to be my friend.) I choked down the urge to tell Chuck exactly what I thought of him. It would not help the situation any. As for my not hypnotizing Chuck with my voice, I would keep my promise, I decided. Of course I had not promised that I would not hypnotize him using my eyes, and he didn’t know that it was my eyes, and not my voice, that was my main tool for inducing hypnosis.

“That’s better, I’m sure,” Chuck said as a prelude to our conversation. “Now, I think it is a forgone conclusion that you are gay, Paul. I don’t need to be a detective to figure that out. If you were not gay, you’d never have used your hypnosis on Andy to turn him gay. I suppose I can see why you’d do that. Andy is a good looking guy after all. Whether or not you’re gay, isn’t important. What is important is that you made Andy believe that he’s gay, and that he’s in love with you. That’s something which we’re going correct, isn’t it?”

I looked at Chuck as I slowly shook my head from side to side. “Yes, I am gay,” I admitted to Chuck. “But I didn’t try to hypnotize Andy into thinking he’s that he’s in love with me or that he’s gay. He just is.”

“Please be reasonable, Paul,” Chuck said quietly, in that commanding and demanding tone of voice that he had mastered. “I’m not stupid. I know what happened. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if I have to.” Chuck’s face was passive and calm, as he stared down at me, except for those pale blue eyes of his which looked as hard and unfeeling as blue diamonds. After a minute or so, he spoke again. ‘Paul, I’ll beat the truth out of you if I have to, believe me I will,” he said. The words were so cold that the very air seemed to crackle and snap as he spoke..

I could not believe what I was hearing. It seemed too unreal, like something out of a nightmare. While I did not know Chuck all that well, I knew that he was Andy’s best friend. I found it difficult to believe that someone Andy trusted so much, could turn so vicious and mean. My thoughts were in turmoil. I was confused and unsure what to do. The totally unexpected blow from Chuck’s fist that landed in my stomach knocked the wind out of me, and scrambled my thoughts even more. “Knocked the wind out of me”? Who ever came up with that dumb expression? It makes it sound like I had to rest and catch my breath for a minute. What I felt, as that blow landed in my gut, was an explosion of pain, and a sudden terror flooding my mind as I discovered that I could not seem to breath. I panicked, pure and simple. All I could think about for the next minute or so (and believe me it felt a hell of a lot longer than a minute), was that I couldn’t seem to breath and that I might suffocate.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, I was able to breath again, but only shallow breaths. I raised my head to look at the man standing before me. Chuck wasn’t smiling. He looked as cold and serious as before, more so if that were possible.

“I mean business, Paul,” Chuck declared. “Now are you going to undo what you did to Andy or not?”

“I can’t undo something that I haven’t done in the first place,” I croaked out my answer between shallow breaths. “I didn’t make Andy gay. He is gay.” The pain was starting to fade, finally, and speaking was a bit easier. I answered Chuck’s question honestly. I was more concerned with trying to gather my wits back together, so I could figure out a way out of this mess, than in lying to Chuck. I slowly raised my head back up to look at Chuck. My resolve not to use my powers on Chuck was starting to melt away like an ice cube sitting in a parking lot on a hot summer afternoon in July.

The contact of Chuck’s right fist with the left side of my face was painful to say the least. Unfortunately it was not an isolated event. Chuck pummeled my face and jaw with his two fits for a time between infinity squared and infinity cubed. It was a new experience in pain and suffering. What few thoughts I had gathered in the brief respite since being punched in my stomach, were blown away like leaves being scattered by an autumn wind by this new assault on my person. The only thought that pounded through my brain was that I was in pain, and that it didn’t appear to be stopping. Bound as I was to the chair, I couldn’t move to escape. I was too confused by the pain flooding my brain to try and use my powers on Chuck. All I could do for the moment was to sit, suffer through it, and wait for it to stop. I kept my eyes shut, in the faint hope that my eyelids might help protect my eyes from this assault of Chuck’s.

“Had enough?” Chuck inquired, when he finally stopped beating his fits against my face. The tone of his voice implied that more pain would be forthcoming, if we did not come to an agreement that was to his liking.

I nodded my head yes and slowly raised it up to look at the brut before me. Chuck had gone from being my lover’s best friend and thus someone I thought I could trust, to an unfeeling and cruel Neanderthal of a man. The compassion and concern I had felt for him earlier had seeped away like water poured on sand in the middle of the Sahara Desert. My only objective now, was getting out of this situation. I had reached my limit. In point of fact, I was well past it.

“Now, unless you want more of the same, you’re going to do what I said earlier,” Chuck proclaimed. “You’re going to return Andy back to normal, and leave him alone. I’ll leave you alone for a few minutes to think before you answer.”

I gulped as I listened to Chuck’s pronouncement. Even if I could do that to Andy, which I couldn’t, I wouldn’t. (Okay, so that doesn’t exactly make much sense, but my thinking was somewhat less than clear at the moment.) I stared at Chuck in hurtful silence as the pain in my beaten face started to slowly increase in intensity. Chuck had been careful in where his punches landed. My eyes were not hurt, and my mouth while tender and sore was not causing me any speech impediments. I felt around in my mouth with my tongue, and I could not feel any loose or broken teeth. I took the few seconds of free time to try and gather my thoughts and my powers. I would try one last time to reason with Chuck before I used my powers on him, I decided. I didn’t like being pushed into this situation, but I didn’t see that I had any other options open to me. Oh, I could have agreed to Chuck’s demands, but then I would have been lying. Eventually I would have to use my super hypnosis powers on Chuck, so I might as well do it now and get it over with.

“Your answer?” Chuck inquired as he stood there towering over me.

“I told you before, Chuck,” I answered slowly. I could talk but it was difficult and painful. “I can’t undo what I haven’t done. Andy is....” My words were cut off in mid sentence as Chuck landed a quick jab on my face.

“Wrong answer!” Chuck bellowed. “You’ve earned this!” Before I could even try to snag Chuck’s attention and grab even a second’s worth of eye contact with him, the rain of blows falling on my head and now my chest racked my body and mind with pain. It was impossible for me to concentrate. Although he did not know it, Chuck had effectively neutralized my super hypnosis abilities. After all if I couldn’t think clearly I couldn’t use my powers on him, now could I? Another lifetime of pummeling started, and I resigned myself to enduring the pain until another opportunity presented itself for me to use my powers on Chuck. There would be no hesitation this time, I promised myself. I hung on, and waited for Chuck to vent his rage and homophobic fears out on me. I had concluded by now that Chuck was homophobic to some degree, otherwise why would he have reacted so violently to what he thought I had done to Andy?

Finally, Chuck let up. I sent a silent prayer of thanks to God. I concentrated on my breathing, which was difficult since it was painful even to breath. Taking a deep breath was a new adventure in pain. My first thought was that I had some bruised ribs, courtesy of Chuck. (At least I hoped they were bruised and not cracked. Better not to think of that possibility, I told myself, First get yourself out of this mess and attend to your injuries later.) I did my best to ignore my pain filled body and concentrated on just one thing. Getting Chuck to stop. I decided that I would send one word into Chuck’s mind to freeze him in place. Once that was done I could rest for a few minutes, and while I recovered my strength I could start thinking about how I was going to handle this entire situation.

It took a major effort of will to move my head, but I did it. Slowly I raised my head up and looked around for Chuck. He was standing about two meters away from me, with his arms crossed on his chest, glaring right at me. The anger had not left his face, but added to the anger was impatience and disgust. I guess I was tougher than he’d thought I’d be. That was some consolation to me but not much. Chuck slowly raised his arms in a boxers stance as he looked at me. The threat was clear. I got ready to launch my powers at Chuck’s mind while I had eye contact with him.

My opportunity was snatched away from me. Chuck turned his head suddenly, as he responded to the sound of a voice calling out from the vicinity of the front door.

“Hello. Is anybody home?” It was the voice of an angel. An angel decked out in a pair of white sneakers, a pair of dark blue jeans, and a light gray pullover knit shirt over which was worn a light tan jacket. A black braided leather belt snaked its way through the loops of the jeans to encircle the waist of this gift from God. All that was missing were the wings and the halo, but I didn’t give a damn about that. It was Andy! Andy turned back from closing and locking the front door to my apartment. “I got the message you left, Paul. Sorry I’m late, but I got delayed...” Andy’s words died on his lips as the scene before him started to register on his mind. Andy had started walking towards where Chuck and I were, but he stopped dead in his tracks, as the full impact of the scene in front of him crashed into his mind.

I can only dimly guess at the turmoil of thoughts, emotions and feelings that must have been churning through Andy’s mind as he saw me sitting in a dinning room chair bound and helpless, with Andy’s best and closest friend standing only a few feet away from me. I looked at Andy in stunned amazement as I watch the shock of the scene become painted on his face. It lasted only a heartbeat or two though. The shock quickly became supplanted with blood red rage. Never before in my life had I seen someone become ‘red with rage’. Right before my eyes I saw my sweet wonderful Andy transformed in to a raging maniac, who launched himself at Chuck, without the slightest trace of hesitation.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Andy cried out as he quickly overpowered Chuck and dragged him to the floor. Andy had Chuck pinned down and was holding him easily. At least it looked like he was doing it easily from where I was sitting. Andy was so quick and fast that he would have put a professional steer wrestler to shame. I decided to keep my mouth shut and try to recover my strength, mental and physical, as I was sure I would need them very shortly.

“I’m protecting your ass,” Chuck replied savagely, as he tried to wiggle free of Andy’s grasp. It was a futile effort at best. Andy’s rage had given his already tremendous strength an extra boost. He could have held a raging bull elephant at bay. (That may be a slight exaggeration on my part, but from my viewpoint that’s what it looked like.)

“What in God’s name are you yammering about?” Andy shot back at Chuck as he wrenched Chuck up from the floor and held him as tightly as ever.

“Let me go, and I’ll explain,” Chuck snarled at Andy.

“Fine, but you’d better have a strong explanation for all this,” Andy replied as he released his hold on Chuck.

“Oh, I do,” Chuck said as he rubbed and flexed his arms, while walking a few feet away from Andy. Suddenly Chuck darted towards me. He bent low and in one fluid and swift motion snagged the dish towel rag that was still lying in front of me and savagely stuffed it in my mouth, effectively gagging me once more. Andy was caught completely by surprise and had no chance to do anything more than take a few steps towards Chuck. Chuck danced back in front of me and held up his hand in a ‘stop’ gesture. ‘Hold it right there, Andy. It’s safe for us to talk now.”

“What in the world are you blathering about now?” Andy asked, as he stopped his approach towards Chuck.

“Now that Paul is gagged, he can’t use some kind of trigger to put you back into hypnosis, and take control of you again,” Chuck explained as if this should be obvious to Andy. “I know he’s been messing with your mind, and all that is going to stop, as of right now.”

(I suppose I could have acted then and there, but I decided not to. Andy had to find out what had happened during the past few hours anyway, so why not let Chuck tell him? It would give me more time to recover my strength and powers, and besides I was curious as to how this little scene was going to play out.)

“Messing with my mind?” Andy said in a voice that revealed he was clearly lost at sea, as far as trying to make sense of what was happening here. He looked at Chuck for a moment and then one piece of the puzzle slipped into place. “You mean the hypnosis sessions with Paul?”

“Yes, exactly,” Chuck said and smiled at Andy encouragingly.

“I still don’t follow you. What have they got to do with having my mind messed up, or you beating the shit out of Paul?” Andy asked stilled perplexed.

“Well those hypnosis session of his have been much more than just helping you to relax and deal with your stress at work,” Chuck said in a voice that was noticeably a few degrees cooler. “For the past little while, Paul here has been ‘adjusting you’, shall we say. He’s been alerting your beliefs and perceptions to the point where you think that you’re gay, and that you’re in love with him to boot!”

Andy; jaw dropped open, and his eyes got very wide as the implication of Chuck’s statements rocked Andy’s world right down to the bedrock. Andy’s face was a classic pose of absolutely stunned shock. Andy just looked at Chuck, silently unable to say a word.

“And further more, here’s the proof!” Chuck crowed triumphantly as he walked into the living room, and picked up the small black jewelry box that held the two gold wedding bands that Andy had presented to me the night before. Chuck looked at Andy for a moment before he walked over to where Andy was standing. “I’m really sorry to have to do this, buddy,” he said as the remorse filled his voice. “But see for yourself. These are the same rings that you showed to me last week. I recognized the engraving. Why else would Paul have them, if he wasn’t that special person you told me about?”

Chuck let those words sink in for a few minutes before he started talking to Andy again. Chuck placed his hand on Andy’s shoulder. “I know you,” he said as he stared intensely into Andy’s eyes. “We’ve known each other a long time you and I. I can’t count the number of times I’ve trusted you with my life. I know you better than I know my own brother. I know you’re not gay. I figure that the only way you could have been tricked into doing any of this, is for this little shit here to have been screwing with your mind when he was supposed to be helping you. I was just explaining this to him, when you came in. He’s going to undo everything that he did to you. He’s going to set matters right.”

Chuck paused for a moment before he continued. “You’re my best friend Andy. I’m closer to you than I’ll probably ever be to anyone else in my life, except maybe my future wife. I won’t see you throw your life and career way on something that isn’t real, that isn’t you. I WON’T see you turned into some faggot’s boy toy!”

Andy looked at Chuck, but did not speak. Andy slowly walked to the far end of the dinning room table opposite from me, and sat down heavily in the chair that he found there. He looked different. For a few minutes I couldn’t figure out what it was that was different about him. Then it hit me. He looked like he’d just lost his best friend. Suddenly I had a pretty good idea as to what Andy was going to say to Chuck, and there wasn’t anything I could do to stop him. I couldn’t talk with a gag in my mouth, and as for my powers, they didn’t work on Andy.

Chuck put the jewelry box back on the living room coffee table. Slowly Chuck walked over to where Andy was sitting, and stood beside and slightly behind him. Chuck looked down at Andy, with a soulful expression so profound that it was almost painful for me to look at him. I suddenly realized just how much Chuck did care about Andy. He was a true friend to Andy. It didn’t make this mess any easier to straighten out, though. Chuck placed his left hand on Andy’s left shoulder and pressed down gently. “I’m really sorry about this, Andy. God knows I am.”

Andy nodded his head in silent agreement. That is to say he started to nod his head, until Chuck snaked his left arm around Andy’s neck and applied the same ‘carotid control’ restrain hold that he’d used on me earlier this afternoon. Andy was too surprised to offer much resistance and went down without a fight. I watched in utter astonishment as Chuck quickly tied Andy to the dinning room chair. Chuck was both fast and efficient, and would have given a professional calf roper a good run for his money. (I realized that Chuck must have found the spool of cord that I kept in my kitchen junk drawer, although how he knew where to look for it in the first place was still a mystery. The cord wasn’t strong, but wrap enough of it around someone’s wrists and ankles and you could tie them up very securely. I knew that from first hand experience.) Satisfied that Andy was securely bound he walked over to where I was. He stood there beside me while he waited for Andy to regain consciousness. It took but a few minutes.

Andy shook his head a few times to clear it. He struggled briefly against the cords that bound his hands and legs to the chair he was sitting in. Satisfied that he could not free himself he turned his head in my direction and looked at me. His face was a mask of resignation and hopelessness. He shook his head slowly in sorrow, and then looked up at Chuck and tiredly asked, “Now what?”

Chuck removed the gag from my mouth for the second time that day. Once again he offered me a drink of water and I gratefully accepted. (God, I hated the taste of that dish towel!) “Now Paul turns you back to normal. When that’s done I untie you both and you and I leave here. Since you can’t attack me now, it’s safe for Paul to talk and hypnotize you again. He can’t make you attack me now, so we’re both safe.”

“No.” Andy said in the suddenly quiet room.

“No, what?” Chuck asked.

“No, Paul won’t do it,” Andy answered. “He can’t.”

“What do you mean he can’t?” Chuck responded. “He did this to you, so he can undo it.”

“No, you don’t understand, my friend,” Andy said with a heavy heart, as he turned and looked at Chuck. “He didn’t do anything like that to me. I really am gay. I have been all my life. I just never told you.”

“Bullshit!” Chuck screamed out. “Your mind is still warped with his poison. You don’t know what you’re saying. It’s not real!”

“No, I’m afraid that it is the truth, Chuck,” Andy replied when Chuck had calmed down somewhat. “I never wanted to tell you, because I knew that I would lose you. I knew that to tell you, that coming out to you, would cost me my friendship with you. I am sorry Chuck, but it is the truth.” Andy looked at Chuck with an expression that nearly caused me to burst into tears. Andy was saying good bye to his life long friend. Andy knew that their friendship was over, even if Chuck didn’t. My heart bled for Andy, but I didn’t know what to do. Well, that’s not exactly true. I knew what to do. I just didn’t want to do it.

“I don’t believe any of this!” Chuck retorted. He wasn’t screaming but it was clear that he was putting out a lot of effort to keep his temper in check. “I’ve known you too long, and I know you too well, Andy. We’re going to fix this now!”

“You can’t fix, what isn’t broken, Chuck,” Andy said in that same tired and beaten voice. Then Andy looked over at me. “So what do we do now?” He asked me in that same tired voice.

“I already told you!” Chuck exclaimed clearly becoming frustrated with the two of us. “Now let’s get to it!”

“Well, as I see it, your job and career are still safe, Andy,” I answered him. I ignored Chuck and his ranting, while I looked at Andy. (Jesus Christ! I didn’t want to do this, but I didn’t see any other way out of this mess.) “It’s just your word against Chuck’s that you are gay. There is no evidence, so I don’t see that anything serious can come of this, at least as far as your job is concerned.”

“What that hell, are you saying?” Chuck demanded of me. “You talk like Andy’s gay and as if I would tell our superiors about this. Well even if it were true, which is it isn’t, I wouldn’t do that. Would you PLEASE come back into the real world now? We have work to do!” Chuck didn’t like being talked about as if he were not even in the room, but clearly he was more troubled by this apparent lack of interest that Andy and I display regarding Chuck’s plan of action.

“When he knows and accepts the truth, though,” Andy said in that same lifeless and sad tone of voice he had come to adopt. “I’ll have lost him. What’s worse is that in his anger he just might report me to our superiors.”

“No, he won’t do that,” I assured Andy. “That much I can promise you.” Andy looked at me doubtfully, but didn’t say anything. I turned my head and looked over at Chuck. He looked back at me as if I were insane.

I gathered my mental powers and locked eyes with Chuck. In the space of a heartbeat or two, I fired my commands into Chuck’s mind. “You will obey me completely from now on. It is the most natural and wonderful thing in the world for you to do,” I sent into his mind. “It makes you feel good to obey me, completely and totally.” I sat there and watched as the expression on Chuck’s face changed from one of anger and confusion into one of bliss and joy. It was like flipping a switch. One second he was angry with me and the next he was looking at me like I was the most wonderful person in the world. I derived no satisfaction or excitement from it though. I closed my eyes and let out a soft sad sigh. I couldn’t help hating myself for what I’d just done to Chuck, because part of me had enjoyed it. I’d felt a slight tingle of pleasure and tasted the sweetness of revenge on my tongue as I’d seen Chuck transformed from a brut into my obedient and willing slave. I didn’t have the time right then to consider if my emotions and reactions were normal, given the circumstances. I had more important matters demanding my attention.

“Chuck, you will now untie me, and then untie Andy. After that you can sit down in the living room and watch television until I call for you again. Do you understand?” I instructed him in a clear and steady voice.

“Oh yes..uh..sir!” Chuck replied after fumbling for a moment on how to address me.

“Good,” I responded. “You will not attempt to leave this apartment or contact anyone by any means until or unless I give you permission to do so.”

“Of course, sir!” Chuck agreed seeming aghast at the very thought of doing something without my permission. He stood there looking at me, while he waited to see if I had anything else to say to him. “Should I untie you now, sir?” He asked unsure if he should carry out my previous instructions. His confusion was understandable. He was somewhat new at begin someone’s servant (okay slave), and so he was unsure of exactly how to respond and react.

“Yes, please do,” I answered him.

Chuck eagerly hurried over to where I was sitting tied in the chair and got to work on removing my bonds. I glanced up and looked at Andy. A crash of thunder went off in my head as I heard my heart break in two. Andy was staring at me like he’d never seen me before. It wasn’t a look of lust or desire, but one of bewilderment and confusion. Andy didn’t know who I was anymore. He didn’t say anything, but then he didn’t have to. The expression pasted on his face spoke volumes. I had never felt so ashamed of myself before. I lowered my eyes and directed my gaze to my feet. They were a lot easier to look at than Andy.

As I sat there waiting for Chuck to finish removing the last of my restraints, I distinctly heard Chuck muttering something to himself, over and over. I stained my ears and was finally able to make out what Chuck was saying

“He said ‘please’,” Chuck muttered with satisfaction and glee. “He didn’t order me to do it, he asked me, just like he was going to give me a choice. He must really like me to consider asking me to do something for him.”

Suddenly I felt sick to my stomach, and I wanted to throw up. I had pushed too hard with Chuck. The poor man was on the borderline of becoming infatuated with me. This only added to the guilt and shame I felt about what I had just done to Chuck. I’d deal with that later. Right now Andy and I needed to talk. In private. Chuck had finished untying me, and had moved over to work on Andy’s bonds. I got up slowly and started to hobble about the living room and dining room to restore the circulation to my hands and feet. It was also a good way to pass the time as I impatiently waited for Chuck to finish with Andy.

Finally Chuck finished, and helped Andy to his feet. “You did a fine job, Chuck,” I said to him, more to get his attention than to praise him. “You’ve earned your reward. You can go and watch some television. I’m sure you’ll find it very enjoyable.”

Chuck looked at me, and blinked his eyes a couple of times before a big foolish grin found its way on his face. He lopped off to the living room, joyfully. I turned and watched him as he made himself comfortable in the chair by the sofa and turned on the television using the nearby remote. Seconds later he became fully engrossed in watching whatever program it was that was being broadcast.

I walked over to where Andy stood stretching and twisting his arms and body as he tried to work the kinks out of his muscles. “Come on,” I said to him as I lightly touched him on the right arm to get his attention. “Let’s go into the kitchen so we can talk.” Andy flinched at my touch. Andy followed me into the kitchen quietly, but he was several steps behind me instead of beside me as he usually was. My broken heart now shattered into a pile of small bits and pieces.

We entered the kitchen and I directed him to sit down at the table as I did like wise. Andy chose a position as far opposite me as he could, instead of beside me as he usually did. I didn’t have to be physic to know that a chasm the size of the grand canyon had opened up between us. The really sad part was that I wasn’t surprised in the least. I had expected something like this, and I knew that before the night was over, I would never see Andy again.

“It’s okay, we can talk with absolute privacy in here. Chuck will not come in until I call for him,” I said as I tried to offer Andy some type of reassurance. I did not want to have this conversation, but I knew that it was unavoidable.

“What did you do to Chuck?” Andy asked quietly. Andy wasn’t stupid. He knew that something had happened to Chuck, and he also knew that I had to be responsible. There was not the slightest trace of anger, fear, or hate in his voice. It was perfectly calm. I would have preferred some emotion, any emotion in Andy’s voice. But this icy cold detachment mean only one thing. Andy was pulling back and away from me more and more with each passing moment.

“I don’t know what the scientific term is for it, or even if there is any science to describe it,” I said slowly, as I forced myself to look directly into Andy’s eyes. I wasn’t going to try my powers on him. I already knew that they would not work on Andy. I wanted to be sure to keep looking Andy in the eye so that he’d know I wasn’t lying. I paused for a few seconds to allow myself some time to choose my next words carefully.

“I like to call it ‘super hypnosis’,” I continued. " It goes far beyond the ordinary hypnosis that you and everyone else are familiar with. It is, for lack of a better term, true mind control. It’s very powerful, and with it I can make a subject do anything that I want him to. I can alter memories or even completely replace them.”

I waited quietly to let Andy absorb what I had said. He looked at me thoughtfully and then asked, “Just how strong is this ‘power’ of yours?”

“In terms of power and control, my ‘super hypnosis’ is to regular hypnosis, what the Space Shuttle is to a model rocket,” I answered quietly. There wasn’t any point in lying, now. The damage was already done. What little additional damage that would be done by sticking to the truth would be minuscule.

“I see,” Andy replied. “I was gay long before I ever met you, so I know that part of Chuck’s theory isn’t true. I can’t help but wonder if you did use your power to make me fall in love with you.”

There is was. The worm of doubt and mistrust was chowing down on a hearty breakfast of the trusting and loving relationship that Andy and I had built in the past four months. Everything had started to happen just as I had feared it would. Our relationship was falling apart like a row of dominos falling down. There were only a few dominos left standing, and soon they too would fall.

“My super hypnosis powers don’t work on you, Andy,” I said in response to the implied question of whether or not I had used my powers on him. “I know that you probably don’t believe me. It is the truth, though. You are the first, and so far the only man I have met whom I cannot super hypnotize.”

“So why didn’t you ever tell me about this? Were you ever planning to? Is this what you did with those other guys that you told me you hypnotized? " Andy asked in that cold distant voice of his. “I thought we were honest with each other.”

“Yes, I used my powers on those other guys,” I admitted to Andy. (It was another nail in the coffin of our relationship, but what difference did it make? The relationship was over, or would be in a few days.) “I even used my powers on Steven Stokes and Jack Jones. They never knew of course.”

“As to whether or not I was ever going to tell you this secret of mine,” I continued. “I never thought I would have to. Since I couldn’t use my powers on you, it didn’t seem necessary to tell you about them. In order to prove to you that my powers existed, it would have been necessary to demonstrate on someone and have that man do something outrageous or humiliating. Somehow I don’t think you would have approved of that.”

“You’re right. I wouldn’t have approved,” Andy agreed and shook his head sadly. “I think I can see why you didn’t want to tell me.”

“You don’t know the whole story, yet,” I cautioned Andy. “There’s something more that you must know.”

(“Please God,” I prayed silently in my mind. “Please don’t make me do this! Please, stop me now!” But it was too late, the boulder was already rolling down the side of the mountain.)

“Chuck come here, please!” I called out to the living room.

Answering his master’s voice like a faithful puppy, Chuck shot into the kitchen less than two seconds after I called him. “Yes, sir? What can I do for you sir?” He panted. (He was panting from the sprint to the kitchen, not because he might have thought he was a dog. I just wanted you to be clear about that.)

“Stand there and pay close attention to what I’m about to tell you,” I said to him.

“Yes, sir,” he replied immediately. “I’m hanging on your every word, sir.”

“Chuck,” I said to him. “As far as you are concerned the only thing that happened this afternoon is that you came over here to chat with me about Andy. We had a good time talking and watching television for a few hours. Nothing more. You never saw Andy here. You never saw the jewelry box from Andy, nor the rings, and you have no knowledge of ever assaulting me. My face looked perfectly normal the entire time that you were here. You never felt the urge or desire to serve and obey me. Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Chuck answered. He didn’t look at all confused. He simply accepted what I told him.

“Furthermore, you have no knowledge that Andy is gay. Andy is just as you have always known him. These are the events of this afternoon, Chuck. These are the only events that you know of. For the next two days this will be your knowledge and reality of this afternoon. After two days, however, you will recall in full and complete detail everything that happened this afternoon. You will not be able to mention what happened here to anyone except for Andy or myself. You can talk about this event only with Andy or me. Is that clearly understood?”

“Certainly, sir,” Chuck answered calmly.

“Good,” I responded back. Chuck beamed with joy. I fought down the wave of nausea that bubbled up inside of me and concentrated on completing the task at hand. “Now you will go collect your things and return home. When you exit my apartment you will wake up and be your normal self in every way. You will know that you are on your way back home. Off you go now.”

‘Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!” Chuck said as he turned around and walked out of the kitchen. I got up and followed him out of the kitchen and into the living room. Andy tagged along, still keeping his distance from me. Chuck followed his instructions and in a minute or two he was out the front door, closing it behind him. Chuck had snatched up his leather jacket from the sofa as he walked by it on his way to the front door. I walked up to the door and peered out the peephole just in time to see Chuck walk away from my door and off towards the bank of elevators. I locked the door and walked back to the kitchen. As I passed Andy on my way back to the kitchen, he moved aside to let me pass. It was a totally unnecessary action. He did it to keep his distance from me. We sat back down at the kitchen table. Andy waved his hand at me in a silent gesture to continue.

“All of the commands that you heard me give Chuck will take effect,” I informed him. “In two days time, you and Chuck will have to come to terms with what happened here this afternoon.”

“Why?” Andy asked me. “Why didn’t you permanently change Chuck’s memory of today’s events, or can’t you do that?”

“I could have done that, yes, but in the long term it would have caused more problems for you and Chuck,” I answered. “Chuck would not have known what happened here, but you still would have. You would have started treating Chuck differently, and poor Chuck would never have understood why. This would have lead to some problems with your friendship, and most likely the two of you would have parted on less than equitable terms.”

“What do you care about Chuck and my friendship?” Andy asked. “What difference does it make to you?” The snarl in Andy’s voice as he asked those questions only added to the burden of guilt and shame that I carried with me. His words were like sharp daggers piercing my soul and slicing it up into thin ribbons. It was a wonder that I didn’t start crying then and there. I guess I didn’t have the energy to cry.

“Andy, I’ve lost you today,” I said to him. (I wasn’t trying to be dramatic. I was merely acknowledging the truth. Andy would come to realize it himself, soon enough.) “There’s no reason why you should lose your best friend, too. At the very least I will have proven to you that my powers are real. And maybe come good can come out of this mess. Chuck was bound to find out eventually that you were gay.”

“Perhaps,” Andy reluctantly agreed. “But the decision to tell him should still have been mine, not yours,” Andy said as he glared at me. Those beautiful brown eyes of his that at one time had seemed to glow with a special warmth for me, were now cold and dark. There wasn’t a flicker or a spark of anything like warmth in those still beautiful eyes of Andy’s. All that I could see in them was a cold distrust and disgust that seemed to border on hatred.

“True,” I admitted, after looking at Andy for a minute or so. “However, I can change that if you like. I can remove from Chuck’s mind all knowledge that you are gay, if you want me to.”

“Paul, you’re scaring me,” Andy said quietly and shuddered.

“I know,” I said in a near whisper. “And I am sorry. So now that you know about me, about what I can do, where does that leave us?”

“I think you know,” Andy said as he looked at me sadly, the look of distrust and disgust growing stronger in his eyes. It was that look, coming from Andy of all people, that hurt me the most. It was like a dull rusty knife being inserted into my heart and then having that knife slowly being twisted around. It became more and more painful by the second.

“I thought as much,” I sighed. (What more was there to say?)

“Paul, I....” Andy started to say, and then faltered. Whatever it was that he wanted to say, he could not seem to find the right words, but it didn’t matter anyway. The expression on his face said it all. Lost. Bewildered. Confused. Stunned. Scared. Disgusted. Angry. Hurt. All of those emotions and more mixed up and jumbled together like the pieces from a jigsaw puzzle, when you first open the box. It was all I could do to look at him as I spoke.

“Please, just go, Andy,” I told him. “You have a lot to think over. You need some time to figure this all out. Do me one favor though, and please take your rings with you. I’m not sure I could stand having them around here for the next few days while you make up your mind.”

Andy stood up slowly and looked down at me. “You never did answer my question about those rings you know,” he said to me.

“Yes, I realize that,” I replied. “My answer would not mean much right now anyway. You’ve got a bigger question to ponder.” I looked up at Andy and for a moment my reserve almost cracked. I was a hair’s breadth away from dropping to my knees and begging Andy not to throw away all that we had built. It wasn’t pride that stopped me. Nor was it the fear of looking weak in Andy’s eyes. It was, as strange as it might sound, compassion and respect that held me back. I respected Andy too much to try to influence him with an emotional appeal, and I cared about him too much to add anything more to the huge burden he was already carrying. All that said, it didn’t make me feel one bit better. Why was it that doing the right thing always seemed to hurt so much? As much as I wanted to grab onto Andy and hold on tight, I knew that I couldn’t do that. I had to let him go. I had to let him decide for himself. I had already resigned myself to accept the only possible answer that he could give me. My mind understood the situation. I silently wished that someone would explain it to my heart.

Andy stood up and slowly turned away from me. He slowly walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. I quietly followed about a meter behind him. Andy passed by the living room table and using his right hand quietly scooped up the jewelry box from where it lay. All too easily it seemed, he slipped the box into his right jacket pocket. A lump settled into my throat. Andy had not hung up his jacket when he’d arrived, since he’d never had the opportunity, so he merely walked towards the apartment door. He unlocked the door and opened it. Then he paused for a moment as his right hand reached into the front right pocket of his jeans, and searched for something.

A few moments later Andy’s hand emerged very slowly from the pocket of his jeans. He held his right hand out, slowly turned it over, and unclenched his fist. He gazed down at whatever it was that he was holding in the palm of his hand. He sighed once and slowly turned his hand over letting something fall to the carpeted floor. Andy walked through the door and closed it firmly behind him. Not once during the entire time that he was leaving my apartment did he glance back to look at me. Not even for a half a second.

I walked up to the front door and locked it, more out of habit than conscious effort. I sighed and turned around to find out what it was that Andy had dropped on the floor before he left. I bent down to get a better look at the mysterious object, and when I did the pieces of my broken heart crumbled into dust. It was Andy’s key to my apartment.

The last domino had just fallen.