Consensual Consequences
The First Night: Free Indirect Discourse
At long last the night had arrived. Sandy checked over the apartment one more time just to be sure everything was perfect. She had an impressive assortment of wine and liquor and a beautiful tray of finger food arranged on her modest coffee table. She had brought in several chairs from the dining room to make sure that everyone would have a place to sit. Plus, the dining room chairs would be easy to arrange once the entertainment arrived – she wanted to make sure everyone could get a good view. For now, though, she had the chairs arranged in a circle so that everyone could comfortably face each other as they talked – no TV or board games this evening – this was to be a sophisticated social gathering in keeping with Sandy’s newfound adulthood. As she finished arranging the chairs the thought suddenly entered her mind that at some point this evening she would probably be sitting in one of these chairs hypnotized. Again, she wondered why she had always assumed that she would be the Mistress’s subject, but pushed the thought out of her mind even as it send shivers up and down her spine.
Sandy had spent the whole day cleaning and getting ready (her boss had given her the day off since it was her birthday), and decided that in the hour before the party she would indulge in a nice long bath – it was her day, after all. As she lay in the bubbles and let the warmth of the bath surround her she began to muse on the evening ahead. She had been so thrilled to know that her boss, Penny, had agreed to come, but as she reflected in the dreaminess of the bubble-bath she also realized that she was somewhat nervous about Penny coming this evening – after all, she would have to make a good impression. She knew that her friends wouldn’t do anything to embarrass her, but what if the wine wasn’t expensive enough or the conversation not adult enough.
For a moment she felt a brief burst of panic – what would her boss think about the hypnotist? Would she find it silly? Sandy started to worry – after all, her boss had overlooked her age and lack of experience in hiring her. What if seeing that her new “adult” receptionist was into juvenile party tricks like hypnosis made her rethink Sandy’s potential?
And what if Sandy said something damaging while she was hypnotized? She didn’t have any concerns that she might reveal some kind of negative thoughts about her boss because she really didn’t have any. She admired Penny tremendously – she was a young, successful woman who had never shown Sandy anything but respect and kindness. But what if Sandy, while in a trance, revealed too much about her own insecurities? She was doing her best to be a professional, and to live up to Penny’s expectations, but she was always worried that she didn’t have what it took. She feared that Penny – a strong, independent woman who seemed so powerful and in control – might learn that deep down, Sandy was still a scared and meek little girl.
The more she thought about it, the more she realized that there was really only one solution: she would have to let someone else be hypnotized. Penny might find the whole thing a bit juvenile, but Sandy could always tell her that she was catering to some of her friends or something. As long as she wasn’t in trance herself, the damage would be minimal. Penny had always been so kind to Sandy that she didn’t think one off-beat night could possibly ruin their working relationship.
Upon making this decision, though, Sandy realized that the excitement that had steadily begun to course through her had diminished a bit. The flush that had come over her when she had thought about hypnosis had returned as she had soaked and thought about the night – even intensifying a bit as she thought about what she might reveal to her boss while she was under. But when she realized that she couldn’t possibly be the one to be hypnotized as long as her boss was around, some of that excitement was gone.
There was nothing to be done about, though, so Sandy tried to push all of her worries and desires regarding hypnosis to the back of her mind and to focus on the other aspects of the night to come. Her other friends, Shirley, Mila, Casey, and Sarah were all roughly her age and were similarly trying to really make it on their own for the first time. They would all really enjoy the very adult kind of party that Sandy was trying to throw here – she was sure that they would appreciate its symbolism as much as she did.
The real unknown, Sandy realized, was the hypnotist. Sandy really didn’t know much about “the Mistress” and hadn’t really been in control of the conversation with Eve. She wasn’t even really sure what it was that drawn her to the idea of hiring a hypnotist as entertainment in the first place. She had to admit, Eve was one heck of saleswoman. Sandy had only intended to make a very simple phone call to get some preliminary information and ended up making a booking for an “Exploratory Session,” which was supposed to be the most intense of the options available.
It suddenly struck Sandy that she had never even learned how much this was going to cost! Eve had managed to get her to agree to the booking without ever mentioning price. Yet, somehow, Sandy felt that it would all turn out fine – Eve had been so assuring and seemed to know what was best. Somehow Sandy trusted her and was willing to follow her lead. Ironically, Sandy thought to herself that if the receptionist had been this incredibly persuasive just imagine what “the Mistress” could do!
That rush of excitement that she had been trying to push to the back of her mind rushed back undeniably at that thought. Why was she so turned on by all of this?
“So that’s it, ” She thought. “I guess I just admitted to myself that I find this arousing. But why? I’ve never really thought about hypnosis before. Here I am making my start as an adult in the world and suddenly I’m turned on by stuff I used to see in cartoons.”
Whatever the reason, the realization that she was drawn to hypnosis on some kind of sexual level only strengthened her resolve. She had to resist the temptation to be Mistress Catherine’s subject. Eve had said that the direction of the “exploratory” sessions were governed by the subject, and she was starting to get an idea of the direction that her session would take. Her girlfriends would probably find it all amusing, which would be fine with her, but she couldn’t let her boss see her like that.
Maybe she could explore this newfound fetish on her own once the party was over.
Getting out of the tub, Sandy started getting herself ready for the party. Since she wasn’t headed to a night on the town she didn’t feel that she needed to get too dolled up – just some stylish jeans, and a simple top would do. She put on some light makeup and did her hair in a simple, slightly tousled look and was, in the end, pleased with what she saw in the mirror.
A little bit later the guests started to arrive. Mila and Shirley arrived together and Casey showed up shortly thereafter. Penny came almost exactly on time. She was well aware of the possible awkwardness of the situation – being at the birthday party of her employee – so she had done her best to put everyone, herself included, at ease with her dress and appearance. She had decided to forgo the business attire that Sandy had always seen her in and, instead, to simply wear jeans, a simple top, and some modest heels.
She was actually looking forward to the evening quite a bit. She really liked Sandy, and was happy to have hired her. She had sensed, though, that Sandy found her a bit intimidating, despite Penny’s best efforts to always be as genuine and respectful as she could be. Penny saw this party as a chance to break down some of those walls – to get to know Sandy on a more personal level so that they could enjoy working together that much more.
Though only thirty-two herself, Penny had come to think of Sandy as a kind of protégé – someone in whom she saw herself when she was younger and wanted to pass on what she knew. She had been impressed with Sandy when she applied for the job and, though there were more qualified applicants, decided to go with the energetic young woman who seemed so eager to make a start in the “real world.”
So far she hadn’t been disappointed at all – Sandy was an extremely hard worker and very eager to please. At times Penny almost found it overwhelming – as though Sandy looked up to her so much that it was almost a responsibility unto itself. But this was a small price to pay for a personal assistant who was so willing to take on extra work and with whom there seemed to be such a special personal bond. Thought they’d only been working together a short time, Penny already felt a sense of protectiveness over Sandy, and really wanted to see her – and to help her – succeed in reaching her goals, whatever those might be.
Upon arrival at the party she saw that three of Sandy’s friends had already arrived. Sandy made quick introductions and Penny was soon welcomed by Shirley and Mila, who were seated on the couch with plates of finger food and glasses of wine, and then Casey, who had just finished putting food on her plate and was headed towards the wine.
“Here, let me get that for you.” Sandy said to Casey.
“Sit down, would you?” Casey replied. “It’s your birthday, for god’s sake, we should be waiting on you.”
“You’re her boss,” Mila quipped, “can you order her to sit down and relax for a bit!”
Penny laughed as she made her way to the table to get a glass of wine for herself.
“I’m not her boss tonight – we’re out of the office so right now she’s just a friend.”
Sandy beamed at Penny’s comment before replying, “Okay, fine. Mila can get her own drink. But Penny, please do let me get you something – I wouldn’t feel right about not being a good hostess to you.”
Penny had already pored herself a glass of wine and didn’t plan to have any of the food, so she simply replied, “Too late” before sitting in the chair next to the one Casey had recently occupied.
“Can I make you a plate of food?” Sandy asked eagerly.
“No thanks, just the wine for me.”
Sandy’s face seemed to fall and Penny quickly realized that she had taken the refusal as a comment on the quality of the food. Quickly she added, “Everything looks so wonderful, but I ate right before I came here so I just don’t have any room right now. Maybe later in the evening once the wine has loosened me up a bit.”
Penny had really refused the food because she was trying to watch her diet – unlike the other women at the party, she wasn’t in her early twenties and if she had a figure to match theirs it was only because she passed on these kinds of treats. But her comment had seemed to quell Sandy’s anxieties and her mention of loosening up a bit seemed to make her young assistant all the more happy, although the truth was that Penny was already starting to loosen up – this seemed like a nice group of young women and she was looking forward to seeing how the night would go.
A little while later Sarah arrived (Sandy informed Penny that Sarah was late to everything) and everyone settled down and started to chat. After getting some food and wine for herself Sarah turned to Sandy and asked, “So what did you decide on for entertainment tonight?”
Sandy could feel an inexplicable blush rush through her face and even her chest as she quietly replied, “A hypnotist.”
“A what?!” Exclaimed a shocked Sarah.
“A hypnotist.” Sandy repeated, a bit more assertively this time.
Penny seamed as shocked as everyone else, but while the rest of the women broke into a kind of excited chatter about what the hypnotist would be like and how the show would go, Penny couldn’t help but feel a certain uneasiness. There was something about a hypnotist that she found oddly compelling, but at the same time she also felt a strange anxiety. Part of it seemed to stem from her protectiveness towards Sandy – she sensed that someone as trusting as Sandy might really get taken in. But it was more than just that. Penny had somehow come to feel very guarded about the prospect of watching hypnosis and felt for some vague reason that she would have to be careful to keep an eye on what happened; to be ready to be the voice of reason if things started to get out of hand. What that meant, exactly, she wasn’t sure, but something seemed to be lurking in her mind that she just couldn’t place. She had told the girls that she was just another guest, but she suddenly realized that she would still have to be the adult in the situation and watch over these younger women.
But after a while her fears started to ebb as the evening continued to be full of fun conversation. Though all of the girls were significantly younger than her, Penny was enjoying herself and was very impressed with all of them. Already on her third glass of wine she had almost completely forgotten about the hypnosis show until the doorbell rang at exactly 10 o’clock.
Sandy eagerly moved to the door and flung it open only to be met with an incredible sight. Standing in front of her was the most striking woman she had ever seen, she was slightly above average in height with long, dark hair and dark eyes that seemed to simply draw the light, as well as anything else, into them never to return. Her face was beautiful in a statuesque kind of way and she was clothed in an elegant gown that enhanced her flawless figure while also commanding authority. Every inch of this woman commanded authority. She was powerful, commanding, and utterly in control. She seemed to be maybe a year or two older than Penny, but still somehow embodied the youthful vigor of Sandy and her friends while also exuding the presence of someone much older. She was simply overwhelming.
Sandy blushed deeply when she realized she had been staring at this beautiful woman in her doorway – staring into her eyes. Tearing her gaze away from the sight in front of her she looked past the woman in the doorway to see that just a few steps behind her stood another beautiful woman just few years older than Sandy – in her mid to late twenties perhaps, and possessing an almost inhuman calm.
Still blushing furiously, Sandy turned her gaze back to the sight immediately in front of her and said, “You must be the Mistress?”
“I am. Mistress Catherine. And you already know my assistant – Eve.” She indicated the woman behind her. Sandy nodded and found herself once again staring at Mistress Catherine’s eyes. Trying to control herself she mumbled, “P-please. C-come on in.” Her heart was racing and her knees felt weak. The thought of this hypnotist coming to her house had had a strange effect upon her all week but now that she was face to face with Mistress Catherine she wasn’t sure if she could control herself, she almost felt as if she were in a trance already.
Catherine entered the apartment with Eve close behind carrying a large bag. When Eve had told Catherine about this booking she had informed her of just how easy it had been to manipulate Sandy – that she seemed to be a natural subject, infinitely suggestible. Catherine had been thrilled to hear it, but hadn’t realized the extent of it until just now. She would have to be careful. Sandy’s reaction to just seeing Catherine standing in the doorway had been so intense that Catherine would have to be careful not to simply overwhelm the girl. She had initially intended to use her considerable charisma to take control of the evening but now realized that she might need to change her approach if she was to truly make the most of the evening.
After stepping into the room she surveyed the other guests – one by one she sized up the other women in the room, noting that they all seemed to be about Sandy’s age and all a little awed by herself – although none reacted as strongly to her presence as Sandy had.
Then her eyes fell upon a slightly older woman who seemed to be glaring at Catherine in an odd manner. Sensing something she couldn’t quite place, Catherine decided to begin her introductions to the guests with this woman. She strode confidently up to the still seated woman and offered her hand, saying “Hello, I am Mistress Catherine.”
The woman just looked back and with a slight roll of the eyes said “Nice to meet you,” while hesitating to take the hypnotists offered hand.
“I’m not going to perform a handshake induction on you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Catherine thought she might have noticed a slight blush rise to the woman’s cheeks as she offered her hand and replied, “Oh, my apologies. How rude of me! My name is Penny. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Catherine held Penny’s gaze for just a moment longer than was necessary, before letting her eyes go with a blink and a slight turn of her head. Freed from her gaze, Penny glanced protectively in Sandy’s direction.
“You seem tense.” Catherine observed casually.
“What?” Penny replied. “Oh, no, not tense. Um… skeptical is all. I don’t really believe in this stuff.”
“Perhaps you should be my subject, then. The skeptical ones are the most fun to hypnotize – and the most interesting.”
At this suggestion Penny seemed to pull back and a look of nervousness crept into her eyes. Again, she glanced in Sandy’s direction, but this time there seemed to be something more than protectiveness behind the look.
“No that’s okay.” Penny said, feeling her heart race. “I think I’ll just watch.”
“So be it.” Catherine moved away from Penny and gave her assistant, Eve, an odd but meaningful glance before making her introductions to the rest of the group.
Penny began to sip her wine a little bit more liberally than she had before, hoping it would calm her nerves a bit. She wasn’t sure why the Mistress… no, Catherine, had affected her so much, but something told her she needed to stay alert. For Sandy’s sake.