The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

He was playing with his dog. Smokey was jumping on him, barking happily while he, laughing so hard, was finding it hard to breathe. The little terrier had always adored him and never left his side. In the back of his mind he was aware that he hadn’t seen the dog in years. Robert could remember the day they’d realized it was time, and crying, had the dog put down. But it was as if that day had never happened and Smokey was here, once again in the prime of his life. Robert was down on one knee, reaching out to put his arms around the terrier, trying to tell the dog how much he missed him. Ignoring this, Smokey just kept on barking, jumping and licking his face.

“Hello Robert.”

The smile faded from his face and he shuddered as a thrill of recognition ran through him. She was back.

Smokey stopped and looked at him, head tilted in confusion. He was aware of a change in his master and let out an inquisitive yelp. Robert didn’t turn around. He closed his eyes and calmed himself, hoping she would go away. He wanted to go back to reliving his childhood.

“Hello Robert,” he heard again. She was somewhere behind him, moving closer.

Damn, but that voice did things to him! Nothing in his life had ever provoked such strong emotions in him, and he could never resist it for long. Briefly, he considered leaving, but where would he go? Finally, taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly, reminding himself that he couldn’t go back—not to his childhood, and not to the time before she came into his life. Reluctantly, he put the dog down, stood and turned. Smokey faded away as if he’d never been there.

He saw her, there in the shadows, a figure more beautiful, more powerful, than any he’d ever known. He had no idea who she was or why she came to him. He just knew she could do things to him he’d never imagined possible. Just seeing her again brought back the familiar and intense yearning. It also gave him a cold, sinking feeling inside, knowing that this time would be different. This time he was going to refuse her.

She glided forward. Just before she came into view he remembered to avoid looking directly at her. No, that wasn’t quite right. He had to avoid looking into those eyes. Something about them did something to him, something not right. There was a long silence as she waited him out. Finally, he looked up, still avoiding her eyes. His voice had a slight tremor in it as he said quietly, “Hello.”

The woman smiled. It was such a simple thing, but as always that smile seemed to weaken him and rob him of his determination. It frightened him how easily she controlled him with that simple expression, or a raised eyebrow, or a word of disapproval. That thought reminded him of all the things he’d done for her—done to her—because of that smile. He glanced down again, embarrassed at how much he’d enjoyed it all.

“Oh, come now, Robert. We’ve been through too much together for you to be that way.”

Too much, he thought, agreeing with that part of her statement, at least. He knew what she’d done for him. But he knew even more what he’d done for her—in the real world—things he should never have done. The price she demanded for him to get his “fix” grew ever higher. She had finally gone too far.

“Was I asking so much? Do you care so little?” The tone in her voice tore through him. He felt ungrateful, worthless.

“I, I didn’t think you really—” he started.

“Oh, Robert,” she said with a wave of her hand, cutting him off completely. " Need I remind you. It is time. Besides, we both know you want to do this.” That was the worst part. He did want to do it. For some unknown reason, some part of him actually did! It was insane, but it was, in fact, true.

Any time he thought of something she had “suggested,” he found that he wanted it, too—maybe not at first, but eventually he wanted it more than she did. It was a feeling that only got stronger the more he thought about it. Finally, he wouldn’t be able to stand it anymore and he just had to do it, whatever “it” was. Each time he did, no matter where he was or what he was doing, he was rewarded with a long, intense release, bordering on orgasmic. He’d grown to need that release, and that fact scared him.

“And just think,” she said, full of compassion, “it’ll all be over once you do this one, final thing.”

It will be all over, he thought. Robert wasn’t sure how he felt about that. A part of him rejoiced, while another part cried out in childlike fear. But he would remain firm, he reminded himself. He would.

She paused momentarily at the look she saw on his face. She must have known it then. He was going to deny her. A look of amusement came over her face. With just a slight nod of her head, he knew it had begun.

He started to feel it almost immediately. Oh no! It was happening again! The slightest sensation began to fill his body. His eyes started to flutter in anticipation while his heart raced.

It would start as a mild vibration, a tingle that started with his extremities, and would then spread to his arms and legs. Soon his whole body would be alive in it. By the time it reached his head he would be hopelessly delirious, writhing in ecstasy and pleasure. He’d be helpless and they both knew it. At that point he’d do anything for her, no matter how unreasonable the request.

He had to make sure it never got that far, somehow. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew it was hopeless. How could you resist mind-numbing delight? How long could you say no to absolute pleasure?

The sensation had already taken his limbs and had reached his mid-section, giving him an erection that was starting to get uncomfortable. He was finding it hard to remain standing. He almost fell to his knees, then realized that was always the first step. Before long he would be pleading, begging for release. No! He reminded himself that he would remain firm. He would!

It had reached his neck and was slowly climbing. He was getting dizzy. Over and over in his mind he repeated, “I will remain firm. I am like the rock. I will remain firm. I am like the rock.” All the while, in his mind he pictured a brick wall, impervious to the onslaught his body was experiencing. The sensation was very close now. Finally, it reached out with the lightest touch on his mind. He almost reeled with anticipation and his mantra faltered. Drawing strength from the image of the wall he rejected it and continued with his chant. He felt it again, stronger than before. He pushed it back again, and again, and again. Soon it was hammering at him relentlessly.

He’d never resisted this long before and was finding it to be a kind of agony. His body felt like it was on fire. How could a body hold this much pleasure?

But it wasn’t pleasure anymore. It was more like torture, and he realized he wasn’t feeling anything like desire anymore. As the sensations continued to grow in strength, his mind and body were being overloaded. Over and over he heard his mantra and it occurred to him that they might be his last thoughts ever. Then he heard the thoughts being rejected and thrown back at him. It was too much! The pressure kept increasing until his mind was trying to hold back an avalanche of . . . of . . . he didn’t know what. He didn’t care. It was too much!

Finally his brick wall shattered. He heard screaming and knew it was from him.

Then, it was gone. There was no pain. There was no pleasure. It was like a vacuum surrounded him. He gasped. How long had it lasted? He had no way of knowing. He found himself lying on the ground in a fetal position, sucking in air desperately. He tried weakly to stand up, and then gave up. Something was preventing him from moving.

“Don’t bother trying that,” she sighed wearily. She had dropped her sweet tone and was looking down on him contemptuously. “You have no power here. You will either do as I say, or be destroyed. It’s as simple as that.”

Robert thought frantically. What had happened? Why had she done this to him? He was terrified now and was horrified to think of all the things he’d done for this monster. He had to get out of there. If he didn’t, he’d go mad. He was certain of that. He tried to rebuild his wall, but his ability to concentrate was gone and he failed. He was helpless.

“I suppose your usefulness is at an end,” she sighed wearily. “I’d wanted this to end pleasantly, but I guess I’ll just have to get rid of you.”

“NO!”

Thinking out loud, she went on, “But that could be dangerous. We don’t want any added attention, not at this point. No, that would be much too dangerous. But . . . if your mind was turned into a vegetable. . . .” She made a satisfied hmmm sound, as if this solution met all her needs. “They could say it was stress, that you burned out on the job. Yes, that would work nicely.”

“Please, no! I . . . What do you really want?” he asked forlornly.

Turning back as if she’d just remembered he was still there, she laughed softly. “You know exactly what I want.” Her tone turned cold as ice. “Do it and I will go away, or the next time I come, I will destroy you.” Her voice once again sweet, she added, “It’s as simple as that, Robert.”

The way she switched from vicious to charming frightened him nearly as much as anything else she’d done. He no longer had any doubts she could, and would, do exactly as she claimed. Even if she didn’t kill him she would drive him insane, which was just as bad. Worst of all, there was nothing he, or anyone, could do to stop her.

As if reading his thoughts, she said, “Oh, and don’t bother telling anyone—ever! If you do, I’ll know it, and you’ll not live to see another dawn. You have one last chance to handle this yourself.” She started to fade away. “If you don’t, well, the choice will be made for you.”

Robert finally awoke and found himself sitting up, shaking uncontrollably as his wife held him.

“Oh thank goodness! What the hell happened to you? You sounded like you were in agony. I tried waking you, but nothing worked. Bob? BOB?!!!”

But Robert didn’t hear a word she said. Eyes wide open in terror; he was staring at the wall, certain of what he must now do. There was no thought of resistance anymore. He was a broken man, with one last chance to save himself. He hoped it would be enough.

“I’m telling you, dear, I need a little help around here! The place doesn’t clean itself.” Stephanie Radley looked her husband straight in the eye, ready to dig her heels in on this one.

Jack must have seen this and sighed when he realized he wasn’t going to talk her out of it. “Alright, when will she be here?”

A little surprised he hadn’t raised any objections, Stephanie suppressed a smile as she went back to picking up the newspapers and magazines lying about the living room. “In about ten minutes.”

Seeing the question on his face as he watched her work, she added, “I would like to have the place in some Kind of order when she gets here.”

“I see. So, she’ll be here, what, like, once a month?”

“Really, dear,” she said with some amusement. “We’re not living on Eldridge Avenue anymore. The house is too big for that. She won’t be a cleaning woman so much as a part-time maid, maybe three days a week.” She paused, thinking about that, not sure that would be adequate. “That should be enough, I suppose. We’ll see how she does, and once the restaurant gets established, well, we’ll see.”

Stephanie and her best friends, Roxanne and Cecelia had just opened a new restaurant. Only after they’d begun had she realized just how much work would really be required to get it off the ground. She was already feeling the stress from the long hours it demanded, in addition to her regular duties around the house.

She had long considered hiring a cleaning woman, but it wasn’t until they’d attended a company dinner where the idea finally took root. Upon hearing of the new restaurant, Jack’s co-worker, Regina, had brought it up.

“Sounds like you need a maid, Steph.” She hated being called Steph, but had let it pass. “I know someone terrific who moved out your way. We were damned sorry to see her go.”

“Well, it would only be part time,” she had mentioned.

“She was always flexible for us.” Regina went on explaining how wonderful the maid had been, had fit right in, and done far more than was expected. By the end of the dinner Stephanie was convinced this was exactly what she needed.

She had run the idea past their teenage daughter, Amanda, who predictably, had loved the idea. Obviously, she thought a maid would keep her things in order, as well. The next day, she’d made the call and set up the appointment. The final step, getting Jack to go along with it, had turned out to be easier than expected.

“Well, I’d at least like to meet her before you hire her,” he said at last.

“Of course, dear.”

“Now, I have some work to do in my den, so if you’ll—”

“I’ll bring her by when we’re going through the house,” she assured him. “Now, get going. I’ve got work to do, too.” She watched him walk away, shaking his head.

A few minutes before the hour, the doorbell rang. Stephanie opened the door and looked out, then down. Standing on the entryway was a petite brunette with a pretty, round face and sparkling eyes. Simone Galla stood about 5 feet 5, but was very nicely proportioned. Stephanie’s first thought was, ‘What’s she doing as a maid?’

“Mrs. Radley?”

“Simone,” she replied with a smile. “Won’t you come in?”

They sat down in the sitting room off of the entry hallway. The interview didn’t take very long.

“You come well recommended. Regina Ramos raved about you.”

Simone looked up at the name and smiled. “Oh, that’s very kind. It was a pleasure working for her. I was sorry to have to say goodbye.”

“Why did you leave there?”

“An opportunity developed out this way, something that looked very promising. Unfortunately, it didn’t pan out and now I find myself unable to get out of a lease that doesn’t end for another six months.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Perhaps we can make your time here worthwhile. Now, can you tell me a little about yourself?”

Simone proceeded to tell how she’d gotten into the business. Her mother had been a maid for a prestigious family and had taught her everything she knew. She had grown up doing the job and found it the most natural thing to take up.

It soon became apparent that her qualifications were sufficient, but Stephanie knew it was just as important that she hired someone with whom she could get along. At first glance, that didn’t seem to be a problem. She had taken to the young lady right away. Simone projected a quiet confidence. Her voice, while soft, was precise. She sat calmly, maintaining good eye contact. In other words, she did everything you’re supposed to do on an interview.

After they’d covered the usual questions, Stephanie said, “To be honest, Simone, I’m not sure this is what you’d be looking for. It would only be part time, at least, at first.”

“Oh, that’s okay. I have other part-time cleaning arrangements. I should be able to fit this in with them.”

“Well then, why don’t I show you around. I’d like you to meet my husband and daughter.”

“Oh, that sounds nice,” Simone said, knowing that she’d passed the first part of the interview. She followed Stephanie out of the room. The woman seemed nice enough. In her mid-forties, she obviously kept herself in shape. She had a look in her eye that showed she was sharp, and took in a lot. She dressed simply, if a little conservatively, with her blonde hair cut short.

They headed down the hall and into another room. It was a den, simply made up with a small table by a large bay window, bookshelves lining the room, and a great mahogany desk with plush leather chairs in front of it. There was a fireplace in the room, but it didn’t look like it was ever used.

Behind the desk was a rather nice looking man, also in his mid-forties, working at his computer while he talked on the phone. He looked up as they entered. The man obviously kept himself fit, but it was his face, brimming with confidence, that drew her attention. He was starting to show a few lines around his eyes which suggested he smiled a lot. Overall, she thought him rather handsome.

He held up a finger saying he needed a minute. “I agree. It looks like John is our best bet.” Simone liked the voice immediately. It was strong and confident.

“Uh, Jeri, I hate to interrupt, but can I call you back?” He looked down at his watch. “Is it really? Well, how about tomorrow? Fine, see you then.”

He hung up the phone, smiled and said, “Come on in.”

His wife had hardly finished the introductions before he started asking questions.

“So you worked for Regina Ramos?” he asked. By his tone, she could tell he was screening her.

“Yes, sir, she was an excellent employer.”

“Yes, of course,” he said, dismissing the standard response. “How long have you done this line of work?”

“Five years, sir, but—”

“Her mother brought her up doing this, dear,” Stephanie interrupted, in a tone that said the interview was hers to run, not his. “From all accounts, she’s quite experienced.”

Jack paused, looking at Simone, then his wife, then back to Simone. Finally, he smiled, saying, “Well, it seems you’ve impressed my wife, Ms. Galla. Only a fool would oppose his wife when it comes to . . .” he paused, choosing his words carefully, “matters of this nature.” Simone had to work hard to suppress a grin at the exchange.

After that, it was just a matter of formalities. She met the daughter, Amanda. A painfully shy girl, about seventeen years old, she seemed more interested in going back to her artwork than talking with Simone. Then they went back to the sitting room to discuss references and possible days to be worked, as well as any days off she might need.

In the end, as she suspected, Simone was offered the job, and agreed to start the next week. She left the house, smiling to herself. Phase one was about to commence.

“You were on the phone all day, Jack,” Stephanie said at dinner that night. “Who were you talking to?”

“Jeri called me about the open spot on the board again,” Jack replied.

He was referring to the vacant seat on the board of directors at Stocker Scientific. He’d been on the board for almost ten years, now, and liked the position a great deal. Normally, it was a stable group, with almost a family-type atmosphere about it. That was until the last four or five years. Over that time, there had been an amazing six resignations. That had been unheard of before that, where someone would join the board and stay on until they retired. And why not? They had no term limits. The company made money for the most part. They even had enough prominence to have earned a few government contracts. All in all, it was a great position to hold.

The funny thing was that after the resignations, no one ever explained why they did it. Oh, they gave the standard excuses that they needed time to spend with their family, or that they were pursuing other opportunities, but as far as Jack was concerned, it just didn’t add up. People who had been perfectly content in their positions were suddenly looking for other opportunities. It didn’t make any sense. As a result, some of the board members had quietly begun to look into what was really going on. That was what the call had actually been about.

“Oh yes,” said Stephanie. “How is the selection going?”

“Not bad. We’re going to vote on it sometime next month.”

“Anyone we know up for election?”

“There are five or six candidates, though I’m not sure how many you’d know. I submitted John Cuddy’s name. He’s done a great job and deserves a shot. A couple others aren’t too bad, either.” Then he shook his head slightly looking bewildered. “I was surprised to see a couple of people from Regina’s division on the list. But they don’t have much experience, so I doubt they’ll get any votes.”

“Regina didn’t put in for it?”

“No. She probably doesn’t want to get shot down again.”

Jack reflected on the group he’d led that had blocked Regina’s nomination four or five years earlier. He’d never told his wife, but prior to the vote, Regina had tried to seduce him in an effort to influence his choice. Truth be told, she’d almost succeeded. She was quite persuasive, not to mention attractive. But in the end, he’d realized what she had been up to and had been able to resist her advances. Regina had left his office in a rage and since then, had displayed a cold hatred towards him.

He decided to change the subject. “I take it you hired the girl?”

Stephanie frowned slightly. “That ‘girl’ is twenty-four, and yes, I did hire her. She’ll be starting next week.”

“I take it you liked her?” It wasn’t really a question. It was obvious she had. What wasn’t obvious was why he’d had a strange feeling about the woman. He had absolutely no idea why. Maybe it was the uncanny composure about her. Or maybe it was something in her eyes. The way she had looked at him, gave him a feeling, almost like she was sizing him up.

“I have seen some of the women that work for the neighbors, and, in spite her age, Simone seemed as good as them, if not better. She seems quite serious about her work. Plus, Regina raved about her.”

“So you said,” he replied, furrowing his brow. That was the part he didn’t understand. Regina was the last person he would have expected to be giving them a tip like that. He could see by the look on his wife’s face that she didn’t understand his attitude. He wasn’t about to explain it to her.

“Is there anything wrong with that?” she asked.

“No, I suppose not. It’s just that I didn’t expect her to be offering us any help.”

“Really, Jack! Just because you’ve had problems with her at work, there’s no reason to think she wouldn’t talk to me at a party. People do separate their work lives from their personal lives, you know. Well, some people do.”

“Maybe,” he said, ignoring the dig. “It’s just that the woman is a little . . . devious.”

Stephanie sighed and was about to respond when Amanda chimed in.

“Do we have to go into this again?” she asked.

“I suppose not, dear,” Stephanie responded, turning toward her with a bright smile. “So then, how are things going for you at school?”

Amanda’s reaction made it obvious that she wished she hadn’t interrupted. This gave Jack a chuckle. As the two women talked about their day, his thoughts wandered back to affairs at work.

Amanda woke with a start from her mid-afternoon nap. Blinking in surprise, she looked around her room, then guiltily at the hand between her legs. She pulled it back quickly, and then remembered what she’d been dreaming about. She bit her lip nervously. She wasn’t like that, was she? But the vision she’d seen had seemed so real, and the woman so exotic. What a voice she’d had! It sent shivers down her spine just thinking about it!

She looked down at her sketchbook, saw the picture she’d been drawing, then did a double-take. It was the woman from her dream! From the amount of detail in the illustration, it was clear that she’d been working on it for some time, too. How had so much time slipped away without her noticing?

Amanda looked closer at the image. Who was she? She was as beautiful as she was mysterious. Just looking in those eyes again was enough to stir those emotions again. Without thinking, the teenager squeezed her legs together and squirmed in her chair. She had an urge to reach down and touch herself again.

Anxiously, she stood up, straightened her clothes, and went downstairs for a glass of milk. She ran into Simone in the kitchen. It was Simone’s first, no, make that her second day on the job.

“Oh, hi,” she said nervously.

“Hello, Amanda.” Simone’s voice was smooth. “How are you today?”

‘That voice!’ she thought, then reprimanded herself, wondering what was coming over her. First it was the dream, and now this.

“Fine . . . uh . . . so, uh, how do you like it so far?”

“I like it. You have a very nice house.”

“Yeah, well, I hope you enjoy it here.”

“I’m sure I will,” Simone replied, smiling at her. Something about the smile and the directness of her gaze made Amanda feel very self-conscious. “You’re what, seventeen, right?”

“Uh, yeah,” she replied with a nervous laugh. She was a little surprised by the question.

“I remember how it was being seventeen. You’re not exactly a little girl anymore, but not everyone seems to understand that, do they?”

Amanda made a sound, as if to say, ‘You sure got that right!’

“It’s sometimes hard to sort out your feelings, much less talk about them.” Simone gave her an understanding smile. “Well, if you ever want to talk, or need anything, I’d be happy to help out. It sometimes helps to have someone other than your parents to talk to. Someone closer to your age.”

“Oh, okay, thanks. I . . . I’ll remember that,” Amanda responded and then cringed at how stupid she must have sounded. What was it about Simone that affected her so much, making her all tongue-tied?

Suddenly feeling a need to get away, she stammered, “Uh, I have to go. I’ll see you later, Simone.”

“Goodbye, Amanda. I’ll see you around.”

Amanda hurried out into the hallway, hesitating a moment to take one quick glance back. Simone was walking gracefully away. Damn, but the woman seemed to ooze sensuality. Amanda swallowed as she noticed the sway of the woman’s hips, giving her that familiar feeling inside again. She hurried upstairs, trying to push those thoughts away. That night, though, it wouldn’t be so easy to suppress them.

Stephanie blinked in a daze and looked around her office. She looked at the clock on her desk. ‘Oh my, gosh,’ she thought. ‘I can’t go home yet! There’s way too much to do.’ There was always too much to do. What if no one liked the place? What if they stopped coming? What if they started getting bad reviews? She worried about those things more and more, these days, and thought of hundreds of details that needed to be addressed. She took a deep breath and tried focusing again.

Another glance at the clock and she knew she wouldn’t be able to get into anything else. Banging her fist on the desk, she exhaled sharply in frustration. It was getting harder and harder to do this, she thought as she started cleaning up. Turning off her new dust globe and lights, she headed home.

Jack looked up when he heard a quiet knock at the door. He hadn’t been feeling very well that morning and had decided to try working from home. Simone poked her head in his den. It was her fourth day on the job and she was getting to know her way around. “Mr. Radley?”

“Oh yes, Simone, come in. What can I do for you?”

“Well, sir, I noticed it was getting rather late and you haven’t eaten lunch yet. I was wondering if you wanted a sandwich,” she replied, producing a plate with a sandwich and glass of milk.

“Why, that’s very kind of you, Simone. I’d like that very much.” Jack took the plate and glass. Taking a bite from the sandwich, he made a satisfied sound. “This is delicious.”

“Thank you, sir,” she said, then looking around the room, decided to get in some dusting and cleaning.

Jack watched her as she worked. He didn’t feel comfortable doing that, but couldn’t keep himself from staring. Something about the woman definitely affected him, but he couldn’t put his finger on what. She was quite graceful, that much he could see. But she acted with far more assurance than he would have expected from someone her age.

He looked closer at her profile. He was sure he’d met her somewhere before, but for the life of him, couldn’t imagine where. She looked up and gave him a self-conscious smile before going back to her work. She adjusted the new device sitting on the table, then moved towards the door.

The image of that smile lingered in his mind and found he wanted her to stay, if just a little longer. On impulse he asked her how she liked it so far.

She stopped and turned to face him. “I like it here,” she said quietly. “You have a nice house and a lovely family.” She paused, and then looked him in the eye. “I’m going to enjoy my work here.”

He felt something like a thrill run through him at that look. He covered his feelings with a practiced smile and nodded. “Well, we hope you like it here, too.” Jack watched her leave, then shook his head, slightly bemused by his feelings.

After that, Jack found it more enjoyable working from home and often came up with excuses to do so. He found himself looking forward to the lunches Simone brought to him. She was a very good cook with many specialties. Eventually, he asked her to join him. At first he felt strange about doing that, not really sure why he did it. After awhile, he couldn’t imagine a lunch without her.

As for Simone, she seemed to enjoy the time they spent together. She often asked about his work, laughed at his tales, and admired the way he handled things. He enjoyed her interest, and found himself happy to share his experiences. More and more he thought he saw something in her eyes—something he knew shouldn’t be there. The problem was, he felt it too.

When she wasn’t there, he spent more and more of his time thinking about her. He started wondering what kind of man she found attractive. He knew Simone was single, but did she have a boyfriend? Of course, she did. Didn’t she? For some reason, he asked that question a lot.

Simone peeked through the door after yet another lunch with her employer. She nodded to herself as she saw the man gazing blankly at the wall. Meanwhile, the globe pulsed away steadily on the nearby table.

“I really like the work Simone has done,” Stephanie said one night at dinner.

“Yeah, she’s the best,” Amanda agreed enthusiastically. Jack was glad to see his daughter opening up these last few weeks. The girl had gotten to know Simone rather well, by now, and seemed a little livelier as a result.

“She does seem to be thorough,” Jack said. “If it wasn’t for those little globes she has all around the house. They’re always making that noise all the time.” He was referring to the electric globes he’d seen in the den and bedrooms. Glass spheres that sat atop plastic bases, they made a soft humming sound as they pulsed.

“We’ve talked about them before,” Stephanie replied. “Those are her dust globes.” Then, as if reciting a brochure, added, “They’re the latest thing in air purification, guaranteed to reduce dust levels in your home or your money back.” Amanda gave a small giggle. “She even gave me one for my office at work. I was a little skeptical at first, but they really seem to work.”

“Yeah, it really does a great job,” Amanda said. “It even helps keep the mess down, somehow.”

“Oh?” Jack raised his eyebrows. His daughter was notorious for having a cluttered room. “How does it do that?”

“I don’t know. Seeing it makes me want to be neat, I guess.”

“Hmmm,” said his wife, considering. “I hadn’t noticed it, but my desk at work is very neat, too. I never thought about it before. I just don’t feel like being messy anymore.”

“Must be quite a tool,” Jack said, shaking his head slightly.

Losing interest in the discussion, his attention went back, as always, to work. Turning to his wife, he said, “I got some strange news today. Robert Hill is stepping down as Chairman of the Board.”

“What!? Why would he do that?”

“I have absolutely no idea.”

“Has he ever talked about moving on before?”

“That’s the strange thing. It came out of nowhere. He didn’t even tell the board personally. He sent out an email saying that for personal reasons he could no longer serve as Chairman. To top it off, he made his resignation immediate.”

“Immediate?” Stephanie said, wrinkling her brow in confusion. “I’ve never heard of anything like that before.”

“Yeah, neither have we.” Jack said, shrugging as if at a loss. “We tried contacting him to see if it was for real, but no one could reach him. Carl even drove out to his place to talk with him about it. No one was there.”

“That’s the really weird. So now what? Are you going to pick a new Chairman?”

“Looks like we don’t have a choice. But company guidelines say we have to have a full board before choosing a new chairman, so we’ll have to wait until after the vote.”

“That long?”

Jack nodded. “Corporations never do anything quickly.”

He didn’t add that he felt the situation at work was growing critical. He and Jeri VanDoren had had numerous discussions about it already, and were finally taking measures. Jeri had made it her job to find out what was happening, but didn’t have much to go on. She needed time to get to the bottom of this, but from the looks of it, would only get a month. Sighing, he shook his head in resignation.

Joan saw the light in the office and smiled, knowing her target was working late again. At last, she’d finally be able to eliminate a major obstacle to their plans. What she was doing was somewhat risky, something that wouldn’t have been necessary except that the man lived in a high-rise security apartment. That in itself wasn’t a problem aside from the time it would take to get access to him. But time had grown short and they were forced to resort to this method.

Thankfully, her goal wasn’t for any long-term attitude change. Tonight she just needed his help for what she liked to call a “Photo-Op.”

She looked down at her uniform, noticed the bad fit and thought about its owner. The staff member to whom it belonged wouldn’t be needing it for a few hours, not in her condition. She took a deep breath thinking, ‘It’s time to make sure John Cuddy stays out of our way.’ She knocked on the door.

“Yes?”

“Uh, hi there. I’m here to pick up the trash.” She rustled her garbage bag and advanced on the unsuspecting man. Behind the bag, a globe hummed softly. By the time he’d actually seen it, her finger was on the switch to trigger a pulse. A moment later, he was slumping forward in his chair.

Twenty minutes after that, Joan was carefully explaining her instructions to her blank-eyed victim. Ten minutes more and she was happily posing for pictures in John’s lap, between his legs, and later, with him between hers.

Less than an hour after she’d arrived, Joan let herself out quietly, taking one last glance in the office. John Cuddy was once again staring blankly into space.

An hour later, John woke, confused and suffering from a nasty headache, to the sound of his cell phone ringing. After a brief, one-sided conversation, he brought up his email and stared. His first impression just added to his confusion, as his mind refused to make sense of the images. When understanding did come, the cell phone fell from his grasp as he froze in shocked disbelief.

After reporting her success, Joan stood waiting for further instructions. A brief nod and a verdict of ‘satisfactory,’ was her reward before being was dismissed. While she could tell the response concealed a touch of relief, she also knew this would never be acknowledged. Their one and only direct assault had gone off without a hitch. It was time, once again, to slip back into obscurity to allow their campaign to proceed unnoticed.