The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

The next morning, Clancy caught Zelasha immediately after a performance. He was so nervous—he didn’t think he’d been this nervous with a girl since junior high school—but he had to say something, or else he’d explode.

Swallowing hard, the drummer put his hand on her arm.

Zelasha smiled at him. Oh, how gorgeous that smile was! “Hey, Clancy—what is it?” she asked.

The drummer quickly removed his hand. “I’m sorry, Zelasha, it’s just that... I couldn’t wait another minute without letting you know.” He held out a bouquet of wildflowers. “Zelasha, I’m in love with you.”

The redhead looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “Very funny, Clance.” She turned to leave, but heard a thump, and faced him again—to see the drummer on his knees.

“I had to tell you,” he said. “You are the most beautiful woman in the whole world! I ache for you, I burn for you!”

Zelasha crossed her arms. “Clancy, you’re being ridiculous! For god’s sake, I’m engaged.”

The drummer put his head in his hands. He’d offended her—everything was wrong—so wrong! “You’re right, I’m sorry, I’m sorry... I couldn’t hurt Nick—I’m sorry!” Without another word, Clancy stood up and bolted from the room.

The morning after the bachelor party was hot and humid. Emily was on her way to the food court for a cool drink when Clancy almost crashed into her. Stammering apologies, the drummer dashed off.

Before the blonde woman could ponder what had gotten into him, someone else stepped up beside her.

“Emily?” came Jiliana’s soft voice.

“Mmm-hmm?” the blonde woman asked, turning to her.

With a hesitant smile, the British Songbird cleared her throat. “Emily, I would—I mean, I would have asked Miss Scarlett, you know, but I’ve never really done this before, and I thought—well, I don’t know what I thought, it was a dumb idea anyway...” she trailed off.

Emily tilted her head slightly. “What is it, Jiliana?”

“I was wondering if you could... you could... you know, mesmerize me,” she blurted out.

Emily didn’t try to hide her surprise. “You’re right, you should ask Miss Scarlett,” she said gently. “I’m a beginner, after all.”

“Yes, but I thought, well, I thought you might be more inclined to say yes,” Jiliana said hurriedly. “You see, I want—this really is a silly idea...”

Emily touched her hand, hoping it would help put the Songbird at ease. “Jiliana, take a deep breath,” she said, deciding on the spur of the moment to use the sing-song hypnotist’s voice she’d used on Anna. “It’s all right, I promise.”

Jiliana nodded, and inhaled.

“Now let it out slowly, and tell me what’s on your mind,” Emily said.

The British woman nodded, took another few breaths, and began. “There’s this guy I like,” she said. “But I’m always so nervous around him. I’m terrified I’m going to mess up somehow and look like a fool, and so I’m too afraid to say anything, and he probably thinks I’m a dunce.”

“You want me to help you be more confident?” Emily asked. Thank goodness—it was something she could help with!

Jiliana nodded emphatically. “I am so sick of myself, sick of being afraid,” she confessed.

“I think I can help you,” Emily said slowly. “When is good for you?”

The British woman smiled nervously. “Um... now?”

“All right,” Emily said gently. “Let’s find somewhere to be alone.”

How am I going to do this, Emily wondered. Hypnotizing Anna had been one thing, but they had been friends for years—they were practically sisters. Jiliana... she hardly knew her.

And yet, Jiliana wanted to be hypnotized. That had to count for something.

The British woman led Emily through the campground towards her tent, but the blonde American was lost in thought. Will I feel too foolish if I use a watch or a crystal? she pondered. That seems like such a silly cliche—but it’s so seductive, so wondrously erotic, when Scarlett does that...

Jiliana ushered Emily inside, and the two women sat down, facing each other.

“So,” Emily began, and smiled—the most reassuring smile she could muster. She hoped it would be enough to put Jiliana at ease.

“So,” the brown-haired woman answered, then laughed. “Gosh, I hope this works. I really appreciate it, Emily, even if I’m an awful subject. Thanks for trying!”

Emily shook her head. “It will work, Jiliana,” she said. “And I know you’ll do great. Now take several deep breaths. In, out, in out... that’s right.”

Jiliana followed along, synchronizing her breathing to Emily’s words. “Aren’t you going to have me look at a watch, or something?”

The blonde woman shook her head. “Look into my eyes,” she said confidently—then realized what she’d said. Oh my, her mind registered—can I really do this with just my eyes?

Of course I can, she realized. I’ve seen Scarlett do it dozens of times, and she’s been mentoring me.

Emily leaned forward. “Focus on my eyes,” she said. “Look deep into my eyes. Focus completely on my eyes, down deep—and keep looking into my eyes as you listen to my words. Keep all your attention focused on my eyes, and let your body relax along with my words.”

Emily was full of confidence, and relaxed into herself, letting the hypnotic words come. She’d hypnotized Anna—she could do this. She was a hypnotist. She continued, and the induction flowed from her until Jiliana began to nod.

“Keep listening to the sound of my voice,” Emily was saying. “Keep your breathing even, steady, deep breaths, deep breaths... that’s right, and every breath puts you at ease, every breath relaxes you. Inhale... feel all that oxygen spreading through your body, up to your head, down your arms to your fingers, down your legs to your toes. Exhale... imagine all that nervousness flowing out of you. You are calm and relaxed... so calm and relaxed. Look into my eyes, and know that every breath makes you even more calm and relaxed. It’s a function of breathing, to give you oxygen, give you nourishment, to calm you and relax you.”

Jiliana hadn’t altogether known what to expect, but it hadn’t quite been this. Emily’s gentle voice put her so at ease—yet her words were marvelous. Emily’s voice was so soothing, so easy to listen to, so calming... how long had the blonde woman been doing this? She was a natural, with such a melodious, comforting voice... she didn’t have to do anything but just follow along.

“It’s so easy to listen, so easy to forget anything else and focus on my voice,” Emily told her. “Just let yourself be carried along, breathing and listening, breathing and listening on such a gentle rhythm... beat... beat... beat.”

The blonde hypnotist smiled slightly. “And keep looking deeper into my eyes, deeper and deeper. It’s very relaxing... that’s right... just stay focused on me, and now everything relaxes you... your breathing, my voice, my words, my eyes... your whole body is relaxed, relaxed so easily, relaxed completely.”

Or maybe it’s Emily’s eyes, Jiliana thought. Emily’s blue spheres are as clear as crystals, bright like the sky, deep like the ocean. It was so easy to focus on Emily’s eyes that she almost lost track of what the blonde woman was saying.

“Your body relaxes completely, your feet, your legs, your arms, your hands,” Emily continued. “Your neck, your head, your eyelids, so relaxed, so heavy.”

As Emily spoke those last words, the British woman felt a gentle heaviness around her eyes, like she’d woken in the middle of the night. Is this it, Jiliana wondered. Am I mesmerized?

“Your eyelids are getting so very heavy,” Emily murmured. Her voice had dropped to a monotone, but somehow wasn’t boring. Jiliana was experiencing what the blonde woman was describing. It was coming true.

“So very heavy, weighed down with relaxation, weighted down with the need for sleep,” came Emily’s voice. “So heavy, and you are so focused on my voice that in a moment I am going to count to three. On the count of three, your eyes will close, your entire body will sink down deliciously into deep, deep relaxation, and you will fall deep asleep, fast asleep. Focused completely on me, looking deeper into my eyes.”

Jiliana had to raise her chin a bit to stay focused on Emily’s clear blue eyes. (“Focus deeper...") Do all hypnotists have eyes like this? (“Deeper and deeper...") Or does being born with wonderful eyes help make you a hypnotist? (“Relaxing deeper with every breath...") Emily’s crystal-blue eyes were her whole world.

“One, eyelids getting so very heavy, you can’t keep them open, you can’t keep your head up, you can’t keep your eyes from closing, you can’t keep your head from nodding...”

Jiliana’s eyes closed, then fluttered a bit, trying to stay open; but her mouth had long since gone slack.

“Two, the more you listen to my voice, the heavier your eyelids become... but the heavier your eyelids get, the more you focus on my voice, and my voice is all that you can hear...

“Three, sleep. Deep asleep, sound asleep, eyes closed, head nodding.”

Emily nodded in an unconscious sympathetic action as Jiliana’s head drooped, then relaxed, falling onto her chest; her brown curls fell into her face. The blonde woman felt a quick surge of excitement. She’d done it. She was a hypnotist.

Hypnosis. Her mind flashed back to her tent, to the bed she shared with Scarlett. She hoped that tonight the positions would be reversed. She’d sit across from the lovely Southerner and let herself fall into Scarlett’s eyes, let her mind lock easily onto Scarlett’s voice. Her lover would hypnotize her and take her so deep that everything she saw, everything she tasted, everything she felt, everything she thought would be under Scarlett’s control. She would be enchanted, completely under Scarlett’s spell. I love hypnosis, Emily thought, but—ego aside—I so prefer being the subject!

But, for the moment, the British woman was sitting in front of her, her mind in a trance, completely and totally fascinated by Emily. I could do such wonderful things, Emily thought.

“Jiliana, you are still completely focused on my voice,” the blonde hypnotist said aloud. “Focused totally on me. Now, Jiliana, would you like me to give you a trigger?”

“What’s that?” her subject whispered. Emily had to lean closer in order to hear her.

“A phrase that will relax you like this instantly.”

After a moment, Jiliana shook her head.

Hmm! Oh well, Emily thought, to each her own.

“Jiliana, why did you come to me, instead of to Scarlett?” the blonde woman asked.

“Scarlett intimidates me,” Jiliana murmured without opening her eyes.

What could possibly be intimidating about Scarlett? Emily wondered. She’s so smart, so sexy, so powerful... oh.

“Why me, then?”

“You’re so nice.”

Emily smiled. “Well, then,” she said, “I want you to imagine yourself being confident, being completely self-assured. Imagine yourself being free and comfortable around this guy... completely at ease, completely yourself. Can you imagine this?”

Jiliana nodded slightly.

“Being with him makes you feel confident and comfortable,” Emily told her. “You’re in charge, you’re in control, you can steer the conversation any way you wish... the more confident you are the better you will feel. Now you won’t be reckless, you will be careful, but you will feel confident and assured whenever you’re with him. Now, how does this make you feel?”

“Good,” whispered the Songbird.

“Yes, you’re doing great,” Emily told her. “You’re confident, in control, unafraid, courageous. Now, tell me how you’ll feel when you’re with—um, what’s his name?”

“Lawrence,” Jiliana said quietly.

Lawrence? Emily thought for a moment. Where did she know him from? Oh yes, he’d been talking to Clancy last night.

“How will you feel when you’re around Lawrence?” she asked aloud.

“Comfortable,” her subject mumbled. “Confident. In control.”

“Perfect, you’re doing an amazing job,” the blonde hypnotist lilted. “Now on the count of three, you will wake up, wide awake and fully refreshed, remembering everything. One, starting to wake, two, eyes open, three, wide awake.”

Jiliana obeyed Emily’s commands to the letter, opening her eyes and raising her head. Wow, the blonde woman thought. Wow. It’s incredible, putting someone to sleep and waking them up by my command... and for a moment she understood what it must feel like for Miss Scarlett.

The British Songbird smiled at her.

“How do you feel?” Emily asked.

Jiliana grinned. “Great!” She touched Emily’s arm. “Thank you! That was—that was something else, I don’t know how to describe it.”

“How are you feeling about Lawrence?” Emily asked.

“Like I could conquer the world,” Jiliana said, and brushed her hair behind her shoulders. “I think I should go find him now, before this wears off!”

“It will stay as long as you want it to,” the blonde woman told her.

Jiliana shrugged, and stood up. “Come on!”

Puzzled, Emily followed her outside. “You’re not going to go ask him out right now, are you?”

Jiliana was already several steps ahead, but she turned and grinned at her. “Not exactly... but I do have an idea, if you’re up for it.” The British woman put an arm around Emily’s shoulders, and explained it to her as the two walked back towards the Faire.

The joust drew to an end, and Lawrence and Duncan made their way off the bleachers along with the rest of the crowd. Their troupe didn’t go on again for another hour and a half, so the actors headed to the wine-tasting grove... when they saw the three girls in front of them.

Emily, Jiliana and Kaitlin waved, and the two actors joined them.

“How was the joust?” Kaitlin began.

“The usual,” Duncan replied, taking her arm. “Philip won this time.”

“Philip would be...” Jiliana asked.

Wow, she spoke, Lawrence thought. “He’s the Byzantine—you know, the dastard, with all the dirty tricks?”

“Oh yes,” Jiliana grinned. “I love dirty tricks!”

“You what?” Lawrence asked. He couldn’t have heard that correctly. Of course, he’d never heard Jiliana say so much at once!

“Guys, if it’s all right, I’m going to have Duncan get me some dessert,” Kaitlin said. “Later!”

“We were going wine—” Lawrence began, but Duncan and Kaitlin were already striding away. Perplexed, he looked at Emily and Jiliana.

The curly-haired British woman looked mischievously at the petite blonde. Man, Lawrence thought, Emily’s beautiful, with that slender figure and the long golden hair...

“Do you think we should tell him what we were doing earlier?” Jiliana asked Emily with a wink.

Emily thought about it, then shook her head. “No—he probably couldn’t handle it.”

Perplexed, Lawrence looked from one woman to the other. What was going on? “I’m sorry, what are you two talking about?’

Jiliana shrugged, and turned on her heel. “Goodbye, Lawrence.” The brunette took Emily’s arm, and they started to walk away—but the actor darted after them.

“Whoa!” he said. “What’s with all the innuendos?”

Jiliana tilted her chin, looking up at him—then looked at Emily, hiding her eyes behind long lashes.

“Emily hypnotized me,” the British Songbird said.

Emily hypnotized... Lawrence thought. Is this why Jiliana’s so talkative? Emily’s a hypnotist? Well, she’s Miss Scarlett’s assistant, after all. It made sense.

“It was lots of fun,” Jiliana added.

“I’m glad you thought so,” Emily told her.

“What... what did you do?” Lawrence asked lamely. Oh god, he sounded like a fool.

“That’s for us to know,” Jiliana smiled. “Come on, Emily.”

The two girls made to walk off without him, and Emily tossing what looked like a necklace over her shoulder. Lawrence glanced at it. It was a simple silver chain, with a crystal pendant as the centerpiece.

“Are you two teasing me?” he asked, trying hard to keep up with them.

“Why, are you interested?” Emily said slyly.

“Ummm...” Emily was a hypnotist too? Miss Scarlett was so sensuous when she’d go on stage and play with people’s minds. Could her assistant do it? Of course, Emily was beautiful too, albeit in a different way than Scarlett. The Southern hypnotist was like a lioness with that mane of silky dark hair. Lawrence could easily imagine her enchanting her prey before pouncing on them. Emily, on the other hand, was lovely like a Greek statue come to life. He could imagine it, her swinging the crystal necklace...

Yikes, the girls had left him! There they were, a few paces ahead. He hurried after them.

They’d already arrived at the Enchantress’ Stage. The fencing show had just ended, and the actors were collecting tips as the audience filed past.

“Lawrence!” Emily said, and smiled at him.

“Forget it, Emily, he’s not interested,” Jiliana said.

“Sure I am,” he said, following the pair backstage. “I’d like to watch.”

The blonde woman shook her head. “No.”

“No?” Lawrence asked incredulously.

Jiliana nodded. “You have to participate, or no deal.” She flashed a smile at him—when had she gotten so bold?—and sat down facing Emily.

The blonde woman raised the necklace and started swinging the crystal from side to side. “Look at the crystal, Jiliana,” she said softly.

Lawrence scrambled down, sitting cross-legged next to the Englishwoman. Emily was whispering—he practically had to strain his ears to hear her.

“See it swing... back and forth... relaxing you. Watching the crystal so carefully... it makes you feel sleepy...”

Emily has a nice voice for this, Lawrence thought.

“Keeping your eyes focused on the crystal as it moves,” Emily was saying. “Focus on the light, how it glitters and sparkles... such beautiful patterns... and the more you focus the easier the patterns are to see, and the more it sparkles the more relaxed you become, the more heavy your eyelids get... you’re feeling sleepy, Lawrence, all you want to do is listen to my voice and close your eyes... you can’t keep your eyelids open, Lawrence, you’re falling into a deep, deep sleep...”

“Sleep... sleep...” Emily whispered. Lawrence’s mind and body were following her words, and somewhere along the line he’d lost track of her describing feelings to him, imagining them, and experiencing them. His eyelids shut of their own accord as her words wove a spell of heaviness over them; his breathing grew regular and heavy, synchronized with the rhythmic sound of her voice. Eventually Lawrence lost track of what she was saying as the gentle ebb and flow of her words merged with his dreams.

“As you sleep, you will continue listening to my words, but you will not wake up,” Emily murmured. “The more you listen to my voice, the more deeply asleep you fall, and you will not wake up until I tell you. And because you’re listening so closely to my voice, Lawrence, it’s only natural that you will continue to listen to me, and answer my questions. When I ask you something, you will answer me, completely and honestly. You will answer me, clearly and honestly, whenever I ask, whatever I ask.”

Emily scooted over to Jiliana, who was smiling like a kid in an ice cream store. “Lawrence, you are having a dream. In this dream, I’m interviewing you—but you know you’re dreaming, and it’s not really me. I’m just the part of yourself in your dream that’s asking questions. Because you’re just talking with yourself, and the real me will never find out about this conversation, you can speak truthfully and honestly about things you’d never tell me in real life.

“On the count of three, Lawrence, I will snap my fingers, and you will open your eyes and see me. But you will be convinced this is only a dream. One, two, three.” And Emily’s fingers clicked.

Lawrence blinked a few times, then his eyes fixed on Emily and Jiliana, sitting next to him on the floor. Lawrence smiled at them, and they smiled back.

“Lawrence, are you attracted to Jiliana?” Emily asked.

Lawrence looked at his feet. “No,” he whispered. “I’m sorry.”

“What do you think of her?” Emily prompted.

“She’s a friend,” Lawrence confessed, looking up at her.

“But you don’t love her in that way?” Emily asked softly.

“No.”

“Why not?” Emily tilted her head.

“No spark.”

There was a pause.

“Then why did you want to be hypnotized with her, Lawrence?” Emily asked.

“I trust her,” he explained. “I liked it when Miss Scarlett hypnotized me, and I knew if Jiliana was here she wouldn’t let anything bad happen to me.”

Emily reached forward, put her hand lightly on his forehead, then moved it down slowly, closing his eyes and whispering “sleep.”

Jiliana stared down at her crush, once again in a trance. He’d let Emily hypnotize him, and he trusted them—but what could she do to make him desire her, love her? “Emily, could you command him to fall in love with me when he wakes up?” Jiliana asked.

The petite hypnotist thought for a moment, then shook her head. “You can’t use hypnosis to make someone love someone else,” she explained. “It might work for a while, because he agreed to be hypnotized, but the suggestion would wear off eventually, and then he’d break up with you.”

“How long?” Jiliana asked.

Emily pondered that. “I don’t know,” she conceded. “I’ll have to ask Scarlett. Could be hours, could be weeks, but if you trick someone into loving you, the truth will emerge eventually.”

Jiliana frowned. “That would be worse than what I’ve got now! I’ve been waiting all summer for him to make a move, and he never has. And now I know he never will.” She lay back tiredly onto the floor, staring up at the ceiling. “I don’t suppose you could get him to make out with me, just this once?”

“It’s not me,” Emily explained. “It’s him. I can’t make him do anything. Hypnosis can only show him the door—he has to want to go through it.”

“Then how do we make him want to go through it?” Jiliana said, thinking out loud. “Lawrence, who’s the biggest crush you’ve ever had?” she asked.

“Elizabeth,” he mumbled without opening his eyes.

Emily glanced at Jiliana, but the brown-haired woman didn’t know the name, and shook her head.

“When did you know this person?” Emily asked.

“College.”

“Why did you have a crush on her?” the blonde woman asked.

“She was perfect.”

“Like that tells us anything,” Jiliana muttered.

“What color hair did she have?” Emily asked.

“Brown,” Lawrence said.

Jiliana ran a hand through her own curly hair, sliding her bandanna off. So far, so good, she thought.

“Eye color?” Emily asked.

“Hazel.”

“What kind of qualities did she have that you liked?” Jiliana put in.

“The sound of her voice—so soothing—like music,” Lawrence said dreamily. “Way she held herself, confident, like a hunter. Way she dressed—elegant—feminine—sophisticated.”

Emily and Jiliana exchanged glances.

“Do you think my voice is musical?” Jiliana asked.

“I suppose,” Lawrence said.

“You’re a singer,” Emily reminded her.

“And everyone dresses sophisticated at a Ren Faire,” Jiliana mused. “My parents are always telling me to be more confident. So is Lawrence, come to think of it. What else can I do?”

“Have you ever thought Jiliana was attractive, Lawrence?” Emily asked.

“Yes.”

Jiliana grinned. This was promising.

“When?” Emily asked.

“At the bachelor party,” Lawrence said. “When she was hypnotized to become Katharina.”

Emily and Jiliana both giggled. “Now that WAS funny,” Jiliana said. “I actually felt like I was Katharina. Ricardo was so funny—I don’t know how we played off each other so well, since we barely know each other, but it worked great.”

“What was attractive about Jiliana then?” Emily asked.

“It was sexy what Miss Scarlett did,” Lawrence mumbled, “tricking her into loving him.”

The two women exchanged glances.

“Lawrence,” Emily asked, “what would you think if you were hypnotized to fall in love with Jiliana?”

“That would be sexy,” he whispered.

The curly-haired woman nudged Emily, grinning.

The blonde woman nodded, but whispered to the Songbird.

“If he doesn’t mind being hypnotized into having a relationship with you, we can do it,” she said. “But you’ll have to make him fall in love with you for real on your own. If you don’t, he’ll break up with you when the hypnosis wears off.”

Jiliana nodded frantically. “I’ll try!”

“I’ll have to word this carefully, though,” the blonde woman told her friend, and turned to their subject.

“Lawrence, you are hypnotized, and because you’re hypnotized you must do whatever I say,” she lied. “Lawrence, you have been hypnotized to fall madly in love with Jiliana. You are in love with Jiliana. You want to make her happy. You want a relationship with her. You want to kiss her, date her, touch her, be with her. Do you understand?”

“I can’t lie to her,” he said.

“Oh, great,” Jiliana muttered.

Emily frowned. “I’ll see if I can talk him into it,” she said. “Lawrence, do you love Jiliana as a friend?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me, out loud.”

“I love Jiliana as a friend.”

“Now without the friend part. Say it, Lawrence.”

“I love Jiliana.”

Jiliana burst into giggles as relief coursed through her body. “I’ve been waiting all summer to hear him say that,” she exclaimed.

Emily nodded. “This might not work, though—don’t get your hopes up too much.”

“It’s hard not to,” the Englishwoman replied. “But this is giving me a better chance than I ever would have on my own.”

“Lawrence, I am going to give you a few commands,” Emily told the actor, “and you are hypnotized—so you must accept each and every command, and after you accept my command, you will repeat it back to me. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

Jiliana rubbed her hands together in glee. “This is going to be so much fun!”

“Sssh,” Emily said. “Lawrence, from now on, you will think Jiliana is beautiful.”

“Jiliana is beautiful,” Lawrence murmured. The Songbird was almost dancing in delight.

“You can’t stop looking at Jiliana, and admiring her.”

“I can’t stop looking at Jiliana.”

Jiliana felt herself grinning like a maniac. “How are we going to make it so I turn him on?”

Emily smiled and nodded. “Lawrence, hearing Jiliana say your name turns you on.”

“Jiliana turns me on.”

“Whenever she touches you, you will get turned on, and want to touch her.”

“I want to touch her.”

“You can’t keep your hands off her.”

“I can’t keep my hands off her.”

“That might get awkward,” Jiliana whispered to Emily.

The blonde hypnotist nodded. “But when you want to touch her, you will follow her lead in everything.”

“I will follow her lead.”

Emily paused. “Lawrence, I want you to think of Elizabeth. Think of how beautiful she was. Now think of Jiliana. Picture her in your mind. From now on, when you see her, you will see that she is ten times more beautiful than Elizabeth, fifty times more beautiful than Elizabeth, a hundred times more beautiful.

“You love looking into Jiliana’s beautiful eyes,” Emily continued. “From now on, whenever she looks into your eyes, you will get turned on.”

“Her eyes turn me on,” Lawrence repeated.

Jiliana grinned from ear to ear.

“What else?” Emily asked her friend.

Jiliana thought for a moment. “My hair.”

Emily nodded. “Lawrence, it will also turn you on when she plays with her hair.”

Jiliana reached around her head, gathered her curls, and let them fall over her right shoulder.

“You love her hair. Jiliana has the most beautiful hair you’ve ever seen, Lawrence. Whenever she plays with her hair—or you see her brush it—that will also turn you on.”

“She turns me on,” the hypnotized actor agreed.

Emily turned to Jiliana again. “Anything else?”

“He’s falling in love with me,” the Englishwoman said excitedly. Unconsciously, she placed a hand on Emily’s arm.

The blonde woman nodded. “Lawrence, you’re falling in love with Jiliana.”

“I’m falling in love with Jiliana.”

“He’s been in love with me this whole time,” Jiliana whispered.

“Lawrence, you’ve been in love with Jiliana ever since you met,” Emily told him. “You just didn’t realize it before now.”

“I didn’t realize it.”

“Lawrence, since you met Jiliana, your love for her has grown stronger. It has become stronger steadily, but you’ve kept it secret—so secret that you hid it even from yourself. But now the secret is out in the open, Lawrence. Your love is so strong you cannot keep it secret any longer. You are in love with Jiliana, and it overwhelms you, how strong it is. You want to touch her, kiss her, and hug her. You are crazy about Jiliana. You are madly in love with Jiliana, and you will follow her lead in everything. Tell me how you feel about Jiliana, Lawrence.”

“I’m in love with Jiliana.”

“That’s right, you love her, and every time you hear her speak your name, your love for her will grow stronger and more passionate, stronger and more passionate every time Jiliana says your name, Lawrence. Will your love for her grow stronger?”

“Yes.”

“Now Lawrence, on the count of three,” Emily said, “I’m going to wake you up. And right now, you will forget about all the suggestions you were given. You will have no conscious memory of anything we’ve talked about since you fell asleep. And because you’ve been hypnotized to forget, you won’t remember anything we don’t want you to, right?”

“Yes,” Lawrence said.

“But even though you won’t remember them, all the suggestions and commands are locked safe away in your mind, and you will follow them without question or hesitation. You will do them without thinking, and you will have no idea that you’re acting on a posthypnotic suggestion. When you obey the suggestions, it won’t even occur to you that you’ve been hypnotized to do them. But you will obey nonetheless.

“Now, here’s what you will remember,” Emily told him. “When you wake up, you will know you’ve been hypnotized. You will feel better than you’ve ever felt before in your life.

“And when you look at Jiliana, you will know that you’ve been hypnotized into realizing you’re in love with her. And this is the best thing that’s ever happened to you. You’re not mad at all, in fact this turns you on. You know Jiliana is the most beautiful woman in the world. She is the woman of your dreams.

“And by the way—this is our little secret. You think it is great that you’ve been hypnotized, but you have no desire whatsoever to talk about this with anybody else. You will not talk about this with anyone else.

“On the count of three, you will wake up.” Feeling just like Miss Scarlett, Emily counted upwards, and clicked her fingers.

Lawrence stirred, opened his eyes, straightened up—and looked from Emily to Jiliana and back again.

“What... what did you do?” He looked at Jiliana, and his eyes widened. “Jill! Jiliana.”

He trailed off. Jiliana was looking into his eyes.

“Lawrence,” she whispered.

“You, ummmm...” he began.

“Lawrence.” Jiliana stared at her crush, like she was trying to hypnotize him herself.

“Jiliana, um... Emily.” He turned towards the blonde woman. “When I said I would like to be hypnotized again, I didn’t mean... um...”

Emily looked at Jiliana, and didn’t say anything. Meanwhile, Jiliana fluffed her hair. Her brown curls fell around the edges of her face, over her shoulders. Lawrence saw this from his peripheral vision, and slowly turned his head towards her.

“You... you messed with my head.”

Jiliana played with a lock of her hair. “You did say you wanted to be hypnotized... Lawrence.”

“I... yes, but I...”

Emily sat back, smiling.

“How do you feel about me... Lawrence?” Jiliana asked, twirling a lock of curly hair with her fingers.

“I—I don’t know, I’m having all these feelings,” Lawrence said, staring at her. “But I’ve never thought about you as... about you as...”

“Never? What are you thinking about right now... Lawrence?” Jiliana said throatily.

“That I... that I...”

Jiliana tipped her head downwards and looked at her soon-to-be boyfriend through her dark lashes. “You’ve cared about me all this time. Right... Lawrence?”

“Yes, I care about you—” he began, but she wasn’t finished.

“And you’ve loved me since the day we met... Lawrence?” With a sly grin, Jiliana fluffed her curly hair again so a little fell across her cheek.

“Yes,” Lawrence said. “But... when you hypnotized me...”

Jiliana leaned forward, grinning. “But you wanted to be hypnotized, Lawrence. And now... you can’t control yourself... Lawrence. You have to face your feelings for me... Lawrence.”

Emily scurried back, and scooted herself to the edge of the tent. As Lawrence stared at Jiliana, the formerly shy girl leaned forward and kissed him on the lips.

“Kiss me... Lawrence,” Jiliana murmured.

Emily watched Jiliana gaze into Lawrence’s eyes in expectation. She saw the very moment when Lawrence surrendered, slid his arm around Jiliana’s shoulder, and pull her in for another kiss. With a smile, Emily stepped out of the tent and went off to find Scarlett. As she left, she heard the sound of Jiliana giggling.