Synopsis: Six friends get together for their quarterly reunion. When one of them claims to have become a master hypnotist, things take a turn for the unexpected.
The Kissing Factor
(by S.B.)
13 — Interlude
Paula Mitchell Gutierrez’s parents met in the mid-90’s, during a Heavy Metal concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was living the musical dream of wanting to be a world-famous drummer and she had left the suburbs of Surabaya, the third largest city in Indonesia, for the first time in search of adventure and a chance to find her true self. Neither of them were looking for sex or any sort of commitment, yet the chemistry between was so strong it was if they had no choice but to revel in it, eyes blind to the dazzling pyrotechnic spectacle around them, ears unable to focus on anything other than the sound of their rampaging heartbeats. When asked to reminisce about those crazy days, Paula’s mother used to say it was a like a delicious feverish dream from which she didn’t want to wake up. Nine months later, she was forced to.
The thing she regretted the most from the night when their sweet girl was born was having refused an epidural when given the chance. Natural delivery wasn’t as glamorous as they had taught people to believe, and nothing justified the pain and discomfort she felt through and through.
As the years went by, and despite overwhelming odds at first, the connection between them never faltered, and Paula was lucky enough to grow up in a balanced family environment. While she inherited their parent’s general taste for music, the world of snare drums, bass drums, and cymbals never really drew her in. Instead, her instrument of choice was a Gibson Flying V2, and shredding a major part of her adolescence years. Hopes of forming her own band with her two best friends at the time were short-lived, and college eventually dissipated them for good. Her passion for live concerts and all the extravaganzas that come with them remained though.
The Yankees’ Stadium was packed that night, with thousands of people from all over the country flocking there to lose themselves to the dissonant harmonies of Anthrax’s music. Paula was completely absorbed in the electrically charged atmosphere, head-banging between every chorus as if the world were about to end. Standing next to her, Denise was the exact opposite, regretting her last week’s life choices in utmost silence until she felt the need to mutter:
“I can’t believe this is still going!”
“What?” Paula blinked at her, her friend’s discontent voice drowned by the guttural echoes all around.
“Never mind.” Denise grumbled to herself, pensive eyes glued to her watch. There were still at least twenty more minutes to go and her ears couldn’t take it anymore.
Unlike her friend, the twenty-five-year-old secretary didn’t have the best relationship with music of any kind. It’s not that she didn’t like it for saying that would involve an emotional connection she had never had. General indifference was perhaps the best way to describe it, something she excelled at, unless the cacophony had the power to give her a headache the size of the known universe. Although she wasn’t foolish enough to blurt it out loud so that all the drooling fans could hear her, Time couldn’t go forward fast enough.
Courtesy of two encores, the twenty minutes turned to forty. Her ears were almost bleeding by the time they left the venue and headed to the underground parking lot. Paula was as ecstatic as ever. She was on the verge of throwing up.
“That was amazing!” The mixed heritage young woman exclaimed, still buzzing from the wave of adrenaline coursing through her veins. Then she looked at her friend. “But why does it look like you’ve just came out of a funeral?”
“I’m sorry, but that shit was horrible.” Denise soaked in the fresh air, hoping it would do wonders for her frail state of mind. “Let’s never do this again, please!”
“Sorry you didn’t like it, but you’re the one that said you wanted to try something different.”
“I know, but this was too different.”
“Okay. You choose where we go next then.”
“I will.” Denise stopped to catch her breath. “You don’t have any pills on you, right?”
“I think I have some in the car. Are you really that bad?”
“I feel like my head is about to explode.”
“That’s not good. If I knew this would happen, I would have called Kabir and ask him to put you in a trance before the concert.” Paula scoffed.
“Are you serious right now?”
“You think? Of course not!”
It had been five days since their latest gathering and all the mesmerizing revelations surrounding it. It was also the first time one of them had brought the subject up again.
“That sure was a weird get-together.” Denise noted as they negotiated the third underground level of the parking lot. Behind them, a group of raucous fans air-guitared the most memorable riffs of the concert.
“Yeah, it was.”
“You really pulled a number on Kabir—and me!—that night. Have you talked to him or Natasha ever since?”
“No, I haven’t. Why would I?” Paula picked up the pace, flat shoes echoing against the concrete. Despite the rather comfortable wear, her feet were giving off the first signs of tiredness as well.
“I don’t know. You’re the one that brought it up.”
“Frankly, after all that, I’d rather not talk to Kabir at all.”
“Don’t you think you’re being a little unfair? I mean, they are adults. We may not like it, but what they do in and out of the bedroom is none of our business.”
“You’re right, it isn’t, but he was pushy and out of line trying to convince us to go along with his games. I wouldn’t trust my mind to a certified hypnotist, let alone a horny writer with too many fantasies in his head.” Paula spat before adding: “Would you?”
“Well, no... but if we’re being completely honest here, there was something about the whole thing that fascinated me to some extent.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I even said so at the time, don’t you remember?”
“Must have slipped my mind but, frankly, I got the opposite impression. You looked scared and genuinely freaked out when you saw me pretend I had become a ravenous hypnotized bimbo.”
“Why are you singling me out, girl? You shocked everyone, not just me.”
“That may be true, but you’re the only one I noticed that was about ready to smack Kabir left and right and now you say you’ve been fascinated all along. That doesn’t compute, Denise, so what’s this all about? Do you want to be hypnotized?”
“No... I mean, at least, not to the extreme of alternate personalities and shit like that. I’m just wondering what it feels like, that’s all.”
“Okay. And that’s been on your mind since that day?”
“Yes, but now you think I’m weird too, don’t you?”
Paula spotted her lovely orange Mini Cooper in the distance and stopped next to a concrete pillar to confront her friend’s sudden revelation. It was not a conversation she had hoped to have after such an exhilarating concert yet things rarely went as planned.
“Did you hear me say that?”
“I can see it in your eyes, Paula.”
“I’m a bit befuddled but no, I don’t think you’re weird. You just endured three hours of what appeared to be an acoustic nightmare to you just to keep me company so the least I can do is hear you out.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem, dear. Tell me more.”
“Oh, there’s nothing else. That’s it.”
“Are you sure?” Paula insisted. She had been friends with her for far too long to know there was always something else lurking underneath, and she never did a good job at hiding it.
“Yeah. Can we go now?”
They resumed a steady walk and finally reached their means of transportation. Paula grabbed the wheel but not before handing her friend a pack of aspirins and a small bottle of water so she could ease her pain. Denise chugged it, gladly, leaning her weary head against the leather seat. Her vision was fluttering as she sank into a strange stupor for a few seconds. When she blinked again, dark piercing eyes were fixated on her.
“Hey, why are you staring at me like that?”
“I’m waiting.” Paula fingered the dashboard as if it were a piano playing an enchanting melody only she could hear.
“Waiting for what?”
“For you to tell me what’s really going on. Where were you just now?”
“Huh? I’ve been here all along.”
“Your body, yes, but not your mind. You were dreaming about something just now. Was it hypnosis-related, too?”
“I...”
“Come on, Denise. I promise I won’t judge. Talk to me.”
“I wasn’t dreaming. Not this time. Just... floating.” She exhaled loudly, cold air splashing against the passenger’s window.
“Not this time, you say?” Paula emphasized, certain that there laid the crux of the problem. “And what happened the other times?”
“You’re really not giving up, huh?”
“Nope, so the sooner you come clean, the faster we can get this done. Dreaming of going under, are you?”
“Yes.” Denise confessed, cheeks turning slightly red with juvenile embarrassment. “I don’t know why it happened, but it felt great.”
“Was Kabir in that dream?”
“No. I dreamed of someone else.” Denise snuggled deeper against the seat.
“Please tell me it wasn’t me!”
“It wasn’t. In fact, it wasn’t anyone we know for real.”
“Then who? Your celebrity crush? Did you dream of Jason Momoa hypnotizing you out of your panties? Because even I would happily be a part of that...”
“I wish but no... do you remember that hypnotist Kabir mentioned he had a crush on a few years back? Deanna... something?”
“Queen? The one with the slutty dress? Sure! Oh, my God, did you...?”
“Yep.” Denise chuckled. “I don’t know why but I keep seeing her face in my dreams since that day.”
“Just her face?” Paula cupped her breasts, mimicking one of the pictures they had seen the other day. “Not buying it, sweetie.”
“You know what I mean. It was quite the turmoil of emotions.”
“I can imagine though I kind of expected Belinda to be the one to tell me about her raucous fantasies, not you.”
“It wasn’t...”
“You’re blushing again. Any more details you want to share?”
“I don’t know if I should...”
“You definitely should. Come on, let it all out!” Paula gently coaxed her. “You’ll feel better once you get it all out of your system.”
“Okay then.” Denise closed her eyes and started reminiscing about smoldering impossibilities.
She stood in the center of a dimly lit stage in some place unknown. All around, dozens of men and women clapped their hands in a perfectly synchronized rhythm. Although she could only see their outlines, she imagined them to be like faceless drones partaking in a spectacle too grandiose for human understanding. Despite being covered in head to toe by a two-piece black suit not unlike the ones she had to use for work, Denise had never felt more exposed. Dark blue eyes emerging from the darkness in front of her kept her frozen in place while a melodious Southern Texan accent made whatever it wanted out of her deliquescing mind.
“Are you my new plaything?” The near forties stage hypnotist with an overwhelming bosom asked. The veil of shadows shattered to let her come forth, an ethereal enchantress flying on the wings of trance. Short, black hair danced above a strapless Greek-inspired toga dress.
“Yes.” Denise replied, the overwhelming conviction on her lips, temporarily quietening the disarray of conflicting emotions within. It’s just a dream... just a...
“Playthings are the best, always so eager to be used, to lose themselves in mindless compliance to my will. Is that why you’re here? Do you wish to be teased, tormented and brought to heel until all you can think about is me?”
“Is that even possible?”
“With me inside your head, anything is possible... except you having any will to resist. Tell me your name, pet.”
“Denise... My name is Denise.”
“What a lovely name. You already know mine, but let me hear you say it.”
“Q-queen...”
Avid hands groped Denise’s trembling waist as the intoxicating need to submit grew from her pussy and onto her hardened nipples.
“Yes, dear. Queen. Your Queen. Here in this corner of your mind, I rule and you obey. Follow this simple rule and you won’t have to worry about anything else ever again. Do you want to do this for me?”
“I want to do whatever you wish me to...” Denise’s dream self licked her lips.
“Then you’re already halfway there...” Deanna waved to the audience and the mass of mindless followers slowed down their clapping, now a mellower rhythm like a metronome syncing their thoughts together. The hypnotist touched the back of her neck and, never breaking eye contact, commanded.
“Strip.”
Denise shivered in anticipating ecstasy as her clothes came undone...
“Damn, girl! That was some dream!” Paula purred, unsure why herself was getting all wet on her knees. She immediately rolled down the driver’s window to get some fresh air and then reached for a mint cigarette.
“I know.” Denise whimpered. “And that was only the first one... Imagine having them five nights in a row.”
“Thank God, it’s just a fantasy then. If that were to happen for real...”
“I would melt like a fucking puddle and I’m not even a lesbian!”
“Are you going to tell me the others?”
“Do you want me to?”
“Maybe later, but I think I need a little break right now...”
“Yeah, me too.”
“Are you going to be okay?”
“I think so. I mean, these strange fantasies have to wear off eventually, right?”
“I don’t see why not.”
“Thank you for being so understanding. I was really worried after what you said about Kabir.”
“No problem.” Paula muttered, suddenly realizing something about her own behavior and how quick she had been to dismiss his fantasies. “Come to think about it, I was really a bit too harsh on him, wasn’t I?”
“I think we all were.” Denise nodded.
“You’re right. I can see it now. Maybe we should make it up to him next time then.”
“How?”
“Oh, I’ll think of something. Let’s go home.”
The interlude over, the two friends drove out of the parking lot and back to their routines, unaware that the ghost of future hypnotic debauchery already loomed over their lives.