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.)
2 — It’s All Consensual
Silence fell over the group of friends, not an awkward or shameful one but something that ran deeper, a strange sense of uneasiness as if innocence had been broken into a million pieces and, no matter how much one tried to glue them back together, there would always be something missing. Kabir immediately took notice of it, eyes sinking towards the tablecloth.
“No one? Seriously?” He blurted.
“Look, Kabir...” Belinda muttered. “I can’t speak for everyone here but what just happened was a bit too weird for me so I’m out, okay?”
“Okay. What about you, Gloria?”
“What about me?”
“Don’t you want in on the fun?”
“I already have to become someone else every day to handle those bratty kids so... no thanks.”
“Don’t look at me either!” Denise retorted. “Hypnosis was never a part of the menu.”
“What’s wrong with you guys?”
“There’s nothing wrong with me.” Belinda spoke again. “I just don’t want you poking inside my head. Please don’t insist.”
“It’s not like I would do to you what I did to Natasha in one sitting...” He shrugged. “... but there’s so much potential here. I would love it to share with you.”
“Why do you keep talking about me like I’m not around?” Natasha growled.
“Honey...” he rubbed her shoulders. “I think for the moment it’s best if you go to sleep for a bit. Activate Alana...” he whispered.
His girlfriend blinked all the way into a trance, the familiar warmth of the fantasy world they had created a far more appealing scenario than the messy confusion that dubbed itself “reality”.
“You guys are boring. I’m hitting the dance floor.” Alana said before disappearing to the farthest end of the restaurant. There was a stage there, one that on special occasions made the delights of customers and employees alike with live performances galore. Although she was the only one up there, Alana pictured a hundred guests in frantic lust as she savored her equally non-existent cake.
“Okay, what was that right now?” Paula queried. “You say this is consensual, but that didn’t feel like it at all.”
“It is, but she was getting confused. Come on, none of you think this is hot as fuck?”
“It’s somewhat intriguing but...” Denise ordered another drink.
“... but what?”
“Why are you so keen on ‘practicing’ with us?”
“I thought we would be fun to try something new for a change. Unless you want to end the night with poor Karaoke improvs as we usually do...”
“Why hypnosis, Kabir?” Gloria intervened.
“Why not?” He shrugged.
“That’s not what I asked. As far as I know, you never showed any interest in it and now, suddenly, you’re planting triggers and creating alternate personalities left and right. What got you into this?”
“Yeah, I would also like to know...” Paula finally tossed the shrimp tray aside. “What gives?”
“If I tell you what you want to know, will that put you more at ease about trying it out?”
“Not making any promises...” Gloria replied. “... though it’s more likely to help your case that the contrary.”
“Fair enough. To be honest, I’ve been fascinated by the subject for a very long time.”
“How long are we talking about?” Belinda noted. Not that she was that interested in the explanation but if it helped clear the mood…
“Long before I met you. I was a teenager when I first attended a stage hypnosis show and the whole thing felt magical. The hypnotist was a hottie and had this way with words that got my heart racing. Every time she asked for volunteers, I tried to get up on the stage but she never picked me.”
“You know those shows are usually rigged, right?” Gloria rolled her eyes.
“I do now but I was easy to impress at the time. I watched several of her performances, each one more riveting than the other. She was in town for about two weeks but it was enough to get my juices flowing. Come to think about it, I even had a little crush on her.”
“What was the name of that hypnotist?” Denise picked up her phone, ready to google the past and make it present once again.
“She called herself Deanna Queen but I’m not sure she’s active anymore.”
“Internet says she is...” Denise’s eyes flashed as the search engine operated its magic.
“Let me see...” Belinda nudged closer to her. The figure of a ravenous blue-eyed, dark-haired almost forties woman with an oversized diamond pendant stuck between her milky breasts dominated the 6-inch screen. “Hmmm... You weren’t kidding when you said she was a hottie. I would go down on her right now.”
“I think you mean go down for her...” Denise corrected her.
“Oh no. I know exactly what I said.”
“What’s up with that dress?” Paula snatched the phone from her friend’s hands for a closer look. “She looks more of a porn star than a hypnotist if you ask me.”
“It’s a good thing no one did then...” Belinda laughed. Unlike horny men and their uncontrollable dicklets, she hardly masturbated to pictures of women although she was more than willing to open an exception the moment dinner was over.
“Glad to see you in such good spirits now but do you want to hear the rest of the story or not?” Kabir laid his hands on the table.
“Please continue.” Gloria crossed her legs.
“When her tour moved elsewhere, I thought that would be the end of it but I was wrong. The feelings she awoke in me remained, and the fascination became stronger. I even tried to put it into words but it was hard, you know? I couldn’t fully process why it intrigued me so much so, at great cost, I did what was best at the time and I moved on. During the first year of college, some of those ideas resurfaced yet I kept them to myself because I still didn’t know what to make of them. I borrowed a couple of books from the library to learn more about hypnosis but never made it far into them. Again, I thought that would be the end of it until I started dating Natasha and she confessed her biggest turn-on was to become someone else for real. That’s when those past imageries of men and women performing on command took hold for good. I vowed I would help her achieve that long-lasting aspiration of hers. I started digging deep into this with that in mind but I would never do anything to her if she didn’t want me to. It’s taken me many months to build this world for her to play in. I love how she responds to my suggestions and I think you lot would be wonderful subjects, too. Is that really so weird?”
“Kind of.” Gloria nodded her head. “I still don’t get what you two gain from this.”
“That’s quite simple, really. She gets the freedom to let go of her daily worries for a bit which is why ‘Alana’ is pretty much her opposite, and I get the joy of seeing her smile more often.”
“Plus...?”
“Plus what? There’s nothing more to it.”
“Liar! You just said it was hot. You have a control thing going on there, don’t you?”
“And if I do?” He smirked. “It’s fun.”
“That’s what bugs me the most about all this.” Belinda gnarled. “You know the kind of men she used to hang out with. They were all a bunch of lying and conniving sons of bitches. Natasha fell hard multiple times and almost lost herself. How can we be sure you won’t get drunk with the ‘power’ you now have over her emotions and memories?”
“I understand your concern but you’re comparing apples to oranges. I didn’t forcefully brainwash her, I didn’t make her crave any of this. If I were such an unethical scumbag, do you really think I would open up this way to you all? You’re our friends and this is part of our lives now. If you don’t want to play along that’s fine but please don’t judge me like that. If you don’t believe me, then talk to her.”
“How if she doesn’t remember?” Paula asked.
“Alana knows she’s always safe with me. She’ll tell you everything you need.”
“Isn’t that convenient?” Belinda smirked.
“Okay, wait here.” Paula got up.
“Where are you going?”
“To talk to her like he said. I need to know more of what’s going on inside her head. Coming?”
“No, thanks. I’m fine here.”
“I’ll go with you.” Denise announced, curiosity spreading inside her mind. Holding hands, they negotiated a path across the maze of tables. “Nata... I mean, Alana, is there room for two more on the dance floor?”
“There’s always room for you, bitches...” the imaginary millionaire replied as some of the other customers turned their heads in disgust.
“What’s going on?” Paula’s mom closed in on the three women. The mid-fifties proprietor was wearing a grey apron that matched the color of the highlights in her hair, in direct contrast to the perplexed dark eyes that knew not what to make of the unexpected chain of events. “You lot seem out-of-control tonight. Is everything okay?”
“We’re fine, Mom. Natasha...”
“... had a little too much to drink already...” Denise completed. “... but we’re on it.”
“You better be because if I have to throw you out for improper conduct...”
“You won’t. Come along, ‘Alana’.”
“Where are we going?” the hypnotized woman asked.
“We need to have a little talk, girl.”
“Why can’t we talk here?”
“It’s best if we do it somewhere more private.”
“Okay.”
There was no better place for that than the restaurant’s ladies’ room, a beautiful alcove in shades of gold and silver. A funny anecdote no one had been able to verify was that when coming up with the idea for her dream place, Paula’s mother had actually started from the bathroom design before even envisioning the rest of the space. Not only it was the quietest place, it was also the freshest, lovely lavender sparkles filling the air every time the main door was opened or someone flushed a toilet.
“What do you want to talk about?” Alana asked as she freshened her make-up in front of a curved, assymetrical mirror.
“It’s about... what’s his name again?” Denise’s eyes widened.
“Damian.” Paula said. “We want to talk about your husband, Damian.”
“What about him?” Alana batted her dark eyelashes.
“Is everything okay between the two of you?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Nothing... just a rumor I heard.”
“What rumor? Tell me!”
“Dahlia mentioned something about how he abused an ex of his a while back and we’re worried he might do the same to you, that’s all.”
“Oh, I love Dahlia but we all know she’s full of shit. Damian can be quite thick-headed but he would never do anything to hurt me.”
“So you never heard the rumors about poor Natasha then? How he got inside her head and controlled her even when she didn’t want to be controlled?”
“Nata...? Why does that name sound familiar? Trust me, bitches, everything’s fine.”
“Glad to hear it. Okay, we’ll be waiting for you outside, girl.”
“Thanks.”
“What was that all about?” Denise whispered on Paula’s ear the moment they walked out the door.
“She’s in trance, remember? I had to ask in a way that made sense within the fantasy she’s living.”
“I guess but do you think she’s reliable enough in this state?”
“I believe her subconscious would have triggered a defense mechanism if something was wrong.”
“You believe? So you’re not sure?”
“Not 100% no. I’m not the so-called ‘expert’, remember?”
“So does that mean we trust Kabir on this one or not?”
“There’s only one way to find out.”
“You’re volunteering to be his next subject, aren’t you?”
“Tempted to do it but only if you promise to watch my back the whole time.”
“Sure. I’ll be there for you.”
“It’s a deal then. I admit I’m way more curious than I thought I would be now.”
“Perhaps that’s been his plan all along.”
“Perhaps.”
“What are you girls talking about now?” Alana asked.
“It’s nothing.” Denise replied. “Still feel like dancing or are you ready for dessert?”
“How about both?”
“I don’t think my Mom will approve.” Paula kissed her right cheek. Hypnotized or not, she was still one of her best friends. “Come on, Alana. It’s time for the real party to begin.”