A new job, a new apartment, a new city. Things were really looking up. There was no new girlfriend, though. My old one broke up with me before I moved. In fact, we broke up because I was moving. Same old story.

So, naturally, I was looking. For a couple weeks, I had no luck at all. That changed Monday of my third week at work.

She was a knockout. Dark hair to her shoulders, grey-blue eyes, built like a wet dream. I asked one of the guys I worked with about her, and he chuckled.

"Ah, yes, Elaine. She's been on vaca for a couple weeks and we all been going through withdrawal. Man, we all want her. She keeps to herself, though. Some babes, ya know, they have it and they know it and they tease the hell out of you and make you think you got a chance. But you don't.

"She's different, she seems kinda shy. She'll talk to you, but she won't go out, period. She smiles and says no thanks, ya know? Not like the stuck-up babes that expect you to ask then laugh when they turn you down."

"Think she'll be at the picnic?"

"No way, man. No parties, no after-work drinks, no nothing. Only place we see her is here."

"What is she, twenty-five, twenty-six?"

He laughed. "I got a friend in HR. He wouldn't tell me much but he did say she's thirty-four."

"Damn."

"Yeah."

I'd never made it with an older woman, especially ten years older. And so I decided, why not? I'll try my luck. If she turned me down it wouldn't be unexpected - and if I succeeded, I'd be a legend at work.

For a couple weeks, I talked to her in the halls, in the break room, anywhere and everywhere I saw her. Not long conversations, and I didn't actually come on to her, but I made myself known. Eventually she started saying hi before me if we saw each other.

I've never been known for my timing. One afternoon as we passed each other, I smiled, said hi - and asked her if she wanted to go for a drink after work.

As expected, she said no. But she had a bright red face and a very weird smile when she said it.

That actually encouraged me. The following week I asked again, and got the same red face, the same odd smile, and the same answer.

So I asked again the next day. And got the same result. That was my three strikes, and I glumly accepted the fact I was probably out.

I was turning off my PC Friday afternoon when she appeared at my cubicle, smile and blush in full force.

"Hi."

"Hi."

That was the extent of the conversation for a moment. We stood there sorta grinning at each other.

"Um... busy tonight?" I almost fell over. SHE was asking ME?

"Uh... no, in fact."

She handed me a piece of paper, still looking nervous, her face beet red. "Um... Come on over. If you want. Eight? That's my address."

Holy shit.

"Uh... yeah. I mean, yeah, thanks. I mean, yes, I'd love to! Eight it is. See you then."

She grinned, nodded, turned a little redder, and hurried away.

Holy shit.

My first coherent thought was to tell my new buddies about my luck, but I decided not to. Better to tell them Monday morning. There would be so much more to tell.

* * *

This had to be the wrong address. I looked at the paper again, looked at the number on the door. Damn, this was it.

It was a corner lot, about twice the size of most nearby lots. The house wasn't twice as big as the surrounding ones, but it was much nicer. An older place but obviously well maintained. No cars in the driveway, but with a two-car garage, why park outside?

I tried again to figure out how to hold the roses without getting stuck as I rang the bell. The door opened, I took a deep breath, and put on what I hoped was my most charming smile.

"Elaine, hi..." My voice died.

It wasn't Elaine.

This woman had to be in her forties, but it didn't matter. Easily as delicious as Elaine, she stood in the doorway wearing black pants that looked painted to her hips but flared out at the bottom, and a white top that buttoned like a man's shirt. Her hair was the same color as Elaine's, but longer. Her eyes were brown, her lips were full, her breasts were...

Damn. What am I doing?

She was smiling. Not Elaine's nervous, blushing smile. This smile meant she knew why I was here and found it amusing.

"You must be Derek."

I just stared and tried to get my brain to kick back into gear. She laughed.

"Elaine is upstairs. Please, come in." She moved to one side and let me in, closing the door behind me. "If you'd like to wait in the living room, I'll let her know you're here." She looked at the roses I was almost unconsciously trying to hide, and that smile got just a little wider.

Was this Elaine's mother? Was she older than she looked?

"Um, thanks, thanks very much." I headed to the doorway she was motioning to, and she headed up the wide wooden staircase. I couldn't help but peer back at her. At the top of the stairs she paused, turned, and saw me pretty much gaping at her. She smiled again. My face turned as red as Elaine's usually did, and I scooted into the living room.

Wide-screen TV, expensive stereo, a huge number of books, videos, CD's, and DVD's. Two big cushy couches, two recliners that looked like you could disappear into them, a couple of end tables. There was even a computer on a desk on one corner. Being pretty much a nerd, and being proud of it, that's where I went first. It was a Mac, and it was expensive.

Man, what a place.

"Hi."

I spun around. Elaine and the woman were in the room. The damn carpet was so thick I hadn't even heard them come in. I smiled back at her - it flashed through my mind that there was a lot of smiling going on.

"Hi. Oh, um, these are for you." I went toward her and gallantly handed her the roses. Her eyes widened, and for some reason she looked at the woman, who nodded ever so slightly. Then Elaine smiled and took them.

"Oh, thank you. I love roses." The woman's smile changed somehow when Elaine said that, or it could have been my imagination.

"I'll find a vase for them," the woman said, taking them from Elaine and leaving the room. It was hard not to watch those hips swinging as she walked away.

There was, of course, an awkward silence, as we both just smiled some more. I was first to speak, which was probably a mistake.

"Nice place. How long you lived here?" She blushed full force again.

"About... about a year or so."

There was no time to ask another question, as the woman came back in. I thought it was a little weird that she hadn't introduced herself yet.

"Elaine, where are your manners? Derek, please, sit down, make yourself comfortable." Elaine looked from the woman, to me, and back again as the woman led me to one of the couches. Elaine sat next to me, closer than I'd expected. It was a nice surprise.

The woman sat in a recliner. That was another odd thing, I thought. Both recliners faced a couch - neither of them faced the big TV.

"So, Derek. Tell me about yourself." It was the woman again. I was getting a little freaked out about this whole deal. Who the hell was she? I couldn't very well ask if she was Elaine's mother and then find out she's an older sister or something. And I realized she had said to tell her, not Elaine, about myself. I've been checked out by family members before, but this was really strange.

"Well, uh, I've been here a little more than a month. First job out of school and all that. I'm a computer guy. I noticed your Mac, by the way," I added with a grin and a nod toward the corner. Then I decided to try what I thought was a pretty safe question myself. "Are you and Elaine related?"

Beside me, Elaine sat up straighter and looked at the woman with a worried expression. But the woman just smiled again.

"In a way."

I must have looked as confused as I felt, because her smile turned into a laugh. "If you'd like, you can think of me as her guardian."

If I'd like? What did that mean? And why does a thirty-four year old woman need a guardian? Unless... unless...

I looked sideways at Elaine. Was she a mental case of some sort? Was she only seen at work because that's the only place she could handle? She'd seemed pretty normal in our few conversations...

Elaine saw me looking at her and blushed yet again. The woman noticed my look as well, and apparently recognized it for what it was.

"Elaine has... special needs... and I take care of them."

Elaine's face was redder than I'd ever seen it, and that's saying something. The woman was watching me closely. There was another silence before a new and slightly discomforting thought came to me. I shifted on the couch and looked at the woman.

"Ahh... maybe I should be on my way..." I made to stand up.

"Please, Derek. Elaine has been looking forward to your visit. There is no need to leave. Please. I'll explain."

I nodded and settled back into the couch. Elaine was staring at the woman as if waiting for something. What the hell was going on?

The woman looked at Elaine, who nodded and leaned toward the woman with what looked like a hungry expression. What was I getting into? The woman stood up and came over to the couch, standing directly in front of Elaine. Elaine leaned against the back of the couch and licked her lips.

I was getting uncomfortable again, and it took me a few seconds to realize that this time it was because my cock was expanding. Was I about to see a lez-fest? Were Elaine's special needs sexual? That might be hot to watch, but it would probably remove any chance I had of getting her. I tried to rearrange myself as unobtrusively as possible, but the damn woman noticed and flashed me a half-smile. She knew.

From within her top the woman withdrew a necklace with a shining something-or-other on it. It looked like one of those crystal things that hang from car mirrors, but, of course, much more expensive. I doubted she had found it next to the fuzzy dice in a car store.

Between wondering what was happening and trying to get my cock straightened out, I didn't really follow what happened next. The woman held up the necklace and started moving it. I glanced at Elaine, who was staring at the thing as if the world depended on it. The woman spoke, softly, only a few words, something like, "Yes, focus, let it happen, you need this." She said other things too, but I was staring at Elaine and didn't hear it.

Elaine's eyelids fluttered for a few seconds, then closed. Her body went limp, and she sagged sideways on the couch - coming to rest pretty much in my lap. All I could do was stare down at her, shocked, stunned, whatever you want to call it. If the word hypnotized ever even occurred to me, I can't say. At long last I remembered the woman.

She was, of course, smiling at me. Before I could say anything, or even think of anything to say, she spoke, the necklace dangling almost casually from her fingers.

"How would you like to cum harder than you ever have in your life?"

To say that question took me by surprise would be the understatement of the year. It rebounded around my brain as Elaine's limp body lay soft, warm, and heavy in my lap. Damn, my cock was hard. I did think of the word hypnotized now, and looked down at Elaine. Was she hypnotized? She must be. It made sense, the woman swinging the thing and talking about focusing. The woman had hypnotized Elaine. I swallowed hard, gazing down at the dazed woman in my lap. She was lying right on top of my hard cock.

"I thought so."

Huh?

I looked up. The necklace was waiting for me. It swayed slowly, side to side, back and forth. For a brief instant I wondered what it was like to be hypnotized. This was happening too fast.

Her voice came to me, disjointed words finding their way through my confusion, the crystal thing moving back and forth... back and forth...

"...back and forth... follow it... follow the sound of my voice. Let my voice take you to a place you've never even dreamed about. Back and forth, back and forth. It feels so good, it feels so good to listen to the sound of my voice as Elaine relaxes with you, she is so relaxed, so totally, deeply, completely relaxed, and as your eyes follow the pendant back and forth you begin to notice how warm and comfortable it is to relax with Elaine, you realize how soothing it is, how relaxing it is, to listen only to the sound of my voice. Back and forth, relaxing with Elaine, deeper and deeper, focusing totally on the pendant now. Focusing deeper, relaxing deeper, listening to my voice, allowing my words to relax you deeper and deeper..."

I didn't know what to do. I imagined myself slumped over, limp, like Elaine. Was that happening to me now? I sat there, staring stupidly at the necklace swinging in front of me, my confusion gradually clearing as the woman's voice floated into my mind.. It did feel nice sitting there with Elaine in my lap, nice and warm and relaxing. Relaxing...

"Deeper and deeper. You do not want to look away from the pendant now, the longer you watch the pendant the more you want to watch the pendant swinging gently, back and forth, back and forth. The longer you listen to the sound of my voice the more you want to listen to the sound of my voice, relaxing you deeper and deeper. The more you allow my words to relax you, the more you want my words to relax you, relaxing you, relaxing you deeper and deeper, deeper and deeper, deeper and deeper..."

Back and forth. Relaxing. No idea what was going on. It felt good.

So good.

* * *

"How do you feel?"

It took a few seconds to realize I was looking at Elaine. She was still on the couch, but no longer in my lap. She didn't look nervous any more, I noticed. I had to swallow a few times before I could answer her.

"Good." That was true enough. Man, I did feel good. "What the hell happened?"

"You've taken the first steps on your journey," the woman said, sweeping into the room. I jumped to my feet and my jaw hit the floor so hard it hurt. What I saw made me forget to wonder what she meant by journey.

Gone were the black pants and white top. In fact, everything was gone - the woman was stark naked, but for that necklace. She was carrying something, and once again, things happened very fast.

Elaine saw the woman, and instantly got down on her knees and bowed her head. I glanced at her, and then my eyes pretty much involuntarily went back to the nude woman. She paused in front of Elaine, and then I saw that what she was carrying was a collar and leash.

What the hell was going on here?

Elaine raised her head but kept her eyes aimed down as the woman fastened the collar around Elaine's neck. Elaine did not resist at all. The woman snapped the leash onto the collar and stepped back. Elaine rose to her feet, eyes down, leash trailing to the woman's hand. The woman looked at me.

"Elaine learned that she needed control in her life. I provide that control. I am her Mistress. She is my slave."

Elaine was blushing again. I would have blushed too. This was unreal. I had no idea what to do or say, so I just stood there, mind reeling, cock aching. I'd expected to maybe have dinner with Elaine, maybe a little more. Instead I was watching a nude woman collar and leash Elaine.

"I asked you before if you wanted to cum harder than you ever have." The woman waited for my reply, but I didn't know what I was replying to. If I said yes, was I acknowledging the fact that she'd asked? Or was I saying, yes, I wanted to cum harder than I ever have? The woman's eyes moved to my crotch, where my body was providing my answer for me. I trembled a little as I realized I could probably say yes either way and be right.

"Elaine. Take him in your mouth. Pleasure him."

"Yes, Mistress." Elaine walked over to me, knelt on the floor, and unzipped my pants. I was too shocked to stop her - or was I? The woman followed, the leash still in hand, and watched my face.

I looked down at Elaine as she pulled my rigid member from my shorts. As it slid into her mouth, my eyes rolled back a little and I found myself staring at the woman. She seemed closer now.

I shuddered again. Damn, Elaine was good. The guys at work will never believe this, I thought dimly. It was really hard to think, with everything happening so fast, and my cock in Elaine's mouth, and the woman's eyes right there... right there...

She seemed closer still. Elaine was sucking my cock and the woman was staring at me. Right at me. Right through me.

"Remember what it's like to let go. Remember what it's like to allow all your cares and worries to fade away, fade away, fading away... It feels so good to focus and fade away, focus and fade away, focusing and fading away..."

Focusing. Fading. Elaine sucking my cock. The woman staring at me, her eyes deep, so deep... focus.. hard to focus.. hard... my cock... Elaine...

I was lost. My cock was ready to explode, and yet the rest of my body felt as if it was floating off the ground. Someone moaned as the woman's eyes burned into mine. Her voice was all around me, like Elaine's mouth was all around my cock. I wanted to cum, I wanted to let go, I didn't care either way. I wanted it all, but I didn't care about anything. Nothing at all mattered to me.

"...your cock deeper and deeper into her mouth as my voice penetrates deeper and deeper into your mind. Feel it, allow it, want it. Deeper and deeper. Nothing can stop it. You do not want to stop it. Feel it, allow it, want it. Focusing and fading, focusing and fading, fading away, fading away deeper and deeper..."

At some point I drifted into those eyes. My body, except for my throbbing cock, vanished entirely. I became my cock, warm and safe in Elaine's mouth. It felt so good.

* * *

The first thing I saw was Elaine. She was right in front of me, but I doubted she knew it. Her eyes were wide open but fixed on nothing, her arms pointed straight out in front of her like a robot.

Or a hypnotized slave, I thought. I looked down and found my cock was back in its place. Had I cum? It dawned on me finally that I'd been hypnotized, but I had no idea of what, if anything had happened since I had let myself be hypnotized.

I blinked. I had let it happen. As weird as it seemed, I was going along with all this. Could the woman have hypnotized me if I didn't want to be hypnotized? Had I stood beside Elaine, eyes glazed, arms out, unaware of everything but the woman's voice?

My cock came to life again. I glanced around, but the woman was nowhere in sight. Elaine was in no condition to see either, so I let my hand move to my crotch and rubbed my cock through my pants.

"Don't do that."

The woman had come in the other doorway and caught me. I felt my face burning as my hand fell to my side.

"Elaine. Undress."

"Yes, Mistress," came Elaine's dreamy voice. Eyes still fixed on nothing, she began removing her clothes, slowly, not clumsily, but very, very methodically. I couldn't help but watch, and I knew my cock was making a huge tent in my pants. This was wild. Her words, her automatic yes, mistress, spoken so casually... How far would Elaine go for this woman? How many times had she been hypnotized? How much control did the woman have over her? The word mistress danced around the edges of my mind, making me harder and even more nervous.

Nude, Elaine stood up straight, raised her arms out in front of her, and resumed staring at nothing.

"Jesus..."

"She will do anything at all for you. Anything at all. No questions, no resistance, no hesitation. She will suck you all night long, she will ride you until she is physically no longer able to. Think about that for a moment."

I was thinking about it. Anything. For me? Elaine was motionless, paralyzed, frozen, exposed, waiting only for... for what? The woman's commands?

My commands?

Holy shit.

"Wow..."

"An exciting idea, isn't it?"

"Oh yeah." Elaine's nipples were even hard. I was almost drooling. And still things were happening so fast, so unexpectedly, that I had neither time nor inclination to try and see the big picture.

"Total submissiveness, total surrender, total acceptance." She whispered something in Elaine's ear. That sight alone, of a gorgeous nude woman softly controlling another gorgeous nude woman's mind, made my knees weak.

The woman stepped back and then gently stroked Elaine's inner thigh. Elaine shuddered, her breathing changed. The woman smiled and caressed her again, and Elaine moaned.

"Merely touching her brought her to orgasm," the woman said, eyes now on me. "Imagine it. A touch, a climax. Imagine your entire being attuned to pleasure. Imagine your entire body is your penis - how would it feel if I touched your face?"

She walked toward me, one hand reaching for me. I flashed on an image of Dracula creeping toward his prey, but the ravishing beauty before me drove that thought out of my mind quickly.

"A simple touch," she whispered as her fingers brushed ever so lightly against my cheek. Her eyes were locked onto mine again, and I waited for the explosive orgasm I knew, or at least hoped, would happen. I did indeed tremble, but it must have been from the pure excitement of the thought.

Why didn't it work?

Was it all an act? Were Elaine and the woman doing some sort of role- playing thing for my benefit? Or theirs?

"Or... two hands..." Her other hand came up and she massaged my temples, so gently, so lightly, feathery caresses of her long soft fingers. I didn't notice I was already staring helplessly back at her, nor that her hands completely blocked my view of everything but her.

"A simple touch... feels so good... A few simple words... so easy to focus on.... A few deep breaths... so relaxing... breath deeply for me now... breathe deeply and relax for me."

I took a deep breath. Whether it was because she said to or because I just hadn't thought to breathe on my own for a while, I didn't know. She was so close, her eyes so deep and dark, her voice so nice to listen to. If this was role-playing it was sure fun.

"Good. Relax deeper. Feel my hands on your skin, feel my voice in your mind. Feel my presence all around you, all around you, surrounding you, surrounding you. Surrender to your surroundings. Surrender to your surroundings. Allow my touch, my voice, my words, my very presence to guide you to a much deeper place, much deeper than you are now."

Deeper than what? That was probably my last conscious thought before I sank into the irresistible surroundings of her voice and hands.

* * *

I heard her before I saw her, and the sound made me curious. I opened my eyes to find Elaine kneeling in front of me again, staring raptly at my zipper. Any curiosity about what had just happened went away just that quickly.

A glance around showed no trace of the woman. I took a deep breath, grinned like a damn kid, and unzipped my pants. Elaine would take me in just like before, and this time...

But she didn't. She didn't move at all. Her eyes were now fixed on my cock, which was about an inch in front of her. I moved it closer, rubbing my sensitive flesh against her full pink lips. I shuddered. She didn't move a muscle.

"She doesn't know you're there." Damn, how the hell did she appear from nowhere all the time? I stepped away and tried to stuff my cock back into my pants. "Leave it out," she said.

She was still nude, her breasts perfect, her skin tanned, her necklace still on. I looked at it for a few seconds and imagined Elaine staring at it as her mind slipped away. Naturally, my cock twitched. Was she going to pretend to hypnotize me again? Was Elaine going to act like a slave again?

The woman stood in front of me, hands on her hips. My cock pointed right at her, bobbing back and forth with every loud beat of my heart. "Your journey is going very nicely. I'm sure I will be pleased when it's finished."

My journey, but she'll be pleased?

"I don't get it. Before, you said Elaine would do anything - for me. Somehow I got the idea you were giving her to me or something. Now you're talking about some journey? Is this some kinda game you two play?"

Her eyes were so captivating I hadn't noticed her hand moving. All of a sudden I felt her fingers close around my cock. She was so close, so very close.

"No, it's not a game. Yes, you're on a journey. Every time you go deeper for me you move forward on that journey. Soon now, very soon now, you will allow yourself to go very deep, with no thought at all. Soon, very soon, you will go deeper than you have before. Soon, very soon, my voice, my words, my touch, my very presence, will make you want, more than anything in the world, to surrender. You are already aware of how intensely my voice, my words, my presence affects you. You are already aware that looking deep, deep into my eyes makes it totally impossible to look at anything else. Your eyes remain locked onto mine, looking deep, deep into my eyes. Deeper and deeper."

I could tell she was squeezing my cock, and I could tell it felt really, really good. But for some reason I just didn't feel like responding to it. I just stood there and stared at her, deep, deep into her eyes.

"My words affect you deeply. My words sink deeper and deeper into your mind, gently, easily, effortlessly brushing all your own useless thoughts away. My words fill your mind as your own thoughts float away, it is so hard to think, so hard to think about anything except my words filling your mind. My words go deeper and deeper into your mind. Deeper and deeper."

"My voice." Was she whispering? She was so close I could feel the warmth of her body against me. Her hand pumped my cock, very gently, very slowly. It was like a dream. This whole thing was like a dream.

"My voice floats around you, floats through you, surrounding you. Surrounding you. Remember what happens when my voice surrounds you."

Surrounds. That sounded vaguely familiar. Surrounded. Surr... Surr-something. Her voice was surrounding me. What had she said about my surroundings?

Surrender. That was it.

All I could see was her eyes. All I could hear was her voice. All I could think about was her words. I was surrounded by her presence. Surrounded.

"Surrender." Was that my voice?

"Yes. Good boy. Do it now."

She had called me a good boy. For some reason I was smiling as her presence totally overwhelmed me.

* * *

I was sitting on the couch. Elaine was crouched in front of me, busily lapping at my exposed cock. I gasped, sat up a little straighter, and made sure she could get to it. Again, I had no time to wonder about anything that had happened.

Elaine was on a mission. She took me deep into her mouth, sucked hard as she slid back, kissed and licked the head. Then she'd repeat it, over and over, and all the while her eyes remained closed. Was she hypnotized again? Or was it still? I was losing track of what was going on.

It took a few minutes before I noticed the woman was sitting on the other end of the couch I was in. She was leaning back comfortably, as if she didn't have a care in the world. One hand was behind her head. The other held the necklace.

And it was moving. Slowly. Back and forth.

I gasped, trying to focus on Elaine as she mindlessly brought me closer and closer to orgasm. Would this be it? Would this orgasm be more intense than anything I'd ever felt?

Back and forth went the crystal.

Back and forth went Elaine's mouth.

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

The woman seemed to be a little closer now, and she might have been smiling. "Yes," said a voice like hers. "Yes. Let go now. Surrender."

* * *

I found myself lying on the couch. I started to sit up and noticed that I was now stark naked. I was also covered with cum. My eyes opened wide and that was when I saw her.

The woman was sitting in the chair, watching me. The necklace was nowhere in sight - but there was something in her hand.

"Sit up." I made it to an upright position, with some effort, and looked at her. "Lean back." Puzzled, I did. "Spread your legs."

Huh?

But... I did it. I don't know why. Maybe she really did have control of me. Maybe I just wanted to see what would happen. Maybe I was playing along with her game. But I slowly moved my legs apart until my soggy, cum-covered, already-thickening cock was clearly visible to her.

"Play with yourself."

I froze. She wanted me to do that in front of her? Hell, I made sure there wasn't even a mirror around when I jerked off. Then again... I was already covered with cum, and it finally hit me that I had absolutely no idea how that had happened. Had I already jerked off? Had Elaine taken me all the way but not swallowed?

What the hell.

I grabbed my hard sticky cock and started pumping.

Her eyes never left mine, and very soon I found I was indeed unable to look away from her, even as my hand moved with ever-increasing speed. Her eyes seemed to grow, to fill my vision totally. I wasn't thinking straight enough to notice that she was now standing in front of me, looking down at me with that thing in her hand.

"Do you know what this is?" Her arms were moving, her hands coming up, but I couldn't look away from her eyes. Even as I felt something around my neck, and heard something like a belt buckle fastening, I stared deep into those eyes.

"This is surrender."

Surrender? I knew what that meant.

My limp hand fell from my cock as I floated away.

* * *

Elaine was looking at me, but not seeing me. Her arms were out again, her eyes pointed at me without seeing. That's what it looked like to be hypnotized. That's what it looked like to be a slave.

The woman walked in at that moment, of course, holding a leash. I smiled as she walked toward Elaine. My smile changed when the woman suddenly turned to me, her hands came up, and I heard - and felt - that leash snap onto the collar around my neck.

Collar. Where did that come from?

The woman tugged on the leash and I was pulled toward her. Maybe it wasn't even the leash doing it - I felt drawn to her somehow. I might have been imagining things, but there was a power around her I hadn't sensed before, reaching for me, pulling me in, surrounding me.

Surrounding me. Another word automatically came to mind.

She saw the instant of recognition on my face, lasting a split second before my face went as blank as Elaine's. My back straightened, and my arms drifted into the air all by themselves. I felt this happening, knew it was happening - but I didn't care. The moment my body froze, I stopped caring about anything.

I knew in a distant way that I was now standing beside Elaine, in the same position I'd thought so arousing. Arms out, eyes staring, body paralyzed. I don't even know if my cock was hard. I couldn't think about it, I couldn't think about anything. Nothing mattered at all.

I heard a sound, a wonderful, familiar, comforting sound. That sound flowed over me, into me, through me, filling in spaces in the atoms of my body. If the sounds were words, I have no idea what they were. The power of the voice alone was incredible.

* * *

The woman was on the couch. I was on my knees - between her legs. She held the leash in one hand. The other hand pointed to her pussy.

"Please me." She gave a tug on the leash, which pulled my head even closer to her. And the closer I got to her, the closer I wanted to be.

As my tongue touched her flesh, I felt something I can't describe very well. Her legs were at my sides, squeezing against me. Her scent filled my lungs. Her taste drove me wild. I even heard the sound of her breathing. My tongue probed deep inside her, flickered madly over her clit, circled her folds time after time. She began to quiver, then tremble, then shake.

I wondered briefly if Elaine was in the room, watching, or if she was still standing paralyzed. Then the woman's body tensed, and I stopped thinking about everything but what I was doing.

Her fingers, those that weren't wrapped around the leash, were twisted in my hair. She was moving now, hips undulating in time with my tongue. Her scent, her skin, her taste, the sounds she made surrounded me.

I blinked.

I was more than surrounded. My tongue was inside her. She was everywhere.

At that moment, the woman became my entire world. Nothing else mattered, nothing at all. Elaine and all the guys from work could have been cheerleading behind me and I wouldn't have cared. All I knew was that woman's body, her scent, her taste, her sounds, and the feel of her skin against mine. I knelt between her legs and pleased her. It was the reason I existed.

She was quivering constantly now, moaning with every breath. I heard it, felt it, sensed it. And I went right on doing what I was doing. She froze, twitched, cried out, her body heaved, she cried out again. I went right on doing what I was doing. It was the reason I existed.

The woman came. I tasted it, felt it, heard it. She bucked wildly, moaning and screaming. Her feet beat against my back, her fingers pulled my hair so hard my eyes would have watered - but I didn't even understand it should have hurt. Pleasing her was my world.

It went on and on. I continued licking, sucking, teasing, probing. I was so intent on what I was doing that I no longer differentiated between moans and cries of passion. I no longer noticed whether her body quivered or shook hard. I was a part of her, I was her pleasure.

"STOP!"

I did. No hesitation, no questions. I stopped, straightened, and knelt between her legs, looking down at the floor.

A few more sounds and she rose, swaying. She put a hand on my shoulder to steady herself, and for some reason that meant a lot to me. At last she spoke.

"Good boy."

I might have smiled as the necklace appeared and began swinging.

* * *

"Your journey is almost complete," the woman said. We were both still naked, but it appeared she'd bathed. Elaine wasn't in the room.

I still didn't understand what was going on, but I thought I did. "It's been a hell of a trip so far," I said with a grin. "You and Elaine really know how to entertain a guy." Being hypnotized, or acting like I was, or whatever, was quite a trip. And watching Elaine act hypnotized... I'd never done one of those role-playing things, and it really was a turn-on.

"Why did you come here?" the woman asked suddenly. That took me by surprise.

"Ah... to see Elaine. She came by my desk today and asked if I wanted to come over." The woman smiled, and it was a wicked, knowing, not-quite-evil smile. She shook her head no.

"You came here because I wanted you here."

That caused another double take. "Say what?"

"You are here because I wanted you here. Elaine told me about you, she even sneaked a picture of you at work. You're young. You're handsome. You're unattached. I knew I you wouldn't have bad habits to unlearn, and that being young, you'd adapt to change. So I had Elaine invite you. I enjoy Elaine, and I always will, but I decided some time ago I wanted to a man in my life, a man who would take the same journey she did."

"Journey again. What's with that? This has been really wild, really fun. I've got to admit it's been a kick with all the hypnotism stuff and playacting, doing what you ask me to do. But what's up with this journey? And adapting to change? And what did you mean before about Elaine doing anything I wanted her to do? I haven't even seen her since..." Puzzled, I looked at my watch, but it was wherever my clothes were. I looked around the living room but saw no clock. Even the TV and other equipment weren't displaying the time. The woman smiled, of course.

"It's not playacting, Derek. Elaine came here, alone, looking for someone or something to belong to. She found both. She found me. Just as you have."

Somewhere in the back of my mind, the pieces were finally starting to fit together, and I was a little uneasy about what the puzzle looked like.

"This journey..."

"Yes. I hypnotized her. She enjoyed it. I put her under again, and she enjoyed it even more. So I did it yet again, taking her way down, way way down, and we did things she never dreamed of. As we talked about it afterward she said she wanted it to continue. I said it could, but on my terms."

Another puzzle piece fell into place, and I got more nervous. "And your terms were...?" I hoped I didn't already know the answer.

"Subservience. Obedience. Total, unquestioning submission."

She wasn't smiling now, but her eyes were fixed upon mine. I looked away. Had it been total, unquestioning submission, or me playing along? She said it wasn't playacting. That had to be bull. I was still in control of myself.

Wasn't I?

I looked at her, and as my eyes met hers I felt myself beginning to float, to drift into them.

No! I shook my head and looked away again. I'm in control, dammit.

"It's too late, Derek. She realized it, she accepted it. I control her, body and mind. I can hypnotize her so deeply that she doesn't know who or where she is. Even when she's awake she is so conditioned to obeying me that she is, for all intents and purposes, my slave. Those rare occasions she needs some persuasion, I take her down. She can't resist going under. She loves it too much. She wants it too much. She needs it too much."

"Just like you."

Oh shit.

"Now wait a minute..." I looked at her again, gulped, looked away.

But I'm in control, right? What if I called her bluff? What if I looked back at her? I wouldn't be hypnotized if I didn't want to be.

"You don't have a minute, Derek. Your journey is about to end - and a new one is about to begin." She fell silent.

What the hell did that mean?

I heard something and turned. Elaine was back in the room, like the woman looking freshly bathed. I was still naked, covered with dried cum. Elaine looked at the woman, then smiled at me. "I've been here a year, Derek. Serving Mistress... it's my life now. It feels... good. She makes me feel good - when I deserve it," she added with an embarrassed glance at the woman. "And I make her feel good. I need it. I want it. I enjoy it. You will too."

The last piece of the puzzle. I didn't like the result, even though my cock was so hard it hurt.

I stared at Elaine. Was she serious? Did she think I was going to live here with this woman and do her bidding? I sensed the woman moving and turned.

She paused next to Elaine, who gazed at her with an expression that I now understood was a mix of adoration, excitement, and nerves. Had I worn an expression like that during any - or all - of this?

"A simple touch," the woman whispered, then brushed her fingertips lightly over Elaine's lips. Elaine's eyes closed, her knees bent, her breathing changed. I wasn't really surprised when she moaned as well.

She was acting. Wasn't she?

I glanced down at my hard cock. When I looked back up, the woman was standing in front of me. I looked away, although it took more of an effort than I wanted to admit.

Her voice was still a whisper. "I asked you before if you wanted to cum harder than you ever had in your life."

I blinked and swallowed. Yeah, she had asked. Still determined not to look at her, I stared down at the floor and said, "I remember." It never occurred to me that looking down while before her was what Elaine did too at times. Times when Elaine was submissive.

"You never answered me. Your cock did, but you didn't."

A warning bell was ringing deep inside me. I frowned, still looking at the floor. "There wouldn't be any terms I should know about, would there?"

"No."

That surprised me enough to look up at her. I met her eyes, felt them pull at me, felt their power - and wrenched my eyes away from hers. I felt a a strange sense of satisfaction looking away from her, knowing, or at least suspecting, that she would have hypnotized me otherwise.

But... that wouldn't happen unless I wanted it to, right? I didn't know much about hypnosis, but I'd heard you can't be hypnotized unless you want to be.

Up until this point, then, I guess I'd wanted to be. I wanted to see what would happen, wanted to see what she would try making me do. The fact that I didn't remember much of it slipped my mind. It really had been a fun, hot, sexy journey so far. Two nude women, one playing robot most of the time, I got to lick an older woman. The guys at work wouldn't believe this.

But the woman said it wasn't playacting. She said it was real. Elaine certainly thought it was real, unless she was a very good actress.

I shook my head, mad at myself for not being able to figure out what was or wasn't real. If it was real, then did what I thought, or want, mean anything? And if it wasn't, what harm was there?

What the hell. One more time.

I risked a glance at the woman.

"OK. As long as there are no terms, then yes, I do want to cum harder than I ever have in my life."

She nodded, once. Elaine took a few steps back and sat down in one of the recliners. For a moment there was silence, as the woman watched me and I watched the floor.

"Look at me," she said, very softly.

Why not? I took a deep breath and my eyes met hers.

That feeling of falling, floating, drifting washed over me instantly. She moved closer, and this time, for whatever reason, I knew she was moving closer. She stopped, inches from me, staring deep, deep into my eyes. I looked back at her, wondering if I really could look away if I wanted to. But at the moment I didn't want to.

Closer still. Her eyes were right in front of mine, deep and dark and warm and safe. Closer and closer, as her lips parted. Was she going to say something? Was her voice going to erase my thoughts as easily as the wind smoothes the sand?

Even closer. I was almost cross-eyed when she kissed me. I felt her arms wrap around me, felt her body against mine. Her skin was warm, soft, smooth. Without really thinking I wrapped my arms around her and kissed back. My eyes closed out of habit.

All of a sudden there was nothing in the world but our bodies.

Her flesh against mine. Her lips against mine. Arms around each other. My protruding cock pressed firmly against her. It got harder, so hard, this was incredible. My cock was raging out of control, and I began moving slightly, trying to work my cock harder against her, maybe even into her somehow.

She was nibbling on my chin. My girlfriend used to do that, but it was even hotter this time. Lips on my throat, arms sliding down, lips around my nipple. Hands on my ass. A tongue in my belly button. I groaned.

Warm soft breath against my pubic hair. Her hands pulled me closer. I let them. Breath against my cock. Lips around the head. I stood there, eyes closed, waiting. Waiting to cum harder than I ever had before.

She took me in. All the way in. As far as I knew I wasn't hypnotized or anything, but Jesus, it had never, ever felt like this.

There are no words. I mean, there really just are no words. What I felt as the woman sucked my cock was beyond belief.

Think of a woman's mouth around your cock, then multiply it by infinity. Think of a woman's lips tight around the head of your cock and multiply it by infinity. Think about a woman's fingers clutching your balls, squeezing, massaging, probing that spot between your balls and your asshole. Think about them, multiply them - and you might be close.

I've never cum more than once in my life. I've heard about the male multiple orgasms and all that, but I'd never experienced one. I'm not even sure that's what I experienced with the woman. Maybe it was just one never-ending, teeth-rattling, earthshaking orgasm. I came. Oh, Jesus, I came.

And she swallowed it all. Every drop. That woman sucked me dry. That woman left me shaking, whimpering, gasping, and weak-kneed.

She rose, licking her lips and smiling gently. As I came to my senses, I noticed Elaine in the recliner, legs on the arms, fingers deep inside herself, hips bucking.

Taking a deep breath, I looked at the woman. "Thank you." What else could I say?

She nodded, then turned toward Elaine. "Elaine. Deep sleep."

In mid-stroke, Elaine went limp in the chair.

Damn.

"Turn around, please," the woman said to me.

I was on guard right away. "What for? You said there weren't any terms or anything."

She nodded. "That's right. There are no terms. Please, turn around."

Shaking my head, wondering why, I did.

Her arms came around me. Her body pressed against me, her nipples hard against my back. "Close your eyes," her voice dripped softly in my ear.

"Why?"

"Because you want to."

Whatever. I closed my eyes. Might as well see what she had in mind.

"Does this feel good?" She wasn't doing anything except holding me. Yes, it felt good, but it was nothing like what I'd just gone through.

"Yeah, it's nice."

"My arms around you. My voice in your ear. It's nice to be close to you again after that. What's the opposite of foreplay?" she asked, and I could hear her smiling. I smiled too. This was nice. Really nice. But it was time to end it.

"Does it even have a name? I don't know. Look, I should be going now. It's probably really late."

She laughed quietly in my ear, the sound like bells in the distance. "Derek, it's Sunday morning."

Say what?

I spun around and stared at her. "Sunday? What the hell are you talking about? It's only been a couple hours or something. Hasn't it?" Was there a trace of panic in my voice?

She took my hands in hers. "I assure you, it's Sunday morning. Almost seven, to be exact." I shook my head.

"That can't be right."

She sighed, smiled, and looked at me. "Derek, you spent a good part of Friday night and Saturday in hypnosis. You don't remember any of it. You remember part of your journey, but only the parts I want you to remember."

This was nuts. "I lost a whole day?" I was totally confused.

She tipped her head. "I wouldn't say you lost it. It was time well spent. You learned a lot. Enough for you to complete your journey."

The fucking journey again. I jerked my hand over my shoulder in the general direction of Elaine. "Journey. Like hers?"

She nodded. I laughed.

"A journey into subserv... submiss.. What did you call it?"

"Subservience. Submissiveness. You forgot one."

I looked at her like she was out of her mind. "Oh, yeah, obedience, how could I ever have let that one slip my mind?" She just nodded.

"Very good. And there was one more, just one. It wasn't one of the things she learned, but it was important to her."

I tried to think back to that conversation. The evening - hell, the weekend - had become a blur of pleasure and puzzlement. There was no way I would be telling the guys at work about this. No fucking way they'd believe it. I wasn't even sure I really believed it.

What else had the woman said? Oh... oh yeah...

"Acceptance."

She just nodded.

After a moment, I laughed. "And you think I will too?"

She didn't answer. That made me nervous.

"Look, I'm out of here. Thanks for the good time. I did enjoy it, what I remember of it. Could you at least tell me where my clothes are? And can I take a quick shower or something?"

After a few seconds she nodded. That was a relief. But in the back of my mind, I felt a little disappointed. What would it hurt to act like I was a slave for a day?

But no.

She held out her hand, I assumed to lead me to the bathroom. Instead she just held it and looked at me. I looked away from her eyes, at my hand. What was she doing?

For a moment she did nothing. We stood there, holding hands, her fingers wrapped around mine, soft and long and warm... Were they moving?

Yes, they were. Slowly, very slowly it seemed, our hands were moving upward. Was I doing that? Was she? Higher and higher they rose, and my eyes followed them all the way.

At last we could reach no higher. I stared up at then, wondering what they were doing up there. Puzzlement got the best of me, and I looked at her. The instant our eyes met, my hand dropped straight down and she said one word.

"Sleep."

I didn't even have time to be surprised before I went under.

* * *

I was on the couch, freshly showered and fully dressed. Elaine was next to me, and the woman was sitting in the recliner. They were both still nude, but Elaine wore her collar. She had that distant look that made me think she was hypnotized again. I looked at the woman.

"That wasn't fair."

She smiled and shrugged. "I just thought it would be easier if you were... docile.. while you got ready to go."

I shook my head and laughed, but I was not amused. "So. Is it Monday yet?"

"No, it's still Sunday morning, just after eight."

"And while I was... docile... did you fill my head with any more lessons for my alleged journey?"

"No."

She hadn't?

"Oh... um... sorry..."

Was I disappointed?

"So... where would that journey have ended?"

The woman nodded at Elaine. "Beside her."

I looked at Elaine, hypnotized, unaware of our conversation. Then it hit me. "Wait a minute. I am beside her."

"What a coincidence."

I started to get up. "Now look, we've been through this..." She raised her hand, and to my surprise, I stopped talking.

"Yes, we have. There were no terms for your pleasure. But I want to give you one more chance."

"Chance? To do what? Be like her?"

"She has a good life. A pleasurable life. I possess her, but I do not treat her as a possession."

I started feeling like I was Luke arguing with Yoda. You aren't ready! You can't go! Our way is a better way!

I laughed. I didn't mean to, I didn't want to hurt her feelings, but I laughed.

She sighed. I couldn't help but watch her breasts rise and fall as she took that deep breath. Damn, I'd never see those tits again...

"I have something for you."

Another surprise. "You do?" She nodded.

Reaching into the pocket on the side of the recliner, she removed...

The collar.

My eyes got very wide indeed.

"I want to see you wearing this, just once more."

I looked at the collar, and to my dismay felt my cock rising. Not now, dammit. Not now. But my cock and my brain are seldom on the same wavelength. I had to shift on the couch. She noticed, of course.

"Please."

"No tricks."

"I won't say a word. I promise."

I thought about it for a few moments. I'd already had it on once, at least as far as I knew. I'd been standing paralyzed and mindless next to Elaine at the time, wearing that collar.

Cock rigid, I nodded.

"Thank you."

She rose slowly, walked toward me just as slowly, hips undulating, almost hypnotic in and of themselves. I looked down, away from her.

"Stand up please."

I did, wiggling and red-faced as I got my cock situated. She pretended not to notice. That was good. Or was it?

Damn, she was nice. Those tits, those nipples, that pussy that tasted so good. It was a shame to lose this. She moved closer. Her arms came up and I straightened, expecting to feel the collar around my neck.

Instead her arms went around me.

She was wearing perfume now, very light, very soft. Her body melted against mine, her perfume wafted easily into my lungs. Even her hair smelled good as I tilted my face down, burying it in that thick mane. I had to hold her just once more. My arms went around her.

It felt good. And what's weird is that it wasn't a sexual kind of good. I felt... safe. After all, she'd had my mind at her disposal for a few days, and didn't seem to have damaged it. Same with my body. Whatever I might think of their lifestyle, I now felt I could trust this woman. We stood there, holding each other. It was so nice, so soothing, so peaceful. We were enwrapping each other, surrounding each other...

My body tensed, just a little. That word...

She leaned back and looked into my eyes. I was pondering the word surrounding and didn't think about looking away.

Her hands were moving again, up, up. I felt the collar close around my neck, felt her buckling it. This wasn't right, was it? Was she trying to hypnotize me again? She couldn't hypnotize me unless I wanted it...

My eyes remained locked on hers.

"That looks so good on you."

I didn't reply. I don't know if I could have. Her words made me happy in a way I didn't understand.

"Do you remember what I told you a collar was?"

Now I nodded. It took a lot of effort. I was falling into her eyes.

"What?"

I opened my mouth but couldn't speak.

"Say it. Please."

I tried again. No luck. I knew the word, but I couldn't say it.

"Please."

"SSSSSSSsssssssssss........"

"Yes. Say it." Her voice was different, more commanding.

"Surrr...surrrennnnnderrrrrrrr..."

She stepped closer, her eyes suddenly filling my vision. "Yes. Do it. Do it now."

I blinked. I knew I was going, knew she had me. But all at once there was a question I just have to have answered. With every last bit of will power I had, I spoke, hoping I would hear the reply if there was one.

"I don't... even.. know... your name..." My eyelids wanted to close, my body felt like a rag doll, but I fought to stay awake for just a few more seconds. There was nothing but her, and I was losing myself in Her.

"You may call me Mistress."

The shock of that word sent me spinning deep down into Her eyes.

* * *

I spent the rest of Sunday moving my few belongings to Mistress's house. My room was right next to Elaine's. My apartment would be empty until my lease ran out.

Late Sunday night Mistress hypnotized me and gave me the house rules, so to speak. After I awakened, the three of us sat around talking in the living room. I actually thanked Elaine for telling Mistress about me. Elaine blushed again, smiling happily. Mistress then agreed Elaine had done a good thing and deserved a reward. Elaine's eyes lit up at that.

Mistress rose and stood before us - Elaine and I were on the couch. She removed her necklace and held it up, moving it gently. Elaine's eyes automatically locked onto it. So did mine. Mistress grinned and said something to me, I don't know what, or if she actually put me under for a moment, but after that I could watch Elaine sink deep into trance without going under myself. And I did watch her go under. I watched her face go blank, her body relax and finally collapse. I watched her eyes close as she surrendered to Mistress.

And I got so turned on.

Mistress beckoned to me. I rose, and She whispered in my ear.

"Go to your room. Elaine will be joining you shortly. You might not even remember it, but the initial reason you came here was to see her. You will see her tonight. You won't have control over her, but you'll discover she's very willing and creative anyway. Enjoy it. After tonight, she's Mine again. And understand that this is her reward, not yours."

"Yes, Mistress. Thank you, Mistress."

I went to my room and waited. After about ten minutes there was a soft knock on my door. Elaine stood outside.

"Hi."

"Hi."

That was the extent of the conversation for a moment. We stood there grinning at each other. Then she laughed.

"Deja vu. God, it seems like forever ago that I gave you my address."

"Yeah, it does. And let me tell you, it's been some journey since."

She paused and looked at me thoughtfully. This was an expression I'd never seen on her before, and it looked good on her.

She stepped into the room and closed the door. There was no lock, Mistress didn't allow it. Already nude, she lay down and pulled the covers up.

"It's real, Derek. It's real. The power she has over me, and over you now... It's very real. I will do anything for her. You'll find that you will too. When I'm near her, I can't... I can't help myself. It's like she... it's like there's something around her that... swallows me. Just being near her makes me want to do anything she asks of me."

"I love doing things for her. Anything. I can wash windows and feel just as satisfied as if I'd brought her to climax. You'll feel the same way. Your real journey is just beginning."

Mistress Herself had said something like that, I remembered. I climbed into bed beside Elaine and tugged the covers off her. She laughed and swatted my arm.

As I pulled her close to me, I said something I'd read somewhere that seemed to fit the occasion. "The purpose of life is not the destination. It's the journey."

She climbed on top of me and looked down, her eyes burning. This was yet another new look, and damn, it was hot.

"Here's to journeys," she mumbled as she impaled herself on me.