Darlene Morris laughed, staring at her friend like she was nuts.

"Nancy, are you kidding? The relationship between a therapist and a client is highly confidential. I couldn't do that any more than your doctor could allow me to be there when you had a physical!"

Nancy grinned sheepishly, her face flushing slightly. "Yeah, I know, but it's not like I want to watch you cure their smoking habit or anything. All I want to do is watch someone go under. Then I'd leave. I don't even have to know why you're hypnotizing them."

Darlene shook her head, her smile fading as she realized that Nancy was serious. "Nancy, look, I couldn't do that, really. Why not go see a stage hypnotist or something?"

Nancy looked disgusted. "Oh, yeah, right. 'Look into my eyes and when I snap my fingers you'll do anything I say.' No, I want to see how it's REALLY done, by a PROFESSIONAL."

In spite of herself, Darlene grinned at the more-or-less compliment. "Um - OK - professional - hell, Nancy, they're professionals too."

Nancy shook her head emphatically. "Not like you. They pick the easy ones out of the audience. They pick the ones that make THEM look good. You have to work with whatever comes in the door, and to me, that takes more professionalism and talent than zapping some eager kid."

Now Darlene's face was glowing with embarrassed pleasure. Nancy's arguments and compliments were hard to resist. What would it hurt, really, to let her watch just one induction? She could tell the client that Nancy was a visiting therapist. No, she could say - actually, why even say anything? Just tell the client that Miss Swanson would be present for the induction and then departing. She would have to find an agreeable client, though. Darlene was not worried that Nancy's presence would hinder the client's entering hypnosis - she had more than one way to send her clients into never-land.

Nancy sensed Darlene's hesitation and knew she was close to having her way. "Come on, Dar, I won't interfere. I just want to watch. Please?"

Somehow knowing the decision would come back to haunt her, Darlene sighed and nodded. "OK, but listen. You just sit quietly and watch, and when the client is under, you're gone. Understood?"

Nancy's face lit up like a neon sign. "YEAH! Hey, Dar, thanks. I really can't wait, this is gonna be neat. Oh, yeah, I suppose we aughta figure out when we're gonna do this, huh?"

Darlene nodded, thinking over her plans for the next week. "I have to think about it some more. I'll call you tomorrow at lunch, OK?"

"Great. Talk to you then. See ya! Hey, thanks again. This is gonna be NEAT!" Nancy turned and walked away, leaving Darlene standing there wondering how in the world she'd let herself be talked into allowing someone to be present when she was with a client.

That afternoon, Darlene checked her appointment book. She was looking for a younger client, someone who might not object to having someone else present when they were sent into trance. It also had to be the client's first or second session, Darlene realized. After that, the inductions were usually quite a bit more rapid than Nancy was probably looking for. She finally decided upon a woman in her twenties named Elaine, who wanted help concentrating. It was her first real session after her consultation, and she had appeared fairly easy-going. Darlene had decided to try a different induction method with Elaine, and she grinned as she wondered what Nancy's reaction would be - or Elaine's.

One other thing Darlene used in her practice was EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. The equipment consisted of a three foot long, three inch high, five inch thick panel with a row of small red lights on the long side. Studies have shown that eye movement affects brain activity, and the theory of the device is that, if the eyes are following the lights, the mind has to find different ways to process information than normal.

Darlene had found, quite by accident, that the device might also be quite an effective trance inducer. After several clients spoke of drowsiness after their sessions, she realized that the lights were acting just like the proverbial swinging watch, or a metronome. The client's eyes followed it, and Darlene realized that, with some careful wording, she might actually be able to induce a trance using the EMDR lights. She had then installed a small, dim white light in the very center of the string of red lights, and wondered if the modified contraption would really work.

And so Darlene made the call to Nancy, who was quite enthusiastic, and would certainly be at the office at four o'clock that Thursday. Elaine, of course, knew nothing about the slight change in plans.

Nancy arrived at three forty five on Thursday. Darlene was just finishing up with her latest client, and Nancy could not help but gaze in wonder at the woman leaving Darlene's office. She'd been hypnotized, Nancy thought in awe. Hypnotized. The woman wore a happy smile, and had a light, jaunty step as she left. She gave Nancy a quick, curious look, undoubtedly thinking that Nancy was Darlene's next client. What other thoughts did she have, Nancy wondered?

A few minutes later, Darlene herself came out, and invited Nancy into her office. Nancy's heart was pounding as she sat down in a corner, out of the way. Darlene laid down the ground rules.

"Nancy, I don't know how I let you talk me into this. You have to be still and SILENT while you're in here, is that clear?" Nancy nodded. "And when she's under, I'm just going to look at you and nod towards the door, and you're out of here. I'm taking a bit of a risk doing this, so you just watch and then leave. OK?"

Nancy nodded. Her palms were sweating, her body covered with goosebumps, the hair on the nape of her neck was standing straight up. I'm going to watch someone be hypnotized for real, she thought giddily.

Hypnotized.

She looked at Darlene, who had sat down at her desk and was sipping from a glass of water. "Dar?" Darlene glanced up.

"Hmm?"

"Thanks."

Darlene blushed slightly, nodded, and looked away.

Nancy tried to calm herself. She had worn loose, comfortable clothing in the hope that her trembling would not be as obvious. But Darlene, trained in non-verbal cues and body language, had already noticed how nervous and uptight her friend was. She shook her head slightly, wondering what the real reason behind Nancy's odd request was.

At the sound of the doorbell, Darlene rose. Nancy stood as well, and Darlene motioned for her to wait quietly. She left her office and went to the front door, leaving Nancy shifting her feet and perspiring. She heard voices, Darlene's gentle and yet authoritative voice, and another, younger, more hesitant, less self-assured. The voices came closer. Nancy shuddered.

"...and this is Nancy. She'll be observing for a short time, only during the induction itself. Is that all right with you?"

Elaine walked in behind Darlene, and Nancy's breath caught in her throat. Darlene had said the girl was in her twenties, but had never mentioned that she was very pretty indeed. Short dark hair, dancing dark eyes, wearing jeans, a white top, and a jean jacket. Nancy's knees began to shake.

Elaine looked at Nancy curiously. "Why?", she asked.

"Well", Darlene replied, "the induction method I've chosen is not used that often." It had never really been used, she was thinking. "Nancy is here, not in case something goes wrong, but just to observe this particular induction method."

Elaine nodded, not really understanding, but not really worried either. "OK. That's fine, I guess. What's this - method, you called it?"

Darlene smiled. "I'm glad you asked. Why don't you sit down here and get comfortable. Nancy, you can sit back down too. Give me a minute to set this thing up, and we'll get started."

The two other women watched, puzzled, as Darlene opened up the tripod which the light panel stood on. She set it next to a bare white wall, where Elaine had a clear view of it, and Nancy as well. She then went to her desk and sat down.

Upon Darlene's desk rested the control for the lights. Somewhat different than stock, it consisted of a joystick with a thumbswitch, and a small dial for the speed of the lights. When the joystick was centered, the lights functioned as they had been intended to, sweeping back and forth slowly or quickly as indicated by the dial. When moved to the left or right, however, the lights followed, moving halfway before starting back, or three quarters of the way, or however the joystick was positioned. It was possible, Darlene had found, to have two consecutive lights blink on and off very rapidly, which was certainly bound to have an effect on the client.

The white light was controlled by the thumbswitch. Darlene had not yet used that light. She would today.

"There. Elaine, why don't you sit up straight, so you can see this better." Elaine shuffled in her chair a little, turning it so she was facing the light panel directly.

"What is that gizmo?", Elaine asked. Nancy was dying to know as well, but sat silent, barely breathing. Elaine's going to be hypnotized, she was thinking wildly.

Hypnotized.

"One of the things I do here", Darlene explained, "is called EMDR." She spoke briefly of EMDR, how some people thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread, and how others weren't that sure yet. Elaine looked puzzled again.

"But what's that got to do with my concentrating, or - um - hypnotizing me?"

Darlene smiled. "I think you'll be surprised, Elaine. All ready?"

Raising her eyebrows and shrugging, Elaine settled back into the chair. It was not a recliner, so she was still sitting more or less upright, her arms on the arms of the chair. Darlene asked if she was comfortable, Elaine nodded yes, and they began.

She turned the unit on, and Elaine looked surprised as a red light appeared to dance across the panel, reach the end, and bounce back. For a moment, Darlene remained quiet, watching Elaine's eyes follow the lights as they blinked on and off, one after the other, back and forth.

Nancy was not watching the lights. Her eyes were fixed upon Elaine's face. Her breathing was shallow, her skin warm and moist, her eyes were wide, and she was trembling. Elaine was being hypnotized.

Hypnotized.

Darlene's voice was very soft, very gentle. Nancy had never heard her use that voice before, and she shuddered in her chair as she watched her friend send her pretty young client into a trance.

"There, Elaine, you can see now how relaxing this is. Just relax and keep your eyes on the light as it moves, first one way, then the other, back and forth, back and forth, sometimes all the way, sometimes part of the way. But it really doesn't matter because however far the light goes, back and forth, back and forth, it will allow you to relax even more. You don't have to do anything but sit comfortably and watch the light go back and forth, back and forth."

There was now a faint glow on Elaine's cheeks as she stared at the light moving from side to side on the panel. Her eyes were almost as wide as Nancy's, as Nancy gaped at Elaine in awe. Elaine was being hypnotized.

Hypnotized.

"Your eyes follow the light automatically, you don't even have to think about it. You don't have to think about anything at all as your eyes move automatically from side to side, following the light, allowing you to just sit and relax. Relax. Relaxing as you sit comfortably and watch the light go back and forth, back and forth."

Elaine was motionless in her chair, her eyes locked onto the string of red lights as they flashed on and off, one after another, back and forth, back and forth. Nancy wondered what was going through Elaine's mind. Was she nervous? Was she excited? Had Darlene's voice and light gizmo ensnared her already? Was she even capable of independent thought any more? Was she just sitting there, mindlessly absorbing everything Darlene said to her? Was she already utterly under her friend's hypnotic spell? Darlene spoke again, as if tightening the hold she may already have over her client's mind.

"And as you watch the light moving back and forth, back and forth, you find yourself relaxing more and more. You don't have to think about it, it will happen, you don't have to worry about it. You are doing fine, and are already in a light, pleasant, comfortable hypnotic trance. So relaxed, so comfortable, not having to think about anything at all. You don't even have to think about going into trance, you don't have to wonder if you're going into a hypnotic trance, because you know deep inside that you are. The idea of going into trance does not bother you at all, and you don't even care whether you sink into a deep, deep hypnotic trance or not. You don't care at all. You don't think about it, you don't care about it. You just relax and watch the lights go back and forth, back and forth."

Elaine's face was blank as she stared at the moving light. Her mouth hung open, and her hands hung limply off the arms of the chair. Nancy could not believe that not ten feet away from her, a woman was being hypnotized by her friend. I'm watching someone go into hypnosis, Nancy thought wildly.

"Now your thoughts are calming, your mind is pleasantly quiet, and if an outside thought or sound comes to you, just ignore it, and allow it to pass. Don't think about them, don't think about anything, don't think about going into hypnosis. Deeper and deeper into hypnosis. You don't have to think about it at all. You may notice, as you become more comfortable, that your mind relaxes, that you sink so deeply into trance, that the light seems to change its pattern. It may only appear to go a little way before going the other way. One way, the other way, and anyway, you go deeper and deeper."

Nancy blinked, confused. What had all that meant? But to Elaine's open, receptive mind, the puzzling words were too much to worry about. She did not attempt to think about them, and her subconscious mind soaked them up eagerly.

Now Darlene pushed gently on the joystick. The red light went halfway across the panel, then darted back to the side. She did this several times, noting that the first time, Elaine's eyes had tried to follow the path it had been taking, and there was a brief instant where Elaine didn't know where the light was. But her glassy eyes found it again, and Darlene slowed the speed down, to allow Elaine to follow it more easily.

Elaine, her subconscious fully aware of Darlene's words about the light pattern seeming to change as she sank deeper, had no way of knowing that the pattern really WAS changing. To her muddled mind, the lights seemed different because she was going deeper. Deeper. That was what she had been told. The lights look different as I go deeper.

Nancy was rocking slightly in her seat as she saw Elaine's eyes glaze over. The woman looked absolutely helpless, totally vulnerable - and so incredibly erotic.

Nancy stifled a moan, her legs pressing together. Darlene's attention was on her client, as it should have been, and she did not notice.

Darlene began moving the joystick randomly, and the light, in turn, followed no particular pattern as Elaine stared raptly at it. Again, Elaine's mind was telling her the lights looked different because she was going deeper, so deep into hypnosis, and she didn't have to think about it.

"As you let go completely, as the relaxation overwhelms you, the light may appear to just be wherever it wants to be. Your eyes follow all by themselves, you relax more and more without thinking about it, and you sink deeper and deeper into hypnosis as the light goes back and forth, back and forth. Back and forth, so regularly and constantly, but as you sink deeper, it may not appear to, but you don't have to think about it."

There was no way Elaine could keep up with Darlene's words. Some small part of her mind wondered about the back and forth, when the lights were obviously NOT going back and forth - or were they? After all, she was going deeper, and that's why the lights looked different - or did they?

The bewildered thinking part of her mind utterly unable to process the conflicting input, it gave up and closed down completely. Darlene saw the slight change of expression, the surrender. One more step, she thought.

"And, Elaine, there may come a time when you are so totally relaxed, so completely comfortable, that there may even appear to be a white light in amongst the others. But this will only happen if you're very, very deeply hypnotized, so deeply hypnotized that your mind is totally open, totally receptive. Only if you allow yourself to sink totally and completely into hypnosis will the white light seem to appear."

Nancy was squeezing her thighs together. She had not expected this reaction, really having only wanted to see someone go into a trance. But to watch the woman as her mind slowed, then halted completely - having a perfectly helpless woman nearby was too much.

Darlene pressed the thumbswitch, and in the center of the panel, a soft white light glowed for a split second. Elaine's eyes widened just a tiny bit, then her body seemed to deflate.

"Totally relaxed and comfortable", Darlene whispered as she pressed the thumbswitch again, sending the young woman spiraling down even deeper. "Your mind so open, your mind ready to learn new things, ready to experience new things. So deeply relaxed and comfortable. So deeply hypnotized."

Elaine's head was tilted to one side, and she stared almost cross- eyed at the light panel, which now displayed only one thing: a soft, gentle, white light.

Darlene sighed, seeing that Elaine was, indeed, deep in trance. She quietly took a sip of water, glanced towards Nancy in preparation of asking her to leave - and froze in shock.

Nancy held the arms of her chair in a death grip. Her thighs were grinding together, and her chest heaved with each labored breath. She was staring at Elaine as if she, too, were hypnotized. Darlene spoke quickly, warily.

"And now, Elaine, take a nice deep breath and allow your eyes to close down. As they do, a feeling of calmness and relaxation that you've never even imagined will wash over you carrying you deeper and deeper into hypnosis with every breath you take. Allow yourself to relax completely, even your ears, and pay no attention to any sounds you hear until you feel a touch on your shoulder." She watched as Elaine inhaled deeply, exhaled. Elaine's eyelids fluttered once, twice, then closed for good.

"Elaine, if you can hear me, allow your right hand to move slightly." There was no response from the spellbound woman. Darlene stood and quickly went over to where Nancy sat, whimpering and moaning.

"NANCY!", she hissed. "What the hell's the matter with you?"

Nancy tried to answer, reluctantly tearing her gaze from the spectacle of the mesmerized woman before her. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Darlene grew very nervous indeed.

"Jesus, Nancy, come on! What's going on?"

"Look....", Nancy stammered. Darlene frowned.

"Look at WHAT?"

Nancy's eyes darted back toward Elaine, and Darlene's followed. There she sat, not hearing them, her mind blank, her body loose and slack in the chair. Darlene frowned, shook her head, and looked back at Nancy.

"Elaine. So what?"

Nancy's eyes widened. "So...so WHAT??? My God, LOOK at her!"

Darlene looked again. She was rather cute, she noticed this time. But they all looked sort of cute when they were hypnotized.

"What about her?"

Nancy just could not believe Darlene's failure to understand. "Dar, my god - what you just did...look at her...I mean, her mind - is off. You decide what she thinks, you decide what she does. You could...my God...." Nancy's voice trailed off as she imagined what Darlene could do with the power she held. She slumped weakly back in her chair, and Darlene gasped as she noticed a dark stain in the crotch of Nancy's slacks.

Slowly, Darlene tore her eyes away from the dampness which announced Nancy's arousal to the world. She looked at Elaine again, her thoughts a jumble. Look at her. Her mind is - off. I decide what she thinks, I decide what she does. I could...I could...

My God.

The story about a hypnotized person not doing something they wouldn't do if they weren't hypnotized is true - to a point, Darlene knew. But most people got undressed, and most people made love, and most people masturbated. And, after all, it was her, Darlene, that created the reality for her clients for a short time, wasn't it? If a client's reality was that he or she was alone at home, all hot and lonely, why wouldn't a client masturbate right in front of her? In the client's reality, Darlene wouldn't even be there.

"Nancy, you have to leave. NOW." She grabbed Nancy's arm and roughly pulled the shocked woman to her feet. "You have to go NOW, Nancy, she's under and that was our deal. I'll call you later. Bye."

She pushed the hapless woman out the door, closed and locked it, and then turned to face her entranced, helpless client.

"OK, Elaine. Now what?", she asked softly, rhetorically.

Slowly, she walked towards the hypnotized woman. Reaching out her hand, she gently brushed Elaine's shoulder, allowing her fingers to run lightly through the sleeping woman's hair.

"Listen closely, Elaine..."

Late that evening, Nancy was home in bed, in tears over the abrupt end of her voyeuristic hypnotic experience. Why had Darlene thrown her out? Why hadn't she called to explain, or apologize? What had gone on after she had left?

Sighing dismally, she closed her eyes - just as the doorbell rang. Who the hell could that be, she wondered as she threw on a robe and crept downstairs.

Peering out through the spyhole, she gasped when she saw who it was. She opened the door and Darlene stepped in, looking a bit nervous.

"Dar, I'm sorry about today, I couldn't help it, I never expected it to be like that, I didn't mean to upset you, I just thought that she looked so - so - damn, I don't know. I'm sorry."

Darlene said nothing, and instead walked past her startled friend and up the stairs. Her voice trailing away, Nancy followed, wondering what the hell was going on now. To her astonishment, Darlene walked right into her bedroom and opened a small case which she carried. Nancy's eyes widened as Darlene removed the tripod, light panel, and control unit for the EMDR device. Still without a word, she arranged the device to Nancy could see it if she sat up in bed.

"Get in bed please, Nancy. Just sit with your back against the headboard, with a pillow behind you."

Shaking like a leaf, somehow knowing what was about to happen, Nancy climbed into her bed. Darlene sat down beside her.

"I want you to know that nothing happened after you left. I helped her learn to concentrate, that's what she wanted. Nothing more. I promise."

Nancy nodded, wondering if she'd been wrong about Darlene's purpose.

"But you were right. I looked at her. Now I know what you meant. And you were right. The things a hypnotized person could do..." She paused, and looked straight into Nancy's eyes.

"I will never do that with a client - but I will with a consenting friend. Would you like to discover some of those things with me?"

It has to be a dream, Nancy thought as she nodded. A dream. A wet, wonderful dream. Darlene turned the light panel on. Nancy sighed and allowed her eyes to follow the tiny red spots. There was a moment of silence, then Darlene spoke. Nancy felt a shiver of excitement as she heard her friend's voice like this, seductive and soothing and utterly irresistible.

"There, Nancy, you can see now how relaxing this is. Just relax and keep your eyes on the light as it moves, first one way, then the other, back and forth, back and forth, sometimes all the way, sometimes part of the way. But it really doesn't matter because however far the light goes, back and forth, back and forth, it will allow you to relax even more. You don't have to do anything but sit comfortably and watch the light go back and forth, back and forth."

Nancy watched happily as the light bounced back and forth. Darlene's voice was like sweet rain, washing away every one of Nancy's cares and worries. After a while, she felt a bit drowsy, very relaxed, and the lights, in turn, seemed to change somehow. But it didn't really matter, did it? This was just so relaxing, so comfortable, Nancy thought slowly. As she imagined seeing a small white light, her last conscious thought was faint surprise that she was going into hypnosis so quickly, it seemed. Her eyes closed at Darlene's suggestion, and Nancy sank into trance.

Darlene gazed at her spellbound friend. Her head had tilted to one side, and her body was completely limp. The light robe she wore had a single tie, in the front. Darlene took a deep breath and spoke.

"And now, Nancy, you are safely home and all alone now, and are comfortably in your bed. But you've forgotten something, haven't you? Your robe is still on. Allow yourself, very gently and easily, to untie the knot and pull your robe to the sides."

Slowly, Nancy's hands moved, inching towards her midriff, climbing up her sides, coming to rest when they met over her abdomen. Limp fingers tugged at the knot, which finally came loose. Those same limp fingers pulled the soft fabric to the sides, fully exposing Nancy's 34-B breasts. Darlene inhaled sharply, and the sudden warmth between her legs removed any doubt as to what she was about to do. Her friend lay exposed, waiting only for her guidance, her voice - her touch?

My god...

"Nancy, listen carefully..."