The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Chapter One: Selecting the Circle

“Rebels. What kind of rebels do we want?”

“Highly intelligent girls, defeating themselves through self-destructive habits or authority difficulties. Disrupted and deeply dysfunctional family background is almost a sure thing. Most of them will be recent college graduates who are finding out that they can’t get a comfortably salaried middle class job in this economy, and are reluctant to build a career doing something they could have found with less education. They resent their burden of student loans, feeling with some justice that they were conned, but they let that attitude show in low level job interviews where meekness and gratitude are what is wanted. And, of course, girls who are willing to consider joining a group relationship with other women, so they have to be, at least, seriously bi-curious.”

“Amber, you just described us and you!”

“Naturally, Cindy! The brainwashing program I’m designing will fit only women like us. I have elementary skills as a hypnotist, which I am eager to share, because I don’t want to be the long-term Mistress of this group. We need to bring in women we would be happy to submit to as well as to dominate, women who have skills and character we would benefit from modeling, as well as weak spots the group can help with.”

“How many more candidates are we recruiting?” Bronwen asked.

“I think adding three more, for a total of six, would make a convenient Circle. That’s about as big a commune as we can fit into one rented house, so it makes an economical scale for frugal group living. I’m sure that part will work; I’m not sure how well everybody will take to the suggestions I plan to offer, but we will all get better at guiding each other as we go along. We can start out as a kinky sorority doing group hypnotherapy on each other, and let things develop from there.”

“I think we can offer a vote of confidence in your skills as a hypnotist!” Cindy laughed. “Bronwen and I were no more than bi-curious a few months ago, and you’ve convinced us that we like girls a whole lot! I think the rest of the program will work out too.”

“I think it’s so cool that you’re planning to teach us all to hypnotize each other,” Bronwen agreed. “I love it when you trance us, and I’m looking forward to having other women in a suggestible obedient state for me!”

“Speaking of that,” Cindy added, “should we look mostly for hot women?”

“I’m glad you accept your new focus in sexual attraction so well, dear!” Amber chuckled. “At least average looks might be nice, but it’s not a priority. After the Circle molds your mind, you will find us all intensely attractive!”

Chapter Two: Explaining the Program

Amber smiled at the five other women in her dingy studio apartment. “Welcome! Cindy and Bronwen have heard me yammer about this many times, but for the new visitors, I’ll explain where I’m going with this plan for the Circle. Do bear in mind that your ideas are just as important as mine once we get started. My dream is to be one of a group of women living together and sharing everything, very tight personally, and using hypnosis to control each other’s thoughts and feelings. The content of the mind control will be based on group discussion and consensus. We will agree on standards of life and work so gruesomely healthy and virtuous that probably none of us could stand them alone, but each of us will helplessly obey them. We’ll be living in surrender to the Circle, and that obedience will feel very good. Once we learn to trust each other, and can see and feel that this is working, I’m hoping we might start identifying with the Circle. As we stop thinking of ourselves as six separate egos, with habits and cravings and aversions that we defend as Part Of Me even though they haven’t been working very well, the Circle’s consensus will become what we really think, and what we really want. That’s as far ahead as I’m able to plan. I don’t know how long we are likely to stay together, or whether the results of our way of life will attract other people to expand the Circle or to set up similar Circles. At a minimum, this will be a mutual self-improvement plan that will actually be fun to carry out. What are your thoughts?”

Danni asked, “Is the Circle going to be a strictly lesbian group? And will it be a closed group, or open to outside partners?”

“My initial notion is a closed lesbian group, using sexual pleasure to get closer to each other and to reward obedience. This is part of the rules we will discuss and form a consensus about. For me, if we can get started with this, I’ve decided to obey the Circle even if that means I end up with some guy’s cock in my mouth.”

“I think that might answer my first question,” Elena said. “I’ve done some power play, mostly submitting to men. I had one D/s relationship with a woman; we were not made for each other, but it was very sweet while it lasted. I’ve read stories about disciplined groups of women like this, and they always seem to have one woman who is the queen bee, with everybody calling her Mistress and obeying her every whim. Do I hear you saying that you don’t want any such role?”

“That’s exactly right. I plan to teach you all to hypnotize, so that any of you can do what I do. Then I’m imagining a weekly Circle meeting to add or change parts of our consensus as the need arises, and then have one of us reinforce the latest version in trance. In between meetings, we all obey the Circle, and I think we might have two rotating power exchange roles as well. To bring out possibilities in each of our personalities, we could have one of us each week accepted as the Goddess, who implements the consensus by making specific decisions, and her will is law for the rest of us. One of us each week will be the Slave, who serves and obeys all five of the other members of the Circle. The following week, both roles rotate, so that every six weeks each of us gets to enjoy both roles. I’m willing to be the Goddess for the first week, just to get things started, but after that I want some other women telling me what to do, dammit!”

“What kind of lifestyle rules would you suggest as a starting point to form a consensus?” Faith asked.

“Each of us has some areas where her life is running well, so she can be a role model for the group. Each also has some areas where she will benefit greatly from the rational discipline of the Circle, with the erotic charge of power exchange to help the medicine go down. I’m open about how we organize our teaching; I would suggest that we focus on just one area at a time, for at least a week each. Then we come around again and again through the expanding list of areas for improvement until everybody’s performance in all areas is at least OK, and maybe top notch.

Amber went on, “To be more specific, I’d guess we will focus on a healthy diet, getting plenty of exercise, getting enough rest and sleep, avoiding substance abuse as the Circle defines it, working with relaxed concentration and thoughtfulness, and staying calm and pleasant even when other people make that challenging. That’s probably enough to start out with!”

“Wow!” Elena responded. “Do you really think we can do all that?”

“I’m hoping we’ll all be surprised at what the Circle can do together,” Amber assured her.

“I’d like to say something about how hypnosis works for lifestyle change,” Cindy added. “It’s fun and relaxing to be tranced, but it often feels at first like not very much has happened. Then you keep working with it, stacking up the suggestions, and you change just a little bit each time. After a while, you look back on how far you’ve come, and you are amazed at how much you’ve changed, but every step felt natural and easy. Amber practiced on Bronwen and me, upgrading us from bi-curious straight girls to bisexuals leaning strongly toward women. It took a few months, with no strain and no pressure, and the homework sessions were fun! This really works, so even if not much seems to be happening at first, please trust the process and stay with it. You’ll be glad you did!”

Amber concluded, “Think it over, talk it over, and if you decide this is something you want to do, be back here at 7 PM Friday night. If everybody is ready to go ahead, I’m thinking we can have a little ceremony then to start the Circle. Then I’ll lead a first trance to help everybody start feeling like a devoted member of the Circle. After that, we can get started talking about practicalities like renting a place together, how we organize cooking and housekeeping, and how we deal with different work schedules. See you then!”

Chapter Three: Building the Circle

On Friday evening, Amber asked each of the five other women if they were ready to join the Circle. She promised that she was, and passed out copies of the pledge she proposed for the members. They discussed this pledge, and agreed that leaving the Circle should happen only if a member requested it and the Circle gave permission, or everybody agreed that the Circle was no longer working. After everyone said that they were ready, and accepted the wording of the pledge, Amber lit candles and lowered the lights, then invited everyone to join her in ceremonial nudity. The six women stood in a ring; one at a time each moved in to the center and read her pledge. Amber pledged first: “I bind myself to the Circle. I will be loyal to the Circle, and obey the consensus of the Circle. I will learn to love and care for all my sisters in the Circle. My body and my mind are under the Circle’s control.” The other women responded, “We are the Circle, and we accept your pledge. You are the Circle!” Amber agreed, “I am the Circle!” Then each of the other women pledged in the same way.

After a short break, each woman found a relaxed position, sitting or flat on the floor, and Amber as Goddess for the week led a short trance. She helped the other women into hypnosis, then suggested that the thought and feeling of being the Circle would get stronger and stronger as they each obeyed the growing consensus, with every obeyed command bringing them into closer union. She invited them to feel the women of the Circle as the most loving and caring family any of them had ever had, giving each a feeling of strength and support and calm self-assurance even when away from the group. Feelings of rebellion would not apply to the Circle; conflict and hostility outside would make the Circle trust each other more, and work together more closely. She also suggested that the other women of the Circle would become more and more irresistibly sexy and attractive, and that they would practice their new group relationship and act on their growing attraction to each other as often as possible.

As everyone emerged from trance, Amber commanded Bronwen and Cindy to serve the snacks and drinks she had prepared. They calmly said, “Yes, Goddess!” and obeyed. The party got a little rowdy, as everybody played party games like hugging and kissing each of the others in rotation, and pairing off to stand very close and gently rub their nipples together. Later in the evening, Amber persuaded the Circle to appoint two members as a housing committee, and commanded all members to write up their present income, debt payments, car or other transportation, and current working hours and locations so that the committee would know what kind of house to look for. The Circle agreed on a tentative roster for rotating the offices of Goddess and Slave, and elected Faith the first Slave after a raucous three-way contest. Elena promptly commanded Faith to come home with her that night; Faith blinked in surprise, but then said, “Yes, Sister Elena!” Bronwen pouted at that, having been eyeing Faith herself, but Amber ruled firmly, “First come, first served, and first to come!” She commanded the Circle to assemble again briefly the next two afternoons and the following weekday evenings for additional hypnosis sessions, and then the party broke up.

The Circle continued to meet daily for brief hypnotic reinforcement, followed by increasing sexual contact. Starting Saturday, the Circle sat nude together on the floor, and each member used her fingers to serve the pleasure of the member to her right, then the one to her left. Amber suggested increasing interest in oral sex, and commanded the Circle to feel the pleasure of all other members almost as if it were their own. Faith went home with a different member after each meeting, and reported that she was finding it increasingly easy and pleasant to do whatever she was told. “I thought I wasn’t quite ready for lesbian sex,” she said, “but whatever any of my sisters commands is the command of the Circle, so I’m pledged to obey, and I’m really starting to enjoy this!”

After adding up the budgets, Cindy and Danni as the housing committee reported Sunday on how much rent the Circle could probably afford. They could rent a three-bedroom tract house in either of two neighborhoods reasonably close to most current jobs, and neither area had any zoning rule against putting six unrelated adults in one house. Three members had reliable little old cars, so Amber commanded Bronwen and Elena to schedule commuting for everyone using those vehicles. At the Circle’s Wednesday meeting, the housing committee reported on three houses for rent they had found within the proposed budget, and estimated how much cash each member would have to come up with for the deposit. Faith showed signs of panic, so all the other members of the Circle closed in to stroke her and talk soothingly to her. “I hate to go back to my Dad for more money,” Faith admitted, “but it’s come down to that anyway. I’m beyond maxed on my credit cards. I have to move soon, and I’d really like to be with the Circle. What are we going to do about furniture, anyway?”

The housing committee agreed to research the furniture issue, after all the members listed what they could bring. The minimum need they reported on Thursday added another month’s rent to the cash required to move in, which made Faith look glum, and Amber and Elena purse their lips. “We’ll work it out,” Amber said stoutly. “We are the Circle!”

On Friday evening, Amber turned over the Goddess role to Bronwen, whom she had already coached in hypnosis. Amber became the next Slave, and once again Elena immediately claimed her services for that night. “Girl, you’re in a rut!” Bronwen said irritably. “Umm, that would be in rut, I think,” Elena replied with a sly smile.

Over the weekend, the housing committee signed the lease on the house the members preferred, and the group’s three cars started shuttling to move in people and furniture. Faith’s father had reluctantly agreed to subsidize her move; Bronwen commanded Cindy, as the member with the best accounting background and business experience, to become the Circle’s credit counselor, beginning with Faith. Faith asked, “Does that mean you’ll take the collection calls and negotiate with my creditors?” Cindy replied, “Yes, I think it has to. Will you do whatever the Circle requires of you to improve your finances?” Faith said, “Yes, I will, and thank you, sister!” She knelt before Cindy and kissed her feet.

Chapter Four: Smoothing the Rough Edges

The Circle’s consensus shook down gradually over the next few months. Initially it was necessary to allow one dissenting vote and still declare consensus on the point being discussed. That dissenting vote was usually Elena’s; she grumbled at first at having the Circle’s will override her own so often, but Amber gave her special hypnotic tutoring, and she accepted her own need for obedience. “You belong to the Circle,” Amber explained in trance. “That means two things. First, it means that the Circle owns you, body and mind, and once the Circle forms a consensus on any rule, you find yourself obeying it more and more automatically. You know you need to obey, and you are learning how good it feels to obey, so when you realize that it is the will of the circle for you to do something, it just happens all by itself. You can watch yourself obeying like a passenger in your own body, and know the delicious feeling of being the Circle’s puppet. Belonging to the Circle also means that you are the Circle, and you understand more and more clearly that the Circle’s beliefs are your beliefs; the desires and plans of the Circle are your desires and plans.”

The members of the Circle took turns making love with each other, so that each member brought each other member to orgasm at least a few times a month. Initially they had planned to rotate bedroom assignments weekly, but the practical convenience of each member having a stable place to keep her stuff overcame that idea. Instead, bedroom assignments changed every three months.

As the Circle’s lifestyle requirements evolved, each member found herself bound to change her habits in some ways. Faith was a night person, and struggled a bit to adopt healthy sleep habits, but the hypnotic suggestions on that point helped her to conform. Danni was very overweight, and had failed to diet it off several times, so she was sceptical about her ability to adopt the Circle’s chosen plan of eating. It turned out that she was an excellent hypnotic subject, so she obeyed with no real trouble, and was amazed as the unwanted weight began to slide off. That chosen eating plan was vegetarian, which Amber and Cindy had resisted, but they accepted this rule because it was important to their sisters. After the final unanimous vote, Amber said, “I wasn’t a vegetarian fifteen minutes ago, but I am now. My clit is buzzing at the thought that the Circle already has that much power over me.”

Only two members of the Circle smoked, and only occasionally, so giving that up was not hard. Carbonated beverages had three advocates when giving them up was first proposed, but the medical evidence that they are a bad idea was overwhelming, so that rule was added to the consensus. Limiting drinking to two glasses of wine a day was a harder decision; the spirit of rebellion that had brought the Circle together was what finally made it possible. As Elena said, “I like to drink, and not always in moderation. I wish we could fit it into our tight household budget, but when I researched the taxes on alcohol, I realized that anybody who keeps up this habit is being played for a sucker. It’s not as hard a hosing as the smokers get, but still it’s the government taking advantage of people’s weaknesses. We are the Circle, and we are strong!”

Danni had been raised in a family run according to the rules of a minority religion, and she diffidently suggested one of the counsels of that church: giving up caffeine. At first this proposal was resisted by the other five members, but Faith, the Goddess that week, commanded two members to study the pros and cons. They found mixed evidence, with some actual health advantages proposed for moderate tea or coffee consumption, but the weight of the evidence for the value of an undistorted sleep cycle persuaded the Circle to give it a three-month trial, and the results were just good enough to make that rule permanent.

Each member of the Circle submitted her current finances and work and career plans to group discernment. The Circle favored working at what was available, at least forty hours a week. Taking courses at the community college for vocational certification in a better paying career, one where entry level jobs were actually available, was a good second choice, but only when overtime on the current job was hard to get. Faith had the hardest circumstances, with a large student loan and five figures in credit card balances, all delinquent. As Cindy reported to the career committee, “She’s a liberal arts major, and lived with one parent or the other while her father paid her way through her degree, so she’s never worked even as a part-time barista. She doesn’t know how to do anything useful, poor thing!” After community research, she was directed to a job in a nearby supermarket. The wages paid there to trainees allowed her to pay her room and board to the Circle commune, and keep a small allowance as pocket money, but her initial ability to make debt payments amounted to one-sixth of creditor demands of over $1000 per month. Faith showed a brief recurrence of her former panic attack when she saw those figures, but the Circle commanded her to relax and trust. Amber was the Goddess again that week, so she hypnotized Faith and programmed her so that any negative feelings about her financial situation instantly turned into feelings of love and trust for the Circle, and a fanatical determination to obey. Faith made only one condition to accept this decision. She asked Cindy, “How many phone calls from collection agents are you fielding for me?” Cindy calmly replied, “I’m getting a little over an hour a week of personal insults and bombastic threats, mostly from one psycho hired by a bank.” Faith said, “Please keep track, and then please accept at least an equal number of minutes of oral worship from me. I don’t know how this is all going to work out, but I trust the Circle, and I feel that you especially are saving my life.” Cindy giggled and said, “Anything for you, sister!”

After six months, Amber proposed an upgrade in interpersonal relationships as the next Circle project. “I’d like each of us to give her relationships with each other sister a letter grade. I can see that we don’t have any F grades; that would be where you don’t trust one of us, or don’t feel that she is a faithful member of the Circle. I’d like us to work gradually toward all As; a grade of A would mean that this sister is an excellent Circle member, one of your BFFs, and you are passionately in love with her. B would mean a good circle member, a personal friend, and a woman you enjoy making love with. A C is still a satisfactory member of the Circle, but either you don’t like her much or you don’t quite have true lust for her. D is the same, but either your personal feeling for her is active dislike, or making out with her is a chore. This first time, and each time we revisit this goal, I’d like each of us to try to move one grade up one letter for one sister. I think our first priority should be the lowest grades, and especially the one case we all know about where the grade D feeling is mutual.”

Everybody turned to look at Bronwen and Elena. “I have nothing against Elena,” Bronwen said tensely, “except that she is a conceited aggressive conniving bitch! She’s a loyal member of the Circle, though, and I’ve got to admit that she is a sexy beast.”

“Darling, I didn’t know you cared!” drawled Elena. “I feel just the same about you. Brat!”

The Circle ratified the proposal, and appointed Amber to give Bronwen and Elena special hypnotic instruction. She had them lie in bed naked and embracing, looking into each other’s eyes, and give each other deepening suggestions that would lead them on a shared fantasy experience. On return from that experience, they would be overwhelmed with lust for each other, and act accordingly. She repeated this treatment daily, and added a requirement that they talk together at least an hour a day, saying whatever came into their heads, and feel strengthening feelings of friendship for each other.

After a week, Bronwen and Elena reported to the Circle. Each admitted that her feelings for the other were now at least a B. “There’s one thing I don’t understand, though,” Bronwen added. “What’s that, sweetheart?” Elena asked. “How did I ever think you’re a bitch? You’re wonderful! Everybody should love you!” “I couldn’t agree more,” Elena replied smugly, “and that is very true for you, too!”

Chapter Five: Giving a Progress Report

Shortly afterward, Amber reported on the Circle’s progress to Pat the HypnoDomme, the source of her hypnosis instruction, in her office in the university Psychology department. “I’m glad to see you, Amber, and glad to hear that things are going so well,” Pat said. “I find it reassuring that you are so open to real world feedback on the changes in your habits and character. I was about to send out the bloodhounds, because I was worried about that. A circular power exchange is not quite as dangerous as a cult centered on a single Guru-Who-Can-Do-No-Wrong, but there’s still the possibility of drifting away from reality. The Goddess each week has been programmed with the Circle’s consensus up to that point, and if each one keeps making changes in the same direction without checking how they work, problems ensue. I was wondering if you had all convinced each other you were unicorns by now!”

Amber laughed, “Dildos yes, horns no! The funny things I’ve been noticing are related to the Circle working better than I ever expected. I’ve asked around, and my own experience is typical; each of us thinks and feels that she is the Circle. For me, that means that I am becoming a sort of hive mind with six bodies. The Amber who’s talking to you is one of my six nodes, but I don’t really identify with her much more than my other five parts. I’ve noticed that I’m always aware of the feeling states of all my sisters in the back of my mind, so when somebody tries to upset me, they are pushing against six confident women with positive attitudes, and they usually get tired and give up. When we are in the same room, especially when we look into each other’s eyes, we seem to be doing some telepathy as well. I can’t document that, but I noticed something the other day on my job at the drug wholesaler. I was able to understand some sales literature that presumed a basic knowledge of biochemistry. I’ve never studied biochemistry, but Danni was a premed until she got such awful scores on the MCAT that she obviously was not getting into medical school. She knows biochemistry, and when I needed the information, it was just there. It will be interesting to see if that sort of thing keeps happening. So...we’re not unicorns, but maybe we are Borgs!”

Pat broke up at that, until Amber finally asked, “Is it really that funny?”

“What a concept! Lesborgs!”

“OK, that’s funny. Resistance is futile, straight girls! You will be assimilated! Actually, we’ve had a lot of questions from people who have noticed that we’re doing something right. We don’t really want to expand the Circle, but we’re thinking about doing a tutorial for people who might want to start different Circles of their own. The big difference is that we have sexual pleasure as a reinforcer available between any two members. That carries over to the group of gay guys who are talking about forming a Circle, but the character changes might go more slowly in a group of straight people.”

“Right; they can still get there, but they may have to depend on the more subtle pleasure of obedience. Well, based on your pilot program, Circles look like a valid alternative lifestyle. Let me know if I can help!”

Chapter Six: Pairing Strengthens the Circle

Faith raised a new proposal at a weekly meeting. “Would it be all right to acknowledge special relationships within the Circle? As long as the people in that relationship keep faithful to the Circle and don’t try to shut their other sisters out, I’m imagining that this might actually make the Circle stronger, like spokes in the wheel of a bicycle.”

Bronwen was the Goddess that week. She asked, “Were you suggesting that you and Cindy should try this idea out for us?”

“Yes, exactly!” Faith said, blushing and smiling as she gripped Cindy’s hand. “Since she had me file bankruptcy, Cindy has not been badgered by collection agents for me, but before that I was under her close supervision and giving her extra personal service. I found out how wonderful Cindy is, and how much I love obeying her. I’d plan to keep up the role rotation of the Circle, but even when I’m being the Goddess, I’d like us all to understand that I’m Cindy’s personal slave.”

“I wouldn’t mess with how Faith is the Goddess,” Cindy confirmed, “and I’ll share her when she’s the Slave, but our special counseling role has brought us very close, and being the Goddess myself has brought out a Domme side I didn’t know I had. I love commanding Faith! Her devotion does wonders for my ego strength, too; I used to think I was a dull mousy accountant with the personality of a dead flounder, but the love the Circle has given me has opened up more satisfying options, and my gorgeous girl Faith is the very best of that.”

The Circle’s consensus swiftly ratified the added pair bond. Then each of their other sisters in turn hypnotized Cindy and Faith, making their desire into the command of the Circle. Finally Cindy hypnotized Faith, reinforcing her commitment to serve, and commanding her to call Cindy “Master.” As they embraced, both women’s faces held tears of joy.

After several weeks, Bronwen and Elena asked to become another acknowledged couple within the Circle. Everybody agreed that Cindy and Faith were adding to the Circle rather than blocking it, so the precedent was established. “Besides,” as Amber said, “you two are so tight we’re just noticing an established fact!” Bronwen and Elena had decided to remain basically equals, exchanging power in either direction when they felt like it, so the Circle just reinforced both dominant and submissive feelings toward each other while celebrating their bonding.

The next lifestyle rule to become a Circle consensus limited television watching to eight hours a week, with a hypnotic suggestion to lose interest gradually except in a few favorite shows. Sometimes the way this worked involved finding other things to do that were more interesting.

Cindy looked up from the TV one evening, distracted by Bronwen and Elena, who were petting with increasing intensity and starting to make noises. “Get a room, you two!”

“I thought you had a letch for both of us,” Bronwen replied.

“I love you both, I’ve fucked each of you within the past two weeks, and I wish you would go into a bedroom and close the door. We’re trying to watch a show here.”

Elena and Bronwen glanced at each other. Then Elena said, “We’ll get private if you’ll come along and join us!”

Cindy looked bemused and said, “Ummm...OK!”

As the three of them trooped off to a bedroom, Amber and Danni giggled together. “That’s one of the things I really like about the Circle,” Danni said, “The elegant leisurely seductions!”

“To tell you the truth, I’m losing interest in this show too,” Amber remarked. “Would you care to try again with that double dildo we bought?”

“It keeps slipping out!”

“Might be just a matter of practice. I think all we have to do is follow the principle Sister Elena just modeled for us...”

She met Danni’s eyes, and they chorused “Gooooo Slooowly!” Amber turned off the TV, and they sought out a bedroom themselves, holding hands and laughing.

Amber and Danni woke up the next morning making love, and brought each other to another series of intense orgasms. “Is it just me?” Danni asked as they cuddled afterwards. “Or are we turning into another couple?”

“I think that’s true,” Amber replied, “even though it seems too good to be true for me. You’re so beautiful, and so charming! You’re the woman of my dreams, or close enough for the real world.”

“We’ll have to find out what fantasies of yours I don’t fully satisfy, and use hypnosis either to shape me to fit, or to make you believe I do. There actually aren’t many fantasies of mine you don’t already fulfill! You had the strength and energy to start the Circle, and I’ve always been especially susceptible to your hypnotic control. Besides, ever since I noticed girls I’ve always wanted a tall blonde girlfriend, and never thought I would get one. I think I still have a dumpy figure, and my hybrid ethnicity means I don’t really look Irish or Japanese, just sort of mixed up.”

“For dumpy read voluptuous, and I find your looks endlessly fascinating! You can look like either or both, depending on what you’re wearing or how the light catches your face. It’s another reason I love to look at you!”

“Well then, I guess we should break it to the Circle that we’ve completed the pair bonding process.”

Chapter Seven: The Circle Rolls On

On their first anniversary, the Circle easily agreed that their relationship was permanent. Their lives were all working better because of their mutual self-improvement, and even most of their relatives had come around to admit that this weird relationship seemed to be doing them good. Their tutorials for people forming other Circles had met with some success and some setbacks. The group of gay men who were the second Circle to form had broken up and formed again with a few new members, after one of the original promoters had tried to twist it into a cult worshiping him all the time. Their second try seemed to be working better. The first straight group of three men and three women had worked well, but turned in an unexpected direction when all three of the women got pregnant at the same time. After some discussion, they agreed to upgrade their bond to a group marriage, and raise their children together.

Pat the HypnoDomme suggested to Amber, “I think you’re on to something here! You should write a book about how you did the Circle, and how it’s been working for your group and others. There are a lot of people interested in some form of closer community who might be receptive to this kind.”

Amber looked bemused. “You know, a year ago I would have immediately reacted that I could never do that. Now I know I can, and I will! The Circle has really changed us all, and we like our new selves a lot better.”