The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

“Massage time Janey.” The words passed Alison’s lips almost without a conscious thought. The reality slammed onto Alison, leaving her trembling. Oh shit, oh shite. I’m screwed now. Either she’d put Jane back under when she’d promised herself that she wouldn’t. Or the phrase hadn’t worked and Jane was going to be asking questions. Questions the slim brunette had no idea how she would answer.

The seconds dragged out, as Alison wondered what to do.

I could just wake her up, words almost forming on her lips as fear ran through her. Then something harder took its place. No damn it, it’s not fair. She could do the shopping if she wants. Even if she does go out tomorrow afternoon she could get up a bit earlier Sunday and do it then. Jane didn’t really believe Sunday started until midday. She hated doing anything before then, especially if it involved housework.

“One.” The word echoed around the room, a toneless pronouncement from some other world. Alison stumbled back, almost overbalancing from the shock. She’d been completely caught up in her own thoughts until Jane’s voice, devoid of any emotion, had cut through her.

Alison cursed to herself. She’d forgotten that she’d told Jane to count down from one hundred to one, deepening her trance, whenever Alison used the trigger phrase. Jane was probably more deeply hypnotised than ever. Alison decided she couldn’t take the chance of Jane working out what had happened. The mirror showed her the blank expression on her roommate’s face.

Alison bent over, leaning in to whisper in her roommate’s ear “You’re deeply relaxed now, aren’t you Jane?”

“Yes.”

Umm, what now? Alison asked herself. Desperately she started improvising, trying to remember anything useful from what she’d read the other night.

“So relaxed,” Alison purred, the calmness in her voice anything but what she felt, “deeper than you’ve ever been, aren’t you?”

“Yes.” Alison was amazed at how flat and lifeless Jane’s voice was. She risked a peek around at the blonde’s face, not quite believing what she saw in the mirror. Jane was staring, wide-eyed, at the candle. Her face held no emotion and her eyes lacked any spark of animation. Fascinated Alison watched her roommate. Jane’s eyes never left the candle, and her breasts, held in her lacy bra, gently rose and fell with each breath.

Alison’s conscience warred with her fear of discovery. She tried telling herself that what she was doing was wrong, but Jane finding out what had happened was something Alison didn’t want to face. The added thought of having to spend hours on the weekend doing one of Jane’s chores tipped the balance.

“You love how relaxed my massages make you Jane.” A statement, not a question, she remembered something about how when the trance was established directness was more effective.

“Remember when I say ‘Massage time Janey’ you’ll come back to this wonderfully relaxed place.”

“And when you come back here you’ll count from one hundred to one, going deeper with every number.” Alison could hear how her own ragged gasps contrasted with the slow, even, breaths of her roommate. Desperately, Alison forced herself to take few lungfuls of air, almost as good for her nerves as a face-full of cold water.

Feeling more in control she continued “Now, I have something important to tell you Jane, so listen carefully.” Alison paused for a moment. All she could hear was the slow breathing of her roommate. Nervously she looked around Jane’s room. It was familiar, she’d been in here so many times. She knew the posters on the wall, fantasy artwork warring for space with reproductions of Pre-Raphaelite paintings. She knew where Jane’s phone was charging, where her laptop sat. Where she kept her few pieces of jewellery. Everything that made it hers. She could see the girl’s clothes, some hanging in the half-open wardrobe, other strewn about. Jeans and leggings and tops and underwear and the light airy dresses that the pixyish blonde sometimes favoured. This was Jane’s room, her sanctum, and Alison was invading her roommate’s mind right in the place she should have been safest. Guilt gnawed at the brunette’s stomach, warring with resentment. In the end the memories of all the times Jane had dumped housework onto her won out.

“You’ll do the shopping Sunday,” The mirror showed Alison Jane’s eyes widening, lines of stress showing on her face.

“Good Jane, so relaxed.” Alison paused before continuing, waiting for her roommate’s features to settle back into that blank stare, “You want to do the shopping Sunday.” This time Jane showed no reaction.

“If you have to, you’ll get up early to do it.”

Alison was beginning to be worried by Jane’s lack of reaction. She didn’t know if that meant her roommate was accepting what Alison said or resisting the suggestions. She had to be sure.

“So what will you do Sunday?” Alison brought her hand up to her lips as she finished, hoping the nervousness in her voice wouldn’t disrupt Jane’s trance

The brunette needn’t have worried, her roommate’s reply was just as flat and lifeless as ever. “I’ll get up early and do the shopping.”

“That’s right Jane. Now you won’t remember anything that’s happened while you’ve been so relaxed. But your subconscious will remember how wonderful this relaxed feeling is and how to get to this special place. You can feel this wonderful and relaxed whenever I say ‘Massage time Janey’, counting down from 100 to 1, getting deeper every time, with every number.” Alison struggled to keep her voice even, as she nervously rubbed her hands together. She hadn’t meant to reinforce Jane’s trigger, the words had just, sort of, flowed out of her. Alison realised it wasn’t right, that she shouldn’t do this. But it was too late now and if she never hypnotised Jane again it wouldn’t matter. Alison promised herself that she wouldn’t, at least not if Jane did the shopping.

“And your subconscious will make sure you do what you have to do about the shopping.”

Alison was fascinated by the empty expression on her roommate’s face. Jane looked so vulnerable, so open. Alison wondered what else she could persuade Jane to do. Then she stopped herself. She didn’t want to go there. Or think about the slight flush of arousal that she felt. “Good, now wake up Jane.”

All the way to the party, as she sat in the passenger seat of Jane’s car, the lights of the city flashing past, Alison fought with her conscience. As Jane talked about who might be there, who she wanted to talk to, who she wanted to avoid, gossip she had to share, Alison only half-listened. She hoped her occasional murmurs of agreement where enough to keep Jane happy. Alison huddled into her seat as she kept going over and over what she’d done. Hypnotising Jane when she had promised herself that she wouldn’t do it again. And then using it to make her do something. Again. To control her. Okay, it was only something Jane should have been willing to do anyway. But that’s not the point, Alison told herself firmly. You shouldn’t just alter people’s minds that way. It’s not right. And even worse, she’d reinforced Jane’s trigger phrase and induction. Alison realised she’d done some of it out of fear. She didn’t want Jane finding out what she’d done, so she’d seized the easiest possible way to stop her roommate finding out. But, she admitted to herself, it hadn’t all been out of fear. Part of her wanted to do it. Part of her was excited by it. She remembered Jane sitting in front of the mirror, an empty expression on her face. She remembered Jane’s bra, the lacy edge against her roommate’s breasts. Alison couldn’t get the images out of her head. They felt wicked and wrong and oh so enticing. The thoughts scared her, she wasn’t like that.

The noise and light of the party hit them as soon as the door opened, voices and music rolling over the two girls in a swirling cloud. People lined the hall, laughing, talking, caught up in their conversations. The roommates had to struggle to get past, ducking under a hand as a young man described his vision for the first film he’d direct, squeezing past two girls laughing at the stories a third told of how drunk she’d been at last week’s party. To Alison’s relief she saw that two of her friends, Kathy and Meredith, were already there, occupying a corner of the lounge room with a couple of girls that she didn’t know so well. She pushed through the crowd towards them, desperately wanting something to take her mind off what she’d done to Jane.

“Hey Alison,” Meredith called, the redhead waving enthusiastically as Alison joined the group, “thanks so much for the help on that assignment. I got my best marks ever on it.”

“It’s okay,” Alison shrugged, embarrassed. She liked helping her friends, though there were limits to how much help she’d give with university work.

Alison threw herself into the conversation, hanging on every word. She kept imagining someone was going to point at her and shout out what she’d done. She knew that was impossible, no-one else knew. But her imagination kept throwing the images at her. Every time someone walked up to her she felt like running. She knew that she was drinking more than she should, but she needed something to calm her nerves. Every time that she saw Jane she thought she could see the instructions she’d left in her roommate’s head, like little timebombs ticking away.

“She giving you trouble again?” Alison felt herself start at the question. She turned to see her friend Kathy looking at her with genuine concern, her friend’s eyes gazing at her from under raven-dark hair.

“Yes, um, no, err, well, sort of,” Alison raised her hands in defeat.

“Want to talk about it?”

Alison could feel herself start to panic. How could she tell anyone what she’d done? Forcefully she replied, “No, no,” waving her hands in emphasis.

“Okay,” Kathy shrugged, “but if you do… Anyway, let’s get you another drink, you look like you could use it.” Alison wasn’t sure that she should have another drink, but she couldn’t say no, the guilt not sufficiently deadened yet.

As the night wore on Alison finally felt herself relaxing. Maybe it was the alcohol, a pleasant buzz starting to envelop her mind. Or maybe it was just the hours since it happened putting a distance between her and what she’d done to Jane. Still, whenever she caught sight of her roommate her conscience would prick her.

“I’m still not convinced you know.” Alison realised Kathy was at her side, filling her glass again.

“W-what?” Alison stuttered out the word, irrational fear that Kathy knew what she had done choking the brunette.

Kathy pointed at Alison, then at Jane, her roommate on the other side of the room, deep in her own conversation. “You, Jane, I know how much she can bug you, but you’re not normally this edgy when she’s in the room. You going to tell me? Or do I just keep on asking?”

“No, no, it’s okay,” the brunette protested, worried how guilty her wide-eyed look was making her appear.

“Bullshit.” Kathy grabbed an almost full bottle of something alcoholic, Alison couldn’t see what. With her free hand Kathy grasped one of Alison’s. “Come on,” she said.

Alison let herself be led. Whether she’d had too many drinks, or just didn’t feel like fighting, she wasn’t sure. Kathy deftly led them through the party, navigating between the tightly pressed bodies with an assurance that Alison had never seen in her friend before.

Kathy came to such an abrupt stop that Alison had to pull herself up to avoid running into her friend’s back. “Hey Cassie,” Alison heard Kathy calling. She couldn’t see who she was talking to, but Alison was fairly certain the only Cassie here was the one whose party this was.

“Yeah girl?” came the reply. Alison tried peering past her friend, but in the press of bodies in the kitchen she still couldn’t see Cassie, though she was fairly certain it was her voice.

“D&M, space needed, where?”

“Just talk?” the party’s hostess asked suspiciously.

“C’mon, you can trust me.” Kathy voice had just the right hint of affront at Cassie’s doubt mixed in with the reassuring tone.

“Hmm, okay, my room, no funny stuff, and don’t spill that drink. Catch.”

Alison saw Kathy’s hand flash up and catch a key that came sailing over the press of bodies. Alison’s hand was taken again as Kathy said “This way.” Not that Alison would have had much choice. Kathy’s grip on her hand didn’t hurt, but it was firm.

Following Kathy into Cassie’s room Alison almost stumbled as the press of bodies released her and she had to stand up by herself. Alison didn’t know Cassie all that well and hadn’t seen her bedroom before. She looked around, curious. Clothes bulged out of a half-closed wardrobe door. A small shelf above a computer held a few text books. Posters for old movies covered most of the walls. No different to a thousand student’s rooms all over the world, maybe a million, but it was different, it was someone’s, Cassie’s, her space, her refuge. Alison didn’t want to be here, but she knew Kathy wouldn’t let this go. Alison was caught, her conscience pulling her in too many directions, not that her friend knew it. Kathy was already making herself comfortable on the bed. Her long legs stretched down its length, as she playfully bounced on it. “Not bad,” Alison heard her mutter.

“I didn’t know Cassie was studying history,” Alison said, examining the books on Cassie’s shelf with forced concentration, running her finger along the shelf, focusing on one book after the other, the alcohol in her system preventing anything more. She still hoped to avoid the conversation Kathy had in mind. Idle talk about Cassie probably wouldn’t put her friend off, but Alison desperately wanted to talk about anything other than her and Jane. Even though she and Kathy were the only people in the room Alison felt more constricted then she had in the crowd outside.

“Hmm? Oh yeah.” Kathy had tilted her head to one side and was looking at Alison with obvious concern. “You really don’t want to talk about this do you?”

“Umm, no. Look, why don’t we just leave this, I’m sure Cassie would like her room back.” Alison started edging towards the door. She knew her reasoning was transparent, their host apparently not having any need for room, but the brunette couldn’t think of a better excuse.

Kathy gave Alison a disapproving look. “Uh, uh, girl. You know I’ll just keep pestering you, now come here and sit down.” Her friend motioned vaguely towards the area of the bed next to her.

Alison knew how persistent Kathy could be. Accepting defeat in her efforts to avoid the point, she decided that giving her friend some vague story now would be better than having the brunette continue to pursue her. Reluctantly Alison sat on the bed, some distance from Kathy. The brunette didn’t relax, even though she knew her posture made her look like a school girl singled out for a reprimand.

“Here,” said Kathy, “drink this.” She passed Alison a glass she had just poured. Then paused for a moment before continuing. “Okay, if you don’t want to talk about miss could whinge for her country, what do you want to talk about? We’d better do something or Cassie will be pissed.”

Alison couldn’t help being suspicious, Kathy wasn’t usually that easily put off. But she was grateful for the excuse of another subject.

“How did you convince Cassie to let us have her room? I didn’t think you knew her that well?” Perched on her corner of the bed, Alison looked nervously at her friend.

Kathy shrugged. “I don’t, but you know. We needed the space. It’s just how you ask I suppose.”

Alison frowned as her friend pushed the pillows around to make herself more comfortable. She’d never dare ask for something like that from someone she didn’t really know. Okay, it was a simple thing, but even so, it was Cassie’s room and Alison just couldn’t imagine being, that well, forward, with someone she barely knew.

“You’ve changed,” Alison said.

“Hmm?” Kathy didn’t seem to be really listening, continuing to rearrange the pillows.

“Well, ever since you quit the coffee shop you’ve seemed, more, well, umm, confident? Was it getting you down that much?”

Apparently satisfied with her rearrangement of Cassie’s pillows Kathy leant back. She looked up at the ceiling. “Oh, I don’t know, but the change has been good.”

“So what is this new job?” Alison knew Kathy had often been short of money, so leaving a steady job, even a lowly paid one, had surprised her. Alison had guessed that there must be a new job, had asked Kathy what it was. But her friend had been suspiciously evasive. And any topic was better than her and Jane.

“Oh, it’s nothing special. Admin stuff at a financial trading firm. They need people twenty-four hours a day, ’cause there’s always some market somewhere open. I do night shifts, three or four nights a week. Boring as hell, but it pays well, better than the coffee shop.” Kathy’s story sounded plausible, but Alison couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to it. If it was that simple, why hadn’t Kathy told her that the first time she’d asked?

“Actually,” Kathy said, looking thoughtful, “I should give you and Mere back some of the money you lent me.”

“No, it’s okay, no rush, I sure Meredith’s cool too.” They’d both chipped in to help Kathy a couple of times when she’d been really skint, but Alison didn’t mind if Kathy never paid her back. She’d done it as a favour, really, not a loan. Loans between friends could ruin everything and she didn’t want to lose Kathy as a friend.

“No, it’s fine, I’m good for it.” Kathy insisted.

“Does your new job pay that well?” Alison asked dubiously.

“Yeah, actually it does.” For a moment Kathy paused, obviously thoughtful, then she brightened. “But we’re not here to talk about me making sure the printer has paper for finance yobs who want to buy shit in Shanghai.” Alison found Kathy looking at her accusingly. The other girl was lying on her side on the bed, one arm propping up her head. “So, come on.”

Alison hesitated. She couldn’t tell Kathy the truth. She was certain Kathy wouldn’t believe her if she did. Worse, Kathy might believe her, and Alison didn’t want to think what might happen then. Desperately she tried to think of something that would satisfy her friend. Part of her did want to tell Kathy. To confess, to tell someone, suddenly seemed very attractive.

“I guess, I guess I’m just feeling guilty.” Alison mumbled.

“What? Don’t tell me you skipped the washing up in revenge?” Kathy pointed an unsteady finger at Alison, the alcohol obviously affecting her. “I’ve seen how Jane treats you, you’ve got nothing to feel guilty about.”

Alison shook her head. “No, no, it’s not like that. I, I, tricked her in to doing some cleaning up.” Nervously she fiddled with her empty glass before holding it out to Kathy.

“So what?” Alison could hear the dismissive tone in Kathy’s voice as the other girl refilled her glass. “The number of times she’s left you to do her share? If you got your own back for once, what’s the problem?”

“Well, it wasn’t that, it was the, the,” Alison waved her hand in frustration. She wanted to say something. She wanted to not feel so alone. Keeping the secret of what she’d done pressed on her with a physical weight. “It was the way I tricked her.”

“Oh come on, what did you do? Tell her there were easy grades under the pile of dirty dishes?” Alison knew her fumbling explanations wouldn’t satisfy Kathy for long. The other girl, still resting on her side, was watching her closely. There was an almost predatory air about Kathy. She lay there, languid, but potential hummed about her, the threat making Alison feel small, like a little girl.

“No, no, I, I, well, I talked her into it,” Alison blurted out.

Kathy frowned, the wild movement of the hand that held her glass expressing her confusion, the wine sloshing from side to side in the glass. “Sorry, lost it. How is talking her into it tricking her? Either one of us has had more to drink than I thought or you’re not making sense.” Then she giggled, a glittering infectious sound that almost had Alison wanting to join in. “Or maybe it’s both.”

“Well, it wasn’t talking her into it exactly, it was like, umm, I just sort of said these things, that it’d be good for her to do it, and I knew it wasn’t true but she believed it and…” Alison trailed off, unsure how to continue without admitting too much.

“I still don’t get it.” Kathy shook her head and paused. After a moment her eyes widened. “Oh, hang, on. Do you mean like some stupid motivational speaking shit? Did you give her some ‘this’ll make a whole new you’ crap?” Kathy barely managed to stop her glass spilling as she rolled around the bed laughing.

“Yeah, yes, that was it.” Alison’s tongue was tripping over itself as she hurried to reinforce Kathy’s misinterpretation. “I knew it was rubbish I was talking, but I couldn’t stop myself, and I just wanted to get back at her for all the times she’d left me to do her share.” That last, at least, was true.

Kathy steadied herself, still suppressing giggles. “So she’s a fool for falling for it. So what?”

“Well, like I said, I feel guilty about it.” Alison squirmed.

“Look, if you’re so good at that shit that you can get Jane to clean up, don’t feel guilty, think about making a career of it.” Kathy peered at her friend. Alison could see that other girl was swaying slightly. She wondered how much her friend had had to drink. Or, for that matter, as she felt the alcoholic buzz that had been playing at the edges of her brain make good progress towards its middle, how much had she drunk?

“But you’ve really got the guilts haven’t you? I know.” Kathy stopped and raised a finger, conspiratorially. “If you’re that good, why not try it on yourself? Make some tape and tell yourself not to be guilty about it. That’ll work.”

“Um, yeah, okay, good idea.” A vague notion was struggling to be heard in Alison’s head. She had to fight to get to it through the alcohol, but something about it made sense. “Actually, yeah, why not?” If hypnotism had got her into this mess, why not try using it to get out? She couldn’t massage herself into a trance, but she could use one of those other methods she’d found. She could try hypnotising herself into not hypnotising Jane again. Then it would all be over and she could stop worrying. Alison tried to think how she could make it work, though the spinning sensation in her head wasn’t making it easy.

“Well, if you’re feeling better we should get out of here.” Kathy’s voice was languid. “Before I go to sleep on this bed.”

Alison turned to look at her friend. Kathy was laid out on the bed, making small stretching movements. Alison couldn’t help but notice how attractive her friend looked, long dark hair spilling out around her head, trim figure stretched out. Intellectually Alison had always known her friend was pretty. But tonight something was different. Alison didn’t just know it, she felt it. From her vantage point at the corner of the bed Alison’s eyes followed the curves of her friend’s body from her feet, up her long legs, the curve of her hips leading to her waist, her short skirt not hiding anything, past breasts that pushed at her tight top as she slowly arched her back. Finally, after Alison’s gaze traced the line of her friend’s neck, she found herself looking into Kathy’s eyes, a mischievous light in them playing above a knowing smile.

“Oh hey,” Kathy laughed, “I didn’t know you swung that way.”

“Wh-what, no, what?” Desperately Alison looked around the room, trying to find something, anything, to focus on other than her friend. But somehow, though she wanted to, she didn’t leave the bed.

Kathy bounced up from where she lay. Alison could feel the pretty brunette kneeling next to her. She tried to remind herself that it was just her friend, her friend Kathy, and nothing more. Certainly not a beautiful woman. “I know what it means when someone looks at me like that.” Alison could hear the assurance in Kathy’s voice. Something had changed in her friend. The raven-haired beauty had never been shy, but this sexual confidence was something new. Alison could feel hands gently placed on her shoulders.

Desperately Alison clasped her hands together in her lap. “No way, no, I wasn’t. I’m not like that.”

“Hmm, all right.” Alison could feel Kathy’s hands leave her shoulders. She risked a glance and saw Kathy had her hands resting lightly on her own thighs as she knelt on the bed. “Maybe we’ll blame it on the drink. And we did promise Cassie no funny stuff.”

“Um, yeah, we did.” Alison managed uncertainly.

“Oh that’s not what all this is about is it? You haven’t got a crush on Jane have you? Getting the hots for roomie?” Kathy’s smile was broad, a knowing light in her eyes. She swung her legs out along the bed, letting them stretch to their full length.

“No, no, way, I’m not into girls, I wouldn’t.” Alison’s voice trailed off as she desperately tried to think. Kathy’s suggestions made her uncomfortable. Really, really uncomfortable. Not because she was angry that they were wrong. But because a little part of her feared that they were right. I’m not like that? Am I? Alison had never thought of herself in that way. She’d had boyfriends, she was no virgin. She’d never thought of girls that way. But was her guilt over Jane caused by more than just what she’d done? Was there something more motivating her than just revenge over Jane’s lack of housework? An image forced its way to the front of her mind, of Jane’s breasts, clad only in her bra, slowly rising and falling. Fearfully Alison wondered just how long she had spent watching them, and why.

“You sure?” Alison had never heard her friend’s voice sound like that. It dripped raw sexuality. Alison couldn’t understand how two simple words could sound like that, honey and darkness and temptation mixed into something sweet and sticky as it rolled over her.

“I’m, I’m sure.” Alison wasn’t sure at all. Her friend’s voice, the amount she’d had to drink, what she’d done to Jane, chased each other around her head.

“Maybe if you hadn’t spent so long staring at my legs I’d believe you a bit more.” Alison started, almost losing her balance. She realised that for the last couple of minutes she had been staring at her friend’s legs. And, to her horror, she knew that she liked what she saw.

Alison watched as Kathy slowly lean back on the bed, run a hand slowly along one thigh, ending with one finger hooked in the hem of her skirt, pulling it up, just a little. Much as part of her wanted to keep looking Alison wrenched her gaze away and looked at her friend’s face. The look of wanton lust on Kathy’s features took her breath away.

As if she’d been scalded Alison jumped from the bed “I’m not like that. I didn’t think you were either.” Alison’s head hurt. Of all her friends Kathy was the last she would expect to try to come on to her. More than once the raven-haired beauty had been described as straighter than a laser beam.

“Oh, I’m not.” Like a mask dropped away the look of sexual heat disappeared from Kathy’s face. In its place Alison could see the old Kathy. What the hell is going on?, Alison wondered. “But if a friend’s got a problem, hey, I’m here to help.”

Alison couldn’t make sense of what she’d just seen. How could Kathy turn a look like that on and off like a tap? And why had she reacted to it so strongly? I’m not, I’m not gay, she told herself, it’s just the stress, and the alcohol and …

Kathy stared intently at their bottle. “So anyway, this one’s empty. And we promised Cassie no funny stuff. So let’s get back out there.”

Alison murmured her agreement.

“But,” Kathy pointed her finger at her friend, its steadiness contrasting with the slight wobble the rest of her displayed, “if you need to talk remember I’m here. And you have a good think about what’s really bothering you about Jane. Trust me, even laser beams can get curious.”

Alison’s eyes widened. “Um, err okay, thanks, but really, I’m not like that, but oh shit, this is probably the drink, but yeah, you’re really pretty, so we’d better get out of here.”

“Right.” Kathy smiled back.

Alison was soon separated from her friend in the press of bodies, not that she objected. She thought that a bit of space between could only be a good thing right now. After getting another drink the student found a seat by herself and started trying to sort out what had just happened. Her confession about what she had done to Jane, even if she hadn’t been entirely truthful, had made her feel better. But what had happened after that made her head spin. Was she attracted to Jane? To Kathy? To both of them? Was she gay or bi? Queer? Or just drunk? And since when had Kathy been able to put out sex appeal like that? Okay, maybe it was something she wouldn’t have seen herself, but Alison knew a couple of Kathy’s ex-boyfriends, and no way would they have kept quiet about it.

She shook her head, slowly, any faster and she feared that she’d loose her balance, even sitting down.

“Are you okay?” Alison struggled to focus on the questioner. It was Jane. Jane! Desperately Alison tried to pull herself together.

“Alison?” There was real concern in in her blonde roommate’s voice. “Do you need anything?”

“No, I’m fine, fine.” Alison knew that it was a lie. Even she could tell that she was slurring her words.

“Riiight. Look, I was wondering if you were ready to go? It’s starting to wind down.”

“Okay.”

“Here, let me help you up.”

Warily, Alison took the proffered hand. She could tell that her balance was suspect at best. Despite her studied effort she overbalanced as she carefully got up and her other hand shot for the nearest support. Which happened to be Jane. As Alison’s balance returned she could feel her hand resting on the curve of the other girl’s hip. She couldn’t deny that it felt good.

Alison let her roommate help her out of the house. Jane had her arm around the brunette’s waist, supporting her. Alison could feel it there, could feel their hips rubbing together as she was walked to the door.

“This,” she heard herself say, “this is not good.”

“You’re telling me,” said Jane. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this drunk. How many have you had?”

“Dunno.” Alison slurred in reply. All she could think about was the relief that Jane had misinterpreted her comment. The drink she could live with. But the feelings running through her at being this close to her roommate, the magnetism that Jane’s body was exerting on her, on top of the alcohol-muted but still present pangs of conscience, were sending her close to panic.

The car trip home was almost as much of a torture as the trip to the party. Alison clung to the idea that Kathy had inadvertently given her. She had to try hypnotising herself. Make herself stop hypnotising Jane. Then all this would just go away and everything would be normal again. Concentrating hard the brunette ran through the ways of hypnotising someone she’d read about, trying to work out which one she could use on herself. She needed something to both do the induction and record and playback whatever instructions she wanted. “Duh” she said to herself. Her computer, of course. She’d downloaded some induction templates from the web. All she had to do was finish one off and record some instructions to herself. Problem solved.

Politely but firmly she refused Jane’s offer of help from the car. Alison didn’t trust herself to keep control with that much physical contact with her roommate. Inside their student accommodation Jane insisted Alison have something non-alcoholic to drink. The feelings of guilt in Alison were stoked even higher by how solicitous her roommate was being. As soon as she felt able to Alison told Jane that she could manage by herself and headed for her room, ignoring the doubtful look on the blonde’s face.

Alison started up her computer. Fighting the urge to sink into her bed and go to sleep she stared at the monitor and tried to think through what instructions she should put in the program for herself.

“I don’t wanna hypnotise Jane anymore.” Alison could see her fingers wandering over the keyboard, fumbling at the buttons. “Nup. Bad idea. Don’t want to keep hypnotising Jane. I’ll record this and then I’ll be listening to this. And I’m not gay. Could be curious. Maybe I’m bi. Nothing wrong with being curious. Like Kathy said, anyone can get cur-i-ous. If I was gay I might think Jane is hot, sexy. But I’m not gay. No way, uh uh. And I don’t wanna feel guilty anymore ’bout Jane. If I’m not going to hypna, hypno, thingy Janey anymore, no point feeling guilty, is there, Allie old girl. Nope, none at all. So don’t feel guilty about Jane. No harm done. I mean, let’s be honest here. Just you and me here Allie, so we can be totally honest. It was a bit of fun, and Jane looked really hot just looking into space. So spaced out.” Alison giggled to herself at the bad joke. “And maybe a bit of me liked it. But that’s a bad, bad bit of me. Bad me. Naughty me. Liking what I did to Jane. Yep, like it. Liked what I did to Jane. So. Yep. This is a good idea.” Jane watched her fingers, sure they were doing the right things on the keyboard. “Good old Kathy. I’ll hypnotise my troubles away. Should do this more often, hypnotising me. Do it more often. I hyp-no-tised Jane. Hyp-no-tise. Jane. Shouldn’t do that again. Yep. So, forget feeling guilty. Got that Allie? Yep. And you’re not gay. Maybe you’re bi, queer, something. Nothing wrong with that. Lots of girls try being a bit bi in university. Or so I hear. Works for me. So, how’s it go. Yep, hypnotise me. Umm, go deeper, that’s it, go deeper. And forget all this. Forget listening to this. ’Cept subconscious. Remember it subconscious. Play this whenever you need to. Whenever you think about hypnotising Janey. Pretty little Janey. I should not hypnotise Janey, with her pretty little titties in that pretty little bra. That’ll do. Sure I hit record in there somewhere. Now where’s an induction?”

Alison added the induction to the recording and then hit play, not realising that her fumblings meant she hadn’t recorded quite what she thought she had.