The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Journal Entry, 12/15

It’s hard to keep a secret from your girlfriend when she hypnotizes you at least once every other day.

I always remember everything Lydia does to me. Over the year we’ve been together, our relationship has blossomed and deepened from satisfying friendship to even more satisfying lovers. No one on campus was startled in the least by our getting together. (I heard a lot of “Took you long enough! Jesus!” Oops.)

Now it’s coming up on our second Christmas together, and I know what I want to give her. I know what I want to happen. The problem was, I want it to be a surprise. One of the downsides of our relationship is that we don’t keep secrets. Whenever something’s on my mind, it just comes out of my subconscious and right to her.

Usually that’s a benefit. For this, it’s going to be a royal pain. I need to find some way to countermand that suggestion for a few weeks. I have absolutely NO clue how I’m going to go about it. I like being totally open to her. I like her being able to go through my thoughts and feelings. I like being hers. Before I actually had it, I dreamed of it.

It’s hard to even think of shutting off something like that.

I have ten days. Her final exam in college is tomorrow. After that’s graduation, and after that we’re going to have a week together. A whole week ...that’s a long time to keep a secret. An eternity for me.

I shut the journal and settled back on my bed, hands behind my head, fingers laced. The apartment wasn’t even decorated for Christmas yet. It had taken a lot of guts to make the transition to being out on my own. Lydia helped me a lot with it, though. She supported me through the whole thing. It was weird knowing that I was home already, that even with exams done I wasn’t going back to Mom and Dad’s. The dishes in the sink, mine. The vacuuming, mine.

I didn’t want it to be that way forever.

Lydia was studying hard, back in her dorm room. She was mostly moved out and to her parents’ house. Since the beginning of December I’d been shuttling car loads for her. The time she spent at my apartment had diminished as the semester aged. I got more and more used to sleeping alone, with only a goodnight phone call and her whispering me into trance, then to sleep. It didn’t surprise me when the phone rang, and I couldn’t keep the silly smile off my face when I heard her tired-but-pleased greeting.

What she said next did surprise me, though.

“Mom and Dad and I are going out of town after Christmas. Well, before, really. I’m coming back before Christmas Eve. Dr. Stephens has some last-minute things he wants me to do on the experiments I’ve been running for him. He doesn’t want to trust them to anyone else. He’s offered to let it stand in place of my exam. So,” and she took a deep breath, “I don’t have an exam tomorrow after all. I won’t have Christmas with my family, though. Would you like to come stay over with me?”

“Hey, that’s great! When are you going and coming back? Mom’d love to have you at our house for Christmas. She offered before, and this is enough time to give her notice.” I tried not to sound as excited as I was. This was great! This might just be perfect.

“I’m leaving tomorrow, and coming back on the twenty-third. Stephens got me permission to skip the actual ceremony as part of the deal, thank God. I didn’t want to go through the whole cap-and-gown thing anyway.” Her tone shifted, becoming a little more tentative. “I thought maybe, if you didn’t have anything planned, we could spend that day and the next at your place, or my parents’, and get in some quality time?”

Uhoh. Not so good. I knew what quality time meant, and it was death for my secrets. More than 12 hours under hypnosis in a 24-hour period will do that to you. I wrestled with myself and quickly said “Sure, no problem! I’m really happy for you, honey. You sound tired, though.”

“I am,” she admitted. “I got myself all psyched up for this exam, and now I feel happy but really drained.”

I understood, and told her so. “If you want to skip tucking me in tonight, I won’t be hurt. Not with the prospect of not just one, but two days of quality time.” I lowered my voice into what I hoped was a seductive purr. “I’ll want it more if I’m a little deprived.”

She laughed, but the relief in it was clear. “Are you sure? I really am tired...”

“I’m sure. Get some rest, OK? I can put myself to bed tonight. You’ve got me so used to your voice all I have to do is imagine you tucking me in...” I caught myself yawning, and finished “...and I get sleepy! See?”

She giggled softly. “I’ll say goodnight, then. I love you, Mike.” Her voice was tender. “Sleep well, love.”

“I will. Want me to see you off tomorrow?”

She declined. “It’s gonna be insane there. I’ll call you when I get there.”

“OK, honey. Love you. Sweet dreams.”

We hung up. I got up and bounced on the mini-tramponline I had in the bedroom, trying to get alert again. When I felt more alive, I headed for the shower. It’s where I do my best thinking, and I needed my best. I had to be able to resist her...from the phone, and for those two days where I’d be all hers.

I knew it was not going to be easy.

I stood under the water, letting it sluice over me, and breathed the steam. The hard part, I recognized, was that I really did want to tell her the surprise. That would be what got me. I wanted to know if she would like it, and I wanted to give it to her. On the other hand, I never really got to surprise her. It’s hard to be the sappy romantic I know myself to be under those circumstances.

Something had to temporarily block those urges. That something needed to be stronger than her suggestions, which I knew were very deep in me by now. It didn’t bother me, on an intellectual or emotional level. I’d wanted it to be that way. I just wished at that moment I’d been a little more cautious.

So, I thought as I lathered my hair, what could be stronger than a suggestion from Lydia?

Soap ran into my eyes as it hit me. Another suggestion...this one to counter that urge for a specific time period. One from someone with professional training, who knew how to get in really deep and make it stick.

I was close to broke from Christmas buying, though, especially Lydia’s present. Setting up the rest of the surprise was going to take most of the rest of my available cash. Then, too, a lot of the local pros knew Lydia or Dr. Stephens. That shouldn’t mean anything, but it did to me. I needed someone not local, who could maybe do a phone session and bill me after my next paycheck.

I rinsed off quickly, turning off the shower and bundling into the soft terry robe I’d gotten from Lydia for my birthday. Booting up the computer, I logged in to check mail. Nothing spectacular hit my eye, so I began running searches on the major search engines.

Almost immediately, I realized I was in for it. Almost all the sites were something dramatically different from what I needed. They advertised for the total hypnotic submission of whoever paid the fee. It would have been interesting a year ago, but at the moment it was the last thing I needed. As the night started to be early morning, it didn’t look like I was going to find anything.

I decided to take a break and opened up ICQ. None of my friends were on, so I started through the search engine looking for someone to talk to. I scrolled down a list of people who shared some of my interests. One of the names caught my eye, so I clicked to look at her attributes. One of her interests was hypnosis. I clicked refresh just to make sure. Web design, hypnosis, internet friends...and she was on.

I typed in the number to add her to my friends list. Soon she would be notified that I had added her to my list. That in itself usually got a response from most people. Sure enough, after a minute a little message icon was blinking next to her alias.

I grinned to myself and double clicked to see what it was... “Hiya! Do I know you?”

I typed in response “No, it’s just that I have a problem that’s weighing on my mind and it’s not letting me sleep. I searched for people with interests similar to mine and your name popped up. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

The answer came in the form of a chat request. I was a little surprised by the quick reply, but I accepted the request. A chat window opened up. I quickly selected to log the session.

SJS:

So, is this a “trying-to-find-solutions” talk, a “distract me” talk, or a “hypnotize me so I can sleep” talk?

I had to grin. “This is a combination of the first two. The last, I can do for myself if I need to.”

SJS:

Good to see you know it. Some people never seem to get it. So, what can I do for you, says the friendly neutral third party?

MikeRo:

Ah, just wondering how people ever find reputable hypnotists online. Seems like everyone’s out for World Domination Through Sex.

SJS:

(giggles) There are a few otherwise. Why, what are you looking for?

MikeRo:

Sort of a long story.

SJS:

I’m working on a webpage and can’t get it right. If you don’t mind me being quiet for long periods, I’ll listen.

MikeRo:

Done. Sorry I can’t help with the webpage. :/

SJS:

No big thing. So! Talk!

I took a deep breath. Here goes nothing.

MikeRo:

OK, I’m in this absolutely wonderful relationship with my girlfriend. We’re really serious. One problem: I can’t keep a secret from her. And there are times around the holidays when a guy really wants to, you know? ;)

SJS:

Aaaah. I get you. This isn’t a keeping secrets thing, this is about presents.

MikeRo:

Exactly.

SJS:

So what’s the problem?

MikeRo:

Well, she hypnotizes me a lot, and I’m used to letting her know what’s going on with me...

SJS:

...and you’re scared you’ll spill the beans. Why don’t you just not go under?

MikeRo:

Because we have an all-day play date scheduled, and she’ll know for sure! And...I like it. (blush)

SJS:

LOL! OK. Well. I know someOne who won’t mess with your head, but She does charge. The good side is, She knows what She’s doing. The bad side is, it’s not cheap.

MikeRo:

Neither was this present. What’s another couple thousand? ;)

SJS:

YIPE! It’s not THAT much! (You are kidding on that, right?) ;) Give me a contact email?

I hesitated, then typed:

MikeRo:

You’re sure she’s that good? (And BTW, I was kidding.)

SJS:

Whew. And She’s a professional.

I thought about it for a second, then typed in my email.

SJS:

I’ll pass this on. You should get a response tomorrow early. If She thinks it’s a good idea, She’ll give you a call. Be thorough when you explain the situation to Her.

MikeRo:

Thanks. I appreciate it. I think I’ll be able to sleep now.

SJS:

Welcome! Glad it was so easy to help. Sleep well.

I closed the chat and logged off. As I curled up in bed, I realized that I had a better feeling about the whole thing than I had in days. I fell asleep quickly, thinking of Lydia’s eyes.

The email was there when I woke up in the morning. It was from a “Mistress Althea.” I hadn’t seen that name on any of the sites, but that wasn’t totally a surprise. I’d given up a little more quickly than I wanted to admit.

Some of those pages had really spooked me.

The letter was indeed professional, written in a clean and clear style of language that reminded me of Dr. Stephens. She asked me about what I had in mind, why I wanted to experience hypnosis, why I thought hypnosis could solve this issue. I did my best to answer all the questions she had and sent off the mail with my phone number and the times I’d be available during the day and evening.

I logged off, stretched, and almost fell out of my chair as the phone rang. I answered it quickly. “Mike here!”

It was Lydia. “Mike? Are you OK? You sound upset...”

Shit. Duck and cover. “No, I was just in the middle of a stretch and the phone startled me.” The truth, but not the whole truth. “Are you at the airport? I can barely hear you.”

“And I can barely hear you! The flight’s delayed about half an hour, so I thought I’d call. What are you up to?”

I shrugged without realizing it, then grinned at myself. “Maybe going shopping with Jase. I don’t expect to be home much.”

Her voice was a little disappointed. “Oh. Well, can I call you tonight?”

“Of course, honey! I’ll be home around...” I hastily tried to think of a time outside the blocks I’d sent to Mistress Althea. “...ten-ish.”

“That late?”

I let the smile show through my voice. “You know Jase. We’ll have to go out to talk afterwards, and then who knows what. But I can’t have him out forever, he still has class tomorrow.”

She laughed. “Ever the dutiful big brother. OK, I’ll call around then. I love you.”

“I love you too, honey. Safe flight.”

I found myself shaking as I hung up. That had been too close for my comfort. I scolded myself for thinking the call could have come that fast. Maybe all this was getting to me more than I thought. I dialed up my parents’ house.

Jase agreed to meet me at the local K-mart. We got there at around the same time, which has to be a record for him. Jase is not the most time-reliable person I know. He grinned as he took a look at my face. “You’re up to something. I know you.”

I pantomimed shock. “Me? Up to something! ME? In fact, we have to pick up my present for Lydia...and I have a mission for you, should you choose to accept it.”

“Do I get a video game out of it?” he teased me, then nodded. “I’m game. Where to?”

“Well, here first. I need decorations for the apartment. I have something in mind.”

“OK. Does this mission involve me getting up on ladders and reminding you how much taller I am than you are?” He grinned at me.

I made a face. “Ha ha. Listen, I helped Mom change your diapers. Don’t you forget it. Come on.”

We picked out enough decorations to coat Times Square...at least, according to Jase. I thought they’d do nicely. After all, you only get one first Christmas in a new apartment.

We dropped off the whole shebang at my place, and then headed toward the mall. Jase groaned and slouched in his seat. “We aren’t really going in there, are we? I have this thing about not wanting to be overrun by people looking for things their family will never use.”

I laughed. “We have to. Her present’s in there.”

Jase grumbled good-naturedly the whole way through the parking nightmare. The place was packed, shoppers wall-to-wall and jostling each other. We barely managed to stay together in the crowd. He paused a moment before an unfamiliar store without the standard holiday decorations. “Dark Forest? What’s that?”

I’d heard rumors about what was in that one, and grabbed his elbow. “Come on. If you went in there and Mom and Dad heard about it, we’d both be so dead. Besides, we still have your mission to take care of after I pick this up!”

He looked back over his shoulder at the entry as we walked away. “You’re no fun, Mike. My mission’s entirely too much like work! It’s a good thing I like decorating.” He didn’t resist me pulling him along, though, and was grinning as we ended up in front of a tiny, quiet jewelry store with tasteful lights in its display windows.

I glanced at him. “Want to wait here, or go inside with me?”

He grinned. “Her present is here? Mmm-mm-mmm. This must be loooove.”

I mock growled at him, then shot back “Maybe you’re recovering from when Dad dropped you on your head. That’s only screamingly obvious, as opposed to, say, having me skywrite it or something. In or out?”

“Oh, I’m in. I gotta see this.”

He trooped in behind me, glancing over the cases of petite hearts, crosses, and various earrings. I went to the counter and gave my name. “Here for a pickup. Is it ready?”

The salesguy nodded. “Are you sure you don’t want to add earrings or a necklace to this purchase?” he asked hopefully. “It would be perfect for the holidays.”

I shook my head. Suggestion, I’m vulnerable to, but never suggestive selling. “No, that’s OK. May I see how it came out?”

He opened the little velvet-colored box. Jase peeked over my shoulder and whistled softly. “Nice. Very nice. Does that mean...”

I winked at him. “You keep your mouth shut.” I took the box and closed it again, handing the salesdrone my card to pay off the balance of the purchase. “I mean it, Jase. NO talking.”

He grinned back at me saucily. “Oh, I can keep my lips zipped. I just don’t think you can!”

“Yeah, yeah...” I hate it when he’s right. “I’ll do my best to keep up my end of the deal. You do the same.”

We left the store, fought the crowd, and got back to the car. “Can I see that again?” he asked. I handed it to him. He looked at it and then at me. “All kidding aside...it’s really nice. She’s going to love it.”

“I sure hope so!” I said fervently. “I really do.”

We spent the rest of the day working on the apartment. By the time we were done, the silvery garland hung around all the doors. The tree Mom and Dad had given me sparkled with tinsel and bubble lights. The windows were all illuminated.

Jase stepped back and admired it. “Not bad!” he admitted. “If I do say so myself. So what’s the payoff for my mission?”

I grinned at him. “You get to select the pizza toppings.”

He grinned back. “Cheapskate. Throw in that I don’t have to make the call and we’ll call it even.”

“You’re on...but the price of good help these days!” I shook my head and ordered the food. By the time he left, it was around seven. I went to check my email.

Just as I’d expected, I had something from Mistress Althea. She told me she was full for the night, and might be able to squeeze me in at nine tomorrow. I stared at the screen for a while, trying to sort out my feelings. On the one hand, I knew she had to be busy. On the other, I’d counted on this being quick. Lydia was due to call soon, and I wasn’t sure I’d be ready if she triggered me.

I logged into ICQ hopefully. Sure enough, there she was...just who I was hoping to see. I chat requested her.

SJS:

Hi! Get your response?

MikeRo:

Yeah...tomorrow. I’m just hoping I can hold out the night. :/

SJS:

You can if you want to. Hang on a sec.

She didn’t do anything for about five minutes. I got up and paced, nerves going from bad to worse. Finally, she came back.

SJS:

Sorry. Boyfriend wanted to show me a new toy. You know how that goes!

MikeRo:

Too Much Information! (winks)

SJS:

LOL! Not like that. Seriously...you can do it, Mike. Just think of what you want more.

MikeRo:

I know what I want. I’m clear on that at least.

SJS:

My advice, for what it’s worth, is don’t obsess on it. Just go on and do whatever you normally do.

MikeRo:

I’ll keep that in mind.

SJS:

Gotta go...boyfriend’s cooking dinner. Take care of yourself. And DON’T WORRY!

MikeRo:

Easier said than done.

SJS:

With trance, if you can dream it, you can at least imagine doing it. I’m off!

The chat window closed and her name went into the “offline” list. I took another deep breath and started to clean up the kitchen. It was an hour later when I realized I hadn’t logged out. When I checked voice mail, there was a message.

“Hi, it’s me. I guess you’re busy. We’ve been running around all day and I’m exhausted. If it’s OK, I’ll talk to you in the morning. Good night, Mike. Love you.”

I must be Conflicted Emotion Man. I listened to Lydia’s message about four times, both relieved and guilty. This was starting to get too intense for me. Maybe it wasn’t worth keeping the secret.

Then I thought of the look in her eyes, or what I hoped it’d be, and found resolution again. I’d keep on going. After all, I had told her I’d be out for another couple of hours. We’d have missed one another even if I hadn’t been online.

The phone stayed silent the rest of the night. I made popcorn and watched football commentators try and figure out the way the postseason would fall out. I never realized when I fell asleep on the couch.

I woke up in the morning with a stiff neck and anime heroes blowing each other up on the tube. I shuffled into the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. “If Romeo looked like this, I’m surprised Juliet didn’t kill him herself!” I told my reflection. A shower and shave later, I felt much more ready to face the world.

I didn’t have to work till one, so I tried to think of ways to kill time. I’d just about decided on the library when the phone rang. I picked it up, but wasn’t prepared for the voice on the other end. It was soft, cultured, and firm. “Mike, please.”

“Speaking,” I said. “Who’s this?”

“This is Mistress Althea, Mike, although given your request I don’t think you need to worry about the title right now.” I slowly sat down on the couch as she continued. “I’ve had a cancellation, but I wanted to make sure this was a good time.”

“Oh...uh, yeah! Sure! Just fine!” I realized I probably sounded like an idiot. “Thanks for calling. I really appreciate the time.”

“The pleasure’s mine. From what you said in your letter, you need help with a different kind of issue. I do appreciate why you think you need hypnosis to work this out. After sleeping on it, do you still feel that way?”

“Yeah,” I affirmed. “I just don’t see any easy way out otherwise. I mean, if I didn’t go under...but I really really like it. It’s, well...”

“Intimate?” she supplied as I fumbled for a word.

“Intimate. Yes. That’s it exactly.” I could feel my cheeks heating up. “And I love that closeness.”

“Why don’t you tell me what usually happens between you and Lydia when she hypnotizes you, Mike?”

My face went from warm to nuclear furnace. “Um. Well. Usually we, uh.”

She laughed softly. It was a warm laugh, not a mocking one. “Let me rephrase. What method or methods does she use to hypnotize you?”

Oh. “Well, we’ve used a few different things. Candles, her eyes, progressive relaxation, things like that. Is that what you mean?”

“That’s exactly what I mean. Do you have a method you like best, Mike?”

“The first time she took me under, she used a candle. That was really nice. The second time, we were in the car with her driving and she had me watch the white line on the side of the road. She did tell me that it wouldn’t happen if I was driving, only if she was.” I added hastily.

“I’m glad she did that. Did you like it?”

I shivered. “I loved it. The line kept wavering back and forth, and the car hum was there in the background...” I realized I was staring at the wall. It didn’t seem important. “I just kept watching it and it went on forever...”

“I can see you did like it.” Her voice had a different tone to it now. “Keep telling me how it felt, Mike. What did it feel like as you let yourself slide down into hypnosis?”

I realized that was exactly what was happening. But wasn’t that supposed to happen? I didn’t fight it. “It felt nice...I was melting into the seat, she told me I was...one with the car and following the line into forever...”

“Can you see the line now, Mike?”

It appeared in front of me, in my imagination. I could almost see it stretching out in front of me. “Yes...” I murmured, staring at it. “I can see it.”

“Just keep watching that line, Mike. Feel yourself melting again. Go back in your mind to how that felt, and let yourself be there again.”

The line grew more solid and real. I watched it as we drove up the road, noticing it sometimes a little more toward the grass, sometimes farther away. The purr of the engine got louder and louder. At one point I thought I heard a horn beep twice. It didn’t matter.

The car stopped and I got out. We were at the library. I went up the stairs. For some reason the line had been painted all the way up and through the lobby. I followed it to a shelf marked “Mike.” It was filled with books. I pulled one off the shelf and started to read it out loud. There were things in that book I needed to tell someone.

I read about my experiences with Lydia. There were things she’d done that someone needed to know. I kept reading, and the someone kept listening. Finally I closed the book and followed the line back out to the car. I sat down, but it wasn’t Lydia in the driver’s seat. It was a woman I didn’t know. I couldn’t see her face clearly, but her eyes were beautiful. They kept changing color. I didn’t want to look away. I was afraid I’d miss something. The woman spoke to me, and I listened. She said quite a few things. Listening to her made me feel good. Her eyes kept changing color. Then they closed, and I found myself back on the couch, feeling dizzy but awake.

“How do you feel, Mike?” Mistress Althea asked.

“I’m...back. Wow. That was intense.”

Her voice was warmer than it had been, more amused and friendlier. “Well, you certainly have had some adventures with your love. However, she seems to have been careful with you. I did check for any suggestions left hanging that might have been dangerous, and didn’t find any. She seems to be responsible enough to be careful.”

“I love her. I’ve always trusted her. She earned it long before I let her into my head.”

“I’ve gone ahead and filled your request. You won’t feel the urge to tell her about the surprises you have for her if she hypnotizes you. You should go into a self-induced state once a day and reinforce them, but I think you’ll be just fine now. My regards to you and her. My office will send you the bill in the mail, if that will be all right?”

I nodded with relief. “Sure...sure! And thanks. For everything, ma’am.”

“You’re very welcome, Mike. Happy holidays.” And she hung up.

I stretched and realized all the soreness was gone from my neck. I felt happy, relaxed, and ready for work. I was humming to myself as I went out the door.

The rest of the week went by in a blur of work and planning. I accumulated the rest of the supplies I’d need for the surprise, never able to look at them without a smile.

Lydia called every night. As the week went on, she seemed more and more puzzled. She asked me if I was feeling all right a lot. I was and told her so. She put me to bed nightly, but I wasn’t worried about spilling the news. I felt secure and confident, and more than a little sneaky.

If she doubted that I missed her, she must’ve been reassured when I met her at the airport. I all but picked her up when I bearhugged her, and I know for a fact we were drawing attention with the kiss. I didn’t care. To judge by the way she beamed at me, face flushed, she didn’t either.

“Should we go by your apartment to pick up anything?” she asked me.

I shook my head, maybe too casually. “Nah, I brought everything in the back of the car. Just think, that whole house to ourselves! Better than my apartment.”

She nodded, eyes searching my face. “You’ve just seemed preoccupied this past week. I was worried about you.” There was a question in her voice that I realized I couldn’t answer, even if I’d wanted to.

I settled for squeezing her hand. “Don’t worry, honey. It’s just holiday stress. I’ll be fine in a couple of days.”

She accepted that answer. We went back to her parents’ place and settled in. They have a garden tub, and I discovered the luxury of going into trance almost neck-deep in hot water, with Lydia’s warm softness behind me and supporting me. It was something we’d never tried before, and I made a mental note to make sure we had a tub big enough to almost submerge in when I got a house.

At one point I overheard her talking on the phone to her mother. “Yeah. Yeah, he’s definitely got something on his mind. He’s not ready to talk about it yet.” She paused. “No, I’m sure it’s all right. When he’s ready, he’ll share.” I felt the hair go up on the back of my neck. It wasn’t time yet, and I couldn’t talk about what I had planned yet. I was very careful to distract her with lots of attention that night. Lydia’s a sucker for a full-body massage, and I gave her that and much more before she tucked me in.

Christmas Eve day was clear and bright, but cold. It wasn’t supposed to be a white Christmas, so I wasn’t worried about the weather spoiling my plans. Lydia and I helped out with the neighborhood luminaria, then went around with Jase and his girlfriend singing carols in broad daylight. That’s unusual in my neighborhood, where people tend to wait until dark. We got a few odd looks, but most people were more amused than anything.

Night came almost too soon.

I swallowed back a bad case of nerves. It was time to put the final phases of my plan into action. She was helping Mom with hanging the stockings when I wandered in and said “Honey, I forgot something back at my place. I’m going to have to go get it. Do you mind staying here for an hour or so?”

She offered “I’ll go with you. Will it take an hour?”

“Well, I hope not...but if I need your help, I’ll come get you. How’s that?”

She looked at me with confusion and concern. “Um. Sure, if that’s what you want...”

I kissed her tenderly. “I’ll be back before you know it.” Mom gave us a curious look, but didn’t intervene. I headed outside and took a deep breath of the chilly night air.

The luminaria bags glowed with the light of the candles inside. The streets through the whole neighborhood were outlined with the lights. It was too perfect. I prayed it would stay that way.

I drove slowly, carefully, until I was out of the area. Then I gunned it for my apartment. Once in the door, I didn’t think I could move fast enough. I lit the tree, checked to make sure everything was in place, and started the oven. Hands on my hips, I surveyed the apartment. Perfect. Or as perfect as it was going to get, anyway.

The hard part was waiting while everything cooked. I paced. The bubble lights on the tree warmed up and started doing their thing. I didn’t dare light candles yet. It didn’t quite take an hour, but I was a nervous wreck by the time the food was done. I left it on the top of the stove to cool, triple-checked that I had the last-minute things I needed. Then I headed back for my parents’ house.

When I got there, Jase and Lydia were deep in a game of Tetris. For once, she was winning. I leaned against the wall while the minutes ticked on and they laughed t ogether. Now that my plans were finally in motion, the pause was killing me. Finally she beat him decisively enough that he gave up. She grinned, face flushed with the rare victory, and bounced up to hug me.

“I was wondering if you wanted to go drive?” I asked her. “And maybe see something you haven’t before?”

Her expression softened. “I’d love to. Do I need to bring anything?”

I shook my head. “Just you.” Jase grinned at me behind her back and gave me a thumb’s up sign.

She got her coat and we walked toward the car, hand in hand. “Oh!” I said, reaching into my pocket. “Just one more thing. You need this.” I pulled out a soft, dark silk scarf. “For your eyes.”

She blinked at me for a second. “I need what?”

I grinned at her. “It’s a surprise. Trust me?”

She nodded, still bemused. “Mike, are you really sure about this? I’ve never been blindfolded before...what if the cops stop us?”

“Don’t worry,” I reassured her. “They won’t. Not tonight. Tonight is too special, too magical.”

After a minute she nodded, the bemusement fading into curiosity. “OK, I’ll do it.”

I slipped the blindfold down over her eyes carefully. “It’ll be all right. I promise. Is that too tight? Too loose?”

She grinned a little. “It doesn’t hurt, but I can’t see anything. How’s that?”

I kissed her cheek. “Wonderful. Now, trust me?” I took her hand and led her carefully toward the car, one arm around her waist. She leaned into me. I s wallowed down a lump in my throat at a surge of emotion. She’d always protected me, in a way, trying to keep herself between me and the world. Now it was my turn to return that, and she accepted it without question.

I settled her into the car and belted her in carefully, kissing her cheek. “Watch it, I’m closing the door,” I warned her before securely shutting it. As I got in on my side, I put in her favorite Christmas music CD. She smiled and leaned her head back against the back of the seat. I couldn’t see if her eyes were closed or not, of course, but I could imagine they were.

I took my time driving carefully around the city. I wanted to be sure she had no idea where we were. She asked once or twice, but I just grinned and said, “You’ll see.” Every so often I’d put my hand on her leg and squeeze it, letting her know I was still with her emotionally as well as physically. By the time I pulled up at the back entrance to the apartment, she was totally lost.

She tilted her head as I turned off the car. “Where are we? Are we stopping here?”

I leaned over and kissed her again, pulling her close. “Unbuckle, honey. We’re at our destination.”

She released her seatbelt as I got out. I helped her out of the seat and guided her toward the back stair. “Now...hold still, OK?” I told her. She paused, and I picked her up in a bridal carry. “There! Gotcha!”

She laughed and grabbed for my shoulders. “Mike! Don’t drop me!”

I grinned as I started up the stairs. She was light in my arms. It felt good to carry her this way. “Not a chance,” I reassured her. “Not even close.”

The back door was unlocked, just the way I’d left it. Getting it open was easy. I carried her through the kitchen, closing the door behind me with my foot. She sniffed. “Something smells really good,” she said softly.

I laid a finger to her lips. There was an odd clarity to my thoughts. I realized suddenly that I’d been through this before. I’d planned it all out. It was all in the library book I’d read to Mistress Althea, in the hypnotic dream I’d had while on the phone. I was vibrating inside as I told Lydia “You smell better than that, trust me.”

I settled her gently on the couch and knelt in front of her, stroking her cheek. She raised her hands to the blindfold, but I caught them in mine. I took a deep breath, the way Mistress Althea had told me (and she had told me, I could remember that now) and let the words flow.

“Now...I want you to imagine something for me, Lydia. Can you do that?” I tried to keep my voice quiet and steady, even though I had butterflies in my stomach the size of albatrosses.

Her body went rigid with surprise for a second, but then she relaxed. “For you, sure.” There was a slight quaver in her voice. I kissed her hands, and she unwound a bit more and smiled.

“It’s OK, honey. I’m going to tell you a fairy tale, OK? Just imagine. Imagine you’re a princess, in a magical faraway land. You have a good life. You and your people never want for anything. The land is rich and plentiful, the people are happy, and the children laugh in the streets. You’ve been blessed by the woods and field spirits, and your beauty grows with each passing day. Can you imagine that for me?”

Usually Lydia would come back with some half-sarcastic remark. This time, she just nodded a little. “I can imagine that,” she murmured softly. “Are you trying to hypnotize me, Mike?”

I squeezed her hands. “If that’s OK...just this once.” Now it was my voice that was shaking.

She leaned forward and kissed me. She was aiming for my lips, but got my nose at first. That set us both into giggles. She leaned back against the back of the couch and took a deep breath. “OK, love...go ahead.”

I centered myself and went on. “One day you’re out in your garden, and you notice a beautiful flower that wasn’t there before. You’re smart enough to know this is a magical flower. It has the power of summoning a prince to your side, one who will love you always. Can you see that flower?”

I kept stroking her hand gently. She whispered softly “I can see the flower.” As I turned over her hand and began massaging her palm, she sighed and relaxed more, letting herself slump against the back of the couch. I could almost see her going through her progressive relaxations, helping me along.

“There’s only one thing about that flower. In order to summon the prince, you have to breathe deep the flower’s scent and let it cast a spell on you. It won’t hurt, but it will make you sleepy, princess. Are you willing to do that?”

Lydia smiled dreamily. “I already am,” she whispered. “Just looking at it helps it cast its spell.”

I had to take another deep breath. It shouldn’t have surprised me that someone who can hypnotize as well as she can would go under as quickly. Maybe she wasn’t that deep, but I could sense a change in her. It felt like she was slipping away from the apartment and into the scene we’d created. “That’s right, princess. Sit down on the grass beside it, and get comfortable. Breathe deep...and let the spell cast itself over you.”

I watched her take a long, slow breath. Then her hand went totally limp in mine, her face below the blindfold going blank and expressionless. I laid her hand in her lap, patting it gently as I got up and began to light candles. “That’s it, princess, let the spell work. Imagine your prince, and work the magic to bring him to you.”

Her lips parted slightly as she rested there on the couch. I shivered at the feeling of protectiveness I felt, hastening the candle-lighting as best I could to get back by her side.

Kneeling down and watching her face, I whispered “Now, my beautiful princess, you can hear the hoofbeats of a horse getting closer.” I reached up and slipped off the blindfold. Her eyes were closed underneath, her face peaceful. “The spell is still working, you can feel it. Can you hear him getting nearer?”

She nodded a little. “In a moment you can open your eyes...and find yourself in your fairy-tale kingdom, with your prince at your side. But first...you can hear the sound of him dismounting his horse...”

I leaned forward. “And he has to kiss you...”

I brushed my lips over hers. She stirred and her arms went around me, kissing me back with surprising hunger. Then her eyes opened and she looked first at me, then at the apartment.

The silver garland and bubble lights glittered. The candles illuminated almost every available surface. It didn’t look much like the usual male-college-student apartment she’d gotten used to seeing. Even the computer had been covered with a cloth, and a candle burned on either side of the keyboard. In the center of the room, a table covered with a white cloth had a single red rose laid across the center.

Her eyes widened and she looked back at me. I pulled the little velvet-covered box from my pocket. She looked down at it, then up at me.

I smiled up at her from my kneeling position. “My beautiful princess, there’s no maiden in the kingdom so lovely, wise, and accomplished as yourself. Would you do me the honor of being my bride?”

The sapphire and diamond-chip ring caught the light of the candles and held it. As she sat there, speechless, I took her hand, kissed it, and slid the ring slowly onto her finger. “Only say yes, and you will have made me the happiest prince who ever lived.”

“I...” Her voice caught, and then firmed. “Look at me, Sir Michael.”

I looked up at her and into her eyes. She smiled at me and said, “This princess knows enough of magic to know a prince must be tested. Are you willing to undergo my tests?”

Without thinking I said, “I’m your servant, my lady. Test me as you will.”

She kissed my forehead softly and whispered “Sleep, my prince.”

A year and more of letting her hypnotize me caught up with me. The tension I’d felt evaporated in a rush. There was no more need for secrets, nothing left to hide. I felt myself going limp as my eyes closed and I laid my head in her lap. It was so comfortable there. It was where I wanted to be for the rest of my life, if she’d let me.

Her hand smoothed my hair. “Sleep, and dream, beloved...” she murmured. “Dream wonderful dreams.” The last part of me that noted dryly that dinner was getting cold faded into silence.

I knew it when she got me up off my knees to sit on the couch beside her. At her direction, my eyes opened and fastened on a red bubble light. I watched it with totally disinterested focus. It was easy to watch as the bubbles worked their way quickly from the bottom of the long bulb to the top. I knew she was talking to me, asking me questions. I knew I was answering. Words were bubbling up out of me, and I was red, red for love. The suggestions Althea had given me faded forever in the bubble light’s glow. I didn’t need them any more anyway.

Then I was blinking and stretching, coming back to myself. She had gotten up off the couch and was staring out the window. I felt a chill as I got up and stood behind her. “Honey?”

She slowly looked up at me, her eyes tear-filled. “You went through a lot of trouble for this...”

I nodded. “Well, yeah. But it was worth it, for you.” She was crying. I didn’t want her to cry. My shoulders tightened and I started praying for the first time in years. If ever there was a time for anyone to be listening, Christmas Eve was the best.

She reached up with her left hand, ring glittering, and touched my cheek. “I have your answer, Mike.”

I dropped back to my knees and looked up at her almost pleadingly. “Marry me, please, Lydia. Please.”

She smiled down at me, then knelt in front of me. “That flower worked some powerful magic...who am I to tell it that it was wrong?”

I hugged her tightly, and she nestled up against my chest. The candles burned and the Christmas tree glowed as we knelt together and I held my princess close.