The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

October 30

In the last week of September, I’d received the first dividends from my stock in Stewart’s firm... and had stopped looking quite so hard for a new job. The extra cash flow meant I was more free to choose jobs that I might enjoy. So, I’d started volunteering as a web designer for charities and nonprofits. It would take me a while to build up some savings again, but working part-time while my girlfriend was in school definitely had its benefits.

Alas, my current assignment required me to work from 9:00 AM until noon on Saturdays, and I didn’t count that as among the benefits. Zelasha usually slept in until I got home, and would greet me in her nightgown.

This week had been different, though. My girlfriend and I both loved vampire books and movies, and we’d been making a big deal of our first Halloween together. Zelasha had enjoyed redoing our apartment with a look reminiscent of a Gothic castle—although replacing all the light bulbs with black lights did make it a bit hard to see at night. When she wasn’t in class, she’d been reaping all the benefits that shopping in Los Angeles had to offer—and in the evenings, we’d been holding “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” marathons.

I’d put bookshelves along the northern wall of my living room as soon as I’d moved in to my apartment, and Zelasha had added her touch this month by placing little pumpkins on every shelf. She’d also replaced most of my posters with tapestries—the exception being the “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” one signed by Sadie Frost.

Arriving home, I smelled a touch of incense... and, doubtlessly having heard me enter, my girlfriend stepped out of the bedroom.

Zelasha was wearing a black velvet dress that fell to her ankles. Red roses were embroidered along the hem of its skirt. Its top teased the eyes, hinting at her lovely cleavage; her arms were graced by a number of gold bracelets. Unbound, her wavy blonde hair tumbled alluringly, seductively, all around her. I could tell from her dress—and her eyeliner—that she was in a mood.

She was stunning. Truth be told, I’d loved her natural red hair, but how many boys had gone to grade school and never had a crush on the blonde?

As I reached for her, Zelasha smiled impishly and raised a finger.

“I have a surprise for you, lover,” she said, sliding a finger into the black velvet between her breasts. It emerged a moment later, followed by a golden chain... at the end of which lay a pocket watch.

I looked at her worriedly. “Oh, no.”

She winked as she held the watch up between us and started to swing it back and forth. “Oh, yes.” Whether from habit or trust I don’t know, but my eyes—without my having made any conscious decision to do so—started to follow the watch’s rhythmic movements.

“You know you want this,” my girlfriend said evilly. “You know you love this, and I know you do, because I see your eyes locking onto the watch and feeling the rhythm, the rhythm of the back and forth, back and forth, as you follow the watch. Your thoughts move to the rhythm of my words, Nikolai... beat, beat, beat, your mind is following my words and locking onto my words as your eyes have locked onto my watch.”

I found myself nodding, and it was easy for me to fall into the simple rhythm of watching her pendant swing back and forth. Zelasha was hypnotizing me... what was she going to do? I tried to focus, tried to think, tried to make a decision whether or not to go along with this... but her voice was so intensely sexy. Her tone had dropped into an easy, soothing sing-song. I was listening to her words to see if she was dropping hints of her intention. What did she have in mind? But her watch was swaying, my eyes were following it, and I didn’t have enough time to think about this clearly.

“You love what I do to you,” my girlfriend murmured. “You love how this controls you, you love how your mind accepts my words as your own, my words as your thoughts. Your mind so easily and readily obeys me, like when I tell you your eyes are getting heavy, you so easily obey me without thinking, and I when tell you you’re feeling drowsy and my voice is melting your will, your eyes just relax of their own accord...”

It was so, so easy to let Zelasha talk me to sleep. She was putting me into a trance with all the seductiveness of a siren. Did I want this now? Of course I did... I love that my girlfriend is a witch.

“And when I tell you your eyelids are drooooping, they’re so tired from watching my watch that you have to obeyyyy me, and when I snap my fingers you know your head will nod and you’ll fall asleep, darling—you’re feeling sooo sleeeepyyy, and you love me so much you knoooow you trust me, and you trust me so much you know it’s all right to obeyyyyy me, and it is time for you to sleep. Limp, loose, relaxed, asleep.”

I tried to keep my eyelids open—but this was happening to fast—and my eyelids were so heavy...

Zelasha snapped her fingers, and I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I was so relaxed, and my head was nodding...

From far away, I heard her giggle; then she nibbled on my earlobe, and began whispering in my ear. Eventually I forgot to listen, and just let myself drift on the soothing river of her voice as it ebbed and flowed inside my head.

I opened my eyes.

“Whoa, sorry—I hope I didn’t bore you too much!” Colleen said.

We were sitting on the bed, side by side, with pillows supporting our backs.

“Not at all,” I said, bluffing. I turned my head to look at her. As soon as our eyes met, a tantalizing mix of fascination and hope surged through me—the same excitement I’d felt since she’d smiled back at me a few hours earlier. My mouth started to go dry. Man, she was gorgeous!

Colleen grinned at me, green eyes sparkling, and I smiled back. I reached for her hand, and her fingers curled around mine with obvious affection. Please, lord, don’t let me blow it with her, I thought—but her open friendliness was making me more than comfortable.

I’d never felt such raw chemistry with another person. At the beginning of the evening, I had attended the opening of a new art gallery. We’d met at the reception, and sparks had flown at once. We’d started talking, and had continued the conversation for hours. At eleven o’clock I’d invited her out for ice cream. We’d spent the next hour looking into each other’s eyes over milkshakes, and afterwards I’d taken the almost unprecedented step of inviting her over.

Smiling, Colleen raised my hand to her lips, and kissed it. A palpable energy raced from my fingertips up my arm, and sent chills down my spine.

“You’re a flirt, you know that?” I asked.

Colleen shrugged. She had a ravishing full figure and incredible long blonde hair. She’d had it in a braid when we’d met, but had taken it down during the drive over, and her hair fell in thick tresses over her shoulders and breasts.

“Don’t you like it?” She turned her upper body towards me.

I mirrored her movement, taking both her hands in mine. “I do, and I appreciate you trusting me like this.”

“What’s not to trust?”

“Well, coming home with a guy you just met tonight...” I trailed off, shaking my head.

She licked her lips. “I had a feeling about you, Nikolai.”

“I like your daring,” I told her. “I like your honesty, and your intensity, and the way you talk.”

“I like your generosity, and your classiness,” she replied. “And your courtesy, and the way you respect me.” She gave me a come-hither smile. “So when are you gonna kiss me?”

I put an arm around her, and my heart skipped a beat as my bare skin slid across her satiny hair. She snuggled in, keeping her eyes locked on mine. Our lips touched, and parted.

Her lips were soft, and moist, and gentle. She tugged on my bottom lip, and I licked her top one. We were both smiling. Our tongues touched; I felt a curious tickling sensation in my torso; and we kissed harder, our lips melding. I could get used to this, I thought; I could get addicted. Colleen’s kisses were so full of longing; I felt chills down my spine and up my arms; my heart was pounding, I was dizzy...

Colleen pulled back. Realizing I was gasping for breath, I closed my mouth, breathing through my nose. My body was tired, my eyelids were heavy...

“I’m sorry,” she blurted out—and I looked into her eyes. They were dazzling, absolutely glamorous. She was wearing a trifle of shadow, a little eyeliner, and her irises... her irises... were a beautiful, bottomless crimson-red. I blinked, but she wasn’t bloodshot. The strange color didn’t look out-of-place, as sometimes happens when someone dyes their hair to a shade that doesn’t compliment their skin. Instead, the crimson was flecked with tiny ebony lines, and shaded by dark lashes.

“I’m so sorry,” she repeated. “I’m usually able to control it—I don’t know what happened.”

I realized I was gaping, and closed my mouth. “Your eyes, Colleen—”

A quick intake of breath betrayed her alarm, and before my eyes her eyes changed colors. The lapis-green she’d had when we’d met flowed into the bottom, then rose instantly to the top. It was like her irises were translucent red pitchers, and they’d been splashed full of green-blue liquid in under a second.

I wouldn’t have believed it had I not just witnessed it. For a moment I wished I’d seen it on video, so that I might watch it again in slow motion.

“What did I just see?” I stammered.

Colleen looked down, blushing. “I’m sorry, I’m sure it was... just a trick of the light.”

I stared at her. “I saw something.”

Before I could finish, she flung her arms around me and buried her head on my shoulder. I put my arms around her, then leaned backwards and to the left. She looked at me in surprise as she landed on top of me; then she giggled as I rolled us both over. My gambit paid off; she smiled up at me, eyes shining a luscious green, and puckered her lips.

I leaned down until centimeters separated our faces. “Not until you tell me what I saw.”

She took a breath. “Alright. One answer in exchange for one kiss. Deal?”

“Deal.” I kissed her.

Colleen kissed back, and once again I reveled in the succulent sensation of our lips touching. Hers were so full and kissable, so soft and damp. Her tongue was touching my lips, begging me to part my own and kiss her deeply... but I pulled back before I gave in to the impulse.

“How is it your eyes changed?” I asked.

She looked at me with yearning, a strange lust deep in her pupils. “Promise you won’t leave.”

“You said one answer for one kiss.”

I could tell she was cursing inside. “Alright. I’m a succubus. Kiss me while you’re thinking of your next question.”

I stared at her. She was a what? Colleen’s eyes shone with hope and with wanting. Were those crocodile tears? Was our connection real, or put on? Was she playing a joke on me?

She tilted her head and leaned forward. I kissed her again, and let myself enjoy it just a tiny bit—but pulled back again before I lost my train of thought. “You mean a sex demon?”

“Yes.”

Holy crap. She couldn’t mean—she couldn’t be—but I’d seen what I’d seen. Feeling like a poker player with a weak hand, I gave her another kiss. “Why me?” I asked.

“I like you, Nikolai.”

Another kiss. “How do I know you’re not lying?”

“How do I know you weren’t planning on raping me when you got me back here?”

“You trusted me?”

“Yes.”

We kissed again, and our tongues touched briefly. How do you keep total objectivity about someone you’re kissing, I wondered. Was this dangerous? Would kissing her hurt me?

“Could I have raped you?” I asked.

“Possibly.” Kiss.

“You’re not stronger than me?”

“We’re probably about the same.” Kiss.

“Would you have liked it if I had raped you?”

“Probably. You can’t rape the willing.” Two kisses.

“You’re not into S & M?”

“It sounds good, but I’ve never done it.” I tried to disengage, but Colleen pulled me into another kiss. Her lips were so full, so gentle...

“A succubus who’s never done S & M?”

“I’m young.” Smooch.

“How old are you?”

“Twenty.” I’d thought Colleen was older. When we’d met, I’d placed her at twenty-six, twenty-seven.

More kisses. “Not two hundred?” I asked.

“No. My mother’s five-hundred something, but I’m the youngest of her last litter.” More kisses. Damn, she was good. Her perfume filled my nostrils. I felt like I was breathing in her racy scent, that my lungs were filled with her fragrance.

“What’s your father?”

“An incubus.” Smooch. “And before you ask, succubi and incubi aren’t attracted to each other, and only mate when ordered to reproduce.” We weren’t leaning back between kisses any longer, and she was staring directly into my eyes. She was so unusual, and so beautiful.

“What a system,” I said.

“That’s why so many of us come up here.” Her eyes glittered in anticipation. “Are you done with your questions?”

“Not hardly. Are you here to steal my life?”

“Not at all.” We kissed, but this time she managed to slide her tongue in deep, and her hands moved to the sides of my head and held me close. We went on kissing for a long moment, and she didn’t stop me when I pulled back a little. Instead, she looked up at me, and I caught a glimpse of crimson at the edge of her pupils as the green washed through her irises.

With a grin, I took both her hands in mine, and pushed them down on the pillows. “Oooo,” she said, looking up at me. Her smile was flirtatious and enticing, her mouth just begging to be kissed. What was I getting myself into?

“Why are you here, then?” I asked.

“I like you, Nikolai,” Colleen said. “I really, really like you.”

“Is it safe for me to mess around with you?”

“I hope so.”

I kissed her. She was looking at me, green eyes shining with passion. What if I hadn’t noticed her eyes earlier? Would I be seeing the glow in her eyes as hope? What was she feeling? Could she even feel the same feelings I did?

“How dangerous is it?” I asked. Was she just a predator? Could she respect me?

“I don’t have to leech off your energy,” Colleen explained. “It happens automatically, but I can stop it with conscious effort. It’s only dangerous to you if I let go and lose myself, then I might forget that I have to be careful.”

“What would happen to me if you did?”

Colleen batted her eyelashes at me—she was trying to dismiss this as no big deal. “You’d get tired, fall asleep probably. I think I’d notice if that happened. When you’re on top, I can’t miss it. When I am... well, I really like you, Nick. I’ll pay attention. I promise.”

“What happens if you don’t notice?” I asked.

“You’d fall asleep, and not wake up. All the other succubi say that men love that. I’ve never actually killed anyone, I promise. You owe me three kisses now, buster.”

I kissed her, releasing her hands; they wrapped around my shoulders. We kissed again, and again. The sensation was amazing; her lips felt impossibly soft touching my own. Was she a good kisser because of her personality, or because of her biology?

“What do you really look like?” I asked.

“This,” she admitted. “Plus the extras.” More kisses.

“Will you show me?”

“If you really want.” She kissed me hard.

“Show me.”

Colleen wrapped her arms and legs around me, and rolled us over. She rose into a kneeling position, straddling me, and ran her hands through her curly blonde hair. She shook her hair out, closing her eyes—and then opened them.

Her irises had gone crimson-red again, but this time her pupils were slitted top-to-bottom, like a cat’s. As her hands moved down to her shirt, I noticed her fingernails had changed, too—they were now the same blood-red color as her eyes. Gathering up her dress, she pulled it off over her head, revealing black lace undergarments beneath. Her long blonde curls fell down around her again... and she unfolded her wings.

I gasped. Colleen’s wings were thick and bony at the top, and paper-thin below. They were the same crimson-red as her irises and nails—a bit darker at the top—and stretched about two arms’ lengths past her shoulders. There were all flesh, with no feathers.

She squirmed a bit on top of me, and I started getting aroused under the sexy sway of her hips. I thought I should be afraid, but I wasn’t. My heart was pounding, but with exhilaration. Was my excitement just because of us, or did she have some sixth sense that affected me?

“I have a tail, too,” Colleen said. “I’ll show you that, too, but you’ll have to finish undressing me.” She shrugged. “You still want to kiss me?”

God protect me if I’m wrong, I thought, and nodded. She grinned, lowered herself down, and kissed me soundly. I put my arms around her, and touched her wings; they were the same temperature as her flesh, and as smooth as her skin. She giggled a bit—I must have tickled her.

“No horns?” I asked as her blonde waves fell all around me.

“Nope.” Kiss.

“Can you fly?”

“Nope.” Kiss.

“What are the wings for?”

“Why do you have nipples?”

“Point taken.” Smooooch.

“Why did your eyes turn red earlier?”

She smiled at me, and I noticed her canines were a bit more pronounced than they had been before—but they weren’t fangs, like a vampire’s. “That happens when I get turned on. I can suppress it... I just forgot.” She pulled back a bit, fished around in her clothes, found a hair clip, gathered her blonde tresses behind the back of her head, then snapped the clip shut. I cupped her cheek in my hand, and drew her close to me.

“Why?” I asked. Her luxuriant hair still flowed around her, but it was no longer falling into her face.

Colleen laughed. “I got carried away. You do that to me.”

Smooch.

“Hang on a bit.” She looked at me, and slid her arms around my neck, propping herself up on her elbows. “You said you can stop yourself from draining me, but you already forgot once,” I pointed out. “How can I trust you?”

“I trust this connection we feel,” she said, crimson eyes shining. “Don’t you?”

“Depends,” I said, and looked up into her strange, gorgeous eyes. “Is this real?”

“It is for me!” She pulled back a bit, looking hurt. “Don’t you believe me?”

I grinned at her, trying to keep the conversation light. “Don’t be too hard on me, Colleen—you’re the first succubus I’ve ever dated.”

She laughed. “I hope I’m the last.”

“Two more questions. One, do you feel human emotions, the same ones I do?”

“I think so,” she said, nodding. “I don’t know for sure, I’ve never been anything else, but... I think I do. I’ve read books. I cried at the end of ‘Titanic.’ Most succubi can’t cry, I think. I’ve never told anyone this before, but I think it’s because I’m the runt of the litter. Now kiss me again. Please.”

I did. Our lips melded; our tongues danced; I slid my hands into her heavy, satiny hair.

“What’s your last question?” she asked after a bit.

“Can you mess with my head?”

“Am I telepathic, you mean?”

I nodded.

She shook her head, but kept eye contact. Her crimson orbs were so enthralling! “Only with my relatives. I had to learn English, just like you. I suppose I could manipulate you and tease you and wrap you around my finger...” she smiled. It was a wicked, delightful, sexy smile. “But I’m no more adept at that than anyone else. If I try to put one over on you, I only have my wits—and you might out-think me, just like you might anybody else you dated.” She ran a hand through her golden hair again, fluffing it. “That being said, do you trust me?”

My heart was pounding. “Yes.”

Colleen slowly unbuttoned my shirt, baring my chest; then unbuckled my belt. I slid my arms around her, and she shivered delightfully under my touch. I unclasped her bra—it was fastened just below her wings—and let it fall away. Her full breasts were gorgeous; she was like a Luis Royo painting come alive. She moved aside, pulling my pants off me.

We both reached for each other’s underwear at the same time, and giggled. Colleen looked at me hungrily, and I slid her panties down, over her legs. She wiggled around a bit, losing no chance to be provocative. I slid them past her knees, over her ankles, and away. Freed, her tail waved in the air, back and forth in a serpentine motion. It was the same crimson color as her wings, and about as thick as my thumb. Noticing my gaze, Colleen slid the tip over my cheek. It was warm, smooth and leathery, its texture much like a snake, and actually did end in a triangle.

Looking at me wickedly, Colleen slid the tip of her tail down to my waist and into my underwear. I shivered as it brushed against my member. She found the elastic at the waist, and tugged on it. My boxers came loose with a little encouragement from her fingers, and she tugged them off.

She slid her hand over my balls, and my member stirred appreciatively. Already a bit stiff from our kissing, it rose to full strength, and Colleen caressed it a few times, up and down, up and down. Her touch was intoxicating, like a martini sliding down my throat. Her touch was comfortable, like we had been lovers for months instead of minutes. I reached for her breasts—but in a serpentine movement, Colleen rose, took me inside her, and lowered herself down onto me.

Her body was slippery and warm; it was like bathing in whiskey. She swayed her hips a little, grinning; the sliding of skin against skin and flesh against flesh sent energy coursing through me. We’d been joined for only a minute, and I knew I’d be ready to climax soon. I hoped I could hang on long enough so she could, too. For heaven’s sake, how long did it take a succubus to orgasm?

I began to pet her nipples, and she moved forward, pressing them into my hands. She looked down at me with her lovely crimson eyes, smiling crookedly in delight.

“You were ready fast,” I said as we began to move together. “I thought it would take longer.”

She grinned widely. “I was ready by our fourth kiss, Nikolai.”

Pushing myself deep inside her, I tried not to show my surprise. “Does it always happen so fast?” I asked.

“Not often.” She rocked her hips back and forth. I kept my eyes focused on her face; I almost felt a falling sensation in my nerves as our bodies moved in time and I approached the verge.

“How long does it take you...” I began. I could feel my heartbeat in my eardrums.

“To come?” She was grinning from ear to ear, basking in the citrus-sweet sensation of lovemaking. “Not that long, but it’s not usually... THIS... fast.” She opened her eyes wide and stared at me like a madwoman, breathing hard, breathing... and then the energy washed through me, and my body was ready to let go, ready to release. I forced myself to breathe slowly, calmly, let go of the pressure; but Colleen was thrashing back and forth in rapture.

“Oh... oh yes, ohh yess yessss yesssssss...” she chanted, an insane smile on her face, basking in pleasure. After a moment, reason came back to her crimson cat eyes, and she smiled at me, licking her lips.

“Ohh, you’re good, Nikolai,” she said, and laughed. “I knew I liked you, but wow. You could have come, you know.”

I nodded. “How many can you do?”

“As many as you can give me,” she said mischievously. She licked her lips, and began to sway again. Like a serpent, she moved back and forth, left to right, up and down... her tail slid around my legs, tickling the back of my knee. We pushed and pulled, rocked and writhed... and then the muscles of her pussy contracted, squeezing me as she came. I felt her smooth body all around me, and the inexorable power of release surged through me... and I kept my eyes open, forcing it back down.

Colleen collapsed on top of me, and our lips met. We kissed deeply, relishing the taste of each other; then the succubus kissed her way over to my throat, and I breathed in the scent of her perfume.

“This time together?” she asked coquettishly, running her hand up and down my arm.

“Whatever you say,” I grinned, and we started moving again.

It seemed like our bodies were made for each other. I wondered briefly if Colleen had this effect on everyone. Did every man that went to bed with a succubus have the night of their life? But I began to wonder how many other lovers she’d had, and pushed the thought away before I got jealous. There was nothing to it; I had to make myself stand out.

I slid my hands over her sides and up and down her back. She moaned in pleasure, then laughed gleefully; she spread her wings, and batted them up and down a few times. Her hands sought mine, and she positioned herself directly above me.

“Thank you, Nikolai,” she said as we writhed together, up and down, back and forth. “I wanna—I want to stay with you.”

“Do you...” I began. I had to know. “Is it like this with all the men?”

She shook her head vigorously, blonde curls flowing around her shoulders. “Trust me. This is us, Nikolai.”

We kissed, and I closed my eyes as our tongues licked each other madly. I was breathing heavily through my nose; I felt every molecule of my skin inside her surrender to pleasure. I was getting tired, so tired, but I didn’t want to stop, and nothing had ever been more real in my life than our lovemaking... I felt myself falling, letting go, drifting off...

Oh lord. I forced my eyes to open, and looked directly into Colleen’s crimson cat-eyes. She was staring at me with a deadly intensity.

“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes.” Her eyes were glassy, seeing me but not seeing me with an almost hypnotized expression. “Yes,” she repeated, her voice rising in pitch. “Yes. Yes. Yes!”

The tingle all around me began again, and I knew that Colleen was on the edge of the cliff... but heavy weights were dragging my eyelids down, and it was all I could do to squirm, to bend my knees, to straighten my arms... and push her off.

The succubus landed on her side with a thump. “Oh, dammit,” she said breathlessly. “Talk about interruptus... oh my, Nick, are you all right? Damn, I’m sorry, I’m really sorry...”

I forced myself to sit up, and shook my head to clear it. Colleen’s hand caressed my cheek, but I stood up.

The demoness squirmed around until she could sit up. “What—are you okay? I’m sorry, Nick, talk to me, please...”

I stumbled over to my desk, and with a berserk sweep of my arm scattered all its contents onto the floor. I shoved the chair away aimlessly, and walked to the bed.

Colleen was staring at me in confusion, then squealed and laughed in pleasure as I picked her up, twirled her around, and sat her down on the desk. I stepped right up to her and kissed her hard; her arms and wings wrapped around me, and I thrust myself inside her.

Giggling madly, the succubus wiggled her hips, and put her hands on my ass, pulling me close. Her tail slid up and down my back, teasing. Laughing and kissing, thrusting and swaying, we moved together until I felt the heat rising inside me, and this one I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop.

“Yes,” Colleen said again. “Yes. Yes yes yes yes yes. Yes yes yes YES YES YES!” We came together, the tingling ecstasy of climax coursing through us. Our lips joined, and we kissed like it was the end of the world.

The succubus caressed my cheek and drooped her eyelids, looking up at me through long lashes. “Thank you, Nikolai,” she said. “Thank you... it felt so good when you took me.”

We kissed again. “Can I stay, Nick?” Colleen asked. “Can I be your lover?”

I nodded, licking her lips; she returned the favor, and we spent the next few minutes kissing.

Finally, Colleen slid her hand up to my cheek. “I’m sorry about earlier. I should have known how easy it would be to lose it with you.” She batted her eyelashes. “Forgive me?”

“Yes.” I laughed out loud. “I’ve never had a girlfriend like you, Colleen.”

“This is going to be so much fun!” the blonde demoness giggled.

“Yeah, if the sex doesn’t kill me.” I stepped back, and Colleen slid off the desk and stepped into my arms. We hugged and kissed, then she pushed me down on the bed.

“It’ll take me a while before I can go again,” I told her honestly.

“I know,” she nodded, then reached under a pillow. Perplexed, I gazed at her... until she pulled out a golden pocket watch.

“You’re not a...” I began.

The blonde succubus started swinging it back and forth, and my eyes fixed upon it at once.

“Hypnotist? Yes. You’re feeling very sleepy, Nikolai.”

My eyes closed.

I awoke with Zelasha lying naked beside me.

“I go under too bloody easily,” I sighed, and reached for her.

Settling into my arms, my girlfriend looked at me quizzically. “You’re not complaining?”

“Heavens, no,” I conceded. “Any time is a good time for this.”

She laughed, propping her head on one elbow. “Good. Now, be honest. How was it?”

“Awesome,” I told her.

“Glad you liked it,” she grinned. “I’ve always wanted to be a sex demon.”

I caressed her naked, pale skin, from her hip down her thigh. “Maybe you could dress up as one tomorrow.”

“Mmmmm,” she said. “Where’s that Halloween party you mentioned?”

“Oh yeah. It’s at the Fall Deeper.”

She snickered. “Mmm-hmm—the hypnofetish club in Santa Monica. Is it different than the other clubs we’ve been to?”

I nodded. I’d taken Zelasha to a goth club the first week we’d been together. My girlfriend had loved the clothes, but not the music. Times had been tight during the summer, though, and it wasn’t until this month that we’d really started to enjoy the Los Angeles night life.

“So what’s it like?” my girlfriend asked.

“They have a downstairs and an upstairs,” I explained. She shivered appreciatively as my fingers brushed over her leg. “Downstairs they have dancing from nine until ten. At ten they they have a stage show. That usually lasts until about eleven thirty. Then they remove the chairs and have more dancing, until closing... I think that’s at 2:30 now.”

“What kind of music?”

“Trance.”

Zelasha rolled her gorgeous green eyes. “I should have known. What about the upstairs?”

“Aha. Upstairs is the bar. The decoration is a riot, actually—they have spirals everywhere. There are lots of tables, chairs, and sofas, but they’re all in booths, so there’s a lot of privacy.”

“For?”

“For if you hook up with someone and want to practice.”

Zelasha laughed.

“Stay on your toes, though,” I told her. “Men outnumber women by about three to one. I guarantee you’ll be very popular.”

She titled her head to one side. “I will?”

“I guarantee it. You’ll have men approaching you left and right.”

“I’ll try to enjoy the flattery,” she said with a grin.

“Do,” I said. My girlfriend had been plagued by lack of self-confidence for years, and although she’d improved by leaps and bounds, she still was a sucker for flattery. “I hope you’ll be able to enjoy the club, but let me know if you get too tired of being propositioned all the time.”

“I’ll just beat them off with a stick.”

“You’ll have to.”

“What are the shows like?” Zelasha asked.

“They have a stage show every night the club is open,” I continued. “The guy they have is a hoot—plus, he varies the show from evening to evening, so I’ve never seen him repeat the same performance twice.”

“How much can you vary one show?”

“They rotate between G, R and X-rated shows depending on the night of the week.”

“Aaah. And tomorrow?”

“It’s supposed to be a surprise.” I rolled over and searched the bedside table for the flyer. “Here you go.”

She examined the black-and-orange leaflet. “This doesn’t say much. A special halloween show? Ah, and the prize for best costume.”

I shrugged. “Almost nobody dressed up last year. The winner was dressed up as Johnny Depp, I think. Do you want to go in costume?”

Zelasha looked at me and raised an eyebrow, deadpanning. I grinned. “Thought so,” I said.

“You know I looove dressing up.”

“I love it when you do, darling.”

“I’m glad I get to show that side of myself with you,” she admitted, and lay her head on my chest. I ran a hand over her long hair. “I remember when I was fifteen—I wanted to go as Julia Roberts in ‘Pretty Woman.’ My stepmother had a fit. If she’d had her way we wouldn’t have dressed up for Halloween at all, but my father knew how much I liked it, so she lost. But she lectured me for a couple hours every day for the whole week leading up to Halloween that I couldn’t go as a hooker. Do you remember the scene where she wears a red dress?”

It had been years since I’d seen the movie, so I shrugged.

“Anyway,” my girlfriend continued, dismissing my lack of recall, “I was going to dress up like that—but my stepmother kept on yelling at me that I couldn’t even dress up like a character who was a hooker.” I grinned at her imitation of her stepmother’s voice, and Zelasha continued, eyes twinkling. “Julia Roberts didn’t look like a hooker in that dress, and I certainly wasn’t going to.”

I massaged her shoulders. “What is it with your stepmother?”

“She hates children,” my lover sighed. “My mother died when I was thirteen, my father remarried when I was fifteen, and my stepmother and I argued daily. I remember once she came into my bedroom and told me to move my mother’s picture!”

I was stunned. “Talk about insensitive!”

My girlfriend nodded. “I think Eugenia hates all women’s bodies, and mine in particular. At least that’s the impression I got when she started glaring at me every time she saw me eat.”

I looked her up and down. “You’re beautiful!”

Zelasha looked gratefully up at me, eyes sparkling. “Thank you. I know I am. The hard part was quitting smoking. I started when Eugenia wouldn’t give me any peace.” She smiled whimsically. “Then when I got to college, I discovered I was slightly more addicted than I thought I was.”

She laid her head on my shoulder again, and made contented noises as I caressed her hair.

My girlfriend’s personality, of course, is exactly the way I remember it from college. She is so obviously my equal it seems unreal that she’s actually nine years younger than I am.

“I hope you don’t mind the change of focus,” I said.

She grinned at me again. “I’d only mind if I didn’t have you.”

Halloween

Zelasha walked into the living room. “So what do you think?” she asked, and I glanced up.

When the dividends from stock in Stewart’s microprocessor firm had started coming in, I’d taken my girlfriend shopping. She had been stunned by the fashions available in California, and hadn’t been shy in adopting her dress sense to life in the 21st century. Apparently, she’d done a little browsing of her own, too.

I gazed at Zelasha’s delectably swaying hips as she approached me. She was wearing a voluminous skirt of shining silver silk; it hugged her hips deliciously, and flowed down to her feet like liquid metal. Above, she wore a purple lace shirt with black trim; it was in striking contrast to her pale skin. A simple black cloth mask covered the area around her eyes. It was uniquely sexy, though it didn’t disguise her in the least. Her blonde hair was piled elegantly on top of her head.

She extended her hand. I took it in mine, and pressed it to my lips.

“My princess is ready?” I asked.

She gave me a bewitching half-smile. “Indeed I am, my love.” She slid her arm through mine. “Lead on.”

We drove to Santa Monica with the windows down, enjoying the calm Autumn air.

The club was a refurbished coffee house. The second story had once been a few apartments, but the interior walls had been knocked down and a bar installed. Tonight, jack o’lanterns filled the upstairs windows, and the usual neon sign alternated between it’s familiar words: FALL and DEEPER. It was still relatively early—a quarter after nine—and there was only one group in front of us. The bouncer checked their ID’s, then looked up at us.

“My god, Nick, you’re still alive,” Frank said with a grin. Tall, burly and bald, he was wearing a dark suit with a yellow tie. He was dressed as Lex Luthor, I deduced.

“More like undead,” I said, doing my best Transylvanian accent. We shook hands.

“It’s been months!” the bouncer said.

“Got laid off. Found a new job.”

Frank nodded. “And who’s...” he began, then lost his train of thought.

I glanced over at my companion. She was wearing an impish expression while smiling at Frank from behind her mask. I could tell what she was thinking, and I was sure he could, too. ‘Yes, I’m gorgeous,’ her smile said, ‘and yes, I’m with him.’

“Frank, my girlfriend, Colleen,” I said. “Zel, this is my friend Frank.”

She curtseyed, and I handed our drivers’ licenses to the bouncer. He looked us both over. “You’re really twenty-nine?” he asked.

“June 19, 1975,” she said, smiling sweetly.

“Well, if Nick says so. Enjoy the show.” He ushered us in.

There were a few people hanging around, but no one was dancing—so we had the whole floor to ourselves. “Doesn’t it get boring after a while?” Zelasha asked as we made our way to the dance floor.

“Only if we let it. May I have this dance?”

Her lapis lazuli eyes lit up, and she stepped into my arms. Her left hand alighted on my shoulder, I placed my right on her waist, and we began to move to the music.

We danced in an embrace for one song, then separated for the next. We danced for a while holding hands; then I twirled her, pulling her back into my arms. She grinned, staring into my eyes, and smiled coquettishly as she swayed her hips under my palms. For the next melody we moved apart, facing each other. Zelasha hooked her dress to her wrist and swayed her arms in a serpentine, seductive rhythm as she moved her body to the music. She danced like an enchantress; the soft lights caught the silver sheen of her dress as it ebbed and flowed.

Another couple and a few singles joined us, but the crowd didn’t arrive until ten of ten. A few minutes later, the music faded, and the DJ’s voice echoed through the room.

“The show’s going to start in five,” he announced. “Everyone prepare to be entranced!”

The dance floor cleared, and the bouncers lined up row after row of chairs. A few spotlights flashed around the club, and the assembly began to sit down.

A dark-haired man in a striped suit from the 1950’s walked out on stage, and the spotlights focused on him.

“Who’s that?” my girlfriend said in a low voice.

“Stanley, the owner,” I whispered back. “Great guy.”

“You know him?”

I nodded.

“Thanks, everyone for coming,” the host said into the microphone. “We were planning on a big show tonight, but I’m sorry to say that Terence couldn’t be here this evening.”

Several people in the audience groaned. Zelasha and I exchanged glances. “Yeah, called in sick,” Stanley apologized. “I’m sorry. So, I guess we’ll have to cancel, unless we have another stage hypnotist in the house.”

There were mutters of discontent among the audience. By now, almost every seat was full. A few people began to reach under their chairs for their things, clearly preparing to depart.

A woman in the front row stood up. “Perhaps I could be of assistance?” she asked in a soft-yet-intense Southern accent that carried around the entire room.

There was a stunned silence. There were some claps, scattered around the hall. Then the woman stepped up onto the stage, the house lights faded, and the audience erupted into enthusiastic applause.

The Southern woman was dressed up as a 1980’s rocker girl, reminiscent of Cher. She was tall and thin, and her high-heeled boots made her tower over the audience. Even Stanley seemed short next to her, and he’s not a small person. Her white pants were tucked into tall black boots; she was wearing a low-cut shirt covered with white sequins that glittered in the light as she moved. Over that she sported a black leather jacket. Her face seemed pale in the spotlight; long, thick, straight black hair floated around her, down almost to her waist.

Stanley handed her the cordless microphone.

“Happy Halloween, everyone, and welcome to the Fall Deeper,” Miss Scarlett grinned. We could hear the smile in her Southern accent. The spotlights converged on her, and the glitter on her white shirt sparkled in the night. “Now, forgive me for stating the obvious, but I do need some volunteers.”