Chapter 4

Fireworks seemed to go off in Ken's head over and over again. The "Klub Kasbah" sign forced little bits and pieces of memories to jumble together in his mind.

This has something to do with finding Beth, Ken thought, I know it... all this does, this street, this building is relevant, but I don't know how... or why...

Ken's BMW eased past the curb just as a weather-beaten man with brown teeth and wearing a smiley-face tee shirt was placing a "Full" sign across the parking lot entrance. He gave Ken a very strange look.

He knows me! That man recognized me! That's it... the reason I feel like I have been here before is... because... because I have been here... at least I think so...

More images flashed in his mind like a television's channel changer gone mad.

A laughing man taking a piss... people naked... the wallpaper in the ladies room... Beth has seen it before... why doesn't Jonas mind me seeing his wife's breasts... who the hell is Jonas?... they know me here... I have to be very careful... I have to be unseen... I have to find the answers... most of all, I have to find Beth!

The more he thought about these seemingly random ideas, strangely the better Ken felt. Somehow he knew that he was about to have answers about why he felt so confused... more importantly, he was about to have answers about the whereabouts of his precious wife!

Ken swerved into a small alley beside the Klub Kasbah and parked behind a smelly garbage container. The entire place reeked of long rotted refuse. A broad window stood open above the dumpster and yellow light flooded out of it. Ken climbed atop the dumpster and peered inside the lighted window. He was looking into the once glamorously gilded men's restroom of Klub Kasbah.

Ken stared at the old fashioned urinal and a memory of a laughing man suddenly popped into his mind.

Hypnotist gets ordinary people naked... maybe it will get my wife hot-to-go when we get home... he has people sucking and fucking right in front of everyone.

Ken awkwardly climbed in the window and made his way to the door. He peeked out into the broad, mostly empty Klub Kasbah lobby. An old man shrouded in cigarette smoke was talking intently to a young man and woman. Using skills long ago entrenched by the military, Ken quietly and unobtrusively sneaked past the old man by moving among a group of noisy strangers. They led him through a set of large padded doors into a familiar room roaring with excited, talkative patrons.

Far to one side, Ken spotted an empty seat in one of the back booths and casually headed for it. A fashionable young couple already seated in the booth barely acknowledged his presence upon entering. Ken slouched down in his seat just as a raspy voice, somehow familiar, announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen... welcome to the Klub Kasbah..."

Ken slumped in his chair and peeked flabbergasted through his fingers as the Amazing Roger and Darlene's act began to unfold before him. Peculiar, disjointed memories flooded back into his mind with Roger's every gesture and word. Quickly, however, Ken found himself beginning to focus completely on Roger's voice. A familiar chill ran down Ken's spine. At once, he pressed his hands to his ears and moved further down in his seat.

A voice deep inside Ken seemed to say, don't listen, don't listen...

Ken tried to direct his attention to other things in the room. He struggled to make sense of everything, but the scene on stage coupled with flashes of memory was too much for Ken to comprehend. The most severe shock came when volunteers began to come from the audience to the stage. A set of uncomfortable, awkward, giddy participants found places in the folding chairs arrayed across the stage. They seemed all too familiar to Ken.

Roger called one last person up from the front row. Ken's eyes widened when he saw the person's familiar profile.

"Oh, my god, no... oh god, no," Ken began to moan aloud.

The young couple across the table gave him a strange look. Ken clasped his hand over his mouth when the last "volunteer" turned and took her seat on the stage.

Oh my god, it's Beth!

Ken felt as if the top of his head was about to blow off. He fought to stave off the nausea welling up within him. Out of nowhere, pangs of jealousy, outrage, and hurt suddenly struck him. The bilious taste in his mouth almost caused him to gag.

Bible study, my eye, he thought.

A mad urge to run full speed to the stage and sweep Beth away appeared suddenly within him, but then as quickly disappeared only to hide lurking just under the surface in the face of more distrust.

What the fuck is she doing here? She told me she was at Bible study? But, no, she obviously is here... has she come here every Wednesday? On the phone, just today... she lied... how could she do this to me? How could she lie to me?

Ken rubbed his temples and a new, perhaps better logic started to force its way into his mind.

Maybe she doesn't know that she is here... maybe Beth is hypnotized... maybe she has been from the moment, she walked up on stage... maybe even before she ever arrived at this building... my god... that's it... Beth somehow was hypnotized before she ever got here.

So maybe... oh my god... maybe I was too! l... I have been here before... the man recognized me... was I with Beth?... I must have been... and... and neither of us knew it. How long has this been going on? They have not seen us in weeks at Chez Fred's... because we haven't been to Chez Fred's! Oh my god... we've been here instead... so, we have been here more than once... so... oh, Jesus... has Beth done this before? Regular people naked, the man said... oh my god! NO! Not Beth! Not my Beth!

Frantically Ken looked around the room mentally planning an escape plan and route when Beth, now fully asleep, arose from her chair and was escorted off stage by Darlene, the hypnotist's assistant.

Ken's heart sank. His rescue had been thwarted already. Then he remembered the red dress... a woman left and returned in a red dress.

The woman in the red see-through dress... Beth wouldn't... no, not my conservative Beth. They could never get her to... no... not in public... to appear practically naked on stage in front of all these people? Beth would not do that... not my Beth!

More memories from the shadowy past rushed into his mind and the image of a woman in the red dress emerging from backstage sent a sexual charge through his body. Ken found himself strangely torn between his own private lust and the need to protect his wife.

Then, without warning, Carmen Schafer's busty image attired in red forced its way in Ken's mind. With a wink at the camera, she was gone. Ken shook his head vainly trying to sort out his cluttered thoughts.

Don't listen, don't listen, the little voice inside him continued. Ken pressed his fingers deeper into his ears.

On stage, the Amazing Roger was in full swing now. His various subjects were participating in all sorts of silly antics. Suddenly every volunteer stopped dead still. Heads slumped on shoulders as if they had had their switches abruptly turned off. Ken removed his fingers from his ears in order to hear what Roger was saying. Instantly Ken felt his mind began to feel fuzzy and remote. He plunged his fingers back into his ears, but not before he had heard the chilling words:

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the stage... the lovely Beth."

The red dress appeared from the wings, this time on Beth's supple body. Her breasts jiggled freely under the thin veil of fabric and the dark v of her pubic hair showed clearly under the bright lights. She looked radiant... and thoroughly comfortable and happy. Ken felt himself beginning to be aroused by the sight. Horrible guilt followed.

She likes this... goddamn it... she looks like she is having a ball... how could she! The bitch!

Out of nowhere, a vision of Beth and Nita totally naked on stage flashed back into his mind for the first time. Ken rubbed his temples and the scene flashed again. Ken closed his eyes and tried to make the image return, but it would not.

When he opened his eyes again, another woman stood beside Beth and a muscular young man was coming up from the audience. It was the same young couple that he had seen talking to the old man in the lobby.

Ken bit his lip as he waited for what would come next. Unwanted tears welled up in his eyes and began to trickle down his cheeks.

When the man and woman had found their places along side Beth, Roger paused to address the audience directly. While he spoke, several people scattered among the audience suddenly raised their hands, including the young woman seated directly across the table from Ken. Those asleep on stage also raised their hands, including Beth.

Ken removed his fingers from his ears cautiously.

"... are always, shall we say, residual subjects in our audience, ladies and gentlemen. These are folks who have been hypnotized unexpectedly along with those on stage simply by the power of my voice and my suggestions. It always happens though rather unpredictably."

Roger's voice now seemed to have changed and was merely instructive.

"Don't worry. They are not in any danger... yet anyway... but, I did need to identify our residual subjects clearly... and now we all know who they are. Those who have their hands raised are fully under my control."

A low murmur rose from the audience.

"If you are with someone who is now under my influence," Roger continued, "and you want to awaken him or her, you certainly can do so, but..."

Roger paused to increase the dramatic affect.

"... if you want to have some delicious fun... at their expense, of course... then just let them be for now. They will remain quiet and will appear to be asleep. In a moment, you can decide exactly what you want to do to them... or what you want them to do... to you!"

A nervous buzz swept through the audience. Ken shuttered to think what might come next.

"My children, listen to the sound of my voice and no other," droned Roger. Again, his voice took on the sonorous, mesmerizing quality.

Ken felt the tug of his fantasy world, so he quickly shut the voice out with his fingers. After a moment of discomfort and confusion, he seemed in better control of himself. He took a deep breath, and cautiously tried listening again.

"In a moment, my children, a new voice will whisper in your ear. It will be the voice of someone you trust. Hearing that voice will make you feel very happy and at peace. Now, my children, sleep and attend only to your beautiful thoughts of wonderful things."

On hearing the word, sleep, Ken felt his eyelids start to droop as if he was suddenly exhausted. He fiercely fought to bring himself back to full attention. In a sort of desperation, he grabbed the car key in his pocket and began pressing its sharp point into the palm of his hand. The pain helped bring his mind back into focus.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, if there is someone near you with their hand raised, you can whisper to them either, 'wake up and feel refreshed when I say one, two, three, ' or, if you want to join the real fun later, say 'lower your floating arm, and sleep now hearing only the sound of my voice.'

A deadly silence came over the room except for quiet murmurs. A moment later, hands all around the room began to drop. The man in Ken's booth was whispering in his companion's ear. When the man noticed that Ken was watching, he grinned broadly and then winked as the young woman's head lolled to one side. Obviously, she was in a deep sleep. The man waved his hand in front of the woman's face. She made no response. The man appeared delighted. He clinched his fist and mouthed a silent, but enthusiastic "yes" in Ken's direction.

On stage, Ken saw Roger whispering into Beth's ear as well. Slowly she lowered her arm.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, those of you who remain skeptical about my power are about to witness ordinary people doing extraordinary things. If you thought this was a huge hoax, you will think differently in a moment. Brace yourself for the part of the show I call... the Voyeur's Dream! Warning... this part of the show is X-rated, so if you might be offended, you better go now... overly pious folks, out you go... now."

With that, canned music began to play through the ancient sound system. Ken watched as Roger made a dramatic gesture with his cape. Taking Roger's cue, Darlene stepped up behind Beth and, as if by magic, the red dress flowed off Beth's shoulders and become a puddle of cloth and random sequins at Beth's feet. Beth's trim, naked body absolutely glowed under the glaring stage lights. An audible gasp rose from the audience followed by appreciative applause.

The sight of his totally naked wife caused a different reaction in Ken. He began to shake uncontrollably. He wanted to throw up, but instead he sat frozen in his place staring along with everyone else at his luridly posed spouse.

Beth's small breasts sagged only slightly. Each was topped with a small pink nipple, now puckered and erect in the coolness of the show room. Her soft brown bush looked as if someone had fluffed it up just for this special occasion. Her face showed no sign of discomfort at all.

The totality of the spectacle was beyond Ken's comprehension. This was Beth, his wife, the woman who insisted that they make love in the dark, the woman who always had been self-conscious physically even with him, her long-time husband... the woman who had provided Ken with happy, but very tame sex for all of their married life... now that same woman stood stark naked and smiling on stage before a room full of strangers.

Ken wasn't able to dwell on his feelings very long. At Roger's whispered instruction, Beth dutifully knelt on stage and started to tug at the belt on the waistline of the muscular young man standing beside her. The other woman, the man's wife, was blissfully removing her own clothing at the same time and, once naked, she vigorously attacked the buttons on the man's shirt. The man stood silently as if nothing was happening.