Chapter 3

The Handsome Prince

My eyes were already open, and "waking up" was sort of like having a sheer drapery pulled aside in my mind. All of a sudden, I could THINK again. My body still sort of throbbed with sexual longing ... especially my breasts and nipples ... and my lips. But the REST of my body felt as if I'd just arisen from a long, afternoon nap. I put my arms over my head and stretched like a cat; and when I looked over at Belinda, she was doing the same. I abruptly found that ridiculous in the extreme ... and we both burst into laughter.

But my glee was short lived. I rounded on Tony. "Where's my flower?"

He looked genuinely startled. "What?"

"My flower! I was holding a flower! Where is it?!"

I got the feeling that he had thought himself in control of the situation, but this took him completely by surprise. "I ... I don't know."

"There!" Belinda exclaimed, pointing.

People were milling all around, but I quickly strode a few steps and fell to my knees, scooping up the long-stemmed rose. Tony was beside me now, and I held it up toward him in both hands. Tears flooded my eyes. "Somebody stepped on it!" The stem was broken at about the midpoint.

I was really surprised to find Belinda on her knees beside me. "It's okay, honey," she said quietly. "It's not damaged too badly. Just hold it up here and it'll be okay."

Tony was leaning over us, scratching his head. "Just throw it away. I'll get you another one."

I skewered him with a withering look, and he actually staggered back a step. When I sighed and glanced back, I discovered that Belinda was looking daggers at him, too. She rose to her feet and then helped me up. "Mr. Bionicci," she explained, "can't you see that someone special gave it to her? It can't be replaced! She's in love!"

"Jeez, Betty," he said in awe. "How long were you with him? Half an hour?"

"I am NOT in love with him," I replied. "It's just that..."

Belinda barked a laugh. "Get real, girl! Nobody goes into apoplexy over a flower like that for any other reason. You got it bad!" I didn't reply to that, but instead lapsed into silence, considering.

Tony took advantage of that to paste on his "executive" face again. He turned to Belinda and said: "Thank for your help tonight. I want you back here tomorrow, like I told you before. Betty and I have some things to talk about now. Goodnight."

She glanced around nervously at the people who were wandering about us, back in "party mode," and then she looked down and blushed. "Mr. Bionicci, thank you SO much for letting me keep my job."

"You're not going to keep your job," he said sternly. "You'll be working in another capacity altogether with Tim, Terry and Tom. I'm going to let THEM decide what to do with you."

She flushed a deeper shade, unable to keep eye-contact. I'd begun to think of her as a sexual predator, but she suddenly seemed extremely subservient. "Yes, sir. Thank you for letting me stay in the company, then. I'll do anything you say, sir. Anything. But ... sir?" He didn't respond verbally, but indicated for her to continue with a motion of his fingers. "Do I have to ride one of the buses home?" she pleaded. "I feel ... awfully self-conscious about riding with the others. Can someone take me?"

He thought for a second. "Go upstairs to the room you had your little ... indiscretion in. You'll sleep there tonight. I'll come and get you when I want you." She stood there, blinking her big eyes at him questioningly. "Now!" he barked. And she literally ran across the room and up the stairs, her high heels clacking noisily. Several people paused and watched until she was out of sight.

"I like her, Tony," I said quietly. "Do you have to be so rough on her?"

"Yes. We have a relaxed, quiet workforce here. So, when something like this happens, I have to make an example. Everyone has to know that it won't be tolerated." He took my arm. "Now, let's go outside to the garden. I need to talk to you."

I kept my feet planted. "I ... I'd like to go back upstairs, please. I promised Billy I'd be back."

He put his arm around my waist and applied pressure until I had to walk with him to the back door. "I'll take you back up there myself. But first, we need to talk."

I'd never been to the garden before. It was lushly planted, illuminated with low light, and it was very quiet, away from the party inside. The air was fragrant in the still summer night air. There were benches scattered everywhere, but he led me to one at the furthest reaches of the fenced area. He sat very close beside me.

"You ... you're sort of making me uncomfortable, Tony. You're my best friend's lover."

He barked a gentle laugh. "You are very, very attractive, Betty. But I give you my word I'll remain true to Riya. I'll make no pass at you tonight ... or ever."

"What do you want, then?"

He reached up and put a finger on my chin, turning my face toward him. He looked as if he intended to kiss me. My lips parted to complain, and then froze in that position as he said: "Look at me and relax, now. Relax. Just relax for me." And in my peripheral vision, I saw his other hand rise, his fingers poised.

"No!" I managed to moan. But then ... SNAP! A wave of immense weariness crashed down on me. My eyes closed, and I couldn't help sagging forward toward him. I struggled and fought until I could force my eyes open again, and even then, they were hooded and heavy. "No," I managed to mumble again.

He put his finger back under my chin, and I was obliged to look into his smiling eyes. "You have been under this influence too many times tonight ... and too recently. This is too familiar to you now. You want it too much. You cannot resist me." He paused and seemed to take great pleasure in watching me wrestle with it. "You are not a fighter, Betty. You never have been. You have always let others lead you. You've always let others fight your battles; but, that is not a sin. There is nothing wrong with being yourself. You are weak ... but there is no offense in weakness. So ... I want you to be who you really are ... and I want you to surrender to me. NOW!"

With a soft moan, I allowed my eyes to close ... allowed my body to slump forward and settle into his arms ... allowed my mind to capitulate and sleep. Sleep. Oh, glorious sleep! Why had I fought him? I was born to yield to this feeling. This was not like when I had been semi-awake and bare before the crowd. Now, I was DEEP. He spoke to me, and I heard, but I couldn't discern his words. I found myself nodding at times.

"One Two Three." And I awoke. I was breathing deeply. My body wanted something ... there was a deep need within me. It was a lot like before, when my breasts tingled with anticipation; only now, it was my entire body. "And now, again," he told me. "Look in my eye now, please."

I could not help but look up at him. I put my hand on his chest. "Wait! Wait, Tony, please!" His fingers were poised to snap again, but he paused, allowing me to continue.

"Please don't make me want you. Please. You belong to Riya."

He smiled patiently. "I've already given you my word. I will not take you, Betty."

"But ... but, you've ... made me..." (I didn't want to say it) " ... horny."

"You can be aroused ... but I will not help you." His fingers moved slightly, straining, ready to snap.

"PLEASE don't do that!" He paused again. "Snapping your fingers ... as if I was a dog. It's demeaning."

He smiled. "Very well. This will be last time, I promise."

SNAP! I didn't even try to resist. Down I went. Down and down and down. He spoke to me again ... said something again. I have no idea what it was, but it must have been good, because I nodded and told him yes. Oh, yes.

"One Two Three." And I sighed and was awake again. "And now," he told me calmly, "we will do this again. Many more times, in fact."

"But ... you promised ... not to..."

"I promised not to snap my fingers," he said patiently. "But now, I've given you a verbal trigger. I know you agree with it ... you've already consented. In fact, you picked your own trigger out of three possible choices. Now ... look in my eyes. Yes, very good. You do that automatically, now. And then, all I have to do is say ... Sleep Time, Betty."

And bang ... down I went. Non-stop. All the way to the bottom. I simply couldn't get any deeper than this. And he spoke. And, oh, yes, I agreed ... with everything he said (whatever THAT was).

"One Two Three." And I was back. But before I could get my bearings: "Look in my eyes, Betty."

I looked but waved my hand again, frantically, before my face. Again he paused. "Why?" I panted, knowing that I was once again poised on the precipice of oblivion. "Why are you doing this to me? Over and over ... Why?"

"It will soon just be second nature, my dear. Soon, you won't hesitate ... and you won't question. It is in your nature to be dominated ... to ALLOW yourself to be dominated. As I told you, that's not necessarily a bad thing. You are a wonderful girl ... and you should let yourself be who you are. THIS is who you are, Betty. Submissive and docile. You allow Riya to control you; you allow ME to control you. And soon, you will allow the man you love to control you, as well."

"I ... I will?"

"Sleep Time, Betty." And down I went. And back up; and down again. Over and over. How many times? I'd long since lost count. And each time ... I realized a little more ... became a little more certain ... that he was right. In the scheme of things, I might not have been on the bottom of the heap in terms of physical appearance, but that's EXACTLY where I was in terms of aggressive personality. On that scorecard, I was batting zero. The very end. Dead last. All my life, people had led me around. Someone else had always steered my course in life. And I had let them. Because that is exactly who I am.

"One Two Three."

I was awake now; and I sat quietly, waiting patiently for him to put me to sleep again. But he didn't, and I was a little startled when I saw him standing, offering his hand to me. Without comment, I let him help me to my feet; and I didn't resist as he put my hand on his arm. I left it there and followed obediently along beside him as he led me back toward the house. But once inside, I couldn't suppress my shock.

"Where IS everyone?" I asked, looking around the deserted room.

"Long gone," he replied. "The buses left at midnight."

"What time IS it?"

"About one." We were on the stairs now, going back up toward Billy's apartment. He paused in the upper hallway. "Which room is the scene of the crime?" he asked

I pointed toward the door of the spare bedroom where I had observed the rutting couple. At the portal, he told me to stay there for awhile; and without knocking, he opened the door and went in. I waited, but after a several minutes, I leaned forward and listened at the door. I could hear Tony speaking in a low voice, but it was only a mummer, and after awhile, it ceased. Without giving it another thought, I opened the door and went in.

Tony was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down at Belinda. Without a nightgown, of course, she was naked, her nipples very erect, but the sheet covered her lower half. She was on her back, and her dark hair was spread out on the pillow. She was obviously asleep, but her lips were moving, and I walked to the bed and listened.

"I will work hard for my bosses. They are strong and I am weak. I am very suggestible. My bosses know best. I will do anything to keep my job. Anything. I must please my bosses. Pleasing them gives me pleasure. Pleasing them makes me feel feminine ... makes me feel sexy ... makes me feel good. SO good!"

Tony suddenly became aware of me standing there, and he quickly rose and took my arm. I allowed him to lead me toward the door as the sleeping nude continued to drone: "I will work hard for my bosses. They are strong and I am weak..."

We were in the hallway again, and he closed the door softly. "I thought I told you to stay here!"

I ignored him. "Are you just going to leave her like that? All night?"

"Yes. It will save a lot of time tomorrow. She's very susceptible to deep suggestion. This should work very well."

"It's not right, Tony. It's unethical. You can't just make her into some ... slave."

He took my arm and led me in the direction of Billy's door. "It's what she said she wanted. I gave her a choice. I told her that if she wanted to work for the Cellini brothers, I'd have to change her ... ensure that she was loyal to them. I used the word 'obedient, ' and she agreed. Quite frankly, I think she has a real submissive streak in her."

"Like me."

He grinned and opened Billy's door. "Yes. Like you."

And we walked into Billy's living room. And there they were ... the two of them. Riya was wrapped in his arms, and they were lying like spoons on the couch, facing us. Asleep. Naked.

I must have made some noise ... I know Tony didn't ... and they were instantly awake and scrambling. I watched, numb, as Riya swiveled and sat up on the edge of the couch, and she buried her face in her hands and sobbed. My first instinct was to go to her, but Billy was getting up now, and I turned my back so that he wouldn't be embarrassed. I guess I was in shock or something, because I don't remember a whole lot about what happened for several minutes after that. Somehow, we all wound up sitting around the kitchen table. No ... now that I think about it, Riya was standing up over by the sink.

They were yelling. About what? Slowly, I became aware. Now, just a minute ... Riya had hypnotized Billy? That thought REALLY confused me. But wait ... Tony had put her up to it? So that Billy would be more sexually aggressive? THAT didn't make sense! For God's sake, WHY? Ah ... so he would try to seduce ME! Of course, they never really said that ... at least, I don't THINK they did. Sometimes, it was a little hard to figure out just what Billy WAS saying. But that HAD to be the reason ... they wanted Billy to make a pass at me! But because Riya was right there ... he had made a pass at HER, instead! And she didn't want to crush his newly-bolstered ego, so she had allowed him to ... Holy Cow! Who thought up this screwy plot? Apparently, it had been Tony!

Riya took me into the next room to tell me in person how sorry she was. Everybody was so absolutely sure that I was in love with him! I mean, I'd only just met the guy! I'd only spoken to him for forty minutes, for cryin' out loud! And just because other people looked at him and saw a monster ... and I saw ... something considerably different; well, THAT didn't really prove anything. And just because I desperately wanted to be alone with him ... and talk to him ... and let him talk to me ... well, that didn't mean I loved the bloke. Bloke. I couldn't keep from giggling. Riya gave me a knowing, mother-hen type of look. I tried to get my thoughts in order. I felt guilty that I'd given in to Tony and his hypnosis, but she just shrugged it off, because I guess he hypnotizes HER all the time! Finally, I asked her the question that was uppermost in my mind: what had it been like? With Billy, I mean. And she just laughed, and told me to find out for myself. It was the most shocking suggestion I think I'd ever heard ... and the most intriguing.