Chapter 3: The Induction

Catherine

While Mistress Catherine finished up her introductions, Eve began arranging the chairs in a semi-circle. Sandy rushed over to help, but Eve calmly refused.

"Thanks for the help, but the Mistress likes the chairs arranged in a very specific way so I'll take care of it all. You just enjoy yourself and prepare for what you're about to experience."

Remembering her determination not to be the one hypnotized tonight, Sandy started to say, "But I'm not the one..." but realized that Eve had already moved away and was calmly, but purposefully, arranging the chairs in the room. When she had finished with that, Sandy noticed that Eve had gone to the bag that she had had with her when she arrived and taken out a few items. She quickly assembled what seemed to be two sets of retractable poles, and affixed what looked like a set of spotlights on the top of each pole. She then placed each of these slightly behind the semi-circle of chairs.

After just a few more moments of small talk, Mistress Catherine walked to the front of the room and declared "It is time to begin."

Each of the women took a seat in the semi-circle of chairs that were all pointed at Mistress Catherine. Sandy sat in the middle, with Penny just next to her on the right. The Mistress walked over to Penny and asked, "Will you please stand up?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm really not interested in being the subject tonight – I wouldn't want to rob one of these girls from having her fun." Penny replied, diplomatically.

With a small but affecting laugh, Mistress Catherine calmly replied, "My dear, I wasn't asking you to be my subject – I was asking you to stand so that I might use the chair. We can't have hypnotized girls falling onto the hard floor, now can we?"

Under the power of Mistress Catherine's gaze Penny seemed to take a bit longer than usual to compose her thoughts, so she quickly complied and stood up before realizing that if the Mistress took her chair she would have nowhere to sit. Seeming to read her mind, Mistress Catherine explained,

"My assistant has already pulled up another chair for you, but I need this one since it looks more comfortable – someone can really curl up in this chair – curl up and let go."

That phrase – "let go" – seemed to echo in Penny's mind. Mistress Catherine had such a presence, but it was a presence tinged with something that made Penny nervous. She didn't like where this evening might be headed, and the show hadn't even started yet. Maybe it was just all the wine, but she was starting to get the impression that there was more going on here than the other girls realized. She moved to the new chair that Eve had placed on the edge of the semi-circle and put her half-full glass of wine on a nearby end table – determined not to drink any more until this hypnotist had left.

Having moved the other chair into the front of the room, Mistress Catherine looked out at the girls and asked Eve to turn off the lights, which her assistant quickly did. Catherine's assistant then walked carefully over to the two spotlights and turned them both on.

Penny was now on high alert. The wine had given her a slight buzz, but it wasn't enough that she couldn't pull herself together. She didn't know what it was about Mistress Catherine, but something about the striking hypnotist scared her.

Standing in a pool of light, Mistress Catherine commanded the attention of everyone in the room. For several moments she simply stood still, letting the light wash over her dark hair and eyes, letting everyone else in the room simply gaze at her. Her face was expressionless and she stood with a statuesque bearing – she was in command of the light, she was in command of the room.

Sandy simply stared at her, and as she looked upon the powerful woman who now seemed to almost paradoxically radiate light out of her dark hair, clothes, and eyes, she felt the flush of excitement that she had felt all week whenever she thought about the hypnotist. Only now that excitement was far more intense – in much the same way that this experience – this woman – were more intense than she had ever imagined when she had made that fateful phone call just a few days before.

Just as the other women in the room were beginning to feel uncomfortable in the silence, Mistress Catherine's stoic face broke into a warm and inviting smile. While she never lost even a bit of her power, the shift in her expression nevertheless was startling in its contrast. This change seemed to stun Sandy – for a brief moment Mistress Catherine reminded her of her boss, Penny. Like Penny, Mistress Catherine could combine strength and power with friendliness and kindness.

This thought only briefly flitted across her mind, though. Her boss had a strength and control that Sandy admired, but Mistress Catherine had something else – this was something that Sandy had never experienced. That smile had done something to Sandy – she knew she wasn't hypnotized, at least not yet – but she felt somehow open, exposed to this woman whom she suddenly realized had turned her beautiful smile, and thus dark, depthless eyes, towards her.

"Sandy, would you care to come sit in the subject's chair?" As she asked the question Mistress Catherine took Sandy's hand and gently drew her out of her chair.

For a brief instant, all of Sandy's thoughts about not being the subject of tonight's performance raced through her mind. She knew that her boss was sitting just a few feet away, and there was no longer any way that she could deny that this whole experience was exciting her sexually. But even as these thoughts passed over her, she felt herself walking towards to the chair, led by Mistress Catherine.

"Please, sit," Mistress Catherine's voice was calm and reassuring. Sandy knew she would obey, but still cast one last glance towards Penny, hoping for something, although she wasn't quite sure what that something was.

As soon as she caught the gaze of her boss, just visible at the edge of the pool of light, Sandy knew what she had sought. Penny was watching her intently, protectively. Her boss cared about her, and wanted what was best for her. Sandy didn't need to worry about embarrassing herself in front of Penny because Penny wouldn't let that happen – if things started to get out of hand, Sandy knew that she could count on Penny to put a stop to them.

Sitting – almost collapsing – into the chair with a sigh, Sandy resolved to let herself enjoy this experience; to give herself to it as completely as she could. Seeing Penny's alert and protective gaze gave Sandy the confidence that she couldn't possibly give too much of herself to this experience, to her desires, to Mistress Catherine, because Penny wouldn't allow that to happen. Freed of that responsibility, Sandy relaxed and prepared to be hypnotized.

Mistress Catherine had watched all of this very carefully. She had seen Sandy's stunned look when the hypnotist had allowed her face to break into a smile, and had coaxed the young woman out of her chair before she could collect herself. She perceived the momentary struggle as Sandy wrestled with her earlier resolve not to be hypnotized. And she saw the look of resignation, even excitement, as Sandy accepted her position, and yielded to whatever Mistress Catherine had in store for her.

Mistress Catherine didn't say a word as she positioned herself at Sandy's side while drawing something out of a small pocket in her gown. Holding her hand behind Sandy's head she gently let go of the object, which was attached to a chain, and gave it a few moments to steady its swing.

Sandy was completely unaware of all of this. She simply sat in the chair, expectantly – and nervously. In the silence, she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. She tried to glance at her friends, but she couldn't see them in the darkness that enveloped the pool of light that she now shared with Mistress Catherine. She glanced upward, towards her hypnotist, but Mistress Catherine didn't seem to be moving, or speaking – her warm smile revealed nothing about what she was expected of Sandy.

Still unsure of herself, Sandy's eyes turned towards the one figure that she could make out on the edge of the pool of light: Penny – her source of safety and strength in all of this. But just as her eyes fell on her boss – no she reminded herself – her friend, something else moved into her line of vision: a glittering pendant!

Still Mistress Catherine said nothing. Sandy stared at the pendant as it twirled slowly before her – it's surface reflecting the light in a variety of patterns. With so little else that she could see in the darkness, she allowed her mind to simply focus on the pendant, to let it become the only thing that she saw, the only thing that really mattered. The dim form of Penny that had hovered in her vision, just at the edge of the light, no longer had any meaning for her. She stared at the glittering crystal in front of her, letting it trap her eyes, waiting for Mistress Catherine to tell her how to let the crystal hypnotize her.

At the edge of the light, Penny, too, found herself staring at the crystal for a brief moment. However, she had prepared herself for this, and had even made a mental note to do everything she could to avoid getting pulled into anything during the show. She didn't believe in hypnosis, and knew that she was far too strong willed to ever allow herself to fall into a trance, but, for Sandy's sake, she had to make sure to be aware of more than just the show – she had to be on the lookout.

But the crystal was inviting, with its delicate beauty, and those many facets reflecting light of all colors into her eyes. And there were so few things to look at ... except the crystal. It seemed to be twirling, gently, on its chain, first one way, and then the other. Back and forth. Back and forth. Penny continued to stare at the lovely pendant, letting it hold her gaze, letting the light capture her eyes...

With an extreme act of willpower, Penny's conscious mind fought through the haze that was starting to descend upon her. She couldn't get wrapped up in the pendant, Sandy was counting on her! She had seen Sandy cast one last, helpless look in Penny's direction before sitting in the subject's chair and knew that it was up to her to protect her young receptionist. She had to remain in control. She had to look away from the pendant. She had to look at Sandy to make sure she wasn't letting this take her too powerfully. Using this protectiveness to empower her foggy mind, Penny blinked (how long had it been since she'd blinked?), breaking the pendant's spell, and her eyes quickly sought out Sandy. She easily found Sandy's slack face and glassy, staring eyes in the pool of light...

... but in the same direct line of her vision, was the pendant. It's facets began to draw her focus, even as her mind once again began to struggle against its pull, but just as this conflict began within her mind a voice, quiet but commanding, rang throughout the room.