Chapter 50: The Next Step

As Mindy made her way to work on Wednesday, she just couldn't believe how much her life had changed – and how quickly. This time last week she was beside herself with anxiety – and completely unaware that she was just a few hours away from being hypnotized and made to climax in the middle of a very high end restaurant. But now, she was on top of the world.

And she had good reason to be. Sunday, she and Sandy had finally expressed their true feelings for each other. The results were more than she could ever have imagined. Physically, it had been the most erotic experience she had ever had. After Mindy had licked the whipped cream out of Sandy's sex, they had continued to make love on the kitchen floor for quite some time; covering each other's bodies with cream and chocolate until they were both complete messes.

Basking in the glow of their blossoming feelings, they had made their way to the shower where their sexual exploits continued. Under the steamy strands of water, they first washed each other, then took turns, each pleasing the other with her tongue. Each of them had climaxed several more times, writhing in the hot water until, eventually, it ran out and they stepped out of the now cold shower and dried each other off.

Exhausted and yet still highly sensitive in wake of all of their sex, they made their way into Mindy's bed where their frantic love-making became slow and sensual. Scissoring their legs together, they ground their sexes together until they simultaneously came to a long, satisfying climax that left both them utterly drained and completely fulfilled.

They slept in each other's arms peacefully.

Unfortunately, they didn't sleep for long. Both had to work in the morning, and Sandy had to be in particularly early in order to make sure everything was in order for her boss's big presentation. With sleepy eyes and exhausted bodies, they got ready for work and headed out with less than three hours of sleep each.

As they parted, they engaged in a long, languorous kiss and deep, meaningful smile. Despite her fatigue, Mindy was ecstatic, and the day passed as if in a dream.

That night, they had agreed to meet at Sandy's place, and as soon as they were together again their clothes came off and they headed straight for the bedroom. Though they were both in desperate need of sleep, they nonetheless brought each other to climax three times before letting their fatigue claim them.

The next day had been very similar. Having gotten a good night's sleep, they were able to stay up longer, but otherwise the day was the same – Mindy spent every moment apart from Sandy thinking about her, and every moment with her helplessly yielding to her desires.

But Wednesday had proven a bit different. The last few days had been such a blur, that they seemed to pass almost instantaneously. But as she sat at her desk on Wednesday, Mindy's thoughts started to regain focus, and with them, for the first time since Sunday evening, she felt a slight sensation of unease.

Part of the reason for this was obvious: she longed for the day to end; to return to Sandy's arms. The minutes seemed to be ticking off so slowly that she began to wonder if she would ever see her new lover again.

But something else also started to nag at her. All of the time she had spent with Sandy had been incredible – it was as if the years of her suppressed desires just exploded between them in an eruption of erotic energy. But now, Mindy was starting to think of what would come next. Would she and Sandy become a couple? Would they be girlfriends? How would their other friends react? She hadn't heard from them in a while, which was odd, but she knew that they'd have to confront that issue eventually.

But that was the least of Mindy's worries. Mindy knew that there was no turning back. Mistress Catherine had made it possible for her to finally let her guard down, and now she and Sandy's relationship was irrevocably different. Mindy knew she had Mistress Catherine to thank for that.

But now that she and Sandy had expressed their feelings for each other, what role would Mistress Catherine play?

Mindy had witnessed, on three separate occasions, just how powerful Mistress's control of Sandy was. More importantly, she had also witnessed how much Sandy seemed to crave that dominance.

Where would that leave Mindy? Would she have to share Sandy with Mistress and, if so, was she okay with that? Mindy wasn't sure. As they had lain together the previous night, Sandy had told her some of the story of Eve's relationship with Jenny. But they had been together in a deep and meaningful relationship long before they met Mistress. Mindy and Sandy were just starting out as lovers. How would they negotiate this new relationship if it was to involve a dominant Mistress?

But the alternative was also chilling. Clearly, Sandy wanted to submit, and Mindy suspected that she would be unhappy without that now that she had realized how important it was to her. If Mistress did step back and allow the two of them to be together without interference, could Mindy provide the dominance that Sandy craved?

Mindy knew the answer to this question: she couldn't. Where would that leave them?

But, she decided, there was no reason to think about all of this now. She and Sandy were in the fun and exciting phase of their new relationship, and she didn't want to ruin that with worry. Still, in the back of her mind, she knew that there were some rather significant problems that she had to face.

Looking up at the clock, she was dismayed to see that it wasn't even noon yet...

The minutes slowly ticked by, and with each one, Mindy felt more and more anxious – anxious to see Sandy again, but also anxious about where everything was headed. The more she thought about the events of the past couple of weeks, the more it occurred to her how precarious her position might be.

After all, she had seen the transformation that had taken place in Sandy. As strong as Mindy's feelings for her had been, she had always been aware that Sandy was a bit overwhelmed by the pressures of adult life. But since submitting to Mistress, Sandy had taken on a whole new air of confidence. She seemed so sure of herself – as if submitting to Mistress settled her and grounded her.

Mindy knew that Sandy wouldn't be willing to give that up. Mindy also knew that she could never provide Sandy with the levels of submission that she clearly needed. Heck, the one afternoon that she had had complete control of a deeply hypnotized Sandy, Mindy had been filled with anxiety and trepidation. Trying to control her for any sustained amount of time would simply be more than she could handle.

This, then, led to the other possibility: Mindy could share Sandy with Mistress Catherine. But could she do that? Mindy was only just learning to overcome her own insecurities – she had had to be hypnotized more than once to finally find the courage to reveal herself to Sandy. Would those insecurities get in the way of her relationship with Sandy if Sandy's body was always available to another woman – not to mention any women that Mistress Catherine might allow to have their way with her? She knew that Eve had already been with Sandy more than once, after all.

As she started to feel more and more worked up, Mindy finally realized that there was only one thing she could really do. She needed to talk to Sandy about all of this. After all, she realized, she had put herself through so much these past two years by withholding her feelings from Sandy. She didn't want to go through that again. Rather than let these feelings continue to fester in her, she would talk to Sandy and get it all out in the open.

Having decided on this course of action, Mindy immediately felt better. She was learning, she realized. Opening up to Sandy had been such a positive experience, she realized that she needed to keep up the momentum of that event.

But that didn't make the clock move any faster. The early afternoon came and went with agonizing slowness, and as five o'clock approached Sandy felt that the second hand of the clock was moving slower and slower, drawing out her day to a maddening, excruciating extent.

Finally, five o'clock arrived. Mindy immediately gathered her things and practically raced to her car. She and Sandy had agreed to meet at Mindy's place tonight, so she headed home as fast as traffic would allow.

When she got home, she flung open the door, and called to see if Sandy was there yet. She heard no reply, but wasn't worried – Sandy probably hadn't felt the need to get home quite so quickly, so it might be a few minutes yet.

Filled with anticipation, Mindy opened a bottle of wine and dimmed the lights in the living room, trying to set a mood of both romance and intimacy so that they could have a good talk. Placing a couple of glasses on the coffee table, Mindy waited.

By six o'clock, Sandy still hadn't arrived. Mindy poured herself a glass of wine and started to sip, becoming a bit worried.

At six thirty, she had finished her glass, and was trying to resist the urge to pour another. It wouldn't do to be drunk when Sandy arrived, so she needed to stop. But still, the anticipation was killing her.

Seven o'clock arrived, and still, Sandy was nowhere to be found.

A few minutes after seven, Mindy gave in and started to reach for the wine bottle when she heard the door open and close. With a yelp of excitement, she ran towards the sound and saw, as she expected, Sandy standing by the door, alone. There were, though, two details that Mindy hadn't expected.

Sandy was dressed in her usual style of clothes, but around her neck was a black leather collar, with a "D" ring in the front.

And, it was clear even at a glance, that Sandy was deeply hypnotized. Her eyes were glassy, her body, though maintaining the good posture of a proper slave, still had the lethargic and relaxed look that Mindy had already learned to notice, and her face had the vacant, subdued expression that only a deep trance could provide.

Mindy found herself getting wet to see Sandy in this state even as disappointment filled her. On the one hand, she knew that her plans of talking to Sandy were probably not going to happen, but on the other, she knew that some new sexual adventure was about to start, and she was eager to discover what would happen next.

She didn't have to wait long for it all to start. With one smooth motion, Sandy raised her hand and Mindy noticed, for the first time, that her lover held something: a small plastic ball. Sandy's thumb pressed a button on the ball, and a bright light inside of it immediately began to blink quite rapidly.

Mindy was surprised that such a small device could give off such a bright light, and she squinted as her eyes, which had grown accustomed to the dim lighting of the living room, tried to adjust.

Sandy didn't say a word, she simply held the ball in her palm, staring straight ahead. Mindy knew what was about to happen – clearly Sandy had been sent here to hypnotize her. But Sandy's silence seemed odd – how would a flashing light alone put her into trance?

She thought that maybe she should look at the ball, but the light was too bright to stare at it directly. Instead, she averted her eyes slightly and, instead, looked at Sandy – at her vacant, hypnotized eyes. Yes, Mindy thought, this has happened to me before – looking at Sandy's subdued state can put me in a trance of my own.

But that didn't seem to be happening. As she stared at Sandy, who remained silent and motionless, she didn't see herself reflected in Sandy's quiet mental submission. If anything, the arousal that Mindy felt at seeing Sandy so far gone, and the excitement that came from being so close to her new lover, only helped to make her more aware – it certainly made her more excited.