Helpful Whispers

She left the bed and I knew she was heading to the shower and then she would be collecting the envelope that Abe had left on the mantle in the other room. I lay there snuggled up against Abraham recalling the events and when Cindy was gone I rolled over onto him and smiled down.

"Thank you," I whispered and kissed his lips.

"For?" he asked.

"For all of this, for Cindy, and for the help with being a bit more bossy."

"I didn't do anything," he said.

"Well, I know you didn't tonight, but I used those thoughts and suggestions you gave me and it helped," I told him.

"Hon., let me tell you something," Abe said quietly. I felt the warm touch of his hand caressing my back and waited for him to continue. "I never hypnotized you."

My face contorted a bit in confusion. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"I never 'put you under'," he answered. "That night with the tear drop, it was a game that was shown to me years ago. I was just as tickled that it worked as you were and the same reason was given to me, which was - that I was 'susceptible' to being hypnotized. I don't know if I am or not, but it was a neat trick and so I do that at parties. If you'd stayed that night in the same room with everyone, you'd only have seen each person trying to swing the crystal as well as a few buttons and pendents."

I sat up and stared at him. "But what about my fear of the dark, my nail biting, my fear of tight places and crowds . . . and tonight. You helped me get over being shy."

"Did I?" he asked. "Or were you just convinced I was helping you?"

"What about the times where fifteen minutes would go by? Explain that?" I insisted.

"Sweetheart . . . each one of those times you were exhausted. You'd drift in and out of sleep and lose time. I just waited for you to wake up and then I'd smile and say all done time for bed," he answered with a smile.

I rolled to my back and looked at the ceiling. There was a rush of pleasure running through me. I smiled and looked back at Abe. "Wow . . . I did it all on my own then?" Then it hit me. I didn't really do it all alone. If he hadn't "tricked" me I still would have had all those fears. "Thanks," I told him. The kiss that followed was just one of many different pleasures I rewarded my lover with for another hour before relenting and letting both of us rest.