Whisper In My Ear

"No...I don't think so. But I'm not as sure as I'd like to be."

"And that bothers you?"

"Yes."

"What would you like to be able to do about it?"

"I'd like to know I could trust him more."

Duh. "And how would you know you could trust him more?"

"I'm not sure. I guess if I saw him flirting with other girls less. Maybe if he could convince me he likes me the best."

An opening. "Jessica, do you know what role play is?"

"I guess. Kind of like acting?"

"Exactly. Sometimes role playing can help us confront the things we are worried about. Help us to work out these things in our head and get past them."

"Ok."

"Good. Now, remembering that the room will draw away any anxiety you have about the things you talk about, I want you to imagine I'm a friend of yours and Todd's. I know both of you really well. I'm a trusted friend and confidant to both you and Todd. Do you understand?"

"Yes. You are my friend and Todd's friend. We both trust you."

"That's exactly right. Now, we're going to have a conversation about Todd and I want you to ask me what you would like know about him. Also, if you want I can talk to Todd for you in a way that won't make him angry or upset no matter what you say. You are completely safe no matter what we talk about or what you say. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now, would you like to talk about what's going on between you and Todd?"

"Sure! Brian, I've seen Todd flirting with other girls. It makes me mad."

"Of course. It's so unfair to you. But you're very pretty. Guys must flirt with you as well?"

Jessica sighed and pouted a little. "Well sure. But I never flirt back because I want to be a good girlfriend. I'm worried that Todd likes flirting with those other girls."

"Hmm. Are you sure that Todd knows you're not flirting back? Maybe he just thinks it's an innocent game everyone plays."

Jessica frowned. "Maybe..."

"I know Todd and I care about you. We wouldn't want you two to fight over a misunderstanding."

"No, I suppose that wouldn't be good."

"Ok then. Just to be safe, why don't you tell me what you have seen and I'll talk to Todd about it. Try to get him to understand."

"Yah, that would be ok. Well, the other day I caught him checking out Melissa's chest when he thought I wasn't looking..."

This went on for several minutes as she dished about Todd's various flirtations around school. Each time I sympathized with how that made her feel and told herI understood. ThatI would talk to Todd about it. And I reminded her that each story was a burden lifted byme and the room.

After that I finished up with the usual stuff about how good she felt and brought her out of the trance. When she woke up Jessica came over and gave me a big hug, telling me how much she appreciated me doing this for her. I gave her an 'Aw shucks' smile and told her I was just happy I could help.

Chapter Six:

The next day when I had my session with Jessica I told her I had talked to Todd and he had passed along some stuff. Jessica seemed eager to hear how he had responded.

"What did he say?"

"First of all, he said he was sorry he made you feel that way. He said he thought you also flirted with guys and he thought it was harmless. But he promised to pay more attention to how you feel from now on."

Jessica's eyes were wide open and brimming with relief. Incidentally, this is another misconception about hypnotism. That people in a trance must have their eyes closed and be lying down or whatever. Not true. You can be in a complete trance state and still look wide awake.

"Oh man, I'm so glad! I was worried about what he might say. Thank you so much!"

Jessica leaned forward and gave me a tearful hug. I told her I was happy to help and asked if there was anything else she wanted to talk about.

"No, I guess that's about it for now. Really, you've done so much for me already."

"Ok. Well, just remember thatI'm here for you anytime you need me. All you need to do is ask. Now just relax and sleep."

Jessica slumped forward like a marionette whose strings had been cut. It was a little weird seeing her go from animated and engaged to slumped over like that, but I quickly began the process of bringing her out of the trance.

"I'm going to count to 10. As I count you will leave the relaxation room and begin climbing back up the stairs. As you climb you will become more and more awake. When you reach the top of the stairs..."

Chapter Seven:

Jessica fumed as she stood talking with her friend Jennifer. The two were shooting daggers across the room at Todd, who was shamelessly flirting with Tina, a cheerleader a year younger than them.

"Unbelievable. Just unbelievable. I just talked to him about this a few days ago. He promised, Jen! He promised he would stop doing this kind of stuff!"

Jennifer put her arm comfortingly around her friend. "It'll be ok. What goes around comes around, right?"

"Yah," Jessica said, casting a last withering glance at Todd before turning away, "it will. If he wants to be a big fat liar and flirt with all the girls in school, fine. Two can play at that game. Let's get out of here."

Chapter Eight:

"Because I'm angry with you," Jessica said as she glared at me, arms crossed defensively.

"You told me Todd said he would stop flirting with those girls. Then he just did it again today!"

"I'm really sorry. I just told you what he told me. I never thought he would lie to me."

Yah right. I had counted on Todd doing what Todd always did. But I needed to be careful here; we were at a critical juncture.

Jessica harrumphed and looked away, clearly still upset.

"Really, Jess. I would never lie to you. What can I do to make it up to you? What would you like to see happen?"

Jessica looked back at me, her eyes softening a little.

"I guess it's not your fault. It just makes me mad is all. What I'd really like to do is..." Jessica trailed off, reluctant to vocalize her thought.

"Unspoken desires are like secrets Jessica. Would you agree with that?"

Jessica squirmed a little, mulling it over. "Yah, I guess."

"And secrets are burdens. Remember that here in the relaxation room, you can lift those burdens by saying them out loud and letting the room carry them away for you."

Jessica sighed, uncrossing her arms in a symbolic gesture of dropping her defenses.

"Ok. I just wish that I could make Todd feel what I feel when he flirts with girls like that."

"You know I think you're a pretty girl. Why not just flirt with some boys and give him a taste of his own medicine?"

Jessica looked a little shocked. "But you're his friend. How could you be ok with that?"

"I'm your friend too, Jess. Plus, Todd lied to me as well and I feel bad that I misled you."

Jess leaned forward and patted my arm consolingly.

"It's not your fault, Brian. You were just being a good friend and trying to help. I was just upset is all. Besides, you're right. I should give him a taste of his own medicine. It's just..."

"Just what?"

"Well, if I flirt with some boys at school it will get around. And then people will call me a slut or whatever."

"Hmm. I hadn't thought of that. Well, maybe you could flirt with me instead."

Jessica looked embarrassed. "Brian. I can't flirt with you. You're...well..." Jessica trailed off.

"Just a trusted friend," I said, cutting her off before she could finish the thought.

"I know, I get it. I'm certainly not suggesting anything too racy. That might be uncomfortable for both of us. But maybe something light and fun. And since I can tell Todd anything without him getting angry I can tell him what happened without upsetting him. It would be just enough to let him know he couldn't treat you like he does."

Jessica unconsciously brought her hand up to the corner of her mouth and nibbled on her nail. She was anxious.

"Couldn't you just say that I flirted with you? Make it up? How would Todd know the difference?"

Damn. Disappointing, but not entirely unexpected. Overcoming a social moiré like this couldn't be done in a day, I knew. I had just gotten excited at the prospect of a big leap. Mentally I scaled back my eagerness.

"Of course. I would be happy to do that for you. Consider it done."

Jessica brightened immediately. "Oh, thank you Brian! You're such a good friend."

"And sleep. I'm going to count to ten, and with each number you are going to climb up further and further..."

Chapter Nine:

Jessica stared at her brother across the room, lost in thought. On the one hand, he had been so nice to her lately. The hypnotism sessions left her feeling amazing. Better than she had in a long time. And he was also...nicer to her. Less creepy somehow. But on the other hand, she just got a vibe that made her uncomfortable. He just seemed to look at her like...

Or did he? Jessica watched him laughing at the show the family was watching. Was it all in her head, she wondered? After all, she was pretty sure she knew everything that was going on when he had her hypnotized and there was nothing particularly weird about it. All that was happening was that he was helping her to feel better. Happier and more relaxed. Maybe she had misread him all along.

This last month, spending all this time together, she had come to see him as more of a friend. A confidant. It was just a big is change was all.

That must be it, she thought, relaxing a little. She was just feeling strange about this new facet of their relationship as siblings. It just took some getting used to.

Suddenly overcome by regret for her mistrustful nature, Jessica climbed out of her seat and gave her brother a big hug.

"You're the best bro," she said, giving him a little peck on the cheek.

Brian looked mildly embarrassed. Her parents exchanged a startled look at this unusual and unexpected détente between contentious siblings.

Chapter Ten:

"So how do you feel?"

"Mmm. So relaxed and nice. I love coming here."

"Excellent. So what should we talk about?"

Jessica sat up and looked expectantly at me.

"Are you kidding? I want to know how it went."

I paused, letting the tension build a little.

"I think it went well. He was surprised, I think. But I think he got the message."

"What did you tell him, exactly?"

"That you flirted with me. That you were reallysexy with me."

Jessica looked slightly disappointed.

"Is that all? I want details so I know how to respond if he asks."

"I didn't know what to say. I'm not really sure how girls flirt."

"Well, you know. Touching your arm, playing with my hair. Giggling at your jokes. That kind of stuff."

"Oh. No, I didn't say any of that."

"Well why not? Without the details he won't believe you. That's probably why I saw him flirting with Kelly today," she pouted.

"I'm really sorry, Jess. I'm just not very good at making stuff like that up. Maybe you could tell me exactly how you wouldflirt with me. So I can get the details right."

Jessica nibbled nervously on her nail, a sign that she was conflicted. This time I decided to push a little by not saying anything. After a long stretch where I convinced myself it wasn't going to work, Jessica finally seemed to resolve some inner struggle and relax.

"Ok. Tell him I came up to you and put my hand your arm. Kind of stroking it. And I asked how you were and you made some little joke. And I laughed and playfully slapped my hand on your chest. But I didn't pull it back right way. I kind of let it stay there, you know? And maybe leaned into you just a little.

"And we talked but I didn't pull away, just kind of...lingered next to you, talking about some stuff. And when we finished I gave you a big hug that lasted just a second too long to be completely innocent. You know what I mean?"

Oh man. Deflate the balloon, deflate the balloon. I struggled to keep my arousal in check as I listened to my little sister describe a highly erotic flirtation with her own brother. God I wanted her. But I needed to keep it together here.

"Yah. No, I get it. That's very...vivid. Thank you," I said, my voice cracking just a little despite my best attempt to keep my mind from wandering to a dozen images of Jessica fucking me with animal lust in her eyes. "I think I have enough to tell Todd a convincing story."

Jessica leaned back, a satisfied smile on her face. "It better be. That's some of my best stuff."

I coughed and adjusted my clothes, regaining my composure.

"And sleep."

Jessica immediately went marionette. Time for a little change.

"Jessica, I want you to imagine the last time you saw Todd flirting with a girl. You will stay very relaxed and feel no pain while doing so, but I want you to try and remember what you were feeling when it happened."

"Angry and hurt. And a little competitive, I suppose."

"Competitive?"

"Well, yah. I want Todd to see me as the prettiest girl in the room. Not some skank who only likes him because he has a nice car."

"Ok. I want you to think of those emotions as note cards. Each note card has the name of the emotion on it. Can you imagine that?"

"Yes."

"What do they say?"

"Angry. Hurt. Competitive."

"Good, now I want you to imagine a mail slot in your mind. One end is in your everyday world and one end is here in the relaxation room. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"From now on, when you see Todd flirting with another girl I want you to say to yourself 'mail slot' and slide all of those note cards thru the slot. Do you understand?"

"Yes. When I see Todd flirting with another girl I'll put those feelings onto note cards and slide them thru to the relaxation room by saying 'mail slot'."

"Very good. And then we can talk about those note cards when you come back to the relaxation room. Do you think you can do that?"

"Yes, I think I can do that."

"Good, now why don't you say it again for me..."

Chapter Eleven:

Jessica watched emotionless across the room as Todd talked to some younger girl she didn't recognize. Her friend Jennifer was there, with a sympathetic look on her face.

"Sorry Jess. I wish he would stop doing this to you."

Jessica looked for a couple of seconds longer and then shrugged her shoulders.

"Eh, mail slot."

Jennifer looked confused. "What?"

Jessica smiled at her. "Nothing. Come on, let's get to class. I wanna see how I did on that pop quiz yesterday."

Chapter Twelve:

"So how many cards do you have?"

"Twelve. Four of each."

In a single day? I blinked in surprise. Did these kids actually do any schoolwork?

"Ok, let's look at the cards."

"Ok."

"I wonder. If you put just two of the cards together, what would you get?"

"I don't know."

"For example, if you put together the anger and hurt cards, what are they together?"

Jessica paused, processing. "Vengeful, I guess."

"And what about hurt and competitive?"

Another pause. "Lonely."

"Let's try for something a little more productive."

Jessica furrowed her brow for a minute. "Passionate?"

"Good. What about anger and competitive?"

"Motivated."

"Very good. Now, I want you to hold on to those cards. I want you to look at them and give them each a color. What color would they each be?"

"Anger would be black, I guess. Hurt would be blue. And competitive would be green."

"Excellent. From now on, when you see Todd flirting with another girl I want you to collect those cards. Put them in the mail slot, just like you have been. But from now on, whenever you like you can think of two colors together and bring those cards out to you. Then you can use those cards to motivate you on your own terms.

"For example, if you were trying to drive yourself during a competition you would think of..."

"Black and green. I get it," she said, smiling.

"Very good. Now repeat the color combinations again..."

Chapter Thirteen:

Jessica stood at the edge of the mat, focusing on her breathing. Deep breath in, deep breath out.

"Black and green. Black and green," she muttered under her breath. Everything came into sharp focus. The noise of the crowd fell away. She could do this. She threw her hands down and rushed forward, every step perfectly timed and planned.

When she finished there was a hush in the crowd, then an explosion of applause. She was dimly aware of her teammates and coach rushing up to her, hugging and jumping around in glee. Her eyes scanned the crowd, looking forhim.

There was Todd, shouting happily and applauding. She smiled back at him and waved. There was Mom and dad, beaming proudly. Dad was giving her his geeky thumbs up. She laughed. And therehe was. Her brother, Brian. Doffing his imaginary cap.

She giggled, her heart beating a thousand beats per minute. I owe him so much, Jessica thought. All of this. All of this was possible because of his help. She curtsied with an imaginary skirt, not wanting to take her eyes off him.

Chapter Fourteen:

The night of the gymnastics competition had been electric. I had worn a blue and green shirt, hoping it would have an effect on her. It had succeeded beyond my wildest dreams.

Jessica's eyes had been glued to me all night after the match, a flush in her cheeks that told me things were definitely proceeding as I had hoped.

The family had gathered in the kitchen for celebratory ice cream Sundays and then our parents had said good night and headed up to bed. Jess and I stayed in the kitchen, playing with the pools of melted ice cream in our bowls and talking.

"I couldn't have done it without you, you know," Jessica said, looking shyly over at me.

"Of course you could. Hypnotism isn't magic. I just helped you focus what was already there inside of you."

Jessica swirled her spoon thru a cloud of ice cream and chocolate, looking slightly troubled.

"So, everything I...feel...is something that was already inside my head?"

"Yup, all you. You get all of the credit sis."

Jessica stared quietly for a few seconds, then licked her spoon and got up from the table to put her dish in the sink. To this day I wonder if it was a happy accident or on purpose, but as she turned to leave she smiled and held open her arms for a hug. I noticed a few drops of melted ice cream on her chin and got up.

"Jess, you've got a little..." I used my finger to scoop up the drops off her chin and showed them to her.

Jessica reached up with both hands and gently guided my hand to her mouth. Her tongue rolled out and sensuously licked my finger clean. Then she pulled my finger in her mouth and gently sucked, her eyes wide and innocent and locked on mine. I'm pretty sure I forgot to breath for a few seconds. Finally she pulled my finger out of her mouth.

"Every drop is precious. Night bro."

And then she left, a sly little smile on her lips. I could have sworn I heard her say "That's how you flirt with a boy!" but there was too much blood pounding in my ears to be sure. I had to reach over and grab the table for support; I thought my knees were going to buckle.

Chapter Fifteen:

I had almost headed up to her room that night, certain I had finally reached my goal. In retrospect I'm glad I didn't, since the next day Jessica barely acknowledged me at all. She wasn't hostile, just...avoiding me. Somehow we were never in the same room together alone and Jessica didn't approach me about having another hypnotism session.

A week went by and I began to fear that I had blown it somehow. Maybe I had pushed for too much too soon. But as luck would have it my fortunes improved after a little misfortune for Jessica.

I was sitting in the living room, hoping for but not really expecting Jessica to come home and ask for a hypnotism session. A half hour of the alone time had already gone by and I was just about to give up and head up to my room for a little masturbation when the door flew open and Jessica came rushing in, eyes puffy and makeup smeared.