Dykeification Ch. 08

"So, tomorrow morning, we've got like, this first shoot with Vespian Magazine," Grace was saying. "And we've got a deal worked out for you to wear clothes by some Greek designer. Then they want an interview, too - nothing major, just, like, a few quotes - and I got them to send over a question list, so we can rehearse later. Then for... uh... yeah, Tuesday, I've set up an interview with this website. It's pretty small, but it's like really, really trendy, so if you talk to them, it's gonna be big with all the right people. And then-"

Grace paused.

"Dani?" she said, reaching out to wave a hand in front of her employer's face. "You still with me, babe?"

Dani blinked. "Uh... yeah! Yeah, of course." She sighed apologetically. "OK. No. Not really."

Grace nodded sympathetically. "That's totally cool. We can go over it later."

"Thanks."

They were in Dani's bedroom; Dani was perched on the bed, while Grace stood in front of her and read out her itinerary. It was getting busier by the day, and that was nothing but good news. Her flagging career was back on track. Her decisions to come out and change her whole look were paying off harder than she possibly could have imagined, although largely that was due to Grace's hard work. Her personal assistant seemed to have thousands of friends and contacts, situated all across Hollywood, high and low, and she was sparing no effort hitting up all of them as she attempted to get Dani more gigs and more attention. Every day, Dani was freshly amazed to have someone so industrious working for her. It was shocking that Grace hadn't been snapped up by a major celebrity years ago.

In spite of all of that, though, Dani wasn't happy.

She was happier, sure. In some ways, happier than she could have imagined. She was in love with her new self. To her, it still felt like she'd been missing something, some essential part of herself, for her entire life - until now. Now, confidence flowed out from her like a fountain, and it was helping her to discover such wonderful, indescribable pleasures. She should have been completely, perfectly content.

Instead, she couldn't stop thinking about Cameron.

His vague threat about her regretting her new lifestyle had yet to manifest, but that wasn't the only thing on Dani's mind. In a word, she was lonely. She didn't miss Cameron - she really didn't miss Cameron - but it was hard not to dwell on the fact that, a week ago, she'd had a fiancé. She'd been looking forward to a wedding, a husband, and beyond that, perhaps even a family. Now, she was all alone. She had no one.

Well, that wasn't exactly true. She had Grace, and they were all over each other. Dani couldn't bring herself to regret that their relationship had turned sexual. It was unprofessional, unflattering, and a huge risk. Dani didn't like the idea of being the kind of celebrity who slept with her employees, and if Grace called her out for abusing their power dynamic, it would all be over. But, fuck, the sex was just so good. And fortunately for her, Grace never seemed anything but eager. She made a wonderful... whatever she was. She and Dani hadn't really discussed an official name for their new relationship dynamic.

It wasn't romantic, anyway. And it probably wasn't going to last forever, so it didn't go very far to addressing Dani's angst. What was she supposed to do now? Get a girlfriend? She wouldn't know where to begin.

"Oh, babe," Grace cooed, frowning. "We gotta get your mind off that loser."

Dani blushed. "How did you-"

She broke off mid-sentence when she realized what she'd been doing: staring at her hand, idly rubbing her thumb over her engagement ring. It was fairly plain and easy to hide amongst the rest of her jewelry, and Dani had taken that as an excuse not to get rid of it. She just couldn't bring herself to, even though she knew it did nothing but take her thoughts to unpleasant places.

"Yeah," she sighed. "We do. But that's easier said than done, right? You can't rush getting over a breakup."

"Maybe not," Grace replied, "but, like, that doesn't mean nothing can help. And babe, I got just the thing."

Dani smiled ruefully. "Another sex toy? I'm not sure that'll cut it, as good as my strap is."

Grace giggled. "Better. Way better. Have I ever let you down?"

"No," Dani admitted. She couldn't stop smiling, not with Grace in the room. "OK, what's the idea?"

"So like," Grace began, grinning, "did I ever tell you I used to work in a piercing shop?"

Dani blinked. "No, I don't think so. But my ears are already pierced."

"I know that, duh." Grace rolled her eyes. "I was thinking of something a little more... adventurous."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Dani told her, shaking her head hesitantly.

"No, no, it totally is!" Grace said excitedly. "Just, like, think of it as a new part of your ongoing makeover! It's just what you need: to make a change, to do something a little wild."

Dani couldn't deny the allure of that, but she was still shaking her head. "Maybe... but you don't get it. The problem is, I'm bad with needles. Like... really bad. Like, 'I passed out getting my ears pierced' bad. And don't even talk to me about vaccines. I guess a piercing could go with my new look, but I just can't even think about it."

"Oh. That's a shame." Grace didn't sound very disappointed. "Because, like, I really think you should get your nose pierced."

Dani rolled her eyes. More of Grace's pushiness. She was getting used to it by now - or at least, she thought she was. As an employer, she always had the final say, but whenever Grace really tried to sell her on something, she always ended up feeling fuzzy and weak in the knees.

"I already said 'no', Grace," Dani said wearily.

"And I totally heard you, babe," Grace replied, putting up her hands in a show of pacification. "Just, like, listen to something for me? I bet it'll change your mind."

"Listen?" Dani didn't understand, and laughed when Grace whipped out her phone and a pair of earbuds. "You mean, to some music or something? I'm not sure getting me in the mood is going to help your case."

"Just try it? For me?"

Grace pouted, and Dani couldn't resist that.

"Fine," she sighed, taking the earbuds out of Grace's hands. "But this song better be good."

Dani fit the earbuds into her ears, watched Grace hit 'play' on her phone, and then felt her mind shut off.

She already knew how relaxing Grace's voice could be, when she wanted it to be. When it seemed to be coming from everywhere at once, the effect was simply irresistible. Barely-audible whispers pulsed into her ears, forming echoes of themselves, again and again, until she was surrounded by the sound. Dani's lips parted, ready to say 'this isn't music'. But she remained silent, because she found herself unsure. Maybe this was music. There was an undeniable lyrical quality to Grace's voice, and a rhythm, too, that caught all of Dani's focus and would have had her swaying and tapping her feet if it hadn't drained all the strength out of her body.

Within moments, the faint confusion and panic Dani had felt when she'd first heard Grace's hypnosis track was already fading. Resistance was the last thing on her mind. There was no deep, inner voice, pleading with her to stay strong and fight the hypnosis. She was long past that. After weeks of being firmly under Grace's spell, her mind accepted the trance as easily and effortlessly as Dani might have sunk into a soft, warm bed after a hard day's work.

After just a few seconds of listening to Grace's voice, Dani was gone. Every second after that merely took her deeper.

Grace was happy to watch her sink, for a little while. She enjoyed her craft very, very much, and just as much as the sex, she took pleasure in the hypnosis. A satisfied smirk grew on her face little by little as she drank in the sight of Dani's little micro-expressions; the droop of her eyelids, the slackness of her jaw, the way the corners of her mouth drifted down. Grace was like a connoisseur, enjoying a work of fine art. Dani, though, was oblivious. She saw everything but comprehended nothing. Her mind was perfectly empty, and nothing but Grace's words could fill it.

Once she was sure Dani was deep enough, Grace removed the earbuds. Dani didn't need them to stay in a trance. She could still hear Grace's mantras and affirmations. And she was ready for more.

"OK," Grace mused. "Let's see... this is gonna be fun."

Dani's eyes were too relaxed to track her movements as the assistant reached into her purse and pulled out a needle. It was hollow, beveled at one end, and razor-sharp, and it was in a clear, plastic, disposable packet that guaranteed it was clean and sterilized. Graced ripped open the packet and held the needle up before Dani's eyes, letting the light glinting off its surface catch the hypnotized celebrity's attention.

"Dani," Grace began. "How does this thing, like, make you feel?"

It took Dani a moment to reply. The answer was obvious, but it still took her mind a long time to form the word. "Afraid," she said, her voice weak and distant.

"No, no," Grace admonished. "How does it make you feel, babe? Go deeper. When you look at the needle, what happens to your body?"

Dani paused for a long time before answering, slowly noting all of the different ways her body was reacting to the needle. "Spine-tingling," she said slowly. "Sweating. Shivering. Stomach turning. Heart racing."

Grace giggled. "Oh my god, silly! Don't you see? You're all confused. Totally confused. Guess you need me to straighten you out again."

Dani nodded. She had no trouble accepting that.

"Dani," Grace asked, "what else gets your heart racing?"

"Um..." Dani racked her hypnotized brain. "Concerts. Dancing. Sex."

"Right." Grace exclaimed. "And are you afraid of those things, huh?"

"No." That was easy.

"How do you feel about sex, Dani?" Grace asked, licking her lips.

That was easy too. "Excited."

"Right!" Grace clapped her hands in delight. "So, babe, maybe you're excited about needles too."

"U-uh..." That didn't sound right to Dani, but she wasn't sure. Not anymore.

"You are," Grace pushed. "You're excited about needles."

Dani's mind folded instantly. As always, Grace sounded so much firmer, so much surer, than her own internal commentary. She was so accustomed to listening to Grace. Even her deepest fears were putty in the assistant's skillful hands.

She nodded.

"You're excited about needles," Grace repeated. "Say it."

"I'm excited about needles." Echoing Grace was effortless. Her assistant's gentle, soothing voice passed into her mind and out of her lips, indistinguishable from her own thoughts.

"Needles make you excited."

"Needles make me excited."

"Needles make you excited the way sex makes you excited." Grace's eyes were shining.

"Needles... make me excited the way sex makes me excited." Dani's eyes were now locked onto the point of the needle, and her voice took on a slight, breathy tone.

"Needles make you eager," Grace purred. "Needles make you hot."

"Needles make me eager," Dani repeated. She could feel her mind coiling and reshaping under the weight of the words, forming new connections. New desires. "Needles make me hot."

"You're so right, Dani," Grace giggled. "I'm glad you've got that totally figured out!"

Dani was glad too. It felt good to figure things out. It felt good to listen to Grace.

"But, like, why are you so into needles?" Grace continued. "You ever wonder about that?"

Dani blinked. She didn't. But she was now.

"I bet you noticed it when you got your ears pierced, huh?" Grace suggested. "Passed out, you said. You must have been soooo excited, oh-em-gee."

"I..."

Dani had been about to deny it, but she hesitated. Had she been excited? It was hard to remember, especially when she was hypnotized. It had happened years ago. The memory was all distorted, and there was a shadow hanging over it. She'd thought the shadow was fear. What if it was something else? What if it was shame? Maybe she'd been ashamed of how it had made her feel.

After all, Needles made her eager. Needles made her hot.

"You were excited, right?" Grace prompted.

"M-maybe," Dani replied, her brow twitching.

"You were excited." Grace could easily sense her complete lack of certainty, of willpower.

"I was excited," Dani finally agreed. She slumped slightly and went still, admitting defeat.

"And, like, why were you excited?" This time, Grace supplied the answer right away, leaning in like she was sharing a secret. "Because you knew the needle was going to change you."

Dani's eyes widened as she absorbed that. It had the ring of truth to it. If there was one thing she remembered clearly, it was the simmering anticipation she'd felt before getting her ears pierced. The feeling of standing upon the threshold of a transformation. It had seemed like afterward, she would be so much more mature, somehow. So much more glamorous.

"Change," Grace mused. "Change is so powerful. You've changed so much lately, Dani. Doesn't it feel good?"

Dani nodded. It felt amazing.

"It's more than that," Grace pressed. "It's addictive. You want more. Say it."

"I want more," Dani whispered. She did. She wanted to keep changing herself.

"More of whatever you can get," Grace insisted. "Piercings. Tattoos. Clothes. Makeup. Anything. It all gets you hot. You want it all."

"I want it all," Dani echoed. "I want it all. I want it all. I want it all."

"Good," Grace giggled. She moved the needle back and forth, swinging it like a pendulum in front of Dani's face. "So, let's, like, put it all together, babe. How does the needle make you feel? Nice and detailed now."

"Needles excite me," Dani replied slowly, her brain struggling to join the dots through the fog of hypnosis. "It makes me think about... about being pierced. About getting piercings. That's hot. Changing is hot. Body mods are hot. I want to change. I want body mods."

She could feel the words sinking deep into her soul.

"Perfect," Grace purred. "Now, let's have some fun."

She snapped her fingers in front of Dani's face.

Dani awoke with a start, and rubbed her head blearily. Had she zoned out again? She really, really needed to stop doing that with Grace around. It was getting embarrassing.

"Uh... sorry," Dani murmured blearily. "W-what were we talking about?"

"This." Grace gestured to her piercing needle. "Remember?"

The sight was a shot of adrenaline to Dani's system. At once, she was fully awake. The needle was every bit as exciting to her as her strap-on. "Oh fuck," she breathed.

Grace grinned wildly. "I had an idea for a totally amazing nostril piercing for you. What do you think?"

"Yes," Dani replied at once. Her answer was instinctive. She could feel her heart pounding, and she knew why: she was excited. The energy of that excitement surged through her. "God yes. Body mods are so fucking hot."

"Yeah?" Grace seemed amused. "I'm, like, surprised you don't have a few more."

For a moment Dani was surprised by that too, but it was easy to square away. "I guess it's just like how I hadn't fucked any girls until a few weeks ago."

At that, Grace was utterly delighted. "You're soooo right," she fawned. "So, what are we waiting for?"

Dani nodded. "Do it."

Grace's piercing shop experience was immediately evident. She was swift and efficient as she made the preparations, marking the piercing spot on the side of Dani's nose with a pen, and then disinfecting the area around it with an anti-bacterial cloth. Once that was done, she produced a small, metal instrument - a piercing clamp, that she clamped tight around the piercing site to hold it steady for the needle.

Dani remained completely still as Grace worked. She had been excited at first, but now she was oddly calm; in the eye of the storm of the thrill. Moreover, there was something incredibly relaxing about how Grace was moving about her, getting ready to pierce her body. It made the moment feel as though it revolved around her in a way that stroked all the most sinful parts of her ego. It was the same feeling she got whenever Grace was giving her a massage.

It felt like being worshiped.

"Ready?" Grace asked, touching the tip of the needle to Dani's skin. With that contact, the excitement returned. Dani knew why Grace was asking. It was going to hurt.

Dani was excited about that, too.

"Ready," she said.

She didn't flinch when the needle pierced her. Dani's excitement peaked at its kiss, and the pain was shockingly orgasmic. As soon as it was done, Grace was right there with a sterile cloth to stem the bleeding, but even so, Dani caught sight of the crimson-stained needle, and it made her breath catch in her throat.

Yes.

This was worship. Being changed. Becoming better. Hotter. Every single change she'd made in her life recently had felt good, and she was only just getting started. She was going to mold herself into the goddess she'd always deserved to be, and the world was going to help her.

It turned Dani on so much.

"You said you had an idea for the piercing, right?" Dani asked, voice breathy. "What is it? I need to put something in before it starts to close up."

Grace nodded. When she reached out to take Dani's hand, the celebrity shivered, realizing what Grace was going to do. Grace caressed along each of Dani's fingers, before starting to deliberately, purposefully, stroke her engagement ring. She looked at Dani for approval. Dani gave the slightest nod, paralyzed by the sheer audacity of what was happening. Grace slipped Dani's engagement ring off her finger, then reached into her purse for a small but sturdy pair of cutters. She snipped the ring open, and then used a small file to make sure the ends were smooth and harmless.

Then, she pushed one of the ends into the hole she had just pierced in Dani's nose. Her engagement ring was her new piercing.

It was hotter than anything Dani could have imagined.

"Here." Grace held up a small mirror, so she could admire herself. "What do you think?"

The sight of herself transfixed Dani. It was amazing how much a difference one small piercing could make to her face. Suddenly she looked darker, more adventurous. She looked like an alt girl from an edgy music video, rather than a wholesome model for mainstream brands. And, honestly, she just looked hot. Having more piercings and body mods suited her, Dani was convinced.

But the fact that it was her engagement ring made it all the more special. For days now, the ring, and everything it represented, had haunted Dani's thoughts. Suddenly, the ring meant something completely different. It wasn't a symbol of what she'd lost. It was a symbol of how she was changing. It was a symbol of what she was becoming. And it was the perfect thing to remind Dani that she was never going to let some boring, petty man tie her down ever again.

"It's perfect," Dani gasped.

Grace had been right. As always, Grace had been so right. This was what she'd needed.

"Yes, it is," Grace purred. "I'll, like, take the ring to get altered later. Gotta make sure it's just right for its new home. But for now, I wanted to give you a taste of what it would be like."

Dani nodded. She was in awe.

"So..." Grace probed. "How do you feel now?"

Dani paused and looked in at herself. How did she feel? When she noticed the rising, energizing warmth in her body, she knew the answer.

"Horny," she growled, and pulled Grace down next to her onto her bed.

Grace didn't resist at all, and let out a happy squeal as Dani manhandled her. Dani had learned that her assistant adored it when Dani made her feel small, pliable, and weak. Dani adored it too. She loved feeling like Grace was little more than her own personal plaything.

"You can help me with that too," Dani said, smirking, "right?"