Hypnosis and the Happy Hippy Pt. 02

The second part of Hypnosis and the Happy Hippy. To make complete sense of this story, you may wish to read Hypnosis and the Happy Hippy Pt. 01. Although you can probably get the gist of what went before without. And don't forget to look out for Pt. 03

Tubular Bells was the first studio album by Mike Oldfield, released in 1973 on Virgin Records

Hergest Ridge was the second studio album by Mike Oldfield, released in 1974 on Virgin Records.

Ommadawn was the third studio album from Mike Oldfield, released in 1975 on Virgin Records.

Snow Goose (formally Music Inspired by The Snow Goose) was the third studio album from Camel, released in 1975 on Decca.

"I, the undersigned, allow my boyfriend/girlfriend to sleep with someone else for as long as we are completely open and honest with each other. I will not allow possessiveness or jealousy to damage the relationship we have or the love we have for each other."

They were the words I wrote on a piece of paper, the culmination of a heart-to-heart we had the day after that life-changing night with Zeb.

It had been a relief to both of us, I think, that we were each visiting our respective parents in the afternoon. It's not that we don't get on with each other's parents but it was a bit of an effort sometimes with my Dad seeing Jay as the charmer that had corrupted his little girl, and Jay's catholic mother accusing this heathen woman of taking Jay away from his religion. Bloody families!

I had arrived home ahead of Jay and pottered about doing some cleaning while listening to Cat Stevens and Don McLean. It was long after five o'clock when Jay arrived back.

"I'm bloody starving. What's for tea?" He said.

"We'll go to the chippy."

"We can't afford it. We've got food..."

"Listen," I cut him off, "I'm not wasting another minute doing stuff apart while we can be together and talk."

"I'm hungry now, though."

"Well, make a fucking sandwich. We need to talk."

So he did. We sat cross-legged on the bed and ate our cheese sandwiches in silence.

"We've got to talk about last night," I said. Jay looked down between his knees, embarrassed. "We did something, well, I did something I'd never dreamed of before."

"Mm." was all he could manage while chewing the last mouthful of sandwich.

"No good being embarrassed or looking sheepish. It happened."

"It did."

"How do you feel about it today?"

"What do you mean?"

"Okay. We had an excuse. We'd both had a few drinks; all had a few drinks, so we were less inhibited."

Jay emitted a giggle. "Yes. We had."

"So, maybe it happened because I was a bit tipsy or stoned. Maybe what you said and did was for the same reason."

He struggled to look up at me. "What? Because you were tipsy and stoned."

"No, daft lugs. Because you were."

"I remember everything quite clearly."

"I'm not complaining. That shag in the alley was fantastic. But, you said..."

I didn't know how to put it.

"I remember perfectly well," Jay admitted. "I said it was a turn on."

"Yes."

"And?"

"Did you mean it?"

He looked down, embarrassed and sheepish again. "Yes." He mumbled to the bed.

"Are you angry at me?"

"What. Why?"

"Because I let Zeb... I mean... because Zeb... And I..." I really was lost for words.

"No! I'm not."

"Oh! Thank Christ!" I realised that my whole torso had been tense as I let out a held breath and relaxed. "I thought we'd have a huge row about it." Throwing my arms around his neck, I hugged and kissed him.

"How could you think that? I love you. I mean Pam... I... what I..." It was Jay's turn to be stuck for words.

"That was not revenge." I broke off the hug. "I did not do that..."

"I know," He cut me short. "You're not that type of person. I wasn't suggesting it was."

"And you really don't mind?"

"Ah! I didn't say that. Not minding and accepting are different things. I said I expected you would sleep with someone else at some time; I didn't say I wouldn't get jealous." He referred to a conversation we'd had after the Pamela incident.

"Right," I said, processing it.

"That was different. He was there. I knew about it. I could have stopped it, but didn't. God knows why I didn't. Probably because you were enjoying it."

"Oh."

"You did enjoy it, didn't you?"

Now I took a turn at mumbling to the bed. "Yes."

"Speak to me, San, not the bed."

"I said Yes."

"That's important to me. I don't want to be that guy. The man that owns you."

Other girls might have got upset about this, might have thought that their man didn't care enough to be angry or jealous, but I knew where Jay was coming from.

"I love you for being you, and that is part of you."

"You're trying to say I'm a slut?"

"No! Absolutely not. Don't try and put words in my mouth. You like sex. So what? I'm not accepting it because I want to stay with you at any cost. That's as bad as possessiveness. But you enjoyed it and that's important to me. And no harm was done."

"You mean you wouldn't mind an open relationship?"

"I didn't say that either."

"But if I did go with someone else, you wouldn't fly off the handle and pack your bags and leave me."

"Why? Is that the only reason you're faithful?" I wasn't sure whether he was serious or not.

"No. It isn't. But it might make me stop if I were tempted." I was curious and pushed it further. "So, if you strayed, would you expect me to be the same? You'd expect me to accept it and still love you?"

"Well." He hesitated. "It wouldn't mean I didn't love you. I would sort of expect you to understand and listen to me."

"Isn't that an open relationship?"

"I suppose it kind of is."

"So, if I said we should have an open relationship, you would be okay with it."

"I don't know how you expect me to answer that." He looked scared, as if whatever he said would be wrong.

"Honestly. I expect you to answer honestly."

"If you'd have asked me yesterday, I would have said a definite NO."

"But I'm asking you now. After last night."

"I suppose I would, in that case. I mean, I want it to be a non-possessive relationship."

"So, you are saying that you want us to give each other permission to sleep with someone else?"

"I think you're saying that." He stressed.

We were at an impasse. We both knew where we were heading, but neither of us wanted to admit to it.

"Hang on." Jay said and walked to his pile of papers and scribbled something on a large sheet. He brought it back to me with a pen and re-established himself on the bed, passing me the paper and pen. It read:

"I, the undersigned, agree never to get possessive or angry if my boyfriend/girlfriend sleeps with someone else."

I studied it for a minute, then ripped it up. Walking over to the table, I wrote on another piece of paper:

"I, the undersigned, allow my boyfriend/girlfriend to sleep with someone else for as long as we are completely open and honest with each other. I will not allow possessiveness or jealousy to damage the relationship we have or the love we have for each other. "

I gave it to Jay and sat back up on the bed. He pondered for a minute, then signed it, passing it back for me to sign.

"Okay. That's that elephant shoved out of the room."

I bent across and kissed him again. This time we made love, then went to the chip shop.

Writing out that contract was, simultaneously, the scariest and most exciting thing I'd ever done. Of course, it was the thought of Zeb and what I had done that made me sign; that hypnotic experience he had given me, and I wanted more. I wondered what else he had to offer.

But, I thought, would it turn me into one a woman who would sleep with anything? And what about Jay? I'd just given him his womaniser licence. On the other hand, it alleviated the two most destructive emotions of guilt and jealousy.

Or did it?

Jay received his start date for the training centre the very next Monday and started the Monday after. This was great news. It meant we could get out of the degrading benefit system. It meant he had something to occupy him that hold his interest, and it meant a little more freedom for us both.

The downside was that I was always home from work before Jay. That meant I always cooked. The upside was that I was always home from work before Jay; so I had a bit of time to myself, albeit only about an hour. And then there was our contract. Opportunities!

Bedsit living meant it was difficult, if not impossible, to avoid neighbours. It was especially difficult avoiding those whose door was next to ours.

Dennis soon cottoned on to my being home before Jay; he started calling in when I came home. He'd bring a cup of tea in for me. It was like having a butler; I hated it. I got the feeling that the peep show I gave him had sparked his interest more than it should have. Had he realised I had known? Did he know it had excited me?

It was a Saturday and Jay had gone to his parents. I wanted a day for myself, so I didn't visit mine. Still in my nightie sorting out a drawer when Dennis knocked, I stopped what I was doing and let him in.

"That's interesting," Dennis said as I was picking out my tie-dyed, wrap-over skirt and a yellow shirt of Jay's.

"What's that?" I asked.

"I, the undersigned, allow my boyfriend stroke girlfriend to sleep with someone..."

"What the fuck!" I realised. "That is nothing to do with you!"

His eagle eyes had spotted the contract on the pile I was sorting. I snatched it out of his hand.

"Sorry. It was just there."

I pushed it back into the drawer. "Forget you saw that."

"I can't." He said. "Think I shouldn't have got myself dressed now."

He rubbed my shoulder and went to kiss me.

"What do you think you're doing?" I was indignant.

"Well, you've got permission."

"Having permission doesn't mean I'm going to, so I think you should be going before you get any more ideas."

"But I've always fancied you. You must know that." As if that was a persuasive argument.

"So have a lot of people, but I haven't slept with them all."

"You don't know what you're missing, Sandi."

"It's Sandra or San. Never Sandi! Now out!" I snapped.

"Okay, okay. I'm off. Your loss." He said as he shut the door. From that moment, Dennis never called in while I was alone. So that was a result.

I was fuming at the cheek, but it would not spoil the day. This day, I was doing something I had been longing to do. I would have done it the weekend before, but my period stopped me.

Though I seldom needed to when I was not with Jay, I had to decide today, underwear or no underwear. I looked out of the window. It was a warm sunny day with a hint of a breeze. No embarrassing Marilyn moments. That settled it. Fully commando for me today.

Before dressing, I made sure my pubes were as trim as possible and showered. Wrapped in two large towels, I hurried back from the bathroom to avoid the lech next door. I applied a good measure of my best quality patchouli oil under my breasts, beneath my ears, on my wrists, and on my mound. Once I warmed up, I would smell gorgeous.

I tied the skirt and pulled on Jay's shirt. I loved wearing Jay's shirts; it made me feel close to him. The irony was not lost on me. It would, though, remind me of whom I was with and with whom I wanted to be for the rest of my life. I tied it up under my boobs and fastened one button, for decency's sake.

Feeling very sexy, with a very gentle breeze caressing my vulva and Jay's shirt rubbing against my nipples, I dashed down the road, aiming for the nearest bus stop. Halfway to the bus stop, two young guys were walking towards me. I'd forgotten about the road that ran straight from the river and crossed my path. The boys were just about twenty yards in front when the amplified breeze blew up the river road and parted the fold of my skirt, exposing my fanny to their full view for just a couple of seconds. Their faces were a picture.

I have always found that the best thing to do in these situations is to ignore it. Pretend you haven't noticed and carry on as if nothing had happened. This I did, telling myself to remember a safety pin in future.

I alighted the bus and walked towards Zeb's. It was gone midday, so he must be up. As I approached, my legs felt heavier than usual. My footsteps dragged like I was walking through treacle up a hill. A drip of moisture fell from an eyebrow onto my cheek. I felt a bead of sweat making its way between my tits as the patchouli wafted up from my chest, bringing a sense of calm. I sped up and walked right past his doorway.

For fuck's sake, Sandra, I scolded myself, get a grip. Turning around, I walked past again, into the newsagents underneath. I had no idea what, if anything, I was looking for, so I browsed the magazines. As someone reached past me for one of the publications, I realised I was staring at the eye-level shelf holding Parade, Playboy, Men Only, and the likes.

Snapping out of my daydream, I looked out at the sunny road. I turned back to the shop, to buy I knew not what. The Playboy customer was looking straight at my crotch. The sun was shining behind me and he could see through my skirt. I took a deep breath, turned, and walked out of the shop. Allowing myself no time to think, I knocked on Zeb's door. The sound echoed up the bare stairs.

I waited for a couple of minutes. Obviously he's not in, I thought, and went to walk away. Try again, Sandra, I told myself. The percussive noise echoed up the stairs again. I waited for an answer that still never came. After all that, he was out! I was both disappointed and relieved because I didn't have to take that decision, yet. Since I was wearing sensible flats, I decided to walk the three miles home, taking in some shops along the way.

Almost two hours later, I arrived home to find Zeb sitting on the doorstep.

"Zeb!" I said, my voice trembling. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was sitting on the stairs, but your landlady told me to wait outside."

"Miserable bitch!" I opened the door. "How long have you been here?"

"Not long. About half an hour."

"How did you know Jay wasn't here?" The words fell out of my mouth as I led him to our first-floor bedsit.

"Eh?" Zeb puzzled.

"I've no idea why said that." Flummoxed, I was thinking on my feet again. "I was going to say 'How did you know we weren't in?' then I realised you didn't until you got here, then I was changing it to 'and Jay's not back yet' and... Oh! It just came out wrong."

Opening the door, I invited him in.

"Well, I knew you weren't in when you didn't answer. No, I didn't know you were out until I knocked. I didn't come expecting you to be alone."

Alone! Shit! I'm alone with Zeb and I'm wearing next to nothing. I giggled at what he had said. I walked straight to the wardrobe and palmed a pair of my least glamorous insurance knickers.

I said, "Just have to go pee," and left to dress a bit more decent. The insurance knickers were to help remove temptation. This would have been a great opportunity if Jay hadn't been due back anytime within the next couple of hours.

"I haven't seen anything of you since you were at my den." We were into our first cup of coffee when he blurted this out.

"Oh, yeah." I giggled again. "We just had lots on and Jay started at the training scheme and I've had a tiring time at work and..."

"Wow! Chill Pussycat." He interrupted. "You don't have to say it all in one breath."

"Oh. Yeah. Talking too fast."

"Are you mad at me for what happened, kid?"

"What? No!" Not a chance. I was getting wet just thinking about it. "Though you did slip Jay a knockout pill. That wasn't on."

"Yeah! I was off my head a bit. Did you enjoy it, though?"

Another giggle escaped. "Well, sort of. It was... Yeah, it was different."

"Different?"

"Another coffee?"

"I've still got some left."

"It'll be cold by now." I wrenched the cup out of his hand and took it, with my own, to wash. It took me longer than it should to wash the cups. I returned and picked up the kettle.

"Oh! We need more water." I ran out with the kettle and stalled some more.

"So? It was different." Zeb had waited until the kettle was almost boiling.

Shit! "Yes. It was like hypnosis."

"It was hypnosis." He asserted. "Your body can do anything in hypnosis. Even orgasm."

Another giggle. I attempted to pour the boiling water on the coffee, missed so it went all over the floor, then I corrected my aim.

"I can do some more, if you'd like."

Jay walked in as I giggled again and gave me a suspicious look.

"Hi, Zeb," he said. "Haven't seen you since you gave me that pill."

"Yeah, man. Sorry about that," Zeb looked at the carpet, sheepish. "I just thought I'd come and hang with you guys for a while."

It was such a relief that Jay was home. It allowed me to make my excuses and spend time in the kitchen cooking something for us all to eat. Jay came down after about half an hour to see how I was getting on with the cooking.

"My mam and dad's just said we can lend a few quid," Jay informed me as he came into the kitchen.

"You mean that your mum and dad HAVE just said that we can BORROW a few quid?" Jay was not stupid, by any measure, just lazy sometimes.

"That, as well."

"That's great news. How much?" I asked.

"As much as we need, within reason."

"Let's not rush. We're only paying four pounds a week for this pad," Zeb was rubbing off on me, "so we don't want to be paying more if we don't have to."

"Our own kitchen would be nice."

"And a bedroom separate from the living room."

"God! I dream of having a separate bedroom."

"Let's save a bit of our own money first," I suggested, "see if we can afford a bigger rent."

As I turned to attend to the cooking, Jay put his arms around me. It felt nice. He slipped a hand into my shirt to fondle me.

"God! You smell gorgeous!" Jay breathed in my scent. "Is that for me or him?

"For me, arsehole!"

"Have you just shagged him?" He blurted into my ear. Luckily, no one else was in the kitchen.

"What? No!" I pushed him back and turned to look at him.

"Well, you've been alone with him and, after what happened, it's a natural progression." I didn't know if he was serious or angry, or just winding me up.

"No, it's not!" I lied.

"Sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. You want to put your hand in my knickers to check for yourself?"

"No. Not right now."

"And would I let him see me in these?" I pulled my skirt open.

"Good point." He walked off.

I cooked enough for the two of us and our guest. We chewed the fat while we chewed our food.

Dennis and Ted both came in some time later and we sat around smoking Zeb's dope and drinking Dennis's wine. They stayed until after midnight. I didn't offer to let Zeb stay the night.

However, I did make sure Jay gave me a damned good seeing to after they'd gone. We were so tired that we fell asleep. We awoke in the night with Jay still inside me. That was fun.

Monday came and went. Then Tuesday came and went. Then Wednesday came.

I had booked Wednesday off work.

It began as a normal day. I dressed for work and left early. One of Jay's coworkers lived nearby so he could get a lift in, meaning he didn't have to leave until about half an hour after me. So, I went for a walk along the prom, trying to talk myself out of my imminent action, while encouraging myself to do it.

I returned at about nine. Ted's van was nowhere to be seen, so he was at work and Dennis would be fast asleep since he didn't start work till after lunch. The entire house would have been deathly silent if it weren't for the sound coming from the vampire's lair, as we'd come to know the Landlady's flat. She never seemed to be out.

I pulled the bed back down and, with Mike Oldfield's Ommadawn quietly playing, I lay down naked to relax for a couple of hours. No point calling on Zeb before lunchtime. Following a light lunch, I dressed, as on Saturday, in Jay's shirt and my tie-dyed wrap-over.