Thanks for the Sub

I nod back, trying to sort out the tangled mess that is my feelings right now. It's clear that Annalise has some sort of power over me now, with these cigarettes as a sort of currency between us.

Right before I can retreat back to my room, however, Annalise draws closer to me, stretching her neck, stepping right in my personal space.

"Like my new perfume?" She says in a coy, sarcastic voice, pointing to her slender neck. I find myself instinctively leaning closer, breathing in - and my eyes widen in surprise. It's faint, but I'd recognise it anywhere.

The honey. The spices.

She smells just like the cigarettes. Does she smoke them, too?

She retreats back into her room before I can recover, her giggling growing fainter behind the door. Finding myself confronted by the closed door, I eventually snap out of it and head back down the hallway, the package of cigarettes heavy in my hand. I wonder what it is I'm holding.

Or what kind of hold Annalise is going to have over me.

***

I take another drag from the cigarette, savouring the sweet, fragrant smoke as it swirls in my mouth. It's been a few days now since Annalise gave me the next fix, and I've been smoking them ever since. I know I shouldn't. No, seriously, I swear I do know. It's just. You know. The smoke calls to me, luring me in with its seductive tendrils. And I just can't resist.

As I watch the smoke curling around me, I find myself getting lost in its patterns. Each swirl and eddy seems to carry a meaning, a message that I can almost grasp but never quite understand. I think of coils tightening around.. something. Strength being sapped, leaking out, leaving deflation, weakness, compliance.

I don't know, that's weird. Trippy, even.

Despite the strange thoughts and associations that the smoke conjures up, the warm, comforting blanket that envelops me and shuts out the world is more than worth the creepiness.

I feel like my mind is slowing down, becoming sluggish and unresponsive. It's harder to concentrate on my studies, and so easy to procrastinate. Instead of working, I'm..

God, that's so bizarre.

I try to force myself to study. Eventually, my mind wanders, and my eyes follow, and my hands begin to type the well-known URL, and here I am again. On Annalise's channel, which I've recently subscribed to.

She's sitting in the next room, and yet here I am. Watching her play videogames in real time.

I've never been interested in games, but that isn't the draw, here, not for me. It's... the way she uses her beauty and charm to elicit tips from her audience.. it's something that I used to highly disapprove of. But now, I find myself wondering what it would be like to be her. To have all those men fawning over me, showering me with attention and gifts.

Then, I imagine how it would be like to be one of them. Casting my adoration at the feet of someone who's going to receive it as a matter of course, and give nothing back, because she only knows to take, and take, and take...

She might not be in the room with me, but I'm also consciously aware that Annalise smells like the cigarettes. Such a subtle scent, but it's always there, lingering in the air. Maybe she just smokes them a lot too, I'm not sure. But just seeing her skin on camera triggers my olfactory memory so vividly, that it's like her neck is inches away from my nose once more, with me breathing it all in..

She's just mesmerising. That's the only adjective that fits. I watch her work her magic on her audience, and I feel a deep longing stirring inside of me. Maybe I really am turning into a simp, too.. The thought makes me feel sick to my stomach.

My eyes are glued to the screen, trying not to miss any tiny detail of her facial expression, of the way she smirks and winks to the camera, the face she makes right before she's about to crack a joke...

She's playing some kind of shoot-'em-up game, and I have no idea what's going on with the gameplay, but I don't really care. My eyes are all on her. On her own eyes. Two deep pools, so dark, so deep. How have I never noticed that before?

Her long hair is swept to the side, her smile playful as she interacts with chat.

I watch in awe as she uses her beauty and allure to elicit tips. Her husky voice, the way she just looks so hot and smart simultaneously. Who wouldn't want to tip her, even just as recognition of this?

My eyes follow the curves of her body, accentuated by her tight-fitting top. The way her chest rises and falls with each breath, and I find myself mesmerised by her movements. I watch as she flirts with her audience, teasing them with subtle glances and suggestive remarks.

I am definitely reacting to the same cues and allures that Annalise uses on her simps. My skin is pearled with sweat, and my breath is strangely ragged. On the tip of my tongue, I can taste them.

The spices and the honey.

She receives another generous tip from one of her viewers, and I can't help but feel a pang of envy. Why can't I be the one that she's paying attention to? Why can't I be the one that she's flirting with?

Errr..

Where did that come from?

My cheeks redden as I realise that I've been staring at her like a lovesick puppy. God, that's so pathetic, and thrilling, and terrifying. I've always prided myself on my intelligence and independence, my indomitable spirit as a winner, but now I find myself drawn to Annalise in a way that feels almost..

Submissive?

Annalise she says something that snaps me out of my daze. "Hey, V, are you watching?" she asks, looking straight into the camera.

My heart skips a beat. How did she know I'm watching? Did she really mean to call me out like that? Or was it just a coincidence?

Annalise stares into the camera again, her voice unusually commanding. "Tip me, if you are."

The ground seems to open up beneath me. My extremities tingle as adrenaline courses through my body, and I have a sudden impulse, a physical and sexual impulse, to just do it. But I hesitate for a moment, my hand hovering over the "send" button on my screen. My fingers begin to tremble.

Slowly, inexorably, I succumb to the urge. I type in a generous amount and hit "send". The moment the notification pops up on Annalise's screen, I feel a rush of both excitement and guilt at what I've just done... at how she has just overpowered me.

I can't believe I've done this.

Annalise laughs, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Oh V, you're such a good girl," she says, addressing me directly. "You always know how to make me smile."

And that... that makes my cheeks burn hotter than the bloody sun.

***

It occurs to me that Annalise might be dehydrated. Streaming for so many hours must be tiring. I feel a strange compulsion to take care of her, to make sure she's comfortable and well looked after. So naturally, without thinking twice, I head to the kitchen and gather some snacks, water, and other amenities, carefully arranging them on a tray.

Because of course, what else could I do?

Carrying the tray with me, I make my way to Annalise's room, heart pounding in my chest. As I enter the room, I feel a rush of heat on my face, knowing that I must look like a complete fool.

I'm startled by my own actions. What just possessed me to leave my textbooks behind and bring Annalise a tray of water and snacks? It's not like we're even friends or anything. Sure, we share a dorm room, but we hardly talk beyond the occasional hello and goodbye. And now, here I am, setting a tray of snacks and water on her desk like some kind of servant.

What shocks me even more is that Annalise doesn't seem surprised at all by my actions. In fact, she immediately turns back to address chat.

"V's just brought me drinks! Best roomie ever! And a great assistant, too..." She takes a generous sip, then waves a hand in my direction. "You're dismissed, peon."

That stops me dead in my tracks.

I feel my cheeks flush with heat. No one has ever spoken to me in such terms, much less in front of god knows how many viewers! I want to speak up and say something, anything, to defend myself, but just as I'm about to explode.. the words die on my lips.

After all, I don't want to ruin her stream. Do I?

And besides, Annalise is my only source for the cigarettes, isn't she?

As I withdraw, feeling defeated and belittled, I know this was more than just a joke, like she's somehow asserting her dominance over me. Peon? Like I'm being dismissed by a queen...

One who deserves adoration being thrown at her feet. Because she takes, and takes, and takes. And that's why, despite my better judgement, I find myself tipping her again later during the stream, even more generously this time. When she receives it, she laughs and calls me a "good girl" to her chat, and I can't help but feel a rush of pleasure at her praise.

It goes down my body, and straight between my legs.

My brain? In this scenario, apparently.. it does not feature.

***

As the weeks pass, I find myself growing increasingly obsessed with Annalise. It's like a slow and confusing descent into a world I never thought I'd inhabit - a world of simping. I can't seem to focus on anything else, not even my studies, which used to be my top priority.

All I can think about is Annalise and her streaming channel. I watch her every day, tipping her generously and frequently, hoping to catch her attention. I also take care of the house chores and make sure she has everything she needs, including drinks and snacks.

It's like I'm in a daze, lost in a world that revolves around Annalise. I can't explain why I feel this way, but I know that I can't stop. The more I do for her, the more I want to do. I feel like I'm in a trance, completely under her spell.

I know that this isn't healthy, but I can't seem to snap out of it. Annalise has become my everything, and I can't imagine my life without her. It's like I'm addicted to her, and the cigarettes she feeds me, and the validation I get when I simp for her.

I feel like I've lost myself, like I'm no longer the strong, driven girl I used to be. But at the same time, I can't find the energy to actually care. All I want is Annalise's attention and affection... and my regular fixes... and I'll do whatever it takes to secure it.

It's a dangerous path I'm on, and I know it. But I can't seem to turn back now.

I sit in my room, staring at my laptop screen. The pages of my textbook lay open on my desk, but I can't bring myself to read a single word. My mind is consumed with thoughts of Annalise and her stream. I check my phone every few minutes to see if she's live, my heart racing with anticipation.

I feel lost and adrift in my own life. Everything used to be so clear and focused - my studies, my goals, my future. I used to look down on Annalise's career choice, believing that success could only come from being in the thick of things. In the office, or in class, sharply dressed, in equal parts feared and respected.

But now, I'm the streaming equivalent of her towel girl..

I'm just wasting my time and my potential, but I don't know how to get out of this cycle. I don't know how to regain control over my own life, and most of all, how to regain clarity. All I know is that I want another smoke. And another, and another..

Annalise's bossiness has been steadily increasing, too. I can't help but feel like her personal servant. She orders me around, demanding that I do the dishes or clean up her mess, as if I'm at her beck and call. And yet, I do what she asks without hesitation, eager to please her in any way possible.

She smells of spice and honey.

She's manipulative and bossy, and she's actively ruining my grades with her increasing demands for my attention, and yet that only seems to increase my infatuation with her. I don't know how to break free from her grip. The cigarettes, the scent, the stream.. they're like the smoky tendrils. Coiling. Tightening. Sapping me of strength.

I'm afraid that I'm becoming someone I don't recognise, someone weak and docile and even spineless. Eager to please. Servile..

A sub.

To her channel.. and to her.

***

I walk into Annalise's room and take a deep breath. It smells like cigarettes, no, like the cigarettes, and that alone makes me giddy. I look over at Annalise, who's sitting in her gaming chair, headphones around her neck, one leg crossed over the other. She looks away from the screen, her eyes meeting mine, and I feel my heart race.

"Do you need something?" she asks, batting her eyelashes at me.

I swallow hard, suddenly feeling very nervous. "I, um, I ran out of cigarettes," I say, my voice barely above a whisper. "Again."

Annalise's smile doesn't quite reach her eyes. "Well then, you know what to do," she says, gleefully. "Ask nicely, for starters."

I freeze, breathing in heavily, trying to parse what exactly she's asking of me. Does she want me to, what, humiliate myself? Isn't fetching her drinks and doing all the chores and tipping her enough? Do I have to beg and grovel now, too?

But what's even worse to contemplate is that I'm so far gone, I barely even hesitate.

"Please, Annalise," I say, my voice small and unassuming. "Please give me more cigarettes?"

You don't just go back from something like this...from this moment. How will Annalise ever take me seriously again now? How will I? I start trembling as she reaches down into a drawer and pulls out a pack, holding it just out of reach.

"What are you truly willing to do for them?" she asks, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

There is room for nothing but the truth.

"Anything," I say, my voice barely above a whisper.

Annalise grins. "Good girl," she says. Then, she snaps her fingers and points towards the ground, and my heart sinks, because there can be no mistaking what she means. The grip of my pride, however, is too feeble. What use is pride, when you can feel?

Slowly and deliberately, I descend to my knees.

As they hit the floor, in a way that seems almost symbolic, that drives all the breath out of me in surrender and ceasing of any struggle, I look up at Annalise. Even sitting, she towers over me with an air of superiority. I suddenly feel like we've been embarking on a long path, her and I. And that this is the destination.

She snaps her fingers again. This time, she's pointing to her foot.

"Sniff it."

I stare at her with wide, shocked eyes. What?! She wants me to, what? That makes no.. I mean, of course her skin would smell like.. like..

Wait.

My heart races as I slowly, so slowly lean forward, in this surreal situation that seems to be spinning more and more out of my control. Somehow, I end up with my nose mere inches from her naked foot, bobbing up and down expectantly.

I take a deep breath.

There's a mixture of sweat, and spices. Honey. The scent of something aged to perfection, exquisite, refined. Regal. Just catching a whiff of it makes me shudder with need.

I feel Annalise's eyes on me, watching me with a mixture of amusement and satisfaction. I know I'm nothing more than a plaything to her, that I should wonder how she can smoke the cigarettes and be unaffected, or why her skin smells the way it does - but for some reason, I can't bring myself to care.

"Good girl," she says again, patting my head like I'm some kind of, of.. "You're such a good little pet."

Yeah. That.

I feel a surge of anger at being treated like an animal, but it's quickly overtaken by a sense of pleasure at being praised by her... and besides, what chances does anger get, when it's drowning in honey?

I lift her foot to my nose and inhale deeply. The scent overwhelms me. I take another deep breath, the scent filling my nostrils and spreading throughout my body. It's warm, heady.. beautiful.

I'm so lost in the sensation that I barely register Annalise's other foot ruffling my hair and resting on my head. It's only when she speaks again that I come back to reality.

"Such a good little girl," she coos, her voice soft and low. "Totally wrapped around my finger..."

Her words send shivers down my spine, and I nod obediently, still lost in the heady aroma of her foot.

"You're not just addicted to the fragrance, silly. You're addicted to me," she whispers, and I feel her other foot press harder into my head. "You're addicted to my cigarettes, to my scent, to my touch."

Her words barely reach me, whispered truths or lies or truths-to-be, I'm too lost to care. I take another deep breath, the scent of her foot filling my senses and making me dizzy. I'm adrift in the sensation of it all, captive in the spell that Annalise has woven around me.

"You need me," she says. "You're nothing without me, V. You're weak and powerless."

No, that's not me, I've always been a winner. I've always burned with such a fierce, raging fire.. but it's a distant and abstract thought, as I meekly continue to inhale the scent of her foot. My eyes are half-closed as she continues to whisper to me.

She smirks down at me, her eyes dark with amusement. "You're so easy to control," she says. "I could make you do just about anything, couldn't I?"

"Yes," I say. There is only room for truth. "Anything."

In response, she presses her foot more roughly against my face, and I instinctively bury my nose between her toes.

"That's it," Annalise says. "Sniff yourself stupid."

I can't help but obey her, my mind foggy and my senses dulled. I keep inhaling deeply, almost desperately, trying to get as much of that sweet fragrance into my system as possible.

"You're mine, Veronica," she says. "All mine. You belong to me. Say it," Annalise commands. "Say that you're mine."

I hesitate for a moment, my mind still fuzzy and unclear. But then the words spill out of me, almost against my will.

"I'm yours, Annalise," I say at last, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Good girl," she says, her tone almost approving. "Now keep sniffing. Breathe me in."

And so I do. I keep sniffing, feeling like I'm on the verge of passing out, slipping away, into a world where all that exists is the sweet fragrance of Annalise and the feeling of her weight, of her foot, atop my head.

I'm acutely aware of how it feels, of what this means. It's my head. It's what does my thinking for me, the most important part of me, the part that defines me. And right now, it's nothing more than a footrest for my streamer roommate.

A sudden realisation hits me like a ton of bricks. I'm being domesticated, like a wild animal tamed into submission, I'm being conditioned to associate my addiction, not to the cigarettes, but to her feet. A wave of panic and shame washes over me, and I try to pull away, but Annalise's grip on me is too strong. Her foot presses down harder on my head, and that's all she needs to keep me in my place, on my knees before her, where I belong.

"No more cigarettes for you," Annalise says, confirming exactly what I just feared - what I just realised I knew. "This is how you're going to be satisfying your addiction from now on. By smelling my feet. They're the same fragrance, anyway."

I feel a sense of despair wash over me as I try to resist, to protest, to demand my cigarettes back (but not my freedom, oh no), but my spine is weak, easily bent. She is so, so much stronger than I am, in every way that counts.

"Yes," I say meekly, my voice barely audible. "I'll d-d-do whatever you want."

Annalise chuckles, her voice filled with pleasure at my submission. "Good girl," she says. "Now get to work."

As I continue to inhale, Annalise's foot presses down harder on the back of my head, pushing my face into her other foot. I part my lips and begin to kiss her foot. The fragrance of her skin fills my senses, and I can feel the honeyed and spicy notes tickling my nose.

I plant kisses on the ankle and the top, because it just feels right. Each kiss feeling like a miniature acknowledgement of inferiority, of submission to her will. I can taste the same sweet, earthy scent on my lips that I've been inhaling for what feels like hours. It makes them tingle, it feels like sex, but so much better.