The Dazzling Lady's Harem - Deidre

Ursula was up much earlier than she was used to; long nights of decadent domination kept the average hypno-dominant like her awake until the wee hours, sleeping into the afternoon if she was lucky. She expected the same of Dazzling, her recent savior-turned-mentor, but apparently the reputable mercenary kept a tight regimen for herself, including early morning workouts, often a lot of late-morning time dedicated to independent study (mostly studying target details and logistics), plus a daily visit to her favorite cafe, which Ursula was invited to for the first time.

"So, what made you want to be a full-time hypnotist, let alone an underground one?" Dazzling inquired as the pair walked along the sparsely-populated dawn-lit sidewalk, engaging in more of their daily quid pro quo, learning more about one another to test their compatibility, enjoying the results thus far.

"This old hypnotist that did a demonstration at my university in Edinburgh. I was a junior then, and was already well-versed in guys that just wanted to fuck. Goatee, white ponytail, and carried himself well, but barely bothered hiding his interest in the...student body, shall we say. His routines worked on everyone, including me. But knowing what he wanted before and especially after the show put me in a disposition that left me less suggestible than he wanted."

"What'd you do after, kick the shit out of him?"

"Yeah, the way that hurt his pride the most. Used the body he wanted to induce trance, gave him a sexy strip tease, let his hard-on stay extended and excited. I actually sling-shotted my wet panties in his face, and held them there gently as I mimicked what he did on-stage to get them deep fast."

"Nice!"

"Oh yeah, he was a great pussy-licker. And that's what equated to sex by the time I was done speaking to him."

"My kind of table-turning," Dazzling approved.

"Makes me feel more than a little fraudulent that Master Harry got a hold of me," she grimaced at the memory. "AND almost roping you into that bullshit."

"I might have to resort to suggesting you stop apologizing for that; as I've said many times, it happens to even the best of us," Dazzling chided.

"It's never happened to you."

"That you know of," was the older hypnotist's smirk as they approached their destination. It was a small, tucked away place called the "Summer Jewel Cafe." It looked like the employee inside was just getting the place set up, the open sign lit up ten feet before they reached the door to enter.

"Good morning," the barista behind the counter with her back turned, as if knowing exactly who had entered her store.

"Good morning to you, August. How goes the day?"

Turning to face them, the cafe's first customers of the day saw a lightly-tanned brunette greet them with a friendly smile. August's short brown hair was in a ponytail, and Ursula could see from her forearms toned muscles, indicating along with the rest of her that the barista did a lot of heavy lifting on the job, or often got a good workout in. With a calm expression that didn't seem to know she was facing a few potent mental manipulators, the younger hypnotist got the impression of "athletic Mona Lisa" from August, complete with knowing smile.

"Just like any other day, birds chirping, sun smiling, bodies begging for caffeine," she laughed, handing Dazzling a cup that already seemed ready-made for her.

"You must be psychic," Dazzling took the cup, savored the first sip of her special blend.

"And what can I get your friend here?"

"I recommend the 'Jade pending' blend," Dazzling said.

Ursula's eyes scanned the board above the bar, searching for the recommendation. "Sorry I don't see the...wait, jade pendant?" A lone piece of jewelry, a small jade orb, hung from around August's neck in a simple chain.

"No no, 'Jade pending,'" Dazzling corrected, pointing towards August that suddenly looked spaced-out.

"Ah, I see. That does sound special," Ursula chuckled. "But I did have my eye on that peppermint mocha."

"Good choice. August, one peppermint mocha for my friend here. And please, make it snappy," Dazzling snapped her fingers in the barista's direction, setting off a chain reaction that Ursula interpreted as a euphoric wave coming over the woman, followed by a bit of spunk, ready to eager serve her early clientele. It was less than a minute before Ursula was enjoying her drink almost as much as Dazzling was enjoying hers.

"Mmmmmmm. Almost nothing tastes better than 'free.' Though I guess that is a bit of misnomer," Dazzling admitted, savoring a slow sip of her coffee.

"How do you mean?"

"Well, small businesses like these are always financially unpredictable, and locals like me supporting small business. And so does the rich mogul or two that heeds the advice of a...'financial consultant' every once in a while to make angel investing part of their charitable givings."

"Ah, one of your more endowed pets?"

"Or just another loyal customer of this fine establishment," Dazzling took longer sips, allowing her tongue to savor each intake more than the last.

"Wow, you're really a connoisseur of that coffee."

"Yeah, it's my...usual order," Dazzling's face registered a flash of something for a second, perplexing both hypnotists as she said it.

"What does it taste like?"

"It's like...it's like sitting in one of those chic outdoor cafe's, enjoying the outside, but there's nothing else around for miles besides color, fragrant gardens, filled with cherry blossoms and...mmmmmm everything else sweet."

"That's...descriptive," Ursula found herself focusing on Dazzling more than ever, never expecting to find ironically un-subjective submissive indicators written all over her face.

"Mmmmmhmmmmm....the kind of place that makes you want to thank my barmaiden...and step deep into that garden....just with your coffee and..thoughts...and just follow...." Dazzling's tone made the sentence sound incomplete.

"Follow what?"

"Follow....orders."

"Whose orders?"

"She means mine."

Ursula turned to the sound of someone else's voice, finding August Jade finishing blinking herself awake, smiling.

"How...what the..." she eyed the way Dazzling slowly finished the last of her cup before standing upright, dreamily, lost in the garden blooming in her head. Looking down to the cup in her hand, she set it down and backed away from it, looking accusedly at the barista.

"To explain, there's nothing in your cup that's going to inspire that. What Cass and I have is a bit of give and take."

"Experimenting with special blends for years working in places like this, I kind of stumbled upon one or two brews that made some...influenced, more on the suggestible side. You'd be surprised how many bad, sometimes rowdy customers get a taste to this, and come out mellow to the point of...well, better for society."

"So you just make those 'murderous without coffee in the morning memes' a reality?" Ursula asked skeptically.

Shrugging her shoulders, but laughing after a brief moment of thought. "Yeah, actually. I may have saved a life or two this way. But anyway, I thought I was some big, secretive hypnotist having real influence over people, until she walked into my establishment one day," August gestured towards Dazzling.

"Before her, I would've thought all the tropey hypno shit out there was sooo fake; after enjoying my coffee and a conversation I don't fully remember, she got to me before I could even remember what happened. All I really remember is her using my name to trance me, with a sweet taste in my mouth like as if I drank my own hypnotic coffee, which I know I'd consciously never do during business hours. And once I let my secret slip and she realized I could do something similar with coffee, she had to try it, which after a few samples, left her open to me."

Ursula felt like laughing at the story that sounded too plausible to be real, yet probably was.

"And now it's a bit of a thing where she does to me, and I do to her every other day. I would stop her doing me on my end, if she didn't make it feel so great. And at least I know how my influenced should feel. And if you're a hypno-friend of hers, hopefully I wasn't wrong in laying all these details out for you."

"...and what if I hypnotize you in retaliation?"

"As long as you're going to be nice about it, I don't think I'll mind."

"Will she remember this happening?"

"Since she wants to remember, yeah. 'Order up,'" August triggered, and Dazzling woke from her trance, chuckling at August from over the counter who beamed back.

"Hope that didn't freak you out, Urs."

"A little bit, yeah."

"Well, let that be a reminder all hypnotists should keep in-mind, even hypnotists can be gotten to by others. Sometimes it's even easier for us as we already know how fantastic slipping to that other end of consciousness feels."

"Very true," August agreed. "Still hate how you tied mine to my name of all things."

"No you don't, you love it," Dazzling reached over to hold the jade ball, gripping her gift to the barista, gently pulling her forward a step.

"I...love it?"

"Mmmhmmm, like a wave of flustering hot, summer heat." August leaned her head back, but was pulled forward by Dazzling's grip of the chain, before being snapped awake.

"...I still need to make you stare at this pendant, and follow orders," she teased Dazzling, making her blink and doubt the dominant for half a second.

"You know how fun that is, hanging that pendant just above your own eyes. Every...single...forgetful...night."

"Just like you know how you need to wake up to a cup of August Jade to attain dreamy bliss. Every...single...thoughtless..day."

"You ladies done flirting with each other?" Ursula interjected.

"Not nearly," Dazzling joke.

"And did you tell August about the small text on that jade pendant?" The raven-haired hypnotist noted, confusing the brunettes.

"You never noticed," Ursula's Scottish accent came through more in her question, and more into her speech as she reached over to inspect August's jewelry.

"It's hard to see, but you can really notice it if you really look," Ursula said, looking down at the pendant as her other hand, slyly reached up to place a finger softly at the crown of the barista's forehead. "It's hard to read like trying to read what color of nail polish I wear on the finger touching you, but you try to read anyway. No matter how strained your vision is. No matter how your eyes rooollll back, and want to. No matter how easy my voice starts to make everything sound. No matter how long you listen because there is no matter but my voice, nothing exists but it and the words that shape thoughts that makes your thoughts drop as my finger drops down your face and your eyes follow down the slope of your nose until it falls off and you fall with it SLEEP!"

Narrating August's fall perfectly, snapping her fingers as Ursula's finger lost contact, readily catching a head nodding forward, the Scottish hypnotist drove her new subject into a very pliable state. Dazzling half-smiled at the brilliant, rapid conversational induction, wondering where her protege was going with this.

"If she gets me later, it won't be before I get her first," Ursula winked, and the traditional hypnotists laughed.

To August's recollection, she'd let her favorite customers depart with a wave, knowing she'd taken Cass again, noting the pretty girl with blue highlights in her hair would be next. She'd be soo beautiful downing a special house blend, pretty enough that August almost considered going in the back to masturbate on her prettiness.

"Maybe later," she told herself as the next wave of morning customers began to roll in.

***

Walking into Avery Plaza, the biggest skyscraper complex in the city, was a hurried senior executive assistant named Eric Shant, moving quickly to the elevator banks to reach one of the suite-level floors. He would've ran from the valet up as many flights of stairs as it took to reach the suite he was rushing to, not just for excitement's sake, but working sometimes 16 hour days and having so few moments to give to himself. What amounted to a private date was waiting for him in the suite, and the elevator was barely moving fast enough before it would cut into the allotted hour he allowed himself.

Resisting the urge to speed-walk after exiting the elevator, knowing he'd stand out on the security cameras, he calmly walked to his destination, practically boiling under the collar.

Stepping into the empty room, Eric looked around for his date, expecting her to be near the entrance.

"Cosette?"

Calling out to her was met with silence, until he heard a little bit of shuffling or some movement towards the bedroom. Devoting some of his time to foreplay usually, Eric was a little pleased to hear her already ready for the main event. As he stepped in-front of the doorway, jacket off, pants unbuckled, and shirt half-unbuttoned, he stared at a woman in a leather jacket, jeans and leather boots, staring at him seductively behind raven locks and blue highlights.

"Who the hell...where's Cosette?"

"I'm sorry, love," Ursula crooned in her Scottish accent, crossing one leg over the other rhythmically. "Cosette's away for the moment. And to be honest, I was really hoping to meet you."

"Meet me? How do you know about me, or Cosette?" Eric asked, obviously confused and perturbed.

"Cosette is an acquaintance of mine, who's very much talked you up, and piqued my interest. I'm a very good judge of character even from someone else's description; everything I've heard of you...it makes it hard for a girl to help herself, to be very honest, even moreso just looking at you now. I hope I'm not making it too hard for though, sweet Eric. Or do I?" Ursula clearly set her sights on the articles of clothing ready to be removed, clearly revealing the impression she made on him.

"If I am making this hard for you, you can trust me to make this very, very easy for you now..." Uncrossing her legs to rise and stand a bit taller than her client, she stepped up to him, letting a hand reach in to caress his waxed chest, circling him, never letting her hand lose contact.

"I want you..." she intoned behind him, several times, until it turned into a mantra, crooning it in both ears, among many whispers.

"I want you..." it always felt like she implied something more specific after ever repetition, but a besieged Eric simply waited for clear, spoken instruction.

"I want you...without clothes on..." she ended with a sing-song, sluggishly yet desperately disrobe, while Ursula's hand kept him rooted. As his shirt fell, her touch along his skin lowered until it was just above his pants and underwear, both were thrown aside quickly.

"I want you...feeling my touch, all over you..." Eric could only assume her hand was still there, multiple places across his body, lost in the occasional sight of the grinning brunette, wrapped up in her suggested, commanded wants.

"I want you...on your knees..." for some reason Eric had no trouble slipping down to his knees, looking up to see Ursula still tower over him.

"I want you...stroked in deep pleasure..." A hand stroking the length of his sex made the pleasure deep; it didn't matter if it was a phantom hand of her suggestion or a real hand holding his hottest appendage.

"I want you...obedient...compliant....open...sleepy..." Each word felt wonderful to hear, and too pleasurable to refuse. He was already obedient, compliant, and open, just from from her words. The urge to yawn struck him as something he should've questioned, but he felt beyond questioning anything.

"I want you...to sleep now," pressing her finger to make his head, the actual contact somehow stronger than her suggestions.

"Very good...Cosette, out of the closet," Ursula called out, and the expected date emerged from the bedroom closet, spending an eternity stroking and edging herself while Ursula waited to get Eric, the senior executive assistant and right-hand man to Gerald Brandt, essentially the real managing power of the Avery empire, and ultimately the family wrangler of the vociferous, public faces of the company, i.e. the Avery daughters, Danielle and Deidre

As Ursula drew him deeper into unquestioning obedience, it was almost therapeutic to have a woman in-charge of him that for once wasn't a bratty, spoiled troublemaker.

It was one thing to work long hours.

It was one thing to work long hours for an infamous corporation.

It was the worst thing to work long hours for an infamous corporation headed by supermodel brats with no one really reigning them in.

On some deep level, Eric unconsciously agreed that such women deserved to be controlled, dominated, taken down several pegs, and that Ursula deserved to be the one to do it. It pleased Mistress Ursula so much that he was ready to assist her, and it pleased him to know he was a pleasing submissive.

Ursula sent a text that Dazzling waited to receive in the hotel lobby, confident that her apprentice would make easy work of the targets of the first phase of their job. The next phase would be hers, using Eric to get to the next domino, unaware of how ready they were to fall.

***

Gerald Brandt rubbed the bridge of his nose in annoyance, removing his glasses to rub the spot where they rested heavy like everything weighed heavily on him. After a full day of meetings requiring his attendance, ones he couldn't send Eric Shant to cover, he was ready for the day to be over and the weekend to give him the reprieve he needed, away from anything having to do with the last name Avery. The only thing keeping him from departing early was a report that was due fifteen minutes ago, only Eric was usually thirty minutes early in getting Gerald what he asked for; it was a bad sign that even his dutiful assistant would disappoint like everything else surrounding him professionally.

The knock on the door grabbed his attention, see it open with his secretary and a suited stranger following behind.

"I'm sorry Mr Brandt, but I was told this impromptu meeting couldn't wait. This is Ms. Walters, and she has something to show you."

The secretary let Ms. Walters walk by her, forgetting how much Gerald disliked unverified introductions like this in favor of thinking of how good it felt to let Ms. Walters be the boss for once. The way she shivered underneath her own clothing made the woman approaching Gerald smile, knowing the secretary would not let anything disturb them, prioritizing their privacy and the feel of the woman's handshake, the jolt into a world of pleasure, and how echoing sounds in her head made her breathe deep like a heady, sexy perfume.

"Good afternoon Mr. Brandt, I'm sorry to intrude on your approaching weekend-"

"You can make it up to me by explaining what's so important this late in the day," he interrupted, letting professionalism slip, something Ms. Walters didn't seem to mind at all.

"Would espionage count as important, Mr. Brandt?"

Tired feelings evaporated in a second as Gerald sat up, physically wired in an instant, bracing himself for disappointment, dread, and decisive action that needed to be taken.

"What espionage?"

"According the security firm I work with, the kind directly affecting your underlings."

Ms. Walters pulled out a tablet, bringing up a hidden camera recording of Eric Shant speaking to a woman in a black jacket in what looked like one of their suites in the floors below.

"You're spying on Avery employees?" the manager's voice rose a few octaves, recognizing Eric in the feed, letting the rage he felt leave his mouth incrementally.

"No, Mr. Brandt, no one from my firm is targeting anyone from yours; it's the woman we're after."

"Who is she?"

"We believe she's operating under an alias, "Ursula," and operating with a unique skill."