"How is that?" Marina asked.

"Good," Cyril said.

"Just good?"

"No, not just good. Lovely. Divine, actually."



"Glad to hear it. I'm enjoying it, too."



"Well, that's good to know."



Marina continued for a time.



"What are you thinking about?" she asked after a while.



"What do you think I'm thinking about?" Cyril asked back with an inquisitively raised eyebrow.



"I think--no, I know--it's about me."



"You're not wrong."



"But more than that. Not just about me. About me hypnotized. Barefoot. Mindlessly obeying you. Acting as your slave."



"Correct on all fronts. But why wouldn't I be thinking all of that? It's called fantasizing. It's a normal reaction."



"Yeah. Sure. I guess so."



"I mean you are barefoot. Which is kind of the point of what we're doing. The rest of it is just fantasy."



Marina stopped, frowning thoughtfully.



"As long as you understand that it's just fantasy," she said. "Yeah, I'm barefoot. Of course. But I'm not hypnotized. I never have been. I never will be. I'm not your mindless slave. I'm doing this because I want to. I'm glad you like it. But I like it, too."



"Understood," Cyril said.



"Okay. Good. Great."



Marina started again. Cyril smiled, and she smiled, too.



"So, you won't ever let me hypnotize you?" Cyril asked a moment later.



"Come on, Cyril," Marina said, her smile dissolving. "I get that you're going to fantasize during this. But can you keep it to yourself?"



"I was just asking."



"Well, the answer is no."



"No it is. Got it."



"Good," Marina said with a satisfied nod, then she paused again. "Hm. More oil."



She drew in her bare feet and liberally applied oil to their tops, toes, balls, arches, and heels. Then, she placed them back where they had been and began again.



"What about her, though?" Cyril asked.



Marina followed his gesture over to where a woman sat nearby in an armchair.



The woman was achingly attractive. She wore only a tight halter top and skimpy briefs. Her legs were spread, and her bare feet rested on a coffee table in front of the chair.



One of her hands was stuffed into the upper front portion of her shirt, while the other reached down into her panties. She moved both hands rhythmically, and her toes wiggled to the same cadence.



Her wide-eyed gaze rested on Marina and Cyril. She watched them intently. But she said nothing, even as their attention turned to her.



An unusual item covered the top of her head. Of similar size and shape as a beanie, but made of metal rather than textiles, it sported several inset LEDs. Delicate threads of circuitry ran along its surface, as well. It hummed quietly, and its lights pulsed, both to a precision beat that the movements of the woman's hands and feet matched.



"Lise? What about her?" Marina said.



"I hypnotized her."



"Yeah, with that thingy on her head. So?"



"Do you know why?"



"Sure. You're brainwashing her to get turned on by this."



"That's right. And you're okay with that?"



"Look, I said you'll never hypnotize me. And you won't. What you do to her is not my business."



"But you're cool with me having her watch us?"



"Yeah. It's fine. Why should I care?"



"That's just it," Cyril said. "I feel like you normally would care."



"We're almost done, Cyril," Marina said with an exasperated sigh. "You're close. Can't we just enjoy the rest of this together and not worry about your untimely ponderings?"



"Hear me out. You're saying I've never hypnotized you. But you're also saying you're enjoying what you're doing. And you don't care that I've hypnotized your best friend. Or that I'm brainwashing her to get off on watching you do this to me."



"Right. That's what I'm saying. What's the problem?"



"Looks like I took it a bit too far with you. Time to undo some of what I did."



"What are you talking about?" Marina asked.



"Remember. All of it," Cyril said, snapping his fingers.



Marina's expression went blank for a second. Then, her eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed.



"Holy crap! You did hypnotize me. With that helmet thingy. No wonder I want to do this. It's not something I would ever do on my own. Or enjoy. Jeez. You did a number on me."



"That I did."



"Even so, I'm not mindless. I'm not droning, 'Yes, Master. I obey.' Isn't that part of your fantasy?"



"Sometimes. Not always. Not with you. Not this time."



"This time? Meaning there were or will be other times? Wow. Okay. So, what  happens now? Oh...that happens. And keeps happening. I guess you wanted me to know so you could finish."



"You got it."



"Oh, I got it all right. Now what?"



"I make you forget everything I just had you remember," Cyril said. "After that, I finalize Lise's conditioning. Then, tomorrow, we do this again. With your and Lise's roles reversed."



"Am I not upset about any of this because of the hypnosis?" Marina asked.



"Right. Now...forget."



Cyril snapped. Once again, Marina's expression went blank for a second. Then it returned to normal.



"Wow, that was fun!" she said with a huge grin. "Time to clean us both up. And then, while you're finishing up with Lise, how about I make the three of us some dinner?"



"Sounds like a plan," Cyril said.



It was that indeed: his carefully crafted plan that had come to blissful fruition. It would do so again tomorrow, and as often after that as he liked.