The Power of Suggestion (closed for jenwishuknew)

[MysteryD]

Character: Dan Miller
Height: 6'1
Weight: 185
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Bright Blue
Build: athletic, but not overly so

Showtime was about to start and Dan Miller was a bit nervous. Not shaking, sick to the stomach type nerves, but just the normal butterflies in the stomach routine that he got before performing in front of a large crowd. Dan had done this many times before, in cities all over the country. But this time was different. This time she was there.

Dan peeked out from behind the counter and saw her sitting there in front row. Right next to his friend Dr. Conner and the man he assumed was her husband. She was dressed nicely and he thought about how the evening would unfold...

Dan was not a normal stage performer. Dan was a hypnotist, and a good one at that. Sure, he could perform the usuals, make them bark like a dog or pretend to be the president of the United States, but that wasn't what set Dan apart. It was what he did backstage, when they were walking out that made him special. When he would put a command in her mind that would instantly elevate her arousal and leave her susceptible to him for an extended period of time. That set him apart from the other hypnotists, but that was not for the audience. That was simply for Dan and the target of his choosing.

That target tonight was Catherine. The head cheerleader for his high school a decade ago. The one who wouldn't pay him any attention back then. That was all about to change. He couldn't believe his luck when Dr. Conner, who Dan simply knew as Mike when they were best friends growing up, told him that her husband and her were seeing him for marital issues. It was Dan's idea that he suggest this show to them...

This wasn't Dan's first time doing this to a woman he fancied, however tonight was going to be his crown jewel. He had done his research. He already knew where she worked, where she lived, everything about her. He could thank Dr. Conner for that. He took one final breath and walked out on stage to applause, his eyes already on her...

 

[jenwishuknew]

She had always known that she’d have a career that would match her nature and her personality perfectly. Maybe, the reason was that someone from the head office saw such nature in her and thought she would be perfect for the job OR they just wanted a pretty face like hers to be a part of their law firm back when she was offered a good position. That way all the clients, present employees and new hires that are looking to work with the company can be convinced that they are at the right place and having someone pretty to admire at the hectic law firm.

It wasn’t far too long ago when she was 21 working as an intern, on the lower side of hierarchy in the company. Today, exactly ten years later, she is on upper side of it and successful. Even she wondered at times how she was selected to join a well-known firm as an intern at first and then, two years later, one to handle a department full of 25 people working under her. She was just a newly grad, young back then and had lot to learn…yet given such a big responsibility but she made sure to put in her 100%. She dedicated all her efforts and saw herself succeed.

Catherine Monteleone, honors student, had graduated from Oxfords, a very prestigious college and upon finishing her internship, she was put in charge of a small department since few CEOs thought she was a keeper and was capable of becoming something bigger. And that was about the time when rumors kicked in. She’d hear how people thought of her and how they talked behind her back that she’d gotten to where she was because of sleeping with few important people. At first, she felt it was really bothersome but slowly she learned to filter it out. She knew that mud was thrown on people who were successful and there will always be someone to throw mud and talk crap about people just because they have nothing better to do.

Catherine had her own office now, a secretary, and a department of her own. She had about dozens of people working under her closely while few dozens in her own department. Her behavior of being a hard ass on other people had even increased in intensity after hearing rumors about her. She knew people talked behind her but she didn’t care because she was the boss. She sure was a pretty little thing but had lots of heat inside of her…she learned to take in that heat and use it as her shield. She stood 5’7” tall with a slender petite body that in college and at work, people just wanted to get their hands on! Knowing such information and knowing what she is carrying, she takes a great pride in her looks regardless of what others thinks of her.

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While all the rumors were just rumors, lot of them didn’t know that she was dating a doctor back then and was pretty serious. She just didn’t like talking about it to everyone and since he was in medical school, he was busy to come to any company events with her. Which was fine. Jack Monteleone, a general doctor who had various offices and was friends with a well known psychiatrist, Dr. Conner. They’ve known each other for so long that it was easy to talk to him about anything. And, that’s why they started seeing him a few months back when they had an argument about her having to leave her work, a successful career to become a house wife so they can have kids. Kids which she still wasn’t ready for. He suggested that they talk it out with their friend Dr. Conners and they did. They had decided to leave the topic alone for now and that was the end of that. Though, they’ve grown stronger since the therapy so that was a good thing, they think.

She wasn’t looking forward to the evening but her husbands was. So was their friend, Dr. Conners. He was the one who suggested to her husband that they should come to this thing since he had two extra passes to an event. When she learned that her husband wanted to go, she had to agree even though this was going to be some boring event about some mind, body and soul….crap. She left early to reach home, where she freshened up and when the pair were ready, they made their way to the function. The function was about to start and so she sat next to her husband, who sat next to the doc. She was punching her thumbs away in her phone when she heard emcee speak in mic that audience should silence their phone. She took few more seconds before she placed her phone back in her purse and smiled at her husband. She was dressed in a red dress that was slightly loose around her curves but overall, an office wear, given her title at her firm. She sat there, legs crossed as she rest her head on her husband’s shoulders while it started.

 

[MysteryD]

He could see her sitting in the front row, in her red dress that was a little loose around the curves but still accentuated her form very nicely. Her perfect blonde hair, just as he remembered it from high school. He allowed himself a quick smirk as he thought back to his talk with Dr. Conner and the plan he had conceived. Dr. Conner had followed through with his end, and there they were in the front row with the passes he provided.

He allowed the smirk to stay on his face for just an extra second as he noticed her put her head on her husband's shoulder. She really had no idea what he had planned for her, not just tonight but for the foreseeable future. He quickly pushed those thoughts aside before walking on stage, it wouldn't do any good for the audience to see him in any stage of arousal.

He walked out with a flourish, in his neatly pressed suit, his black dress shoes clicking across the stage. He listened to the announcer introduce him, as Dan Miller, hypnotist, as he walked out. He wasn't into any of the cheesy magician names, and tonight was not going to be a magic show.

He began his routine, picking random members of the audience. He put them through the paces, getting them to fall into a trance-like state on the stage. When he snapped his fingers, they acted accordingly. They barked like a dog, they clucked like a chicken. All amateur stuff, but this is what the audience wanted. This was done through the suggestions he whispered to them while in their trance. Finally he was done with the routine stuff. Now was the time for what he had set out to accomplish tonight. Not that it would look much different, but he had a much different set of instructions for the next batch of volunteers, one in particular.

He looked out across the crowd and loudly announced, "For our final act, I'm going to need some volunteers..." He scanned the crowd and noticed that Catherine didn't have her hand raised. That wasn't surprising, he already had a plan in place.
"Hmm, looks like I'm just going to have pick some of you out of the crowd." Dan selected a handful of people from the audience, before turning and pointing directly at Catherine. "How about you miss, would you be so gracious to join me on stage?", he said with a wink at Dr. Conner.

 

[jenwishuknew]

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Little did she knew that there were a pair of eyes that were eagerly looking at her, glad to have her be present in this event. Had she known this was a trap set just for her, she would have never come here. But this was just another outing with her husband, expecting it to nothing but boring one. She was aching to go back home and call it a day.

She watched the others settle around them as the room quickly filled with guests, dressed accordingly. And that’s when she lifted her head just a little but then placed it back down on her husband’s shoulder, watching a man make an entrance onto the stage.

She noticed how he was a decent looking and a performer as well as fraud if he was claiming to be some hypnotist. Being in a business, she had learned to make quick decisions about the situation and the person in front of her. Most of the times, she was right. At least he didn’t have some stupid name like other magicians had. She wasn’t even sure if he was a magician.

She curiously watched him pick few members from the audience as he put them in some trance stage and according to her, it was all pre-planned. She thought to herself that the people he picked were already paid for to act in this act. Though, she grew curious when he mentioned that he needed voluteers for the next part of his act.

Thuogh she wasn’t one to volunteer herself, she wondered if people who had raised their hands were part of this charade. Possible. Good chances they were. It wasn’t until she almost stopped breathing for a second and the next, her heart raced. It was when he pointed towards her and picked her. That alone made her cheeks flushed and as much as she hated to volunteer, she was put on a spot and had no other option but to go up the stage.

She quickly looked at her husband and scrunched her nose, “Ahhh not me!” She whispered before leaning forward to stand up, brushing the back of her head, she stood up and walked through the aisle and then down the stairs to the stage. She hated it but it also made her curious as to what would happen. According to her theory, people who went up on the stage were paid for but she knew very well that she wasn’t. That alone made her curious as this was an opportunity to tell Dr. Conners and her husband that this Miller guy was fraud. Her heels clicked as she finally stood on the stage, focus lights hitting her form along with many who stood with her and she smiled at her husband in the audience.

 

[MysteryD]

He watched her walking up in her red dress, her long legs striding towards the stage. He remembered all the times he had fantasized about those legs in high school and looked for even the faintest sign of recognition as she walked on stage but he saw none. He knew his appearance had changed, and he looked a lot less dorky now than he did in high school, but it was apparent that she did not recognize him in the slightest.

He had all of the "volunteers" sit in chairs in a row across the stage. He waited for the lights to dim and slowly walked behind them, softly speaking the words that he knew would put them under. He kept talking, asking them to listen to the sound of his voice, until one by one their heads slowly tilted forwards, their eyes gradually closed. He could see Catherine trying to fight it, she must have truly been skeptical but she too soon succumbed to the power of his hypnotic voice and her head slowly dropped to her chest.

He walked behind each of the volunteers, slowly whispering commands to each of them. "When I snap my fingers, you will hop like a bunny" he told one. "When it snap my fingers, you will dance a slow dance with the volunteer next to you" he told another.

Finally he was behind Catherine. He took a second to savor this moment, smelling the fragrant shampoo she had applied to her hair. He leaned down and gently whispered in her ear.

"Whenever you hear the word 'Minnesota', you will become aroused. You will also become more susceptible to my suggestions, and mine alone. You will find yourself wanting to do what I say, despite whether you think it is wrong or not. When I snap my fingers, you will have no recollection of this conversation, or of me at all".

Dan slowly stepped away and snapped his fingers. He watched as everyone on the stage did what he whispered, while Catherine remained seated. He looked at the audience and shrugged his shoulders. "Unfortunately, not everyone is susceptible to hypnosis" he explained, "some people fight it and I am unable to penetrate their mind".

"I'm sorry ma'am" Dan stated to Catherine. He waited for the others to finish and watched them walk offstage. He knew the command had worked on Catherine, it had never failed him before. However he was still anxious to try it out. It was a good thing he had given Dr. Conner and his guests backstage passes for after the show...

 

[jenwishuknew]

The skirt part of her dress material stretched with each forward steps she took towards the stage. Her dress wasn’t tight but it was something that any man in the conference room wouldn’t want to miss, the way the back of her dress hugged as she moved around the stage and like everyone else, took a seat in a chair. She seemed nervous but also had a wave about her as it she was untouchable.

She obviously didn’t recognize the guy, not even after his name was announced. That alone should tell him that he meant nothing to her, part of the group of people who were in her high school and on backburner. She watched the lights dim and glanced to her side to notice he was walking behind them, speaking some words. When her time came, her head dropped forward to her chest.

She really had no idea what had happened in those few minutes but when she woke up, she notice everyone else doing things except her. One hopped like a bunny and someone danced with a person next to them. It was a circus.

She smirked slyly when the guy admitted that not everyone is susceptible. ‘Susceptible my ass…’ she thought in the back of her head, looking at her husband as she shrugged her shoulders and nodded no. She gestured towards her husband as if taunting from afar, stating she was right after all and how this guy is so fake. She couldn’t just get up and leave, waiting for all the guests to do silly things which they were paid for, of course.

She walked back to her row and scooted past few guests as she took a seat next to her husband, putting up a hand by his ears, “See, I told you so. They all are his puppet, paid from before. A rip off I tell you.” She said as she whispered. Watching the rest of the show before it finished. She was itching to head back home as she really had no interest in going backstage but when Dr. Conners insisted, her husband agreed for both of them.

Once the guests started filing out, few guests went backstage, as did they. She being right behind her husband as they made their way there, looking at one of the artist who had her come up on the stage, she chuckled to herself and how glad she was to stand corrected. When Dr. Conners took the lead and introduced her husband, she also extended her hand for a hand shake when he introduced her, “Catherine.” She said as if wanting him to admit he was cheating from the beginning.

 

[MysteryD]

He watched her walk on stage for the 2nd time that evening and couldn't take his eyes off her long, toned legs again. He looked up before they got too close, he certainly didn't want her husband to catch him staring, not yet anyways. When he looked up he could see the confident, almost cocky look in her eyes, the look of someone who had caught him in a lie. Little did she know...

"Mike, I'm so glad you could make it", Dan greeted the doctor enthusiastically. "Mike and I are friends from way back" he explained to the couple. He took Catherine's hand when it was offered, and said "Ahh, the one who couldn't be hypnotized." "I'm Dan, it's a pleasure to meet you." He could still see the cocky look in her eyes and it just made him that much more determined to pull off his plan. He quickly introduced himself to the husband as well. "Please come back to my dressing room", he invited them, with a subtle look at the doctor.

When they got to the dressing room, Dan and the doctor took the far couch, while the couple sat in the one close to the door. Dan looked over at Catherine and said "You have a very strong mind, if I had known I wouldn't have picked you and ruined the show", letting out a laugh as he said it to let them know he was joking. What the couple didn't catch was the quick wink he had given to the doctor, a sign they had previously arranged. The doctor quickly got up and asked Catherine's husband if he could have a quick word with him outside, he had a scheduling issue he wanted to talk about.

Dan waited until they left and looked over at Catherine. "Hope they aren't gone too long, it's cold outside, but not as cold as it is in 'Minnesota'". It definitely seemed like an odd turn of phrase, but not odd enough to arouse suspicion. This was the moment he had been waiting for. He wasn't going to push it, not with her husband right outside the door, but he had to find out if it worked. "Why don't you come join me on this couch, Catherine?", he asked, eagerly awaiting the response.

 

[jenwishuknew]

She was enjoying a bit of company from both men she was with. At least, it wasn't as boring as she'd thought and was glad that it wasn't just this one act from the guy but many other artists like him. It was just that his was the last one. Having no idea how the guy checked her out, she made her way with her husband and the doctor onto the stage.

She stood to the side while the two friends talked and it was obvious that the two knew each other from before. "That's me..." she shrugged her shoulders proudly when he addressed her as the one impenetrable. At least he admitted and that was enough for her to prove to herself all this was crap. Now, she could go back home and tell her husband how she was right, again and again.

She did shake his hand when he extended, allowing him to take her soft hand in his for a few seconds before pulling back and then joining the three man in the dressing room. She sat comfortably with her husband and listened to the artist comment on her. "I guess I would have let you if I had been paid some incentives." She smiled as she said in her sweetest tone but it was meant as a taunt.

Soon, she looked up at the doctor when he stood up and then her husband as they seemed to have to talk about something that couldn't wait until they'd get out of here. She wasn't at unease but she felt she could be spending her time wisely if she weren't here. When he spoke and mentioned the trigger word, she gave him an odd look. It was indeed a comment that made her think he had nothing better to talk about but she also felt a shiver run down her spine. Not wanting to disrespect the guy, she actually did get up and joined him on the same couch as he was sitting on, crossing her legs and sitting so she was facing him. "I hope you also do something on the side because if you meet people like me more and more, you'd have trouble getting in their heads." She smiled cheerily as she looked at him.

 

[MysteryD]

He could feel the heat in his face rise as she made the comment about incentives, but he wasn't going to let that bother him, not when he was so close to achieving what he set out to do. He also picked up on her comment about doing something on the side. She had no idea what he had in store for her. "It's funny you mention that", he said with a sly grin, "I actually start my new day job tomorrow."

He kept his eyes glued on her as he mentioned the trigger word and the shiver that she gave off did not go unnoticed by him. His eyes lit up at the possibilities, but still he had to be sure. After all, it was a bit cold and he wanted to make sure that wasn't what caused the shiver.

He grinned inwardly as she came and sat on the couch next to him. She sat on the complete opposite end of the couch, but she faced him and she had at least moved to the same couch, so he had a pretty good idea that his suggestion had worked. Still, he had to know for sure. He knew Dr. Conner would keep her husband busy for at least a few more minutes, but that wouldn't last indefinitely. Still, he knew he had to press his luck, just a little bit. He looked down at her crossed legs and said "You know crossed arms or legs are a sign that you aren't letting people in to know the real you, maybe that's why I couldn't tap into your subconscious on stage." "Why don't you uncross your legs?", he suggested subtly, "I'm sure I could access your mind if you were more receptive." It wasn't a boast, more of a teasing comment. He wasn't going to press his luck much farther than tonight, not with her husband standing right outside the door, but he had to know for sure that it worked.