Page 3 of Entranced

Maria smiled like the Cheshire Cat. “Just follow me.”

In the back of the shop, a hulking, scary figure of a man stood in front of a door. This just kept getting creepier and creepier. She was shocked when the guy greeted Maria with a smile. “Hello, Maria. It’s nice to see you again. And who do you have with you tonight?”

“Luis, this is my friend Teigen. She’s my guest for the evening. If Miles comes through this way, could you let him know we’ll save him a seat by the stage?”

Miraculously, the man stepped aside and allowed them to go down the spooky passageway. Teigen wasn’t sure she wanted to find out what was on the other side of the door they approached at the end of the corridor, but before she could say anything, Maria had entered and she had no choice but to follow.

Maria signed Teigen in with Danny, the guy manning the desk, who was also friendlier than she would have anticipated. The difference between the atmosphere so far and the attitude of the staff was jarring. And Maria was enjoying the fact that she was uncomfortable. If things continued in this vein, she might leave.

After giving Danny her license, he handed her paperwork, and they moved to the side of the entrance desk to fill it out. Teigen had been to a BDSM club before, so she wasn’t unfamiliar with the nondisclosure agreements. She quickly read it through and signed.

Once she handed in her paperwork, they were directed to the lockers where they had to leave their phones and other electronic devices. It was hard to give up her link to the outside world. She’d known Maria for quite some time, but this was a new place and so far, it was scary. However, if she wanted to find out more about this lifestyle that she was drawn to, she’d have to take a chance. Reluctantly she put her phone and coat into the locker and followed Maria through the doorway into the club.

It was way more luxurious than she had expected. It didn’t feel like a dingy dungeon like the other place she’d been to with concrete walls and floors. Rather it was as upscale as the neighborhood it was in, even with the lack of clothes on many of the people socializing at the bar and at tables. Music floated above the conversations without being too intrusive.

“We have to go to the main stage. The erotic hypnosis demo is going on there,” Maria said as she led Teigen through the room. All around her, people were engaged in various scenes, and she would have liked to watch some of them. Others not so much. How some people could take the kind of pain she witnessed she wasn’t sure, but she didn’t think that stuff was for her. Maria kept telling her she wouldn’t know what she could handle until she was in the scene for a while. She’d wait and see. For now, she needed to go slow.

“Can’t we have a drink first? I’d like to get my bearings before we go any further.”

“Teig, we talked about this.” Maria kept walking as she spoke, forcing Teigen to follow; she certainly wasn’t going to get stuck being on her own. “If we want a good seat, we have to get there early. Plus, it’s probably not a good idea to have a drink if you want to be hypnotized.”

Teigen waited till they got to the other end of the club to answer Maria. The smorgasbord of BDSM scenes were too distracting for her to have a cogent thought.

They sat down on one of the available couches in front of the stage. With her mind less preoccupied, Teigen informed Maria: “I don’t want to get hypnotized today. I just want to see what it’s all about. If you want to go up there, that’s fine with me, but I’m staying put the whole demo.”

“Fine, but you could be passing up an opportunity you might not get again for a while.”

Teigen folded her arms and sat back further into the couch. “First of all, if I ever allow myself to be hypnotized, it will be in private. Second, I’d want to know the person I engage with a lot more than I’ll be able to watching a demo. Anyway, you don’t know if anyone will be called to the stage.”

“I guess we’ll see. Ooh, there’s Miles!”

Maria stood and waved him over. After a brief introduction, Teigen let the two chat while she watched people file in and take their seats. Folding chairs had been lined up behind the couches to accommodate the eager crowd. Longing filled her as she watched the subs who followed their Doms then sat beside them, or on the floor, or even on their laps. She hadn’t had anyone care about her for years, if she ever really had it at all. Her parents and her ex-husband had been strict and controlling, but she knew now it wasn’t because they’d loved her. She’d give anything for a man to treat her with the care these Doms displayed.

She pulled on the bodice of her top, hiking it up a bit so it didn’t show as much skin. Her ample cleavage had spilled over, showing the edges of her areolae. Why she’d allowed Maria to talk her into the skimpy thing she wasn’t sure, but it would torture her all night. She certainly wasn’t ready to get naked in a club. A headache began to insinuate itself, and she rubbed her forehead to try to stave it off.

“Hey, relax.” Maria stroked her arm gently. “You’ll be okay. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. Consent is king in a place like this. If you don’t want to be hypnotized, you won’t be. Although if that’s the guy doing the hypnotizing, pick me!”

Maria pointed to the stage, where a tall, lanky guy dressed in leathers was checking out the equipment.

Holy crap! It was Ellison Markham!He’d been handsome and sophisticated in his suit, but now he exuded a primal masculinity that prompted more than admiration from her. She could barely sit still, every nerve in her body was on high alert.

Ellison’s well-defined muscles flexed as he pulled a chain down from the ceiling to attach a hook. What that had to do with hypnosis, Teigen wasn’t sure, but it was mesmerizing to watch his lithe body in action. Maybe she’d have to rethink her desire to be hypnotized.

As though he heard her thoughts, Ellison turned toward the audience, his penetrating blue eyes perusing the crowd, homing in on her. She squirmed in her seat, unable to tear her gaze from his, cursing the damnable blush she knew was blooming on her cheeks. A smile curled his lips and his eyes sparkled as he nodded to her.

If I could disappear now, that would be great.His seeing her here would be so awkward when they met for the follow-up interview.How humiliating!

Thankfully, another excruciatingly handsome man appeared onstage, and Ellison turned his attention to him. They talked quietly for a while, until a cute petite blonde in a brocade corset and a thong joined them. Ellison embraced her, and a twinge of jealousy shuddered through Teigen. She’d never be petite, and blonde was not a good color for her. If this was the type of woman Ellison was attracted to, he’d never give her a second look.

Be professional, stupid! You should never get involved with the subject of an article anyway.

There was that too. She had to ignore the quivers zinging through her body and watch the demo. That’s what she was here for.

“Good evening, everyone. If you could settle down, we’re going to start. I’m Chase Cartwright-Davidson, one of the owners of Black Light, and I welcome you to our demo tonight with Master Ellison, a practitioner of erotic hypnosis. Joining him tonight as his subject is the lovely submissive Yvette. I hope you enjoy the presentation. Master Ellison would like you to save your questions for the end because he has to concentrate on Yvette while she is being hypnotized. The stage is yours, Master Ellison.”

Chase left the stage, and Master Ellison stepped forward.

“Erotic hypnosis can be used for many things—enhancing kinky play, helping someone push past barriers to sexual fulfillment, fulfilling fantasies. Tonight we are going to fulfill a fantasy for Yvette. She has seen pictures of women suspended by their breasts, and though it frightens her to contemplate it, this avid rope bunny would like to try it herself. I’m not sure it’s the safest thing to do, but we’re following risk aware consensual kink tonight.”

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