Mesmerized: The Magician's Plaything by Mallorie Griffin Page B

called after him. He returned within minutes with the coffee, and placed it in front of her. The hot liquid steamed from the cup, filling her nose with coffee-scented aromas. She'd always loved the smell of coffee.
    “So, now we can talk about the job,” Malcolm said with a smile, and Tammy breathed a tiny sigh of relief. Apparently there really was a job. “How susceptible are you to hypnotism?” he asked.
    Tammy stared at Malcolm wish raised eyebrows. She'd prepared herself for all sorts of questions, but not that one. “Um,” she stammered. “I'm really not sure.”
    “Let's find out, shall we?” Malcolm grinned and pulled a watch on a chain out of his pocket watch. Oh no. He had to be kidding. She was starting to think this was some sort of shtick all over again.
    But he had her mesmerized from the moment he started swayed that watch back and forth. His voice was low and calming, and she found herself sinking deeper and deeper into a trance. “You are becoming more and more relaxed, he commanded, and she obeyed. Her eyelids drooped. Her breathing slowed.
    “Stand up,” he said, and Tammy's legs reflexively pushed against the ground. Before she knew it, she was standing. “Sit,” he said, and Tammy came crashing down onto her chair. How had he done it?
    She felt unsettled, but also exhilarated that Malcolm was able to take control of her body, and so easily. A thrill ran down her spine. She'd fantasized about a man like him in other ways, in the past.
    But this was an interview. She couldn't possibly... she couldn't do much of anything, right now.
    Malcolm had her under his spell. He smiled; he knew exactly how much control he had over her.
    “Let's try something. When I say the phrase 'secret weapon', you are to freeze, until I tell you to move again.” He paused, staring at me, and she was certain that he was wondering if she was faking it.
    She wished she could assure him that she wasn't, but she couldn't move, she couldn't speak. she was completely under his control, now.
    “When I snap my fingers, you'll be under your own control again,” he said, and then without waiting, he snapped his fingers.
    Tammy blinked slowly, and shook her head, squirming slightly in her seat. “How did you do that?” she asked.
    He grinned slyly. “Magic.”
    The rest of the interview was far more normal, and far more mundane. He asked her general questions about her life and any plans or goals that she had. He asked about family, friends, things less suited for an interview and more for a date, but she wasn't disturbed or swayed. Tammy was still too unsettled by the hypnotism to notice any of the more probing questions.
    It was the strangest interview of her life, but by the end of it, Tammy was told that she had the job.
    She'd start on Saturday, which was Malcolm's next show.

    *****
    Tammy tugged at the spandex of her skimpy costume. The outfit was exactly how she envisioned it, and she felt more than a bit exposed. This was the least amount of clothing she'd ever worn in public, and in front of a huge audience, to boot.
    One thing Malcolm hadn't told her was that his act was rather popular in one of the casinos on the Las Vegas strip. She peered out from behind the curtain, and could barely make out the packed audience under the dim light. All illumination was on the stage, and Malcolm was set to go out soon.
    She was very glad for the rehearsals they'd gone through the previous day. She knew exactly what to do, which wasn't much.
    And Malcolm... Malcolm was an interesting character. He was mysterious, and the more time Tammy spent with him, the more attractive she found him. She wondered if that hypnotism act of his was restricted to the stage.

    She shook her head. She couldn't believe she was already fantasizing about her boss, on the first day of actual work. She had to get her head in the game. And get it in now, because the show was starting.
    Malcolm went out first as lights blared his stage name: Mesmero