The App

I looked at the iphone in my hand with wonder. After finishing the set of training videos that were linked to the app and testing things at the mall, I still couldn't believe hypnosis was this easy, even for disagreeable tasks, tasks subjects weren't likely to do normally.

"Fuck! NOW what do I do?" I thought.

I, Steven Saunders, was sitting at a table for two in the upscale food court in the ritzy Sommerville Centre. Before me was a plastic luncheon tray with several little clear cups like you get ketchup in at a fast food dine-in place. There were two groups of cups, some on the right of the tray and some on the left. All were half filled with an amber liquid. There was a clip board and pencil also on the table. And of course the iphone in my hand.

The food court wasn't busy as this was a Tuesday, although it was lunch time. Looking around Steve saw dozens of young attractive women, probably coeds from nearby UCLA.

"I have done 9 studies so far, I might as well make it an even 10," Steve mused.

He got up taking the tray, clipboard and phone with him. He approached a young women in yoga wear at a table.

"Excuse me miss. My name is Steven Saunders. I am conducting a Marketing Survey for a maple syrup manufacturer and would like you to do a simple taste test, please. I will only take about 90 seconds."

"Sure. I am studying Marketing at UCLA. This should be interesting."

I set my tray on her table and took the clipboard. I got her name, Monica, and wrote it with the time on my clipboard sheet. I handed Monica a cup from the left side of the tray.

"This is a leading maple syrup. Please take a taste and tell me how you like it."

"I like maple syrup and this tastes pretty good.", Monica stated. Steve wrote on the clipboard.

"Now look at this app. It will show various colors on the screen. I want you to count how many times the color teal is shown. Ready?"

Monica nodded and I started the app. Various colors flashed on the screen as Monica watched intensely. After 10 seconds Monica started to breathe more deeply and her irises dilated somewhat. At the 15 second mark a tone sounded.

"Squid for sale." I intoned quiet enough that only Monica could hear.

"When I give you the next sample, you will think it looks, smells and tastes like maple syrup, very similar to the first sample. You will obey, but not remember me giving you these instructions. You will become awake and feeling good when you hear the two beeps. Squid has sold."

I hit a button and the app beeped twice and closed. Monica blinked twice and seemed more alert now.

"I didn't see any teal screens."

I wrote down her response.

"Monica, now try this other cup of maple syrup. Please tell me if you liked the second sample more, less or about the same."

Monica tasted the second sample.

"Please finish the cup Monica and tell me about the flavor."

"It's about the same as the other, maybe a little sweeter, but very close."

I wrote on the clipboard.

"Thank you Monica. For your time we would like you to have this $25 Amazon gift card. And thank you for helping." I handed her a card from my pocket and walked back to my table.

Sitting my tray and clipboard on the tabletop, I considered my results. 10 out of 10 young women claimed that the first cup, which contained maple syrup, tasted similar to the second cup which contained motor oil.

I can't believe it. Just 15 seconds of watching the app, then while she watches I give a command preceded and followed by the special phrases and it made every girl do something that they totally would never have done without the command. I could get anyone, any girl, to do exactly what I wanted.

A flurry of scenarios flew through my mind. Sheila from the office. Or Alexa from the office. Or Sheila and Alexa IN the office.

Or just go to a club and pick the hottest girl. Or even my best friend Roger's hot fiancee, Brandi. Roger and I met at Jarvis. He joined just slightly after me as VP Sales. Although as a handsome extrovert, who was glib with the ladies, Roger was my complete opposite. But we clicked and quickly became BFFs. Roger has a slew of actresses and models coming through the turnstile in his bedroom, but eight months ago he met Brandi and the turnstile was retired.

I had secretly lusted after Brandi for months, making her the object of many "self-help" sessions. In my fantasy I would be over at their apartment and Brandi asks me to help hang the big flat-screen. She has me hold it up on the wall while she steps back and decides if it looks good in that location. I am holding it up by myself and the fucker is heavy, I don't know where Roger is. Brandi steps forward and I expect her to show me how to reposition it. But instead Brandi drops to her knees and fishes my now rock hard cock out of my pants.

"I've wanted to taste you for ages, Steve", she pants. Her lips come closer as I feel her hot breath on the crown...

My normal iphone rings dragging me back to reality and the food mall. Caller ID says it's Roger. Shit, how did he know?

"Dickhead, you are still coming to the poker game next week Friday, right?"

"Yes. I'll be there. You going to be back by then?" Roger was on an East Coast swing of potential distributors.

"No problem."

"You want me to bring the beer and soda, Roger?"

"Great. Bring some Mountain Dew for me. I'm not drinking for the game."

"Trying to actually win this time?"

"I always win. But Brandi doesn't want me with a hangover when we go out clubbing the next night on Saturday. I still don't see why you won't go clubbing with us, Steve. You have to get out and go places if you want to get babes. You know that Brandi wants you to start dating and I want you to get laid."

"You just aren't my type Roger. I don't go for flat-chested bubble-brain sluts."

"Luckily that IS Brandi's type.", Roger cackled good naturedly. "Ciao dickhead."

"Roger, Roger"

"Don't go all Airplane on me, dickhead." click.

Yes, you heard it right. I am still a V Carder at 27. Not only am I a V Carder, I have never been on a date. I am not fugly, just average looking but a little thin with no muscles. I was an AP Math nerd in high school and although most AP nerds at least started dating by Senior Prom, I didn't. My shyness around girls didn't even let me ask for a date. And then I went to MIT, sanctuary for the socially retarded. I had no peer pressure to begin dating at MIT, so I didn't. After graduation I went to Harvard Business School to give me the gravitas to get an executive position someday. At B-school the talent there was so far out of my league I just kept my head down and studied. I graduated 3rd in my class, and went to a high tech startup in So Cal, Jarvis, LLC. We finally cracked the age old problem of making a AI agent perform like everyone who went to the movies in the last 30 years expected an AI to act. And now Jarvis was on every smart phone in every millennial's hand and our little company was now valued at $1.2B after our IPO six months ago.

Jarvis was where I met Roger who was 28 and VP Sales (we were a small start-up, nobody was over 30). I was 24 when I moved to LA three years ago. I was heads down working 18 hour days for almost a year and a half, but things have lightened up as we grew (read exploded) and added more people under me. But by now I believed I couldn't even approach any girl, because at 27 I should know the moves and I still had no clue. Any girl would be laughing after the first 5 seconds. And if not laughing then extremely uncomfortable that someone like me would even talk to someone like them. I have let my shyness grow until I am now completely dysfunctional. Roger and especially Brandi have been working on me to change for months now. That's sort of how I found the app.

I was cruising Darknet and found this ad for a hypnosis app. I downloaded it, using a spare iphone that I wiped and isolated, to try as a laugh. I was going to use it as a joke to fake hypnotize Brandi when Roger got too pushy telling me I needed to get laid. Just for grins I tried it out on a couple people at work doing silly things like scratching their right earlobe with their left hand. Imagine my surprise when it seemed to work, but I wasn't convinced. And I certainly didn't know if it could make someone do something that they normally wouldn't do. Like drinking a cup of motor oil happily. Or having sex with me. It was time for scientific testing, which was why I was at the food court.

Who knew it would actually work?

=================================

It was the end of the lunch hour. I picked up my stuff and drove back to work. As I walked back to my office I passed Sheila, my Executive Administrator.

"Hi Steven. Roger was looking for you, did he reach you?"

"Yes. Thanks Sheila. How are your night classes going?"

"Just one more year and I will have my Business degree, Steven. That is if I pass my Accounting final next week Thursday."

I could tell from her voice she was seriously nervous about passing.

I looked at Sheila. She was a gorgeous redhead and today she wore that dress that drove me nuts. I don't know fashion, but I think it's called a "square neck" dress. It had a deep neckline that went straight across her breasts, showing almost half of them. Plus she wore this kind of bra that just sort of set them up there, like on a tabletop. Any time Sheila moved her breasts would have a jiggle that looked like a wave traveling along her breasts. Like ripples in a pond and totally mesmerizing. I struggled not to stare, but Sheila smiled knowingly.

"I know you will do well on your final, Sheila."

"Thanks for the nice words, Steven. You are a good guy."

"Yes Stevie is a sweetheart, Sheila" I didn't notice but Alexa had walked up and stood right behind me. Alexa was our VP Marketing and a stunner. 5'9" blond hair, long legs. California girl. Alexa smiled and looked straight in my eyes.

"How goes TNT, Stevie?" tilting her head inquisitively and giving me a half-smile.

TNT was short for The Next Thing, which was our in-house name for our new product, which I headed as VP of Engineering. We had over 150 of the hottest Software Engineers (never call a Software Engineer a programmer) in the world. Everyone wanted to ride the Jarvis train.

"Two weeks ahead of schedule. How about the big Marketing roll-out plans? You ready Alexa?" I gave a weak smile back at Alexa, but she was scary hot and made me nervous.

She put her lips next to my ear and purred in her low, seductive voice but loud enough for everyone to hear.

"I sleep ready, Stevie. I'll show you some time." I turned about 4 shades of red.

"Don't tease him, Alexa. Steven really is a nice guy."

"I hear nice guys finish last. I like guys who finish last, Stevie." Alexa reeked sex. You wouldn't think she had an MBA from Wharton. Like I said, B-School girls are way out of my league. Alexa laid her hand on my shoulder and giggled.

"Just teasing, Stevie. I know you are a nice guy."

I smiled, touched my pocket with the iphone and went into my office.

===========

I just sat at my desk with the door closed and looked at my iphone laying on the desk. What do I do now? Do I hypnotize Sheila into letting me tap those breasts and watch the ripples? I wonder if they rippled without the dress and bra. I could make her want me. Hell, I could make her have orgasm after orgasm as I pumped away like the newbie I was. Could I do that to Sheila?

If not Sheila what about Alexa? Should I finally stop Alexa's teasing and command her to have the greatest night of sex ever with me? And then tell everyone the next morning? Nobody in this office has managed to fuck Alexa. She was the unobtainable goddess. My cred would go from zero to "I don't believe it" instantly. Maybe I could then get the nerve to ask a girl the normal way.

Fuck it. I am tired of being Mr. Nice Guy. I pressed the intercom button on the phone.

"Sheila could you come into my office please?"

"Right away, Steven."

I went to sit at the small round table I have in my office.

"Sit down over here, Sheila. I want you to take a look at this app I have been working on about visual perception."

Sheila sat down next to me and I showed her my phone with the app running.

"Please count the number of times that the color teal is shown on the screen. I hit the button and the colors started flashing. At the 10 second mark, Sheila's pupils dilated a bit and her breathing deepened. When the tone sounded I was ready to give my command to make her my slut.

"Squid for sale."

Then I stopped and just stared at her not saying another word. After 30 seconds I knew I wasn't going to do it. She was waiting for a command so I gave her one.

"You will be confident when taking your Accounting final. You will study hard and do everything you can to prepare. You will pass. At the sound of the two beeps you will awaken and feel refreshed. You will obey these commands but forget that this session happened. Squid have sold."

I hit the button and two beeps sounded. Sheila blinked and looked at me.

"I didn't see any teal, Steven. Is that all? I have a lot to finish by 5:00 so I can get home and prepare for my final. All of a sudden I think I really CAN do it."

"That's all Sheila. Knock off early this afternoon. Only the manual mockups need to be done today. Go home and study. Your final is important."

She stood up and quickly went out the door. Looking back she smiled and said,

"Thanks Steven, you are a great boss and a good friend."

She closed the door as she left. I hung my head and shook it in disgust.

"What a fucking lame-ass I am. Friend-zoned for life. Fuck." But I didn't really believe I did the wrong thing. Sheila didn't deserve to be my sex slave.

=======================================

The rest of the work week came and went without figuring out what to do with my app. I went to a club on Saturday by myself and just sat there drinking $20 martinis, which I hate. Every time I saw a hot chick to zap with my app, I froze. What a pathetic loser. Arrgh.

Sunday I finally figured out something to do. I was going to hypnotize myself. I started off with something easy. Going to the gym each day for a two hour workout with a personal trainer. Also the cooking oil I had left over would taste like maple syrup, just to give me a quick way to test if it worked. I recorded the commands on a digital recorder app that had a timer function. I then set the timer to playback after 30 seconds and hit the button. I then started the hypno app.

The next thing I knew it was a half hour later. The hypno app had a fail-safe wake up command after more than 30 minutes without pressing the two beep button. I took a big slug of the cooking oil. I then spit it out all over my desk. Disgusting. The app didn't work with recorded instructions. Rats. There went my 6 pack abs.

I just threw myself into work the next week to try to forget how I had the golden key, but wouldn't use it because I was a "nice guy".

Friday morning I went into the office and saw Sheila and Alexa chatting.

"How did the Accounting final go, Sheila?" I asked.

"Great Steve. It was computer graded so I already know I passed. I am so geeked."

"See Sheila. I told you that your hard work would succeed." I smiled. I was happy for Sheila.

"I know. I studied real hard and then got this smart nerd from class to tutor me. Three long evening sessions and I passed the exam. He was a great tutor."

Alexa turned to Sheila and asked, "What's the going rate nowadays for an evening of finals tutoring, Sheila?"

"One blowjob per session, Alexa."

I looked at Sheila dumbstruck.

Alexa chuckled "That's certainly changed from when I was an undergrad at Yale. It was a blowjob for an evening of ordinary test tutoring. For a finals test session it was a fuck. You kids today have it so much easier. What was it at MIT Stevie?"

"We just did it to be nice." I forced a grin and just started walking into my office to get out of this conversation.

As Alexa turned to go back to her office, she asked over her shoulder, "Didn't you have a dual major for your MBA at Harvard Stevie?" Business Management and Accounting?

I pretended not to hear her.

==========================

Later that night I went over to Roger and Brandi's for Friday Night Poker. We had a pool of about 12 floating friends who played so we usually had 9-10 show up each month for the game.

I brought the drinks, so I was there early. Roger let me in as he went out the door.

"You're here early, Steve. I have to go pick up the food. Tonight it is Korean street food.", said Roger.

"I so love Korean street food," gushed Brandi. "I am going to really pig out tonight."

"Just as long as I get to pork the pig later, babe.", smirked Roger.

Brandi laughed but tried to put on a disgusted face. "Just go Roger. Help me put the drinks in the fridge, Steven. Then I have to go take my shower. You got here a little early."

Roger left and I went into the kitchen with Brandi. I steeled my nerves and reached for my phone.

"Brandi, could you take a look at this app I am working on for visual perception?"

"Will it take long? I still need to shower before anyone gets here."

"A couple of minutes tops Brandi. Just look at the app and count how many times you see a teal background."

I started the app and the colors started flashing with Brandi standing there watching. Soon, Brandi's pupils dilated and her breathing deepened. The tone sounded. This was it. Time to man up.

"Squid for sale."

"You will forget Steven is here. You will think you are alone in the apartment. Go take your shower, leaving the doors open. After you dry off, you will go get a beer from the kitchen while completely nude, since you are all alone. You will not notice Steven. You will take your beer and go back into your bedroom closing the door to change. At the sound of the two beeps you will awaken and feel refreshed. You will obey these commands but forget that this session happened. Squid have sold."

I hit the button and two beeps sounded. She blinked and looked right past me, as if I wasn't there. Brandi walked out of the kitchen, past the living room, into their bedroom and the master bath. She took off her clothes as she went, but turned the corner before her bra came off. I could hear the shower starting.

At least I will finally see Brandi naked. It wasn't wild monkey sex, but it was a start. One small step for debauchery, one giant leap for the Virgin Steven.

I moved into the Living Room and set down to wait, watching her bedroom door.

I heard the shower stop and soon I could hear her leaving the bathroom.

But I just couldn't do it. Brandi was the fiancee of my best friend as well as my friend, too. I turned away and faced the front door. I could hear Brandi walking past me into the kitchen. She got her beer and started to walk out of the kitchen back to the master bedroom to dress.

Just then the front door opened and Roger walked in. He looked at me and then suddenly looked past me.

"What the Fuck, Brandi?? What are you doing walking around naked with Steve here?"

"Oh shit!!" screamed Brandi and ran in the bedroom. She dressed quickly and then came out to apologize to me.

"I am sorry, Steve. I forgot you were here. I thought I was alone in the apartment. I didn't even notice you."

"Well at least Steve didn't see anything Brandi. When I came in he was looking at the front door and then when you came out of the kitchen he never turned around even after he heard you were naked. What a lame-ass."

"Steven isn't a lame-ass, Roger you perv. He is a gentleman."

No Brandi, I thought. I am a lame-ass.

==========================

Saturday night I decided it was now or never. I went to the hottest club in the city and bribed my way to a small table overlooking the dance floor and the bar. There were hot women everywhere. In groups of 3 and 4 like herds of sleek gazelles as the men prowled trying to satisfy their hunger.