Page 312 of Dirty Discipline, Vol. 1

She sat up to listen.

“Do you believe in the power of the mind?”

“Of course.”

“And you know I can give you hypnotic suggestions?”

She looked interested, catching on.

“So I'm thinking we could try some out to see if changing your mindset might help you focus. Are you game?”

“Yeah. Absolutely.”

“Okay, I'll say them out loud, so you know what I'm planting, all right? You can repeat them for yourself if you want, but it's not necessary. Look at me.”

He caught her eyes with his gaze, instantly opening the door to suggestion. Then he just improvised, planting the first things that came to mind.

“I am in the zone. Writing my proposal is easy.”

She repeated it after him.

“All my ideas are flowing in and coming together perfectly. I have all the focus and discipline I need to finish my proposal this weekend. I am relaxed and confident in my ability to write a perfect thesis.”

Then he released the figurative door to her mind and said, “As soon as I finish my proposal, I'm going to blow Dom.”

She made a sound of outrage and punched him in the arm and he laughed. “I didn't plant that last one,” he assured her. “I promise I would never mess with you like that.”

She tackled him so that he fell back on the bed and she nipped at his neck with her teeth. “I wish I could bite,” she said.

“No, you don't,” he said lightly, rolling over to deposit her neatly on her feet at the side of the bed. “Do you feel like working?”

She considered. “Actually, I do!” she said with a look of wonder. “If this works, I will most certainly blow you.”

He laughed and followed her up the stairs. “All right, get busy. And don't forget the rules.”

She rubbed her bottom. “How could I?” she said with a rueful grin.

The suggestions worked almost too well. Kate did not move from her place in front of her laptop for a solid four hours. She probably would've stayed longer, but he insisted she take a break. He ordered Chinese food to be delivered and sent her to open the door and pay for it, since it was still light out.

They sat at the table eating with chopsticks, and Kate bubbled over with enthusiasm, sharing her ideas for her thesis. She had starting planning research methods to test the children's aptitudes in math before and after music lessons. She'd contacted several elementary school principals to find out if they'd be willing to have her as a guest teacher in exchange for gathering research from their students. She 'd written most of her introduction and background for the proposal and was halfway through the methodology.

As she spoke, Dom just watched, entranced. He loved seeing her so unselfconscious. This was the real Kate. Not shy Kate, not the brilliant performer Kate, but the real woman underneath all those exteriors. He loved it.

After a while she rerouted the conversation. “What is Philosophy of the Mind?”

“Ah. You saw my diploma? It's sort of a shared branch of psychology and philosophy. A study of consciousness.”

“And you really have a Ph.D. in it?”

He nodded. “The advent of online studies changed my life.”

“I'll bet,” she said softly.

“So is that why you're so good at hypnosis?”

“No. Any vampire can do it. It's a defense mechanism you learn pretty quickly after being turned. But it might be why I'm interested in how it can be applied to improve lives.”

“What do you mean?”

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