After a huge party to celebrate my becoming a certified hypnotherapist, it was just ten p.m. A professional psychic for twelve years, I periodically added new skills to help my customers. Now only I and my five closest friends remained at Bill's large home.

The silence made Marina, the only other woman in the group, uneasy. "So, Hannah, have you ever messed with anyone while they were hypnotized? You know, make them do something weird like stand on their head?"

"I'd never abuse my power or my client's trust. When I perform hypnosis, the subject must be willing, and we always make it clear why we're doing it."

Marina was an Italian beauty with curly brown hair, brown eyes, and a long, curvy body. Secretly she longed to experiment with women as well as men, like our friend Roger whom she'd been lusting after for years, but her shyness kept her in line. I felt her attraction to me, but that wasn't my path for the long-term. It wouldn't work, though the occasional fling with women did slip into my fantasies and history.

Roger lusted after Marina, but the balance, even a strong friendship, could be upended if things got awkward. Some days, I hated my telepathic powers. My friends were frustrated, and in turn, it rubbed on me sexually. But my gifts were mine; I'd made a successful career of it, and at thirty-two, I loved my professional life.

If only my personal life worked as well. I felt adrift there, searching for where I fit. My training said we all had a unique life path to follow. I wondered if my section on sexual fulfillment had been deleted.

Joel's mind suddenly projected a plea. He didn't mean to communicate with me; like most people, Joel's thoughts ruled his own private world. He wanted me to hypnotize Bill and plant the suggestion that he was in love with Joel. I wanted to tell him Bill already felt that, but any time I'd tried to bring those two together, even in private conversations, they backed off from one another. Just friends was their safe lie.

Prompted by Joel's thoughts and Marina's previous question, I said, "People lie to themselves all the time. Worse, most actually learn to believe their lies. Hypnosis frees people to get past the fear of judgment, the memory blanks of time, and repression of their true needs from external pressures. It's just a tool to get to the true self."

Grant laughed. The sixth member of our group was my nemesis of sorts. The skeptic. He thought all of my gifts were crap. "It's an excuse for people to come clean about stuff they don't want to admit, but secretly want to talk about it. They're paying you to get their fun and sexual fantasies out without the judgment."

His mind was on sex tonight, too. Grant usually had more self-control. Tonight all minds were on pleasure, but I refused to allow him to devalue my work. "Most hypnosis is used to cure fears, bring out repressed memories from childhood or traumatic events, or explore a past life people can't consciously remember."

"Past lives." Grant shook his head. "You've got quite a racket going on there, Hannah. You sell it, though. The flowing, funky-colored dress, long gold curls, and the innocent face anyone would trust. Yet you're not pretty enough to really threaten female clients. You've got the whole package."

I stifled my shock. Grant had never paid that much attention to me, and yet his thoughts drifted to my package all right. He liked my round breasts and butt to match. His thoughts grew darker, and he shut them down fast.

I fought a groan. What did he really want of me? The wetness between my legs prompted me to stand. "Thanks for the rundown of my pluses and minuses, Grant, but I do help people. Maybe you'd like a demonstration of my hypnosis skills?"

He folded his arms. "Love one." His dark brown eyes and hair turned the heads of men as well as women. His hard body and rugged good looks made many pursue him. Grant's ego was fed by many, but he rarely had a girlfriend.

I wondered why he seemed reluctant to date, but his negativity toward my career made me less eager to help him than the others. He owned the building where I rented an office for my psychic services, and while we had friction, we stuck together when it counted. The group brought us together. Today, however, it felt as though our differences were front and center.

"Since it seems sex is a hot topic tonight, at least on everyone's mind, I think it'd be good for us to take down those pesky little inhibitions."

Mariana sat up straight on the long sofa. "What?"

"Please, the frustration is palpable. Everyone's thoughts are triple X-rated. What's so terrible about us letting our needs loose? Unleash those desires. It'd be a very low-level hypnosis, just a suggestion of trust, releasing the inhibitions, and no guilt about exploring sexual fantasies within this safe group of friends. No one would do anything they don't really want to, no still means no, and it's not about changing your desires but freeing them."