Just Tonight, Whisper Lies

Zara was a confident woman. Dark, luscious hair, and big green eyes made her the subject of pursuit for many men. Her job also didn't hurt.

Zara was, after all, a hypnotist for hire. She got hired for all sorts of things, but her specialty was erotic. She helped people forget their problems, and their minds for a few hours. When called on for such services, she always made sure to have a recording for her client, so they could keep the memories in a physical form.

Tonight, she got ready in a slinky, red dress. Tonight, she put on her best jewelry and perfume. Tonight, she was going to be working a bachelor party, and the groom didn't know.

His best man, Ryan, had hired her. Ryan said his buddy just needed to let go. Zara could read between the lines, though. Ryan didn't like the bride, and was hoping that this experience would make him call the whole thing off. It's not like Zara cared either way. She and drama didn't exist in the same sphere.

If the man liked his bride, great. But if Zara's act tonight got him to change his mind, it must not have been real anyway.

When Zara reached the venue, the men were already a bit drunk. She smiled to herself. Perfect! After all, such men were more suggestible. All the better for her.

Ryan came forward to greet her. "You must be Zara. So good to meet you. He's over here." He shook her hand with an unnecessarily firm grip, giving her the strong impression he was overconfident. Pity he wasn't her target… she really would have liked to take him down a peg or two.

Ryan led her over to a tall, good-looking man in a formal suit. He had red hair and blue eyes, a stunning combination. He was much more serious than the party around him, and his eyes sparkled with the kind of intelligence that made Zara's job harder. A challenge, then. Perfect!

She held out her hand to shake. "I'm Zara."

He took it. His grip was firm. "Levi. I understand from Ryan you're here to seduce me away from my fiancée?"

She smirked, twirling her hair with a finger. "Well, I can turn on the charm, but it's up to you if you're seduced."

He laughed. "No one's ever successfully hypnotized me before, so…"

Zara winked. "Oh, I'm the best of the best. Now, I'd imagine you don't want your boys seeing this?"

Levi held out his arm like a gentleman.  She took it. "They'll drink themselves silly; they don't really care if I'm here or not," Levi drawled. "They don't like my bride-to-be," he added, as he led her into a back room.

"I picked up on that, funnily enough," Zara responded. "Why is that, do you think?" She set up her usual camera in the corner, at a good angle to capture everything.

"They say she's a gold digger."

Zara raised an eyebrow, turning to watch Levi as he went to sit on one of the two chairs in the otherwise bare room. "And why would that be?"

"Well…" He hesitated, shifting uncomfortably. "It's true that she didn't pay any attention to me until I got my grandparents' inheritance, but…"

Zara filed that information away for later use; what, she wasn't sure, but always good to be prepared. "Oh, interesting. Now, I can tell you're going to be a challenge for me." She began to pace, getting into her rhythm. "Hypnotism is, at its heart, about trust. I can't hypnotize someone into doing something they don't want. Your obvious personal awareness causes some problems for me, but I'm not entirely left in the woods." She shot him a smile that was calculated to dazzle. His face didn't change.

Hard customer, for sure. She dropped her voice to a musical murmur, widening her eyes at him in the picture of innocence. "What do you want from a woman, Levi? I can be anything you want, for the night."

Levi raised an eyebrow. "Can I ask a question and expect an honest answer?"

Zara nodded. "Of course. Honesty builds trust, and I've already told you hypnotism is about trust."

"Would you be doing this if you weren't hired? Or I guess…" He rubbed the back of his neck, apparently embarrassed. "Do you find me attractive? At all?"

Zara ran a critical eye over him. "Yes. I certainly do. Not all of my clients are nearly ...