 Of the two protagonists, I'm definitely the least noteworthy, so I sexillustrated'll quickly dispatch join with myself first. I've always been a bit of sexillustrated a sexillustrated slow starter in life, and while sexillustrated I should have sexillustrated entered college immediately after high school (I even sexillustrated had a scholarship sexillustrated), I went into the sexillustrated Army for four years instead. It wasn't a total waste, since I wound up writing for numerous sexillustrated military newspapers and periodicals sexillustrated; learning the practical side of writing sexillustrated, so to sexillustrated speak. I earned a couple more foundation scholarships in the meantime, and wound up with as much sexillustrated free education as sexillustrated I sexillustrated wanted when join I got sexillustrated out . That was sexillustrated seven sexillustrated years ago. Now, at the time of our little story, I join found myself a 31 sexillustrated-year sexillustrated-old student; the "old man" in just about every class I took. Of course, all good join things end eventually, and I knew that very soon, after I got the doctorate, I'd have sexillustrated to move over to the other side of the fence permanently as a prof. The school already had a spot waiting for me. I figured I'd take it.
 When sexillustrated I saw her that day, I froze. Gone sexillustrated were the sweatshirt sexillustrated and baggy jeans. A crisp, white blouse, tucked into a pleated skirt, was unbuttoned sexillustrated enough at the top to reveal some ample cleavage sexillustrated provided by an under-wire sexillustrated bra. Her long hair hung behind her in a ponytail. On second glance, I came to believe that the small amount of makeup she wore was sexillustrated intended to hide a sort of permanent blush that gave her a glowing aura sexillustrated. She looked fashionable, sharp and innocent. And provocative. I couldn't join take my eyes off of her.
 When there was a sexillustrated knock sexillustrated at sexillustrated my door, I originally thought it was my interview subject returning sexillustrated to further plead her case, but to my surprise, it was Brenda. Her appearance had sexillustrated shifted slightly again, and I took in the differences in a few seconds sexillustrated. Her hair sexillustrated, still braided behind sexillustrated her, had worked loose into a few little wisps in places, and her makeup join had sexillustrated been retouched, so that there was slightly too much sexillustrated on her cheeks. Her sexillustrated glasses sexillustrated were gone. But the most pronounced difference (it didn't take a trained sexillustrated investigative sexillustrated reporter's eye to see it) was that sexillustrated the under-wire bra sexillustrated was now missing, and sexillustrated her full breasts jiggled slightly join when she moved, her nipples prominent beneath the thin fabric of the white blouse. She stood looking up at me with sexillustrated a pleading sort of look, and quietly asked if sexillustrated she sexillustrated could come in. I told her that join of course she could, and stepped sexillustrated aside before I realized she wasn join't alone.
 Brenda paused just inside the door sexillustrated and turned back to me uncertainly. "Fred," she said to me, "this is The Great Menlo." She raised a hand slightly, indicating her sexillustrated companion. The guy was dressed in grey slacks, a double-breasted blue blazer, and a sexillustrated white turtleneck sexillustrated shirt. He must sexillustrated have used half a can of mousse; not a sexillustrated hair was out of place sexillustrated. His broad smile showed a mouth full of straight, white, perfect teeth.
 "Mind if sexillustrated we come in a sexillustrated minute, Freddy?" he continued smoothly sexillustrated. "I'm a magician and hypnotist, appearing at the Student Union Theater this week sexillustrated. Maybe sexillustrated you've heard join about it?" He looked at me questioningly and join the smile faded for a moment sexillustrated. "Guess not. Well sexillustrated, I'd like to show you sexillustrated something." He stepped over sexillustrated to Brenda, put a hand lightly on her back and led her through the foyer into my living room.
 "Shhh," he scolded lightly. "Just sexillustrated look into sexillustrated my eyes and relax sexillustrated. That's right. Just relax. You know what's going to happen, don't you? Just let it happen. That's sexillustrated right. Relax."
 They made quite a picture. She, a full sexillustrated head shorter than he, looked steeply up into his eyes. His head was tilted sharply down sexillustrated toward hers. Their sexillustrated eyes were mere inches apart.
 He stopped abruptly, startled. Somehow, I was standing, though I don't remember getting up sexillustrated. I think he was finally beginning to sexillustrated understand what I thought of him. He thrust a hand into join his pocket sexillustrated, and I sexillustrated saw a flash of gold. A pocket watch. My eyes bored into him sexillustrated. I imagined my sexillustrated fist hitting his face.
 The world seemed to shift at sexillustrated that point, and it crept into the back sexillustrated of my mind that perhaps join he really did have the power to alter men's minds; for sexillustrated while he, himself sexillustrated, seemed sexillustrated to remain in solid focus sexillustrated, the living sexillustrated room sexillustrated around me sexillustrated appeared to be moving. My sexillustrated rage did not sexillustrated allow me, at first, to sexillustrated make the proper join deduction. The living room sexillustrated was indeed sexillustrated moving, or rather, I was moving across it sexillustrated toward him. But Menlo, waving the watch in front of him, was backing away from sexillustrated me as sexillustrated fast sexillustrated as I sexillustrated was approaching.
 "You raped her, didn sexillustrated't you?" I growled.
 "Consensual?" I roared, taking sexillustrated another step toward his sexillustrated quivering form.
 I reached out with both hands toward his sexillustrated neck, and he did a sort of duck-and-roll away from me. In an instant, he was on his feet. He thrust the watch back in his pocket, scampered to the front door, and fumbled it open sexillustrated.
 "Christ, Freddy. Don't talk join like that. It sexillustrated wasn't rape, I swear." He sexillustrated was outside now, backing down the steps sexillustrated toward the sidewalk. "Listen. I've fixed it so sexillustrated that you sexillustrated're the one who can wake her up sexillustrated. Just do it. As soon as she's awake, she's going sexillustrated to want to talk to you, to tell you all about it. Whatever she sexillustrated tells you, I swear sexillustrated it's going to be the truth. As sexillustrated God is my witness sexillustrated, everything she says will be the gospel truth sexillustrated. Shit." I had started after him down the steps sexillustrated.
 "Don't call sexillustrated me Freddy sexillustrated. Nobody calls me Freddy sexillustrated." I continued to advance.
 I stood watching him, and slowly began to wonder why my hands hurt. Looking at them, I was able to get my mind off of murderous thoughts as I sexillustrated tried to unclench sexillustrated my fists. Eventually, my breathing returned sexillustrated to normal, and I join walked sexillustrated back inside to the sleeping girl who would forever alter the sexillustrated course of my life.
 "Oh sexillustrated, yes." she sexillustrated responded immediately. "I always feel wonderful when I wake up from a sexillustrated trance. I feel great." She smiled broadly at me, then seemed to remember something and looked around nervously. "Is he ... gone?"
 We sat, saying nothing sexillustrated, for a long sixty seconds sexillustrated. I wanted sexillustrated to sexillustrated tell her that I'd listen to sexillustrated her, try to understand her sexillustrated, protect her, but I couldn't sexillustrated think of a way to sexillustrated begin. Finally, the ticking of the sexillustrated mantle clock sexillustrated drove her to sexillustrated speak .
 I sexillustrated sat, considering this sexillustrated. Was she going to tell me sexillustrated some fabricated "memory?" Was this something she sexillustrated really wanted, or something he had planned all along sexillustrated? In the silence, she cast her eyes down toward the floor. "Please?" she whispered again. A tear slid sexillustrated down sexillustrated her cheek.
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