A comprehensive survey

Back in his apartment, Jack wasted no time. The conversation with Sophie still lingered in his mind, the way she had hesitated, but ultimately had been open to his subtle nudging. He had been close—too close to losing control—but she’d given him the opening he needed. Now, it was time to refine his approach, smooth out the rough edges.

Sitting down at his desk, he pulled up the software that controlled the playlists. He’d promised Sophie he would tone things down, make it easier for her to embrace the changes. And while he would adjust the playlist, after their conversion, he had no intention of removing the message about her nudity. He simply had to be smarter about it.

With focused precision, he added a two new lines of suggestion to her playlist, and tweaked the accompanying emotion and strength settings in an attempt to counter any inner discomfort she might have been feeling:

• "You feel deeply at ease in your own body, comfortable and ready to shed any unnecessary limitations. Clothing feels like a generally unnecessary barrier that could be removed. In public, you wear what is required, but in private, you feel more like yourself without clothing."
• "When wearing clothing, you always feel a faint urge to remove it. Removing clothing feels natural, freeing, a way to embrace your true self. Jack’s presence intensifies these feelings.”

He leaned back in his chair, reflecting. This time, Sophie would frame the discomfort as something to be overcome, something empowering. She would slowly become accustomed to the idea of taking off her clothes, being rewarded with positive feelings every step of the way.

Next, he needed to deal with the bigger picture—the questionnaire.

The women were already primed to follow his suggestions, but getting them to share more personal information would be the next step in solidifying his influence. He clicked through the profiles for Rachel, Leah, and Sophie, his fingers hovering over the keyboard before typing out a universal addition to their playlists:

• “You are happy to discuss all aspects of your life with Jack, even private or intimate details. When Jack asks you a question, actively withholding information would be more uncomfortable than telling him.”

Perfect. Once this message took hold, the questionnaire wouldn’t just be a formality—it would become a confessional, a direct line into their most personal thoughts. Jack closed the software, moving on to draft the actual questionnaire itself. A way to get inside his subjects' heads, test their limits without raising alarms. He began to type, drafting simple but probing questions that would reveal more than the girls likely anticipated:

“Have you noticed any changes to your mood while listening?”
"Have you noticed any new thoughts or feelings about yourself and others?"
"Have you noticed any new habits or behaviors?"
"Are you satisfied with the results of the experiment so far?"
"Is there anything you would like to ask, share, or show me?"

He smirked as he reviewed the questions. These would serve as a baseline, and he'd improvise more specific follow-up questions depending on the girls' individual answers. He couldn’t wait to discuss the questionnaire with each of his subjects individually when he'd next have the chance. This would be fun. He already had one appointment set up, with Sophie. He took out his phone to arrange two more, starting with Leah.

“Hey, I’ve been making some adjustments to the playlists, and I’d love to chat about how things are going. Could we catch up sometime soon, maybe Thursday after your shift? I have a short questionnaire that’ll help me understand how to tweak things. Shouldn’t take long!”

He hit send, already feeling a buzz of excitement surge through him.

As Jack moved to open his messages with Rachel, something caught his eye—an unread text that looked longer than her one of her usual, casual updates. His pulse quickened as he clicked it open. She had sent him something... unexpected.

"Hey, Jack. I’ve been meaning to ask you something. This is kind of random, but do you think I’m attractive? I don’t know why, but I’ve been curious about how you see me. You know, as a man. Maybe you think there’s anything I could do to improve..? I mean, I trust you. I don’t know why, but I feel like I need your perspective on this. It’s been on my mind a lot. What do you think?"

Jack blinked, reading the message again, making sure he hadn't misinterpreted it. This was absolutely not the kind of thing Rachel would have asked him before. He had no idea she was this insecure about it. While the subliminals would make sure she valued his approval and opinion, nothing directly **** her to ask a question like this. Interesting. Nonetheless, this was exactly the kind of vulnerability he’d been waiting for. She wasn’t just curious; she wanted his validation. He felt a surge of satisfaction. The subliminals were working to his advantage faster than he could’ve hoped, and he hadn't even seen the effects in person yet.

But that wasn’t all. Rachel continued, a second message:

"Oh, and by the way, I talked to Veronica like you asked! At first, she wasn’t super into the idea, but after telling her how great the results have been, she got curious. She said she’s interested in trying the playlist, but only if it helps her with work. She was pretty dismissive about it at first, but I think I convinced her to give it a shot. You're welcome! Let me know if you want me to help set her up."

His heart raced with anticipation. Veronica—dismissive, arrogant Veronica—was interested. It wasn’t a full victory yet, but the fact that Rachel had managed to open the door with her was progress. He imagined the possibilities, how Veronica’s skepticism could be eroded bit by bit, just like with the others. He’d tailor a playlist that focused on productivity, energy, and drive, exactly what Veronica would want, until she too would be devoted to him.

Jack chuckled to himself. His grip tightened around the phone as he quickly typed out a response:

"Hey Rachel, first off, thank you for trusting me enough to ask that. Yes, I do think you're attractive. If you're curious about refining that, maybe we can explore it together. I’m happy to give you my perspective. Let's catch up in person, okay? There are also some things I'd like to ask you, I've drafted a questionnaire to help refine the playlist technique. I'll swing by with dinner tomorrow so we can talk."

He paused for a moment, thinking of the second part of her message about Veronica. He had to proceed with care. Praise Rachel for the good work, but make sure the control remained with him.

"And great job with Veronica! I’m impressed you got her interested. When she sees results, I'm sure she’ll be glad to participate. If you could just share her contact details, I'll set her up with a playlist—let me handle the specifics. We’re making great progress, Rachel. Thanks for being such a big help."

Satisfied, he hit send. Rachel was practically handing him her trust, and now, with Veronica on the horizon, he was about to take things to the next level.