An ex-girlfriend

Though I didn't like to talk about it, I hadn't had many girlfriends, and the relationships hadn't ever lasted very long. Usually the break-ups were amicable, caused by school or career changes, but one had stuck with me like a thorn in my heart for years.

Kimmy and I had been introduced by a friend of Ron and Jess's, and we'd immediately hit it off. We liked the same food, read the same books, and felt comfortable enough around each other to have deeply intimate conversations within a few months. In hindsight, things may have moved too quickly, but at the time I was too happy to care. We moved in together after six months.

It was in that same shared apartment that, over a year later, she cheated on me with her ex-boyfriend. I had come home early from work to find them on the couch, caught in the act, and afterward she'd had the gall to blame me for being there at all. It had hurt terribly, and I had yet to be completely over it.

I doubted I ever would be.

For this test, I was checking for a range on my ability and whether or not it worked over text. If it worked, that would be two birds with one stone, but if it didn't I'd be creating more work for myself later. Oh well, sometimes you have to be bold.

To the best of my knowledge, Kimmy's phone number hadn't changed, even though she now lived in a different county. I no longer had her in my contacts, but I could remember the number well enough. I sent a short message.

Rick: Please text me back when you get this.

There was no immediate reply, but I expected that. I took a moment to call my supervisor at work, and he picked up after the first ring.

"Hey, Rick, running late today?"

I knew he meant it in a good-natured way. I had worked under Tom for over three years, and while he could be a stickler for rules and protocol in the office, outside the office he was an absolute delight to hang out with.

"Yeah, Tom," I said. "I'm a little busy with something. Would you please give me the week off with no consequences."

I held my breath. Ordinarily, he would never have approved a vacation request over the phone, especially not without paperwork and advance notice, but this wasn't an ordinary request. After an excruciating few seconds, he finally replied: "Sorry, just checking the schedules. I'll have to shuffle some things around, but you can absolutely take the week off. We can catch you up next Monday. Sound good?"

"Thanks, man. I really appreciate it."

"Thank me later. You still coming to Finnegan's on Friday?"

"I'll let you know day-of. Might still be swamped," I lied. I just wanted to keep my days as open as possible in case I got caught up with someone. Or someones.

"Understood. Take care of yourself, see you next week."

"See you then."

I hung up the phone and checked my messages. Nothing. I figured I would give it two hours before I called the test a failure.

She texted me back half an hour later as I was cleaning up from breakfast.

Kimiko: What do you want, Rick?

Rick: Please send me a nude photo of yourself.

Kimmy had never wanted to send me nudes. She hadn't felt confident enough in herself to want to do that, and I had been perfectly fine with that. If she did it now, that would be a pretty solid confirmation that I could extend my influence without my voice.

My phone buzzed as an image popped up in the conversation. It was Kimmy, in a bedroom somewhere, completely naked with her arm raised up to capture as much of her as possible in the frame. She had light brown skin, small breasts above a slightly rounded tummy, and frizzy black hair in a messy bun. Her expression was pretty neutral and her pose was distinctly un-sexy, but I was hard in an instant at the knowledge that I had commanded her to do this.

She followed the photo with a message.

Kimiko: Is that all?

Rick: Please cancel all plans today and drive to my apartment. Please wear something sexy, and please become hornier the closer you get to me.

Kimiko: K fine I'm on my way, I'll be there in a couple hours.

There was no pause or hesitation there. My ability, whatever it was, was clearly working.

Rick: Over the course of the drive, please grow larger boobs and lose any excess body fat. Please don't notice that it's happening.

She didn't reply, probably because I hadn't commanded her to, but I was confident everything would work out. I checked my watch, made a mental note for when she said she'd arrive, then set about to run a few errands.