A promising Thursday morning

Jack woke up to the soft buzz of his phone. Still groggy, he fumbled to pick it up from the nightstand, blinking at the screen until his eyes adjusted to the brightness. It was a message from Veronica.

“I have to admit, Jack, that playlist of yours worked better than I expected. Impressive. My energy’s through the roof. Productivity’s been on point. I want more.”

Jack’s eyebrow arched. Veronica, giving a compliment, admitting something worked? That was rare. He smiled as he typed his reply.

“Glad to hear it. I can probably make it stronger somehow, but how would you imagine that working?”

He didn’t expect much from that question, he just wanted to play with her a little. Veronica was never the type to give thoughtful feedback. Sure enough, her next message came in fast and blunt.

“Jack. That is *your* job. I don’t care, just figure it out. Whatever you added to that playlist, just add more of it?”

Jack chuckled. Classic Veronica. She couldn’t be bothered to give him any real input—just orders. He leaned back against the headboard, watching the phone for her inevitable follow-up. When it came, it was just as cutting as he expected.

“If you can’t handle it, Jack, maybe I’ll find someone else who can. Don’t waste my time.”

A smirk tugged at Jack’s lips. There it was. He didn’t respond immediately, leaving her message on read. Let her stew for a minute. He wanted to see what she’d do next if he didn’t respond to her threat. After all, he knew it was an empty one.

Sure enough, after a few minutes of distracting himself, absentmindedly scrolling through a forum, his phone buzzed again.

“Listen, I need this. You don't know how much I’m juggling right now. Don’t play hard to get—please just make it happen. I'll make it worth your while.”

Jack’s smirk widened. Desperation, creeping through. She really must have a lot on her plate. Veronica, for all her arrogance, apparently realized she needed him on her side if she wanted to maintain this newfound edge. Her dismissive attitude was starting to unravel, and that vulnerability—however fleeting—fascinated him.

Satisfied, he replied. “Fine. I’ll see what I can do, Veronica. Keep an eye out for the update later today. I think you’ll like what I’ve got in mind.”

He could almost hear her huffing on the other end, knowing she had **** but to go along with whatever he had planned. No response. Her silence was his victory. It was amusing to watch her switch tactics, to go from domineering to trying to curry favor with him when her usual approach fell flat. He liked that switch. The desperation for his favor suited her, he thought.

Jack put his phone back onto the nightstand and stretched. Veronica’s message had been an unexpected treat. It gave him more leverage than he’d imagined, and he was curious to see how far she’d let him push her before realizing she was in deeper than she thought. Maybe he could put some outrageous urge in her subliminals, screw with her mind a little, and make her think its her own fault for wanting too much. He smirked to himself, amused.

But that was a project for later.

For now, Jack shifted his thoughts to the day ahead. Leah was on the schedule, and he had a meeting with her in just a few hours. He got up, mentally switching gears as he started his morning routine, wondering how Leah had been responding to her playlist and what new insights he’d gain from their meeting.

As he brushed his teeth, his mind wandered back to Veronica. If she was good, he’d reward her, in his own way. He had the perfect additions in mind for her next playlist—just enough to give her what she wanted, but with a fun little extra. Maybe he'd take some time to adjust her playlist before he left.

After finishing his morning routine, Jack couldn’t resist a quick glance out the window toward Sophie’s living room. The blinds were open, and he scanned the room, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. But today, the space was empty. No morning yoga, no subtle peek at her well-toned figure—just the stillness of her sun-drenched apartment. Seems like he missed it. Jack sighed. A shame, really.

With nothing to satisfy his curiosity, he turned back to his laptop, setting up at the kitchen counter with a fresh cup of coffee. Time to check the real-world stuff—emails, updates, the mundane. He opened his inbox, clearing out a few podcast-related emails, some minor administrative messages. But when he logged into his bank account, his breath caught in his throat.

There was a new transfer—far larger than usual. Way larger.

He double-checked the numbers, sipping his coffee as he stared at the screen, processing what this meant. Revenue from the Urban Legends podcast had skyrocketed. Far beyond the typical monthly earnings. His subliminal tweaks were working far better than expected. Listeners were hooked, and it was paying off big time.

Jack smirked. That subtle addition to the podcast had been a stroke of genius—an invisible nudge to draw more listeners in, keeping them coming back for more. Maybe they didn’t know why, but they were craving more content, more episodes, and that was translating directly into his bank account.

“Interesting,” he muttered to himself, leaning back. The success of the podcast gave him more than just financial stability. It gave him freedom. This was just the beginning. He closed the browser, satisfied, his mind already spinning with the possibilities. The more influence he had, the more power he could wield, and the better he could sustain the balance between his professional work and his personal experiments. He could work on a way to combine them, even. Enough to think about.

Today was shaping up to be a good day.

Jack refocused his attention to his computer screen, the surge of satisfaction from the podcast revenue still lingering in his chest. Before he would leave to meet Leah, there was something else he needed to handle. Veronica wanted more power, more energy, more of what he’d already given her. But she was too used to pushing people around. She didn’t get to dictate how he played his game.

Opening her file, Jack smirked to himself. He enjoyed the challenge of playing with someone like Veronica. If she wanted stronger effects, she was going to get them—but not without a little twist, just enough added confusion to leave her questioning herself.

He tweaked the existing messaging, amplifying and rephrasing the subliminals to keep her curious, reliant on his guidance, but with something else lurking beneath the surface. A streak of perversion that would mess with her mind in all the right ways.

The new lines glowed on the screen, as he read them over, a carefully constructed trap. First, the bait.

• “Jack’s ideas make sense. You are curious about Jack’s suggestions. You respect Jack’s intelligence and unique perspective, realizing he has always been talented.”
• “While listening to Jack’s playlists, you feel energized, driven, and laser-focused, maximizing your sense of well-being and productivity.”

He kept the core of what she wanted, and had amplified its strength. This would continue to deliver, giving her exactly the high she sought. It would keep her hooked—wondering, maybe even admiring him, despite her nature. It would feed her need to feel in control, but now, she'd see Jack as the source. He’d be the answer to whatever drive she was chasing.

Then, the coup de grâce.

• “Finishing Jack’s playlist from start to end makes you feel confident, powerful, and aroused.”
• “When you want or need something from Jack, you should do your best to charm him. You are happy to please Jack in order to get what you want.”

This was where things got fun. Veronica liked feeling in control—confident, powerful. But adding arousal into the mix? That would be the part she didn’t expect. The sudden surge of desire wrapped up in her drive for productivity would leave her confused, but surely unable to resist. On top of that, he'd nudge her interactions with him toward submission, masked as her maintaining control. She’d think she was using her own body as a tool to get what she needed from him. In reality, she’d be playing right into his hands, unknowingly giving up her power one playful smile at a time.

Jack sat back, admiring his handiwork. He knew that pushing too far could cause confusion, but he deliberately pushed. Veronica would be left wondering where these strange new feelings were coming from, wondering if they were all part of her own ambition, her thirst for power. If she questioned it at all, he'd convince her it's a potential side effect of amping the technique's power level. She’d have no one to blame but herself, and he was sure she'd power-hungrily continue listening to her playlist anyway. Satisfied, he clicked save and transferred the new playlist to her folder.

A job well done.

Now, it was high time to meet Leah. He couldn’t wait to see how things with Veronica would play out, but Leah was next on his list, and he was already running late. With everything set in motion, he left the apartment, locking the door behind him with a smug smile playing at the corners of his lips.