Catch up on chapter 1 before reading on…

Rick smoothed down his jacket to distract his trembling fingers and calm his nerves before he entered the restaurant. Zach had suggested the venue for their first date—a trendy downtown gastro-monstrosity called Salt & Thyme. It had taken Rick way too long to find the place and even longer to park his car, with a few extra minutes outside the restaurant to catch his breath for good measure.  

He glanced through the casement windows into the packed restaurant. Everyone looked like they’d just come from a photoshoot for Casual Chic Monthly. The restaurant was full of guys with trimmed and waxed beards, wearing shirts so tight you could practically count their abs, and women in flowing dresses that looked effortless but probably cost half a mortgage payment.  

And then there was Rick, standing outside, pits sweating under his tweed jacket, looking like a dad who just crashed his kids’ college hangout. Missing the casual ease of last night’s confidence, he fished his phone out of his pocket and tapped the ThinkTech icon. A timer at the top of the screen ticked down the remaining hours of his free trial, and a large red button with “RECONNECT” in block letters pulsed in the center.  

Rick tapped the button.  

Welcome back to ThinkTech, Rick.  

The buzz he’d felt last night returned even stronger, wrapping around his thoughts like a well-tailored suit. He stepped into Salt & Thyme, guided by the quiet but insistent voice in his head.  

Pause. Let him see you before you see him.  

Rick did as he was instructed. He scanned the space, deliberately keeping his movement slow, taking in every table and every decoration on the walls. Eventually, he caught sight of Zach leaning against the far side of the restaurant bar, eyes locked on him. Last night, clad in his leather regalia, Zach cut an impressive figure. Tonight, dressed in a smart jacket and jeans that struggled to contain his muscular thighs, he exuded an even greater masculine radiance. Zach maintained his stare as Rick approached, recognition and appreciation flickering in his eyes. Rick’s back straightened as he walked, chest forward and cocksure, the prompts guiding every step like a choreography he hadn’t known he’d memorized.  

Smile. But make him come to you.  

Instead of continuing toward the bar, Rick stopped a few feet away and met Zach’s gaze with a slow smile. He lifted his hand in a casual wave, resisting the urge to fidget or check his phone. They stood in a silent standoff for a few moments before Zach finally relented, pushing off the bar and sauntering over. ThinkTech filled Rick’s mind with a wave of pleasure as a reward for his compliance.  

See? In the battle of wills, you won. Keep it up and he’ll be yours for sure.  

“Glad to see last night wasn’t a fluke,” Zach said. “I was afraid I might’ve just dreamed you up.”  

Still reeling as the dopamine rush receded, Rick felt another nudge from ThinkTech urging him to respond with a light, teasing tone.  

You’re intriguing. Make him feel like he’s special for it.  

“You’ll find I’m pretty hard to shake once I get interested,” Rick replied, voice steady, words spilling out with a warmth he didn’t realize he could muster. “Besides, a guy like you? I wasn’t satisfied with just one night. I want more.”  

Zach laughed, his eyes narrowing with desire. He leaned in, his hand coming to rest on Rick’s forearm. His body heat radiated through Rick’s jacket sleeve, the human connection grounding him against the growing influence pressing against his thoughts.  

“Didn’t think guys in this town had your kind of confidence,” he murmured, his thumb rubbing a small, slow circle on Rick’s jacket. “It suits you.”  

ThinkTech registered the compliment before Rick even had time to process it fully.  

Take his hand. Return the favor. Let him know he’s not the only one in charge here.  

ThinkTech’s manufactured confidence still felt like a new costume, but Rick leaned into it obediently and led Zach back to the bar. Zach reached for his drink, but Rick stopped him, placing a hand strategically on his bicep. “Feels right,” he said, fingers pressing into the sturdy muscle. “And I’m only just getting started.”  

Zach’s grin widened, his eyes gleaming with a heat that sent a pleasant tingle down Rick’s spine. As they moved from the bar to their table, ThinkTech wove not-so-subtle cues into Rick’s thoughts, guiding him through their conversation as though it were an intricate dance.  

“So,” Zach said after they’d ordered appetizers and another round of drinks. “Tell me something about you. Something I couldn’t figure out just by looking at you.”  

You want him to see you as a mystery. Give him a hint, but keep him curious.  

Rick tilted his head, swirling his drink thoughtfully and letting the answer linger long enough to make it seem like he was weighing his words. “You might think I’m just another ordinary, quiet guy in the crowd,” he began, never breaking eye contact. “But I’ve got one or two surprises up my sleeve. Guess you’ll just have to stick around to find them out.”  

Zach raised an eyebrow, the spark in his eyes matching the slow smirk tugging at his lips. “Is that a fact?” he asked, his tone swinging flirtatiously upward. “Because I’m starting to think you’ve got much more going on than it seems.”  

Let him lean in closer. Let him bend to you. Keep it easy. Steady.  

Rick didn’t move. Instead, he let Zach’s presence press in on him and filled the space between them.  

“Guess that’s for you to find out,” Rick said. “That’s a promise.”  

They were halfway through appetizers when Rick began to feel the subtle, insistent pressure of ThinkTech not just guiding his thoughts and gestures but dictating them. Something about the ease and the almost automatic nature of his responses started to unnerve him. Zach was describing his recent cross-country move, a story Rick genuinely wanted to respond to, but every time he tried to speak. ThinkTech’s quiet whispers cut in and silenced him.  

“So there I was, knee deep in boxes, and the movers were about to leave when one of them said, ‘Hard to believe all this leather gear is yours,’” Zach laughed, eyes bright with humor and clearly expecting Rick to join in. “I just looked at him and said—”  

Rick wanted to respond with his own laughter or to say something genuine and playful, like “Bet he didn’t know who he was dealing with.” But as he opened his mouth, ThinkTech’s prompting slid in, smooth and insistent, taking over his thoughts.  

Interrupt him. Finish his sentence.  

“Get on your knees, and I’ll prove it to you.”  

Rick felt his mouth form the words before he could stop himself. A laugh followed, a little too loud, a little too practiced. It didn’t sound like him at all.  

Inside, his mind screamed against the invisible hold, a sudden, desperate urge rising to break the pattern and be himself. “Actually—” he started, trying to speak freely. But ThinkTech cut in before he could finish, sliding effortlessly over his thoughts like a gloved hand clamping down over his mouth.  

Add that you like the way he thinks. Make it flirtatious. Don’t let him get a word in edgewise. 

“I like the way you think,” Rick said, his voice dropping, a bawdy edge sounding polished, almost foreign. He felt the words slipping out, his tone and expression perfectly timed, perfectly managed, all under ThinkTech’s invisible grip. A chill ran through him as Zach leaned in, charmed by his inauthentic words. Zach didn’t seem to notice.  

Rick tried to clear his mind, push against the prompts, and speak his thoughts, but each time he started, ThinkTech’s whispers slid in, directing his words and turning his mind mechanical and obedient.  

The contrived conversation continued through dinner, with ThinkTech shaping Rick’s every exchange, smile, and glance. Rick grew more accustomed to the constant nudging and prompting and the pleasure rewards he received for his compliance. Eventually, he barely noticed ThinkTech’s influence, feeling as though each line, each laugh, and each quiet, charged moment came from him naturally. ThinkTech urged him to laugh when Zach playfully teased him and to hold Zach’s gaze when he made suggestive remarks. With each prompt, Rick felt himself synching with Zach even more, building a thrilling and electric connection, even if none of it was real.  

At one point, Zach let his hand slide down Rick’s side until his fingers rested on the top of his thigh, fingers gently drumming tantalizingly close to his groin. Rick’s heart pounded, but ThinkTech was ready with another prompt.  

Don’t withdraw. Don’t break eye contact. Let him see you want him.  

Rick held Zach’s gaze, feeling the edges of his own restraint slipping. “I’m not like this usually,” he admitted, the words spilling out in a moment of unexpected honesty. “But with you, it just feels… right.”  

Zach squeezed Rick’s thigh. “Good,” he practically growled. “Because I like this side of you. Don’t lose it.”  

Rick’s skin tingled at the words, and ThinkTech leaned into the intimacy, sending another whisper through his mind.  

Tell him you want to see him again. But make it a challenge.  

“I’d like to see where this goes. If you can keep up, that is.”  

“I’ll hold you to that. Let’s make it interesting.” 

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