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Reversals Ch. 01

By: RachelClark



Promotion

It was a sunny and pleasant day in downtown Chicago; the sun, high in the sky, was warming the busy streets of the city as Summer was just getting underway. Julia sat outside at a busy corner bistro, alone at a table, just off Michigan Avenue, across the street from the Art Institute. Lost in her own thoughts, she idly strummed her long red nails, as the multitude, people and vehicles swirled around her. She took a quick sip of ice tea and was pleased to see her new lipstick was staying in place instead of passing to the straw. It was a small thing, but it was nice that something was working as promised, especially when other, important, things in her life weren't.

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to relax. Waiting for a friend to show up for lunch always unnerved her. She imagined what it might be like to be considered important enough to never have to wait for people. Would she ever be important like that? While waiting, she did get to play, "who's the boss". It was her friend Samantha's people watching game. The key was to watch groups of people walking together to determine who had more formal power in the group. It was almost always the people in front who had the power. Samantha always tallied male versus female lead groups. According to her, women were slowly pulling forward and she predicted that women would eventually outnumber men as "the boss", in her little game. Julia had to admit, it was satisfying to see one or more women walking along with some hapless looking guy humbly shuffling behind them, anxiously hanging on every word. 

As she continued scanning for "who's the boss" groups, Julia spotted Samantha getting out of a taxi, across the street, in front of the Art Institute. She was finally here, almost twenty minutes after the last text she'd sent saying she'd be late for lunch. 

Julia stood up, smoothed down her skirt and gave a couple of quick tugs on her blouse to make sure it was nice and straight before waving excitedly to her friend. Samantha quickly spotted her and returned a tiny, cute, little wave. She paid the cab driver, and started to walk towards the bistro, plucking her corporate ID badge off her blouse and tossing it in her cute little clutch without missing a step. 

Samantha worked in human resources and had been tied up in meetings all morning. Julia was anxious to hear whatever inside news she had on the rumored reorganization from Corporate. Everybody was nervous. Samantha had told her not to worry last time they talked and hinted at something good coming her way. It was all so unnerving.

Both women were in their late twenties, pretty, and dressed in chic, somewhat suggestive, clearly feminine attire. Julia's husband, Eric, called the look "business-professional-sexy" and occasionally quipped that Julia's business attire was "erection-enabling" when he thought one of her outfits was a little over the top. 

Samantha wore a short sleeved pink blouse, and an A-line black skirt cut a few inches above the knees with black heels. Her skirt swished appreciably as she moved in three-inch stilettos while making her way to the crosswalk. As she crossed Michigan Avenue, a couple of men locked their eyes on the jiggling under Samantha's blouse. She had ample boobs which always seemed to be in motion, especially as she swayed in heels. Samantha seemed to enjoy flirting with men but it was a pure power trip for her, another game, since, ironically, Samantha hated men.

Samantha was smiling as she entered the bistro, quickly picking her way past the tables to where Julia was. She was beaming with excitement and even stamped her heels and let loose a tiny squeak before sitting down at the table with a wide grin.

"Good news then?," Julia asked nervously as they sat down, trying to stay calm despite her friend's obvious exuberance.

Samantha nodded barely able to contain herself. "You got the promotion," she finally said. "Regional sales manager. Even better, you beat out three men for the job," she added. "This is a real shake up, a lot of restructuring. They're letting go of some of the older men that have been there forever, realigning the teams, and putting in younger talent. And the best thing is, most of the senior promotions, like yours, are going to womyn!" Julia wasn't sure if Samantha was more excited about her promotion or that women had taken so many of the positions. "They're going to make you the offer before the end of the day it looks like. Oh, and you're going to be getting your own office! And..." Samantha stopped and looked at Julia who was sitting there blank faced, as if she was in the third hour of a meeting discussing corporate financials, supply chains, and lost revenues. "Well, aren't you excited?"

"Yes?" Julia said hesitantly.

"What's wrong honey?" Samantha's tone had switched from excitement to concern. She'd thought her friend would be thrilled at the news but instead she seemed distant and preoccupied.

Julia toyed with the bracelet on her left wrist, a thin gold chain, remembering better times. It wasn't especially expensive but Eric had given it to her a couple of years ago when he was still working. Under her shoulder length auburn hair both ears were decorated with earrings he'd bought her too, delicate three inch gold hoops with two small gold balls behind each of them. He'd even pierced her ears for her, adding the two extra holes to each ear so she could wear more earrings. It had been a better time. Eric had money and enjoyed spending it on her, spoiling her, having fun with her. But all of that was before he lost his job to what he called "gender politics".

"It's Eric is all," Julia said.

Samantha frowned.

"He's still out of work," Julia said, pursing her lips in frustration. "It's been over a year and a half now. He's having a really hard time getting a job," she added.

"What's that got to do with you?" Samantha asked peering at Julia intently. "If anything, he should be thrilled that more money will be coming in, excited that you're career is taking off," Samantha said with a sour tone. "He should be happy for you and happy that you're supporting the family. And, if you think about it, I'm sure he wouldn't have any problem at all if you were the one out of work and he was getting a promotion."

"Probably not," Julia admitted reluctantly, conflicted by the whole situation. Even though her argument was sound, Julia knew that Samantha was also a very vocal feminist that had a lot of contempt for men in general and had never had anything good to say about Eric. 

"Honey, if he can't embrace his partner's success then he's just stuck in the past, the ancient past. We've talked about some of this before. Most men would be thrilled to bring back the days of male privilege, the glory days of the patriarchy where womyn were expected to be little more then their chattel. If he's struggling with those archaic notions you really need to lay down the law. After all, you're the one supporting the family, not him. You're the one with the power now." Then she added, with a smile, "as it should be." 

Julia's eye began to moisten as she fought back tears. "It's just so complicated Sam." She looked away from Samantha to all the people on the sidewalks outside the bistro moving past. The traffic light changed on Michigan Avenue and a flood of traffic sped by in a blur. Life seemed to be moving so fast around her and Julia felt somehow disconnected from all of it, nothing seemed to be going according to plan.

Samantha reached out and gently took Julia's hand in hers. They intertwined fingers. Samantha's nails were short and colored a deep burgundy but they contrasted beautifully next to Julia's brighter, longer nails - a simple expression of feminine beauty performed through a caring touch.

"We were talking about maybe having a baby," Julia spat out, her eyes moistening as she fought back tears. "But we put those plans on hold ever since Eric lost his job. It's been really hard."

Samantha listened on sympathetically, nodding her head, encouraging Julia to go on. 

"We wanted both of us working so I could have options, maybe stay at home with the baby for awhile," she said. "Maybe start my own business from home," she added with a shrug. "The important thing was to make sure I could stay at home with the baby early on, as much as I felt I needed. They say the early years are so critical. But I don't know how that's going to happen right now," Julia said as she dabbed her finger tips to the corner of her eyes, keeping tears at bay. "My career keeps moving forward but he's totally stuck and every time I move ahead he just gets more resentful."

Samantha squeezed Julia's hand slightly, trying to be reassuring, not certain what to say to her beautiful friend, a moment of quiet stillness in the bustle of the city. "He can still find a job. Eventually, he will."

"I just don't know anymore. It doesn't feel like that at all," Julia said, sounding defeated. "The way things are going, I'm going to end up being the primary breadwinner forever. He's going to resent it and maybe he'll never get back to work. Or, maybe he'll just take some low paying job and tell me how much he loves it so he never has to compete with me again. Force me to keep working and totally break the agreement we had about me staying home with our baby. My promotion would be like golden-handcuffs if that happened."

"Well, maybe you can still make it work. In fact, it might even be better with him unemployed" Samantha suggested. "You'd have your baby, then, after maternity leave, he'd have to do the care taking while you were at the office. There's nothing wrong with that. More men are doing it all the time. Why should the womon have to give up her career anyway? In fact, since he's already out of work it seems the obvious choice if you ask me. Let him stay at home with the baby."

"Maybe, but I'm not so sure he'd be happy playing Mr. Mom all day long either," Julia said wryly. "Besides, I want to breastfeed my baby as much as I can and for as long as I can. There's just so many benefits to breastfeeding over a bottle, it really is important."

"Okay, maybe he wouldn't like playing Mr. Mom but he could. And as far as the breastmilk goes, he could care for that too. You can pump your own milk and store it in a bottle for Eric to use when you're at work. Womyn do that all the time."

"They do," Julia said drawing the words out slowly. "I never wanted to do that though. It cheats the baby" Julia frowned for a moment. Her face softened next and she looked into the distance, like she was trying to recall something cherished. "My mom told me something once, a long time ago. It was so touching I never forgot. It's really beautiful. She told me there were times, when she was breastfeeding me, that she couldn't tell where she ended and where I began." Julia smiled, lingering on the memory. "That image is so powerful. Mother and daughter together as one. That's how powerful that bond can be for the mother while she's breastfeeding. The baby has to feel that bond too," Julia said, dabbing at the tears in her eyes. "You can't get love like that through a plastic bottle, even if it does have mother's milk inside."

Samantha dabbed at her own tears. "That really is a beautiful image." She slapped Julia's hand playfully. "Look at you, having me crying over a baby that hasn't even been conceived yet." Both women laughed.

The waitress came over to the table and took their lunch order, the same salads they normally had when they lunched there. As their waitress walked away, Julia noticed the hostess sit a couple, a young man and woman, a few tables away. They looked to be so happy, talking, smiling, staring into each other's eyes. They looked like they were in love. She couldn't remember the last time Eric and her had been so happy together. He hadn't even smiled, as far as she knew, since he'd lost his job. It all seemed so sad. He needed a new focus, a new purpose. 

"You okay?" Samantha asked.

"Yeah, sorry. Just thinking about how unhappy Eric has been lately," Julia said ruefully. "Anyway, I hope you can see my dilemma. If I take the promotion, Eric could get totally discouraged. Depressed. Maybe hopeless. You have to remember, from his point of view, he lost his job to a woman when his company restructured. The same thing is basically happening with my promotion, except I'm the one getting the job. But, he's still unemployed. He's going to feel terrible. He might even see me as the enemy since I'm a woman." 

"Sounds like a typical man to me," Samantha said. "Make womyn the enemy. Try their best to keep us from succeeding. Sabotage our careers," Samantha added with disdain. 

Julia rolled her eyes at Samantha. "I think it's a little more complicated then that Sam. I mean, you do have a point but, look at it from his point of view, he's having a really hard time getting a foot in the door while women are succeeding all around him."

Samantha shrugged her shoulders and smiled, clearly not unhappy that womyn were succeeding while men were struggling.

"I'm not unhappy that women are doing well," Julia said. "It's just that some men are having a hard time adapting. Eric is one of them. If I take the promotion, I think there's a good chance he'll just give up looking for work. It's going to make having a baby with him almost impossible unless I give up on the idea of breastfeeding my baby like I wanted to." Julia brought her hands to the side of her head and began rubbing her temples with her fingers trying to ward off an approaching headache. "I'm not sure I should even take the promotion."

Samantha scowled at the suggestion, knitting her eyebrows together. "Julia, don't even say that. You earned that promotion. You deserve it. You outsold most the department, men and womyn. Like I said earlier, Eric should be embracing your success not holding you back. And, I really think he could take care of most of your baby's needs. He may not like it, you might not even think its the best solution, but with him out of work he can care for the baby. All you need is a little role reversal away from the traditional patriarchal family model and to a more modern flexible one," Samantha said confidently and then oddly her mouth dropped open and stayed open, seemingly astonished at her own words.

"Samantha?" Julia asked, bewildered at her friend's expression.

"Role reversal," Samantha said, more to herself than to Julia, the words having some deeper meaning as her expression shifted to satisfaction, almost excitement. "I really think you need to take the promotion Julia. I'm not positive yet, but I think I have a solution that'll fix everything, and I mean everything."

Reversals Ch. 02



Doldrums

It had happened much as Samantha had suggested it would. Shortly after lunch, Julia had been called into a meeting with the vice president of Human Resources. The woman had flown in from New York to meet with people in the Chicago office as part of the reorganization effort. Julia had been escorted into the executive conference room by the woman's administrative assistant, a tall, handsome, well groomed, young man with a nice smile, who'd brought her a coffee just before the meeting started. At the top of the hour, three women strolled in, the vice president with two women from the Chicago Human Resources department, one of them was Samantha. After introductions and initial pleasantries, the woman made Julia the job offer - regional sales manager of the Northwest Chicago market. 

It was a big promotion but Julia's sales figures and the relationships she'd built with clients had spoken for themselves. The company wanted her to be part of the new organizational structure they were building, a bridge to the future they called it. They wanted a progressive, energetic team and they saw her as a part of that vision. One woman to another, she'd also shared with Julia how pleased she was to be offering the position to a woman and that the restructuring had provided a fundamental shift in leadership with women now holding a majority of management positions in the company for the first time. Woman held the majority of executive leadership positions as well which had started when the board had appointed the first female CEO in company history. It was an exciting time.

For Julia, a promotion, a nice salary increase, and an office were all hers for the asking. They were even trying to get company cars for all the regional sales managers. 

Julia had smiled throughout the meeting and made sure she presented an enthusiastic, positive, and warm image while the pitch for the promotion was being made to her. It was all part of the corporate game to put up a facade, to let people see and hear what they wanted to see and hear, regardless the truth. Sales had taught her that. The women saw a very happy, grateful and eager Julia, a woman looking forward to her promotion; but, the entire time, she was worrying about how Eric was going to take the news of her increasing success while he was at home unemployed and struggling. A promotion now might affect their entire future together. She left the meeting grinning ear-to-ear asking when she needed to make her decision. She was told to take the rest of the day off to consider the offer and virtually guaranteed a company car to sweeten the deal. Everything seemed to be falling in Julia's lap. A fantastic promotion was just waiting for her to say 'yes'. 

If only it was that easy.

On the drive home, Julia pondered over the entire situation with Eric and tried to figure out some angle to make it all work without having to make some serious compromise. The only thing that seemed to make sense was to put off having the baby, maybe for years, while Eric rebuilt his career so Julia would be able to stay home for awhile, taking that extended leave of absence, once their baby came. That seemed to be the only way her baby could get all the love and nurturing she wanted for her child. It wasn't a great solution. Also, if Eric got further depressed over her promotion, it could really mess things up for them. She might never be able to take that extra time off for their baby.

Of course, if she gave up on the idea of breastfeeding things got much easier. She could take the promotion right away and forget about an extended leave of absence for nursing. She could get pregnant soon and Eric could take care of the baby while she was at work. He might not like the role of Mr. Mom but he could learn to change diapers and care for their baby like anybody else could. But Julia just couldn't tolerate the notion of having her baby bottle-fed. 

Samantha, on the other hand, had insisted that there was an answer to the whole dilemma. She'd refused to give Julia any more details at lunch, just kept smiling with the most gleeful expression, saying she needed to confirm something first, before she could fill in Julia. It didn't make any sense, nothing seemed to be adding up. 

By the time Julia got home she wasn't any closer to an answer and didn't think Samantha could possibly have one either despite her claims. Julia pulled into the parking strip behind their building almost dreading giving the news to Eric and still wasn't sure if she should take the promotion or not. 

Their apartment complex ran from street to alley, two buildings facing inward with a grass filled courtyard running between them. A sidewalk ran between the buildings to a large, square, stone planter, in the middle of the courtyard, filled with colorful annuals, and then to each of the buildings.

The walk from the parking strip to their building wasn't a long one but Julia dragged it out, walking slowly, almost idly forward getting up her nerve to give the news to Eric that he was falling ever further behind her, assuming she took the promotion. She wanted to tell him at home, hopefully while he was examining some good job prospect online, and reassure him that, any day now, he'd be at a great job again. She could only hope that was true.

As she was reaching the planter, still lazily moving forward, she suddenly stopped when she spotted a man who looked to be unconscious on a first floor patio at the building on the other side of the courtyard. The man was sprawled out akimbo on a cheap outdoor recliner with faded green straps attached to a bent aluminum frame. The recliner was sagging under the man's weight, tilting outwards. His head lolled out to the side, pressing into the iron wrought bars of the railing which appeared to be the only thing keeping him from rolling off the recliner entirely and into a dozen or more beer bottles sitting at the edge of the patio. 

Julia took several tentative steps closer to confirm the man was still breathing. The smell of alcohol and vomit stained the air. Drool was running down one of the bars of the railing from his mouth. The man groaned, still very much alive. He was clearly in some drunken stupor. The sight and smell caused Julia to wriggle her nose as a grimace gripped her face in disgust. What made it worst was she was fairly certain she knew the man and his wife, only casually, but she knew them. Sometimes, she ran across the wife, mostly in the mornings as they both left for work, and Julia recalled the woman had said her husband, John was his name, was 'hitting the pavement' looking for a job. Julia just shook her head and walked away, wanting to be rid of the unemployed drunk who was hitting the booze far more than he was hitting the pavement from the looks of things. 

The nagging thought she couldn't walk away from was the feeling that Eric could be slowly moving in the same direction, looking to drown his own sorrows. He'd never drunk alcohol when they were dating, not at all, and very rarely through most of their marriage. After an embarrassing number of overly-macho, half-drunk, losers that she'd dated, it was one of Eric's more endearing traits. But over the last few months, beer had started to make a regular appearance on the weekends and it was slowly creeping into the evenings too. It just served to underscore where Eric was and how vulnerable he might be without a job to take pride in, without something to give him focus and purpose everyday. It made telling him about her success all the harder. She didn't want to hurt him but he had to be told. It was something they needed to discuss as a couple. 

Julia climbed the stairs to their third floor apartment with a mixture of pride, regret, and uncertainty. She took a deep breath for courage and keyed open the door, putting a smile on as she marched in, the spikes of her heels clacking loudly on the tile in the entryway as she entered. She wanted to be positive for him, encouraging. Maybe today was the day he'd be on his computer with a job offer.

"Eric?" she called out.

No answer. The apartment was quiet.

Julia quickly peeked through the rooms looking for her husband but he wasn't home. A quizzical look twitched crossed her face. A check of her phone confirmed no recent texts or calls either. She hadn't thought to look for his car when she'd arrived. She just expected him to be there, doing whatever he did all day, job hunting. 

Alone, she kicked off her heels and absently traipsed to the middle of the apartment as she tried to let the relative calm of the vacant rooms embrace and relax her. 

Their apartment was modest, a couple of bedrooms, and an open space shared by the kitchen to one side with their living room and a makeshift dinning room on the other side. The furnishings were sparse and modern in design; they coordinated well with the artwork decorating the walls, lithographs of bold, soaring cityscapes. The one sculpture they owned resembled three grey metal towers, with rough, stucco like, textured exteriors, which rose vertically over a circular, metallic pedestal. The walls were painted an off-white and the carpet was a dusty-grey. The overall impression of the space conveyed frugal efficiency and seemed to celebrate the modern world.

Julia let out a heavy sigh as a slight throb began pulsing in her temples signaling the possible start of a headache. She hadn't realized how much stress she'd actually been carrying, worrying about telling Eric about her promotion, worrying what it might do to him and their marriage. It was too much. Maybe Samantha was right. Maybe Eric was stuck in the past. Her promotion should be nothing but good news to both of them but instead it filled her with conflict and dread. Of course, right or wrong, Samantha would blame Julia's worry on Eric's male ego and the patriarchy she so often railed against. Maybe she had a point, maybe. 

With her headache growing, Julia grabbed a couple aspirins out of her purse and went to the kitchen for a glass of water to swig them down with. It was then she realized the sink was still filled with dirty dishes. She groaned at the sight of them. Eric, given that he was home all day, had agreed to do the dishes months ago. He was spotty, at best, caring for them. Julia often had to follow-up after him to make sure they were done. She'd reminded him that very morning, at breakfast, to wash them and he'd promised to have them in the dishwasher before she got home. Yet, they were still here, still piled up, still stinking up the sink and practically blocking access to the faucet. He seemed oblivious to dirt and seemed content to leave dirty dishes in the sink until they piled so high Julia couldn't stand it any longer and would do them herself. It was galling, they were still here and he was clearly off someplace.

Julia knocked some plates out of the way to use the faucet, filled a glass, tossed back the aspirins, and chased them down with an angry gulp of water. What the heck was he up to that he couldn't care for the dishes? 

She fetched her phone, the candy-red case matching nicely with her long nails, and launched a friends finding app. They had each other setup so they could find the other with their smartphones - GPS was a wonderful thing. Normally, the friends finding app brought her reassurance that Eric was okay. It felt a little more clandestine now. It wasn't like checking up on your mate when they're late getting home, just wanting to make sure they're okay. No, this felt more like spying, more like trying to catch Eric doing something wrong. She waited while the phones and computers and satellites did whatever they did and in a few moments she had a little dot on a map representing Eric. Julia studied the phone for a bit then glowered at it, her lips tightening like her face was seized by a spasm. It looked like Eric was at a liquor store. A liquor store! It was so damn frustrating.

Instead of looking for work he was out buying liquor? He wouldn't normally have expected her home for, at least, a few hours yet. Was this how he spent his day all the time? Maybe Eric wasn't the husband she thought he was. Maybe he was up to no good while she was out supporting him. She wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt but began to wonder if she was just being a fool. Had Samantha been right about Eric all along? 

Julia began looking around the apartment more earnestly, looking for evidence of what Eric was doing during the day. It didn't take long to find a few beer bottles on their balcony that, she was fairly certain, weren't there that morning. They sat there, against the wall of the patio, half hidden behind their deck chair. She stood still as she stared at them, not wanting to approach them, as if they were a silent enemy waiting to pounce on her if she moved. Looking across the courtyard to the building opposite theirs, she could see John below. He was still laying there, marinating in his drunken stupor, waiting for his wife to come home from work. How far away was Eric from being just like John? Somebody that had lost all self-respect and didn't give a damn about his wife or family anymore?

She moved away from the patio and went into Eric's computer room to see if he had any more beer laying about. She didn't see any bottles, which made her feel a little better, but then Eric's computer caught her eye. 

The computer's monitor sat on a wooden desk that ran along the far wall, opposite the door as one entered the room, with the machine itself, a big square box, resting on the floor next to the desk. He had a fancy keyboard and mouse on the desk, fancier to help with computer games if she remembered correctly. Also, a modest office chair sat in front of the desk to complete his 'computer-station', as he sometimes called it.

Eric's computer wasn't sitting there idle with him gone though. Instead, it was running some photo screen saver that was fading images in and out, one after another. She hadn't paid any attention to it when she was first looking to see if Eric was home, but now, the images seemed more interesting, maybe more meaningful than she'd considered. Image after image seemed to be from the online fantasy roleplaying game he played. His avatar was in most of the images, she recognized it. He'd shown the avatar to her before. It was supposed to represent him in the game. He'd been boasting about something he'd accomplished, in the game, with a zeal she'd not seen in him since he'd lost his job. The game was important to him as was his avatar, that seemed clear. The avatar was iconically heroic, a huge masculine figure, heavily muscled, almost brutish looking, and wielding an impossibly large sword and shield. She felt like she was getting a glimpse at her husband's psyche. The avatar was an idealized image of himself, a conquering hero, a victorious warrior, something he longed to be but wasn't.

The images just kept coming and coming, there had to be hundreds of them, maybe thousands. How many hours did he spend playing the game?

Julia looked around Eric's computer room, or his office as he liked to call it. He didn't have much in the room outside of his computer-station, a small bookshelf filled with nothing but game manuals, a couple of crates sitting out filled with comic books, and a small side table next to his desk he used mostly for soft drinks. On the side table, there was empty soft drink bottles and two books. One of the books was a job hunting guide. It looked almost new, like it just came off the printing press. Thumbing through it, the book looked pristine. Other than that one book, there was little evidence he was actually looking for work. More importantly, it sat on top of another book which was in total contrast to it. 

The other book, a large softcover tome, bore the marks of heavy use, the cover was curled and torn in places, the binding well cracked with creases and furrows. It was the first time Julia had seen the book which suggested he normally kept it out of view as if he was hiding it or was maybe ashamed of it. She picked up the book and thumbed through it quickly. It had dozens of dog-eared pages, another half dozen bookmarks made from ripped pieces of paper, and countless sections marked by a yellow highlighter. It was a game guide, for his computer game, the same game the screen saver was presenting with a seemingly countless number of image captures showing Eric's bold exploits and accomplishments in a fantasy world. 

The longer she sat there, the more images rolled by on the screen. Julia couldn't help but wonder if Eric was really looking for work to the extent he always suggested he did, or if he'd become obsessed with, maybe even addicted to, online gaming. After watching hundreds of images roll by, she was sick of looking at his avatar and her headache had gotten worst. It was like he was living a whole other life without her, like she was living in the middle of a lie with somebody she didn't even know. Julia slammed Eric's keyboard to stop the slide show. But it only made things worst. Her mouth gapped open and her eyes went wide as she looked at the screen.

It was the game. The logon screen for the game had been hidden behind the screen saver the entire time. Julia didn't want to believe it. Her eyes went into a wide, unblinking stare. If the logon screen was there, he must have been playing it earlier in the day, while she was away at work. She clenched her hands until her nails started digging into her palms. They'd talked about it before, more than once. It was very clear. Eric was not to play games during the day while Julia was at work. And right now, he thought she was at work. It was contemptuous and utterly disrespectful for him to play computer games while Julia was earning all their money. It was just wrong. He'd promised. He was supposed to be looking for a new job or preparing himself for whatever opportunities might come his way. For that matter, he was also supposed to be helping keep the apartment clean, do some dusting occasionally or vacuuming, something, anything to help with their home. And he was most certainly supposed to do the dishes.

Julia fought back tears as she grabbed the mouse of Eric's computer and started clicking, searching. How far had he taken this? How bad was it? Determination and scorn gripped her as she searched his computer. It didn't take long to find all the images he'd taken in the game. There were thousands of them on his computer and there was no denying it, most of them were taken during the day, the timestamps on the images stood out like thousands of tiny signed confessions. Eric had been playing while she was at work, frequently.

A quiet indignation began growing in Julia. She wanted to lash out and hit something, or someone. Instead, she fanned her fingers out on the desk and just stared at the computer screen, letting the reality of what he'd been doing seep into her as her fingers began to nervously press then scratch at the wood of the desk. It became a comforting rhythm, both hands flexing in unison, scratching, her long nails looking like the claws of a cat considering its prey. Then, the screen saver started up again and an image of Eric, or rather the impossible muscle-bound brutish version of him, filled the screen. Another followed, and another...

"Good!" she exclaimed. "I'll watch you from the start," she said, addressing the screen saver with a crisp, mocking tone. "I wouldn't want to miss any of the fun you were having while I was working."

*****



Reversals Ch. 03



Consequences

Eric was still feeling upset as he turned onto the street for their apartment, coming home from his shopping run. He'd stopped at the liquor store first, for something to relax him later that afternoon, and then the gaming store, where he normally went to blow off some time, poking around at different game manuals, magazines, and comics. Normally, he enjoyed strolling around the store, losing himself there, forgetting about the harsher realities of life; but today, it had been different. The visit to the gaming store had been agitating, even embarrassing. The ironic thing, to Eric, was that he'd spent a lot of money there in the past, back when he was working. He had crates filled with comics and magazines in his closet from that very store. 

Why should it matter if he was being a little more frugal these days? The comment the manager had hurled at him was humiliating. "This isn't a library," he'd said to him, trying to shame him into buying the magazine he'd been reading. Granted, he'd been there for a few minutes flipping through the pages and maybe a few more reading the one good article he saw, but he hadn't wanted to buy the magazine for a single article. He'd placed it back in the rack after his rebuke, flashed a faux smile at the man, and walked out. He needed to be a little more careful with money was all. Their joint account had much less in it since he'd lost his job and he didn't want Julia getting upset over questionable charges on their credit card bill. It was so damn frustrating. He gritted his teeth as he thought about it. Could he even go back to that store now?

He parked his car on the street, a bit away from their building. It meant walking a little further to the entrance, but Eric felt it was better than parking in the lot, off the ally, in the back of their building. It felt less conspicuous somehow since most of the cars in the back disappeared each morning as people went off to work, including Julia's. Having his car sitting out back, after everybody had gone to work, sitting out there alone, like a sore thumb, virtually proclaiming he was still unemployed, felt awkward at best. Maybe it was a small thing, but it helped him feel better about his situation.

Eric retrieved the paper sack from the back seat of his car as he exited and wrapped his arm around it, concealing it as best he could. Guilt gnawed at his conscience as he began walking to the entrance of the building. Guilt over wasting money on beer, guilt over wasting most of his time everyday in utterly empty pursuits, guilt over being humiliated at the store, guilt over not being a better man overall, it all gnawed at him as he walked on. Looking at the first floor patio across the court, Eric wondered if John, the drunk in the next building over, had started like this, remorseful and guilty, drowning his sorrows with booze, until, one day, the alcohol just took over and he didn't care anymore. Oblivion. It was depressing to even think about it.

Just as Eric's sense of self-pity was starting to peak he spotted Julia's car in the back and stopped dead in his tracks. He just stared at the car for a few moments, his mind perplexed, trying to catch up with the fact that she must of come home early from work. He took a few tiny steps backward as trepidation and worry began displacing his growing sense of self-loathing. She wasn't going to approve of the beer at all if she saw it, Eric reasoned. Hide it back in the car? The idea made him wince. He took a deep breath and tried to think it through, what was happening to him, the drinking, all the gaming. Then he froze.

"Shit."

Eric ran to the building, threw the outer door open, fumbling with his keys as he nervously keyed open the inner security door, and bolted up the stairs in a panic. 

The game. He left the damn game running. If Julia saw it...

He keyed their apartment door, panting, fingers trembling, trying to regain some composure. Eric numbly dropped the paper sack as he entered. He took a deep breath, easing it out, then walked slowly, gingerly through the apartment scanning for Julia. Her purse was on the dinning room table with her cellphone resting next to it. She wasn't on the patio but the drapes were wide open. Had she seen his empty beer bottles? Would she care if she had? He slowed his pace as he approached the bedrooms in the back of the apartment. Maybe she wasn't feeling well and had come home to rest. Maybe she was taking a nap in their bed. But she wasn't. Eric's heart sank.

He found Julia sitting in his office, in front of his computer, just staring at the screen, watching the screen saver presenting one image of the game after another to her. It was like she'd found a private, photo album and was flipping through all the pages, with little, hidden secrets leaking out as the computer changed from one image to the next. Julia just sat there, looking at the screen, motionless, except for her red nails which were scratching slowly at the top of the desk like she was in a type of trance. She kept her back to Eric the entire time. The longer he watched her the more unnerving it became.

"You know, I came home early today to share some news with you," Julia said with a slight quaver in her voice, still facing the computer with her back to him. "The key word there... share," she said. "So, can you imagine how I felt finding out today that you've been hiding things from me? Lying to me?" she said, her tone and manner getting louder, more angry as she spoke.

"Juls-"

"Stop!" Julia spat, as she turned around suddenly to face Eric. "You told me you wouldn't game anymore while I was at work earning our money. You have no business playing while I work! You told me you understood that it was disrespectful to me and wrong and you agreed you'd never do it again. So were you just lying to me or you don't care about my feelings or what?! Which is it Eric?"

"Juls... I haven't really-"

"Oh no, do not lie to my face! I've seen your screen saver and I looked at your computer. I know when you took those pictures. I'm not an idiot! You've been playing during the day! While I was working!" she said. "Don't insult my intelligence on top of everything else by denying it."

An awkward silence filled the room. Eric didn't know what to say to her. He wasn't even sure what to say to himself. He looked into Julia's beautiful eyes, remembering when they'd been so full of hope for their future together, so full of love and excitement, but now he saw nothing but anger and hurt and betrayal in them.

Julia reached around behind her to the well worn game guide she'd found earlier and hurled it at Eric, tearing off the cover with a wrenching throw. Eric flinched reflexively as the book hit him in the chest and fell to the floor. It lay there sprawled open at his feet, it's ripped cover landing a couple of feet to the side. "Explain that too while you're at it," she said gesturing to the book. "It looks like you live in that game," she said.

Eric looked at Julia sitting there, in his office, in his chair, filled with bitter rage. He was utterly unprepared to deal with her. He'd seen her angry before but this was something different, a type of fury he'd never seen in her. A part of him wanted to fight back, but he felt responsible. He was the one that had hurt her, he knew the rules, he could have prevented this. "I'm sorry," Eric said, almost in a whisper as a deep sadness embraced him.

Julia stared incredulously at Eric. "That's it? You're sorry?"

"I was wrong. I'm sorry," he said contritely. "I'm not sure what else to say Juls. I just... it's been really hard being out of work so long. My job used to be really important to me and it just... went away." Eric leaned against the wall and looked away, not wanting to lock eyes with Julia as feelings of shame mingled with sadness in him. "It's been a long time Juls, being out of work." He picked up the sprawled book at his feet, held it in both hands, and stared at it. "I guess, playing the game, accomplishing goals in the game... It's been giving me a sense of doing something, achieving something," Eric said as he struggled to keep his composure. "I'm not sure what else to say. Its like I matter there, Juls."

Julia looked at her husband and saw a different side of the man that she'd never seen before. He looked insecure, a bit frail, lost. Where was the confident, considerate man she'd fallen in love with? She didn't much like this side of him. Should she feel compassion for him? Contempt? Weren't men supposed to be the strong ones or was that just another myth spread by the patriarchy? 

"Eric," she said with as much calm as she could muster, "what you're supposed to be accomplishing and achieving is getting another job. Maybe it means training or going back to school so you can do something else. You can be doing research or reading or taking a class or working on networking with people. There's lots of things you can do, lots of ways to move forward, contribute." Julia stood up and crossed the room until she was inches away from Eric's face. Her anger spiked again as she stood next to him. "What you absolutely do NOT do is play games all day, drink beer, and let the dirt and dishes pile up all around you!" 

Eric stood there mortified. Everything she was saying was true and they both knew it. Arguing with her seemed pointless. If there was supposed to be a winner and loser of this fight, Eric knew he'd just lost. 

"Juls, I really am sorry. I... lost myself someplace over the months," Eric's face turned to a pained expression as months of regret and disillusionment registered. "I didn't do anything wrong Juls. They just took my job and gave it away," he said, his eyes looking almost glassy and far away. "It wasn't my fault. Really it wasn't. They just decided to advance some women at the company. And..." he stopped for a moment, trying to find a way to make sense of it all, trying to find a way to express his grief and loss. "Call it equality or reverse discrimination. Call it whatever you want, gender politics or anything else. Truth is, I lost my job because I didn't have the right genitals to keep it, Juls," he said, sounding defeated. 

Julia looked at him with suspicion. "So, maybe that wasn't fair. But maybe they were making up for years of discrimination against women and trying to balance things out. So, you got caught in the middle. Whatever, fair or not, you have an obligation to me, to your wife, to do your part for our family. You get that right?"

"Juls, it's not like I haven't tried," he said with a pleading tone. "Remember, a few months ago, I thought I had that job at that financial firm? I got the referral from my friend there, Tom Hastings. He helped line it all up. I got a personal recommendation letter from him. The second interview went great and I really thought they were going to make me an offer. Then, like a week later Tom told me they gave the job to a woman. Tom said I had the better qualifications. She still got the job. Remember all that? More gender politics, Juls. Men are losing opportunities all over and I don't see any class-action lawsuits defending us out there. So long as women are getting opportunities and promotions nothing else seems to matter."

Julia looked at Eric sternly, ready to defend her gender. "You can't dump all your problems at the feet of women, Eric. Women didn't force you to play the game and disrespect me. Women didn't force beer down your throat. And women surely didn't force you to pile up the dishes in the sink and let them sit there so I can do them after working all day!"

Eric remained silent. She didn't seem to care that men were having a harder time now or that the world had seemed to flip upside-down.

"I hope you're not planning on ending up like that John across from us - unemployed, do nothing, drunk. He's an embarrassment," Julia stated emphatically. "I don't plan on living like that! We were talking about having a baby that I could maybe stay at home with. I don't see how that's even possible today!"

"I'm really sorry Julia, I really am," Eric said.

"Okay, if you really are sorry, if you really are, then you need to fix it," she said.

"I'm out there looking everyday, Juls. Okay, I can try harder, but I have myself out there on all kinds of job sites and networking sites."

"That's fine," she said. "But I'm talking about more than that. You need to promise to stay off the game while I'm sweating my ass off trying to earn money so we can eat and have a roof over our heads." She looked at him squarely until he locked eyes with her. "Stay off the game during the day!" she exclaimed, pointing her index finger at his face to underscore the point. "You can't disrespect me like that again."

Eric nodded. "Okay, I won't play during the day anymore."

"No more beer during the day either. I don't want you ending up like John."

"Okay, I can do that," Eric said.

Julia studied Eric for a few moments, looking at him like he was an errant, disobedient child, hands on her hips, fuming. "And do the damn dishes!"

Eric gave her a reassuring nod.

"Now!" she yelled.

"Okay, you're right Julia," Eric said as he walked to the kitchen.

Julia followed and watched him as he began loading the dishwasher. He should be washing the dishes, he'd agreed to it a long time ago, she reasoned. Being home all the time it made sense. But as Julia stood there watching him, hands on her hips, she realized there was something different going on. She wasn't so much watching him as she was supervising him. He wasn't just doing the dishes like he'd agreed to, he was doing them because she'd just ordered him to. 

It was a moment of realization, a moment that underscored a change between them - she'd ordered him. Maybe it was wrong, she admitted to herself, but there was something deliciously naughty in bossing him around. Maybe with his confidence eroded, as it was, he was easier to manipulate, more like a little boy than a man. Then Julia remembered something Samantha had said earlier: 'You're the one supporting the family... You're the one with the power now". Was she right? The old, confident Eric, back in the days when his career was good and he was earning a good salary, would have never allowed her to simply boss him around like this new, insecure, and lost Eric had just done. Julia felt conflicted. She shouldn't like how satisfying it felt to watch Eric jump to her commands like he'd just done, should she? It was an interesting question. Maybe men were weaker than she thought. Maybe Samantha had been right about that all along.

"Another thing," Julia shouted to Eric while he was scrubbing some hard gunk out of the bottom of a glass baking pan. He looked over his shoulder at her as he kept scrubbing. At that moment, hunched over the sink, looking back at her, waiting for her next words, he looked more like a servant to her than her husband, he'd fallen so far since their early days together. She almost wanted to know how much further she could push him before he fought back. "I've been thinking," she started, "since you violated our agreement about playing games while I was working, which really is a very serious thing, like a slap in the face to me...," she let her words trail off as anticipation built in her for what she was planning on saying next. "I've been thinking, you need a... punishment," a pang of excitement shooting thorough her as the last word fell from her lips.

Eric stopped scrubbing and turned around at the sink, his face contorted between puzzlement and concern as he struggled to understand the dynamic playing out between them. He paused for a moment, looking directly at her, then seemingly found some resolve as he folded his arms across his chest and stood straight, a resurgence of male pride beginning to etch itself across his features. "Julia, I don't-" 

"You don't think you deserve a punishment?" she interrupted. "I disagree. You said you were sorry. You admitted you were wrong. But I'm not sure you understand how deeply wrong it was. Playing games and drinking while I'm supporting you just isn't something I'm willing to let you do," she said, letting the implied threat linger and burn for a few moments. "You need a punishment."

Eric looked at his beautiful wife standing there, arms crossed, asserting herself with authority she'd never wielded before. His mouth hung open while his mind looked for the words to object. The very idea that Julia could impose a punishment stuck in his heart like a spike. He wanted to yell at her, tell her to hang her punishment, that it was absurd. But she was earning all their money. Every dime he spent was coming from her. What would she do? Did he even want to challenge her and find out? How could he have let himself come to this place?

"You have every right to be upset," Eric said, galled at having to mollify her but it had to be better than fighting with her. "There's days when it's harder than other days for me, when I'm really upset with where I'm at." Eric flashed her an enigmatic smile twisted by painful memories. "Some of those days I wanted to escape I guess. The game helped me do that." Eric looked at her sincerely, hoping she'd understand. "I wasn't trying to be disrespectful to you, Juls. But, you're right. We had an agreement and I broke it. I really am sorry," he said with a heartfelt voice, appealing to her, hoping to satisfy her.

"Sorry?" Julia looked at him suspiciously, pursing her lips. "I don't know Eric," Julia said, shaking her head. "You have responsibilities and I'm not seeing anything getting better here. It looks like it's getting worst in fact. You're a grown man. I can't ground you. What am I supposed to do? Take the power cord from your computer with me to work everyday? Stuff it in my purse in the morning?" she asked with a questioning shrug.

"But, I use the computer for work. I mean, I visit job sites. I'm trying to get some interviews," he said dolefully. "I'm doing other stuff too, trying to keep current. Trying to stay plugged in."

"Well, I'm not sure what to do here Eric. I don't think a simple, 'I'm sorry' is good enough. You need to be punished." Julia stared at Eric with a stern but questioning gaze, waiting for him to accept the idea and acquiesce.

It was an odd moment. As Eric looked at Julia something palpable stirred between them, something primal, something that defined who they were to each other. He'd taken too much from her already today. He needed to walk away from her and put them back on some type of equal footing even if it did risk her anger. "Julia, I just can't accept that," he said matter-of-factly.

Julia looked at him sternly, her eyes unwavering on his, unblinking, staring him down. "Honestly, I don't care if you want to accept it or not Eric," she said acidly. "So, from now on, I'm just going to have to make sure you get back on track by myself," she said. "I'll be taking the power cord from your computer to work with me every morning from now on," she announced. "You won't be able to play any longer, so you won't be able to disrespect me any longer. You can have the cord when I get home at night, assuming you did the dishes of course." Eric looked at her with a dead-pan glare.

"You can't... do that Julia," Eric said.

"No? I'm the only one paying bills around here Eric so I really can do that," she said. "It's my electricity you're using, in the apartment I'm paying for. So, if I say you can't use the computer, then you can't." Julia stood in front of him, resolute, her boldness growing by the minute. 

Eric couldn't believe she was going this far. He barely recognized her. Trying to mollify her hadn't worked. Trying to appeal to her hadn't worked. Maybe simple defiance would work. "Fine Julia, go ahead, take the power cord," he said dismissively. "I'll just go pickup a new one."




Reversals Ch. 03



She arched her eyebrows at him, surprised that he wanted to raise the stakes, but pleased at the same time that he still had fight left in him. Regardless, she was determined to win and she knew she held all the cards, literally. "You know, that's a really good point Eric. I'll be needing your credit cards, and your ATM card, and whatever cash you have in your wallet," she said, holding her palm out. "If you want to play games with me I'll simply cut you off and leave you penniless. You can give me everything - right now," she said, a firm determination in her voice.

Eric had a sudden sense that his world was crumbling around him, that months of gaming, inaction and regret had finally caught up with him to tear his world asunder. "You can't be serious Juls, please" Eric whined.

"I'm totally serious, all your cards and cash. Now!" 

Eric looked frozen, shock carved into his face, the fight draining out of him completely as reality began to sink in. He couldn't win this fight with her. He didn't honestly have anything to fight with. 

"If I have to I'll call-in and report them all stolen, have them cancelled. They'll be useless and you won't get replacements. They'll confiscate them if you try to use them, maybe call the police. Your choice," she said with a grin.

Eric slackened, his shoulders sank, his gaze dropped to the floor, preferring to stare at her feet rather than look her in the eyes. The facade, in his mind, that he was somehow her equal crumbled. "Please Juls, don't do this," he pleaded, with as calm a voice as he could muster.

She regarded her defeated husband with a smirk. "If you agree right now that you deserve to be punished then I'll reconsider cutting you off financially," a thrill ran through Julia as she said it. This was what power felt like.

"Okay... I... I agree," he said softly, keeping his eyes fixed on her feet.

She looked at Eric with a sense of triumph, scorn and pity. She'd won. He'd surrendered. It was that simple. Part of her wanted to grant him some sympathy at that point but as she looked at her vulnerable, defeated spouse she wanted to penalize him for being as weak as he was too. "That's not enough now. I want to hear the words. Tell me that you deserve to be punished," she said.

Eric recoiled inside. He knew he should walk away. What self-respecting man would say such words? But he wasn't willing to risk losing everything with Julia. Nothing else he'd tried had worked. 

"Okay, yes, you're right Julia. I deserve to be punished for disrespecting you by playing computer games while you were working and for drinking during the day and for not finding a job after all this time! I deserve to be punished!" Eric spat out, wrenching it from deep frustrations he felt within, his face burning at the shame of it, of being forced to speak the words by his wife. 

Julia smiled with satisfaction. She almost felt guilty at making Eric grovel but a stronger person, a better husband, wouldn't be in his situation, she reasoned. Maybe it would teach him something. Besides, there was something thrilling about it all. Samantha had been right, Julia had the power in their marriage. She'd had it for a long time. She'd just needed to learn how to use it. Walking up to Eric, she gave him a patronizing kiss on the cheek, rewarding him for finally giving in to her. "I'm glad you finally accepted the truth," Julia said matter-of-factly. "Now, I'd be interested in what you consider a fair punishment." 

Eric stood there further humiliated by his wife's brash demand. What would Julia consider reasonable punishment? His mind reeled as he tried to piece it together. "Okay, I'm thinking that maybe I should try to balance things out. Playing while you're working? Maybe I can reverse that? Let you play while I work? Or maybe take some of your work off your plate? Do stuff you normally do and give you free time back?" Eric looked at Julia who still seemed to be listening and waiting. "I can take on some additional work around the apartment, do all the dusting and vacuuming on the weekends for awhile. Maybe all the housework for awhile. That would give you more free time on the weekend, give you some time back."

Julia looked at him questioningly. "For how long?"

"I don't know. Whatever you think is fair. Maybe, a month. How's that?" he asked.

Julia nodded subtly, seeming to approve, rolling something over in her head. "Make it three months. All the housework. And you can do my laundry too."

Eric took a deep breath and opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, then, just a suddenly, replaced it with a curious, puzzled look as he searched Julia's face, as if he hoped she'd reconsider. 

"I'm serious," Julia said. "Don't worry, I'll show you what needs to be washed in the delicate cycle and what needs to be hand-washed, all those little details. You'll be fine. You might even find you like washing some of my more delicate things." Julia smiled at him, then suddenly smacked him on the ass once, hard, making him flinch. "Now finish the dishes," she commanded.

"Okay Juls," he said with a weak smile as he turned back to the sink.

"Ya know what? All this arguing is exhausting. I think I need some time to clear my head. I'm going to go out for a little shopping therapy," she announced as she put her heels back on. "I really need a new outfit," she said with a smile. Julia walked over to Eric, standing just slightly taller than him in her pumps, and gave him a quick peck on the cheek while he rinsed a plate in the sink. "Don't bother waiting on me for dinner tonight. I'm going to see if Samantha is free, maybe meet her someplace for a nibble. I think we still have leftovers you can eat from last night."

She walked off to leave and stopped at the entryway. Eric heard the paper sack he'd left at the door earlier rustling. The hairs on the back of his neck rose as he heard Julia walking back towards the kitchen. Then the paper sack was dropped onto their small kitchen table. He kept his face in the sink, pretending she wasn't there, hoping she'd just leave.

"Don't you dare ignore me!" Julia shouted.

Eric turned around quickly to face her, the plate still in his hands. "I'm sorry Juls," he said.

"From now on, you don't buy beer without asking me first!" she said. "You got it?!" 

Eric nodded in agrement.

"And no more than a couple of these tonight," she added. "I don't want to come home and find you drunk."

Eric nodded. "I really am sorry you came home to all these problems, Juls," he said, hoping to gain a little sympathy from her before she went out.

"Coming home early to all of this..." she just shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, didn't you say you came home early to share something with me?" Eric asked.

Julia considered Eric's situation and how much she'd exercised power over him that afternoon. His life had taken a dramatic, and sudden, turn. She even planned to have him start hand washing her panties soon. He'd fallen so far in such a short time. He seemed fragile. If she pushed him too hard, or too fast he might break somehow. Telling him that she was getting a promotion and a raise while he was still out of work might totally crush his ego, reduce him to ash.

"The company had a good quarter so they decided to give everybody in sales a small bonus, enough for a nice meal somewhere," she lied. "If you play your cards right, maybe I'll wear that little black dress you like so much on me and we'll go to a fancy restaurant downtown."

"I'd like that," he said.

"Good," she said simply, then turned on her heels and walked away, preparing to leave again. Eric took several quick steps forward to get out of the kitchen to watch her go. She walked with a stimulating boldness, her skirt swaying around her thighs as she moved, her heels clicking on the tiles as she walked out the door. Julia was so damn hot in her short skirts and heels, almost hypnotically so. He didn't want to lose her he reminded himself. A girl as exciting as Julia didn't come along every day, and much less often if you were more on the nerdy side like Eric was. 

He sighed heavily, savoring the image of Julia in his mind, and walked back to the sink to continue working on the dishes. If he wasn't done with them before Julia got home he was sure he'd be in trouble. It was better to keep her happy.

*****



Reversals Ch. 04



CHAPTER FOUR

AGen

Julia took another sip of wine and gently rested the long-stemmed glass back to the table as Samantha smiled at her affectionately. The burgundy liquid looked regal in the soft lighting of the restaurant, sitting upon the pearl-white tablecloth adorning their table. Adding to the ambiance, a single rose rested in a slender, glass vase, infusing the air with a delicate floral bouquet. The tables and chairs were simple wood furnishings made from rich, dark-oak which added to a sense of old world European charm. It was a quaint, modest, little restaurant but what it might have lacked in decor it made up for in the quality of its food. It was one of Julia's special places to dine out.

After the argument with Eric, Julia had sent a text to Samantha to see if she was free for dinner. Samantha had cheerily replied that she was. So, after picking up a couple of new outfits, and a new pair of the most adorable, stiletto ankle-boots Julia had seen in some time, she joined Samantha at the restaurant.

Julia was still riding on something of a high after putting Eric in his place that afternoon. All during her small shopping spree, the image of Eric at the sink scrubbing dishes, after she'd ordered him to, kept replaying itself in her mind. Despite the misgivings she felt over the whole situation, that image, of a beaten and compliant Eric, had kept a pride filled smile on her face the entire afternoon.

"This really is a charming little place," Samantha said.

"We used to come here all the time, right after Eric and I got married," Julia said. "Haven't been here for awhile, not since he lost his job, but I felt like celebrating a little tonight."

"Does that mean you're accepting the promotion?" Samantha looked excited, ready to celebrate.

Julia returned a pained grin. "I wish it was that easy." She looked away, like she was looking for answers in some distant place. "Honestly, I'm really torn Sam," she said. "As nice as it would be, Eric and I are already having problems. We're going through a really rough patch right now. I don't even want to tell you how bad," she said. "I don't think his male ego can deal with me being so far ahead of him professionally on top of everything else right now." Her expression grew more grim as she considered the full scope of her situation. "I'm also fairly certain it means no baby for me. Not anytime soon anyway."

Samantha nodded, sympathizing with her friend. They both sat there for a few moments, still, quiet, a pall seeming to settle around them over Julia's situation. Breaking the tension of the moment, Samantha started to say something but then stopped just as suddenly as she had started, like she was struggling with what she wanted to say. 

"What is it Sam?" Julia asked with a concerned look.

Samantha leaned forward slightly over the table and lowered her voice. "You remember what I said at lunch about there being a solution that would fix everything?"

"It's okay Sam. You don't need to apologize or anything," Julia said dismissively, shaking her head. "I ran through it a thousand times in my own head. I know there's no-"

"No, there is," Samantha interrupted. "There is a way. It's just... very unconventional," Samantha said soberly, looking intensely serious suddenly.

"What... what do you mean?" Julia asked.

Samantha shrugged her shoulders and took a deep breath. "I was thinking of waiting until I had more of the details," Samantha said flatly, "but... I'm afraid there's a good chance you're going to lose your promotion if I do that. Corporate is going to expect an answer soon, Julia. Very soon."

"I understand," Julia said. "So what's this unconventional solution?"

"Okay, let's talk about what I do know," Samantha started. "I called some contacts after lunch wanting to know if the things I'd heard about were true." Samantha's eyes narrowed into a pensive glare. "I want you to know, I talked to two womyn I respect a great deal, womyn that are in a position to know about this. Both of them confirmed the stories I'd heard were true. One of them even sent me a document from the medical group involved in the research." 

"Medical group?!" Julia sat back in her chair feeling a little flush. "You're scaring me, Sam. What stories? What are you talking about?"

"Okay, I think this might be difficult for you to get your head around," Samantha said. "Even so, this isn't only about your situation but about the advancement of womynkind overall. It's important. You should know all your options, not just the limited options men want to put on you."

Julia looked a bit wide-eyed. "Sure. I guess it doesn't hurt to listen," she said with a quick shrug. She flashed a tense smile and leaned in towards Samantha and added, "I trust you Sam. After all, you did help me get Eric to start helping with the housework at home. You opened my eyes up to new possibilities, helped me understand I didn't have to live life exactly like my mom did." 

Samantha smiled, her eyes brightened. "Exactly. And, that only made sense right? He was home all day after losing his job. He really didn't have that much to do. Yet, he still expected you to do all the housework - a typical man with expectations of male privilege. He wasn't thinking about his family so much as he was lost in the fantasy of gender based roles where he was supposed to be the primary breadwinner and the womon did everything else, including holding down a job, of her own, outside the home."

"It was so frustrating coming home from work and then having to cook and clean too. It was like I had two jobs and all the while he sat there watching TV or played games on his computer," Julia said with a scowl. She wrapped her arms around herself defensively, the memories of those times, the frustrations, the resentments, the arguments, still fresh in her mind.

"You need to remember the struggle you had with him over something as simple as contributing to his home and helping his wife," Samantha said, pleased to see Julia struggling to keep her anger at Eric under control. "The situation your in now isn't much different than the one from before. He's still practicing out of an archaic belief system where you're expected to give up everything for the children while he sits back and watches. In his mind, caring for an infant is 'womyn's work'. But, that's simply not true. There's nothing wrong, at all, with Eric taking on the nurturing role for his child. If your family needs one of you to become the full-time caretaker for your baby it only makes sense that Eric would fill that role because he's home all the time. He's not working, you are."

Samantha was convinced Julia had the makings of a strong willed feminist. She just needed to be pushed a little more to move her from the sense of security she derived from compliance with the traditional, patriarchal, values of her upbringing. If Samantha could get Julia to take the next step she had in mind, Julia would evolve. Eric would be forced to evolve too or leave Julia, if he could. Either was fine with Samantha. 

"Except, like I said, I want to breastfeed my baby," Julia said matter-of-factly.

Samantha took a sip of wine then gracefully placed the glass back on the table as she smiled at her beautiful friend.

"What if I told you he could do that too," Samantha said solemnly.

Julia wrinkled her face with a confused look. "I... don't understand. Breastfeed. I said breastfeed."

"Exactly," Samantha replied with a nod.

Julia looked even more confused. "Am I missing something here? It's Eric, not Erica. He doesn't even have man-boobs. He's always been thin as a rail." She leaned over the table towards Samantha and lowered her voice. "There's nothing there to breastfeed with. Even if they could give a man something to make him lactate there's just nothing there to lactate with."

"And what if he did have something to lactate with?" Samantha asked with a serene smile. 

Julia glowered at Samantha, clearly confused by the theme of the conversation. 

"Okay, let's back up for a bit," Samantha began. "Let's say we had a perfect world where there were no men," she grinned at her private joke. "And in such a world, two womyn could get together when they wanted a child and they could decide who would carry the child and who would breastfeed and nurture the child as independent decisions. In other words, regardless of who got pregnant with the child, either partner or both could breastfeed their child. Now, in such a perfect world, if one womon was working, supporting them both, and the other womon not working, wouldn't it make sense, wouldn't it be the logical thing to do, the fair thing to do, to have the womon already home provide the breastfeeding and care for their child?"

"Well, sure, I guess that makes sense," admitted Julia. "I guess that would be a reasonable and fair thing to do. But like I said, Eric obviously isn't a woman."

"True, Eric isn't a womon, but he could be... upgraded," Samantha said.

"Upgraded?" Julia echoed in dismay.

"It's the only logical solution to your dilemma. You need to put breasts on Eric and have him breastfeed your baby."

Julia's jaw dropped open, aghast at the suggestion. "You're not serious, are you?"

Samantha nodded slowly and smiled.

"Sam? Really?! That's what that medical group does?!"

"It's one of the things they can do," Samantha said. "I know this sounds a little 'out there' but it really isn't. It's not something totally new. Eric wouldn't be the first man that breastfed a child. And when you think about it, having men develop breasts is progress for both womyn and men where their's more true equality for both. Womyn don't have to feel trapped between their children and their careers and men can explore their feminine side in a way never before possible. Men can now have that intense bond with their children that can only be had through breastfeeding. Eric can have that bond. Heck, men might even evolve into more caring persons. This really is the future," she said. 

Julia sat there dumbfounded. But, it was obvious just from looking at her, that Samantha was serious.

"Well? What do you think?" Samantha asked 

"I think I need a minute to digest this," Julia said. Samantha looked so relaxed now, even satisfied by their conversation. It seemed so strange, two women sitting at dinner, calmly discussing what amounted to the feminizing of men and the benefits it provided to humankind. Even stranger, discussing with another woman, the idea of putting breasts on her own husband! In essence, feminizing her own husband!

As Julia sat there trying to make sense of it all, the waiter finally arrived with the pasta salads they'd ordered earlier. Julia caught him leering at her cleavage as he placed her plate down. She couldn't help but wonder if that bit of rudeness would cease if men had boobs of their own. Samantha actually rolled her arms forward a bit, pressing her breasts slightly together and out, as he lowered her plate, intentionally drawing his attention to her. The plate hit the table a bit harder than it should have and Samantha giggled at the control her body could exert so easily over men. He walked away with an awkward nod, embarrassed.

"They're so easy to manipulate. I can't help myself sometimes," Samantha whispered.

Julia rolled her eyes at her. 

Samantha was a beautiful woman. Teasing men for sport didn't seem entirely fair but it wasn't like she forced them to look or anything. There was a vibrancy about her too, a passion, and a commitment to women or, as she would say it - womyn. Julia had never really thought much about feminism prior to meeting Samantha. Naturally, Julia believed in equal pay for equal work, and more opportunities for women overall, that was just common sense. Samantha's brand of feminism went much further though. Over the months, she had emailed Julia article after article, all of them very pro-female and most of them stridently anti-male. Feminism wasn't something casual to Samantha, it seemed to be a crusade to her. She'd been trying to shift Julia's world view since they first met. Most of it had seemed so 'over the top' at first, but oddly, over time, some of it anyway, seemed to make more and more sense. But this? Put breasts on her husband? It seemed crazy. Wasn't it? But Samantha was right about one thing, it would solve Julia's dilemma with taking the promotion and having a baby with Eric.

"Okay, I'm not saying I'm interested," Julia said slowly. "Just call me curious. I really am. How is this supposed to work exactly?"

Samantha smiled and looked at Julia with satisfaction. "That was one of the main things I wanted to confirm before I talked to you about it." Samantha reached down to her purse on the floor and plucked out her phone. "I think I mentioned one of womyn I talked to sent me a document," she said as she worked with her phone to pull it up. "I made some notes. I think you need a background in biotech or genetics to really understand the thing, it's really complex stuff," she said as she tapped away. 

Julia felt an odd mixture of anxiety and excitement growing in her. She couldn't be really considering doing this to Eric, could she? He'd refuse to do it, he'd have to. She couldn't force him to do it, could she?

Samantha began reading her notes, lowering her voice a bit to avoid being overheard, "They call it, Andromammary Genesis or AGen."

Julia mouthed the term to herself, familiarizing herself with it, "AGen". 

"I'm paraphrasing now," Samantha said. "A human enhancement technology combining gene splicing, nanotechnology, molecular hormonal transmitters and supporting apparatus to provision, rapidly develop, and maintain mammary glands in the human male." She stopped reading and looked up at Julia. "We're talking about some really high-tech, cutting edge stuff. This is way beyond using female hormones and waiting months or years for breast development. From everything I read in the document, it's designed to put breasts on men so they can lactate, I think they said 'fully nourish an infant', in twelve weeks."

Julia's mouth dropped open again. "If that's true... I'd have months to convince him to do it so he could breastfeed our baby." 

"There is one thing that might make it difficult for you though," Samantha said.

"Just one?" Julia asked with a soft chuckle. "I'm thinking it's impossibly expensive just for starters and that assumes Eric would even qualify for it."

"Actually, the way I hear it, they're looking for volunteers. I don't think there's even a cost," Samantha said.

"Wow," Julia said pleasantly surprised.

"Anyway, I don't think there's an issue with having them do the procedure. Not from what I was told. More than anything, the issue is getting Eric to agree to it," Samantha said.

Julia nodded. "Yeah, of course, I can't imagine any guy agreeing to something like that. Heck, I'm not even sure I'd want him to do it. I mean, it is appealing on one level, it really is. It would solve my problem. But the thought of Eric having boobs... forever?" Julia shook her head. "I just don't know what to think about that." 

"Just remember, we're not talking large here. A small breasted womon can still breastfeed. Maybe they'd give him A-cups," Samantha said.

"That might not be too bad," Julia mused. "I bet he'd never want to go around topless again but I don't really have a problem with that. I can't run around topless whenever I want. Why should he be able to?"

"Exactly, think of it in terms of fairness and equality. Then it makes perfect sense," Samantha urged. "In fact, maybe that's a way to help convince him to agree to it, a basic fairness and equality argument. It is true. With you working and him home all the time, why wouldn't he want to breastfeed your baby?"

Julia nodded.

Samantha stared at Julia for a few moments, taking her in. She really was breathtaking. Curvaceous, sensual, poised. If only Eric was out of the way she reasoned, maybe, just maybe-

"Maybe I could force him to do it," Julia said abruptly.

"What?! Where's that coming from?" Samantha asked astonished.

Julia took a sip of wine and smiled coyly at Samantha. She knew her firebrand feminist friend would be thrilled to hear what had happened with Eric that afternoon. It was too delicious a turn of events not to share.

"Come on, give! I can see it in your face. What happened?" Samantha grabbed her wine glass too and began sipping. She looked giddy, excited, her smile infectious.

"Well, remember I went home early today?" Julia began.

Samantha nodded.

"I found out that Eric, instead of getting a job, has secretly been playing computer games during the day while I've been working my butt off to support us!" Julia said. "Honestly, I'm not sure if he's even making an effort to get a new job. I think maybe he likes the idea of sponging off me."

"Oh, Julia. I'm so sorry," Samantha said with genuine concern and pity in her voice.

"It gets worse," Julia said with disgust. "He wasn't even home when I got there today. He was out at a liquor store buying beer. He's taken up drinking. During the day." Julia had a look of revulsion on her face. "I guess his ambition is to become a drunk. On my money, no less!"

"Men. That's terrible!," Samantha spat.

"It really is. And the drinking seems to be getting worse despite the fact that we have a loser-drunk living in the building next to us that he can see everyday. He has to see where he's heading, right?," Julia said. "I feel so, so sorry for the wife too. That man is pathetic."

"Sounds like Eric is maybe walking in his footsteps," Samantha suggested.

"It's beginning to look that way," Julia admitted. "He's playing games all day, drinking all day, and barely lifting a finger around the apartment to keep it clean despite the promises he made to help out." Julia shook her head in frustration. "It's like he lost his job and he's regressed back to childhood and wants me to be his mommy now. What happened to the man I married?"

Samantha's face was twisted into a pouty scowl as she listened. "I've heard that complaint more than once. It's like men wrap their whole identity in their jobs and when they don't have one they just fall apart, crumble into little pieces and start behaving like children," Samantha said.

"Well, I refuse to let that happen to Eric and me. He's not going to play games during the day. He's not going to drink during the day. And he is going to be doing housework whether he likes it or not!" Julia said emphatically. 

"You go, girl!" Samantha lifted her wine glass and they clinked them together celebrating Julia's resolve.

"So here's the sweet part..." Julia sat up a little straighter in her chair, the sense of pride she'd felt earlier swelling in her again. "I threatened to totally cut him off financially and leave him penniless."

Samantha smiled broadly, her face filled with excitement as she clapped her hands together politely. "Good for you Julia," she said sincerely. "I hope this doesn't come out wrong but I'm actually... proud of you."

Julia shrugged and smiled, basking in the praise. 

The waiter came over to check on them, making sure to keep his eyes glued to his order pad, this time, as they ordered more wine. He returned quickly and refilled their glasses, making sure to keep his eyes on the table. It was obvious he was avoiding looking at either of the women for fear of being caught ogling again. After filling the glasses, he walked quickly away, like a peasant fearing the possible wrath of royalty.

"I knew you were the one with all the real power in that marriage," Samantha said.

"You were right," Julia admitted with a grin. "And, thank you for helping me see the truth," she added. 

"You're totally welcome," Samantha said elegantly as she tipped her head down slightly in acknowledgment.




Reversals Ch. 04



Julia's smile began to fade and she took on a more thoughtful looking repose. "I ordered Eric to do the dishes before I left to go shopping," she started. "I'm going to make him do all the housework for the next three months, maybe longer if he can't find a job." Julia toyed with her drink, pulling it slowly closer to her using just the the long nail of her index finger. "I think he's terrified that I'll take all his spending money away. Maybe afraid I'll kick him to the curb." She took a tiny sip of wine, savoring it briefly. "I think, he'll clean the apartment so long as I force him to, maybe for as long as I demand," she continued. "But honestly, making him grow boobs, if I decided I actually wanted that... I think he'd defy me. I just can't see him agreeing to that." 

"I'm sure you're right. Controlling all the money probably isn't enough. But..." Samantha's mouth suddenly curled into a devious looking crook, a smile that looked more sinister than pleasant, "...as womyn, there's a lot more we can do to convince Eric to obey you."

Julia arched her eyebrow suspiciously. "I'm listening."

"Have you ever heard of a FLM?" Samantha asked.

Julia wrinkled her brow and shook her head.

Samantha locked eyes with her. "It stands for 'Female Lead Marriage'". 

Julia's shock registered on her face.

"Actually, I think you started one this very afternoon with Eric," Samantha said.

"What? Really?"

"Well, it sure sounds like it to me. Think about it. You took control today and left him at home to do the dishes while you went out shopping and to have dinner, without him, at one of your favorite restaurants," Samantha said.

Julia smiled broadly and took a sip of wine, entirely pleased with herself for putting Eric in his place that afternoon.

"Let's talk about the type of FLM I think you want, the type you need to move Eric forward, where you need him to be to realize all your goals," Samantha said. 

"Okay," Julia said, nodding.

"Alight then," Samantha said crisply. "See, a FLM can take a lot of different forms. The female leads in all of them, of course, properly so I might add, but you can have where she leads just a little to where she takes control of virtually everything."

"Everything?"

"You can do whatever you want with Eric and your FLM Julia. Only, the more control you take over Eric, the more... options you'll have," Samantha said.

"But what did you mean by 'everything'," Julia asked. "I want to know what other women are doing to their husbands."

"In some of the more dramatic FLMs there can be a strong dominant and submissive relationship being acted out, BDSM, humiliation, feminization, all kinds of things," Samantha said. 

Julia looked astonished. "Really?!"

"I've even heard stories where the man voluntarily agrees to become his wife's slave. He serves her on his knees, catering to her every whim, her every fantasy," Samantha whispered.

Julia had a sudden image of Eric on his knees, bending down to kiss her feet as she stood over him. A self-satisfying smirk spread across her face as a pleasing ache began growing between her thighs.

"Of course, where you decide to take it is your choice," Samantha said. "If you do a little research you'll find the five food groups talked about, don't let it confuse you, think of them as areas you can control. By the way, they call them FLRs too, 'Female Lead Relationships', same thing really. Anyway, the more you control, the more likely you'll be able to get Eric to do whatever it is you want. If you control everything, he won't have much choice, other than leaving you, and that's often the last thing the male in a FLM wants to do."

Julia sat there transfixed. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. Female Lead Marriage. It sounded so potent and empowering, even thrilling. It opened up so many possibilities, even fantasies. Her mind was reeling with questions. Could she really do this? Take control of Eric's life? Had she already started a FLM, without even realizing it? Had it been all those conversations with Samantha over all those months that had brought her here? Was she changing? Did she really want this? The power was so intoxicating. Eric, on his knees, naked- 

"You okay, Julia?" Samantha asked.

"What? Oh... I'm sorry," Julia said. "It's a lot to think about. I have so many questions. I'm not sure what to do next," Julia said.

"Well, you already have complete control over the finances. That's an important one," Samantha said. "If I might offer a suggestion, the next item in the five food groups you might consider taking over is one that should be easy for you." A mischievous grin took over Samantha's face. "Sex. You take complete control of Eric's sex life."

Julia smiled broadly, placed both elbows on the table, and cradled her chin in her palms. Long shiny hair flowed around her long red nails, framing her soft face and running down her arms as the swell of her breasts rose high on her chest. She leaned towards Samantha over the table, a vision of feminine beauty. "I think I can manage the bedroom for an evening of love making easily enough but taking complete control of his sex life? Any suggestions on what to do there exactly?"

Samantha made a tiny shrug. "I don't pretend to be an expert in the male libido," she whispered with a smirk. "But, it's about control. You might try wearing your sexist lingerie. Tease him. Make him desperate to have you. Make him beg you for attention. Then deny him the pleasure he wants. Tease and denial. Be a flirt. If he has any kinks, use them against him. Get him addicted to your body. Then cut off the sex unless he does what you want." Samantha's face had hardened to an almost sadistic glee. "He's only a man. You're a beautiful, attractive womon. If you want Eric on his knees, put him there, make it the only way he's allowed to touch you. He doesn't stand a chance if you turn your mind to it, Julia." 

Julia imagined Eric on his knees in front of her, his arms wrapped around her, pulling her close, while servicing her sex with his lips and tongue. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The pleasing ache between her legs had intensified. She pressed her thighs tightly together under her skirt, shifting around uncomfortably in her chair as the tension built and her panties dampened.

Samantha was staring at her sipping her wine, her eyes filled with mirth.

Julia tried calming herself, bitting her lip just enough to be uncomfortable. She smoothed her hair down with both hands, slowly, making sure to keep her nails from getting tangled. "You're a naughty girl, Samantha," she said.

"I can be," she said with a lilt in her voice, fluttering her eyes over her wine glass. Samantha giggled.

Julia chuckled in reply, uncertain if Samantha was flirting with her or not. She didn't want to know. She decided to change the topic instead. Julia took a deep breath and released it, like she was letting the air out of the conversation.

"How about we come full circle and talk about my promotion again, this bridge to the future they're talking about," Julia said with a beaming smile.

"Sure, we can do that. I really do think you should take the offer," Samantha said.

Samantha then proceeded to give Julia more details about the new organizational structure and where she'd fit in. Julia listened as best she could but the entire time she kept thinking about Eric and what it might be like to have a true FLM with her in control of everything in their marriage. 

As Samantha regaled her with details about the new, mostly female, management team, Julia kept envisioning Eric at her feet, placing soft kisses on them or between her legs pleasuring her to new heights of passion. 

As Samantha expounded on the compensation package, the benefits, the perks, Julia began wondering what Eric might look like with small breasts, cradling a baby girl to his naked chest, suckling her with large, womanly teats. There was something perversely fascinating about the idea and deeply disturbing at the same time. 

By the time dinner was over, Julia had a much better understanding of the reorganization and where she'd fit in if she took the promotion. She wanted to grab the opportunity and run with it. But to have everything she wanted meant bending Eric totally to her will. If she could do it, it would change both their lives forever but as much as she wanted to embrace it doubts still lingered in her.

Julia gave Samantha a hug as they parted ways and thanked her for the enlightening dinner. Walking back to her car, her stilettos echoing on the pavement, still unsure of which path to follow, she decided she owed it to herself to at least explore alternatives. Samantha would call it, 'breaking the patriarchal chains and embracing the inner womyn' or some such. Julia shrugged her shoulders. Maybe she was right.

*****



Reversals Ch. 05



Reward for Eric

Eric sat at their small kitchen table unfocused and bleary eyed, lost in his own meandering thoughts and the predicament Julia had put him in, still struggling with the fact that she could cut him off financially, that he was completely dependent on her for money and everything that came with it. 

He stared at the empty sink with a sense of shame and humiliation. It had never occurred to him, in all the months that he'd been unemployed, that she'd be capable of using finances like a weapon, that she'd be capable of blackmailing him into doing things she wanted like forcing him to do the dishes. It made him feel like he was some type of indentured servant. It gave new form to the expression 'the power of the purse'. It was a woman's purse, Julia's purse. What type of man was he to become dependent on the purse his wife carried around in her pretty little hands and brightly polished nails? 

Eric cradled his chin in his palms, elbows on the small dinette, hunching over the table like some morose, lost soul. It was all very sobering, even frightening. With her newly discovered power over him, what might she do next? How vulnerable was he? What were her limits? Where would she take this? 

He berated himself for being so stupid to have let it happen, to have put himself in the position he was in. Maybe he had spent too much time gaming, letting the world pass him by while he spent all his time in electronic illusions and fantasies. The gaming had consumed too much of his time, had become another form of drug that competed with too many things in real life. He should have been aggressively looking for another job, looking for anything to provide an income into their home. 

Eric's expression changed to a weary scowl as self-contempt began to sink in ever deeper. Maybe that was it. Maybe he was being punished for not being a good provider. Maybe this was deeper than Julia being unkind and demanding. Maybe the dynamic was more visceral, something at the core of being a human animal, a part of the natural order of things that transcended culture and society. Maybe a strong female simply resented being attached to a weak male that wasn't providing for her. Maybe her animosity was a natural, even appropriate response to a male that was failing her. Was that it?! If that was true, maybe, in a small way, he deserved what was happening to him. 

Eric sat up and rubbed his face with his hands, trying to relieve some of the weariness and tension. He had to find a job, it was that simple, or at the very least, find something worthwhile to do that Julia could accept as valuable. Even if the economy was difficult, even if women did seem to be getting preferential treatment these days, regardless the obstacles, he had to find accomplishments outside of playing games on his computer. He cradled his chin again, hoping inspiration would find him, hoping a solution would readily present itself. It didn't. 

In the short term, maybe it made sense not to fight her so much. Swallow his pride. Help by keeping the apartment clean like she wanted. It was something she was asking for, demanding really he reminded himself, and it was, at least, something useful. Besides, he had agreed to three months of doing all the household cleaning, a punishment for playing games during the day.

"Punishment." Eric spat the word out with distaste. His cheeks inflamed with embarrassment recalling the forceful and commanding way Julia had forced him to accept it. Worse, adding considerably to his confusion and frustration, a part of him was actually excited at how she had behaved! It made his stomach churn at the thought of it but there was something exciting about a strong, demanding, beautiful woman that he couldn't quite shake. He felt a brief twitch in his pants as he recalled his hot, sexy wife yelling at him and smiling as he knuckled under to her threats. It was mortifying. He shook his head trying to forget it and gave a hard, angry press to his penis with a clenched fist trying to subdue it.

Eric pushed away from the table hoping to escape his thoughts. He took a few steps across the kitchen and retrieved a dust cloth from a cabinet. He then walked into the living room, and began dusting, trying to set his mind to the task. He wanted to finish before Julia got home. The idea of her standing over his shoulder as he cleaned the apartment was unsettling. It was better to do it while she was out. He kept himself moving, trying his best to do a good job. He didn't want to give Julia an opportunity to complain about the quality of his work. 

It took some time to properly dust the living room and dinning room. He'd left their sculpture for last since it seemed to be a magnet for dust. By the time he was almost finished with it he heard a chirp from his phone. It was another text message, like others that hour, begging him to get on the game and play. They'd all been from people in his guild, in the game. He'd been ignoring them. This last one was from his friend Lucas.

"Eric we really need you in-game... raid night tonight... where ya been all day?" Lucas had sent.

Eric stared at his phone and his heart dropped. What was he going to tell Lucas? They'd made a pact a long time ago to not ignore each other's text messages. It was a respect thing. He couldn't just ignore Lucas. But how could he tell his best friend, the guy he had been playing computer games with since college, the guy that had been his best man, that he was suddenly afraid of his wife and what she might do to him if she found him playing the game when she got home?

A second message from Lucas quickly followed, "What do you want me to tell the guild buddy?"

Eric thought for a bit, his phone in one hand, a dust cloth in the other. The last thing he wanted was for Lucas to know the truth about what Julia was doing to him. He didn't want to lie to his best friend either.

"Tell them I'm having problems with my computer," Eric finally messaged back, then he added an emoji of a crying face and sent that too. 

It was a half-truth at best but not entirely a lie. He was having more of a possible, future, problem with his computer. It was twisted logic but if Julia did resort to taking the power cord, as threatened, the machine would be unusable until she decided to give it back. Even though the machine was fine at the moment, it felt risky to play since she hadn't told him it was okay to play that night. After the big fight, it was better to be safe than sorry. So, he reasoned, it was fair to claim he was having 'problems' with his computer.

Lucas replied, "Sorry to hear... hope you get it fixed soon... the guild will be disappointed."

Eric put down his phone and stared at the text. He felt suddenly... lost. Uneasy. Lucas and the guild were just on the other side of his computer screen. It was like a magic window to a better place. He was someone important there, a 'big man'. The guild needed him for raiding, questing, adventuring. He wanted the action of the game, needed the action of the game. Maybe he could just...

No. There was just no telling what Julia might do. Take the power cord? Cancel his subscription to the game altogether? Explaining something like that to Lucas would be humiliating beyond belief, "sorry, my wife has me by the financial balls and decided to cut them off." 

No. That would be unbearable. Lucas would never understand something like that, he was a fairly traditional guy. 

Eric returned to his cleaning, the yearning to jump into the game growing while the disorienting feelings of being lost and alone continued to tug on his mind like a heavy weight threatening to drown him. In real life, he didn't feel important at all. He wasn't a 'big man'. He didn't feel like he was much of anything really. Dust cloth in hand, he began to wonder if he was experiencing some of the same emotions a housewife from the 1950s or 1960s had struggled with.

After he finished all the dusting, he sat down in front of his computer and simply regarded it, almost with a sense of reverence. He ran his fingers lightly across the top of the keyboard. What incredible machines computers were. He wanted so badly to turn it on and jump into the game. Instead, he sat there struggling with feelings of abandonment and sadness, lost in an ocean of self-pity, as the game called to him like a drug called to its user, beckoning his indulgence. Fear over what Julia might do was the only thing keeping him from playing. 

Eric grabbed his battered game guide and leafed through it, taking care to not further damage the cover that Julia and torn off earlier. A faint smile crossed his lips recalling all the hours he spent combing through it's secrets and the fun that had come from it. 

He was still paging through the guide when he heard the front door open and the distinct sound of Julia's stilettos tapping on the tiles of the entryway. He quickly put the book down. He could feel his heart beating harder, faster. Pushing away from his computer, he walked out to greet her. He only hoped she was in a good mood as he spotted her at the door.

Walking into the apartment, Julia only glanced at Eric, barely acknowledging his presence. He looked like a deer caught in headlights, frozen at the doors to the bedrooms in the back of the apartment, trepidation clearly etched into his face. She walked slowly towards the kitchen, looking around, appraising the apartment as she moved. A subtle grin formed and she nodded with approval as she noted that Eric had been cleaning. 

He moved slowly towards her as she made her way across the kitchen to inspect the sink. She peered in and looked to Eric with a satisfied smirk, pleased that the sink was empty, that he had done as he was told. It was such a thrill to give him orders and to later inspect his work to make certain it was done to her satisfaction. If she pushed him fully into a female lead marriage, maybe these feelings could be hers forever. 

Eric stood before her looking timid, almost afraid of her, clearly hoping for approval. It made sense, Julia reasoned, maybe he was already starting to accept that she he begun to lead their marriage. Maybe he was a natural submissive at heart who'd been waiting for a dominant woman all along. Julia rolled the words over in her mind,'female lead marriage'. It excited her, made her feel powerful and as she looked upon her nervous, apprehensive husband it seemed perfectly proper and appropriate. Eric certainly wasn't fit to lead but she was, at home and at the office.

So why not explore a FLM? Why not push him towards it? She could change her mind later, if she didn't like it, right? But before she formally pressured him into accepting a FLM, she wanted more power over him, more authority over him. Just like Samantha had suggested, she was going to take over Eric's sex life, totally, then she'd spring her trap. 

Most men lusted for her. If she was honest with herself, she'd been using sex to get what she wanted ever since high school. She used it to manipulate men in the business world all the time. Eric was no different. Sex had always been her domain in their marriage. She'd given him most of what he'd wanted in the past, openly shared her sexuality with him. That would change now. She was going to take it to the next level, using her sexuality as a weapon against him. Sharing was done. She was going to take over. He'd have a hard time adjusting. At the very least, it promised to be naughty fun for her.

Julia smiled. "Thanks for doing the dishes, love," Julia said.

Eric nodded his head and sighed in relief that she wasn't angry anymore. "Of course, you... were right about that," he said with a slight quaver in his voice. "I straightened up and did the dusting too."

Julia took a couple of slow steps closer to him. "I noticed," she said pleasantly. 

Eric grinned uneasily as Julia reached out and put her hand on his shoulder, tracing one of her long red talons against the side of his neck suggestively while continuing to smile. He was distraught by the events of the day and further unbalanced by her apparent shift in demeanor. He couldn't help but like this kinder, gentler, sexier version of Julia though.

She took another step closer to him, her face mere inches away, her smoky eyes looking directly into his, her red lips beckoning to him. "Good job, on the apartment," she said softly. He could feel the heat of her breath. The floral fragrance of her perfume filled the air.

Eric faintly nodded, acknowledging the compliment, as he took in the image of his beautiful wife. Her long lovely hair flowed over her soft shoulders. He could feel the nearness of her, the warmth of her body. The neckline of her blouse revealed the swell of her lovely breasts, the cleavage deepening and receding, over and over, as she moved her arm on his shoulder, teasing his neck with her nails. Julia's curvaceous, soft, feminine body virtually demanded attention. It forced his body to respond, his need for her deepening by the moment.

"I hope you understand why I was so upset earlier," Julia said with a soft, sultry tone.

Eric opened his mouth but was lost for words, his eyes fixed on his wife's breasts instead as they moved under her silk blouse. 

Julia had a lithe, curvy, fit body, her breasts large for her lovely frame. Eric wanted desperately to hold them in his hands to feel their contours, their softness, the weight of them. She moved even closer and lightly pressed her breasts into him, moving them against him ever so slightly, teasing him with them as she continued to rub the side of his neck, occasionally tickling his earlobe or playfully tugging at his hair. 

She leaned close to his ear to whisper. "There are certain things I'm going to have to do to make sure our family gets back on track. If that means punishing you at times... then I will. I hope you can understand that."

Eric's brow wrinkled. As much as he hated her taking control like she was, as he'd reasoned earlier, maybe he partially deserved what she was doing, on some level at least. Still, she could be a little more reasonable, a little kinder. He resolved to ask for better treatment, to demand it. 

"Maybe I-"

"Shh," Julia said as she poked her pretty finger against his mouth silencing him. "Let's not talk about it right now," She whispered. "Besides, there's better things you can be doing with your mouth than talk."

Julia took a step back as her right hand gently cupped under her left breast. Her nipples had swollen, pushing forward, clearly visible under her blouse. Her hand reached up slowly and she began to massage her breast, tugging, pinching at her nipple through her blouse and bra. She let out a soft gasp of pleasure as she pressed her thighs tightly together and squeezed them, swaying her curvaceous hips and ass at the same time in one ravishing expression.

Eric reached out towards her, mesmerized with her. His erection straining for release in his pants. 

Julia smacked his hand back with a wicked grin, well aware of what her body was doing to him, reveling in her power over him. "Not yet naughty boy," she said confidently, her hands shifting to her hips. "I plan on rewarding you for... Let's say for cleaning the apartment," she suggested. "But you don't get to touch me unless I tell you to. You got that?"

Eric nodded his agreement, spellbound by Julia's body, willing to agree to almost anything at that moment. He was utterly amazed by her raw beauty and sexuality. It was one thing to be attractive and alluring. It was another to use it as boldly, audaciously and brazenly as Julia did. She had no reservations about her sexuality, she gloried in it. 

Julia assumed a relaxed, suggestive pose, kinking out her right hip as her hand dropped to it, her other hand naturally falling to her left thigh, her long nails wrapping around her skirt as her hands rested on her body. It looked like a modeling pose, it probably was. "So, you think you deserve a reward?" Julia asked.

"Please, Juls. Yes," Eric said nodding his head. "I'd like a reward." 

Julia bit her lower lip seductively then tugged at her breast again as she dropped her head back. Her long hair danced across the small of her back as she sighed. Slowly, she brought her head back up, then leaned toward Eric. She leveled her gaze at him, peering directly into Eric's eyes with a piercing, smoldering gaze.

"You want me, Eric?" she asked softly.

"Yes," he whispered.

"Beg me then, Eric," she demanded.

"What?"

"Beg me, Eric!" she demanded more forcefully as her hands and nails played over her chest.

Eric was rock hard. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew she was manipulating him, taking even more control. He knew he should be walking away from her, but at that moment, his mind was clouded by raw sexual need. He just didn't care. 

"Please, Juls?"

"Beg me, Eric!" she demanded again, her voice more shrill.

"I beg you, Juls. Please, I want you. Please let me touch you."

Julia smiled with satisfaction. It was another victory, making him beg to touch her. "Say it again!"

"I beg you, please let me touch you, Julia," he said as he tried to bury his shame for letting her control him so easily.

Julia reached under her skirt, her hands running up her thighs, and she tugged at her panties. Her body wriggled a bit as she pulled them down, below her skirt. She dropped them and they landed around her feet, between her high heels. Stepping out of them, she picked them up and held them directly in front of Eric's face.

Eric looked at her panties, inches from his nose, black-lace, bikini panties. There was a tiny red bow on the front. They were soaked in the crotch from Julia's wet pussy.

"Open your mouth Eric," Julia said with a firm voice.

Eric moved his head, to look around her sodden panties. Her eyes were fixed, determined. He couldn't believe what she was asking him to do.

"I said, open your mouth, Eric!" Julia demanded.

Eric did as he was told, slowly, hoping for a reprieve.

Then, with a jabbing motion, Julia thrust her panties into his mouth, poking the crotch filled with her juices as deep as she could with her nails until Eric began to gag.

"Close your mouth now, Eric," she commanded. "And don't you dare let go," she added.

He closed his lips around her panties leaving half of the delicate garment dangling from his mouth. A bitter taste from her secretions began mixing with his saliva, some of it passing down his throat. He struggled to keep from gagging. 

"Don't you let go until I tell you to. I want you to SUCK on them, Eric" she said. Julia stepped next to him, looking directly into his eyes again with her smoky caldrons, a cruel expression formed on her lips as she leaned her breasts into him. "If you ever want to touch me again you keep sucking my lady juice out of those panties, Eric," she said. "There's a lot more where that came from too."

Eric felt mortified, being forced to suck on his wife's pussy soaked panties, the taste getting worse by the moment. Did he really deserve this for failing to provide? What would she do if he refused? Cut off sex all-together? Cut him off financially? He fought back tears that started to well up in his eyes from the shame of it. But despite the pain from what she was doing to him, some part of him must still be excited by the game she was playing - his cock was rock hard. That made it all so much worse. What was happening to him?

Julia grabbed the part of her panties dangling from Eric's lips with her thumb and index finger. Her tongue swept across her teeth, lightly licking the inside of her lips. "I hope you're enjoying the taste of my panties, Eric," she sneered. "Don't let go now or you'll be in big trouble." She pulled on the lace garment and began leading him to their bedroom, like it was a short leash attached to his mouth. Eric followed behind awkwardly, stumbling to keep pace, as her skirt and ass swayed under her stilettos on the way to their bed.




Reversals Ch. 05



Reaching the foot of the bed, Julia turned Eric around, and put his back to it. She stood there enjoying his predicament, considering what to do to him next, curling a strand of her hair around a finger and teasing it with her nails as she smiled.

"Take off your cloths, Eric. Every stitch," Julia said.

Eric looked confused and flustered, hoping for something more normal with his beautiful wife.

"Now, Eric. Strip!" She demanded. "And keep the panties in your mouth for now. They're doing a nice job keeping you from talking back to me."

Eric slowly, nervously removed his clothing. Watching his every move, Julia stood there fully dressed, still playing with her hair, as he removed one item after another and dropped them at his feet. Finally, he stood there naked in front of her with a larger erection than Julia ever remembered, his face red from embarrassment. 

Without warning, Julia shoved him. Eric toppled back, with a grunt, onto the edge of the bed. He raised up on his elbows, her panties still in his mouth.

Julia held out her hand. "Panties," she said. 

Eric took them from his mouth and placed them in her open hand, relieved to finally be rid of them, the stale aftertaste making him grimace. She tossed the panties over her shoulder without a glance as she stood over her naked husband. 

Julia looked down at Eric with a sense of pity and contempt, her feelings conflicted by how cruel she could be, but at the same time, she was reveling in her new station over him, in the clear and utter contrast that was forming between them. She stood there, hands on hips, legs slightly spread, her skirt taught over her thighs, in a dominant posture over a man that had striped himself naked on her command. The sense of power over him was so exhilarating, like a drug, she wanted more.

"Undo the zips on my shoes, Eric." 

Eric looked up to his fully clothed wife and the sneer on her pretty face feeling diminished and vulnerable, the enjoyment in her expression, at his predicament, was confusing and deeply unsettling. It was probably easier not to fight her right now, easier to go along, and hope she didn't take things too far. After-all, wasn't this supposed to be a reward? He got off the bed and knelt down in front of her. Julia put her right foot forward and in the small movement he was certain he could smell her arousal, stirred from under her skirt.

"Now, Eric! And stop being so slow when I tell you to do things."

His fingers were trembling slightly as he reached down to the black dress sandal adorning Julia's lovely foot. The shoe looked new, sexy, a dozen thin straps wrapping around her foot with a four inch tall stiletto under her heel and a golden zipper in the back. Her pretty toes poked out of the front, the pedicure as flawless as the rest of her, each nail trimmed to perfection and polished the same bright red as the tips of her fingers. Carefully, he reached to the back of the heel, admiring the smooth slope of her ankle and the high feminine arch of her foot as he did so, and pulled the zipper down, freeing her from the shoe.

Julia shifted her weight and presented her other shoe to him wordlessly. The smell of her arousal wafted to him again, from under her skirt, causing his nostrils to flare and his own arousal to spike even higher. He lapsed into a daze. In the deep recesses of his mind, the part that was more animal than man, he wanted to throw her down and plunge into every crevice of her. But, she was in command here, she had the power, not him. She tapped him in the knee, demanding attention. He shook his head to clear it. Focusing back to his task, he reached forward with both hands, sliding his fingers over the soft leather of her shoe with one hand, as he reached for the zipper, and caressing her slender stiletto with the other. He pulled down the zipper with a deliberate slowness, as he admired her from the floor.

"Stand up, Eric."

He did as he was told, standing up in front of her. Still wearing her heels, she was taller than he was in his bare feet. She closed the inches between them and walked him back until his legs rested against the foot of the bed. Julia smiled and shoved him backwards again, giggling as he fell, his cock rocking back-and-forth as he bounced on the bed.

Julia took off her heels and tossed them to the side. She kept her eyes focused on Eric, a mischievous grin twisting across her face as she studied him on the bed. It made Eric uneasy. It was like she was planning to do something wicked while she focused on her prey, hunger building in her as she anticipated the meal.

"Where do you keep those handcuffs you bought?" Julia asked.

"You... hate those," Eric said.

"No. I hated that you wanted to put them on me," Julia said. "Where are they?"

Eric motioned to his nightstand next to the bed. "Bottom drawer," he said faintly.

Julia walked over and fumbled around in Eric's nightstand until she found the handcuffs and the key that went with them. She opened both cuffs and tossed them to Eric, while holding onto the key. The handcuffs landed next to him on the bed.

"Cuff yourself."

"You can't be serious, Juls," Eric said with a touch of paranoia beginning to set in.

"Do I need to put my panties back in your mouth to keep you quiet?" she asked. "If you want to have sex with me, I expect you to do as your told. Now put the cuffs on or get out of the bedroom, Eric."

Eric looked at his determined wife, her arms crossed under her breasts, waiting for him to comply. He knew he had to. He grabbed the handcuffs off the bed, stared at his wrists for a few moments, then snapped the first cuff closed on his right wrist. His heart started racing as he approached his left wrist with the second cuff, readying himself to slam it shut-

"Stop!" Julia shouted. She kneeled on the bed next to him, pulled his arms behind his back, and closed the second cuff on his other wrist before Eric even realized what she was doing. She jumped off the bed and positioned herself in front of her now cuffed husband. Smiling, she held the key to the cuffs in front of his face and tossed it behind her. "Now, we're going to have some fun, Eric," she said, biting her lower lip seductively.

"Work your way up the bed now. Get your head up by the pillows."

Eric, unceremoniously, dropped back and squirmed his way up the bed with his cuffed arms underneath him. Julia giggled as his cock flopped around from his efforts. When he finally got his head to the pillows, Julia jumped onto the bed. She carefully balanced herself, one foot just below his chest, the other on the bed, as she looked down on him with a twisted smile. It was too late for him to run away now. Julia dropped down, on top of Eric, straddling his hips, pulling her skirt up to her waist in the process. He struggled underneath her. She smiled. He was her's to do with as she pleased, to arouse, to tease, to have her way with.

Julia stared at his flat, male chest. It was only a vestige of what it might be. She imagined, in detail, small breasts on him with large womanly nipples. She reached out tentatively towards his chest and stopped. Was she really ready to shape his body to her will? Literally feminize him?! It was a giddy thought. Everything she'd ever been taught, until only recently, said 'no'. But, was it really that radical of an idea to put breasts on him? Fully functional, nurturing, lactating, female breasts? What was gender in the twenty-first century anymore anyway? Wasn't masculinity more of an outdated construct? Something ready for the ash-heap of history? What about equality? Wasn't that the higher ideal? She took her hands, fanned out her fingers, and reached out again towards his chest. This time, Julia began rubbing her palms over his nipples, giving his chest a massage as she imagined them growing under her fingers. He would look so different with boobs, even small ones. 

She had a sudden urge to take him, to use him, to be the aggressor like so many men had done to her in the past. She wet her lips in anticipation. Pulling herself forward, sliding over his belly, she slowly lowered her face to his, her hair falling around his head as she got closer. Eric saw her looming over him, her face and hair obscuring the rest of the room, her breath moist and hot. Then it happened, she kissed him, deeply, wantonly, her tongue plunging ardently as she crushed her lips into his, over and over again, pushing, scrapping, mashing. Eric struggled under her, his passion building with the ferocity of the kiss and her wriggling body as she bleed ever closer into something more violent than sexual. Finally, she stopped, bitting at his lower lip as she pulled away, claiming him, leaving Eric stunned at the fury of the attack. He licked at his bruised lip, at the tiny drop of blood she had left there, suddenly lost in a swirl of passion and ambivalence.

Still sitting astride him, Julia unbuttoned her blouse and let it fall open, revealing the black-lace bra cupping her breasts. She smiled at Eric as her hand reached inside her blouse and began stroking the underside of the cups, her fingers depressing her breasts enough to lift them with each pass. She closed her eyes and moaned softly as she continued her erotic massage, stroking and clutching at her breasts through black-lace, lost in her own world, luxuriating in her femininity. As she came out of her sweet reverie, still clutching one of her breasts, a smile gracing her face, she slowly slid her free hand to Eric's chest. She sat there like that for a short time, lost in a trance, wishing it were already done, wishing he already had breasts and that he loved them as much as she loved her own at that very moment. Maybe he could see the wisdom of it, maybe it would be easier than she'd thought, maybe she could convince him to want his own breasts. 

Julia tossed her hair over her back and smiled at Eric as she thrust her boobs out from behind her blouse and shook them at him, teased him with them. "You want to see them?" she asked rhetorically.

Eric only nodded, still reeling from everything that had happened. 

"Wanna see a little trick?" she asked smiling.

He nodded again.

Julia slid her left bra strap over her shoulder where it disappeared under the short sleeve of her blouse. She playfully pouted at Eric like she'd lost something as she reached into the sleeve with her fingers and fished it out, pulling it past her elbow, then pulling her elbow back while pulling the strap forward past her hand, freeing her arm from the strap completely. She did the same with the other strap, on the other arm. Eric was still trying to puzzle out what she had done, and why, when she suddenly pulled the bra forward and her ample breasts spilled free of the cups. In another few moments she had rotated the bra around and had undone the hooks binding it to her, her breasts bouncing free as she tossed the bra behind her. She jiggled them at Eric with a beaming smile. He'd never seen her do that before, had never seen any woman do that before, removing a bra while still wearing her blouse. He didn't realize such a thing was even possible. It was like she had shared some secret female knowledge with him that men normally weren't privy to for some reason. 

Her breasts now poking out from her blouse, she lowered them slowly to Eric's chest, aligning her nipples to his nipples, until they touched. She pressed her breasts just slightly into him. The soft, warm touch of her breasts caused Eric's cock to twitch in response. She dangled them like that, little more than nipples to nipples, giggling. 

Eric looked down, between their bodies, and saw lovely, deep, soft, feminine cleavage. From the way she held herself above him, it almost looked like they were joined by her boobs, almost like they shared them. She giggled again as she looked at her boobs between them. Then she suddenly dropped back and started licking his tiny nipples. First one, then the other. It felt strange to Eric, not erotic really, just strange. She'd never shown an interest in his chest before, not at all, never. 

"You're so totally flat, Eric," she said she said quietly, almost to herself. "There's just nothing here at all." 

Eric nodded subtly, confused by her observation of the obvious. Of course, he was flat, he was a man.

"I can hardly even find a nipple," she quipped, smirking at him. She then proceeded to try to pinch one of his tiny buds between the tips of the nails on her thumb and forefinger. She bit her lower lip as she brought the tips together causing Eric to suddenly jerk back as she pinched his vestigial nub. She giggled softly at his discomfort.

Eric wrinkled his forehead, pulling at the handcuffs that kept him from grabbing at her. 

"It's too bad men don't have nipples more like women," Julia said. "You'd love the delicious feeling of having your nipples sucked and played with."

"I envy you," he said sarcastically.

"Really!?" she said excitedly, suddenly grinning.

"No. Of course, not," he replied, feeling oddly humiliated. It just wasn't something a man thought about, didn't she get that? He found her breasts deeply erotic and was wholly gratified that she had them and enjoyed them but it wasn't something a man actually envied or wanted for himself.

"You mean you never wondered what it might be like to have boobs?" she asked sweetly. "Not even once?"

"No!" he exclaimed and shook his head. "Normal men don't think about that," he added.

Julia pursed her lips as she looked at him, a bit disappointed. Of course, she hadn't expected him to say 'yes' but she had hoped that maybe he'd harbored some secret fetish or had, at least, wondered about it. She sighed. It would have made things so much easier if he'd been a secret transvestite with a boob fetish or something. 

Of course, she might still force him to do it, even if he didn't want to. Julia's eyes narrowed, the playfulness leaving, they changed to something harder. She was done toying with him for now. Julia rolled the words over in her mind again,'female lead marriage'. She needed more power over him. Eventually, in time, she planned on taking complete control of his sex life. He'd be completely dependent on her if he ever wanted to cum again. If he didn't like where she'd lead them he could leave. It was that simple.

Julia stood up carefully on the bed, rocking a bit as she straightened out her legs, both breasts swinging wildly as she gained her balance. She towered over Eric then, breasts jutting out of her blouse, her legs looking like pillars under her skirt which had dropped back into position around her thighs. She took short little steps, positioning herself directly over Eric's head. 

From Eric's position on the bed, she looked almost like a giantess standing over him. He was staring straight up her skirt to her naked womanhood. The view was magnificent. Julia's legs were enchanting, perfectly smooth with slim ankles and well defined calves leading to perfectly tapered thighs. At the apex, Julia's sweet pussy beckoned, the smooth hairless lips of her womanhood, the naked cleft of her sex, calling out to him demanding his attention and adulation. Eric was desperate to touch her, desperate to join with her, his cock ached with need for her, every beat of his heart making him throb with increasing desire for her.

"Poor baby, you're going to need to earn the privilege to fuck me tonight," she said.

"W... What?!" Eric said confused. She'd never played a game like this before in the bedroom.

Julia slowly nodded and smiled. "You need to EARN the privilege, Eric." She said it more slowly the second time, as if she were speaking to a child.

Eric appeared stupefied at first, as if his mind didn't want to grasp what she was telling him. Julia stood there, looking down at him, hands on her hips, waiting for him to catch up with her. "What do you want me to do?" Eric finally asked.

Julia smiled, this really was easier than she thought it might be, every concession bringing him closer to being fully under her control. Chances were, if he were a stronger man, none of this would be happening to him, Julia reminded herself.

"Well, I was thinking about our sex life the other day, Eric." Julia inched her skirt up her legs as she spoke. "And I realized, in all the years we've been together, you've never brought me off orally even once," she said as she spread her thighs slightly apart to give him a better view of her. "I think that needs to change, Eric." 

Eric's expression changed to revulsion, "But... I-"

"I know," Julia started, "you don't like... oral. You don't like the smell. You don't like the taste. But I don't care about your excuses anymore. You're long overdue in learning how to satisfy a woman with your tongue. So, you're going to take some lessons tonight on how to focus on the woman's needs, on my needs."

As Eric considered how to respond to Julia's proclamation she unexpectedly sat down on his face and shoved the lips of her pussy at his mouth, demanding service, clasping his cheeks between her thighs, ending any objections from him. He struggled under her, pinned down and handcuffed, at the mercy of his wife. 

She held him there directing him, teaching him, berating him for his lack of skill, as he desperately tongued her crevice. Her pussy creamed on his face, soaking him in a heady womanly reek. Julia didn't spare him in the least as she gyrated on his face, forcing him to submit to her, relishing in the power her pussy had over him. After a long number of minutes of effort and struggle Julia finally came, rocking herself violently on his face as the waves of pleasure hit her. Sweating, exhausted, she finally released her grip on Eric's head and laid back on him to rest.

Eric's tongue and mouth ached terribly. His entire face smelled like Julia, he could smell nothing else. He both loved and hated what she'd just done to him. She'd used him, debased him, he wanted to run but also wanted more, was desperate for more of her sweet pussy. Maybe it was a stupid and obvious thing to consider but she was just so utterly and completely female. It was a thought, a feeling, that resonated deep in his being. Her mere presence was invigorating. And at that moment, he wanted her touch more than anything else in the world, his cock was aching for her, desperate for release. He needed to fuck her so bad nothing else mattered. 

"Juls?" He tugged futilely again at the handcuffs restraining his arms under him.

She ignored him.

"Juls? Please?"

Julia reached behind her and grabbed his turgid member. It quivered at her touch. She squeezed him hard and giggled. It was obvious how needful he was for her. Releasing him, she jumped off the bed and walked back, into the room, where she bent down to retrieve something off the floor.

"Julia?! Please! I did what you wanted. My dick needs you babe. Please?" 

Julia didn't respond. 

"I'm so hard it hurts."

Julia returned to the side of the bed smiling, holding the panties she'd put in his mouth earlier in one hand and the key to the handcuffs in the other. 

"Unfortunately, your technique is terrible, Eric. You barely got me off, it took like forever, and I think I did most the work at that. So... I'm sorry, but you didn't earn the privilege to cum tonight." Julia put on an insincere pout then flicked his penis to underscore the point.

"What?! Julia?! You can't be serious!" Eric was aghast. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, what his, once sweet, wife was saying to him.

Julia shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe next time you'll do better," she said.

"Julia, please!" Eric pleaded. "Do something for me. Please?"

She shook her head. "I can't. You didn't earn it. Maybe next time this will encourage you to try harder to please your wife first. You really need to learn to lick pussy better or your little dick won't ever get fucked again," she said.




Reversals Ch. 05



Eric threw his head back and groaned in utter frustration, yanking at the cuffs restraining him. "Let me out then," he demanded. "I'll do it myself! Let me out!"

Julia's face turned deadly serious. "Don't you dare tell me what to do, Eric," she hissed. "You will never bark an order at me ever again. Not you, not any man. Never again!" Her tone and demeanor was so serious it actually frightened Eric. "As far as the cuffs go, if you don't like my little bedroom games then you can forget about ever touching me again! I'm the woman, it's my way or not at all! You got that?"

Eric lay there stunned into silence.

"You got that?!" she repeated.

Eric nodded. "I'm sorry, Juls. I didn't mean to upset you." He looked at his angry wife and felt like he barely knew her anymore. She had changed so much. He wasn't sure what she was capable of.

"Well, you did and I'm afraid you've earned another little punishment, Eric." As she said it, the same thrill she had the first time she used the word pulsed through her. "Nothing to harsh. You can just lay in here until until your little penis wilts," she said, then added, "Still handcuffed so you can't play with yourself. I don't want you touching that thing tonight." 

She walked closer to him and lowered her voice. "I want to give you these as a memento of tonight," she said, holding out the panties she'd shoved in his mouth earlier. "I want you to keep them to remind yourself of this night. You might want to wash them first though," she wriggled her nose. "I'd hand them to you but..." Her playful smile returned, then she pulled her panties over his head and rotated them around until the crotch sat over his nose and his eyes were peeping through the leg holes. Julia giggled. He looked absolutely ridiculous and absurd. "Now, if you don't make a fuss, I'll release you after 'Mr. Happy' goes back to sleep."

Eric said nothing.

Julia smiled, spun around, and walked out of the bedroom. She paused to look back at him. He just laid there, on his back, staring at the ceiling, his cock still standing straight up. He looked so beaten already. She'd taken him down so far already. He looked so weak and pathetic all of a sudden. Did a man like that even deserve to fuck her? Ever? She shook her head. Maybe she could just have his cock caged or maybe they could make him impotent when they put boobs on him. Either way, handcuffed, with a pair of panties over his head, he looked like a man that deserved to be dominated by a woman. Julia shrugged and walked away.

She stopped in the dinning room, suddenly unsure of why she was on the verge of losing a promotion because of Eric. Samantha was right, she'd been right all along, about everything. After tonight, Julia was more convinced than ever that she wanted a FLM and Eric would just have to deal with whatever she decided. 

Before she lost her nerve, Julia fetched her laptop from work. She set it up in the dinning room, connected it to the office, and quickly wrote an email to human resources.

Samantha,

I want to thank you personally for all the information and assistance you've recently provided. You've been very helpful.

After due consideration I've decided to accept the promotion. I'm excited by my new leadership position and all it entails. I'm really looking forward to crossing the 'bridge to the future'.

Sincerely,

Julia Grant

She paused to look it over, staring intently at the words on the screen. She'd signed it with her maiden name, not the hyphenated 'Grant-Cook' just 'Grant'. She'd just done it, didn't even think about it. It just seemed natural and right. 

It was funny how life could change so dramatically at times, watershed events that could have life-altering consequences. She pushed away from the table, without sending the email, and walked to the doorway of their bedroom. She looked at Eric laying there, waiting for her to decide to return, his penis at half-staff now. 

She stood there for a full minute looking at him, considering her options. If she did send the email accepting the promotion it probably would crush his fragile male ego eventually. Of course, that might make him even more dependent on her, give her even more power over him, make it easier to push him into a FLM. But did she really want to be that unkind to him? If he'd only found another job then none of this would be happening to him. He was as much to blame for his current situation as she was, maybe more she told herself. She had tried to be a good wife to him.

Julia returned to her computer and reread the email. It had the potential to alter both their lives forever, maybe dramatically. She hit the send button. It was done. 

She walked back to the doorway of their bedroom and regarded him again. She wondered if it was too soon to buy Eric a training bra.

*****