Reversals Ch. 06

"There's many, many men that stay at home with the children these days, providing for their needs while their women build their careers to support the family," she said. "There's nothing wrong with dropping old, antiquated gender stereotypes, Eric. You can be an important provider again," she said with a reassuring smile. Convincing him to go along with feminizing himself wasn't going to be easy. He needed to be broken down, needed to have his traditional, patriarchal, image of masculinity eroded and undermined, the sex based roles he was taught eliminated and replaced with something more nurturing, more feminine. There was a lot of work that needed to be done before he could be fitted for his first bra, she reasoned.

Eric smiled, there seemed to be a lot of benefits to her proposal. He still wanted to get a regular job. A career was important too. It might be very difficult to pull ahead of Julia now but he wanted to try. If he could, maybe he could still get them back to something more normal.

"So what do you say Eric? Ready to become the family's homemaker?" she asked sweetly.

"Well, I'm not sure about doing it full-time yet, Juls," he answered. "My work used to be very important to me. More than just a job, a lot more. I was doing something important. I... I felt alive, I guess. I want to get back to that," he said. "But... in the meantime, while I'm still looking for a job, if it'll make you happy, then yes. I can do the homemaker thing."

Julia grinned. "That's fantastic, Eric. It means a lot," she said with enthusiasm. It was a start, she reasoned. Another barrier broken. She didn't expect him to agree with being a full-time homemaker immediately but he needed to hear it as something reasonable so she could steer him there in time. She was one step closer to having him right where she wanted him.

Eric took a deep breath and exhaled, blowing out some of the stress with it. He was relieved to find some common ground with Julia.

"See how much better things run with me in charge, Eric," Julia said with a smile.

Eric gave her a shallow nod, more an acknowledgment than anything else.

"Good," she said, ignoring his lack of enthusiasm. "But, I don't want you getting the wrong idea. Like I said before, everything is different between us now. Agreeing to be a homemaker is just the beginning. I'll be watching you, grading you everyday to make sure you're doing your job. If you're not, I'll find a way to punish you for your poor performance. Understand?"

Eric stared at her blankly as a spike of fear shot through him. "Okay... yes, I understand," he said, his voice betraying the worry he felt.

"I am going to exercise and maintain control in this marriage," Julia said. "I control all the money, the bedroom and your job now too," she said with authority. "And, I may have other tasks for you to perform at times, little things, like giving me foot massages. That shouldn't be too difficult for you to master," she said.

Eric looked crestfallen. She had encouraged him, lifted him up, made him feel better, then dropped him again, hard, putting him under her thumb. "Julia, I-"

"Eric, you can either accept my terms or go live in your car," she said firmly. "I'll cut you off if you defy me," she said, her eyes fierce and determined. "Cut you off from everything! Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Yes, what, Eric?!"

"Yes, I understand, Julia."

Julia smiled at his compliance. It was odd though. The morning hadn't gone as she had thought it would. She'd actually expected it to be more kind somehow, less harsh. It just seemed to have happened, one thing leading to another. He was even more under her thumb now than when they started. It wasn't planned. She did want to honor her promise to him to be a good wife but she was losing focus on what that even meant anymore. The more dominant she became and the more submissive he became the more she loved it. The power was intensely intoxicating.

"One more thing, Eric," she said softly.

Eric looked at her with apprehension.

"My promise to you, to be a good wife."

"Yes?"

Julia thought about it, thought about what the old Julia might say to him, maybe that was enough. It would have to be. "I'm afraid, things are different now, Eric," she said. "I think, the best I can do to fulfill my promise to you is to... give you a warning."

"A warning?"

Julian nodded solemnly. "I'm going to change us, Eric. I'm going to change you too," she said. "In ways I don't think you'll like," she added. "It's going to happen if we stay together. It just is."

Eric looked at the seriousness in her face and a chill ran down his back.

"What do you-"

"That's all I'm saying, Eric. That's my warning," she said matter-of-factly. "I've done my part. I've honored my promise to you as I see it," she said. "From now on, I'm moving forward. The past is done."

Eric stared at her, convinced more than ever that his old Julia was gone, maybe forever. It terrified and oddly excited him. He didn't know what to think anymore.

"Now, I'm a little chilly," Julia announced. "Give me that blanket around your waist."

Eric locked his eyes on her in disbelief as her hand reached out towards him for the blanket, impatience already clear as she wagged her fingers at him.

He pulled the blanket from around his waist robotically, leaving himself naked before her, and placed it in her outstretched hand.

Julia smirked at him. Maybe he was just a natural submissive. Maybe he was one of those men that craved female authority. Regardless, he was well on his way for what she had planned for him. He'd been warned. "I think it's time you finished my foot massage, Eric," she said. "Sit down and get to it."

Dejected, overwhelmed, he reached out and did as he was told.