CHAPTER SIX
A New Day

Eric woke to the pleasing scent of bacon teasing at his nose, beckoning him to wake. He inhaled deeply through his nostrils, flaring them, drawing in the rich smell on the air as the bacon crackled in a skillet nearby.

Eric sat up on the couch with some difficulty, easing himself up, rolling his shoulders to and fro trying to work the stiffness out. He hadn't sleep well on the couch with only a small throw pillow and throw blanket for comfort; but after last night with Julia, after what she'd done to him, he just couldn't bring himself to sleep next to her in the bedroom. Spending the night alone had been the only option. He wasn't alone any longer, though.

Julia was in the kitchen cooking breakfast wearing a black, sweetheart apron with white polka dots that looked like a short, sexy dress from the front with the back open revealing her black, chiffon nightgown underneath. She was minding a skillet on the stove with a spatula while her curvaceous ass swayed almost hypnotically about. Given the large open floor-plan of the apartment, she was less than a dozen feet away, with little more than the back of the couch between them. She was humming some nondescript tune as she cooked, seemingly happy and content. It was a harsh contrast to how Eric felt.

After yesterday and last night, with everything Julia had done to him, his whole world was upside-down. He had no idea where he stood with her. She had manipulated, threatened, and dominated him, practically forcing him to do her bidding, making him feel more like a servant than her spouse. Then, later, she handcuffed him and used him for her sexual pleasure, abandoning his needs entirely, humiliating him so deeply it had carved a mark in his psyche.

When she finally released him from the cuffs, he felt so debased, he slinked out of the bedroom, retreating with her panties still covering his face. He just wanted out of the bedroom. He wasn't even able to look at her when he fled. She said nothing to him as he left the room. Nothing. Like everything that she had done that day was fine, normal, maybe even proper, and his feelings just didn't matter. After throwing himself to the couch, he finally mustered the courage to pull her wretched panties off his face and hurled them back towards the bedroom. She'd left him there, all night, never bothering to check on him or say a word to him. It had taken hours to fall asleep. That she was actually cooking breakfast now seemed more than odd.

He watched her bouncing about in the kitchen, in her cute apron dress and nightgown, humming pleasantly to herself. She appeared genuinely happy as she bounced around the kitchen. He didn't know what to think. That she seemed to be making enough breakfast for both of them reminded him of the old Julia.

He shook his head trying to make sense of the last twenty-four hours. It was impossible to reconcile the loving and nurturing Julia that he had always known from the one he met yesterday. Which one was she today? Was she trying to apologize for the horrors of yesterday? Was this a peace offering?

Watching her work away in the kitchen, swaying around in the short skirt of her nightgown, she looked tantalizing and delicious. In the past, it was an invitation to closing in behind her for a sweet hug and maybe more. But now, he was actually a bit afraid to let her know he was even awake. It was easier to watch her and remember how things used to be, like being in a pleasant dream, just enjoying the moment and not wanting it to end. Still, all dreams, regardless of how pleasant they are or how much we wish the moment could last forever, eventually end.

Julia finished making breakfast, bringing a big bowl of scrambled eggs and a plate heaped with scrumptious breakfast meats to their small dinette table. She then turned her attention to Eric, looking straight at him. His heart almost skipped a beat when she locked eyes on him. Then for some reason, without even thinking about it, he bolted up from the couch and stood straight up to face her, his face flush like a child who got caught doing something naughty. It was a reflex to stand and that bothered him. Quickly, as an after thought, he grabbed the light throw blanket from the couch and pulled it around his waist.

"Good morning, Eric," Julia said cheerily. Her eyes were bright and welcoming. The greeting seemed so genuinely warm and inviting it made him wonder if the previous day had been some terrible nightmare or something. It was only a moment of wishful thinking though. Yesterday had been all too real. His tongue still ached from Julia's demands of service last night and, despite the heavenly scent of breakfast permeating the room, he was fairly certain he could still detect the stale odors of her womanhood on his face.

"Good morning, Eric," she said again, a little louder, wresting him away from the painful memories of the night before.

"Morning," Eric replied hesitantly, quietly.

"See, that wasn't so hard was it?" she asked rhetorically. "Come on. I want to talk. Like we used to," she said encouragingly. "Come on. I've made breakfast for us," she said. "No punishments or anything like that this morning," she added.

Eric swallowed hard at the mention of punishments, the memories from yesterday still far to painful and recent to forget. "Okay," was all he could manage. Eric tucked the blanket, he'd hastily grabbed, around his waist as he moved towards the kitchen. Naked underneath, he felt a bit vulnerable, but at least he was covered.

Julia smiled as she discarded the apron and sat down at one of the two chairs of the dinette while Eric crossed over from the living room and into their kitchen.

"I made your favorites," she said. "Scrambled eggs with cheese, sausages and bacon, and some toast with jelly".

Reaching the table, Eric stood there for a moment, struggling with uncertainty. Julia sat there, looking up at him from the other side of the table, smiling warmly at him. She looked delightful in her little black nightgown. From his angle, he could see deeply into her cleavage, it looked so warm and inviting in there. He wanted nothing more than to bury his head between her breasts, to discover that it had all been some horrible mistake and that his old Julia was back.

"Don't just stand there. Sit," she encouraged, gesturing to the chair in front of him.

Eric knitted his eyebrows briefly with trepidation. Pulling the chair out, he carefully sat down, adjusting the blanket as he lowered himself into the chair. After yesterday, things felt so different between them.

"That's better," she said approvingly. "Eggs? Some bacon?" she asked.

Eric nodded.

Julia smiled and heaped a few scoopfuls of scrambled eggs onto the plate in front of him. She added a small heap of crisp bacon, serving breakfast like she had done countless times before. When she made breakfast for them, she would often prepare a plate for him. It had always made Eric feel special and cared for.

"Thank you," he said.

Julia sat there, still, gathering her thoughts, staring at him with a plastic smile fixed on her face.

Eric began to pick at his food as an awkward silence filled the room. He finished a couple strips of bacon and a few forkfuls of egg while Julia just sat and watched him.

"I wanted to talk this morning," she finally started. "We need to have a very open and honest discussion."

Eric nodded, his hopes rising for an apology for yesterday.

"I want you to feel totally free to say whatever is on your mind. Honestly, no punishments or reprisals or anything like that," Julia said with sincerity. "For now, I want you to forget that yesterday happened. I want you to think of me as the Julia you've always known. Before yesterday. Alright?"

"Okay, Juls," Eric said with optimism.

"See, before we got married, I made a promise to you. I told you I'd be a good wife to you," she said with sincerity, "so today, I'm going to fulfill that promise". Then looking at his plate she asked, "Do you want any more bacon, Honey?"

"Not yet, thanks Juls," Eric said with a smile, hopefulness growing in his heart as he listened to her.

"Okay, then let's get to it." Julia said sitting confidently in her chair. "Simply put, we need to talk about what happened yesterday and what it means for us as a couple going forward."

Eric's face tightened. "Going forward?" he asked skeptically.

"Of course," Julia replied.

"I... I don't want to go anywhere, unless it's back to where we've always been, Juls," he said.

Julia frowned and looked at him skeptically.

"I thought maybe you were going to apologize for yesterday," Eric said quietly.

Julia jerked back slightly, her eyes widened at the suggestion. She looked ready to spit back a retort but waited, pressing a pensive glare at Eric instead. The atmosphere in the room shifted.

"Apologize? What ever gave you that idea?" she asked, a current of tension riding in her voice.

Her sudden change in mood sent a shiver down his spine. Julia's lovely face was infused with a quiet anger, her bright, beautiful eyes had become hard and uncompromising. He wanted to scream at her for everything she had done to him yesterday but the words wouldn't come. Instead, he shook his head nervously, a few small little jerks of denial, and looked down to the table to avert her harsh gaze.

The thrill of power coursed through Julia again. She settled back into her seat, the corners of her mouth curling into a subtle sneer, as she looked at him. The idea that she would apologize to him seemed absurd. It was his disgraceful behavior that had lead to what was happening to him. Had he been a better man, a better husband, they wouldn't be where they were now. He was simply to irresponsible. She was taking over. She decided to let his ridiculous notion of an apology drop, she had invited an open dialog after all. She could be magnanimous.

"Here's the thing," Julia said slowly, "sometimes life can just change. Something big happens and life is just different after that." She paused to see if Eric was taking in her meaning, if he understood that their life together was about to change irrevocably.

He was nervously picking at his food, glancing towards her fleetingly, avoiding direct eye contact.

"Eric! Look at me!" Julia said firmly.

He set his fork down and focused on her. He looked odd sitting there, naked from the waist up, wearing a blanket almost like a skirt. Julia couldn't help but wonder what that flat chest might look like with little boobies large enough, functional enough to suckle an infant.

"Do you understand what I'm getting at?" she asked. "Yesterday was one of those times Eric. Everything is different now between us. I don't think it can ever go back to how it was. You need to give up on that notion entirely."

Eric looked distressed. His lower lip trembled and he quickly looked away from her, then back to her like he wanted to confront her but just couldn't summon the words or the courage. Julia waited, she wanted to know what he was thinking. Finally, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes to calm himself. "I don't understand what you want," he said softly. "What can I do to fix this? Fix us?" He looked back to Julia and shrugged, palms up, looking lost and vulnerable.

Julia stood up and grinned. Eric seemed vulnerable, ripe for picking. Maybe she could accelerate her plans for him. She started walking out of the kitchen. "Follow," she commanded with her back already to him, crooking her finger to encourage him to fall in behind her.

He got up from the dinette, careful to keep the blanket wrapped around his waist, and followed her. She plopped down on the couch, sitting at the far end, then slid her legs up and stretched out over the length of the couch. In her short little nightgown she looked delicious.

She pointed to the far cushion, near her feet. "Sit down," she told him.

Eric hesitated a moment then sat and turned to face her. She was so sexy looking, reclining there. The briefness of the skirt on her nightgown put nearly all of her lovely legs on display. Smooth, trim and fit, her legs were a delight, enough for any man to love, even crave. Her feet were even more a delight to Eric though since years of wearing high heels had graced them with high feminine arches, elongating them to better match her daily footwear. From delicate ankle to her pretty polished toes, her feet were a testament to all the time she spent in power pumps.

Julia was well aware of the admiration he felt for her legs and feet. It was something else that could be used against him, to manipulate him. She scooched down the couch and playfully poked him in the ribs with her foot, trying to engage him and lighten the mood. He needed to see the pleasant side of her too, the playful side. She controlled sex between them. His brain was wired to want her and she intended to grow the want to need, to nurture it, make him more desperate for her, and to grow her power over him for all the things to come. Eric would slowly be molded to his new role in their marriage. Of course, if he knew the full extent of her plans he might run off. Maybe he should. She had no intention of making it easy for him though. It was another skirmish in the war of the sexes and Julia expected to win.

"So, how did you feel about our little bedroom scene last night," she asked, giving him another playful poke in the ribs with her foot.

Eric couldn't believe what he was hearing, the cavalier attitude was shocking. He opened his mouth wanting to yell at her for the indignities she had put him through, wanted to tell her that she had taken it too far. He needed to summon the courage to confront her as she sat there looking so sexy and innocent. She looked utterly unburdened by what she had put him though. Gracefully, she folded her arms under her breasts as she grew impatient, waiting on an answer. The simple movement pressed her breasts together, forming sweet, lovely cleavage that swelled above the cups of her nightgown. She looked so damn enticing. Even when she was upset or angry with him, Eric found it nearly impossible to ignore how deeply sensual Julia was. How did he feel? What could he possibly say to her that wouldn't upset her?

"Do you feel like I defiled you Eric?" she asked with a husky, sassy voice, making what happened sound like nothing more than a sexy game, trivializing it.

Eric struggled with the reality of it all, hating what she had done but still finding her irresistibly compelling and sexy at the same time. It was mortifying at how turned-on his demanding, beautiful wife made him. Maybe if he had been a stronger man, a better man, he could find the courage to confront her easier. As it was, he found it difficult to even look her in the eyes, preferring to idly stare at her pretty red toes and lovely feet. It was simply easier to get lost in her beauty than challenge her authority.

"I expect an answer, Eric. Did you like last night or not?" she demanded.

He was determined to tell her the truth. He needed to, at least, do that. She had handcuffed him, trapped him between her thighs, used him for her pleasure, and abandoned him afterwards. It had been deeply wrong. He was tormented though. As much as he didn't want to admit it, as shameful as he felt over the truth, much of it had also been deeply erotic at the time, almost painfully so. Satiating her lust on him as she had, making him a toy to her sexual needs, soaking him in her feminine nectar, reveling herself over him, all of it made him feel like a pawn to some superior, very feminine, queen. He had loved and loathed it at the same time. But, it had been wrong of her to simply use him like that, even if part of him had wanted it. She had to be told it was wrong. The tension in him was becoming nearly unbearable, his heart began pounding in his ears. Finally, his answer came, the conflict in him making it sound almost panicked. "No! I didn't. How could I?" Eric stood up, preparing to confront Julia, to tell her she had gone too far, that he had been used, demeaned, to demand some control back, some respect as a man.

"Sit down!" Julia commanded, each word spat out with firm resolve. She pointed to the end of the couch with a rigid finger, her long red nail looking almost sinister but sexy at the same time.

Eric's determination crumbled, his indignation faded. Slowly, one hand holding the blanket around his waist, he sat.

Julia looked at her hapless husband, pleased and repulsed at the same time at how easy he was to control. If only he had been more of a man none of this would have been necessary, she reminded herself. Samantha was right, taking complete control of his sex life was the next step. He needed to hear it, to know it, so there was no doubt about it between them. Her eyes hardened. She flexed the pretty toes he had locked his eyes onto again.

"I told you yesterday that there were things I was going to do to make sure our family gets back on track, Eric," her voice was calm but firm. She let her words sink in before delivering the harsh news to him, "Honestly, thinking about it, I don't care if you liked our little scene or not. Last night was just the beginning. What happens in our bedroom is for me to decide from now on. You better learn to get used to it because, from this point forward, if we have sex, when we have sex, and how we have sex is for me to decide." She let the words hang in the air for a bit to see if he would dare to raise an objection. He didn't. "If you ever want to touch me again, it's on my terms, totally and completely. You understand?"

Eric swallowed what little manly pride he had left, feeling utterly subdued, and nodded in agreement. He didn't know what else to do.

"I'll tell you something else too, you're going to learn to satisfy me orally. You're going to get over whatever silly hangups you have and learn to love having your face between my legs. And, until you learn to properly satisfy me with your mouth, don't you dare expect me to satisfy you."
Eric sat there for a few moments trying to take it all in. He thought back to the opportunities he had yesterday to stand-up to Julia, regretting that he hadn't somehow stopped her then. He needed to take some control back. Things were getting worse. She was so damn firm in her resolve, so unlike the Julia he had always known.

"Any questions?" she asked.

Eric nodded jerkily. "Yes, I have a question," he said as he summoned the courage to look away from her pretty feet. It was a big question. He was almost afraid to hear her answer. "Why?" he asked, looking her in the eyes. "Why are you doing this?"

Julia sighed. "I thought I'd been very clear about that, Eric," she said, glaring at him in frustration. "You need to listen, okay? I know these are big changes for you, for both of us; but, I don't want to have to go over this again with you," she said with irritation.

Eric nodded grimly, his face betraying how deeply troubled he felt.

Julia waited until he looked like she had his attention. He needed to hear the harsh, naked truth of it. "The old version of us is broken," she began. "You've been out of work for months and you haven't been looking very hard for a new job. That's become obvious." She waited to see if he would offer up some meager excuse, he didn't. "You're addicted to computer games and you've disrespected me tremendously, and really yourself too, by playing them while I've been working to support us. The very idea that you're playing some stupid game while I'm struggling to pay all the bills is galling! But it doesn't end there. You sat around and let our apartment go to hell even though you were home all the time and you're apparently working on becoming a drunk too!" Julia was making herself angry as she read off the charges against him. A small part of her still wanted to have compassion for him but the more she thought about it the less she believed it anymore. Maybe Samantha had always seen him more clearly than she had. He needed to accept what was coming for him, or else. "I have to tell you, honestly, and I'm sorry to say this, but I've lost all respect for you as a man and a provider." Julia's eyes bore into him like daggers. "I hope that's enough of an answer for you. It should be obvious, even to you. Somebody, needs to take charge in our marriage and you're clearly in no position to do it. So, I'm going to," she said firmly. "You can either accept it, accept the fact that I'm totally in charge now or you do have one other option - you can get out."

Eric swallowed hard. He shrunk under her withering words. The harsh appraisal was devastating. The really difficult part, despite how painful the litany had been to hear from Julia's sweet lips, was that he couldn't really refute any of it. Everything that came to his mind just sounded like lame excuses or even lies. He needed to accept the uncomplicated truth - he had failed her as a husband. His heart filled with self-contempt as he dwelt on it.

Maybe he should have seen all of this coming. Being an average-built, average-looking, nerdy guy he had always worried that Julia was out of his league. She was a strong, intelligent, well-educated, successful, beautiful woman. An alpha female. If there ever was such a thing, she was it. When he had been successful at work that was one thing, but now that he was faltering, his weakness was clear, his position was obvious. As much as it pained him to admit it to himself, how could he claim to be anything but a beta male to her? It was understandable she might resent being attached to a man below her station. It might even be coded into her genes, some biological imperative, a survival of the fittest sort of thing. He suddenly felt they were very broken together. Defeated, he lowered his eyes back down to Julia's pretty feet. Somehow, it seemed more appropriate.

"I... I admit I have some problems. Things I need to fix," Eric said meekly. "But I think I can get back on track and prove myself to you again, Juls."

"I don't know, Eric," she said skeptically. "Maybe? But, it seems unlikely right now. With everything you've done I'm not even sure I can trust you again, maybe not for years, and that doesn't fit in with my plans like having a baby. Remember that? How am I supposed to have a baby and stay at home for a time to breastfeed her when I can't even depend on you to get and keep a job?" she asked angrily. Julia shook her head. "No, I think we need to agree that the way we've done things in the past just isn't working anymore. We need a new direction."

Eric looked at her with a questioning, confused expression.

Julia took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. It was time. She was going to really do it - formally turn their marriage into a female lead marriage. She was going to sweep away the old Eric and all his nonsense. He would properly support and serve their marriage or else. "Yesterday was a big day for us, Eric. Even bigger than you realize. Honestly, it was a turning point for us as a married couple," she said.

"Juls, I'm not sure I like where this is headed," he said plaintively. "When we started this morning you said you wanted to talk like we used to." Eric lifted his hands to the air and just dropped them in defeat. His whole body was filling with loss and regret. "I admit I need to change. But... a whole new direction? A turning point? No. I don't think so."

Julia pouted and subtly shook her head. "Eric," she said dismissively. "We both have to open our minds here and be bold enough to see the truth. And, bold enough to do what needs to be done."

Eric gave her a blank stare, lost in his own misery of self-contempt and pity. He felt like a failure. He wasn't good enough for her. How long would it be before he lost her entirely? How long before she kicked him out into the street?

"The truth is Eric, whether you like it or not, I've taken charge. And, I'll tell you something else, I like it. It feels right. For the first time in months I'm beginning to believe we're getting back on track and it's because I've been leading us, because of what I did by taking charge."

Eric shrugged his shoulders, feeling too depressed to even debate her. He was a terrible provider. She could not depend on him. She was an alpha female and he was only a beta male, beneath her, a failure. The themes just kept repeating themselves in his mind. Obsessing like that was wrong, he knew it, but he felt so lost.

"I'm taking this to the next level, Eric." Anticipation began gnawing at her. Part of her believed it was wrong to be traveling down this path, taboo. Could she dare? How far would it go? Could she put him on his knees to serve her? Even further than that? Permanently change him? Put boobs on her husband?! Turn Eric into a milk maid for their baby?! The whole thing felt almost crazy but exciting too. She needed to say the words, make it real. Then, in time, she could decide what she wanted to do with him.

Eric sat there nearly motionless, staring at his wife's pretty polished toes, her lovely feet, her sweet ankles, her glorious thighs, the briefness of the skirt on her nightgown.

"We're not going to be in an ordinary marriage anymore Eric," she said.

Eric looked up, grief tearing at him, convinced she was going to leave him, abandon him.

"They call it a FLM."

"What?"

"Female lead marriage." As the words dripped off her tongue she could feel the heat between her thighs building. She'd actually done it. She'd said it, made it something real. Smiling with conceit and satisfaction, she watched Eric struggling to understand his new reality.

"I don't... understand," he said meekly.

"It's fairly simple, Eric. From this point forward, I'm leading our marriage. I'm making all the decisions," she said matter-of-factly. "Or, to put it another way, I'm the boss."

Eric's face was scrunched up into a pained, confused expression. "What... does that mean exactly?"

Julia regarded him and almost felt sorry for him. He was so unlike the man she thought she would marry. If she was honest with herself, she preferred large, strong, very masculine looking men, always had. Eric was anything but that. He wasn't much larger than she was, just a bit taller, thin, and rather average looking. She was even taller than he was when she wore heels and certainly more impressive looking overall. He sat there, at the end of their couch, topless, with a blanket wrapped around his waist that looked almost like a skirt. As a man, he looked somewhat pathetic. Add cute little boobies to him and there'd be little doubt that he was more girl than boy.

"I have some lotion on my vanity in the bedroom. Why don't you be a love and fetch it and come back. We'll talk about it," she said. Her voice sounded sweet, almost lyrical.

Eric stood up slowly, perplexed by what was happening. Wouldn't a real man stop this? Still, she controlled all their money and she controlled their bedroom. Now, she had declared herself the boss of their female lead marriage? She'd taken everything. How was he supposed to fight her? With what? Going along with it, for now anyway, at least until he got a job, seemed more reasonable than risk getting cut off by her. That would be a disaster.

"The lotion. Hurry up, Eric," she said with a couple little waves of her fingers and long, red nails.

Eric went into the bedroom, found the lotion, and returned to her with it, keeping his other hand clutched to the blanket around his waist the whole time to make sure it stayed in place. He probably should have grabbed a pair of pants but Julia seemed impatient for him to return so he hadn't bothered.

"Sit down," she encouraged him.

Eric sat back down where he had been earlier, at the end of the couch, next to her feet. He reached out to give her the lotion.

Julia shook her head, looking a little irritated. "My feet," she said, pointing to them. "Use it on my feet while we talk."

Eric's jaw went slack and he stared at her with disbelief. Did she plan on turning him into her servant too?

Julia flexed her perfect toes at Eric and poked him with her foot. "Come on Eric, who do you think you're kidding?" she asked. "You love my feet. You've been staring at them half the morning," she said with a seductive little grin. "You should consider it a privilege to rub lotion on my feet," she added, poking him again, trying to goad him into action.

Eric was torn with indecision. He sat there wanting to rub his hands all over her beautiful feet and wanting to resist giving in to her at the same time.

"You don't want me mad at you, Eric, trust me," she threatened. "Now get to it."

He did love her feet. His vixen of a wife was right about that, he thought. Her arches, alone, were enough to drive a man half crazy with lust for her. Eric picked up the lotion and pressed down on the pump, squeezing out a large dollop into his hand. He gently grasped her right foot by the heel, lifted it, and began rubbing the lotion along her long arch, slowly running it along from heel to toes, every inch of it a delight to touch.

"Good boy," she said. "Now, take your time. Use plenty of lotion on both feet. You can massage them too, until I tell you to stop," she commanded.

Eric nodded. He was both turned on by what he was doing with Julia's feet and ashamed that she could so easily compel him to do it.

Julia smiled and wriggled her toes at Eric as he rubbed lotion into her feet. "Very nice Eric," she said. "Make sure you don't leave my feet greasy, rub the lotion all the way in. Take your time."

Eric nodded with a grunt, trying to maintain his composure.

"The truth is," Julia began, "I don't think you could have talked me out of a FLM, Eric," she said. "I wanted to give you a chance to convince me differently but you never really got there. It's okay though. This makes sense for us. I'm convinced it's the right thing for our marriage. It's a new foundation, a stronger one, a better one, with me in control," she said.

Eric tried to remain calm. He focused of the sexy curve of her dainty foot and her lovely polished toes. The more he rubbed, the more sensual it became. He stiffened under the blanket as he ran his palm slowly along the full length of her arch to the pad of her foot.

"Think of it this way, there's a lot of couples who see the benefit of having one of them work while the other stays at home to care for the children and their home life together. So long as the family can do well on one income, that really does make a lot of sense. What never made sense was the idea that the woman would always stay home while the man always worked outside of it. There's nothing fair or even practical with that. How is it fair to demand the woman never have a career? If she's the better earner it only makes sense that she would have the career and the man would stay home. More and more couples are realizing it. It's fair and reasonable."

Eric only nodded to make sure she knew he was listening. He finished stroking the pad of her foot; then, reaching her toes, he gently massaged each one of them between thumb and forefinger, rocking them gently side-to-side. He hoped Julia couldn't tell how excited he had become under the blanket.

"Change feet love and use more lotion," Julia cooed.

Eric pumped another dollop of lotion into his palm and switched to her other foot, gently sliding his hand under her long arch to spread the cool emollient.

Julia smiled. "For us, it's very clear that I'm the far better choice as the earner," she continued. She was treading perilously close to telling him about her promotion. It was dangerous territory. She needed to steer away from it, spare his ego.

Eric shrugged as he kept rubbing her feet. "I admit that's true today, Julia. But, I'll get another job and soon. And, let's be fair, I was earning just a little more than you were before," he said with a weak smile.

Julia flashed a faux smile back at him and twisted her lips. After months of sitting around and doing nothing but playing games it was irksome that he'd even dare suggest he was the better earner. She had been trying to be kind to him from the moment she first hear about her promotion. It was a substantial position with a considerable bump in salary and perks. If she had told him about it, she knew, it could pulverize his fragile male ego. After what she had put him through, in the last couple days, it would almost certainly do so now. It would be like rubbing his face in her success and his failure. It would be borderline cruel, she couldn't do it.

"I got a promotion," she said.

Eric stopped rubbing her foot. He looked her in the eyes, searching for the truth. His heart sank.

"A big one, Regional Sales Manager" she added, rubbing his face even harder into the wound she had just created. She could hardly believe she had done it. That sense of power, she was beginning to crave, was humming throughout her body. Eric was like a piece of clay she wanted to mould. She would shape him into her stay-at-home submissive husband and maybe do far worse with him in time.

"When... did this happen?" Eric asked with a tremor in his voice.

"Yesterday," she said. "It comes with a fairly substantial salary increase. I'll also get a bigger bonus and my own office. Looking like a company car too and some other perks," she added. Julia watched Eric begin to droop as the reality settled in. As his brow furrowed, the corners of her mouth twitched upwards into a crooked smile. "My feet, Eric," she reminded him. "I didn't ask you to stop massaging my feet."

Eric waited a moment then pushed himself to resume rubbing his wife's pretty feet, going through the motions, but his heart wasn't in it anymore. Julia really was taking over everything. He had no idea how to even compete with her anymore. How could he even start to be a good provider when she kept gaining ground past him? How could he get her respect for him back? What did he even bring to their marriage anymore? A foot massager?! A pussy licker?!

"Focus, Eric. Don't just haphazardly rub at them," Julia said bluntly.

"Sorry... I-" Eric choked out, simply hoping to keep Julia from getting angry with him. At the very least, he should be able to give her a decent foot massage in light of everything else. Right? It was like his entire world had just collapsed. He needed time to think everything through.

Julia smiled as she enjoyed her foot massage. If he took his time, he actually was good at it. It was almost like he was worshipping her feet and she suspected that wasn't far from the truth. It would become part of his standard duties in time she decided. She hadn't expected Eric to be as malleable as he seemed to be but it pleased her. His weakness would make it all the easier for her to change him to whatever she wanted and she planned to enjoy every minute of it.

"Eric, I've been thinking and I believe there's new opportunities for us here. You have to open your mind to it. But, if you do, there's a wonderful opportunity for you to redefine yourself in a really great way," Julia said.

Eric looked up with apprehension then continued her massage.

"Like I was saying, many couples see a benefit in having one person working at a job, bringing in the money, while the other stays at home to be a homemaker," Julia stated. She watched him struggling with the changes being imposed, with the humility he was being expected to swallow. A few days ago, it would have troubled her to see him so upset. Now, it simply wasn't for some reason. "I think we can do that, have one of us take care of our home while the other works outside of it," she said. "Of course, with my new position, it's obvious that I would continue to be the earner for the family and naturally you'd become... the homemaker." Julia smiled as she declared his new station in their marriage.

"Homemaker?" Eric echoed, sitting there with a confused, twisted expression, looking as if he were in pain.

Julia nodded slowly with a sinister smile locked onto her pretty face.

"But, I'm still looking for a job, Juls," he complained. "I don't want to be a... homemaker. That's woman's-"

Julia's expression turned hard, stopping Eric in mid-sentence. "You better not say, 'woman's work'," Julia warned.

Eric shook his head vigorously, having headed inadvertently into dangerous ground. "It's just... I plan on getting another job, Juls. Eventually, I will."

Julia rolled her eyes and sighed. She couldn't push him too fast, she reminded herself, he might rebel, maybe escape the plans she had for him. He'd gone glassy eyed. He needed a little breathing room, for now. "That's fine, Eric. When you find a job we can revisit your role but until then I think you need to have some focus, something important to do. I won't allow you to continue playing computer games all day, drinking, and pretending to look for work," she said. "So, I think it's reasonable, and only fair, for now, that you become the homemaker."

Eric nodded, almost imperceptibly.

"Eric, it'll be fine," she said reassuringly. "Really, when you get a new job we can revisit it. That's not a problem. You can have control over that," she said. "But, for now, it makes sense for you to be the homemaker. It's fair and reasonable," she reminded him. "If our circumstances were reversed I rather suspect you'd expect me to play the traditional female-homemaker role. So why shouldn't you? And, I don't want to hear some sexist nonsense about how it's okay for a woman but not a man. That argument died decades ago."

Eric just nodded his head, agreement being easier than trying to argue with her.

"Also, and I'm certain you'll like this, so long as you keep the house clean, you can even play games during the day, whenever you want really," she said.

Eric looked at her confused. "What? I don't get it," he said.

"Being a homemaker is a job, Eric," she explained. "If you're keeping the house properly cleaned and you're being a good homemaker then you are working. We'd both be working again. So, I'm fine with you playing games while I'm at the office," she said.

"Really?" he asked with a cautious incredulity.

"Yes, really," she said with certainty. "In fact, if you wanted, you could even stop looking for a job outside of the home. I'd be fine with you being our full-time homemaker," she said. "That can be your job going forward. No more painful job hunt. No more interviews. No more gender politics. No more disappointments." Julia smiled at him.

"You'd really be okay with me being a full-time homemaker?"

"Honestly, I'd prefer it," she said with sincerity. "I guess, you can think of it as role reversals if you want, me taking the traditional male role and you taking the traditional female role but who cares? That doesn't matter anymore, that type of thinking is archaic," she said with distaste, "part of the patriarchy," she added, surprising even herself at how easily it fell off her tongue.

Eric sat up a little straighter. In the midsts of everything else, oddly, the idea of being a homemaker felt like a lifeline Julia was throwing to him. It was something she might respect, something he could provide to their marriage. "You're really, really sure you'd be okay with me doing the homemaker thing?" he asked with apprehension.

"Yes, of course, I am" she said. "I really want you to consider it as a new full-time job opportunity. In fact, I'm really hoping you do because there's another huge benefit for both of us," she said. "We could consider having our baby."

Eric could see the sincerity in her eyes and what looked like hopeful optimism on her face.

"You would have to commit to being at home full-time, that might not be right away, but once you did we could consider having our baby," she said.

"I thought the plan was for you to stay home for awhile to breastfeed the baby," Eric said.

Julia looked at Eric and flashed a quirky smile at him. "I'm considering some different options," she said, her smile settling to something more subtle and mischievous. Knowing the truth would be too much for him to hear. It was simply too soon to tell Eric she was considering putting breasts on him, that he might nurse their baby with his own womanly teats. "The important thing to remember, if you're at home full-time you can nurture our child and provide a loving home for her," she said.

Eric nodded, taking it in. A baby girl was fine with him, a baby boy was fine too, of course.

"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.