Red Roses Ch. 05 - Blue Roses

She dozed off a few minutes later. I wormed from under the covers as gently as I could, got dressed, and moved to the kitchen to refresh my coffee and fix her one. I figured when she woke, we were due for one hell of a conversation.

#

I didn't expect Trish to sleep long and she didn't. Not thirty minutes had elapsed since I left the bed when she joined me. She'd donned her pajamas and robe again. On seeing me, a variety of emotions flickered across her face but she accepted a cup of coffee and sat at her normal spot at the table. I took my seat as well. For several long moments, we stared at each other without saying a word.

I decided to just run with it. "Have a nice nap?"

"No, not really. I woke up as soon as you left. I had a lot to think about."

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

She bit her lip at my reminder of her new form of address for me. "I need this to be a 'Cincinnati' discussion."

Ah, so there we are. I immediately shifted my mindset. "All right, Trish. What's on your mind?"

"What happened this morning?"

I shrugged. "You wanted a dominant, you got one."

"I'm not sure that's exactly what I wanted." She folded her hands in her lap and looked down.

"We don't have to continue. Tell me now and we'll go back to the way things were six months ago."

Trish raised her eyes to mine. "Can't we just..." She gestured. "You know, keep doing what we were doing before last night?"

"No." I'd thought about this and felt pretty adamant about it. "I wasn't satisfied with that arrangement, Trish. Before that, we were equals. Not in deed, but as partners in the marriage, sharing responsibility. After we made that change, we were still equals in everything else... except that you offloaded the entire responsibility of our sex life onto me. You stopped initiating anything; in fact, last night, when you were drunk, was the first time you'd come on to me since we started this."

She averted her eyes again, which was Trish's way of admitting I was right without actually admitting it.

"I know how hard discussing sex is for you, and how much you appreciated me taking the reins. That's fine. But all we did was switch places. Now, I was the one who had a mild dissatisfaction, and I want to address it. This morning was me taking a step in doing that."

"So where does that leave us?"

I leaned against the back of my dining room chair. "The way I see it, we have three options. One, we go back to how we were before we started this. Two, we try to continue on with what we were doing up until today. Both of those options leave one of us unhappy with the arrangement. I suspect both will put us back in marriage counseling before it's over."

"You said three options."

I nodded. "We try it like this. If you want me to be in control, then I have to be in full control. None of this half-assed business where I jokingly tell you what happens in the bedroom and you giggle while you comply. I want it all. I want the whole thing." I paused. "I think you'll ultimately like it that way too."

She looked at her lap. "I don't know."

"Let me ask you a question, then. How do you feel when I have control during our love life?"

She frowned. "How do I feel? Are you taking over for Brenda as our therapist?"

"Humor me."

"How do I feel? Well, okay, I guess. Safe, like I don't have to worry about anything. I can just do, without having to think it through."

"Because you trust me not to hurt you or let you get hurt, right?"

"Yes."

I nodded. "Wouldn't you like to feel that way all the time? Not just during sex? You could have that safe, comfortable feeling always."

She bit her lip. I could tell her mind was going seventeen directions at once. I also got the impression that her stubborn pride was slowly giving way to what she actually wanted, which was being offered on a silver platter.

Still, pride always fights a glorious rearguard action in the face of retreat. Trish crossed her arms and donned a somewhat flinty look. "We have to set up some hard boundaries. I mean, I don't want to be calling you, 'Sir,' or 'Master' in front of the kids, or our parents, or our friends."

"That's fine. You don't have to call me either if it's a point of contention. As long as you're respectful."

"No, I think... I think 'Sir' will be okay." She made a face. "It's kind of hard to admit that. So much for being a liberated, independent woman."

"Liberation is about choices, Trish, and you're making your own to do this. No one that knows you would think you are weak or that you are incapable of running your own life. You're just choosing to trust me to make some decisions for you, so you can be happier." Her look was dubious so I hurried on. "Look, I've already had some time to think about this, so you take some too. Think about what boundaries you want. We'll have a 'Cincinnati discussion,' as you put it, to iron out any differences until we come to something workable. It can't be any different than what we worked out as the rules for the encounters."

A small smile appeared on her lips. "No, probably not."

"And don't try to tell me you weren't turned on this morning."

Her smile widened. "No, I was. Of course I was."

I smiled back at her. "It wasn't the spanking, though. Was it?"

"No, it was..." She blushed and trailed off.

"Giving up the control so you could let your sexy mind wander, right?"

"Yes, that, and seeing you in control--being forceful without being a jerk--is a big turn-on too. It's part of that 'safe and secure' thing, where I know my mate is strong and confident. But why spanking, anyway?

"You were a bad girl and you needed to be shown as much. If spanking is something that absolutely crosses a line, put that in your proposed guidelines. I will come up with something else... but considering how hard you came, I don't think it really bothered you that much."

She lowered her eyes again but her smile remained.

My stomach growled. I said, "Is that all you wanted to discuss under Cincinnati terms? At least for now?"

Trish looked at me a moment, then nodded.

"Good. I'm going to run through the shower. Breakfast in fifteen minutes, for both of us. Eggs and bacon for me, please."

I waited for her to react but she only said, "Yes, sir," stood, and moved to the refrigerator.

Trish avoided me most of the morning and then came back to me around noon with a proposed list of boundaries. She was adamant that anything concerning Mason and Tabitha was automatic "Cincinnati territory," which I agreed with. She also wanted a say in large financial and life-altering decisions, such as changing careers or moving to another city, though she said she would trust my judgment about what topics lay on which side of the line.

"I believe you know what I'd want in on," she said. "Buying a new laptop or pre-paying for our vacation is one thing. Buying a new house is another."

I shrugged. "You can always throw the safe word if a particular subject warrants it."

Trish shook her head. "I'm trying very hard not to do that over every little thing. I'm going to trust you to look out for me. If we set this up properly, I won't have to invoke the safe word very often--and frankly, I don't want to have to."

I was surprised and a little proud that she'd put some real thought into it. I took her hands. "Trish, be honest with me. Is this something you really think you'll enjoy? I mean, I think you will but I want to know what you think."

She squeezed my fingers and smiled. "I think so. I love you and trust you with my life. I trust you with my babies' lives. I know you'll take care of me and if I don't have that worry on my shoulders... you know, about sex... I think I'll be much happier. As for the rest?" Trish laughed again. The crystalline sound made my heart skip a beat and I marveled that after so many years, she could still get to me so quickly. She said, "All the other stuff is stuff I would do for you anyway. Do you really think ordering me to make your breakfast would make me feel put in my place?"

"No, but don't change the subject. This really has been bothering you a long time, hasn't it?"

Trish nodded. "It's actually more nerve-wracking than when we were younger. I think it's been growing since... that time I don't want to talk about, from ten years ago. The guilt and everything has been getting worse as time goes on."

I wondered if there had been signs that her near-miss with infidelity had affected her so deeply and whether or not I had overlooked Trish's angst over it. I berated myself for not paying close enough attention and letting my wife suffer in silence but I kept those thoughts inside. I put my finger under her chin, lifted her face, and kissed her. "It'll all work out. You'll see."

There wasn't much else on her agenda. She said deliberate public humiliation or shaming would invoke an immediate end to the arrangement, which was a foolish worry, since I loved her too much to do that to her. Equally foolish in my opinion was Trish's assertion that we'd also stop if there was an attempt to involve someone else in our arrangement. I snickered. "I think by now you would know that I am not willing to share you."

"I'm not willing to share you either--and no, I am not worried about it but I wanted to be thorough." She chuckled and her eyes sparkled. I could tell she was excited about moving forward with our arrangement and to be honest, so was I.

I ran through my own list, adding a handful of other stipulations. I insisted on no more discussions with our friends on the subject. I also insisted that she be responsible for continuing her exercise and eating habits, and that she supervise the kids' diets without me having to tell her. When she said she would have anyway, I smiled and repeated her words that I was just being thorough. Along those lines, I told her I wanted to add discussions about major medical issues for any family member added to her list of automatic straight discussion topics, and she agreed to that.

That's about as far as we got before Tabitha returned home and we were forced to table the discussion. I did catch Trish watching me several times that afternoon, her eyes shining with affection. Each time I did, she blushed and lowered her eyes.

Mason texted us to let us know he was still at his friend Derek's place and asked if he could stay another night. I called Derek's father Stan, who confirmed that he was all right with it, and that a third friend had joined them and was also staying the night. Stan was a single dad to Derek and I'd met him through the boys' friendship. He was a good guy and I could tell he loved his son, though he joked that having three teenage boys in the house for the weekend meant his pantry was going to be wiped out. When I hung up, I recapped that to Trish, stating that Mason should take a bunch of snacks with him when he went over again, and that we ought to host the boys ourselves next time. "Stan's working hard to keep his head above water. That's the least we could do and not let our son eat him out of house and home."

Trish nodded and her eyes all but glowed as she looked at me. I raised my eyebrows. "What?"

"That's why I trust you, baby. You're considerate and take care of those you love."

Tabitha retreated to her room by nine, leaving us to ourselves. I poured Trish a glass of wine, which she accepted with a smile. I sat with her and said, "Do you have anything else you'd like to add?"

"I can't think of anything, though maybe we should revisit it in a month to see if we want to make changes. If it's going well, we can leave it for a few months."

"That's fair. I can't think of anything else either." I tipped my beer bottle toward her, and she clinked her wine glass against it. "To dominance."

"To submission." She sipped and gave me a long look.

"What?"

"Nothing. I'm kind of surprised you haven't already ordered me to the bedroom by now, to have your way with me."

"Trish, the biggest part of this is me taking care of you. Will it be about me sometimes? Sure. But more often, it will be about you feeling safe and secure. I think that's the whole point, okay?"

She grinned and put her wine glass on the end table before snuggling into me. "Yes, sir."

I smiled, wrapped my arm around her shoulder, and squeezed. "But I suspect tonight you might feel safe and secure in the bedroom."

She kissed me. "Yes sir, I believe I would."

#

And just like that, everything changed.

Well, not everything. Trish didn't become a quiet and demure mouse of a woman. When we were in public, she was the same loving--and outspoken--wife and mother she had always been. She doted on the kids, worked her job, and kept up with our friends.

In private, a different side of her emerged. She was pleasant and compliant for pretty much everything. I have to admit, it was a little awkward at times, telling the love of my life what she could and couldn't do. Every action and word, I tried to view through the lens of what was best for her health and well-being, and what would make her feel safe and cared for.

As an example, Trish had developed a habit of staying up late and watching videos online. Not porn or anything but just news clips or funny things. The problem is that she would get engrossed, lose track of time, and end up staying up until two or three, which meant she tended to be crabby the following morning. The first time she tried it after our new arrangement, I climbed out of bed around midnight, walked to the front room where she was watching something and stood by the desk. It took Trish a moment before she noticed me and when she did, she jumped. "Justin! You about scared me to death."

"Trish," I said, "I know you're having fun and relaxing but you need your rest. Come to bed." I didn't raise my voice but I said it in a tone that brooked no disagreement.

She opened her mouth to protest.

"Now."

My wife licked her lips. 'Yes, sir." She closed the browser and followed me to our bed. I cuddled her and rubbed her back, feeling her body relax, and a short time later, we fell asleep nestled together. She thanked me the next morning for making sure she got enough rest.

Trish protested nothing I told her to do, which made me confident that she was enjoying her role. I admit, I did ask for a few things for myself, such as bringing me a drink when I was busy, and she did it all without complaint. After one stress-filled day at work, when Meredith tried to pull her shit a second time, in the turmoil of my frustration, I even blurted out to Trish to follow me into the shower and help me relax. She obeyed without hesitation and before the water had barely gotten us wet, she knelt and took my cock into her mouth. I have to admit, the sight of my loving wife on her knees, her sopping hair plastered to her forehead and cheeks, and her gazing up at me with utter devotion while she slid her lips up and down my shaft, brought me to one of the strongest orgasms I'd ever had. After that, in a moment of weakness for my role as a dom, I asked her if she had minded. Trish said she hadn't at all, because she liked doing things for me too and that since I didn't abuse her trust, she was happy to make me happy.

I won't lie. Knowing that I could have an attractive woman with a hard body willing to do anything I told her, including blowing me on demand... that can go to a guy's head. I don't mean as a power trip but as a boost for my ego. My confidence, which had never been weak, swelled until I felt a certain swagger, and I think it started showing up in how I dealt with work, the kids, and everyone, really. In response to my confidence, Trish fell even further into being a submissive and we settled into our roles.

We saw Brenda as a follow-up, where we discussed our agreement and talked about a few things that had happened between us in the course of it. I was a little shocked when Trish related the shower blowjob story without any apparent embarrassment. I couldn't say anything, since I'd told Trish to be open and honest in the discussion.

Brenda picked up on it as well. She raised her eyebrow and looked at Trish. "You do realize that you just told me that you gave oral sex to your husband, without any hesitation or shame."

At this point, Trish did blush. "Justin told me to be honest about everything, so I was."

Brenda glanced at me and smiled. There was a ton of I told you so in that smile but honestly, I was too relieved to care.

My company's annual Christmas party was approaching. Trish had asked me if the dress she wanted to wear--a little black form-fitting number--would be acceptable and I thought it would. While we were out running errands, she said she needed some new shoes for the dress, since one of her heels had broken on the pair she planned to wear. I was fine with that; Trish had monitored our household budget and she'd never been one to spend frivolously, especially on herself. We went to three different stores and at the third one, Trish hemmed and hawed between two pairs. One pair was nicer-looking but more expensive. I could tell she wanted it but was hung up on the price. I gave her a few minutes, then finally, I picked up the nicer-looking pair and handed them to the salesperson. "These will be fine. We'll take them." The woman hustled off to ring up the purchase.

Trish inclined her head. "Thank you, sir."

"I could tell you those were the ones you really wanted but kept tripping on the cost. You would have gone back and forth for a half-hour, wouldn't you?"

"Probably. Thank you for saving me from that."

We made our way back to the car in the shopping center's parking garage. Trish shivered; even in Georgia, it can get cold in December. I put my arm around her and she snuggled against me as we walked. When we got to our vehicle, I held the SUV's door for her, as I had started doing. She smiled again, "Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome." I tossed our purchases in the very back, got in, and turned the key in the ignition.

"Home now?"

"No, we have one more stop to make."

"That's fine." Trish settled into the car's heated seat, apparently unworried about our destination.

I decided to prod her a little. "Don't you want to know where?"

"I'll see when we get there."

"It's a toy shop."

Trish was nonplussed. "Okay?"

"An adult toy shop."

Even in the garage's gloom, the crimson flush on her cheeks was unmistakable. Trish and I had a few toys but anything she'd purchased had been from behind the anonymity of a computer screen. I didn't think she'd ever stepped foot in an adult entertainment shop. "Does that make you nervous?"

"Y-yes, a little."

"I think you'll be able to handle it. Besides, we won't be there very long. I am looking for something very specific--something I spotted when I bought the paddle and some other things." I could tell by the light in her eyes and the tilt of her head that Trish's curiosity was piqued when mentioned "other things," but I glided past that. "The exposure will be good for you."

"Yes, sir," she responded, though she did not sound convinced. She rubbed her knuckles, which is something she did when she was nervous.

I looked at her fidgeting and made a snap decision. "Get in the back seat."

Trish blinked. "What?"

"Get in the back seat."

She hesitated but said, "Yes, sir." She got out, opened the back door, and slid inside. I did the same, locked the doors, and moved closer to her.

I'd always loved Trish's long legs, so I'd told her to wear a knee-length skirt and her black boots out that day, with an allowance for her stockings because of the cold, though I'd said a garter belt rather than pull-on hose. She'd complied and I had enjoyed the view.

Now, that simply meant that I had access.

With me sitting on her left, I half-turned in the seat and ran my fingers up her legs. Trish's breath caught in her throat but she donned a small smile and touched my face. I pushed aside the pleats of her thick skirt and let my hand creep up her thigh. The pace of her breathing increased. With both hands, I gently raised the skirt to bunch it around her waist, revealing her black panties. I looked Trish in the eye and my fingers danced along the elastic band.