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.