This is an exploration into the evolution of the long term D/s, femdom relationships of two couples. It's a sequel to my first story 'A Perfect Match', and again is far more D/s than BDSM. I highly recommend that story be read first to better understand the characters and action in this one.
Finally, I want to express a very special 'Thank You' to Miss Lisa Jones, a mentor and very good friend, for all her efforts and encouragement.
Part 1. Ground Rules
Weddings, even the fairly small and traditional one that Meryn was planning, take time to arrange. A marriage, especially like the one between Meryn and Jeremy, which promised to be far from traditional, would almost certainly take a lifetime to fully evolve. Meryn understood this from the very start. She was exceedingly happy that she was going to spend her life with Jeremy, whom she now knew she loved beyond all reason, and who loved her if possible even more in return. But it was not going to be either simple or easy. Jeremy had come into her life a year ago, at least in his mind, as her slave. She had never truly considered him thus, even though that was how they had been introduced to each other by her friend Natasha, a lifestyle Domme. She had resisted accepting him as such in the beginning. But his gentle, always giving nature had charmed her. She had been further beguiled by his incredible strength of will, and determination to do things she asked of him, such as losing over one hundred pounds to prove himself, in his own mind, worthy of her. He would also deny himself the very simplest of pleasures unless he received her permission to partake of them.
At first she had thought of him merely as a helpmate, but very quickly he became a confidante and friend, and soon thereafter her very best friend. They had come to share intimate relations, born more out of his fervent desire to give her pleasure, but she had always tried to reciprocate, at least in part, in kind. They had not truly become lovers however until that night of the one year anniversary of their meeting, when they had finally discovered and acknowledged the deep love they had for each other, a love which they both had been afraid to declare. Now they were embarking on a journey to spend the rest of their lives together as husband and wife.
But Meryn knew that, in his heart, Jeremy still considered himself a slave. It wasn't that she didn't want him in part as such. It was just that she didn't want him to think of himself as A slave, but only as HER slave. That part of him she would always accept, love, nurture, and cherish. But she would want, and demand, far more from him. As her husband, she would want a partner, who would lead as well as be led, whom she could always trust to make his thoughts and desires known to her, and not just what he might believe she wanted him to think, know, and do.
This, as she saw it, was her problem and her challenge. How was she to overcome Jeremy's slave mindset, although she would always embrace his worship, adoration and devotion. How could she continue to encourage him to grow into the husband and man she wanted and needed him to be. This was not something she could just command him to do. It had to come from within him, something he wanted and needed as well, for it to be honest and real. And lasting.
Surprisingly, a hint of how she might begin to accomplish this came when she met her future mother-in-law for lunch soon after the engagement was announced.
"Meryn, I can't tell you how unbelievably happy I am about this. For both of you." His mother began. "But I must admit I was beginning to be very afraid that something like this would never happen for Jeremy."
"Why so?" Meryn inquired, although she thought she knew in part the reason.
"It has never been easy for Jeremy." His mother sighed. "Maybe it's because his father died before he was born, and he never had that influence. I tried my best with him."
"You raised the most wonderful, loving, giving person." Meryn replied.
"I know he's all that and has always been. But you are the first woman to have ever seen that. He never really seemed to have a problem having male friends, but he never seemed to be able to connect with women at all. Before you. Maybe it was just shyness or lack of self confidence. I always taught him to honor and respect women."
"He certainly does that and more." Meryn smiled.
"And of course his weight never helped. I don't know how you did it, Meryn. How you were able to get him to do something like that, which he had never been able to even begin to do before."
"I asked."
"Oh it had to be more than that."
And it had been. At least in the beginning. It had been her challenge to him, something she had also believed he would never be able to do, which would give her a legitimate excuse to be able to part ways with him without her feeling guilty. But he had succeeded, had proven himself to her in extraordinary fashion, by losing nineteen pounds alone in the very first week of their acquaintance. For her. Because she had asked. That had moved her more than she could have ever believed. And it had started them on the path to where they were now, which was something else she also found extraordinary and unforseen. She smiled inwardly to herself as she remembered that he had recently finally broken the two hundred pound barrier, weighing in at 195, giving him a more than one hundred pound weight loss from his start. She had told him that this was more than enough. She was perfectly happy now with the toned physique he had so laboriously attained. For her.
"It really had to be more than that, I know." His mother continued. "Of course he did it for love of you. But I don't think even that could have been enough for what he's accomplished since he met you. Not just his weight. His confidence. His new success in his career. His interactions with others." She paused. "You saw the man in him that nobody else could see. Which even he couldn't see or believe was there. And you helped bring him out. You did that, Meryn. For that I can never thank you enough."
Meryn blushed. She felt she was getting far too much credit. It had always been there in Jeremy, and a lot more was still there waiting to be drawn out. Yes, she was willing to admit that she had helped. She had been a catalyst. And then she suddenly understood something more. Jeremy had grown, had become so much more in the year that they had been together, but it had happened in large part, maybe even in toto, because she had accepted him into her life as her slave. He had begun to become a more confident, accomplished person as she allowed him to continue to be her slave. Perhaps that was the clue. Maybe she could continue to use his ongoing desire to be her slave, to please her always, to spur him on to further become the man and husband she desired, and he deserved to be.
"I can't tell you how much that means to me." Meryn concluded sincerely to his mother. "And how much our talk today has helped me understand Jeremy a little bit more."
Over the next several months, as they continued to live together in her brownstone as they prepared for their coming wedding day, Meryn had several opportunities to test her theory, and she used a variety of approaches. The first was the gentlest and occurred soon after her talk with his mother. She had joined him in the bedroom one evening, and began to help him fold and put away the large baskets of laundry he had just washed and dried, a job he knew she hated to do.
"Meryn," he had said. "You don't need to do this. It's my job. Why don't you go into the living room and rest."
"My love." She had replied. "Can't you understand that there are times that I just want to be with you, do things with you, even if it's housework. That it makes me happy to do it with you?" Seeing that she had captured his undivided attention, she continued on. "And that there will be times when I'll want to do some chores by myself, just because it pleases me to know that I'm doing something for you. There may also be times," she added, "when I'll do something that you usually do, just because I enjoy doing it. Isn't that what it's all about? Being happy?"
He had no viable argument to offer. This was what it was all about for him. Her happiness. Which then made him happy. If she wanted to join him with the chores, or do some on her own, if it gave her pleasure, he would always be happy and content with that. Of a surety she knew he would still be doing the lion's share of the housework, and she didn't mind that he considered all of it his ultimate responsibility. But he never again complained or seemed the least bit upset when she chipped in to help. And so she counted this encounter a success.