It was another day in the I.T. hurricane, and Jeremy wasn’t sure how many more he could take. It can be an exciting field to work in, creating engaging experiences for internal and external customers, using code and configured applications to do seemingly magical things, from delivering meaningful help to Customer Service reps to custom e-commerce sites for customers. He loved it when a new service, website, or application came online, and users were enthused with it. That was the fun part.
But the downside always seemed to overpower the joy of creation, and the more complicated it got, the worse the reaction to any perceived problem. It might be a tightly focused problem with a small group of vocal users because a service was broken or down, or a widespread problem affecting a large contingent when some connection went down. If it wasn’t fixed quickly, he could expect calls from peers, seniors, and even subordinates, not asking but demanding it be resolved promptly.
As the Chief Information Officer or CIO, he was on the hot seat for all these problems, dealing with those affected and those trying to fix the problem, and it could happen during the night or even a vacation. People think executives have unlimited power and authority to do what they want but don’t realize how powerless they can sometimes feel. Sure, you can tell people what to do, but there are no guarantees. Outside service providers were often the worst as they had many other customers to deal with if the problem also affected others. Users and their managers only knew they couldn’t do their job as expected, and it was ‘all your fault.’
Another frustrating aspect of being at the top of the I.T. pyramid was that there was very little he could do himself, usually nothing except to handle all the people involved. He couldn’t fix the code, reroute the internet connection, or fix the file server himself. He had people to do those things, and he had to direct and trust them to do their job. He sometimes longed for the days when he was the one being told what to do before his competence had promoted him into this truly thankless job.
On an ordinary day, going home was an effective antidote for the pressures of the day. He had a beautiful wife, Allison, who respected him and understood the requirements of his career, even when it interfered with their time unexpectedly. Their kids were grown and recently on their own, so they were empty nesters still adjusting to the new dynamic of having all their personal time together.
While they still loved each other, they secretly wondered if they were no longer in love. They enjoyed their time with each other, including their sex life. Yes, they enjoyed it; it wasn’t amazing, fantastic, or surprising … just enjoyable. As one of the few things that could take his mind off the job, Jeremy hoped it could be more.
He’d been intrigued by the notion of power exchange, surrendering control to another. In extreme examples, it was a domestic discipline or BDSM relationship. In his case, however, he just wanted to give Allison that authority for routine daily decisions and, in particular, have her tell him what to do in the bedroom. He imagined being made to please her in various ways, telling him exactly what she wanted, maybe extending to some light bondage to limit his movement. He would make her enjoyment the only priority, and failing that, there might be consequences to ensure he understood who was in charge and that his pleasure only came when she allowed it. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to try this abdication of authority, freely letting someone else make all the decisions and tell him what to do.
He finally summoned the courage to approach Allison and chose a quiet afternoon by the pool to propose the idea. He began by expanding on his job's demands and pining for the days of responsibility only for himself. He tried to make her see what others couldn’t or wouldn’t understand about the burden of responsibility and the longing to relinquish it.
“I think I understand, honey,” Allison replied when he’d finished. “I can’t imagine the strain of so many people and systems relying on you for their stability. Is there something I can do to help?”
“I hope so,” he started, still unsure of himself, “There’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while, and I want to tell you about it, but I want you to promise to hear me out and not make any snap judgments or decisions until I’m finished, okay?”
“Oh! Um, well … I guess so. You have me a bit worried. Should I be?”
“No, but you might initially think it a little strange.”
“Okay. I’ll keep an open mind.”
He had tried to plan his approach to the topic, but so much depended on her reaction, so he settled for having a starting gambit but would have to wing it from there, something he wasn’t very good at. One of those people who always came up with just the right thing to say, but hours later, unfortunately, too late to be of value to the current conversation.
“I’ve been reading some about something called ‘power exchange.’ People in high-level positions who are tired of always being in control and in charge want to give that power to someone else. It’s often discussed in BDSM circles as a way to …” and he lost her right there.
She was immediately put off by the mention of BDSM and all the implied connotations. She imagined being dressed in black leather, leading Jeremy around on a leash, and beating him with all manner of implements until he submitted to her will. Whatever else he said, she couldn’t shake these images, and the conversation ended almost as soon as it began.
Jeremy tried to broach the subject again at other times, but as soon as she realized where he was going, she turned off and either left or changed the subject. If only there were some way to show her what he meant.
Months went by with all the same pressures of his job and no relief in sight either at work or home. Their life and love continued much as they had, barely enjoying their time together. The thought that something had to change would occur to him often, as he couldn’t see going on like this for the rest of his life, but the problem of what to change and how to change it was no nearer a solution than ever.
An idea started to form when he was trying to think of something special to get Allison for the milestone birthday she had coming up. He didn’t care much about birthdays, but they were very important to her, and this was a special one that called for a special gift. Somehow, the two problems came together, and he decided to give himself to her for a memorable weekend.
There was a resort on the beach that she’d talked about, though not very seriously, as a place to spend a weekend. It was very expensive, not in an ostentatious way, but there never seemed to be an occasion worthy of the expense. Jeremy started making inquiries and quickly made a reservation for the weekend following her birthday.
That was a good start, but it had to be more than just a weekend away. He arranged for her to be pampered by the services offered at the resort, which would hopefully put her in the right mind to be pampered by him as well.
Her birthday was on a Thursday, with the resort stay the following weekend, so he planned to tell her about his plans on the Friday before so she’d have the weekend to prepare. He’d learned long ago not to give a woman overnight to pack for a special weekend away.
He made a reservation at a local, exclusive restaurant and got one of those unique cards that pop up into a bouquet, with a note inside …
My dearest Allison,
In celebration of this special birthday, you will be whisked away to the Longboat Key Club, where you’ll spend two full days being pampered and cared for in a way befitting your beauty and my love for you. I know you’ll want to wear something special for our special weekend, so tomorrow we will go on a shopping spree together to get you whatever you’d like to wear on your birthday holiday.
Happy Birthday, Ally! I love you more than you know,
Jeremy
“Oh, Jeremy! What a wonderful idea! Thank you!” she cried, shedding some real tears at the thoughtfulness of his gift.
“It’s all for you, Ally! The whole weekend will be focused on what you want and only what you want!”
“Are you sure you want to go clothes shopping with me tomorrow? You hate that!” she said, hoping he wouldn’t take the out she was offering him.
“Yes, I’m sure. We’ll make it fun!”
It was fun, especially with his mindset that he would do whatever she wanted. He would repeat the phrase, ‘It’s all for you!’ several times that day and the following weekend.
They went to several of her favorite stores, and he stayed engaged, giving her gentle but almost honest advice when she’d ask, ‘How does this look?’. He complimented her repeatedly and genuinely, and though he had often thought that such over-the-top praise was overdone and insincere, he was feeling better than he had in a long time.
They had lunch at a small café where they talked excitedly about the coming weekend and where else they still had to go on their shopping spree. As most men would be, Jeremy was particularly interested when she suggested going to Victoria’s Secret, looking forward to seeing her in the sexy lingerie she ultimately picked out with his help and approval.
The day went even better than he’d imagined, as they’d both embraced the fun aspects of doing it together. He was especially pleased with how they’d enjoyed each other’s company: laughing, walking arm-in-arm, and kissing lovingly, remembering early days when this was the norm.
Finally returning home, he carried her packages, laying the many bags on the bed for her to put away, and left to make them a light dinner accompanied by a bottle of wine. Reflecting on what a wonderful day it had been had them both thinking of the bedroom and taking the lead, Allison took his hand and led him there with their half-full glasses of wine.
“What a fabulous day, Jeremy!” she said, standing over him as he lay back from his seated position on the edge of the bed. “Thank you!” she said before planting a long, passionate kiss on his lips, followed by opening his shirt and her hands working their way down his chest to his pants.
“It’s all for you, Ally!” he said as he pulled her down on top of him and rolled over, reversing their positions so that he could slowly undress her, spending an unusually long time touching, kissing, and caressing while, at the same time, he removed everything but her underwear. “You are so beautiful!” he said, loving the sight of her in a sexy bra and panties.
After undressing himself to the same state, he sat on the bed next to her and let his fingers ‘do the walking’ all over her body, taking his time exploring all the places he knew she liked to be touched and kissed. Her body moved slowly, gently with his touch, telling him silently where she wanted more and when to move on to the ultimate destination between her thighs, where his fingers first traced her dampening slit through her panties, slipping under the gusset to come back up, and finally under, the elastic, over her trimmed patch and through her slippery slit.
“Ohhh God, Jeremy! Lick me? Please?” she moaned as she pushed against his fingers, wanting a heavier touch now. As was his plan, he would do whatever she wanted, already enjoying how she took from him as he gave and the lustful effect it was having on her.
With his hands hooked in the waist of her sheer panties, he drew the tight bikinis over her upraised hips, down her legs, and off; his mouth watering at the sight of her pretty pussy. With her knees raised and splayed, her glistening lips parted, inviting his tongue for a taste. Their eyes met briefly before she closed them in reaction to fingertips gliding down the smooth expanse of firm thighs, but he saw enough to see that tonight was already something special to her.
Her body writhed gently, sensuously as she anticipated the arrival of his tongue with a sharp intake of breath on first contact and soft, lush moans when his tongue slithered between the petals of her flower, opening wider still at his touch. Still moving slowly, taking his time, he licked and kissed with a softness that walked her to her climax, rather than running at full speed, and her breathing, mewing, and whispering his name showed her appreciation of his patience.