Chapter 18

Dan knew that he should not ask when Julie stopped at his office to get the key to his home.

At Dan's house, Julie marched right into the master bedroom where Arlene was huddled in a pitiful ball on the bed. Sitting down next to Arlene and stroking her head gently, Julie said "I've thought about it, Arlene. I will try to convince Dan not to leave you."

"Oh, Julie, I..."

"Don't start celebrating, Arlene," Julie warned, her voice changing dramatically. "As you are right now, you are not a good wife for my son. I will convince him to stay with you, but only because I am going to change you into a proper wife for him."

Arlene could only stare in amazement. Between the morning's traumatic visit and what she was now hearing, she actually wondered if it was really Julie talking to her.

"If you want any chance of growing old with Dan, you will obey everything that I tell you to do. If you do not, I will tell Dan to divorce you immediately. Now, how badly do you want to grow old with my son?"

"I ... I'll do anything," Arlene said shakily.

"Even have intercourse with him?"

"I already told him I would," Arlene said with her head down. "He ... he says I have to want it."

"OK, Arlene, take your clothes off."

"M ... my clothes? Why?"

"Because I told you to. That should be enough. It is your first order from me. Are you going to fail already? Do I have to call Dan already and tell him to get a divorce lawyer?"

"NO! Don't! I ... but..."

"Arlene, listen to me. Wearing clothes in this house is a privilege you will have to earn. You have not even started to earn it." Julie was making it up as she went along.

Arlene gave Julie the most pathetic look imaginable from an adult woman. Rebecca's words about submission and dominance were being put to their first test. To Arlene, clothes were apparently a critical symbol of control. Could she give them up?

Just to make sure there was no misunderstanding, Julie said, in as stern a voice as she was capable of "Arlene, from now on, you will be naked in this house. You will not wear clothes again at home until you have become a good wife for Dan, or until I give up and tell Dan to divorce you."

"N ... n ... n ... naked?" Arlene shrieked. "H ... how can you ... that's ... that's..." Sheer panic showed an the poor woman's face. Julie had picked up Carole's belief in the value and the impact of nudity in changing people, and Rebecca had identified control of her body as a key to Arlene's problem. Now, though, she was starting to believe it was a step too far. At least, she may have thrown it at Arlene too abruptly.

After wailing for a few minutes, Arlene became angry. That was actually easier for Julie to deal with. Arlene shouted about how it was her house and how Julie had no right to come in there and say such horrible things to her.

Remaining impassive in the face of Arlene's tirade, Julie gave her a few minutes before she rather dramatically took out her phone. Holding it up, she caught a moment when Arlene was catching her breath and asked loudly "Shall I call Dan and tell him to just get the divorce over with?"

Arlene was a bright woman. She had said that she would do anything to stay married to Dan. It apparently just then sank in what Julie was demanding of her. In a near replay of Sarah's bladder crisis at Dan's mere suggestion of exposing himself to her, a different kind of panic took over Arlene's face. She jammed her hand in her crotch, hunched over, and scrambled toward the master bath.

It took Julie just a moment to catch on. She knew all about what had happened with Sarah, and she had to suppress an ironic laugh. Deciding that it was the perfect time to be strong and commanding, she went into the bathroom right behind Arlene. As Arlene sat on the toilet and released her flood, Julie roughly pulled off her shorts and soiled panties. Saying nothing, Julie just stood with hands on hips, staring at Arlene.

Before Arlene could wipe, Julie grabbed her golf shirt and pulled upward, trapping Arlene's arms. That produced more wailing and complaining, but Julie was able to be so strong and commanding that Arlene was helpless. Taking off the bra was only a little more difficult.

While Arlene sat hunched over to hide her breasts and whimpered, Julie ran a bath. Having no idea whether Arlene preferred baths or showers, she thought a bath might be soothing and help her get more control.

Arlene was a little heavier than Julie, but Julie was very strong and Arlene seemed to have lost her will to fight. Julie got her on her feet and tried to lead her to the tub. Like a recalcitrant child, Arlene resisted, still hunched over trying to hide herself with her hands and arms.

Fervently hoping that it was not a step too far, Julie gave her a hand-stinging slap on her ass. The reflex worked and Arlene straightened up and reached back to protect her wounded bottom.

"That's better, Honey," Julie said, trying to assume the role of a parent with a young child. "You need to get in the tub and wash the pee off of you. Besides, we have only a couple of hours to get your naked body looking beautiful for your husband."

"Wh ... why this, Julie?" Arlene stammered as she finally relaxed back in the water. For the first time she was not trying to hide herself from Julie. Perhaps the feeling of the water covering her gave the illusion of hiding. The details did not concern Julie right then.

What concerned her was that she was flying by the seat of her pants. She now understood Rebecca's concern completely. Dominating someone certainly was not easy. How should she proceed? First of all, she had to keep first things first. The ultimate goal was to make Arlene into a satisfying sexual partner for her son. She could not get sidetracked with anything else. She could not let her anger at Arlene's mother or at Arlene herself affect her in any way. She was going to be preaching about forgetting the past, so she had better do it herself.

Taking a deep breath, she challenged "You are not a satisfactory sexual partner for Danny, are you, Arlene?"

"Julie, Dan and I have gone..."

"Dammit, Arlene! Do you want to save your marriage, or don't you care!?" Julie shouted that like she would to a rebellious child.

"I ... I can't lose him!"

"Can you keep him by yourself?"

"I said I would give him sex, but he..."

"Will you let your counsellor help you keep him?"

"But she wants to ... to hypnotize me!"

"I'll warn you right now, Arlene," Julie said sternly, "hypnosis would be a lot easier on you than what I will do to make you into a wife Dan can live with."

"Ohhh! Why can't he live with me the way he always has?!" Arlene wailed.

"Arlene! How many sessions did you have with the counsellor? What did you learn about normal wives and sex?" There was that pathetic stare again. "You tell me right now what you learned or I WILL call Dan and tell him it's hopeless."

Julie decided this was one time she would just wait Arlene out, so she sat quietly beside the tub. Almost five minutes went by with neither woman speaking. Just to break the impasse, Julie turned and ran some more hot water into the tub. That little bit of action seemed to bring Arlene out of her reverie.

"Most wives enjoy having sex. Surveys show that most couples our age make love twice a week or more." Arlene spoke like she was reading the words. "As a rule, the only wives who do not enjoy intercourse are those with some physical difficulty such as dryness, or those whose husbands are unusually large or are not considerate lovers."

"Do you or Dan fit into any of those exceptions?" Arlene could only shake her head.

"What did the counsellor say about lack of sex being a valid reason for divorce?"

"She said that either denial of sex or infidelity account for a large percentage of divorces."

Almost like a teacher drilling a student, julie continued. "Would a divorce between you and Dan be justified?"

"NO! I love him!"

"Arlene! Based on what you learned from the counsellor, would Dan be justified in divorcing you?" Julie persisted.

"Juliiiiiie! Don't make me say that! Ohhhhh!"

"Then, why should I waste my time? I'm willing to help make you into the wife my son needs to have. But, if you don't admit that you need to change, what chance do I have? I might as well just go home."

Taking a huge chance, knowing that she would be unable to return for another try, Julie got up and walked toward the door of the bathroom. Stopping at the door, she turned back and said "I have a few things to get together." That was a lie. "I'll stop to say goodbye. It could be for the last time ever."

Fighting back tears, fearing that she had gone too far, Julie went to the guest bathroom, used the toilet, then touched up her face. Resignedly leaving the bathroom, she almost ran into Arlene in the hall. Arlene was holding a robe tightly around herself.

"Don't go, Julie. Please. I can't lose him."

"Why do you deserve to keep him?"

"I ... I..." Whatever Arlene was planning to say, she changed her mind. "I don't," was said very softly.

Julie decided that was the perfect time for a little bonding, so she took Arlene in a hug. "You may find this hard to believe, Honey, but I want you to grow old with my Danny. I believe you can be a wonderful wife for him.

"You are in so much emotional pain that you can't see how to become that kind of wife. I will admit that I have had some expert help, and I know how you can change. I am going to have to do some things that you will hate, but believe me, I do them out of love for you and Dan and Sarah. You have heard of 'tough love', haven't you?" Arlene nodded her head against Julie. "Well, this is the first tough love thing I have to do."

With that, Julie pushed the robe down Arlene's back, eventually getting her to drop her arms so it came all the way off. "I'll turn up the heat so you wont' be uncomfortable."

"Wh ... why this, Julie?" Arlene stammered as she did her best to cover herself with her hands again.

"Come on in the kitchen, Arlene, and I'll explain it."

"But I can't ... please! Let me put something on. This is not right!"

"Go ahead, Arlene. Put something on. Of course, I'll have to call Dan and tell him that the first test failed. Tell you what; to show you that I'm not just being cruel, I'll undress, too."

It took many minutes, but eventually they were sharing tea in the kitchen. Julie had turned up the heat on the way. Being sure not to talk down to Arlene in any way, she explained the theories about how nudity affected behavior and how attitudes could be changed. She very bluntly explained Rebecca's belief that fanatical control over her body was Arlene's first hurdle.

As time for Dan to arrive home approached, Arlene became almost frantic. "Julie, get dressed! Dan will be here soon. He can't see you!"

"Oh, I'm not worried about that, Arlene. I think you need my support. Otherwise, you will run and get dressed and I will have to tell Dan to divorce you."

"No! I won't get dressed! Please! It's not right for him to see you!"

Julie could hardly believe how frantic the poor woman was. It appeared that she would do anything to prevent the sin of Dan seeing his mother naked, even stay naked herself. The problem was, would it be better in the long run if Arlene had to endure her husband seeing his naked mother? What was really bothering her? Again, it seemed that Rebecca was right on.

"Arlene, just relax. It won't bother me if Dan sees me. It's not a big deal."

Suddenly, Arlene turned and dashed to the master bedroom. That gave Julie time for a hurried call to Dan. "When you get home, Hon, Arlene will be naked. Make a genuine fuss over her. Can you do that? I'll be naked, too. That idea is driving her crazy, making me think I should stay bare. Pretend that my being nude is no big deal if you find me that way."

Hearing the toilet flush explained why Arlene had dashed off. "Why are you so upset about Danny seeing me naked?"

"I don't want my husband looking at other naked women!" Arlene shrieked. She started to say more, but clammed up.

Julie had heard enough. It was control again. It was exactly what she had postulated in the hurried meeting with Rebecca and the Gang. Arlene considered Dan her man, her property, hers to control. That included what female flesh he looked at. That meant there was no way Julie would dress.

"Is this a deal-breaker, Arlene? Is it divorce time?" Julie wondered how long the divorce threat would hold its almost magical power.

It was a surreal scene when Dan came home. He did a great job of enthusing over the sight of the naked Arlene. He complimented her profusely and gave her a rather dramatic hug and kiss. It was doubtful if Arlene would remember a single second of it. In fact, the entire evening was probably lost in a haze of shock and disbelief.

As she sat with the others watching some TV, Arlene's eyes kept darting around, particularly at Julie. Bedtime was even more stressful as Dan undressed as soon as he got into the room and stayed that way. Julie gave Arlene very stern instructions that she was not to wear anything to bed.

In the morning, the pressure increased as Dan came to breakfast in minimal attire, much less than was customary. In the first evidence of acknowledging Julie's control, Arlene looked frantically at Julie upon seeing Dan's near nakedness. Seeing Julie, naked again, talking casually to her son, Arlene's shoulders sagged and she said nothing.

The itinerary for that day included grocery shopping. Julie let Arlene make the list, but made very firm demands on what should and should not be bought. Julie could see more just plain irritation at that 'interference' than for anything else that had happened. Most of the previous day had engendered shock and fear. The chance to put clothes on, though, was the main thing on Arlene's mind.

Julie made a valiant effort to engage Arlene in all kinds of conversations. While they were dressed and in the car or at the store, it worked rather well. At home, naked, it was very tough sledding. Having to undress again when she returned home was almost as bad as the first time for Arlene.

After lunch, Julie said "I don't think you slept much last night, did you?" Arlene acknowledged that. "I'll give you a little back rub and you can take a nap."

When Julie actually touched her, Arlene flinched strongly. That prompted Julie to slap her sharply on each ass cheek. That was followed by gentle caresses on the injured areas which upset Arlene even more.

"Arlene, do you think I am doing this because I want to be mean to you?" It took a while but Arlene admitted that she did not think that.

"Despite what you think of me," Julie went on, "I have always liked you. I always thought you could be a wonderful wife for Dan. Why am I doing this? Well, you understand now that you are not a good wife for Dan, don't you?"

That only brought tears. Julie kept right on caressing Arlene's back and down over her ass and thighs. "My Dan is a very faithful man, Arlene. He loves you very much. Even after the harsh things he has said and done lately, he would give anything if you could have a healthy, normal marriage."

"But we HAVE a healthy marriage!" came through tears.

"Please. By now, you know that is not true. You know that your mother tragically warped your thinking about sex."

"But I can't just change!" Arlene protested.

"By yourself, you probably can't. That is why I am going to change you little by little. You see, Arlene, just like I told you yesterday morning, your problem is not fear of intercourse. Your problem is an extreme need for control. I am going to teach you how good things can happen when you give up control. Now, you must be very tired. Sleep for a while. I will come and get you when you can leave the room."

The nap was an important chance for Julie to talk with the rest of the Gang and brief them on what was happening. They were all surprised and pleased at what Julie had been able to accomplish.

Little else changed that day, except that Arlene was gratefully given full cooking and cleanup duties.

Two programs started the next day. First, Arlene was sent to the health club where she was to meet Phyllis and get started on a workout regimen. She was given an outfit that was not outrageous by any standard, but was much more revealing than anything she would have chosen for herself. It took some threats by Phyllis to get her into it.

Realizing that time for for whole Gang to meet, including Julie, would be very important, Phyllis made plans from the first day. One of her employees, a woman who insisted on being called Pip, was seriously into body building, and looked it. She was also a very nice, considerate person. Much of the time that Phyllis spent with Arlene, Pip was also present. While Arlene was at the club became the perfect time for Julie and Phyllis to meet with the rest of the Gang.

If another naked woman were to be imposed on Arlene in Dan's presence, Phyllis would be the logical one. Rebecca had counseled Phyllis to be kind but firm with Arlene at the club, becoming stern and commanding when necessary. Thus, if Phyllis showed up naked at the house, her planned adoring demeanor toward Dan would present a striking contrast.

The other thing that started in earnest was cuddling by Dan. Julie would start the same thing, but not right away. The shocks needed to be metered out, so to speak - gradualism. The objective was to get Arlene to start cuddling with Dan. It was not something she was used to doing when anyone else was around. The Gang and Rebecca believed that she wanted control of all access to Dan. Cuddling by Julie should bother her greatly.

Deciding the next steps in bringing Arlene along and when they should be implemented became a dominant discussion topic among the Gang.

A great deal of energy went into scheduling each day in a way that would keep Arlene off balance. As much as possible, they did not want to let her anticipate anything. Little things like serving breakfast before Dan was dressed one day, then waiting until he was dressed for work the next were examples. Sending her to the health club at seemingly random times was another example. Unpredictable work times for Dan, Irregular bedtimes, widely varying mealtimes, Dan taking her out for dinner at the last minute; the Gang came up with many ways to keep Arlene off balance and thus more under Julie's control.

Julie found time every day to explain to Arlene why she was doing what she did. Julie did not pull any punches, saying every day that success would come when Arlene begged Dan to make love to her. Arlene's expressions of disbelief never let up. She always stopped short of anything that would cause Julie to make the fatal phone call to Dan, though.