by Amy Yao
It reminded her of one of the massive casinos in Las Vegas.
Every other building she had seen since landing had seemed fairly small. Even the airport terminal was barely 2 stories. But this thing looked like it was at least twenty or thirty. It was a huge hotel. She was amazed that the territory would even possess the population necessary to staff such a place, but she figured there were probably other small towns or cities elsewhere on the isle.
Their car, along with several others, pulled up in front of the main building.
Erika thought about taking her husband's hand, but then she decided against it.
A somewhat cruel thought occurred to her. Okay, so they were going to counseling, which meant that this was going to turn into a negotiation. They could call it whatever else they wanted, but negotiations meant winners and losers.
With a wicked grin, Erika promised that she was going to be the winner here.
It wouldn't be hard.
Sure, he was probably still somewhat upset over that one night where they fought. Did she feel guilty about it? Yes, mostly. Sometimes. If she tried really hard to think about it, she could see why he might have been hurt. But really, wasn't he supposed to be a guy? Wasn't he supposed to be able to get over that sort of thing?
And if this was going to be about creating new rules or guidelines or whatever, Erika wanted to make sure that they were going to be in her favor. So long as they were on vacation, she was going to be able to take control. It wouldn't be hard.
Suppressing a little giggle, she thought about the one advantage that women could always wield. Sex. As far as Erika was concerned, that could easily be turned into a very, very powerful weapon. Guys needed to get off, right? They needed that excitement, the plunge of a cock into her wet, eager pussy in order to feel like men?
Fine.
Erika could use that to her advantage. She was going to wield her leverage, and she was going to enjoy herself along the way.
The driver opened the trunk and promised to that their bags would be taken to their room. In the meantime, they needed to go to the lobby to hear the welcoming speech.
Erika stepped through the sliding glass doors. There were lots of other couples there, mostly people her age. There were a couple of older gentlemen in the crowd. Off to the left, there were elevator banks, at least four of them within her line of sight. At the center of the large lobby, however, a staircase seemed to dominate.
Standing at the top of that staircase, there was a young man and woman. He looked a little bit older than David. He stood there in a black suit with a black tie and a white shirt.
"Hello," he said, his voice reverberated through the room, carried by hidden speakers. He must've been wearing some kind of microphone, maybe under his lapel. "Gentlemen, I would like to welcome you to The Facility. Here, you will find all of the best amenities. We have a wonderful pool, a fully equipped gym, and a movie theater. I trust that you and your companions will have a wonderful time."
He paused, and several of the members of his audience started to clap. David and Erika joined in.
The applause died away a few seconds later, and he nodded. "First off, I would like to make it very clear that there are some rules we ask all of our guests to follow. Ladies, you will need to wear your choker at all times. This is for your safety and the comfort of the men on premises."
Erika heard those words, but she just glanced around. Some of the other girls seemed confused as well. Many of the women, however, just stared forward, maybe fuming slightly.
Instinctively, she reached up and touched the black leather again. She wondered if she was going to keep this on. Was she really supposed to wear it?
"While you are here, it's imperative that you understand there is a strict hierarchy. This is a facility dedicated to male supremacy. We believe in traditional values, where there is a structure and order to society. Women, you are people, obviously, so you have rights. But over the course of your stay here, you'll understand how rights, privileges, and obligations interact with one another. That is part of the beauty of our program."
Erika glanced over at David, but he made a point of not returning her attention.
She started to wonder exactly what they'd gotten themselves into. This was just going to be a vacation, right? Maybe they would have to go talk to a counselor once or twice, and they could do something stupid like trust falls.
Because really, if David actually expected some major change in their relationship, he was crazy. Erika knew who she was, what she wanted, and she was perfectly comfortable with her expectations of a relationship. David thought something was wrong, then it was his job to change, not hers. Even if she had said something rude or whatever, she didn't feel bad about it.
"For those of you who are new, I recommend that you spend some time in your rooms. There are lots of toys there for you." The manager paused for a few seconds, letting those words sink in.
In spite of herself, Erika shivered, and her nipples started to harden. She couldn't help but remember exactly what happened the last time she was with David, when he tied her to the bed. She squirmed slightly in place, her pussy dampening as she considered just how good it could feel to be touched, stroked, teased.
"For those of you who have been here before, feel free to initiate whatever protocols you like. Remember, The Facility is all about trust. Men, you are to be trusted with authority. Ladies, you will be trusted with submission."
Trusted with submission?
At this point, Erika really wanted to snort. If he really thought that she was just going to give up and act like some housewife from the fifties, he had another think coming.
"Oh, and one last thing. Gentlemen, feel free to use your controllers as liberally as you like. If you aren't familiar with them, we can always send a text support specialist up to your room to help you. But really, you should be able to figure it out without too much trouble. So yes, thank you for coming. I hope that you have an instructive and enlightening stay with us."
With every step, Erika seriously wanted to burst out laughing. David walked ahead, apparently more interested in finding their room than talking to her at this point. Erika didn't mind, not when she already knew what was going to happen.
Eventually, he found the room and used that same remote control to open the door. Yeah, that made sense.
Their suite was rather nice, a sitting room, a bedroom, a small kitchenette, and a large bathroom. They were on one of the top floors, so Erika immediately went over to the window, and she gazed outward. On the horizon, she found expansive blue: the ocean. Further in, she saw a plane as it rose up into the sky, getting smaller and smaller. Then there were the other buildings, probably some small town or something.
"What did you think of that manager guy?" Erika finally asked.
When she turned around, she saw her husband standing there, watching her.
He had been thinking about just how beautiful she was, how he wouldn't let her go, no matter how she had tried to change over the course of their relationship. When they first got together, she was sweet, kind, considerate. She really cared about him, and she seemed to respect him as a person. But now, he didn't know which of those traits, if any, could still be applied to his wife.
It was time.
Erika opened her mouth as she saw her husband take out the controller.
He lifted it up and pressed a button. And that's when everything faded away.
David stood there, still holding the controller up. His wife had relaxed, her shoulders easing down, her hands lightly dangling at her sides.
He walked over toward her, waiting for the spell to break at any moment. When he had first heard about what the collars could do, he wasn't entirely convinced. He didn't believe that this kind of technology existed, that a simple piece of leather with some microchips embedded with it would be able to entrance his wife so rapidly.
And yet, she didn't move. He took several deliberate steps in her direction. All the while, h
e expected her to jump up or flail her arms or maybe laugh about how that whole thing was stupid.
Instead, she stood there, her eyelids drooped slightly.
"Erika?"
She didn't respond.
He waved his hand in front of her eyes. But still, her expression was completely vacant. In this mode, she would stand there until prompted to do something else.
In spite of himself, David could feel his cock harden at the thought.
"Kneel," he said.
At once, she obeyed, getting down to her knees.
"Hold your hands behind your back."
She did that as well.
Give me a blowjob. The thought popped into his head, and he was really, really tempted to unzip his pants and take out his shaft. He pictured himself standing above her, pushing his hips forward, thrusting into her mouth. It would feel good.
But no. They had an appointment.
"Get up. Take my hand," he ordered.
Like some sort of automaton, Erika obeyed. She placed her hand in his, and he tugged, pulling her along. He took her out of the room.
"It's best if you let her behave normally for the first part of your counseling session," said the receptionist, a pretty redhead with a few freckles down the ridge of her nose.
David and Erika had just walked into the counseling area. There was a comfortable waiting room with plush beach chairs, dozens of magazines, all of which were up to date, and a TV off to one side. The screen was currently blank, but David was reasonably certain they would have pretty much every channel on the planet.
Again, he shook his head, marveling at this place.
He wondered how much money had gone into constructing The Facility. A lot. That much was obvious.
Just as he and Erika had sat down, he took out the controller again. He pressed a different button, and his wife blinked. She looked disoriented, confused. "We, weren't we just in the room?" She looked around.
"It's okay," David promised her.
Before Erika could ask anything else, the door opened, and a woman with black hair tied into a bun appeared. She had on a pencil gray skirt, one that reached just past her knees.
That surprised David. He didn't think the counselor would be a woman. Then again, he glanced over at the receptionist. Why was she wearing a collar?
If Erika noticed this discrepancy herself, she didn't say anything. Instead, David distracted her. He tugged on her hand, giving her a gentle and reassuring squeeze. Together, they got up, and they walked into the counselor's office.
"So is this the part we talk about our feelings and stuff?" Erika said. She was quickly shrugging off her disorientation. There must've been at least a few minutes there that she couldn't remember, but the idea didn't seem to bother her.
David had to wonder if she was just hiding her unease. Maybe she really didn't care. Perhaps it had to do with the collar itself? Those different possibilities bounced around in his head.
"Actually, this is the part where I talk," said the counselor. "Is that okay?" All through that, she had her attention pointed at David, not Erika.
Erika pulled her arms back. She crossed of them over her chest, and she leaned back. Obviously irritated with the counselor, she didn't say anything. They were pretty far from home, so she could play along, even if it was just going to be for a little while.
"My name is Miranda, and I'm going to be your counselor for the next couple of weeks. I see that you put on the choker like a good girl," the counselor said to Erika.
Like a good girl. Erika instantly bristled at that phrase. She never liked being addressed as though she were a child.
Miranda continued, heedless of Erika's expression. "The Facility is all about improvement. We are here to work on your relationship, to modify it, to make it more appropriate and suitable for your needs." In theory, she was talking to both of them, but Erika started get the impression that this counselor was more focused on impressing David.
What kind of sexist bullshit was that? Did Miranda automatically assume that David was in charge because he was the guy?
Still stewing, Erika decided not to say anything. And yet, she could feel her patience stretch. If this kept going, she didn't know how much she would be able to tolerate.
"Erika, do you know why you're wearing that collar?"
"Collar?"
"Yes. It's a collar."
Erika blinked, suddenly embarrassed. "I was thought of it more as a choker."
"A difference without a distinction," Miranda said, her expression chiding.
"If this is a collar, I'm not going to wear it," Erika insisted.
"Okay. You're free to try to take it off. But if you do, you should know that your husband may decide to punish you. After all, all of our female guests are obliged to wear their collars while they are at The Facility."
Erika had never referred to this place as The Facility. She never heard the term before. If she had, perhaps her animal instincts would have kicked in, and she would have sensed the danger to her free will.
"My husband won’t spank me," Erika insisted, her voice loaded with bravado.
"Actually, I will. You aren't allowed to take that off," David said to her.
Suddenly, he squeezed her hand as he turned to her.
Her lips parted, her mouth falling open. "What?" She blinked. "You can't be serious. If this is a collar, then there's no way I'm going to wear it."
He smirked, suddenly amused.
"What?" Erika sneered, her voice loaded with anger.
"You are willing to wear when you first showed up because you thought it was a choker. Now the word changes, and you get all upset?"
"Collars are for dogs and pets!"
"Yes, they are," Miranda said.
Erika focused on her husband for a few more seconds. But then, she decided to take the initiative. Her hands flew up toward her neck. She traced the leather band around her throat, all the way to the nape of her neck.
She touched the seam, her fingers moving along magnetic lock. Then she gripped the edges, and she pulled. Her biceps strained.
Getting the collar on had been simple. But now, it felt as though this thing was welded in place.
"I'm afraid those magnets are very strong," Miranda said, almost like she was commenting about the weather.
Erika didn't listen. A stubborn girl, she was determined to get that collar off of her.
"No! I'm not going to wear the stupid thing. I was indulging you before. I'm not going to do that anymore."
"Erika, this isn't about choice. This is about obedience."
Erika's hands flew back down from the collar, and she glared at the other woman. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"You are here for counseling." Miranda sounded obnoxiously serene. For a half second, Erika was seriously tempted to swipe her arms along the desktop, to knock every one of Miranda's possessions down onto the floor in a loud mess. Unperturbed, the counselor continued. "You are here because there is a serious problem in your relationship."
"We're here for a little bit of advice and some time on the beach." Erika snarled those words. Panting, she looked back down at her husband. He was still seated. "Tell her."
"No. Erika, we are here because there are serious problems in our relationship." He sounded equally calm. It was infuriating.
He reached up, and he took her hand. She was tempted to yank her fingers away, but his touch calmed her slightly.
"Erika, I know this is going to be very difficult, but this place will help you. We are all here to help you. We're going to teach you how to obey your husband, how to become a properly domesticated and subjugated woman."
Properly domesticated. Properly subjugated.
Those words didn't fit together, not for Erika. They didn't make sense. This woman may have as well have said something about how two and two somehow equals eight. It just didn't fit.
It would never fit. It could never fit.
"What are you talking about?"
> Miranda reached under her desk, and she took something out. When Erika saw the device, this strange sense of foreboding crashed into her, but she still didn't know what to do. The dark-haired counselor tapped the button, and all the anger vanished from Erika's mind.
Instantly, this odd sense of serenity began to flow into her.
"Have a seat," commanded the counselor.
Erika sat down again.
"I know that you want to be upset about this, and that is perfectly natural. It's not acceptable, but it is natural. For too long, you have been focused on your own independence. For many women, this is a great thing. Sexism is certainly a problem as there are females out in the world, individuals such as myself, who are capable of balancing their own needs and desires with the needs and desires of those around them. You, Erika, are not one of these individuals."
"Yes, I am," Erika said, and she kept waiting for the anger to surge through her again so that she could jump up, flip the desk, slap her husband, say something, anything. She needed to react. And yet, she couldn't.
It was like her brain had forgotten how to get angry.
"No, you aren't. Like right now, I'm about to modify the effects of your collar. I'm going to switch the mode, and you're no longer going to be able to lie to us."
"No. That's not possible," Erika said. "If this kind of technology existed, I would've heard about it."
"The world is a very big place. You really think you know how everything happens all across the planet, between more than 7 billion people?"
Erika opened her mouth, thinking she had a quick response. But now she didn't. Miranda was right. So many different things could happen. So many different developments could appear, only to remain hidden behind laboratory doors or stowed safely by governments and other powerful organizations.
"Ready?" Miranda didn't wait for an answer. She tapped another button on the controller.
For a second or two, Erika was tempted to grin, thinking that the device obviously hadn't worked. Okay, so maybe it could suppress her anger somehow, but it couldn't force her to say anything.