Never Go Back

Charlie picked up a small handbell from the coffee table and held it aloft.

"Are you ready for another beer, my friend?"

"I can't believe I'm going along with this" Joey sighed "Or that you went to the effort of buying a bell and costume specifically for it. We're never doing this again after this evening, okay? But fine, a beer might go down nicely. It's been a long day"

"I like it Joey, just enough resistance to make it seem like you don't approve of this, while allowing it to continue" Charlie teased "I can respect that"

She rang the bell a couple of times. Right on cue, Liv walked into the room, wearing nothing but a maid's cap and collar, and gave a curtsy.

"Master Joey, Mistress Charlie, how may I serve you?"

"Two more lagers from the fridge, please!" Charlie requested.

"As you wish, Mistress Charlie!"

As Liv scurried into the kitchen to carry out her duty, Joey turned to Charlie, who had developed a habit of snuggling up to him while they watched TV together that made it very difficult for him to bring himself to criticise her.

"Explain to me the tactical advantages of this particular manoeuvre on the battlefield?"

"Okay, first of all, battlefield? What is it you think I do for a living?" the agent responded "And secondly, I have to keep testing her. Those are my orders, so I may as well have some fun with it. That girl hasn't done a day's work in her life, and probably never will. She's living here for free, despite the fact she has more money than you or I ever will. I don't think her fetching us beers or pretzels a few times this evening is going to kill her"

Liv walked back into the room, holding two drinks aloft.

"Your refreshments as requested, Master Joey and Mistress Charlie. Would you like me to serve them to you?"

"Yes please, Olivia" Charlie nodded.

Joey felt a pang of guilt at how turned on he was as his naked girlfriend poured a beer into his glass, smiled and handed it to him, once again referring to him as her Master.

"That's very good Liv, you may retire to your quarters" Charlie praised her servant once her glass had also been filled.

"As you wish, Mistress Charlie"

Liv curtsied again before leaving the room.

"Okay, if you don't reverse this at the end of the evening, I will" Joey told Charlie.

"Are you sure?" she responded with a raised eyebrow "You don't feel like spending the night with Maid Olivia? I thought you two loved your role play?"

"What do you mean by that?" Joey asked quickly and defensively.

"I just wondered why, when I walked past your room last night, she was talking in an upper class British accent and referring to you as 'Your Majesty'?"

"Hey, that was all totally consensual!" Joey felt his cheeks burning a little "When we make love, Liv likes to pretend she's somewhere else"

"I can imagine"

"Fuck off!" Joey laughed despite himself "I mean, she likes me to put her into fantasy worlds. I'm there too"

"Really, you can do that?" Charlie's eyes widened in amazement.

"Sure, I just tell her she is in Hogwarts and I'm a wizard who can cast spells to make her clothes disappear and she feels like it's actually happening. Of course, I always add in safety words so she can get herself out of there in an instant if she stops enjoying it"

"Joey, that's amazing. There is so much potential in that!" Charlie enthused "You have to do it on me now"

"What?" Joey asked, a little too excitedly.

"Easy, tiger! I don't want to be sent into Harry Potter world or for you to give yourself wizard powers over me, and if you start making my clothes disappear we are going to have issues. I need to see how this works though. Just send me somewhere safe and normal. and for no longer than five minutes"

"Okay, where?"

"Use your imagination, I trust you at this point. Just make it somewhere in the real world, and somewhere nice"

"Okay then. You aren't in our apartment anymore. You are in your favourite childhood place, though you are still an adult. You will find that, in five minutes time, you teleport right back into our living room"

Joey waited for a moment for his words to take hold, then watched with a smile as a look of childlike wonder spread over Charlie's beautiful face. She was almost impossible to catch off guard, and he had never seen her look so utterly enchanted. It was very cute to witness.

"Joey, are you seeing this?"

"I'm just on the couch like normal, right next to you"

"This is all so real. It's exactly how I remember it. God, I'm getting quite emotional" Charlie stood up and began walking slowly around the room, taking in every imagined sight and reaching out to touch things that weren't there.

"I never thought I'd be back here" tears were forming in her eyes "I mean, I know I'm not really, but it feels just like I am. Thank you, Joey, for giving me this"

"Hey, it's my pleasure. I can send you wherever you want whenever you want" Joey promised, sensing his feelings for Charlie deepening, no matter how hard he tried to fight them.

"I wish you could be here with me, Joey. It's Christmas, and Arbat Street is completely lit up. It's so beautiful!"

Joey jolted. All of a sudden the gooey eyes he had been making at Charlie were replaced by a look of alarm as reality hit. Arbat Street was in Moscow.