Now her cheeks are flushed red. “No.”

“I’m sorry for my misunderstanding; you said ‘female,’ and I immediately thought it was something to do with your body. Please tell me if there is anything I can help with.”

“No, it’s just I wanted some tips for how to be a good wife.”

I look at her considering what I could say, “I want you to be yourself. As simple as that sounds, it’s the truth. I don’t want you to try to be what you think I would want or what you think this culture demands of you.”

I can see on her face that she does not believe me, but it does not matter; it is the truth.

“I understand,” she says, and I almost smile. I know what she means; this is exactly what I want of her.

“Good, now where were we before we were interrupted?” I ask. “Oh, that’s right, you were going to show me something.” I go into the wardrobe and take out one of her old uniforms that says ‘valet.’ I give it to her.

“You want me to put it on?”

“I want you to wear that and masturbate in my bed like we are not married. Then I will come in and find you.”

She gives me a devious half-smile and begins putting on her uniform. “You have to go out,” she says. “Come back in five minutes and be sure to act how you would have done if I would have done this last week.”

“Oh, you can count on it,” I promise as I leave my quarters, take a short stroll around my corridor, and then come back after five minutes exactly. I walk into my quarters as I would have if I would have forgotten something, and I walk into my bedroom and I there’s Volunteer 4711 with her hand down the front of her trousers rubbing herself.

True to my word and staying in character, I say, “Volunteer 4711, what are you doing in my bed?”

“I’m so sorry,” she says, jumping up and straightening her trousers.

“Were you pleasuring yourself where I sleep?”

“I was. I’m sorry. I will wash your sheets immediately, Commander.” She goes to begin to take off the sheets.

“Stop. Smell the sheet. Do they smell like your desire for me?” I ask.

“I don’t know,” she answers.

“Well, get on the sheets and smell them.”

She gets on the bed and puts her nose next to the fabric where she was lying down. “I don’t think they smell like me; do you want to check yourself?”

I climb on the bed and tell her to lie down next to where she was lying before so that I can compare. I smell the sheets that, of course, smell nothing but clean and then tell her, “Pull down your trousers and show me where you were rubbing yourself.”

She slowly pulls her trousers down to show me her naked lower half.

“Take your trousers all the way off.”