O'Riordans was fairly empty at 6 PM on that particular Tuesday. The place had a distinctive, unpleasant odor (stale beer and vomit, most likely). All three of the back booths were unoccupied. I ordered a myself a Diet Coke at the bar, and sat down at a booth in the corner that seemed like it would offer the most privacy, as no other tables were very close to it. I sipped my soda and looked nervously towards the entrance, hoping against hope that Paul might have lost his nerve. After all, I was pretty sure that what he was threatening to do was illegal. However, I knew little about the law and figured I'd better hear him out before jumping to any conclusions. I also thought that perhaps I could reason with him about the importance of maintaining academic integrity. Surely, he would understand that by inflating his, Kelly's and Anna's grades, it would devalue the grades of everyone in the college, including their own.
Nevertheless, driving over, it occurred to me that I probably should have brought along a tape recorder to record our conversation. But I wasn't even sure THAT was legal. While sitting there waiting, it dawned on me that I might be able to record him with my iPhone somehow. My knowledge of technology rivaled my knowledge of the law; it was nearly nonexistent. I did a quick Google search, however, and discovered that it indeed was possible to record an external conversation with my iPhone.
Following the directions that I read on Google, I hit record on my Voice Memos app and put my phone back in my pocket. I figured that I could always research the legality of recording conversations without consent later. For the moment, I was chiefly concerned with protecting myself. Meanwhile, I continued to wait.
Paul finally sauntered into the bar at around a quarter past 6. This was deliberate, no doubt. He was demonstrating that he was the one in control; I was adhering to his timetable, not the other way around. He sat down confidently on the seat across from me and put his iPhone on the table. As I had mentioned previously, Paul was tall and slender. He was dressed in jeans, a T-shirt and sneakers. I really had not paid close attention to his physique in class, but sitting across from him, I noticed that he was quite muscular beneath his shirt, especially around his shoulders and neck.
"Put your phone on the table next to mine, Rollins."
"Why?"
"Just do it."
For whatever reason, I did as he commanded. Perhaps it was because of the authoritative tone of his voice. Perhaps it was because I was worried that he was in a position to damage my reputation. Perhaps it was simply what Brooke had said to me on numerous occasions-- that I was fundamentally a beta male, unwilling and/or unable to stand up for myself when challenged by an alpha male. Or alpha female, for that matter.
"Power down your phone. I would too, but I think you're going to want to see some of the photos in my library."
I again followed his command. That was to become the defining characteristic of our relationship going forward, as you shall see. So much for recording our conversation.
He said, "What are you drinking, Rollins?"
"A Diet Coke."
"Get me a pint of the IPA they have on top. You probably should get yourself something stronger than a soda. I have a feeling you're gonna need it."
"Aren't you under age? I could get in trouble for buying you a beer."
"I'll be 21 in a few months. I drink here all the time and know most of the bartenders. I live just down the road. You don't need to worry about getting into trouble. Now, bring me my beer."
After I returned the table with his IPA and my refilled Coke, he said, "You're sticking with soda, I see. Suit yourself. How much time do you have? I know you have other masters to serve."
"Other what? What are you talking about?"
"I asked you a question. How much time do you have?", Paul repeated, firmly.
"I'm expected home by 7:30."
"Why?"
"I'm cooking my wife dinner tonight."
"You mean Brooke. That's her name, right?"
"Yes."
"I bet you cook dinner more than occasionally. And what about Luke? Are you cooking dinner for him as well? Don't lie to me. I'm eventually going to find out the truth, and you will seriously regret it if I ever find out you're lying to me."
"Yes, I'm cooking dinner for both of them."
"I figured. Alright, I wanted to know how much time we have. We have quite a bit to cover in a limited amount of time. By 'other masters,' I mean that, effective immediately, you have a new master to serve. Well, two actually. I told you on the first day of class that I'm a dominant guy. Kelly knew that when she convinced me to take your class. That was after she and Jake saw you cleaning Luke's truck wearing a pink speedo. Hearing about that, and about you teaching a class on male masochism, I was naturally intrigued. Anna and I get off on dominating and humiliating betas like you. We live together in a condo just a couple of miles away from here. You'll get to know it well. Kelly and Jake are our good friends. They haven't owned slaves like Anna and I have, but they enjoy a little domination, too, now and again. It's a bit more recreational for them, whereas Anna and I are pretty serious about it."
"Look, Mr. Betz, I don't know what misconception you're operating under that makes you think I'm going to change your grades because you tell me to, or serve as your slave or something, just because I am teaching a class on male masochism. But I..."
"Shut the fuck up, Rollins. I'm not operating under any misconception whatsoever. It's obvious that you're submissive to your wife and Luke. A submissive cuckold. Luke is her ex-husband, right?"
"Yes. How did you know that?"
"Rumors get around. I guess she must have missed him. Looking at the two of you, it's not hard to understand why. Anyone who washes his wife lover's truck dressed the way you were, or polishes his wife's lover's boots in public dressed the way you were, is obviously more than just a run of the mill cuckold. You're obviously some kind of serious masochist. I was sincere when I said that I was mistaken for questioning your credentials to teach the class. You were even polishing Neil Lawson's boots, for fuck's sake. That's seriously kinky! What's that all about? Are you submissive to him as well? Your fellow professor?"
"Of course not. We were at a Ren fair! I was just playing a part. I drew the short straw and had to be the page. That's all it was, nothing more."
Paul laughed, dismissively. "Just like you simply lost a bet, which is why you were washing Luke's truck dressed in a pink speedo, right? 'Nothing to see here folks.' Get real, Rollins. No one's going to be stupid enough to buy that bullshit. Especially knowing the kind of stuff you're teaching. And all of the feminine shit you wear to class. Kelly said you didn't used to dress that way before you got married. When photos start mysteriously appearing on social media and in people's inboxes
around campus, it's basically just going to confirm everybody's suspicions about you. But I'm sure people will be surprised by the extent of it. Of your submission, I mean. Why don't you take a look at some of the candid shots of you I have on my phone. Don't worry, I keep them in a password protected secret photo vault." He smirked at me.
After punching in a code, he handed me his phone and directed me to scroll through the pictures with my finger. There were at least a dozen shots, each more humiliating and high resolution than the one before it. A crystal clear shot of me kneeling before Neil in my white tights and page boy haircut, buffing his boots. The same scene from two additional angles, one in which Neil's face was plainly visible, a self satisfied smile on his face. Another one showed him kissing Laura as I worked. Clear individual shots of me cleaning and buffing the shoes of Paul, Anna, Kelly and Jake. Another of me cleaning Luke's boots (taken later, obviously with the phone camera's zoom lens, as it was a little pixelated). Shots of me in the pillory, both from the front and back. The rear shot showed my tights-clad ass fully exposed, and the sign inviting people to punish me with the tawse (also evident). Another shot of me in the jousting stadium, standing, with my erection tenting out my tights; I was trying to turn away, but both my face and erection were clearly visible. Much to my surprise, there were also a few shots of me in the pink speedo cleaning Luke's truck. One was of me on my knees, scrubbing a hubcap with a toothbrush. There was another shot of me from behind, scrubbing the fender with a sponge, and a third one of me staring directly at the camera, my belly fat protruding from beneath the cuckold horns T-shirt and my erection protruding from beneath the pink spandex. These must've been taken by Kelly's boyfriend, Jake, because I had really been focusing most of my attention on her. I suppose that stumbling upon me that day in such a compromising position was just too remarkable to let go by undocumented. Still, I had no idea when he could've possibly taken them. The same was true of the photos from the Ren fair. I was so humiliated on both of these occasions that I must not have been very observant, I suppose. Now, however, seeing these pictures for the first time in the bar, I was absolutely gobsmacked.