I was new in the office, hired through a newspaper ad. I'd noticed the handsome man in the cubicle next to me and we'd flirted a little. Maybe this job wouldn't be so bad after all? I hadn't finished my first day of full work when I received an email on the personal account they had set up for me. There was no subject, but when I opened the email it simply said:
Go to the bathroom. Take off your panties and throw them in the trash, return to your desk.
I didn't recognize the sender's email, but it was from within the company. I decided that if it was cubicle cutie, it was worth some flirting. I deleted the email and walked to the bathroom. When I closed the door on a stall, I realized how insane this seemed. Would I get fired for this? The emails had to be monitored. But if I didn't respond to them, there was no paper trial, right? No one could pin anything on me. Besides, I hadn't been laid in weeks. I needed the excitement. I reached under my skirt, pulled down my thong and on my way out of the bathroom, threw it in the trash. Who would know anyway? Harmless. And truth be told, I kind of liked feeling naughty at work.
I spent the rest of the morning filling out forms and submitting paperwork for clients, but before lunch I checked my email. There was the address again, and a new email. I opened it:
Good girl. Meet for lunch in executive office, top floor. Secretary will show you in.
My heart pounded. I would not only be fired, but repremanded by management before I left? Shit. I could just leave, not come back. I grabbed my purse and prepared for the worst as I pressed the top floor button on the elevator. I was flushed, my heart was racing and I was walking into an even more humiliating situation. How many higher-ups knew about this? Shit, shit, shit.
When the elevator door opened, an older uptight woman with graying hair stood up from behind her desk and waved me to a door. She looked me up and down and shook her head before sitting back at her desk and looking busy.
The office was typical; heavy, dark furniture and black leather. One man was seated behind the large desk. He stood and shook my hand before motioning for me to sit facing him.
"Page." It was a statement, not a question.
"Yes, sir." I thought my formality would save face a bit.
"You received an email today. You obeyed the instructions."
"Sir, I can explain."
"Explain? No. I would rather you listen." I felt my face light on fire with embarassment and waited for my termination. "Page, my name is Nick. I'm the VP. I'd like to sign you on to special position in the company, if you're willing to accept."
"Special position?" I was shocked. I had been ready to be let go.
"I'm in need of an .... assistant of sorts. You have proven yourself a worthy candidate, willing to follow instructions without question."
"But Sir, if you'd let me explain ..."
"No need. I'll make the offer, you tell me of you can meet my expectations." He raised his eyebrows in my direction with such an authoritative air that all I could say was,
"Yes, Sir."
"I like your formality." He smiled and put his hands behind his head, "The job is simple. You do as you are instructed thoughout the day, I give you the title, "Assistant to the Vice President" and you're given a healthy salary with full benefits. Today."
"Today?"
"It's a one-time offer. I have a simple contract for you to sign, privacy policy and such. But it's only valid for today."
I was confused. But the salary ... now that I couldn't refuse could I? "May I see the contract?" he threw the paper on the desk in front of me. It was short, as he'd implied. The salary figure was outstanding, the benefits were amazing ... and the only thing I could see that I was agreeing to was not to divulge any information about my work within the company. Seemed fine to me. I signed my name.
"That was a quick decision. No questions?"