There are a variety of fetishes in this story, including consensual violence and verbal abuse, raceplay, and watersports.
This is a tale of a different age, a time so long ago and yet not so long ago.
Cell phones did voice and nothing more. There was no Facebook, no social media. We still used the Yellow Pages, read news in the paper, and viewed porn in print magazines and DVDs. We talked to each other online under false names, making up this or that pseudonym and playing the field. It was a different culture on the net, one in some ways freer and more liberated than today.
This is a tale of those times.
Chapter 1
2001 it was. Spring.
Phil saw another handle enter the room.
Nycsubf,
she called herself. He had learned to be wary of obvious come-ons in female names. Far too often they turned out to be men.
Hi, how are you?
he messaged. Always keep it polite. Don't mention sex until she does.
On he went, with the usual introductory banter. My name is Phil. I'm from San Jose, California. Twenty-seven years old.
whats ur ethnicity,
she asked. Assuming it really was a she.
What makes you ask that?
just tell me,
she replied.
Calm down, he reminded himself. Stay positive. But how could he? In dating rooms it was this that often finished him off.
Black or white?
they'd ask. Sometimes they simply vanished on hearing his answer. Other times it was the photo that sent them packing.
I'm Asian,
he wrote.
oh great whats ur skin color
What did this mean? People in China or Japan or Korea are white, if the actual pigment in their skin counts for anything. But someone with black hair and narrow eyes doesn't count as
white,
in the sense that people now use the word. Race is a social construct, not biological.
Of course, not everyone who asked that question wanted a white answer. He'd occasionally run into women with a fetish for big black cock, which irritated him. Goddammit, the average black man's cock was only half an inch longer than the average white man's! And hadn't Masters and Johnson proved that, blindfolded, women can't even tell what size a cock is?
I'm brown,
he wrote.
Is that a problem?
Oh no, not at all! Can you send me a photo?
This was not going the way he planned. Phil didn't send photos until long after the woman had shown signs of attraction, which never happened before his strong points came out: his intellect and his writing skill. His looks were something he'd learned to keep hidden as long as possible.
Still, Phil noted that, suddenly, the girl was punctuating sentences correctly. Almost as if she was taking a greater effort to talk to him than her no-doubt endless other suitors.
I'll send you mine if you send yours,
he wrote.
To his surprise, she complied.
It wasn't a large picture, but it was a good one. Not model looks, but undeniably sexy. Clear brown eyes, plastered with thick makeup. Medium-length straight brown hair, but with a glossy look, as if a lot of product had gone into it. Pouty red lips, again with heavy lipstick. She looked made up, done over. It was attractive, yes, but it was not appealing.
Nonetheless, Phil didn't choose women on whether they were appealing, he chose them on whether they thought
he
was appealing. He had a photo that showed only his face, hiding his worst parts. He doubted that a hotshot like this would go for a visage like his. Unless her photo was fake, which could never be ruled out.
He sent it. This was the worst part, waiting for a response. More often than not, this was when the messages stopped coming.
Handsome devil,
she wrote.
What? Nobody said that who wasn't a blood relative.
Do you have any more pics?
she asked.
Yes, do you?
I'll email them. What's your address?
There had been some occasions when Phil had been incautious enough to give his email address to what turned out to be a bot. He wasn't going to make that mistake again.
First tell me some more about yourself.
I'm 26, live in NYC, work in consulting. I'm a sub. I have a thing for overweight Middle Eastern or South Asian men.
What in the world?
He'd never run into anyone with a fetish for brown-skinned men. Even some brown-skinned women did their best to avoid his sort. And he had never heard of any woman, anywhere, any time, with a fetish for the overweight.
There were
men
with such a fetish, he knew. There were men with every fetish one could imagine. Every major porn site had its "big beautiful women" category. He'd often been told that was the body type he should go for, one that would match his own. But he'd found approaching the overweight no easier than the thin and beautiful. Nor had he been any more successful.
My name is Sue,
she continued.
Email me.
She filled in her email address.
Her screen name faded. She'd signed out.
Now what? Well, she had sent him the address. Either this was one hell of a practical joke, or he had hit the jackpot. He sent a few more photos.
***
1997 it was. Fall.
Until his graduation from university, Phil had avoided dance clubs. He loved classical music and easy listening, not the loud throbbing music of a dance club. But you have to get out there, people told him. That's where you go to meet girls.
It was a long wait in line. There were plenty of beautiful girls, but most were already with a guy. Or in mixed groups. Was he supposed to approach girls when they were with a guy?
Inside, things were no better. The music was so loud! Some people were dancing, others were holding drinks and talking. How did they hear anything? Confused, Phil stood there, not sure what to do. This place was so strange and alien. How on earth was this hookup business supposed to work?
Finally, he saw one girl sitting by herself. Not very pretty, but what did that matter? Phil breathed hard, trying to remember his exercises from therapy. He forced one foot in front of the other, fighting back panic. Just keep walking. One step. Next. What's the worst she can do?
The girl noticed him gingerly stepping towards her, and looked at him, an expression of cool contempt in her face. The music fortuitously paused, between songs.
"Don't even try it," she said icily.
Phil felt his stomach clench, felt the knots tighten, felt the knife twisting inside. He turned away from the girl, his face twisting to avoid tears. Soon he was running, running as fast as his legs could carry him, out of the building and out to safety. To the nearest massage parlour.
***