One day as I was sitting at my cubicle when my boss came around to speak to me. I was twenty-seven at the time and working in the accounting department at an insurance agency. My boss' name was David H. Baldwin, but he preferred to be addressed as Mr. Baldwin. He was in his early fifties. He was tall and handsome with dark brown hair and gray sideburns.
"I need to see you in my office," he said before walking away. I thought over possible reasons for why he wanted to see me. Then I stood up and followed him into his office.
"Have a seat," he said. I sat down in the chair in front of his desk not knowing what to expect next. He closed the door and sat down at his desk. "It's come to my attention that you've been using the Internet inappropriately on company," he said.
"What?"
"Don't act surprised. I found out through our IT department. You know that we keep tabs on these sorts of things. And you should've been smarter than this. We don't have room at our agency for time wasters."
"I...I don't know what to say."
"That's okay, because I'm afraid I have to let you go."
"Wait, I can explain."
"Save it. The decision has already been made. I need you to clean out your cubicle immediately."
"But I can't lose this job."
"Well, you should've thought about that before you starting looking up pics of women's feet online when you were supposed to be working," he said with a grin and my face turned as red as a tomato. I couldn't believe how busted I was.
"There has to be some misunderstanding. Maybe someone else used my computer," I said.
"Do yourself a favor and just leave while you still have some dignity intact."
"Please. Don't fire me Mr. Baldwin. I'll never do it ever again."
"Just go, Mr. Levin. Don't make a scene."
"I'll do anything. Just let me keep my job."
"Anything?"
"Yes." He stared at me for a few moments, which I felt was a good sign. As I stared into his face, I could tell that he was thinking of something.
"I'll tell you what. If you can complete a task for me, I'll think about keeping you here," he said.
"Sure. What's the task, sir?" At that moment, he placed his feet on top of his desk and I was afraid of what he was going to ask me to do.
"Well, my feet have been crammed inside these uncomfortable shoes all day and I need them massaged. You think you can do that for me?"
"Uh, I think so," I said. Being a straight man, I didn't like the idea of having to pamper another man's feet. But I didn't have much choice.
"Good," he said as he began to untie his expensive leather shoes. As he removed them, I moved my chair to be in a better position for him. I stared at his dressed socked feet and the closer I got to them, the more I could smell them. I wrinkled up my nose as Mr. Baldwin wiggled his toes. Then he placed them in my lap and I started rubbing his soles while trying to breathe through my mouth. I worked my thumbs up and down his arches, and I could feel how damp they were. "I need you to put a little more effort into it. Remember, your job's on the line." I began pressing more firmly with my thumbs as I worked the balls of his feet. "That's better," he said. He watched as I worked his tired, smelly feet and he seemed to be enjoying it. I scanned my eyes around his desk as he began working on his computer. After a few minutes of rubbing his feet, I was starting to get bored. But I continued rubbing for another ten minutes as I frequently glanced up at my watch. "That'll do for now," he said pulling his feet away from me.
"So, do I get to keep my job?" I asked.
"Yes, for now. But I expect you to be of more service to me," he said.
"Yes, sir," I said.
"Good. I want to see you back here tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. And don't be late."
***
The next day, I showed up to his office. He was sitting at his desk, typing away on his keyboard. I stepped inside and closed his office door. He stopped typing and placed his feet on his desk without saying a word, as I stared at the soles of his shoes for a few moments. "Well?"
"Uh..."