This story's theme is partly non-violent domination, and contains scenes of humiliation and submission.
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For Paul Lombardo, Wednesday was just another day. A day closer to Saturday and the weekend, and when he arrived for work that morning, Paul had no idea how much is life was about to change. What began as a quiet day, yet another in a series of such days as the company struggled along with the rest of the economy, turned into something a whole lot different.
***
"You have been a busy boy," Rawle Johnson said as he leafed through the papers he held in his hands, and as Paul Lombardo looked at the long and impeccably manicured nails of the distinctive looking black man in the Armani suit who was his boss, he realized his life was over.
"Just on break time," Paul managed to say, and he cringed when his voice broke as it often did during tense moments.
That was probably why he was where he was, Paul thought, a nervous 40 year old man who had been in his same middle-level position at the company for the last 11 years. A competent guy who shrank from the spotlight and tried to go along and get along with everybody.
Rawle Johnson, on the other hand, was the dynamic leader type. The kind of guy who had you doing things his way whether you wanted to or not. Not even 30 yet, he had soared to his management position in no time.
There had been mumbles about his meteoric rise to the top, mostly from people who thought he got that far that fast because of his skin color, but soon even his biggest detractors had to admit that the man had it. The fact that the company was still going at all, while the competitors in the field had withered and died, spoke of his talents.
"Everybody may do it," Rawle Johnson said, his bass voice resonating in the office, and as he rose and walked around the room, his muscular 6'3" body seemed even more intimidating to Paul, whose shirt was seeping up the perspiration that was oozing out of his every pore. "And if they are, they will find themselves where you are today."
Paul was busted, and busted cold. While he had been surfing the web, it seemed like a harmless enough thing, but as his boss had already mentioned several times, it was against the rules and he had known that.
What made it worse was that Mr. Johnson had a list of Paul's every visit to each website over the past several months, and as Paul recalled where his surfing had led him, he shrunk even deeper into the seat.
"You are married, aren't you?" Mr. Johnson asked.
"Yes sir," Paul responded. "Twelve years."
"I guess that's why you don't look at this stuff at home," Mr. Johnson opined. "The little lady probably wouldn't approve."
"It's not that," Paul said, and was going to explain that Diane wasn't a prude, and they had even watched porn together from time to time, but stopped.
"That's your wife in the picture back on your desk, I assume?" Rawle Johnson asked, and when Paul nodded he continued. "Cute little thing. I'm guessing that she would be shocked if she knew about your interests, am I right?"
"I was just - curious," Paul croaked.
"Your curiosity seems to be rather focused," Mr. Johnson said, waving the papers that had the IP addresses listed along with the website names highlighted, in pink no less.
"Let's see here," Mr. Johnson said as he held the papers in front of Paul's face. "These look familiar to you? Why don't you read them out loud for me and let me know if any of these are incorrect and that you haven't looked at them here."
"You - you know what they are."
"Read them," Mr. Johnson said.
"His First Black Man," Paul began, biting his lip as he read. "Salt and Pepper. Slave For Black Cock. Black On White. White Boys Sucking Big Black Dick."
"Interesting," Mr. Johnson said. "Does the missus know you're gay?"
"I'm not gay," Paul blurted out.
"That's right," Mr. Johnson said, leaning back away from him after taking the papers away from him. "You're just curious."
"Look, I'll never do anything like that again," Paul promised.
"How long have you been with the company? Ten years?"
"Eleven," Paul said.
"Long enough for you to know that using company computers for personal business is strictly forbidden," Mr. Johnson said. "The fact that these are all pornographic websites only makes it worse. It seems that you have three choices. Resign is the easiest one."
"I can't," Paul whispered, as he thought about how impossible it would be to find a job today out there.
"Then there's me calling security and have them help you empty your desk and escort you out of the building," Mr Johnson suggested.