by W. Arthur
Cam Nichols parked in the visitor parking spot in front of a sign that read, 'Kingman Design'. He checked the clock on the dashboard. The big blue numbers read 9:52. He nodded. His job interview was scheduled for ten. He got out of the car, a late model Toyota Avalon, and checked his appearance in the side mirror. He was wearing his standard interview outfit: dark gray suit, white shirt, burgundy tie, and black wingtips. The outfit was perhaps a bit retro, especially for a borderline millennial, but he felt comfortable in it and knew the formality attracted the right kind of attention, especially from women.
He also understood very well the importance of this interview. He had gone through five jobs in the past six years and was running out of companies that needed his particular expertise as a computer design engineer. He knew from his research that Kingman was a relatively new company that, in a short time, had acquired a reputation for quality work.
"Don't blow this, Nichols," he told himself as he opened the all-glass front door, clutching a leather brief case.
He was immediately greeted by a receptionist who appeared to be all of twenty-one or twenty-two. The wood plate on her desk read, Jenny Saunders. "May I help you," she asked in a soft pleasant voice.
He gave her his best smile, one that had charmed more than a few women over the years. "Yes, I am Cam Nichols."
She returned his smile. "Yes, Mr. Nichols. Ms. Kingman is expecting you." She pressed a button on the intercom box on her desk. "Mr. Nichols is here, Ms. Kingman."
"Very well," a female voice crackled through the box. "Please send him back."
Jenny shifted her gaze back to Cam. "Ms. Kingman will see you now. Her office is the first door on the left. Just go down the corridor and you will see the sign on the door. May I get you anything - coffee, water?"
I wouldn't mind spending about fifteen minutes with you in a private room. But he knew better than to say this out loud. "Thank you, Ms. Saunders," he said. "Perhaps later."
He moved past her and through an open door that led to a wide corridor. On the right side of the corridor was a large room that contained several cubicles. From what he could see, each cubicle was occupied with a young person studying a computer screen. Very typical for this type of organization, he thought.
He walked about twenty more feet until he saw a door to the left. The plate on the door read, "Human Resources, M. Lynn Kingman, vice-president." He stopped and knocked gently.
A female voice - the same voice he had heard over the intercom - said, "Please come in."
He pushed open the door and stepped inside the palatial office, furnished in the finest wood and aluminum trim. He quickly scanned the office before his eyes settled on the middle-aged woman sitting behind the massive desk. When he saw who it was, he did a double-take.
"Oh... crap!"
The woman behind the desk stood up and chuckled. "I thought you might say something like that," she said. "Hello, Cam."
"You fooled me with the name," he said. "Didn't you used to be Mazy Sharp?"
"I never liked the name Mazy," she said. "And I got rid of the last name when I divorced that lying bastard of a husband five years ago. Kingman is my maiden name, and I was glad to get it back."
Cam took a deep breath while memories, most of them unpleasant, swirled around in his brain. "So... Ms. Kingman... is there any point to me even being here?"
Ms. Kingman resumed her seat. "Please sit down, Cam, and let's talk."
Cam nodded and sat down in one of the padded visitor chairs facing the desk. He knew better than to say anything - let her make the first move. He stared at the plant-lined window behind her.
She settled back in her leather office chair and folded her hands in front of her. "Let's clear the air," she said. "What you did to my sister, lying, cheating, humiliating her... well, let's just say that's hard to forgive. But it was seven years ago, and she learned her lesson and recovered. She's now married to a decent man and has a baby."
"I'm very glad to hear it," Cam said weakly, his brain still filled with memories of the two-year marriage he had with Mazy's younger sister, Lexie.
"So... let's talk about you," she said. She shifted her gaze to some papers in front of her. "Your resume is very impressive, as is your reputation as a computer engineer. We are a young company, still growing, and could use your skill set."
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. I also see on your resume that you've had five jobs in the past six years. Why have you gone through so many jobs?"
"Well, I did what they asked me to do and I guess I just got bored. I need a challenge."
She huffed. "Perhaps. But I've done some research and discovered something that didn't surprise me at all, considering what you did to my sister."
"What's that?"
She sat up straight and looked him in the eye. "You're a chronic womanizer who can't seem to keep his dick in his pants. The HR director over at Sterling said you even tried to seduce the wife of their best customer. You simply can't be trusted, especially around women."
Cam shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Uh... Mazy... Ms. Kingman... I can explain."
She huffed once again. "No, you can't," she said. "We are new and attempting to grow our customer base. Our image is very important to us. My brother runs a tight ship, so to speak. And to extend that metaphor, we can't afford to have a loose cannon on deck, especially one that likes to fire at every pretty young thing he sees."
Cam wanted to respond to that last insult, but found he couldn't, because it was mostly true, and he knew it. He liked women and wanted them to like him - a lot. "What do you want me to say? That I'm sorry I'm such a bastard?"
She laughed. "That would be a good start," she said. "But it's not enough. If we hire you, we need assurances that you won't mess up, that you won't destroy the chemistry in the organization. Besides myself, we have five women working here. You've met Jenny, and I'll bet you've already set your sights on her. We can't allow that kind of behavior in the office. Besides, I'm still mad at you for the way you hurt Lexie. I probably should let it go, but I can't."
He thought for a moment. She was correct in what she was saying, and he knew it. But still, he needed the job and believed he was right for it. "Look... I need the job and you need the expertise I bring to the organization," he said. "I can change. How can I convince you? What would satisfy you?"
Her eyes widened; she rubbed her hands together. "You know, Cam, you don't know how many times I've dreamed of this moment, of having you in front of me like this, vulnerable. Ever since that day seven years ago when Lexie came to me, crying and telling me all about how you were cheating on her, I have thought about what I would do to you if I ever got the chance."
Cam swallowed hard. He knew he should just get up and walk out, forget all about Kingman Design. There were other companies out there somewhere, and he knew he could find them if he looked hard enough.
But some voice inside him told him to stay and see what happens. After all, she hadn't told him no. Maybe if he played along, he could still get the job, a job too good to pass up. "What did you decide?"
"My first thought was to cut your balls off with a dull knife," she said without even a hint of humor in her voice. "But I realized that was a bit too extreme."
He swallowed hard again, as his brain filled with the thought of how much it would hurt to be castrated in such a manner. "Did you come up with an alternative... something a little less extreme?"
She smiled. "Yes, I did."
"Uh... what is it?"
Her smile widened so that she was showing all of her perfect teeth. "Something Lexie should have done when she first suspected you were cheating on her. Something your parents should have done when you were growing up but obviously didn't."
"What?"
"Okay, Cam. Here's the deal. I will hire you on a ninety-day probationary contract." She paused and looked at him. "But first, in order to qualify for the job and to assure me that you will change and follow my instructions to the letter, you will drop your pants and bend over the desk."
"What? Drop my pants and bend over the desk? Is that what you just said?"
"Yes, it is. Don't tell me you're hard of hearing."
"But... why?"
"Close the door."
"Again, why?"
She stood up behind the desk. "I don't think you're going to want anyone outside to see or hear what is about to happen. Close the door."
He stood and closed the door. "What's about to happen?"
"Part two of the interview," she said. "Let's see how well you can accept punishment."
"What do you mean?" Again, he wondered if Mazy Lynn Kingman was crazy, just as he had suspected so many years ago.
"You know, Cam, you ask way too many questions," she said. "But you're about to get the answer to one of them right now. You asked what I decided. Well, I decided that if I couldn't cut your balls off, I could at least give you a paddling you would never forget, so that's what is about to happen." She reached into a drawer in her credenza and pulled out a wooden fraternity-type paddle. "Now, if you want the job, drop your pants and bend over the desk. Otherwise, get the hell out of my office and my company... and, forget about ever working in this industry again. After I get done smearing your name all over the area, you'll be lucky to get a job as a mid-level programmer in a startup that pays minimum wage."
"You can't do that!"
"Don't underestimate me, Cam. Don't underestimate my resolve. You deserve to be punished, and that's what you're going to get... one way or the other. Your choice, but you must make your choice immediately, as I have no more time to waste with you."
He tried to think. "And... if I submit to this, things will be square between us?"
"I don't think things will ever be completely square between us, Cam. But paddling you will give me some small sense of satisfaction and help you to earn my trust. Plus, you'll have some idea what to expect if you even appear to be straying from your job or the company's mission. Is that clear enough for you?"
Yes, it was clear enough. Still, he was stunned by the turn of events. Quickly, he tried to analyze the problem, to look at it as an exercise in logical decision-making. A paddling and humiliation in exchange for a good job, job security, and possible forgiveness from a crusading former sister-in-law.
While he was formulating a decision, Mazy slapped the palm of her left hand with the paddle. "Cam, you need to make a decision right now! What's it going to be?"
"All right," he said, accepting that he had no real alternative and hoping that she wouldn't be too hard on him.
Not to be reposted, reproduced or distributed, in part or whole.