Chapter 1

Julian Vaughan was not an easygoing man under normal circumstances. It was therefore hardly a surprise that he would make full use of the strange power given to him over other people. He had no idea that the Gods were laughing at his mundane thoughts and plans, so he started his workday the same way it had always began: he got up, shaved, brushed his teeth, showered, ate a hearty breakfast, and headed out to work at the local rag. Yes, Vaughan was a journalist; there was no other profession that ever interested him like investigative reporting.

He had been assigned to the consumer watchdog section of the paper for the past year and had proven his willingness to expose corrupt corporate practices to the public. However, there were several at the office who still regarded him as less than "columnist material". He knew that he would have to fight to get to the front page before even thinking of that. Political issues were the key to syndicated columns and op-ed pieces.

The problem with several of his colleagues was that his politics were not clearly defined or understood by anyone on the staff. They regarded him as too much of a "maverick" or "independent". He was seen as radical, but not partisan. Most of his co-workers assumed that he was a liberal, but they weren't sure.

Being a bachelor didn't help him with the editor and fellow reporters. He was frankly too "eccentric" to be trustworthy. He was leery of romantic entanglements, because he wanted to be in control of his life, not have someone else try to tell him how to live. He hadn't broken away from the orphanage and the nuns, even telling them off on his first day of freedom, just to be pushed around by a girlfriend or wife.

Vaughan was something of a disgruntled Catholic with an attitude about God that reflected his independent nature. If there was a Supreme Being, well then he would have to make a good case for himself. Simply being God was not reason enough for him to run Julian's life for him. If the Universe was anything to go by, Vaughan was unimpressed with this supposed personal deity's management style.

Arriving at work that day, Julian was jolted out of his normal routine abruptly by a simple remark and its consequences. He almost dropped his cup of coffee when Sandy, a loudmouth at the "lifestyle" part of the newspaper, did her usual groping ritual. One or more of the men always got fondled by the wannabe journalist, but this time it was at an inconvenient moment. It was acts like this which had cost the woman her two year marriage recently, due to jealousy over her mind games.

"Sandy, if you want to sleep with me, just say so! If not, stop this goddamned teasing and leave me alone!" he furiously declared.

"Julian, I want to sleep with you," she shocked everyone by saying in front of everyone in the kitchen.

"See, what was that so hard? Well, answer me!" Vaughan demanded.

"Yes, it was intimidating. Julian, I am horny and just want some guy to pound the shit out of me, but I fear rejection! What if I'm not sexy enough? I don't care about love. I'm still on the rebound. I just have needs, thank you. I want your attention. It always worked with other men, but you seem immune to it," Sandy suddenly admitted to him as the whole office listened.

"Very well. Meet me after work at exactly 6 pm. Don't be a second late. Prove that you're interested by going home with me and letting me fuck you out of your mind. Until you show me that you mean business, don't bother me at all during work for anything not job-related," Julian instructed her.

Oddly, Sandy did exactly as Vaughan ordered her. She still teased other guys, but not him. However, she had a look on her face that showed her fear and admiration of Julian. Clearly, she knew that with him she would have to "put up or shut up". He wasn't the kind of man who liked having blue balls.

When he left work that evening, Sandy was waiting at his car. She evidently intended to obey his wishes. She also seemed resigned to servicing him. For some bizarre reason, she was unable to defy him at all. After they got to his place, Julian commanded her to sit on the sofa until further notice. He had to figure out just how he had mysteriously mesmerized her into absolute obedience to him. They were colleagues, but she was automatically doing whatever he told her, without even thinking about it.

Vaughan also wanted to decide what to do with her. He could leave her alone and instruct her to do the same, but that lacked the satisfaction that he would get from dominating her life. After all of the frustration she had caused him, he deserved some fun at her expense. What better pleasure than to make her focus on his needs for a change, ahead of her own desires and feelings? Slavery seemed the right penalty for her treatment of him and the other men at the office.

The great thing was that she wouldn't make any sexual harassment claims if he forbade her to file them. (Of course, her actions made "sexual harassment" seem a silly charge anyway.) He was all for freedom and equal rights, but something or someone had other plans for him. He had the power to overrule the decisions of others. Only an imbecile would fail to use that power.

"Stand up and bend over, Sandy," Julian finally told her.

She promptly did as he said, but she privately feared what he might do to her. All day long, she kicked herself for not being able to resist him. She was only having some fun and making sure that the men at the paper knew that she was available. She never intended to irritate any of them. Flirting had always been her way of getting the men to appreciate her.