Double Standards

***All characters are over 18 and are fictional. Any resemblance to any real-life persons or situations is purely coincidental.

Formerly written a different title, but removed for a rewrite. I hope you enjoy.

.....

This all began a few months ago when Nate was working late one evening. He worked for an advertising firm, and had been working hard on a new campaign for their automobile account. His fiancé, Lila, didn't like him working late so much but he heard there was an executive position opening up soon and wanted to work hard to prove to his firm's partners that he was the man for the job. He wanted to move up in the company and get a good raise to start a family with Lila after they got married.

He probably could've taken his work home with him, but he found that there was a lot of peace and quiet in the office when everyone left for the day. He thought he was all alone until he heard a knock on his office door.

"Come in," said Nate.

In walked one of the firm's top account executives and his immediate supervisor, Janet Taylor. He didn't know she was also working late; she usually lets people know when she does.

"Working late again?" she asked.

"Yeah, but I'm almost done."

"Show me what you have."

He stood up from his chair and laid out the campaign plan on his desk. Janet walked around the desk and stood close to him as he explained to her his ideas. As he went through the campaign idea, he felt her slowly moving closer to his body. When he was finished, she was practically right up against him. He pretended he didn't notice, and as far as he knew he didn't think Janet realized she as getting too close.

"This is good stuff," she said. "Let me make a couple of suggestions, though."

She pointed out a couple of small details that needed to be ironed out and how he should go about fixing them. As she explained this, she gently pushed her body against his. It was all he could do to pay attention to her words and not her breasts touching his arm.

Janet was a few years older than Nate, about 35; she had long auburn hair and a great body. Every guy in the office had a crush on her, and every woman hated her.

"After you fix those details, this should be perfect. Do you think you can handle that?" she asked.

"No problem," he happily replied.

"Great, bring it by my office tomorrow when you're ready. Also, good work."

She patted him once on the ass and walked out of his office. The pat was firm but quick, and he wasn't sure if she was making a pass at him or just making a friendly gesture. He decided it was just his dirty mind messing with him and there was nothing suggestive about it.

.....

The next day, Nate finished up with suggestions, while adding a few additional details of his own, and brought them to her office. She sat behind her desk as he explained the revised version of the new campaign. She asked questions, and he answered them perfectly. From the look on her face, he could tell that she liked what she was hearing. Everything was going professionally well, and he assumed the pat on the ass he received the night before meant nothing.

"Great job," she said with a smile. "Our clients will be coming in this Friday; we'll pitch them this exact idea."

"Wonderful, thank you Janet," he said, feeling very pleased. "I'll go to work on my next project now."

He gathered his things and was preparing to walk out the door when Janet stopped him.

"Just one last thing, Nate," she said. "Can you do a little turn for me?"

He wasn't sure why, but he did as she asked and spun around once.

"I mean slower," she said.

He did it again, this time slower for her.

"Is there a reason for this?"

"No," she said, smiling. "You can leave now."

It wasn't until after he got back to his office when he realized why she wanted him to turn around was so she could check out his body. Now he was sure that last night's the pat on the ass meant something much more. His own boss was hitting on him.

He has heard about this countless times from other people in the company, from what friends told him happened at their workplace, from the news, and so on. But usually, those stories were about men harassing women, not the other way around. He knew it could happen; women do harass men in the workplace, but it's not as common as when men do it.

He decided to stop thinking about it and focus back on his work, hoping that it was all just part of his wild imagination. Or if it was real, he should just let it go.

Later that day, he got into an argument over the phone with Lila about working late so many nights. He was planning on going home on time today, but after the argument, he decided to just stay a couple of extra hours. He completely forgot about Janet until she walked into his office.

"Working late again, I see," she said. "You need to take a break."

"No rest for the wicked," Nate replied. "How about you?"

"I'm very wicked," she replied with a wink.

Nate pretended not to notice the wink. At this point he figured she was just being a little flirty. He knew a lot of women who did that with men, even when they're not interested in them. A couple of Lila's friends like to flirt with him a little just for fun.

Janet continued. "I was about to go home myself until I saw you were still in your office. Do you mind if I see what you've got?"

"Sure, I'm just about done."

She walked around his desk again and stood behind him while he was still sitting at his desk. He went through everything with her, and then halfway through, he felt her hands on his shoulders. He didn't want to say anything about it, so he kept going. Then, as she asked a couple of questions, she leaned forward and pressed her breast against the back of his head. He couldn't say anything; he just kind of stammered in his attempts to answer her questions and said something nonsensical.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "You seem tense."

"Nothing," he said. "Just tired, that's all."

"Maybe this will make you feel better."

She began gently rubbing his shoulders. It definitely wasn't a normal shoulder rub; it was the kind his fiancé gives me when she wants to get him in the mood. He didn't say anything about it; he was in a very awkward moment and just found himself staying quiet.

"How does that feel?" she asked.

"Feels... good," was all he could say. Despite the situation, he had to admit it was a good shoulder rub.

"You must work out a lot."

"Not a lot, just enough," he said nervously.

That's when her hands started moving downward to his pecs. She tried to make it look like it was all part of the shoulder rub, but he wasn't stupid. He jumped out of his chair and moved away from her.

"I just remembered. I've got to get back home."

"You sure?" she asked, smiling.

"Yeah, my fiancé needs me to come home soon. We're, um, painting the kitchen."

"You're painting your kitchen this late?"

"Yeah, we're busy people and it's the best time we can do it," he replied. He wasn't proud of that excuse, but it was the best he could think of at the moment.

He got out of his office and went back home. That night he apologized to Lila for working late too much and to make up for it he told her to sit back and relax as he did all the dishes, the laundry, and whatever chore needed to be done. Lila didn't question any of it, she just took the offer and watched some reality TV shows she had been meaning to catch up on. Lila was so appreciative of all the extra housework he was doing she later gave him a big reward in the bedroom.

Nate was doing the extra housework more as a distraction from what he was going through at work. He was definitely being sexually harassed at work, but he didn't know how to deal with the situation since he was a man.

....

The next day, Nate did his best to avoid Janet. Whenever he had to talk to her, he made sure there was an open door or there were other people around. He did not want to find himself alone with her for any reason. It was working out until near the end of the day when he was leaving the bathroom and he found Lila waiting for him outside the door.

She made an excuse about an issue with detail in his latest project to talk to him. He felt he had no choice but to stand there and listen to her. As she spoke, she kept creeping up against his body again. She even made an excuse to run her fingers through his hair, saying that it was kind of messy on the side and she was just helping him. But the way she did it was just like how Lila would sometimes do it when she was in the mood. Luckily for him, his cell phone rang and he pretended it was a client and she let him leave to take it. It was actually Lila, calling to ask if he knew where the extra batteries were and he told her where to find them.

...

The following weekend, Nate went out with a couple of his friends to a bar to have a few drinks and watch a game. He was with Bill, a lawyer and old college friend, and Jimmy, an accountant who works for a firm located in the same building where Nate works. As the night went along, he confided in them about what he was going through at work, hoping to get some clarity on the situation.

"Dude, that's messed up," said Jimmy.

"Yeah, man, you have got to go to human resources and file a complaint," said Bill.

"You guys sure? I feel weird about it because, you know, I'm a guy."

"It works both ways," said Bill. "If it progresses, I can help you sue her and the company for a lot of money."

"Hopefully it won't come to it. Maybe if I just explain to Janet--"

"Wait a second," Jimmy interrupted. "Are you talking about Janet, that hot redhead boss of yours I've seen in your office?"

"Yeah."

His friends went silent and looked at me wide-eyed, then they started laughing hysterically.

"Dude, are you gay?" Jimmy asked. "Not trying to be homophobic here, but that must be the only reason you're complaining about this."

"What?" Nate asked, feeling very confused.

"Bro, it doesn't count if your boss is hot," said Jimmy.

"Yeah, I thought it was somebody unattractive," said Bill. "I assumed that's why you were complaining about it. I didn't think you were complaining about being hit on by some hottie."

"Guys, I'm with Lila, we're getting married."

"Dude, we're not saying you should cheat on Lila," said Jimmy. "Just take it like a man and be happy that some hot piece of ass thinks you're hot also."

.....

The next day, Janet had Nate cornered in the filing room. She asked him to help her get some boxes down from one of the higher shelves. He had to stand on a rickety chair while he reached for it and did his best to balance himself on the wobbly chair.

"You've got to be careful," she said. "Let me help you keep your balance."

She reached up and firmly placed her hands on his ass. Nate admitted that it did help to keep him balanced, but it was still inappropriate.

After he got the boxes down, she remarked how she was lucky to have a big, strong man around and started grabbing his bicep. He made an excuse to leave the filing room, and as soon as he turned around, she gave him another pat on the ass, this time a much harder one.

.....

Later that day, he was having a nice dinner with Lila. When she asked him about his day, he kept it vague. She knew something was wrong, so she pressed him on it, and eventually he decided to tell her what was happening to him at work with his boss.

Lila was shocked by what she had heard, and he said he shouldn't have to deal with that kind of behavior at work. Nate was relieved to hear she felt the same way he did.

"You have to tell Courtney she can't behave like that," said Lila.

"No, it's Janet," said Nate.

"What?"

"It's Janet who's sexually harassing me."

"Not Courtney, that older obese woman in your office who's always hitting on men too good for her?"

"No, Courtney doesn't even work there anymore."

"So, it's Janet, that sexy boss of yours?" she asked, looking very perplexed.

"Um, yeah."

She looked at him with a blank stare for several seconds before she spoke.

"You're an idiot," she said. She got up and picked up the dishes from the dinner table.

"What?"

"She's hot, Nate. Take it like a man and be happy about it," she said.

He followed her to the kitchen, where she began to do the dishes.

"How can you say that?" he asked. "You were once sexually harassed at your old job. You had to file a complaint against the guy."

"That's different," she said. "Guys are pigs. When they do it, they are taking advantage of their position, and it can sometimes get creepy. Not only that, a woman would have a harder time defending herself against a larger and more aggressive male. I have a greater chance of being sexually assaulted in these situations than you do. At least you don't have to worry about anything like that happening to you."

"Ok, I see your point, it is worse for women," said Nate. "But isn't Janet's behavior still inappropriate?"

"It may not be completely appropriate, but when it's a woman doing it, it's kind of empowering, and guys love it, especially if it's by a woman as attractive as Janet. Hell, I'm not even into women, yet I would definitely let her harass me whenever she wanted."

"I can't believe I am hearing this," he said. "Just a minute ago, you were against it when you thought it was Courtney. Now It's because I have a hot boss, you're ok with it?"

"Ha, you also think she's hot," said Lila, making fun of him.

"Yes, she's attractive; I admit that," said Nate. "But how does her being attractive make you okay with this?"

"I guess I'm a hypocrite," she answered.

"This is unbelievable," Nate said as he began rubbing his temples from the headache he was receiving.

"I'm not saying you should sleep with her; just enjoy yourself and have some fun with it. Hell, if you play your cards right, you might get a raise out of this."

.....

For the next few weeks, Nate kept quiet as Janet found new ways to grab his ass or somehow rub up against him. She never came out to say she was interested in having sex with him, it felt more like she was enjoying the game of making him squirm, watching his reaction as she continued to find ways to touch him or make sexual innuendos towards him.

He knows that most men would find it exciting to have a sexy woman show interest in them, especially a woman in a powerful position over them. But Nate has his morals and can't help thinking that this was all wrong. Unfortunately, he couldn't do anything about it publicly without people thinking he was some kind of wimp. Even he wondered if there was something wrong with him for not enjoying the attention of a beautiful woman.

Then, all at once, it stopped. There was no more ass-grabbing, or comments with sexual undertones. Janet just suddenly stopped and left him alone. For a while, he was happy; he had nothing to worry about and was able to focus his attention on his work without any distractions.

But of course, that peace wasn't going to last much longer. One day Janet called Nate into her office. She locked the door behind them and asked him to sit down next to her on the couch she had across from her desk. Because she hadn't tried anything inappropriate in a while, Nate let his guard down and didn't assume anything was going to happen.

"I just wanted to say you've been doing an excellent job this past year. All our clients are pleased with your work."

"Thank you, Janet," said Nate, feeling very pleased.

"With that said, you are up for a promotion that's going to be available if you're interested."

Nate was in shock. He was hoping for a promotion someday, but he didn't expect it to happen so soon.

"Thank you, Janet. I am very interested."

"Don't thank me yet," she said. "It's between you and Daniels right now. The decision hasn't been made."

He didn't like to hear that he was competing against Daniels. He was definitely a good candidate for the position, so it could go either way.

"Daniels is a good choice; I don't blame you for considering him as well. But I can make a good case for why I should get the promotion."

"You could explain it to me with a reasonable argument," she said as she put her hand on the inside of his thigh. "Or you could convince me by taking off your pants."

Nate moved away from Janet on the couch, which made her take her hand off his thigh. She was now taking this to a whole new level. For the longest time, her comments were subtle, never outwardly saying she wanted to fuck him. Even when she put her hand on him, it was mostly in a playful manner, never going too far. Apparently, she was done playing her little games with Nate and wanted to get what she always wanted from him this whole time.

"Janet, this is inappropriate," said Nate.

"I don't mean now, of course," she said with a small laugh. "It's in the middle of the day. Come by my office after work when everybody else leaves so no one could hear us."

Nate stood up and took a few steps away from her.

"Ok, this has gone far enough," he said firmly. "I've been trying ignore his harassment, hoping it would just go away. But now it has gone too far. If it keeps up, I'm going to file a complaint against you. I'll even go as far as suing you if I have to."

She stood up from the couch and faced him. She had her arms crossed and stared at him intently with a smug smile.

"Go ahead," she said. "I am sure that every guy in this office, all the male partners of this firm, all your alpha male clients, and even your guy friends would support you in suing a very attractive woman for showing great interest in you sexually. I'd like to see how that plays out."

Nate just stood there speechless, with a stunned look on his face.

"Well, thanks for helping me make my decision," she said as she opened the door for him. "I am sure you will be happy for Daniels' new promotion to a position you know you deserve. You can leave my office now."

Nate walked out of her office and went back to his own. He spent the rest of the day there, sulking and thinking about his situation. She made a point about everything she said to him. Because of the double standard of the situation, complaining about being harassed by a sexy woman like Janet would make him look foolish and weak. He would never hear the end of it. Lila didn't even see anything wrong with him being harassed by Janet, although she might change her mind if he told her about Janet's proposition.

Then he began thinking about the promotion. Daniels was a good candidate; he was just as good as Nate but had been in the company a few years longer than him, which gave him an edge. Nate also kept thinking about the pay increase that would come with the promotion; he and Lila could use the extra money now that they're getting married and want to start a family soon.

After much thinking, he finally made up his mind. He really wanted that promotion, and he'll have to do whatever it takes to get it.

....

After work, when he was sure nobody else was around, he went to Janet's office, where he found her getting ready to leave for the day.

"Can I speak to you?"

"I'm about to leave," she said.

"It's about what we talked about this morning."

"In that case, shut the door and lock it," she said with a big smile. He didn't have to tell her he had changed his mind about what she wanted from him; she just knew.

He did as she asked and locked the door. She then walked up to him and, without hesitation, grabbed him by his shirt, pulled him close, and kissed him hard on the mouth.

Despite the situation he was in, the kiss was amazing. But he had to stop kissing her and push her back a little so he could ask her something.

"Just one moment. Before we go any further, I need to know something. You do think I would be a good candidate for the promotion, right?"