"Mr. ${Your last name?}, into my office, now!" yells Ms. Gardner. Knowing the consequences of not responding immediately, you scramble out of your desk and head straight into her room.
"You wanted to see me, Ms. Gardner?" you ask, shuffling into her decorated office. In an attempt to make the place a little bit more festive, especially with tonight's Christmas Eve overtime, your usually cold-hearted boss has taken the time to fill her office with an aura of warmth, complete with a modest Christmas tree next to her desk. She's even wearing a Mrs. Claus costume—a hardly risqué version, of course.
"Yes. I want to review your last month's performance. Sit down," she commands. A breath escapes you as you enter, and soon you are perched on the chair opposite hers.
"Your work this past month has been satisfactory, Mr. ${Your last name?}," she begins, reading out of her folder on you.
"Thank you, Ms. Gardner," you say. Ms. Gardner has always been a tough woman to please, so any crumbs of praise she hand out are actually tell-tale signs of high approval. She continues to assess your work in detail, but soon the other boot falls.
"...However," she states, her voice stern and brash, "there is something about your work lately that's been bothering me."
"What is it, Ms. Gardner?" you ask, a feeling of uneasiness lodged in your throat.
Without a word, she hands you a printed piece of paper, and your blood freezes over when you read its contents. "Have you forgotten that I'm in charge of the internet connection since Mrs. Hill went on pregnant leave, Mr. ${Your last name?}?" she asks simply.
Sure enough, the paper lists out all of the internet searches you've done over the past month, the most scandalous ones encircled in red.
"'Boss-employee relationships', 'confessing to your boss', 'how to convince your boss to wear a mrs. claus costume'...any of these search terms ring a bell to you?" she asks.
"I-I can explain," you sputter and choke under her gaze.