Chapter 2

It had not surprised me in the least that when Alan had asked us to break up into pairs that I’d been landed with Tricia. I wasn’t complaining, of course, far from it. But it had not surprised me. Stefan was with Beth, clearly trying to impress her with his Rolex and general salesman patter, while Kyle and Jonas seemed to have relatively few wits between them. A perfect pair, I thought.

I had taken three chairs from the main conference room, some prescience within me realising that it would be strange if Tricia was the only one sitting at all times, especially if one was trying to converse with her. Even if she was occupying two chairs, at least we’d be on a level, more or less.

“OK. So what I want you to do, is I want you to come up with a statement, that’s either true or false. It has to be a statement about yourself. Now, your partner must guess whether or not they believe it to be true. If they’re right, they get a point. If they’re wrong, you get a point. And the game only switches on a correct answer. All clear?” Everyone nodded. “Good, off we go!”

“I’ll go first,” Tricia announced, much to my relief. I had absolutely no idea what I would say. “I am allergic to cheese.”

I blinked and then thought about it for a while. “True,” I said.

Tricia laughed. It was a nice laugh. Throaty and powerful, yet still somehow breathy. “A point to me.” The sparkle in her green eyes was intoxicating.

“Alright,” she said, thinking, “I used to be a cheerleader.”

I frowned. This, I realised, was already harder than I’d thought it would be. I had not truly believed she was allergic to cheese, but I hadn’t wanted to make any assumptions that could offend her. The possibility that this woman, as massive as she was, ever having been a cheerleader just seemed ridiculous. And yet, I began to picture it. The tight-fitting uniform, barely managing to cover her giant breasts as she thundered her way into performing a star jump. Her stomach swinging freely beneath her top; impossible to contain such a large amount of fat that bulged and slapped down over the mini-skirt all but concealed by her juddering gut. How her bare thighs would ripple and bunch together, just as her arms waved slowly overhead, her visible bra strap stretched and cutting into her shoulders as the weight of her –

“Dave?”

“What?” I asked, my eyes widening as I came out of my reverie, an embarrassed grin splitting my lips. “Oh, sorry, I, uh, I was thinking.”

“About what?” She asked.

“Um, about your question. I was just considering it.”

“And?”

I thought back to the image of this gargantuan woman spilling out of a cheerleader’s uniform and shook my head, clearing my throat. As much as I wanted it to be true, it just didn’t seem likely.

“False,” I croaked.

Tricia’s laugh washed over me again. “Wrong!”

“What?” I breathed, my eyes widening. I cursed inwardly, I hadn’t meant to be so insensitive. “I, um, that’s not what I –“

“Relax, Dave,” Tricia said, still laughing. “I know it must be hard to picture.”

Actually, it was not hard to picture, I thought. It was not hard to picture at all.

“But I wasn’t top of the pyramid or anything. And it was a few years ago, after all,” she explained, still smiling. “Well, more than a few years.” She rested her plump forearms on the sides of her enormous stomach. “So, that’s two to me!”

I swallowed. “Uh, yeah. I guess so!”

“Let’s see, let’s see. OK, I have a good one,” she said, winking. “I once auditioned for the X-Factor.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. At least that claim wouldn’t send me down a mental rabbit hole of eroticism. “False?”

She pouted, a slight frown painting her round, freckled face. “Two - one.”

It was my turn to grin. We continued to play the game, and fortunately for me, when it was Tricia’s turn, she kept her claims simpler and far less provocative. The morning whiled away with various such games and more often than not, I remained paired with Tricia. It was obviously Alan’s intention to get the group integrated as much as possible, but after just a few rotations, it seemed quite obvious that the other four had engendered a way of ‘finding a new partner’ that meant they could continually exclude Tricia, and therefore myself. Rather than making a big thing out of it, Alan read the mood of the room incredibly well and simply allowed us to continue as we were.

I was almost disappointed when the session came to an end, but less so when Alan announced it was time for lunch. I wasn’t even that hungry, but the anticipation that flared to life within my partner’s eyes was infectious. He directed us to the top floor, where a three course meal awaited.

“We’ll see you up there, we’re going to take the stairs,” Stefan said, pointedly not looking at Tricia.

“OK,” I answered, not really caring.

The lift was big enough for six people at a time, but with Tricia’s girth, it meant that I struggled to stand inside the elevator without brushing up against her. She smelled fantastic, I realised then, her perfume tickling my nose with its flowery tones. It was all I could do to keep my hands off her, but I couldn’t resist bumping my hip into the side of her protruding stomach ever so slightly as I turned to press the button that would take us to the top floor. It was so soft and yet substantial; I struggled to contain my excitement.

“Uh, sorry,” I muttered.

“No worries, Dave,” she said, smiling. “I just hope it’s a good set menu.”

“I’m sure it’s fine. Three courses, after all.”

“Yeah,” she replied, sounding far from convinced.

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing, in principle,” Tricia answered, “it’s just that I’d prefer a buffet, you know. Far less formal and all that.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I know what you mean. This forces us to wait in between courses and stuff, can be a bit dull.”

“Exactly!” Tricia agreed, a little over enthusiastically.

“Plus, if you don’t like something in a buffet, you simply take something else,” I added.

“Right? And also quantity. I mean, we’re not all the same size. Some of us need more than others. A buffet, one can help oneself, you know, but a three course meal is just that. Three courses. Enjoy. Or don’t.”

The lift dinged open and we stepped out.

“Ha, yeah,” I agreed. “I hadn’t really thought of it like that.”

“Trust me, Dave, it’s all I think about.”

The meal was decent, and fortunately, at least for me, the company was sublime. We could sit where we liked, and so Tricia chose a booth for herself, after I’d pulled the table out slightly, and I took the opposing chair. Tricia was a quick eater, I discovered, and from time to time, I caught her staring down at my plate as I finished my main course. An almost wistful expression had come across her features when I’d put the last bite into my mouth, cleaning my plate. The deserts were a simple slice of cheesecake with a single scoop of ice cream and Tricia dug into hers with the usual aplomb I’d come to expect.

“Good thing you’re not actually allergic to cheese, eh?” I joked.

She grinned at me, only very briefly, between mouthfuls. But a single slice of cheesecake doesn’t last very long, and all too quickly, I sensed, she was looking down at the wedge of cake still untouched on the plate before me.

“I’m already kind of full,” I said, and apparently, I didn’t have to say anything else.

Tricia gestured that I should slide it over to her, there being no way in which her huge bosom or stomach would have allowed her to reach it. Obligingly, I did so, and watched on as she quickly devoured my piece of cake. She finished with a sigh, scraping every last morsel from the plate with her finger.

“Not too bad a meal, that,” I said, leaning backwards on my chair.

Tricia gave me a fairly weak smile and took a long draught of water from her glass. “I’ve had worse,” she responded.

“Everyone, everyone, can I please have your attention?” It was one of the speakers. “I’m sorry to interrupt your lunch, but unfortunately, our plans for this afternoon have fallen through. I’m to tell you all to please return to your rooms and answer emails, get on with the usual day-to-day, and we’ll all meet at 21:00 by the bar for a drink. Oh, and remember, tomorrow is sports day, and it will be going ahead as planned. So remember to dress casually and comfortably for that.”

“Oh, thank god,” Tricia breathed. “That’s news to my ears.”

“The sports day?” I asked, surprised.

“No, that this afternoon is cancelled. I am not sure I could have handled another few sessions!”

I grinned, even though I felt a little put out that it sounded as though she wasn’t enjoying my company as much as I hers. “I know what you mean.”

Tricia smiled at me as she laboriously began to extricate herself from the table she was partially wedged behind. Freed and panting, she placed a soft hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

“I’ve got to go and get that… work done,” she said. “I’ll see you down at the bar tonight though, right?”

I looked up into her round, perfect face.

“I wouldn’t miss it.”