Chapter 2

It was Sunday morning. As per usual, Ryan followed his normal weekend morning regimen: wake up, get ready, hit the gym, eat breakfast. After a heavy push day, Ryan got a text from Kev.

Kev: Hey, champ. How’re the pastries treating you?

Ryan: Haha, a little too well! Couldn’t resist, and now they’re all gone…

Kev: All gone!?!?

Ryan: …Yeah

Kev: Better be careful! I know they’re delicious, but if you keep this up, you might start looking like me! Haha!

Kev: Anyway, I’m glad you’re liking the pastries. Since you managed to have all that in just one day, I’ll make sure to bring you some more sweets each day. Don’t want one of my best employees to go hungry, haha!

Ryan: Ahh, no you don’t have to do that!

Kev: No, no, I insist. If you’re liking the pastries that much, I’m more than happy to supply them to you free of charge.

Ryan: Damn, I don’t know what to say… Thanks, boss!

Kev: Don’t mention it, champ! See ya soon.

When Monday rolled around, as Ryan got dressed for work, he noticed his polo fit a bit tighter than it normally did. All he could do was think about what Kev texted him the other day: “Better be careful! I know they’re delicious, but if you keep this up, you might start looking like me!” Ryan thought about having his abs replaced by an even thicker, heavier layer of fat—just like Kevin’s. It only made him even more eager to see what Kev had in store for him.

When he got to the office, Kev swooped into Ryan’s cubicle with three dozen boxes of doughnuts. “Think you can finish this by the end of your shift?” Kev asked.

“D-Damn… I don’t know,” Ryan said.

“I kinda find it hard to believe that you were able to scarf all those pastries down in a day, so if you weren’t fucking with me, I’m sure you got this!” Kev chuckled.

“Oh so it’s a challenge then?” Ryan smiled.

“If that’s how you wanna take it then, sure,” Kev smirked. “If you finish all three boxes, you’ll get a reward, how does that sound?”

“A reward, huh? You’re on!”

Nothing gets Ryan more pumped than a good old fashioned competition. Quickly, he devoured the first box effortlessly, and he moved onto the second box. In the middle of him stuffing his face, two of his coworkers Jake and Mark, happened to pass by his cubicle and saw Ryan.

“Whoah there buddy, slow down! The doughnut’s ain’t going nowhere!” Jake laughed.

“Yeah, relax, bud. They’re all yours!” Mark snickered.

“Careful, though,” Jake said. “Right now, you *may* be the only guy in the office without a gut, but I’m starting to see a different side of you nowadays.” Jake walked up to Ryan as he was in the middle of chewing a doughnut and started poking his belly. He chuckled, “Yep! Not feeling the same six pack I saw at the office bonfire last summer!”

“Oh ***, it’s December,” Ryan said. “It’s bulking season.”

“Really? Didn’t realize bulking meant you stuff yourself with boxes of doughnuts on the clock!” Jake laughed.

“…”

“Hey there’s no shame in letting loose, dude,” Mark said. He started patting his beer belly. “The two of us grab a couple beers down the block after work during happy hour all the time. Sure it’s made us gain some weight.” He looked over at Jake and whispered to Ryan, “Some more than others.” He poked Jake’s overhang with his elbow, which led the both of them to laugh, “But hey! You only live once, so you might as well enjoy it! And here, get this—we’ve been in this industry wayyyyy longer than you, so trust me when I say you’ll fit in a lot more with Kev and other business execs if you pack on some pounds. Hey, that might even be why Boss is giving you loads of food every day!”

“You think he’s doing this to get me fat on purpose?” Ryan asked.

“Well, it’s one possibility! How should I know for sure? Only time will tell,” Mark shrugged.

The two guys laughed as they walked back to their cubicles. Ryan blushed as he continued to stuff himself with doughnut after doughnut. As he moved onto the third box, pushing more glazed doughnuts down his throat, he felt his shirt ride up, slightly revealing a bloated belly. By noon, Ryan cleared through all 36 doughnuts.

He walked to Kev’s office, and he dropped the three empty boxes on Kev’s table.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Kev said, raising his eyebrows.

“My reward, boss?” Ryan smiled.

“Since you’re loving these pastries so much, here you go!” Kev brought out a large cake from the pantry. “Just for you, champ!”

“M-More food?” Kev said.

“Yeah! Wait—you’re confused? Oh—do you mean you want even more food? Well, sure thing, champ!”

“Oh, that’s not what I meant-“

“Ahh, no need to be shy around me! I know I’m the boss around here, but we can be honest with each other! Here, in addition to this cake, what do you say the two of us head out to lunch right now? There’s this All You Can Eat Buffet just around the corner that’s to die for. It’s on me!”

“But, Kev—“

“I don’t wanna hear any excuses. You’re coming!”

________

The two were seated at a booth near the edge of the restaurant. It was quite noisy—some children were running around places they didn’t belong, and coworkers were discussing the latest office gossip.

“What’s good here?” Ryan asked.

“Oh lots of things! Don’t worry about it, when the waitress comes along, I’ll order for you.” And so when she came along and asked what they’d like to eat, Kev began, “For our first course, we’ll each have a platter of your 6 piece boneless wings, two cheeseburgers, two hot dogs, and a side of fries. We’ll also each have one large Peanut Butter shake. Thank you!”

As the waitress walked away, Ryan looked dumbfounded and asked, “Did you just order that much food for one course!? How many courses are we gonna have!”

“We’ll see! I’m thinking two, maybe three.”

“Th-There’s no way I can eat all that!”

“Sure you can! I’m telling ya, this place is really good! And besides, my job as your boss is to provide you an environment that’ll not only increase your productivity but also an environment that makes you feel comfortable. And from what I’ve seen, you’re most comfortable when you eat,” he winked.

The thought of being able to eat all the food Kev just ordered for him—and then some—started to make Ryan feel hot. Unknowingly he began to blush, and he felt his blood rushing. He couldn’t quite figure out what Kev’s motives actually were, though. Was he telling the truth? Or was he blatantly trying to get him bigger just like Mark had mentioned earlier that day. He decided to test the waters and prod a little bit underneath the surface of what Kev was actually saying.

“Heh, I guess that makes sense,” Ryan said. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to get me big on purpose with all the food you’ve been giving me!”

“Nonsense!” Kev chuckled. “But now that you mentioned it, I don’t see that to be too bad of a thing. You might be able to fit in around the office a bit more with a bigger gut, but—hey—don’t worry. If it comes down to it, I’ll always let you know if you’re ever getting too big, alright?”

“Thanks for looking out for me, man!” Ryan said. So maybe Mark was sort of right?

In no time, the food arrived.

“Alright, dig in!” Kev said.

The two began to eat. Like a ravenous dog, Kev cleaned his plates effortlessly; sometimes, in between bites, he’d let out pretty loud burps and would whisper, “Ooh, that hit the spot!”

Meanwhile, Ryan tried his best to savor each bite. Kev wasn’t lying. The food was delicious! He felt his belly push against his shirt, sitting uncomfortably over what used to be where his abs were. In less than a half hour, the two cleaned their plates.

“Boy, am I stuffed! I can’t believe I ate all that!” Ryan said.

“See! Told you it was tasty! But don’t get ahead of yourself, we’ve still got another course to go!” Kev responded.

“Another course? Nah, there’s no way I could… say, do you know if this place has got any pizza?”

“Heh, of course they do! Coming right up, champ!”