Chapter 3

The Christmas party for As The Cookie Crumbles was on the second Saturday in December and always involved plenty of alcohol and plenty of calories. The open bar was fully stocked, and there was a lavish buffet. Mallory and Robbie walked in and there was a good crowd there. The headquarters office had 150 people, a mix of executives, managers, technical staff and office assistants. Mallory looked around and noticed that very few were like she and Robbie, that being slender. Well, Robbie was downright skinny, Mallory was just a little curvy. For the most part, the men in the room had bellies that stood comfortably in front of them, and women ranged from extra curvy to huge. Mallory knew that the company break rooms were always well stocked with the company’s cookies and it was obvious that employees, most them anyway, fully indulged. Even taking cookies home was encouraged, which helped the spouses expand their figures.

They got drinks at the bar, a white wine for Mallory and a light beer for Robbie. They got appetizers at the buffet, a mix of meats, cheeses and veggies for Mallory and all veggies for Robbie. Of course, she thought to herself. Always watching what he eats, even during the holidays. She wasn’t going to get her teddy bear unless she got him to change his eating habits.

Mallory spotted Rebecca at the bar. Robbie was talking to some of the guys, so Mallory told him she was going to get a refill. She appraised Rebecca as she walked over. She was an impressive sight. Tall, probably five feet ten, and easily 250 pounds. Her weight gave her an exaggerated hourglass figure. Huge boobs, a slight indentation at the waist and broad hips that balanced her boobs. Her hair was frosted in a loose style, and her age didn’t show unless one was close enough to see the fine lines of her face. Mallory knew that she was over 60, but she didn’t look it. Mallory spotted Rebecca’s husband over at the buffet, filling his plate. He was well over six feet and looked to be over 300 pounds. Mallory thought that might work in her favor. When she got to the bar she said hello to Rebecca and reminded her that she was Robbie’s wife. Despite her imposing size, Rebecca was warm and easy to talk to. Mallory was pretty sure that Rebecca was on her second or third drink, which was vodka martinis. So she seemed relaxed. They made a bit of small talk and then Mallory started to circle in on the subject.

Rebecca’s husband was retired, so Mallory asked her how she liked working while he stayed at home. “It’s fine,” Rebecca answered, “Jeff has hobbies and takes care of the house, so that’s good. The kids are grown and gone, and eventually I’ll retire and we can do some travelling.”

That was the opening Mallory was hoping for. “Rumor has it that Percy will retire sometime this year. Do you think you’ll retire too?”

“I think he’s going to work for one more year. And yes, I’ll probably retire when he does.”

“I hope you don’t mind me saying, but your Jeff is a good sized fella. I wish I could get my beanpole husband to fill out some.”

“Home cooking isn’t doing the job?” Rebecca asked with a smile.

“He’s such a workout nut that no matter what I make he works it off. He wouldn’t allow himself to gain weight unless…”

“Unless what?” Rebecca asked.

“Well, if he thought it would give him an edge in the company, I think he’d let me fatten him up.”

Rebecca give Mallory a shrewd look. “And you think I might be able to help with that?”

This was it. Either it was going to work or Mallory would stuck with a skinny husband forever. “If a rumor went around that Percy would want his replacement to fit the company image,” Mallory waved her hand in front of her indicating a round belly, “and Robbie believed it, maybe he’d plump up for me.”

Rebecca thought about it for a moment. “It would be a rumor that’s easy to believe. Look around at the executives in the room. Every one of them is porky, both men and women.”

“I’m sure that the OA’s all network pretty well. If you started the rumor, it would get to all the OA’s. Felisha is the OA for Robbie and Derek’s OA. I can try to convince her to make it believable to Robbie.”

Rebecca smiled. “Best thing I ever did was to fatten up Jeff. It settled him down some, kept other women away from him and,” she lowered her voice, “teddy bear sex is better. Even after all these years. Yeah, Mallory, I’ll help you. I’ll get the rumor started, you work on Felisha.”