Just once more

Chapter 1 - a new boyfriend a new boss

Sara stood in front of the mirror and for the first time was troubled by what she saw. Most anyone who knew the reason for her concern would say she was just overreacting; she was gorgeous after all. Looking in the mirror, Sara couldn't deny that she still was a knockout. Her long, blond hair framed her angelic face perfectly and flowed down her slender neck like golden water. She was short, but lithe. She had what some might call a delicate frame, which was just a poetic way of saying she was petite. Sara would still call herself slender - she wasn't one of those women who called herself fat if she gained just a couple pounds - but the problem she was facing at this moment was that she no longer looked toned. In fact, Sara had started to notice that parts of her were beginning to jiggle, which was something she was not entirely used to. Her tummy, which had never been a six pack, but had always had that sexy little crease cutting through the center now looked fairly doughy. It didn't protrude, no one would accuse her of having a belly, it just looked softer. Her thighs and butt were becoming a problem too. Again, they hadn't grown in size at all, but the flesh around them was becoming softer, and Sara now noticed a jiggling sensation when she went running at the gym. She was so self-conscious about it that she had started wearing sweats to the gym rather than her regular spandex shorts.
For the life of her, Sara couldn't understand why this was happening. She hadn't changed any of her fitness habits. She still ate healthy and she visited the gym devoutly. Nothing in her life had changed to allow for any kind of weight gain. And she had gained; she checked. Not much, she had gone from 112 to 117. Five pounds was certainly nothing to freak out about, but where had it come from? Sara looked at her breasts next. They hadn't grown too much, but definitely enough to make her bra feel a tad snug. That was one plus at least. Sara had always sported a mid b cup but now was pushing a c. She didn't like to think about what that change in cup size would cost her, though. Maybe her belly would go from simply being soft to actually poking out a bit.
Sara began mentally running through her daily and tried to identify any changes in her regular routine that might be causing this. Nothing had really changed. Well, she had met Lester, but nothing they did together could possibly cause weight gain. Really they didn't do much else than have sex. Normally, that wouldn't be enough for Sara in a relationship, but this was sex of a different caliber from what she was used to. She had gone out with guys who were good, no doubt, but Lester was a god damn artist. She didn't know what he did that was so spectacular, but it seemed every time they went at it, it was better than the last time. Sara sometimes chided herself for being so shallow; for going out with a guy only because he was good in bed, but then she'd remember exactly how good he was and figured she should at least enjoy it while it lasted. Just thinking of it now was almost enough to make her forget about problem with the mirror, but only almost. Sara took one more look at herself and decided that maybe her metabolism was just starting to slow down. Mid-twenties seemed kind of early for that kind of thing, but it happened to different people at different ages. Maybe that was one draw in the genetic lottery she hadn't been so lucky in. She decided she would just have step up her game at the gym and maybe start cutting back on portions at meals.
Sara got dressed and started her commute to work. Work; that was something else that had changed slightly in past couple weeks. Sara worked at a lingerie store and her new boss, Vanessa was much more strict and demanding than she remembered her old boss being. Actually that was a kind way of putting it. The woman was a bitch, especially to anyone who looked even a little less than conventionally attractive. She would point out the smallest pimple, the slightest blemish. Sara remembered one of her friends had decided to quit after only a week of Vanessa's reign. Jess; the poor girl was going through a rough time with a break up and had put on a little weight. Not much, maybe fifteen pounds or so. Vanessa tore into the poor girl mercilessly. She had told her she needed to sort out her personal life and start hitting the gym. The customers weren't going buy lingerie from disgusting cow. That was how she justified everything. She said the customers would mentally be dressing the girls in the lingerie they were trying to sell; that the girls who worked there needed to practically be models in order to be effective in sales. Sara thought it was a load of bull. Jess was doing just fine in sales even with the added weight. Sara didn't know the real reason Vanessa was so up tight about all this and she really didn't care. She just wanted that witch out of her store. Maybe she would complain to upper management about it.