Chapter 2 - friday at the office

Melissa breezed into the conference room and checked the clock. 10 minutes til 1pm, perfect. She had purposely rescheduled the staff meeting for right after lunch as a test of her staff's appetites. She wanted to see which members would give in to the temptation of fresh doughnuts even after they had already eaten a full lunch. Those would be the ones she would choose to focus her happy efforts on in the future, although there were a couple she would love to see fattened up regardless. She had a great team of six very dedicated, hard workers, but there were a couple she secretly favored more than others.

She smiled as a boy entered the room and sat down. Andrew was her absolute favorite. He was a recent college grad, about 5'8" with brown hair and brown eyes. His body showed signs of indulgence and reluctance to work out. The sight of his small belly pushing ever so slightly against his shirt made Melissa salivate. He would be the easiest for sure. With a little attention, his gaining would be guaranteed. He was quiet, a bit reserved, and socially awkward around her. She doubted he had had much experience with women. She took great pride in seeing him blush when she stopped by his cubicle to ask him about a particular project. Part of her wanted to give him extra attention just to see him fatten up, but part of her genuinely wanted to mentor him and help him become more confident. He was a smart kid and a nice person, and she wanted him to succeed. She had been quietly observing him for weeks and finally felt she was ready to make her first move.

Andrew blushed at the sweet smile from his boss. She always seemed to go out of her way to say hello to him. Usually, Andrew felt that girls didn't notice him at all, and if they did, always seemed in such a hurry to let him know what a great 'friend' he was to them to hopefully dissuade him from trying to date any of them. He was fed up with being brushed off and sidelined, and had become increasingly more introverted, not feeling like he was attractive, or even interesting. Andrew had lots of friends in college, but after graduation, most had moved out of town for their jobs, and he was finding himself increasingly alone. He had started eating more as a result of spending more time at home alone, sometimes out of boredom, sometimes because he was depressed, sometimes just because it tasted good. He knew he had gained weight since college, but without any dating prospects on the horizon and nobody to 'impress,' he had ignored it, even though he didn't feel good about it.

He was starting to hate looking in the mirror, seeing an increasingly thick guy without a social life. Seeing his growing little belly depressed him, but he lacked the motivation to exercise. "What's the point," he moped, and though he didn't consciously realize it, he began to eat even more, out of shame and embarrassment and depression. On the day that he discovered tiny stretch marks on his inner thighs and hips, he threw a towel over the mirror in disgust. He stuffed himself that night, shoving his pain down deep, burying it with food. He hated what he was doing to himself, but he didn't understand enough about his feelings to change them. He felt helpless. The only way he knew to deal with his depression and embarrassment was to ignore it, to pretend it didn't exist, and so he did, the best he could.

Imagine his confusion to discover that just when he had written himself off as a hopeless loser, his sweet, lovely, pretty new boss seemed to take a special interest in him? He wondered if he was imagining it, or maybe wishful thinking was making perfectly normal occurrences seem more significant. She was kind to him. She didn't ignore him like everyone else. Even when he would blush and say something stupid, she was sweet to him. He began to get extra nervous at work, especially when he knew she was around. He knew he had developed a crush on her, but he knew that a guy like him would never have a chance with her. He became even more frustrated with himself.

However, one day last week, Melissa had actually stopped by his desk to say hi. Andrew's palms started sweating and he could feel his heart pounding as she dropped off a small bakery bag. "I was at my favorite bakery today and they have the best brownies. I figured you might like to try one! I hope you like it!" She laid it carefully on his desk with a smile and walked off.

Andrew was confused. Was she teasing him because of his weight gain, bringing him food as a joke? Or did she actually just do it to be nice? Andrew knew the last thing he needed was more calories, but the sweet smell of the rich chocolate treat was so inviting. He took a bite and the sugar rush helped calm his nerves, comfort him. By the time he finished eating it, Andrew felt much better. He even summoned the courage to smile at Melissa that afternoon at the staff meeting. He didn't know why she was being so nice to him, but he was happy that she was.

Melissa had noticed Andrew's recent weight gain and, although she was thrilled and excited, she worried about him. He always seemed to be sitting alone, and rarely spoke up during meetings, even though he had very good ideas. She was of course very physically drawn to him, but she also wanted him to be happy, and he certainly didn't seem that way. She decided that it was time for her to show more interest in Andrew than just from an office-related standpoint.

Grabbing some reports, Melissa made her way over to Andrew's cubicle. The rest of the office had left for the night, but Andrew's desk light was still on. Melissa pulled up a chair. Andrew was startled to see his bombshell boss coming to sit with him and blushed an adorable shade of pink. Melissa was excited to see crumbs on his desk, evidence of snacking.

She smiled gently, winningly. "Hi, Andrew. You're here late, aren't you?"

The plump boy was so nervous he stammered his response "Uhhh, um, y-y-yes, I was just going to finish up some last things. I'll be out soon."

"It's Friday night! Don't you have some big plans? Maybe with a girl?"

He blushed even deeper. "Nah, I'm not seeing anybody."
Andrew is SO cute when he's embarrassed! Melissa mentally squealed in happiness. "That's no fun! Meeting up with friends, maybe?" she purred, moving slightly closer. He was so fun to be around.
Andrew laughed nervously. "No, I haven't really had the chance to meet a lot of people since I moved here. I'm kind of shy."

Melissa resisted the urge to hold his hand. Awww! Adorable! "Well nobody should be alone on Friday night! Have dinner with me, I was just on my way out. It's a fun restaurant, you'll like it." Melissa didn't wait for a response before standing up. "Meet me downstairs in an hour." She swung her hips slightly as she walked away, knowing that flustered Andrew was watching her go.