Chapter 1: Promotion to Partner?

- Thursday -

8am

"I'm sorry to say, Sarah, but after our quarterly review you just did not make the cut for partner," her boss said in a monotone, grumbly voice; his face hardly moving from its stern expression. The words did not quite process yet for Sarah, who instead heard nothing but a faint ringing sound in her ears. She zoned out, staring at the beautiful cityscape to her side. Her bosses office was forty stories up and the glass curtain window provided a gorgeous birdseye view of the city below; a view Sarah would kill for. He continued speaking, using every term of corporate jargon imaginable. None of it meant anything to Sarah, however, who remained in a slight state of shock. She had entered this meeting expecting a promotion. Expecting to be rewarded for her years of dedication and hard work for the company. Instead, she was being unjustifyably denied of her right to being made partner - an honor which Sarah had sacrificed much of her youth for. "Well, in a year, we'll see where you are and reasses," her boss said, a remark which cut through the heart of Sarah. A twinge of anger had begun to simmer within her as the weight of the news slowly began to hit her. A blank faced Sarah unwillingly swallowed her pride, extending an obviously forced thanks to her boss. As she headed for the door Sarah could feel her bosses eyes following her on her way out, likely admiring her perky rear end in her tight pants. "Sarah," he said. She stopped. "Yes, Mr. Hartman?" Asked Sarah, who was feeling nothing but pure bitterness towards her boss. "Just my advice," said Mr. Hartman, wearing the cookies little grin on his face, "but you should try smiling more. Might make you seem a little more agreeable." Sarah's blank face quickly furrowed with disgust at his comment and then immediately by rage. She screamed at him for his total lack of professionalism, using a number of expletives in the process. She opened the door, "Creep!" She yelled at him before slamming it in his face behind her. The commotion had attracted the attention of the entire office and Sarah now had to contend with their many staring eyes. A frazzled Sarah, embarrassed and consumed with emotion, stormed off, the sound of her heels furiously clicking with each step. In her anger she had failed to think where she was storming off to and soon found herself alone in the break room. She had closed the door behind her upon entering, and now in her solitude could finally process the awful news she had just recieved. Sarah was distraught at having to wait another year to make partner. That morning she had been so confident that today was finally day. So confident in fact, that she had naively financed herself a beautiful new sports car. That weekend, she went to the mall and spent a frivolous amount on clothes and jewelry. All with money from a promotion she was not getting. The worst part, however, was that she had been advertising her promotion to her friends and family for weeks now. Giddy at the chance to prove to them how successful she was. How the years of sacrificed weekends and holidays were worth it. But now she had to tell them she had failed. Feeling sick, Sarah leaned over the counter in an effort to calm herself down. It was then she saw them. Out of the corner of her eye - a box of donuts. Sarah had worked at this office for ten years and near everyday there was a box of some kind of pastry nicely set out in the break room. Everyday for ten years Sarah had ignored it, almost as though it never existed. But something had snapped within her. Without a thought, her hand darted inside the box, pulling out a tantalizing chocolate donut. She admired it for a moment. Her mouth salivating. Sarah took her first bite. A big one. Bliss. The delicious flavors exploding onto her tongue. She closed her eyes, releasing an audible moan displaying the pure satisfaction she felt in that moment. Sarah licked every bit of sugar from her lips. That single bite had truly been better than sex. She took another, and then another, practically inhaling the thing in an instant. The donut was gone but Sarah's appetite certainly wasn't. She peered out the window of the break room, scanning to see if anyone had seen her commit her naughty little deed. They hadn't. Sarah returned her attention to the box. Her mouth still salivating. She bit her lip, knowing full well she shouldn't. But Sarah couldn't help herself. Almost autonomously, her hand darted back inside the box, plucking another chocolate donut. She stuffed it into her mouth, devouring it in near three bites and, for that fleeting moment, Sarah was eleviated from the stresses of her work. Briefly distracted from her financial anxieties. She savored the flavor of the sweet, gooey treat - having long forgotten the taste of such forbidden fruit. Suddenly, Sarah snapped out of her food born trance. She hadn't even realized it, but in her zoned out state she had grabbed herself a third donut. Half eaten already, Sarah couldn't believe how much of a pig she had been. She had a figure to keep and her little binge had just earned herself another round of crunches at the gym. In her hand was the last bites of her chocolate donut, glaring back at her as she looked it up and down with envious eyes. Her mouth watered. Her stomach growled. Sarah inhaled it in a single bite, her eyes rolling to the back of her head. It was ecstasy - the explosion of flavors proving to be a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. She swallowed it, immediately licking each finger of every morsel of chocolate icing. But now her tasty little treat was gone and her spontaneous binge over, and Sarah was left with nothing but the guilt from her naughty actions. She glanced back at the box of donuts, chiding them for tasting so good. As they sat there with their icing shimmering under the light, they practically taunted Sarah to grab another. She knew she wanted to. "I can't," she said to herself quietly as she regained her composure. She brushed off any leftover crumbs on her blouse before buttoning her suit jacket. As though nothing had even happened, Sarah left the breakroom and headed back to her office.

12pm

With a mountain of paperwork piled upon her desk, a stressed Sarah slouched forward in her chair. Her foot tapped anxiosusly against the floor. She had spent the last several hours glaring at her computer screen, stuck ruminating on her abrasive encounter with Mr. Hartman and incapable of focusing on her work. As Sarah continued to stew over the situation, it appeared as though her angst had inadvertently been fueling her appetite. It was now noon and time for lunch, but Sarah already opened hers long ago. The now empty container to her salad and the crinkled wrapper of a granola bar sat in the trash can, sheepishly hidden from view. Sarah had devoured them in minutes. Her health conscious meal had failed miserably to satiate her ravenous appetite. It appeared that the thought of food was the one thing that distracted Sarah from her recent failures in her career. The sugary taste of donuts was yet to leave her mouth and, if the rest of the office hadnt done so already, she likely would've eaten them all herself.

- That Night -

Pulling up in her sleek, white sports car, the v8 engine purred as she slowly came to a stop. "Welcome to McDonald's, how may I take your order?", politely asked the cashier. Sarah froze. As the words came through the intercom it sounded almost like some kind of alien language. She had just arrived at the drive-thru, the place where diets go to die. Needless to say, it was not somewhere Sarah frequented. Unsure of what to say, she uncharacteristically stumbled over her words. "Ummm...", mouthed Sarah as she fumbled to read the menu, "I'll have the uh, number... three." The moment the words left her mouth she was overcome with a wave of guilt. The decision to avoid her regular vegan spot and to instead get fast food had been made spontaneously and without any thought. Sarah considered simply driving away and finding herself something healthy to eat elsewhere, but her growling stomach kept her put. The cashier followed up with another question, "Would you like your shake chocolate or vanilla?", his words ringing through her ears like a gunshot. Her guilt intensified at the tought. A milkshake was pure milk, sugar, and calories. Everything within Sarah told her to not be such a pig and to turn it down but, without a thought, she blurted out the word 'chocolate' like an excited teenage girl. Having taken her order, the cashier told Sarah to pull her car forward and wait in line behind the car in front of her. She now anxiously awaited her turn at the next window, still chiding herself for her poor decision making. Her brain scrambled itself trying to calculate the immense amount of calories in her meal and how many trips to the gym it would take it burn it all off. Underneath her guilt, however, was a small twinge of excitement. Sarah had driven past this McDonald's everyday for years yet this was her first time going. She would be lying if she said she had never wanted to try it, no matter how much she convinced herself she loved her diet-friendly meals. To Sarah, this was the forbidden fruit and she was about to take a bite. Unsuprisngly, her mouth had begun to salivate just at the thought. Finally, the car ahead of her drove off and it was Sarah's turn. She pulled ahead, rolling down her window and immediately being greeted with the tantalizing smell of McDonald's fries. Sarah was handed her order and placed it in the seat next to her. Almost in a rush, she put her car in drive before being interrupted. "Miss", said the girl at the window, "You almost forgot...". In her hand was a giant cup topped with whip cream. Sarah, amazed at the size of it, realized it was her milkshake and made sure to grab it. She tried placing it in the cup holder but it wouldn't fit, so she instead put it in her lap. "Thank you so much!", said Sarah frantically as she rolled up her windows and finally drove off. Deciding that the drive home was far too long, she pulled into a parking lot instead. Now, she could finally eat after a long and stressful day. The brown paper bag was covered in grease and had filled her car with an enticing aroma. The grease had left a stain on the brand new leather seat, but she suprisingly could care less. A ravenous Sarah ripped the bag open, pulling out the burger and unwrapping it. After a brief moment admiring the delicious contents inside, her taste buds practically danced with anticipation. Whatever guilt Sarah felt before had seemingly evaporated and she now wanted nothing more but to dig in. Opening her mouth nice and wide, Sarah gobbled down her first big bite. With every chew, a level of pure flavor was exploded onto her tongue. A greasy, savory flavor which she had been starved of for so long. In a near state of bliss, Sarah tilted her head back and closed her eyes. She let out a long, slow moan of ultimate pleasure. So accustomed to living on salads and quinoa, her taste buds had been deprived for what seemed like a millenia. Her cheeks still filled with the taste of fast food, Sarah couldn't help but think how she ever went so long without it. Reaching back into the bag, Sarah clenched a fistful of fries before stuffing them into her mouth. The true cherry-on-top was the milkshake, which she had strategically been using to wash down her big bites of food. Thoughts of her diet or going to the gym were on a distant planet; somewhere far, far away from Sarah's mind. Entranced with her irresistible food, she continued to carelessly take bite after bite. She inhaled her burger and had done away with most of the fries before reality unfortunately kicked back in. The
discomfort in her midsection became all too apparent as the clasp to her pants was about to burst. Her now bloated stomach forced itself against it more than it ever had before. Reclining back in her chair, Sarah undid them and finally relaxed her belly. Her toned midriff, always nice and flat, had certainly expanded and the brief sense of relief she felt was quite welcomed. Sarah's form-fitting wardrobe, however, provided little room for growth, and the lowest button on her blouse was still straining against her stomach. But Sarah refused to acknowledge it. Already feeling like a pig for having undone her pants, unbuttoning her shirt too was out of the question. And so Sarah sat, rubbing her distended belly as the regrets for her actions began to be realized. She had resumed counting all the calories in her head, not at all pleased with the numbers she was coming up with. The unfortunate and only solution to her worries was a strict return to form. A total and utter adherence to her diet. A weekend spent in the gym and on the treadmill. Sarah, admittedly, groaned at the thought of eating plant-based foods and grinding out crunches. After having such a terrible day, she apparently had been zapped of any and all motivation. Alas, Sarah didnt have a choice. She not only had a figure to keep but a wardrobe she loved and did not plan on replacing. After promising to herself to never eat McDonald's again, Sarah decided the time to leave had arrived and moved to put her expensive little car in drive. Her eyes, however, made contact with the milkshake placed on the dash. Remembering that she hadnt finished it before, Sarah could feel just the thought of taking another sip make her mouth begin to water. But she also reminded herself that she had eaten far too many calories already. That she had a diet to keep. But the sugary contents were too irresistible and her sweet tooth too strong. Sarah soon caved, snatching the milkshake before guzzling it down. The fleeting moment of bliss as the drink kissed her taste buds was again replaced by overwhelming guilt. Peering into the vanity mirror, Sarah glared at herself intently. 'Promise me you'll burn all this off at the gym this weekend,' She thought to herself. Little did Sarah know how empty her promises would be.