by Lexy Timms
“This is going to happen anywhere we… anywhere I go,” she said. “I’m cursed with being in this horrible body. And, I can’t do anything about it!”
“Bethany, you don’t…”
“Before you even go there, just don’t,” she interrupted. “Kayla, I am not you. I can’t take the abuse like you can, I’ve told you a thousand times. I’m weak, okay? I can’t do it.”
“Bethany, I don’t… I’ve never said…”
“I’m glad that you’re happy in your body,” she continued, looking at Newton and Linda with embarrassment before spilling her feelings further. “You know I’ve tried to lose weight in the past. You know I don’t eat that unhealthy. I eat way better than my brother and that stupid jerkoff still weighs at least ten pounds less than me. Short of just starving myself, Kayla, I don’t know what to do. I’ve heard enough. You know?”
“Hey,” I said to her, pulling her arm toward me. “Hey, look at me.”
She turned to face me, blinking her wet eyes rapidly.
“You’re not going to be talked about like that,” I said. “I’ll march down to that building myself and punch that dickless nimrod Aaron right in his stupid face. Shit, point me toward your boss’s office and I’ll punch that dickless jerk too.”
“Can I come, too?” Newton interjected.
All four of us burst out laughing. Bethany’s tears were quickly turning into happy tears. I managed to hold back my own, but I’d nearly broken during her story.
“Oh,” Bethany sighed. “Yeah, you know what? I could probably sue the company before I put in my two weeks’ notice.”
“Two weeks’ notice?” Linda asked. “Sweetheart, quit today. Write out your letter and email it to that incompetent boss of yours as soon as you leave here.”
“Linda, I don’t want anyone to have to…”
She stopped mid-sentence, suddenly having an epiphany.
“Wait, why should I worry about my co-workers having to pick up my slack?” she said. “They’re the ones that talk about me behind my back. They’re the ones that let Aaron say that fucked up shit about me and they probably say things like that when I’m not around. Screw them. I’m quitting today.”
We all hollered and cheered for her. I patted her shoulder.
“I’m going to help you find a new job babe, don’t worry,” I promised.
“Actually no,” she replied. “I’m helping you find a job, remember?”
“…What?”
“It’ll solve everything,” Bethany said. “It won’t matter if I’m fat, because I’m going to have real fat stacks. I’m talking about being able to come here to Newton’s once a week!”
“We’d love that!” Newton chimed in.
Newton and Linda returned to our nails. I was curious, but I suspected she was talking about our undergarment endeavor.
“What exactly are you saying, Bethany?” I asked her.
“I’m saying, once we start our company, we’re going to fly to the top of the world,” she explained. “And, I’ll finally be proud of who I am! If your designs for BBW underwear become the hit that I know they will, we’ll help dominate New Jersey.”
“I’ve been working on different sets of underwear Beth, but how are we going to even start a company with no money for production?”
“I’ll put in all the money,” she answered.
“Bethany, holy shit, no,” I said quickly.
“Hey, I might be quitting my job today, but I’ve still got a pretty massive savings,” she said proudly. “I’ve never lied to you when I told you I was loaded.”
She looked over guiltily at Linda.
“I’ll tip you really well today, I promise,” Bethany said to Linda.
Linda gave a thumbs-up. I remained dumbfounded.
“Bethany, I’ll not enable this,” I said, shaking my head. “No, seriously.”
“No, seriously,” she persisted. “I’m being rude right now even talking about money. But… I want you to trust me. I’m going to put in the money. Okay? I’ve spoken with a good friend of mine that started up his own business and he’s been so helpful to me these past few days. He’s been advising me on the best ways to start a business. Plus, and I’m not bullshitting you here, he has an in with an ‘All-Women’s Sizes’ clothing distributor. I showed her what we have, discussed your ideas, and shared my own. We have something real here, Kayla.”
Despite her promise, I couldn’t help but feel like she was bullshitting me.
“Wow,” I said. “Well, that’s one of the best things I’ve ever heard. I feel like you’re joking.”
“No, not at all,” she insisted. “I’ve contacts that could help us make thousands of pairs of your underwear right now.”
“Bethany, we haven’t even started the company yet!” I exclaimed. “Don’t we need to, you know, market our product before we pour all your savings into making an assembly line? We don’t even know if there is a market for it.”
“Yes, there is,” said Bethany firmly. “You just have to take my word on that, Kayla.”
I rolled my eyes, but relented. I was trying to keep my feet firmly on the ground and not get caught up in fantasies or thoughts that were, ordinarily, too good to be true.
“We don’t even have a name for it yet,” I said whimsically.
“Ha!” proclaimed Bethany. “That’s right! That’s what I like to hear! Now, I’ve a few ideas on where we can set up shop. For now, we don’t really need a big building. We could probably do with renting an office space for the time being. The underwear would be made at a different site. Our building would mostly just be you, me, and storage. Until we can afford a better place and some employees, that is.”
“What the hell, I’m in,” I said. I stuck out my hand and Bethany and I shared a goofy handshake. When our hands returned to our chairs, our specialists had finished with our toes and were focusing their energy back on our fingernails.
“We’ll get drunk one night here soon and come up with a great name for the company,” said Bethany. “Right now, just keep making different designs. I want to try them all. I haven’t been disappointed by a single one yet.”
“Here I thought I was going to have to try and hold you up,” I said, fighting back more tears. “This is so incredible.”
“It will be,” she said. “You don’t have to quit your job yet just because I quit my job.”
“Oh, don’t worry, I wasn’t going to,” I assured her. “I’ve been feeling pretty good about my job for the first time in a while.”
“You thinking of becoming a model yourself?” she asked me, eyebrows raised. “I got lost looking into your eyes in some of those pictures of you wearing the underwear.”
I laughed. “I’m okay with remaining a part of the fashion and managerial side of the stage. But thank you. I’m glad to know that I turn you on.”
“If I went that way, I would totally go for you,” Bethany said.
“Oh, speaking of which,” I said, straightening myself in my chair. “Did I tell you about Stephanie?”
“…I don’t think so, is she a model?” Bethany asked.
“Yeah, she’s a new model,” I confirmed. “A cute little redhead. She’s sweet, too.”
“Oh my,” Bethany said. “You sure you don’t like her?”
“I’m just describing her to you- what, I can’t notice that a girl’s cute?”
She retracted. “Go ahead, tell me about Stephanie.”
I couldn’t hold back my laughter. “She came onto me after the Vicki Verelli shoot.”
“Shut up!” she gasped.
“Yeah, she said she wanted us to get drunk and ‘have our way with each other,’” I told her. “For real. This girl wanted me!
“You’ve got it going on lately, girl,” said Bethany. “It’s attractive to people when you kick ass.”
“That’s true, but still,” I continued. “I rarely get hit on by other women. And, I’ve never gotten hit on by a woman who looked like Stephanie.”<
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“Wow, you’ve got her, you’ve got your piece-of-ass camera hottie…”
I burst out laughing at her description of Justin, my photographer, my lover.
“I can’t believe he asked you out on a date and you turned him down,” she continued. “That was when I knew you were telling me the truth about being confident. There’s no way you would have turned someone like him down five or six years ago.”
“That’s for damn sure,” I agreed.
“You’re going to be able to have any man you want once we really get things going,” she said.
“You know what,” I said. “I think I could have any man I wanted now. I’m picky, you know that about me.”
“So, if you’re not looking for Justin, what are you looking for?” she asked.
“I didn’t say I didn’t want something to happen with Justin,” I corrected. “I’m just focusing on work right now. And, if we start this business up? Come on, Beth. I mean, really. I don’t want any distractions. I’m happy with the way we have things right now.”
She nodded, seemingly unconvinced. “Okay.”
She looked over to the front of the shop where there was a couple sitting together in the waiting area, holding hands and staring into each other’s eyes. I noticed the couple and I knew what was running through Bethany’s mind.
“That really seems nice,” she said. “I would do anything to have that. Instead, I get guys that hit me up on dating apps. And then, they’re either weird or have a strange fixation with fat, vulnerable women.”
I laughed. I wasn’t sure if it was out of discomfort or humor.
“I’m just saying, this guy wants you,” she said. “It baffles me that you keep turning him away.”
“I’m not,” I began. I sighed, backtracking. “Look, there is someone for everyone. I mean it.”
“Okay, you took that straight off a greeting card,” laughed Bethany.
“You know why they’re on greeting cards?” I snapped. “Because a lot of people relate to what the cards say! There really is someone out there for everyone and especially you. You’re an amazing woman and the right guy is out there, I swear. Just be patient. When it’s right, it’s not going to matter that it took this long.”
She huffed, but smiled. “If you’ve got a plan for this guy, that’s great. I’m just afraid you’re going to blow your shot if you keep denying him.”
“I’m not denying him entirely,” I said suggestively.
“That may be true, but you’ve actually got the guy that a lot of girls dream of having and you keep telling him no. You’re always going to be a career girl, Kayla. You’re always going to work hard at your job no matter what. Are you really turning him down because you think it’s the right thing to do?”
I didn’t have an answer, because I had been questioning things with Justin myself. I wasn’t about to open a discussion about him in Newton’s shop, especially since I knew it would become explicit and loud.
“If I blew my shot with Justin, then maybe I’ll text Stephanie for a booty call,” I said. “If Justin’s the ‘perfect guy,’ he can handle being told no a few times.”
Bethany nodded, coming over to my side on the issue.
“So, where do we start with this company?” I asked her.
“Well, first things first,” she said. “We need to have someone go over the books for the business before we move forward. I don’t know enough about taxes when it comes to all this incorporated stuff. I can’t handle that side of the business. We need to hire someone for at least a couple of days to go over everything. We can have them help us work out a real budget too, so we get practical knowledge on how to spend our money and where.”
I cracked a sly grin. “I know a guy that could help us. I’ll set up a meeting for the three of us tomorrow for dinner. We’ll go out to Teddy’s Grill & Bar. Wear something sexy, but not slutty.”
Chapter 17
Justin
I was happy that Kayla texted me the night before. She said she did, in fact, want to ‘use my CPA’ for something. I still had no desire to become a full-time accountant, but I enjoyed the prospect of being able to use my years of knowledge on something, even if it was just to help her with her new underwear company.
I assumed our dinner meeting was going to be centered around that, but I wasn’t entirely sure. Kayla said she was bringing her ‘partner and friend’ Bethany along, so I wasn’t sure what to anticipate. I’d been to several meetings that involved meals and business, but rarely did anyone call each other ‘friends.’ People were colleagues or associates, they were companions and co-workers. I didn’t know whether to dress for a nice meal at a restaurant or casually for drinks at the bar.
We were meeting at Teddy’s Grill & Bar. I hadn’t been there in over a year, but I was stoked. They had games playing on every screen and they had movies and news playing on a few screens in the back. The screens were more for atmosphere than actual entertainment, at least to me. Whenever I went to Teddy’s previously, it was usually on a date.
I decided on a nice, button-up long-sleeve shirt with a nice pair of jeans. I checked myself out in the mirror, combing my hair.
I wondered whether going out at all was a good idea. I was afraid of delving further into my confusing situation with Kayla. It hadn’t been long since I saw her last and I was having trouble with my feelings. Considering my ‘professional’ connections with her were, up till then, strictly related to photography, it was difficult for me to stifle my fierce attraction to her. I looked at hundreds of different photos of her day after day. It was impossible not to want her. It was impossible to not want to bury myself deep inside her soft, beautiful pussy…
I wanted to see her. I knew that regardless of how I was felt, I shouldn’t deny myself the simple pleasure of spending time with her. If I didn’t go, I would have wondered all night what going would have been like.
* * *
I arrived at Teddy’s a few minutes before six, wondering if I was too early. When I got inside, I saw that Kayla and Bethany had arrived far earlier than me. They were seated in a booth near the bar, but they stood up quickly once they spotted me. I waved and walked over to them.
We said our hellos and greetings. Bethany was closest to me, so she was the first one I hugged. My hug with Kayla was actually much shorter by comparison.
“I can’t believe you’re a photographer and an accountant,” Bethany raved. “You’re the same guy! It’s unbelievable. Really, where do I sign, sir?”
“Okay, Beth,” Kayla said with embarrassment.
“It’s nice to meet you, Bethany,” I said, giving a subtle and facetious bow.
She chuckled and physically retreated, quietly sitting back down. I glanced at both sides of the booth, wondering-
“Sit on my side,” Kayla said simply.
“Sorry, I get nervous when I meet new people,” Bethany said as I sat down beside Kayla. “Or handsome guys. You’re cute.”
“You’re very beautiful yourself,” I complimented.
She laughed and looked down at her menu, avoiding my eyes. We all looked over our menus.
“How are you, Kayla?” I asked.
“I’m doing pretty darn well, as a matter of fact, thank you for asking Justin,” she said with a chipper tone. “I appreciate that you could make it here today.”
“I hope I can help,” I said with a nod.
We both glanced at Bethany, who remained silent.
“Get anything you want, by the way,” continued Kayla. “We’re buying.”
“Okay, well in that case, I’ll order their finest steak,” I joked. “Actually, I’m not sure if I’m feeling like steak tonight. Not sure what I want…”
“Hi!” said out waitress as she appeared beside the table. “My name is Greta and I’ll be your server for today. What can I start you folks with to drink?”
“I’ll have peach tea,” Kayla said.
“I’ll take a Corona,” I said.
“Wate
r, thank you,” Bethany said.
Our waitress walked off, leaving us to peruse our menus. Kayla stared at Bethany while she continued to sit quietly across from us.
“This is the most quiet I’ve ever seen you in my life,” she said with a chuckle. “Why so shy?”
“I’m not shy,” Bethany said without looking at me. “Keep talking, stop looking at me.”
I chuckled. “So… Kayla tells me you girls are really serious about starting this fashion company.”
Bethany nodded.
“We can discuss that over dinner,” said Kayla.
“Why can’t we talk about things now?” I wondered. “I want to know what’s going on. I want the scoop.”
The girls both shrugged. They put down their menus.
“Well, first figure out what you want to order,” I suggested.
“I know what I want,” Kayla said.
“Me, too,” Bethany said.
“So, we’ll tell you what’s going on,” Kayla continued. “We don’t know a thing about money or how to spend it.”
“It’s true, we’re dumb,” Bethany added.
I laughed at her addition. She went from avoiding eye contact with me altogether to shooting glances and smiles in my direction. I wondered if she truly was shy.
“We’re wondering if you’d be willing to come out of retirement and be our accountant,” said Kayla. “In fact, I was even toying around with the idea of suggesting a dual role: part-time accountant and part-time photographer. Whatever your official role would be, we want you to join us and help build our company.”
I wasn’t sure if it was the weight of her words or her casual tone, but I wasn’t sure of how to respond. My mouth opened slowly, but no words came out.
“No pressure,” she laughed. “Really, I’m making it sound a lot more ‘important’ than it actually is. I’ve told you how we want to market the underwear I designed.”
“And, you’re smart to do it,” I added.
“Tell her,” added Bethany. “She doesn’t believe me.”
I turned my attention to Bethany. This time, her eyes didn’t leave mine.
“Be straight with me, Bethany,” I said. “Are you really cool with me being here or are you just going along with this because I’m Kayla’s friend?”
